{"title":"Who Gains from Saving Nature: case records","dataAsOf":"2026-10-20","url":"https://whogains.org/","cases":[{"id":"kariba-redd","title":"Kariba REDD+ project (Zimbabwe)","dek":"A forest-protection carbon project in Zimbabwe sold about 23 million credits for about €100 million between 2011 and 2022. In September 2025 Verra found that 15.2 million of the 26.8 million credits issued were excess.","country":"Zimbabwe","region":"Africa","lat":-16.9,"lon":28.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","role":"event"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"company-home"}],"start":2011,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Documented on the ground vs kept by the developer and the marketer","value":"1: 8+","note":"Estimate, 2011–2022, euros. See the ledger."},"happened":["The Kariba REDD+ project (Verra project 902) is a forest-protection carbon project in Zimbabwe. The developer was Carbon Green Investments (CGI), owned by Steve Wentzel. South Pole, a Swiss firm, was the carbon asset developer and marketer. The project began in 2011 and its first credits were issued in 2013. South Pole's April 2019 factsheet said the project “has protected nearly 785,000 hectares” and listed 85,000 people benefiting. Each credit stood for one tonne of carbon dioxide that would otherwise have been emitted; the project earned credits for deforestation it said it prevented.","Follow the Money reported on 27 January 2023 that about €100 million of credits had been sold between 2011 and 2022, to “hundreds of clients”, at a price that rose from about €1 per credit in 2011 to “well over €20” by 2022. South Pole's chief executive, Renat Heuberger, said the company “only sold 23 million CO₂ tonnes”. Named buyers included TotalEnergies, Volkswagen (at least €10 million), Delta, EY (over €500,000 in September 2022), McKinsey (over €200,000, after the 9 November 2022 sales stop), Gucci, Lidl, Greenchoice (formerly the largest buyer) and Nestlé.","According to Follow the Money, the project assumed deforestation of 3.2% a year; in the control area it was 1.5% for 2011–2021 and was now 0.2%. The outlet put the overestimate at about 27 million tonnes, “almost two-thirds” of the claimed yield. South Pole stopped Kariba sales on 9 November 2022. Follow the Money reported on 26 July 2023 that local governments had received €3.5 million between September 2021 and August 2022, about a quarter of their entitlement; that community expenses were just under €2 million between August 2020 and October 2022; and that spending listed in the five verification reports came to about €200,000, under 1% of the project's revenue in that period.","On 17 October 2023 the project and its issuances were put on hold. On 27 October 2023 South Pole withdrew from the project, saying it was “disappointed with aspects of how the project was managed on the ground by the project owner”. Heuberger resigned in November 2023.","On 23 September 2025 Verra published the findings of its review: 15,220,520 of the 26,822,953 credits issued were excess (an estimated 56.7%). Of the excess credits, 10,321,531 had been retired and remain valid, and 4,898,989 were still active. Verra permanently removed 10,083,263 verified-but-unissued credits and cancelled all 5,049,473 buffer credits. CGI was asked to compensate by cancelling 15.2 million credits. A second review covers trophy hunting, traceability of funds and benefit-sharing. South Pole cancelled the 2.5 million credits it still held; CGI asked for a “moratorium”, and no firm deadline had been set."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Project starts; credits first sold at about €1 each"},{"y":2013,"t":"First credits issued"},{"y":2019,"t":"South Pole factsheet (April): “Saving forests, protecting wildlife, and changing lives”"},{"y":2022,"t":"Price “well over €20”; South Pole stops Kariba sales on 9 November"},{"y":2023,"t":"Follow the Money investigation (27 Jan); Heuberger interview (15 Mar); Follow the Money on spending (26 Jul); project and issuances put on hold (17 Oct); South Pole withdraws (27 Oct); Heuberger resigns (Nov)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Verra review (23 Sep): 15.2m of 26.8m issued credits excess; 10.3m retired credits remain valid; Climate Home News reports (30 Sep)"}],"said":[{"q":"Saving forests, protecting wildlife, and changing lives.","who":"South Pole project factsheet","when":"April 2019","src":0},{"q":"one of the most successful forest conservation projects in the world","who":"Renat Heuberger, then chief executive of South Pole, in a radio interview","when":"March 2023","src":1},{"q":"we only sold 23 million CO₂ tonnes","who":"Renat Heuberger, then chief executive of South Pole","when":"March 2023","src":1},{"q":"As the carbon consultant, we are not in a position to answer the above questions.","who":"South Pole, to Follow the Money","when":"July 2023","src":3},{"q":"I have provided sufficient documentation to show the funds received are accounted for.","who":"Steve Wentzel, owner of Carbon Green Investments, to Follow the Money","when":"July 2023","src":3},{"q":"simply to ensure that the project didn't go bankrupt","who":"South Pole, explaining to Follow the Money why it bought credits","when":"2023","src":10},{"q":"we are disappointed with aspects of how the project was managed on the ground by the project owner.","who":"South Pole exit statement","when":"27 October 2023","src":6},{"q":"There's no paper trail.","who":"Steve Wentzel, project owner, as quoted in The New Yorker","when":"October 2023","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"“Nearly 785,000 hectares” protected","who":"South Pole factsheet (April 2019)","src":0},{"t":"3,000,000 tCO2e mitigated on average annually, 2011–2016","who":"South Pole factsheet (April 2019)","src":0},{"t":"85,000 people benefiting","who":"South Pole factsheet (April 2019)","src":0},{"t":"“A giant biodiversity corridor”","who":"South Pole factsheet (April 2019)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Assumed deforestation 3.2% a year; control area 1.5% in 2011–2021, now 0.2%. Follow the Money gave the overestimate as about 27 million tonnes and as a factor of about 14.","src":2},{"t":"Contractual split as stated publicly: South Pole 25%; Carbon Green Investments 30% of the remaining 75%; the rest divided into local authorities 40%, community activities 30%, project management 20% and a survival fund 10%.","src":2},{"t":"Follow the Money, 26 July 2023: 23 receipts (2019–2022) total €192,000; spending listed in the five verification reports totals about €200,000; in 2019–2021, $15,000 went to 46 schools and $9,000 to 17 clinics, while sales in that period exceeded €30 million.","src":3},{"t":"Kariba was about 10% of South Pole's 2022 revenue of €232 million; sales in 2022 alone were close to half of all-time turnover.","src":2},{"t":"South Pole acknowledged to Follow the Money that it bought credits for under €0.50 and resold them for over €20; Follow the Money put the margin, on top of South Pole's 25% commission, at at least €18 million.","src":10},{"t":"Verra, 23 September 2025: 15,220,520 of 26,822,953 issued credits excess; 10,321,531 retired and still valid; 4,898,989 still active; 10,083,263 verified-but-unissued credits permanently removed; 5,049,473 buffer credits cancelled; CGI asked to cancel 15.2 million credits.","src":7},{"t":"Verra board member Anshari Rahman also sat on South Pole's board. No wrongdoing is alleged in the cited sources; the overlap of people between the standard-setter and a developer is noted.","src":11},{"t":"Verra's board chair, Marc Stuart, is a co-founder of the carbon project developer EcoSecurities.","src":13},{"t":"Verra's revenue comes from a per-credit fee: $0.20–0.23 per credit, $0.23 since 2025.","src":12},{"t":"No refund record exists for buyers of the excess credits; those already retired remain valid for the buyers.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2011–2022","nature":[{"label":"Payments to local governments","amount":3.5,"window":"Sep 2021–Aug 2022","note":"About a quarter of their entitlement, per Follow the Money."},{"label":"Community expenses","amount":2,"qualifier":"under","window":"Aug 2020–Oct 2022"},{"label":"Deposit into the Kariba Trust (unconfirmed)","amount":2,"window":"2021","note":"Half of what was promised."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":7.5,"qualifier":"at most","note":"Sum of documented payments to the ground. No figure for ranger, patrol or monitoring spending has been published."},"other":[{"label":"South Pole: share of revenue, incl. at least €18m trading margin","amount":43,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"note":"At least 43% of about €100m; Follow the Money wrote “well over 43%”."},{"label":"Carbon Green Investments: own contractual share","amount":17,"est":true,"note":"€57m received (South Pole's figure; an earlier figure was €40m) minus €40m owed to third parties. Cross-check: 30% × (€100m − €43m) ≈ €17.1m."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":60,"qualifier":"at least","est":true},"ratio":{"text":"For every €1 documented as reaching the ground, at least €8 went to the developer and the marketer.","est":true},"sales":{"label":"Credits sold, 2011–2022","amount":100}},"natureSaw":{"line":"The project assumed I would lose 3.2% of my trees a year. In the control area I lost 1.5%.","outcomes":[{"k":"Excess credits","v":"56.7%","d":"15,220,520 of 26,822,953 issued credits (Verra, 23 September 2025; the percentage is an estimate)"},{"k":"Assumed vs observed deforestation","v":"3.2% vs 1.5%","d":"Per year; control area now 0.2% (Follow the Money, 27 January 2023)"},{"k":"Retired excess credits still valid","v":"10.3m","d":"10,321,531 credits already retired by buyers remain valid (Verra, 2025)"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None","d":"Verra's second review covers funds and benefit-sharing"}]},"unknown":["How much of the €40m owed to third parties reached them: Wentzel's documents cover less than a quarter.","Unconfirmed: the €2m deposit into the Kariba Trust in 2021.","Spending on rangers, patrols or monitoring: no figure published.","Whether the excess credits already retired by buyers will be compensated: no firm deadline set; CGI asked for a “moratorium”.","No court case or penalty is recorded; the review was carried out by the standard-setter.","Unconfirmed: a €30m planned community share (South Pole's claim); a 42% share of revenue for South Pole (Follow the Money wrote “well over 43%”); a community share of 28% (a secondary figure); payments to a Guernsey account; internal South Pole analysis, known from journalistic documents, with no independent verification.","Unconfirmed: BP's 2009 minority stake in South Pole and the stake of Temasek's GenZero."],"evidence":["no-court","review","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Sales stopped on 9 November 2022, eleven years after the project began. Credits already retired by buyers remain valid.","whoPaid":"Local governments and communities in the project area, whose documented share was a small fraction of revenue; buyers hold credits that Verra later found excess.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Verra's 23 September 2025 review found 15.2 million of 26.8 million issued credits excess, 10.3 million of which were already retired and remain valid; no firm deadline for compensation was set and no court case or penalty is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"south-pole","says":"“As the carbon consultant, we are not in a position to answer the above questions.”","when":"July 2023","src":3},{"actor":"south-pole","says":"Said it bought credits “simply to ensure that the project didn't go bankrupt”.","when":"2023","src":10},{"actor":"south-pole","says":"“we are disappointed with aspects of how the project was managed on the ground by the project owner.”","when":"27 October 2023","src":6},{"actor":"south-pole","says":"Vehemently denied knowingly selling worthless credits.","when":"October 2023","src":5},{"actor":"south-pole","says":"Cancelled the 2.5 million credits it still held.","when":"2025","src":8},{"actor":"cgi","says":"Wentzel: “I have provided sufficient documentation to show the funds received are accounted for.”","when":"July 2023","src":3},{"actor":"cgi","says":"Asked Verra for a “moratorium” on compensating by cancelling credits.","when":"2025","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"south-pole","role":"Carbon asset developer and marketer"},{"id":"cgi","role":"Project developer and owner"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"volkswagen","role":"Credit buyer (at least €10m)"},{"id":"gucci","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"delta","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"lidl","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"mckinsey","role":"Credit buyer (over €200,000, after the sales stop)"},{"id":"ey","role":"Credit buyer (over €500,000, September 2022)"},{"id":"greenchoice","role":"Credit buyer (formerly the largest)"},{"id":"sylvera","role":"Rating agency (estimate of inflated credits)"},{"id":"calyx-global","role":"Rating agency (estimate of inflated credits)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the credits stand for deforestation that was really avoided?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money","says":"The project assumed deforestation of 3.2% a year; the control area recorded 1.5% for 2011–2021 and 0.2% now. It put the overestimate at about 27 million tonnes.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"South Pole","says":"Its chief executive described Kariba as “one of the most successful forest conservation projects in the world”.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"South Pole","says":"Vehemently denied knowingly selling worthless credits.","src":5},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Found 15,220,520 of 26,822,953 issued credits to be excess (23 September 2025).","src":7},{"voice":"research","holder":"Sylvera and Calyx Global (as reported by Bloomberg, March 2023)","says":"Estimated that Kariba credits were inflated five to eight times.","src":14}]},{"point":"Did the money reach the project area?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money","says":"Spending listed in the five verification reports was about €200,000, under 1% of the project's revenue in the period; local governments received about a quarter of their entitlement.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Steve Wentzel, owner of Carbon Green Investments","says":"“I have provided sufficient documentation to show the funds received are accounted for.”","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"South Pole","says":"“As the carbon consultant, we are not in a position to answer the above questions.”","src":3}]},{"point":"Why did South Pole buy and resell credits?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money","says":"South Pole earned at least €18 million on top of its 25% commission by buying credits for under €0.50 and reselling them for over €20.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"South Pole","says":"Acknowledged the purchases and said it bought the credits “simply to ensure that the project didn't go bankrupt”.","src":10}]},{"point":"Did South Pole keep selling after it knew about the problem?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money and other reporting","says":"Reported that McKinsey bought over €200,000 of credits after the 9 November 2022 sales stop. Journalistic reporting based on internal South Pole documents says the problem was known from June 2022 and sales continued.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"South Pole","says":"Its chief executive denied the allegations and resigned in November 2023.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_sold","value":23000000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sold 2011–2022, per South Pole's chief executive."},{"key":"revenue","value":100,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Credit sales 2011–2022, per Follow the Money."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":26822953,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Total issued, per Verra's review."},{"key":"credits_excess","value":15220520,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Found excess by Verra; about 56.7% of issued credits (estimate)."},{"key":"excess_retired_valid","value":10321531,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Excess credits already retired by buyers; remain valid."},{"key":"excess_active","value":4898989,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Excess credits still active."},{"key":"buffer_cancelled","value":5049473,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Buffer credits cancelled by Verra."},{"key":"unissued_removed","value":10083263,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Verified-but-unissued credits permanently removed by Verra."},{"key":"area_ha","value":785000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Area South Pole's factsheet said had been protected."},{"key":"people_affected","value":85000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"People South Pole's factsheet listed as benefiting."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":7.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"qualifier":"at most","note":"Documented payments to the ground (local governments, community expenses, Trust deposit)."},{"key":"price_per_credit_2022","value":20,"unit":"EUR","year":2022,"qualifier":"over","note":"Price by 2022; about €1 in 2011."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A forest-protection project on about 785,000 hectares in northern Zimbabwe sold about 23 million carbon credits for around €100m between 2011 and 2022. Verra later found 15.2 million of the 26.8 million credits issued to be excess.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"South Pole (marketer)","what":"At least €43m of about €100m in credit sales, including at least €18m from buying credits below €0.50 and reselling them above €20 (estimate from reported figures).","src":3},{"who":"Carbon Green Investments / Steve Wentzel (developer)","what":"About €57m received, of which about €17m was its own contractual share (estimate).","src":3},{"who":"Verra (standard and registry)","what":"Registration levies of about $2.7m (estimate).","src":2},{"who":"Credit buyers incl. TotalEnergies, Volkswagen, Gucci, Nestlé","what":"Climate claims based on the credits; 10.3m credits later found excess remain valid for them.","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"Communities and local councils in the project area","what":"Documented payments of €7.5m or less; local governments received about a quarter of their entitlement in 2021–22.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Northern Zimbabwe; about 785,000 hectares, as stated by the developer.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Started 2011; first credits 2013; sales stopped 9 November 2022; suspended by Verra October 2023; excess credits found September 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Stated purpose: “Saving forests, protecting wildlife, and changing lives” (South Pole, 2019). The investigation found the assumed deforestation rate of 3.2% a year far above the comparison area's 1.5%, later 0.2%.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Credits were issued against a projected deforestation baseline and sold to companies offsetting emissions. The publicly stated split: 25% to South Pole, 30% of the rest to the developer, the remainder to councils, community activities, management and a fund.","src":2},"ratio":{"t":"For every €1 documented as reaching the ground, at least €8 stayed with the developer and the marketer (estimate, 2011–2022).","src":3}},"episodes":[],"flagship":true,"sources":[{"t":"Kariba project factsheet","p":"South Pole","d":"2019-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.southpole.com/uploads/media/kariba-project-0990-300419.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240301030533/https://www.southpole.com/uploads/media/kariba-project-0990-300419.pdf"},{"t":"South Pole's CEO Renat Heuberger plays down Kariba problems","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2023-03-15","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/south-poles-ceo-renat-heuberger-plays","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230316153056/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/south-poles-ceo-renat-heuberger-plays"},{"t":"The South Pole Kariba carbon emission","p":"Follow the Money","d":"2023-01-27","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.ftm.eu/articles/south-pole-kariba-carbon-emission","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013124547/https://www.ftm.eu/articles/south-pole-kariba-carbon-emission"},{"t":"Renowned carbon credit project lacks transparency","p":"Follow the Money","d":"2023-07-26","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.ftm.eu/articles/renowed-carbon-credit-project-lacks-transparancy","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211101355/https://www.ftm.eu/articles/renowed-carbon-credit-project-lacks-transparancy"},{"t":"\"I probably will go to jail,\" says Steve Wentzel","p":"REDD-Monitor (summary of The New Yorker)","d":"2023-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/i-probably-will-go-to-jail-says-steve","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011213738/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/i-probably-will-go-to-jail-says-steve"},{"t":"Swiss carbon offset giant stumbles amid forest protection allegations","p":"swissinfo.ch","d":"2023-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sci-tech/swiss-carbon-offset-giant-stumbles-amid-forest-protection-allegations/48927908","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231026172534/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sci-tech/swiss-carbon-offset-giant-stumbles-amid-forest-protection-allegations/48927908"},{"t":"South Pole pulls plug on Kariba","p":"Argus Media","d":"2023-10-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2503361-south-pole-pulls-plug-on-kariba","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231104232754/https://www.argusmedia.com/en//news/2503361-south-pole-pulls-plug-on-kariba"},{"t":"Verra acts on Kariba project, cancels excess credits","p":"Verra","d":"2025-09-23","type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/verra-acts-on-kariba-project-cancels-excess-credits-advances-independent-review/","voice":"standard","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011065206/https://verra.org/verra-acts-on-kariba-project-cancels-excess-credits-advances-independent-review/"},{"t":"Zimbabwe forest carbon megaproject generated millions of junk credits","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2025-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/30/zimbabwe-forest-carbon-megaproject-generated-millions-of-junk-credits/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011070043/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/30/zimbabwe-forest-carbon-megaproject-generated-millions-of-junk-credits/"},{"t":"Carbon offset firm South Pole cuts ties with Zimbabwe forest project","p":"BusinessDay","d":"2023-10-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/companies/2023-10-27-carbon-offset-firm-south-pole-cuts-ties-with-zimbabwe-forest-project/"},{"t":"South Pole and the Kariba REDD project","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2023","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/south-pole-and-the-kariba-redd-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210111055/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/south-pole-and-the-kariba-redd-project"},{"t":"Anshari Rahman, Verra board","p":"Verra","d":"undated","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://verra.org/board/anshari-rahman/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307112205/https://verra.org/board/anshari-rahman/"},{"t":"Verra program fee schedule FAQs","p":"Verra","d":"undated","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://verra.org/new-verra-program-fee-schedule-faqs/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414054209/https://verra.org/new-verra-program-fee-schedule-faqs/"},{"t":"Marc Stuart, Verra board","p":"Verra","d":"undated","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://verra.org/board/marc-stuart/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415232911/https://verra.org/board/marc-stuart/"},{"t":"Faulty Credits Tarnish South Pole's Billion-Dollar Carbon Offsets","p":"Bloomberg (Ben Elgin, Alastair Marsh, Max de Haldevang), via Bloomberg Línea","d":"2023-03-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/faulty-credits-tarnish-south-poles-billion-dollar-carbon-offsets/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240304184428/https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/faulty-credits-tarnish-south-poles-billion-dollar-carbon-offsets/"}],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"26.8 million carbon credits were issued in my name; in September 2025 the registry found 15.2 million of them excess.","src":[7]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the credits stand for deforestation that was really avoided?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the money reach the project area?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did South Pole buy and resell credits?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did South Pole keep selling after it knew about the problem?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"How much of the €40m owed to third parties reached them: Wentzel's documents cover less than a quarter.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the €2m deposit into the Kariba Trust in 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Spending on rangers, patrols or monitoring: no figure published.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the excess credits already retired by buyers will be compensated: no firm deadline set; CGI asked for a “moratorium”.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case or penalty is recorded; the review was carried out by the standard-setter.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a €30m planned community share (South Pole's claim); a 42% share of revenue for South Pole (Follow the Money wrote “well over 43%”); a community share of 28% (a secondary figure); payments to a Guernsey account; internal South Pole analysis, known from journalistic documents, with no independent verification.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: BP's 2009 minority stake in South Pole and the stake of Temasek's GenZero.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"galapagos-debt-swap","title":"Galápagos debt-for-nature swap","dek":"Described as the world's largest debt conversion for marine conservation. By the end of 2025, about $3.8 million in grants had been assigned.","country":"Ecuador","region":"Latin America","lat":-0.7,"lon":-90.3,"start":2023,"end":2041,"instrument":"debt-swap","flagship":true,"headline":{"label":"First-year investor interest vs grants assigned by end-2025","value":"$37m / $3.8m","note":"Different time windows; not a ratio. See Who gained."},"happened":["On 9 May 2023 Ecuador exchanged $1.63 billion face value of its international bonds for a $656 million loan. It bought the old bonds back at about 40 cents on the dollar, roughly $644 million.","The new debt was financed by a $656 million \"Galápagos marine conservation-linked bond\" issued through Credit Suisse, maturing in 2041, paying investors 5.645% a year.","The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) gave $656 million in political-risk insurance and passed more than half of the risk to private reinsurers. The Inter-American Development Bank gave an $85 million guarantee.","In return Ecuador committed about $323 million to Galápagos conservation over 18.5 years, through the Galápagos Life Fund, registered in Delaware.","The first approved project, in December 2024, was surveillance of the Hermandad Marine Reserve. That reserve had been created in January 2022, before the swap. In 2025 the fund assigned about $3.8 million in community grants."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Hermandad Marine Reserve created (about 60,000 km²)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Swap closes 9 May; $656m bond issued"},{"y":2024,"t":"First approved project: reserve surveillance (Dec)"},{"y":2025,"t":"About $3.8m in community grants assigned (May and Dec)"},{"y":2041,"t":"Bond matures"}],"said":[{"q":"Largest Debt Conversion for Marine Conservation to Protect the Galápagos.","who":"US DFC press release","when":"May 2023","src":0},{"q":"This debt-for-nature exchange, the world's largest…","who":"Gustavo Manrique, then Foreign Minister of Ecuador","when":"May 2023","src":0},{"q":"An extraordinary win for nature and people.","who":"Giuseppe Di Carlo, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy","when":"May 2023","src":0},{"q":"These entities earned relatively high fees as a share of the bond's total issuance value.","who":"Bajaj & Sheoran, Yale Journal of International Affairs","when":"December 2025","src":1},{"q":"…privatize the management of strategic areas without the consent of those who inhabit these territories.","who":"Eva Martínez, lawyer, CDES (via CFFA)","when":"June 2025","src":3}],"shown":["The world's largest debt-for-nature swap","$1.1 billion saved for Ecuador","More than $450 million for the Galápagos","A win for nature and people"],"recorded":["Grants assigned by end-2025: about $3.8m","The protected reserve existed before the swap","Effective borrowing cost rises from 5.6% to 7.4% with insurance, guarantee and fees","Fund registered in Delaware; government seats are a minority"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Community grants assigned (2025)","amount":3.8,"window":"to end-2025"},{"label":"Committed over 18.5 years (projection, not audited)","amount":323,"window":"2023–2041","committed":true}],"natureTotal":{"amount":3.8,"qualifier":"about","note":"Assigned by end-2025. The $323m is a commitment."},"other":[{"label":"Investor interest, first year","amount":37,"est":true,"window":"year 1","note":"5.645% × $656m."},{"label":"Insurance, guarantee and fee spread, first year","amount":11.4,"est":true,"window":"year 1","note":"(7.387% − 5.645%) × $656m; falls as principal is repaid."},{"label":"Arranger fee (Credit Suisse/UBS)","amount":null,"window":"—","note":"Not disclosed."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":48.4,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"First year only."},"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Bond issued","amount":656}},"natureSaw":{"line":"My reserve was drawn in 2022. The bond came in 2023. Its interest was paid before my first grant.","outcomes":[{"k":"Grants assigned","v":"$3.8m","d":"By end-2025, of $323m committed"},{"k":"New protected area from the swap","v":"None","d":"Hermandad reserve predates it"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None","d":"None found"}]},"unknown":["Fees earned by Credit Suisse/UBS as arranger: not disclosed.","The DFC insurance premium and the IDB guarantee fee: not disclosed.","No independent ecological evaluation of the swap exists.","Ecuador's Ministry of Environment said there was consultation for the reserve but none for the swap."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No specific harm was named for the swap to stop. The reserve it funds was declared a year earlier.","whoPaid":"Ecuador pays the coupon, premiums and fees until 2041. Artisanal fishers report concern over access to fishing grounds.","types":["debt-swap"],"places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","lat":-0.7,"lon":-90.3}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"US DFC, with private reinsurers (AXA XL, Chubb and others)","insured":"Bond investors","status":"paid","year":2023,"amount":{"value":656,"currency":"USD","label":"political-risk cover issued"},"summary":"DFC issued political-risk insurance and passed more than half of the risk to private reinsurers; no claim has been reported.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"restoration_paid","value":3.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Community grants assigned by end-2025."},{"key":"area_ha","value":6000000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Hermandad Marine Reserve, about 60,000 km²; created before the swap."}],"actors":[{"id":"ecuador-gov","role":"Borrower"},{"id":"credit-suisse","role":"Bond arranger"},{"id":"dfc","role":"Political-risk insurer"},{"id":"idb","role":"Guarantor ($85m)"},{"id":"axa-xl","role":"Reinsurer"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Reinsurer"},{"id":"pew-bertarelli","role":"Conservation partner"},{"id":"ocean-finance","role":"Permanent fund board seat, treasury"}],"sources":[{"t":"Financial close reached on largest debt conversion for marine conservation","p":"US DFC","d":"2023-05","type":"official","u":"https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/financial-close-reached-largest-debt-conversion-marine-conservation-protect","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914054427/https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/financial-close-reached-largest-debt-conversion-marine-conservation-protect"},{"t":"Macro-fiscal impact and governance dynamics in Ecuador's debt-for-nature swaps","p":"Yale Journal of International Affairs","d":"2025-12-07","type":"academic","u":"https://www.yalejournal.org/publications/macro-fiscal-impact-and-governance-dynamics-in-ecuadors-debt-for-nature-swaps-t82tf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714230615/https://www.yalejournal.org/publications/macro-fiscal-impact-and-governance-dynamics-in-ecuadors-debt-for-nature-swaps-t82tf"},{"t":"Entregan nuevos millones de dólares del canje de deuda","p":"Vistazo","d":"2025-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.vistazo.com/estilo-de-vida/sostenibilidad/2025-19-12-entregan-nuevos-millones-dolares-canje-deuda-proteger-galapagos-HA10108429","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615170605/https://www.vistazo.com/estilo-de-vida/sostenibilidad/2025-19-12-entregan-nuevos-millones-dolares-canje-deuda-proteger-galapagos-HA10108429"},{"t":"Galápagos debt swap: privatising management of strategic areas","p":"CFFA","d":"2025-06-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.cffacape.org/publications-blog/galapagos-debt-swap-these-deals-are-being-used-to-privatize-the-management-of-strategic-areas-without-the-consent-of-those-who-inhabit-these-territories","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909130834/https://www.cffacape.org/publications-blog/galapagos-debt-swap-these-deals-are-being-used-to-privatize-the-management-of-strategic-areas-without-the-consent-of-those-who-inhabit-these-territories"},{"t":"How Wall Street's new ESG money-maker promises nature conservation","p":"Bloomberg Línea","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/how-wall-streets-new-esg-money-maker-promises-nature-conservation-in-emerging-markets/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421131538/https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/how-wall-streets-new-esg-money-maker-promises-nature-conservation-in-emerging-markets/"}],"episodes":[],"disputes":[],"related":["seychelles-debt-for-nature-swap"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In May 2023 Ecuador exchanged $1.63bn of bonds for a $656m conservation-linked loan and committed about $323m over 18.5 years to Galápagos marine conservation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Ecuador","what":"$1.1bn in lifetime debt-service savings, according to DFC.","src":0},{"who":"Bond investors","what":"About $37m in interest in the first year (5.645% on $656m, estimate).","src":1},{"who":"Insurers, guarantor and arranger (DFC and reinsurers, IDB, Credit Suisse/UBS)","what":"About $11.4m in the first year from the gap between the coupon and Ecuador's effective cost (estimate); the arranger fee was not disclosed.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Artisanal fishers","what":"Report concern over losing access to fishing grounds; the Ministry of Environment said no consultation was held on the swap itself.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, including the Hermandad Marine Reserve (about 60,000 km²).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reserve created January 2022; swap closed 9 May 2023; first project approved December 2024; about $3.8m in grants assigned in 2025; bond matures 2041.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Stated purpose: the “largest debt conversion for marine conservation to protect the Galápagos” (DFC). For Ecuador, the deal reduced its debt.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Ecuador bought its bonds back at about 40 cents on the dollar with a $656m loan financed by a Credit Suisse bond; DFC insured it and passed more than half the risk to reinsurers. The savings fund the Galápagos Life Fund, registered in Delaware, where government seats are a minority.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"Ecuador's effective borrowing cost rose from 5.6% to 7.4% once insurance, guarantee and fees were added.","src":1}},"natureLead":{"t":"A $656 million bond was issued in my name in 2023; by the end of 2025, $3.8 million had been assigned in grants.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Money","text":"Arranger fee (Credit Suisse/UBS) — Not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Fees earned by Credit Suisse/UBS as arranger: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The DFC insurance premium and the IDB guarantee fee: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation of the swap exists.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ecuador's Ministry of Environment said there was consultation for the reserve but none for the swap.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 4 has no attribution"]},{"id":"yangtze-fishing-ban","title":"Yangtze ten-year fishing ban","dek":"About 231,000 fishers put down their nets. Studies attribute about 70% of the river's fish loss to habitat destruction, mostly dams, sand mining and land reclamation.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":30.6,"lon":114.3,"start":2020,"end":2030,"instrument":"fishing-ban","flagship":true,"headline":{"label":"Fish loss: habitat vs fishing","value":"70: 30","note":"Jin et al., attribution study."},"happened":["China banned fishing on the Yangtze in two steps: from 1 January 2020 in 332 protected areas of the basin, and from 1 January 2021 on the main stem and major tributaries. The ban runs for ten years.","About 231,000 fishers and 111,000 boats came under the ban. Central and local governments set aside 27 billion yuan by the end of 2022 for compensation and pension insurance.","Research attributes about 70% of the river's fish decline to habitat loss — dams, land reclamation and sand mining — and about 30% to fishing.","The river's dolphin, the baiji, was not found in a 2006 survey and was declared functionally extinct in 2007. Fishing nets were its main recorded cause of death. The ban came fourteen years later.","China Yangtze Power, which runs six large dams on the river including Three Gorges, raised net profit from 26.3 billion yuan in 2020 to 34.5 billion yuan in 2025. Cargo handled at main-stem ports passed 4.2 billion tonnes in 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":1954,"t":"Wild catch about 430,000 tonnes"},{"y":2006,"t":"Baiji not found in survey; declared functionally extinct (2007)"},{"y":2011,"t":"Wild catch below 100,000 tonnes"},{"y":2020,"t":"Ban begins in 332 protected areas"},{"y":2021,"t":"Ban extends to main stem and major tributaries"},{"y":2025,"t":"Yangtze finless porpoise count 1,426; dam power output 307 TWh"},{"y":2030,"t":"Ten-year ban period ends"}],"said":[{"q":"Fishers able and willing to work, all placed in jobs.","who":"Official Chinese reporting (People's Daily; gov.cn)","when":"2023–2025","src":2},{"q":"China starts 10-year fishing ban on Yangtze River.","who":"China Daily","when":"2 January 2020","src":0}],"shown":["A ten-year rest for the river","231,000 fishers compensated and retrained","Porpoise numbers rising","Fish biomass up"],"recorded":["About 70% of fish loss attributed to habitat, about 30% to fishing","The dams keep running; dam operator profit up about 3× from 2015 to 2025","The baiji was gone 14 years before the ban","One reported fisher: from 50–80,000 yuan a year to about 24,000 as a patrol warden"],"ledger":{"currency":"CNY","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation and pensions for fishers (to end-2022)","amount":27000,"window":"2020–2022","note":"Paid to people leaving the river, not to habitat."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":27000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Compensation to fishers; no habitat-restoration budget is attached to the ban."},"other":[{"label":"China Yangtze Power net profit, 2025","amount":34500,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Hubei aquaculture output value, 2022","amount":157700,"window":"2022","note":"About 5.8× the total ban compensation."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The nets left in 2020. The dolphin had left in 2006. The dams stayed.","outcomes":[{"k":"Finless porpoise (official count)","v":"1,012 → 1,426","d":"2017 → 2025"},{"k":"Main-stem fish biomass","v":"+209%","d":"2018–2023 (Science, 2026); small species −18%; stocking may contribute"},{"k":"Chinese sturgeon","v":"No natural spawning","d":"Eight years; 970,000+ juveniles released in 2025"}]},"unknown":["No national study measures how much of fishers' lost income the compensation replaced.","The number of fishers \"able and willing to work\" fell from 160,000 (2022) to 142,000 (2025); no reason was given.","No official figure for total legal and illegal sand extraction on the river.","No current official count of dams in the basin."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Fishing stopped in 2020–21. Habitat loss, named as the larger cause, was not part of the ban.","whoPaid":"Fishers, many moving to lower incomes; the baiji, before any ban existed.","types":["fishing-ban"],"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","lat":30.6,"lon":114.3}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":231000,"unit":"fishers","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fishers covered by the ban; Chinese sources give about 280,000."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":27000,"unit":"CNY m","year":2022,"note":"Compensation and pension insurance set aside to end-2022."},{"key":"profit","value":34500,"unit":"CNY m","year":2025,"note":"China Yangtze Power net profit."}],"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The baiji, the river's dolphin, was declared functionally extinct in 2007. Research attributes about 70% of the river's fish decline to habitat loss and about 30% to fishing.","report":[{"t":"My river dolphin, the baiji, was declared functionally extinct in 2007.","src":7},{"t":"My wild fish catch fell from about 430,000 tonnes in 1954 to under 100,000 tonnes after 2011.","src":1},{"t":"About 70% of the decline of my river's fish is attributed to habitat loss — dams, land reclamation and sand mining — and about 30% to fishing.","src":4},{"t":"My Chinese sturgeon have not spawned naturally for eight years.","src":8}]},"disputes":[{"point":"Were the fishers' livelihoods replaced?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Official Chinese reporting","says":"“Fishers able and willing to work, all placed in jobs.”","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Press report","says":"One fisher's income fell from 50,000–80,000 yuan a year to about 24,000 as a patrol warden.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"National study","says":"None on record measures how much lost income the compensation replaced.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"actors":[{"id":"china-gov","role":"Regulator; ban and compensation"},{"id":"cyp","role":"Operator of six main-stem dams"}],"sources":[{"t":"China starts 10-year fishing ban on Yangtze River","p":"China Daily","d":"2020-01-02","type":"press","u":"https://govt.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202001/02/WS5e0d8495498e1ed196a6bafd/china-starts-10-year-fishing-ban-on-yangtze-river.html"},{"t":"Fishers and boats handed in under the ban","p":"Sixth Tone","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009065","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206083126/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1009065"},{"t":"Ministry update on fishers' resettlement","p":"gov.cn","d":"2025-12","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/bumen/202512/content_7050862.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312002850/https://www.gov.cn/lianbo/bumen/202512/content_7050862.htm"},{"t":"Fish biomass recovery in the Yangtze (Science, 2026)","p":"Chinese Academy of Sciences","d":"2026-02-13","type":"academic","u":"https://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research-news/202602/t20260213_1150949.shtml","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422054810/http://english.cas.cn/newsroom/research-news/202602/t20260213_1150949.shtml"},{"t":"Causes of fish decline in the Yangtze (Jin et al.)","p":"PubMed Central","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9047000/"},{"t":"China Yangtze Power income statement","p":"Stock Analysis","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://stockanalysis.com/quote/sha/600900/financials/income-statement/"},{"t":"Poyang Lake sand mining","p":"Sixth Tone","d":"2017","type":"press","u":"https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1702","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240402104534/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1702"},{"t":"Yangtze River dolphin now 'functionally extinct'","p":"NBC News","d":"2007","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna20177897","type":"press"},{"t":"The Chinese sturgeon is still critically endangered","p":"Dialogue Earth","u":"https://dialogue.earth/en/digest/the-chinese-sturgeon-is-still-critically-endangered/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260814165149/https://dialogue.earth/en/digest/the-chinese-sturgeon-is-still-critically-endangered/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China banned fishing on the Yangtze for ten years, from 2020 in protected areas and from 2021 on the main river; about 231,000 fishers and 111,000 boats left the river.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"China Yangtze Power (operator of six main-stem dams)","what":"Net profit rose from 26.3bn yuan in 2020 to 34.5bn yuan in 2025; the dams were not part of the ban.","src":5},{"who":"Aquaculture in the Yangtze provinces","what":"Hubei's aquaculture output was worth 157.7bn yuan in 2022, about 5.8 times the total ban compensation (estimate).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Fishers","what":"About 231,000 stopped fishing. One reported fisher's income fell from 50,000–80,000 yuan to about 24,000 a year as a patrol warden.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Baiji, the Yangtze river dolphin","what":"Declared functionally extinct in 2007; fishing nets were its main recorded cause of death.","src":null},{"who":"The river's wild fish","what":"Wild catch fell from about 430,000 tonnes in 1954 to under 100,000 tonnes after 2011.","src":null},{"who":"Chinese sturgeon","what":"No natural spawning for eight years; more than 970,000 juveniles released in 2025.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"The Yangtze main stem and major tributaries, and 332 protected areas across the basin, including Poyang and Dongting lakes.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Baiji not found in 2006 survey; ban in protected areas from 1 January 2020; on the main river from 1 January 2021; runs to 2030.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Research attributes about 70% of the river's fish decline to habitat loss — dams, land reclamation, sand mining — and about 30% to fishing.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Fishing was stopped and boats handed in; governments set aside 27bn yuan for compensation and pension insurance; fisheries enforcement staff rose to 10,400.","src":2},"ratio":{"t":"Before the ban, the river's wild catch was 0.32% of China's freshwater fish output.","src":null}},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the fishers' livelihoods replaced?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"National study: None on record measures how much lost income the compensation replaced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No national study measures how much of fishers' lost income the compensation replaced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of fishers \"able and willing to work\" fell from 160,000 (2022) to 142,000 (2025); no reason was given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No official figure for total legal and illegal sand extraction on the river.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No current official count of dams in the basin.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Aquaculture in the Yangtze provinces","No source link — Who harmed: Baiji, the Yangtze river dolphin","No source link — Who harmed: The river's wild fish","No source link — Who harmed: Chinese sturgeon","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 4 has no attribution"]},{"id":"belize-blue-bond","title":"Belize blue bond","dek":"A debt buyback tied to protecting 30% of Belize's ocean. Protection stands at 20.3%; about $6 million in grants were approved in three and a half years.","country":"Belize","region":"Latin America","lat":17.2,"lon":-88.5,"start":2021,"end":2041,"instrument":"debt-swap","headline":{"label":"Premiums and costs over the deal's life","value":"$84–86m","note":"UNCTAD expert and TNC figures."},"happened":["In November 2021, announced at COP26, Belize bought back its $553 million \"superbond\" at 55 cents on the dollar.","It funded the buyback with a $364 million loan from a subsidiary of The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Credit Suisse financed the loan by issuing blue bonds through a Cayman Islands vehicle. The US DFC insured the loan; the Swedish pension fund Alecta bought the bonds after the insurance was in place.","Belize committed about $180 million to ocean conservation over 20 years and to protect 30% of its ocean by 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Buyback at 55 cents; blue loan from TNC subsidiary"},{"y":2024,"t":"Ocean protection 20.3%"},{"y":2025,"t":"About $6m in grants approved; protection still 20.3%"},{"y":2026,"t":"30% target year"}],"said":[{"q":"In effect, we realized over $1.1 billion in savings for Belize and the Belizean people.","who":"John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize","when":"January 2024","src":5},{"q":"I find this profoundly concerning.","who":"Daniel Munevar, UNCTAD, on the cost spread","when":"2023","src":4}],"shown":["30% of the ocean protected","$1.1 billion saved"],"recorded":["Protected: 20.3% (2024 and 2025)","Grants approved in 3.5 years: about $6m","Credit Suisse declined to state its earnings"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Grants approved by May 2025","amount":6,"window":"3.5 years"},{"label":"Commitment over 20 years","amount":180,"committed":true,"window":"2021–2041"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":6,"qualifier":"about"},"other":[{"label":"Spread between what Belize pays and investors receive (premiums, costs)","amount":85,"window":"deal lifetime","note":"$84m (UNCTAD expert) or $86m (TNC)."},{"label":"Credit Suisse earnings","amount":null,"note":"Not disclosed."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Blue loan","amount":364}},"natureSaw":{"line":"Thirty percent was promised. Twenty point three was drawn.","outcomes":[{"k":"Ocean protected","v":"20.3%","d":"Target 30% by 2026"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None","d":"None found"}]},"unknown":["Credit Suisse's earnings on the transaction.","Two official figures for grants allocated conflict (BZ$12m vs BZ$14.6m).","No independent ecological evaluation."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No specific harm was named. The protection target has not been reached.","whoPaid":"Belize, through premiums and costs; bondholders who accepted a 45% haircut.","types":["debt-swap"],"places":[{"country":"Belize","iso2":"BZ","lat":17.2,"lon":-88.5}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"US DFC, with reinsurers","insured":"Blue loan investors","status":"paid","year":2021,"summary":"DFC insured the blue loan; the bond buyer purchased only after the insurance was in place. No claim reported.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"restoration_paid","value":6,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Grants approved in 3.5 years."}],"actors":[{"id":"belize-gov","role":"Borrower"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Lender (via subsidiary)"},{"id":"credit-suisse","role":"Bond arranger"},{"id":"dfc","role":"Insurer"},{"id":"alecta","role":"Bond buyer"}],"sources":[{"t":"Do debt-for-nature swaps work? Learning from Belize","p":"LSE International Development blog","d":"2023-02-28","type":"academic","u":"https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/internationaldevelopment/2023/02/28/do-debt-for-nature-swaps-work-learning-from-belize","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250918152334/https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/internationaldevelopment/2023/02/28/do-debt-for-nature-swaps-work-learning-from-belize/"},{"t":"Belize blue bond turns two","p":"Amandala","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://amandala.com.bz/news/belize-blue-bond-turns-two","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260328052933/https://amandala.com.bz/news/belize-blue-bond-turns-two/"},{"t":"Blue bond update","p":"San Pedro Sun","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.sanpedrosun.com/environment/2025/05/10/belize-makes-progress-in-fulfilling-conservation-commitments-outlined-in-the-blue-bond-initiative/"},{"t":"Chubb supports landmark debt-for-nature restructuring project in Belize","p":"Chubb","d":"2021-12-20","type":"company","u":"https://news.chubb.com/2021-12-20-Chubb-Supports-Landmark-Debt-for-Nature-Restructuring-Project-in-Belize","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517175447/https://news.chubb.com/2021-12-20-Chubb-Supports-Landmark-Debt-for-Nature-Restructuring-Project-in-Belize"},{"t":"How Wall Street's new ESG money maker promises nature conservation in emerging markets","p":"Bloomberg Línea","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://bloomberglinea.com/english/how-wall-streets-new-esg-money-maker-promises-nature-conservation-in-emerging-markets/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421131538/https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/how-wall-streets-new-esg-money-maker-promises-nature-conservation-in-emerging-markets/"},{"t":"PM Says Blue Bond Performing on Target","p":"Channel 5 Belize","d":"2024-01-17","u":"https://archive.channel5belize.com/?p=263571","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"disputes":[],"related":["gabon-debt-for-nature-swap"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In November 2021 Belize bought back its $553 million \"superbond\" at 55 cents on the dollar with a $364 million loan from a subsidiary of The Nature Conservancy, financed by blue bonds arranged by Credit Suisse and insured by the US DFC. In return Belize committed about $180 million to ocean conservation over 20 years and to protect 30% of its ocean by 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Belize","what":"Retired a $553m bond with a $364m loan, cutting the debt's face value by about $189m (about 12% of GDP, estimate); Prime Minister John Briceño said Belize \"realized over 1.1 billion dollars in savings\".","src":0},{"who":"Blue-bond investors, including the Swedish pension fund Alecta","what":"Receive the interest on $364m of DFC-insured blue bonds; Alecta bought only after the insurance was in place. The spread between what Belize pays and what investors receive is $84m (UNCTAD expert) or $86m (TNC) over the deal's life.","src":0},{"who":"US DFC and its reinsurers, including Chubb","what":"Premiums for insuring the loan, part of the $84–86m lifetime spread; the DFC cover was $610m, of which Chubb and others reinsured $300m.","src":3},{"who":"Credit Suisse","what":"Arranged and underwrote the blue bonds; it said it had \"provisioned to cover ongoing transaction costs\" and declined to state its earnings.","src":null},{"who":"The Nature Conservancy","what":"About $14m of deal costs included repaying a $10.5m TNC loan.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Holders of the \"superbond\"","what":"Accepted a 45% haircut when Belize bought the bond back at 55 cents on the dollar.","src":0},{"who":"Government of Belize","what":"Pays premiums and costs of $84–86m over the deal's life; interest on the blue loan starts at 3% and rises to 6% in 2026.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Belize's ocean territory; the blue bonds were issued through a Cayman Islands vehicle, and the deal was announced at COP26.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Announced in November 2021 at COP26; protection stood at 20.3% in January 2024 and May 2025, when about $6m in grants had been approved. The 30% target falls in 2026 and the conservation commitment runs to 2041.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The stated purpose was to cut Belize's debt and fund ocean conservation: the loan was tied to protecting 30% of Belize's ocean by 2026 and about $180m for conservation over 20 years.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A TNC subsidiary lent Belize $364m to buy back its bond at a discount; Credit Suisse funded the loan by selling blue bonds through a Cayman Islands vehicle, and the DFC insured it so a pension fund would buy. Belize's conservation payments go to the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future, which makes grants.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"About $6m in grants approved in three and a half years is about 3% of the roughly $180m committed over 20 years (estimate).","src":2}},"natureLead":{"t":"Thirty percent of my ocean was to be protected by 2026; in May 2025, 20.3% was.","src":[5,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Money","text":"Credit Suisse earnings — Not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Credit Suisse's earnings on the transaction.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Two official figures for grants allocated conflict (BZ$12m vs BZ$14.6m).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: Credit Suisse","No source link — Who gained: The Nature Conservancy","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"ngorongoro-loliondo","title":"Ngorongoro and Loliondo relocations","dek":"The Tanzanian government has set aside land in Loliondo to protect the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem and has been relocating residents of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Msomera since June 2022, with a target above 82,000 people. It calls the relocation voluntary; Human Rights Watch reported that services were cut to push people out. A UAE-based company has held exclusive hunting rights over 400,000 hectares since 1992.","country":"Tanzania","region":"Africa","lat":-3.2,"lon":35.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":"Ngorongoro Conservation Area","role":"affected"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":"Loliondo","role":"affected"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":"Msomera","role":"event"}],"start":1992,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Conservation-area revenue, 2023–24","value":"≈ $86m","note":"Estimate at TSh 2,550/$; conservation spending not itemised."},"happened":["The Ngorongoro Conservation Area has been a UNESCO site since 1979. Since June 2022 residents have been relocated to Msomera, about 600 km away, under a programme the government describes as voluntary, with a target of more than 82,000 people. Human Rights Watch reported on 31 July 2024 that services were cut to push people out. The cited sources record 8,960 people relocated in 2022–2024. A March 2026 report in The Chanzo, headlined that only 7% of Ngorongoro residents had relocated, said a commission had told President Samia that the exercise was poorly managed.","In Loliondo, adjacent to the conservation area, the government said that 1,500 km² of the 4,000 km² area was set aside to protect the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem and 2,500 km² for community use; the same split appeared in a 2013 government press release. Amnesty International reported in 2023 on forced evictions of Maasai in the area and in August 2024 said private businesses in Tanzania were complicit in forced evictions.","A government spokesperson said Ngorongoro had been 44% degraded; the cited sources report no independent measurement of that figure. The area's management plan expired in 2016. Reporting on the Tanzanian government's position under the headline “relocations were meant to protect Ngorongoro” appeared in The Citizen.","The Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) had revenue of TSh 91 billion in 2021–22, rising to TSh 220 billion (about USD 86 million) in 2023–24, with 908,000 visitors; four-year revenue totalled TSh 694 billion. The relocation budget was TSh 212 billion. Conservation spending is not itemised; the NCAA lists TSh 10.47 billion for a new headquarters and TSh 14.99 billion for tourist access.","A UAE-based hunting company, Otterlo Business Corporation, has held hunting rights over 400,000 hectares since 1992. Amnesty International links the company to the ruler of Dubai and wrote that it took part in all the forced evictions. The company did not respond. The fee it pays the state does not appear in any source reviewed."],"timeline":[{"y":1979,"t":"Ngorongoro Conservation Area becomes a UNESCO site"},{"y":1992,"t":"Otterlo Business Corporation receives exclusive hunting rights over 400,000 ha"},{"y":2013,"t":"Government press release gives the 1,500 / 2,500 km² Loliondo split"},{"y":2016,"t":"Management plan of the conservation area expires"},{"y":2022,"t":"Loliondo demarcation; more than 40 wounded (10 June); relocation to Msomera begins (June); case dismissed at East African Court of Justice (September)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Amnesty report on forced evictions (June); High Court nullifies Pololeti Game Controlled Area (19 September, contested); EACJ appeals division overturns dismissal (November)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Human Rights Watch report: 82,000+ targeted for relocation (31 July); Amnesty on business complicity (August); reported dismissal of challenge to the Reserve (24 October, contested)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Presidential commission reported to have said only 7% of target households had relocated (March)"}],"said":[{"q":"Currently, it's destroyed by 44 percent.","who":"Mobhare Matinyi, government spokesperson","when":"17 January 2024","src":2},{"q":"Forcibly evicted under the guise of voluntary relocation.","who":"Juliana Nnoko, Human Rights Watch","when":"July 2024","src":0},{"q":"We will continue with the exercise, but after making the necessary corrections.","who":"President Samia Suluhu Hassan","when":"March 2026","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The relocation is voluntary","who":"Government of Tanzania","src":null},{"t":"1,500 km² of Loliondo set aside to protect the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem; 2,500 km² for community use","who":"Government of Tanzania","src":null},{"t":"Ngorongoro is 44% degraded","who":"Government spokesperson","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Services were cut to push people out of Ngorongoro","src":0},{"t":"30,000 animals seized, and the area's main hospital reduced to a dispensary, according to the evidence cited","src":0},{"t":"8,960 people relocated in 2022–2024 against a target of more than 82,000","src":7},{"t":"NCAA revenue TSh 91 billion (2021–22), TSh 220 billion (2023–24); 908,000 visitors; four-year total TSh 694 billion","src":4},{"t":"Relocation budget TSh 212 billion; conservation spending not itemised","src":3},{"t":"High Court nullified the Pololeti Game Controlled Area on 19 September 2023","src":9},{"t":"Otterlo Business Corporation has held exclusive hunting rights over 400,000 hectares since 1992.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023–24","nature":[{"label":"Itemised conservation spending","amount":null,"note":"Not published."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Conservation-area revenue, 2023–24","amount":86,"est":true,"note":"TSh 219.55bn at an assumed TSh 2,550/$."},{"label":"Hunting concession revenue","amount":null,"note":"Unknown."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"Forty-four percent degraded, the government said. No independent measurement of it is on record.","outcomes":[{"k":"Independent measurement of the 44% degradation figure","v":"None found","d":"The figure is the government's own"},{"k":"Management plan","v":"Expired 2016","d":"No replacement on record"},{"k":"Itemised conservation spending","v":"Not disclosed","d":"NCAA lists TSh 10.47 billion for a new headquarters and TSh 14.99 billion for tourist access"}]},"unknown":["The 44% degradation figure is the government's own; no independent measurement is on record.","Detailed conservation spending has not been disclosed.","The fee Otterlo Business Corporation pays the state is not stated in any source reviewed; its income from the concession is not known.","A link between the hunting concession and the Ngorongoro evictions is not established in the cited sources.","A luxury tourism company said it could not disclose the terms of its lease.","Court outcomes are contested or unclear: the High Court nullified the Pololeti Game Controlled Area on 19 September 2023; Witness Radio reports a dismissal of the challenge to the Reserve on 24 October 2024 (unconfirmed).","Unconfirmed: that the Prime Minister said no one would be evicted.","Deaths in the 2022 Loliondo events, one police officer and one Maasai, are unconfirmed.","Figures on how many people have relocated differ in basis: 8,960 people in 2022–2024 against a target of more than 82,000 (as reported by Down To Earth, The Citizen and Human Rights Watch), and, in March 2026, 7% of residents (The Chanzo headline) or 7.3% of target households; the cited sources do not reconcile people and households or the dates."],"evidence":["displacement","court-pending","no-eval","undisclosed","unverified-deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not on record. The relocation was continuing as of the March 2026 report.","whoPaid":"Relocated residents and pastoralists, according to Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International (about 70,000 people lost access to pasture, per Amnesty; more than 82,000 listed for relocation, per Human Rights Watch); the relocation budget was TSh 212 billion.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: relocation continuing; reported 7% of residents relocated; court outcomes contested or unclear.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"tanzania-gov","says":"Described the relocation as voluntary; said the relocations were meant to protect Ngorongoro; said 1,500 km² of Loliondo was set aside for conservation.","when":"2022–2024","src":2},{"actor":"obc","says":"Did not respond to Amnesty International.","when":"2024","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"tanzania-gov","role":"Government; relocation programme"},{"id":"ncaa","role":"Conservation area authority"},{"id":"obc","role":"Exclusive hunting concession"},{"id":"andbeyond","role":"Lodge lease"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"NGO; reported on forced evictions"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"NGO; reported services cut"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the relocation voluntary?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Tanzania","says":"The relocation is voluntary and was meant to protect Ngorongoro.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"Services were cut to push people out; Juliana Nnoko of Human Rights Watch said residents were “forcibly evicted under the guise of voluntary relocation”.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"Reported forced evictions of Maasai and private business complicity.","src":1}]},{"point":"Has Ngorongoro been degraded, and by how much?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government spokesperson","says":"Ngorongoro was 44% degraded.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"No independent source","says":"No independent measurement found.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Role of the hunting concession in the evictions","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"Linked Otterlo Business Corporation to the ruler of Dubai and wrote that it took part in all the forced evictions.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Otterlo Business Corporation","says":"Did not respond.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"East African Court of Justice case on the Loliondo matter","forum":"East African Court of Justice","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","kind":"international","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2023-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court dismissed the case in September 2022; its appeals division overturned that in November 2023.","src":8},{"title":"Pololeti Game Controlled Area","forum":"High Court of Tanzania","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2023-09-19","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The High Court nullified the Pololeti Game Controlled Area on 19 September 2023 (MISA).","src":9},{"title":"Challenge to the Reserve","forum":"High Court of Tanzania","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2024-10-24","status":"unknown","summary":"Witness Radio reports a dismissal on 24 October 2024; unconfirmed, and contested or unclear.","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"displaced","value":82000,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Listed for relocation (Human Rights Watch); 7.3% of target households had moved by March 2026."},{"key":"people_affected","value":70000,"unit":"people","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lost access to pasture (Amnesty International)."},{"key":"injured","value":40,"unit":"people","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Loliondo, 10 June 2022."},{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"One police officer and one Maasai reported dead; not independently verified."},{"key":"revenue","value":86,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Conservation area revenue 2023–24 at an assumed exchange rate."},{"key":"people_relocated","value":8960,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"2022–2024; reported by Down To Earth, The Citizen and Human Rights Watch."},{"key":"relocation_target","value":82000,"unit":"people","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Government target for relocation to Msomera."},{"key":"population_under_pressure","value":150000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Pastoralist population of Ngorongoro district under pressure of displacement."},{"key":"animals_seized","value":30000,"unit":"animals","year":null,"note":"Cited alongside the HRW report."},{"key":"ncaa_revenue_2021_22","value":91000,"unit":"TSh m","year":2022,"note":"TSh 91 billion."},{"key":"ncaa_revenue_2023_24","value":220000,"unit":"TSh m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"TSh 219.55 billion in one source; about USD 86 million."},{"key":"ncaa_revenue_four_years","value":694000,"unit":"TSh m","year":2024,"note":"TSh 694 billion over four years."},{"key":"visitors","value":908000,"unit":"visitors","year":2024,"note":"NCAA, 2023–24."},{"key":"relocation_budget","value":212350,"unit":"TSh m","year":2024,"note":"TSh 212.35 billion."},{"key":"ncaa_headquarters_budget","value":10470,"unit":"TSh m","year":2024,"note":"NCAA lists TSh 10.47 billion for a new headquarters."},{"key":"ncaa_tourist_access_budget","value":14990,"unit":"TSh m","year":2024,"note":"NCAA lists TSh 14.99 billion for tourist access."},{"key":"area_ha","value":400000,"unit":"ha","year":1992,"note":"Hunting rights area held by Otterlo Business Corporation since 1992."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tanzania's government set aside 1,500 km² of Loliondo to protect the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem and began relocating Maasai residents of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area to Msomera, about 600 km away. Human Rights Watch says more than 82,000 people are targeted; by March 2026 a presidential commission found 7.3% of target households had moved.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority","what":"Revenue rose from TSh 91.13bn (2021–22) to TSh 219.55bn (2023–24), about $86m at an assumed rate (estimate), with 908,627 visitors; TSh 693.96bn over four years.","src":4},{"who":"Otterlo Business Corporation (UAE-based hunting company)","what":"Exclusive hunting rights over 400,000 ha since 1992; Amnesty International links it to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Its fees to the state appear in no source.","src":1},{"who":"&Beyond (lodge operator)","what":"Holds a lodge lease in the area; it said it \"cannot disclose the terms\".","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Maasai pastoralists in Loliondo","what":"About 70,000 people lost access to pasture after the 2022 demarcation, according to Amnesty International.","src":1},{"who":"Maasai residents of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area","what":"More than 82,000 people listed for relocation about 600 km away; HRW says they are \"forcibly evicted under the guise of voluntary relocation\".","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Protesters in Loliondo","what":"More than 40 people wounded on 10 June 2022 (Amnesty International).","src":1},{"who":"Ngorongoro residents","what":"Human Rights Watch documented 13 beatings by rangers.","src":0},{"who":"Ngorongoro Conservation Area","what":"\"Destroyed by 44 percent\", according to the government spokesperson; no independent measurement is on record.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Loliondo (1,500 of its 4,000 km², the Pololeti game area) and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania; relocated residents are moved to Msomera, about 600 km away.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Hunting concession since 1992; Loliondo demarcation and violence on 10 June 2022, with Ngorongoro relocations under way since 2022. The High Court voided the Pololeti game area on 19 September 2023, a dismissal was reported on 24 October 2024, and in March 2026 the President said the exercise would continue after corrections.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The government says the land was set aside to protect the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem; its spokesperson said in January 2024 the conservation area was \"destroyed by 44 percent\", risked reaching 67%, and that tourists come to see wild animals, \"not livestock\".","src":2},"how":{"t":"The state demarcated a game area in Loliondo and offered Ngorongoro households relocation to Msomera, with a house plus TSh 10m per household in phase one; TSh 212.35bn was allocated for relocation.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"The TSh 212.35bn relocation budget is about 97% of one year of the conservation area's revenue (TSh 219.55bn, 2023–24; estimate).","src":3}},"episodes":[],"sources":[{"t":"Tanzania: Indigenous Maasai being forcibly relocated","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2024-07-31","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/31/tanzania-indigenous-maasai-being-forcibly-relocated","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512093230/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/07/31/tanzania-indigenous-maasai-being-forcibly-relocated"},{"t":"Private businesses complicit in forced evictions of Maasai","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2024-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/08/private-businesses-in-tanzania-are-complicit-in-forced-evictions-of-maasai-communities-by-authorities/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260805141135/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/08/private-businesses-in-tanzania-are-complicit-in-forced-evictions-of-maasai-communities-by-authorities/"},{"t":"Relocations were meant to protect Ngorongoro, government says","p":"The Citizen","d":"2024-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/relocations-were-meant-to-protect-ngorongoro-tanzanian-govt-says-4495240","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120123332/https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/relocations-were-meant-to-protect-ngorongoro-tanzanian-govt-says-4495240"},{"t":"Only 7% of Ngorongoro residents have relocated","p":"The Chanzo","d":"2026-03-13","type":"press","u":"https://thechanzo.com/2026/03/13/only-7-of-ngorongoro-residents-have-relocated-commission-tells-president-samia-and-the-exercise-was-poorly-managed/"},{"t":"NCAA fetches TSh 693.96bn in four years","p":"Daily News","d":"2025-03-11","type":"press","u":"https://dailynews.co.tz/ncaa-fetches-693-96bn-in-four-years-visitor-numbers-soar/"},{"t":"Tanzanian authorities brutally violated Maasai amid forced evictions","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2023-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/06/tanzanian-authorities-brutally-violated-maasai-amid-forced-evictions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260905174616/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/06/tanzanian-authorities-brutally-violated-maasai-amid-forced-evictions/"},{"t":"Luxury hunting firm linked to decades of poaching in Tanzania, whistleblowers say","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-08","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/luxury-hunting-firm-linked-to-decades-of-poaching-in-tanzania-whistleblowers-say"},{"t":"Fortress conservation: tension in Tanzania's Loliondo as troops move in to evict Maasai to make way for game reserve","p":"Down To Earth","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/africa/fortress-conservation-tension-in-tanzania-s-loliondo-as-troops-move-in-to-evict-maasai-to-make-way-for-game-reserve-83248","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260323150240/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/africa/fortress-conservation-tension-in-tanzania-s-loliondo-as-troops-move-in-to-evict-maasai-to-make-way-for-game-reserve-83248"},{"t":"Press statement: Maasai communities vindicated by the Appellate Court (EACJ Appeal No. 13 of 2022)","p":"Pan African Lawyers Union (lawyersofafrica.org)","d":"2023-11-30","u":"https://www.lawyersofafrica.org/press-statement-maasai-communities-vindicated-by-the-appellate-court/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Tanzanian Court rules in favour of the Maasai of Loliondo: Pololeti Game Controlled Area was established illegally (MISA newsletter, October 2023)","p":"Maasai International Solidarity Alliance, via Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network","d":"2023-10","u":"https://aefjn.org/en/maasai-international-solidarity-alliance-misanewsletter-october-2023/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Tanzanian High Court tramples rights of Indigenous Maasai pastoralists to boost tourism revenues","p":"Witness Radio","d":"2024-10","u":"https://witnessradio.org/tanzanian-high-court-tramples-rights-of-indigenous-maasai-pastoralists-to-boost-tourism-revenues","type":"ngo"}],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Forty-four percent of me is degraded, the government says; no independent measurement is on record.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Has Ngorongoro been degraded, and by how much?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Itemised conservation spending — Not published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Hunting concession revenue — Unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the relocation voluntary?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Role of the hunting concession in the evictions","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"No independent source: No independent measurement found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Otterlo Business Corporation: Did not respond.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Challenge to the Reserve: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: One police officer and one Maasai reported dead; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The 44% degradation figure is the government's own; no independent measurement is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Detailed conservation spending has not been disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The fee Otterlo Business Corporation pays the state is not stated in any source reviewed; its income from the concession is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A link between the hunting concession and the Ngorongoro evictions is not established in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A luxury tourism company said it could not disclose the terms of its lease.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Court outcomes are contested or unclear: the High Court nullified the Pololeti Game Controlled Area on 19 September 2023; Witness Radio reports a dismissal of the challenge to the Reserve on 24 October 2024 (unconfirmed).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Prime Minister said no one would be evicted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Deaths in the 2022 Loliondo events, one police officer and one Maasai, are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures on how many people have relocated differ in basis: 8,960 people in 2022–2024 against a target of more than 82,000 (as reported by Down To Earth, The Citizen and Human Rights Watch), and, in March 2026, 7% of residents (The Chanzo headline) or 7.3% of target households; the cited sources do not reconcile people and households or the dates.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"scotland-natural-capital","title":"Scotland's natural-capital land rush","dek":"Companies bought estates to plant forests and offset emissions. Estate prices rose about 87% in a year; at one flagship site more than half the young pines died.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":57.1,"lon":-3.9,"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"land-market","headline":{"label":"Woodland carbon unit price","value":"+157%","note":"£11.01 (2020) → £28.32 (2025)."},"happened":["BrewDog bought the Kinrara estate in December 2020 for £8.8 million as its \"Lost Forest\". Other buyers included an abrdn trust, Aviva Investors and the Danish investor Anders Holch Povlsen's Wildland.","The Scottish Land Commission found estate prices about 87% higher in 2021 than in 2020; nearly half of buyers were companies, funds or charities, and 64% of sales were off-market.","Commercially managed woodland is outside income and corporation tax; timber is exempt from capital gains tax; land and trees qualify for inheritance-tax relief.","BrewDog received about £2.7 million in public woodland grants. Freedom-of-information data show 50–56% of Scots pine planted at Kinrara had died by September 2023. The estate was sold in October 2025 for an undisclosed price."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"BrewDog buys Kinrara (£8.8m)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Estate prices +87% in one year"},{"y":2023,"t":"50–56% of pines dead at Kinrara (FOI)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Kinrara sold; national planting 8,470 ha vs 18,000 ha target"}],"said":[{"q":"Income Tax and Corporation Tax do not apply to woodlands managed on a commercial basis.","who":"UK government woodland tax guidance","when":"current","src":2}],"shown":["A \"Lost Forest\" restored","Emissions offset by new woodland"],"recorded":["More than half of planted pines dead by 2023","Planting at 47% of national target (2024–25)","Community buyers priced out, per the Land Commission"],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2020–2025","nature":[{"label":"Peatland restored (company figure)","amount":null,"note":"745 ha; no cost figure."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Public woodland grants to BrewDog","amount":2.7},{"label":"Reported woodland carbon unit sales value (voluntary disclosures)","amount":31.4,"est":true}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"More than half of the young pines planted here were dead by 2023. The land was sold on in 2025.","outcomes":[{"k":"Pine mortality at Kinrara","v":"50–56%","d":"About 92,000 trees, plus 42,700 broadleaves"},{"k":"National planting vs target","v":"47%","d":"8,470 of 18,000 ha (2024–25)"}]},"unknown":["The Kinrara resale price.","The value of tax relief per estate: not quantified in any source."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the claimed purpose was planting, which fell short.","whoPaid":"Communities seeking to buy land, according to the Scottish Land Commission; the public, through grants and tax relief.","types":["land-market","tree-planting"],"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Scotland","lat":57.1,"lon":-3.9}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_died","value":135168,"unit":"trees","year":2023,"note":"92,456 Scots pine (50–56% of those planted) and 42,712 broadleaves dead at Kinrara (FOI)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":2.7,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Public woodland grants to BrewDog."},{"key":"area_ha","value":8470,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"New woodland created in Scotland 2024–25, against an 18,000 ha target."}],"actors":[{"id":"brewdog","role":"Estate buyer, grant recipient"},{"id":"abrdn","role":"Estate buyer (via trust)"},{"id":"aviva","role":"Estate investor"},{"id":"wildland","role":"Estate owner"},{"id":"oxygen","role":"Estate buyer (2025)"}],"sources":[{"t":"Scottish land prices and natural capital investment","p":"Scottish Land Commission","d":"2022-04-12","type":"official","u":"https://www.landcommission.gov.scot/news/scottish-land-prices-and-natural-capital-investment"},{"t":"UK carbon prices","p":"Woodland Carbon Code","d":"2025","type":"registry","u":"https://www.woodlandcarboncode.org.uk/uk-land-carbon-registry/uk-carbon-prices","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250221093729/https://woodlandcarboncode.org.uk/uk-land-carbon-registry/uk-carbon-prices"},{"t":"Woodland owners: tax guidance","p":"GOV.UK","d":"current","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-owners-tax-guidance","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418202232/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/woodland-owners-tax-guidance"},{"t":"Oxygen Conservation's purchase of BrewDog's Lost Forest at Kinrara","p":"Parkswatch Scotland","d":"2025-10-04","type":"press","u":"https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2025/10/04/oxygen-conservations-purchase-of-brewdogs-lost-forest-at-kinrara/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251113173257/https://parkswatchscotland.co.uk/2025/10/04/oxygen-conservations-purchase-of-brewdogs-lost-forest-at-kinrara/"}],"episodes":[],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Companies and investment funds bought Scottish estates to plant forests and offset emissions, among them BrewDog, which bought the Kinrara estate in December 2020 for £8.8m as its \"Lost Forest\". At Kinrara 50–56% of planted Scots pine had died by September 2023, and the estate was sold in October 2025 for an undisclosed price.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Estate sellers","what":"Estate prices were about 87% higher in 2021 than in 2020; nearly half of buyers were companies, funds or charities, and 64% of sales were off-market (Scottish Land Commission).","src":0},{"who":"BrewDog","what":"About £2.7m in public woodland grants for Kinrara (up to £1,229,496 awarded in 2022, £690,986 paid by April 2024, plus £1.5m agreed for stage 2).","src":null},{"who":"Woodland carbon unit sellers","what":"The average unit price rose from £11.01 (2020) to £28.32 (2025), +157%; reported unit sales were worth about £31.4m (estimate, voluntary disclosures only).","src":1},{"who":"Owners of commercially managed woodland, including abrdn, Aviva Investors and Wildland","what":"Woodland is outside income and corporation tax, timber is exempt from capital gains tax, and land and trees qualify for inheritance-tax relief; the value per estate is not quantified in any source.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Community land buyers","what":"Priced out by the rise in estate prices, according to the Scottish Land Commission.","src":0},{"who":"The public","what":"Pays through woodland grants and tax relief; the total value is not quantified.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Young trees at Kinrara","what":"92,456 Scots pine (50–56% of those planted) and 42,712 broadleaves dead by September 2023, according to freedom-of-information data.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Scottish estates, including BrewDog's Kinrara estate (about 9,300 acres), abrdn's Far Ralia, Aviva Investors' Glen Dye and Wildland's 13 estates.","src":3},"when":{"t":"BrewDog bought Kinrara in December 2020; prices rose in 2021; the pine deaths were recorded by September 2023; Kinrara was sold to Oxygen Conservation in October 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Buyers stated climate and nature aims: BrewDog's \"Lost Forest\", abrdn's purchase of Far Ralia to offset emissions, Aviva Investors' target of 1.4m tonnes of CO₂ at Glen Dye, and Wildland's rewilding.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Buyers acquired estates, planted woodland with public grants, and registered carbon units under the Woodland Carbon Code, while the land and timber carried income-, capital-gains- and inheritance-tax advantages.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"BrewDog's public grants of about £2.7m equalled about 31% of the £8.8m it paid for Kinrara (estimate).","src":null}},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Peatland restored (company figure) — 745 ha; no cost figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Kinrara resale price.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The value of tax relief per estate: not quantified in any source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: BrewDog","No source link — Who harmed: Young trees at Kinrara","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"campfire-trophy-hunting","title":"CAMPFIRE and elephant trophy hunting","dek":"Hunters paid $17 million in nine districts over six years. About $1.24 million went to law enforcement; households received about $13 a year, mostly as projects.","country":"Zimbabwe","region":"Africa","lat":-17.8,"lon":29.5,"start":2010,"end":2015,"instrument":"trophy-hunting","headline":{"label":"Share of hunters' payments to law enforcement","value":"≈ 7%","note":"Estimate, 9 districts, 2010–2015."},"happened":["Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE programme returns hunting revenue to rural districts. About 90% of its income comes from hunting, 70% from elephants.","In nine districts from 2010 to 2015, hunters paid $17 million in trophy fees and daily rates. Wards received $6.63 million; district councils spent $6.2 million, about 40% on administration and 20% on law enforcement.","In the same period, 7,000 hectares of crops were damaged and 96 people were killed by wildlife, more than half by elephants."],"timeline":[{"y":1989,"t":"Programme begins"},{"y":2010,"t":"Study period starts"},{"y":2015,"t":"Study period ends"},{"y":2016,"t":"Submission to US Fish and Wildlife Service on trophy imports"}],"said":[{"q":"The survival of elephants in Zimbabwe would be enhanced.","who":"CAMPFIRE Association, submission to the US Fish and Wildlife Service","when":"December 2016","src":2}],"shown":["Hunting pays for conservation","Communities benefit"],"recorded":["About $13 per household per year, mostly as ward projects","96 people killed by wildlife in six years","Safari operators' share of daily rates: not quantified"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2010–2015","nature":[{"label":"Council law enforcement and protection","amount":1.24,"est":true,"note":"About 20% of $6.2m."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":1.24,"qualifier":"about","est":true},"other":[{"label":"Council administration","amount":2.48,"est":true},{"label":"Wards (communities)","amount":6.63},{"label":"Safari operators' share","amount":null,"note":"Not quantified in any source."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":{"text":"Of every $1 paid by hunters, about 7 cents went to law enforcement and protection.","est":true},"sales":{"label":"Paid by hunters","amount":17}},"natureSaw":{"line":"About 90% of the money meant to protect me here comes from hunting me.","outcomes":[{"k":"Elephant quota used","v":"≈ 60%","d":"667 elephants, 2010–2015"},{"k":"Independent outcome evaluation","v":"None opened","d":""}]},"unknown":["Safari operators' revenue share.","Community share across countries is contested (one estimate: about 3%, commissioned by animal-welfare groups)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable.","whoPaid":"Rural households: crop losses, cattle losses and 96 deaths from wildlife in six years.","types":["trophy-hunting"],"places":[{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","lat":-17.8,"lon":29.5}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":96,"unit":"people","year":2015,"note":"Killed by wildlife in nine districts, 2010–2015; more than half by elephants."},{"key":"revenue","value":17,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Paid by hunters, nine districts, 2010–2015."},{"key":"area_ha","value":7000,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Crops damaged by wildlife, 2010–2015."}],"actors":[{"id":"campfire-assoc","role":"Programme association"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Trophy-import regulator"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Policy guidance"}],"sources":[{"t":"CAMPFIRE revenue analysis (Mwakiwa)","p":"African Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics","d":"2019","type":"academic","u":"https://afjare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/4.-Mwakiwa.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251115034631/https://afjare.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/4.-Mwakiwa.pdf"},{"t":"Frost & Bond: CAMPFIRE revenue 1989–2001","p":"Ecological Economics","d":"2008","type":"academic","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v65y2008i4p776-787.html"},{"t":"The role of trophy hunting of elephant in Zimbabwe","p":"CAMPFIRE Association (via SCI)","d":"2016","type":"ngo","u":"https://safariclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/25-The-Role-of-Trophy-Hunting-of-Elephant-Zimbabwe-CAMPFIRE-Programme.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"disputes":[],"related":["tajikistan-markhor-trophy-hunting","botswana-elephant-hunting-ban-and-reversal"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Zimbabwe's CAMPFIRE programme returns trophy-hunting revenue to rural districts. In nine districts from 2010 to 2015 hunters paid $17m; wards received $6.63m and district councils spent $6.2m, about 40% on administration and 20% on law enforcement.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wards (rural communities)","what":"$6.63m in 2010–2015, 42% of all revenue; about $13 per household per year (estimate), mostly as ward projects rather than cash.","src":0},{"who":"District councils","what":"Spent $6.2m, about 40% (about $2.48m, estimate) on administration, 20% on law enforcement and 11% on management.","src":0},{"who":"CAMPFIRE Association","what":"4% of revenue under the programme guideline.","src":0},{"who":"Safari operators","what":"A share of the daily rates hunters paid; not quantified in any source.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Rural households in the nine districts","what":"7,000 ha of crops damaged by wildlife (valued at $0.5–1.0m) and cattle losses of $0.5–1.0m in 2010–2015.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"96 people killed by wildlife","what":"In the nine districts in 2010–2015, more than half of them by elephants.","src":0},{"who":"Elephants","what":"667 elephants hunted in 2010–2015, about 60% of the quota; elephants provided 64–65% of trophy fees.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nine rural districts in Zimbabwe.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The programme began in 1989; the revenue study covers 2010–2015; the CAMPFIRE Association made its submission to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in December 2016.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The programme's stated purpose is to return hunting revenue to rural communities; in 2016 the CAMPFIRE Association argued that allowing US elephant trophy imports means \"the survival of elephants in Zimbabwe would be enhanced\".","src":2},"how":{"t":"Foreign hunters pay trophy fees and daily rates; under the guideline at least 55% goes to wards, 26–35% to district councils for wildlife management, 15% as a council levy and 4% to the CAMPFIRE Association.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Of every $1 paid by hunters, about 7 cents went to law enforcement and protection (estimate).","src":0}},"natureLead":{"t":"Hunters paid $17 million in nine districts between 2010 and 2015 to hunt on me; about $1.24 million of it went to law enforcement.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Safari operators' share — Not quantified in any source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Safari operators' revenue share.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Community share across countries is contested (one estimate: about 3%, commissioned by animal-welfare groups).","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"northern-kenya-carbon","title":"Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project and the Isiolo court ruling","dek":"A Verra-registered soil-carbon project in northern Kenya covers 1.9 million hectares. In January 2025 a Kenyan court found that two of its conservancies had been set up without adequate public participation.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":1.3,"lon":37.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Isiolo","role":"court"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Merti subcounty","role":"affected"}],"start":2012,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-01-24","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Documented payments to communities and conservancies vs reported gross credit sales","value":"about $22m vs $42–90m","note":"Estimate. The payments figure adds the amounts published by NRT, Mongabay and the project page for different periods (to November 2022, H1 2023, 2024, 2025). The sales range is the Wall Street Journal figure as cited by Survival International. The windows are not identical."},"happened":["The Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project (Verra project 1468) began in 2012 and covers 1.9 million hectares and 22 conservancies. The proponent is the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) and the credits were marketed with the company Native. The project's page describes it as one of the largest community-led soil carbon removal programs globally, designed to remove about 50 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime.","The first crediting period (2013–2016) produced 3.2 million credits, all sold by January 2022. Survival International estimated their value at $21–45 million. Survival, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported more than 6 million credits sold, worth $42–90 million. Mongabay and Survival reported 6.19 million credits sold, with buyers including Netflix and Meta; NatWest was also named as a buyer. NRT said it does not receive any profits from the project.","Survival International said in March 2023 that the project did not present a credible case for its carbon additionality. Verra suspended the project in January 2023. On 23 November 2023 Verra reported no non-conformities and sales resumed. Survival said Verra reviewed only an audit by Ruby Canyon from late 2022.","On 24 January 2025 the Isiolo Environment and Land Court, sitting with three judges, ruled in a case filed in 2021 by 165 petitioners. It found that the Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies had been established without adequate public participation, and, according to one report of the decision, on unregistered community land. It ordered operations shut down, barred 53 rangers from Merti subcounty, and ordered the Kenya Wildlife Service to revoke licences. Biliqo Bulesa supplied about 20% of the project's credits, according to one source.","Verra suspended the project for a second time on 13 May 2025, after the ruling. NRT said the project remained fully compliant with the Verified Carbon Standard. Verra reinstated it on 18 June 2026, after a ratification vote by the Chari Dedha community of about 1,500 members that was assessed by the verification body."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Project starts; later covers 1.9m ha and 22 conservancies"},{"y":2016,"t":"First crediting period (2013–2016) ends with 3.2m credits, all sold by January 2022"},{"y":2021,"t":"165 petitioners file the case in Isiolo; Oakland Institute report alleges killings by NRT rangers (16 Nov)"},{"y":2022,"t":"NRT says it receives no profits (The Star, 14 Nov); NRT reports $14.6m paid to communities and conservancies to November"},{"y":2023,"t":"Verra suspends the project (Jan); Survival questions additionality (Mar); Verra reports no non-conformities and sales resume (23 Nov)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Isiolo court rules on 24 January; USAID funding to NRT ends in January; Verra suspends the project again on 13 May"},{"y":2026,"t":"Verra reinstates the project on 18 June after a Chari Dedha community ratification vote"}],"said":[{"q":"one of the largest community-led soil carbon removal programs globally","who":"Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project page, with Native as partner","when":"date not given","src":0},{"q":"has successfully reduced carbon emissions and conserved crucial habitats, increasing biodiversity","who":"NRT bi-annual report","when":"January–June 2023","src":5},{"q":"does not receive any profits from the project","who":"NRT, as reported by The Star","when":"14 November 2022","src":1},{"q":"does not present a credible case for its carbon 'additionality'","who":"Survival International","when":"March 2023","src":7},{"q":"extremely implausible","who":"Simon Counsell, quoted by Survival International, on whether the credits represent real additional soil carbon","when":"2023","src":7},{"q":"negative impacts in some form are unavoidable","who":"Ruby Canyon audit (late 2022), as quoted by Survival International","when":"November 2023","src":10},{"q":"The project remains fully compliant with the requirements of the Verified Carbon Standard.","who":"NRT","when":"May 2025","src":14},{"q":"The Biliqo Bulesa community has strongly supported the carbon project.","who":"Tom Lalampaa, NRT chief executive","when":"after the January 2025 ruling","src":2},{"q":"strikingly little evidence","who":"Review commissioned by The Nature Conservancy and other donors, on the Oakland Institute's allegations of killings by NRT rangers","when":"9 June 2022","src":15}],"shown":[{"t":"A program designed to remove approximately 50 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime","who":"Project page, with Native as partner","src":0},{"t":"The project has successfully reduced carbon emissions and conserved crucial habitats, increasing biodiversity","who":"NRT bi-annual report, January–June 2023","src":5},{"t":"Up to 5% improvement in rangelands' health in the project area","who":"NRT's own monitoring (H1 2023 report)","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Isiolo Environment and Land Court, 24 January 2025: Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies established without adequate public participation; operations ordered shut; 53 rangers barred from Merti subcounty","src":2},{"t":"Biliqo Bulesa supplies about 20% of the project's credits (one source); another account attributes about one-fifth to the two conservancies together","src":2},{"t":"Verra suspended the project in January 2023, reported no non-conformities on 23 November 2023, suspended it again on 13 May 2025 and reinstated it on 18 June 2026","src":4},{"t":"Documented payments to communities and conservancies: $14.6m to November 2022; about $0.55m in H1 2023; about $2.5m in 2024; $2.4m to the community fund and $2.0m for operations support and rangeland management in 2025","src":9},{"t":"Native's marketing fee or margin: not disclosed in any source found","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2012–2025 (periods as published)","nature":[{"label":"Payments to communities and conservancies, to November 2022 (NRT)","amount":14.6},{"label":"Bursaries, H1 2023 (KES 51.7m)","amount":0.38},{"label":"Drought aid, H1 2023 (KES 23.4m)","amount":0.17},{"label":"Payments, 2024 (Mongabay)","amount":2.5,"qualifier":"about"},{"label":"Community fund, 2025 (project page)","amount":2.4},{"label":"“Operations support and rangeland management”, 2025 (project page)","amount":2,"note":"Not split further between communities and rangeland."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":22.05,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Sum of the six published figures. The December 2022 gap is not covered. A summary figure of about $27m documented to 2026 also exists and is not reconciled with these items."},"other":[{"label":"Verra registration levy (about 6.7m credits issued at an assumed $0.10)","amount":0.67,"est":true,"note":"The $0.10 rate is an assumption."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":0.67,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"note":"Only Verra's levy can be estimated. Native's margin and NRT's overhead are not disclosed."},"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Gross credit sales, USD 42–90m (Wall Street Journal, as cited by Survival International)","amount":42,"qualifier":"at least"}},"natureSaw":{"line":"My grass was sold as carbon. The court asked who had agreed.","outcomes":[{"k":"Rangeland health (NRT's own monitoring)","v":"up to 5%","d":"Improvement in the project area, H1 2023 report"},{"k":"Soil-carbon additionality","v":"Disputed","d":"Survival: no credible case; NRT report: reduced emissions and conserved habitats; Verra (Nov 2023): no non-conformities"},{"k":"Credits from the conservancy named in the ruling","v":"about 20%","d":"Biliqo Bulesa, according to one source; the court found it was established without adequate public participation"}]},"unknown":["Native's marketing fee or margin: not disclosed in any source found.","NRT's overhead from the project: not disclosed in any source found.","The outcome of any appeal by NRT against the January 2025 ruling: not found.","Unconfirmed: REDD-Monitor reported that a stay was refused on 1 April 2025; the judgment was not read.","Unconfirmed: the Wall Street Journal valuation of $42–90m, cited by Survival.","Figures differ on the share of credits: one source attributes about 20% to Biliqo Bulesa alone, another about one-fifth to the two conservancies together.","Documented payments to communities: the itemised figures add to about $22m, while a summary line gives about $27m to 2026; the difference is not explained.","The Verra levy of about $0.67m rests on an assumed rate of $0.10 a credit.","No independent finding on the allegations of killings by NRT rangers (Oakland Institute, 16 November 2021); the allegations and the donor-commissioned review remain contested.","Independent measurement of soil-carbon gains: none on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed","unverified-deaths","review"],"harmStopped":"Operations in the two conservancies were ordered shut on 24 January 2025. The project was suspended on 13 May 2025 and reinstated on 18 June 2026 after a community ratification vote. The 3.2 million first-period credits had been sold by January 2022.","whoPaid":"The 165 petitioners and the communities of the two conservancies, in the court's finding of inadequate public participation. No refund of credit revenue is recorded.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: Verra reinstated the project on 18 June 2026 after a community ratification vote of about 1,500 members; the outcome of any appeal against the January 2025 ruling was not found.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"nrt","says":"Said it does not receive any profits from the project; reported revenue shares of 60% to community development and 40% to conservation work, with each conservancy paying 5% to county mechanisms.","when":"November 2022","src":1},{"actor":"nrt","says":"Said the project remains fully compliant with the Verified Carbon Standard after the second suspension.","when":"May 2025","src":null},{"actor":"verra","says":"Reported no non-conformities on 23 November 2023 and sales resumed; reinstated the project on 18 June 2026 after the community ratification vote.","when":"November 2023; June 2026","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"nrt","role":"Project proponent and conservancy manager"},{"id":"native","role":"Credit marketer; partner on the project page"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry (project 1468)"},{"id":"meta","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"netflix","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"natwest","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Critic of the project's carbon claims"},{"id":"usaid","role":"Donor to NRT (nearly $20m, 2015–2020; funding ended January 2025)"},{"id":"isiolo-environment-and-land-court","role":"Court that ruled on the conservancies"},{"id":"kws","role":"Ordered by the court to revoke licences"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do the credits represent real additional soil carbon?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"The project “does not present a credible case for its carbon ‘additionality’”; Simon Counsell, quoted by Survival, called it “extremely implausible” that the credits represent real additional soil carbon.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"NRT","says":"Its H1 2023 report said the project “has successfully reduced carbon emissions and conserved crucial habitats, increasing biodiversity”, and reported up to 5% improvement in rangelands' health in its own monitoring.","src":5},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Reported “no non-conformities” on 23 November 2023.","src":10}]},{"point":"Was Verra's 2023 review adequate?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Reported no non-conformities on 23 November 2023, after which sales resumed.","src":10},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Said Verra reviewed only the late-2022 Ruby Canyon audit, and quoted that audit: “negative impacts in some form are unavoidable.”","src":10}]},{"point":"Were the conservancies established with adequate public participation and community support?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Isiolo Environment and Land Court","says":"Found on 24 January 2025 that the Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies were established without adequate public participation.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"NRT (Tom Lalampaa, chief executive)","says":"“The Biliqo Bulesa community has strongly supported the carbon project.”","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Said the project replaces traditional grazing with centrally controlled, commercial-style ranching on land used by more than 100,000 Samburu, Borana and Rendille people.","src":3}]},{"point":"Did NRT rangers commit extrajudicial killings?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oakland Institute","says":"Its report “Stealth Game” (16 November 2021) alleged extrajudicial killings by NRT rangers; it called the later donor-commissioned review a sham.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Review commissioned by The Nature Conservancy and other donors (9 June 2022)","says":"Found “strikingly little evidence”.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Petition by 165 residents on the establishment of the Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies","forum":"Isiolo Environment and Land Court","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"165 residents (petitioners)","defendant":"Northern Rangelands Trust (described as the defendant in a secondary account)","filed":"2021","decided":"2025-01-24","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A three-judge bench found that the two conservancies were established without adequate public participation and, per one report, on unregistered community land. It issued a permanent injunction on NRT operations there, including rangers, ordered the Kenya Wildlife Service to revoke licences, and barred 53 rangers from Merti subcounty. The outcome of any appeal was not found.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":1900000,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"note":"Project area; 22 conservancies; project start 2012 (project page)."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":3200000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"note":"First crediting period 2013–2016; all sold by January 2022. Survival estimates their value at $21–45m."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":6190000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total credits reported sold (Mongabay and Survival, May 2025). Survival, citing the Wall Street Journal, reported more than 6 million."},{"key":"revenue","value":42,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"at least","unverified":true,"note":"Survival, citing the Wall Street Journal: credits worth $42–90m."},{"key":"revenue_projection","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Proponents' projection of $300–500m (Survival); $300m over 30 years (Business Daily, 29 January 2023). A projection."},{"key":"community_payments_documented","value":14.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"To November 2022 (NRT)."},{"key":"community_payments_documented","value":0.55,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"H1 2023: KES 51.7m bursaries ($0.38m) plus KES 23.4m drought aid ($0.17m), NRT report."},{"key":"community_payments_documented","value":2.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mongabay."},{"key":"community_payments_documented","value":4.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"$2.4m to the community fund plus $2.0m to “operations support and rangeland management” (project page)."},{"key":"verra_levy","value":0.67,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate: about 6.7m credits issued at an assumed $0.10."},{"key":"usaid_funding_to_nrt","value":20,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"USAID donor funding to NRT in 2015–2020, not carbon revenue; funding ended January 2025 and about 100 staff were laid off (Mongabay, May 2025)."},{"key":"petitioners","value":165,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Residents who filed the case."},{"key":"rangers_barred","value":53,"unit":"rangers","year":2025,"note":"Barred from Merti subcounty by the court."},{"key":"credit_share_biliqo_bulesa","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the project's credits supplied by Biliqo Bulesa (one source); another account gives about one-fifth for the two conservancies together."},{"key":"people_affected","value":100000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Samburu, Borana and Rendille people using land covered by the project (Survival, 2023)."},{"key":"target_co2_tonnes","value":50000000,"unit":"t CO2","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Amount the project is designed to remove over its lifetime (project page). A design target."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":27,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Summary figure for documented payments to communities to 2026, given without itemisation; not reconciled with the itemised community_payments_documented entries."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Northern Rangelands Trust's soil-carbon project over 1.9 million hectares of grazing land sold more than 6 million credits, valued at $42–90m, to buyers including Netflix and Meta. In January 2025 a Kenyan court ruled that two conservancies producing about a fifth of the credits were created without adequate public participation.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Netflix and Meta","what":"Bought credits (Netflix 180,000, Meta 90,000) and used them toward their own climate claims.","src":3},{"who":"Native (credit marketer)","what":"Marketed the credits; its earnings are not disclosed.","src":0},{"who":"Northern Rangelands Trust","what":"Says it \"does not receive any profits from the project\"; it says revenue is split 60% to community development and 40% to conservation work.","src":1},{"who":"Conservancies and communities","what":"About $27m in documented payments to 2026 (sum of reported figures, estimate; incomplete).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of the Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies","what":"The Isiolo court found in January 2025 that the conservancies were set up without adequate public participation and ordered them shut.","src":2},{"who":"Samburu, Borana and Rendille herders","what":"The project covers land used by more than 100,000 people; Survival International says it replaces traditional grazing with centrally controlled, commercial-style ranching.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Northern Kenya: 1.9 million hectares across 22 community conservancies; the court case concerned Biliqo Bulesa and Cherab conservancies in Isiolo County's Merti subcounty.","src":2},"when":{"t":"The project started in 2012; Verra suspended it in January 2023 and resumed sales in November 2023. The court ruled on 24 January 2025, Verra suspended the project again on 13 May 2025, and reinstated it on 18 June 2026.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The project's stated aim is to remove about 50 million tonnes of CO₂ over its lifetime, as \"one of the largest community-led soil carbon removal programs globally\".","src":0},"how":{"t":"Soil-carbon credits from the conservancies' grazing land are verified under Verra's standard and marketed by Native to companies; NRT says revenue is split 60% to community development and 40% to conservation work.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"Documented community payments of about $27m equal 30–64% of the estimated $42–90m in credit sales (estimate; different periods).","src":null}},"episodes":[],"sources":[{"t":"Northern Kenya grasslands carbon project update","p":"Native","d":"2023","type":"company","u":"https://native.eco/northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-update/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116131344/https://native.eco/northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-update/"},{"t":"Are carbon credits the next frontier for marginalised north?","p":"The Star","d":"2022-11-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/nyanza/2022-11-14-are-carbon-credits-next-frontier-for-marginalised-north"},{"t":"Kenyan court orders two community wildlife conservancies shut down","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-01","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/kenyan-court-orders-two-community-wildlife-conservancies-shut-down/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617195918/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/kenyan-court-orders-two-community-wildlife-conservancies-shut-down/"},{"t":"Blood Carbon (summary)","p":"Down to Earth","d":"2023-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/world/kenya-meta-netflix-subscribed-carbon-offset-project-replacing-local-grazier-practices-with-commercial-ranching-88313"},{"t":"Verra reinstates Northern Kenya grasslands carbon project","p":"Verra","d":"2026-06-18","type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/verra-reinstates-northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-following-community-ratification-process/","voice":"standard","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826063456/https://verra.org/verra-reinstates-northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-following-community-ratification-process/"},{"t":"NRT bi-annual report, January–June 2023","p":"Northern Rangelands Trust (via wildphilanthropy.com)","d":"2023","type":"company","u":"https://wildphilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/NRT-Bi-annual-2023.pdf"},{"t":"Survival International news item (cites Wall Street Journal valuation of credits)","p":"Survival International","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/14211"},{"t":"Survival International news item (proponents' revenue projection)","p":"Survival International","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/13659","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260622163631/https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/13659"},{"t":"Northern Kenya conservancies eye pie of carbon credit","p":"Business Daily","d":"2023-01-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/markets/commodities/northern-kenya-conservancies-eye-pie-of-carbon-credit--4103440","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250120125059/https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/markets/commodities/northern-kenya-conservancies-eye-pie-of-carbon-credit--4103440"},{"t":"Crisis hits community-led conservation group in northern Kenya","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-05","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/crisis-hits-community-led-conservation-group-in-northern-kenya/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260719213730/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/crisis-hits-community-led-conservation-group-in-northern-kenya/"},{"t":"Response to Verra review of NRT carbon project","p":"Survival International","d":"2023-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://assets.survivalinternational.org/documents/2501/2311_Response_to_Verra_review_of_NRT_carbon_project.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250715154232/http://assets.survivalinternational.org/documents/2501/2311_Response_to_Verra_review_of_NRT_carbon_project.pdf"},{"t":"Survival International on Verra's review of the NRT project","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/survival-international-verras-review","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260122141816/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/survival-international-verras-review"},{"t":"Kenyan soil carbon project suspended for a second time","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-05","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/05/kenyan-soil-carbon-project-suspended-for-a-second-time/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260724235141/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/05/kenyan-soil-carbon-project-suspended-for-a-second-time/"},{"t":"Court upholds ban on Northern Rangelands conservancies","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2025-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/court-upholds-ban-on-northern-rangelands","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250426061302/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/court-upholds-ban-on-northern-rangelands"},{"t":"Indigenous land disputes cloud Kenya's carbon market ambitions","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2025-05-15","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/05/15/indigenous-land-disputes-cloud-kenyas-carbon-market-ambitions/","type":"press"},{"t":"Report clears Kenyan conservancy of community abuse, but advocates cry foul","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-06-10","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/report-clears-kenyan-conservancy-of-community-abuse-but-advocates-cry-foul/","type":"investigative"}],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 6.19 million carbon credits were reported sold in my name; NRT's own monitoring reports up to 5% improvement in my rangeland health.","src":[9,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the credits represent real additional soil carbon?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Verra's 2023 review adequate?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the conservancies established with adequate public participation and community support?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did NRT rangers commit extrajudicial killings?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Revenue: Survival, citing the Wall Street Journal: credits worth $42–90m.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation paid: Summary figure for documented payments to communities to 2026, given without itemisation; not reconciled with the itemised community_payments_documented entries.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Native's marketing fee or margin: not disclosed in any source found.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"NRT's overhead from the project: not disclosed in any source found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of any appeal by NRT against the January 2025 ruling: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: REDD-Monitor reported that a stay was refused on 1 April 2025; the judgment was not read.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Wall Street Journal valuation of $42–90m, cited by Survival.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ on the share of credits: one source attributes about 20% to Biliqo Bulesa alone, another about one-fifth to the two conservancies together.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Documented payments to communities: the itemised figures add to about $22m, while a summary line gives about $27m to 2026; the difference is not explained.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Verra levy of about $0.67m rests on an assumed rate of $0.10 a credit.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"No independent finding on the allegations of killings by NRT rangers (Oakland Institute, 16 November 2021); the allegations and the donor-commissioned review remain contested.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Independent measurement of soil-carbon gains: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Conservancies and communities"]},{"id":"cordillera-azul","title":"Cordillera Azul National Park carbon project","dek":"Shell and TotalEnergies paid more than $80 million for credits from a Peruvian park. A satellite analysis found forest loss more than doubled during the project period.","country":"Peru","region":"Latin America","lat":-7.5,"lon":-76,"start":2008,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","headline":{"label":"Annual forest loss, before vs during","value":"262 → 572 ha","note":"Satellite analysis for AP."},"happened":["The non-profit CIMA manages Cordillera Azul National Park, about 1.35 million hectares, and runs a REDD+ project there since 2008. About 90% of park operating costs come from carbon revenue.","More than 28 million credits were sold. Shell and TotalEnergies paid more than $80 million for more than 30 million credits. Shell used the park in billboard campaigns.","A satellite analysis for AP found yearly forest loss of 262 hectares before the project and 572 hectares during it. Verra said the project's carbon savings were clear.","The Kichwa community of Puerto Franco says it lost hunting, fishing and gathering rights. A court ruled in its favour in December 2024; a higher court reversed it; the Constitutional Court heard the case on 17 July 2026. No ruling has been found."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"REDD+ project begins"},{"y":2014,"t":"Loan secured against carbon credits announced at COP20"},{"y":2021,"t":"Shell billboard campaigns"},{"y":2023,"t":"AP satellite analysis"},{"y":2024,"t":"Bellavista court rules for Kichwa community"},{"y":2026,"t":"Constitutional Court hearing (17 July)"}],"said":[{"q":"…supports all efforts to avoid deforestation.","who":"CIMA, project page","when":"current","src":0}],"shown":["1.35 million hectares protected","Water resources conserved"],"recorded":["Forest loss rose from 262 to 572 ha a year (AP analysis)","No documented community benefit-sharing","Intermediary margins undisclosed"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2008–2023","nature":[{"label":"Park operating costs covered by carbon revenue","amount":null,"note":"About 90% of costs; amount not stated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid by Shell and TotalEnergies for credits","amount":80,"qualifier":"more than"},{"label":"Verra registration fees","amount":3,"est":true},{"label":"Intermediary margins","amount":null,"note":"Not disclosed."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Credit purchases (two buyers)","amount":80}},"natureSaw":{"line":"I lost 262 hectares a year before the project and 572 hectares a year during it, by one satellite analysis.","outcomes":[{"k":"Forest loss per year","v":"262 → 572 ha","d":"Before vs during project"}]},"unknown":["The final Constitutional Court ruling.","Intermediary margins.","Any community share of revenue: no document found."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed","displacement"],"harmStopped":"No.","whoPaid":"The Kichwa community of Puerto Franco, which reports losing access to its territory.","types":["carbon-credit"],"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","lat":-7.5,"lon":-76}],"legal":[{"title":"Kichwa community of Puerto Franco v. Peruvian state","forum":"Bellavista court","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kichwa community of Puerto Franco","defendant":"Peruvian state","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"overturned","summary":"In December 2024 the court ordered land titling, prior consultation and benefit-sharing from the carbon project; a higher court reversed the ruling.","src":3},{"title":"Puerto Franco case at the Constitutional Court","forum":"Constitutional Court of Peru","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Kichwa community of Puerto Franco","defendant":"Peruvian state","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Heard on 17 July 2026; no ruling found.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_sold","value":28000000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than"},{"key":"revenue","value":80,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Paid by Shell and TotalEnergies for credits."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":572,"unit":"ha per year","year":2023,"note":"During the project, against 262 ha a year before (AP satellite analysis)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1350000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"about"},{"key":"co2_forest_model","value":100000,"range":[100000,530000],"unit":"t CO₂ per year","year":2023,"model":true,"note":"Model estimate (IPCC Tier 1) from 572 ha per year of recorded forest loss. The park's forest is assumed to be mature (primary) forest. Its ecological zone is taken as tropical rainforest or tropical mountain forest; the range covers both."}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the project reduce deforestation?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AP satellite analysis","says":"Yearly forest loss rose from 262 ha before the project to 572 ha during it.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"CIMA, park manager","says":"The project “supports all efforts to avoid deforestation”.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Said the project's carbon savings were clear.","src":null}]},{"point":"Does the park override the Kichwa community's rights?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Bellavista court (2024)","says":"Ordered land titling, prior consultation and benefit-sharing; later reversed by a higher court.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court of Peru","says":"Heard the case on 17 July 2026; no ruling found.","src":5,"silent":true}]}],"actors":[{"id":"cima","role":"Park manager, project proponent"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"shell","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Credit buyer"}],"sources":[{"t":"Cordillera Azul REDD project","p":"CIMA","d":"current","type":"company","u":"https://www.cima.org.pe/en/cordillera-azul-national-park/cordillera-azul-redd-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260705215842/https://www.cima.org.pe/en/cordillera-azul-national-park/cordillera-azul-redd-project"},{"t":"Shell drive carbon-neutral claims in doubt after forest scrutiny","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2021-10-25","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/shell-drive-carbon-neutral-claims-in-doubt-after-forest-scrutiny/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825204508/https://www.source-material.org/shell-drive-carbon-neutral-claims-in-doubt-after-forest-scrutiny/"},{"t":"Indigenous community wins, then loses path to reclaim land","p":"AP via KSAT","d":"2023-06-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.ksat.com/news/world/2023/06/14/indigenous-community-wins-then-loses-path-to-reclaim-ancestral-rainforest-land-in-peru/"},{"t":"Kichwa community of Puerto Franco wins historic victory","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2024-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/publications-resources/news/article/kichwa-community-puerto-franco-wins-historic-victory-in-its-struggle-against-the-exclusionary-conservation-of-cordillera-azul-national-park-and-its-carbon-credit-project-redd/"},{"t":"Case study: Cordillera Azul","p":"Rainforest Foundation UK","d":"2023-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Case-Study_The-Cordillera-Azul-National-Park-Verra-Verified-Redd-Project-Peru.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211015508/https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Case-Study_The-Cordillera-Azul-National-Park-Verra-Verified-Redd-Project-Peru.pdf"},{"t":"Puerto Franco case to be heard by Peru’s Constitutional Court","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2026-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/publications-resources/news/article/puerto-franco-case-kichwa-community-fighting-for-its-territorial-rights-to-be-heard-by-perus-constitutional-court/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["alto-mayo-redd-project"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The non-profit CIMA has run a REDD+ carbon project in Peru's Cordillera Azul National Park since 2008, selling more than 28 million credits; Shell and TotalEnergies paid more than $80m for more than 30 million credits. A satellite analysis for AP found yearly forest loss more than doubled during the project period.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell and TotalEnergies","what":"Used more than 30 million credits, bought for more than $80m (about $2.67 per credit, estimate), to offset emissions; Shell used the park in billboard campaigns.","src":1},{"who":"CIMA (park manager)","what":"Carbon revenue covers about 90% of park operating costs; the absolute amount is not stated.","src":2},{"who":"Verra","what":"Registration fees of about $3m (estimate).","src":null},{"who":"Credit intermediaries","what":"Margins not disclosed.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Kichwa community of Puerto Franco","what":"Says it lost free access to hunt, fish and gather in the park; no document shows a community share of carbon revenue.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest in and around the park","what":"Yearly forest loss of 262 ha before the project and 572 ha during 2009–2021, according to a satellite analysis for AP.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Cordillera Azul National Park, Peru, about 1.35 million hectares; the community case was heard in Bellavista and Juanjuí and taken to the Constitutional Court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The park was created in 2001 and the REDD+ project began in 2008. The Kichwa filed suit in July 2020; a Bellavista court ruled for them in April 2023 and again on 13 December 2024, both later overturned, and the Constitutional Court heard the case on 17 July 2026 with no ruling found.","src":5},"why":{"t":"CIMA says the project supports \"all efforts to avoid deforestation\" and \"conserves water resources, prevents flooding\". Rainforest Foundation UK found its baseline assumed population growth of up to 26% a year and said the main threats had been \"already rapidly resolved\" after the park was created.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Credits are issued under Verra's standard for deforestation the project says it avoided against a projected baseline, sold mainly to Shell and TotalEnergies, and the revenue funds park operations.","src":4},"ratio":{"t":"Yearly forest loss during the project was about 2.2 times the pre-project rate (572 against 262 ha; estimate).","src":2}},"estimates":[{"method":"ipcc-forest-co2","low":100000,"high":530000,"unit":"t CO₂ per year","input":{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":572,"unit":"ha per year","year":2023,"note":"During the project, against 262 ha a year before (AP satellite analysis)."},"zones":["am-rain-p","am-mount-p"],"assumption":"The park's forest is assumed to be mature (primary) forest. Its ecological zone is taken as tropical rainforest or tropical mountain forest; the range covers both."}],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the project reduce deforestation?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Park operating costs covered by carbon revenue — About 90% of costs; amount not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Money","text":"Intermediary margins — Not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does the park override the Kichwa community's rights?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Constitutional Court of Peru: Heard the case on 17 July 2026; no ruling found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final Constitutional Court ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Intermediary margins.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Any community share of revenue: no document found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Verra","No source link — Who gained: Credit intermediaries","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"verra-phantom-credits","title":"Rainforest credits investigation","dek":"A joint investigation found more than 90% of rainforest offset credits from the largest standard were likely \"phantom credits\". The standard-setter earns most of its income from per-credit fees.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":10,"lon":-30,"start":2009,"end":2023,"instrument":"carbon-credit","headline":{"label":"Projects where emissions fell","value":"8 of 29","note":"Studies reviewed in the investigation."},"happened":["In January 2023, The Guardian, Die Zeit and SourceMaterial reported that more than 90% of Verra's rainforest credits were likely \"phantom credits\" with no matching cut in deforestation. Only 8 of 29 projects studied reduced emissions; baselines were overstated by 406% on average.","Verra, which has issued more than a billion credits since 2009, called the investigation \"patently unreliable\". Its CEO announced his departure four months later; the organisation revised its methodology.","Verra's revenue rose from $13.9 million (2019) to $40.5 million (2021). About 96% comes from per-credit registration fees."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Verra begins issuing credits"},{"y":2021,"t":"Revenue $40.5m"},{"y":2023,"t":"Investigation published (Jan); CEO departure announced (May)"},{"y":2025,"t":"New fee: $0.23 per tonne claimed"}],"said":[{"q":"Patently unreliable.","who":"Verra, on the investigation","when":"31 January 2023","src":2},{"q":"We welcome academic scrutiny.","who":"Robin Rix, Verra","when":"January 2023","src":2}],"shown":["Over a billion credits to the highest standards"],"recorded":["Most rainforest credits likely without real reductions","Average baseline overstatement: 406%","Standard-setter income tied to credit volume"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"per year","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Verra annual revenue (2022–2025 average)","amount":30,"note":"About 96% from registration fees."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"Of 29 projects studied, 8 cut my deforestation.","outcomes":[{"k":"Projects with real reductions","v":"8 / 29","d":"In two studies"}]},"unknown":["Verra disputes the studies' methods; no court has examined them."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"Methodology revised in 2023. Credits issued under the old method remain in circulation.","whoPaid":"Not quantified.","types":["carbon-credit"],"places":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":40.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Verra annual revenue."}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do rainforest offset credits stand for real emission cuts?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"The Guardian, Die Zeit, SourceMaterial","says":"More than 90% of the rainforest credits examined are likely “phantom credits”.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Studies reviewed in the investigation","says":"Only 8 of 29 projects reduced emissions; baselines were overstated by 406% on average.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Called the investigation and two of the three studies “patently unreliable”.","src":2}]}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"shell","role":"Named credit buyer"},{"id":"gucci","role":"Named credit buyer"},{"id":"netflix","role":"Named credit buyer"},{"id":"disney","role":"Named credit buyer"},{"id":"easyjet","role":"Named credit buyer"}],"sources":[{"t":"Carbon offsetting claims inflated, methodologies flawed","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2023-01","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/vercompanies-carbon-offsetting-claims-inflated-methodologies-flawed/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008071000/https://www.source-material.org/vercompanies-carbon-offsetting-claims-inflated-methodologies-flawed/"},{"t":"Guardian investigation: 90% of Verra offsets worthless (reproduction)","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"2023-01","type":"press","u":"https://carbonherald.com/the-guardian-investigation-of-verra-carbon-offsets-shows-90-are-worthless/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011071509/https://carbonherald.com/the-guardian-investigation-of-verra-carbon-offsets-shows-90-are-worthless/"},{"t":"\"Patently unreliable\": Verra addresses criticism","p":"Verra","d":"2023-01-31","type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/patently-unreliable-verra-addresses-criticism-of-rainforest-offset-credits-with-de","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133610/https://verra.org/patently-unreliable-verra-addresses-criticism-of-rainforest-offset-credits-with-detailed-technical-analysis/"},{"t":"Verra CEO to step down","p":"Verra","d":"2023-05-22","type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/verra-ceo-to-step-down/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520161553/https://verra.org/verra-ceo-to-step-down/"},{"t":"Verra Form 990 filings","p":"ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer","d":"2024","type":"official","u":"https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/270566795","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250910152158/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/270566795"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In January 2023 The Guardian, Die Zeit and SourceMaterial reported that more than 90% of rainforest credits from Verra, the largest standard, were likely \"phantom credits\" with no matching cut in deforestation. Verra called the investigation \"patently unreliable\"; its CEO announced his departure four months later and it revised its methodology.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Verra","what":"Revenue rose from $13.9m (2019) to $40.5m (2021) and averaged about $30m a year in 2022–2025, about 96% from per-credit registration fees.","src":4},{"who":"Companies named as credit buyers, including Disney, Shell, Gucci, Netflix, easyJet, Salesforce and BHP","what":"Used rainforest credits toward their offset claims.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Rainforest (REDD+) projects worldwide registered under Verra's standard.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Verra has issued credits since 2009; the investigation was published on 18 January 2023, Verra replied on 31 January 2023, the CEO's departure was announced on 22 May 2023, and a new REDD methodology followed on 27 November 2023.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Verra says it is \"absolutely committed to developing and enforcing the highest standards\". The studies reviewed in the investigation found deforestation baselines overstated by 406% on average; Verra said they \"drew incorrect conclusions\".","src":0},"how":{"t":"Projects claim credits for deforestation avoided against a projected baseline, Verra charges a fee on each credit issued, and companies buy the credits to offset emissions.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Only 8 of 29 projects studied reduced emissions.","src":0}},"natureLead":{"t":"Of 29 projects studied, 8 cut my deforestation.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do rainforest offset credits stand for real emission cuts?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Verra disputes the studies' methods; no court has examined them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution"]},{"id":"deepwater-horizon","title":"BP Deepwater Horizon: the spill, the court cases and the recovery claims","dek":"An offshore rig drilling BP's Macondo exploration well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on 20 April 2010, killing 11 workers; oil flowed for 87 days. BP pleaded guilty in a criminal case that carried $4 billion in payments and signed a $20.8 billion civil settlement paid until 2031; by the end of 2025, $2.44 billion of up to $8.8 billion set aside for natural resources had been spent.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":28.74,"lon":-88.39,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi Canyon Block 252, off Louisiana","lat":28.74,"lon":-88.39,"role":"origin"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Mississippi","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alabama","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","role":"affected"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Barataria Bay, Louisiana","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana (US District Court, E.D. La., MDL 2179)","role":"court"}],"start":2010,"end":2031,"eventDate":"2010-04-20","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Natural-resource money spent vs BP's booked spill cost","value":"$2.4bn / $67bn","note":"Spent by the Trustees to end-2025, against BP's cumulative pre-tax charge to end-2018. Different windows; not a ratio. See Who gained."},"happened":["In March 2008 BP paid a little over $34 million to the Minerals Management Service for the Mississippi Canyon Block 252 lease, according to the report of the National Commission, and estimated a reservoir of at least 50 million barrels. The Macondo well was an exploration well: BP planned to drill to 20,200 feet to learn about the geology and because it thought it might find a reservoir that would warrant installing production equipment. Transocean's Marianas rig spudded the well in October 2009; hurricane damage ended its work, and the Deepwater Horizon rig arrived on 31 January 2010. The well was not producing on 20 April 2010.","On 20 April 2010 the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean, exploded while drilling BP's Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven workers were killed and 17 were injured; the rig sank on 22 April. A capping stack stopped the flow on 15 July 2010, which NOAA counts as 86 days exclusively and 87 days inclusively; the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010. The US government had estimated about 4.9 million barrels released gross. In January 2015 the federal court found that 4.0 million barrels were released and that 3.19 million reached the Gulf after about 810,000 barrels were collected (NOAA gives about 134 million gallons, which equals 3.19 million barrels). At least 2,100 km of shoreline were oiled. The natural-resource Trustees estimated that 51,600 to 84,500 birds, 4,900 to 7,600 large juvenile and adult sea turtles and 2 to 5 trillion larval fish died.","In January 2013 BP pleaded guilty to 14 criminal counts, including 11 counts of seaman's manslaughter, and agreed to a record $4 billion in payments, including a $1.256 billion criminal fine, about $2.4 billion for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (which received $2.544 billion in all, with Transocean's criminal payment) and $350 million for the National Academy of Sciences. In September 2014 Judge Carl Barbier of the US District Court, E.D. Louisiana (MDL 2179) found that the discharge resulted from BP's gross negligence and willful misconduct, and apportioned fault 67% to BP, 30% to Transocean and 3% to Halliburton, finding Transocean and Halliburton negligent. In October 2015 the US and five Gulf states announced a civil settlement of about $20.8 billion, which the court entered as a consent decree on 4 April 2016: a $5.5 billion Clean Water Act penalty, $8.1 billion in natural-resource damages (plus up to $700 million), other federal claims and $5.9 billion for states and local governments. BP's RESTORE deposits of about $4.4 billion are paid in installments from 2017 to 2031. No individual received a prison sentence.","BP shared costs with partners and contractors: Anadarko paid BP $4.0 billion and transferred its interest in the Macondo well and lease (October 2011), MOEX agreed to pay $1.065 billion (May 2011) and Cameron paid $250 million (January 2012), of which $167.5 million was funded by Cameron's insurers. BP bought little insurance: its 2010 Form 20-F says the group generally restricts its purchase of insurance to situations required for legal or contractual reasons, and that losses are borne as they arise. Transocean received $560 million from its hull insurers for the rig and recorded a $267 million gain. BP's attempt to claim as an additional insured under $750 million of Transocean's liability policies failed in the Texas Supreme Court in February 2015, and in May 2015 BP agreed to drop its attempts to recover and to pay Transocean $125 million for legal fees. Estimates of the insured market loss varied widely, and no final figure is on record.","BP recorded a cumulative pre-tax charge of $67.0 billion ($66.958 billion) by the end of 2018 and a 2010 tax credit of $11.857 billion. From 2011 to 2025 its profit attributable to shareholders totalled $75.4 billion. By the end of 2025 the Trustees had received $5.54 billion in natural-resource payments and spent $2.44 billion. Official documents from 2024 to 2026 do not describe any injured resource as restored or recovered. NOAA's June 2024 stock assessment gave a maximum reduction of 45% for the Barataria Bay bottlenose dolphin stock and 35 years to recover to 95% of baseline numbers, and said disease conditions had persisted and worsened. In July 2025 Louisiana agreed to terminate the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, cutting its budget from $2.26 billion to the $618.52 million already disbursed; unused funds are to be available for future Deepwater Horizon restoration in Louisiana. In December 2025 BP was the top bidder in a Gulf lease sale, for 51 blocks. The Trustees' next programmatic review is expected in late 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"BP pays a little over $34m for the Mississippi Canyon Block 252 lease (March)"},{"y":2010,"t":"Explosion 20 Apr, 11 workers killed; rig sinks 22 Apr; well capped 15 Jul; BP suspends dividend (Jun); well declared sealed 19 Sep; Transocean receives $560m hull insurance; BP records a $11.9bn tax credit"},{"y":2011,"t":"MOEX agrees to pay BP $1.065bn (20 May); Anadarko pays BP $4bn (Oct); first court ruling against BP on Transocean's insurance (Nov)"},{"y":2012,"t":"Cameron pays $250m into the $20bn trust (Jan); BP criminal plea agreed (Nov); SEC settlement $525m; EPA suspends BP from new federal contracts; class settlement approved 21 Dec"},{"y":2013,"t":"BP sentenced 29 Jan ($4bn); Transocean pays $1.4bn ($400m criminal plus $1bn civil)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Phase One ruling 4 Sep: gross negligence and willful misconduct, fault BP 67%, Transocean 30%, Halliburton 3%; Halliburton $1.1bn class settlement"},{"y":2015,"t":"Phase Two ruling on volume, 15 Jan (3.19m barrels); Texas Supreme Court rules against BP on insurance, 13 Feb; BP report says the Gulf is returning to baseline and NOAA disputes it, 16 Mar; BP and Transocean settle, 20 May; $20.8bn settlement announced 5 Oct"},{"y":2016,"t":"Consent decree entered 4 Apr"},{"y":2017,"t":"First annual natural-resource payment (April); Halliburton loses insurance arbitration (Dec)"},{"y":2018,"t":"BP's cumulative pre-tax charge reaches $66.958bn"},{"y":2019,"t":"Texas Supreme Court rules on Anadarko's defence-cost coverage dispute, 25 Jan"},{"y":2024,"t":"NOAA stock assessment for Barataria Bay dolphins (Jun): maximum reduction 45%, 35 years to recover"},{"y":2025,"t":"Mid-Barataria sediment diversion termination agreed (Jul); Treasury RESTORE tables show $3,887.3m allocated and $2,593.0m obligated or transferred (1 Oct); $2.44bn of natural-resource money spent by year-end; BP leads Gulf lease sale, 51 blocks (Dec)"},{"y":2026,"t":"US Interior Department approves BP's Kaskida project in the Gulf (Mar); next Trustee programmatic review expected late 2026"},{"y":2031,"t":"Last scheduled natural-resource payment"}],"said":[{"q":"the largest criminal resolution in U.S. history","who":"US Department of Justice, on BP's guilty plea","when":"January 2013","src":0},{"q":"the largest civil penalty in the history of environmental law","who":"US Department of Justice, on the $5.5bn Clean Water Act penalty","when":"October 2015","src":1},{"q":"the largest environmental penalty of all time","who":"Loretta Lynch, US Attorney General","when":"4 April 2016","src":2},{"q":"BP's conduct was reckless. Transocean's conduct was negligent. Halliburton's conduct was negligent.","who":"Judge Carl Barbier, US District Court, E.D. Louisiana (Phase One findings, ¶612)","when":"4 September 2014","src":4},{"q":"Losses are borne as they arise, rather than being spread over time through insurance premiums.","who":"BP Annual Report on Form 20-F 2010","when":"March 2011","src":10},{"q":"we recognized a gain on the loss of the rig in the amount of $267 million","who":"Transocean Form 10-K 2010","when":"2011","src":13},{"q":"BP Exploration & Production, Inc. ('BPXP') is subject to enhanced civil penalties under the Clean Water Act ('CWA'), 33 U.S.C. § 1321(b)(7)(D), as the discharge of oil was the result of BPXP's gross negligence and BPXP's willful misconduct.","who":"US District Court, E.D. La. (Judge Carl Barbier), Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, para. 611","when":"4 September 2014","src":4},{"q":"generally restricts its purchase of insurance to situations where this is required for legal or contractual reasons","who":"BP, Annual Report on Form 20-F 2010","when":"2 March 2011","src":10},{"q":"Deepwater Horizon had an insured value of $560 million, and there was no deductible for the total loss of the unit.","who":"Transocean, Form 10-K 2010","when":"2011","src":13},{"q":"agreed to discontinue its attempts to recover as an additional insured","who":"Transocean, press release on its settlement with BP (SEC exhibit)","when":"20 May 2015","src":15}],"shown":[{"t":"The largest criminal resolution in US history","who":"US Department of Justice, on BP's guilty plea (2013)","src":0},{"t":"The largest civil penalty in the history of environmental law","who":"US Department of Justice (2015)","src":1},{"t":"The largest environmental penalty of all time","who":"Loretta Lynch, US Attorney General (2016)","src":2},{"t":"Press wording \"the largest environmental settlement in US history\" was not used by the DOJ.","who":"Press reports","src":null},{"t":"In May 2010, while the well was still flowing, BP's then chief executive said, as paraphrased in the reports reviewed, that the Gulf was a very large ocean and that the environmental impact would most likely be very modest.","who":"Tony Hayward, then CEO of BP","src":null},{"t":"On 16 March 2015 BP's own report said the Gulf had returned to its pre-spill baseline, fish populations were sound and heavily oiled marsh shoreline had fallen from 86 miles to 0.7 miles; BP's vice president for environmental restoration said predictions of catastrophe had not come true.","who":"BP report, 16 March 2015","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"BP booked a $67.0bn cumulative pre-tax charge by end-2018 and an $11.857bn tax credit in 2010.","src":9},{"t":"The $5.5bn civil penalty is not tax-deductible; US PIRG estimated that $15.3bn of the $20.8bn settlement could be deducted, a tax benefit to BP of about $5.35bn.","src":25},{"t":"Natural-resource money spent by end-2025: $2.44bn of up to $8.8bn (about 28%).","src":7},{"t":"BP profit attributable to shareholders, 2011-2025: $75.4bn; dividends and buybacks 2021-2025: $56.2bn.","src":12},{"t":"No Trustee document from 2024-2026 describes any injured resource as \"restored\" or \"recovered\"; the Trustees' next programmatic review is expected in late 2026.","src":56},{"t":"Barataria Bay dolphins: up to 45% reduction, 35 years to recover (NOAA, 2024); the 2016 Trustee estimate was up to 51% and about 39 years.","src":8},{"t":"Fault: BP 67%, Transocean 30%, Halliburton 3% (court, 2014); no individual imprisoned.","src":4},{"t":"On the day BP's 2015 report appeared, NOAA said BP had misinterpreted and misapplied the data and that effects would most likely last for generations; the head of Louisiana's coastal protection agency said BP had used the data selectively. The report had not been peer reviewed and the official damage assessment was not finished.","src":63},{"t":"The Nature Conservancy accepted about $10 million in cash and land from BP over the years and gave BP a seat on its International Leadership Council (reported 24 May 2010); Conservation International received $2 million from BP, and BP's chief executive John Browne sat on its board from 2000 to 2006.","src":64}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Natural-resource damages spent by the Trustees","amount":2442.1,"window":"2016–2025","note":"Of $5,538.4m received including interest; $897.0m allocated but unspent, $2,199.4m unallocated."},{"label":"Natural-resource damages under the 2016 settlement (paid until 2031)","amount":8800,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2016–2031","committed":true,"note":"$8.1bn including $1bn early restoration, plus up to $700m for unknown conditions."},{"label":"NFWF Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, received from criminal pleas","amount":2544,"window":"2013–2018","note":"NFWF's page lists 209 projects worth over $1.7bn (undated); an earlier snapshot said over $2.3bn. The discrepancy is unresolved."},{"label":"RESTORE Act trust fund, obligated or transferred","amount":2593,"window":"to 1 Oct 2025","note":"Obligations; actual spending is not published. Gross allocations as of 1 October 2025: $3,887.3m, of which $2,593.0m obligated or transferred. RESTORE receives 80% of Clean Water Act penalties."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":2442.1,"note":"Only the Trustees publish money actually spent. RESTORE and NFWF figures are receipts or obligations."},"other":[{"label":"BP profit attributable to shareholders","amount":75392,"window":"2011–2025","note":"Sum of 15 annual results; underlying replacement-cost profit was $167,243m."},{"label":"BP dividends and share buybacks","amount":56211,"est":true,"window":"2021–2025","note":"$23,533m dividends + $32,678m net buybacks, cash-flow basis."},{"label":"Gross value of BP's Gulf of Mexico production","amount":108000,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2011–2025","note":"About 1.5bn boe × annual prices; $107.9–116.5bn by method. Gross value, not profit."},{"label":"BP tax credit on spill costs","amount":11857,"window":"2010"},{"label":"Transocean: hull insurance received for the rig","amount":560,"window":"2010","note":"Recorded a $267m gain on the loss."},{"label":"BP cumulative pre-tax charge for the spill","amount":66958,"window":"to end-2018","note":"BP 2018 Form 20-F."},{"label":"Portion of the 2015 settlement estimated tax-deductible by US PIRG","amount":15300,"qualifier":"estimated by US PIRG","est":true,"window":"2016-2031"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"For 87 days the well emptied into me. Fifteen years later, less than a third of the money set aside for my repair had been spent.","outcomes":[{"k":"Natural-resource money spent","v":"About 28%","d":"$2.44bn of up to $8.8bn, to end-2025"},{"k":"Resources declared recovered","v":"None","d":"No Trustee document 2024–2026 says \"restored\" or \"recovered\""},{"k":"Barataria Bay dolphins","v":"35 years","d":"Time to recover to 95% of baseline (NOAA, 2024)"},{"k":"Barataria Bay dolphins, maximum reduction","v":"45%","d":"NOAA stock assessment, June 2024"},{"k":"Barataria Bay dolphins, 2016 Trustee estimate","v":"up to 51%","d":"About 39 years to recover without restoration"},{"k":"Large juvenile and adult sea turtles killed","v":"4,900-7,600","d":"Trustees; small juveniles 56,000-166,000"}]},"unknown":["The tax deduction BP actually took on the 2016 settlement has not been disclosed; the $5.35bn tax benefit is a US PIRG estimate.","Whether BP's captive insurer Jupiter paid any of its $700m limit, and to whom.","Final totals paid under the economic-loss and medical class settlements: not published.","Actual RESTORE Act spending: only allocations and obligations are published.","The NFWF awarded total and its date ($1.7bn on the live page vs $2.3bn in an older snapshot).","The final outcome of Transocean's arbitration with its fifth-layer Bermuda insurers.","BP's appeal of the 2014 gross-negligence ruling: no appellate ruling found; it appears to have been closed by the 2016 settlement.","Whether any insurance money reached restoration: the only documented link is $167.5m from Cameron's insurers paid into the BP trust that also funds natural-resource damages; it cannot be traced to specific spending.","The exact rig dayrate in force in April 2010: about $500,000 a day is widely cited, but no primary document was found.","Estimates of the Barataria Bay dolphin decline differ: up to 51% (Trustees, 2016), 51% (Marine Mammal Commission), 45% (NOAA, June 2024).","Estimates of the oil volume differ: about 4.9 million barrels gross (US government), 4.0 million released and 3.19 million discharged (court, January 2015).","BP's own recovery from Transocean's policies: no document shows BP recovered anything; BP's February 2012 filing said it was seeking reimbursement and that no recovery amounts had been recognised.","The final insured market loss: estimates vary, including Moody's $1.4bn to $3.5bn, Swiss Re $1.5bn to $3.5bn and Lloyd's own-market claims of $300m to $600m.","Unconfirmed: that bacteria consumed at least 200,000 tonnes of oil and gas while the fate of about 40% of the hydrocarbons is unknown.","The cited sources give different figures for the other federal claims element of the 2015 settlement: $250m in one reading of the Justice Department fact sheet and about $600m in another."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The flow stopped on 15 July 2010, 87 days after the explosion; the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010. Natural-resource payments continue until 2031, and no injured resource has been declared recovered.","whoPaid":"Eleven workers who died and 17 injured; Gulf wildlife and coastal communities; US taxpayers through tax deductions on non-penalty payments, according to an advocacy-group estimate.","actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"Well operator and lease holder; pleaded guilty; paid $20.8bn civil settlement; self-insured"},{"id":"transocean","role":"Rig owner; 30% of fault; paid $1.4bn; received $560m hull insurance"},{"id":"halliburton","role":"Cementing contractor; 3% of fault; $1.1bn class settlement"},{"id":"anadarko","role":"25% well partner; paid BP $4bn; $159.5m civil penalty"},{"id":"moex","role":"10% well partner; paid BP $1.065bn"},{"id":"cameron","role":"Blowout-preventer maker; paid BP $250m"},{"id":"weatherford","role":"Contractor; settled with BP"},{"id":"jupiter-insurance","role":"BP's captive insurer, $700m limit"},{"id":"ranger-insurance","role":"Primary insurer on Transocean's $750m liability programme"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Excess insurers on Transocean's liability programme; market loss estimate $300–600m"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Halliburton's top-layer insurer (Chubb Bermuda); won arbitration"},{"id":"houston-casualty","role":"Excess insurer of Anadarko (with Lloyd's)"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecutor and civil claimant"},{"id":"dwh-trustees","role":"Natural-resource damage Trustees"},{"id":"nfwf","role":"Received $2.544bn from criminal pleas"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Suspended BP from new federal contracts, 2012–2014"},{"id":"sec","role":"$525m settlement with BP"},{"id":"us-pirg","role":"Estimated the deductible share of the settlement"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Reinsurer"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Reinsurer"},{"id":"hannover-re","role":"Reinsurer"},{"id":"noaa","role":"Lead scientific trustee agency"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Recipient of BP funding"}],"sources":[{"t":"BP Exploration and Production Inc. pleads guilty, sentenced to pay record $4 billion for crimes","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2013-01-29","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/bp-exploration-and-production-inc-pleads-guilty-sentencedto-pay-record-4-billion-crimes","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260924172329/https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/bp-exploration-and-production-inc-pleads-guilty-sentencedto-pay-record-4-billion-crimes"},{"t":"U.S. and five Gulf states reach historic settlement with BP","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2015-10-05","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/us-and-five-gulf-states-reach-historic-settlement-bp-resolve-civil-lawsuit-over-deepwater","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009230413/https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/us-and-five-gulf-states-reach-historic-settlement-bp-resolve-civil-lawsuit-over-deepwater"},{"t":"Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch statement on BP settlement","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2016-04-04","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-loretta-e-lynch-statement-agreement-bp-settle-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250204063419/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-loretta-e-lynch-statement-agreement-bp-settle-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill"},{"t":"Deepwater Horizon consent decree fact sheet","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2015-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/enrd/file/780311/download","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230408062051/https://www.justice.gov/enrd/file/780311/download"},{"t":"In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig Deepwater Horizon, Phase One Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law","p":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","d":"2014-09-04","type":"court","u":"https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-10/documents/phaseonetrial.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216122202/https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-10/documents/phaseonetrial.pdf"},{"t":"Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan: Overview","p":"Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees","d":"2016-04","type":"official","u":"https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/media/document/overview04-07-16final-508pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421150559/https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/media/document/overview04-07-16final-508pdf"},{"t":"PDARP Chapter 2: Incident overview","p":"Deepwater Horizon Trustees","d":"2016","type":"official","u":"https://gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/media/document/chapter-2incident-overview508pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260908074544/https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/media/document/chapter-2incident-overview508pdf"},{"t":"Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council 2025 annual financial summary","p":"Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/media/document/deepwaterhorizontrusteecouncil2025annualfinancialsummaryreport","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612021419/https://gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/media/document/deepwaterhorizontrusteecouncil2025annualfinancialsummaryreport"},{"t":"Common bottlenose dolphin, Barataria Bay stock assessment","p":"NOAA Fisheries","d":"2024-06","type":"official","u":"https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2024-12/2023-sar-Common-Bottlenose-Dolphin-BaratariaBay.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616065021/https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/s3/2024-12/2023-sar-Common-Bottlenose-Dolphin-BaratariaBay.pdf"},{"t":"BP Annual Report on Form 20-F 2018: Gulf of Mexico oil spill note","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2019","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000162828019003618/R8.htm"},{"t":"BP Annual Report on Form 20-F 2010","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2011-03-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000313807/000095012311021108/u10175e20vf.htm"},{"t":"BP fourth quarter and full year 2010 results","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2011-02-01","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000119163811000096/bp201102016k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20120210055537/http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000119163811000096/bp201102016k.htm"},{"t":"BP fourth quarter and full year 2025 results","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2026-02-10","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000031380726000002/a31122025bp6kq4.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210130630/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000031380726000002/a31122025bp6kq4.htm"},{"t":"Transocean Form 10-K 2010","p":"Transocean (SEC filing)","d":"2011","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001451505/000145150511000032/form10_k2010.htm"},{"t":"Transocean Form 10-Q, Q2 2015","p":"Transocean (SEC filing)","d":"2015","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1451505/000145150515000116/form10_q2q2015.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20151101163718/http://www.sec.gov:80/Archives/edgar/data/1451505/000145150515000116/form10_q2q2015.htm"},{"t":"Transocean filing: Macondo settlement with BP","p":"Transocean (SEC filing)","d":"2015-05-20","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001451505/000145150515000096/a2015macondosettlementpr.htm"},{"t":"In Deepwater Horizon case, Texas Supreme Court rules that BP was not entitled to coverage as an additional insured (law-firm summary of the ruling)","p":"Rivkin Radler","d":"2015-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.rivkinradler.com/publications/in-deepwater-horizon-case-texas-supreme-court-rules-that-bp-was-not-entitled-to-coverage-as-an-additional-insured","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133637/https://www.rivkinradler.com/publications/in-deepwater-horizon-case-texas-supreme-court-rules-that-bp-was-not-entitled-to-coverage-as-an-additional-insured/"},{"t":"BP can tap captive for $700m in loss of rig","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2010-05-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/bp-can-tap-captive-for-700m-in-loss-of-rig/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133539/https://www.businessinsurance.com/bp-can-tap-captive-for-700m-in-loss-of-rig/"},{"t":"Anadarko Petroleum Form 10-K 2011","p":"Anadarko (SEC filing)","d":"2012","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/773910/000119312512070408/d282676d10k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113134256/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/773910/000119312512070408/d282676d10k.htm"},{"t":"Halliburton Form 10-K 2015","p":"Halliburton (SEC filing)","d":"2016","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000004501216000272/hal_12312015-10k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230813103902/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000004501216000272/hal_12312015-10k.htm"},{"t":"Cameron International Form 10-K 2011","p":"Cameron (SEC filing)","d":"2012","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000941548/000094154812000005/form10-k.htm"},{"t":"Halliburton Company v Chubb Bermuda Insurance Ltd [2020] UKSC 48","p":"UK Supreme Court","d":"2020-11-27","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2020/48","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002180013/https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2020/48"},{"t":"United States v. BP Exploration and Production, Inc. et al. (case page)","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2016","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/bpexploration","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220320081831/https://www.justice.gov/criminal-vns/case/bpexploration"},{"t":"Deepwater Horizon supervisor gets probation","p":"The Maritime Executive","d":"2016-04","type":"press","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/deepwater-horizon-supervisor-gets-probation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210324220422/https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/deepwater-horizon-supervisor-gets-probation"},{"t":"Transocean plea agreement (DOJ release)","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2013-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/January/13-ag-004.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20140713054821/http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/January/13-ag-004.html"},{"t":"BP can write off $15.3 billion of Gulf oil spill settlement","p":"Accounting Today","d":"2015-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://accountingtoday.com/news/bp-can-write-off-153-billion-of-gulf-oil-spill-settlement","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211128011420/https://www.accountingtoday.com/news/bp-can-write-off-153-billion-of-gulf-oil-spill-settlement"},{"t":"Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund allocation tables","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2025-10-01","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/216/Gulf-Coast-Allocation-Tables-10-01-2025.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260529092316/https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/216/Gulf-Coast-Allocation-Tables-10-01-2025.pdf"},{"t":"Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund","p":"National Fish and Wildlife Foundation","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.nfwf.org/gulf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133312/https://www.nfwf.org/gulf-environmental-benefit-fund"},{"t":"Texas Supreme Court holds Anadarko's $100M+ Deepwater Horizon defense costs not subject to joint venture liability limits (law-firm summary of the ruling)","p":"Hunton Andrews Kurth","d":"2019-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.hunton.com/hunton-insurance-recovery-blog/texas-supreme-court-holds-anadarkos-100m-deepwater-horizon-defense-costs-not-subject-joint-venture-liability-limits","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251008131444/https://www.hunton.com/hunton-insurance-recovery-blog/texas-supreme-court-holds-anadarkos-100m-deepwater-horizon-defense-costs-not-subject-joint-venture-liability-limits"},{"t":"Lloyd's Interim Report 2010","p":"Lloyd's","d":"2010","type":"company","u":"https://assets.lloyds.com/media/82097708-7174-4936-ace1-5aabb53529b8/Lloyds_Interim_2010.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309235642/https://assets.lloyds.com/media/82097708-7174-4936-ace1-5aabb53529b8/Lloyds_Interim_2010.pdf"},{"t":"Louisiana moves to terminate Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project","p":"Deepwater Horizon Trustees","d":"2025-07","type":"official","u":"https://gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2025/07/louisiana-moves-terminate-mid-barataria-sediment-diversion-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607043303/https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2025/07/louisiana-moves-terminate-mid-barataria-sediment-diversion-project"},{"t":"Anadarko Petroleum hit with $159M fine for Deepwater Horizon disaster","p":"NBC News","d":"2015-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/anadarko-petroleum-hit-159m-fine-deepwater-horizon-disaster-n472046","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250830161428/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/anadarko-petroleum-hit-159m-fine-deepwater-horizon-disaster-n472046"},{"t":"Audit of Gulf Coast Claims Facility results in $64 million in additional payments","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2012-04","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/audit-gulf-coast-claims-facility-results-64-million-additional-payments","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250204060456/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/audit-gulf-coast-claims-facility-results-64-million-additional-payments"},{"t":"BP oil spill: most ordinary people got nothing from the medical settlement","p":"Fortune","d":"2024-04-19","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/europe/2024/04/19/bp-oil-spill-deepwater-horizon-most-ordinary-people-got-nothing-settlement","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260303162819/https://fortune.com/europe/2024/04/19/bp-oil-spill-deepwater-horizon-most-ordinary-people-got-nothing-settlement/"},{"t":"BP Form 6-K: dividend suspension","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2010-06-16","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000119163810000743/bp201006166k3.htm"},{"t":"National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Chapter 4","p":"National Commission (hosted by Mother Jones)","d":"2011","type":"official","u":"https://motherjones.com/wp-content/uploads/chapter_4.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250808143154/https://motherjones.com/wp-content/uploads/chapter_4.pdf"},{"t":"EPA suspends BP from new federal contracts","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2012-11-28","type":"official","u":"https://www.epa.gov/archive/epapages/newsroom_archive/newsreleases/c6a5be4a1a2db87f85257c9a0071760c.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606012730/https://www.epa.gov/archive/epapages/newsroom_archive/newsreleases/c6a5be4a1a2db87f85257c9a0071760c.html"},{"t":"BP Form 6-K: Gulf of Mexico statement","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2009-09-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000313807/000119163809000898/bp200909026k.htm"},{"t":"BP, Mitsui reach $1 billion settlement for oil spill","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2011-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/article/17266937/bp-mitsui-reach-1-billion-settlement-for-oil-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190915075512/https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/article/17266937/bp-mitsui-reach-1-billion-settlement-for-oil-spill"},{"t":"BP third quarter 2011 results","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2011","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000313807/000119312511280172/d234390d6k.htm"},{"t":"Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlements: where the money went","p":"NOAA","d":"2016-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.noaa.gov/explainers/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-settlements-where-money-went","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251130193812/https://www.noaa.gov/explainers/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill-settlements-where-money-went"},{"t":"Judge's ruling on BP oil spill is key to upcoming trial","p":"KUNC (AP)","d":"2015-01-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.kunc.org/2015-01-16/latest-judges-ruling-on-bp-oil-spill-is-key-to-upcoming-trial","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250218091802/https://www.kunc.org/2015-01-16/latest-judges-ruling-on-bp-oil-spill-is-key-to-upcoming-trial"},{"t":"Halliburton Form 10-Q, Q3 2014","p":"Halliburton (SEC filing)","d":"2014","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000004501214000341/hal_09302014-10q.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240615025703/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/45012/000004501214000341/hal_09302014-10q.htm"},{"t":"Moody's reports liability limits of $1.61B in oil spill","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2010-06-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/moodys-reports-liability-limits-of-161b-in-oil-spill/"},{"t":"Halliburton Form 10-Q, Q2 2016","p":"Halliburton (SEC filing)","d":"2016","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000045012/000004501216000331/hal_06302016-10q.htm"},{"t":"Transocean Form 10-Q, Q1 2016","p":"Transocean (SEC filing)","d":"2016","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1451505/000145150516000205/rig-20160331x10q.htm"},{"t":"Transocean Form 10-K 2013","p":"Transocean (SEC filing)","d":"2014","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1451505/000145150514000031/form10_k2013.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260112195606/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1451505/000145150514000031/form10_k2013.htm"},{"t":"BP fourth quarter 2011 results (Gulf of Mexico oil spill)","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2012-02-07","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000119163812000123/bp201202076k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20120210055301/http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000119163812000123/bp201202076k.htm"},{"t":"BP Annual Report on Form 20-F 2022","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2023","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000031380723000009/bp-20221231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260121132452/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/313807/000031380723000009/bp-20221231.htm"},{"t":"BP third quarter 2010 results","p":"BP p.l.c. (SEC filing)","d":"2010-11-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000313807/000119163810001271/bp201011026k.htm"},{"t":"Anadarko 2010 Form 10-K","p":"Anadarko (SEC filing)","d":"2011","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/773910/000119312511043021/d10k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260121080659/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/773910/000119312511043021/d10k.htm"},{"t":"Deepwater Horizon oil spill (significant incidents)","p":"NOAA Office of Response and Restoration","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813092142/https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/oil-and-chemical-spills/significant-incidents/deepwater-horizon-oil-spill"},{"t":"Consent decree as filed with BP's FY2015 Form 20-F","p":"BP (SEC filing)","d":"2016","type":"court","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000313807/000119312516492156/d80942dex154.htm"},{"t":"BP tax credit 2010","p":"NBC News","d":"2010","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/wbna38424553"},{"t":"Texas Supreme Court ruling on BP's additional-insured claim (via Carrier Management / Reuters)","p":"Carrier Management / Reuters","d":"2015-02-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2015/02/15/135358.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512011446/https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2015/02/15/135358.htm"},{"t":"Willis Energy Market Review on rig losses (via Insurance Journal)","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2010-06-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2010/06/04/110455.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251108040324/https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2010/06/04/110455.htm"},{"t":"Affected Gulf resources","p":"Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/affected-gulf-resources","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904181103/https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/affected-gulf-resources"},{"t":"Barataria Bay dolphin population trajectory analysis (Schwacke et al.)","p":"Marine Mammal Commission","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://www.mmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/21-04-05-Schwacke-et-al-BB-dolphin-popn-trajectory-analysis.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609024207/https://www.mmc.gov/wp-content/uploads/21-04-05-Schwacke-et-al-BB-dolphin-popn-trajectory-analysis.pdf"},{"t":"Offshore oil development safe? (reporting Munich Re, Swiss Re and Hannover Re exposures)","p":"Atlas Magazine","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://atlas-mag.net/en/articles/offshore-oil-development-safe-0"},{"t":"Insurers, reinsurers start assessing rig explosion losses","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2010-05-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/insurers-reinsurers-start-assessing-rig-explosion-losses/"},{"t":"Judge finalizes $20.8 billion penalty for Deepwater Horizon oil disaster (via AP)","p":"Ecomagazine","d":"2016-04","type":"press","u":"https://ecomagazine.com/news/policy/judge-finalizes-20-8-billion-penalty-for-deepwater-horizon-oil-disaster/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250219174115/https://www.ecomagazine.com/news/policy/judge-finalizes-20-8-billion-penalty-for-deepwater-horizon-oil-disaster"},{"t":"Dolphin population will take 40 years to recover from Deepwater Horizon disaster","p":"University of St Andrews","d":"2017-02-13","type":"academic","u":"https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/dolphin-population-will-take-40-years-to-recover-from-deepwater-horizon-disaster/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260314132839/https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/dolphin-population-will-take-40-years-to-recover-from-deepwater-horizon-disaster/"},{"t":"Study shows oil impacts on deep-sea coral colonies seven years after Deepwater Horizon","p":"Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative","d":"2018-11-27","type":"academic","u":"https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/study-shows-oil-impacts-deep-sea-coral-colonies-seven-years-deepwater-horizon/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251208035148/https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/study-shows-oil-impacts-deep-sea-coral-colonies-seven-years-deepwater-horizon/"},{"t":"Trustee statement on BP five-year report","p":"Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (U.S. Department of the Interior)","d":"2015-03","u":"https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/migrated/deepwaterhorizon/upload/Trustee-statement-on-BP-5-yr-report-3.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"U.S. Nature Conservancy faces potential backlash over ties to BP","p":"The Washington Post (via CorpWatch)","d":"2010-05-24","u":"http://www.corpwatch.org/article/us-nature-conservancy-faces-potential-backlash-ties-bp","type":"press"},{"t":"Halliburton Pleads Guilty to Destroying Gulf Spill Evidence","p":"Scientific American (AP)","d":"2013-07-26","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/halliburton-pleads-guilty-to-destroying-gulf-oil-spill/","type":"press"},{"t":"BP to Pay $525 Million Penalty to Settle SEC Charges of Securities Fraud during Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2012-231)","p":"U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2012-11-15","u":"https://www.sec.gov/news/press/2012/2012-231.htm","type":"official"},{"t":"Order denying BP's motion to amend the Phase One findings or for a new trial, MDL 2179","p":"U.S. District Court, E.D. 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BP Exploration & Production (criminal plea)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana (Judge Sarah Vance)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"BP Exploration & Production Inc.","filed":2012,"decided":2013,"status":"plea","amount":{"value":4000,"currency":"USD","label":"fine"},"summary":"BP pleaded guilty to 14 counts, including 11 felony counts of seaman's manslaughter and one of obstruction of Congress, and was sentenced on 29 January 2013 to $4bn in fines and penalties and five years' probation. The criminal payments included a $1.256bn fine, about $2.4bn for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund and $350m for the National Academy of Sciences.","src":0},{"title":"United States v. Transocean Deepwater (criminal plea)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana (Judge Milazzo)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Transocean Deepwater Inc.","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"plea","amount":{"value":400,"currency":"USD","label":"fine"},"summary":"Transocean pleaded guilty to one Clean Water Act count; the plea was accepted on 14 February 2013.","src":24},{"title":"United States v. Transocean (Clean Water Act civil penalty)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Transocean","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":1000,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Transocean agreed to a $1bn civil Clean Water Act penalty in January 2013, alongside its $400m criminal plea.","src":24},{"title":"United States v. Halliburton Energy Services (criminal plea)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana (Judge Jane Triche Milazzo)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Halliburton Energy Services","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"plea","amount":{"value":0.2,"currency":"USD","label":"fine"},"summary":"Halliburton agreed in July 2013 to plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of destroying evidence; on 19 September 2013 Judge Jane Triche Milazzo accepted the plea and imposed the maximum $200,000 fine and three years' probation. Halliburton also made a voluntary $55m contribution to NFWF.","src":69},{"title":"SEC v. BP p.l.c.","forum":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","defendant":"BP p.l.c.","filed":null,"decided":2012,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":525,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"BP agreed in November 2012 to pay a $525m civil penalty over three years.","src":66},{"title":"EPA suspension of BP from federal contracts","forum":"US Environmental Protection Agency","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Environmental Protection Agency","defendant":"BP","filed":2012,"decided":2014,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"EPA suspended BP from new federal contracts on 28 November 2012, citing \"lack of business integrity\"; an administrative agreement resolved the suspension on 13 March 2014.","src":36},{"title":"In re Oil Spill by the Oil Rig Deepwater Horizon (MDL 2179), Phase One","forum":"US District Court, E.D. 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Louisiana (Judge Carl Barbier)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"BP Exploration & Production","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 15 January 2015 the court found 4.0 million barrels left the reservoir and 3.19 million reached the Gulf; at trial the US had argued 4.2 million and BP 2.45 million.","src":41},{"title":"BP appeal of the Phase One ruling","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"BP","defendant":"United States and other plaintiffs","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"The Fifth Circuit held the appeal in abeyance on 22 July 2015; no appellate ruling was found, and the dispute was closed by the 2016 consent decree.","src":14},{"title":"United States and five Gulf states v. BP (consent decree)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. 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Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Clean-up workers and coastal residents (class)","defendant":"BP","filed":null,"decided":2012,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"About 37,000 claims were filed and about 78% were initially rejected; 40 of about 23,000 approved claimants received the top award of $60,700.","src":33},{"title":"Punitive-damages and assigned-claims classes v. Halliburton","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Punitive-damages and assigned-claims classes","defendant":"Halliburton","filed":null,"decided":2014,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":1100,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Halliburton agreed on 2 September 2014 to pay $1.1bn, including fees, into a trust in three instalments.","src":42},{"title":"Plaintiffs' Steering Committee classes v. Transocean","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Two plaintiff classes","defendant":"Transocean","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":211.75,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Agreed in May 2015 and given final approval on 15 February 2017; Transocean paid from cash on hand, not insurance.","src":14},{"title":"United States v. Anadarko (Clean Water Act penalty)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Anadarko Petroleum","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":159.5,"currency":"USD","label":"fine"},"summary":"A $159.5m civil penalty was imposed on 30 November 2015 on the 25% well partner and paid in early 2016.","src":31},{"title":"United States v. Kaluza and Vidrine (manslaughter counts)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana; Fifth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Robert Kaluza and Donald Vidrine, BP well site leaders","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The 11 seaman's manslaughter counts were dismissed by the trial court and the dismissal was upheld by the Fifth Circuit in March 2015, which held that the two well site leaders were not ship officers; prosecutors dropped the remaining manslaughter counts later in 2015.","src":70},{"title":"United States v. Vidrine (Clean Water Act misdemeanor)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Donald Vidrine, BP well site leader","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"plea","amount":null,"summary":"Vidrine pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Clean Water Act charge of negligent discharge of oil and was sentenced in April 2016 by Judge Stanwood Duval to 10 months' probation.","src":71},{"title":"United States v. Kaluza (Clean Water Act count)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Robert Kaluza, BP well site leader","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"A jury acquitted Kaluza of the Clean Water Act count in February 2016.","src":71},{"title":"United States v. Rainey","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"David Rainey, former head of exploration for BP's Gulf of Mexico operations","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Charged with obstruction of Congress and making false statements; Judge Kurt Engelhardt threw out one of the two charges on the first day of trial, and on 5 June 2015 a jury acquitted Rainey of making false statements.","src":70},{"title":"United States v. Mix (obstruction conviction)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Kurt Mix, BP engineer","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"Mix was convicted of one count of obstruction of justice in December 2013 and acquitted of another; the conviction was set aside because of juror misconduct and the ruling was upheld on appeal.","src":70},{"title":"United States v. Mix (misdemeanor plea)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Kurt Mix, BP engineer","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"plea","amount":null,"summary":"On 6 November 2015 Mix pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of intentionally causing unauthorised damage to a protected computer and was sentenced to six months' probation.","src":72},{"title":"In re Deepwater Horizon: BP as additional insured under Transocean's policies (trial court)","forum":"US District Court, E.D. Louisiana (MDL 2179)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"BP (with Anadarko and MOEX)","defendant":"Transocean's insurers","filed":2010,"decided":2011,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":750,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"On 15 November 2011 the court limited BP's cover to the scope of Transocean's indemnity in the drilling contract and entered judgment against BP, Anadarko and MOEX.","src":46},{"title":"In re Deepwater Horizon: Fifth Circuit ruling for BP (withdrawn)","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"BP","defendant":"Transocean's insurers","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"On 1 March 2013 the Fifth Circuit held BP an \"unrestricted additional insured\"; it withdrew that opinion on 29 August 2013 and certified questions to the Texas Supreme Court.","src":46},{"title":"In re Deepwater Horizon, No. 13-0670 (BP v. Transocean's insurers)","forum":"Supreme Court of Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"BP","defendant":"Ranger Insurance and Transocean's excess insurers (Lloyd's and others)","filed":2013,"decided":2015,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":750,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"On 13 February 2015 the court held that BP was an additional insured only for liabilities Transocean assumed in the drilling contract, and so had no cover for subsurface pollution.","src":16},{"title":"BP–Transocean settlement","forum":"Out of court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"BP","defendant":"Transocean","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":125,"currency":"USD","label":"paid (by BP, for Transocean's legal fees)"},"summary":"Announced 20 May 2015: BP dropped its attempts to recover as an additional insured and paid Transocean $125m for legal fees.","src":15},{"title":"BP–Anadarko settlement (well costs)","forum":"Out of court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"BP","defendant":"Anadarko Petroleum","filed":null,"decided":2011,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":4000,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Anadarko paid BP $4bn and transferred its 25% interest in the well and lease in October 2011, in satisfaction of $6.1bn of invoices. BP pays Anadarko 12.5% of third-party recoveries above $1.5bn, capped at $1.0bn.","src":18},{"title":"BP–MOEX settlement (well costs)","forum":"Out of court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"BP","defendant":"MOEX (Mitsui Oil Exploration)","filed":null,"decided":2011,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":1065,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"MOEX agreed on 20 May 2011 to pay BP $1.065bn, which BP said would go to its $20bn trust. BP indemnifies MOEX for compensatory claims, excluding fines, penalties and punitive damages.","src":38},{"title":"BP–Cameron settlement","forum":"Out of court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"BP","defendant":"Cameron International","filed":null,"decided":2012,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":250,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Cameron, maker of the blowout preventer, paid BP $250m in January 2012; about $167.5m was funded by its insurers.","src":20},{"title":"BP–Weatherford settlement","forum":"Out of court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"BP","defendant":"Weatherford","filed":null,"decided":2011,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":75,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Reported at $75m; BP's filings combine MOEX and Weatherford payments into its trust at $1,140m.","src":47},{"title":"Halliburton v. Chubb Bermuda (insurance arbitration)","forum":"London arbitration (Bermuda Form)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Halliburton","defendant":"Chubb Bermuda Insurance","filed":null,"decided":2017,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"A final partial award of 5 December 2017 found for Chubb, which had argued that Halliburton's settlement \"was not a reasonable settlement\".","src":21},{"title":"Halliburton v. Chubb Bermuda [2020] UKSC 48","forum":"UK Supreme Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Halliburton","defendant":"Chubb Bermuda Insurance","filed":null,"decided":2020,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The appeal concerned only arbitrator bias and was dismissed on 27 November 2020.","src":21},{"title":"Anadarko v. Houston Casualty and Lloyd's underwriters, No. 16-1013","forum":"Supreme Court of Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Anadarko Petroleum","defendant":"Houston Casualty and other excess insurers","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 25 January 2019 the court held that the joint-venture cap does not limit Anadarko's defence costs of more than $100m, and sent the case back to the trial court.","src":28}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Jupiter Insurance Ltd (BP's captive, Guernsey)","insured":"BP","status":"self-insured","year":2010,"amount":{"value":700,"currency":"USD","label":"policy limit; reserves set at limit"},"reason":"BP \"generally restricts its purchase of insurance to situations where this is required for legal or contractual reasons\"","summary":"BP self-insured through its captive, which bought no outward reinsurance and covered property damage and business interruption; whether it paid out is not documented. BP's 2010 Form 20-F says the group has borne and will continue to bear the entire burden of its share of property damage, well control, clean-up and third-party liability costs.","src":17},{"insurer":"Hull and machinery underwriters","insured":"Transocean","status":"paid","year":2010,"amount":{"value":560,"currency":"USD","label":"paid (total loss, no deductible)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Underwriters declared the rig a total loss; Transocean received $560m in cash and recorded a $267m gain on the loss. Further cover of up to $140m each existed for mitigation costs and wreck removal; the contract backlog was about $590m.","src":13},{"insurer":"Transocean excess liability insurers, layers one to four","insured":"Transocean","status":"paid","year":2015,"amount":{"value":538,"currency":"USD","label":"recovery of previously incurred losses"},"reason":null,"summary":"Insurance first paid crew and contractor injury and death claims; after BP dropped its claim, Transocean recognised $538m and said the fourth layer was exhausted.","src":14},{"insurer":"Bermuda market insurers (fifth layer, $250m)","insured":"Transocean","status":"litigation","year":2016,"amount":{"value":30,"currency":"USD","label":"recovered"},"reason":"Insurers \"asserted various coverage defenses\"; Chubb argued claims were \"not reasonably settled\"","summary":"Transocean issued arbitration notices; it reported about $30m of recoveries in 2016 and none in 2017. The final result was not found.","src":45},{"insurer":"Ranger Insurance ($50m primary) and Lloyd's and other excess underwriters ($700m)","insured":"BP (claimed additional insured on Transocean's policies)","status":"refused","year":2015,"amount":{"value":750,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed, not paid"},"reason":"BP was an additional insured only for liabilities Transocean assumed in the drilling contract, which excluded subsurface pollution","summary":"The insurers won in the Texas Supreme Court in February 2015; BP then dropped its claim.","src":16},{"insurer":"Anadarko's insurers (not named)","insured":"Anadarko Petroleum","status":"paid","year":2011,"amount":{"value":163,"currency":"USD","label":"recovered, booked as gain"},"reason":null,"summary":"Anadarko recognised a $163m gain for insurance recoveries in the fourth quarter of 2011, the year it paid BP $4bn.","src":18},{"insurer":"Lloyd's underwriters and Houston Casualty (excess, $150m limit)","insured":"Anadarko Petroleum","status":"partial","year":2019,"amount":{"value":37.5,"currency":"USD","label":"paid (25% of limit)"},"reason":"Joint-venture liability cap","summary":"The insurers paid $37.5m; the Texas Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that the cap does not limit defence costs and sent the case back.","src":28},{"insurer":"Halliburton general liability programme ($600m)","insured":"Halliburton","status":"partial","year":2015,"amount":{"value":403,"currency":"USD","label":"reimbursed of about $1.5bn costs"},"reason":null,"summary":"Of about $1.5bn in settlement and legal costs, $403m was reimbursed under Halliburton's insurance programme.","src":19},{"insurer":"Chubb Bermuda (top layer)","insured":"Halliburton","status":"refused","year":2017,"amount":{"value":200,"currency":"USD","label":"not reimbursed (about)"},"reason":"\"Halliburton's settlement was not a reasonable settlement\"; Chubb had not consented","summary":"Carriers on the final layer refused to reimburse about $200m; the London arbitration ended in Chubb's favour in December 2017.","src":44},{"insurer":"Cameron's insurers","insured":"Cameron International","status":"paid","year":2012,"amount":{"value":167.5,"currency":"USD","label":"paid toward $250m settlement with BP"},"reason":null,"summary":"The only documented insurer-funded money that went into the BP trust that also funds natural-resource damages; Cameron pursued a further $50m from one non-consenting insurer.","src":20},{"insurer":"Lloyd's market","insured":"Various parties","status":"unknown","year":2010,"amount":{"value":600,"currency":"USD","label":"estimated ultimate claims (upper end of $300–600m)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Lloyd's estimated its ultimate Deepwater Horizon claims at $300m to $600m; Moody's put the total insured market loss at $1.4bn to $3.5bn. The estimate was unchanged from Lloyd's May 2010 announcement.","src":29},{"insurer":"Transocean's commercial excess liability insurers","insured":"Transocean","status":"unknown","year":2010,"amount":{"value":950,"currency":"USD","label":"excess liability cover (annual aggregate for the whole fleet)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Transocean had $950m of commercial excess liability cover, paid a $65m deductible and generally retains the risk above $1.0bn. How much of the layer was paid and to whom is not on record.","src":13},{"insurer":"Upstream energy insurance market (Willis Energy Market Review)","insured":"Deepwater Horizon and Aban Pearl losses","status":"unknown","year":2010,"reason":null,"summary":"Claims to the market were \"well in excess of $1.2 billion\"; the two rig losses cost upstream insurers $795m within one month.","src":55},{"insurer":"Munich Re","insured":"Deepwater Horizon reinsured losses","status":"unknown","year":2010,"reason":null,"summary":"Reported a potential loss of over $128m.","src":58},{"insurer":"Swiss Re","insured":"Deepwater Horizon reinsured losses","status":"unknown","year":2010,"reason":null,"summary":"Estimated industry losses at $1.5bn-$3.5bn and its own participation at about $200m.","src":58},{"insurer":"Hannover Re","insured":"Deepwater Horizon reinsured losses","status":"unknown","year":2010,"reason":null,"summary":"Expected a claim of about EUR 40m ($53.5m) in May 2010; later reported as $51m.","src":59}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":11,"unit":"people","year":2010},{"key":"injured","value":17,"unit":"people","year":2010},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":3190000,"unit":"barrels","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"US District Court finding (2015), after about 810,000 barrels collected"},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":4900000,"unit":"barrels","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"US government estimate (Flow Rate Technical Group, Aug 2010)"},{"key":"coast_km","value":2100,"unit":"km","year":2010,"qualifier":"at least","note":"At least 1,300 miles, eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle"},{"key":"birds_killed","value":84500,"unit":"birds","year":2010,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Trustee range 51,600–84,500 (2016); a USGS report (2026) gives 56,141–102,399"},{"key":"fine","value":4000,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"BP criminal fines and penalties"},{"key":"fine","value":5500,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"BP Clean Water Act civil penalty, not tax-deductible"},{"key":"fine","value":1400,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"Transocean: $400m criminal + $1bn civil"},{"key":"fine","value":525,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"BP, SEC civil penalty"},{"key":"fine","value":159.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Anadarko Clean Water Act penalty"},{"key":"settlement","value":20800,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"US and five Gulf states consent decree, paid until 2031"},{"key":"settlement","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Halliburton class settlement"},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":6200,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Gulf Coast Claims Facility, Aug 2010–Jun 2012, to more than 220,000 claimants"},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":2442.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Natural-resource damages spent by the Trustees, cumulative to 31 Dec 2025"},{"key":"profit","value":75392,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"BP profit attributable to shareholders, sum 2011–2025"},{"key":"profit","value":16578,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"BP profit attributable to shareholders, the year before the spill"},{"key":"profit","value":-3719,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"BP loss attributable to shareholders, after a $40.9bn pre-tax spill charge"},{"key":"revenue","value":108000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Gross value of BP Gulf of Mexico production 2011–2025 ($107.9–116.5bn by method); not profit"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":560,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Transocean hull insurance for the rig"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":538,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Transocean liability insurance recovery"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":403,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Halliburton insurance reimbursement"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":163,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"Anadarko insurance recovery"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":167.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Cameron's insurers, toward its $250m payment to BP"},{"key":"oil_released_barrels","value":4000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2015,"note":"Released from the reservoir, per Judge Barbier (January 2015); 3.19m discharged after about 810,000 barrels collected."},{"key":"sea_turtles_large_killed","value":7600,"unit":"animals","year":2016,"qualifier":"up to","note":"4,900-7,600 large juveniles and adults (Trustees)"},{"key":"sea_turtles_small_killed","value":166000,"unit":"animals","year":2016,"qualifier":"up to","note":"56,000-166,000 small juveniles (Trustees)"},{"key":"dolphin_population_reduction_max","value":45,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Barataria Bay, NOAA stock assessment; 35 years to recover to 95% of baseline"},{"key":"restore_allocated","value":3887.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"RESTORE Act gross allocations as of 1 October 2025; $2,593.0m obligated or transferred (Treasury)"},{"key":"claim","value":750,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Transocean policy limits BP claimed under; claim refused"},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":1,"unit":"claims","year":2015,"note":"BP's additional-insured claim was refused by the Texas Supreme Court"}],"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Findings of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees, NOAA and cited research.","report":[{"t":"Between 51,600 and 84,500 of my birds died, according to the Trustees' 2016 estimate.","src":5},{"t":"Between 4,900 and 7,600 of my large juvenile and adult sea turtles were killed, and between 56,000 and 166,000 small juveniles, according to the Trustees. Nearly 35,000 hatchlings were injured by the response itself.","src":56},{"t":"In my waters, 2 to 5 trillion larval fish were affected, according to the Trustees.","src":56},{"t":"My Barataria Bay bottlenose dolphins: the Trustees found 35% more deaths, 46% more failed reproduction and 37% more adverse health effects than in a healthy population, and estimated up to a 51% decrease in the population.","src":56},{"t":"NOAA's June 2024 assessment gives a maximum reduction of 45% for those dolphins and 35 years to recover to 95% of baseline. It reports reproductive success of 0.185, which it describes as less than one in five detected pregnancies producing a viable calf, says disease conditions have persisted and worsened, and gives an abundance of 2,071 in the 2019 survey.","src":8},{"t":"The Marine Mammal Commission analysis gives a 51% mean decline for the stock and about 32 years to recover under its refined model.","src":57},{"t":"A model coordinated by NOAA projected that my Barataria Bay dolphin population would halve within ten years and take 40 years to recover.","src":61},{"t":"Seven years after the spill my deep-sea coral colonies had not recovered; recovery was estimated at up to 30 years in a study of 326 colonies.","src":62},{"t":"Sperm whales declined by up to 7%; 48% of Bryde's whales were affected, with a decline of up to 22%.","src":56},{"t":"No Trustee document from 2024 to 2026 describes any injured resource of mine as restored or recovered.","src":56}]},"statusLine":"As of October 2026: BP's settlement installments run to 2031, the Trustees had spent $2.44bn of up to $8.8bn by end-2025, no Trustee document from 2024-2026 declares an injured resource restored, and the Trustees' next programmatic review is expected in late 2026.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"bp","says":"BP's internal investigation report described the blowout as a multi-party accident, assigning a large share to the drilling contractor and the cement company.","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"bp","says":"Reported on 16 March 2015 that the Gulf had returned to its pre-spill baseline, fish populations were sound, and heavily oiled marsh shoreline had fallen from 86 miles to 0.7 miles; its vice president for environmental restoration said predictions of catastrophe had not come true.","when":"2015-03-16","src":null},{"actor":"bp","says":"In its February 2012 filing said it was seeking reimbursement for personal injury and death claims under its insurance and indemnity rights in the Transocean contract and that no recovery amounts had been recognized.","when":"2012-02","src":47},{"actor":"bp","says":"Agreed to discontinue its attempts to recover as an additional insured under Transocean's policies and to pay Transocean $125 million for legal fees; Transocean received the payment on 3 July 2015.","when":"2015-05-20","src":15},{"actor":"transocean","says":"Reported receiving $560 million in cash proceeds from insurance recoveries in 2010 and recognizing a $267 million gain on the loss of the rig.","when":"2011","src":13},{"actor":"anadarko","says":"Reported that it paid $4.0 billion and transferred its interest in the Macondo well and lease to BP, accepted by BP in satisfaction of $6.1 billion of invoices, partly offset by a $163 million gain from insurance recoveries in the fourth quarter of 2011.","when":"2012","src":18},{"actor":"moex","says":"Agreed on 20 May 2011 to pay BP $1.065 billion; BP said it would apply this to the $20 billion trust and indemnifies MOEX for compensatory claims, excluding fines, penalties and punitive damages.","when":"2011-05-20","src":38},{"actor":"halliburton","says":"Settled the MDL claims for about $1.1 billion (September 2014).","when":"2014-09","src":42},{"actor":"halliburton","says":"Sought reimbursement from its insurers; carriers on the final layer of about $200 million refused.","when":"2016","src":44},{"actor":"bp","says":"Its 2010 Form 20-F said it generally restricts its purchase of insurance to situations where this is required for legal or contractual reasons, and that losses are borne as they arise.","when":"2011-03-02","src":10},{"actor":"transocean","says":"Paid its class settlement of $211.75 million from cash on hand, not insurance (final approval 15 February 2017).","when":"2015-05","src":14},{"actor":"chubb","says":"Argued that Halliburton's settlement was not a reasonable settlement; the arbitration award of 5 December 2017 went to Chubb.","when":"2017-12","src":21}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who was at fault for the blowout?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BP (internal report)","says":"Described the accident as multi-party, with a large share attributed to the drilling contractor and the cement company.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"US District Court, E.D. La.","says":"Found gross negligence and willful misconduct by BP; apportioned fault 67% BP, 30% Transocean (negligent), 3% Halliburton (negligent).","src":4}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Had the Gulf returned to its pre-spill condition by 2015?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BP","says":"Its 16 March 2015 report said the Gulf had returned to baseline, fish populations were sound and heavily oiled marsh shoreline had fallen from 86 to 0.7 miles.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA","says":"Said the same day that BP had misinterpreted and misapplied the data and that effects would most likely last for generations.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Head of Louisiana's coastal protection agency","says":"Said BP had used the data selectively.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How large was the decline of Barataria Bay dolphins and how long will recovery take?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Deepwater Horizon Trustees (2016)","says":"Up to a 51% decrease; about 39 years to recover without restoration.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Marine Mammal Commission analysis","says":"51% mean decline; about 32 years to recover under the refined model.","src":57},{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA stock assessment (June 2024)","says":"45% maximum reduction; 35 years to recover to 95% of baseline.","src":8}]},{"point":"Was BP covered under Transocean's liability policies?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BP","says":"Claimed additional-insured status under Transocean's $750 million of policies.","src":54},{"voice":"company","holder":"Transocean's insurers","says":"Argued the cover reached only liabilities Transocean assumed in the drilling contract, which excluded subsurface pollution.","src":16},{"voice":"court","holder":"Texas Supreme Court (13 February 2015)","says":"Held BP is an additional insured only for liabilities Transocean assumed (above-surface pollution), so it has no coverage for subsurface pollution.","src":16}]},{"point":"How much oil was released?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US government","says":"Estimated about 4.9 million barrels released gross.","src":51},{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge Barbier (January 2015)","says":"Found 4.0 million barrels released and 3.19 million discharged after subtracting about 810,000 barrels collected.","src":41},{"voice":"government","holder":"United States (at trial)","says":"Argued 4.2 million barrels.","src":41},{"voice":"company","holder":"BP (at trial)","says":"Argued 2.45 million barrels.","src":41}]}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 20 April 2010 the Transocean-owned Deepwater Horizon rig exploded while drilling BP's Macondo exploration well, killing 11 workers and injuring 17. Oil flowed for 87 days; a federal court found 3.19 million barrels reached the Gulf of Mexico.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BP","what":"Recorded a $11.857bn tax credit on spill costs in 2010.","src":11},{"who":"BP","what":"From 2011 to 2025 its profit attributable to shareholders totalled $75.4bn, and its Gulf of Mexico production was worth about $108bn gross (estimate, not profit).","src":12},{"who":"BP shareholders","what":"$56.2bn in dividends and share buybacks in 2021–2025 (estimate, cash-flow basis); dividends were suspended in 2010 for eight months.","src":12},{"who":"Transocean","what":"Received $560m from hull insurers for the rig and recorded a $267m gain on the loss; BP later paid it $125m for legal fees.","src":13},{"who":"Anadarko","what":"Recognised a $163m gain for insurance recoveries in 2011.","src":18}],"lost":[{"who":"BP","what":"A cumulative pre-tax charge of $67.0bn by the end of 2018, including $4bn in criminal fines and penalties and the $20.8bn settlement; it recovered $4bn from Anadarko, $1.065bn from MOEX and $250m from Cameron.","src":9},{"who":"Transocean","what":"$400m criminal fine and $1bn civil penalty, plus $211.75m to two plaintiff classes, paid from cash.","src":24},{"who":"Halliburton","what":"$1.1bn class settlement; of about $1.5bn in settlement and legal costs, $403m was reimbursed by insurers and Chubb Bermuda refused about $200m.","src":19},{"who":"Anadarko","what":"$159.5m Clean Water Act penalty and $4bn paid to BP.","src":31},{"who":"Gulf businesses, fishers and residents","what":"Federal fishery closures peaked at 88,522 square miles, about 37% of Gulf federal waters; the Gulf Coast Claims Facility paid at least $6.2bn to more than 220,000 claimants.","src":32},{"who":"Clean-up workers and coastal residents (medical class)","what":"About 37,000 claims were filed and about 78% were initially rejected; 40 of about 23,000 approved claimants received the top award of $60,700.","src":33},{"who":"US taxpayers","what":"US PIRG estimated $15.3bn of the $20.8bn settlement could be deducted, a tax benefit of about $5.35bn (advocacy-group estimate; the actual deduction is undisclosed).","src":25}],"harmed":[{"who":"11 workers killed, 17 injured","what":"In the explosion and fire on 20 April 2010.","src":5},{"who":"Birds","what":"51,600 to 84,500 birds of at least 93 species died, plus 4,600 to 17,900 chicks (Trustee estimate).","src":5},{"who":"Sea turtles","what":"4,900 to 7,600 large juvenile and adult sea turtles killed (Trustee estimate).","src":5},{"who":"Fish and shellfish","what":"2 to 5 trillion larval fish killed and 4 to 8.3 billion oysters lost (Trustee estimates).","src":5},{"who":"Barataria Bay bottlenose dolphins","what":"Up to a 45% population reduction and 35 years to recover (NOAA, 2024).","src":8},{"who":"Gulf shoreline, marsh and seafloor","what":"At least 2,100 km of shoreline oiled; marsh vegetation reduced along 350–721 miles; an injured seafloor zone of more than 770 square miles around the wellhead.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"BP's Macondo well, Mississippi Canyon Block 252, Gulf of Mexico, about 66 km off the Louisiana coast and about 5,000 feet deep; oil reached shoreline from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Explosion on 20 April 2010; well capped on 15 July 2010. BP pleaded guilty in January 2013, the court found gross negligence on 4 September 2014, and the $20.8bn settlement was entered on 4 April 2016, payable until 2031.","src":4},"why":{"t":"A federal court found that the discharge was the result of BP's \"gross negligence\" and \"willful misconduct\", \"an extreme deviation from the standard of care and a conscious disregard of known risks\". It found BP reckless and Transocean and Halliburton negligent, apportioning fault 67%, 30% and 3%.","src":4},"how":{"t":"The well blew out during temporary abandonment and flowed for 87 days. BP, self-insured, paid through a $20bn trust and the 2016 settlement, which includes up to $8.8bn for natural resources paid in instalments to 2031.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"By the end of 2025 the Trustees had spent $2.44bn, about 28% of the up to $8.8bn set aside for natural resources.","src":7}},"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Had the Gulf returned to its pre-spill condition by 2015?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How large was the decline of Barataria Bay dolphins and how long will recovery take?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who was at fault for the blowout?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was BP covered under Transocean's liability policies?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much oil was released?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Lloyd's market: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Transocean's commercial excess liability insurers: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Upstream energy insurance market (Willis Energy Market Review): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Munich Re: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Swiss Re: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Hannover Re: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The tax deduction BP actually took on the 2016 settlement has not been disclosed; the $5.35bn tax benefit is a US PIRG estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether BP's captive insurer Jupiter paid any of its $700m limit, and to whom.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Final totals paid under the economic-loss and medical class settlements: not published.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Actual RESTORE Act spending: only allocations and obligations are published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The NFWF awarded total and its date ($1.7bn on the live page vs $2.3bn in an older snapshot).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final outcome of Transocean's arbitration with its fifth-layer Bermuda insurers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"BP's appeal of the 2014 gross-negligence ruling: no appellate ruling found; it appears to have been closed by the 2016 settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any insurance money reached restoration: the only documented link is $167.5m from Cameron's insurers paid into the BP trust that also funds natural-resource damages; it cannot be traced to specific spending.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact rig dayrate in force in April 2010: about $500,000 a day is widely cited, but no primary document was found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Estimates of the Barataria Bay dolphin decline differ: up to 51% (Trustees, 2016), 51% (Marine Mammal Commission), 45% (NOAA, June 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Estimates of the oil volume differ: about 4.9 million barrels gross (US government), 4.0 million released and 3.19 million discharged (court, January 2015).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"BP's own recovery from Transocean's policies: no document shows BP recovered anything; BP's February 2012 filing said it was seeking reimbursement and that no recovery amounts had been recognised.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final insured market loss: estimates vary, including Moody's $1.4bn to $3.5bn, Swiss Re $1.5bn to $3.5bn and Lloyd's own-market claims of $300m to $600m.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that bacteria consumed at least 200,000 tonnes of oil and gas while the fate of about 40% of the hydrocarbons is unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give different figures for the other federal claims element of the 2015 settlement: $250m in one reading of the Justice Department fact sheet and about $600m in another.","pub":true}],"todo":[]},{"id":"exxon-valdez","title":"Exxon Valdez: the spill, insurance and court cases","dek":"An Exxon tanker spilled about 257,000 barrels of crude oil in Alaska in 1989. A jury awarded $5 billion in punitive damages; 19 years later the Supreme Court reduced it to $507.5 million. Exxon's excess insurers refused cover on 33 grounds and paid $780 million after a lawsuit, in addition to $400 million from a P&I club.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":60.84,"lon":-146.88,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":60.84,"lon":-146.88,"role":"origin"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska (Anchorage)","lat":61.2,"lon":-149.9,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas (Harris County)","lat":29.76,"lon":-95.37,"role":"court"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","lat":51.51,"lon":-0.09,"role":"court"}],"start":1989,"end":2015,"eventDate":"1989-03-24","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Punitive damages: jury award vs final award","value":"$5bn → $507.5m","note":"Jury 1994; US Supreme Court 2008, 19 years after the spill. See Who gained."},"happened":["On 24 March 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez, operated by Exxon Shipping Company, ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, loaded with 53,094,510 gallons (1,264,155 barrels) of North Slope crude. About 257,000 barrels (about 11 million gallons; 10.8 million is the figure most often cited) spilled. More than 1,300 miles (2,100 km) of shoreline were affected. NOAA estimates about 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles and up to 22 killer whales died.","Clean-up ran for more than four summers, with up to 10,000 workers. Exxon said it spent about $2.1 billion; Business Insurance reported in 1996 that Exxon put its total costs at $3.8 billion, of which $2.5 billion was clean-up ($1 billion government settlement, $300 million claims). The Supreme Court recorded $303 million in voluntary settlements with fishers, property owners and other private parties. Exxon Shipping's resources were exhausted and it was declared insolvent in August 1989; Exxon Corporation took over the payments.","In October 1991 the court accepted a plea agreement after rejecting an earlier one in April. Exxon Shipping pleaded guilty to Clean Water Act, Refuse Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act misdemeanors and Exxon Corporation to a Migratory Bird Treaty Act misdemeanor. Exxon paid a $150 million criminal fine, of which $125 million was remitted, $100 million in criminal restitution, and $900 million in civil damages over ten years, with a $100 million reopener for unforeseen damage. The Department of Justice described the first agreement, in March 1991, as a record one billion dollars in criminal fines and civil damages. The governments served a $92 million reopener demand in 2006 and said on 14 October 2015 that they would not pursue it. The tanker's captain was tried separately in state court; the proceedings are set out in the legal entries.","In 1994 a jury found Exxon and its captain reckless and awarded $5 billion in punitive damages to more than 32,000 claimants. The award was cut to $2.5 billion by the Ninth Circuit in 2006 and to $507.5 million by the US Supreme Court on 25 June 2008, which set a 1:1 ratio to compensatory damages and split 4-4 on corporate liability for a managerial agent's acts. Exxon paid $470 million in interest in 2009.","Exxon's insurance had several layers. A Bermuda P&I club, ITIA, paid $400 million in pollution cover several months after the spill. Above a self-insured retention of about $200 million to $250 million sat Exxon's global corporate excess programme, placed in London with more than 150 insurers; Lloyd's syndicate 79/650 led it and AIG, CIGNA, Continental, Allianz and Scandinavian companies took part. Business Insurance reported limits of $600 million for property (Section I) and $250 million for liability. About 19 months after the spill the insurers sent a denial letter listing 33 reasons, among them the pollution exclusion on the basis that pollution was covered by the P&I club. Exxon sued in Harris County, Texas in 1993, seeking about $3 billion including $2.15 billion for bad faith, trebling and interest. A $300 million settlement was reported in 1996; a Texas jury found for Exxon in June 1996 and the liability sections settled on 23 January 1997 for $480 million. Exxon collected $780 million in total from the excess insurers, almost eight years after the spill. The insurers then lost against their own reinsurers in London: the Court of Appeal held on 16 March 1998 that the reinsurers were not liable for the $300 million settlement, and in 2004 Colman J held that oil pollution clean-up expenses are not insured by Section I. Exxon's 1989 net income was $3.51 billion after a $1.68 billion Valdez provision; in 2008 it earned $45.2 billion.","As of 31 January 2020 the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council had spent $245.1 million on research and monitoring and $477.6 million on habitat protection, with $188.8 million unspent. Beach clean-up stopped in 1994. The Council's latest list of injured resources (2014) names marbled murrelets, Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots and the AT1 killer whale population as not recovering. NOAA reported about 55 tonnes of oil under beaches in 2001 and, in a model updated with 2015 data, 0.6% of the spilled oil still in Prince William Sound. Exxon said in 1993 that studies it had funded showed no credible evidence of long-term damage; the disputes below set out the accounts of Exxon, NOAA, the Trustee Council and researchers.","The Associated Press reported in September 2022 that Joseph Hazelwood, the tanker's captain and the only person criminally charged over the grounding, had died in July 2022 at the age of 75 (AP, 12 September 2022)."],"timeline":[{"y":1989,"t":"Spill 24 Mar; Exxon Shipping declared insolvent (Aug); P&I club pays $400m several months after the spill; Exxon's Valdez provision lowers its 1989 net income to $3,510m"},{"y":1990,"t":"Exxon indicted (Feb); captain convicted of a misdemeanor (Mar); Lloyd's-led insurers deny cover with a letter listing 33 reasons, about 19 months after the spill"},{"y":1991,"t":"DOJ and EPA announce the settlement (13 Mar), with a reopener clause for unforeseen harm; first plea deal rejected (Apr); $900m civil settlement and $150m fine approved (Oct)"},{"y":1993,"t":"Apr: Exxon says there is no credible evidence of long-term damage; a NOAA official calls the statement a smokescreen. Exxon sues its Lloyd's underwriters in Texas (4 Aug)"},{"y":1994,"t":"Jury awards $5bn in punitive damages (Sep); shoreline clean-up stops"},{"y":1996,"t":"Insurers settle property section for $300m (Mar); Texas jury finds for Exxon (Jun)"},{"y":1997,"t":"Insurers settle liability sections for $480m (23 Jan): $780m in total; Alaska Supreme Court ruling in the captain's case (Oct)"},{"y":1998,"t":"16 Mar: English Court of Appeal holds reinsurers not liable for the $300m settlement"},{"y":2001,"t":"Last civil settlement payment (Sep); Ninth Circuit vacates the $5bn award"},{"y":2002,"t":"Punitive award reset at $4bn"},{"y":2004,"t":"Punitive award set at $4.5bn; London court limits insurers' reinsurance recovery"},{"y":2005,"t":"English Court of Appeal ruling in the reinsurance case; Equitas v. Brandywine reinsurance dispute settled"},{"y":2006,"t":"Ninth Circuit cuts the award to $2.5bn; governments serve a $92m reopener demand"},{"y":2008,"t":"US Supreme Court caps punitive damages at $507.5m (25 Jun)"},{"y":2009,"t":"Exxon pays $470m in interest (1 Jul); Exxon says the area shows no long-term harm"},{"y":2014,"t":"Latest official list: four resources not recovering, including Pacific herring"},{"y":2015,"t":"Governments decide not to pursue the reopener claim (14 Oct)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Captain Joseph Hazelwood dies at 75 (July)"}],"said":[{"q":"Exxon to Pay Record One Billion Dollars in Criminal Fines and Civil Damages","who":"US Department of Justice and EPA, release title","when":"13 March 1991","src":0},{"q":"by far the largest single amount ever paid as a result of environmental violations","who":"Dick Thornburgh, US Attorney General","when":"March 1991","src":0},{"q":"the largest environmental assessment ever","who":"William Reilly, EPA Administrator","when":"March 1991","src":0},{"q":"In the aftermath of the disaster, Exxon spent around $2.1 billion in cleanup efforts.","who":"US Supreme Court, Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker","when":"25 June 2008","src":1},{"q":"Exxon will be able to reduce its income tax liability by deducting a portion of the money","who":"Alaska Legislature, House Joint Resolution 34","when":"1991","src":15},{"q":"oil pollution clean-up expenses are not insured by Section I","who":"Colman J, English High Court, King v Brandywine","when":"2004","src":9},{"q":"forgave $125 million of that fine in recognition of Exxon's cooperation in cleaning up the spill and paying certain private claims","who":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, describing the criminal settlement","when":"Settlement approved October 1991","src":3},{"q":"would not be proceeding","who":"State and federal governments, status report on the reopener","when":"14 October 2015","src":4},{"q":"considered not recovering","who":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, on Pacific herring","when":"n.d.","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"A record one billion dollars in criminal fines and civil damages.","who":"US Department of Justice and EPA, 1991","src":0},{"t":"By far the largest single environmental criminal recovery ever exacted.","who":"US Department of Justice and EPA, 1991","src":0},{"t":"A $5 billion punitive damages verdict.","who":"Federal jury, 1994","src":1},{"t":"Exxon said that studies it funded showed no credible evidence of long-term damage, that oil remained on 0.2% of 3,000 miles of shoreline in spring 1992, and that the herring population was unaffected.","who":"Exxon","src":28},{"t":"Exxon spent about $2.1bn on the cleanup effort.","who":"Exxon, as recorded by the Trustee Council and the Supreme Court","src":5},{"t":"Exxon's total costs were $3.8bn, of which $2.5bn was cleanup ($1bn government settlement, $300m claims).","who":"Exxon, as reported by Business Insurance","src":11},{"t":"Exxon said in 2009 that there was no long-term harm, that the area was healthy, strong and vibrant, that it had paid $3.8 billion and that 13,000 people had worked on the cleanup.","who":"Exxon","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"$125m of the $150m criminal fine was remitted; $25m was paid.","src":3},{"t":"Punitive damages fell from $5bn (jury, 1994) to $507.5m (US Supreme Court, 2008), 19 years after the spill.","src":1},{"t":"Exxon's 2008 net income was $45,220m, including $460m after tax in Valdez litigation charges.","src":16},{"t":"Exxon collected $400m from its P&I club and $780m from its excess insurers; the civil settlement with the governments was $900m.","src":10},{"t":"Habitat protection and restoration research received about $723m of the settlement and its interest by 2020.","src":8},{"t":"Pacific herring: considered not recovering; the fishery was closed in 19 of the 25 years after the spill, with a crash in 1993.","src":7},{"t":"In 2014 the Trustee Council listed marbled murrelets, Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots and the AT1 killer whale population as not recovering; it is the latest list found.","src":6},{"t":"NOAA: about 55 tonnes of oil lay under beaches in 2001; a model updated with 2015 data puts 0.6% of the spilled oil still in Prince William Sound. NOAA says this oil is not entering living things, that digging would do more harm, and that a major storm could release it.","src":29},{"t":"Beach clean-up stopped in 1994 on the assumption that the oil would disappear within a few years; buried oil was declining 0% to 4% a year in 2009 and in places was as toxic as in the first weeks.","src":30},{"t":"About 23,000 gallons of oil remain on the shore.","src":6},{"t":"The tanker was loaded with 53,094,510 gallons (1,264,155 barrels) of North Slope crude oil.","src":22},{"t":"Exxon's 1989 net income was $3,510m after a $1,680m Valdez provision.","src":13},{"t":"A state-funded contingent valuation study put the lost passive-use value at $2.8bn.","src":25},{"t":"Nine land parcels appraised at $150m were bought for $234m with settlement funds (GAO, 1998).","src":17},{"t":"Ten seafood processors (the 'Seattle Seven' settlement) settled in 1991 for $64m, agreeing to return all but $12.4m of any share of punitive damages.","src":32}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Habitat protection and enhancement (land purchases and easements)","amount":477.6,"window":"1991–2020","note":"Includes parcels of $412.9m; paid from the $900m settlement and its interest."},{"label":"Restoration, research and monitoring","amount":245.1,"window":"1991–2020"},{"label":"Criminal fine to the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund","amount":12,"window":"1991"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":734.7,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Sum of the lines above. Excludes $216.4m government reimbursements, $92.8m administration and a $188.8m unspent balance (as of 31 Jan 2020)."},"other":[{"label":"Insurance recovered by Exxon (P&I $400m + excess policy $780m)","amount":1180,"est":true,"window":"1989–1997","note":"Sum of two figures; no source states the total."},{"label":"Criminal fine remitted by the court","amount":125,"window":"1991"},{"label":"Exxon net income after the $1,680m Valdez provision","amount":3510,"window":"1989"},{"label":"ExxonMobil net income","amount":45220,"window":"2008","note":"Includes $460m after-tax Valdez litigation charges."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"My herring did not come back. The company recovered more from its insurers than it paid for my repair.","outcomes":[{"k":"Punitive damages paid","v":"About 10%","d":"$507.5m of the $5bn jury award"},{"k":"Insurance vs nature settlement","v":"$1.18bn vs $900m","d":"Exxon's insurance recoveries vs the 1991 civil settlement"},{"k":"Pacific herring","v":"Not recovering","d":"Official list, 2014"},{"k":"Oil still in Prince William Sound","v":"0.6%","d":"NOAA model with 2015 data; about 55 tonnes under beaches in 2001"},{"k":"Beach clean-up","v":"Stopped in 1994","d":"On the assumption that the oil would disappear within a few years (Science News)"},{"k":"Insurance money traced to repair","v":"None found","d":"No source reviewed says any of the insurance money went to restoration"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NOAA, the Trustee Council and Science News report oil remaining and species not recovering.","report":[{"t":"In 2001 I still held about 55 tonnes of oil beneath my beaches.","src":29},{"t":"NOAA's model, updated with 2015 data, puts 0.6% of the oil that spilled in 1989 still in my Sound. NOAA says digging it up would do more harm than leaving it.","src":29},{"t":"Where oil is buried it declines by 0 to 4 per cent a year, and in some places it is as toxic as in the first weeks. Cleaning of my beaches stopped in 1994.","src":30},{"t":"My Pacific herring are considered not recovering; the fishery was closed in 19 of the 25 years after the spill.","src":7},{"t":"In 2014 my marbled murrelets, Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots and the AT1 group of killer whales were listed as not recovering.","src":6}]},"unknown":["No single audited total of money paid to private claimants exists.","How many claimants died before payment: press reports say more than 3,000; other accounts range from 1,000 to one third of the claimants; no court-documented count was found.","Whether any insurance money went into the restoration funds: no source says so.","The tax deductions Exxon actually took: a CRS estimate cited by a law firm says more than half of the $900m was deductible, and in May 1991 an economist hired by the Alaska legislature estimated \"$1.3 billion in tax write-offs and insurance payments\"; no IRS or Exxon filing confirms what was deducted. Fines are not deductible under current law.","Interest Exxon earned on the unpaid punitive award while appealing (1994-2008): no figure found.","Hull insurance payout for the tanker: not found.","The final remand ruling in the captain's criminal case was not confirmed.","Exxon's share of Alaska pipeline oil: all shippers moved oil worth an estimated $189bn in 1989-2008; Exxon's share was not established.","Exxon's own spill cost: about $3.8bn by January 1996 (press) or more than $3.4bn by 2008 (Exxon).","The amount of the 1996 Texas verdict: the judgment entered on 3 July 1996 was $238.47m above a $210m deductible, plus $161.1m interest and more than $10m costs; other accounts give about $250m and a $420m judgment (a law-firm page, no longer available).","Exxon's 1989 charge for the spill: accounts differ ($1.35bn after tax per Business Insurance; $1.38bn per Oil & Gas Journal; a $1,680m provision in the annual report).","The total insurance market loss: an industry estimate of $1.4bn to $3.5bn is reported without a verifiable source.","The final amount of the 'Seattle Seven' processors' cede-back after the award was cut to $507.5m.","Unconfirmed: a 2006 Exxon spokesperson's statement that 350 peer-reviewed studies showed recovery; a herring closure since 1999; 14 of 22 AT1 killer whales dead with no calves since 1989.","Unconfirmed: an Exxon spokesperson acknowledged in 2009 that whether the Sound had recovered depended on the definition used.","Unconfirmed: at least seven suicides associated with the spill and four clean-up deaths.","Unconfirmed: 17 of 27 monitored species had not recovered by 2009; oil at a few parts per billion has killed salmon eggs; oiled mussel beds were projected to need about 30 years to recover (Science, 2003)."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed","unverified-deaths"],"harmStopped":"Clean-up ran from 1989 to 1992 and beach clean-up stopped in 1994. NOAA reports that buried oil remains and says it should be left in place. In 2014 Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots, marbled murrelets and the AT1 killer whale group were listed as not recovering.","whoPaid":"Exxon and its insurers; more than 32,000 claimants who waited 19 years for punitive damages; Cordova fishers who lost herring catches through 2005; Alaska's wildlife and fisheries; US taxpayers for the deductible share of the civil settlement.","statusLine":"As of the Trustee Council's accounts to 31 January 2020: insurance claims were settled in 1996-97 and the reinsurance dispute in 2005; punitive damages were fixed at $507.5m in 2008; the governments dropped the $92m reopener demand in October 2015; the Council's latest species list found is from 2014.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Exxon","says":"Said in April 1993 that studies it funded showed no credible evidence of long-term damage, with oil on 0.2% of 3,000 miles of shoreline in spring 1992 and the herring population unaffected; says it spent about $2.1bn on clean-up. A NOAA official called the 1993 statement a smokescreen.","when":"April 1993; 2008","src":28},{"actor":"Exxon","says":"Said in 2009 that there was no long-term harm, that the area was healthy, strong and vibrant, that it had paid $3.8 billion and that 13,000 people took part in the clean-up.","when":"2009","src":null},{"actor":"Exxon's excess insurers (Lloyd's syndicate 79/650 and others)","says":"Denied cover after about 19 months with 33 grounds, including the pollution exclusion and the argument that the loss resulted from wilful or reckless conduct by Exxon; later settled for $300m and $480m.","when":"1990-1997","src":10},{"actor":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","says":"Lists Pacific herring, marbled murrelets, pigeon guillemots and AT1 killer whales as not recovering.","when":"2014 list","src":6},{"actor":"State and federal governments","says":"Said on 14 October 2015 they would not pursue the $92m reopener demand.","when":"October 2015","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"exxon","role":"Tanker owner's parent; pleaded guilty; paid $900m civil damages and $507.5m punitive damages"},{"id":"exxon-shipping","role":"Tanker operator; pleaded guilty; declared insolvent Aug 1989"},{"id":"itia","role":"P&I club; paid $400m pollution cover"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Lead of 150+ excess insurers; refused cover, paid $780m after suit"},{"id":"brandywine-re","role":"Reinsurer (CIGNA Re run-off); held not liable for parts of the insurers' payments"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecutor and civil claimant"},{"id":"alaska-gov","role":"Civil claimant; received criminal restitution"},{"id":"evostc","role":"Trustee Council managing the $900m settlement"},{"id":"us-supreme-court","role":"Cut punitive damages to $507.5m (2008)"},{"id":"aig","role":"Participant in the excess programme"},{"id":"allianz","role":"Participant in the excess programme"},{"id":"noaa","role":"Federal agency reporting on residual oil"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Federal regulator in the 1991 settlement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Exxon's excess insurance respond to the spill?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Exxon","says":"Sought about $3bn from the insurers, including $2.15bn for bad faith, trebling and interest.","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"Excess insurers (Lloyd's syndicate 79/650 and others)","says":"Sent a denial letter about 19 months after the spill listing 33 reasons, including the pollution exclusion on the basis that pollution was covered by the P&I club, and the argument that the loss resulted from wilful or reckless conduct by Exxon.","src":10},{"voice":"court","holder":"Texas jury, Harris County","says":"Found for Exxon in 1996; with settlements, Exxon collected $780m.","src":10}]},{"point":"Were the insurers' settlements recoverable from their own reinsurers?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"English Court of Appeal","says":"Held on 16 March 1998 that the reinsurers were not liable for the $300m settlement.","src":9},{"voice":"court","holder":"Colman J, English High Court (2004)","says":"\"oil pollution clean-up expenses are not insured by Section I.\"","src":9}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Had Prince William Sound recovered?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Exxon","says":"Said in April 1993 that studies it funded showed no credible evidence of long-term damage, that oil remained on 0.2% of 3,000 miles of shoreline, and that the herring population was unaffected.","src":28},{"voice":"government","holder":"A NOAA official (unnamed)","says":"Described Exxon's 1993 statement as a smokescreen.","src":28},{"voice":"government","holder":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","says":"Lists marbled murrelets, Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots and AT1 killer whales as not recovering.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA","says":"About 0.6% of the spilled oil remained in the Sound on a model using 2015 data; it is not entering living things, and digging would do more harm.","src":29},{"voice":"company","holder":"Exxon","says":"Said in 2009 that the area was healthy, strong and vibrant.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Science News (reporting researchers)","says":"Buried oil declined by 0 to 4 per cent a year and in some places was as toxic as in the first weeks.","src":30}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the remaining oil justify the $92m reopener demand?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State and federal governments","says":"Said on 14 October 2015 they would not proceed with the $92m demand; residual oil no longer met the clause's loss threshold for sea otters and harlequin ducks.","src":27},{"voice":"government","holder":"Alaska deputy attorney general","says":"Acknowledged that some resources will not recover.","src":26},{"voice":"research","holder":"A scientist quoted by the Alaska Dispatch News","says":"Called the decision a betrayal of public trust.","src":26}]},{"point":"What was a fair size for the punitive award?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Federal jury, 1994","says":"Awarded $5 billion against Exxon.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"US Supreme Court, 2008","says":"Limited punitive damages in this maritime case to $507.5 million, a 1:1 ratio to compensatory damages.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Mayor of Cordova","says":"Described the 2008 ruling as a light slap on the wrist for Exxon.","src":31},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A Cordova fisherman","says":"Calculated that Cordova lost $126 million in herring catches cancelled through 2005, and his own loss at about $500,000 in earnings and $18,000 in gear.","src":31}]}],"legal":[{"title":"United States v. Exxon Corporation and Exxon Shipping (criminal)","forum":"US District Court, D. Alaska (Judge H. Russel Holland)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Exxon Corporation; Exxon Shipping Company","filed":1990,"decided":1991,"status":"plea","amount":{"value":150,"currency":"USD","label":"fine"},"summary":"After a $100m plea deal was rejected in April 1991, a revised plea to misdemeanor counts was accepted on 8 October 1991; the felonies were dropped, $125m of the $150m fine was remitted, and $100m restitution was ordered. Exxon Shipping pleaded guilty to Clean Water Act, Refuse Act and Migratory Bird Treaty Act misdemeanors and Exxon Corporation to a Migratory Bird Treaty Act misdemeanor.","src":0},{"title":"United States and Alaska v. Exxon (civil consent decree)","forum":"US District Court, D. Alaska","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States; State of Alaska","defendant":"Exxon Corporation","filed":null,"decided":1991,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":900,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Exxon agreed to pay $900m in civil damages over ten years, with the last payment in September 2001. Of the $900m, $135m covered past costs and about $750m restoration, and $216.4m reimbursed governments' costs. A reopener allowed up to $100m for unforeseen damage.","src":3},{"title":"Reopener claim for unforeseen damage","forum":"US District Court, D. Alaska","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States; State of Alaska","defendant":"Exxon Corporation","filed":2006,"decided":2015,"status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":92,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"The governments served a $92m demand for lingering-oil clean-up in 2006 under the $100m reopener, and said on 14 October 2015 they would not proceed; nothing was paid.","src":4},{"title":"In re Exxon Valdez (punitive damages, jury verdict)","forum":"US District Court, D. Alaska","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"More than 32,000 fishers, Alaska Natives, landowners and others","defendant":"Exxon Corporation; Captain Joseph Hazelwood","filed":null,"decided":1994,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":5000,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"The jury found Exxon and Hazelwood reckless and awarded $5bn in punitive damages against Exxon and $5,000 against Hazelwood; judgment was entered on 24 September 1996.","src":1},{"title":"In re Exxon Valdez (Ninth Circuit, 2001)","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Exxon Corporation","defendant":"Plaintiff class","filed":null,"decided":2001,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"The Ninth Circuit vacated the $5bn punitive award.","src":1},{"title":"In re Exxon Valdez (district court, 2002)","forum":"US District Court, D. Alaska","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiff class","defendant":"Exxon Corporation","filed":null,"decided":2002,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":4000,"currency":"USD","label":"reduced-to"},"summary":"On remand the punitive award was reset at $4bn.","src":1},{"title":"In re Exxon Valdez (district court, 2004)","forum":"US District Court, D. Alaska","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiff class","defendant":"Exxon Corporation","filed":null,"decided":2004,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":4500,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"After a further remand the district court set the punitive award at $4.5bn.","src":1},{"title":"In re Exxon Valdez (Ninth Circuit, 2006)","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Exxon Corporation","defendant":"Plaintiff class","filed":null,"decided":2006,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":2500,"currency":"USD","label":"reduced-to"},"summary":"On 22 December 2006 the Ninth Circuit cut the punitive award to $2.5bn.","src":19},{"title":"Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, 554 U.S. 471","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Exxon Shipping Co. and Exxon Corporation","defendant":"Baker and plaintiff class","filed":null,"decided":2008,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":507.5,"currency":"USD","label":"reduced-to"},"summary":"On 25 June 2008 the Court, 5–3, capped punitive damages at a 1:1 ratio to compensatory damages, about $507.5m; it split 4–4 on corporate liability for a managerial agent's acts.","src":1},{"title":"In re Exxon Valdez (interest on punitive damages)","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Plaintiff class","defendant":"Exxon Corporation","filed":null,"decided":2009,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":470,"currency":"USD","label":"paid"},"summary":"On 15 June 2009 the court ordered 5.9% interest from the September 1996 judgment; Exxon paid $470m on 1 July 2009, and in December 2009 it dropped a further appeal and paid the $70m it had withheld from the punitive award as claimed appeal costs.","src":14},{"title":"State of Alaska v. Hazelwood (trial)","forum":"Anchorage Superior Court (Judge Karl Johnstone)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State of Alaska","defendant":"Joseph Hazelwood, captain","filed":null,"decided":1990,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.05,"currency":"USD","label":"restitution"},"summary":"The jury convicted the captain only of negligent discharge of oil, a misdemeanor, and acquitted him of criminal mischief, operating a vessel while intoxicated and reckless endangerment; sentence: 1,000 hours of community service and $50,000 restitution.","src":12},{"title":"Hazelwood v. State (Court of Appeals, 1992)","forum":"Alaska Court of Appeals","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"State of Alaska","defendant":"Joseph Hazelwood","filed":null,"decided":1992,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"The conviction was reversed because of federal immunity for spill reports.","src":12},{"title":"State v. Hazelwood (Alaska Supreme Court, 1993)","forum":"Alaska Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"State of Alaska","defendant":"Joseph Hazelwood","filed":null,"decided":1993,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Supreme Court reversed the 1992 ruling under the inevitable-discovery doctrine.","src":12},{"title":"Hazelwood v. State (Court of Appeals, 1996)","forum":"Alaska Court of Appeals","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"State of Alaska","defendant":"Joseph Hazelwood","filed":null,"decided":1996,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"The conviction was reversed again, on the ground that a criminal-negligence standard was required.","src":12},{"title":"State v. Hazelwood, 946 P.2d 875 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1997)","forum":"Alaska Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"State of Alaska","defendant":"Joseph Hazelwood","filed":null,"decided":1997,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 3 October 1997 the court held that \"a separate showing of simple civil negligence is both necessary and sufficient\" and remanded; the captain began community service in 1999.","src":12},{"title":"Exxon Corporation v. Lloyd's underwriters (Harris County, Texas)","forum":"Harris County District Court, Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Exxon Corporation","defendant":"Lloyd's syndicate 79/650 and more than 150 excess insurers","filed":1993,"decided":1996,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":238.47,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"A jury found for Exxon on 10 June 1996; the 3 July 1996 judgment awarded $238.47m above a $210m deductible, plus $161.1m interest and more than $10m costs.","src":10},{"title":"Exxon Corporation v. Lloyd's underwriters (settlements)","forum":"Harris County District Court, Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Exxon Corporation","defendant":"Lloyd's-led excess insurers","filed":1993,"decided":1997,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":780,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"The property section settled for $300m on 15 March 1996 and the liability sections, including the judgment, for $480m on 23 January 1997. Exxon sought about $3bn including $2.15bn for bad faith, trebling and interest. Settling all insurer claims took almost eight years.","src":10},{"title":"Lloyd's underwriters v. reinsurers (Section I settlement)","forum":"Court of Appeal of England and Wales","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Lloyd's underwriters","defendant":"Reinsurers","filed":null,"decided":1998,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":300,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"On 16 March 1998 the court held the reinsurers not liable for the $300m property-section settlement.","src":10},{"title":"King v. Brandywine Reassurance [2004] EWHC 1033 (Comm)","forum":"English High Court (Colman J); Court of Appeal 2005","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"King (for Lloyd's underwriters)","defendant":"Brandywine Reassurance (CIGNA Re run-off) and other reinsurers","filed":null,"decided":2005,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The High Court (2004) and the Court of Appeal (2005) held reinsurers not liable for parts of what the primary insurers had paid, finding that \"oil pollution clean-up expenses are not insured by Section I\". A related Equitas v. Brandywine matter settled in 2005.","src":20}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"International Tanker Indemnity Association (ITIA), Bermuda P&I club","insured":"Exxon Shipping Company","status":"paid","year":1989,"amount":{"value":400,"currency":"USD","label":"paid (full extent of cover)"},"reason":null,"summary":"The club paid the full $400m pollution cover several months after the spill, about half of Exxon Shipping's clean-up spending. Business Insurance reported the payment as made in full.","src":10},{"insurer":"Lloyd's syndicate 79/650 (lead) and more than 150 insurers of Exxon's global corporate excess programme; AIG, CIGNA, Continental, Allianz and Scandinavian companies participated","insured":"Exxon Corporation","status":"refused-then-paid","year":1990,"amount":{"value":780,"currency":"USD","label":"recovered after suit"},"reason":"33 reasons, including the pollution exclusion and \"Exxon's willful, wanton, reckless and/or intentional misconduct\"","summary":"The insurers denied cover about 19 months after the spill; Exxon sued in 1993 and collected $780m in 1996–97, almost eight years after the spill. Limits reported by Business Insurance: $600m property (Section I) and $250m liability. Exxon sought about $3bn from the insurers. Settling all claims took almost eight years.","src":11},{"insurer":"Exxon (self-insured retention)","insured":"Exxon Corporation","status":"self-insured","year":1989,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"The excess programme sat above a self-insured retention of about $200–250m.","src":11},{"insurer":"Reinsurers including Brandywine Reassurance (CIGNA Re run-off)","insured":"Exxon's Lloyd's-led insurers","status":"refused","year":2004,"amount":null,"reason":"\"oil pollution clean-up expenses are not insured by Section I\"","summary":"English courts in 1998, 2004 and 2005 held reinsurers not liable for parts of what the primary insurers had paid Exxon. Equitas v. Brandywine settled in 2005.","src":9},{"insurer":"Hull insurers (not identified)","insured":"Exxon Shipping Company","status":"unknown","year":1989,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"No hull-insurance payout was found; the tanker was repaired for about $30m and returned to service.","src":33}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":257000,"unit":"barrels","year":1989,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 11 million gallons (10.8m most often cited)"},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":35000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1989,"qualifier":"about","note":"Trustee Council figure"},{"key":"oil_spilled_litres","value":41000000,"unit":"litres","year":1989,"qualifier":"about"},{"key":"coast_km","value":2100,"unit":"km","year":1989,"qualifier":"at least","note":"More than 1,300 miles"},{"key":"birds_killed","value":250000,"unit":"birds","year":1989,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"NOAA estimate of seabirds; also about 2,800 sea otters and 300 harbor seals"},{"key":"fine","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":1991,"note":"$125m remitted; $25m paid"},{"key":"settlement","value":900,"unit":"USD m","year":1991,"note":"Civil damages to the US and Alaska, paid 1991–2001"},{"key":"settlement","value":1125,"unit":"USD m","year":1991,"note":"Criminal fine paid ($25m), restitution ($100m), civil damages ($900m) and the $100m reopener; excludes the $125m remitted"},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":303,"unit":"USD m","year":1991,"note":"Exxon's voluntary settlements with fishers, property owners and others"},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":507.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"note":"Punitive damages after the Supreme Court ruling"},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":470,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"Interest on punitive damages"},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":722.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"Habitat $477.6m + research and restoration $245.1m, to 31 Jan 2020"},{"key":"profit","value":3510,"unit":"USD m","year":1989,"note":"Exxon net income after a $1,680m Valdez provision"},{"key":"profit","value":45220,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"note":"ExxonMobil net income, the year of the Supreme Court ruling"},{"key":"revenue","value":96285,"unit":"USD m","year":1989,"note":"Exxon revenue"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":1989,"note":"ITIA P&I club"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":780,"unit":"USD m","year":1997,"note":"Lloyd's-led excess insurers, after suit"},{"key":"cleanup_cost","value":2100,"unit":"USD m","year":1992,"qualifier":"about","note":"Exxon's figure; Business Insurance reported Exxon's own total as $2.5bn clean-up within $3.8bn."},{"key":"claim","value":3000,"unit":"USD m","year":1996,"qualifier":"about","note":"Amount Exxon sought from the excess insurers, including $2.15bn for bad faith, trebling and interest."},{"key":"punitive_damages","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":1994,"note":"Punitive damages awarded by the jury against Exxon."},{"key":"people_affected","value":32000,"unit":"plaintiffs","year":1994,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Size of the plaintiff class."},{"key":"insurance_market_loss_range","value":1400,"unit":"USD m","year":1990,"unverified":true,"qualifier":"range 1,400-3,500","note":"Reported industry estimate of the insurance market's total loss (low end shown)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 24 March 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez, operated by Exxon Shipping Company, ran aground in Alaska and spilled about 257,000 barrels of crude oil, affecting more than 1,300 miles of shoreline. A jury awarded $5bn in punitive damages in 1994; the US Supreme Court cut it to $507.5m in 2008.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Exxon","what":"Recovered about $1.18bn from insurers: $400m from its P&I club and $780m from Lloyd's-led excess insurers after a lawsuit (sum is an estimate).","src":10},{"who":"Exxon","what":"The court remitted $125m of the $150m criminal fine \"in recognition of Exxon's cooperation in cleaning up the spill and paying certain private claims\".","src":3},{"who":"Exxon","what":"Could deduct part of the civil settlement from income tax, according to the Alaska Legislature; a CRS estimate cited by a law firm says more than half of the $900m was deductible.","src":15}],"lost":[{"who":"Exxon","what":"About $2.1bn on clean-up, $900m in civil damages, $100m restitution, $25m in fines, $507.5m in punitive damages and $470m in interest; it booked a $1.68bn Valdez provision in 1989.","src":1},{"who":"Exxon Shipping Company","what":"Declared insolvent in August 1989; Exxon Corporation took over the payments.","src":9},{"who":"More than 32,000 fishers, Alaska Natives, landowners and others","what":"Waited 19 years for punitive damages, cut from $5bn to $507.5m; Exxon also paid $303m in voluntary settlements and Alaska Natives received a $20m class settlement.","src":1},{"who":"Herring fishers","what":"The Pacific herring fishery was closed 19 of the 25 years after the spill.","src":7},{"who":"Exxon's insurers","what":"The ITIA P&I club paid $400m; Lloyd's-led excess insurers refused cover, then paid $780m after Exxon sued, and English courts held reinsurers not liable for parts of it.","src":10},{"who":"United States and Alaska","what":"A $92m reopener claim for lingering oil was dropped in 2015 and never paid.","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Wildlife","what":"About 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles and up to 22 killer whales died (NOAA estimate).","src":2},{"who":"Species not recovering","what":"In 2014 Pacific herring, pigeon guillemots, marbled murrelets and the AT1 killer whale group were listed as not recovering.","src":6},{"who":"Alaska shoreline","what":"More than 1,300 miles (2,100 km) affected.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Prince William Sound, Alaska; more than 1,300 miles of coastline were affected.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Grounding on 24 March 1989; clean-up ran 1989–1992. Plea and $900m civil settlement in October 1991, jury verdict in 1994, Supreme Court ruling on 25 June 2008, interest paid on 1 July 2009; the governments dropped the reopener claim on 14 October 2015.","src":1},"why":{"t":"In 1994 a federal jury found Exxon and its captain, Joseph Hazelwood, reckless. In the state criminal case a jury convicted the captain only of negligent discharge of oil and acquitted him of operating a vessel while intoxicated.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The tanker grounded with about 1.26 million barrels aboard and lost about a fifth of it (estimate). Money moved through a criminal plea, a $900m civil settlement managed by a Trustee Council, voluntary payments, a class action for punitive damages, and Exxon's insurance recoveries.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"The $507.5m in punitive damages equalled about four days of Exxon's 2008 net income of $45.2bn.","src":16}},"sources":[{"t":"Exxon to pay record one billion dollars in criminal fines and civil damages in connection with Alaskan oil spill","p":"US EPA / Department of Justice","d":"1991-03-13","type":"official","u":"https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/exxon-pay-record-one-billion-dollars-criminal-fines-and-civil-damages-connection-alaskan.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260805123445/https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/exxon-pay-record-one-billion-dollars-criminal-fines-and-civil-damages-connection-alaskan.html"},{"t":"Exxon Shipping Co. v. Baker, 554 U.S. 471","p":"US Supreme Court (Cornell LII)","d":"2008-06-25","type":"court","u":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-219.ZO.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260319130706/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-219.ZO.html"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez oil spill case page","p":"NOAA Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://darrp.noaa.gov/node/104","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004190729/https://darrp.noaa.gov/node/104"},{"t":"Settlement","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (archived)","d":"2024","type":"official","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/2024/https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/settlement/"},{"t":"Reopener","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/reopener/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260727101616/https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/reopener/"},{"t":"Questions and answers","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/q-and-a","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260814171146/https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/q-and-a/"},{"t":"Status of restoration","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","d":"2014","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/status-of-restoration/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825032317/https://evostc.state.ak.us/status-of-restoration/"},{"t":"Pacific herring","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/status-of-restoration/pacific-herring/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260908025500/https://evostc.state.ak.us/status-of-restoration/pacific-herring/"},{"t":"2020 annual report","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","d":"2020-07","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/media/7305/2020-annual-report-on-the-evostc-fy19-rev-07142020.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250528110056/https://evostc.state.ak.us/media/7305/2020-annual-report-on-the-evostc-fy19-rev-07142020.pdf"},{"t":"King v Brandywine Reassurance Co [2004] EWHC 1033 (Comm)","p":"English High Court","d":"2004","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/comm/2004/1033","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411044327/https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/comm/2004/1033"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez teaches insurers a hard lesson","p":"Business Insurance","d":"1997-09-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/exxon-valdez-teaches-insurers-a-hard-lesson/"},{"t":"Exxon seeks more spill cover","p":"Business Insurance","d":"1996-01-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/exxon-seeks-more-spill-cover/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206143205/https://www.businessinsurance.com/exxon-seeks-more-spill-cover/"},{"t":"State v. Hazelwood, 946 P.2d 875","p":"Alaska Supreme Court (FindLaw)","d":"1997-10-03","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ak-supreme-court/1437728.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020145/https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ak-supreme-court/1437728.html"},{"t":"Exxon Corporation Form 10-K 1993","p":"Exxon (SEC filing)","d":"1994","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/0000950131-94-000308.txt","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714204825/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/0000950131-94-000308.txt"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation update","p":"Faegre Drinker","d":"2011-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2011/5/exxon-valdez-oil-spill-litigation-update","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515233152/https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2011/5/exxon-valdez-oil-spill-litigation-update"},{"t":"House Joint Resolution 34","p":"Alaska Legislature","d":"1991","type":"official","u":"https://www.akleg.gov/pdf/billfiles/All%20Versions%20of%20Bills/(1991-1992)%2017/HJR034C.pdf"},{"t":"ExxonMobil fourth quarter 2008 results","p":"ExxonMobil (SEC filing)","d":"2009","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000034088/000003408809000016/r8k4q991.htm"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez settlement: status (GAO/RCED-98-236)","p":"US General Accounting Office","d":"1998","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-236/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-236.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260720130143/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-236/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-98-236.htm"},{"t":"US court slashes Exxon Valdez damages","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2008-06-26","type":"press","u":"https://mg.co.za/article/2008-06-26-us-court-slashes-exxon-valdez-damages","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20080701212200/http://www.mg.co.za:80/article/2008-06-26-us-court-slashes-exxon-valdez-damages"},{"t":"Supreme Court slashes $2.5B Exxon Valdez award","p":"Fortune","d":"2008-06-25","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2008/06/25/supreme-court-slashes-2-5b-exxon-valdez-award","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220820025125/https://fortune.com/2008/06/25/supreme-court-slashes-2-5b-exxon-valdez-award/"},{"t":"Court limits reinsurance recoveries on Valdez","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2005-03-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/court-limits-reinsurance-recoveries-on-valdez/"},{"t":"BP, oil, and deducting punitive damages","p":"Wood LLP","d":"2010","type":"press","u":"https://www.woodllp.com/Publications/Articles/pdf/BP_Oil_and_Deducting_Punitive_Damages.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250621100325/https://www.woodllp.com/Publications/Articles/pdf/BP_Oil_and_Deducting_Punitive_Damages.pdf"},{"t":"Details about the accident","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council (Alaska Oil Spill Commission reprint)","d":"1990-02","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/details-about-the-accident/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002005033/https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/details-about-the-accident/"},{"t":"Historic throughput","p":"Alyeska Pipeline Service Company","d":"—","type":"company","u":"https://alyeska-pipe.com/historic-throughput/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004071304/https://alyeska-pipe.com/historic-throughput/"},{"t":"Report on Exxon settlement, tax write-offs and insurance","p":"Christian Science Monitor","d":"1991-05-01","type":"press","u":"https://csmonitor.com/1991/0501/01081.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250512034624/https://www.csmonitor.com/1991/0501/01081.html"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council: economic impacts","p":"Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/economic-impacts/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260727101612/https://evostc.state.ak.us/oil-spill-facts/economic-impacts/"},{"t":"State, federal governments end Exxon Valdez oil spill legal fight","p":"Alaska Dispatch News","d":"2015-10-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.adn.com/environment/article/state-federal-government-end-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-legal-fight/2015/10/15/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20160529162224/http://www.adn.com/environment/article/state-federal-government-end-exxon-valdez-oil-spill-legal-fight/2015/10/15/"},{"t":"State, feds won't pursue $92M more in '89 Exxon Valdez spill","p":"Juneau Empire (AP)","d":"2015-10-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.juneauempire.com/2015/10/15/state-feds-wont-pursue-92m-more-in-89-exxon-valdez-spill/"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez controversy revived","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"1993-04-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17223191/exxon-valdez-controversy-revived","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251114155001/https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17223191/exxon-valdez-controversy-revived"},{"t":"Lingering oil from the Exxon Valdez spill","p":"NOAA Fisheries","d":"2018-02-26","type":"official","u":"https://fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/lingering-oil-exxon-valdez-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260315134022/https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/lingering-oil-exxon-valdez-spill"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez oil lingers; so does its toxicity","p":"Science News","d":"2009-03-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-the-public/exxon-valdez-oil-lingers-does-its-toxicity","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813124203/https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-the-public/exxon-valdez-oil-lingers-does-its-toxicity"},{"t":"Report on Cordova fishermen's reaction to the Supreme Court ruling","p":"Christian Science Monitor (Y. Rosen)","d":"2008-06-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0627/p03s06-usju.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20081015160531/http://csmonitor.com/2008/0627/p03s06-usju.html"},{"t":"Court ruling means Exxon may save millions","p":"Seattle Times","d":"2000-10-13","type":"press","u":"https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20001013/4047560/court-ruling-means-exxon-may-save-millions"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez tanker repair and return to service (AP, The Battalion)","p":"The Battalion (Texas A&M), AP","d":"1990-09-10","u":"https://newspaper.library.tamu.edu/lccn/sn86088544/1990-09-10/ed-1/seq-14.pdf","type":"press"},{"t":"Exxon Valdez Capt. Joseph Hazelwood dies at 75","p":"Associated Press (via WFSB)","d":"2022-09-12","u":"https://www.wfsb.com/2022/09/12/exxon-valdez-capt-joseph-hazelwood-dies-75/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Had Prince William Sound recovered?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the remaining oil justify the $92m reopener demand?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Exxon's excess insurance respond to the spill?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the insurers' settlements recoverable from their own reinsurers?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was a fair size for the punitive award?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Hull insurers (not identified): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance market loss range: Reported industry estimate of the insurance market's total loss (low end shown).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No single audited total of money paid to private claimants exists.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How many claimants died before payment: press reports say more than 3,000; other accounts range from 1,000 to one third of the claimants; no court-documented count was found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any insurance money went into the restoration funds: no source says so.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The tax deductions Exxon actually took: a CRS estimate cited by a law firm says more than half of the $900m was deductible, and in May 1991 an economist hired by the Alaska legislature estimated \"$1.3 billion in tax write-offs and insurance payments\"; no IRS or Exxon filing confirms what was deducted. Fines are not deductible under current law.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Interest Exxon earned on the unpaid punitive award while appealing (1994-2008): no figure found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Hull insurance payout for the tanker: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final remand ruling in the captain's criminal case was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Exxon's share of Alaska pipeline oil: all shippers moved oil worth an estimated $189bn in 1989-2008; Exxon's share was not established.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Exxon's own spill cost: about $3.8bn by January 1996 (press) or more than $3.4bn by 2008 (Exxon).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the 1996 Texas verdict: the judgment entered on 3 July 1996 was $238.47m above a $210m deductible, plus $161.1m interest and more than $10m costs; other accounts give about $250m and a $420m judgment (a law-firm page, no longer available).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Exxon's 1989 charge for the spill: accounts differ ($1.35bn after tax per Business Insurance; $1.38bn per Oil & Gas Journal; a $1,680m provision in the annual report).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The total insurance market loss: an industry estimate of $1.4bn to $3.5bn is reported without a verifiable source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final amount of the 'Seattle Seven' processors' cede-back after the award was cut to $507.5m.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2006 Exxon spokesperson's statement that 350 peer-reviewed studies showed recovery; a herring closure since 1999; 14 of 22 AT1 killer whales dead with no calves since 1989.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an Exxon spokesperson acknowledged in 2009 that whether the Sound had recovered depended on the definition used.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: at least seven suicides associated with the spill and four clean-up deaths.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 17 of 27 monitored species had not recovered by 2009; oil at a few parts per billion has killed salmon eggs; oiled mussel beds were projected to need about 30 years to recover (Science, 2003).","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"prestige","title":"Prestige","dek":"A tanker sank off Galicia in 2002 and spilled about 63,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. Spain's Supreme Court assessed the damage at €1.44 billion; the shipowner's insurer and the international fund paid 15.22% of it.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":42.9,"lon":-9.3,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Galicia","lat":42.9,"lon":-9.3,"role":"origin"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Asturias","role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","role":"affected"},{"country":"Bahamas","iso2":"BS","role":"flag"},{"country":"Liberia","iso2":"LR","role":"company"},{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","role":"company"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"insurer"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"company"}],"start":2002,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2002-11-13","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Share of assessed damage paid by insurer and IOPC Fund","value":"15.22%","note":"€170.7m of €1,439.08m (Spanish Supreme Court, 2018). See Who gained."},"happened":["On 13 November 2002 the Bahamas-flagged tanker Prestige, carrying 76,972 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, got into difficulty off Galicia; it sank on 19 November. About 63,200 tonnes spilled. The owner was Mare Shipping Inc. of Liberia and the manager Universe Maritime of Greece. Its P&I insurer, the London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual (London Club), held pollution cover of US$1 billion.","Oil reached 786 of 1,064 beaches on Spain's north coast, 505 of them in Galicia, and claims were also filed in France and Portugal. A study estimated that about 100,000 auks were killed off Galicia alone. Clean-up took 1,382,000 workdays. About 13,000 tonnes left in the wreck were extracted in 2004.","Under the tanker conventions the London Club paid its limit of €22.8 million in 2003, and the IOPC 1992 Fund, financed by levies on oil receivers, paid €147.9 million. In December 2018 Spain's Supreme Court set the damage at €1,439.08 million: €884.98 million in pollution damage and €554.10 million in pure environmental and moral damage, the latter not recoverable from the Fund. Payments reached 15.22% of assessed losses.","A Spanish trial court acquitted the master of environmental crime in 2013. In January 2016 the Supreme Court convicted him of reckless environmental damage, held that the owner could not limit its liability and made the London Club liable up to US$1 billion. In March 2019 a Spanish court ordered the Club to pay €855.5 million.","The Club relied on its \"pay to be paid\" rule and its London arbitration clause. A London arbitrator found for the Club in 2013, and English courts refused to register the Spanish judgment in 2023 and 2024. The UK Supreme Court refused Spain permission to appeal in May 2025; the Club's own appeal was heard in June 2026 and awaits judgment. No payment against the €554.10 million environmental award has been found."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Incident 13 Nov; tanker sinks 19 Nov"},{"y":2003,"t":"London Club deposits €22.8m limitation fund (Corcubión court); Spain sets up advance payments by Royal Decree-Law (Jun); €3m bail for the master"},{"y":2004,"t":"About 13,000 t extracted from the wreck (May–Sep); first IOPC levy on oil receivers; 13 restoration projects on the Costa da Morte"},{"y":2005,"t":"About €88m paid by the Spanish State to about 19,500 fisheries workers"},{"y":2006,"t":"IOPC payment level raised to 30%; wreck extraction costs ruled inadmissible"},{"y":2010,"t":"European Court of Human Rights: €3m bail not excessive (28 Sep)"},{"y":2012,"t":"US Second Circuit dismisses Spain's claim against classification society ABS (Aug)"},{"y":2013,"t":"London arbitrator finds for the Club (Feb, Jul); Spanish trial court acquits master of environmental crime"},{"y":2015,"t":"English Court of Appeal upholds the arbitration awards as judgments"},{"y":2016,"t":"Spanish Supreme Court convicts the master; owner may not limit liability (14 Jan)"},{"y":2017,"t":"A Coruña court awards the Spanish State €1,573m (15 Nov)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Supreme Court fixes damage at €1,439.08m (19 Dec)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Spanish order against the Club for €855.5m (1 Mar); final payment level 15.22%"},{"y":2022,"t":"Court of Justice of the EU rules in Spain's favour (20 Jun)"},{"y":2023,"t":"English High Court refuses to register the Spanish judgment (6 Oct)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Court of Appeal refuses registration (12 Dec)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Bordeaux court finds French actions against ABS time-barred (Feb); UK Supreme Court refuses Spain permission to appeal (2 May)"},{"y":2026,"t":"UK Supreme Court hears the Club's appeal (22–23 Jun); judgment pending"}],"said":[{"q":"Of the full amount of such liabilities. shall be a condition precedent to his right of recovery","who":"London Club Rule 3.1, on prior payment by the shipowner","when":"In force 2002","src":6},{"q":"not recoverable from the 1992 Fund","who":"IOPC Funds, on the €554.10m \"pure environmental and moral damages\"","when":"October 2019","src":0},{"q":"fully satisfied by the Spanish Supreme Court","who":"IOPC Funds, on the French Government's claim","when":"2022","src":3},{"q":"did, however, create a binding issue estoppel","who":"Court of Appeal of England and Wales, on the London arbitration awards","when":"12 December 2024","src":6},{"q":"no jurisdiction to hear a second appeal","who":"UK Supreme Court, refusing Spain's application","when":"2 May 2025","src":9}],"shown":["Final compensation fixed at more than €1,500 million with VAT and interest (Spanish judiciary, December 2018)","Owner not entitled to limit liability; insurer liable up to US$1 billion (Spanish Supreme Court, 2016)","France's claim \"fully satisfied\" by the Supreme Court judgment (IOPC Funds, 2022)"],"recorded":["Insurer and Fund paid €170.7m: 15.22% of €1,439.08m assessed","€554.10m awarded for pure environmental and moral damage: no payment found","€855.5m Spanish judgment against the insurer refused registration in England","France's \"fully satisfied\" claim received cash only through a pro-rata distribution of €51.7m to all claimants","The Fund's money came from £119m levied on oil receivers in member states, 2004–2014","The Spanish State paid about €88m to about 19,500 fisheries workers and took over their claims","No payment by the shipowner was found"],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Paid against the €554.10m pure environmental and moral damage award","amount":null,"window":"2018–2026","note":"No payment found."},{"label":"Atlantic Islands National Park clean-up","amount":11.9,"window":"2005","note":"Paid \"from another source\"; withdrawn from the Fund claim."},{"label":"Restoration projects on the Costa da Morte (13 projects)","amount":null,"window":"2004","note":"Cost not stated."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":11.9,"note":"The only nature-related payment with a figure. No ecological restoration spending was published."},"other":[{"label":"Spanish enforcement order against the London Club, not paid","amount":855.5,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2019–2026","note":"Registration refused in England; the Club's UK Supreme Court appeal is pending."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"A court put a price on my damage in 2018. Eight years later, no payment against it has been found.","outcomes":[{"k":"Assessed damage paid","v":"15.22%","d":"Insurer and IOPC Fund, of €1,439.08m"},{"k":"Environmental and moral damage paid","v":"No payment found","d":"€554.10m awarded, December 2018"},{"k":"Years in court","v":"23+","d":"UK Supreme Court judgment pending"}]},"unknown":["Who paid the hull claim, and how much: not found.","Value and legal owner of the cargo: not sourced; the charterer Crown Resources is named as cargo owner in the press only.","Total Spanish State spending: no consolidated official figure.","Ecological restoration spending: no figures published; the 2004 Costa da Morte projects have no stated cost.","Long-term effects on seabird populations: only acute mortality was found.","Whether the master's two-year sentence was suspended: reports differ.","The beneficial owner of Mare Shipping: not confirmed from any registry or court file.","Pending: UK Supreme Court judgment on the Club's appeal; Bordeaux appeal in the actions against ABS."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The tanker sank on 19 November 2002; most of the oil left in the wreck was extracted in 2004. The legal dispute over who pays was still open in 2026.","whoPaid":"Spain, France and Portugal, the European Union, fishers and shellfish gatherers, and oil receivers in IOPC member states through Fund levies. About 85% of assessed losses were not paid by the insurer or the Fund.","actors":[{"id":"mare-shipping","role":"Shipowner; held liable in Spain; no payment found"},{"id":"universe-maritime","role":"Ship manager"},{"id":"london-club","role":"P&I insurer; paid €22.8m; contests the €855.5m Spanish judgment"},{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"1992 Fund; paid €147.9m"},{"id":"spain-gov","role":"Claimant; paid advance compensation to fishers"},{"id":"france-gov","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"portugal-gov","role":"Claimant; received €0.33m"},{"id":"xunta-galicia","role":"Regional government; claimant"},{"id":"abs","role":"Classification society; sued by Spain, France and the Fund"},{"id":"crown-resources","role":"Charterer"},{"id":"eu","role":"Provided more than €275m in aid"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Lead hull insurer"},{"id":"repsol","role":"Contractor for oil removal from the wreck"}],"sources":[{"t":"Prestige incident report (IOPC/OCT19/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019-10","type":"official","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/IOPC-OCT19-3-2_e-1.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige incident report (IOPC/NOV25/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-11","type":"official","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/82586/en/IOPC-NOV25-3-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige Major Claims Fund (IOPC/NOV25/9/2/1)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-11","type":"official","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/82689/en/IOPC-NOV25-9-2-1_en.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige incident report (IOPC/OCT22/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2022-10","type":"official","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/74659/en/IOPC-OCT22-3-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige incident report (IOPC/APR16/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2016-04","type":"official","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_APR16_3_2.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120130318/https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_APR16_3_2.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige incident report (92FUND/EXC.36/5)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2006","type":"official","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/92FUND_EXC.36_5.pdf"},{"t":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association v Kingdom of Spain [2024] EWCA Civ 1536","p":"Court of Appeal of England and Wales","d":"2024-12-12","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2024/1536","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124014842/https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2024/1536"},{"t":"Prestige: press summary","p":"Judiciary of England and Wales","d":"2024-12","type":"court","u":"https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Prestige.PressSummary.FINAL_.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251011163349/https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Prestige.PressSummary.FINAL_.pdf"},{"t":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association v Kingdom of Spain [2023] EWHC 2473 (Comm)","p":"English High Court","d":"2023-10-06","type":"court","u":"https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/London-Steam-Ship-Owners-Mutual-Insurance-Association-v-Spain-judgment-060923.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250920225438/https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/London-Steam-Ship-Owners-Mutual-Insurance-Association-v-Spain-judgment-060923.pdf"},{"t":"UKSC/2025/0031","p":"UK Supreme Court","d":"2025-05-02","type":"court","u":"https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2025-0031","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260910170023/https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2025-0031"},{"t":"UKSC/2025/0034","p":"UK Supreme Court","d":"2026","type":"court","u":"https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2025-0034","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712233802/https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2025-0034"},{"t":"Supreme Court fixes final compensation for the Prestige disaster (in Spanish)","p":"Consejo General del Poder Judicial","d":"2018-12-20","type":"court","u":"https://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Poder-Judicial/Tribunal-Supremo/Noticias-Judiciales/El-Tribunal-Supremo-fija-las-indemnizaciones-definitivas-por-la-catastrofe-del--Prestige--en-mas-de-1-500-millones-de-euros-con-IVA-e-intereses","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250411134431/https://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Poder-Judicial/Tribunal-Supremo/Noticias-Judiciales/El-Tribunal-Supremo-fija-las-indemnizaciones-definitivas-por-la-catastrofe-del--Prestige--en-mas-de-1-500-millones-de-euros-con-IVA-e-intereses"},{"t":"A Coruña court sets €1,573m compensation for the State (in Spanish)","p":"LegalToday","d":"2017-11-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.legaltoday.com/actualidad-juridica/noticias-de-derecho/la-audiencia-de-a-coruna-fija-una-indemnizacion-de-1573-millones-para-el-estado-por-los-danos-patrimoniales-medioambientales-y-morales-del-prestige-2017-11-17/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260413210223/https://www.legaltoday.com/actualidad-juridica/noticias-de-derecho/la-audiencia-de-a-coruna-fija-una-indemnizacion-de-1573-millones-para-el-estado-por-los-danos-patrimoniales-medioambientales-y-morales-del-prestige-2017-11-17/"},{"t":"Royal Decree-Law 4/2003 (in Spanish)","p":"Boletín Oficial del Estado","d":"2003-06-21","type":"official","u":"https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2003/06/21/pdfs/A23930-23932.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240530035418/https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2003/06/21/pdfs/A23930-23932.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige: coastal actions (in Spanish)","p":"Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO)","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/costas/temas/proteccion-medio-marino/plan-ribera/contaminacion-marina-accidental/prestige_actuaciones_costa.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221124030633/https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/costas/temas/proteccion-medio-marino/plan-ribera/contaminacion-marina-accidental/prestige_actuaciones_costa.aspx"},{"t":"Prestige: wreck neutralisation (in Galician)","p":"Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO)","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://www.miteco.gob.es/gl/costas/temas/proteccion-medio-marino/plan-ribera/contaminacion-marina-accidental/prestige_neutralizacion.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513200922/https://www.miteco.gob.es/gl/costas/temas/proteccion-medio-marino/plan-ribera/contaminacion-marina-accidental/prestige_neutralizacion.html"},{"t":"EU Solidarity Fund: Spain","p":"European Commission","d":"2017","type":"official","u":"https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/funding/solidarity-fund/eusf_2017_spain_en.pdf"},{"t":"Munilla et al., seabird mortality from the Prestige spill","p":"Ecosphere (University of Santiago de Compostela repository)","d":"2011","type":"academic","u":"https://minerva.usc.gal/entities/publication/e7760162-1de6-4fc7-b1a9-1a6a0cd05dc5"},{"t":"The unpaid bill for the Prestige oil spill (in Spanish)","p":"elDiario.es","d":"2013-11-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/galicia/factura-impagada-marea-negra-prestige_1_5167423.html"},{"t":"Oil tanker loss taints coastline","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2002-11-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/oil-tanker-loss-taints-coastline/"},{"t":"Twenty years since the Prestige incident","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2022-11","type":"official","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/twenty-years-since-the-prestige-incident/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420160205/https://iopcfunds.org/news/twenty-years-since-the-prestige-incident/"},{"t":"Report on the Prestige master's detention and bail","p":"Marinelink","d":"2003","type":"press","u":"https://www.marinelink.com/news/maritime/spanish-jail"},{"t":"Penela-Arenaz et al., effects of the Prestige spill on the biota","p":"Advances in Marine Biology (University of Vigo portal)","d":"2009","type":"academic","u":"https://portalcientifico.uvigo.gal/documentos/5fa083f0299952440aaec696"},{"t":"Recent developments in the Prestige incident: November 2017 judgment","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2017-11","type":"official","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/recent-developments-in-the-prestige-incident-november-2017-judgment/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316055427/https://iopcfunds.org/news/recent-developments-in-the-prestige-incident-november-2017-judgment/"},{"t":"Press country profile - Spain (Mangouras v. Spain, no. 12050/04, Grand Chamber, 28.09.2010)","p":"European Court of Human Rights","d":"2010-09-28","u":"https://www.echr.coe.int/documents/d/echr/cp_spain_eng","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal trial of the Prestige master and others","forum":"Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Spanish prosecutors","defendant":"Apostolos Mangouras, master","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The master was acquitted of environmental crime and sentenced to nine months for disobedience.","src":18},{"title":"Mangouras v. Spain (bail)","forum":"European Court of Human Rights, Grand Chamber","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"Apostolos Mangouras","defendant":"Kingdom of Spain","filed":null,"decided":2010,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":3,"currency":"EUR","label":"bail"},"summary":"On 28 September 2010 the court held that €3m bail for the master was not excessive.","src":24},{"title":"Appeal against the 2013 acquittal (STS 14 January 2016)","forum":"Tribunal Supremo (Spanish Supreme Court)","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Spanish prosecutors and civil parties","defendant":"Apostolos Mangouras; Mare Shipping; London Club","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The court convicted the master of reckless environmental damage with a two-year sentence, held that the owner was not entitled to limit liability and made the London Club liable up to US$1bn.","src":6},{"title":"Damages order for the Spanish State","forum":"Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"Mare Shipping; London Club","filed":null,"decided":2017,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1573,"currency":"EUR","label":"awarded"},"summary":"On 15 November 2017 the court awarded the Spanish State €931m property and financial loss, €279m environmental and €363m moral damage, plus €61m to France.","src":12},{"title":"Final damages judgment (STS 19 December 2018)","forum":"Tribunal Supremo (Spanish Supreme Court)","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain, France, Xunta de Galicia and 269 other claimants","defendant":"Mare Shipping; London Club; IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":2018,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1439.08,"currency":"EUR","label":"awarded"},"summary":"The court fixed damage at €1,439.08m: €884.98m pollution damage and €554.10m pure environmental and moral damage, the latter not recoverable from the Fund.","src":0},{"title":"Enforcement order against the London Club","forum":"Audiencia Provincial de A Coruña","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain and other claimants","defendant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":855.49,"currency":"EUR","label":"awarded"},"summary":"On 1 March 2019 the Club was ordered to pay up to €855,493,575.65, its US$1bn limit less the €22.78m already paid; it has not paid.","src":8},{"title":"London Club v. Spain and France (arbitration)","forum":"London arbitration (arbitrator Schaff)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","defendant":"Kingdom of Spain; French Republic","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Awards of 13 February 2013 (Spain) and 3 July 2013 (France) held that claims must be arbitrated in London and that the Club was not liable without prior payment by the owner.","src":6},{"title":"London Club v. Spain and France (awards entered as judgments)","forum":"English High Court [2013] EWHC 3188; Court of Appeal [2015] EWCA Civ 333","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","defendant":"Kingdom of Spain; French Republic","filed":2013,"decided":2015,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The English courts entered the arbitration awards as judgments in 2013 and upheld them in 2015.","src":6},{"title":"London Club v. Spain, C-700/20 (preliminary reference)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","filed":2020,"decided":2022,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 20 June 2022 the Court of Justice ruled in Spain's favour on the reference from the English courts.","src":6},{"title":"Registration of the Spanish judgment in England","forum":"English High Court [2023] EWHC 2473/2474 (Comm); Court of Appeal [2024] EWCA Civ 1536","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":855.49,"currency":"EUR","label":"claimed"},"summary":"The High Court (6 October 2023) and the Court of Appeal (12 December 2024) refused registration on public-policy grounds because the arbitration awards created a binding issue estoppel.","src":6},{"title":"Kingdom of Spain v. London Club (UKSC/2025/0031)","forum":"UK Supreme Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"On 2 May 2025 the court refused Spain permission to appeal, saying it had \"no jurisdiction to hear a second appeal\".","src":9},{"title":"London Club v. Kingdom of Spain (UKSC/2025/0034)","forum":"UK Supreme Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","defendant":"Kingdom of Spain","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The Club's appeal on state immunity and equitable compensation was given permission in part on 6 May 2025 and heard on 22–23 June 2026; judgment is pending.","src":10},{"title":"Kingdom of Spain v. American Bureau of Shipping","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"American Bureau of Shipping (classification society)","filed":null,"decided":2012,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Spain's claim against the classification society was dismissed in August 2012; the dismissal is final.","src":1},{"title":"French State and IOPC Fund v. American Bureau of Shipping","forum":"Bordeaux court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"French Republic; IOPC 1992 Fund","defendant":"American Bureau of Shipping","filed":2010,"decided":2025,"status":"time-barred","amount":null,"summary":"France filed in April 2010 and the Fund on 30 October 2012; in February 2025 the court found both actions time-barred, and both have appealed.","src":1},{"title":"Spanish State claims to the IOPC 1992 Fund","forum":"IOPC 1992 Fund","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"international","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":300.2,"currency":"EUR","label":"reduced-to"},"summary":"Spain made 15 claims for €984.8m; the Fund assessed €300.2m, paid at the pro-rata payment level.","src":4},{"title":"Wreck oil removal claim","forum":"IOPC 1992 Fund","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"international","claimant":"Kingdom of Spain","defendant":"IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":2006,"status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":109.2,"currency":"EUR","label":"claimed"},"summary":"The Fund accepted only about €9.5m of 2003 sealing and survey costs and ruled 2004 extraction costs inadmissible in February 2006.","src":5},{"title":"French Government claim to the IOPC 1992 Fund","forum":"IOPC 1992 Fund","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"French Republic","defendant":"IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":42.2,"currency":"EUR","label":"reduced-to"},"summary":"France claimed €67.5m and the Fund assessed €42.2m, with VAT in dispute.","src":3},{"title":"Portuguese Government claim to the IOPC 1992 Fund","forum":"IOPC 1992 Fund","country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","kind":"international","claimant":"Portuguese Republic","defendant":"IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":2006,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":0.33,"currency":"EUR","label":"paid"},"summary":"Portugal claimed €4.3m; the Fund assessed €2.2m and paid €328,488 (15%) in August 2006.","src":5},{"title":"Fishers' associations claim to the IOPC 1992 Fund","forum":"IOPC 1992 Fund","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"international","claimant":"13,600 fishers and shellfish gatherers in 58 associations","defendant":"IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":2005,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":132,"currency":"EUR","label":"claimed"},"summary":"The claim was withdrawn in September 2005 after the claimants settled with the Spanish State, which took over their rights.","src":5}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association (London Club)","insured":"Mare Shipping Inc.","status":"partial","year":2003,"amount":{"value":22.8,"currency":"EUR","label":"paid (CLC limit)"},"reason":"Limitation under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention","summary":"The Club paid the CLC limit of €22,777,986 into the Corcubión court; payment was acknowledged on 16 June 2003.","src":0},{"insurer":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association (London Club)","insured":"Mare Shipping Inc.","status":"litigation","year":2019,"amount":{"value":855.5,"currency":"EUR","label":"Spanish judgment, not paid"},"reason":"\"Pay to be paid\" Rule 3.1 and London arbitration clause Rule 43.2","summary":"The Club has not paid the €855.5m Spanish judgment; English courts refused registration, and its own UK Supreme Court appeal is pending.","src":6},{"insurer":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association (London Club)","insured":"Apostolos Mangouras, master","status":"paid","year":2003,"amount":{"value":3,"currency":"EUR","label":"bail"},"reason":null,"summary":"The Club put up €3m bail for the master.","src":21},{"insurer":"IOPC 1992 Fund (funded by oil receivers)","insured":"Claimants (compensation fund, not an insurer of the owner)","status":"partial","year":2025,"amount":{"value":147.9,"currency":"EUR","label":"paid"},"reason":"Fund limit: €171.5m for the CLC and Fund combined; claims pro-rated","summary":"The Fund paid €147,937,442 by 31 December 2024; with the CLC amount, payments reached 15.22% of assessed losses. The money came from £119m levied on oil receivers.","src":2},{"insurer":"Hull insurers (led at Lloyd's)","insured":"Mare Shipping Inc.","status":"unknown","year":2002,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"The hull was valued at US$7m; no hull payout was found.","src":19}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":63200,"unit":"tonnes","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Of 76,972 t on board (IOPC)"},{"key":"birds_killed","value":100000,"unit":"birds","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Auks off Galicia alone (95% CI 54,113–162,313); SEO/BirdLife about 250,000, WWF 300,000"},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":170.7,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"London Club €22.8m + IOPC Fund €147.9m; 15.22% of €1,439.08m assessed"},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":88,"unit":"EUR m","year":2005,"qualifier":"about","note":"Spanish State advance payments to about 19,500 fisheries workers"},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":11.9,"unit":"EUR m","year":2005,"note":"Atlantic Islands National Park clean-up, from another source"},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":22.8,"unit":"EUR m","year":2003,"note":"London Club, CLC limit"},{"key":"people_affected","value":19500,"unit":"people","year":2005,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fisheries workers paid by the Spanish State"},{"key":"subsidy","value":275,"unit":"EUR m","year":2006,"qualifier":"at least","note":"EU aid, as totalled by the London Club; the Supreme Court refused to deduct it"}],"disputes":[],"related":["prestige-oil-spill-compensation-cap"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Bahamas-flagged tanker Prestige got into difficulty off Galicia on 13 November 2002 and sank on 19 November, spilling about 63,200 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. Spain's Supreme Court assessed the damage at €1,439.08m; the shipowner's insurer and the international fund paid 15.22% of it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"London Club (the shipowner's P&I insurer)","what":"Paid €22.8m against US$1bn of pollution cover; a €855.5m Spanish judgment against it remains unpaid after English courts refused to register it (2023–2024), relying on London arbitration awards and its \"pay to be paid\" rule.","src":6},{"who":"Repsol YPF","what":"Contractor for removing about 13,000 tonnes of oil from the wreck in 2004; Spain claimed €109.2m for the operation.","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Spanish State","what":"Made 15 claims for €984.8m, assessed by the Fund at €300.2m; it paid about €88m in advance to about 19,500 fisheries workers and took over their claims.","src":4},{"who":"Fishers and shellfish gatherers","what":"13,600 workers in 58 associations withdrew a €132m Fund claim after settling with the Spanish State.","src":5},{"who":"French State","what":"Claimed €67.5m, assessed at €42.2m; it received cash only through a pro-rata distribution of €51.7m to all claimants.","src":3},{"who":"Portugal","what":"Claimed €4.3m, assessed at €2.2m, and was paid €328,488.","src":5},{"who":"Xunta de Galicia","what":"Costs of €145m found by the 2013 trial court.","src":18},{"who":"Oil receivers in IOPC member states","what":"£119m levied to fund the IOPC 1992 Fund's payments of €147.9m.","src":2},{"who":"European Union","what":"More than €275m in aid, as totalled by the London Club; the Supreme Court refused to deduct it.","src":11}],"harmed":[{"who":"Seabirds","what":"About 100,000 auks killed off Galicia alone (95% CI 54,113–162,313); 22,981 oiled birds were reported.","src":17},{"who":"Spain's north coast","what":"Oil reached 786 of 1,064 beaches, 505 of them in Galicia.","src":14},{"who":"Intertidal communities and fishing resources","what":"Strong impact in the first year, with recovery reported by 2004.","src":22}]},"where":{"t":"Off Galicia, north-west Spain; oil reached Spain's north coast, including the Costa da Morte and the Atlantic Islands National Park, and claims were also filed in France and Portugal.","src":14},"when":{"t":"Distress on 13 November 2002 and sinking on 19 November; wreck oil removed in 2004. A trial court acquitted the master in 2013, the Supreme Court convicted him in January 2016 and fixed damages in December 2018; the London Club's UK Supreme Court appeal was heard in June 2026 and awaits judgment.","src":1},"why":{"t":"In January 2016 Spain's Supreme Court convicted the master of reckless environmental damage and held that the owner was not entitled to limit its liability; a trial court had acquitted him of environmental crime in 2013.","src":6},"how":{"t":"Under the tanker conventions the insurer paid its limit and the IOPC Fund, financed by oil receivers, paid claims pro rata up to €171.5m combined; the €554.10m for pure environmental and moral damage was not recoverable from the Fund. The Spanish judgment for the rest was enforced against the insurer, which contests it in England.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The insurer and the Fund paid €170.7m, 15.22% of the €1,439.08m assessed.","src":2}},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Paid against the €554.10m pure environmental and moral damage award — No payment found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Restoration projects on the Costa da Morte (13 projects) — Cost not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Hull insurers (led at Lloyd's): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who paid the hull claim, and how much: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Value and legal owner of the cargo: not sourced; the charterer Crown Resources is named as cargo owner in the press only.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Total Spanish State spending: no consolidated official figure.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Ecological restoration spending: no figures published; the 2004 Costa da Morte projects have no stated cost.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Long-term effects on seabird populations: only acute mortality was found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the master's two-year sentence was suspended: reports differ.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The beneficial owner of Mare Shipping: not confirmed from any registry or court file.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Pending: UK Supreme Court judgment on the Club's appeal; Bordeaux appeal in the actions against ABS.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"baia-mare-cyanide","title":"Baia Mare cyanide spill","dek":"A tailings dam at a gold-recovery plant in Romania broke in January 2000. Cyanide reached the Danube through Hungary and Serbia; Hungary's damages claim ended without a defendant.","country":"Romania","region":"Europe","lat":47.66,"lon":23.58,"places":[{"country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","admin":"Maramureș","lat":47.66,"lon":23.58,"role":"origin"},{"country":"Hungary","iso2":"HU","role":"affected"},{"country":"Serbia","iso2":"RS","role":"affected","note":"Then Yugoslavia; Belgrade water intake closed"}],"start":2000,"end":2009,"eventDate":"2000-01-30","instrument":"cyanide-spill","types":["cyanide-spill","mining-tailings"],"headline":{"label":"Claimed by Hungary vs received","value":"$100m / $0","note":"Claim of HUF 28.6bn (about $100m) filed 2001; closed for lack of a defendant."},"happened":["On 30 January 2000 at 22:00 a dam was breached at the tailings pond of Aurul SA at Bozânta Mare, near Baia Mare in north-western Romania. About 100,000 m³ of liquid and suspended waste was released, containing about 50–100 tonnes of cyanide and heavy metals including copper.","Aurul was owned 50% by Esmeralda Exploration of Perth, Australia, and about 45% by the Romanian state company Remin. Its plant was built for $28m to reprocess old tailings, recovering about 1.6 tonnes of gold and 9 tonnes of silver a year. UNEP/OCHA found the company was operating within its permits, but recorded design defects and no plan for overflow.","The plume travelled down the Săsar, Lăpuș, Someș/Szamos and Tisza into the Danube, reaching Belgrade on 14 February and the Black Sea about four weeks after the breach. Some 2,000 km of the Danube catchment was affected. At Csenger, the first Hungarian reading was 32.6 mg/l of cyanide, more than 320 times the limit.","Hungary estimated 1,240 tonnes of fish killed. Water supply was interrupted in 24 Romanian municipalities, the Szolnok intake in Hungary was closed, and the Belgrade intake was closed. About 2 million people had their drinking water temporarily contaminated. On 10 March 2000 a second tailings dam, at Remin's lead–zinc operation in Baia Borșa, also broke.","The plant restarted on 13 June 2000. Hungary sued in 2001; a Budapest court found the company, by then renamed Transgold SA, liable in 2006. Transgold went bankrupt that year and was struck off in 2008, and the case closed without payment. In 2009 the European Court of Human Rights found that Romania had failed to assess the risks and to inform the public."],"timeline":[{"y":1996,"t":"Aurul SA founded (4 Apr): Esmeralda Exploration 50%, Remin 44.8%, Geomin 5%"},{"y":1999,"t":"Plant begins operating (May)"},{"y":2000,"t":"Dam breach (30 Jan); plume at Hungarian border (1 Feb), Belgrade (14 Feb); Baia Borșa dam breaks (10 Mar); plant restarts (13 Jun)"},{"y":2001,"t":"Hungary files damages claim in Budapest (26 Apr); Aurul renamed Transgold SA (7 Nov)"},{"y":2002,"t":"Romanian criminal case closed on grounds of force majeure (12 Dec)"},{"y":2003,"t":"Supreme Court prosecutor orders the case resumed (29 Jan); EU Directive 2003/105/EC names Baia Mare (16 Dec)"},{"y":2006,"t":"Transgold bankrupt (Feb); Budapest interim judgment on liability (8 May); liquidator accepts $7.3m offer for the plant (21 Dec)"},{"y":2008,"t":"Transgold struck off the register (27 May); Hungarian case closed for lack of a defendant"},{"y":2009,"t":"European Court of Human Rights, Tătar v. Romania: violation of Article 8 (27 Jan)"},{"y":2016,"t":"Eurogold, formerly Esmeralda, renamed BARD1 Life Sciences"},{"y":2023,"t":"Former Hungarian president says Hungary received nothing"}],"said":[{"q":"The entire ecosystem and all life in the Tisza have been destroyed for the next 10 or 15 years.","who":"Branislav Blažić, Serbian environment minister, as quoted by the Christian Science Monitor","when":"15 February 2000","src":2},{"q":"The cyanide spill that polluted the Danube following the accident at Baia Mare in Romania in January 2000 has demonstrated that certain storage and processing activities in mining, especially tailings disposal facilities, including tailing ponds or dams, have potential to produce very serious consequences.","who":"EU Directive 2003/105/EC, recital 3","when":"16 December 2003","src":10},{"q":"did not receive a single penny","who":"János Áder, former President of Hungary, on Hungary's compensation (MTI; translated)","when":"23 January 2023","src":15}],"shown":["\"The greatest environmental catastrophe since Chernobyl\" (press, 2000; no speaker named)","\"Epic poisoning of Europe's rivers\" (Christian Science Monitor headline)","A Budapest court found the company liable (2006)","EU mining-safety rules cite the spill as their trigger (2003)"],"recorded":["UNEP/OCHA: the company was operating within its permits; design defects and no overflow plan","Plant back in operation 4.5 months after the spill; ran to about 2005","Company bankrupt in 2006, struck off in 2008; Hungary received 0 HUF","Australian partner received about A$2.2m from the liquidation proceeds","About 95% of aquatic life back in the Szamos and Tisza within 3–4 years"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation received by Hungary","amount":0,"window":"2001–2008","note":"Index.hu: \"Hungary received 0 HUF\"."},{"label":"Restoration paid by the company","amount":null,"note":"No figure found."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0,"note":"No payment to Hungary is documented. Economedia reported that the Romanian state paid; no other source confirms it."},"other":[{"label":"Gold and silver value at design capacity, per year","amount":15.8,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","window":"per year","note":"1.6 t gold × $279/oz + 9 t silver × $4.95/oz (2000 averages). Actual output not found."},{"label":"Whole planned project at 2000 prices","amount":145,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","window":"10–12 years","note":"480,000 oz gold and 2.2 Moz silver resource."},{"label":"Plant sold by the liquidator","amount":7.3,"window":"2006"},{"label":"Paid by Oxus to Eurogold for a cancelled deal","amount":7.95,"window":"2006"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The cyanide crossed three countries in two weeks. The claim for it closed because the company no longer existed.","outcomes":[{"k":"Compensation paid to Hungary","v":"0","d":"Claim of about $100m; defendant struck off in 2008"},{"k":"Fish killed in Hungary","v":"1,240 t","d":"Hungarian estimate; one source gives about 200 t"},{"k":"Aquatic life recovered","v":"95% in 3–4 years","d":"Szamos and Tisza (Index.hu)"}]},"unknown":["Actual gold and silver output, 1999–2005: not found; revenue figures are design-capacity estimates.","Whether Romania paid Hungary anything: Economedia says the Romanian state paid; Index.hu and Hungary's former president say nothing was received. Unconfirmed: Economedia's report of a USD 150 fine for late reporting; no other source confirms it.","Outcome of the Romanian criminal case after it was resumed in 2003: unknown.","Court-ordered production limit: sources give a limit to 15% of capacity or a cut of 85%.","Fish kill: 1,240 t (Hungarian estimate) versus about 200 t (BBC).","Cyanide mass: 50–100 t (UNEP/OCHA) versus 100 t or 120 t in other sources.","The BBC reported the often-cited 2.5 million affected Hungarians and the company chairman's \"grossly exaggerated\" remark; no other source confirms them.","Who first called it the worst disaster since Chernobyl: no named speaker found.","Unconfirmed: a 2006 report that Hungary's USD 140m claim against the Romanian state was unresolved, and a single mention of a $179m claim against Esmeralda.","No insurance policy, insurer or payout appears in any source opened.","Baia Borșa volume: more than 100,000 t (ICPDR) versus about 20,000–22,000 t elsewhere."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The plant stopped for 4.5 months and restarted on 13 June 2000; it ran to about 2005 under court-imposed limits.","whoPaid":"Communities and fisheries along the Someș, Tisza and Danube in Romania, Hungary and Serbia. Hungary received nothing on its claim; the human-rights court found the Romanian state at fault and awarded no damages.","actors":[{"id":"aurul","role":"Plant operator; later Transgold SA, bankrupt 2006"},{"id":"esmeralda","role":"50% owner; later Eurogold, then BARD1 Life Sciences"},{"id":"remin","role":"Romanian state co-owner (about 45%); operator of the Baia Borșa dam"},{"id":"hungary-gov","role":"Claimant for about $100m"},{"id":"romania-gov","role":"State found in breach by the ECHR"},{"id":"echr","role":"Ruled in Tătar v. Romania (2009)"},{"id":"unep-ocha","role":"Post-spill assessment"},{"id":"oxus-gold","role":"Bought the plant from the liquidator (2006, as KazakhGold/Oxus)"}],"sources":[{"t":"The Cyanide Spill at Baia Mare, Romania (UNEP/OCHA findings, public summary)","p":"Regional Environmental Center (REC)","d":"2000-06","type":"official","u":"https://archive.eecentre.org/eecentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Baia-Mare-cyanide.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133719/https://archive.eecentre.org/eecentre.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Baia-Mare-cyanide.pdf"},{"t":"Twenty years since the Tisza cyanide pollution","p":"Index.hu","d":"2020-02-01","type":"press","u":"https://index.hu/belfold/2020/02/01/husz_eve_tiszai_cianszennyezes_csernobil_termeszeti_katasztrofa_aurul_nagybanya_lapos_folyo_emleknap/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250519220237/https://index.hu/belfold/2020/02/01/husz_eve_tiszai_cianszennyezes_csernobil_termeszeti_katasztrofa_aurul_nagybanya_lapos_folyo_emleknap/"},{"t":"Epic poisoning of Europe's rivers","p":"Christian Science Monitor","d":"2000-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://csmonitor.com/2000/0216/p1s1.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250121035441/https://www.csmonitor.com/2000/0216/p1s1.html"},{"t":"Danube Watch 1/2005 (Baia Borșa rehabilitation)","p":"ICPDR","d":"2005","type":"official","u":"https://archive.iwlearn.net/icpdr.org/icpdr/static/dw2005_1/dw0105p06.htm"},{"t":"Nearly thirty-billion cyanide damages claim","p":"economx.hu","d":"2001-04-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.economx.hu/belfold/2001/04/27/kozel_harmincmilliardos_cian-karteritesi_igeny-72811/"},{"t":"Transgold liable for the Tisza cyanide disaster","p":"Origo","d":"2006-05-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.origo.hu/itthon/20060508felelos.html"},{"t":"Aurul / Romaltyn history","p":"Economedia.ro","d":"2025-04-16","type":"press","u":"https://economedia.ro/?p=253262"},{"t":"Case of Tătar v. Romania (no. 67021/01)","p":"European Court of Human Rights","d":"2009-01-27","type":"court","u":"https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/app/conversion/pdf/?library=ECHR&id=001-90909&filename=CASE%20OF%20TATAR%20v.%20ROMANIA.pdf"},{"t":"Eurogold change of name to BARD1 Life Sciences (notice 0697.16.06)","p":"ASX","d":"2016-06","type":"company","u":"https://asxonline.com/content/asxonline/public/notices/2016/jun/0697.16.06.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133751/https://asxonline.com/content/asxonline/public/notices/2016/jun/0697.16.06.html"},{"t":"Technical Note 03/00 on the Baia Mare spill","p":"Greenpeace Research Laboratories","d":"2000-03-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.to/greenpeace/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/romanian.pdf"},{"t":"Directive 2003/105/EC amending Directive 96/82/EC (Seveso II)","p":"European Union","d":"2003-12-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2003/105/pdfs/eudr_20030105_adopted_en.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220119015827/https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2003/105/pdfs/eudr_20030105_adopted_en.pdf"},{"t":"East: Cyanide Spill Points To Mining Safety Failures","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2000-02-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1093359.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617102345/https://www.rferl.org/a/1093359.html"},{"t":"Hungary claims $100 mln over cyanide river spill (Reuters)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2001-12","type":"press","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/hungary-claims-100-mln-over-cyanide-river-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133815/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/hungary-claims-100-mln-over-cyanide-river-spill/"},{"t":"Eurogold third-quarter activities and cashflow report","p":"Eurogold Ltd","d":"2007","type":"company","u":"https://iiq2.live.irmau.com/site/PDF/f5fdcef9-3987-461f-a0fd-31f4f2f9ae6d/ThirdQuarterActivitiesampCashflowReports"},{"t":"Lex cathedra et praxis 04 (Csapó Orsolya)","p":"Pázmány Péter Catholic University","d":"—","type":"academic","u":"https://publikacio.ppke.hu/id/eprint/1273/1/Lex_cathedra_et_praxis_04_Csapo_Orsolya.pdf"},{"t":"The second largest natural disaster after Chernobyl (MTI)","p":"Infostart","d":"2023-01-23","type":"press","u":"https://infostart.hu/belfold/2023/01/23/ez-volt-csernobil-utan-a-masodik-legnagyobb-termeszeti-katasztrofa/amp","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230127002921/https://infostart.hu/belfold/2023/01/23/ez-volt-csernobil-utan-a-masodik-legnagyobb-termeszeti-katasztrofa/amp"},{"t":"A quarter-century since cyanide from the gold mine swept the Tisza","p":"szeged.hu","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://szeged.hu/cikk/negyedszazada-tarolta-le-a-tiszat-az-aranybanyabol-kiomlo-cianid","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250131084059/https://szeged.hu/cikk/negyedszazada-tarolta-le-a-tiszat-az-aranybanyabol-kiomlo-cianid"},{"t":"Baia Mare industrial accident (case resource citing ENS)","p":"George Mason University","d":"2002","type":"academic","u":"https://mason.gmu.edu/~ndabbagh/cehdclass/Resources/IDKB/subordinate/Kristin%20spring%2002/baiamareindust.htm"},{"t":"The Tisza cyanide polluter is playing for time","p":"economx.hu","d":"2002-03-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.economx.hu/belfold/2002/03/25/a_tiszai_cianszennyezo_ceg_az_idot_huzza-113920/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018133937/https://www.economx.hu/belfold/2002/03/25/a_tiszai_cianszennyezo_ceg_az_idot_huzza-113920/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Hungary v. Aurul / Transgold (damages claim)","forum":"Budapest Metropolitan Court (Fővárosi Bíróság)","country":"Hungary","iso2":"HU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Hungarian state","defendant":"Aurul SA (renamed Transgold SA, 7 Nov 2001)","filed":2001,"decided":2006,"status":"no-defendant","amount":{"value":100,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"The claim of about HUF 28.6bn was filed on 26 April 2001; an interim judgment of 8 May 2006 held that Transgold bore liability, but the company went bankrupt, was struck off in May 2008 and the case closed without any payment.","src":5},{"title":"Romanian criminal investigation of Aurul's management (accidental pollution)","forum":"Maramureș prosecutors; Cluj Court of Appeal prosecutors","country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Romanian prosecutors","defendant":"Aurul board; head of Aurul (M.N.N.)","filed":2000,"decided":2002,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Opened on 22 February 2000 under Law 137/1995; a 2001 dismissal was overturned in July 2002, and on 12 December 2002 the case was dismissed again, citing weather as force majeure.","src":7},{"title":"Romanian criminal case resumed","forum":"Prosecutor's office of the Romanian Supreme Court","country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Romanian prosecutors","defendant":"Head of Aurul (M.N.N.)","filed":2003,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"On 29 January 2003 the Supreme Court prosecutor overturned the force-majeure dismissal and ordered prosecution to resume; no outcome or conviction was found.","src":7},{"title":"Criminal complaint by the Tătar family","forum":"Romanian prosecutors","country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tătar family (later ECHR applicants)","defendant":"Aurul SA","filed":null,"decided":2001,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The complaint was dismissed on 20 November 2001 on the ground that the facts did not constitute offences.","src":7},{"title":"Tătar v. Romania","forum":"European Court of Human Rights","country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","kind":"international","claimant":"Tătar family","defendant":"Romania","filed":2001,"decided":2009,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.006266,"currency":"EUR","label":"awarded"},"summary":"The court found unanimously that Romania violated Article 8 by failing to assess the risks in advance, not stopping the activity after the accident and not informing the public; it awarded €6,266 in costs and no damages, finding no proven causal link to the son's asthma.","src":7}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None identified","insured":"Aurul SA / Transgold SA","status":"unknown","year":2000,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"No insurance policy, insurer or payout is mentioned in any source opened; the plant assets were sold at auction out of liquidation for $6.99m in 2006.","src":6}],"metrics":[{"key":"tailings_m3","value":100000,"unit":"m³","year":2000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Index.hu gives 100,000–120,000 m³."},{"key":"cyanide_tonnes","value":100,"unit":"tonnes","year":2000,"qualifier":"up to","note":"UNEP/OCHA range 50–100 t; some secondary sources give 120 t."},{"key":"river_km","value":2000,"unit":"km","year":2000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Danube catchment affected (UNEP/OCHA)."},{"key":"fish_killed_tonnes","value":1240,"unit":"tonnes","year":2000,"note":"Hungary only (Hungarian estimate). Conflicting figure: about 200 t."},{"key":"people_water_affected","value":2000000,"unit":"people","year":2000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Drinking water temporarily contaminated (CSM)."},{"key":"water_supply_interrupted","value":24,"unit":"municipalities","year":2000,"note":"Romania (UNEP/OCHA)."},{"key":"limit_exceedance","value":320,"unit":"× limit","year":2000,"qualifier":"more than","note":"32.6 mg/l cyanide at Csenger, first Hungarian reading."},{"key":"damages_claimed","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2001,"qualifier":"about","note":"HUF 28.596bn; 28.5–29.3bn by source."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":0,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"note":"To Hungary (Index.hu; Áder, 2023)."},{"key":"investment","value":28,"unit":"USD m","year":1999,"note":"Plant cost."},{"key":"revenue","value":15.8,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2000,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","note":"Design capacity × 2000 prices; actual output unknown."},{"key":"asset_sale","value":7.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"note":"Liquidator accepted offer for the plant."},{"key":"restart_months","value":4.5,"unit":"months","year":2000,"note":"Plant restarted 13 June 2000."},{"key":"court_costs_awarded","value":0.006266,"unit":"EUR m","year":2009,"note":"ECHR, Tătar v. Romania; no damages."}],"disputes":[],"related":["barskaun-cyanide-spill"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 30 January 2000 a tailings dam at the Aurul SA gold-recovery plant near Baia Mare, Romania, was breached, releasing about 100,000 m³ of waste containing about 50–100 tonnes of cyanide and heavy metals. The plume travelled through the Someș/Szamos and Tisza into the Danube and reached the Black Sea about four weeks later.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Aurul SA (Esmeralda Exploration 50%, Remin about 45%)","what":"A plant designed to recover about 1.6 t of gold and 9 t of silver a year, worth about US$15.8m a year at 2000 prices (estimate from design capacity; actual output not found); it restarted on 13 June 2000 and ran to about 2005","src":0},{"who":"Eurogold (formerly Esmeralda Exploration)","what":"About A$2.2m from Transgold's liquidation proceeds (quarter to 31 March 2007)","src":13},{"who":"Eurogold (formerly Esmeralda Exploration)","what":"US$7.95m paid by Oxus in 2006 for a cancelled deal","src":6},{"who":"KazakhGold / Oxus Gold","what":"Took over the plant in 2006; the liquidator accepted a US$7.3m offer (Economedia gives US$6.99m)","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Hungarian state","what":"Claimed about HUF 28.6bn (about US$100m) in 2001 and received nothing after the defendant was struck off in 2008","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish in the Hungarian stretches of the Szamos and Tisza","what":"About 1,240 tonnes killed (Hungarian estimate; another source gives about 200 t)","src":0},{"who":"Plankton in the affected rivers","what":"Completely killed as the wave passed; recovered within a few days (UNEP/OCHA)","src":0},{"who":"About 2 million people","what":"Drinking water temporarily contaminated","src":2},{"who":"24 Romanian municipalities; Szolnok (Hungary) and Belgrade water intakes","what":"Water supply interrupted in Romania; the Szolnok and Belgrade intakes were closed","src":0},{"who":"Danube catchment","what":"Some 2,000 km affected; the first Hungarian reading, at Csenger, was 32.6 mg/l of cyanide, more than 320 times the limit","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Aurul tailings pond at Bozânta Mare near Baia Mare, Maramureș, north-western Romania; downstream along the Săsar, Lăpuș, Someș/Szamos and Tisza through Hungary and Serbia into the Danube and the Black Sea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Breach on 30 January 2000 at 22:00; plume at the Hungarian border on 1 February and in Belgrade on 14 February; plant restarted on 13 June 2000. Hungary sued in 2001; Budapest liability ruling on 8 May 2006; company struck off on 27 May 2008; human-rights court judgment on 27 January 2009.","src":null},"why":{"t":"UNEP/OCHA attributed the breach to heavy rain and fast snowmelt raising the pond faster than the dam was being built up, together with design defects and no plan for overflow, and found the company operating within its permits. Romanian prosecutors closed the criminal case in 2002 citing weather as force majeure; the European Court of Human Rights found Romania had failed to assess the risks in advance.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The plant reprocessed old tailings with cyanide to recover gold and silver and held the waste behind a dam; when the dam broke, cyanide-laden water flowed down the river system across three countries. A Budapest court found the company liable in 2006, but it went bankrupt and was struck off, and the claim closed without payment.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"The liquidator's US$7.3m sale price was about a quarter of the plant's US$28m construction cost (estimate).","src":6}},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Restoration paid by the company — No figure found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Romanian criminal case resumed: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None identified: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Actual gold and silver output, 1999–2005: not found; revenue figures are design-capacity estimates.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Romania paid Hungary anything: Economedia says the Romanian state paid; Index.hu and Hungary's former president say nothing was received. Unconfirmed: Economedia's report of a USD 150 fine for late reporting; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the Romanian criminal case after it was resumed in 2003: unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Court-ordered production limit: sources give a limit to 15% of capacity or a cut of 85%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Fish kill: 1,240 t (Hungarian estimate) versus about 200 t (BBC).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Cyanide mass: 50–100 t (UNEP/OCHA) versus 100 t or 120 t in other sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The BBC reported the often-cited 2.5 million affected Hungarians and the company chairman's \"grossly exaggerated\" remark; no other source confirms them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who first called it the worst disaster since Chernobyl: no named speaker found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2006 report that Hungary's USD 140m claim against the Romanian state was unresolved, and a single mention of a $179m claim against Esmeralda.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No insurance policy, insurer or payout appears in any source opened.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Baia Borșa volume: more than 100,000 t (ICPDR) versus about 20,000–22,000 t elsewhere.","pub":true}],"todo":["No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 4 has no attribution"]},{"id":"vale-brumadinho","title":"Vale Brumadinho dam collapse","dek":"A Vale tailings dam in Minas Gerais collapsed in January 2019 and 272 people died. Vale agreed a R$37.7 billion settlement in 2021; the homicide case against 16 people has no verdict.","country":"Brazil","region":"Latin America","lat":-20.12,"lon":-44.12,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Minas Gerais","lat":-20.12,"lon":-44.12,"role":"origin"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"legal-forum","note":"SEC case; shareholder class action"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"company-home","note":"TÜV SÜD, whose staff were charged"}],"start":2019,"end":2027,"eventDate":"2019-01-25","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings"],"headline":{"label":"Brazil settlement vs Vale's 2021 net income","value":"≈ 114 days","note":"Estimate: about US$7bn against about US$61.5m of net income per day in 2021."},"happened":["On 25 January 2019 Dam I at Vale's Córrego do Feijão mine in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, collapsed. The state court of Minas Gerais (TJMG) counts 272 deaths; AP reported 11 people still missing in February 2021.","The dam was built in 1976 by Ferteco, which Vale acquired in 2001. It received tailings until 2016 and held about 11.7 million m³; about 12 million m³ was released. The Paraopeba River was polluted for more than 350 km according to AP; an academic study gives 155 km.","On 4 February 2021 Vale signed a R$37.7bn (about US$7bn) Integral Reparation Agreement with the state and public institutions. It includes an estimated R$5bn for environmental recovery, uncapped. Vale's net income was US$22.4bn in 2021.","In January 2020 Minas Gerais prosecutors charged 16 people, including former CEO Fabio Schvartsman, ten other Vale staff and five staff of TÜV SÜD, with qualified homicide 270 times; Vale and TÜV SÜD were charged with environmental crimes. The case moved to federal court in 2023 and hearings are scheduled to May 2027. There is no conviction.","In April 2022 the US Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Vale had manipulated dam safety audits and obtained fraudulent stability certificates. Vale settled in 2023 for $55.9m without admitting or denying the allegations. From 2021 to 2025 Vale collected about US$74m from insurers.","On 7 May 2026, after the STJ ruling, the 2nd Federal Criminal Court of Belo Horizonte ordered former CEO Fabio Schvartsman reinstated as a defendant and opened two separate proceedings against him, one for crimes against life and one for environmental crimes, Itatiaia reported. He has not been convicted."],"timeline":[{"y":1976,"t":"Dam I built by Ferteco"},{"y":2001,"t":"Vale acquires Ferteco"},{"y":2016,"t":"Dam stops receiving tailings"},{"y":2019,"t":"Dam collapses (25 Jan); Vale records no insurance indemnification"},{"y":2020,"t":"Prosecutors charge 16 people (Jan); court accepts indictment (14 Feb)"},{"y":2021,"t":"R$37.7bn reparation agreement (4 Feb); operational-risk insurance claim concluded, US$19m received"},{"y":2022,"t":"SEC complaint (Apr); Supreme Court panel confirms federal jurisdiction (Dec)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Federal prosecutors re-file indictment (23 Jan); SEC settlement of $55.9m (28 Mar)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Federal appeals court hearings begin (Feb); STJ reinstates former CEO as defendant (7 Apr); federal criminal court orders two separate proceedings against him (7 May); STJ refuses to halt the case (16 Jun)"},{"y":2027,"t":"Hearings scheduled to May"}],"said":[{"q":"for years, the dam did not meet internationally-recognized safety standards even as Vale's public sustainability reports assured investors that all of its dams were certified as stable.","who":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","when":"28 March 2023","src":8},{"q":"beginning in 2016, Vale manipulated multiple dam safety audits; obtained numerous fraudulent stability certificates","who":"US Securities and Exchange Commission, complaint announcement","when":"April 2022","src":9},{"q":"one of the largest settlements ever in the country","who":"Brazilian officials, as reported by AP","when":"4 February 2021","src":2}],"shown":["\"The largest agreement by value ever made in Latin America\" (TJMG, translated)","\"Brazil's Vale signs $7 billion settlement in mining disaster\" (AP headline)","Vale's sustainability reports: all of its dams certified as stable (as described by the SEC)"],"recorded":["SEC: the dam did not meet internationally recognised safety standards for years","Settlement of about US$7bn ≈ 114 days of Vale's 2021 net income (estimate)","Insurance collected 2021–2025: about US$74m; the settlement mentions no insurance","Vale expense line \"Brumadinho event and de-characterization of dams\": US$7.4bn (2019), US$5.3bn (2020), US$2.6bn (2021)","Fiocruz (2022): 50.6% of 217 children tested in Brumadinho had urinary metals above reference values","16 people charged in 2020; no conviction by October 2026"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Integral Reparation Agreement (R$37.7bn, obligation)","amount":7000,"qualifier":"about","committed":true,"window":"from 2021","note":"AP's conversion. Critics say it includes amounts already spent; not an official finding."},{"label":"Environmental-recovery share of the agreement","amount":null,"note":"Estimated R$5bn (BRL), uncapped; spending to date not found."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Vale net income, 2021","amount":22445,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Vale net income, 2019–2022","amount":44431,"window":"2019–2022"},{"label":"Insurance collected","amount":74,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","window":"2021–2025","note":"Sum of yearly figures in Vale's 20-Fs (19, 6, 30, 11, 8)."},{"label":"Ore value from the Paraopeba complex, 2016–2018","amount":5300,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","window":"2016–2018","note":"80 Mt × $66.4/t benchmark; gross value, not Vale's revenue."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The mud took 272 lives and up to 350 km of my river. The settlement equalled about 114 days of one year's profit.","outcomes":[{"k":"Deaths","v":"272","d":"TJMG count"},{"k":"River polluted","v":"155–350 km","d":"Paraopeba; academic study vs AP"},{"k":"Convictions","v":"0","d":"Homicide case against 16 people; hearings to 2027"}]},"unknown":["Outcome of Vale's civil-liability and D&O insurance claims, reported \"still under negotiation\".","Whether insurance funded the $55.9m SEC settlement; whether the court approved it.","Date of the ruling that removed former CEO Schvartsman as a defendant: March 2024 in most sources, 2025 in one.","A civil suit against TÜV SÜD AG at Munich Regional Court I (case 28 O 14821/19) was expanded in 2022 to 1,170 claimant parties, according to the court; its outcome is not stated in the sources. Unconfirmed: a claim of about €600m, a Munich prosecutors' investigation and a Brazilian ban on TÜV SÜD certifying dams.","Ore volumes for the dam's whole operating period (2001–2016).","Tax treatment of the settlement and the SEC payment.","The US shareholder class action was unresolved as of Vale's FY2025 20-F."],"evidence":["deaths","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The collapse was a single event on 25 January 2019; the dam had stopped receiving tailings in 2016.","whoPaid":"The families of the 272 dead and communities along the Paraopeba. Vale paid the settlement from its own accounts; insurers paid about US$74m.","actors":[{"id":"vale","role":"Dam owner and operator"},{"id":"tuv-sud","role":"Dam certifier; five staff charged"},{"id":"mpmg","role":"State prosecutor; indictment of 16 people (2020)"},{"id":"mpf","role":"Federal prosecutor; re-filed indictment (2023)"},{"id":"sec","role":"US securities regulator; $55.9m settlement"},{"id":"tjmg","role":"State court; approved the R$37.7bn agreement"},{"id":"minas-gerais-gov","role":"Party to the reparation agreement"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Lead property insurer (press reports)"},{"id":"allianz","role":"Civil-liability insurer; led reinsurance consortium (press reports)"},{"id":"mapfre","role":"Property insurer (press reports)"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Property insurer, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions (press reports)"},{"id":"zurich","role":"D&O insurer, limit about US$150m (press reports)"},{"id":"aon","role":"Property insurance broker (press reports)"},{"id":"wtw","role":"Civil-liability insurance broker (press reports)"}],"sources":[{"t":"Vale Form 6-K: global settlement for Brumadinho","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2021-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000110465921011997/tm214989d3_6k.htm"},{"t":"Acordo Vale, Estado e instituições públicas","p":"TJMG","d":"2022","type":"court","u":"https://www.tjmg.jus.br/portal-tjmg/hotsites/relatorio-de-gestao-2020-2022/acordo-vale-estado-e-instituicoes-publicas.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250624043754/https://www.tjmg.jus.br/portal-tjmg/hotsites/relatorio-de-gestao-2020-2022/acordo-vale-estado-e-instituicoes-publicas.htm"},{"t":"Brazil's Vale signs $7 billion settlement in mining disaster","p":"AP (via Spectrum News)","d":"2021-02-04","type":"press","u":"https://spectrumlocalnews.com/ap-top-news/2021/02/04/brazils-vale-signs-7-billion-settlement-in-mining-disaster"},{"t":"Vale Form 20-F 2021","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000110465922046078/vale-20211231x20f.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230311142247/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000110465922046078/vale-20211231x20f.htm"},{"t":"Vale Form 20-F 2022","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2023","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281423001516/valeform20f_2022.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260205084758/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281423001516/valeform20f_2022.htm"},{"t":"Vale Form 20-F 2018","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2019","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000104746919002391/a2238479z20-f.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240809213734/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000104746919002391/a2238479z20-f.htm"},{"t":"Vale Form 20-F 2023","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2024","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281424001463/valeform20f_2023.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250806081045/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281424001463/valeform20f_2023.htm"},{"t":"Vale Form 20-F 2025","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281426001844/valeform20f_2025.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260328003140/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281426001844/valeform20f_2025.htm"},{"t":"Vale to pay $55.9 million to settle charges","p":"US SEC (press release 2023-63)","d":"2023-03-28","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-63","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240611060757/https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2023-63"},{"t":"SEC charges Vale (press release 2022-72)","p":"US SEC","d":"2022-04","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-72","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240613041105/https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2022-72"},{"t":"Denúncia oferecida pelo MPMG contra 16 pessoas é recebida pela Justiça","p":"MPMG","d":"2020-02-14","type":"official","u":"https://www.mpmg.mp.br/portal/menu/comunicacao/noticias/denuncia-oferecida-pelo-mpmg-contra-16-pessoas-pelos-crimes-praticados-em-brumadinho-e-recebida-pela-justica.shtml","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414083724/https://www.mpmg.mp.br/portal/menu/comunicacao/noticias/denuncia-oferecida-pelo-mpmg-contra-16-pessoas-pelos-crimes-praticados-em-brumadinho-e-recebida-pela-justica.shtml"},{"t":"Engenheiros da Vale e TÜV SÜD seguem réus em ação criminal","p":"Agência Pública","d":"2026-06-17","type":"investigative","u":"https://apublica.org/nota/rompimento-em-brumadinho-engenheiros-da-vale-e-tuv-sud-seguem-reus-em-acao-criminal/"},{"t":"STJ tem 2 votos para destrancar ação contra ex-presidente da Vale","p":"Migalhas","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.migalhas.com.br/quentes/446624/stj-tem-2-votos-para-destrancar-acao-contra-ex-presidente-da-vale","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260104102245/https://www.migalhas.com.br/quentes/446624/stj-tem-2-votos-para-destrancar-acao-contra-ex-presidente-da-vale"},{"t":"Ex-presidente da Vale vira réu por tragédia em Brumadinho, decide STJ","p":"Poder360","d":"2026-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-justica/ex-presidente-da-vale-vira-reu-por-tragedia-em-brumadinho-decide-stj/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408010756/https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-justica/ex-presidente-da-vale-vira-reu-por-tragedia-em-brumadinho-decide-stj/"},{"t":"Para seguradora da Vale, tragédia em Brumadinho terá dano imaterial (Estadão)","p":"Legismap","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://legismap.com.br/conteudos/artigos-e-noticias/para-seguradora-da-vale-tragedia-em-brumadinho-tera-dano-imaterial"},{"t":"Vale insurance programme","p":"Revista Apólice","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://revistaapolice.com.br/?p=76061"},{"t":"Vale D&O insurance","p":"InfoMoney","d":"2020-01-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.infomoney.com.br/?p=1386907"},{"t":"Allianz could be liable for dam burst-related losses","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2019-01-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/article/00010101/STORY/912326380/Allianz-could-be-liable-for-dam-burst-related-losses"},{"t":"Brumadinho perde 60% da arrecadação com tragédia","p":"Diário do Comércio","d":"—","type":"press","u":"https://diariodocomercio.com.br/economia/brumadinho-perde-60-da-arrecadacao-com-tragedia/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210124083810/https://diariodocomercio.com.br/economia/brumadinho-perde-60-da-arrecadacao-com-tragedia/"},{"t":"Crianças de Brumadinho apresentam altos níveis de metais no organismo (Fiocruz study)","p":"Brasil de Fato","d":"2022-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://brasildefato.com.br/2022/07/11/criancas-de-brumadinho-apresentam-altos-niveis-de-metais-no-organismo-mostra-estudo-da-fiocruz/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134120/https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2022/07/11/criancas-de-brumadinho-apresentam-altos-niveis-de-metais-no-organismo-mostra-estudo-da-fiocruz/"},{"t":"Seguradoras e resseguradoras calculam danos com rompimento da barragem da Vale","p":"CQCS","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://cqcs.com.br/noticia/seguradoras-e-resseguradoras-calculam-danos-com-rompimento-da-barragem-da-vale/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210207092723/https://www.cqcs.com.br/noticia/seguradoras-e-resseguradoras-calculam-danos-com-rompimento-da-barragem-da-vale/"},{"t":"Justiça determina reintrodução de ex-presidente da Vale em processo de Brumadinho","p":"Itatiaia","d":"2026-05-07","u":"https://www.itatiaia.com.br/politica/justica-determina-reintroducao-de-ex-presidente-da-vale-em-processo-de-brumadinho/","type":"press"},{"t":"Pressemitteilung: Verfahren 28 O 14821/19 gegen TÜV Süd AG (Dammbruch Brumadinho)","p":"Landgericht München I","d":"2022","u":"https://www.justiz.bayern.de/gerichte-und-behoerden/landgericht/muenchen-1/presse/2022/2.php","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Brumadinho homicide prosecution (16 individuals; Vale and TÜV SÜD)","forum":"Brumadinho court (2020); federal court, TRF-6 2nd Panel, Belo Horizonte (from 2023)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Minas Gerais state prosecutors (MPMG); federal prosecutors (MPF) from 2023","defendant":"Former CEO Fabio Schvartsman, 10 other Vale staff, 5 TÜV SÜD staff; Vale and TÜV SÜD (environmental crimes)","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Charged with double-qualified homicide 270 times and environmental crimes; the case was ruled federal (confirmed Dec 2022), re-filed on 23 January 2023, split into three proceedings, with hearings from February 2026 to May 2027 and no conviction.","src":10},{"title":"Reinstatement of former CEO Schvartsman as defendant","forum":"Superior Court of Justice (STJ), 6th Panel","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors","defendant":"Fabio Schvartsman","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"On 7 April 2026 the STJ (3–2) reversed a TRF-6 habeas corpus ruling that had halted the case against him for lack of evidence of authorship. On 7 May 2026 Judge Raquel Vasconcelos Alves de Lima of the 2nd Federal Criminal Court of Belo Horizonte ordered his reinstatement, with two new proceedings against him, one for crimes against life and one for environmental crimes (Itatiaia).","src":13},{"title":"Requests to halt the Brumadinho criminal case","forum":"Superior Court of Justice (STJ), 6th Panel","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Defendants","defendant":"Federal prosecutors","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"On 16 June 2026 the STJ unanimously denied two requests to halt the case; in March 2026 TRF-6 had denied habeas corpus petitions from four engineers.","src":11},{"title":"SEC v. Vale S.A. (EDNY 22-cv-02405)","forum":"US District Court, Eastern District of New York","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","defendant":"Vale S.A.","filed":2022,"decided":2023,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":55.9,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Antifraud charges over dam-safety disclosures settled on 28 March 2023 for a $25m civil penalty plus $30.9m disgorgement and interest, without admitting or denying the allegations.","src":8},{"title":"Integral Reparation Agreement","forum":"Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG), court-approved agreement","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of Minas Gerais and public institutions","defendant":"Vale S.A.","filed":null,"decided":2021,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":37689.77,"currency":"BRL","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Signed on 4 February 2021 for R$37,689,767,329 (about US$7bn), including an estimated uncapped R$5bn for environmental recovery; Vale booked an extra 2020 expense of about R$19.8bn.","src":1},{"title":"US shareholder class action over Brumadinho","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Vale shareholders","defendant":"Vale S.A.","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Unresolved as of Vale's FY2025 annual report.","src":7}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Operational-risk (property) insurers; press names Chubb (lead), Mapfre and Swiss Re Corporate Solutions, reinsured by IRB Brasil Re","insured":"Vale","status":"paid","year":2021,"amount":{"value":19,"currency":"USD","label":"received"},"reason":null,"summary":"Vale recognised no indemnification in 2019 or 2020; in 2021 it reported that the Brumadinho claim under the Operational Risk policy was concluded and US$19m received.","src":3},{"insurer":"Vale's insurers (lines not itemised)","insured":"Vale","status":"partial","year":2025,"amount":{"value":74,"currency":"USD","label":"collected 2021–2025 (sum of yearly figures)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Yearly receipts were US$19m (2021), 6m (2022), 30m (2023), 11m (2024) and 8m (2025), against a R$37.7bn settlement that mentions no insurance; no court or arbitration dispute with insurers is disclosed.","src":7},{"insurer":"Allianz-led civil-liability programme (US$400m plus US$100m excess; broker Willis)","insured":"Vale","status":"unknown","year":2021,"amount":{"value":500,"currency":"USD","label":"reported limit"},"reason":null,"summary":"Press reported liability losses of up to US$4bn, most borne by Vale; civil-liability claims were still in negotiation in Vale's FY2021 filing.","src":14},{"insurer":"Zurich (directors and officers)","insured":"Vale executives","status":"unknown","year":2020,"amount":{"value":150,"currency":"USD","label":"reported limit (about)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Executives claimed on the D&O policy for their defence costs; amounts and split among individuals not found.","src":16}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":272,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"TJMG; AP: more than 270 killed, 11 missing in Feb 2021."},{"key":"tailings_m3","value":12000000,"unit":"m³","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Dam held about 11.7 million m³ (Vale 20-F 2018)."},{"key":"river_km","value":350,"unit":"km","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Paraopeba (AP); an academic study gives 155 km."},{"key":"settlement","value":37689.77,"unit":"BRL m","year":2021,"note":"Integral Reparation Agreement."},{"key":"settlement","value":7000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"AP conversion of the R$37.7bn agreement."},{"key":"restoration_committed","value":5000,"unit":"BRL m","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Estimated environmental-recovery share of the agreement, uncapped."},{"key":"settlement","value":55.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"SEC: $25m penalty plus $30.9m disgorgement and interest."},{"key":"fine","value":25,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"SEC civil penalty."},{"key":"profit","value":22445,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Net income attributable to shareholders."},{"key":"profit","value":44431,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Sum of net income 2019–2022."},{"key":"provision","value":7402,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Expense line \"Brumadinho event and de-characterization of dams\"; 5,257 (2020), 2,576 (2021)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":74,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sum of 2021–2025 receipts."},{"key":"output_value","value":5300,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paraopeba complex ore, 2016–2018, at benchmark price; not Vale's revenue."},{"key":"people_charged","value":16,"unit":"people","year":2020},{"key":"children_metal_above_reference","value":50.6,"unit":"% of 217 children","year":2022,"note":"Fiocruz urine tests; arsenic 41.9%, lead 13%."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 25 January 2019 Dam I at Vale's Córrego do Feijão mine in Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, collapsed, releasing about 12 million m³ of tailings; 272 people died. Vale signed a R$37.7bn reparation agreement in 2021, and the homicide case against 16 people has no verdict.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vale","what":"Ore from the Paraopeba complex, which includes the mine, worth about US$5.3bn at benchmark prices in 2016–2018 (estimate; gross value, not Vale's revenue)","src":5},{"who":"Vale","what":"About US$74m from insurers, 2021–2025 (sum of yearly figures: 19, 6, 30, 11 and 8)","src":7},{"who":"Vale executives","what":"Claimed their defence costs under a Zurich D&O policy with a reported limit of about US$150m; amounts not found","src":16}],"lost":[{"who":"Vale","what":"R$37.7bn (about US$7bn) under the 2021 Integral Reparation Agreement, including an estimated R$5bn for environmental recovery, uncapped","src":1},{"who":"Vale","what":"US$55.9m to the US SEC in 2023 (US$25m penalty plus US$30.9m disgorgement and interest), without admitting or denying the allegations","src":8},{"who":"Vale","what":"Expense line 'Brumadinho event and de-characterization of dams': US$7.4bn (2019), US$5.3bn (2020), US$2.6bn (2021)","src":3},{"who":"Municipality of Brumadinho","what":"Lost 60% of its tax revenue after the disaster, according to Diário do Comércio","src":18}],"harmed":[{"who":"272 people killed","what":"TJMG count; AP reported 11 people still missing in February 2021","src":1},{"who":"Paraopeba River","what":"Polluted for more than 350 km according to AP; an academic study gives 155 km","src":2},{"who":"Children in Brumadinho","what":"50.6% of 217 children tested had urinary metals above reference values (Fiocruz, 2022); arsenic 41.9%, lead 13%","src":19}]},"where":{"t":"Dam I of the Córrego do Feijão mine, Brumadinho, Minas Gerais, Brazil; tailings into the Paraopeba River.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Collapse on 25 January 2019; 16 people charged in January 2020; reparation agreement on 4 February 2021; SEC complaint in April 2022 and settlement on 28 March 2023. Federal criminal hearings run from February 2026 to May 2027.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The US SEC alleged that from 2016 Vale manipulated dam safety audits and obtained fraudulent stability certificates, and that for years the dam did not meet internationally recognised safety standards; Vale settled without admitting or denying. Minas Gerais prosecutors charged 11 Vale and five TÜV SÜD staff with qualified homicide, and a state legislative inquiry said Vale knew of the dam's low safety factor (as reported by A Gazeta).","src":9},"how":{"t":"The dam, built by Ferteco in 1976 and acquired by Vale in 2001, held about 11.7 million m³ and had stopped receiving tailings in 2016, while Vale's sustainability reports told investors all its dams were certified stable. Vale pays the settlement as its own obligation; insurers paid about US$74m over 2021–2025.","src":5},"ratio":{"t":"The settlement of about US$7bn equalled about 114 days of Vale's 2021 net income of US$22.4bn (estimate).","src":3}},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental-recovery share of the agreement — Estimated R$5bn (BRL), uncapped; spending to date not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Allianz-led civil-liability programme (US$400m plus US$100m excess; broker Willis): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Zurich (directors and officers): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of Vale's civil-liability and D&O insurance claims, reported \"still under negotiation\".","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether insurance funded the $55.9m SEC settlement; whether the court approved it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Date of the ruling that removed former CEO Schvartsman as a defendant: March 2024 in most sources, 2025 in one.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A civil suit against TÜV SÜD AG at Munich Regional Court I (case 28 O 14821/19) was expanded in 2022 to 1,170 claimant parties, according to the court; its outcome is not stated in the sources. Unconfirmed: a claim of about €600m, a Munich prosecutors' investigation and a Brazilian ban on TÜV SÜD certifying dams.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ore volumes for the dam's whole operating period (2001–2016).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Tax treatment of the settlement and the SEC payment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The US shareholder class action was unresolved as of Vale's FY2025 20-F.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"samarco-mariana","title":"Samarco Fundão dam collapse (Mariana): the settlement and the court cases","dek":"The Fundão tailings dam of Samarco, owned equally by Vale and BHP, collapsed at Mariana, Brazil, on 5 November 2015 and 19 people died. A R$170 billion agreement was signed in October 2024, and the English High Court found BHP liable in November 2025.","country":"Brazil","region":"Latin America","lat":-20.23,"lon":-43.42,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Minas Gerais","lat":-20.23,"lon":-43.42,"role":"origin","note":"Bento Rodrigues; tailings down the Rio Doce to the Atlantic"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rio Doce basin","role":"affected"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"TRF-6 (Federal Regional Court, 6th Region)","role":"court"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"legal-forum","note":"Município de Mariana v BHP"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"legal-forum","note":"Shareholder class action against BHP"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"legal-forum","note":"Class action settled for US$50m"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2015-11-05","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Brazil agreement of 25 October 2024 (100% basis, including spending already made)","value":"R$170bn","note":"About US$31.7bn (BHP). R$38bn had already been spent through the Renova Foundation to September 2024; R$100bn is payable over 20 years to public authorities and communities; about R$32bn are Samarco performance obligations."},"happened":["On 5 November 2015 the Fundão iron-ore tailings dam of Samarco Mineração, a 50/50 joint venture of Vale and BHP, collapsed near Mariana, Minas Gerais. Nineteen people died and the village of Bento Rodrigues was destroyed. According to IUCN, about 39 million m³ of tailings travelled about 670 km down the Rio Doce to the Atlantic; other sources give 35–50 million m³.","The dam's licensing process began in 2005 and the Copam state licensing body granted the first operating licence in 2008; the renewal was still pending on the day of the collapse. A Minas Gerais state prosecutor said Samarco had kept operating without meeting 6 of the 12 conditions required for renewal, while the state environment secretariat said all conditions had been met. The consultant VogBR signed the dam's stability declaration in July 2015.","From 2016 repair work was run by the Renova Foundation, funded by Samarco with Vale and BHP Brasil as secondary funders at 50% each. In 2021 prosecutors asked for it to be dissolved, noting that six of its nine board seats were held by representatives of the miners, and in December 2023 the Minas Gerais prosecutors asked for it to be closed because it was not autonomous of the mining companies; reconstruction of the affected communities was reported unfinished. On 25 October 2024 the companies and the Brazilian authorities signed an agreement for about R$170bn (about US$31.7bn on a 100% basis): R$38bn already spent through Renova to September 2024, R$100bn over 20 years to public authorities and communities, and about R$32bn of Samarco performance obligations. Brazil's Supreme Court approved it on 6 November 2024. Renova was to be extinguished, with Samarco taking over its programmes over a 12-month transition.","In 2016 federal prosecutors charged 22 people and four companies. In 2019 the court dropped the homicide counts, treating the deaths as caused by a flood rather than by the dam. On 14 November 2024 a federal judge acquitted all defendants. On 3 September 2026 the Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region (TRF-6) partly reversed that decision: it banned Samarco from public tenders for ten years and fined it R$7.2 million, and sentenced three former Samarco managers, Daviély Rodrigues Silva and Germano Silva Lopes (8 years 9 months each) and Wagner Milagres Alves (7 years 3 months). The acquittals of Vale, BHP Billiton Brasil and VogBR, and of Samarco's then chief executive Ricardo Vescovi de Aragão, former director Kleber Luiz de Mendonça Terra and VogBR engineer Samuel Santana Paes Loures, stood. The federal prosecutors (MPF) said they would assess further appeals against the upheld acquittals; the convictions could be appealed.","In England, the High Court found on 14 November 2025, in Município de Mariana v BHP Group, [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC), that BHP was liable for the collapse, strictly as a \"polluter\" under Brazilian environmental law and, in the alternative, for fault; the court found the risk of collapse was foreseeable. Permission to appeal was reported refused in January and on 6 May 2026, and a damages hearing was listed for October 2026. BHP also settled a US class action for US$50m (mostly covered by insurance, according to BHP) in its financial year 2019 and paid A$110m to settle an Australian class action in FY2026. BHP booked about US$1.18bn of insurance income relating to the dam failure over FY2019–FY2021 and FY2026, and Vale US$159m in 2019–2021; Samarco recognised no insurance receivable. The cited sources do not say that insurance proceeds went to Renova, the settlement or restoration."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Licensing process for the Fundão dam begins"},{"y":2008,"t":"Copam grants the first operating licence"},{"y":2015,"t":"VogBR signs the stability declaration (July); the dam collapses (5 Nov); Reuters reports ACE-led property and business-interruption cover of up to US$600m (11 Nov)"},{"y":2016,"t":"Federal prosecutors charge 22 people and four companies; Renova Foundation set up under a 2016 settlement"},{"y":2019,"t":"Homicide counts dropped; BHP books US$50m insurance income; US class action settled for US$50m"},{"y":2020,"t":"BHP books US$489m insurance-settlement income"},{"y":2021,"t":"Prosecutors ask for Renova to be dissolved; BHP books US$573m and declares insurance recoveries complete; BHP commits up to US$725m to Renova programmes"},{"y":2023,"t":"Minas Gerais prosecutors ask for Renova to be closed (December)"},{"y":2024,"t":"R$170bn agreement signed (25 Oct) and approved by the Supreme Court (6 Nov); first-instance acquittal of all defendants (14 Nov)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Federal court releases Renova's R$1.3bn insurance-bond requirement (6 Aug); English High Court finds BHP liable (14 Nov)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Permission to appeal refused (January and 6 May); BHP settles the Australian class action for A$110m and receives US$64m from insurers; TRF-6 partly reverses the acquittals (3 Sep); London damages hearing listed for October"}],"said":[{"q":"have been found liable for the collapse of the Fundão iron ore tailings dam in Mariana, Brazil, on 5 November 2015.","who":"Judgment summary, Município de Mariana v BHP Group, English High Court","when":"14 November 2025","src":13},{"q":"risk of collapse of the dam was foreseeable","who":"English High Court judgment, as reported by the Law Gazette","when":"14 November 2025","src":14},{"q":"US$ 573 million other income from general liability insurance proceeds relating to the dam failure. Recoveries… now considered complete.","who":"BHP Form 20-F, FY2021","when":"2021","src":4},{"q":"an insurance receivable has not been recognised by Samarco","who":"BHP Annual Report 2020","when":"2020","src":20},{"q":"The lead underwriter of the combined property and business interruption policies is Zurich-based ACE","who":"Reuters, citing an anonymous source","when":"11 November 2015","src":1},{"q":"one of the largest","who":"Chief Justice Barroso on the Supreme Court's approval of the agreement (as reported)","when":"6 November 2024","src":24}],"shown":[{"t":"The October 2024 agreement was announced as one in which the mining companies are held responsible and reparation would reach R$170 billion.","who":"Minas Gerais state government (Agência Minas)","src":10},{"t":"The agreement was described as one of the largest environmental agreements in history.","who":"Chief Justice Barroso (as reported)","src":null},{"t":"The agreement was described as one of the largest settlements in the country's history.","who":"Officials, as reported by AP","src":null},{"t":"The R$170bn total includes R$38bn already spent through Renova.","who":"BHP and Vale, in their filings","src":9},{"t":"A foundation, Renova, was set up in 2016 to carry out the repair work.","who":"Renova Foundation, funded by Samarco, Vale and BHP Brasil","src":null},{"t":"President Lula was reported as signing the agreement to repair the damage (headline: \"Lula assina acordo de reparação dos danos de Mariana\").","who":"Poder360","src":23}],"recorded":[{"t":"Of the R$170bn total, R$38bn is spending already made through Renova to September 2024, R$100bn is payable to public authorities and communities over 20 years, and about R$32bn is Samarco performance obligations.","src":9},{"t":"Diário do Comércio reported the agreement as R$170bn in total, with R$100bn of new money payable until 2043 and Renova's R$38bn questioned.","src":11},{"t":"Minas Gerais prosecutors asked in December 2023 for Renova to be closed because it was not autonomous of the mining companies; reconstruction of the affected communities was not finished.","src":12},{"t":"In 2020 prosecutors noted that six of Renova's nine board seats were held by representatives of the miners; in 2021 prosecutors asked for Renova's dissolution.","src":27},{"t":"A 2018 report by Agência Pública found that about 20% of Renova's staff came from the companies funding it; a prosecutor assessed that the companies and the foundation were in effect the same.","src":25},{"t":"In 2017 an independent science panel was set up at Renova's request; it was chaired by Yolanda Kakabadse, a former president of IUCN and of WWF International.","src":26},{"t":"Criminal case: 2016 charges against 22 people and four companies; 2019 homicide counts dropped; 14 November 2024 acquittals; 3 September 2026 TRF-6 ruling (Samarco ten-year public-tender ban and R$7.2m fine; engineers Lopes and Rodrigues Silva 8 years 9 months, Alves 7 years 3 months; Vale, BHP and VogBR acquittals stand).","src":19},{"t":"BHP booked insurance income relating to the dam failure of US$50m (FY2019), US$489m (FY2020), US$573m (FY2021) and US$64m (FY2026) as other income; Vale booked US$159m of Samarco-related receipts (2019–2021) as equity results. Samarco recognised no insurance receivable.","src":4},{"t":"Samarco's 2018 statements: sudden-pollution and dam cover excluded from its current liability policy.","src":3},{"t":"First prison sentences came 11 years after the collapse, for engineers; the owners were acquitted.","src":19}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Spent through the Renova Foundation","amount":38000,"window":"2016–Sep 2024","note":"Figure from the 2024 agreement; company-reported, and where this spending went is questioned."},{"label":"New money to public authorities and communities","amount":100000,"committed":true,"window":"2024–2044","note":"Paid over 20 years, indexed to IPCA (Vale filing)."},{"label":"Samarco performance obligations","amount":32000,"committed":true,"window":"from 2024","qualifier":"about"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":38000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Spent to September 2024. The remaining R$132bn is committed, not paid. The cited sources do not split the R$170bn between environmental repair, communities and public authorities."},"other":[{"label":"BHP insurance income (FY2019–FY2021, FY2026)","amount":null,"est":true,"note":"US$1,176m (USD; sum of 50 + 489 + 573 + 64), not converted."},{"label":"Vale Samarco-related insurance receipts (2019–2021)","amount":null,"note":"US$159m (USD), not converted."},{"label":"Samarco and owners' profits from the mine","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The mud travelled 670 km of my river to the sea. Nine years later a settlement was signed, most of it payable over twenty more.","outcomes":[{"k":"Deaths","v":"19","d":"Bento Rodrigues destroyed (IUCN)"},{"k":"Tailings released","v":"about 39m m³","d":"IUCN; other sources 35–50m m³"},{"k":"Distance travelled","v":"about 670 km","d":"Down the Rio Doce to the Atlantic (IUCN)"},{"k":"Structure of the R$170bn","v":"38 / 100 / 32","d":"R$bn: already spent via Renova / payable over 20 years to public authorities and communities / Samarco obligations (Vale filing, 18 October 2024)"},{"k":"Owners convicted","v":"0","d":"Vale and BHP acquitted in Brazil; Samarco and three engineers convicted on appeal (2026); BHP found liable in the English High Court (2025), damages not yet set"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded in IUCN's statement and in the court findings: tailings volume and river distance are given by IUCN, and no species, fish or wildlife count appears in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"In November 2015 about 39 million m³ of mud from the Fundão dam ran 670 km down my river, the Rio Doce, to the Atlantic Ocean (IUCN; other sources give 35–50 million m³).","src":0},{"t":"The village of Bento Rodrigues, on my valley floor, was destroyed.","src":28},{"t":"A court in London has since found BHP strictly liable as the \"polluter\" of the collapse under Brazilian environmental law.","src":14}]},"unknown":["What Samarco's own insurers (ACE/Chubb, Fairfax, Mapfre, Allianz) paid: Samarco recognised no insurance receivable (as of BHP's FY2026 report), and the policy figures come from an anonymous source quoted by Reuters in 2015.","Whether insurance proceeds funded Renova, the settlement or restoration: no source states they did; BHP and Vale booked their receipts as other income or equity results.","Where the R$38bn spent through Renova went: the press questions it. Unconfirmed: President Lula is reported to have said nobody knows (original source not identified).","Damages in the English case have not been set; a hearing was listed for October 2026. The number of claimants: one 2024 report gives about 620,000 and other reports more than 700,000.","The outcome of the Court of Appeal decision [2026] EWCA Civ 502 (6 May 2026) was not read in its own text; the refusal of permission to appeal, also reported for January 2026, is as reported by Mining Weekly and Mining Reporters.","Whether prosecutors will appeal the 3 September 2026 TRF-6 ruling (reported as under consideration), whether the convicted engineers will appeal, and whether the sentences are final.","Completion of Renova's dissolution is not confirmed.","Unconfirmed: that construction of the dam began in 2007 before an executive project was submitted.","Unconfirmed: a Vale US$25m settlement of a Samarco-related US class action; the court, date and claimants are not given, and whether insurance funded it is not on record.","Samarco's, Vale's and BHP's earnings from the mine before the collapse are not on record."],"evidence":["deaths","court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The collapse was a single event on 5 November 2015. Four years later a Vale dam collapsed at Brumadinho. Payments under the October 2024 agreement run until 2043, Renova's programmes continue under Samarco after a 12-month transition, rebuilding of affected communities was reported unfinished, and damages in the English case were still to be set.","whoPaid":"The families of the 19 dead, Bento Rodrigues and communities along the Rio Doce. Samarco, Vale and BHP fund the settlement (R$38bn spent through Renova to September 2024, R$100bn over 20 years, about R$32bn of Samarco obligations); BHP and Vale recovered about US$1.3bn from insurers.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: TRF-6 partly reversed the criminal acquittals on 3 September 2026 (prosecutors reported to be considering an appeal); the English High Court's damages hearing was listed for October 2026; settlement payments run to 2043.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"bhp","says":"Reported US$573 million \"other income from general liability insurance proceeds relating to the dam failure\" in FY2021 and said recoveries were \"now considered complete\".","when":"FY2021","src":4},{"actor":"bhp","says":"Agreed to fund up to US$725m for Renova programmes plus US$40m of working capital.","when":"FY2021","src":null},{"actor":"bhp","says":"Paid A$110 million (US$74 million) to settle the Australian class action and received US$64 million from external insurers.","when":"FY2026","src":5},{"actor":"bhp","says":"Applied for permission to appeal the English High Court's liability judgment; permission was reported refused.","when":"January and May 2026","src":16},{"actor":"bhp","says":"Reported the Brazil settlement as R$170bn (about US$31.7bn) on a 100% basis, signed 25 October 2024.","when":"2024-10","src":7},{"actor":"vale","says":"Disclosed to the SEC that the roughly R$170bn total comprises R$38bn already spent, R$100bn paid to public authorities in indexed instalments over 20 years and R$32bn of Samarco obligations; the final agreement had not yet been signed on 18 October 2024.","when":"2024-10-18","src":9},{"actor":"vale","says":"Recorded Samarco-related general-liability insurance receipts of US$159 million in 2019–2021 and said it did not expect further material amounts.","when":"2021","src":null},{"actor":"samarco","says":"Its 2017 financial statements recognised no insurance receivable.","when":"2017","src":2},{"actor":"samarco","says":"Its 2018 statements recorded partial reimbursement of directors-and-officers defence costs and said sudden-pollution and dam cover were excluded from the current liability policy.","when":"2018","src":3},{"actor":"wtw","says":"Confirmed to Reuters that it acted as the broker for the Samarco policy.","when":"November 2015","src":1},{"actor":"fairfax","says":"Confirmed to Reuters that it was in the pool of underwriters.","when":"November 2015","src":1},{"actor":"mapfre","says":"Confirmed to Reuters that it was in the pool of underwriters.","when":"November 2015","src":1},{"actor":"minas-gerais-gov","says":"Announced the new Mariana agreement as making the mining companies responsible, with reparation reaching R$170 billion.","when":"October 2024","src":10},{"actor":"mpmg","says":"Asked for Renova to be closed because it was not autonomous of the mining companies; reconstruction of the affected communities was unfinished.","when":"December 2023","src":12}],"actors":[{"id":"samarco","role":"Dam owner and operator; convicted on appeal (2026)"},{"id":"vale","role":"50% owner; acquitted"},{"id":"bhp","role":"50% owner; acquitted in Brazil; found liable in London"},{"id":"vogbr","role":"Consultant that signed the dam's stability declaration (July 2015); charged, acquitted"},{"id":"renova","role":"Restoration foundation, 2016–2024"},{"id":"mpf","role":"Federal prosecutor; brought the 2016 criminal charges"},{"id":"mpmg","role":"State prosecutor; sought Renova's closure"},{"id":"minas-gerais-gov","role":"State government; party to the 2024 agreement announcement"},{"id":"trf-6","role":"Regional Federal Court that ruled on appeal on 3 September 2026"},{"id":"stf-brazil","role":"Supreme Court; approved the settlement on 6 November 2024"},{"id":"english-high-court","role":"Found BHP liable on 14 November 2025"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Lead property and business-interruption insurer, as ACE (80%)"},{"id":"allianz","role":"Civil-liability insurer (about R$70m)"},{"id":"mapfre","role":"Member of the underwriting pool"},{"id":"fairfax","role":"Member of the underwriting pool"},{"id":"wtw","role":"Insurance broker (as Willis)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is BHP liable for the collapse, and was it foreseeable?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"English High Court (14 November 2025)","says":"BHP was strictly liable as a \"polluter\" under Brazilian environmental law and, in the alternative, liable for fault; the risk of collapse of the dam was foreseeable, and raising the dam while it was unsafe was reported as the direct and proximate cause.","src":14},{"voice":"company","holder":"BHP","says":"Sought permission to appeal the English liability judgment; reported refused in January and May 2026.","src":16}]},{"point":"Who is criminally responsible for the collapse and the 19 deaths?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","says":"Charged 22 people and four companies in 2016, including with qualified homicide.","src":19},{"voice":"court","holder":"Federal court (2019)","says":"Treated the deaths as caused by a flood rather than the dam and dropped the homicide charges.","src":19},{"voice":"court","holder":"Federal judge (14 November 2024)","says":"Acquitted all defendants, finding that individual acts had not been proven.","src":19},{"voice":"court","holder":"TRF-6 appeal court (3 September 2026)","says":"Reversed part of the acquittal: convicted Samarco (ten-year public-tender ban, R$7.2m fine) and three engineers; the acquittals of Vale, BHP and VogBR stood.","src":19}]},{"point":"Were the conditions for renewing the dam's licence met?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"A Minas Gerais state prosecutor","says":"Samarco operated without meeting 6 of the 12 conditions required for renewal.","src":22},{"voice":"government","holder":"Minas Gerais state environment secretariat","says":"All the conditions had been met.","src":22}]},{"point":"Was Renova independent of the mining companies?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Minas Gerais state prosecutors (MPMG)","says":"Asked for Renova to be closed because it was not autonomous of the mining companies; rebuilding of the affected communities was not finished.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"Agência Pública","says":"About 20% of Renova's staff came from the companies that funded it; a prosecutor assessed that the companies and the foundation were in effect the same.","src":null}]},{"point":"How much of the R$170bn is new money, and where did the R$38bn go?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Minas Gerais state government","says":"The new agreement makes the mining companies responsible, with reparation reaching R$170 billion.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vale and BHP (filings)","says":"R$38bn is spending already made through Renova to September 2024; R$100bn is payable to public authorities and communities over 20 years; about R$32bn is Samarco performance obligations.","src":9},{"voice":"press","holder":"Diário do Comércio","says":"Only R$100bn of the R$170bn is new money, payable until 2043; Renova's R$38bn is questioned. Unconfirmed: President Lula is reported to have said nobody knows where the R$38bn went.","src":11}]},{"point":"Did insurance cover Samarco's losses?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters via Insurance Journal (anonymous source)","says":"Property and business-interruption cover of up to US$600m (US$90m property and US$510m business interruption), led by ACE with 80%.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Samarco and BHP","says":"Samarco's statements recognised no insurance receivable; BHP's reports say the same.","src":20}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mariana criminal case (22 people, 4 companies)","forum":"Federal court, Minas Gerais","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","defendant":"22 individuals; Samarco, Vale, BHP and VogBR","filed":2016,"decided":2024,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 14 November 2024 the federal judge acquitted all defendants, holding that individual acts had not been proven.","src":19},{"title":"Mariana homicide counts","forum":"Federal court, Minas Gerais","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","defendant":"Individual defendants","filed":2016,"decided":2019,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"In 2019 the court dropped the homicide charges, treating the deaths as caused by the flood rather than by the dam.","src":19},{"title":"Mariana criminal appeal","forum":"Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region (TRF-6)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","defendant":"Samarco, Vale, BHP, VogBR and individuals","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"overturned","amount":{"value":7.2,"currency":"BRL","label":"fine on Samarco (R$ million)"},"summary":"On 3 September 2026 the acquittal was partly reversed: Samarco received a ten-year ban on public contracts and a R$7.2m fine, former managers Daviély Rodrigues Silva and Germano Silva Lopes 8 years 9 months each and Wagner Milagres Alves 7 years 3 months; the acquittals of Vale, BHP and VogBR stood. Prosecutors were reported to be considering an appeal.","src":33},{"title":"Município de Mariana v BHP Group [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)","forum":"English High Court (Technology and Construction Court)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Município de Mariana and other claimants (group action)","defendant":"BHP Group","filed":null,"decided":"2025-11-14","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 14 November 2025 BHP was found strictly liable as a \"polluter\" under Brazilian environmental law and, in the alternative, liable for fault; the court found the risk of collapse of the dam was foreseeable. Damages were not yet set; a hearing was listed for October 2026.","src":13},{"title":"BHP application for permission to appeal","forum":"Court of Appeal of England and Wales ([2026] EWCA Civ 502)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"BHP Group","defendant":"Município de Mariana and other claimants","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Permission to appeal was reported refused in January 2026 and on 6 May 2026; a damages hearing was listed for October 2026.","src":16},{"title":"Mariana reparation agreement","forum":"Brazilian federal and state authorities; approved by the Supreme Federal Court (STF)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Brazilian federal and state public authorities","defendant":"Samarco, Vale, BHP","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":170000,"currency":"BRL","label":"settlement (R$ million, 100% basis)"},"summary":"Signed on 25 October 2024 and approved on 6 November 2024: R$38bn already spent, R$100bn over 20 years and about R$32bn of Samarco obligations; the Renova Foundation was to be extinguished, with Samarco taking over its programmes over 12 months. Renova itself had been set up under a 2016 settlement.","src":7},{"title":"US class action over Samarco","forum":"US court (not named in the sources)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Class members","defendant":"BHP","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":50,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement (US$ million)"},"summary":"Settled for US$50m in BHP's financial year 2019, mostly covered by insurance, according to BHP.","src":29},{"title":"Australian class action over Samarco","forum":"Australian court (not named in the sources)","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Class members","defendant":"BHP","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":110,"currency":"AUD","label":"settlement (A$ million; US$74m)"},"summary":"BHP paid A$110m (US$74m) to settle in FY2026 and received US$64m from external insurers.","src":5}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"ACE (now Chubb) lead with 80%; Fairfax and Mapfre in the pool; broker Willis","insured":"Samarco","status":"unknown","year":2015,"amount":{"value":600,"currency":"USD","label":"reported limit (US$90m property, US$510m business interruption; anonymous source)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Reuters reported the cover in November 2015, citing an anonymous source; Fairfax and Mapfre confirmed they were in the pool and Willis confirmed it was the broker. Samarco recognised no insurance receivable in its 2017 statements and, per BHP's FY2026 report, still had none; what these insurers paid is not disclosed.","src":1},{"insurer":"Allianz (civil liability)","insured":"Samarco","status":"unknown","year":2014,"amount":{"value":70,"currency":"BRL","label":"reported limit (about, June 2014 bond prospectus; R$ million)"},"reason":"Samarco's 2018 statements say sudden-pollution and dam cover were excluded from its current liability policy","summary":"Allianz wrote a separate civil-liability policy for the venture. No payout under it is recorded.","src":3},{"insurer":"Samarco D&O insurers","insured":"Samarco directors and officers","status":"partial","year":2018,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Samarco's 2018 statements record partial reimbursement of defence costs; amount not given.","src":3},{"insurer":"External liability insurers (not named)","insured":"BHP entities (Samarco-related claims)","status":"unknown","year":2016,"amount":{"value":360,"currency":"USD","label":"cover up to US$360m (BHP share), FY2016"},"reason":null,"summary":"Liability cover for Samarco-related claims against BHP entities was externally insured up to US$360m (BHP share) in FY2016.","src":30},{"insurer":"BHP's external insurers (not named)","insured":"BHP","status":"paid","year":2019,"amount":{"value":50,"currency":"USD","label":"insurance income, FY2019 (US$ million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"BHP booked US$50m of insurance income relating to the dam failure in FY2019; a US class action was settled for US$50m, mostly covered by insurance.","src":31},{"insurer":"BHP's external insurers (not named)","insured":"BHP","status":"paid","year":2020,"amount":{"value":489,"currency":"USD","label":"insurance-settlement income, FY2020 (US$ million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"BHP booked US$489m of insurance-settlement income in FY2020; the same report states Samarco had not recognised an insurance receivable.","src":20},{"insurer":"BHP's external general-liability insurers (not named)","insured":"BHP","status":"paid","year":2021,"amount":{"value":573,"currency":"USD","label":"other income from general-liability insurance proceeds, FY2021 (US$ million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"BHP booked the proceeds as other income and said recoveries were now considered complete; no source says insurance money went to Renova, the settlement or restoration.","src":4},{"insurer":"BHP's external insurers (not named)","insured":"BHP","status":"paid","year":2026,"amount":{"value":64,"currency":"USD","label":"received, FY2026 (US$ million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Received in FY2026 alongside BHP's A$110m Australian class-action settlement.","src":5},{"insurer":"Vale's general-liability insurers (not named)","insured":"Vale","status":"paid","year":2021,"amount":{"value":159,"currency":"USD","label":"received 2019–2021 (US$ million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"US$109m (2019), US$17m (2020) and US$33m (2021), booked under equity results; Vale expects no further material amounts.","src":32},{"insurer":"Providers of insurance bonds (not named)","insured":"Renova obligations","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":{"value":1300,"currency":"BRL","label":"insurance bonds (R$ million; guarantees, not payouts)"},"reason":null,"summary":"R$1.3bn of insurance bonds secured Renova obligations; a federal court released that requirement on 6 August 2025.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":19,"unit":"people","year":2015,"note":"IUCN."},{"key":"tailings_m3","value":39000000,"unit":"m³","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"IUCN; other sources 35–50 million m³."},{"key":"river_km","value":670,"unit":"km","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rio Doce to the Atlantic (IUCN)."},{"key":"settlement","value":170000,"unit":"BRL m","year":2024,"note":"Agreement signed 25 October 2024; of which R$38bn already spent and R$100bn over 20 years."},{"key":"settlement","value":31700,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"BHP conversion, 100% basis."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":38000,"unit":"BRL m","year":2024,"note":"Spent through Renova to September 2024 (company-reported)."},{"key":"payable_to_public_authorities","value":100000,"unit":"BRL m","year":2024,"note":"Over 20 years, to public authorities and communities."},{"key":"samarco_obligations","value":32000,"unit":"BRL m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Samarco performance obligations under the agreement."},{"key":"restoration_committed","value":725,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"BHP commitment to Renova programmes, plus US$40m working capital."},{"key":"insurance_bonds","value":1300,"unit":"BRL m","year":2025,"note":"Guarantees securing Renova obligations, not payouts; requirement released 6 August 2025."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"BHP insurance income, FY2019."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":489,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"BHP insurance-settlement income, FY2020."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":573,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"BHP other income from general-liability insurance proceeds, FY2021."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":64,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Received by BHP from external insurers, FY2026."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":1112,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Estimate: sum of BHP's FY2019–FY2021 insurance income (50 + 489 + 573)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":1176,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"Estimate: BHP, sum of US$50m, 489m, 573m and 64m."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":159,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Vale, 2019–2021 (109 + 17 + 33), booked under equity results."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":0,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Samarco: no receivable recognised."},{"key":"insurance_cover_reported","value":600,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"up to","unverified":true,"note":"Reported maximum payout under Samarco's property and business-interruption policy (US$90m property plus US$510m business interruption); anonymous source via Reuters."},{"key":"fine","value":7.2,"unit":"BRL m","year":2026,"note":"Samarco, TRF-6 criminal appeal, with a ten-year ban from public tenders."},{"key":"settlement","value":110,"unit":"AUD m","year":2026,"note":"BHP settlement of the Australian class action, FY2026 (US$74m)."},{"key":"settlement","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"BHP US class action, mostly covered by insurance."},{"key":"people_charged","value":22,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Plus four companies."},{"key":"years_to_settlement","value":9,"unit":"years","year":2024}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 5 November 2015 the Fundão tailings dam of Samarco, owned equally by Vale and BHP, collapsed near Mariana, Minas Gerais, killing 19 people and destroying the village of Bento Rodrigues. About 39 million m³ of tailings travelled about 670 km down the Rio Doce to the Atlantic.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BHP","what":"About US$1,176m booked as insurance income in FY2019–FY2021 and FY2026 (sum of US$50m, 489m, 573m and 64m)","src":4},{"who":"Vale","what":"US$159m of Samarco-related general-liability insurance receipts, 2019–2021, booked under equity results","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Samarco, Vale and BHP","what":"R$170bn settlement (about US$31.7bn): R$38bn already spent, R$100bn over 20 years to public authorities and communities, and about R$32bn of Samarco obligations","src":7},{"who":"Samarco","what":"Ten-year ban on public contracts and a R$7.2m fine (TRF-6, 2026)","src":33},{"who":"Three Samarco engineers","what":"Prison sentences of 7 years 3 months to 8 years 9 months (TRF-6, 2026)","src":33},{"who":"BHP","what":"A$110m (US$74m) to settle the Australian shareholder class action in FY2026, against US$64m received from insurers","src":5},{"who":"BHP","what":"US$50m to settle a US class action (2019), mostly covered by insurance","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"19 people killed","what":"Deaths in the collapse","src":0},{"who":"Bento Rodrigues","what":"Village destroyed","src":0},{"who":"Rio Doce","what":"About 39 million m³ of tailings carried about 670 km to the Atlantic (IUCN; other sources give 35–50 million m³)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Fundão dam near Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil; the village of Bento Rodrigues; the Rio Doce to the Atlantic coast. Litigated also in London, Australia and the United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Collapse on 5 November 2015; Renova set up in 2016; agreement signed 25 October 2024 and approved 6 November 2024; first-instance acquittal 14 November 2024. London liability ruling 14 November 2025; appeals court convictions 3 September 2026; London damages hearing October 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The English High Court found BHP strictly liable as a 'polluter' and, in the alternative, at fault, holding that the risk of collapse was foreseeable (as reported by the Law Gazette). In Brazil the court dropped the homicide counts in 2019, treating the deaths as caused by the flood rather than the dam, and in 2024 acquitted all defendants because individual acts were not proven.","src":13},"how":{"t":"From 2016 restoration ran through the Renova Foundation, funded by Samarco with Vale and BHP Brasil as secondary funders, which spent R$38bn by September 2024; prosecutors said it was not independent of the companies. The 2024 agreement extinguished Renova and spread R$100bn of new payments over 20 years, while BHP and Vale booked their insurance proceeds as income.","src":7},"ratio":{"t":"Of the R$170bn settlement, R$38bn (about 22%, estimate) had already been spent when it was signed; R$100bn is paid over 20 years.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Mariana dam disaster: IUCN statement","p":"IUCN","d":null,"type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://iucn.org/node/41769"},{"t":"Samarco insurance: ACE lead underwriter (Reuters, via Insurance Journal)","p":"Insurance Journal (Reuters)","d":"2015-11-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2015/11/11/388210.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251030173619/https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2015/11/11/388210.htm"},{"t":"Samarco financial statements 2017","p":"Samarco","d":"2017","type":"company","u":"https://www.samarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Demonstracoes-Financeiras.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240626124445/https://www.samarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Demonstracoes-Financeiras.pdf"},{"t":"Samarco financial statements 2018","p":"Samarco","d":"2018","type":"company","u":"https://www.samarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Samarco_Demonstracoes-Financeiras-2018-vf.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012060812/https://www.samarco.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Samarco_Demonstracoes-Financeiras-2018-vf.pdf"},{"t":"BHP Form 20-F FY2021","p":"BHP / SEC EDGAR","d":"2021","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312521277719/d170194d20f.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250505085816/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312521277719/d170194d20f.htm"},{"t":"BHP report for the year ended 30 June 2026 (SEC filing)","p":"BHP / SEC EDGAR","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312526354647/bhp-20260630.htm"},{"t":"BHP Form 20-F FY2025 (describes the 25 October 2024 settlement)","p":"BHP / SEC EDGAR","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312525185641/d941636d20f.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251113145234/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312525185641/d941636d20f.htm"},{"t":"Brazil agreement announcement","p":"BHP","d":"2024-10-25","type":"company","u":"https://www.bhp.com/-/media/project/bhp1ip/bhp-com-en/documents/news/2024/241025_brazilagreement_en.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250215231908/https://www.bhp.com/-/media/project/bhp1ip/bhp-com-en/documents/news/2024/241025_brazilagreement_en.pdf"},{"t":"Samarco update: Brazil settlement negotiations","p":"BHP","d":"2024-10","type":"company","u":"https://bhp.com/news/media-centre/releases/2024/10/samarco-update-brazil-settlement-negotiations","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311133540/https://www.bhp.com/news/media-centre/releases/2024/10/samarco-update-brazil-settlement-negotiations"},{"t":"Vale Form 6-K on the Mariana agreement","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2024-10-18","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000129281424003801/vale20241018_6k.htm"},{"t":"Novo acordo de Mariana: poder público responsabiliza mineradoras e reparação chegará a R$ 170 bilhões","p":"Agência Minas (Government of Minas Gerais)","d":"2024-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.agenciaminas.mg.gov.br/noticia/novo-acordo-de-mariana-poder-publico-responsabiliza-mineradoras-e-reparacao-de-prejuizos-causados-por-rompimento-de-barragem-chegara-a-r-170-bilhoes-124010"},{"t":"Acordo Mariana assinado prevê 170 bi reparação","p":"Diário do Comércio","d":"2024-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://diariodocomercio.com.br/legislacao/acordo-mariana-assinado-preve-170-bi-reparacao/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241203122039/https://diariodocomercio.com.br/legislacao/acordo-mariana-assinado-preve-170-bi-reparacao/"},{"t":"Caso Samarco: negociação para repactuar reparação esfria em 2023","p":"Exame","d":"2023-12","type":"press","u":"https://exame.com/brasil/caso-samarco-negociacao-para-repactuar-reparacao-esfria-em-2023/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217183738/https://exame.com/brasil/caso-samarco-negociacao-para-repactuar-reparacao-esfria-em-2023/"},{"t":"Município de Mariana v BHP Group [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)","p":"Courts and Tribunals Judiciary","d":"2025-11-14","type":"court","u":"https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/municipio-de-mariana-v-bhp-group-2/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510043354/https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/municipio-de-mariana-v-bhp-group-2/"},{"t":"BHP strictly liable for Brazil dam collapse pollution","p":"Law Gazette","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/bhp-strictly-liable-for-brazil-dam-collapse-pollution/5125109.article","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251126111853/https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/bhp-strictly-liable-for-brazil-dam-collapse-pollution/5125109.article"},{"t":"BHP liable for 2015 Brazil dam collapse, UK court rules in mammoth lawsuit","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2025-11-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/bhp-liable-for-2015-brazil-dam-collapse-uk-court-rules-in-mammoth-lawsuit-2025-11-14","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251114133552/https://www.miningweekly.com/article/bhp-liable-for-2015-brazil-dam-collapse-uk-court-rules-in-mammoth-lawsuit-2025-11-14"},{"t":"BHP can't appeal UK judgment over 2015 Brazil dam collapse","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2026-05-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/bhp-cant-appeal-uk-judgment-over-2015-brazil-dam-collapse-2026-05-06","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260507141631/https://www.miningweekly.com/article/bhp-cant-appeal-uk-judgment-over-2015-brazil-dam-collapse-2026-05-06"},{"t":"UK court denies BHP appeal permission over Mariana dam liability","p":"Mining Reporters","d":"2026-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningreporters.com/noticia/news/2026/01/uk-court-denies-bhp-appeal-permission-mariana-dam-liability","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514082148/https://www.miningreporters.com/noticia/news/2026/01/uk-court-denies-bhp-appeal-permission-mariana-dam-liability"},{"t":"High Court finds in favour of victims of the Mariana dam disaster (law-firm commentary)","p":"King & Spalding","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.kslaw.com/insights/articles/high-court-finds-in-favour-of-victims-of-the-mariana-dam-disaster"},{"t":"Unprecedented criminal conviction in the Mariana disaster case breaks mining industry's cycle of impunity","p":"Both ENDS","d":"2026-09-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bothends.org/en/Whats-new/News/Unprecedented-criminal-conviction-in-the-Mariana-disaster-case-breaks-mining-industrys-cycle-of-impunity/"},{"t":"BHP Annual Report 2020, p. 189","p":"BHP","d":"2020","type":"company","u":"https://content.bhp.com/annual-report-2020/files/basic-html/page189.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134146/https://content.bhp.com/annual-report-2020/files/basic-html/page189.html"},{"t":"Report on the Mariana criminal case (Conjur)","p":"Conjur","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.conjur.com.br/?p=825920"},{"t":"Barragem da Samarco em Mariana já tinha falhas há quatro anos","p":"Bahia Notícias (Estadão)","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.bahianoticias.com.br/estadao/noticia/111676-barragem-da-samarco-em-mariana-ja-tinha-falhas-ha-quatro-anos"},{"t":"Lula assina acordo de reparação dos danos de Mariana","p":"Poder360","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-governo/lula-assina-acordo-de-reparacao-dos-danos-de-mariana/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212094934/https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-governo/lula-assina-acordo-de-reparacao-dos-danos-de-mariana/"},{"t":"Presidente do STF homologa acordo de R$ 170 bi por rompimento de barragem em Mariana","p":"InfoMoney (Reuters)","d":"2024-11-06","u":"https://www.infomoney.com.br/mercados/presidente-do-stf-homologa-acordo-de-r-170-bi-por-rompimento-de-barragem-em-mariana/amp/","type":"press"},{"t":"Raposa no galinheiro (Renova staff and board)","p":"Agência Pública","d":"2018-09-05","u":"https://apublica.org/2018/09/raposa-no-galinheiro/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Global environmentalist Yolanda Kakabadse to Chair IUCN independent scientific panel on Brazil's Rio Doce watershed","p":"IUCN","d":"2017-06-22","u":"https://www.iucn.org/fr/node/15585","type":"ngo"},{"t":"MP em Minas abre inquérito para apurar violações de acordos com vítimas em Mariana","p":"Jovem Pan","d":"2020-02-18","u":"https://jovempan.com.br/brasil/mp-minas-abre-inquerito-violacoes-acordos-vitimas-mariana/","type":"press"},{"t":"Two killed after dams burst at Brazil iron mine, many missing","p":"Reuters (via International Rivers Resource Hub)","d":"2015-11-06","u":"https://riverresourcehub.org/?p=16078","type":"press"},{"t":"BHP Billiton Form 20-F for the year ended 30 June 2018 (Samarco legal proceedings and insurance)","p":"BHP / SEC EDGAR","d":"2018","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000811809/000119312518275568/d603229d20f.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"BHP Billiton results for the year ended 30 June 2016 (Form 6-K)","p":"BHP / SEC EDGAR","d":"2016","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000811809/000119312516683382/d229247d6k.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"BHP results for the year ended 30 June 2019 (Form 6-K)","p":"BHP / SEC EDGAR","d":"2019","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312519224744/d764197d6k.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"Vale Form 20-F FY2021 (Samarco insurance receipts)","p":"Vale / SEC EDGAR","d":"2022","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000110465922046078/vale-20211231x20f.htm","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230311142247/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/917851/000110465922046078/vale-20211231x20f.htm"},{"t":"TRF6 condena Samarco e três ex-gerentes por rompimento de barragem em Mariana (MG)","p":"Ministério Público Federal (PRR6)","d":"2026-09-04","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/prr6/noticias/trf6-condena-samarco-e-tres-ex-gerentes-por-rompimento-de-barragem-em-mariana-mg","type":"prosecutor"}],"episodes":[],"related":["renova-foundation"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is BHP liable for the collapse, and was it foreseeable?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"BHP insurance income (FY2019–FY2021, FY2026) — US$1,176m (USD; sum of 50 + 489 + 573 + 64), not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Vale Samarco-related insurance receipts (2019–2021) — US$159m (USD), not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Samarco and owners' profits from the mine — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is criminally responsible for the collapse and the 19 deaths?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the conditions for renewing the dam's licence met?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Renova independent of the mining companies?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much of the R$170bn is new money, and where did the R$38bn go?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did insurance cover Samarco's losses?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"ACE (now Chubb) lead with 80%; Fairfax and Mapfre in the pool; broker Willis: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Allianz (civil liability): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"External liability insurers (not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Providers of insurance bonds (not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance cover reported: Reported maximum payout under Samarco's property and business-interruption policy (US$90m property plus US$510m business interruption); anonymous source via Reuters.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What Samarco's own insurers (ACE/Chubb, Fairfax, Mapfre, Allianz) paid: Samarco recognised no insurance receivable (as of BHP's FY2026 report), and the policy figures come from an anonymous source quoted by Reuters in 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether insurance proceeds funded Renova, the settlement or restoration: no source states they did; BHP and Vale booked their receipts as other income or equity results.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Where the R$38bn spent through Renova went: the press questions it. Unconfirmed: President Lula is reported to have said nobody knows (original source not identified).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Damages in the English case have not been set; a hearing was listed for October 2026. The number of claimants: one 2024 report gives about 620,000 and other reports more than 700,000.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Court of Appeal decision [2026] EWCA Civ 502 (6 May 2026) was not read in its own text; the refusal of permission to appeal, also reported for January 2026, is as reported by Mining Weekly and Mining Reporters.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether prosecutors will appeal the 3 September 2026 TRF-6 ruling (reported as under consideration), whether the convicted engineers will appeal, and whether the sentences are final.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Completion of Renova's dissolution is not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that construction of the dam began in 2007 before an executive project was submitted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Vale US$25m settlement of a Samarco-related US class action; the court, date and claimants are not given, and whether insurance funded it is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Samarco's, Vale's and BHP's earnings from the mine before the collapse are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: Vale"]},{"id":"norilsk-diesel-spill","title":"Norilsk diesel spill","dek":"About 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a fuel tank at a Nornickel power plant in the Russian Arctic in May 2020. A court awarded RUB 146.2 billion in damages, which the company paid in full.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":69.35,"lon":88.2,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (Taymyr)","lat":69.35,"lon":88.2,"role":"origin"}],"start":2020,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2020-05-29","instrument":"fuel-spill","types":["fuel-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Court award vs Nornickel 2021 net profit","value":"≈ 28%","note":"RUB 146.2bn (US$1.98bn) against US$6.97bn. About 54% of 2020 net profit."},"happened":["On 29 May 2020 about 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a tank at Heat and Power Plant No. 3 in Norilsk, run by the Nornickel subsidiary NTEK. A reported split, via secondary sources, was about 15,000 tonnes into the Ambarnaya and Daldykan rivers and about 6,000 tonnes into soil. Lakes and rivers were polluted up to 30 km away.","President Putin declared a federal emergency on 3 June 2020. Nornickel attributed the leak to the \"sudden sinking of support posts based in permafrost\"; regulators cited faults in construction and maintenance.","The environmental regulator Rosprirodnadzor claimed RUB 147.78bn; Nornickel argued for about RUB 21.4bn. On 5 February 2021 the Krasnoyarsk Arbitration Court awarded RUB 146.2bn (US$1,979m). Nornickel paid on 10 March 2021 and did not appeal. About RUB 145.49bn went to the federal budget; the soil-damage part went to Norilsk.","The former mayor of Norilsk was convicted of negligence in October 2020 for not acting for two days. On 15 August 2023 the Norilsk City Court found the plant director and three managers guilty of industrial-safety and environmental violations; it released them from punishment under the industrial-safety article because the statute of limitations had expired and sentenced them to between one and one and a half years of corrective labour (Mediazona). No one was imprisoned.","Nornickel's 2020 net profit was US$3,634m after a US$2,242m environmental provision; in 2021 it was US$6,974m. The company said its property insurance would cover only direct damage to the tanks, about US$30m, and not the cost of eliminating the pollution."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Tank leaks (29 May); federal emergency (3 Jun); investor call on insurance (9 Jun); damages claim of RUB 147.78bn (10 Sep); former mayor convicted (19 Oct)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Court awards RUB 146.2bn (5 Feb); paid in full (10 Mar)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Cases against a dispatcher and a Rostekhnadzor inspector dismissed as time-barred (reported 19 Nov)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Norilsk City Court finds plant director and three managers guilty; released from punishment under one article as time-barred, sentenced to 1–1.5 years of corrective labour (15 Aug)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"For the first time in the history of Russia, we loudly declare: ecology is everyone's business! And the polluter will pay!","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor (translated)","when":"February 2021","src":2},{"q":"sudden sinking of support posts based in permafrost","who":"Nornickel annual report","when":"2020","src":0},{"q":"Only direct damage to property will be covered by insurance","who":"Nornickel executive on an investor call, as reported by 1prime.ru (translated)","when":"9 June 2020","src":6}],"shown":["\"Nornickel Fined Record $2Bln for Arctic Oil Disaster\" (Moscow Times headline)","\"Record\" fine: media wording, not attributed to an official","The leak attributed to sinking permafrost supports"],"recorded":["Award ≈ 54% of 2020 and ≈ 28% of 2021 net profit (estimate)","Award went mainly to the federal budget; no source traces it to restoration","Insurance: property damage only, about US$30m; \"insurance does not cover the costs of eliminating environmental pollution\" (translated)","Four plant managers found guilty and released; no one imprisoned","2020 sales: 221,000 t of nickel and 2.6 million oz of palladium"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Restoration spending funded by the award","amount":null,"note":"About RUB 145.49bn went to the federal budget and the soil-damage part to Norilsk; no source traces it to restoration."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Net profit, 2020 (after US$2,242m environmental provision)","amount":3634,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Net profit, 2021","amount":6974,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Revenue, 2020","amount":15545,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Revenue, 2021","amount":17852,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Property insurance for the tanks","amount":30,"qualifier":"about","window":"2020","note":"Whether received is contradictory between sources."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"Twenty-one thousand tonnes of diesel entered my rivers. The award went to the federal budget; the sources do not say how much came back to the rivers.","outcomes":[{"k":"Award paid","v":"RUB 146.2bn","d":"About US$1.98bn; paid in full, not appealed"},{"k":"Spread","v":"up to 30 km","d":"Lakes and rivers polluted"},{"k":"Prison sentences","v":"0","d":"Managers released under the statute of limitations"}]},"unknown":["Whether the ~US$30m property insurance was received: 1prime.ru reported it as planned, pnp.ru/TASS as paid. The insurer is not on record.","Whether the diesel reached Lake Pyasino: the governor said it did; Rosprirodnadzor's head said it did not.","The 15,000 t river / 6,000 t soil split and the regulator's construction-fault findings come from secondary sources.","Any appeal outcome for the four plant managers.","How the award money was spent; tax treatment of the payment."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The leak was a single event on 29 May 2020; a federal emergency was declared five days later.","whoPaid":"The rivers and soil around Norilsk. NTEK paid the award from its own funds, mainly to the federal budget; insurance covered property damage only.","actors":[{"id":"nornickel","role":"Parent company"},{"id":"ntek","role":"Plant operator; paid the award"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Environmental regulator; claimant"},{"id":"krasnoyarsk-arbitration-court","role":"Awarded RUB 146.2bn"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Declared federal emergency; federal budget received the award"}],"sources":[{"t":"Annual report 2020: financial performance","p":"Nornickel","d":"2021","type":"company","u":"https://ar2020.nornickel.ru/en/business-overview/financial-performance.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605225024/https://ar2020.nornickel.ru/en/business-overview/financial-performance.html"},{"t":"Annual report 2021: financial performance","p":"Nornickel","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://ar2021.nornickel.ru/en/business-overview/financial-performance.html"},{"t":"Nornickel Fined Record $2Bln for Arctic Oil Disaster","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2021-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/2021/02/05/nornickel-fined-record-2bln-for-arctic-oil-disaster-a72846","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921154309/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2021/02/05/nornickel-fined-record-2bln-for-arctic-oil-disaster-a72846"},{"t":"Nornickel pays record fine for May 2020 oil spill in the Russian Arctic","p":"Meduza (Interfax)","d":"2021-03-10","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2021/03/10/nornickel-pays-record-fine-for-may-2020-oil-spill-in-the-russian-arctic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211034344/https://meduza.io/en/news/2021/03/10/nornickel-pays-record-fine-for-may-2020-oil-spill-in-the-russian-arctic"},{"t":"Russian court fines Nornickel $1.96 billion over massive Arctic fuel spill","p":"Meduza","d":"2021-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2021/02/05/russian-court-fines-nornickel-1-96-billion-over-massive-arctic-fuel-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250420000152/https://meduza.io/en/news/2021/02/05/russian-court-fines-nornickel-1-96-billion-over-massive-arctic-fuel-spill"},{"t":"Russian oil spill reaches pristine Arctic lake","p":"Yale Environment 360","d":"2020-06","type":"press","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/digest/russian-oil-spill-reaches-pristine-arctic-lake","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260122222456/https://e360.yale.edu/digest/russian-oil-spill-reaches-pristine-arctic-lake"},{"t":"Nornickel investor call on insurance","p":"1prime.ru","d":"2020-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://1prime.ru/20200609/831601005.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260110110002/https://1prime.ru/20200609/831601005.html"},{"t":"Nornickel on how the Norilsk emergency affects dividends (TASS)","p":"Parlamentskaya Gazeta (pnp.ru)","d":"2020-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.pnp.ru/economics/v-nornikele-rasskazali-kak-chp-pod-norilskom-skazhetsya-na-dividendakh-dlya-akcionerov.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220427224505/https://www.pnp.ru/economics/v-nornikele-rasskazali-kak-chp-pod-norilskom-skazhetsya-na-dividendakh-dlya-akcionerov.html"},{"t":"Norilsk plant managers verdict","p":"Mediazona","d":"2023-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://zona.media/news/2023/08/15/norilsk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004134301/https://zona.media/news/2023/08/15/norilsk"},{"t":"Still cleaning up after one of the biggest-ever Arctic spills","p":"The Barents Observer","d":"2022-11-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/news/still-cleaning-up-after-one-of-the-biggest-ever-arctic-spills/228347"},{"t":"Former Norilsk mayor convicted","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-10-19","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/70159/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201023142529/https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/70159/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor v. NTEK (environmental damages)","forum":"Krasnoyarsk Territory Arbitration Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources)","defendant":"NTEK (Nornickel subsidiary)","filed":2020,"decided":2021,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":146200,"currency":"RUB","label":"paid"},"summary":"Claim of RUB 147.78bn filed 10 September 2020; the court awarded RUB 146.2bn on 5 February 2021, paid on 10 March 2021 without appeal; the reports describe no fault finding, only a dispute over how damage was calculated.","src":2},{"title":"Criminal case against plant managers","forum":"Norilsk City Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee / prosecutors","defendant":"Plant director Pavel Smirnov, chief engineer Aleksei Stepanov, deputy chief engineer Yuri Kuznetsov, boiler-turbine shop head Vyacheslav Starostin","filed":2020,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 15 August 2023 all four were found guilty under Art. 217(1) (industrial-safety violations causing major damage through negligence) and Art. 246 (environmental violations during work). They were released from punishment under Art. 217(1) because the limitation period had expired, and sentenced to corrective labour: one and a half years for Smirnov and Stepanov, one year and three months for Starostin, and one year for Kuznetsov.","src":8},{"title":"Criminal case against the former mayor of Norilsk","forum":"Norilsk City Court or Krasnoyarsk Territory court (sources differ)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Rinat Akhmetchin, former mayor","filed":2020,"decided":2020,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Convicted on 19 October 2020 of negligence (Art. 293(1)) for not acting for two days; six months of corrective labour with 15% of wages withheld.","src":10},{"title":"Criminal case against an emergency dispatcher","forum":"Russian court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Vyacheslav Ivashchenko, emergency dispatcher","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Sentenced to six months of corrective labour with a 10% deduction; date not given in the sources.","src":9},{"title":"Criminal cases against a dispatcher and a Rostekhnadzor inspector","forum":"Russian court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Denis Kulaev (dispatcher); Elena Novozhilova (Rostekhnadzor inspector)","filed":null,"decided":2022,"status":"time-barred","amount":null,"summary":"Dismissed when the statute of limitations expired, as reported on 19 November 2022.","src":9}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Property insurer of the fuel tanks (name: none on record)","insured":"Nornickel / NTEK","status":"partial","year":2020,"amount":{"value":30,"currency":"USD","label":"expected property payout (about)"},"reason":"Insurance does not cover the costs of eliminating environmental pollution (company statement, translated)","summary":"On a June 2020 investor call the company said only direct property damage was covered; one report calls the payout planned, another says it was paid, and the 2020 annual report mentions no recovery.","src":6},{"insurer":"None","insured":"NTEK","status":"uninsured","year":2021,"amount":{"value":146200,"currency":"RUB","label":"damages paid by the company"},"reason":"Environmental clean-up costs outside the property policy","summary":"The RUB 146.2bn award was paid by Nornickel itself; no insurer role was found.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":21000,"unit":"tonnes (diesel)","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported split: about 15,000 t to rivers, 6,000 t to soil (secondary)."},{"key":"river_km","value":30,"unit":"km","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Distance to which lakes and rivers were polluted."},{"key":"damages_claimed","value":147780,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020},{"key":"company_estimate","value":21400,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Damage figure argued by Nornickel."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":146200,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Paid 10 March 2021."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":1979,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Nornickel's conversion."},{"key":"provision","value":2242,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Environmental provision."},{"key":"profit","value":3634,"unit":"USD m","year":2020},{"key":"profit","value":6974,"unit":"USD m","year":2021},{"key":"revenue","value":15545,"unit":"USD m","year":2020},{"key":"revenue","value":17852,"unit":"USD m","year":2021},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Property only; receipt contradictory."},{"key":"nickel_sold","value":221,"unit":"kt","year":2020},{"key":"palladium_sold","value":2634,"unit":"koz","year":2020}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 29 May 2020 about 21,000 tonnes of diesel leaked from a fuel tank at Heat and Power Plant No. 3 in Norilsk, run by the Nornickel subsidiary NTEK, polluting rivers, lakes and soil up to 30 km away. A court awarded RUB 146.2bn in damages, which the company paid in full.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Russian federal budget","what":"About RUB 145.49bn of the award","src":3},{"who":"Municipality of Norilsk","what":"The soil-damage part of the award, about RUB 0.7bn (estimate: remainder of RUB 146.2bn)","src":3},{"who":"Nornickel / NTEK","what":"Property insurance for the tanks of about US$30m; one report says it was paid, another that it was planned","src":6},{"who":"Nornickel","what":"Net profit of US$6,974m in 2021, the year it paid the award (company-wide)","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"NTEK (Nornickel)","what":"Paid RUB 146.2bn (US$1,979m) on 10 March 2021; Nornickel had booked a US$2,242m environmental provision in 2020","src":0},{"who":"Rinat Akhmetchin, former mayor of Norilsk","what":"Six months of corrective labour with 15% of wages withheld, for negligence in not acting for two days","src":10}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ambarnaya and Daldykan rivers","what":"About 15,000 t of diesel (reported split, via secondary sources)","src":null},{"who":"Soil around the plant","what":"About 6,000 t of diesel (reported split, via secondary sources)","src":null},{"who":"Lakes and rivers around Norilsk","what":"Polluted up to 30 km from the plant","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Heat and Power Plant No. 3 (TPP-3), Norilsk, Taymyr, Krasnoyarsk Krai, in the Russian Arctic; the Ambarnaya and Daldykan rivers and surrounding soil.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Leak on 29 May 2020; federal emergency on 3 June 2020; claim filed 10 September 2020; award on 5 February 2021, paid 10 March 2021. Plant managers' verdict reported 15 August 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Nornickel attributed the leak to the 'sudden sinking of support posts based in permafrost'; regulators cited faults in construction and maintenance, according to secondary sources. In 2023 the Norilsk City Court found the plant director and three managers guilty of industrial-safety and environmental violations; it released them from punishment under the industrial-safety article as time-barred and sentenced them to corrective labour.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor claimed RUB 147.78bn against Nornickel's own damage figure of about RUB 21.4bn; the court awarded RUB 146.2bn, which NTEK paid without appeal, mainly to the federal budget. Nornickel said its insurance covered only direct damage to the tanks, not the cost of cleaning up the pollution.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"The award equalled about 54% of Nornickel's 2020 net profit and about 28% of its 2021 net profit (estimate).","src":1}},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Restoration spending funded by the award — About RUB 145.49bn went to the federal budget and the soil-damage part to Norilsk; no source traces it to restoration.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the ~US$30m property insurance was received: 1prime.ru reported it as planned, pnp.ru/TASS as paid. The insurer is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the diesel reached Lake Pyasino: the governor said it did; Rosprirodnadzor's head said it did not.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 15,000 t river / 6,000 t soil split and the regulator's construction-fault findings come from secondary sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Any appeal outcome for the four plant managers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the award money was spent; tax treatment of the payment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who harmed: Ambarnaya and Daldykan rivers","No source link — Who harmed: Soil around the plant","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"dupont-pfoa-c8","title":"DuPont PFOA (C8) at Washington Works, Parkersburg, and the Tennant farm","dek":"DuPont used PFOA to make Teflon at its West Virginia plant for more than 50 years, and drinking water in six districts was contaminated. Penalties and settlements followed from 2004 to 2025, including a 2005 US EPA penalty for failing to report risk information.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.27,"lon":-81.67,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"West Virginia","lat":39.27,"lon":-81.67,"role":"event","note":"Washington Works, near Parkersburg"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","role":"affected","note":"Little Hocking and other water districts"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","role":"affected","note":"2025 state settlement"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"}],"start":1981,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2005-12-14","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"2005 EPA penalty vs DuPont's 2005 net income","value":"≈ 1.8 days","note":"$10.25m against about $5.6m of net income per day. Estimate."},"happened":["DuPont used PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid, known inside the company as C8) as a processing aid for Teflon fluoropolymers at its Washington Works plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia. DuPont's annual report on Form 10-K said it had bought PFOA from a third party for more than 50 years and began making it itself in 2002. In February 2007 it committed to stop making, using or buying PFOA by 2015. In 2019 the plant had 608 full-time employees and 432 contract workers. This was a continuing activity, not an accident.","According to the record, in 1981 two of the eight women working on the plant's Teflon line had children with birth defects, and DuPont did not report this to the government for 22 years; it argued that the defects could not be linked to C8 and did not run a monitoring study among its workers. In 1984 DuPont measured C8 in the drinking water of Little Hocking, Ohio, across the river from the plant, in a test that was not made public; it reported the result to regulators in 2002. The Tennant family sold 66 acres to DuPont in the early 1980s; the land became the Dry Run Landfill and its creek ran into the family's pasture. The family's farmer said he lost 153 animals; a passage from the book of the family's lawyer, Rob Bilott, says at least 100 calves and more than 50 cows died in two years and that tumours were seen in the organs of deer. Bilott sued in 1999. A joint review panel of six veterinarians, three chosen by DuPont and three by the EPA, attributed the deaths to poor care. After Bilott documented that PFOA had been dumped in the landfill, the case was settled; the date and amount were not found.","A class action filed in 2001 settled in 2004, covering about 80,000 residents who had drunk water with PFOA at or above 0.05 ppb for at least a year (another record says about 70,000 people). The settlement created an independent C8 Science Panel. The C8 Health Project screened 69,030 residents of six contaminated water districts in 2005–06, and the panel reported \"probable links\" to six diseases, including kidney and testicular cancer (the others: high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease and pregnancy-induced hypertension). Juries in 2015–2017 found negligence in one case and malice in two; in 2017 DuPont and Chemours settled about 3,550 cases for $670.7m (one source gives $671.7m).","On 14 December 2005 the US EPA announced a settlement with DuPont: a $10.25m civil penalty plus $6.25m in Supplemental Environmental Projects, $16.5m in total, for failing to report substantial-risk information obtained between 1981 and 2004, without admission of liability. Seven of the eight counts were under section 8(e) of the Toxic Substances Control Act; the eighth was under the waste law (RCRA). For 2005–2010 DuPont's annual reports said products representing about $1bn of revenue a year could be affected by PFOA regulation; its net income over those years totalled about $15bn. Drinking-water action levels for the area fell from 150 ppb in 2002 to 0.5 in 2006, 0.4 in 2009 and 70 ppt in 2016 or 2017.","In 2023 Chemours, DuPont and Corteva agreed a $1.185bn fund for US public water systems, and Ohio settled for $110m; in 2025 New Jersey settled for $875m over 25 years plus remediation funding. In April 2024 the EPA set binding limits of 4 ppt each for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water; in May 2025 it announced that it would extend the compliance date for these two from 2029 to 2031 and rescind four other limits, and it published the proposals on 20 May 2026. No final rule was found."],"timeline":[{"y":1981,"t":"Birth defects in two of eight children of Teflon-line workers; not reported for 22 years"},{"y":1984,"t":"DuPont measures C8 in Little Hocking drinking water; reported in 2002"},{"y":1999,"t":"Tennant family sues over cattle deaths near the Dry Run landfill"},{"y":2001,"t":"Leach class action filed for about 70,000–80,000 residents"},{"y":2002,"t":"DuPont begins making PFOA itself; EPA drinking-water action level 150 ppb"},{"y":2003,"t":""},{"y":2004,"t":"Leach settlement; EPA complaints filed (Jul, Dec)"},{"y":2005,"t":"EPA settlement: $10.25m penalty plus $6.25m in projects (14 Dec)"},{"y":2006,"t":"Action level cut to 0.5 ppb"},{"y":2007,"t":"DuPont commits to stop using PFOA by 2015 (Feb)"},{"y":2009,"t":"Action level 0.4 ppb"},{"y":2012,"t":"C8 Science Panel reports probable links between PFOA and six diseases (one record dates the findings to 2012; another to 2005–2013)"},{"y":2013,"t":"13 December: consent order redirects $1.5m of a $5m biodegradation project to university PFOA research"},{"y":2015,"t":"Bartlett verdict: negligence, $1.6m (7 Oct). The plant and most of the burden pass to Chemours"},{"y":2016,"t":"Freeman verdict: $5.1m plus $0.5m punitive, malice found (Jul); Vigneron $2m (Dec)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Vigneron $10.5m punitive (Jan); about 3,550 cases settled for $670.7m (13 Feb); action level 70 ppt"},{"y":2021,"t":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours agree to share pre-2015 PFAS costs up to $4bn (22 Jan)"},{"y":2022,"t":"5 December: Sixth Circuit affirms a $40m verdict (Abbott)"},{"y":2023,"t":"$1.185bn fund for US public water systems (2 Jun); Ohio settlement of $110m"},{"y":2024,"t":"Chemours settles with one insurer for $45m (Jul). 10 April: EPA sets binding 4 ppt limits for PFOA and PFOS"},{"y":2025,"t":"New Jersey settlement: $875m over 25 years (Aug); Chemours assigns PFAS insurance rights for $150m. May: EPA announces it will extend the PFOA/PFOS compliance date from 2029 to 2031 and rescind four other limits"},{"y":2026,"t":"20 May: EPA publishes the proposals; no final rule found"}],"said":[{"q":"EPA Settles PFOA Case Against DuPont for Largest Environmental Administrative Penalty in Agency History.","who":"US EPA, press release title","when":"14 December 2005","src":0},{"q":"This is the largest civil administrative penalty EPA has ever obtained under any environmental statute.","who":"Granta Nakayama, EPA Office of Enforcement","when":"December 2005","src":0},{"q":"Products currently manufactured by the company representing approximately $1 billion of [year] revenues could be affected","who":"DuPont annual reports (10-K), 2005–2010","when":"2006–2011","src":2},{"q":"$100 million to $200 million in annual profits at risk.","who":"DuPont executives' 1984 internal estimate of dropping PFOA, as cited from court documents by Chicago Booth Review","when":"1984","src":7},{"q":"EPA Fines DuPont $16.5M for Teflon Cover-Up","who":"HealthDay, headline","when":"15 December 2005","src":5},{"q":"DuPont settles lawsuits over Teflon-making chemical leak","who":"Reuters wire via The Edge Malaysia, headline","when":"13 February 2017","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"\"Largest Environmental Administrative Penalty in Agency History\"","who":"US EPA, press release, 14 December 2005","src":0},{"t":"\"EPA Fines DuPont $16.5M for Teflon Cover-Up\"","who":"HealthDay, headline, 15 December 2005","src":5},{"t":"\"Largest environmental settlement\" for a single state (New Jersey, 2025)","who":"No speaker named in the source","src":6},{"t":"Settlements were made without admission of liability (2005, 2017); the companies denied the allegations (2023).","who":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","src":3},{"t":"In February 2007 DuPont committed to stop making, using or buying PFOA by 2015.","who":"DuPont, annual report on Form 10-K","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The $10.25m penalty equalled about 1% of one year's PFOA-related revenue and about 1.8 days of 2005 net income (estimate).","src":2},{"t":"EPA 2005: the penalty was for failing to report information on substantial risk of injury to human health or the environment that DuPont obtained between 1981 and 2004, not for negligence; DuPont did not admit liability.","src":0},{"t":"The Environmental Working Group said existing rules allowed fines of up to $313m.","src":19},{"t":"\"About $1bn a year\" is revenue that could be affected by PFOA regulation, not profit. DuPont net income was $2,053m in 2005, $3,031m in 2010 and $3,474m in 2011; the 2005–2010 total was $14,985m.","src":2},{"t":"No reduction of the $10.25m penalty was found. A consent order of 13 December 2013 redirected $1.5m of a $5m biodegradation project to university PFOA research.","src":1},{"t":"Drinking-water action levels fell from 150 ppb (2002) to 70 ppt (2017).","src":1},{"t":"","src":23},{"t":"Jury verdicts in the individual cases: negligence, $1.6m (2015); malice, $5.6m (2016); a further $12.5m (2016–2017).","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Supplemental Environmental Projects (2005 EPA settlement)","amount":6.25,"window":"2005","note":"USD 1.5m of the $5m biodegradation project was redirected to university PFOA research in 2013. The $10.25m civil penalty is a payment for the reporting failures, not for environmental work."},{"label":"Fund for US public water systems (Chemours, DuPont, Corteva)","amount":1185,"window":"2023","note":"Shares: Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m."},{"label":"New Jersey settlement, cash","amount":875,"committed":true,"window":"2025–2050","note":"Paid over 25 years; present value about $500m. Plus up to $1.2bn remediation funding and a $475m reserve fund."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Revenue from products that could be affected by PFOA regulation, 2005–2010","amount":6000,"est":true,"qualifier":"about","window":"2005–2010","note":"6 years × about $1bn (10-K wording). Revenue, not profit; no figures before 2005."},{"label":"DuPont net income, 2005–2010","amount":14985,"window":"2005–2010"},{"label":"Annual profit at risk from dropping PFOA (1984 internal estimate)","amount":200,"qualifier":"up to","window":"per year","note":"$100–200m a year, per court documents cited by Chicago Booth Review."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":{"text":"The 2005 civil penalty ($10.25m) equalled about 1.8 days of DuPont's 2005 net income ($2,053m) and about 1% of one year's revenue of the products DuPont said PFOA rules could affect (about $1bn).","est":true},"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The chemical was released for decades as part of normal work. The record penalty equalled less than two days of one year's profit.","outcomes":[{"k":"People in the 2004 class","v":"about 80,000","d":"Drank water with PFOA ≥ 0.05 ppb for a year"},{"k":"Probable disease links","v":"6","d":"C8 Science Panel, 69,030 residents"},{"k":"Penalty vs 2005 net income","v":"≈ 1.8 days","d":"Estimate; $10.25m"},{"k":"Livestock lost near the Dry Run Landfill","v":"153 animals","d":"The family's farmer's account; a passage from his lawyer's book cites at least 100 calves and over 50 cows in two years"},{"k":"Drinking-water action level for the area","v":"150 ppb to 70 ppt","d":"2002 to 2016/2017, lowered in steps"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the plant released more than 1.7 million pounds of PFOA over 1951–2003 (632,468 to the river, 394,486 to unlined landfills, 686,233 to air), from a study commissioned by DuPont as described secondhand; and that Ohio's 2018 complaint alleges at least 500,000 pounds were released into the Ohio River between 1951 and 2013.","Production volumes of PFOA and Teflon: not found.","Records of the 2004 Leach settlement differ: about 70,000 people and $70m cash plus up to $235m of medical monitoring in one; about 80,000 residents who drank water at or above 0.05 ppb for at least a year, and $85m of expenditures plus $23m of attorneys' fees including a $70m cash payment, in DuPont's FY2004 10-K.","The 2017 settlement is given as $670.7m in most sources and as $671.7m in one; the number of cases is given as about 3,550 and as more than 3,500.","The loss at the farm is given as 153 animals by the farmer, at least 100 calves and more than 50 cows in a passage from his lawyer's book (107 calves and 56 cows in another entry), and 190 cattle in a film review.","The year of the 70 ppt drinking-water level is given as 2016 in one record and 2017 in another.","The date and amount of the settlement of the Tennant family's suit are not in the cited sources.","Chemours' 2019 claim that the 2015 spin-off gave it 19% of the business but two-thirds of environmental liabilities, and paid DuPont about $3.9–4bn in dividends (company claim, not independently verified); the dispute went to arbitration.","Unconfirmed: a 1961 internal DuPont memo on liver effects in rats, a 1970 classification of C8 as highly toxic, and a 1981 internal note saying no birth defect caused by C8 was known.","Final court approval of the 2025 New Jersey settlement and of the insurance MOU.","Identity of the insurer in Chemours' $45m settlement; outcome of four arbitration demands since April 2025.","Final status of the EPA proposals to extend the PFOA/PFOS compliance date and rescind four other limits: no final rule found.","No record was found of DuPont executives being tried personally, or of an outcome in the case brought by the family of a child born in January 1981 with birth defects.","Tax treatment of the penalty and settlements."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"DuPont committed in February 2007 to stop making, using or buying PFOA by 2015. The 2005 penalty concerned information it held from 1981 to 2004. The cited sources do not show an independent check that releases ended, and the plant and most of the burden passed to Chemours in 2015.","whoPaid":"Residents of six water districts in West Virginia and Ohio, about 80,000 of whom were in the 2004 class, and the Tennant family carried the health and livestock losses until the 2004 and 2017 settlements; water systems that must treat PFAS. Payments were shared with Chemours and Corteva. The 2005 EPA penalty equalled about 1.8 days of DuPont's 2005 net income (estimate).","actors":[{"id":"dupont","role":"Plant owner and PFOA user"},{"id":"chemours","role":"2015 spin-off; shares PFAS settlements"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Shares PFAS settlements"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; 2005 penalty"},{"id":"new-jersey-gov","role":"2025 settlement"},{"id":"c8-science-panel","role":"Independent panel created by the 2004 class settlement"},{"id":"weinberg-group","role":"Consultancy that advised DuPont on PFOA in 2003"}],"sources":[{"t":"EPA Settles PFOA Case Against DuPont for Largest Environmental Administrative Penalty in Agency History","p":"US EPA (archive)","d":"2005-12-14","type":"official","u":"https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/enforcement/reference-news-release-epa-settles-pfoa-case-against-dupont-largest-environmental_.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241205044017/https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/enforcement/reference-news-release-epa-settles-pfoa-case-against-dupont-largest-environmental_.html"},{"t":"E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company and Chemours Company PFOA settlements","p":"US EPA","d":"—","type":"official","u":"https://epa.gov/enforcement/ei-dupont-de-nemours-and-company-and-chemours-company-pfoa-settlements","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261007081148/https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/ei-dupont-de-nemours-and-company-and-chemours-company-pfoa-settlements"},{"t":"DuPont Form 10-K, FY2005","p":"DuPont / SEC EDGAR","d":"2006","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/30554/000104746906002614/a2167460z10-k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20140831075137/http://www.sec.gov:80/Archives/edgar/data/30554/000104746906002614/a2167460z10-k.htm"},{"t":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reach comprehensive PFAS settlement with US water systems","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-06-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728011033/https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html"},{"t":"DuPont settles lawsuits over Teflon-making chemical leak (Reuters)","p":"The Edge Malaysia","d":"2017-02-13","type":"press","u":"https://theedgemalaysia.com/article/dupont-settles-lawsuits-over-teflon-making-chemical-leak"},{"t":"EPA Fines DuPont $16.5M for Teflon Cover-Up","p":"HealthDay","d":"2005-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.healthday.com/health-news/public-health/epa-fines-dupont-16-5m-for-teflon-cover-up-529691.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240421074247/https://www.healthday.com/health-news/public-health/epa-fines-dupont-16-5m-for-teflon-cover-up-529691.html"},{"t":"New Jersey $2 billion settlement over PFAS","p":"WHYY","d":"2025-08","type":"press","u":"https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-2-billion-dollar-settlement-pfas/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260423034106/https://whyy.org/articles/new-jersey-2-billion-dollar-settlement-pfas/"},{"t":"When it makes sense to pollute, and how to change the equation","p":"Chicago Booth Review","d":"—","type":"academic","u":"https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/when-it-makes-sense-pollute-and-how-change-equation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618115705/https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/when-it-makes-sense-pollute-and-how-change-equation"},{"t":"DuPont loses $5 million Teflon verdict","p":"Douglas & London","d":"2016-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.dmlawfirm.com/dupont-loses-5-million-teflon-verdict","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230927023816/https://www.dmlawfirm.com/dupont-loses-5-million-teflon-verdict/"},{"t":"Vincent man wins $10.5M in C8 case","p":"The Marietta Times","d":"2017-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/01/vincent-man-wins-10-5m-in-c8-case/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930041606/https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/01/vincent-man-wins-10-5m-in-c8-case/"},{"t":"DuPont and Chemours end PFOA suits for $671 million","p":"CHEManager","d":"2017-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news/dupont-and-chemours-end-pfoa-suits-671-million"},{"t":"Chemours Form 10-K, FY2025","p":"Chemours / SEC EDGAR","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260224125019/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm"},{"t":"The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare (Nathaniel Rich, New York Times Magazine; copy hosted by East Carolina University)","p":"The New York Times Magazine","d":"2016-01-06","u":"https://news.ecu.edu/wp-content/pv-uploads/sites/80/2021/01/Bilott-R-Article-The-New-York-Times-1_20.pdf","type":"press"},{"t":"DuPont birth defects at Washington Works","p":"Medical News Today","d":"—","type":"press","u":"https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/4716","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260401135851/https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/4716"},{"t":"Little Hocking Water Association, Inc. v. E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Opinion & Order, Case No. 2:09-cv-1081 (Doc. 439)","p":"US District Court, Southern District of Ohio (via GovInfo)","d":"2015-03-10","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-ohsd-2_09-cv-01081/pdf/USCOURTS-ohsd-2_09-cv-01081-12.pdf","type":"court"},{"t":"Chemours Form 8-K on the New Jersey settlement","p":"Chemours / SEC EDGAR","d":"2025-08-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402215915/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm"},{"t":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours announce resolution of legacy PFAS claims","p":"DuPont","d":"2021-01-22","type":"company","u":"https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240526224930/https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx"},{"t":"Introduction of general liability PFAS endorsements","p":"PropertyCasualty360","d":"2022-12-21","type":"press","u":"https://propertycasualty360.com/fcs/2022/12/21/introduction-of-general-liability-pfas-endorsements","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251218062658/https://www.propertycasualty360.com/fcs/2022/12/21/introduction-of-general-liability-pfas-endorsements/"},{"t":"Insurers mandating PFAS exclusions at renewal (USI)","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/mag-features/2024/10/07/795731.htm"},{"t":"EPA finds DuPont guilty of withholding Teflon blood and water pollution studies","p":"Environmental Working Group","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.ewg.org/release/epa-finds-dupont-guilty-withholding-teflon-blood-and-water-pollution-studies"},{"t":"Science Friday article on DuPont and Rob Bilott's book on the exposure","p":"Science Friday","d":"2019-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/dupont-bilott-book-exposure/"},{"t":"EPA partially rolls back PFAS drinking water rule","p":"White & Case","d":"2025-05","type":"press","u":"https://whitecase.com/insight-alert/epa-partially-rolls-back-pfas-drinking-water-rule"},{"t":"EPA proposes rescinding PFAS national drinking water regulations","p":"BCLP","d":"2026-06-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.bclplaw.com/en-US/events-insights-news/epa-proposes-rescinding-pfas-national-drinking-water-regulations.html"},{"t":"Weinberg Group letter to DuPont (Jane Brooks) proposing a PFOA strategy, 29 April 2003 (copy from the EPA PFOA docket)","p":"Toxic Docs (Weinberg Group document)","d":"2003-04-29","u":"https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/YGQ1Bn35VOE5G7D4yMbeNRJ00","type":"company"},{"t":"Travis Abbott v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., 54 F.4th 912 (6th Cir. 5 Dec 2022)","p":"U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (via CourtListener)","d":"2022-12-05","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/9327646/travis-abbott-v-e-i-du-pont-de-nemours-co/","type":"court"},{"t":"DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva Reach Natural Resource Restoration Agreement with the State of Ohio","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-11-29","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/dupont-chemours-and-corteva-reach-natural-resource-restoration-agreement-with-the-state-of-ohio.html","type":"company"},{"t":"Tennant Farm Herd Health Investigation: Cattle Team Report, 23 Dec 1999 (six veterinarians: three selected by EPA, three by DuPont)","p":"Toxic Docs (EPA/DuPont record, Bates EID151682 ff.)","d":"1999-12-23","u":"https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/jxrGX96Z7vjx6o1a3obqM0k5","type":"official"},{"t":"DuPont Form 10-Q, quarter ended 31 March 2007 (PFOA class action: class of approx. 80,000; 0.05 ppb for at least one year)","p":"DuPont / SEC EDGAR","d":"2007-05","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000030554/000089322007001615/w34287e10vq.htm","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Tennant v. DuPont","forum":"US court (West Virginia; court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Tennant family (farmers)","defendant":"DuPont","filed":1999,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Filed by Rob Bilott over cattle deaths near the Dry Run Landfill. A joint panel of three DuPont-chosen and three EPA-chosen veterinarians attributed the deaths to poor care; after Bilott documented that PFOA had been dumped in the landfill, the case settled. Date and amount were not found.","src":12},{"title":"Leach v. DuPont (class action)","forum":"US court (West Virginia)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"About 70,000–80,000 residents of six water districts","defendant":"DuPont","filed":2001,"decided":2004,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":70,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement (cash)"},"summary":"Settled in 2004 for residents who drank water with PFOA at or above 0.05 ppb for a year; DuPont's 10-K describes $85m of expenditures plus $23m in fees including a $70m cash payment, and the settlement created the C8 Science Panel. The C8 Health Project screened 69,030 residents in 2005–06 and the panel reported probable links between PFOA and six diseases.","src":12},{"title":"EPA v. DuPont (TSCA 8(e) and RCRA)","forum":"US EPA; Environmental Appeals Board","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Environmental Protection Agency","defendant":"DuPont","filed":2004,"decided":2005,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":16.5,"currency":"USD","label":"fine"},"summary":"Complaints filed July and December 2004; eight counts, seven for failing to report substantial-risk information (human health, environmental contamination and animal toxicity studies) obtained 1981–2004 under TSCA section 8(e), and one under RCRA. Settled on 14 December 2005 for a $10.25m civil penalty plus $6.25m in Supplemental Environmental Projects without admission of liability. No reduction of the penalty was found; a supplemental project was amended in 2013.","src":0},{"title":"Bartlett v. DuPont (C8 MDL 2433)","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Bartlett (kidney cancer)","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1.6,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"On 7 October 2015 the jury found DuPont liable for negligence ($1.1m plus $0.5m for emotional distress); actual malice was not proven, so no punitive damages.","src":8},{"title":"Freeman v. DuPont (C8 MDL 2433)","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Freeman (testicular cancer)","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":5.6,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"$5.1m compensatory on 6 July 2016; the jury found malice and added $0.5m in punitive damages on 8 July.","src":8},{"title":"Vigneron v. DuPont (C8 MDL 2433)","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Vigneron (testicular cancer)","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":2017,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":12.5,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"On 13 February 2017 the companies settled all claims, decided and pending, split 50/50, without admission of liability; DuPont had said it would appeal the verdicts. One source gives the sum as $671.7m and the number of suits as more than 3,500.","src":9},{"title":"C8 MDL 2433 global settlement","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"About 3,550 personal-injury plaintiffs","defendant":"DuPont and Chemours","filed":null,"decided":2017,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":670.7,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"On 13 February 2017 the companies settled all claims, decided and pending, split 50/50, without admission of liability; DuPont had said it would appeal the verdicts.","src":10},{"title":"Abbott v. DuPont","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Abbott","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":2022,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":40,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded"},"summary":"A $40m verdict of 2020 was affirmed on 5 December 2022.","src":24},{"title":"US public water systems PFAS settlement","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"US public water systems","defendant":"Chemours, DuPont, Corteva","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":1185,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Agreed on 2 June 2023: Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m; the companies deny the allegations.","src":3},{"title":"State of Ohio PFAS settlement","forum":"Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of Ohio","defendant":"DuPont, Chemours, Corteva","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":110,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Settled in November/December 2023 for $110m, of which DuPont about $39m.","src":25},{"title":"State of New Jersey PFAS settlement","forum":"New Jersey","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of New Jersey","defendant":"Chemours, DuPont, Corteva","filed":null,"decided":2025,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":875,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Agreed in August 2025: $875m over 25 years (present value about $500m), remediation funding of up to $1.2bn and a $475m reserve; shares 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont, 14.5% Corteva; final approval not confirmed.","src":15}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None disclosed","insured":"DuPont and Chemours","status":"unknown","year":2017,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"The companies' 10-Ks mention no insurance for the $670.7m settlement.","src":11},{"insurer":"One insurance carrier (not named)","insured":"Chemours","status":"partial","year":2024,"amount":{"value":23,"currency":"USD","label":"received of a $45m settlement"},"reason":null,"summary":"Chemours reported a $45m settlement agreement with one carrier in July 2024, received about $23m and booked a $23m gain.","src":11},{"insurer":"Additional noticed PFAS insurance carriers","insured":"Chemours","status":"litigation","year":2025,"amount":{"value":750,"currency":"USD","label":"policy limits not yet paid"},"reason":null,"summary":"Since April 2025 Chemours has sent four demands for arbitration to carriers whose unpaid noticed policies have limits totalling $750m.","src":11},{"insurer":"PFAS insurance rights assigned under the New Jersey settlement","insured":"Chemours","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":{"value":150,"currency":"USD","label":"consideration for assigned rights"},"reason":null,"summary":"Under an August 2025 PFAS insurance MOU tied to the New Jersey settlement, Chemours assigned certain PFAS insurance rights for $150m of consideration.","src":11},{"insurer":"US liability insurers (ISO PFAS exclusion endorsements)","insured":"PFAS users, industry-wide","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"amount":null,"reason":"PFAS exclusion endorsements CG 40 32, CG 34 95 and CG 34 96 (05-23 edition)","summary":"Since 2023 standard policies carry PFAS exclusions, and most insurers require them at renewal.","src":17}],"metrics":[{"key":"people_water_affected","value":80000,"unit":"people","year":2004,"qualifier":"about","note":"Leach class: drank water with PFOA ≥ 0.05 ppb for a year."},{"key":"people_screened","value":69030,"unit":"people","year":2006,"note":"C8 Health Project, six water districts, 2005–06."},{"key":"water_districts","value":6,"unit":"districts","year":2006},{"key":"disease_links","value":6,"unit":"diseases","year":2013,"note":"C8 Science Panel \"probable links\"."},{"key":"fine","value":10.25,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"EPA civil penalty; plus $6.25m in projects."},{"key":"settlement","value":16.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"EPA total."},{"key":"settlement","value":70,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"note":"Leach class settlement, cash."},{"key":"settlement","value":670.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"About 3,550 cases; 50/50 DuPont and Chemours."},{"key":"settlement","value":1185,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"US public water systems; three companies."},{"key":"settlement","value":110,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Ohio."},{"key":"settlement","value":875,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"New Jersey, over 25 years; present value about $500m."},{"key":"revenue","value":1000,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2005,"qualifier":"about","note":"Products that could be affected by PFOA regulation, 2005–2010 (10-K)."},{"key":"profit","value":2053,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"DuPont net income (later restated 2,056)."},{"key":"profit","value":14985,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Sum of net income 2005–2010."},{"key":"fine_max_possible","value":313,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"qualifier":"up to","note":"EWG statement on fines allowed by existing rules."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":23,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Chemours, one carrier."},{"key":"years_unreported","value":22,"unit":"years","year":2003,"note":"1981 birth-defect information not reported to the government."},{"key":"sep_value","value":6.25,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Supplemental Environmental Projects under the same settlement (total with the penalty $16.5m)."},{"key":"livestock_lost","value":153,"unit":"animals","year":null,"note":"The family's farmer's account; other records give at least 100 calves and over 50 cows, and 190 cattle."},{"key":"area_acres","value":66,"unit":"acres","year":1982,"qualifier":"early 1980s","note":"Land the Tennant family sold to DuPont; became the Dry Run Landfill."},{"key":"workers_full_time","value":608,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Full-time employees at Washington Works."},{"key":"workers_contract","value":432,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Contract workers at Washington Works."},{"key":"pfoa_released_lb","value":1700000,"unit":"lb","year":2003,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: 632,468 lb to the river, 394,486 to unlined landfills, 686,233 to air; from a DuPont-commissioned study as described secondhand."}],"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The cited sources give accounts of livestock and wildlife losses beside the Dry Run Landfill and monitoring levels for PFOA in drinking water, rather than a measured ecological assessment.","report":[{"t":"In the early 1980s a family sold 66 acres beside me to DuPont. The land became the Dry Run Landfill, and my creek, Dry Run, ran from it into the family's pasture.","src":12},{"t":"The farmer said he lost 153 animals on that land. In a passage from his lawyer's book, at least 100 calves and more than 50 cows died in two years, and tumours were seen in the organs of deer.","src":20},{"t":"Six veterinarians, three chosen by DuPont and three by the EPA, put the deaths down to poor care. When the lawyer documented that PFOA had been dumped in the landfill, the case settled.","src":26},{"t":"In 1984 DuPont measured a high level of C8 in the drinking water of Little Hocking, Ohio, across the river from the plant. The company told the regulator in 2002.","src":14},{"t":"The action level for PFOA in the water near the plant was lowered from 150 ppb in 2002 to 0.5 in 2006, 0.4 in 2009 and 70 ppt in 2017.","src":1}]},"statusLine":"As of August 2026: the 2005 penalty stands with no reduction found; the personal-injury suits were settled in 2017; public-water-system, Ohio and New Jersey settlements were agreed in 2023 and 2025 (final approval of the New Jersey settlement not confirmed); federal limits on PFOA in drinking water are being revised with no final rule found.","updated":"2026-10-13","responses":[{"actor":"DuPont","says":"Did not admit liability in the December 2005 EPA settlement.","when":"December 2005","src":0},{"actor":"DuPont","says":"Said in its annual reports for 2005 to 2010 that products representing approximately $1 billion of revenues could be affected by PFOA regulation.","when":"2005–2010","src":2},{"actor":"DuPont","says":"Committed in February 2007 to stop making, using or buying PFOA by 2015.","when":"February 2007","src":null},{"actor":"DuPont","says":"Argued that the 1981 birth defects could not be linked to C8 and did not run a monitoring study among its workers.","when":"1981 onward","src":null},{"actor":"DuPont and Chemours","says":"Settled the personal-injury cases in 2017 without admission of liability; DuPont had said it would appeal the verdicts.","when":"2017-02-13","src":10},{"actor":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","says":"Agreed the $1.185bn public-water-systems settlement and denied the allegations.","when":"2023-06-02","src":3}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did DuPont withhold risk information from regulators?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US EPA","says":"Fined DuPont for failing to report, between 1981 and 2004, information on substantial risk of injury to human health or the environment (seven of eight counts under TSCA 8(e)).","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"DuPont","says":"Did not admit liability. In the case of the 1981 birth defects it argued they could not be linked to C8.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmental Working Group","says":"Described the EPA action as a finding that DuPont was guilty of withholding studies on Teflon-related blood and water pollution.","src":19}]},{"point":"What killed the livestock on the Tennant land?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Joint review of six veterinarians (three chosen by DuPont, three by the EPA)","says":"The report attributed the deaths to poor care.","src":26},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Rob Bilott, the family's lawyer","says":"Documented that PFOA had been dumped in the landfill; the case then settled.","src":12}]},{"point":"How many animals were lost?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"The family's farmer","says":"153 animals.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Rob Bilott's book","says":"At least 100 calves and more than 50 cows died in two years; tumours were seen in the organs of deer.","src":20},{"voice":"press","holder":"A film review","says":"A figure of 190 cattle, which does not match the farmer's own account.","src":null}]}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"For more than 50 years DuPont used PFOA (C8) to make Teflon at its Washington Works plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia, and drinking water in six water districts in West Virginia and Ohio was contaminated. It was a continuing activity, not an accident; penalties and settlements followed from 2004 to 2025.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DuPont","what":"Products representing about US$1bn of revenue a year that could be affected by PFOA regulation, 2005–2010 (10-K wording; revenue, not profit)","src":2},{"who":"DuPont","what":"In 1984 its executives estimated that dropping PFOA would put US$100–200m in annual profits at risk (internal estimate cited from court documents)","src":7},{"who":"Chemours","what":"About US$23m received from one insurer under a US$45m settlement (2024), and US$150m for PFAS insurance rights assigned under the 2025 New Jersey settlement","src":11}],"lost":[{"who":"DuPont","what":"US$10.25m civil penalty plus US$6.25m in environmental projects to the EPA (2005), without admission of liability","src":0},{"who":"DuPont","what":"US$19.7m awarded in three jury verdicts, 2015–2017","src":8},{"who":"DuPont and Chemours","what":"US$670.7m to settle about 3,550 personal-injury cases (2017), split 50/50, without admission of liability","src":10},{"who":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","what":"US$1.185bn fund for US public water systems (2023): Chemours about US$592m, DuPont about US$400m, Corteva about US$193m","src":3},{"who":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","what":"US$110m to the State of Ohio (2023), of which DuPont about US$39m","src":null},{"who":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","what":"US$875m to New Jersey over 25 years (present value about US$500m), plus up to US$1.2bn of remediation funding and a US$475m reserve (2025)","src":15}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 80,000 residents of six water districts in West Virginia and Ohio","what":"Drank water with PFOA at or above 0.05 ppb for at least a year (2004 class)","src":27},{"who":"69,030 residents screened by the C8 Health Project","what":"The C8 Science Panel reported 'probable links' to six diseases: high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer and pregnancy-induced hypertension","src":null},{"who":"Children of women on the Teflon line","what":"In 1981 two of eight women working on the line had children with birth defects; DuPont did not report this to the government for 22 years","src":13},{"who":"Three plaintiffs with kidney or testicular cancer","what":"Juries awarded US$1.6m, US$5.6m and US$12.5m, 2015–2017, finding negligence and malice","src":8},{"who":"Tennant family's cattle","what":"Cattle deaths near the Dry Run landfill led to a 1999 lawsuit, settled after PFOA disposal at the landfill was documented","src":12}]},"where":{"t":"Washington Works plant near Parkersburg, West Virginia; six water districts in West Virginia and Ohio, including Little Hocking, Ohio; the Dry Run landfill. Later settlements cover New Jersey, Ohio and US public water systems.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Birth-defect information in 1981; C8 measured in Little Hocking water in 1984 and reported in 2002; class settlement 2004; EPA penalty 14 December 2005; phase-out commitment February 2007, effective by 2015. Personal-injury settlement 13 February 2017; water-systems fund 2 June 2023; New Jersey settlement August 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"DuPont used PFOA as a processing aid for Teflon fluoropolymers; in 1984 its executives estimated that dropping it would put US$100–200m in annual profits at risk, according to court documents cited by Chicago Booth Review. The EPA penalised DuPont for failing to report substantial-risk information it held from 1981 to 2004, without admission of liability, and juries in 2015–2017 found negligence and malice.","src":0},"how":{"t":"PFOA from the plant reached drinking water in nearby districts over decades; DuPont measured it in Little Hocking's water in 1984 and reported it to regulators in 2002. Liabilities were later shared with its 2015 spin-off Chemours and with Corteva, and Chemours has pursued insurers for PFAS costs while standard policies now exclude PFAS.","src":2},"ratio":{"t":"The 2005 civil penalty of US$10.25m equalled about 1.8 days of DuPont's 2005 net income of US$2,053m (estimate).","src":2}},"related":["chemours-spin-off-liabilities","dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s","pfas-water-utility-settlements-by-3m-dupont-chemours-and-cor","pfas-insurance-disputes","miteni-pfas-contamination"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What killed the livestock on the Tennant land?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many animals were lost?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did DuPont withhold risk information from regulators?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None disclosed: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"PFAS insurance rights assigned under the New Jersey settlement: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Pfoa released lb: Unconfirmed: 632,468 lb to the river, 394,486 to unlined landfills, 686,233 to air; from a DuPont-commissioned study as described secondhand.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the plant released more than 1.7 million pounds of PFOA over 1951–2003 (632,468 to the river, 394,486 to unlined landfills, 686,233 to air), from a study commissioned by DuPont as described secondhand; and that Ohio's 2018 complaint alleges at least 500,000 pounds were released into the Ohio River between 1951 and 2013.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Production volumes of PFOA and Teflon: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Records of the 2004 Leach settlement differ: about 70,000 people and $70m cash plus up to $235m of medical monitoring in one; about 80,000 residents who drank water at or above 0.05 ppb for at least a year, and $85m of expenditures plus $23m of attorneys' fees including a $70m cash payment, in DuPont's FY2004 10-K.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2017 settlement is given as $670.7m in most sources and as $671.7m in one; the number of cases is given as about 3,550 and as more than 3,500.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The loss at the farm is given as 153 animals by the farmer, at least 100 calves and more than 50 cows in a passage from his lawyer's book (107 calves and 56 cows in another entry), and 190 cattle in a film review.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year of the 70 ppt drinking-water level is given as 2016 in one record and 2017 in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date and amount of the settlement of the Tennant family's suit are not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Chemours' 2019 claim that the 2015 spin-off gave it 19% of the business but two-thirds of environmental liabilities, and paid DuPont about $3.9–4bn in dividends (company claim, not independently verified); the dispute went to arbitration.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1961 internal DuPont memo on liver effects in rats, a 1970 classification of C8 as highly toxic, and a 1981 internal note saying no birth defect caused by C8 was known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Final court approval of the 2025 New Jersey settlement and of the insurance MOU.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Identity of the insurer in Chemours' $45m settlement; outcome of four arbitration demands since April 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Final status of the EPA proposals to extend the PFOA/PFOS compliance date and rescind four other limits: no final rule found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found of DuPont executives being tried personally, or of an outcome in the case brought by the family of a child born in January 1981 with birth defects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Tax treatment of the penalty and settlements.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who lost: DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","No source link — Who harmed: 69,030 residents screened by the C8 Health Project"]},{"id":"salem-tanker","title":"Salem tanker","dek":"A supertanker sank off West Africa in January 1980. Most of its cargo had already been sold in Durban, and Lloyd's cargo insurers refused to pay for it.","country":"Senegal (offshore)","region":"Africa","lat":14,"lon":-18.5,"places":[{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","role":"event","lat":14,"lon":-18.5},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Durban","lat":-29.87,"lon":31.03,"role":"cargo discharged"},{"country":"Kuwait","iso2":"KW","admin":"Mina al Ahmadi","role":"origin"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"},{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Piraeus","role":"criminal trial"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Houston","role":"owner; criminal trial"}],"start":1979,"end":1985,"eventDate":"1980-01-17","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Cargo sold in Durban vs cargo sunk with the ship","value":"12: 1","note":"About 180,000 t discharged in Durban; about 15,000 t of residue went down. Insurers paid only for the residue."},"happened":["In December 1979 the tanker Salem loaded about 194,000 tonnes of Kuwaiti crude at Mina al Ahmadi for the charterer Pontoil SA. During the voyage Pontoil resold the cargo to Shell.","The ship entered Durban under the name \"Lema\" and discharged about 180,000 tonnes to the South African Strategic Fuel Fund Association, at a time when South Africa was under an oil embargo. It took on ballast and sailed again.","On 17 January 1980 the ship was scuttled with about 15,000 tonnes of crude residue on board. The crew was picked up by the tanker British Trident. Investigators noted almost no oil on the surface, which helped show the sinking was deliberate.","Lloyd's cargo underwriters refused Shell's claim for the cargo. The English courts found for the underwriters between 1981 and 1983: there was no barratry because the owners were privy to the crew's acts, and the cargo was effectively taken in Durban, not at sea. Shell recovered only for the residue that sank.","The conspirators were paid more than US$32 million for the cargo. In 1985 a criminal court in Piraeus jailed five of the ship's officers and the ship's agent, all Greek nationals, for three to 12 years; in May 1986 the Piraeus appeal court cut the sentences of the captain, Dimitris Georgoulis, from 12 to seven years and of the agent, Nickolaos Mytakis, from 11 to eight years, UPI reported. UPI also reported that the owner, Frederick Soudan, was convicted of fraud in Houston. The owners never filed a hull claim."],"timeline":[{"y":1979,"t":"About 194,000 t of Kuwaiti crude loaded (December); cargo resold to Shell during the voyage"},{"y":1980,"t":"About 180,000 t discharged in Durban; ship scuttled off West Africa (17 Jan)"},{"y":1981,"t":"Commercial Court judgment, Shell v Gibbs [1981] 2 Lloyd's Rep 316"},{"y":1982,"t":"Court of Appeal [1982] QB 946"},{"y":1983,"t":"House of Lords [1983] 1 Lloyd's Rep 342; cargo underwriters not liable for the Durban cargo"},{"y":1985,"t":"Piraeus criminal court jails five officers and the ship's agent for three to 12 years"},{"y":1986,"t":"Piraeus appeal court reduces the captain's sentence to seven years and the agent's to eight (May)"}],"said":[{"q":"because the conspirators who owned the vessel were privy to its crew's acts","who":"UK Supreme Court, summarising the House of Lords ruling on barratry","when":"2018","src":0},{"q":"its effective taking was not at sea, but was in Durban","who":"UK Supreme Court, summarising the House of Lords ruling","when":"2018","src":0},{"q":"a price of over USD32m","who":"UK Supreme Court, on the payment to the conspirators","when":"2018","src":0}],"shown":["A loaded supertanker lost at sea off West Africa","Crew rescued by a passing tanker"],"recorded":["About 180,000 of 194,000 t had been discharged in Durban before the sinking","Almost no oil on the surface where the ship went down","Conspirators paid more than US$32m for the cargo","Courts: no barratry, and the cargo was taken in Durban, not at sea","Shell's interest insured for about US$56m; recovery limited to the sunk residue"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1980","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid to the conspirators for the cargo discharged in Durban","amount":32,"qualifier":"over","note":"UK Supreme Court figure. Other reports give US$43m or US$45m."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The ship sank light. Twelve parts of its cargo had already gone ashore for every part that came down to me.","outcomes":[{"k":"Crude that sank with the ship","v":"about 15,000 t","d":"No slick was quantified"},{"k":"Cargo sold before the sinking","v":"about 180,000 t","d":"Discharged in Durban"}]},"unknown":["The holdings are taken from the UK Supreme Court's 2018 summary.","Sources disagree on the price paid in South Africa: over US$32m, US$43m or US$45m.","Sources disagree on whether the ship sank off Senegal or off Guinea.","The owner, Frederick Soudan, was convicted of fraud in Houston (UPI, 1986); his sentence is not stated in the sources. Unconfirmed: a family-history site says he received 35 years in the United States.","No quantified oil slick or environmental assessment was found.","The hull claim the owners never filed would have been about US$26m, according to a 1985 press report."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The deliberate sinking came to light after the ship had sunk; about 15,000 t of crude went down with it.","whoPaid":"Shell, whose claim for about 180,000 t of cargo sold in Durban was not paid; insurers paid only for the residue that sank.","actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Cargo owner (Shell International Petroleum); claimant against cargo underwriters"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Cargo underwriters at Lloyd's (defendant Gibbs)"},{"id":"oxford-shipping","role":"Ship owner (Houston)"},{"id":"pontoil","role":"Charterer that resold the cargo to Shell"},{"id":"sa-strategic-fuel-fund","role":"Received about 180,000 t of crude in Durban"}],"sources":[{"t":"Judgment [2018] UKSC 26 (paras 18–19 on The Salem)","p":"UK Supreme Court","d":"2018","type":"court","u":"https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_2016_0192_judgment_d2535d9f5b.pdf"},{"t":"HIGH SEAS: Sinking a Supertanker","p":"Time","d":"1980-02-18","u":"https://time.com/archive/6855697/high-seas-sinking-a-supertanker/","type":"press"},{"t":"Salem","p":"Talking Drums","d":"1985-01-21","type":"press","u":"https://talkingdrumsmagazine.com/1985-01-21/salem.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240625112035/https://talkingdrumsmagazine.com/1985-01-21/salem.html"},{"t":"Cargo owners not entitled to a recovery. (case note)","p":"Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce","d":"1983","type":"academic","u":"https://docs.rwu.edu/law_ma_jmlc/vol14/iss4/7"},{"t":"Greek appellate court at Piraeus reduces sentences of the Salem's officers (first trial 1985)","p":"United Press International","d":"1986-05-26","u":"https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/05/26/A-Greek-appelate-court-at-the-Port-of-Piraeus/2574517464000/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Shell International Petroleum v Gibbs (The Salem)","forum":"Commercial Court (Mustill J, 1981), Court of Appeal (1982), House of Lords (1983)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Shell International Petroleum (cargo owner)","defendant":"Gibbs, for the cargo underwriters at Lloyd's","filed":null,"decided":1983,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The courts held there was no barratry and no taking at sea for the cargo discharged in Durban; Shell recovered only for the residue lost with the ship, as a loss by perils of the sea under a special clause.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal trial in Piraeus","forum":"Criminal court, Piraeus","country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Greek prosecutors","defendant":"Captain Dimitris Georgoulis, ship's agent Nickolaos Mytakis and four other officers","filed":null,"decided":1985,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"In 1985 the court jailed five of the ship's officers and the ship's agent for three to 12 years. In May 1986 the appeal court in Piraeus reduced the captain's sentence from 12 to seven years and the agent's from 11 to eight years, according to UPI.","src":4}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Cargo underwriters at Lloyd's (defendant Gibbs)","insured":"Shell International Petroleum","status":"refused","year":null,"amount":{"value":56,"currency":"USD","label":"insured value (about)"},"reason":"No barratry, because the ship's owners were privy to the scuttling; the cargo was taken in Durban, not at sea","summary":"The underwriters refused to pay for the roughly 180,000 t sold in Durban, and the courts upheld the refusal.","src":0},{"insurer":"Cargo underwriters at Lloyd's (defendant Gibbs)","insured":"Shell International Petroleum","status":"partial","year":1983,"amount":null,"reason":"Residue lost with the ship treated as a loss by perils of the sea under a special clause","summary":"Shell's claim for the residue that sank succeeded; the amount was not found.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_cargo_tonnes","value":194000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1979,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kuwaiti crude loaded at Mina al Ahmadi."},{"key":"oil_cargo_tonnes","value":180000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1980,"qualifier":"about","note":"Discharged in Durban before the sinking."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":15000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1980,"qualifier":"about","note":"Residue that sank with the ship; no slick was quantified."},{"key":"profit","value":32,"unit":"USD m","year":1980,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Price paid to the conspirators; other reports give US$43m or US$45m."},{"key":"insured_value","value":56,"unit":"USD m","year":1980,"qualifier":"about","note":"Shell's cargo interest."},{"key":"convictions","value":6,"unit":"people","year":1985,"note":"Five officers and the ship's agent jailed in Piraeus in 1985 (UPI)."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In January 1980 the supertanker Salem was scuttled off West Africa after secretly discharging about 180,000 of its 194,000 tonnes of Kuwaiti crude in Durban, South Africa. Lloyd's cargo underwriters refused Shell's claim for the cargo sold in Durban, and the English courts upheld the refusal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The conspirators who owned the ship (Oxford Shipping, Houston)","what":"Paid more than US$32m for the cargo (UK Supreme Court; other reports give US$43m or US$45m)","src":0},{"who":"South African Strategic Fuel Fund Association","what":"Received about 180,000 t of crude in Durban while South Africa was under an oil embargo","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Shell International Petroleum","what":"Claim for about 180,000 t of cargo sold in Durban went unpaid; its interest was insured for about US$56m, and recovery was limited to the residue that sank","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea off West Africa (off Senegal in most sources, off Guinea in others)","what":"About 15,000 t of crude residue sank with the ship; no slick was quantified","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Loaded at Mina al Ahmadi, Kuwait; discharged at Durban, South Africa; scuttled off West Africa. Litigated in London; criminal trials in Piraeus and Houston.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Cargo loaded in December 1979; ship scuttled on 17 January 1980; English judgments in 1981, 1982 and in the House of Lords in 1983. Five officers and the ship's agent were jailed in Piraeus in 1985; sentences were reduced on appeal in 1986.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The English courts found the ship's owners were conspirators privy to the crew's acts, so there was no barratry, and that the cargo was effectively taken in Durban, not lost at sea (as summarised by the UK Supreme Court in 2018). The cargo was sold to South Africa while it was under an oil embargo.","src":0},"how":{"t":"During the voyage the charterer Pontoil resold the cargo to Shell; the ship entered Durban under the name 'Lema', discharged about 180,000 t, took on ballast and sailed again before being sunk with the residue. Investigators noted almost no oil on the surface, which helped show the sinking was deliberate; the owners never filed a hull claim.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"About 12 tonnes of cargo were sold in Durban for every tonne that sank with the ship (about 180,000 t against about 15,000 t).","src":0}},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The holdings are taken from the UK Supreme Court's 2018 summary.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Sources disagree on the price paid in South Africa: over US$32m, US$43m or US$45m.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Sources disagree on whether the ship sank off Senegal or off Guinea.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The owner, Frederick Soudan, was convicted of fraud in Houston (UPI, 1986); his sentence is not stated in the sources. Unconfirmed: a family-history site says he received 35 years in the United States.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No quantified oil slick or environmental assessment was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The hull claim the owners never filed would have been about US$26m, according to a 1985 press report.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"brillante-virtuoso","title":"Brillante Virtuoso tanker","dek":"A tanker was set on fire off Aden in 2011 in what was presented as a pirate attack. A London court found in 2019 that the owner had deliberately caused the loss; the surveyor who inspected the ship was killed by a car bomb.","country":"Yemen (offshore)","region":"Middle East","lat":12.7,"lon":45.1,"places":[{"country":"Yemen","iso2":"YE","admin":"Gulf of Aden, off Aden","lat":12.7,"lon":45.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kerch","role":"origin"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"destination"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Khor Fakkan","role":"cargo transfer"},{"country":"Liberia","iso2":"LR","role":"flag"},{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","role":"owner; mortgagee bank"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","role":"court"}],"start":2011,"end":2019,"eventDate":"2011-07-05","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Insurance claimed vs ship's market value","value":"about 5.7: 1","note":"About US$77m claimed against a market value of about US$13.5m. Estimate from the court's figures."},"happened":["On 5–6 July 2011 the Liberian-flagged tanker Brillante Virtuoso, built in 1992, was carrying fuel oil from Kerch, Ukraine, to China for the charterer Solal Shipping SA. Armed men posing as pirates boarded off Aden and set off an incendiary device in the engine-room area.","The ship became a constructive total loss and was scrapped. Its cargo was moved to another ship at Khor Fakkan between 4 and 27 September 2011. An anti-pollution vessel attended; the judgment mentions no spill.","The ship was insured for US$55 million plus US$22 million for disbursements and increased value, about US$77 million in total. Its market value was about US$13.5 million; it had been bought for US$46 million in 2008. The owner's debt was about US$62 million.","The war-risks underwriters, led by Talbot Underwriting, refused the claim. The owner's own claim was struck out in May 2016 for disclosure failures. On 7 October 2019, after a 52-day trial, the High Court dismissed the claim brought by the mortgagee bank and found that the loss was caused by the wilful misconduct of the owner, Marios Iliopoulos. The court also found the fuel oil had been misdescribed as a bitumen mixture to evade Chinese import duty.","David Mockett, the British surveyor who inspected the ship, was killed by a car bomb in Aden in July 2011. Lloyd's List reported that his family was never compensated."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Ship bought for US$46m"},{"y":2011,"t":"Boarded and set on fire off Aden (5–6 July); surveyor David Mockett killed by a car bomb in Aden (July); cargo transferred at Khor Fakkan (September)"},{"y":2016,"t":"Owner arrested in London on suspicion of fraud, with a City of London Police investigation under way; owner's claim struck out (May)"},{"y":2019,"t":"High Court dismisses bank's claim and finds the loss deliberate (7 Oct); costs ruling against the bank"}],"said":[{"q":"only pretended to be pirates","who":"Teare J, High Court, para 487","when":"7 October 2019","src":0},{"q":"an attempted insurance fraud is not an act of piracy","who":"Teare J, High Court, para 491","when":"7 October 2019","src":0},{"q":"was caused by the wilful misconduct of the Owner, Mr. Iliopoulos","who":"Teare J, High Court, para 596","when":"7 October 2019","src":0},{"q":"complete fabrication","who":"Flaux J, on the owner's account, as reported by Insurance Business","when":"May 2016","src":2}],"shown":["A pirate attack on a tanker in the Gulf of Aden","A war-risks insurance claim for a total loss"],"recorded":["The armed men \"only pretended to be pirates\" (High Court)","Loss caused by the owner's wilful misconduct","About US$77m claimed for a ship worth about US$13.5m","Cargo misdescribed to evade Chinese import duty","The surveyor who inspected the ship was killed; his family was reported never compensated"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2011–2019","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid by mortgagee-interest insurers to Piraeus Bank","amount":64,"qualifier":"about","note":"These insurers then claimed the bank's rights against the war-risks underwriters; that claim was dismissed in 2019."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"No oil reached me this time. The fire was set for a policy, not for the sea.","outcomes":[{"k":"Spill","v":"None recorded","d":"The judgment mentions no spill; cargo transferred to another ship"},{"k":"Deaths","v":"1","d":"Surveyor David Mockett, Aden, July 2011"}]},"unknown":["The cargo tonnage was not found.","No inquest verdict or prosecution for the killing of David Mockett was confirmed.","No criminal outcome is recorded after the owner's arrest in London in 2016; the 2019 judgment refers to an ongoing City of London Police investigation.","The £8.7m interim costs payment is given in an excerpt of the 2019 costs ruling; the full text of the ruling is not in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the ship was a constructive total loss and was scrapped; the cargo was transferred to another ship.","whoPaid":"The family of surveyor David Mockett, reported never compensated; and the mortgagee-interest insurers, which paid about US$64m and lost the claim brought in the bank's name.","actors":[{"id":"suez-fortune","role":"Ship owner, beneficially owned by Marios Iliopoulos"},{"id":"piraeus-bank","role":"Mortgagee; claimant in the 2019 case"},{"id":"talbot","role":"Lead war-risks underwriter"},{"id":"hiscox","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"qbe","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"chaucer","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"markel","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"catlin","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"brit","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"novae","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"aprilgrange","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"gai","role":"War-risks underwriter"},{"id":"solal-shipping","role":"Charterer"}],"sources":[{"t":"Suez Fortune Investments Ltd v Talbot Underwriting Ltd [2019] EWHC 2599 (Comm)","p":"High Court of England and Wales","d":"2019-10-07","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/comm/2019/2599","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260706075126/https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/comm/2019/2599"},{"t":"Costs ruling [2019] EWHC 3300 (Comm)","p":"High Court of England and Wales","d":"2019","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/comm/2019/3300"},{"t":"Court junks shipowner's piracy claim against Lloyd's insurers","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2016-05-11","type":"press","u":"https://insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/court-junks-shipowners-piracy-claim-against-lloyds-insurers-31757.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200812055530/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/court-junks-shipowners-piracy-claim-against-lloyds-insurers-31757.aspx"},{"t":"Lloyd's fails widow of British surveyor murdered in Brillante Virtuoso marine insurance fraud","p":"Lloyd's List","d":"2024-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1148148/Lloyds-fails-widow-of-British-surveyor-murdered-in-Brillante-Virtuoso-marine-insurance-fraud","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240304155220/https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1148148/Lloyds-fails-widow-of-British-surveyor-murdered-in-Brillante-Virtuoso-marine-insurance-fraud"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Owner's war-risks claim struck out","forum":"Commercial Court, London (Flaux J)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Suez Fortune Investments (owner)","defendant":"War-risks underwriters led by Talbot Underwriting","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The owner's claim was struck out in May 2016 for disclosure failures; the judge called the owner's account a \"complete fabrication\".","src":2},{"title":"Suez Fortune Investments v Talbot Underwriting [2019] EWHC 2599 (Comm)","forum":"High Court of England and Wales, Commercial Court (Teare J)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Piraeus Bank AE (mortgagee), with mortgagee-interest insurers claiming its rights","defendant":"Talbot Underwriting and other war-risks underwriters","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":77,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"After a 52-day trial the court dismissed the claim, finding the attackers only pretended to be pirates and the loss was caused by the owner's wilful misconduct.","src":0},{"title":"Costs ruling [2019] EWHC 3300 (Comm)","forum":"High Court of England and Wales, Commercial Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Piraeus Bank AE","defendant":"War-risks underwriters","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":8.7,"currency":"GBP","label":"paid"},"summary":"The bank was ordered to pay costs on the indemnity basis, with an interim payment of £8.7m.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"War-risks underwriters: Talbot Underwriting (lead), Hiscox, QBE, Chaucer, Markel, Catlin, Aprilgrange, Brit, Novae, GAI","insured":"Suez Fortune Investments (owner); Piraeus Bank AE (mortgagee)","status":"refused","year":null,"amount":{"value":77,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"reason":"The High Court found the loss was not piracy but was caused by the owner's wilful misconduct","summary":"The underwriters refused the war-risks claim; the High Court upheld their position in 2019.","src":0},{"insurer":"Mortgagee-interest insurers (not named in the source)","insured":"Piraeus Bank AE","status":"paid","year":null,"amount":{"value":64,"currency":"USD","label":"paid (about)"},"reason":null,"summary":"These insurers paid the bank about US$64m and then claimed its rights against the war-risks underwriters, without success.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2011,"note":"Surveyor David Mockett, killed by a car bomb in Aden."},{"key":"claim","value":77,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"US$55m hull plus US$22m disbursements/increased value."},{"key":"market_value","value":13.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bought for US$46m in 2008."},{"key":"debt","value":62,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Owner's debt."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":64,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mortgagee-interest insurers to Piraeus Bank."},{"key":"trial_days","value":52,"unit":"days","year":2019}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 5–6 July 2011 armed men posing as pirates boarded the Liberian-flagged tanker Brillante Virtuoso off Aden and set off an incendiary device, and the ship became a constructive total loss. A London court found in 2019 that the owner had deliberately caused the loss; the surveyor who inspected the ship was killed by a car bomb.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Piraeus Bank AE (mortgagee)","what":"About US$64m from mortgagee-interest insurers","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Mortgagee-interest insurers (not named in the source)","what":"Paid the bank about US$64m and lost the claim brought in its name against the war-risks underwriters (2019)","src":0},{"who":"Piraeus Bank AE","what":"Ordered to pay costs on the indemnity basis, with an interim payment of £8.7m (from an excerpt of the 2019 costs ruling)","src":1},{"who":"Suez Fortune Investments (owner, beneficially owned by Marios Iliopoulos)","what":"War-risks claim of about US$77m struck out in May 2016; the ship was scrapped","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"David Mockett, British surveyor","what":"Killed by a car bomb in Aden in July 2011 after inspecting the ship; Lloyd's List reported his family was never compensated","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Gulf of Aden off Aden, Yemen; cargo transferred at Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates; litigated in the High Court in London.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Attack on 5–6 July 2011; Mockett killed in July 2011; cargo transferred 4–27 September 2011. Owner's claim struck out in May 2016; High Court judgment on 7 October 2019.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The High Court found the attackers 'only pretended to be pirates', that 'an attempted insurance fraud is not an act of piracy', and that the loss 'was caused by the wilful misconduct of the Owner, Mr. Iliopoulos'. It also found the fuel oil had been misdescribed as a bitumen mixture to evade Chinese import duty.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The ship, bought for US$46m in 2008 and worth about US$13.5m, was insured for about US$77m against war risks while its owner owed about US$62m; the fire made it a constructive total loss and a war-risks claim followed. The underwriters, led by Talbot, refused, and the courts upheld the refusal.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The insurance claimed, about US$77m, was about 5.7 times the ship's market value of about US$13.5m (estimate).","src":0}},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cargo tonnage was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No inquest verdict or prosecution for the killing of David Mockett was confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No criminal outcome is recorded after the owner's arrest in London in 2016; the 2019 judgment refers to an ongoing City of London Police investigation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The £8.7m interim costs payment is given in an excerpt of the 2019 costs ruling; the full text of the ruling is not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"eacop-insurers","title":"EACOP pipeline: insurers decline, construction continues","dek":"Campaign groups counted about 30 insurers and reinsurers that publicly ruled out covering the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. Uganda's insurance regulator said a local consortium insures it, and by September 2026 about 98% of the line was reported built.","country":"Uganda / Tanzania","region":"Africa","lat":-1.5,"lon":32.5,"places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","role":"origin"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","role":"route; export"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","role":"insurer (Britam)"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"majority shareholder (TotalEnergies)"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"shareholder (CNOOC)"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Insurers that ruled it out vs pipeline built","value":"30 · 98%","note":"Campaign count, April 2025 (trackers count differently); 1,414 of 1,443 km completed and buried by September 2026."},"happened":["The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) runs about 1,443 km from Uganda through Tanzania. Its shareholders are TotalEnergies (62%), the Uganda National Oil Company (15%), the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (15%) and CNOOC (8%).","Swiss Re, AXA, Zurich and SCOR publicly ruled out cover before March 2022. On 28 March 2022 Hannover Re said it would not provide reinsurance \"due to noncompliance with our ESG expectations\"; it said EACOP had been on its exclusion list for about a year, and Reinsurance News counted it as the fifth to rule out the project. Allianz (counted as the seventh) and Munich Re followed in April 2022. In November 2022 the Kenyan insurer Britam withdrew; its internal environmental and social assessment found the project violated its backers' policies and performance standards, which came out through the complaint process of the IFC's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman.","By February 2024 the campaign count reached 28, with SiriusPoint, Riverstone International, Enstar, Blenheim and SA Meacock the newest. AIG, Tokio Marine, Chaucer and Hiscox were still named as willing. On 18 April 2025 Chubb became the 30th insurer counted as refusing. No 31st was found as of October 2026.","In May 2022 the Financial Times reported that the broker Marsh was arranging the insurance; Marsh declined to comment, citing its long-standing policy of not confirming the identity of clients, and an OECD complaint was filed against it in February 2023. In August 2022 Uganda's insurance regulator said the pipeline is insured by the Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda (ICOGU). StopEACOP disputes that this cover is complete. The EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021 offers local reinsurers up to 30% of the risk.","The first external financing tranche closed on 26 March 2025 with Afreximbank, Standard Bank, Stanbic Uganda, KCB Uganda and ICD. Students protesting against the pipeline were arrested in Kampala in August and November 2024 and outside Stanbic's head office in August 2025. In September 2026, 1,414 of 1,443 km were completed and buried; first oil was moved to June 2027."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Swiss Re, AXA and Zurich refuse cover; Hannover Re places EACOP on its exclusion list (about a year before March 2022); EACOP (Special Provisions) Act offers local reinsurers up to 30% of the risk"},{"y":2022,"t":"Hannover Re rules it out (28 Mar); Allianz and Munich Re (Apr); Marsh reported as broker (May); regulator says local consortium insures it (21 Aug); about 11 insurers out (Aug); Britam withdraws (27 Nov)"},{"y":2023,"t":"OECD complaint against Marsh (Feb); Chubb adopts protected-area extraction policy (22 Mar)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Campaign count reaches 28 (5 Feb); activist abducted for 6 days (Jun); 47 students arrested (9 Aug); 21 people arrested, 20 charged with common nuisance (26 Aug); 15 arrested (Nov)"},{"y":2025,"t":"First external financing tranche closes (26 Mar); Chubb counted as 30th insurer to refuse (18 Apr); 12 arrested outside Stanbic (Aug)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Eight activists arrested at the Stanbic protest convicted (10 Apr) and sentenced to 11 months (17 Apr); about 90–91% complete (mid-year); 1,414 of 1,443 km built (Sep); first oil moved to June 2027"}],"said":[{"q":"We refrain from providing reinsurance coverage for EACOP due to noncompliance with our ESG expectations.","who":"Hannover Re","when":"28 March 2022","src":0},{"q":"violated its backers' policies and performance standards","who":"Britam internal environmental and social assessment, as reported by the Monitor","when":"November 2022","src":2},{"q":"We have policies on the pipeline, on Tilenga, on Kingfisher.","who":"Kaddunabbi Lubega, CEO, Insurance Regulatory Authority of Uganda","when":"21 August 2022","src":7},{"q":"does not underwrite the Eacop project directly or indirectly, and nor does it intend to","who":"Riverstone International, as reported by the Monitor","when":"February 2024","src":3},{"q":"not participating in the Eacop tender","who":"SiriusPoint, as reported by the Monitor","when":"February 2024","src":3},{"q":"30th major global insurer to refuse to cover EACOP","who":"Public Citizen, on Chubb","when":"18 April 2025","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"About 30 insurers have refused to cover the pipeline (a running count)","who":"Campaign groups including StopEACOP and Public Citizen","src":4},{"t":"The pipeline is locally insured, by the Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda","who":"Uganda's Insurance Regulatory Authority","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"1,414 of 1,443 km were completed and buried by September 2026.","src":11},{"t":"The first external financing tranche closed on 26 March 2025.","src":9},{"t":"Hannover Re said EACOP had been on its exclusion list for about a year before 28 March 2022.","src":0},{"t":"Chubb's underwriting standard of 22 March 2023 states it will not underwrite oil and gas extraction projects in protected areas in IUCN categories I–V; campaigners tied this to its EACOP refusal.","src":5},{"t":"AIG, Tokio Marine, Chaucer and Hiscox were named in February 2024 as insurers still willing to cover the pipeline.","src":3},{"t":"The EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021 offers local reinsurers (Uganda Re, ZEP-Re, Africa Re) up to 30% of the risk.","src":8},{"t":"No insurer has confirmed a list of the current insurers or reinsurers of the pipeline.","src":16}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"First external financing tranche (Afreximbank, Standard Bank, Stanbic Uganda, KCB Uganda, ICD)","amount":null,"note":"Amount not confirmed in the source record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"Thirty said no. The pipe still crossed 1,414 of my 1,443 kilometres.","outcomes":[{"k":"Insurers ruling it out","v":"30","d":"Campaign count, April 2025"},{"k":"Pipeline built","v":"98%","d":"1,414 of 1,443 km, September 2026"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"The refusals cited ESG, policy and protected-area standards; no source reviewed records a measured effect on land or water"}]},"unknown":["No insurer has confirmed a list of current insurers or reinsurers; whether the local consortium still holds the cover is unconfirmed, and StopEACOP disputes that the cover is complete (the cited sources do not give its figures).","No 2025–26 statement was found from AIG, Tokio Marine, Chaucer or Hiscox; no Chinese insurer participation was confirmed.","Chubb's project-specific wording on EACOP was not found; campaigners link its refusal to its 2023 protected-areas policy.","Trackers count the refusals differently: the sources give about 11 in August 2022, 28 in February 2024 and 30 in April 2025, and do not reconcile the lists. A figure of \"27 banks and 23 insurers\" withdrawing is a campaign claim, unconfirmed.","Completion reports differ by date and source: Ecofin reported 82% in April 2026, the Monitor reported about 91% in mid-2026, and AllAfrica reported 1,414 of 1,443 km completed and buried in September 2026.","The size of the first financing tranche is reported as about US$1bn; no source confirms it.","Arrest counts for August 2024 differ between sources: 47 students on 9 August and 21 people on 26 August in one account, and 72 in August 2024 in another. A verdict in the August 2024 case is not stated in the sources.","The outcome of the OECD complaint against Marsh was not found.","Unconfirmed: in June 2019 the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment wrote that the pipeline's environmental assessment did not provide enough information for a sound decision, before approvals in Tanzania (November 2019) and Uganda (December 2020)."],"evidence":["undisclosed","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"No. About 30 insurers declined cover; construction continued and first oil is expected in June 2027.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who bears the cost of the cover; the Special Provisions Act offers local reinsurers up to 30% of the risk. Protesters against the pipeline were arrested in 2024 and 2025.","actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Majority shareholder (62%)"},{"id":"unoc","role":"Shareholder (15%)"},{"id":"tpdc","role":"Shareholder (15%)"},{"id":"cnooc","role":"Shareholder (8%)"},{"id":"eacop-ltd","role":"Pipeline company"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Ruled out cover (2021)"},{"id":"axa","role":"Ruled out cover (2021)"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Ruled out cover (2021)"},{"id":"scor","role":"Ruled out cover (before March 2022)"},{"id":"hannover-re","role":"Ruled out reinsurance (March 2022)"},{"id":"allianz","role":"Ruled out cover (April 2022)"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Ruled out cover (April 2022)"},{"id":"britam","role":"Withdrew (November 2022)"},{"id":"siriuspoint","role":"Not participating in the tender (by February 2024)"},{"id":"riverstone","role":"Ruled out cover (by February 2024)"},{"id":"enstar","role":"Ruled out cover (by February 2024)"},{"id":"blenheim","role":"Ruled out cover (by February 2024)"},{"id":"sa-meacock","role":"Ruled out cover (by February 2024)"},{"id":"arch","role":"Ruled out cover"},{"id":"aegis-london","role":"Ruled out cover"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Ruled out cover (April 2025); listed as a holdout in 2024"},{"id":"aig","role":"Named as still willing to insure (2024, 2025)"},{"id":"tokio-marine","role":"Named as still willing to insure (2024, 2025)"},{"id":"chaucer","role":"Named as still willing to insure (2024, 2025)"},{"id":"hiscox","role":"Named as still willing to insure (2024)"},{"id":"beazley","role":"Listed as a holdout"},{"id":"liberty-mutual","role":"Named by campaigners as a holdout (2025)"},{"id":"brit","role":"Named by campaigners as a holdout (2025)"},{"id":"marsh","role":"Reported insurance broker (unconfirmed)"},{"id":"icogu","role":"Local insurer of the pipeline, per Uganda's regulator"},{"id":"ira-uganda","role":"Insurance regulator"},{"id":"uganda-re","role":"Local reinsurer offered up to 30% by law"},{"id":"zep-re","role":"Reinsurer offered up to 30% by law"},{"id":"africa-re","role":"Reinsurer offered up to 30% by law"},{"id":"uganda-gov","role":"Host government; EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021"},{"id":"tanzania-gov","role":"Host government"},{"id":"afreximbank","role":"Lender, first financing tranche"},{"id":"standard-bank","role":"Lender, first financing tranche"},{"id":"stanbic-uganda","role":"Lender, first financing tranche"},{"id":"kcb-uganda","role":"Lender, first financing tranche"},{"id":"icd","role":"Lender, first financing tranche"},{"id":"stopeacop","role":"Campaign tracking insurer refusals"},{"id":"public-citizen","role":"Campaign group; announced Chubb's refusal"}],"sources":[{"t":"Hannover Re joins top reinsurers in rejecting EACOP pipeline","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2022-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hannover-re-joins-top-reinsurers-in-rejecting-eacop-pipeline/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723035444/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hannover-re-joins-top-reinsurers-in-rejecting-eacop-pipeline/"},{"t":"EACOP: three more insurers rule out","p":"Coal Action Network","d":"2022-08-19","type":"ngo","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511211357/https://www.coalaction.org.uk/2022/08/19/eacop-three-more-insurers-rule-out/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511211357/https://www.coalaction.org.uk/2022/08/19/eacop-three-more-insurers-rule-out/","dead":true},{"t":"Why Britam backed out of Uganda-Tanzania oil pipeline insurance deal","p":"Monitor (Uganda)","d":"2022-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/why-britam-backed-out-of-uganda-tanzania-oil-pipeline-insurance-deal-4035178","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250519085119/https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/why-britam-backed-out-of-uganda-tanzania-oil-pipeline-insurance-deal-4035178"},{"t":"EACOP faces fresh hurdles as insurance firms stay away","p":"Monitor (Uganda)","d":"2024-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/eacop-faces-fresh-hurdles-as-insurance-firms-stay-away-4514318","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250711023931/https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/eacop-faces-fresh-hurdles-as-insurance-firms-stay-away-4514318"},{"t":"Insurance provider Chubb ruled out insuring East African Crude Oil Pipeline","p":"Public Citizen","d":"2025-04-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.citizen.org/news/insurance-provider-chubb-ruled-out-insuring-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712023755/https://www.citizen.org/news/insurance-provider-chubb-ruled-out-insuring-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline/"},{"t":"Chubb announces new climate and conservation-focused underwriting standards for oil and gas extraction","p":"Chubb","d":"2023-03-22","type":"company","u":"https://news.chubb.com/2023-03-22-Chubb-Announces-New-Climate-and-Conservation-Focused-Underwriting-Standards-for-Oil-and-Gas-Extraction","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260708211004/https://news.chubb.com/2023-03-22-Chubb-Announces-New-Climate-and-Conservation-Focused-Underwriting-Standards-for-Oil-and-Gas-Extraction"},{"t":"Climate group asks Marsh to stop serving as broker for pipeline project","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2023-02-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/climate-group-asks-marsh-to-stop-serving-as-broker-for-pipeline-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134353/https://www.businessinsurance.com/climate-group-asks-marsh-to-stop-serving-as-broker-for-pipeline-project/"},{"t":"EACOP is locally insured – IRA boss","p":"The Independent (Uganda)","d":"2022-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.independent.co.ug/eacop-is-locally-insured-ira-boss/","voice":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240203161433/https://www.independent.co.ug/eacop-is-locally-insured-ira-boss/"},{"t":"Who is left to fund the East Africa crude oil pipeline?","p":"Dialogue Earth","d":"undated","type":"press","u":"https://dialogue.earth/en/energy/who-is-left-to-fund-east-africa-crude-oil-pipeline/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821012437/https://dialogue.earth/en/energy/who-is-left-to-fund-east-africa-crude-oil-pipeline/"},{"t":"EACOP Ltd announces the closing of the first financing tranche","p":"EACOP Ltd","d":"2025-03-26","type":"company","u":"https://www.eacop.com/eacop-ltd-announces-the-closing-of-the-first-financing-tranche-for-the-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline-project/"},{"t":"EACOP hits 91% completion as Uganda eyes first oil","p":"Monitor (Uganda)","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/eacop-hits-91-completion-as-uganda-eyes-first-oil-before-year-end-5548350"},{"t":"EACOP progress report","p":"AllAfrica","d":"2026-09-14","type":"press","u":"https://allafrica.com/stories/202609140165.html"},{"t":"Allianz becomes 7th insurer to reject the East African Crude Oil Pipeline","p":"Insure Our Future","d":"2022-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://global.insure-our-future.com/allianz-becomes-7th-insurer-to-reject-the-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250805010130/https://global.insure-our-future.com/allianz-becomes-7th-insurer-to-reject-the-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline/"},{"t":"The world's largest insurer Munich Re rejects EACOP","p":"StopEACOP","d":"2022-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240211194854/https://www.stopeacop.net/our-news/the-worlds-largest-insurer-munich-re-rejects-eacop","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240211194854/https://www.stopeacop.net/our-news/the-worlds-largest-insurer-munich-re-rejects-eacop","dead":true},{"t":"World's 3rd largest reinsurer opts out of East African Crude Oil Pipeline","p":"StopEACOP","d":"2022-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240203160714/https://www.stopeacop.net/our-news/worlds-3rd-largest-reinsurer-opts-out-of-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240203160714/https://www.stopeacop.net/our-news/worlds-3rd-largest-reinsurer-opts-out-of-east-african-crude-oil-pipeline","dead":true},{"t":"Arch Insurance, AEGIS London respond to pressure, rule out EACOP","p":"Insure Our Future","d":"undated","type":"ngo","u":"https://global.insure-our-future.com/arch-insurance-aegis-london-respond-to-pressure-rule-out-eacop/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250915194619/https://global.insure-our-future.com/arch-insurance-aegis-london-respond-to-pressure-rule-out-eacop/"},{"t":"Insurance giant breached international guidelines by backing oil pipeline","p":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism","d":"2023-02-07","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023-02-07/insurance-giant-breached-international-guidelines-by-backing-oil-pipeline","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512145454/https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2023-02-07/insurance-giant-breached-international-guidelines-by-backing-oil-pipeline"},{"t":"Uganda: crackdown on activists protesting against large-scale oil projects","p":"FIDH","d":"2024–2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/region/Africa/uganda/uganda-crackdown-on-activists-protesting-against-large-scale-oil","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921094825/https://www.fidh.org/en/region/Africa/uganda/uganda-crackdown-on-activists-protesting-against-large-scale-oil"},{"t":"Uganda's EACOP pipeline reaches 82% completion, moves closer to start-up","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2026-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/0704-54477-uganda-s-eacop-pipeline-reaches-82-completion-moves-closer-to-start-up","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414185008/https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/0704-54477-uganda-s-eacop-pipeline-reaches-82-completion-moves-closer-to-start-up"},{"t":"Host government agreements signed","p":"EACOP","d":"2021-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.eacop.com/host-government-agreements-signed/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508141526/https://www.eacop.com/host-government-agreements-signed/"},{"t":"Uganda: arbitrary detention of 12 StopEACOP youth activists","p":"FIDH","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/uganda-arbitrary-detention-of-12-stopeacop-youth-activists","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415075043/https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/uganda-arbitrary-detention-of-12-stopeacop-youth-activists"},{"t":"Insurance giant Marsh under fire over role in controversial oil project","p":"Inclusive Development International","d":"2023-02-07","u":"https://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/pipelines/insurance-giant-marsh-under-fire-over-role-in-controversial-oil-project/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Uganda: Eight Stop EACOP youth activists convicted ahead of their sentencing","p":"FIDH","d":"2026-04-16","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/uganda-eight-stop-eacop-youth-activists-convicted-ahead-oh-their","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Ugandan court jails eight anti-EACOP activists as crackdown on dissent deepens","p":"Witness Radio","d":"2026-04-18","u":"https://witnessradio.org/breaking-ugandan-court-jails-eight-anti-eacop-activists-as-crackdown-on-dissent-deepens/amp/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"OECD complaint against Marsh over EACOP brokerage","forum":"US National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (complaint filed 7 February 2023)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Inclusive Development International and 10 Ugandan and Tanzanian organisations (not named, citing fear of reprisals)","defendant":"Marsh","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The complaint alleges that Marsh violates OECD guidelines by serving as insurance broker for EACOP. Marsh declined to comment. No outcome is on record.","src":21},{"title":"EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021","forum":"Parliament of Uganda","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Government of Uganda","defendant":null,"filed":2021,"decided":2021,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The law offers local reinsurers (Uganda Re, ZEP-Re, Africa Re) up to 30% of the pipeline's risk.","src":8},{"title":"Charges against students protesting EACOP in Kampala","forum":"Court in Uganda (name: none on record)","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State","defendant":"Student protesters","filed":"2024-08","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"On 26 August 2024, 21 people were arrested; 20 were charged with common nuisance and remanded to Luzira prison (FIDH records them further detained to 5 September). 47 students had been arrested on 9 August 2024; 45 were released on 10 August and two on police bond on 14 August. No verdict is on record.","src":17},{"title":"Conviction of eight activists arrested at the Stanbic Bank protest","forum":"Buganda Road Court, Kampala (Grade One Magistrate)","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State","defendant":"Eight youth activists of Rooted in Resistance (formerly Students Against EACOP Uganda)","filed":"2025-08","decided":"2026-04-17","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Twelve activists were arrested on 1 August 2025 while protesting outside Stanbic Bank's Kampala head office. Four pleaded guilty in November 2025 and were released, three of them with community service. On 10 April 2026 the court convicted the other eight of nuisance on roads under section 65(e) of the Road Act, an offence with a maximum of one year in prison (FIDH). On 17 April 2026 they were sentenced to 11 months, after more than eight months on remand, according to Witness Radio. Their lawyers said they would appeal.","src":22}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Swiss Re","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Publicly ruled out cover before March 2022 (reported as 2021).","src":0},{"insurer":"AXA","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Publicly ruled out cover before March 2022 (reported as 2021).","src":0},{"insurer":"Zurich","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Publicly ruled out cover before March 2022 (reported as 2021).","src":0},{"insurer":"SCOR","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Publicly ruled out cover before March 2022.","src":0},{"insurer":"Hannover Re","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":"\"noncompliance with our ESG expectations\"; EACOP had been on its exclusion list for about a year","summary":"Became the fifth (re)insurer to rule out EACOP on 28 March 2022.","src":0},{"insurer":"Allianz","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Ruled out EACOP in April 2022, counted as the seventh insurer.","src":12},{"insurer":"Munich Re","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Rejected EACOP in April 2022.","src":13},{"insurer":"Britam","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":"Internal environmental and social assessment found the project \"violated its backers' policies and performance standards\"","summary":"The Kenyan insurer, an IFC client, withdrew on 27 November 2022; the assessment came out through the IFC's complaint process.","src":2},{"insurer":"SiriusPoint","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Said it was \"not participating in the Eacop tender\"; among the newest refusals counted by February 2024.","src":3},{"insurer":"Riverstone International","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Said it does not underwrite the project directly or indirectly and does not intend to.","src":3},{"insurer":"Enstar","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Among the newest refusals counted by February 2024.","src":3},{"insurer":"Blenheim","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Among the newest refusals counted by February 2024.","src":3},{"insurer":"SA Meacock","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Among the newest refusals counted by February 2024.","src":3},{"insurer":"Arch","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Ruled out EACOP after campaign pressure.","src":15},{"insurer":"AEGIS London","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Ruled out EACOP after campaign pressure.","src":15},{"insurer":"Chubb","insured":"EACOP","status":"cover-declined","year":2025,"amount":null,"reason":"No project-specific statement found; campaigners link it to Chubb's 2023 policy against oil and gas extraction in IUCN category I–V protected areas","summary":"Counted on 18 April 2025 as the 30th major insurer to refuse; it had been listed as a holdout in 2024.","src":4},{"insurer":"AIG","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Named in February 2024 as still willing to insure, and by campaigners in April 2025; no statement from AIG found.","src":3},{"insurer":"Tokio Marine","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Named in February 2024 as still willing to insure, and by campaigners in April 2025; no statement found.","src":3},{"insurer":"Chaucer","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Named in February 2024 as still willing to insure, and by campaigners in April 2025; no statement found.","src":3},{"insurer":"Hiscox","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Named in February 2024 as still willing to insure; no statement found.","src":3},{"insurer":"Liberty Mutual","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Named by campaigners in April 2025 among insurers that had not ruled it out.","src":4},{"insurer":"Brit","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Named by campaigners in April 2025 among insurers that had not ruled it out.","src":4},{"insurer":"Beazley","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":null,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Listed by campaigners as a holdout.","src":15},{"insurer":"Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda (ICOGU)","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Uganda's insurance regulator said on 21 August 2022 that the consortium insures the pipeline; StopEACOP disputes that the cover is complete.","src":7},{"insurer":"Uganda Re, ZEP-Re, Africa Re","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2021,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Offered up to 30% of the risk under the EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021; actual participation not confirmed.","src":8},{"insurer":"Marsh (broker)","insured":"EACOP","status":"unknown","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Reported by the Financial Times in May 2022 to be arranging the insurance; Marsh does not confirm clients.","src":6}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurers_declined","value":30,"unit":"insurers","year":2025,"note":"Campaign count after Chubb, 18 April 2025; no 31st found by October 2026."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":28,"unit":"insurers","year":2024,"note":"Campaign count, 5 February 2024."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":11,"unit":"insurers","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Campaign count, August 2022."},{"key":"pipeline_km","value":1443,"unit":"km","year":2026,"note":"Total length."},{"key":"pipeline_km_built","value":1414,"unit":"km","year":2026,"note":"Completed and buried by September 2026."},{"key":"local_reinsurance_share","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Offered to local reinsurers by law."},{"key":"arrested","value":47,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Students, August 2024 (another source gives 72)."},{"key":"arrested","value":15,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"November 2024."},{"key":"arrested","value":12,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Outside Stanbic's head office, August 2025."},{"key":"arrested","value":21,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"26 August 2024; 20 charged with common nuisance."},{"key":"pipeline_completion_pct","value":82,"unit":"%","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported by Ecofin in April 2026; not independently verified.","src":18}],"statusLine":"As of September 2026: campaign tallies count 30 insurers that declined (April 2025); 1,414 of 1,443 km were reported completed and buried; first oil was moved to June 2027; no insurer-confirmed list of current insurers is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"hannover-re","says":"\"We refrain from providing reinsurance coverage for EACOP due to noncompliance with our ESG expectations.\"","when":"28 March 2022","src":0},{"actor":"marsh","says":"Declined to comment, \"citing its long-standing policy of not confirming the identity of clients.\"","when":"2022–2023","src":6},{"actor":"riverstone","says":"\"does not underwrite the Eacop project directly or indirectly, and nor does it intend to.\"","when":"February 2024","src":3},{"actor":"siriuspoint","says":"\"not participating in the Eacop tender.\"","when":"February 2024","src":3},{"actor":"ira-uganda","says":"The pipeline is insured by the Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda.","when":"21 August 2022","src":7}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the pipeline insured?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Insurance Regulatory Authority, Uganda","says":"\"We have policies on the pipeline, on Tilenga, on Kingfisher.\" The Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda insures it.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"StopEACOP","says":"Disputes that the cover is complete.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Marsh","says":"Declined to comment, citing its policy of not confirming clients.","src":6,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Did Marsh break OECD guidelines by acting as broker for EACOP?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Complainants in the February 2023 OECD complaint","says":"Alleged that Marsh was violating OECD guidelines by serving as insurance broker for EACOP.","src":16},{"voice":"company","holder":"Marsh","says":"Declined to comment, citing its long-standing policy of not confirming the identity of clients.","src":6,"silent":true}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Why did Chubb rule out the pipeline?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Public Citizen","says":"Reported that Chubb ruled out insuring the pipeline and was the 30th major global insurer to refuse cover; campaigners tie this to Chubb's conservation policy.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Chubb","says":"Its 22 March 2023 standards say it will not underwrite oil and gas extraction projects in protected areas in IUCN categories I–V. No project-specific statement on EACOP is on record.","src":5}]},{"point":"Did the refusals matter for the project?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Campaign groups","says":"Count 30 insurers that refused cover.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Insurance Regulatory Authority, Uganda","says":"A local consortium insures the pipeline; local reinsurers may take up to 30% of the risk.","src":7}]}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 30 insurers and reinsurers publicly ruled out covering the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, a line of about 1,443 km from Uganda through Tanzania. Uganda's insurance regulator said a local consortium insures it, and by September 2026, 1,414 km had been completed and buried.","src":11},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda (ICOGU)","what":"Insures the pipeline, according to Uganda's insurance regulator (2022); not confirmed by any insurer","src":7},{"who":"Uganda Re, ZEP-Re and Africa Re","what":"Offered up to 30% of the pipeline's risk under the EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021; participation not confirmed","src":8},{"who":"Marsh","what":"Reported by the Financial Times in 2022 to be arranging the insurance; Marsh does not confirm clients","src":6},{"who":"TotalEnergies (62%), UNOC (15%), TPDC (15%) and CNOOC (8%)","what":"Shareholders in a pipeline 98% built by September 2026, with first oil expected in June 2027","src":9},{"who":"Afreximbank, Standard Bank, Stanbic Uganda, KCB Uganda and ICD","what":"Lenders in the first external financing tranche, closed on 26 March 2025 (amount not confirmed)","src":9}],"harmed":[{"who":"Students protesting against the pipeline in Kampala","what":"Arrested: 47 in August 2024 (FIDH counts 72 people nationwide that month), 15 in November 2024 and 12 outside Stanbic's head office in August 2025","src":17},{"who":"An activist","what":"Abducted for six days in June 2024","src":17}]},"where":{"t":"Uganda and Tanzania, along a pipeline of about 1,443 km; protests and arrests in Kampala.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Refusals from 2021 (Swiss Re, AXA, Zurich); Hannover Re on 28 March 2022; Britam on 27 November 2022; 28 insurers by 5 February 2024 and 30 with Chubb on 18 April 2025. Financing closed 26 March 2025; 1,414 of 1,443 km built by September 2026, first oil moved to June 2027.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Hannover Re said it would not reinsure EACOP 'due to noncompliance with our ESG expectations'; Britam's internal assessment found the project 'violated its backers' policies and performance standards'. Chubb made no project-specific statement; campaigners link its refusal to its 2023 policy against oil and gas extraction in IUCN category I–V protected areas.","src":0},"how":{"t":"As international insurers ruled the project out, Uganda's 2021 EACOP Act offered local reinsurers up to 30% of the risk, the regulator said a local consortium held the cover, and Marsh was reported to be arranging it. Construction continued with lender financing from March 2025.","src":8},"ratio":{"t":"About 30 insurers ruled the pipeline out; 1,414 of its 1,443 km (98%) were completed and buried by September 2026.","src":11}},"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A pipeline of 1,443 km runs from Uganda through Tanzania across me; by September 2026, 1,414 km had been completed and buried.","src":[11]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why did Chubb rule out the pipeline?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"First external financing tranche (Afreximbank, Standard Bank, Stanbic Uganda, KCB Uganda, ICD) — Amount not confirmed in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the pipeline insured?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Marsh break OECD guidelines by acting as broker for EACOP?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the refusals matter for the project?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Marsh: Declined to comment, citing its policy of not confirming clients.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Marsh: Declined to comment, citing its long-standing policy of not confirming the identity of clients.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"OECD complaint against Marsh over EACOP brokerage: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"EACOP (Special Provisions) Act 2021: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Charges against students protesting EACOP in Kampala: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"AIG: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Tokio Marine: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Chaucer: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Hiscox: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Liberty Mutual: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Brit: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Beazley: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda (ICOGU): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Uganda Re, ZEP-Re, Africa Re: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Marsh (broker): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Pipeline completion pct: Reported by Ecofin in April 2026; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"No insurer has confirmed a list of current insurers or reinsurers; whether the local consortium still holds the cover is unconfirmed, and StopEACOP disputes that the cover is complete (the cited sources do not give its figures).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No 2025–26 statement was found from AIG, Tokio Marine, Chaucer or Hiscox; no Chinese insurer participation was confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Chubb's project-specific wording on EACOP was not found; campaigners link its refusal to its 2023 protected-areas policy.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Trackers count the refusals differently: the sources give about 11 in August 2022, 28 in February 2024 and 30 in April 2025, and do not reconcile the lists. A figure of \"27 banks and 23 insurers\" withdrawing is a campaign claim, unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Completion reports differ by date and source: Ecofin reported 82% in April 2026, the Monitor reported about 91% in mid-2026, and AllAfrica reported 1,414 of 1,443 km completed and buried in September 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the first financing tranche is reported as about US$1bn; no source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Arrest counts for August 2024 differ between sources: 47 students on 9 August and 21 people on 26 August in one account, and 72 in August 2024 in another. A verdict in the August 2024 case is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the OECD complaint against Marsh was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in June 2019 the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment wrote that the pipeline's environmental assessment did not provide enough information for a sound decision, before approvals in Tanzania (November 2019) and Uganda (December 2020).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"california-home-insurance-retreat","title":"California homeowners' insurance retreat","dek":"Large insurers stopped writing new home policies in California from 2022, citing catastrophe exposure and costs. Policies on the state's insurer of last resort grew from about 271,000 to about 684,000.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":36.8,"lon":-119.4,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.8,"lon":-119.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Los Angeles","lat":34.05,"lon":-118.24,"role":"wildfires, January 2025"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","role":"related market withdrawal"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"FAIR Plan policies, September 2022 → March 2026","value":"271,327 to 684,388","note":"California FAIR Plan policies as reported by Insurance Business; exposure about $750 billion, up 242%."},"happened":["In late 2022 Allstate paused new homeowners, condominium and commercial policies in California, citing wildfire risk, repair costs, reinsurance costs and Proposition 103 rate-approval limits.","On 26 May 2023 State Farm General said it would \"cease accepting new applications\" for property and casualty lines in California, auto excluded. It cited construction costs, \"rapidly growing catastrophe exposure\" and \"a challenging reinsurance market\". The statement does not use the word \"wildfire\". In March 2024 State Farm said about 72,000 California policies would not be renewed: about 30,000 homes and 42,000 apartment properties.","Policies on the California FAIR Plan, the state-mandated insurer of last resort, rose from 271,327 in September 2022 to 684,388 in March 2026. Its exposure reached about $750 billion, up 242%, covering about 5% of homes. Growth slowed to 1.9% in the second quarter of 2026.","After the January 2025 Los Angeles fires, which Aon recorded as the costliest wildfire event at $58 billion in economic and $41 billion in insured losses, the FAIR Plan levied a $1 billion assessment on member insurers; under a new rule half of it may be passed to policyholders as a temporary fee. A survey reported that three-quarters of those who lost homes were underinsured.","In 2025 State Farm received a 17% emergency rate increase, against 21.8% requested, on condition of $400 million in capital from its parent and no mass non-renewals until the end of 2025. In Florida, Farmers stopped Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in July 2023, affecting about 100,000 customers. Florida’s state-run Citizens Property Insurance peaked at about 1.4 million policies in September 2023 and had 396,387 by December 2025 as private insurers took policies over.","A California Senate Budget Committee analysis of 23 insurers, about 65% of the market, covering 2018–2023, found non-renewals highest in the counties most exposed to climate risk, and that non-renewals and premiums rose together. The California Department of Insurance allowed insurers to base rates on wildfire models from Verisk, Moody’s RMS and KCC; Consumer Watchdog objected, and the models’ methods were not made public."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Allstate pauses new home, condo and commercial policies (late 2022); FAIR Plan at 271,327 policies (Sep)"},{"y":2023,"t":"State Farm stops accepting new property applications (26 May); Farmers leaves Florida (11 Jul); Florida Citizens peaks at about 1.4 million policies (Sep)"},{"y":2024,"t":"State Farm: about 72,000 California policies not renewed (Mar)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Los Angeles fires (Jan); $1bn FAIR Plan member assessment (Feb); State Farm 17% emergency rate increase (May); Florida Citizens at 396,387 policies (Dec)"},{"y":2026,"t":"FAIR Plan at 684,388 policies (Mar); growth slows to 1.9% (Q2)"}],"said":[{"q":"cease accepting new applications","who":"State Farm General Insurance Company","when":"26 May 2023","src":0},{"q":"rapidly growing catastrophe exposure","who":"State Farm General Insurance Company","when":"26 May 2023","src":0},{"q":"inflation, catastrophe exposure, reinsurance costs, and the limitations of working within decades-old insurance regulations","who":"State Farm, on non-renewals","when":"March 2024","src":1},{"q":"This business decision was necessary to effectively manage risk exposure.","who":"Farmers, on leaving Florida","when":"11 July 2023","src":3},{"q":"historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation","who":"State Farm General","when":"26 May 2023","src":0},{"q":"a challenging reinsurance market","who":"State Farm General","when":"26 May 2023","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"State Farm's May 2023 statement attributed the stop on new applications to construction costs, catastrophe exposure and reinsurance, without using the word \"wildfire\".","who":"State Farm General","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"California FAIR Plan policies: 271,327 in September 2022, 684,388 in March 2026; exposure up 242%.","src":5},{"t":"About 72,000 State Farm policies were not renewed in 2024.","src":1},{"t":"A $1bn FAIR Plan assessment on member insurers followed the Los Angeles fires; under a new rule half may be passed to policyholders.","src":6},{"t":"In a survey, three-quarters of Los Angeles fire survivors who lost homes were underinsured.","src":8},{"t":"HousingWire reported that State Farm’s surplus fell from $4.1 billion to $1.3 billion between 2016 and 2023.","src":11},{"t":"A US Senate Budget Committee analysis of 23 insurers (about 65% of the market), 2018–2023, found non-renewals highest in the counties most exposed to climate risk, and that non-renewals and premiums rose together.","src":13},{"t":"The Department of Insurance approved a 17% emergency rate increase for State Farm in 2025 against the 21.8% sought, on conditions that included $400 million of capital from the parent company and no mass non-renewals until the end of 2025.","src":7},{"t":"Florida's state-run Citizens Property Insurance peaked at about 1.4 million policies in September 2023 and had 396,387 by December 2025 as private insurers took policies over.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"FAIR Plan assessment on member insurers after the LA fires","amount":1000,"window":"2025","note":"Up to 50% may be passed to policyholders as a temporary fee."},{"label":"Capital from State Farm's parent required for the 2025 emergency rate increase","amount":400,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The houses moved from one ledger to another: from 271,000 to 684,000 on the state's.","outcomes":[{"k":"FAIR Plan policies","v":"271,327 to 684,388","d":"September 2022 to March 2026 (Insurance Business)"},{"k":"LA fire insured losses","v":"$41bn","d":"$58bn economic (Aon)"},{"k":"FAIR Plan coverage","v":"about $750 billion","d":"Up 242%; about 5% of homes"},{"k":"State Farm non-renewals","v":"about 72,000","d":"March 2024; about 30,000 homes and 42,000 apartment properties"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources document a Farmers withdrawal only in Florida; no Farmers statement on California new business was found.","State Farm’s May 2023 statement did not use the word “wildfire”.","Farmers’ statement on leaving Florida did not name hurricanes.","Unconfirmed: a March 2026 State Farm settlement over rates.","HousingWire reported that State Farm General's surplus fell from $4.1 billion (2016) to $1.3 billion (2023); no other source confirms it.","How much of the $1bn assessment has been passed on to policyholders was not found.","The methods of the wildfire models that insurers may now use to set rates were not made public."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable. Private insurers limited new business and the risk moved to the state’s insurer of last resort; FAIR Plan growth slowed to 1.9% in the second quarter of 2026, after growth of 43% from September 2024 to December 2025.","whoPaid":"Homeowners moved to the FAIR Plan, and policyholders statewide, to whom up to half of a $1bn assessment may be passed; most LA fire survivors who lost homes were underinsured.","actors":[{"id":"state-farm","role":"Stopped new property applications (2023); non-renewed about 72,000 policies (2024)"},{"id":"allstate","role":"Paused new home, condo and commercial policies (2022)"},{"id":"farmers","role":"Left Florida home, auto and umbrella market (2023)"},{"id":"ca-fair-plan","role":"State-mandated insurer of last resort"},{"id":"cdi","role":"State insurance regulator"},{"id":"citizens-property-insurance","role":"Florida state-run insurer"},{"id":"consumer-watchdog","role":"Objector to wildfire-model rating"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"State Farm General emergency rate increase","forum":"California insurance regulator","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"State Farm General","defendant":null,"filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"A 17% emergency rate increase was approved against 21.8% requested, conditional on $400m of capital from the parent and no mass non-renewals until the end of 2025.","src":7},{"title":"FAIR Plan member assessment after the Los Angeles fires","forum":"California FAIR Plan, under state insurance rules","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"California FAIR Plan","defendant":"Member insurers","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":1000,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed"},"summary":"A $1bn assessment was levied on member insurers; a new rule allows half of it to be passed to policyholders as a temporary fee.","src":6}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Allstate","insured":"California homeowners, condo and commercial applicants","status":"cover-declined","year":2022,"amount":null,"reason":"Wildfire risk, repair costs, reinsurance costs and Proposition 103 rate-approval limits","summary":"Paused new homeowners, condo and commercial policies in California in late 2022.","src":2},{"insurer":"State Farm General","insured":"California property and casualty applicants","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"amount":null,"reason":"\"historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation\", \"rapidly growing catastrophe exposure\", \"a challenging reinsurance market\"","summary":"Announced on 26 May 2023 that it would stop accepting new applications for property and casualty lines; auto not affected. The statement does not mention wildfire.","src":0},{"insurer":"State Farm General","insured":"About 72,000 California policyholders (about 30,000 homes, 42,000 apartment properties)","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"amount":null,"reason":"\"inflation, catastrophe exposure, reinsurance costs, and the limitations of working within decades-old insurance regulations\"","summary":"Announced in March 2024 that about 72,000 policies would not be renewed.","src":1},{"insurer":"Farmers","insured":"About 100,000 Florida customers","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"amount":null,"reason":"\"necessary to effectively manage risk exposure\"; hurricanes not named","summary":"Stopped Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida on 11 July 2023.","src":3},{"insurer":"Homeowners' insurers (not named)","insured":"Los Angeles fire survivors","status":"partial","year":2025,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"In a survey, 70% of those who lost homes said claims were delayed, denied or underpaid; three-quarters were underinsured.","src":8}],"metrics":[{"key":"policies_not_renewed","value":72000,"unit":"policies","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"State Farm, California: about 30,000 homes and 42,000 apartment properties."},{"key":"policies_in_force","value":271327,"unit":"policies","year":2022,"note":"California FAIR Plan, September 2022."},{"key":"policies_in_force","value":668000,"unit":"policies","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"California FAIR Plan, January 2026; up 43% from September 2024 to December 2025."},{"key":"policies_in_force","value":684388,"unit":"policies","year":2026,"note":"California FAIR Plan, March 2026."},{"key":"exposure","value":750000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"FAIR Plan exposure, up 242% since 2022; about 5% of homes."},{"key":"assessment","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"FAIR Plan member assessment after the LA fires; up to 50% may pass to policyholders."},{"key":"insured_loss","value":41000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Palisades and Eaton fires (Aon); economic loss $58bn."},{"key":"economic_loss","value":58000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Palisades and Eaton fires (Aon)."},{"key":"underinsured_share","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"LA fire survivors who lost homes (survey)."},{"key":"rate_increase","value":17,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"State Farm emergency increase; 21.8% requested."},{"key":"customers_dropped","value":100000,"unit":"customers","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Farmers, Florida."},{"key":"citizens_policies_peak","value":1400000,"unit":"policies","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Florida Citizens, September 2023; 396,387 by December 2025."}],"approxCoords":true,"statusLine":"As of the second quarter of 2026: FAIR Plan growth had slowed to 1.9%; State Farm was operating under an emergency rate increase; no court ruling is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"state-farm","says":"Stopped accepting new property and casualty applications in California, citing construction costs, catastrophe exposure and reinsurance.","when":"26 May 2023","src":0},{"actor":"state-farm","says":"Attributed the 2024 non-renewals to inflation, catastrophe exposure, reinsurance costs and decades-old insurance regulations.","when":"March 2024","src":1},{"actor":"allstate","says":"Cited wildfire risk, repair costs, reinsurance costs and Proposition 103 rate-approval limits for pausing new policies.","when":"Late 2022","src":2},{"actor":"farmers","says":"\"This business decision was necessary to effectively manage risk exposure.\"","when":"11 July 2023","src":3}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did insurers withdraw because of wildfire and climate risk?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"State Farm General","says":"Gave construction costs, catastrophe exposure and a challenging reinsurance market as reasons; the statement does not use the word \"wildfire\".","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Allstate","says":"Cited wildfire risk, repair costs, reinsurance costs and Proposition 103 rate-approval limits.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"California Senate Budget Committee","says":"Analysis of 23 insurers found non-renewals highest in the counties most exposed to climate risk.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"HousingWire","says":"Reported that State Farm's surplus fell from $4.1 billion to $1.3 billion between 2016 and 2023.","src":11}]},{"point":"Should insurers be allowed to set rates with wildfire models whose methods are not public?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"California Department of Insurance","says":"Allowed insurers to base rates on wildfire models from Verisk, Moody's RMS and KCC.","src":12},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Consumer Watchdog","says":"Objected to the use of the models; their methods were not made public.","src":12}]}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"From late 2022 Allstate, then State Farm General, stopped writing new home policies in California, citing catastrophe exposure, costs and reinsurance; State Farm also non-renewed about 72,000 policies in 2024. Policies on the state's insurer of last resort, the FAIR Plan, grew from 271,327 to 684,388 between September 2022 and March 2026.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"State Farm General","what":"A 17% emergency rate increase in 2025, against 21.8% requested","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"About 72,000 State Farm policyholders in California","what":"Policies not renewed in 2024 (about 30,000 homes and 42,000 apartment properties)","src":1},{"who":"FAIR Plan member insurers","what":"US$1bn assessment after the Los Angeles fires (2025)","src":6},{"who":"Policyholders across California","what":"Up to half of the US$1bn assessment may be passed to them as a temporary fee under a new rule","src":6},{"who":"State Farm's parent company","what":"Required to provide US$400m of capital as a condition of the 2025 rate increase","src":7},{"who":"About 100,000 Farmers customers in Florida","what":"Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies stopped in July 2023","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Los Angeles fire survivors who lost homes","what":"Three-quarters were underinsured, and 70% said claims were delayed, denied or underpaid (survey)","src":8},{"who":"Homes and property in the Palisades and Eaton fires, January 2025","what":"US$58bn of economic and US$41bn of insured losses (Aon)","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"California, statewide, including the Los Angeles fires of January 2025 (Palisades and Eaton); a related withdrawal in Florida.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Allstate pause in late 2022; State Farm stopped new applications on 26 May 2023; 72,000 non-renewals announced in March 2024; Los Angeles fires in January 2025; FAIR Plan assessment in February 2025; State Farm rate increase in May 2025. FAIR Plan at 684,388 policies in March 2026, with growth slowing to 1.9% in the second quarter.","src":null},"why":{"t":"State Farm cited 'historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation', 'rapidly growing catastrophe exposure' and 'a challenging reinsurance market', without using the word 'wildfire'; Allstate cited wildfire risk, repair and reinsurance costs and Proposition 103 rate-approval limits. A US Senate Budget Committee analysis of 23 insurers' 2018–2023 data found non-renewals highest in the counties most exposed to climate risk (as reported by the Washington Informer).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Homeowners refused or dropped by private insurers moved to the FAIR Plan, a state-mandated pool backed by member insurers, whose exposure reached about US$750bn; after the Los Angeles fires it levied US$1bn on members, half of which may be passed to policyholders. State Farm's 2025 emergency increase was approved on condition of US$400m in parent capital and no mass non-renewals until the end of 2025.","src":6},"ratio":{"t":"FAIR Plan policies rose about 2.5-fold (+152%), from 271,327 in September 2022 to 684,388 in March 2026.","src":5}},"sources":[{"t":"State Farm General Insurance Company California new business update","p":"State Farm","d":"2023-05-26","type":"company","u":"https://newsroom.statefarm.com/state-farm-general-insurance-company-california-new-business-update/"},{"t":"Update on California","p":"State Farm","d":"2024-03","type":"company","u":"https://newsroom.statefarm.com/update-on-california"},{"t":"Allstate stops issuing property insurance policies in California","p":"TMJ4","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.tmj4.com/allstate-stops-issuing-property-insurance-policies-in-california"},{"t":"Farmers leaving Florida","p":"Tampa Bay Times","d":"2023-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713002150/https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/"},{"t":"FAIR Plan growth slows below 2% as California's insurance market continues to show signs of recovery","p":"California Department of Insurance","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0200-industry/0105-alert/upload/FAIR-Plan-growth-slows-below-2-as-Californias-insurance-market-continues-to-show-signs-of-recovery.pdf"},{"t":"California's FAIR Plan carries growing load as insurers retreat beyond wildfire zones","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/californias-fair-plan-carries-growing-load-as-insurers-retreat-beyond-wildfire-zones-568596.aspx"},{"t":"Homeowners insurance costs rising in California FAIR Plan","p":"CalMatters","d":"2025-02-11","type":"press","u":"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/homeowners-insurance-costs-rising-in-california-fair-plan/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260724071219/https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/homeowners-insurance-costs-rising-in-california-fair-plan/"},{"t":"State Farm emergency rate increase approved in California","p":"Digital Insurance","d":"2025-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.dig-in.com/news/state-farm-emergency-rate-increase-approved-in-california"},{"t":"75% of LA fire survivors were underinsured","p":"Spectrum News 1","d":"2025-07-07","type":"press","u":"https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la/environment/2025/07/07/75--of-la-fire-survivors-were-underinsured"},{"t":"Aon report on 2025 catastrophe losses","p":"Claims Journal","d":"2026-01-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2026/01/22/335185.htm"},{"t":"Citizens Property Insurance now has fewer than 400,000 policies","p":"WUSF","d":"2025-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://wusf.org/text/politics-issues/2025-12-27/citizens-property-insurance-now-has-fewer-than-400-000-policies"},{"t":"State Farm will not renew more than 70k property policies in California","p":"HousingWire","d":"2024-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.housingwire.com/articles/state-farm-will-not-renew-more-than-70k-property-policies-in-california/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260814031454/https://www.housingwire.com/articles/state-farm-will-not-renew-more-than-70k-property-policies-in-california/"},{"t":"Department of Insurance allows insurers to base rates on wildfire models","p":"University of San Diego CPIL Blog","d":"2025-10-30","type":"academic","u":"https://sites.sandiego.edu/cpil-blog/2025/10/30/department-of-insurance-allows-insurers-to-base-rates-on-wildfire-models-as-a-part-of-the-california-sustainable-insurance-strategy-sis/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511204201/https://sites.sandiego.edu/cpil-blog/2025/10/30/department-of-insurance-allows-insurers-to-base-rates-on-wildfire-models-as-a-part-of-the-california-sustainable-insurance-strategy-sis/"},{"t":"Senate Budget Committee report: climate change driving home insurance non-renewals","p":"Claims Journal","d":"2024-12-19","u":"https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2024/12/19/327997.htm","type":"press"}],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did insurers withdraw because of wildfire and climate risk?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should insurers be allowed to set rates with wildfire models whose methods are not public?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"FAIR Plan member assessment after the Los Angeles fires: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources document a Farmers withdrawal only in Florida; no Farmers statement on California new business was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"State Farm’s May 2023 statement did not use the word “wildfire”.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Farmers’ statement on leaving Florida did not name hurricanes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a March 2026 State Farm settlement over rates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"HousingWire reported that State Farm General's surplus fell from $4.1 billion (2016) to $1.3 billion (2023); no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the $1bn assessment has been passed on to policyholders was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The methods of the wildfire models that insurers may now use to set rates were not made public.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"california-offsets-buffer-pool","title":"California forest offsets buffer pool and wildfire","dek":"California's forest offsets programme sets aside credits in a buffer pool to cover losses such as fire. Researchers estimate that fires have used up almost 40% of the pool, against 20% allocated for 100 years of fire risk.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.58,"lon":-121.49,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":38.58,"lon":-121.49,"role":"programme"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","wildfire","insurance-retreat","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Buffer pool consumed by fire vs 100-year fire allocation","value":"~40% vs 20%","note":"CarbonPlan estimate, 2025."},"happened":["Forest offset projects in California's programme contribute 2–4% of their credited carbon to a buffer pool for fire risk. When a credited forest burns, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) replaces the lost credits from the pool; buyers are not charged.","A peer-reviewed study by Badgley et al. (CarbonPlan), published on 5 August 2022, estimated wildfire losses of 5.7–6.8 million credits, at least 95% of the pool's 100-year fire allocation (upper estimate 114%). The total pool held about 31.0 million credits.","In December 2022 CarbonPlan estimated losses of at least 1.38 million tCO₂ at Warm Springs (Lionshead fire), at least 1.15 million at Klamath East (Bootleg fire), 3.95 million officially at Colville and 0.21 million at Montesol, and described the pool as \"effectively insolvent\".","In November 2023 CarbonPlan reported a further 1.79 million tCO₂ lost at Colville and programme-wide wildfire losses of nearly 11 million credits out of about 33.5 million ever deposited. In September 2025 it noted that Warm Springs' post-fire carbon stock was still undisclosed after about 60 months, although the rules require it within 23 months.","Microsoft bought about 240,000–265,000 credits from Klamath East and West in 2020–21. The Klamath East project is to be terminated, according to Green Diamond's filings as reported by OPB.","Verra, which runs a separate voluntary-market buffer pool for agriculture, forestry and other land use, said in a 2021 consultation that cancellations 'may be inadequate'. From December 2025 its durability pilot allows approved insurance policies to be used instead of buffer-pool contributions; CarbonPool and Kita were approved, followed by Artio."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Lionshead fire burns the Warm Springs project"},{"y":2021,"t":"Bootleg fire burns Klamath East; Microsoft credit purchases reported"},{"y":2022,"t":"Badgley et al.: fire losses at least 95% of 100-year allocation (5 Aug); CarbonPlan: pool \"effectively insolvent\" (1 Dec)"},{"y":2023,"t":"CarbonPlan: nearly 11m credits lost to wildfire of 33.5m deposited (29 Nov)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Lloyd's lineslip for carbon-credit insurance with Apollo, Hiscox and other syndicates (October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"CarbonPlan: almost 40% of pool consumed; Warm Springs stock still undisclosed (3 Sep); Verra durability pilot allows insurance in place of buffer contributions (from December)"}],"said":[{"q":"California's forest carbon offsets buffer pool is severely undercapitalized.","who":"Badgley et al., paper title, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change","when":"5 August 2022","src":0},{"q":"effectively insolvent","who":"CarbonPlan, on the buffer pool","when":"1 December 2022","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"A shared buffer pool, filled from 2–4% of credited carbon for fire risk, as the programme's cover for losses of stored carbon","who":"California forest-offset programme rules, as described by Badgley et al.","src":0},{"t":"Buyers are not charged when burned credits are replaced from the pool","who":"CarbonPlan's description of the CARB mechanism","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Wildfire losses of 5.7–6.8 million credits, at least 95 percent of the 100-year fire allocation (upper estimate 114%)","src":0},{"t":"Program-wide wildfire losses of nearly 11 million credits out of about 33.5 million ever deposited in the buffer","src":1},{"t":"Wildfire has consumed almost 40% of the pool, against 20% allocated for fire over 100 years (CarbonPlan estimate)","src":3},{"t":"Warm Springs post-fire carbon stock undisclosed after about 60 months; the rules require disclosure 'within 23 months'","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The reserve was meant to last a hundred years of my fires. It lasted a few seasons.","outcomes":[{"k":"Pool consumed by fire","v":"~40%","d":"Against 20% allocated for 100 years (CarbonPlan, 2025)"},{"k":"Fire allocation used","v":"≥ 95%","d":"Badgley et al., 2022"},{"k":"Warm Springs post-fire carbon stock","v":"Undisclosed","d":"After about 60 months; rules require it within 23 months"}]},"unknown":["Warm Springs (ACR260) official reversal tonnage is still undisclosed.","No CARB buffer data after 2025 was found.","Microsoft's credit volume differs between sources (about 240,000–265,000).","No insurer is involved; no commercial insurance claim for burned offset forests was found.","The total buffer pool: CARB reported 28.3 million credits, a figure that excludes Lionshead, while the 2022 study put the pool at about 31.0 million credits and CarbonPlan's later figure for credits ever deposited was about 33.5 million.","Oka's approval status under Verra's durability work: unconfirmed. A Verra approval is recorded for CORSIA, and the company's own site mentions a 14 October 2026 'Verra durability placement'; the two accounts conflict."],"evidence":["no-court","review","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No. Burned credits are replaced from the buffer pool and the credits already used by buyers stand.","whoPaid":"The shared buffer pool, which CarbonPlan estimates fire has consumed almost 40% of, against 20% set aside for 100 years.","actors":[{"id":"carb","role":"Programme regulator; replaces burned credits from the buffer pool"},{"id":"carbonplan","role":"Research group; buffer pool analyses"},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Credit buyer (Klamath East and West)"},{"id":"green-diamond","role":"Klamath East project owner"},{"id":"verra","role":"Registry; durability pilot allowing insurance"}],"sources":[{"t":"California's forest carbon offsets buffer pool is severely undercapitalized","p":"Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (Badgley et al.)","d":"2022-08-05","type":"academic","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.930426/full","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925191402/https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.930426/full"},{"t":"Buffer analysis update","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2022-12-01","type":"academic","u":"https://carbonplan.org/blog/buffer-analysis-update"},{"t":"Buffer update three","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2023-11-29","type":"academic","u":"https://carbonplan.org/blog/buffer-update-three","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422142625/https://carbonplan.org/blog/buffer-update-three"},{"t":"Lionshead fifth anniversary","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2025-09-03","type":"academic","u":"https://carbonplan.org/blog/lionshead-fifth-anniversary"},{"t":"US forest fires threaten carbon offsets as company-linked trees burn","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2021-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04082021/us-forest-fires-threaten-carbon-offsets-as-company-linked-trees-burn/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512210330/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04082021/us-forest-fires-threaten-carbon-offsets-as-company-linked-trees-burn/"},{"t":"Verra approves insurance policies for use under durability pilot","p":"Verra","d":"2025-12","type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/verra-approves-insurance-policies-for-use-under-durability-pilot/"},{"t":"Comments on the draft exploitation regulations, section 8 (reproduces Badgley et al., CarbonPlan and Verra figures)","p":"International Seabed Authority submission","d":"2025-09","type":"official","u":"https://www.isa.org.jm/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Comments-on-the-draft-exploitation-regulations_PCT-DR-54.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"California forest offsets buffer pool (programme self-insurance, administered by CARB)","insured":"Holders of credits from burned forest projects","status":"self-insured","year":2025,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"CARB replaces credits lost to fire from the shared buffer pool; buyers are not charged.","src":3},{"insurer":"Lloyd's syndicates including Apollo and Hiscox","insured":"Carbon-credit buyers and projects (lineslip)","status":"unknown","year":2024,"summary":"A Lloyd's lineslip with Apollo, Hiscox and other syndicates was recorded in October 2024.","src":5},{"insurer":"CarbonPool, Kita and Artio","insured":"Forest-carbon projects under Verra's durability pilot","status":"unknown","year":2025,"summary":"Verra's durability pilot, from December 2025, allows insurance in place of buffer-pool contributions. CarbonPool and Kita were approved, then Artio.","src":5}],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_lost","value":6800000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Wildfire losses estimated at 5.7–6.8m (Badgley et al.)."},{"key":"credits_lost","value":11000000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Programme-wide wildfire losses (CarbonPlan)."},{"key":"buffer_pool_size","value":31000000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"qualifier":"about"},{"key":"buffer_pool_deposited","value":33500000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ever deposited."},{"key":"buffer_pool_size","value":28300000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"CARB figure, excluding Lionshead."},{"key":"buffer_share_consumed","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Against 20% allocated for fire over 100 years (CarbonPlan)."},{"key":"fire_allocation_used","value":95,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Upper estimate 114% (Badgley et al.)."},{"key":"credits_lost","value":1380000,"unit":"tCO2","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"ACR260 Warm Springs, Lionshead fire."},{"key":"credits_lost","value":1150000,"unit":"tCO2","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"ACR273 Klamath East, Bootleg fire."},{"key":"credits_lost","value":3950000,"unit":"tCO2","year":2022,"note":"ACR255 Colville, official; a further 1.79m in its seventh reporting period (2023)."},{"key":"credits_lost","value":210000,"unit":"tCO2","year":2022,"note":"CAR1102 Montesol."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":265000,"unit":"credits","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Microsoft purchases from Klamath East and West, 2020–21 (240,000–265,000)."}],"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Credited forest carbon at several projects was lost to wildfire; the losses are recorded as credit volumes rather than measurements on the ground.","report":[{"t":"Fires burned my forest on projects whose stored carbon had been credited: the Lionshead fire at Warm Springs and the Bootleg fire at Klamath East.","src":1},{"t":"Losses at the four projects CarbonPlan listed were estimated at 1.38, 1.15, 3.95 and 0.21 million tCO2.","src":1}]},"statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (September and December 2025): CarbonPlan estimated wildfire had consumed almost 40% of the pool, and Verra's durability pilot allowed insurance in place of buffer contributions from December 2025.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"carb","says":"CARB reported 28.3 million buffer credits, a figure that excludes Lionshead.","when":"2025","src":3},{"actor":"verra","says":"In a 2021 consultation, said buffer cancellations 'may be inadequate'; from December 2025 its durability pilot allows approved insurance in place of buffer-pool contributions.","when":"2021; December 2025","src":5}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the buffer pool large enough to cover wildfire losses?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Badgley et al. (CarbonPlan)","says":"Wildfire losses were at least 95 percent of the 100-year fire allocation; the pool is severely undercapitalized.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"CarbonPlan","says":"Wildfire has consumed almost 40% of the pool against 20% allocated for fire over 100 years.","src":3},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Its 2021 consultation said buffer cancellations 'may be inadequate'.","src":6}]},{"point":"How large is the pool?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"CARB","says":"Reports 28.3 million buffer credits, a figure that excludes Lionshead.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"CarbonPlan","says":"Estimates about 33.5 million credits were ever deposited, with program-wide wildfire losses of nearly 11 million.","src":1}]}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"California's forest offset programme sets aside 2–4% of each project's credited carbon in a buffer pool to cover losses such as fire. Researchers estimated that wildfires had used at least 95% of the pool's 100-year fire allocation by 2022 and almost 40% of the whole pool by 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Holders of credits from burned forest projects","what":"Credits lost to fire are replaced from the pool; buyers are not charged","src":3},{"who":"Microsoft","what":"Bought about 240,000–265,000 credits from Klamath East and West in 2020–21; credits already used by buyers stand","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"The shared buffer pool","what":"Nearly 11 million credits lost to wildfire out of about 33.5 million ever deposited (2023); almost 40% consumed against 20% allocated for 100 years of fire (2025)","src":2},{"who":"Green Diamond (Klamath East project owner)","what":"Project to be terminated, according to its filings as reported by OPB","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Warm Springs project forest (Lionshead fire, 2020)","what":"At least 1.38 million tCO₂ lost (CarbonPlan estimate); official figure still undisclosed","src":1},{"who":"Klamath East project forest (Bootleg fire, 2021)","what":"At least 1.15 million tCO₂ lost (CarbonPlan estimate)","src":1},{"who":"Colville project forest","what":"3.95 million tCO₂ lost (official), plus a further 1.79 million in its seventh reporting period (2023)","src":2},{"who":"Montesol project forest","what":"0.21 million tCO₂ lost","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"California's forest offset programme, run by the California Air Resources Board (CARB); burned projects include Warm Springs, Klamath East, Colville and Montesol.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Lionshead fire 2020; Bootleg fire 2021; Badgley et al. published 5 August 2022; CarbonPlan called the pool 'effectively insolvent' on 1 December 2022. Nearly 11 million credits lost by 29 November 2023; almost 40% of the pool consumed by 3 September 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The buffer pool's stated purpose is to replace credits lost when credited forests burn. Badgley et al. found it 'severely undercapitalized': fire losses within about a decade reached at least 95% (upper estimate 114%) of the contributions meant to cover 100 years of fire risk.","src":0},"how":{"t":"When a credited forest burns, CARB replaces the lost credits from the shared pool rather than charging the buyer, so credits already used against emissions remain valid. Disclosure lags: Warm Springs' post-fire carbon stock was still undisclosed after about 60 months, although the rules require it within 23 months.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"Fire had consumed almost 40% of the pool, against 20% allocated for 100 years of fire risk (CarbonPlan, 2025).","src":3}},"related":["california-forest-carbon-projects-burned"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the buffer pool large enough to cover wildfire losses?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is the pool?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Lloyd's syndicates including Apollo and Hiscox: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"CarbonPool, Kita and Artio: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Warm Springs (ACR260) official reversal tonnage is still undisclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No CARB buffer data after 2025 was found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Microsoft's credit volume differs between sources (about 240,000–265,000).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No insurer is involved; no commercial insurance claim for burned offset forests was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The total buffer pool: CARB reported 28.3 million credits, a figure that excludes Lionshead, while the 2022 study put the pool at about 31.0 million credits and CarbonPlan's later figure for credits ever deposited was about 33.5 million.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Oka's approval status under Verra's durability work: unconfirmed. A Verra approval is recorded for CORSIA, and the company's own site mentions a 14 October 2026 'Verra durability placement'; the two accounts conflict.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"google-uruguay-data-centre","title":"Google data centre, Canelones (Uruguay)","dek":"Google's original design for a data centre in Canelones foresaw about 7.6 million litres of drinking water a day, at a time of drought. Uruguay approved a reformulated project: air-cooled, at about one third of the capacity.","country":"Uruguay","region":"Latin America","lat":-34.6,"lon":-56.1,"places":[{"country":"Uruguay","iso2":"UY","admin":"Canelones","lat":-34.6,"lon":-56.1,"role":"site"}],"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre","water"],"headline":{"label":"Planned drinking-water use, original design → approved design","value":"7.6m litres/day → air cooling","note":"Approved design at about one third of the original capacity."},"happened":["Google planned a data centre in the department of Canelones, Uruguay. The original design foresaw the use of about 7.6 million litres of drinking water a day for the site.","The plan was under discussion during Uruguay's 2023 water crisis. A report published by the Presidency in August 2023 documented the water deficit; bottled water was distributed tax-free.","In 2024 Uruguay approved a reformulated project. The data centre would be air-cooled and would have about one third of the originally planned capacity.","Air cooling reduces water drawn on site but raises electricity use, which moves part of the water demand to power generation. In the United States, indirect water use linked to the grid has been estimated at about 12 times the direct water use of data centres; among the largest operators only Meta reports indirect water."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Water crisis; Presidency report on the water deficit (Aug)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Uruguay approves reformulated project: air-cooled, about one third of capacity"}],"said":[],"shown":["A new Google data centre in Uruguay","Approved after reformulation to air cooling"],"recorded":["Original design: about 7.6 million litres of drinking water a day","Planned during a national water crisis","Approved design: air cooling, about one third of the capacity","Air cooling shifts water demand to electricity generation; the indirect share is not reported by Google"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"—","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Investment value of the project","amount":null,"note":"Not in the source record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"In a drought year, the plan asked for 7.6 million litres of my drinking water a day. The new design cools with air and moves part of that demand to the power plants.","outcomes":[{"k":"Planned water use, original design","v":"7.6m L/day","d":"Drinking water"},{"k":"Approved design","v":"Air-cooled","d":"About one third of original capacity"},{"k":"Indirect water through electricity","v":"Not reported","d":"US estimate: about 12× direct use"}]},"unknown":["The electricity demand of the approved design and the water used to generate it: not published.","The original approval history and which authority approved the reformulated design: not detailed in the source record.","The source record gives the same daily figure (7.6 million litres) for Google's Uruguayan and Chilean projects; the figure has not been cross-checked against permit documents."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The approved design uses air cooling instead of drinking water. Part of the water demand moves to electricity generation.","whoPaid":"Not quantified.","actors":[{"id":"google","role":"Project developer"},{"id":"uruguay-gov","role":"Approved the reformulated project"}],"sources":[{"t":"Uruguay approves reformulated Google datacenter project","p":"BNamericas","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://bnamericas.com/en/news/uruguay-approves-reformulated-google-datacenter-project"},{"t":"Informe de déficit hídrico","p":"Presidencia de la República, Uruguay","d":"2023-08-23","type":"official","u":"https://medios.presidencia.gub.uy/tav_portal/2023/noticias/AL_267/23082023_InformeDeficitHidrico.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260802154341/https://medios.presidencia.gub.uy/tav_portal/2023/noticias/AL_267/23082023_InformeDeficitHidrico.pdf"},{"t":"Data centers' hidden water footprint is linked to the grid","p":"Latitude Media","d":"2026-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/data-centers-hidden-water-footprint-is-linked-to-the-grid/"},{"t":"Big Tech's data centre push will take water from the world's driest areas","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2025-04-09","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909154250/https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Approval of Google's reformulated Canelones data centre","forum":"Government of Uruguay (environmental authorisation)","country":"Uruguay","iso2":"UY","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Google (applicant)","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Uruguay approved a reformulated project using air cooling and about one third of the originally planned capacity.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"water_use","value":7600000,"unit":"litres/day","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Drinking water foreseen in the original design; a planned figure, not a measured withdrawal."},{"key":"water_use","value":12,"unit":"× direct use (indirect, via electricity)","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"US-wide estimate for data centres (Latitude Media); not specific to this site."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Google planned a data centre in Canelones whose original design foresaw about 7.6 million litres of drinking water a day, while Uruguay went through its 2023 water crisis. In 2024 Uruguay approved a reformulated project: air-cooled, at about one third of the original capacity.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Google","what":"Government approval in 2024 for a reformulated, air-cooled data centre in Canelones","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Google","what":"About two thirds of the originally planned capacity, under the approved design (the approved design has about one third of the original capacity)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Department of Canelones, Uruguay.","src":null},"when":{"t":"The plan was under discussion during the 2023 water crisis, documented in a Presidency report of 23 August 2023; Uruguay approved the reformulated project in 2024.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The original design foresaw about 7.6 million litres of drinking water a day for the site; the approved design uses air cooling instead. Air cooling reduces water drawn on site but raises electricity use, moving part of the water demand to power generation, and Google does not report that indirect water.","src":2},"ratio":{"t":"The approved data centre has about one third of the capacity in Google's original design.","src":0}},"natureLead":{"t":"Google's original design for a data centre in Uruguay foresaw about 7.6 million litres of my drinking water a day; the design approved in 2024 is air-cooled, at about one third of the capacity.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Investment value of the project — Not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The electricity demand of the approved design and the water used to generate it: not published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The original approval history and which authority approved the reformulated design: not detailed in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source record gives the same daily figure (7.6 million litres) for Google's Uruguayan and Chilean projects; the figure has not been cross-checked against permit documents.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"google-cerrillos-data-centre","title":"Google data centre, Cerrillos (Chile)","dek":"Chile's Environmental Court questioned a Google data-centre design that relied on at least 7.6 million litres of groundwater a day. In September 2024 Google dropped the original design and moved to air cooling.","country":"Chile","region":"Latin America","lat":-33.5,"lon":-70.71,"places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Cerrillos, Santiago","lat":-33.5,"lon":-70.71,"role":"site"},{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Quilicura, Santiago","lat":-33.36,"lon":-70.73,"role":"related site"}],"start":2024,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-09-17","instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre","water"],"headline":{"label":"Planned groundwater use, original design","value":"≥ 7.6m litres/day","note":"Design dropped after the Environmental Court's review; project moved to air cooling."},"happened":["Google planned a data centre in Cerrillos, a commune of Santiago. The original design relied on groundwater for cooling: at least 7.6 million litres a day.","Chile's Environmental Court questioned the project's groundwater use.","On 17 September 2024 CNN Chile reported that Google had abandoned the original design and announced a redesign. The project was converted to air cooling.","In Quilicura, another Santiago commune, data centres draw about 1.5 billion litres of water a year and Google holds a water withdrawal right of 50 litres per second. TechSpot reported that a 468-hectare wetland there had largely dried.","Air cooling reduces water drawn on site but raises electricity use, moving part of the water demand to power generation."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Environmental Court questions groundwater use"},{"y":2024,"t":"Google drops original design; air-cooled redesign announced (17 Sep)"}],"said":[],"shown":["A new Google data centre for Santiago","Redesigned with air cooling"],"recorded":["Original design: at least 7.6 million litres of groundwater a day","Environmental Court questioned the water use","Google holds a 50 litres-per-second water right in Quilicura","Quilicura data centres draw about 1.5 billion litres a year"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"—","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Investment value of the project","amount":null,"note":"Not in the source record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"They planned to take 7.6 million litres a day from under Cerrillos. A court asked first. In Quilicura, no one asked in time for the wetland.","outcomes":[{"k":"Planned groundwater use","v":"≥ 7.6m L/day","d":"Original design"},{"k":"Outcome","v":"Air-cooled redesign","d":"Announced September 2024"},{"k":"Google water right in Quilicura","v":"50 L/s","d":"Existing site"}]},"unknown":["The exact terms and date of the Environmental Court's decision, and who brought the case: not detailed in the source record.","Whether the redesigned project has received a new environmental approval.","The electricity demand of the air-cooled design and the water used to generate it.","The source record gives the same daily figure (7.6 million litres) for Google's Chilean and Uruguayan projects; the figure has not been cross-checked against permit documents."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The groundwater-cooled design was dropped after the court's review. The Quilicura withdrawal right was not affected.","whoPaid":"Not quantified for Cerrillos. In Quilicura, a 468-hectare wetland was reported largely dried.","actors":[{"id":"google","role":"Project developer"},{"id":"chile-env-court","role":"Reviewed the project's groundwater use"}],"sources":[{"t":"Google se rinde con proyecto original de data center en Cerrillos y anuncia futuro rediseño de la iniciativa","p":"CNN Chile","d":"2024-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.cnnchile.com/negocios/google-se-rinde-con-proyecto-original-de-data-center-en-cerrillos-y-anuncia-futuro-rediseno-de-la-iniciativa_20240917/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134530/https://www.cnnchile.com/negocios/google-se-rinde-con-proyecto-original-de-data-center-en-cerrillos-y-anuncia-futuro-rediseno-de-la-iniciativa/"},{"t":"Inside the data center boom that's consuming Chile's last water","p":"TechSpot","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.techspot.com/news/112540-inside-data-center-boom-consuming-chile-last-water.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813083423/https://www.techspot.com/news/112540-inside-data-center-boom-consuming-chile-last-water.html"},{"t":"Data centers' hidden water footprint is linked to the grid","p":"Latitude Media","d":"2026-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/data-centers-hidden-water-footprint-is-linked-to-the-grid/"},{"t":"Big Tech's data centre push will take water from the world's driest areas","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2025-04-09","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909154250/https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Environmental Court review of Google's Cerrillos data centre","forum":"Environmental Court of Chile","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Not named in the source record","defendant":"Environmental approval of Google's Cerrillos project","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The court questioned the project's use of at least 7.6 million litres of groundwater a day; Google then dropped the original design and moved to air cooling.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"water_use","value":7600000,"unit":"litres/day","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Groundwater foreseen in the original Cerrillos design; a planned figure, not a measured withdrawal."},{"key":"water_use","value":50,"unit":"litres/second (water right)","year":2024,"note":"Google's withdrawal right at Quilicura (TechSpot)."},{"key":"water_use","value":1500000000,"unit":"litres/year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"All data centres in Quilicura combined (TechSpot); not Google alone."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Google planned a data centre in Cerrillos, Santiago, cooled with at least 7.6 million litres of groundwater a day. After Chile's Environmental Court questioned the water use, Google dropped the original design in September 2024 and moved to air cooling.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Google","what":"A water withdrawal right of 50 litres per second in Quilicura, another Santiago commune, at an existing site","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Google","what":"Its original groundwater-cooled design for Cerrillos, abandoned after the Environmental Court's review","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Wetland in Quilicura (468 hectares)","what":"Reported by TechSpot as largely dried; data centres in Quilicura draw about 1.5 billion litres of water a year","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Cerrillos commune, Santiago, Chile; related site in Quilicura, Santiago.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Chile's Environmental Court questioned the project's groundwater use in 2024; on 17 September 2024 CNN Chile reported that Google had abandoned the original design and announced a redesign.","src":0},"why":{"t":"CNN Chile reported that Google gave up the original design after Chile's Environmental Court questioned its use of at least 7.6 million litres of groundwater a day.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The original design relied on groundwater for cooling; the redesign uses air cooling. Air cooling reduces water drawn on site but raises electricity use, moving part of the water demand to power generation.","src":2},"ratio":{"t":"The Cerrillos design's planned groundwater use, about 2.8 billion litres a year at 7.6 million litres a day, was nearly twice the 1.5 billion litres a year drawn by all Quilicura data centres combined (estimate).","src":null}},"natureLead":{"t":"A data centre was designed to draw at least 7.6 million litres of my groundwater a day; in September 2024 that design was dropped for air cooling.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Investment value of the project — Not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Environmental Court review of Google's Cerrillos data centre: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact terms and date of the Environmental Court's decision, and who brought the case: not detailed in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the redesigned project has received a new environmental approval.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The electricity demand of the air-cooled design and the water used to generate it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source record gives the same daily figure (7.6 million litres) for Google's Chilean and Uruguayan projects; the figure has not been cross-checked against permit documents.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"ethiopia-353-million-seedlings","title":"Ethiopia: 353 million seedlings in a day","dek":"Ethiopia announced that 353,633,660 seedlings were planted in 12 hours in July 2019. The government later put survival above 80%; a study in one district found 39.8%.","country":"Ethiopia","region":"Africa","lat":9,"lon":38.7,"places":[{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","role":"site"},{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","admin":"Gubalafto district","role":"district study"}],"start":2019,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2019-07-29","instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Survival: government figure vs one district study","value":"83.4% vs 39.8%","note":"Government's own figure; the 39.8% comes from a single district, not a national count."},"happened":["On 29 July 2019 the government of Ethiopia announced that 353,633,660 seedlings had been planted in 12 hours. The figure came from the government's own count.","In 2020 the Prime Minister said that 84% of the seedlings had survived. The government's survival figure has also been reported as 83.4%. No independent audit of the planting count or of survival is on record.","A study in Gubalafto district found a survival rate of 39.8%, as reported by UNIAN (in Russian). The study covers one district, not the whole country.","The campaign was reported by its number of seedlings planted. No national figure for trees still standing, measured by a party other than the government, is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Government announces 353,633,660 seedlings planted in 12 hours (29 Jul)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Prime Minister says 84% of seedlings survived"},{"y":2025,"t":"UNIAN reports district study in Gubalafto: 39.8% survival"}],"said":[],"shown":["353 million seedlings planted in 12 hours","84% of seedlings alive (Prime Minister, 2020)"],"recorded":["Planting count: the government's own figure","Government survival figure 83.4%; one district study 39.8%","No independent national survival audit on record"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"—","nature":[{"label":"Cost of the campaign","amount":null,"note":"Not in the source record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"You counted 353 million at planting. In one district I counted again: four in ten were still standing.","outcomes":[{"k":"Seedlings planted (government count)","v":"353.6m","d":"12 hours, 29 July 2019"},{"k":"Survival, government","v":"83.4–84%","d":"No independent audit"},{"k":"Survival, Gubalafto district study","v":"39.8%","d":"One district only"}]},"unknown":["Whether the 353.6 million planting count was independently checked: no audit on record.","An independently measured national survival rate: none on record.","The cost of the campaign and who supplied the seedlings.","A later report headline refers to 805 million seedlings planted in twelve hours with 26 million participants; this figure has not been verified."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable.","whoPaid":"Not quantified.","actors":[{"id":"ethiopia-gov","role":"Organiser; source of the planting and survival figures"}],"sources":[{"t":"Ethiopia plants more than 350 million trees in a day","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2019-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/7/30/ethiopia-plants-more-than-350-million-trees-in-a-day"},{"t":"Ethiopia: over 350 million trees planted in 12 hours","p":"Afrik21","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://afrik21.africa/en/ethiopia-over-350-million-trees-planted-in-12-hours","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230324055124/https://www.afrik21.africa/en/ethiopia-over-350-million-trees-planted-in-12-hours/"},{"t":"Forest restoration in Ethiopia: what happened to the millions of planted trees (in Russian)","p":"UNIAN","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.unian.net/ecology/vosstanovlenie-lesov-v-efiopii-chto-stalo-s-millionami-vysazhennyh-derevev-amp-13458432.html"},{"t":"Ethiopia put 805 million seedlings in the ground in twelve hours…","p":"Ecoticias","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecoticias.com/en/ethiopia-put-805-million-seedlings-in-the-ground-in-twelve-hours-with-26-million-people-helping-and-the-number-that-will-actually-decide-whether-it-worked-is-still-years-away/35700/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260829234952/https://www.ecoticias.com/en/ethiopia-put-805-million-seedlings-in-the-ground-in-twelve-hours-with-26-million-people-helping-and-the-number-that-will-actually-decide-whether-it-worked-is-still-years-away/35700/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":353633660,"unit":"seedlings","year":2019,"note":"Government's own figure; no independent count."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":84,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Stated by the Prime Minister; government's own figure; no independent audit."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":83.4,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Government's figure as reported by UNIAN; no independent audit."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":39.8,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Study in a single district (Gubalafto), reported by UNIAN; not a national figure."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 29 July 2019 the government of Ethiopia announced that 353,633,660 seedlings had been planted in 12 hours, a figure from its own count. The government later put survival above 80%; a study in one district found 39.8%.","src":0},"where":{"t":"Ethiopia, nationwide; the survival study covered Gubalafto district.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Planting day on 29 July 2019; the Prime Minister said in 2020 that 84% of seedlings had survived; UNIAN reported the Gubalafto district study in 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The government put survival at 84% (Prime Minister, 2020) and 83.4%, its own figures with no independent audit on record. A study in Gubalafto district found a survival rate of 39.8%.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The campaign was reported by the number of seedlings planted, counted by the government itself. No national figure for trees still standing, measured by a party other than the government, is on record.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The district study's survival rate (39.8%) was less than half the government's figure (83.4%).","src":2}},"natureLead":{"t":"353,633,660 seedlings were planted on me in 12 hours in July 2019, by the government's count; in the one district studied, 39.8% survived.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Cost of the campaign — Not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Trees planted: Government's own figure; no independent count.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Survival rate: Stated by the Prime Minister; government's own figure; no independent audit.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 353.6 million planting count was independently checked: no audit on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"An independently measured national survival rate: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cost of the campaign and who supplied the seedlings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A later report headline refers to 805 million seedlings planted in twelve hours with 26 million participants; this figure has not been verified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"mexico-sembrando-vida","title":"Sembrando Vida (Sowing Life)","dek":"Mexico's tree-planting programme pays farmers a monthly sum to plant trees. A World Resources Institute estimate found it may have contributed to the loss of 72,830 hectares of forest cover in its first year.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":23.6,"lon":-102.5,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","role":"site"}],"start":2019,"end":2022,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Forest cover loss linked to the programme, first year","value":"72,830 ha","note":"WRI estimate for 2019; WRI said the analysis was not conclusive."},"happened":["Sembrando Vida began in 2019. It pays participating farmers a monthly sum to plant trees on their land.","An analysis by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in Mexico, reported by Expansión in April 2021, estimated that in 2019 the programme may have contributed to the loss of 72,830 hectares of forest cover in the municipalities where it operated. WRI said the analysis was not conclusive; the causal link is disputed.","It has been argued that the harm stemmed from the design of the payment incentive. The government said only degraded land was eligible for the programme.","Expansión's April 2021 report described Sembrando Vida as a programme President López Obrador wanted to offer to US President Biden."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Programme begins; first year of payments"},{"y":2021,"t":"Expansión reports WRI estimate of 72,830 ha forest cover loss (22 Apr)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Mongabay reports on Mexican restoration programmes (Dec)"}],"said":[],"shown":["Farmers paid to plant trees","A programme the President wanted to offer to the United States"],"recorded":["WRI estimate: 72,830 ha of forest cover lost in programme municipalities in 2019","WRI called its analysis not conclusive","Government: only degraded land eligible"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"—","nature":[{"label":"Monthly payments to farmers","amount":null,"note":"Total not in the source record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"You paid them to plant me. In the first year, by one estimate, 72,830 hectares of my forest cover went first.","outcomes":[{"k":"Forest cover loss, 2019 (estimate)","v":"72,830 ha","d":"WRI; not conclusive"},{"k":"Trees planted and surviving","v":"Not on record","d":"No independent count in the source record"}]},"unknown":["The programme's budget and the number of farmers paid: not in the source record.","How many trees were planted and how many survived: no independent count on record.","Whether the programme caused the forest cover loss: WRI said its analysis was not conclusive."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"No change to the payment design is on record.","whoPaid":"Forests in programme municipalities, by WRI's estimate; not confirmed.","actors":[{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Programme owner and payer"},{"id":"wri","role":"Estimated first-year forest cover loss (WRI Mexico)"}],"sources":[{"t":"Sembrando Vida, el programa con fallas que AMLO quiere ofrecer a Biden","p":"Expansión Política","d":"2021-04-22","type":"press","u":"https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2021/04/22/sembrando-vida-el-programa-con-fallas-que-amlo-quiere-ofrecer-a-biden"},{"t":"Mexican restoration dominated by non-environmental interests","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/mexican-restoration-dominated-by-non-environmental-interests/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260215113336/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/mexican-restoration-dominated-by-non-environmental-interests/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":72830,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"est":true,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported WRI Mexico estimate for programme municipalities; not independently verified. WRI said the analysis was not conclusive; causality disputed."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mexico's Sembrando Vida programme, begun in 2019, pays farmers a monthly sum to plant trees on their land. A World Resources Institute (WRI) Mexico analysis estimated it may have contributed to the loss of 72,830 hectares of forest cover in its first year; WRI said the analysis was not conclusive.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Participating farmers","what":"A monthly payment to plant trees on their land (amount and total not on record)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest cover in programme municipalities","what":"72,830 hectares lost in 2019, by WRI Mexico's estimate, which WRI called not conclusive; the causal link is disputed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Mexico, in the municipalities where the programme operated.","src":null},"when":{"t":"The programme began in 2019; Expansión reported the WRI estimate on 22 April 2021; Mongabay reported on Mexican restoration programmes in December 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The programme's stated purpose is to pay farmers to plant trees on their land. It has been argued that the forest loss stemmed from the design of the payment incentive; the government said only degraded land was eligible.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The government pays participating farmers a monthly sum to plant trees on their land. WRI's analysis linked the programme's first year to forest-cover loss in the municipalities where it operated.","src":0}},"estimates":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Monthly payments to farmers — Total not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Forest lost (ha): Reported WRI Mexico estimate for programme municipalities; not independently verified. WRI said the analysis was not conclusive; causality disputed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The programme's budget and the number of farmers paid: not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"How many trees were planted and how many survived: no independent count on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the programme caused the forest cover loss: WRI said its analysis was not conclusive.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"plant-for-the-planet-tree-count","title":"Plant-for-the-Planet: 13.6 billion trees","dek":"A German foundation that took over the UN Environment Programme's tree campaign reported 13.6 billion trees planted. The figure has no independent verification; Die Zeit reported that older UN counts were mixed into it.","country":"Germany / Global","region":"Global","lat":51.2,"lon":10.4,"places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"foundation"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":"Zurich","lat":47.38,"lon":8.55,"role":"funded research lab"},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Yucatán","lat":20.7,"lon":-88.9,"role":"planting sites"}],"start":2011,"end":2024,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Trees reported planted vs independently verified","value":"13.6bn / none","note":"Foundation's own count."},"happened":["Plant-for-the-Planet, a German foundation, took over the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) tree-planting campaign and reported that 13.6 billion trees had been planted. The figure has no independent verification. Die Zeit reported that older UN counts had been mixed into the total.","In 2016 the foundation applied for funding from the German Development Ministry. The Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich was set up in 2017 with this funding, channelled through the foundation.","In July 2019 the lab's Bastin and colleagues wrote in Science that 0.9 billion hectares of new forest could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon. The lab worked with a public-relations firm to promote the paper. A comment led by Joseph Veldman in October 2019 found the carbon estimate about five times too high and noted that grasslands and savannas had been counted as land for trees. The authors published a correction in 2020.","In November 2023 the same team found that 61% of a 226-gigatonne potential came from protecting existing forests.","The World Economic Forum's separate 1t.org platform, launched in 2020, had 134.4 billion trees pledged by May 2024, according to a Bloomberg analysis; 2.6 billion had been planted or protected. Pledgers included the oil company Eni, Frontera Energy and the Adani Group."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Foundation's role in the UN tree campaign (period covered by the record begins)"},{"y":2016,"t":"Foundation applies to German Development Ministry for funding"},{"y":2017,"t":"Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich set up with the funding"},{"y":2019,"t":"Bastin et al. in Science: 205 Gt carbon on 0.9bn ha (Jul); Veldman comment: estimate about 5× too high (Oct)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Authors publish correction; WEF's 1t.org launched"},{"y":2023,"t":"Same team: 61% of potential from protecting existing forests (Nov)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Bloomberg: 134.4bn trees pledged to 1t.org, 2.6bn planted or protected (May)"}],"said":[{"q":"Launched in 2020 in support of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.","who":"1t.org legacy page, Forest Future Alliance","when":"current","src":6}],"shown":["13.6 billion trees planted","Tree planting as the leading climate solution (2019 study)","A trillion trees"],"recorded":["13.6 billion: the foundation's own count, no independent verification","Older UN counts reported mixed into the total (Die Zeit)","Lab behind the 2019 study set up with ministry funding channelled through the foundation","2019 carbon estimate found about five times too high; correction in 2020","1t.org: 134.4bn pledged, 2.6bn planted or protected (May 2024)"],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"—","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"German Development Ministry funding channelled through the foundation to set up the Crowther Lab","amount":null,"note":"Amount not in the source record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"You counted 13.6 billion of me. No one else has counted.","outcomes":[{"k":"Trees reported (foundation)","v":"13.6bn","d":"No independent verification"},{"k":"1t.org pledged vs planted or protected","v":"134.4bn / 2.6bn","d":"Bloomberg analysis, May 2024"},{"k":"2019 carbon estimate","v":"~5× too high","d":"Veldman et al.; authors' correction 2020"}]},"unknown":["How the 13.6 billion figure was counted and how many trees survive: no independent verification.","Die Zeit and Stern reported, as summarised by REDD-Monitor, that some of the foundation's planting sites in Yucatán, Mexico, were already forested, burned or under up to two metres of water, and that a publisher suspended its support; no other source confirms it.","The amount of German Development Ministry funding channelled through the foundation.","1t.org's own legacy page gives 9.7 billion trees committed by 93 companies, against 134.4 billion pledged in the Bloomberg analysis; the difference is not explained."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable.","whoPaid":"Not quantified.","actors":[{"id":"plant-for-the-planet","role":"Reported the 13.6 billion count; channelled ministry funding to the Crowther Lab"},{"id":"unep","role":"Original owner of the tree campaign"},{"id":"germany-bmz","role":"Funder of the Crowther Lab via the foundation"},{"id":"crowther-lab","role":"Authored the 2019 tree-restoration study"},{"id":"wef","role":"Launched the 1t.org platform"},{"id":"eni","role":"1t.org pledger"},{"id":"frontera-energy","role":"1t.org pledger"},{"id":"adani","role":"1t.org pledger"},{"id":"shell","role":"1t.org pledger (2021 list)"}],"sources":[{"t":"Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage 19/17261: Kooperation des BMZ mit der 'Plant-for-the-Planet'-Initiative (Drucksache 19/19327)","p":"Deutscher Bundestag","d":"2020-03-04","u":"https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/19/193/1919327.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Plant-for-the-Planet and Felix Finkbeiner (summary of Die Zeit and Stern reporting)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/plant-for-the-planet-felix-finkbeiners"},{"t":"Reforesting is a good idea, but it is necessary to know where and how","p":"Agência FAPESP","d":"2019-10-23","type":"press","u":"https://agencia.fapesp.br/reforesting-is-a-good-idea-but-it-is-necessary-to-know-where-and-how/31708","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116010502/https://agencia.fapesp.br/reforesting-is-a-good-idea-but-it-is-necessary-to-know-where-and-how/31708"},{"t":"Remember the headlines: tree planting…","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2019-10-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/remember-the-headlines-tree-planting","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313113248/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/remember-the-headlines-tree-planting"},{"t":"Can trees solve the climate crisis? Unfortunately, no (note on Bastin et al.'s erratum)","p":"Climate Interactive","d":"2020-08-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://climateinteractive.org/blog/can-trees-solve-the-climate-crisis-unfortunately-no-note-on-bastin-et-als-erratum-2020"},{"t":"Diverse forests hold huge carbon potential as long as we cut emissions","p":"ETH Zurich","d":"2023-11-13","type":"academic","u":"https://ethrat.mironet.ch/research/diverse-forests-hold-huge-carbon-potential-as-long-as-we-cut-emissions.html"},{"t":"1t.org legacy page","p":"Forest Future Alliance","d":"current","type":"company","u":"https://www.forestfuturealliance.org","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013022442/https://www.forestfuturealliance.org/"},{"t":"Billionaires aren't going to save… (citing Bloomberg)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024-08-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/billionaires-arent-going-to-save"},{"t":"More than 2.5 billion trees to be conserved, restored, grown by 2030","p":"World Economic Forum","d":"2021-09-23","type":"company","u":"https://www.weforum.org/media/more-than-2-5-billion-trees-to-be-conserved-restored-grown-by-2030/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":13600000000,"unit":"trees","year":2022,"note":"Plant-for-the-Planet's own cumulative figure, including the UNEP campaign period; no independent verification."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":2600000000,"unit":"trees (planted or protected)","year":2024,"note":"WEF's 1t.org platform, Bloomberg analysis (May 2024); against 134,400 million pledged."},{"key":"area_ha","value":900000000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Modelled area for new forest in Bastin et al. (Science, 2019); not planted area. Carbon estimate later found about five times too high."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Plant-for-the-Planet, a German foundation, took over the UN Environment Programme's tree campaign and reported 13.6 billion trees planted, its own figure with no independent verification. Die Zeit reported that older UN counts had been mixed into the total.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Plant-for-the-Planet","what":"Control of the UN Environment Programme's tree-planting campaign and its count, reported at 13.6 billion trees (the foundation's own figure)","src":0},{"who":"Crowther Lab, ETH Zurich","what":"Set up in 2017 with German Development Ministry funding channelled through the foundation (amount not on record)","src":0},{"who":"Eni, Frontera Energy and Adani Group","what":"Listed as tree pledgers on the World Economic Forum's 1t.org platform, where 134.4 billion trees had been pledged and 2.6 billion planted or protected by May 2024 (Bloomberg analysis)","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Germany (the foundation); ETH Zurich, Switzerland (the funded lab); the count is global.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Funding application 2016; lab set up 2017; Science paper July 2019 and Veldman comment October 2019; authors' correction and launch of 1t.org in 2020; follow-up study November 2023; Bloomberg analysis May 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"1t.org's legacy page says the platform was 'launched in 2020 in support of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration'. A comment led by Joseph Veldman found the Crowther Lab's 2019 carbon estimate about five times too high, and the authors published a correction in 2020.","src":6},"how":{"t":"The foundation applied in 2016 for German Development Ministry funding, which was channelled through it to set up the Crowther Lab in 2017. The lab's 2019 Science paper, promoted with a public-relations firm, estimated that 0.9 billion hectares of new forest could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"On 1t.org, about 2% of pledged trees (2.6 billion of 134.4 billion) had been planted or protected by May 2024 (estimate).","src":7}},"natureLead":{"t":"A German foundation reported 13.6 billion trees planted on me, by its own count; no independent verification is on record.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"German Development Ministry funding channelled through the foundation to set up the Crowther Lab — Amount not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the 13.6 billion figure was counted and how many trees survive: no independent verification.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Die Zeit and Stern reported, as summarised by REDD-Monitor, that some of the foundation's planting sites in Yucatán, Mexico, were already forested, burned or under up to two metres of water, and that a publisher suspended its support; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of German Development Ministry funding channelled through the foundation.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"1t.org's own legacy page gives 9.7 billion trees committed by 93 companies, against 134.4 billion pledged in the Bloomberg analysis; the difference is not explained.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"kenya-15-billion-trees","title":"Kenya's 15 billion trees target","dek":"Kenya set a target of 15 billion trees and 30% tree cover by 2032, and declared a national tree-planting day in 2023. The same year it lifted a logging ban; an environmental court halted the lifting.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-0.6,"lon":36.5,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","role":"site"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Mau Forest","lat":-0.6,"lon":35.7,"role":"forest loss"},{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","role":"affected (charcoal imports)"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-11-13","instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Target vs reported planting","value":"15bn target / 900m+ reported","note":"Government's reported figure, February 2026; no independent count."},"happened":["Kenya's government set a target of 15 billion trees and 30% tree cover by 2032. It declared 13 November 2023 a national holiday for tree planting, with a target of 100 million seedlings in one day. No count of the trees planted that day is on record. In February 2026 more than 900 million trees were reported planted.","In July 2023 President Ruto lifted a logging ban in place since 2018. In October 2023 a Kenyan environmental court halted the lifting. In the first half of 2024, six million eucalyptus trees were felled, according to the Kenya Forestry Research Institute; the felling was reported as being for export.","A 2024 study in Environmental Research Letters found that the 2018 logging moratorium raised charcoal prices by 36% at once and increased charcoal imports from Uganda by 133% in the first six months. The authors concluded that avoided deforestation likely moved to Uganda and that net emissions rose.","Official measurement puts forest cover at 8.83% (Kenya Forest Service, 2021 data). Tree cover, which also counts trees outside forests, is 12.13%. A fact-check found a presidential claim of a rise from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022 incorrect: 6.99% was 2010 data.","Global Forest Watch data showed more than 19% tree-cover loss in the Mau Forest between 2001 and 2022, about 533 km². The Kenya Forest Service said the satellite images did not reflect the reality on the ground."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Logging moratorium introduced"},{"y":2022,"t":"Fact-check finds presidential forest-cover claim incorrect"},{"y":2023,"t":"Logging ban lifted (Jul); environmental court halts the lifting (Oct); national tree-planting day, 100m target (13 Nov)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Six million eucalyptus felled in six months; study finds moratorium shifted charcoal supply to Uganda; Forest Service disputes Mau satellite data"},{"y":2026,"t":"Target restated: 15bn trees, 30% tree cover by 2032; more than 900m reported planted (Feb)"}],"said":[],"shown":["15 billion trees by 2032","100 million seedlings in one day (13 November 2023)","Tree cover of 12.13%"],"recorded":["No count of trees planted on 13 November 2023","Logging ban lifted in the same year; a court halted the lifting","Six million eucalyptus felled in the first half of 2024","Forest cover 8.83%; the 12.13% figure counts trees outside forests","Mau Forest: more than 19% tree-cover loss, 2001–2022"],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"—","nature":[{"label":"Public spending on the 15 billion trees programme","amount":null,"note":"Not in the source record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"You promised 15 billion of me. In the same year logging was reopened, and a court suspended it.","outcomes":[{"k":"Trees reported planted","v":"900m+","d":"Government figure, Feb 2026; target 15bn"},{"k":"Eucalyptus felled","v":"6m","d":"First half of 2024"},{"k":"Mau Forest tree-cover loss","v":"> 19%","d":"2001–2022, about 533 km²"}]},"unknown":["How many trees were planted on 13 November 2023, and how many of the 900 million reported survive: no independent count on record.","Whether the court ruling on the logging ban was appealed or is final.","Unconfirmed: the 2024 national forest status report estimates 84,716 ha of deforestation and 14,934 ha of degradation a year.","The then chair of Kenya's water towers agency wrote that a forest-cover figure of 7.1% was revised to 7.2% without explanation and that a joint study with Japan found 6.1%; these figures have not been reconciled with the official 8.83%."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The lifting of the logging ban was halted by a court in October 2023. Six million eucalyptus were felled in the first half of 2024.","whoPaid":"Charcoal users in Kenya, who faced a 36% price rise under the 2018 moratorium, and forests in Uganda, where supply shifted.","actors":[{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Set the 15 billion trees target; lifted the logging ban"},{"id":"kfs","role":"Official forest-cover measurement; disputed satellite data on the Mau"}],"sources":[{"t":"We target to plant 100 million trees on November 13 – CS Tuya","p":"The Star","d":"2023-11-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-11-07-we-target-to-plant-100-million-trees-on-november-13-cs-tuya","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231222021711/https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-11-07-we-target-to-plant-100-million-trees-on-november-13-cs-tuya/"},{"t":"Ruto courts logging controversy","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2023-08-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2023/08/29/kenya-ruto-logging-ban-africa-climate-summit/"},{"t":"Kenyan environmental court halts lifting of logging ban","p":"Africanews","d":"2023-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/12/kenyan-environmental-court-halts-lifting-of-logging-ban/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616063122/https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/12/kenyan-environmental-court-halts-lifting-of-logging-ban/"},{"t":"Kenya fell six million eucalyptus trees in just six months despite conservation efforts","p":"Eastleigh Voice","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/ministry%20of%20environment/96897/kenya-fell-six-million-eucalyptus-trees-in-just-six-months-despite-conservation-efforts-"},{"t":"The unintended consequences of production bans (Environmental Research Letters 19(9) 094007)","p":"Bartlett et al.","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/publications/the-unintended-consequences-of-production-bans-the-case-of-the-20/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608115736/https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/publications/the-unintended-consequences-of-production-bans-the-case-of-the-20/"},{"t":"Uhuru's Madaraka Day speech: Kenya's forest check","p":"Piga Firimbi","d":"2022-07-18","type":"press","u":"https://pigafirimbi.africauncensored.online/uhurus-madaraka-day-speech-kenyas-forest-check/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218002806/https://pigafirimbi.africauncensored.online/uhurus-madaraka-day-speech-kenyas-forest-check/"},{"t":"Deforestation continues in Kenya's largest water-capturing forest, satellites show","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-11-07","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-continues-in-kenyas-largest-water-capturing-forest-satellites-show/"},{"t":"Satellite images expose hidden crisis in Mau Forest","p":"Kenyans.co.ke","d":"2024-11-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250124045158/https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest"},{"t":"Kenya tree-cover target (Capital FM)","p":"AllAfrica","d":"2026-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218040125/https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html"},{"t":"Opinion (Isaac Kalua)","p":"The Standard","d":"2024-09-22","type":"press","u":"https://standardmedia.co.ke/sports/amp/columnists/article/2001503165/www.digger.co.ke"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the lifting of Kenya's logging ban","forum":"Kenyan environmental court","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Not named in the source record","defendant":"Government of Kenya","filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"In October 2023 the court halted the government's July 2023 lifting of the logging ban in place since 2018.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":900000000,"unit":"trees","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Government's reported figure; no independent count. Target: 15,000 million by 2032."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":6000000,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"note":"Eucalyptus, first half of 2024 (Kenya Forestry Research Institute, via Eastleigh Voice)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":53300,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mau Forest tree-cover loss 2001–2022, about 533 km² (more than 19%); Global Forest Watch via Mongabay."},{"key":"forest_cover","value":8.83,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Kenya Forest Service official forest cover; tree cover including trees outside forests is 12.13%."},{"key":"price_change","value":36,"unit":"% (charcoal price)","year":2018,"note":"Immediate rise after the 2018 logging moratorium (Bartlett et al., 2024)."},{"key":"import_change","value":133,"unit":"% (charcoal imports from Uganda)","year":2018,"note":"First six months of the 2018 moratorium (Bartlett et al., 2024)."},{"key":"co2_forest_model","value":6400000,"range":[6400000,39000000],"unit":"t CO₂","year":2022,"model":true,"note":"Model estimate (IPCC Tier 1) from 53,300 ha of recorded forest loss. The Mau is treated as tropical mountain forest in primary condition. The input is tree-cover loss, which can include plantations and temporary loss, so the estimate may overstate forest carbon lost."}],"disputes":[],"related":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya set a target of 15 billion trees and 30% tree cover by 2032, and declared 13 November 2023 a national tree-planting holiday with a target of 100 million seedlings. In July 2023 it lifted a logging ban in place since 2018; an environmental court halted the lifting in October 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Charcoal suppliers in Uganda","what":"Charcoal imports into Kenya from Uganda rose 133% in the first six months of the 2018 moratorium (Bartlett et al., 2024)","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Charcoal users in Kenya","what":"An immediate 36% rise in charcoal prices under the 2018 moratorium (Bartlett et al., 2024)","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests in Uganda","what":"The study's authors concluded that avoided deforestation in Kenya likely moved to Uganda and that net emissions rose","src":4},{"who":"Mau Forest","what":"More than 19% tree-cover loss, about 533 km², 2001–2022 (Global Forest Watch); the Kenya Forest Service said the satellite images did not reflect reality on the ground","src":6},{"who":"Eucalyptus trees","what":"Six million felled in the first half of 2024, reported as for export (Kenya Forestry Research Institute)","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Kenya, nationwide; Mau Forest; Uganda, where charcoal supply shifted.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Logging moratorium 2018; ban lifted July 2023; court halted the lifting October 2023; national tree-planting day 13 November 2023; six million eucalyptus felled in the first half of 2024; more than 900 million trees reported planted by February 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The government tied the 15-billion-tree target to reaching 30% tree cover by 2032. A 2024 study found that the 2018 logging moratorium raised charcoal prices, likely shifted avoided deforestation to Uganda and increased net emissions.","src":8},"how":{"t":"Progress is reported as trees planted: more than 900 million by February 2026, the government's own figure, with no independent count and no count for the 13 November 2023 planting day. Official forest cover is 8.83%; the 12.13% tree-cover figure also counts trees outside forests.","src":8},"ratio":{"t":"The more than 900 million trees reported by February 2026 equal about 6% of the 15-billion target (estimate).","src":8}},"estimates":[{"method":"ipcc-forest-co2","low":6400000,"high":39000000,"unit":"t CO₂","input":{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":53300,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mau Forest tree-cover loss 2001–2022, about 533 km² (more than 19%); Global Forest Watch via Mongabay."},"zones":["af-mount-p"],"assumption":"The Mau is treated as tropical mountain forest in primary condition. The input is tree-cover loss, which can include plantations and temporary loss, so the estimate may overstate forest carbon lost."}],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Public spending on the 15 billion trees programme — Not in the source record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Trees planted: Government's reported figure; no independent count. Target: 15,000 million by 2032.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"How many trees were planted on 13 November 2023, and how many of the 900 million reported survive: no independent count on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the court ruling on the logging ban was appealed or is final.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2024 national forest status report estimates 84,716 ha of deforestation and 14,934 ha of degradation a year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The then chair of Kenya's water towers agency wrote that a forest-cover figure of 7.1% was revised to 7.2% without explanation and that a joint study with Japan found 6.1%; these figures have not been reconciled with the official 8.83%.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"hebei-spirit-oil-spill","title":"Hebei Spirit oil spill","dek":"An oil spill from the Hebei Spirit off Taean, South Korea, on 7 December 2007 produced claims of KRW 4,227 billion. The compensation limit under the international conventions was KRW 321.6 billion, and the Korean state paid the remaining claims.","country":"South Korea","region":"Asia","lat":36.8,"lon":126.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":"Taean","lat":36.8,"lon":126.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":null,"eventDate":"2007-12-07","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Claims filed vs awarded by the court","value":"KRW 4,227bn: KRW 432.9bn","note":"IOPC Funds figures. The limit available under the 1992 Conventions was KRW 321.6bn."},"happened":["On 7 December 2007 the Hebei Spirit oil spill occurred off Taean, South Korea. The sources available give no cause, volume of oil or ecological measurements for the spill.","According to an IOPC Funds document of November 2020, 127,483 claims were filed for KRW 4,227 billion. The IOPC Funds summary records that the court awarded KRW 432.9 billion.","Compensation was handled under the international tanker-pollution system: the shipowner's insurer under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention, then the 1992 Fund, with an optional Supplementary Fund above that. The amount available under the 1992 Conventions was KRW 321.6 billion: Skuld KRW 186.8 billion and the 1992 Fund KRW 134.8 billion, described as paid in full. The owner's limitation fund, KRW 230.9 billion including interest, was distributed in September 2019.","In April 2019 the 1992 Fund passed its remaining KRW 27.5 billion to the Korean government, which pays the remaining claims. The Fund's KRW 134.8 billion recourse claim against Samsung Heavy Industries sits within that company's KRW 5.6 billion limitation fund."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"7 December: oil spill off Taean, South Korea"},{"y":2017,"t":"IOPC Funds marks ten years since the incident (7 December)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Fund passes its remaining KRW 27.5bn to the Korean government (April); owner's limitation fund of KRW 230.9bn distributed (September)"},{"y":2020,"t":"IOPC Funds document records 127,483 claims for KRW 4,227bn and that the Korean state pays the remaining claims"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Claims filed: 127,483, for KRW 4,227bn.","src":0},{"t":"The court awarded KRW 432.9bn.","src":0},{"t":"Amount available under the 1992 Conventions: KRW 321.6bn (SDR 203m), made up of Skuld KRW 186.8bn and the 1992 Fund KRW 134.8bn; described as paid in full.","src":0},{"t":"The owner's limitation fund, KRW 230.9bn including interest, was distributed in September 2019.","src":0},{"t":"In April 2019 the Fund passed its remaining KRW 27.5bn to the government, which pays the remaining claims; the Korean state paid the remaining claims.","src":0},{"t":"The Fund's KRW 134.8bn recourse claim against Samsung Heavy Industries is within SHI's KRW 5.6bn limitation fund.","src":0},{"t":"The IOPC Funds said in December 2017 that it had paid about KRW 107bn on more than 127,000 claims, alongside Skuld's KRW 186.8bn.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"KRW","window":"2007–2019","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Claims filed vs court award","v":"KRW 4,227bn vs 432.9bn","d":"127,483 claims; IOPC Funds, November 2020"},{"k":"Limit available under the 1992 Conventions","v":"KRW 321.6bn","d":"Skuld KRW 186.8bn plus 1992 Fund KRW 134.8bn"},{"k":"Who paid the remaining claims","v":"Korean state","d":"After the Fund passed its remaining KRW 27.5bn to the government in April 2019"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give no volume of oil spilled, length of coast affected or other ecological measurements.","The court's figure is given as KRW 432.9bn in the IOPC Funds summary; a separate note cites KRW 736bn as the court's assessment of the loss. That second figure is unconfirmed, and the cited sources do not reconcile the two.","The 1992 Fund's payment is given as about KRW 107bn in December 2017 and as KRW 134.8bn in November 2020; the cited sources do not explain the difference.","The owner's side is given as KRW 186.8bn (Skuld's share of the KRW 321.6bn) and as an owner's limitation fund of KRW 230.9bn including interest; the cited sources do not reconcile the two figures.","Unconfirmed: payment levels were set at 60% in March 2008 and cut to 35% in June 2008; Korea joined the Supplementary Fund in May 2010, after the incident.","Unconfirmed: Korea passed a special law under which the state bears approved damage above the cap.","The final payment level to claimants is not on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The spill was a single event on 7 December 2007. Payments were still being made by the Korean state in November 2020.","whoPaid":"Claims up to KRW 321.6bn were paid by the shipowner's insurer Skuld and the 1992 Fund; the Korean state paid the remaining claims.","statusLine":"As of the latest IOPC Funds document in the cited sources (November 2020): the limitation fund had been distributed and the Korean state was paying the remaining claims; no later update was found.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"IOPC Funds","says":"In April 2019 the Fund passed its remaining KRW 27.5bn to the government, which pays the remaining claims; the Fund's KRW 134.8bn recourse claim against Samsung Heavy Industries sits within SHI's KRW 5.6bn limitation fund.","when":"April 2019 (reported November 2020)","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Administers the 1992 Fund; paid KRW 134.8bn within the KRW 321.6bn limit"},{"id":"skuld","role":"Shipowner's insurer; KRW 186.8bn of the limit"},{"id":"samsung-heavy-industries","role":"Shipyard; recourse claim of KRW 134.8bn limited to its KRW 5.6bn fund"},{"id":"korea-gov","role":"Paid the remaining claims"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much should have been paid, and by whom?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"KRW 321.6bn was available under the 1992 Conventions (Skuld KRW 186.8bn, 1992 Fund KRW 134.8bn) against claims of KRW 4,227bn; the court awarded KRW 432.9bn; the Korean state pays the remaining claims.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Samsung Heavy Industries","says":"Its liability on the Fund's KRW 134.8bn recourse claim is limited to its KRW 5.6bn limitation fund (as described by the IOPC Funds).","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Compensation claims for the Hebei Spirit spill","forum":"Korean court proceedings and the 1992 Fund claims process","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","kind":"civil","claimant":"127,483 claimants","defendant":"Shipowner, its insurer Skuld and the 1992 Fund","filed":null,"decided":"not stated","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":432900,"currency":"KRW","label":"Awarded by the court (KRW million), against KRW 4,227,000 million claimed"},"summary":"Claims of KRW 4,227bn were filed and the court awarded KRW 432.9bn. KRW 321.6bn was available under the 1992 Conventions and paid; the Korean state paid the remaining claims.","src":0},{"title":"1992 Fund recourse claim against Samsung Heavy Industries","forum":"Samsung Heavy Industries limitation fund","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","kind":"civil","claimant":"1992 Fund (IOPC Funds)","defendant":"Samsung Heavy Industries","filed":null,"decided":"not stated","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":134800,"currency":"KRW","label":"Recourse claim (KRW million)"},"summary":"The Fund's KRW 134.8bn recourse claim is within SHI's KRW 5.6bn limitation fund.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Skuld","insured":"Owner of the Hebei Spirit","status":"paid","year":2019,"amount":{"value":186800,"currency":"KRW","label":"Skuld's share of the KRW 321.6bn limit (KRW million)"},"summary":"Skuld's KRW 186.8bn and the 1992 Fund's KRW 134.8bn made up the KRW 321.6bn available under the 1992 Conventions, described as paid in full. The owner's limitation fund, KRW 230.9bn including interest, was distributed in September 2019.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"claims_filed","value":127483,"unit":"claims","year":2020,"note":"Claims filed, per IOPC Funds."},{"key":"claim","value":4227000,"unit":"KRW m","year":2020,"note":"Stated as KRW 4,227bn claimed (127,483 claims); shown here in KRW million."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":321600,"unit":"KRW m","year":2019,"note":"Limit under the 1992 Conventions (SDR 203m): Skuld KRW 186.8bn plus 1992 Fund KRW 134.8bn; described as paid in full."},{"key":"court_award","value":432900,"unit":"KRW m","year":2020,"note":"Court award as recorded by the IOPC Funds."},{"key":"liability_limit","value":5600,"unit":"KRW m","year":2020,"note":"Samsung Heavy Industries' limitation fund."},{"key":"fund_remainder_transferred","value":27500,"unit":"KRW m","year":2019,"note":"Fund's remaining balance passed to the Korean government in April 2019."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil spill from the Hebei Spirit off Taean, South Korea, led to 127,483 claims for KRW 4,227bn against a KRW 321.6bn limit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Samsung Heavy Industries","what":"Its exposure to the 1992 Fund's KRW 134.8bn recourse claim is limited to its KRW 5.6bn limitation fund","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Claimants","what":"127,483 claims for KRW 4,227bn; the court awarded KRW 432.9bn","src":0},{"who":"Korean state","what":"Paid the remaining claims","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Off Taean, South Korea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"7 December 2007; limitation fund distributed September 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the cause of the spill; it records that compensation was capped by the 1992 CLC and Fund limits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Liability was layered: the shipowner's insurer Skuld (KRW 186.8bn) and the 1992 Fund (KRW 134.8bn) up to KRW 321.6bn, with the Korean state paying the remaining claims.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Arithmetic on the IOPC Funds figures: the court award is about 10% of the amount claimed (KRW 432.9bn of KRW 4,227bn), and the limit available is about 7.6% (KRW 321.6bn).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Hebei Spirit incident: IOPC/NOV20/3/4","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2020-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/IOPC-NOV20-3-4_e-1.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134810/https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/IOPC-NOV20-3-4_e-1.pdf"},{"t":"10 years since the Hebei Spirit","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2017-12-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/10-years-since-the-hebei-spirit/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211131304/https://iopcfunds.org/news/10-years-since-the-hebei-spirit/"},{"t":"IOPC document IOPC/APR16/3/5","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2016-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_APR16_3_5.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134823/https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_APR16_3_5.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"oil-pollution-liability-regime","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"An oil spill reached me off Taean on 7 December 2007; 127,483 claims were filed for KRW 4,227 billion, and the court awarded KRW 432.9 billion.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much should have been paid, and by whom?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"1992 Fund recourse claim against Samsung Heavy Industries: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no volume of oil spilled, length of coast affected or other ecological measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The court's figure is given as KRW 432.9bn in the IOPC Funds summary; a separate note cites KRW 736bn as the court's assessment of the loss. That second figure is unconfirmed, and the cited sources do not reconcile the two.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The 1992 Fund's payment is given as about KRW 107bn in December 2017 and as KRW 134.8bn in November 2020; the cited sources do not explain the difference.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The owner's side is given as KRW 186.8bn (Skuld's share of the KRW 321.6bn) and as an owner's limitation fund of KRW 230.9bn including interest; the cited sources do not reconcile the two figures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: payment levels were set at 60% in March 2008 and cut to 35% in June 2008; Korea joined the Supplementary Fund in May 2010, after the incident.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Korea passed a special law under which the state bears approved damage above the cap.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final payment level to claimants is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"drax-biomass-subsidies","title":"Drax biomass subsidies","dek":"The Drax power station in the United Kingdom burns wood pellets that are counted as renewable and subsidised. Ember reported a record subsidy of £999 million for 2025 and £8.72 billion since 2012.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":53.74,"lon":-0.99,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","lat":53.74,"lon":-0.99,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"affected"}],"start":2012,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Subsidy received since 2012","value":"£8.72bn","note":"Ember, July 2026. 2025 alone: £999m (record), about £13 per household per year."},"happened":["The Drax power station in the United Kingdom burns wood pellets. UK official statistics count the electricity as renewable, and the UK emissions trading system applies the rule in the EU directive under which the emission factor of biomass is zero.","According to an analysis by Ember published on 9 July 2026, Drax received a record £999 million in subsidy in 2025, about £13 per household per year, and £8.72 billion in total since 2012. Ember reported that the plant emitted 14.1 million tonnes of CO₂e in 2025, more than four times the second-largest source, the Pembroke gas plant. Of the 7.5 million tonnes of wood burned, more than 99% was imported and 86.7% came from the United States and Canada.","The International Renewable Energy Agency's founding statute defines renewable energy as energy produced sustainably from renewable sources and lists bioenergy first; the definition contains no measure of what counts as sustainable.","In January 2018, between 650 and 800 scientists asked the European Parliament to limit renewable forest biomass to residues and waste, saying that deliberately cutting and burning trees creates a “carbon debt” lasting decades. Parliament did not accept the change, and the second Renewable Energy Directive allowed all trees to be burned. In February 2021 more than 500 scientists wrote to five leaders saying that burning wood initially emits two to three times more carbon than fossil fuels and that the EU rule does not count it. In the third directive, adopted in April 2023, Parliament's proposed cap on primary wood was dropped; direct support for certain high-value wood categories was banned, but tax advantages were not.","Enviva, a wood-pellet producer, left bankruptcy protection in 2024, with about US$1.0 billion of debt cleared and US$250 million of new capital; Mongabay reported that Enviva had supplied about 15% of Drax's fuel."],"timeline":[{"y":1996,"t":"Drax installs flue-gas desulphurisation; sulphur emissions fall by more than 90%"},{"y":2012,"t":"Start of the £8.72bn total subsidy counted by Ember"},{"y":2018,"t":"650–800 scientists write to the European Parliament about renewable forest biomass (January)"},{"y":2021,"t":"More than 500 scientists write to five leaders (February)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Third Renewable Energy Directive: Parliament's cap on primary wood dropped (April)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Enviva leaves bankruptcy protection"},{"y":2025,"t":"Record subsidy of £999m; plant emits 14.1 Mt CO₂e"},{"y":2026,"t":"Ember publishes its analysis (9 July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The plant's output is counted as “renewable” in official UK statistics and attracts a subsidy.","who":"UK official statistics","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"2025 subsidy: £999m, a record; total since 2012: £8.72bn; about £13 per household per year.","src":0},{"t":"2025 emissions: 14.1 Mt CO₂e, more than four times the second-largest UK source (Pembroke gas plant).","src":0},{"t":"Wood burned in 2025: 7.5 Mt, more than 99% imported, 86.7% from the United States and Canada.","src":0},{"t":"The UK emissions trading system uses the EU rule that the emission factor of biomass is zero.","src":0},{"t":"In 1996 Drax installed flue-gas desulphurisation, cutting its sulphur emissions by more than 90%; the cost was borne by the plants and, through them, electricity consumers.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2012–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Subsidy received by Drax since 2012 (Ember)","amount":8720,"note":"Of which £999m in 2025. The cited sources do not state whether the cumulative figure includes 2025."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":8720,"note":"As reported by Ember, July 2026."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Emissions, 2025","v":"14.1 Mt CO₂e","d":"More than four times the second-largest UK source (Ember, July 2026)"},{"k":"Wood imported, 2025","v":"Over 99%","d":"Of 7.5 Mt burned; 86.7% from the United States and Canada"},{"k":"Emissions counted for biomass","v":"Zero","d":"Rule applied by the UK emissions trading system, following the EU directive"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the energy regulator Ofgem found that Drax misreported its 2021–2022 Canadian import data, Drax agreed to pay £25m, and Ofgem called the breach technical and found no intent. The cited sources put this at about 0.29% of the £8.72bn subsidy received since 2012.","Unconfirmed: Ofgem found no evidence that Drax failed the 70% sustainability threshold; the finding concerned data reporting.","Unconfirmed: a BBC Panorama programme in October 2022 showed that Drax's subsidiary Pinnacle held logging licences in British Columbia in areas containing old-growth forest, and later reporting said more than 40,000 tonnes of wood from old-growth forest were taken in 2023; Drax said it used only sawdust and waste wood.","Unconfirmed: the Drax pellet plant in Gloster, Mississippi, received air-pollution fines of US$2.5m in 2020 and US$225,000 in 2024.","Unconfirmed: Ember estimated that Drax's move to biomass with carbon capture would need about £30bn of further subsidy.","The number of signatories to the 2018 scientists' letter is given as 650 to 800 depending on the source.","Drax's own public response to the sourcing and subsidy questions is not recorded in the verified material."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The subsidy was still being paid in 2025 and emissions were reported at 14.1 Mt CO₂e that year.","whoPaid":"According to Ember, the 2025 subsidy cost about £13 per household per year in the United Kingdom.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Ember reported a record £999m subsidy and 14.1 Mt CO₂e of emissions for 2025; no independently verified enforcement outcome is in the cited sources.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"drax","role":"Operator of the power station"},{"id":"enviva","role":"Wood-pellet producer; reported supplier of about 15% of Drax's fuel"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the carbon released by burning forest biomass count as zero?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"EU directive and UK emissions trading system","says":"The emission factor of biomass is zero; the second Renewable Energy Directive allowed all trees to be burned.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Scientists' letters (January 2018: 650–800 signatories; February 2021: more than 500)","says":"Deliberately cutting and burning trees creates a carbon debt lasting decades; burning wood initially emits two to three times more carbon than fossil fuels per kWh, and the EU rule does not count it.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Parliament","says":"Did not accept the 2018 request to limit renewable forest biomass to residues and waste; in the April 2023 directive its proposed cap on primary wood was dropped, direct support for certain high-value wood categories was banned and tax advantages were not.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"International Renewable Energy Agency","says":"Defines renewable energy as produced sustainably from renewable sources and lists bioenergy first; the definition has no measure of sustainability.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"subsidy","value":999,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Record annual subsidy received by Drax, per Ember."},{"key":"subsidy","value":8720,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"qualifier":"since 2012","note":"Cumulative subsidy since 2012, per Ember."},{"key":"subsidy_per_household","value":13,"unit":"GBP per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ember's estimate of the cost per household."},{"key":"co2e_emitted_mt","value":14.1,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2025,"note":"More than four times the second-largest UK source (Pembroke gas plant)."},{"key":"wood_burned_mt","value":7.5,"unit":"Mt","year":2025,"note":"More than 99% imported; 86.7% from the United States and Canada."},{"key":"enviva_debt_cleared","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Debt cleared when Enviva left bankruptcy protection; US$250m of new capital."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Drax power station burns wood pellets that are counted as renewable and subsidised; Ember reported a record £999m subsidy for 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Drax","what":"Received £999m in subsidy in 2025 and £8.72bn in total since 2012","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"UK households","what":"The 2025 subsidy cost about £13 per household per year, per Ember","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"A power station in the United Kingdom; more than 99% of the wood is imported, 86.7% from the United States and Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Subsidy since 2012; Ember's figures cover 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Biomass is counted as renewable and its emission factor is zero under the rule applied by the UK emissions trading system.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through a subsidy for renewable electricity and a counting rule under which the carbon released by burning wood is not counted.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"UK's largest emitter Drax reports record emissions in 2025","p":"Ember","d":"2026-07-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/uks-largest-emitter-drax-reports-record-emissions-in-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821121806/https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/uks-largest-emitter-drax-reports-record-emissions-in-2025/"},{"t":"£1bn but falling: record subsidy for UK biomass burning enters final year","p":"Ember","d":"2026-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/1bn-but-falling-record-subsidy-for-uk-biomass-burning-enters-final-year","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710060819/https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/1bn-but-falling-record-subsidy-for-uk-biomass-burning-enters-final-year/"},{"t":"Drax received record £1 billion in biomass subsidies in 2025","p":"Ember","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/drax-received-record-1-billion-in-biomass-subsidies-in-2025/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508121027/https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/drax-received-record-1-billion-in-biomass-subsidies-in-2025/"},{"t":"Looking back over 40 years (acid rain)","p":"AirClim Acid News","d":"2021-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.airclim.org/acidnews/looking-back-over-40-years","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510030318/https://www.airclim.org/acidnews/looking-back-over-40-years"},{"t":"Enviva bankruptcy fallout ripples through biomass industry, U.S. and EU","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-04","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/enviva-bankruptcy-fallout-ripples-through-biomass-industry-u-s-and-eu/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260819233558/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/enviva-bankruptcy-fallout-ripples-through-biomass-industry-u-s-and-eu/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biomass-subsidy","related":["eu-woody-biomass-renewable-status-and-enviva-pellets"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2025 Drax burned 7.5 million tonnes of my wood and emitted 14.1 million tonnes of CO₂e, Ember reports; the UK emissions trading system counts biomass emissions as zero.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the carbon released by burning forest biomass count as zero?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the energy regulator Ofgem found that Drax misreported its 2021–2022 Canadian import data, Drax agreed to pay £25m, and Ofgem called the breach technical and found no intent. The cited sources put this at about 0.29% of the £8.72bn subsidy received since 2012.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ofgem found no evidence that Drax failed the 70% sustainability threshold; the finding concerned data reporting.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a BBC Panorama programme in October 2022 showed that Drax's subsidiary Pinnacle held logging licences in British Columbia in areas containing old-growth forest, and later reporting said more than 40,000 tonnes of wood from old-growth forest were taken in 2023; Drax said it used only sawdust and waste wood.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Drax pellet plant in Gloster, Mississippi, received air-pollution fines of US$2.5m in 2020 and US$225,000 in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ember estimated that Drax's move to biomass with carbon capture would need about £30bn of further subsidy.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The number of signatories to the 2018 scientists' letter is given as 650 to 800 depending on the source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Drax's own public response to the sourcing and subsidy questions is not recorded in the verified material.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bottom-trawling-in-european-marine-protected-areas","title":"Bottom trawling in European marine protected areas","dek":"A 2018 study of 727 marine protected areas designated by EU member states found commercial bottom trawling in at least 59% of them. Reports from 2024 and 2025 say trawling continued, while the European Commission's 2030 phase-out target for protected areas remained non-binding.","country":"European Union","region":"Europe","lat":52,"lon":3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"affected"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"affected"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"affected"},{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","role":"affected"},{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","role":"affected"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share of 727 EU-designated marine protected areas with commercial bottom trawling (2017 data)","value":"At least 59%","note":"Dureuil et al., Science, 2018. No trawling was detected in 295 of the 727 areas, so the figure is a minimum."},"happened":["The EU Biodiversity Strategy (2020) and the Kunming-Montreal framework (2022) commit to protecting 30% of seas, with 10% strictly protected. The European Environment Agency counts all designated marine protected areas (MPAs) toward the target: 12.3% of EU seas (data to 2022), with strict protection under 1%. A 2024 study in One Earth (Aminian-Biquet et al.) put MPA coverage at 11.4% of EU waters, of which 0.2% was fully or highly protected; it found that 86% of MPA area had low protection or allowed industrial activities. Oceana said France counts more than 30% of its waters as protected, of which 0.03% is strictly protected.","In a study published in Science on 21 December 2018, Dureuil and colleagues examined 727 EU-designated MPAs using 2017 trawling data from Global Fishing Watch vessel-tracking (AIS) records. They reported that at least 59% were commercially trawled, with more than 225,000 trawling hours inside MPAs in 2017. Trawling intensity (hours per square kilometre) was 38% higher inside MPAs than in unprotected areas, and 46% higher per trawled area; the abstract summarises this as \"at least 1.4-fold higher\". Using ICES survey data for 1997–2016, the authors found that sharks, rays and skates were 69% less abundant in heavily trawled areas, and that endangered and critically endangered species were five times more abundant outside MPAs.","On 21 February 2023 the European Commission published a non-binding Marine Action Plan asking member states to phase out mobile bottom fishing in all MPAs by 2030 at the latest, with national roadmaps due by end-March 2024. On 18 January 2024 the European Parliament adopted a resolution (402–95–57) saying the Commission should not force such bans. According to the campaign group BLOOM, the European Ocean Pact of 5 June 2025 does not mention trawling; the cited sources record that the Pact contained no blanket ban and that gear decisions were to be taken case by case, with an Ocean Act due by 2027.","Campaign groups later published tracking-based counts. Oceana, Seas At Risk and the Marine Conservation Society reported on 16 April 2024 about 4.4 million hours of apparent bottom trawling in MPAs of seven EU countries over 2015–2023 and trawling in 90% of offshore MPAs; they said the figures were an underestimate because AIS is mandatory only for vessels over 15 m. The Environmental Justice Foundation, using Global Fishing Watch data, reported yearly mean trawl hours in Natura 2000 sites for 2020–2024 of 466,978 in France (77% of sites trawled), 433,052 in Spain (38%) and about 295,000 in the Netherlands (100%). On 20 March 2025 Oceana, Seas At Risk and ClientEarth reported that more than half of EU states had submitted no roadmap and that none of the nine analysed had a comprehensive plan for a 2030 phase-out.","National measures reported in the cited sources are partial. Greece announced in April 2024 a ban for marine parks by 2026 and for all MPAs by 2030; implementation was not confirmed. Sweden proposed in January 2025 a ban within 12 nautical miles. France announced on 9 June 2025 that trawl-free waters would rise from 0.1% to 4%, which Oceana criticised. Plans for the Dogger Bank would close 28% (Netherlands) and 53% (Germany) of the MPA to trawling but were not in force. In England, a proposal to ban bottom trawling in 41 offshore MPAs (about 30,000 km², 13% of English waters) went to consultation, which closed on 29 September 2025; a minister told the House of Lords on 15 April 2026 that the Marine Management Organisation was still reviewing responses, with by-laws targeted for the end of 2026. Lawsuits over trawling in protected areas were reported under way in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Trawling data year used in the Dureuil et al. study of 727 EU MPAs"},{"y":2018,"t":"21 Dec: Dureuil et al. published in Science: at least 59% of the 727 MPAs commercially trawled"},{"y":2020,"t":"EU Biodiversity Strategy commits to protecting 30% of seas, 10% strictly"},{"y":2022,"t":"Kunming-Montreal framework adopted with the same 30% sea target"},{"y":2023,"t":"21 Feb: Commission's non-binding Marine Action Plan asks for bottom-trawling phase-out in all MPAs by 2030"},{"y":2024,"t":"18 Jan: Parliament resolution says the Commission should not force bans; Mar: national roadmaps due; 16 Apr: NGOs report about 4.4m hours of apparent trawling in MPAs, 2015–2023; Apr: Greece announces ban plan"},{"y":2025,"t":"Jan: Sweden proposes ban within 12 nautical miles; 20 Mar: NGOs report more than half of EU states submitted no roadmap; 5 Jun: European Ocean Pact; 9 Jun: France announces trawl-free waters to rise from 0.1% to 4%; 29 Sep: English consultation on 41 offshore MPAs closes"},{"y":2026,"t":"15 Apr: UK minister says responses still under review, by-laws targeted for end of 2026; 1 Jul: Swedish ban in MPAs within its trawl limit planned to start (entry into force not confirmed)"}],"said":[{"q":"59% of MPAs are commercially trawled.","who":"Dureuil et al., Science (abstract)","when":"21 December 2018","src":0},{"q":"decreased by 69% in heavily trawled areas","who":"Dureuil et al., Science, on sharks, rays and skates","when":"21 December 2018","src":1},{"q":"in all MPAs… by 2030 at the latest","who":"European Commission, Marine Action Plan, on phasing out mobile bottom fishing","when":"21 February 2023","src":2},{"q":"no EU country has comprehensive plans","who":"Oceana, Seas At Risk and ClientEarth, on national phase-out roadmaps","when":"20 March 2025","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"The EU committed to protect 30% of its seas, with 10% strictly protected.","who":"EU Biodiversity Strategy (2020) and Kunming-Montreal framework (2022), as reported","src":null},{"t":"12.3% of EU seas counted as designated MPAs (data to 2022).","who":"European Environment Agency","src":null},{"t":"More than 30% of French waters counted as protected.","who":"France, as reported by Oceana","src":null},{"t":"Mobile bottom fishing to be phased out in all MPAs by 2030 at the latest.","who":"European Commission, Marine Action Plan","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"At least 59% of 727 EU-designated MPAs were commercially trawled in 2017; more than 225,000 trawling hours inside MPAs that year.","src":1},{"t":"Trawling intensity was 38% higher inside MPAs than in unprotected areas (46% higher per trawled area).","src":1},{"t":"Strict protection covers under 1% of EU seas (European Environment Agency); 0.2% of EU waters is fully or highly protected (Aminian-Biquet et al., 2024).","src":4},{"t":"About 4.4 million hours of apparent bottom trawling in MPAs of seven EU countries, 2015–2023, and trawling in 90% of offshore MPAs (NGO analysis of Global Fishing Watch data).","src":6},{"t":"More than 100 trawlers fished over 17,000 hours in French Marine Nature Parks in 2024; 70% were French, the rest from Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and Italy.","src":5},{"t":"More than half of EU states submitted no roadmap by March 2025; none of the nine analysed had a comprehensive plan.","src":7},{"t":"Oceana's 2025 report on UK waters found 31,227 hours (updated from 20,600) of suspected bottom trawling in 2024 in 63 offshore benthic MPAs; trawling is permitted in about 90% of UK MPAs and 38 of 377 are fully protected.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Per year (study period not on record)","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Subsidies to the trawl fleets of the EU, UK, Norway and Iceland (mostly fuel)","amount":1170,"window":"per year","note":"Figure attributed in the cited sources to Millage et al.; no URL in the cited sources."},{"label":"Net private benefit of the same fleets","amount":180,"window":"per year","note":"Same study. The cited sources give bottom trawling in Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, Portugal and Romania would be unprofitable without subsidies."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Annual revenue of the same trawl fleets","amount":4410}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"MPAs with commercial bottom trawling","v":"At least 59%","d":"Of 727 EU-designated MPAs, 2017 (Dureuil et al., 2018)"},{"k":"Trawling intensity inside vs outside MPAs","v":"38% higher inside","d":"Hours per km²; 46% higher per trawled area (Dureuil et al., 2018)"},{"k":"Sharks, rays and skates in heavily trawled areas","v":"69% lower","d":"Abundance across the trawling gradient; ICES survey data 1997–2016 (Dureuil et al., 2018)"}]},"unknown":["No EU-wide breakdown of EU fisheries funds by fishing gear exists in the cited sources.","The trawling counts are minimums: no trawling was detected in 295 of 727 areas, and the campaign groups say AIS tracking is mandatory only for vessels over 15 m, so their hours are underestimates.","No evidence has been found that the Commission has published an evaluation of the Marine Action Plan.","Whether Greece's April 2024 ban announcement has been implemented was not confirmed.","Whether Sweden's ban in MPAs within its trawl limit took effect on 1 July 2026 was not confirmed.","Unconfirmed: a ruling of the Hague court of 11 May 2026 against permit-less trawling in a North Sea MPA; only a paywalled summary was seen.","Unconfirmed: a UK written answer of 17 July 2026 saying \"decisions will be made in due course\" on the English proposals. No final decision on the English proposals was found.","The cited sources give lawsuits under way in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden but does not name claimants, defendants or forums.","The estimated net cost of trawling to society (€2.25–16.15 billion a year) is disputed, because most of it rests on the estimated release of carbon from seabed sediment."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not as of the latest reports in the cited sources. Trawling in protected areas continued in 2020–2024 data, the Commission's 2030 phase-out request was non-binding, and more than half of EU states had submitted no roadmap by March 2025.","whoPaid":"According to a study cited in the sources, taxpayers paid about €1.17 billion a year in subsidies to the trawl fleets of the EU, UK, Norway and Iceland; the same study estimated a net cost to society of €2.25–16.15 billion a year, which is disputed.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: bottom trawling continued in EU marine protected areas according to campaign-group analyses; the EU's 2030 phase-out request remained non-binding; no final decision on the English offshore ban proposals was found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"european-commission","says":"Asked member states in the non-binding Marine Action Plan to phase out mobile bottom fishing in all MPAs by 2030 at the latest. Its FAQ states that the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) has no harmful subsidies.","when":"21 February 2023","src":2},{"actor":"european-parliament","says":"Resolution (402–95–57) saying the Commission should not force such bans.","when":"18 January 2024","src":null},{"actor":"france","says":"Announced that trawl-free waters would rise from 0.1% to 4%.","when":"9 June 2025","src":8},{"actor":"uk-government","says":"A minister told the House of Lords that the Marine Management Organisation was still reviewing consultation responses, with by-laws targeted for the end of 2026.","when":"15 April 2026","src":null},{"actor":"fishing-sector","says":"On the Millage et al. study of fleet economics, the fishing sector said the study appeared to rely mostly on previously refuted work (paraphrased in the cited sources).","when":"Not dated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Proposed the non-binding phase-out target"},{"id":"european-parliament","role":"Resolution against forced bans"},{"id":"oceana","role":"Campaign group; tracking-based counts and roadmap analysis"},{"id":"seas-at-risk","role":"Campaign group; co-author of 2024 and 2025 analyses"},{"id":"clientearth","role":"Campaign group; co-author of 2025 roadmap analysis"},{"id":"environmental-justice-foundation","role":"Campaign group; Natura 2000 trawl-hour counts"},{"id":"bloom","role":"Campaign group; comment on the European Ocean Pact"},{"id":"geomar","role":"Research institution; commented on the Dureuil study"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Are EU marine protected areas protected from bottom trawling?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Dureuil et al. (Science, 2018)","says":"At least 59% of 727 EU-designated MPAs were commercially trawled in 2017; sharks, rays and skates were 69% less abundant in heavily trawled areas.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oceana, Seas At Risk, Marine Conservation Society","says":"About 4.4 million hours of apparent bottom trawling in MPAs of seven EU countries in 2015–2023 and trawling in 90% of offshore MPAs; they said the figures were an underestimate.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Rainer Froese, GEOMAR","says":"Protected areas deserve the name only if bottom trawling is stopped (paraphrase of a Turkish rendering of the statement).","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Commission","says":"Asked for a phase-out of mobile bottom fishing in all MPAs by 2030 at the latest; the plan is non-binding.","src":2}]},{"point":"Should the EU require the bans?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"European Commission","says":"Marine Action Plan (21 February 2023) asks member states to phase out the practice; non-binding.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Parliament","says":"Resolution of 18 January 2024 (402–95–57): the Commission should not force such bans.","src":null}]},{"point":"Do EU fisheries funds support harmful practices?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"ClientEarth","says":"5–12% of EMFAF money is harmful to biodiversity.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Commission (FAQ)","says":"The EMFAF has no harmful subsidies.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Are national phase-out plans in place?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oceana, Seas At Risk, ClientEarth","says":"As of 20 March 2025 more than half of EU states had submitted no roadmap and none of the nine analysed had a comprehensive plan.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Estonia","says":"Refused to disclose its roadmap, according to the same report.","src":7,"silent":true},{"voice":"government","holder":"France","says":"Announced on 9 June 2025 that trawl-free waters would rise from 0.1% to 4%.","src":8}]},{"point":"What does bottom trawling cost society?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Millage et al.","says":"Net cost to society estimated at €2.25–16.15 billion a year; net private benefit of the fleets €0.18 billion a year against €1.17 billion in subsidies.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Fishing sector","says":"The study appears to rely mostly on previously refuted work (paraphrased).","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"mpas_studied","value":727,"unit":"MPAs","year":2017,"note":"EU-designated MPAs examined by Dureuil et al."},{"key":"mpas_trawled_share","value":59,"unit":"%","year":2017,"qualifier":"at least","note":"No trawling detected in 295 of 727."},{"key":"trawl_hours_in_mpas","value":225000,"unit":"hours","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Trawling hours inside EU MPAs in 2017."},{"key":"trawl_hours_mpas_2015_2023","value":4400000,"unit":"hours","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Apparent bottom trawling in MPAs of seven EU countries, 2015–2023; NGOs say this is an underestimate."},{"key":"trawl_hours_natura2000_per_year","value":1700000,"unit":"hours per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Yearly mean 2020–2024 in Natura 2000 sites (EJF analysis of Global Fishing Watch data)."},{"key":"elasmobranch_decline","value":69,"unit":"%","year":2016,"note":"Decline in abundance of sharks, rays and skates across the trawling gradient; ICES survey data 1997–2016."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1170,"unit":"EUR m per year","year":null,"note":"Subsidies to the trawl fleets of the EU, UK, Norway and Iceland, mostly fuel (Millage et al.)."},{"key":"revenue","value":4410,"unit":"EUR m per year","year":null,"note":"Annual revenue of the same fleets."},{"key":"profit","value":180,"unit":"EUR m per year","year":null,"note":"Net private benefit of the same fleets."},{"key":"social_net_cost","value":2250,"unit":"EUR m per year","year":null,"qualifier":"low end of a range up to 16,150","est":true,"note":"Estimate of net cost to society; disputed, as most of it rests on carbon released from seabed sediment."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Commercial bottom trawling continued inside marine protected areas designated by EU member states, while the Commission's request to end it by 2030 remained non-binding.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Trawl operators","what":"Net private benefit of about €0.18 billion a year across the EU, UK, Norwegian and Icelandic trawl fleets, against €1.17 billion a year in subsidies (Millage et al.).","src":null},{"who":"Trawlers fishing in French Marine Nature Parks","what":"More than 100 trawlers fished over 17,000 hours in 2024; 70% were French and the rest were from Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and Italy.","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"About €1.17 billion a year in subsidies to the trawl fleets (Millage et al.).","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sharks, rays and skates","what":"Abundance 69% lower across the trawling gradient; endangered and critically endangered species five times more abundant outside MPAs.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Marine protected areas designated by EU member states, including Natura 2000 sites, and offshore MPAs in the UK; the 2017 data covered north-east Atlantic EU waters. Highest hours: France, Spain, the Netherlands.","src":10},"when":{"t":"Trawling data for 2017; counts for 2015–2023 and 2020–2024; policy from 2020 to 2026.","src":6},"why":{"t":"Designation as an MPA does not by itself end industrial activity: Aminian-Biquet et al. found that 86% of MPA area has low protection or allows industrial activities, and the Commission's 2030 phase-out request is non-binding.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Dureuil et al. matched vessel-tracking (AIS) records from Global Fishing Watch for 2017 against 727 EU-designated MPAs and compared trawling intensity inside and outside them.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"Annual subsidies of €1.17 billion against an annual net private benefit of €0.18 billion for the same fleets (about 6.5 to 1; arithmetic from the cited figures, estimate).","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Widespread trawling in European marine protected areas (Dureuil et al., Science 362:1403–1407)","p":"Science","d":"2018-12-21","type":"academic","u":"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aau0561","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250806163153/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aau0561"},{"t":"Dureuil et al., full text (via fishbase.de)","p":"Science / R. Froese (fishbase.de)","d":"2018-12-21","type":"academic","u":"https://www.fishbase.de/rfroese/DureuilMPA.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240716073255/https://fishbase.de/rfroese/DureuilMPA.pdf"},{"t":"Action plan: protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries","p":"European Commission","d":"2023-02-21","type":"official","u":"https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/action-plan-protecting-and-restoring-marine-ecosystems-sustainable-and-resilient-fisheries_en"},{"t":"European Ocean Pact: the European Commission's gift to the fishing lobbies","p":"BLOOM","d":"2025-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bloomassociation.org/en/european-ocean-pact-the-european-commissions-gift-to-the-fishing-lobbies/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422222930/https://www.bloomassociation.org/en/european-ocean-pact-the-european-commissions-gift-to-the-fishing-lobbies/"},{"t":"Aminian-Biquet et al., One Earth (2024), data paper record","p":"DOAJ","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://doaj.org/article/ff47419c67894dd1add0f07a6d72a65e"},{"t":"UNOC MPA trawling brief 2025","p":"Oceana","d":"2025-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://europe.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/26/2025/05/UNOC-MPA-Trawling-Brief-2025-English-Final.pdf"},{"t":"EU-wide campaign launched to end destructive fishing in Europe's protected waters (90% of protected waters still targeted)","p":"Oceana","d":"2024-04-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://europe.oceana.org/press-releases/eu-wide-campaign-launched-to-end-destructive-fishing-in-europes-protected-waters-90-of-protected-waters-still-targeted/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250617004304/https://europe.oceana.org/press-releases/eu-wide-campaign-launched-to-end-destructive-fishing-in-europes-protected-waters-90-of-protected-waters-still-targeted/"},{"t":"Multiple EU countries are failing to stop destructive fishing in protected areas","p":"Oceana","d":"2025-03-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://europe.oceana.org/press-releases/multiple-eu-countries-are-failing-to-stop-destructive-fishing-in-protected-areas/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422083439/https://europe.oceana.org/press-releases/multiple-eu-countries-are-failing-to-stop-destructive-fishing-in-protected-areas/"},{"t":"Oceana criticizes France's announcement on bottom trawling in marine protected areas at UNOC3","p":"Oceana","d":"2025-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://oceana.org/press-releases/oceana-criticizes-frances-announcement-on-bottom-trawling-in-marine-protected-areas-at-unoc3/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250728180719/https://oceana.org/press-releases/oceana-criticizes-frances-announcement-on-bottom-trawling-in-marine-protected-areas-at-unoc3/"},{"t":"Lawsuit is latest push to curb bottom trawling in protected European waters","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-02","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/lawsuit-is-latest-push-to-curb-bottom-trawling-in-protected-european-waters/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417180233/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/lawsuit-is-latest-push-to-curb-bottom-trawling-in-protected-european-waters/"},{"t":"Marine protected areas not safe (on Dureuil et al.)","p":"GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel","d":"2018-12-20","type":"academic","u":"https://geomar.de/en/news/article/marine-protected-areas-not-safe","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250419110702/https://www.geomar.de/en/news/article/marine-protected-areas-not-safe"},{"t":"The Case for Banning Bottom Trawling in UK MPAs (The Trawled Truth, updated edition)","p":"Oceana UK","d":"2025-05","u":"https://uk.oceana.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2025/05/Oceana-UK-The-Trawled-Truth-2025-UPDATED.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chagos-marine-protected-area"],"natureLead":{"t":"At least 59% of the 727 marine protected areas set up in my name by EU member states were commercially trawled in 2017, with more than 225,000 trawling hours inside them.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Are EU marine protected areas protected from bottom trawling?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Are national phase-out plans in place?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the EU require the bans?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do EU fisheries funds support harmful practices?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What does bottom trawling cost society?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Estonia: Refused to disclose its roadmap, according to the same report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No EU-wide breakdown of EU fisheries funds by fishing gear exists in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The trawling counts are minimums: no trawling was detected in 295 of 727 areas, and the campaign groups say AIS tracking is mandatory only for vessels over 15 m, so their hours are underestimates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No evidence has been found that the Commission has published an evaluation of the Marine Action Plan.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Greece's April 2024 ban announcement has been implemented was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Sweden's ban in MPAs within its trawl limit took effect on 1 July 2026 was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a ruling of the Hague court of 11 May 2026 against permit-less trawling in a North Sea MPA; only a paywalled summary was seen.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a UK written answer of 17 July 2026 saying \"decisions will be made in due course\" on the English proposals. No final decision on the English proposals was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give lawsuits under way in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden but does not name claimants, defendants or forums.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The estimated net cost of trawling to society (€2.25–16.15 billion a year) is disputed, because most of it rests on the estimated release of carbon from seabed sediment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Trawl operators","No source link — Who lost: Taxpayers"]},{"id":"trans-mountain-pipeline-insurers","title":"Trans Mountain pipeline insurers (Canada)","dek":"Trans Mountain, an oil pipeline owned by the Government of Canada, lost a series of private insurers between 2019 and 2022. In 2021 the regulator allowed the names of its insurers to be kept confidential, and a 2024 regulation allowed the Crown corporation to set up its own insurer.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":52,"lon":-118,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"regulator"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Insurers reported to have refused or ended cover for the pipeline","value":"17, then 18","note":"Stand.earth list, about 2022, as reported by Canadian Underwriter; a campaign-side count. The current insurer panel has been confidential since 29 April 2021, so the count could not be compared with a primary list."},"happened":["The Government of Canada bought the Trans Mountain pipeline in 2018 for C$4.5 billion. An expansion of the pipeline entered service on 1 May 2024 at a cost of about C$34 billion, according to Global News. As of May 2024 the government guaranteed the company's credit facility of C$18.9 billion, according to Trans Mountain's financial statements.","According to trade-press reports, the 2019–20 insurance policy had a total cover of $508 million. Zurich was lead insurer, and Reuters reported that Chubb and Zurich were the largest listed insurers. A certificate listing of June 2020 cited by the Rainforest Action Network named 11 insurers, including Lloyd's syndicates, Zurich, Chubb's European Group, Liberty Mutual and Temple Insurance, a unit of Munich Re, with C$250 million of cover. Talanx said in June 2020 that it had already left in 2019 and had adopted an oil-sands policy in 2020.","Insurers then withdrew one by one. Zurich did not renew in July 2020 and did not comment on customer relationships; Trans Mountain said there remained adequate capacity in the market to meet its insurance needs. Munich Re said it would review its contract under its oil-sands guideline. Argo said on 4 June 2021 that it would not renew. Chubb became the 16th insurer to refuse to cover the pipeline in September 2021, according to Insurance Portal. A Stand.earth list reported around 2022 counted 17, then 18.","In February 2021 Trans Mountain asked the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) to keep its insurers' names confidential, citing \"increasing reluctance\" by insurers. On 29 April 2021 the CER Commission granted the request for the operating pipeline, finding that disclosure could reasonably be expected to make it harder for Trans Mountain to get insurance at a reasonable price. Coverage amounts remained public, and the ruling did not apply to the expansion then under construction.","A regulation registered on 3 May 2024 (SOR/2024-78) allowed the Crown corporation to set up a \"captive insurance\" company or join mutual insurers without separate cabinet approval. The government's stated rationale was that insurers change their level of coverage based on various pressures, including environmental ones, and the need for a fallback if existing insurers reduce their coverage. No evidence has been found that a captive had actually been set up."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Government of Canada buys the pipeline for C$4.5 billion"},{"y":2019,"t":"Talanx says it exited this year; 2019–20 policy of $508 million with Zurich as lead insurer"},{"y":2020,"t":"Apr: filing with the CER lists insurers; Jun: certificate lists 11 insurers; Jul: Zurich does not renew, Munich Re says it will review its contract"},{"y":2021,"t":"Feb: Trans Mountain asks to keep insurer names confidential; 4 Jun: Argo will not renew; Sep: Chubb becomes the 16th insurer to refuse; 29 Apr: CER grants confidential treatment"},{"y":2022,"t":"Arch, a Lloyd's syndicate, drops out; Stand.earth list counts 17, then 18 insurers that have refused cover"},{"y":2024,"t":"1 May: expansion enters service (cost about C$34 billion); 3 May: SOR/2024-78 registered, allowing a captive insurer; May: C$18.9 billion credit facility guaranteed by the government"}],"said":[{"q":"increasing reluctance","who":"Trans Mountain, request to the CER, on insurers","when":"February 2021","src":0},{"q":"could reasonably be expected to make it harder for Trans Mountain to get insurance at a reasonable price.","who":"Canada Energy Regulator Commission, on disclosing insurer names","when":"29 April 2021","src":0},{"q":"There remains adequate capacity in the market to meet Trans Mountain's insurance needs and our renewal.","who":"Trans Mountain, on Zurich's non-renewal","when":"July 2020","src":5},{"q":"does not align with the insurer's risk appetite anymore","who":"Argo spokesman, as reported","when":"4 June 2021","src":7},{"q":"insurers change their level of coverage based on various pressures (i.e. environmental, own financial capacity, etc.)","who":"Government of Canada, rationale for SOR/2024-78","when":"May 2024","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"There was adequate capacity in the insurance market to meet the company's needs and its renewal.","who":"Trans Mountain","src":null},{"t":"Disclosing insurers' names could make it harder to obtain insurance at a reasonable price.","who":"Canada Energy Regulator Commission","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Zurich, the lead insurer on the 2019–20 policy of $508 million, did not renew in July 2020; it was the sole insurer of the first C$8 million.","src":5},{"t":"Argo declined to renew on 4 June 2021.","src":7},{"t":"Chubb became the 16th insurer to refuse to cover the pipeline in September 2021.","src":8},{"t":"A Stand.earth list reported around 2022 counted 17, then 18 insurers that had refused cover.","src":9},{"t":"The CER Commission granted confidential treatment of insurer names on 29 April 2021; coverage amounts stay public; the ruling applies to the operating pipeline, not the expansion that was under construction.","src":0},{"t":"SOR/2024-78, registered 3 May 2024, lets the Crown corporation set up a captive insurer or join mutual insurers without separate cabinet approval. The C$1 billion financial-resources minimum is met with general liability insurance plus a line of credit.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"2018–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Insurers reported to have refused or ended cover","v":"17, then 18","d":"Stand.earth list, about 2022 (campaign-side count)"},{"k":"Insurer names","v":"Confidential","d":"Since the CER ruling of 29 April 2021; coverage amounts stay public"},{"k":"Total cover on the 2019–20 policy","v":"$508 million","d":"Trade-press report; Zurich the lead insurer"}]},"unknown":["The current insurer panel is confidential; filings after the CER ruling of April 2021 were made confidential.","No evidence has been found that a captive insurer was actually set up under SOR/2024-78.","The 2019–20 cover figures come from trade press, and reports differ on how they rank the largest insurers on the policy (Chubb and Zurich as the largest listed insurers; Temple, a Munich Re unit, as the third largest with $250 million; Lloyd's syndicates as underwriting $460 million).","The Stand.earth count of 18 or more is undated, and no primary source was found for a count of 16 or more by 2022.","Unconfirmed: that Lloyd's syndicates were the biggest insurer on the 2019–20 policy.","The outcome of Munich Re's review of its contract not on record.","No court case about the insurers' withdrawal was found."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no environmental harm attributed to the pipeline. The expansion entered service on 1 May 2024, after a series of private insurers had declined to renew.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give no damage payment. As owner, the Government of Canada guarantees the company's C$18.9 billion credit facility (as of May 2024).","statusLine":"As of the December 2024 financial statements: the expansion had been in service since 1 May 2024, the insurer panel remained confidential, and no evidence was found that the captive insurer permitted in May 2024 had been created.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"trans-mountain","says":"Said there remained adequate capacity in the market to meet its insurance needs and its renewal; earlier asked the CER for confidentiality citing increasing reluctance by insurers.","when":"July 2020; February 2021","src":0},{"actor":"zurich","says":"Did not renew in July 2020 and did not comment on customer relationships.","when":"July 2020","src":5},{"actor":"munich-re","says":"Said it would review the contract under its oil-sands guideline.","when":"July 2020","src":6},{"actor":"argo","says":"Its spokesman said the project did not align with the insurer's risk appetite anymore (as reported).","when":"4 June 2021","src":7},{"actor":"talanx","says":"Said it had exited in 2019 and had adopted an oil-sands policy in 2020.","when":"June 2020","src":4},{"actor":"canada-energy-regulator","says":"Granted confidential treatment of insurer names for the operating pipeline.","when":"29 April 2021","src":0},{"actor":"government-of-canada","says":"Registered SOR/2024-78 allowing the Crown corporation to set up a captive insurer, citing pressures on insurers' coverage.","when":"3 May 2024","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"trans-mountain","role":"Pipeline operator and Crown corporation"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Owner since 2018; guarantor of the credit facility"},{"id":"canada-energy-regulator","role":"Regulator; granted confidential treatment of insurer names"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Lead insurer 2019–20; did not renew in July 2020"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Insurer through Temple Insurance; reviewed its contract"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Insurer through Chubb European Group; refused cover in September 2021"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Insurance market; syndicates on the 2019–20 policy"},{"id":"argo","role":"Insurer; declined to renew in June 2021"},{"id":"talanx","role":"Insurer; said it exited in 2019"},{"id":"stand-earth","role":"Campaign group; counted insurers that refused cover"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why did insurers leave the pipeline?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Trans Mountain","says":"Said in 2020 that there was adequate capacity in the market; asked the CER in February 2021 to keep insurer names confidential, citing increasing reluctance by insurers.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Argo","says":"Its spokesman said the project did not align with its risk appetite anymore (as reported).","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Zurich","says":"Did not comment on customer relationships.","src":5,"silent":true},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Stand.earth (via Canadian Underwriter)","says":"Counted 17, then 18 insurers that refused cover, around 2022.","src":9}]},{"point":"How many insurers have refused cover?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Insurance Portal","says":"Chubb became the 16th insurer to refuse to cover the pipeline in September 2021.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Stand.earth (via Canadian Underwriter)","says":"A list of 17, then 18, around 2022; undated.","src":9}]},{"point":"Which insurers were the largest on the 2019–20 policy?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters (via Hart Energy)","says":"Chubb and Zurich were the biggest listed insurers.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"Insurance Business (13 May 2020)","says":"Temple Insurance, a Munich Re unit, was the pipeline's third biggest insurer with $250 million of cover; insurers in the Lloyd's market had underwritten $460 million.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Request for confidential treatment of Trans Mountain's insurer names","forum":"Canada Energy Regulator Commission","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC","defendant":null,"filed":"2021-02","decided":"2021-04-29","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Commission granted confidential treatment of insurer names for the operating pipeline, finding disclosure could reasonably be expected to make it harder to get insurance at a reasonable price. Coverage amounts stay public; the ruling does not apply to the expansion that was under construction.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Zurich","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"cover-declined","year":2020,"reason":"Did not renew; reported as lead insurer on the 2019–20 policy (\"$300 million\" of joint cover per Reuters).","summary":"Lead insurer on the 2019–20 policy of $508 million and sole insurer of the first C$8 million; did not renew in July 2020 and did not comment on customer relationships.","src":5},{"insurer":"Munich Re (through Temple Insurance)","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"unknown","year":2020,"summary":"Temple was listed with C$250 million of cover in the June 2020 certificate listing. Munich Re said it would review the contract under its oil-sands guideline; the outcome not on record.","src":4},{"insurer":"Chubb (Chubb European Group)","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"summary":"Reported in May 2020 as underwriting $185 million with other insurers; became the 16th insurer to refuse to cover the pipeline in September 2021.","src":8},{"insurer":"Lloyd's syndicates","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"unknown","year":2020,"summary":"Insurers in the Lloyd's market were reported to have underwritten $460 million in 2020. Arch, a Lloyd's syndicate, dropped out in 2022.","src":11},{"insurer":"Argo","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"summary":"Would not renew on 4 June 2021; its spokesman said the project did not align with its risk appetite anymore (as reported).","src":7},{"insurer":"Talanx","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"cover-declined","year":2019,"summary":"Said in June 2020 that it had exited in 2019 and adopted an oil-sands policy in 2020.","src":4},{"insurer":"AIG Canada","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"unknown","year":2020,"summary":"Listed in the 2020 certificate, according to a trade-press article cited in the sources.","src":11},{"insurer":"Captive insurer permitted by SOR/2024-78","insured":"Trans Mountain","status":"unknown","year":2024,"summary":"The regulation allows the Crown corporation to set up a captive insurer; no evidence has been found that one had been set up.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"purchase_price","value":4500,"unit":"CAD m","year":2018,"note":"Price paid by the Government of Canada for the pipeline."},{"key":"project_cost","value":34000,"unit":"CAD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cost of the expansion, which entered service on 1 May 2024."},{"key":"credit_guarantee","value":18900,"unit":"CAD m","year":2024,"note":"Credit facility guaranteed by the government, as of May 2024."},{"key":"cover_total","value":508,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Total cover on the 2019–20 policy, as reported by trade press (shown as C$508 million in a later note in the cited sources)."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":18,"unit":"insurers","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Stand.earth list as reported by Canadian Underwriter (17, then 18); campaign-side count, undated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A series of private insurers declined to renew cover for the Trans Mountain pipeline between 2019 and 2022; the regulator allowed insurer names to be kept confidential and a 2024 regulation allowed the Crown corporation to create a captive insurer.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Trans Mountain (Crown corporation)","what":"Confidential treatment of its insurers' names for the operating pipeline (CER ruling, 29 April 2021).","src":0},{"who":"Trans Mountain (Crown corporation)","what":"Permission to set up a captive insurer or join mutual insurers without separate cabinet approval (SOR/2024-78, 3 May 2024).","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Canada: the pipeline operated by Trans Mountain Corporation, regulated by the Canada Energy Regulator.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Insurer exits from 2019 to 2022; CER ruling 29 April 2021; regulation registered 3 May 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Trans Mountain cited increasing reluctance by insurers; the government's rationale for the 2024 regulation referred to pressures on insurers including environmental ones. Individual insurers gave other reasons, such as risk appetite (Argo) and oil-sands policies (Talanx, Munich Re).","src":1},"how":{"t":"Insurers declined to renew; the regulator kept their names confidential; the government made it possible to self-insure through a captive.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Commission issues decision on Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC request for confidential treatment","p":"Canada Energy Regulator","d":"2021-04-29","type":"official","u":"https://cer-rec.gc.ca/en/about/news-room/whats-new/2021/commission-issues-decision-on-trans-mountain-pipeline-ulc-request-for-confidential-treatment.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414183735/https://www.cer-rec.gc.ca/en/about/news-room/whats-new/2021/commission-issues-decision-on-trans-mountain-pipeline-ulc-request-for-confidential-treatment.html"},{"t":"Regulations Amending the Trans Mountain Corporation Regulations (SOR/2024-78)","p":"Canada Gazette, Part II","d":"2024-05-22","type":"official","u":"https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2024/2024-05-22/html/sor-dors78-eng.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250914204926/https://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2024/2024-05-22/html/sor-dors78-eng.html"},{"t":"Trans Mountain Corporation financial statements, 31 December 2024","p":"Trans Mountain Corporation","d":"2024-12-31","type":"company","u":"https://docs.transmountain.com/Corporate-Reports/TMC-FS-12-31-24-Final.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250615152539/https://docs.transmountain.com/Corporate-Reports/TMC-FS-12-31-24-Final.pdf"},{"t":"Trans Mountain pipeline project cost (expansion in service 1 May 2024)","p":"Global News","d":"2024-05","type":"press","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/10322887/trans-mountain-pipeline-project-cost","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617012647/https://globalnews.ca/news/10322887/trans-mountain-pipeline-project-cost/"},{"t":"Insurers and Trans Mountain (June 2020 certificate listing, Talanx statement)","p":"Rainforest Action Network","d":"2020-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.ran.org/?p=9814"},{"t":"Zurich Insurance drops coverage for oil pipeline Trans Mountain","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2020-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/zurich-insurance-drops-coverage-for-oil-pipeline-trans-mountain/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722205149/https://www.businessinsurance.com/Zurich-insurance-drops-coverage-for-oil-pipeline-Trans-Mountain/"},{"t":"Munich Re to review Trans Mountain contract","p":"Carrier Management","d":"2020-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2020/07/23/209436.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611062523/https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2020/07/23/209436.htm"},{"t":"Argo decides to drop cover for Trans Mountain pipeline","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2021-06-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/argo-decides-to-drop-cover-for-trans-mountain-pipeline-2/"},{"t":"Two more insurers ditch Trans Mountain pipeline","p":"Insurance Portal","d":"2022-05-06","type":"press","u":"https://insurance-portal.ca/article/two-more-insurers-ditch-trans-mountain-pipeline/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250512142903/https://insurance-portal.ca/article/two-more-insurers-ditch-trans-mountain-pipeline/"},{"t":"Grassroots orgs demand insurers withdraw coverage for Trans Mountain pipeline (reporting a Stand.earth list)","p":"Canadian Underwriter","d":"2022","type":"press","voice":"civil","u":"https://canadianunderwriter.ca/news/claims/grassroots-orgs-demand-insurers-withdraw-coverage-for-trans-mountain-pipeline"},{"t":"Major insurers increase cover for Trans Mountain oil pipeline (Reuters, via Hart Energy)","p":"Hart Energy","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://www.hartenergy.com/news/major-insurers-increase-cover-trans-mountain-oil-pipeline-187552","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250818112109/https://www.hartenergy.com/news/major-insurers-increase-cover-trans-mountain-oil-pipeline-187552"},{"t":"Lloyd's, Munich Re, Zurich come under fire for supporting tar sands pipeline","p":"Insurance Business Canada","d":"2020-05-13","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/ca/news/breaking-news/lloyds-munich-re-zurich-come-under-fire-for-supporting-tar-sands-pipeline-222291.aspx","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did insurers leave the pipeline?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many insurers have refused cover?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which insurers were the largest on the 2019–20 policy?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Zurich: Did not comment on customer relationships.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Munich Re (through Temple Insurance): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Lloyd's syndicates: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"AIG Canada: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Captive insurer permitted by SOR/2024-78: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurers that declined cover: Stand.earth list as reported by Canadian Underwriter (17, then 18); campaign-side count, undated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The current insurer panel is confidential; filings after the CER ruling of April 2021 were made confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No evidence has been found that a captive insurer was actually set up under SOR/2024-78.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The 2019–20 cover figures come from trade press, and reports differ on how they rank the largest insurers on the policy (Chubb and Zurich as the largest listed insurers; Temple, a Munich Re unit, as the third largest with $250 million; Lloyd's syndicates as underwriting $460 million).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Stand.earth count of 18 or more is undated, and no primary source was found for a count of 16 or more by 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Lloyd's syndicates were the biggest insurer on the 2019–20 policy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Munich Re's review of its contract not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case about the insurers' withdrawal was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"alto-mayo-redd-project","title":"Alto Mayo REDD+ project (Peru)","dek":"A forest-carbon project in Peru's Alto Mayo, run by Conservation International and certified by Verra, supplied credits to Disney and others. A 2023 analysis estimated that it received about ten times the credits it justified and reported home demolitions in the project area in 2021; Conservation International said it was not involved.","country":"Peru","region":"South America","lat":-5.8,"lon":-77.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Credits issued vs credits an analysis estimated were justified","value":"7.5m vs about 720k","note":"Estimate: SourceMaterial analysis, which put the over-crediting at about ten times."},"happened":["The Alto Mayo REDD+ project in Peru is run by Conservation International (CI) and certified by Verra. Buyers included Disney, Gucci, BHP and the band Pearl Jam. Disney took about 40% of the project's offsets in 2012–2020, more than 2 million credits; in March 2013 it bought 437,000 credits for US$3.5 million.","In an article published on 20 January 2023, SourceMaterial, working with The Guardian and Die Zeit, reported that armed men and police had demolished homes in the project area between January and May 2021, with up to 50 homes alleged. It also estimated that the project had received about ten times too many credits: 7.5 million issued against about 720,000 justified. The cited sources give that Peru's protected-areas agency, SERNANP, has described such operations since 2019 as \"extrajudicial recovery of state-owned properties\".","CI said it had been told that the structures \"were vacant and abandoned\". A review commissioned by CI and released on 1 July 2024 found that CI was \"not involved in nor responsible\" for the demolitions. The cited sources give no court case and no penalty for the Alto Mayo project."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Start of the period in which Disney took about 40% of the project's offsets (2012–2020)"},{"y":2013,"t":"March: Disney buys 437,000 credits for US$3.5 million"},{"y":2019,"t":"SERNANP begins describing such operations as extrajudicial recovery of state-owned properties"},{"y":2021,"t":"January–May: armed men and police alleged to have demolished homes, up to 50 homes alleged"},{"y":2023,"t":"20 January: SourceMaterial, The Guardian and Die Zeit report the demolitions and estimate about ten times too many credits"},{"y":2024,"t":"1 July: review commissioned by CI finds CI not involved in nor responsible"}],"said":[{"q":"were vacant and abandoned","who":"Conservation International, on what it was told about the structures","when":"Date: none on record","src":1},{"q":"not involved in nor responsible","who":"Review commissioned by Conservation International, on CI's role in the demolitions","when":"1 July 2024","src":1},{"q":"extrajudicial recovery of state-owned properties","who":"SERNANP, Peru's protected-areas agency, on its operations since 2019","when":"Since 2019","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The project was certified by Verra and supplied offsets bought by Disney, Gucci, BHP and Pearl Jam.","who":"SourceMaterial","src":0},{"t":"Disney took about 40% of the project's offsets in 2012–2020, more than 2 million credits.","who":"SourceMaterial","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Armed men and police demolished homes in the project area between January and May 2021; up to 50 homes alleged.","src":0},{"t":"About 7.5 million credits issued against about 720,000 estimated as justified, roughly ten times too many (SourceMaterial analysis).","src":0},{"t":"A review commissioned by CI, dated 1 July 2024, found CI \"not involved in nor responsible\".","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"March 2013","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Disney purchase of 437,000 credits, March 2013","amount":3.5}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Credits issued vs estimated justified","v":"7.5m vs about 720k","d":"SourceMaterial analysis; about ten times"},{"k":"Share of Disney's offsets from the project, 2012–2020","v":"About 40%","d":"More than 2 million credits"},{"k":"Homes demolished in the project area, 2021","v":"Up to 50","d":"Alleged; January–May 2021"}]},"unknown":["No court case was found for the Alto Mayo project, and no penalty is recorded.","The number of homes demolished is an allegation (up to 50); the cited sources give no confirmed count.","The 7.5 million versus 720,000 credit comparison is the SourceMaterial analysis's own estimate; no independent check is recorded.","Unconfirmed: that CI criticised the method of the 2023 investigation.","Unconfirmed: forced evictions of families by park staff, as alleged by The Guardian in 2023."],"evidence":["no-court","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no court case, penalty or change to the project after the 2023 analysis and the 2024 review.","whoPaid":"The cited sources alleges that up to 50 homes in the project area were demolished in 2021; it records no compensation.","statusLine":"As of July 2024: a review commissioned by Conservation International found it not involved in nor responsible for the 2021 demolitions; no court case or penalty was found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"conservation-international","says":"Said it was told the structures \"were vacant and abandoned\"; a review it commissioned, dated 1 July 2024, found CI \"not involved in nor responsible\".","when":"2023–2024; review 1 July 2024","src":1},{"actor":"sernanp","says":"Has described such operations since 2019 as \"extrajudicial recovery of state-owned properties\".","when":"Since 2019","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Runs the project"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter that certified the project"},{"id":"disney","role":"Credit buyer (about 40% of the project's offsets, 2012–2020)"},{"id":"gucci","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"bhp","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"sernanp","role":"Peru's protected-areas agency"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were homes in the project area demolished, and was Conservation International responsible?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"SourceMaterial (with The Guardian and Die Zeit)","says":"Armed men and police demolished homes in the project area between January and May 2021; up to 50 homes alleged.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"SERNANP","says":"Has described such operations since 2019 as \"extrajudicial recovery of state-owned properties\".","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Conservation International","says":"Said it was told the structures \"were vacant and abandoned\"; a review it commissioned found it \"not involved in nor responsible\".","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":7500000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Credits issued to the project, according to the SourceMaterial analysis."},{"key":"credits_justified_est","value":720000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"SourceMaterial's estimate of credits justified."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":437000,"unit":"credits","year":2013,"note":"Bought by Disney in March 2013 for US$3.5 million."},{"key":"credits_bought_disney","value":2000000,"unit":"credits","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Disney, about 40% of the project's offsets in 2012–2020."},{"key":"homes_demolished","value":50,"unit":"homes","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","unverified":true,"note":"Alleged; January–May 2021."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An analysis reported that the Alto Mayo REDD+ project received about ten times the carbon credits it justified, and that homes in the project area were demolished in 2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Disney","what":"About 40% of its offsets in 2012–2020, more than 2 million credits, from the project; 437,000 credits for US$3.5 million in March 2013.","src":0},{"who":"Gucci, BHP and Pearl Jam","what":"Named as buyers of project credits.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"People living in the project area","what":"Homes allegedly demolished between January and May 2021; up to 50 homes alleged.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alto Mayo protected area, Peru (location approximate).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Credit purchases from 2012 to 2020; demolitions January–May 2021; analysis published 20 January 2023; CI-commissioned review 1 July 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"CI said it was told the structures were vacant and abandoned; SERNANP has described such operations since 2019 as extrajudicial recovery of state-owned properties.","src":1},"how":{"t":"SourceMaterial compared credits issued (7.5 million) with its estimate of credits justified (about 720,000).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Analysis of the Alto Mayo REDD+ project (title not on record)","p":"SourceMaterial (with The Guardian and Die Zeit)","d":"2023-01-20","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/?p=1889","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134951/https://www.source-material.org/armed-men-disney-forest-carbon-offsetting-destroyed-homes/"},{"t":"Conservation International releases findings of independent review","p":"Conservation International","d":"2024-07-01","type":"company","u":"https://www.conservation.org/press/conservation-international-releases-findings-of-independent-review","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613095552/https://www.conservation.org/press/conservation-international-releases-findings-of-independent-review"}],"episodes":[],"related":["cordillera-azul"],"natureLead":{"t":"7.5 million carbon credits were issued in my name; a 2023 SourceMaterial analysis estimated about 720,000 were justified.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were homes in the project area demolished, and was Conservation International responsible?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Homes demolished: Alleged; January–May 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case was found for the Alto Mayo project, and no penalty is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of homes demolished is an allegation (up to 50); the cited sources give no confirmed count.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 7.5 million versus 720,000 credit comparison is the SourceMaterial analysis's own estimate; no independent check is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that CI criticised the method of the 2023 investigation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: forced evictions of families by park staff, as alleged by The Guardian in 2023.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"world-bank-regrow-ruaha-project","title":"World Bank REGROW project, Ruaha National Park","dek":"A US$150 million World Bank project in southern Tanzania was suspended in April 2024 after allegations of ranger violence and village removals around Ruaha National Park. The Bank's Inspection Panel found non-compliance with Bank policies, and the government cancelled the project in November 2024.","country":"Tanzania","region":"Africa","lat":-7.6,"lon":34.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","lat":-7.6,"lon":34.9,"role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-04-18","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"World Bank project value approved 28 September 2017","value":"US$150 million","note":"Reported disbursements before suspension: US$100–132 million (figures differ between reports)."},"happened":["The World Bank approved a US$150 million project known as REGROW on 28 September 2017. The cited sources describe it as a tourism project in southern Tanzania that overlapped with the expansion of Ruaha National Park, reported to have grown from about one million hectares to more than two million. REGROW concerns Ruaha National Park, not Ngorongoro.","In 2022 five villages, with 21,252 residents, were announced for removal. A summary of reports says that in April 2021 a fisherman and two others, one of them aged 14, were reported killed by rangers. The same summary says the Bank first said its mandate did not extend to government institutions; after a complaint from affected communities the Bank's Inspection Panel took up the case.","Disbursements were suspended with effect from 18 April 2024. The Inspection Panel's investigation report of 16 September 2024 found that the project's ranger code of conduct deferred to rules that “clearly allows the use of excessive force”. Bank management conceded that the project “had increased the possibility of violent confrontations”, and the Panel found that management “remained unaware of serious incidents” because it had not required incident reporting from the national parks agency, TANAPA. The Panel found non-compliance with Bank policies OP 4.01, OP 4.12 and the IPF policy.","The Tanzanian government cancelled the project in November 2024; one record describes the closure as made at the government's request. Reported disbursements before suspension were between US$100 million and US$132 million. The Bank's Board approved a Management Action Plan on 1 April 2025.","The Oakland Institute alleges at least 12 killings or disappearances connected to the Ruaha area, and Witness Radio reports 11 people killed and 5 disappeared; neither figure rests on an official finding in the sources. TANAPA reported to the Panel that 50 rangers were killed nationwide in 2018–2024. A summary of reports says that more than 84,000 people in 28 villages remain at risk."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"World Bank approves the US$150 million REGROW project (28 Sep)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Three people, one aged 14, reported killed by rangers (April)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Removal of five villages (21,252 people) announced"},{"y":2024,"t":"Disbursements suspended (18 Apr); Inspection Panel report (16 Sep); government cancels the project (Nov)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Bank Board approves a Management Action Plan (1 Apr)"}],"said":[{"q":"clearly allows the use of excessive force","who":"World Bank Inspection Panel, on the rules to which the project's ranger code of conduct defers","when":"16 September 2024","src":0},{"q":"had increased the possibility of violent confrontations","who":"World Bank management, as recorded in the Inspection Panel report","when":"16 September 2024","src":0},{"q":"remained unaware of serious incidents","who":"World Bank Inspection Panel, on Bank management","when":"16 September 2024","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The ranger code of conduct defers to rules that “clearly allows the use of excessive force”.","src":0},{"t":"Rules of engagement allow shooting fleeing offenders “in certain circumstances”.","src":0},{"t":"Bank management did not require TANAPA to report incidents and “remained unaware of serious incidents”.","src":0},{"t":"Non-compliance found with Bank policies OP 4.01, OP 4.12 and the IPF policy.","src":0},{"t":"TANAPA reported 50 rangers killed nationwide in 2018–2024.","src":0},{"t":"Disbursements suspended effective 18 April 2024; project cancelled by the government in November 2024; Board approved a Management Action Plan on 1 April 2025.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Park area","v":"~1m → 2m+ ha","d":"Reported expansion of Ruaha National Park alongside the project"},{"k":"Panel finding","v":"Non-compliance","d":"Bank policies OP 4.01, OP 4.12 and IPF policy (16 Sep 2024)"},{"k":"Villages at risk","v":"28","d":"More than 84,000 people reported at risk after the project ended"}]},"unknown":["No prosecutions were found for the Ruaha killings, nor for the other conservation-related abuses in the same research list.","Reported disbursements range from US$100 million to US$132 million; no single primary figure is given.","The allegations (at least 12 killings or disappearances per the Oakland Institute; 11 killed and 5 disappeared per Witness Radio) are unconfirmed; no official finding is recorded.","Eviction and compensation claims in Ruaha are reported as continuing; their forum and status are not identified."],"evidence":["no-court","displacement","unverified-deaths"],"harmStopped":"Disbursements were suspended in April 2024 and the government cancelled the project in November 2024. A summary of reports says more than 84,000 people in 28 villages remain at risk.","whoPaid":"Residents of villages around Ruaha National Park, according to the Inspection Panel's findings and the allegations of civil-society groups; the sources give no compensation figure.","statusLine":"As of October 2026 (latest research date): project cancelled in November 2024; the latest recorded step is the Bank Board's approval of a Management Action Plan on 1 April 2025; no prosecutions found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"world-bank","says":"Management conceded that the project “had increased the possibility of violent confrontations”.","when":"2024","src":0},{"actor":"world-bank","says":"The Board approved a Management Action Plan on 1 April 2025.","when":"1 April 2025","src":null},{"actor":"tanzania-gov","says":"The project was closed in November 2024 at the government's request.","when":"November 2024","src":null},{"actor":"tanapa","says":"Reported that 50 rangers were killed nationwide in 2018–2024.","when":"2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Financier of the REGROW project"},{"id":"world-bank-inspection-panel","role":"Accountability body that investigated the complaint"},{"id":"tanapa","role":"National parks agency; implementing agency with the park rangers"},{"id":"tanzania-gov","role":"Borrower; cancelled the project"},{"id":"oakland-institute","role":"NGO alleging killings and disappearances"},{"id":"witness-radio","role":"NGO reporting killings and disappearances"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the project and its ranger rules contribute to violence and killings around Ruaha?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Inspection Panel","says":"Found that the ranger code of conduct defers to rules that “clearly allows the use of excessive force” and found non-compliance with OP 4.01, OP 4.12 and the IPF policy (16 Sep 2024).","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank management","says":"Conceded the project “had increased the possibility of violent confrontations”; the Panel found it “remained unaware of serious incidents”.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oakland Institute","says":"Alleges at least 12 killings or disappearances.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Witness Radio","says":"Reports 11 killed and 5 disappeared.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"TANAPA","says":"Reported that 50 rangers were killed nationwide in 2018–2024.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did the Bank's mandate cover the conduct of government agencies?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank","says":"Said at first, as reported, that its authority did not cover government institutions.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Inspection Panel","says":"Took up the case after a community complaint and found non-compliance with Bank policies.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Inspection Panel investigation of the REGROW project","forum":"World Bank Inspection Panel (accountability mechanism, not a court)","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Community members who complained to the Panel","defendant":"World Bank (project management)","filed":null,"decided":"2024-09-16","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Panel's report of 16 September 2024 found non-compliance with Bank policies OP 4.01, OP 4.12 and the IPF policy. The Board approved a Management Action Plan on 1 April 2025. The Panel's findings are not a court judgment.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"project_value","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Approved 28 September 2017."},{"key":"disbursed","value":132,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","unverified":true,"note":"Reports range from US$100m to US$132m; no primary figure in the sources."},{"key":"people_affected","value":21252,"unit":"people","year":2022,"note":"Residents of five villages announced for removal."},{"key":"people_at_risk","value":84000,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"In 28 villages, as summarised in reports."},{"key":"deaths","value":12,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","unverified":true,"note":"Oakland Institute allegation of killings or disappearances; Witness Radio reports 11 killed and 5 disappeared. No official finding."},{"key":"deaths_reported_apr_2021","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2021,"unverified":true,"note":"A fisherman and two others, one aged 14, reported killed by rangers in April 2021; no prosecution found."},{"key":"rangers_killed","value":50,"unit":"rangers","year":2024,"note":"Nationwide, 2018–2024, as reported by TANAPA to the Inspection Panel."},{"key":"area_ha","value":2000000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Reported expansion of Ruaha National Park from about 1 million ha."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A World Bank-financed US$150 million project in southern Tanzania was suspended and then cancelled after allegations of ranger violence and village removals around Ruaha National Park; the Bank's Inspection Panel found non-compliance with Bank policies.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TANAPA","what":"Named, with the REGROW budget, among the parties that gained in the cited sources; the sources do not itemise amounts.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"World Bank","what":"Disbursements suspended on 18 April 2024 and the project cancelled in November 2024.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of villages around Ruaha National Park","what":"Alleged killings and disappearances (at least 12 per the Oakland Institute); removal of five villages (21,252 people) announced in 2022; more than 84,000 people in 28 villages reported at risk.","src":null},{"who":"Park rangers","what":"TANAPA reported 50 rangers killed nationwide in 2018–2024.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ruaha National Park, southern Tanzania.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Approved 28 September 2017; suspended 18 April 2024; Panel report 16 September 2024; cancelled November 2024; Management Action Plan approved 1 April 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The project was described as a tourism project that overlapped with the expansion of Ruaha National Park; removal of five villages was announced in 2022.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Per the Inspection Panel, the ranger code of conduct deferred to rules that “clearly allows the use of excessive force”, and management did not require incident reporting from TANAPA.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Inspection Panel investigation report, executive summary (REGROW)","p":"World Bank Inspection Panel","d":"2024-09-16","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.inspectionpanel.org/sites/default/files/cases/documents/165-Investigation%20Report-Executive%20Summary-16%20September%202024.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124145414/https://www.inspectionpanel.org/sites/default/files/cases/documents/165-Investigation%20Report-Executive%20Summary-16%20September%202024.pdf"},{"t":"World Bank Board approves action plan for the Tanzania Resilient Natural Resource Management for Tourism and Growth (REGROW) project","p":"World Bank","d":"2025-04-03","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/04/03/world-bank-board-approves-action-plan-for-the-tanzania-resilient-natural-resource-management-for-tourism-and-growth","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the project and its ranger rules contribute to violence and killings around Ruaha?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Bank's mandate cover the conduct of government agencies?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Disbursed: Reports range from US$100m to US$132m; no primary figure in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: Oakland Institute allegation of killings or disappearances; Witness Radio reports 11 killed and 5 disappeared. No official finding.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths reported apr 2021: A fisherman and two others, one aged 14, reported killed by rangers in April 2021; no prosecution found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area (ha): Reported expansion of Ruaha National Park from about 1 million ha.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No prosecutions were found for the Ruaha killings, nor for the other conservation-related abuses in the same research list.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported disbursements range from US$100 million to US$132 million; no single primary figure is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The allegations (at least 12 killings or disappearances per the Oakland Institute; 11 killed and 5 disappeared per Witness Radio) are unconfirmed; no official finding is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Eviction and compensation claims in Ruaha are reported as continuing; their forum and status are not identified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: TANAPA","No source link — Who lost: World Bank","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of villages around Ruaha National Park"]},{"id":"adani-carmichael-coal-mine-insurers","title":"Insurers of the Carmichael coal mine","dek":"By July 2023 campaigners counted 46 insurers that had publicly ruled out cover for Adani's Carmichael coal mine in Queensland. The mine operates, and Bravus has said it holds the insurance it needs without naming any insurer.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-22,"lon":146.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-22,"lon":146.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Insurers counted as having ruled out cover for the Carmichael mine, July 2023","value":"46","note":"Count kept by campaigners (Market Forces); not an audited figure. No later count was found."},"happened":["The Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland, Australia, is operated under the Bravus name as part of the Adani group. Campaigners asked insurers and brokers to rule out cover for the project from 2018–2019. Adani hired the broker Marsh in 2015 to place cover; invoices were leaked by a Marsh employee and reported by the Sydney Morning Herald in 2020. Liberty Mutual and HDI had insured early site works dating back to 2015, according to Bloomberg.","In December 2018, ten insurers and reinsurers said they would not support the mine: Allianz, AXA, Swiss Re, Munich Re, QBE, Suncorp, FM Global, Generali, Zurich and SCOR. On 20 June 2019 Liberty Mutual confirmed it would not insure the mine. Lloyd's confirmed that some of its members had insured the mine from 2019 but would not name them.","In 2020 the Sydney Morning Herald, citing the leaked Marsh invoices, named XL Australia (AXA) as having charged Adani for cover; AXA said it had no active policies and ruled out future cover. In 2021 Apollo (Lloyd's) said it would not take part in further policies, and Ascot declined to renew. On 24 February 2021 Brit said it did not and would not write policies relating directly to the mine; the campaigners' count was then 31 insurers, 20 of them at Lloyd's.","On 23 June 2022 Marsh, the mine's long-standing broker, confirmed to campaigners that it had ended its commercial relationship; the count was then 44 insurers. In December 2022 Market Forces, citing “insider information”, named Probitas 1492 as insurer of the rail line, Bowen Rail Company and the NQXT port. In July 2023 Probitas said it had stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover; it was counted as the 46th insurer to rule out cover. The broker Lockton also declined after talks.","The mine operates, with production above 10 million tonnes a year. In August 2025 Bravus announced an expansion to 16 million tonnes a year and an A$2 billion mining contract with MacKellar. Bravus says it “has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail Project” and names no insurers. Berkshire Hathaway, Korean Re, Markel and WR Berkley are listed by campaigners as not having ruled out cover."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Adani hires Marsh to place cover; Liberty Mutual and HDI insure early site works"},{"y":2018,"t":"Ten insurers and reinsurers say they will not support the mine (Dec)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Liberty Mutual confirms it will not insure the mine (20 Jun); some Lloyd's members insure it from 2019"},{"y":2020,"t":"Leaked Marsh invoices reported by the Sydney Morning Herald; AXA says it has no active policies"},{"y":2021,"t":"Brit statement (24 Feb; count 31); Apollo and Ascot withdraw"},{"y":2022,"t":"Marsh ends its relationship (23 Jun; count 44); Market Forces names Probitas 1492 (Dec)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Probitas says it stopped covering the mine at end-2022; counted as the 46th insurer (Jul)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Bravus announces expansion to 16 Mt a year and an A$2 billion contract (Aug)"}],"said":[{"q":"does not, has never, and will not write any policies relating directly to the Adani Carmichael coal mine itself.","who":"Brit, as reported by Insurance Business","when":"24 February 2021","src":4},{"q":"would not participate in any further insurance policies for risks associated with this project.","who":"Apollo (Lloyd's), as reported by Insurance Business","when":"2021","src":3},{"q":"We do not currently cover the Carmichael mine's assets, neither directly nor through packages.","who":"AXA, as quoted by Market Forces","when":"undated","src":10},{"q":"Aon does not provide insurance broking or other services to the Adani Carmichael project.","who":"Aon, as listed by Market Forces","when":"undated","src":10},{"q":"AXA will stop insuring any new coal construction projects","who":"AXA press release","when":"12 December 2017","src":13}],"shown":[{"t":"Bravus said it “has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail Project” and named no insurers.","who":"Bravus","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ten insurers and reinsurers said in December 2018 they would not support the mine (Allianz, AXA, Swiss Re, Munich Re, QBE, Suncorp, FM Global, Generali, Zurich, SCOR); this is a campaign-sourced report.","src":0},{"t":"Liberty Mutual confirmed on 20 June 2019 that it would not insure the mine; Liberty and HDI had insured early site works dating back to 2015.","src":1},{"t":"Marsh, the long-standing broker, confirmed on 23 June 2022 that it had ended its commercial relationship (as reported by Market Forces).","src":5},{"t":"Probitas said in July 2023 that it had stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover; it was counted as the 46th insurer to rule out cover.","src":7},{"t":"Lloyd's confirmed that some of its members insured the mine from 2019 and would not name them.","src":8},{"t":"Production is above 10 million tonnes a year; expansion to 16 million tonnes a year and an A$2 billion mining contract were announced in August 2025.","src":9},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026 names JP Morgan, MUFG, HSBC and BlackRock as financiers of the Adani Group's Carmichael coal mine; it gives no bank-by-bank amounts.","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Insurers counted as ruled out","v":"46","d":"Campaign count, July 2023"},{"k":"Production","v":"> 10 Mt/yr","d":"Expansion to 16 Mt/yr announced August 2025"},{"k":"Insurers named by the operator","v":"None","d":"Bravus names no insurers; Lloyd's would not name members"}]},"unknown":["Who insures the mine now is not public: Bravus names no insurers and Lloyd's would not name its members.","Campaigners report that the mine is self-insured; this is unconfirmed.","The December 2022 report naming Probitas 1492 as insurer of the rail line, Bowen Rail Company and the NQXT port relied on “insider information”; Probitas's July 2023 statement refers to the mine and the rail cover.","Premiums, limits and the terms of any cover for the mine are not disclosed."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Insurer withdrawals did not halt the mine: it operates at above 10 million tonnes a year and an expansion to 16 million tonnes a year was announced in August 2025.","whoPaid":"Not applicable: the record concerns who insures the project, not a loss event.","statusLine":"As of October 2026 (latest research date): the mine operates; 46 insurers were counted by campaigners as having ruled out cover by July 2023; Bravus has not named its insurers.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"bravus","says":"“has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail Project”; names no insurers.","when":"undated","src":null},{"actor":"marsh","says":"Confirmed that it had ended its commercial relationship with the mine (as reported by Market Forces).","when":"23 June 2022","src":5},{"actor":"lloyds","says":"Confirmed that some of its members insured the mine from 2019 but would not name them.","when":"undated","src":8},{"actor":"probitas","says":"Said it had stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover.","when":"July 2023","src":7},{"actor":"brit","says":"“does not, has never, and will not write any policies relating directly to the Adani Carmichael coal mine itself.”","when":"24 February 2021","src":4},{"actor":"axa","says":"Said it had no active policies and ruled out future cover (as reported after the 2020 Marsh invoice leak).","when":"2020","src":11},{"actor":"aon","says":"“Aon does not provide insurance broking or other services to the Adani Carmichael project.”","when":"undated","src":10},{"actor":"wtw","says":"Declines to comment on clients; listed by Market Forces as not ruled out.","when":"undated","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"adani","role":"Owner group of the mine"},{"id":"bravus","role":"Operator of the Carmichael mine and rail project"},{"id":"market-forces","role":"Campaign group keeping the count of insurers"},{"id":"marsh","role":"Broker; ended relationship June 2022"},{"id":"aon","role":"Broker asked to rule out the mine; says it provides no services to it"},{"id":"wtw","role":"Broker asked to rule out the mine; declines to comment on clients"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Market whose members insured the mine from 2019"},{"id":"probitas","role":"Lloyd's managing agent; stopped covering the mine at end-2022"},{"id":"axa","role":"Insurer; coal policy of December 2017; says it does not cover the mine"},{"id":"axa-xl","role":"Named in 2020 as having charged Adani for cover"},{"id":"allianz","role":"Insurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Reinsurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Reinsurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"hannover-re","role":"Reinsurer listed as having ruled out the mine"},{"id":"hdi-global","role":"Insured early site works from 2015; cover terminated"},{"id":"liberty-mutual","role":"Insured early site works from 2015; confirmed June 2019 it would not insure the mine"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Insurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"aig","role":"Not ruled out; insured on-ground works until 30 September 2019"},{"id":"brit","role":"Lloyd's insurer; statement of 24 February 2021"},{"id":"apollo","role":"Lloyd's insurer; cover expired September 2021"},{"id":"ascot","role":"Declined to renew cover (2021)"},{"id":"markel","role":"Listed by campaigners as not having ruled out cover"},{"id":"berkshire-hathaway","role":"Listed by campaigners as not having ruled out cover"},{"id":"korean-re","role":"Listed by campaigners as not having ruled out cover"},{"id":"wr-berkley","role":"Listed by campaigners as not having ruled out cover"},{"id":"qbe","role":"Insurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"scor","role":"Reinsurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"suncorp","role":"Insurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"fm-global","role":"Insurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"generali","role":"Insurer that said it would not support the mine (Dec 2018)"},{"id":"lockton","role":"Broker that declined after talks (2023)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who insures the Carmichael mine?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Bravus","says":"“has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail Project”; names no insurers.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lloyd's","says":"Confirmed that some of its members insured the mine from 2019 but would not name them.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Market Forces","says":"Lists Berkshire Hathaway, Korean Re, Markel and WR Berkley as not having ruled out cover, and AIG as having “not ruled out providing insurance”.","src":10}]},{"point":"Did Probitas 1492 insure the mine and its rail and port assets, and does it still?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Market Forces","says":"Named Probitas 1492 in December 2022, citing “insider information”, as insurer of the rail line, Bowen Rail Company and the NQXT port.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"Probitas","says":"Said in July 2023 that it had stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover.","src":7}]},{"point":"Did AXA cover the Carmichael mine?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Sydney Morning Herald (via Insurance Business)","says":"Reported in 2020, from leaked Marsh invoices, that XL Australia (AXA) had charged Adani for cover.","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"AXA","says":"Said it had no active policies and ruled out future cover; also “We do not currently cover the Carmichael mine's assets, neither directly nor through packages.”","src":10}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Liberty Mutual","insured":"Adani (Carmichael early site works)","status":"cover-declined","year":2019,"summary":"Insured early site works dating back to 2015 (Bloomberg); confirmed on 20 June 2019 that it would not insure the mine.","src":1},{"insurer":"HDI Global","insured":"Adani (Carmichael early site works)","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"summary":"Insured early site works dating back to 2015 (Bloomberg); Market Forces records that HDI Global “terminated the insurance cover”. The year of termination is not given.","src":2},{"insurer":"AIG","insured":"Adani (Carmichael on-ground works)","status":"unknown","year":2019,"summary":"Market Forces records that AIG “has not ruled out providing insurance” and was insuring on-ground works until 30 September 2019.","src":10},{"insurer":"Allianz","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2018,"summary":"One of ten insurers and reinsurers that said in December 2018 they would not support the mine; Market Forces quotes Allianz as no longer offering “single-site/stand-alone insurance coverages related to… coal plants and mines”.","src":0},{"insurer":"AXA (XL Australia)","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2020,"summary":"One of the ten in December 2018. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2020, from leaked Marsh invoices, that XL Australia (AXA) had charged Adani for cover; AXA said it had no active policies and ruled out future cover.","src":11},{"insurer":"Swiss Re","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2018,"summary":"One of the ten in December 2018; Market Forces quotes the policy: “Swiss Re's group-wide coal policy prohibits providing re/insurance for thermal coal mines”.","src":10},{"insurer":"Munich Re, QBE, Suncorp, FM Global, Generali, Zurich, SCOR","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2018,"summary":"Said in December 2018 that they would not support the mine, as reported by Reinsurance News (a campaign-sourced report).","src":0},{"insurer":"Brit (Lloyd's)","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"summary":"Said on 24 February 2021 that it “does not, has never, and will not write any policies relating directly to the Adani Carmichael coal mine itself.”","src":4},{"insurer":"Apollo (Lloyd's)","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"summary":"Said in 2021 that it “would not participate in any further insurance policies for risks associated with this project”; its existing cover expired in September 2021.","src":3},{"insurer":"Ascot (Lloyd's)","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"cover-declined","year":2021,"summary":"Declined to renew its cover in 2021.","src":3},{"insurer":"Probitas 1492 (Lloyd's)","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine, rail line, Bowen Rail Company, NQXT port)","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"summary":"Market Forces named Probitas 1492 in December 2022, citing “insider information”. In July 2023 Probitas said it had stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover; it was counted as the 46th insurer to rule out cover.","src":7},{"insurer":"Unnamed Lloyd's members","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"unknown","year":2019,"summary":"Lloyd's confirmed that some of its members had insured the mine from 2019 but would not name them.","src":8},{"insurer":"Berkshire Hathaway, Korean Re, Markel, WR Berkley","insured":"Adani (Carmichael mine)","status":"unknown","year":null,"summary":"Listed by campaigners as insurers that have not ruled out cover. The sources give no information on any policy.","src":10}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurers_declined","value":31,"unit":"insurers","year":2021,"qualifier":"campaign count","note":"As of 24 February 2021, 20 of them at Lloyd's."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":44,"unit":"insurers","year":2022,"qualifier":"campaign count","note":"As of 23 June 2022, when Marsh ended its relationship."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":46,"unit":"insurers","year":2023,"qualifier":"campaign count","note":"As of July 2023, when Probitas was counted as the 46th. No later count found."},{"key":"production_mtpa","value":10,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"above","note":"Reported production level before the announced expansion."},{"key":"production_planned_mtpa","value":16,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2025,"note":"Expansion announced by Bravus in August 2025."},{"key":"contract_value","value":2000,"unit":"AUD m","year":2025,"note":"Stated as an A$2bn mining contract with MacKellar, announced by Bravus in August 2025 (WorldCoal); shown here in A$ million."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Insurers and the mine's long-standing broker publicly withdrew or declined to support the Carmichael coal mine between 2018 and 2023; the mine operates and its current insurers are not public.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Adani (Bravus)","what":"Operates the mine; production above 10 Mt a year and expansion to 16 Mt a year announced in August 2025.","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"Adani (Bravus)","what":"Its broker Marsh ended the relationship (June 2022) and a series of insurers withdrew or declined cover (2018–2023).","src":5}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Carmichael coal mine and rail project, central Queensland, Australia.","src":9},"when":{"t":"2015 (broker hired; early works insured) to 2025 (expansion announced).","src":null},"why":{"t":"Campaigners asked insurers and brokers to rule out cover; AXA stated in December 2017 that “It would be inconsistent to commercially support industries that the Group is divesting from.”","src":13},"how":{"t":"Insurers and a broker made public statements to campaigners and the press; the campaign group Market Forces kept a running count.","src":10}},"sources":[{"t":"Ten re/insurers rule out support for Australian coal mine following climate campaign","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2018-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/ten-re-insurers-rule-out-support-for-australian-coal-mine-following-climate-campaign/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250826143832/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/ten-re-insurers-rule-out-support-for-australian-coal-mine-following-climate-campaign/"},{"t":"Pressure grows on Adani as Liberty Mutual reveals it will not insure Carmichael project","p":"Rainforest Action Network","d":"2019-06-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.ran.org/press-releases/pressure-grows-on-adani-as-liberty-mutual-reveals-it-will-not-insure-carmichael-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710204042/https://www.ran.org/press-releases/pressure-grows-on-adani-as-liberty-mutual-reveals-it-will-not-insure-carmichael-project/"},{"t":"Insurers distance from Adani project amid global coal backlash","p":"Mining.com (via Bloomberg)","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/web/insurers-distance-from-adani-project-amid-global-coal-backlash/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210325203821/https://www.mining.com/web/insurers-distance-from-adani-project-amid-global-coal-backlash/"},{"t":"Ascot declines to renew insurance policy for Adani coal mine","p":"Insurance Business Australia","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking-news/ascot-declines-to-renew-insurance-policy-for-adani-coal-mine-257453.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260425145250/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking-news/ascot-declines-to-renew-insurance-policy-for-adani-coal-mine-257453.aspx"},{"t":"Brit does not, has never, and will not insure Adani coal mine","p":"Insurance Business Australia","d":"2021-02-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/brit-does-not-has-never-and-will-not-insure-adani-coal-mine-247325.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722110525/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/brit-does-not-has-never-and-will-not-insure-adani-coal-mine-247325.aspx"},{"t":"World's largest insurance broker cuts ties with Adani Carmichael coal mine","p":"Market Forces","d":"2022-06-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.marketforces.org.au/worlds-largest-insurance-broker-cuts-ties-with-adani-carmichael-coal-mine/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250807070822/https://www.marketforces.org.au/worlds-largest-insurance-broker-cuts-ties-with-adani-carmichael-coal-mine/"},{"t":"Probitas1492 Adani insurers","p":"Market Forces","d":"2022-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.marketforces.org.au/probitas1492-adani-insurers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260203073610/https://www.marketforces.org.au/probitas1492-adani-insurers/"},{"t":"Probitas says it will not renew Adani coal mine railway","p":"Commercial Risk Online","d":"2023-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.commercialriskonline.com/probitas-says-it-will-not-renew-adani-coal-mine-railway/"},{"t":"Calls for Lloyd's of London to rule out insurance for Adani coal mine","p":"Insurance Business Australia","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/calls-for-lloyds-of-london-to-rule-out-insurance-for-adani-coal-mine-237026.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250811081652/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/calls-for-lloyds-of-london-to-rule-out-insurance-for-adani-coal-mine-237026.aspx"},{"t":"Bravus commits to increase mine production in central Queensland","p":"World Coal","d":"2025-08-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/19082025/bravus-commits-to-increase-mine-production-in-central-queensland/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260310133933/https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/19082025/bravus-commits-to-increase-mine-production-in-central-queensland/"},{"t":"Insurers that have ruled out Adani (Stop Adani insurer list)","p":"Market Forces","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.marketforces.org.au/insurers-stopadani"},{"t":"Marsh employee leaks contentious insurance deal documents","p":"Insurance Business Australia (reporting the Sydney Morning Herald, 2020)","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/marsh-employee-leaks-contentious-insurance-deal-documents-224917.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723164100/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/marsh-employee-leaks-contentious-insurance-deal-documents-224917.aspx"},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026","p":"Banking on Climate Chaos coalition","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011110010/https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/"},{"t":"AXA accelerates its commitment to fight climate change","p":"AXA","d":"2017-12-12","type":"company","u":"https://www.axa.com/en/press/press-releases/axa-accelerates-its-commitment-to-fight-climate-change","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815154317/https://www.axa.com/en/press/press-releases/axa-accelerates-its-commitment-to-fight-climate-change"}],"episodes":[],"related":["hasdeo-coal-mine"],"natureLead":{"t":"More than 10 million tonnes of coal a year are taken from me at Carmichael; in August 2025 Bravus announced an expansion to 16 million tonnes a year.","src":[9]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who insures the Carmichael mine?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Probitas 1492 insure the mine and its rail and port assets, and does it still?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did AXA cover the Carmichael mine?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"AIG: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Unnamed Lloyd's members: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Berkshire Hathaway, Korean Re, Markel, WR Berkley: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who insures the mine now is not public: Bravus names no insurers and Lloyd's would not name its members.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Campaigners report that the mine is self-insured; this is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The December 2022 report naming Probitas 1492 as insurer of the rail line, Bowen Rail Company and the NQXT port relied on “insider information”; Probitas's July 2023 statement refers to the mine and the rail cover.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Premiums, limits and the terms of any cover for the mine are not disclosed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"pfas-insurance-disputes","title":"PFAS insurance disputes (3M, Chemours, DuPont)","dek":"Companies facing PFAS settlements worth billions of dollars have turned to their liability insurers. US courts have so far ruled both ways on whether pollution exclusions bar cover, and the largest case, AIG v. 3M, is pending.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.74,"lon":-75.55,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Wisconsin (Marinette County)","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York (Petersburg)","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Insurance recoveries booked by Johnson Controls (Tyco AFFF claims), fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025","value":"$367m and $39m","note":"Booked against a $750m settlement with US public water systems (April 2024). Share of the recoveries relating to that settlement: none on record."},"happened":["In June 2023 3M reached a settlement with US public water systems over PFAS contamination. The cited sources give a pre-tax present-value charge of $10.3bn in the second quarter of 2023 and a nominal range of up to $12.5bn paid through 2036. The same month DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agreed a $1.185bn fund for public water systems (Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m); the companies deny the allegations. Earlier, in February 2017, DuPont and Chemours paid about $671m in cash to settle about 3,550 personal-injury suits, split 50/50, without admitting wrongdoing. In August 2025 Chemours, DuPont and Corteva agreed a New Jersey settlement of $875m in cash over 25 years, with shares of 50%, 35.5% and 14.5%.","Insurers have moved in two ways. ISO issued PFAS exclusion endorsements for commercial general liability policies (CG 40 32, CG 34 95 and CG 34 96, 05-23 edition), and USI said most insurers are requiring PFAS exclusions at renewal. Moody's, with Praedicat, estimated in November 2023 that US bodily-injury losses of about $10bn are expected and that removing PFAS from drinking water would cost $64.5bn to $248bn.","3M's filings describe insurance recovery as underway through lawsuits in US courts, arbitration, mediation and negotiation with insurers. 3M reported insurance recoveries of $349m in 2024 and $392m in 2025; these totals combine PFAS with two other matters. Its environmental-only recovery benefit was $27m in 2024, and it reported $290m for the six months to 30 June 2026 (again combined). In late October 2024 AIG sued 3M, citing policy language that it said limits or bars coverage for PFAS and pollution; 3M said it disputes the allegations and expects its insurers to honor their obligations. Separately, 3M told a Delaware state court that its excess insurers must cover it.","Courts have split. In January 2022 a New York appeals court held that pollution exclusions barred any duty to defend Tonoga Inc., whose plant discharged PFOA, in a case against two AIG companies. In Wisconsin, in a suit brought by Century Indemnity against Tyco Fire Products, the court ruled on 16 December 2024 that the pollution exclusion barred cover for AFFF water-contamination claims; insurers later lost on firefighters' direct-exposure claims in 2025. Other federal rulings (Wolverine World Wide, 2021; Colony v. Buckeye, 2020; National Foam v. Zurich, February 2025) went in part or wholly for the policyholder.","Disclosed insurance payments are partial. Chemours reached a $45m settlement with one insurer in July 2024 and received about $23m; since April 2025 it has sent four demands for arbitration to further insurers, and its noticed but unpaid policies have limits totalling $750m. In August 2025 it agreed to assign certain PFAS insurance rights for $150m, tied to the New Jersey settlement. Johnson Controls booked insurance recoveries of $367m in fiscal 2024 and $39m in fiscal 2025 after a $750m settlement. Carrier, after a $615m cash settlement for Kidde-Fenwal plus an assignment of insurance rights, is entitled to up to $2.4bn of insurance proceeds but had recorded no insurance receivable at 30 June 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"13 Feb: DuPont and Chemours settle about 3,550 personal-injury suits for about $671m, split 50/50"},{"y":2018,"t":"Feb: 3M settles Minnesota natural-resource-damages claims for $850m (no insurance link disclosed)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Colony v. Buckeye (W.D.N.C.): pollution exclusion does not bar direct-exposure product claims"},{"y":2021,"t":"Jan: DuPont, Corteva and Chemours agree to share PFAS costs up to $4bn over at most 20 years. Wolverine World Wide ruling (W.D. Mich.): duty to defend under the sudden-or-accidental exception"},{"y":2022,"t":"6 Jan: New York Appellate Division rules for AIG companies in Tonoga: pollution exclusions bar any duty to defend"},{"y":2023,"t":"ISO PFAS exclusion endorsements (05-23 edition). June: 3M and DuPont/Chemours/Corteva public-water settlements"},{"y":2024,"t":"Jan–Dec: Wisconsin rulings in Century Indemnity v. Tyco, ending with the 16 Dec pollution-exclusion ruling. Apr: Johnson Controls/Tyco $750m settlement. Jul: Chemours $45m insurer settlement. Late Oct: AIG sues 3M; 3M sues excess insurers in Delaware"},{"y":2025,"t":"Feb: National Foam v. Zurich (N.D. Cal.), split result. Apr: Chemours sends four demands for arbitration. Aug: New Jersey settlement and Chemours PFAS Insurance MOU ($150m for assigned rights)"},{"y":2026,"t":"30 Jun: Carrier reports no insurance receivable; 3M reports $290m of recoveries for the six months (combined matters)"}],"said":[{"q":"limiting or barring coverage","who":"AIG, describing language in its policies, in its suit against 3M as reported by Fox 9","when":"October 2024","src":2},{"q":"expects its insurers to fully honor their obligations","who":"3M, as reported by Fox 9","when":"October 2024","src":2},{"q":"Since April 2025, four Demands for Arbitration have been sent to additional noticed insurance carriers.","who":"Chemours, FY2025 annual report","when":"2026","src":3},{"q":"the gravamen of [the allegations] is decidedly plaintiff's knowing discharge of PFOA and/or PFOS as part of its routine manufacturing processes","who":"New York Appellate Division, Third Department, in Tonoga (quoted via the law firm Covington)","when":"6 January 2022","src":14}],"shown":[{"t":"Insurance recovery is underway through lawsuits filed in US courts, arbitration proceedings, mediations and negotiations with insurers.","who":"3M, FY2025 annual report","src":null},{"t":"A $45m settlement agreement was reached in July 2024 with one of the insurance carriers; noticed policies not yet paid have limits totalling $750m.","who":"Chemours, FY2025 annual report","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"New York (2022) and Wisconsin (Dec 2024, water-contamination claims) courts held pollution exclusions barred cover; courts in North Carolina (2020), Michigan (2021) and Wisconsin (2025, firefighters' direct-exposure claims) went the other way.","src":10},{"t":"Chemours: about $23m received and a $23m gain booked from the July 2024 insurer settlement; $150m of consideration for assigned insurance rights in August 2025.","src":3},{"t":"Johnson Controls: insurance recoveries of $367m booked in fiscal 2024 and $39m in fiscal 2025.","src":8},{"t":"Carrier: no insurance receivable recorded at 30 June 2026, against entitlement to up to $2.4bn of proceeds.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Public-water-system settlements","v":"$10.3bn+ and $1.185bn","d":"3M: present value of up to $12.5bn nominal through 2036; DuPont, Chemours, Corteva: June 2023 fund"},{"k":"Insurance recoveries reported","v":"$349m (2024), $392m (2025)","d":"3M; combined figure for PFAS and two other matters"},{"k":"Courts on pollution exclusions","v":"Insurers won in NY (2022) and WI (Dec 2024)","d":"Other US courts allowed duty-to-defend or direct-exposure claims"}]},"unknown":["How much of 3M's reported insurance recoveries ($349m in 2024, $392m in 2025) relates to PFAS: the figures are reported combined with two other matters.","Which insurer settled with Chemours in July 2024: the filing says only \"one of the insurance carriers\".","The appeal status of the December 2024 Wisconsin ruling in Century Indemnity v. Tyco Fire Products.","Whether 3M's $850m Minnesota natural-resource-damages settlement (2018) had any insurance link: none was disclosed.","No coverage denial against Chemours or DuPont was found; the cited sources note a separate California claim over transfers of PFAS insurance rights, with no details.","Whether any PFAS insurance recovery was spent on cleanup or treatment of water or land: no cited source traces one."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"3M announced in December 2022 that it would stop making PFAS by the end of 2025. The cited sources do not say whether PFAS already in water systems has been removed.","whoPaid":"The settling companies paid the settlements. Insurance contributions disclosed so far are partial and, for 3M, combined with other matters.","statusLine":"As of 30 June 2026 (latest filings in the cited sources): AIG v. 3M and 3M's Delaware suit against excess insurers are pending with no ruling found; Chemours is in arbitration with additional carriers; Carrier has recorded no insurance receivable.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"3M","says":"Disputes AIG's allegations and expects its insurers to fully honor their obligations.","when":"October 2024","src":2},{"actor":"AIG","says":"Its policies contain language limiting or barring coverage for PFAS-related liability and pollution damage.","when":"October 2024","src":2},{"actor":"Chemours","says":"Settled with one insurer in July 2024, sent four demands for arbitration to further insurers from April 2025, and agreed in August 2025 to assign certain PFAS insurance rights for $150m.","when":"2026 (FY2025 report)","src":3},{"actor":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","says":"Deny the allegations in the public-water-system claims.","when":"June 2023","src":5},{"actor":"Johnson Controls","says":"Reported insurance recoveries of $367m (fiscal 2024) and $39m (fiscal 2025) for its AFFF matters.","when":"FY2025 report","src":8},{"actor":"Carrier","says":"Reported no insurance receivable at 30 June 2026 and entitlement to up to $2.4bn of insurance proceeds.","when":"30 June 2026","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"Defendant in the AIG suit; policyholder"},{"id":"aig","role":"Insurer; plaintiff against 3M; defendant in Tonoga through two subsidiaries"},{"id":"chemours","role":"Policyholder; arbitration claimant against insurers"},{"id":"dupont","role":"Co-settling company"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Co-settling company"},{"id":"johnson-controls","role":"Parent of Tyco Fire Products; policyholder"},{"id":"tyco-fire-products","role":"Defendant in Century Indemnity v. Tyco"},{"id":"century-indemnity","role":"Insurer; plaintiff in Wisconsin coverage suit"},{"id":"carrier","role":"Settling company with assigned insurance rights (Kidde-Fenwal)"},{"id":"tonoga","role":"Policyholder; PFOA discharge, Petersburg, New York"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Insurer; defendant in National Foam v. Zurich"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do pollution exclusions in liability policies bar cover for PFAS claims?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"AIG","says":"Its policies contain language \"limiting or barring coverage\" for PFAS-related liability and pollution damage.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"3M","says":"Disputes the allegations and \"expects its insurers to fully honor their obligations.\"","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"New York Appellate Division, Third Department (Tonoga, 2022)","says":"Total and qualified pollution exclusions bar any duty to defend; the allegations concerned a knowing discharge of PFOA and PFOS as part of routine manufacturing.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Wisconsin Circuit Court, Marinette County (16 Dec 2024)","says":"The pollution exclusion bars cover for AFFF water-contamination claims against Tyco Fire Products.","src":10},{"voice":"court","holder":"N.D. Cal. (National Foam v. Zurich, Feb 2025)","says":"Split result.","src":10},{"voice":"court","holder":"W.D. Mich. (Wolverine World Wide, 2021)","says":"Duty to defend exists under the sudden-or-accidental exception.","src":10}]},{"point":"Do exclusions reach claims of direct exposure to PFAS products, as opposed to water contamination?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"W.D.N.C. (Colony v. Buckeye, 2020)","says":"The exclusion does not bar direct-exposure product claims.","src":10},{"voice":"court","holder":"Wisconsin Circuit Court, Marinette County (2025)","says":"Insurers lost on firefighters' direct-exposure claims against Tyco.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did PFAS releases contaminate public water supplies?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","says":"Deny the allegations in the public-water-system claims, while funding a $1.185bn settlement.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"New York State environmental agency (DEC)","says":"Designated the Tonoga plant a state Superfund site and a significant threat to public health after PFOA reached the municipal water supply.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"AIG v. 3M (PFAS coverage)","forum":"US federal court (name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"AIG","defendant":"3M","filed":"2024-10 (late October)","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"AIG says its policies contain language limiting or barring coverage for PFAS-related liability and pollution damage. 3M disputes the allegations. The pleaded grounds and the AIG entities involved are not on record.","src":2},{"title":"3M v. excess insurers (PFAS coverage)","forum":"Delaware state court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"3M","defendant":"3M's excess insurers","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"In a separate case reported on 30 October 2024, 3M told a Delaware court that its excess insurers must cover its PFAS liabilities. 3M had about $14bn in PFAS settlements.","src":15},{"title":"Century Indemnity v. Tyco Fire Products (AFFF water-contamination claims)","forum":"Wisconsin Circuit Court, Marinette County","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Century Indemnity (insurer)","defendant":"Tyco Fire Products","filed":null,"decided":"2024-12-16","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 24 January 2024 the court found a separate occurrence for each water provider; on 21 March 2024 it applied \"all sums\" allocation; on 16 December 2024 it held that the pollution exclusion bars cover for AFFF water-contamination claims. Appeal status is not known in the cited sources.","src":10},{"title":"Century Indemnity v. Tyco Fire Products (firefighters' direct-exposure claims)","forum":"Wisconsin Circuit Court, Marinette County","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Century Indemnity (insurer)","defendant":"Tyco Fire Products","filed":null,"decided":"2025","status":"defendant-won","summary":"In 2025 the insurers lost on firefighters' direct-exposure claims.","src":10},{"title":"Tonoga Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Co.","forum":"New York Appellate Division, Third Department (201 A.D.3d 1091)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Tonoga Inc.","defendant":"New Hampshire Insurance Co. and Granite State Insurance (both AIG)","filed":null,"decided":"2022-01-06","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Tonoga's coating plant in Petersburg, New York had run since 1961; PFOA reached the municipal water supply and the state environmental agency designated it a state Superfund site. The court held that the pollution exclusions bar any duty to defend.","src":14},{"title":"National Foam v. Zurich","forum":"US District Court, N.D. California","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"National Foam","defendant":"Zurich","filed":null,"decided":"2025-02","status":"unknown","summary":"Split result on coverage for PFAS claims.","src":10},{"title":"Wolverine World Wide coverage case","forum":"US District Court, W.D. Michigan","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Wolverine World Wide","defendant":"Its insurers (names: none on record)","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found a duty to defend under the \"sudden or accidental\" exception.","src":10},{"title":"Colony v. Buckeye","forum":"US District Court, W.D. North Carolina","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Colony (insurer)","defendant":"Buckeye","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court held that the pollution exclusion does not bar direct-exposure product claims.","src":10},{"title":"Chemours arbitrations against additional insurers","forum":"Arbitration (forum not specified)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Chemours","defendant":"Additional noticed insurance carriers","filed":"2025-04","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Since April 2025 four demands for arbitration have been sent. Noticed policies not yet paid have limits totalling $750m.","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"AIG and 3M's excess insurers","insured":"3M","status":"litigation","year":2024,"amount":{"value":392000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Insurance recoveries 3M reported for 2025 ($349m for 2024); combined PFAS and two other matters"},"reason":"AIG cites policy language limiting or barring coverage for PFAS and pollution.","summary":"3M says recovery is underway through lawsuits, arbitration, mediation and negotiation. It reported $27m of environmental-only recoveries in 2024 and $290m for the six months to 30 June 2026 (combined matters). It wrote that full coverage of its liabilities by insurance is unlikely.","src":0},{"insurer":"Insurers not named (Century Indemnity is a party in the Wisconsin case)","insured":"Johnson Controls (Tyco Fire Products)","status":"partial","year":2024,"amount":{"value":367000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Recoveries booked in fiscal 2024 ($39m in fiscal 2025)"},"summary":"Recoveries were booked after a $750m public-water-system settlement in April 2024.","src":8},{"insurer":"One insurance carrier (not named)","insured":"Chemours","status":"partial","year":2024,"amount":{"value":23000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Received (settlement agreement of $45m)"},"summary":"Chemours booked a $23m gain. Four arbitration demands to further carriers followed from April 2025; unpaid noticed policies have limits totalling $750m.","src":3},{"insurer":"PFAS insurance rights assigned (insurers not named)","insured":"Chemours","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":{"value":150000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Consideration for certain assigned PFAS insurance rights"},"summary":"August 2025 PFAS Insurance MOU, tied to the New Jersey settlement.","src":3},{"insurer":"Insurers not named","insured":"Carrier (Kidde-Fenwal)","status":"unknown","year":2026,"amount":{"value":2400000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Maximum insurance proceeds Carrier is entitled to"},"summary":"Carrier settled for $615m in cash plus an assignment of insurance rights. No insurance receivable was recorded at 30 June 2026.","src":9},{"insurer":"New Hampshire Insurance Co. and Granite State Insurance (both AIG)","insured":"Tonoga Inc.","status":"refused","year":2022,"summary":"The New York Appellate Division held that pollution exclusions bar any duty to defend.","src":14},{"insurer":"Commercial liability insurers generally (ISO endorsements; renewal terms)","insured":"Policyholders generally","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"summary":"ISO issued PFAS exclusion endorsements (05-23 edition), and a broker said most insurers are requiring PFAS exclusions at renewal.","src":11}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":10300,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"present value","note":"3M public-water-system settlement: Q2 2023 pre-tax charge (present value)."},{"key":"settlement","value":12500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","note":"3M public-water-system settlement: nominal amount, paid 2024–2036."},{"key":"settlement","value":1185,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva public-water-system fund (Chemours about 592, DuPont about 400, Corteva about 193)."},{"key":"settlement","value":670.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"DuPont and Chemours personal-injury settlement, split 50/50."},{"key":"settlement","value":875,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"New Jersey settlement paid over 25 years, plus remediation funding of up to $1.2bn and a $475m reserve fund."},{"key":"settlement","value":750,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Johnson Controls/Tyco public-water-system settlement."},{"key":"settlement","value":615,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Carrier/Kidde-Fenwal cash settlement, plus assignment of insurance rights."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":349,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"3M insurance recoveries; combined PFAS and two other matters."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":392,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"3M insurance recoveries; combined PFAS and two other matters."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":27,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"3M environmental-only insurance recovery benefit."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":290,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"3M recoveries for the six months to 30 June 2026; same combined categories."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":367,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Johnson Controls insurance recoveries booked, fiscal 2024."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":39,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Johnson Controls insurance recoveries booked, fiscal 2025."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":23,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Chemours received from one insurer under a $45m settlement agreement."},{"key":"claim","value":750,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Policy limits of Chemours' noticed policies not yet paid."},{"key":"claim","value":2400,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Insurance proceeds Carrier is entitled to."},{"key":"insurance_forecast_losses","value":10,"unit":"USD bn","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"Moody's/Praedicat estimate of expected US bodily-injury losses; drinking-water removal estimated at 64.5 to 248 USD bn."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Companies facing PFAS settlements and claims sought to recover costs from liability insurers, and insurers responded with lawsuits, policy exclusions and coverage defences.","src":10},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers on policies with pollution exclusions","what":"A New York appeals court (2022) and a Wisconsin court (Dec 2024, water-contamination claims) held the exclusions barred a duty to defend or cover.","src":10},{"who":"Chemours","what":"Received about $23m from one insurer (2024) and $150m of consideration for assigned insurance rights (2025).","src":3},{"who":"Johnson Controls","what":"Booked insurance recoveries of $367m (fiscal 2024) and $39m (fiscal 2025).","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Tonoga Inc.","what":"Found to have no right to a defence under its policies (2022).","src":null},{"who":"Insurers in the Wisconsin direct-exposure ruling","what":"Lost on firefighters' direct-exposure claims in 2025.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Public water systems and users in Petersburg, New York","what":"PFOA from the Tonoga plant reached the municipal water supply.","src":null},{"who":"US public water systems","what":"Claimants in the 2023 settlements totalling more than $11bn for 3M, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva combined.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"United States; coverage cases in Delaware, Wisconsin, New York, California, Michigan and North Carolina.","src":10},"when":{"t":"Rulings from 2020 to 2025; lawsuits by and against 3M from October 2024; Chemours arbitrations from April 2025; filings to 30 June 2026.","src":10},"why":{"t":"Insurers cite pollution exclusions and arguments that the discharge was knowing and routine; the industry's standard PFAS exclusions date from the 05-23 ISO edition.","src":11},"how":{"t":"Lawsuits, arbitration, mediation and negotiation; settlement with one insurer; assignment of insurance rights for payment (Chemours, Carrier).","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"3M annual report on Form 10-K, fiscal 2024","p":"3M (SEC)","d":"FY2024","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674025000006/mmm-20241231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251010190819/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674025000006/mmm-20241231.htm"},{"t":"3M quarterly report on Form 10-Q, period ended 30 June 2026","p":"3M (SEC)","d":"2026-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674026000246/mmm-20260630.htm"},{"t":"Report on AIG's lawsuit against 3M over PFAS coverage","p":"Fox 9","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.fox9.com/news/3m-pfas-lawsuits-aig","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512193504/https://www.fox9.com/news/3m-pfas-lawsuits-aig"},{"t":"Chemours annual report on Form 10-K, fiscal 2025","p":"Chemours (SEC)","d":"FY2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260224125019/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm"},{"t":"Chemours current report on Form 8-K (New Jersey settlement)","p":"Chemours (SEC)","d":"2025-08-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402215915/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm"},{"t":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reach comprehensive PFAS settlement with US water systems","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728011033/https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html"},{"t":"Judge approves settlement requiring DuPont, Chemours and Corteva to pay $1.1 billion in PFAS contamination suit","p":"ASDWA","d":"2024-02-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250815222010/https://www.asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit/"},{"t":"DuPont and Chemours end PFOA suits for $671 million","p":"CHEManager","d":"2017-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news/dupont-and-chemours-end-pfoa-suits-671-million"},{"t":"Johnson Controls annual report on Form 10-K, fiscal year ended 30 September 2025","p":"Johnson Controls (SEC)","d":"FY2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/833444/000083344425000097/jci-20250930.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251114174202/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/833444/000083344425000097/jci-20250930.htm"},{"t":"Carrier quarterly report on Form 10-Q, period ended 30 June 2026","p":"Carrier (SEC)","d":"2026-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1783180/000178318026000032/carr-20260630.htm"},{"t":"PFAS litigation and insurance coverage update, November 2025 (law firm publication)","p":"Simpson Thacher & Bartlett","d":"2025-11-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2025/11/21/pfas-litigation-and-insurance-coverage-update---november-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216114735/https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2025/11/21/pfas-litigation-and-insurance-coverage-update---november-2025"},{"t":"Introduction of general liability PFAS endorsements","p":"PropertyCasualty360","d":"2022-12-21","type":"press","u":"https://propertycasualty360.com/fcs/2022/12/21/introduction-of-general-liability-pfas-endorsements","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251218062658/https://www.propertycasualty360.com/fcs/2022/12/21/introduction-of-general-liability-pfas-endorsements/"},{"t":"Insurance Journal feature on PFAS exclusions at renewal (USI)","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/magazines/mag-features/2024/10/07/795731.htm"},{"t":"Praedicat's top emerging risk: PFAS","p":"Moody's","d":"2023-11","type":"company","u":"https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/insights/insurance/praedicats-top-emerging-risk-pfas.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316183627/https://www.moodys.com/web/en/us/insights/insurance/praedicats-top-emerging-risk-pfas.html"},{"t":"Tonoga, Inc. v. New Hampshire Insurance Company, 2022 NY Slip Op 00094 (App. Div. 3d Dept, 6 January 2022)","p":"New York State Unified Court System (Law Reporting Bureau)","d":"2022-01-06","u":"https://nycourts.gov/REPORTER/3dseries/2022/2022_00094.htm","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250424071231/https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2022/2022_00094.htm"},{"t":"3M Says Excess Insurers Must Cover PFAS Claims","p":"Law360","d":"2024-10-30","u":"https://law360.com/articles/2254150/3m-says-excess-insurers-must-cover-pfas-claims","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chemours-spin-off-liabilities","dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s","pfas-water-utility-settlements-by-3m-dupont-chemours-and-cor","dupont-pfoa-c8","miteni-pfas-contamination"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did PFAS releases contaminate public water supplies?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do pollution exclusions in liability policies bar cover for PFAS claims?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do exclusions reach claims of direct exposure to PFAS products, as opposed to water contamination?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"National Foam v. Zurich: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"PFAS insurance rights assigned (insurers not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Insurers not named: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of 3M's reported insurance recoveries ($349m in 2024, $392m in 2025) relates to PFAS: the figures are reported combined with two other matters.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which insurer settled with Chemours in July 2024: the filing says only \"one of the insurance carriers\".","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The appeal status of the December 2024 Wisconsin ruling in Century Indemnity v. Tyco Fire Products.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether 3M's $850m Minnesota natural-resource-damages settlement (2018) had any insurance link: none was disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No coverage denial against Chemours or DuPont was found; the cited sources note a separate California claim over transfers of PFAS insurance rights, with no details.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any PFAS insurance recovery was spent on cleanup or treatment of water or land: no cited source traces one.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Tonoga Inc.","No source link — Who lost: Insurers in the Wisconsin direct-exposure ruling","No source link — Who harmed: Public water systems and users in Petersburg, New York"]},{"id":"shell-rocky-mountain-arsenal-insurance-case","title":"Shell Rocky Mountain Arsenal insurance case","dek":"Shell Oil's coverage case over the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado reached a California appeals court in 1993. The court upheld the insurers for policies with pollution exclusions and sent the 'expected damage' question back for retrial.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.84,"lon":-104.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Colorado (Rocky Mountain Arsenal)","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"court"}],"start":1987,"end":2010,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","chemical-pollution","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Cleanup paid by the US Army and Shell at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, 1987–2010","value":"$2.1bn","note":"Combined total; the split between the Army and Shell is not given in the source."},"happened":["Shell Oil and the US Army paid $2.1bn between 1987 and 2010 for cleanup of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado. The site became a wildlife refuge of about 15,000 acres, and groundwater treatment continues, according to the Army.","Shell sued its insurers over coverage for liabilities arising from its Arsenal operations (Shell Oil Co. v. Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co., 12 Cal.App.4th 715). The insurers argued that Shell knew or should have known that its Arsenal operations created a substantial probability of environmental damage, so the damage was expected; they also relied on pollution exclusions and on late notice.","A jury found against Shell. On 21 January 1993 the California Court of Appeal ruled that the definition of \"expect\" given to the jury was wrong and reversed the judgment in part, remanding the matter. It held that the late-notice defence failed because the insurers showed no actual prejudice. It affirmed the judgment for policies with pollution exclusions, which it held \"preclude coverage\".","The year of the jury verdict (about 1988) and the final settlement of the coverage dispute are not confirmed."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"Cleanup spending by the Army and Shell begins (1987–2010, $2.1bn in total)"},{"y":1993,"t":"21 Jan: California Court of Appeal decides Shell v. Winterthur Swiss: exclusions upheld, 'expect' instruction reversed, late notice rejected"},{"y":2010,"t":"End of the period in which the Army and Shell paid $2.1bn for cleanup"}],"said":[{"q":"Shell knew or should have known that its Arsenal operations created a substantial probability of environmental damage","who":"The insurers' argument that damage was expected, as recorded in the Court of Appeal opinion","when":"1993","src":0},{"q":"preclude coverage","who":"California Court of Appeal, on policies with pollution exclusions","when":"21 January 1993","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The Rocky Mountain Arsenal has become a wildlife refuge of about 15,000 acres, and groundwater treatment continues.","who":"US Army","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Army and Shell paid $2.1bn for Arsenal cleanup between 1987 and 2010.","src":1},{"t":"The Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment for the insurers on policies with pollution exclusions, rejected the late-notice defence, and reversed in part on the jury's definition of \"expect\".","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1987–2010","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cleanup paid by the Army and Shell","v":"$2.1bn","d":"1987–2010, combined"},{"k":"Site use today","v":"About 15,000 acres of wildlife refuge","d":"Groundwater treatment continues (US Army)"},{"k":"Insurance money traced to cleanup","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources give no insurance payment amount"}]},"unknown":["Whether insurers contributed to the $2.1bn cleanup: no insurance payment is recorded.","The year of the jury verdict (about 1988) and the final settlement of the coverage case are not confirmed."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Cleanup spending by the Army and Shell ran from 1987 to 2010; groundwater treatment continues, according to the Army.","whoPaid":"The Army and Shell paid $2.1bn for cleanup. The cited sources do not show any insurance contribution.","statusLine":"As of the 1993 appeal ruling, the exclusions were upheld and the 'expected' issue remanded; the final settlement is not confirmed.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co. and other insurers","says":"Argued that Shell knew or should have known its Arsenal operations created a substantial probability of environmental damage, relied on pollution exclusions, and pleaded late notice.","when":"1993 (appeal)","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Policyholder; co-payer of Arsenal cleanup"},{"id":"winterthur-swiss","role":"Insurer; defendant in the coverage case"},{"id":"us-army","role":"Co-payer of Arsenal cleanup"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the environmental damage at the Arsenal 'expected' by Shell, defeating coverage?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co. and other insurers","says":"\"Shell knew or should have known that its Arsenal operations created a substantial probability of environmental damage.\"","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"California Court of Appeal","says":"The definition of \"expect\" given to the jury was wrong; the judgment was reversed in part and remanded.","src":0}]},{"point":"Do pollution exclusions bar coverage for the Arsenal liabilities?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers","says":"Pollution exclusions applied.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"California Court of Appeal","says":"Affirmed the judgment for policies with pollution exclusions, which \"preclude coverage\".","src":0}]},{"point":"Did late notice defeat the claim?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers","says":"Shell gave late notice.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"California Court of Appeal","says":"The defence failed because the insurers showed no actual prejudice.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Shell Oil Co. v. Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co., 12 Cal.App.4th 715","forum":"California Court of Appeal","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Shell Oil","defendant":"Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co. and other insurers","filed":null,"decided":"1993-01-21","status":"unknown","summary":"A jury found against Shell. The Court of Appeal held that the \"expect\" instruction was wrong and reversed in part, rejected the late-notice defence for lack of actual prejudice, and affirmed the judgment for policies with pollution exclusions. The year of the jury verdict (about 1988) and the final settlement are not confirmed.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co. and other insurers (other names: none on record)","insured":"Shell Oil","status":"litigation","year":1993,"reason":"Expected damage, pollution exclusions and late notice.","summary":"Coverage was precluded for policies with pollution exclusions; the 'expected' issue was remanded; late notice failed. No insurance payment amount is recorded.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"restoration_paid","value":2100,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Cleanup paid by the US Army and Shell combined, 1987–2010."},{"key":"refuge_area_acres","value":15000,"unit":"acres","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Wildlife refuge on the former Arsenal site."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell Oil sued its insurers over coverage for Rocky Mountain Arsenal liabilities; a California appeals court upheld the insurers for policies with pollution exclusions and remanded the 'expected damage' question.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers on policies with pollution exclusions","what":"Judgment for the insurers affirmed on those policies.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Shell Oil","what":"Lost on policies with pollution exclusions; won a reversal in part on the jury instruction and on late notice.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Arsenal site and its groundwater","what":"Cleanup cost $2.1bn between 1987 and 2010; groundwater treatment continues.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado; coverage case decided by the California Court of Appeal.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Cleanup 1987–2010; appeal decision on 21 January 1993; jury verdict about 1988 (unconfirmed).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The insurers argued that Shell knew or should have known its Arsenal operations created a substantial probability of environmental damage, and relied on pollution exclusions and late notice.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Coverage litigation: jury trial, then appeal; the Court of Appeal ruled on the definition of \"expect\", late notice and the exclusions.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Shell Oil Co. v. Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co., 12 Cal.App.4th 715 (21 January 1993)","p":"California Court of Appeal (via vLex)","d":"1993-01-21","type":"court","u":"https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/shell-oil-co-v-891135998"},{"t":"Rocky Mountain Arsenal overview","p":"US Army, Fort Carson","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://home.army.mil/carson/rma/about/overview","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510171639/https://home.army.mil/carson/rma/about/overview"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Cleaning me up at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal cost $2.1bn between 1987 and 2010, paid by the US Army and Shell; about 15,000 acres are now a wildlife refuge.","src":[1]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the environmental damage at the Arsenal 'expected' by Shell, defeating coverage?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do pollution exclusions bar coverage for the Arsenal liabilities?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did late notice defeat the claim?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Shell Oil Co. v. Winterthur Swiss Insurance Co., 12 Cal.App.4th 715: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether insurers contributed to the $2.1bn cleanup: no insurance payment is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year of the jury verdict (about 1988) and the final settlement of the coverage case are not confirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"x-press-pearl-ship-disaster","title":"X-Press Pearl ship disaster (Sri Lanka)","dek":"The ship X-Press Pearl, carrying chemicals and plastic pellets, was lost off Colombo in 2021. A London court limited the owners' liability to about £20 million; Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered an interim US$1 billion, which had not been paid at the latest report.","country":"Sri Lanka","region":"Asia","lat":6.93,"lon":79.84,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","admin":"Colombo","lat":6.93,"lon":79.84,"role":"event"},{"country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","role":"court"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","role":"court"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2021-05-20","instrument":"shipping","types":["shipping","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Interim compensation ordered in Sri Lanka vs liability limit set in London","value":"US$1bn vs about £20m","note":"Figures as stated in the rulings and not converted. The first US$250m of the Sri Lankan award was due on 23 September 2025 and was not paid."},"happened":["The ship X-Press Pearl, carrying chemicals and plastic pellets, was involved in an incident off Colombo, Sri Lanka, between 20 May and 2 June 2021. It sank in 2021.","In England, a court decree of 3 July 2023 limited the owners' liability to 19,159,937 SDR (special drawing rights), the figure under the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC). The limitation fund was about £19.99 million, backed by an undertaking from the owner's P&I (Protection and Indemnity) insurance club in London. A later judgment, [2024] EWHC 3174 (Admlty), extended the limitation to slot charterers.","On 24 July 2025 the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ordered an interim payment of US$1 billion, with the first US$250 million due on 23 September 2025. It also found that the then State Minister, Nalaka Godahewa, and the head of the marine environment authority had violated the public's constitutional rights. According to the case summary, the court did not recognise the liability cap. Mongabay reported 417 turtles, 48 dolphins and 8 whales dead.","The owner did not pay the first instalment. It said it could not pay \"whilst we continue to seek engagements with the relevant Sri Lankan authorities\", according to gCaptain. The owner and the P&I club say that jurisdiction lies in Singapore. In Singapore, Sri Lanka argues that, under article 4 of the LLMC, the owner's personal act, intent or recklessness removes the right to limit liability.","Press reports in August 2025 said that the owner company had been dissolved and that enforcing the Sri Lankan judgment in Singapore faced obstacles. No other source confirms these reports."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"20 May to 2 June: X-Press Pearl incident off Colombo (chemicals and plastic pellets)"},{"y":2023,"t":"3 July: English decree limits the owners' liability to 19,159,937 SDR; limitation fund about £19.99m"},{"y":2024,"t":"[2024] EWHC 3174 (Admlty) extends limitation to slot charterers"},{"y":2025,"t":"24 July: Sri Lanka Supreme Court orders US$1bn interim payment; 23 September: first US$250m due, not paid"}],"said":[{"q":"whilst we continue to seek engagements with the relevant Sri Lankan authorities","who":"X-Press Pearl owner, explaining why it could not pay the first US$250m instalment, as reported by gCaptain","when":"2025","src":1},{"q":"an extraordinary and deeply troubling turn of events","who":"The owner's P&I club, on the Sri Lankan Supreme Court ruling","when":"2025","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The owner and its P&I club said that jurisdiction lies in Singapore and declined further payment.","who":"X-Press Pearl owner and its P&I club","src":null},{"t":"The owner said that over US$170m had been paid through its insurer.","who":"X-Press Pearl owner","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sri Lanka Supreme Court, 24 July 2025: US$1bn interim payment ordered; first US$250m due 23 September 2025; the owner did not pay.","src":1},{"t":"English limitation decree, 3 July 2023: 19,159,937 SDR; fund about £19.99m under a London P&I club undertaking.","src":0},{"t":"Mongabay reported 417 turtles, 48 dolphins and 8 whales dead after the incident.","src":3},{"t":"Daily FT (13 August 2025) reported that enforcing the Sri Lankan judgment in Singapore faces legal obstacles.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Marine animals reported dead","v":"417 turtles, 48 dolphins, 8 whales","d":"As reported by Mongabay after the Supreme Court ruling, July 2025"},{"k":"Interim compensation ordered","v":"US$1bn","d":"Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, 24 July 2025; first US$250m due 23 September 2025, not paid"},{"k":"Liability limit set in England","v":"19,159,937 SDR","d":"English decree, 3 July 2023; fund about £19.99m"}]},"unknown":["How much of the Sri Lankan award will ever be paid: the owner declined the first instalment and the cited sources record no payment.","Whether the Sri Lankan judgment can be enforced in Singapore: Daily FT (13 August 2025) reported that enforcement faces obstacles.","Unconfirmed: that the owner company, EOS RO Pte Ltd, has been dissolved.","Unconfirmed: the other parties named in one case-database entry, namely the bareboat charterer Killiney Shipping, the time charterer Sea Consortium (X-Press Feeders), the P&I club London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual and the Singapore flag.","Unconfirmed: a payment of Rs 911 million to 15,032 fishers affected by the fishing ban, in August 2022 (Newsfirst), at Rs 80,000 to 240,000 per person.","Unconfirmed: a travel ban placed on the ship's captain.","The owner's statement that over US$170m has been paid through its insurer: not independently confirmed in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record when the pollution ended or whether the clean-up was completed.","whoPaid":"Under the English decree the owners' liability was limited to 19,159,937 SDR (a fund of about £19.99 million). The owner says over US$170 million has been paid through its insurer. The US$1 billion interim award of Sri Lanka's Supreme Court was unpaid at the latest report.","statusLine":"As of September 2025: the Sri Lankan Supreme Court's US$1bn interim award had not been paid; the English limitation decree stands and the Singapore proceedings are ongoing.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"X-Press Pearl owner","says":"Did not pay the first US$250m instalment; said it could not pay \"whilst we continue to seek engagements with the relevant Sri Lankan authorities\". Says over US$170m has been paid through its insurer and that jurisdiction lies in Singapore.","when":"2025","src":1},{"actor":"The owner's P&I club","says":"Called the Sri Lankan ruling \"an extraordinary and deeply troubling turn of events\"; declines further payment and says jurisdiction lies in Singapore.","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"Government of Sri Lanka","says":"In Singapore it argues that the owner's personal act, intent or recklessness (LLMC article 4) defeats the right to limit liability.","when":"2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"x-press-pearl-owner","role":"Owner of the ship; defendant in the Sri Lankan case"},{"id":"x-press-pearl-pi-club","role":"Owner's P&I club; limitation fund undertaking"},{"id":"x-press-feeders","role":"Shipping group named in press coverage of the unpaid award"},{"id":"sri-lanka-supreme-court","role":"Court that ordered the interim US$1bn payment"},{"id":"english-courts","role":"Court that issued the limitation decree"},{"id":"singapore-courts","role":"Forum of the enforcement and limitation dispute"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the owners' liability capped at the LLMC limit, and where can the claim be decided?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"English court (London)","says":"Decree of 3 July 2023 limited the owners' liability to 19,159,937 SDR; [2024] EWHC 3174 (Admlty) extended the limitation to slot charterers.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of Sri Lanka","says":"Ordered an interim US$1bn on 24 July 2025, with the first US$250m due on 23 September 2025. According to the case summary, it did not recognise the liability cap.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"X-Press Pearl owner","says":"Did not pay; said it could not pay \"whilst we continue to seek engagements with the relevant Sri Lankan authorities\". Says over US$170m has been paid through its insurer and that jurisdiction lies in Singapore.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"The owner's P&I club","says":"Called the ruling \"an extraordinary and deeply troubling turn of events\"; declines further payment.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Sri Lanka","says":"In Singapore it argues that the owner's personal act, intent or recklessness (LLMC article 4) removes the right to limit liability.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Supreme Court of Sri Lanka ruling on the X-Press Pearl disaster","forum":"Supreme Court of Sri Lanka","country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"The ship's owner and related parties; the then State Minister and the head of the marine environment authority were also found to have violated constitutional rights","filed":null,"decided":"2025-07-24","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1000,"currency":"USD","label":"interim payment ordered; first US$250m due 23 September 2025"},"summary":"The court ordered an interim payment of US$1bn and found that two public officials had violated the public's constitutional rights. According to the case summary, it did not recognise the liability cap. The owner did not pay the first instalment.","src":3},{"title":"Limitation of liability, X-Press Pearl (England)","forum":"English court, London (Admiralty)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Owner of the X-Press Pearl (limitation claimant)","defendant":"Claimants against the limitation fund","filed":null,"decided":"2023-07-03","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":19159937,"currency":"SDR","label":"limitation amount; fund of about £19.99m"},"summary":"Decree of 3 July 2023 limiting the owners' liability to 19,159,937 SDR under the LLMC, with a limitation fund of about £19.99m under a London P&I club undertaking. The judgment [2024] EWHC 3174 (Admlty) extended the limitation to slot charterers.","src":0},{"title":"Proceedings in Singapore over the right to limit liability and enforcement","forum":"Singapore (court name: none on record)","country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","kind":"civil","claimant":"Sri Lanka","defendant":"Owner and P&I club (not named in verified sources)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Sri Lanka argues that the owner's personal act, intent or recklessness (LLMC article 4) removes the right to limit liability. The owner and the P&I club say that jurisdiction lies in Singapore.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"The owner's P&I club (London)","insured":"Owner of the X-Press Pearl","status":"litigation","year":2023,"amount":"Limitation fund of about £19.99m (19,159,937 SDR) under a club undertaking","reason":"Liability limitation under the LLMC","summary":"The limitation fund was constituted under a London club undertaking. The owner says over US$170m has been paid through its insurer. The club declines further payment after the Sri Lankan ruling and says that jurisdiction lies in Singapore.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"compensation","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"interim, ordered","note":"Sri Lanka Supreme Court, 24 July 2025; the first US$250m was due on 23 September 2025 and was not paid."},{"key":"limitation_fund_sdr","value":19159937,"unit":"SDR","year":2023,"note":"English limitation amount, decree of 3 July 2023."},{"key":"limitation_fund_gbp","value":19.99,"unit":"GBP m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"English limitation fund under a London P&I club undertaking."},{"key":"turtles_dead","value":417,"unit":"animals","year":2025,"note":"Reported dead, per Mongabay (29 July 2025)."},{"key":"dolphins_dead","value":48,"unit":"animals","year":2025,"note":"Reported dead, per Mongabay (29 July 2025)."},{"key":"whales_dead","value":8,"unit":"animals","year":2025,"note":"Reported dead, per Mongabay (29 July 2025)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":170,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","unverified":true,"note":"The owner's statement of amounts paid through its insurer; not independently confirmed."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":911,"unit":"LKR m","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported payment to 15,032 fishers affected by the fishing ban (Newsfirst); not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The ship X-Press Pearl, carrying chemicals and plastic pellets, was involved in an incident off Colombo and sank in 2021. Liability was limited in England to 19,159,937 SDR, while Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered an interim US$1bn.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The ship's owner and its P&I club","what":"Liability limited in the English decree to 19,159,937 SDR (fund of about £19.99m)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Sri Lanka (claimant)","what":"The US$1bn interim award ordered by its Supreme Court was unpaid at the latest report","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea turtles, dolphins and whales","what":"417 turtles, 48 dolphins and 8 whales reported dead","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Off Colombo, Sri Lanka.","src":null},"when":{"t":"20 May to 2 June 2021; English decree 3 July 2023; Sri Lanka Supreme Court ruling 24 July 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the cause of the ship's loss.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The English court applied the LLMC liability limit. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered an interim payment without recognising the cap, according to the case summary; the owner did not pay and the dispute moved to Singapore.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"X-Press Pearl case record","p":"CMLCMI database (maritime liability case database)","d":"","type":"registry","u":"https://cmlcmidatabase.org/node/3001"},{"t":"X-Press Feeders refuses $250M court-ordered payment in X-Press Pearl case","p":"gCaptain","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://gcaptain.com/x-press-feeders-refuses-250m-court-ordered-payment-in-x-press-pearl-case/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609053214/https://gcaptain.com/x-press-feeders-refuses-250m-court-ordered-payment-in-x-press-pearl-case/"},{"t":"X-Press Pearl compensation dispute with Sri Lanka intensifies","p":"The Maritime Executive","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/x-press-pearl-compensation-dispute-with-sri-lanka-intensifies","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909060141/https://maritime-executive.com/article/x-press-pearl-compensation-dispute-with-sri-lanka-intensifies"},{"t":"Sri Lanka Supreme Court orders $1 bn payment in X-Press Pearl marine disaster","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sri-lanka-supreme-court-orders-1-bn-payment-in-x-press-pearl-marine-disaster/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260908115527/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/sri-lanka-supreme-court-orders-1-bn-payment-in-x-press-pearl-marine-disaster/"},{"t":"Sri Lanka's billion-dollar X-Press Pearl judgment faces uphill legal battle in Singapore","p":"Daily FT","d":"2025-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.ft.lk/columns/Sri-Lanka-s-billion-dollar-X-Press-Pearl-judgment-faces-uphill-legal-battle-in-Singapore/4-780209","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251021061547/https://www.ft.lk/columns/Sri-Lanka-s-billion-dollar-X-Press-Pearl-judgment-faces-uphill-legal-battle-in-Singapore/4-780209"},{"t":"Rs 911 mn received for X-Press Pearl compensation","p":"Newsfirst","d":"2022-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.newsfirst.lk/2022/08/27/rs-911-mn-received-for-x-press-pearl-compensation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135346/https://www.newsfirst.lk/2022/08/27/rs-911-mn-received-for-x-press-pearl-compensation"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"liability-limitation","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A ship carrying chemicals and plastic pellets sank in my sea off Colombo in 2021; Mongabay reported 417 of my turtles, 48 dolphins and 8 whales dead.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the owners' liability capped at the LLMC limit, and where can the claim be decided?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation paid: The owner's statement of amounts paid through its insurer; not independently confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation paid: Reported payment to 15,032 fishers affected by the fishing ban (Newsfirst); not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the Sri Lankan award will ever be paid: the owner declined the first instalment and the cited sources record no payment.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Sri Lankan judgment can be enforced in Singapore: Daily FT (13 August 2025) reported that enforcement faces obstacles.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the owner company, EOS RO Pte Ltd, has been dissolved.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the other parties named in one case-database entry, namely the bareboat charterer Killiney Shipping, the time charterer Sea Consortium (X-Press Feeders), the P&I club London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual and the Singapore flag.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a payment of Rs 911 million to 15,032 fishers affected by the fishing ban, in August 2022 (Newsfirst), at Rs 80,000 to 240,000 per person.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a travel ban placed on the ship's captain.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The owner's statement that over US$170m has been paid through its insurer: not independently confirmed in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"the-metals-company-deep-sea-nodule-mining-in-the-clarion-cli","title":"The Metals Company deep-sea nodule mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (NOAA permit route)","dek":"The Metals Company sought a commercial seabed mining permit from the US regulator NOAA for about 65,000 km² of the Pacific, outside the rule-making of the International Seabed Authority. A study of its 2022 test run found 37% fewer animals in the collector tracks two months later.","country":"International waters (Pacific Ocean)","region":"Pacific","lat":12,"lon":-135,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"International waters (Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific)","iso2":"","lat":12,"lon":-135,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"regulator"},{"country":"Nauru","iso2":"NR","role":"sponsoring-state"},{"country":"Tonga","iso2":"TO","role":"sponsoring-state"}],"start":2011,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Animals in test-collector tracks, two months after the 2022 trial (NORI-D area)","value":"-37% abundance, -32% species richness","note":"Measured in the tracks only; study published December 2025, led by the Natural History Museum, London, with main funding from the mining contractor."},"happened":["The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) lies between Hawaii and Mexico. Its seabed, at about 4,000 metres depth, is covered with polymetallic nodules. The Metals Company (TMC, formerly DeepGreen) says the nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese in the nodules can supply battery metals with less harm than land mining. Its subsidiaries include NORI (Nauru Ocean Resources Inc., sponsored by Nauru) and TOML (Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd., sponsored by Tonga).","Seabed in international waters falls under the International Seabed Authority (ISA) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The ISA has been trying to write commercial mining rules since 2014 and did not agree them again in July 2026. In that month its Council extended NORI's exploration contract by five years without adopting the Mining Code. Some reports give 45 countries as seeking a moratorium or pause; other sources give lower counts at earlier dates (more than 30 in March 2026, 37 at the Nice UN Ocean Conference in June 2025). The United States is not party to the Convention.","On 24 April 2025 the US President signed an executive order under the 1980 Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA). It called for faster permits and a review of stockpiling nodule metals for defence, citing China's share of rare earth elements above 80%. TMC's US subsidiary, TMC USA, applied to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on 29 April 2025, bypassing the ISA, and in January 2026 widened its filing into a consolidated application covering about 65,000 km². TMC said NOAA found the application fully compliant in April 2026 and published it in the Federal Register; the company expected a decision in the first quarter of 2027. NORI and TOML went to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) against the ISA's compliance investigation, and TMC USA sued the ISA.","In a 2022 trial, a collector machine was run at the NORI-D area. A study published in December 2025, led by the Natural History Museum, London, found that two months later animal abundance in the tracks was 37% lower and species richness 32% lower. Its main funding came from the mining contractor. A separate study found tracks from 1979 test mining still visible 44 years later. A 2023 survey recorded 5,142 unnamed species in the zone, and about 88% of sampled species were scientifically undescribed. TMC's own lifecycle assessment, commissioned from Benchmark, found its NORI-D project could outperform land-based routes, but it excluded biodiversity and social impacts.","TMC's backers and counterparties are not uniform. Glencore holds, since 2012, a right to half of the nickel and copper from the NORI area. Allseas invested US$150 million in 2019 and Korea Zinc invested US$85.2 million in June 2025 for about 5%. BMW, Volvo Group, Google and Samsung SDI pledged in 2021 not to source deep-sea minerals. Norway's parliament decided on 5 December 2025 not to open a licensing round this term, until about 2029. Swiss Re, Zurich and Vienna Insurance Group have said they do not cover deep-sea mining as a sector; no statement specific to TMC was found."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Glencore agreement: right to half of the NORI-area nickel and copper"},{"y":2014,"t":"ISA starts writing commercial mining rules"},{"y":2019,"t":"Allseas invests US$150m in TMC"},{"y":2021,"t":"31 March: BMW, Volvo Group, Google and Samsung SDI pledge not to source deep-sea minerals"},{"y":2022,"t":"Collector trial in the NORI-D area"},{"y":2025,"t":"24 April: US executive order under DSHMRA; 29 April: TMC applies to NOAA; June: Korea Zinc invests US$85.2m; December: study reports -37% animal abundance in test tracks; Norway defers licensing"},{"y":2026,"t":"January: consolidated application (about 65,000 km²); April: NOAA finds it fully compliant, per TMC; July: ISA extends NORI contract by five years without adopting the Mining Code, ITLOS interim ruling on 18 July"}],"said":[{"q":"that retrieve mineral deposits from the deep seabed (eg deep-sea mining projects)","who":"Swiss Re ESG risk framework: it does not support direct or facultative deals of this kind (quoted via the Deep Sea Mining Campaign)","when":"December 2023","src":13},{"q":"we do not have any appetite to insuring these types of mining activities","who":"Zurich, as cited from ShareAction's Insuring Disaster 2024 (undated statement, via the Deep Sea Mining Campaign)","when":"undated","src":14},{"q":"all kinds of new deep sea mining projects","who":"Vienna Insurance Group: no cover for these projects (via the Deep Sea Mining Campaign)","when":"undated","src":14}],"shown":[{"t":"Battery metals from nodules would cost less harm than land mining; a company-funded 2020 study put the saving at 70% less direct carbon emissions and 94% less land use.","who":"TMC","src":8},{"t":"A lifecycle assessment by Benchmark found the NORI-D nodule project could outperform land-based routes. The assessment excludes biodiversity and social impacts.","who":"TMC (commissioned the assessment)","src":7},{"t":"Said in 2020 that recycling is not the solution, that the transition needs hundreds of billions of batteries, that the seabed is not pristine and that the company would not destroy coral reefs (paraphrase).","who":"Gerard Barron, TMC chief executive","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Test-collector tracks in the NORI-D area: animal abundance -37% and species richness -32% two months after the 2022 trial; main funding from the mining contractor.","src":5},{"t":"Tracks from 1979 test mining still visible after 44 years.","src":15},{"t":"Of 5,142 unnamed species recorded in the CCZ in 2023, about 88% of sampled species were scientifically undescribed.","src":16},{"t":"Three lifecycle studies: two funded by mining companies; results ranged from 28% more to 76% less emissions than land mining, with more than 70% of emissions from the processing stage (Planet Tracker).","src":8},{"t":"ISA Council, July 2026: NORI's exploration contract extended by five years; Mining Code not adopted.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Animal abundance in test-collector tracks","v":"-37%","d":"Two months after the 2022 trial, NORI-D area; Natural History Museum, London-led study (December 2025); main funding from the mining contractor"},{"k":"Species richness in test-collector tracks","v":"-32%","d":"Same study"},{"k":"Sampled species undescribed","v":"~88%","d":"5,142 unnamed species recorded in the CCZ (2023)"},{"k":"1979 test-mining tracks","v":"Still visible after 44 years","d":"Reported 2025; no commercial mining has taken place"}]},"unknown":["The outcome of NOAA's permit decision and of TMC USA's case against the ISA: neither had been decided.","Dates for NOAA's compliance finding differ between company statements: 28 April 2026 in one TMC release, 30 April 2026 in another account, and a 'May 2026' release.","Counts of countries seeking a moratorium differ by source and date (more than 30 in March 2026, 37 in June 2025, 45 in July 2026).","Species figures differ: about 88% of sampled species undescribed (5,142 unnamed species) against about 92% of 5,578 recorded species new, the latter.","Unconfirmed: according to a summary of TMC's annual report, Nauru is to receive US$2 per tonne and a right to about 9.1 million shares; the commercial area is 25,160 km² and the exploration area 199,895 km², with 1.63 billion wet tonnes.","Unconfirmed: that TMC's chief executive was an early investor in Nautilus Minerals, which went bankrupt in 2019, and that he said in a 2025 interview he made good money from it (advocacy sources put it at about US$30 million).","Unconfirmed: that the International Seabed Authority gave TMC data on the most valuable areas and reserved them for its later use (a 2022 New York Times investigation, not read, known only through an op-ed and summaries).","The 'dark oxygen' mechanism is a hypothesis, and TMC's formal objection text could not be read; results of the 2026 expeditions by the study's team were not published.","Whether the NOAA permit route is valid under international law is disputed; no ruling on it is stated in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"No commercial recovery has taken place; the permit decision was pending. The recorded effects come from the 2022 and earlier test runs.","whoPaid":"Not applicable so far: no commercial mining has taken place. The test-run effects are recorded on the seabed; the 2022 trial was run by the mining contractor.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: NOAA had published TMC USA's consolidated application and TMC expected a decision in the first quarter of 2027; the ISA Council had again not adopted mining rules (July 2026); the status of the US permit in October 2026 was not known.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"The Metals Company","says":"Said NOAA found its consolidated application fully compliant, that it was published in the Federal Register and that it expected a decision in the first quarter of 2027.","when":"2026","src":1},{"actor":"The Metals Company","says":"Called the dark-oxygen study flawed; the journal said TMC's objection did not contain enough information for assessment.","when":"July 2024","src":6},{"actor":"International Seabed Authority","says":"The Council extended NORI's exploration contract by five years but did not adopt the Mining Code.","when":"July 2026","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"the-metals-company","role":"Applicant for the NOAA permit; developer of nodule mining"},{"id":"nori","role":"TMC subsidiary, sponsored by Nauru"},{"id":"toml","role":"TMC subsidiary, sponsored by Tonga"},{"id":"isa","role":"International regulator of seabed mining"},{"id":"noaa","role":"US regulator handling the permit route"},{"id":"glencore","role":"Holder of a right to half of NORI-area nickel and copper"},{"id":"korea-zinc","role":"Investor in TMC (US$85.2 million, June 2025)"},{"id":"allseas","role":"Investor in TMC (US$150 million, 2019)"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Insurer stating it does not cover deep-sea mining"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is nodule mining lower-impact than land mining?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The Metals Company","says":"A Benchmark lifecycle assessment found its NORI-D project could outperform land-based routes; it excludes biodiversity and social impacts. A company-funded 2020 study put the saving at 70% less direct carbon emissions and 94% less land use.","src":7},{"voice":"research","holder":"Planet Tracker","says":"Two of three lifecycle studies were funded by mining companies; results ranged from 28% more to 76% less emissions than land mining, with more than 70% of emissions from the processing stage.","src":8},{"voice":"press","holder":"Smithsonian Magazine","says":"Reported that a 2022 test left tracks with drastically fewer animals and lower species diversity (-37% abundance, -32% richness), in a study mainly funded by the mining contractor.","src":5}]},{"point":"Do nodules produce oxygen in lightless depths (‘dark oxygen’)?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Andrew Sweetman's team (Nature Geoscience, July 2024)","says":"Reported oxygen production near nodules in lightless depth, and that nodules might act like small ‘geo-batteries’ splitting seawater; the mechanism remains a hypothesis. Part of the funding came through a TMC subsidiary.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"The Metals Company","says":"Called the findings flawed.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"The journal","says":"Said TMC's objection did not contain enough information for assessment.","src":6}]},{"point":"Is the US permit route valid, and who regulates seabed mining outside national waters?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The Metals Company","says":"Applied to NOAA under DSHMRA; says NOAA found its application fully compliant and expects a decision in the first quarter of 2027. NORI and TOML went to ITLOS against the ISA's compliance investigation; TMC USA sued the ISA.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"International Seabed Authority","says":"Opened an investigation, extended NORI's exploration contract by five years in July 2026 and did not adopt the Mining Code; 45 countries seek a moratorium.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"United States (executive order, 24 April 2025)","says":"Called for faster DSHMRA permits and a review of defence stockpiling of nodule metals, citing China's share of rare earth elements above 80%.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"France's President (Nice, June 2025)","says":"Described deep-sea mining as madness (paraphrase).","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"NOAA review of TMC USA's consolidated exploration licence and commercial recovery permit application","forum":"National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"TMC USA (applicant)","defendant":"NOAA (decision-maker)","filed":"2025-04-29","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"TMC USA applied in 2025 for two exploration licences and one commercial recovery permit and widened the filing to about 65,000 km² in January 2026. NOAA found it fully compliant (April 2026, per TMC) and published it; TMC expected a decision in the first quarter of 2027.","src":1},{"title":"NORI and TOML against the ISA before ITLOS","forum":"International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Hamburg)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"international","claimant":"NORI and TOML (TMC subsidiaries)","defendant":"International Seabed Authority","filed":"2026","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The subsidiaries went to ITLOS against the ISA's compliance investigation. An interim ruling is dated 18 July 2026; its content is not recorded.","src":0},{"title":"TMC USA suit against the ISA","forum":"Not specified","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"international","claimant":"TMC USA","defendant":"International Seabed Authority","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Reported by Mongabay in July 2026 alongside the ISA Council's contract extension for NORI.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Swiss Re","insured":"Deep-sea mining projects (sector policy; no statement specific to TMC)","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"reason":"Key sustainability risks identified for this sector.","summary":"Swiss Re's ESG risk framework (December 2023) does not support direct or facultative deals that retrieve mineral deposits from the deep seabed.","src":13},{"insurer":"Zurich","insured":"Deep-sea mining projects (sector policy; no statement specific to TMC)","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"summary":"Zurich said it has no appetite for insuring these types of mining activities (cited from ShareAction, Insuring Disaster 2024; the statement is undated).","src":14},{"insurer":"Vienna Insurance Group","insured":"New deep-sea mining projects (sector policy; no statement specific to TMC)","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"summary":"Vienna Insurance Group said it offers no cover for all kinds of new deep-sea mining projects (as reported by the Deep Sea Mining Campaign).","src":14}],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":65000,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area of TMC USA's consolidated exploration and commercial recovery application."},{"key":"macrofauna_abundance_change","value":-37,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Animal abundance in test-collector tracks two months after the 2022 trial; study published December 2025."},{"key":"species_richness_change","value":-32,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Species richness in the same tracks."},{"key":"species_undescribed_share","value":88,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of sampled CCZ species not scientifically described; 5,142 unnamed species recorded."},{"key":"countries_seeking_moratorium","value":45,"unit":"countries","year":2026,"note":"Count as of July 2026; other sources give more than 30 (March 2026) and 37 (June 2025)."},{"key":"investment","value":85.2,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Korea Zinc private placement in TMC, June 2025, for about 5%."},{"key":"investment","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Allseas investment in TMC."},{"key":"investment","value":2900,"unit":"USD m","unverified":true,"note":"SPAC merger figure from a research table; no source URL in the cited sources."},{"key":"grant","value":2.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Nippon Foundation grant to Andrew Sweetman, with funding channelled through NORI."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"TMC, through subsidiaries, sought to mine polymetallic nodules from the CCZ seabed, and from 2025 pursued a US permit route through NOAA rather than the ISA's rules.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Glencore","what":"Holds, since 2012, a right to half of the nickel and copper from the NORI area; no revenue has been recorded because no commercial mining has taken place.","src":9},{"who":"Korea Zinc","what":"Acquired about 5% of TMC for US$85.2 million in June 2025.","src":11}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Deep-seabed animals in the 2022 test tracks","what":"37% fewer animals and 32% lower species richness two months after the trial.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific, between Hawaii and Mexico; NORI-D area; application area about 65,000 km².","src":3},"when":{"t":"Glencore agreement 2012; US application 2025; NOAA finding April 2026; permit decision expected first quarter of 2027.","src":1},"why":{"t":"TMC said battery metals from nodules cause less harm than land mining, citing a company-funded 2020 study; independent analysis found its basis varied widely.","src":8},"how":{"t":"After the ISA did not adopt commercial mining rules, TMC's US subsidiary applied under the 1980 DSHMRA to NOAA, following a US executive order of 24 April 2025.","src":12}},"sources":[{"t":"UN regulator delays deep-sea mining rules, but extends criticized exploration contract","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/un-regulator-delays-deep-sea-mining-rules-but-extends-criticized-exploration-contract/amp/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260730114151/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/un-regulator-delays-deep-sea-mining-rules-but-extends-criticized-exploration-contract/amp/"},{"t":"NOAA Publishes TMC USA's Consolidated Application for an Exploration License and Commercial Recovery Permit","p":"The Metals Company","d":"2026-08","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-publishes-tmc-usas-consolidated-application-exploration/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002065425/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-publishes-tmc-usas-consolidated-application-exploration"},{"t":"NOAA determines TMC USA's consolidated deep seabed mining application","p":"The Metals Company","d":"2026-05","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-determines-tmc-usas-consolidated-deep-seabed-mining-0","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260920235614/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-determines-tmc-usas-consolidated-deep-seabed-mining-0/"},{"t":"TMC USA files first consolidated deep seabed mining application","p":"Nasdaq (TMC press release)","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/tmc-usa-files-first-consolidated-deep-seabed-mining-application-increasing-expected"},{"t":"TMC and Nauru announce updated sponsorship agreement","p":"The Metals Company","d":"","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/tmc-and-nauru-announce-updated-sponsorship-agreement-nauru-ocean","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251225100236/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/tmc-and-nauru-announce-updated-sponsorship-agreement-nauru-ocean"},{"t":"Deep-sea mining test in the Pacific drastically reduced biodiversity and animal populations","p":"Smithsonian Magazine","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260428185847/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/"},{"t":"Scientists, deep-sea miner spar over ‘dark oxygen’ discovery","p":"E&E News","d":"2024-07-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/scientists-deep-sea-miner-spar-over-dark-oxygen-discovery","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610125839/https://www.eenews.net/articles/scientists-deep-sea-miner-spar-over-dark-oxygen-discovery/"},{"t":"Lifecycle Assessment by Benchmark Shows TMC's NORI-D Nodule Project Could Outperform Land-Based Routes","p":"The Metals Company","d":"","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/lifecycle-assessment-benchmark-shows-tmcs-nori-d-nodule-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260810233237/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/lifecycle-assessment-benchmark-shows-tmcs-nori-d-nodule-project/"},{"t":"Planet Tracker analysis of deep-sea mining lifecycle claims (via a summary of TMC's white paper)","p":"Planet Tracker","d":"2023-12-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://planet-tracker.org/?p=19114","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135253/https://planet-tracker.org/deep-sea-mining-could-be-worse-for-the-climate-than-land-ores/"},{"t":"Mining's Tesla moment: DeepGreen harvests clean metals from the seafloor","p":"Mining.com","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/web/minings-tesla-moment-deepgreen-harvests-clean-metals-seafloor/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710174700/https://www.mining.com/web/minings-tesla-moment-deepgreen-harvests-clean-metals-seafloor/"},{"t":"UN experts: Norway's decision to postpone deep-sea mining licensing commended","p":"UNRIC","d":"","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://unric.org/en/un-experts-norways-decision-to-postpone-deep-sea-mining-licensing-commended/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114160839/https://unric.org/en/un-experts-norways-decision-to-postpone-deep-sea-mining-licensing-commended/"},{"t":"TMC Announces Strategic Investment from Korea Zinc (press release, Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K)","p":"The Metals Company / SEC EDGAR","d":"2025-06-16","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1798562/000110465925059701/tm2518091d1_ex99-1.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"Nations denounce deep-sea mining bid in the Pacific by the US","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2025-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29072025/nations-denounce-deep-sea-mining-bid-pacific-us/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311090801/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29072025/nations-denounce-deep-sea-mining-bid-pacific-us/"},{"t":"Global insurer rules out doing business with deep-sea mining companies (quoting the Swiss Re framework)","p":"Deep Sea Mining Campaign","d":"2023-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://dsm-campaign.org/global-insurer-rules-out-doing-with-business-with-deep-sea-mining-companies/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417161938/https://dsm-campaign.org/global-insurer-rules-out-doing-with-business-with-deep-sea-mining-companies/"},{"t":"Finance and investors (Zurich and Vienna Insurance Group statements)","p":"Deep Sea Mining Campaign","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://dsm-campaign.org/our-work/finance-and-investors/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512185112/https://dsm-campaign.org/our-work/finance-and-investors/"},{"t":"Deep-sea mining test site shows 'little sign of life' 40 years later","p":"Oceanographic Magazine","d":"2025-03-27","u":"https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/deep-sea-mining-test-site-shows-little-sign-of-life-40-years-later/","type":"press"},{"t":"How many species live in the world's largest marine mineral exploration region?","p":"OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System)","d":"2023-09-12","u":"https://obis.org/2023/09/12/species-largest-mineral/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"deep-sea-mining","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Two months after a 2022 test collector ran on my seabed, animal abundance in its tracks was 37% lower and species richness 32% lower; the study's main funding came from the mining contractor.","src":[5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is nodule mining lower-impact than land mining?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do nodules produce oxygen in lightless depths (‘dark oxygen’)?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the US permit route valid, and who regulates seabed mining outside national waters?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Investment: SPAC merger figure from a research table; no source URL in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of NOAA's permit decision and of TMC USA's case against the ISA: neither had been decided.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Dates for NOAA's compliance finding differ between company statements: 28 April 2026 in one TMC release, 30 April 2026 in another account, and a 'May 2026' release.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Counts of countries seeking a moratorium differ by source and date (more than 30 in March 2026, 37 in June 2025, 45 in July 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Species figures differ: about 88% of sampled species undescribed (5,142 unnamed species) against about 92% of 5,578 recorded species new, the latter.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: according to a summary of TMC's annual report, Nauru is to receive US$2 per tonne and a right to about 9.1 million shares; the commercial area is 25,160 km² and the exploration area 199,895 km², with 1.63 billion wet tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that TMC's chief executive was an early investor in Nautilus Minerals, which went bankrupt in 2019, and that he said in a 2025 interview he made good money from it (advocacy sources put it at about US$30 million).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the International Seabed Authority gave TMC data on the most valuable areas and reserved them for its later use (a 2022 New York Times investigation, not read, known only through an op-ed and summaries).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The 'dark oxygen' mechanism is a hypothesis, and TMC's formal objection text could not be read; results of the 2026 expeditions by the study's team were not published.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the NOAA permit route is valid under international law is disputed; no ruling on it is stated in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"volkswagen-diesel-emissions-scandal","title":"Volkswagen diesel emissions case","dek":"Volkswagen said the diesel emissions case had cost it €31.3 billion in fines and settlements by March 2020. Of a €1 billion payment ordered in Germany in 2018, €5 million was labelled a fine.","country":"Germany","region":"Europe","lat":52.27,"lon":10.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Braunschweig","lat":52.27,"lon":10.52,"role":"court"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Munich","role":"court"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"}],"start":2015,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Part of the 2018 German payment by Volkswagen labelled a fine","value":"€5m of €1bn","note":"Order of the Braunschweig public prosecutor, 13 June 2018; the remaining €995 million was disgorgement of economic benefit."},"happened":["The Volkswagen diesel emissions case dates from 2015. It produced administrative orders in Germany, a criminal penalty in the United States and criminal proceedings against former executives of Volkswagen and Audi.","Volkswagen stated at its March 2020 results that the scandal had cost €31.3 billion (about US$34.7 billion) in fines and settlements. Reuters reported “more than €32bn” in June 2021. No newer cumulative total was found.","On 13 June 2018 the Braunschweig public prosecutor ordered Volkswagen to pay €1 billion: €5 million as a fine, the statutory maximum for a negligent regulatory breach, and €995 million as disgorgement of economic benefit. Volkswagen did not appeal. On 16 October 2018 the Munich II public prosecutor ended the proceedings against Audi with a €800 million order (€5 million fine and €795 million disgorgement), which Audi accepted. A tax lawyer estimated that Volkswagen could in theory deduct 99.5% of the €1 billion and receive about €300 million back, while the fine went to Lower Saxony and the cost of any deduction would be spread across the country; the cited sources do not state whether the deduction was used.","Other manufacturers' diesels also exceeded limits on the road. An ICCT white paper of 11 October 2014 tested 15 diesel cars, 12 of them Euro 6, with portable emissions monitoring, and found real-world nitrogen oxides (NOx) averaging about seven times the Euro 6 limit (about 560 against 80 mg/km), mostly in normal driving. The UK Department for Transport reported on 21 April 2016 that NOx was higher on the road than in the laboratory “for all manufacturers' vehicles”, but found no VW-style defeat devices; over-limit emissions from other makers were largely legal under laboratory-only type approval. Modelled studies put almost 10,000 premature deaths in 2013 (EU28, Norway and Switzerland) on NOx from all diesel cars and vans, about 38,000 deaths globally in 2015 on excess diesel NOx, and about 1,200 deaths over 2008 to 2015 on Volkswagen alone (Germany and neighbouring countries).","Rupert Stadler, the former Audi chief executive, was convicted by the Munich II Regional Court under a plea agreement on 27 June 2023, receiving a suspended prison sentence of one year and nine months and a payment of €1.1 million. On 26 May 2025 the Braunschweig Regional Court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud; two received prison sentences of four years and six months and two years and seven months, and two received suspended sentences; the verdict was open to appeal. On 1 July 2025 the same court provisionally halted the trial of Martin Winterkorn, the former Volkswagen chief executive, because he was not fit to stand trial. In the United States Volkswagen AG pleaded guilty to three felony counts and on 21 April 2017 was sentenced to a criminal penalty of US$2.8 billion. Separately, Transparency International US reported that in 2024 a Volkswagen representative sat on the advisory group of the carbon-credit registry Verra, and Volkswagen was the seventh-largest buyer of credits; Volkswagen was also among named buyers of credits from the Kariba REDD+ project in Zimbabwe, at least €10 million according to Climate Change News."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"11 October: ICCT white paper finds real-world NOx about seven times the Euro 6 limit in 15 diesel cars"},{"y":2015,"t":"Volkswagen diesel case dated from 2015"},{"y":2016,"t":"21 April: UK Department for Transport finds on-road NOx above laboratory levels for all manufacturers' vehicles; no VW-style defeat devices found"},{"y":2017,"t":"May and September: Nature and Environmental Research Letters studies model premature deaths from excess diesel NOx"},{"y":2018,"t":"13 June: Braunschweig prosecutor orders VW to pay €1bn (€5m fine, €995m disgorgement); 16 October: Audi €800m order accepted"},{"y":2020,"t":"March: Volkswagen states €31.3bn in fines and settlements"},{"y":2021,"t":"June: Reuters reports ‘more than €32bn’"},{"y":2023,"t":"June: former Audi chief executive Rupert Stadler convicted under a plea agreement"},{"y":2025,"t":"July: trial of former VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn suspended on health grounds"},{"y":2025,"t":"26 May: Braunschweig Regional Court convicts four former Volkswagen managers of fraud; two prison sentences, two suspended","src":13},{"y":2026,"t":"April: Transparency International US report (via REDD-Monitor) on Volkswagen's seat on Verra's advisory group"}],"said":[{"q":"for all manufacturers' vehicles","who":"UK Department for Transport testing programme, on NOx being higher on the road than in the laboratory","when":"21 April 2016","src":4},{"q":"more than €32bn","who":"Reuters, on the cost to Volkswagen","when":"June 2021","src":10}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Braunschweig public prosecutor, 13 June 2018: €1 billion, of which €5 million fine and €995 million disgorgement; Volkswagen did not appeal.","src":0},{"t":"Audi: €800 million (€5 million fine and €795 million disgorgement), accepted on 16 October 2018.","src":1},{"t":"Volkswagen stated €31.3 billion (about US$34.7 billion) in fines and settlements at its March 2020 results.","src":2},{"t":"ICCT, October 2014: real-world NOx in 15 diesel cars averaged about seven times the Euro 6 limit.","src":3},{"t":"UK Department for Transport, April 2016: no VW-style defeat devices found in other makers' vehicles; over-limit emissions largely legal under laboratory-only type approval.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Real-world NOx vs Euro 6 limit","v":"~7x","d":"15 diesel cars tested by ICCT (2014); about 560 against 80 mg/km"},{"k":"Modelled premature deaths, all diesel cars and vans (2013)","v":"Almost 10,000","d":"EU28, Norway and Switzerland (Jonson et al., 2017); about half avoidable had on-road emissions met the limits"},{"k":"Modelled premature deaths from Volkswagen alone (2008–2015)","v":"~1,200","d":"Germany and neighbouring countries (Chossière et al., 2017, as cited in Jonson et al.)"}]},"unknown":["Whether Volkswagen, Audi or Daimler actually deducted the disgorged economic benefit from taxable income: not found.","No study estimates excess NOx deaths across all manufacturers in a single figure; the available estimates cover different scopes and years.","No newer cumulative cost total for Volkswagen than ‘more than €32 billion’ (June 2021) was found.","Daimler: on 24 September 2019 the Stuttgart public prosecutor imposed an €870 million fine order, which Daimler did not contest (AFP via TechXplore).","Unconfirmed: that German law bars deduction of administrative fines but allows deduction of the disgorgement element if it was computed without deducting taxes.","Bloomberg and Fortune summaries reported that Volkswagen was the sector leader in a sustainability index two weeks before the emissions case became public, and that its stock was removed from the index; the index relied on self-reported data.","The outcome of the Winterkorn trial: suspended, no verdict recorded."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The available material does not record whether or when the excess emissions were stopped.","whoPaid":"Volkswagen paid more than €31 billion in fines and settlements by its own March 2020 statement. A tax lawyer estimated about €300 million of the 2018 German payment could return to the company through deduction; whether it did was not found.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: the German 2018 orders against Volkswagen and Audi were accepted; Rupert Stadler was convicted under a plea agreement in 2023; four former Volkswagen managers were convicted of fraud by the Braunschweig Regional Court in May 2025; the Winterkorn trial was halted in July 2025 because he was unfit to stand trial, with no verdict.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Volkswagen AG","says":"Did not appeal the Braunschweig prosecutor's order of €1 billion.","when":"13 June 2018","src":0},{"actor":"Audi AG","says":"Accepted the €800 million order and acknowledged its responsibility (the title of Volkswagen's announcement).","when":"16 October 2018","src":1},{"actor":"Volkswagen AG","says":"Stated that the diesel emissions case had cost €31.3 billion (about US$34.7 billion) in fines and settlements.","when":"March 2020","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"volkswagen","role":"Manufacturer ordered to pay €1bn in Germany in 2018"},{"id":"audi","role":"Volkswagen group subsidiary; €800m order in 2018"},{"id":"braunschweig-prosecutor","role":"Issued the administrative order against Volkswagen"},{"id":"munich-ii-prosecutor","role":"Issued the administrative order against Audi"},{"id":"icct","role":"Published the 2014 real-world NOx white paper"},{"id":"uk-dft","role":"Ran the 2016 vehicle emissions testing programme"},{"id":"transparency-international-us","role":"Reported on Volkswagen's seat on Verra's advisory group"},{"id":"verra","role":"Carbon-credit registry"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were other manufacturers' on-road NOx emissions within the law?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"ICCT","says":"Real-world NOx from 15 diesel cars averaged about seven times the Euro 6 limit, mostly in normal driving.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK Department for Transport","says":"NOx was higher on the road than in the laboratory for all manufacturers' vehicles, but no VW-style defeat devices were found; over-limit emissions from other makers were largely legal under laboratory-only type approval.","src":4}]},{"point":"How much of the 2018 German payment was a penalty rather than disgorgement, and who bears the tax cost?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Braunschweig public prosecutor","says":"Ordered €1 billion: €5 million fine and €995 million disgorgement of economic benefit.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Volkswagen AG","says":"Did not appeal the order.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"A tax lawyer (unnamed)","says":"Estimated that Volkswagen could in theory deduct 99.5% of the amount and receive about €300 million back, with the cost of the deduction spread nationally.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Braunschweig administrative fine order against Volkswagen AG","forum":"Braunschweig public prosecutor (administrative fine order)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Braunschweig public prosecutor","defendant":"Volkswagen AG","filed":null,"decided":"2018-06-13","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1000000000,"currency":"EUR","label":"€5 million fine plus €995 million disgorgement of economic benefit"},"summary":"Order issued in connection with the diesel crisis; Volkswagen did not appeal.","src":0},{"title":"Munich II administrative fine order against Audi AG","forum":"Munich II public prosecutor (administrative fine order)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Munich II public prosecutor","defendant":"Audi AG","filed":null,"decided":"2018-10-16","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":800000000,"currency":"EUR","label":"€5 million fine plus €795 million disgorgement of economic benefit"},"summary":"Proceedings ended with a fine order that Audi accepted.","src":1},{"title":"Criminal case against Rupert Stadler, former Audi chief executive","forum":"Munich II Regional Court (Landgericht München II)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Rupert Stadler","filed":null,"decided":"2023-06","status":"plea","amount":{"value":1100000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Payment agreed in the plea"},"summary":"Convicted under a plea agreement on 27 June 2023, with a suspended prison sentence of one year and nine months and a payment of €1.1 million.","src":7},{"title":"Criminal trial of Martin Winterkorn, former Volkswagen chief executive","forum":"Braunschweig Regional Court","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Martin Winterkorn","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"On 1 July 2025 the court provisionally halted the proceedings because he was not fit to stand trial, saying it would keep his health under review and could resume the trial. He has not been convicted.","src":11},{"title":"United States criminal plea agreement with Volkswagen AG","forum":"United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States authorities","defendant":"Volkswagen AG","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"plea","amount":{"value":2800000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Criminal penalty; separate civil resolutions of environmental, customs and financial claims added US$1.5 billion"},"summary":"Volkswagen AG pleaded guilty on 10 March 2017 to three felony counts (conspiracy, obstruction of justice and importing merchandise by means of false statements) and was sentenced on 21 April 2017 to pay a US$2.8 billion criminal penalty.","src":12},{"title":"Criminal trial of four former Volkswagen managers","forum":"Braunschweig Regional Court","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Braunschweig public prosecutor","defendant":"Four former Volkswagen managers","filed":null,"decided":"2025-05-26","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court convicted four former managers of fraud. The former head of diesel engine development was sentenced to four years and six months in prison and the former head of powertrain electronics to two years and seven months; Volkswagen's former development director and a former department head received suspended sentences. Appeals were possible (OCCRP, 26 May 2025).","src":13}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1200,"unit":"premature deaths","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Modelled estimate for Volkswagen alone, 2008–2015, Germany and neighbouring countries (Chossière et al., 2017, as cited in Jonson et al.)."},{"key":"deaths_all_diesel_eu","value":10000,"unit":"premature deaths","year":2013,"qualifier":"almost","est":true,"note":"Modelled: NOx from all diesel cars and vans in EU28, Norway and Switzerland (Jonson et al., 2017); about 50% (roughly 5,000 a year) avoidable if on-road emissions met the limits; 80% if diesel cars emitted as little NOx as petrol cars."},{"key":"deaths_all_diesel_global","value":38000,"unit":"premature deaths","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Modelled: excess diesel NOx of 4.6 million tons (light- and heavy-duty) across 11 markets (Anenberg et al., Nature, 15 May 2017)."},{"key":"nox_exceedance_ratio","value":7,"unit":"x Euro 6 limit","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Average real-world NOx of 15 diesel cars, about 560 against 80 mg/km (ICCT white paper, 11 October 2014)."},{"key":"fine","value":5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Fine element of the Braunschweig order of 13 June 2018."},{"key":"economic_benefit_disgorged","value":995,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Disgorgement element of the same order."},{"key":"fine","value":800,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Audi order of 16 October 2018 (€5 million fine plus €795 million disgorgement)."},{"key":"total_cost_stated","value":31300,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"note":"Fines and settlements, stated by Volkswagen at its March 2020 results (about US$34.7 billion)."},{"key":"total_cost_reported","value":32000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reported by Reuters in June 2021."},{"key":"fine","value":1.1,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Payment in the Stadler plea agreement."},{"key":"fine","value":2800,"unit":"USD m","qualifier":"criminal penalty","unverified":false,"note":"United States criminal penalty imposed on 21 April 2017 (US Department of Justice).","src":12}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Volkswagen's diesel emissions case led to administrative orders in Germany totalling €1 billion for Volkswagen and €800 million for Audi, a US criminal penalty and criminal proceedings against two former chief executives; the company stated a total cost of €31.3 billion.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Volkswagen AG (potentially)","what":"A tax lawyer estimated the company could in theory deduct 99.5% of the €1 billion German payment, returning about €300 million; whether it did was not found.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"German public budgets","what":"The same tax lawyer said the cost of any deduction would be spread nationally through the federal sharing key, while the fine went to Lower Saxony.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"People exposed to diesel NOx in Europe","what":"Modelled estimates: almost 10,000 premature deaths in 2013 from all diesel cars and vans in the EU28, Norway and Switzerland; about 1,200 over 2008–2015 from Volkswagen alone.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Germany and the United States; the modelled health effects cover Germany, neighbouring countries and the EU28 plus Norway and Switzerland.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2015; German orders 13 June and 16 October 2018; cost stated March 2020; Stadler plea June 2023; Winterkorn trial suspended July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Volkswagen's reasons are not on record. Laboratory-only type approval left over-limit on-road emissions from other makers largely legal (UK Department for Transport, 2016).","src":4},"how":{"t":"German prosecutors issued administrative orders combining a fine of €5 million (the statutory maximum for a negligent regulatory breach) with disgorgement of economic benefit; US authorities concluded a criminal plea agreement.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Of the €1 billion paid under the Braunschweig order, €5 million, or 0.5%, was labelled a fine.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Administrative order imposing a fine (Bußgeldbescheid) issued by the Braunschweig public prosecutor against Volkswagen in the context of the diesel crisis","p":"Volkswagen AG (ad hoc announcement)","d":"2018-06-13","type":"company","u":"https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/ad-hoc/administrative-order-imposing-a-fine-bussgeldbescheid-being-issued-by-the-braunschweig-public-prosecutor-against-volkswagen-in-the-context-of-the-diesel-crisis-15939","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418064447/https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/ad-hoc/administrative-order-imposing-a-fine-bussgeldbescheid-being-issued-by-the-braunschweig-public-prosecutor-against-volkswagen-in-the-context-of-the-diesel-crisis-15939"},{"t":"Ordnungswidrigkeitenverfahren der Staatsanwaltschaft München II gegen die Audi AG wird mit Erlass eines Bußgeldbescheids beendet; die Audi AG akzeptiert das Bußgeld und bekennt sich damit zu ihrer Verantwortung","p":"Volkswagen AG (ad hoc announcement)","d":"2018-10-16","type":"company","u":"https://www.volkswagen-group.com/de/ad-hoc/ordnungswidrigkeitenverfahren-der-staatsanwaltschaft-muenchen-ii-gegen-die-audi-ag-wird-mit-erlass-eines-bussgeldbescheids-beendet-die-audi-ag-akzeptiert-das-bussgeld-und-bekennt-sich-damit-zu-ihrer-verantwortung-15940","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519104948/https://www.volkswagen-group.com/de/ad-hoc/ordnungswidrigkeitenverfahren-der-staatsanwaltschaft-muenchen-ii-gegen-die-audi-ag-wird-mit-erlass-eines-bussgeldbescheids-beendet-die-audi-ag-akzeptiert-das-bussgeld-und-bekennt-sich-damit-zu-ihrer-verantwortung-15940"},{"t":"Volkswagen says diesel emissions scandal has cost it $34.69b: Frank Witter","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2020-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/volkswagen-says-diesel-emissions-scandal-has-cost-it-3469b-frank-witter/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135210/https://www.businessinsurance.com/volkswagen-says-diesel-emissions-scandal-has-cost-it-3469b-frank-witter/"},{"t":"Real-world exhaust emissions from modern diesel cars","p":"International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)","d":"2014-10-11","type":"academic","u":"https://theicct.org/publication/real-world-exhaust-emissions-from-modern-diesel-cars/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260918072200/https://theicct.org/publication/real-world-exhaust-emissions-from-modern-diesel-cars/"},{"t":"Vehicle emissions testing programme: conclusions","p":"UK Department for Transport","d":"2016-04-21","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-emissions-testing-programme-conclusions","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214101343/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vehicle-emissions-testing-programme-conclusions"},{"t":"Impact of excess NOx emissions from diesel cars on air quality, public health and eutrophication in Europe","p":"Environmental Research Letters (Jonson et al.)","d":"2017-09-18","type":"academic","u":"https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8850/meta","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002072111/https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aa8850/meta"},{"t":"Impacts and mitigation of excess diesel-related NOx emissions in 11 major vehicle markets","p":"Nature (Anenberg et al.)","d":"2017-05-15","type":"academic","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/nature22086","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113115307/https://www.nature.com/articles/nature22086"},{"t":"Ex-Audi boss gets suspended sentence in dieselgate case (AFP)","p":"TechXplore","d":"2023-06-27","type":"press","u":"https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ex-audi-boss-dieselgate.amp","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230627130751/https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ex-audi-boss-dieselgate.amp"},{"t":"Transparency International US: conflicts of interest in the carbon-credit registry Verra (summary)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2026-04-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/transparency-international-us-conflicts","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402123424/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/transparency-international-us-conflicts"},{"t":"Zimbabwe forest carbon megaproject generated millions of junk credits","p":"Climate Change News","d":"2025-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/30/zimbabwe-forest-carbon-megaproject-generated-millions-of-junk-credits/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011070043/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/30/zimbabwe-forest-carbon-megaproject-generated-millions-of-junk-credits/"},{"t":"VW settles dieselgate lawsuit in Italy for $54 million","p":"Business Insurance (Reuters)","d":"2024-05-16","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/vw-settles-dieselgate-lawsuit-in-italy-for-54-million/","type":"press"},{"t":"German court suspends diesel scandal trial of former Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn","p":"The Week (wire)","d":"2025-07-01","u":"https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/business/2025/07/01/fes36-volkswagen-ceo-trial.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Volkswagen AG Sentenced in Connection with Conspiracy to Cheat U.S. Emissions Tests","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2017-04-21","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/volkswagen-ag-sentenced-connection-conspiracy-cheat-us-emissions-tests","type":"official"},{"t":"Former VW managers sentenced over emissions-cheating scandal","p":"OCCRP","d":"2025-05-26","u":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/former-vw-managers-sentenced-over-diesel-fraud","type":"press"},{"t":"Daimler says to pay 870 mn euro fine over diesel recalls (AFP)","p":"TechXplore","d":"2019-09-24","u":"https://techxplore.com/news/2019-09-daimler-mn-euro-fine-diesel.amp","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"regulatory-penalty","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2014 the ICCT measured 15 diesel cars on the road: nitrogen oxides into my air averaged about 560 mg/km, against the 80 mg/km Euro 6 limit.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Were other manufacturers' on-road NOx emissions within the law?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much of the 2018 German payment was a penalty rather than disgorgement, and who bears the tax cost?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Volkswagen, Audi or Daimler actually deducted the disgorged economic benefit from taxable income: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"No study estimates excess NOx deaths across all manufacturers in a single figure; the available estimates cover different scopes and years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No newer cumulative cost total for Volkswagen than ‘more than €32 billion’ (June 2021) was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Daimler: on 24 September 2019 the Stuttgart public prosecutor imposed an €870 million fine order, which Daimler did not contest (AFP via TechXplore).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that German law bars deduction of administrative fines but allows deduction of the disgorgement element if it was computed without deducting taxes.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Bloomberg and Fortune summaries reported that Volkswagen was the sector leader in a sustainability index two weeks before the emissions case became public, and that its stock was removed from the index; the index relied on self-reported data.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Winterkorn trial: suspended, no verdict recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Volkswagen AG (potentially)","No source link — Who lost: German public budgets"]},{"id":"paulo-paulino-guajajara-killing","title":"Paulo Paulino Guajajara killing (Brazil)","dek":"An unarmed Indigenous forest guardian was shot dead in the Araribóia Indigenous Territory in Maranhão in November 2019. Two men have been charged; as of October 2026 no record of a federal jury trial or verdict was found.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-4,"lon":-46,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Maranhão","lat":-4,"lon":-46,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Maranhão","role":"affected"}],"start":2019,"end":null,"eventDate":"2019-11-01","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Guajajara people killed in Maranhão, 1991–2023, and perpetrators tried","value":"81: 0","note":"Count reported by Mongabay (7 November 2025): 81 Guajajara killed, no perpetrator tried."},"happened":["Paulo Paulino Guajajara (known in the Guajajara language as Kwahu Tenetehar) was a member of the “Guardians of the Forest”, a group of Guajajara people who patrol the Araribóia Indigenous Territory in Maranhão, Brazil, without weapons, against logging and hunting that Mongabay describes as illegal. The same territory is home to Awá people who have had no contact with the outside world.","On 1 November 2019 Paulo and a friend, Laércio Guajajara, were caught in an ambush that Mongabay described as allegedly set by illegal loggers. Paulo was shot in the neck and died in the forest. Laércio was shot in the back and arm and was wounded.","Two men, Antônio Wesly Nascimento Coelho and Raimundo Nonato Ferreira de Sousa, were charged. The charges cover the deaths of Paulino and Márcio Gleik Moreira Pereira and the attempted killing of Laércio Guajajara. The defendants have said they were hunting and that the guardians attacked first. The Federal Police suggested a shootout after a motorbike theft; federal prosecutors returned the inquiry as incomplete.","The case was moved to federal court because the killing was treated as an attack on the whole community; it would be the first Indigenous case to go before a federal jury in Maranhão. The TRF-1 appeals court confirmed a federal jury trial in October 2023. An anthropological report measuring the collective harm to the community waited for years while the parties disputed who would pay the expert; it was filed in August 2025. The court said the hearing would most likely take place in early 2026.","Mongabay reported in November 2025 that 81 Guajajara people were killed in Maranhão between 1991 and 2023 and that no perpetrator was tried in any of those cases; 38 of the deaths were in Araribóia, six of them guardians. As of October 2026 no record was found that the trial had been held, and no verdict was found."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"1 November: Paulo Paulino Guajajara killed and Laércio Guajajara wounded in the Araribóia Indigenous Territory"},{"y":2023,"t":"October: the TRF-1 appeals court confirms a federal jury trial"},{"y":2024,"t":"Laércio Guajajara says the defendants are free and may be planning to kill him too"},{"y":2025,"t":"August: anthropological report on collective harm filed. November: Mongabay reports the trial pushed to 2026"},{"y":2026,"t":"October: no record that the hearing has been held; no verdict found"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Federal Police suggested a shootout after a motorbike theft.","who":"Federal Police","src":null},{"t":"The two defendants said they were hunting and that the guardians attacked first.","who":"The defendants, as reported by Mongabay","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Paulo Paulino Guajajara was shot in the neck and died in the forest; Laércio Guajajara was shot in the back and arm and wounded.","src":0},{"t":"Federal prosecutors returned the Federal Police inquiry as incomplete.","src":1},{"t":"The TRF-1 appeals court confirmed a federal jury trial in October 2023.","src":2},{"t":"The anthropological report on collective harm was filed in August 2025; the court said the hearing would most likely be held in early 2026.","src":0},{"t":"81 Guajajara killed in Maranhão in 1991–2023; 38 in Araribóia, 6 of them guardians; no perpetrator tried.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Guardians killed in Araribóia","v":"At least 6","d":"Unarmed patrols against logging and hunting that Mongabay describes as illegal, running for 15 years (2024 count)"},{"k":"Guajajara killed in Maranhão, 1991–2023","v":"81","d":"No perpetrator tried; 38 in Araribóia (Mongabay, November 2025)"}]},"unknown":["No verdict: as of October 2026 no record was found that the federal jury trial had been held.","The date on which the Araribóia territory was registered is not on record."],"evidence":["court-pending","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded as stopped. At least six guardians had been killed in Araribóia by 2024, and no verdict in this case was found as of October 2026.","whoPaid":"The Guajajara community and the guardians who patrol the territory: Mongabay reported 81 Guajajara killed in Maranhão between 1991 and 2023 with no perpetrator tried.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: federal jury trial expected in 2026; no record of the hearing and no verdict found.","updated":"2026-10-01","responses":[{"actor":"Defendants Antônio Wesly Nascimento Coelho and Raimundo Nonato Ferreira de Sousa (charged)","says":"They said they were hunting and that the guardians attacked first.","when":"Reported November 2025","src":0},{"actor":"Federal Police","says":"Suggested a shootout after a motorbike theft.","when":"Date not in record","src":null},{"actor":"Federal prosecutors","says":"Returned the Federal Police inquiry as incomplete.","when":"Date not in record","src":null},{"actor":"Court","says":"Said the hearing would most likely be held in early 2026.","when":"Reported November 2025","src":0},{"actor":"Laércio Guajajara (survivor)","says":"Said in 2024 that the defendants were free and might be planning to kill him too.","when":"2024","src":null},{"actor":"José Maria Paulino Guajajara (Paulo's father)","says":"Said in 2025 that Indigenous people were dying and that white people did not stop killing them.","when":"2025","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"guardians-of-the-forest","role":"Guajajara patrol group; Paulo was a member"},{"id":"brazil-federal-police","role":"Investigating authority"},{"id":"brazil-federal-prosecutors","role":"Prosecution"},{"id":"trf-1","role":"Appeals court that confirmed a federal jury trial"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What happened on 1 November 2019?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Paulo and Laércio were caught in an ambush allegedly set by illegal loggers; Paulo was shot in the neck and Laércio in the back and arm.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"The two defendants","says":"They were hunting and the guardians attacked first.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal Police","says":"Suggested a shootout after a motorbike theft.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal prosecutors","says":"Returned the police inquiry as incomplete.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Federal jury case over the killing of Paulo Paulino Guajajara and the attempted killing of Laércio Guajajara","forum":"Federal court, Maranhão (jury trial confirmed by the TRF-1 appeals court, October 2023)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Raimundo Nonato Ferreira de Sousa and Antônio Wesly Nascimento Coelho (charged)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The two men are charged over the deaths of Paulino and Márcio Gleik Moreira Pereira and the attempted killing of Laércio Guajajara. The case moved to federal court because the killing was treated as an attack on the whole community. The trial was pushed to 2026; as of October 2026 no verdict was found.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Paulo Paulino Guajajara, in the account of the 1 November 2019 ambush. The charges also refer to the death of Márcio Gleik Moreira Pereira."},{"key":"injured","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Laércio Guajajara, shot in the back and arm."},{"key":"guajajara_killed","value":81,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Guajajara killed in Maranhão, 1991–2023; 38 in Araribóia, 6 of them guardians; no perpetrator tried (Mongabay, November 2025)."},{"key":"guardians_killed","value":6,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Guardians killed in Araribóia; patrols have run for 15 years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Paulo Paulino Guajajara, an unarmed member of the “Guardians of the Forest”, was shot and killed in an ambush in the Araribóia Indigenous Territory; a friend was wounded. Two men are charged.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Paulo Paulino Guajajara","what":"Killed on 1 November 2019.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Laércio Guajajara","what":"Shot in the back and arm and wounded.","src":0},{"who":"The Guajajara community","what":"The case went to federal court because the killing was treated as an attack on the whole community.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Araribóia Indigenous Territory, Maranhão, Brazil.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1 November 2019; the federal jury trial was pushed to 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Paulo opposed logging in the territory, which Mongabay describes as illegal. The defendants say they were hunting and that the guardians attacked first; the Federal Police suggested a shootout after a motorbike theft.","src":null},"how":{"t":"He was shot in the neck in an ambush allegedly set by illegal loggers.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"81 Guajajara people were killed in Maranhão between 1991 and 2023; no perpetrator was tried.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"After 6 years, trial in Indigenous forest guardian killing pushed to 2026","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-11-07","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/after-6-years-trial-in-indigenous-forest-guardian-killing-pushed-to-2026/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710173732/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/11/after-6-years-trial-in-indigenous-forest-guardian-killing-pushed-to-2026/"},{"t":"Guajajara: assim se fustiga um povo indígena","p":"Outras Palavras","d":"2020-01","u":"https://outraspalavras.net/outrasmidias/guajajara-assim-se-fustiga-um-povo-indigena/","type":"press"},{"t":"Madeireiro acusado de matar líder indígena Paulino Guajajara vai a júri popular","p":"O Imparcial","d":"2023-10-25","u":"https://oimparcial.com.br/noticias/2023/10/madeireiro-acusado-de-matar-lider-indigena-paulino-guajajara-vai-a-juri-popular/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725050953/https://oimparcial.com.br/noticias/2023/10/madeireiro-acusado-de-matar-lider-indigena-paulino-guajajara-vai-a-juri-popular/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What happened on 1 November 2019?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No verdict: as of October 2026 no record was found that the federal jury trial had been held.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date on which the Araribóia territory was registered is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lac-megantic-rail-disaster","title":"Lac-Mégantic rail disaster (Quebec)","dek":"A runaway train carrying crude oil exploded in the centre of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, in July 2013, killing 47 people. The railway went bankrupt, about 25 parties funded a settlement of roughly C$440–460 million, and Canadian Pacific, which did not contribute, was not found liable by the Quebec courts.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":45.58,"lon":-70.88,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Quebec","lat":45.58,"lon":-70.88,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Quebec","role":"court"}],"start":2012,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2013-07-06","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Reported cleanup cost vs the railway's insurance cap","value":"C$200m+ vs C$25m","note":"Cleanup above C$200 million as reported by AP; Montreal, Maine & Atlantic's policy was capped at C$25 million."},"happened":["On 6 July 2013 a train carrying 72 tank cars of crude oil slid down a slope at night and exploded in the centre of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. 47 people died. The train was run by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA) and was driven by a single engineer.","MMA had received permission to run trains with a single engineer in May 2012. Reportedly, Transport Canada's own Montreal office and the union had opposed the change, and the company did not release its risk assessment, citing commercial secrecy. The accident investigation board listed 18 causes; the single-engineer decision was not among them.","Three MMA employees — the engineer Tom Harding, the traffic controller Richard Labrie and the operations manager Jean Demaître — were tried on charges of negligence causing death. In January 2018 a jury acquitted all three. In February 2018 MMA pleaded guilty under the Fisheries Act and was fined C$1 million, and six former employees pleaded guilty under the Railway Safety Act: five, including Demaître, were fined C$50,000 each and Harding received a six-month conditional sentence to be served in the community, according to The Canadian Press. Residents of the town said the wrong people had been tried. MMA's chairman, Edward Burkhardt, was never charged; he has said he lost his investment in the bankruptcy, and he settled in the civil case.","MMA's insurance policy was capped at C$25 million and covered property, injury and cleanup, according to AP and the Bangor Daily News. Cleanup alone cost more than C$200 million, AP reported. MMA filed for bankruptcy in Canada and the United States. About 25 parties, including the federal government, which paid C$75 million without admitting liability, funded a settlement of about C$440–460 million; the bankruptcy plans distributed about C$440 million.","Canadian Pacific (CP), the company that delivered the oil, was the only targeted company that refused to contribute. Quebec sued CP, claiming C$409 million, later reduced to C$315 million. In December 2022 the Quebec Superior Court found that CP's conduct was not the “direct, immediate and logical cause” and placed the fault on the engineer and MMA. The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the ruling on 26 February 2025, and the Supreme Court of Canada refused leave to appeal on 14 May 2026. CP paid nothing."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"May: MMA obtains permission for single-engineer operation; Transport Canada's Montreal office and the union had opposed it"},{"y":2013,"t":"6 July: train of 72 crude-oil tank cars slides down a slope at night and explodes in the town centre; 47 dead"},{"y":2018,"t":"January: jury acquits the engineer, the traffic controller and the operations manager; February: MMA and six former employees plead guilty to federal regulatory charges (C$1.25 million in fines in total)"},{"y":2022,"t":"December: Quebec Superior Court finds CP's conduct was not the direct, immediate and logical cause"},{"y":2025,"t":"26 February: Quebec Court of Appeal upholds the ruling"},{"y":2026,"t":"14 May: Supreme Court of Canada refuses leave to appeal"}],"said":[{"q":"direct, immediate and logical cause","who":"Quebec Superior Court, on the standard CP's conduct did not meet","when":"December 2022","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Did not release its single-engineer risk assessment, citing commercial secrecy.","who":"Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway","src":null},{"t":"Said he lost his investment in the bankruptcy.","who":"Edward Burkhardt, MMA chairman","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"A train of 72 tank cars of crude oil slid down a slope at night and exploded in the centre of Lac-Mégantic; 47 people died.","src":3},{"t":"Single-engineer operation was approved in May 2012; Transport Canada's Montreal office and the union had opposed it. The investigation board listed 18 causes; the single-engineer decision was not on the list.","src":4},{"t":"Jury acquitted the engineer, the traffic controller and the operations manager in January 2018; the MMA chairman was not charged.","src":1},{"t":"MMA's policy was capped at C$25 million; cleanup alone cost more than C$200 million (AP).","src":5},{"t":"The bankruptcy plans distributed about C$440 million. CP was the only targeted company that refused to contribute.","src":0},{"t":"Quebec claimed C$409 million from CP, later reduced to C$315 million.","src":0},{"t":"Eight subrogated insurers claimed about C$14 million from CP.","src":0},{"t":"Quebec Superior Court (December 2022), Quebec Court of Appeal (February 2025) and Supreme Court of Canada (leave refused 14 May 2026): Quebec's claim against CP failed.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"2013–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reported cleanup cost","v":"C$200m+","d":"Cleanup alone, as reported by AP"},{"k":"Railway's insurance cap","v":"C$25m","d":"Policy covered property, injury and cleanup (AP, Bangor Daily News)"}]},"unknown":["Whether XL Insurance Co Ltd's payment under the C$25 million policy was made in full: the record holds a trade-press headline that XL would pay $25 million, with no currency or date given.","The volume of oil released was not taken from a primary source."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"A one-night event on 6 July 2013. The last recorded legal step was the Supreme Court of Canada's refusal of leave on 14 May 2026.","whoPaid":"Those harmed, the Canadian federal government (C$75 million, without admitting liability) and the other contributors to the settlement fund. MMA's policy was capped at C$25 million and CP paid nothing.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: Quebec's claim against Canadian Pacific failed after the Supreme Court of Canada refused leave to appeal on 14 May 2026.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Canadian Pacific","says":"Refused to contribute to the settlement fund; the courts found its conduct was not the direct, immediate and logical cause.","when":"2013–2026","src":0},{"actor":"Edward Burkhardt (MMA chairman, never charged)","says":"Said he lost his investment in the bankruptcy; he settled in the civil case.","when":"Date not in record","src":null},{"actor":"Government of Canada","says":"Paid C$75 million into the settlement fund without admitting liability.","when":"Date not in record","src":null},{"actor":"Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway","says":"Filed for bankruptcy in Canada and the United States.","when":"Date not in record","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"mma-railway","role":"Railway operator; bankrupt"},{"id":"canadian-pacific","role":"Company that delivered the oil; refused to contribute; not found liable"},{"id":"xl-insurance","role":"Insurer named on MMA's C$25m policy"},{"id":"transport-canada","role":"Regulator that approved single-engineer operation"},{"id":"government-of-quebec","role":"Claimant against CP"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Contributed C$75 million to the settlement fund"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was Canadian Pacific legally responsible for the disaster?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Quebec","says":"Claimed C$409 million from CP, later reduced to C$315 million.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Quebec Superior Court (December 2022)","says":"Found CP's conduct was not the direct, immediate and logical cause and placed the fault on the engineer and MMA.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Quebec Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada","says":"The Court of Appeal upheld the ruling on 26 February 2025; the Supreme Court refused leave on 14 May 2026.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Canadian Pacific","says":"Was the only targeted company that refused to contribute to the settlement fund.","src":0}]},{"point":"Who should have been held criminally responsible?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Jury (January 2018)","says":"Acquitted the engineer, the traffic controller and the operations manager of negligence causing death.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Residents of Lac-Mégantic","says":"The wrong people were tried.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Edward Burkhardt, MMA chairman","says":"Was never charged; said he lost his investment in the bankruptcy and settled in the civil case.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was single-engineer operation properly assessed?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Transport Canada","says":"Approved single-engineer operation in May 2012.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Transport Canada's Montreal office and the union","says":"Opposed the change.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway","says":"Did not release its risk assessment, citing commercial secrecy.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Accident investigation board","says":"Listed 18 causes; the single-engineer decision was not among them.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal trial of three MMA employees over the deaths at Lac-Mégantic","forum":"Quebec criminal court (jury)","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Tom Harding (engineer), Richard Labrie (traffic controller), Jean Demaître (operations manager)","filed":null,"decided":"2018-01","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The three were tried for negligence causing death. A jury acquitted all three in January 2018. The MMA chairman was not charged.","src":1},{"title":"Quebec's claim against Canadian Pacific","forum":"Quebec Superior Court; Quebec Court of Appeal; Supreme Court of Canada","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Quebec","defendant":"Canadian Pacific","filed":null,"decided":"2026-05-14","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":315,"currency":"CAD","label":"Quebec's claim, reduced from C$409 million (million, per CP's annual report)"},"summary":"In December 2022 the Superior Court found CP's conduct was not the “direct, immediate and logical cause”. The Court of Appeal ruled in February 2025 (26 February) and the Supreme Court of Canada refused leave on 14 May 2026. CP paid nothing.","src":2},{"title":"MMA bankruptcy proceedings and settlement plans","forum":"Bankruptcy proceedings in Canada and the United States","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants in the MMA bankruptcy proceedings","defendant":"Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":440,"currency":"CAD","label":"About C$440 million distributed under the plans (million)"},"summary":"MMA filed for bankruptcy in Canada and the United States. The plans distributed about C$440 million; the wider settlement fund was put at C$440–460 million from about 25 parties, including C$75 million from the federal government without admitting liability.","src":0},{"title":"Civil case against MMA's chairman","forum":"Civil court (name: none on record)","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Civil claimants (names: none on record)","defendant":"Edward Burkhardt","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","summary":"Burkhardt was never criminally charged. He said he lost his investment in the bankruptcy and he settled in the civil case; the settlement terms were not in the cited sources.","src":6},{"title":"Federal regulatory charges over Lac-Mégantic (Fisheries Act, Railway Safety Act)","forum":"Quebec court (court not named in the source)","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors","defendant":"Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway and six former employees, including Tom Harding and Jean Demaître","decided":"2018-02-05","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1.25,"currency":"CAD","label":"total fines (C$ million)"},"summary":"MMA pleaded guilty under the Fisheries Act and was fined C$1 million. Six former employees pleaded guilty under the Railway Safety Act; five were fined C$50,000 each and Harding received a six-month conditional sentence served in the community.","src":7}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"XL Insurance Co Ltd","insured":"Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway","status":"unknown","year":null,"amount":{"value":25,"currency":"CAD","label":"Policy cap (million)"},"summary":"MMA's policy was capped at C$25 million and covered property, injury and cleanup (AP, Bangor Daily News). The insurer was named as XL Insurance Co Ltd; an Insurance Insider headline reported that XL would pay $25 million, with no currency or date given in the cited sources.","src":5},{"insurer":"Eight subrogated insurers (not named)","insured":"Policyholders (not named)","status":"unknown","year":null,"amount":{"value":14,"currency":"CAD","label":"About C$14 million claimed from CP (million)"},"summary":"Eight subrogated insurers claimed about C$14 million from CP. The outcome was not in the cited sources.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":47,"unit":"people","year":2013,"note":"Killed in the explosion on 6 July 2013."},{"key":"tank_cars","value":72,"unit":"cars","year":2013,"note":"Tank cars of crude oil in the train."},{"key":"cleanup_cost","value":200,"unit":"CAD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cleanup alone, as reported by AP."},{"key":"policy_limit","value":25,"unit":"CAD m","year":2013,"note":"MMA's policy cap, covering property, injury and cleanup."},{"key":"settlement","value":440,"unit":"CAD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Distributed under the bankruptcy plans (CP annual report); another record gives C$440–460 million from about 25 parties."},{"key":"federal_contribution","value":75,"unit":"CAD m","year":2013,"note":"Paid by the federal government without admitting liability."},{"key":"claim","value":315,"unit":"CAD m","year":2013,"note":"Quebec's claim against CP, reduced from C$409 million."},{"key":"subrogated_claims","value":14,"unit":"CAD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Claimed from CP by eight subrogated insurers."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A train carrying 72 tank cars of crude oil slid down a slope at night and exploded in the centre of Lac-Mégantic; 47 people died. The railway went bankrupt and Canadian Pacific, which did not contribute, was not found liable.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Canadian Pacific","what":"Paid nothing into the settlement fund; Quebec's claim against it failed through to the Supreme Court of Canada's refusal of leave in May 2026.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Contributors to the settlement fund","what":"About 25 parties, including the federal government (C$75 million, without admitting liability), insurers and Burkhardt.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lac-Mégantic and its residents","what":"47 people died; cleanup alone cost more than C$200 million.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada.","src":null},"when":{"t":"6 July 2013, at night; legal proceedings ran until the Supreme Court of Canada refused leave on 14 May 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The accident investigation board listed 18 causes; the single-engineer decision, approved in May 2012, was not among them.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A train of 72 tank cars of crude oil slid down a slope at night and exploded in the town centre.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Canadian Pacific Railway annual report on Form 10-K (note on Lac-Mégantic)","p":"Canadian Pacific via U.S. SEC EDGAR","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/16875/000001687520000007/R34.htm"},{"t":"Courthouse News report cited for the 2018 acquittals","p":"Courthouse News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.courthousenews.com/?p=581369"},{"t":"Lac-Mégantic: CP not liable, Supreme Court of Canada refuses leave to appeal","p":"Global News","d":"2026-05-14","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/11849425/lac-megantic-cp-rail-liability/amp/","type":"press"},{"t":"Lac-Mégantic runaway train and derailment: TSB backgrounder (R13D0054), 18 findings as to causes and contributing factors","p":"Transportation Safety Board of Canada","d":"2014-08-19","u":"https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/medias-media/fiches-facts/r13d0054/r13d0054-20140819a.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Ten areas of regulatory failure that contributed directly or indirectly to the Lac-Mégantic disaster","p":"Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives","u":"https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/ten-areas-of-regulatory-failure-that-contributed-directly-or-indirectly-to-the-lac-megantic-disaster/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Railroad's insurance falls short of disaster cleanup","p":"Mainebiz","u":"https://mainebiz.biz/article/railroads-insurance-falls-short-of-disaster-cleanup","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609120739/https://mainebiz.biz/article/railroads-insurance-falls-short-of-disaster-cleanup/"},{"t":"Lac-Megantic residents say wrong people accused, company responsible for disaster","p":"The Canadian Press (via CFJC Today)","d":"2018-01","u":"https://cfjctoday.com/?p=662484","type":"press"},{"t":"MMA and former employees plead guilty, fined $1.25 million in Lac-Mégantic case","p":"Global News (The Canadian Press)","d":"2018-02-05","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/4007016/mma-and-former-employees-plead-guilty-fined-1-25-million-in-lac-megantic-case/amp/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A train of 72 tank cars of crude oil exploded on me at Lac-Mégantic in July 2013; AP reported cleanup alone at more than C$200 million, against the railway's C$25 million policy cap.","src":[3,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Canadian Pacific legally responsible for the disaster?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who should have been held criminally responsible?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was single-engineer operation properly assessed?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"XL Insurance Co Ltd: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Eight subrogated insurers (not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether XL Insurance Co Ltd's payment under the C$25 million policy was made in full: the record holds a trade-press headline that XL would pay $25 million, with no currency or date given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The volume of oil released was not taken from a primary source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Contributors to the settlement fund","No source link — Who harmed: Lac-Mégantic and its residents"]},{"id":"mckinsey-advice-to-cop28-presidency-and-fossil-clients","title":"McKinsey advice to COP28 presidency and fossil clients","dek":"McKinsey gave free advice to the COP28 climate summit presidency in 2023, whose president also ran the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, while oil and mining companies were among its clients. The firm also drew up forest-carbon cost curves for forest countries and is a founding member of a carbon-removal buyers' club.","country":"United Arab Emirates","region":"Global","lat":25.2,"lon":55.27,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","lat":25.2,"lon":55.27,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"affected"},{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Guyana","iso2":"GY","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Massachusetts","role":"court"}],"start":2011,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-10","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"McKinsey staff registered at COP28 (official participant list)","value":"59","note":"On the same list: KPMG 64, EY 60, PwC 51, Deloitte 47, BCG 19. December 2023."},"happened":["In 2023 McKinsey gave free advice to the presidency of the COP28 climate summit in the United Arab Emirates. The COP28 president, Sultan Al Jaber, was at the same time chief executive of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). AFP reported on a draft “energy transition narrative” that cut oil use by only 50% by 2050 and foresaw $2.7 trillion a year of new oil and gas investment. McKinsey's clients were named as including ExxonMobil, Aramco, Chevron, BP, Drax and Rio Tinto. McKinsey and the COP28 presidency dispute this characterisation, and McKinsey's COP28 documents have not been published independently.","In 2011 Greenpeace's report “Bad Influence” criticised the greenhouse-gas abatement cost curves that McKinsey had prepared for forest countries, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guyana, under REDD+, the UN mechanism that pays countries for avoiding deforestation. Greenpeace wrote that the curves were used to justify industrial expansion; the Indonesia projection assumed the conversion of 11–15 million hectares of forest for pulp and palm oil, which let future deforestation be shown as high and then counted as “avoided”. McKinsey said the criticism was taken out of context and stood behind its work. The Congo's environment minister said the country had adopted McKinsey's scenarios, and McKinsey said more than 25 countries used the curves. McKinsey kept the underlying data closed, citing intellectual property.","McKinsey Sustainability is a founding member of Frontier, a buyers' club for carbon removal whose other founding members include Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify and Meta. Members commit at least $10 million and pay an annual fee of 0.5–2%; Frontier negotiates one price for all buyers, vets suppliers and accepts deliveries. Its first deal, in May 2023, was with Charm Industrial for 112,000 tonnes for $53 million. McKinsey was also named among buyers of credits from the Kariba carbon project in Zimbabwe, buying more than €200,000 after the developer's sales stop on 9 November 2022. A December 2023 analysis by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey projected that a biodiversity-credit market worth about $8 million would reach $2 billion by 2030 and $69 billion by 2050.","McKinsey's own 2021 internal analysis, reported by the Centre for Climate Reporting and the Guardian in November 2024, found that its client portfolio was likely on a path to 3 to 5 degrees of warming and included more than half of the world's worst polluters; senior partners did not advance the work. More than 1,100 employees signed a letter in 2021 asking the firm to follow its own advice. On 9 April 2025 a Massachusetts court ordered the production of documents on McKinsey's 2017 risk assessment and 2019 sustainability framework work for Exxon and rejected a confidentiality objection; the case was ongoing.","Biographies on conservation organisations' websites list former McKinsey partners among their directors, including African Parks and the Rainforest Alliance. A WWF-US biography says one director spent more than 20 years at McKinsey, and another WWF-US director joined Goldman Sachs from McKinsey."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Greenpeace publishes “Bad Influence” on McKinsey's REDD+ cost curves for Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Congo and Guyana"},{"y":2021,"t":"McKinsey internal analysis of client emissions; more than 1,100 employees sign a letter"},{"y":2022,"t":"9 November: Kariba project sales stop; McKinsey is later named as buying more than €200,000 of credits"},{"y":2023,"t":"May: Frontier signs its first deal. October: AFP reports McKinsey's free advice to the COP28 presidency. November: leaked briefing notes on ADNOC deals. December: COP28 decision; WEF–McKinsey biodiversity-credit forecast"},{"y":2024,"t":"21 November: Centre for Climate Reporting and the Guardian publish the 2021 internal analysis"},{"y":2025,"t":"9 April: Massachusetts court orders production of McKinsey documents on work for Exxon"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"McKinsey says sustainability is a critical priority for it and that withdrawing from fossil-fuel sectors would do nothing to solve the climate problem.","who":"McKinsey","src":null},{"t":"The World Economic Forum and McKinsey projected that the biodiversity-credit market would reach $2 billion by 2030 and $69 billion by 2050 (optimistic case: $180 billion).","who":"World Economic Forum and McKinsey, December 2023","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"McKinsey gave free advice to the COP28 presidency, whose president was also chief executive of ADNOC (AFP).","src":6},{"t":"A draft “energy transition narrative” seen by AFP cut oil use by only 50% by 2050 and foresaw $2.7 trillion a year of new oil and gas investment.","src":6},{"t":"COP28's president, Sultan Al Jaber, was also ADNOC's chief executive; leaked briefing notes from November 2023 held talking points for oil and gas deals with at least 15 governments (BBC).","src":2},{"t":"McKinsey registered 59 people at COP28, against 64 for KPMG, 60 for EY, 51 for PwC, 47 for Deloitte and 19 for BCG (official participant list).","src":7},{"t":"McKinsey was named among buyers of Kariba credits (more than €200,000), after the 9 November 2022 sales stop.","src":1},{"t":"McKinsey's 2021 internal analysis found its client portfolio likely on a path to 3 to 5 degrees of warming; more than 1,100 employees signed a letter.","src":0},{"t":"On 9 April 2025 a Massachusetts court ordered production of documents on McKinsey's 2017 risk assessment and 2019 sustainability framework work for Exxon, rejecting a confidentiality objection; the case was ongoing.","src":8},{"t":"Greenpeace says the McKinsey-assisted Guyana plan allows 20 times more logging and that the Congo plan envisages 10 million hectares of additional logging concessions.","src":9},{"t":"Board biography of an African Parks director lists her as a former McKinsey partner.","src":4},{"t":"Board biography of a Rainforest Alliance director lists her as a partner at Dalberg and formerly at McKinsey.","src":5},{"t":"COP28 adopted decision 1/CMA.5 in December 2023, which included language on moving away from fossil fuels; it also encouraged carbon-capture technologies and left room for “transitional fuels”.","src":3},{"t":"Voluntary biodiversity-credit sales were at most $1.87 million to date (Pollination survey, September 2024), against the forecast of a $2 billion market by 2030.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Greenpeace on the Guyana plan","v":"20x","d":"Greenpeace says the McKinsey-assisted plan allows 20 times more logging"},{"k":"Greenpeace on the Congo plan","v":"10 Mha","d":"Additional logging concessions the plan envisages, according to Greenpeace"},{"k":"Independent review of McKinsey's REDD+ data","v":"Closed","d":"McKinsey kept the data closed, citing intellectual property"}]},"unknown":["Who paid for McKinsey's REDD+ work in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Congo and Guyana, and how much: not found.","McKinsey's COP28 documents have not been published independently; the firm and the COP28 presidency dispute the characterisation of the work.","A scenario of 40–50 million barrels of oil per day in 2050 is reported in one source; no other source confirms it.","Figures for biodiversity-credit sales conflict: at most $1.85 million to date in one source, and about $5.6 million in 2024 in a report that no other source confirms."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No end is recorded: the Massachusetts case was ongoing at the latest record, and no independent review of McKinsey's REDD+ data was found.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources: who paid McKinsey for its REDD+ work was not found, and its COP28 advice was reported as unpaid.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: a Massachusetts court ordered McKinsey to produce documents on its work for Exxon in April 2025 and the case was ongoing; McKinsey and the COP28 presidency dispute the characterisation of the COP28 work.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"McKinsey","says":"Has said sustainability is a critical priority for it and that withdrawing from fossil-fuel sectors would do nothing to solve the climate problem; says Greenpeace's criticism of its cost curves was taken out of context; stood behind the work.","when":"2011; 2023","src":null},{"actor":"McKinsey and the COP28 presidency","says":"Dispute the characterisation of the advice to the presidency.","when":"2023","src":null},{"actor":"ADNOC","says":"No response to the leaked briefing notes is in the cited sources.","when":"November 2023","src":2,"silent":true}],"actors":[{"id":"mckinsey","role":"Consultancy; advised the COP28 presidency, fossil-fuel clients and forest countries"},{"id":"cop28-presidency","role":"Summit presidency advised by McKinsey"},{"id":"adnoc","role":"State oil company whose chief executive was COP28 president"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Author of the 2011 report on McKinsey's cost curves"},{"id":"frontier","role":"Carbon-removal buyers' club; McKinsey Sustainability is a founding member"},{"id":"exxon","role":"McKinsey client; subject of the Massachusetts document order"},{"id":"south-pole","role":"Developer and marketer of Kariba credits"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did McKinsey's free advice to the COP28 presidency involve a conflict of interest?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP","says":"McKinsey gave free advice to a presidency headed by ADNOC's chief executive; a source told AFP the conflict of interest was clear from the start.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"McKinsey","says":"Sustainability is a critical priority for it, and withdrawing from fossil-fuel sectors would do nothing to solve the climate problem.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"COP28 presidency","says":"Disputes the characterisation of McKinsey's advice (wording not in the cited sources).","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"ADNOC","says":"No response to the leaked briefing notes on oil and gas deals is in the cited sources.","src":2,"silent":true}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did McKinsey's REDD+ cost curves make future deforestation look larger so that it could later be counted as avoided?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace (2011)","says":"The curves were used to justify industrial expansion in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Congo and Guyana; the Indonesia projection assumed conversion of 11–15 million hectares for pulp and palm oil. Greenpeace says the Guyana plan allows 20 times more logging.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"McKinsey","says":"The criticism was taken out of context; the firm stood behind its work and said more than 25 countries used the curves.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo","says":"Said the country had adopted McKinsey's scenarios.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Massachusetts court order for McKinsey documents on work for Exxon","forum":"Massachusetts court (name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"McKinsey (ordered to produce documents); Exxon was the client","filed":null,"decided":"2025-04-09","status":"ongoing","summary":"On 9 April 2025 the court ordered the production of documents on McKinsey's 2017 risk assessment and 2019 sustainability framework work for Exxon, and rejected a confidentiality objection. The case was ongoing.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"cop28_delegates","value":59,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"McKinsey staff on the official COP28 participant list; KPMG 64, EY 60, PwC 51, Deloitte 47, BCG 19."},{"key":"employees_letter_signatories","value":1100,"unit":"people","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Employees who signed a letter asking McKinsey to follow its own advice."},{"key":"assumed_forest_conversion_ha","value":11000000,"unit":"ha","year":2011,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Greenpeace: the Indonesia projection assumed conversion of 11–15 million hectares for pulp and palm oil."},{"key":"draft_oil_gas_investment","value":2700000,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2023,"note":"New oil and gas investment foreseen in the draft “energy transition narrative” seen by AFP."},{"key":"oil_barrels_per_day_2050","value":40000000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":2050,"qualifier":"40–50 million","unverified":true,"note":"Scenario reported in one source for the COP28 advice; not independently verified."},{"key":"credits_bought_value","value":0.2,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"McKinsey purchase of Kariba credits after the 9 November 2022 sales stop."},{"key":"frontier_charm_deal","value":53,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Frontier's first deal, with Charm Industrial for 112,000 tonnes."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"McKinsey advised the COP28 presidency without charge while serving oil and mining clients, drew up REDD+ cost curves for forest countries, and is a founding member of the carbon-removal buyers' club Frontier.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guyana","what":"Greenpeace (2011) alleged the cost curves were used to justify industrial expansion, including conversion of 11–15 million hectares in Indonesia; McKinsey said the criticism was taken out of context.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United Arab Emirates (COP28, Dubai); Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guyana; Zimbabwe (Kariba credits); Massachusetts, United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Cost curves 2009–2011; internal analysis 2021; Kariba purchases after 9 November 2022; COP28 advice reported October 2023; Massachusetts order 9 April 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"McKinsey says sustainability is a critical priority for it and that withdrawing from fossil-fuel sectors would do nothing to solve the climate problem.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Free advice to the COP28 presidency; REDD+ cost curves for forest countries with the data kept closed as intellectual property; a founding seat in Frontier.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"McKinsey client emissions","p":"Centre for Climate Reporting / Guardian","d":"2024-11-21","type":"investigative","u":"https://climate-reporting.org/mckinsey-client-emissions/"},{"t":"Zimbabwe forest carbon megaproject generated millions of junk credits","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2025-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/30/zimbabwe-forest-carbon-megaproject-generated-millions-of-junk-credits/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011070043/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/09/30/zimbabwe-forest-carbon-megaproject-generated-millions-of-junk-credits/"},{"t":"COP28 UAE plans oil deals under climate talks (BBC, via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2023-11","type":"press","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cop28-uae-plans-oil-deals-under-climate-talks","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250701001004/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cop28-uae-plans-oil-deals-under-climate-talks/"},{"t":"Decision 1/CMA.5","p":"UNFCCC","d":"2023-12","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2023_16a01E.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926185146/https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2023_16a01E.pdf"},{"t":"Tebogo Skwambane, board member profile","p":"African Parks","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://africanparks.org/about-us/our-people/tebogo-skwambane","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240915041430/https://www.africanparks.org/about-us/our-people/tebogo-skwambane"},{"t":"Sonila Cook, board member profile","p":"Rainforest Alliance","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://rainforest-alliance.org/bios/sonila-cook/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712084736/https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/bios/sonila-cook/"},{"t":"Top consultancy undermining climate change fight: whistleblowers (AFP)","p":"Al-Monitor / AFP","d":"2023-10-25","u":"https://www.al-monitor.com/index%2ephp/originals/2023/11/top-consultancy-undermining-climate-change-fight-whistleblowers","type":"press"},{"t":"Hyping the carbon capture con, big consulting firms infest COP 28","p":"Crikey","d":"2023-12-05","u":"https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/12/05/cop-28-consulting-firms-climate-change-al-jaber/","type":"press"},{"t":"Massachusetts court said Exxon must produce contested McKinsey documents in Commonwealth's climate consumer protection case","p":"Climate Litigation Database (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law)","d":"2025-04-09","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/documents/massachusetts-court-said-exxon-must-produce-contested-mckinsey-documents-in-commonwealths-climate-consumer-protection-case_d0d1","type":"academic"},{"t":"McKinsey advice on rainforest schemes (Greenpeace International press release, Bad Influence report)","p":"Greenpeace International, via Scoop","d":"2011-04-07","u":"https://scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1104/S00198/mckinsey-advice-on-rainforest-schemes.htm","type":"ngo"},{"t":"State of Voluntary Biodiversity Credit Markets: current supply and demand dynamics","p":"Pollination Group","d":"2024-09","u":"https://pollinationgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/BiodiversityCreditMarkets_2024-FINAL.pdf","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Greenpeace wrote in 2011 that a McKinsey-assisted projection for Indonesia assumed 11–15 million hectares of my forest would be converted to pulp and palm oil.","src":[9]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did McKinsey's REDD+ cost curves make future deforestation look larger so that it could later be counted as avoided?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did McKinsey's free advice to the COP28 presidency involve a conflict of interest?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"ADNOC: No response to the leaked briefing notes on oil and gas deals is in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Oil barrels per day 2050: Scenario reported in one source for the COP28 advice; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who paid for McKinsey's REDD+ work in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Congo and Guyana, and how much: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"McKinsey's COP28 documents have not been published independently; the firm and the COP28 presidency dispute the characterisation of the work.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A scenario of 40–50 million barrels of oil per day in 2050 is reported in one source; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures for biodiversity-credit sales conflict: at most $1.85 million to date in one source, and about $5.6 million in 2024 in a report that no other source confirms.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Forests in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guyana"]},{"id":"erika-oil-spill","title":"Erika oil spill","dek":"The Malta-flagged tanker Erika was involved in an oil pollution incident off Brittany, France, on 12 December 1999. In 2012 France's Court of Cassation upheld criminal liability for four parties, including Total SA, and held Total could not rely on the shipowner's liability channelling.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":47.8,"lon":-4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Brittany","lat":47.8,"lon":-4,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"court"},{"country":"Malta","iso2":"MT","role":"flag state"}],"start":1999,"end":2012,"eventDate":"1999-12-12","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Paid by the 1992 Fund (IOPC table)","value":"€116.9m","note":"Listed alongside €12.8m from Steamship Mutual, against a shipowner liability limit (CLC) of €12.84m."},"happened":["The tanker Erika, which sailed under the Maltese flag, was involved in an oil pollution incident off Brittany, France, on 12 December 1999. About 400 km of coast, from the tip of Finistère to Charente-Maritime, was oiled (Banque des Territoires); the quantity of oil spilled and the wildlife harmed are not stated in the sources.","Compensation for the pollution passed through the international oil pollution regime. An IOPC table lists Steamship Mutual at €12.8m and the 1992 Fund at €116.9m; the shipowner's liability limit under the Civil Liability Convention (CLC) was €12.84m. A secondary source (Baird) reports that a global settlement between the Fund, Steamship Mutual, RINA and Total was reached in 2011.","On 25 September 2012 the French Court of Cassation upheld criminal liability for four parties: the shipowner's representative, the manager's president, the classification society RINA and Total SA. The IOPC Funds reported that Total could not rely on the CLC's protection for parties other than the shipowner, because the damage resulted from its \"recklessness\", and that civil parties awarded damages at first instance or on appeal had been paid or offered compensation by Total and RINA. Total SA received the maximum fine of €375,000.","The IOPC Funds stated that the judgment had no financial impact on the 1992 Fund. The damages awarded to civil parties totalled €200.6m, about €13m of it for ecological damage (Banque des Territoires)."],"timeline":[{"y":1999,"t":"12 December: Erika incident off Brittany"},{"y":2011,"t":"Global settlement between the 1992 Fund, Steamship Mutual, RINA and Total reported (secondary source)"},{"y":2012,"t":"25 September: Court of Cassation upholds criminal liability for four parties and holds Total civilly liable"}],"said":[{"q":"no financial impact on the 1992 Fund","who":"IOPC Funds, describing the 2012 Court of Cassation judgment","when":"September 2012","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Court of Cassation, 25 September 2012: criminal liability upheld for the shipowner's representative, the manager's president, RINA and Total SA (IOPC Funds).","src":0},{"t":"Total could not rely on CLC protection because the damage resulted from its \"recklessness\" (IOPC Funds).","src":0},{"t":"Civil parties were paid by Total and RINA; no financial impact on the 1992 Fund (IOPC Funds).","src":0},{"t":"IOPC table: Steamship Mutual €12.8m and 1992 Fund €116.9m; CLC limit €12.84m.","src":1},{"t":"Under the IOPC Funds Claims Manual (section 1.4.13, as reported) the Fund does not pay for environmental damage calculated abstractly from theoretical models, or for punitive damages.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Criminal liability upheld","v":"4 parties","d":"Court of Cassation, 25 September 2012"},{"k":"Paid by the 1992 Fund","v":"€116.9m","d":"IOPC table; Steamship Mutual €12.8m; CLC limit €12.84m"},{"k":"Ecological harm quantified","v":"not on record","d":"No figure for oil spilled, coast affected or wildlife harmed"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: payments to claimants were set at 50% (July 2000), then 60%, 80% (June 2001) and 100% (April 2003), and Total SA and the French Government reportedly undertook to stand last in the queue. This account comes from secondary sources citing IOPC documents.","Unconfirmed: a payment of €35.8m attributed to RINA (ITIC).","Unconfirmed (reported by Baird): the 2011 global settlement between the 1992 Fund, Steamship Mutual, RINA and Total."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"According to the IOPC Funds, civil parties awarded damages had been paid or offered compensation by Total and RINA by the time of the 2012 judgment, with no financial impact on the 1992 Fund. The IOPC table separately lists Steamship Mutual at €12.8m and the 1992 Fund at €116.9m.","statusLine":"As of the latest record in the cited sources: the Court of Cassation ruled on 25 September 2012; no later proceedings are recorded.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Total SA: criminal liability upheld and held civilly liable (2012); could not rely on CLC channelling"},{"id":"rina","role":"Classification society: criminal liability upheld (2012); paid civil parties with Total"},{"id":"steamship-mutual","role":"Insurer listed at €12.8m in the IOPC table"},{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"International compensation fund (1992 Fund)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Could Total rely on the Civil Liability Convention's channelling of liability to the shipowner?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"French Court of Cassation (as reported by the IOPC Funds)","says":"Total could not rely on CLC protection because the damage resulted from its \"recklessness\".","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"The Convention names the protected parties; cargo owners and oil receivers are not on that list, and the protection falls away where damage results from intent or recklessness. The judgment had no financial impact on the 1992 Fund.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Erika: criminal liability (Court of Cassation)","forum":"Court of Cassation","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution and civil parties","defendant":"The shipowner's representative, the manager's president, RINA and Total SA","filed":null,"decided":"2012-09-25","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation upheld the Paris Court of Appeal's finding that all four parties (Tevere Shipping's representative, the president of Panship Management and Services, RINA and Total SA) were criminally liable for causing pollution (IOPC Funds). Total SA received the maximum fine of €375,000 (Banque des Territoires).","src":0},{"title":"Erika: civil liability of Total","forum":"Court of Cassation","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Civil parties","defendant":"Total SA and co-defendants including RINA","filed":null,"decided":"2012-09-25","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":200.6,"currency":"EUR","label":"EUR m; damages to civil parties, about €13m of it for ecological damage"},"summary":"The Court held Total could not rely on CLC protection because of \"recklessness\"; civil parties awarded damages had been paid or offered compensation by Total and RINA, with no financial impact on the 1992 Fund (IOPC Funds). Damages to civil parties totalled €200.6m, about €13m of it for ecological damage (Banque des Territoires).","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Steamship Mutual","insured":"Erika's shipowner (name: none on record)","status":"paid","year":null,"amount":{"value":12.8,"currency":"EUR","label":"EUR m"},"reason":"Liability limit applied (CLC limit €12.84m)","summary":"The IOPC table lists Steamship Mutual at €12.8m alongside the 1992 Fund at €116.9m; the cited sources record no insurer refusal and that limits applied.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"clc_limit","value":12.84,"unit":"EUR m","year":1999,"note":"Shipowner's liability limit under the Civil Liability Convention (IOPC table)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":12.8,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"Steamship Mutual, as listed in the IOPC table."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":116.9,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"1992 Fund, as listed in the IOPC table."},{"key":"civil_liability_joint","value":200.6,"unit":"EUR m","year":2012,"unverified":true,"note":"Damages to civil parties upheld in 2012, about €13m of it for ecological damage (Banque des Territoires)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil pollution incident involving the Malta-flagged tanker Erika, followed by compensation through the international regime and a 2012 Court of Cassation judgment on liability.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brittany, France.","src":null},"when":{"t":"12 December 1999; the Court of Cassation ruled on 25 September 2012.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the legal basis of liability rather than the cause of the incident: the Court found Total's recklessness removed its protection under the Civil Liability Convention.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The shipowner's liability was limited to €12.84m under the CLC; the 1992 Fund paid €116.9m; civil parties awarded damages were paid or offered compensation by Total and RINA.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Erika and Prestige judgements delivered","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2012-09","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/erika-and-prestige-judgements-delivered/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113121637/https://iopcfunds.org/news/erika-and-prestige-judgements-delivered/"},{"t":"Incidents involving the IOPC Funds 2012 (Erika)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds","d":"2012","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/uploads/tx_iopcpublications/incidents2012_e.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Claims Information Pack (environmental damage, abstract quantification and punitive damages)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/uploads/claims/files/basic-html/page16.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Naufrage de l'Erika : la Cour de cassation confirme toutes les condamnations","p":"Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts)","d":"2012-09-25","u":"https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/naufrage-de-lerika-la-cour-de-cassation-confirme-toutes-les-condamnations","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 400 km of my coast, from Finistère to Charente-Maritime, was oiled after the Erika incident of December 1999; of €200.6m in damages to civil parties, about €13m was for ecological damage.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could Total rely on the Civil Liability Convention's channelling of liability to the shipowner?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Civil liability joint: Damages to civil parties upheld in 2012, about €13m of it for ecological damage (Banque des Territoires).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: payments to claimants were set at 50% (July 2000), then 60%, 80% (June 2001) and 100% (April 2003), and Total SA and the French Government reportedly undertook to stand last in the queue. This account comes from secondary sources citing IOPC documents.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a payment of €35.8m attributed to RINA (ITIC).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed (reported by Baird): the 2011 global settlement between the 1992 Fund, Steamship Mutual, RINA and Total.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"ken-saro-wiwa-and-the-ogoni-nine-wiwa-v-shell","title":"Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine; Wiwa v Shell","dek":"Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were executed in Nigeria in 1995 after a military tribunal, having opposed Shell's operations in Ogoniland. Shell settled the Wiwa case for $15.5 million in 2009 without admitting liability; a Dutch case was dismissed in 2022.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":4.7,"lon":7.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":"Ogoniland","lat":4.7,"lon":7.3,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"The Hague","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"}],"start":1958,"end":2026,"eventDate":"1995-11-10","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Clean-up fund recommended by UNEP for the first five years","value":"$1 billion","note":"UNEP's 2011 assessment estimated 25–30 years of clean-up; the SPDC partnership's share was reported as $900 million over five years (2018)."},"happened":["Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others, known as the Ogoni Nine, were executed in Nigeria on 10 November 1995 following the decision of a military tribunal. They had opposed Shell's operations in Ogoniland. Shell halted production in Ogoniland in 1993.","Litigation followed. Wiwa v Shell was settled on 8 June 2009 for $15.5 million with no admission of liability; Shell cited a \"process of reconciliation\". In April 2013 the US Supreme Court ruled in Kiobel that the Alien Tort Statute does not apply extraterritorially. In the Netherlands, The Hague District Court accepted jurisdiction in May 2019 and dismissed all claims in March 2022; the appeal was later withdrawn.","In 2011 the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) assessed Ogoniland. At Nisisioken Ogale, benzene in well water was more than 900 times the World Health Organization guideline and a layer of refined oil about 8 cm thick lay on the groundwater. UNEP estimated that remediation would take 25 to 30 years and asked for $1 billion for the first five years. It found the surface clean-up method used by SPDC, Shell's Nigerian subsidiary, ineffective.","BusinessDay reported in 2018 that the SPDC partnership, in which the state company NNPC holds 55%, would put $900 million of the $1 billion fund in over five years, with a first instalment of $180 million. In December 2024 AP reported, citing leaked UN files, that a January 2022 UN review found 21 of 41 clean-up contractors lacked relevant experience.","Shell completed the sale of SPDC to Renaissance on 13 March 2025. The Nigerian government is discussing restarting production in Ogoniland; this is not confirmed."],"timeline":[{"y":1993,"t":"Shell halts production in Ogoniland"},{"y":1995,"t":"10 November: Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others executed after a military tribunal"},{"y":2009,"t":"8 June: Wiwa v Shell settled for $15.5m, no admission"},{"y":2011,"t":"UNEP Ogoniland assessment (4 August): 25–30 years of clean-up; $1bn for the first five years"},{"y":2013,"t":"April: US Supreme Court rules in Kiobel that the Alien Tort Statute does not apply extraterritorially"},{"y":2019,"t":"May: The Hague District Court accepts jurisdiction"},{"y":2022,"t":"March: The Hague District Court dismisses all claims; appeal later withdrawn"},{"y":2025,"t":"13 March: Shell completes sale of SPDC to Renaissance"}],"said":[{"q":"process of reconciliation","who":"Shell, on the 2009 Wiwa settlement (as cited on the CCR case page)","when":"June 2009","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Shell said most spills were sabotage, according to SPDC and joint investigation visit (JIV) reports.","who":"SPDC / JIV reports","src":null},{"t":"Shell cited a \"process of reconciliation\" when settling Wiwa v Shell for $15.5 million, without admitting liability.","who":"Shell","src":0},{"t":"Shell described the Dutch outcome as all claims definitively rejected once the appeal was withdrawn.","who":"Shell (Netherlands)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others executed on 10 November 1995 after a military tribunal.","src":0},{"t":"Wiwa v Shell settled on 8 June 2009 for $15.5 million with no admission.","src":0},{"t":"Kiobel: US Supreme Court, April 2013, Alien Tort Statute does not apply extraterritorially.","src":8},{"t":"The Hague District Court accepted jurisdiction in May 2019 and dismissed all claims in March 2022; the appeal was later withdrawn.","src":1},{"t":"UNEP 2011: benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale over 900 times the WHO guideline; 8 cm layer of refined oil on groundwater; 25–30 years of remediation; $1bn for the first five years; 200+ sites and 4,000+ samples; contamination at least 5 m deep at 49 points; SPDC's surface clean-up method found ineffective.","src":7},{"t":"Amnesty (November 2013) reported that the cause of a spill is determined by the company-led joint investigation (JIV) and that a sabotage finding reduces compensation, with examples of wrong attribution.","src":9},{"t":"Since 2016 more than 75% of spills were attributed to theft and sabotage (report dated March 2022).","src":10},{"t":"Clean-up contracts worth 690 million naira went to unqualified firms, and UNEP expressed distrust of HYPREP (report dated November 2022).","src":11},{"t":"A January 2022 UN review found 21 of 41 clean-up contractors lacked relevant experience; a former environment minister said most clean-up firms were owned by politicians (AP, December 2024).","src":4},{"t":"Shell completed the sale of SPDC to Renaissance on 13 March 2025.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale","v":">900×","d":"WHO guideline value (UNEP, 2011)"},{"k":"Remediation time estimated by UNEP","v":"25–30 years","d":"$1 billion requested for the first five years"},{"k":"Clean-up contractors without relevant experience","v":"21 of 41","d":"January 2022 UN review, as reported by AP (December 2024)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"UNEP's 2011 Ogoniland assessment (figures given in text; no map or full dataset reviewed).","report":[{"t":"The benzene in my well water at Nisisioken Ogale was more than 900 times the World Health Organization guideline, according to UNEP in 2011.","src":7},{"t":"A layer of refined oil about 8 cm thick lay on my groundwater at Ogale.","src":7},{"t":"At 49 points the oil in my ground was at least 5 metres deep.","src":7},{"t":"UNEP estimated that cleaning me up would take 25 to 30 years.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Whether production in Ogoniland will restart: the government is discussing it; not confirmed.","Whether environmental conditions were attached to the 2025 SPDC sale: not clear in the cited sources. A sale value of $2.4 billion appears without a quoted source.","Zembla (Dutch television, December 2020) reported claims that SPDC employees had young people puncture pipelines and then hired them for clean-up; Shell said it was unaware, and the claim has not been proven.","Unconfirmed: a 2019 UNEP statement that the clean-up agency HYPREP was not suitably designed for the work, with about $30 million spent as of a 2020 report (HumAngle).","Unconfirmed: HYPREP's own statement that it had cleaned 30 of 65 sites after 15 years.","Unconfirmed: that Shell funded part of the UNEP Ogoniland report.","The first fund instalment is given as $180 million in the cited sources, while the BusinessDay headline refers to $200 million for year one.","No accounting of how much of the $900 million partnership contribution had been paid is on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Shell halted production in Ogoniland in 1993. Spills continued after 2016, with more than 75% attributed to theft and sabotage in a March 2022 report; no completed clean-up is on record.","whoPaid":"Shell paid $15.5 million in 2009 without admitting liability. The Ogoni clean-up fund was to be funded mainly by the SPDC partnership, in which the state company NNPC holds 55%.","statusLine":"As of March 2025: Shell completed the sale of SPDC; the Wiwa case was settled in 2009 and the Dutch case ended after the appeal was withdrawn; no completed Ogoni clean-up is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"shell","says":"Cited a \"process of reconciliation\" when settling Wiwa v Shell for $15.5 million without admitting liability.","when":"June 2009","src":0},{"actor":"shell","says":"Said it was unaware of the Zembla claim that SPDC employees had young people puncture pipelines.","when":"December 2020","src":5},{"actor":"shell","says":"Said all claims in the Dutch Kiobel case were definitively rejected now that the appeal had been withdrawn.","when":"2022","src":1},{"actor":"hyprep","says":"HYPREP's former head of operations, who had earlier managed Shell's oil spill clean-up, denies the allegations about clean-up contracts.","when":"December 2024","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Operator through SPDC; defendant in Wiwa v Shell and the Dutch case; sold SPDC in 2025"},{"id":"spdc","role":"Shell's Nigerian subsidiary; joint venture partner with NNPC (55%)"},{"id":"nnpc","role":"State company holding 55% of the SPDC partnership"},{"id":"hyprep","role":"Ogoni clean-up agency"},{"id":"unep","role":"Author of the 2011 Ogoniland assessment"},{"id":"renaissance","role":"Buyer of SPDC (March 2025)"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"What caused the oil spills in Ogoni and Bodo?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell SPDC and joint investigation visit (JIV) reports","says":"Most spills were sabotage.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty","says":"The company-led JIV determines spill causes, a sabotage record reduces compensation, and examples of wrong attribution exist (November 2013).","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"A March 2022 report","says":"Since 2016 more than 75% of spills were attributed to theft and sabotage; at one period more than 80% were counted as sabotage.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How effective was the clean-up of Ogoniland?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP (2011)","says":"SPDC's surface clean-up method was ineffective; remediation would take 25–30 years.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"HYPREP","says":"Said it had cleaned 30 of 65 sites after 15 years (the agency's own statement; not independently verified).","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"AP (December 2024)","says":"A January 2022 UN review found 21 of 41 clean-up contractors lacked relevant experience.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"HYPREP's former head of operations","says":"Denies the allegations about clean-up contracts.","src":4}]},{"point":"Did SPDC employees have young people puncture pipelines and then hire them for clean-up work?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Zembla (Dutch television), via Reuters / PGJ","says":"Witnesses said SPDC employees had young people puncture pipelines and then hired them for clean-up work (allegation; not proven).","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"Said it was unaware of the claim.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Wiwa et al. v Royal Dutch Petroleum et al.","forum":"Court name: none on record","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"Wiwa et al.","defendant":"Royal Dutch Petroleum et al. (Shell)","filed":null,"decided":"2009-06-08","status":"settled","amount":{"value":15.5,"currency":"USD","label":"USD m"},"summary":"Settled on 8 June 2009 for $15.5 million with no admission of liability. Shell cited a \"process of reconciliation\".","src":0},{"title":"Kiobel (Alien Tort Statute)","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiffs in Kiobel","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2013-04","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The US Supreme Court ruled in April 2013 that the Alien Tort Statute does not apply extraterritorially.","src":8},{"title":"Kiobel case in the Netherlands","forum":"The Hague District Court","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants (names: none on record)","defendant":"Shell","filed":null,"decided":"2022-03","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court accepted jurisdiction in May 2019 and dismissed all claims in March 2022; the appeal was later withdrawn.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":9,"unit":"people","year":1995,"note":"Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others executed on 10 November 1995 after a military tribunal."},{"key":"settlement","value":15.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"Wiwa v Shell settlement, 8 June 2009, no admission."},{"key":"cleanup_fund_recommended","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"UNEP asked for $1 billion for the first five years of Ogoniland clean-up (stated as $1 billion; shown in USD million)."},{"key":"cleanup_fund_partnership_share","value":900,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"SPDC partnership share over five years (BusinessDay, 2018)."},{"key":"cleanup_first_instalment","value":180,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"First instalment as reported; the BusinessDay headline cites $200 million for year one."},{"key":"benzene_vs_who_guideline","value":900,"unit":"times (more than)","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Well water at Nisisioken Ogale, UNEP 2011."},{"key":"oil_layer_cm","value":8,"unit":"cm","year":2011,"note":"Refined oil layer on groundwater at Ogale, UNEP 2011."},{"key":"remediation_years","value":30,"unit":"years","year":2011,"qualifier":"up to","note":"UNEP estimated 25–30 years."},{"key":"contractors_total","value":41,"unit":"contractors","year":2022,"note":"Clean-up contractors in a January 2022 UN review (AP, 2024)."},{"key":"contractors_inexperienced","value":21,"unit":"contractors","year":2022,"note":"Lacked relevant experience, per the same review."},{"key":"contracts_unqualified_firms","value":690,"unit":"NGN m","year":2022,"note":"Clean-up contracts reported to have gone to unqualified firms (November 2022 report)."},{"key":"sale_price","value":2400,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"SPDC sale value appears without a quoted source."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were executed in 1995 after a military tribunal; later litigation against Shell ended in a settlement (2009) and a dismissal (2022); UNEP documented contamination in Ogoniland.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"Completed the sale of SPDC to Renaissance on 13 March 2025.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others","what":"Executed on 10 November 1995 after a military tribunal.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ogoni and Bodo communities","what":"Contaminated well water and groundwater documented by UNEP in 2011.","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Ogoniland, Nigeria; litigation in the United States and the Netherlands.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Executions on 10 November 1995; settlement on 8 June 2009; Dutch dismissal in March 2022; SPDC sale on 13 March 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The victims had opposed Shell's operations in Ogoniland; the cause of the oil spills is disputed between company-led findings of sabotage and critics of the investigation process.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A military tribunal's decision led to the executions; the clean-up is to be financed through a fund of which the SPDC partnership was to supply $900 million over five years.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Wiwa et al. v. Royal Dutch Petroleum et al. (case page)","p":"ccrjustice.org","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/our-cases/wiwa-et-al-v-royal-dutch-petroleum-et-al","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012080602/https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/our-cases/wiwa-et-al-v-royal-dutch-petroleum-et-al"},{"t":"Shell's reaction to the Kiobel case: all claims definitively rejected now the appeal has been withdrawn (title translated from the Dutch URL)","p":"Shell Nederland","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://www.shell.nl/over-ons/nieuws/nieuwsberichten-2022/shells-reactie-kiobelzaak-alle-claims-definitief-afgewezen-nu-beroep-is-ingetrokken.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260122074323/https://www.shell.nl/over-ons/nieuws/nieuwsberichten-2022/shells-reactie-kiobelzaak-alle-claims-definitief-afgewezen-nu-beroep-is-ingetrokken.html"},{"t":"Shell completes sale of SPDC","p":"Shell","d":"2025-03","type":"company","u":"https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/newsroom/news-and-media-releases/2025/shell-completes-sale-of-spdc/spdc-sale.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811115303/https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/newsroom/news-and-media-releases/2025/shell-completes-sale-of-spdc/spdc-sale.html"},{"t":"200m year one Ogoni clean-up fund ready","p":"BusinessDay","d":"2018","type":"press","u":"https://businessday.ng/energy/oilandgas/article/200m-year-one-ogoni-clean-fund-ready/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220808135310/https://businessday.ng/energy/oilandgas/article/200m-year-one-ogoni-clean-fund-ready/"},{"t":"AP report on leaked UN files about the Ogoni clean-up (reprint on a Substack)","p":"AP, reprinted by kolaking.substack.com","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://kolaking.substack.com/p/ap-leaked-un-files-show-nigerian","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135445/https://kolaking.substack.com/p/ap-leaked-un-files-show-nigerian"},{"t":"Nigerian Shell Employees Damaged Pipelines for Profit (Dutch TV report)","p":"Reuters, via Pipeline & Gas Journal","d":"2020-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.pgjonline.com/news/2020/12-december/nigerian-shell-employees-damaged-pipelines-for-profit-dutch-tv","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607174220/https://www.pgjonline.com/news/2020/12-december/nigerian-shell-employees-damaged-pipelines-for-profit-dutch-tv"},{"t":"HYPREP not capable of handling Ogoni cleanup project, says UNEP","p":"HumAngle","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://humanglemedia.com/hyprep-not-capable-of-handling-ogoni-cleanup-project-says-unep","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607195046/https://humanglemedia.com/hyprep-not-capable-of-handling-ogoni-cleanup-project-says-unep/"},{"t":"UNEP Ogoniland oil assessment reveals extent of environmental contamination (UNEP bulletin, copy on Climate Diplomacy)","p":"UNEP, via Climate Diplomacy","d":"2011-08-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/environment/unep-ogoniland-oil-assessment-reveals-extent-environmental-contamination-and","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210416105101/https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/environment/unep-ogoniland-oil-assessment-reveals-extent-environmental-contamination-and"},{"t":"Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum Co., 569 U.S. 108 (2013)","p":"Supreme Court of the United States (U.S. Reports)","d":"2013-04-17","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-569/pdf/USREPORTS-569-108.pdf","type":"court"},{"t":"Bad Information: Oil Spill Investigations in the Niger Delta","p":"Amnesty International (with CEHRD)","d":"2013-11","u":"https://amnestyusa.org/reports/bad-information-oil-spill-investigations-in-the-niger-delta","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250712040907/https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/bad-information-oil-spill-investigations-in-the-niger-delta/"},{"t":"Criminal acts, sabotage and corruption see endless rate of oil spills in Niger Delta outpacing clean-up efforts","p":"Daily Maverick (ISS Today)","d":"2022-03-24","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-03-24-criminal-acts-sabotage-and-corruption-see-endless-rate-of-oil-spills-in-niger-delta-outpacing-clean-up-efforts.md","type":"press"},{"t":"Corruption and mismanagement may derail cleanup of Niger Delta","p":"Africa at LSE (London School of Economics)","d":"2022-11-22","u":"https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/11/22/corruption-and-mismanagement-may-derail-cleanup-of-niger-delta","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250908214437/https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/11/22/corruption-and-mismanagement-may-derail-cleanup-of-niger-delta/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["ogoniland-and-bodo-spills-cleanup","shell-nigeria-pipeline-spill-ruling","niger-delta-oil-spills-and-sabotage-attribution"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What caused the oil spills in Ogoni and Bodo?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How effective was the clean-up of Ogoniland?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did SPDC employees have young people puncture pipelines and then hire them for clean-up work?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Sale price: SPDC sale value appears without a quoted source.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether production in Ogoniland will restart: the government is discussing it; not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether environmental conditions were attached to the 2025 SPDC sale: not clear in the cited sources. A sale value of $2.4 billion appears without a quoted source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Zembla (Dutch television, December 2020) reported claims that SPDC employees had young people puncture pipelines and then hired them for clean-up; Shell said it was unaware, and the claim has not been proven.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2019 UNEP statement that the clean-up agency HYPREP was not suitably designed for the work, with about $30 million spent as of a 2020 report (HumAngle).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: HYPREP's own statement that it had cleaned 30 of 65 sites after 15 years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Shell funded part of the UNEP Ogoniland report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The first fund instalment is given as $180 million in the cited sources, while the BusinessDay headline refers to $200 million for year one.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No accounting of how much of the $900 million partnership contribution had been paid is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others"]},{"id":"copler-ilic-heap-leach-collapse-turkey","title":"Çöpler (İliç) heap leach collapse","dek":"On 13 February 2024 a heap of ore being leached with cyanide slid at the Çöpler gold mine in İliç, Turkey, and nine workers died. A criminal trial of 43 defendants is ongoing, and in 2026 the majority owner sold its 80% stake to Cengiz Holding.","country":"Turkey","region":"Asia","lat":39.3,"lon":38.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Erzincan (İliç)","lat":39.3,"lon":38.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Erzincan","role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-02-13","instrument":"cyanide-spill","types":["cyanide-spill","mining-tailings"],"headline":{"label":"Workers killed in the heap collapse","value":"9","note":"13 February 2024; trial of 43 defendants ongoing, no verdict."},"happened":["The Çöpler gold mine at İliç, in Erzincan province, is operated by Anagold. SSR Mining held 80% and Lidya Madencilik, part of Çalık Holding, held 20%. In 2022 a slide and a cyanide leak occurred on the same heap. The governorate and the company declared the leak at 20 m³; an expert at a court site inspection calculated 210 m³. The cited sources record that a fine was issued and the plant was briefly stopped.","On 13 February 2024 a heap of about 10 million m³ of ore, being leached with cyanide, slid. Nine workers were trapped under it, and their bodies could not be reached for months. An expert panel later reported exceedances of some values in soil, groundwater, surface water and air. According to that panel, as reported by Medyascope, the environmental impact assessment (EIA) had been approved even though limit values were exceeded.","The EIA approval for the mine's second capacity increase carries the signature of the then environment minister, Murat Kurum, dated 7 October 2021. In 2024 Kurum said, as reported, that the ministry does not decide capacity and that the EIA only examines environmental impacts.","The criminal case is before the Erzincan 1st High Criminal Court with 43 defendants, all charged with causing the death and injury of several people through negligence; three of them are also charged with polluting the environment through negligence, NTV reported in September 2025. An expert report found the public officials who approved the EIA at fault. At the seventh hearing, on 14 April 2026, victims' lawyers submitted documents showing that a member of the expert panel had a commercial relationship with the mining company; the court accepted a new expert panel, released defendant Selçuk Çiftlik under judicial control and adjourned to 7 July 2026, Cumhuriyet reported. At the eighth hearing, on 7 July 2026, the court ordered a new panel of academic experts, released the last two detained defendants, Ian Ronald Guille and Ali Rıza Kalender, under house arrest with electronic monitoring, kept arrest warrants for six defendants in force and adjourned to 20 October 2026, Artı Gerçek reported. No verdict has been given.","SSR Mining agreed in March 2026 to sell its 80% stake to Cengiz Holding for about $1.49 billion in cash; SSR's release on the completed sale is dated June 2026. On 24 July 2026 the ministry, with Kurum again as minister, issued the mine a one-year temporary operating certificate. Cengiz's request for a third capacity increase is before the EIA commission, and annulment applications have been filed against the certificate."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"7 October: EIA approval for the second capacity increase signed by then environment minister Murat Kurum"},{"y":2022,"t":"Slide and cyanide leak on the same heap; volume declared at 20 m³, calculated by a court expert at 210 m³"},{"y":2024,"t":"13 February: heap slides, nine workers killed; May: expert panel reports exceedances in soil, water and air"},{"y":2026,"t":"March: SSR Mining agrees to sell 80% to Cengiz Holding for about $1.49bn; April: seventh hearing, expert's commercial tie to the company raised; 7 July: eighth hearing, last two detained defendants released, trial adjourned to 20 October; 24 July: one-year temporary operating certificate"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The cyanide leak in 2022 was 20 m³.","who":"The governorate and the company (as reported by Medyascope)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"A court-site expert calculated the 2022 cyanide leak at 210 m³, not 20 m³.","src":2},{"t":"Medyascope reported that the ministry accepted the company's declaration even on the volume of the 2022 leak.","src":2},{"t":"An expert panel found exceedances of some values in soil, groundwater, surface water and air (May 2024).","src":0},{"t":"According to the expert panel, as reported by Medyascope, the EIA approval was given despite exceedances of limit values.","src":1},{"t":"Nine workers died in the heap collapse on 13 February 2024.","src":9},{"t":"Trial: 43 defendants before the Erzincan 1st High Criminal Court; an expert report found the officials who approved the EIA at fault; hearing adjourned to 11 November 2026.","src":4},{"t":"The ministry issued a one-year temporary operating certificate on 24 July 2026.","src":5},{"t":"After the collapse a journalist was investigated under the disinformation provision (the cited sources).","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"SSR Mining's sale of its 80% stake in Çöpler to Cengiz Holding (announced March 2026)","amount":1490}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Heap that slid","v":"~10 million m³","d":"Ore heap leached with cyanide, 13 February 2024"},{"k":"2022 cyanide leak","v":"20 m³ vs 210 m³","d":"Declared by governorate and company vs calculated by a court-site expert"},{"k":"Expert panel, May 2024","v":"Exceedances","d":"In some values for soil, groundwater, surface water and air"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"An expert panel's findings reported by Medyascope in May 2024; the cited sources give no measured values.","report":[{"t":"In 2024 an expert panel found that some values in my soil exceeded the limits.","src":0},{"t":"The same panel found exceedances in my groundwater and surface water, and in my air.","src":0},{"t":"In 2022 cyanide leaked from the same heap onto me: 20 m³ was declared and 210 m³ was calculated by an expert.","src":2}]},"unknown":["The measured values and the sites sampled in the May 2024 expert panel report are not on record.","A network of 181 accounts denied the leak and discredited a person who opposed the mine; a link to the company was not proven (Medyascope, March 2024).","Former Erzincan chief prosecutor İlhan Cihaner said there was bribery and EIA manipulation in the Çöpler licence; no conviction on this is recorded.","Expert reports on the 2024 collapse are described in the cited sources as conflicting; the details are not on record.","Amount of compensation to victims' families: not on record."],"evidence":["court-pending","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The ministry issued a one-year temporary operating certificate on 24 July 2026; the cited sources do not record completion of any clean-up.","whoPaid":"The nine workers who died and their families; the cited sources give no compensation figures.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the trial of 43 defendants continues with no verdict; no defendant is in detention, and the next hearing is set for 20 October 2026.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"tr-environment-ministry","says":"Murat Kurum said in 2024 that the ministry does not decide capacity and that the EIA only examines environmental impacts (paraphrase from the cited sources).","when":"2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"anagold","role":"Operator of the Çöpler mine"},{"id":"ssr-mining","role":"80% owner of Anagold until the 2026 sale"},{"id":"lidya-madencilik","role":"20% owner of the mine (Çalık Holding)"},{"id":"cengiz-holding","role":"Buyer of the 80% stake (2026)"},{"id":"tr-environment-ministry","role":"EIA approvals and operating certificates"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much cyanide solution leaked in 2022?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The company and the governorate","says":"The leak was 20 m³.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Expert at the court site inspection","says":"The leak was 210 m³.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Medyascope","says":"The ministry accepted the company's declaration even on the leak volume.","src":2}]},{"point":"Who is responsible for the capacity increase and the EIA approval?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Murat Kurum, then environment minister","says":"The ministry does not decide capacity; the EIA only examines environmental impacts (paraphrase, 2024).","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Expert report in the criminal case","says":"The public officials who approved the EIA were at fault.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"İlhan Cihaner, former Erzincan chief prosecutor","says":"There was bribery and EIA manipulation in the Çöpler licence (his statement; no conviction recorded).","src":8}]},{"point":"Was an expert in the case independent of the mining company?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Victims' lawyers","says":"At the seventh hearing (14 April 2026) they submitted documents showing that a member of the expert panel had a commercial relationship with the mining company.","src":11},{"voice":"court","holder":"Erzincan 1st High Criminal Court","says":"Accepted a new expert panel and adjourned to 7 July 2026; on 7 July ordered a new panel of academic experts and adjourned to 20 October 2026.","src":12}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Çöpler heap collapse criminal trial","forum":"Erzincan 1st High Criminal Court","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution and victims' families","defendant":"43 accused (charged)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The 43 defendants are charged with causing the death and injury of several people through negligence; three are also charged with polluting the environment through negligence. They are accused and no verdict has been given. At the seventh hearing, on 14 April 2026, the court accepted a new expert panel; at the eighth, on 7 July 2026, it released the last two detained defendants and adjourned the case to 20 October 2026.","src":12},{"title":"Annulment applications against the temporary operating certificate","forum":"None on record","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"The ministry that issued the certificate","filed":"2026","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The cited sources record annulment applications against the one-year temporary operating certificate issued on 24 July 2026.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":9,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Workers killed in the heap collapse on 13 February 2024."},{"key":"heap_volume_m3","value":10000000,"unit":"m3","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ore heap leached with cyanide that slid."},{"key":"cyanide_solution_m3","value":20,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"note":"2022 leak as declared by the governorate and the company."},{"key":"cyanide_solution_m3_expert","value":210,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"note":"2022 leak as calculated by a court-site expert."},{"key":"defendants","value":43,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Accused in the criminal trial; no verdict."},{"key":"sale_price","value":1490,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"SSR Mining's sale of 80% of Çöpler to Cengiz Holding, cash."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A heap of cyanide-leached ore slid at the Çöpler gold mine on 13 February 2024, killing nine workers; a criminal trial of 43 defendants is ongoing.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SSR Mining","what":"Sold its 80% stake in Çöpler to Cengiz Holding for about $1.49 billion in cash (announced March 2026).","src":7},{"who":"Cengiz Holding","what":"Acquired the 80% stake; its third capacity increase is before the EIA commission.","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Nine workers and their families","what":"The nine workers died in the collapse.","src":9}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil, groundwater, surface water and air at İliç","what":"Exceedances in some values reported by an expert panel in May 2024.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Çöpler mine, İliç, Erzincan, Turkey, in the Euphrates basin.","src":null},"when":{"t":"13 February 2024; trial ongoing, next hearing 20 October 2026.","src":12},"why":{"t":"The trial is examining negligence; an expert report found fault with the officials who approved the EIA; the cause of the slide not on record.","src":4},"how":{"t":"The heap of about 10 million m³ of ore being leached with cyanide slid, trapping nine workers.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Expert panel reports exceedances of some soil, groundwater, surface water and air values around the İliç cyanide material (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-05-24","type":"press","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-siyanurlu-malzemenin-cevreye-etkisini-tespit-etti-toprakta-yeralti-yuzeysel-suda-havada-bazi-degerler-asildi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240524211208/https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-siyanurlu-malzemenin-cevreye-etkisini-tespit-etti-toprakta-yeralti-yuzeysel-suda-havada-bazi-degerler-asildi/"},{"t":"Expert panel: the EIA-positive report exposes the ministry's negligence in İliç (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-05-24","type":"press","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-ced-olumlu-raporu-ile-bakanligin-ihmalini-gozler-onune-serdi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250520172748/https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-ced-olumlu-raporu-ile-bakanligin-ihmalini-gozler-onune-serdi/"},{"t":"Objection to the ministry on İliç: ministry relies on the company's declaration even for the cyanide leak volume; leak is 210 m³, not 20 (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"Medyascope","d":"2022-09-24","type":"press","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2022/09/24/bakanliga-ilic-itirazi-bakanlik-siyanur-sizintisi-miktari-konusunda-bile-sirketin-beyanini-esas-aliyor-sizan-siyanur-20-degil-210-metrekup/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250425162132/https://medyascope.tv/2022/09/24/bakanliga-ilic-itirazi-bakanlik-siyanur-sizintisi-miktari-konusunda-bile-sirketin-beyanini-esas-aliyor-sizan-siyanur-20-degil-210-metrekup/"},{"t":"Trolls spent a year trying to discredit a critic of gold mining in İliç (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-03-25","type":"press","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/03/25/itibar-isportada-1-trolller-ilicteki-altin-madenciligine-karsi-cikan-cezayirlioglunu-itibarsizlastirmak-icin-bir-yil-boyunca-ugrasmis/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240403041020/https://medyascope.tv/2024/03/25/itibar-isportada-1-trolller-ilicteki-altin-madenciligine-karsi-cikan-cezayirlioglunu-itibarsizlastirmak-icin-bir-yil-boyunca-ugrasmis/"},{"t":"İliç trial postponed to 11 November (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"NTV","d":"2025-09-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/ilic-davasi-11-kasima-ertelendi,PBw1Dfrtz0K16SN80_zNDQ","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250916143746/https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/ilic-davasi-11-kasima-ertelendi,PBw1Dfrtz0K16SN80_zNDQ"},{"t":"Permit issued again to the mine that was the grave of nine workers, with Cengiz Holding (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-08-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5994822/9-isciye-mezar-olan-madene-cengiz-holding-le-yeniden-izin-cikti","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260804085303/https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5994822/9-isciye-mezar-olan-madene-cengiz-holding-le-yeniden-izin-cikti"},{"t":"SSR Mining completes the sale of the Çöpler mine","p":"SSR Mining","d":"2026-06-24","type":"company","u":"https://s22.q4cdn.com/546540291/files/doc_news/2026/Jun/24/SSR-MINING-COMPLETES-THE-SALE-OF-THE-PLER-MINE.pdf"},{"t":"SSR Mining sells Çöpler mine stake for $1.5B","p":"Mining.com","d":"2026-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/ssr-mining-sells-copler-mine-stake-for-1-5b/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611063531/https://www.mining.com/ssr-mining-sells-copler-mine-stake-for-1-5b/"},{"t":"İlhan Cihaner on the İliç mine (title translated from the Turkish URL)","p":"bianet","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/ilhan-cihaner-ne-yazik-ki-boyle-olacagi-belliydi-291818","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240213150241/https://bianet.org/haber/ilhan-cihaner-ne-yazik-ki-boyle-olacagi-belliydi-291818"},{"t":"Evrensel article no. 5991477 on the İliç mine (title not on record)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5991477"},{"t":"Journalist Sukran Ekinci questioned over 'spreading misleading information' regarding Erzincan post","p":"Media and Law Studies Association (MLSA)","d":"2024-02-15","u":"https://mlsaturkey.com/en/journalist-suekran-ekinci-questioned-over-spreading-misleading-information-regarding-erzincan-post","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Bilirkişi sorumlu şirketin danışmanı çıkmıştı… 9 işçinin öldüğü İliç davasında 'yeni bilirkişi raporu' kararı","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026-04-14","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/bilirkisi-sorumlu-sirketin-danismani-cikmisti-9-iscinin-oldugu-ilic-davasinda-yeni-bilirkisi-raporu-karari-2495221","type":"press"},{"t":"İliç maden faciası davasında tutuklu sanık kalmadı","p":"Artı Gerçek","d":"2026-07-07","u":"https://artigercek.com/emek/ilic-maden-faciasi-davasinda-tutuklu-sanik-kalmadi-348127h","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much cyanide solution leaked in 2022?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is responsible for the capacity increase and the EIA approval?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was an expert in the case independent of the mining company?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The measured values and the sites sampled in the May 2024 expert panel report are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A network of 181 accounts denied the leak and discredited a person who opposed the mine; a link to the company was not proven (Medyascope, March 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Former Erzincan chief prosecutor İlhan Cihaner said there was bribery and EIA manipulation in the Çöpler licence; no conviction on this is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Expert reports on the 2024 collapse are described in the cited sources as conflicting; the details are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Amount of compensation to victims' families: not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"ventron-morton-mercury-berry-s-creek","title":"Ventron/Morton mercury, Berry's Creek","dek":"A mercury-processing plant in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, discharged effluent into Berry's Creek between 1929 and 1974. In 1993 the New Jersey Supreme Court sided with 21 insurers that had been sued over cleanup cover.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.84,"lon":-74.09,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey (Wood-Ridge / Berry's Creek)","lat":40.84,"lon":-74.09,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","role":"court"}],"start":1929,"end":1993,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","chemical-pollution","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Mercury in subsoil and groundwater at the plant site (court description, 1981)","value":"About 268 tons","note":"Figure from the New Jersey Appellate Division's 1981 opinion as reproduced by the Environmental Law Reporter; the cost of cleanup is not stated in the sources."},"happened":["The Ventron plant at Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, processed mercury from 1929 to 1974. The site was operated successively under the names F.W. Berk, Wood Ridge/Velsicol and Ventron. In DEP v Ventron (New Jersey Appellate Division, 9 December 1981) the court recorded that effluent carried \"two to four pounds of mercury per day\" into the creek, that about 268 tons of mercury sat in subsoil and groundwater, and that mercury in the creek sediment was the highest reported in freshwater anywhere. The state environment department (DEP) had raised concerns from 1970.","In Morton International v General Accident Insurance, 21 insurers were sued over cover for the environmental cleanup. Morton International was the insured named in the case. Aetna and London-market insurers refused cover. The grounds they gave, as relayed in later state environment agency documents, were that the company had foreseen or intended the damage and knew the substances it discharged were harmful.","A trial court found for the insurers in 1989 and an appeals court affirmed in 1992. On 21 July 1993 the New Jersey Supreme Court decided Morton International v General Accident (134 N.J. 1). It held that the insurers were estopped (\"regulatory estoppel\") from relying on the \"sudden and accidental\" exclusion because the industry's 1970 statements to regulators were misleading. The exclusion, the court said, was enforceable only against \"an insured's intentional discharge of a known pollutant\".","On the facts, the court found that the insured had continued to discharge pollutants intentionally for years after being warned, and summary judgment for the insurers was affirmed.","Morton's own annual report on Form 10-K said the company was \"not entitled to indemnity under various comprehensive general liability policies for environmental cleanup\". Morton bore the cleanup."],"timeline":[{"y":1929,"t":"Plant begins processing mercury at Wood-Ridge, New Jersey (operated under F.W. Berk, then Wood Ridge/Velsicol, then Ventron)","src":0},{"y":1970,"t":"State environment department (DEP) raises concerns about the plant","src":0},{"y":1974,"t":"Mercury processing at the plant ends","src":0},{"y":1981,"t":"New Jersey Appellate Division decides DEP v Ventron (9 December)","src":0},{"y":1991,"t":"Appeals court affirms","src":4},{"y":1993,"t":"New Jersey Supreme Court decides Morton International v General Accident (21 July): 21 insurers sued; summary judgment for insurers affirmed","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"two to four pounds of mercury per day","who":"New Jersey Appellate Division, DEP v Ventron, on the plant's effluent","when":"9 December 1981","src":0},{"q":"an insured's intentional discharge of a known pollutant","who":"New Jersey Supreme Court, Morton International v General Accident, as quoted in Carter-Wallace (1998)","when":"21 July 1993","src":3},{"q":"not entitled to indemnity under various comprehensive general liability policies for environmental cleanup","who":"Morton International, Form 10-K","when":"Form 10-K (date not recorded in the sources)","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The plant processed mercury from 1929 to 1974.","src":0},{"t":"About 268 tons of mercury sat in subsoil and groundwater, and the court described creek-sediment mercury as the highest reported in freshwater anywhere (1981).","src":0},{"t":"21 insurers were sued in Morton International v General Accident; the New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed summary judgment for the insurers on 21 July 1993.","src":3},{"t":"Morton International stated in its Form 10-K that it was not entitled to indemnity under various comprehensive general liability policies for environmental cleanup.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mercury in subsoil and groundwater","v":"About 268 tons","d":"New Jersey Appellate Division, 1981"},{"k":"Mercury in creek sediment","v":"Highest reported in freshwater anywhere","d":"Court's description, 1981"},{"k":"Insurance cover for cleanup","v":"Refused; upheld by New Jersey Supreme Court","d":"Morton International v General Accident, 1993"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Description in the New Jersey Appellate Division's opinion in DEP v Ventron (9 December 1981), as reproduced by the Environmental Law Reporter.","report":[{"t":"Mercury sat in the ground under the plant for years: about 268 tons in the subsoil and the groundwater, a court wrote in 1981.","src":0},{"t":"The mercury in my creek sediment was the highest reported in freshwater anywhere, the same court said.","src":0}]},"unknown":["The size of the cleanup cost is not given in the sources.","Unconfirmed: later state environment agency documents describe the appeals court as finding that the company \"intentionally discharged hazardous pollutants into the Passaic River for decades\"; this wording has not been checked against the appeal opinion.","The reasoning attributed to the 1993 Supreme Court opinion comes from commentary and from a 1998 case quoting it."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Mercury processing at the plant ended in 1974; the court recorded in 1981 that about 268 tons of mercury remained in subsoil and groundwater.","whoPaid":"Morton International bore the cleanup after the insurers prevailed; by its own account in its Form 10-K it was not entitled to indemnity under the policies for environmental cleanup.","statusLine":"As of the latest source (1993 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling): summary judgment for the 21 insurers affirmed; no later development is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Morton International","says":"Stated in its Form 10-K that it was not entitled to indemnity under various comprehensive general liability policies for environmental cleanup.","when":"Form 10-K, date not recorded","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"morton-international","role":"Insured; plant-site company named in the insurance case"},{"id":"new-jersey-gov","role":"State environment department (DEP); raised concerns from 1970; party to DEP v Ventron"},{"id":"nj-supreme-court","role":"Court in Morton International v General Accident (1993)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the pollution exclusion in the liability policies bar cover for the mercury cleanup?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers (Aetna and London-market insurers)","says":"Refused cover. The grounds relayed in later state environment agency documents were that the company foresaw or intended the damage and knew the substances it discharged were harmful.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Morton International","says":"Was named as the insured in the suit against 21 insurers; later stated in its Form 10-K that it was not entitled to indemnity under various comprehensive general liability policies for environmental cleanup.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"New Jersey Supreme Court (21 July 1993)","says":"Insurers were estopped from relying on the exclusion because the industry's 1970 statements to regulators were misleading, but the exclusion could be enforced against \"an insured's intentional discharge of a known pollutant\". The insured had continued to discharge pollutants intentionally for years after being warned, so summary judgment for the insurers was affirmed.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"DEP v Ventron","forum":"New Jersey Appellate Division","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)","defendant":"Ventron","filed":null,"decided":"1981-12-09","status":"unknown","summary":"The court's opinion described the plant's effluent (\"two to four pounds of mercury per day\"), about 268 tons of mercury in subsoil and groundwater and the highest reported freshwater creek-sediment mercury. The operative holding is not recorded in the sources.","src":0},{"title":"Morton International v General Accident Insurance, 134 N.J. 1","forum":"New Jersey Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Morton International","defendant":"21 insurers (including General Accident)","filed":null,"decided":"1993-07-21","status":"defendant-won","summary":"A trial court found for the insurers in 1989 and an appeals court affirmed in 1992. The Supreme Court held that the insurers were estopped from relying on the pollution exclusion (regulatory estoppel), but that it could be enforced against an insured's intentional discharge of a known pollutant, and affirmed summary judgment for the insurers because the insured had continued to discharge intentionally after being warned.","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Aetna and London-market insurers","insured":"Morton International","status":"refused","year":null,"reason":"Insurers' stated ground, as relayed in later state environment agency documents: the company foresaw or intended the damage and knew the substances it discharged were harmful.","summary":"Insurers refused cover for the environmental cleanup at the mercury plant.","src":3},{"insurer":"21 insurers sued in Morton International v General Accident","insured":"Morton International","status":"refused","year":1993,"reason":"Pollution exclusion applied to intentional discharge of a known pollutant.","summary":"The New Jersey Supreme Court affirmed summary judgment for the insurers. Morton's Form 10-K said the company was not entitled to indemnity for environmental cleanup under various comprehensive general liability policies.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"mercury_in_subsoil_groundwater_tons","value":268,"unit":"tons","year":1981,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mercury in subsoil and groundwater, as recorded by the New Jersey Appellate Division.","src":0},{"key":"mercury_effluent_lb_per_day","value":"2–4","unit":"lb/day","year":1981,"note":"\"Two to four pounds of mercury per day\" carried by plant effluent into the creek, per the court.","src":0},{"key":"insurers_sued","value":21,"unit":"insurers","year":1993,"note":"Insurers sued in Morton International v General Accident.","src":3}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A New Jersey mercury plant discharged effluent into Berry's Creek; insurers refused cleanup cover and won in the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1993.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers (21 sued)","what":"Summary judgment affirmed; not required to indemnify the cleanup under the policies at issue","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Morton International","what":"Bore the cleanup; stated in its Form 10-K that it was not entitled to indemnity","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Berry's Creek","what":"Creek-sediment mercury described by the court as the highest reported in freshwater anywhere","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Wood-Ridge and Berry's Creek, New Jersey, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Plant operation 1929–1974; Appellate Division opinion 9 December 1981; Supreme Court ruling 21 July 1993.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The insurers argued the company foresaw or intended the damage; the court found the insured had continued intentional discharge for years after warnings.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Effluent carried mercury into the creek and about 268 tons remained in subsoil and groundwater; the insurance exclusion for intentional discharge of known pollutants was upheld on the facts.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"DEP v Ventron, New Jersey Appellate Division (9 December 1981), as reproduced by the Environmental Law Reporter","p":"Environmental Law Reporter (ELR)","d":"1981-12-09","type":"court","u":"https://www.elr.info/sites/default/files/litigation/12.20281.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241115204035/https://www.elr.info/sites/default/files/litigation/12.20281.htm"},{"t":"Morton International Form 10-K","p":"Morton International (SEC EDGAR)","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000068361/000091205794003178/0000912057-94-003178.txt"},{"t":"Morton International v General Accident Insurance, 134 N.J. 1","p":"CourtListener","d":"1993-07-21","type":"court","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2062885/morton-international-inc-v-general-accident-insurance/"},{"t":"Carter-Wallace (1998), quoting Morton International v General Accident","p":"FindLaw (New Jersey Supreme Court)","d":"1998","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nj-supreme-court/1255469.html"},{"t":"Morton Intern. v. General Acc. Ins., 266 N.J. Super. 300, 629 A.2d 895 (App. Div., filed 2 October 1991) and 134 N.J. 1, 629 A.2d 831 (N.J. 21 July 1993) - citation listing","p":"CourtListener (Free Law Project)","d":"1991-10-02","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/c/A.2d/629/","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"pollution-liability-insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the pollution exclusion in the liability policies bar cover for the mercury cleanup?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"DEP v Ventron: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the cleanup cost is not given in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: later state environment agency documents describe the appeals court as finding that the company \"intentionally discharged hazardous pollutants into the Passaic River for decades\"; this wording has not been checked against the appeal opinion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reasoning attributed to the 1993 Supreme Court opinion comes from commentary and from a 1998 case quoting it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tva-kingston-coal-ash-spill-insurance","title":"TVA Kingston coal ash spill insurance","dek":"After the December 2008 coal ash spill at Kingston, TVA said its insurers denied cover; arbitration awards followed. Which insurer paid which award is not fully confirmed.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":35.9,"lon":-84.51,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Kingston","lat":35.9,"lon":-84.51,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","role":"court"}],"start":2008,"end":2014,"eventDate":"2008-12-22","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","mining-tailings","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Reported insurance recoveries after arbitration (total; allocation by insurer not confirmed)","value":"More than $250–335m","note":"Reported range. The cleanup was reported at about $1.1bn."},"happened":["On 22 December 2008 a coal ash spill took place at Kingston, involving 1.1 billion gallons of ash. The cleanup was reported at about $1.1bn.","According to TVA's counsel (Perkins Coie), all 14 insurers, first-party and third-party, denied cover. Three Bermuda excess insurers denied cover and two rescinded their policies for alleged misrepresentation in the application. The insurers' position as described by TVA's attorney was: \"They claimed that this dredge cell was a dam and they asked us for a list of dams.\" The cell was not on the list.","Arch Re, with a $50m policy, argued non-disclosure and then paid about $42m in 2013, according to TVA's counsel as reported through the same excerpts.","In October 2013, Carrier Management reported that TVA was seeking \"the policy limits of $150 million\" from ACE Bermuda in arbitration and \"another $50 million\" from Zurich. TVA had collected $92m by October 2013. A London arbitration was reported to have awarded $150m plus $11m interest in late 2013, reported as ACE Bermuda's limit, and another $50m full-limits award followed in December 2014. In total, more than $250–335m was reported recovered. Which insurer paid which award is not fully confirmed.","The time from the spill to the collection of insurance was about six years."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Kingston coal ash spill, 22 December: 1.1 billion gallons of ash; cleanup later reported at about $1.1bn","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"October: TVA seeks \"the policy limits of $150 million\" from ACE Bermuda and \"another $50 million\" from Zurich in arbitration","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Arch Re pays about $42m (per TVA counsel); $92m collected by October; late 2013: London arbitration reportedly awards $150m plus $11m interest","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"They claimed that this dredge cell was a dam and they asked us for a list of dams.","who":"TVA's attorney, describing the insurers' position","when":"Date not recorded","src":0},{"q":"the policy limits of $150 million","who":"Carrier Management, describing what TVA sought from ACE Bermuda in arbitration","when":"17 October 2013","src":0},{"q":"another $50 million","who":"Carrier Management, describing what TVA sought from Zurich in arbitration","when":"17 October 2013","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"TVA sought \"the policy limits of $150 million\" from ACE Bermuda in arbitration and \"another $50 million\" from Zurich; $92m had been collected by October 2013.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Coal ash released","v":"1.1 billion gallons","d":"22 December 2008; no source URL recorded"},{"k":"Cleanup cost","v":"About $1.1bn","d":"As reported; no source URL recorded"},{"k":"Insurance recovered","v":"More than $250–335m","d":"Reported range; allocation by insurer not confirmed"}]},"unknown":["Which insurer paid which award is not fully confirmed.","Unconfirmed: that all 14 insurers denied cover, that two Bermuda excess insurers rescinded their policies, that Arch Re paid about $42m, and the quoted insurer position on the dredge cell.","Unconfirmed: the total recovery of $250–335m and the 2013 and 2014 award amounts."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The cleanup was reported at about $1.1bn. Insurance recoveries were reported at more than $250–335m, collected over about six years after arbitration; the allocation by insurer is not confirmed.","statusLine":"As of the latest date in the sources (December 2014 award reported): insurance recoveries reported at more than $250–335m; allocation by insurer not confirmed.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"TVA (via its counsel, Perkins Coie)","says":"All 14 insurers denied cover; three Bermuda excess insurers denied and two rescinded their policies for alleged misrepresentation in the application.","when":"Date not recorded","src":null},{"actor":"Arch Re","says":"Argued non-disclosure, then paid about $42m in 2013, per TVA's counsel.","when":"2013","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"tva","role":"Operator of Kingston; policyholder seeking cover"},{"id":"ace-bermuda","role":"Insurer; TVA sought the $150m policy limit in arbitration"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Insurer; TVA sought another $50m in arbitration"},{"id":"arch","role":"Insurer (Arch Re); $50m policy; argued non-disclosure"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was cover available for the Kingston spill?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TVA (via counsel Perkins Coie)","says":"All 14 insurers denied cover; two Bermuda excess insurers rescinded their policies for alleged misrepresentation.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers, as described by TVA's attorney","says":"\"They claimed that this dredge cell was a dam and they asked us for a list of dams.\" The cell was not on the list.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Arch Re","says":"Argued non-disclosure, then paid about $42m in 2013, per TVA's counsel (secondary source).","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"ACE Bermuda and Zurich","says":"TVA sought \"the policy limits of $150 million\" from ACE Bermuda and \"another $50 million\" from Zurich in arbitration. Their own stated positions are not in the sources.","src":0,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"TVA arbitration against ACE Bermuda (London)","forum":"London arbitration","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"TVA","defendant":"ACE Bermuda (reported)","filed":null,"decided":"2013","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":150000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Award of $150m plus $11m interest (reported as ACE Bermuda's limit)"},"summary":"A London arbitration awarded $150m plus $11m interest in late 2013, reported as ACE Bermuda's limit. Which insurer paid which award is not fully confirmed.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"ACE Bermuda","insured":"TVA","status":"litigation","year":2013,"amount":{"value":150000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Policy limit sought; award of $150m plus $11m interest reported"},"reason":"Not stated in the sources.","summary":"TVA sought \"the policy limits of $150 million\" in arbitration. A London arbitration was reported to have awarded $150m plus $11m interest in late 2013.","src":0},{"insurer":"Zurich","insured":"TVA","status":"litigation","year":2013,"amount":{"value":50000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Sought in arbitration"},"reason":"Not stated in the sources.","summary":"TVA sought \"another $50 million\" from Zurich in arbitration. The sources do not confirm the outcome for Zurich.","src":0},{"insurer":"Arch Re","insured":"TVA","status":"refused-then-paid","year":2013,"amount":{"value":42000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Reported paid, approximately (policy $50m)"},"reason":"Argued non-disclosure.","summary":"Arch Re, with a $50m policy, argued non-disclosure and then paid about $42m in 2013, per TVA's counsel.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"coal_ash_gallons","value":1100000000,"unit":"gallons","year":2008,"note":"Volume of the Kingston coal ash spill, 22 December 2008.","src":0},{"key":"cleanup_cost","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported cleanup cost; no source URL recorded.","src":0},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":92,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"collected by October 2013","note":"Amount TVA had collected by October 2013.","src":0}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A coal ash spill at Kingston led TVA to seek insurance cover; TVA said its insurers denied cover and recovered money through arbitration.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers","what":"Paid after arbitration according to reports; amounts paid by each not confirmed","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"TVA","what":"Cleanup reported at about $1.1bn; insurance recoveries reported at more than $250–335m","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kingston, with arbitration in London.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Spill 22 December 2008; arbitration awards late 2013 and December 2014.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Per TVA's counsel, insurers alleged misrepresentation in the application, claiming the dredge cell was a dam.","src":null},"how":{"t":"TVA sought policy limits from ACE Bermuda ($150m) and another $50m from Zurich in arbitration.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Carrier Management article, 17 October 2013 (title not recorded)","p":"Carrier Management","d":"2013-10-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2013/10/17/114532.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220813180020/https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2013/10/17/114532.htm"},{"t":"TVA Recovers $42M From Insurer in Coverage Arbitration","p":"Claims Journal","d":"2013-10-09","u":"https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/southeast/2013/10/09/238129.htm","type":"press"},{"t":"TVA to Get $150M More for Coal Ash Spill Cleanup from Insurer","p":"Insurance Journal (AP)","d":"2013-12-23","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/12/23/315286.htm","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"pollution-liability-insurance","related":["duke-energy-coal-ash-cleanup-cost-recovery","duke-energy-coal-ash-insurance-dispute","us-coal-ash-ponds-groundwater-contamination-and-epa-delay"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was cover available for the Kingston spill?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"ACE Bermuda and Zurich: TVA sought \"the policy limits of $150 million\" from ACE Bermuda and \"another $50 million\" from Zurich in arbitration. Their own stated positions are not in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which insurer paid which award is not fully confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that all 14 insurers denied cover, that two Bermuda excess insurers rescinded their policies, that Arch Re paid about $42m, and the quoted insurer position on the dredge cell.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the total recovery of $250–335m and the 2013 and 2014 award amounts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Insurers","No source link — Who lost: TVA"]},{"id":"kolontar-red-mud-spill","title":"Kolontár red mud spill (Hungary)","dek":"A red mud reservoir failed on 4 October 2010, killing 10 people. The operator's liability cover was HUF 10m (or HUF 20m by the chairman's early account), against damage reported at about HUF 35bn.","country":"Hungary","region":"Europe","lat":47.08,"lon":17.48,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Hungary","iso2":"HU","admin":"Kolontár / Ajka","lat":47.08,"lon":17.48,"role":"event"},{"country":"Hungary","iso2":"HU","admin":"Győr","role":"court"}],"start":2010,"end":2019,"eventDate":"2010-10-04","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Operator's third-party liability cover vs reported damage","value":"HUF 10m vs about HUF 35bn","note":"Cover: official figure per Világgazdaság (7 October 2010); the chairman early on said HUF 20m. Damage figure as reported by Világgazdaság."},"happened":["On 4 October 2010 a red mud reservoir operated by MAL Zrt failed at Kolontár, Hungary. About 184 million gallons of red mud were released and 10 people died (nine at the time of the NBC/AP report).","MAL's third-party liability cover was HUF 10m (the official figure; the chairman said early on it was HUF 20m, about $102,000, as NBC/AP reported), against damage of about HUF 35bn. Világgazdaság wrote that MAL's insurance would not pay (\"nem fizet\") for the red sludge damage. No exclusion was cited; the gap was the limit. Asset cover was HUF 8.5bn. The insurer was not named.","The environmental authority set a waste-management fine of HUF 135bn in 2011; in May 2012 the Veszprém Regional Court suspended the fine decision until the administrative case was finally concluded (HVG). The state spent HUF 38bn on recovery. MAL Zrt entered liquidation in 2013; collection of the fine is not stated in the sources.","In 2016 a first-instance court acquitted all fifteen defendants. In the retrial, the Győr Regional Court found ten people guilty on 4 February 2019, sentencing MAL Zrt chief executive Zoltán Bakonyi to two and a half years in prison and his technical deputy to two years. On 13 December 2019 the Győr Court of Appeal gave a harsher final judgment for seven defendants: four years in prison for Bakonyi, three years for the technical deputy chief executive and two and a half years for the hydrate plant manager. On 27 November 2020 the Kúria, Hungary's supreme court, upheld that judgment; the three were in prison at the time (Telex)."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"4 October: MAL Zrt red mud reservoir fails at Kolontár; about 184 million gallons released; 10 dead. 7 October: Világgazdaság reports third-party cover of HUF 10m against damage of about HUF 35bn","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Fine of HUF 135bn","src":1},{"y":2012,"t":"Court suspends the HUF 135bn fine","src":8},{"y":2013,"t":"MAL Zrt enters liquidation","src":5},{"y":2016,"t":"First-instance court acquits fifteen defendants","src":2},{"y":2019,"t":"4 February: Győr Regional Court finds ten people guilty; Zoltán Bakonyi receives two and a half years. 13 December: Győr Court of Appeal raises his sentence to four years in a final judgment, upheld by the Kúria on 27 November 2020","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"MAL's third-party liability insurance was worth 20 million forints","who":"NBC News/AP report (about $102,000)","when":"October 2010","src":1},{"q":"does not pay","who":"Világgazdaság, on MAL's insurance for the red sludge damage","when":"7 October 2010","src":0,"translated":"Hungarian"}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Third-party liability cover was HUF 10m (official figure) against damage of about HUF 35bn; asset cover was HUF 8.5bn; the insurer was not named.","src":0},{"t":"Fine of HUF 135bn (2011), suspended by a court in 2012; the state spent HUF 38bn on recovery.","src":1},{"t":"Managers were convicted and Hungary's supreme court (the Kúria) upheld the sentences.","src":1},{"t":"MAL Zrt was liquidated in 2013; no record of collection of the environmental fine was found.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"HUF","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Red mud released","v":"About 184 million gallons","d":"NBC/AP report, October 2010"},{"k":"Environmental fine","v":"HUF 135bn, suspended","d":"Set 2011; suspended by a court in 2012; company liquidated 2013"},{"k":"State recovery spending","v":"HUF 38bn","d":"Hungarian state"}]},"unknown":["The insurer was not named in the sources.","Conflicting figures for the operator's third-party liability cover: HUF 10m (official figure, per Világgazdaság) and HUF 20m (the chairman early on; reported by NBC/AP as about $102,000).","No insurer refusal on the grounds of an exclusion was documented; the gap was the policy limit.","No record of collection of the HUF 135bn environmental fine in the company's liquidation was found."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The Hungarian state spent HUF 38bn on recovery. MAL's third-party liability cover was HUF 10m against damage of about HUF 35bn; the HUF 135bn fine was suspended and the company was liquidated in 2013, with no record found of the fine being collected.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Győr Court of Appeal's final judgment of 13 December 2019, with four years in prison for MAL's chief executive, was upheld by the Kúria on 27 November 2020. Collection of the HUF 135bn fine is not stated in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"MAL Zrt (chairman)","says":"Said early on that third-party liability cover was HUF 20m (the official figure was HUF 10m).","when":"October 2010","src":0},{"actor":"Hungarian state","says":"Paid HUF 38bn for recovery.","when":"2010–2011","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"mal-zrt","role":"Operator of the red mud reservoir; liquidated 2013"},{"id":"hungary-gov","role":"Paid HUF 38bn for recovery"},{"id":"hungary-kuria","role":"Supreme court that upheld the sentences"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large was MAL's liability cover compared with the damage?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Világgazdaság","says":"Third-party liability cover was HUF 10m (official figure) against damage of about HUF 35bn; MAL's insurance \"does not pay\" for red sludge damage; no exclusion cited, the gap was the limit.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"MAL Zrt chairman","says":"Said early on that cover was HUF 20m.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"NBC News/AP","says":"MAL's third-party liability insurance was worth 20 million forints (about $102,000).","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurer (not named)","says":"No statement in the sources; the insurer was not identified.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against MAL Zrt managers (Ajka red mud)","forum":"First-instance court (2016); Győr Regional Court (February 2019); Győr Court of Appeal (December 2019); Kúria (November 2020)","country":"Hungary","iso2":"HU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecuting authority not named in the sources)","defendant":"Fifteen defendants at first instance, including MAL Zrt chief executive Zoltán Bakonyi","filed":null,"decided":"2019","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A first-instance court acquitted fifteen defendants in 2016. In the retrial the Győr Regional Court found ten people guilty on 4 February 2019, mainly of negligent public endangerment and violating waste-management rules. On 13 December 2019 the Győr Court of Appeal gave a final judgment with prison terms of four years for chief executive Zoltán Bakonyi, three years for the technical deputy chief executive and two and a half years for the hydrate plant manager. The Kúria upheld the judgment on 27 November 2020.","src":6},{"title":"HUF 135bn environmental fine against MAL Zrt","forum":"Environmental authority (fine); Veszprém Regional Court (suspension, 2012)","country":"Hungary","iso2":"HU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Hungarian authorities (not named in the sources)","defendant":"MAL Zrt","filed":null,"decided":"2011","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":135000000000,"currency":"HUF","label":"Fine (2011), suspended by a court in 2012"},"summary":"In May 2012 the Veszprém Regional Court suspended the fine decision until the administrative case was finally concluded (HVG). MAL Zrt entered liquidation in 2013; collection of the fine is not stated in the sources.","src":8}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Not named","insured":"MAL Zrt","status":"unknown","year":2010,"amount":{"value":10000000,"currency":"HUF","label":"Third-party liability cover (official figure); the chairman said HUF 20m early on"},"reason":"No exclusion cited; the gap was the limit.","summary":"Third-party liability cover was HUF 10m against damage of about HUF 35bn; Világgazdaság wrote that MAL's insurance \"does not pay\" for red sludge damage. Asset cover was HUF 8.5bn.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":10,"unit":"people","year":2010,"note":"10 dead; nine at the time of the NBC/AP report.","src":1},{"key":"red_mud_gallons","value":184000000,"unit":"gallons","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Red mud released.","src":1},{"key":"liability_cover","value":10,"unit":"HUF m","year":2010,"qualifier":"official figure","note":"Third-party liability cover; the chairman early on said HUF 20m.","src":0},{"key":"asset_cover","value":8500,"unit":"HUF m","year":2010,"note":"Asset cover.","src":0},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":35000,"unit":"HUF m","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Damage as reported by Világgazdaság.","src":0},{"key":"fine","value":135000,"unit":"HUF m","year":2011,"note":"Fine, suspended by a court in 2012.","src":1},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":38000,"unit":"HUF m","year":2011,"note":"State spending on recovery.","src":1}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A red mud reservoir failed at Kolontár; the operator's liability cover was far below the reported damage, and the state paid for recovery.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Hungarian state","what":"Spent HUF 38bn on recovery","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Communities and people at Kolontár","what":"10 people died; about 184 million gallons of red mud released","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Kolontár and Ajka, Hungary.","src":1},"when":{"t":"4 October 2010; fine 2011–2012; liquidation 2013; convictions 2019.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Beyond the criminal convictions of managers, no cause is recorded.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The reservoir failed and released red mud; MAL's liability cover of HUF 10m was far below the damage reported at about HUF 35bn.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Világgazdaság article, 7 October 2010 (title from URL slug: egy-autobalesetnel-tobbet-fizethet-a-biztosito-mint-az-iszapkatasztrofanal)","p":"Világgazdaság (vg.hu)","d":"2010-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.vg.hu/vilaggazdasag/2010/10/egy-autobalesetnel-tobbet-fizethet-a-biztosito-mint-az-iszapkatasztrofanal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250208130929/https://www.vg.hu/vilaggazdasag/2010/10/egy-autobalesetnel-tobbet-fizethet-a-biztosito-mint-az-iszapkatasztrofanal"},{"t":"NBC News/AP report on the Hungary red mud spill","p":"NBC News (AP)","d":"2010-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39651882","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914044207/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna39651882"},{"t":"Acquittals over Hungary toxic spill spark outrage","p":"AFP, via Terra Daily","d":"2016-01-28","u":"https://terradaily.com/acquittals-over-hungary-toxic-spill-spark-outrage-999/","type":"press"},{"t":"Két és fél év börtönre ítélték a vörösiszap-perben a Mal Zrt egykori vezetőjét","p":"444.hu","d":"2019-02-04","u":"https://444.hu/2019/02/04/ket-es-fel-ev-bortonre-iteltek-a-vorosiszap-perben-a-mal-zrt-egykori-vezetojet","type":"press"},{"t":"Supreme court upholds sentence of company heads responsible for red sludge disaster","p":"Budapest Times","d":"2020-11-28","u":"https://www.budapesttimes.hu/hungary/supreme-court-upholds-sentence-of-company-heads-responsible-for-red-sludge-disaster/","type":"press"},{"t":"Fokozatosan állami tulajdonba kerül a MAL","p":"Világgazdaság (vg.hu)","d":"2013-03-01","u":"https://www.vg.hu/cegvilag/2013/03/fokozatosan-allami-tulajdonba-kerul-a-mal","type":"press"},{"t":"Vörösiszapügy: a Kúria fenntartotta a Mal-vezetők börtönbüntetését","p":"Telex","d":"2020-11-27","u":"https://telex.hu/belfold/2020/11/27/vorosiszapugy-dontott-a-kuria-a-mal-vezetok-bortonerol","type":"press"},{"t":"A Kúria szerint nem történt eljárási hiba a vörösiszap-katasztrófa miatti büntetőügyben","p":"444.hu","d":"2020-11-27","u":"https://444.hu/2020/11/27/a-kuria-szerint-nem-tortent-eljarasi-hiba-a-vorosiszap-katasztrofa-miatti-buntetougyben","type":"press"},{"t":"Felfüggesztették a Mal bírságáról szóló határozatot","p":"HVG","d":"2012-05-30","u":"https://hvg.hu/itthon/20120530_mal_vorosiszap","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"liability-insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 184 million gallons of red mud were released onto me on 4 October 2010; the operator's liability cover was HUF 10 million against damage of about HUF 35 billion.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was MAL's liability cover compared with the damage?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Insurer (not named): No statement in the sources; the insurer was not identified.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"HUF 135bn environmental fine against MAL Zrt: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Not named: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The insurer was not named in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures for the operator's third-party liability cover: HUF 10m (official figure, per Világgazdaság) and HUF 20m (the chairman early on; reported by NBC/AP as about $102,000).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No insurer refusal on the grounds of an exclusion was documented; the gap was the policy limit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record of collection of the HUF 135bn environmental fine in the company's liquidation was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dutch-nitrogen-crisis-and-farm-buyouts","title":"Dutch nitrogen crisis and farm buyouts","dek":"The Netherlands cut its agricultural nitrogen surplus by 57% between 1990 and 2023, but its national institute for public health and the environment (RIVM) said in 2024 that the legal 2035 target for nitrogen-sensitive nature could not be met under current policy. By September 2026 a voluntary livestock buyout scheme had 279 finalised files.","country":"Netherlands","region":"Europe","lat":52.1,"lon":5.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","role":"affected"}],"start":1990,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture","water","chemical-pollution","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Nitrogen-sensitive nature to be kept below its critical deposition level by 2035: legal target vs RIVM best case","value":"74% vs about 40%","note":"RIVM, 14 June 2024: the legal target could not be reached with current policy; about 40% was the best-case scenario."},"happened":["Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on 24 January 2025 that the nitrogen surplus of Dutch agriculture was 265 million kg in 2023. That was 14% lower than in 2022 and 57% lower than in 1990. Of the 2023 surplus, 182 million kg went to soil and 83 million kg to air. Nitrogen in animal manure was 464 million kg, almost the same as in 2022.","On 14 June 2024 the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) said that the legal target for 2035, 74%, could not be reached with current policy, and that about 40% was the best-case outcome. According to the RIVM, average nitrogen deposition in 2021 was about 1,440 mol per hectare per year against about 850 needed for the target.","The RIVM’s national monitoring network for the effects of manure policy, which has measured since 1992, showed average nitrate falling substantially since the early 1990s, rising during the 2018–2020 drought and falling in 2023 and 2024, which the RIVM attributed to heavy rainfall. In 2024 almost half of the farms in the loess region were still above the limit. In the Water Framework Directive interim assessment of December 2024, none of about 750 surface water bodies was in good status, although about 80% of the norms were met, and 4 of 23 groundwater bodies were in good status. The Netherlands was not on track for the 2027 target.","The record also shows a state programme of voluntary livestock buyouts (Lbv and Lbv-plus). According to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) table of 10 September 2026, there were 1,576 applications, 1,438 positive decisions, 522 withdrawals after a positive decision, 914 signed contracts and 279 finalised files. Applications came from pig farms (573), dairy farms (446), poultry farms (243) and veal farms (210). It is also reported that the government set aside €24.3 billion for nitrogen policy in 2022 and projected that about 30% of livestock farms could close, with buyouts remaining voluntary.","Manure has also moved abroad. In the first nine months of 2025 the Netherlands exported 2.74 million tonnes of manure, 26% more than in the same period of the previous year. Germany took 1.4 million tonnes (53%), France about 29% and Belgium 16%. The nitrogen going to Germany rose 50% and the phosphate 44%, according to topagrar, citing RVO data. A question on the increase was put to the German Federal Parliament in March 2026 (Drucksache 21/4407)."],"timeline":[{"y":1990,"t":"Baseline year for the CBS comparison of the agricultural nitrogen surplus"},{"y":2018,"t":"2018–2020 drought: average nitrate in the RIVM monitoring network rises"},{"y":2021,"t":"Average nitrogen deposition on sensitive nature about 1,440 mol/ha/year (RIVM); about 850 needed for the 2035 target"},{"y":2022,"t":"Government sets aside €24.3 billion for nitrogen policy (reported, no primary source)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Agricultural nitrogen surplus 265 million kg, 57% below 1990 (CBS)"},{"y":2024,"t":"RIVM (14 Jun): legal 2035 target not achievable with current policy; nitrate falls in 2023 and 2024 on heavy rainfall; Water Framework Directive interim assessment (Dec)"},{"y":2025,"t":"CBS publishes 2023 surplus (24 Jan); manure exports up 26% in the first nine months, Germany 53%"},{"y":2026,"t":"German Federal Parliament question on Dutch manure imports (Mar); RVO buyout table (10 Sep): 279 finalised files"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The agricultural nitrogen surplus in 2023 was 57% below the 1990 level.","who":"Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 24 January 2025","src":0},{"t":"A table of buyout applications, positive decisions, signed contracts and finalised files for the Lbv and Lbv-plus schemes.","who":"Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), 10 September 2026","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Nitrogen in animal manure was 464 million kg in 2023, almost unchanged from 2022.","src":0},{"t":"Average nitrogen deposition in 2021 was about 1,440 mol/ha/year against about 850 needed for the 2035 target; the best case for 2035 was about 40% against a legal 74%.","src":1},{"t":"Nitrate in the RIVM network rose in the 2018–2020 drought and fell in 2023 and 2024 on heavy rainfall; in the loess region just under half of farms were still above the limit in the latest data, which are from an earlier year than for the other regions.","src":7},{"t":"None of about 750 surface water bodies was in good status and 4 of 23 groundwater bodies were (interim assessment, December 2024).","src":null},{"t":"Of 1,438 positive buyout decisions, 522 applications were withdrawn, 914 contracts were signed and 279 files were finalised (10 September 2026).","src":2},{"t":"Manure exports in the first nine months of 2025: 2.74 million tonnes, up 26%; 53% to Germany, about 29% to France, 16% to Belgium.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2022–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nitrogen-sensitive nature below its critical deposition value by 2035","v":"74% target; about 40% best case","d":"RIVM, 14 June 2024; 2021 average deposition about 1,440 mol/ha/year against about 850 needed"},{"k":"Surface water bodies in good status","v":"None of about 750","d":"Interim Water Framework Directive assessment, December 2024; about 80% of norms met"},{"k":"Groundwater bodies in good status","v":"4 of 23","d":"Same assessment; not on track for 2027"},{"k":"Agricultural nitrogen surplus, 1990 to 2023","v":"-57%","d":"CBS, 24 January 2025; 265 million kg in 2023"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Council of State (Raad van State) ruled on 29 May 2019 that the nitrogen programme (PAS) could not serve as the basis for nature permits; a ministry list reportedly counted about 18,000 projects at risk, not all of which stopped.","Unconfirmed: ABN AMRO calculated that €14 billion of construction projects were at risk after the 2019 ruling, with about 180 cases pending at the time.","Unconfirmed: on 22 January 2025 The Hague court ruled in a Greenpeace case that the state acted unlawfully by not halting the deterioration of nitrogen-sensitive nature, ordering compliance with a 2030 target of 50% of nature below the critical deposition value on pain of a €10 million penalty; the government appealed in April 2025 and the appeal had no suspensive effect. No appeal ruling was found.","Unconfirmed: the government raised the buyout budget in April 2024 to about €3 billion, of which €1.82 billion for Lbv-plus (Rijksoverheid).","Unconfirmed: a joint investigation by NRC, Follow the Money and Omroep Gelderland in January 2026 found that about €1.5 billion more was spent than necessary because of the voluntary design; that buying the 130 largest peak polluters for about €325 million could have achieved the same nitrogen reduction; that 666 of 3,000 eligible businesses applied; and that payments ranged from 60 cents to nearly €200 per gram of nitrogen reduced in two cases.","Unconfirmed: Minister Wiersma (BBB) said forced closure was legally complex and announced a new voluntary programme with lower payments; an ESB analysis of June 2026 reportedly called buyouts expensive with very limited additional nitrogen reduction (not independently confirmed).","Unconfirmed: the government’s own letter reportedly states that a farmer with a positive buyout decision is not obliged to close the business; the scheme reportedly removes animals and production rights without requiring the land to leave farming.","Unconfirmed: farmland prices averaged €95,400 per hectare in 2025 (up 11.9%) and €108,500 in the second quarter of 2026.","Unconfirmed: the RIVM reported that 30% of nitrogen-sensitive nature was below the critical deposition value in 2023 and 31% in 2024; the KDW values were tightened in 2023 for 32 habitat types; 118 of 160–168 Natura 2000 sites were reported to have nitrogen-sensitive habitats under excess load.","Unconfirmed: the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) came first in all 12 provinces in March 2023 and fell to 4 seats in the 29 October 2025 general election; the European Commission rejected a new Dutch derogation request, notified to Parliament on 23 December 2025; the Dutch manure board reportedly projected up to 79 million kg of unplaced manure nitrogen in 2026.","Conflicting or unconfirmed figures: a figure attributed to CBS gave a 2024 agricultural nitrogen surplus of 295 million kg, of which 220 million kg to soil; this was not confirmed on a CBS page.","No data was found on how land from farms closed under the buyout schemes was subsequently used (kept in farming, returned to nature, or sold to whom)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not stopped on the record: the agricultural nitrogen surplus fell 57% from 1990 to 2023, but the RIVM said in 2024 that the 2035 target for nature could not be met with current policy; buyouts had 279 finalised files on 10 September 2026.","whoPaid":"Reported costs fall on water boards (more than €0.5 billion a year on wastewater treatment, NOS, March 2024), drinking-water companies and neighbouring countries receiving Dutch manure. The cost of the buyouts to the state is not on record.","statusLine":"As of 10 September 2026: 279 buyout files finalised; no ruling on the 2035 nature target found in the verified record.","updated":"2026-09-10","responses":[{"actor":"Dutch government","says":"Set aside €24.3 billion for nitrogen policy in 2022 and projected that about 30% of livestock farms could close; buyouts remained voluntary (reported; no primary source located).","when":"2022","src":null},{"actor":"Vewin, association of Dutch drinking-water companies","says":"Its chair, Litjens, said the effort kept growing and that even then there was no guarantee that the pollution would be gone (reported by NOS).","when":"18 March 2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"cbs-netherlands","role":"Official statistics on the agricultural nitrogen surplus"},{"id":"rivm","role":"Monitoring of deposition on nature and nitrate; assessment of the 2035 target"},{"id":"rvo-netherlands","role":"Administers and reports on the Lbv and Lbv-plus buyout schemes"},{"id":"dutch-government","role":"Sets nitrogen policy and funds the voluntary buyouts"},{"id":"vewin","role":"Association of drinking-water companies"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can the legal 2035 nitrogen target for nature be met?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Legal target as cited by the RIVM","says":"74% of nitrogen-sensitive nature to be kept below its critical deposition value by 2035.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"RIVM","says":"The target could not be reached with current policy; the best case was about 40% in 2035. Average deposition in 2021 was about 1,440 mol/ha/year against about 850 needed.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nitrogen_surplus_agriculture","value":265000000,"unit":"kg","year":2023,"note":"CBS: 14% below 2022 and 57% below 1990; 182 million kg to soil, 83 million kg to air."},{"key":"nitrogen_in_manure","value":464000000,"unit":"kg","year":2023,"note":"CBS: nitrogen in animal manure, almost unchanged from 2022."},{"key":"nitrogen_deposition_average","value":1440,"unit":"mol/ha/year","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"RIVM: about 850 needed to reach the 2035 target."},{"key":"nature_target_share","value":74,"unit":"%","year":2035,"note":"Legal 2035 target as cited by the RIVM; best-case outcome under current policy about 40%."},{"key":"buyout_applications","value":1576,"unit":"applications","year":2026,"note":"Lbv and Lbv-plus, RVO table of 10 September 2026."},{"key":"buyout_positive_decisions","value":1438,"unit":"decisions","year":2026,"note":"RVO table of 10 September 2026."},{"key":"buyout_withdrawn_after_positive","value":522,"unit":"applications","year":2026,"note":"Withdrawn after a positive decision; RVO table of 10 September 2026."},{"key":"buyout_contracts_signed","value":914,"unit":"contracts","year":2026,"note":"RVO table of 10 September 2026."},{"key":"buyout_files_finalised","value":279,"unit":"files","year":2026,"note":"RVO table of 10 September 2026 (vastgesteld)."},{"key":"manure_exported_tonnes","value":2740000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"First nine months of 2025, up 26%; Germany 1.4 million tonnes (53%); topagrar citing RVO data."},{"key":"agricultural_exports","value":137500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Of which €88.4 billion Dutch-origin and €49.1 billion re-exports; up 8.4%, two thirds of the rise from prices."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":24300,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"Set aside for nitrogen policy reported; no primary source located."},{"key":"farms_projected_to_close_share","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Government projection of livestock farms that could close, as reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Netherlands cut its agricultural nitrogen surplus by 57% between 1990 and 2023, yet the RIVM said in 2024 that the legal 2035 target for nitrogen-sensitive nature could not be met with current policy. A voluntary livestock buyout scheme reached 279 finalised files by 10 September 2026.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Dutch agricultural exporters","what":"Recorded agricultural exports of €137.5 billion in 2025 (up 8.4%), of which €88.4 billion Dutch-origin and €49.1 billion re-exports; two thirds of the rise came from prices. Export value, not profit.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Water boards and taxpayers","what":"Water boards spent more than €0.5 billion a year on wastewater treatment (NOS, 18 March 2024), reported as a taxpayer cost.","src":null},{"who":"Drinking-water companies (Vewin)","what":"Said the effort to keep water clean kept growing without a guarantee that the pollution would be gone.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Nitrogen-sensitive nature and Dutch water bodies","what":"None of about 750 surface water bodies was in good status; 4 of 23 groundwater bodies were; the 2035 nature target was not reachable under current policy.","src":1},{"who":"Neighbouring countries receiving manure","what":"Germany received 53% of 2.74 million tonnes of Dutch manure exported in the first nine months of 2025; nitrogen sent to Germany rose 50% and phosphate 44%.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"The Netherlands (soils, groundwater, surface water and nitrogen-sensitive nature); manure exported to Germany, France and Belgium.","src":3},"when":{"t":"1990 to September 2026; key dates: RIVM assessment 14 June 2024, CBS release 24 January 2025, RVO table 10 September 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"CBS counted 464 million kg of nitrogen in animal manure in 2023 and a surplus of 265 million kg from agriculture, of which 182 million kg went to soil and 83 million kg to air. RIVM measured average deposition on nature in 2021 at about 1,440 mol/ha/year against about 850 needed for the 2035 target.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The state offered voluntary buyouts of livestock operations (Lbv and Lbv-plus); the RVO counted 1,576 applications, 914 signed contracts and 279 finalised files. Manure that could not be placed domestically went abroad, mainly to Germany.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Agricultural nitrogen surplus 2023","p":"Statistics Netherlands (CBS)","d":"2025-01-24","type":"official","u":"https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2025/04/laagste-stikstofoverschot-landbouw-sinds-1990","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260305080118/https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2025/04/laagste-stikstofoverschot-landbouw-sinds-1990"},{"t":"Nitrogen deposition on vulnerable nature falls, but the legal 2035 standard is not feasible","p":"RIVM","d":"2024-06-14","type":"official","u":"https://www.rivm.nl/nieuws/stikstofneerslag-op-kwetsbare-natuur-daalt-maar-wettelijke-norm-voor-2035-niet-haalbaar","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614105932/https://www.rivm.nl/nieuws/stikstofneerslag-op-kwetsbare-natuur-daalt-maar-wettelijke-norm-voor-2035-niet-haalbaar"},{"t":"Lbv-plus: current status (application and decision table)","p":"Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO)","d":"2026-09-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/lbv-plus-actueel","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260523211436/https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/lbv-plus-actueel"},{"t":"Dutch manure exports, first nine months of 2025 (citing RVO data)","p":"topagrar","d":"2025-10-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.topagrar.com/schwein/news/gulleimporte-aus-den-niederlanden-um-40-gestiegen-a-20019023.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251028072211/https://www.topagrar.com/schwein/news/gulleimporte-aus-den-niederlanden-um-40-gestiegen-a-20019023.html"},{"t":"More budget and longer opening for voluntary livestock termination schemes (not independently confirmed)","p":"Rijksoverheid","d":"2024-04-08","type":"official","u":"https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2024/04/08/meer-budget-en-langere-openstelling-voor-vrijwillige-beeindigingsregelingen-veehouderij","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307091032/https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2024/04/08/meer-budget-en-langere-openstelling-voor-vrijwillige-beeindigingsregelingen-veehouderij"},{"t":"Solving the nitrogen crisis with buyouts does not work; taxes and auctions do (not independently confirmed)","p":"ESB","d":"2026-06","type":"academic","u":"https://esb.nu/de-stikstofcrisis-oplossen-met-uitkoop-werkt-niet-belasten-en-veilingen-wel/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710105123/https://esb.nu/de-stikstofcrisis-oplossen-met-uitkoop-werkt-niet-belasten-en-veilingen-wel/"},{"t":"Nitrogen surplus and mineral balance (CBS dossier; 2024 figure not confirmed)","p":"Statistics Netherlands (CBS)","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/dossier-stikstof/stikstofoverschot-en-mineralenbalans","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514193301/https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/dossier-stikstof/stikstofoverschot-en-mineralenbalans"},{"t":"Trendrapportage Landelijk Meetnet effecten Mestbeleid (LMM): nitraat","p":"RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment)","d":"2025","u":"https://www.rivm.nl/landelijk-meetnet-effecten-mestbeleid/onderzoeksresultaten/trendrapportage","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The legal target is 74% of my nitrogen-sensitive nature below its limit by 2035; the RIVM said in 2024 that about 40% was the best case under current policy.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Can the legal 2035 nitrogen target for nature be met?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Council of State (Raad van State) ruled on 29 May 2019 that the nitrogen programme (PAS) could not serve as the basis for nature permits; a ministry list reportedly counted about 18,000 projects at risk, not all of which stopped.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ABN AMRO calculated that €14 billion of construction projects were at risk after the 2019 ruling, with about 180 cases pending at the time.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: on 22 January 2025 The Hague court ruled in a Greenpeace case that the state acted unlawfully by not halting the deterioration of nitrogen-sensitive nature, ordering compliance with a 2030 target of 50% of nature below the critical deposition value on pain of a €10 million penalty; the government appealed in April 2025 and the appeal had no suspensive effect. No appeal ruling was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the government raised the buyout budget in April 2024 to about €3 billion, of which €1.82 billion for Lbv-plus (Rijksoverheid).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a joint investigation by NRC, Follow the Money and Omroep Gelderland in January 2026 found that about €1.5 billion more was spent than necessary because of the voluntary design; that buying the 130 largest peak polluters for about €325 million could have achieved the same nitrogen reduction; that 666 of 3,000 eligible businesses applied; and that payments ranged from 60 cents to nearly €200 per gram of nitrogen reduced in two cases.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Minister Wiersma (BBB) said forced closure was legally complex and announced a new voluntary programme with lower payments; an ESB analysis of June 2026 reportedly called buyouts expensive with very limited additional nitrogen reduction (not independently confirmed).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the government’s own letter reportedly states that a farmer with a positive buyout decision is not obliged to close the business; the scheme reportedly removes animals and production rights without requiring the land to leave farming.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: farmland prices averaged €95,400 per hectare in 2025 (up 11.9%) and €108,500 in the second quarter of 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the RIVM reported that 30% of nitrogen-sensitive nature was below the critical deposition value in 2023 and 31% in 2024; the KDW values were tightened in 2023 for 32 habitat types; 118 of 160–168 Natura 2000 sites were reported to have nitrogen-sensitive habitats under excess load.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB) came first in all 12 provinces in March 2023 and fell to 4 seats in the 29 October 2025 general election; the European Commission rejected a new Dutch derogation request, notified to Parliament on 23 December 2025; the Dutch manure board reportedly projected up to 79 million kg of unplaced manure nitrogen in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting or unconfirmed figures: a figure attributed to CBS gave a 2024 agricultural nitrogen surplus of 295 million kg, of which 220 million kg to soil; this was not confirmed on a CBS page.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No data was found on how land from farms closed under the buyout schemes was subsequently used (kept in farming, returned to nature, or sold to whom).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Dutch agricultural exporters","No source link — Who lost: Water boards and taxpayers","No source link — Who lost: Drinking-water companies (Vewin)"]},{"id":"refugio-plains-line-901-oil-spill","title":"Refugio / Plains Line 901 oil spill (California)","dek":"A Plains All American pipeline released 2,934 barrels of oil in Santa Barbara County, California, in May 2015, 598 of them into the Pacific. Plains reported total costs of $870 million and lost an insurance arbitration in January 2025 over a $230 million class action settlement.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":34.46,"lon":-120.07,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California (Santa Barbara County)","role":"event","lat":34.4617,"lon":-120.0716}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2015-05","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Total costs reported by Plains vs collected from insurers","value":"$870m vs about $280m","note":"As reported in Plains’ filings; a further $225m insurance receivable was written off in Q4 2024."},"happened":["In May 2015 the Line 901 pipeline of Plains All American Pipeline released 2,934 barrels of oil in Santa Barbara County, California. Of these, 598 barrels entered the Pacific Ocean.","Plains reported total costs of $870 million. Its 2015 insurance programme had a limit of $500 million, and Plains collected about $280 million, of which $275 million came from that programme.","A class action settlement of $230 million was paid in October 2022. Plains claimed it from its insurers in November 2022. In the fourth quarter of 2022, insurers responsible for the majority of the remaining cover “formally communicated a denial of coverage”. According to Plains’ filings, the insurers said the settlement damages were “not covered” and that earlier payments did not “properly exhaust the underlying policies”. The SEC questioned the receivable in May 2023.","Plains began arbitration against the insurers in March 2023, and the hearing ended in October 2024. Plains wrote off the full $225 million insurance receivable in the fourth quarter of 2024. In January 2025 the panel ruled that, in Plains’ words, “a substantial portion of our claims. were not covered under the applicable policy”. The $175 million claim failed, and the remaining $50 million against other insurers was judged “less than probable”.","Plains’ regulatory filings also list criminal fines of $3.35 million, a civil penalty of $24 million under a consent decree and natural resource damages of $22.3 million."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"May: Line 901 releases 2,934 barrels in Santa Barbara County, 598 barrels into the Pacific; $500 million insurance programme in place"},{"y":2022,"t":"October: $230 million class action settlement paid; November: Plains claims it from insurers; Q4: insurers formally deny coverage"},{"y":2023,"t":"March: Plains begins arbitration; May: SEC questions the receivable"},{"y":2024,"t":"October: arbitration hearing ends; Q4: Plains writes off the $225 million receivable"},{"y":2025,"t":"January: panel rules a substantial portion of Plains’ claims were not covered; $175 million claim fails"}],"said":[{"q":"formally communicated a denial of coverage","who":"Plains All American Pipeline, describing the insurers responsible for the majority of remaining cover","when":"Q4 2022, as disclosed in Plains’ filings","src":0},{"q":"not covered","who":"Insurers, as described in Plains’ filings, on the settlement damages","when":"as described in Plains’ filings","src":0},{"q":"properly exhaust the underlying policies","who":"Insurers, as described in Plains’ filings, on earlier payments","when":"as described in Plains’ filings","src":0},{"q":"a substantial portion of our claims. were not covered under the applicable policy","who":"Plains All American Pipeline, describing the January 2025 arbitration ruling","when":"January 2025 ruling, FY2024 Form 10-K","src":0},{"q":"less than probable","who":"Plains All American Pipeline, on the remaining $50 million claim against other insurers","when":"Q4 2024","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Total costs of the incident of $870 million, of which about $280 million was collected from insurers.","who":"Plains All American Pipeline, FY2024 Form 10-K","src":0},{"t":"A $225 million write-off of the insurance receivable in the fourth quarter of 2024.","who":"Plains All American Pipeline, FY2024 reporting","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"2,934 barrels released, 598 barrels into the Pacific.","src":0},{"t":"Insurance programme limit of $500 million; about $275–280 million recovered.","src":1},{"t":"$230 million class action settlement paid in October 2022; insurers formally denied coverage in Q4 2022.","src":2},{"t":"Arbitration from March 2023 to January 2025; the $175 million claim failed and the remaining $50 million was judged “less than probable”.","src":0},{"t":"Criminal fines of $3.35 million, consent decree civil penalty of $24 million and natural resource damages of $22.3 million (Plains XBRL data).","src":0},{"t":"The SEC questioned the insurance receivable in May 2023.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2015–2025","nature":[{"label":"Natural resource damages (Plains XBRL data)","amount":22.3,"note":"Payee and payment date are not on record."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":22.3,"note":"Only the natural resource damages figure is itemised; the $870 million total cost is not broken down in the cited sources."},"other":[{"label":"Class action settlement, paid October 2022","amount":230},{"label":"Criminal fines","amount":3.35},{"label":"Civil penalty under consent decree","amount":24}],"otherTotal":{"amount":257.35,"note":"Sum of the three itemised payments; remaining parts of the $870 million total are not itemised."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil released","v":"2,934 bbl","d":"Santa Barbara County, May 2015"},{"k":"Oil entering the Pacific","v":"598 bbl","d":"Part of the 2,934 barrels released"},{"k":"Natural resource damages","v":"$22.3m","d":"Plains XBRL data; part of $870m total costs reported"}]},"unknown":["Insurers’ stated grounds and the panel’s reasoning: not found beyond the passages Plains quoted in its filings.","The forum and parties of the natural resource damages claim are not stated in the sources.","The arbitration panel's own reasoning was not found; the outcome is known only through Plains' filings."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources show the volume released (2,934 barrels, 598 into the Pacific) and payments, not the state of the coast after cleanup.","whoPaid":"Plains reported total costs of $870 million, of which about $280 million was collected from insurers and $225 million of further insurance claims was written off after the January 2025 arbitration ruling.","statusLine":"As of January 2025 (reported in Plains’ FY2024 Form 10-K): the insurance arbitration was lost and the $225 million receivable written off; no later ruling found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Plains All American Pipeline","says":"Wrote off the full $225 million insurance receivable in Q4 2024 and said a substantial portion of its claims were not covered under the applicable policy.","when":"FY2024 Form 10-K","src":0},{"actor":"Insurers under Plains’ programme (names: none on record)","says":"Said the settlement damages were not covered and that earlier payments did not properly exhaust the underlying policies, as described in Plains’ filings. No direct statement from the insurers was found.","when":"2022–2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"plains-all-american","role":"Pipeline owner and operator of Line 901"},{"id":"sec","role":"Questioned the insurance receivable in May 2023"},{"id":"refugio-insurers","role":"Insurers of Plains' 2015 programme (names: none on record)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the $230 million class action settlement covered by Plains’ insurance?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Plains All American Pipeline","says":"Claimed the settlement from its insurers in November 2022 and arbitrated from March 2023; a $175 million claim and about $50 million more against other insurers were at issue.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers (as described in Plains’ filings)","says":"The settlement damages were “not covered” and earlier payments did not “properly exhaust the underlying policies”.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Arbitration panel (as described by Plains)","says":"In January 2025, “a substantial portion of our claims. were not covered under the applicable policy”; the $175 million claim failed.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Class action settlement over the Line 901 release","forum":"US District Court for the Central District of California (Andrews v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., No. 2:15-cv-04113)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Fishers and seafood processors in the affected areas, and owners and lessees of affected property","defendant":"Plains All American Pipeline","filed":null,"decided":"2022-10","status":"settled","amount":{"value":230,"currency":"USD","label":"$230 million, paid October 2022"},"summary":"Judge Philip S. Gutierrez gave final approval on 20 September 2022 to a $230 million settlement ($184 million for fishers and processors, $46 million for property owners and lessees), without admission of liability, according to class counsel. Plains paid it in October 2022 and then claimed it from its insurers.","src":6},{"title":"Plains v. insurers: arbitration over coverage of the settlement","forum":"Arbitration panel","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Plains All American Pipeline","defendant":"Insurers holding the remaining cover (names: none on record)","filed":"2023-03","decided":"2025-01","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":175,"currency":"USD","label":"$175 million claim failed; about $50 million further claim against other insurers judged “less than probable”"},"summary":"The hearing ended in October 2024. Plains wrote off the full $225 million receivable in Q4 2024. In January 2025 the panel ruled, in Plains’ words, that a substantial portion of its claims were not covered under the applicable policy.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal case over the Line 901 release","forum":"Santa Barbara County Superior Court (jury)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Santa Barbara County District Attorney and the California Attorney General","defendant":"Plains All American Pipeline","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":3.35,"currency":"USD","label":"criminal fines (millions of dollars)"},"summary":"On 7 September 2018 a Santa Barbara County jury convicted Plains of one felony and eight misdemeanour counts over the release. On 25 April 2019 Judge James E. Herman ordered it to pay about $3.3 million in fines and penalty assessments; prosecutors had sought about $1.2 billion. Plains' filings record criminal fines of $3.35 million.","src":4},{"title":"Consent decree over the Line 901 release","forum":"US District Court for the Central District of California","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States (including PHMSA) and the State of California","defendant":"Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. and Plains Pipeline, L.P.","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":24,"currency":"USD","label":"civil penalty (millions of dollars)"},"summary":"Announced on 13 March 2020: $24 million in civil penalties, including $9.45 million under the Clean Water Act shared with California agencies, plus safety requirements for Plains' pipelines, according to the EPA. Plains' filings also record natural resource damages of $22.3 million.","src":5}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Insurers under the 2015 programme (names: none on record)","insured":"Plains All American Pipeline","status":"partial","year":2015,"amount":{"value":280,"currency":"USD","label":"about $280 million collected, of which $275 million from the $500 million programme"},"summary":"The 2015 programme had a limit of $500 million; Plains collected about $275–280 million.","src":1},{"insurer":"Insurers responsible for the majority of the remaining cover (names: none on record)","insured":"Plains All American Pipeline","status":"refused","year":2022,"amount":{"value":225,"currency":"USD","label":"$225 million receivable written off in Q4 2024"},"reason":"The insurers said the settlement damages were “not covered” and that earlier payments did not “properly exhaust the underlying policies”.","summary":"Insurers formally communicated a denial of coverage in Q4 2022. Plains arbitrated from March 2023 and lost in January 2025: the $175 million claim failed and the remaining $50 million against other insurers was judged “less than probable”.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":2934,"unit":"bbl","year":2015,"note":"Total released, Santa Barbara County."},{"key":"oil_to_ocean_barrels","value":598,"unit":"bbl","year":2015,"note":"Part of the 2,934 barrels that entered the Pacific."},{"key":"cost_total","value":870,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Total costs reported by Plains."},{"key":"insurance_limit","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"2015 insurance programme limit."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":280,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Collected from insurers; $275 million from the $500 million 2015 programme."},{"key":"settlement","value":230,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Class action settlement paid October 2022."},{"key":"insurance_write_off","value":225,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Insurance receivable written off in Q4 2024 ($175 million claim failed; about $50 million judged less than probable)."},{"key":"fine","value":3.35,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Criminal fines (Plains XBRL data)."},{"key":"civil_penalty","value":24,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Consent decree civil penalty (Plains XBRL data)."},{"key":"natural_resource_damages","value":22.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Natural resource damages (Plains XBRL data)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Plains pipeline released 2,934 barrels of oil, 598 of them into the Pacific; Plains reported total costs of $870 million and lost an arbitration against its insurers over a $230 million class action settlement.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers holding the remaining cover","what":"The $175 million claim against them failed in arbitration in January 2025, per Plains’ disclosure.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Plains All American Pipeline","what":"Reported total costs of $870 million, collected about $280 million from insurers, and wrote off a $225 million insurance receivable.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Pacific coast and ocean at Santa Barbara County","what":"598 barrels of oil entered the Pacific; natural resource damages of $22.3 million were recorded.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Santa Barbara County, California (Refugio), United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Release in May 2015; settlement paid October 2022; arbitration March 2023 to January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"According to the EPA, the release was caused by Plains' failure to address external corrosion on Line 901 and to have adequate control-room procedures. Insurers said the settlement damages were not covered and earlier payments did not properly exhaust the underlying policies.","src":5},"how":{"t":"Plains paid the class action settlement itself, claimed it from insurers, and lost the coverage arbitration, after which it wrote off the receivable.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Plains All American Pipeline, Form 10-K for fiscal year 2024","p":"Plains All American Pipeline / SEC","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1070423/000107042325000006/paa-20241231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250228154408/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1070423/000107042325000006/paa-20241231.htm"},{"t":"Plains All American Pipeline, Exhibit 99.1 (SEC filing)","p":"Plains All American Pipeline / SEC","d":"2025-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1070423/000107042325000003/paa02072025exhibit991.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260215130608/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1070423/000107042325000003/paa02072025exhibit991.htm"},{"t":"Plains All American Pipeline, SEC filing financial report page R57","p":"Plains All American Pipeline / SEC","d":"2024","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1070423/000107042324000027/R57.htm"},{"t":"Plains All American Pipeline investor relations release (node 16171)","p":"Plains All American Pipeline","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://ir.plains.com/node/16171/html"},{"t":"Plains All American hit with $3.3 million sentence","p":"Santa Barbara Independent","d":"2019-04-25","u":"https://www.independent.com/2019/04/25/plains-all-american-hit-with-3-3-million-sentence/","type":"press"},{"t":"Plains Pipeline, L.P. Information Sheet (Refugio consent decree)","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2020-03-13","u":"https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/plains-pipeline-lp-information-sheet","type":"official"},{"t":"Santa Barbara oil spill settlement (Andrews v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.)","p":"Keller Rohrback (class counsel)","d":"2022-09","u":"https://www.kellerrohrback.com/news/santa-barbara-oil-spill-settlement","type":"party"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the $230 million class action settlement covered by Plains’ insurance?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Insurers’ stated grounds and the panel’s reasoning: not found beyond the passages Plains quoted in its filings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The forum and parties of the natural resource damages claim are not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The arbitration panel's own reasoning was not found; the outcome is known only through Plains' filings.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"plastic-waste-imports-into-turkiye-adana","title":"Plastic waste imports into Türkiye (Adana)","dek":"Türkiye received 510,000 tonnes of European Union plastic waste in 2025, the largest share of any destination. A 2026 European Commission assessment said the findings pointed to a need for substantial improvements, and Human Rights Watch and Greenpeace reported harm to workers and dump sites around Adana and Istanbul.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Asia","lat":37,"lon":35.32,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Adana","lat":37,"lon":35.32,"role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Istanbul","lat":41.01,"lon":28.98,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"exporter"}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2021-05-17","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"EU plastic waste exports received by Türkiye, 2025","value":"510,000 t","note":"36% of all EU plastic waste exports to third countries and 70% of exports to OECD countries (European Commission, 1 September 2026). A press report gave about 503,000 t."},"happened":["In 2025 the European Union exported 1.4 million tonnes of plastic waste to countries outside the EU, 730,000 t of it to OECD countries. Türkiye received 510,000 t, which the European Commission put at 36% of all EU plastic waste exports and 70% of exports to OECD countries. The Commission described this as the highest level so far, worth €94 million. Türkiye's total plastic waste imports from third countries were about 700,000 t, with the United Kingdom a major source.","China, which had taken 45% of the world's plastic waste imports since 1992, stopped imports in January 2018; 111 million tonnes of waste were expected to go elsewhere by 2030. Greenpeace's Adana report of 17 May 2021, as cited by the trade outlet Resource, put EU plastic exports to Türkiye at 22,000 t in 2016 and 447,000 t in 2020. Greenpeace said it found UK plastic at all 10 dumping sites it checked in Adana, and Greenpeace UK's report \"Trashed\" put UK plastic waste exports to Türkiye at 209,642 t in 2020, almost 40% of the UK total.","Human Rights Watch published \"It's as If They're Poisoning Us\" on 21 September 2022. It was based on 64 interviews in Istanbul and Adana, including 26 current or former recycling workers and 21 residents. Five of the workers were children at the time of interview, and four adults had started work as children. Interviewees included refugees and undocumented migrants. The reported harms were respiratory problems, headaches and skin conditions, and workers described having no protective equipment.","Türkiye's import rules, as described by the Commission, include a 1% contamination limit and, since 2022, a quota capping imports at 50% of each facility's certified capacity, released in quarterly tranches with penalties for exceeding it. A ban on polyethylene waste imports was announced at the end of May 2021, took effect on 2–3 July 2021 and was lifted by Official Gazette notice on 10 July 2021, replaced by licensing tied to capacity. The plastics sector said imports were about 20% of domestic demand and had lowered prices by about 30%.","The Commission's assessment of Türkiye under Article 45(5) of the Waste Shipment Regulation (SWD(2026) 274 final, 1 September 2026) recorded more than 1,300 licensed recycling facilities by 2020, with Adana described as the hub, and stakeholder estimates that about 10% of Türkiye's own plastic waste is recycled. It said stakeholders questioned whether facilities' declared capacity was overstated and that EU authorities had difficulty getting answers from Turkish counterparts. It concluded that the findings \"do not lead to the conclusion that Türkiye is failing… but point to the need for substantial improvements\", and planned a reassessment by the end of 2028. An EU rule banning plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries from 21 November 2026 does not cover Türkiye, which is an OECD member."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"EU plastic waste exports to Türkiye: 22,000 t (Greenpeace, as cited by Resource)"},{"y":2018,"t":"China stops plastic waste imports (January)"},{"y":2020,"t":"EU exports to Türkiye 447,000 t (Greenpeace) or nearly 450,000 t (HRW); UK exports 209,642 t (Greenpeace UK)"},{"y":2021,"t":"17 May: Greenpeace reports UK plastic at all 10 Adana dumping sites checked. End of May: polyethylene waste import ban announced; in force 2–3 July; lifted 10 July"},{"y":2022,"t":"Import quota of 50% of certified capacity introduced; 21 September: Human Rights Watch report"},{"y":2024,"t":"Waste fines of about €16.5m recorded"},{"y":2025,"t":"Türkiye receives 510,000 t of EU plastic waste (Commission); press report gives about 503,000 t"},{"y":2026,"t":"1 September: Commission assessment of Türkiye. 21 November: EU ban on plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries due to start; it does not cover Türkiye"}],"said":[{"q":"it would feel like my lungs were squeezed and under pressure.","who":"A recycling worker interviewed by Human Rights Watch","when":"September 2022","src":1},{"q":"do not lead to the conclusion that Türkiye is failing… but point to the need for substantial improvements.","who":"European Commission, assessment SWD(2026) 274 final, on its findings","when":"1 September 2026","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"More than 1,300 licensed recycling facilities, with Adana described as the hub","who":"European Commission assessment, describing the Turkish sector","src":0},{"t":"Each facility's certified capacity, on which the 50% import quota is based; stakeholders questioned whether declared capacity was overstated","who":"Turkish import rules, as described in the Commission assessment","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"EU exports of plastic waste to Türkiye were 22,000 t in 2016 and 447,000 t in 2020, according to Greenpeace's Adana report as cited by Resource.","src":3},{"t":"Human Rights Watch put Türkiye's intake at nearly 450,000 t of EU plastic in 2020, the largest recipient, and at \"nearly half of the EU's plastic waste exports in 2020 and 2021\".","src":1},{"t":"Greenpeace said it found UK plastic at all 10 dumping sites checked in Adana in 2021.","src":2},{"t":"Greenpeace UK recorded 209,642 t of UK plastic waste going to Türkiye in 2020, almost 40% of UK plastic waste exports.","src":2},{"t":"UN Comtrade data, compiled by the Basel Action Network, showed 141 million kg going from the UK to Türkiye in 2023, up from 88 million kg in 2022.","src":4},{"t":"Recoup reported that more than 25% of England's 600,000+ t of plastic waste exports went to Türkiye in 2023.","src":8},{"t":"Statista, citing Eurostat, gave Türkiye's 2023 receipts as 315,620 t.","src":9},{"t":"The UK National Audit Office reported in 2018 that about half of subsidised packaging recycling was exported and that about one in four high-risk exporters had been inspected.","src":5},{"t":"Türkiye's virgin and waste plastic imports peaked at 8.9 Mt in 2025, against plastic products output of 10 Mt.","src":0},{"t":"Türkiye generated 3.3–3.9 Mt of plastic waste domestically; stakeholders estimated about 10% was recycled. Municipal waste in 2021 was about 80% landfilled and 12% recycled.","src":0},{"t":"Waste fines in 2024 were about €16.5m.","src":0},{"t":"Interpol reported in 2020 a rise in forged documents, fraudulent registrations and crime networks using legitimate firms as cover in the plastic waste trade, based on intelligence from 40 countries covering 257 trade routes.","src":10},{"t":"The plastics sector said imported waste made up about 20% of domestic demand and had lowered prices by about 30%.","src":11},{"t":"From 21 November 2026 the EU bans plastic waste exports to non-OECD countries; from 2027 exporters must have the destination facility independently audited.","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Value of EU plastic waste exports to Türkiye, 2025 (Commission assessment)","amount":94}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Dumping sites in Adana with UK plastic","v":"10 of 10","d":"Sites checked in Greenpeace's 2021 field work"},{"k":"Türkiye's own plastic waste recycled","v":"About 10%","d":"Stakeholder estimate cited by the Commission, 2026"},{"k":"Municipal waste landfilled","v":"About 80%","d":"2021, per the Commission assessment"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Greenpeace field work in Adana (2021) and Human Rights Watch interviews (2022)","report":[{"t":"British plastic lay at all ten of the dumping sites around Adana that Greenpeace checked in 2021.","src":2}]},"unknown":["The names of the importing recyclers are not public.","Whether facilities' declared capacity is overstated is unresolved: stakeholders questioned it and the Commission recorded the question.","Figures for 2025 differ: the Commission gave 510,000 t received from the EU and a press report gave about 503,000 t.","EU authorities reported difficulty getting answers from Turkish counterparts."],"evidence":["review","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources. The Commission planned a reassessment by the end of 2028, and the EU ban on exports to non-OECD countries from 21 November 2026 does not cover Türkiye.","whoPaid":"Workers and residents in Istanbul and Adana, according to Human Rights Watch; the record names no payment or compensation.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Commission's 1 September 2026 assessment found Türkiye received 510,000 t of EU plastic waste in 2025 and called for substantial improvements; a reassessment is planned by the end of 2028.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"European Commission","says":"Said the findings \"do not lead to the conclusion that Türkiye is failing… but point to the need for substantial improvements\", and planned a reassessment by the end of 2028.","when":"2026-09-01","src":0},{"actor":"Turkish authorities","says":"No answers recorded: EU authorities reported difficulty getting answers from their Turkish counterparts.","when":"2026-09-01","src":0,"silent":true},{"actor":"Turkish plastics sector","says":"Said imports were about 20% of domestic demand and had lowered prices by about 30%, in the context of the July 2021 polyethylene import ban and its reversal.","when":"July 2021","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Assessed Türkiye under Article 45(5) of the Waste Shipment Regulation"},{"id":"turkiye-gov","role":"Sets import rules and licenses recycling facilities"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Reported UK plastic at Adana dumping sites (2021)"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Reported health impacts on recycling workers and residents (2022)"},{"id":"nao","role":"Audited the UK packaging recycling obligations (2018)"},{"id":"basel-action-network","role":"Compiled UK export data"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is Türkiye managing imported plastic waste adequately?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"The findings \"do not lead to the conclusion that Türkiye is failing… but point to the need for substantial improvements.\"","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkish authorities","says":"No answer recorded; EU authorities reported difficulty getting answers from Turkish counterparts.","src":0,"silent":true},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Found UK plastic at all 10 dumping sites checked in Adana in 2021.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"Reported respiratory problems, headaches, skin conditions and no protective equipment among workers, including children, refugees and undocumented migrants.","src":1}]},{"point":"Is the declared capacity of recycling facilities accurate?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkish import rules","says":"Imports are capped at 50% of each facility's certified capacity, released in quarterly tranches.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Stakeholders cited by the Commission","says":"Questioned whether facilities' declared capacity is overstated.","src":0}]},{"point":"How much EU plastic waste did Türkiye receive in 2025?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"510,000 t, 36% of all EU plastic waste exports, worth €94 million.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"bianet","says":"About 503,000 t, a 19% increase.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Commission assessment of Türkiye under Article 45(5) of the Waste Shipment Regulation","forum":"European Commission","country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Türkiye (assessed party)","filed":"2026-09-01","decided":"2026-09-01","status":"ongoing","summary":"The Commission found that its findings do not lead to the conclusion that Türkiye is failing but point to the need for substantial improvements, and planned a reassessment by the end of 2028.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_waste_from_eu_tonnes","value":510000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"note":"Received from the EU, per the Commission assessment; 36% of all EU plastic waste exports to third countries and 70% of exports to OECD countries."},{"key":"plastic_waste_from_eu_tonnes","value":503000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Press-reported figure (bianet), described as a 19% increase; differs from the Commission's 510,000 t."},{"key":"trade_value","value":94,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Value of EU plastic waste exports to Türkiye, the highest so far, per the Commission."},{"key":"plastic_waste_from_eu_tonnes","value":22000,"unit":"t","year":2016,"note":"Greenpeace Adana report as cited by Resource."},{"key":"plastic_waste_from_eu_tonnes","value":447000,"unit":"t","year":2020,"note":"Greenpeace Adana report as cited by Resource; Human Rights Watch gave nearly 450,000 t."},{"key":"plastic_waste_imports_third_countries_tonnes","value":700000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Türkiye's total plastic waste imports from third countries, per the Commission."},{"key":"plastic_waste_from_uk_tonnes","value":209642,"unit":"t","year":2020,"note":"Greenpeace UK, Trashed; almost 40% of UK plastic waste exports."},{"key":"plastic_waste_from_uk_tonnes","value":141000,"unit":"t","year":2023,"note":"UN Comtrade via the Basel Action Network: 141 million kg (88 million kg in 2022)."},{"key":"plastic_waste_received_tonnes","value":315620,"unit":"t","year":2023,"note":"Statista, citing Eurostat; secondary source."},{"key":"recycling_facilities","value":1300,"unit":"facilities","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Licensed recycling facilities, with Adana described as the hub."},{"key":"domestic_recycling_share","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Stakeholder estimate of Türkiye's own plastic waste recycled, cited by the Commission."},{"key":"fine","value":16.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Waste fines in 2024, as recorded in the Commission assessment."},{"key":"plastic_imports_virgin_and_waste_tonnes","value":8900000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"note":"Peak of Türkiye's virgin and waste plastic imports, per the Commission."},{"key":"interviews","value":64,"unit":"interviews","year":2022,"note":"Human Rights Watch, Istanbul and Adana, including 26 current or former workers and 21 residents."},{"key":"child_workers_interviewed","value":5,"unit":"workers","year":2022,"note":"Workers who were children at the time of interview; four adult interviewees had started work as children."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Imports of plastic waste into Türkiye from the EU, the UK and other countries, concentrated around Adana, with reported harm to recycling workers and Greenpeace's finding of UK plastic at dumping sites.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Importing recyclers in Türkiye (names not public)","what":"Received the waste for processing; the Commission recorded more than 1,300 licensed facilities by 2020.","src":0},{"who":"Turkish plastics sector","what":"Said imported waste lowered prices by about 30%.","src":null},{"who":"EU member states","what":"About a third of EU-reported plastic packaging recycling came from exports in 2017–2020.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Recycling workers, including children, refugees and undocumented migrants, in Istanbul and Adana","what":"Reported respiratory problems, headaches, skin conditions and no protective equipment.","src":1},{"who":"Residents near recycling sites in Istanbul and Adana","what":"Included among Human Rights Watch's 64 interviews (21 residents).","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Adana and Istanbul, Türkiye.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Export growth recorded from 2016; Greenpeace report 17 May 2021; Human Rights Watch report 21 September 2022; Commission assessment 1 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"China, which had taken 45% of the world's plastic waste imports since 1992, stopped imports in January 2018, and 111 million tonnes of waste were expected to go elsewhere by 2030.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The waste is processed at licensed facilities; Türkiye applies a 1% contamination limit and, since 2022, a quota of 50% of each facility's certified capacity, released in quarterly tranches with penalties.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Türkiye received 36% of all EU plastic waste exports to third countries and 70% of exports to OECD countries in 2025.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Commission Staff Working Document SWD(2026) 274 final: assessment of Türkiye under Article 45(5) of the Waste Shipment Regulation (Council doc. 12685/26)","p":"European Commission","d":"2026-09-01","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-12685-2026-INIT/en/pdf"},{"t":"\"It's as If They're Poisoning Us\" (88 pp.)","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2022-09-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/report/2022/09/21/its-if-theyre-poisoning-us/health-impacts-plastic-recycling-turkey","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012061246/https://www.hrw.org/report/2022/09/21/its-if-theyre-poisoning-us/health-impacts-plastic-recycling-turkey"},{"t":"Trashed, Greenpeace UK report on plastic waste in Turkey (via The Ecologist)","p":"Greenpeace UK (via The Ecologist)","d":"2021-05-17","type":"ngo","u":"https://theecologist.org/2021/may/17/plastic-waste-crisis-turkey","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616095009/https://theecologist.org/2021/may/17/plastic-waste-crisis-turkey"},{"t":"UK plastic waste illegally dumped and burned in Turkey","p":"Resource","d":"2021-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://resourcemedia.eco/article/uk-plastic-waste-illegally-dumped-and-burned-turkey"},{"t":"UK export data: annual summary (UN Comtrade)","p":"Basel Action Network","d":"2023","type":"ngo","u":"https://ban.org/plastic-waste-project-hub/trade-data/uk-export-data-annual-summary","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251121170142/https://www.ban.org/plastic-waste-project-hub/trade-data/uk-export-data-annual-summary"},{"t":"The packaging recycling obligations (HC 1386)","p":"National Audit Office (UK)","d":"2018-07-23","type":"official","u":"https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-packaging-recycling-obligations.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260812062743/https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-packaging-recycling-obligations.pdf"},{"t":"Turkey's plastic waste imports from EU countries hit record high in 2025","p":"bianet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/turkey-s-plastic-waste-imports-from-eu-countries-hit-record-high-in-2025-320400","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714164416/https://bianet.org/haber/turkey-s-plastic-waste-imports-from-eu-countries-hit-record-high-in-2025-320400"},{"t":"EU waste export ban spares Turkey, its biggest plastic dumping ground","p":"Brussels Signal","d":"2026-09","type":"press","u":"https://brusselssignal.eu/2026/09/eu-waste-export-ban-spares-turkey-its-biggest-plastic-dumping-ground/"},{"t":"UK plastic packaging waste exports surge to non-OECD countries (Recoup figures: over 25% of England's exports to Turkey in 2023)","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2024","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/uk-witnesses-surge-in-plastic-packaging-waste-exports-to-non-oecd-countries-raising-concerns.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Plastic waste exports, European Union (Eurostat data)","p":"Statista","u":"https://www.statista.com/statistics/1235915/plastic-waste-exports-european-union","type":"registry"},{"t":"INTERPOL report alerts to sharp rise in plastic waste crime","p":"INTERPOL","d":"2020-08-27","u":"https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/INTERPOL-report-alerts-to-sharp-rise-in-plastic-waste-crime","type":"official"},{"t":"Turkey bans polyethylene plastic imports","p":"Associated Press (via ClickOnDetroit)","d":"2021-05-19","u":"https://www.clickondetroit.com/business/2021/05/19/turkey-bans-polyethylene-plastic-imports","type":"press"},{"t":"Waste shipments","p":"European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment","u":"https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/waste-shipments_en","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"plastic-waste-trade","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is Türkiye managing imported plastic waste adequately?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the declared capacity of recycling facilities accurate?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much EU plastic waste did Türkiye receive in 2025?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Turkish authorities: No answer recorded; EU authorities reported difficulty getting answers from Turkish counterparts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The names of the importing recyclers are not public.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether facilities' declared capacity is overstated is unresolved: stakeholders questioned it and the Commission recorded the question.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures for 2025 differ: the Commission gave 510,000 t received from the EU and a press report gave about 503,000 t.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"EU authorities reported difficulty getting answers from Turkish counterparts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Turkish plastics sector","No source link — Who gained: EU member states"]},{"id":"african-parks-odzala-kokoua-abuses","title":"African Parks Odzala-Kokoua abuses (Republic of Congo)","dek":"African Parks, which has managed Odzala-Kokoua National Park since 2010, said in May 2025 that human rights abuses occurred in some incidents after an investigation of 21 incidents. It did not publish the report.","country":"Republic of Congo","region":"Africa","lat":0.7,"lon":14.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Republic of Congo","iso2":"CG","admin":"Odzala-Kokoua National Park","lat":0.7,"lon":14.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Republic of Congo","iso2":"CG","role":"affected"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2010,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-05","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Incidents investigated in the park, 2010–2024","value":"21","note":"Incidents covered by the Omnia Strategy investigation: physical and sexual violence including rape, torture, \"unlawful killing\" and arbitrary detention. The report has not been published."},"happened":["African Parks has managed Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo since 2010 under a 25-year agreement, through the Odzala-Kokoua-Lossi Foundation. About 10,000 people live in 54 villages around the park, among them the Baka and Kola peoples. Its funders include the EU (€6 million for 2018–2023, 46% of the park budget in 2020), the Legacy Landscapes Fund (US$1 million a year for at least 15 years), the Rob Walton Foundation (a US$4.6 million results-based grant measured in \"Verifiable Nature Units\"), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (2024) and Stichting Natura Africae.","Survival International wrote to African Parks in June 2023. In January 2024 the Mail on Sunday and Tagesschau reported beatings, rape and torture of Baka people, including one waterboarding case. African Parks engaged Omnia Strategy, a London law firm, in December 2023. The investigation lasted 16 months, covered 2010 to 2024, and heard about 180 stakeholders over four field trips. Its team included barristers from Doughty Street Chambers and was overseen by Cherie Blair. It investigated 21 incidents: physical and sexual violence including rape, torture, \"unlawful killing\" and arbitrary detention.","In May 2025 African Parks said that \"in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering\", citing \"several failures of our systems and processes\". It announced an independent oversight panel and promised action against responsible staff. It did not publish the full report. According to Survival International, the report was not given to funders including the EU. No prosecutions have been reported.","Reported allegations include that, in July 2019, three men from Ignoli village were held for two days without food or water and tortured at the Lango base, and, as Mongabay reported, that a Baka woman had not received £1,300 in compensation ordered by a court.","In September 2023 the World Heritage Committee unanimously inscribed the Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua (11,794 km², decision 45 COM 8B.1). IUCN had recommended deferral in 2022 because of gold-exploration permits inside the park; the Congolese authorities reported that the permits were cancelled. The inscription came three months after Survival's written warning to African Parks."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"African Parks begins managing Odzala-Kokoua under a 25-year agreement"},{"y":2019,"t":"July: alleged detention and torture of three men from Ignoli village at the Lango base"},{"y":2021,"t":"Rob and Melani Walton Foundation gives US$100m to African Parks (US$75m to the endowment)"},{"y":2022,"t":"IUCN recommends deferral of the World Heritage listing over gold-exploration permits"},{"y":2023,"t":"June: Survival International writes to African Parks; September: park inscribed on the World Heritage List; December: Omnia Strategy engaged"},{"y":2024,"t":"January: Mail on Sunday and Tagesschau report abuses against Baka people; US Fish and Wildlife Service funding"},{"y":2025,"t":"May: African Parks acknowledges abuses in some incidents; Omnia report withheld; oversight panel announced"}],"said":[{"q":"in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering","who":"African Parks, response to the Omnia Strategy investigation","when":"May 2025","src":0},{"q":"several failures of our systems and processes","who":"African Parks, response to the Omnia Strategy investigation","when":"May 2025","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Delegated management of national parks presented as a public-private partnership.","who":"African Parks and its donors","src":null},{"t":"A study of 127 partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa (PNAS, 2024) found average deforestation 55% lower in areas managed this way, and up to 66% lower in the most pressured areas; a second PNAS study (2024) of parks taken over by African Parks found less elephant poaching and more tourism.","who":"PNAS studies, cited as evidence for the model","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Omnia Strategy investigated 21 incidents covering 2010 to 2024, heard about 180 stakeholders, and its public statement does not address the findings.","src":1},{"t":"African Parks acknowledged in May 2025 that human rights abuses occurred in some incidents and withheld the full report.","src":0},{"t":"No prosecutions reported; no compensation scheme or insurance documented; one woman's court-ordered £1,300 compensation reported unpaid.","src":0},{"t":"The Rob and Melani Walton Foundation gave US$100m to African Parks in 2021; US$75m went to the permanent endowment and part was set aside for a Legacy Landscapes Fund match for Odzala-Kokoua and Iona.","src":2},{"t":"The PNAS study of African Parks also found that, in conflict zones, armed groups were more likely to target civilians; the effect on local economic development was inconclusive.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2018–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Deforestation in delegated-management areas","v":"55% lower on average","d":"PNAS 2024, 127 partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa; not specific to Odzala-Kokoua"},{"k":"Elephant poaching in African Parks parks","v":"Reduced","d":"PNAS 2024; park-level results for Odzala-Kokoua not given in the cited sources"},{"k":"Gold-exploration permits inside the park","v":"Cancelled, per Congo","d":"IUCN recommended deferral in 2022; the Committee inscribed the site in September 2023 after Congo reported cancelling the permits"}]},"unknown":["The Omnia Strategy report has not been published: which allegations were upheld, who was dismissed and whether compensation was paid is not known.","No penalty or compensation amount is on record, and no prosecutions have been reported.","No compensation scheme or insurance cover for the reported abuses is documented in the cited sources.","The researchers in the PNAS study noted that whether the gains benefit the surrounding population has not yet been studied.","Unconfirmed: that the report was not given to funders including the EU (Survival International's account).","The Omnia Strategy public statement does not address the findings."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record whether the reported abuses have stopped. African Parks announced an independent oversight panel in May 2025.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record no compensation scheme and no penalty. One woman's court-ordered £1,300 compensation is reported unpaid. The organisation continues to manage the park.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: African Parks has acknowledged abuses in some incidents (May 2025) and has not published the Omnia Strategy report; no prosecutions or penalties are on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"African Parks","says":"\"in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering\"; cited \"several failures of our systems and processes\"; announced an independent oversight panel; did not publish the full report.","when":"May 2025","src":0},{"actor":"Omnia Strategy","says":"Published a public statement describing the scope of its investigation: 16 months, 2010 to 2024, about 180 stakeholders, 21 incidents. The statement does not address the findings.","when":"May 2025","src":1},{"actor":"Government of the Republic of Congo","says":"Reported to the World Heritage Committee that gold-exploration permits inside the park had been cancelled.","when":"2023","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"african-parks","role":"Manager of Odzala-Kokoua under a 25-year agreement since 2010"},{"id":"omnia-strategy","role":"London law firm that investigated 21 incidents for African Parks"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Raised the allegations with African Parks in June 2023"},{"id":"eu","role":"Funder (€6m for 2018–2023; 46% of the park budget in 2020)"},{"id":"legacy-landscapes-fund","role":"Funder (US$1m a year for at least 15 years)"},{"id":"rob-walton-foundation","role":"Funder (results-based grant of US$4.6m; US$100m to African Parks in 2021)"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Funder (2024)"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Recommended deferral of World Heritage listing in 2022"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Inscribed the Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua in September 2023"},{"id":"congo-government","role":"Party to the 25-year agreement; the state keeps land ownership under delegated management"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did abuses by park staff occur, and what did the investigation find?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Wrote to African Parks in June 2023 with the allegations.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mail on Sunday and Tagesschau","says":"Reported in January 2024 beatings, rape and torture of Baka people, including one waterboarding case.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"The Omnia report was not given to funders including the EU.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"African Parks","says":"\"in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering\"; did not publish the full report.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Omnia Strategy","says":"Investigated 21 incidents over 16 months and about 180 stakeholders; its public statement does not address the findings.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Court-ordered compensation to a Baka woman (reported unpaid)","forum":"Court (name: none on record)","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"A Baka woman","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1300,"currency":"GBP","label":"court-ordered compensation, reported unpaid"},"summary":"Mongabay reported that a Baka woman had not received the £1,300 in compensation ordered by a court.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"incidents_investigated","value":21,"unit":"incidents","year":2025,"note":"Physical and sexual violence including rape, torture, \"unlawful killing\" and arbitrary detention (Omnia Strategy)."},{"key":"stakeholders_heard","value":180,"unit":"people","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Omnia Strategy investigation, 16 months, covering 2010 to 2024."},{"key":"compensation","value":1300,"unit":"GBP","year":2025,"note":"Court-ordered compensation to a Baka woman, reported unpaid."},{"key":"area_km2","value":11794,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"note":"Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua, World Heritage decision 45 COM 8B.1."},{"key":"people_living_nearby","value":10000,"unit":"people","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Living in 54 villages around the park, including Baka and Kola peoples."},{"key":"subsidy","value":6,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"EU funding for 2018–2023; 46% of the park budget in 2020."},{"key":"funding_received","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Rob and Melani Walton Foundation to African Parks; US$75m to the endowment, part to a Legacy Landscapes Fund match for Odzala-Kokoua and Iona."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"After allegations raised in 2023, African Parks commissioned an investigation of 21 incidents in Odzala-Kokoua National Park (2010–2024). In May 2025 it acknowledged that human rights abuses occurred in some incidents and did not publish the report.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"African Parks","what":"Continues to manage the park under a 25-year agreement running from 2010","src":3},{"who":"Funders and partners including the EU, the Legacy Landscapes Fund, the Rob Walton Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service","what":"Named as funders of the park","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"A Baka woman","what":"Court-ordered compensation of £1,300 reported unpaid","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Baka people","what":"Reported to have been beaten, raped and tortured; 21 incidents investigated","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo; about 54 villages around the park.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Incidents covered 2010 to 2024; Survival's warning June 2023; press reports January 2024; acknowledgement May 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the causes; African Parks cited \"several failures of our systems and processes\".","src":0},"how":{"t":"Allegations went from Survival International to African Parks, then to the press; African Parks engaged Omnia Strategy; it published a response but not the report.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"African Parks acknowledges abuse by park staff in Congo but withholds full report","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-05-13","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/05/african-parks-acknowledges-abuse-by-park-staff-in-congo-but-withholds-full-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260827015419/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/05/african-parks-acknowledges-abuse-by-park-staff-in-congo-but-withholds-full-report/"},{"t":"Omnia Strategy public statement, May 2025","p":"Omnia Strategy (published on the African Parks website)","d":"2025-05","type":"company","u":"https://www.africanparks.org/sites/default/files/Omnia%20Strategy%20public%20statement%20-%20May%202025.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826103721/https://www.africanparks.org/sites/default/files/Omnia%20Strategy%20public%20statement%20-%20May%202025.pdf"},{"t":"African Parks funding: Rob and Melani Walton Foundation gift of US$100m","p":"Mongabay","d":"2021-09-16","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/african-parks-secures-100m-for-conservation-in-africa/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615050651/https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/african-parks-secures-100m-for-conservation-in-africa/"},{"t":"Odzala-Kokoua National Park","p":"University of Arizona, indigenous peoples and protected areas database","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://indigenous.arizona.edu/odzala-kokoua-national-park","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250903140658/https://indigenous.arizona.edu/odzala-kokoua-national-park"},{"t":"Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua (World Heritage summary)","p":"Natural World Heritage Sites (summary site)","d":"2023-09","type":"registry","u":"https://www.naturalworldheritagesites.org/sites/forest-massif-of-odzala-kokoua","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517174736/https://www.naturalworldheritagesites.org/sites/forest-massif-of-odzala-kokoua"},{"t":"Denny, Englander and Hunnicutt, private management of African protected areas (African Parks): effects on wildlife, tourism and civilian security, PNAS 121, e2401814121","p":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences","d":"2024","u":"https://sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240726193202.htm","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did abuses by park staff occur, and what did the investigation find?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Omnia Strategy report has not been published: which allegations were upheld, who was dismissed and whether compensation was paid is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty or compensation amount is on record, and no prosecutions have been reported.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No compensation scheme or insurance cover for the reported abuses is documented in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The researchers in the PNAS study noted that whether the gains benefit the surrounding population has not yet been studied.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the report was not given to funders including the EU (Survival International's account).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Omnia Strategy public statement does not address the findings.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Funders and partners including the EU, the Legacy Landscapes Fund, the Rob Walton Foundation and the US Fish and Wildlife Service"]},{"id":"alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-and-renew-oceans","title":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Renew Oceans (Ganges)","dek":"An industry alliance founded in 2019 pledged $1.5 billion over five years and a 15 million tonne goal. Its Ganges project collected less than one tonne before closing in 2020, and its later progress reports and independent analyses give different figures for what it has removed.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":25.32,"lon":82.97,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Varanasi","lat":25.32,"lon":82.97,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"priority-country"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"priority-country"},{"country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","role":"priority-country"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","role":"priority-country"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2019-01","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","water"],"headline":{"label":"Plastic collected vs plastic produced by five member companies, 2019–2023","value":"119,000 t vs 132 Mt","note":"Greenpeace Unearthed, November 2024: more than 1,000 times. The Alliance's own cumulative figures are higher and use different terms (378,147 t \"reduced\" to 2025)."},"happened":["The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) was launched in January 2019 by 28 companies, including BASF, Dow, ExxonMobil, Shell, Procter & Gamble and SABIC, with a pledge of \"$1.5 billion over the next five years\". More than $1bn was committed at launch, and the goal was 15 million tonnes.","Its Renew Oceans project on the Ganges at Varanasi, India, collected less than one tonne of plastic before closing in March 2020. Its targets had been 45 t for 2019 and 450 t for 2020. The Alliance said in October 2020 that the project's end was a \"mutual termination\" and cited COVID-19.","In November 2024 Greenpeace's Unearthed unit reported that the Alliance had provided $375m and that 119,000 t of plastic had been collected, while five member companies (Exxon, Shell, Chevron Phillips, Total and Dow) produced 132 Mt of polyethylene and polypropylene over 2019–2023, more than 1,000 times what the Alliance removed, using Wood Mackenzie data. The Alliance called its 15 Mt goal \"too ambitious\".","The Alliance's own reports give different figures. Its 2024 report counted 239,985 t diverted and 253,212 t recovered since 2019. Its 2025 progress report, published in September 2026, counted 378,147 t reduced and 418,529 t valorised cumulatively, and $641m \"catalysed\" from third parties. Its priority countries are Brazil, Saudi Arabia (the Gulf Cooperation Council region), India, Indonesia and South Africa, with $40m for Indonesia.","Planet Tracker compared the Alliance's $1.5bn with about $400bn planned industry-wide for new plastic capacity, and Recycling Netwerk counted $89.3bn in expansion projects by Alliance members between 2014 and 2030. In September 2022 Planet Tracker said the Alliance had reached less than 1% of its target in its first three years."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"January: Alliance launched with a $1.5bn, five-year pledge and a 15 Mt goal"},{"y":2020,"t":"March: Renew Oceans (Ganges) closes having collected under 1 t; October: Alliance calls it a \"mutual termination\", citing COVID-19"},{"y":2022,"t":"September: Planet Tracker says the Alliance had reached less than 1% of its target in three years"},{"y":2024,"t":"November: Unearthed reports $375m provided and 119,000 t collected against 132 Mt produced by five members"},{"y":2026,"t":"September: Alliance 2025 progress report gives 378,147 t reduced, 418,529 t valorised and $641m catalysed"}],"said":[{"q":"$1.5 billion over the next five years","who":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste, at launch","when":"January 2019","src":0},{"q":"mutual termination","who":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste, on the end of Renew Oceans, citing COVID-19","when":"October 2020","src":7},{"q":"too ambitious","who":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste, on its 15 Mt goal, as reported by Unearthed","when":"November 2024","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"A pledge of $1.5 billion over five years and a goal of 15 million tonnes","who":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste, at launch","src":null},{"t":"378,147 t \"reduced\", 418,529 t \"valorised\" and $641m \"catalysed\" from third parties, cumulative to 2025","who":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste, 2025 progress report","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Renew Oceans (Ganges, Varanasi) collected less than 1 t (reported also as about 1 t) against targets of 45 t in 2019 and 450 t in 2020, and closed in March 2020.","src":0},{"t":"Unearthed reported that the Alliance had provided $375m and 119,000 t had been collected, while five member companies produced 132 Mt of polyethylene and polypropylene over 2019–2023.","src":1},{"t":"The Alliance called its 15 Mt goal \"too ambitious\".","src":1},{"t":"Alliance 2024 report: 239,985 t diverted and 253,212 t recovered since 2019.","src":8},{"t":"Alliance 2025 progress report (September 2026): 378,147 t reduced, 418,529 t valorised, $641m catalysed from third parties; priority countries Brazil, Saudi Arabia, India, Indonesia and South Africa; $40m for Indonesia.","src":5},{"t":"Planet Tracker (September 2022): the Alliance had reached less than 1% of its target in its first three years.","src":6},{"t":"Planet Tracker: the $1.5bn compares with about $400bn planned industry-wide for new plastic capacity.","src":3},{"t":"Recycling Netwerk: $89.3bn in expansion projects by Alliance members, 2014–2030.","src":4},{"t":"Packaging Insights (10 February 2023) reported about 34,000 t in the first four years, 2019–2022.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic collected by Renew Oceans (Ganges)","v":"Under 1 t","d":"Against targets of 45 t (2019) and 450 t (2020); project closed March 2020"},{"k":"Plastic collected vs produced by five members","v":"119,000 t vs 132 Mt","d":"Unearthed, 2019–2023; production data from Wood Mackenzie"},{"k":"Alliance-reported reduction as a share of the 15 Mt goal","v":"About 2.5%","d":"378,147 t (Alliance 2025 report, cumulative to 2025) ÷ 15 Mt. Estimate; the period runs beyond the five-year target window","est":true}]},"unknown":["The Alliance's actual spend by its own accounts was not found; the $375m figure is as reported by Unearthed.","The Alliance's cumulative figures (\"diverted\", \"recovered\", \"reduced\", \"valorised\") and Unearthed's figure (\"collected\") use different terms and are not reconciled in the cited sources.","Renew Oceans collected \"less than 1 t\" in one account and \"about 1 t\" in another."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources. Renew Oceans closed in March 2020; the Alliance continues to publish progress reports (most recently September 2026).","whoPaid":"None on record; Unearthed reported $375m provided by the Alliance over its first five years.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the Alliance's 2025 progress report gives 378,147 t reduced and 418,529 t valorised against a 15 Mt goal; Unearthed (2024) put collection at 119,000 t; Renew Oceans closed in 2020.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","says":"Described the end of Renew Oceans as a \"mutual termination\" and cited COVID-19.","when":"October 2020","src":null},{"actor":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","says":"Called its 15 Mt goal \"too ambitious\".","when":"November 2024","src":1},{"actor":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","says":"Its 2025 progress report counted 378,147 t reduced, 418,529 t valorised and $641m catalysed from third parties.","when":"2026-09-08","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"aepw","role":"Industry alliance; launched January 2019"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Founding member; named among five members compared by Unearthed"},{"id":"shell","role":"Founding member; named among five members compared by Unearthed"},{"id":"dow","role":"Founding member; named among five members compared by Unearthed"},{"id":"basf","role":"Founding member"},{"id":"sabic","role":"Founding member"},{"id":"procter-gamble","role":"Founding member"},{"id":"chevron-phillips","role":"Member; named among five members compared by Unearthed"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Member (as \"Total\"); named among five members compared by Unearthed"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Its Unearthed unit published the 2024 comparison"},{"id":"planet-tracker","role":"Compared the pledge with industry capacity plans"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much plastic has the Alliance removed or prevented?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Unearthed","says":"$375m provided and 119,000 t collected, against 132 Mt of polyethylene and polypropylene produced by five members over 2019–2023.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","says":"Its 2025 progress report counted 378,147 t reduced and 418,529 t valorised cumulatively; it called the 15 Mt goal \"too ambitious\".","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Planet Tracker","says":"The Alliance had reached less than 1% of its target in its first three years (September 2022).","src":6}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Why did the Ganges project end after collecting under one tonne?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","says":"A \"mutual termination\" in October 2020, citing COVID-19.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters, as reported by Packaging Insights","says":"The project collected under one tonne against a 450 t target for 2020 and closed in March 2020.","src":0}]},{"point":"Is the Alliance's funding proportionate to the scale of industry plastic production?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Planet Tracker","says":"The $1.5bn compares with about $400bn planned industry-wide for new plastic capacity.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Recycling Netwerk","says":"Alliance members had $89.3bn in expansion projects, 2014–2030.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"funding_pledged","value":1500,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"\"$1.5 billion over the next five years\", Alliance launch pledge; more than $1bn was committed at launch."},{"key":"funding_provided","value":375,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"As reported by Unearthed; the Alliance's own accounts of spend were not found."},{"key":"plastic_collected_tonnes","value":119000,"unit":"t","year":2023,"note":"Unearthed, first five years."},{"key":"plastic_produced_tonnes_members","value":132000000,"unit":"t","year":2023,"note":"Polyethylene and polypropylene produced by Exxon, Shell, Chevron Phillips, Total and Dow over 2019–2023 (Wood Mackenzie data, via Unearthed)."},{"key":"target_tonnes","value":15000000,"unit":"t","year":2019,"note":"Alliance goal, which it later called \"too ambitious\"."},{"key":"plastic_collected_tonnes","value":1,"unit":"t","year":2020,"qualifier":"under","note":"Renew Oceans (Ganges); targets were 45 t (2019) and 450 t (2020)."},{"key":"plastic_reduced_tonnes","value":378147,"unit":"t","year":2025,"note":"Alliance 2025 progress report, cumulative; 418,529 t \"valorised\"."},{"key":"plastic_reduced_share_of_target","value":2.5,"unit":"%","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Estimate: 378,147 ÷ 15,000,000. The period (2019–2025) runs beyond the five-year target window."},{"key":"third_party_funding_catalysed","value":641,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Alliance 2025 progress report."},{"key":"indonesia_programme","value":40,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Alliance programme in Indonesia, 2025 report."},{"key":"industry_new_capacity_planned","value":400000,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Planet Tracker: planned industry-wide for new plastic capacity."},{"key":"member_expansion_projects","value":89300,"unit":"USD m","year":2030,"note":"Recycling Netwerk: expansion projects by Alliance members, 2014–2030."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An industry-funded alliance launched in 2019 with a $1.5bn, five-year pledge and a 15 Mt goal; its Ganges project (Renew Oceans) closed in 2020 having collected under one tonne.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Varanasi, India (Renew Oceans); priority countries Brazil, Saudi Arabia, India, Indonesia and South Africa.","src":5},"when":{"t":"Launched January 2019; Renew Oceans closed March 2020; Unearthed report November 2024; Alliance 2025 report September 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Alliance's stated aim was to end plastic waste, through a pledge of $1.5 billion over five years and a goal of 15 million tonnes.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The Alliance funds projects and programmes in priority countries and reports progress as plastic \"diverted\", \"recovered\", \"reduced\" and \"valorised\" and funding \"catalysed\" from third parties.","src":5},"ratio":{"t":"Five member companies produced 132 Mt of polyethylene and polypropylene over 2019–2023, more than 1,000 times the 119,000 t the Alliance removed, according to Unearthed.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Greenpeace chief: Alliance to End Plastic Waste is misfiring as expose reveals flagship project failure","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/greenpeace-chief-alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-is-misfiring-as-expose-reveals-flagship-project-failure.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210033850/https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/greenpeace-chief-alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-is-misfiring-as-expose-reveals-flagship-project-failure.html"},{"t":"Plastic waste cleanup alliance found producing 1,000 times more plastic than it removes, investigation reveals (Greenpeace Unearthed, via Nation of Change)","p":"Nation of Change","d":"2024-11-25","type":"press","u":"https://nationofchange.org/2024/11/25/plastic-waste-cleanup-alliance-found-producing-1000-times-more-plastic-than-it-removes-investigation-reveals","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520034149/https://www.nationofchange.org/2024/11/25/plastic-waste-cleanup-alliance-found-producing-1000-times-more-plastic-than-it-removes-investigation-reveals/"},{"t":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste accused of producing more plastic waste than it collects","p":"Packaging Europe","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241121110953/https://packagingeurope.com/news/alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-accused-of-producing-more-plastic-waste-than-it-collects/12170.article","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241121110953/https://packagingeurope.com/news/alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-accused-of-producing-more-plastic-waste-than-it-collects/12170.article","dead":true},{"t":"Planet Tracker analysis of industry-wide planned plastic capacity","p":"Planet Tracker","d":"2022","type":"ngo","u":"https://planet-tracker.org/?p=8254","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135823/https://planet-tracker.org/planet-tracker-questions-credibility-of-alliance-to-end-plastic-waste/"},{"t":"Over $89 billion in plastic expansion projects","p":"Recycling Netwerk (via Humusz)","d":"2022","type":"ngo","u":"https://humusz.hu/sites/default/files/Dokumentumok/megelozes/over_89_billion_in_plastic_expansion.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240526063952/https://humusz.hu/sites/default/files/Dokumentumok/megelozes/over_89_billion_in_plastic_expansion.pdf"},{"t":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste releases 2025 Progress Report","p":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste (via AAP / Cision)","d":"2026-09-08","type":"company","u":"https://www.aap.com.au/aapreleases/cision20260908ae41889/"},{"t":"Report: Alliance to End Plastic Waste's progress slow, clearer targets needed","p":"KnowESG","d":"2022-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://knowesg.com/environment/report-alliance-to-end-plastic-wastes-progress-slow-clearer-targets-needed-05092022","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240529020750/https://www.knowesg.com/environment/report-alliance-to-end-plastic-wastes-progress-slow-clearer-targets-needed-05092022"},{"t":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste fires back at Greenpeace over criticism of flagship project failure","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2021-01-27","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-fires-back-at-greenpeace-over-criticism-of-flagship-project-failure.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste releases Progress Report 2024, announces Strategy 2030 and reflects on five years of impact","p":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","d":"2025-08-05","u":"https://www.endplasticwaste.org/insights/news/alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-releases-progress-report-2024-announces-strategy-2030-and-reflects-on-five-years-of-impact","type":"company"},{"t":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste defends failures after achieving 0.2% of its targets","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2023-02-10","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-defends-failures-after-achieving-02-of-its-targets.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"industry-alliance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"An industry alliance's project collected less than one tonne of plastic from my Ganges at Varanasi before closing in March 2020; its targets were 45 tonnes for 2019 and 450 tonnes for 2020.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much plastic has the Alliance removed or prevented?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why did the Ganges project end after collecting under one tonne?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the Alliance's funding proportionate to the scale of industry plastic production?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Alliance's actual spend by its own accounts was not found; the $375m figure is as reported by Unearthed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The Alliance's cumulative figures (\"diverted\", \"recovered\", \"reduced\", \"valorised\") and Unearthed's figure (\"collected\") use different terms and are not reconciled in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Renew Oceans collected \"less than 1 t\" in one account and \"about 1 t\" in another.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"clearspace-1-and-astroscale-debris-removal-missions","title":"ClearSpace-1 and Astroscale debris-removal missions","dek":"Public agencies have contracted two companies, ClearSpace in Switzerland and Astroscale in Japan, to remove or approach space debris. In the cited sources (to mid-2026), no piece of real debris had been captured and removed from orbit.","country":"Switzerland / Japan","region":"Earth orbit; Europe and Japan","lat":46.8,"lon":8.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","lat":46.8,"lon":8.2,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","lat":36.2,"lon":138.3,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"customer"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"customer"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris"],"headline":{"label":"Pieces of real debris captured and removed from orbit by these missions","value":"None found","note":"As of mid-2026. ELSA-d captured its own client satellite; ADRAS-J inspected a rocket stage without capturing it."},"happened":["In the cited sources, no piece of real debris had been captured and removed from orbit. RemoveDEBRIS (2018–19) tested a net and a harpoon only on targets it carried itself. The European Space Agency (ESA) describes ClearSpace-1 as “the first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit”; its launch is planned for 2029.","ESA signed an €86 million service contract with ClearSpace, a Swiss start-up, on 13 November 2020 and announced it on 1 December 2020. ClearSpace was to raise about €24 million privately on top. The original target was the Vespa adapter left by Vega flight VV02 (2013), 112 kg, with launch in 2025. In April 2024 the target changed to ESA's PROBA-1 (95 kg, launched 2001) after other debris hit the Vespa. OHB SE became prime contractor and ClearSpace kept the capture operations. ClearSpace's chief executive said the company had raised about €130 million in total from commercial and government sources, including a €26.7 million Series A, was not yet profitable, and expected commercial revenue in 2026–28. A 2024 reorganisation was reported.","Astroscale listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth market (186A) on 5 June 2024 at ¥850, the top of its range; shares traded as high as ¥1,581. Bloomberg put its market capitalisation at about ¥155.4 billion ($995 million) at the close, and Seraphim put it at about ¥145 billion ($934 million) at the opening. For the financial year to April 2025, Space Intel Report gave revenue of about ¥2.46 billion (down 13.9%) and a backlog of about ¥30.7 billion. Aggregator listings show a financing of about ¥30 billion in June 2026 (convertible bonds plus a share placement) and a forecast net loss of ¥9.6–10.6 billion for FY2027.","Astroscale's missions had approached or inspected targets but had not captured real debris. ELSA-d (2021–2024) captured its own client satellite magnetically in August 2021; a January 2022 anomaly and the loss of 4 of its 8 thrusters stopped autonomous capture, and its closest approach afterwards was 159 m (May 2022). ADRAS-J, launched on 18 February 2024 for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), inspected a Japanese H-IIA upper stage without capturing it; its closest approach was about 15 m and the approach ended with an autonomous abort due to a “relative attitude anomaly”. JAXA's follow-on contract, ADRAS-J2, was signed on 20 August 2024 for about ¥13.2 billion (about $82 million) including tax, to capture and remove the same kind of H-IIA stage (about 11 m long, 3 t). Its launcher, Isar Spectrum, failed on its first flight in March 2025 and no launch date had been confirmed.","Governments are the contracting parties in the cited sources. The UK Space Agency gave Astroscale £1.95 million for the next phase of COSMIC, aiming to remove two inactive UK satellites (11 September 2024), and co-funded ELSA-M through ESA and Eutelsat. The US Space Force signed a refuelling contract (APS-R) on 17 January 2024: it pays $25.5 million and Astroscale U.S. and partners about $12 million. A separate UK active-debris-removal mission was tendered at £63 million excluding VAT (£75.6 million including VAT), with £83.93 million approved by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; the award, due 30 March 2026, was delayed and no winner had been found by the UK Space Agency's July 2026 report."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"RemoveDEBRIS tests a net and a harpoon on targets it carried itself (2018–19)"},{"y":2020,"t":"ESA signs €86m ClearSpace-1 contract (13 Nov); announced 1 Dec"},{"y":2021,"t":"ELSA-d magnetically captures its own client satellite (Aug)"},{"y":2022,"t":"ELSA-d anomaly in January; 4 of 8 thrusters lost; closest later approach 159 m (May)"},{"y":2024,"t":"US Space Force APS-R refuelling contract (17 Jan); ADRAS-J launched (18 Feb); ClearSpace-1 target changed to PROBA-1 (Apr); Astroscale IPO (5 Jun); ADRAS-J2 contract (20 Aug); UK COSMIC next-phase award (11 Sep)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Isar Spectrum first flight fails (Mar); Astroscale reports FY to April 2025 revenue of about ¥2.46bn"},{"y":2026,"t":"ELSA-M launch deal on Isar Spectrum (Mar); UK removal-mission award due 30 Mar is delayed; Astroscale arranges about ¥30bn financing (Jun); UK Space Agency report (Jul): no winner found"}],"said":[{"q":"the first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit","who":"ESA, on its ClearSpace-1 page","when":"undated","src":0},{"q":"relative attitude anomaly","who":"Astroscale, describing the autonomous abort that ended the ADRAS-J approach","when":"2024","src":11}],"shown":[{"t":"ClearSpace-1 described as the first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit","who":"ESA","src":0},{"t":"ELSA-d reported as demonstrating repeated magnetic capture","who":"Astroscale","src":10}],"recorded":[{"t":"ELSA-d's magnetic capture in August 2021 was of its own client satellite; autonomous capture stopped after a January 2022 anomaly","src":10},{"t":"ADRAS-J inspected a Japanese H-IIA upper stage only, with no capture; closest approach about 15 m","src":11},{"t":"ClearSpace-1 target changed in April 2024 after the Vespa was hit by other debris; launch moved from 2025 to 2029","src":3},{"t":"Astroscale revenue for the financial year to April 2025 was about ¥2.46bn, down 13.9%","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"mixed","window":"2020–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Real debris captured and removed","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources to mid-2026"},{"k":"ClearSpace-1 launch","v":"2029","d":"Originally planned for 2025; target changed in April 2024"},{"k":"ADRAS-J closest approach","v":"About 15 m","d":"Inspection of an H-IIA upper stage; no capture"}]},"unknown":["No captured-and-removed piece of real debris is on record; the total mass of debris removed to date was not found in any source.","ADRAS-J2 has no confirmed launch date, and its launcher failed on its first flight in March 2025.","Whether the US Space Force APS-R refueller, planned for summer 2026, launched was not confirmed.","The UK Space Agency's active-debris-removal award, due 30 March 2026, was delayed; no winner was found.","Astroscale's recent financial figures come from an aggregator; the company's securities report was not checked.","Unconfirmed: an Astroscale market capitalisation of about ¥263.6 billion in mid-2026 (TradingView).","Unconfirmed: Astroscale's net loss of ¥21.6 billion for the year to April 2025 (the cited sources give no source URL for the figure)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no removal of debris from orbit by these missions as of mid-2026.","whoPaid":"Public agencies fund the contracts in the cited sources: ESA (€86 million for ClearSpace-1), JAXA (about ¥13.2 billion for ADRAS-J2), the UK Space Agency (£1.95 million for the COSMIC next phase) and the US Space Force ($25.5 million for APS-R refuelling). The companies also rely on private capital: ClearSpace said it had raised about €130 million from commercial and government sources, and Astroscale listed in Tokyo in June 2024.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: no captured-and-removed piece of real debris found; ClearSpace-1 launch planned for 2029; the UK removal-mission award, due 30 March 2026, delayed with no winner found.","updated":"2026-07-01","responses":[{"actor":"ESA","says":"Describes ClearSpace-1 as the first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit; planned launch 2029.","when":"undated","src":0},{"actor":"ClearSpace","says":"Its chief executive said about €130 million had been raised in total from commercial and government sources, the company was not yet profitable and expected commercial revenue in 2026–28.","when":"December 2024","src":5},{"actor":"Astroscale","says":"Reported that ELSA-d demonstrated repeated magnetic capture, and that the ADRAS-J approach ended with an autonomous abort due to a “relative attitude anomaly”.","when":"2024","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"esa","role":"Contracting agency for ClearSpace-1 (€86m)"},{"id":"clearspace","role":"Contractor for ClearSpace-1"},{"id":"astroscale","role":"Debris-removal and servicing company"},{"id":"jaxa","role":"Customer for ADRAS-J and ADRAS-J2"},{"id":"uk-space-agency","role":"Funder of COSMIC and ELSA-M; tendering a removal mission"},{"id":"us-space-force","role":"Customer for APS-R refuelling"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Has any mission yet captured and removed a real piece of debris?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"ESA","says":"Calls ClearSpace-1 “the first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit”; launch planned for 2029.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Astroscale","says":"Reported magnetic capture of its own client satellite in August 2021; autonomous capture stopped after a January 2022 anomaly. ADRAS-J inspected an H-IIA stage without capture.","src":10}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"esa_contract_value","value":86,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"note":"ESA service contract for ClearSpace-1, signed 13 November 2020; ClearSpace was to raise about €24m privately on top."},{"key":"capital_raised","value":130,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"ClearSpace chief executive: total raised from commercial and government sources."},{"key":"series_a","value":26.7,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"ClearSpace Series A."},{"key":"ipo_price","value":850,"unit":"JPY per share","year":2024,"note":"Astroscale IPO on 5 June 2024, top of the range."},{"key":"market_cap","value":155400,"unit":"JPY m","year":2024,"note":"Bloomberg, at the close on the first day of trading (about $995m)."},{"key":"revenue","value":2460,"unit":"JPY m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Astroscale, financial year to April 2025; down 13.9%."},{"key":"backlog","value":30700,"unit":"JPY m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Astroscale backlog, financial year to April 2025."},{"key":"profit","value":-21600,"unit":"JPY m","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: loss for the year to April 2025; no source link available."},{"key":"financing","value":30000,"unit":"JPY m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Astroscale June 2026 financing (convertible bonds plus share placement), per aggregator listings."},{"key":"adras_j2_contract_value","value":13200,"unit":"JPY m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"JAXA ADRAS-J2 contract signed 20 August 2024, including tax (about $82m)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1.95,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"UK Space Agency funding for the COSMIC next phase (11 September 2024)."},{"key":"us_space_force_payment","value":25.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"US Space Force payment under the APS-R refuelling contract (17 January 2024); Astroscale U.S. and partners about $12m."},{"key":"uk_tender_value","value":63,"unit":"GBP m","qualifier":"excluding VAT","note":"UK active-debris-removal mission tender; £75.6m including VAT; £83.93m approved by DSIT."},{"key":"closest_approach_m","value":15,"unit":"m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"ADRAS-J to an H-IIA upper stage."},{"key":"closest_approach_m","value":159,"unit":"m","year":2022,"note":"ELSA-d closest approach after the January 2022 anomaly (May 2022)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Public contracts for missions to capture and remove space debris; in the cited sources, no real debris had been captured and removed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ClearSpace","what":"€86m ESA service contract (2020); about €130m raised in total.","src":1},{"who":"Astroscale","what":"Contracts including ADRAS-J2 (about ¥13.2bn), COSMIC next phase (£1.95m) and APS-R; listed in Tokyo on 5 June 2024.","src":12}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Earth orbit; the companies are based in Switzerland (ClearSpace) and Japan (Astroscale); the customers are agencies in Europe, Japan, the UK and the US.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Contracts from 2020 to 2026; ClearSpace-1 launch planned for 2029.","src":0},"why":{"t":"A research note states that the money comes mainly from governments, especially the US Space Force; no source URL is given for this statement.","src":null},"how":{"t":"ESA bought a debris-removal service from ClearSpace under a €86m contract; JAXA, the UK Space Agency and the US Space Force contracted Astroscale for demonstration, removal and refuelling missions.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"ClearSpace-1","p":"ESA","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/ClearSpace-1","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135711/https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/ClearSpace-1"},{"t":"ESA purchases world-first debris removal mission from start-up","p":"ESA","d":"2020-12-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/ESA_purchases_world-first_debris_removal_mission_from_start-up","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211226133544/https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/ESA_purchases_world-first_debris_removal_mission_from_start-up"},{"t":"ESA and ClearSpace sign €86 million contract for space debris removal","p":"Startupticker","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/esa-and-clearspace-sign-e86-million-contract-for-space-debris-removal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135738/https://www.startupticker.ch/en/news/esa-and-clearspace-sign-e86-million-contract-for-space-debris-removal"},{"t":"ClearSpace-1 re-scope (target changed to PROBA-1)","p":"European Spaceflight","d":"2024-04","type":"press","u":"https://europeanspaceflight.com/?p=2870"},{"t":"ClearSpace closes €26.7 million Series A","p":"Payload","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://payloadspace.com/clearspace-closes-e26-7-million-series-a","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416112853/https://payloadspace.com/clearspace-closes-e26-7-million-series-a/"},{"t":"European Space Agency, zero space junk, Swiss start-up ClearSpace","p":"Fortune","d":"2024-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/europe/2024/12/06/european-space-agency-zero-space-junk-swiss-startup-clearspace","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260101181711/https://fortune.com/europe/2024/12/06/european-space-agency-zero-space-junk-swiss-startup-clearspace/"},{"t":"Japanese space debris pioneer's shares surge in Tokyo debut","p":"Bloomberg","d":"2024-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-05/japanese-space-debris-pioneer-s-shares-surge-in-tokyo-debut","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240606072217/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-05/japanese-space-debris-pioneer-s-shares-surge-in-tokyo-debut"},{"t":"Astroscale goes public in Tokyo with heavily oversubscribed IPO","p":"Seraphim","d":"2024-06","type":"company","u":"https://seraphim.vc/news/astroscale-goes-public-in-tokyo-with-heavily-oversubscribed-ipo/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260521145015/https://seraphim.vc/news/astroscale-goes-public-in-tokyo-with-heavily-oversubscribed-ipo/"},{"t":"Astroscale FY 2025 revenue down 14%; satellite life-extension mission again delayed","p":"Space Intel Report","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.spaceintelreport.com/astroscale-fy-2025-rev-down-14-big-satellite-life-extension-mission-again-delayed-turnaround-expected-this-year/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250907143939/https://www.spaceintelreport.com/astroscale-fy-2025-rev-down-14-big-satellite-life-extension-mission-again-delayed-turnaround-expected-this-year/"},{"t":"Astroscale (186A) company overview (aggregator)","p":"Envalith","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://envalith.com/en/companies/186A/overview"},{"t":"Astroscale's ELSA-d successfully demonstrates repeated magnetic capture","p":"Astroscale","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.astroscale.com/news/astroscales-elsa-d-successfully-demonstrates-repeated-magnetic-capture"},{"t":"ADRAS-J completes operations, begins de-orbit","p":"Astroscale","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://astroscale.com/en/news/astroscales-adras-j-mission-completes-operations-begins-deorbit","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901132910/https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscales-adras-j-mission-completes-operations-begins-deorbit"},{"t":"Astroscale Japan secures contract for Phase II of JAXA's commercial removal programme","p":"Astroscale","d":"2024-08-20","type":"company","u":"https://astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-japan-secures-contract-for-phase-ii-of-jaxas-commercial-removal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518212244/https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-japan-secures-contract-for-phase-ii-of-jaxas-commercial-removal"},{"t":"Astroscale awarded contract for next phase of a UK national active debris removal mission","p":"Astroscale","d":"2024-09-11","type":"company","u":"https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-awarded-contract-for-next-phase-of-a-uk-national-active-debris-removal-mission","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260330024434/https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-awarded-contract-for-next-phase-of-a-uk-national-active-debris-removal-mission"},{"t":"Astroscale U.S. to lead the first-ever refuelling of a United States space asset (APS-R)","p":"Astroscale","d":"2024-01-17","type":"company","u":"https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-u-s-to-lead-the-first-ever-refueling-of-a-united-states-space","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260716235253/https://www.astroscale.com/en/news/astroscale-u-s-to-lead-the-first-ever-refueling-of-a-united-states-space"},{"t":"UK launches tender for mission to clean up space and safeguard vital services","p":"GOV.UK","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-launches-tender-for-mission-to-clean-up-space-and-safeguard-vital-services","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307225104/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-launches-tender-for-mission-to-clean-up-space-and-safeguard-vital-services"},{"t":"UK misses deadline to award contract for space debris removal mission","p":"European Spaceflight","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://europeanspaceflight.com/uk-misses-deadline-to-award-contract-for-space-debris-removal-mission/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010081422/https://europeanspaceflight.com/uk-misses-deadline-to-award-contract-for-space-debris-removal-mission/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"debris-removal","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Has any mission yet captured and removed a real piece of debris?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Profit: Unconfirmed: loss for the year to April 2025; no source link available.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No captured-and-removed piece of real debris is on record; the total mass of debris removed to date was not found in any source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"ADRAS-J2 has no confirmed launch date, and its launcher failed on its first flight in March 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the US Space Force APS-R refueller, planned for summer 2026, launched was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The UK Space Agency's active-debris-removal award, due 30 March 2026, was delayed; no winner was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Astroscale's recent financial figures come from an aggregator; the company's securities report was not checked.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an Astroscale market capitalisation of about ¥263.6 billion in mid-2026 (TradingView).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Astroscale's net loss of ¥21.6 billion for the year to April 2025 (the cited sources give no source URL for the figure).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coral-reef-parametric-insurance-quintana-roo","title":"Coral reef parametric insurance, Quintana Roo","dek":"The state government of Quintana Roo, Mexico, has bought a wind-triggered insurance policy for coral reefs and beaches since 2019. Payouts followed Hurricane Delta in 2020 and Hurricane Beryl in 2024; none was recorded in 2021.","country":"Mexico","region":"Americas","lat":20.2,"lon":-87.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Quintana Roo","lat":20.2,"lon":-87.4,"role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Premiums paid by the state vs claim payouts received, 2019–2025","value":"$1.75–2.8m vs $1.25m","note":"Estimate. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) reports that the state paid USD 250,000–400,000 a year in premiums; payouts are Hurricane Delta (2020, $850,000) and Hurricane Beryl (2024, about $400,000), with none in 2021."},"happened":["Quintana Roo's state government is the policyholder of a parametric insurance policy covering coral reefs and beaches. Business Insurance reported on 7 June 2019 a 12-month policy from June 2019 with a limit of up to US$3.8 million (annual aggregate), split 50% to reefs and 50% to beaches. Payment is triggered by wind speed above 100 knots: 40% of the limit is paid at 110 knots or more, 80% at 130 or more and 100% at 160 or more. Payouts are managed by the Coastal Zone Management Trust, announced in March 2018. Swiss Re said it developed the initial solution in collaboration with TNC and the state government.","Sources differ on the insurer. Business Insurance named Afirme Seguros in 2019. For the 2020 renewal, a MXN 42.5 million (US$1.9 million) programme, Reinsurance News reported that it was issued through Grupo Financiero Banorte and reinsured by Hannover Re. A July 2022 renewal had a premium of MXN 6 million (US$307,850). For 2026, Riviera Maya News reported a premium of about MXN 9 million for cover of up to MXN 40 million against Category 3–5 hurricanes.","Hurricane Delta (October 2020) triggered a payout that TNC and Swiss Re put at US$850,000, paid to the Quintana Roo government; other sources give about US$800,000 or MXN 17 million. Reef brigades stabilised 2,152 coral colonies and reattached 13,570 fragments. A TNC case study presented in July 2026 records no payout for Hurricane Grace (2021) and a payout of about US$400,000 for Hurricane Beryl (2024). Riviera Maya News reported that the Beryl payout, MXN 8 million, was used for beach restoration in Tulum and Playa del Carmen.","The TNC case study states that the state government has paid USD 250,000 to USD 400,000 a year to buy the insurance, that the insurance cost “could be reduced substantially” and the emergency fund increased, and that the trust has funded long-term restoration, not rapid response.","The Quintana Roo policy is triggered by wind. One research note records that existing policies of this kind in Hawaii, Quintana Roo and the Mesoamerican Reef are wind-triggered only and that no document was found stating an explicit bleaching exclusion."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Coastal Zone Management Trust announced (March); Swiss Re and TNC develop the cover with the state government"},{"y":2019,"t":"12-month policy begins in June; limit up to US$3.8m"},{"y":2020,"t":"Renewal as a MXN 42.5m programme; Hurricane Delta triggers a payout reported at US$850,000"},{"y":2021,"t":"Hurricane Grace: no payout recorded"},{"y":2022,"t":"Renewal in July with a premium of MXN 6m (US$307,850)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Hurricane Beryl: payout of MXN 8m (about US$400,000), spent on beach restoration in Tulum and Playa del Carmen"},{"y":2026,"t":"Policy maintained: premium about MXN 9m for up to MXN 40m of cover; TNC case study presented in July"}],"said":[{"q":"Swiss Re developed the initial solution… in collaboration with The Nature Conservancy and the State Government of Quintana Roo.","who":"Swiss Re case study","when":"undated","src":5},{"q":"In 2020, Hurricane Delta triggered the insurance cover, resulting in a claims payout of USD 850,000","who":"Swiss Re case study","when":"undated","src":5},{"q":"QR Government has payed from USD 250,000 to USD 400,000 each year to buy the insurance","who":"TNC case study (F. Secaira, ADB event)","when":"July 2026","src":4},{"q":"QR insurance could be reduced substantially and increase emergency fund.","who":"TNC case study (F. Secaira, ADB event)","when":"July 2026","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"A policy covering coral reefs and beaches, split 50% reefs and 50% beaches","who":"Business Insurance","src":0},{"t":"A claims payout of USD 850,000 after Hurricane Delta in 2020","who":"Swiss Re","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Payouts start only when wind exceeds 100 knots; 40% of the limit at 110 knots or more, 80% at 130 or more, 100% at 160 or more","src":0},{"t":"TNC records payouts of $850,000 for Delta (2020), none for Grace (2021) and about $400,000 for Beryl (2024)","src":4},{"t":"The Beryl payout, MXN 8m, went to beach restoration in Tulum and Playa del Carmen","src":3},{"t":"TNC states the trust has funded long-term restoration, not rapid response","src":4},{"t":"After Delta, reef brigades stabilised 2,152 coral colonies and reattached 13,570 fragments","src":6},{"t":"A research note states the Delta money waited months in state administrative procedures","src":7},{"t":"Existing Hawaii, Quintana Roo and Mesoamerican Reef policies are wind-triggered only; no document was found stating an explicit bleaching exclusion","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Payouts by storm","v":"$850k / none / ~$400k","d":"Delta 2020, Grace 2021, Beryl 2024 (TNC case study)"},{"k":"Where the 2024 payout went","v":"Beach restoration","d":"MXN 8m, Tulum and Playa del Carmen (Riviera Maya News)"},{"k":"Coral stabilised after Delta","v":"2,152 colonies","d":"13,570 fragments reattached by reef brigades"},{"k":"Trigger","v":"Wind only","d":"Coral bleaching is not a trigger; no explicit exclusion found in documents"}]},"unknown":["The 2019 premium was not found, and premiums for individual years are not known; only the range of USD 250,000–400,000 a year is on record.","The insurer differs by year and by source (Afirme Seguros, Grupo Financiero Banorte, Swiss Re); the insurer after Swiss Re is not identified.","Start dates differ between sources: Swiss Re's own articles say 2017, Artemis says the partnership was announced in 2018, TNC says the policy was bought in 2019.","The Delta payout is given as US$850,000 by TNC and Swiss Re and as about US$800,000 or MXN 17 million elsewhere.","Unconfirmed: the premium is funded by the state government and hotel taxes.","No document was found stating an explicit coral-bleaching exclusion; the existing policies are wind-triggered."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the policy insures against hurricane damage. The 2024 Beryl payout was spent on beach restoration.","whoPaid":"The Quintana Roo state government paid the premiums (USD 250,000–400,000 a year according to TNC). One report says the trust is funded by the state government and hotel taxes; no other source confirms it.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the state maintained the policy for 2026 (premium about MXN 9m for up to MXN 40m of cover); recorded payouts are Delta (2020) and Beryl (2024), none in 2021.","updated":"2026-08-16","responses":[{"actor":"Swiss Re","says":"Said it developed the initial solution in collaboration with TNC and the Quintana Roo state government, and that Hurricane Delta triggered a payout of USD 850,000.","when":"undated","src":5},{"actor":"The Nature Conservancy","says":"Said the state paid USD 250,000–400,000 a year, that the insurance cost could be reduced substantially and the emergency fund increased, and that the trust has funded long-term restoration, not rapid response.","when":"July 2026","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"Co-designer of the cover; author of the July 2026 case study"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Developed the initial solution; named as insurer or reinsurer by different sources"},{"id":"hannover-re","role":"Reinsurer of the 2020 renewal (per Reinsurance News)"},{"id":"afirme-seguros","role":"Insurer named for the 2019 policy"},{"id":"banorte","role":"Insurer through which the 2020 renewal was issued"},{"id":"quintana-roo-government","role":"Policyholder and premium payer"},{"id":"coastal-zone-management-trust","role":"Manages payouts"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Which company was the insurer?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Business Insurance","says":"Named Afirme Seguros as insurer of the policy that began in June 2019.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reinsurance News","says":"Reported that the 2020 renewal was issued through Grupo Financiero Banorte and reinsured by Hannover Re.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Milenio, as noted in a research note","says":"Named Banorte as insurer; the same note lists Swiss Re as insurer at launch.","src":null}]},{"point":"How large was the Hurricane Delta payout?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"The Nature Conservancy","says":"US$850,000 to the Quintana Roo government.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Swiss Re","says":"“In 2020, Hurricane Delta triggered the insurance cover, resulting in a claims payout of USD 850,000”.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Other sources, as noted in a research note","says":"About US$800,000 or MXN 17 million.","src":null}]},{"point":"When did the cover start?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Business Insurance","says":"A 12-month policy from June 2019.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"The Nature Conservancy","says":"The policy was bought in 2019; the state has paid premiums each year since 2019.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Swiss Re's own articles, as noted in a research note","says":"2017; a reports of its case study gives March 2018.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did the insurance money go to the reefs?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Riviera Maya News","says":"The MXN 8 million paid after Hurricane Beryl in 2024 was used for beach restoration in Tulum and Playa del Carmen.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"The Nature Conservancy","says":"The trust “has funded long-term restoration, not rapid response”.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Afirme Seguros or Grupo Financiero Banorte (sources differ); Swiss Re and Hannover Re named as reinsurers","insured":"Quintana Roo state government","status":"paid","year":2020,"amount":{"value":850000,"currency":"USD","label":"Hurricane Delta payout reported by TNC and Swiss Re; other sources give about US$800,000 or MXN 17m"},"summary":"Hurricane Delta triggered the wind-index cover in October 2020; the payout went to the state government.","src":4},{"insurer":"Not identified for 2021","insured":"Quintana Roo state government","status":"unknown","year":2021,"summary":"The TNC case study records “no payout” for Hurricane Grace.","src":4},{"insurer":"Not identified for 2024","insured":"Quintana Roo state government","status":"paid","year":2024,"amount":{"value":400000,"currency":"USD","label":"About; TNC case study. Riviera Maya News reports MXN 8m"},"summary":"Hurricane Beryl triggered a payout in 2024; the MXN 8m was used for beach restoration in Tulum and Playa del Carmen.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"coverage_limit","value":3.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Annual aggregate limit of the first 12-month policy (Business Insurance)."},{"key":"coverage_limit","value":40,"unit":"MXN m","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Cover against Category 3–5 hurricanes (Riviera Maya News)."},{"key":"premium","value":9,"unit":"MXN m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Annual premium for 2026 (Riviera Maya News)."},{"key":"premium","value":6,"unit":"MXN m","year":2022,"note":"July 2022 renewal (US$307,850) (Insurance Journal)."},{"key":"premium","value":0.25,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"0.25–0.40","note":"State government's premium range each year since 2019 (TNC case study)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":850000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"Hurricane Delta payout reported by TNC and Swiss Re; others give about US$800,000 or MXN 17m."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":0,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"Hurricane Grace: no payout (TNC case study)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":400000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Hurricane Beryl payout (TNC); MXN 8m per Riviera Maya News."},{"key":"premiums_paid_cumulative","value":1.75,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"1.75–2.8","est":true,"note":"TNC reports that the state paid USD 250,000–400,000 a year in premiums, 2019–2025."},{"key":"coral_colonies_stabilised","value":2152,"unit":"colonies","year":2020,"note":"Reef brigades after Hurricane Delta; 13,570 fragments reattached."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A wind-triggered insurance policy covering coral reefs and beaches in Quintana Roo, bought by the state government.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Quintana Roo state government","what":"Received payouts of US$850,000 (2020) and about US$400,000 (2024).","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Quintana Roo state government","what":"Paid USD 250,000–400,000 a year in premiums; estimated US$1.75–2.8m for 2019–2025 against US$1.25m in payouts.","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Quintana Roo, Mexico; the 2024 payout was spent in Tulum and Playa del Carmen.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Policy from June 2019 (dates in other sources differ); payouts in 2020 and 2024; maintained for 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The payout is triggered by a pre-set wind threshold rather than a damage assessment (research note; no source URL given).","src":null},"how":{"t":"The state is the policyholder; Swiss Re designed the cover with TNC; payouts are managed by the Coastal Zone Management Trust and step from 40% to 100% of the limit as wind speed rises above 100 knots.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Estimate: US$1.75–2.8 million in premiums against US$1.25 million in payouts, 2019–2025.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Parametric insurance policy to cover Mexico coral reef","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2019-06-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/parametric-insurance-policy-to-cover-mexico-coral-reef/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421194353/https://www.businessinsurance.com/Parametric-insurance-policy-to-cover-Mexico-coral-reef/"},{"t":"Global Parametrics renews Mexican reef cover backed by Hannover Re","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/global-parametrics-renews-mexican-reef-cover-backed-by-hannover-re/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722104945/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/global-parametrics-renews-mexican-reef-cover-backed-by-hannover-re/"},{"t":"Quintana Roo reef insurance renewal (July 2022)","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2022-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2022/11/22/696282.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221122180914/https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2022/11/22/696282.htm"},{"t":"Quintana Roo maintains parametric insurance with 40 million pesos in hurricane coverage","p":"Riviera Maya News","d":"2026-08-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.rivieramayanews.mx/quintana-roo-maintains-parametric-insurance-with-40-million-pesos-in-hurricane-coverage/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018140018/https://www.rivieramayanews.mx/quintana-roo-maintains-parametric-insurance-with-40-million-pesos-in-hurricane-coverage/"},{"t":"Quintana Roo case study (F. Secaira, ADB event)","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"2026-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://events.development.asia/system/files/materials/2026/07/9-quintana-roo-case-study.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018140058/https://events.development.asia/system/files/materials/2026/07/9-quintana-roo-case-study.pdf"},{"t":"Mexico windstorm cover (case study)","p":"Swiss Re","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.swissre.com/our-business/public-sector-solutions/case-studies/mexico-windstorm-cover.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260326063436/https://www.swissre.com/our-business/public-sector-solutions/case-studies/mexico-windstorm-cover.html"},{"t":"A Post-Storm Response and Reef Insurance Primer: Building the Response Capacity to Repair Reefs Damaged by Hurricanes","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"2021","u":"https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/A_POST_STORM_RESPONSE_REEF_INSURANCE_PRIMER_2021_final.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Can You Insure a Coral Reef? With the Right Formula, the Answer is Yes","p":"The Maritime Executive","d":"2023-10-01","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/editorials/can-you-insure-a-coral-reef-with-the-right-partners-the-answer-is-yes","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The state pays US$250,000–400,000 a year to insure my reefs and beaches; payouts were $850,000 for Delta in 2020, none in 2021 and about $400,000 for Beryl in 2024, TNC reports.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the insurance money go to the reefs?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which company was the insurer?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the Hurricane Delta payout?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"When did the cover start?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Not identified for 2021: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2019 premium was not found, and premiums for individual years are not known; only the range of USD 250,000–400,000 a year is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The insurer differs by year and by source (Afirme Seguros, Grupo Financiero Banorte, Swiss Re); the insurer after Swiss Re is not identified.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Start dates differ between sources: Swiss Re's own articles say 2017, Artemis says the partnership was announced in 2018, TNC says the policy was bought in 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Delta payout is given as US$850,000 by TNC and Swiss Re and as about US$800,000 or MXN 17 million elsewhere.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the premium is funded by the state government and hotel taxes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No document was found stating an explicit coral-bleaching exclusion; the existing policies are wind-triggered.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"biomas-restoration-initiative","title":"Biomas restoration initiative","dek":"Six Brazilian and international companies announced Biomas at COP27 in November 2022, a company to restore, conserve and preserve 4 million hectares over 20 years, financed by selling carbon credits. Later project details come from press reports and are unconfirmed.","country":"Brazil","region":"Americas","lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Stated target of a company founded by Vale, Itaú Unibanco, Marfrig, Rabobank, Santander and Suzano","value":"4 million ha in 20 years","note":"Target in Vale's market notice of 14 November 2022: 2 million hectares restored with about 2 billion trees and 2 million conserved. Delivered area is not documented in the verified sources."},"happened":["Vale published a market notice in Rio de Janeiro on 14 November 2022 saying that it and Itaú Unibanco, Marfrig, Rabobank, Santander and Suzano had announced, during COP27, the creation of a company entirely dedicated to restoring, conserving and preserving forests in Brazil. The company is Biomas.","According to the notice, each partner put in an initial R$20 million, and each project is to be made viable through the sale of carbon credits. The target is 4 million hectares over 20 years: 2 million restored with about 2 billion trees and 2 million conserved. The notice estimates that about 900 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent would be removed or avoided over the 20 years.","The founders come from mining (Vale), pulp (Suzano), meat processing (Marfrig) and banking (Itaú Unibanco, Rabobank, Santander). Biomas is listed as a member of the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA).","Sérgio Rial is a director of TNC's Global Board and Investment Committee (term February 2022 to October 2031). TNC's biography gives him roles as chief executive of Banco Santander (Brasil) from 2016 to 2022 and chairman from 2022 to early 2023, and chief executive of Marfrig Global Foods from 2012 to 2015. Santander and Marfrig are two of the six Biomas founders, and the November 2022 announcement fell in the period when he chaired Santander Brasil."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Rial joins TNC's Global Board and Investment Committee (February); Biomas announced at COP27 by six founders (Vale notice dated 14 November); Rial chairs Santander Brasil (2022 to early 2023)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A company dedicated to restoring, conserving and preserving forests in Brazil, with a target of 4 million hectares over 20 years","who":"Vale, market notice of 14 November 2022","src":0},{"t":"About 900 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent removed or avoided over 20 years","who":"Vale, market notice of 14 November 2022 (the notice's estimate)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Each of the six founders made an initial commitment of R$20 million; the business model rests on selling carbon credits","src":0},{"t":"The stated target splits into 2 million hectares restored with about 2 billion trees and 2 million hectares conserved","src":0},{"t":"Biomas is listed among IETA's members","src":1},{"t":"Sérgio Rial, a TNC director, was chairman of Santander Brasil (2022 to early 2023) when Santander was announced as a Biomas founder","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Target area","v":"4 million ha","d":"Over 20 years: 2 million restored (about 2 billion trees), 2 million conserved (Vale notice, 2022)"},{"k":"Area restored or conserved so far","v":"Not documented","d":"A first project reported by press in 2025; unconfirmed"},{"k":"Stated climate estimate","v":"About 900 million t CO2e","d":"Removed or avoided over 20 years, per the notice"}]},"unknown":["No restored or conserved area attributable to Biomas is documented in the verified sources.","Biomas's official website could not be reached (biomas.com.br, biomas.eco and biomas.org.br did not respond) and no official domain was found; the founders are confirmed only through Vale's 2022 notice.","Unconfirmed (press reports only): a 16.66% stake for each founder; approval by Brazil's competition authority (CADE) in December 2022; a first project in 2025 worth R$55 million on Veracel land in Bahia (Muçununga); and the name of the chief executive.","Unconfirmed: Vale's separate target of 500,000 hectares by 2030 and implementation of about 14,000 of a 100,000-hectare restoration target by May 2024.","Which carbon standard or registry the Biomas credits would use is not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the verified sources record no harm attributed to Biomas itself, and no restored area is documented.","whoPaid":"The six founding companies each committed R$20 million at the start; according to Vale's notice, later projects are to be financed through the sale of carbon credits.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Biomas was founded in November 2022 with a 4-million-hectare, 20-year target; its first project and later details come from press reports and are unconfirmed.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Vale","says":"In a market notice, said it and five other companies had announced at COP27 the creation of a company dedicated to restoring, conserving and preserving forests in Brazil, with R$20 million from each partner, projects financed by carbon-credit sales and a target of 4 million hectares over 20 years.","when":"14 November 2022","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"biomas","role":"Restoration company founded in 2022"},{"id":"vale","role":"Founder; published the market notice"},{"id":"itau-unibanco","role":"Founder"},{"id":"marfrig","role":"Founder"},{"id":"rabobank","role":"Founder"},{"id":"santander","role":"Founder"},{"id":"suzano","role":"Founder"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Nature NGO; director Sérgio Rial was chairman of Santander Brasil when it co-founded Biomas"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":4000000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Stated target over 20 years: 2 million hectares restored, 2 million conserved (Vale notice)."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":2000000000,"unit":"trees","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Trees to be planted to restore 2 million hectares; a target, not a delivered figure."},{"key":"initial_commitment_per_partner","value":20,"unit":"BRL m","year":2022,"note":"Initial contribution of each of the six founders (Vale notice)."},{"key":"initial_commitment_total","value":120,"unit":"BRL m","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Estimate: six founders at R$20 million each; the notice states the per-partner figure only."},{"key":"co2e_estimate_tonnes","value":900000000,"unit":"t CO2e","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Notice's estimate of CO2 equivalent removed or avoided over 20 years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A company founded by six firms to restore, conserve and preserve forests in Brazil, financed by sales of carbon credits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil; the announcement was made during COP27.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced in November 2022 (notice dated 14 November); target period 20 years.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The notice describes the company as dedicated to forest restoration, conservation and preservation, with each project made viable by carbon-credit sales.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Each founder put in an initial R$20 million; projects are to be financed by the sale of carbon credits; the target is 2 million hectares restored and 2 million conserved.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Comunicado ao Mercado (market notice), Rio de Janeiro, 14 November 2022 (hosted by Latibex)","p":"Vale","d":"2022-11-14","type":"company","u":"https://www.latibex.com/docs/Documentos/LED/2022/11/15/LEACN_20221114_090007_A99_1032390_20221114_DOC001.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240626193825/https://www.latibex.com/docs/Documentos/LED/2022/11/15/LEACN_20221114_090007_A99_1032390_20221114_DOC001.pdf"},{"t":"IETA Memberships (member list)","p":"International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)","u":"http://www.ieta.org/memberships","type":"company"},{"t":"Sergio Rial (Our People)","p":"The Nature Conservancy","u":"https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/sergio-rial/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Six companies announced in November 2022 a plan to restore or conserve 4 million hectares of me over 20 years; no delivered area is documented.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No restored or conserved area attributable to Biomas is documented in the verified sources.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Biomas's official website could not be reached (biomas.com.br, biomas.eco and biomas.org.br did not respond) and no official domain was found; the founders are confirmed only through Vale's 2022 notice.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed (press reports only): a 16.66% stake for each founder; approval by Brazil's competition authority (CADE) in December 2022; a first project in 2025 worth R$55 million on Veracel land in Bahia (Muçununga); and the name of the chief executive.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Vale's separate target of 500,000 hectares by 2030 and implementation of about 14,000 of a 100,000-hectare restoration target by May 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which carbon standard or registry the Biomas credits would use is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"running-tide-ocean-carbon-removal","title":"Running Tide ocean carbon removal (Maine/Iceland)","dek":"A Maine company sold ocean carbon-removal credits to corporate buyers and sank wood chips off Iceland. An Icelandic oceanographer said the method captured no atmospheric carbon; the company said it had removed carbon. It closed in June 2024.","country":"Iceland","region":"Europe","lat":64.3,"lon":-22.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iceland","iso2":"IS","admin":"Akranes and Grundartangi","lat":64.32,"lon":-22.07,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Portland, Maine","lat":43.66,"lon":-70.26,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2017,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-06-14","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Independent verification of carbon removed","value":"None","note":"Measurement was the company's own; the company said delivering independently certified credits was not its goal."},"happened":["Running Tide was founded in 2017 in Portland, Maine, by Marty Odlin, who had previously run his family's groundfishing fleet. It proposed free-floating kelp \"microfarms\" on biodegradable buoys made of wood coated in limestone, which would float for six to eight months and then sink below 1,000 metres. Its stated aim was to remove 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year; MIT Technology Review reported a goal of \"1 billion tons of carbon dioxide by 2025\".","Running Tide raised a $54 million Series B in early 2022, led by Lowercarbon Capital, with other investors including Foobar, Greenpoint Partners, Grantham, Foundry Group and Venrock; the Portland Press Herald put its funding at more than $50 million. In summer 2023, about 1,000 investor meetings failed to raise a growth round, and a former executive said the company's roadmap had assumed about $1 billion to leave research and development. The company sold credits to corporate buyers. Heimildin, as summarised by REDD-Monitor, reported that Microsoft was listed at 12,000 credits and Shopify at 3,100, and that about 25,000 credits were sold in total. The company's list price was $250–350 per tonne, which it told Reuters in August 2023. Revenue was not disclosed.","In June 2022, MIT Technology Review reported that Running Tide had struggled to grow kelp on open-ocean ropes and that five scientists had left, citing in part concern about ecological effects; it also reported that a company patent described iron-oxide release, which could amount to ocean fertilisation. The company's 2023 Iceland deployment did not use kelp buoys. Instead it dumped wood chips coated with lime-kiln dust (calcium carbonate) to a depth of about 1,600 metres. Heimildin, in June 2024, put the volume at about 19,000 tonnes, or 15 barges, of Canadian wood chips. A former executive told Canary Media that about half of the carbon in the first deployment's wood was spent in the operations themselves, and that no ecological impact studies were run beforehand.","In December 2022 Iceland's environment ministry ruled that a permit was required to dump tens of thousands of tonnes of wood chips. Running Tide appealed; the environment minister recused himself, and acting minister Bjarni Benediktsson ruled in April 2023 that the activity was a research project. Iceland's Environment Agency had no oversight of the operations and said there was \"significant uncertainty\" about results and environmental impact. Icelandic oceanographer Jón Ólafsson said the methods \"do not sequester any carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Zero.\" Odlin called the Heimildin article \"absurd\" and said \"We did the thing … We removed carbon.\" He also said it \"was not the company's goal to deliver to customers carbon units that were certified by an independent party that could be used for carbon offsets.\"","Running Tide announced its shutdown on LinkedIn on 14 June 2024, saying it was \"unable to secure the right kind of financing\". Odlin added: \"The voluntary carbon market is voluntary, and there simply isn't the demand needed.\" The last 32 US employees were laid off without severance, along with 15 in Iceland; layoffs had begun in November 2023. Odlin bought back what remained of the company from investors, according to Canary Media, and four staff continued the work. No refunds or cancellations for credit buyers were reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Running Tide founded in Portland, Maine, by Marty Odlin"},{"y":2022,"t":"Series B of $54 million, led by Lowercarbon Capital (early 2022); MIT Technology Review reports scientist departures and ecological concerns (June); Iceland's environment ministry rules a permit is required (December)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Acting minister Bjarni Benediktsson rules the Iceland dumping a research project (April); Iceland deployment of lime-coated wood chips to about 1,600 m; Shopify video on its \"first ever ocean-based carbon removal credits\" (9 August); partnership with Ocean Networks Canada announced (September); layoffs begin (November)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Shutdown announced on LinkedIn (14 June); Heimildin reports on the wood-chip dumping (June); REDD-Monitor summary (3 July); the last 32 US staff laid off without severance"}],"said":[{"q":"We have a commitment to science and take seriously our stewardship of the oceans.","who":"Marty Odlin, founder, to MIT Technology Review","when":"June 2022","src":1},{"q":"We have no idea what happens when we scale this up.","who":"Philip Boyd, quoted by MIT Technology Review","when":"June 2022","src":1},{"q":"The methods used by Running Tide do not sequester any carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Zero.","who":"Jón Ólafsson, Icelandic oceanographer, in Heimildin's reporting","when":"June 2024","src":0},{"q":"There is no reason to sink such a large amount.","who":"Philip Boyd, in Heimildin's reporting","when":"June 2024","src":0},{"q":"It's amazing how out of control this field is.","who":"Jean-Pierre Gattuso, in Heimildin's reporting","when":"June 2024","src":0},{"q":"They're trying to make a controversy out of us approaching this as professional engineers.","who":"Marty Odlin, on the Heimildin article, which he called \"absurd\"","when":"17 June 2024","src":3},{"q":"We did the thing … We removed carbon.","who":"Marty Odlin, on the deployments","when":"2024","src":2},{"q":"The units we deliver are not emission allowances but on the optional market.","who":"Kristinn Árni Hróbjartsson, managing director of Running Tide Iceland","when":"2024","src":0},{"q":"The voluntary carbon market is voluntary, and there simply isn't the demand needed.","who":"Marty Odlin, shutdown announcement","when":"14 June 2024","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"Free-floating kelp microfarms on biodegradable wood buoys coated in limestone, sinking below 1,000 m after six to eight months; aim of 1 billion tonnes of CO2 a year.","who":"Running Tide, as reported by MIT Technology Review","src":null},{"t":"In 2023 the company announced it had completed its first open-ocean carbon removal: 1,000 tonnes of waste wood sunk, with a net effect of 275 tonnes of CO2.","who":"Running Tide","src":null},{"t":"\"Our first ever ocean-based carbon removal credits\", in a video of 9 August 2023.","who":"Shopify","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The 2023 Iceland deployment used wood chips coated with lime-kiln dust or calcium carbonate, dumped about 1,600 m deep, not kelp buoys. Heimildin put the volume at about 19,000 tonnes, or 15 barges, of Canadian wood chips.","src":0},{"t":"June 2022: Running Tide struggled to grow kelp on open-ocean ropes; five scientists left, citing in part concern about ecological effects; a patent describes iron-oxide release, which could amount to ocean fertilisation.","src":1},{"t":"A former executive said about half the carbon in the first deployment's wood was spent in operations. No ecological impact studies were run beforehand.","src":2},{"t":"Acting minister Bjarni Benediktsson ruled in April 2023 that the Iceland dumping was a research project.","src":0},{"t":"Iceland's Environment Agency had no control over the operations, and a Norwegian Institute for Water Research report sent to the environment ministry found \"significant uncertainty\" about whether the project would work and about its environmental impact.","src":0},{"t":"No measured seabed outcome has been published. A September 2023 partnership with Ocean Networks Canada was to observe the buoys.","src":2},{"t":"No refunds or cancellations for credit buyers were reported; buyers hold credits that no independent party has verified.","src":5},{"t":"Ship charters in Iceland cost $20,000–50,000 a day; operations ran from Akranes and Grundartangi with 15 local staff.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Independent verification of credits","v":"None","d":"Company said certification by an independent party was not its goal"},{"k":"Wood chips sunk off Iceland","v":"About 19,000 t","d":"Lime-coated, to about 1,600 m (Heimildin); a WIRED figure of about 25,000 t is unconfirmed"},{"k":"Ecological impact study before dumping","v":"None","d":"Per a former executive (Canary Media)"},{"k":"Measured seabed outcome","v":"None published","d":"Observation partnership with Ocean Networks Canada announced September 2023"}]},"unknown":["Revenue: never disclosed.","Price of the Microsoft deal: Microsoft declined to comment on price.","No measured seabed outcome from the Iceland deployment has been published.","No independent verifier or credit registry covers the credits.","Total wood chips dumped: figures differ between sources, from 19,000 to 50,000 tonnes.","Shopify's tonnage: Heimildin cited Shopify's 2023 sustainability report as showing 3,100 credits bought; a secondary report of the company's March 2024 release listed 2,000 tonnes. Both are reported, neither independently verified here.","Unconfirmed: WIRED (December 2025) reportedly gave about 25,000 tonnes of wood chips and said ship-tracking data indicates the company likely violated the maritime rights of several countries.","Unconfirmed: the company's claim of about 21,000 tonnes stored in the deep ocean for more than 25 customers, and buyer tonnages other than Microsoft's and Shopify's, come from secondary summaries of its March 2024 release.","No penalty or criminal record against the company was found."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The company announced its shutdown on 14 June 2024. No measured seabed outcome from the 2023 dumping has been published.","whoPaid":"Investors lost their capital (about $54 million or more, per Canary Media); the last 32 US employees were laid off without severance, plus 15 in Iceland; buyers hold credits that no independent party has verified.","statusLine":"As of the latest reporting reviewed: the company has closed; no refunds, independent verification, ruling or penalty were found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"running-tide","says":"Marty Odlin called the Heimildin article \"absurd\".","when":"17 June 2024","src":3},{"actor":"running-tide","says":"Odlin said it \"was not the company's goal to deliver to customers carbon units that were certified by an independent party that could be used for carbon offsets.\"","when":"2024","src":null},{"actor":"running-tide","says":"Odlin said of the departures of scientists that turnover was \"remarkably low\", and that kelp \"yield and consistency are not yet commensurate with that needed for large-scale carbon removal.\"","when":"June 2022","src":1},{"actor":"microsoft","says":"Declined to comment on the price of its deal; declined to answer questions; did not reply to Heimildin.","when":"2023–2024","src":5},{"actor":"shopify","says":"Did not reply to Heimildin's questions about the credits.","when":"2024","src":5},{"actor":"stripe","says":"Did not reply to Heimildin's questions about the credits.","when":"2024","src":5},{"actor":"iceland-environment-agency","says":"Said there was \"significant uncertainty\" about the results and environmental impact of the dumping.","when":"2023","src":null},{"actor":"iceland-environment-ministry","says":"Ruled in December 2022 that a permit was required; acting minister Bjarni Benediktsson ruled in April 2023 that the activity was a research project.","when":"December 2022 – April 2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"running-tide","role":"Ocean carbon-removal company, seller of credits"},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Credit buyer (12,000 credits listed)"},{"id":"shopify","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"stripe","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"lowercarbon-capital","role":"Lead investor in the Series B"},{"id":"iceland-environment-agency","role":"Regulator without oversight of the operations"},{"id":"iceland-environment-ministry","role":"Permit ruling, December 2022; reversed on appeal by acting minister, April 2023"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did sinking wood chips remove carbon from the atmosphere?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Jón Ólafsson, Icelandic oceanographer","says":"\"The methods used by Running Tide do not sequester any carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Zero.\"","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Marty Odlin, Running Tide","says":"\"We did the thing … We removed carbon.\" He called the Heimildin article \"absurd\".","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Canary Media, citing a former executive","says":"About half the carbon in the first deployment's wood was spent in operations.","src":2}]},{"point":"Did the Iceland dumping need a permit?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Iceland's environment ministry","says":"Ruled in December 2022 that a permit was required to dump tens of thousands of tonnes of wood chips.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Running Tide","says":"Appealed the ruling.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Bjarni Benediktsson, acting minister","says":"Ruled in April 2023, after the environment minister recused himself, that the activity was a research project.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Iceland's Environment Agency","says":"Had no oversight of the operations and said there was \"significant uncertainty\" about results and environmental impact.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did the company's methods carry ecological risk?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"MIT Technology Review","says":"Five scientists left, citing in part concern about ecological effects; a patent describes iron-oxide release, which could amount to ocean fertilisation.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Marty Odlin, Running Tide","says":"\"We have a commitment to science and take seriously our stewardship of the oceans.\" Turnover was \"remarkably low\".","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Philip Boyd","says":"\"We have no idea what happens when we scale this up.\"","src":1}]},{"point":"What did buyers receive, and were the credits independently verified?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Marty Odlin, Running Tide","says":"Delivering carbon units certified by an independent party \"was not the company's goal\".","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Trellis","says":"Buyers hold credits that no independent party has verified; no refunds or cancellations were reported.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Microsoft, Shopify, Stripe","says":"Did not reply to Heimildin's questions; Microsoft declined to answer questions.","src":5,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"funding_raised","value":54,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Series B in early 2022, led by Lowercarbon Capital. The Portland Press Herald gave total funding as more than $50 million; MIT Technology Review cited a PitchBook figure of more than $15 million by spring 2022."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":25000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported by Heimildin via REDD-Monitor; unconfirmed."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":12000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Microsoft, as listed by Heimildin via REDD-Monitor."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":3100,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"Shopify, as cited by Heimildin from Shopify's 2023 sustainability report; a secondary report of the company's release lists 2,000 tonnes."},{"key":"tonnes_claimed_removed","value":21000,"unit":"t CO2","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Company claim of deep-ocean storage, relayed in secondary summaries of its March 2024 release; not independently verified."},{"key":"wood_chips_tonnes","value":19000,"unit":"t","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Canadian wood chips, about 15 barges (Heimildin, June 2024). Other figures range from 19,000 to 50,000 t."},{"key":"depth_m","value":1600,"unit":"m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Depth of the Iceland dumping."},{"key":"price_per_tonne","value":250,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2023,"qualifier":"list price $250–350","note":"Company list price told to Reuters in August 2023."},{"key":"revenue","value":5.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"estimate of $5.3–7.4 million gross","est":true,"note":"Estimate: about 21,000 t x $250–350 per tonne at list price. Actual revenue was never disclosed."},{"key":"employees_laid_off_us","value":32,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"The last US employees, laid off without severance."},{"key":"employees_laid_off_iceland","value":15,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Laid off in Iceland."},{"key":"peak_headcount","value":120,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Canary Media gives 140."},{"key":"ship_charter_cost_per_day","value":20000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"qualifier":"20,000–50,000","note":"Ship charters in Iceland (Canary Media)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Maine company sank wood chips coated with lime-kiln dust off Iceland and sold ocean carbon-removal credits to corporate buyers; it closed in June 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Credit buyers (Microsoft, Shopify, Stripe and others)","what":"Received ocean carbon-removal credits that no independent party has verified; Shopify publicised its \"first ever ocean-based carbon removal credits\".","src":5},{"who":"Running Tide","what":"Sold credits at a list price of $250–350 per tonne; revenue was never disclosed.","src":null},{"who":"Marty Odlin, founder","what":"Bought back what remained of the company from investors after the shutdown.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Investors, including Lowercarbon Capital","what":"Lost about $54 million or more of capital (per Canary Media's buy-back report).","src":2},{"who":"Employees","what":"The last 32 US employees were laid off without severance, plus 15 in Iceland.","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Seabed and coastal waters off Iceland","what":"Received about 19,000 tonnes of lime-coated wood chips at about 1,600 m; no ecological impact study was run beforehand and no seabed outcome has been published.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Company based in Portland, Maine; Iceland operations ran from Akranes and Grundartangi; wood chips were dumped about 1,600 m deep off Iceland.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Founded 2017; Iceland deployment 2023; shutdown announced 14 June 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The stated aim was to remove carbon dioxide by sinking biomass and to sell the resulting credits; the founder said the closure followed a lack of financing and demand in the voluntary carbon market.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Wood chips coated with lime-kiln dust were dumped from barges; credits were sold on the voluntary market without an independent certifier or registry.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"REDD-Monitor post summarising Heimildin's reporting on Running Tide's wood-chip dumping (via REDD-Monitor)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024-07-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/running-tide-dumped-woodchips-into","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609214746/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/running-tide-dumped-woodchips-into"},{"t":"Article on Running Tide scientist departures and ecological concerns","p":"MIT Technology Review","d":"2022-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/16/1053758/running-tide-seaweed-kelp-scientist-departures-ecological-concerns-climate-carbon-removal/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710132402/https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/16/1053758/running-tide-seaweed-kelp-scientist-departures-ecological-concerns-climate-carbon-removal/?"},{"t":"Under the sea: Running Tide's ill-fated adventure in ocean carbon removal","p":"Canary Media","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-removal/under-the-sea-running-tides-ill-fated-adventure-in-ocean-carbon-removal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260822155855/https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/carbon-removal/under-the-sea-running-tides-ill-fated-adventure-in-ocean-carbon-removal"},{"t":"Sun Journal report quoting Marty Odlin on the Heimildin article","p":"Sun Journal","d":"2024-06-17","type":"press","u":"https://sunjournal.com/?p=10966191"},{"t":"Portland Press Herald report on Running Tide's funding and layoffs","p":"Portland Press Herald","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://pressherald.com/?p=7325590","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018140340/https://www.pressherald.com/2024/06/15/portland-startup-that-became-global-leader-in-capturing-carbon-shuts-down-lays-off-all-staff/"},{"t":"Deals with Microsoft, Shopify and Stripe fail to keep carbon removal startup alive","p":"Trellis","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://trellis.net/article/deals-microsoft-shopify-and-stripe-fail-keep-carbon-removal-startup-alive","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307061254/https://trellis.net/article/deals-microsoft-shopify-and-stripe-fail-keep-carbon-removal-startup-alive/"},{"t":"Running Tide's final year","p":"Latitude Media","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://latitudemedia.com/news/running-tides-final-year","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260205225553/https://www.latitudemedia.com/news/running-tides-final-year/"},{"t":"What Running Tide's demise means for carbon removal's future","p":"Latitude Media","d":"2024-06-24","u":"https://latitudemedia.com/news/what-running-tides-demise-means-for-carbon-removals-future","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"By Heimildin's count, about 19,000 tonnes of wood chips were sunk in my sea off Iceland in 2023, to about 1,600 m; no seabed outcome has been published.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did sinking wood chips remove carbon from the atmosphere?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the company's methods carry ecological risk?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Iceland dumping need a permit?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did buyers receive, and were the credits independently verified?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Microsoft, Shopify, Stripe: Did not reply to Heimildin's questions; Microsoft declined to answer questions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Tonnes claimed removed: Company claim of deep-ocean storage, relayed in secondary summaries of its March 2024 release; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue: never disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Price of the Microsoft deal: Microsoft declined to comment on price.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No measured seabed outcome from the Iceland deployment has been published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent verifier or credit registry covers the credits.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Total wood chips dumped: figures differ between sources, from 19,000 to 50,000 tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Shopify's tonnage: Heimildin cited Shopify's 2023 sustainability report as showing 3,100 credits bought; a secondary report of the company's March 2024 release listed 2,000 tonnes. Both are reported, neither independently verified here.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WIRED (December 2025) reportedly gave about 25,000 tonnes of wood chips and said ship-tracking data indicates the company likely violated the maritime rights of several countries.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company's claim of about 21,000 tonnes stored in the deep ocean for more than 25 customers, and buyer tonnages other than Microsoft's and Shopify's, come from secondary summaries of its March 2024 release.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty or criminal record against the company was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Running Tide"]},{"id":"delta-blue-carbon-mangrove-project","title":"Delta Blue Carbon mangrove project (Pakistan)","dek":"A 60-year partnership between the Government of Sindh and Indus Delta Capital restores mangroves in the Indus Delta and sells carbon credits. Reported revenue to the province ranges from $14.7 million to about $50 million, and no community share has been published.","country":"Pakistan","region":"Asia","lat":24,"lon":67.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":"Sindh (Indus Delta)","lat":24,"lon":67.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Share of credit revenue reported as reaching communities","value":"Not disclosed","note":"No figure for the community share of revenue has been published."},"happened":["Delta Blue Carbon-1 (Verra project VCS 2250; DBC-2 is VCS 5063) is a 60-year public-private partnership between the Government of Sindh and Indus Delta Capital, signed in 2015 and renewable to 100 years. One source lists Pollination as a partner. The project covers 350,000 hectares in the Indus Delta, of which 226,000 hectares of degraded tidal land are for afforestation, reforestation and revegetation. It claims 142 million tonnes of CO2 removed over 60 years. Verra's case study says \"100,000 hectares already restored\" and gives 600,000 hectares for DBC-1 and DBC-2 together.","In March 2022 Pollination reported an offtake of \"up to three million\" credits to Carbon Growth Partners, Microsoft, Trafigura and Respira, with prices not disclosed. In November 2022 a Climate Impact X/Respira auction sold 250,000 credits of vintage 2021 at USD 27.80 per tonne, against a reserve of USD 27.50. In August 2023 the Sindh Forest Department said 3.1 million credits were \"worth $40 million\", with a price range of USD 12–50; Business Recorder reported an average of USD 13. Trafigura's website describes it as the \"anchor off-taker\". Retirements on the registry include BMO and Commerzbank.","Reported figures for the Sindh government's revenue differ. Dawn reported in May 2023, from Sindh Forest Department filings, USD 14.7 million from DBC-1. NPR described the USD 40 million as going \"to the provincial government\". In January 2025 Sindh's Chief Minister said the province had earned \"about $50 million\". The sources opened could not be reconciled with one another. Pakistan's federal Economic Coordination Committee allowed Sindh to sell credits until 2042 with corresponding adjustments and gave Sindh a USD 200–220 million earning envelope, and Pakistan gave up counting these removals toward its Nationally Determined Contribution.","On the ground, the developer reported \"tens of millions\" of seedlings planted and 73,000–100,000 hectares restored. Other restored-area figures were 73,000 hectares (Pollination, March 2022), more than 75,000 hectares (Trafigura, October 2023) and about 74,000 hectares by the end of 2021 (Mongabay, citing project documents). Independent national satellite figures show Pakistan's mangrove area growing from 48,331 hectares in 1986 to 143,930 hectares in 2020 (Hussain & Rahman 2022, via Mongabay); these are not attributed to the project. Survival rates quoted by Mongabay run from 40–45% initially, rising with restocking, to 90% including restocking. No published independent satellite or survival audit of VCS 2250; Verra audits only. Upstream dams have reduced freshwater flows, and 4 of the delta's 8 mangrove species have vanished, according to a person quoted by Mongabay.","Verra cites 43,000 people in 60 villages and \"15,000 jobs\"; Dawn reports about 21,000 green jobs. A fisherman in Keti Bandar said his catch had increased and that his family's meals had gone from one to three a day. Polly Hemming of the Australia Institute said the project is \"just another form of carbon colonialism\". Delta Blue Carbon \"declined to respond to a detailed list of questions\" and Trafigura \"declined to comment\", NPR reported on 10 November 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Government of Sindh and Indus Delta Capital sign the 60-year partnership"},{"y":2021,"t":"About 74,000 ha reported restored by the end of the year (Mongabay, citing project documents)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Offtake of up to three million credits announced (March); 250,000 credits auctioned at USD 27.80 (November)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Dawn reports USD 14.7 million to Sindh (May); Sindh Forest Department cites 3.1 million credits worth $40 million (August); Trafigura cites more than 75,000 ha restored (October); NPR reports that the project and Trafigura declined to answer questions (November)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Sindh Chief Minister says the province earned \"about $50 million\" (January); 6,961,950 blue carbon credits issued worldwide by 15 March, 69% of them in Pakistan"}],"said":[{"q":"it's just another form of carbon colonialism.","who":"Polly Hemming, Australia Institute","when":"November 2023","src":6},{"q":"100,000 hectares already restored","who":"Verra case study","when":"undated","src":0},{"q":"3.1 million credits… worth $40 million","who":"Sindh Forest Department","when":"August 2023","src":3},{"q":"about $50 million","who":"Sindh Chief Minister, on what Sindh earned","when":"30 January 2025","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"A 60-year partnership covering 350,000 ha, claiming 142 million tonnes of CO2 removed over 60 years.","who":"Delta Blue Carbon project","src":null},{"t":"\"100,000 hectares already restored\"; 43,000 people in 60 villages and \"15,000 jobs\".","who":"Verra case study","src":0},{"t":"\"Tens of millions\" of seedlings planted; 73,000–100,000 ha restored.","who":"Developer figures","src":null},{"t":"The project says proceeds go to the project, the government and communities.","who":"Delta Blue Carbon project","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Pakistan's mangrove area grew from 48,331 ha (1986) to 143,930 ha (2020), according to independent national satellite figures. The figures are not attributed to the project.","src":5},{"t":"No published independent satellite or survival audit of VCS 2250 was found. Verra audits only.","src":0},{"t":"Upstream dams have reduced freshwater flows, and 4 of 8 mangrove species have vanished from the delta, according to a person quoted by Mongabay.","src":5},{"t":"By 15 March 2025, 6,961,950 blue carbon credits had been issued worldwide and 3,651,383 (about 48%) retired; Pakistan holds 69% of issued blue carbon credits. The 2022 VCS price for Pakistan was USD 27.8.","src":9},{"t":"Pakistan gave up counting these removals toward its Nationally Determined Contribution through corresponding adjustments.","src":10},{"t":"Retirements on the registry include BMO and Commerzbank.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Government of Sindh: DBC-1 revenue per Sindh Forest Department filings reported by Dawn (May 2023)","amount":14.7,"window":"to May 2023","note":"Other reported figures are $40 million (August 2023, stated value of 3.1 million credits) and about $50 million (Sindh Chief Minister, January 2025). They cannot be reconciled from the sources opened."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"3.1 million credits, stated value (Sindh Forest Department, August 2023)","amount":40}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Independent audit of restoration or survival","v":"None found","d":"Verra audits only"},{"k":"Restored area claimed","v":"73,000–100,000 ha","d":"Developer, Pollination and Verra figures differ"},{"k":"Seedling survival quoted by Mongabay","v":"40–45% to 90%","d":"The higher figure includes restocking"},{"k":"Mangrove species in the delta","v":"4 of 8 vanished","d":"Attributed to reduced freshwater flows from upstream dams"}]},"unknown":["Community share of revenue: no figure has been published.","Revenue to Sindh: $14.7 million (Dawn, May 2023), $40 million (Arab News, August 2023) and about $50 million (Sindh Chief Minister, January 2025) cannot be reconciled from the sources opened.","Revenue split: Earth Journalism Network and the Express Tribune reported 40% to the government and 60% to the private firm; no other source confirms the figure.","No published independent satellite or survival audit of VCS 2250 was found.","Restored area: figures differ between 73,000 and 100,000 hectares.","Prices of the March 2022 offtake were not disclosed.","Resale margins are unknown. About 20% of the blue carbon credits that could be traced, market-wide, were bought by resellers whose final price and destination are not disclosed (Farahmand, Hilmi & Duarte 2025)."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The sources do not record a point at which any harm stopped; the project and its credit sales are described as continuing to at least 2025.","whoPaid":"Credit buyers paid for the credits; Pakistan gave up counting these removals toward its own climate commitment through corresponding adjustments. The community share of revenue has not been published.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (January 2025 for revenue; March 2025 for issuance): revenue figures for Sindh remain unreconciled, no independent audit of restoration or survival was found, and no community-share figure is published.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"delta-blue-carbon","says":"Declined to respond to a detailed list of questions.","when":"10 November 2023","src":6},{"actor":"trafigura","says":"Declined to comment.","when":"10 November 2023","src":6},{"actor":"sindh-forest-department","says":"Said 3.1 million credits were worth $40 million, with a price range of USD 12–50.","when":"August 2023","src":3},{"actor":"government-of-sindh","says":"The Chief Minister said Sindh had earned \"about $50 million\".","when":"30 January 2025","src":7},{"actor":"delta-blue-carbon","says":"The project says proceeds go to the project, the government and communities.","when":"undated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-sindh","role":"Public partner; holds a share of credit revenue"},{"id":"sindh-forest-department","role":"Provincial forest agency; source of revenue figures"},{"id":"indus-delta-capital","role":"Private partner and developer"},{"id":"pollination","role":"Reported partner; announced the March 2022 offtake"},{"id":"trafigura","role":"Credit buyer; \"anchor off-taker\""},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry (VCS 2250)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much of the credit revenue went to the Sindh government?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Dawn (May 2023)","says":"USD 14.7 million from DBC-1, from Sindh Forest Department filings.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Sindh Forest Department","says":"\"3.1 million credits… worth $40 million\".","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"NPR","says":"Described the USD 40 million as going \"to the provincial government\".","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Sindh Chief Minister (January 2025)","says":"Sindh earned \"about $50 million\".","src":7}]},{"point":"How much mangrove has the project restored?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"\"100,000 hectares already restored\".","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Pollination","says":"73,000 ha (March 2022).","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Trafigura","says":"More than 75,000 ha (October 2023).","src":null}]},{"point":"How well did the planted mangroves survive, and did the project cause the national increase in mangrove area?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay interviewees","says":"One put survival at 40–45% initially, rising with restocking; another at 90% including restocking.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Hussain & Rahman (2022), via Mongabay","says":"Pakistan's mangrove area grew from 48,331 ha (1986) to 143,930 ha (2020). The figures are national and not attributed to the project.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Developer","says":"\"Tens of millions\" of seedlings planted; 73,000–100,000 ha restored.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is the project a form of carbon colonialism?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Polly Hemming, Australia Institute","says":"\"it's just another form of carbon colonialism.\"","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"Delta Blue Carbon","says":"Declined to respond to a detailed list of questions.","src":6,"silent":true},{"voice":"company","holder":"Trafigura","says":"Declined to comment.","src":6,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":350000,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Project area, of which 226,000 ha of degraded tidal land are for afforestation, reforestation and revegetation."},{"key":"co2_removal_claimed_tonnes","value":142000000,"unit":"t CO2","year":2015,"qualifier":"claimed over 60 years","note":"Project claim."},{"key":"area_restored_ha","value":100000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Verra case study; Pollination gave 73,000 ha (March 2022) and Trafigura more than 75,000 ha (October 2023)."},{"key":"area_restored_ha","value":73000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Pollination, March 2022."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":3100000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"First issuance (Carbon Market Institute); the Sindh Forest Department said in August 2023 that they were worth $40 million."},{"key":"revenue","value":40,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Stated value of 3.1 million credits (Sindh Forest Department, August 2023). NPR described it as going to the provincial government."},{"key":"government_share","value":14.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Sindh government revenue from DBC-1 per Sindh Forest Department filings reported by Dawn (29 May 2023)."},{"key":"government_share","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sindh Chief Minister, as reported by Dawn (30 January 2025)."},{"key":"price_per_tonne","value":27.8,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2022,"note":"Climate Impact X/Respira auction of 250,000 credits (vintage 2021), against a reserve of USD 27.50."},{"key":"price_per_tonne","value":12.9,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2023,"qualifier":"average","est":true,"note":"Estimate: $40 million divided by 3.1 million credits. Business Recorder reported an average of USD 13."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":4800000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate: 69% (Pakistan's share) x 6.96 million blue carbon credits issued worldwide by 15 March 2025. Perera et al. 2025 give about 3 Mt."},{"key":"people_affected","value":43000,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"People in 60 villages, cited by Verra."},{"key":"green_jobs","value":21000,"unit":"jobs","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported by Dawn; Verra cites 15,000 jobs."},{"key":"area_ha","value":48331,"unit":"ha","year":1986,"note":"Pakistan's total mangrove area (national satellite figures, not attributed to the project)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":143930,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Pakistan's total mangrove area (national satellite figures, not attributed to the project)."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":40,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"40–45% initially, rising with restocking","note":"Quoted by Mongabay; another interviewee gave 90% including restocking."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":90,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"including restocking","note":"Quoted by Mongabay."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 60-year partnership between the Government of Sindh and Indus Delta Capital restores mangroves on 350,000 ha in the Indus Delta and sells carbon credits (Verra VCS 2250).","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Sindh","what":"USD 14.7 million from DBC-1 per Sindh Forest Department filings reported by Dawn; other reported figures are $40 million and about $50 million.","src":4},{"who":"Credit buyers, including Microsoft, Trafigura, Carbon Growth Partners and Respira","what":"Offtake of up to three million credits announced in March 2022, prices not disclosed; Trafigura is described on its website as the anchor off-taker.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Pakistan","what":"Gave up counting these removals toward its Nationally Determined Contribution through corresponding adjustments.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Indus Delta mangroves","what":"Upstream dams have reduced freshwater flows and 4 of 8 mangrove species have vanished, according to a person quoted by Mongabay. The sources do not attribute this to the project.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Indus Delta, Sindh, Pakistan.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Partnership signed 2015; first credit issuance and sales 2022–2023; revenue statements through January 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The project's stated purpose is to restore degraded tidal land with mangroves and sell the resulting carbon credits; it says proceeds go to the project, the government and communities.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mangroves are planted on degraded tidal land under a Verra-registered project; credits are sold to buyers by offtake agreement and auction.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Delta Blue Carbon case study","p":"Verra","d":null,"type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/case-studies/delta-blue-carbon/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830134551/https://verra.org/case-studies/delta-blue-carbon/"},{"t":"Global blue carbon market (media post)","p":"Pollination","d":"2022-03","type":"company","u":"https://pollinationgroup.com/media_post/global-blue-carbon-market/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712063030/https://pollinationgroup.com/media_post/global-blue-carbon-market/"},{"t":"Landmark auction of 250,000 tonne blue carbon credits at USD 27.80 per tonne","p":"Green.Earth","d":"2022-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.green.earth/news/landmark-auction-of-250-000-tonne-blue-carbon-credits-at-usd-27.80-per-tonne","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306082457/https://www.green.earth/news/landmark-auction-of-250-000-tonne-blue-carbon-credits-at-usd-27.80-per-tonne"},{"t":"Pakistan's mangrove carbon credit sales hit $40mn, boosts target to $12bn by 2075","p":"Arab News","d":"2023-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.arabnews.pk/pakistan/pakistans-mangrove-carbon-credit-sales-hit-40mn-boosts-target-to-12bn-by-2075-2357126"},{"t":"Dawn report on Sindh carbon credit revenue (Sindh Forest Department filings)","p":"Dawn","d":"2023-05-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.dawn.com/news/1756575","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240805211454/https://www.dawn.com/news/1756575"},{"t":"Pakistan bucks global trend with 30-year mangrove expansion","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-02","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/pakistan-bucks-global-trend-with-30-year-mangrove-expansion/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609003120/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/pakistan-bucks-global-trend-with-30-year-mangrove-expansion/"},{"t":"NPR report on Pakistan's mangrove carbon credits","p":"NPR","d":"2023-11-10","type":"press","u":"https://text.npr.org/1208201179"},{"t":"Dawn report quoting Sindh's Chief Minister on carbon credit earnings","p":"Dawn","d":"2025-01-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.dawn.com/news/1888487","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216043828/https://www.dawn.com/news/1888487"},{"t":"Delta Blue case study (carbon trading)","p":"Trafigura","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.trafigura.com/news-and-insights/case-studies/carbon-trading/delta-blue/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515194714/https://www.trafigura.com/news-and-insights/case-studies/carbon-trading/delta-blue/"},{"t":"Blue carbon credit market analysis","p":"Farahmand, Hilmi & Duarte, npj Ocean Sustainability","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-025-00141-6","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117021510/https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-025-00141-6"},{"t":"Landmark authorisation a critical step towards higher-integrity carbon markets (Delta Blue Carbon, Pakistan)","p":"Pollination","u":"https://pollinationgroup.com/?p=4194","type":"company"},{"t":"Retirement confirmation, Verra project Delta Blue Carbon 1 (28 March 2024, 7,603 VCUs)","p":"Commerzbank AG","d":"2024-03-28","u":"https://www.commerzbank.de/ms/documents/en/retirement-confirmation-project-2250.pdf","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Verra's case study says 100,000 hectares of my delta are restored and Pollination said 73,000 in March 2022; no independent audit of restoration is on record.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much mangrove has the project restored?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How well did the planted mangroves survive, and did the project cause the national increase in mangrove area?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much of the credit revenue went to the Sindh government?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the project a form of carbon colonialism?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Delta Blue Carbon: Declined to respond to a detailed list of questions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Trafigura: Declined to comment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Community share of revenue: no figure has been published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue to Sindh: $14.7 million (Dawn, May 2023), $40 million (Arab News, August 2023) and about $50 million (Sindh Chief Minister, January 2025) cannot be reconciled from the sources opened.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue split: Earth Journalism Network and the Express Tribune reported 40% to the government and 60% to the private firm; no other source confirms the figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No published independent satellite or survival audit of VCS 2250 was found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Restored area: figures differ between 73,000 and 100,000 hectares.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Prices of the March 2022 offtake were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Resale margins are unknown. About 20% of the blue carbon credits that could be traced, market-wide, were bought by resellers whose final price and destination are not disclosed (Farahmand, Hilmi & Duarte 2025).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Pakistan"]},{"id":"mongolia-index-livestock-insurance","title":"Mongolia index livestock insurance","dek":"Mongolia's index-based livestock insurance programme splits herd losses between herders, private insurers and the government. In the 2023–24 winter, 8.1 million animals were reported to have died; no payout figure.","country":"Mongolia","region":"Asia","lat":46.9,"lon":103.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","lat":46.9,"lon":103.8,"role":"affected"}],"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Herders buying cover in a given year","value":"7–20%","note":"According to a World Bank presentation. No insurance payout figure for the 2023–24 winter, in which 8.1 million animals were reported to have died."},"happened":["Mongolia's index-based livestock insurance programme is described in a World Bank presentation as having three layers. Herders retain animal mortality up to about 10%. Insurers pay above that level. The government covers catastrophic losses, above about 25–30%. The government's catastrophic layer caps insurers' losses at 105% of premiums. Only 7–20% of herders buy cover in a given year, according to the same presentation.","The presentation gives cumulative figures over ten cycles: \"93,700 herders… paying US$405 m. in premiums… 16,545 herders received payout of US$160 m.\" The dollar figures are unconfirmed: the same presentation gives the 2023 annual premium as MNT 4.9 billion, about US$1.4 million.","In the 2023–24 winter, a dzud (extreme winter) killed 8.1 million animals, 12.5% of the herd. FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS), in its update of 6 May 2024, put animal deaths at 7.2 million. The amount that the insurance programme paid out for that winter is not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Annual premium of MNT 4.9 billion, about US$1.4 million (World Bank presentation)"},{"y":2024,"t":"FAO GIEWS update (6 May) reports 7.2 million animals dead in the 2023–24 dzud; another figure is 8.1 million (12.5%); payout data is not on record"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A three-layer design: herders retain losses up to about 10% mortality, insurers pay above that, and the government covers catastrophic losses above about 25–30%, with insurers' losses capped at 105% of premiums.","who":"World Bank presentation on the Mongolia index-based livestock insurance programme","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Only 7–20% of herders buy cover in a given year.","src":0},{"t":"The government's catastrophic layer caps insurers' losses at 105% of premiums.","src":0},{"t":"The 2023 annual premium was MNT 4.9 billion (about US$1.4 million).","src":0},{"t":"FAO GIEWS reported 7.2 million animals dead in the 2023–24 dzud winter (6 May 2024 update).","src":1},{"t":"8.1 million animals (12.5%) died in the 2023–24 dzud; the amount paid by the insurance is not on record.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"MNT","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Herders buying cover in a given year","v":"7–20%","d":"World Bank presentation"},{"k":"Animals dead in the 2023–24 dzud","v":"7.2–8.1 million","d":"FAO GIEWS (May 2024): 7.2 million; another figure: 8.1 million, 12.5%"},{"k":"Insurance payout for 2023–24","v":"Not found","d":"No payout data located"}]},"unknown":["Insurance payout for the 2023–24 dzud: payout data was not found.","Unconfirmed: the presentation's cumulative figures of 93,700 herders paying US$405 million in premiums and 16,545 herders receiving US$160 million in payouts. The same presentation gives the 2023 annual premium as MNT 4.9 billion (about US$1.4 million); the currency of the cumulative premium is unconfirmed.","Animals dead in the 2023–24 dzud: FAO GIEWS reported 7.2 million (May 2024); another figure is 8.1 million (12.5%). The figures conflict."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The sources do not describe a point at which harm stopped; the programme and the 2023–24 losses are recorded separately.","whoPaid":"In the programme design, herders retain mortality up to about 10% and the government covers losses above about 25–30%; the cited sources do not say who bore the 2023–24 losses beyond that.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (October 2026): no insurance payout figure was found for the 2023–24 dzud winter, in which 7.2 to 8.1 million animals were reported dead.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Author of the presentation describing the programme"},{"id":"fao","role":"Source of the GIEWS dzud update"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many animals died in Mongolia's 2023–24 dzud?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO GIEWS (update of 6 May 2024)","says":"7.2 million animals died in the 2023–24 dzud winter.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Research compiled for this case","says":"8.1 million animals (12.5%) died in the 2023–24 dzud; the source of this figure not on record.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Private insurers in the programme (names: none on record)","insured":"Mongolian herders (7–20% buying cover in a given year)","status":"unknown","year":2024,"summary":"Index-based livestock insurance in three layers: herders retain mortality up to about 10%, insurers pay above that, and the government covers catastrophic losses above about 25–30%, capping insurers' losses at 105% of premiums. The 2023 annual premium was MNT 4.9 billion. No payout figure was found for the 2023–24 dzud winter.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"uptake_rate","value":7,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"7–20% of herders in a given year","note":"World Bank presentation."},{"key":"premium","value":4900,"unit":"MNT m","year":2023,"note":"Annual premium of MNT 4.9 billion, about US$1.4 million (World Bank presentation)."},{"key":"insurer_loss_cap_pct_of_premium","value":105,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"The government's catastrophic layer caps insurers' losses at 105% of premiums."},{"key":"herders_insured_cumulative","value":93700,"unit":"herders","year":null,"qualifier":"over 10 cycles","unverified":true,"note":"From the presentation's cumulative figures, unconfirmed."},{"key":"herders_paid_cumulative","value":16545,"unit":"herders","year":null,"qualifier":"over 10 cycles","unverified":true,"note":"From the presentation's cumulative figures, unconfirmed."},{"key":"premium_cumulative","value":405,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"as stated; likely unit error","unverified":true,"note":"The presentation states US$405 million in premiums over ten cycles; unconfirmed."},{"key":"payout_cumulative","value":160,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"as stated; likely unit error","unverified":true,"note":"The presentation states US$160 million in payouts over ten cycles; unconfirmed."},{"key":"animals_died","value":8100000,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"note":"2023–24 dzud: 8.1 million animals, 12.5% of the herd. FAO GIEWS reported 7.2 million (6 May 2024)."},{"key":"animals_died","value":7200000,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"note":"FAO GIEWS update of 6 May 2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An index-based livestock insurance programme in Mongolia in which herders retain first losses, private insurers pay a middle layer and the government covers catastrophic losses.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Participating insurers (names: none on record)","what":"Their losses are capped at 105% of premiums by the government's catastrophic layer.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Herders","what":"Retain mortality up to about 10%; only 7–20% buy cover in a given year.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Herders and their herds","what":"7.2 million (FAO GIEWS) to 8.1 million (research) animals died in the 2023–24 dzud; the insurance payout was not found.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Mongolia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Ten cycles of the programme are covered by the presentation's cumulative figures; the 2023–24 winter is the latest loss event recorded.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The programme is designed to protect herders from catastrophic livestock losses.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A livestock-mortality index triggers payments across three layers: herder retention, insurer payments, and a government catastrophic layer.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Mongolia Index-Based Livestock Insurance Project (presentation deck)","p":"World Bank (hosted on the Financial Protection Forum)","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.financialprotectionforum.org/sites/default/files/Mongolia%20IBLIP%20.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251207054831/https://www.financialprotectionforum.org/sites/default/files/Mongolia%20IBLIP%20.pdf"},{"t":"GIEWS Update: Mongolia, 6 May 2024 - extreme winter weather known as dzud driving acute food insecurity among pastoral households","p":"FAO GIEWS (via ReliefWeb)","d":"2024-05-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://reliefweb.int/report/mongolia/giews-update-mongolia-6-may-2024-extreme-winter-weather-known-dzud-driving-acute-food-insecurity-pastoral-households-country","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216113813/https://reliefweb.int/report/mongolia/giews-update-mongolia-6-may-2024-extreme-winter-weather-known-dzud-driving-acute-food-insecurity-pastoral-households-country"},{"t":"Mongolia | Cold Wave Dzud - Final Report (Emergency appeal MDRMN020)","p":"International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)","d":"2025-09-30","u":"https://go-api.ifrc.org/api/downloadfile/87268/MDRMN020efr","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"index-insurance","related":["mongolia-dzud-emergency-funding-and-pasture-degradation"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many animals died in Mongolia's 2023–24 dzud?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Private insurers in the programme (names: none on record): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Herders insured cumulative: From the presentation's cumulative figures, unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Herders paid cumulative: From the presentation's cumulative figures, unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Premium cumulative: The presentation states US$405 million in premiums over ten cycles; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Payout cumulative: The presentation states US$160 million in payouts over ten cycles; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Insurance payout for the 2023–24 dzud: payout data was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the presentation's cumulative figures of 93,700 herders paying US$405 million in premiums and 16,545 herders receiving US$160 million in payouts. The same presentation gives the 2023 annual premium as MNT 4.9 billion (about US$1.4 million); the currency of the cumulative premium is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Animals dead in the 2023–24 dzud: FAO GIEWS reported 7.2 million (May 2024); another figure is 8.1 million (12.5%). The figures conflict.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"adidas-x-parley-ocean-plastic-shoes","title":"Adidas x Parley ocean plastic shoes","dek":"From 2015 to 2024 Adidas and Parley for the Oceans sold footwear made with material described as upcycled plastic waste intercepted before it reaches the ocean. A German report put the total at about 77 million pairs, and German television reported that part of the plastic did not come from Parley's own collections.","country":"International","region":"Global","lat":null,"lon":null,"places":[],"start":2015,"end":2024,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Pairs reported as made with 'ocean plastic', 2015–2024","value":"About 77 million","note":"Reported by one German source and not independently confirmed; the final cumulative count rests on one source."},"happened":["Adidas and Parley for the Oceans ran a partnership from 2015 to 2024 in which footwear was made with material the partners described as upcycled plastic waste intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean. Climate Action reported pairs made with ocean plastic of about 1 million in 2017 and 5 million in 2018, with 11 million targeted for 2019. By about 2021 the total was reported at more than 30 million pairs. One German report put the total over the ten years at about 77 million pairs.","In 2022 reporting, part of the plastic was reported not to have come from Parley's own collections, according to German television. The partnership ended when the contract expired at the end of 2024; Adidas had told Parley in 2022. ZDF and Flip were reported as having revealed this.","The term 'ocean-bound plastic' is used in a separate certification scheme launched in June 2020 by Zero Plastic Oceans with Control Union. Its categories are plastic collected within 50 km of the coast, along waterways (within 200 m of rivers), along the shoreline (within 200 m of the coast) and fishing material. The 50 km figure derives from a 2015 study by Jambeck, which did not use the term. The UK Food Standards Agency stated that there is no agreed definition of the term, and Changing Markets described it as a common greenwashing claim. Separately, Australia's competition regulator, the ACCC, fined Clorox A$8.25 million over 'ocean plastic' claims."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Adidas and Parley for the Oceans partnership begins"},{"y":2017,"t":"About 1 million pairs made with ocean plastic"},{"y":2018,"t":"About 5 million pairs"},{"y":2019,"t":"11 million pairs targeted"},{"y":2020,"t":"Ocean-bound plastic certification by Zero Plastic Oceans and Control Union launched (June)"},{"y":2021,"t":"More than 30 million pairs reported by about this year"},{"y":2022,"t":"Adidas tells Parley the partnership will end; reporting that part of the plastic did not come from Parley's own collections"},{"y":2024,"t":"Partnership ends when the contract expires at the end of the year; about 77 million pairs reported over the ten years"}],"said":[{"q":"upcycled plastic waste intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean.","who":"Description of the material used in the Adidas–Parley products, as reported by SGI Europe","when":"","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Footwear made with ocean plastic: about 1 million pairs in 2017 and 5 million in 2018, with 11 million targeted for 2019.","who":"Adidas, as reported by Climate Action","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The material was defined as upcycled plastic waste intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean.","src":2},{"t":"More than 30 million pairs by about 2021.","src":2},{"t":"About 77 million pairs over the ten years of the partnership, per one German report.","src":2},{"t":"In 2022 reporting, part of the plastic did not come from Parley's own collections, per German television.","src":4},{"t":"The partnership ended at the end of 2024 when the contract expired; Adidas told Parley in 2022; ZDF and Flip revealed this.","src":2},{"t":"The ocean-bound plastic certification covers plastic collected up to 50 km from the coast; the UK Food Standards Agency says there is no agreed definition of the term.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Pairs reported over ten years","v":"About 77 million","d":"One German report; the final count rests on one source"},{"k":"Plastic from Parley's own collections","v":"Part was not","d":"German television reporting, 2022; the share is not on record"},{"k":"Agreed definition of 'ocean-bound plastic'","v":"None","d":"UK Food Standards Agency"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 2019 annual report is said to state 'over eleven million pairs'.","The cumulative figure of about 77 million pairs rests on a single German report.","No data on a price premium for the Parley products are on record.","The share of the plastic that did not come from Parley's own collections is not stated."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The partnership ended at the end of 2024. The cited sources do not say whether the products were relabelled or withdrawn.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give no price premium and no cost figure, so who paid for the 'ocean plastic' claim is not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the partnership ended at the end of 2024, and the cumulative pair count rests on one source.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"adidas","role":"Footwear brand and partner"},{"id":"parley-for-the-oceans","role":"Partner supplying the material"},{"id":"control-union","role":"Certifier of the ocean-bound plastic program (with Zero Plastic Oceans)"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Did the plastic come from beaches and coastal communities through Parley's own collections?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Adidas and Parley (project description)","says":"The material was described as upcycled plastic waste intercepted from beaches and coastal communities before it reaches the ocean.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"German television (ZDF and Flip)","says":"Reported that part of the plastic did not come from Parley's own collection work.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"What counts as 'ocean' or 'ocean-bound' plastic?","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Zero Plastic Oceans with Control Union","says":"Certification categories: within 50 km of the coast, waterways (within 200 m of rivers), shoreline (within 200 m of the coast) and fishing material.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK Food Standards Agency","says":"There is no agreed definition of the term.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Changing Markets","says":"Described the term as a common greenwashing claim.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"pairs_produced","value":1000000,"unit":"pairs","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Pairs made with ocean plastic, per Climate Action."},{"key":"pairs_produced","value":5000000,"unit":"pairs","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Pairs made with ocean plastic, per Climate Action."},{"key":"pairs_produced","value":11000000,"unit":"pairs","year":2019,"qualifier":"target","note":"Targeted for 2019. The 2019 annual report is said to state 'over eleven million pairs'; unconfirmed."},{"key":"pairs_produced","value":30000000,"unit":"pairs","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cumulative total reported by about 2021."},{"key":"pairs_produced","value":77000000,"unit":"pairs","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Cumulative total over ten years per one German report; the final count rests on one source."},{"key":"fine","value":8.25,"unit":"A$ m","year":null,"note":"ACCC penalty on Clorox over 'ocean plastic' claims; a separate matter, not involving Adidas or Parley."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Adidas and Parley sold footwear made with material described as intercepted plastic waste; part of the plastic was reported not to have come from Parley's own collections.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Material described as collected from beaches and coastal communities; the sites are not on record.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2015 to the end of 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The partnership ended when the contract expired at the end of 2024; Adidas had told Parley in 2022.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Plastic described as upcycled waste intercepted before reaching the ocean was used in footwear; pair counts were reported as 1 million (2017), 5 million (2018) and 11 million targeted (2019).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Adidas to produce 11 million shoes made from recycled plastic in 2019","p":"Climate Action","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.climateaction.org/news/adidas-to-produce-11-million-shoes-made-from-recycled-plastic-in-2019","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411014804/https://www.climateaction.org/news/adidas-to-produce-11-million-shoes-made-from-recycled-plastic-in-2019"},{"t":"Adidas beendet Zusammenarbeit mit Parley for the Oceans","p":"FashionUnited","d":"2024-04","type":"press","u":"https://fashionunited.de/nachrichten/business/adidas-beendet-zusammenarbeit-mit-parley-for-the-oceans/2024040555967","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250428025412/https://fashionunited.de/nachrichten/business/adidas-beendet-zusammenarbeit-mit-parley-for-the-oceans/2024040555967"},{"t":"Adidas ends partnership with Parley for the Oceans","p":"SGI Europe","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.sgieurope.com/csr-and-sustainability/adidas-ends-partnership-with-parley-for-the-oceans/108180.article"},{"t":"Ocean-bound plastic (OBP) certification program","p":"Control Union","d":null,"type":"registry","u":"https://www.controlunion.com/certification-program/obp-ocean-bound-plastic-certification/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614012711/https://www.controlunion.com/certification-program/obp-ocean-bound-plastic-certification/"},{"t":"Medienbericht: Deutsches WM-Trikot von Adidas wohl nicht so nachhaltig wie behauptet","p":"FashionUnited","d":"2022-11-23","u":"https://fashionunited.de/nachrichten/business/medienbericht-deutsches-wm-trikot-von-adidas-wohl-nicht-so-nachhaltig-wie-behauptet/2022112349232/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 1 million pairs of shoes were made in my name with ocean plastic in 2017 and about 5 million in 2018, Climate Action reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the plastic come from beaches and coastal communities through Parley's own collections?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What counts as 'ocean' or 'ocean-bound' plastic?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Pairs produced: Cumulative total over ten years per one German report; the final count rests on one source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2019 annual report is said to state 'over eleven million pairs'.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cumulative figure of about 77 million pairs rests on a single German report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No data on a price premium for the Parley products are on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of the plastic that did not come from Parley's own collections is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone","title":"Gulf of Mexico dead zone (Mississippi nutrient runoff)","dek":"Every summer a zone of low oxygen forms on the Louisiana and Texas shelf, linked to nutrient pollution carried down the Mississippi–Atchafalaya basin. The government size target set in 2001 has not been met, and farm fertilizer runoff sits outside the Clean Water Act permit system.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":28.9,"lon":-92,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana and Texas coastal shelf","lat":28.9,"lon":-92,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Mississippi–Atchafalaya River basin (31 states)","role":"source"}],"start":1985,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Five-year average size of the dead zone vs the Hypoxia Task Force goal","value":"3,745 vs about 1,900 sq mi","note":"Goal is 5,000 km² (about 1,900–1,931 sq mi) as a five-year running average; the current average is roughly twice the target (NOAA, August 2026)."},"happened":["The Mississippi and its distributary the Atchafalaya drain about 41% of the contiguous United States: 31 states and two Canadian provinces, including the Midwest corn and soybean belt. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer that crops do not take up runs off into streams and then the river; city wastewater adds to the load. USGS SPARROW modelling (Alexander et al. 2008) attributes more than 70% of the nitrogen and phosphorus delivered to agriculture, with corn and soybeans alone supplying 52% of the nitrogen. NOAA describes the dead zone as “primarily a result of excess nutrient pollution from human activities in cities and farm areas.” The load travels mostly in spring, when rain and snowmelt peak.","The river discharges the nutrient load off the Louisiana coast, where it drives an overgrowth of microscopic algae at the surface. Oxygen in the water near the sea floor on the Louisiana and Texas shelf then falls to 2 mg/L or less, below the level at which fish and bottom-dwelling animals can live. Animals that can leave do; those that cannot die. Autumn storms and cooling layers of water break the zone up, and the load returns the next spring. A shelf-wide cruise in late July, led by LSU and LUMCON aboard the R/V Pelican with NOAA funding, has measured the zone every year since 1985. NOAA gives a 39-year average of 5,223 sq mi and a record of 8,776 sq mi in 2017. The measured size was 6,705 sq mi in 2024 and 4,402 sq mi in 2025.","Governments set a goal of reducing the zone to 5,000 km², measured as a five-year running average. The Hypoxia Task Force goal was set in 2001 for 2015 and extended in 2015 to 2035. The five-year average has never reached it; the current average is 3,745 sq mi. LSU said there have been “No significant reductions in the nitrate loading… since the Hypoxia Action Plan was adopted in 2001.” Under the Clean Water Act, the definition of a point source “does not include agricultural storm water discharges and return flows from irrigated agriculture,” and EPA's regulation 40 CFR 122.3(e) excludes nonpoint-source agricultural activities from discharge permits; nonpoint pollution is handled through grant programmes. Concentrated animal feeding operations are point sources and can need permits; row-crop fertilizer runoff does not.","The July 2026 cruise (24–30 July) measured 1,332 sq mi (3,449 km²), the second smallest in 40 years. Tropical Storm Bertha had mixed the water just before the cruise. NOAA had forecast 7,027 sq mi and LSU 7,532 sq mi. LSU called the 2026 size the result of “physical mixing,” not progress.","No comprehensive dollar figure for the economic harm exists. The often-cited $82 million a year comes from a 2011 NOAA coastal science office page and covers harmful algal blooms and hypoxia nationally, not the Gulf alone. A 2017 PNAS study (Smith et al.) found that hypoxia cut the share of large Gulf brown shrimp and raised their relative price in 1990–2010 price data. NOAA also reports the habitat area potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species: more than 4 million acres in 2024 and 2.8 million in 2025. The 2010 zone was 20,000 km² (7,722 sq mi), measured in the same year as the Deepwater Horizon spill; researchers have not shown whether the oil affected its size."],"timeline":[{"y":1985,"t":"Annual late-July shelf-wide cruise begins (LSU and LUMCON, NOAA-funded)"},{"y":2001,"t":"Hypoxia Action Plan adopted; goal of 5,000 km² (five-year average) set for 2015"},{"y":2010,"t":"Zone measured at 7,722 sq mi (20,000 km²), one of the largest since 1985; Deepwater Horizon spill in the same year"},{"y":2015,"t":"Goal date extended to 2035"},{"y":2017,"t":"Record size: 8,776 sq mi"},{"y":2024,"t":"6,705 sq mi (about 4 million acres of habitat potentially unavailable)"},{"y":2025,"t":"4,402 sq mi (2.8 million acres)"},{"y":2026,"t":"1,332 sq mi after Tropical Storm Bertha mixed the water; LSU: physical mixing, not progress"}],"said":[{"q":"primarily a result of excess nutrient pollution from human activities in cities and farm areas","who":"NOAA","when":"2026","src":0},{"q":"started to appear 55 years ago when agricultural practices intensified in the U.S. Midwest","who":"LSU researchers Turner and Rabalais (low oxygen in the Gulf)","when":"n/d","src":2},{"q":"No significant reductions in the nitrate loading… since the Hypoxia Action Plan was adopted in 2001","who":"LSU/LUMCON","when":"August 2026","src":2},{"q":"physical mixing","who":"LSU/LUMCON, on the cause of the small 2026 zone","when":"August 2026","src":2},{"q":"does not include agricultural storm water discharges and return flows from irrigated agriculture","who":"Clean Water Act §502(14), 33 USC §1362(14), definition of point source","when":"statute","src":5},{"q":"It would be difficult to link conditions seen this summer with oil from the BP spill … in either a positive or negative way.","who":"Nancy Rabalais (LSU/LUMCON), on the 2010 zone","when":"August 2010","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"A goal of 5,000 km² for the zone, as a five-year average.","who":"Hypoxia Task Force","src":null},{"t":"A 2026 measured size of 1,332 sq mi (3,449 km²), below the 5,000 km² goal.","who":"NOAA and LSU/LUMCON survey results","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The five-year average has never reached the goal and is roughly twice the target (3,745 sq mi against about 1,900 sq mi).","src":1},{"t":"LSU: the 2026 size was the result of physical mixing by a storm, not of lower nitrate loading.","src":2},{"t":"Row-crop fertilizer runoff is not covered by discharge permits under the Clean Water Act; concentrated animal feeding operations can be.","src":5},{"t":"Researchers (Van Meter et al. 2016, 2018) estimated that releasing 99% of the nitrogen stored in Mississippi basin soils would take about 35 years, and that the dead zone would last at least 30 years even if inputs fell to zero.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Size in 2026","v":"1,332 sq mi","d":"Second smallest in 40 years; a storm mixed the water before the cruise; NOAA had forecast 7,027 sq mi"},{"k":"Five-year average vs goal","v":"3,745 vs about 1,900 sq mi","d":"Goal of 5,000 km² set in 2001 for 2015, extended to 2035"},{"k":"Record size","v":"8,776 sq mi","d":"2017"},{"k":"Habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species","v":"4M+ acres","d":"2024 (NOAA); 2.8 million acres in 2025"}]},"unknown":["No good comprehensive figure exists for the economic harm of the dead zone; the often-cited $82 million a year covers algal blooms and hypoxia nationally and dates from a 2011 NOAA page.","Whether the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill affected the size of the 2010 zone: the 2018 analysis “did not demonstrate that the oil spill affected, or did not affect” it.","Single years below the goal have occurred only in drought or storm years; 2026 is confirmed, while 1988 and 2000 appear in the LUMCON record but their exact figures were not seen."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The zone forms every summer. The 2026 measurement was the second smallest in 40 years, which LSU attributed to storm mixing and not to lower nitrate loading.","whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2026 measurement (1,332 sq mi) was under the 5,000 km² goal, but LSU attributed it to storm mixing; the five-year average of 3,745 sq mi remains about twice the goal, which now runs to 2035.","updated":"2026-10-13","responses":[{"actor":"noaa","says":"The dead zone is primarily a result of excess nutrient pollution from human activities in cities and farm areas; the 2026 zone was smaller than forecast because Tropical Storm Bertha mixed the water just before the cruise.","when":"2026","src":1},{"actor":"lsu-lumcon","says":"No significant reductions in the nitrate loading since the Hypoxia Action Plan was adopted in 2001; the 2026 size was the result of physical mixing, not progress.","when":"August 2026","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"noaa","role":"Funds and reports the annual survey"},{"id":"lsu-lumcon","role":"Leads the annual shelf-wide cruise"},{"id":"usgs","role":"SPARROW nutrient-source modelling"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Clean Water Act regulator"},{"id":"hypoxia-task-force","role":"Set the 5,000 km² goal"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the small 2026 dead zone show progress on nutrient reduction?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA","says":"The 2026 zone, 1,332 sq mi, was the second smallest in 40 years because Tropical Storm Bertha mixed the water just before the cruise; NOAA had forecast 7,027 sq mi.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"LSU/LUMCON","says":"The near-goal size was the result of physical mixing, not progress; there have been no significant reductions in nitrate loading since 2001.","src":2}]},{"point":"Did the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill change the size of the 2010 dead zone?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Nancy Rabalais (LSU/LUMCON), 2010","says":"It would be difficult to link conditions seen that summer with oil from the BP spill in either a positive or negative way.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Rabalais, Smith and Turner (2018)","says":"Found no difference in oxygen concentrations for May, June or July 2010 with or without oil data; the analyses did not demonstrate that the spill affected, or did not affect, the size of the 2010 zone.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Kessler et al. (2011, Science)","says":"Found 3.0–3.9 × 10^10 moles of oxygen respired, primarily by methanotrophs, within about 120 days in a deep intrusion layer about 700–1,300 m down, not on the shelf. A published comment (Joye et al. 2011) disputed the paper.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deepwater Horizon restoration plan (PDARP)","says":"Mentions concern about hypoxia due to bacterial consumption of dispersed oil but gives no finding.","src":null}]},{"point":"What does the dead zone cost?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA coastal science office (2011 page)","says":"$82 million a year, covering harmful algal blooms and hypoxia nationally, not the Gulf zone alone.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Smith et al., PNAS (2017)","says":"Gulf brown shrimp prices for 1990–2010 show hypoxia cuts the share of large shrimp and raises their relative price; the study gives no headline dollar total.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi","value":1332,"unit":"sq mi","year":2026,"note":"3,449 km²; surveyed 24–30 July; second smallest in 40 years. NOAA forecast 7,027 and LSU forecast 7,532."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi","value":4402,"unit":"sq mi","year":2025,"note":"15th smallest. About 2.8 million acres of habitat potentially unavailable."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi","value":6705,"unit":"sq mi","year":2024,"note":"About 4 million acres of habitat potentially unavailable."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi","value":8776,"unit":"sq mi","year":2017,"note":"Record."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi","value":7722,"unit":"sq mi","year":2010,"note":"20,000 km² (LUMCON, 1 August 2010); one of the largest measured since 1985."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi_avg","value":5223,"unit":"sq mi","year":2026,"note":"39-year average measured size (NOAA, June 2026)."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_sq_mi_avg5","value":3745,"unit":"sq mi","year":2026,"note":"Five-year average (NOAA, August 2026 release)."},{"key":"hypoxic_area_goal_km2","value":5000,"unit":"km2","year":2035,"note":"Hypoxia Task Force goal, five-year running average (about 1,900–1,931 sq mi); set 2001 for 2015, extended in 2015 to 2035."},{"key":"habitat_unavailable_acres","value":4000000,"unit":"acres","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Habitat potentially unavailable to fish and bottom species (NOAA)."},{"key":"habitat_unavailable_acres","value":2800000,"unit":"acres","year":2025,"note":"NOAA."},{"key":"agri_share_nitrogen_phosphorus","value":70,"unit":"%","year":2008,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Share of delivered nitrogen and phosphorus from agriculture (USGS SPARROW, Alexander et al. 2008). Corn and soybeans alone supply 52% of the nitrogen."},{"key":"basin_share_contiguous_us","value":41,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the contiguous US drained by the Mississippi and Atchafalaya; 31 states and two Canadian provinces."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Each summer a zone of oxygen-poor bottom water forms on the Louisiana and Texas shelf, linked to nutrient pollution from the Mississippi–Atchafalaya basin.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish and bottom-dwelling animals on the Louisiana and Texas shelf","what":"Bottom oxygen falls to 2 mg/L or less; animals that can leave do, and those that cannot die.","src":null},{"who":"Gulf shrimp market","what":"Hypoxia cut the share of large brown shrimp and raised their relative price in 1990–2010 price data (Smith et al., PNAS 2017).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Louisiana and Texas coastal shelf, west of the Mississippi delta; the nutrient load comes from a basin of 31 states.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Every summer; measured each late July since 1985. LSU researchers say low oxygen began to appear about 55 years before their statement, when Midwest agriculture intensified.","src":3},"why":{"t":"NOAA attributes it primarily to excess nutrient pollution from human activities in cities and farm areas; USGS SPARROW modelling attributes more than 70% of delivered nitrogen and phosphorus to agriculture.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Fertilizer not taken up by crops runs into streams and the river, mostly in spring; at the coast it drives algal overgrowth, and bottom oxygen falls. Farm runoff is outside the Clean Water Act permit system.","src":5},"ratio":{"t":"The five-year average (3,745 sq mi) is roughly twice the goal (about 1,900 sq mi).","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Gulf of America dead zone below average, scientists find","p":"NOAA","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/gulf-of-america-dead-zone-below-average-scientists-find","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251127120839/https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/gulf-of-america-dead-zone-below-average-scientists-find"},{"t":"Hypoxic zone found smaller than expected (NOAA release text, via Marine Technology News)","p":"Marine Technology News","d":"2026-08","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://www.marinetechnologynews.com/news/hypoxic-found-smaller-expected-664891","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260805225839/https://www.marinetechnologynews.com/news/hypoxic-found-smaller-expected-664891"},{"t":"Dead zone size in 2026 (LSU/LUMCON release)","p":"LSU and LUMCON (gulfhypoxia.net)","d":"2026-08","type":"academic","u":"https://gulfhypoxia.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DZ-size-in-2026_CG.pdf"},{"t":"Shelfwide cruises","p":"LSU and LUMCON (gulfhypoxia.net)","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://gulfhypoxia.net/research/shelfwide-cruises/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260924031728/https://gulfhypoxia.net/research/shelfwide-cruises/"},{"t":"Differences in phosphorus and nitrogen delivery to the Gulf of Mexico from the Mississippi River basin","p":"USGS","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.usgs.gov/publications/differences-phosphorus-and-nitrogen-delivery-gulf-mexico-mississippi-river-basin","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251229005219/https://www.usgs.gov/publications/differences-phosphorus-and-nitrogen-delivery-gulf-mexico-mississippi-river-basin"},{"t":"Environmental regulation of agriculture: the Des Moines Water Works issue","p":"Coppess, University of Illinois (policymatters.illinois.edu)","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://origin.policymatters.illinois.edu/environmental-regulation-of-agriculture-the-des-moines-water-works-issue/"},{"t":"2010 Dead Zone - One of the Largest Ever (press release, 1 August 2010)","p":"LUMCON / LSU (gulfhypoxia.net)","d":"2010-08-01","u":"https://gulfhypoxia.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/PressRelease2010.pdf","type":"academic"},{"t":"Legacy nitrogen may prevent achievement of water quality goals in the Gulf of Mexico (Van Meter, Van Cappellen, Basu; Science 360:427-430)","p":"Science (record at Penn State)","d":"2018-04-27","u":"https://pure.psu.edu/en/publications/legacy-nitrogen-may-prevent-achievement-of-water-quality-goals-in/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"nutrient-reduction-goal","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Each summer the water near my sea floor off Louisiana and Texas falls to 2 mg/L of oxygen or less, over 5,223 sq mi on NOAA's 39-year average.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the small 2026 dead zone show progress on nutrient reduction?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill change the size of the 2010 dead zone?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What does the dead zone cost?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No good comprehensive figure exists for the economic harm of the dead zone; the often-cited $82 million a year covers algal blooms and hypoxia nationally and dates from a 2011 NOAA page.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill affected the size of the 2010 zone: the 2018 analysis “did not demonstrate that the oil spill affected, or did not affect” it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Single years below the goal have occurred only in drought or storm years; 2026 is confirmed, while 1988 and 2000 appear in the LUMCON record but their exact figures were not seen.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who harmed: Fish and bottom-dwelling animals on the Louisiana and Texas shelf","No source link — Who harmed: Gulf shrimp market"]},{"id":"posidonia-oceanica-meadows","title":"Posidonia oceanica meadows (Balearics, Mediterranean)","dek":"Posidonia oceanica, a seagrass found only in the Mediterranean, has been reported to have declined by 34% in 50 years, a figure other researchers dispute. The Balearic Islands banned anchoring over meadows in 2018; boats were still being detected over them in 2025, and carbon-credit and restoration schemes have produced claims that the cited sources do not yet confirm.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":39.6,"lon":3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Balearic Islands","lat":39.6,"lon":3,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Corsica (Cap Corse–Agriate marine park); Provence and Côte d'Azur","role":"affected"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Sardinia; La Maddalena","role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2018-07-27","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Boats detected anchored over Posidonia vs formal reports, Ibiza and Formentera, 2025","value":"4,813: 18","note":"About 1 in 270 (0.37%) as reported by Ibiza & Formentera Preservation. In 2018 the Balearic government reported 42 formal reports for 5,269 boats detected over Posidonia."},"happened":["Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass found only in the Mediterranean, from a few dozen centimetres to 30–40 m deep. Telesca et al. (2015) gave a known area of 1,224,707 ha (about 12,250 km²), with data missing for 21,471 km of coastline; older estimates are larger. The same study reported a 34% regression over the last 50 years, attributed to the cumulative effects of multiple local stressors. Boudouresque et al. (2021) said the decline could be less extensive and less general than claimed. In Provence and the Côte d'Azur, at 0–15 m depth, 86% of the meadow was unchanged since 1922, 13% had regressed and 1% had progressed.","Under the EU Habitats Directive, Posidonia beds are a priority habitat. The Balearic Islands approved Decree 25/2018 on 27 July 2018, banning trawling, aggregate extraction, dumping of dredged material and uncontrolled anchoring over meadows, and banning removal of dead Posidonia on natural beaches except for traditional manual uses. Fines range from €100 to €2 million; officials said the top fines were meant for oil-spill-scale damage. In 2018 the Balearic government carried out 50,467 actions and 30,326 anchoring checks, detected 5,269 boats over Posidonia and drew up 42 formal reports. In 2025 in Ibiza and Formentera alone, 4,813 boats were detected over Posidonia and 18 formal reports were drawn up (15 in Ibiza, 3 in Formentera).","In France, a Marseille maritime court imposed a €90,000 fine and a three-year ban from French waters on the 37 m Maltese-flagged yacht Laurie I, which anchored over meadow in the Cap Corse–Agriate marine park in July 2025; the ruling was at first instance and can be appealed. In that park, superyacht anchoring on Posidonia fell from 35% in 2019 to 6% in 2025; for boats under 24 m the 2025 figure was 15%.","Money and the meadows: machines removed 39,343 m³ (27,583.5 t) of sand together with dead leaves from 19 Balearic beaches in 2010–2018 (Roig-Munar et al. 2019). In France, a Label Bas-Carbone method for Posidonia protection (Prométhée-Med) was approved in 2023, with a claimed potential of 700,000 t over 30 years on 80,000 ha; no labelled project, volume or price was found. The Andalusian blue-carbon standard (January 2022) and Italy's LIFE SeaForest project (estimating over 5,365 tCO₂ avoided over 10 years) also published no prices or buyers. Formentera's Save Posidonia project, launched in 2017, sells sponsorship from €1 per m² and reported over 250,000 m² sponsored by September 2021. Studies value the meadows at about €280 to €1.7 million per hectare per year, depending on method.","Restoration: Red Eléctrica planted 2 ha in the Bay of Pollença, Mallorca (2018–2020), with 12,800 fragments, for about €500,000, and reported survival above 90% in its own evaluation. Boudouresque et al. (2021) listed the largest replantings as 500 m² (Monaco) and 1,020 m² (Piombino), noted that a WWII bomb crater near Marseille was recolonised naturally at 1,250 m² a year, and quoted the finding that none of the seagrass restoration programmes developed in Europe in the 2000s was successful."],"timeline":[{"y":1922,"t":"Baseline year for the Provence and Côte d'Azur comparison (86% of meadow unchanged since)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Formentera launches Save Posidonia sponsorship"},{"y":2018,"t":"Balearic Decree 25/2018 approved (27 July); 5,269 boats detected over meadow, 42 formal reports; Red Eléctrica planting begins"},{"y":2019,"t":"Superyacht anchoring on Posidonia in the Cap Corse–Agriate park: 35%"},{"y":2020,"t":"Red Eléctrica reports planting survival above 90% (November)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Boudouresque et al. review of replantings; Save Posidonia reports over 250,000 m² sponsored (September)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Andalusian blue-carbon standard launched (January)"},{"y":2023,"t":"French Label Bas-Carbone method for Posidonia approved (April)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Yacht Laurie I anchors over meadow (July); 4,813 boats detected over meadow in Ibiza and Formentera; superyacht anchoring share 6%"},{"y":2026,"t":"Marseille maritime court fine reported (August), appealable"}],"said":[{"q":"cumulative effects of multiple local stressors","who":"Telesca et al. 2015, on the cause of the 34% regression","when":"2015","src":0},{"q":"could be less extensive and less general than claimed","who":"Boudouresque et al., on the decline of Posidonia","when":"2021","src":3},{"q":"hundreds to thousands of years old","who":"Arnaud-Haond et al., abstract, on Posidonia clones","when":"2012","src":2},{"q":"unlikely","who":"Arnaud-Haond et al., on a Formentera clone age of 80,000–200,000 years based on clonal growth alone","when":"2012","src":2},{"q":"None of the seagrass restoration programs developed in Europe during the 2000s was successful","who":"Boudouresque et al. 2021, citing Cunha et al.","when":"2021","src":3},{"q":"created a carbon market","who":"LIFE SeaForest project, on its own work","when":"2025","src":13}],"shown":[{"t":"A Posidonia clone about 100,000 years old, the “oldest living organism”.","who":"CSIC and University of Western Australia press releases","src":null},{"t":"Planted Posidonia with survival above 90%.","who":"Red Eléctrica","src":16},{"t":"Over 250,000 m² of meadow “sponsored”.","who":"Consell de Formentera, Save Posidonia project","src":14},{"t":"A carbon-credit method for Posidonia protection with a potential of 700,000 t over 30 years.","who":"EcoAct (Atos/Eviden), Digital Realty (Interxion), Schneider Electric and the Calanques National Park","src":11}],"recorded":[{"t":"Telesca et al.: 34% regression of Posidonia over the last 50 years; Boudouresque et al.: the decline could be less extensive than claimed.","src":0},{"t":"Balearics 2018: 5,269 boats detected over Posidonia, 42 formal reports.","src":5},{"t":"Ibiza and Formentera 2025: 4,813 boats detected over Posidonia, 18 formal reports.","src":6},{"t":"Cap Corse–Agriate marine park: superyacht anchoring on Posidonia fell from 35% (2019) to 6% (2025).","src":7},{"t":"Machine removal of dead Posidonia took 27,583.5 t of sand from 19 Balearic beaches in 2010–2018.","src":8},{"t":"Sardinia regional funding for 2020–22 was €1.8 million, paying only for temporary relocation of banquettes, not landfill; at least half of the 72 coastal municipalities remove banquettes, tens of thousands of m³ per season.","src":10},{"t":"Italy's ISPRA: banquettes hold about 93 kg of sediment per m³; removal on one Sardinian site would lose over 1,700 m³ of sediment.","src":9},{"t":"Campagne et al. valued only 7 of 25 identified services and gave dead-leaf banquettes a value of €0.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Regression over 50 years","v":"34%","d":"Telesca et al. 2015; disputed by Boudouresque et al. 2021 (86% unchanged in Provence and Côte d'Azur since 1922)"},{"k":"Boats over meadow vs formal reports","v":"4,813: 18","d":"Ibiza and Formentera, 2025"},{"k":"Superyacht anchoring on meadow, Cap Corse–Agriate","v":"35% to 6%","d":"2019 to 2025"},{"k":"Largest documented replantings","v":"500 m² and 1,020 m²","d":"Boudouresque et al. 2021, against 1,250 m² a year of natural recolonisation near Marseille"}]},"unknown":["The meadow's total area is not settled: the known area is about 12,250 km² with coastline data missing; Campagne 2015 uses 3.5 million ha and Spanish press in 2018 cited about 50,000 km².","The extent of the decline is disputed (34% in 50 years against a review saying it could be less extensive and less general).","The age of Formentera clones is disputed: 80,000–200,000 years assumes spread by clonal growth alone, which the authors call unlikely.","No labelled project, volume or price was found for the French Posidonia carbon method, and no prices or buyers were published for the Andalusian standard or LIFE SeaForest.","The official Save Posidonia site showed a live counter reading 0 and no total raised at the time of research.","Unconfirmed: IUCN lists the species as Least Concern with a decreasing trend (assessed 15 July 2013), and the European Red List of Habitats rates Posidonia beds Vulnerable.","Unconfirmed: 529 Natura 2000 sites are designated for Posidonia beds.","Unconfirmed: Balearic government 2025 figures of 181,468 actions, 156,043 anchoring checks, 10,062 boats relocated, 6.4% of anchorings on Posidonia and 48 formal reports.","Unconfirmed: Sardinia in 2004 removed leaves from 44 of 116 beaches (106,180 m³), with 80% dumped in unauthorised areas.","Unconfirmed: Posidonia restoration costs of €100,000–500,000 per hectare (2021 analysis cited in a 2025 paper) and a median seagrass survival of 38% across restoration projects (Bayraktarov et al.).","Unconfirmed: an Italian national benefit-transfer estimate of €21,660 per hectare per year (conference presentation, not peer-reviewed).","Unconfirmed: the Andalusian standard still lacked national approval in April 2025 (Carbon Pulse)."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Anchoring over meadows continued after the 2018 Balearic ban: 4,813 boats were detected over Posidonia in Ibiza and Formentera in 2025. In the Cap Corse–Agriate park, the superyacht share fell from 35% (2019) to 6% (2025).","whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Balearic anchoring ban has been in force since 2018; the French first-instance fine on the yacht Laurie I is appealable; no sale of Posidonia carbon credits was found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"balearic-government","says":"Officials said the top fines under Decree 25/2018 (up to €2 million) are meant for oil-spill-scale damage.","when":"July 2018","src":4},{"actor":"red-electrica","says":"Reported survival of planted Posidonia above 90% in its Marine Forest project in the Bay of Pollença (company evaluation, with IMEDEA as partner).","when":"November 2020","src":16},{"actor":"consell-de-formentera","says":"Reported over 250,000 m² of meadow sponsored through Save Posidonia.","when":"September 2021","src":14},{"actor":"ecoact","says":"With Digital Realty, Schneider Electric and the Calanques National Park, announced approval of a Posidonia protection method with a claimed potential of about 24,000 tCO₂e a year.","when":"April 2023","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"balearic-government","role":"Regional government; Decree 25/2018 and enforcement"},{"id":"consell-de-formentera","role":"Runs the Save Posidonia sponsorship project"},{"id":"red-electrica","role":"Planted Posidonia in the Bay of Pollença; at the Andalusian standard launch"},{"id":"ecoact","role":"Co-developer of the French Posidonia carbon method (Atos/Eviden)"},{"id":"schneider-electric","role":"Co-developer of the French Posidonia carbon method"},{"id":"ispra","role":"Italian environment agency; LIFE SeaForest partner"},{"id":"eu","role":"Habitats Directive: Posidonia beds are a priority habitat"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much has Posidonia declined?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Telesca et al. (2015)","says":"34% regression over the last 50 years, attributed to the cumulative effects of multiple local stressors.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Boudouresque et al. (2021)","says":"The decline could be less extensive and less general than claimed.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Provence and Côte d'Azur data, 0–15 m depth","says":"Since 1922, 86% of meadow unchanged, 13% regressed, 1% progressed.","src":null}]},{"point":"How large is the meadow area?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Telesca et al. (2015)","says":"Known area 1,224,707 ha (about 12,250 km²); data missing for 21,471 km of coastline.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Campagne et al. (2015)","says":"Uses 3.5 million ha, citing Laffoley and Grimsditch (2009).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Spanish press (2018)","says":"Cited about 50,000 km².","src":4}]},{"point":"How old is the Formentera Posidonia clone?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Arnaud-Haond et al. (2012)","says":"Clones are hundreds to thousands of years old; a Formentera clone shared by sites 15 km apart implies a minimum age of 80,000–200,000 years if spread was by clonal growth alone at 4–6 cm a year, a scenario the authors call unlikely.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"CSIC and University of Western Australia press releases","says":"Framed the finding as a clone about 100,000 years old and the oldest living organism.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is seagrass restoration working?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Red Eléctrica","says":"2 ha replanted in the Bay of Pollença for about €500,000; survival above 90% (company evaluation).","src":16},{"voice":"research","holder":"Boudouresque et al. (2021)","says":"None of the seagrass restoration programmes in Europe in the 2000s was successful; the largest Posidonia replantings listed were 500 m² and 1,020 m², while natural recolonisation near Marseille ran at 1,250 m² a year.","src":3}]},{"point":"How often is anchoring over meadows followed by a formal report?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Balearic government (2018)","says":"5,269 boats detected over Posidonia; 42 formal reports.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ibiza & Formentera Preservation (2025)","says":"4,813 boats detected over Posidonia in Ibiza and Formentera; 18 formal reports (15 in Ibiza, 3 in Formentera), about 1 in 270.","src":6}]},{"point":"What is a hectare of Posidonia worth each year?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Campagne et al. (2015), France","says":"€283–513 per hectare per year (€25.3–45.9 million a year in total); only 7 of 25 identified services valued; dead-leaf banquettes valued at €0.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Vassallo (2013), cited by Campagne et al.","says":"€172 per m² per year, or €1.72 million per hectare, by an emergy method at Bergeggi.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"UIB / A. Riera (2019), Balearics","says":"€21.2 million a year for 65,000 ha; coastal protection €12.4 million (€191.7 per hectare).","src":15}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Yacht Laurie I anchoring over Posidonia, Cap Corse–Agriate marine park","forum":"Marseille maritime court (first instance)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"regulatory","claimant":null,"defendant":"Yacht Laurie I (37 m, Maltese flag)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":90000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Fine"},"summary":"The yacht anchored over Posidonia in July 2025. The court imposed a €90,000 fine and a three-year ban from French waters; the ruling is at first instance and can be appealed. Reported in August 2026.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":1224707,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Known Posidonia area (Telesca et al. 2015), about 12,250 km²; coastline data missing for 21,471 km. Older estimates are larger."},{"key":"area_ha","value":65000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Balearic Posidonia area used by UIB / A. Riera; the Balearics hold about 650 km², about half of Spain's Posidonia (eldiario.es, 2018)."},{"key":"posidonia_regression_pct","value":34,"unit":"%","year":2015,"note":"Regression over the last 50 years (Telesca et al. 2015); disputed."},{"key":"boats_detected_over_meadow","value":5269,"unit":"boats","year":2018,"note":"Balearic Islands; 42 formal reports."},{"key":"boats_detected_over_meadow","value":4813,"unit":"boats","year":2025,"note":"Ibiza and Formentera only; 18 formal reports (about 1 in 270)."},{"key":"fine","value":0.09,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"First-instance fine on the yacht Laurie I; appealable."},{"key":"sand_removed_tonnes","value":27583.5,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Sand removed with dead leaves from 19 Balearic beaches, 2010–2018 (39,343 m³)."},{"key":"credits_potential_tco2e","value":700000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2023,"note":"Claimed potential of the French method over 30 years on 80,000 ha (about 24,000 tCO2e a year). No credits sold were found."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":0.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Red Eléctrica planting of 2 ha (about €250,000 per hectare)."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"Planting survival reported by Red Eléctrica (company evaluation)."},{"key":"sponsored_area_m2","value":250000,"unit":"m2","year":2021,"qualifier":"over","note":"Save Posidonia, Formentera; sponsorship from €1 per m²."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Mediterranean are reported to have declined, are protected by an EU priority-habitat listing and Balearic and French anchoring rules, and are the subject of carbon-credit, sponsorship and restoration schemes.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Posidonia oceanica meadows","what":"34% regression over the last 50 years reported by Telesca et al. 2015, a figure disputed by Boudouresque et al. 2021; causes named include trawling, coastal development, sewage and pollution, anchoring, fish farms and invasive species.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Mediterranean; the case centres on the Balearic Islands, with comparisons from Corsica, Provence, Sardinia and Andalusia.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Balearic Decree 25/2018 approved 27 July 2018; enforcement figures for 2018 and 2025.","src":4},"why":null,"how":{"t":"The Balearic decree bans trawling, aggregate extraction, dumping of dredged material, uncontrolled anchoring and removal of dead Posidonia on natural beaches, with fines of €100 to €2 million.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Telesca et al. (2015), Scientific Reports 5:12505: Posidonia oceanica area and regression","p":"Scientific Reports (via Ifremer Archimer)","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00276/38678/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250613092818/https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00276/38678/"},{"t":"Campagne et al. (2015), Marine Pollution Bulletin 97: economic value of Posidonia ecosystem services (France)","p":"Marine Pollution Bulletin (via medtrix.fr)","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://medtrix.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Campagne2015-posidonia-ecosystem-services-economical-value.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250613100459/https://medtrix.fr/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Campagne2015-posidonia-ecosystem-services-economical-value.pdf"},{"t":"Arnaud-Haond et al. (2012), PLoS ONE e30454: Posidonia clone age","p":"PLoS ONE","d":"2012","type":"academic","u":"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0030454","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011050422/https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0030454"},{"t":"Boudouresque et al. (2021): Posidonia replantings, code and decision tree","p":"Water (via GIS Posidonie)","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://gisposidonie.osupytheas.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Boudouresque-et-al-2021_Reimplantations_code-et-arbre-decision_Water.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250119160525/https://gisposidonie.osupytheas.fr/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Boudouresque-et-al-2021_Reimplantations_code-et-arbre-decision_Water.pdf"},{"t":"Baleares: praderas de posidonia (Decree 25/2018 article)","p":"eldiario.es","d":"2018-07-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/baleares-praderas-posidonia-destruir-mediterraneo_1_2005359.amp.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221103043440/https://www.eldiario.es/sociedad/baleares-praderas-posidonia-destruir-mediterraneo_1_2005359.amp.html"},{"t":"Multan a 42 de los 5.269 barcos con fondeos sobre posidonia detectados por el Govern balear","p":"Nou Diàri (Ibiza)","d":"2018","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://www.noudiari.es/local-ibiza/multan-a-42-de-los-5-269-barcos-fondeos-sobre-posidonia-detectados-por-el-govern-balear/"},{"t":"Posidonia anchoring in Ibiza and Formentera (figures from Ibiza & Formentera Preservation)","p":"Mallorca Magazin","d":"2026-08-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.mallorca.com/en/magazin/news/posidonia-anchoring-ibiza-formentera"},{"t":"L'ancora sulla Posidonia: 90mila euro di multa e 3 anni di stop in Francia","p":"SuperYacht24","d":"2026-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.superyacht24.it/2026/08/17/allancora-sulla-posidonia-90mila-euro-di-multa-e-3-anni-di-stop-in-francia/"},{"t":"Roig-Munar et al. (2019), Revista de la Sociedad Geológica de España 32(2): banquette removal on Balearic beaches","p":"Universitat de les Illes Balears research portal","d":"2019","type":"academic","u":"https://portalinvestigacio.uib.es/documentos/5ef13b322999520503afc881"},{"t":"Comunicato stampa: spiaggia ecologica (Posidonia banquettes)","p":"ISPRA","d":"2020-06","type":"official","u":"https://development.isprambiente.gov.it/files2020/area-stampa/comunicati-stampa/comunicato-spiaggia-ecologica.pdf"},{"t":"Rimozione della Posidonia dalle spiagge: quasi 2 milioni di euro per i comuni sardi","p":"L'Unione Sarda","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.unionesarda.it/economia/rimozione-della-posidonia-dalle-spiagge-quasi-2-milioni-di-euro-per-i-comuni-sardi-ybb67b2d","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230928153924/https://www.unionesarda.it/economia/rimozione-della-posidonia-dalle-spiagge-quasi-2-milioni-di-euro-per-i-comuni-sardi-ybb67b2d"},{"t":"Label bas-carbone en mer: validation d'une première méthodologie pour la préservation des herbiers méditerranéens (projet Prométhée-Med)","p":"Atos","d":"2023-04-06","type":"company","u":"https://atos.net/fr/2023/communiques-de-presse_2023_04_06/label-bas-carbone-en-mer-validation-dune-premiere-methodologie-pour-la-preservation-des-herbiers-mediterraneens-projet-promethee-med","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419152319/https://atos.net/fr/2023/communiques-de-presse_2023_04_06/label-bas-carbone-en-mer-validation-dune-premiere-methodologie-pour-la-preservation-des-herbiers-mediterraneens-projet-promethee-med"},{"t":"Private companies can now participate in development of blue carbon projects in Andalusia, Spain","p":"IUCN","d":"2022-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/news/mediterranean/202201/private-companies-can-now-participate-development-blue-carbon-projects-andalusia-spain","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260509203017/https://iucn.org/news/mediterranean/202201/private-companies-can-now-participate-development-blue-carbon-projects-andalusia-spain"},{"t":"LIFE Sea Forest: Posidonia oceanica meadows as blue carbon reservoirs in the Mediterranean","p":"ISPRA","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/en/news/life-sea-forest-posidonia-oceanica-meadows-as-blue-carbon-reservoirs-in-the-mediterranean"},{"t":"Formentera reinforces its sustainable credentials with the 4th Save Posidonia Forum 2021","p":"Spain.info social newsroom","d":"2021-09","type":"official","u":"https://socialnewsroom.spain.info/formentera-reinforces-its-sustainable-credentials-with-the-4th-save-posidonia-forum-2021/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230922074346/https://socialnewsroom.spain.info/formentera-reinforces-its-sustainable-credentials-with-the-4th-save-posidonia-forum-2021/"},{"t":"Cumbre del clima: beneficios de la posidonia para las playas de Mallorca (UIB / A. Riera valuation)","p":"Última Hora","d":"2019-12-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/local/2019/12/11/1127395/cumbre-del-clima-beneficios-posidonia-playas-mallorca.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200405204021/https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/local/2019/12/11/1127395/cumbre-del-clima-beneficios-posidonia-playas-mallorca.html"},{"t":"Red Eléctrica's Marine Forest shows confirmed survival rate of planted Posidonia that exceeds 90 percent","p":"Red Eléctrica","d":"2020-11","type":"company","u":"https://www.ree.es/en/press-office/news/press-release/2020/11/red-electricas-marine-forest-shows-confirmed-survival-rate-of-planted-posidonia-that-exceeds-90-percent-","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420085755/https://www.ree.es/en/press-office/news/press-release/2020/11/red-electricas-marine-forest-shows-confirmed-survival-rate-of-planted-posidonia-that-exceeds-90-percent-"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2025, 4,813 boats were detected anchored over my Posidonia in Ibiza and Formentera, and 18 formal reports were drawn up.","src":[6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much has Posidonia declined?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How large is the meadow area?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How old is the Formentera Posidonia clone?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is seagrass restoration working?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How often is anchoring over meadows followed by a formal report?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What is a hectare of Posidonia worth each year?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The meadow's total area is not settled: the known area is about 12,250 km² with coastline data missing; Campagne 2015 uses 3.5 million ha and Spanish press in 2018 cited about 50,000 km².","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The extent of the decline is disputed (34% in 50 years against a review saying it could be less extensive and less general).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The age of Formentera clones is disputed: 80,000–200,000 years assumes spread by clonal growth alone, which the authors call unlikely.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No labelled project, volume or price was found for the French Posidonia carbon method, and no prices or buyers were published for the Andalusian standard or LIFE SeaForest.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The official Save Posidonia site showed a live counter reading 0 and no total raised at the time of research.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IUCN lists the species as Least Concern with a decreasing trend (assessed 15 July 2013), and the European Red List of Habitats rates Posidonia beds Vulnerable.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 529 Natura 2000 sites are designated for Posidonia beds.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Balearic government 2025 figures of 181,468 actions, 156,043 anchoring checks, 10,062 boats relocated, 6.4% of anchorings on Posidonia and 48 formal reports.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Sardinia in 2004 removed leaves from 44 of 116 beaches (106,180 m³), with 80% dumped in unauthorised areas.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Posidonia restoration costs of €100,000–500,000 per hectare (2021 analysis cited in a 2025 paper) and a median seagrass survival of 38% across restoration projects (Bayraktarov et al.).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an Italian national benefit-transfer estimate of €21,660 per hectare per year (conference presentation, not peer-reviewed).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Andalusian standard still lacked national approval in April 2025 (Carbon Pulse).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"imf-whale-value-paper-and-baffinland-narwhal-pilot","title":"IMF whale-value paper and Baffinland narwhal pilot","dek":"A December 2019 article in the IMF's magazine valued an average great whale at more than $2 million. Two of its authors later launched a narwhal pilot in the Canadian Arctic with an iron-ore mining company as a partner; no whale carbon credit had been sold by October 2026.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":72.5,"lon":-79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Nunavut","lat":72.5,"lon":-79,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Quebec","role":"company-home"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2019-12","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Whale carbon credits sold, December 2019 to October 2026","value":"0","note":"None on record; no amounts have been published for the pilot."},"happened":["In December 2019 the IMF's Finance & Development magazine published “Nature's Solution to Climate Change” by Ralph Chami, Thomas Cosimano, Connel Fullenkamp and Sena Oztosun. As rendered online, the article gave a “conservative estimate” of more than $2 million as the value of the average great whale and “easily over $1 trillion” for the current stock of great whales. It said each great whale sequesters 33 tonnes of CO2 on average, compared with up to 48 pounds a year for a tree. The valuation combined the present value of the carbon a whale sequesters over its lifetime with fishery enhancement and ecotourism. The fetched text did not state the discount rate or the carbon price used.","The article proposed “incentives, subsidies, or compensation” for countries, businesses and individuals that bear costs from whale protection, through a mechanism modelled on forest-carbon schemes, with compensation for shipping firms that reroute. It said this would be worth about $13 per person a year, to subsidise whales capturing 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2 a year at restored numbers. National Geographic reported that the IMF analysis was not peer-reviewed and was hypothetical.","In June 2022 Whale Seeker, a Montreal company that uses artificial intelligence to detect whales, announced the Whale Carbon Plus Project, started by economists Chami and Fullenkamp and run through Blue Green Future. The pilot species was the narwhal. Baffinland Iron Mines supplied four years of aerial images and Fisheries and Oceans Canada supplied data. The announced design was that investors would buy whale carbon-sequestration rights “similar to a bond” and be paid in carbon credits, with income going to Indigenous and local communities and conservation groups. The stated aim was to sell verified carbon and biodiversity credits within two years. No amounts were published.","Baffinland operates the Mary River iron mine, whose ore ships pass through Eclipse Sound, narwhal habitat. Counts in the pilot area fell from more than 20,000 narwhal (Fisheries and Oceans Canada estimate, 2004) and more than 12,000 (2016) to 9,931 in 2019, 5,019 in 2020 and 2,595 in 2021 (Baffinland's own counts for 2019 to 2021). An international expert working group named ship traffic as the most likely cause. Baffinland pointed to ice conditions and narwhal moving to another area, and listed killer whales and pile driving as other possible causes. The Pond Inlet hunters' organisation linked the decline to the mine. The cause remains contested.","Scientists criticised the valuation. In March 2023 Pearson and nine co-authors wrote in Trends in Ecology & Evolution that the scientific support for it was lacking. A December 2022 Bloomberg report, a 2023 Frontiers in Marine Science paper and other coverage questioned whether whale carbon could be measured well enough for a credit market. As of October 2026, no whale carbon credit issued, sold or bought is on record. In November 2024 Indigenous representatives at the UN biodiversity summit in Cali rejected whale offset credits."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Pershing and colleagues publish the paper from which the whale-credit idea originates: rebuilding whale populations could capture about 160,000 t of carbon a year more than the current 28,000 t."},{"y":2019,"t":"December: IMF Finance & Development publishes the whale-value article. Nautilus later reports that Chami founded Blue Green Future in 2019 while at the IMF."},{"y":2020,"t":"Baffinland's own count in Eclipse Sound falls from 9,931 narwhal (2019) to 5,019."},{"y":2021,"t":"Baffinland's own count: 2,595 narwhal."},{"y":2022,"t":"June: Whale Carbon Plus Project announced with a narwhal pilot; December: Bloomberg reports scientists' objections and no credits sold."},{"y":2023,"t":"March: Pearson et al. published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution; Meynecke et al. in Frontiers in Marine Science; April: Scientific American feature; Chami retires from the IMF after 25 years."},{"y":2024,"t":"November: Indigenous representatives at the UN biodiversity summit in Cali reject whale offset credits."},{"y":2026,"t":"October: no whale carbon credit found issued, sold or bought in the cited sources."}],"said":[{"q":"Conservative estimate: value of the average great whale is more than $2 million","who":"IMF Finance & Development article, summary bullet as rendered online (print wording not checked)","when":"December 2019","src":0},{"q":"easily over $1 trillion for the current stock of great whales.","who":"IMF Finance & Development article, summary bullet as rendered online (print wording not checked)","when":"December 2019","src":0},{"q":"As the authors of several foundational papers cited in these reports, we feel the scientific support for this valuation is lacking.","who":"Pearson et al., Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Box 1 (ten authors)","when":"March 2023","src":3},{"q":"might be too little to meaningfully alter the course of climate change.","who":"Meynecke et al., Frontiers in Marine Science (abstract, on the amount of carbon sequestered)","when":"2023","src":4},{"q":"not ready to make that leap from whale carbon to climate change policy.","who":"Pearson, as quoted by Bloomberg","when":"December 2022","src":5},{"q":"We need to make sure … it's based on really sound, quantifiable science.","who":"Pershing, who first proposed whale carbon credits in 2010, as quoted by Bloomberg","when":"December 2022","src":5},{"q":"We simply don't have the time to get it 100% right","who":"Ralph Chami, as quoted by Bloomberg","when":"December 2022","src":5},{"q":"we can use minimum estimates, as we did, and give uncertainty ranges","who":"Ralph Chami, as quoted by Bloomberg","when":"December 2022","src":5},{"q":"incredible project collaborator","who":"Baffinland Iron Mines, describing itself in the whale carbon credit project","when":"about June 2022","src":2},{"q":"broadly unchanged","who":"Adrienne Buller of Common Wealth, on how offsets could leave polluters' lifestyles, as reported by Scientific American","when":"April 2023","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"A value for an average great whale of more than $2 million and for the whale stock of more than $1 trillion, with 33 tonnes of CO2 sequestered per whale on average.","who":"IMF Finance & Development article","src":0},{"t":"A proposal to pay those who bear the costs of whale protection, worth about $13 per person a year.","who":"IMF Finance & Development article","src":0},{"t":"A pilot in which investors would buy whale carbon-sequestration rights “similar to a bond” and be paid in carbon credits, with the aim of selling verified carbon and biodiversity credits within two years.","who":"Whale Carbon Plus Project announcement","src":6},{"t":"Baffinland described as a partner supplying aerial images and as an “incredible project collaborator”.","who":"Baffinland","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"No whale carbon credit issued or sold was found anywhere; Bloomberg reported none in December 2022.","src":5},{"t":"The Whale Carbon Plus Project published no amounts.","src":1},{"t":"Pearson et al. (2023) listed five concerns about the valuation and its underlying assumptions.","src":3},{"t":"An estimate from the cited figures: whale-fall carbon of about 62,000 t C a year at full recovery is about 227,000 t CO2 a year, against about 37 Gt CO2 a year of fossil emissions, or about 0.0006% (estimate).","src":10},{"t":"Hannah Ritchie's 2025 calculation put the contribution at 225,000 to 1.5 million t CO2 a year, or 0.006% to 0.04% of annual land-use-change emissions (about 3.6 billion t CO2).","src":11},{"t":"A 2023 compilation from Griffith University gave about 62,000 t of carbon a year from the carcasses of fully recovered whale populations, against about 300 million t a year of permanent carbon storage by the ocean as a whole.","src":10},{"t":"Pearson told Bloomberg that baleen whales store about 2 million t of carbon, which she equated with the emissions of about 435,000 cars, and that whale falls sequester about 60,000 t of carbon.","src":5},{"t":"Nautilus reported that Chami founded Blue Green Future in 2019 while at the IMF; a scientific paper's competing-interest statement lists Cosimano as a founder.","src":7},{"t":"Chami retired from the IMF in 2023 after 25 years. In 2023 he said that without putting a dollar figure on it no one would have listened (paraphrase).","src":9},{"t":"National Geographic wrote that the IMF analysis was not peer-reviewed and was hypothetical, and that Chami's aim was to reach policymakers who did not believe in saving animals for their own sake (paraphrase).","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Narwhal counted near the mine (Eclipse Sound)","v":"9,931 to 2,595","d":"Baffinland's own counts, 2019 to 2021; earlier Fisheries and Oceans Canada estimates: more than 20,000 (2004), more than 12,000 (2016). Cause contested."},{"k":"Whale carbon credits sold","v":"0","d":"None found, December 2019 to October 2026"},{"k":"Carbon in dead whales at full recovery","v":"About 62,000 t C a year","d":"Griffith University compilation (2023), against about 300 million t a year of permanent ocean carbon storage"}]},"unknown":["The discount rate and the carbon price used to reach the $2 million figure are not stated in the IMF Finance & Development article.","How much money the pilot raised or planned to raise: no amounts have been published.","Whether Blue Green Future is the same company as Blue Green World, and what has happened to the whale carbon project since 2022: not known.","Who founded Blue Green Future: sources differ (Chami and Nieburg; Cosimano and Nieburg; Fullenkamp).","Why narwhal numbers fell in Eclipse Sound: the working group, the hunters' organisation and the company give different causes.","Unconfirmed: that Verra advises the project; that Chami co-founded Rebalance Earth, which sells “ecosystem tokens” and “nature credits” starting with Gabon forest elephants.","Unconfirmed: Baffinland's 2022 count of 4,592 narwhal and a 95% confidence interval of 1,369 to 4,919 for 2021; a combined Admiralty Inlet and Eclipse Sound stock of 75,177 in 2021 against 36,044 in 2020; a February 2023 working-group finding that shipping was “by far the most likely cause”.","Unconfirmed: Whale Seeker funding of $740K over four rounds, including a C$0.62M grant from Fisheries and Oceans Canada on 29 May 2024, not shown to be tied to the pilot.","Unconfirmed: a claim that 41 countries opposed whale offsets at the 2024 UN biodiversity summit (source unclear)."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no change in shipping or in the pilot after 2022; the status of the pilot is not known.","whoPaid":"No payments were made, so no payer is recorded. The IMF article proposed that costs fall on taxpayers (about $13 per person a year) and that shipping companies be compensated for rerouting.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: no whale carbon credit issued or sold in the cited sources; the pilot's status after 2022 not found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Ralph Chami (co-author of the IMF article; Whale Carbon Plus Project)","says":"Said “We simply don't have the time to get it 100% right” and that minimum estimates with uncertainty ranges could be used.","when":"December 2022","src":5},{"actor":"Connel Fullenkamp (co-author; Whale Carbon Plus Project)","says":"Said the project does not seek ownership of wild animals, only of the services they provide (paraphrase).","when":"April 2023","src":1},{"actor":"Baffinland Iron Mines","says":"Described itself as an “incredible project collaborator”; attributed the narwhal decline to ice conditions and narwhal moving to another area, and listed killer whales and pile driving as other possible causes.","when":"2022 to 2023","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"imf","role":"Publisher of the whale-value article; the authors' employer when it was published"},{"id":"baffinland","role":"Mine operator; pilot partner supplying aerial images"},{"id":"whale-seeker","role":"AI whale-detection company; announced the pilot"},{"id":"blue-green-future","role":"Company through which the project is run"},{"id":"wdc","role":"Conservation group on the project board"},{"id":"dfo-canada","role":"Pilot partner supplying data"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Why did narwhal numbers fall in the pilot area?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"International expert working group","says":"Named ship traffic as the most likely cause.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Pond Inlet (Mittimatalik) Hunters and Trappers Organization","says":"Its president linked the decline to the mine.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Baffinland Iron Mines","says":"Pointed to ice conditions and narwhal moving to another area, and listed killer whales and pile driving as possible causes.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is there scientific support for valuing a whale at more than $2 million?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IMF Finance & Development article authors","says":"Estimated the average great whale at more than $2 million and the stock at more than $1 trillion.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Pearson and nine co-authors","says":"Wrote that the scientific support for the valuation was lacking.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Meynecke et al.","says":"Wrote that the amount of carbon sequestered might be too little to meaningfully alter the course of climate change.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Ralph Chami","says":"Said there was no time to get it 100% right and that minimum estimates with uncertainty ranges could be used.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"whale_value_claimed","value":2000000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"IMF article: value of the average great whale."},{"key":"whale_stock_value_claimed","value":1000000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"IMF article: value of the current stock of great whales."},{"key":"co2_sequestered_per_whale","value":33,"unit":"t CO2","year":2019,"qualifier":"average","note":"IMF article: lifetime sequestration per great whale."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":0,"unit":"credits","year":2026,"note":"No whale carbon credit found issued or sold."},{"key":"narwhal_count_eclipse_sound","value":20000,"unit":"animals","year":2004,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada estimate."},{"key":"narwhal_count_eclipse_sound","value":12000,"unit":"animals","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada estimate."},{"key":"narwhal_count_eclipse_sound","value":9931,"unit":"animals","year":2019,"note":"Count by Baffinland's own consultant."},{"key":"narwhal_count_eclipse_sound","value":5019,"unit":"animals","year":2020,"note":"Count by Baffinland's own consultant."},{"key":"narwhal_count_eclipse_sound","value":2595,"unit":"animals","year":2021,"note":"Baffinland's own count."},{"key":"whale_fall_carbon","value":62000,"unit":"t C per year","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Griffith University compilation: contribution of dead whales at full recovery."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A magazine article from the IMF valued whales in dollars and proposed paying for their protection; two of its authors then launched a pilot to sell whale carbon credits, with a mining company as a partner.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Narwhal in Eclipse Sound","what":"Counts fell from more than 20,000 (2004) to 2,595 (2021); the cause is contested.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Eclipse Sound and Pond Inlet area, Nunavut, Canada (pilot); the article is global.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Article December 2019; pilot announced June 2022; status checked October 2026.","src":6},"why":{"t":"The article's stated aim was to reach policymakers with a dollar value for whale services; the pilot's stated aim was to sell verified carbon and biodiversity credits within two years.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Valuation from lifetime carbon sequestration, fishery enhancement and ecotourism with discounting; the pilot design was bond-like rights paid in carbon credits.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Nature's Solution to Climate Change","p":"IMF Finance & Development","d":"2019-12","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2019/12/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712090726/https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/12/natures-solution-to-climate-change-chami"},{"t":"Can putting a price on a whale save the environment?","p":"Scientific American","d":"2023-04-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-putting-a-price-on-a-whale-save-the-environment/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260705230817/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-putting-a-price-on-a-whale-save-the-environment/"},{"t":"Baffinland to monitor and protect whales in innovative new carbon capture project","p":"Baffinland blog","d":"2022-06","type":"company","u":"https://baffinland.com/about-us/our-blogs/baffinland-to-monitor-and-protect-whales-in-innovative-new-carbon-capture-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419183528/https://www.baffinland.com/about-us/our-blogs/baffinland-to-monitor-and-protect-whales-in-innovative-new-carbon-capture-project"},{"t":"Whales in the carbon cycle: can recovery remove carbon dioxide?","p":"Trends in Ecology & Evolution 38(3):238–249 (Pearson et al.)","d":"2023-03","type":"academic","u":"https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10408438"},{"t":"Do whales really increase the oceanic removal of atmospheric carbon? (abstract)","p":"Frontiers in Marine Science 10 (Meynecke et al.)","d":"2023","type":"academic","u":"https://public-pages-files-2025.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1117409/text"},{"t":"Scientists to carbon markets: don't monetize the whales (Bloomberg, via The Peninsula)","p":"Bloomberg, republished by The Peninsula","d":"2022-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/12/2022/scientists-to-carbon-markets-dont-monetize-the-whales","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221223234728/https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/12/2022/scientists-to-carbon-markets-dont-monetize-the-whales"},{"t":"Whale Carbon Plus Project press release","p":"PR.com","d":"2022-06-03","type":"company","u":"https://www.pr.com/press-release/862741","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240907115512/https://www.pr.com/press-release/862741"},{"t":"How much is the ocean worth?","p":"Nautilus","d":"2022-05-11","type":"press","u":"https://nautil.us/how-much-is-the-ocean-worth-238476/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260803101420/https://nautil.us/how-much-is-the-ocean-worth-238476"},{"t":"Frontiers in Climate article (15 April 2022), cited for a competing-interest statement","p":"Frontiers in Climate","d":"2022-04-15","type":"academic","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.855803/full","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240601042700/https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fclim.2022.855803/full"},{"t":"What a living whale is worth in the fight against climate change","p":"NPR, via HPPR","d":"2023-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.hppr.org/2023-05-19/what-a-living-whale-is-worth-in-the-fight-against-climate-change","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250123025713/https://www.hppr.org/2023-05-19/what-a-living-whale-is-worth-in-the-fight-against-climate-change"},{"t":"Do whales really increase the oceanic removal of atmospheric carbon? (full text)","p":"Frontiers in Marine Science 10 (Meynecke et al., Griffith University and co-authors)","d":"2023","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1117409/full","type":"academic"},{"t":"Whale carbon capture (Hannah Ritchie)","p":"Sustainability by Numbers (Substack)","d":"2025-03-24","u":"https://hannahritchie.substack.com/p/whale-carbon-capture","type":"academic"},{"t":"How much is a whale worth?","p":"National Geographic","d":"2019-09-24","u":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-much-is-a-whale-worth","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"An IMF magazine article in December 2019 valued the average great whale in my ocean at more than $2 million; Bloomberg reported in December 2022 that no whale carbon credit had been sold.","src":[0,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why did narwhal numbers fall in the pilot area?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is there scientific support for valuing a whale at more than $2 million?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The discount rate and the carbon price used to reach the $2 million figure are not stated in the IMF Finance & Development article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much money the pilot raised or planned to raise: no amounts have been published.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Blue Green Future is the same company as Blue Green World, and what has happened to the whale carbon project since 2022: not known.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Who founded Blue Green Future: sources differ (Chami and Nieburg; Cosimano and Nieburg; Fullenkamp).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Why narwhal numbers fell in Eclipse Sound: the working group, the hunters' organisation and the company give different causes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Verra advises the project; that Chami co-founded Rebalance Earth, which sells “ecosystem tokens” and “nature credits” starting with Gabon forest elephants.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Baffinland's 2022 count of 4,592 narwhal and a 95% confidence interval of 1,369 to 4,919 for 2021; a combined Admiralty Inlet and Eclipse Sound stock of 75,177 in 2021 against 36,044 in 2020; a February 2023 working-group finding that shipping was “by far the most likely cause”.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Whale Seeker funding of $740K over four rounds, including a C$0.62M grant from Fisheries and Oceans Canada on 29 May 2024, not shown to be tied to the pilot.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claim that 41 countries opposed whale offsets at the 2024 UN biodiversity summit (source unclear).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Narwhal in Eclipse Sound"]},{"id":"great-pacific-garbage-patch-and-the-ocean-cleanup","title":"Great Pacific Garbage Patch and The Ocean Cleanup","dek":"A Dutch foundation set out in 2013 to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with floating systems. By the end of 2023 its ocean catch totalled 346,435 kg, against a patch estimated at 79,000 tonnes or more.","country":"International waters","region":"Pacific Ocean","lat":32,"lon":-145,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"International waters","iso2":null,"admin":"North Pacific","lat":32,"lon":-145,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Rotterdam","role":"company-home"}],"start":2013,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","water"],"headline":{"label":"Ocean catch to end of 2023 vs estimated floating plastic in the patch","value":"346,435 kg vs at least 79,000 t","note":"Figures as published by The Ocean Cleanup (2023 annual report) and Lebreton et al. (2018); not converted or compared. The organisation reported a cumulative total above 45 million kg by the end of 2025, including rivers; the ocean and river split was not published."},"happened":["A 2018 study by Lebreton and colleagues, based on 652 net tows from 18 vessels plus aerial surveys, estimated that at least 79,000 tonnes of plastic floated in an area of about 1.6 million km² in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. That was 4 to 16 times earlier estimates. At least 46% of the mass was fishing nets. Microplastics were 8% of the mass but 94% of an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces. The authors said the pollution was \"increasing exponentially\". A 2022 study in Scientific Reports (Lebreton and colleagues), announced by The Ocean Cleanup in a press release, found that 75% to 86% of the mass was fishing-related.","Stichting The Ocean Cleanup was incorporated on 15 February 2013 in Rotterdam. It grew out of founder Boyan Slat's 2012 TEDx Delft talk. A 2014 crowdfunding campaign raised more than US$2 million from 38,000 funders in 160 countries. Its June 2014 feasibility study (528 pages) said that a 100 km array could remove 42% of the patch in 10 years, at an estimated €317 million.","The first system, System 001 (\"Wilson\"), was launched from San Francisco on 8 September 2018. It did not retain plastic effectively, and on 29 December 2018 a fatigue fracture detached an 18 m end section. It was towed to Hilo, arriving on 17 January 2019. System 002 recovered 101,353 kg over 45 extractions, sweeping more than 3,000 km²; with earlier prototypes the patch total was 108,526 kg in early 2022. System 03 was deployed in August 2023, with wings of about 2.2 km, and its largest single extraction was about 18 tonnes. The organisation's 2023 annual report recorded a cumulative ocean catch of 346,435 kg, of which 150,884 kg was caught in 2023. For 2025 it reported more than 25 million kg collected and a cumulative total above 45 million kg; the ocean and river split was not published, and the dashboard says catch numbers are \"not verified by DNV in real-time\".","The 2023 consolidated accounts showed revenue of €59.3 million, almost all donations, and expenses of €44.5 million. The report said that around USD 250 million was attracted in funding in the first ten years, largely from private philanthropy. Partners named in the report include Kia, The Coca-Cola Company (Interceptors in Asia and the US), Maersk Supply Service and the A.P. Moller Group, Hyundai Glovis and Deloitte. An A.P. Moller observer sits on the Supervisory Board.","The organisation's promises changed over time: 42% of the patch in 10 years (2014), 50% in five years (2017 and 2018), 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040 (current goal), and in September 2024 a clean-up of the patch in ten years for US$7.5 billion or in five years for US$4 billion, to be funded by 1% of plastic producers' revenue as Slat proposed. A marine biologist wrote in 2019 that the system could destroy surface life (the neuston), and the organisation replied that it had found no evidence for this. A 2025 study found that fish were about 84% of the incidental catch by count and that endangered and vulnerable turtles had been caught. Seven of its 22 authors are employed by The Ocean Cleanup. The Dutch ministry commissioned a review of the 2023 environmental impact assessment, dated 31 October 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Boyan Slat's TEDx Delft talk"},{"y":2013,"t":"Stichting The Ocean Cleanup incorporated in Rotterdam (15 February)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Crowdfunding raises more than US$2m; feasibility study: 100 km array could remove 42% of the patch in 10 years for an estimated €317m"},{"y":2018,"t":"Lebreton et al. estimate at least 79,000 t of floating plastic; System 001 launched 8 September; fatigue fracture 29 December"},{"y":2019,"t":"System 001 towed to Hilo (17 January); criticism on surface life (The Atlantic, January) and the organisation's reply (6 February)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Sunglasses made from patch plastic launched (October); Exeter modelling published"},{"y":2021,"t":"Coca-Cola becomes global partner (river Interceptors)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Interceptor Trashfence in Guatemala written off at €1.3m; Lebreton et al. find 75–86% of the mass fishing-related"},{"y":2023,"t":"System 03 deployed (August); environmental impact assessment by CSA Ocean Sciences (August); cumulative ocean catch 346,435 kg at year end"},{"y":2024,"t":"$7.5bn clean-up claim (September); Dutch ministry's Sweco review (31 October); Coca-Cola revises packaging goals (December)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Study on incidental catch published (27 May); organisation reports more than 25 million kg collected, above 45 million kg cumulative"}],"said":[{"q":"clean up 50 percent of the patch in just five years' time","who":"Boyan Slat, founder of The Ocean Cleanup","when":"May 2017","src":17},{"q":"a scaled-up fleet of 60 systems could eventually clean up 50% of the Patch in the next 5 years.","who":"Statement reported by UN Environment","when":"September 2018","src":18},{"q":"removing 90% of all floating plastic from the ocean by 2040.","who":"The Ocean Cleanup, current goal","when":"current","src":6},{"q":"in ten years time at a cost of $7.5 billion","who":"The Ocean Cleanup, on cleaning the patch","when":"September 2024","src":4},{"q":"we have not found any evidence that supports the idea that the neuston are at risk.","who":"The Ocean Cleanup, reply to criticism","when":"6 February 2019","src":9},{"q":"relatively expensive. per unit of plastic removed","who":"Exeter/Hohn modelling study on the devices, as reported","when":"2020","src":19},{"q":"end-of-pipe intervention","who":"Break Free From Plastic, on the Coca-Cola partnership","when":"","src":20}],"shown":[{"t":"A 100 km array could remove 42% of the patch in 10 years, at an estimated €317m.","who":"The Ocean Cleanup feasibility study, June 2014","src":3},{"t":"The patch can be cleaned in ten years for US$7.5bn, or in five years for US$4bn, funded by 1% of plastic producers' revenue.","who":"The Ocean Cleanup and Boyan Slat, September 2024","src":4},{"t":"One pair of sunglasses is said to fund 24 football fields of clean-up; 100% of proceeds go to clean-up.","who":"The Ocean Cleanup, October 2020","src":13},{"t":"30 Cities Program: tackle one third of riverine pollution worldwide by 2030, for US$350m (of which US$121m came from The Audacious Project).","who":"The Ocean Cleanup","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"System 001 did not retain plastic effectively and broke on 29 December 2018.","src":5},{"t":"Cumulative ocean catch at end 2023: 346,435 kg (150,884 kg in 2023), against at least 79,000 t of floating plastic estimated in 2018.","src":7},{"t":"2025: more than 25 million kg collected, above 45 million kg cumulative; ocean and river split not published; dashboard says numbers are \"not verified by DNV in real-time\".","src":6},{"t":"Interceptors: the Jakarta prototype stalled after rain; on the Klang River the operator reported 800 to 1,500 kg a day against a rated 50,000 kg a day (Mongabay, 2020).","src":21},{"t":"2022: the Interceptor Trashfence in Guatemala was written off at €1.3m.","src":7},{"t":"American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup (US affiliate), fiscal year 2024: revenue US$12.5m, expenses US$17.7m.","src":8},{"t":"Lebreton et al. (2018): at least 79,000 t of floating plastic over about 1.6 million km², from 652 net tows and aerial surveys; the authors said the pollution was increasing exponentially.","src":0},{"t":"Lebreton et al. (2022) found that 75% to 86% of the mass was fishing-related.","src":1},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup announced the 2022 result in a press release titled \"Over 75% of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch originates from fishing\".","src":2},{"t":"2023 product sales revenue was €21 thousand; sunglasses sold out since February 2022.","src":13},{"t":"Break Free From Plastic's 2023 audit listed The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo and Mondelēz International as the top global plastic polluters of 2023.","src":16},{"t":"A 2024 brand-audit study (Cowger et al., Science Advances) covering 1,576 audit events in 84 countries (2018–2022) attributed 11% of branded plastic waste to Coca-Cola and 5% to PepsiCo; 56 companies account for more than 50% of branded waste, and 50% of items were unbranded.","src":22},{"t":"Coca-Cola's 2018 goal was to collect a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030; in December 2024 it dropped the reuse target and the virgin-plastic reduction goal.","src":14},{"t":"In December 2024 Coca-Cola lowered its 2030 goal of collecting the equivalent of 100% of its packaging to 70–75% by 2035 and removed its 25% reuse target.","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Product sales revenue, 2023","amount":0.021}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Floating plastic in the patch","v":"at least 79,000 t","d":"Lebreton et al. 2018; about 1.6 million km²"},{"k":"Ocean catch, end of 2023","v":"346,435 kg","d":"The Ocean Cleanup annual report 2023; 150,884 kg in 2023"},{"k":"Incidental catch in the cleanup systems","v":"~84% fish","d":"By count; endangered and vulnerable turtles caught (Egger et al. 2025; 7 of 22 authors employed by the organisation)"},{"k":"Cost per kilogram removed","v":"Not published","d":"The organisation has not published a cost per kilogram"}]},"unknown":["The Ocean Cleanup has not published a cost per kilogram removed.","The ocean and river split of the 2025 total (above 45 million kg cumulative) has not been published.","The organisation's dashboard says its catch numbers are \"not verified by DNV in real-time\".","The reply to the neuston criticism names Velella as a common neuston species but gives no bycatch rates.","Reported figures for the 2024 ocean catch differ between sources (143,993 kg in one annual-report extract; more than 500,600 kg cumulative over 23 trips in a late-2024 secondary report).","Unconfirmed: press reports at the time put the amount removed by September 2024 (over one million pounds) at about 0.5% of the patch.","The organisation committed to revise the System 03 environmental impact assessment after the Dutch ministry's review of 31 October 2024."],"evidence":["review","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record that plastic accumulation in the patch has stopped or declined. The organisation's cumulative ocean catch was 346,435 kg at the end of 2023.","whoPaid":"The organisation's 2023 accounts show revenue of €59.3 million, almost entirely donations; it reports that around USD 250 million was attracted in the first ten years, largely from private philanthropy. Partners named include Coca-Cola, Kia, Maersk Supply Service and the A.P. Moller Group, Hyundai Glovis and Deloitte.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: The Ocean Cleanup reported more than 45 million kg collected in total, mostly from rivers; its ocean catch figures remain self-reported and the Dutch ministry's review of System 03's impact assessment (October 2024) is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"The Ocean Cleanup","says":"\"we have not found any evidence that supports the idea that the neuston are at risk.\" Its System 03 environmental impact assessment (CSA Ocean Sciences, August 2023) rated the neuston impact \"negligible to low\".","when":"6 February 2019; August 2023","src":9},{"actor":"The Ocean Cleanup","says":"Committed to revise its environmental impact assessment after the Dutch ministry's review.","when":"October 2024","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"the-ocean-cleanup","role":"Foundation running the clean-up systems, Interceptors and research"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Global partner since 2021 (river Interceptors); largest share of branded plastic waste in the Cowger et al. 2024 audit (11%)"},{"id":"kia","role":"Partner (seven-year partnership signed 2022)"},{"id":"maersk-supply-service","role":"Vessel partner; an A.P. Moller observer sits on the Supervisory Board"},{"id":"dutch-ministry-infrastructure-water","role":"Commissioned the Sweco review of the System 03 environmental impact assessment"},{"id":"break-free-from-plastic","role":"NGO; brand audits and criticism of the Coca-Cola partnership"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do the cleanup systems put surface life and other marine animals at risk?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Rebecca Helm, as published in The Atlantic","says":"The system could destroy the neuston, the surface-dwelling ecosystem.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"The Ocean Cleanup","says":"\"we have not found any evidence that supports the idea that the neuston are at risk.\" It names Velella as a common neuston species but gives no bycatch rates.","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"CSA Ocean Sciences (environmental impact assessment for System 03)","says":"Rated the neuston impact \"negligible to low\".","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management","says":"Commissioned a Sweco review of that assessment, dated 31 October 2024; The Ocean Cleanup committed to revise the assessment.","src":11},{"voice":"research","holder":"Egger et al., Scientific Reports (May 2025)","says":"Fish were about 84% of incidental catch by count, and endangered and vulnerable turtles have been caught. Seven of the 22 authors are employed by The Ocean Cleanup and the work was funded by its donors.","src":12}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Can cleaning up the patch address the scale of the problem?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The Ocean Cleanup","says":"Goal of removing 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040; says the patch can be cleaned in ten years for US$7.5bn.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Exeter/Hohn modelling study (2020), as reported","says":"200 devices running from 2020 to 2150 would remove about 44,900 t, \"just over 5%\"; the study calls the devices \"relatively expensive. per unit of plastic removed\".","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Bergmann et al., One Earth (2023)","says":"Calls plastic cleanup technology a fallacy and calls for science-based criteria and prevention upstream.","src":10},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Break Free From Plastic","says":"Called the Coca-Cola partnership an \"end-of-pipe intervention\".","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"floating_plastic_tonnes","value":79000,"unit":"t","year":2018,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Estimated mass of floating plastic in the patch (Lebreton et al. 2018); 4 to 16 times earlier estimates."},{"key":"area_km2","value":1600000,"unit":"km²","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area of the patch in the Lebreton et al. estimate."},{"key":"fishing_net_share","value":46,"unit":"% of mass","year":2018,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Fishing nets, Lebreton et al. 2018."},{"key":"microplastic_pieces","value":1800000000000,"unit":"pieces","year":2018,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"Estimated 1.8 trillion pieces, of which 94% microplastics (8% of the mass)."},{"key":"ocean_catch_kg","value":346435,"unit":"kg","year":2023,"note":"Cumulative ocean catch at end 2023 (annual report 2023); 150,884 kg in 2023."},{"key":"total_collected_kg","value":45000000,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cumulative total including rivers, reported by the organisation; the ocean and river split was not published; not verified by DNV in real time."},{"key":"revenue","value":59.3,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Consolidated revenue, almost entirely donations (annual report 2023)."},{"key":"expenses","value":44.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Consolidated expenses (annual report 2023)."},{"key":"funding_raised","value":250,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"around","note":"Funding attracted in the first ten years, largely private philanthropy (annual report 2023)."},{"key":"write_off","value":1.3,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"Interceptor Trashfence in Guatemala written off."},{"key":"revenue","value":12.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup (US affiliate), fiscal year 2024; expenses US$17.7m."},{"key":"forecast_cost","value":7500,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"claimed","note":"The organisation's September 2024 estimate to clean the patch in ten years; US$4bn for five years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Dutch foundation, The Ocean Cleanup, builds floating systems to remove plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, estimated in 2018 at 79,000 tonnes or more over about 1.6 million km². Its cumulative ocean catch was 346,435 kg at the end of 2023.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Ocean Cleanup","what":"Revenue of €59.3m in 2023, almost entirely donations; around USD 250m attracted in the first ten years","src":7},{"who":"Partners including Kia, Coca-Cola, Maersk Supply Service, Hyundai Glovis and Deloitte","what":"Named as sponsors or partners in the 2023 annual report","src":7}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish and endangered and vulnerable turtles","what":"Caught incidentally by the systems; fish about 84% of incidental catch by count","src":12}]},"where":{"t":"The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, North Pacific; the foundation is based in Rotterdam.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Foundation incorporated 15 February 2013; System 001 launched 8 September 2018; System 03 deployed August 2023; data to 2025.","src":7},"why":{"t":"The founder proposed cleaning the patch and funding it with 1% of plastic producers' revenue; the foundation's stated goal is to remove 90% of floating ocean plastic by 2040.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Floating barriers and drifting systems collect plastic and are periodically emptied (extractions); river Interceptors collect plastic before it reaches the sea. Funding comes from donors and corporate partners.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Evidence that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is rapidly accumulating plastic (Lebreton et al., 2018)","p":"Scientific Reports (open archive HAL)","d":"2018","type":"academic","u":"https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02344826","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513114804/https://hal.sorbonne-universite.fr/hal-02344826"},{"t":"Lebreton et al. 2022, Scientific Reports 12:16529","p":"Scientific Reports (PubMed Central)","d":"2022-09","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9436981/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005182431/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9436981/"},{"t":"Over 75% of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch originates from fishing","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/over-75-of-plastic-in-great-pacific-garbage-patch-originates-from-fishing/"},{"t":"Feasibility study","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2014-06","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/milestones/feasibility-study/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618045201/https://theoceancleanup.com/milestones/feasibility-study/"},{"t":"The Great Pacific Garbage Patch can be cleaned for $7.5 billion","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2024-09","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-can-be-cleaned-for-7-5-billion/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012120638/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-great-pacific-garbage-patch-can-be-cleaned-for-7-5-billion/"},{"t":"System 001","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/milestones/system001","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011061106/https://theoceancleanup.com/milestones/system001/"},{"t":"2025 in review: The Ocean Cleanup","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2026-01","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826085237/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/"},{"t":"Annual Report 2023","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2024-06","type":"company","u":"https://assets.theoceancleanup.com/app/uploads/2024/06/TheOceanCleanup_Annual_Report_2023.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914104722/https://assets.theoceancleanup.com/app/uploads/2024/06/TheOceanCleanup_Annual_Report_2023.pdf"},{"t":"American Friends of The Ocean Cleanup","p":"ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer","d":"","type":"registry","u":"https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815132355","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825033421/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/815132355/"},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup and the neuston","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2019-02-06","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-and-the-neuston/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825073748/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-and-the-neuston/"},{"t":"Moving from symptom management to upstream plastics prevention: The fallacy of plastic cleanup technology","p":"Bergmann et al., One Earth 6(11):1439","d":"2023","type":"academic","u":"https://epic.awi.de/58732/1/Bergmann_et_al_2023_OneEarth.pdf"},{"t":"Review of The Ocean Cleanup","p":"Government of the Netherlands (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management)","d":"2024-10-31","type":"official","u":"https://www.government.nl/documents/2024/10/31/review-of-the-ocean-cleanup","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617063123/https://www.government.nl/documents/2024/10/31/review-of-the-ocean-cleanup"},{"t":"Egger et al. 2025, Scientific Reports 15:16736 (net-benefit study)","p":"Scientific Reports (PubMed Central)","d":"2025-05-27","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12116914/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012162016/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12116914"},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup introduces first product made with ocean plastic pollution","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2020-10","type":"company","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/the-ocean-cleanup-introduces-first-product-made-with-ocean-plastic-pollution/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713005844/https://theoceancleanup.com/press/press-releases/the-ocean-cleanup-introduces-first-product-made-with-ocean-plastic-pollution/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734615/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609154140/https://www.wastedive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734615/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola cuts back on reusable plastic pledge","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012110007/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/"},{"t":"BFFP movement unveils 2023 global brand audit results","p":"Break Free From Plastic","d":"2024-02-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260624123238/https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/"},{"t":"Dutch design breakthrough fast-tracks ocean clean-up plan (Boyan Slat, May 2017)","p":"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution","d":"2017-05-14","u":"https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-atlanta-journal-constitution/20170514/281547995816003","type":"press"},{"t":"Revolutionary ocean cleanup by Champion of the Earth Boyan Slat kicks off","p":"UN Environment Programme","d":"2018-09-09","u":"https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/revolutionary-ocean-cleanup-champion-earth-boyan-slat-kicks","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260118222123/https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/revolutionary-ocean-cleanup-champion-earth-boyan-slat-kicks"},{"t":"Surface clean-up technology won't solve ocean plastic problem","p":"University of Exeter","d":"2020-08-04","u":"https://news-archive.exeter.ac.uk/2020/august/title_808374_en.html","type":"academic"},{"t":"Coca-Cola funds endless cleanups, but doesn't prevent more plastic bottles ending up in our oceans","p":"Break Free From Plastic","d":"2021-06-04","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2021/06/04/coca-cola-funds-endless-cleanups-but-doesnt-prevent-more-plastic-bottles-ending-up-in-our-oceans/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"This solar-powered device aims to clean 1,000 rivers. Will it work?","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-03","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/03/this-solar-powered-device-aims-to-clean-1000-rivers-will-it-work/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Plastic pollution brand audits (Cowger et al., Science Advances 10(17))","p":"Science Advances","d":"2024-04","u":"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj8275","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260817163226/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj8275"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"cleanup-technology","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"At least 79,000 tonnes of plastic float on me in the Pacific patch, a 2018 study estimated; The Ocean Cleanup reported a cumulative ocean catch of 346,435 kg by the end of 2023.","src":[0,7]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the cleanup systems put surface life and other marine animals at risk?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Can cleaning up the patch address the scale of the problem?","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The Ocean Cleanup has not published a cost per kilogram removed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The ocean and river split of the 2025 total (above 45 million kg cumulative) has not been published.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The organisation's dashboard says its catch numbers are \"not verified by DNV in real-time\".","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reply to the neuston criticism names Velella as a common neuston species but gives no bycatch rates.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Reported figures for the 2024 ocean catch differ between sources (143,993 kg in one annual-report extract; more than 500,600 kg cumulative over 23 trips in a late-2024 secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: press reports at the time put the amount removed by September 2024 (over one million pounds) at about 0.5% of the patch.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The organisation committed to revise the System 03 environmental impact assessment after the Dutch ministry's review of 31 October 2024.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"british-columbia-old-growth-deferrals-and-mill-closures","title":"British Columbia old-growth deferrals and mill closures","dek":"From 2020 British Columbia deferred logging in parts of its remaining old forest. Analyses since have found logging continued in recommended deferral areas, while the forest industry linked mill closures to the deferrals and others pointed to an exhausted timber supply and a shift of industry capital to the United States.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":54,"lon":-125,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","lat":54,"lon":-125,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Recommended old-growth deferral area vs area the province said was deferred (May 2024)","value":"2.6 million ha vs 2.4 million ha","note":"Province described the deferrals as temporary; Stand.earth found at least 31,800 ha of the recommended areas logged by November 2023."},"happened":["In September 2020 the British Columbia government published the report “A New Future for Old Forests” by Al Gorley and Garry Merkel. One of its 14 recommendations was to defer logging in old forest at high risk. The first deferrals covered nine areas of about 353,000 hectares. In June 2021 a two-year deferral was announced for Fairy Creek and Central Walbran (about 2,034 hectares); by December 2021 there had been 1,188 arrests at Fairy Creek. In November 2021 deferral was recommended for 2.6 million hectares of “at-risk old forest”. These were government decisions, not court rulings, and implementation was tied to the agreement of First Nations.","When the 2.6 million hectare recommendation was made, the Council of Forest Industries (COFI) said deferrals would close 14 to 20 sawmills and two pulp mills and cost 18,000 jobs; the government estimated up to 4,500 jobs. In May 2024 the government said 2.4 million hectares were “temporarily” deferred.","Stand.earth reported that at least 31,800 hectares of the areas recommended for deferral in 2021 were logged by November 2023. A November 2025 analysis reported by The Narwhal found that forest inside recommended deferral zones was four times more likely to be logged than forest outside them, and that about 4% of the remaining old forest had burned in the previous four years. The government said total harvest had fallen 40% since 2021 and harvest in at-risk old forest had fallen 50%. In March 2026 five former members of the old-growth panel said the process was not working as intended and that the government continued to approve logging in forests they had identified.","Mill closures in the province coincided with the deferrals, but the sources record other causes. Natural Resources Canada reported that the mountain pine beetle outbreak affected more than 18 million hectares and killed 752 million cubic metres, 58% of merchantable pine, by 2017. In May 2024 Canfor said its actual 2023 harvest was 42% below its allowable cut, a gap not seen since the 1960s, and closed its Polar mill (about 180 workers). In September 2024 it announced the closure of the Plateau and Fort St. John mills (about 500 workers). The Globe and Mail reported that West Fraser produced more lumber in the United States than in Canada in 2022 (3.02 billion board feet against 2.64 billion), with the US South's share of its production rising from 11% to 53% over about two decades. COFI said 21 sawmills had closed permanently or indefinitely since 2023 and more than 30 since 2017; the industry linked closures to the deferrals and permitting processes; US duties on Canadian lumber, recorded as 35.16% plus a further 10%, were above 45% in total in October 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"By this year the mountain pine beetle had killed 752 million cubic metres, 58% of merchantable pine (Natural Resources Canada)."},{"y":2020,"t":"September: “A New Future for Old Forests” published; first deferrals cover nine areas of about 353,000 ha."},{"y":2021,"t":"June: two-year deferral for Fairy Creek and Central Walbran (about 2,034 ha); November: deferral recommended for 2.6 million ha of at-risk old forest; COFI and the government give different job estimates."},{"y":2022,"t":"West Fraser produces more lumber in the United States than in Canada for the first time (3.02 against 2.64 billion board feet)."},{"y":2023,"t":"Stand.earth finds at least 31,800 ha of recommended deferral areas logged by November."},{"y":2024,"t":"May: government says 2.4 million ha are temporarily deferred; Canfor closes Polar mill and says 2023 harvest was 42% below allowable cut; September: Plateau and Fort St. John closures announced."},{"y":2025,"t":"October: US duties on Canadian lumber above 45% in total; November: The Narwhal reports logging four times more likely inside recommended deferral zones."},{"y":2026,"t":"March: five former panel members say the process is not working as intended; August: COFI counts 21 sawmills closed or indefinitely idled since 2023."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A deferral of 2.4 million hectares of old forest, described as temporary.","who":"Province of British Columbia, May 2024","src":null},{"t":"Total harvest down 40% since 2021 and harvest in at-risk old forest down 50%.","who":"Province of British Columbia","src":null},{"t":"The forests minister said the government was very proud of its record on old growth (paraphrase).","who":"Forests Minister Ravi Parmar, 2026","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Stand.earth: at least 31,800 ha of areas recommended for deferral in 2021 had been logged by November 2023.","src":4},{"t":"The Narwhal (12 November 2025): logging four times more likely inside recommended deferral zones than outside; about 4% of remaining old forest burned in the previous four years.","src":5},{"t":"Five former panel members (13 March 2026) said the process had not worked as intended and the government continued to approve logging in forests they identified.","src":6},{"t":"Three former provincial government ecologists (Price, Holt, Daust; April 2020) found that of the province's 13.2 million ha of old forest (23% of forest), most was small trees at high elevation or in bog; 2.7% of productive sites that can grow big trees were old, and about 35,000 ha of the largest-tree old forest remained.","src":7},{"t":"Natural Resources Canada: the mountain pine beetle outbreak affected more than 18 million ha and killed 752 million m³, 58% of merchantable pine, by 2017.","src":0},{"t":"Canfor (10 May 2024): 2023 harvest was 42% below the allowable cut, not seen since the 1960s; the Polar closure affected about 180 workers and about 300 million board feet.","src":8},{"t":"Globe and Mail (April 2023): West Fraser produced 3.02 billion board feet in the United States and 2.64 billion in Canada in 2022; the US South's share was 11% about two decades earlier and 53% in 2022.","src":3},{"t":"Fairy Creek and Central Walbran deferral (9 June 2021): about 2,034 ha; 1,188 arrests by December 2021.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"2020–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Logging inside recommended deferral zones","v":"4 times as likely","d":"Compared with forest outside the zones (analysis reported by The Narwhal, November 2025); government says harvest in at-risk old forest fell 50%"},{"k":"Recommended areas logged","v":"At least 31,800 ha","d":"Stand.earth, to November 2023"},{"k":"Old forest area in the province","v":"About 25 million to 11.1 million ha","d":"Provincial old-growth update, 28 May 2024, as on record (page not linked)"}]},"unknown":["The 2023 status of the Fairy Creek deferral and what happened to the area afterwards are not on record.","Where logging moved after the deferrals (to other forests in the province or to imports): no leakage study found.","The total number of mill closures since 2019: sources differ in definition (permanent, indefinite, curtailed shifts).","Which forests the Canadian companies' US South mills draw on, and the local effects: not researched.","Unconfirmed: spring 2023 deferrals of 1.05 million ha, of which 258,000 ha lay in the timber harvesting land base and 7,200 ha were logged; a leaked-map analysis by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives that 55% of large-tree areas were removed from the 2.6 million ha proposal.","Unconfirmed: allowable annual cut in the interior raised from 50 to 68 million m³ (36%) between 2001 and 2014; 2023 harvest of 39 million m³ (down 18%); 20-year averages of 77 million m³ allowable and 60 million m³ actual; a 2026 budget projection of 29 million m³ for three years; COFI's figure of usable fibre falling from 60 to 35 million m³ between 2018 and 2023.","Unconfirmed: Canfor's 2013 Alabama purchase (US$80 million), 2018 to 2019 acquisitions, 2022 Louisiana and Alabama mills; Interfor's 2021 Georgia-Pacific mills purchase (US$375 million); Canadian pension funds' forest holdings abroad.","Unconfirmed: 2019 curtailments affecting more than 5,900 workers in 25 mills in 22 communities; COFI's figure of about 10,000 direct and indirect job losses from the 2023 decline.","Unconfirmed: provincial wood supply forecast falling from 76.7 million m³ (2016) to 56.9 million m³ (2035); that companies were not required to be compensated for deferrals of up to four years."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give logging continuing in recommended deferral areas after 2021 and the province's target of raising the harvest by 50% (reported by The Narwhal, November 2025); it does not record a permanent ban.","whoPaid":"Mill workers and communities bore closures (for example about 180 at Polar and about 500 at Plateau and Fort St. John); no payer is recorded for the deferrals themselves.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: deferrals are temporary; logging inside recommended zones continued; COFI counted 21 sawmill closures since 2023; no ruling or ban found.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"Province of British Columbia","says":"Said total harvest had fallen 40% since 2021 and harvest in at-risk old forest 50%; said 2.4 million ha were temporarily deferred (May 2024).","when":"2024 to 2026","src":null},{"actor":"Forests Minister Ravi Parmar","says":"Said in 2026 that he was very proud of the government's record (paraphrase).","when":"2026","src":null},{"actor":"Council of Forest Industries (COFI)","says":"Said deferrals would close 14 to 20 sawmills and two pulp mills and cost 18,000 jobs (November 2021); later counted 21 sawmill closures since 2023 and more than 30 since 2017.","when":"2021 and 2026","src":null},{"actor":"Canfor","says":"Cited beetle damage and fire together with the cumulative effect of policy changes and regulatory complexity (paraphrase) for the Polar closure.","when":"10 May 2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"bc-government","role":"Decided deferrals; says harvest has fallen"},{"id":"cofi","role":"Industry association; linked closures to deferrals"},{"id":"canfor","role":"Sawmill operator; closed Polar, Plateau and Fort St. John mills"},{"id":"west-fraser","role":"Sawmill operator; US production exceeded Canadian in 2022"},{"id":"natural-resources-canada","role":"Reported on the mountain pine beetle outbreak"},{"id":"stand-earth","role":"NGO that tracked logging in recommended areas"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the deferrals stop logging of the old forest they were meant to protect?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Province of British Columbia","says":"Total harvest is down 40% since 2021 and harvest in at-risk old forest is down 50%.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Stand.earth","says":"At least 31,800 ha of areas recommended for deferral in 2021 were logged by November 2023.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Narwhal (reporting an analysis)","says":"Forest inside recommended deferral zones was four times more likely to be logged than forest outside; about 4% of remaining old forest burned in the previous four years.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Five former old-growth panel members","says":"The process was not working as intended and the government continued to approve logging in forests they identified.","src":null}]},{"point":"What caused British Columbia's mill closures?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Forest industry (COFI counts 21 sawmill closures since 2023)","says":"Linked closures to the deferrals and permitting processes.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Canfor","says":"Cited beetle damage and fire along with the cumulative effect of policy changes and regulatory complexity.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Natural Resources Canada","says":"The beetle outbreak killed 58% of merchantable pine by 2017.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Globe and Mail","says":"West Fraser produced more lumber in the United States than in Canada in 2022; the US South's share of its production rose from 11% to 53%.","src":3}]},{"point":"How many jobs would the deferrals cost?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Council of Forest Industries","says":"14 to 20 sawmills and two pulp mills closed; 18,000 jobs lost (November 2021).","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Province of British Columbia","says":"Estimated up to 4,500 jobs lost (November 2021).","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":2600000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Old forest recommended for deferral, November 2021."},{"key":"area_ha","value":2400000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Area the province said was temporarily deferred, May 2024."},{"key":"area_ha","value":353000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"First deferrals, nine areas, September 2020."},{"key":"area_ha","value":2034,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fairy Creek and Central Walbran deferral, June 2021."},{"key":"forest_logged_ha","value":31800,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Recommended deferral areas logged by November 2023 (Stand.earth)."},{"key":"arrests","value":1188,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Fairy Creek arrests by December 2021."},{"key":"beetle_affected_ha","value":18000000,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Natural Resources Canada."},{"key":"beetle_loss_m3","value":752000000,"unit":"m³","year":2017,"note":"58% of merchantable pine (Natural Resources Canada)."},{"key":"jobs_estimate_industry","value":18000,"unit":"jobs","year":2021,"note":"COFI estimate of jobs lost to deferrals."},{"key":"jobs_estimate_government","value":4500,"unit":"jobs","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Province's estimate."},{"key":"mills_closed","value":21,"unit":"sawmills","year":2026,"note":"COFI: closed permanently or indefinitely since 2023; more than 30 since 2017."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"British Columbia deferred logging in parts of its remaining old forest from 2020; analyses found logging continued in recommended areas, while mill closures were attributed by different parties to the deferrals, the beetle-damaged timber supply and capital moving to the United States.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Canadian lumber companies with US South mills","what":"Production shifted to the US South; West Fraser's US share rose from 11% to 53% over about two decades.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Mill workers and communities","what":"About 180 workers at Polar and about 500 at Plateau and Fort St. John; COFI counted 21 sawmill closures since 2023.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Old forest","what":"At least 31,800 ha of recommended deferral areas logged by November 2023; about 4% of remaining old forest burned in the previous four years.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"British Columbia, Canada, including Fairy Creek and Central Walbran on Vancouver Island and the interior.","src":2},"when":{"t":"September 2020 to August 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The old-growth review recommended deferring harvest in old forest at high risk; the province described the deferrals as temporary.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government deferral decisions, tied to First Nations' agreement, not court rulings.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Mountain pine beetle","p":"Natural Resources Canada","d":"2017","type":"official","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211012000/https://natural-resources.canada.ca/forest-forestry/insects-disturbances/mountain-pine-beetle","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211012000/https://natural-resources.canada.ca/forest-forestry/insects-disturbances/mountain-pine-beetle","dead":true},{"t":"Canfor reaches agreement to buy three mills in U.S. South","p":"Timber Processing","d":"2013","type":"press","u":"https://www.timberprocessing.com/canfor-reaches-agreement-to-buy-three-mills-in-u-s-south/"},{"t":"Fairy Creek and Central Walbran deferral (CFJC / Times Colonist)","p":"CFJC","d":"2021-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://cfjctoday.com/?p=876888","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018140501/https://cfjctoday.com/2021/06/09/b-c-approves-first-nations-request-to-defer-old-growth-logging-for-two-years-2/"},{"t":"West Fraser lumber production Canada–US (Brent Jang)","p":"The Globe and Mail","d":"2023-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-west-fraser-lumber-production-canada-us/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722223651/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-west-fraser-lumber-production-canada-us/"},{"t":"Did B.C. keep its old-growth forest promises?","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2024-05-28","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-old-growth-update-2024/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"B.C.'s century-long feast on big, old trees has sent forests into freefall","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2025-11-12","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-forests-logging-2025/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"B.C. appointed them to map old-growth. Now they say province is failing to save it","p":"The Canadian Press (via CP24)","d":"2026-03-13","u":"https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/03/13/bc-appointed-them-to-map-old-growth-now-they-say-province-is-failing-to-save-it/","type":"press"},{"t":"B.C. old-growth data 'misleading' public on remaining ancient forest: independent report","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2020-06-04","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/b-c-old-growth-data-misleading-public-ancient-forest-independent-report/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Canfor Announces Permanent Closure of Polar Sawmill","p":"Forest Machine Magazine","d":"2024-05-10","u":"https://forestmachinemagazine.com/canfor-announces-permanent-closure-of-polar-sawmill/","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":["british-columbia-old-growth-forest-accounting"],"natureLead":{"t":"An analysis reported in November 2025 found my old forest inside recommended deferral zones four times more likely to be logged than forest outside them.","src":[5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the deferrals stop logging of the old forest they were meant to protect?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What caused British Columbia's mill closures?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many jobs would the deferrals cost?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2023 status of the Fairy Creek deferral and what happened to the area afterwards are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where logging moved after the deferrals (to other forests in the province or to imports): no leakage study found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The total number of mill closures since 2019: sources differ in definition (permanent, indefinite, curtailed shifts).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which forests the Canadian companies' US South mills draw on, and the local effects: not researched.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: spring 2023 deferrals of 1.05 million ha, of which 258,000 ha lay in the timber harvesting land base and 7,200 ha were logged; a leaked-map analysis by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives that 55% of large-tree areas were removed from the 2.6 million ha proposal.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: allowable annual cut in the interior raised from 50 to 68 million m³ (36%) between 2001 and 2014; 2023 harvest of 39 million m³ (down 18%); 20-year averages of 77 million m³ allowable and 60 million m³ actual; a 2026 budget projection of 29 million m³ for three years; COFI's figure of usable fibre falling from 60 to 35 million m³ between 2018 and 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Canfor's 2013 Alabama purchase (US$80 million), 2018 to 2019 acquisitions, 2022 Louisiana and Alabama mills; Interfor's 2021 Georgia-Pacific mills purchase (US$375 million); Canadian pension funds' forest holdings abroad.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2019 curtailments affecting more than 5,900 workers in 25 mills in 22 communities; COFI's figure of about 10,000 direct and indirect job losses from the 2023 decline.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: provincial wood supply forecast falling from 76.7 million m³ (2016) to 56.9 million m³ (2035); that companies were not required to be compensated for deferrals of up to four years.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Mill workers and communities","No source link — Who harmed: Old forest"]},{"id":"southern-cardamom-redd","title":"Southern Cardamom REDD+ project and the arrest of Pork Nget (Cambodia)","dek":"A REDD+ carbon project run by Wildlife Alliance with Cambodia's Ministry of Environment received more than 27 million Verra credits. Human Rights Watch reported that Indigenous Chong families were not consulted for 31 months and that some were evicted, detained or beaten; Wildlife Alliance denied the abuses, Verra reinstated the project in September 2024, and a Chong farmer was arrested in his field in June 2024.","country":"Cambodia","region":"Asia","lat":11.4,"lon":103.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Cardamom Mountains, south-west Cambodia","lat":11.4,"lon":103.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Thmar Dounpov commune","role":"affected"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-06-27","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Verra credits received by the project","value":"27 million+","note":"Covers about 500,000 ha and 29 villages. Revenue figure: none on record."},"happened":["The Southern Cardamom REDD+ project in the Cardamom Mountains of south-west Cambodia is run by Wildlife Alliance with Cambodia's Ministry of Environment. It covers about 500,000 hectares and 29 villages. It was approved under three Verra standards, activity began on 1 January 2015, and the project received more than 27 million credits.","On 28 February 2024 Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a 118-page report, “Carbon Offsetting's Casualties”, based on 91 interviews. It reported that the Indigenous Chong were not asked for consent for more than two years (consultation began 31 months after activity started), that six Chong families were evicted, that three people were held for nine months without trial, and that people were beaten with a gun butt in 2018 and 2021. HRW said patrols mixed ministry rangers, gendarmes and Wildlife Alliance staff. Wildlife Alliance denied the abuses.","Verra suspended issuance of credits to the project on 19 June 2023, after a letter from HRW, and reinstated it on 10 September 2024 with conditions. The review was carried out by SCS Global Services, Aster Global and AENOR, which had approved the project earlier and were retained and paid by the developer. Carbon Market Watch filed a complaint with the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) about the way Verra carried out its review; the CamboJA News report, as carried by REDD-Monitor, called the auditors' role a clear conflict of interest. A Verra spokesperson said that, as a certification body, Verra does not conduct on-site investigations or directly validate projects; Human Rights Watch said Verra did not interview a single victim of the project (Mongabay, September 2024).","On 27 June 2024, while issuance was suspended, Pork Nget, a Chong farmer, and his wife Chey Nov were weeding their field with their children less than three kilometres from their home in Thmar Dounpov commune. According to CamboJA News as carried by REDD-Monitor, Environment Ministry rangers and Wildlife Alliance staff arrived, said the field lay inside the REDD+ project, and arrested him. He was sentenced to five years in prison for encroachment (also rendered in the reporting as an occupation charge); the sentence was later suspended, but the charges remain. His family showed land documents issued to villagers under a 2013 decree, and the commune administration recognises the field. In June 2024, a few weeks before the arrest, his brother Pork Chuon broke his leg running away from military police and a Wildlife Alliance staff member after military police fired a shot in the air; the family said forest rangers and Wildlife Alliance staff then destroyed their rice hut. Wildlife Alliance said it was unaware of any property destruction there. Nget said he no longer dared to enter his field.","Wildlife Alliance told that report that the communities supported the project overwhelmingly, that it spent about $3 million on livelihoods in 2023–2024, and that it has no law-enforcement authority. It said it had objected to 1,851 hectares measured for inclusion in the commune and had agreed a map with officials in 2015 that left this land outside the commune."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"A decree under which, the farmer's family said, villagers received land documents"},{"y":2015,"t":"Project activity begins (1 January); Wildlife Alliance says it agreed a map with officials leaving 1,851 ha outside the commune"},{"y":2018,"t":"Beating with a gun butt reported by HRW (a second in 2021)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Verra suspends issuance of credits (June) after a letter from HRW"},{"y":2024,"t":"HRW report (28 Feb); the farmer's brother injured fleeing military police (June); farmer arrested in Thmar Dounpov (27 Jun); Verra reinstates the project with conditions (10 Sep); sign warning of prison for tree cutting seen in the area (Oct)"},{"y":2025,"t":"REDD-Monitor publishes CamboJA News report on the arrest and its aftermath (17 Mar)"}],"said":[{"q":"Verra didn't interview a single victim of this project","who":"Luciana Téllez Chávez, Human Rights Watch, on Verra's 2024 reinstatement review","when":"September 2024","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The project was approved under three Verra standards and received more than 27 million credits.","who":"Verra registry record, according to secondary reports","src":null},{"t":"Communities supported the project overwhelmingly; about $3 million was spent on livelihoods in 2023–2024; Wildlife Alliance has no law-enforcement authority.","who":"Wildlife Alliance","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"HRW (Feb 2024): no consent from the Chong for more than two years; six Chong families evicted; three people held for months without trial; beatings with a gun butt in 2018 and 2021.","src":0},{"t":"Consultation with the Chong began 31 months after activity started on 1 January 2015.","src":0},{"t":"Verra suspended issuance in June 2023 and reinstated the project on 10 September 2024 with conditions.","src":1},{"t":"The reinstatement review was done by three firms that had approved the project earlier: SCS Global Services, Aster Global and AENOR.","src":2},{"t":"Pork Nget was arrested on 27 June 2024 and sentenced to five years in prison for encroachment; the sentence was suspended but the charge stands.","src":2},{"t":"No project sign was at the field on the day of the arrest; in October 2024 CamboJA News reporters saw a sign warning of up to 10 years in prison for tree cutting and burning.","src":2},{"t":"In October 2024 the arrested farmer's brother broke a kneecap fleeing military police and Wildlife Alliance staff; his wife said the family's rice huts had been demolished; the farmer said he no longer dared to enter his field.","src":2},{"t":"Verra said it was not aware of the arrest and conducts no on-the-ground investigations.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023–2024","nature":[{"label":"Wildlife Alliance's reported spending on livelihoods (its own figure)","amount":3,"qualifier":"about","window":"2023–2024","note":"Not independently verified."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":3,"qualifier":"about","note":"Wildlife Alliance's own figure. No figure for the revenue from the credits or for who received it."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Credits received","v":"27m+","d":"Under three Verra standards, 2015–2024"},{"k":"Area and villages","v":"~500,000 ha / 29","d":"Wildlife Alliance with the Ministry of Environment"},{"k":"Consultation with the Chong","v":"31 months after start","d":"Activity began 1 January 2015"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not in sources","d":"The cited sources concern rights, consent and credit issuance"}]},"unknown":["Who bought the credits: no buyer is named in the cited sources.","Whether Verra has issued credits to the project since its reinstatement in September 2024: not found.","Whether the Ministry of Environment has responded to the HRW findings: no statement is in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: that warnings about the 31-month consultation gap were already in audit reports submitted to the certifier.","The court, date and prosecuting body in the case of Pork Nget are not on record.","The charge against Pork Nget is described as encroachment in some of the reporting and as an occupation charge in other reporting; the cited sources do not give the court's wording."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement"],"harmStopped":"Not established. Issuance was suspended in June 2023 and reinstated on 10 September 2024 with conditions; the arrest of Pork Nget took place on 27 June 2024, during the suspension, and in the latest report reviewed (March 2025) he said he no longer dared to enter his field.","whoPaid":"According to HRW and the CamboJA News report, Chong villagers bore the costs: evictions, detentions, loss of access to fields and, in one case, a suspended five-year sentence.","statusLine":"As of March 2025: Verra had reinstated the project with conditions (10 September 2024); Wildlife Alliance denied the abuses; a Chong farmer's suspended five-year sentence stood; credit buyers were not identified.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wildlife-alliance","says":"Denied the abuses described by Human Rights Watch.","when":"September 2024","src":1},{"actor":"wildlife-alliance","says":"Said communities supported the project overwhelmingly, that it spent about $3 million on livelihoods in 2023–2024, and that it has no law-enforcement authority; said it had objected to 1,851 hectares measured for inclusion in the commune and agreed a 2015 map that left the land outside it.","when":"reported March 2025","src":2},{"actor":"verra","says":"Said it was unaware of the farmer's arrest and that, as a certification body, it does not conduct on-site investigations or directly validate projects.","when":"reported March 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"wildlife-alliance","role":"Project operator"},{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-environment","role":"Project partner; rangers made the arrest"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Author of the 2024 report"},{"id":"carbon-market-watch","role":"Filed complaint with ICVCM"},{"id":"icvcm","role":"Recipient of the complaint"},{"id":"scs-global-services","role":"Validation and verification body"},{"id":"aster-global","role":"Validation and verification body"},{"id":"aenor","role":"Validation and verification body"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the project proceed without the Chong's consent, and were people abused in enforcing it?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"No consent from the Chong for more than two years; six Chong families evicted; three people held for months without trial; beatings with a gun butt in 2018 and 2021.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Wildlife Alliance","says":"Denied the abuses.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Wildlife Alliance","says":"Said communities supported the project overwhelmingly and that it has no law-enforcement authority.","src":2},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Suspended issuance in June 2023 and reinstated the project on 10 September 2024 with conditions.","src":1}]},{"point":"Did the field at Thmar Dounpov lie inside the project, or did the family hold rights to it?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Ministry rangers","says":"Told the farmer the field was inside the REDD+ project and arrested him; he was later sentenced to five years (suspended) for encroachment.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"The farmer's family","says":"Showed land documents issued to villagers under a 2013 decree; the commune administration recognises the field.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Wildlife Alliance","says":"Objected to 1,851 hectares measured for inclusion in the commune and agreed a 2015 map with officials that left this land outside the commune.","src":2}]},{"point":"Was Verra's 2024 review independent?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Carbon Market Watch","says":"Filed a complaint with ICVCM about the way Verra carried out its review, which relied on auditing firms that had been hired by the developer; the CamboJA News report called this a clear conflict of interest.","src":2},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Said that, as a certification body, it does not conduct on-site investigations or directly validate projects, and that it was unaware of the farmer's arrest.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of Pork Nget for encroachment, Thmar Dounpov commune","forum":"None on record","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Cambodian authorities (arrest made by Environment Ministry rangers)","defendant":"Pork Nget","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The farmer was arrested on 27 June 2024 in his field and sentenced to five years in prison for encroachment. The sentence was suspended but the charge stands. His family showed land documents issued under a 2013 decree.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":27000000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Credits received by the project, 2015–2024 record; no sale or revenue figure found."},{"key":"area_ha","value":500000,"unit":"ha","qualifier":"about","note":"Project area, Wildlife Alliance with the Ministry of Environment."},{"key":"villages","value":29,"unit":"villages","note":"Villages in the project area."},{"key":"families_evicted","value":6,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"Chong families evicted, per HRW (Feb 2024)."},{"key":"held_without_trial","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Held for nine months without trial, per HRW citing judicial records."},{"key":"consultation_delay_months","value":31,"unit":"months","note":"Between the start of activity (1 January 2015) and consultation with the Chong."},{"key":"disputed_land_ha","value":1851,"unit":"ha","note":"Area measured for inclusion in the commune that Wildlife Alliance objected to."},{"key":"livelihood_spend_reported","value":3,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Wildlife Alliance's own figure for 2023–2024; not independently verified."},{"key":"interviews","value":91,"unit":"interviews","year":2024,"note":"Interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":5,"unit":"years","year":2024,"note":"Prison term given to Pork Nget; reported as suspended."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A REDD+ project that received more than 27 million Verra credits was the subject of HRW findings of evictions, detentions and beatings of Chong villagers, which Wildlife Alliance denied; Verra suspended and then reinstated it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wildlife Alliance and the Ministry of Environment, as project partners","what":"The project received more than 27 million credits; how any revenue was shared is not in the cited sources.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Chong families","what":"Access to fields restricted; HRW reported six families evicted.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Chong villagers","what":"Human Rights Watch reported detentions without trial and beatings; one farmer received a suspended five-year sentence, a relative was injured and rice huts were reported demolished (CamboJA News, via REDD-Monitor). Wildlife Alliance denies the abuses.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Cardamom Mountains, south-west Cambodia; Thmar Dounpov commune.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Activity began 1 January 2015; Verra suspension June 2023; Human Rights Watch report 28 February 2024; arrest 27 June 2024; reinstatement 10 September 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The project operated as a REDD+ carbon-credit project under three Verra standards.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Patrols that mixed ministry rangers, gendarmes and Wildlife Alliance staff enforced the project boundary, according to Human Rights Watch; Verra approved the project, suspended issuance in June 2023 after a letter from Human Rights Watch and reinstated it after a review by the firms that had approved it earlier.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Carbon Offsetting's Casualties","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2024-02-28","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/02/28/carbon-offsettings-casualties/violations-chong-indigenous-peoples-rights","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241101203215/https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/02/28/carbon-offsettings-casualties/violations-chong-indigenous-peoples-rights"},{"t":"Cambodian carbon credit project hit by rights abuse claims is reinstated","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-09","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/cambodian-carbon-credit-project-hit-by-rights-abuse-claims-is-reinstated/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260703132332/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/cambodian-carbon-credit-project-hit-by-rights-abuse-claims-is-reinstated/"},{"t":"Southern Cardamom REDD+ project (CamboJA News report, via REDD-Monitor)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2025-03-17","type":"ngo","voice":"press","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/southern-cardamom-redd-project-still","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250624212642/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/southern-cardamom-redd-project-still"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"More than 27 million carbon credits were issued in my name to a project covering about 500,000 hectares of my Cardamom forest.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the project proceed without the Chong's consent, and were people abused in enforcing it?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the field at Thmar Dounpov lie inside the project, or did the family hold rights to it?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Verra's 2024 review independent?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Livelihood spend reported: Wildlife Alliance's own figure for 2023–2024; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who bought the credits: no buyer is named in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Verra has issued credits to the project since its reinstatement in September 2024: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Ministry of Environment has responded to the HRW findings: no statement is in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that warnings about the 31-month consultation gap were already in audit reports submitted to the certifier.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The court, date and prosecuting body in the case of Pork Nget are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The charge against Pork Nget is described as encroachment in some of the reporting and as an occupation charge in other reporting; the cited sources do not give the court's wording.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Wildlife Alliance and the Ministry of Environment, as project partners"]},{"id":"plastic-credits-and-philippines-pcx","title":"Plastic credits and Philippines PCX","dek":"Plastic credits are sold by registries including Verra and the Philippines-based Plastic Credit Exchange. Investigations found that most plastic collected under the Philippine scheme went to cement kilns, and that Nestlé Philippines spent all of $732,900 on credits from burning.","country":"Philippines","region":"Asia","lat":12.9,"lon":121.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","role":"event","lat":12.9,"lon":121.8}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","carbon-credit","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Nestlé Philippines' spend on plastic credits, all from burning projects","value":"$732,900","note":"Per SourceMaterial, 13 November 2023."},"happened":["Plastic credits are sold through several schemes, including Verra's plastic programme and the Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) in the Philippines, which uses its own standard (PPRS). Prices across schemes range from about $100 to $1,600 per tonne, according to secondary reports. A Bloomberg research unit, BNEF, has estimated the market could reach $4.3 billion a year by 2050, as cited in secondary reports.","A white paper by Eunomia dated 22 April 2024 found that 64 projects in 25 countries had applied to Verra, of which 58 were listed (1.2 million tonnes) and 8 registered. Verra had issued 7,061 credits; 192 (2.7%) had been retired, all from the Second Life Thailand project, by five buyers: Vinventions, Bentley Motors, Escape Travel, GP-23 and PCX. The project founder reported a price of $500 a credit, implying about $96,000 in revenue. By July 2024, according to secondary reports, Verra had issued 10,146 credits, of which about 2% were sold; 76% were collection credits and 24% recycling credits.","On 13 November 2023 SourceMaterial reported that more than 80% of the plastic collected by PCX went to cement kilns and that only 14% of PCX credits came from recycling. Co-processing credits cost $115 and recycling credits from $130. Nestlé Philippines spent $732,900, all on credits from burning, and Century Pacific bought 15,461 credits (about $1.1 million) against a declared footprint of 10,378 tonnes. Break Free From Plastic and GAIA reported on 29 November 2023 that 22% of Verra projects and 86% of PCX projects sent plastic to burning or kilns.","On 12 February 2025 AFP and SourceMaterial reported an analysis of four registries, not named in the article, covering more than 125,000 tonnes of plastic: about a quarter was recycled and about two-thirds was burned in cement kilns or waste-to-energy plants. A secondary report puts the burned or to-be-burned amount at about 84,000 tonnes of plastic and 237,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and lists EY, Royal Caribbean and affiliates of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate among the buyers.","Nestlé, which helped develop Verra's standard, said it no longer buys plastic credits. WWF considers “plastic neutral” claims inherently misleading while a company continues to sell plastic. According to secondary reports, Verra accepts energy recovery and cement-kiln burning as acceptable methods."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"SourceMaterial reports on PCX, Verra and cement kilns (13 Nov); Break Free From Plastic / GAIA publish “Smoke and Mirrors” (29 Nov)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Eunomia white paper (22 Apr); 35 projects listed on PCX's marketplace (24 Jul); Verra has issued 10,146 credits, about 2% sold (Jul)"},{"y":2025,"t":"AFP and SourceMaterial analysis of four registries (12 Feb); ADB fact sheet counts 32 registered Verra plastic projects (29 Jul)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Nestlé Philippines described as “plastic neutral”","who":"Nestlé Philippines, as recorded by SourceMaterial (2020–24)","src":0},{"t":"Verra's plastic programme has 36 registered projects in 20 countries and more than 500,000 credits “approved”; “approved” is not the same as issued.","who":"Verra (undated web page)","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 80% of plastic collected by PCX goes to cement kilns; 14% of PCX credits come from recycling.","src":0},{"t":"Nestlé Philippines spent $732,900, all on burning credits.","src":0},{"t":"22% of Verra projects and 86% of PCX projects send plastic to burning or kilns.","src":1},{"t":"About two-thirds of the plastic credited in four registries was burned in cement kilns or waste-to-energy plants; about a quarter was recycled.","src":2},{"t":"7,061 Verra plastic credits issued by April 2024; 192 retired, all from one Thailand project, by five buyers.","src":3},{"t":"Holcim/Geocycle processed about 14 million tonnes of waste in 2023; no gate fees or revenue are published.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"not stated","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Plastic credits bought by Nestlé Philippines (all burning credits)","amount":0.7329}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic sent to cement kilns","v":">80%","d":"Share of plastic collected by PCX (SourceMaterial, Nov 2023)"},{"k":"Credits from recycling","v":"14%","d":"Share of PCX credits (SourceMaterial, Nov 2023)"},{"k":"Plastic burned in four registries","v":"~2/3","d":"More than 125,000 t analysed (AFP and SourceMaterial, Feb 2025)"},{"k":"Verra plastic credits sold","v":"~2%","d":"Of 10,146 issued by July 2024"}]},"unknown":["The four registries in the AFP and SourceMaterial analysis are not named in the accessible text, and the original English AFP piece was not found.","Verra's fee amounts per credit and the certification fees of other bodies were not found published.","Holcim/Geocycle publishes no gate fees or revenue from waste processing.","Verra's claim of more than 500,000 credits “approved” is undated, and “approved” is not the same as issued.","The EY, Royal Caribbean, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate affiliate buyer names are not confirmed in the cited sources."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established. Nestlé said it no longer buys plastic credits, but 35 projects were listed on PCX's marketplace on 24 July 2024 and an ADB fact sheet counted 32 registered Verra plastic projects as of 29 July 2025.","whoPaid":"Credit buyers paid for the credits: Nestlé Philippines spent $732,900 and Century Pacific about $1.1 million, according to SourceMaterial.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: an ADB fact sheet counted 60+ listed and 32 registered Verra plastic projects; Nestlé said it no longer buys plastic credits; no ruling or enforcement action is in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"nestle","says":"Said it no longer buys plastic credits.","when":"date not stated","src":null},{"actor":"verra","says":"Accepts energy recovery and cement-kiln burning as acceptable methods in its plastic programme.","when":"date not stated","src":null},{"actor":"wwf","says":"Considers “plastic neutral” claims inherently misleading while the company continues to sell plastic.","when":"date not stated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"pcx","role":"Plastic credit marketplace"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Credit buyer; co-developer of Verra's standard"},{"id":"century-pacific","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"holcim","role":"Cement kiln operator (Geocycle)"},{"id":"ey","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"royal-caribbean","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"bentley-motors","role":"Credit buyer (Eunomia)"},{"id":"vinventions","role":"Credit buyer (Eunomia)"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Critic of plastic-neutral claims"},{"id":"break-free-from-plastic","role":"Author of 'Smoke and Mirrors' (with GAIA)"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do credits from plastic burned in cement kilns count as offsetting plastic?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"SourceMaterial","says":"More than 80% of the plastic collected by PCX goes to cement kilns; only 14% of PCX credits come from recycling.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Break Free From Plastic / GAIA","says":"22% of Verra projects and 86% of PCX projects send plastic to burning or kilns.","src":1},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Accepts energy recovery and cement-kiln burning as acceptable methods.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF","says":"Considers “plastic neutral” claims inherently misleading while a company continues to sell plastic.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nestlé","says":"Said it no longer buys plastic credits.","src":null}]},{"point":"How large is Verra's plastic credit programme?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Eunomia (April 2024)","says":"64 projects had applied, 58 were listed and 8 registered; 7,061 credits issued, 192 retired.","src":3},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra (undated page)","says":"36 registered projects in 20 countries and more than 500,000 credits “approved”; “approved” is not the same as issued.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"Asian Development Bank fact sheet","says":"60+ listed and 32 registered projects as of 29 July 2025.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":10146,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Verra plastic credits issued to July 2024; 76% collection, 24% recycling."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":228,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 2.2% of those issued, as of July 2024."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":7061,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Eunomia white paper, 22 April 2024."},{"key":"credits_retired","value":192,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"2.7% of those issued; all from Second Life Thailand, retired by five buyers (Eunomia)."},{"key":"plastic_credit_spend","value":732900,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Nestlé Philippines; all on burning credits (SourceMaterial, Nov 2023)."},{"key":"credits_bought","value":15461,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"Century Pacific, about $1.1 million, against a declared footprint of 10,378 tonnes (SourceMaterial, Nov 2023)."},{"key":"pcx_plastic_to_kilns_share","value":80,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Share of plastic collected by PCX that goes to cement kilns (SourceMaterial)."},{"key":"pcx_recycling_credit_share","value":14,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Share of PCX credits that come from recycling (SourceMaterial)."},{"key":"plastic_burned_share","value":67,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"About two-thirds of the plastic credited in four registries, burned or planned to be burned; more than 125,000 t analysed (AFP and SourceMaterial)."},{"key":"plastic_burned_tonnes","value":84000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"report of the AFP and SourceMaterial analysis."},{"key":"co2_tonnes","value":237000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Carbon dioxide associated with the burned plastic, report of the AFP and SourceMaterial analysis."},{"key":"pcx_projects_listed","value":35,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"Listed on PCX's marketplace on 24 July 2024 (Fauna & Flora)."},{"key":"verra_projects_registered","value":32,"unit":"projects","year":2025,"note":"As of 29 July 2025 (ADB fact sheet)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Investigations found most plastic collected under PCX went to cement kilns and that Nestlé Philippines spent all of $732,900 on burning credits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Plastic credit sellers (PCX and project operators)","what":"Sold credits at $115 (co-processing) to $130 and above (recycling); no totals for PCX or kiln operators were found.","src":0},{"who":"Nestlé Philippines and Century Pacific","what":"Bought credits ($732,900 and about $1.1 million); Nestlé Philippines was described as “plastic neutral”.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines (PCX); registries and buyers in several countries.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2020–2025; main reports 13 November 2023, 29 November 2023, 22 April 2024 and 12 February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Companies bought credits to support claims such as “plastic neutral”.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Plastic collected under credit schemes was sent in large part to cement kilns, and credits were issued for it.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Plastic offsetting in the Philippines: PCX, Verra and cement kilns","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2023-11-13","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/plastic-offsetting-philippines-pcx-verra-cement","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512200143/https://www.source-material.org/plastic-offsetting-philippines-pcx-verra-cement/"},{"t":"Smoke and Mirrors: The Realities of Plastic Credits and Offsetting","p":"Break Free From Plastic / GAIA","d":"2023-11-29","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/NOV-29-2023_Smoke-and-Mirrors-the-Realities-of-Plastic-Credits-and-Offsetting.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260621020834/https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/NOV-29-2023_Smoke-and-Mirrors-the-Realities-of-Plastic-Credits-and-Offsetting.pdf"},{"t":"AFP and SourceMaterial analysis of plastic credit registries","p":"AFP and SourceMaterial","d":"2025-02-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://source-material.org/?p=4336"},{"t":"Plastic Credits White Paper (via Trash Hero)","p":"Eunomia","d":"2024-04-22","type":"academic","u":"https://trashhero.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024APR22_Eunomia-Plastic-Credits-White-Paper.pdf"},{"t":"Five years in, Verra's plastic program is more relevant than ever","p":"Verra","d":"undated","type":"company","u":"https://verra.org/verra-views/five-years-in-verras-plastic-program-is-more-relevant-than-ever/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617065632/https://verra.org/verra-views/five-years-in-verras-plastic-program-is-more-relevant-than-ever/"},{"t":"Plastic credit: innovative financing for circular solutions: Verra (fact sheet)","p":"Asian Development Bank","d":"2025-07-29","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://seads.adb.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/plastic-credit%3A-innovative-financing-for-circular-solutions%3A-verra.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251216094941/https://seads.adb.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/plastic-credit%3A-innovative-financing-for-circular-solutions%3A-verra.pdf"},{"t":"Waste management","p":"Holcim","d":"undated","type":"company","u":"https://holcim.com/waste-management","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211208005722/https://www.holcim.com/waste-management"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of more than 125,000 tonnes of plastic credited in my name across four registries, about two-thirds was burned in cement kilns or waste-to-energy plants and about a quarter recycled, AFP and SourceMaterial reported in 2025.","src":[2]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do credits from plastic burned in cement kilns count as offsetting plastic?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is Verra's plastic credit programme?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The four registries in the AFP and SourceMaterial analysis are not named in the accessible text, and the original English AFP piece was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Verra's fee amounts per credit and the certification fees of other bodies were not found published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Holcim/Geocycle publishes no gate fees or revenue from waste processing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Verra's claim of more than 500,000 credits “approved” is undated, and “approved” is not the same as issued.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The EY, Royal Caribbean, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate affiliate buyer names are not confirmed in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"alberta-orphan-wells-and-mine-liabilities","title":"Alberta orphan wells and mine liabilities","dek":"In Alberta, security held against oil-sands mine closure costs was recorded at $1.46 billion against $28.35 billion of liabilities, while the inventory of wells left without a solvent owner reached 7,302 by July 2026. Mines are secured in advance; orphan-well cleanup is paid for afterwards by an industry levy and public loans.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":54.5,"lon":-115,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":54.5,"lon":-115,"role":"event"}],"start":2002,"end":null,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Mine security held vs recorded mine liabilities, 30 June 2018","value":"$1.46bn vs $28.35bn","note":"Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019. Currency beside these figures: none on record."},"happened":["The record covers the money set aside to close and clean up oil and gas wells and mines in Alberta, Canada, and who pays when an operator cannot. It describes two different designs. For mines, security is collected in advance. For wells left without a solvent owner, the industry contributes afterwards through a levy. The institutions named are the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and the Orphan Well Association (OWA), which the record dates to 2002. An orphan well is a well left unclosed because its owner went bankrupt.","In a report dated November 2019, the Auditor General of Alberta recorded mine security of $1.46 billion against liabilities of $28.35 billion, as at 30 June 2018.","An internal 2018 presentation by an AER executive calculated closure liabilities for oil, gas, oil sands and pipelines at C$260 billion: C$130 billion for mining, C$100 billion for wells and C$30 billion for pipelines. The figure disclosed publicly was C$58 billion, and the security held was C$1.6 billion. The regulator withdrew the internal figure, describing it as a worst-case scenario. A further figure, the regulator's deemed oil and gas liability, was recorded at $36 billion in July 2024.","The Orphan Well Association's inventory rose from 1,719 to 3,388 wells in 2024/25, of which about 1,800 came from Sequoia, and reached 7,302 wells by July 2026, including 2,980 from Long Run Exploration. The industry levy that funds the association was $144 million in 2025/26 and $154.6 million in 2026/27. Provincial and federal loans of $330 million are repayable to 2035. The estimated cleanup cost of the inventory moved from $650–700 million in 2021 to $1.66 billion in July 2026.","In 2020 the sources list federal funding of $1.72 billion, of which Alberta's $1 billion Site Rehabilitation Program could not be used for the Orphan Well Association's inventory. CTV News reported that the program paid C$864 million to 560 contractors, that more than half of it went to large companies able to pay, and that an Alberta senator said not a single orphan well had been cleaned up."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Orphan Well Association dated to this year in the cited sources"},{"y":2018,"t":"Mine security of $1.46bn recorded against $28.35bn of liabilities (30 June); an AER executive's internal presentation calculates C$260bn of closure liabilities against a disclosed C$58bn"},{"y":2019,"t":"Auditor General of Alberta report on AER land disturbances from mining (November)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Federal funding of $1.72bn recorded, including Alberta's $1bn Site Rehabilitation Program"},{"y":2021,"t":"Estimated orphan-well cleanup cost of $650–700 million"},{"y":2022,"t":"CTV News reports an Alberta senator questioning Site Rehabilitation Program spending"},{"y":2024,"t":"Regulator's deemed oil and gas liability recorded at $36bn (July); Orphan Well Association inventory rises to 3,388 wells in 2024/25"},{"y":2026,"t":"Inventory reaches 7,302 wells and the estimated cleanup cost $1.66bn (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Site Rehabilitation Program was presented as economic recovery combined with the cleanup of abandoned wells.","who":"Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program, as described in the CTV News report","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Mine security of $1.46bn against liabilities of $28.35bn at 30 June 2018.","src":0},{"t":"Orphan Well Association inventory: 3,388 wells in 2024/25 (up from 1,719, about 1,800 of them from Sequoia); 7,302 wells by July 2026 (2,980 from Long Run Exploration).","src":1},{"t":"Industry levy of $144 million in 2025/26 and $154.6 million in 2026/27; $330 million in provincial and federal loans repayable to 2035.","src":1},{"t":"Estimated cleanup cost of $650–700 million in 2021 and $1.66 billion in July 2026.","src":1},{"t":"Of federal funding of $1.72 billion (2020), Alberta's $1 billion Site Rehabilitation Program could not be used for the Orphan Well Association's inventory.","src":1},{"t":"The Site Rehabilitation Program paid C$864 million to 560 contractors; more than half of it went to large companies able to pay; an Alberta senator said not a single orphan well had been cleaned up.","src":2},{"t":"An AER executive's 2018 internal presentation calculated closure liabilities of C$260 billion (C$130 billion mining, C$100 billion wells, C$30 billion pipelines); the disclosed figure was C$58 billion and the security held C$1.6 billion.","src":3},{"t":"Regulator's estimated oil and gas liability: about $36.6 billion (June 2024).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mine security vs liabilities","v":"$1.46bn vs $28.35bn","d":"30 June 2018; Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019"},{"k":"Orphan-well inventory","v":"7,302 wells","d":"By July 2026; 3,388 in 2024/25"},{"k":"Estimated cleanup cost of the inventory","v":"$1.66bn","d":"July 2026; $650–700 million in 2021"},{"k":"Orphan wells cleaned under the Site Rehabilitation Program","v":"None, per a senator","d":"Statement by an Alberta senator as reported by CTV News"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the current total of security the regulator holds for oil and gas.","No court case is documented in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not state the currency beside the dollar figures from the Auditor General's report and the Orphan Well Association inventory."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"No. The orphan-well inventory was still growing, at 7,302 wells by July 2026.","whoPaid":"Orphan-well cleanup is funded after the fact by an industry levy ($144 million in 2025/26) and by $330 million in provincial and federal loans repayable to 2035; mine security is collected in advance but was recorded at $1.46 billion against $28.35 billion of liabilities.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the Orphan Well Association's inventory stood at 7,302 wells, with an estimated cleanup cost of $1.66 billion; no court case is documented.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Alberta Energy Regulator","says":"Withdrew the internal C$260 billion figure, describing it as a worst-case scenario.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"alberta-energy-regulator","role":"Regulator of oil, gas and mining closure obligations"},{"id":"orphan-well-association","role":"Body that cleans up wells left without a solvent owner"},{"id":"auditor-general-of-alberta","role":"Audited mine security against liabilities (November 2019)"},{"id":"government-of-alberta","role":"Funder of the Site Rehabilitation Program"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Source of federal funding (2020) and loans"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large are Alberta's closure liabilities?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"An Alberta Energy Regulator executive (internal 2018 presentation)","says":"Calculated closure liabilities for oil, gas, oil sands and pipelines at C$260 billion.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Alberta Energy Regulator (disclosed figure)","says":"The disclosed figure was C$58 billion, with C$1.6 billion of security held; the regulator withdrew the internal figure as a worst-case scenario.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Auditor General of Alberta","says":"Recorded mine security of $1.46 billion against mine liabilities of $28.35 billion at 30 June 2018.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did the Site Rehabilitation Program clean up orphan wells?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program","says":"Presented as economic recovery combined with the cleanup of abandoned wells.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"An Alberta senator, as reported by CTV News","says":"Questioned hundreds of millions of dollars of spending and said not a single orphan well had been cleaned up.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"CTV News","says":"Reported C$864 million paid to 560 contractors, more than half of it to large companies able to pay.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"mine_security","value":1.46,"unit":"$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Security held against mine liabilities at 30 June 2018 (Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019). Currency not stated beside the figure."},{"key":"mine_liabilities","value":28.35,"unit":"$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Mine liabilities at 30 June 2018 (Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019). Currency not stated beside the figure."},{"key":"internal_liability_estimate","value":260,"unit":"C$ bn","year":2018,"note":"AER executive's internal 2018 presentation: 130 mining, 100 wells, 30 pipelines. Withdrawn by the regulator as a worst-case scenario."},{"key":"disclosed_liability","value":58,"unit":"C$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Closure liability figure disclosed publicly, per the same record."},{"key":"security_held","value":1.6,"unit":"C$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Security held, per the same record."},{"key":"deemed_liability","value":36,"unit":"$ bn","year":2024,"note":"Regulator's deemed oil and gas liability, July 2024. Currency not stated."},{"key":"orphan_wells_inventory","value":3388,"unit":"wells","year":2025,"note":"Orphan Well Association inventory in 2024/25, up from 1,719; about 1,800 from Sequoia."},{"key":"orphan_wells_inventory","value":7302,"unit":"wells","year":2026,"note":"Inventory by July 2026, including 2,980 from Long Run Exploration."},{"key":"industry_levy","value":144,"unit":"$ m","year":2026,"note":"Industry levy for 2025/26; $154.6 million for 2026/27. Currency not stated."},{"key":"loans","value":330,"unit":"$ m","year":2026,"note":"Provincial and federal loans, repayable to 2035. Currency not stated."},{"key":"cleanup_estimate","value":"650–700","unit":"$ m","year":2021,"note":"Estimated orphan-well cleanup cost in 2021."},{"key":"cleanup_estimate","value":1.66,"unit":"$ bn","year":2026,"note":"Estimated orphan-well cleanup cost, July 2026."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1.72,"unit":"$ bn","year":2020,"note":"Federal funding recorded for 2020, of which Alberta's $1 billion Site Rehabilitation Program could not be used for the Orphan Well Association's inventory. Currency not stated."},{"key":"program_spend","value":864,"unit":"C$ m","year":2022,"note":"Site Rehabilitation Program payments to 560 contractors, per CTV News."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Funds set aside to close mines and wells in Alberta fell far short of recorded liabilities, and the inventory of wells left without a solvent owner grew to 7,302 by July 2026.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Large producers able to pay","what":"According to CTV News, most of the Site Rehabilitation Program money went to liabilities of large producers able to pay.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Provincial and federal governments, as lenders","what":"$330 million in loans to the Orphan Well Association, repayable to 2035.","src":1},{"who":"The oil and gas industry, as levy payers","what":"Industry levy of $144 million in 2025/26 and $154.6 million in 2026/27 to fund orphan-well cleanup.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alberta, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Orphan Well Association dated to 2002; liabilities measured 30 June 2018; inventory figures to July 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Mine security is collected in advance, while orphan-well cleanup is funded after the fact by a levy on the industry.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A well becomes an orphan when its owner goes bankrupt and it is left unclosed; the Orphan Well Association then takes it into its inventory.","src":null},"ratio":{"t":"Mine security of $1.46 billion against liabilities of $28.35 billion (30 June 2018).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AER Land Disturbances from Mining (report dated November 2019)","p":"Office of the Auditor General of Alberta","d":"2019-11","type":"official","u":"https://www.oag.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AER_Land_Disturbances_from_Mining_Nov2019_3TU2sqU.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605225025/https://www.oag.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AER_Land_Disturbances_from_Mining_Nov2019_3TU2sqU.pdf"},{"t":"The Orphan Well Association annual report 2025–2026: the problem with the AER's long run plan for orphan oil and gas sites (legal-commentary post; secondary source for Orphan Well Association figures)","p":"ABlawg","d":"2026-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://ablawg.ca/2026/07/30/the-orphan-well-association-annual-report-2025-2026-the-problem-with-the-aers-long-run-plan-for-orphan-oil-and-gas-sites/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830182456/https://ablawg.ca/2026/07/30/the-orphan-well-association-annual-report-2025-2026-the-problem-with-the-aers-long-run-plan-for-orphan-oil-and-gas-sites/"},{"t":"What exactly did we get? Alberta senator questions hundreds of millions to clean up orphan wells","p":"CTV News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/what-exactly-did-we-get-alberta-senator-questions-hundreds-of-millions-to-clean-up-orphan-wells/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830204708/https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/what-exactly-did-we-get-alberta-senator-questions-hundreds-of-millions-to-clean-up-orphan-wells/"},{"t":"Cleaning up Alberta's oilpatch could cost $260 billion, regulatory documents warn","p":"Global News","d":"2018-11-01","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/4617664/cleaning-up-albertas-oilpatch-could-cost-260-billion-regulatory-documents-warn","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006032702/https://globalnews.ca/news/4617664/cleaning-up-albertas-oilpatch-could-cost-260-billion-regulatory-documents-warn/"},{"t":"Estimated Liability and Licensee Capability (Liability Management Performance Report)","p":"Alberta Energy Regulator","d":"2025","u":"https://www.aer.ca/data-and-performance-reports/industry-performance/liability-management-performance-report/estimated-liability-and-licensee-capability","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":["giant-mine-remediation-cost"],"natureLead":{"t":"At 30 June 2018 the Auditor General of Alberta recorded $1.46bn of security against $28.35bn of mine liabilities on my land; orphan wells numbered 7,302 by July 2026.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large are Alberta's closure liabilities?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Site Rehabilitation Program clean up orphan wells?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the current total of security the regulator holds for oil and gas.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case is documented in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the currency beside the dollar figures from the Auditor General's report and the Orphan Well Association inventory.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"gigablue-and-planetary-technologies-ocean-carbon-credits","title":"Gigablue and Planetary Technologies ocean carbon credits","dek":"Two ocean carbon-removal companies sold credits in 2025: Gigablue (Israel) 200,000 credits to an aviation-focused buyer, and Planetary Technologies (Canada) credits to technology companies and an airline. A Danish scientist questioned Gigablue's method; the company said it was not fertilising the ocean.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":44.65,"lon":-63.57,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","admin":"Mediterranean Sea","role":"event"},{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Nova Scotia","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Halifax, Nova Scotia","lat":44.65,"lon":-63.57,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"St Ives, Cornwall","role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2030,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Largest ocean carbon-removal credit sale reported (Gigablue, per CDR.fyi)","value":"200,000 credits","note":"Price undisclosed. Planetary Technologies' Frontier offtake: 115,211 credits for $31.3m, deliveries 2026–2030 (estimate: about $271 per credit)."},"happened":["Gigablue, an Israeli company with trials in the Mediterranean and off New Zealand, sold 200,000 carbon credits to SkiesFifty, an aviation-focused company. According to CDR.fyi, as reported by the Associated Press on 3 July 2025, it was the largest sale of ocean carbon-dioxide-removal credits. The price was not disclosed.","Gigablue described the formula of the particles it uses as proprietary. Verification of the credits is to use a draft Puro.earth methodology that was co-designed with Gigablue. Thomas Kiørboe of the Technical University of Denmark told the AP: “Typical phytoplankton do not grow on surfaces.” Gigablue said: “We are not fertilizing the ocean.”","Planetary Technologies, a company based in Nova Scotia that works on ocean alkalinity enhancement, had 625.6 credits issued through the Isometric registry. The buyers were Stripe, Shopify and British Airways. Carbon Herald reported the issuance as the first ocean alkalinity enhancement credits verified by Isometric. Separately, Planetary signed an offtake agreement with Frontier, a buyers' coalition, for 115,211 credits at $31.3m, with deliveries between 2026 and 2030.","The record also shows Planetary cancelling a trial planned at St Ives, in the United Kingdom, after local opposition, including a protest of about 300 people."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Planetary Technologies has 625.6 credits issued through Isometric to Stripe, Shopify and British Airways"},{"y":2025,"t":"3 July: AP reports Gigablue's sale of 200,000 credits and scientists' doubts"},{"y":2026,"t":"Start of the delivery window for Frontier's 115,211-credit offtake from Planetary Technologies (2026–2030)"}],"said":[{"q":"Typical phytoplankton do not grow on surfaces.","who":"Thomas Kiørboe, Technical University of Denmark","when":"July 2025","src":0},{"q":"We are not fertilizing the ocean.","who":"Gigablue","when":"July 2025","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Sale of 200,000 credits, described as the largest ocean carbon-dioxide-removal sale","who":"CDR.fyi, as reported by the AP","src":0},{"t":"Planetary's credits presented as the first ocean alkalinity enhancement credits verified by Isometric","who":"Carbon Herald (headline)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Gigablue's particle formula is described as proprietary; verification is to use a draft Puro.earth methodology co-designed with Gigablue.","src":0},{"t":"Planetary Technologies: 625.6 credits issued through the Isometric registry to Stripe, Shopify and British Airways.","src":1},{"t":"Frontier offtake from Planetary: 115,211 credits for $31.3m, with deliveries in 2026–2030.","src":1},{"t":"Frontier describes itself as a public-benefit limited liability company. Members commit at least $10m and pay an annual fee of 0.5–2%. Frontier negotiates the price, and all members pay the same; supplier review and acceptance of deliveries also sit with Frontier.","src":2},{"t":"Puro.earth charges its service fee to the supplier, per credit, when the credit is first sold (from October 2024); the per-credit fee falls from €10 to €0.40 across 37 volume tiers, with a fixed €12,000 for up to 1,000 credits.","src":3},{"t":"Isometric states that it charges only the buyer, a fixed fee that does not depend on the number of credits. An independent assessment of this model was not found.","src":4},{"t":"Planetary Technologies cancelled a trial planned at St Ives, United Kingdom, in April 2025, citing commercial infeasibility; a protest of about 300 people took place there in April 2023.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2030","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Frontier offtake from Planetary Technologies (115,211 credits, deliveries 2026–2030)","amount":31.3}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gigablue verification","v":"Draft methodology","d":"Verification is to use a draft Puro.earth methodology co-designed with Gigablue (AP, July 2025)"},{"k":"Planetary credits issued","v":"625.6","d":"Through the Isometric registry; buyers Stripe, Shopify, British Airways"}]},"unknown":["The price of Gigablue's 200,000-credit sale: not disclosed.","The composition of Gigablue's particles: the formula is described as proprietary.","Unconfirmed: a Carbon Pulse headline stating that over 90% of marine carbon-removal credits had yet to be delivered to their buyers. Only the headline was seen; the article text was not accessed.","Planetary Technologies' own spending or margin on the Frontier offtake: not stated in the sources."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the sources describe credit sales and verification arrangements and do not report physical harm.","whoPaid":"Gigablue: price undisclosed. Planetary Technologies: Frontier's members agreed to pay $31.3m for deliveries scheduled for 2026–2030.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (AP, 3 July 2025, and the Frontier schedule to 2030): Gigablue's 200,000-credit sale had been reported with verification still based on a draft methodology; Planetary Technologies had 625.6 credits issued and a Frontier offtake with deliveries scheduled for 2026–2030.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"gigablue","says":"We are not fertilizing the ocean.","when":"July 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"gigablue","role":"Credit seller; Israeli ocean carbon-removal company"},{"id":"skiesfifty","role":"Buyer of 200,000 Gigablue credits (aviation-focused)"},{"id":"planetary-technologies","role":"Credit seller; ocean alkalinity enhancement, Nova Scotia"},{"id":"frontier","role":"Buyers' coalition; offtake of 115,211 credits"},{"id":"isometric","role":"Registry that issued Planetary's credits"},{"id":"puro-earth","role":"Registry whose draft methodology is to be used for Gigablue"},{"id":"stripe","role":"Buyer of Planetary credits"},{"id":"shopify","role":"Buyer of Planetary credits"},{"id":"british-airways","role":"Buyer of Planetary credits"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How credible is Gigablue's method, and is it ocean fertilisation?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Thomas Kiørboe, Technical University of Denmark","says":"“Typical phytoplankton do not grow on surfaces.”","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Gigablue","says":"“We are not fertilizing the ocean.”","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_sold","value":200000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Gigablue to SkiesFifty; largest ocean carbon-removal sale per CDR.fyi. Price undisclosed."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":625.6,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Planetary Technologies, through the Isometric registry, to Stripe, Shopify and British Airways."},{"key":"offtake_credits","value":115211,"unit":"credits","year":2026,"note":"Frontier offtake from Planetary Technologies; deliveries 2026–2030."},{"key":"offtake_value","value":31.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Value of the Frontier offtake."},{"key":"price_per_credit","value":271,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate: $31.3m divided by 115,211 credits, about $271–272 per credit."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two ocean carbon-removal companies sold credits: Gigablue 200,000 credits to an aviation-focused company, and Planetary Technologies 625.6 issued credits plus a 115,211-credit Frontier offtake.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gigablue","what":"Sold 200,000 credits; price undisclosed","src":0},{"who":"Planetary Technologies","what":"Frontier offtake of 115,211 credits for $31.3m, deliveries 2026–2030","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gigablue: trials in the Mediterranean and off New Zealand. Planetary Technologies: Nova Scotia and Halifax; a planned trial at St Ives, United Kingdom, was cancelled.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2025 sales and issuance; Frontier deliveries scheduled for 2026–2030.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Ocean carbon-dioxide-removal credits are sold to companies, including an aviation-focused buyer and an airline.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Gigablue's credits are to be verified under a draft Puro.earth methodology co-designed with the company. Planetary's credits were issued through the Isometric registry, and the Frontier offtake is a forward purchase.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AP report on Gigablue's 200,000 ocean carbon credits and scientists' doubts (via Fortune)","p":"Fortune (via AP)","d":"2025-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2025/07/03/ocean-technology-startup-200000-carbon-credits-scientists-doubts-gigablue","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209151456/https://fortune.com/2025/07/03/ocean-technology-startup-200000-carbon-credits-scientists-doubts-gigablue/"},{"t":"Planetary issues the first-ever OAE carbon credits verified by Isometric","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"undated","type":"press","u":"https://carbonherald.com/planetary-issues-the-first-ever-oae-carbon-credits-verified-by-isometric/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117144711/https://carbonherald.com/planetary-issues-the-first-ever-oae-carbon-credits-verified-by-isometric/"},{"t":"How to participate","p":"Frontier","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://frontierclimate.com/participate","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925173846/https://frontierclimate.com/participate"},{"t":"Puro.earth fees","p":"Puro.earth","d":"undated","type":"registry","u":"https://puro.earth/fees","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260317084202/https://puro.earth/fees"},{"t":"Aligning incentives","p":"Isometric","d":"2023-12-08","type":"registry","u":"https://isometric.com/writing/aligning-incentives","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240314035518/https://isometric.com/writing/aligning-incentives"},{"t":"UK ocean carbon capture trial scrapped over viability concerns","p":"gasworld","d":"2025-04-11","u":"https://www.gasworld.com/story/uk-ocean-carbon-capture-trial-scrapped-over-viability-concerns/2154523.article","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722124824/https://www.gasworld.com/story/uk-ocean-carbon-capture-trial-scrapped-over-viability-concerns/2154523.article/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Gigablue sold 200,000 carbon credits in 2025 for particles it trialled in my seas; verification is to use a draft methodology co-designed with Gigablue.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How credible is Gigablue's method, and is it ocean fertilisation?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The price of Gigablue's 200,000-credit sale: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The composition of Gigablue's particles: the formula is described as proprietary.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Carbon Pulse headline stating that over 90% of marine carbon-removal credits had yet to be delivered to their buyers. Only the headline was seen; the article text was not accessed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Planetary Technologies' own spending or margin on the Frontier offtake: not stated in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"un-plastics-treaty-negotiations","title":"UN plastics treaty negotiations (INC-5, Geneva, Nairobi, Bangkok)","dek":"Two formal rounds of negotiations on a UN plastics treaty, in Busan in 2024 and Geneva in 2025, ended without agreement. Industry lobbyists outnumbered some national delegations, and a production cap remained in square brackets in the chair's 2026 text.","country":"Switzerland","region":"Global","lat":46.2,"lon":6.15,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":"Busan","role":"event"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":"Geneva","lat":46.2,"lon":6.15,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Nairobi","role":"event"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":"Bangkok","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"San Francisco, California","role":"court"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists at Geneva (INC-5.2) vs the EU and its 27 member states combined","value":"234 vs 233","note":"Lobbyist count by CIEL; EU and member-state delegation size as reported by IPEN. At Busan: 220 lobbyists vs 140 delegates for host Korea."},"happened":["The fifth session of the UN committee negotiating a plastics treaty (INC-5) was held in Busan, South Korea, from 25 November to 1 December 2024 and ended without agreement. The Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL) counted 220 registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists there, more than the 140 delegates of the host country; the previous session had 196. Earth Journalism Network reported that the largest representations were Dow, ExxonMobil, BASF and SABIC.","The resumed session in Geneva (INC-5.2) ended in the early morning of 15 August 2025, again without agreement. Trade press reported that more than 100 countries backed a cap on production, and that Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran and others opposed it. IPEN reported that a Saudi Arabia-led bloc of like-minded countries opposed both a production cap and a vote, and that Kuwait said the text crossed its red lines. CIEL counted 234 industry lobbyists in Geneva, more than the combined delegation of the EU and its 27 member states (233); Dow and the American Chemistry Council had seven each and ExxonMobil six. Nineteen of the 234 were on official country delegations.","The chair, Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador, resigned in October 2025. A one-day session (INC-5.3) in Geneva on 7 February 2026 elected Julio Cordano of Chile as chair, with 63% of the vote according to OceanCare. Informal meetings followed. At a heads-of-delegation meeting in Nairobi (30 June–3 July 2026), Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia and India asked for the treaty to cover only waste management, according to Climate Home News, and the chair's list of topics did not include production. In Bangkok (27–30 September 2026) heads of delegation met again; the production cap remained in square brackets in the chair's August 2026 “Aid to Negotiations” document.","Separately, the State of California sued ExxonMobil in 2024 over its plastics-recycling claims. The suit and ExxonMobil's counter-suit were both pending in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Busan (INC-5), 25 Nov–1 Dec: no agreement; 220 industry lobbyists registered"},{"y":2024,"t":"California sues ExxonMobil over plastics-recycling claims (23 Sep, San Francisco Superior Court)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Geneva (INC-5.2) ends around 6 am on 15 Aug without agreement; 234 industry lobbyists registered"},{"y":2025,"t":"Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso resigns (October)"},{"y":2026,"t":"7 Feb: INC-5.3 in Geneva elects Julio Cordano as chair; March: roadmap issued; 30 Jun–3 Jul: heads of delegation meet in Nairobi; August: chair's “Aid to Negotiations” text, production cap in square brackets; 27–30 Sep: heads of delegation meet in Bangkok"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A pledge to end plastic waste: 15 million tonnes and USD 1.5 billion","who":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste (industry alliance)","src":null},{"t":"Advanced recycling at the Baytown facility described as working","who":"ExxonMobil","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Busan (INC-5): 220 registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists; host Korea had 140 delegates; the previous session (INC-4) had 196.","src":0},{"t":"Geneva (INC-5.2): 234 registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists, more than the EU and its 27 member states combined (233); Dow and the American Chemistry Council had 7 each, ExxonMobil 6.","src":2},{"t":"Geneva (INC-5.2): 19 of the 234 lobbyists were on official country delegations (CIEL count).","src":10},{"t":"Geneva (INC-5.2): trade press reported that both of the chair's drafts were rejected and that the December 2024 chair's text remains the fallback.","src":4},{"t":"INC-5.2 in Geneva ended without consensus; the next session was put off to 2026.","src":5},{"t":"Nairobi informal meeting: Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia and India asked for waste management only; the chair's topic list did not include production.","src":8},{"t":"The chair's August 2026 “Aid to Negotiations” left the production cap in square brackets; NGOs say the text weakens production measures.","src":9},{"t":"The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) had pledged 15 million tonnes and USD 1.5 billion; figures dated 8 September 2026 and attributed to AAP and AEPW show 378,147 tonnes, about 2.5% of the pledge.","src":11},{"t":"Saudi Arabia is reported to recycle a small share of its own waste (3–4%).","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Formal rounds without agreement","v":"2","d":"Busan (25 Nov–1 Dec 2024) and Geneva (August 2025)"},{"k":"Production cap in the chair's August 2026 text","v":"In square brackets","d":"Renewable Matter, September 2026"},{"k":"Industry lobbyists vs EU delegation at Geneva","v":"234 vs 233","d":"CIEL count; IPEN, August 2025"}]},"unknown":["The date and venue of the next formal round: reported as 13–24 March 2027, but the dates and venue of INC-5.4 are unconfirmed.","How much the Alliance to End Plastic Waste has actually spent by its own accounts: not found; a figure of $375m comes through the outlet Unearthed.","No ruling in the California v. ExxonMobil suit is recorded; both the suit and the counter-suit are pending.","Japan's stance on a production cap: not found in the sources."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the negotiations have not produced an agreed text, and the sources record no limit on plastic production.","whoPaid":"Not established in the sources.","statusLine":"As of the end of September 2026: two formal rounds ended without agreement, a new chair was elected in February 2026, and informal meetings in Nairobi and Bangkok left the production cap in square brackets; the next formal round is reported for March 2027 but is unconfirmed.","updated":"2026-09-30","responses":[{"actor":"exxonmobil","says":"Says advanced recycling works at its Baytown facility; countersued the California Attorney General for defamation.","when":"2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"unep","role":"Convenes the negotiations; issued the announcement of the new chair"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Defendant in California suit; six registered lobbyists at Geneva"},{"id":"dow","role":"Seven registered lobbyists at Geneva"},{"id":"american-chemistry-council","role":"Trade association; seven registered lobbyists at Geneva"},{"id":"ciel","role":"NGO that counted industry lobbyists"},{"id":"aepw","role":"Industry alliance with a 15-million-tonne pledge"},{"id":"saudi-arabia","role":"Leads a bloc opposing a production cap"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the treaty limit plastic production, or only address waste?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"A Saudi Arabia-led bloc, with Kuwait","says":"At Geneva the bloc opposed a production cap and a vote; Kuwait said the text crossed its red lines.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Saudi Arabia, the United States, Russia and India","says":"At the Nairobi informal meeting (June–July 2026) asked for waste management only.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"More than 100 countries (per trade press)","says":"Backed a cap on plastic production at Geneva in August 2025.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"Chair, Julio Cordano","says":"The chair's topic list at Nairobi did not include production, and the August 2026 “Aid to Negotiations” left the production cap in square brackets.","src":9},{"voice":"civil","holder":"NGOs","says":"Say the chair's text weakens production measures.","src":null}]},{"point":"How large was the industry presence at the talks?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"CIEL","says":"Counted 220 registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists at Busan and 234 at Geneva.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"IPEN","says":"At Geneva the 234 industry lobbyists outnumbered the combined delegation of the EU and its 27 member states (233).","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CIEL, via Sustainability Online","says":"Nineteen of the 234 lobbyists were on official country delegations.","src":10}]},{"point":"Does advanced recycling at ExxonMobil's Baytown facility return waste as plastic?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"California Attorney General","says":"The suit says almost all waste entering the facility leaves as fuel rather than plastic, and that the quantity returned as plastic is under 1% of ExxonMobil's virgin capacity.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"ExxonMobil","says":"Says advanced recycling works at Baytown, and countersued the Attorney General for defamation.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"California v. ExxonMobil (plastics-recycling claims)","forum":"San Francisco Superior Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of California (Attorney General)","defendant":"ExxonMobil","filed":"2024-09-23","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The complaint alleges nuisance, unfair competition, water pollution and false environmental marketing. The Attorney General said the plastics crisis is fuelled by a recycling myth. ExxonMobil countersued the Attorney General for defamation; both cases were pending.","src":13}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"lobbyists_busan","value":220,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists at INC-5; host Korea had 140 delegates (CIEL)."},{"key":"lobbyists_geneva","value":234,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Registered fossil-fuel and chemical industry lobbyists at INC-5.2; 19 on official country delegations."},{"key":"eu_member_states_delegation","value":233,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Combined delegation of the EU and its 27 member states at Geneva (IPEN)."},{"key":"chair_vote_share","value":63,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Julio Cordano elected chair at INC-5.3 (OceanCare)."},{"key":"aepw_tonnes","value":378147,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"Figure dated 8 September 2026 attributed to AAP and AEPW, against a 15-million-tonne pledge (about 2.5%)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Negotiations on a UN plastics treaty ended two formal rounds (Busan 2024, Geneva 2025) without agreement; informal meetings in 2026 left the production cap in square brackets.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Fossil-fuel and chemical industry delegations","what":"Registered 220 lobbyists at Busan and 234 at Geneva; no production cap was agreed","src":2},{"who":"States opposing a production cap (a Saudi Arabia-led bloc)","what":"No production cap in the agreed text; the cap remained in square brackets in the chair's August 2026 text","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Busan (South Korea), Geneva (Switzerland), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand).","src":null},"when":{"t":"November 2024 to September 2026; the next formal round is reported for March 2027 but unconfirmed.","src":8},"why":{"t":"Governments are divided between limiting plastic production and addressing only waste management.","src":8},"how":{"t":"Formal rounds ended without consensus; the Saudi Arabia-led bloc opposed a vote, and informal meetings in 2026 continued under a new chair.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Centre for International Environmental Law (CIEL): lobbyist count at INC-5, Busan","p":"CIEL","d":"2024-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.ciel.org","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010020047/https://www.ciel.org/"},{"t":"Lobbyists form largest delegation at the plastics treaty negotiations in Busan","p":"Earth Journalism Network","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://earthjournalism.net/stories/lobbyists-form-largest-delegation-at-the-plastics-treaty-negotiations-in-busan-three-times"},{"t":"Plastic treaty talks overrun by fossil fuel lobbyists, campaigners say","p":"IPEN","d":"2025-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://ipen.org/plastic-treaty-talks-overrun-by-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-campaigners-say/"},{"t":"Plastic talks end without consensus","p":"IPEN","d":"2025-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://ipen.org/plastic-talks-end-without-consensus/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516111240/https://ipen.org/plastic-talks-end-without-consensus/"},{"t":"INC-5.2 plastic treaty failure","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2025-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/inc-5-2-plastic-treaty-failure.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211163259/https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/inc-5-2-plastic-treaty-failure.html"},{"t":"INC 5.2 plastics treaty negotiations fail to reach consensus; INC 5.3 scheduled for February 2026","p":"SeafoodSource","d":"2025-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/inc-5-2-plastics-treaty-negotiations-fail-to-reach-consensus-inc-5-3-scheduled-for-february-2026","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251202075421/https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/inc-5-2-plastics-treaty-negotiations-fail-to-reach-consensus-inc-5-3-scheduled-for-february-2026"},{"t":"New chair elected to lead negotiations on global plastic pollution treaty","p":"UN Environment Programme","d":"2026-02","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.unep.org/en/news-and-stories/press-release/new-chair-elected-lead-negotiations-global-plastic-pollution-treaty"},{"t":"INC-5.3 plastics treaty negotiations","p":"OceanCare","d":"2026-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.oceancare.org/en/stories_and_news/inc5-3-plastics-treaty-negotiations/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518185652/https://www.oceancare.org/en/stories_and_news/inc5-3-plastics-treaty-negotiations/"},{"t":"UN plastics treaty talks restart with production curbs in doubt","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2026-06-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/06/30/un-plastics-pact-talks-restart-amid-fears-production-curbs-will-be-left-out/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907074533/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/06/30/un-plastics-pact-talks-restart-amid-fears-production-curbs-will-be-left-out/"},{"t":"Plastics treaty: Cordano presents Aid to Negotiations but disappoints science","p":"Renewable Matter","d":"2026-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.renewablematter.eu/en/plastics-treaty-cordano-presents-aid-to-negotiations-but-disappoints-science"},{"t":"Strong presence of lobbyists overshadows INC-5.2 plastics talks","p":"Sustainability Online","d":"2025-08","type":"press","u":"https://sustainabilityonline.net/news/strong-presence-of-lobbyists-overshadows-inc-5-2-plastics-talks/"},{"t":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste releases 2025 Progress Report","p":"AAP / Cision (Alliance to End Plastic Waste)","d":"2026-09-08","u":"https://www.aap.com.au/aapreleases/cision20260908ae41889/","type":"company"},{"t":"KSA plans to develop waste sector to support GDP by $32 billion","p":"Waste Recycling Magazine (citing Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture 2023 annual report)","d":"2024","u":"https://www.wasterecyclingmag.com/news/waste-management/ksa-plans-to-develop-waste-sector-to-support-gdp-by-32-billion","type":"press"},{"t":"Attorney General Bonta Sues ExxonMobil for Deceiving the Public on Recyclability of Plastic Products","p":"California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General","d":"2024-09-23","u":"https://oag.ca.gov/node/592242","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922030838/https://oag.ca.gov/node/592242"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"international-treaty","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the treaty limit plastic production, or only address waste?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the industry presence at the talks?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does advanced recycling at ExxonMobil's Baytown facility return waste as plastic?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The date and venue of the next formal round: reported as 13–24 March 2027, but the dates and venue of INC-5.4 are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much the Alliance to End Plastic Waste has actually spent by its own accounts: not found; a figure of $375m comes through the outlet Unearthed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling in the California v. ExxonMobil suit is recorded; both the suit and the counter-suit are pending.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Japan's stance on a production cap: not found in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"salonga-national-park-ranger-abuses","title":"Salonga National Park ranger abuses (DR Congo)","dek":"Rangers in Salonga National Park, which WWF co-manages with the Congolese parks authority ICCN, were reported to have killed, raped and tortured people between 2002 and 2016. An independent panel appointed by WWF found no evidence that WWF staff directed abuses, and found that WWF had not fulfilled its human rights commitments in relation to Salonga.","country":"DR Congo","region":"Africa","lat":-2,"lon":21.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","lat":-2,"lon":21.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"Bukavu","role":"court"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"funder"}],"start":2002,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2002–2016","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Killings, rapes and torture by park rangers, 2002–2016, as confirmed by a WWF-commissioned investigation","value":"3 men killed, 6 women raped, 3 men tortured","note":"Figures as stated by Rainforest Foundation UK in March 2019; the investigation itself was not published."},"happened":["Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been co-managed by WWF and the Congolese parks authority ICCN under an August 2015 memorandum of understanding. KfW, the German development bank, is a funder of the park.","On 1 April 2019 Rainforest Foundation UK stated that a WWF-commissioned investigation had confirmed that park rangers killed 3 men, raped 6 women and tortured 3 men between 2002 and 2016. A leaked draft of the investigation, reported by BuzzFeed News in July 2019, described four women, two of them pregnant, who were whipped and raped. An investigator on the matter fled after threats.","WWF said it referred six cases to the military prosecutor (the Auditeur militaire) and that ICCN suspended the suspected ecoguards. Germany froze funding to WWF for Salonga in July 2019.","An independent panel appointed by WWF in April 2019 and chaired by Navi Pillay published its report on 24 November 2020. On Salonga it stated that WWF DRC decided in March 2017 to investigate, but that the investigation \"was never implemented, apparently out of concern that doing so would meet with resistance from ICCN\". It also stated that \"WWF has not fulfilled its human rights commitments in relation to activities it supports in Salonga\", and that as of July 2020 the cases had gone to military authorities \"but had not resulted in prosecution\". The panel stated that it saw no evidence that WWF staff directed or took part in the alleged abuses.","One of the cases reached court: the February 2015 attack on four women near a river in Salonga. According to the panel, six ecoguards were tried at the Boende Military Tribunal between August and October 2019; five were acquitted in a judgement of 16 November 2019 and one was sentenced in absence to five years in prison. On appeal, the Military Court in Mbandaka on 28 December 2020 convicted five ecoguards of rape and torture and sentenced them to between five and 20 years in prison, according to Rainforest Foundation UK and Forest Peoples Programme. The court ordered ICCN to pay US$100,000 to the women, according to Rainforest Foundation UK. A military court in Bukavu separately convicted five ecoguards of Kahuzi-Biega National Park on 31 December 2020."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Start of the period in which rangers are reported to have killed 3 men, raped 6 women and tortured 3 men (to 2016)"},{"y":2015,"t":"February: four women, two of them pregnant, are tortured and sexually abused near a river in the park (Rainforest Foundation UK). August: WWF and ICCN sign a memorandum of understanding to co-manage Salonga"},{"y":2017,"t":"March: WWF DRC decides to investigate; the investigation is not carried out"},{"y":2018,"t":"August: investigators from the Congolese group APEM interview 231 people in 11 villages near the park; 56 of them (24%) say they were direct victims of physical violence by ecoguards or soldiers working with them (panel)"},{"y":2019,"t":"April: Rainforest Foundation UK reports the WWF-commissioned investigation findings; WWF's independent panel appointed. July: BuzzFeed News reports the leaked draft; Germany freezes funding to WWF for Salonga. 16 November: Boende Military Tribunal acquits five of six ecoguards tried over the 2015 attack on four women and sentences one in absence"},{"y":2020,"t":"July: cases at military authorities have not resulted in prosecution (panel); 24 November: panel report published; 28 December: Military Court in Mbandaka convicts five ecoguards of rape and torture on appeal"}],"said":[{"q":"was never implemented, apparently out of concern that doing so would meet with resistance from ICCN.","who":"Independent panel appointed by WWF (chair: Navi Pillay), on the March 2017 decision by WWF DRC to investigate Salonga","when":"24 November 2020","src":3},{"q":"WWF has not fulfilled its human rights commitments in relation to activities it supports in Salonga","who":"Independent panel appointed by WWF (chair: Navi Pillay)","when":"24 November 2020","src":3},{"q":"but had not resulted in prosecution","who":"Independent panel appointed by WWF, on cases sent to military authorities as of July 2020","when":"24 November 2020","src":3},{"q":"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence","who":"Independent panel appointed by WWF, on WWF's role across the countries it reviewed","when":"24 November 2020","src":3},{"q":"inconsistent. and especially weak in the Congo Basin countries","who":"Independent panel appointed by WWF, on implementation of WWF's human rights commitments","when":"24 November 2020","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"WWF said it referred six cases to the military prosecutor (Auditeur militaire) and that ICCN suspended the suspected ecoguards.","who":"WWF","src":1},{"t":"WWF said it embraces the panel's recommendations: codes of conduct for ecoguards as a condition of WWF support, complaint mechanisms, monitoring of patrols, and suspension and prosecution of accused ecoguards.","who":"WWF","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"A WWF-commissioned investigation confirmed that park rangers killed 3 men, raped 6 women and tortured 3 men between 2002 and 2016 (as stated by Rainforest Foundation UK, March 2019).","src":0},{"t":"A leaked draft of the investigation described four women whipped and raped, two of them pregnant (BuzzFeed News).","src":1},{"t":"The panel stated that no agreements or memoranda of understanding with state partners contained human rights provisions, and that no donor project agreements before 2019 required human rights due diligence.","src":3},{"t":"Germany froze funding to WWF for Salonga in July 2019.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People reported killed, raped or tortured by rangers","v":"3 + 6 + 3","d":"2002–2016; WWF-commissioned investigation, as stated by Rainforest Foundation UK"},{"k":"Prosecutions of Salonga rangers","v":"None reported","d":"Cases sent to military authorities had not resulted in prosecution as of July 2020 (panel)"},{"k":"Investigation report published","v":"No","d":"Rainforest Foundation UK called on WWF to release details of the investigation"}]},"unknown":["Whether other Salonga cases have gone to trial: the panel stated that, apart from the 2015 attack on four women, the military prosecutor had not taken the other referred cases to the military court as of July 2020; no later trial was found.","Whether the US$100,000 that the Mbandaka court ordered ICCN to pay to the four women has been paid was not found.","Whether the ecoguard sentenced in absence to five years in November 2019 has served the sentence was not found.","Survey figures: investigators from the Congolese group APEM interviewed 231 people in 11 villages in August 2018, and 56 (24%) said they were direct victims of physical violence by ecoguards or soldiers working with them (panel); the survey data themselves were not seen.","The full report of the WWF-commissioned investigation had not been published; Rainforest Foundation UK called on WWF to release its details."],"evidence":["deaths","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not state when the reported ranger violence in Salonga ended. It records events from 2002 to 2016, a German funding freeze in July 2019, and a panel statement in July 2020 that referred cases had not resulted in prosecution.","whoPaid":"The men and women reported as killed, raped or tortured by park rangers between 2002 and 2016.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: five Salonga ecoguards were convicted of rape and torture on appeal by the Military Court in Mbandaka on 28 December 2020; no other Salonga trial was found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"wwf","says":"Referred six cases to the military prosecutor (Auditeur militaire); ICCN suspended the suspected ecoguards.","when":"Date not given","src":1},{"actor":"wwf","says":"Said it embraces the panel's recommendations, including codes of conduct for ecoguards, complaint mechanisms and patrol monitoring.","when":"November 2020","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Co-manager of Salonga National Park (since an August 2015 memorandum of understanding)"},{"id":"iccn","role":"Congolese parks authority; co-manager of Salonga"},{"id":"kfw","role":"German development bank; funder of Salonga"},{"id":"rainforest-foundation-uk","role":"NGO that stated the investigation findings in March 2019"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the referred cases lead to prosecutions?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF","says":"Said it referred six cases to the military prosecutor and that ICCN suspended the suspected ecoguards.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel appointed by WWF","says":"As of July 2020 the cases had gone to military authorities \"but had not resulted in prosecution\".","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"Bukavu military court","says":"Reported to have convicted ten ecoguards from Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga of murder, rape and torture in 2020; the number from Salonga is not given.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did WWF meet its human rights commitments in Salonga?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel appointed by WWF","says":"Stated that WWF has not fulfilled its human rights commitments in relation to activities it supports in Salonga, and that it saw no evidence that WWF staff directed or participated in the alleged abuses.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF","says":"Said it embraces the panel's recommendations.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Referral of Salonga ecoguard cases to military prosecutors","forum":"Military prosecutor (Auditeur militaire)","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Military prosecutor (six cases referred, according to WWF)","defendant":"Suspected ecoguards (not named)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"WWF said it referred six cases to the Auditeur militaire. The independent panel stated that as of July 2020 the cases had gone to military authorities but had not resulted in prosecution.","src":3},{"title":"Trial and appeal of six ecoguards over the February 2015 attack on four women (Salonga)","forum":"Boende Military Tribunal (first instance, November 2019); Military Court, Mbandaka (appeal, 28 December 2020)","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Military prosecutor (Auditeur militaire)","defendant":"Six ecoguards (not named); five convicted on appeal","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12-28","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Boende Military Tribunal acquitted five of the six ecoguards on 16 November 2019 and sentenced one in absence to five years (panel). On appeal the Military Court in Mbandaka convicted five ecoguards of rape and torture on 28 December 2020, with sentences of five to 20 years, and ordered ICCN to pay US$100,000 to the four women (Rainforest Foundation UK).","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":3,"unit":"men","year":2016,"note":"Men reported killed by park rangers, 2002–2016, according to a WWF-commissioned investigation as stated by Rainforest Foundation UK (March 2019)."},{"key":"women_raped","value":6,"unit":"women","year":2016,"note":"Women raped by park rangers, 2002–2016, same source."},{"key":"people_tortured","value":3,"unit":"men","year":2016,"note":"Men tortured by park rangers, 2002–2016, same source."},{"key":"area_ha","value":3600000,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Size of Salonga National Park."},{"key":"cases_referred","value":6,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"Cases WWF said it referred to the Auditeur militaire."},{"key":"survey_respondents","value":231,"unit":"people","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Survey in 11 villages; about one in four reported ranger violence. Reported but not independently verified."},{"key":"convicted_ecoguards","value":10,"unit":"ecoguards","year":2020,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported convictions in Bukavu of ecoguards from Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga combined; the Salonga share is not given and conflicts with the panel's July 2020 statement."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rangers in Salonga National Park were reported to have killed 3 men, raped 6 women and tortured 3 men between 2002 and 2016, according to a WWF-commissioned investigation as stated by Rainforest Foundation UK.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"WWF","what":"Co-manager of Salonga since an August 2015 memorandum of understanding; more than US$150 million from the US government since 2004 for this work (a network-wide figure, not specific to Salonga).","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Men and women reported as killed, raped or tortured by park rangers","what":"3 men killed, 6 women raped, 3 men tortured, 2002–2016; four women, two of them pregnant, described as whipped and raped in the leaked draft.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo, 3.6 million hectares and described as Africa's largest forest park.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Incidents 2002–2016; co-management memorandum of understanding August 2015; German funding freeze July 2019; panel report 24 November 2020.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The panel stated that WWF DRC's March 2017 decision to investigate was not implemented, apparently out of concern about resistance from ICCN, and that no agreements with state partners contained human rights provisions.","src":3},"how":{"t":"A leaked draft investigation, reported by BuzzFeed News, described four women whipped and raped, two of them pregnant; WWF said it referred six cases to the military prosecutor.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Rainforest Foundation UK calls on WWF to immediately release details of investigation into human rights abuses","p":"Rainforest Foundation UK","d":"2019-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/rfuk-calls-on-wwf-to-immediately-release-details-of-investigation-into-human-rights-abuses","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618040653/https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/rfuk-calls-on-wwf-to-immediately-release-details-of-investigation-into-human-rights-abuses/"},{"t":"BuzzFeed News report on the leaked draft investigation of WWF-backed guards in Salonga","p":"BuzzFeed News (Tom Warren)","d":"2019","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/leaked-report-wwf-backed-guards-raped-pregnant-women","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928212503/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/leaked-report-wwf-backed-guards-raped-pregnant-women"},{"t":"Report on Salonga National Park (KfW document, file name 2020_MFC-Report-on-Salonga-National-Park; contents not summarised)","p":"KfW Entwicklungsbank","d":"2020","type":"official","u":"https://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/PDF/Entwicklungsfinanzierung/Themen/2020_MFC-Report-on-Salonga-National-Park.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241202103935/https://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/PDF/Entwicklungsfinanzierung/Themen/2020_MFC-Report-on-Salonga-National-Park.pdf"},{"t":"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action (independent panel commissioned by WWF; copy hosted by Lahurnip)","p":"Independent panel (Navi Pillay, John Knox, Kathy MacKinnon)","d":"2020-11-24","type":"ngo","voice":"research","u":"https://www.lahurnip.org/uploads/resource/file/embedding-human-rights-in-nature-conservation-from-intent-to-action.pdf"},{"t":"Independent panel statement, Independent Review 2020 (copy hosted by WWF Belgium)","p":"WWF (via WWF Belgium)","d":"2020-11","type":"company","u":"https://wwf.be/sites/default/files/articles/files/RAPPORT-AUTRES/Independent-review-2020/2-ir-independent-panel-statement.pdf"},{"t":"Huge leap in fight against impunity for conservation-related abuses in DRC as park rangers are sentenced for rape and torture","p":"Rainforest Foundation UK","d":"2021-01-13","u":"https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/huge-leap-in-fight-against-impunity-for-conservation-related-abuses-in-drc-as-park-rangers-are-sentenced-for-rape-and-torture/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Coercive conservation on trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2021-01-06","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/publications-resources/news/article/coercive-conservation-on-trial-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Kahuzi-Biega National Park","p":"University of Arizona, Indigenous Peoples Rights and Policy Program","d":"","u":"https://indigenous.arizona.edu/kahuzi-biega-national-park","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the referred cases lead to prosecutions?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did WWF meet its human rights commitments in Salonga?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Referral of Salonga ecoguard cases to military prosecutors: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Survey respondents: Survey in 11 villages; about one in four reported ranger violence. Reported but not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Convicted ecoguards: Reported convictions in Bukavu of ecoguards from Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga combined; the Salonga share is not given and conflicts with the panel's July 2020 statement.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether other Salonga cases have gone to trial: the panel stated that, apart from the 2015 attack on four women, the military prosecutor had not taken the other referred cases to the military court as of July 2020; no later trial was found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the US$100,000 that the Mbandaka court ordered ICCN to pay to the four women has been paid was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the ecoguard sentenced in absence to five years in November 2019 has served the sentence was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Survey figures: investigators from the Congolese group APEM interviewed 231 people in 11 villages in August 2018, and 56 (24%) said they were direct victims of physical violence by ecoguards or soldiers working with them (panel); the survey data themselves were not seen.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The full report of the WWF-commissioned investigation had not been published; Rainforest Foundation UK called on WWF to release its details.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: WWF"]},{"id":"wwf-independent-review-and-us-funding-suspension","title":"WWF independent review (Pillay panel) and US funding suspension","dek":"In November 2020 an independent panel appointed by WWF reported that it saw no evidence that WWF staff directed alleged ranger abuses in six countries, and that WWF's human rights commitments had been implemented inconsistently. In 2019 and 2020 the US government suspended and then conditioned funds to conservation grantees including WWF and WCS.","country":"International","region":"Global","lat":null,"lon":null,"places":[{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","role":"affected"},{"country":"Central African Republic","iso2":"CF","role":"affected"},{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Republic of Congo","iso2":"CG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","role":"affected"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"funder"}],"start":2019,"end":2020,"eventDate":"24 November 2020","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"CARPE funds suspended by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, autumn 2019","value":"US$12.3 million","note":"USAID money routed through the US Fish and Wildlife Service."},"happened":["From 4 March 2019 BuzzFeed News published an investigation reporting that rangers funded or equipped by WWF in six countries had beaten, sexually assaulted and killed villagers. WWF appointed an independent panel in April 2019: Navi Pillay (chair), John Knox and Kathy MacKinnon. It covered Cameroon, the Central African Republic, DR Congo, the Republic of Congo, Nepal and India.","The panel's report, \"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action\", was published on 24 November 2020. It stated that there were \"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence\". It also stated that implementation of WWF's human rights commitments was \"inconsistent. and especially weak in the Congo Basin countries\", that no agreements or memoranda of understanding with state partners contained human rights provisions, and that no donor project agreements before 2019 required human rights due diligence.","On individual countries the panel stated that WWF had heard allegations about Cameroon \"as early as 2008\"; that WWF DRC's March 2017 decision to investigate Salonga \"was never implemented\"; that the consent process at Messok Dja \"did not comply with international human rights norms or WWF's own commitments\"; and that it \"found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms\" in Dzanga-Sangha. On Nepal it stated that WWF Nepal was not aware of most alleged abuses from 2006 to 2016 and treated them as a government matter.","The US Fish and Wildlife Service opened a review of its international grants in June 2019 and in autumn 2019 suspended US$12.3 million of CARPE funds. In a leaked memo of 18 September 2020, Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor wrote that responses from grantees including WWF and WCS were \"not uniformly thorough or responsible\" and set new conditions: no federal funds without free, prior and informed consent, and no funding for ecoguards, law enforcement, or \"activities related to relocating communities\".","WWF said it \"embraces\" the panel's recommendations: codes of conduct for ecoguards as a condition of WWF support, complaint mechanisms, monitoring of patrols, and suspension and prosecution of accused ecoguards."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"10 February: Survival International files an OECD complaint against WWF with the Swiss National Contact Point (228 pages); talks break down and OECD Watch lists the case as withdrawn"},{"y":2019,"t":"4 March: BuzzFeed News series begins; April: panel appointed; June: US Fish and Wildlife Service opens review of international grants; July: Germany freezes funding to WWF for Salonga; autumn: US$12.3m of CARPE funds suspended"},{"y":2020,"t":"April/May: EU suspends part of its funding (about €1m) for Messok Dja; July: WWF Nepal suspends funding for Chitwan ranger training and equipment; 18 September: Interior memo; 13 October: REDD-Monitor reports the US funding stop; 24 November: panel report published"}],"said":[{"q":"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence","who":"Independent panel appointed by WWF (chair: Navi Pillay)","when":"24 November 2020","src":0},{"q":"as early as 2008","who":"Independent panel, on when WWF heard allegations about Cameroon","when":"24 November 2020","src":0},{"q":"Until recent years, WWF had not taken adequate steps to fulfil that responsibility.","who":"Independent panel, on Cameroon","when":"24 November 2020","src":0},{"q":"was never implemented, apparently out of concern that doing so would meet with resistance from ICCN.","who":"Independent panel, on WWF DRC's March 2017 decision to investigate Salonga","when":"24 November 2020","src":0},{"q":"did not comply with international human rights norms or WWF's own commitments.","who":"Independent panel, on the consent process at Messok Dja","when":"24 November 2020","src":0},{"q":"Indian law should not be construed as authorising a `shoot on sight' policy","who":"Independent panel, on Kaziranga (India), where it took no position on the shootings","when":"24 November 2020","src":0},{"q":"not uniformly thorough or responsible","who":"Kate MacGregor, Deputy Interior Secretary, in a leaked memo on grantees' responses including those of WWF and WCS","when":"18 September 2020","src":2},{"q":"overly burdensome","who":"WCS, on the US request for information","when":"2020","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"WWF said it embraces the panel's recommendations.","who":"WWF","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The panel stated that no agreements or memoranda of understanding with state partners contained human rights provisions, and that no donor project agreements before 2019 required human rights due diligence.","src":0},{"t":"In Dzanga-Sangha the panel found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms, and judged the hiring of Maisha Consulting \"necessary in the circumstances\".","src":0},{"t":"WWF Nepal suspended funding for Chitwan ranger training and field equipment after a Chepang youth was beaten and died, and Chepang families were removed, in July 2020.","src":0},{"t":"The US Fish and Wildlife Service suspended US$12.3 million of CARPE funds in autumn 2019.","src":2},{"t":"A secondary account of the report states that the panel wrote that WWF staff had received credible reports since 2008, that serious allegations reached senior management in 2014–2018, that consultants' reports were softened before reaching the board, and that WWF put its relationship with governments ahead of community safety.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"US funds suspended (CARPE)","v":"US$12.3m","d":"Autumn 2019, US Fish and Wildlife Service"},{"k":"Agreements with state partners containing human rights provisions","v":"None","d":"Panel, 24 November 2020"},{"k":"Evidence that WWF staff directed abuses","v":"None found","d":"Panel, 24 November 2020"}]},"unknown":["Whether the conditions in the 18 September 2020 memo (no funds for ecoguards, law enforcement or relocation of communities) remained in force: not recorded.","Unconfirmed: the secondary account of the panel's findings on warnings reaching WWF's senior management and board, taken from a summary rather than the full report.","How the panel report treated the 2006 Chitwan death in custody: not found."],"evidence":["deaths"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not state that the reported abuses stopped. It records suspended or restricted funding: US CARPE funds (autumn 2019), part of EU funding for Messok Dja (April/May 2020) and WWF Nepal's Chitwan funding (July 2020).","whoPaid":"People reported as beaten, tortured or killed by rangers in the parks the panel reviewed, including a farmer who died in park custody in Chitwan in 2006 and a Chepang youth who was beaten and died in July 2020.","statusLine":"As of the latest record (November 2020): the panel report was published on 24 November 2020, WWF said it embraces its recommendations, and the US Interior memo of 18 September 2020 is the latest recorded set of funding conditions.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"wwf","says":"Said it \"embraces\" the panel's recommendations.","when":"November 2020","src":1},{"actor":"wcs","says":"Called the US request for information \"overly burdensome\".","when":"2020","src":2},{"actor":"virunga-foundation","says":"Said it would close its operations rather than provide documents to the US review.","when":"2020","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Commissioned the independent review; grantee under US review"},{"id":"wcs","role":"Grantee under US review"},{"id":"fws","role":"Opened the review of international grants and suspended CARPE funds"},{"id":"usaid","role":"Source of the CARPE funds routed through the US Fish and Wildlife Service"},{"id":"virunga-foundation","role":"Grantee that said it would close rather than provide documents"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did WWF direct, take part in, or fail to act on ranger abuses?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel appointed by WWF","says":"Stated there were no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in the alleged abuses and that it saw no evidence; stated that implementation of commitments was inconsistent and especially weak in the Congo Basin countries.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"BuzzFeed News","says":"Reported that rangers funded or equipped by WWF in six countries beat, sexually assaulted and killed villagers.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF","says":"Said it embraces the panel's recommendations.","src":1}]},{"point":"Chitwan, Nepal: did WWF Nepal know of the abuses and act on them?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"BuzzFeed News","says":"Reported that WWF Nepal lobbied for the charges over a 2006 death in park custody to be dropped; the case was withdrawn in 2007 and an accused ranger was later hired by WWF Nepal.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel appointed by WWF","says":"Stated that WWF Nepal was not aware of most alleged abuses from 2006 to 2016 and treated them as a government matter.","src":0}]},{"point":"Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic: did WWF help ecoguards obtain weapons?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Allegation (source: none on record)","says":"Alleged that WWF helped ecoguards buy army weapons and hired Maisha Consulting to deal with the Seleka.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel appointed by WWF","says":"\"found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms\"; judged the hiring of Maisha Consulting \"necessary in the circumstances\".","src":0}]},{"point":"Did grantees respond adequately to the US review of international grants?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kate MacGregor, Deputy Interior Secretary","says":"Wrote that grantees' responses, including those of WWF and WCS, were \"not uniformly thorough or responsible\".","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WCS","says":"Called the request \"overly burdensome\".","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Virunga Foundation","says":"Said it would close its operations rather than provide documents.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"US Fish and Wildlife Service review of international grants and CARPE suspension","forum":"US Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Fish and Wildlife Service","defendant":"International conservation grantees including WWF and WCS","filed":"June 2019","decided":"18 September 2020 (memo)","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":12.3,"currency":"USD","label":"CARPE funds suspended in autumn 2019 (US$ million)"},"summary":"The Service opened a review of its international grants in June 2019 and suspended US$12.3 million of CARPE funds in autumn 2019. The leaked Interior memo of 18 September 2020 set new conditions: no federal funds without free, prior and informed consent and no funding for ecoguards, law enforcement or activities related to relocating communities.","src":2},{"title":"Survival International complaint against WWF (OECD, Swiss National Contact Point)","forum":"Swiss National Contact Point (OECD)","country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","kind":"international","claimant":"Survival International","defendant":"WWF","filed":"10 February 2016","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The complaint ran to 228 pages. Talks broke down and OECD Watch lists the case as \"withdrawn\".","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"funds_suspended","value":12.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"CARPE funds (USAID money routed through the US Fish and Wildlife Service) suspended in autumn 2019."},{"key":"us_funding_received_wwf","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Received by WWF from the US government since 2004 for this work; network-wide figure."},{"key":"us_funding_received_wcs","value":19,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Received by WCS from the US government since 2010."},{"key":"eu_funding_suspended","value":1,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Part of EU funding for Messok Dja suspended in April/May 2020 after a check by the Congolese human rights group OCDH; the source is secondary and is not named."},{"key":"countries_reviewed","value":6,"unit":"countries","year":2020,"note":"Cameroon, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Nepal and India."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An independent panel appointed by WWF reported on alleged ranger abuses in six countries, and the US government suspended and then conditioned funds to conservation grantees including WWF and WCS.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"WWF","what":"More than US$150 million from the US government since 2004 for this work (network-wide figure).","src":null},{"who":"WCS","what":"More than US$19 million from the US government since 2010.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"A farmer","what":"Held in the Chitwan park jail in June 2006 on suspicion of helping his son hide a rhino horn; died about nine days later (a secondary account gives a different timing).","src":null},{"who":"A Chepang youth","what":"Beaten and died in July 2020 in Chitwan; WWF Nepal then suspended funding for ranger training and field equipment.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Cameroon, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Nepal and India; the funding decisions were taken in the United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"BuzzFeed News series from 4 March 2019; panel appointed April 2019; US review from June 2019; Interior memo 18 September 2020; panel report 24 November 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The panel stated that no agreements with state partners contained human rights provisions and that implementation of WWF's commitments was inconsistent.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The panel, chaired by Navi Pillay with John Knox and Kathy MacKinnon, reviewed WWF's work in six countries; the US Fish and Wildlife Service reviewed international grants and suspended CARPE funds.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action (independent panel commissioned by WWF; copy hosted by Lahurnip)","p":"Independent panel (Navi Pillay, John Knox, Kathy MacKinnon)","d":"2020-11-24","type":"ngo","voice":"research","u":"https://www.lahurnip.org/uploads/resource/file/embedding-human-rights-in-nature-conservation-from-intent-to-action.pdf"},{"t":"Independent panel statement, Independent Review 2020 (copy hosted by WWF Belgium)","p":"WWF (via WWF Belgium)","d":"2020-11","type":"company","u":"https://wwf.be/sites/default/files/articles/files/RAPPORT-AUTRES/Independent-review-2020/2-ir-independent-panel-statement.pdf"},{"t":"US government stops funding to WWF, WCS and other conservation organisations because of human rights abuses (reports a leaked memo)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-10-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/13/us-government-stops-funding-to-wwf-wcs-and-other-conservation-organisations-because-of-human-rights-abuses/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221006021050/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/13/us-government-stops-funding-to-wwf-wcs-and-other-conservation-organisations-because-of-human-rights-abuses/"},{"t":"UNDP investigation report on Messok Dja (file name SECU0009 Final Investigation Report; contents not summarised)","p":"UNDP","d":"2020","type":"official","u":"https://info.undp.org/sites/registry/secu/SECU_Documents/SECU0009_Final%20Investigation%20Report0c492fa6e2084b6bae7015945cabe25f.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421135456/https://info.undp.org/sites/registry/secu/SECU_Documents/SECU0009_Final%20Investigation%20Report0c492fa6e2084b6bae7015945cabe25f.pdf"},{"t":"Survival International vs WWF (OECD complaint listing)","p":"OECD Watch","d":"2016-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.oecdwatch.org/complaint/survival-international-vs-wwf/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710170134/https://www.oecdwatch.org/complaint/survival-international-vs-wwf/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["wwf-supported-ecoguards-in-cameroon-and-car","messok-dja-ecoguard-abuses","wwf-nepal-chitwan-ranger-death"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did WWF direct, take part in, or fail to act on ranger abuses?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Chitwan, Nepal: did WWF Nepal know of the abuses and act on them?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic: did WWF help ecoguards obtain weapons?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did grantees respond adequately to the US review of international grants?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"US Fish and Wildlife Service review of international grants and CARPE suspension: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Survival International complaint against WWF (OECD, Swiss National Contact Point): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Eu funding suspended: Part of EU funding for Messok Dja suspended in April/May 2020 after a check by the Congolese human rights group OCDH; the source is secondary and is not named.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the conditions in the 18 September 2020 memo (no funds for ecoguards, law enforcement or relocation of communities) remained in force: not recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the secondary account of the panel's findings on warnings reaching WWF's senior management and board, taken from a summary rather than the full report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the panel report treated the 2006 Chitwan death in custody: not found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: WWF","No source link — Who gained: WCS","No source link — Who harmed: A farmer"]},{"id":"imip-nickel-waste-landslides-and-obi-island","title":"IMIP nickel waste landslides and Obi island (Indonesia)","dek":"Nickel-waste storage at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park collapsed in March 2025, killing three subcontract workers, and a further landslide killed one worker in February 2026. On Obi Island, residents of Kawasi village and an OCCRP-led investigation reported chromium-6 readings above Indonesia's drinking-water limit near a nickel smelter; the operator disputes the findings.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-2.8,"lon":122.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Central Sulawesi (Morowali)","lat":-2.8,"lon":122.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"North Maluku (Obi Island, Kawasi village)","lat":-1.55,"lon":127.65,"role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-03-22","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Workers killed in IMIP waste-storage landslides, March 2025 and February 2026","value":"4","note":"Three on 22 March 2025 and one in February 2026. Walhi Central Sulawesi counted eight waste-management worker deaths at IMIP in total."},"happened":["The Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) in Morowali, Central Sulawesi, processes nickel. Indonesia banned exports of raw nickel ore in 2020, and the government said processing nickel at home would make the country a centre of the electric-vehicle battery supply chain. At kilometre 8 of the park, PT QMB New Energy Materials and Huayou Nickel Cobalt operate a site that produces mixed hydroxide precipitate (MHP), a semi-finished nickel product used for electric-vehicle batteries. The process used, high-pressure acid leaching, dissolves low-grade ore in sulphuric acid under heat and pressure and leaves large volumes of waste sludge. Earthworks put the waste at about 120 tonnes per tonne of nickel; a union leader put it at about 10 tonnes.","In 2020 four companies applied for permission to dispose of this waste by pipeline in the deep sea. In 2021 the government announced it would not grant such permits, without issuing a written ban, and the companies began storing the waste on land. On 16 March 2025, in heavy rain, muddy water containing heavy metals flowed from the waste facility of PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt into the Bahodopi River and Labota village. Mongabay Indonesia reported that 341 families, 1,092 people, were affected. On 22 March 2025, shortly after midnight, soil slid at the QMB waste site. Four workers of a subcontractor were buried and three died. The company's first statement attributed the event to continuous rain and reported two victims found and one worker missing. A workers' union said the facility stood on a filled pond and that satellite images from January 2025 showed an earlier slide at the same facility.","In February 2026 another landslide at the same site killed one worker. Mongabay Indonesia reported that IMIP produced 11.5 million tonnes of waste a year and that 47 million tonnes were expected in 2026. A park spokesperson pointed to soft ground beneath the site. Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the company had caused deaths twice and promised legal and criminal action and revocation of its environmental approval. As of March 2026 no fine or revocation had been recorded. Walhi Central Sulawesi counted eight waste-management worker deaths at IMIP. Mongabay Indonesia also reported 53 deaths in Indonesian nickel industrial areas between 2015 and 2022, and 21 deaths in a furnace explosion at the park on 24 December 2023.","The 24 December 2023 explosion occurred at a furnace of PT Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel (ITSS), which is linked to Tsingshan Holding Group, described in the cited sources as IMIP's majority owner. The official count was 13 dead; later reports gave 20 to 21. The first explanation referred to liquid left at the bottom of the furnace. No penalty or prosecution is on record.","On Obi Island in North Maluku, Kawasi village lies directly behind the nickel mine and smelters of the Harita Group, with the industrial area less than 100 metres from the back of some houses, according to Mongabay Indonesia. An investigation published in April 2025 by OCCRP, the Gecko Project, The Guardian and Deutsche Welle, based on leaked company documents, reported that chromium-6 in the village's drinking-water source repeatedly exceeded Indonesia's limit of 50 parts per billion, with readings of 128 ppb in February 2022 and 173 ppb in February 2023, and that all 30 days tested in August 2022 exceeded the limit. Harita denies the findings, says its own tests measured 5 to 40 ppb and says the water is drinkable. Mongabay Indonesia reported in April 2026, citing district agriculture office data, that sago area in the district fell from 297 hectares in 2023 to 127 hectares in 2025 and the number of sago producers from 284 to 100. Harita Nickel became the first Indonesian mine to enter an audit by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) in October 2024; it chose an optional corrective-action period of up to 12 months, during which results are not published."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Indonesia bans export of raw nickel ore; four companies apply for permission to dispose of HPAL waste in the deep sea"},{"y":2021,"t":"Government announces it will not grant deep-sea waste permits, without a written ban; waste is stored on land"},{"y":2023,"t":"24 December: furnace explosion at the ITSS plant in IMIP; official count 13 dead, later reports up to 21"},{"y":2024,"t":"October: Harita Nickel (Obi) enters an IRMA audit"},{"y":2025,"t":"January: union cites satellite images of an earlier slide at the QMB waste site. 16 March: mud flow into Bahodopi River and Labota. 22 March: QMB waste-site collapse, three workers die. April: OCCRP-led investigation on chromium-6 at Kawasi. June: Environment Ministry findings at IMIP reported (figures unconfirmed)"},{"y":2026,"t":"February: a further landslide kills one worker. March: no fine or revocation recorded. April: Mongabay reports sago loss on Obi. July and October: IRMA audit of Harita Nickel still without published results"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Nickel processed at home to make Indonesia a centre of the electric-vehicle battery supply chain (‘hilirisasi’, downstream processing)","who":"Indonesian government","src":null},{"t":"Nickel presented as ‘low-carbon battery nickel’","who":"Indonesian state and Chinese-capital industrial parks","src":null},{"t":"Continuous rain caused flooding and a landslide (initial statement after the 22 March 2025 collapse)","who":"PT QMB New Energy Materials","src":3},{"t":"Soft ground beneath the site (February 2026 landslide)","who":"IMIP park spokesperson","src":3},{"t":"A company executive raised a glass of water at the Kawasi water source before the press in April 2023; photographs do not show whether he drank it","who":"A Harita executive, as reported by OCCRP and partners","src":null},{"t":"Land use for the relocation ‘eco-village’ followed free, prior and informed consent and was examined in the IRMA audit","who":"Harita's sustainability manager","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"16 March 2025: mud flow from PT Huayue Nickel Cobalt's waste facility into the Bahodopi River and Labota village; 341 families, 1,092 people affected","src":1},{"t":"22 March 2025: collapse at the QMB waste site; four subcontract workers buried, three died","src":1},{"t":"A workers' union said the facility stood on a filled pond; January 2025 satellite images showed an earlier slide at the same facility","src":4},{"t":"February 2026: a further landslide at the same site killed one worker; IMIP waste output 11.5 million tonnes a year, 47 million expected in 2026","src":2},{"t":"As of March 2026 no fine or revocation of environmental approval recorded after the two fatal landslides","src":3},{"t":"Mongabay Indonesia reported 53 deaths in nickel industrial areas in 2015–2022 and 21 deaths in the December 2023 furnace explosion","src":1},{"t":"24 December 2023: furnace explosion at the ITSS plant in the Morowali park, reported by Tempo; the official count was 13 dead, later reports 20–21","src":7},{"t":"Kawasi water source: chromium-6 128 ppb (February 2022) and 173 ppb (February 2023) against a 50 ppb limit, per leaked company documents reviewed by OCCRP and partners","src":10},{"t":"Sago area in the district fell from 297 ha (2023) to 127 ha (2025); sago producers from 284 to 100","src":6},{"t":"CREA: coal-based Indonesian nickel producers emit 57–70 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of nickel against a proposed low-carbon threshold of 20 tonnes; captive coal capacity reached 19.3 GW in July 2025","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People affected by the Labota mud flow","v":"1,092","d":"341 families, 16 March 2025 (Mongabay Indonesia)"},{"k":"Chromium-6 at the Kawasi water source","v":"128–173 ppb","d":"February 2022 and February 2023, against Indonesia's 50 ppb limit; Harita reports 5–40 ppb in its own tests"},{"k":"Sago area on Obi","v":"297 → 127 ha","d":"2023 to 2025, district agriculture office data via Mongabay Indonesia"},{"k":"Annual IMIP waste output","v":"11.5 → 47 Mt","d":"Current output and the volume expected in 2026 (Mongabay Indonesia)"}]},"unknown":["Whether any sanction was imposed on the operators after the March 2025 and February 2026 landslides: none recorded as of March 2026.","No penalty or prosecution was found for the December 2023 furnace explosion.","Death toll of the December 2023 explosion: the official count was 13; later reports gave 20 to 21.","Waste volume per tonne of nickel: Earthworks gives about 120 tonnes, a union leader about 10 tonnes.","Whether sanctions for the Environment Ministry's findings at IMIP were applied: unclear in the sources.","Unconfirmed: the Environment Ministry's June 2025 inspection findings at IMIP (structures of more than 1,800 hectares outside the environmental impact assessment, more than 12 million tonnes of unpermitted nickel slag and waste, and 24 emission sources without continuous monitoring). The figures come of the ministry statement.","Unconfirmed: a separate account that some IMIP facilities were missing from the environmental impact assessment (AMDAL) and that a 179-hectare area next to the park was cleared.","Unconfirmed: Rainforest Rescue (2025) reported boron, chromium(VI) and nickel leaking into groundwater and over-full waste dams; the report's title refers to Morowali, and whether the site is on Obi Island is unconfirmed.","IRMA audit results for Harita Nickel on Obi remained unpublished in October 2026 because the company chose the corrective-action period.","No ruling or court case on the sago land taken for the relocation ‘eco-village’ was found."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths","review"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded as stopped. As of March 2026 no fine or revocation of environmental approval had been recorded after the two fatal landslides, and annual waste output was expected to rise from 11.5 to 47 million tonnes in 2026.","whoPaid":"Subcontract workers (four died in the two recorded landslides), residents of Labota (341 families affected by the March 2025 mud flow) and villagers of Kawasi, as reported.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: no fine or revocation of environmental approval recorded after the two fatal waste landslides at IMIP; as of October 2026 the IRMA audit results for Harita Nickel on Obi were unpublished.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"pt-qmb","says":"Its first statement after the 22 March 2025 collapse said continuous rain caused flooding and a landslide, reported two victims found and one worker missing (as summarised by BHRRC).","when":"March 2025","src":3},{"actor":"pt-imip","says":"A park spokesperson pointed to soft ground beneath the site after the February 2026 landslide.","when":"February 2026","src":3},{"actor":"indonesia-klh","says":"Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said the company had caused deaths twice and promised legal and criminal action and revocation of its environmental approval; no fine or revocation was recorded as of March 2026.","when":"March 2026","src":3},{"actor":"harita","says":"Denies the chromium-6 findings, says its own tests measured 5 to 40 ppb and that the water is drinkable; its sustainability manager wrote that land use for the relocation village followed free, prior and informed consent and was examined in the IRMA audit.","when":"April 2025 and April 2026","src":6},{"actor":"tsingshan","says":"The initial explanation of the 24 December 2023 explosion referred to liquid left at the bottom of the furnace.","when":"December 2023","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"tsingshan","role":"Described as majority owner of IMIP; ITSS furnace explosion, December 2023"},{"id":"huayou","role":"Investor in Huayou Nickel Cobalt, an operator at the IMIP km 8 waste site"},{"id":"pt-imip","role":"Industrial park operator, Morowali"},{"id":"pt-qmb","role":"Operator of the km 8 MHP site where the 22 March 2025 collapse occurred"},{"id":"harita","role":"Operator of the nickel mine and smelters at Kawasi, Obi Island"},{"id":"indonesia-klh","role":"Environment ministry"},{"id":"walhi-central-sulawesi","role":"NGO counting waste-related worker deaths at IMIP"},{"id":"earthworks","role":"NGO; waste-per-tonne estimate"},{"id":"irma","role":"Mining assurance standard-setter; audit of Harita Nickel"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What caused the waste-site collapses at IMIP?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"PT QMB New Energy Materials","says":"Continuous rain caused flooding and a landslide (initial statement, March 2025).","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"IMIP park spokesperson","says":"Soft ground beneath the site (February 2026).","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Workers' union","says":"The facility was built on a filled pond, and January 2025 satellite images showed an earlier slide at the same facility.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq","says":"The company caused deaths twice; legal and criminal action and revocation of the environmental approval promised, none recorded by March 2026.","src":3}]},{"point":"How much waste does battery-grade nickel leave per tonne?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthworks","says":"About 120 tonnes of waste per tonne of nickel.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A union leader","says":"About 10 tonnes of waste per tonne of nickel.","src":null}]},{"point":"How many people died in the 24 December 2023 furnace explosion?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Official count","says":"13 dead.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay Indonesia and later reports","says":"21 dead (reports range from 20 to 21).","src":1}]},{"point":"Is the water at Kawasi, Obi Island, safe to drink?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"OCCRP, Gecko Project, The Guardian and Deutsche Welle","says":"Leaked company documents showed chromium-6 above Indonesia's 50 ppb limit: 128 ppb in February 2022, 173 ppb in February 2023, and every one of 30 days tested in August 2022. No interviewed villager recalled receiving a warning.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Harita","says":"Its own tests measured 5 to 40 ppb and the water is drinkable.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was land for the Obi relocation ‘eco-village’ taken with consent?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay Indonesia","says":"The eco-village, about 5 km inland, was built on cut and filled sago gardens; villagers said some plots were taken on Sundays or at night without the owners knowing.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"Harita's sustainability manager","says":"Land use followed free, prior and informed consent and was examined in the IRMA audit.","src":6}]},{"point":"Is Indonesian battery nickel ‘low-carbon’?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Indonesian government and industrial parks","says":"Nickel processed at home for the battery supply chain, presented as low-carbon.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"CREA","says":"Coal-based producers emit 57–70 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of nickel against a proposed 20-tonne low-carbon threshold; 83% of 2025 output went to stainless steel and 17% to batteries.","src":8}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ministry of Environment response to the fatal IMIP waste landslides","forum":"Ministry of Environment (KLH)","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Environment","defendant":"Operator of the IMIP waste site (PT QMB New Energy Materials in the March 2025 collapse)","filed":"","decided":"","status":"unknown","summary":"The environment minister said the company had caused deaths twice and promised legal and criminal action and revocation of its environmental approval. As of March 2026 no fine or revocation had been recorded.","src":3},{"title":"EU v Indonesia: export ban on raw nickel ore (WTO)","forum":"WTO dispute settlement","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"international","claimant":"European Union","defendant":"Indonesia","filed":"","decided":"2022-11","status":"ongoing","summary":"A WTO panel found the ban inconsistent with WTO rules in November 2022. Indonesia appealed into a gap left by the non-functioning Appellate Body, so the ruling was not final. This concerns the export ban, not the waste or water matters.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"22 March 2025 collapse at the QMB waste site; four workers buried, three died."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"February 2026 landslide at the same site."},{"key":"deaths","value":13,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"official count","note":"24 December 2023 furnace explosion at ITSS; later reports gave 20 to 21."},{"key":"deaths","value":53,"unit":"people","year":2022,"note":"Deaths recorded in nickel industrial areas in 2015–2022 (Mongabay Indonesia)."},{"key":"people_affected","value":1092,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"341 families, Labota village, 16 March 2025 mud flow."},{"key":"waste_output_mt","value":11.5,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2025,"note":"IMIP waste output; 47 Mt per year expected in 2026."},{"key":"chromium_vi_ppb","value":173,"unit":"ppb","year":2023,"note":"Kawasi drinking-water source, February 2023; 128 ppb in February 2022; Indonesia's limit 50 ppb; Harita reports 5–40 ppb."},{"key":"area_ha","value":127,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Sago area in the district, down from 297 ha in 2023."},{"key":"co2_intensity_t_per_t_ni","value":"57–70","unit":"t CO2 per t Ni","year":2026,"note":"Coal-based Indonesian producers (CREA); proposed low-carbon threshold 20 t."},{"key":"waste_unpermitted_mt","value":12,"unit":"Mt","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Environment Ministry finding at IMIP, June 2025."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1800,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Structures outside the environmental impact assessment at IMIP, June 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nickel-waste storage failures at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park in March 2025 and February 2026, and contested chromium-6 readings and sago loss at Kawasi village on Obi Island.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tsingshan Holding Group","what":"Described in the cited sources as majority owner of IMIP; the ITSS furnace that exploded in December 2023 is linked to it.","src":null},{"who":"Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt","what":"Investor in Huayou Nickel Cobalt, one of the operators at the IMIP km 8 waste site, which makes a semi-finished nickel product for batteries.","src":null},{"who":"Harita Group","what":"Operator of the nickel mine and smelters at Kawasi, Obi Island.","src":6},{"who":"Indonesian government","what":"Nickel exports reported to have grown from about USD 6 billion to about USD 30 billion; about USD 30 billion in 2022.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Subcontract workers at IMIP","what":"Three died on 22 March 2025 and one in February 2026; Walhi Central Sulawesi counted eight waste-management deaths at the park.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Labota village residents","what":"341 families, 1,092 people, were affected by the 16 March 2025 mud flow.","src":1},{"who":"Kawasi villagers","what":"Chromium-6 readings above the national limit in the water source, according to leaked company documents; sago area and producers fell.","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"IMIP, Morowali, Central Sulawesi (Labota village and the km 8 waste site); Kawasi village, Obi Island, North Maluku.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2020–2026; main events 16 and 22 March 2025, February 2026 and, on Obi, readings from February 2022 and February 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Indonesia banned raw nickel ore exports in 2020 to process nickel at home. Battery-grade nickel is made by high-pressure acid leaching, which leaves large volumes of waste; after the government declined to permit deep-sea disposal in 2021, the waste was stored on land.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Waste sludge from acid leaching was stored in land-based facilities that failed in heavy rain (March 2025) and again in February 2026; the company and park cited rain and soft ground, a union cited a filled pond and an earlier slide.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"KLH/BPLH Temukan Pelanggaran Lingkungan Serius di Kawasan Industri PT IMIP (Ministry news item on serious violations found at the PT IMIP industrial area)","p":"Indonesian Ministry of Environment (KLH)","d":"2025-06-19","type":"official","u":"https://kemenlh.go.id/news/detail/klhbplh-temukan-pelanggaran-lingkungan-serius-di-kawasan-industri-pt-imip"},{"t":"Kolam limbah nikel IMIP jebol dan tewaskan tiga pekerja (Nickel waste pond at IMIP bursts and kills three workers)","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2025-04-08","type":"press","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2025/04/08/kolam-limbah-nikel-imip-jebol-dan-tewaskan-tiga-pekerja/"},{"t":"Lagi, pekerja tewas tertimbun longsoran limbah nikel di kawasan industri PT IMIP (Again, worker killed buried by nickel waste landslide at the PT IMIP industrial area)","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2026-02-23","type":"press","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2026/02/23/lagi-pekerja-tewas-tertimbun-longsoran-limbah-nikel-di-kawasan-industri-pt-imip/"},{"t":"Menanti sanksi tegas kasus kolam limbah nikel di Morowali (Awaiting firm sanctions in the Morowali nickel waste pond case), including a BHRRC/QMB summary","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2026-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2026/03/03/menanti-sanksi-tegas-kasus-kolam-limbah-nikel-di-morowali/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260314094250/https://mongabay.co.id/2026/03/03/menanti-sanksi-tegas-kasus-kolam-limbah-nikel-di-morowali/"},{"t":"Morowali (blog post on nickel waste at Morowali)","p":"Earthworks","d":"2025-05-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://earthworks.org/blog/morowali/"},{"t":"Toxic nickel waste puts Morowali's people and coast at risk","p":"Rainforest Rescue","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/updates/16036/toxic-nickel-waste-puts-morowali-s-people-and-coast-at-risk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008045609/https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/updates/16036/toxic-nickel-waste-puts-morowali-s-people-and-coast-at-risk"},{"t":"Nasib hutan sagu ketika industri nikel masuk Pulau Obi (1) (The fate of the sago forest as the nickel industry enters Obi Island, part 1)","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2026-04-25","type":"press","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2026/04/25/nasib-hutan-sagu-ketika-industri-nikel-masuk-pulau-obi-1/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613182906/https://mongabay.co.id/2026/04/25/nasib-hutan-sagu-ketika-industri-nikel-masuk-pulau-obi-1/"},{"t":"Report on the 24 December 2023 nickel smelter furnace explosion in Morowali","p":"Tempo","d":"2023-12-24","type":"press","u":"https://en.tempo.co/read/1813217/nickel-smelter-furnace-explosion-kills-12-people-wounds-dozens-in-morowali","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725153140/https://en.tempo.co/read/1813217/nickel-smelter-furnace-explosion-kills-12-people-wounds-dozens-in-morowali"},{"t":"Out of sight, out of control: 31 GW of captive coal is jeopardizing Indonesia's economic and emissions goals","p":"Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)","d":"2026-01-27","type":"ngo","u":"https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/31-gw-of-captive-coal-is-jeopardizing-indonesias-economic-and-emissions-goals/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260905134319/https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/31-gw-of-captive-coal-is-jeopardizing-indonesias-economic-and-emissions-goals/"},{"t":"Will Indonesia's appeal of WTO nickel dispute fall into a void? (opinion)","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2022-12-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2022/12/04/will-indonesias-appeal-of-wto-nickel-dispute-fall-into-a-void"},{"t":"Major Nickel Supplier Harita Knew About Water Contamination at Indonesian Operation for a Decade","p":"OCCRP (with The Gecko Project, The Guardian, KCIJ Newstapa, Deutsche Welle)","d":"2025-04-30","u":"https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/major-nickel-supplier-harita-knew-about-water-contamination-at-indonesian-operation-for-a-decade","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":["harita-nickel-kawasi-chromium-6-water-and-sago-loss","indonesia-halmahera-iwip-nickel-complex-and-hongana-manyawa"],"natureLead":{"t":"My water at the Kawasi source held 128 ppb of chromium-6 in February 2022 and 173 ppb in February 2023, against Indonesia's 50 ppb limit, per leaked company documents; Harita reports 5–40 ppb.","src":[10]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the water at Kawasi, Obi Island, safe to drink?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What caused the waste-site collapses at IMIP?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much waste does battery-grade nickel leave per tonne?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people died in the 24 December 2023 furnace explosion?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was land for the Obi relocation ‘eco-village’ taken with consent?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is Indonesian battery nickel ‘low-carbon’?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ministry of Environment response to the fatal IMIP waste landslides: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Waste unpermitted mt: Environment Ministry finding at IMIP, June 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area (ha): Structures outside the environmental impact assessment at IMIP, June 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any sanction was imposed on the operators after the March 2025 and February 2026 landslides: none recorded as of March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty or prosecution was found for the December 2023 furnace explosion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Death toll of the December 2023 explosion: the official count was 13; later reports gave 20 to 21.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Waste volume per tonne of nickel: Earthworks gives about 120 tonnes, a union leader about 10 tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether sanctions for the Environment Ministry's findings at IMIP were applied: unclear in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Environment Ministry's June 2025 inspection findings at IMIP (structures of more than 1,800 hectares outside the environmental impact assessment, more than 12 million tonnes of unpermitted nickel slag and waste, and 24 emission sources without continuous monitoring). The figures come of the ministry statement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a separate account that some IMIP facilities were missing from the environmental impact assessment (AMDAL) and that a 179-hectare area next to the park was cleared.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Rainforest Rescue (2025) reported boron, chromium(VI) and nickel leaking into groundwater and over-full waste dams; the report's title refers to Morowali, and whether the site is on Obi Island is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"IRMA audit results for Harita Nickel on Obi remained unpublished in October 2026 because the company chose the corrective-action period.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling or court case on the sago land taken for the relocation ‘eco-village’ was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Tsingshan Holding Group","No source link — Who gained: Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt","No source link — Who gained: Indonesian government"]},{"id":"used-cooking-oil-and-pome-biofuel-certification-fraud","title":"Used cooking oil and POME biofuel certification: fraud allegations (ISCC, EU/UK)","dek":"Fuel made from ‘waste’ oils counts double in the EU and the UK, and certificates from the ISCC scheme attest that the oil is waste. Estimates of how much imported used cooking oil is mislabelled palm oil range from about one third to about 80 per cent; no regulator finding has put a figure on it.","country":"European Union","region":"Europe","lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the EU's 2022 used-cooking-oil imports suspected of being mislabelled palm oil","value":"about 80%","note":"Estimate by Transport & Environment, a suspicion estimate and not a regulator finding. An industry estimate based on Commission data put it at about one third."},"happened":["In the EU and the UK, biofuel made from waste counts double compared with biofuel made from virgin vegetable oil, so used cooking oil (UCO) can sell for more than crude palm oil. Hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) is a diesel substitute made from vegetable and waste oils; palm oil mill effluent (POME) is the sludge from palm oil mills. The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a Germany-based voluntary scheme, recognised by the EU, that certifies feedstocks as ‘sustainable’ and ‘waste’.","Transport & Environment (T&E) estimated that about 80 per cent of the UCO the EU imported in 2022 was suspected of being mislabelled palm oil, and that China supplied about 40 per cent of EU supply. The figure was reported as an estimate; Hellenic Shipping News, reproducing it in December 2023, also gave Bulgaria's UCO imports as 96 per cent from China. A sector estimate based on Commission data put the share at about one third. Regulators estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of POME carrying fake ISCC certificates entered the EU in 2023. According to BBC data, as relayed by Forecourt Trader, Europe and the UK consumed about 2 million tonnes of POME in 2023 while world production was about 1 million tonnes a year.","ISCC began audits of Asian companies in April 2023; seven firms had certificates withdrawn or temporarily suspended, and no conclusive evidence of criminal behaviour was found in those audits (Irish Farmers Journal). In 2025 Germany's Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) doubted that a UAE-registered, Hong Kong-addressed HVO producer, whose ISCC certificate had been revoked, existed. In March 2025 an EU committee discussed suspending ISCC's recognition for waste-based fuels for two and a half years. ISCC said on 28 March 2025 that the proposal had no legal basis and would be a severe blow to the market; the Commission said no decision had been taken. In 2016 the European Court of Auditors had written that the Commission did not audit voluntary schemes, that small-membership governance raised conflict-of-interest risk and that schemes without procedures to verify the origin of waste had been recognised.","In September 2023 the US Department of Agriculture wrote that palm oil labelled as UCO might have entered Neste's Singapore refinery. Neste denied it, and the department acknowledged an error and withdrew the report. On 10 February 2025 the EU imposed definitive anti-dumping duties of 21.7 to 35.6 per cent on HVO and biodiesel from China, with a rate of 10 per cent recorded for EcoCeres and about 50 companies covered. The German oilseed association UFOP referred to ‘suspected fake imports’.","The UK Department for Transport opened an investigation into HVO after BBC reporting and whistleblowers' claims in 2025. ISCC had certified 92 per cent of renewable fuel in the UK. The outcome of the UK investigation was not found."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"European Court of Auditors special report 18/2016 on voluntary schemes recognised by the Commission"},{"y":2022,"t":"EU imports of UCO that T&E later estimated to be about 80% suspected palm oil"},{"y":2023,"t":"ISCC audits Asian firms, revokes or suspends seven certificates; regulators estimate 1.8 Mt of fake ISCC-certified POME entered the EU; September: US Department of Agriculture report on Neste, later withdrawn"},{"y":2025,"t":"10 February: EU anti-dumping duties on Chinese HVO and biodiesel. March: EU committee discusses suspending ISCC recognition; 28 March: ISCC responds. UK Department for Transport opens an HVO investigation. BLE doubts that a UAE-registered HVO producer exists"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"‘Waste to fuel’ and ‘circular economy’","who":"As presented to the public (no single source named)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"T&E estimated about 80% of the UCO imported by the EU in 2022 was suspected mislabelled palm oil; China supplied about 40% of EU supply","src":0},{"t":"Regulators estimated 1.8 Mt of fake ISCC-certified POME entered the EU in 2023","src":5},{"t":"BBC data (as relayed by Forecourt Trader): about 2 Mt of POME consumed in Europe and the UK in 2023 against about 1 Mt of world production a year","src":2},{"t":"ISCC revoked or suspended seven certificates after auditing Asian firms and said it found no evidence of crime","src":6},{"t":"ISCC had certified 92% of renewable fuel in the UK; the UK Department for Transport opened an investigation","src":2},{"t":"The US Department of Agriculture withdrew a September 2023 report on Neste after acknowledging an error","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of EU 2022 UCO imports suspected of being palm oil","v":"about 80%","d":"Estimate by Transport & Environment; an industry estimate based on Commission data said about one third"},{"k":"Fake ISCC-certified POME entering the EU","v":"1.8 Mt","d":"Regulators' estimate for 2023"},{"k":"Certificates revoked or suspended by ISCC","v":"7","d":"After audits of Asian firms, 2023; ISCC found no evidence of crime"},{"k":"ISCC share of UK renewable fuel certification","v":"92%","d":"Reported 2025 (Forecourt Trader)"}]},"unknown":["Whether the EU suspended recognition of ISCC for waste-based fuels: not known from the record.","The outcome of the EU investigation into Indonesian oil circulated through China and the UK: not known.","The outcome of the UK Department for Transport's HVO investigation: not found.","The 80% figure is a suspicion estimate for 2022 imports and not a regulator finding; a sector estimate based on Commission data gives about one third.","Unconfirmed: China exported 2.951 million tonnes of UCO in 2024, an all-time high (S&P Global).","Unconfirmed: the BBC data on POME consumption and world production, because the original BBC report could not be read."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded as stopped. ISCC continued to issue certificates after revoking some, and the outcomes of the EU and UK reviews are unknown.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who bore the cost. T&E's suspicion estimate concerns imports of palm oil labelled as waste, which would have received the double-counting advantage.","statusLine":"As of 2025: EU committee discussion of suspending ISCC recognition ended with no Commission decision recorded; UK Department for Transport investigation into HVO under way with no outcome found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"iscc","says":"Began audits of Asian companies in April 2023; seven firms had certificates withdrawn or temporarily suspended, and no conclusive evidence of criminal behaviour was found in those audits. On 28 March 2025 it said a suspension of its EU recognition had no legal basis and would be a severe blow to the market.","when":"2023 and 28 March 2025","src":6},{"actor":"neste","says":"Denied that palm oil labelled as UCO entered its Singapore refinery.","when":"September 2023","src":1},{"actor":"usda","says":"Acknowledged an error and withdrew its September 2023 report on Neste.","when":"September 2023","src":1},{"actor":"european-commission","says":"Said no decision had been taken on suspending ISCC recognition.","when":"March 2025","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"iscc","role":"Certification scheme recognised by the EU"},{"id":"transport-environment","role":"NGO; estimated about 80% of 2022 EU UCO imports suspect"},{"id":"neste","role":"Fuel producer; subject of the withdrawn USDA report"},{"id":"usda","role":"US agricultural agency; report on Neste later withdrawn"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Regulator; anti-dumping duties; recognition of ISCC"},{"id":"uk-dft","role":"UK government department; HVO investigation"},{"id":"ble-germany","role":"German federal agency that doubted an HVO producer existed"},{"id":"european-court-of-auditors","role":"Auditor; 2016 special report on voluntary schemes"},{"id":"ufop","role":"German oilseed association"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much of the UCO imported into the EU is really mislabelled palm oil?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Transport & Environment","says":"About 80% of the UCO the EU imported in 2022 was suspected of being mislabelled palm oil; China supplied about 40% of EU supply.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"James Cogan, ClonBio Group","says":"Said that, based on European Commission data published in December 2024, a third of the used cooking oil was fake (quoted by The Maritime Executive, March 2025).","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Regulators","says":"Estimated that 1.8 million tonnes of POME with fake ISCC certificates entered the EU in 2023.","src":5}]},{"point":"Did the certification scheme police the chain adequately?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"ISCC","says":"Began audits of Asian companies in April 2023, after which seven firms had certificates withdrawn or suspended and no conclusive evidence of criminal behaviour was found (Irish Farmers Journal); called a suspension of its EU recognition ad hoc, without legal basis and a severe blow to the market (Argus Media, 28 March 2025).","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"BLE (Germany)","says":"Doubted that a UAE-registered, Hong Kong-addressed HVO producer, whose ISCC certificate had been revoked, existed.","src":9},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Court of Auditors (2016)","says":"The Commission did not audit voluntary schemes; small-membership governance raised conflict-of-interest risk; schemes without waste-origin verification were recognised.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Commission","says":"No decision taken on suspending ISCC recognition (March 2025).","src":8}]},{"point":"Did palm oil labelled as UCO enter Neste's Singapore refinery?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of Agriculture","says":"Wrote in September 2023 that it might have; later acknowledged an error and withdrew the report.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Neste","says":"Denied receiving fraudulent UCO volumes.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EU anti-dumping duties on HVO and biodiesel from China","forum":"European Union","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Union","defendant":"Chinese HVO and biodiesel producers (about 50 companies)","filed":"","decided":"2025-02-10","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Definitive duties of 21.7 to 35.6 per cent were imposed, with a rate of 10 per cent recorded for EcoCeres. The duties concern dumping; UFOP referred to suspected fake imports.","src":7},{"title":"EU committee discussion on suspending ISCC recognition for waste-based fuels","forum":"EU committee","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Union (committee)","defendant":"ISCC","filed":"","decided":"","status":"unknown","summary":"In March 2025 a committee discussed suspending recognition for two and a half years. ISCC said there was no legal basis. The Commission said no decision had been taken. Whether recognition was suspended is not known.","src":8},{"title":"UK Department for Transport investigation into HVO","forum":"UK Department for Transport","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"UK Department for Transport","defendant":"Not named","filed":"2025","decided":"","status":"ongoing","summary":"Opened after BBC reporting and whistleblowers' claims of large-scale fraud involving HVO. No outcome found.","src":2},{"title":"German BLE doubts over a Hong Kong-addressed HVO producer","forum":"BLE (Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"BLE","defendant":"A UAE-registered, Hong Kong-addressed HVO producer whose ISCC certificate was revoked","filed":"","decided":"2025","status":"unknown","summary":"BLE doubted that the producer existed. ISCC had withdrawn the producer's certification on 8 January 2025 and excluded it for 48 months for lack of co-operation with its integrity programme. BLE suspended the producer's access to the Nabisy registry; proofs of sustainability it had already issued remained valid (Argus Media, 6 May 2025).","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"uco_imports_suspected_share","value":80,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Share of EU UCO imports suspected of being mislabelled palm oil (T&E); sector estimate based on Commission data: about one third."},{"key":"china_share_eu_uco","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"China's share of EU UCO supply (T&E)."},{"key":"pome_fake_certified_tonnes","value":1800000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"Regulators' estimate of POME with fake ISCC certificates entering the EU."},{"key":"pome_consumption_europe_uk_tonnes","value":2000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"BBC data via Forecourt Trader; world production about 1 Mt a year."},{"key":"certificates_revoked_or_suspended","value":7,"unit":"certificates","year":2023,"note":"ISCC, after auditing Asian firms."},{"key":"iscc_uk_renewable_fuel_share","value":92,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Share of UK renewable fuel certified by ISCC."},{"key":"antidumping_duty_range","value":"21.7–35.6","unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"EU duties on Chinese HVO and biodiesel; EcoCeres 10%."},{"key":"china_uco_exports_tonnes","value":2951000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported all-time high (S&P Global)."},{"key":"pome_production_malaysia_mt","value":63.5,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2024,"note":"Secondary source: 446 palm oil mills, 169 with biogas capture."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Palm-oil-derived material suspected of being sold as waste-based biofuel feedstock under ISCC certificates in the EU and the UK.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Traders, exporters and fuel blenders","what":"Waste-labelled oil sells above crude palm oil because waste-based biofuel counts double in the EU and the UK.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"EU and UK markets; imports from China and other Asian suppliers; ISCC is based in Germany.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2016 audit report; imports in 2022 and 2023; regulatory actions in 2023–2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Waste-based biofuel counts double in the EU and the UK, so UCO can sell above crude palm oil.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Feedstock labelled as UCO or POME and certified by ISCC; T&E estimated that a large share of 2022 UCO imports may have been palm oil.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Report reproducing T&E's estimate on UCO imports (Hellenic Shipping News, ENGINE)","p":"Hellenic Shipping News","d":"2023-12-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/?p=1021249"},{"t":"Neste rejects USDA claims, saying it has received fraudulent UCO volumes","p":"Biofuels Digest","d":"2023-09-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2023/09/11/neste-rejects-usda-claims-saying-it-has-received-fraudulent-uco-volumes/"},{"t":"Government investigating HVO over claims of large amounts of fraud","p":"Forecourt Trader","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/government-investigating-hvo-over-claims-of-large-amounts-of-fraud/703214.article","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723183031/https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/government-investigating-hvo-over-claims-of-large-amounts-of-fraud/703214.article"},{"t":"China data: 2024 UCO exports hit all-time high on demand from US, EU, Singapore","p":"S&P Global","d":"2025-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/latest-news/refined-products/020325-china-data-2024-uco-exports-hit-all-time-high-on-demand-from-us-eu-singapore"},{"t":"Malaysia palm biomethane: energy integration and biomass utilisation (secondary source)","p":"CropGPT","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://cropgpt.ai/malaysia-palm-biomethane-energy-integration-and-biomass-utilisation"},{"t":"EU scrutinizes fraud in certification of biofuels","p":"The Maritime Executive","d":"2025-03-30","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/eu-scrutinizes-fraud-in-certification-of-biofuels","type":"press"},{"t":"Fuel fraud: the risk with biofuels","p":"Irish Farmers Journal","d":"2023-08-02","u":"https://www.farmersjournal.ie/more/renewables/fuel-fraud-the-risk-with-biofuels-776939","type":"press"},{"t":"EU duties on HVO and FAME from China now official, but SAF not included","p":"OFI Magazine","d":"2025-02-18","u":"https://www.ofimagazine.com/news/eu-duties-on-hvo-and-fame-from-china-now-official-but-saf-not-included","type":"press"},{"t":"ISCC aware of EU mulling certification recognition update","p":"Argus Media","d":"2025-03-28","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2672700-iscc-aware-eu-mulling-certification-recognition-update","type":"press"},{"t":"Germany doubts suspended HVO producer exists","p":"Argus Media","d":"2025-05-06","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/pt/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2685337-germany-doubts-suspended-hvo-producer-exists","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of the UCO imported into the EU is really mislabelled palm oil?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the certification scheme police the chain adequately?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did palm oil labelled as UCO enter Neste's Singapore refinery?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"EU committee discussion on suspending ISCC recognition for waste-based fuels: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"German BLE doubts over a Hong Kong-addressed HVO producer: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"China uco exports tonnes: Reported all-time high (S&P Global).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the EU suspended recognition of ISCC for waste-based fuels: not known from the record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the EU investigation into Indonesian oil circulated through China and the UK: not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the UK Department for Transport's HVO investigation: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 80% figure is a suspicion estimate for 2022 imports and not a regulator finding; a sector estimate based on Commission data gives about one third.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: China exported 2.951 million tonnes of UCO in 2024, an all-time high (S&P Global).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the BBC data on POME consumption and world production, because the original BBC report could not be read.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Traders, exporters and fuel blenders"]},{"id":"mekong-sand-mining","title":"Mekong sand mining (Cambodia, Vietnam)","dek":"Sand is dredged from the Mekong in Cambodia and Vietnam for construction, roads and land infill. Researchers estimate extraction far above natural replenishment; records of volumes, licences and exports differ between declarations and measurements.","country":"Cambodia and Vietnam","region":"Asia","lat":11,"lon":105,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":"Mekong Delta (An Giang, Dong Thap)","lat":10.5,"lon":105.2,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Mekong and Bassac rivers (Kandal, Prey Veng); Koh Kong","lat":11.5,"lon":105,"role":"event"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"buyer"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","water"],"headline":{"label":"Sand extracted on the Cambodian Mekong, 2016 and 2020 (satellite estimate)","value":"24 → 59 Mt a year","note":"Satellite-based estimate (Hackney et al. 2021). Cambodia's mines ministry declared more than 13 million cubic metres for 2020, about one third of the satellite figure of about 39 million cubic metres."},"happened":["In the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, a study published in Science Advances in July 2026 by a team at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) estimated that an average of 48 million cubic metres of sand a year was extracted from the delta in 2017–2021, 6 to 15 times natural replenishment, leaving a sediment deficit of more than 250 million cubic metres. It reported that about 65 per cent of channels were eroding and the riverbed was lowering by about 10 centimetres a year, and attributed 25 to 30 per cent of bed erosion and 16 to 30 per cent of the annual increase in salinity to sand mining, using a counterfactual model. A separate field-measurement study reported extraction of 38 million cubic metres in 2015 and 47 million in 2020, above official declarations. A study of the licensed share found that licensed mining explained 27.7 per cent of net annual bed incision in 2005–2017 and 35.3 per cent in 2017–2020.","Provincial authorities license the extraction. Eco-Business reported in 2022 that five provinces had issued licences for 114 million tonnes over a decade, that An Giang had 11 companies with capacity of 5.3 million cubic metres a year, that companies declared volumes and taxes themselves and that illegal night dredging was widespread. It reported an official sand price of 56,000 to 80,000 dong per cubic metre against a market price from 280,000 dong, and that Vietnam's sand exports in 2011–2020 were recorded at USD 212 million in its own records and USD 705 million in buyers' records. Demand also comes from the state: delta expressways needed 54 million cubic metres, the Can Tho–Ca Mau expressway needed 15 million, and in December 2023 only a quarter of its needs could be supplied; the price rose from 320,000–330,000 dong in 2023 to 600,000–800,000 in 2025 and contractors imported sand from Cambodia. Eco-Business reported 1,808 houses lost to rivers or the sea in 2018–2020 and more than 600 hectares of coast lost a year, with 5,300 houses in An Giang and 6,400 in Dong Thap awaiting relocation. Relocating 20,000 houses in five provinces was put at 5 trillion dong (USD 215 million); the state had set aside 12 trillion dong (USD 516 million) for erosion works since 2016.","In Cambodia, satellite imagery showed extraction on the Mekong rising from 24 million tonnes in 2016 to 59 million tonnes in 2020, while the mines ministry declared more than 13 million cubic metres. Mongabay reported in 2022 that 49 licences covering 2,320 hectares existed on the Mekong and Bassac, that 2020 extraction was 16 times natural replenishment, and that an export ban imposed in 2017 was lifted in 2020. The Director General of Mines, Ung Dipola, said erosion did not come from sand and that only 4 per cent of the river was dredged. Mongabay named licence holders including Global Green, Jin Ling Construction (linked to the Prince Group) and Sophearoth Aphivath. Global Witness reported in 2010 that about 796,000 tonnes of sand a month went from Koh Kong to Singapore, valued at USD 28.7 million at source and USD 248 million in Singapore, with licences linked to companies tied to two ruling-party senators, Ly Yong Phat and Mong Reththy, and no environmental assessment or consultation with villagers on record. After the export ban, Mekong sand began to fill wetlands in Phnom Penh. In August 2024 five families in Prey Veng lost homes and fields to the river; the district governor said a company had a contract with the provincial administration, and a Sand Resources Management Committee was set up afterwards.","The dredged sand has fed land reclamation. Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 square kilometres in 1960 to 725.7 in 2019, and a UN-sourced figure put its sand imports at 517 million tonnes over 20 years. In Phnom Penh the government leased the 90-hectare Boeung Kak lake for 99 years for USD 79 million in 2007, and the lake was filled with sand pumped from the river. Residents were offered USD 8,500 and seven days to demolish their homes. The World Bank Inspection Panel found that a USD 24 million land-titling project excluded residents and contributed to the eviction of about 4,250 families, and the Bank froze new lending to Cambodia in 2011.","Researchers and officials disagree on how much of the delta's decline is due to sand. Vietnam's deputy agriculture minister said the delta lost about 600 hectares of land a year and that alluvium reaching it fell by about 50 per cent in 20 years. A Reuters and EOMAP analysis in 2022 found that four dams held 81 per cent of the Mekong's sediment. Reverse flow into Cambodia's Tonle Sap fell 56.5 per cent between 1962–72 and 2010–18; dams explained about 21 per cent of it, with irrigation, sand mining and bed incision also contributing, according to Chua et al. A Vietnamese provincial official said the decline in sediment and sand stock should not be a reason to ban sand mining. In Cambodia, on 1 July 2016 a court in Koh Kong gave three Mother Nature activists who had campaigned against sand dredging, Try Sovikea, Sim Somnang and San Mala, suspended 18-month sentences after about ten and a half months in detention, and ordered them to pay USD 25,000 to the sand company Direct Access (Mongabay). On 2 July 2024 a Phnom Penh court sentenced ten Mother Nature activists to six to eight years in prison for plotting, with the longer terms for those also convicted of insulting the King; five were in prison in June 2026, when their appeal hearing set for 2 June was postponed without a new date (Human Rights Watch)."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Cambodia records sand exports to Singapore; Boeung Kak lake in Phnom Penh leased for 99 years and filled with sand"},{"y":2010,"t":"Global Witness reports about 796,000 tonnes a month of sand from Koh Kong to Singapore"},{"y":2011,"t":"World Bank freezes new lending to Cambodia after Inspection Panel finding on land titling and Boeung Kak evictions"},{"y":2016,"t":"Satellite-estimated extraction on the Cambodian Mekong 24 Mt a year; three Mother Nature activists convicted, with suspended sentences"},{"y":2017,"t":"Cambodia bans sand exports"},{"y":2018,"t":"Mekong Delta: 1,808 houses lost to rivers or the sea in 2018–2020; Tran Van Bi's house falls into the Vam Nao river"},{"y":2020,"t":"Cambodia lifts its export ban; satellite-estimated extraction 59 Mt a year"},{"y":2022,"t":"Eco-Business and Mongabay report on Vietnamese and Cambodian licensing and losses"},{"y":2023,"t":"December: only a quarter of the sand needed for the Can Tho–Ca Mau expressway can be supplied"},{"y":2024,"t":"2 July: ten Mother Nature activists sentenced; August: five families in Prey Veng lose homes and fields"},{"y":2026,"t":"July: Science Advances study estimates 48 million cubic metres a year extracted in the Vietnamese delta in 2017–2021"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Sand as ‘the raw material of development’: expressways, embankments, concrete and land infill","who":"Government and developers","src":null},{"t":"Coastal and riverbank collapses described as ‘natural erosion’","who":"Official language","src":null},{"t":"Dredging might benefit biodiversity","who":"Cambodian Ministry of Mines","src":14},{"t":"Erosion does not come from sand; only 4% of the river is dredged","who":"Ung Dipola, Director General of Mines, Cambodia","src":5},{"t":"The decline in sediment and sand stock should not be grounds to ban sand mining","who":"A Vietnamese provincial official","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Vietnamese delta: 48 million m3 a year extracted in 2017–2021, 6–15 times natural replenishment; deficit above 250 million m3; about 65% of channels eroding; bed lowering 10 cm a year","src":0},{"t":"Field-measured extraction in the delta of 38 million m3 (2015) and 47 million m3 (2020), above official declarations","src":11},{"t":"Licensed mining explained 27.7% (2005–2017) and 35.3% (2017–2020) of net annual bed incision in the Vietnamese delta","src":10},{"t":"Cambodian Mekong: 24 Mt (2016) to 59 Mt (2020) by satellite; ministry declared more than 13 million m3 for 2020","src":7},{"t":"Mekong and Bassac: 49 licences on 2,320 ha; 2020 extraction 16 times natural replenishment; export ban 2017 lifted 2020","src":5},{"t":"Vietnam sand exports 2011–2020: USD 212 million in its own records, USD 705 million in buyers' records","src":1},{"t":"Delta losses: 1,808 houses (2018–2020); more than 600 ha of coast a year","src":1},{"t":"Across 411 studies, only 27% measured extraction; on the main Mekong stem about 20 Mt a year permitted against 50 Mt or more extracted, about 60% of it illegal, according to the Earth Observatory of Singapore","src":6},{"t":"Dong Thap: licensed capacity fell from 9.4 million m3 (2015) to 5.2 million m3 (2021); delta expressways needed about 54 million m3 of fill sand in 2021–2025, of which freshwater quarries could supply about half","src":12},{"t":"Vietnam's deputy agriculture minister: the delta loses about 600 ha of land a year and alluvium reaching it fell by about 50% in 20 years","src":13},{"t":"Fish provide 47–80% of animal protein in the Lower Mekong (Mekong River Commission, 2007)","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Sand extracted vs natural replenishment, Vietnamese delta","v":"6–15×","d":"48 million m3 a year in 2017–2021 (NTU, Science Advances, 2026)"},{"k":"Riverbed lowering in the Vietnamese delta","v":"10 cm a year","d":"About 65% of channels eroding; sand mining linked to 25–30% of bed erosion and 16–30% of the salinity increase (counterfactual model)"},{"k":"Cambodian Mekong extraction by satellite","v":"24 → 59 Mt a year","d":"2016 to 2020; ministry declared more than 13 million m3 for 2020"},{"k":"Sediment reaching the delta","v":"about −50%","d":"Over 20 years, per Vietnam's deputy agriculture minister; four dams hold 81% of sediment (Reuters / EOMAP, 2022)"}]},"unknown":["No court case against sand-mining companies or licence holders was found; the court cases in the cited sources concern activists.","Whether the revenue of Cambodian sand licences reached the treasury: Global Witness (2010) wrote that there was no evidence it did.","Who receives the difference between the official sand price (56,000–80,000 dong per cubic metre) and the market price (from 280,000 dong): not shown; a rough multiplication for An Giang gives more than one trillion dong a year.","Mekong sand mining cannot be fully separated from the effect of upstream dams on the delta.","Unconfirmed: UN Comtrade records for 2007–2015 show Cambodia declaring 2.8 million tonnes of exports to Singapore while Singapore recorded 72.7 million tonnes (about USD 752 million), roughly 26 times higher (Open Development Mekong).","Unconfirmed: a study (Quan et al., Nature Sustainability, 2025) is cited for a 40–50% reduction in reverse flow into Tonle Sap in 1998–2018 from bed lowering.","Unconfirmed: Prey Veng losses of August 2024 and the creation of a Sand Resources Management Committee.","The global total of sand extracted is an estimate derived from cement figures, not a measurement."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded as stopped. Cambodia banned sand exports in 2017 and lifted the ban in 2020; satellite-estimated extraction on the Cambodian Mekong rose from 24 Mt a year in 2016 to 59 Mt in 2020, and extraction in the Vietnamese delta rose by about 25 per cent between 2015 and 2020.","whoPaid":"Residents who lost homes and land to bank collapses, including 1,808 houses in the Vietnamese delta in 2018–2020, and the state, which set aside 12 trillion dong for erosion works since 2016, according to Eco-Business.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: a Science Advances study estimated extraction in the Vietnamese delta at 6–15 times natural replenishment in 2017–2021; no court case against sand-mining companies was found.","updated":"2026-07-22","responses":[{"actor":"cambodia-ministry-of-mines","says":"Declared Mekong extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres for 2020 and said dredging might benefit biodiversity.","when":"2022","src":14},{"actor":"cambodia-ministry-of-mines","says":"Director General Ung Dipola said erosion did not come from sand and that only 4% of the river was dredged.","when":"2022","src":5},{"actor":"an-giang-province-official","says":"A provincial official said the decline in sediment and sand stock should not be grounds to ban sand mining.","when":"2022","src":1},{"actor":"prey-veng-district-governor","says":"Said a company had a contract with the provincial administration; a Sand Resources Management Committee was set up afterwards.","when":"August 2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"global-witness","role":"NGO; 2010 report on Koh Kong sand exports and licences"},{"id":"mother-nature-cambodia","role":"Activist group convicted in 2016 and 2024"},{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-mines","role":"Ministry that declares and licenses extraction"},{"id":"ntu-earth-observatory-singapore","role":"Research institution; Mekong Delta sand studies"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Inspection Panel finding on Boeung Kak land titling; lending freeze 2011"},{"id":"wwf","role":"NGO; sand budget and ten-year stock estimate for the delta"},{"id":"shukaku-inc","role":"Lessee of Boeung Kak lake"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much sand is taken from the Cambodian Mekong?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Cambodian Ministry of Mines","says":"Declared more than 13 million cubic metres for 2020.","src":14},{"voice":"research","holder":"Hackney et al. (2021)","says":"Satellite imagery shows 24 Mt in 2016 and 59 Mt (about 39 million m3) in 2020, about three times the declared figure.","src":7}]},{"point":"Does dredging harm the river and its banks?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Cambodian Ministry of Mines","says":"Dredging might benefit biodiversity.","src":14},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ung Dipola, Director General of Mines","says":"Erosion does not come from sand; only 4% of the river is dredged.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Hackney et al. (University of Exeter)","says":"Sand supply to the delta is about 6.18 Mt a year against about 50 Mt extracted; bed lowering destabilises riverbanks.","src":8}]},{"point":"How much of the delta's bed erosion and salinity increase is due to sand mining?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Kumar et al. / NTU (Science Advances, 2026)","says":"Sand mining accounts for 25–30% of bed incision and 16–30% of the annual salinity increase; extraction is 6–15 times natural supply.","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ahmed et al. (TU Dresden)","says":"Licensed mining explained only 27.7% (2005–2017) and 35.3% (2017–2020) of net annual bed incision.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters / EOMAP analysis","says":"Four dams hold 81% of the Mekong's sediment.","src":16},{"voice":"government","holder":"A Vietnamese provincial official","says":"The decline in sediment and sand stock should not be grounds to ban sand mining.","src":1}]},{"point":"Are Vietnamese sand volumes and exports accurately recorded?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Vietnamese records","says":"Sand exports in 2011–2020 of USD 212 million; companies declare volumes and taxes themselves.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Buyers' records (as reported by Eco-Business)","says":"USD 705 million of imports from Vietnam in 2011–2020.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Gruel et al. (Earth Observatory of Singapore)","says":"Field-measured extraction of 38 million m3 (2015) and 47 million m3 (2020), above official declarations.","src":11}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mother Nature activists, first sand-related conviction","forum":"Koh Kong Provincial Court","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution; sand company Direct Access (compensation)","defendant":"Try Sovikea, Sim Somnang and San Mala (Mother Nature)","filed":"","decided":"2016","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":25000,"currency":"USD","label":"Compensation ordered to the sand company"},"summary":"On 1 July 2016 the three were convicted of instigating threats to destroy property after occupying sand-dredging equipment in 2015; they received suspended 18-month sentences, were released after about ten and a half months in detention and were ordered to pay USD 25,000 in compensation to the sand company Direct Access (Mongabay).","src":17},{"title":"Mother Nature activists, conspiracy conviction","forum":"Phnom Penh Municipal Court; appeal pending at the Phnom Penh Appeal Court","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Ten Mother Nature activists, including Long Kunthea, Yim Leanghy, Thun Ratha, Phuon Keoraksmey and Ly Chandaravuth (imprisoned)","filed":"","decided":"2024-07-02","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Ten activists were sentenced to six to eight years in prison for plotting (Criminal Code article 453); the longer terms included convictions for insulting the King. Five were imprisoned. Their appeal, filed on 22 July 2024, was set for hearing on 2 June 2026 and postponed without a new date; release on bail was denied four times, most recently by the Supreme Court in March 2026 (Human Rights Watch).","src":19}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sand_extracted_mt_cambodia","value":59,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2020,"note":"Satellite estimate for the Cambodian Mekong; 24 Mt in 2016 (Hackney et al. 2021)."},{"key":"sand_declared_m3_cambodia","value":13000000,"unit":"m3","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Declared by Cambodia's Ministry of Mines; satellite estimate about 39 million m3."},{"key":"sand_extracted_m3_vietnam","value":48000000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2021,"qualifier":"average, 2017–2021","note":"Vietnamese delta; 6–15 times natural replenishment (NTU, Science Advances, 2026)."},{"key":"sediment_deficit_m3","value":250000000,"unit":"m3","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Vietnamese delta, 2017–2021."},{"key":"delta_channels_eroding","value":65,"unit":"% of channels","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of delta channels eroding."},{"key":"bed_lowering_cm_per_year","value":10,"unit":"cm per year","year":2021,"note":"Riverbed lowering in the Vietnamese delta."},{"key":"displaced","value":1808,"unit":"houses","year":2020,"note":"Houses lost to rivers or the sea in the delta, 2018–2020; more than 600 ha of coast lost a year."},{"key":"relocation_cost","value":215,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Relocating 20,000 houses in five provinces (5 trillion dong); the state set aside 12 trillion dong (USD 516 million) since 2016 for erosion works."},{"key":"licensed_volume_mt","value":114,"unit":"Mt","year":2022,"note":"Licences issued by five Vietnamese provinces over a decade."},{"key":"vietnam_sand_exports_usd_m","value":212,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Own records, 2011–2020; buyers' records USD 705 million."},{"key":"licences_cambodia","value":49,"unit":"licences","year":2022,"note":"Mekong and Bassac, 2,320 ha."},{"key":"sand_to_singapore_t_per_month","value":796000,"unit":"tonnes per month","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Koh Kong to Singapore (Global Witness); USD 28.7 million at source, USD 248 million in Singapore."},{"key":"comtrade_gap_mt","value":72.7,"unit":"Mt","year":2015,"unverified":true,"note":"Singapore-recorded imports from Cambodia 2007–2015 against 2.8 Mt declared by Cambodia."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Extraction of sand from the Mekong in Cambodia and the Vietnamese delta at multiples of natural replenishment, with erosion, home loss and weak volume records.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Licensed sand companies","what":"Extract under provincial licences and declare volumes and tax themselves; official price 56,000–80,000 dong per cubic metre against a market price from 280,000.","src":1},{"who":"Licence holders on the Cambodian Mekong","what":"Global Green, Jin Ling Construction (linked to the Prince Group) and Sophearoth Aphivath were named as licence holders.","src":5},{"who":"Singapore","what":"Land area grew from 581.5 to 725.7 square kilometres between 1960 and 2019 using imported sand.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of the delta","what":"1,808 houses lost to rivers or the sea in 2018–2020.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Mekong riverbanks","what":"Five families in Prey Veng lost homes and fields in August 2024; a resident of My Hoi Dong commune in An Giang, aged 60 in 2022, lost his home around 2018 and received 100 million dong (about USD 4,300) and two plots.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Mekong and Bassac rivers in Cambodia; the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, notably An Giang and Dong Thap; Koh Kong coast; Phnom Penh.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2007–2026; Cambodian extraction rising from 2016 to 2020; Vietnamese delta data for 2017–2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Sand supplies expressways, construction and land infill; Vietnamese delta expressways need 54 million cubic metres and licensed capacity has fallen.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Dredging under provincial licences, with volumes self-declared by companies, and, as Eco-Business reported, widespread illegal night dredging.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Sand mining is destabilising the Mekong Delta far more than previously understood, NTU Singapore study finds","p":"NTU Singapore (Science Advances study)","d":"2026-07-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/news-events/news/detail/sand-mining-is-destabilising-the-mekong-delta-far-more-than-previously-understood--nie--ntu-singapore-study-finds","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260806135344/https://www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/news-events/news/detail/sand-mining-is-destabilising-the-mekong-delta-far-more-than-previously-understood--nie--ntu-singapore-study-finds"},{"t":"In Vietnam's Mekong Delta, sand mining means lost homes and fortunes","p":"Mekong Eye (Eco-Business)","d":"2022-07-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eco-business.com/id/news/in-vietnams-mekong-delta-sand-mining-means-lost-homes-and-fortunes/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418230732/https://www.eco-business.com/id/news/in-vietnams-mekong-delta-sand-mining-means-lost-homes-and-fortunes/"},{"t":"Construction of expressway section in Mekong Delta hit by material shortages","p":"VnEconomy","d":"2023-12-18","type":"press","u":"https://en.vneconomy.vn/construction-of-expressway-section-in-mekong-delta-hit-by-material-shortages.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609001208/https://en.vneconomy.vn/construction-of-expressway-section-in-mekong-delta-hit-by-material-shortages.htm"},{"t":"Current exploitation rate to deplete Mekong Delta sand within 10 years: study (WWF report)","p":"Open Development Mekong","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://vietnam.opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/current-exploitation-rate-to-deplete-mekong-delta-sand-within-10-years-study/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250811052158/https://vietnam.opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/current-exploitation-rate-to-deplete-mekong-delta-sand-within-10-years-study/"},{"t":"Dredging figures do not add up (with RFA, 6 September 2024)","p":"Open Development Mekong","d":"2024-09-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/dredging-figures-do-not-add-up/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230930003546/https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/dredging-figures-do-not-add-up/"},{"t":"Mining the Mekong: land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia's thirst for sand","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-08-29","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713001805/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/"},{"t":"River sand mining outstrips nature's supply: study","p":"Earth Observatory of Singapore (NTU)","d":"2026-07-22","type":"academic","u":"https://earthobservatory.sg/news/news/river-sand-mining-outstrips-nature-s-supply-study"},{"t":"Sand mining far outpaces natural supply in a large alluvial river","p":"Earth Surface Dynamics (Hackney et al.)","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://esurf.copernicus.org/articles/9/1323/2021/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508123047/https://esurf.copernicus.org/articles/9/1323/2021/"},{"t":"River bank instability from unsustainable sand mining in the lower Mekong River","p":"University of Exeter ORE (Hackney et al., Nature Sustainability)","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/40127","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241211061157/https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/handle/10871/40127"},{"t":"Counterfactual modeling isolates sand mining impacts, revealing it as a key driver of Mekong Delta destabilization","p":"Earth Observatory of Singapore (Kumar et al., Science Advances)","d":"2026-07","type":"academic","u":"https://earthobservatory.sg/research/publications/counterfactual-modeling-isolates-sand-mining-impacts-revealing-it-as-a-key-driver-of-mekong-delta-destabilization"},{"t":"Intensified susceptibility to riverbed incisions under sand mining impacts in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta: a long-term spatiotemporal analysis","p":"TU Dresden (Ahmed et al., Geomorphology)","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://fis.tu-dresden.de/portal/en/publications/intensified-susceptibility-to-riverbed-incisions-under-sand-mining-impacts-in-the-vietnamese-mekong-delta-a-longterm-spatiotemporal-analysis%28d305540d-eaed-41f3-bbb1-7dd8a05f8c87%29.html"},{"t":"New systematically measured sand mining budget for the Mekong Delta reveals rising trends and significant volume underestimations","p":"Earth Observatory of Singapore (Gruel et al.)","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://www.earthobservatory.sg/research/publications/new-systematically-measured-sand-mining-budget-for-the-mekong-delta-reveals-rising-trends-and-significant-volume-underestimations","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416044008/https://www.earthobservatory.sg/research/publications/new-systematically-measured-sand-mining-budget-for-the-mekong-delta-reveals-rising-trends-and-significant-volume-underestimations"},{"t":"Vùng Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long: 'Căng mình' chuẩn bị cát xây cao tốc (Mekong Delta region: straining to prepare sand for expressways)","p":"Báo Đấu thầu","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://baodauthau.vn/vung-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-cang-minh-chuan-bi-cat-xay-cao-toc-post128012.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221003055739/https://baodauthau.vn/vung-dong-bang-song-cuu-long-cang-minh-chuan-bi-cat-xay-cao-toc-post128012.html"},{"t":"Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long mất 600 ha đất mỗi năm do sạt lở (Mekong Delta loses 600 ha of land every year to landslides)","p":"RFA Tiếng Việt","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/mekong-delta-loses-600-ha-of-land-every-year-due-to-landslide-08242024083025.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813044647/https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/mekong-delta-loses-600-ha-of-land-every-year-due-to-landslide-08242024083025.html"},{"t":"Roar on the River: A Torrent of Sand Shores Up City's Rise","p":"VOD English","d":"2022-05-16","type":"press","u":"https://vodenglish.news/roar-on-the-river-a-torrent-of-sand-shores-up-citys-rise/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606110856/https://vodenglish.news/roar-on-the-river-a-torrent-of-sand-shores-up-citys-rise/"},{"t":"Fish share of animal protein in the Lower Mekong (47–80%)","p":"Mekong River Commission","d":"2007","type":"official","u":"https://archive.iwlearn.org/mrcmekong.org/free_download/Tech16_split.htm"},{"t":"Chinese dams ruin Mekong River delta farmers (Reuters / EOMAP analysis, via BusinessDay)","p":"BusinessDay (Reuters)","d":"2022-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2022-12-15-chinese-dams-ruin-mekong-river-delta-farmers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306234444/https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2022-12-15-chinese-dams-ruin-mekong-river-delta-farmers/"},{"t":"Three Cambodian activists convicted and heavily fined, but free","p":"Mongabay","d":"2016-07","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2016/07/three-cambodian-activists-convicted-and-heavily-fined-but-free/","type":"press"},{"t":"Mother Nature Cambodia activists sentenced to six to eight years for defending nature","p":"Rainforest Rescue","d":"2024-07","u":"https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/updates/12323/mother-nature-cambodia-activists-sentenced-to-six-to-eight-years-for-defending-nature","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Urgent Appeal to Free the Five Imprisoned Mother Nature Cambodia Activists","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2026-06-01","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/01/urgent-appeal-to-free-the-five-imprisoned-mother-nature-cambodia-activists","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mekong-upstream-dams-and-tonle-sap-flow-reversal-decline","cambodian-sand-exports-to-singapore"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does dredging harm the river and its banks?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of the delta's bed erosion and salinity increase is due to sand mining?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much sand is taken from the Cambodian Mekong?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Are Vietnamese sand volumes and exports accurately recorded?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Comtrade gap mt: Singapore-recorded imports from Cambodia 2007–2015 against 2.8 Mt declared by Cambodia.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case against sand-mining companies or licence holders was found; the court cases in the cited sources concern activists.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the revenue of Cambodian sand licences reached the treasury: Global Witness (2010) wrote that there was no evidence it did.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Who receives the difference between the official sand price (56,000–80,000 dong per cubic metre) and the market price (from 280,000 dong): not shown; a rough multiplication for An Giang gives more than one trillion dong a year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Mekong sand mining cannot be fully separated from the effect of upstream dams on the delta.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: UN Comtrade records for 2007–2015 show Cambodia declaring 2.8 million tonnes of exports to Singapore while Singapore recorded 72.7 million tonnes (about USD 752 million), roughly 26 times higher (Open Development Mekong).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a study (Quan et al., Nature Sustainability, 2025) is cited for a 40–50% reduction in reverse flow into Tonle Sap in 1998–2018 from bed lowering.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Prey Veng losses of August 2024 and the creation of a Sand Resources Management Committee.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The global total of sand extracted is an estimate derived from cement figures, not a measurement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Singapore"]},{"id":"bp-beyond-petroleum-campaign-and-carbon-footprint-calculator","title":"BP “Beyond Petroleum” campaign and carbon footprint calculator","dek":"BP and the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather launched a “Beyond Petroleum” branding campaign in 2000 and a personal carbon footprint calculator in 2004. A researcher says the campaign helped spread the term “carbon footprint” and directed responsibility to individuals; BP says it did not popularise the concept.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2000,"end":2025,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"BP spending on the “Beyond Petroleum” rebranding and advertising, 2000–2002","value":"about $600m","note":"Estimate. Beder (2002), a critical source, put about $200m on rebranding facilities and about $400m on gasoline advertising and a new logo. A figure of roughly $200m circulated in the press but was not the total."},"happened":["In 2000 BP launched the “Beyond Petroleum” brand with the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Ogilvy had been Shell North America’s agency from 1960 to 1999 and BP’s after 1999, according to DeSmog. Beder (2002), a critical source, put BP’s allocation in 2000–2002 at about $200 million for rebranding facilities and about $400 million for gasoline advertising and a new logo.","In 2004 BP introduced a personal carbon footprint calculator on its website. BP’s own figure was that 278,000 people used it that year; another account, from the WBUR programme On Point, gave about 250,000 users in the first year. Sources give the calculator’s year as 2004 or 2005. In 2005 BP advertisements asked what a carbon footprint was and how large it was. In October 2019 BP invited users on Twitter to find their footprints with a new calculator.","The concept itself came from academic work: the ecological footprint was set out by William Rees in 1992 and developed by Mathis Wackernagel, according to Britannica. Wackernagel has said BP gave the term “carbon footprint” its biggest push, and use of the term rose sharply after 2005 (Google Ngram, as cited in secondary sources). Geoffrey Supran, a climate-accountability researcher at the University of Miami, said on WBUR in December 2023 that the campaign and the website calculator directed responsibility toward the individual consumer and that BP’s advertising spending exceeded $100 million a year in 2004–2006. BP disputes that it popularised the concept.","The claim that the campaign aimed to shift responsibility to individuals is an inference; no internal BP document on the intent of the campaign is cited. The term “carbon footprint” was used before BP’s campaign, in 1999 according to one source, and its first use is not documented.","On BP’s investment, BP’s 2005 Form 20-F put the alternative-energy share of its investment at 1.7–5.7% in 2005, and a peer-reviewed study (Li, Trencher and Asuka, 2022) put clean energy at slightly above 2% of BP’s capital expenditure in 2010–2018, against 1.33% at Shell and about 0.2% at ExxonMobil and Chevron. In February 2025, according to World Oil, BP cut its transition investment to $1.5–2 billion a year and raised oil and gas spending to about $10 billion."],"timeline":[{"y":1992,"t":"William Rees publishes the ecological footprint concept; Mathis Wackernagel develops the method"},{"y":1999,"t":"Ogilvy’s agency work for Shell North America (from 1960) ends; Ogilvy becomes BP’s agency afterwards"},{"y":2000,"t":"BP and Ogilvy & Mather launch the “Beyond Petroleum” brand"},{"y":2002,"t":"2000–2002: about $200m on rebranding facilities and about $400m on gasoline advertising and a new logo (Beder)"},{"y":2004,"t":"BP introduces a personal carbon footprint calculator; BP says 278,000 people used it that year"},{"y":2005,"t":"BP advertisements ask what a carbon footprint is and how large it is; use of the term rises sharply afterwards; alternative-energy share of BP investment 1.7–5.7%"},{"y":2006,"t":"2004–2006: advertising spending above $100m a year, according to Supran (WBUR)"},{"y":2007,"t":"The campaign wins an advertising award"},{"y":2018,"t":"2010–2018: clean energy slightly above 2% of BP’s capital expenditure (Li, Trencher and Asuka, 2022)"},{"y":2019,"t":"October: BP invites Twitter users to find their footprints with a new calculator"},{"y":2023,"t":"WBUR On Point (19 December) discusses the campaign; BP says it did not popularise the concept"},{"y":2025,"t":"February: BP cuts transition investment to $1.5–2bn a year and raises oil and gas spending to about $10bn (World Oil)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A “Beyond Petroleum” brand launched in 2000 with Ogilvy & Mather","who":"BP","src":0},{"t":"A personal carbon footprint calculator on BP’s website, 2004; 278,000 people used it that year","who":"BP’s own figure, as reported by DeSmog","src":1},{"t":"Advertisements in 2005 asking people what a carbon footprint is and how large theirs is","who":"BP advertising","src":null},{"t":"A new footprint calculator promoted to users on Twitter, October 2019","who":"BP","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Beder (2002): about $200m on rebranding facilities and about $400m on gasoline advertising and a new logo, 2000–2002; the roughly $200m figure circulating in the press was not the total","src":0},{"t":"Supran (WBUR, 2023): advertising spending above $100m a year in 2004–2006","src":2},{"t":"Alternative-energy share of BP investment was 1.7–5.7% in 2005 (BP Form 20-F 2005, as cited in secondary sources)","src":5},{"t":"Clean energy slightly above 2% of BP’s capital expenditure in 2010–2018, against 1.33% at Shell and about 0.2% at ExxonMobil and Chevron; the “transition” word group in BP’s reports rose from 50 to 418 mentions over the same period (Li, Trencher and Asuka, 2022, peer-reviewed)","src":6},{"t":"February 2025: BP cut transition investment to $1.5–2bn a year and set about $10bn for oil and gas (World Oil, 26 February 2025, as cited in secondary sources)","src":7},{"t":"No internal BP document on the campaign’s intent was found; the aim of shifting responsibility is an inference","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2000–2002","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"BP: rebranding of facilities (Beder, critical source)","amount":200,"qualifier":"about","window":"2000–2002"},{"label":"BP: gasoline advertising and new logo (Beder, critical source)","amount":400,"qualifier":"about","window":"2000–2002"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Alternative-energy share of BP investment, 2005","v":"1.7–5.7%","d":"BP Form 20-F 2005, as cited in secondary sources"},{"k":"Clean-energy share of capital expenditure, 2010–2018","v":"slightly above 2%","d":"BP; Shell 1.33%, ExxonMobil and Chevron about 0.2% (Li, Trencher and Asuka, 2022)"},{"k":"Planned transition investment, February 2025","v":"$1.5–2bn a year","d":"Against about $10bn for oil and gas (World Oil)"}]},"unknown":["Whether BP’s campaign was designed to shift responsibility to individuals: no internal BP document on its intent was found; the aim is an inference by critics.","Who first used the term “carbon footprint”: the first use is not documented; one source reports a use in 1999.","Total campaign spending: the roughly $200 million figure that circulated in the press was not the total, and the sources give different periods and items.","Calculator users: 278,000 in 2004 (BP’s own figure) against about 250,000 in the first year (WBUR); the calculator’s year is given as 2004 or 2005.","Unconfirmed: a 2021 study by Supran and Oreskes reportedly found that ExxonMobil’s communications emphasised consumer “demand” and individualised responsibility; the number of documents analysed is given as 180 in one source and 212 in another."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No harm to nature is recorded in the sources for this case; the record concerns a communications campaign, a calculator and company investment shares.","whoPaid":"Not applicable: the sources record BP’s campaign spending, not compensation for harm.","statusLine":"As of October 2026 (research update of 10 October 2026): BP disputes that it popularised the term “carbon footprint”; no ruling or formal finding on the campaign appears in the cited sources.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"BP","says":"Said it did not popularise the carbon footprint concept.","when":"2023","src":2},{"actor":"BP","says":"Reported that 278,000 people used its personal carbon footprint calculator in 2004.","when":"2004","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"Launched the “Beyond Petroleum” brand and the carbon footprint calculator"},{"id":"ogilvy","role":"Advertising agency for BP’s campaign; part of WPP"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did BP’s campaign popularise the term “carbon footprint” and direct responsibility to individuals?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Geoffrey Supran, University of Miami","says":"The campaign and the calculator on BP’s website directed responsibility toward the individual consumer (WBUR, December 2023).","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Mathis Wackernagel","says":"BP gave the term its biggest push; use of the term rose sharply after 2005 (Google Ngram).","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"BP","says":"Said it did not popularise the concept.","src":2}]},{"point":"How much did the “Beyond Petroleum” campaign cost?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Press reports","says":"A budget of about $200 million circulated in the press; it was not the total.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Beder (2002), critical source","says":"About $200 million on rebranding facilities and about $400 million on gasoline advertising and a new logo, 2000–2002.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Geoffrey Supran, as quoted by WBUR","says":"Advertising spending exceeded $100 million a year in 2004–2006.","src":2}]},{"point":"How many people used BP’s calculator?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BP","says":"278,000 people used the calculator in 2004 (BP’s own figure).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"WBUR On Point","says":"About 250,000 users in the first year.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"calculator_users","value":278000,"unit":"people","year":2004,"note":"BP’s own figure for users of its carbon footprint calculator that year; WBUR gave about 250,000 in the first year."},{"key":"rebranding_spend","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rebranding of facilities, 2000–2002 (Beder, critical source)."},{"key":"advertising_spend","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Gasoline advertising and new logo, 2000–2002 (Beder, critical source)."},{"key":"advertising_spend_annual","value":100,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2006,"qualifier":"more than","note":"2004–2006, according to Geoffrey Supran as quoted by WBUR."},{"key":"alternative_energy_investment_share","value":"1.7–5.7","unit":"% of investment","year":2005,"note":"BP Form 20-F 2005, as cited in secondary sources."},{"key":"clean_energy_capex_share","value":2,"unit":"% of capital expenditure","year":2018,"qualifier":"slightly above","note":"BP, 2010–2018 (Li, Trencher and Asuka, 2022); Shell 1.33%, ExxonMobil and Chevron about 0.2%."},{"key":"transition_investment_planned","value":2,"unit":"USD bn per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"at most","note":"Stated as $1.5–2 billion a year in February 2025."},{"key":"oil_gas_investment_planned","value":10,"unit":"USD bn per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"February 2025 (World Oil)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"BP and Ogilvy & Mather launched the “Beyond Petroleum” brand in 2000, and BP introduced a personal carbon footprint calculator in 2004. A researcher says this helped spread the term and directed responsibility to individuals; BP disputes that it popularised the concept.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ogilvy & Mather","what":"Advertising agency for BP’s campaign; the fee is not on record.","src":1},{"who":"BP","what":"Owner of the brand and the calculator; the benefit to BP is not measured in the cited sources.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Worldwide; BP is a company based in the United Kingdom, and the sources associate the campaign with the United States and the United Kingdom.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2000 (brand launch), 2004 (calculator), 2019 (new calculator), 2025 (investment shift).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources found no internal BP document on the campaign’s purpose; critics’ reading that it shifted responsibility to individuals is an inference.","src":4},"how":{"t":"A branding campaign run with an advertising agency and a website calculator that measured individual behaviour.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"BP: Beyond Petroleum (Beder, 2002; critical source)","p":"Beder","d":"2002","type":"academic","u":"https://herinst.org/sbeder/PR/bp.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216084148/http://www.herinst.org/sbeder/PR/bp.html"},{"t":"Ogilvy (profile)","p":"DeSmog","d":null,"type":"investigative","u":"https://www.desmog.com/ogilvy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420005234/https://www.desmog.com/ogilvy/"},{"t":"How big oil helped push the idea of a carbon footprint","p":"WBUR On Point","d":"2023-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/12/19/how-big-oil-helped-push-the-idea-of-a-carbon-footprint","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821125459/https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/12/19/how-big-oil-helped-push-the-idea-of-a-carbon-footprint"},{"t":"Ecological footprint (Rees and Wackernagel)","p":"Britannica","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://www.britannica.com/print/article/1699724","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20151022045228/http://www.britannica.com/print/article/1699724"},{"t":"Deconstructing the carbon footprint","p":"Open Mind","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/deconstructing-the-carbon-footprint","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251108134056/https://www.openmindmag.org/articles/deconstructing-the-carbon-footprint"},{"t":"Oil giants promise green investment (Friends of the Earth analysis of BP's 2005 accounts)","p":"People & Planet","d":"2006-08-03","u":"https://peopleandplanet.net/doc.php?id=2810","type":"ngo"},{"t":"The clean energy claims of BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell: A mismatch between discourse, actions and investments","p":"PLOS ONE (Li, Trencher and Asuka)","d":"2022-02","u":"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0263596","type":"academic"},{"t":"bp announces it will pivot back to oil, cut renewables spending","p":"World Oil","d":"2025-02-26","u":"https://www.worldoil.com/news/2025/2/26/bp-announces-it-will-pivot-back-to-oil-cut-renewables-spending/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"corporate-campaign","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did BP’s campaign popularise the term “carbon footprint” and direct responsibility to individuals?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much did the “Beyond Petroleum” campaign cost?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people used BP’s calculator?","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Calculator users: BP’s own figure for users of its carbon footprint calculator that year; WBUR gave about 250,000 in the first year.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether BP’s campaign was designed to shift responsibility to individuals: no internal BP document on its intent was found; the aim is an inference by critics.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who first used the term “carbon footprint”: the first use is not documented; one source reports a use in 1999.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Total campaign spending: the roughly $200 million figure that circulated in the press was not the total, and the sources give different periods and items.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Calculator users: 278,000 in 2004 (BP’s own figure) against about 250,000 in the first year (WBUR); the calculator’s year is given as 2004 or 2005.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2021 study by Supran and Oreskes reportedly found that ExxonMobil’s communications emphasised consumer “demand” and individualised responsibility; the number of documents analysed is given as 180 in one source and 212 in another.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"mikoko-pamoja-mangrove-project","title":"Mikoko Pamoja mangrove project","dek":"A community mangrove carbon project in Gazi Bay, Kenya, certified by Plan Vivo, sets aside 117 hectares of mangrove and sells carbon credits. Reported revenue is about $15,000 a year, and about $117,000 has gone to community projects.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-4.42,"lon":39.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Gazi/Makongeni, Gazi Bay","lat":-4.42,"lon":39.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2010,"end":2023,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Reported to community projects, to September 2022","value":"about $117,000","note":"Reported figure (Science News, 14 September 2022). A separate record gives $210,000 to the community for 2013–2023."},"happened":["Mikoko Pamoja is a community mangrove project at Gazi/Makongeni, Gazi Bay, Kenya, certified under the Plan Vivo standard. One record gives its start as 2010; another gives 2013 as the year protection began. It sets aside 117 hectares for carbon inside the 615-hectare Gazi forest, sequesters about 3,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and covers 1,081 households.","Plan Vivo’s project page records 22,169 Plan Vivo Certificates issued to date. 9,880 credits were issued in 2014–2018 at a price above $7. Revenue is about $15,000 a year, and about $117,000 in total has gone to community projects, according to Science News on 14 September 2022. A separate account covering 2013–2023 gives 18,500 tonnes of CO2 and $210,000 to the community, with the money going to water, schools and health. A UN projection of about $130,000 a year does not match the reported figures.","Revenue is split about 21% to wages, more than 50% to community projects such as water and schoolbooks, and the rest to project costs. The sources list 56,000 seedlings planted and put Kenya’s national mangrove loss rate at about 0.65% a year.","A 2025 analysis in npj Ocean Sustainability (Farahmand, Hilmi and Duarte) gives market context: by 15 March 2025, 6,961,950 blue carbon credits had been issued and 3,651,383 (about 48%) retired, across 94 registered projects of which 19 had issued credits. Plan Vivo prices were about $6 in 2014 and about $19 in 2023. Of 1,109,210 credits that could be traced, more than 97% went to buyers in high-income countries."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Project start, according to one record (Plan Vivo; Gazi/Makongeni, Kenya)"},{"y":2013,"t":"Another record gives 2013 as the year protection began (record window 2013–2023)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Credit issuance 2014–2018: 9,880 credits at above $7; Plan Vivo prices about $6 in 2014 (market-wide)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Science News (14 September) reports revenue of about $15,000 a year and about $117,000 to community projects"},{"y":2023,"t":"End of the 2013–2023 record: 18,500 t CO2 and $210,000 to the community; Plan Vivo prices about $19 (market-wide)"},{"y":2025,"t":"March: 6,961,950 blue carbon credits issued worldwide, 48% retired (npj Ocean Sustainability)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Projected revenue of about $130,000 a year","who":"A UN projection (publisher: none on record)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"117 ha set aside for carbon inside the 615 ha Gazi forest; about 3,000 t CO2 sequestered a year; 1,081 households covered","src":1},{"t":"22,169 Plan Vivo Certificates issued to date","src":0},{"t":"9,880 credits issued in 2014–2018 at a price above $7","src":3},{"t":"Revenue about $15,000 a year; about $117,000 in total to community projects","src":1},{"t":"Separate record, 2013–2023: 18,500 t CO2; $210,000 to the community, for water, schools and health","src":4},{"t":"About 21% of revenue to wages, more than 50% to community projects such as water and schoolbooks, the rest to project costs","src":1},{"t":"56,000 seedlings planted; Kenya’s national mangrove loss rate about 0.65% a year","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"to September 2022","nature":[{"label":"Total reported to community projects (Science News, September 2022)","amount":0.117,"qualifier":"about","note":"A separate record gives $210,000 to the community for 2013–2023."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0.117,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported figure; not reconciled with the $210,000 in the separate record."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mangrove set aside for carbon","v":"117 ha","d":"Inside the 615 ha Gazi forest"},{"k":"Seedlings planted","v":"56,000","d":"As listed in the cited sources"},{"k":"Kenya’s national mangrove loss rate","v":"about 0.65% a year","d":"National figure, for comparison"}]},"unknown":["Start date: one record gives 2010, another gives 2013 as the year protection began.","Money to the community: about $117,000 to September 2022 in one report, $210,000 for 2013–2023 in another.","A UN projection of about $130,000 a year does not match the reported figures of about $15,000 a year.","No response from the project or Plan Vivo to any of these discrepancies is stated in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no loss rate for the project’s 117 hectares; it gives a national mangrove loss rate of about 0.65% a year.","whoPaid":"Buyers of the credits paid about $15,000 a year in revenue; the sources do not name the buyers.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: no independent audit and no court case appear in the cited sources; reported community payments of $117,000 (to September 2022) and $210,000 (2013–2023) have not been reconciled.","updated":"2026-10-01","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"mikoko-pamoja","role":"Community mangrove carbon project"},{"id":"plan-vivo","role":"Carbon standard under which credits are issued"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much money has the project generated for the community?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Science News (14 September 2022)","says":"Revenue about $15,000 a year; about $117,000 in total to community projects.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Separate account covering 2013–2023","says":"$210,000 to the community, with the money going to water, schools and health.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN projection","says":"About $130,000 a year, which does not match the reported figures.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":117,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Set aside for carbon, inside the 615 ha Gazi forest."},{"key":"co2_sequestered_per_year","value":3000,"unit":"t CO2 per year","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"As stated in the cited sources."},{"key":"co2_total","value":18500,"unit":"t CO2","year":2023,"note":"Separate record covering 2013–2023."},{"key":"households","value":1081,"unit":"households","year":2023,"note":"Households covered by the project."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":22169,"unit":"Plan Vivo Certificates","year":null,"note":"Issued to date, per Plan Vivo’s project page."},{"key":"credits_issued_2014_2018","value":9880,"unit":"credits","year":2018,"note":"Issued in 2014–2018 at a price above $7."},{"key":"credit_price","value":7,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2018,"qualifier":"above","note":"2014–2018 issuance. Market-wide Plan Vivo prices were about $6 in 2014 and about $19 in 2023."},{"key":"revenue","value":15000,"unit":"USD per year","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Science News, 14 September 2022."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":117000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total to community projects, Science News, 14 September 2022."},{"key":"community_payments_2013_2023","value":210000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Separate record; not reconciled with the $117,000 figure."},{"key":"wages_est","value":3150,"unit":"USD per year","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Estimate: about 21% of about $15,000 a year."},{"key":"community_projects_est","value":7500,"unit":"USD per year","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Estimate: more than 50% of about $15,000 a year."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":56000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2023,"note":"As listed in the cited sources."},{"key":"national_mangrove_loss_rate","value":0.65,"unit":"% per year","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kenya, national."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A community-run mangrove carbon project that sells Plan Vivo credits and puts part of the revenue into wages and community projects.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gazi/Makongeni community","what":"More than 50% of revenue to community projects such as water and schoolbooks; about $117,000 in total reported to September 2022.","src":1},{"who":"Project workers","what":"About 21% of revenue to wages, an estimated $3,150 a year.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gazi Bay (Gazi/Makongeni), Kenya; 117 ha within the 615 ha Gazi forest.","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 2010 or 2013, depending on the record; credits issued in 2014–2018 and since.","src":null},"why":{"t":"To protect and plant mangrove and fund community projects through carbon credit sales.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Plan Vivo Certificates issued for about 3,000 t CO2 a year; revenue about $15,000 a year.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Mikoko Pamoja (project page)","p":"Plan Vivo","d":null,"type":"registry","u":"https://www.planvivo.org/mikoko-pamoja","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251202191536/https://www.planvivo.org/mikoko-pamoja"},{"t":"Science News report on Mikoko Pamoja","p":"Science News","d":"2022-09-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.sciencenews.org/?p=3117092"},{"t":"Blue carbon credit market analysis (Farahmand, Hilmi and Duarte)","p":"npj Ocean Sustainability","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-025-00141-6","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117021510/https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-025-00141-6"},{"t":"Case study: Community-led Mangrove Restoration and Conservation in Gazi Bay, Kenya - Lessons From Early Blue Carbon Projects","p":"The Commonwealth","d":"2020-07-25","u":"https://thecommonwealth.org/case-study/case-study-community-led-mangrove-restoration-and-conservation-gazi-bay-kenya-lessons","type":"official"},{"t":"Mikoko Pamoja Awarded United Nations in Kenya Person of the Year","p":"United Nations in Kenya","d":"2023-10-25","u":"https://www.un.org/en/node/211046","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"117 hectares of my mangrove in Gazi Bay are set aside for carbon; the project is stated to sequester about 3,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, and Plan Vivo records 22,169 certificates issued.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much money has the project generated for the community?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Start date: one record gives 2010, another gives 2013 as the year protection began.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Money to the community: about $117,000 to September 2022 in one report, $210,000 for 2013–2023 in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A UN projection of about $130,000 a year does not match the reported figures of about $15,000 a year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No response from the project or Plan Vivo to any of these discrepancies is stated in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: Project workers"]},{"id":"verra-plastic-credits","title":"Verra plastic credits","dek":"A report for Fauna & Flora found that 228 of the 10,146 plastic credits issued under Verra’s Plastic Waste Reduction Standard (2.2%) had been retired by July 2024. Verra accepts incineration with energy recovery and cement-kiln co-processing as end-of-life treatment.","country":"Philippines","region":"Asia","lat":14.6,"lon":121,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","lat":14.6,"lon":121,"role":"event"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","role":"event"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Kampot","role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Verra plastic credits retired, share of credits issued (registry data to 23 July 2024)","value":"228 of 10,146 (2.2%)","note":"Figure as stated in the Eunomia report for Fauna & Flora; the report’s own Table 4 gives 213 sold."},"happened":["Verra’s Plastic Waste Reduction Standard (PWRS) had 13 registered projects in 11 countries by 23 July 2024, which together had collected or recycled 98,876 tonnes of plastic; 8 of them had been issued credits. A report by Eunomia for Fauna & Flora, labelled an interim report and dated November 2024, found 10,146 credits issued (one credit equal to one tonne), of which 76% were waste collection credits and 24% (2,463) waste recycling credits. By material, 41% were “other plastics”, 32% composite and 24% polypropylene; all composite credits and 93% of “other plastics” credits were collection credits. The report said that only 228 of the 10,146 credits had been retired (sold), 2.2%, while its Table 4 gave 213.","Demand was low in the report’s figures: of 993 credits issued in 2022–2023, 187 (19%) had sold by October 2024, and adding issuances from January to March 2024, 237 of 5,474 (4%) had sold. One project issued 734 credits in March 2022 and had sold 183 (25%) by October 2024. An earlier Eunomia white paper of 22 April 2024 recorded 7,061 credits issued and 192 (2.7%) retired, all by Second Life Thailand, to five named buyers: Vinventions, Bentley Motors, Escape Travel, GP-23 and PCX. A price of $500 a credit was reported by the project founder, which implies about $96,000 in revenue. Verra publishes no prices.","Verra treats incineration with energy recovery and co-processing in cement kilns as acceptable end-of-life treatment. SourceMaterial reported in November 2023 that more than 80% of the plastic collected by the Philippines-based Plastic Credit Exchange (PCX) goes to cement kilns and that only 14% of PCX credits come from recycling. Break Free From Plastic and GAIA reported on 29 November 2023 that 22% of Verra projects and 86% of PCX projects send plastic to burning or kilns. SourceMaterial reported that Nestlé Philippines spent $732,900, all on burning credits; Nestlé, which co-developed the Verra standard, now says it does not buy plastic credits.","Counts of projects differ by source and date. Eunomia’s April 2024 white paper recorded 64 projects in 25 countries that had applied to Verra, 58 listed and 8 registered. Verra’s own undated page claims 36 registered projects in 20 countries and more than 500,000 credits “approved”, which is not the same as issued. An Asian Development Bank fact sheet recorded 60 or more listed and 32 registered projects as of 29 July 2025. About 243 projects are listed across registries, most not yet issuing credits, and a BloombergNEF projection is cited that plastic credits could reach $4.3 billion a year in revenue by 2050."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"March: a project is issued 734 credits; earliest issuance on record (183 sold by October 2024)"},{"y":2023,"t":"SourceMaterial (13 November) and Break Free From Plastic/GAIA (29 November) report on kiln and incineration use"},{"y":2024,"t":"22 April: Eunomia white paper (7,061 credits issued, 192 retired); 23 July: registry data of 10,146 issued and 228 retired; November: Eunomia report for Fauna & Flora"},{"y":2025,"t":"29 July: ADB fact sheet records 60+ listed and 32 registered Verra projects"}],"said":[{"q":"We need to stop producing so much plastic.","who":"Neil Tangri, GAIA","when":"Date: none on record","src":7},{"q":"of the 10,146 credits issued, only 228 have been retired (sold), which is just 2.2% of the total.","who":"Eunomia for Fauna & Flora","when":"November 2024","src":0},{"q":"believe in the effectiveness of plastic credits without a credible, solid, and harmonized global standard.","who":"Nestlé, as quoted in Fauna & Flora 2024","when":"2024","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"36 registered projects in 20 countries and more than 500,000 credits “approved”","who":"Verra (undated page)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"13 registered PWRS projects in 11 countries; 98,876 t collected or recycled; 8 projects issued credits (data to 23 July 2024)","src":0},{"t":"10,146 credits issued; 76% collection credits and 24% (2,463) recycling credits; 228 retired (2.2%), Table 4 gives 213","src":0},{"t":"Verra treats incineration with energy recovery and cement-kiln co-processing as acceptable end-of-life treatment","src":0},{"t":"More than 80% of plastic collected by PCX goes to cement kilns; 14% of PCX credits come from recycling (SourceMaterial, 2023)","src":4},{"t":"22% of Verra projects and 86% of PCX projects send plastic to burning or kilns (Break Free From Plastic/GAIA, 2023)","src":5},{"t":"Verra publishes no prices; a price of $500 a credit was reported by one project founder","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"to April 2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Second Life Thailand: implied revenue from 192 retired credits at a reported $500","amount":0.096,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"192 credits × $500, the price reported by the project founder."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Credits retired, share of credits issued","v":"2.2%","d":"228 of 10,146 (Table 4 gives 213); registry data to 23 July 2024"},{"k":"Collection credits vs recycling credits","v":"76% / 24%","d":"2,463 recycling credits of 10,146 issued"},{"k":"Plastic collected or recycled by 13 registered projects","v":"98,876 t","d":"Eunomia for Fauna & Flora, November 2024"},{"k":"PCX projects using cement-kiln co-processing","v":"40% by number, 75% by capacity","d":"35 listed projects on 24 July 2024; 396,120 t annual capacity"}]},"unknown":["Prices paid for Verra plastic credits: Verra publishes no prices.","Credits retired: the report’s text says 228, its Table 4 says 213, and 228 also appears in the same report as the number of retirement transactions for another scheme (Zero Plastic Oceans, OBP).","Verra’s claim of more than 500,000 credits “approved” is undated and is not the same as credits issued.","Counts of registered projects differ by source and date: 8 (April 2024), 13 (July 2024), 36 (Verra, undated) and 32 (ADB, July 2025).","Nestlé Philippines’ burning credits: SourceMaterial put the $732,900 spend entirely on burning credits; another source gives 86% of Nestlé’s credits as cement-kiln burning."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The sources do not record that any plastic loss or burning stopped; they record issuance, retirement and treatment figures.","whoPaid":"Buyers paid for the credits that sold (about $100–1,600 a tonne across schemes, per Fauna & Flora 2024); the sources do not record who paid for any cost to nature.","statusLine":"As of October 2026 (report dated 15 October 2026): no ruling in the sources; Verra’s own claims and independent counts of its plastic programme still differ.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Verra","says":"Says it has 36 registered plastic projects in 20 countries and more than 500,000 credits “approved”; “approved” is not the same as issued.","when":"undated","src":2},{"actor":"Nestlé","says":"Says it does not buy plastic credits; it does not “believe in the effectiveness of plastic credits without a credible, solid, and harmonized global standard.”","when":"2024","src":0},{"actor":"Coca-Cola and Unilever","says":"Said in 2022 that credits are not a solution.","when":"2022","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry for the Plastic Waste Reduction Standard"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Co-developer of the Verra standard; Nestlé Philippines bought burning credits"},{"id":"pcx","role":"Plastic Credit Exchange, Philippines marketplace and PPRS standard"},{"id":"fauna-flora","role":"Commissioned the Eunomia report on plastic credits"},{"id":"eunomia","role":"Authored the plastic credits reports"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large is Verra’s plastic programme, and how much of it has sold?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Eunomia for Fauna & Flora (November 2024)","says":"13 registered projects and 10,146 credits issued; 228 retired (2.2%); the report’s Table 4 gives 213.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Eunomia white paper (22 April 2024)","says":"64 applied, 58 listed and 8 registered; 7,061 credits issued, 192 (2.7%) retired.","src":1},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"36 registered projects in 20 countries and more than 500,000 credits “approved”; the page is undated.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"Asian Development Bank (fact sheet)","says":"60 or more listed and 32 registered projects as of 29 July 2025.","src":3}]},{"point":"Does plastic sent to incineration and cement kilns count as plastic waste reduction?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Treats incineration with energy recovery and co-processing in cement kilns as acceptable end-of-life treatment.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Break Free From Plastic and GAIA","says":"22% of Verra projects and 86% of PCX projects send plastic to burning or kilns.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"SourceMaterial","says":"More than 80% of plastic collected by PCX goes to cement kilns; only 14% of PCX credits come from recycling.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Neil Tangri, GAIA","says":"“We need to stop producing so much plastic.”","src":null}]},{"point":"Do major brands rely on plastic credits?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nestlé","says":"Says it does not buy plastic credits without a credible, solid and harmonized global standard.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Coca-Cola and Unilever","says":"Said in 2022 that credits are not a solution.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"SourceMaterial (November 2023)","says":"Nestlé Philippines spent $732,900, all on burning credits; Century Pacific bought 15,461 credits (about $1.1m) against a declared footprint of 10,378 t.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":10146,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Verra PWRS, registry data to 23 July 2024; one credit equals one tonne."},{"key":"credits_retired","value":228,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Report text says 228 (2.2%); its Table 4 gives 213."},{"key":"recycling_credits","value":2463,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"24% of credits issued; the rest were collection credits."},{"key":"plastic_processed_tonnes","value":98876,"unit":"t","year":2024,"note":"Collected or recycled by the 13 registered projects."},{"key":"registered_projects","value":13,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"In 11 countries; 8 had been issued credits."},{"key":"credits_issued_april_2024","value":7061,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Eunomia white paper, 22 April 2024; 192 (2.7%) retired."},{"key":"credit_price","value":500,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2024,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Reported by one project founder; implies about $96,000 for 192 credits."},{"key":"revenue","value":0.096,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate: 192 credits × $500."},{"key":"pcx_asking_price_average","value":360,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2024,"note":"PCX asking prices $106–804 per credit (Fauna & Flora 2024)."},{"key":"pcx_projects_listed","value":35,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"On 24 July 2024; co-processing 40% by number, 75% by annual capacity (396,120 t)."},{"key":"nestle_philippines_spend","value":0.7329,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"All on burning credits, according to SourceMaterial."},{"key":"market_projection","value":4300,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2050,"qualifier":"could reach","note":"BloombergNEF projection of plastic credit revenue."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Verra’s Plastic Waste Reduction Standard issued 10,146 plastic credits by July 2024, of which 228 (2.2%) had been retired, and accepts incineration with energy recovery and cement-kiln co-processing as end-of-life treatment.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Second Life Thailand","what":"All 192 credits retired by April 2024 came from this project; at the reported $500 price that implies about $96,000.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global registry; documented projects and buyers in the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia and Brazil.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Registry data to 23 July 2024; issuances from March 2022; ADB data as of 29 July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To fund collection and recycling of plastic through credits that companies can buy.","src":2},"how":{"t":"One credit equals one tonne of plastic collected or recycled; credits are issued by Verra after projects are registered.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Exploring Plastic Credit Schemes: Scope, risks and uncertainties (interim report)","p":"Eunomia for Fauna & Flora","d":"2024-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://fauna-flora.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fauna-flora-exploring-plastic-credits-report-v4.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720181231/https://www.fauna-flora.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/fauna-flora-exploring-plastic-credits-report-v4.pdf"},{"t":"Plastic Credits White Paper","p":"Eunomia","d":"2024-04-22","type":"academic","u":"https://trashhero.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024APR22_Eunomia-Plastic-Credits-White-Paper.pdf"},{"t":"Five years in, Verra’s plastic program is more relevant than ever","p":"Verra","d":null,"type":"registry","u":"https://verra.org/verra-views/five-years-in-verras-plastic-program-is-more-relevant-than-ever/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617065632/https://verra.org/verra-views/five-years-in-verras-plastic-program-is-more-relevant-than-ever/"},{"t":"Plastic credit: innovative financing for circular solutions: Verra (fact sheet, data as of 29 July 2025)","p":"Asian Development Bank","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://seads.adb.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/plastic-credit%3A-innovative-financing-for-circular-solutions%3A-verra.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251216094941/https://seads.adb.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/plastic-credit%3A-innovative-financing-for-circular-solutions%3A-verra.pdf"},{"t":"Plastic offsetting in the Philippines: PCX, Verra and cement","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2023-11-13","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/plastic-offsetting-philippines-pcx-verra-cement","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512200143/https://www.source-material.org/plastic-offsetting-philippines-pcx-verra-cement/"},{"t":"Smoke and Mirrors: the Realities of Plastic Credits and Offsetting","p":"Break Free From Plastic / GAIA","d":"2023-11-29","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/NOV-29-2023_Smoke-and-Mirrors-the-Realities-of-Plastic-Credits-and-Offsetting.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260621020834/https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/NOV-29-2023_Smoke-and-Mirrors-the-Realities-of-Plastic-Credits-and-Offsetting.pdf"},{"t":"Plastic offsets: rubbish or remedy?","p":"Packaging Gateway","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.packaging-gateway.com/features/plastic-offsets-rubbish-or-remedy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618044728/https://www.packaging-gateway.com/features/plastic-offsets-rubbish-or-remedy/"},{"t":"'Cocktail of contaminants' (AFP/SourceMaterial investigation into plastic credits)","p":"SourceMaterial (with AFP)","d":"2025-02-12","u":"https://source-material.org/?p=4336","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"plastic-credit","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of 10,146 plastic credits issued in my name under Verra's standard by 23 July 2024, 76% were for collection and 24% for recycling, a Eunomia report found.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does plastic sent to incineration and cement kilns count as plastic waste reduction?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is Verra’s plastic programme, and how much of it has sold?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do major brands rely on plastic credits?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Prices paid for Verra plastic credits: Verra publishes no prices.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Credits retired: the report’s text says 228, its Table 4 says 213, and 228 also appears in the same report as the number of retirement transactions for another scheme (Zero Plastic Oceans, OBP).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Verra’s claim of more than 500,000 credits “approved” is undated and is not the same as credits issued.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Counts of registered projects differ by source and date: 8 (April 2024), 13 (July 2024), 36 (Verra, undated) and 32 (ADB, July 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Nestlé Philippines’ burning credits: SourceMaterial put the $732,900 spend entirely on burning credits; another source gives 86% of Nestlé’s credits as cement-kiln burning.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nepal-community-forestry-success","title":"Nepal community forestry","dek":"A 2019 study of more than 18,000 community forests in Nepal found 37% less deforestation and 4.3% less poverty than in matched comparison areas. A January 2026 study of rural inequality reported that the poverty gain went mainly to dominant caste groups and that the Dalit gain was not statistically significant.","country":"Nepal","region":"Asia","lat":28,"lon":84,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","lat":28,"lon":84,"role":"event"},{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":"Makwanpur","role":"event"},{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":"Gorkha","role":"affected"},{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":"Kaski","role":"affected"}],"start":2000,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Relative reduction in deforestation in community-forest sub-districts vs matched control sub-districts, 2000–2012","value":"37%","note":"A relative figure, not a share of forest saved. The study's research brief gives the absolute equivalent as 1.7 hectares of deforestation avoided per sub-district over 12 years, and 14 households out of poverty."},"happened":["A 2019 study published in Nature Sustainability (Oldekop et al.) covered the period 2000–2012 and more than 18,000 community forests with 1.36 million households in Nepal. It found that deforestation was 37% lower, and poverty 4.3% lower in relative terms, in sub-districts with community forests than in matched control sub-districts. The University of Manchester research brief on the study gives the absolute equivalents as 1.7 hectares of avoided deforestation and 14 households lifted out of poverty per sub-district over 12 years.","The finding travelled as a headline. According to the record, Reuters and VOA dropped the word \"relative\" and reported that deforestation had fallen 37%, with no critical voice in the report. Separately, institutional presentations showed Nepal's forest cover rising from 29% to 46%; UN-REDD and Mongabay noted that the first figure counts forest only and the second forest plus shrubland. An Economic Survey series cited by Onlinekhabar runs from 39.6% to 46.08%, and a NASA Earth Observatory feature gives 26% rising to 45%.","Other studies in the cited sources agree that the forest gain is real while disagreeing on its causes. Libois, Baland and colleagues (EDI, 2021) reported that simple estimates show a small effect because community forests were set up in more degraded areas, and that fuel use shifted to LPG and to more distant sources. Bluffstone et al. (World Development) found that collective action raised carbon stocks. An FRTC report, covered by Republica in December 2024, linked the increase in forest cover to rural depopulation. The record states that no study of leakage specific to Nepal was found.","In January 2026 Cook et al. (Nature Sustainability) analysed 522,440 households. Their poverty estimates were −0.16 standard deviations for Brahmin/Chhetri/Newar households and −0.04 for Janajati households; the Dalit estimate was not statistically significant (p = 0.532), and the gap between groups widened. One co-author is also an author of the 2019 paper. Within user groups, other studies recorded that executive committee members had priority in credit, that infrastructure spending favoured better-off households, and that harvest rules left the poorest forest-dependent households short of their needs. The record also lists taxes and royalties at several levels of government, cases of alleged corruption involving forest officials, user-group officials and timber traders, and a Feb 2026 regulation that opened forest land to national priority projects and mining.","Carbon finance has since reached the sector. In November 2025 the World Bank announced USD 9.4 million for 1.88 Mt of emission reductions under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. A LEAF deal of up to USD 55 million was reported in February 2026, with credits usable in Singapore's carbon tax and in aviation offsetting. UN-REDD and Mongabay reported that the stated 80% of carbon revenue for communities includes local governments and implementers, leaving at most 70% for communities."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Start of the 2000–2012 study period covering more than 18,000 community forests"},{"y":2019,"t":"Oldekop et al. published (May): deforestation 37% lower and poverty 4.3% lower in relative terms; Kathmandu Post coverage (6 June)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Libois, Baland et al. (EDI, Nov) on mechanisms behind the forest gain; Kantipur reports on draft forest regulations (16 Dec)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Dialogue Earth article on pressures on community forests (Aug); FRTC report links forest-cover increase to rural depopulation (Dec)"},{"y":2025,"t":"World Bank announces USD 9.4 million for 1.88 Mt of emission reductions (Nov)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Cook et al. on inequality (Jan); regulation opens forest land to national priority projects and mining (Feb); LEAF carbon deal reported (Feb); a Hamropatro report dated 3 Aug on a user-group case"}],"said":[{"q":"Nepal's green success story has a hidden social gap","who":"Notre Dame news release headline on the 2026 inequality study","when":"20 January 2026","src":7},{"q":"Nepal's once-thriving community forests face existential crisis","who":"Dialogue Earth / Eco-Business article headline","when":"19 August 2024","src":21}],"shown":[{"t":"Deforestation fell 37% (the word \"relative\" dropped)","who":"VOA/Reuters report, as recorded","src":null},{"t":"Forest cover rose from 29% to 46%","who":"Institutional presentations of Nepal's forest cover, as recorded; UN-REDD and Mongabay said the two figures are not comparable","src":14},{"t":"80% of carbon revenue goes to communities","who":"Claim (claimant: none on record); UN-REDD and Mongabay said the 80% includes local governments and implementers","src":14},{"t":"Gender: a 50% quota for women in user-group committees","who":"Legal provision; Kantipur reported that about 1,072 of roughly 23,000 community forests are managed by women","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"2000–2012: 37% relative reduction in deforestation and 4.3% relative reduction in poverty, equal to 1.7 ha avoided deforestation and 14 households out of poverty per sub-district over 12 years","src":1},{"t":"Brahmin/Chhetri/Newar poverty estimate −0.16 SD, Janajati −0.04 SD, Dalit not statistically significant (p = 0.532); gap widened","src":6},{"t":"Notre Dame release presented a 0.15 standard-deviation gap as \"15%\"","src":7},{"t":"Executive committee members had priority in credit and infrastructure investment tilted against the poor and Dalit households (Lund et al., 2014)","src":8},{"t":"Gorkha: the top third of community-forest user groups received 74.3% of total community-forest income and the bottom third 4.1% (Chhetri, Lund and Nielsen, 2012)","src":22},{"t":"Kami blacksmith households were excluded from collecting charcoal in nearly half of user groups (Dhakal, Banko Janakari)","src":23},{"t":"Very poor, forest-dependent households drew 81% of their needs from the forest; permitted harvest met less than half of demand (Poudel et al., 2015)","src":24},{"t":"Kaski: community-forest income was 13.6% of poor households' income and 2.1% of rich households'; the Gini coefficient was 0.37 with that income and 0.53 without (Chhetri, Asante and Yoshimoto, 2016)","src":25},{"t":"A REDD+ pilot used a payment formula weighted toward poor, indigenous, Dalit and women-headed households (ICIMOD); in the same pilot no Dalit women were among grant recipients (Poudel et al., 2015)","src":20},{"t":"Makwanpur: a district forest officer, user-group officials and timber operators were tried together for illegal logging (CIAA case)","src":10},{"t":"February 2026 regulation opened forest land to nationally prioritised projects and the mining industry and moved the decision on mining from the general assembly to the executive committee","src":26}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Not comparable (funding programmes, different periods)","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Deforestation vs matched control sub-districts","v":"37% lower (relative)","d":"2000–2012; equal to 1.7 ha avoided per sub-district over 12 years"},{"k":"Forest cover, NASA Earth Observatory","v":"26% → 45%","d":"Start and end years are not given in the cited NASA entry; other cited series differ"},{"k":"Direct leakage study for Nepal","v":"None found","d":"The record states that no leakage study specific to Nepal was found"}]},"unknown":["No study of leakage specific to Nepal was found.","The share of the forest increase attributable to migration versus community forestry: studies in the cited sources conflict.","Unconfirmed: a 2018 study by the same research team was reported to find 44% higher likelihood of net reforestation in areas with above-median migration.","Unconfirmed: a secondary report of a monitoring report said 61% of the carbon accounting for the World Bank payment came from afforestation.","The outcome of the Makwanpur illegal-logging case is not on record.","Figures on federation-reported tax burdens (70–90% of sales) and on groups outside legal use (more than 13,000) come from an advocacy source."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record documents a forest gain. It does not show the distributional gaps closing, and a February 2026 regulation opened forest land to mining and national priority projects.","whoPaid":"According to the studies cited, Dalit households showed no statistically significant poverty gain, Kami households were excluded from charcoal collection in nearly half of user groups, and the poorest forest-dependent households met less than half of their demand under permitted harvest.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the forest finding is supported by several measurements in the cited sources; a January 2026 study reported no statistically significant poverty gain for Dalit households; a February 2026 regulation opened forest land to mining; no outcome found for the Makwanpur case.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Funder of carbon payments (Forest Carbon Partnership Facility)"},{"id":"un-redd","role":"Programme body reporting on Nepal's jurisdictional REDD+"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Lead of the Hariyo Ban conservation programme in Nepal"},{"id":"icimod","role":"Reporter of the REDD+ pilot payment formula"},{"id":"nepal-government","role":"Regulator and tax authority for community forests"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What drove the forest gain: community forestry, migration, fuel switching or other changes?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Oldekop et al. (Nature Sustainability, 2019)","says":"Deforestation was 37% lower in sub-districts with community forests than in matched controls, 2000–2012.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Libois, Baland et al. (EDI, 2021)","says":"Simple estimates show a small effect because community forests were set up in more degraded areas; fuel use shifted to LPG and to more distant sources.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Bluffstone et al. (World Development)","says":"Collective action increased carbon; the user-group label alone did not.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"FRTC report (as reported by Republica, December 2024)","says":"The increase in forest cover is linked to the depopulation of villages as agricultural land shrinks.","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"NASA Earth Observatory (Fox et al.)","says":"Forest cover rose from 26% to 45%; community forest user groups and remittances are listed as factors.","src":19}]},{"point":"Did the poverty gain reach all caste and ethnic groups?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Oldekop et al. (2019)","says":"Poverty was 4.3% lower in relative terms in community-forest sub-districts; the effect was weaker in poorer areas.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Cook et al. (Nature Sustainability, January 2026)","says":"Poverty estimates of −0.16 SD for Brahmin/Chhetri/Newar and −0.04 for Janajati households; the Dalit estimate was not statistically significant (p = 0.532); the gap between groups widened.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Notre Dame news release (January 2026)","says":"Described the gap as a 0.15 SD difference, which the cited sources note was presented as \"15%\".","src":7}]},{"point":"What was Nepal's forest cover, and how much did it rise?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN-REDD and Mongabay","says":"The 29% to 46% comparison is not like-for-like: the first figure counts forest only and the second forest plus shrubland.","src":14},{"voice":"press","holder":"Onlinekhabar (Economic Survey series)","says":"The same-type series rises from 39.6% to 46.08%.","src":18},{"voice":"research","holder":"NASA Earth Observatory","says":"Forest cover rose from 26% to 45%.","src":19}]},{"point":"How much of the carbon and timber revenue stays with communities?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN-REDD and Mongabay","says":"The 80% share said to go to communities includes local governments and implementers, leaving at most 70% for communities.","src":14},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Federation of user groups (advocacy source)","says":"On sales of sal and khair timber, layers of federal share, VAT, income tax and local funds bring the total burden to 70–90%; royalties are split 50% federal, 25% province, 25% local; more than 13,000 community forests are outside legal use because their plans have lapsed.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Makwanpur illegal logging case (Brahma community forest)","forum":"Case brought by the CIAA; court name: none on record","country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"CIAA","defendant":"A district forest officer, user-group officials and timber operators","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The record states that the district forest officer, user-group officials and timber operators in Makwanpur were tried together for illegal logging. The outcome is not stated.","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deforestation_reduction_relative","value":37,"unit":"%","year":2012,"note":"Relative reduction in deforestation in sub-districts with community forests versus matched controls, 2000–2012 (Oldekop et al. 2019)."},{"key":"poverty_reduction_relative","value":4.3,"unit":"%","year":2012,"note":"Relative reduction in poverty, same study and period."},{"key":"community_forests_in_study","value":18000,"unit":"forests","year":2012,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Community forests in the 2000–2012 study."},{"key":"households_in_study","value":1360000,"unit":"households","year":2012,"note":"Households covered by the 2019 study."},{"key":"avoided_deforestation_per_subdistrict","value":1.7,"unit":"ha over 12 years","year":2012,"note":"Absolute equivalent in the University of Manchester research brief."},{"key":"households_out_of_poverty_per_subdistrict","value":14,"unit":"households over 12 years","year":2012,"note":"Absolute equivalent in the University of Manchester research brief."},{"key":"community_forest_user_groups","value":22266,"unit":"groups","year":2019,"note":"Reported by the Kathmandu Post with 2.24 million hectares; the cited sources note a date inconsistency in that report."},{"key":"households_in_inequality_study","value":522440,"unit":"households","year":2026,"note":"Households analysed by Cook et al. (Nature Sustainability, January 2026)."},{"key":"dalit_poverty_gain_p_value","value":0.532,"unit":"p-value","year":2026,"note":"Dalit poverty estimate was not statistically significant."},{"key":"carbon_payment","value":9.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"World Bank announcement for 1.88 Mt of emission reductions under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility."},{"key":"emission_reductions_paid","value":1.88,"unit":"Mt","year":2025,"note":"Quantity covered by the World Bank payment."},{"key":"leaf_deal_maximum","value":55,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"LEAF carbon deal reported by Mongabay, February 2026."},{"key":"msfp_funding","value":62,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Programme funding as reported by RRI; the sources list the years as 2012 / 2011 / 2021 for three programmes."},{"key":"hariyo_ban_funding","value":29.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"Hariyo Ban programme as reported by WWF; the URL title refers to a 30 million programme."},{"key":"forests_for_prosperity_funding","value":24,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Of which USD 17.9 million was credit; the cited sources note conflicting figures in the World Bank blog."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2019 study found community forests in Nepal were associated with 37% less deforestation and 4.3% less poverty in relative terms; a 2026 study found the poverty gain went mainly to dominant caste groups, with no statistically significant gain for Dalit households.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Brahmin/Chhetri/Newar and Janajati households (poverty estimates −0.16 and −0.04 SD)","what":"Measured poverty gains from community forestry.","src":6},{"who":"User-group executive committee members","what":"Priority in credit, per Lund et al. (2014).","src":8},{"who":"State tiers (federal, province, local)","what":"Taxes and a 50/25/25 royalty split on timber sales, per the user-group federation.","src":null},{"who":"World Bank carbon payment recipients and LEAF credit buyers","what":"USD 9.4 million for 1.88 Mt; LEAF credits usable in Singapore's carbon tax and in aviation offsets.","src":14}],"lost":[{"who":"Dalit households","what":"No statistically significant poverty gain (p = 0.532).","src":6},{"who":"Kami blacksmith households","what":"Excluded from charcoal collection in nearly half of user groups.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Very poor, forest-dependent households","what":"Permitted harvest met less than half of demand; goat herds fell to one or two animals (Poudel et al., 2015).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Nepal, across more than 18,000 community forests; examples include Makwanpur, Gorkha and Kaski.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study period 2000–2012; inequality study published January 2026; regulation February 2026.","src":6},"why":{"t":"Community forestry transfers management to local user groups; the studies attribute the forest gain to a mix of community management, migration and fuel switching.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Matched comparison of sub-districts with and without community forests (2019); household-level analysis by caste and ethnic group (2026).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Reductions in deforestation and poverty (Oldekop et al.)","p":"Nature Sustainability","d":"2019-05","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0277-3"},{"t":"Deforestation and poverty in Nepal: research brief","p":"University of Manchester, Global Development Institute","d":"n.d.","type":"academic","u":"https://hummedia.manchester.ac.uk/institutes/gdi/research/Deforestation-poverty-Nepal-research-brief.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813233919/https://hummedia.manchester.ac.uk/institutes/gdi/research/Deforestation-poverty-Nepal-research-brief.pdf"},{"t":"New research shows community forest management reduces both deforestation and poverty","p":"University of Manchester","d":"n.d.","type":"academic","u":"https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/new-research-shows-community-forest-management-reduces-both-deforestation-and-poverty/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240225060640/https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/new-research-shows-community-forest-management-reduces-both-deforestation-and-poverty/"},{"t":"Community-managed forests reduce deforestation and poverty: study","p":"Kathmandu Post","d":"2019-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/06/community-managed-forests-reduce-deforestation-and-poverty-study","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241208205017/https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/06/06/community-managed-forests-reduce-deforestation-and-poverty-study"},{"t":"Community Forestry Management: mechanisms behind a success story in Nepal (Libois, Baland et al.)","p":"Economic Development and Institutions (EDI)","d":"2021-11","type":"academic","u":"https://edi.opml.co.uk/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Community-Forestry-Management-Mechanisms-behind-a-success-story-in-Nepal.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240228063632/https://edi.opml.co.uk/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Community-Forestry-Management-Mechanisms-behind-a-success-story-in-Nepal.pdf"},{"t":"Does collective action sequester carbon? (Bluffstone et al.)","p":"World Development","d":"2018","type":"academic","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/wdevel/v101y2018icp133-141.html"},{"t":"Effects of forestry decentralization on rural inequality in Nepal (Cook et al.)","p":"Nature Sustainability","d":"2026-01","type":"academic","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01729-z","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260105152928/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01729-z"},{"t":"Nepal's green success story has a hidden social gap, Notre Dame research shows","p":"University of Notre Dame, Keough School","d":"2026-01-20","type":"academic","u":"https://keough.nd.edu/news-and-events/news/nepals-green-success-story-has-a-hidden-social-gap-notre-dame-research-shows/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901142035/https://keough.nd.edu/news-and-events/news/nepals-green-success-story-has-a-hidden-social-gap-notre-dame-research-shows/"},{"t":"Who benefits from taxation of forest products? (Lund et al.)","p":"Forest Policy and Economics","d":"2014","type":"academic","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/forpol/v38y2014icp119-125.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20150330051910/https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/forpol/v38y2014icp119-125.html"},{"t":"Nepal's forest cover expands as agricultural land shrinks amid rural depopulation (FRTC report)","p":"Republica","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/nepals-forest-cover-expands-as-agricultural-land-shrinks-amid-rural-depopul-58-90.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250904182005/https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/nepals-forest-cover-expands-as-agricultural-land-shrinks-amid-rural-depopul-58-90.html"},{"t":"Brahma community forest case (CIAA)","p":"Onlinekhabar (Nepali)","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://www.onlinekhabar.com/?p=766123"},{"t":"Malika user group, Rs 39 lakh timber revenue, fake invoices","p":"Hamropatro (Nepali)","d":"2026-08-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamropatro.com/en/news/detail/3299531666933553"},{"t":"Nepal receives USD 9.4 million for forest carbon credits under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility","p":"World Bank","d":"2025-11-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/11/16/nepal-receives-9-4-million-for-forest-carbon-credits-under-the-forest-carbon-partnership-facility","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009191941/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/11/16/nepal-receives-9-4-million-for-forest-carbon-credits-under-the-forest-carbon-partnership-facility"},{"t":"Turning point: jurisdictional REDD+ in Nepal","p":"UN-REDD","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.un-redd.org/post/turning-point-jurisdictional-redd-nepal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130062426/https://www.un-redd.org/post/turning-point-jurisdictional-redd-nepal"},{"t":"Nepal signs major carbon deal, but community access remains challenging","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612235008/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/"},{"t":"Multi-Stakeholder Forestry Programme funding","p":"Rights and Resources Initiative","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://rightsandresources.org/?p=24010"},{"t":"WWF to lead 30 million conservation program in Nepal (Hariyo Ban)","p":"WWF Singapore","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wwf.sg/wwf-to-lead-30-million-conservation-program-in-nepal/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220812122055/https://www.wwf.sg/wwf-to-lead-30-million-conservation-program-in-nepal/"},{"t":"A new and more sustainable era for Nepal's forests (Forests for Prosperity)","p":"World Bank blog","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/new-and-more-sustainable-era-nepals-forests-0","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605222613/https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/new-and-more-sustainable-era-nepals-forests-0"},{"t":"Nepal ranks second in South Asia for forest cover","p":"Onlinekhabar","d":"2026-05-28","type":"press","u":"https://english.onlinekhabar.com/nepal-ranks-second-in-south-asia-for-forest-cover.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141117/https://english.onlinekhabar.com/nepal-ranks-second-in-south-asia-for-forest-cover.html"},{"t":"How Nepal regenerated its forests","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/how-nepal-regenerated-its-forests-150937/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011194843/https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/how-nepal-regenerated-its-forests-150937/"},{"t":"Benefitting from forest conservation","p":"ICIMOD","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.icimod.org/success-stories/benefitting-from-forest-conservation/"},{"t":"Nepal's once-thriving community forests face existential crisis","p":"Dialogue Earth (via Eco-Business)","d":"2024-08-19","u":"https://www.eco-business.com/news/nepals-once-thriving-community-forests-face-existential-crisis/","type":"press"},{"t":"The public finance potential of community forestry in Nepal (Chhetri, Lund, Nielsen)","p":"Ecological Economics","d":"2012","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v73y2012icp113-121.html","type":"academic"},{"t":"The issues of oppressed groups' access to collectively managed resources: an empirical analysis (Dhakal)","p":"Banko Janakari","d":"2006","u":"https://nepjol.info/index.php/BANKO/article/view/360","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410064950/https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/BANKO/article/view/360"},{"t":"Social equity and livelihood implications of REDD+ in rural communities: a case study from Nepal (Poudel et al.)","p":"International Journal of the Commons","d":"2015","u":"https://thecommonsjournal.org/articles/10.18352/ijc.444","type":"academic"},{"t":"Forest dependence and inequality in Kaski, Nepal (Chhetri, Asante, Yoshimoto)","p":"Formath / J-STAGE","d":"2016","u":"https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/formath/15/0/15_15.004/_article","type":"academic"},{"t":"New rules on forest use: facilitation of land use for development projects and mineral-based industries","p":"Ratopati","d":"2026-02-08","u":"https://english.ratopati.com/story/47356/new-rules-on-forest-use-facilitation-of-land-use-for-development-projects-and-mineral-based-industries","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["nepal-forest-carbon-deals"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2000–2012, deforestation in my Nepal sub-districts with community forests was 37% lower, in relative terms, than in matched ones; the study's brief puts this at 1.7 hectares avoided per sub-district.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What drove the forest gain: community forestry, migration, fuel switching or other changes?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What was Nepal's forest cover, and how much did it rise?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the poverty gain reach all caste and ethnic groups?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much of the carbon and timber revenue stays with communities?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Makwanpur illegal logging case (Brahma community forest): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No study of leakage specific to Nepal was found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The share of the forest increase attributable to migration versus community forestry: studies in the cited sources conflict.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2018 study by the same research team was reported to find 44% higher likelihood of net reforestation in areas with above-median migration.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a secondary report of a monitoring report said 61% of the carbon accounting for the World Bank payment came from afforestation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Makwanpur illegal-logging case is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Figures on federation-reported tax burdens (70–90% of sales) and on groups outside legal use (more than 13,000) come from an advocacy source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: State tiers (federal, province, local)","No source link — Who lost: Kami blacksmith households","No source link — Who harmed: Very poor, forest-dependent households"]},{"id":"livelihoods-fund-mangrove-project","title":"Livelihoods Fund mangrove project (Senegal)","dek":"A mangrove-planting project in the Casamance and Sine Saloum deltas planted 10,415 hectares in 2009–2012 and issued almost 500,000 credits, all of which went to its corporate investors. A 2014 verification found almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of sampled plots.","country":"Senegal","region":"Africa","lat":13.2,"lon":-16.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","admin":"Casamance delta","lat":12.6,"lon":-16.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","admin":"Sine Saloum delta","lat":13.8,"lon":-16.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the project budget paid to villagers","value":"5.2%","note":"Estimate. USD 22 per hectare × 10,415 hectares ≈ USD 229,000, against a budget of USD 4.4 million over 20 years (Counsell and Kill briefing, via REDD-Monitor)."},"happened":["The Livelihoods Fund / Océanium mangrove project in Senegal (VCS 1318) planted mangroves over 10,415 hectares in the Casamance and Sine Saloum deltas in 2009–2012. Livelihoods cites 79 million trees and 7,920 hectares restored.","Almost 500,000 credits were issued. The budget was USD 4.4 million over 20 years. The investors named in the cited sources are Danone, Crédit Agricole, Hermès, Michelin, SAP, Schneider and others. The credits went to the corporate investors, and prices were not disclosed.","The 2014 verification found almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of the sampled plots, linked to the planting of Rhizophora rather than Avicennia. A 2021 audit found that the recommended replanting had not happened. BeZero rates the credits BBB and flags \"notable over-crediting risk\".","According to a briefing by Counsell and Kill published via REDD-Monitor on 16 January 2026, villagers were paid USD 22 per hectare, about 5.2% of the budget. No response from Livelihoods appears in that source."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Planting begins in the Casamance and Sine Saloum deltas (2009–2012, 10,415 ha)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Verification finds almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of sampled plots; cause linked to planting Rhizophora rather than Avicennia"},{"y":2021,"t":"Audit finds the recommended replanting had not happened"},{"y":2026,"t":"Counsell and Kill briefing via REDD-Monitor reports USD 22 per hectare paid to villagers (16 January)"}],"said":[{"q":"notable over-crediting risk","who":"BeZero, rating the credits BBB","when":"Date: none on record","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"79 million trees","who":"Livelihoods","src":null},{"t":"7,920 hectares restored","who":"Livelihoods","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Planting in 2009–2012 over 10,415 ha in the Casamance and Sine Saloum deltas","src":0},{"t":"2014 verification: almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of sampled plots, linked to planting Rhizophora rather than Avicennia","src":0},{"t":"2021 audit: the recommended replanting had not happened","src":0},{"t":"Villagers paid USD 22 per hectare, about USD 229,000, 5.2% of the USD 4.4 million budget","src":0},{"t":"Almost 500,000 credits issued; all went to corporate investors; prices not disclosed","src":null}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"20-year project budget","nature":[{"label":"Payments to villagers (USD 22 per ha × 10,415 ha)","amount":0.229,"est":true,"note":"Calculated in the cited sources from the briefing's per-hectare figure; about 5.2% of the USD 4.4 million budget."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0.229,"est":true,"note":"Single documented item."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Sampled plots with almost total loss of tree cover (2014)","v":"1 in 4","d":"Linked to planting Rhizophora rather than Avicennia"},{"k":"Recommended replanting","v":"Not done","d":"Finding of the 2021 audit"},{"k":"Credit rating","v":"BBB","d":"BeZero, which flags \"notable over-crediting risk\""}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A 2014 verification and a 2021 audit.","report":[{"t":"In 2014 a verification found that in a quarter of the plots sampled, almost all of the tree cover I had been given was gone.","src":0},{"t":"By 2021 the replanting that was recommended for me had not happened.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Credit prices are not disclosed.","No response from Livelihoods appears in the Counsell and Kill briefing used for the villager-payment figure.","The 79 million trees and 7,920 hectares are Livelihoods' own figures; the cited sources contain no independent check of them."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The record states that the replanting recommended after the 2014 verification had not been done by the 2021 audit.","whoPaid":"The credits went to the corporate investors; villagers were paid USD 22 per hectare, about 5.2% of the budget.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: replanting not done at the 2021 audit; BeZero rates the credits BBB; no response from Livelihoods in the briefing.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"livelihoods-fund","role":"Project developer (with Océanium); credit recipient on behalf of investors"},{"id":"danone","role":"Corporate investor / credit recipient"},{"id":"hermes","role":"Corporate investor / credit recipient"},{"id":"michelin","role":"Corporate investor / credit recipient"},{"id":"sap","role":"Corporate investor / credit recipient"},{"id":"schneider-electric","role":"Corporate investor / credit recipient"},{"id":"credit-agricole","role":"Corporate investor / credit recipient"},{"id":"bezero","role":"Rating agency"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much mangrove was planted and how much survived?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Livelihoods","says":"Cites 79 million trees and 7,920 hectares restored.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"2014 verification","says":"Found almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of sampled plots, linked to planting Rhizophora rather than Avicennia.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"2021 audit","says":"Found that the recommended replanting had not happened.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"BeZero (rating agency)","says":"Rates the credits BBB and flags \"notable over-crediting risk\".","src":null}]},{"point":"Did the project's money reach the villagers?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Counsell and Kill briefing (via REDD-Monitor)","says":"Villagers were paid USD 22 per hectare, about 5.2% of the USD 4.4 million budget.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":10415,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"note":"Area planted in 2009–2012 in the Casamance and Sine Saloum deltas."},{"key":"area_restored_claimed_ha","value":7920,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"unverified":true,"note":"Cited by Livelihoods; not independently verified in the cited sources."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":79000000,"unit":"trees","year":2012,"unverified":true,"note":"Cited by Livelihoods; not independently verified in the cited sources."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":500000,"unit":"credits","year":2014,"qualifier":"almost","note":"All went to corporate investors; prices not disclosed."},{"key":"budget","value":4.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"Project budget over 20 years."},{"key":"community_payment","value":0.229,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"USD 22 per hectare × 10,415 hectares; about 5.2% of the budget."},{"key":"payment_per_hectare","value":22,"unit":"USD per ha","year":2026,"note":"Paid to villagers, per the briefing."},{"key":"sampled_plots_lost_cover","value":25,"unit":"% of sampled plots","year":2014,"qualifier":"about a quarter","note":"Almost total loss of tree cover."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A mangrove-planting carbon project in Senegal issued almost 500,000 credits to corporate investors; a 2014 verification found almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of sampled plots.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Corporate investors (Danone, Crédit Agricole, Hermès, Michelin, SAP, Schneider and others)","what":"Received all of the almost 500,000 credits.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Planted mangrove plots","what":"Almost total loss of tree cover in a quarter of sampled plots (2014).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Casamance and Sine Saloum deltas, Senegal.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Planting 2009–2012; verification 2014; audit 2021; briefing January 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The project issued carbon credits for mangrove planting; the credits went to its corporate investors.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Planting over 10,415 ha; Rhizophora was planted rather than Avicennia on the plots that lost cover.","src":null},"ratio":{"t":"Villagers were paid about 5.2% of the project budget (USD 22 × 10,415 ha ≈ USD 229,000 of USD 4.4 million).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Counsell and Kill briefing on the Livelihoods Fund (via REDD-Monitor)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2026-01-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/crooked-carbon-business-livelihoods","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313110048/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/crooked-carbon-business-livelihoods"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much mangrove was planted and how much survived?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the project's money reach the villagers?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area restored claimed ha: Cited by Livelihoods; not independently verified in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Trees planted: Cited by Livelihoods; not independently verified in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Credit prices are not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No response from Livelihoods appears in the Counsell and Kill briefing used for the villager-payment figure.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"The 79 million trees and 7,920 hectares are Livelihoods' own figures; the cited sources contain no independent check of them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Corporate investors (Danone, Crédit Agricole, Hermès, Michelin, SAP, Schneider and others)","No source link — Who harmed: Planted mangrove plots"]},{"id":"messok-dja-ecoguard-abuses","title":"Messok Dja ecoguard abuses (Republic of Congo)","dek":"A leaked draft UN Development Programme investigation reported credible evidence of beatings of Baka men, women and children by ecoguards at the Messok Dja project. A review commissioned by WWF found the consent process did not comply with international human rights norms. The cited sources show no prosecutions.","country":"Republic of Congo","region":"Africa","lat":2,"lon":14.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Republic of Congo","iso2":"CG","admin":"Messok Dja","lat":2,"lon":14.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2020,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"EU funding suspended after the reports","value":"About €1m","note":"The EU suspended part of its funding in April or May 2020 after a check by the Congolese human rights group OCDH."},"happened":["Messok Dja in the Republic of Congo was a project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF project 9159) and implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Ecoguards were supported by WWF through the ETIC/TRIDOM programme.","UNDP's accountability unit investigated the project as case SECU0009, now closed. A draft dated 6 January 2020 was reported by the Guardian in February 2020. According to the draft as reported, there was \"credible\" evidence of beatings of Baka men, women and children over years; the project followed \"established patterns of conservation projects in the Congo Basin, which largely exclude indigenous peoples\"; and UNDP violated its own policies by backing the project without Baka consent. UNDP published its final report on 4 June 2020. According to the Pillay panel, it concluded that ecoguards of the ETIC programme had engaged in violence against Baka in the Messok Dja area and that UNDP had failed to ensure that its own social and environmental safeguards were applied. The quotes above come from the draft as reported by the Guardian and Survival International.","The EU suspended part of its funding, about €1 million, in April or May 2020, after a check by the Congolese human rights group OCDH. WWF described the incidents as isolated, according to the cited sources.","WWF appointed an independent panel in April 2019 chaired by Navi Pillay, with John Knox and Kathy MacKinnon. Its report, \"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action\", was published on 24 November 2020 and covered Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo, Nepal and India. On Messok Dja it found that allegations were known \"from at least 2016\" and that the free, prior and informed consent process \"did not comply with international human rights norms or WWF's own commitments.\" Across all the cases it reviewed, it found \"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence.\"","The record states that no prosecutions were found for Messok Dja."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Start of the period given in the cited sources for the Messok Dja allegations (2008–2020)"},{"y":2016,"t":"Allegations known to WWF \"from at least 2016\", per the Pillay panel"},{"y":2019,"t":"WWF appoints the independent review panel (April)"},{"y":2020,"t":"UNDP draft investigation dated 6 January, reported by the Guardian in February; EU suspends part of its funding (April/May); 4 June: UNDP publishes its final investigation report; Pillay report published 24 November"}],"said":[{"q":"established patterns of conservation projects in the Congo Basin, which largely exclude indigenous peoples","who":"UNDP investigation draft, as reported","when":"6 January 2020 (draft)","src":1},{"q":"penaliz(ed) the easiest targets","who":"UNDP investigation draft on the rangers, as quoted in coverage (sic)","when":"6 January 2020 (draft)","src":1},{"q":"from at least 2016","who":"WWF independent review panel, on when allegations were known","when":"24 November 2020","src":3},{"q":"did not comply with international human rights norms or WWF's own commitments","who":"WWF independent review panel, on the consent process","when":"24 November 2020","src":3},{"q":"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence","who":"WWF independent review panel (all cases reviewed)","when":"24 November 2020","src":3}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"UNDP accountability unit case SECU0009, now closed; draft dated 6 January 2020, reported by the Guardian in February 2020","src":0},{"t":"Credible evidence of beatings of Baka men, women and children over years (draft, as reported)","src":1},{"t":"UNDP violated its own policies by backing the project without Baka consent (draft, as reported)","src":1},{"t":"EU suspended about €1 million of funding in April/May 2020","src":1},{"t":"Pillay panel: the consent process did not comply with international human rights norms or WWF's own commitments","src":3},{"t":"Pillay panel: implementation of human rights commitments across WWF was \"inconsistent\" and \"especially weak in the Congo Basin countries\"; no agreements with state partners contained human rights provisions; no donor project agreements before 2019 required human rights due diligence","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Prosecutions found","v":"None","d":"The record found no prosecutions for Messok Dja"},{"k":"Consent of the Baka (UNDP draft)","v":"Not obtained","d":"UNDP backed the project without Baka consent, per the draft as reported"},{"k":"Independent review of the final UNDP report","v":"Text not obtained","d":"Final report could not be downloaded; quotes are from the draft"}]},"unknown":["The text of UNDP's final investigation report (4 June 2020) was not obtained directly; its findings are known from the Pillay panel's summary, and the draft quotes come from the Guardian and Survival International.","No prosecutions were found for Messok Dja.","Survival International alleged in a September 2017 report that a 2011 incident of beatings by ecoguards in the ETIC area resulted in two deaths (as described by the Pillay panel); no investigation finding on this was found.","Unconfirmed: that WWF said it accepted the Pillay panel's recommendations."],"evidence":["no-court","unverified-deaths"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources show the EU suspended part of its funding in 2020; it does not show whether the abuses ended.","whoPaid":"Baka men, women and children were beaten, according to the UNDP draft as reported; no prosecution or compensation is recorded.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the UNDP investigation is closed and the final report text was not obtained; the Pillay panel reported in November 2020; no prosecutions found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wwf","says":"Described the incidents as isolated, according to the cited sources.","when":"Date: none on record","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"undp","role":"Implementing agency of GEF project 9159; investigator (SECU0009)"},{"id":"gef","role":"Funder (project 9159)"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Supported the ecoguards (ETIC/TRIDOM programme); appointed the review panel"},{"id":"eu","role":"Funder; suspended about €1 million in 2020"},{"id":"ocdh","role":"Congolese human rights group that checked the claims"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"NGO; reported the draft findings"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were Baka beaten by ecoguards at Messok Dja?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNDP investigation draft (as reported)","says":"Credible evidence of beatings of Baka men, women and children over years.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF","says":"Described the incidents as isolated.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"WWF independent review panel","says":"Found no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in the alleged abuses, and no evidence of it.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was Baka consent obtained?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNDP investigation draft (as reported)","says":"UNDP violated its own policies by backing the project without Baka consent.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"WWF independent review panel","says":"The consent process did not comply with international human rights norms or WWF's own commitments.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"funding_suspended","value":1,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Part of EU funding suspended in April/May 2020."},{"key":"gef_project_number","value":9159,"unit":"project number","year":2020,"note":"GEF project implemented by UNDP."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A leaked draft UNDP investigation reported credible evidence of beatings of Baka men, women and children by ecoguards, and of UNDP backing the project without Baka consent.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Baka men, women and children","what":"Beaten over years, per the UNDP draft as reported.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Messok Dja, Republic of Congo.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Allegations covered 2008–2020; draft dated 6 January 2020; Pillay report 24 November 2020.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The project followed established patterns of conservation projects in the Congo Basin which largely exclude indigenous peoples, per the draft as reported.","src":1},"how":{"t":"GEF-funded, UNDP-implemented project with ecoguards supported by WWF through the ETIC/TRIDOM programme.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"UNDP SECU0009 investigation report (registry link; the record could not download the final report)","p":"UNDP","d":"2020","type":"official","u":"https://info.undp.org/sites/registry/secu/SECU_Documents/SECU0009_Final%20Investigation%20Report0c492fa6e2084b6bae7015945cabe25f.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421135456/https://info.undp.org/sites/registry/secu/SECU_Documents/SECU0009_Final%20Investigation%20Report0c492fa6e2084b6bae7015945cabe25f.pdf"},{"t":"Survival International news item on the UNDP draft investigation and EU funding suspension (carries draft quotes also reported by the Guardian)","p":"Survival International","d":"2020","type":"ngo","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/12384","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609055839/https://survivalinternational.org/news/12384"},{"t":"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action (independent panel commissioned by WWF; copy hosted by Lahurnip)","p":"Independent panel (Navi Pillay, John Knox, Kathy MacKinnon)","d":"2020-11-24","u":"https://www.lahurnip.org/uploads/resource/file/embedding-human-rights-in-nature-conservation-from-intent-to-action.pdf","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action - Report of the Independent Panel of Experts (Pillay, Knox, MacKinnon)","p":"Independent Panel of Experts commissioned by WWF","d":"2020-11-17","u":"https://www.lahurnip.org/uploads/resource/file/embedding-human-rights-in-nature-conservation-from-intent-to-action.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["wwf-supported-ecoguards-in-cameroon-and-car","wwf-nepal-chitwan-ranger-death","wwf-independent-review-and-us-funding-suspension","nouabale-ndoki-ecoguard-abuses"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were Baka beaten by ecoguards at Messok Dja?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Baka consent obtained?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The text of UNDP's final investigation report (4 June 2020) was not obtained directly; its findings are known from the Pillay panel's summary, and the draft quotes come from the Guardian and Survival International.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No prosecutions were found for Messok Dja.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Survival International alleged in a September 2017 report that a 2011 incident of beatings by ecoguards in the ETIC area resulted in two deaths (as described by the Pillay panel); no investigation finding on this was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that WWF said it accepted the Pillay panel's recommendations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"pacific-tuna-vessel-day-scheme","title":"Pacific tuna Vessel Day Scheme","dek":"Pacific island states that are parties to the Nauru Agreement sell fishing days to tuna fleets, and their access revenue rose from US$64 million in 2010 to US$357 million in 2015. Catch reached a record in 2024, the fishery's certificate was widened in 2024, and Kiribati's Phoenix Islands protected area was reopened to fishing.","country":"Pacific Islands (PNA members)","region":"Oceania","lat":0,"lon":165,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Pacific Islands (PNA members)","iso2":null,"role":"event","lat":0,"lon":165},{"country":"Kiribati","iso2":"KI","admin":"Phoenix Islands Protected Area","role":"affected","lat":-3.7,"lon":-171.7},{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","role":"affected"}],"start":2010,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Access revenue of PNA members, 2010 to 2015","value":"US$64m to US$357m","note":"The scheme sells fishing days, and catch reached a record 3.06 million tonnes in 2024."},"happened":["The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) are a group of Pacific island states whose waters hold much of the Western and Central Pacific tuna fishery. Their vessel day scheme sells fishing days to purse seine fleets. The cited sources give the PNA's access (licence) revenue as US$64 million in 2010 and US$357 million in 2015. The PNA's first quarterly report (2011) recorded a hard limit of 28,469 fishing days for 2011 and described overcapacity.","Catch rose as revenue rose. The cited sources give a rise of about 27% in total catch from 2010 to 2024 and a record of 3.06 million tonnes in 2024. An Asian Development Bank Institute working paper (October 2023) found that catch in countries applying the scheme rose by more than 200% in relative terms and raised overexploitation concerns. The record cites the World Bank as saying that the revenue increase came through the rate of return rather than through catch. A Papua New Guinea sector manager said in 2015 that high day fees had led to longer trips and to setting nets twice a day.","Stock and gear measures changed over the same period. The cited sources give the skipjack spawning biomass as having fallen from about 90% to 51% of its unfished level, with the target redefined in 2022 against recent depletion. A Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission summary of bigeye tuna gave F/FMSY of about 1.67 and said that fish aggregating device (FAD) sets take juvenile fish. In 2023 the FAD fishing closure was cut from three months to one and a half months. Between 30,000 and 65,000 FADs are deployed each year and 1,500 to 2,200 strand on shore, according to the University of New South Wales; a 2021 analysis of PNA FAD tracking found 44.1% of tracked buoys abandoned and 6.6% beached.","The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate for the PNA purse seine fishery was re-certified in October 2024 for about 1.3 million tonnes, with FAD fishing and bigeye tuna included, according to Fiskerforum. A 2022 ruling by an independent adjudicator had halted the FAD expansion of the certificate once. In Kiribati, the Phoenix Islands Protected Area was opened to fishing when promised compensation did not arrive; the IUCN World Heritage Outlook (October 2025) recorded the fishing ban as reduced to 3.12% of the area.","The record also gives figures on the value chain and on labour. The landed value of Western and Central Pacific catch was about US$5 billion and the final sales value about US$22.7 billion, with island governments' access revenue about 2% of final sales value (calculation mixes years). A deck worker earned about US$350 a month, and at least 14 observers died or went missing from 2015 onwards. The sources list as not found: current country-by-country revenue series, fleet profitability in PNA waters, the share Pacifical pays to the PNA, and post-2017 cannery wages."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"PNA access (licence) revenue recorded at US$64 million"},{"y":2011,"t":"PNA first quarterly report records a hard limit of 28,469 days and overcapacity"},{"y":2015,"t":"Access revenue recorded at US$357 million; at least 14 observers have died or gone missing from this year onwards"},{"y":2017,"t":"Access revenue has been flat from this year, according to the record"},{"y":2019,"t":"University of New South Wales: 30,000 to 65,000 FADs deployed a year; 1,500 to 2,200 strand"},{"y":2021,"t":"PNA FAD tracking analysis: 44.1% of tracked buoys abandoned, 6.6% beached"},{"y":2022,"t":"Independent adjudicator halts expansion of the MSC certificate to FAD fishing"},{"y":2023,"t":"FAD fishing closure cut from three months to one and a half months"},{"y":2024,"t":"Record catch of 3.06 million tonnes; MSC re-certifies the fishery with FAD fishing and bigeye included (17 October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Thai Union reports a record gross margin; IUCN records the Phoenix Islands fishing ban at 3.12% of the area (October)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The vessel day scheme as a conservation tool that limits fishing effort","who":"Presentation (speaker: none on record)","src":null},{"t":"The fishery as the world's largest sustainable tuna fishery (free-school fishing)","who":"Presentation (speaker: none on record)","src":null},{"t":"The first FAD controls in the world","who":"Presentation (speaker: none on record)","src":null},{"t":"The Phoenix Islands as one of the world's largest protected areas","who":"Presentation (speaker: none on record)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"PNA first quarterly report (2011): hard limit of 28,469 fishing days for 2011; overcapacity noted","src":1},{"t":"Catch up about 27% from 2010 to 2024; record 3.06 million tonnes in 2024","src":10},{"t":"Asian Development Bank Institute working paper: relative catch increase of more than 200% in countries applying the scheme; overexploitation concerns","src":0},{"t":"WCPFC bigeye summary: F/FMSY about 1.67; FADs take juvenile fish","src":2},{"t":"FAD fishing closure cut from three months to one and a half months in 2023 (US proposed rule implementing CMM 2023-01)","src":3},{"t":"30,000 to 65,000 FADs deployed each year; 1,500 to 2,200 strand on shore","src":4},{"t":"44.1% of tracked PNA buoys abandoned; 6.6% beached (2016 to 2021 tracking programme)","src":5},{"t":"Independent adjudicator's ruling halted the expansion of the MSC certificate to FAD fishing (2022)","src":6},{"t":"MSC re-certified the fishery in October 2024 for about 1.3 million tonnes, including FAD fishing and bigeye tuna","src":7},{"t":"Wageningen University article (2016) on the PNA's Pacifical partnership: PNA share of 50%","src":8},{"t":"Phoenix Islands Protected Area: fishing ban reduced to 3.12% of the area; FAD fishing recorded","src":9},{"t":"Landed value of Western and Central Pacific catch about US$5 billion; final sales value about US$22.7 billion; island governments' access revenue about 2% of final sales value (calculation mixes years)","src":11},{"t":"Purse seine observer coverage is 100%; estimated illegal, unreported and unregulated tuna fishing fell from 306,440 tonnes (earlier study) to 192,186 tonnes (2017-19), about 37%, and misreporting accounts for 89% of it","src":12},{"t":"Deck worker pay about US$350 a month; at least 14 observers dead or missing since 2015; cannery workers had no collective bargaining right; less than 1% of the tuna catch is consumed in the region","src":13},{"t":"US taxpayers pay about US$60 million a year for access by the US-flagged fleet","src":14}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2010 to 2015","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"PNA access (licence) revenue, 2010","amount":64,"note":"As on record."},{"label":"PNA access (licence) revenue, 2015","amount":357,"note":"As on record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Catch","v":"3.06m t","d":"Record total catch in 2024, up about 27% since 2010"},{"k":"Skipjack spawning biomass","v":"About 90% to 51%","d":"Of the unfished level; target redefined in 2022 against recent depletion"},{"k":"Tracked FAD buoys abandoned","v":"44.1%","d":"SPC/PNA analysis of the 2016 to 2021 tracking programme"},{"k":"Phoenix Islands fishing ban","v":"3.12% of the area","d":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook, October 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded in text and in stock figures from several sources.","report":[{"t":"My skipjack spawning biomass was assessed at 61% of its unfished level in 2012 and 51% in 2018-2021, and the target was redefined in 2022 against recent depletion.","src":15},{"t":"My juvenile bigeye are taken by FAD sets; the WCPFC summary puts fishing pressure at about 1.67 times the level that gives maximum sustainable yield.","src":2},{"t":"Between 1,500 and 2,200 of the drifting devices that attract my fish strand on shore each year.","src":4},{"t":"In the Phoenix Islands, the area closed to fishing was reduced to 3.12% of its extent.","src":9}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the PNA's 2023 effort decision, known only, put fishing effort at the 2010 level of 45,033 days.","Unconfirmed: a PNA monthly update (July 2025), known only, put the July catch down 40% and the June catch rate down 33%; the record also gives a 15% fall in catch in 2025.","Unconfirmed: a PNA circular (November 2023), known only, raised the sea day and shore day rate from US$129 to US$158, the first rise since 2017.","Unconfirmed: a PNA media release (December 2023), known only, welcomed the shortened FAD closure and expected a moderate rise in catch.","Current country-by-country revenue series: none on record.","Profitability of the fleets in PNA waters: none on record.","The share Pacifical pays to the PNA: none on record.","Cannery wages after 2017: none on record.","No penalty is recorded in connection with the reopening of the Phoenix Islands area to fishing."],"evidence":["deaths","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped on the record: catch reached a record in 2024 and the certificate scope was widened in 2024.","whoPaid":"Recorded costs fall on deck workers (about US$350 a month), observers (at least 14 dead or missing since 2015), cannery workers, coastal fishers and the stocks; US taxpayers pay about US$60 million a year for access by the US-flagged fleet.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2024 catch was a record 3.06 million tonnes, the MSC certificate has included FAD fishing and bigeye since October 2024, and the Phoenix Islands fishing ban covers 3.12% of the area; no penalty is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"kiribati-government","says":"The sources list a government estimate of US$60 million to US$140 million in licence losses in 2015 to 2021 from the Phoenix Islands closure, and a compensation foundation of about US$7 million.","when":"2015 to 2021","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"pna","role":"Intergovernmental group that runs the vessel day scheme"},{"id":"msc","role":"Certifier of the PNA purse seine fishery"},{"id":"thai-union","role":"Canned tuna producer; reported a record gross margin in 2025"},{"id":"kiribati-government","role":"Government of Kiribati; Phoenix Islands Protected Area"},{"id":"wcpfc","role":"Regional fisheries commission"},{"id":"adbi","role":"Research institution; working paper on catch under the scheme"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Assessor of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the vessel day scheme limit fishing effort and catch?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office","says":"Its first quarterly report (2011) recorded a hard limit of 28,469 fishing days for 2011 and noted overcapacity.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Asian Development Bank Institute","says":"Found a relative catch increase of more than 200% in countries applying the scheme and raised overexploitation concerns.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank","says":"Said the revenue increase came through the rate of return rather than through catch; the cited sources note this holds for price.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is the fishery's stock status consistent with its certification?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Marine Stewardship Council, as reported by Fiskerforum","says":"Re-certified the PNA purse seine fishery in October 2024 for about 1.3 million tonnes, including FAD fishing and bigeye tuna.","src":7},{"voice":"international","holder":"Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission","says":"Its bigeye summary gave F/FMSY of about 1.67 and said FADs take juvenile fish.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Stock figures","says":"Skipjack spawning biomass fell from about 90% to 51% of the unfished level, and the target was redefined in 2022 against recent depletion; the bigeye recovery came largely from a model change.","src":null}]},{"point":"Should the FAD fishing closure and the certificate's scope be loosened?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Independent adjudicator","says":"Halted the expansion of the MSC certificate to FAD fishing in 2022 (as reported by the Pacific Islands News Association).","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"United States National Marine Fisheries Service","says":"Proposed a rule in May 2024 implementing CMM 2023-01, which cut the FAD closure by half.","src":3},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Marine Stewardship Council, as reported by Fiskerforum","says":"Included FAD fishing and bigeye tuna in the certificate on re-certification in October 2024.","src":7}]},{"point":"Why was the Phoenix Islands area reopened to fishing, and with what result?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kiribati","says":"The sources list a government estimate of US$60 million to US$140 million in licence losses in 2015 to 2021 and a compensation foundation of about US$7 million; fisheries are about 40% of Kiribati's GDP.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook","says":"Recorded the fishing ban as reduced to 3.12% of the area and FAD fishing taking place.","src":9}]},{"point":"What share of the tuna value reaches the island states?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Earlier critical literature","says":"Put the Pacific's share at 3% to 5% of the value.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Independent adjudicator's ruling on the MSC-certified PNA tuna fishery","forum":"Independent adjudicator (ruling on the MSC-certified PNA tuna fishery)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2022-10","status":"unknown","summary":"A Pacific Islands News Association report dated 26 October 2022 on the ruling is the record's only source. The record states that the ruling halted the expansion of the certificate to FAD fishing in 2022. The cited sources do not name the objector or give the reasoning.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"access_revenue","value":64,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"PNA access (licence) revenue."},{"key":"access_revenue","value":357,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"PNA access (licence) revenue."},{"key":"catch_tonnes","value":3060000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Record total catch; up about 27% from 2010."},{"key":"fad_closure_months","value":1.5,"unit":"months","year":2023,"note":"Cut from three months."},{"key":"fads_deployed_per_year","value":65000,"unit":"devices","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Range of 30,000 to 65,000 a year (University of New South Wales)."},{"key":"fads_stranded_per_year","value":2200,"unit":"devices","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Range of 1,500 to 2,200 a year."},{"key":"fad_buoys_abandoned_share","value":44.1,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Share of tracked buoys abandoned; 6.6% beached."},{"key":"skipjack_spawning_biomass_share","value":51,"unit":"% of unfished level","year":2022,"note":"Down from about 90%."},{"key":"bigeye_f_fmsy","value":1.67,"unit":"ratio","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"WCPFC bigeye summary."},{"key":"landed_value","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Western and Central Pacific catch, landed value; years mixed in the calculation."},{"key":"final_sales_value","value":22700,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Western and Central Pacific catch, final sales value; years mixed in the calculation."},{"key":"deck_worker_monthly_pay","value":350,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Deck worker pay per month."},{"key":"observers_dead_or_missing","value":14,"unit":"people","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Since 2015."},{"key":"us_access_payment","value":60,"unit":"USD m a year","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paid by US taxpayers for access by the US-flagged fleet."},{"key":"pipa_ban_area_share","value":3.12,"unit":"% of area","year":2025,"note":"Share of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area still closed to fishing (IUCN)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The PNA's vessel day scheme sells fishing days to purse seine fleets. Access revenue rose from US$64 million in 2010 to US$357 million in 2015 while catch reached a record in 2024.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Island treasuries of PNA members","what":"Access revenue of US$357 million in 2015, flat from 2017 according to the record","src":null},{"who":"Purse seine fleets","what":"Record catch of 3.06 million tonnes in 2024","src":null},{"who":"Thai Union","what":"A record gross margin reported for 2025","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Kiribati","what":"A government estimate of US$60 million to US$140 million in licence losses in 2015 to 2021 from the Phoenix Islands closure","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Deck workers","what":"Pay of about US$350 a month","src":null},{"who":"Fisheries observers","what":"At least 14 dead or missing since 2015","src":null},{"who":"Cannery workers","what":"No collective bargaining right","src":null},{"who":"Coastal fishers in Kiribati","what":"Described falling catch per effort and competition from purse seiners","src":null},{"who":"Juvenile bigeye tuna, skipjack and oceanic whitetip sharks","what":"Juvenile bigeye taken by FAD sets; skipjack spawning biomass down to 51% of the unfished level; oceanic whitetip shark overfished","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"The waters of the Pacific island states that are parties to the Nauru Agreement in the Western and Central Pacific, including the Phoenix Islands in Kiribati and fisheries in Papua New Guinea.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Revenue figures for 2010 and 2015; FAD closure cut in 2023; record catch and re-certification of the fishery in 2024.","src":7},"why":{"t":"Fisheries are about 40% of Kiribati's GDP; the cited sources give lost licence revenue and undelivered compensation as the grounds for opening the Phoenix Islands area to fishing.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Access is sold by the fishing day. A Papua New Guinea sector manager said in 2015 that high day fees led to longer trips and to setting nets twice a day.","src":null},"ratio":{"t":"Island governments' access revenue is about 2% of final sales value (about US$22.7 billion) and above 20% of landed value (about US$5 billion); the calculation mixes years.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Vessel Day Scheme and Tuna Catch in the Pacific Island Region (ADBI Working Paper 1417)","p":"Asian Development Bank Institute","d":"2023-10","type":"academic","u":"https://www.adb.org/publications/vessel-day-scheme-and-tuna-catch-in-the-pacific-island-region","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231018091836/https://www.adb.org/publications/vessel-day-scheme-and-tuna-catch-in-the-pacific-island-region"},{"t":"PNA Quarterly Report No 1","p":"PNA Office","d":"2011","type":"official","u":"https://www.pnatuna.com/node/86","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141232/https://www.pnatuna.com/content/pna-quarterly-report-no-1"},{"t":"Bigeye tuna (extended summary)","p":"Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission","d":"2023","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.wcpfc.int/node/148","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200204084728/https://www.wcpfc.int/node/148"},{"t":"Proposed rule implementing CMM 2023-01","p":"US Federal Register, National Marine Fisheries Service","d":"2024-05-29","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-05-29/html/2024-11732.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260623014331/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-05-29/html/2024-11732.htm"},{"t":"Tens of thousands of tuna-attracting devices are drifting around","p":"University of New South Wales","d":"2019-10-02","type":"academic","u":"https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2019/10/tens-of-thousands-of-tuna-attracting-devices-are-drifting-around","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214100557/https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2019/10/tens-of-thousands-of-tuna-attracting-devices-are-drifting-around"},{"t":"Report on analyses of the 2016/2021 PNA FAD tracking programme","p":"SPC/PNA, via BMIS","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://bmis-bycatch.org/zotero_item/23855"},{"t":"Independent Adjudicator's ruling on MSC certified PNA tuna fishery","p":"Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)","d":"2022-10-26","type":"press","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2022/10/26/independent-adjudicators-ruling-on-msc-certified-pna-tuna-fishery/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307092834/https://pina.com.fj/2022/10/26/independent-adjudicators-ruling-on-msc-certified-pna-tuna-fishery/"},{"t":"MSC re-certifies PNA tuna purse seine fishery (secondary report)","p":"Fiskerforum","d":"2024-10-17","type":"press","u":"https://fiskerforum.com/msc-re-certifies-pna-tuna-purse-seine-fishery/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723145712/https://fiskerforum.com/msc-re-certifies-pna-tuna-purse-seine-fishery/"},{"t":"PNA's Pacifical Partnership: A Game Changer in Sustainable Production","p":"Wageningen University","d":"2016","type":"academic","u":"https://www.wur.nl/en/newsarticle/PNAs-Pacifical-Partnership-A-Game-Changer-in-Sustainable-Production.htm","dead":true},{"t":"Phoenix Islands Protected Area","p":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook","d":"2025-10-11","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/node/1160","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210927124707/https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/node/1160"},{"t":"Fish Stock and Ecosystem Sustainability","p":"Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)","d":"2026-01-27","u":"https://www.wcpfc.int/sustainability/fish-stock-and-ecosystem-sustainability","type":"official"},{"t":"Netting Billions: A Valuation of Tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean","p":"The Pew Charitable Trusts","d":"2016-09","u":"https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2016/09/netting-billions-a-valuation-of-tuna-in-the-western-and-central-pacific-ocean","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206121934/https://www.pew.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2016/09/netting-billions-a-valuation-of-tuna-in-the-western-and-central-pacific-ocean"},{"t":"Regional cooperation reduces illegal, unreported & unregulated tuna fishing in Pacific, but more needed","p":"Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)","d":"2021-12-14","u":"https://tunapacific.ffa.int/2021/12/14/regional-cooperation-reduces-illegal-unreported-unregulated-tuna-fishing-in-pacific-but-more-needed/","type":"official"},{"t":"You're not anybody's friend: In Jude's line of work, you can be 'disappeared'","p":"Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)","d":"2026-07-13","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2026/07/13/youre-not-anybodys-friend-in-judes-line-of-work-you-can-be-disappeared/","type":"press"},{"t":"Pacific signs new economic assistance agreement with the United States","p":"Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)","d":"2023-07-13","u":"https://tunapacific.ffa.int/?p=12055","type":"official"},{"t":"Evaluations to support decisions on the WCPO skipjack tuna target reference point based upon the 2022 stock assessment (WCPFC19-2022-10)","p":"Pacific Community (SPC-OFP) for WCPFC","d":"2022-10-25","u":"https://meetings.wcpfc.int/file/11847/download","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the vessel day scheme limit fishing effort and catch?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the fishery's stock status consistent with its certification?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the FAD fishing closure and the certificate's scope be loosened?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why was the Phoenix Islands area reopened to fishing, and with what result?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What share of the tuna value reaches the island states?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Independent adjudicator's ruling on the MSC-certified PNA tuna fishery: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the PNA's 2023 effort decision, known only, put fishing effort at the 2010 level of 45,033 days.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a PNA monthly update (July 2025), known only, put the July catch down 40% and the June catch rate down 33%; the record also gives a 15% fall in catch in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a PNA circular (November 2023), known only, raised the sea day and shore day rate from US$129 to US$158, the first rise since 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a PNA media release (December 2023), known only, welcomed the shortened FAD closure and expected a moderate rise in catch.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Current country-by-country revenue series: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Profitability of the fleets in PNA waters: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share Pacifical pays to the PNA: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Cannery wages after 2017: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty is recorded in connection with the reopening of the Phoenix Islands area to fishing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Island treasuries of PNA members","No source link — Who gained: Purse seine fleets","No source link — Who gained: Thai Union","No source link — Who lost: Kiribati","No source link — Who harmed: Deck workers","No source link — Who harmed: Fisheries observers","No source link — Who harmed: Cannery workers","No source link — Who harmed: Coastal fishers in Kiribati"]},{"id":"marena-renovables-wind-farm","title":"Mareña Renovables wind farm (Mexico)","dek":"A wind farm project in Oaxaca, Mexico had its original site cancelled in early 2014 and was rebuilt as Eólica del Sur at other sites with an Inter-American Development Bank loan. A community police member who opposed the project was killed in July 2018; no court outcome has been found.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":16.43,"lon":-95.02,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Oaxaca (Juchitán)","role":"event","lat":16.43,"lon":-95.02},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Oaxaca (San Dionisio, original site)","role":"affected"}],"start":2014,"end":2018,"eventDate":"2018-07-22","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy"],"headline":{"label":"Wind capacity rebuilt at other sites after the first site was cancelled","value":"396 MW","note":"Eólica del Sur, Juchitán and El Espinal, with an Inter-American Development Bank loan."},"happened":["Mareña Renovables was a wind farm project in Oaxaca, Mexico. The record names Macquarie, Mitsubishi and the Dutch pension investor PGGM as its partners, and a joint response by the Mareña Renovables joint venture, Macquarie, Mitsubishi Corporation and PGGM to the allegations of community protest was published by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. The title of that entry records that local communities protested the project, saying it would adversely affect their livelihoods, and that protesters were allegedly subject to intimidation. The text of the response is not in the cited sources.","The original site, at San Dionisio, was cancelled in early 2014. PGGM said at the time that the project would move to two other sites, according to La Jornada (3 February 2014).","The project was rebuilt as Eólica del Sur, a 396 MW wind farm in Juchitán and El Espinal, with a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (project ME-L1107, listed as closed).","Rolando Crispín López, a member of the community police, was killed on 22 July 2018 in Álvaro Obregón, Juchitán, Oaxaca. According to the human rights defenders' memorial, he had opposed the Mareña Renovables wind farm and, later, Eólica del Sur. Neighbours named a municipal police officer as the shooter. No court outcome."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Original San Dionisio site cancelled (early 2014); PGGM says the project will move to two other sites"},{"y":2018,"t":"Rolando Crispín López, a community police member who opposed the project, killed on 22 July; no court outcome found"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The original San Dionisio site was cancelled in early 2014; PGGM said the project would move to two other sites","src":1},{"t":"The project was rebuilt as Eólica del Sur (396 MW) in Juchitán and El Espinal with an IDB loan, listed as closed","src":0},{"t":"Rolando Crispín López, a community police member, was killed on 22 July 2018 in Álvaro Obregón, Juchitán, Oaxaca; he had opposed the Mareña Renovables wind farm and later Eólica del Sur","src":2},{"t":"Neighbours named a municipal police officer as the shooter; no court outcome was found","src":2},{"t":"The Mareña Renovables joint venture, Macquarie, Mitsubishi Corporation and PGGM published a joint response to the allegations of community protest and intimidation (entry on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre site); its text is not in the cited sources","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Original site","v":"Cancelled 2014","d":"San Dionisio; the project moved to other sites"},{"k":"Capacity rebuilt","v":"396 MW","d":"Eólica del Sur, Juchitán and El Espinal"},{"k":"Death of an opponent","v":"1","d":"Community police member killed 22 July 2018; no court outcome found"}]},"unknown":["No court outcome has been found for the killing of Rolando Crispín López.","Unconfirmed: Heineken and FEMSA were to buy the project's electricity under a 20-year agreement (2012).","Unconfirmed: Vestas supplied turbines for the project.","Unconfirmed: a 2013 killing of a wind-farm opponent named Héctor Regalado Jiménez appears in one report.","Whether the consultation for the IDB-financed Eólica del Sur was upheld by Mexico's Supreme Court in 2018 is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable on the record: the original site was cancelled in 2014 and the project was rebuilt at other sites.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated entry (2018): the original site was cancelled in 2014 and rebuilt as Eólica del Sur; no court outcome has been found for the July 2018 killing of a community police member who opposed the project.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"pggm","says":"Said the project would move to two other sites after the original San Dionisio site was cancelled.","when":"February 2014","src":1},{"actor":"macquarie","says":"Joined the Mareña Renovables joint venture, Mitsubishi Corporation and PGGM in a published response to the allegations of community protest and intimidation; the text is not in the cited sources.","when":null,"src":3},{"actor":"mitsubishi","says":"Joined the Mareña Renovables joint venture, Macquarie and PGGM in a published response to the allegations of community protest and intimidation; the text is not in the cited sources.","when":null,"src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"macquarie","role":"Named as a partner in Mareña Renovables"},{"id":"mitsubishi","role":"Named as a partner in Mareña Renovables"},{"id":"pggm","role":"Named as a partner in Mareña Renovables"},{"id":"idb","role":"Lender to Eólica del Sur"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Would the wind farm adversely affect local livelihoods, and were protesters intimidated?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Local communities in Oaxaca","says":"Protested the project, saying it would adversely affect their livelihoods, and allegedly were subject to intimidation (as stated in the title of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre entry).","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Mareña Renovables joint venture, Macquarie, Mitsubishi Corporation and PGGM","says":"Published a joint response; its text is not in the cited sources.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"capacity_mw","value":396,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Eólica del Sur, the project as rebuilt in Juchitán and El Espinal."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"Rolando Crispín López, a community police member who opposed the project, killed on 22 July 2018. The cited sources do not establish who ordered the killing or why."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A wind farm project in Oaxaca whose original site was cancelled in early 2014 and which was rebuilt as the 396 MW Eólica del Sur with an Inter-American Development Bank loan.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Eólica del Sur project","what":"A 396 MW wind farm built at other sites with an IDB loan","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Rolando Crispín López","what":"Killed on 22 July 2018; a member of the community police who opposed the project","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Local communities in Oaxaca","what":"Said the project would adversely affect their livelihoods; allegedly subject to intimidation","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Oaxaca, Mexico: the original site at San Dionisio; Eólica del Sur in Juchitán and El Espinal; the killing in Álvaro Obregón, Juchitán.","src":2},"when":{"t":"The original site was cancelled in early 2014; Rolando Crispín López was killed on 22 July 2018.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Local communities protested the project, saying it would adversely affect their livelihoods.","src":3},"how":{"t":"After the first site was cancelled, the project was rebuilt as Eólica del Sur at two other sites with an Inter-American Development Bank loan.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Eólica del Sur (project ME-L1107)","p":"Inter-American Development Bank","d":"","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iadb.org/en/whats-our-impact/ME-L1107","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240227070425/https://www.iadb.org/en/whats-our-impact/ME-L1107"},{"t":"La Jornada report on the cancellation of the San Dionisio site (title not on record)","p":"La Jornada","d":"2014-02-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.jornada.com.mx/2014/02/03/estados/024n2est"},{"t":"Rolando Crispín López","p":"Human rights defenders' memorial (HRD Memorial)","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/hrdrecord/rolando-crispin-lopez/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200619023730/https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/hrdrecord/rolando-crispin-lopez/"},{"t":"Response by Mareña Renovables joint venture, Macquarie, Mitsubishi Corp, PGGM: Mexico: local communities protest major wind farm in Oaxaca claiming it would adversely affect their livelihood; protesters allegedly subject to intimidation, death","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/response-by-mareña-renovables-joint-venture-macquarie-mitsubishi-corp-pggm-mexico-local-communities-protest-major-wind-farm-in-oaxaca-claiming-it-would-adversely-affect-their-livelihood-protesters-allegedly-subject-to-intimidation-death/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["fosen-wind-farm-and-sami-reindeer-herders","isthmus-of-tehuantepec-wind-farms-and-marena-renovables"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Would the wind farm adversely affect local livelihoods, and were protesters intimidated?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court outcome has been found for the killing of Rolando Crispín López.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Heineken and FEMSA were to buy the project's electricity under a 20-year agreement (2012).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Vestas supplied turbines for the project.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2013 killing of a wind-farm opponent named Héctor Regalado Jiménez appears in one report.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the consultation for the IDB-financed Eólica del Sur was upheld by Mexico's Supreme Court in 2018 is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"el-salvador-debt-for-nature-swap","title":"El Salvador debt-for-nature swap","dek":"In October 2024 JPMorgan arranged and lent US$1 billion for a Lempa River programme in a debt-for-nature transaction with El Salvador, backed by political risk insurance from the US Development Finance Corporation.","country":"El Salvador","region":"Latin America","lat":13.79,"lon":-88.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","role":"event","lat":13.79,"lon":-88.9},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-10","instrument":"debt-swap","types":["debt-swap","water"],"headline":{"label":"Loan arranged and lent by JPMorgan for the Lempa River programme","value":"US$1 billion","note":"October 2024; the DFC cover amount is not given in the source reviewed."},"happened":["In October 2024 El Salvador completed a debt-for-nature transaction. JPMorgan described itself as sole arranger and lender of a US$1 billion loan for the Lempa River programme. A page on JPMorgan's website dated 19 November 2024 said the bank \"played a key part in El Salvador's innovative debt-for-nature transaction\" and named no non-governmental organisation.","The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) provided political risk insurance. The amount of cover is not on record. The cover is largely limited to the principal amount and is triggered if an arbitral tribunal recognises that El Salvador has defaulted; coupons are covered separately by standby letters of credit from CAF, listed at US$200 million. JPMorgan's page gave the nominal debt as US$1.031 billion and the conservation commitment as about US$352 million over 20 years (unconfirmed).","The Center for Global Development wrote that DFC political risk insurance can cover up to 100% of a loan, against 40% to 60% for multilateral development bank guarantees, and that this full cover is what allows cheaper refinancing. In November 2024 an Inter-American Development Bank official put the first five deals of the series, from Belize to El Salvador, at US$3.8 billion in nominal terms. Reuters reported on 22 May 2025 that DFC had backed nearly 90% of about US$6 billion of swapped debt, that DFC backing had become uncertain after the change in US policy, and that about five pipeline deals, including Angola and Zambia, were in doubt.","The cited sources record two links between the arranger and the conservation sector. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) lists Douglas Petno, a JPMorgan co-president and chief executive of its Commercial & Investment Bank, as a director from May 2018 to October 2027, and TNC says its NatureVest unit was set up in 2014 with founding support from JPMorgan. TNC is not named on JPMorgan's page for this transaction and is not among the six projects listed under its Nature Bonds programme."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"October: US$1 billion loan for the Lempa River programme arranged and lent by JPMorgan, with DFC political risk insurance; 19 November: JPMorgan publishes its account; November: IDB official puts the first five swaps at US$3.8 billion nominal"},{"y":2025,"t":"22 May: Reuters reports DFC backing nearly 90% of swapped debt and uncertain after the US policy change; no closed swaps were found for 2025 to 2026 in the cited sources"}],"said":[{"q":"played a key part in El Salvador's innovative debt-for-nature transaction","who":"JPMorgan, on its website","when":"19 November 2024","src":0},{"q":"US$3.8 billion","who":"Inter-American Development Bank official, on the first five debt-for-nature deals (Belize to El Salvador, nominal)","when":"November 2024","src":3},{"q":"We won't be able to do debt conversions that regularly.","who":"An official of the European Investment Bank, as quoted by Reuters","when":"22 May 2025","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The transaction as innovative, with JPMorgan playing a key part","who":"JPMorgan","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"JPMorgan was sole arranger and lender of a US$1 billion loan for the Lempa River programme; no non-governmental organisation is named on its page","src":0},{"t":"DFC provided political risk insurance; the amount of cover is not given in the source reviewed","src":1},{"t":"The DFC cover is largely limited to the principal amount and is triggered if an arbitral tribunal recognises that El Salvador has defaulted; coupons are covered separately by CAF standby letters of credit (listed at US$200 million in a research table)","src":6},{"t":"DFC political risk insurance covers up to 100% of a loan, against 40% to 60% for multilateral guarantees; the full cover is what allows cheaper refinancing (Center for Global Development)","src":5},{"t":"Breaching conservation commitments may force mandatory redemption (White & Case)","src":6},{"t":"No claims have been reported on any debt-for-nature swap; across OPIC and DFC from 1971 to 2024, 311 claims led to about US$1.06 billion paid, of which about US$1.02 billion (96%) was recovered from host governments","src":5},{"t":"Reuters, 22 May 2025: DFC backed nearly 90% of about US$6 billion of swapped debt; about five pipeline deals, including Angola and Zambia, were in doubt","src":4},{"t":"Douglas Petno, co-president of JPMorganChase and chief executive of its Commercial & Investment Bank, is listed as a TNC director with a term from May 2018 to October 2027","src":7},{"t":"JPMorgan's leadership page says he is a member of the Global Board of Directors for The Nature Conservancy","src":8},{"t":"TNC says NatureVest was set up in 2014 with founding support from JPMorgan Chase & Co.","src":9},{"t":"TNC Nature Bonds projects listed in the cited sources are Belize, Barbados, Gabon, Bahamas, Ecuador (2024) and the 2016 Seychelles pilot; El Salvador is not among them","src":11},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026 ranks JPMorgan first among fossil fuel financiers in 2025 (US$58.2 billion); JPMorgan announced a US$2.5 trillion sustainable finance target for 2021 to 2030 in April 2021","src":10},{"t":"Of the seven swaps from 2021 to 2024 in the cited sources (about US$3.97 billion nominal), four banks arranged all seven; JPMorgan arranged one, about 25% of the total by value (research calculation)","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loan for the Lempa River programme","v":"US$1 billion","d":"Arranged and lent by JPMorgan, October 2024"},{"k":"DFC insurance cover","v":"Not given","d":"Amount not given in the source reviewed"},{"k":"Insurance claims on any debt-for-nature swap","v":"None reported","d":"Research file; DFC overall 311 claims from 1971 to 2024"}]},"unknown":["The amount of the DFC cover for El Salvador is not given in the source reviewed.","DFC premium amounts and arranger fees were not found for the Belize and Galápagos swaps in the same record.","No insurance claim has been reported on any debt-for-nature swap.","No non-governmental organisation is named on JPMorgan's page for this transaction.","Unconfirmed: nominal debt of US$1.031 billion and a conservation commitment of about US$352 million over 20 years.","No closed debt-for-nature swaps were found for 2025 to 2026 in the cited sources; AXA XL and Enosis announced a US$3 billion pipeline."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the cited sources record no harm event for this transaction.","whoPaid":"Not established. DFC political risk insurance covers the loan principal; the cost of the cover and the arranger's fees were not found.","statusLine":"As of May 2025 (latest dated source): the US$1 billion loan closed in October 2024; no insurance claim has been reported; the DFC cover amount is not given in the source reviewed.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"jpmorgan","says":"Said it \"played a key part in El Salvador's innovative debt-for-nature transaction\" and was sole arranger and lender of a US$1 billion loan for the Lempa River programme.","when":"19 November 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"jpmorgan","role":"Sole arranger and lender of the US$1 billion loan"},{"id":"dfc","role":"Political risk insurer"},{"id":"caf","role":"Provider of standby letters of credit covering coupons"},{"id":"idb","role":"Official quoted on the size of the first five swaps"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Not named for this transaction; a JPMorgan executive sits on its board"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)","insured":"Lender of the US$1 billion loan (JPMorgan, sole arranger and lender according to its own page)","status":"unknown","year":2024,"summary":"Political risk insurance for the loan. The amount of cover is not on record. The cited sources say the cover is largely limited to the principal amount and is triggered if an arbitral tribunal recognises that El Salvador has defaulted; coupons are covered separately by CAF standby letters of credit. No claims have been reported on any debt-for-nature swap.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"loan_amount","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Loan for the Lempa River programme; JPMorgan sole arranger and lender."},{"key":"debt_nominal_retired","value":1031,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Not independently verified."},{"key":"conservation_commitment","value":352,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Over 20 years; not independently verified."},{"key":"standby_letters_of_credit","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"CAF standby letters of credit covering coupons, as listed in a research table."},{"key":"first_five_swaps_nominal","value":3800,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Inter-American Development Bank official, November 2024: Belize to El Salvador."},{"key":"dfc_share_of_swapped_debt","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Reuters, 22 May 2025: share of about US$6 billion of swapped debt backed by DFC; not specific to El Salvador."},{"key":"dfc_historical_claims_paid","value":1060,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"OPIC and DFC overall, 1971 to 2024: 311 claims; about US$1.02 billion (96%) recovered from host governments."},{"key":"jpmorgan_share_of_seven_swaps","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Research calculation: the one swap arranged by JPMorgan against about US$3.97 billion nominal across seven swaps arranged by four banks."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A debt-for-nature transaction in which JPMorgan was sole arranger and lender of a US$1 billion loan for the Lempa River programme, with DFC political risk insurance.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"JPMorgan","what":"Arranger and lender; its fees were not found","src":0},{"who":"DFC","what":"Insurer; premium not found","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"El Salvador, Lempa River programme; arranged by a United States bank with United States agency insurance.","src":0},"when":{"t":"October 2024; JPMorgan's page is dated 19 November 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the DFC's full cover as the reason borrowing could be refinanced more cheaply.","src":5},"how":{"t":"A loan arranged and lent by JPMorgan, with DFC political risk insurance on the principal and CAF standby letters of credit on the coupons.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"El Salvador debt-for-nature transaction","p":"JPMorgan","d":"2024-11-19","type":"company","u":"https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/banking/investment-banking/el-salvador-debt-for-nature-transaction","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508142017/https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/banking/investment-banking/el-salvador-debt-for-nature-transaction"},{"t":"World's largest debt conversion for the conservation of a river and its watershed completed (title as in the URL)","p":"US International Development Finance Corporation","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://dfc.gov/media/press-releases/worlds-largest-debt-conversion-conservation-river-and-its-watershed-completed","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914054427/https://www.dfc.gov/media/press-releases/worlds-largest-debt-conversion-conservation-river-and-its-watershed-completed"},{"t":"EnergyTech article 55253426 (title not on record)","p":"EnergyTech","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://energytech.com/renewables/article/55253426","dead":true},{"t":"Debt-for-nature: the number of agreements around the world is growing and the instrument is being further explored for improvement","p":"El Tiempo","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.eltiempo.com/economia/sectores/debt-for-nature-the-number-of-agreements-around-the-world-is-growing-and-the-instrument-is-being-further-explored-for-improvement-3396874","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250526005240/https://www.eltiempo.com/economia/sectores/debt-for-nature-the-number-of-agreements-around-the-world-is-growing-and-the-instrument-is-being-further-explored-for-improvement-3396874"},{"t":"Analysis: US climate pullback threatens debt swaps (title cut off in the URL; Reuters, via Yahoo Finance)","p":"Reuters","d":"2025-05-22","type":"press","u":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/analysis-us-climate-pullback-threatens-113506590.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725155936/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/analysis-us-climate-pullback-threatens-113506590.html"},{"t":"Debt swaps in war zones: DFC's political risk insurance takes center stage","p":"Center for Global Development","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://www.cgdev.org/blog/debt-swaps-war-zones-dfcs-political-risk-insurance-takes-center-stage","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009015956/https://www.cgdev.org/blog/debt-swaps-war-zones-dfcs-political-risk-insurance-takes-center-stage"},{"t":"White & Case discusses debt-for-nature swaps","p":"Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog","d":"2025-01-14","type":"academic","u":"http://clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2025/01/14/white-case-discusses-debt-for-nature-swaps/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616093334/https://clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2025/01/14/white-case-discusses-debt-for-nature-swaps/"},{"t":"TNC 2025 Annual Report (board list as of 31 December 2025)","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/t/n/TNC_2025AnnualReport-d2.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607021845/https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/t/n/TNC_2025AnnualReport-d2.pdf"},{"t":"Douglas Petno","p":"JPMorganChase","d":"","type":"company","u":"https://www.jpmorganchase.com/about/our-leadership/douglas-petno","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240614184038/https://www.jpmorganchase.com/about/our-leadership/douglas-petno"},{"t":"Companies investing in nature","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/working-with-companies/companies-investing-in-nature1/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609020237/https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/working-with-companies/companies-investing-in-nature1/"},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026","p":"Banking on Climate Chaos","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011110010/https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/"},{"t":"The Nature Conservancy Announces Innovative Nature Bonds project in The Bahamas","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"2024","u":"https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/tnc-announces-new-nature-bonds-project-bahamas/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["seychelles-debt-for-nature-swap"],"natureLead":{"t":"In October 2024 JPMorgan arranged and lent US$1 billion for a programme on my Lempa River; its page gives the conservation commitment as about US$352 million over 20 years.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Debt nominal retired: Not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Conservation commitment: Over 20 years; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the DFC cover for El Salvador is not given in the source reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"DFC premium amounts and arranger fees were not found for the Belize and Galápagos swaps in the same record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No insurance claim has been reported on any debt-for-nature swap.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No non-governmental organisation is named on JPMorgan's page for this transaction.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: nominal debt of US$1.031 billion and a conservation commitment of about US$352 million over 20 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No closed debt-for-nature swaps were found for 2025 to 2026 in the cited sources; AXA XL and Enosis announced a US$3 billion pipeline.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"atlanta-beltline-green-gentrification","title":"Atlanta BeltLine","dek":"A green loop in Atlanta, the BeltLine, was launched with a 2005 commitment to 5,600 affordable homes. Fewer than 1,000 had been built by 2017, while nearby home values rose faster than the city's.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":33.75,"lon":-84.39,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Georgia","lat":33.75,"lon":-84.39,"role":"event"}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening"],"headline":{"label":"Public investment vs private development along the BeltLine, from the start to 2026","value":"$941m vs $14.2bn","note":"Figures from Atlanta BeltLine Inc., which describes the ratio as 15 to 1. Public investment includes the tax-increment fund."},"happened":["The Atlanta BeltLine is a green loop project in Atlanta, Georgia, carried out by Atlanta BeltLine Inc. In 2005 the project committed to 5,600 affordable housing units, with 2030 as the target year. The school board, the city and Fulton County agreed to assign the growth in their property-tax revenue to the BeltLine for 25 years; the Federal Highway Administration recorded that this fund generated $325 million between 2005 and 2017.","WABE reported in 2017, citing a study, that fewer than 1,000 of the 5,600 affordable units had been built. In the same report, homes near the BeltLine gained 50 to 60 percent in value between 2012 and 2015, against about 30 percent for the rest of the city.","Atlanta BeltLine Inc. reported in 2026 that public investment since the start had been $941 million and private development $14.2 billion, a ratio it describes as 15 to 1. It reported that the tax-increment fund made up about 72.4 percent of the budget. In April 2026 WABE reported that 4,425 affordable units, including units under construction, had been reached, 79 percent of the 5,600 target. Of 626 units projected for 2025, 299 were delivered.","A 2025 Roosevelt Institute analysis of the Atlanta metropolitan area found that 16 majority-Black census tracts gentrified between 1980 and 2020. Those tracts lost more than 22,000 Black residents and gained about 23,000 white residents. After the Eastside Trail opened, the white population of Old Fourth Ward grew rapidly."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Commitment to 5,600 affordable housing units, with 2030 as the target year; tax-increment funding assigned to the BeltLine for 25 years"},{"y":2017,"t":"Fewer than 1,000 affordable units built; tax-increment fund had generated $325 million since 2005"},{"y":2015,"t":"Homes near the BeltLine had gained 50 to 60 percent in value since 2012, against about 30 percent citywide"},{"y":2020,"t":"End of the 1980–2020 period in which 16 majority-Black census tracts gentrified (Roosevelt Institute)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc. reports $941 million of public investment and $14.2 billion of private development; WABE reports 4,425 affordable units including units under construction (79 percent of target)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The BeltLine was presented as a green loop for all residents, with a 2005 commitment to 5,600 affordable housing units.","who":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc.","src":null},{"t":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc. presented its 2026 budget as showing that the project was meeting its affordable-housing and economic-development goals.","who":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc.","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fewer than 1,000 of the 5,600 committed affordable units had been built by 2017; homes near the BeltLine gained 50 to 60 percent in value in 2012–2015 against about 30 percent for the rest of the city (WABE).","src":0},{"t":"4,425 affordable units, including units under construction, reached in April 2026: 79 percent of the 2030 target. Of 626 units projected for 2025, 299 were delivered.","src":1},{"t":"The school board, the city and Fulton County assigned property-tax growth to the BeltLine for 25 years; the fund generated $325 million between 2005 and 2017.","src":2},{"t":"$941 million of public investment and $14.2 billion of private development since the start; the tax-increment fund was about 72.4 percent of the budget.","src":3},{"t":"In the Atlanta metropolitan area, 16 majority-Black census tracts gentrified in 1980–2020, with a loss of more than 22,000 Black residents and a gain of about 23,000 white residents.","src":4},{"t":"A 2022 study of 28 cities in the United States, Canada and Europe listed Atlanta among eight cities where greening was a main driver of gentrification; it found the effect lagged and strengthened over time.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Project start to 2026","nature":[{"label":"Public investment in the BeltLine","amount":941,"note":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc.; the tax-increment fund made up about 72.4% of the budget."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":941,"note":"Public investment as reported by Atlanta BeltLine Inc."},"other":[{"label":"Private development along the BeltLine","amount":14200,"note":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":14200},"ratio":{"text":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc. describes private development as 15 times public investment ($14.2 billion to $941 million)."},"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Affordable housing delivered","v":"4,425 of 5,600","d":"Units including those under construction, April 2026; fewer than 1,000 by 2017 (WABE)"},{"k":"Public vs private money","v":"$941m vs $14.2bn","d":"From the start to 2026 (Atlanta BeltLine Inc.)"},{"k":"Home-value gain near the trail","v":"50–60% vs about 30%","d":"Nearby homes vs the rest of the city, 2012–2015 (WABE, 2017)"}]},"unknown":["A study by Immergluck and Balan (Georgia State University, 2017/2018) is reported to have found that homes within half a mile of the BeltLine gained 17.9 to 26.6 percentage points more in value than the rest of the city in 2011–2015. Unconfirmed: the source page was known only.","How many residents were displaced, and where they moved: not measured in the studies cited. Northern green-gentrification literature measures price, rent, income and education but not the number of people displaced.","No ecological or environmental evaluation of the BeltLine appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The project has not ended. As of April 2026 affordable-housing delivery stood at 4,425 units, including units under construction, against the 5,600 target for 2030.","whoPaid":"The school board, the city and Fulton County assigned the growth in their property-tax revenue to the BeltLine for 25 years. In the Atlanta metropolitan area, 16 majority-Black census tracts lost more than 22,000 Black residents in 1980–2020 (Roosevelt Institute); the sources do not trace each change to the project.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: 4,425 affordable units reached (79 percent of the 2030 target, including units under construction); no ruling or court case on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc.","says":"Reported $941 million of public investment against $14.2 billion of private development since the start (a ratio it describes as 15 to 1), with the tax-increment fund at about 72.4 percent of the budget; presented the 2026 budget as showing the project was meeting its affordable-housing and economic-development goals.","when":"2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"atlanta-beltline-inc","role":"Project body"},{"id":"roosevelt-institute","role":"Research on gentrification in the Atlanta area"},{"id":"fhwa","role":"Federal agency profiling the project's financing"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Has affordable housing kept pace with the rise in nearby home values?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"WABE (2017)","says":"Fewer than 1,000 of the 5,600 committed units were built, while nearby homes gained 50 to 60 percent in 2012–2015 against about 30 percent citywide.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"WABE (April 2026)","says":"4,425 units, including units under construction, had been reached, 79 percent of the 2030 target; 299 of 626 units projected for 2025 were delivered.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc.","says":"Reported that the project was meeting its affordable-housing and economic-development goals, with $941 million of public investment against $14.2 billion of private development.","src":3}]},{"point":"Who bore the changes in the neighbourhoods around the trail?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Roosevelt Institute (2025)","says":"16 majority-Black census tracts in the Atlanta area gentrified in 1980–2020, losing more than 22,000 Black residents and gaining about 23,000 white residents.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"affordable_units_committed","value":5600,"unit":"units","year":2005,"note":"Affordable housing commitment; target year 2030."},{"key":"affordable_units_built_2017","value":1000,"unit":"units","year":2017,"qualifier":"under","note":"Built by 2017 (WABE)."},{"key":"affordable_units","value":4425,"unit":"units","year":2026,"note":"Including units under construction, April 2026; 79% of the 5,600 target."},{"key":"public_investment","value":941,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Public investment from the project's start (Atlanta BeltLine Inc.)."},{"key":"private_development","value":14200,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Private development from the project's start (Atlanta BeltLine Inc.)."},{"key":"tax_increment_fund","value":325,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Generated 2005–2017 (FHWA)."},{"key":"tax_increment_share_of_budget","value":72.4,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the budget from the tax-increment fund (Atlanta BeltLine Inc.)."},{"key":"home_value_gain_near_trail","value":"50–60","unit":"%","year":2015,"note":"Homes near the BeltLine, 2012–2015; the rest of the city gained about 30% (WABE, 2017)."},{"key":"black_residents_lost","value":22000,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"16 majority-Black census tracts in the Atlanta metropolitan area, 1980–2020 (Roosevelt Institute)."},{"key":"white_residents_gained","value":23000,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Same 16 tracts, 1980–2020 (Roosevelt Institute)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A green loop project in Atlanta, financed in large part by assigning property-tax growth to it, with a 2005 commitment to 5,600 affordable homes.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Owners of homes near the trail","what":"Homes near the BeltLine gained 50 to 60 percent in value in 2012–2015, against about 30 percent for the rest of the city.","src":0},{"who":"Private developers","what":"$14.2 billion of private development along the BeltLine from the start to 2026, as reported by Atlanta BeltLine Inc.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Black residents of 16 majority-Black census tracts in the Atlanta area","what":"More than 22,000 fewer Black residents and about 23,000 more white residents between 1980 and 2020.","src":4},{"who":"The school board, the city and Fulton County","what":"Assigned the growth in their property-tax revenue to the BeltLine for 25 years.","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Atlanta, Georgia, along the BeltLine loop; the Eastside Trail and Old Fourth Ward are named in the cited sources.","src":4},"when":{"t":"The affordable-housing commitment dates from 2005 with 2030 as the target year; home values near the trail diverged in 2011–2015; delivery reached 4,425 units in April 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources state no purpose beyond the project's financing by a 25-year assignment of tax increments and its 2005 affordable-housing commitment.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The school board, the city and Fulton County assigned growth in property-tax revenue to the BeltLine for 25 years; the tax-increment fund was about 72.4 percent of the budget.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc. puts private development at 15 times public investment ($14.2 billion to $941 million).","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"BeltLine Lacks Adequate Number of Affordable Housing Units, Study Says","p":"WABE","d":"2017","type":"press","u":"https://www.wabe.org/beltline-lacks-adequate-number-affordable-housing-units-study-says/"},{"t":"Atlanta Beltline hits nearly 80% of 2030 affordable housing goal","p":"WABE","d":"2026-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.wabe.org/atlanta-beltline-hits-nearly-80-of-2030-affordable-housing-goal/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408144735/https://www.wabe.org/atlanta-beltline-hits-nearly-80-of-2030-affordable-housing-goal/"},{"t":"Project Profile: Atlanta BeltLine","p":"Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/ga_atlanta_beltline.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419051229/https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/ga_atlanta_beltline.aspx"},{"t":"Atlanta Beltline moves forward with new budget","p":"Atlanta BeltLine Inc.","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://beltline.org/press-release/atlanta-beltline-moves-forward-with-new-budget-as-project-accelerates-meets-affordable-housing-and-economic-development-goals/","dead":true},{"t":"Examining the Urban Revitalization to Gentrification Pipeline: The Case of the Atlanta BeltLine","p":"Roosevelt Institute","d":"2025","type":"academic","voice":"research","u":"https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/examining-the-urban-revitalization-to-gentrification-pipeline-the-case-of-the-atlanta-beltline/"},{"t":"Sustainable for whom? (known only)","p":"Georgia State University ScholarWorks","d":"2017/2018","type":"academic","u":"https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/items/76c0ec57-219c-41eb-9f8f-b3d7b159cbd1","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309235058/https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/items/76c0ec57-219c-41eb-9f8f-b3d7b159cbd1"},{"t":"Green gentrification in European and North American cities","p":"Nature Communications 13, 3816 (Anguelovski et al.)","d":"2022-07","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-31572-1","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chicago-606-trail-gentrification","high-line-property-value-effect"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Has affordable housing kept pace with the rise in nearby home values?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who bore the changes in the neighbourhoods around the trail?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A study by Immergluck and Balan (Georgia State University, 2017/2018) is reported to have found that homes within half a mile of the BeltLine gained 17.9 to 26.6 percentage points more in value than the rest of the city in 2011–2015. Unconfirmed: the source page was known only.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"How many residents were displaced, and where they moved: not measured in the studies cited. Northern green-gentrification literature measures price, rent, income and education but not the number of people displaced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No ecological or environmental evaluation of the BeltLine appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gulfstream-spill","title":"Gulfstream oil spill (Tobago)","dek":"In February 2024 a barge with no recorded flag or insurer released about 4,652 tonnes of fuel oil off Tobago, and the oil reached Bonaire, 830 km away. The registered owner had not been identified, and the IOPC 1992 Fund paid the claims.","country":"Trinidad and Tobago","region":"Caribbean","lat":11.25,"lon":-60.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Trinidad and Tobago","iso2":"TT","admin":"Tobago","lat":11.25,"lon":-60.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Bonaire","iso2":"BQ","lat":12.2,"lon":-68.3,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Angola","iso2":"AO","role":"tug-arrest-attempt"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"5–6 February 2024","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","fuel-spill","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Fuel oil spilled off Tobago","value":"About 4,652 t","note":"Reached Bonaire, 830 km away. Figure from the IOPC Funds."},"happened":["On 5–6 February 2024 the barge Gulfstream released about 4,652 tonnes of fuel oil off Tobago, according to the International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds). The oil reached Bonaire, 830 km away.","The 1992 Fund's records list the vessel's flag as \"Unknown\" and its P&I insurer as \"None\". The IOPC Funds Director said the barge appeared to have no insurance and was in poor condition. The registered owner had not been identified. The tug Solo Creed, which towed the barge, escaped arrest in Angola in November 2024.","The owner's limit under the civil liability convention (CLC) was estimated at SDR 4.51 million, but no limitation proceedings had been started because the registered owner \"is yet to be identified\". The 1992 Fund, which pays when the shipowner's cover is insufficient, paid claims without the shipowner tier.","The Fund recorded 357 claims and US$48.5 million, and TTD 60.57 million paid by 6 March 2026 (document IOPC/MAY26/3/5). Payments were made first through the General Fund, with the Gulfstream Major Claims Fund account at −£5.76 million at the end of 2024 before its first levy, and then covered by a £10 million levy on oil receivers due on 1 March 2025. The Fund does not collect money before incidents: its FAQ says it invoices only when incidents occur or circumstances require it.","At 31 December 2024 the 1992 Fund held net assets of £56.4 million against a per-incident maximum of SDR 203 million, about £211 million. The Supplementary Fund held £1.4 million against a maximum of about £780 million and had not been used in any incident. The General Fund balance of £13.5 million was below the £15 million working capital because of unforeseen expenditure on Gulfstream and Marine Honour. Under the 1992 conventions, compensation for environmental impairment is limited to the costs of reasonable reinstatement measures actually undertaken or to be undertaken; claims based on theoretical models, punitive claims and loss of environmental services are not admissible."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"5–6 February: about 4,652 t of fuel oil spilled off Tobago; November: tug Solo Creed escapes arrest in Angola; end of year: Gulfstream account at −£5.76m"},{"y":2025,"t":"1 March: £10m levy for Gulfstream falls due"},{"y":2026,"t":"By 6 March: TTD 60.57m paid; IOPC document IOPC/MAY26/3/5 records the registered owner as yet to be identified"}],"said":[{"q":"appears to have no insurance, was in poor condition","who":"Director of the IOPC Funds, on the barge, in document IOPC/MAY26/3/5","when":"May 2026","src":0},{"q":"is yet to be identified","who":"IOPC Funds document IOPC/MAY26/3/5, on the registered owner and why no limitation proceedings had been started","when":"May 2026","src":0},{"q":"due to unforeseen expenditure on… Gulfstream and Marine Honour","who":"1992 Fund Financial Review 2024, on why the General Fund balance (£13.5m) was below the £15m working capital","when":"31 December 2024","src":2},{"q":"only invoices when incidents occur or circumstances require it","who":"IOPC Funds FAQ","when":"Undated","src":3}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Flag recorded as \"Unknown\"; P&I insurer recorded as \"None\".","src":0},{"t":"The owner's CLC limit was estimated at SDR 4.51 million; no limitation proceedings had been started.","src":0},{"t":"357 claims and US$48.5 million; TTD 60.57 million paid by 6 March 2026.","src":0},{"t":"The tug Solo Creed escaped arrest in Angola in November 2024.","src":0},{"t":"The Gulfstream account (MCF) stood at nil at the end of 2024; the Marine Honour account at −£5.44 million (the Princess Empress account stood at −£5.76 million). Gulfstream was levied £10 million, due 1 March 2025.","src":2},{"t":"The 1992 Fund levies oil receivers after an incident; the Gulfstream levy was £10 million, due 1 March 2025.","src":1},{"t":"The General Fund covers claims up to SDR 4 million per incident; amounts above that fall to a Major Claims Fund levied after the incident on oil received in the year before it.","src":4},{"t":"General Fund balance of £13.5 million, below the £15 million working capital because of unforeseen expenditure on Gulfstream and Marine Honour.","src":2},{"t":"1992 Fund at 31 December 2024: net assets £56.4m; cash plus term deposits £72.9m; contingent liabilities about £141m across 13 incidents.","src":2},{"t":"Supplementary Fund: £1.4m held; maximum payout about £780m; not used in any incident to date.","src":6},{"t":"Under the 1992 conventions, compensation for environmental impairment is limited to the costs of reasonable reinstatement measures actually undertaken or to be undertaken; claims based on theoretical models, punitive claims and loss of environmental services are not admissible.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Total of the 357 claims","amount":48.5,"note":"The sources describe this figure both as the amount claimed and as the amount paid; IOPC/MAY26/3/5 separately reports TTD 60.57 million paid by 6 March 2026."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":48.5},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fuel oil spilled","v":"About 4,652 t","d":"5–6 February 2024, off Tobago"},{"k":"Distance reached","v":"830 km","d":"Oil reached Bonaire"},{"k":"Claims recorded","v":"357","d":"US$48.5m; TTD 60.57m paid by 6 March 2026"},{"k":"Liable party identified","v":"None","d":"Flag \"Unknown\", P&I insurer \"None\", registered owner yet to be identified"},{"k":"Basis for environmental claims","v":"Reinstatement costs only","d":"Under the 1992 conventions (IOPC Funds, 2019)"}]},"unknown":["The identity of the registered owner: not identified, so no limitation proceedings had been started.","Whether US$48.5 million is the amount claimed or the amount paid: the cited sources give it both as the figure for 357 claims and under \"paid so far\", and separately gives TTD 60.57 million as paid by 6 March 2026.","The vessel's flag and insurer: recorded as \"Unknown\" and \"None\".","Which contributing companies paid the Gulfstream levy: the IOPC Funds publish no ranked list of contributing companies."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded. Claims were still being paid in March 2026, and the registered owner had not been identified.","whoPaid":"The IOPC 1992 Fund, which is financed by levies on oil receivers in its member states, paid the claims; the Gulfstream levy was £10 million. No shipowner or insurer payment is on record.","statusLine":"As of May 2026 (IOPC document IOPC/MAY26/3/5): the 1992 Fund was paying claims (TTD 60.57 million by 6 March 2026), the registered owner had not been identified, and no limitation proceedings had been started.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"Said the barge \"appears to have no insurance, was in poor condition\" and that the registered owner \"is yet to be identified\".","when":"May 2026","src":0},{"actor":"Registered owner (not identified)","says":"No statement on record; no owner or insurer has been identified.","when":"2024–2026","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Compensation body paying claims for the Gulfstream spill (1992 Fund)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is liable for the damage?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds (1992 Fund)","says":"Paid claims without the shipowner tier; estimated the owner's CLC limit at SDR 4.51 million but had not started limitation proceedings because the registered owner is yet to be identified.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Registered owner (not identified)","says":"No statement on record; the owner has not been identified.","src":null,"silent":true},{"voice":"company","holder":"Operator of the tug Solo Creed","says":"No statement on record; the tug escaped arrest in Angola in November 2024.","src":0,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Claims against the 1992 Fund for the Gulfstream spill","forum":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (1992 Fund)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Claimants (357 claims)","defendant":"1992 Fund; registered owner not identified","filed":"2024","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":48.5,"currency":"USD","label":"Claims recorded, 357 claims (US$ million); claimed or paid: unclear"},"summary":"The Fund recorded 357 claims and TTD 60.57 million paid by 6 March 2026. It paid first through the General Fund and then raised a £10 million levy due 1 March 2025.","src":0},{"title":"Limitation of the owner's liability","forum":"No proceedings started","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants and the 1992 Fund","defendant":"Registered owner (not identified)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":{"value":4.51,"currency":"SDR","label":"Estimated CLC limit of the owner (SDR million)"},"summary":"No limitation proceedings had been started because the registered owner \"is yet to be identified\".","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None recorded","insured":"Barge Gulfstream (registered owner not identified)","status":"uninsured","year":2024,"reason":"P&I insurer recorded as \"None\"; the Director stated the barge \"appears to have no insurance\".","summary":"No insurer is recorded for the barge. The 1992 Fund paid claims without the shipowner tier.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":4652,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fuel oil released off Tobago on 5–6 February 2024."},{"key":"spill_distance_km","value":830,"unit":"km","year":2024,"note":"Distance from Tobago to Bonaire, where the oil arrived."},{"key":"claims_count","value":357,"unit":"claims","year":2026,"note":"Claims recorded by the Fund."},{"key":"claim","value":48.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Recorded for the 357 claims; the cited sources do not state consistently whether this is claimed or paid."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":60.57,"unit":"TTD m","year":2026,"note":"Paid by 6 March 2026."},{"key":"owner_liability_limit","value":4.51,"unit":"SDR m","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"Estimated CLC limit of the owner; no limitation proceedings started."},{"key":"fund_levy","value":10,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Levy for Gulfstream, due 1 March 2025."},{"key":"fund_account_balance","value":-5.76,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Gulfstream account (MCF) at the end of 2024, before its first levy."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A barge with no recorded flag or insurer released about 4,652 tonnes of fuel oil off Tobago; the oil reached Bonaire, 830 km away.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Contributors to the 1992 Fund (companies receiving oil in member states)","what":"A £10 million levy for Gulfstream fell due on 1 March 2025.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Claimants affected by the spill","what":"357 claims, US$48.5 million; TTD 60.57 million paid by 6 March 2026.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Off Tobago (Trinidad and Tobago); oil reached Bonaire, 830 km away.","src":0},"when":{"t":"5–6 February 2024; payments recorded to 6 March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cause of the spill is not given. The Director stated that the barge appears to have no insurance and was in poor condition.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The vessel was a barge with flag \"Unknown\" and P&I insurer \"None\"; the tug Solo Creed escaped arrest in Angola in November 2024.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"IOPC/MAY26/3/5 (Gulfstream incident)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/83743/en/IOPC-MAY26-3-5_en.pdf"},{"t":"Contributions to the IOPC Funds 2025","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-12","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Contributions-to-the-IOPC-Funds-2025_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260409020413/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Contributions-to-the-IOPC-Funds-2025_e.pdf"},{"t":"1992 Fund Financial Review 2024","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-01","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1992-Fund-Financial-Review-2024_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408144701/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1992-Fund-Financial-Review-2024_e.pdf"},{"t":"Frequently asked questions: oil reporting and contributions","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/oil-reporting-and-contributions/frequently-asked-questions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316054037/https://iopcfunds.org/oil-reporting-and-contributions/frequently-asked-questions"},{"t":"Texts of Conventions (1992 Fund Convention, Art. 12)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Text-of-Conventions_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415133953/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Text-of-Conventions_e.pdf"},{"t":"Claims for environmental damage: An overview","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IOPC-Environmental-Brochure-6pp-A4_English-FOR-WEB.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220120065749/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IOPC-Environmental-Brochure-6pp-A4_English-FOR-WEB.pdf"},{"t":"Supplementary Fund Financial Review 2024","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds)","d":"2026-01","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Supplementary-Fund-Financial-Review-2024_e.pdf","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408180207/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Supplementary-Fund-Financial-Review-2024_e.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is liable for the damage?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Registered owner (not identified): No statement on record; the owner has not been identified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Operator of the tug Solo Creed: No statement on record; the tug escaped arrest in Angola in November 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The identity of the registered owner: not identified, so no limitation proceedings had been started.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether US$48.5 million is the amount claimed or the amount paid: the cited sources give it both as the figure for 357 claims and under \"paid so far\", and separately gives TTD 60.57 million as paid by 6 March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The vessel's flag and insurer: recorded as \"Unknown\" and \"None\".","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which contributing companies paid the Gulfstream levy: the IOPC Funds publish no ranked list of contributing companies.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-superfund-tax-and-funding-shortfall","title":"US Superfund tax and funding shortfall","dek":"The US Superfund programme, created in 1980 to clean up contaminated sites, was financed by chemical and petroleum taxes until they lapsed at the end of 1995. The taxes returned in 2022 and 2023; fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against an estimate of $2.5 billion.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":1980,"end":2025,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Share of Superfund trust fund revenue that came from taxes","value":"68% → 6%","note":"1981–95 compared with 1996–2007. Approximate figures reported by the US Government Accountability Office; in the second period the general fund supplied about 59%."},"happened":["The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) created the US Superfund programme for cleaning up contaminated sites. The programme was originally financed by taxes on chemicals and petroleum. The petroleum tax had been 9.7 cents per barrel when the taxes lapsed at the end of 1995. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), taxes paid between 1981 and 1998 totalled $13.5 billion.","GAO reported that taxes made up about 68% of trust fund revenue in 1981–95. In 1996–2007, after the taxes had lapsed, taxes made up about 6% of trust fund revenue and the general fund about 59%.","Congress later reinstated the taxes. The infrastructure law (IIJA) set the chemical tax at doubled rates from 1 July 2022 to 31 December 2031 and added a $3.5 billion transfer from the general fund. The Inflation Reduction Act set a petroleum tax of 16.4 cents per barrel, indexed to inflation and without an end date; another cited source dates its return to 2023. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated about $15 billion from the chemical tax and more than $10.5 billion from the petroleum tax over about ten years.","Receipts fell short of the estimate. E&E News, citing EPA budget documents, reported in April 2024 that fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against a $2.5 billion estimate: $472.8 million from the chemical tax against about $1.7 billion, and $732.1 million from the petroleum tax against $858 million. EPA's records show that Congress cut the fiscal 2024 appropriation by $744.5 million and used tax receipts to offset it.","Responsible parties also fund cleanups. EPA recorded fiscal 2024 commitments from responsible parties of more than $1.1 billion, plus $28.5 million in reimbursement of EPA's past costs, and a cumulative total of about $52.5 billion since 1980 (EPA, fiscal 2025 results). EPA compensates 'orphan shares', the portion of a remedy attributable to parties that cannot pay, up to 25% of remedy costs."],"timeline":[{"y":1980,"t":"CERCLA creates the Superfund programme"},{"y":1995,"t":"Chemical and petroleum taxes lapse at year end; the petroleum tax had been 9.7 cents per barrel"},{"y":2007,"t":"End of the 1996–2007 period in which taxes supplied about 6% and the general fund about 59% of trust fund revenue (GAO)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Chemical tax reinstated at doubled rates from 1 July, to run to 31 December 2031; $3.5 billion general-fund transfer"},{"y":2023,"t":"Petroleum tax of 16.4 cents per barrel in force, indexed and without an end date"},{"y":2024,"t":"Fiscal 2024 receipts about $1.2 billion against a $2.5 billion estimate; appropriation cut by $744.5 million"},{"y":2025,"t":"EPA reports about $52.5 billion committed by responsible parties since 1980"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The tax was expected to raise about $15 billion (chemical) and more than $10.5 billion (petroleum) over about ten years.","who":"Congressional Budget Office, as cited in secondary sources (secondary citation)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Taxes were about 68% of trust fund revenue in 1981–95; in 1996–2007 taxes were about 6% and the general fund about 59% (GAO-08-841R).","src":1},{"t":"Fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against a $2.5 billion estimate: chemical tax $472.8 million against about $1.7 billion; petroleum tax $732.1 million against $858 million.","src":2},{"t":"Congress cut the fiscal 2024 appropriation by $744.5 million and used tax receipts to offset it (EPA).","src":2},{"t":"Responsible parties made fiscal 2024 commitments of more than $1.1 billion plus $28.5 million in reimbursement of EPA's past costs; the cumulative total since 1980 is about $52.5 billion.","src":3},{"t":"IRS Announcement 2026-2 stated that the 2026 petroleum tax rate of $0.18 per barrel is the Superfund portion only.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"FY2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tax share of trust fund revenue","v":"68% → 6%","d":"1981–95 compared with 1996–2007 (GAO-08-841R); the general fund supplied about 59% in the later period"},{"k":"Fiscal 2024 tax receipts","v":"$1.2bn vs $2.5bn","d":"Chemical tax $472.8m against about $1.7bn; petroleum tax $732.1m against $858m (E&E News, citing EPA budget documents)"},{"k":"Responsible-party commitments since 1980","v":"About $52.5bn","d":"EPA fiscal 2025 results"}]},"unknown":["the cited primary sources give no percentage split of cleanup costs between responsible parties and the fund.","No current count of orphan sites and no Treasury balance for the Superfund trust fund were found.","Unconfirmed: a reports of a 2015 EPA archive page said responsible parties perform about 69% of ongoing cleanups.","Unconfirmed: a 2022 reports of an accounting-firm note (Withum / Deloitte) put the expected yield of the reinstated chemical tax at about $14.4 billion over ten years, to 2031."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record concerns a funding mechanism, not a single harm. The chemical and petroleum taxes lapsed at the end of 1995; the chemical tax was reinstated from 1 July 2022 (to 31 December 2031) and the petroleum tax by 2023.","whoPaid":"After the taxes lapsed, the general fund supplied about 59% of trust fund revenue in 1996–2007 (GAO). Responsible parties have committed about $52.5 billion since 1980 (EPA).","statusLine":"As of the EPA fiscal 2025 results and IRS Announcement 2026-2: the chemical tax runs to 31 December 2031 and the petroleum tax has no end date; fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against a $2.5 billion estimate.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"us-epa","says":"Recorded fiscal 2024 responsible-party commitments of more than $1.1 billion plus $28.5 million in reimbursement, a cumulative $52.5 billion since 1980, and compensation of orphan shares up to 25% of remedy costs.","when":"FY2024–FY2025","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"Administers Superfund; reports responsible-party commitments"},{"id":"us-congress","role":"Reinstated the taxes; cut the fiscal 2024 appropriation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much would the reinstated taxes raise?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Congressional Budget Office","says":"Estimated about $15 billion from the chemical tax and more than $10.5 billion from the petroleum tax over about ten years.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"E&E News, citing EPA budget documents","says":"Fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against a $2.5 billion estimate.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tax_share_of_trust_fund_revenue","value":68,"unit":"%","year":1995,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of trust fund revenue from taxes, 1981–95 (GAO-08-841R)."},{"key":"tax_share_of_trust_fund_revenue","value":6,"unit":"%","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share from taxes, 1996–2007 (GAO-08-841R)."},{"key":"general_fund_share_of_trust_fund_revenue","value":59,"unit":"%","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share from the general fund, 1996–2007 (GAO-08-841R)."},{"key":"taxes_paid","value":13500,"unit":"USD m","year":1998,"note":"Taxes paid 1981–98 (GAO RCED-00-25)."},{"key":"receipts","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fiscal 2024 chemical and petroleum tax receipts against a $2.5 billion estimate (E&E News, citing EPA)."},{"key":"appropriation_cut","value":744.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Cut to the fiscal 2024 appropriation; tax receipts used to offset it."},{"key":"responsible_party_commitments","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Fiscal 2024 commitments; plus $28.5 million in reimbursement of EPA's past costs."},{"key":"responsible_party_commitments","value":52500,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cumulative since 1980 (EPA fiscal 2025 results)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Superfund programme's dedicated chemical and petroleum taxes lapsed at the end of 1995 and were reinstated in 2022–2023; fiscal 2024 receipts were below the estimate.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"US general-fund taxpayers","what":"The general fund supplied about 59% of trust fund revenue in 1996–2007, when taxes supplied about 6%.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"1980 to 2025; taxes lapsed end of 1995; reinstated 2022–2023; chemical tax runs to 31 December 2031.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the taxes lapsed in 1995.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The infrastructure law reinstated the chemical tax at doubled rates with a $3.5 billion general-fund transfer; the Inflation Reduction Act set the petroleum tax. Congress then cut the fiscal 2024 appropriation by $744.5 million and used tax receipts to offset it.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Taxes supplied about 68% of trust fund revenue in 1981–95 and about 6% in 1996–2007, when the general fund supplied about 59%.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Congressional Research Service report R48630 on Superfund taxes and funding","p":"Congressional Research Service","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R48630.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420222720/https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R48630.html"},{"t":"GAO-08-841R on Superfund trust fund revenue","p":"US Government Accountability Office","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-841R","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251018090344/https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-08-841r"},{"t":"Superfund tax shortfall: trouble for cleanups and the EPA budget","p":"E&E News","d":"2024-04-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/superfund-tax-shortfall-trouble-for-cleanups-epa-budget/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609002709/https://www.eenews.net/articles/superfund-tax-shortfall-trouble-for-cleanups-epa-budget/"},{"t":"Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Annual Results FY 2025: Superfund Cleanup","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/enforcement-and-compliance-assurance-annual-results-fy-2025-superfund-cleanup","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261007081311/https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/enforcement-and-compliance-assurance-annual-results-fy-2025-superfund-cleanup"},{"t":"Section 4611 Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund Financing Rate Expiration (Announcement 2026-2)","p":"Internal Revenue Service","d":"2026-01","u":"https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/a-26-02.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"polluter-pays-tax","related":["argentina-forest-law-funding-shortfall","cali-fund-digital-sequence-information"],"natureLead":{"t":"Taxes supplied about 68% of the fund that cleans my contaminated sites in 1981–95 and about 6% in 1996–2007, GAO reported; fiscal 2024 receipts were about $1.2 billion against a $2.5 billion estimate.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much would the reinstated taxes raise?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"the cited primary sources give no percentage split of cleanup costs between responsible parties and the fund.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No current count of orphan sites and no Treasury balance for the Superfund trust fund were found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a reports of a 2015 EPA archive page said responsible parties perform about 69% of ongoing cleanups.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2022 reports of an accounting-firm note (Withum / Deloitte) put the expected yield of the reinstated chemical tax at about $14.4 billion over ten years, to 2031.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coca-cola-world-without-waste-targets-reset","title":"Coca-Cola World Without Waste targets reset","dek":"In 2018 The Coca-Cola Company set packaging goals under its World Without Waste programme. In December 2024 it removed its 25% reusable-packaging target and its virgin-plastic reduction goal and lowered its recycled-content and collection targets, moving them to 2035.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":33.75,"lon":-84.39,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Los Angeles County, California","lat":34.05,"lon":-118.24,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Recycled-content target: 2018 goal against December 2024 reset","value":"50% by 2030 → 35–40% by 2035","note":"Company targets as reported by Packaging Dive and Waste Dive."},"happened":["On 19 January 2018 The Coca-Cola Company announced packaging goals under its World Without Waste programme: to collect a bottle or can for each one it sold by 2030, to make 100% of its packaging recyclable by 2025, and to use 50% recycled content in its packaging by 2030. It later added a target of 25% reusable packaging by 2030.","In December 2024 the company reset the goals. According to Waste Dive, it set 35–40% recycled content in packaging by 2035 (30–35% for plastic) and a collection target of 70–75%, dropped its virgin-plastic reduction goal, and dropped its reuse target without a replacement figure, saying it intended to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists. Packaging Dive and Mongabay reported the same changes: the 25% reuse target removed, the recycled-content target lowered from 50% to 35–40% and delayed to 2035, and the 2030 collection goal (100% equivalent) lowered to 70–75% in 2035. Packaging Insights reported that the company said it needed more time.","Independent counts place the company's products at the top of branded plastic litter. A 2024 study in Science Advances (Cowger and colleagues) analysed 1,576 audit events in 84 countries in 2018–2022 and attributed 11% of branded plastic waste to Coca-Cola, 5% to PepsiCo, 3% each to Nestlé and Danone and 2% to Altria; 56 companies accounted for more than half of branded waste, and half of the items were unbranded. Break Free From Plastic's 2023 brand audit, published in February 2024, named The Coca-Cola Company first among the top global plastic polluters.","Coca-Cola has been a global partner of The Ocean Cleanup since 2021, which reported collecting 25 million kg of waste in 2025 (45 million kg cumulative). In October 2024 Los Angeles County sued PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, alleging that they misled consumers about recyclability and caused public harm; no outcome is recorded."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"19 Jan: World Without Waste goals announced (collect a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030; 100% recyclable by 2025; 50% recycled content by 2030)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Coca-Cola becomes a global partner of The Ocean Cleanup"},{"y":2022,"t":"Coca-Cola and Unilever say plastic credits are not a solution (as quoted in a 2024 Fauna & Flora publication)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Feb: Break Free From Plastic audit names Coca-Cola first; Apr: Science Advances audit study (11%); Oct: Los Angeles County sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola; Nov: Ellen MacArthur Foundation report on its signatories; Dec: Coca-Cola resets its goals"},{"y":2025,"t":"The Ocean Cleanup collects 25 million kg (45 million kg cumulative); AFP and SourceMaterial investigate plastic credits"},{"y":2026,"t":"BEUC reports a French court ruling on Volvic claims and a Coca-Cola label change in the EU"}],"said":[{"q":"a bottle or can for each one","who":"The Coca-Cola Company, World Without Waste announcement (collection goal for 2030)","when":"19 January 2018","src":12},{"q":"intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists","who":"The Coca-Cola Company, as quoted by Waste Dive on dropping the reuse target","when":"December 2024","src":0},{"q":"The top global plastic polluters of 2023 are The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelēz International.","who":"Break Free From Plastic, 2023 global brand audit","when":"7 February 2024","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"Collect a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030; 100% recyclable packaging by 2025; 50% recycled content by 2030; later 25% reusable packaging by 2030.","who":"The Coca-Cola Company, World Without Waste goals","src":null},{"t":"95% of packaging designed to be recyclable (designed to be recyclable is not the same as actually recycled).","who":"The Coca-Cola Company","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"December 2024: 25% reuse target removed; recycled content 35–40% by 2035 against 50% by 2030; collection 70–75% by 2035 against 100% equivalent by 2030; virgin-plastic reduction goal dropped.","src":0},{"t":"Packaging Dive reported the 25% reuse target removed and the recycled-content target lowered from 50% to 35–40% and delayed to 2035.","src":1},{"t":"Audit study of 1,576 events in 84 countries (2018–2022): Coca-Cola 11% of branded plastic waste, PepsiCo 5%, Nestlé 3%, Danone 3%, Altria 2%; 56 companies account for more than half of branded waste; each 1% of production share corresponds to about 1% of pollution share.","src":4},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup collected 25 million kg in 2025 and 45 million kg cumulatively; Coca-Cola has been its global partner since 2021.","src":7},{"t":"BEUC reported that after a Paris court found Volvic's '100% recyclable', '100% recycled' and 'carbon neutral' claims misleading, Coca-Cola changed its label in the EU and Nestlé dropped the claims in March 2026.","src":8},{"t":"AFP and SourceMaterial (2025) reported that about two-thirds of plastic credited by four registries was burned or planned to be burned (about 84,000 tonnes of plastic, 237,000 tonnes of CO2); buyers included arms of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in 2024.","src":10},{"t":"The Ellen MacArthur Foundation's November 2024 report on signatories to its plastics commitment said they were unlikely to meet 2025 targets: recycled content 14% against a 26% target; virgin plastic use down 3% against an 18% target.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of branded plastic pollution","v":"11%","d":"Coca-Cola's share of branded items in 1,576 audit events in 84 countries, 2018–2022 (Science Advances, 2024)"},{"k":"Recycled-content target","v":"50% by 2030 → 35–40% by 2035","d":"Company targets, 2018 and December 2024"},{"k":"Reuse target","v":"25% by 2030 → removed","d":"No replacement figure (Waste Dive)"},{"k":"Collection target","v":"100% equivalent by 2030 → 70–75% by 2035","d":"Mongabay; Waste Dive"}]},"unknown":["The December 2024 reset set no replacement figure for reuse (Waste Dive).","Unconfirmed: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper's 'Every Bottle Back' initiative was said to have committed $100 million and to aim to direct a total of $400 million to The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners.","Unconfirmed: Coca-Cola sits on the board of the Circular Action Alliance, the sole producer responsibility organisation for California's SB 54, whose first five-year budget is $9.3–17.2 billion.","Unconfirmed: the Closed Loop Fund was set up in 2014 after a Walmart meeting, with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, Keurig and Walmart each contributing 5–10 million dollars."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record concerns corporate targets. The December 2024 targets are the most recent recorded.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (January to June 2026): the December 2024 targets are the most recent recorded; no outcome is recorded in the Los Angeles County lawsuit filed in 2024.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"coca-cola","says":"Said it intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists (reuse target dropped, December 2024).","when":"December 2024","src":0},{"actor":"coca-cola","says":"Said it needed more time to reach its packaging goals (as summarised by Packaging Insights).","when":"December 2024","src":3},{"actor":"coca-cola","says":"Said in 2022, with Unilever, that plastic credits are not a solution (as quoted in a 2024 Fauna & Flora publication).","when":"2022","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Set and reset the World Without Waste targets"},{"id":"pepsico","role":"Co-defendant in the Los Angeles County suit; second in the brand audit"},{"id":"los-angeles-county","role":"Claimant in the 2024 suit"},{"id":"the-ocean-cleanup","role":"Cleanup partner since 2021"},{"id":"break-free-from-plastic","role":"Brand auditor and critic"},{"id":"ellen-macarthur-foundation","role":"Reported on signatories' 2025 plastics targets"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Were the 2018 goals rescheduled or withdrawn?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The Coca-Cola Company","says":"Needed more time (Packaging Insights); intends to keep investing in refillable packaging where infrastructure exists (Waste Dive).","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Reported the company 'cuts back on reusable plastic pledge' (headline), with the 25% reuse target removed and collection lowered to 70–75% by 2035.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ellen MacArthur Foundation","says":"Its November 2024 report on its signatories said they were unlikely to meet 2025 targets (recycled content 14% against 26%; virgin plastic down 3% against 18%).","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Does the Ocean Cleanup partnership address plastic pollution?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"The Ocean Cleanup","says":"Collected 25 million kg of waste in 2025 and 45 million kg cumulatively; Coca-Cola has been a global partner since 2021.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Break Free From Plastic","says":"Described the Coca-Cola deal as an 'end-of-pipe intervention'.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Los Angeles County v. PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company (recyclability claims and public harm)","forum":"Court name: none on record (Los Angeles County, California)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Los Angeles County","defendant":"PepsiCo; The Coca-Cola Company","filed":"2024-10","decided":"","status":"unknown","summary":"The county sued the two companies for misleading consumers about recyclability and on grounds of public harm, as reported on 1 November 2024. No outcome is recorded.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"branded_waste_share","value":11,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Coca-Cola's share of branded plastic waste in audits 2018–2022 (Science Advances, 2024)."},{"key":"branded_waste_share_pepsico","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"PepsiCo's share, same audits."},{"key":"audit_events","value":1576,"unit":"events","year":2022,"note":"Audit events in 84 countries, 2018–2022."},{"key":"target_recycled_content","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2030,"note":"2018 target."},{"key":"target_recycled_content","value":"35–40","unit":"%","year":2035,"note":"December 2024 target (30–35% for plastic)."},{"key":"target_reusable_packaging","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2030,"note":"Target removed in December 2024."},{"key":"target_collection","value":"70–75","unit":"%","year":2035,"note":"December 2024 target; the 2018 goal was a 100% equivalent by 2030."},{"key":"ocean_cleanup_waste_collected","value":25000000,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"note":"Collected by The Ocean Cleanup in 2025; 45 million kg cumulative."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coca-Cola removed its 25% reusable-packaging target and its virgin-plastic reduction goal and lowered its recycled-content and collection targets in December 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Environment (plastic pollution)","what":"Coca-Cola accounted for 11% of branded plastic waste items in audits in 84 countries, 2018–2022.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Global; Los Angeles County, California, for the lawsuit.","src":9},"when":{"t":"Goals set 19 January 2018; reset December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Packaging Insights reported the company said it needed more time.","src":3},"how":{"t":"The company published new 2035 targets and dropped the reuse and virgin-plastic reduction goals.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734615/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609154140/https://www.wastedive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734615/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Packaging Dive","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422182133/https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola cuts back on reusable plastic pledge","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012110007/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola calls back packaging reuse target as NGOs demand leadership initiative","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2024-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://packaginginsights.com/news/coca-cola-calls-back-packaging-reuse-target-ngos-demand-leadership-initiative.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211182336/https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/coca-cola-calls-back-packaging-reuse-target-ngos-demand-leadership-initiative.html"},{"t":"Global study finds more than half of branded plastic pollution linked to 56 companies (Cowger et al., Science Advances, 2024)","p":"CSIRO","d":"2024-04","type":"academic","u":"https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2024/April/Global-study-finds-more-than-half-of-branded-plastic-pollution-linked-to-56-companies","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511181232/https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2024/April/Global-study-finds-more-than-half-of-branded-plastic-pollution-linked-to-56-companies"},{"t":"Coca-Cola is largest known contributor of branded plastic waste","p":"Axios","d":"2024-04-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.axios.com/2024/04/24/coke-pepsi-plastic-waste-study","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925143454/https://www.axios.com/2024/04/24/coke-pepsi-plastic-waste-study"},{"t":"BFFP movement unveils 2023 global brand audit results","p":"Break Free From Plastic","d":"2024-02-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260624123238/https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/"},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup: 2025 in review","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2026-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826085237/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/"},{"t":"Major step against plastic bottle greenwashing as French court condemns Volvic","p":"BEUC","d":"2026-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.beuc.eu/news/major-step-against-plastic-bottle-greenwashing-french-court-condemns-volvic"},{"t":"Los Angeles County sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola over plastic pollution","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/11/01/799395.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141608/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/11/01/799395.htm"},{"t":"Cocktail of contaminants: burning plastic and emitting toxic gases central to 'plastic offsetting'","p":"SourceMaterial with Agence France-Presse","d":"2025-02-12","u":"https://source-material.org/?p=4336","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Ellen MacArthur Foundation progress report: signatories likely to miss 2025 plastics targets","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2024-11-20","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/ellen-macarthur-foundation-progress-report-miss-2025-targets/733496/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613001301/https://www.wastedive.com/news/ellen-macarthur-foundation-progress-report-miss-2025-targets/733496/"},{"t":"The Coca-Cola Company announces new global vision to help create a World Without Waste (19 January 2018)","p":"The Coca-Cola Company (reprinted by BCSD Hungary)","d":"2018-01-19","u":"https://bcsdh.hu/en/?p=8393","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"corporate-target","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of the branded plastic waste found on me in 1,576 audit events in 84 countries in 2018–2022, 11% was Coca-Cola's, a 2024 Science Advances study reported.","src":[4,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Were the 2018 goals rescheduled or withdrawn?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the Ocean Cleanup partnership address plastic pollution?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Los Angeles County v. PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company (recyclability claims and public harm): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The December 2024 reset set no replacement figure for reuse (Waste Dive).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Keurig Dr Pepper's 'Every Bottle Back' initiative was said to have committed $100 million and to aim to direct a total of $400 million to The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Coca-Cola sits on the board of the Circular Action Alliance, the sole producer responsibility organisation for California's SB 54, whose first five-year budget is $9.3–17.2 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Closed Loop Fund was set up in 2014 after a Walmart meeting, with Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Colgate, Johnson & Johnson, Keurig and Walmart each contributing 5–10 million dollars.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kiribati-pipa-opened-to-fishing","title":"Kiribati PIPA opened to fishing","dek":"The Phoenix Islands Protected Area, 408,250 square kilometres of ocean, was closed to commercial fishing in 2015. In November 2021 the Government of Kiribati announced it would end the closure, and the area opened formally in 2023.","country":"Kiribati","region":"Oceania","lat":-3.7,"lon":-172,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kiribati","iso2":"KI","role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2021-11","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the protected area that remained no-take","value":"3.12%","note":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook, assessment dated 11 October 2025; the area had been closed to commercial fishing from 1 January 2015."},"happened":["The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) covers 408,250 square kilometres, about 11% of Kiribati's exclusive economic zone. It was closed to commercial fishing, including tuna fishing, on 1 January 2015. According to the encyclopedia entry cited, the closure rested on an assurance that a foundation set up with Conservation International and the New England Aquarium, using a 'reverse fishing licence', would compensate for the lost revenue.","Kiribati's economy depends on fishing: the International Monetary Fund's 2026 Article IV consultation put fisheries at about 40% of GDP.","In November 2021 the Government of Kiribati announced that the closure would be lifted. Maritime Executive reported the move under the headline 'Kiribati terminates giant marine protected area to boost tuna fishing'. The area was formally opened to commercial fishing in 2023.","The IUCN World Heritage Outlook, in an assessment dated 11 October 2025, reported that the no-take share of the area had fallen to 3.12%. The government's own figures for lost revenue and for the amount the compensation foundation raised were reported by regional outlets (PINA, SeafoodSource) and are not independently verified."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"1 Jan: PIPA closed to commercial fishing, including tuna"},{"y":2021,"t":"Nov: Government of Kiribati announces the closure will be lifted"},{"y":2023,"t":"Area formally opened to commercial fishing"},{"y":2025,"t":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook (11 Oct) records the no-take share at 3.12%"},{"y":2026,"t":"IMF Article IV puts fisheries at about 40% of Kiribati's GDP (14 May)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"One of the world's largest marine protected areas, a World Heritage property.","who":"World Heritage listing and press descriptions","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The area, 408,250 km² and about 11% of Kiribati's exclusive economic zone, was closed to commercial fishing on 1 January 2015.","src":0},{"t":"The reopening was announced in November 2021 and the area was formally opened in 2023.","src":1},{"t":"The no-take share of the area had fallen to 3.12% (IUCN World Heritage Outlook, 11 October 2025).","src":1},{"t":"Fisheries were about 40% of Kiribati's GDP (IMF, 14 May 2026).","src":3},{"t":"At least 14 fisheries observers in the region had died or gone missing since 2015, according to SBS/PINA reporting of 13 July 2026.","src":7},{"t":"The regional tuna fishery's sustainability certification was widened in 2024 to cover fishing with fish aggregating devices and bigeye tuna, and the purse-seine catch was a record in 2024, according to the cited sources.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2015–2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area closed to commercial fishing in 2015","v":"408,250 km²","d":"About 11% of Kiribati's exclusive economic zone"},{"k":"No-take share of the area","v":"3.12%","d":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook, October 2025"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None in record","d":"No stock or habitat assessment of the area is recorded"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the government estimated revenue lost from purse-seine licences in 2015–2021 at US$60–140 million, or up to about US$146 million including longline, and said the compensation foundation raised about US$7 million, with interest covering only running costs.","Unconfirmed: demand for fishing in Kiribati waters fell 8% after the closure, and fishing licences were more than 70% of state revenue in 2018–2022.","Unconfirmed: regional fisheries sources found some of the government's figures inflated.","Unconfirmed: the compensation foundation was dissolved."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable as a single harm: the 2015 closure was lifted from the November 2021 announcement, with formal opening in 2023.","whoPaid":"Not established: the Kiribati government's estimates of lost revenue are its own figures, not independently verified, and are listed under Unknown.","statusLine":"As of the IUCN assessment of 11 October 2025 and the IMF consultation of May 2026: the area is open to commercial fishing and the no-take share is 3.12%.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"kiribati-government","says":"A Kiribati minister wrote that fishing revenue financed transfers to households, including to older people, the unemployed and copra producers, and that a revenue-equalisation reserve fund stood at A$1.74 billion (advocate source).","when":"2026-09-23","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"kiribati-government","role":"Closed and then reopened the area"},{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Co-founder of the compensation foundation"},{"id":"new-england-aquarium","role":"Co-founder of the compensation foundation"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Assessed the property (World Heritage Outlook)"},{"id":"imf","role":"Reported fisheries share of GDP"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the promised compensation arrive, and how large was the loss?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kiribati (as reported by PINA and SeafoodSource; own figures, not independently verified)","says":"Said the compensation foundation raised about US$7 million and that purse-seine licence revenue lost in 2015–2021 was US$60–140 million.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Regional fisheries sources (not named in the reports)","says":"Reportedly found some of the government's figures inflated.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Should the area stay closed to commercial fishing?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kiribati","says":"Announced in November 2021 that the closure would be lifted; a minister later described fishing revenue as financing household transfers and a A$1.74 billion reserve fund.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook","says":"Recorded the no-take share of the area at 3.12% in October 2025.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":408250,"unit":"km²","year":2015,"note":"Area closed to commercial fishing on 1 January 2015 (encyclopedia entry)."},{"key":"eez_share","value":11,"unit":"%","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of Kiribati's exclusive economic zone."},{"key":"no_take_share","value":3.12,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook, 11 October 2025."},{"key":"fisheries_gdp_share","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"IMF 2026 Article IV consultation."},{"key":"reserve_fund","value":1740,"unit":"AUD m","year":2026,"note":"Revenue-equalisation reserve fund per a Kiribati minister (advocate source)."},{"key":"licence_revenue_loss","value":"60–140","unit":"USD m","year":2021,"unverified":true,"note":"Government estimate for purse-seine licences, 2015–2021 total; up to about US$146 million with longline. Reported in secondary reports; not independently verified."},{"key":"foundation_raised","value":7,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Amount raised by the compensation foundation, as reported by regional outlets; government figure, not independently verified."},{"key":"observers_dead_or_missing","value":14,"unit":"people","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Fisheries observers in the region since 2015 (SBS/PINA, 13 July 2026)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A marine protected area closed to commercial fishing in 2015 was reopened to commercial fishing, formally in 2023, after the government announced the change in November 2021.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Coastal fishers in South Tarawa","what":"Reported falling catch rates and competition from purse seiners (Ansell, DevNet, July 2025).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Phoenix Islands, Kiribati, about 11% of the country's exclusive economic zone.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Closed 1 January 2015; reopening announced November 2021; formally opened 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Maritime Executive reported the closure was ended 'to boost tuna fishing'; the government's own stated reasons are listed under Unknown.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The 2015 closure relied on a compensation foundation set up with Conservation International and the New England Aquarium; the government announced the reopening in November 2021.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"State of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, WHC-15/39.COM/7B (item 14: Phoenix Islands Protected Area, Kiribati)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","d":"2015-05-15","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2015/whc15-39com-7B-en.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook: Phoenix Islands Protected Area","p":"IUCN","d":"2025-10-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/node/1160","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210927124707/https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/node/1160"},{"t":"Kiribati terminates giant marine protected area to boost tuna fishing","p":"Maritime Executive","d":"2021-11","type":"press","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/kiribati-terminates-giant-marine-protected-area-to-boost-tuna-fishing","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418105714/https://maritime-executive.com/article/kiribati-terminates-giant-marine-protected-area-to-boost-tuna-fishing"},{"t":"Kiribati: IMF Executive Board concludes 2026 Article IV consultation","p":"International Monetary Fund","d":"2026-05-14","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/05/14/pr26153-kiribati-imf-executive-board-concludes-2026-article-iv-consultation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518182417/https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2026/05/14/pr26153-kiribati-imf-executive-board-concludes-2026-article-iv-consultation"},{"t":"Navigating the tides (by a Kiribati minister; advocate source)","p":"Devpolicy Blog","d":"2026-09-23","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://devpolicy.org/?p=99973"},{"t":"Government of Kiribati lifts closure of Phoenix Islands Protected Area","p":"PINA","d":"2021-11-15","type":"press","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2021/11/15/government-of-kiribati-lifts-closure-of-phoenix-islands-protected-area/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312045434/https://pina.com.fj/2021/11/15/government-of-kiribati-lifts-closure-of-phoenix-islands-protected-area/"},{"t":"Kiribati government says MPA implementation cost country millions in revenue","p":"SeafoodSource","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/kiribati-government-says-mpa-implementation-cost-country-millions-in-revenue","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922162326/https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/kiribati-government-says-mpa-implementation-cost-country-millions-in-revenue"},{"t":"Tuna wars: one of the world's most dangerous jobs (SBS investigation, republished by PINA)","p":"Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) / SBS News","d":"2026-07-13","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2026/07/13/tuna-wars-one-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-jobs/","type":"press"},{"t":"MSC re-certifies PNA tuna purse seine fishery (adjudicator rejects objection; FADs and bigeye in scope)","p":"Fiskerforum","d":"2024-10-17","u":"https://fiskerforum.com/msc-re-certifies-pna-tuna-purse-seine-fishery/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723145712/https://fiskerforum.com/msc-re-certifies-pna-tuna-purse-seine-fishery/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"408,250 square kilometres of my ocean were closed to commercial fishing on 1 January 2015; by October 2025 IUCN reported the no-take share at 3.12%.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the area stay closed to commercial fishing?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the promised compensation arrive, and how large was the loss?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Licence revenue loss: Government estimate for purse-seine licences, 2015–2021 total; up to about US$146 million with longline. Reported in secondary reports; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Foundation raised: Amount raised by the compensation foundation, as reported by regional outlets; government figure, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the government estimated revenue lost from purse-seine licences in 2015–2021 at US$60–140 million, or up to about US$146 million including longline, and said the compensation foundation raised about US$7 million, with interest covering only running costs.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: demand for fishing in Kiribati waters fell 8% after the closure, and fishing licences were more than 70% of state revenue in 2018–2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: regional fisheries sources found some of the government's figures inflated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the compensation foundation was dissolved.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Coastal fishers in South Tarawa"]},{"id":"frontier-buyers-club-microsoft-and-puro-earth-exomad-green-b","title":"Frontier buyers' club, Microsoft and the Puro.earth / Exomad Green biochar deal","dek":"A buyers' club of technology and consulting firms negotiates prices for carbon removal credits, reviews suppliers and accepts deliveries, while Microsoft bought about 91% of long-term removal tonnes in the first half of 2025. Microsoft's agreement for 1.24 million tonnes of biochar from Bolivia is certified by a registry majority-owned by Nasdaq; no independent investigation of that supply chain was found.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":-17,"lon":-64,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","lat":-17,"lon":-64,"role":"event"},{"country":"Finland","iso2":"FI","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Nova Scotia","role":"company-home"}],"start":2020,"end":2030,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Microsoft's share of long-term carbon removal purchases, first half of 2025","value":"about 91%","note":"56.3 of 61.5 million tonnes; Microsoft does not disclose its price."},"happened":["Carbon removal is the claim that carbon dioxide has been drawn from the air and stored for a long period; direct air capture, biochar and rock weathering are examples. A credit stands for one tonne. An offtake is a purchase contract made in advance for tonnes to be delivered later. This case follows three parts of that market: a buyers' club (Frontier), the largest single buyer (Microsoft) and the registries that certify the credits (Puro.earth and Isometric).","Frontier is a public-benefit limited company. According to its participation page, Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta and McKinsey Sustainability are founding members. Members commit at least $10 million and pay an annual fee of 0.5–2%. The page states that Frontier negotiates the price, that every member pays the same price, and that supplier review and acceptance of deliveries are carried out by Frontier. Its first offtake, announced on 18 May 2023, was with Charm Industrial: $53 million for 112,000 tonnes, for delivery from 2024 to 2030. Buyers named in that announcement were Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, McKinsey Sustainability, Autodesk, H&M and Workday. Frontier prices in 2025 ranged from $316 to $651 per tonne. Frontier also agreed to buy 115,211 credits from Planetary Technologies, a Nova Scotia ocean alkalinity company, for $31.3 million, with deliveries in 2026–2030.","In the first half of 2025 Microsoft accounted for 56.3 million of 61.5 million tonnes of long-term removal purchases, about 91%; 74.2% of its purchases were nature-based projects. Its share of permanent removal purchases since 2020 is about 79.5%, according to CDR.fyi data cited in secondary reports. Microsoft does not disclose its prices. In 2025 Microsoft agreed to buy 1.24 million tonnes over ten years from Exomad Green, a Bolivian biochar producer whose product is certified by Puro.earth; the feedstock is sawmill residue. No independent investigation of this supply chain is on record.","Nasdaq bought a majority stake in Puro.earth in 2021 and led a further funding round in September 2025. Puro.earth charges the supplier, per credit, when the credit is first sold; since October 2024 the fee runs through 37 tiers from €10 to €0.40 per credit, with a fixed €12,000 for up to 1,000 credits. Isometric, a newer registry, wrote in December 2023 that it charges only the buyer, a fixed fee independent of the number of credits; no independent assessment of that statement was found. Its first credits went to Frontier buyers."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Start of the period in which Microsoft accounts for about 79.5% of permanent carbon removal purchases (CDR.fyi data)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Nasdaq acquires a majority stake in Puro.earth"},{"y":2023,"t":"Frontier announces its first offtake, with Charm Industrial: $53m for 112,000 t (18 May); Isometric publishes its fee-model statement (8 Dec)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Puro.earth per-credit fee schedule in force from October"},{"y":2025,"t":"Microsoft about 91% of long-term removal purchases in H1; Microsoft–Exomad Green agreement for 1.24m t over ten years; Nasdaq leads a Puro.earth funding round in September"},{"y":2026,"t":"Frontier's offtake with Planetary Technologies begins its 2026–2030 delivery period"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Carbon removal buyers' clubs and registries are presented as offering independent scientific review and rigorous measurement, reporting and verification.","who":"Market positioning of the carbon removal sector (general characterisation; no single speaker named)","src":null},{"t":"A registry that charges only the buyer, a fixed fee not tied to the number of credits, to align incentives.","who":"Isometric, 8 December 2023","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Frontier's participation terms place price negotiation, supplier review and acceptance of deliveries with Frontier, whose members are the buyers.","src":0},{"t":"Puro.earth charges suppliers per credit on first sale (from €10 down to €0.40 across 37 tiers), so its fee revenue depends on the number of credits sold.","src":3},{"t":"Nasdaq owns a majority of Puro.earth.","src":2},{"t":"Microsoft agreed to buy 1.24 million tonnes of biochar credits over ten years from Exomad Green, a Puro-certified Bolivian producer using sawmill residue as feedstock.","src":4},{"t":"Microsoft was the buyer of 56.3 of 61.5 million tonnes of long-term removal purchases in H1 2025 and does not disclose its price.","src":7},{"t":"Isometric says it selects and pays the auditor itself and takes its fee from the buyer rather than the developer.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Microsoft share of long-term removal purchases, H1 2025","v":"about 91%","d":"56.3 of 61.5 million tonnes; price undisclosed"},{"k":"Independent investigation of the Exomad Green supply chain","v":"None found","d":"Microsoft agreement for 1.24m t over ten years"},{"k":"Independent assessment of Isometric's fee model","v":"None found","d":"The fee model is the company's own statement"}]},"unknown":["Microsoft's purchase prices are not disclosed.","No independent investigation of the Exomad Green supply chain, including its feedstock, was found.","No independent assessment of Isometric's statement that its fee does not depend on the number of credits was found.","Unconfirmed: Lowercarbon Capital appears to have invested in Frontier suppliers Charm Industrial and Heirloom; the information comes only from investment-aggregator sites.","Unconfirmed: Isometric's investors (Lowercarbon Capital and Plural in a $25 million seed round; ICE in a $50 million Series A) and the figures for those rounds.","Whether Isometric's model will scale is not established.","Marine carbon removal figures, a Carbon Pulse headline that over 90% of marine removal credits had not yet been delivered, were seen as a headline only; the article body was not accessed."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No harm to nature is recorded in this case; the record concerns how removal credits are bought, priced and certified.","whoPaid":"Fees fall on different parties: Frontier members pay an annual fee of 0.5–2%; Puro.earth charges suppliers per credit on first sale; Isometric states it charges only the buyer a fixed fee. Microsoft's own purchase prices are not disclosed.","statusLine":"As of mid-2026: Frontier's participation terms were published and its offtakes were scheduled for delivery in 2026–2030; no independent investigation of the Exomad Green supply chain was found.","updated":"2026-06-24","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"frontier","role":"Buyers' club for carbon removal credits"},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Largest buyer of long-term carbon removal"},{"id":"puro-earth","role":"Registry certifying the Exomad Green biochar credits"},{"id":"nasdaq","role":"Majority owner of Puro.earth"},{"id":"exomad-green","role":"Bolivian biochar producer; supplier to Microsoft"},{"id":"isometric","role":"Carbon removal registry"},{"id":"planetary-technologies","role":"Ocean alkalinity supplier; Frontier offtake"},{"id":"charm-industrial","role":"Supplier in Frontier's first offtake"},{"id":"mckinsey","role":"Founding member of Frontier (McKinsey Sustainability)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"offtake_contract_value","value":53,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Frontier offtake with Charm Industrial, announced 18 May 2023."},{"key":"offtake_tonnes","value":112000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Charm Industrial offtake, delivery 2024–2030."},{"key":"offtake_contract_value","value":31.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Frontier offtake with Planetary Technologies, delivery 2026–2030."},{"key":"offtake_credits","value":115211,"unit":"credits","year":2026,"note":"Frontier offtake with Planetary Technologies."},{"key":"price_per_tonne","value":271,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate: $31.3 million divided by 115,211 credits."},{"key":"frontier_price_low","value":316,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"Low end of Frontier prices in 2025."},{"key":"frontier_price_high","value":651,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"High end of Frontier prices in 2025."},{"key":"frontier_minimum_commitment","value":10,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Minimum membership commitment; annual fee 0.5–2%."},{"key":"microsoft_removal_tonnes","value":56300000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Microsoft long-term removal purchases, H1 2025, of 61.5 million tonnes in total (about 91%)."},{"key":"microsoft_share_h1_2025","value":91,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of long-term removal purchases; 74.2% of Microsoft's purchases were nature-based projects."},{"key":"microsoft_share_permanent_removal","value":79.5,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of permanent removal purchases since 2020, CDR.fyi data."},{"key":"offtake_tonnes","value":1240000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Microsoft–Exomad Green biochar agreement, ten years."},{"key":"registry_fee_high","value":10,"unit":"EUR per credit","year":2024,"note":"Puro.earth top tier, charged to the supplier on first sale; 37 tiers down to €0.40."},{"key":"registry_fee_low","value":0.4,"unit":"EUR per credit","year":2024,"note":"Puro.earth lowest tier; fixed €12,000 for up to 1,000 credits."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":625.6,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Planetary Technologies credits issued through Isometric to Stripe, Shopify and British Airways."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Buyers' clubs, a dominant buyer and registries shape how carbon removal credits are priced, certified and delivered; the case records the structure of fees and purchases and the absence of independent review of the Bolivian biochar supply chain.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Puro.earth (majority-owned by Nasdaq)","what":"Receives a per-credit fee from suppliers on first sale of each credit.","src":3},{"who":"Exomad Green","what":"Holds a ten-year agreement with Microsoft for 1.24 million tonnes.","src":4},{"who":"Charm Industrial and Planetary Technologies","what":"Received Frontier offtakes of $53 million (112,000 t) and $31.3 million (115,211 credits) respectively.","src":1},{"who":"Frontier","what":"Members pay an annual fee of 0.5–2% on commitments of at least $10 million.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global market; Bolivia (Exomad Green biochar), Finland (Puro.earth), Nova Scotia, Canada (Planetary Technologies).","src":null},"when":{"t":"2020 to 2030: Microsoft's purchases from 2020; Nasdaq's acquisition of Puro.earth in 2021; Frontier's first offtake in May 2023; the Microsoft–Exomad agreement in 2025; deliveries scheduled to 2030.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Buyers commit in advance to tonnes of carbon removal to be delivered later through offtake contracts, and rely on registries to certify the credits.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Frontier negotiates one price for all members and carries out supplier review and delivery acceptance; Puro.earth charges suppliers per credit; Isometric states it charges only the buyer a fixed fee.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Frontier, \"How to participate\"","p":"Frontier","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://frontierclimate.com/participate","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925173846/https://frontierclimate.com/participate"},{"t":"Frontier first offtake announcement (Charm Industrial)","p":"Frontier","d":"2023-05-18","type":"company","u":"https://frontierclimate.com/writing/first-offtake","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001143758/https://frontierclimate.com/writing/first-offtake"},{"t":"Nasdaq acquires emerging carbon removal market Puro.earth (via Mondo Visione)","p":"Nasdaq (via Mondo Visione)","d":"2021","type":"company","u":"https://mondovisione.com/news/nasdaq-acquires-emerging-carbon-removal-market-puroearth-expansion-of-esg-str-202161/"},{"t":"Puro.earth fees","p":"Puro.earth","d":"2024-10","type":"company","u":"https://puro.earth/fees","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260317084202/https://puro.earth/fees"},{"t":"Microsoft to purchase 1.24m tons of carbon removal credits from biochar firm Exomad Green","p":"DatacenterDynamics","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-to-purchase-124m-tons-of-carbon-removal-credits-from-biochar-firm-exomad-green/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251004123839/https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-to-purchase-124m-tons-of-carbon-removal-credits-from-biochar-firm-exomad-green/"},{"t":"Isometric, \"Aligning incentives\"","p":"Isometric","d":"2023-12-08","type":"company","u":"https://isometric.com/writing/aligning-incentives","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240314035518/https://isometric.com/writing/aligning-incentives"},{"t":"Planetary issues the first-ever OAE carbon credits verified by Isometric","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://carbonherald.com/planetary-issues-the-first-ever-oae-carbon-credits-verified-by-isometric/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117144711/https://carbonherald.com/planetary-issues-the-first-ever-oae-carbon-credits-verified-by-isometric/"},{"t":"CDR offtakes reach 61.5 mln tCO2e in H1; tech giants continue to drive demand","p":"Fastmarkets","d":"2025-07-21","u":"https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/cdr-offtakes-reach-61-5-mln-tco2e-tech-giants-drive-demand/","type":"press"},{"t":"Isometric Standard v1.2.0","p":"Isometric (registry)","d":"2025","u":"https://registry.isometric.com/standard/1.2.0","type":"registry"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Microsoft's purchase prices are not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent investigation of the Exomad Green supply chain, including its feedstock, was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent assessment of Isometric's statement that its fee does not depend on the number of credits was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Lowercarbon Capital appears to have invested in Frontier suppliers Charm Industrial and Heirloom; the information comes only from investment-aggregator sites.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Isometric's investors (Lowercarbon Capital and Plural in a $25 million seed round; ICE in a $50 million Series A) and the figures for those rounds.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Isometric's model will scale is not established.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Marine carbon removal figures, a Carbon Pulse headline that over 90% of marine removal credits had not yet been delivered, were seen as a headline only; the article body was not accessed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"resolute-forest-products-v-greenpeace","title":"Resolute Forest Products v Greenpeace","dek":"A Canadian forest products company sued Greenpeace in a US federal court under the racketeering law (RICO) after a dispute over logging in the boreal forest. The court dismissed the racketeering claims in 2019 and the remaining claims in 2023, and the parties announced the end of the litigation in April 2024.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":49,"lon":-71.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","lat":49,"lon":-71.5,"approxCoords":true,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":37.8,"lon":-122.4,"approxCoords":true,"role":"court"}],"start":2012,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Statements dismissed in the US court case","value":"294 of 296","note":"Dismissed in January 2019 together with the racketeering claims. Resolute was later ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (April 2020, figure as reported by Greenpeace)."},"happened":["In 2010 forest companies and environmental groups signed the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, a voluntary agreement covering 72 to 76 million hectares of boreal forest (the number of signatories and the area vary by source; the cited sources give 21 companies and 9 environmental groups). In December 2012 Greenpeace alleged that Resolute Forest Products had built roads and logged in the Montagnes Blanches area in breach of the agreement, and withdrew from it. In May 2013 the remaining environmental groups suspended further work with Resolute under the agreement.","On 20 March 2013 HuffPost Canada reported that Greenpeace Canada had retracted a claim about Resolute because of a map error. The cited sources do not say which claim was retracted.","Resolute brought a racketeering (RICO) case against Greenpeace in a US federal court, the Northern District of California. In January 2019 the court dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of the 296 statements at issue. In April 2020, according to Greenpeace, Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law. In April 2023 the remaining claims were dismissed. Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023; the outcome of the appeal was not found.","On 26 April 2024 Greenpeace Canada published a press release headed \"Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of long-running litigations\". The amount of the settlement was not disclosed.","In 2022 Greenpeace Canada published an investigation into the ownership of the company, which it said manages about 22 million hectares of forest in Canada, about 10% of managed forest, and alleged a link between Paper Excellence/Resolute and the Indonesian Sinar Mas group. The record states that there is no independent official finding on the alleged link."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement signed by forest companies and environmental groups"},{"y":2012,"t":"December: Greenpeace alleges Resolute built roads and logged in Montagnes Blanches in breach of the agreement, and withdraws from it"},{"y":2013,"t":"20 March: Greenpeace Canada retracts a claim about Resolute, citing a map error. May: remaining environmental groups suspend work with Resolute under the agreement"},{"y":2019,"t":"January: US federal court (Northern District of California) dismisses the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements"},{"y":2020,"t":"April: Resolute ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (per Greenpeace)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Greenpeace Canada publishes an investigation into the ownership of the company and an alleged Sinar Mas link"},{"y":2023,"t":"April: remaining claims dismissed. May: Resolute appeals to the Ninth Circuit (outcome not found)"},{"y":2024,"t":"26 April: Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of the litigation; amount not disclosed"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Resolute built roads and logged in the Montagnes Blanches area in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (December 2012).","who":"Greenpeace","src":2},{"t":"The company manages 20 to 22 million hectares in Canada, about 10% of managed forest, and has an alleged link to the Sinar Mas group.","who":"Greenpeace Canada","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"A claim by Greenpeace Canada about Resolute was retracted in March 2013 because of a map error.","src":1},{"t":"RICO claims and the defamation claim based on 288 statements were dismissed in January 2019 by the federal court for the Northern District of California.","src":6},{"t":"In April 2020 Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (figure as reported by Greenpeace).","src":5},{"t":"The remaining claims were dismissed in April 2023; Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023.","src":6},{"t":"The parties announced the conclusion of the litigation on 26 April 2024.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Statements dismissed","v":"294 of 296","d":"January 2019, with the RICO claims (federal court, Northern District of California)"},{"k":"Fees ordered against Resolute","v":"About $816,000","d":"April 2020, anti-SLAPP law, per Greenpeace"}]},"unknown":["The amount of the settlement that concluded the litigation was not disclosed.","Unconfirmed: Resolute said the groups' demands would lead to the closure of several mills.","Unconfirmed: Paper Excellence acquired Resolute in 2023, and the company later took the name Domtar.","Unconfirmed: according to Greenpeace's account, the company received more than $200 million in public support in 2020-2024.","There is no independent official finding on the alleged link between Paper Excellence and the Sinar Mas group."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The court claims against Greenpeace were dismissed in 2019 and 2023, and the parties announced the conclusion of the litigation in April 2024. The cited sources contain no finding on logging in Montagnes Blanches.","whoPaid":"Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law in April 2020, according to Greenpeace. The amount of the later settlement was not disclosed.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: the US racketeering claims against Greenpeace were dismissed (2019, 2023) and the parties announced the conclusion of the litigation; the outcome of Resolute's Ninth Circuit appeal was not found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Greenpeace Canada","says":"Retracted a claim about Resolute in March 2013, citing a map error.","when":"2013-03-20","src":1},{"actor":"Resolute Forest Products and Greenpeace","says":"Announced the conclusion of the long-running litigation.","when":"2024-04-26","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"resolute-forest-products","role":"Forest products company; claimant in the US case"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Defendant in the US case; campaigner"},{"id":"environmental-paper-network","role":"Coalition that suspended work with Resolute (May 2013)"},{"id":"paper-excellence","role":"Named in Greenpeace Canada's ownership investigation (alleged Sinar Mas link)"},{"id":"sinar-mas","role":"Indonesian group named in Greenpeace Canada's ownership investigation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Resolute log in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Alleged in December 2012 that Resolute built roads and logged in Montagnes Blanches in breach of the agreement, and withdrew from it.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmental Paper Network members","says":"Suspended further work with Resolute under the agreement in May 2013.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Canada","says":"Retracted a claim about Resolute in March 2013, citing a map error; the cited sources do not say whether it concerned Montagnes Blanches.","src":1}]},{"point":"Were Greenpeace's statements actionable under the US racketeering law?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"US federal court, Northern District of California","says":"Dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements (January 2019) and the remaining claims (April 2023).","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Resolute Forest Products","says":"Appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023.","src":null}]},{"point":"Who owns the company and is there a link to the Sinar Mas group?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Canada","says":"Alleged a link between Paper Excellence and the Indonesian Sinar Mas group in an ownership investigation.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Resolute Forest Products v Greenpeace (RICO)","forum":"US District Court, Northern District of California","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Resolute Forest Products","defendant":"Greenpeace","filed":null,"decided":"RICO claims and most defamation claims dismissed January 2019; remaining claims dismissed April 2023; appeal to the Ninth Circuit filed May 2023, outcome not found","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":816000,"currency":"USD","label":"Fees Resolute was ordered to pay under California's anti-SLAPP law, April 2020 (about; per Greenpeace)"},"summary":"Resolute sued Greenpeace under the federal racketeering law. The court dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements in January 2019, ordered Resolute to pay about $816,000 in fees in April 2020 (per Greenpeace) and dismissed the remaining claims in April 2023. Resolute appealed in May 2023. On 26 April 2024 the parties announced the conclusion of the litigation.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"legal_fees_ordered","value":816000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fees Resolute was ordered to pay under California's anti-SLAPP law, April 2020, per Greenpeace."},{"key":"statements_dismissed","value":294,"unit":"statements","year":2019,"note":"Of 296 statements at issue; dismissed with the RICO claims, January 2019."},{"key":"area_ha","value":22000000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Forest the company manages in Canada, according to Greenpeace Canada (the record's table gives 20 to 22 million ha); not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A US federal racketeering suit by Resolute Forest Products against Greenpeace, dismissed in 2019 and 2023, arising from a dispute over logging in the boreal forest.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Greenpeace","what":"Claims against it dismissed; about $816,000 in fees ordered to be paid by Resolute (April 2020, as reported by Greenpeace).","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Resolute Forest Products","what":"RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements dismissed; ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees.","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States District Court, Northern District of California; the logging dispute concerned the Montagnes Blanches area in Canada.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Dispute from December 2012; RICO claims dismissed January 2019; remaining claims dismissed April 2023; litigation concluded April 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The record ties the dispute to Greenpeace's December 2012 allegations of logging in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement; 296 statements by Greenpeace were at issue in the US case.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Resolute pleaded the federal racketeering law; the court dismissed those claims and most of the statements, and awarded fees under California's anti-SLAPP law.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of long-running litigations","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2024-04-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/65273/resolute-and-greenpeace-parties-announce-the-conclusion-of-long-running-litigations/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614065819/https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/65273/resolute-and-greenpeace-parties-announce-the-conclusion-of-long-running-litigations/"},{"t":"Greenpeace Canada Resolute retraction","p":"HuffPost Canada","d":"2013-03-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/20/greenpeace-canada-resolute-retraction_n_2917122.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210725214908/https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/20/greenpeace-canada-resolute-retraction_n_2917122.html"},{"t":"Environmental groups suspend further work with Resolute Forest Products under the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement","p":"Environmental Paper Network","d":"2013-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://environmentalpaper.org/2013/05/release-environmental-groups-suspend-further-work-with-resolute-forest-products-under-canadian-boreal-forest-agreement/"},{"t":"Investigation reveals secretive ownership of major logging giant in Canada","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2022","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/54850/investigation-reveals-secretive-ownership-of-major-logging-giant-in-canada/"},{"t":"Order granting attorneys' fees, Resolute Forest Products, Inc. v. Greenpeace International, No. 17-cv-02824-JST (N.D. Cal., 22 April 2020)","p":"US District Court, Northern District of California (copy hosted by Columbia Global Freedom of Expression)","d":"2020-04-22","u":"https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Tigar-Order-Granting-Attorneys-Fees-1.pdf-2020-1.pdf","type":"court"},{"t":"One of the highest monetary awards ever under California's anti-SLAPP statute (Judge orders Resolute Forest Products to pay almost 1 million dollars to Greenpeace)","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2020-04","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/30838/judge-orders-resolute-forest-products-to-pay-almost-1-million-dollars-to-greenpeace/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Court Dismisses Defamation Suit Against Greenpeace","p":"Davis Wright Tremaine LLP","d":"2023-04-21","u":"https://dwt.com/about/news/2023/04/court-dismisses-defamation-suit-against-greenpeace","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"litigation","related":["energy-transfer-v-greenpeace","corporate-suits-against-greenpeace","totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp","standing-rock-dakota-access-arrests-and-tigerswan"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did Resolute log in breach of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were Greenpeace's statements actionable under the US racketeering law?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who owns the company and is there a link to the Sinar Mas group?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area (ha): Forest the company manages in Canada, according to Greenpeace Canada (the record's table gives 20 to 22 million ha); not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the settlement that concluded the litigation was not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Resolute said the groups' demands would lead to the closure of several mills.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Paper Excellence acquired Resolute in 2023, and the company later took the name Domtar.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: according to Greenpeace's account, the company received more than $200 million in public support in 2020-2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"There is no independent official finding on the alleged link between Paper Excellence and the Sinar Mas group.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"us-syndicated-conservation-easement-tax-shelters","title":"US syndicated conservation easement tax shelters (EcoVest, Fisher and Sinnott)","dek":"Investors in US partnerships bought land and donated conservation easements, claiming federal tax deductions that an IRS preliminary analysis put at an average of $9 per $1 invested. The IRS, a Senate investigation, courts and Congress acted over several years, and two promoters were convicted in 2023.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":33.75,"lon":-84.39,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Georgia","lat":33.75,"lon":-84.39,"approxCoords":true,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"South Carolina","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Mississippi","role":"affected"}],"start":2013,"end":2026,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share of a $180 million deduction claim that a court allowed (Hancock County, Mississippi, March 2026)","value":"1.2%","note":"The court allowed about $2.18 million of $180 million claimed and applied a 40% penalty. Across the Tax Court cases the IRS described in May 2026, the average allowed was about 6%."},"happened":["Under US tax law a landowner who donates a conservation easement to a land trust can deduct the development value the land loses. In the syndicated version, an organizer pools investors in a partnership, which buys land; an appraiser values the land on an assumed development scenario; the easement is donated and the investors claim deductions. Deductions claimed through these transactions were $6.8 billion in 2017 and $9.2 billion in 2018 (the 2018 figure from IRS data).","In December 2017 ProPublica reported that a preliminary IRS analysis found an average of $9 in deductions for every $1 invested. It described a former golf course in South Carolina, bought for about $5.4 million, that was valued at more than $40 million on the assumption that 1,404 homes would be built, and said that Georgia taxpayers claimed about 36% of easement deductions while owning 2.5% of the land under easement. It also reported that the director of the land trust that accepted most of the transactions, Atlantic Coast Conservancy, received a salary of $156,750 from the foundation in 2015 and $602,432 from a related affiliate.","The IRS declared these transactions a listed transaction in December 2016 and put them on its list of worst tax scams in 2019; organizers lobbied Congress against IRS enforcement funding. A bipartisan Senate Finance Committee investigation led by Senators Grassley and Wyden characterised the structures in August 2020 as abusive tax shelters. On 29 December 2022 Congress limited partnership deductions to 2.5 times the investment through the SECURE 2.0 law. In 2022 the Tax Court set aside the IRS notice on procedural grounds, and the IRS reissued the rule in October 2024.","EcoVest, described as the largest organizer, generated deductions of about $3 billion from 58 transactions between 2013 and 2018; one appraiser valued 51 of them. In the criminal case, Jack Fisher, an accountant (CPA), and James Sinnott were convicted by a federal jury in Atlanta on 22 September 2023 over more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent deductions and sentenced on 9 January 2024 to 25 and 23 years in prison; an appraiser tried with them was acquitted.","In March 2026 the US Tax Court, in a case concerning a 236-acre property in Hancock County, Mississippi (T.C. Memo. 2026-28), allowed about $2.18 million of a $180 million deduction claimed on a sand-mine income model, and applied a 40% penalty. In May 2026 the IRS said more than 1,100 cases were open and that the Tax Court had allowed an average of about 6% of the deductions claimed. It offered investors a settlement under which they pay a penalty of 10 to 20% and deduct the money they invested."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"EcoVest begins the 2013-2018 run of 58 transactions generating about $3 billion in deductions"},{"y":2016,"t":"December: IRS declares syndicated conservation easements a listed transaction"},{"y":2017,"t":"ProPublica reports the average of $9 in deductions per $1 invested (December). Deductions claimed: $6.8 billion"},{"y":2018,"t":"Deductions claimed: $9.2 billion, by 16,900 people"},{"y":2019,"t":"IRS places the transactions on its list of worst tax scams"},{"y":2020,"t":"August: bipartisan Senate Finance Committee investigation characterises the structures as abusive tax shelters"},{"y":2022,"t":"Tax Court sets aside the IRS notice on procedural grounds. 29 December: SECURE 2.0 caps partnership deductions at 2.5 times the investment"},{"y":2023,"t":"September: Fisher and Sinnott convicted in the criminal case"},{"y":2024,"t":"October: IRS reissues the notice"},{"y":2026,"t":"March: US Tax Court allows about 1.2% of a $180 million claim. May: IRS reports more than 1,100 open cases and offers an investor settlement"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The donation of an easement permanently closing private land to development, the purpose for which US tax law allows the deduction.","who":"Description of the deduction's purpose","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"A preliminary IRS analysis found an average of $9 in deductions for every $1 invested; a South Carolina golf course bought for about $5.4 million was valued at more than $40 million on an assumed 1,404 homes.","src":0},{"t":"Georgia taxpayers claimed about 36% of easement deductions while owning about 2.5% of the land under easement.","src":0},{"t":"Easement deductions claimed were $6.8 billion in 2017 and $9.2 billion in 2018; 16,900 people claimed the 2018 deductions.","src":3},{"t":"An email cited in the Senate investigation showed land bought for under $3 million valued at $81 million.","src":4},{"t":"The sector spent about $11 million on lobbying from 2017, of which the Partnership for Conservation spent $6 million and EcoVest $3.3 million; the lobbying firm of former Representative Henry Waxman received $485,000 from organizers.","src":1},{"t":"The 2.5-times cap applies only to future transactions; the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated revenue of about $6.4 billion to 2031, against $12.5 billion if it had been retroactive.","src":2},{"t":"A Mississippi court allowed about $2.18 million (1.2%) of a $180 million deduction on a 236-acre (about 95 ha) property and applied a 40% penalty; investors had raised $23.4 million.","src":5},{"t":"Fisher and Sinnott were convicted in September 2023 over more than $1.3 billion in false deductions and sentenced to 25 and 23 years.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2013-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Basis of valuation","v":"Assumed development","d":"Valuations rested on hypothetical building scenarios, for example 1,404 homes on a former golf course in South Carolina (ProPublica, 2017)"},{"k":"Share of a deduction claim allowed","v":"1.2%","d":"Mississippi, March 2026: about $2.18 million of $180 million"},{"k":"Average allowed by the Tax Court","v":"About 6%","d":"IRS, May 2026, across more than 1,100 open cases"}]},"unknown":["How much of the restitution ordered against Fisher (about $458 million) and Sinnott (about $444 million) has been collected is not known; the outcome of their appeal is not stated in the sources.","No monetary fine against EcoVest is recorded. On 20 March 2023 EcoVest Capital and three of its principals consented, without admitting the allegations, to a permanent injunction of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia barring them from promoting syndicated conservation easements.","The outcomes of the pending US conservation-easement cases were not found.","The revenue figures are those reported by ProPublica.","Unconfirmed: Fisher earned about $60 million from 15 transactions.","Unconfirmed: only 34 appraisers valued 296 transactions."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The 2.5-times cap enacted on 29 December 2022 applies only to future transactions, and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimated about $6.4 billion in revenue to 2031 against $12.5 billion had it been retroactive.","whoPaid":"US federal revenue: deductions of $6.8 billion (2017) and $9.2 billion (2018) were claimed. The Tax Court has allowed about 6% of claimed deductions on average, according to the IRS (May 2026).","statusLine":"As of May 2026: the IRS reported more than 1,100 open cases and an investor settlement offer; the 2.5-times cap has applied since 29 December 2022; Fisher and Sinnott were convicted in September 2023 and sentenced in January 2024; the outcome of their appeal is not stated in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Internal Revenue Service","says":"Declared syndicated conservation easements a listed transaction (December 2016) and listed them among the worst tax scams (2019); reissued the notice in October 2024 after the Tax Court set it aside on procedural grounds; in May 2026 offered investors a settlement with a 10-20% penalty.","when":"2016-2026","src":12},{"actor":"Syndicated easement organizers","says":"Campaigned in Congress to cut the IRS enforcement budget; the sector spent about $11 million on lobbying from 2017.","when":"2016-2022","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"irs","role":"Tax authority; listed the transactions and reissued its notice"},{"id":"senate-finance-committee","role":"Bipartisan investigation (August 2020)"},{"id":"joint-committee-on-taxation","role":"Revenue estimate for the 2.5-times cap"},{"id":"us-tax-court","role":"Set aside the IRS notice (2022); allowed about 6% of deductions on average"},{"id":"ecovest","role":"Largest organizer, 58 transactions in 2013-2018"},{"id":"atlantic-coast-conservancy","role":"Land trust that accepted most of the transactions in the ProPublica reporting"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What were the donated easements worth?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"ProPublica","says":"An IRS preliminary analysis found an average of $9 in deductions per $1 invested; a golf course bought for about $5.4 million was valued at more than $40 million.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Senate Finance Committee","says":"An email cited in its investigation showed land bought for under $3 million valued at $81 million.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Investors in the Mississippi case","says":"Claimed a $180 million deduction based on a sand-mine income model for a 236-acre property.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"US Tax Court (March 2026)","says":"Allowed about $2.18 million, about 1.2%, and applied a 40% penalty.","src":5}]},{"point":"Was the IRS notice on these transactions valid?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"IRS","says":"Declared the transactions listed transactions in December 2016 and reissued the notice in October 2024.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Tax Court","says":"Set the notice aside in 2022 on procedural grounds.","src":null}]},{"point":"Should IRS enforcement against the transactions be curbed?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Syndicated easement organizers","says":"Campaigned in Congress to cut the IRS enforcement budget.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Senate Finance Committee","says":"Its bipartisan investigation of August 2020 characterised the structures as abusive tax shelters.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"United States v Fisher and Sinnott (syndicated conservation easement fraud)","forum":"US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Atlanta)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Jack Fisher; James Sinnott","filed":null,"decided":"2023-09 (convictions)","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 22 September 2023 a federal jury convicted Jack Fisher, an accountant (CPA), and James Sinnott of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aiding and assisting false tax returns and subscribing to false tax returns; Fisher was also convicted of money laundering. Prosecutors said they sold more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent deductions. The appraiser Clay Weibel was acquitted. On 9 January 2024 Chief Judge Timothy Batten sentenced Fisher to 25 years and Sinnott to 23 years; Bloomberg Tax reported restitution orders of about $458 million and $444 million. The outcome of their appeal is not stated in the sources.","src":8},{"title":"Hancock County Land Acquisitions, LLC v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2026-28)","forum":"US Tax Court (Judge Lauber)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Southeastern Argive Investments, LLC, tax matters partner of Hancock County Land Acquisitions, LLC","defendant":"Commissioner of Internal Revenue","filed":null,"decided":"2026-03","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":180000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Deduction claimed; about $2.18 million (1.2%) allowed, 40% penalty applied"},"summary":"On a 236-acre (about 95 ha) property the claim of about $180.2 million rested on a frac-sand-mine income model, which the court found not financially feasible in 2016. The court allowed about $2.18 million and upheld a 40% gross valuation misstatement penalty; investors had raised about $23.4 million.","src":5},{"title":"Tax Court challenge to the IRS notice on syndicated conservation easements","forum":"US Tax Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Taxpayers (names: none on record)","defendant":"Internal Revenue Service","filed":null,"decided":"2022","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Tax Court set aside the IRS notice on procedural grounds in 2022; the IRS reissued the rule in October 2024.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deductions_claimed","value":6800,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Easement deductions claimed in 2017."},{"key":"deductions_claimed","value":9200,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Easement deductions claimed in 2018, by 16,900 people."},{"key":"deductions_claimed","value":3000,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"EcoVest, 58 transactions, 2013-2018; 51 valued by one appraiser."},{"key":"false_deductions","value":1300,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"False deductions in the Fisher and Sinnott conviction."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":25,"unit":"years","year":2023,"note":"Jack Fisher; James Sinnott received 23 years."},{"key":"lobbying_spend","value":11,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sector lobbying since 2017; Partnership for Conservation $6 million, EcoVest $3.3 million; Waxman's firm $485,000."},{"key":"revenue_estimate","value":6400,"unit":"USD m","year":2031,"qualifier":"about","note":"Joint Committee on Taxation estimate to 2031 for the cap applied prospectively; $12.5 billion if retroactive."},{"key":"claim","value":180,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Deduction claimed in the Hancock County, Mississippi case; about $2.18 million allowed."},{"key":"area_ha","value":95,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"236 acres, Hancock County, Mississippi."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Syndicated conservation easement partnerships claimed federal tax deductions based on assumed development values of land they donated as easements.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EcoVest","what":"Generated deductions of about $3 billion from 58 transactions in 2013-2018.","src":null},{"who":"A related affiliate of the Atlantic Coast Conservancy","what":"Paid $602,432 in 2015 to the director of the land trust, who also received a $156,750 salary from the foundation (ProPublica).","src":0},{"who":"The lobbying firm of former Representative Henry Waxman","what":"Received $485,000 from organizers.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"US federal revenue","what":"Deductions of $6.8 billion (2017) and $9.2 billion (2018) were claimed. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated about $6.4 billion in revenue from the cap applied only to future transactions.","src":2},{"who":"Investors in the Mississippi case","what":"About 1.2% of a $180 million claim allowed and a 40% penalty applied.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, including Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi; criminal case in Atlanta.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Transactions from 2013; deductions claimed 2017 and 2018; cap enacted 29 December 2022; convictions September 2023; open cases May 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"US tax law allows a deduction for the development value lost by donating a conservation easement; the investors' deductions depended on the appraised development value.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Organizers pooled investors in partnerships, bought land, obtained appraisals on assumed development scenarios, donated easements and passed the deductions to the investors.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The US Tax Court allowed about $2.18 million of a $180 million deduction claim (about 1.2%).","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Conservation Easements: The Billion-Dollar Loophole","p":"ProPublica","d":"2017-12-20","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/conservation-easements-the-billion-dollar-loophole","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928032134/https://www.propublica.org/article/conservation-easements-the-billion-dollar-loophole"},{"t":"Syndicated conservation easement IRS tax scam","p":"ProPublica","d":"2022-06-17","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/syndicated-conservation-easement-irs-tax-scam","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260814200612/https://www.propublica.org/article/syndicated-conservation-easement-irs-tax-scam"},{"t":"How Congress finally cracked down on a massive scam (ProPublica via Salon)","p":"ProPublica / Salon","d":"2023-01-11","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.salon.com/2023/01/11/how-congress-finally-cracked-down-on-a-massive-scam_partner/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210034746/https://www.salon.com/2023/01/11/how-congress-finally-cracked-down-on-a-massive-scam_partner/"},{"t":"Grassley, Wyden release IRS data showing significant increase in syndicated conservation easement transactions","p":"US Senate Committee on Finance","d":"2020-09-21","u":"https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/grassley-wyden-release-irs-data-showing-significant-increase-in-syndicated-conservation-easement-transactions","type":"official"},{"t":"Syndicated Conservation-Easement Transactions (bipartisan staff report)","p":"US Senate Committee on Finance","d":"2020-08","u":"https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/SFC%20-%20Syndicated%20Conservation-Easement%20Transactions.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Analysis of Hancock County Land Acquisitions, LLC v. Commissioner (T.C. Memo. 2026-28): valuation, deductions and penalties in syndicated conservation easements","p":"Current Federal Tax Developments","d":"2026-03-26","u":"https://www.currentfederaltaxdevelopments.com/blog/2026/3/26/analysis-of-hancock-county-land-acquisitions-llc-v-commissioner-valuation-deductions-and-penalties-in-syndicated-conservation-easements","type":"press"},{"t":"Two tax shelter promoters sentenced to 25 years and 23 years for billion-dollar syndicated conservation easement scheme","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2024-01","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/two-tax-shelter-promoters-sentenced-25-years-and-23-years-billion-dollar-syndicated","type":"official"},{"t":"Notice listing syndicated conservation easement transactions held invalid (Green Valley Investors, LLC, 159 T.C. No. 5)","p":"The Tax Adviser (AICPA)","d":"2023-02-01","u":"https://www.thetaxadviser.com/issues/2023/feb/notice-listing-syndicated-conservation-easement-transactions-held-invalid/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Two tax shelter promoters found guilty in billion-dollar syndicated conservation easement tax scheme","p":"IRS Criminal Investigation","d":"2023-09-22","u":"https://www.irs.gov/node/126596","type":"government"},{"t":"CPA gets 25 years for promoting conservation easement deductions","p":"Polsinelli","d":"2024-01-18","u":"https://www.polsinelli.com/publications/cpa-gets-25-years-for-promoting-conservation-easement-deductions","type":"legal"},{"t":"IRS victory in land tax case could speed government crackdown (Fisher ordered to pay $458 million in restitution)","p":"Bloomberg Tax","d":"2024","u":"https://news.bloombergtax.com/daily-tax-report/irs-victory-in-land-tax-case-could-speed-government-crackdown","type":"press"},{"t":"United States v. EcoVest Capital, Inc., et al., No. 1:18-cv-05774-AT: final judgment and permanent injunction","p":"US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (via US Department of Justice)","d":"2023-03-20","u":"https://www.justice.gov/file/1282481/dl","type":"court"},{"t":"IRS announces terms of a time-limited settlement opportunity for eligible taxpayers involved in conservation easement disputes (IR-2026-65)","p":"Internal Revenue Service","d":"2026-05-13","u":"https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-terms-of-a-time-limited-settlement-opportunity-for-eligible-taxpayers-involved-in-conservation-easement-disputes","type":"government"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Syndicated conservation easements on my land generated deductions of $6.8 billion in 2017 and $9.2 billion in 2018; a preliminary IRS analysis found an average of $9 of deductions per $1 invested.","src":[0,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What were the donated easements worth?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the IRS notice on these transactions valid?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should IRS enforcement against the transactions be curbed?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the restitution ordered against Fisher (about $458 million) and Sinnott (about $444 million) has been collected is not known; the outcome of their appeal is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No monetary fine against EcoVest is recorded. On 20 March 2023 EcoVest Capital and three of its principals consented, without admitting the allegations, to a permanent injunction of the US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia barring them from promoting syndicated conservation easements.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The outcomes of the pending US conservation-easement cases were not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The revenue figures are those reported by ProPublica.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Fisher earned about $60 million from 15 transactions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: only 34 appraisers valued 296 transactions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: EcoVest","No source link — Who lost: Investors in the Mississippi case"]},{"id":"duke-energy-coal-ash-cleanup-cost-recovery","title":"Duke Energy coal ash cleanup cost recovery (North Carolina)","dek":"Duke Energy's coal ash cleanup in North Carolina was estimated at $8 to 9 billion. Regulators allowed part of the cost to be recovered from customers, and a January 2021 settlement with the state attorney general kept about $1.1 billion off customer bills.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":35.6,"lon":-79.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Carolina","lat":35.6,"lon":-79.8,"approxCoords":true,"role":"affected"}],"start":2017,"end":2021,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Cleanup cost kept off customer bills in the January 2021 settlement","value":"$1.1 billion of $8-9 billion","note":"Utility Dive reported that most of the cleanup cost was passed to customers and that Duke earns a return on the remaining cost."},"happened":["Duke Energy, a US electric utility, is cleaning up coal ash held in unlined ponds in North Carolina. The cleanup plan was estimated at $8 to 9 billion as of the January 2021 settlement, and the cited sources say Duke is excavating about 80 million tonnes of ash and moving it to lined storage.","In February 2018 the North Carolina Utilities Commission raised the fixed monthly charge for Duke Energy Progress customers from $11.13 to $14, an increase of 25%, which opened the way to recovering $232 million Duke had spent. The commission imposed a $30 million penalty for mismanagement. A Duke customer told the hearing in Charlotte that he could not pay the increase on his Social Security income.","In January 2021 Duke settled with the North Carolina Attorney General. Under the settlement Duke agreed not to pass on about $1.1 billion of the $8 to 9 billion plan to customers, and it keeps earning an equity return on the remaining cleanup costs, at a lower rate than it had proposed. Utility Dive's headline described the outcome as Duke profiting from the coal ash cleanup, and the same publication reported that most of the cost was passed to customers.","Separately, in March 2017 Duke sued about 30 insurers in North Carolina's Business Court over 57 general liability policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, with a liability estimate of $5.1 billion and more than $725 million spent by November 2016. The insurers argued the damage was intentional and that Duke kept using unlined ponds after it knew of the problems. The court found on summary judgment that the insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant. Duke reached 14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021, and received about $418 million.","The record also gives a US-wide figure for 2022: 91% of plants with coal ash ponds (265 of 292) contaminated groundwater, and 4% (11) chose a cleanup plan that included treatment. The figure is not specific to Duke."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"29 March: Duke sues about 30 insurers in North Carolina's Business Court"},{"y":2018,"t":"23 February: Utilities Commission raises Duke Energy Progress's fixed monthly charge by 25%, opening recovery of $232 million, and imposes a $30 million mismanagement penalty"},{"y":2021,"t":"January: settlement with the North Carolina Attorney General; about $1.1 billion of an $8-9 billion plan not passed on to customers. August: last insurer settlement; about $418 million received in total"}],"said":[{"q":"Duke continued to dispose of (coal ash) in unlined ash ponds long after it knew it had environmental problems","who":"Insurers' stated ground in Duke's 2017 insurance suit, as summarised in reporting","when":"2017","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The January 2021 settlement shifted about $1.1 billion in costs away from North Carolina customers.","who":"Utility Dive (headline)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Utilities Commission raised Duke Energy Progress's fixed monthly charge from $11.13 to $14 (25%) in February 2018, allowing recovery of $232 million, and imposed a $30 million mismanagement penalty.","src":4},{"t":"In January 2021 Duke agreed not to pass on about $1.1 billion of an $8-9 billion plan and keeps earning an equity return on the remaining costs at a lower rate than it proposed.","src":1},{"t":"Utility Dive reported that most of the $8-9 billion cleanup was passed to customers and that Duke earns a return.","src":0},{"t":"91% of US plants with coal ash ponds (265 of 292) contaminated groundwater and 4% (11) chose a cleanup plan with treatment (2022, US-wide).","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017-2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"US plants with ash ponds contaminating groundwater","v":"91%","d":"265 of 292, US-wide, 2022; not specific to Duke"},{"k":"Plants choosing cleanup with treatment","v":"4%","d":"11 plants, US-wide, 2022"},{"k":"Ash being moved to lined storage","v":"About 80 Mt","d":"Duke; date not stated"}]},"unknown":["Sources differ on the shareholders' share: Utility Dive and NCLCV put the amount kept off customer bills at about $1.1 billion of the $8-9 billion plan, while one report says shareholders bear about three-quarters of the cost of the unlined ponds, a figure no other source confirms; the figures do not reconcile.","Unconfirmed: the 2017 Utilities Commission decision allowed all cleanup cost except a one-time $100 million environmental penalty to be charged to customers (a television station's summary only).","Unconfirmed: the North Carolina Supreme Court partially reversed the commission's decision in December 2020."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The January 2021 settlement kept about $1.1 billion of the estimated $8-9 billion cleanup cost off customer bills. The record describes the excavation of ash to lined storage as under way.","whoPaid":"Utility Dive reported that most of the $8-9 billion cleanup cost was passed to customers and that Duke earns a return on the remaining cost; about $1.1 billion was excluded from customer bills in the January 2021 settlement.","statusLine":"As of January 2021: the settlement with the North Carolina Attorney General kept about $1.1 billion of the $8-9 billion cleanup cost off customer bills; the cited sources contain nothing later on cost recovery.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Duke Energy","says":"Agreed in the January 2021 settlement not to pass on about $1.1 billion of the cleanup plan to customers.","when":"2021-01","src":1},{"actor":"North Carolina Utilities Commission","says":"Raised Duke Energy Progress's fixed monthly charge by 25% and imposed a $30 million mismanagement penalty.","when":"2018-02-23","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"duke-energy","role":"Utility cleaning up coal ash; seeks cost recovery"},{"id":"ncuc","role":"Regulator; set rates and imposed a $30 million penalty (2018)"},{"id":"north-carolina-attorney-general","role":"Counterparty to the January 2021 settlement"},{"id":"nclcv","role":"Advocacy group cited for the settlement figures"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who should bear the cost of the coal ash cleanup?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"North Carolina Utilities Commission","says":"Raised Duke Energy Progress's fixed monthly charge by 25% to recover $232 million and imposed a $30 million mismanagement penalty (February 2018).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A Duke customer at the Charlotte hearing","says":"Said he could not pay the increase on his Social Security income.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"North Carolina Attorney General","says":"Settled in January 2021, with Duke agreeing not to pass on about $1.1 billion of the plan.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"NCLCV","says":"Reported a total cost of $8-9 billion and customer savings of $1.1 billion under the settlement.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Utility Dive","says":"Reported that Duke would profit from the cleanup after the settlement and that most of the cost was passed to customers.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did Duke cause the damage intentionally? (insurance suit)","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers","says":"Argued the damage was intentional and that Duke kept using unlined ponds after it knew of environmental problems.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"North Carolina Business Court, Chief Judge Bledsoe","says":"Found on summary judgment that the insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Duke Energy Progress rate case (coal ash cost recovery and mismanagement penalty)","forum":"North Carolina Utilities Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Duke Energy Progress","defendant":"Not applicable (rate case)","filed":null,"decided":"2018-02-23","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":30000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Penalty imposed on Duke for mismanagement"},"summary":"The commission raised the fixed monthly charge from $11.13 to $14 (25%), opening recovery of $232 million, and imposed a $30 million penalty for mismanagement.","src":4},{"title":"Duke Energy coal ash settlement with the North Carolina Attorney General","forum":"Settlement with the North Carolina Attorney General","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"State of North Carolina (Attorney General)","defendant":"Duke Energy","filed":null,"decided":"2021-01","status":"settled","amount":{"value":1100000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Cleanup cost Duke agreed not to pass on to customers (about)"},"summary":"Duke agreed not to pass on about $1.1 billion of the $8-9 billion plan and kept the right to earn an equity return on the remaining cleanup costs at a lower rate than it had proposed.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"About 30 insurers, including AEGIS (Bermuda)","insured":"Duke Energy","status":"refused-then-paid","year":2021,"amount":{"value":418000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Received in 14 settlements with 23 insurers (about)"},"reason":"Insurers argued the damage was intentional, that there was no distinct pollution event and that Duke had made claims for the same ponds in the 1990s.","summary":"Duke sued about 30 insurers on 29 March 2017 over 57 policies from the early 1970s to mid-1980s, with a $5.1 billion liability estimate. AEGIS filed its own federal suit the same day, arguing it was too late to go to court. The court found the insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant. Fourteen settlements with 23 insurers followed, the last in August 2021; two foreign insurers defaulted.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"cleanup_cost_plan","value":8000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Plan reported as $8-9 billion at the January 2021 settlement."},{"key":"cost_not_passed_to_customers","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Excluded from customer bills in the January 2021 settlement."},{"key":"rate_increase_pct","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Fixed monthly charge for Duke Energy Progress customers, from $11.13 to $14."},{"key":"fine","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Mismanagement penalty imposed by the Utilities Commission."},{"key":"claim","value":232,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Amount Duke could recover under the February 2018 order."},{"key":"spent_to_date","value":725,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Spent by November 2016, per Duke's 2017 insurance suit."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":418,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Received in 14 settlements with 23 insurers."},{"key":"ash_excavated_mt","value":80,"unit":"Mt","year":null,"note":"Ash Duke is excavating and moving to lined storage."},{"key":"plants_groundwater_contamination_pct","value":91,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"US-wide: 265 of 292 plants with ash ponds; not Duke-specific."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Duke Energy recovered part of the cost of its North Carolina coal ash cleanup from customers; a January 2021 settlement excluded about $1.1 billion of an $8-9 billion plan from customer bills.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Duke Energy","what":"Earns an equity return on the remaining cleanup costs, at a lower rate than it proposed (January 2021 settlement).","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Duke Energy Progress customers","what":"Fixed monthly charge raised 25% from $11.13 to $14 in February 2018; most of the cleanup cost was passed to customers, according to Utility Dive.","src":0},{"who":"Duke Energy","what":"Penalty of $30 million for mismanagement (2018); about $1.1 billion not passed on to customers (2021).","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"North Carolina, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Rate order February 2018; settlement January 2021; insurance settlements to August 2021.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Coal ash was held in unlined ponds; the cleanup plan was estimated at $8-9 billion, and the dispute was over how much customers would bear.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through the Utilities Commission's rate order of February 2018 and a settlement with the Attorney General in January 2021.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Duke to profit from coal ash cleanup after settling with North Carolina AG","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2021-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-to-profit-from-coal-ash-cleanup-after-settling-with-north-carolina-ag/593925/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141741/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/"},{"t":"Duke coal ash clean-up settlement shifts $1.1B in costs away from North Carolina customers (title reconstructed from the URL)","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2021-01-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141741/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/"},{"t":"Coal ash (NCLCV summary, via WCCB)","p":"NCLCV / WCCB","d":"2021-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://nclcv.org/cib02082021-coal-ash/"},{"t":"Insurers were off the hook: Duke Energy knew coal ash risk","p":"Indianapolis Business Journal","d":"2017","type":"press","u":"https://www.ibj.com/articles/64224-insurers-were-off-the-hook-duke-energy-knew-coal-ash-risk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220120014914/https://www.ibj.com/articles/64224-insurers-were-off-the-hook-duke-energy-knew-coal-ash-risk"},{"t":"Duke's North Carolina customers will pay $232M for coal ash cleanup","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2018-02-26","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/dukes-north-carolina-customers-will-pay-232m-for-coal-ash-cleanup/517879/","type":"press"},{"t":"New Report: Most Power Plants Violating Federal Rules Mandating Cleanup of Toxic Coal Ash Dumps (Poisonous Coverup)","p":"Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project","d":"2022-11-03","u":"https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2022/new-report-most-power-plants-violating-federal-rules-mandating-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-dumps","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"cost-recovery","related":["duke-energy-coal-ash-insurance-dispute","us-coal-ash-ponds-groundwater-contamination-and-epa-delay","tva-kingston-coal-ash-spill-insurance"],"natureLead":{"t":"About 80 million tonnes of coal ash are being excavated from unlined ponds on me in North Carolina and moved to lined storage, in a cleanup estimated at $8 to 9 billion in January 2021.","src":[2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who should bear the cost of the coal ash cleanup?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Duke cause the damage intentionally? (insurance suit)","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on the shareholders' share: Utility Dive and NCLCV put the amount kept off customer bills at about $1.1 billion of the $8-9 billion plan, while one report says shareholders bear about three-quarters of the cost of the unlined ponds, a figure no other source confirms; the figures do not reconcile.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2017 Utilities Commission decision allowed all cleanup cost except a one-time $100 million environmental penalty to be charged to customers (a television station's summary only).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the North Carolina Supreme Court partially reversed the commission's decision in December 2020.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"rigel-scuttling","title":"Rigel scuttling (Calabria)","dek":"The cargo ship Rigel sank off Calabria in 1987 after sailing with a declared cargo of marble. A La Spezia court accepted that the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud; the real cargo was never established and a suspicion of toxic or radioactive waste was never tested because the wreck was not found.","country":"Italy","region":"Europe","lat":37.7,"lon":16.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","lat":37.7,"lon":16.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"La Spezia","role":"court"},{"country":"Malta","iso2":"MT","admin":"Valletta","role":"company-home"}],"start":1987,"end":2024,"eventDate":"1987-09-21","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Court finding on the sinking (La Spezia)","value":"Deliberate; insurance fraud","note":"Year of judgment and individual sentences are not stated in the sources."},"happened":["The Rigel, a cargo ship owned by Mayfair Shipping Ltd (Valletta), sailed from Marina di Carrara declaring a cargo of marble granulate, blocks and tiles for Limassol. On 21 September 1987 it sank about 20 nautical miles south-east of Capo Spartivento, Calabria, without sending a distress call. A Yugoslav ship carried the crew to Tunis.","A final judgment of the La Spezia court accepted that the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud. The charges, as summarised by a parliamentary commission, included criminal association, fraud against the insurer and corruption. A 2009 article in L'Unità said the owner was convicted of fraud against the insurance (the Lloyd's of London).","Reggio Calabria prosecutors investigated a suspicion that the ship carried toxic or radioactive waste. That inquiry was closed because the wreck was never found. The La Spezia trial did not establish the real cargo, and waste was never charged."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"Rigel sails from Marina di Carrara declaring marble cargo for Limassol; sinks on 21 September about 20 nautical miles south-east of Capo Spartivento with no distress call; crew taken to Tunis by a Yugoslav ship"},{"y":2009,"t":"L'Unità (28 September) reports the owner was convicted of fraud against the insurance (Lloyd's of London)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Il Post (25 September) reports the La Spezia judgment and the closed waste inquiry"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A cargo of marble granulate, blocks and tiles bound for Limassol","who":"Declared cargo, as recorded in Il Post","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"A final judgment of the La Spezia court accepted that the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud; charges included criminal association and fraud against the insurer","src":0},{"t":"The trial did not establish the real cargo; waste was never charged","src":0},{"t":"The Reggio Calabria inquiry into suspected toxic or radioactive waste was closed because the wreck was never found","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1987","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wreck","v":"Never found","d":"The waste inquiry was closed for this reason (Il Post, 2024)"},{"k":"Real cargo","v":"Not established","d":"The La Spezia trial did not establish it"},{"k":"Environmental assessment","v":"None found","d":"The suspicion of toxic or radioactive waste remained a suspicion, not a finding"}]},"unknown":["The real cargo: the La Spezia trial did not establish it, and waste was never charged.","The suspicion of toxic or radioactive waste: the inquiry was closed because the wreck was never found; it remains a suspicion, not a finding.","Unconfirmed: one parliamentary hearing reportedly says Lloyd's paid the hull claim."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No harm to nature is recorded; the wreck was never found and no waste was established.","whoPaid":"Not determined: no payment figure is stated in the cited sources, and the hull claim payment is unconfirmed.","statusLine":"As of September 2024: La Spezia judgment accepted deliberate sinking and insurance fraud; the waste inquiry was closed because the wreck was never found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"mayfair-shipping","role":"Owner of the Rigel (Valletta)"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Insurer named as defrauded in L'Unità"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the Rigel carrying marble, or waste?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Reggio Calabria prosecutors","says":"Investigated a suspicion that the ship carried toxic or radioactive waste; the inquiry was closed because the wreck was never found.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"La Spezia court","says":"Accepted that the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud; the trial did not establish the real cargo and waste was never charged.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"La Spezia criminal proceedings over the sinking of the Rigel","forum":"La Spezia court","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution (charges: criminal association, fraud against the insurer and corruption)","defendant":"Defendants named by Il Post include shipping agent Vito Bellacosa and customs official Gennaro Fujano; individual outcomes are not stated in the sources","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"A final judgment accepted that the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud. The trial did not establish the real cargo, and waste was never charged. L'Unità (2009) said the owner was convicted of fraud against the insurance (Lloyd's of London). The judgment year, sentences and amounts are not stated in the sources.","src":0},{"title":"Reggio Calabria inquiry into suspected toxic or radioactive waste aboard the Rigel","forum":"Reggio Calabria prosecutors","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Reggio Calabria prosecutors","defendant":"None charged","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"Prosecutors investigated suspected toxic or radioactive waste. The inquiry was closed because the wreck was never found. It remains a suspicion, not a finding.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Lloyd's of London","insured":"Mayfair Shipping Ltd (owner)","status":"unknown","year":1987,"reason":"Court accepted the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud","summary":"The charges included fraud against the insurer, described in L'Unità as Lloyd's of London. Whether the hull claim was paid is not on record.","src":1}],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cargo ship sank without a distress call; a court accepted the sinking was deliberate and an insurance fraud.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"The insurer (Lloyd's of London, per L'Unità)","what":"Target of the fraud charge","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"About 20 nautical miles south-east of Capo Spartivento, Calabria.","src":0},"when":{"t":"21 September 1987.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The court accepted the sinking was an insurance fraud.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The ship sailed from Marina di Carrara declaring marble cargo for Limassol and sank with no distress call; the crew was carried to Tunis by a Yugoslav ship.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Navi a perdere: naufragi e rifiuti tossici in Calabria","p":"Il Post","d":"2024-09-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.ilpost.it/2024/09/25/navi-a-perdere-naufragi-rifiuti-tossici-calabria/"},{"t":"L'Unità, 28 September 2009, p. 10","p":"L'Unità (archive)","d":"2009-09-28","type":"press","u":"https://archivio.unita.news/assets/main/2009/09/28/page_010.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the Rigel carrying marble, or waste?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Lloyd's of London: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The real cargo: the La Spezia trial did not establish it, and waste was never charged.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The suspicion of toxic or radioactive waste: the inquiry was closed because the wreck was never found; it remains a suspicion, not a finding.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: one parliamentary hearing reportedly says Lloyd's paid the hull claim.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"grecia-express-ferry-scuttling","title":"Grecia Express ferry scuttling (Greece)","dek":"The ferry Grecia Express sank at Aegion in the Gulf of Corinth in 1994. The insurer alleged that the owner scuttled her; an English court found the owner not complicit and ordered US$9.9m, including anti-pollution expenses.","country":"Greece","region":"Europe","lat":38.25,"lon":22.08,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Aegion, Gulf of Corinth","lat":38.25,"lon":22.08,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"}],"start":1994,"end":2002,"eventDate":"1994-03-05","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Ordered by the court against the insurer","value":"US$9.9m","note":"Covered insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses."},"happened":["On 5 March 1994 the ferry Grecia Express sank at Aegion, in the Gulf of Corinth. The mooring ropes had been cut and a seawater valve opened.","The insurer, Hellenic Mutual War Risks, alleged that the owner, George Ventouris, had scuttled the ship.","In Strive Shipping v Hellenic Mutual [2002] EWHC 203 (Comm), Colman J found the owner not complicit. He ordered US$9.9m covering the insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses, so the insurer paid the pollution cost. The judgment set the \"highly improbable\" test later applied in Atlantik Confidence."],"timeline":[{"y":1994,"t":"Grecia Express sinks at Aegion, Gulf of Corinth, on 5 March; mooring ropes cut and a seawater valve opened"},{"y":2002,"t":"Colman J, Strive Shipping v Hellenic Mutual [2002] EWHC 203 (Comm): owner not found complicit; US$9.9m ordered"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Mooring ropes were cut and a seawater valve was opened","src":0},{"t":"The court found the owner not complicit and ordered US$9.9m covering insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1994-2002","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Anti-pollution expenses","v":"Within US$9.9m","d":"The court-ordered sum covered insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record: no information on the extent of pollution.","whoPaid":"The court ordered the insurer to pay US$9.9m, including anti-pollution expenses.","statusLine":"As of the 2002 judgment: English court found the owner not complicit and ordered US$9.9m; payment status not found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"hellenic-mutual-war-risks","role":"Insurer; alleged the owner scuttled the ship"},{"id":"strive-shipping","role":"Claimant in the English proceedings (owner side)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the owner scuttle the Grecia Express?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Hellenic Mutual War Risks (insurer)","says":"Alleged the owner, George Ventouris, scuttled the ship.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Colman J, Commercial Court","says":"Found the owner not complicit; the insurer's allegation of intent was not accepted in this case.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Strive Shipping v Hellenic Mutual [2002] EWHC 203 (Comm)","forum":"High Court of England and Wales, Commercial Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Strive Shipping","defendant":"Hellenic Mutual War Risks","filed":null,"decided":"2002","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":9.9,"currency":"USD m","label":"Ordered, covering insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses"},"summary":"Colman J found the owner not complicit in the scuttling and ordered US$9.9m. The judgment set the \"highly improbable\" test later applied in Atlantik Confidence.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Hellenic Mutual War Risks","insured":"Strive Shipping (owner of the Grecia Express)","status":"litigation","year":2002,"amount":{"value":9.9,"currency":"USD m","label":"Ordered by the court"},"reason":"Insurer alleged the owner scuttled the ship","summary":"The court rejected the allegation and ordered US$9.9m covering insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses. Whether the sum was paid was not found.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":9.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"Ordered by the court against the insurer; covered insured value, wreck removal and anti-pollution expenses."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A ferry was sunk by cutting its mooring ropes and opening a seawater valve; the insurer alleged the owner did it, and the court found the owner not complicit.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Hellenic Mutual War Risks","what":"Ordered to pay US$9.9m including anti-pollution expenses","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Aegion, Gulf of Corinth, Greece.","src":0},"when":{"t":"5 March 1994; judgment in 2002.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The insurer alleged the owner scuttled the ship; the court did not accept the allegation.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Mooring ropes were cut and a seawater valve was opened.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Strive Shipping Corp v Hellenic Mutual War Risks Association (Bermuda) Ltd, \"Grecia Express\" - case report headnote and newsletter summary","p":"Informa Law (Lloyd's Law Reports / Lloyd's Maritime Law Newsletter)","d":"2002","u":"https://www.i-law.com/ilaw/doc/view.htm?id=11832","type":"court"},{"t":"Court orders payout on ship scuttling claim","p":"Insurance Times","d":"2002","u":"https://insurancetimes.co.uk/court-orders-payout-on-ship-scuttling-claim/1349469.article","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the owner scuttle the Grecia Express?","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"bruno-pereira-and-dom-phillips-killing","title":"Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips killing (Brazil)","dek":"Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips were killed on 5 June 2022 in the Javari Valley, Amazonas. As of October 2026 no verdict had been found; the trial of those accused of carrying out the killings was moved to Manaus in February 2026.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-4.5,"lon":-71.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Javari Valley, Amazonas","lat":-4.5,"lon":-71.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Manaus","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-06-05","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Verdict as of October 2026","value":"None found","note":"Trial of the accused executors moved to Manaus in February 2026."},"happened":["Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips were killed on 5 June 2022 in the Javari Valley, Amazonas. Pereira was documenting and resisting fishing and hunting by outsiders, which are banned in an Indigenous territory.","Amarildo \"Pelado\" and Jefferson \"Pelado da Dinha\" were sent to jury trial; prosecutors say they confessed. Oseney was dropped from the jury trial by the TRF-1 on 17 September 2024 for insufficient evidence. The STJ upheld that, by a single-judge decision of 13 June 2026 and a unanimous panel decision on 18 August 2026.","Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\"), named by the Federal Police as the man who ordered the killings, was charged on 5 June 2025 and the federal court in Tabatinga accepted the charges on 21 July 2025. In February 2026 the trial of the executors was moved to Manaus. No verdict was found as of October 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips killed on 5 June in the Javari Valley, Amazonas"},{"y":2024,"t":"17 September: TRF-1 (4th Panel) keeps Amarildo and Jefferson for jury trial and removes Oseney for insufficient evidence; October: prosecutors appeal to the STJ"},{"y":2025,"t":"Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\"), named by the Federal Police as the man who ordered the killings, charged (5 June); court accepts the charges (21 July)"},{"y":2026,"t":"February: trial of the executors moved to Manaus. No verdict found as of October 2026"},{"y":2026,"t":"13 June: STJ judge rejects the prosecutors' appeal on Oseney; 18 August: STJ panel unanimously upholds his removal"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Pereira was documenting and resisting fishing and poaching in an Indigenous territory; no company is involved","src":6},{"t":"Amarildo \"Pelado\" and Jefferson \"Pelado da Dinha\" were sent to jury trial; prosecutors say they confessed","src":1},{"t":"The TRF-1 dropped Oseney from the jury trial for insufficient evidence; the STJ upheld that","src":2},{"t":"The court accepted the federal prosecutors' charges against Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\"), named by the Federal Police as the man who ordered the killings","src":0},{"t":"In February 2026 the trial of the executors was moved to Manaus","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"2022-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Verdict","v":"None found","d":"As of October 2026"}]},"unknown":["Jury verdict: none found as of October 2026.","Outcome of the case against Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\"): charged, accused of ordering the killings; no ruling found."],"evidence":["court-pending","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record concerns the killing of two people; no ecological harm is recorded.","whoPaid":"Two people were killed; the trial of those accused was pending as of October 2026.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: trial of the accused executors moved to Manaus in February 2026; the accused mastermind charged; no verdict found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"mpf","role":"Federal prosecutors; brought the charges against the accused"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Jury trial of Amarildo \"Pelado\" and Jefferson \"Pelado da Dinha\" over the killing of Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips","forum":"Federal court, trial moved to Manaus (February 2026)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","defendant":"Amarildo \"Pelado\" and Jefferson \"Pelado da Dinha\" (accused; prosecutors say they confessed)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The accused were sent to jury trial. Oseney was dropped by the TRF-1 on 17 September 2024 for insufficient evidence; the STJ upheld that on 13 June 2026 (single judge) and 18 August 2026 (panel, unanimous). The trial was moved to Manaus in February 2026; no date had been set. No verdict found as of October 2026.","src":1},{"title":"Criminal case against Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\")","forum":"Federal court, Brazil","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","defendant":"Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\"), accused of ordering the killings","filed":"2025","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Named by the Federal Police as the man who ordered the killings, he was charged in 2025 and the court accepted the charges. No ruling found.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2022,"note":"Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips, killed 5 June 2022."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two men were killed in the Javari Valley; those accused of carrying out and ordering the killings face criminal proceedings.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips","what":"Killed on 5 June 2022","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Javari Valley, Amazonas, Brazil; trial moved to Manaus.","src":1},"when":{"t":"5 June 2022; trial moved February 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Pereira was documenting and resisting fishing and hunting by outsiders, which are banned in the Indigenous territory.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record; prosecutors say two of the accused confessed.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Caso Bruno e Dom: Justiça aceita denúncia do MPF e acusado de ser mandante dos assassinatos se torna réu","p":"Ministério Público Federal (MPF)","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722132622/https://www.mpf.mp.br/am/sala-de-imprensa/noticias-am/caso-bruno-e-dom-justica-aceita-denuncia-do-mpf-e-acusado-de-ser-mandante-dos-assassinatos-se-torna-reu","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722132622/https://www.mpf.mp.br/am/sala-de-imprensa/noticias-am/caso-bruno-e-dom-justica-aceita-denuncia-do-mpf-e-acusado-de-ser-mandante-dos-assassinatos-se-torna-reu","dead":true},{"t":"TRF1 acolhe pedido do MPF e transfere julgamento dos executores de Bruno Pereira e Dom Phillips para Manaus (AM)","p":"Ministério Público Federal (MPF)","d":"2026-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/prr1/noticias/trf1-acolhe-pedido-do-mpf-e-transfere-julgamento-dos-executores-de-bruno-pereira-e-dom-phillips-para-manaus-am","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214140428/https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/prr1/noticias/trf1-acolhe-pedido-do-mpf-e-transfere-julgamento-dos-executores-de-bruno-pereira-e-dom-phillips-para-manaus-am"},{"t":"TRF-1 tira 1 dos réus do júri popular pela morte de Bruno e Dom","p":"Poder360","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-justica/trf-1-tira-1-dos-reus-pela-morte-de-bruno-e-dom-do-juri-popular/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217154950/https://www.poder360.com.br/poder-justica/trf-1-tira-1-dos-reus-pela-morte-de-bruno-e-dom-do-juri-popular/"},{"t":"STJ mantém exclusão de pescador do processo sobre mortes de Bruno Pereira e Dom Phillips","p":"O Liberal","d":"2026-08-18","u":"https://www.oliberal.com/policia/stj-mantem-exclusao-de-pescador-do-processo-sobre-mortes-de-bruno-pereira-e-dom-phillips-1.1158611","type":"press"},{"t":"Caso Bruno e Dom: MPF recorre ao STJ para que réu seja levado a júri popular","p":"SBT News","d":"2024-10-03","u":"https://sbtnews.sbt.com.br/noticia/justica/caso-bruno-e-dom-mpf-recorre-ao-stj-para-que-reu-seja-levado-a-juri-popular","type":"press"},{"t":"Bruno Pereira e Dom Phillips: STJ mantém decisão que retira acusado do Tribunal do Júri","p":"Jovem Pan","d":"2026-06-15","u":"https://jovempan.com.br/brasil/bruno-pereira-e-dom-phillips-stj-mantem-decisao-que-retira-acusado-do-tribunal-do-juri/","type":"press"},{"t":"Dom Phillips (killed 5 June 2022)","p":"Committee to Protect Journalists","d":"2022","u":"https://cpj.org/data/people/dom-phillips/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Jury verdict: none found as of October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the case against Rubén Dario da Silva Villar (\"Colômbia\"): charged, accused of ordering the killings; no ruling found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips"]},{"id":"thoothukudi-sterlite-copper-smelter-protest-shooting","title":"Thoothukudi Sterlite copper smelter protest shooting","dek":"Police fired on people protesting against Vedanta's Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, India, on 22 May 2018, killing 13. The plant was ordered closed on 28 May 2018, and India's Supreme Court dismissed the company's appeal in 2024.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":8.8,"lon":78.13,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event","lat":8.8,"lon":78.13},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"court"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2018-05-22","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"People killed when police fired on protesters, 22 May 2018","value":"13","note":"Recorded count."},"happened":["On 22 May 2018 police in Thoothukudi, India, fired on people protesting against the Sterlite copper smelter, a plant of the mining group Vedanta. Thirteen people were killed.","The plant was ordered permanently closed on 28 May 2018. The Madras High Court upheld the closure in August 2020. The Supreme Court of India dismissed Vedanta's appeal on 29 February 2024 and its review petition in October 2024.","The Madras High Court transferred the investigation of the shooting to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India's national police agency, in August 2018. The CBI filed a charge sheet against a police inspector and, according to the Tamil Nadu government's affidavit reported in September 2026, that trial is pending. The CBI said the firing was not pre-planned and recommended departmental action over lapses by some police and revenue officials. A commission of inquiry headed by retired judge Aruna Jagadeesan, set up by the state government the day after the shooting, delivered its report in May 2022 and it was tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in October 2022. The commission concluded that the firing was unprovoked and began without warning, held police and revenue officials responsible for the deaths, and recommended action against 17 police officers. In August 2026 the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court asked the state what it had done on the commission's recommendations; the state said it had paid Rs 25 lakh to the families of those killed and that disciplinary proceedings against the then district Collector and two senior police officers had been dropped.","Election Commission data on electoral bonds for 2019 to 2024, published on 14 March 2024 after a decision dated 15 February 2024, list the purchasers and redeemers of the bonds. According to The Wire, Vedanta was the fourth-largest purchaser."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"22 May: police fire on anti-Sterlite protesters in Thoothukudi; 13 killed. 28 May: plant ordered permanently closed"},{"y":2020,"t":"August: Madras High Court upholds the closure"},{"y":2022,"t":"May: Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission delivers its report; the CBI files a further charge sheet and recommends departmental action over lapses. October: commission report tabled in the Tamil Nadu Assembly; it recommends action against 17 police officers"},{"y":2024,"t":"29 February: Supreme Court dismisses Vedanta's appeal. 14 March: electoral bond data published (Vedanta named as fourth-largest purchaser by The Wire). October: review petition dismissed"},{"y":2026,"t":"August: Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) asks the state about action on the commission's recommendations; CBI trial of a police inspector pending"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Police fired on anti-Sterlite protesters on 22 May 2018 and 13 people were killed.","src":6},{"t":"The plant was ordered permanently closed on 28 May 2018; the Madras High Court upheld the closure in August 2020.","src":6},{"t":"The Supreme Court dismissed Vedanta's appeal on 29 February 2024 and its review petition in October 2024.","src":0},{"t":"The Election Commission's electoral bond data for 2019 to 2024 (763 pages; decision of 15 February 2024, published 14 March 2024) were reported by The Wire to show Vedanta as the fourth-largest purchaser.","src":1},{"t":"Vedanta is listed among the extractives and energy members of the Forest Future Alliance, which describes itself as an evolution of 1t.org.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"2018","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plant status","v":"Closed","d":"Ordered permanently closed 28 May 2018; closure upheld by the Madras High Court (2020) and the Supreme Court (2024)"},{"k":"People killed in the protest shooting","v":"13","d":"22 May 2018"}]},"unknown":["Whether the electoral bond purchases are connected to any decision on the plant: the cited sources show purchases in the same period only and establish no link."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The plant was ordered permanently closed on 28 May 2018, and the closure was upheld by the Madras High Court (August 2020) and the Supreme Court (February and October 2024).","whoPaid":"Thirteen people were killed in the police firing. No compensation or penalty figure is on record.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the Supreme Court dismissed Vedanta's appeal and review petition in 2024 and the plant remains closed; a CBI trial of a police inspector is pending; the Madras High Court is hearing a petition on action over the Aruna Jagadeesan Commission report.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"vedanta","role":"Owner of the Sterlite copper smelter"},{"id":"supreme-court-of-india","role":"Court that dismissed Vedanta's appeal and review petition"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the closure of the Sterlite copper smelter (Madras High Court)","forum":"Madras High Court","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Vedanta (Sterlite Copper)","defendant":"Tamil Nadu government and the authorities that ordered the closure","filed":null,"decided":"2020-08","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Madras High Court upheld the closure of the plant in August 2020.","src":7},{"title":"Vedanta appeal against the closure of the Sterlite copper smelter (Supreme Court of India)","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Vedanta","defendant":"Authorities that ordered the closure","filed":null,"decided":"2024-10","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Supreme Court dismissed Vedanta's appeal on 29 February 2024 and its review petition in October 2024.","src":0},{"title":"CBI probe into the police shooting of 22 May 2018","forum":"Central Bureau of Investigation (national police)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Central Bureau of Investigation","defendant":"A police inspector (charged; trial pending); no other police officer charged","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Madras High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI in August 2018. The CBI filed a charge sheet against a police inspector; the trial is pending (Tamil Nadu government affidavit, reported September 2026). The CBI said the firing was not pre-planned and recommended departmental action for lapses by some police and revenue officials.","src":8},{"title":"Petition for action after the Aruna Jagadeesan Commission report (Madras High Court, Madurai Bench)","forum":"Madras High Court, Madurai Bench (Justices CV Karthikeyan and R Sakthivel)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"K Kathiresan and others (petitioners)","defendant":"Tamil Nadu government","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The petitioners seek criminal action against those responsible for the firing, the balance of compensation to victims, departmental action against senior officials and a transfer of the investigation from the CBI to the state's Special Investigation Team. The state told the court it had paid Rs 25 lakh to the families of those killed and that proceedings against the then Collector and two senior police officers had been dropped. The court asked for the state's position on pending compensation and departmental action by 10 September 2026.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":13,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"Killed when police fired on anti-Sterlite protesters, 22 May 2018."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Police fired on protesters against Vedanta's Sterlite copper smelter, killing 13; the plant was closed and the closure was upheld by the courts.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Vedanta","what":"The Sterlite copper smelter was ordered permanently closed on 28 May 2018; its appeal and review petition were dismissed by the Supreme Court in 2024.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Thirteen people killed in the police firing","what":"Killed on 22 May 2018 during the protest against the plant.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Thoothukudi, India.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Shooting on 22 May 2018; closure order 28 May 2018; High Court ruling August 2020; Supreme Court orders 29 February 2024 and October 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the grounds of the protest or of the closure order.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Police opened fire on the protesters; the closure was then ordered and tested in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Supreme Court dismisses plea for re-opening Sterlite copper plant in Thoothukudi","p":"The News Minute","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/supreme-court-dismisses-plea-for-re-opening-sterlite-copper-plant-in-thoothukudi","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250812175536/https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/supreme-court-dismisses-plea-for-re-opening-sterlite-copper-plant-in-thoothukudi"},{"t":"Details of electoral bonds submitted by SBI, Part I and II (Election Commission data, 2019-2024; Vedanta ranking per The Wire)","p":"Election Commission of India, via ruralindiaonline.org","d":"2024-03-14","type":"official","u":"https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/library/resource/details-of-electoral-bonds-submitted-by-sbi-part--i-and-ii/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411110456/https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/library/resource/details-of-electoral-bonds-submitted-by-sbi-part--i-and-ii/"},{"t":"Thoothukudi firing: Inquiry report finds police, revenue officials responsible for 13 deaths","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2022-10-28","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/governance/thoothukudi-firing-inquiry-report-finds-police-revenue-officials-responsible-for-13-deaths-85673","type":"press"},{"t":"Thoothukudi anti-Sterlite protest firing: CBI probe finds lapses, but books no cop","p":"The Federal","d":"2022-05","u":"https://thefederal.com/states/south/tamil-nadu/tuticorin-anti-sterlite-protest-firing-cbi-finds-lapses-but-books-no-policemen","type":"press"},{"t":"HC seeks report on Thoothukudi firing action","p":"News Today","d":"2026-09-01","u":"https://newstodaynet.com/2026/09/01/hc-seeks-report-on-thoothukudi-firing-action/","type":"press"},{"t":"Thoothukudi firing: Madras HC pulls up TN govt over action on commission report","p":"DT Next","d":"2026-08-19","u":"https://www.dtnext.in/news/tamilnadu/thoothukudi-firing-madras-hc-pulls-up-tn-govt-over-action-on-commission-report","type":"press"},{"t":"Nearly week after firing, TN govt orders permanent shutdown of Sterlite plant","p":"The Week","d":"2018-05-28","u":"https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2018/05/28/firing-tn-shutdown-sterlite-plant.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Sterlite copper in Thoothukudi to remain shut: Madras HC","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2020-08-18","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/pollution/sterlite-copper-in-thoothukudi-to-remain-shut-madras-hc-72892","type":"press"},{"t":"CBI to probe police firing during Thoothukudi Sterlite protests, orders Madras HC","p":"The News Minute","d":"2018-08-14","u":"https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/cbi-probe-police-firing-during-thoothukudi-sterlite-protests-orders-madras-hc-86520","type":"press"},{"t":"Forest Future Alliance - Members","p":"World Economic Forum (Forest Future Alliance)","d":"2026","u":"https://www.forestfuturealliance.org/members","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"protest-shooting","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the electoral bond purchases are connected to any decision on the plant: the cited sources show purchases in the same period only and establish no link.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Thirteen people killed in the police firing"]},{"id":"rio-tinto-juukan-gorge-destruction","title":"Rio Tinto Juukan Gorge destruction","dek":"Rio Tinto destroyed rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Australia by blasting on 24 May 2020. The shelters are reported to have been 46,000 years old.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-22.6,"lon":117.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"event","lat":-22.6,"lon":117.7},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"court"}],"start":2020,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2020-05-24","instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Date the Juukan Gorge rock shelters were destroyed by blasting","value":"24 May 2020","note":"Recorded date."},"happened":["On 24 May 2020 Rio Tinto destroyed rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Australia by blasting. The shelters are reported to have been about 46,000 years old.","Rio Tinto had conservation partnerships at the time. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) published a Collaboration Agreement with Rio Tinto, signed on 12 July 2010 and running initially for three programme years; an external mid-term review dated March 2014 refers to a bridging year in 2014. A Fauna & Flora International brochure from about 2013 states that it had worked in partnership with Rio Tinto for over 15 years. Rio Tinto is also listed as a partner of BirdLife International. The cited sources contain no notice that the IUCN agreement ended."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"12 July: IUCN and Rio Tinto sign a Collaboration Agreement, initially for three programme years"},{"y":2014,"t":"External mid-term review of the IUCN-Rio Tinto relationship refers to a bridging year in 2014"},{"y":2020,"t":"24 May: rock shelters at Juukan Gorge destroyed by blasting"}],"said":[{"q":"one of the most effective ways to protect biodiversity","who":"Fauna & Flora International, brochure 'Working with business for conservation' (about 2013), on working with businesses","when":"about 2013","src":3},{"q":"FFI has been working in partnership with rio Tinto for over 15 years.","who":"Fauna & Flora International, brochure 'Working with business for conservation'","when":"about 2013","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Partnership with IUCN under a Collaboration Agreement signed 12 July 2010.","who":"IUCN","src":1},{"t":"Partnership with Fauna & Flora International for over 15 years.","who":"Fauna & Flora International","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rock shelters at Juukan Gorge were destroyed by blasting on 24 May 2020.","src":5},{"t":"The IUCN Collaboration Agreement states: \"This Agreement ends following a period of three (3) Programme Years\". The amount was not stated.","src":1},{"t":"An IUCN external mid-term review of the relationship, dated March 2014, refers to a bridging year in 2014.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":"2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Rock shelters destroyed","v":"Yes","d":"Blasting at Juukan Gorge, 24 May 2020"},{"k":"Age of the shelters","v":"46,000 years","d":"As reported; no primary source reviewed"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The destruction of the rock shelters by blasting on 24 May 2020 is on record.","report":[{"t":"Rock shelters in my gorge were destroyed by blasting on 24 May 2020.","src":5}]},"unknown":["The Australian Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia is reported to have tabled an interim report titled 'Never Again' on 9 December 2020 and to have called the destruction 'inexcusable' (Parliament of Australia media release).","Unconfirmed: a statement that 'Rio knew the value of what they were destroying but blew it up anyway' is attributed to the blast of 24 May 2020 without a named speaker.","Whether the IUCN, Fauna & Flora International and BirdLife partnerships with Rio Tinto continued after 2020: the current status of the Fauna & Flora International partnership is not on record, and no IUCN notice ending the agreement appears in them."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The blast of 24 May 2020 destroyed the rock shelters; the cited sources record no restoration.","whoPaid":"No penalty, compensation or court outcome is on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated item in the cited sources (2020): the destruction is recorded; no court proceeding or penalty is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Mining company that carried out the blasting"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Conservation body in a Collaboration Agreement with Rio Tinto (2010)"},{"id":"fauna-flora","role":"Conservation body in a partnership with Rio Tinto for over 15 years (brochure, about 2013)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"age_years","value":46000,"unit":"years","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported age of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters; no primary source reviewed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rock shelters at Juukan Gorge were destroyed by blasting.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"The Juukan Gorge rock shelters","what":"Destroyed by blasting on 24 May 2020; reported age 46,000 years.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Juukan Gorge, Australia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"24 May 2020.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the reason for the blast or the permission under which it took place.","src":null},"how":{"t":"By blasting.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Never Again (media release on the interim report of the Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia)","p":"Parliament of Australia","d":"2020-12-09","type":"official","u":"https://aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/About_the_House_News/Media_Releases/Never_Again","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411171326/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/About_the_House_News/Media_Releases/Never_Again"},{"t":"IUCN's Collaboration Agreement with Rio Tinto","p":"IUCN","d":"2010-07-14","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://iucn.org/node/12296","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141854/https://iucn.org/content/iucns-collaboration-agreement-rio-tinto"},{"t":"Global IUCN-Rio Tinto relationship: external mid-term review 2013","p":"IUCN","d":"2014-03","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/global-iucn-rio-tinto-relationship-external-midterm-review-2013.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260118012643/https://library@iucn.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/global-iucn-rio-tinto-relationship-external-midterm-review-2013.pdf"},{"t":"Working with business for conservation (brochure)","p":"Fauna & Flora International","d":"2013","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.fauna-flora.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FFI_Working-with-business-for-conservation.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240808053235/https://www.fauna-flora.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/FFI_Working-with-business-for-conservation.pdf"},{"t":"IUCN page on the Rio Tinto Collaboration Agreement","p":"IUCN","d":"2010","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://iucn.org/node/12274"},{"t":"Board Review of Cultural Heritage Management (Juukan Gorge)","p":"Rio Tinto","d":"2020-08-23","u":"https://www.riotinto.com/-/media/content/documents/news/releases/2020/rt-cultural-heritage-board-review.pdf","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"cultural-heritage-destruction","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Age years: Reported age of the Juukan Gorge rock shelters; no primary source reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Australian Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia is reported to have tabled an interim report titled 'Never Again' on 9 December 2020 and to have called the destruction 'inexcusable' (Parliament of Australia media release).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a statement that 'Rio knew the value of what they were destroying but blew it up anyway' is attributed to the blast of 24 May 2020 without a named speaker.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the IUCN, Fauna & Flora International and BirdLife partnerships with Rio Tinto continued after 2020: the current status of the Fauna & Flora International partnership is not on record, and no IUCN notice ending the agreement appears in them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: The Juukan Gorge rock shelters"]},{"id":"kirazli-gold-mine-alamos-gold-kaz-daglari-canakkale","title":"Kirazlı gold mine (Alamos Gold), Kaz Dağları, Çanakkale","dek":"Canadian company Alamos Gold's Kirazlı gold project in the Kaz Dağları area of Çanakkale, Türkiye, lost its operating licence in 2019, drew a USD 1 billion arbitration claim in 2021, and was sold to a Turkish company for USD 470 million in 2025. The number of trees felled is put at between 13,400 and 347,815, depending on the source.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Europe/Asia","lat":40,"lon":26.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Çanakkale","role":"event","lat":40,"lon":26.9},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Trees felled at Kirazlı, by source","value":"13,400 to 347,815","note":"Lowest: General Directorate of Forestry (OGM); highest: Turkish Foresters' Association. The environmental impact assessment gave 45,650 and TEMA 195,000."},"happened":["The East Biga projects in the Kaz Dağları area of Çanakkale, including Kirazlı, belonged to the Canadian company Alamos Gold from 2018. The operating licence expired on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; the forest permit was rejected in October 2020. Türkiye did not renew the mining licence in 2019.","Trees were felled at Kirazlı. The figures differ by source: 13,400 (General Directorate of Forestry, OGM), 45,650 (environmental impact assessment, ÇED), 195,000 (TEMA) and 347,815 (Turkish Foresters' Association). A counting convention noted in the sources is that trees under 8 cm in diameter are not counted. A protest vigil, the 'Water and Conscience Vigil', began in July 2019; the Atikhisar Dam lies 14 km from the site.","In April 2021 Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in international arbitration over the halted project, and said its investment exceeded USD 250 million. The company's chief executive said Alamos had paid about USD 5 million for forest permits and described the protests as a political attack.","On 14 September 2025 Alamos announced the sale of its Turkish projects (Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı and Çamyurt) to Tümad, a subsidiary of Nurol Holding, for USD 470 million. The arbitration was reported as suspended, to lapse when certain stages of the sale are completed; the terms were reported as confidential.","In April 2026 Tümad's work machinery was reported on the site, and opponents said no new environmental impact assessment decision had been issued. In July 2026 the Kirazlı Solidarity Network was formed and the vigil continued."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"East Biga projects held by Alamos Gold"},{"y":2019,"t":"July: 'Water and Conscience Vigil' begins. 13 October: operating licence expires and is not extended"},{"y":2020,"t":"October: forest permit rejected"},{"y":2021,"t":"April: Alamos claims USD 1 billion in international arbitration"},{"y":2025,"t":"14 September: Alamos announces sale of its Turkish projects to Tümad (Nurol Holding) for USD 470 million; arbitration suspended"},{"y":2026,"t":"April: Tümad machinery reported on site; July: Kirazlı Solidarity Network formed, vigil continues"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The protests are political and deliberate misinformation.","who":"Alamos Gold (company position, as reported)","src":4},{"t":"Cyanide is never used during the construction phase (2019).","who":"Alamos Gold (as reported)","src":null},{"t":"The site is 40 km from Kaz Dağları.","who":"The Ministry (as reported)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The operating licence ended on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; the forest permit was rejected in October 2020.","src":2},{"t":"Tree-felling figures: 13,400 (OGM), 45,650 (environmental impact assessment), 195,000 (TEMA), 347,815 (Turkish Foresters' Association).","src":3},{"t":"Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in international arbitration in April 2021; the company said its investment exceeded USD 250 million.","src":2},{"t":"The East Biga projects (Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı, Çamyurt) were sold to Tümad, a Nurol Holding subsidiary, for USD 470 million (announced 14 September 2025); the arbitration is suspended and the terms are confidential.","src":0},{"t":"The Kirazlı environmental impact assessment includes a heap-leach area.","src":7},{"t":"A 2025 law, replaced the olive-grove protection standard at the sites of two companies with a 'transplant or equivalent area' requirement.","src":8},{"t":"Unauthorised removal of olive trees carries a penalty of TL 60 per tree.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sale price of the East Biga projects (Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı, Çamyurt) to Tümad, announced 14 September 2025","amount":470}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Trees felled at Kirazlı","v":"13,400 to 347,815","d":"Range across OGM, environmental impact assessment, TEMA and Turkish Foresters' Association figures"},{"k":"Operating licence","v":"Expired 13 Oct 2019","d":"Not extended; forest permit rejected October 2020"},{"k":"Cyanide in olives","v":"No measurement found","d":"No record measuring cyanide in olives is on record"}]},"unknown":["How many trees were felled: sources give figures from 13,400 to 347,815, and the counting convention excludes trees under 8 cm in diameter.","Whether cyanide has affected olives: no record measuring cyanide in olives is on record.","How many of the transplanted trees under the 2025 olive-grove law survive: no record was found.","Where the boundary of 'Kaz Dağları' is drawn: the Ministry puts the site 40 km from Kaz Dağları, and the cited sources do not settle the boundary.","The terms of the Tümad sale and of the arbitration suspension: reported as confidential.","The project's current operating status: the cited sources give only the April 2026 report of machinery on site and opponents' statement that no new environmental impact assessment decision exists."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The operating licence expired on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; the forest permit was rejected in October 2020. Tümad's machinery was reported on the site in April 2026.","whoPaid":"The arbitration claim of USD 1 billion against Türkiye is suspended pending completion of certain stages of the sale; the cited sources record no payment to forest or water users.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the projects belong to Tümad (Nurol Holding), the arbitration is suspended, machinery was reported on site in April 2026, and the vigil continues.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"alamos-gold","says":"Its chief executive said the company paid about USD 5 million for forest permits and described the protests as a political attack (paraphrase of Turkish-language reporting).","when":"2019","src":4},{"actor":"alamos-gold","says":"It said in 2019 that cyanide is never used during the construction phase (paraphrase).","when":"2019","src":null},{"actor":"alamos-gold","says":"It said its investment exceeded USD 250 million and claimed USD 1 billion in international arbitration.","when":"April 2021","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"alamos-gold","role":"Owner of the project until 2025"},{"id":"tumad","role":"Buyer of the East Biga projects (Nurol Holding subsidiary)"},{"id":"nurol-holding","role":"Parent of the buyer"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many trees were felled at Kirazlı?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"General Directorate of Forestry (OGM)","says":"13,400 trees.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environmental impact assessment (ÇED)","says":"45,650 trees.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"TEMA","says":"195,000 trees.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Turkish Foresters' Association","says":"347,815 trees.","src":3}]},{"point":"Is cyanide poisoning Kaz Dağları and its olives?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Claim circulating in public debate (originator: none on record)","says":"Kaz Dağları and the olives are being poisoned with cyanide.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Alamos Gold","says":"Cyanide is never used during the construction phase (2019).","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"The Ministry","says":"The site is 40 km from Kaz Dağları.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Alamos Gold arbitration claim over the halted Kirazlı project","forum":"International arbitration","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Alamos Gold","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":"2021-04","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1000000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Amount claimed"},"summary":"Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in April 2021 and said its investment exceeded USD 250 million. After the sale to Tümad in September 2025 the arbitration was suspended and is to lapse once certain stages are completed.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_felled","value":13400,"unit":"trees","year":2019,"note":"General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) figure."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":45650,"unit":"trees","year":2019,"note":"Environmental impact assessment (ÇED) figure."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":195000,"unit":"trees","year":2019,"note":"TEMA figure."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":347815,"unit":"trees","year":2019,"note":"Turkish Foresters' Association figure."},{"key":"sale_price","value":470,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Sale of the East Biga projects to Tümad, announced 14 September 2025."},{"key":"claim","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Arbitration claim by Alamos, April 2021."},{"key":"investment","value":250,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Company statement."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A gold-mining project in the Kaz Dağları area lost its operating licence, led to a USD 1 billion arbitration claim and was sold to a Turkish company; tree felling figures vary widely.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Alamos Gold","what":"Agreed a sale price of USD 470 million for the East Biga projects.","src":0},{"who":"Tümad (Nurol Holding)","what":"Acquired the Kirazlı, Ağı Dağı and Çamyurt projects.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Alamos Gold","what":"Operating licence expired on 13 October 2019 and was not extended; forest permit rejected in October 2020.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest at Kirazlı","what":"Trees were felled; figures range from 13,400 to 347,815.","src":3},{"who":"Users of the forest and the Atikhisar Dam basin","what":"Described in press reports as losing; the dam is 14 km from the site.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Kirazlı, East Biga, Kaz Dağları, Çanakkale, Türkiye.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Licence expired 13 October 2019; arbitration April 2021; sale announced 14 September 2025; machinery on site April 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the licence was not renewed. Alamos described the protests as a political attack.","src":4},"how":{"t":"The licence was not renewed in 2019 and the forest permit was rejected in 2020; Alamos claimed USD 1 billion in arbitration and then sold the projects to Tümad.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Alamos Announces Sale of Turkish Projects","p":"Alamos Gold","d":"2025-09-14","type":"company","u":"https://s24.q4cdn.com/779615370/files/doc_news/2025/Sept/20250914-Alamos-Announces-Sale-of-Turkish-Projects_FINAL.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250916000946/https://s24.q4cdn.com/779615370/files/doc_news/2025/Sept/20250914-Alamos-Announces-Sale-of-Turkish-Projects_FINAL.pdf"},{"t":"Alamos sells its companies to Nurol Holding; cancellation of the USD 1 billion case expected (title from URL)","p":"Forbes Türkiye","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.forbes.com.tr/haberler/alamos-sirketleri-nurol-holding-e-satti-1-milyar-dolarlik-davanin-iptali-bekleniyor","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517182410/https://www.forbes.com.tr/haberler/alamos-sirketleri-nurol-holding-e-satti-1-milyar-dolarlik-davanin-iptali-bekleniyor"},{"t":"Alamos seeks $1 billion from Turkey over halted mining project","p":"CIM Magazine","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://magazine.cim.org/en/news/2021/alamos-seeks-1-billion-from-turkey-over-halted-mining-project-en/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210519025352/https://magazine.cim.org/en/news/2021/alamos-seeks-1-billion-from-turkey-over-halted-mining-project-en/"},{"t":"Diken report on tree felling at Kirazlı (article 743967)","p":"Diken","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://www.diken.com.tr/?p=743967","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018104021/https://www.diken.com.tr/sokakta-ve-napoli-radyosunda/?tdb_action=tdb_ajax"},{"t":"Diken report quoting Alamos on forest permits and the protests (article 708075)","p":"Diken","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://www.diken.com.tr/?p=708075"},{"t":"Thousands of trees cut in Kaz Dağları, public on vigil (title from URL)","p":"bianet","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/kaz-daglari-nda-binlerce-agac-kesildi-halk-nobette-210968","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251111211441/https://bianet.org/haber/kaz-daglari-nda-binlerce-agac-kesildi-halk-nobette-210968"},{"t":"Evrensel report on the Kirazlı vigil (article 5993591)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5993591"},{"t":"Kirazli Gold-Silver Project, Canakkale (project profile: heap leach pad, environmental approval August 2013)","p":"Mining Technology","d":"2017","u":"https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/kirazli-gold-silver-project/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216150317/https://www.mining-technology.com/projects/kirazli-gold-silver-project/"},{"t":"Milas ve Yatağanlı üreticiler zeytinlikleri madenciliğe açan yasaya karşı Danıştay'a gitti","p":"bianet","d":"2025-08-18","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107084836/https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565"},{"t":"3573 sayılı Zeytinciliğin Islahı ve Yabanilerinin Aşılattırılması Hakkında Kanun, madde 20","p":"Mevzuat Bilgi Sistemi (Turkey)","d":"1939-01-26","u":"https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.3.3573.pdf","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240217230314/https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.3.3573.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"mining-licence","related":["bergama-gold-mine"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many trees were felled at Kirazlı?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is cyanide poisoning Kaz Dağları and its olives?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How many trees were felled: sources give figures from 13,400 to 347,815, and the counting convention excludes trees under 8 cm in diameter.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether cyanide has affected olives: no record measuring cyanide in olives is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How many of the transplanted trees under the 2025 olive-grove law survive: no record was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where the boundary of 'Kaz Dağları' is drawn: the Ministry puts the site 40 km from Kaz Dağları, and the cited sources do not settle the boundary.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The terms of the Tümad sale and of the arbitration suspension: reported as confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The project's current operating status: the cited sources give only the April 2026 report of machinery on site and opponents' statement that no new environmental impact assessment decision exists.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"duke-energy-coal-ash-insurance-dispute","title":"Duke Energy coal ash insurance dispute","dek":"In 2017 Duke Energy sued about 30 insurers over coverage for coal ash cleanup liabilities estimated at $5.1 billion. Settlements with 23 insurers brought in about $418 million by August 2021; regulators separately allowed part of the cost to be passed to customers.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":35.5,"lon":-79.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Carolina","lat":35.5,"lon":-79.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"South Carolina","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Carolina","role":"court"}],"start":2017,"end":2021,"eventDate":"2017-03-29","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Settlements received vs liability estimate at filing","value":"about $418m of $5.1bn","note":"Duke's liability estimate in 2017 compared with settlements received through August 2021; the two figures are from different dates."},"happened":["Duke Energy's coal ash ponds in North Carolina and South Carolina produced cleanup liabilities. The estimate recorded in the case was $5.1 billion, and more than $725 million had been spent by November 2016.","On 29 March 2017 Duke sued about 30 insurers in North Carolina state Business Court. The claims rested on 57 general liability policies written from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. AEGIS, an insurer based in Bermuda, filed its own federal suit the same day, saying that Duke's predecessors had tried and failed to get it to pay on claims made in 1996 and that it was “now too late to go to court”.","The insurers gave several grounds: that the damage “was caused intentionally, by or at Duke's direction”; that Duke “continued to dispose of (coal ash) in unlined ash ponds long after it knew it had environmental problems”; that there were no distinct pollution events (an “occurrence” under the policies); and that Duke had made claims for the same ponds in the 1990s.","Chief Judge Bledsoe found on summary judgment that the insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant, and ruled that “all sums” allocation applies to the insurers TIG and Ranger. Duke reached 14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021, and received about $418 million. Two foreign insurers defaulted.","Separately, regulators decided how much of the cleanup cost customers would bear. In February 2018 the North Carolina Utilities Commission allowed Duke Energy Progress to recover $232 million, raising customers' fixed monthly charge from $11.13 to $14 (25%), and imposed a $30 million penalty for mismanagement. In a January 2021 settlement Duke agreed not to pass about $1.1 billion of a cleanup plan estimated at $8–9 billion on to customers, and it continues to earn a return on the remaining costs at a lower rate than it had proposed."],"timeline":[{"y":1996,"t":"Claims made to AEGIS by Duke's predecessors (per AEGIS)"},{"y":2016,"t":"More than $725m spent on coal ash by November"},{"y":2017,"t":"Duke sues about 30 insurers in North Carolina Business Court; AEGIS files its own federal suit the same day (29 March)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Utilities Commission lets Duke Energy Progress recover $232m and imposes a $30m penalty (23 February)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Settlement with regulators and customers' side (January); last of 14 insurer settlements (August)"}],"said":[{"q":"was caused intentionally, by or at Duke's direction","who":"Insurers' stated ground for refusing cover","when":"2017","src":0},{"q":"continued to dispose of (coal ash) in unlined ash ponds long after it knew it had environmental problems","who":"Insurers' stated ground for refusing cover","when":"2017","src":0},{"q":"now too late to go to court","who":"AEGIS (Bermuda), in its federal suit","when":"29 March 2017","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Duke's suit named about 30 insurers and 57 general liability policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s; the liability estimate was $5.1 billion and more than $725 million had been spent by November 2016.","src":0},{"t":"Insurers argued the damage was intentional, that Duke kept using unlined ponds after it knew of environmental problems, that there was no distinct pollution event, and that Duke had made claims on the same ponds in the 1990s.","src":0},{"t":"On summary judgment Chief Judge Bledsoe found the insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant and ruled that “all sums” allocation applies to TIG and Ranger.","src":0},{"t":"14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021, brought in about $418 million. Two foreign insurers defaulted.","src":3},{"t":"February 2018: fixed monthly charge for Duke Energy Progress customers rose from $11.13 to $14 (25%), allowing recovery of $232 million; the commission imposed a $30 million mismanagement penalty.","src":2},{"t":"January 2021 settlement: Duke agreed not to pass about $1.1 billion of an $8–9 billion plan on to customers and continues to earn a return on the remaining costs at a lower rate than it had proposed.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"US plants with ash ponds that contaminate groundwater","v":"91% (265 of 292)","d":"Nationwide figure for 2022; not specific to Duke Energy sites"},{"k":"US plants with ash ponds that chose a cleanup plan including treatment","v":"4% (11)","d":"Nationwide figure for 2022; not specific to Duke Energy sites"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that in 2017 the Utilities Commission allowed Duke to pass all coal ash cleanup costs to customers except a $100 million environmental penalty.","Unconfirmed: that the North Carolina Supreme Court partly reversed the Commission's decision in December 2020.","Unconfirmed: that under the 2021 settlement shareholders bore about three-quarters of the cost of the unlined ponds.","The outcome of the AEGIS federal suit is not on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The insurance suits ended with settlements, the last in August 2021.","whoPaid":"Insurers paid about $418 million in settlements against a $5.1 billion liability estimate. Customers were allowed to bear part of the rest through rates; under the January 2021 settlement about $1.1 billion of an $8–9 billion plan was not passed on to them.","statusLine":"As of August 2021: Duke reached 14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021, for about $418 million; the January 2021 rate settlement keeps part of the cleanup cost with customers.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"aegis-bermuda","says":"Filed its own federal suit the same day as Duke's, saying Duke's predecessors had tried and failed to get it to pay on 1996 claims and that it was “now too late to go to court”.","when":"2017-03-29","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"duke-energy","role":"Policyholder and plaintiff; coal ash owner"},{"id":"aegis-bermuda","role":"Insurer; filed its own federal suit against Duke"},{"id":"ncuc","role":"State utility regulator; set cost recovery from customers"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the insurers liable under the 1970s and 1980s general liability policies for the coal ash damage?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Duke Energy","says":"Sued about 30 insurers in March 2017 over 57 general liability policies, with a liability estimate of $5.1 billion.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers (about 30)","says":"The damage “was caused intentionally, by or at Duke's direction”; Duke “continued to dispose of (coal ash) in unlined ash ponds long after it knew it had environmental problems”; there were no distinct pollution events; Duke had made claims on the same ponds in the 1990s.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Chief Judge Bledsoe, North Carolina Business Court","says":"Insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant on summary judgment; “all sums” allocation applies to TIG and Ranger.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Duke Energy v. about 30 insurers (coal ash coverage)","forum":"North Carolina Business Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Duke Energy","defendant":"About 30 insurers","filed":"2017-03-29","decided":"2021-08","status":"settled","amount":{"value":418,"currency":"USD","label":"about $418 million received in settlements (millions of dollars)"},"summary":"Claim under 57 general liability policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. The insurers argued intentional damage, knowledge of environmental problems, no distinct pollution event and earlier claims on the same ponds. The court found on summary judgment that intentional damage had not been proved at the Mayo plant and that “all sums” allocation applies to TIG and Ranger. 14 settlements were reached with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021; two foreign insurers defaulted.","src":0},{"title":"AEGIS v. Duke Energy","forum":"US federal court (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"AEGIS (Bermuda)","defendant":"Duke Energy","filed":"2017-03-29","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"AEGIS filed its own suit the same day as Duke's, saying Duke's predecessors had tried and failed to get it to pay on claims made in 1996 and that it was “now too late to go to court”. The outcome is not on record.","src":0},{"title":"Duke Energy Progress rate case (coal ash cost recovery)","forum":"North Carolina Utilities Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Duke Energy Progress","defendant":"Not stated (customer ratepayers and intervenors)","filed":null,"decided":"2018-02-23","status":"unknown","summary":"The commission raised the fixed monthly charge for Duke Energy Progress customers from $11.13 to $14 (25%), allowing recovery of $232 million spent by the company, and imposed a $30 million mismanagement penalty. The hearing included testimony from a customer. The cited sources do not state how this compares with what Duke sought.","src":2},{"title":"January 2021 coal ash cost settlement","forum":"North Carolina (counterparties: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Not specified","defendant":"Duke Energy","filed":null,"decided":"2021-01","status":"settled","summary":"Duke agreed not to pass about $1.1 billion of a cleanup plan estimated at $8–9 billion on to customers. It continues to earn a return on the remaining costs, at a lower rate than it had proposed.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"About 30 insurers, including TIG and Ranger","insured":"Duke Energy","status":"refused-then-paid","year":2021,"amount":{"value":418,"currency":"USD","label":"about $418 million received in settlements (millions of dollars)"},"reason":"Insurers argued the damage was intentional, that Duke kept using unlined ponds after it knew of environmental problems, that there was no distinct pollution event and that Duke had made claims on the same ponds in the 1990s.","summary":"Duke sued in March 2017. 14 settlements with 23 insurers followed, the last in August 2021; two foreign insurers defaulted. The liability estimate at filing was $5.1 billion.","src":3},{"insurer":"AEGIS (Bermuda)","insured":"Duke Energy","status":"litigation","year":2017,"reason":"AEGIS said the claims, made by Duke's predecessors in 1996, were out of time: “now too late to go to court”.","summary":"AEGIS filed its own federal suit the same day as Duke's. The outcome is not on record.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":5100,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"liability estimate","note":"Liability estimate recorded in the March 2017 suit."},{"key":"cleanup_spent","value":725,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Spent on coal ash by November 2016."},{"key":"policies_at_issue","value":57,"unit":"policies","year":2017,"note":"General liability policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":30,"unit":"insurers","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Insurers named in the March 2017 suit."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":418,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Received in 14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021."},{"key":"cleanup_cost_estimate","value":8000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"at least; range 8,000–9,000","note":"Estimated cost of Duke's cleanup plan (record gives $8–9 billion)."},{"key":"customer_cost_avoided","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Part of the plan Duke agreed not to pass on to customers in the January 2021 settlement."},{"key":"cost_recovery_allowed","value":232,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Duke Energy Progress recovery allowed by the Utilities Commission."},{"key":"fine","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Mismanagement penalty imposed by the Utilities Commission."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Duke Energy sued about 30 insurers over coverage for coal ash cleanup liabilities; 23 insurers settled for about $418 million, and regulators separately set how much of the cost customers would bear.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers","what":"Paid about $418 million in settlements against a $5.1 billion liability estimate; the court did not find intentional damage proved at the Mayo plant.","src":null},{"who":"Duke Energy","what":"Continues to earn a return on remaining cleanup costs at a lower rate than it had proposed (January 2021 settlement).","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Duke Energy Progress customers","what":"Fixed monthly charge rose 25%, from $11.13 to $14, allowing recovery of $232 million (February 2018).","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Groundwater (US-wide figure, not specific to Duke sites)","what":"91% of US plants with ash ponds (265 of 292) contaminate groundwater (2022).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"North Carolina and South Carolina; North Carolina Business Court; the Mayo plant is named in the court's ruling.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s; claims in the 1990s; suit filed 29 March 2017; last insurer settlement August 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Insurers refused cover on the grounds of intentional damage, Duke's knowledge of environmental problems, the absence of a distinct pollution event and earlier claims on the same ponds.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Duke sued for coverage under old general liability policies; the court ruled on allocation and intent at summary judgment; 14 settlements followed. The Utilities Commission separately set cost recovery from customers.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Insurers were off the hook: Duke Energy knew coal ash risk","p":"Indiana Business Journal (ibj.com)","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.ibj.com/articles/64224-insurers-were-off-the-hook-duke-energy-knew-coal-ash-risk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220120014914/https://www.ibj.com/articles/64224-insurers-were-off-the-hook-duke-energy-knew-coal-ash-risk"},{"t":"Duke coal ash clean-up settlement shifts $1.1B in costs away from North Carolina customers","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2021-01-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141741/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/"},{"t":"N.C. regulators shift coal ash cleanup costs to ratepayers","p":"Appalachian Voices","d":"2018-03-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://appvoices.org/2018/03/07/n-c-regulators-shift-coal-ash-cleanup-costs-to-ratepayers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119052342/https://appvoices.org/2018/03/07/n-c-regulators-shift-coal-ash-cleanup-costs-to-ratepayers/"},{"t":"Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress, Coal Ash Insurance Coverage Litigation (Form 10-Q, nine months ended 30 September 2021)","p":"Duke Energy Corporation, via US Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2021-11","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/17797/000132616021000231/R12.htm","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance-coverage-dispute","related":["duke-energy-coal-ash-cleanup-cost-recovery","us-coal-ash-ponds-groundwater-contamination-and-epa-delay","tva-kingston-coal-ash-spill-insurance"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the insurers liable under the 1970s and 1980s general liability policies for the coal ash damage?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"AEGIS v. Duke Energy: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Duke Energy Progress rate case (coal ash cost recovery): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in 2017 the Utilities Commission allowed Duke to pass all coal ash cleanup costs to customers except a $100 million environmental penalty.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the North Carolina Supreme Court partly reversed the Commission's decision in December 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that under the 2021 settlement shareholders bore about three-quarters of the cost of the unlined ponds.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the AEGIS federal suit is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Who gained: Insurers","No source link — Who harmed: Groundwater (US-wide figure, not specific to Duke sites)"]},{"id":"enbridge-line-6b-kalamazoo-oil-spill","title":"Enbridge Line 6B oil spill, Marshall, Michigan","dek":"An oil spill from Enbridge's Line 6B pipeline was recorded at Marshall, Michigan, on 25–26 July 2010. Insurers paid $547 million of a $650 million aggregate limit against a recorded total cost of $1.215 billion, and the company lost an arbitration against one insurer in 2017.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":42.27,"lon":-84.96,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":42.27,"lon":-84.96,"role":"event"}],"start":2010,"end":2017,"eventDate":"25–26 July 2010","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Paid by insurers against the recorded total cost of the spill","value":"$547m of $1.215bn","note":"Figures from an insurance table that does not identify the individual filing. The policies carried a $650m aggregate limit."},"happened":["An oil spill from Enbridge's Line 6B pipeline was recorded on 25–26 July 2010 at Marshall, Michigan. The cited sources do not give a primary-source figure for the volume of oil spilled.","The total cost of the spill was recorded as $1.215 billion. Enbridge's insurers paid $547 million of an aggregate policy limit of $650 million. The $650 million policies expired on 30 April 2011.","One insurer disputed Enbridge's eligibility to recover, and the other insurers made their payments dependent on the outcome. In March 2013 Enbridge sued the insurers holding $145 million of cover and recovered $42 million. The remaining $85 million claim against one insurer went to arbitration. The award of 2 May 2017 was described in the company's filing for fiscal 2017 as “not favorable to Enbridge”.","A consent decree set a $61 million civil penalty for Line 6B. Fines and penalties for the spill totalled $69 million, according to the same filing."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"25–26 July: oil spill recorded at Marshall, Michigan"},{"y":2011,"t":"30 April: the $650m aggregate insurance policies expire"},{"y":2013,"t":"March: Enbridge sues the insurers holding $145m of cover and recovers $42m; arbitration over the remaining $85m claim against one insurer begins"},{"y":2017,"t":"2 May: arbitration award “not favorable to Enbridge”"}],"said":[{"q":"disputed our recovery eligibility","who":"Enbridge, describing the position of one insurer","when":"2013–2017","src":0},{"q":"not favorable to Enbridge","who":"Enbridge Energy Partners, FY2017 annual report, describing the 2 May 2017 arbitration award","when":"2017","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Total cost of the spill recorded as $1.215bn; insurers paid $547m of a $650m aggregate limit.","src":0},{"t":"The $650m policies expired on 30 April 2011. In March 2013 Enbridge sued the insurers holding $145m of cover and recovered $42m.","src":0},{"t":"The remaining $85m claim against one insurer went to arbitration; the award of 2 May 2017 was “not favorable to Enbridge”.","src":0},{"t":"Consent decree: $61m civil penalty for Line 6B. Fines and penalties total $69m.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2010–2017","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Total cost recorded","v":"$1.215bn","d":"Of which insurers paid $547m against a $650m aggregate limit"},{"k":"Fines and penalties","v":"$69m","d":"Including a $61m civil penalty under a consent decree (FY2017 annual report)"},{"k":"Insurance claim lost in arbitration","v":"$85m","d":"Award of 2 May 2017"}]},"unknown":["Spill volume: a figure of about 843,000 gallons attributed to the NTSB is reported but unconfirmed.","Oil volumes for this spill were not taken from primary sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"Insurers paid $547m of a total cost of $1.215bn; Enbridge bore the rest.","statusLine":"As of the fiscal 2017 annual report: the insurance arbitration over the remaining $85m claim ended with an award not favorable to Enbridge on 2 May 2017.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"enbridge","says":"Described the 2 May 2017 arbitration award on its remaining $85m insurance claim as “not favorable to Enbridge”.","when":"FY2017 annual report","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"enbridge","role":"Pipeline operator; insured party"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was Enbridge eligible to recover the remaining insured amount?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Enbridge","says":"One insurer “disputed our recovery eligibility”; the other insurers made their payment depend on the outcome.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Arbitration","says":"The award of 2 May 2017 on the remaining $85m claim, described by Enbridge as “not favorable to Enbridge”.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Enbridge v. insurers holding $145m of cover","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Enbridge","defendant":"Insurers holding $145m of cover (names: none on record)","filed":"2013-03","decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":42000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Recovered"},"summary":"In March 2013 Enbridge sued the insurers holding $145 million of cover and recovered $42 million.","src":0},{"title":"Enbridge insurance arbitration over the remaining $85m claim","forum":"Arbitration (tribunal name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Enbridge","defendant":"One insurer (name: none on record)","filed":"2013","decided":"2017-05-02","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":85000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Claim amount"},"summary":"The remaining $85 million claim against one insurer went to arbitration. The award of 2 May 2017 was described in the company's filing as “not favorable to Enbridge”.","src":0},{"title":"Consent decree for Line 6B: civil penalty","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"not on record","defendant":"Enbridge","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":61000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Civil penalty"},"summary":"A consent decree set a $61 million civil penalty for Line 6B. Fines and penalties total $69 million.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Insurers under the $650m aggregate policies (not individually named)","insured":"Enbridge","status":"partial","year":null,"amount":{"value":547000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Paid against a $650m aggregate limit"},"reason":null,"summary":"Insurers paid $547 million of the $650 million aggregate limit against a recorded total cost of $1.215 billion. One insurer disputed Enbridge's recovery eligibility and the others made their payment depend on the outcome. The policies expired on 30 April 2011.","src":0},{"insurer":"One insurer (name: none on record)","insured":"Enbridge","status":"refused","year":2017,"amount":{"value":85000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Claim taken to arbitration"},"reason":"Disputed Enbridge's eligibility to recover","summary":"The $85 million claim against this insurer went to arbitration. The award of 2 May 2017 was described in Enbridge's filing as “not favorable to Enbridge”.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"total_cost","value":1215,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Total cost of the spill as recorded."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":547,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Paid by insurers against a $650m aggregate limit."},{"key":"insurance_recovered","value":42,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"Recovered from the insurers sued in March 2013, who held $145m of cover."},{"key":"claim","value":85,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Remaining claim against one insurer; arbitration award of 2 May 2017 not favorable to Enbridge."},{"key":"fine","value":69,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Fines and penalties in total (FY2017 annual report)."},{"key":"civil_penalty","value":61,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Consent-decree civil penalty for Line 6B."},{"key":"oil_spilled_gallons","value":843000,"unit":"gallons","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Attributed to the NTSB; unconfirmed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil spill from Enbridge's Line 6B pipeline, with a recorded total cost of $1.215bn, of which insurers paid $547m.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Enbridge","what":"Bore the cost beyond the insurers' payments; lost the arbitration over the remaining $85m claim.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Marshall, Michigan, United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"25–26 July 2010; insurance arbitration 2013–2017, award on 2 May 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources; the cited sources covers the cost, insurance and penalties rather than the cause.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Enbridge Energy Partners, annual report (Form 10-K) for fiscal year 2017","p":"Enbridge Energy Partners (SEC filing)","d":"2017","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880285/000088028518000006/eep1231201710k-document.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221106115036/http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/880285/000088028518000006/eep1231201710k-document.htm"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Enbridge eligible to recover the remaining insured amount?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Enbridge v. insurers holding $145m of cover: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Oil spilled gallons: Attributed to the NTSB; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Spill volume: a figure of about 843,000 gallons attributed to the NTSB is reported but unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Oil volumes for this spill were not taken from primary sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"uk-undercover-policing-of-environmental-groups","title":"UK undercover policing of environmental groups","dek":"Mark Kennedy served in the National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), and convictions of environmental protesters were quashed because of his role. A tribunal found human-rights breaches in a separate claim against the Met and the NPCC, and a public inquiry has not yet examined the NPOIU.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.51,"lon":-0.13,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","lat":51.51,"lon":-0.13,"role":"event"}],"start":2011,"end":2026,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Groups infiltrated by the Special Demonstration Squad vs groups found to pose a credible threat","value":"3 of 1,000+","note":"Tranche 1 interim report of the Undercover Policing Inquiry by Sir John Mitting, 29 June 2023. Kennedy's unit, the NPOIU, falls in Tranche 4, which has not started."},"happened":["The Undercover Policing Inquiry published its Tranche 1 interim report, by Sir John Mitting, on 29 June 2023. It found that the Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) should have been closed in the 1970s, and that of more than 1,000 groups infiltrated only 3 posed a credible threat.","The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of environmental protesters because evidence about Mark Kennedy's role had not been disclosed to the defence: those of 20 Ratcliffe-on-Soar protesters on 20 July 2011 and those of 29 Drax protesters in January 2014. On 30 September 2021 the Investigatory Powers Tribunal found breaches of Articles 3, 8, 10, 11 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the claim of Kate Wilson against the Met and the NPCC (case IPT/11/167/H), and later made a remedy order of £229,471.96.","Tranche 3 Phase 2 of the inquiry heard evidence on environmental groups in February and March 2026. The NPOIU, the unit Kennedy belonged to, falls in Tranche 4, which has not started."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"20 July: convictions of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar protesters quashed for non-disclosure"},{"y":2014,"t":"January: Court of Appeal quashes the convictions of 29 Drax protesters because evidence about Kennedy had not been disclosed"},{"y":2021,"t":"30 September: Investigatory Powers Tribunal finds breaches of ECHR Articles 3, 8, 10, 11 and 14 in Wilson v Met / NPCC"},{"y":2022,"t":"24 January: Investigatory Powers Tribunal remedy order of £229,471.96 in the same case"},{"y":2023,"t":"29 June: Undercover Policing Inquiry Tranche 1 interim report"},{"y":2026,"t":"February–March: Tranche 3 Phase 2 hears evidence on environmental groups; Tranche 4 (NPOIU) not started"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Tranche 1 interim report (29 June 2023, Sir John Mitting): the SDS should have been closed in the 1970s; of more than 1,000 groups infiltrated, only 3 posed a credible threat.","src":0},{"t":"Investigatory Powers Tribunal, 30 September 2021 (Kate Wilson v Met / NPCC, IPT/11/167/H): breaches of ECHR Articles 3, 8, 10, 11 and 14; remedy order of £225,971.96.","src":1},{"t":"Convictions quashed because of Kennedy's role: Ratcliffe-on-Soar protesters, 20 July 2011, for non-disclosure; 29 Drax protesters, 2014 (secondary report).","src":4},{"t":"Tranche 3 Phase 2 (February–March 2026) heard evidence on environmental groups; the NPOIU falls in Tranche 4, which has not started (secondary report).","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2021–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Groups infiltrated (SDS)","v":"1,000+","d":"Tranche 1 interim report, 29 June 2023"},{"k":"Groups found to pose a credible threat","v":"3","d":"Same report"},{"k":"Remedy ordered in Wilson v Met / NPCC","v":"£225,971.96","d":"Investigatory Powers Tribunal"}]},"unknown":["The Undercover Policing Inquiry has made no findings yet on the infiltration of environmental groups after 1993, or on the NPOIU.","The NPOIU falls in Tranche 4 of the inquiry, which has not started."],"evidence":["court-ruling","review"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"A remedy order of £225,971.96 was made in the Wilson claim against the Met and the NPCC; the cited sources do not say who paid or whether it was paid.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: Tranche 3 Phase 2 hearings on environmental groups were held in February–March 2026; the NPOIU, Kennedy's unit, falls in Tranche 4, which has not started, and no findings on it exist.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"undercover-policing-inquiry","role":"Public inquiry into undercover policing"},{"id":"investigatory-powers-tribunal","role":"Tribunal in Wilson v Met / NPCC"},{"id":"metropolitan-police","role":"Defendant in Wilson v Met / NPCC"},{"id":"npcc","role":"Defendant in Wilson v Met / NPCC"},{"id":"npoiu","role":"Police unit to which Mark Kennedy belonged"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Kate Wilson v Met / NPCC (IPT/11/167/H)","forum":"Investigatory Powers Tribunal","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kate Wilson","defendant":"The Met and the NPCC","filed":null,"decided":"2021-09-30","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":229471.96,"currency":"GBP","label":"Remedy order of 24 January 2022 (just satisfaction; the respondents had agreed £225,971.96)"},"summary":"On 30 September 2021 the Tribunal found breaches of ECHR Articles 3, 8, 10, 11 and 14. A remedy order of 24 January 2022 required the Met and the NPCC to pay £229,471.96.","src":1},{"title":"Quashing of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar protesters' convictions","forum":"Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Crown Prosecution Service","defendant":"Ratcliffe-on-Soar protesters","filed":null,"decided":"2011-07-20","status":"overturned","summary":"The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 20 protesters on 20 July 2011 because evidence about Kennedy had not been disclosed to the defence.","src":4},{"title":"Quashing of the convictions of 29 Drax protesters","forum":"Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Crown Prosecution Service","defendant":"29 Drax protesters","filed":null,"decided":"2014-01","status":"overturned","summary":"The Court of Appeal quashed the convictions of 29 protesters in January 2014 because evidence about Kennedy had not been disclosed to the defence.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"groups_infiltrated","value":1000,"unit":"groups","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Groups infiltrated by the SDS, per the Tranche 1 interim report."},{"key":"groups_credible_threat","value":3,"unit":"groups","year":2023,"note":"Groups that posed a credible threat, per the same report."},{"key":"compensation_ordered","value":225971.96,"unit":"GBP","year":2022,"note":"Remedy order in Wilson v Met / NPCC; the order's PDF address is dated 24 January 2022."},{"key":"convictions_quashed_people","value":29,"unit":"people","year":2014,"note":"Drax protesters whose convictions were quashed (secondary report)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Undercover policing of environmental groups, including the deployment of Mark Kennedy of the NPOIU, followed by quashed convictions, a tribunal finding of human-rights breaches in a related claim, and a public inquiry that has not yet reached the NPOIU.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Environmental protesters convicted in cases later quashed","what":"Ratcliffe-on-Soar protesters (convictions quashed 20 July 2011) and 29 Drax protesters (2014).","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Convictions quashed in 2011 and 2014; tribunal finding 30 September 2021; inquiry report 29 June 2023; Tranche 3 Phase 2 hearings February–March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources; the inquiry has made no findings on the NPOIU.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources; the NPOIU falls in Tranche 4 of the inquiry, which has not started.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Undercover Policing Inquiry: Tranche 1 interim report","p":"GOV.UK","d":"2023-06-29","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/undercover-policing-inquiry-tranche-1-interim-report","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826073701/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/undercover-policing-inquiry-tranche-1-interim-report"},{"t":"Kate Wilson v Met / NPCC, IPT/11/167/H: Remedy Order","p":"Investigatory Powers Tribunal","d":"2022-01-24","type":"court","u":"https://investigatorypowerstribunal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Remedy-Order-24-Jan-2022.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241228101258/https://investigatorypowerstribunal.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Remedy-Order-24-Jan-2022.pdf"},{"t":"Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) judgment quashing the Ratcliffe-on-Soar convictions, [2011] EWCA Crim 1885","p":"National Archives case law","d":"2011-07-20","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/crim/2011/1885","type":"court"},{"t":"Court quashes convictions of 29 Drax campaigners","p":"ITV News","d":"2014-01-21","u":"https://itv.com/news/update/2014-01-21/how-mark-kennedy-shed-light-on-undercover-police","type":"press"},{"t":"R v Barkshire and others [2011] EWCA Crim 1885","p":"Court of Appeal (Criminal Division), via The National Archives","d":"2011-07-20","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/crim/2011/1885","type":"court"},{"t":"UK update: Drax protesters undercover police case, convictions quashed","p":"Statewatch","d":"2014-01-21","u":"https://statewatch.org/news/2014/january/uk-update-drax-protesters-undercover-police-case-convictions-quashed/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Undercover Policing Inquiry - where are we now?","p":"Hodge Jones & Allen","d":"2026","u":"https://www.hja.net/expert-comments/blog/civil-liberties-human-rights/undercover-policing-inquiry-where-are-we-now/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"undercover-policing","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Undercover Policing Inquiry has made no findings yet on the infiltration of environmental groups after 1993, or on the NPOIU.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The NPOIU falls in Tranche 4 of the inquiry, which has not started.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Environmental protesters convicted in cases later quashed"]},{"id":"chemours-spin-off-liabilities","title":"Chemours spin-off liabilities","dek":"DuPont spun off Chemours in 2015, and DuPont's PFAS liabilities were transferred to the new company. Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have since settled PFAS claims under cost-sharing arrangements, and Chemours has sued DuPont over how the liabilities were divided.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.16,"lon":-75.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","lat":39.16,"lon":-75.52,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","role":"court"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"PFAS settlement with US public water systems, June 2023: shared by Chemours (about $592m), DuPont (about $400m) and Corteva (about $193m)","value":"$1.185bn","note":"Amounts as reported by the companies; the companies deny the allegations."},"happened":["DuPont spun off Chemours in 2015, and DuPont's PFAS liabilities were transferred that year to the separate company, according to a report cited in the sources. Chemours alleged that DuPont had understated its PFAS liability by $1–2 billion and that Chemours had paid DuPont a $3.9 billion dividend at the 2015 separation.","On 13 February 2017 DuPont and Chemours settled about 3,550 personal-injury suits for about $670.7 million, split 50/50, with no admission of wrongdoing. In January 2021 Chemours, DuPont and Corteva agreed to share PFAS costs 50/50 up to $4 billion over at most 20 years, with an escrow account of up to $1 billion. On 2 June 2023 the three companies agreed a $1.185 billion fund for US public water systems, and in August 2025 an agreement with New Jersey provided for $875 million in cash over 25 years, in addition to remediation funding of up to $1.2 billion and a $475 million reserve fund.","Chemours' annual report for fiscal 2025 records a July 2024 settlement with one of its insurance carriers, from which Chemours received about $23 million and booked a $23 million gain. Since April 2025, four demands for arbitration have been sent to additional insurance carriers. Under an August 2025 insurance memorandum of understanding tied to the New Jersey settlement, Chemours assigns certain PFAS insurance rights in return for $150 million.","Chemours sued DuPont in Delaware in 2019 over the division of liabilities. A PFAS Project headline of 17 December 2020 reported that a court upheld the dismissal of that lawsuit."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"December: EPA settles a PFOA case with DuPont: $10.25m administrative penalty and a $6.25m project; DuPont does not admit liability"},{"y":2015,"t":"DuPont spins off Chemours; DuPont's PFAS liabilities are transferred to it"},{"y":2017,"t":"13 February: DuPont and Chemours settle about 3,550 personal-injury suits for about $670.7m, split 50/50"},{"y":2019,"t":"Chemours sues DuPont in Delaware"},{"y":2020,"t":"17 December: PFAS Project reports that a court upheld the dismissal of Chemours' lawsuit against DuPont"},{"y":2021,"t":"22 January: Chemours, DuPont and Corteva announce a PFAS cost-sharing agreement of up to $4bn"},{"y":2023,"t":"2 June: $1.185bn PFAS settlement with US public water systems; November–December: Ohio settlement of $110m (DuPont about $39m)"},{"y":2024,"t":"July: Chemours settles with one insurance carrier and receives about $23m"},{"y":2025,"t":"April onwards: four demands for arbitration sent to additional carriers; August: New Jersey settlement and PFAS insurance MOU"}],"said":[{"q":"In July 2024, a $45 settlement agreement was reached… with one of the insurance carriers","who":"Chemours, annual report (Form 10-K) for fiscal 2025 (amount in US$ millions)","when":"FY2025","src":9},{"q":"policy limits that total $750","who":"Chemours, annual report (Form 10-K) for fiscal 2025, on noticed policies not yet paid (amount in US$ millions)","when":"FY2025","src":9},{"q":"all claims, both decided and still pending","who":"Terms of the February 2017 settlement","when":"13 February 2017","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"EPA announced the December 2005 penalty against DuPont ($10.25m administrative penalty and a $6.25m project, $16.5m in total) as the largest administrative penalty in its history.","who":"US Environmental Protection Agency","src":2},{"t":"Chemours described the August 2025 New Jersey agreement as “the largest settlement”.","who":"Chemours","src":null},{"t":"The companies deny the allegations in the public water systems suit.","who":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"13 February 2017: about $671m in cash to settle about 3,550 personal-injury suits, split 50/50 between DuPont and Chemours; no admission of wrongdoing.","src":5},{"t":"22 January 2021: cost sharing of up to $4bn over at most 20 years, half by Chemours and half by DuPont and Corteva (their share capped at $2bn); escrow of up to $1bn, funded to 2028.","src":7},{"t":"2 June 2023: $1.185bn fund for US public water systems. Shares: Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m.","src":0},{"t":"August 2025, New Jersey: $875m in cash over 25 years, remediation funding of up to $1.2bn and a $475m reserve fund; shares 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont, 14.5% Corteva; present value of the cash about $500m at an 8% discount rate (company filing).","src":8},{"t":"July 2024: $45m settlement with one insurance carrier, of which Chemours received about $23m and booked a $23m gain.","src":9},{"t":"Since April 2025, four demands for arbitration sent to additional insurance carriers; noticed policies not yet paid have policy limits totalling $750m.","src":9},{"t":"August 2025: PFAS insurance MOU tied to the New Jersey settlement; Chemours assigns certain PFAS insurance rights in return for $150m.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Public water systems fund (June 2023)","v":"$1.185bn","d":"Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m"},{"k":"New Jersey cash (August 2025)","v":"$875m over 25 years","d":"Present value about $500m at an 8% discount rate, per the company's filing"},{"k":"Insurance recovered by Chemours (July 2024)","v":"about $23m","d":"From one carrier; noticed policies not yet paid carry limits totalling $750m"}]},"unknown":["The 10-Ks consulted for the 2017 settlement mention no insurance.","No documented insurance coverage denial was found for Chemours or DuPont; the insurance dispute found is California's fraudulent-transfer claim over PFAS insurance rights.","Unconfirmed: Chemours' 2019 Delaware suit is said to have alleged that Chemours received about 19% of DuPont's business lines but two-thirds of its environmental liabilities and 90% of its litigation, that it paid DuPont a dividend of about $4 billion, and that DuPont's estimates were “systematically and extraordinarily wrong”. This comes.","Unconfirmed: that the court sent the Chemours–DuPont dispute to closed arbitration under the separation agreement; a later appellate affirmation is also unconfirmed.","Unconfirmed: the 2023 water systems settlement is said to exclude personal-injury claims and state natural-resource claims.","Unconfirmed: that the remaining cost of PFAS treatment falls on water customers, and the American Water Works Association cost estimates behind that claim.","Unconfirmed: a June 2021 RIVM advice not to eat vegetables from home gardens within one kilometre of the Chemours plant at Dordrecht.","Final approval of the New Jersey settlement and of the insurance MOU had not been found."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"The 2017 settlement was split 50/50 between DuPont and Chemours. In the 2021 agreement Chemours bears half and DuPont and Corteva together bear half, capped at $2bn. The 2023 fund was shared Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m. The New Jersey shares are 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont and 14.5% Corteva.","statusLine":"As of Chemours' fiscal 2025 annual report (period ended 31 December 2025): four demands for arbitration are pending against additional insurance carriers; final approval of the New Jersey settlement and of the insurance MOU had not been found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"chemours","says":"Said, with DuPont and Corteva, that the companies deny the allegations behind the $1.185bn public water systems settlement.","when":"June 2023","src":0},{"actor":"dupont","says":"Did not admit liability in the December 2005 EPA settlement.","when":"December 2005","src":1},{"actor":"dupont","says":"Settled the February 2017 personal-injury suits with Chemours without admission of wrongdoing; said it would appeal the earlier verdicts.","when":"February 2017","src":5},{"actor":"chemours","says":"Reported in its filing a July 2024 settlement with one insurance carrier and four demands for arbitration since April 2025.","when":"FY2025","src":9},{"actor":"chemours","says":"Reported the August 2025 New Jersey terms: $875m in cash over 25 years, present value about $500m at 8%.","when":"4 August 2025","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"chemours","role":"Spun-off company that received DuPont's PFAS liabilities"},{"id":"dupont","role":"Parent company that spun off Chemours"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Party to the PFAS cost-sharing agreement and settlements"},{"id":"new-jersey-gov","role":"Claimant in the August 2025 PFAS settlement"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator in the December 2005 PFOA case"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How were DuPont's PFAS liabilities divided at the 2015 separation?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Chemours","says":"Alleged that DuPont understated its PFAS liability by $1–2 billion at the 2015 separation and that Chemours paid DuPont a $3.9 billion dividend.","src":11},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court (name: none on record)","says":"A PFAS Project headline of 17 December 2020 reports that a court upheld the dismissal of Chemours' lawsuit against DuPont.","src":12}]},{"point":"Was the December 2005 EPA penalty proportionate?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Environmental Protection Agency","says":"Announced a $10.25m administrative penalty and a $6.25m project ($16.5m in total) as the largest administrative penalty in its history. Seven of the eight counts concerned notification under TSCA section 8(e).","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmental Working Group (EWG)","says":"An EWG representative said existing rules allowed fines of up to $313m.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"DuPont","says":"Did not admit liability.","src":1}]},{"point":"How large is the August 2025 New Jersey settlement?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Chemours","says":"Reported $875m in cash over 25 years with a present value of about $500m at an 8% discount rate, remediation funding secured by a surety bond for four sites, and a reserve fund capped at $475m; also labelled it “the largest settlement”.","src":8},{"voice":"press","holder":"WHYY","says":"Reported the settlement as about $2bn in total.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EPA PFOA case against DuPont (December 2005)","forum":"US Environmental Protection Agency (administrative)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Environmental Protection Agency","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":"2005-12","status":"settled","amount":{"value":10250000,"currency":"USD","label":"Administrative penalty, plus a $6.25m project"},"summary":"EPA settled for a $10.25 million administrative penalty and a $6.25 million project, announced as the largest administrative penalty in its history. Seven of the eight counts concerned TSCA section 8(e) notification. DuPont did not admit liability.","src":2},{"title":"PFOA personal-injury verdict (testicular cancer)","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"A plaintiff with testicular cancer","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":"2017-01","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":10500000,"currency":"USD","label":"Punitive damages (January 2017); $2m compensatory in December 2016"},"summary":"A December 2016 verdict awarded $2 million in compensatory damages and a January 2017 verdict $10.5 million in punitive damages. The total across the three verdicts asked about was $19.7 million. DuPont said it would appeal.","src":6},{"title":"2017 personal-injury settlement (about 3,550 suits)","forum":"2017 Ohio multidistrict litigation","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"About 3,550 personal-injury plaintiffs","defendant":"DuPont and Chemours","filed":null,"decided":"2017-02-13","status":"settled","amount":{"value":670700000,"currency":"USD","label":"Settlement, split 50/50"},"summary":"DuPont and Chemours settled about 3,550 cases for $670.7 million, covering “all claims, both decided and still pending”, with no admission of liability.","src":5},{"title":"Chemours v DuPont (separation of liabilities)","forum":"Delaware","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Chemours","defendant":"DuPont","filed":"2019","decided":"2020-12","status":"dismissed","summary":"Chemours sued DuPont in Delaware in 2019. A PFAS Project headline of 17 December 2020 reported that a court upheld the dismissal of the lawsuit. Reports say the dispute was sent to closed arbitration under the separation agreement; no other source confirms it.","src":12},{"title":"US public water systems PFAS settlement","forum":"US litigation by public water systems (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"US public water systems","defendant":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","filed":null,"decided":"2023-06-02","status":"settled","amount":{"value":1185000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Settlement fund"},"summary":"The three companies agreed a $1.185 billion fund on 2 June 2023, shared Chemours about $592 million, DuPont about $400 million and Corteva about $193 million. The companies deny the allegations. A judge approved the settlement, according to an ASDWA item dated 16 February 2024.","src":0},{"title":"Ohio settlement (November–December 2023)","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Ohio","defendant":"DuPont, with other payers (names: none on record)","filed":null,"decided":"2023-12","status":"settled","amount":{"value":110000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Settlement; DuPont about $39m"},"summary":"An Ohio settlement of $110 million was recorded in November–December 2023, of which DuPont paid about $39 million.","src":15},{"title":"New Jersey PFAS settlement (August 2025)","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of New Jersey","defendant":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","filed":null,"decided":"2025-08","status":"settled","amount":{"value":875000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Cash over 25 years (present value about $500m)"},"summary":"The agreement provides $875 million in cash over 25 years, remediation funding of up to $1.2 billion and a $475 million reserve fund. Shares are 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont and 14.5% Corteva. Final approval has not been found.","src":8},{"title":"California fraudulent-transfer claim over PFAS insurance rights","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"California","defendant":"Chemours and DuPont","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"A law-firm update lists this claim as the insurance-related dispute involving Chemours and DuPont; the cited sources give no further detail.","src":13}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"One insurance carrier (name: none on record)","insured":"Chemours","status":"partial","year":2024,"amount":{"value":23000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Received, from a $45m settlement agreement"},"reason":null,"summary":"In July 2024 a $45 million settlement agreement was reached with one of the insurance carriers. Chemours received about $23 million and booked a $23 million gain.","src":9},{"insurer":"Additional noticed carriers (names: none on record)","insured":"Chemours","status":"litigation","year":2025,"amount":{"value":750000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Total policy limits on noticed policies not yet paid"},"reason":null,"summary":"Since April 2025, four demands for arbitration have been sent to additional noticed insurance carriers. The noticed policies not yet paid have policy limits that total $750 million.","src":9},{"insurer":"Counterparty to the PFAS insurance MOU (name: none on record)","insured":"Chemours","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":{"value":150000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Consideration for assigned insurance rights"},"reason":null,"summary":"Under an August 2025 PFAS insurance memorandum of understanding tied to the New Jersey settlement, Chemours assigns certain PFAS insurance rights in return for $150 million of consideration.","src":9}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":670.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"February 2017 personal-injury settlement, split 50/50 between DuPont and Chemours."},{"key":"claims_settled","value":3550,"unit":"suits","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Personal-injury suits settled on 13 February 2017."},{"key":"settlement","value":1185,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Public water systems fund; Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m."},{"key":"settlement","value":110,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Ohio settlement, November–December 2023; DuPont about $39m."},{"key":"settlement","value":875,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"New Jersey cash over 25 years; present value about $500m at an 8% discount rate per the company."},{"key":"restoration_funding_up_to","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"New Jersey remediation funding; the cited sources note this part is secured by a surety bond."},{"key":"reserve_fund_cap","value":475,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"capped at","note":"Reserve fund in the New Jersey settlement."},{"key":"cost_sharing_cap","value":4000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"January 2021 PFAS cost-sharing agreement over at most 20 years; DuPont and Corteva share capped at $2bn; escrow of up to $1bn."},{"key":"fine","value":16.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"EPA December 2005 settlement with DuPont: $10.25m administrative penalty plus a $6.25m project."},{"key":"verdicts_total","value":19.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Total across three PFOA verdicts; the cited sources details two of them ($2m compensatory and $10.5m punitive in one case)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":23,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Received by Chemours from one carrier under a $45m settlement agreement."},{"key":"insurance_limits_unpaid","value":750,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Policy limits on noticed policies not yet paid."},{"key":"insurance_rights_consideration","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Consideration for PFAS insurance rights assigned under the August 2025 MOU."},{"key":"dividend_alleged","value":3900,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Dividend Chemours alleged it paid DuPont at the separation; an allegation, not a finding."},{"key":"business_share_received","value":19,"unit":"%","year":2015,"unverified":true,"note":"Share of DuPont's business lines said to have gone to Chemours;, not independently verified."},{"key":"liabilities_share_received","value":67,"unit":"%","year":2015,"qualifier":"about two-thirds","unverified":true,"note":"Share of environmental liabilities said to have gone to Chemours;, not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DuPont spun off Chemours in 2015 and its PFAS liabilities were transferred to it; Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have since settled PFAS claims under cost-sharing arrangements and Chemours sued DuPont over the division.","src":12},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DuPont","what":"Chemours alleged that it paid DuPont a $3.9 billion dividend at the 2015 separation (allegation, not a finding).","src":11},{"who":"Chemours","what":"Booked a $23 million gain on a July 2024 settlement with one insurance carrier.","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"Chemours","what":"Bears half of the January 2021 PFAS cost-sharing agreement.","src":7},{"who":"DuPont and Corteva","what":"Together bear the other half of the 2021 agreement, capped at $2bn.","src":7},{"who":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","what":"Paid a $1.185bn fund for US public water systems in 2023: Chemours about $592m, DuPont about $400m, Corteva about $193m.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States: Delaware (Chemours v DuPont), Ohio (2017 litigation and a 2023 settlement), New Jersey (2025 settlement).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Separation in 2015; settlements in 2017, 2021, 2023 and 2025; insurance dealings in 2024–2025.","src":9},"why":{"t":"Chemours alleged that DuPont understated the PFAS liability passed to it by $1–2 billion at the separation; DuPont's account is not on record.","src":11},"how":{"t":"Through the 2015 spin-off, followed by cost-sharing agreements (January 2021) and settlements split between the three companies.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reach comprehensive PFAS settlement with US water systems","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728011033/https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html"},{"t":"E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company and The Chemours Company PFOA settlements","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://epa.gov/enforcement/ei-dupont-de-nemours-and-company-and-chemours-company-pfoa-settlements","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261007081148/https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/ei-dupont-de-nemours-and-company-and-chemours-company-pfoa-settlements"},{"t":"EPA settles PFOA case against DuPont (archived EPA news release)","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2005-12","type":"official","u":"https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/enforcement/reference-news-release-epa-settles-pfoa-case-against-dupont-largest-environmental_.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241205044017/https://19january2021snapshot.epa.gov/enforcement/reference-news-release-epa-settles-pfoa-case-against-dupont-largest-environmental_.html"},{"t":"EPA fines DuPont $16.5M for Teflon cover-up","p":"HealthDay","d":"2005-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.healthday.com/health-news/public-health/epa-fines-dupont-16-5m-for-teflon-cover-up-529691.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240421074247/https://www.healthday.com/health-news/public-health/epa-fines-dupont-16-5m-for-teflon-cover-up-529691.html"},{"t":"DuPont settles lawsuits over Teflon-making chemical leak","p":"The Edge Malaysia","d":"2017-02","type":"press","u":"https://theedgemalaysia.com/article/dupont-settles-lawsuits-over-teflon-making-chemical-leak"},{"t":"DuPont and Chemours end PFOA suits for $671 million","p":"CHEManager","d":"2017-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news/dupont-and-chemours-end-pfoa-suits-671-million"},{"t":"Vincent man wins $10.5M in C8 case","p":"The Marietta Times","d":"2017-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/01/vincent-man-wins-10-5m-in-c8-case/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930041606/https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/01/vincent-man-wins-10-5m-in-c8-case/"},{"t":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours announce resolution of legacy PFAS claims","p":"DuPont","d":"2021-01-22","type":"company","u":"https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240526224930/https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx"},{"t":"Chemours current report (Form 8-K) on the New Jersey PFAS settlement","p":"Chemours (SEC filing)","d":"2025-08-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402215915/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm"},{"t":"Chemours annual report (Form 10-K) for fiscal year 2025","p":"Chemours (SEC filing)","d":"2025-12-31","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260224125019/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm"},{"t":"Judge approves settlement requiring DuPont, Chemours and Corteva to pay $1.1 billion in PFAS contamination suit","p":"ASDWA","d":"2024-02-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250815222010/https://www.asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit/"},{"t":"Round one to DuPont over Chemours in legal battle","p":"Speciality Chemicals","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://www.specchemonline.com/round-one-dupont-over-chemours-legal-battle","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230601060042/https://www.specchemonline.com/round-one-dupont-over-chemours-legal-battle"},{"t":"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont","p":"PFAS Project","d":"2020-12-17","type":"ngo","u":"https://pfasproject.com/2020/12/17/court-upholds-dismissal-of-chemours-lawsuit-against-dupont/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230529193228/https://pfasproject.com/2020/12/17/court-upholds-dismissal-of-chemours-lawsuit-against-dupont/"},{"t":"PFAS litigation and insurance coverage update, November 2025","p":"Simpson Thacher (stblaw.com)","d":"2025-11-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2025/11/21/pfas-litigation-and-insurance-coverage-update---november-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216114735/https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2025/11/21/pfas-litigation-and-insurance-coverage-update---november-2025"},{"t":"DuPont, Chemours, Corteva agree to $1.2B PFAS settlement fund","p":"Manufacturing Dive","d":"2023-06","type":"press","u":"https://manufacturingdive.com/news/dupont-chemours-corteva-agree-to-1-2b-pfas-settlement-fund/652076","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260807121856/https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/dupont-chemours-corteva-agree-to-1-2b-pfas-settlement-fund/652076/"},{"t":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva Will Pay Ohio $110 Million in Settlement Over \"Forever\" Chemicals","p":"Ohio Capital Journal (via Cleveland Scene)","d":"2023-12-04","u":"https://www.clevescene.com/news/dupont-chemours-and-corteva-will-pay-ohio-110-million-in-settlement-over-forever-chemicals-43250604","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"spin-off","related":["dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s","pfas-water-utility-settlements-by-3m-dupont-chemours-and-cor","pfas-insurance-disputes","dupont-pfoa-c8","miteni-pfas-contamination"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How were DuPont's PFAS liabilities divided at the 2015 separation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the December 2005 EPA penalty proportionate?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is the August 2025 New Jersey settlement?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"California fraudulent-transfer claim over PFAS insurance rights: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Counterparty to the PFAS insurance MOU (name: none on record): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Business share received: Share of DuPont's business lines said to have gone to Chemours;, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Liabilities share received: Share of environmental liabilities said to have gone to Chemours;, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 10-Ks consulted for the 2017 settlement mention no insurance.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No documented insurance coverage denial was found for Chemours or DuPont; the insurance dispute found is California's fraudulent-transfer claim over PFAS insurance rights.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Chemours' 2019 Delaware suit is said to have alleged that Chemours received about 19% of DuPont's business lines but two-thirds of its environmental liabilities and 90% of its litigation, that it paid DuPont a dividend of about $4 billion, and that DuPont's estimates were “systematically and extraordinarily wrong”. This comes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the court sent the Chemours–DuPont dispute to closed arbitration under the separation agreement; a later appellate affirmation is also unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2023 water systems settlement is said to exclude personal-injury claims and state natural-resource claims.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the remaining cost of PFAS treatment falls on water customers, and the American Water Works Association cost estimates behind that claim.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a June 2021 RIVM advice not to eat vegetables from home gardens within one kilometre of the Chemours plant at Dordrecht.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Final approval of the New Jersey settlement and of the insurance MOU had not been found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"deep-sea-mining-tmc-nori-noaa-permit-and-isa","title":"Deep-sea mining: TMC, NORI, the NOAA permit and the ISA","dek":"The Metals Company, through subsidiaries holding seabed exploration contracts in the Pacific, applied to a US regulator for a commercial recovery permit under a 1980 US law. The International Seabed Authority, which governs the area under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, has not adopted rules for commercial mining.","country":"International waters (Pacific Ocean)","region":"Pacific","lat":13,"lon":-130,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"International seabed area (Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean)","iso2":null,"lat":13,"lon":-130,"role":"event"},{"country":"Nauru","iso2":"NR","role":"sponsor"},{"country":"Tonga","iso2":"TO","role":"sponsor"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"regulator"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-04-24","instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Area covered by TMC USA's consolidated application to NOAA","value":"about 65,000 km²","note":"Area as reported by the company; NOAA's decision is expected in the first quarter of 2027."},"happened":["The Metals Company (TMC, formerly DeepGreen) wants to collect polymetallic nodules, metal-bearing rocks lying on the seafloor at about 4,000 metres in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) between Hawaii and Mexico, for nickel, cobalt, copper and manganese. The company says battery metals from nodules would cause less harm than metals from land mines. Its subsidiary NORI (Nauru Ocean Resources Inc.) holds an exploration contract sponsored by Nauru; a second subsidiary, TOML (Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd.), is sponsored by Tonga. TMC and Nauru announced an updated sponsorship agreement in 2025–26.","Seabed in international waters falls under the International Seabed Authority (ISA) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, to which the United States is not a party. The ISA has been trying to write rules for commercial mining since 2014. On 24 April 2025 a US presidential executive order (No. 14285) called for faster permitting under the 1980 Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA); the stated reason was China's share of rare-earth supply, above 80%. TMC's US subsidiary, TMC USA, applied to NOAA, the US ocean and atmosphere agency, on 29 April 2025. A NOAA final rule of 21 January 2026 allowed an exploration licence and a commercial recovery permit to be sought in one application, and in January 2026 TMC USA filed a consolidated application covering about 65,000 square kilometres.","NOAA found the application in full compliance with the law in late April 2026 (the records give 28 and 30 April) and published it in the Federal Register. The company said it expects a decision in the first quarter of 2027. In July 2026 the ISA Council again did not adopt a Mining Code but extended NORI's exploration contract by five years. According to the records, 45 countries then called for a moratorium or pause. NORI and TOML took the ISA to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) over the ISA's compliance investigation, with an interim ruling dated 18 July 2026, and TMC USA brought a suit against the ISA.","Evidence on the seafloor is limited and partly funded by the industry. A study published in December 2025 compared the tracks of a 2022 collector trial in the NORI-D area with the surrounding seabed two months after the trial: macrofauna abundance on the tracks was 37% lower and species diversity 32% lower. The study's main funding came from the mining contractor. A July 2024 paper reported oxygen being produced near nodules at about 4,000 metres in darkness; TMC called the findings flawed, and the journal said the company's objection did not contain enough information to evaluate. TMC's own lifecycle assessment, prepared by Benchmark, says its nodule project could outperform land-based routes but does not cover biodiversity or social impacts.","Companies and governments are not aligned. BMW, Volvo Group, Google and Samsung SDI pledged on 31 March 2021 not to source deep-sea minerals. Korea Zinc invested $85.2 million in TMC in June 2025, taking about 5%. Norway's parliament postponed licensing in its own waters, with reports of a pause to about 2029. Zurich Insurance and Vienna Insurance Group have said they do not insure this activity. As of October 2026 no commercial recovery permit had been issued to TMC USA."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Allseas, a marine engineering firm, invests $150 million in TMC (as reported)"},{"y":2021,"t":"BMW, Volvo Group, Google and Samsung SDI pledge not to source deep-sea minerals (31 March)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Collector trial in the NORI-D area"},{"y":2024,"t":"Paper reports oxygen produced near nodules; TMC calls it flawed (July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"US executive order on seabed minerals (24 April); TMC USA applies to NOAA (29 April); Korea Zinc invests $85.2 million (June); 37 countries support a moratorium at the UN Ocean Conference (June); test-mining study published (December)"},{"y":2026,"t":"NOAA final rule allows single application (21 January); consolidated application of about 65,000 km²; NOAA finds application compliant (late April); ISA Council extends NORI contract by five years and does not adopt Mining Code (July); ITLOS interim ruling (18 July)"},{"y":2027,"t":"Company expects NOAA decision in the first quarter"}],"said":[{"q":"we do not have any appetite to insuring these types of mining activities","who":"Zurich Insurance, as cited from ShareAction, Insuring Disaster (2024), on a campaign page","when":"2024","src":11}],"shown":[{"t":"Battery metals from seabed nodules would cause less environmental harm than land-based mining; a Benchmark lifecycle assessment found the NORI-D nodule project could outperform land-based routes","who":"TMC","src":7},{"t":"A 2020 company-funded study found nodule metal would involve 70% less direct carbon emission and 94% less land use than land supply","who":"TMC-funded 2020 study","src":8},{"t":"The energy transition needs metals that recycling cannot supply, and the seafloor is not pristine","who":"Gerard Barron, TMC chief executive, 2020 (paraphrase)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Two months after the 2022 collector trial, macrofauna abundance on the tracks was 37% lower and species diversity 32% lower than in the surrounding area; the main funding came from the mining contractor.","src":4},{"t":"TMC's lifecycle assessment excludes biodiversity and social impact.","src":7},{"t":"Of three lifecycle studies, two were funded by mining companies; results ranged from 28% more to 76% less CO2-equivalent than land supply, and more than 70% of emissions came from processing.","src":8},{"t":"The ISA again did not adopt a Mining Code in July 2026 and extended NORI's exploration contract by five years.","src":0},{"t":"The ISA opened an investigation after TMC's US subsidiary applied to NOAA for two exploration licences and one commercial recovery permit.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Macrofauna abundance on test-mining tracks","v":"−37%","d":"Two months after the 2022 collector trial, NORI-D area; study published December 2025, mainly funded by the mining contractor"},{"k":"Species diversity on test-mining tracks","v":"−32%","d":"Same study and comparison"},{"k":"Biodiversity in the company's lifecycle assessment","v":"Excluded","d":"The Benchmark assessment commissioned by TMC does not cover biodiversity or social impact"},{"k":"Commercial recovery permit","v":"Not issued","d":"NOAA decision expected in the first quarter of 2027"}]},"unknown":["Outcome of the NOAA decision on TMC USA's consolidated application: expected in the first quarter of 2027; its status as of October 2026 is not known.","Date NOAA found the application compliant: the records give both 28 April 2026 and 30 April 2026; both come from company releases and secondary reports.","Outcome of the ITLOS proceedings brought by NORI and TOML (an interim ruling is dated 18 July 2026; its content is not in the cited sources) and of TMC USA's suit against the ISA.","Number of countries seeking a moratorium: 37 (June 2025), more than 30 (March 2026) and 45 (July 2026) in different sources; the difference may reflect dates.","Number of species recorded in the CCZ: one record gives 5,142 unnamed species and about 88% of sampled species undescribed; another gives 5,578 species, about 92% new to science (the second). The figures conflict.","Whether oxygen is produced at the seabed by nodules is a hypothesis; the text of TMC's formal objection to the 2024 paper was not available, and results of the research team's 2026 expeditions have not been published.","Unconfirmed: under the revised sponsorship agreement Nauru receives $2 per tonne and rights to about 9.1 million shares in TMC; details were not checked against a primary document.","Unconfirmed: Glencore put $5 million into the company in 2012 and holds a right to half of the nickel and copper from NORI's area.","Unconfirmed: a link between TMC's chief executive and Nautilus Minerals, whose Solwara 1 project off Papua New Guinea ended with the company's bankruptcy in 2019; the Papua New Guinea government held 15% of the project. The link could not be confirmed on the page opened, and a reported 2025 interview remark about earnings from it comes.","Unconfirmed: tracks from 1979 test mining still visible after 44 years.","No information found on TMC's insurance.","No independent ecological assessment of commercial-scale mining is recorded; the company's lifecycle assessment excludes biodiversity."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No commercial recovery permit had been issued as of October 2026. The collector trial of 2022 left tracks on which animal numbers were lower two months later.","whoPaid":"Seafloor animals on the trial tracks; the cited sources show no payments by the company for environmental harm.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: NOAA decision on TMC USA's consolidated application expected in the first quarter of 2027; the ISA has not adopted a Mining Code; proceedings by NORI, TOML and TMC USA against the ISA are unresolved.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"tmc","says":"Described the findings of the July 2024 paper on oxygen produced near nodules as flawed; the journal said the company's objection did not contain enough information to evaluate.","when":"July 2024","src":6},{"actor":"tmc","says":"Commissioned a lifecycle assessment from Benchmark, which it said shows its NORI-D nodule project could outperform land-based routes.","when":"2023-03","src":7},{"actor":"tmc","says":"Said it expects NOAA's decision on its consolidated application in the first quarter of 2027.","when":"2026","src":1},{"actor":"noaa","says":"Determined that TMC USA's consolidated application was in full compliance and published it in the Federal Register.","when":"April 2026","src":2},{"actor":"isa","says":"Extended NORI's exploration contract by five years and did not adopt the Mining Code.","when":"July 2026","src":0},{"actor":"zurich","says":"Said it has no appetite for insuring these types of mining activities.","when":"2024","src":11},{"actor":"vienna-insurance-group","says":"Said it provides no cover for all kinds of new deep sea mining projects.","when":"2024","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"the-metals-company","role":"Company seeking commercial recovery permit"},{"id":"nori","role":"TMC subsidiary; ISA exploration contract sponsored by Nauru"},{"id":"toml","role":"TMC subsidiary; ISA exploration contract sponsored by Tonga"},{"id":"noaa","role":"US regulator receiving the application"},{"id":"isa","role":"International Seabed Authority"},{"id":"itlos","role":"Tribunal hearing NORI and TOML's case against the ISA"},{"id":"nauru-government","role":"Sponsoring state of NORI"},{"id":"allseas","role":"Investor in TMC (as reported)"},{"id":"korea-zinc","role":"Investor in TMC (about 5%)"},{"id":"bmw","role":"Pledged not to source deep-sea minerals (2021)"},{"id":"volvo-group","role":"Pledged not to source deep-sea minerals (2021)"},{"id":"google","role":"Pledged not to source deep-sea minerals (2021)"},{"id":"samsung-sdi","role":"Pledged not to source deep-sea minerals (2021)"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Insurer; says it does not cover the activity"},{"id":"vienna-insurance-group","role":"Insurer; says it does not cover the activity"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does nodule mining cause less harm than land-based mining?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TMC","says":"A Benchmark lifecycle assessment found the NORI-D nodule project could outperform land-based routes.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"TMC","says":"Its lifecycle assessment does not cover biodiversity or social impact.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Planet Tracker","says":"Two of three lifecycle studies were funded by mining companies; results ranged from 28% more to 76% less CO2-equivalent than land supply, and more than 70% of emissions came from processing.","src":8}]},{"point":"Do nodules produce oxygen at the seabed, and is the research sound?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Research team led by Andrew Sweetman","says":"Reported in Nature Geoscience (July 2024) that oxygen is produced near nodules at about 4,000 metres in darkness; the mechanism is a hypothesis.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"TMC","says":"Called the results flawed; part of the research funding came through a TMC subsidiary.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Journal","says":"Said the company's objection did not contain enough information to evaluate.","src":6}]},{"point":"Who governs commercial mining of the international seabed: the ISA or US national law?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TMC USA","says":"Applied to NOAA under the 1980 DSHMRA for an exploration licence and commercial recovery permit.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"United States (executive order 14285 and NOAA rule)","says":"Called for faster permitting under DSHMRA; a final rule of 21 January 2026 allows a single application.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"ISA","says":"Has not adopted a Mining Code; opened an investigation after the US application; extended NORI's contract by five years in July 2026.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"NORI and TOML","says":"Went to ITLOS against the ISA's compliance investigation; TMC USA sued the ISA.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"TMC USA application to NOAA under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act","forum":"NOAA (US administrative licensing)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"TMC USA","defendant":"NOAA (regulator)","filed":"2025-04-29","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"TMC USA applied in April 2025 and filed a consolidated application of about 65,000 km² in January 2026. NOAA found it in full compliance in April 2026 and published it in the Federal Register; the company expects a decision in the first quarter of 2027.","src":1},{"title":"NORI and TOML v. International Seabed Authority","forum":"International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"NORI and TOML (TMC subsidiaries)","defendant":"International Seabed Authority","filed":"2026","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The subsidiaries went to ITLOS over the ISA's compliance investigation; an interim ruling is dated 18 July 2026, its content is not in the cited sources.","src":13},{"title":"TMC USA suit against the International Seabed Authority","forum":"None on record","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"TMC USA","defendant":"International Seabed Authority","filed":"2026","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Reported in July 2026 coverage of the ISA Council session; forum and relief sought are not in the cited sources.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Zurich Insurance","insured":"Deep-sea mining activities (sector)","status":"cover-declined","year":2024,"reason":"Quoted: \"we do not have any appetite to insuring these types of mining activities\".","summary":"Cited from ShareAction, Insuring Disaster (2024), on a campaign page.","src":11},{"insurer":"Vienna Insurance Group","insured":"Deep-sea mining activities (sector)","status":"cover-declined","year":null,"reason":"Said it provides no cover for \"all kinds of new deep sea mining projects\".","summary":"Cited on the same campaign page; the year is not stated.","src":11}],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":65000,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area of TMC USA's consolidated exploration and commercial recovery application, as reported by the company."},{"key":"macrofauna_decline_pct","value":37,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Lower macrofauna abundance on collector-trial tracks two months after the trial, NORI-D area (study published December 2025)."},{"key":"species_diversity_decline_pct","value":32,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Lower species diversity on the same tracks."},{"key":"countries_seeking_moratorium","value":45,"unit":"countries","year":2026,"note":"As of July 2026; other sources give 37 (June 2025) and more than 30 (March 2026)."},{"key":"investment","value":85.2,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Korea Zinc private placement in TMC, June 2025: 19.6 million shares at $4.34, about 5%."},{"key":"investment","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Allseas investment in TMC, as reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"TMC USA applied to NOAA for an exploration licence and commercial recovery permit for seabed nodules in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone under a 1980 US law, while the ISA has not adopted rules for commercial mining.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TMC and its subsidiaries NORI, TOML and TMC USA","what":"Would gain a commercial recovery permit if NOAA approves; none had been issued as of October 2026.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Seafloor animals on the 2022 collector-trial tracks","what":"Macrofauna abundance 37% lower and species diversity 32% lower two months after the trial.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Clarion-Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Mexico, at about 4,000 metres; applications filed with NOAA in the United States.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Executive order 24 April 2025; application 29 April 2025; consolidated application January 2026; NOAA compliance finding April 2026; decision expected first quarter 2027.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The company says metals from nodules are needed for the energy transition and cause less harm than land mining; the executive order cited China's share of rare-earth supply, above 80%.","src":7},"how":{"t":"Through the 1980 DSHMRA, under which NOAA can license exploration and commercial recovery, rather than through ISA rules, which have not been adopted.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"UN regulator delays deep-sea mining rules, but extends criticized exploration contract","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/un-regulator-delays-deep-sea-mining-rules-but-extends-criticized-exploration-contract/amp/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260730114151/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/07/un-regulator-delays-deep-sea-mining-rules-but-extends-criticized-exploration-contract/amp/"},{"t":"NOAA Publishes TMC USA's Consolidated Application for an Exploration License and Commercial Recovery Permit","p":"The Metals Company","d":"2026-08-19","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-publishes-tmc-usas-consolidated-application-exploration/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002065425/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-publishes-tmc-usas-consolidated-application-exploration"},{"t":"NOAA determines TMC USA's consolidated deep seabed mining application (company release)","p":"The Metals Company","d":"2026-05","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-determines-tmc-usas-consolidated-deep-seabed-mining-0","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260920235614/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/noaa-determines-tmc-usas-consolidated-deep-seabed-mining-0/"},{"t":"TMC USA files first consolidated deep seabed mining application","p":"TMC via Nasdaq","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.nasdaq.com/press-release/tmc-usa-files-first-consolidated-deep-seabed-mining-application-increasing-expected"},{"t":"Deep-sea mining test in the Pacific drastically reduced biodiversity and animal populations","p":"Smithsonian Magazine","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260428185847/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/deep-sea-mining-test-in-the-pacific-drastically-reduced-biodiversity-and-animal-populations-180987813/"},{"t":"Deep ocean floor produces its own 'dark oxygen'","p":"Northwestern University","d":"2024-07","type":"academic","u":"https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/july/deep-ocean-floor-produces-its-own-dark-oxygen/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616180457/https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2024/july/deep-ocean-floor-produces-its-own-dark-oxygen"},{"t":"Scientists, deep-sea miner spar over dark oxygen discovery (title from URL)","p":"E&E News","d":"2024-07-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/scientists-deep-sea-miner-spar-over-dark-oxygen-discovery","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610125839/https://www.eenews.net/articles/scientists-deep-sea-miner-spar-over-dark-oxygen-discovery/"},{"t":"Lifecycle Assessment by Benchmark Shows TMC's NORI-D Nodule Project Could Outperform Land-Based Routes","p":"The Metals Company","d":"2023-03","type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/lifecycle-assessment-benchmark-shows-tmcs-nori-d-nodule-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260810233237/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/lifecycle-assessment-benchmark-shows-tmcs-nori-d-nodule-project/"},{"t":"Planet Tracker report on lifecycle studies of nodule mining (summary)","p":"Planet Tracker","d":"2023-12-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://planet-tracker.org/?p=19114","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018135253/https://planet-tracker.org/deep-sea-mining-could-be-worse-for-the-climate-than-land-ores/"},{"t":"UN experts: Norway's decision to postpone deep-sea mining licensing commended","p":"UNRIC","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://unric.org/en/un-experts-norways-decision-to-postpone-deep-sea-mining-licensing-commended/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114160839/https://unric.org/en/un-experts-norways-decision-to-postpone-deep-sea-mining-licensing-commended/"},{"t":"Nations denounce deep-sea mining bid in Pacific, US (title from URL)","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2025-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29072025/nations-denounce-deep-sea-mining-bid-pacific-us/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311090801/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29072025/nations-denounce-deep-sea-mining-bid-pacific-us/"},{"t":"Finance and investors (campaign page citing ShareAction, Insuring Disaster 2024)","p":"Deep Sea Mining Campaign","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://dsm-campaign.org/our-work/finance-and-investors/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512185112/https://dsm-campaign.org/our-work/finance-and-investors/"},{"t":"TMC and Nauru announce updated sponsorship agreement with Nauru Ocean Resources (title from URL)","p":"The Metals Company","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/tmc-and-nauru-announce-updated-sponsorship-agreement-nauru-ocean","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251225100236/https://investors.metals.co/news-releases/news-release-details/tmc-and-nauru-announce-updated-sponsorship-agreement-nauru-ocean"},{"t":"Seabed Disputes Chamber delivers its Order in case concerning an inquiry by the International Seabed Authority (Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. v. International Seabed Authority), provisional measures (ITLOS/Press 391)","p":"International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea","d":"2026-07-18","u":"https://www.itlos.org/fileadmin/itlos/documents/press_releases_english/PR_391_EN.pdf","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"deep-sea-mining","related":["nautilus-minerals-bankruptcy-and-tmc"],"natureLead":{"t":"Two months after a 2022 collector trial on my seabed, macrofauna abundance on the tracks was 37% lower and species diversity 32% lower than nearby, a study mainly funded by the mining contractor found.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does nodule mining cause less harm than land-based mining?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do nodules produce oxygen at the seabed, and is the research sound?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who governs commercial mining of the international seabed: the ISA or US national law?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the NOAA decision on TMC USA's consolidated application: expected in the first quarter of 2027; its status as of October 2026 is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Date NOAA found the application compliant: the records give both 28 April 2026 and 30 April 2026; both come from company releases and secondary reports.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the ITLOS proceedings brought by NORI and TOML (an interim ruling is dated 18 July 2026; its content is not in the cited sources) and of TMC USA's suit against the ISA.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Number of countries seeking a moratorium: 37 (June 2025), more than 30 (March 2026) and 45 (July 2026) in different sources; the difference may reflect dates.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Number of species recorded in the CCZ: one record gives 5,142 unnamed species and about 88% of sampled species undescribed; another gives 5,578 species, about 92% new to science (the second). The figures conflict.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether oxygen is produced at the seabed by nodules is a hypothesis; the text of TMC's formal objection to the 2024 paper was not available, and results of the research team's 2026 expeditions have not been published.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: under the revised sponsorship agreement Nauru receives $2 per tonne and rights to about 9.1 million shares in TMC; details were not checked against a primary document.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Glencore put $5 million into the company in 2012 and holds a right to half of the nickel and copper from NORI's area.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a link between TMC's chief executive and Nautilus Minerals, whose Solwara 1 project off Papua New Guinea ended with the company's bankruptcy in 2019; the Papua New Guinea government held 15% of the project. The link could not be confirmed on the page opened, and a reported 2025 interview remark about earnings from it comes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: tracks from 1979 test mining still visible after 44 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No information found on TMC's insurance.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological assessment of commercial-scale mining is recorded; the company's lifecycle assessment excludes biodiversity.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"satartia-co2-pipeline-rupture","title":"Satartia CO2 pipeline rupture (Mississippi)","dek":"On 22 February 2020 a landslide ruptured a carbon dioxide pipeline near Satartia, Mississippi. More than 200 people were evacuated and at least 45 were taken to hospital.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":32.68,"lon":-90.56,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Mississippi (Yazoo County)","lat":32.68,"lon":-90.56,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2020-02-22","instrument":"pipeline","types":["pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"People evacuated / taken to hospital","value":"200+ / 45+","note":"Counts reported by NPR (2023). Denbury told investors that no injuries to local residents were reported."},"happened":["Satartia is a village in Yazoo County, Mississippi, with 42 residents and about 250 more living around it, according to HuffPost (2021). A carbon dioxide pipeline owned by Denbury, called the Delta line, ran past it. Built in 2007, the 24-inch line carried carbon dioxide extracted from the Jackson Dome, a natural reservoir in an extinct volcano beneath the city of Jackson, to the Tinsley oil field, where it was used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR): carbon dioxide injected into an ageing oil field to push out remaining oil. HuffPost reported that the line did not carry carbon dioxide captured from an industrial plant, but is the same kind of line as those planned for carbon capture in the United States; citing a Princeton study, it wrote that US carbon dioxide pipelines could grow from about 5,000 miles to 65,000 miles by 2050.","On the evening of 22 February 2020, after days of rain, a landslide pulled the pipe apart at a weld. A man returning from fishing with his brother and cousin heard a blast and saw a white cloud; the three lost consciousness in their car from carbon dioxide. A fire coordinator, Jerry Briggs, and his crew found the three men unconscious and got them to hospital (NPR, 2023). All three lived on oxygen tanks for months. Three years later, NPR reported, the man still had headaches, difficulty concentrating and muscle tremors, could not do his construction and timber work, and took medication for anxiety attacks. HuffPost reported that his cousin could not return to work and that a 14-year-old lost consciousness and had worse asthma afterwards.","NPR reported that more than 200 people were evacuated and at least 45 were taken to hospital. The company's control centre saw the pressure loss immediately but did not alert local emergency services; Denbury confirmed the incident only after a local official called the company, more than 40 minutes after the rupture, and early 911 calls led dispatchers to think it was a natural gas leak (NPR, 2023; HuffPost, 2021). The Yazoo County emergency director, Jack Willingham, said that if the wind had blown the other way, or if people had been asleep, there would have been deaths (as quoted by NationofChange, 2021). At an investor meeting in 2020, Denbury said no injuries to local residents had been reported in connection with the leak (HuffPost, 2021).","The federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed a $3.9 million penalty; Denbury paid $2.8 million without admitting the violations (NPR, 2023; Inside Climate News, 2025). Denbury filed for bankruptcy about five months after the rupture (HuffPost, 2021). ExxonMobil completed its acquisition of Denbury on 2 November 2023 for $4.9 billion; the assets included more than 1,300 miles of carbon dioxide pipeline, production of about 46,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day and more than 200 million barrels of reserves. The man, his brother and cousin and others sued the company; NPR reported the outcome could not be found. In January 2025 PHMSA proposed a new $2.4 million penalty against Denbury and its contractor because weld tests on the re-laid pipe were carried out without inspectors present; ExxonMobil said it was evaluating appropriate next steps (Inside Climate News, 2025)."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Delta pipeline built to carry natural carbon dioxide from the Jackson Dome to the Tinsley oil field"},{"y":2020,"t":"Landslide ruptures the 24-inch pipe near Satartia (22 February); more than 200 evacuated, at least 45 hospitalised; Denbury files for bankruptcy about five months later"},{"y":2023,"t":"ExxonMobil completes $4.9 billion acquisition of Denbury (2 November); NPR reports on survivors three years on"},{"y":2025,"t":"PHMSA proposes a new $2.4 million penalty over weld testing on the re-laid pipe (January)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"No injuries to local residents were reported in connection with the leak.","who":"Denbury, at a 2020 investor meeting (as reported by HuffPost, 2021)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 200 people were evacuated and at least 45 were taken to hospital.","src":1},{"t":"Three men found unconscious in a car were taken to hospital; all three lived on oxygen tanks for months.","src":1},{"t":"The control centre saw the pressure loss immediately but did not alert local emergency services; the incident was confirmed after more than 40 minutes, when a local official called the company.","src":1},{"t":"The Yazoo County emergency director said that had the wind blown the other way or people been asleep, there would have been deaths.","src":3},{"t":"PHMSA proposed a $3.9 million penalty; Denbury paid $2.8 million without admitting the violations.","src":2},{"t":"ExxonMobil completed the $4.9 billion acquisition of Denbury, with more than 1,300 miles of CO2 pipeline, on 2 November 2023.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People evacuated","v":"200+","d":"As reported by NPR (2023)"},{"k":"People taken to hospital","v":"45+","d":"At least; reported by NPR (2023)"},{"k":"Delay before the incident was confirmed to local officials","v":"40+ min","d":"After a local official called the company, per NPR (2023)"}]},"unknown":["Outcome of the residents' lawsuit against Denbury: NPR (2023) reported it could not be found.","No record found of company executives being prosecuted personally.","Unconfirmed: experts disagree whether hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide caused the illnesses; this comes."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The rupture was a single event on 22 February 2020. A January 2025 PHMSA proposal concerns weld testing on the re-laid pipe.","whoPaid":"Residents bore the physical harm; Denbury paid $2.8 million to PHMSA; the outcome of the residents' lawsuit is not recorded.","statusLine":"As of January 2025: PHMSA proposed a further $2.4 million penalty against Denbury and its contractor; ExxonMobil, which acquired Denbury in 2023, said it was evaluating next steps; the outcome of the residents' lawsuit was not found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"denbury","says":"Said no injuries to local residents had been reported in connection with the leak.","when":"2020","src":null},{"actor":"denbury","says":"Paid $2.8 million to PHMSA without admitting the violations.","when":"2023 report","src":null},{"actor":"exxon","says":"Said it was evaluating appropriate next steps after PHMSA's January 2025 penalty proposal.","when":"January 2025","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"denbury","role":"Owner of the Delta pipeline"},{"id":"phmsa","role":"Federal pipeline safety regulator"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Acquired Denbury in 2023"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were local residents injured?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Denbury","says":"At a 2020 investor meeting, said no injuries to local residents were reported in connection with the leak.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"NPR","says":"More than 200 people were evacuated and at least 45 were taken to hospital.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Jack Willingham, Yazoo County emergency director","says":"Said that with a different wind direction, or had people been asleep, there would have been deaths.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did Denbury violate pipeline safety rules?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"PHMSA","says":"Proposed a $3.9 million penalty.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Denbury","says":"Paid $2.8 million without admitting the violations.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"PHMSA enforcement against Denbury over the 2020 rupture","forum":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"PHMSA","defendant":"Denbury","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":2.8,"currency":"USD","label":"Paid by Denbury (USD m); $3.9m was proposed"},"summary":"PHMSA proposed a $3.9 million penalty; Denbury paid $2.8 million without admitting the violations.","src":2},{"title":"Residents v. Denbury","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"A man, his brother and cousin, and other residents","defendant":"Denbury","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Residents sued the company; NPR (2023) reported the outcome could not be found.","src":1},{"title":"PHMSA proposed penalty over weld testing on the re-laid pipe","forum":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"PHMSA","defendant":"Denbury and its contractor","filed":"2025-01","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":2.4,"currency":"USD","label":"Proposed penalty (USD m)"},"summary":"PHMSA proposed a $2.4 million penalty because weld tests on the re-laid pipe were carried out without inspectors; ExxonMobil said it was evaluating appropriate next steps.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"evacuated","value":200,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reported by NPR (2023)."},{"key":"hospitalised","value":45,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Reported by NPR (2023)."},{"key":"residents","value":42,"unit":"people","year":2020,"note":"Residents of Satartia, with about 250 more living around it (HuffPost, 2021)."},{"key":"alert_delay_minutes","value":40,"unit":"minutes","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Time before Denbury confirmed the incident, after a local official called the company."},{"key":"fine","value":2.8,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Paid by Denbury to PHMSA without admitting the violations; $3.9 million was proposed."},{"key":"penalty_proposed","value":2.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"PHMSA proposal, January 2025, over weld testing on the re-laid pipe."},{"key":"acquisition_value","value":4900,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"ExxonMobil's acquisition of Denbury, completed 2 November 2023."},{"key":"pipe_diameter_in","value":24,"unit":"inches","year":2020,"note":"Diameter of the ruptured pipe."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A landslide ruptured the Delta carbon dioxide pipeline near Satartia, Mississippi; more than 200 people were evacuated and at least 45 taken to hospital.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Acquired Denbury, owner of the Delta pipeline, in November 2023 for $4.9 billion, with more than 1,300 miles of CO2 pipeline and more than 200 million barrels of reserves.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Satartia and the surrounding area","what":"More than 200 evacuated; at least 45 taken to hospital; three men found unconscious in a car lived on oxygen for months and one still had symptoms three years later.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Satartia, Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States; the line ran from the Jackson Dome to the Tinsley oil field.","src":null},"when":{"t":"22 February 2020, in the evening, after days of rain.","src":null},"why":{"t":"A landslide moved the soil and pulled the pipe from a weld, according to NPR and HuffPost.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The 24-inch pipe, built in 2007 to carry natural carbon dioxide for oil recovery, was torn at a weld and released a cloud of carbon dioxide; the company did not alert local responders for more than 40 minutes.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"ExxonMobil completes acquisition of Denbury (title from URL)","p":"ExxonMobil","d":"2023-11-02","type":"company","u":"https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/news-releases/2023/1102_exxonmobil-completes-acquisition-of-denbury","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830030500/https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/news-releases/2023/1102_exxonmobil-completes-acquisition-of-denbury"},{"t":"The U.S. is expanding CO2 pipelines. One poisoned town wants you to know its story","p":"NPR (via NHPR)","d":"2023-05-21","u":"https://www.nhpr.org/2023-05-21/the-u-s-is-expanding-co2-pipelines-one-poisoned-town-wants-you-to-know-its-story","type":"press"},{"t":"CO2 pipeline company menacing federal inspectors","p":"Inside Climate News (Floodlight)","d":"2025-02-17","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17022025/co2-pipeline-company-menacing-federal-inspectors/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720160244/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17022025/co2-pipeline-company-menacing-federal-inspectors/"},{"t":"How the world's first CO2 pipeline explosion turned a Mississippi town into a zombie movie","p":"NationofChange (from HuffPost and Center for Investigative Reporting)","d":"2021-08-28","u":"https://nationofchange.org/2021/08/28/how-the-worlds-first-co2-pipeline-explosion-turned-a-mississippi-town-into-a-zombie-movie","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were local residents injured?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Denbury violate pipeline safety rules?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Residents v. Denbury: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the residents' lawsuit against Denbury: NPR (2023) reported it could not be found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record found of company executives being prosecuted personally.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: experts disagree whether hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide caused the illnesses; this comes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of Satartia and the surrounding area"]},{"id":"lucona-sinking","title":"Lucona sinking (Indian Ocean)","dek":"In January 1977 a time bomb sank the cargo ship Lucona in the Indian Ocean; six of the twelve people aboard died. Udo Proksch, who had declared and insured the cargo, was later convicted of six murders and fraud.","country":"Indian Ocean (near Minicoy)","region":"Indian Ocean","lat":8.28,"lon":73.05,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indian Ocean (near Minicoy)","iso2":null,"lat":8.28,"lon":73.05,"role":"event"}],"start":1977,"end":1991,"eventDate":"1977-01-23","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Insured sum the insurer refused to pay","value":"212 million schillings","note":""},"happened":["On 23 January 1977 the cargo ship Lucona sank in the Indian Ocean near Minicoy. A time bomb sank the ship, and six of the twelve people aboard died. The cargo had been declared as uranium-processing machinery but was scrap.","The wreck was found in January 1991 at a depth of 4,200 metres, according to the Washington Post of 12 March 1991 and Mearns (2018).","Udo Proksch, who had declared the cargo as a uranium-processing plant and insured it for 212 million schillings, was sentenced by a jury at the Vienna Regional Court to 20 years on 11 March 1991 for six murders and fraud; Austria's Supreme Court (OGH) increased the sentence to life imprisonment (OÖNachrichten; taz). He died in custody on 27 June 2001 in Graz (OÖNachrichten). Former foreign minister Leopold Gratz was convicted of giving false testimony in the affair; the Vienna Higher Regional Court confirmed the verdict in 1993 and he was fined 450,000 schillings (ORF).","On 11 June 1997 the Kiel Regional Court in Germany sentenced Hans Peter Daimler, a former merchant, to 14 years in prison for aiding and abetting six murders and six attempted murders, causing an explosion and attempted insurance fraud in the sinking (taz, 12 June 1997)."],"timeline":[{"y":1977,"t":"Lucona sinks after a time bomb explodes; six of twelve aboard die (23 January)"},{"y":1991,"t":"Wreck found at 4,200 m (January); Udo Proksch sentenced to 20 years (11 March), later increased to life"},{"y":1997,"t":"Kiel Regional Court sentences Hans Peter Daimler to 14 years for aiding and abetting the sinking (11 June)"},{"y":2001,"t":"Udo Proksch dies in custody in Graz (27 June)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The cargo was uranium-processing machinery.","who":"Cargo papers (a former foreign minister was convicted of forging them)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"A time bomb sank the ship; six of the twelve aboard died.","src":2},{"t":"The declared cargo was scrap.","src":0},{"t":"The wreck was found in January 1991 at 4,200 m.","src":2},{"t":"The insurer refused to pay the 212 million Austrian schilling insured sum.","src":1},{"t":"The owner was sentenced to 20 years on 11 March 1991, later increased to life, for six murders and fraud.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"ATS","window":"1977","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Environmental consequence","v":"None documented","d":"The sources state no environmental consequence was documented"},{"k":"Wreck","v":"4,200 m","d":"Found in January 1991"}]},"unknown":["Environmental consequence: none documented."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The sinking was a single event on 23 January 1977; no environmental consequence is documented.","whoPaid":"Six of the twelve people aboard died; the insurer refused to pay the 212 million schilling insured sum.","statusLine":"Udo Proksch was sentenced to 20 years in March 1991, increased to life by Austria's Supreme Court, for six murders and fraud, and died in custody in 2001; an accomplice was sentenced to 14 years in Germany in 1997; the insurer refused to pay the claim; no environmental consequence is documented.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"bundeslaender-versicherung","says":"Refused to pay the insured sum of 212 million Austrian schillings.","when":"1977","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"bundeslaender-versicherung","role":"Insurer that refused payment"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What was the cargo?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Cargo papers","says":"The cargo was uranium-processing machinery.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mearns (2018) and the Washington Post","says":"The cargo was scrap.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against Udo Proksch","forum":"Vienna Regional Court (jury); sentence increased by the Supreme Court (OGH)","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"criminal","claimant":"Austrian state prosecution","defendant":"Udo Proksch, who declared and insured the cargo","filed":null,"decided":"1991-03-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Sentenced to 20 years on 11 March 1991 for six murders and fraud; the Supreme Court (OGH) increased the sentence to life imprisonment, reported by taz as in 1992. Proksch died in custody on 27 June 2001.","src":4},{"title":"Criminal case against Hans Peter Daimler","forum":"Kiel Regional Court (Landgericht Kiel), Germany","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"German state prosecution","defendant":"Hans Peter Daimler, former merchant","filed":null,"decided":"1997-06-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Sentenced to 14 years in prison for aiding and abetting six murders and six attempted murders, causing a life-endangering explosion and attempted insurance fraud in the sinking of the Lucona.","src":5}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Bundesländer-Versicherung (Vienna)","insured":"None on record","status":"refused","year":null,"amount":{"value":212,"currency":"ATS","label":"Insured sum, million Austrian schillings"},"reason":"The insurer refused payment; the stated reason is not in the cited sources.","summary":"The insurer, with an insured sum of 212 million Austrian schillings, refused to pay out.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":6,"unit":"people","year":1977,"note":"Six of the twelve people aboard died."},{"key":"people_aboard","value":12,"unit":"people","year":1977,"note":"People aboard the Lucona."},{"key":"claim","value":212,"unit":"ATS m","year":1977,"note":"Insured sum the insurer refused to pay (Austrian schillings)."},{"key":"wreck_depth_m","value":4200,"unit":"m","year":1991,"note":"Depth at which the wreck was found, January 1991."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A time bomb sank the cargo ship Lucona; six of the twelve people aboard died. The cargo, declared as uranium-processing machinery, was scrap.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Bundesländer-Versicherung","what":"Faced an insured sum of 212 million Austrian schillings; refused to pay.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Six of the twelve people aboard","what":"Died.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Indian Ocean near Minicoy; the wreck lies at about 4,200 m.","src":2},"when":{"t":"23 January 1977; wreck found January 1991; sentence 11 March 1991.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The owner of the cargo was convicted of six murders and fraud over a plan to claim the insurance; a former foreign minister was convicted of giving false testimony in the affair.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A time bomb; the cargo declared as uranium-processing machinery was scrap.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AUSTRIA: Guilty as Charged","p":"Time","d":"1991-03-25","u":"https://time.com/archive/6717356/austria-guilty-as-charged/","type":"press"},{"t":"Lucona zieht Wiener Politprominenz in die Tiefe (M. Kirfel, W. Oswalt)","p":"taz, die tageszeitung","d":"1989-01-26","u":"https://taz.de/Lucona-zieht-Wiener-Politprominenz-in-die-Tiefe/!1824344/","type":"press"},{"t":"Vor 25 Jahren: Udo Proksch als Moerder verhaftet","p":"OÖNachrichten","d":"2014-10-02","u":"https://www.nachrichten.at/panorama/chronik/Vor-25-Jahren-Udo-Proksch-als-Moerder-verhaftet;art58,1512656","type":"press"},{"t":"Haftstrafen fuer Politiker selten (Lucona and Noricum convictions)","p":"ORF Kaernten","d":"2011-08-02","u":"https://ktnv1.orf.at/stories/530018","type":"press"},{"t":"Udo Proksch ist ein Paradehaeftling","p":"Der Standard","d":"2001","u":"https://www.derstandard.at/story/499018/udo-proksch-ist-ein-paradehaeftling","type":"press"},{"t":"14 Jahre für Sprengung der \"Lucona\"","p":"taz, die tageszeitung","d":"1997-06-12","u":"https://taz.de/14-Jahre-fuer-Sprengung-der-Lucona/!1396745","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was the cargo?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Environmental consequence: none documented.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ikarian-reefer-fire","title":"Ikarian Reefer fire (Sierra Leone)","dek":"A refrigerated cargo ship ran aground off Sierra Leone in 1985 and then caught fire. Underwriters refused a claim of about US$3 million, alleging the fire was set with the owners' connivance; the Court of Appeal found in 1995 that the fire was deliberate.","country":"Sierra Leone","region":"Africa","lat":8.3,"lon":-13.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sierra Leone","iso2":"SL","role":"event"}],"start":1985,"end":1995,"instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Insurance claim refused by underwriters","value":"about US$3m","note":"Amount of the claim as recorded. The Court of Appeal found the fire deliberate in 1995."},"happened":["The Ikarian Reefer, a refrigerated cargo ship (\"reefer\"), ran aground off Sierra Leone in 1985. A fire broke out afterwards.","The underwriters, led in the cited sources by Prudential, alleged that the fire had been started with the connivance of the ship's owners and refused to pay a claim of about US$3 million.","The owners sued. The Commercial Court found for the owners ([1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 68). The Court of Appeal reversed that decision and found that the fire had been deliberate, in National Justice Compania Naviera v Prudential ([1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep 455).","The environmental consequence of this incident is not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":1985,"t":"Ship runs aground off Sierra Leone; fire follows"},{"y":1993,"t":"Commercial Court finds for the owners ([1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 68)"},{"y":1995,"t":"Court of Appeal reverses and finds the fire was deliberate ([1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep 455)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Underwriters (Prudential) alleged the fire was set with the owners' connivance and refused a claim of about US$3m.","src":0},{"t":"The Commercial Court found for the owners; the Court of Appeal reversed and found the fire deliberate (1995).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1985–1995","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Environmental consequence","v":"None documented","d":"Environmental consequence not documented in the cited sources."}]},"unknown":["Environmental consequence of the grounding and fire: stated in the cited sources as not documented."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"No environmental harm is on record.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who paid for the loss. The underwriters refused the claim of about US$3m; the Court of Appeal reversed the first-instance decision that had been in the owners' favour.","statusLine":"As of 1995: the Court of Appeal reversed the first-instance decision and found the fire deliberate; no later proceedings are on record.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"prudential","says":"Alleged the fire was set with the owners' connivance and refused a claim of about US$3 million.","when":"Positions stated in the litigation decided in 1993 and 1995","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"prudential","role":"Underwriter that refused the claim"},{"id":"national-justice-compania-naviera","role":"Ship owner and claimant"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the fire started with the owners' connivance?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Prudential (underwriters)","says":"Alleged the fire was set with the owners' connivance and refused about US$3m.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Owners (National Justice Compania Naviera)","says":"Pursued the claim against the underwriters; succeeded at first instance.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Commercial Court","says":"Found for the owners ([1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 68).","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Appeal","says":"Reversed the first-instance decision and found the fire was deliberate ([1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep 455).","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"National Justice Compania Naviera v Prudential","forum":"Commercial Court (first instance); Court of Appeal","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"Ship owners (National Justice Compania Naviera)","defendant":"Prudential (underwriters)","filed":null,"decided":1995,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":3000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Claim refused by underwriters (about)"},"summary":"The Commercial Court found for the owners ([1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 68). The Court of Appeal reversed and found the fire had been deliberate ([1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep 455). Status is read from the claimant's side.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Prudential (underwriters)","insured":"Owners of the Ikarian Reefer","status":"refused","year":null,"amount":{"value":3000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Claim, about"},"reason":"Underwriters alleged the fire was set with the owners' connivance.","summary":"The underwriters refused a claim of about US$3 million. The Commercial Court found for the owners; the Court of Appeal reversed and found the fire deliberate (1995).","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":3,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Amount of the claim the underwriters refused."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A refrigerated cargo ship ran aground and then caught fire; the underwriters refused a claim of about US$3m, and the Court of Appeal found the fire deliberate.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Off Sierra Leone.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1985 (incident); 1993 and 1995 (court decisions).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The underwriters alleged the fire was set with the owners' connivance; the Court of Appeal found the fire deliberate.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The ship grounded and a fire followed; the claim was refused and litigated in the Commercial Court and the Court of Appeal.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"National Justice Compania Naviera SA v Prudential Assurance Co Ltd (The Ikarian Reefer), [1995] 1 Lloyd's Rep 455 (Court of Appeal)","p":"Lloyd's Law Reports (text via uniset.ca)","d":"1994-12-08","u":"http://www.uniset.ca/other/cs2/19951LLR455.html","type":"court"},{"t":"National Justice Compania Naviera SA v Prudential Assurance Co Ltd (The Ikarian Reefer), [1993] 2 Lloyd's Rep 68 (Commercial Court)","p":"Lloyd's Law Reports (text via uniset.ca)","d":"1993-02-25","u":"http://www.uniset.ca/other/cs2/19932LLR68.html","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"related":["pg-e-wildfire-settlement-tax-deduction-and-fire-victim-trust"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the fire started with the owners' connivance?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Environmental consequence of the grounding and fire: stated in the cited sources as not documented.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ok-tedi-mine","title":"Ok Tedi mine (Papua New Guinea)","dek":"A copper-gold mine in Papua New Guinea has released tailings into the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers since 1984. Villagers sued BHP in 1994; BHP left in 2001–2002 under a law that shielded it from future environmental claims, and the PNG parliament removed that protection in 2013.","country":"Papua New Guinea","region":"Oceania","lat":-5.3,"lon":141.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","admin":"Western Province","role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Melbourne","role":"court"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"foundation"}],"start":1984,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings"],"headline":{"label":"Tailings released into the rivers, per day","value":"about 80,000 t","note":"As reported by SPREP in 2025, as cited in secondary sources."},"happened":["The Ok Tedi copper-gold mine in Western Province, Papua New Guinea, was operated by BHP. Its tailings dam was destroyed by a landslide in 1984 and was not rebuilt. Since then tailings have been released into the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers; SPREP (2025) gives the volume as about 80,000 tonnes a day.","In 1994 about 34,000 indigenous claimants sued BHP in Melbourne (Dagi v BHP). BHP's lawyers drafted a bill for the PNG parliament that would have blocked the case; the Supreme Court of Victoria found the company in contempt in September 1995, and the Victorian Court of Appeal overturned that finding on a technicality. A 1996 settlement provided compensation (110 million, currency not stated) and a commitment on tailings containment. In April 2000 the communities returned to the Supreme Court of Victoria, alleging that BHP had breached the 1996 settlement by not halting riverine disposal of tailings; the court approved the dismissal of that case on 16 January 2004, after a settlement with the plaintiffs in December 2003, according to BHP.","In December 2001 a PNG mining law transferred BHP's stake in the mine to a development foundation set up in Singapore. The foundation's purpose was to indemnify BHP and the state against pollution claims, and liability was limited to the foundation's value. BHP announced its withdrawal and the establishment of a development fund for the people of Papua New Guinea in February 2002. A World Bank recommendation in 2000 to close the mine, and critics of the exit, are recorded in a December 2001 report by IPS.","On 19 September 2013 a new law removed BHP's immunity. Parliament voted 62 to 0 and, under Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, the state took the foundation's shares without compensation. The state now holds about two-thirds of the mine, with the company saying it will operate to 2050; a 2024 dividend of K450 million was reported.","No prosecution and no named offence are stated in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":1984,"t":"Tailings dam destroyed by landslide and not rebuilt; tailings go to the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers"},{"y":1994,"t":"About 34,000 claimants sue BHP in Melbourne (Dagi v BHP)"},{"y":1996,"t":"Settlement: compensation (110 million, currency not stated) and a tailings containment commitment"},{"y":2000,"t":"April: villagers file a second suit alleging breach of the 1996 settlement (dismissed in January 2004 after a settlement with the plaintiffs); World Bank recommends closing the mine"},{"y":2001,"t":"December: PNG mining law moves BHP's stake to a foundation set up in Singapore and limits liability to its value"},{"y":2002,"t":"February: BHP announces withdrawal and a development fund for the people of Papua New Guinea"},{"y":2013,"t":"19 September: law removes BHP's immunity; the state takes the foundation's shares"},{"y":2024,"t":"Dividend of K450 million recorded"},{"y":2025,"t":"SPREP reports about 80,000 tonnes of tailings a day; company says production will continue to 2050"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"BHP announced it was withdrawing from the Ok Tedi mine and establishing a development fund for the benefit of the people of Papua New Guinea.","who":"BHP, February 2002 news release","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Tailings released into the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers at about 80,000 tonnes a day (SPREP, 2025, as cited).","src":3},{"t":"34,000 claimants sued BHP in 1994; a 1996 settlement included compensation and a tailings containment commitment.","src":4},{"t":"The December 2001 law limited liability to the value of the foundation; the 2013 law removed BHP's immunity.","src":2},{"t":"Reports give BHP's stake as 52% (IPS, December 2001) and the stake held in the fund as 63.4% (The Motley Fool Australia, October 2013).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"PGK","window":"1984–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tailings released","v":"about 80,000 t a day","d":"SPREP, 2025, as cited in secondary sources"},{"k":"Duration of discharge","v":"since 1984","d":"Tailings dam destroyed in 1984 and not rebuilt"},{"k":"Company-stated mine life","v":"to 2050","d":"The company says production will continue"}]},"unknown":["Stake figures conflict in the sources: 52% (IPS, December 2001) and 63.4% (The Motley Fool Australia, 2013, 'BHP's 63.4% stake in the fund').","Status of the development fund (PNGSDP) after 2015: unknown. A long-term fund of about US$1.4bn is recorded around 2014, and a Singapore High Court ruling against the state is reported (secondary source); the later status was not found.","What followed the 2013 repeal of BHP's immunity was not tracked.","No criminal prosecution or named offence is stated in the cited sources.","No public insurer dispute is on record for this case.","Whether the immunity arrangement was fully valid was debated at the time (IPS, December 2001: 'immunity was debated'); no court ruling on it is in the cited sources.","The 1996 containment commitment is reported as not met (discharge continues at about 80,000 t a day); the cited sources give no ecological measurement of the rivers."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped: discharge into the rivers is recorded as continuing in 2025, and the company says production will continue to 2050.","whoPaid":"The cited sources show BHP's 1996 settlement and the loss of its immunity in 2013 (the state took the foundation's shares); communities along the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers carry the discharge. The cited sources contain no restoration spending.","statusLine":"As of 2025: tailings discharge of about 80,000 tonnes a day is reported to continue; the PNG state holds about two-thirds of the mine; no prosecution is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"bhp","says":"BHP Billiton withdraws from Ok Tedi copper mine and establishes development fund for benefit of Papua New Guinea people.","when":"February 2002","src":0},{"actor":"otml","says":"The company says it will continue production to 2050.","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"png-government","says":"Parliament passed a law on 19 September 2013 removing BHP's immunity and took the foundation's shares.","when":"2013","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"bhp","role":"Former operator and majority owner; party to Dagi v BHP"},{"id":"otml","role":"Mine operating company (OTML)"},{"id":"png-government","role":"State; legislated BHP's immunity (2001) and removed it (2013); now holds about two-thirds of the mine"},{"id":"pngsdp","role":"Development foundation set up in Singapore that received BHP's stake"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was BHP's exit and the protection from future claims justified?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BHP","says":"Announced its withdrawal from the mine and the establishment of a development fund for the benefit of the people of Papua New Guinea.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"IPS (December 2001)","says":"Headline: 'Critics assail mining company's rearguard action'. The report records that the immunity was debated and that the World Bank had recommended closing the mine in 2000.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"PNG parliament","says":"December 2001: a mining law moved BHP's stake to a foundation set up in Singapore, with liability limited to the foundation's value. 19 September 2013: a new law removed BHP's immunity.","src":2}]},{"point":"Who controls the development fund and the mine?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"PNG state","says":"Contested the fund; took over the mine in 2013 and now holds about two-thirds.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Singapore High Court","says":"Reported (secondary source) to have ruled against the state; later status not found.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the tailings-containment commitment met?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BHP","says":"The 1996 settlement included a commitment on tailings containment (described as a promise of the best practicable containment system).","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"SPREP (2025, as cited)","says":"About 80,000 tonnes of tailings a day are released into the rivers.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Dagi v BHP","forum":"Supreme Court of Victoria, Melbourne","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"class-action","claimant":"About 34,000 indigenous claimants from the Ok Tedi and Fly river area","defendant":"BHP","filed":1994,"decided":1996,"status":"settled","summary":"Claimants sued in 1994. BHP's lawyers drafted a bill for the PNG parliament that would have blocked the case; the Supreme Court of Victoria found the company in contempt in September 1995, and the Victorian Court of Appeal overturned that finding on a technicality (Multinational Monitor, March 1996). A 1996 settlement provided compensation (110 million, currency not stated) and a commitment on tailings containment.","src":4},{"title":"Second claim by Ok Tedi villagers","forum":"Supreme Court of Victoria","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"Ok Tedi villagers","defendant":"BHP","filed":2000,"decided":"2004-01","status":"settled","summary":"A second action was brought in April 2000 in the Supreme Court of Victoria to enforce the 1996 settlement. On 16 January 2004 the court approved the dismissal of the proceedings against BHP Billiton and Ok Tedi Mining Limited, following a settlement with the plaintiffs in December 2003 whose terms were not published; BHP said it had complied with the 1996 settlement agreement.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tailings_t_per_day","value":80000,"unit":"tonnes per day","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Released into the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers (SPREP 2025, as cited in secondary sources)."},{"key":"claimants","value":34000,"unit":"people","year":1994,"note":"Indigenous claimants in Dagi v BHP."},{"key":"settlement","value":110000000,"unit":"(currency not stated)","year":1996,"note":"1996 settlement figure."},{"key":"dividend","value":450,"unit":"PGK m","year":2024,"note":"K450 million dividend recorded for 2024."},{"key":"amount_40y","value":13.4,"unit":"PGK bn","year":2024,"note":"'13.4 billion kina over 40 years'; the cited sources do not say what is measured."},{"key":"state_share_pct","value":67,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"State holds about two-thirds; the cited sources give 67% state, 33% landowners."},{"key":"fund_value","value":1.4,"unit":"USD bn","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Long-term development fund (c. 2014, secondary source)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A copper-gold mine released tailings into the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers, about 80,000 tonnes a day (SPREP 2025, as cited); BHP exited in 2001–2002 with a legal shield that was removed in 2013.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BHP","what":"Exited the mine in 2001–2002 after transferring its stake to a foundation, with an indemnity limited to the foundation's value.","src":0},{"who":"PNG state","what":"Holds about two-thirds of the mine; 2024 dividend of K450 million recorded.","src":null},{"who":"Landowners","what":"Share recorded as 33%.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"BHP","what":"Paid a 1996 settlement (110 million, currency not stated); lost its immunity in 2013.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Communities along the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers, including the Yonggom people","what":"Tailings released into the rivers they live along; 34,000 claimants sued in 1994.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Ok Tedi and Fly rivers, Western Province, Papua New Guinea.","src":null},"when":{"t":"1984 to the present; lawsuits 1994–2004; BHP exit 2001–2002; immunity removed 19 September 2013.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The tailings dam was destroyed by a landslide in 1984 and not rebuilt ; the mine continued to operate.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tailings discharged into the rivers; liability litigated in Melbourne; stake moved to a Singapore foundation under the 2001 PNG law; immunity removed and shares taken by the state in 2013.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"BHP Billiton Withdraws from Ok Tedi Copper Mine and Establishes Development Fund for Benefit of Papua New Guinea People","p":"BHP","d":"2002-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.bhp.com/news/media-centre/releases/2002/02/bhp-billiton-withdraws-from-ok-tedi-copper-mine-and-establishes-development-fund-for-benefit-of-papua-new-guinea","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011110817/https://www.bhp.com/news/media-centre/releases/2002/02/bhp-billiton-withdraws-from-ok-tedi-copper-mine-and-establishes-development-fund-for-benefit-of-papua-new-guinea"},{"t":"Critics assail mining company's rearguard action","p":"IPS","d":"2001-12-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2001/12/environment-critics-assail-mining-companys-rearguard-action/"},{"t":"BHP's Ok Tedi immunity scrapped","p":"The Motley Fool Australia","d":"2013-10-24","type":"press","u":"http://www.fool.com.au/2013/10/24/bhps-ok-tedi-immunity-scrapped/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241016065230/https://www.fool.com.au/2013/10/24/bhps-ok-tedi-immunity-scrapped/"},{"t":"Environmental Impact (EIA) of Large-Scale Mining in Papua New Guinea: Sedimentology of Trace Metals from Mine-Derived Materials Deposited in Fly River Floodplain (prepared for SPREP)","p":"Pacific Data Hub, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)","d":"2025-04-14","u":"https://pacific-data.sprep.org/dataset/62692","type":"official"},{"t":"Litigating Ok Tedi (Again)","p":"Cultural Survival Quarterly 26-3 (Stuart Kirsch)","d":"2002-08-31","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/ourpublications/csq/article/litigating-ok-tedi-again","type":"academic"},{"t":"PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Australian court drops Ok Tedi Suit","p":"Cultural Survival","d":"2004-01-20","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/7534","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Court dismisses Ok Tedi proceedings (BHP Billiton release 04/04, SEC filing)","p":"BHP Billiton","d":"2004-01-16","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000081180904000025/oktedi16janltd.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"The Multinational Monitor, March 1996 (Ok Tedi)","p":"Multinational Monitor","d":"1996-03","u":"https://www.multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/mm0396.05.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 80,000 tonnes of mine tailings a day have been released into my Ok Tedi and Fly rivers since 1984, SPREP reported in 2025.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the tailings-containment commitment met?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was BHP's exit and the protection from future claims justified?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who controls the development fund and the mine?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Stake figures conflict in the sources: 52% (IPS, December 2001) and 63.4% (The Motley Fool Australia, 2013, 'BHP's 63.4% stake in the fund').","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Status of the development fund (PNGSDP) after 2015: unknown. A long-term fund of about US$1.4bn is recorded around 2014, and a Singapore High Court ruling against the state is reported (secondary source); the later status was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What followed the 2013 repeal of BHP's immunity was not tracked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No criminal prosecution or named offence is stated in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No public insurer dispute is on record for this case.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the immunity arrangement was fully valid was debated at the time (IPS, December 2001: 'immunity was debated'); no court ruling on it is in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 1996 containment commitment is reported as not met (discharge continues at about 80,000 t a day); the cited sources give no ecological measurement of the rivers.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: PNG state","No source link — Who gained: Landowners","No source link — Who harmed: Communities along the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers, including the Yonggom people"]},{"id":"amoco-cadiz-oil-spill","title":"Amoco Cadiz oil spill (France)","dek":"The Amoco Cadiz oil spill occurred off Brittany on 16 March 1978. French claimants sued the owner's parent group in a US court; the award recorded was under half of the initial claims.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":48.6,"lon":-4.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Brittany","role":"event"},{"country":"Liberia","iso2":"LR","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Northern District of Illinois","role":"court"}],"start":1978,"end":1992,"eventDate":"1978-03-16","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Award as a share of initial claims","value":"under 50%","note":"Award of FF 1,257m, under half the initial claims (Cedre, secondary source)."},"happened":["The Amoco Cadiz oil spill occurred on 16 March 1978 in Brittany, France. The ship's owner was Amoco Transport, registered in Liberia. A comparison table in the cited sources lists \"about 223 thousand tonnes\" against this spill without saying what the figure measures.","The owner tried to limit its liability. A fund of about US$16.8 million under the Civil Liability Convention (CLC) was set up in Brest (Cedre, secondary source).","French claimants sued the owner's parent group in the United States, in the Northern District of Illinois. The Seventh Circuit's decision is reported at 954 F.2d 1279 (1992).","An award of FF 1,257 million is recorded, under half of the initial claims (Cedre). The record's comparison table gives 14 years for the case and lists claimants as bearing more than half of claims."],"timeline":[{"y":1978,"t":"16 March: oil spill in Brittany"},{"y":1992,"t":"Seventh Circuit decision, 954 F.2d 1279"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Award of FF 1,257 million, under half the initial claims (Cedre).","src":0},{"t":"A CLC limitation fund of about US$16.8 million was set up in Brest (secondary source).","src":1},{"t":"French claimants sued the parent group in the US, Northern District of Illinois; Seventh Circuit decision at 954 F.2d 1279 (1992).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"FRF","window":"1978–1992","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Award against initial claims","v":"under 50%","d":"FF 1,257m awarded; claimants bore more than half of claims (research table)"},{"k":"Limitation fund","v":"about US$16.8m","d":"CLC fund set up in Brest (secondary source)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: open rocky shores were cleaned within weeks while marshes took decades.","Unconfirmed: France did not use dispersant chemicals in sensitive areas and in waters shallower than 50 metres after the Torrey Canyon experience.","The figure 'about 223 thousand tonnes' for this spill is listed in a research table without a label; unconfirmed as the quantity spilled."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The sources list claimants as bearing more than half of claims; the award was under half of the initial claims, and the owner set up a CLC limitation fund of about US$16.8m.","statusLine":"As of 1992: the Seventh Circuit decided the claim by French claimants against the parent group (954 F.2d 1279); the award recorded was FF 1,257m, under half of the initial claims.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"amoco-transport","says":"The owner tried to limit its liability; a CLC limitation fund of about US$16.8 million was set up in Brest.","when":"n.d.","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"amoco-transport","role":"Ship owner (Liberia)"},{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"International oil pollution compensation funds (Erika, Sea Empress and Tasman Spirit are in the same heading)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Could the owner limit its liability, and could the parent group be held liable?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Amoco Transport (owner)","says":"Tried to limit its liability; a CLC limitation fund of about US$16.8 million was set up in Brest.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"France / French claimants","says":"Sued the parent group in the US, Northern District of Illinois.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Seventh Circuit","says":"Decided the case on appeal, reported at 954 F.2d 1279 (1992); the cited sources give the citation only.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"French claimants v the Amoco Transport parent group","forum":"US District Court, Northern District of Illinois; US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"French claimants","defendant":"Parent group of Amoco Transport (name: none on record)","filed":null,"decided":1992,"status":"unknown","summary":"The French claimants sued the parent group in the Northern District of Illinois. The Seventh Circuit's decision is reported at 954 F.2d 1279 (1992). The award was FF 1,257 million, under half of the initial claims; the forum that made it is not on record.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None on record","insured":"Amoco Transport (owner)","status":"unknown","year":null,"reason":null,"summary":"The record's heading for this case reads 'no insurer refusal; limits applied'. A CLC limitation fund of about US$16.8 million was set up in Brest.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"award","value":1257,"unit":"FRF m","year":null,"note":"Award recorded, under half of the initial claims (Cedre)."},{"key":"limitation_fund","value":16.8,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"CLC fund set up in Brest (secondary source)."},{"key":"case_duration_years","value":14,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"From a comparison table in the cited sources; the column heading is not given."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":223000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1978,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Listed in a research table row for this spill without a label; unconfirmed as the quantity spilled."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil spill off Brittany on 16 March 1978; the owner tried to limit its liability and French claimants sued the parent group in a US court. The award was under half of the initial claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Claimants","what":"Recorded as bearing more than half of claims; the award was under half of the initial claims.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brittany, France; litigation in the Northern District of Illinois, USA.","src":2},"when":{"t":"16 March 1978; Seventh Circuit decision in 1992.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The district court found the owner's group negligent in maintaining the steering gear, training the crew and providing a backup steering system, and found the shipbuilder Astilleros Españoles had built defective steering components; the Seventh Circuit held these findings not clearly erroneous (1992).","src":2},"how":{"t":"The owner (Amoco Transport, Liberia) tried to limit its liability through a CLC fund in Brest; France's claimants sued the parent group in Chicago.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Amoco Cadiz","p":"Cedre (Centre of Documentation, Research and Experimentation on Accidental Water Pollution)","d":"","u":"https://cedre.fr/en/Resources/Spills/Spills/Amoco-Cadiz","type":"official"},{"t":"Some Legal Aspects of the Amoco Cadiz Incident","p":"Lloyd's Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly (Bernard A. Dubais)","d":"1979","u":"https://www.i-law.com/ilaw/doc/view.htm?id=370524","type":"academic"},{"t":"In re Oil Spill by the Amoco Cadiz off the Coast of France on March 16, 1978, 954 F.2d 1279 (7th Cir. 1992)","p":"US Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit","d":"1992-01-24","u":"https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/954/954.F2d.1279.90-2954.90-2946.90-2857.90-2841.90-2832.html","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could the owner limit its liability, and could the parent group be held liable?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"French claimants v the Amoco Transport parent group: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None on record: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Oil spilled (tonnes): Listed in a research table row for this spill without a label; unconfirmed as the quantity spilled.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: open rocky shores were cleaned within weeks while marshes took decades.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: France did not use dispersant chemicals in sensitive areas and in waters shallower than 50 metres after the Torrey Canyon experience.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The figure 'about 223 thousand tonnes' for this spill is listed in a research table without a label; unconfirmed as the quantity spilled.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"india-fcra-licence-cancellations-of-environmental-ngos","title":"India FCRA licence cancellations of environmental NGOs","dek":"Several organisations working on environmental and related policy issues in India lost their licences to receive foreign donations between 2015 and 2024. One research source reports about 20,693 such cancellations across all NGOs in a decade.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":28.6,"lon":77.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","lat":28.6,"lon":77.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Named organisations whose foreign-funding (FCRA) licence was cancelled","value":"4","note":"Greenpeace India, Centre for Policy Research, Environics Trust and CACIM / Centre for Financial Accountability. A fifth, LIFE, is listed only as targeted and is not counted."},"happened":["In India, non-governmental organisations need a foreign-funding licence, known as an FCRA licence, to receive donations from abroad. The licences of Greenpeace India and of other environmental organisations were suspended or cancelled between 2015 and 2024.","Greenpeace India's licence was suspended for 180 days and seven bank accounts were frozen in April 2015, and its registration was cancelled later in 2015 (sources give August or September). The Centre for Policy Research had its licence suspended in 2023 and cancelled in January 2024. Environics Trust's registration was cancelled by an order dated 4 March 2024, which it challenged in the Delhi High Court. In July 2024 the parent organisation of the Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) was denied renewal of its licence. CACIM is also reported as cancelled, without a date.","A figure of about 20,693 FCRA cancellations across all NGOs over a decade (2014–2024) was reported by Tribune India in April 2024; Mongabay India cited 20,707 NGOs struck off from the government's FCRA dashboard in July 2024.","The Ministry of Home Affairs said the renewal application of the parent organisation of the Centre for Financial Accountability was cancelled over an error in its 2018-19 tax filings, and, in Greenpeace India's case, that the organisation kept using its FCRA accounts while they were suspended (DNA). Officials said the Centre for Policy Research diverted funds to protests; CPR called the decision \"incomprehensible and disproportionate\" (Mongabay India)."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Greenpeace India's foreign-donation licence suspended for 180 days and seven bank accounts frozen (April); registration cancelled in 2015"},{"y":2023,"t":"Centre for Policy Research licence suspended"},{"y":2024,"t":"Centre for Policy Research licence cancelled (January); Environics Trust licence cancelled (4 March); parent organisation of the Centre for Financial Accountability denied renewal (July); CACIM recorded as cancelled"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Greenpeace India: licence suspended for 180 days and seven bank accounts frozen, April 2015; registration cancelled in 2015.","src":5},{"t":"Centre for Policy Research: licence suspended in 2023 and cancelled in January 2024.","src":6},{"t":"Environics Trust: licence cancelled on 4 March 2024.","src":7},{"t":"CACIM and the Centre for Financial Accountability: licences recorded as cancelled; no date given.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"2015–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Named organisations with licence cancelled","v":"4","d":"Greenpeace India, Centre for Policy Research, Environics Trust, CACIM / CFA (the cited sources)"},{"k":"Cancellations across all NGOs, 2014–2024","v":"20,693","d":"Reported figure"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 20,693 FCRA cancellations across all NGOs in a decade (Tribune India, via a secondary report).","Grounds for the Environics Trust cancellation are not established; the Income Tax Department told the Supreme Court it was funded by foreign entities to stall public projects.","The CBI booked LIFE (Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment) and its founder for allegedly using foreign funds to stall coal projects (Mongabay India); whether LIFE's FCRA registration was cancelled and the outcome were not found.","The exact date of the cancellation of Greenpeace India's registration: sources give August or September 2015.","The cited sources give no harm to a specific ecosystem arising from the cancellations."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of October 2026 (research date): cancellations of four named organisations recorded for 2015–2024; the outcomes of court challenges by two of them were not established in the cited sources.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"greenpeace-india","role":"Organisation whose foreign-donation licence was suspended and cancelled"},{"id":"centre-for-policy-research","role":"Organisation whose licence was suspended (2023) and cancelled (2024)"},{"id":"environics-trust","role":"Organisation whose licence was cancelled (2024)"},{"id":"centre-for-financial-accountability","role":"Organisation recorded as cancelled"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fcra_cancellations_all_ngos","value":20693,"unit":"organisations","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Cancellations of foreign-funding licences across all NGOs over a decade (2014–2024) of Tribune India reporting; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Foreign-donation (FCRA) licences of Greenpeace India and other organisations were suspended or cancelled.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace India","what":"Licence suspended for 180 days and seven bank accounts frozen (April 2015); registration cancelled in 2015.","src":3},{"who":"Centre for Policy Research","what":"Licence suspended in 2023 and cancelled in January 2024.","src":2},{"who":"Environics Trust","what":"Licence cancelled on 4 March 2024.","src":null},{"who":"CACIM and the Centre for Financial Accountability","what":"CFA's parent organisation denied licence renewal in July 2024; CACIM recorded as cancelled.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2015 to 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The Ministry of Home Affairs cited an error in 2018-19 tax filings for the Centre for Financial Accountability's parent organisation, and said Greenpeace India kept using its FCRA accounts while suspended. Grounds in the other cases are not established.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through suspension and cancellation of foreign-donation licences; in one case with the freezing of seven bank accounts.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"FCRA licences of 5 NGOs cancelled by Home Ministry","p":"Tribune India","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/fcra-licences-of-5-ngos-cancelled-by-home-ministry-607056","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508094404/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/fcra-licences-of-5-ngos-cancelled-by-home-ministry-607056/"},{"t":"Crackdown on civil society and environmental NGOs continues","p":"Mongabay India","d":"2024-07-24","u":"https://india.mongabay.com/2024/07/crackdown-on-civil-society-and-environmental-ngos-continues/","type":"press"},{"t":"Year after suspension of licence, Modi govt cancels CPR's FCRA registration","p":"Newslaundry","d":"2024-01-17","u":"https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/01/17/year-after-suspension-of-licence-modi-govt-cancels-cprs-fcra-registration","type":"press"},{"t":"Timeline: How India cracked down on Greenpeace","p":"Quartz","d":"2015","u":"https://qz.com/india/495212/timeline-how-india-cracked-down-on-greenpeace","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260910040435/https://qz.com/india/495212/timeline-how-india-cracked-down-on-greenpeace"},{"t":"Govt cancels Greenpeace India's FCRA licence, NGO says determined to fight order","p":"DNA India","d":"2015-09","u":"https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-govt-cancels-greenpeace-india-s-fcra-licence-ngo-says-determined-to-fight-order-2121665","type":"press"},{"t":"Greenpeace India's license suspended","p":"Moneylife","d":"2015-04-10","u":"https://moneylife.in/article/greenpeace-indias-license-suspended/41212.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Year after suspension of licence, Modi govt cancels CPR's FCRA registration","p":"Newslaundry","d":"2024-01-17","u":"https://www.newslaundry.com/2024/01/17/year-after-suspension-of-licence-modi-govt-cancels-cprs-fcra-registration","type":"press"},{"t":"NGO Environics Trust funded by foreign entities to stall public projects, I-T deptt tells SC","p":"LawBeat","u":"https://www.lawbeat.in/top-stories/ngo-environics-trust-funded-foreign-entities-stall-public-projects-i-t-deptt-tells-sc","type":"press"},{"t":"FCRA licence of Centre for Financial Accountability cancelled, non-profit claims political targeting","p":"Scroll.in","d":"2024-07-11","u":"https://scroll.in/latest/1070501/fcra-licence-of-centre-for-financial-accountability-cancelled-non-profit-claims-political-targeting","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"foreign-funding-licence","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fcra cancellations all ngos: Cancellations of foreign-funding licences across all NGOs over a decade (2014–2024) of Tribune India reporting; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 20,693 FCRA cancellations across all NGOs in a decade (Tribune India, via a secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Grounds for the Environics Trust cancellation are not established; the Income Tax Department told the Supreme Court it was funded by foreign entities to stall public projects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The CBI booked LIFE (Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment) and its founder for allegedly using foreign funds to stall coal projects (Mongabay India); whether LIFE's FCRA registration was cancelled and the outcome were not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact date of the cancellation of Greenpeace India's registration: sources give August or September 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no harm to a specific ecosystem arising from the cancellations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Environics Trust"]},{"id":"thunder-illegal-fishing-chase","title":"Thunder fishing vessel chase","dek":"Sea Shepherd pursued the fishing vessel Thunder for what it calls 110 days in 2014–15 until the ship sank off São Tomé and Príncipe. Three of its officers were convicted there, and its owner was fined in Spain in 2018.","country":"São Tomé and Príncipe","region":"Africa","lat":0.3,"lon":6.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"São Tomé and Príncipe","iso2":"ST","lat":0.3,"lon":6.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"São Tomé and Príncipe","iso2":"ST","role":"court"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"court"}],"start":2013,"end":2018,"eventDate":"2015-04-06","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Length of the pursuit by Sea Shepherd before the Thunder sank","value":"110 days","note":"As described by Sea Shepherd, which calls it a continuous chase beginning 17 December 2014 in the Southern Ocean; the vessel sank on 6 April 2015."},"happened":["An Interpol Purple Notice for the fishing vessel Thunder was issued in 2013, after New Zealand, Australia and Norway pushed for it. On 17 December 2014 Sea Shepherd's ship Bob Barker began pursuing the Thunder in the Southern Ocean. Sea Shepherd calls this a 110-day continuous chase.","The Thunder sank on 6 April 2015 in the Gulf of Guinea, off São Tomé and Príncipe. Officials believe it was scuttled deliberately.","On 12 October 2015 a court in São Tomé and Príncipe convicted three officers of forgery, pollution, environmental damage and recklessness: the captain, Luis Alfonso Rubio Cataldo (Chile), the chief engineer, Agustín Dosil Rey, and the second mechanic, Luis Miguel Pérez Fernández (both Spain). Sentences were 32 to 36 months. Sea Shepherd describes the court as the Supreme Court and the fine as €15 million; its wording leaves unclear whether the fine was per person or in total, and the figure is treated here as a collective total.","In April 2018, in a civil case brought by the Spanish government, the vessel's owner, Florindo González Corral, was fined €8.2 million. The fine was spread over three companies and eight people, with a 12-year fishing and subsidy ban. Sea Shepherd estimates that the Thunder earned about €50 million from poaching."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Interpol Purple Notice issued, after New Zealand, Australia and Norway pushed for it"},{"y":2014,"t":"17 December: Sea Shepherd's Bob Barker begins pursuit in the Southern Ocean"},{"y":2015,"t":"6 April: Thunder sinks in the Gulf of Guinea off São Tomé and Príncipe; 12 October: three officers convicted in São Tomé and Príncipe"},{"y":2018,"t":"April: owner fined €8.2 million in a civil case in Spain, with a 12-year fishing and subsidy ban"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The pursuit was a 110-day continuous chase.","who":"Sea Shepherd","src":0},{"t":"Sea Shepherd estimates the Thunder earned about €50 million from poaching.","who":"Sea Shepherd","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Thunder sank on 6 April 2015 off São Tomé and Príncipe; officials believe it was scuttled deliberately.","src":0},{"t":"12 October 2015: three officers convicted of forgery, pollution, environmental damage and recklessness; sentences of 32 to 36 months.","src":0},{"t":"April 2018: owner fined €8.2 million in a civil case brought by the Spanish government; fine spread over three companies and eight people; 12-year fishing and subsidy ban.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2015–2018","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated earnings of the Thunder from poaching (Sea Shepherd estimate)","amount":50,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate by Sea Shepherd; period not on record."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":50,"qualifier":"about","est":true},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Convictions for pollution and environmental damage","v":"3 officers","d":"São Tomé and Príncipe court, 12 October 2015"},{"k":"Sea Shepherd's estimate of earnings from poaching","v":"About €50M","d":"Sea Shepherd estimate"},{"k":"Fish caught, species or area fished","v":"Not recorded","d":"No catch figure in the cited sources"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Court conviction of three officers for pollution and environmental damage (Sea Shepherd's account); no catch or ecological figures in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"On 6 April 2015 a fishing vessel sank in my waters in the Gulf of Guinea, off São Tomé and Príncipe; officials believe it was scuttled deliberately.","src":0},{"t":"On 12 October 2015 a court convicted three of its officers of pollution and environmental damage, among other charges.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Fine amount: Sea Shepherd gives €15 million (and describes the court as the Supreme Court). The Pew page returned an access error and the figure is unconfirmed.","Whether the €15 million fine was per person or in total: Sea Shepherd's wording is unclear; treated here as a collective total.","Unconfirmed: that officials believe the vessel was scuttled deliberately is Sea Shepherd's account of the officials' view; no official statement was reviewed."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The Thunder sank on 6 April 2015 after the pursuit; in 2018 the owner received a 12-year fishing and subsidy ban in Spain.","whoPaid":"The owner, three companies and eight people were fined €8.2 million in Spain (2018); the three officers were fined, reported by Sea Shepherd as €15 million, in São Tomé and Príncipe (2015).","statusLine":"As of April 2018: officers convicted in São Tomé and Príncipe (October 2015) and the owner fined in Spain; no later development on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"sea-shepherd","role":"Pursued the vessel; source of the account of the chase and the earnings estimate"},{"id":"spain-gov","role":"Brought the civil case against the owner"},{"id":"sao-tome-court","role":"Court that convicted three officers"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against three officers of the Thunder","forum":"Court in São Tomé and Príncipe (described by Sea Shepherd as the Supreme Court)","country":"São Tomé and Príncipe","iso2":"ST","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution, São Tomé and Príncipe","defendant":"Captain Luis Alfonso Rubio Cataldo; chief engineer Agustín Dosil Rey; second mechanic Luis Miguel Pérez Fernández","filed":null,"decided":"2015-10-12","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":15,"currency":"EUR","label":"Fine in millions, as stated by Sea Shepherd; unclear whether per person or total"},"summary":"The three officers were convicted of forgery, pollution, environmental damage and recklessness and sentenced to 32 to 36 months.","src":0},{"title":"Civil case brought by the Spanish government against the Thunder's owner","forum":"Spain (court name: none on record)","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"civil","claimant":"Spanish government","defendant":"Florindo González Corral, owner, with three companies and eight people","filed":null,"decided":"2018-04","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":8.2,"currency":"EUR","label":"Civil fine in millions, spread over three companies and eight people"},"summary":"The owner was fined €8.2 million, with a 12-year fishing and subsidy ban.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":15,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"qualifier":"as stated by Sea Shepherd","note":"São Tomé and Príncipe criminal case; unclear whether per person or total. Unconfirmed: a figure of about $17 million attributed to Pew."},{"key":"fine","value":8.2,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Spanish civil case against the owner, three companies and eight people, with a 12-year fishing and subsidy ban."},{"key":"profit","value":50,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Sea Shepherd's estimate of the Thunder's earnings from poaching."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fishing by the Thunder that Sea Shepherd called illegal, followed by Sea Shepherd's pursuit of the vessel, its sinking, and later convictions and fines.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Thunder's owner and operators","what":"Estimated earnings of about €50 million from poaching (Sea Shepherd estimate).","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Three officers","what":"Convicted and sentenced to 32 to 36 months.","src":0},{"who":"The owner, three companies and eight people","what":"Fined €8.2 million in Spain, with a 12-year fishing and subsidy ban.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Southern Ocean (start of the pursuit); Gulf of Guinea off São Tomé and Príncipe (sinking and trial); Spain (civil case).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Interpol notice 2013; pursuit from 17 December 2014; sinking 6 April 2015; verdict 12 October 2015; Spanish fine April 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the officers' or owner's motives beyond Sea Shepherd's estimate of about €50 million in poaching earnings.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The vessel was pursued by Sea Shepherd's Bob Barker; it sank and officials believe it was scuttled deliberately; officers were tried in São Tomé and Príncipe and the owner in a civil case in Spain.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Sea Shepherd news item on the Thunder verdict (URL slug: massive_victory_in_the_fight_illegal_fishing)","p":"Sea Shepherd Australia","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.seashepherd.org.au/latest-news/massive_victory_in_the_fight_illegal_fishing/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250515090134/https://www.seashepherd.org.au/latest-news/massive_victory_in_the_fight_illegal_fishing/"},{"t":"Owner of F/V Thunder hit with fine in Spain","p":"Maritime Executive","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/owner-of-f-v-thunder-hit-with-fine-in-spain","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515225249/https://maritime-executive.com/article/owner-of-f-v-thunder-hit-with-fine-in-spain"},{"t":"Thunder owner fined","p":"Sea Shepherd Australia","d":"2018-04-17","u":"https://www.seashepherd.org.au/latest-news/thunder-owner-fined","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"enforcement-chase","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Fine amount: Sea Shepherd gives €15 million (and describes the court as the Supreme Court). The Pew page returned an access error and the figure is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the €15 million fine was per person or in total: Sea Shepherd's wording is unclear; treated here as a collective total.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that officials believe the vessel was scuttled deliberately is Sea Shepherd's account of the officials' view; no official statement was reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ecopetrol-lizama-well-blowout","title":"Ecopetrol Lizama well blowout (Colombia)","dek":"A blowout at Ecopetrol's Lizama 158 well in March 2018 was followed by a regulatory fine. The fine was cut on appeal; a press report puts the number of animals killed at about 2,400.","country":"Colombia","region":"South America","lat":7,"lon":-73.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","lat":7,"lon":-73.7,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2021,"eventDate":"2018-03","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Animals reported dead after the Lizama 158 well oil outcrop","value":"About 2,400","note":"Reported figure from a secondary source (El Espectador)."},"happened":["In March 2018 the Lizama 158 well, operated by Ecopetrol in Colombia, had a blowout, described in the sources as an oil outcrop. A Colombian press report puts the number of animals that died at about 2,400.","Colombia's licensing regulator, ANLA, fined Ecopetrol COP 5,155 million in first instance in January 2020 over the incident. On second instance, in 2021, the fine was reduced to COP 3,863 million. The amounts were reported by El Heraldo and El Espectador.","The cited sources give no statement by Ecopetrol on the incident or the fine, and no cause for the blowout."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"March: Lizama 158 well blowout / oil outcrop; about 2,400 animals reported dead"},{"y":2020,"t":"January: ANLA fines Ecopetrol COP 5,155 million in first instance"},{"y":2021,"t":"Fine reduced to COP 3,863 million on second instance (February, per El Espectador)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Ecopetrol appears among the 'Corporate Supporters' of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) on its website; the page shows logos only, with no tiers, no wording per company and no date.","who":"WCS website","src":1},{"t":"Ecopetrol is listed among the corporate members of a nature-disclosure task force (TNFD).","who":"Members list (source: none on record)","src":null},{"t":"ECOPETROL S.A. is listed as a signatory of the Business for Nature call to action, in the tier of companies with revenue above US$1 billion.","who":"Business for Nature signatory list","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"March 2018: Lizama 158 well blowout; about 2,400 animals died (secondary source).","src":0},{"t":"January 2020: ANLA fine of COP 5,155 million in first instance over the Lizama 158 well oil outcrop of March 2018.","src":0},{"t":"2021: fine reduced to COP 3,863 million on second instance.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"COP","window":"2018–2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Animals reported dead","v":"About 2,400","d":"Press report (El Espectador); species not on record"},{"k":"Fine, first instance","v":"COP 5,155M","d":"ANLA, January 2020"},{"k":"Fine after second instance","v":"COP 3,863M","d":"ANLA, 2021"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Press report of about 2,400 animal deaths; regulator's fine over the incident. No ecological assessment in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"In March 2018 oil came out of the Lizama 158 well; about 2,400 animals died, according to a Colombian press report.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the fine amounts and the 2,400 animal figure come from press reports (El Heraldo, El Espectador).","Unconfirmed: the month of the second-instance decision (February 2021, per one press report; the other source gives 2021 only)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"ANLA fined Ecopetrol COP 3,863 million after second instance (2021).","statusLine":"As of the 2021 second-instance decision: ANLA fine reduced to COP 3,863 million; no later development in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ecopetrol","role":"Operator of the Lizama 158 well; fined by ANLA"},{"id":"anla","role":"Licensing regulator that imposed the fine"},{"id":"wcs","role":"Conservation organisation listing Ecopetrol among its corporate supporters"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"ANLA sanction proceedings against Ecopetrol over the Lizama 158 well","forum":"ANLA (National Environmental Licensing Authority), first and second instance","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","kind":"administrative","claimant":"ANLA","defendant":"Ecopetrol","filed":null,"decided":"2021-02","status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":3863,"currency":"COP","label":"Fine after second instance, in COP millions (first instance: COP 5,155 million, January 2020)"},"summary":"ANLA fined Ecopetrol COP 5,155 million in January 2020 over the March 2018 Lizama 158 well oil outcrop; on second instance in 2021 the fine was reduced to COP 3,863 million.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"animals_killed","value":2400,"unit":"animals","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported in a secondary source (El Espectador); species and counting method not given."},{"key":"fine","value":5155,"unit":"COP m","year":2020,"note":"ANLA first-instance fine, January 2020, as reported by El Heraldo and El Espectador."},{"key":"fine","value":3863,"unit":"COP m","year":2021,"note":"ANLA fine after second instance, as reported by El Espectador."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A blowout at the Lizama 158 well, described as an oil outcrop, followed by a regulatory fine.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ecopetrol","what":"Fined COP 5,155 million, reduced to COP 3,863 million on second instance.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Animals at the site","what":"About 2,400 died (reported).","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lizama 158 well, Colombia; the El Espectador headline refers to a spill into the La Lizama creek (quebrada).","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2018 (incident); January 2020 (first-instance fine); 2021 (second-instance decision).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The sources describe a well blowout / oil outcrop; no technical cause is given.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Ecopetrol multada con más de 3.800 millones por derrame en quebrada La Lizama","p":"El Espectador","d":"2021-02","type":"press","u":"https://elespectador.com/economia/ecopetrol-multada-con-mas-de-3800-millones-por-derrame-en-quebrada-la-lizama-article/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410193230/https://www.elespectador.com/economia/ecopetrol-multada-con-mas-de-3800-millones-por-derrame-en-quebrada-la-lizama-article/"},{"t":"Corporate Supporters (logos only; no tiers or date)","p":"Wildlife Conservation Society","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://wcs.org/corporations/corporate-supporters","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260827065516/https://www.wcs.org/corporations/corporate-supporters"},{"t":"Call to Action signatories","p":"Business for Nature","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.businessfornature.org/resources/call-to-action-signatories"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"oil-well-blowout","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the fine amounts and the 2,400 animal figure come from press reports (El Heraldo, El Espectador).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the month of the second-instance decision (February 2021, per one press report; the other source gives 2021 only).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lake-turkana-wind-power-and-marsabit-suswa-transmission-line","title":"Lake Turkana Wind Power and the Marsabit-Suswa transmission line delay","dek":"A 310 MW wind farm in northern Kenya was ready on 27 January 2017, but the state-built transmission line was completed only in September 2019. Kenya's Auditor-General recorded Ksh 18.5 billion in payments claimed for electricity that could not be delivered, and a Kenyan court has found that the titles to about 150,000 acres of community land were irregularly acquired.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":2.5,"lon":36.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Marsabit County","lat":2.5,"lon":36.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Sarima, Marsabit County","role":"affected"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Meru","role":"court"}],"start":2006,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy"],"headline":{"label":"Payments claimed for electricity that could not be delivered, 27 Jan 2017 – 10 Sep 2019","value":"Ksh 18.5bn","note":"Auditor-General special audit; about EUR 167.3 million. Ksh 10.3bn was paid by the state; Ksh 9.8bn was to be collected through the tariff."},"happened":["The Lake Turkana wind plant, with 310 MW of capacity and 365 turbines, was ready on 27 January 2017. The Kenyan state was to build the 428 km Marsabit-Suswa transmission line to carry its electricity. The line was 381 days late and was completed in September 2019. A 2009 power purchase agreement obliged Kenya Power to buy all of the plant's net output for 20 years. Under a take-or-pay clause the buyer pays for the contracted quantity whether or not it uses it; in electricity the payment is called a capacity payment or a deemed-energy payment, meaning payment for energy that could have been delivered.","A special audit by Kenya's Auditor-General, Nancy Gathungu, found deemed-energy claims of Ksh 18.5 billion (about EUR 167.3 million) for 27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019. The state paid Ksh 10.3 billion of this. The remaining Ksh 9.8 billion was to be collected from electricity users through a surcharge of EUR 0.00845 per kilowatt-hour on the tariff between 1 June 2018 and 31 May 2024. After a recalculation the company refunded Ksh 785 million. The parent company of the Spanish firm that built the line had gone bankrupt.","The plant's land was also taken to court. Representatives of Laisamis and Karare in Marsabit filed a case in 2014. On 19 October 2021 the Meru Environment and Land Court ruled that the titles to about 150,000 acres of community land had been irregularly acquired. On 22 May 2023 it rejected the company's application for a review and the titles were cancelled. On 28 July 2023 the Court of Appeal declined to stay the cancellation. The appeal was continuing.","Sarima, a village resettled to make room for the plant, had about 2,000 residents, according to a 2016 Danwatch investigation. As of March 2016, 92 people from the village worked on the project, mostly in security and construction. An application to lease 100,000 acres had been made in 2006 and approved in 2007. A university student living in Sarima told Danwatch that the project had promised jobs and that more than 200 young people in the village struggled to find food. A woman who did not give her name said she had applied for jobs three times and that prostitution had begun in the village.","Vestas, the Finnish development fund Finnfund and the Danish development fund IFU were among the plant's owners. In February 2024 all three sold their stakes to the Climate Finance Partnership fund, which BlackRock manages; Vestas's stake was 12.5%."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Application to lease 100,000 acres at Sarima (approved 2007)"},{"y":2009,"t":"Power purchase agreement obliging Kenya Power to buy the plant's net output for 20 years"},{"y":2014,"t":"Representatives of Laisamis and Karare in Marsabit file a land case"},{"y":2016,"t":"Danwatch investigation of Sarima: about 2,000 residents, 92 working on the project"},{"y":2017,"t":"Plant ready on 27 January; the transmission line is not"},{"y":2018,"t":"Tariff surcharge period begins on 1 June"},{"y":2019,"t":"Transmission line completed in September; audited claim period ends 10 September"},{"y":2021,"t":"Meru Environment and Land Court finds the land titles irregularly acquired (19 October)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Company refunds Ksh 785 million after recalculation"},{"y":2023,"t":"Review application rejected and titles cancelled (22 May); Court of Appeal declines to stay cancellation (28 July)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Vestas, Finnfund and IFU sell stakes to a BlackRock-managed fund (February); tariff surcharge period to end 31 May"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The plant was ready on 27 January 2017; the 428 km Marsabit-Suswa line, to be built by the Kenyan state, was completed in September 2019, 381 days late.","src":2},{"t":"Deemed-energy claims for 27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019 totalled Ksh 18.5 billion (about EUR 167.3 million) per the Auditor-General's special audit; Ksh 10.3 billion was paid by the state and Ksh 9.8 billion was to be collected through a tariff surcharge of EUR 0.00845 per kWh between 1 June 2018 and 31 May 2024.","src":2},{"t":"After a recalculation the company refunded Ksh 785 million.","src":3},{"t":"On 19 October 2021 the Meru Environment and Land Court ruled that the titles to about 150,000 acres of community land were irregularly acquired; on 22 May 2023 it rejected the company's review application and the titles were cancelled; on 28 July 2023 the Court of Appeal declined to stay the cancellation; the appeal continues.","src":0},{"t":"Danwatch (2016): Sarima had about 2,000 residents; 92 villagers worked on the project, mostly in security and construction; a lease application for 100,000 acres was made in 2006 and approved in 2007.","src":4},{"t":"Vestas (12.5%), Finnfund and IFU sold their stakes in February 2024 to a fund managed by BlackRock.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Delay in the transmission line","v":"381 days","d":"Plant ready 27 January 2017; line completed September 2019"},{"k":"Deemed-energy claims, audited","v":"Ksh 18.5bn","d":"27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019; Ksh 10.3bn paid by the state, Ksh 9.8bn through the tariff"},{"k":"Community land with titles found irregular","v":"About 150,000 acres","d":"Meru Environment and Land Court, 19 October 2021; titles cancelled 2023; appeal continuing"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the amount of the African Development Bank guarantee.","The cited sources do not say whether the tariff surcharge ended in May 2024 as scheduled.","No record was found of the situation after 2016 of the Sarima university student who spoke to Danwatch.","Unconfirmed: that the government paid investors a delay penalty of Ksh 10.2 billion and that the World Bank withdrew its guarantee because of the take-or-pay clauses.","The audit components as reported (Ksh 10.3 billion paid by the state and Ksh 9.8 billion to be collected through the tariff) are not stated to reconcile with the Ksh 18.5 billion total; a recalculation and a Ksh 785 million refund followed.","The sources give a delay of 381 days and an audited claim period of 27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019, and do not reconcile the two.","Press figures of Ksh 5.7 billion, USD 52.5 million and Ksh 18 billion have circulated; the audit figure is a claim of Ksh 18.5 billion."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The record concerns payments and land titles and does not describe environmental harm. The line was completed in September 2019, and the appeal over the cancelled titles was continuing.","whoPaid":"The Kenyan state paid Ksh 10.3 billion, and Ksh 9.8 billion was to be collected from electricity users through a tariff surcharge between 1 June 2018 and 31 May 2024.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated entries (2024): the appeal against the cancellation of the community land titles was continuing; whether the tariff surcharge ended in May 2024 is not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Lake Turkana Wind Power","says":"Refunded Ksh 785 million after the deemed-energy claims were recalculated.","when":"2022","src":null},{"actor":"Lake Turkana Wind Power","says":"Applied for a review of the 19 October 2021 ruling; the application was rejected on 22 May 2023.","when":"2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"lake-turkana-wind-power","role":"Wind farm company"},{"id":"kenya-power","role":"Buyer under the 20-year power purchase agreement"},{"id":"vestas","role":"Shareholder (12.5%), sold its stake in February 2024"},{"id":"finnfund","role":"Shareholder, sold its stake in February 2024"},{"id":"ifu","role":"Shareholder, sold its stake in February 2024"},{"id":"blackrock","role":"Manager of the Climate Finance Partnership fund that bought the stakes"},{"id":"auditor-general-of-kenya","role":"Conducted the special audit of the deemed-energy claims"},{"id":"meru-environment-and-land-court","role":"Court that found the land titles irregularly acquired"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much was owed for the transmission line delay?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Press reports","says":"Figures of Ksh 5.7 billion, USD 52.5 million and Ksh 18 billion circulated.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Auditor-General of Kenya","says":"Deemed-energy claims of Ksh 18.5 billion for 27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019; Ksh 10.3 billion paid by the state and Ksh 9.8 billion to be collected through the tariff.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lake Turkana Wind Power","says":"Refunded Ksh 785 million after the recalculation.","src":null}]},{"point":"Were the community land titles properly acquired?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Representatives of Laisamis and Karare, Marsabit","says":"Filed the case in 2014 over community land of about 150,000 acres.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Meru Environment and Land Court","says":"Ruled on 19 October 2021 that the titles were irregularly acquired, and cancelled them after rejecting a review on 22 May 2023.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lake Turkana Wind Power","says":"Applied for a review, which was rejected; the appeal is continuing.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Community land titles for the Lake Turkana wind plant","forum":"Environment and Land Court at Meru; Court of Appeal","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Representatives of Laisamis and Karare, Marsabit County","defendant":"Lake Turkana Wind Power (the party whose review application was rejected); other defendants not stated","filed":"2014","decided":"2021-10-19","status":"ongoing","summary":"The court ruled on 19 October 2021 that titles to about 150,000 acres of community land were irregularly acquired. It rejected the company's review application on 22 May 2023 and the titles were cancelled. The Court of Appeal declined on 28 July 2023 to stay the cancellation; the appeal was continuing.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"capacity_mw","value":310,"unit":"MW","year":2017,"note":"Plant capacity, with 365 turbines."},{"key":"line_km","value":428,"unit":"km","year":2019,"note":"Marsabit-Suswa transmission line, completed September 2019."},{"key":"delay_days","value":381,"unit":"days","year":2019,"note":"Delay of the transmission line."},{"key":"claim","value":18.5,"unit":"Ksh bn","year":2019,"note":"Deemed-energy claims, 27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019 (about EUR 167.3 million as stated); Auditor-General special audit."},{"key":"paid_by_state","value":10.3,"unit":"Ksh bn","year":2019,"note":"Part of the deemed-energy claims paid by the state."},{"key":"tariff_recovery","value":9.8,"unit":"Ksh bn","year":2024,"note":"To be collected through a surcharge of EUR 0.00845 per kWh, 1 June 2018 to 31 May 2024."},{"key":"refund","value":785,"unit":"Ksh m","year":2022,"note":"Refunded by the company after recalculation."},{"key":"area_ha","value":60700,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 150,000 acres of community land whose titles were found irregularly acquired."},{"key":"village_population","value":2000,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sarima, per Danwatch (2016)."},{"key":"local_jobs","value":92,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Villagers from Sarima working on the project as of March 2016, mostly in security and construction."},{"key":"vestas_stake","value":12.5,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Vestas's stake in the plant, sold in February 2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A wind plant was ready on 27 January 2017 but its transmission line was completed only in September 2019, and the claims for undelivered electricity were met by the state and electricity users; separately, a court found the plant's community land titles irregularly acquired.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Plant owners","what":"The take-or-pay contract secured their revenue while the line was delayed.","src":null},{"who":"Vestas, Finnfund and IFU","what":"Sold their stakes in February 2024 to a BlackRock-managed fund; Vestas's stake was 12.5%.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"The Kenyan state","what":"Paid Ksh 10.3 billion of the deemed-energy claims.","src":null},{"who":"Kenya Power customers","what":"Were to pay Ksh 9.8 billion through a tariff surcharge of EUR 0.00845 per kWh from 1 June 2018 to 31 May 2024.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Marsabit community landholders","what":"The court found that titles to about 150,000 acres of community land were irregularly acquired.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Marsabit County, northern Kenya; the line runs from Marsabit to Suswa.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Lease application 2006; power purchase agreement 2009; plant ready 27 January 2017; line completed September 2019; land ruling 19 October 2021; titles cancelled May 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The power purchase agreement required Kenya Power to buy the plant's net output, and the state was to build the line; the buyer paid for electricity the plant could have delivered while the line was not ready.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A take-or-pay clause meant payment for contracted energy whether or not it could be delivered; part was paid by the state and part recovered from electricity users through a tariff surcharge.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Lake Turkana Wind Power lawsuit re land rights, Kenya","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/lake-turkana-wind-power-lawsuit-re-land-rights-kenya","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813135717/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/lake-turkana-wind-power-lawsuit-re-land-rights-kenya/"},{"t":"Vestas sells stake in Kenyan Lake Turkana Wind Power Limited to CFP","p":"Wind Insider","d":"2024-02-23","type":"press","u":"https://windinsider.com/2024/02/23/vestas-sells-stake-in-kenyan-lake-turkana-wind-power-limited-to-cfp/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240223140740/https://windinsider.com/2024/02/23/vestas-sells-stake-in-kenyan-lake-turkana-wind-power-limited-to-cfp/"},{"t":"Idle Turkana wind costs taxpayers Sh18bn","p":"Business Daily (Nation Media Group)","d":"2021-08-11","u":"https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/economy/idle-turkana-wind-costs-taxpayers-sh18bn-3506966","type":"press"},{"t":"Treasury receives Sh785m wind power firm refund","p":"Business Daily (Nation Media Group)","d":"2022-03-22","u":"https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/economy/treasury-receives-sh785m-wind-power-firm-refund-3756870","type":"press"},{"t":"A village in the way of progress","p":"Danwatch","d":"2016-05","u":"https://old.danwatch.dk/en/undersogelseskapitel/a-village-in-the-way-of-progress/","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much was owed for the transmission line delay?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the community land titles properly acquired?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the amount of the African Development Bank guarantee.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the tariff surcharge ended in May 2024 as scheduled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found of the situation after 2016 of the Sarima university student who spoke to Danwatch.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the government paid investors a delay penalty of Ksh 10.2 billion and that the World Bank withdrew its guarantee because of the take-or-pay clauses.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The audit components as reported (Ksh 10.3 billion paid by the state and Ksh 9.8 billion to be collected through the tariff) are not stated to reconcile with the Ksh 18.5 billion total; a recalculation and a Ksh 785 million refund followed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources give a delay of 381 days and an audited claim period of 27 January 2017 to 10 September 2019, and do not reconcile the two.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Press figures of Ksh 5.7 billion, USD 52.5 million and Ksh 18 billion have circulated; the audit figure is a claim of Ksh 18.5 billion.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Plant owners","No source link — Who lost: The Kenyan state","No source link — Who lost: Kenya Power customers"]},{"id":"plachimada-coca-cola-plant","title":"Plachimada Coca-Cola plant (India)","dek":"A Kerala commission assessed compensation of Rs 216 crore against Hindustan Coca-Cola for groundwater withdrawal and the distribution of cadmium-containing sludge as fertiliser at Plachimada. Down To Earth later reported that the compensation had not been paid.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":10.78,"lon":76.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Kerala","lat":10.78,"lon":76.85,"role":"event"}],"start":2000,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2010","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Compensation assessed vs paid","value":"Rs 216.26 crore vs 0","note":"The Kerala commission assessed the amount in 2010; Down To Earth reported none paid. Exact date of the last check: none on record."},"happened":["The record covers a beverage plant of Hindustan Coca-Cola at Plachimada, India, for the period 2000–2024. It concerns two matters: the withdrawal of groundwater and the distribution of sludge containing cadmium as fertiliser.","Down To Earth, citing a Kerala expert committee, reported that about 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn at Plachimada.","In 2010 a Kerala commission found that Hindustan Coca-Cola should pay compensation of Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore) at Plachimada. Down To Earth reported at the time that cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser.","The Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada closed in 2004, according to Down To Earth. In a later report, from about 2022, Down To Earth stated that the damage had been established but the compensation had not been paid. No data on any personal penalty is stated in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"The Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada closed"},{"y":2010,"t":"A Kerala commission found Hindustan Coca-Cola should pay Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore); cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser"},{"y":2022,"t":"Down To Earth reported that Plachimada was still awaiting the compensation (date approximate)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"A Kerala commission found in 2010 that Hindustan Coca-Cola should pay Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore) in compensation at Plachimada.","src":0},{"t":"Cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser.","src":0},{"t":"About 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn at Plachimada (Down To Earth, citing a Kerala expert committee).","src":1},{"t":"The plant closed in 2004; the damage identified was not paid for (Down To Earth).","src":1},{"t":"Compensation paid, according to the cited sources: zero.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"2000–2024","nature":[{"label":"Compensation paid to date","amount":0,"note":"Rs 216.26 crore (about INR 2,163 million) was assessed in 2010; no payment is reported."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Compensation assessed vs paid","v":"Rs 216.26 crore vs 0","d":"Kerala commission, 2010; Down To Earth on non-payment"},{"k":"Groundwater drawn","v":"About 500,000 litres a day","d":"Down To Earth, citing a Kerala expert committee"},{"k":"Sludge","v":"Cadmium-containing","d":"Distributed as fertiliser (Down To Earth, 2010)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Down To Earth reported drawing of about 500,000 litres of water a day and the distribution of cadmium-containing sludge as fertiliser, and said the damage had been established.","report":[{"t":"About 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn at Plachimada.","src":1},{"t":"Sludge containing cadmium was distributed as fertiliser.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Earnings of Hindustan Coca-Cola from the Plachimada plant: none on record.","Personal penalty for any individual: no data in the cited sources.","Payment: none reported against Rs 216.26 crore assessed; no payment date or later figure is given."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The plant closed in 2004 (Down To Earth). The compensation assessed in 2010 was recorded as unpaid in the latest report.","whoPaid":"The villagers bore the loss: Down To Earth reported that the assessed compensation was not paid to them.","statusLine":"As of the latest research: a 2010 Kerala commission finding of Rs 216.26 crore compensation; Down To Earth reported it unpaid; no payment recorded.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"hindustan-coca-cola","role":"Operator of the Plachimada plant; subject of the compensation finding"},{"id":"kerala-commission","role":"Body that assessed the compensation (2010)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Kerala commission finding on compensation at Plachimada","forum":"Kerala commission (described elsewhere as an expert committee)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record; the villagers bore the loss","defendant":"Hindustan Coca-Cola","filed":null,"decided":"2010","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":2162600000,"currency":"INR","label":"Rs 216.26 crore assessed; none paid"},"summary":"A state commission found that the company should pay Rs 216 crore (given elsewhere as Rs 216.26 crore); the cadmium-containing sludge had been distributed as fertiliser. The cited sources record zero paid and no court route.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_assessed","value":2162.6,"unit":"INR m","year":2010,"note":"Rs 216.26 crore assessed by a Kerala commission (1 crore = 10 million)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":0,"unit":"INR m","year":2022,"qualifier":"as reported","note":"Down To Earth reported the assessed compensation unpaid."},{"key":"water_withdrawn_litres_per_day","value":500000,"unit":"litres per day","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Down To Earth, citing a Kerala expert committee."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Kerala commission assessed Rs 216 crore of compensation against Hindustan Coca-Cola over groundwater withdrawal and cadmium-containing sludge distributed as fertiliser at Plachimada; the compensation was reported unpaid.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hindustan Coca-Cola","what":"Operated the beverage plant that drew groundwater at Plachimada; its earnings from the plant are not on record.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Villagers of Plachimada","what":"The assessed compensation was not paid to them.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Groundwater and farmland at Plachimada","what":"About 500,000 litres of water a day were drawn; cadmium-containing sludge was distributed as fertiliser.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Plachimada, Kerala, India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The record spans 2000–2024; the plant closed in 2004 and the commission finding dates from 2010.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a reason; the activity was beverage production.","src":null},"how":{"t":"By withdrawing groundwater at about 500,000 litres a day and by distributing cadmium-containing sludge as fertiliser.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Coca-Cola asked to pay Rs 216 crore","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2010","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/cocacola-asked-to-pay-rs-216-crore-44"},{"t":"Plachimada awaits compensation from Coca-Cola, two decades on","p":"Down To Earth","d":"c. 2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/pollution/polluter-didn-t-pay-plachimada-awaits-compensation-from-coca-cola-2-decades-on-85357","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230331004649/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/pollution/polluter-didn-t-pay-plachimada-awaits-compensation-from-coca-cola-2-decades-on-85357"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Earnings of Hindustan Coca-Cola from the Plachimada plant: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Personal penalty for any individual: no data in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Payment: none reported against Rs 216.26 crore assessed; no payment date or later figure is given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chlordecone-in-the-french-antilles","title":"Chlordecone in the French Antilles","dek":"Chlordecone, an insecticide used on banana plantations, left lasting pollution in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The Paris Administrative Court of Appeal found the French State at fault in March 2025, while the criminal case ended in a dismissal (non-lieu) in January 2023 that the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed in June 2026.","country":"France","region":"Caribbean","lat":15.4,"lon":-61.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Guadeloupe","lat":16.2,"lon":-61.55,"role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Martinique","lat":14.64,"lon":-61,"role":"affected"}],"start":1972,"end":2025,"instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Recovered from the parties that sold chlordecone","value":"0","note":"The State pays compensation. Amounts: none on record."},"happened":["The record covers the French Antilles from 1972 to 2025 and describes persistent pollution from chlordecone. The goods in the cited sources are banana exports and sales of Curlone, a chlordecone product. The parties recorded as gaining were the distributor Laguarigue and the banana planters.","Stocks were replenished after the ban. In 1992 the president of the banana growers' association SICABAM, who also managed Laguarigue, obtained a further one-year exemption from the minister. According to a deputy's motion, he told the gendarmerie that he had lobbied Minister Soisson personally.","On 11 March 2025 the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal found that the State had committed faults, including in authorising sales of chlordecone insecticides. The State pays compensation; anxiety compensation goes only to those with a detailed file. About 1,300 people brought the case, and the court found the evidence sufficient for about ten of them. The State appealed to the Conseil d'État in May 2025, AFP reported. Any recovery from the polluting parties is not stated in the sources.","Investigating judges in Paris closed the criminal case with a non-lieu (dismissal) in January 2023. On 22 June 2026 the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed the dismissal; lawyers for the civil parties were considering an appeal to the Court of Cassation, Le Club des juristes reported. Any personal penalty for the SICABAM president or for Laguarigue is not stated in the sources.","A law recognising the State's responsibility in the chlordecone case was promulgated on 12 June 2026. It requires the government to report to Parliament within one year on how victims could be compensated, Le Club des juristes reported."],"timeline":[{"y":1992,"t":"The head of the banana growers' association obtained a further one-year exemption from the minister"},{"y":2025,"t":"The criminal case was closed (non-lieu)"},{"y":2025,"t":"11 March: Paris Administrative Court of Appeal finds the State at fault; May: the State appeals to the Conseil d'État","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"12 June: law recognising the State's responsibility promulgated; 22 June: Paris Court of Appeal confirms the criminal non-lieu","src":4}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"An administrative appeals court found the exemptions to be the State's fault.","src":2},{"t":"Stocks were replenished after the ban.","src":1},{"t":"In 1992 the SICABAM president, who also managed Laguarigue, obtained a further one-year exemption from the minister.","src":1},{"t":"The State pays compensation; anxiety compensation is paid only to those with a detailed file.","src":2},{"t":"The criminal case was closed (non-lieu) in 2023 (confirmed on appeal in June 2026); no personal penalty for the SICABAM president or Laguarigue.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Recovered from the polluting parties","v":"0","d":"The State pays compensation"},{"k":"Soil","v":"Polluted for decades","d":"No measurement stated in the cited sources"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text rather than in figures: persistent pollution, with soil polluted for decades. A source for the soil statement is not on record.","report":[{"t":"My soil in the Antilles has been polluted for decades.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: chlordecone was used on banana plantations in the Antilles from 1972 to 1993, classified as a possible carcinogen from 1979 and banned on the French mainland in 1990.","Unconfirmed: the Kannari 2 study found chlordecone in the blood of 81.3% of adults in Guadeloupe and 85.5% in Martinique, with 14.3% and 18.7% above the toxicological reference value; levels were reported 2–3 times higher among people living in contaminated areas. The cited sources describe this source inconsistently.","Unconfirmed: effects on wildlife.","Earnings of the distributor and the planters: no amounts in the cited sources.","Insurance contribution: no data for any case.","The recorded narrative that the exemptions were legal: no holder is named in the cited sources; the administrative appeals court treated them as the State's fault."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded as stopped: the pollution is described as persistent. The criminal case ended in a non-lieu in 2023, confirmed on appeal in June 2026.","whoPaid":"The State pays the compensation, as taxpayers. Any recovery from the polluting parties, and any personal penalty for the distributor or its manager, is not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Paris Administrative Court of Appeal found the State at fault in March 2025, and the State appealed to the Conseil d'État; the criminal non-lieu of 2023 was confirmed by the Paris Court of Appeal on 22 June 2026; no recovery from the polluting parties is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"french-state","role":"Found at fault over the exemptions; pays compensation"},{"id":"laguarigue","role":"Distributor of chlordecone (Curlone)"},{"id":"sicabam","role":"Banana growers' association"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Administrative proceedings against the State over the chlordecone exemptions","forum":"Paris Administrative Court of Appeal; Conseil d'État (State appeal)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"About 1,300 people exposed to chlordecone, with associations","defendant":"French State","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"On 11 March 2025 the court found the State at fault, including over the authorisation of chlordecone sales. The State pays compensation; anxiety compensation goes only to those with a detailed file, about ten of the claimants. The State appealed to the Conseil d'État in May 2025.","src":5},{"title":"Criminal case over chlordecone","forum":"Investigating judges, Paris; Paris Court of Appeal","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2023","status":"dismissed","summary":"The case was closed with a non-lieu in January 2023; the Paris Court of Appeal confirmed it on 22 June 2026, and lawyers for the civil parties were considering an appeal to the Court of Cassation. No personal penalty for the SICABAM president or for Laguarigue is on record.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"adults_chlordecone_in_blood_guadeloupe_pct","value":81.3,"unit":"%","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Kannari 2 study, Santé publique France, as cited by L'Info Durable; unconfirmed."},{"key":"adults_chlordecone_in_blood_martinique_pct","value":85.5,"unit":"%","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Kannari 2 study, Santé publique France, as cited by L'Info Durable; unconfirmed."},{"key":"adults_above_reference_value_guadeloupe_pct","value":14.3,"unit":"%","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Share above the toxicological reference value; unconfirmed."},{"key":"adults_above_reference_value_martinique_pct","value":18.7,"unit":"%","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Share above the toxicological reference value; unconfirmed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Persistent chlordecone pollution in the French Antilles; the State was found at fault in 2025 and pays compensation, and the criminal case ended in a non-lieu in 2023, confirmed on appeal in June 2026.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Laguarigue (chlordecone distributor) and the banana planters","what":"Banana export revenue and sales of Curlone (chlordecone product); amounts not given.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"The State (taxpayers)","what":"Pays compensation; no recovery from the polluting parties is recorded.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Population of the Antilles","what":"Bears the consequences of persistent pollution; health effects are reported in the cited sources.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Guadeloupe and Martinique (French Antilles).","src":null},"when":{"t":"1972–2026; exemption in 1992; non-lieu in January 2023; State found at fault on 11 March 2025; non-lieu confirmed on appeal on 22 June 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a reason beyond banana production and the lobbying and exemptions described above.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through the use of chlordecone on banana plantations, exemptions and replenished stocks after the ban, and lobbying of the minister according to a deputy's motion.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Plus de 80% de la population des Antilles contaminée au chlordécone, selon Santé publique France","p":"L'Info Durable (reporting Santé publique France)","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.linfodurable.fr/plus-de-80-de-la-population-des-antilles-contaminee-au-chlordecone-selon-sante-publique-france"},{"t":"Proposition de résolution portant création d'une commission d'enquête sur le chlordécone (n° 1267)","p":"Assemblée nationale","u":"https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/15/textes/l15b1267_proposition-resolution.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Préjudice d'anxiété et chlordécone : une reconnaissance timide malgré la faute de l'État","p":"Actu-Juridique","u":"https://www.actu-juridique.fr/environnement/prejudice-danxiete-et-chlordecone-une-reconnaissance-timide-malgre-la-faute-de-letat/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251015123341/https://www.actu-juridique.fr/environnement/prejudice-danxiete-et-chlordecone-une-reconnaissance-timide-malgre-la-faute-de-letat/"},{"t":"Chlordécone aux Antilles : la justice reconnaît un scandale sanitaire mais prononce un non-lieu","p":"Le Quotidien du Médecin","d":"2023-01-06","u":"https://pediatrie.lequotidiendumedecin.fr/actus-medicales/sante-publique/chlordecone-aux-antilles-la-justice-reconnait-un-scandale-sanitaire-mais-prononce-un-non-lieu-des","type":"press"},{"t":"Affaire du chlordécone : la Cour d'appel de Paris confirme le non-lieu","p":"Le Club des juristes","d":"2026-06-23","u":"https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/affaire-du-chlordecone-la-cour-dappel-de-paris-confirme-le-non-lieu-16523/","type":"press"},{"t":"Chlordécone aux Antilles : pourvoi de l'Etat contre sa condamnation (AFP)","p":"Terre-net","d":"2025-05-16","u":"https://www.terre-net.fr/produits-phytos/article/882572/chlordecone-aux-antilles-pourvoi-de-l-etat-contre-sa-condamnation","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Adults chlordecone in blood guadeloupe pct: Kannari 2 study, Santé publique France, as cited by L'Info Durable; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Adults chlordecone in blood martinique pct: Kannari 2 study, Santé publique France, as cited by L'Info Durable; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Adults above reference value guadeloupe pct: Share above the toxicological reference value; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Adults above reference value martinique pct: Share above the toxicological reference value; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: chlordecone was used on banana plantations in the Antilles from 1972 to 1993, classified as a possible carcinogen from 1979 and banned on the French mainland in 1990.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Kannari 2 study found chlordecone in the blood of 81.3% of adults in Guadeloupe and 85.5% in Martinique, with 14.3% and 18.7% above the toxicological reference value; levels were reported 2–3 times higher among people living in contaminated areas. The cited sources describe this source inconsistently.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: effects on wildlife.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Earnings of the distributor and the planters: no amounts in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Insurance contribution: no data for any case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The recorded narrative that the exemptions were legal: no holder is named in the cited sources; the administrative appeals court treated them as the State's fault.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Laguarigue (chlordecone distributor) and the banana planters","No source link — Who lost: The State (taxpayers)","No source link — Who harmed: Population of the Antilles"]},{"id":"w-r-grace-libby-asbestos-and-maryland-casualty","title":"W.R. Grace, Libby asbestos and Maryland Casualty","dek":"In Libby, Montana, a jury in 2022 awarded USD 36.5 million against Maryland Casualty, W.R. Grace's workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser, in a bellwether asbestos trial. The judge found the insurer knew of the risk and urged Grace to conceal reports.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":48.39,"lon":-115.56,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Montana","lat":48.39,"lon":-115.56,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Cascade County, Montana","role":"court"}],"start":2020,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2022-02","instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Jury award against the insurer (Feb 2022)","value":"USD 36.5 million","note":"USD 6.5 million compensatory and USD 30 million punitive; reported as upheld in January 2023."},"happened":["The matter concerns W.R. Grace's vermiculite and asbestos at Libby, Montana. Maryland Casualty, now part of Zurich, was Grace's workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser.","On 25 March 2020 the Montana Supreme Court, in Maryland Cas. Co. v. Asbestos Claims Court (2020 MT 70), held that the insurer had an independent duty to warn workers.","In February 2022 a Cascade County jury in a bellwether trial awarded USD 36.5 million against the insurer: USD 6.5 million compensatory and USD 30 million punitive damages. The verdict was reported as upheld in January 2023.","The judge found that the insurer knew of the risk and actively urged W.R. Grace to conceal reports of it, as reported by the Daily Montanan and by the law firm Goldberg Segalla. Hundreds of further claims were pending; no appeal outcome for 2024–2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"25 March: Montana Supreme Court holds the insurer had an independent duty to warn workers"},{"y":2022,"t":"February: Cascade County jury awards USD 36.5 million (USD 30 million punitive) in a bellwether trial"},{"y":2023,"t":"January: the verdict is reported upheld"}],"said":[{"q":"knew of and actively urged W.R. Grace to conceal","who":"The judge, as reported by the Daily Montanan and Goldberg Segalla (finding on the insurer and reports of the risk)","when":"date not on record","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Montana Supreme Court held on 25 March 2020 that the insurer had an independent duty to warn workers.","src":1},{"t":"A Cascade County jury awarded USD 36.5 million in February 2022: USD 6.5 million compensatory and USD 30 million punitive.","src":0},{"t":"The verdict was reported as upheld in January 2023.","src":0},{"t":"Hundreds of further claims were pending; no appeal outcome was found for 2024–2025.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Appeal outcome: none on record for 2024–2025.","Earnings from the activity: none of the coverage sources documented revenue or profit.","Number of the further claims pending: given only as hundreds."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"not on record.","whoPaid":"not on record: the USD 36.5 million award was against the insurer, and hundreds of further claims were pending.","statusLine":"As of the latest research: the 2022 verdict of USD 36.5 million was reported upheld in January 2023; hundreds of claims pending; no appeal outcome found for 2024–2025.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"maryland-casualty","role":"Workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser to W.R. Grace; defendant"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Current parent of Maryland Casualty"},{"id":"wr-grace","role":"Insured; operator at Libby"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Maryland Cas. Co. v. Asbestos Claims Court, 2020 MT 70","forum":"Montana Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Libby asbestos claimants (names: none on record)","defendant":"Maryland Casualty","filed":null,"decided":"2020-03-25","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court held that the insurer had an independent duty to warn workers.","src":1},{"title":"Bellwether asbestos trial against Maryland Casualty","forum":"Cascade County jury trial, Montana","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"A bellwether claimant","defendant":"Maryland Casualty (now part of Zurich)","filed":null,"decided":"2022-02","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":36500000,"currency":"USD","label":"USD 6.5 million compensatory + USD 30 million punitive"},"summary":"The jury awarded USD 36.5 million. The judge found that the insurer knew of and actively urged W.R. Grace to conceal reports of the risk. The verdict was reported as upheld in January 2023; hundreds of further claims were pending, and no appeal outcome was found for 2024–2025.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Maryland Casualty (now part of Zurich)","insured":"W.R. Grace","status":"litigation","year":2022,"summary":"The insurer, Grace's workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser, was itself the defendant: the jury awarded USD 36.5 million against it and the judge found it knew of the risk and urged concealment.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"damages_awarded","value":36.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Jury verdict in the Cascade County bellwether trial: USD 6.5 million compensatory and USD 30 million punitive."},{"key":"punitive_damages","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Part of the USD 36.5 million verdict."},{"key":"compensatory_damages","value":6.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Part of the USD 36.5 million verdict."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A jury awarded USD 36.5 million against Maryland Casualty, W.R. Grace's workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser, after the Montana Supreme Court held that the insurer had a duty to warn workers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Maryland Casualty (now part of Zurich)","what":"Ordered by a jury to pay USD 36.5 million; verdict reported upheld in January 2023.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Libby workers","what":"The court held the insurer had a duty to warn them; hundreds of further claims were pending.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Libby, Montana (Cascade County jury; Montana Supreme Court).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Supreme Court ruling 25 March 2020; verdict February 2022; reported upheld January 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The judge found the insurer knew of the risk and actively urged W.R. Grace to conceal reports.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through the insurer's role as workers' compensation insurer and safety adviser, with concealment of risk reports according to the judge's finding.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Daily Montanan report on the verdict (as cited in secondary sources; also credited to Goldberg Segalla)","p":"Daily Montanan","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://dailymontanan.com/?p=15565","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018142153/https://dailymontanan.com/2023/01/09/cascade-county-judge-upholds-jurys-36-5m-decision-in-asbestos-case/"},{"t":"The Western News report on the 2020 Montana Supreme Court ruling (URL slug: court-wr-grace-insurer-is-fair-game-for-12)","p":"The Western News","d":"2020-04-07","type":"press","u":"https://thewesternnews.com/news/2020/apr/07/court-wr-grace-insurer-is-fair-game-for-12","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250909225149/https://thewesternnews.com/news/2020/apr/07/court-wr-grace-insurer-is-fair-game-for-12/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Appeal outcome: none on record for 2024–2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Earnings from the activity: none of the coverage sources documented revenue or profit.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Number of the further claims pending: given only as hundreds.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fosen-wind-farm-and-sami-reindeer-herders","title":"Fosen wind farm and Sámi reindeer herders","dek":"Norway's Supreme Court ruled in October 2021 that the licences for two wind farms on the Fosen peninsula were invalid and that the turbines violated the cultural rights of Sámi reindeer herders. The turbines kept operating, and a March 2024 settlement left them in place.","country":"Norway","region":"Europe","lat":63.65,"lon":9.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":"Trøndelag","lat":63.65,"lon":9.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","role":"court"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"company-home"}],"start":2016,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2021-10-11","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the grazing area that the wind-farm company says is directly affected","value":"up to 3%","note":"Company figure: a licence area of about 60 km² within 4,339 km² of grazing area. The herders' group leader describes wider effects on the herd."},"happened":["Fosen Vind was presented as Europe's largest onshore wind project. A 2016 press release from the partnership announced an investment of about €1.1 billion, 278 turbines and a capacity above 1,000 megawatts, and equated the output with the consumption of 750,000 Swiss households. Statkraft, owned by the Norwegian state, holds 52.1% of Fosen. A consortium formed by Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners and the Swiss company BKW holds 40%.","The Storheia and Roan wind farms were built on the winter pastures of Sámi reindeer herders on the Fosen peninsula in Trøndelag. Leif Arne Jåma, leader of the Sør-Fosen sijte (the South Fosen reindeer-herding group), said that the turbines and service traffic unsettled the herd, that the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements, and that the character of the herd changed. Fosen Vind's own page gives the licence area as about 60 km² within a grazing area of 4,339 km² and says at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities.","On 11 October 2021 the Supreme Court of Norway found the operating and expropriation licences of the two wind farms invalid. It ruled unanimously that the wind farm violated the herders' right to enjoy their culture under Article 27 of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The court did not decide what should happen to the turbines, and they continued to operate.","In December 2023 the Norwegian government published an agreement between the Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind. In March 2024 JURIST reported that Norway had ended the dispute with the Sámi: the wind farm stayed in place, NOK 5 million (about US$473,000) was set aside for Sámi culture, and a new winter pasture was allocated."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Fosen partnership announces about €1.1 billion investment, 278 turbines, capacity above 1,000 MW"},{"y":2021,"t":"11 October: Supreme Court of Norway finds the licences for Storheia and Roan invalid; turbines keep operating"},{"y":2023,"t":"December: government publishes an agreement between Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind"},{"y":2024,"t":"March: settlement leaves the wind farm in place; NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Europe's largest onshore wind project; about €1.1 billion; 278 turbines; capacity above 1,000 MW; output equal to the consumption of 750,000 Swiss households","who":"Fosen partnership, 2016 press release","src":null},{"t":"Licence area of about 60 km² within 4,339 km² of grazing area; at most 3% directly affected by roads and facilities","who":"Fosen Vind","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Supreme Court found the operating and expropriation licences of the Storheia and Roan wind farms invalid and ruled that the wind farm violated the herders' cultural rights; the ruling was unanimous.","src":3},{"t":"The court did not decide what would happen to the turbines; they continued to operate.","src":3},{"t":"The March 2024 settlement left the wind farm in place and set aside NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"NOK","window":"2024","nature":[{"label":"Sámi culture grant in the March 2024 settlement (about US$473,000)","amount":5,"note":"The cash amount only; the value of the new winter pasture is not stated."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":5,"note":"Cash amount reported by JURIST. It was set aside for Sámi culture, not for the pasture itself."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Supreme Court finding","v":"Licences invalid","d":"11 October 2021; unanimous; turbines kept operating"},{"k":"Licence area vs grazing area","v":"about 60 of 4,339 km²","d":"Fosen Vind: at most 3% of the grazing area directly affected"},{"k":"Herd behaviour reported by the herders' leader","v":"Reindeer lost shyness","d":"Reindeer moved closer to settlements; character of the herd changed (Ruralis, 2023)"}]},"unknown":["The Supreme Court did not say what should happen to the turbines.","No fine on the wind-farm owners is recorded.","Unconfirmed: about 151 turbines kept operating after the ruling.","Unconfirmed: the terms of the December 2023 agreement (additional grazing land, and a veto for the Sør-Fosen sijte over new wind investments once the concession ends). The agreement was published on the Norwegian government's website.","Unconfirmed: in February–March 2023 young Sámi and climate activists blocked ministry entrances in protest, and Terje Aasland, Minister of Petroleum and Energy, apologised on behalf of the government because the licence decision was a human rights violation (KTVZ/CNN, 1 March 2023).","Unconfirmed: calf survival fell to about 22% after the loss of winter pasture, according to a summary of NRK reporting; the source page returned a 404 error.","Unconfirmed: the state, rather than the owners, bore the cost of finding new pasture."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The turbines kept operating after the October 2021 ruling and after the March 2024 settlement.","whoPaid":"Sámi herders of the Sør-Fosen sijte, who lost winter grazing land to the wind farms; the settlement reported in March 2024 set aside NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture, and no fine on the owners is recorded.","statusLine":"As of March 2024 (latest dated source): the Supreme Court ruled the licences invalid in October 2021; a March 2024 settlement left the wind farm in place, with NOK 5 million for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"fosen-vind","says":"Gives the licence area as about 60 km² of a 4,339 km² grazing area and says at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities.","when":"undated","src":0},{"actor":"norway-government","says":"Published an agreement between Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind on its website (December 2023).","when":"2023-12","src":2},{"actor":"sor-fosen-sijte","says":"Its leader, Leif Arne Jåma, said the turbines and service traffic unsettled the herd, that the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements, and that the character of the herd changed.","when":"2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"statkraft","role":"Owner of 52.1% of Fosen (owned by the Norwegian state)"},{"id":"credit-suisse-energy-infrastructure-partners","role":"Co-founder of the consortium holding 40% of Fosen"},{"id":"bkw","role":"Co-founder of the consortium holding 40% of Fosen"},{"id":"fosen-vind","role":"Wind-farm company"},{"id":"sor-fosen-sijte","role":"Sámi reindeer-herding group on the Fosen peninsula"},{"id":"norway-supreme-court","role":"Court"},{"id":"norway-government","role":"Government"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How far did the wind farms affect the grazing land and the herd?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Fosen Vind","says":"The licence area is about 60 km² of a 4,339 km² grazing area, and at most 3% of the grazing area is directly affected by roads and facilities.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Leif Arne Jåma, leader of Sør-Fosen sijte","says":"Turbines and service traffic unsettled the herd; the reindeer lost their natural shyness and moved closer to settlements; the character of the herd changed.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Supreme Court of Norway: licences for the Storheia and Roan wind farms","forum":"Supreme Court of Norway","country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Sámi reindeer herders","defendant":"not on record","filed":null,"decided":"2021-10-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the operating and expropriation licences of the two wind farms invalid and ruled unanimously that the wind farm violated the herders' right to enjoy their culture under Article 27 of the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It did not decide what would happen to the turbines, which continued to operate.","src":3},{"title":"Settlement ending the dispute over the Fosen wind farm","forum":"Negotiated settlement","country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Sámi reindeer herders","defendant":"Norwegian government","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03","status":"settled","amount":{"value":5,"currency":"NOK","label":"NOK 5 million for Sámi culture (about US$473,000)"},"summary":"JURIST reported in March 2024 that Norway ended the dispute with the Sámi. The wind farm stayed in place; NOK 5 million was set aside for Sámi culture and a new winter pasture was allocated.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"investment","value":1100,"unit":"EUR m","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Investment announced in the 2016 partnership press release."},{"key":"turbines","value":278,"unit":"turbines","year":2016,"note":"Number announced in the 2016 press release."},{"key":"capacity_mw","value":1000,"unit":"MW","year":2016,"qualifier":"above","note":"Capacity announced in the 2016 press release."},{"key":"settlement","value":5,"unit":"NOK m","year":2024,"note":"Set aside for Sámi culture in the March 2024 settlement; about US$473,000."},{"key":"area_ha","value":6000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Licence area of about 60 km², per Fosen Vind."},{"key":"grazing_area_ha","value":433900,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Grazing area of 4,339 km², per Fosen Vind."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":22,"unit":"% of calves","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Calf survival after loss of winter pasture, from a summary of NRK reporting; source."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two wind farms, Storheia and Roan, were built on the winter pastures of Sámi reindeer herders. The Supreme Court found the licences invalid and the herders' cultural rights violated; the turbines kept operating.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Statkraft (owned by the Norwegian state)","what":"Holds 52.1% of Fosen.","src":null},{"who":"Consortium of Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners and BKW","what":"Holds 40% of Fosen.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Sámi reindeer herders of Sør-Fosen sijte","what":"Winter pasture on which the Storheia and Roan wind farms were built.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Reindeer herd of Sør-Fosen sijte","what":"According to the group's leader, the herd was unsettled and its character changed.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Storheia and Roan, Fosen peninsula, Trøndelag, Norway.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Announced in 2016; licences found invalid on 11 October 2021; settlement in March 2024.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The project was presented as Europe's largest onshore wind development.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The wind farms were built on winter pastures. The Supreme Court invalidated the licences but did not decide the fate of the turbines, which kept operating; the March 2024 settlement left them in place.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"The Fosen development and reindeer husbandry","p":"Fosen Vind","d":"undated","type":"company","u":"https://fosenvind.no/vindparkene/reindrift/The-Fosen-development-and-reindeer-husbandry","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260820140022/https://www.fosenvind.no/vindparkene/reindrift/The-Fosen-development-and-reindeer-husbandry/"},{"t":"National Day in the shadow of Fosen","p":"Ruralis","d":"2023-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://ruralis.no/en/2023/03/03/national-day-in-the-shadow-of-fosen/?prosjekt"},{"t":"Agreement between Sør-Fosen sijte and Fosen Vind","p":"Norwegian Government","d":"2023-12","type":"official","u":"https://www.regjeringen.no/en/whats-new/agreement-between-sor-fosen-sitje-and-fosen-vind/id3019277/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515075656/https://www.regjeringen.no/en/whats-new/agreement-between-sor-fosen-sitje-and-fosen-vind/id3019277/"},{"t":"Norway ends dispute with Sami people over construction of wind farm","p":"JURIST","d":"2024-03-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/03/norway-ends-dispute-with-sami-people-over-construction-of-wind-farm-on-indigenous-land/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313151516/https://www.jurist.org/news/2024/03/norway-ends-dispute-with-sami-people-over-construction-of-wind-farm-on-indigenous-land/"},{"t":"Fosen Sami reindeer herding, Supreme Court, wind power","p":"Northern Voices","d":"undated","type":"press","u":"https://www.thenorthernvoices.com/post/fosen-sami-reindeer-herding-supreme-court-wind-power"},{"t":"Fosen (English version)","p":"Amnesty International Norway","d":"2023-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://amnesty.no/sites/default/files/2023-02/Fosen%20English%20version%20pdf.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725142446/https://amnesty.no/sites/default/files/2023-02/Fosen%20English%20version%20pdf.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":["marena-renovables-wind-farm"],"natureLead":{"t":"Fosen Vind gives its licence area as about 60 km² within my 4,339 km² of reindeer grazing land, and says at most 3% of it is directly affected by roads and facilities.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How far did the wind farms affect the grazing land and the herd?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Survival rate: Calf survival after loss of winter pasture, from a summary of NRK reporting; source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Supreme Court did not say what should happen to the turbines.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No fine on the wind-farm owners is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 151 turbines kept operating after the ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the terms of the December 2023 agreement (additional grazing land, and a veto for the Sør-Fosen sijte over new wind investments once the concession ends). The agreement was published on the Norwegian government's website.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in February–March 2023 young Sámi and climate activists blocked ministry entrances in protest, and Terje Aasland, Minister of Petroleum and Energy, apologised on behalf of the government because the licence decision was a human rights violation (KTVZ/CNN, 1 March 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: calf survival fell to about 22% after the loss of winter pasture, according to a summary of NRK reporting; the source page returned a 404 error.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the state, rather than the owners, bore the cost of finding new pasture.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Statkraft (owned by the Norwegian state)","No source link — Who gained: Consortium of Credit Suisse Energy Infrastructure Partners and BKW"]},{"id":"tamil-nadu-illegal-sand-mining","title":"Tamil Nadu sand quarries measured by drone","dek":"Records showed 28 licensed sand quarries in Tamil Nadu. A drone and LiDAR survey presented by India's financial-crime unit to the Madras High Court measured an excavated area about five times the licensed area and a volume about seven times the recorded volume.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":11.1,"lon":78.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Tamil Nadu","lat":11.1,"lon":78.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Tamil Nadu","role":"court"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-01-28","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","water"],"headline":{"label":"Area excavated compared with licensed area, Tamil Nadu sand quarries","value":"5.1: 1","note":"Estimate: 987.01 ha measured against 195.37 ha licensed, from the 28 January 2023 drone and LiDAR survey; the ratio is calculated from those two figures."},"happened":["In Tamil Nadu, all 28 sand quarries in question were licensed, and the records of the Water Resources Department were in order. The records described them as licensed and supervised quarries.","The ED, India's financial-crime unit, had IIT-Kanpur measure the quarries by drone and LiDAR. The measurement is dated 28 January 2023. It found 987.01 hectares affected against 195.37 hectares licensed, and 27.70 lakh units of sand removed against 4.05 lakh units on record. (A lakh is 100,000.) The ED presented the measurement to the Madras High Court, and The Week reported it on 27 November 2023 under the headline that sand worth Rs 4,730 crore had been illegally mined.","The same figures put the revenue that reached the state at Rs 36.45 crore, against sand sales worth Rs 4,730 crore over a period given as one to two years. That is about 0.77% of the sale value. (A crore is 10 million.)","The ED applied to the state's police chief; no first information report (FIR) was registered. The state's own anti-corruption unit, DVAC, later opened a preliminary inquiry. No ruling in the matter is recorded in the sources.","Separately, SANDRP, counting from English-language press, recorded at least 261 sand-related deaths across India between April 2022 and February 2023, including 49 people who drowned in pits. These figures cover India as a whole and are not specific to Tamil Nadu."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"28 January: drone and LiDAR measurement by IIT-Kanpur of the Tamil Nadu quarries"},{"y":2023,"t":"27 November: The Week reports the ED's measurement presented to the Madras High Court"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Licensed and supervised sand quarries; all 28 licensed","who":"Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department records","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Affected area measured at 987.01 ha against 195.37 ha licensed; volume 27.70 lakh units against 4.05 lakh units on record (survey dated 28 January 2023).","src":0},{"t":"Sand worth Rs 4,730 crore sold; Rs 36.45 crore reached the state.","src":0},{"t":"The state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application; the state anti-corruption unit (DVAC) later opened a preliminary inquiry.","src":1},{"t":"SANDRP counted at least 261 sand-related deaths in India between April 2022 and February 2023 (India-wide).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"about two years (stated as one to two years)","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sale value of sand mined beyond the licences, as presented by the ED","amount":47300,"note":"Rs 4,730 crore."},{"label":"Revenue that reached the state, against the same sales","amount":364.5,"note":"Rs 36.45 crore."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":{"text":"State revenue was about 0.77% of the sale value of the sand.","est":true},"sales":{"label":"Sale value of sand mined beyond the licences","amount":47300}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area excavated vs licensed","v":"5.1 times","d":"987.01 ha vs 195.37 ha (survey dated 28 January 2023)"},{"k":"Volume removed vs recorded","v":"6.8 times","d":"27.70 lakh units vs 4.05 lakh units; unit not specified"},{"k":"State revenue vs sale value","v":"about 0.77%","d":"Rs 36.45 crore vs Rs 4,730 crore"}]},"unknown":["The unit of the volume figures ('lakh units') is not specified in the source summary.","The period over which the sand was sold is given only as one to two years.","No ruling by the Madras High Court is recorded in the sources.","The state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No stop is recorded in the sources.","whoPaid":"The state treasury received about 0.77% of the sale value of the sand; the effects on the rivers and the communities along them are not documented in the sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated report (November 2023): the ED's survey was presented to the Madras High Court; the state anti-corruption unit opened a preliminary inquiry; no ruling is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"enforcement-directorate","says":"Presented the IIT-Kanpur measurement to the Madras High Court: 987.01 ha affected against 195.37 ha licensed, and sand worth Rs 4,730 crore against Rs 36.45 crore revenue.","when":"2023-11","src":0},{"actor":"tamil-nadu-dvac","says":"Opened a preliminary inquiry.","when":"undated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"enforcement-directorate","role":"India's financial-crime unit; presented the measurement to the court"},{"id":"iit-kanpur","role":"Carried out the drone and LiDAR measurement"},{"id":"tamil-nadu-water-resources-department","role":"Licensing department; its records described the quarries as licensed"},{"id":"madras-high-court","role":"Court"},{"id":"tamil-nadu-dvac","role":"State anti-corruption unit (DVAC)"},{"id":"sandrp","role":"Counted sand-related deaths across India"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the sand quarries operating within their licences?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (records)","says":"All 28 quarries were licensed and supervised; the records were in order.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"ED, India's financial-crime unit","says":"The IIT-Kanpur survey found 987.01 ha affected against 195.37 ha licensed, 27.70 lakh units of sand removed against 4.05 lakh units on record, and sand worth Rs 4,730 crore sold against Rs 36.45 crore of revenue.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"ED measurement of Tamil Nadu sand quarries before the Madras High Court","forum":"Madras High Court","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"ED, India's financial-crime unit","defendant":"not on record","filed":"2023-11","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The ED presented an IIT-Kanpur drone and LiDAR measurement to the court; The Week reported it on 27 November 2023. No ruling is recorded.","src":0},{"title":"Preliminary inquiry by the state anti-corruption unit","forum":"Tamil Nadu DVAC","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"DVAC","defendant":"not on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"After the state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application, the state's anti-corruption unit opened a preliminary inquiry.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":987.01,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Area affected, measured by drone and LiDAR (survey dated 28 January 2023)."},{"key":"licensed_area_ha","value":195.37,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Licensed area."},{"key":"volume_removed","value":2770000,"unit":"units (not specified)","year":2023,"note":"27.70 lakh units measured; a lakh is 100,000."},{"key":"volume_recorded","value":405000,"unit":"units (not specified)","year":2023,"note":"4.05 lakh units on record."},{"key":"claim","value":47300,"unit":"INR m","year":2023,"note":"Rs 4,730 crore, the value of sand the ED said was illegally mined and sold."},{"key":"revenue","value":364.5,"unit":"INR m","year":2023,"note":"Rs 36.45 crore reaching the state from the same sales."},{"key":"deaths","value":261,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"India-wide sand-related deaths counted by SANDRP from English-language press, April 2022 to February 2023; not specific to Tamil Nadu."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A drone and LiDAR measurement found sand quarries in Tamil Nadu excavated over about five times the licensed area and about seven times the recorded volume.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"State treasury of Tamil Nadu","what":"Received Rs 36.45 crore against sand sales of Rs 4,730 crore.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sand quarries in Tamil Nadu, India; proceedings at the Madras High Court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Measurement dated 28 January 2023; reported 27 November 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Quarries with licences were excavated beyond the licensed area and volume, according to the ED's survey.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"State revenue was about 0.77% of the sale value of the sand (Rs 36.45 crore of Rs 4,730 crore).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Tamil Nadu: Sand worth Rs 4,730 crore illegally mined, ED informs Madras HC","p":"The Week","d":"2023-11-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2023/11/27/tamil-nadu-sand-worth-rs-4730-crore-illegally-mined-ed-informs-madras-hc.amp.html"},{"t":"Tamil Nadu DVAC probes alleged Rs 4,700 crore illegal sand mining under DMK govt","p":"The News Minute","d":"2026-10","u":"https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/tamil-nadu-dvac-probes-alleged-rs-4700-crore-illegal-sand-mining-under-dmk-govt","type":"press"},{"t":"2023 Riverbed Mining India: 261 deaths in violence and accidents in 11 months","p":"South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP)","d":"2023-04-04","u":"https://sandrp.in/2023/04/04/2023-riverbed-mining-india-261-deaths-in-violence-accidents-in-11-months/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A drone and LiDAR survey presented to the Madras High Court measured 987.01 hectares of me affected at 28 sand quarries licensed for 195.37, and 27.70 lakh units of sand removed against 4.05 lakh on record.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the sand quarries operating within their licences?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The unit of the volume figures ('lakh units') is not specified in the source summary.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The period over which the sand was sold is given only as one to two years.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling by the Madras High Court is recorded in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"xai-colossus-gas-turbines","title":"xAI Colossus gas turbines (Memphis, Southaven)","dek":"xAI runs gas turbines to power data-centre sites in Memphis, Tennessee, and Southaven, Mississippi. In April 2026 the NAACP sued the company in federal court over 27 turbines at Southaven, alleging unlawful operation.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":35.15,"lon":-90.05,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Tennessee","lat":35.15,"lon":-90.05,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Mississippi","role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-04-14","instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre"],"headline":{"label":"Turbines at Southaven named in the NAACP federal suit","value":"27","note":"Allegation as reported by WTOK on 14 April 2026; not adjudicated."},"happened":["xAI, the artificial-intelligence company, operates the Colossus data-centre complex in Memphis, Tennessee, and gas turbines for on-site power at sites in Memphis and Southaven, Mississippi. A satellite analysis published by Cleanview in May 2026 counted 12 turbines remaining at Colossus 1, down from a peak of 35. The same analysis reported that Colossus 2 was not connected to the grid and generated about 1.3 GW from about 59 mobile turbines.","On 14 April 2026 WTOK reported that the NAACP had sued xAI in federal court over 27 turbines at Southaven that it alleged were operating unlawfully. The report said the facility could be the largest source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the Memphis metropolitan area.","On 6 May 2026 E&E News reported that Anthropic had leased all of the capacity of Colossus 1, which it described as more than 300 MW and more than 220,000 GPUs. The report said the facility had been criticised for operating turbines without permits and for cooling with drinking water. The lease price is not on record.","Environmental disclosure by AI companies is limited. Stanford's Foundation Model Transparency Index (December 2025) listed ten companies, including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, as not disclosing environmental data; xAI scored 14 out of 100 on the index. Earth911 reported in March 2026 that Anthropic had not published Scope 1–3 emissions.","On 5 March 2026 Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI signed a White House pledge to protect household electricity customers, according to W.Media. The pledge is voluntary and has no monitoring mechanism; Anthropic was not on the list of signatories."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"December: Stanford Foundation Model Transparency Index published; xAI scores 14/100"},{"y":2026,"t":"February: Anthropic states it will pay for grid upgrades for data centres it develops itself; for leased capacity it says it is looking into the question"},{"y":2026,"t":"March: White House household-electricity pledge signed by xAI and six other companies; Anthropic not among signatories. Earth911 reports Anthropic has not published Scope 1–3 emissions"},{"y":2026,"t":"14 April: NAACP sues xAI in federal court over 27 turbines at Southaven (WTOK)"},{"y":2026,"t":"6 May: Anthropic leases all of Colossus 1 (E&E News)"},{"y":2026,"t":"May: Cleanview satellite analysis counts 12 turbines at Colossus 1 (peak 35) and about 59 mobile turbines at Colossus 2"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The turbines were described as temporary, mobile units.","who":"xAI","src":null},{"t":"A commitment to pay for electricity-grid upgrades for data centres Anthropic develops itself; for leased capacity it said it was looking into the question.","who":"Anthropic, February 2026","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The NAACP complaint concerns 27 turbines at Southaven, Mississippi, alleged to be operating unlawfully.","src":1},{"t":"Satellite analysis (Cleanview, May 2026): 12 turbines remained at Colossus 1, down from a peak of 35; Colossus 2 was not connected to the grid and generated about 1.3 GW from about 59 mobile turbines.","src":3},{"t":"Stanford's Foundation Model Transparency Index (December 2025) listed ten companies, including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, as not disclosing environmental data; xAI scored 14 out of 100.","src":4},{"t":"As of March 2026 Anthropic had not published Scope 1–3 emissions.","src":5},{"t":"Anthropic's February 2026 commitment on grid costs covers data centres it develops itself and did not address emissions.","src":7},{"t":"The March 2026 White House pledge was signed by Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and xAI. It is voluntary and has no monitoring mechanism; Anthropic is not listed.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Turbines named in federal suit","v":"27","d":"Southaven, Mississippi; NAACP complaint reported 14 April 2026"},{"k":"Colossus 1 turbines: peak vs remaining","v":"35 → 12","d":"Cleanview satellite analysis, May 2026"},{"k":"Colossus 2 mobile turbines, off-grid","v":"about 59","d":"About 1.3 GW; Cleanview, May 2026"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a TechCrunch article of 18 June 2025 was headlined that xAI faced a lawsuit over operating more than 400 MW of gas turbines without permits. The evidence file also lists up to 35 turbines counted at Memphis against 15 permitted, operation without permits for about a year, permits for 15 turbines in July 2025, and a local agency treating the turbines as “nonroad engines”.","The price Anthropic pays for the Colossus 1 lease is not on record.","No emissions or water-use figures for the Colossus turbines or for Anthropic's leased capacity are on record, so the burden on nearby communities cannot be measured from it.","No fine or penalty against xAI is recorded.","The signatory list of the White House pledge is dated March 2026 and may have changed since."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not established. Satellite analysis in May 2026 counted fewer turbines at Colossus 1 than at its peak, and about 59 mobile turbines at Colossus 2; the NAACP suit over Southaven was pending.","whoPaid":"Not established. The sources name residents of Boxtown (Memphis) and Southaven as the nearby communities; no measured burden is recorded.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: NAACP federal suit over Southaven turbines pending (reported 14 April 2026); Anthropic leased Colossus 1; no ruling or penalty found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Anthropic","says":"Said in February 2026 that it would pay for grid upgrades for data centres it develops itself; for leased capacity it said it was looking into the question.","when":"February 2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"xai","role":"Operator of the Colossus data-centre sites and gas turbines"},{"id":"anthropic","role":"Tenant of all of Colossus 1 since May 2026"},{"id":"naacp","role":"Plaintiff in the federal suit over Southaven turbines"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"NAACP federal suit over gas turbines at Southaven","forum":"Federal court (Mississippi; court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"NAACP","defendant":"xAI","filed":"2026-04 (reported 2026-04-14)","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The NAACP sued xAI over 27 turbines at Southaven, Mississippi, alleging they were operating unlawfully. The facility could be the largest source of nitrogen oxides in the Memphis metropolitan area, WTOK reported. No ruling found.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"turbines_named_in_suit","value":27,"unit":"turbines","year":2026,"note":"Southaven, Mississippi; NAACP complaint as reported by WTOK."},{"key":"turbines_colossus_1_peak","value":35,"unit":"turbines","year":2026,"note":"Peak count at Colossus 1 per Cleanview satellite analysis, May 2026."},{"key":"turbines_colossus_1_remaining","value":12,"unit":"turbines","year":2026,"note":"Remaining at Colossus 1 per Cleanview satellite analysis, May 2026."},{"key":"turbines_colossus_2","value":59,"unit":"turbines","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mobile turbines at Colossus 2, not connected to the grid; Cleanview."},{"key":"capacity_colossus_2_gw","value":1.3,"unit":"GW","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Generation at Colossus 2; Cleanview."},{"key":"leased_capacity_mw","value":300,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Colossus 1 capacity leased by Anthropic; E&E News, 6 May 2026."},{"key":"gpus_colossus_1","value":220000,"unit":"GPUs","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Colossus 1; E&E News, 6 May 2026."},{"key":"fmti_score_xai","value":14,"unit":"points of 100","year":2025,"note":"Stanford Foundation Model Transparency Index, December 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gas turbines supply on-site power at xAI's Colossus data-centre sites in Memphis, Tennessee, and Southaven, Mississippi. The NAACP sued over 27 turbines at Southaven in April 2026, and Anthropic leased all of Colossus 1 in May 2026.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"xAI","what":"On-site power generation for its data-centre sites (Colossus 2 reported as off-grid)","src":3},{"who":"Anthropic","what":"Leased computing capacity at Colossus 1 (more than 300 MW)","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Boxtown (Memphis) and Southaven","what":"Named in the sources as the nearby communities; the NAACP suit alleges unlawful operation of the Southaven turbines. The burden has not been measured.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Memphis, Tennessee (Colossus 1; Boxtown neighbourhood) and Southaven, Mississippi.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Reports date from 2025; the NAACP suit was reported on 14 April 2026 and the Anthropic lease on 6 May 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"xAI described the turbines as temporary, mobile units; the cited sources give no other stated reason.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Turbines generate power on site. Cleanview described Colossus 2 as not connected to the grid, generating about 1.3 GW from about 59 mobile turbines; the NAACP alleges the 27 turbines at Southaven were operating unlawfully.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"xAI is facing a lawsuit for operating over 400 MW of gas turbines without permits","p":"TechCrunch","d":"2025-06-18","type":"press","u":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/18/xai-is-facing-a-lawsuit-for-operating-over-400-mw-of-gas-turbines-without-permits","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260829220445/https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/18/xai-is-facing-a-lawsuit-for-operating-over-400-mw-of-gas-turbines-without-permits/"},{"t":"NAACP sues xAI, alleging unlawful operation of gas turbines in Southaven","p":"WTOK","d":"2026-04-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.wtok.com/2026/04/14/naacp-sues-xai-alleging-unlawful-operation-gas-turbines-southaven/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416205910/https://www.wtok.com/2026/04/14/naacp-sues-xai-alleging-unlawful-operation-gas-turbines-southaven/"},{"t":"Anthropic moves into Musk's Memphis data center","p":"E&E News","d":"2026-05-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/anthropic-moves-into-musks-memphis-data-center/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608225823/https://www.eenews.net/articles/anthropic-moves-into-musks-memphis-data-center/"},{"t":"Behind-the-meter data centers: Colossus (title from URL; satellite analysis)","p":"Cleanview","d":"2026-05","type":"investigative","u":"https://cleanview.co/reports/behind-the-meter-data-centers/full-report/colossus"},{"t":"Foundation Model Transparency Index: AI companies' information (title from URL)","p":"Stanford Report","d":"2025-12","type":"academic","u":"https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/12/foundation-model-transparency-index-ai-companies-information","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260905021445/https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/12/foundation-model-transparency-index-ai-companies-information"},{"t":"Your AI carbon footprint: what every query really costs","p":"Earth911","d":"2026-03","type":"press","u":"https://earth911.com/business-policy/your-ai-carbon-footprint-what-every-query-really-costs/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260719143401/https://earth911.com/business-policy/your-ai-carbon-footprint-what-every-query-really-costs/"},{"t":"American tech giants sign pledge to protect households from power price escalation","p":"W.Media","d":"2026-03-05","type":"press","u":"https://w.media/american-tech-giants-sign-pledge-to-protect-households-from-power-price-escalation/"},{"t":"Covering electricity price increases from our data centers","p":"Anthropic","d":"2026-02-11","u":"https://www.anthropic.com/news/covering-electricity-price-increases","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a TechCrunch article of 18 June 2025 was headlined that xAI faced a lawsuit over operating more than 400 MW of gas turbines without permits. The evidence file also lists up to 35 turbines counted at Memphis against 15 permitted, operation without permits for about a year, permits for 15 turbines in July 2025, and a local agency treating the turbines as “nonroad engines”.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The price Anthropic pays for the Colossus 1 lease is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No emissions or water-use figures for the Colossus turbines or for Anthropic's leased capacity are on record, so the burden on nearby communities cannot be measured from it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No fine or penalty against xAI is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The signatory list of the White House pledge is dated March 2026 and may have changed since.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"removal-of-the-endangered-species-act-harm-definition","title":"Removal of the Endangered Species Act 'harm' definition","dek":"In July 2026 two US federal agencies removed the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, which had covered significant habitat modification that kills or injures listed wildlife. Three lawsuits challenging the change were filed that month.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"District of Columbia","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Washington","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"South Carolina","role":"court"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-07-14","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act","value":"Removed","note":"Final rule published 14 July 2026; effective 14 September 2026 according to some sources (13 August and 12 September in others)."},"happened":["The Endangered Species Act prohibits “taking” a listed animal, which covers killing, injuring and harming it. Under the agencies' regulations (50 CFR 17.3 and 222.102), “harm” included significant habitat modification that actually killed or injured wildlife. The US Supreme Court upheld that definition in 1995 in the Sweet Home case.","The US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed removing the definition on 17 April 2025. About 358,000 comments were received. The final rule was published on 14 July 2026. Some sources give 14 September 2026 as the date it took effect; others give 13 August or 12 September. The rule applies going forward.","The rule removes the definition and does not replace it. Habitat modification alone is no longer a prohibited act. Where a listed animal is shown to have been killed or injured, the case is assessed individually. Existing permits are unchanged, and obligations under Section 7 of the Act and for critical habitat continue.","The agencies cited the Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright decision, which ended courts' deference to agency interpretations of statutes, and what they called the single best reading of the statute, as well as Justice Scalia's dissent in Sweet Home. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Act had been misused for years to block lawful land use and that the change brings respect for property and predictability. Farmers, ranchers, water managers and landowners supported the change.","Three lawsuits challenging the rescission were filed in July 2026, in Washington, California and South Carolina. Their status after September 2026 could not be confirmed."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"US Supreme Court upholds the regulatory definition of “harm” in the Sweet Home case"},{"y":2024,"t":"Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision ends deference to agency interpretations of statutes"},{"y":2025,"t":"17 April: agencies propose removing the definition; about 358,000 comments follow"},{"y":2026,"t":"14 July: final rule published. July: three lawsuits filed in Washington, California and South Carolina. September: rule takes effect (14 September according to some sources; 13 August and 12 September in others)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The change was presented as respect for property rights and predictability, after the Act had been used for years to block lawful land use.","who":"Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, as reported","src":null},{"t":"The removal was presented as following the statute's single best reading after Loper Bright.","who":"US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The previous regulatory definition included significant habitat modification that actually killed or injured wildlife; the Supreme Court upheld it in 1995.","src":0},{"t":"The final rule published on 14 July 2026 removes the definition without replacing it; habitat modification alone is no longer a prohibited act.","src":0},{"t":"Where a listed animal is shown to have been killed or injured, the case is assessed individually; existing permits are unchanged.","src":3},{"t":"Section 7 and critical-habitat obligations continue, and actually killing or injuring a listed animal remains prohibited.","src":3},{"t":"About 358,000 public comments were received on the proposal.","src":3},{"t":"The Federal Register text names the mitigation banking market as a party that loses.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Habitat modification alone as a prohibited act","v":"No longer","d":"Under the final rule published 14 July 2026"},{"k":"Killing or injuring a listed animal","v":"Still prohibited","d":"Assessed case by case; existing permits unchanged"},{"k":"Lawsuits challenging the rule","v":"3","d":"Filed July 2026 in Washington, California and South Carolina"}]},"unknown":["The effective date differs across sources: 13 August, 12 September or 14 September 2026.","No replacement definition has been issued.","The status of the three lawsuits after September 2026 is not on record."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the change removes a prohibition rather than ending a harm. The rule applies going forward and existing permits are unchanged.","whoPaid":"Not established. The Federal Register text names the mitigation banking market as a party that loses.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the final rule took effect (date varies by source) and three lawsuits filed in July 2026 were pending; their status after September could not be confirmed.","updated":"2026-09-14","responses":[{"actor":"US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service","says":"Cited the Loper Bright decision, the statute's single best reading and Justice Scalia's Sweet Home dissent as the basis for removing the definition.","when":"2025–2026","src":null},{"actor":"US Department of the Interior (Secretary Doug Burgum)","says":"Said the Act had been misused for years to block lawful land use and that the change brings respect for property and predictability.","when":"2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"usfws","role":"Agency that removed the definition from its regulations"},{"id":"nmfs","role":"Agency that removed the definition from its regulations"},{"id":"us-department-of-the-interior","role":"Parent department of the Fish and Wildlife Service; Secretary Burgum explained the change"},{"id":"us-supreme-court","role":"Upheld the definition in 1995 (Sweet Home); decided Loper Bright in 2024"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is removing the “harm” definition required by the statute after Loper Bright?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service","says":"Loper Bright ended deference to agency interpretations, and the statute's single best reading does not include habitat modification; Justice Scalia's Sweet Home dissent supports this.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Courts in Washington, California and South Carolina","says":"Three lawsuits challenging the rescission were filed in July 2026; no ruling found.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenges to the rescission of the Endangered Species Act “harm” definition","forum":"Federal courts in Washington, California and South Carolina (court names: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2026-07","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Three lawsuits were filed in July 2026 challenging the final rule. Their status after September 2026 is not on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"public_comments","value":358000,"unit":"comments","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Comments received on the April 2025 proposal."},{"key":"lawsuits_filed","value":3,"unit":"lawsuits","year":2026,"note":"Filed July 2026 challenging the rescission."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In July 2026 the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service removed the regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, so that habitat modification alone is no longer a prohibited act.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers, ranchers, water managers and landowners","what":"Supported the removal of the definition.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"The mitigation banking market","what":"Named as a losing party in the Federal Register text, according to the cited sources.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States; federal regulations 50 CFR 17.3 and 222.102.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Proposed 17 April 2025; final rule published 14 July 2026; effective 14 September 2026 according to some sources (13 August and 12 September in others).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The agencies cited the Loper Bright decision and the statute's single best reading; Secretary Burgum said the Act had been misused to block lawful land use.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The rule deletes the definition from the regulations without replacing it; killing or injuring a listed animal remains prohibited and is assessed case by case.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Federal agencies remove longstanding definition of “harm” from Endangered Species Act regulations (title from URL)","p":"EPOnline","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://eponline.com/articles/2026/07/14/federal-agencies-remove-longstanding-definition-of-harm-from-endangered-species-act-regulations.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018142319/https://eponline.com/articles/2026/07/14/federal-agencies-remove-longstanding-definition-of-harm-from-endangered-species-act-regulations.aspx"},{"t":"FWS and NMFS rescind Endangered Species Act regulatory definition of “harm” (title from URL; law-firm client alert)","p":"Bracewell","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://bracewell.com/insights/fws-and-nmfs-rescind-endangered-species-act-regulatory-definition-of-harm/"},{"t":"FWS and NMFS finalize rescission of ESA harm definition (title from URL; law-firm client alert)","p":"Beveridge & Diamond","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/fws-and-nmfs-finalize-rescission-of-esa-harm-definition/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901191630/https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/fws-and-nmfs-finalize-rescission-of-esa-harm-definition/"},{"t":"Rescinding the Definition of \"Harm\" Under the Endangered Species Act (final rule, 91 FR 43300)","p":"Federal Register (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; National Marine Fisheries Service)","d":"2026-07-14","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-14/html/2026-14195.htm","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922104119/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-14/html/2026-14195.htm"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is removing the “harm” definition required by the statute after Loper Bright?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The effective date differs across sources: 13 August, 12 September or 14 September 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No replacement definition has been issued.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status of the three lawsuits after September 2026 is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: The mitigation banking market"]},{"id":"bikini-atoll-resettlement-trust-fund-depletion","title":"Bikini Atoll resettlement trust fund","dek":"A trust fund set up by the US Congress for the people displaced by nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll fell from about $60 million in 2018 to $89,002 on 30 June 2024. The Bikini council and four individuals have sued the fund's manager in Delaware; the manager's position is not in the cited sources.","country":"Marshall Islands","region":"Oceania","lat":11.6,"lon":165.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","admin":"Bikini Atoll","lat":11.6,"lon":165.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","admin":"Kili","lat":5.64,"lon":169.12,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","role":"court"}],"start":1946,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2017-11-16","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Resettlement fund balance, 2018 vs 30 June 2024","value":"about $60m → $89,002","note":"As reported by Pacific Island Times (21 August 2024); the 2018 figure is approximate."},"happened":["Between 1946 and 1958 the United States carried out 67 nuclear tests at Bikini and Enewetak. In 1946, 167 people were evacuated from Bikini. Grist reported in 2018 that their descendants were still living on the islands of Kili and Ejit, and that Kili's freshwater supply could be salted by waves around 2050.","The US Congress placed close to $110 million in a resettlement trust fund for the Bikini people in 1982 and 1988, the Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) reported. The fund held $71 million at its last audit, on 30 September 2016. On 16 November 2017 the US Department of the Interior, at the request of the local council, removed the annual spending limit and the oversight that had applied to the fund. The change was communicated in a letter from Deputy Secretary Doug Domenech. Grist reported that $59 million was released by the letter.","Pacific Island Times reported in August 2024 that the fund held about $60 million in 2018 and $89,002 on 30 June 2024. A separate compensation fund fell from $59.1 million to $28.7 million; the period of that fall is not given in the source.","The council and four individuals sued Arden Trust, which has managed the fund since 2018, in Delaware. According to the lawsuit, the trustee distributed $15.7 million in 2018 although $1.59 million was permitted that year, and charged a management fee every year. PINA reported in July 2023 that purchases of land and vehicles in Hawaii by Mayor Anderson Jibas were being questioned.","On the reef, a 2008 study in Marine Pollution Bulletin, reported by Mongabay, found that about 70% of the coral species formerly recorded at Bikini had returned and that 28 sensitive species were not found. The authors attributed the recovery to people having stayed away and to larvae arriving from Rongelap Atoll."],"timeline":[{"y":1946,"t":"167 Bikini residents evacuated; nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak runs to 1958 (67 tests)"},{"y":1982,"t":"US Congress puts money into the Bikini resettlement trust fund (close to $110 million in total with 1988)"},{"y":1988,"t":"Second Congressional contribution to the fund"},{"y":2008,"t":"Marine Pollution Bulletin study: about 70% of former coral species returned; 28 sensitive species not found"},{"y":2016,"t":"Last audit: $71 million (30 September)"},{"y":2017,"t":"16 November: Interior removes annual spending limit and oversight, at the council's request"},{"y":2018,"t":"Fund about $60 million; Arden Trust begins managing it; lawsuit alleges $15.7 million distributed against $1.59 million permitted"},{"y":2023,"t":"PINA and Civil Beat report on the fund's depletion; questions raised about the mayor's purchases in Hawaii"},{"y":2024,"t":"30 June: fund balance $89,002; August: lawsuit against Arden Trust reported"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Interior removed the annual spending limit and oversight of the fund in a letter saying it would no longer distribute the fund.","who":"US Department of the Interior, letter from Deputy Secretary Doug Domenech (November 2017), as reported by Grist","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Congress put close to $110 million into the fund in 1982 and 1988; last audit recorded $71 million on 30 September 2016.","src":1},{"t":"Fund balance: about $60 million in 2018; $89,002 on 30 June 2024.","src":0},{"t":"A separate compensation fund fell from $59.1 million to $28.7 million.","src":0},{"t":"The lawsuit alleges $15.7 million was distributed in 2018 against $1.59 million permitted, and that the trustee charged an annual management fee.","src":0},{"t":"The Marshall Islands Nuclear Claims Tribunal made awards of approximately $2.3 billion against a fund of $150 million contributed by the United States; the Tribunal ran out of funds and about $2 billion in property damage awards and over $23 million in personal injury awards remain unpaid. The source does not say how many of these claimants were from Bikini.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Former coral species returned (2008 survey)","v":"about 70%","d":"28 sensitive species not found; the authors said the reef recovered because people stayed away and larvae came from Rongelap Atoll"},{"k":"Annual radiation dose at Bikini (2019 measurements)","v":"648 millirem","d":"The agreed safe limit is 100 millirem a year"},{"k":"Coral species count versus the 1950s","v":"Sources differ","d":"One source says 28 species are missing, another 42 fewer than in the 1950s, another that the species count rose"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm to the atoll is recorded in survey findings and radiation measurements rather than in loss figures for the fund; the sources do not tie the fund's depletion to any ecological outcome.","report":[{"t":"Between 1946 and 1958 the United States tested 67 nuclear devices at Bikini and Enewetak.","src":6},{"t":"In a 2008 survey, about 70% of my former coral species had returned and 28 sensitive species were not found.","src":4},{"t":"In 2019 the annual radiation dose measured at Bikini was as high as 648 millirem. The agreed safe limit is 100.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Reported fund figures differ: '$59 million to about $100,000' circulated in 2023 reporting, while other reports show about $60 million (2018) and $89,002 (30 June 2024); a March 2023 balance of $100,041 appears in only one report.","Unconfirmed: a monthly payment of about $150 to roughly 6,800 community members stopped.","Unconfirmed: that the United States rejected a 2000 supplemental compensation petition as not a 'changed circumstance'.","How the coral species count compares with the period before the tests: sources give 'about 70% returned, 28 missing', '42 fewer than in the 1950s' and 'species count increased', and the cited sources do not establish whether the difference is one of method."],"evidence":["court-pending","displacement"],"harmStopped":"Nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak ran from 1946 to 1958. The descendants of the 167 people evacuated in 1946 were still living on Kili and Ejit when Grist reported in 2018.","whoPaid":"The fund set aside for the Bikini people fell from about $60 million (2018) to $89,002 (30 June 2024); the sources attribute this to Interior's removal of oversight, to council spending and to the trustee's alleged over-distribution, and do not apportion it.","statusLine":"As of August 2024: the fund held $89,002 (30 June 2024); the council and four individuals had sued Arden Trust in Delaware; no ruling was found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"us-department-of-the-interior","says":"Removed the annual spending limit and oversight of the fund, at the local council's request, in a letter from Deputy Secretary Doug Domenech; Grist reported the letter as saying Interior would no longer distribute the fund.","when":"16 November 2017","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"us-congress","role":"Funded the resettlement trust fund (1982, 1988)"},{"id":"us-department-of-the-interior","role":"Removed the spending limit and oversight (2017)"},{"id":"bikini-local-council","role":"Requested the change; co-plaintiff against the trustee"},{"id":"arden-trust","role":"Fund manager since 2018; defendant in the Delaware suit"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is responsible for the fund's depletion?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of the Interior","says":"Removed the annual spending limit and oversight in November 2017, at the local council's request.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bikini council and four individuals (plaintiffs)","says":"Allege that Arden Trust distributed $15.7 million in 2018 against $1.59 million permitted and charged a management fee each year.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"PINA","says":"Reported in July 2023 that the mayor's purchases of land and vehicles in Hawaii were being questioned.","src":1}]},{"point":"Did the Bikini reef recover, and by how much?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"2008 study in Marine Pollution Bulletin (via Mongabay)","says":"About 70% of former coral species had returned and 28 sensitive species were not found; recovery was attributed to people staying away and to larvae from Rongelap Atoll.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Peter Kareiva (then chief scientist, The Nature Conservancy), Michelle Marvier and Robert Lalasz, 2012","says":"Cited Bikini as an example of the number of coral species having increased compared with before the tests.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bikini council and four individuals v. Arden Trust","forum":"Delaware (court not named in the source)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Bikini local council and four individuals","defendant":"Arden Trust","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The suit alleges that the trustee, which has managed the fund since 2018, distributed $15.7 million in 2018 although $1.59 million was permitted, and charged a management fee each year. Reported by Pacific Island Times on 21 August 2024; no ruling was found.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"resettlement_fund_balance","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bikini resettlement fund balance in 2018."},{"key":"resettlement_fund_balance","value":0.089002,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Balance of $89,002 on 30 June 2024."},{"key":"resettlement_fund_balance","value":71,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Last audit, 30 September 2016."},{"key":"congress_contribution","value":110,"unit":"USD m","year":1988,"qualifier":"close to","note":"Total contributed by Congress in 1982 and 1988."},{"key":"compensation_fund_balance","value":59.1,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Starting figure of the separate compensation fund; period not given in the source."},{"key":"compensation_fund_balance","value":28.7,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Later figure of the separate compensation fund; period not given in the source."},{"key":"distribution_alleged","value":15.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Alleged in the lawsuit; $1.59 million was permitted that year."},{"key":"displaced","value":167,"unit":"people","year":1946,"note":"Residents evacuated from Bikini in 1946."},{"key":"nuclear_tests","value":67,"unit":"tests","year":1958,"note":"At Bikini and Enewetak, 1946–1958."},{"key":"annual_dose_mrem","value":648,"unit":"millirem per year","year":2019,"note":"Measured at Bikini; the agreed safe limit is 100."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Bikini resettlement trust fund, created by US Congress contributions in 1982 and 1988, fell from about $60 million in 2018 to $89,002 on 30 June 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Arden Trust (fund manager since 2018)","what":"Charged an annual management fee, according to the lawsuit; the amount is not given.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Bikini community, the fund's beneficiaries","what":"The fund set aside for them fell from about $60 million to $89,002.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Descendants of the 167 people evacuated in 1946","what":"Still living on Kili and Ejit in 2018; Kili's freshwater could be salted by waves around 2050.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Bikini Atoll and Kili, Marshall Islands; the lawsuit was filed in Delaware, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Tests 1946–1958; fund contributions 1982 and 1988; spending limit and oversight removed 16 November 2017; decline 2018–2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The sources record three actors: Interior removed the spending limit and oversight at the council's request, the council spent the money, and the lawsuit alleges that the trustee distributed more than was permitted.","src":0},"how":{"t":"After the 2017 change the fund was managed by Arden Trust from 2018. The lawsuit alleges a $15.7 million distribution in 2018 against $1.59 million permitted; the balance reached $89,002 on 30 June 2024.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Depletion of Bikini Atoll funds sparks lawsuit against trust manager","p":"Pacific Island Times","d":"2024-08-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/depletion-of-bikini-atoll-funds-sparks-lawsuit-against-trust-manager","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520133557/https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/depletion-of-bikini-atoll-funds-sparks-lawsuit-against-trust-manager"},{"t":"Congressmen angry that Bikini Islanders' nuclear trust fund may have been squandered","p":"Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)","d":"2023-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2023/07/03/congressmen-angry-that-bikini-islanders-nuclear-trust-fund-may-have-been-squandered/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260623102347/https://pina.com.fj/2023/07/03/congressmen-angry-that-bikini-islanders-nuclear-trust-fund-may-have-been-squandered/"},{"t":"The U.S. forced Bikini Islanders to deal with nuclear tests and climate change; now it's walking away (S. Yeo)","p":"Grist","d":"2018-05-11","type":"press","u":"https://grist.org/article/the-u-s-forced-bikini-islanders-to-deal-with-nuclear-tests-and-climate-change-now-its-walking-away/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618022928/https://grist.org/article/the-u-s-forced-bikini-islanders-to-deal-with-nuclear-tests-and-climate-change-now-its-walking-away/"},{"t":"Nuclear descendants in Hawaii are incensed by blown Bikini Atoll reparation funds","p":"Civil Beat","d":"2023-06","type":"press","u":"https://civilbeat.org/2023/06/nuclear-descendants-in-hawaii-are-incensed-by-blown-bikini-atoll-reparation-funds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240915145416/https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/06/nuclear-descendants-in-hawaii-are-incensed-by-blown-bikini-atoll-reparation-funds/"},{"t":"50 years after the blast, recovery in Bikini Atoll's coral reef (reporting on a Marine Pollution Bulletin study)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2008-05-27","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2008/05/50-years-after-the-blast-recovery-in-bikini-atolls-coral-reef/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260317145838/https://news.mongabay.com/2008/05/50-years-after-the-blast-recovery-in-bikini-atolls-coral-reef/"},{"t":"International Bar Association Human Rights Law Committee submission to OHCHR call for input: Addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realisation of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the state's nuclear legacy","p":"International Bar Association (IBA)","d":"2026-01-31","u":"https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/cfi-subm/309-addressing-challenges-barriers/subm-addressing-challenges-barriers-cso-2-iba-law-comm-submiss-ssion.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Radiation from atomic testing in Marshall Islands still too high for human habitation","p":"Phys.org (Bob Yirka, reporting a PNAS study)","d":"2019-07-16","u":"https://phys.org/news/2019-07-atomic-marshall-islands-high-human.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"compensation-fund","related":["nauru-phosphate-trust-fund"],"subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the Bikini reef recover, and by how much?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is responsible for the fund's depletion?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bikini council and four individuals v. Arden Trust: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Distribution alleged: Alleged in the lawsuit; $1.59 million was permitted that year.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Reported fund figures differ: '$59 million to about $100,000' circulated in 2023 reporting, while other reports show about $60 million (2018) and $89,002 (30 June 2024); a March 2023 balance of $100,041 appears in only one report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a monthly payment of about $150 to roughly 6,800 community members stopped.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the United States rejected a 2000 supplemental compensation petition as not a 'changed circumstance'.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"How the coral species count compares with the period before the tests: sources give 'about 70% returned, 28 missing', '42 fewer than in the 1950s' and 'species count increased', and the cited sources do not establish whether the difference is one of method.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"montrose-ddt-insurance-case","title":"Montrose DDT insurance case","dek":"Montrose Chemical, a DDT producer, sued its liability insurers in California over cover for the contamination its operations caused. The state Supreme Court ruled against the insurers in 1995 and again in 2020, and the industry then added a clause to exclude damage known before a policy.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":33.84,"lon":-118.34,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":33.84,"lon":-118.34,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"court"}],"start":1947,"end":2020,"eventDate":"1995","instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","insurance-fund","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"DDT released to Los Angeles sewers by Montrose, 1947–1971","value":"about 1,800 tonnes","note":"As reported by the US Department of Justice on 19 December 2000. Settlement the same month: $73 million with three other companies."},"happened":["Montrose Chemical Corporation produced DDT. Its site at Torrance, California, was covered by liability policies running from 1961 to 1985, and the cleanup of the contamination was put at over $100 million in secondary insurance-law summaries. According to a US Department of Justice announcement of 19 December 2000, Montrose discharged about 1,800 tonnes of DDT into the Los Angeles sewer system between 1947 and 1971.","Admiral Insurance denied Montrose both a defence and indemnity. It gave two grounds: that Montrose's conduct predated its policies, and that the 'known loss' or 'loss in progress' rule applied because Montrose knew of the contamination before the policies were issued.","In 1995 the California Supreme Court, in Montrose Chemical Corp. v. Admiral Insurance Co. (10 Cal.4th 645), held that the known-loss rule does not bar cover while the extent of the damage or the insured's liability is still uncertain, and that a continuous-injury trigger applies. The insurance industry then added the 'Montrose endorsement', a clause excluding damage known before the policy began.","In 2020, in Montrose v. Superior Court, the court ruled that 'vertical exhaustion' applies to excess layers of cover, rejecting the insurers' argument for horizontal exhaustion. The insurers lost on both points.","Separately, in December 2000 Montrose and three other companies agreed to a $73 million settlement over the DDT in Los Angeles: $30 million for restoration and $43 million for cleanup, according to the Department of Justice."],"timeline":[{"y":1947,"t":"Montrose begins the DDT discharges to the Los Angeles sewer system that continue to 1971 (about 1,800 tonnes)"},{"y":1961,"t":"Start of the liability policies at issue; they run to 1985"},{"y":1972,"t":"EPA bans DDT in the United States"},{"y":1995,"t":"California Supreme Court, Montrose v. Admiral: known-loss rule does not bar cover; industry later adds the 'Montrose endorsement'"},{"y":2000,"t":"19 December: Montrose and three other companies agree a $73 million settlement ($30 million restoration, $43 million cleanup)"},{"y":2020,"t":"California Supreme Court, Montrose v. Superior Court: vertical exhaustion applies to excess cover"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The California Supreme Court held in 1995 that the known-loss rule does not bar cover while the extent of damage or the insured's liability is uncertain.","src":0},{"t":"In 2020 the court applied vertical exhaustion to excess layers and rejected the insurers' horizontal-exhaustion argument.","src":1},{"t":"About 1,800 tonnes of DDT were discharged to Los Angeles sewers in 1947–1971; the December 2000 settlement was $73 million ($30 million restoration, $43 million cleanup).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"December 2000 settlement","nature":[{"label":"Restoration","amount":30},{"label":"Cleanup","amount":43}],"natureTotal":{"amount":73,"note":"Settlement by Montrose and three other companies, as announced by the US Department of Justice. Which party paid what is not given."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"DDT released to Los Angeles sewers (1947–1971)","v":"about 1,800 tonnes","d":"Department of Justice, 19 December 2000"},{"k":"Bald eagle nesting pairs in the 48 contiguous states","v":"417 (1963) to 71,467 breeding pairs (2018–2019)","d":"The EPA banned DDT in 1972 because it thinned eggshells; the species left the protected list in 2007. This is a DDT-wide outcome and is not tied in the source to Montrose's discharges."}]},"unknown":["Montrose's profit from DDT: no figure appears in the cited sources, so the $73 million settlement cannot be compared with it.","Whether insurers ultimately paid for Montrose's defence or indemnity under the 1995 and 2020 rulings, and how much: the rulings are recorded, the payments are not."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The EPA banned DDT in the United States in 1972. Montrose's discharges to the Los Angeles sewers are recorded for 1947–1971.","whoPaid":"Montrose and three other companies agreed in December 2000 to a $73 million settlement ($30 million for restoration, $43 million for cleanup). The cited sources do not show what the insurers paid.","statusLine":"As of 2020: the California Supreme Court had ruled for Montrose against its insurers in 1995 and 2020; no later ruling or insurer payment figure was found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"admiral-insurance","says":"Denied Montrose a defence and indemnity on two grounds: that Montrose's conduct predated its policies, and that the known-loss or loss-in-progress rule applied.","when":null,"src":0},{"actor":"us-insurance-industry","says":"After the 1995 ruling, added the 'Montrose endorsement' to policies, excluding damage known before the policy.","when":null,"src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"montrose-chemical","role":"DDT producer; insured"},{"id":"admiral-insurance","role":"Insurer; denied defence and indemnity"},{"id":"california-supreme-court","role":"Ruled for Montrose in 1995 and 2020"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Announced the December 2000 DDT settlement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Montrose's prior knowledge of the contamination bar insurance cover?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Admiral Insurance","says":"Denied defence and indemnity because the conduct predated its policies and the known-loss rule applied, since Montrose knew of the contamination before the policies were issued.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"California Supreme Court (1995)","says":"The known-loss rule does not bar cover while the extent of damage or the insured's liability is still uncertain; a continuous-injury trigger applies.","src":0}]},{"point":"Must lower layers of insurance be used up before excess layers respond?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers","says":"Argued for horizontal exhaustion of excess layers.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"California Supreme Court (2020)","says":"Applied vertical exhaustion to excess layers.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Montrose Chemical Corp. v. Admiral Insurance Co., 10 Cal.4th 645","forum":"California Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Montrose Chemical Corporation","defendant":"Admiral Insurance","filed":null,"decided":"1995","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court held that the known-loss rule does not bar cover while the extent of the damage or the insured's liability is still uncertain, and that a continuous-injury trigger applies. The sources are secondary summaries, not the opinion.","src":0},{"title":"Montrose v. Superior Court (vertical exhaustion)","forum":"California Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Montrose","defendant":"Insurers (excess layers)","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court applied vertical exhaustion to excess layers of cover and rejected the insurers' horizontal-exhaustion argument. The source is a law-firm summary, not the opinion.","src":1},{"title":"DDT settlement, Los Angeles","forum":"Not stated in the source (announced by the US Department of Justice)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not stated in the source","defendant":"Montrose and three other companies (not named in the source)","filed":null,"decided":"2000-12-19","status":"settled","amount":{"value":73,"currency":"USD","label":"$73 million: $30 million restoration, $43 million cleanup"},"summary":"Settlement over about 1,800 tonnes of DDT discharged to the Los Angeles sewer system in 1947–1971.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Admiral Insurance","insured":"Montrose Chemical Corporation","status":"litigation","year":1995,"reason":"Conduct predated the policies; known-loss or loss-in-progress rule.","summary":"Admiral denied defence and indemnity. In 1995 the California Supreme Court held that the known-loss rule does not bar cover while the extent of damage or liability is uncertain. The insurers lost on this point; the source does not record payments.","src":0},{"insurer":"Excess-layer insurers (not named in the source)","insured":"Montrose","status":"litigation","year":2020,"reason":"Insurers argued for horizontal exhaustion of lower layers.","summary":"The California Supreme Court applied vertical exhaustion to excess layers in 2020. The insurers lost on both points; the source does not record payments.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"ddt_discharged_tonnes","value":1800,"unit":"tonnes","year":1971,"qualifier":"about","note":"DDT discharged to the Los Angeles sewer system, 1947–1971."},{"key":"settlement","value":73,"unit":"USD m","year":2000,"note":"December 2000 settlement by Montrose and three other companies."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2000,"note":"Restoration portion of the $73 million settlement."},{"key":"cleanup_paid","value":43,"unit":"USD m","year":2000,"note":"Cleanup portion of the $73 million settlement."},{"key":"cleanup_cost","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"over","unverified":true,"note":"Torrance site cleanup as stated in secondary insurance-law summaries; no primary source."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Montrose Chemical's insurers refused it defence and indemnity for DDT contamination; the California Supreme Court ruled against the insurers in 1995 and 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Montrose Chemical Corporation","what":"Won both California Supreme Court rulings on insurance cover (1995, 2020).","src":1},{"who":"US insurance industry","what":"Added the 'Montrose endorsement' excluding damage known before the policy.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Admiral Insurance and other insurers","what":"Lost on the known-loss rule (1995) and on exhaustion (2020).","src":1},{"who":"Montrose and three other companies","what":"Agreed to a $73 million settlement in December 2000.","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Torrance and Los Angeles, California.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Discharges 1947–1971; policies 1961–1985; rulings 1995 and 2020; settlement December 2000.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Admiral denied cover because Montrose's conduct predated the policies and because Montrose knew of the contamination before they were issued.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Montrose sued its insurers; the California Supreme Court held in 1995 that the known-loss rule did not bar cover while liability was uncertain, and in 2020 applied vertical exhaustion to excess layers.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Montrose doctrine (insurance definition; summary of Montrose Chemical Corp. v. Admiral Insurance Co.)","p":"IRMI","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.irmi.com/term/insurance-definitions/montrose-doctrine","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608135737/https://www.irmi.com/term/insurance-definitions/montrose-doctrine"},{"t":"Montrose III: vertical exhaustion applies in upper layers of excess coverage (law-firm summary)","p":"HBB Law","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.hbblaw.com/montrose-iii-vertical-exhaustion-applies-in-upper-layers-of-excess-coverage/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420002915/https://www.hbblaw.com/montrose-iii-vertical-exhaustion-applies-in-upper-layers-of-excess-coverage/"},{"t":"US Department of Justice announcement on the DDT settlement, Los Angeles","p":"US Department of Justice (archive)","d":"2000-12-19","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2000/December/704enrd.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260527034216/https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2000/December/704enrd.htm"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 1,800 tonnes of DDT were discharged to the Los Angeles sewer system by Montrose in 1947–1971, the US Department of Justice said; of a $73 million settlement in 2000, $30 million was to restore me.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Montrose's prior knowledge of the contamination bar insurance cover?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Must lower layers of insurance be used up before excess layers respond?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Cleanup cost: Torrance site cleanup as stated in secondary insurance-law summaries; no primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Montrose's profit from DDT: no figure appears in the cited sources, so the $73 million settlement cannot be compared with it.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether insurers ultimately paid for Montrose's defence or indemnity under the 1995 and 2020 rulings, and how much: the rulings are recorded, the payments are not.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"saweto-killings","title":"Saweto killings","dek":"Four Asháninka leaders who opposed logging on their land in Ucayali, Peru, were killed on 1 September 2014. Loggers were convicted in 2023 and again on retrial in 2024; the convictions were upheld in 2025, nine to eleven years after the killings.","country":"Peru","region":"South America","lat":-9.4,"lon":-73,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"Ucayali","lat":-9.4,"lon":-73,"role":"event"},{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"Ucayali","role":"court"}],"start":2014,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2014-09-01","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Time from the killings to convictions","value":"9–11 years","note":"1 September 2014 to the 2023 verdict and the August 2025 appeal; no intellectual authors were prosecuted."},"happened":["On 1 September 2014 Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintisima and Francisco Pinedo were killed in Ucayali, Peru. They had opposed logging on Asháninka land and were seeking a land title for the community of Saweto.","On 27 February 2023 a collegiate criminal court of the Ucayali Superior Court of Justice convicted five people and sentenced them to 28 years 3 months. In August 2023 the appeals chamber annulled the verdict, citing irregularities in the proceedings, and a new trial was ordered.","On 11 April 2024 the collegiate court convicted four people again: the loggers Hugo Soria Flores, José Estrada Huayta, Segundo Atachi and Josimar Atachi. Mongabay reported that Eurico Mapes Gómez, who had been among the five in 2023, was not included in the 2024 verdict because he had been declared a fugitive, and that his trial was reserved until he is found.","In August 2025 the Ucayali Superior Court upheld the convictions and doubled the reparations to 400,000 soles, Andina reported. Peruvian press reported the arrests of two of those convicted, José Estrada Huayta in May 2026 and Hugo Soria Flores on 18 August 2026.","Nine to eleven years passed from the killings to the convictions. No intellectual authors were prosecuted."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"1 September: Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintisima and Francisco Pinedo killed in Ucayali"},{"y":2023,"t":"27 February: five convicted, 28 years 3 months; August: verdict annulled by the appeals chamber for irregularities and the case retried"},{"y":2024,"t":"11 April: four convicted on retrial"},{"y":2025,"t":"August: Ucayali Superior Court upholds the convictions and doubles reparations to 400,000 soles"},{"y":2026,"t":"José Estrada Huayta arrested (May); Hugo Soria Flores arrested (18 August)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Five convicted in February 2023 (28 years 3 months); verdict annulled for a procedural defect; retrial.","src":1},{"t":"Four convicted again on 11 April 2024.","src":1},{"t":"The Ucayali Superior Court upheld the convictions and doubled reparations to 400,000 soles in August 2025.","src":0},{"t":"Two of those convicted were arrested in May and August 2026.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"PEN","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["No intellectual authors of the killings have been prosecuted.","Unconfirmed: that the Saweto community obtained its land title in 2015.","Reports differ on how many were convicted in April 2024: Mongabay names four (Soria, Estrada and the two Atachi brothers) and says Eurico Mapes Gómez was not included in the verdict and is a fugitive, while Infobae lists him among those sentenced and Global Witness reports five convictions."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Unconfirmed: the community's land title was reportedly obtained in 2015.","whoPaid":"Four community leaders were killed on 1 September 2014. The Ucayali Superior Court doubled the reparations to 400,000 soles in August 2025; payment is not recorded.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: convictions of four loggers upheld on appeal (August 2025); two of those convicted were arrested in May and August 2026; no intellectual authors have been prosecuted.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ucayali-superior-court","role":"Upheld the convictions in August 2025"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"Reported the 2026 arrests"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Saweto killings: first trial","forum":"Collegiate criminal court (Juzgado Penal Colegiado), Ucayali Superior Court of Justice; verdict annulled by the appeals chamber (August 2023)","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Peruvian prosecution","defendant":"Five people convicted (not named in the source)","filed":null,"decided":"2023-02","status":"overturned","summary":"Five people were convicted and sentenced to 28 years 3 months. The verdict was annulled for a procedural defect and the case retried.","src":1},{"title":"Saweto killings: retrial and appeal","forum":"Ucayali Superior Court (appeal)","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Peruvian prosecution","defendant":"Hugo Soria Flores, José Estrada Huayta, Segundo Atachi, Josimar Atachi","filed":null,"decided":"2025-08","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":400000,"currency":"PEN","label":"Reparations, doubled on appeal"},"summary":"Four loggers were convicted on 11 April 2024. In August 2025 the Ucayali Superior Court upheld the convictions and doubled the reparations to 400,000 soles. Andina's headline refers to 28-year prison sentences. Estrada was arrested in May 2026 and Soria on 18 August 2026.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":4,"unit":"people","year":2014,"note":"Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintisima and Francisco Pinedo, killed 1 September 2014."},{"key":"prison_sentence_years","value":28.25,"unit":"years","year":2023,"note":"28 years 3 months for the five convicted in February 2023; Andina's 2025 headline refers to 28-year sentences. Whether per defendant is not stated."},{"key":"reparations_ordered","value":400000,"unit":"PEN","year":2025,"note":"Doubled on appeal in August 2025."},{"key":"years_to_conviction","value":9,"unit":"years (low end of 9–11)","year":2023,"note":"Research counts 9 to 11 years from the killings to conviction."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Four Asháninka leaders were killed on 1 September 2014 in Ucayali, Peru; loggers were later convicted and the convictions upheld in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintisima and Francisco Pinedo","what":"Killed on 1 September 2014.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ucayali, Peru, on Asháninka land (community of Saweto).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Killings on 1 September 2014; convictions in February 2023 and 11 April 2024; appeal upheld August 2025; arrests in 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The four had opposed logging on Asháninka land and were seeking a land title.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Four loggers were convicted of the killings after a first verdict was annulled for a procedural defect.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Saweto case: 28-year prison sentences upheld for loggers in murder of Indigenous leaders","p":"Andina","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://andina.pe/INgles/noticia-saweto-case-28year-prison-sentences-upheld-for-loggers-in-murder-of-indigenous-leaders-1042386.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250826163706/https://andina.pe/ingles/noticia-saweto-case-28year-prison-sentences-upheld-for-loggers-in-murder-of-indigenous-leaders-1042386.aspx"},{"t":"Justice restored after historical ruling upheld in retrial for murder of four Indigenous leaders","p":"Global Witness","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/justice-restored-after-historical-ruling-upheld-retrial-murder-four-indigenous-leaders","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260220045740/https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/justice-restored-after-historical-ruling-upheld-retrial-murder-four-indigenous-leaders/"},{"t":"\"Para ese derrame de sangre no hay cura\": condenan a 28 años de cárcel a asesinos del caso Saweto","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2024-04","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2024/04/condenan-carcel-asesinos-caso-saweto-peru/","type":"press"},{"t":"Caso Saweto: Capturan en Pucallpa a Hugo Soria, condenado a 28 años por el asesinato de cuatro líderes indígenas, y ya son dos los sentenciados detenidos","p":"Inforegión","d":"2026-08-18","u":"https://inforegion.pe/caso-saweto-capturan-en-pucallpa-a-hugo-soria-condenado-a-28-anos-por-el-asesinato-de-cuatro-lideres-indigenas-y-ya-son-dos-los-sentenciados-detenidos/","type":"press"},{"t":"Caso Saweto: capturan un sentenciado por crímenes de líderes indígenas en Perú","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2026-05","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2026/05/caso-saweto-capturan-un-sentenciado-crimenes-lideres-indigenas-peru/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"land-title-defence","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No intellectual authors of the killings have been prosecuted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Saweto community obtained its land title in 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Reports differ on how many were convicted in April 2024: Mongabay names four (Soria, Estrada and the two Atachi brothers) and says Eurico Mapes Gómez was not included in the verdict and is a fugitive, while Infobae lists him among those sentenced and Global Witness reports five convictions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Edwin Chota, Jorge Ríos, Leoncio Quintisima and Francisco Pinedo"]},{"id":"juan-lopez-killing-and-guapinol-mine","title":"Juan López killing and Guapinol mine","dek":"Juan López, a municipal councillor and river defender, was killed in Tocoa, Honduras, on 14 September 2024. He had opposed an iron-oxide mine in the core zone of Carlos Escaleras National Park; six men are accused in the killing, and the cited sources show no conviction.","country":"Honduras","region":"Latin America","lat":15.66,"lon":-86,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","admin":"Tocoa","lat":15.66,"lon":-86,"role":"event"},{"country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","admin":"Carlos Escaleras National Park","role":"affected"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-09-14","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Convictions in the killing of Juan López, as of the latest report","value":"0","note":"Three alleged gunmen are held and their trial was postponed to January 2027. Three alleged intellectual authors were remanded in May 2026."},"happened":["Inversiones Los Pinares and Ecotek, reportedly linked to Grupo EMCO and to Lenir Pérez, ran an iron-oxide mine in the core zone of Carlos Escaleras National Park in Honduras. The mining concession expired on 28 January 2024. A suspension process was announced; whether it took effect is not on record.","Juan López, a municipal councillor and Guapinol river defender, was killed on 14 September 2024 in Tocoa. The record names Inversiones Los Pinares and Ecotek and their mine as what he opposed.","In September 2024 prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to the park. Three men accused of carrying out the killing, Óscar Alexi Guardado Alvarenga, Daniel Antonio Juárez Torres and Lenin Adonis Cruz Munguía, face a separate trial, which Infobae reported as set for January 2027.","In May 2026 former Tocoa mayor Adán Fúnez Martínez and two others, Juan Ángel Ramos Gallegos and Héctor Eduardo Méndez Perdomo, were arrested and remanded in custody; the Public Ministry describes them as alleged intellectual authors of the killing. Fúnez denies it and was later moved to house arrest. The Public Ministry formalised its accusation on 1 October 2026, and on 12 October 2026 Infobae reported that a court had ordered the three to oral trial in Tegucigalpa on charges including murder and association to commit crimes. No trial date for them was given.","The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), which counts attacks linked to companies, listed Inversiones Los Pinares among the projects with the most attacks in its 2015–2024 count. It does not publish per-company attack counts. Los Pinares did not respond to BHRRC."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"28 January: the mining concession expires; a suspension process is announced"},{"y":2024,"t":"14 September: Juan López is killed in Tocoa"},{"y":2024,"t":"September: prosecutors charge 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to the park"},{"y":2026,"t":"May: former mayor Adán Fúnez and two others are arrested as alleged intellectual authors and remanded; Fúnez denies it"},{"y":2026,"t":"1 October: Public Ministry formalises its accusation against Fúnez and two others at the preliminary hearing; 12 October: the three are ordered to oral trial; trial of three alleged gunmen set for January 2027"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The mining concession expired on 28 January 2024; a suspension process was announced.","src":5},{"t":"Prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National Park (September 2024).","src":2},{"t":"Former Tocoa mayor Adán Fúnez and two others were arrested in May 2026 as alleged intellectual authors of the killing and remanded.","src":0},{"t":"Three alleged gunmen are held; their trial was postponed to January 2027.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Environmental damage charges","v":"13 people","d":"Prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people over damage to the national park (September 2024)"},{"k":"Mining concession","v":"Expired 28 Jan 2024","d":"A suspension process was announced; whether it took effect is not on record"}]},"unknown":["Whether the suspension of the mine announced after the concession expired took effect is not on record.","The date of the oral trial of Adán Fúnez and the two other accused was not found.","No conviction is recorded in the killing; the cited sources show arrests only.","Inversiones Los Pinares did not respond to BHRRC.","The sources list Carlos Escaleras National Park among conservation cases where projects were halted or financiers withdrew, while whether the suspension took effect is not on record."],"evidence":["court-pending","deaths"],"harmStopped":"None on record: whether the suspension took effect. The concession expired on 28 January 2024 and a suspension process was announced.","whoPaid":"A municipal councillor and river defender was killed; the cited sources show no conviction and no compensation.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026: Adán Fúnez and two others, accused as alleged intellectual authors, were ordered to oral trial; three alleged gunmen face a separate trial set for January 2027; no conviction is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Inversiones Los Pinares","says":"Did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).","when":null,"src":null,"silent":true},{"actor":"Adán Fúnez, former mayor of Tocoa","says":"Denies being an intellectual author of the killing.","when":"May 2026","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"inversiones-los-pinares","role":"Operator of the iron-oxide mine in the national park"},{"id":"ecotek","role":"Company linked to the mine"},{"id":"grupo-emco","role":"Group linked to the mine"},{"id":"bhrrc","role":"Counted attacks linked to the project; invited the company to respond"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who ordered the killing of Juan López?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Honduran judge (as reported by La Prensa)","says":"Ordered former mayor Adán Fúnez and others held in custody as alleged intellectual authors of the killing.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Adán Fúnez, former mayor of Tocoa (accused)","says":"Denies being an intellectual author of the killing.","src":1}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Was the national park damaged by the mine's operators?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Honduran prosecutors","says":"Charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National Park (September 2024).","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Inversiones Los Pinares","says":"Did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Killing of Juan López: trial of three alleged gunmen","forum":"Honduran court (name: none on record)","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Óscar Alexi Guardado Alvarenga, Daniel Antonio Juárez Torres and Lenin Adonis Cruz Munguía (accused of carrying out the killing)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Three men are accused of carrying out the killing, on charges of murder and association to commit crimes. Their trial is set for January 2027 (Infobae, October 2026).","src":6},{"title":"Killing of Juan López: alleged intellectual authors","forum":"Honduran courts: oral trial ordered; to be held at the Tribunal de Sentencia en Materia de Criminalidad Organizada, Medioambiente y Corrupción, Tegucigalpa","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Adán Fúnez Martínez, former mayor of Tocoa, Juan Ángel Ramos Gallegos and Héctor Eduardo Méndez Perdomo (accused)","filed":"2026-05","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Arrested in May 2026 and remanded in custody as alleged intellectual authors; Fúnez denies it and was later moved to house arrest. The Public Ministry formalised the accusation on 1 October 2026 and a court ordered the three to oral trial (Infobae, 12 October 2026). An order for trial is not a finding of guilt.","src":3},{"title":"Environmental damage to Carlos Escaleras National Park","forum":"Honduran court (name: none on record)","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"13 company-linked people, including Lenir Pérez (charged)","filed":"2024-09","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"In September 2024 prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people, including Pérez, over environmental damage to the park.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Juan López, killed 14 September 2024."},{"key":"persons_charged_environmental","value":13,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Company-linked people charged by prosecutors over environmental damage to the park, including Pérez."},{"key":"gunmen_held","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Alleged gunmen held; trial postponed to January 2027."},{"key":"alleged_authors_arrested","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Adán Fúnez and two others, arrested May 2026 as alleged intellectual authors."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Juan López, a municipal councillor and Guapinol river defender, was killed in Tocoa on 14 September 2024. He had opposed the iron-oxide mine of Inversiones Los Pinares and Ecotek in the core zone of Carlos Escaleras National Park.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Juan López","what":"Killed on 14 September 2024.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Carlos Escaleras National Park","what":"Prosecutors charged 13 company-linked people over environmental damage to the park (September 2024).","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Tocoa, Honduras, and Carlos Escaleras National Park.","src":null},"when":{"t":"The concession expired on 28 January 2024; López was killed on 14 September 2024; arrests of alleged intellectual authors followed in May 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The record states that López opposed the mine. It records arrests only and no conviction, so no court finding on who ordered the killing or why is recorded.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Three alleged gunmen are held. In May 2026 former mayor Adán Fúnez and two others were arrested as alleged intellectual authors; Fúnez denies it.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Juez ordena prisión a Adán Fúnez y otros implicados en el caso Juan López","p":"La Prensa (laprensa.hn)","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.laprensa.hn/sucesos/juez-ordena-prision-adan-funez-otros-implicados-caso-juan-lopez-FP30592070","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513034419/https://www.laprensa.hn/sucesos/juez-ordena-prision-adan-funez-otros-implicados-caso-juan-lopez-FP30592070"},{"t":"Capturan a exalcalde de Colón Adán Fúnez por crimen del ambientalista Juan López","p":"tunota.com","d":"2026-05-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/capturan-a-exalcalde-de-colon-adan-funez-por-crimen-del-ambientalista-juan-lopez-2026-05-12","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512183426/https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/capturan-a-exalcalde-de-colon-adan-funez-por-crimen-del-ambientalista-juan-lopez-2026-05-12"},{"t":"Requerimiento fiscal contra empresa por daños ambientales en Parque Carlos Escaleras","p":"tunota.com","d":"2024-09-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/requerimiento-fiscal-contra-empresa-por-danos-ambientales-en-parque-carlos-escaleras-2024-09-24","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240924210340/https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/requerimiento-fiscal-contra-empresa-por-danos-ambientales-en-parque-carlos-escaleras-2024-09-24"},{"t":"Honduras: Adán Fúnez y otros dos acusados a juicio por asesinato de ambientalista Juan López","p":"Infobae","d":"2026-10-12","u":"https://www.infobae.com/honduras/2026/10/12/honduras-adan-funez-y-otros-dos-acusados-a-juicio-por-asesinato-de-ambientalista-juan-lopez/","type":"press"},{"t":"Honduras: Fiscalía formaliza acusación contra Adán Fúnez por asesinato del ambientalista Juan López","p":"Infobae","d":"2026-10-02","u":"https://www.infobae.com/honduras/2026/10/02/honduras-fiscalia-formaliza-acusacion-contra-adan-funez-por-asesinato-del-ambientalista-juan-lopez/","type":"press"},{"t":"PBI-Honduras notes arrest of Guapinol River defender Leonel George, community opposition to ASP mining concession","p":"Peace Brigades International Canada","d":"2024-01-30","u":"https://pbicanada.org/?p=34524","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Caso Juan López: ¿qué ha pasado con la investigación a dos años del crimen?","p":"La Prensa (Honduras)","d":"2026-09-14","u":"https://www.laprensa.hn/fotogalerias/honduras/caso-juan-lopez-como-avanza-investigacion-dos-anos-crimen-ambientalista-hondureno-OC32030394","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the national park damaged by the mine's operators?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who ordered the killing of Juan López?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Inversiones Los Pinares: Did not respond to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the suspension of the mine announced after the concession expired took effect is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the oral trial of Adán Fúnez and the two other accused was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No conviction is recorded in the killing; the cited sources show arrests only.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Inversiones Los Pinares did not respond to BHRRC.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources list Carlos Escaleras National Park among conservation cases where projects were halted or financiers withdrew, while whether the suspension took effect is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Juan López"]},{"id":"salar-de-atacama-lithium-extraction","title":"Salar de Atacama lithium extraction","dek":"Albemarle and SQM extract lithium brine from the Salar de Atacama in Chile; SQM and the state company Codelco have formed a joint company to operate there to 2060. Albemarle's site received a responsible-mining rating and, separately, a regulator's penalty for brine extraction above its limit, which a court upheld in September 2026.","country":"Chile","region":"Latin America","lat":-23.5,"lon":-68.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Salar de Atacama","lat":-23.5,"lon":-68.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"First Environmental Court","role":"court"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-09-30","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","water"],"headline":{"label":"Albemarle's penalty for brine extraction above its limit","value":"4,713 UTA","note":"About CLP 4,056 million, as stated in the sources; upheld by the First Environmental Court on 30 September 2026."},"happened":["The Salar de Atacama in northern Chile hosts lithium brine operations of Albemarle and SQM. In December 2025 the state copper company Codelco and SQM created a joint company, Nova Andino Litio, in which the state holds 50% plus one share. The joint company is to operate Atacama lithium extraction until 2060.","Albemarle's Atacama site was assessed under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) between September 2021 and April 2022 and received IRMA 50. The auditor was ERM CVS. Albemarle said it met 70% of more than 400 requirements. SQM received IRMA 75, also audited by ERM CVS. Investigate Europe reported in November 2023 that mining companies pay the audit fees, that ERM CVS is one of two approved auditors and is owned by the private-equity firm KKR, that four audits had been completed against 5,097 transition-mineral projects, and that the SQM audit interviewed eight people from four communities.","Chile's environmental regulator, the SMA, found that brine extraction at Albemarle's site exceeded the permitted limit, at an average of 452.3 litres per second, between October 2019 and September 2020, and that an early-warning plan was not followed. It imposed a penalty of 4,713 UTA, about CLP 4,056 million. El Desconcierto reported that the First Environmental Court upheld the penalty on 30 September 2026.","Universidad de Chile researchers, as reported by BioBioChile in August 2024, found that the south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023 and that groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years. The CPA, representing 18 communities, filed a complaint. In April 2024 indigenous groups withdrew from a dialogue with Codelco and SQM over lithium, fearing water scarcity, and the Atacameño Peoples' Council objected to water extraction until 2060.","For 2022, SQM reported net income of $3.906 billion, up 567%, and Albemarle about $2.69 billion. The Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) reported that the Chilean state collected more than $7.3 billion in lithium revenue in 2012–2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"October: start of the period in which the SMA found brine extraction above the permitted limit (to September 2020)"},{"y":2021,"t":"September: IRMA assessment of Albemarle's Atacama site begins (to April 2022); the site receives IRMA 50"},{"y":2022,"t":"SQM reports net income of $3.906 billion (+567%); Albemarle about $2.69 billion"},{"y":2023,"t":"June: Mining Technology reports Albemarle's IRMA 50; November: Investigate Europe reports on the IRMA audits; December: Atacameño Peoples' Council questions the Codelco–SQM alliance"},{"y":2024,"t":"April: indigenous groups withdraw from dialogue with Codelco and SQM; August: Universidad de Chile subsidence findings reported; November: CPA complaint over subsidence reported"},{"y":2025,"t":"December: Codelco and SQM create Nova Andino Litio, with extraction to 2060"},{"y":2026,"t":"30 September: First Environmental Court upholds the SMA penalty on Albemarle"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"IRMA 50 rating for Albemarle's Atacama site, assessed September 2021 to April 2022 with ERM CVS as auditor","who":"IRMA, as reported by Mining Technology","src":1},{"t":"IRMA 75 rating for SQM's Atacama operations","who":"IRMA, as reported by Investigate Europe","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, October 2019 to September 2020; early-warning plan not followed; penalty of 4,713 UTA upheld on 30 September 2026.","src":0},{"t":"The south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years.","src":3},{"t":"The SQM audit interviewed eight people from four communities; audit fees are paid by the mining companies.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Albemarle: 2022 net income (company-wide, not lithium-specific)","amount":2690,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kitco, March 2023, citing Albemarle's filing."},{"label":"SQM: 2022 net income (company-wide)","amount":3906,"note":"Kitco, March 2023; up 567% on the previous year."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Brine extraction above permitted limit","v":"452.3 L/s average","d":"October 2019 to September 2020; SMA finding, upheld by the First Environmental Court on 30 September 2026 (as reported by El Desconcierto)"},{"k":"Subsidence, south-west of the salt flat","v":"1–2 cm a year","d":"2020–2023, Universidad de Chile as reported by BioBioChile"},{"k":"Groundwater decline","v":"more than 10 m in 15 years","d":"Same study as reported by BioBioChile"}]},"unknown":["The subsidence and groundwater figures, the NRGI revenue figures and the penalty amount rest on secondary summaries rather than the original documents.","Unconfirmed: a study found two flamingo species at the lithium site declined 10–12% over 11 years while numbers stayed steady on non-mining salt flats, and SQM objected (Mining.com/Reuters, 2022).","Unconfirmed: Atacama indigenous communities sued SQM for drawing water without authorisation.","The outcome of Tianqi's Supreme Court challenge to the Codelco–SQM partnership is not on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Extraction continues: the Codelco–SQM joint company created in December 2025 is to operate Atacama lithium extraction until 2060.","whoPaid":"The cited sources show one payment tied to the findings: Albemarle's penalty of 4,713 UTA, upheld on 30 September 2026.","statusLine":"As of 30 September 2026: the First Environmental Court upheld the SMA's penalty on Albemarle; the Codelco–SQM joint company created in December 2025 is to operate Atacama lithium extraction until 2060.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Albemarle","says":"Said its Atacama site met 70% of more than 400 IRMA requirements.","when":"June 2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"albemarle","role":"Lithium operator in the Salar de Atacama; penalised by the SMA"},{"id":"sqm","role":"Lithium operator in the Salar de Atacama; partner of Codelco"},{"id":"codelco","role":"State copper company; majority partner in Nova Andino Litio"},{"id":"novaandino-litio","role":"Codelco–SQM joint company, extraction to 2060"},{"id":"irma","role":"Standard-setter that rated the Albemarle and SQM sites"},{"id":"erm-cvs","role":"Auditor of the IRMA assessments of Albemarle and SQM"},{"id":"kkr","role":"Owner of ERM CVS"},{"id":"sma-chile","role":"Environmental regulator that imposed the penalty"},{"id":"first-environmental-court-chile","role":"Upheld the penalty on 30 September 2026"},{"id":"atacameno-peoples-council","role":"Council of Atacameño peoples; objected to extraction until 2060"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is a site rated under a responsible-mining standard consistent with the regulator's findings on brine extraction?","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"IRMA","says":"Rated Albemarle's Atacama site IRMA 50 after an assessment from September 2021 to April 2022.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Albemarle","says":"Said the site met 70% of more than 400 requirements.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"SMA (Chile's environmental regulator)","says":"Found brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, October 2019 to September 2020, and non-compliance with the early-warning plan.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"First Environmental Court","says":"Upheld the SMA penalty of 4,713 UTA on 30 September 2026 (as reported by El Desconcierto).","src":0}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is lithium extraction affecting the salt flat and its water?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Universidad de Chile (as reported by BioBioChile)","says":"The south-western part of the salt flat sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CPA, representing 18 communities","says":"Filed a complaint over the sinking of the salt flat.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Atacameño Peoples' Council","says":"Questioned the Codelco–SQM alliance and objected to water extraction until 2060.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Indigenous groups","says":"Withdrew from dialogue with Codelco and SQM over lithium in April 2024, fearing water scarcity.","src":5}]},{"point":"How independent is the certification of the sites?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Investigate Europe","says":"Mining companies pay the audit fees; one of the two approved auditors, ERM CVS, is owned by KKR; four audits had been completed against 5,097 transition-mineral projects.","src":2},{"voice":"standard","holder":"IRMA (public report on the SQM audit, as cited by Investigate Europe)","says":"The report records interviews with eight people from four communities.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"SMA penalty on Albemarle for brine extraction above the permitted limit","forum":"First Environmental Court (Chile)","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Superintendencia del Medio Ambiente (SMA)","defendant":"Albemarle","filed":null,"decided":"2026-09-30","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":4713,"currency":"UTA","label":"4,713 UTA (about CLP 4,056 million)"},"summary":"The SMA found brine extraction above the permitted limit, average 452.3 litres per second, from October 2019 to September 2020, and failure to follow an early-warning plan. The court upheld the penalty on 30 September 2026, as reported by El Desconcierto.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"brine_extraction_over_limit_l_s","value":452.3,"unit":"L/s","year":2020,"qualifier":"average","unverified":true,"note":"SMA finding for October 2019 to September 2020;, the El Desconcierto page returned HTTP 403."},{"key":"fine","value":4713,"unit":"UTA","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"About CLP 4,056 million; amount confirmed in reports of Reporte Minero and La Tercera."},{"key":"profit","value":2690,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Albemarle net income, 2022 (Kitco, citing Albemarle's filing)."},{"key":"profit","value":3906,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"SQM net income, 2022, up 567% (Kitco)."},{"key":"subsidence_cm_per_year","value":"1–2","unit":"cm per year","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"South-western part of the salt flat, 2020–2023; Universidad de Chile as reported by BioBioChile."},{"key":"groundwater_decline_m","value":10,"unit":"m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Over 15 years; same study."},{"key":"state_lithium_revenue","value":7300,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Chilean state lithium revenue 2012–2023, NRGI."},{"key":"irma_audits_completed","value":4,"unit":"audits","year":2023,"note":"Completed IRMA audits in November 2023, against 5,097 transition-mineral projects."},{"key":"audit_interviews_sqm","value":8,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"People interviewed from four communities in the SQM audit."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Albemarle and SQM extract lithium brine from the Salar de Atacama. Albemarle's site received IRMA 50 and a regulator's penalty for brine extraction above its permitted limit, which the First Environmental Court upheld on 30 September 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Albemarle","what":"Reported 2022 net income of about $2.69 billion (company-wide).","src":10},{"who":"SQM","what":"Reported 2022 net income of $3.906 billion, up 567% (company-wide).","src":10},{"who":"Codelco (state)","what":"Holds 50% plus one share of Nova Andino Litio, created in December 2025.","src":8},{"who":"Chilean state","what":"Collected more than $7.3 billion in lithium revenue in 2012–2023, according to NRGI.","src":11},{"who":"ERM CVS","what":"Audited Albemarle and SQM for IRMA; audit fees are paid by the mining companies (amounts not given in the cited sources).","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Atacameño communities","what":"The CPA, representing 18 communities, filed a complaint over subsidence; groups withdrew from dialogue over water scarcity.","src":4},{"who":"Salar de Atacama","what":"South-western part sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023; groundwater fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years (Universidad de Chile, as reported by BioBioChile).","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Salar de Atacama, northern Chile.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Excess extraction October 2019 to September 2020; IRMA assessment September 2021 to April 2022; court ruling 30 September 2026; joint company created December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The regulator's finding concerns brine extraction above the permitted limit and non-compliance with an early-warning plan.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Brine is extracted from the salt flat under permits; the SMA sanctioned Albemarle and the First Environmental Court reviewed the penalty. The IRMA assessments were carried out by ERM CVS and paid for by the mining companies.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Justicia confirma multa millonaria contra minera de litio por sobreextracción en el Salar de Atacama","p":"El Desconcierto","d":"2026-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://eldesconcierto.cl/medio-ambiente/justicia-confirma-multa-millonaria-contra-minera-litio-sobreextraccion-el-salar-atacama-n5462669","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001144332/https://eldesconcierto.cl/medio-ambiente/justicia-confirma-multa-millonaria-contra-minera-litio-sobreextraccion-el-salar-atacama-n5462669"},{"t":"Albemarle IRMA Salar de Atacama","p":"Mining Technology","d":"2023-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining-technology.com/news/albermarle-irma-salar-de-atacama/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309091441/https://www.mining-technology.com/news/albermarle-irma-salar-de-atacama/"},{"t":"Greenwashing fears: mining audit industry","p":"Investigate Europe","d":"2023-11-17","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/greenwashing-fears-mining-audit-industry","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617033935/https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/greenwashing-fears-mining-audit-industry"},{"t":"Descubren que salar de Atacama se hunde hasta 2 cm al año por extracción de salmuera","p":"BioBioChile","d":"2024-08-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencia/2024/08/24/descubren-que-salar-de-atacama-se-hunde-hasta-2-cm-al-ano-por-extraccion-de-salmuera.shtml","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417024245/https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/ciencia-y-tecnologia/ciencia/2024/08/24/descubren-que-salar-de-atacama-se-hunde-hasta-2-cm-al-ano-por-extraccion-de-salmuera.shtml"},{"t":"Comunidades indígenas interponen denuncia por hundimiento de salar de Atacama por litio (Chile)","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2024/11/comunidades-indigenas-interponen-denuncia-por-hundimiento-de-salar-de-atacama-por-litio-chile/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260727070615/https://es.mongabay.com/2024/11/comunidades-indigenas-interponen-denuncia-por-hundimiento-de-salar-de-atacama-por-litio-chile/"},{"t":"Temen escasez de agua: grupos indígenas se restan de diálogo con Codelco y SQM por litio","p":"El Desconcierto","d":"2024-04-18","type":"press","u":"https://eldesconcierto.cl/2024/04/18/temen-escasez-de-agua-grupos-indigenas-se-restan-de-dialogo-con-codelco-y-sqm-por-litio","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260116162541/https://eldesconcierto.cl/2024/04/18/temen-escasez-de-agua-grupos-indigenas-se-restan-de-dialogo-con-codelco-y-sqm-por-litio"},{"t":"Litio: Consejo de Pueblos Atacameños cuestionó alianza Codelco-SQM","p":"Cooperativa","d":"2023-12-28","type":"press","u":"https://cooperativa.cl/noticias/economia/materias-primas/litio/litio-consejo-de-pueblos-atacamenos-cuestiono-alianza-codelco-sqm/2023-12-28/161039.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512155211/https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/economia/materias-primas/litio/litio-consejo-de-pueblos-atacamenos-cuestiono-alianza-codelco-sqm/2023-12-28/161039.html"},{"t":"Codelco and SQM launch lithium joint venture NovaAndino Litio","p":"Mining Reporters","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningreporters.com/noticia/news/2025/12/codelco-sqm-launch-lithium-joint-venture-novaandino-litio-board-meeting","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260103080326/https://www.miningreporters.com/noticia/news/2025/12/codelco-sqm-launch-lithium-joint-venture-novaandino-litio-board-meeting"},{"t":"Codelco y SQM crean compañía conjunta para explotar litio en Salar de Atacama","p":"El Mostrador (EFE)","d":"2025-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/2025/12/27/codelco-y-sqm-crean-compania-conjunta-para-explotar-litio-en-salar-de-atacama/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113183954/https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/2025/12/27/codelco-y-sqm-crean-compania-conjunta-para-explotar-litio-en-salar-de-atacama/"},{"t":"Codelco and SQM agree on final lithium deal","p":"Mining.com","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/codelco-and-sqm-agree-on-final-lithium-deal/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260319020552/https://www.mining.com/codelco-and-sqm-agree-on-final-lithium-deal/"},{"t":"Chilean lithium giant SQM boosts net income 567% to $3.9B in 2022","p":"Kitco","d":"2023-03-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/article/2023-03-02/chilean-lithium-giant-sqm-boosts-net-income-567-39b-2022-record-lithium","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217151003/https://www.kitco.com/news/article/2023-03-02/chilean-lithium-giant-sqm-boosts-net-income-567-39b-2022-record-lithium"},{"t":"Ingresos fiscales por litio en Chile","p":"Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)","d":"2024-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://resourcegovernance.org/es/publications/ingresos-fiscales-por-litio-en-chile","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251014010239/https://resourcegovernance.org/es/publications/ingresos-fiscales-por-litio-en-chile"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Groundwater under my Salar de Atacama fell by more than 10 metres in 15 years and its south-west sank 1–2 cm a year in 2020–2023, Universidad de Chile researchers found.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is a site rated under a responsible-mining standard consistent with the regulator's findings on brine extraction?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is lithium extraction affecting the salt flat and its water?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How independent is the certification of the sites?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Brine extraction over limit l s: SMA finding for October 2019 to September 2020;, the El Desconcierto page returned HTTP 403.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fines: About CLP 4,056 million; amount confirmed in reports of Reporte Minero and La Tercera.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Subsidence cm per year: South-western part of the salt flat, 2020–2023; Universidad de Chile as reported by BioBioChile.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Groundwater decline m: Over 15 years; same study.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"State lithium revenue: Chilean state lithium revenue 2012–2023, NRGI.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The subsidence and groundwater figures, the NRGI revenue figures and the penalty amount rest on secondary summaries rather than the original documents.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a study found two flamingo species at the lithium site declined 10–12% over 11 years while numbers stayed steady on non-mining salt flats, and SQM objected (Mining.com/Reuters, 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Atacama indigenous communities sued SQM for drawing water without authorisation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Tianqi's Supreme Court challenge to the Codelco–SQM partnership is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-hpai-bird-flu-indemnity-and-egg-prices","title":"US bird flu indemnity and egg prices","dek":"Since February 2022 more than 200 million US commercial birds have been lost to avian influenza, and the federal government has paid more than a billion dollars in indemnity. Four companies received about a quarter of the bird and egg payments, and one of them, Cal-Maine, reported record profits and a Department of Justice inquiry into egg prices.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"disease","types":["disease"],"headline":{"label":"Share of bird and egg indemnity received by the four largest recipients","value":"About 26%","note":"$299 million of $1.138 billion, through 22 January 2025 (Sentient Media, citing USDA data). Estimate for the percentage: 299 / 1,138."},"happened":["Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, or bird flu) has been spreading through US commercial poultry since February 2022. AviNews, relaying data from the US animal-health agency APHIS, reported that commercial poultry losses reached 200,650,010 birds between February 2022 and 10 March 2026.","The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) pays indemnity for birds and eggs destroyed in outbreaks. Sentient Media, citing USDA data, reported that by 22 January 2025 bird and egg indemnity totalled $1.138 billion and the whole programme had cost $1.46 billion. In January 2024 PoultryMed had reported that USDA had spent about $1 billion on the response, of which $715 million was indemnity, with Jennie-O ($74.8 million), Rembrandt ($27.9 million) and Tyson ($24.3 million) the largest recipients at that date.","Indemnity has been paid to the owner of the birds. The Poultry Site reported in February 2016 that new rules would require compensation to be shared with contract growers under their contracts; the cited sources show 2016 and 2018 rules with that effect. By 22 January 2025 the four largest recipients were, according to Sentient Media, Jennie-O ($120 million), Herbruck's ($89 million), Center Fresh ($46 million) and Cal-Maine ($44 million), together $299 million.","Sentient Media also reported that farms infected more than once continued to be paid: $227 million went to repeatedly infected farms, of which 67 operations were infected at least twice and 19 at least three times. The same report said the earlier biosecurity audit recorded a failure rate of zero.","Food Business News reported on 22 July 2025 that Cal-Maine had $4.3 billion in sales and $1.2 billion in net income in its 2025 fiscal year, up 332%, and that its price per dozen eggs rose from $1.932 to $3.134. In March 2025 Just Food reported that Cal-Maine had disclosed a civil investigative demand from the Department of Justice in an inquiry into egg prices; the company had lost a price-fixing case in 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"New US rules on sharing bird flu indemnity with contract growers reported (February); a further rule followed in 2018"},{"y":2022,"t":"Commercial poultry losses to HPAI begin to be counted (from February)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Cal-Maine loses a price-fixing case"},{"y":2024,"t":"USDA reports about $1 billion spent, $715 million of it indemnity (January)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Indemnity through 22 January: $1.138 billion, programme $1.46 billion; DOJ civil investigative demand to Cal-Maine disclosed (March); Cal-Maine reports $1.2 billion net income for fiscal 2025 (July)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Commercial poultry losses reach 200,650,010 birds by 10 March"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Indemnity presented as protecting farmers","who":"USDA","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Through 22 January 2025 the four largest recipients were Jennie-O ($120 million), Herbruck's ($89 million), Center Fresh ($46 million) and Cal-Maine ($44 million): $299 million in total.","src":5},{"t":"$227 million was paid to farms infected more than once: 67 operations at least twice and 19 at least three times.","src":5},{"t":"The earlier biosecurity audit recorded a failure rate of zero.","src":5},{"t":"Cal-Maine reported $1.2 billion net income for fiscal 2025, up 332%.","src":3},{"t":"Commercial poultry losses reached 200,650,010 birds between February 2022 and 10 March 2026.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Indemnity through 22 January 2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Jennie-O: bird and egg indemnity","amount":120},{"label":"Herbruck's: bird and egg indemnity","amount":89},{"label":"Center Fresh: bird and egg indemnity","amount":46},{"label":"Cal-Maine: bird and egg indemnity","amount":44}],"otherTotal":{"amount":299,"note":"Sum of the four largest recipients, as reported by Sentient Media citing USDA data."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Commercial poultry lost","v":"200.65 million","d":"February 2022 to 10 March 2026 (APHIS data, via AviNews)"},{"k":"Indemnity to the four largest recipients","v":"$299 million","d":"About 26% of $1.138 billion in bird and egg indemnity, through 22 January 2025"},{"k":"Indemnity to repeatedly infected farms","v":"$227 million","d":"67 operations infected at least twice, 19 at least three times"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that indemnity covered about 12% of flock losses, or about 8% of producers' own estimates of their losses.","Unconfirmed: deaths of more than 650,000 seabirds and more than 30,000 sea lions in South America, and of elephant seal pups at Península Valdés, from the same virus.","Reported but not tied to an opened source: more than 547 million birds dead or culled worldwide from 2005 to 2023, with a peak of 146 million in 2022, attributed to a WOAH HPAI report.","Outcome of the Department of Justice inquiry into egg prices: not in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources show no end to outbreaks or payments: losses were still being counted in March 2026.","whoPaid":"The federal programme paid $1.46 billion through 22 January 2025. Cal-Maine's reported price per dozen rose from $1.932 to $3.134 in its 2025 fiscal year.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: commercial poultry losses since February 2022 reached 200,650,010 birds; the Department of Justice egg-price inquiry disclosed in March 2025 has no outcome in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"usda","says":"Indemnity presented as protecting farmers.","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"cal-maine","says":"Disclosed that it had received a civil investigative demand from the Department of Justice in the egg-price inquiry.","when":"2025-03","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"usda","role":"Pays bird flu indemnity"},{"id":"cal-maine","role":"Egg producer; indemnity recipient; subject of DOJ inquiry"},{"id":"jennie-o","role":"Largest indemnity recipient"},{"id":"herbrucks","role":"Indemnity recipient"},{"id":"center-fresh","role":"Indemnity recipient"},{"id":"tyson","role":"Indemnity recipient (January 2024 figures)"},{"id":"rembrandt","role":"Indemnity recipient (January 2024 figures)"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Egg-price inquiry"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who receives bird flu indemnity, and does it protect farmers?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"USDA","says":"Indemnity presented as protecting farmers.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"USDA rules (2016 and 2018)","says":"Indemnity is paid to the owner of the birds; sharing with contract growers is set by contract.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Sentient Media (citing USDA and APHIS records)","says":"The four largest recipients received $299 million, about 26% of bird and egg indemnity, and $227 million went to farms infected more than once.","src":null}]},{"point":"Egg prices and the large producers","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of Justice","says":"Sent Cal-Maine a civil investigative demand in an inquiry into egg prices.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Cal-Maine","says":"Disclosed the demand; reported $1.2 billion net income, up 332%, for fiscal 2025.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Department of Justice civil inquiry into egg prices","forum":"US Department of Justice","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Cal-Maine","filed":"2025-03","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Department of Justice sent Cal-Maine a civil investigative demand in its inquiry into egg prices, which the company disclosed. No outcome is recorded.","src":4},{"title":"Egg price-fixing case (2023)","forum":null,"country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":null,"defendant":"Cal-Maine","filed":null,"decided":"2023","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Just Food reported that Cal-Maine had lost a price-fixing case in 2023. The cited sources give no further detail.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"birds_killed","value":200650010,"unit":"birds","year":2026,"note":"Commercial poultry losses, February 2022 to 10 March 2026 (APHIS data, via AviNews)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":1138,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Bird and egg indemnity through 22 January 2025 (Sentient Media, citing USDA)."},{"key":"program_cost","value":1460,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Total programme cost through 22 January 2025 (Sentient Media, citing USDA)."},{"key":"compensation_top_four","value":299,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Jennie-O 120, Herbruck's 89, Center Fresh 46, Cal-Maine 44."},{"key":"compensation_repeat_infected","value":227,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Paid to farms infected more than once: 67 operations at least twice, 19 at least three times."},{"key":"compensation_cal_maine","value":44,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Cal-Maine bird and egg indemnity through 22 January 2025."},{"key":"revenue","value":4300,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Cal-Maine sales, fiscal year 2025 (Food Business News)."},{"key":"profit","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Cal-Maine net income, fiscal year 2025, up 332% (Food Business News)."},{"key":"egg_price_per_dozen","value":3.134,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"Price per dozen in Cal-Maine's fiscal 2025, up from $1.932 (Food Business News)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US federal indemnity paid to poultry owners for birds and eggs lost to avian influenza, with a few large firms receiving the largest payments.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Jennie-O, Herbruck's, Center Fresh and Cal-Maine","what":"The four largest indemnity recipients through 22 January 2025: $120 million, $89 million, $46 million and $44 million.","src":null},{"who":"Cal-Maine","what":"Net income of $1.2 billion in fiscal 2025, up 332%, as its price per dozen rose from $1.932 to $3.134.","src":3},{"who":"Rembrandt and Tyson","what":"Among the largest recipients by January 2024 ($27.9 million and $24.3 million).","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"USDA programme funds","what":"Total programme cost of $1.46 billion through 22 January 2025.","src":null},{"who":"Egg buyers","what":"Cal-Maine's price per dozen rose from $1.932 to $3.134 in its 2025 fiscal year.","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Commercial poultry","what":"200,650,010 birds lost between February 2022 and 10 March 2026.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"United States, nationwide commercial poultry production.","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2022 to March 2026; indemnity figures through 22 January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Outbreaks of avian influenza required the destruction of flocks, and USDA indemnity is paid to the owner of the birds.","src":2},"how":{"t":"USDA pays the bird owner; contract growers' share is set by contract under the 2016 and 2018 rules. Payments continued to farms infected more than once ($227 million).","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"U.S. poultry losses to HPAI top 200M birds (2022–2026)","p":"AviNews","d":"2026-03","type":"press","u":"https://avinews.com/en/u-s-poultry-losses-to-hpai-top-200m-birds-2022-2026/amp/"},{"t":"USDA allocates 1B to combat HPAI","p":"PoultryMed","d":"2024-01-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.poultrymed.com/news_37019","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518093850/https://www.poultrymed.com/news_37019"},{"t":"New US Rules to Ensure Contractors Get Compensation in Bird Flu Outbreaks","p":"The Poultry Site","d":"2016-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.thepoultrysite.com/news/2016/02/new-us-rules-to-ensure-contractors-get-compensation-in-bird-flu-outbreaks","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241214005657/https://www.thepoultrysite.com/news/2016/02/new-us-rules-to-ensure-contractors-get-compensation-in-bird-flu-outbreaks"},{"t":"Egg processor tops 1 billion in net income for fiscal 2025","p":"Food Business News","d":"2025-07-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/28692-egg-processor-tops-1-billion-in-net-income-for-fiscal-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251208060548/https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/28692-egg-processor-tops-1-billion-in-net-income-for-fiscal-2025"},{"t":"Cal-Maine discloses DOJ egg prices probe","p":"Just Food","d":"2025-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.just-food.com/news/cal-maine-discloses-doj-egg-prices-probe","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517115412/https://www.just-food.com/news/cal-maine-discloses-doj-egg-prices-probe/"},{"t":"How U.S. Taxpayers Bailed Out the Poultry Industry, and Helped Entrench Avian Flu","p":"Sentient Media","d":"2025-01-28","u":"https://sentientmedia.org/?p=44119","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who receives bird flu indemnity, and does it protect farmers?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Egg prices and the large producers","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that indemnity covered about 12% of flock losses, or about 8% of producers' own estimates of their losses.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: deaths of more than 650,000 seabirds and more than 30,000 sea lions in South America, and of elephant seal pups at Península Valdés, from the same virus.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported but not tied to an opened source: more than 547 million birds dead or culled worldwide from 2005 to 2023, with a peak of 146 million in 2022, attributed to a WOAH HPAI report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the Department of Justice inquiry into egg prices: not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Who gained: Jennie-O, Herbruck's, Center Fresh and Cal-Maine","No source link — Who lost: USDA programme funds"]},{"id":"fondomonte-groundwater-pumping-in-arizona","title":"Fondomonte groundwater pumping in Arizona","dek":"A Saudi dairy company's subsidiary grew alfalfa with groundwater in Arizona and, according to the state's Attorney General, pumped more than 81% of the water drawn from one basin in 2023. Residents' wells have dried, and the state sued the company in December 2024.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":33.78,"lon":-113.62,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Arizona (Ranegras Plain basin, La Paz County)","lat":33.78,"lon":-113.62,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2014,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Share of one Arizona basin's groundwater pumping attributed to Fondomonte, 2023","value":"More than 81%","note":"Ranegras Plain basin; 31,196 acre-feet, about 38.5 million cubic metres (Estimate: converted from acre-feet)."},"happened":["Almarai, a Saudi dairy company, bought about 10,000 acres (about 4,000 hectares) in Arizona in 2014 for $48 million and leased state land there. Its subsidiary Fondomonte grew alfalfa, and the harvest went to cows in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia had prohibited the cultivation of forage crops at home; Argaam reported that green fodder used about 17 billion cubic metres of water a year and that the ban was expected to save 9 billion cubic metres. Argaam reported that the ban took effect on 5 November 2018.","In 2023 Fondomonte pumped 31,196 acre-feet of groundwater in the Ranegras Plain basin, about 38.5 million cubic metres when converted, which was more than 81% of the pumping in that basin. Its pumps were rated at 4,000 gallons a minute. About 80% of Arizona has no regulation of groundwater pumping.","In December 2024 the Arizona Attorney General sued Fondomonte for public nuisance, alleging that it had drained the Ranegras basin and caused the ground to subside. The complaint records that one well dried in 2017 and another around 2019. The case is ongoing.","Floodlight and Sentient Media reported on 10 October 2025 that Tom and Illene Wood, of Salome in La Paz County, had paid $10,000 for a first well, $15,000 for a second and $130,000 for a third after the second dried in 2024, and now haul water from the town of Wenden. Their daughter's well across the road also dried, and a nearby church's well had dried years earlier. In Wenden the water table fell from 117 feet (about 36 metres) in 1946 to 540 feet (about 165 metres), and the town sank about 1.2 metres."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Almarai buys about 10,000 acres in Arizona for $48 million and leases state land"},{"y":2017,"t":"A well recorded as dried in the Attorney General's complaint"},{"y":2018,"t":"Saudi green fodder ban reported to take effect (5 November)"},{"y":2019,"t":"A second well recorded as dried, around this year, in the complaint"},{"y":2023,"t":"Fondomonte pumps 31,196 acre-feet in the Ranegras basin; Arizona cancels one lease and does not renew three (October)"},{"y":2024,"t":"The Woods' second well dries; Attorney General sues (December)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Floodlight and Sentient Media report on residents' dried wells (10 October)"}],"said":[{"q":"The water has disappeared, literally, from the area.","who":"Illene Wood, resident of Salome, La Paz County, Arizona","when":"10 October 2025","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"In 2023 Fondomonte pumped 31,196 acre-feet in the Ranegras Plain basin, more than 81% of the basin's pumping, with pumps rated at 4,000 gallons a minute.","src":1},{"t":"The Attorney General's complaint records one well dried in 2017 and another around 2019.","src":2},{"t":"The Woods paid $10,000, $15,000 and $130,000 for three successive wells.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2014–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Basin groundwater pumped by Fondomonte, 2023","v":"More than 81%","d":"Ranegras Plain basin; 31,196 acre-feet"},{"k":"Water table at Wenden","v":"36 m to 165 m","d":"Depth below the surface, 1946 to 2025"},{"k":"Subsidence at Wenden","v":"About 1.2 m","d":"Reported total for the town"},{"k":"Groundwater pumping regulated in Arizona","v":"About 20%","d":"About 80% of the state has no regulation of groundwater pumping"}]},"unknown":["Outcome of the Arizona Attorney General's case and of Fondomonte's objection: not yet known.","Almarai's ownership structure: not established in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: a purchase of 1,790 acres at Blythe, California, in January 2016, alfalfa production in Córdoba province, Argentina, and a cost increase of 200 million riyals for Almarai from the Saudi ban.","Unconfirmed: that Fondomonte paid $25 an acre a year under its Arizona leases.","Unconfirmed: that in October 2023 Arizona cancelled one of Fondomonte's four state leases in Butler Valley and did not renew the other three, citing fuel storage tank deficiencies unresolved since 2016; that irrigation on those leases ended on 15 February 2024; and that on 7 March 2024 the Governor's office announced that Fondomonte was no longer pumping groundwater in Butler Valley (reported by KOLD and KTVZ/AP; no other source confirms it).","Unconfirmed: a company explanation of supply security for moving production abroad.","Sources differ on the dates of the Saudi fodder ban (an announcement in 2015 and entry into force in 2018 are reported); the dates are unconfirmed."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The Ranegras case is ongoing; whether pumping stopped on the Butler Valley leases is unconfirmed (see unknown).","whoPaid":"Residents with failed wells: one couple paid $130,000 for a third well and now haul water from Wenden (Floodlight and Sentient Media, October 2025).","statusLine":"As of October 2025: the Arizona Attorney General's December 2024 case against Fondomonte is ongoing; no ruling in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"almarai","role":"Saudi dairy company; parent of Fondomonte"},{"id":"fondomonte","role":"Almarai subsidiary pumping groundwater in Arizona"},{"id":"arizona-attorney-general","role":"Plaintiff in public nuisance case"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Arizona Attorney General v. Fondomonte (public nuisance)","forum":null,"country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Arizona Attorney General","defendant":"Fondomonte","filed":"2024-12","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Attorney General sued Fondomonte for public nuisance, alleging that it drained the Ranegras basin and caused the ground to subside. The complaint records one well dried in 2017 and another around 2019.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":4000,"unit":"ha","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 10,000 acres bought in Arizona."},{"key":"land_purchase_price","value":48,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Price of the Arizona land purchase."},{"key":"water_pumped_acre_feet","value":31196,"unit":"acre-feet","year":2023,"note":"Fondomonte pumping in the Ranegras Plain basin, 2023."},{"key":"water_pumped_m3","value":38500000,"unit":"m3","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate: 31,196 acre-feet converted at about 1,233 cubic metres per acre-foot."},{"key":"basin_pumping_share","value":81,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Share of the basin's pumping attributed to Fondomonte."},{"key":"pump_rate_gallons_per_minute","value":4000,"unit":"gal/min","year":2023,"note":"Pump rating."},{"key":"unregulated_groundwater_share","value":80,"unit":"% of Arizona","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the state where groundwater pumping is not regulated."},{"key":"well_cost","value":130000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Third well of Tom and Illene Wood, after earlier wells costing $10,000 and $15,000."},{"key":"water_table_depth_m","value":165,"unit":"m","year":2025,"note":"Wenden; about 36 m in 1946."},{"key":"land_subsidence_m","value":1.2,"unit":"m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Subsidence reported for the town of Wenden."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Saudi-owned dairy company's subsidiary pumped groundwater in an unregulated Arizona basin to grow alfalfa for Saudi cows; residents' wells dried and the state sued.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Almarai, through Fondomonte","what":"Alfalfa grown in Arizona with the harvest sent to Saudi cows, on about 10,000 acres bought for $48 million.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Tom and Illene Wood, Salome","what":"Paid $130,000 for a third well after the second dried in 2024, and now haul water from Wenden.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Wells and aquifer in the Ranegras Plain basin","what":"Wells recorded as dried in 2017, around 2019 and 2024; Fondomonte accounted for more than 81% of the basin's 2023 pumping.","src":null},{"who":"Wenden","what":"Water table fell from 36 m to 165 m between 1946 and 2025 and the town sank about 1.2 m.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Ranegras Plain basin, La Paz County, Arizona.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2014 to 2025; pumping data for 2023; lawsuit December 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Saudi Arabia banned the cultivation of forage crops at home, and the company grew alfalfa in Arizona for its Saudi herds. About 80% of Arizona has no groundwater pumping regulation.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pumps rated at 4,000 gallons a minute drew 31,196 acre-feet in 2023.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Saudi-owned corporate farms are draining Arizona's desert dry","p":"Floodlight / Sentient Media","d":"2025-10-10","type":"investigative","u":"https://floodlightnews.org/saudi-owned-corporate-farms-are-draining-arizonas-desert-dry/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260924192648/https://floodlightnews.org/saudi-owned-corporate-farms-are-draining-arizonas-desert-dry/"},{"t":"Public nuisance law put to the test in Arizona water rights case","p":"Deseret News, via Yahoo News","d":"2025-10-15","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/public-nuisance-law-put-test-000811969.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Arizona sues Saudi dairy on groundwater: AZ alleges dairy overpumped","p":"DTN Progressive Farmer","d":"2024-12-12","u":"https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/livestock/article/2024/12/12/arizona-alleges-dairy-overpumped","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Arizona's Attorney General says Fondomonte pumped 31,196 acre-feet from my Ranegras Plain basin in 2023, more than 81% of its pumping; at Wenden my water table dropped from 117 feet below ground in 1946 to 540 feet.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the Arizona Attorney General's case and of Fondomonte's objection: not yet known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Almarai's ownership structure: not established in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a purchase of 1,790 acres at Blythe, California, in January 2016, alfalfa production in Córdoba province, Argentina, and a cost increase of 200 million riyals for Almarai from the Saudi ban.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Fondomonte paid $25 an acre a year under its Arizona leases.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in October 2023 Arizona cancelled one of Fondomonte's four state leases in Butler Valley and did not renew the other three, citing fuel storage tank deficiencies unresolved since 2016; that irrigation on those leases ended on 15 February 2024; and that on 7 March 2024 the Governor's office announced that Fondomonte was no longer pumping groundwater in Butler Valley (reported by KOLD and KTVZ/AP; no other source confirms it).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a company explanation of supply security for moving production abroad.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on the dates of the Saudi fodder ban (an announcement in 2015 and entry into force in 2018 are reported); the dates are unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Almarai, through Fondomonte","No source link — Who harmed: Wells and aquifer in the Ranegras Plain basin","No source link — Who harmed: Wenden"]},{"id":"jadar-lithium-project","title":"Jadar lithium project","dek":"Serbia's government revoked the planning basis for Rio Tinto's Jadar lithium project in 2022 after mass protests, and the Constitutional Court's 2024 ruling led to its restoration. According to Bloomberg, Rio Tinto suspended the project in November 2025.","country":"Serbia","region":"Europe","lat":44.48,"lon":19.25,"places":[{"country":"Serbia","iso2":"RS","lat":44.5,"lon":19.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"Serbia","iso2":"RS","admin":"Belgrade","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Spatial plan for the Jadar project","value":"Revoked Jan 2022, restored 16 Jul 2024","note":"Revoked by the government after mass protests; restored after the Constitutional Court found the revocation unconstitutional."},"happened":["In January 2022 the Serbian government revoked the spatial plan for Rio Tinto's Jadar lithium project after mass protests, according to Mining.com.","In July 2024 Serbia's Constitutional Court found the government's revocation unconstitutional, and the government restored the plan on 16 July 2024. In August 2024, after the court overturned the 2022 halt, tens of thousands of people marched against the Jadar lithium mine in Belgrade and blocked railway stations, Radio Free Europe's Serbian service reported on 10 August 2024.","In June 2025 a case was filed at the EU Court of Justice over the status of Jadar as a strategic project outside the EU. The headline of Balkan Green Energy News names Marš sa Drine, an environmental group, as the claimant and the European Commission as the defendant. According to Bloomberg, as cited in the same report, Rio Tinto suspended the project in November 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Government revokes the spatial plan after mass protests (January)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Constitutional Court finds the revocation unconstitutional; plan restored 16 July; tens of thousands march in Belgrade (10 August)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Case filed at the EU Court of Justice over Jadar's strategic project status (June); Rio Tinto suspends the project, per Bloomberg (November)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The government revoked the spatial plan in January 2022 and restored it on 16 July 2024 after the Constitutional Court's ruling.","src":0},{"t":"Tens of thousands marched against the Jadar mine in Belgrade in August 2024 and blocked railway stations.","src":1},{"t":"A case concerning Jadar's strategic project status was filed at the EU Court of Justice in June 2025.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Spatial plan","v":"Revoked, then restored","d":"Revoked January 2022; restored 16 July 2024"},{"k":"Environmental impact assessment","v":"Outcome not known","d":"The cited sources do not give its result"},{"k":"Project status","v":"Suspended (Bloomberg)","d":"November 2025, as cited by Balkan Green Energy News"}]},"unknown":["Outcome of the Jadar environmental impact assessment: not known in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: that the environmental impact assessment was still incomplete as of August 2025.","Rio Tinto's suspension in November 2025 rests on a Bloomberg report reported through Balkan Green Energy News.","Rio Tinto's own account of the November 2025 suspension is not in the cited sources; the suspension is reported by Bloomberg."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"According to Bloomberg, Rio Tinto suspended the project in November 2025; an earlier halt, in January 2022, was reversed in July 2024.","whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of October 2026: Rio Tinto suspended the project in November 2025 according to Bloomberg; the June 2025 EU Court of Justice case over its strategic status has no outcome on record.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"serbia-government","says":"Restored the spatial plan for the project on 16 July 2024, following the Constitutional Court's ruling.","when":"2024-07-16","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Project developer"},{"id":"serbia-government","role":"Revoked and restored the spatial plan"},{"id":"serbia-constitutional-court","role":"Found the revocation unconstitutional"},{"id":"mars-sa-drine","role":"Claimant in EU Court of Justice case"},{"id":"eu","role":"Defendant in the strategic-status case (European Commission)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the Jadar spatial plan stand?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Serbian government (January 2022)","says":"Revoked the spatial plan for the project after mass protests.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court of Serbia (July 2024)","says":"Found the government's revocation unconstitutional.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Serbian government (July 2024)","says":"Restored the plan on 16 July 2024.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Protesters in Belgrade (August 2024)","says":"Tens of thousands marched against the Jadar lithium mine and blocked railway stations.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Constitutional Court ruling on the revocation of the Jadar spatial plan","forum":"Constitutional Court of Serbia","country":"Serbia","iso2":"RS","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":"Government of Serbia","filed":null,"decided":"2024-07","status":"unknown","summary":"The Constitutional Court found the government's January 2022 revocation of the Jadar spatial plan unconstitutional. The government restored the plan on 16 July 2024. The cited sources do not name the party that brought the case.","src":0},{"title":"Marš sa Drine v. European Commission (strategic status of Jadar)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"international","claimant":"Marš sa Drine","defendant":"European Commission","filed":"2025-06","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"A case was filed at the EU Court of Justice in June 2025 against the status of Jadar as a strategic project outside the EU. No ruling is recorded.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rio Tinto's Jadar lithium project in Serbia: a spatial plan revoked in 2022, restored in 2024, and a project suspended in November 2025 according to Bloomberg.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rio Tinto","what":"Regained the planning basis for the project in July 2024, before suspending it in November 2025 (Bloomberg).","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Jadar project, Serbia; protests in Belgrade; EU Court of Justice.","src":1},"when":{"t":"January 2022 to November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The government revoked the plan; the Constitutional Court overturned the revocation; the plan was restored; a strategic-status case was filed at the EU Court of Justice.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Serbian court says govt decision to revoke Jadar lithium project permit unconstitutional","p":"Mining.com (with RFE/RL)","d":"2024-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/serbian-court-says-govt-decision-to-revoke-jadar-lithium-project-permit-unconstitutional/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251215115500/https://www.mining.com/serbian-court-says-govt-decision-to-revoke-jadar-lithium-project-permit-unconstitutional/"},{"t":"Protest protiv litijuma u Beogradu","p":"Radio Slobodna Evropa (RFE/RL)","d":"2024-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-litijum-protest-beograd-rio-tinto/33073808.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250718125753/https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/srbija-litijum-protest-beograd-rio-tinto/33073808.html"},{"t":"Marš sa Drine sues European Commission over Jadar project's strategic status","p":"Balkan Green Energy News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://balkangreenenergynews.com/environmentalists-sue-european-commission-over-strategic-status-of-jadar-lithium-project-in-serbia/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260729174451/https://balkangreenenergynews.com/environmentalists-sue-european-commission-over-strategic-status-of-jadar-lithium-project-in-serbia/"}],"episodes":[],"approxCoords":true,"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the Jadar spatial plan stand?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Constitutional Court ruling on the revocation of the Jadar spatial plan: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the Jadar environmental impact assessment: not known in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the environmental impact assessment was still incomplete as of August 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Rio Tinto's suspension in November 2025 rests on a Bloomberg report reported through Balkan Green Energy News.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Rio Tinto's own account of the November 2025 suspension is not in the cited sources; the suspension is reported by Bloomberg.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jakarta-water-privatisation","title":"Jakarta water privatisation","dek":"From 1998 to 2023 Jakarta's piped-water network was run by two private concessionaires. Indonesia's Supreme Court found the arrangement unlawful in 2017; records differ on what that ruling changed.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-6.2,"lon":106.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jakarta","lat":-6.2,"lon":106.85,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jakarta","role":"court"}],"start":1998,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Share of Jakarta's population with piped water, 1998 to 2019","value":"44.5% → 59.4%","note":"Reported coverage under two private concessions that ran from 1998 to 2023."},"happened":["Jakarta's piped-water network was operated from 1998 to 2023 by two private concessionaires, Palyja and Aetra, under contracts with the city's water utility, PAM Jaya. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), President Suharto awarded the city's water without a tender. ICIJ documented that Thames formed a partnership with one of Suharto's sons and that Suez formed one with the Salim Group.","The Jakarta Post reported that piped water reached 44.5% of the population in 1998. A secondary report gives 59.4% for 2019, and states that the two concessionaires kept their contracts to the end while coverage stayed at about 60%. Households, hotels and businesses outside the network turned to wells.","In 2017 Indonesia's Supreme Court found the arrangement unlawful. One research note says the ruling was set aside in 2018 on procedural grounds. Another record says that PAM Jaya, fearing compensation of 6.7 trillion rupiah if it ended the contracts, restructured them instead. The cited sources do not say whether the contracts changed as a result of the ruling.","Bisnis.com reported on 27 January 2023 that the cooperation with the private operators had ended and that PAM Jaya was ready to operate the service fully. In January 2026 Swissinfo reported that PAM Jaya aimed for full coverage by 2029, which would need about 7,000 km of pipe and one million household connections, and that experts said bans on well-drilling could not be enforced without a network."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"Piped network held by two private concessionaires (to 2023); coverage 44.5% of the population"},{"y":2017,"t":"Supreme Court finds the water partnership unlawful"},{"y":2018,"t":"One record says the ruling was set aside on procedural grounds; PAM Jaya, fearing 6.7 trillion rupiah in compensation, restructured the contracts (Jakarta Post explainer, April)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Reported coverage 59.4%"},{"y":2023,"t":"Private cooperation ends; PAM Jaya takes over operation (Bisnis.com, 27 January)"},{"y":2026,"t":"PAM Jaya aims for full coverage by 2029, needing about 7,000 km of pipe and one million connections (Swissinfo, 27 January)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Piped water reached 44.5% of the population in 1998; the figure for 2019 is given as 59.4%.","src":1},{"t":"The concessions ran 25 years (1998–2023) and the two concessionaires kept their contracts to the end while coverage stayed at about 60%.","src":1},{"t":"ICIJ documented that the contract was awarded without a tender, that Thames partnered with a son of President Suharto and Suez with the Salim Group.","src":0},{"t":"Supreme Court 2017: the partnership was unlawful. Records differ on the later effect: set aside in 2018 on procedural grounds, or contracts restructured because of a feared 6.7 trillion rupiah compensation.","src":1},{"t":"Ground in North Jakarta sank about 11 cm a year on average in 2014–2018; in places up to 26 cm a year in 1991–1997.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"IDR","window":"1998–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Land subsidence, North Jakarta","v":"~11 cm/yr","d":"Average 2014–2018; up to 26 cm/yr in places in 1991–1997 (MDPI Water, 2022)"},{"k":"Piped-water coverage","v":"44.5% → 59.4%","d":"1998 to 2019"},{"k":"Return of private operators' earnings","v":"No data","d":"No figure is stated in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether the private operators' earnings were returned after the court finding: no data are stated in the cited sources.","What the 2017 ruling changed: records differ (set aside in 2018 on procedural grounds, or contracts restructured because of a feared 6.7 trillion rupiah compensation).","Personal penalties for anyone involved: none recorded."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The private concessions ended in 2023 and operation returned to PAM Jaya. The cited sources do not show whether groundwater pumping or subsidence changed afterwards.","whoPaid":"Households, hotels and businesses outside the network, which used wells or bought water (one Muara Angke family reported paying 20,000 rupiah a day for eight jerry cans); the utility said it feared 6.7 trillion rupiah in compensation if it ended the contracts.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: private concessions ended in 2023; PAM Jaya aims for full coverage by 2029; records differ on the legal effect of the 2017 Supreme Court ruling.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"pam-jaya","says":"Aims for full network coverage by 2029, which would need about 7,000 km of pipe and one million household connections.","when":"January 2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"pam-jaya","role":"City water utility; counterparty to the concessions"},{"id":"suez","role":"Water multinational; partner of the Salim Group (ICIJ)"},{"id":"thames","role":"Water multinational; partner of a son of President Suharto (ICIJ)"},{"id":"salim-group","role":"Indonesian conglomerate; partner of Suez (ICIJ)"},{"id":"palyja","role":"Private concessionaire, 1998–2023"},{"id":"aetra","role":"Private concessionaire, 1998–2023"},{"id":"indonesia-supreme-court","role":"Found the arrangement unlawful in 2017"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What did the 2017 Supreme Court ruling change?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","says":"Found the water partnership unlawful (2017).","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Research note citing the Jakarta Post","says":"The ruling was set aside in 2018 on procedural grounds.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Jakarta Post explainer (April 2018)","says":"PAM Jaya, fearing 6.7 trillion rupiah in compensation if it ended the contracts, restructured them.","src":1}]},{"point":"Did the concessions extend the network?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Secondary summary","says":"Coverage rose from 44.5% (1998) to 59.4% (2019) and stayed at about 60% while the two concessionaires held their contracts to the end.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"PAM Jaya","says":"Aims for full coverage by 2029; the network is described as 75% in one report but concentrated in the centre.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the Jakarta water privatisation","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2017; reported set aside 2018 on procedural grounds","status":"overturned","summary":"The Supreme Court found the water partnership unlawful in 2017. One record says the decision was set aside in 2018 on procedural grounds; another records that the utility restructured the contracts, fearing 6.7 trillion rupiah in termination compensation.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"network_coverage_1998","value":44.5,"unit":"% of population","year":1998,"note":"Piped-water coverage when the two concessions began.","src":1},{"key":"network_coverage_2019","value":59.4,"unit":"% of population","year":2019,"note":"As given in the cited sources; the row cites a 2018 article."},{"key":"network_coverage_2025","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Described in the Swissinfo report as concentrated in the centre of the city.","src":3},{"key":"subsidence_max","value":26,"unit":"cm per year","year":1997,"qualifier":"up to","note":"In places, 1991–1997.","src":4},{"key":"subsidence_north_jakarta","value":11,"unit":"cm per year","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"North Jakarta average, 2014–2018.","src":4},{"key":"termination_compensation_feared","value":6.7,"unit":"IDR trillion","year":2018,"note":"Compensation the utility feared if it ended the contracts; not a claim made.","src":1},{"key":"pipe_needed_km","value":7000,"unit":"km","year":2029,"note":"Needed for full coverage by 2029, per PAM Jaya.","src":3},{"key":"connections_needed","value":1000000,"unit":"households","year":2029,"note":"Household connections needed for full coverage by 2029.","src":3},{"key":"household_water_cost","value":20000,"unit":"IDR per day","year":2025,"note":"One Muara Angke fishing family reported paying this for eight jerry cans of water.","src":3}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Jakarta's piped-water network was operated by two private concessionaires from 1998 to 2023; the Supreme Court found the partnership unlawful in 2017.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Palyja and Aetra (private concessionaires)","what":"Held the network contracts for 25 years and kept them to the end.","src":1},{"who":"Suez and Thames, with their Indonesian partners (the Salim Group, and a son of President Suharto)","what":"Partnership in the concession, awarded without a tender, according to ICIJ.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Households, hotels and businesses outside the piped network","what":"Used wells or bought water; one family reported paying 20,000 rupiah a day for eight jerry cans.","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land and groundwater in North Jakarta","what":"Ground sank about 11 cm a year on average in 2014–2018.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Jakarta, Indonesia.","src":1},"when":{"t":"1998 to 2023 (concessions); Supreme Court ruling 2017; handover reported January 2023.","src":2},"why":{"t":"ICIJ recorded that the concession was awarded without a tender. The Supreme Court found the partnership unlawful in 2017.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through two long-term concession contracts with the city utility PAM Jaya; the utility feared 6.7 trillion rupiah in compensation if it ended them.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Water and politics in the fall of Suharto","p":"ICIJ","d":"2003","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.icij.org/investigations/waterbarons/water-and-politics-fall-suharto/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250513141559/https://www.icij.org/investigations/waterbarons/water-and-politics-fall-suharto/"},{"t":"What you need to know about Jakarta's water privatization","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2018-04-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/04/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-jakartas-water-privatization.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260109054641/https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/04/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-jakartas-water-privatization.html"},{"t":"Kerja sama dengan swasta berakhir, PAM Jaya siap beroperasi penuh (headline taken from the URL)","p":"Bisnis.com","d":"2023-01-27","type":"press","u":"https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20230127/45/1622237/kerja-sama-dengan-swasta-berakhir-pam-jaya-siap-beroperasi-penuh","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250514075630/https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20230127/45/1622237/kerja-sama-dengan-swasta-berakhir-pam-jaya-siap-beroperasi-penuh"},{"t":"Waterlogged Jakarta fights for survival (headline taken from the URL)","p":"Swissinfo (D. Burkhalter)","d":"2026-01-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/waterlogged-jakarta-fights-for-survival/90836244","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260707230801/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/waterlogged-jakarta-fights-for-survival/90836244"},{"t":"Land subsidence in Jakarta, Water 14(20), article 3197","p":"MDPI Water","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/20/3197","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408092026/https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/20/3197"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"My ground in North Jakarta sank about 11 cm a year on average in 2014–2018, and in places up to 26 cm a year in 1991–1997, MDPI Water reported.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did the 2017 Supreme Court ruling change?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the concessions extend the network?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the private operators' earnings were returned after the court finding: no data are stated in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"What the 2017 ruling changed: records differ (set aside in 2018 on procedural grounds, or contracts restructured because of a feared 6.7 trillion rupiah compensation).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Personal penalties for anyone involved: none recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ohio-hb6-bribery-scandal","title":"Ohio HB6 bribery case","dek":"Between 2017 and 2020 the utility FirstEnergy paid about $60 million to a group controlled by the Speaker of the Ohio House while a 2019 law subsidising two nuclear plants and supporting coal plants was passed. The Speaker was sentenced to 20 years in prison.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.96,"lon":-82.99,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","lat":39.96,"lon":-82.99,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","role":"affected"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Paid to the Speaker's group vs extra paid by Ohio electricity customers","value":"~$60m vs ~$500m","note":"FirstEnergy payments 2017–2020; customers' extra payments through 2025, as reported."},"happened":["From 2017 to 2020 FirstEnergy transferred about $60 million to Generation Now, a group controlled by Larry Householder, Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. The money moved while House Bill 6 (HB6) was being passed.","The law, enacted in 2019, gave two nuclear plants a subsidy of about $150 million a year, supported coal plants and reduced support for renewable energy. Electricity customers paid about $500 million more through 2025. A research table describes the package as about $1.3 billion, partly repealed later.","A repeal referendum backed by consumer advocates and by the natural gas industry did not reach the ballot. In that case companies from two sectors put in money: FirstEnergy on the nuclear and coal side, and the gas industry on the referendum side.","A federal jury found Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges guilty of racketeering conspiracy in March 2023, and on 29 June 2023 Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to 20 years in prison (WYSO). The Sixth Circuit upheld the convictions on 6 May 2025 and the US Supreme Court denied review on 27 April 2026. The nuclear subsidy was repealed in 2021, and in November 2025 the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) ordered FirstEnergy's Ohio utilities to pay $186.6 million in refunds and restitution. In July 2021 FirstEnergy entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and paid a $230 million penalty; in 2024 it agreed to pay $100 million to settle Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charges. The Summit County state trial of former FirstEnergy CEO Charles Jones and former senior vice president Michael Dowling ended in a mistrial on 1 April 2026; both were reindicted in June 2026 and also face federal racketeering charges."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"FirstEnergy begins transfers to Generation Now, a group controlled by the House Speaker (to 2020, about $60m)"},{"y":2019,"t":"HB6 enacted: subsidy of about $150m a year for two nuclear plants, support for coal plants, less support for renewables"},{"y":2023,"t":"Householder sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery (WYSO, 29 June)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Customers reported to have paid about $500m extra through this year"},{"y":2026,"t":"Executives' state trial ends in a mistrial (1 April); US Supreme Court denies Householder's petition for review (27 April); executives reindicted in Summit County (June)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"About $60 million moved from FirstEnergy to Generation Now between 2017 and 2020.","src":0},{"t":"HB6 gave two nuclear plants about $150 million a year, supported coal plants and cut renewable-energy support.","src":6},{"t":"Householder was sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery in June 2023; the company paid $230 million.","src":1},{"t":"Nuclear subsidy clawed back and a $186 million refund ordered; the sentence was upheld.","src":2},{"t":"In the state trial of company executives the jury did not agree on a verdict.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"HB6 subsidy package as described in secondary sources (partly repealed)","amount":1300,"qualifier":"about"}],"otherTotal":{"amount":1300,"qualifier":"about"},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Support for coal plants","v":"Added","d":"HB6 supported coal plants"},{"k":"Support for renewable energy","v":"Reduced","d":"HB6 reduced renewable subsidies"},{"k":"Nuclear subsidy","v":"~$150m a year","d":"For two nuclear plants; later clawed back"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: whether the executives' state retrial, set in April 2026 for 28 September 2026, has begun. No verdict in the state or federal case against them is stated in the sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"HB 128 repealed the nuclear subsidy in March 2021, and HB 15 ended the remaining coal-plant (OVEC) subsidies from 14 August 2025 (Common Cause Ohio). In November 2025 the PUCO ordered FirstEnergy's Ohio utilities to pay $186.6 million in refunds and restitution. A measured change in Ohio's emissions is not stated in the sources.","whoPaid":"Ohio electricity customers paid about $500 million more through 2025; shareholders bore the company's penalties.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Householder is serving a 20-year sentence after the US Supreme Court denied review on 27 April 2026; FirstEnergy paid federal, SEC and PUCO-ordered amounts; former executives Jones and Dowling were reindicted after a state mistrial and face a federal trial set to begin in January 2027.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"firstenergy","role":"Utility; paid about $60m to the Speaker's group; coal-plant beneficiary"},{"id":"generation-now","role":"Group controlled by the Speaker; received the transfers"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecuted; recorded a $230m payment by the company"},{"id":"sec","role":"Recorded a $100m payment by the company"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"United States v. Householder (federal bribery case)","forum":"US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio; Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals; US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States (DOJ)","defendant":"Larry Householder, former Speaker of the Ohio House","filed":null,"decided":"June 2023","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A jury found Householder and lobbyist Matt Borges guilty of racketeering conspiracy in March 2023; on 29 June 2023 Judge Timothy Black sentenced Householder to 20 years in prison, and Borges received five years. The Sixth Circuit upheld the convictions on 6 May 2025, and the US Supreme Court denied review on 27 April 2026.","src":7},{"title":"FirstEnergy: federal deferred prosecution agreement","forum":"US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"FirstEnergy","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":230,"currency":"USD","label":"million, paid by the company (DOJ)"},"summary":"In July 2021 FirstEnergy was charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and agreed to a three-year deferred prosecution agreement and a $230 million penalty; the company admitted conspiring to pay public officials in exchange for official action for its benefit, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.","src":9},{"title":"FirstEnergy: SEC matter","forum":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","defendant":"FirstEnergy","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":100,"currency":"USD","label":"million, listed as an SEC amount"},"summary":"FirstEnergy agreed to pay $100 million in a settlement with the SEC, WOUB Public Media reported.","src":4},{"title":"State prosecution of FirstEnergy executives","forum":"Summit County Court of Common Pleas, Ohio","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State of Ohio","defendant":"Charles \"Chuck\" Jones, former FirstEnergy CEO, and Michael Dowling, former senior vice president of external affairs","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The state trial ended in a mistrial declared by Judge Susan Baker Ross on 1 April 2026 after the jury could not reach a verdict. In June 2026 a Summit County grand jury reindicted the two men on 22 felony counts combined, including bribery and a pattern of corrupt activity (WOSU). The two also face federal racketeering charges; jury selection in the federal trial is set to begin on 21 January 2027 (Common Cause Ohio).","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"payments_to_group","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"FirstEnergy to Generation Now, 2017–2020.","src":0},{"key":"subsidy","value":150,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"HB6 subsidy to two nuclear plants.","src":6},{"key":"fine","value":230,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Paid by the company in the federal matter (DOJ), per WYSO.","src":1},{"key":"sec_payment","value":100,"unit":"USD m","note":"Settlement of SEC charges, September 2024.","src":4},{"key":"refund_ordered","value":186,"unit":"USD m","note":"Refunds and restitution ordered by the PUCO on 19 November 2025, within a $250.7 million total.","src":2},{"key":"prison_sentence","value":20,"unit":"years","year":2023,"note":"Sentence of the former House Speaker.","src":1}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A utility paid about $60 million to a group controlled by the Ohio House Speaker while a law subsidising two nuclear plants and supporting coal plants was passed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"FirstEnergy and coal plants","what":"Support under HB6, a package of about $1.3 billion in a research table, partly repealed.","src":null},{"who":"Two nuclear plants (owners: none on record)","what":"Subsidy of about $150 million a year.","src":6}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ohio, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Payments 2017–2020; HB6 enacted 2019; sentencing June 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"FirstEnergy admitted in its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement that it conspired to pay public officials in exchange for official action for its benefit; a federal jury convicted the Speaker of racketeering conspiracy in 2023.","src":9},"how":{"t":"Through Generation Now, a group controlled by the Speaker.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Ohio House Speaker Arrested In Connection With $60 Million Bribery Scheme (Laurel Wamsley)","p":"NPR","d":"2020-07-21","u":"https://www.npr.org/2020/07/21/893493224/ohio-house-speaker-arrested-in-connection-to-60-million-bribery-scheme","type":"press"},{"t":"Former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder sentenced to 20 years in prison for bribery","p":"WYSO","d":"2023-06-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.wyso.org/2023-06-29/former-ohio-house-speaker-larry-householder-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-for-bribery","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230629193855/https://www.wyso.org/2023-06-29/former-ohio-house-speaker-larry-householder-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-for-bribery"},{"t":"Ohio PUC orders FirstEnergy utilities to pay $250M over HB 6 scandal","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2025-11-20","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ohio-puc-orders-firstenergy-pay-250m-over-hb-6/806025/","type":"press"},{"t":"Ohio utility corruption defendants appeal to the Supreme Court","p":"Canary Media","d":"2026-01-08","u":"https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/ohio-utility-corruption-defendants-appeal-scotus","type":"press"},{"t":"FirstEnergy to pay $100M in HB 6 settlement with SEC; ex-CEO to face civil fraud charges","p":"WOUB Public Media","d":"2024-09-13","u":"https://woub.org/2024/09/13/firstenergy-100m-hb-6-settlement-sec-ex-ceo-civil-fraud-charges/","type":"press"},{"t":"FirstEnergy corruption case ends with hung jury","p":"WCPO (Ohio Capital Journal)","d":"2026-03","u":"https://www.wcpo.com/news/state/state-ohio/firstenergy-corruption-case-ends-with-hung-jury","type":"press"},{"t":"Breaking: Ohio passes controversial nuke subsidy bill by one vote","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2019-07-23","u":"https://utilitydive.com/news/breaking-ohio-passes-controversial-nuke-subsidy-bill-by-one-vote/559342","type":"press"},{"t":"Docket No. 25-756, Larry Householder v. United States (petition for certiorari denied 27 April 2026)","p":"Supreme Court of the United States","d":"2026-04-27","u":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/25-756.html","type":"court"},{"t":"A Cycle of Corruption: A Timeline of the Householder HB6 Scandal","p":"Common Cause Ohio","d":"2026","u":"https://www.commoncause.org/ohio/resources/a-cycle-of-corruption-a-timeline-of-the-householder-hb6-scandal/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"FirstEnergy charged federally, agrees to terms of deferred prosecution settlement","p":"US Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio","d":"2021-07-22","u":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/firstenergy-charged-federally-agrees-terms-deferred-prosecution-settlement","type":"prosecutor"},{"t":"Former FirstEnergy executives indicted again on public corruption charges after mistrial","p":"WOSU Public Media","d":"2026-06-04","u":"https://www.wosu.org/politics-government/2026-06-04/former-firstenergy-executives-indicted-again-on-public-corruption-charges-after-mistrial","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"legislation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: whether the executives' state retrial, set in April 2026 for 28 September 2026, has begun. No verdict in the state or federal case against them is stated in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: FirstEnergy and coal plants"]},{"id":"maine-pfas-sludge-farms","title":"Maine PFAS sludge farms","dek":"In May 2023 the PFAS Project reported that high PFAS levels had been found on 56 farms in Maine. A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":45.25,"lon":-69,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Maine","lat":45.25,"lon":-69,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2023,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Farms in Maine found with high PFAS levels, as reported in May 2023","value":"56","note":"PFAS Project, May 2023. A $60 million fund had been set up; about $1 million had been paid out."},"happened":["In May 2023 the PFAS Project reported that high PFAS levels had been found on 56 farms in Maine, United States. PFAS are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group of chemicals that persist in soil and water.","The same report recorded that a fund of $60 million had been set up for farms affected by PFAS and that about $1 million had been paid out from it at that time."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"May: PFAS Project reports high PFAS levels on 56 Maine farms; a $60 million fund exists and about $1 million has been paid out"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"High PFAS levels were found on 56 farms in Maine (PFAS Project, May 2023).","src":0},{"t":"A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out (PFAS Project, May 2023).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"to May 2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Farms with high PFAS levels","v":"56","d":"As reported by the PFAS Project, May 2023"},{"k":"Fund set up for affected farms","v":"$60 million","d":"About $1 million paid out at the time of the report"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Maine banned the spreading of sewage sludge on land in 2022, described as the first such state ban (Land Trust Alliance, April 2022, via a secondary report).","Unconfirmed: that the PFAS on the Maine farms came from sewage sludge spread on the land.","Unconfirmed: by 2024 more than 60 Maine farms had unsafe PFAS levels.","Unconfirmed: well water at Songbird Farm measured 400 times the state limit, and the state bought the farm in May 2026 (Bangor Daily News, 22 May 2026)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"A $60 million fund had been set up for affected farms; about $1 million had been paid out by May 2023.","statusLine":"As of May 2023 (PFAS Project): 56 Maine farms with high PFAS levels, a $60 million fund and about $1 million paid out.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"farms_contaminated","value":56,"unit":"farms","year":2023,"note":"Farms in Maine found with high PFAS levels, as reported by the PFAS Project in May 2023."},{"key":"fund","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Fund set up for farms affected by PFAS."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":1,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paid out from the fund at the time of the May 2023 report."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"High PFAS levels were found on 56 farms in Maine; a $60 million fund was set up and about $1 million had been paid out by May 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Farms in Maine","what":"56 farms found with high PFAS levels (May 2023).","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Maine, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported May 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the verified record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not established in the verified record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Cost of helping farmers manage PFAS is rising","p":"PFAS Project","d":"2023-05-18","type":"press","u":"https://pfasproject.com/2023/05/18/cost-of-helping-farmers-manage-pfas-is-rising-now-at-81-million/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230610164731/https://pfasproject.com/2023/05/18/cost-of-helping-farmers-manage-pfas-is-rising-now-at-81-million/"},{"t":"Maine farms contaminated with PFAS get new purpose","p":"Land Trust Alliance","d":"2022-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://landtrustalliance.org/blog/maine-farms-contaminated-with-pfas-get-new-purpose","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250804161339/https://landtrustalliance.org/blog/maine-farms-contaminated-with-pfas-get-new-purpose"},{"t":"Maine acquires PFAS Songbird Farm","p":"Bangor Daily News","d":"2026-05-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.bangordailynews.com/2026/05/22/midcoast/maine-acquires-pfas-songbird-farm-unity/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"High PFAS levels were found in me on 56 Maine farms by May 2023; of a $60 million fund set up for affected farms, about $1 million had been paid out.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Maine banned the spreading of sewage sludge on land in 2022, described as the first such state ban (Land Trust Alliance, April 2022, via a secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the PFAS on the Maine farms came from sewage sludge spread on the land.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: by 2024 more than 60 Maine farms had unsafe PFAS levels.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: well water at Songbird Farm measured 400 times the state limit, and the state bought the farm in May 2026 (Bangor Daily News, 22 May 2026).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"love-canal","title":"Love Canal (New York)","dek":"Insurers of Hooker, later part of the Occidental group, went to court over Love Canal coverage from 1980. A federal court found Hooker negligent but not reckless in 1994, and Occidental paid New York State in 1994 and the US government $129 million in 1995.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":43.08,"lon":-79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":43.08,"lon":-79,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York (Niagara County)","role":"court"}],"start":1980,"end":1995,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Paid by Occidental to the US government in 1995","value":"$129 million","note":"Settlement. New York State was paid $98 million in 1994; another source gives $120 million."},"happened":["The proceedings connected with Love Canal, New York, concerned the company Hooker, also referred to in the sources as OxyChem and as Occidental.","Insurers of Hooker, including Lloyd's as primary insurers, Argonaut and excess carriers, filed declaratory-judgment actions against Occidental. One of them, Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum (106 Misc. 2d 5, New York Supreme Court, Niagara County, 28 July 1980), was a ruling on forum and a stay. The final outcome of these actions was not found.","In United States v. Hooker (850 F. Supp. 993, W.D.N.Y., 17 March 1994), the court found Hooker negligent but not reckless, so no punitive damages, as summarised from a UPI report. OxyChem paid New York State $98 million in 1994; another source gives $120 million. It paid the United States $129 million in 1995 in a settlement announced by the US Department of Justice in December 1995.","A related insurance case reached the Second Circuit on 31 May 2017. In Cincinnati Insurance v. Roy's Plumbing, a plumber's work disturbed Love Canal sediment; the pollution exclusion in the policy barred defence and indemnity, and the insurer won."],"timeline":[{"y":1980,"t":"28 July: Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum, forum and stay ruling, New York Supreme Court, Niagara County"},{"y":1994,"t":"17 March: US v. Hooker, Hooker found negligent but not reckless, no punitive damages; Occidental pays New York State $98m (another source: $120m)"},{"y":1995,"t":"December: Occidental agrees to pay the US government $129 million"},{"y":2017,"t":"31 May: Second Circuit rules the pollution exclusion bars defence and indemnity in Cincinnati Insurance v. Roy's Plumbing"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Insurers, including Lloyd's (as primary insurers), Argonaut and excess carriers, filed declaratory-judgment actions against Occidental/Hooker; Argonaut Ins. v. Occidental Petroleum, 106 Misc. 2d 5 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Niagara Co., 28 July 1980), was a forum and stay ruling (citation only).","src":2},{"t":"No decision in the insurers' actions against Occidental/Hooker has been found.","src":2},{"t":"In US v. Hooker, 850 F. Supp. 993 (W.D.N.Y., 17 March 1994), Hooker was found negligent but not reckless, so no punitive damages (as reported by UPI).","src":3},{"t":"OxyChem paid New York State $98 million in 1994 (another source: $120 million) and the United States $129 million in 1995.","src":0},{"t":"US Department of Justice release: Occidental to pay $129 million in Love Canal settlement (December 1995).","src":0},{"t":"Cincinnati Insurance v. Roy's Plumbing (2d Cir., 31 May 2017): the pollution exclusion barred defence and indemnity for a plumber whose work disturbed Love Canal sediment; the insurer won.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1994–1995","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Paid to the US government","v":"$129 million","d":"Settlement, 1995"},{"k":"Paid to New York State","v":"$98 million","d":"1994; another source gives $120 million"},{"k":"Punitive damages","v":"None","d":"Hooker found negligent but not reckless, US v. Hooker, 1994"}]},"unknown":["No decision in the insurers' actions against Occidental/Hooker has been found.","The final outcome of the declaratory-judgment actions filed from 1980 was not found.","Sources differ on the amount Occidental paid New York State in 1994: $98 million or $120 million."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"Occidental (OxyChem) paid New York State $98 million in 1994 (another source: $120 million) and the US government $129 million in 1995.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated item in the cited sources (2017): payments by Occidental to New York State (1994) and the US government (1995) are recorded; no decision in the insurers' actions against Occidental/Hooker has been found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"occidental","role":"Successor to Hooker; defendant and payer"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Primary insurer; plaintiff in coverage actions"},{"id":"argonaut-insurance","role":"Insurer; plaintiff in coverage action"},{"id":"cincinnati-insurance","role":"Insurer in related 2017 coverage case"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum, 106 Misc. 2d 5","forum":"New York Supreme Court, Niagara County","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Insurers, including Lloyd's, Argonaut and excess carriers","defendant":"Occidental Petroleum (Hooker)","filed":null,"decided":"1980-07-28 (forum and stay ruling)","status":"unknown","summary":"Declaratory-judgment actions filed by Hooker's insurers; the cited decision was a ruling on forum and a stay. The final outcome was not found.","src":2},{"title":"United States v. Hooker, 850 F. Supp. 993","forum":"US District Court, Western District of New York","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Hooker","filed":null,"decided":"1994-03-17","status":"unknown","summary":"The court found Hooker negligent but not reckless, so no punitive damages, as reported by UPI. OxyChem paid New York State $98 million in 1994 (another source: $120 million).","src":3},{"title":"Occidental settlement with the United States","forum":"United States federal government (Department of Justice)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Occidental","filed":null,"decided":"1995-12","status":"settled","amount":{"value":129000000,"currency":"USD","label":"$129 million"},"summary":"Occidental agreed to pay the US government $129 million in a Love Canal settlement.","src":0},{"title":"Cincinnati Insurance v. Roy's Plumbing (related case)","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Cincinnati Insurance","defendant":"Roy's Plumbing","filed":null,"decided":"2017-05-31","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A plumber's work disturbed Love Canal sediment. The court held that the policy's pollution exclusion barred defence and indemnity; the insurer won.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Lloyd's (primary insurers), Argonaut and excess carriers","insured":"Hooker / Occidental","status":"litigation","year":1980,"summary":"The insurers filed declaratory-judgment actions against Occidental/Hooker; Argonaut Ins. v. Occidental Petroleum (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Niagara Co., 28 July 1980) was a forum and stay ruling. No decision in the insurer-versus-insured dispute has been found.","src":2},{"insurer":"Cincinnati Insurance","insured":"Roy's Plumbing","status":"cover-declined","year":2017,"summary":"A plumber's work disturbed Love Canal sediment. The Second Circuit held that the pollution exclusion barred defence and indemnity; the insurer won.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":129,"unit":"USD m","year":1995,"note":"Paid by Occidental to the US government."},{"key":"settlement","value":98,"unit":"USD m","year":1994,"qualifier":"reported; another source gives 120","note":"Paid by OxyChem to New York State; sources differ ($98 million or $120 million)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Insurers of Hooker litigated Love Canal coverage from 1980; a federal court found Hooker negligent but not reckless in 1994; Occidental paid New York State in 1994 and the US government $129 million in 1995.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Occidental (OxyChem, Hooker)","what":"Paid New York State $98 million in 1994 (another source: $120 million) and the US government $129 million in 1995.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Love Canal, New York, United States; coverage actions in Niagara County and the Western District of New York.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Proceedings from 1980 to 1995; related insurance ruling 31 May 2017.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Not described in the verified record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not described in the verified record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Occidental to pay 129 million in Love Canal settlement","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"1995-12","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/Pre_96/December95/638.txt.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618080946/https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/Pre_96/December95/638.txt.html"},{"t":"Love Canal's legacy: Second Circuit affirms pollution exclusion in plumber's insurance policy bars defense and indemnification claims","p":"RT Specialty","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://rtspecialty.com/ecp/love-canals-legacy-second-circuit-affirms-pollution-exclusion-in-plumbers-insurance-policy-bars-defense-and-indemnification-claims/"},{"t":"Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., 106 Misc. 2d 5 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., 28 July 1980)","p":"CourtListener (Free Law Project)","d":"1980-07-28","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/6332478/argonaut-insurance-v-occidental-petroleum-corp/","type":"court"},{"t":"United States v. Hooker Chemicals & Plastics Corp., 850 F. Supp. 993 (W.D.N.Y., 17 March 1994)","p":"CourtListener (Free Law Project)","d":"1994-03-17","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2132540/united-states-v-hooker-chemicals-plastics-corp/","type":"court"},{"t":"Love Canal settlement reached","p":"United Press International","d":"1994-06-21","u":"https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/21/Love-Canal-settlement-reached/9677772171200/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251207011619/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/21/Love-Canal-settlement-reached/9677772171200/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum, 106 Misc. 2d 5: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"United States v. Hooker, 850 F. Supp. 993: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No decision in the insurers' actions against Occidental/Hooker has been found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final outcome of the declaratory-judgment actions filed from 1980 was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on the amount Occidental paid New York State in 1994: $98 million or $120 million.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"barro-blanco-hydro-dam","title":"Barro Blanco hydro dam (Panama)","dek":"A 28.8 MW hydroelectric dam in Panama was registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism and financed with USD 50 million in loans from FMO and DEG. An independent complaints panel found that the two banks had breached their own policies, and Panama withdrew the UN registration in November 2016.","country":"Panama","region":"Central America","lat":8.3,"lon":-81.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"financier"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"financier"}],"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Loans from FMO and DEG to the project","value":"USD 50 million","note":"USD 25 million from each lender. The 28.8 MW dam was registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism; Panama withdrew the registration in November 2016."},"happened":["Barro Blanco is a 28.8 MW hydroelectric dam in Panama, described in the cited sources as GENISA's dam. FMO, the Dutch development bank, and DEG, a German lender, each lent USD 25 million, USD 50 million in total. The project was registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), the UN system that gives carbon credits to projects in developing countries.","The dam flooded the homes, a school and cultural sites of the Ngäbe people in 2016. An independent complaints panel that examined the FMO and DEG loan found that the banks had breached their own policies.","In November 2016 Panama withdrew the project's UN CDM registration. Carbon Market Watch published a statement on the decision on 10 November 2016; it is described as the first such withdrawal by a host country. The dam remains in place. In 2022 the financiers published a management response to a third monitoring report on the project (Spanish-language version)."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"The CDM-registered dam floods Ngäbe homes, a school and cultural sites. Panama withdraws the project's UN CDM registration (November); Carbon Market Watch issues a statement (10 November)."},{"y":2022,"t":"FMO and DEG publish a management response to the third monitoring report on Barro Blanco."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A 28.8 MW hydroelectric dam registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism.","who":"UN CDM registration","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"FMO lent USD 28 million and DEG USD 25 million to the project.","src":2},{"t":"An independent complaints panel found that the lenders had breached their own policies.","src":1},{"t":"In 2016 the dam's reservoir flooded homes (reported as six), a gallery forest and a religious petroglyph of the Ngäbe people.","src":3},{"t":"Panama withdrew the project's UN CDM registration in November 2016; Carbon Market Watch published a statement on the decision on 10 November 2016.","src":0},{"t":"The financiers published a management response to the third monitoring report on Barro Blanco in 2022 (Spanish-language version).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Lender loans","v":"USD 50 million","d":"USD 25 million each from FMO and DEG"},{"k":"Installed capacity","v":"28.8 MW","d":"CDM-registered hydroelectric dam"},{"k":"UN CDM registration","v":"Withdrawn","d":"By Panama, November 2016; reported as the first host-country withdrawal"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: deaths during protests by the Ngäbe in 2012.","Unconfirmed: an agreement covering part of the redress was signed in 2025."],"evidence":["unverified-deaths"],"harmStopped":"The dam remains in place. Panama withdrew its UN CDM registration in November 2016.","whoPaid":"Homes, a school and cultural sites of the Ngäbe people were flooded. An agreement covering part of the redress is reported for 2025; no other source confirms it.","statusLine":"As of the latest record: the dam stands, the UN CDM registration was withdrawn in 2016, the lenders published a management response in 2022, and a reported 2025 agreement is unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"FMO and DEG","says":"Published a management response to the third monitoring report on Barro Blanco (Spanish-language version).","when":"2022","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"genisa","role":"Dam developer"},{"id":"fmo","role":"Lender (USD 25 million)"},{"id":"deg","role":"Lender (USD 25 million)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Independent complaints panel review of the FMO and DEG loan to Barro Blanco","forum":"Independent complaints panel of the lenders","country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Complainants (not named)","defendant":"FMO and DEG","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The panel found that the lenders had breached their own policies.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loan_fmo","value":25,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Loan from FMO."},{"key":"loan_deg","value":25,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Loan from DEG."},{"key":"loans_total","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"FMO and DEG together."},{"key":"installed_capacity_mw","value":28.8,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Capacity of the CDM-registered dam."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 28.8 MW CDM-registered hydroelectric dam in Panama flooded the homes, a school and cultural sites of the Ngäbe people in 2016. An independent panel found that the dam's two lenders had breached their own policies, and Panama withdrew the project's CDM registration.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Ngäbe people","what":"Homes, a school and cultural sites flooded in 2016","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Panama.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Flooding in 2016; CDM registration withdrawn in November 2016; financiers' management response in 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record for this project. The dam was a hydroelectric project registered under the CDM, the UN system that gives carbon credits to projects in developing countries.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The dam was financed with USD 25 million loans from each of FMO and DEG. The loan was examined by an independent complaints panel, which found policy breaches, and Panama later withdrew the CDM registration.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Press statement: Panama withdraws UN registration for Barro Blanco hydrodam project","p":"Carbon Market Watch","d":"2016-11-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2016/11/10/press-statement-in-landmark-decision-panama-withdraws-un-registration-for-barro-blanco-hydrodam-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251013215101/https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2016/11/10/press-statement-in-landmark-decision-panama-withdraws-un-registration-for-barro-blanco-hydrodam-project/"},{"t":"Barro Blanco 2022 3rd Monitoring Report: Management Response (Spanish version)","p":"DEG","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://www.deginvest.de/DEG-Documents-in-English/About-us/Responsibility/Barro-Blanco-2022-3rd-Monitoring-Report-Spanish-Management-Response.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260122064444/https://www.deginvest.de/DEG-Documents-in-English/About-us/Responsibility/Barro-Blanco-2022-3rd-Monitoring-Report-Spanish-Management-Response.pdf"},{"t":"Questions and Answers on the Barro Blanco Hydropower Project in Panama (7 August 2017)","p":"FMO","d":"2017-08-07","u":"https://www.fmo.nl/l/library/download/urn:uuid:1b7f543b-141e-47e1-9645-b128adb5ce3d/170807+barro+blanco+faq_english.pdf?format=save_to_disk&ext=.pdf","type":"company"},{"t":"Barro Blanco dam in limbo after Ngabe-Bugle Congress rejects agreement","p":"Mongabay","d":"2016-10-14","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2016/10/barro-blanco-dam-in-limbo-after-ngabe-bugle-congress-rejects-agreement/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: deaths during protests by the Ngäbe in 2012.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an agreement covering part of the redress was signed in 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Ngäbe people"]},{"id":"groningen-gas-field","title":"Groningen gas field","dek":"A study published by IISD in January 2026 reported revenue of EUR 364 billion for the Dutch state and EUR 65 billion for the companies from the Groningen gas field. In 2026 the field was the subject of arbitration cases against the Netherlands and of a court order for a new decision on compensation.","country":"Netherlands","region":"Europe","lat":53.2,"lon":6.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Groningen","role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Reported revenue from the field: Dutch state vs companies","value":"EUR 364bn vs EUR 65bn","note":"As reported by IISD, January 2026. Period covered: none on record."},"happened":["IISD, in an article on arbitration cases against the Netherlands published in January 2026, reported revenue from the Groningen gas field of EUR 364 billion for the Dutch state and EUR 65 billion for the companies.","Unconfirmed: in 2017 the Dutch state bore 64% of the costs; the operating company owed EUR 550 million in delayed payments and, in 2025, distributed a EUR 3 billion dividend to its partners.","In 2026 the Groningen matter reached the courts and arbitration. IISD's article of 19 January 2026 concerned the arbitration cases that Shell and ExxonMobil brought against the Netherlands. On 14 June 2026 NL Times reported that a court had found unlawful a bill of EUR 526 million issued to NAM and had ordered a new decision in a compensation case connected to the Groningen earthquakes."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"The Dutch state bears 64% of the costs (figure without a cited source)."},{"y":2025,"t":"The operating company distributes a EUR 3 billion dividend to its partners (figure without a cited source)."},{"y":2026,"t":"IISD article on Shell and ExxonMobil arbitration cases against the Netherlands (19 January). A court finds a EUR 526 million bill issued to NAM unlawful and orders a new decision (reported 14 June)."}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Revenue from the field: EUR 364 billion to the Dutch state and EUR 65 billion to the companies (IISD, January 2026).","src":0},{"t":"A court found a bill of EUR 526 million issued to NAM unlawful and ordered a new decision (NL Times, 14 June 2026).","src":1},{"t":"The operating company owed EUR 550 million in delayed payments and distributed a EUR 3 billion dividend to its partners in 2025.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Dutch state: revenue from the field","amount":364000,"note":"EUR 364 billion as reported by IISD; period not stated."},{"label":"Companies: revenue from the field","amount":65000,"note":"EUR 65 billion as reported by IISD; period not stated."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reported revenue, Dutch state","v":"EUR 364bn","d":"IISD, January 2026"},{"k":"Reported revenue, companies","v":"EUR 65bn","d":"IISD, January 2026"},{"k":"Bill issued to NAM found unlawful","v":"EUR 526m","d":"Court ordered a new decision, reported 14 June 2026"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Whether production has ended is not on record.","whoPaid":"In 2017 the Dutch state bore 64% of the costs (figure without a cited source).","statusLine":"As of June 2026: a court found a EUR 526 million bill issued to NAM unlawful and ordered a new decision; arbitration cases by Shell and ExxonMobil against the Netherlands were reported in January 2026; no ruling in the arbitration found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"dutch-state","role":"Recipient of reported revenue of EUR 364 billion"},{"id":"nam","role":"Party billed EUR 526 million (found unlawful by a court)"},{"id":"shell","role":"Claimant in arbitration against the Netherlands"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Claimant in arbitration against the Netherlands (ExxonMobil)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Shell and ExxonMobil arbitration cases against the Netherlands over Groningen","forum":"Arbitration (tribunal not named)","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Shell and ExxonMobil","defendant":"The Netherlands","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"IISD reported on the arbitration cases against the Netherlands in January 2026. No outcome is stated in the cited sources.","src":0},{"title":"Court order for a new decision on compensation in a Groningen earthquake case","forum":"Dutch court (not named)","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"administrative","claimant":"NAM (the party billed)","defendant":"Issuer of the bill (not named)","filed":null,"decided":"By 14 June 2026","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":526,"currency":"EUR","label":"Bill issued to NAM found unlawful, EUR million"},"summary":"The court found the EUR 526 million bill issued to NAM unlawful and ordered a new decision.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue_state","value":364000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Revenue to the Dutch state from the field, as reported by IISD; period not stated."},{"key":"revenue_companies","value":65000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Revenue to the companies from the field, as reported by IISD; period not stated."},{"key":"state_share_of_costs","value":64,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"Share of costs borne by the Dutch state; no source cited."},{"key":"payment_arrears","value":550,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Delayed payments owed by the operating company; no source cited."},{"key":"dividend","value":3000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Dividend distributed by the operating company to its partners; no source cited."},{"key":"bill_found_unlawful","value":526,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Bill issued to NAM that a court found unlawful, reported 14 June 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Groningen gas field earned reported revenue of EUR 364 billion for the Dutch state and EUR 65 billion for the companies. In 2026 it was the subject of arbitration cases against the Netherlands and of a court order for a new decision on a EUR 526 million bill issued to NAM.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Dutch state","what":"Reported revenue of EUR 364 billion from the field","src":0},{"who":"Companies","what":"Reported revenue of EUR 65 billion from the field","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Groningen, the Netherlands.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Revenue period not stated. Court and arbitration events reported in 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not stated. The state's 64% share of costs in 2017 and a 2025 dividend are given without a cited source.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Aftershock in Groningen","p":"IISD","d":"2026-01-19","type":"academic","u":"https://www.iisd.org/itn/2026/01/19/aftershock-in-groningen-shell-exxonmobil-arbitration-cases-against-the-netherlands-bart-jaap-verbeek/"},{"t":"Court orders new decision","p":"NL Times","d":"2026-06-14","type":"press","u":"https://nltimes.nl/2026/06/14/court-orders-new-decision-compensation-oil-company-groningen-earthquake-case"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Shell and ExxonMobil arbitration cases against the Netherlands over Groningen: outcome not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"kerr-mcgee-anadarko-fraudulent-transfer-settlement","title":"Kerr-McGee / Anadarko fraudulent transfer settlement","dek":"A US court found that the separation of Tronox from Kerr-McGee was a fraudulent transfer. Anadarko Petroleum, whose subsidiaries were the defendants, paid USD 5.15 billion in a settlement, USD 4.4 billion of it for cleanup and environmental claims.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2015,"eventDate":"2015-01-23","instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Settlement of litigation against subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum","value":"USD 5.15 billion","note":"USD 4.4 billion of it for cleanup and environmental claims. Payment date 23 January 2015."},"happened":["A US court found that the separation of Tronox from Kerr-McGee was a fraudulent transfer, that is, a transfer of assets out of the reach of creditors. The litigation was brought against subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum. A trust pursued the case, and the US Department of Justice announced the settlement.","Anadarko paid USD 5.15 billion in the settlement, of which about USD 4.4 billion was for cleanup and environmental claims. The payment was made on 23 January 2015."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"A court finds the Tronox separation to be a fraudulent transfer; the US Department of Justice announces a USD 5.15 billion settlement of the litigation against subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum."},{"y":2015,"t":"Anadarko pays the USD 5.15 billion settlement (23 January); about USD 4.4 billion is for cleanup and environmental claims."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The settlement was described as the largest environmental payment in history; the characterisation comes from the Department of Justice's own statements.","who":"US Department of Justice","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The court found the Tronox separation to be a fraudulent transfer.","src":1},{"t":"Anadarko paid USD 5.15 billion, about USD 4.4 billion of it for cleanup and environmental claims.","src":1},{"t":"The payment date was 23 January 2015.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2014–2015","nature":[{"label":"Settlement share for cleanup and environmental claims","amount":4400,"qualifier":"about"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":4400,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the USD 5.15 billion settlement allocated to cleanup and environmental claims."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Settlement for cleanup and environmental claims","v":"USD 4.4bn","d":"Of a USD 5.15bn settlement, paid 23 January 2015"},{"k":"Court finding","v":"Fraudulent transfer","d":"The court treated the Tronox separation as a transfer of assets out of creditors' reach"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the settlement is described as about 36% of the liability at issue; the basis of that figure is not given."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not describe the contamination at issue or state whether it has stopped. USD 4.4 billion of the settlement was for cleanup and environmental claims.","whoPaid":"Anadarko Petroleum paid the USD 5.15 billion settlement on 23 January 2015.","statusLine":"As of the latest record: the settlement of USD 5.15 billion was paid on 23 January 2015; no further proceedings found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"anadarko","role":"Parent of the defendant subsidiaries; paid the settlement"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Announced the settlement"},{"id":"tronox","role":"Company whose separation from Kerr-McGee the court found to be a fraudulent transfer"},{"id":"kerr-mcgee","role":"Party to the separation of Tronox"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Litigation against subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum over the Tronox separation","forum":"US court (not named)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States, with a trust pursuing the claims","defendant":"Subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum","filed":null,"decided":"2014","status":"settled","amount":{"value":5150,"currency":"USD","label":"Settlement, USD million"},"summary":"The court found the Tronox separation to be a fraudulent transfer. The litigation was settled for USD 5.15 billion, about USD 4.4 billion of it for cleanup and environmental claims, paid on 23 January 2015.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":5150,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Paid by Anadarko on 23 January 2015."},{"key":"settlement_environmental_share","value":4400,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Part of the settlement for cleanup and environmental claims."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court found the separation of Tronox from Kerr-McGee to be a fraudulent transfer. Anadarko paid USD 5.15 billion in settlement of litigation against its subsidiaries, about USD 4.4 billion of it for cleanup and environmental claims.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Anadarko Petroleum","what":"Paid USD 5.15 billion in the settlement","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2014 to 2015; payment on 23 January 2015.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The court treated the separation of Tronox as a transfer of assets out of the reach of creditors.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The claim was brought under the fraudulent-transfer rule of bankruptcy law, pursued by a trust, and the US Department of Justice announced the USD 5.15 billion settlement of the litigation.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"United States Announces 5.15 Billion Settlement of Litigation Against Subsidiaries of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2014","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/united-states-announces-515-billion-settlement-litigation-against-subsidiaries-anadarko","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260724141231/https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/united-states-announces-515-billion-settlement-litigation-against-subsidiaries-anadarko"},{"t":"Kerr-McGee in record EPA settlement","p":"EPOnline","d":"2015-01-24","type":"press","u":"https://eponline.com/articles/2015/01/24/kerr-mcgee-in-record-epa-settlement.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130230246/https://eponline.com/articles/2015/01/24/kerr-mcgee-in-record-epa-settlement.aspx"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of a USD 5.15 billion settlement paid on 23 January 2015, about USD 4.4 billion was for cleaning me up and for environmental claims.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the settlement is described as about 36% of the liability at issue; the basis of that figure is not given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"brazil-fnrb-benefit-sharing-fund-and-ibama-biopiracy-fines","title":"Brazil: benefit-sharing fund (FNRB) and IBAMA biopiracy fines","dek":"Brazil's benefit-sharing fund (FNRB) collected R$7.44 million from 65 companies in 2020–2024 and, by May 2024, had made no monetary transfer to communities. IBAMA, the environment agency, had issued R$221.6 million in biopiracy fines by 2014.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-15.8,"lon":-47.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-05-07","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"FNRB collected 2020–2024 vs IBAMA biopiracy fines issued up to 2014","value":"R$7.44m vs R$221.6m","note":"Brazilian reais. The two periods differ (2020–2024 and up to 2014), so no like-for-like ratio is drawn. Dollar equivalents are converted at 5.3 reais per dollar."},"happened":["By 2014 IBAMA, Brazil's environment agency, had issued 471 notices carrying biopiracy fines of R$221.6 million in total. On 4 August 2014 the outlet Congresso em Foco reported that the government wanted to suspend about R$221 million of these fines, with discounts of up to 90% for those who signed settlement agreements.","Brazil's benefit-sharing fund, the FNRB, collected a total of R$7.44 million in 2020–2024, about US$1.4 million or about US$0.3 million a year at 5.3 reais per dollar. The total is described as covering 2020–2024, with 2020–2023 investments and interest included. Sixty-five companies paid into the fund.","Neo Mondo's analysis of the fund, dated 7 May 2024, gave annual collections of R$2.61 million in 2020, R$1.25 million in 2021, R$1.23 million in 2022 and R$1.19 million in 2023. It recorded that, up to May 2024, no monetary transfer from the fund to communities had been made.","In 2023 Canal Rural reported a projection, attributed to ABBI and Embrapa, that Brazil's bioeconomy could bring additional industrial turnover of USD 284 billion a year by 2050."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"IBAMA has issued 471 biopiracy notices worth R$221.6m; Congresso em Foco (4 Aug) reports a government wish to suspend about R$221m of the fines, with discounts of up to 90% for those signing settlements"},{"y":2020,"t":"FNRB collection begins in the 2020–2024 series: R$2.61m in 2020"},{"y":2023,"t":"Canal Rural reports a USD 284bn-a-year bioeconomy projection for 2050; FNRB collects R$1.19m in 2023"},{"y":2024,"t":"Neo Mondo (7 May): FNRB total R$7.44m for 2020–2024, 65 paying companies, no monetary transfer to communities"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Brazil's bioeconomy projected to bring USD 284 billion a year in additional industrial turnover by 2050","who":"ABBI and Embrapa projections, as reported by Canal Rural (2023)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"FNRB total collected 2020–2024: R$7.44 million (about US$1.4m at an assumed 5.3 reais per dollar); 65 companies paid","src":0},{"t":"Annual collections: R$2.61m (2020), R$1.25m (2021), R$1.23m (2022), R$1.19m (2023)","src":0},{"t":"No monetary transfer from the fund to communities up to May 2024","src":0},{"t":"IBAMA biopiracy fines up to 2014: R$221.6 million across 471 notices","src":1},{"t":"Reported plan to suspend about R$221m of these fines with discounts of up to 90% for those signing settlements","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"FNRB 2020–2024; fines issued up to 2014","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"FNRB collection, 2020–2024","v":"R$7.44m","d":"65 paying companies; about US$0.3m a year (Neo Mondo; dollar value at an assumed rate)"},{"k":"Monetary transfers from the fund to communities","v":"None","d":"Up to May 2024 (Neo Mondo)"},{"k":"IBAMA biopiracy fines issued up to 2014","v":"R$221.6m","d":"471 notices (Congresso em Foco)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a report of a note attributed to Brazil's environment ministry (MMA) indicated that R$10.48 million entered the FNRB between January and May 2025."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No halt is shown: the fund collected between R$1.19 million and R$2.61 million a year in 2020–2023 and had made no monetary transfer to communities by May 2024. Unconfirmed: a later 2025 figure.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources. Sixty-five companies paid into the fund in 2020–2024; communities had received no monetary transfer from it by May 2024.","statusLine":"As of May 2024: Neo Mondo reported that the FNRB had collected R$7.44 million in 2020–2024 and made no monetary transfer to communities; the outcome of the 2014 plan to suspend the IBAMA fines was not found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ibama","role":"Environment agency that issued the biopiracy fines"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fnrb_collected","value":7.44,"unit":"BRL m","year":2024,"note":"FNRB total collected, 2020–2024 (2020–2023 investments, interest included). Source: Neo Mondo."},{"key":"fnrb_collected_usd","value":1.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate. Research report's conversion at an assumed 5.3 reais per dollar; about US$0.3m a year."},{"key":"fnrb_collected_annual","value":2.61,"unit":"BRL m","year":2020,"note":"FNRB collection in 2020 (Neo Mondo)."},{"key":"fnrb_collected_annual","value":1.25,"unit":"BRL m","year":2021,"note":"FNRB collection in 2021 (Neo Mondo)."},{"key":"fnrb_collected_annual","value":1.23,"unit":"BRL m","year":2022,"note":"FNRB collection in 2022 (Neo Mondo)."},{"key":"fnrb_collected_annual","value":1.19,"unit":"BRL m","year":2023,"note":"FNRB collection in 2023 (Neo Mondo)."},{"key":"fnrb_paying_companies","value":65,"unit":"companies","year":2024,"note":"Companies that paid into the fund in 2020–2024 (Neo Mondo)."},{"key":"community_monetary_transfers","value":0,"unit":"BRL","year":2024,"note":"No monetary transfer from the fund to communities up to May 2024 (Neo Mondo)."},{"key":"fine","value":221.6,"unit":"BRL m","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to","note":"IBAMA biopiracy fines issued up to 2014, across 471 notices (Congresso em Foco)."},{"key":"fine_notices","value":471,"unit":"notices","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to","note":"IBAMA biopiracy notices (Congresso em Foco)."},{"key":"fine_discount_proposed","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Discount reported as planned for those signing settlement agreements; whether adopted is not stated."},{"key":"bioeconomy_turnover_projection","value":284,"unit":"USD bn a year","year":2050,"note":"Projected additional industrial turnover attributed to ABBI and Embrapa (Canal Rural, 2023). A projection, not an outcome."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two Brazilian flows tied to the use of genetic resources: IBAMA's biopiracy fines (R$221.6 million in 471 notices up to 2014) and the FNRB benefit-sharing fund, which collected R$7.44 million in 2020–2024 with no monetary transfer to communities by May 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Those who signed settlement agreements (under the reported 2014 plan)","what":"Discounts of up to 90% on the suspended fines were planned; whether the plan was adopted is not stated","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Communities","what":"No monetary transfer from the FNRB up to May 2024","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fines issued up to 2014 (plan to suspend them reported 4 August 2014); FNRB collections 2020–2024; Neo Mondo analysis dated 7 May 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The reason for the 2014 suspension plan is not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Companies paid into the FNRB (65 did in 2020–2024); IBAMA issued fines through notices; the government was reported to plan suspension of the fines with discounts of up to 90% for those signing settlements.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"The 2014 fines total R$221.6m (Congresso em Foco) and the FNRB's 2020–2024 total is R$7.44m (Neo Mondo). The figures cover different periods.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Efetividade da Repartição de Benefícios no sistema de ABS (acesso e repartição de benefícios no Brasil)","p":"Neo Mondo","d":"2024-05-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://neomondo.org.br/clima/efetividade-da-reparticao-de-beneficios-no-sistema-de-abs-acesso-e-reparticao-de-beneficios-no-brasil","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508024832/https://neomondo.org.br/clima/efetividade-da-reparticao-de-beneficios-no-sistema-de-abs-acesso-e-reparticao-de-beneficios-no-brasil"},{"t":"Governo quer suspender BRL 221 milhões em multas contra biopirataria","p":"Congresso em Foco","d":"2014-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.congressoemfoco.com.br/noticia/49939/governo-quer-suspender-r-221-milhoes-em-multas-contra-biopirataria","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250619072759/https://www.congressoemfoco.com.br/noticia/49939/governo-quer-suspender-r-221-milhoes-em-multas-contra-biopirataria"},{"t":"Bioeconomia pode gerar faturamento de USD 284 bilhões anuais","p":"Canal Rural","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.canalrural.com.br/nacional/brasilia/bioeconomia-pode-gerar-faturamento-de-us-284-bilhoes-anuais/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251113142455/https://www.canalrural.com.br/nacional/brasilia/bioeconomia-pode-gerar-faturamento-de-us-284-bilhoes-anuais/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Brazil's fund for sharing the benefits drawn from me collected R$7.44 million in 2020–2024, from 65 paying companies; up to May 2024 it had made no monetary transfer to communities, Neo Mondo reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a report of a note attributed to Brazil's environment ministry (MMA) indicated that R$10.48 million entered the FNRB between January and May 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chlorothalonil-metabolites-in-swiss-groundwater-and-syngenta","title":"Chlorothalonil metabolites in Swiss groundwater","dek":"Breakdown products of the fungicide chlorothalonil, used in Switzerland since the 1970s, were found in groundwater in a 2017 pilot study. The substance has been banned since 2020.","country":"Switzerland","region":"Europe","lat":47,"lon":7.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":"Swiss Plateau","role":"affected"}],"start":1970,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2017","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Swiss Plateau monitoring points where metabolite R471811 exceeds 0.1 µg/L","value":"more than 50%","note":"BAFU. Chlorothalonil was used from the 1970s and banned in 2020; more than a quarter of monitoring points nationwide are affected."},"happened":["Chlorothalonil is a fungicide that has been used in Switzerland since the 1970s. Its metabolites, including one called R471811, were found in groundwater in a pilot study in 2017, according to BAFU, the Swiss environment office.","BAFU reported that more than a quarter of monitoring points nationwide are affected. On the Swiss Plateau, R471811 exceeds 0.1 µg/L at more than 50% of monitoring points. The substance has been banned since 2020. BAFU described the metabolites as very persistent and expected them to affect groundwater for many years.","Syngenta is reported to have challenged the revocation of the approval in court; no other source confirms it."],"timeline":[{"y":1970,"t":"Use of chlorothalonil in Switzerland begins (1970s)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Metabolites found in groundwater in a pilot study"},{"y":2020,"t":"Chlorothalonil banned"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Chlorothalonil metabolites found in groundwater in a 2017 pilot study","src":0},{"t":"More than a quarter of monitoring points nationwide are affected","src":0},{"t":"On the Swiss Plateau, R471811 exceeds 0.1 µg/L at more than 50% of monitoring points","src":0},{"t":"Substance banned since 2020; metabolites very persistent and expected to affect groundwater for many years","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Monitoring points affected nationwide","v":"more than 25%","d":"Chlorothalonil metabolites in groundwater (BAFU)"},{"k":"Swiss Plateau points above 0.1 µg/L (R471811)","v":"more than 50%","d":"BAFU"},{"k":"Expected duration","v":"many years","d":"BAFU describes the metabolites as very persistent"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"BAFU, Swiss environment office, page on chlorothalonil in groundwater","report":[{"t":"My groundwater under the Swiss Plateau carries R471811, a breakdown product of a fungicide used since the 1970s, above 0.1 µg/L at more than half of the monitoring points there.","src":0},{"t":"The fungicide has been banned since 2020. Its breakdown products are very persistent, and they will affect me for many years.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: secondary reports say Syngenta's court challenge to the revocation of the approval was dismissed, but that an interim decision in 2020 temporarily removed the words “probably carcinogenic” from the state website.","Unconfirmed: that the ban was upheld in court, on a basis that was only partly read. The final ruling on the scientific basis was not checked.","Unconfirmed: a French study screening 157 transformation products reportedly measured R471811 in more than half of raw and drinking water samples."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The fungicide has been banned since 2020, but BAFU describes its metabolites as very persistent and expected to affect groundwater for many years.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: groundwater contamination by chlorothalonil metabolites continues; the court record on Syngenta's challenge is reported only in secondary summaries.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"bafu","role":"Swiss environment office reporting the monitoring results"},{"id":"syngenta","role":"Reported challenger of the revocation of approval; no other source confirms it"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"monitoring_points_affected_share","value":25,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Share of groundwater monitoring points nationwide affected by chlorothalonil metabolites (BAFU). The year of the figure is not stated."},{"key":"plateau_points_above_0_1_ug_l_share","value":50,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Swiss Plateau monitoring points where R471811 exceeds 0.1 µg/L (BAFU)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Metabolites of the fungicide chlorothalonil, including R471811, in Swiss groundwater: more than a quarter of monitoring points nationwide are affected, and more than 50% of Swiss Plateau points exceed 0.1 µg/L for R471811.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Swiss groundwater (Swiss Plateau)","what":"R471811 above 0.1 µg/L at more than half of monitoring points; metabolites very persistent","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Switzerland, with the heaviest reported contamination on the Swiss Plateau.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fungicide in use since the 1970s; metabolites found in a 2017 pilot study; ban in 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Metabolites of the fungicide, used since the 1970s, reached groundwater, where BAFU describes them as very persistent and expected to affect groundwater for many years.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Chlorothalonil in groundwater","p":"BAFU (Switzerland)","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en/chlorothalonil-in-groundwater","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261007005242/https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en/chlorothalonil-in-groundwater"},{"t":"Bundesverwaltungsgericht (BVGer): chlorothalonil-haltiges Pflanzenschutzmittel bleibt verboten","p":"ZHAW","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://www.zhaw.ch/de/lsfm/institute-zentren/ilgi/qm-und-lebensmittelrecht/news/detailansicht-news/event-news/bundesverwaltungsgericht-bvger-chlorothalonil-haltiges-pflanzenschutzmittel-bleibt-verboten","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018142804/https://www.zhaw.ch/de/lsfm/institute-zentren/ilgi/qm-und-lebensmittelrecht/news/detailansicht-news/event-news/bundesverwaltungsgericht-bvger-chlorothalonil-haltiges-pflanzenschutzmittel-bleibt-verboten"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: secondary reports say Syngenta's court challenge to the revocation of the approval was dismissed, but that an interim decision in 2020 temporarily removed the words “probably carcinogenic” from the state website.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the ban was upheld in court, on a basis that was only partly read. The final ruling on the scientific basis was not checked.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a French study screening 157 transformation products reportedly measured R471811 in more than half of raw and drinking water samples.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"diamond-shamrock-lister-ave-dioxin-passaic-river","title":"Diamond Shamrock Lister Avenue dioxin, Passaic River","dek":"Dioxin from a chemical plant in Newark, New Jersey, was discharged into the Passaic River until at least 1969. New Jersey courts later found that the plant's insurers owed no coverage for the Newark plant claims.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.72,"lon":-74.12,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","lat":40.72,"lon":-74.12,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","role":"court"}],"start":1984,"end":1993,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Insurer payments for the Newark plant claims, per the New Jersey courts","value":"None","note":"Superior Court ruling 1989; affirmed by the Appellate Division in 1992; review refused by the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1993."},"happened":["The Diamond Shamrock plant on Lister Avenue in Newark, New Jersey, discharged dioxin into the Passaic River until at least 1969. The river site became the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. The plant has been described as one where Agent Orange was produced; no source is recorded for that description.","Diamond Shamrock's insurers, Aetna Casualty & Surety together with London-market and excess carriers, refused to provide coverage for most of the cost. The company's successor, Maxus Energy, wrote in its annual report for fiscal 1994 that the insurers \"refused to provide coverage for most of Chemicals' or the Company's cost\". The insurers' stated ground, as described in later filings by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), was that Diamond expected or intended the harm and knew that the substances it discharged were harmful. The NJDEP described this as the insurers' argument, not a ruling.","In 1989 the Superior Court of New Jersey (Morris County) ruled that there was \"no insurance coverage with respect to the claims related to the Newark plant.\" The ruling was upheld on appeal: Diamond Shamrock Chems. v. Aetna, 258 N.J. Super. 167 (App. Div., 4 June 1992). The New Jersey Supreme Court refused review in 1993 (134 N.J. 481). The insurers paid nothing for the Newark claims. The insurance dispute ran from about 1984 to 1993.","In 2016 the US Environmental Protection Agency selected bank-to-bank dredging and capping for an 8.3-mile stretch of the lower Passaic River, at a stated cost of $1.38 billion and 3.5 million cubic yards of sediment. Natural resource damages were outside that decision.","In 2023 the Maxus liquidating trust settled with YPF and Repsol for $575 million (2 × $287.5 million), about 4% of a $14 billion claim. About $81 million of the settlement was allocated to natural resource restoration in New Jersey, with approval on 1 June 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":1969,"t":"Dioxin discharged into the Passaic River until at least this year; the river site later became the Diamond Alkali Superfund site"},{"y":1984,"t":"Start of the insurance coverage dispute (duration given as about 1984–1993)"},{"y":1989,"t":"Superior Court of New Jersey (Morris County): no insurance coverage for the Newark plant claims"},{"y":1992,"t":"Appellate Division upholds the ruling (4 June)"},{"y":1993,"t":"New Jersey Supreme Court refuses review"},{"y":2016,"t":"EPA selects bank-to-bank dredging and capping for 8.3 miles of the lower Passaic; $1.38 billion"},{"y":2023,"t":"Maxus liquidating trust settles with YPF and Repsol for $575 million (6 April); about $81 million for New Jersey natural resource restoration, approved 1 June"}],"said":[{"q":"refused to provide coverage for most of Chemicals' or the Company's cost","who":"Maxus Energy Corporation, annual report on Form 10-K, describing the insurers","when":"Fiscal year 1994","src":0},{"q":"no insurance coverage with respect to the claims related to the Newark plant.","who":"Superior Court of New Jersey (Morris County), as quoted in Maxus Energy's Form 10-K","when":"1989","src":0},{"q":"expected or intended the harm","who":"The insurers' argument, as described in later NJDEP filings (a party's argument, not a ruling)","when":"Later NJDEP filings; date not stated","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The company told investors that its insurers had refused to provide coverage for most of the cost, and that the 1989 ruling finding no coverage for the Newark plant claims had been upheld on appeal.","who":"Maxus Energy Corporation, Form 10-K for fiscal year 1994","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Superior Court of New Jersey (Morris County), 1989: no insurance coverage for the claims related to the Newark plant.","src":0},{"t":"Appellate Division, 4 June 1992, 258 N.J. Super. 167: ruling upheld; New Jersey Supreme Court refused review, 134 N.J. 481 (1993).","src":1},{"t":"The insurers paid nothing for the Newark claims.","src":0},{"t":"EPA, 2016: bank-to-bank dredging and capping selected for 8.3 miles of the lower Passaic; $1.38 billion; 3.5 million cubic yards; natural resource damages outside the decision.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Insurer payments for the Newark claims","v":"None","d":"Superior Court 1989; Appellate Division 1992; review refused 1993"},{"k":"EPA-selected remedy, lower Passaic","v":"$1.38 billion","d":"2016; bank-to-bank dredging and capping, 8.3 miles; natural resource damages outside the decision"},{"k":"Dioxin discharge","v":"Until at least 1969","d":"The sources give no discharge quantities"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Dioxin discharge to the river until at least 1969; designation of the river site as the Diamond Alkali Superfund site; an EPA remedy for the lower river selected in 2016.","report":[{"t":"Dioxin from the Lister Avenue plant in Newark was discharged into me until at least 1969.","src":0},{"t":"The site in my river became the Diamond Alkali Superfund site.","src":2},{"t":"In 2016 the EPA selected dredging and capping for 8.3 miles of my lower stretch, and left the damage to my natural resources outside that decision.","src":2}]},"unknown":["The exact wording of the New Jersey Appellate Division's holding on knowledge in the 1992 opinion is unconfirmed; the holding is known only from a vLex case-law listing.","Unconfirmed: a 2013 NJDEP release says the Appellate Division found that Diamond \"intentionally dumped hazardous pollutants into the Passaic River for decades\". This comes from a secondary report.","Unconfirmed: the responsible parties are said to have proposed targeted dredging plus natural recovery for the lower Passaic instead of the remedy EPA selected.","The insurers' ground for refusal, that Diamond expected or intended the harm and knew the substances were harmful, is known only from NJDEP's later filings, which present it as the insurers' argument."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Dioxin discharge to the river is recorded until at least 1969; the sources do not state when it ended.","whoPaid":"The sources record that the insurers paid nothing for the Newark plant claims; who paid for the 2016 river remedy is not stated in them.","statusLine":"As of 2023: New Jersey courts held there was no insurance coverage for the Newark plant claims (1989, 1992, 1993); EPA selected a lower Passaic remedy in 2016; the Maxus liquidating trust settled with YPF and Repsol in 2023.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Maxus Energy Corporation (successor to Diamond Shamrock)","says":"Reported in its fiscal 1994 annual report that the insurers refused to provide coverage for most of the cost, and that the 1989 no-coverage ruling had been upheld on appeal.","when":"Fiscal year 1994","src":0},{"actor":"Aetna Casualty & Surety and London-market insurers","says":"Argued that Diamond expected or intended the harm and knew the substances it discharged were harmful (as described in later NJDEP filings; the insurers' own statement was not seen).","when":"Not stated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"diamond-shamrock","role":"Operator of the Lister Avenue plant; insured"},{"id":"maxus","role":"Successor to Diamond Shamrock; filer of the Form 10-K"},{"id":"aetna","role":"Insurer that refused coverage"},{"id":"njdep","role":"State environmental regulator"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Selected the 2016 lower Passaic remedy"},{"id":"ypf","role":"Settled with the Maxus liquidating trust (2023)"},{"id":"repsol","role":"Settled with the Maxus liquidating trust (2023)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was insurance coverage owed for the Newark plant claims?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Diamond Shamrock / Maxus Energy (insured)","says":"Reported that its insurers \"refused to provide coverage for most of Chemicals' or the Company's cost\".","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Aetna Casualty & Surety and London-market insurers","says":"Argued that Diamond \"expected or intended the harm\" and knew the substances it discharged were harmful (as characterised in NJDEP filings; a party's argument).","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Superior Court of New Jersey (Morris County); Appellate Division","says":"1989: no insurance coverage for the claims related to the Newark plant; upheld on appeal on 4 June 1992; New Jersey Supreme Court refused review in 1993.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Diamond Shamrock Chemicals v. Aetna Casualty & Surety (coverage, trial court)","forum":"Superior Court of New Jersey (Morris County)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. (insured)","defendant":"Aetna Casualty & Surety and London-market and excess insurers","filed":null,"decided":"1989","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court ruled that there was no insurance coverage for the claims related to the Newark plant.","src":0},{"title":"Diamond Shamrock Chems. v. Aetna, 258 N.J. Super. 167 (coverage, appeal)","forum":"Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. (insured)","defendant":"Aetna Casualty & Surety and other insurers","filed":null,"decided":"1992-06-04","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Appellate Division upheld the 1989 ruling. The exact wording of any holding on knowledge is unconfirmed.","src":1},{"title":"Diamond Shamrock Chems. v. Aetna, 134 N.J. 481 (petition for review)","forum":"Supreme Court of New Jersey","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. (insured)","defendant":"Aetna Casualty & Surety and other insurers","filed":null,"decided":"1993","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The New Jersey Supreme Court refused review. The insurers paid nothing for the Newark claims.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Aetna Casualty & Surety; London-market insurers; excess carriers","insured":"Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. (later Maxus Energy)","status":"refused","year":1989,"reason":"Argued that Diamond expected or intended the harm and knew the substances it discharged were harmful (as described in NJDEP filings).","summary":"The insurers refused to provide coverage for most of the cost. The Superior Court found in 1989 that there was no coverage for the Newark plant claims; the ruling was upheld in 1992 and review was refused in 1993. The insurers paid nothing for the Newark claims.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurance_paid","value":0,"unit":"USD m","year":1993,"note":"Insurers paid nothing for the Newark plant claims after the 1989 ruling, upheld in 1992 and 1993."},{"key":"remedy_cost_selected","value":1380,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Cost of the remedy EPA selected for 8.3 miles of the lower Passaic; selected cost, not spent."},{"key":"river_miles","value":8.3,"unit":"miles","year":2016,"note":"Length of the lower Passaic stretch covered by the EPA-selected remedy."},{"key":"sediment_volume_cubic_yards","value":3500000,"unit":"cubic yards","year":2016,"note":"Sediment volume in the EPA-selected remedy."},{"key":"claim","value":14000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Claim against YPF and Repsol by the Maxus liquidating trust, as stated in the sources."},{"key":"settlement","value":575,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Maxus liquidating trust settlement with YPF and Repsol, 2 × $287.5 million (6 April 2023); about 4% of the claim."},{"key":"natural_resource_restoration_allocated","value":81,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the settlement allocated to natural resource restoration in New Jersey; approved 1 June 2023."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dioxin was discharged from the Diamond Shamrock Lister Avenue plant in Newark into the Passaic River. The plant's insurers refused coverage for most of the cost, and New Jersey courts held there was no coverage for the Newark plant claims. The plant has been described as an Agent Orange production site (source not recorded).","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The insurers (Aetna Casualty & Surety, London-market and excess carriers)","what":"Paid nothing for the Newark plant claims after the courts found no coverage.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Diamond Shamrock / Maxus Energy","what":"Did not receive insurance coverage for most of the cost, per the company's annual report.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Passaic River","what":"Dioxin was discharged into it until at least 1969; the river site became the Diamond Alkali Superfund site.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Newark, New Jersey (Lister Avenue plant) and the Passaic River; insurance rulings by New Jersey courts.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Dioxin discharge until at least 1969; insurance dispute about 1984–1993 (trial ruling 1989, appeal 4 June 1992, review refused 1993); EPA lower Passaic remedy 2016; Maxus settlement 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The insurers' stated ground was that Diamond expected or intended the harm and knew the substances it discharged were harmful, as described in NJDEP filings; the courts' reasoning could not be confirmed.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The sources do not describe how the dioxin reached the river beyond the statement that it was discharged from the plant.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Maxus Energy Corporation, Form 10-K for fiscal year 1994","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR)","d":"FY1994","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000724176/000095013195000687/0000950131-95-000687.txt"},{"t":"Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Co. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. (case-law listing; opinion of 4 June 1992 not read in full)","p":"vLex","d":"1992-06-04","type":"court","u":"https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/diamond-shamrock-chemicals-co-888906975","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250419042441/https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/diamond-shamrock-chemicals-co-888906975"},{"t":"Record of Decision, Lower 8.3 Miles of the Lower Passaic River, Diamond Alkali Superfund Site","p":"U.S. Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2016-03","u":"https://semspub.epa.gov/work/02/630399.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was insurance coverage owed for the Newark plant claims?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The exact wording of the New Jersey Appellate Division's holding on knowledge in the 1992 opinion is unconfirmed; the holding is known only from a vLex case-law listing.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2013 NJDEP release says the Appellate Division found that Diamond \"intentionally dumped hazardous pollutants into the Passaic River for decades\". This comes from a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the responsible parties are said to have proposed targeted dredging plus natural recovery for the lower Passaic instead of the remedy EPA selected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The insurers' ground for refusal, that Diamond expected or intended the harm and knew the substances were harmful, is known only from NJDEP's later filings, which present it as the insurers' argument.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: The Passaic River"]},{"id":"belo-monte-hydrograph-volta-grande-flow-reduction","title":"Belo Monte hydrograph and Volta Grande flow reduction","dek":"Federal prosecutors in Brazil reported that the flow schedule for the Volta Grande reach of the Xingu River below the Belo Monte dam had failed, and a court ordered it revised in December 2025. Reports cite fish deaths at the turbine intakes and the loss of fish species in the reduced-flow reach.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-3.13,"lon":-51.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-3.13,"lon":-51.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"affected"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Fish reported killed at the turbine intakes, 2015–2019","value":"More than 85,000","note":"About 30 tonnes, according to federal prosecutors as reported by Mongabay (8 June 2023)."},"happened":["Belo Monte is a hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River in Brazil, operated by Norte Energia. The sources describe a reduction of flow in the river's Volta Grande section and a flow schedule for it, known as a hydrograph. A \"consensus hydrograph\" for Belo Monte was documented in court as unworkable.","According to the federal prosecutors' office (MPF), the Belo Monte hydrograph failed, and about 75% of the water went to the power plant in January 2023. A court ordered the flow plan to be reorganised in December 2025. The sources say the company appealed.","According to federal prosecutors, as reported by Mongabay, more than 85,000 fish, about 30 tonnes, died at the turbine intakes between 2015 and 2019. As flow in the Volta Grande fell, fruit-eating fish disappeared first and then carnivorous fish. A fisher identified as \"Mambira\" said that fishers were spending more on working than they earned. In the reduced-flow reach the sources also report fish deaths and drying of forest.","Norte Energia said the effects were smaller than predicted. The settlement area set aside for riverside communities was reduced from 32,000 hectares to 9,000 hectares. Mongabay's summary lists about 6,000 fishers alongside the fish-kill figure."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Start of the 2015–2019 period in which, per federal prosecutors, more than 85,000 fish died at the turbine intakes"},{"y":2023,"t":"January: about 75% of the water goes to the power plant (MPF); 8 June: Mongabay reports fishers' accounts"},{"y":2025,"t":"November–December: MPF presents data on the hydrograph's failure; a court orders the flow plan reorganised; the company appeals"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The effects of the dam were smaller than predicted.","who":"Norte Energia, as reported by Mongabay (paraphrase; the English wording was not seen)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 85,000 fish, about 30 tonnes, died at the turbine intakes between 2015 and 2019, according to federal prosecutors.","src":1},{"t":"In the Volta Grande, as flow fell, fruit-eating fish disappeared first and then carnivorous fish.","src":1},{"t":"About 75% of the water went to the power plant in January 2023; a court ordered the flow plan reorganised in December 2025.","src":0},{"t":"The settlement area for riverside communities was reduced from 32,000 hectares to 9,000 hectares.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fish killed at turbine intakes","v":"More than 85,000","d":"About 30 tonnes, 2015–2019, according to federal prosecutors (via Mongabay)"},{"k":"Share of the water sent to the power plant","v":"About 75%","d":"January 2023, according to the federal prosecutors' office"},{"k":"Court order","v":"Hydrograph revision","d":"December 2025; the company appealed"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Federal prosecutors' fish-kill count at the turbine intakes; their report that the flow schedule failed; fishers' accounts of species disappearing from the reduced-flow reach.","report":[{"t":"Between 2015 and 2019, more than 85,000 of my fish, about 30 tonnes, died at the turbine intakes, according to federal prosecutors.","src":1},{"t":"As my flow fell in the Volta Grande, first the fruit-eating fish and then the carnivorous fish disappeared.","src":1},{"t":"In January 2023 about 75% of my water went to the power plant, according to the federal prosecutors' office.","src":0},{"t":"In the reach where my flow was reduced, fish died and forest dried, the sources report.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the number of people displaced is given as 16,000 by the government and as 20,000 to 50,000 by critics (America Magazine, 15 July 2019).","Unconfirmed: construction contractors in the Belo Monte tender were reported to have made cartel settlements, and confessions were reported that 1% of the contract value went to ruling parties (IHU Unisinos, 18 November 2016).","Unconfirmed: IBAMA's technical staff reportedly recommended in November 2010 against a partial installation licence before the conditions of the preliminary licence were met, yet clearing of 238 hectares was permitted; Minister Izabella Teixeira said IBAMA had not issued a negative opinion (Amazon Watch, 16 November 2010)."],"evidence":["court-pending","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The sources do not record that the flow reduction or the fish losses have stopped; a court ordered the flow plan revised in December 2025 and the company appealed.","whoPaid":"Reports place the losses on fishers in the Volta Grande and on riverside communities whose settlement area was reduced; the operator said the effects were smaller than predicted.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: a court ordered the Belo Monte flow plan reorganised; the company appealed; no ruling on the appeal found.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"Norte Energia","says":"Said the effects were smaller than predicted (paraphrase as reported by Mongabay).","when":"June 2023","src":1},{"actor":"Norte Energia","says":"Appealed the court order to revise the hydrograph (the sources say \"the company\" appealed).","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF)","says":"Reported that the Belo Monte hydrograph failed and that about 75% of the water went to the power plant in January 2023.","when":"November–December 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"norte-energia","role":"Operator of the Belo Monte dam"},{"id":"mpf","role":"Federal prosecutors; reported the hydrograph failure and the fish-kill count"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How large were the dam's effects on the river and its fish?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","says":"More than 85,000 fish, about 30 tonnes, died at the turbine intakes in 2015–2019; the hydrograph failed; about 75% of the water went to the power plant in January 2023.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Fishers confirmed scientists' warning about the river; fruit-eating and then carnivorous fish disappeared from the Volta Grande.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Norte Energia","says":"The effects were smaller than predicted (paraphrase as reported by Mongabay).","src":1}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Does the Belo Monte \"consensus hydrograph\" work?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal prosecutors (MPF)","says":"The hydrograph failed.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Brazilian court (not identified in the sources)","says":"Ordered the flow plan reorganised in December 2025 after the consensus hydrograph was documented as unworkable.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Norte Energia","says":"Appealed the order (the sources say \"the company\" appealed).","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Order to revise the Belo Monte hydrograph","forum":"Brazilian court (not identified in the sources)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not stated; the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF) published the data on the hydrograph's failure","defendant":"Norte Energia (operator; the sources say \"the company\" appealed)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-12","status":"ongoing","summary":"The court ordered the flow plan to be reorganised in December 2025; the company appealed. The \"consensus hydrograph\" was documented in court as unworkable.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fish_killed","value":85000,"unit":"fish","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Fish that died at turbine intakes, 2015–2019, according to federal prosecutors (via Mongabay)."},{"key":"fish_killed_tonnes","value":30,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Weight of the fish counted above, 2015–2019."},{"key":"water_to_powerhouse_percent","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the water sent to the power plant in January 2023, according to the federal prosecutors' office."},{"key":"resettlement_area_ha","value":9000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Settlement area for riverside communities after reduction from 32,000 ha, per Mongabay."},{"key":"fishers_affected","value":6000,"unit":"fishers","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Listed in the Mongabay-based summary alongside the fish-kill figure; the sources do not define how the figure was counted."},{"key":"displaced","value":16000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"unverified":true,"note":"Government figure for people displaced; critics give 20,000 to 50,000. Reported but not independently verified."},{"key":"displaced","value":20000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"qualifier":"at least (critics' range 20,000 to 50,000)","unverified":true,"note":"Critics' figure for people displaced. Reported but not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Federal prosecutors reported that the Belo Monte flow schedule (hydrograph) failed, with about 75% of the water going to the power plant in January 2023 and more than 85,000 fish dying at the turbine intakes in 2015–2019. A court ordered the flow plan reorganised in December 2025; the company appealed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Norte Energia (operator)","what":"Operates the power plant to which about 75% of the water went in January 2023.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Fishers of the Volta Grande","what":"Fish species disappeared from the reduced-flow reach; a fisher said they were spending more on working than they earned; about 6,000 fishers are listed.","src":1},{"who":"Riverside communities","what":"The settlement area set aside for them was reduced from 32,000 hectares to 9,000 hectares.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish of the Xingu River","what":"More than 85,000 fish, about 30 tonnes, died at the turbine intakes in 2015–2019; fruit-eating and then carnivorous fish disappeared from the Volta Grande.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Xingu River, Brazil, at the Belo Monte dam and the Volta Grande reach below it.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Fish deaths 2015–2019; about 75% of water to the power plant in January 2023; Mongabay report 8 June 2023; court order December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources do not set out the operator's reasons for the flow schedule; Norte Energia said the effects were smaller than predicted.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Water was diverted to the power plant (about 75% in January 2023), reducing flow in the Volta Grande; fish died at the turbine intakes.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"COP30: MPF details the failure of the Belo Monte hydrograph and presents data on the collapse of the Xingu River (title translated from the URL)","p":"Ministério Público Federal (MPF), Pará","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/cop30-mpf-detalha-falha-do-hidrograma-de-belo-monte-e-apresenta-dados-que-comprovam-colapso-do-rio-xingu-pa","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606111110/https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/cop30-mpf-detalha-falha-do-hidrograma-de-belo-monte-e-apresenta-dados-que-comprovam-colapso-do-rio-xingu-pa"},{"t":"Fishers confirm scientists' warning that Brazil's Belo Monte dam killed off the river (title from the URL)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-06-08","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/fishers-confirm-scientists-warning-brazils-belo-monte-dam-killed-off-the-river/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260819032048/https://news.mongabay.com/2023/06/fishers-confirm-scientists-warning-brazils-belo-monte-dam-killed-off-the-river/"},{"t":"The struggles of families uprooted by Brazil's Belo Monte reveal the dam's dark side (title from the URL)","p":"America Magazine","d":"2019-07-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/07/15/struggles-families-uprooted-brazils-belo-monte-reveal-dams-dark-side/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250123051306/https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/07/15/struggles-families-uprooted-brazils-belo-monte-reveal-dams-dark-side"},{"t":"Belo Monte cartel may yield billion-dollar fines to contractors (title translated from the URL)","p":"IHU Unisinos","d":"2016-11-18","type":"press","u":"https://ihu.unisinos.br/categorias/185-noticias-2016/562438-belo-monte-cartel-pode-render-multas-bilionarias-a-empreiteiras","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251008002839/https://www.ihu.unisinos.br/categorias/185-noticias-2016/562438-belo-monte-cartel-pode-render-multas-bilionarias-a-empreiteiras"},{"t":"Construction of the Belo Monte dam could be delayed (title from the URL)","p":"Amazon Watch","d":"2010-11-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://amazonwatch.org/news/2010/1116-construction-of-the-belo-monte-dam-could-be-delayed","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308071544/https://amazonwatch.org/news/2010/1116-construction-of-the-belo-monte-dam-could-be-delayed"}],"episodes":[],"related":["belo-monte-dam"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How large were the dam's effects on the river and its fish?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the Belo Monte \"consensus hydrograph\" work?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"People displaced: Government figure for people displaced; critics give 20,000 to 50,000. Reported but not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"People displaced: Critics' figure for people displaced. Reported but not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the number of people displaced is given as 16,000 by the government and as 20,000 to 50,000 by critics (America Magazine, 15 July 2019).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: construction contractors in the Belo Monte tender were reported to have made cartel settlements, and confessions were reported that 1% of the contract value went to ruling parties (IHU Unisinos, 18 November 2016).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IBAMA's technical staff reportedly recommended in November 2010 against a partial installation licence before the conditions of the preliminary licence were met, yet clearing of 238 hectares was permitted; Minister Izabella Teixeira said IBAMA had not issued a negative opinion (Amazon Watch, 16 November 2010).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"jakarta-evictions-ciliwung-normalisation-and-giant-sea-wall","title":"Jakarta evictions, Ciliwung normalisation and the Giant Sea Wall","dek":"Civil-society counts record 113 forced evictions in Jakarta in 2015, and residents evicted under the Ciliwung normalisation programme later won a court ruling. In 2025 the Indonesian president approved a US$80 billion sea wall along Java's north coast.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-6.2,"lon":106.82,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jakarta","lat":-6.2,"lon":106.82,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-06","instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","water"],"headline":{"label":"Forced evictions in Jakarta in 2015, as counted by LBH Jakarta","value":"113 evictions, 8,145 household heads","note":"Civil-society count, not an official one. LBH also counted 6,283 businesses, and said 72 of the locations were not offered public housing."},"happened":["In 2015 the legal aid group LBH Jakarta counted 113 forced evictions in the city under Ahok, affecting 8,145 household heads and 6,283 businesses. At 72 of the locations residents were not offered public housing. Eviction counts in Indonesia come from civil-society groups such as LBH Jakarta rather than from an official body.","In Kampung Pulo, evicted in August 2015, Liputan6 reported that no compensation was paid because the land was treated as state property. 518 of 927 households received public housing, with rent of 300,000 rupiah a month. The headline of the same report quotes a minister, Ferry, saying Ahok had not been wrong to evict residents.","Residents of Bukit Duri, whose homes were demolished in the name of Ciliwung normalisation, won the first stage of their case in an administrative court in January 2017, according to Mongabay Indonesia. In October 2017 the Jakarta Post reported that the Bukit Duri evictees were entitled to Rp 18.6 billion in compensation.","Kampung Akuarium was evicted in 2016 for a sea wall and a maritime tourism plan. Tempo reported in 2017 that residents and the city government had not reached a deal. After a change in the political administration the kampung was re-established as a pilot for a kampung improvement programme.","The Giant Sea Wall plan included 17 artificial islands in the bay; a fishers' association said works in the bay affected at least 25,000 fishers. The Indonesia Business Post reported that on 12 June 2025 President Prabowo approved a US$80 billion, 500 km sea wall along Java's north coast, with the Jakarta Bay section costing US$8 to US$10 billion, shared equally between the city and the central government."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Giant Sea Wall and 17-island plan under discussion; fishers' association later says at least 25,000 fishers affected"},{"y":2015,"t":"LBH Jakarta counts 113 forced evictions; Kampung Pulo evicted in August, with no compensation because the land was treated as state property"},{"y":2016,"t":"Kampung Akuarium evicted for a sea wall and maritime tourism plan"},{"y":2017,"t":"January: Bukit Duri residents win the first stage in an administrative court. October: Jakarta Post reports Bukit Duri evictees entitled to Rp 18.6bn"},{"y":2025,"t":"12 June: President Prabowo approves a US$80bn, 500 km Giant Sea Wall"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Ahok was not wrong to evict Kampung Pulo residents (headline).","who":"Minister Ferry, as reported by Liputan6","src":1},{"t":"The Giant Sea Wall was reported as approved to protect Java's northern coast.","who":"Indonesia Business Post (headline)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"LBH Jakarta counted 113 forced evictions in 2015, affecting 8,145 household heads and 6,283 businesses; 72 locations had no public housing offered.","src":0},{"t":"In Kampung Pulo no compensation was paid because the land was treated as state property; 518 of 927 households received public housing at 300,000 rupiah a month.","src":1},{"t":"Bukit Duri residents won the first stage in an administrative court (January 2017).","src":2},{"t":"Jakarta Post reported Bukit Duri evictees entitled to Rp 18.6bn in compensation (October 2017).","src":3},{"t":"A fishers' association said works in the bay affected at least 25,000 fishers.","src":5},{"t":"The sea wall approved in June 2025: US$80bn, 500 km; Jakarta Bay section US$8–10bn, split equally between the city and central government.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ground in north Jakarta","v":"Sinking","d":"Attributed to groundwater extraction; the piped network does not reach everyone"},{"k":"Fishing in the bay","v":"At least 25,000 fishers affected","d":"Per a fishers' association, on the sea wall and island works (PreventionWeb)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Secondary summary on groundwater extraction in north Jakarta; no linked source.","report":[{"t":"The ground of north Jakarta is sinking because groundwater is drawn out of me.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Eviction counts for Jakarta come from civil-society tallies (LBH Jakarta); no official count appears in the sources.","Bukit Duri: the sources do not state whether the Rp 18.6bn was paid, or which authority was the defendant.","Kampung Akuarium: Tempo reported in 2017 that no deal had been reached; the terms of the later re-establishment are not stated."],"evidence":["displacement","court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The sea wall was approved in June 2025; the sources record no ecological evaluation.","whoPaid":"The evicted households bore the loss of their homes: no compensation in Kampung Pulo, rent of 300,000 rupiah a month for those rehoused. The Jakarta Bay section of the sea wall is to be paid equally by the city and the central government.","statusLine":"As of June 2025: President Prabowo approved the US$80bn Giant Sea Wall; the last court outcome in the cited sources is the October 2017 Bukit Duri compensation report.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"indonesian-government","says":"Minister Ferry was reported saying that Ahok had not been wrong to evict Kampung Pulo residents (headline).","when":"2015-08","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"dki-jakarta-government","role":"City government carrying out evictions and the Ciliwung normalisation programme"},{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Central government; approved the Giant Sea Wall in 2025"},{"id":"lbh-jakarta","role":"Legal aid NGO that counted forced evictions"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the evictions lawful and compensated?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"LBH Jakarta","says":"113 forced evictions in 2015, with no public housing offered at 72 of the locations.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Minister Ferry","says":"Ahok was not wrong to evict Kampung Pulo residents (headline).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Liputan6","says":"No compensation was paid in Kampung Pulo because the land was treated as state property.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Administrative court","says":"Bukit Duri residents won the first stage (January 2017); the Jakarta Post reported in October 2017 that they were entitled to Rp 18.6bn.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bukit Duri residents v the authorities over Ciliwung normalisation evictions","forum":"Administrative court (location not stated in the sources)","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Bukit Duri residents","defendant":"Not named in the sources","filed":null,"decided":"2017","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":18600000000,"currency":"IDR","label":"Compensation reported (Rp 18.6 billion)"},"summary":"Mongabay Indonesia reported in January 2017 that residents whose homes were demolished in the name of Ciliwung normalisation won the first stage in an administrative court. The Jakarta Post reported in October 2017 that the evictees were entitled to Rp 18.6 billion in compensation.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forced_evictions","value":113,"unit":"evictions","year":2015,"note":"LBH Jakarta count, as reported by Republika."},{"key":"displaced","value":8145,"unit":"household heads","year":2015,"note":"LBH Jakarta count."},{"key":"businesses_evicted","value":6283,"unit":"businesses","year":2015,"note":"LBH Jakarta count."},{"key":"locations_without_housing","value":72,"unit":"locations","year":2015,"note":"Locations where public housing was not provided, of 113 evictions."},{"key":"households_rehoused","value":518,"unit":"households","year":2015,"note":"Kampung Pulo: 518 of 927 households received public housing."},{"key":"rent_monthly","value":300000,"unit":"IDR","year":2015,"note":"Monthly rent in public housing, Kampung Pulo."},{"key":"compensation","value":18600,"unit":"IDR m","year":2017,"note":"Rp 18.6 billion reported for Bukit Duri evictees."},{"key":"people_affected","value":25000,"unit":"fishers","year":2014,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Per a fishers' association, on Giant Sea Wall and island works in the bay."},{"key":"project_cost","value":80000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Giant Sea Wall approved June 2025."},{"key":"sea_wall_km","value":500,"unit":"km","year":2025,"note":"Length of the planned sea wall along Java's north coast."},{"key":"project_cost","value":10000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Jakarta Bay section, US$8–10bn, split equally between the city and central government."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forced evictions in Jakarta, including under the Ciliwung normalisation programme, and a Giant Sea Wall plan; residents of Bukit Duri won a court ruling.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Evicted residents","what":"113 evictions in 2015 affecting 8,145 household heads; no public housing at 72 locations","src":0},{"who":"Kampung Pulo households","what":"No compensation because the land was treated as state property; rent of 300,000 rupiah a month for the 518 rehoused","src":1},{"who":"Fishers in Jakarta Bay","what":"At least 25,000 affected by works in the bay, per a fishers' association","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"North Jakarta ground","what":"Sinking attributed to groundwater extraction","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Jakarta, Indonesia; Jakarta Bay and Java's north coast.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Evictions in 2015–2016, court reports in 2017, sea wall approval on 12 June 2025.","src":6},"why":{"t":"Evictions were carried out in the name of Ciliwung normalisation and, in Kampung Akuarium, for a sea wall and a maritime tourism plan.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Evictions of kampung residents, with compensation tied to land status; a Giant Sea Wall and 17-island plan for the bay, approved in 2025 at US$80bn, with the Jakarta Bay section shared equally by the city and the central government.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"LBH: Ada 113 Penggusuran Paksa di Bawah Ahok pada 2015","p":"Republika","d":"2016-05","type":"press","u":"https://news.republika.co.id/berita/o7ol35377/lbh-ada-113-penggusuran-paksa-di-bawah-ahok-pada-2015"},{"t":"Menteri Ferry: Ahok Tak Salah Gusur Warga di Kampung Pulo","p":"Liputan6","d":"2015-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.liputan6.com/news/read/2299337/menteri-ferry-ahok-tak-salah-gusur-warga-di-kampung-pulo"},{"t":"Kemenangan Awal Warga Bukit Duri yang Tergusur atas Nama Normalisasi Ciliwung","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2017-01-10","type":"press","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2017/01/10/kemenangan-awal-warga-bukit-duri-yang-tergusur-atas-nama-normalisasi-ciliwung/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312165853/https://mongabay.co.id/2017/01/10/kemenangan-awal-warga-bukit-duri-yang-tergusur-atas-nama-normalisasi-ciliwung/"},{"t":"Bukit Duri evictees entitled to Rp 18.6 billion in compensation","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2017-10-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/10/26/bukit-duri-evictees-entitled-to-rp-18-6-billion-in-compensation"},{"t":"No Deal Reached between Kampung Akuarium Residents, Jakarta Govt","p":"Tempo","d":"2017","type":"press","u":"https://en.tempo.co/amp/872486/no-deal-reached-between-kampung-akuarium-residents-jakarta-govt"},{"t":"In flood-prone Jakarta, will \"Giant Sea Wall\" plan sink or swim?","p":"PreventionWeb","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.preventionweb.net/news/flood-prone-jakarta-will-giant-sea-wall-plan-sink-or-swim"},{"t":"President Prabowo greenlights US$80 B Giant Sea Wall to protect northern Java coast","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2025-06-13","type":"press","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/4502/national-resilience/president-prabowo-greenlights-us-80-b-giant-sea-wall-to-protect-northern-java-coast","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260213154009/https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/4502/national-resilience/president-prabowo-greenlights-us-80-b-giant-sea-wall-to-protect-northern-java-coast"},{"t":"Jakarta sinking fast: Experts","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2018-12-05","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/12/05/jakarta-sinking-fast-experts-subsidence","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"flood-control","related":["jakarta-forced-evictions-2015"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the evictions lawful and compensated?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Eviction counts for Jakarta come from civil-society tallies (LBH Jakarta); no official count appears in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Bukit Duri: the sources do not state whether the Rp 18.6bn was paid, or which authority was the defendant.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Kampung Akuarium: Tempo reported in 2017 that no deal had been reached; the terms of the later re-establishment are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: North Jakarta ground"]},{"id":"world-bank-and-development-bank-accountability-mechanism-cas","title":"World Bank and development bank accountability mechanisms: Embobut (Sengwer), Tata Mundra, Arun III, Jale, Cambodia","dek":"Development banks run complaint bodies for people harmed by projects they finance. This record follows five matters, with the most complete account for the 2014 World Bank Inspection Panel finding on the Embobut forest in Kenya and the 2018 killing of a Sengwer herder in an EU-funded forest programme.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":0.9,"lon":35.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Embobut forest, Cherangany Hills","lat":0.9,"lon":35.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Mundra, Gujarat","role":"affected"},{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","role":"affected"},{"country":"Albania","iso2":"AL","admin":"Jale","role":"affected"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Phnom Penh (Boeung Kak)","role":"affected"}],"start":2007,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Complaints to 16 accountability mechanisms that ended in an identifiable commitment","value":"15%","note":"2,270 complaints filed up to 2022 (Accountability Counsel, November 2025). 10% ended with at least one commitment fully implemented."},"happened":["Development banks run independent bodies that take complaints from people harmed by projects the banks finance: the World Bank Inspection Panel (set up in 1993), the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) for the World Bank's private-sector arms IFC and MIGA, and similar bodies at Asian and African development banks. The banks present these as high standards and independent oversight.","In Kenya, about 7,000 Sengwer were evicted from the Embobut forest in January 2014. In May 2014 the Inspection Panel found that the risk of eviction had been foreseeable but not identified in the forest project the Bank approved in 2007, and that safeguards had not been properly applied. The Bank's president welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions. The cited sources give no compensation.","In June 2016 the EU began a €31 million programme with the Kenyan government to protect the 'water tower' forests of the Cherangany Hills and Mount Elgon. On 16 January 2018 Kenya Forest Service guards shot dead Robert Kirotich, a 41-year-old Sengwer herder, in the Embobut forest during an eviction raid. The EU suspended the programme the next day and closed it in 2020. The cited sources give no prosecution.","In April and May 2024 the Kenya Forest Service ran a 170-officer operation, 'Imarisha Msitu', in Embobut. The ministry said more than 600 families were removed. The Kenya Forest Service said it had paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013 and that the Sengwer had returned in breach of a court order; the community said it had not received the payment.","At Tata Mundra, India, the IFC's CAO found non-compliance and the cited sources give no remedy step by IFC. In Cambodia the Inspection Panel found that a $24 million land-titling project, financed by the Bank, excluded Boeung Kak residents from registration and contributed to the eviction of about 4,250 families; the Bank froze new lending to Cambodia in 2011. The CAO acknowledged a 'remedy gap' in April 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"World Bank approves the Natural Resource Management Project in Kenya"},{"y":2011,"t":"World Bank freezes new lending to Cambodia after the Inspection Panel's Boeung Kak finding"},{"y":2014,"t":"January: about 7,000 Sengwer evicted from Embobut forest. 22 May: Inspection Panel report on the Kenya project"},{"y":2016,"t":"June: EU launches €31 million WaTER programme with the Kenyan government"},{"y":2018,"t":"16 January: Robert Kirotich shot dead by Kenya Forest Service guards; 17 January: EU suspends the programme"},{"y":2020,"t":"A Kenyan court dismisses the Sengwer case; EU closes the programme; 28 Sengwer homes burned in July"},{"y":2021,"t":"Court of Appeal reportedly orders that people living in the forest that day not be evicted"},{"y":2023,"t":"10 April: CAO advisory note acknowledges a 'remedy gap'; February: IFC draft remedy approach criticised for not covering past harms"},{"y":2024,"t":"April–May: Kenya Forest Service operation 'Imarisha Msitu' in Embobut"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Development banks emphasise 'highest standards' and independent oversight of their projects.","who":"Development banks","src":null},{"t":"The Kenyan government has described the evictions as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","who":"Government of Kenya","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Inspection Panel found in 2014 that the risk of eviction had been foreseeable but not identified in the Kenya forest project and that safeguards were not properly applied.","src":0},{"t":"Robert Kirotich, 41, was shot dead in the Embobut forest by Kenya Forest Service guards on 16 January 2018; reports say about 40 guards took part.","src":1},{"t":"The EU suspended the €31 million programme on 17 January 2018 and closed it in 2020, citing the 'lapsing of a contractual deadline'.","src":2},{"t":"Accountability Counsel's November 2025 study of 2,270 complaints to 16 mechanisms found that 15% ended in an identifiable commitment and 10% in at least one commitment fully implemented; retaliation against complainants was widespread.","src":7},{"t":"The CAO acknowledged in April 2023 a 'remedy gap': many people remained without remedy even where non-compliance was found.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2016–2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"EU WaTER programme (Kenya), suspended 2018, closed 2020","amount":31}],"otherTotal":{"amount":31,"note":"Programme value as reported; the cited sources give no breakdown of what was spent."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"EU programme to protect the water-tower forests","v":"Closed in 2020","d":"€31 million programme launched June 2016; suspended 17 January 2018"},{"k":"Eviction operation in Embobut forest","v":"600+ families","d":"Ministry figure for April–May 2024; Minority Rights Group counts more than 800 houses and 2,800 families"}]},"unknown":["Whether anyone has been prosecuted for the killing of Robert Kirotich: no prosecution found.","Compensation to the Sengwer after the 2014 Inspection Panel finding: no record found.","Unconfirmed: that about 70% of the Sengwer evicted in 2014 returned to the forest.","Unconfirmed: that a Nature Conservancy water fund overlapping Embobut allocated KSh 5 million to the Sengwer and KSh 15 million to the Ogiek and Cherangani (August 2023).","Unconfirmed: that the US Supreme Court removed absolute immunity of international organisations in 2019 in the Tata Mundra fishermen's case (Jam v. IFC), that the case was later dismissed for lack of US commercial activity, and that the last application was rejected in 2022.","Unconfirmed: that the World Bank withdrew its financing from the Arun III dam in Nepal in 1995.","Unconfirmed: that after demolitions in Jale, Albania, a coastal project was suspended in 2009, with remedy for nine families designed as legal aid rather than direct payment (nine families, fifteen buildings).","Unconfirmed: that the Asian Development Bank's compliance review of its Cambodia railway project found inadequate compensation in 2014, while management said more than 90% of households received some compensation.","Unconfirmed: that the Inspection Panel had received 120 requests, registered 90 and investigated 34 by September 2017, and that a 2016 report counted 758 complaints to 11 mechanisms in 21 years.","The outcome of the Sengwer's 2018 petition: the cited sources list it among ongoing matters."],"evidence":["court-pending","displacement","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The EU suspended its programme the day after the shooting and closed it in 2020. Evictions continued in 2024.","whoPaid":"Sengwer families bore the evictions: about 7,000 people in 2014 and more than 600 families in 2024 by the ministry's count. The cited sources give no compensation after the Panel finding.","statusLine":"As of April–May 2024 (latest dated event): the Kenya Forest Service carried out a new eviction operation in Embobut; no prosecution for the 2018 killing is recorded; the Sengwer petition is listed as ongoing.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"World Bank (president)","says":"Welcomed the Inspection Panel's finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions. The cited sources give no compensation.","when":"2014","src":0},{"actor":"European Union","says":"Suspended the €31 million WaTER programme on 17 January 2018, announced by its ambassador to Kenya; closed it in 2020 citing the 'lapsing of a contractual deadline'.","when":"2018–2020","src":2},{"actor":"Kenya Forest Service","says":"Said it paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013 and that the Sengwer breached a court order by returning to the forest.","when":"May 2024","src":4},{"actor":"Government of Kenya (ministry)","says":"Said more than 600 families were removed in the April–May 2024 operation, which it described as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","when":"May 2024","src":4},{"actor":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","says":"Acknowledged in an advisory note a 'remedy gap': many people remain without remedy even where non-compliance is found.","when":"April 2023","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Funder of the Kenya project; hosts the Inspection Panel"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Private-sector arm of the World Bank (Tata Mundra)"},{"id":"cao","role":"Complaint body for IFC and MIGA"},{"id":"eu","role":"Funder of the WaTER programme"},{"id":"kfs","role":"Agency whose guards carried out the raid"},{"id":"accountability-counsel","role":"NGO that studied complaint outcomes"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the World Bank linked to the 2014 Embobut evictions?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Inspection Panel","says":"Found that the risk of eviction had been foreseeable but not identified and that safeguards were not properly applied.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank (president)","says":"Welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions.","src":0}]},{"point":"How many people were removed from Embobut in 2024, and had the 2013 payment been made?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya ministry","says":"More than 600 families removed; a photo caption cited about 200 homes burned.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service","says":"Paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013; the Sengwer violated a court order by returning.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sengwer community","says":"Said it did not receive the payment.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Minority Rights Group","says":"Counts more than 800 houses and more than 2,800 families.","src":5}]},{"point":"Does protecting the water towers justify the evictions?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kenya","says":"Describes the evictions as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Forest Peoples Programme","says":"Reported that a Sengwer man was shot and killed in an EU-funded project.","src":1}]},{"point":"Do complaint mechanisms deliver remedy?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Development banks","says":"Emphasise highest standards and independent oversight.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Accountability Counsel","says":"Of 2,270 complaints to 16 mechanisms up to 2022, 15% ended in an identifiable commitment and 10% in at least one commitment fully implemented; a 2024 analysis said the most likely outcome of a complaint was nothing.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"CAO (IFC/MIGA)","says":"Acknowledged a remedy gap even in cases where non-compliance was found.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Inspection Panel review of the Kenya Natural Resource Management Project","forum":"World Bank Inspection Panel","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"international","claimant":"Requesters to the Inspection Panel","defendant":"World Bank","filed":"2013","decided":"2014-05-22","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Panel found that eviction risk was foreseeable but not identified and that safeguards were not properly applied. The Bank's president welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions. The cited sources give no compensation.","src":0},{"title":"Sengwer petition on the Embobut evictions","forum":"Kenyan courts (court name: none on record)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Sengwer community","defendant":"Government of Kenya / Kenya Forest Service","filed":"2018","decided":"","status":"ongoing","summary":"A court dismissed the Sengwer case in 2020. The Court of Appeal reportedly ordered in 2021 that people living in the forest that day not be evicted. The cited sources list the Sengwer's 2018 petition among ongoing matters.","src":3},{"title":"CAO compliance finding on IFC's Tata Mundra investment","forum":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"international","claimant":"Mundra fishing community (complainants)","defendant":"IFC","filed":"unknown","decided":"unknown","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The CAO found non-compliance; the cited sources give that IFC took no remedy step.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"displaced","value":7000,"unit":"people","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sengwer evicted from the Embobut forest in January 2014 (Inspection Panel context)."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"Robert Kirotich, shot by Kenya Forest Service guards on 16 January 2018."},{"key":"injured","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"Another man was injured in the 2018 raid."},{"key":"displaced_families","value":600,"unit":"families","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ministry count for the April–May 2024 operation; Minority Rights Group counts more than 2,800 families."},{"key":"subsidy","value":31,"unit":"EUR m","year":2016,"note":"EU WaTER programme value."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":410000,"unit":"KES per family","year":2013,"note":"Kenya Forest Service says it paid 2,874 families; the community says it did not receive it."},{"key":"people_affected","value":4250,"unit":"families","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Boeung Kak, Cambodia: families whose eviction the Inspection Panel linked to the Bank's land-titling project."},{"key":"claim","value":24,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"Bank-financed Cambodia land-titling project."},{"key":"complaints","value":2270,"unit":"complaints","year":2022,"note":"Complaints to 16 accountability mechanisms (Accountability Counsel, November 2025)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Complaints and findings by development-bank accountability bodies on evictions and harm linked to financed projects, with Embobut (Kenya) as the main case.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kenya Forest Service and the Kenyan government","what":"Retained control of the Embobut forest; the 2024 operation removed more than 600 families by the ministry's count.","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Sengwer community","what":"About 7,000 evicted in 2014; one herder shot dead in 2018; more than 600 families removed in 2024 by the ministry's count.","src":1},{"who":"Boeung Kak residents (Cambodia)","what":"About 4,250 families' eviction linked by the Inspection Panel to the Bank-financed land-titling project.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Embobut forest, Cherangany Hills, Kenya; also Mundra (India), Nepal, Jale (Albania), Boeung Kak (Cambodia).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Panel report 22 May 2014; shooting 16 January 2018; programme closed 2020; operation April–May 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Kenyan government describes the evictions as protecting the water towers; the Panel found the evictions risk had not been identified.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Evictions by Kenya Forest Service guards in a forest project financed by the World Bank (2007) and later an EU programme (2016); complaints went to the Inspection Panel.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Inspection Panel finds World Bank did not apply safeguards on Kenya forest project","p":"Bretton Woods Project","d":"2014-11-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2014/11/inspection-panel-finds-world-bank-did-not-apply-safeguards-on-kenya-forest-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613211114/https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2014/11/inspection-panel-finds-world-bank-did-not-apply-safeguards-on-kenya-forest-project/"},{"t":"Indigenous Sengwer man shot and killed in EU-funded project","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2018-01-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250613075108/http://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded"},{"t":"EU scraps US$35 million conservation and climate change programme in Kenya over forced evictions","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-10-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221207134754/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/"},{"t":"Sengwer and the forests are one and inseparable despite court ruling","p":"REDD-Monitor (summary)","d":"2020-06-19","type":"ngo","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/06/19/sengwer-and-the-forests-are-one-and-inseparable-despite-court-ruling-indigenous-sengwer-communities-vow-to-remain-in-embobut-forest-kenya/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250709122001/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/06/19/sengwer-and-the-forests-are-one-and-inseparable-despite-court-ruling-indigenous-sengwer-communities-vow-to-remain-in-embobut-forest-kenya/"},{"t":"Government defends decision to evict Sengwer community","p":"Nation (Mwananchi)","d":"2024-05-09","type":"press","u":"https://mwananchi.co.tz/kenya/counties/elgeyo-marakwet/government-defends-decision-to-evict-sengwer-community--4617338"},{"t":"Sengwer evictions","p":"Minority Rights Group (summary)","d":"2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://minorityrights.org/sengwer-evictions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250421074958/https://minorityrights.org/sengwer-evictions/"},{"t":"CAO advisory note on remedy: insights on the remedy gap","p":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","d":"2023-04-10","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/news/cao-releases-new-advisory-note-insights-remedy-remedy-gap","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251208045044/https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/news/cao-releases-new-advisory-note-insights-remedy-remedy-gap"},{"t":"A mirror and a map for the next generation of accountability mechanisms (study 'Accountability in Action or Inaction?')","p":"Accountability Counsel","d":"2025-11-11","u":"https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/blog/a-mirror-and-a-map-for-the-next-generation-of-accountability-mechanisms","type":"ngo"},{"t":"India: Tata Ultra Mega-01/Mundra and Anjar (CAO case page)","p":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","d":"2025-10-02","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/case/india-tata-ultra-mega-01mundra-and-anjar","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A €31 million EU programme begun in June 2016 to protect my water-tower forests in the Cherangany Hills and Mount Elgon was suspended on 17 January 2018 and closed in 2020.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does protecting the water towers justify the evictions?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the World Bank linked to the 2014 Embobut evictions?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people were removed from Embobut in 2024, and had the 2013 payment been made?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do complaint mechanisms deliver remedy?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether anyone has been prosecuted for the killing of Robert Kirotich: no prosecution found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Compensation to the Sengwer after the 2014 Inspection Panel finding: no record found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that about 70% of the Sengwer evicted in 2014 returned to the forest.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a Nature Conservancy water fund overlapping Embobut allocated KSh 5 million to the Sengwer and KSh 15 million to the Ogiek and Cherangani (August 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the US Supreme Court removed absolute immunity of international organisations in 2019 in the Tata Mundra fishermen's case (Jam v. IFC), that the case was later dismissed for lack of US commercial activity, and that the last application was rejected in 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the World Bank withdrew its financing from the Arun III dam in Nepal in 1995.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that after demolitions in Jale, Albania, a coastal project was suspended in 2009, with remedy for nine families designed as legal aid rather than direct payment (nine families, fifteen buildings).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Asian Development Bank's compliance review of its Cambodia railway project found inadequate compensation in 2014, while management said more than 90% of households received some compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Inspection Panel had received 120 requests, registered 90 and investigated 34 by September 2017, and that a 2016 report counted 758 complaints to 11 mechanisms in 21 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Sengwer's 2018 petition: the cited sources list it among ongoing matters.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Boeung Kak residents (Cambodia)"]},{"id":"3m-pfos-internal-evidence-epa-penalty-and-minnesota-settleme","title":"3M PFOS: internal evidence, EPA penalty and Minnesota settlement","dek":"3M sold the fluorochemical PFOS until 2000. Internal studies from the 1970s found it more toxic than expected; the company told the EPA in 1998 that it had found PFOS in blood but no adverse effects in workers. An EPA charge closed in 2006 with a $1.5 million payment, and Minnesota settled for $850 million in 2018.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":44.95,"lon":-93.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Minnesota","lat":44.95,"lon":-93.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Minnesota","lat":44.95,"lon":-93.1,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","role":"court"}],"start":1979,"end":2026,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"EPA penalty in 2006 vs 3M's direct PFAS sales in 2022","value":"$1.5 million vs $1.3 billion a year","note":"Different years; shown for scale, not as a ratio. The Minnesota settlement of 2018 was $850 million."},"happened":["PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) is a member of the PFAS family of long-lived synthetic chemicals; 3M made it. According to a May 2024 ProPublica and New Yorker investigation, rats given 10 milligrams per kilogram of PFOS a day in the late 1970s died at a rate of one half, and a dose of 4.5 milligrams killed a monkey within weeks. A 1979 internal report found PFOS more toxic than expected. A toxicologist consulted by 3M asked that the substance be looked for in humans; the request did not enter the meeting notes.","In 1997 a 3M chemist found PFOS in every blood-bank sample tested. The only samples without it came from before 3M began selling the chemical or from rural China. Executives blamed the measuring instrument; the chemist's work was restricted after a 1999 presentation to the then-CEO. In May 1998 3M told the EPA that PFOS had been found in blood but that no adverse effects had been seen in workers; the notice did not mention the 1970s animal studies.","3M withdrew its PFOS products in 2000 under pressure from the EPA. It described the blood-bank finding as a complete surprise, and its medical director said the substance was not and would not be a health problem. An EPA charge under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the law under which the company decides first what counts as a substantial risk, closed in 2006 with a $1.5 million payment and no admission of guilt.","The Minnesota attorney general sued 3M in 2010. The case settled in February 2018 for $850 million, a natural-resource-damages settlement paid as a grant to a water fund, with a pre-tax charge of $897 million. The company's internal documents became public through the case. No insurance link to the settlement is disclosed.","3M's direct PFAS sales were $1.3 billion a year in 2022, and more than 16,000 of its products contained PFAS. In December 2022 it announced that it would stop making PFAS by the end of 2025. A court approved a separate settlement under which 3M will pay public water systems between $10.5 and $12.5 billion through 2036. A binding US drinking-water limit of 4 parts per trillion each for PFOA and PFOS was set in April 2024. In October 2024 the insurer AIG sued 3M over coverage."],"timeline":[{"y":1979,"t":"Internal 3M report finds PFOS more toxic than expected; the late-1970s animal studies show rats and a monkey dying at the doses given"},{"y":1997,"t":"A 3M chemist finds PFOS in all blood-bank samples tested"},{"y":1998,"t":"May: 3M notifies the EPA of PFOS in blood, saying no adverse effects were seen in workers; the 1970s animal studies are not mentioned"},{"y":1999,"t":"Presentation to the then-CEO; the chemist's work is restricted"},{"y":2000,"t":"3M withdraws PFOS products under EPA pressure"},{"y":2006,"t":"EPA's TSCA charge against 3M closes with a $1.5 million payment, without an admission of guilt"},{"y":2010,"t":"Minnesota attorney general sues 3M"},{"y":2018,"t":"February: Minnesota settlement of $850 million; internal documents made public"},{"y":2022,"t":"December: 3M announces it will stop making PFAS by the end of 2025"},{"y":2023,"t":"27 November: Sixth Circuit overturns certification of a class of 11.8 million people in Hardwick v. 3M"},{"y":2024,"t":"10 April: first binding US limit for PFOA and PFOS, 4 parts per trillion each; late October: AIG sues 3M over PFAS coverage"},{"y":2026,"t":"20 May: EPA publishes proposals to rescind some of the standards and extend compliance deadlines; no final rule at the report date"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"3M's medical director said in 2000, when the products were withdrawn, that PFOS was not a health problem and would not become one; the company called the blood finding a complete surprise.","who":"3M, as reported by ProPublica","src":0},{"t":"3M announced in December 2022 that it would leave PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025, presenting the exit within a sustainable-growth framing.","who":"3M","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"A 1979 internal report found PFOS more toxic than expected; half the rats given 10 mg/kg a day in the late 1970s died.","src":0},{"t":"In May 1998 3M reported PFOS in blood to the EPA without mentioning the 1970s animal studies. About 20 years separate the internal warning from this notice, and 26 years separate the notice from the binding drinking-water limit of 2024 (calculation).","src":0},{"t":"The EPA's TSCA charge against 3M closed in 2006 with $1.5 million and no admission of guilt.","src":0},{"t":"The Minnesota case brought by the attorney general in 2010 settled in February 2018 for $850 million.","src":1},{"t":"3M's direct PFAS sales were $1.3 billion a year in 2022, with more than 16,000 products containing PFAS.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2006–2018","nature":[{"label":"Minnesota natural-resource-damages settlement, paid as a grant to a water fund (Feb 2018)","amount":850,"note":"Pre-tax charge in 3M's accounts: $897 million."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":850,"note":"Single settlement; the cited sources give no breakdown of what the water fund spent."},"other":[{"label":"EPA TSCA charge closed (2006)","amount":1.5}],"otherTotal":{"amount":1.5,"note":"Payment to the EPA; shown for comparison, not as money that reached the environment."},"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"3M direct PFAS sales per year, 2022","amount":1300}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Blood-bank samples with PFOS","v":"All","d":"Every sample tested in 1997; PFOS-free samples came only from before 3M's sales or from rural China"},{"k":"Years from internal warning to first notice to the EPA","v":"About 20","d":"From the late-1970s studies to the May 1998 notice"},{"k":"Years from the 1998 notice to a binding drinking-water limit","v":"26","d":"To the April 2024 rule (4 parts per trillion each for PFOA and PFOS)"}]},"unknown":["What the Minnesota water fund has spent the $850 million on: the cited sources give no figures.","Which Minnesota waters and species the natural-resource-damages settlement covered: the cited sources do not describe them.","Unconfirmed: that in 1976 3M knew of high PFOS levels in workers' blood, and that in 1978 all 20 monkeys in a study died, ending it after 20 days (secondary report).","Unconfirmed: that 3M agreed in 2022 to pay the Flemish government €571 million for PFOS pollution at Zwijndrecht, Belgium, and appealed a related clean-up decree in 2023.","Unconfirmed: that 3M described its 2023 water-system settlement as not an admission of liability.","Unconfirmed: that 3M's exit from PFAS manufacturing was completed at the end of 2025, with product transition continuing.","The lower bound of the water-systems settlement: sources give $10.3 billion and $10.5 billion, against an upper bound of $12.5 billion.","Unconfirmed: that EPA announced on 14 May 2025 an intention to extend the PFOA and PFOS compliance date from 2029 to 2031 and rescind four other limits.","Whether any insurance money went to the Minnesota settlement: no insurance link disclosed."],"evidence":["court-ruling","review"],"harmStopped":"3M withdrew PFOS products in 2000; a binding drinking-water limit for PFOS took effect in 2024, and in 2026 the EPA proposed rescinding some standards and extending compliance deadlines.","whoPaid":"3M paid the $1.5 million EPA payment, the $850 million Minnesota settlement and the water-systems settlement; public water systems and their customers carry treatment costs beyond the settlement.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Minnesota settlement and the water-systems settlement are in place; the EPA proposed on 20 May 2026 to rescind some PFAS drinking-water standards and extend deadlines, with no final rule; AIG's coverage suit against 3M (filed October 2024) is the latest dated dispute.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"3M","says":"Its medical director said in 2000 that PFOS was not a health problem and would not be one; the company called the blood-bank finding a complete surprise.","when":"2000","src":0},{"actor":"3M","says":"Told the EPA in May 1998 that PFOS was in blood but that no adverse effects had been seen in workers.","when":"May 1998","src":0},{"actor":"3M","says":"Announced in December 2022 that it would stop making PFAS by the end of 2025.","when":"December 2022","src":null},{"actor":"US EPA","says":"Closed its TSCA charge against 3M in 2006 for $1.5 million without an admission of guilt; on 20 May 2026 published proposals to rescind some PFAS drinking-water standards, calling the standards to be removed unlawfully issued.","when":"2006; May 2026","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"PFOS manufacturer and defendant"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; TSCA charge closed 2006"},{"id":"minnesota-attorney-general","role":"Plaintiff in the 2010 Minnesota suit"},{"id":"aig","role":"Insurer suing 3M over coverage (October 2024)"},{"id":"awwa","role":"Trade body for US water utilities"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What did 3M know about PFOS toxicity, and when did it tell the regulator?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"ProPublica and The New Yorker","says":"A 1979 internal report found PFOS more toxic than expected; a consulted toxicologist's request to look for it in humans did not enter the minutes; the 1998 notice to the EPA omitted the 1970s animal studies.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"3M","says":"In 2000 its medical director said PFOS was not a health problem and would not be one; the company called the blood-bank finding a complete surprise.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"US EPA","says":"Closed its TSCA charge in 2006 with a $1.5 million payment and no admission of guilt.","src":0}]},{"point":"Could plaintiffs show which company's PFAS was in their blood?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit","says":"Overturned on 27 November 2023 the certification of a class of 11.8 million people in Hardwick v. 3M because the plaintiffs could not show which of ten companies put the PFAS in their blood.","src":null}]},{"point":"Does 3M's insurance cover PFAS liabilities?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"AIG","says":"In its suit of late October 2024 it cited policy language 'limiting or barring coverage' for PFAS and pollution.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"3M","says":"No position on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EPA TSCA charge against 3M over PFOS notification","forum":"US Environmental Protection Agency","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US EPA","defendant":"3M","filed":"unknown","decided":"2006","status":"settled","amount":{"value":1.5,"currency":"USD","label":"Payment; no admission of guilt"},"summary":"The charge concerned 3M's May 1998 notice to the EPA, which reported PFOS in blood but not the 1970s animal studies. It closed in 2006 with $1.5 million and no admission of guilt.","src":0},{"title":"State of Minnesota v. 3M","forum":"Minnesota (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of Minnesota (attorney general)","defendant":"3M","filed":"2010","decided":"2018-02","status":"settled","amount":{"value":850,"currency":"USD","label":"Natural-resource-damages settlement, paid as a grant to a water fund"},"summary":"Settled in February 2018 for $850 million, with a pre-tax charge of $897 million to 3M. The company's internal documents became public through the case.","src":1},{"title":"Public water systems PFAS settlement (related matter)","forum":"US court (name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"US public water systems","defendant":"3M","filed":"unknown","decided":"2023","status":"settled","amount":{"value":12500,"currency":"USD","label":"Upper bound, payable through 2036; the lower bound is reported as $10.3 billion or $10.5 billion"},"summary":"A court approved a settlement under which 3M pays public water systems through 2036. The cited sources give it averages about $1 billion a year, against an American Water Works Association estimate of PFOA and PFOS treatment costs above $3.8 billion a year (March 2023), with customers carrying the difference.","src":2},{"title":"Hardwick v. 3M (class certification)","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Class of 11.8 million people with PFAS in their blood","defendant":"3M and nine other companies","filed":"unknown","decided":"2023-11-27","status":"overturned","summary":"The appeals court overturned the lower court's certification of the class because the plaintiffs could not show which of ten companies had put the PFAS in their blood.","src":8}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"AIG","insured":"3M","status":"litigation","year":2024,"reason":"Cited policy language 'limiting or barring coverage' for PFAS and pollution.","summary":"AIG sued 3M in late October 2024.","src":6},{"insurer":"None on record","insured":"3M","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":{"value":27,"currency":"USD","label":"Environmental-only insurance recovery benefit, 2024"},"summary":"3M's FY2024 10-K reports an environmental-only insurance recovery benefit of $27 million. Its Q2 2026 10-Q reports $290 million for the six months in 'the same three categories'; the cited sources do not name the categories or the insurers.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":1.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"note":"EPA TSCA charge closed without admission of guilt."},{"key":"settlement","value":850,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Minnesota natural-resource-damages settlement; pre-tax charge $897 million."},{"key":"settlement","value":12500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Public water systems settlement payable through 2036; lower bound reported as $10.3 billion or $10.5 billion."},{"key":"revenue","value":1300,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2022,"note":"3M's direct PFAS sales; more than 16,000 products contained PFAS."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":27,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Environmental-only insurance recovery benefit in the FY2024 10-K."},{"key":"people_affected","value":11800000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Size of the class in Hardwick v. 3M, overturned on appeal."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"3M's sale of PFOS until 2000, internal evidence of its toxicity from the 1970s, a 1998 notice to the EPA, a $1.5 million EPA payment in 2006 and an $850 million Minnesota settlement in 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"3M","what":"Sold PFOS until 2000; direct PFAS sales were $1.3 billion a year in 2022.","src":null},{"who":"3M","what":"Acquired CUNO, a drinking-water filter maker, in 2005 for $1.35 billion; the unit was later sold through Solventum to Thermo Fisher for $4.1 billion in 2025.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Public water systems and their customers","what":"Carry treatment costs; AWWA estimated PFOA and PFOS treatment at more than $3.8 billion a year in March 2023.","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"People tested in 1997","what":"PFOS was present in every blood-bank sample tested.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Minnesota, United States; courts in Minnesota and Ohio; EPA.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Internal studies in the 1970s; notice to the EPA in May 1998; withdrawal in 2000; EPA charge closed 2006; Minnesota settlement February 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources note that TSCA section 8(e) leaves it to the company to decide what counts as a substantial risk to report.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The company reported PFOS in blood in 1998 without the animal studies; the Minnesota suit made its internal documents public.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"The 2006 EPA payment of $1.5 million is about 0.1% of one year's direct PFAS sales (2022: $1.3 billion); the years differ, so this is shown for scale only (calculation).","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"3M forever chemicals inside story","p":"ProPublica / The New Yorker","d":"2024-05-20","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001101805/https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story"},{"t":"Toxic: 3M knew its chemicals were harmful decades ago but didn't tell the public, government","p":"Minnesota Reformer (secondary republication of ProPublica)","d":"2022-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/15/toxic-3m-knew-its-chemicals-were-harmful-decades-ago-but-didnt-tell-the-public-government/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713054633/https://minnesotareformer.com/2022/12/15/toxic-3m-knew-its-chemicals-were-harmful-decades-ago-but-didnt-tell-the-public-government/"},{"t":"Court approves 3M multi-billion dollar settlement","p":"CBS Minnesota","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/3m-pfas-drinking-water-settlement","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251202010333/https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/minnesota/news/3m-pfas-drinking-water-settlement/"},{"t":"Utilities see new costs in proposed PFAS water rule","p":"Roll Call","d":"2023-03-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-rule/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260916190518/https://rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-rule/"},{"t":"3M Form 10-K for fiscal 2024","p":"3M / SEC EDGAR","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674025000006/mmm-20241231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251010190819/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674025000006/mmm-20241231.htm"},{"t":"3M Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 June 2026","p":"3M / SEC EDGAR","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/66740/000006674026000246/mmm-20260630.htm"},{"t":"3M PFAS lawsuits: AIG","p":"Fox 9","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.fox9.com/news/3m-pfas-lawsuits-aig","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512193504/https://www.fox9.com/news/3m-pfas-lawsuits-aig"},{"t":"EPA proposes rescinding PFAS national drinking water regulations","p":"BCLP (law firm)","d":"2026-06-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.bclplaw.com/en-US/events-insights-news/epa-proposes-rescinding-pfas-national-drinking-water-regulations.html"},{"t":"Hardwick v. 3M Co. (In re E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. C-8 Personal Injury Litigation), 87 F.4th 315 (6th Cir. 27 Nov 2023): appeals court rejects PFAS class action","p":"Washington Legal Foundation","d":"2024-02-23","u":"https://www.wlf.org/2024/02/23/publishing/appeals-court-rejects-pfas-related-class-action-without-addressing-unsettled-rule-23-issues/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419150257/https://www.wlf.org/2024/02/23/publishing/appeals-court-rejects-pfas-related-class-action-without-addressing-unsettled-rule-23-issues/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"court-damages","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In February 2018 3M settled Minnesota's claim for damage to my natural resources for $850 million, paid as a grant to a water fund.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did 3M know about PFOS toxicity, and when did it tell the regulator?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could plaintiffs show which company's PFAS was in their blood?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does 3M's insurance cover PFAS liabilities?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"3M: No position on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None on record: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the Minnesota water fund has spent the $850 million on: the cited sources give no figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which Minnesota waters and species the natural-resource-damages settlement covered: the cited sources do not describe them.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in 1976 3M knew of high PFOS levels in workers' blood, and that in 1978 all 20 monkeys in a study died, ending it after 20 days (secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 3M agreed in 2022 to pay the Flemish government €571 million for PFOS pollution at Zwijndrecht, Belgium, and appealed a related clean-up decree in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 3M described its 2023 water-system settlement as not an admission of liability.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 3M's exit from PFAS manufacturing was completed at the end of 2025, with product transition continuing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The lower bound of the water-systems settlement: sources give $10.3 billion and $10.5 billion, against an upper bound of $12.5 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that EPA announced on 14 May 2025 an intention to extend the PFOA and PFOS compliance date from 2029 to 2031 and rescind four other limits.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any insurance money went to the Minnesota settlement: no insurance link disclosed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: 3M","No source link — Who gained: 3M"]},{"id":"phosphate-detergents-and-lake-erie-eutrophication-phosphate","title":"Phosphate detergents and Lake Erie eutrophication; phosphate bans","dek":"Phosphate made up 15–17% of household detergent by weight in 1969, up from 7–12% in 1959. US states, Germany and the US industry itself later limited or dropped it.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":42.2,"lon":-81.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"affected","lat":42.2,"lon":-81.2},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"affected"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"regulator"}],"start":1959,"end":2010,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Phosphate share of household detergent, by weight, 1959 → 1969","value":"7–12% → 15–17%","note":"Figures from an Indiana Academy of Science paper."},"happened":["Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) was used in laundry detergent as a builder, a compound that softens water. According to a paper in the proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science, the phosphate share of detergent rose from 7–12% by weight in 1959 to 15–17% in 1969.","Unconfirmed: the same paper gives a figure that, of 35.7 million pounds of phosphorus entering Lake Erie from US municipalities in 1967, 25 million pounds came from detergent.","Indiana and New York adopted state bans on phosphate detergent in 1973. The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), the industry body, brought litigation against such laws and lost on appeal in Chicago in 1975; the US Supreme Court did not hear the application. Germany set maximum phosphate quantities in detergent by regulation in 1980, in force from 1 October 1981."],"timeline":[{"y":1959,"t":"Phosphate in detergent: 7–12% by weight"},{"y":1969,"t":"Phosphate in detergent: 15–17% by weight"},{"y":1973,"t":"State bans in Indiana and New York"},{"y":1975,"t":"Soap and Detergent Association loses appeal in Chicago; US Supreme Court does not hear the application"},{"y":1981,"t":"German maximum-phosphate regulation of 1980 takes effect (1 October)"},{"y":1994,"t":"US laundry-detergent industry phase-out of phosphate, described as voluntary"},{"y":2010,"t":"US dishwasher-detergent phase-out, alongside laws in 16 states"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Phosphate share of detergent by weight: 7–12% in 1959, 15–17% in 1969.","src":0},{"t":"Indiana and New York adopted state bans in 1973.","src":0},{"t":"The Soap and Detergent Association sued against such laws and lost on appeal in Chicago in 1975; the US Supreme Court did not hear the application.","src":0},{"t":"German regulation setting maximum phosphate quantities in detergent, dated 1980, in force from 1 October 1981.","src":2},{"t":"US phase-out: laundry detergent 1994, dishwasher detergent 2010 (after laws in 16 states).","src":1},{"t":"Lake Champlain, a different lake: a 2014 entry in the cited sources records that the household share of phosphorus input fell to about 5% while the lake's phosphorus rose slightly.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1959–2010","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Phosphate share of detergent","v":"7–12% → 15–17%","d":"By weight, 1959 to 1969"},{"k":"Industry challenge to phosphate laws","v":"Lost","d":"Appeal in Chicago, 1975; US Supreme Court did not hear the application"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in 1967, 25 million of the 35.7 million pounds of phosphorus entering Lake Erie from US municipalities came from detergent.","Unconfirmed: the state bans and the industry's lost lawsuits came before the 1994 'voluntary' phase-out, so the phase-out followed legal pressure.","Unconfirmed: Shiga Prefecture (Japan) banned the sale and use of phosphate detergent under the Lake Biwa ordinance of 1979–80; Taihu Lake (China) saw a phosphate-detergent ban after the 2007 algal bloom, at provincial level and in 2008 at State Council level; Brazil's CONAMA resolution 359 of 2005 capped phosphorus in powder detergent at 4.8%.","Unconfirmed: NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid), the first phosphate substitute, was voluntarily suspended by industry in December 1970 after an unpublished government report suggested it could cause birth defects.","Unconfirmed: in South Africa the Hartbeespoort Dam has been over-enriched with nutrients since the 1970s, the water ministry recommends 'zero-phosphate' detergent and no binding rule exists."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"State bans began in 1973 and the US industry's phase-out of phosphate in laundry detergent followed in 1994 and in dishwasher detergent in 2010.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026 research: detergent-phosphate limits are documented from 1973 (Indiana, New York) to 2010 (US dishwasher detergent).","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"Soap and Detergent Association","says":"Sued against state phosphate laws; lost on appeal in Chicago in 1975.","when":"1975","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"sda-soap-detergent-association","role":"Industry association that litigated against phosphate laws"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Could states limit phosphate in detergent?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Soap and Detergent Association","says":"Brought litigation against the state laws.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Appeal court, Chicago","says":"Ruled against the SDA on appeal in 1975; the US Supreme Court did not hear the application.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Soap and Detergent Association challenge to phosphate laws","forum":"Appeal court, Chicago (as named in the source)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Soap and Detergent Association","defendant":"Jurisdiction(s) whose phosphate law was challenged (names: none on record)","filed":null,"decided":"1975","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The SDA sued against state phosphate laws. The Chicago appeal ended against the SDA in 1975 and the US Supreme Court did not hear the application. Status is read from the claimant's side, so 'defendant-won' means the laws stood.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"phosphate_share_detergent","value":12,"unit":"% by weight","year":1959,"qualifier":"up to (range 7–12%)","note":"Phosphate in detergent."},{"key":"phosphate_share_detergent","value":17,"unit":"% by weight","year":1969,"qualifier":"up to (range 15–17%)","note":"Phosphate in detergent."},{"key":"phosphorus_load_lbs","value":35700000,"unit":"pounds","year":1967,"unverified":true,"note":"Phosphorus entering Lake Erie from US municipalities; reported, not independently verified."},{"key":"phosphorus_from_detergent_lbs","value":25000000,"unit":"pounds","year":1967,"unverified":true,"note":"Part of the 35.7 million pounds attributed to detergent; reported, not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Phosphate (STPP) was used as a builder in household detergent; its share rose from 7–12% to 15–17% by weight between 1959 and 1969, and US states, Germany and later the US industry restricted or dropped it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lake Erie, shared by the United States and Canada; state bans in Indiana and New York; regulation in Germany.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Phosphate share measured 1959 and 1969; state bans 1973; appeal decided 1975; German regulation in force 1981; US phase-out 1994 and 2010.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record as a separate finding; the cited sources note that STPP softens water in detergent.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Phosphorus from detergent entered lakes through municipal wastewater (loading figure for Lake Erie in 1967 unconfirmed).","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Indiana Academy of Science article on phosphate in detergent (article 8182)","p":"Indiana Academy of Science","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/ias/article/view/8182","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241214171902/https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/ias/article/view/8182"},{"t":"Goodbye, Phosphates (cover story, Chemical & Engineering News vol. 89 no. 4)","p":"American Chemical Society (C&EN)","d":"2011-01-24","u":"https://cen.acs.org/articles/89/i4/Goodbye-Phosphates.html","type":"academic"},{"t":"Phosphathöchstmengenverordnung (1980 regulation on maximum phosphate quantities in detergents)","p":"Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de","d":"1980","type":"official","u":"https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ph_chstmengv/BJNR006640980.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260805030159/https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ph_chstmengv/BJNR006640980.html"},{"t":"Understanding the Failure to Reduce Phosphorus Loading in Lake Champlain: Lessons for Governance","p":"Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 15 (Gail Osherenko)","d":"2014","u":"https://vjel.vermontlaw.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/15VtJEnvtlL97.pdf","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":["lake-biwa-phosphate-detergent-ban"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could states limit phosphate in detergent?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Phosphorus load lbs: Phosphorus entering Lake Erie from US municipalities; reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Phosphorus from detergent lbs: Part of the 35.7 million pounds attributed to detergent; reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 1967, 25 million of the 35.7 million pounds of phosphorus entering Lake Erie from US municipalities came from detergent.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the state bans and the industry's lost lawsuits came before the 1994 'voluntary' phase-out, so the phase-out followed legal pressure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shiga Prefecture (Japan) banned the sale and use of phosphate detergent under the Lake Biwa ordinance of 1979–80; Taihu Lake (China) saw a phosphate-detergent ban after the 2007 algal bloom, at provincial level and in 2008 at State Council level; Brazil's CONAMA resolution 359 of 2005 capped phosphorus in powder detergent at 4.8%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid), the first phosphate substitute, was voluntarily suspended by industry in December 1970 after an unpublished government report suggested it could cause birth defects.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in South Africa the Hartbeespoort Dam has been over-enriched with nutrients since the 1970s, the water ministry recommends 'zero-phosphate' detergent and no binding rule exists.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"jiyeh-power-plant-oil-spill","title":"Jiyeh power plant oil spill (Lebanon, 2006)","dek":"An oil spill in 2006 affected the Lebanese coast near the Jiyeh power plant. The UN General Assembly has repeatedly asked Israel for compensation; a UN figure puts the damage at USD 856.4 million as of 2014.","country":"Lebanon","region":"Middle East","lat":33.65,"lon":35.41,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","admin":"Jiyeh","role":"event","lat":33.65,"lon":35.41}],"start":2006,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2006","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Damage computed by the UN (2014 value) vs compensation paid","value":"USD 856.4m vs 0","note":"Estimate. The damage figure appears only in a reports of a UN press record and was not independently verified."},"happened":["In 2006 an oil spill linked to the Jiyeh power plant affected the Lebanese coast. The title of the UN General Assembly's annual resolution describes it as an 'oil slick on Lebanese shores'.","The General Assembly has adopted a resolution on the matter every year for 19 years. In December 2025 it adopted resolution A/RES/80/130 by 163 votes to 9, again asking Israel for compensation.","UN Press, reporting on the Second Committee's 77th session (November 2022), gave the damage to Lebanon as USD 856.4 million, calculated as of 2014. No payment against it is stated in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Oil spill on the Lebanese coast linked to the Jiyeh power plant"},{"y":2014,"t":"Damage to Lebanon computed at USD 856.4 million, 2014 value"},{"y":2022,"t":"November: UN Second Committee, 77th session, records the damage figure"},{"y":2025,"t":"December: General Assembly adopts A/RES/80/130 by 163 votes to 9, again asking Israel for compensation"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/80/130 (December 2025) again asked Israel for compensation, adopted by 163 votes to 9.","src":0},{"t":"The General Assembly has adopted a resolution on the matter each year; the 2025 resolution (A/RES/80/130) refers to the twentieth consecutive year.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2006–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damage computed by the UN (2014 value)","v":"USD 856.4m","d":"Reported in a UN press record"},{"k":"Compensation paid","v":"0","d":"According to the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: damage to Lebanon from the spill was calculated at USD 856.4 million as of 2014.","The cited sources record no payment against the computed damage."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Not stated; the cited sources record no compensation paid.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: the General Assembly again requested compensation from Israel (A/RES/80/130, 163 to 9); no payment is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"un-general-assembly","role":"Adopts the annual resolution asking for compensation"},{"id":"government-of-israel","role":"State from which the resolution requests compensation"},{"id":"un-watch","role":"NGO reproducing the resolution record"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should Israel compensate Lebanon for the spill?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN General Assembly (163 states in favour)","says":"Adopted A/RES/80/130 in December 2025, again asking Israel for compensation.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Nine member states","says":"Voted against the resolution; their reasons are not in the cited sources.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Annual UN General Assembly resolution on the oil slick on Lebanese shores (A/RES/80/130)","forum":"UN General Assembly","country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","kind":"international","claimant":"Lebanon, supported by 163 voting states","defendant":"Israel","filed":null,"decided":"2025-12","status":"ongoing","summary":"A political resolution, not an adjudication. The General Assembly again asked Israel for compensation, by 163 votes to 9. The cited sources record no payment.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_estimate","value":856.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"unverified":true,"est":true,"note":"UN calculation of damage to Lebanon as of 2014; reported of a UN press record (Second Committee, November 2022); not independently verified."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":0,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"According to the cited sources; no payment recorded against the computed damage."},{"key":"unga_votes_in_favour","value":163,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"A/RES/80/130."},{"key":"unga_votes_against","value":9,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"A/RES/80/130."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil spill in 2006 affected the Lebanese coast near the Jiyeh power plant; the UN General Assembly has repeatedly asked Israel for compensation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Lebanon","what":"Damage computed by the UN at USD 856.4 million as of 2014; no compensation paid is stated in the cited sources.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Lebanese coast near Jiyeh, Lebanon.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Spill in 2006; damage computed as of 2014; annual General Assembly resolutions for 19 years, most recently December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Oil slick on Lebanese shores (A/RES/80/130)","p":"UN Watch (reproducing the General Assembly resolution record)","d":"2025-12","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://unwatch.org/database/resoltions/a-res-80-130/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606021732/https://unwatch.org/database/resoltions/a-res-80-130/"},{"t":"Second Committee, 77th session","p":"UN Press","d":"2022-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://press.un.org/en/node/310512"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A 2006 oil spill affected my Lebanese coast; UN Press reported a calculated damage of USD 856.4 million as of 2014, and no compensation payment is recorded.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should Israel compensate Lebanon for the spill?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Damage estimate: UN calculation of damage to Lebanon as of 2014; reported of a UN press record (Second Committee, November 2022); not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: damage to Lebanon from the spill was calculated at USD 856.4 million as of 2014.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no payment against the computed damage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"riachuelo-cleanup-resettlement","title":"Riachuelo cleanup resettlement (Buenos Aires)","dek":"After a 2008 Supreme Court ruling made the cleanup of the Riachuelo basin binding, families living on the riverbank were to be rehoused. Twelve years after a 2010 framework agreement, 5,893 of 17,771 families had a completed housing solution.","country":"Argentina","region":"South America","lat":-34.63,"lon":-58.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Buenos Aires","lat":-34.63,"lon":-58.35,"role":"event"},{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","role":"court"}],"start":2008,"end":2024,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","water"],"headline":{"label":"Families with a completed housing solution, 12 years after the 2010 framework agreement","value":"5,893 of 17,771 (33.2%)","note":"Figure from an ACUMAR resolution published in the Boletín Oficial, 2022/2023."},"happened":["In 2008 Argentina's Supreme Court issued the Mendoza ruling, which made the cleanup of the Riachuelo basin a binding obligation. According to Tiempo Argentino, the ruling set a two-year period for relocating the families living along the river.","A framework agreement in 2010 covered 17,771 families. An ACUMAR resolution published in the Boletín Oficial in 2022/2023 recorded that, in the 12 years since the agreement, a housing solution had been completed for 5,893 of them, or 33.2%.","The Buenos Aires city housing institute said the city had relocated 727 families from the Riachuelo bank; in 2011 it had counted 1,837 families there.","The audit body AGN found shortcomings in financial management and low spending in ACUMAR's Riachuelo cleanup, according to El Auditor. The same outlet reported that the Supreme Court had ended its supervision and had not provided for a compensation fund. A 2024 Chamber of Deputies document is listed under the heading 'Riachuelo: court supervision ended'."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Supreme Court Mendoza ruling makes basin cleanup a binding obligation; ruling sets a two-year period for relocation"},{"y":2010,"t":"Framework agreement covering 17,771 families"},{"y":2011,"t":"City counts 1,837 families on the Riachuelo bank"},{"y":2015,"t":"FARN report on the Supreme Court cleanup order, seven years after the Mendoza ruling"},{"y":2023,"t":"ACUMAR resolution (2022/2023): housing solution completed for 5,893 of 17,771 families (33.2%)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Chamber of Deputies document on the end of court supervision of the Riachuelo cleanup"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Headline: 'It will take seven years to relocate the 17 thousand families living on the bank of the Riachuelo' (English rendering of the Spanish headline).","who":"Tiempo Argentino","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Housing solution completed for 5,893 of the 17,771 families in the 2010 framework agreement (33.2%) after 12 years.","src":0},{"t":"The city relocated 727 families from the riverbank; 1,837 families had been counted in 2011.","src":1},{"t":"Press reports recorded leaks, cracks and flooded courtyards in the new housing.","src":6},{"t":"AGN found financial-management shortcomings and low spending in ACUMAR's cleanup; the Supreme Court ended its supervision and provided for no compensation fund.","src":4},{"t":"A 2024 Chamber of Deputies document is listed as recording that court supervision of the Riachuelo cleanup had ended.","src":5},{"t":"A 2015 report by the NGO FARN covers the Supreme Court cleanup order seven years after the Mendoza ruling.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Families with completed housing solution","v":"33.2%","d":"5,893 of 17,771 in 12 years (ACUMAR, 2022/2023)"},{"k":"Period set in 2008 ruling for relocation","v":"2 years","d":"As reported by Tiempo Argentino"},{"k":"Compensation fund","v":"None provided","d":"Supreme Court supervision ended without one (El Auditor)"}]},"unknown":["No compensation fund was provided for when the Supreme Court ended its supervision, according to El Auditor."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources contain no measure of the river's condition. It records that court supervision of the cleanup ended and that 33.2% of the families in the 2010 agreement had a completed housing solution after 12 years.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who paid for the resettlement. It records that no compensation fund was provided for when court supervision ended.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated item in the cited sources (2024): court supervision of the Riachuelo cleanup is listed as ended; 5,893 of 17,771 families had a completed housing solution.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"acumar","says":"Published a resolution recording that housing solutions had been completed for 5,893 of 17,771 families in 12 years (33.2%).","when":"2022/2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"acumar","role":"Basin authority responsible for the Riachuelo cleanup"},{"id":"buenos-aires-housing-institute","role":"City housing institute (Instituto de Vivienda de la Ciudad)"},{"id":"argentina-supreme-court","role":"Court that issued the 2008 Mendoza ruling"},{"id":"agn-argentina","role":"Audit body that reviewed ACUMAR's spending"},{"id":"farn","role":"NGO that reported on the court order"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Mendoza ruling on the Riachuelo basin cleanup","forum":"Supreme Court of Argentina","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2008","status":"unknown","summary":"The Supreme Court's 2008 Mendoza ruling made the cleanup of the basin a binding obligation and, according to Tiempo Argentino, set a two-year period for relocating the families on the riverbank. According to El Auditor, the Court later ended its supervision without providing for a compensation fund.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"families_in_framework_agreement","value":17771,"unit":"families","year":2010,"note":"Families covered by the 2010 framework agreement."},{"key":"housing_solutions_completed","value":5893,"unit":"families","year":2023,"note":"Completed in 12 years; ACUMAR resolution published 2022/2023."},{"key":"share_completed","value":33.2,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"5,893 of 17,771 families."},{"key":"displaced","value":727,"unit":"families","year":null,"note":"Families the city relocated from the Riachuelo bank; 1,837 families had been counted there in 2011."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Relocation of families from the Riachuelo riverbank as part of the basin cleanup ordered in the Supreme Court's Mendoza ruling.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Families living on the Riachuelo bank","what":"Relocated; 17,771 families were covered by the 2010 framework agreement, of whom 5,893 had a completed housing solution after 12 years.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Families in the new housing","what":"Press reports recorded leaks, cracks and flooded courtyards.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Riachuelo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Ruling in 2008; framework agreement in 2010; completion figure from a 2022/2023 resolution; city count of 1,837 families in 2011.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The 2008 Supreme Court ruling made the cleanup of the basin a binding obligation.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The city relocated 727 families from the riverbank; the broader programme covered 17,771 families under the 2010 framework agreement.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"5,893 of 17,771 families (33.2%) had a completed housing solution in 12 years.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"ACUMAR resolution on housing solutions, Boletín Oficial","p":"Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina","d":"2022/2023","type":"official","u":"https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/297385/20231031","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250513160849/https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/297385/20231031"},{"t":"Camino de Sirga","p":"Instituto de Vivienda de la Ciudad (Buenos Aires)","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://www.buenosaires.gob.ar/institutodevivienda/integracion-de-los-barrios/camino-de-sirga","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307053913/https://buenosaires.gob.ar/institutodevivienda/integracion-de-los-barrios/camino-de-sirga"},{"t":"Tardarán siete años en relocalizar a las 17 mil familias que viven a la vera del Riachuelo","p":"Tiempo Argentino","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://www.tiempoar.com.ar/ta_article/tardaran-siete-anos-en-relocalizar-a-las-17-mil-familias-que-viven-a-la-vera-del-riachuelo/amp/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416031657/https://www.tiempoar.com.ar/ta_article/tardaran-siete-anos-en-relocalizar-a-las-17-mil-familias-que-viven-a-la-vera-del-riachuelo/amp/"},{"t":"Informe Cuerpo Colegiado a 7 años del fallo Mendoza","p":"FARN","d":"2015","type":"ngo","u":"https://farn.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Informe-Cuerpo-Colegiado-a-7-años-del-fallo-Mendoza.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411043728/https://farn.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Informe-Cuerpo-Colegiado-a-7-a%C3%B1os-del-fallo-Mendoza.pdf"},{"t":"Riachuelo","p":"El Auditor","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://elauditor.info/riachuelo_t5ad77b5822894273427879cf?output=amp"},{"t":"Document 6727-D-2024 (listed as: Riachuelo, court supervision ended)","p":"Cámara de Diputados de la Nación","d":"2024","type":"official","u":"https://www4.hcdn.gob.ar/dependencias/dsecretaria/Periodo2024/PDF2024/TP2024/6727-D-2024.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251103011949/https://www4.hcdn.gob.ar/dependencias/dsecretaria/Periodo2024/PDF2024/TP2024/6727-D-2024.pdf"},{"t":"Sur Capitalino (July 2026): families relocated by the Riachuelo case report deteriorated housing complexes","p":"Sur Capitalino","d":"2026-07","u":"https://www.surcapitalino.com.ar/images/ediciones/6a5e5221cf10b042231824.pdf","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Mendoza ruling on the Riachuelo basin cleanup: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No compensation fund was provided for when the Supreme Court ended its supervision, according to El Auditor.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Families in the new housing"]},{"id":"atlantic-confidence-scuttling","title":"Atlantik Confidence deliberate sinking (Oman)","dek":"A bulk carrier carrying steel caught fire and sank off Oman in April 2013. An English court found in 2016 that it had been sunk deliberately at the request of the person it described as the owners' alter ego; the hull underwriters, who had paid US$22 million, then sued to recover the money.","country":"Oman","region":"Middle East","lat":20.5,"lon":58.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Oman","iso2":"OM","lat":20.5,"lon":58.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"court"}],"start":2013,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2013-04-03","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Hull insurance proceeds paid, against the ship's market value","value":"US$22m vs about US$6.5m","note":"Figures from the High Court judgment of 2016; the ship was bought in 2010 for US$15m."},"happened":["The bulk carrier Atlantik Confidence, carrying steel loaded in Turkey for the Muscat airport passenger terminal, caught fire on 30 March 2013 and sank on 3 April 2013 off Masirah Island, Oman. It sank in deep water. The sources give no pollution figures.","In Kairos Shipping & Standard Club Europe v Enka & Co & Axa [2016] EWHC 2412 (Admlty), Mr Justice Teare found that the fire was set and that the ship was flooded deliberately through the engine room and double-bottom tanks. The judgment states: \"The vessel was deliberately sunk by the master and chief engineer at the request of Mr. Agaoglu, the alter ego of the Owners.\" (para 317).","Hull insurance proceeds of US$22m went to the lending bank, Credit Europe Bank. The ship's market value was about US$6.5m; it had been bought in 2010 for US$15m. All group companies were found to be \"balance sheet insolvent\". The judge found that Mr Agaoglu \"lied about the destination of the insurance proceeds\" (para 314).","The hull underwriters paid in August 2013 and then sued the owner and the bank to recover the money. In Aspen Underwriting v Credit Europe Bank [2020] UKSC 11 the UK Supreme Court held that the bank had to be sued in the Netherlands. The sources do not give the final outcome of that recovery.","The cargo insurer, Axa Insurance (Gulf), claiming about €10.2m, defeated the owner's attempt to cap its liability at about £7.3m. The Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal in 2017, according to a law-firm summary."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Ship bought for US$15m"},{"y":2013,"t":"Fire on 30 March; ship sinks on 3 April off Masirah Island, Oman; hull underwriters pay US$22m in August"},{"y":2016,"t":"High Court (Admiralty), Teare J, 11 October: vessel deliberately sunk; Axa defeats the owner's liability cap"},{"y":2017,"t":"Court of Appeal refuses permission (law-firm summary)"},{"y":2020,"t":"UK Supreme Court: Aspen Underwriting v Credit Europe Bank; the bank must be sued in the Netherlands"}],"said":[{"q":"The vessel was deliberately sunk by the master and chief engineer at the request of Mr. Agaoglu, the alter ego of the Owners.","who":"Teare J, High Court (Admiralty), para 317","when":"11 October 2016","src":0},{"q":"lied about the destination of the insurance proceeds","who":"Teare J, finding about Mr Agaoglu, para 314","when":"11 October 2016","src":0},{"q":"balance sheet insolvent","who":"High Court judgment, describing the group companies","when":"11 October 2016","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The court found the fire was set and the ship flooded deliberately through the engine room and double-bottom tanks.","src":0},{"t":"Hull insurance proceeds of US$22m went to the lending bank, Credit Europe Bank; the ship's market value was about US$6.5m.","src":0},{"t":"Hull underwriters paid in August 2013 and then sued the owner and the bank to recover.","src":1},{"t":"The UK Supreme Court held that the bank must be sued in the Netherlands.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2013","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Hull insurance proceeds paid to the lending bank, Credit Europe Bank","amount":22,"note":"Paid by the hull underwriters in August 2013; the underwriters then sued to recover it."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":22},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Pollution figures","v":"None given","d":"The sources record no quantities of fuel, cargo or other pollution"},{"k":"Place of loss","v":"Deep water","d":"Off Masirah Island, Oman, 3 April 2013"},{"k":"Cause of loss","v":"Deliberate","d":"Court finding, High Court (Admiralty), 11 October 2016"}]},"unknown":["No pollution figures are given in the cited sources, and nothing on the effect of the sinking on the sea or coast.","The final outcome of the hull underwriters' US$22m recovery action (Dutch forum) was not found.","Whether Axa's cargo claim of about €10.2m was paid is not stated.","Sources conflict on the ship's value: the 2016 judgment records a market value of about US$6.5m and a 2010 purchase price of US$15m; a separate account without a source link gives about US$13.5m in one place and about US$6.5m in another.","Sources conflict on the date and naming: the judgment is dated 11 October 2016 and names Mr Agaoglu as the alter ego of the owners; a separate account without a source link dates the High Court findings to 2019 and names the shipowner as Iliopoulos.","Unconfirmed (account without a source link): that the people who attacked the ship had only pretended to be pirates and that the court held an attempted insurance fraud is not piracy.","Unconfirmed (account without a source link): that the cargo was misdeclared to avoid customs duty in China; who made that finding is not stated.","Unconfirmed (account without a source link): a claim of about US$77 million, with no information on who claimed it or from whom."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The ship sank on 3 April 2013; the sources give no pollution figures and no later monitoring.","whoPaid":"The hull underwriters paid US$22m in August 2013, which went to the lending bank; the underwriters then sued to recover it, and the sources do not record the outcome.","statusLine":"As of 2020: the High Court found the sinking deliberate (2016); the UK Supreme Court held the bank must be sued in the Netherlands; no final recovery outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Hull underwriters","says":"Paid US$22m in August 2013, then sued the owner and Credit Europe Bank to recover it.","when":"2013; UK Supreme Court 2020","src":1},{"actor":"axa-insurance-gulf","says":"Claimed about €10.2m as cargo insurer and defeated the owner's attempt to cap its liability at about £7.3m.","when":"11 October 2016","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"axa-insurance-gulf","role":"Cargo insurer; claimed about €10.2m"},{"id":"credit-europe-bank","role":"Lending bank that received the US$22m hull proceeds"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the vessel lost to an insured accident or deliberately sunk?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"High Court (Admiralty), Teare J","says":"Found the fire was set and the ship flooded deliberately; \"deliberately sunk by the master and chief engineer at the request of Mr. Agaoglu, the alter ego of the Owners.\"","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Hull underwriters","says":"Paid US$22m in August 2013 and then sued the owner and the bank to recover it.","src":1}]},{"point":"Could the owner cap its liability to the cargo insurer?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Kairos Shipping and Standard Club Europe","says":"Sought to limit liability to about £7.3m.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Axa Insurance (Gulf), cargo insurer","says":"Claimed about €10.2m and opposed the cap.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"High Court (Admiralty), 11 October 2016","says":"Axa defeated the owner's attempt to cap liability; the Court of Appeal refused permission in 2017 (law-firm summary).","src":0}]},{"point":"Where could the lending bank be sued for return of the proceeds?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Hull underwriters","says":"Sued the owner and the bank to recover the money.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"UK Supreme Court, Aspen Underwriting v Credit Europe Bank [2020] UKSC 11","says":"The bank must be sued in the Netherlands.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Kairos Shipping & Standard Club Europe v Enka & Co & Axa [2016] EWHC 2412 (Admlty)","forum":"High Court of Justice (Admiralty Court), Teare J","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kairos Shipping and Standard Club Europe (seeking to limit liability)","defendant":"Enka & Co; Axa Insurance (Gulf)","filed":null,"decided":"2016-10-11","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":7300000,"currency":"GBP","label":"Limit of liability the owner sought (about); Axa claimed about €10.2m"},"summary":"The court found that the fire was set and the ship flooded deliberately through the engine room and double-bottom tanks, and that it was deliberately sunk by the master and chief engineer at the request of Mr Agaoglu, the alter ego of the owners. Axa, the cargo insurer, defeated the owner's attempt to cap its liability.","src":0},{"title":"Kairos Shipping v Enka (application for permission to appeal)","forum":"Court of Appeal (England and Wales)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Kairos Shipping and Standard Club Europe","defendant":"Enka & Co; Axa Insurance (Gulf)","filed":null,"decided":"2017","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Court of Appeal refused permission to appeal, according to a law-firm summary; no primary record was seen.","src":2},{"title":"Aspen Underwriting v Credit Europe Bank [2020] UKSC 11","forum":"UK Supreme Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Hull underwriters (case reported as Aspen Underwriting)","defendant":"Credit Europe Bank","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"unknown","summary":"The court held that the bank must be sued in the Netherlands. The sources do not give the final outcome of the recovery of the US$22m.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Hull underwriters","insured":"The shipowner (Atlantik Confidence)","status":"paid","year":2013,"amount":{"value":22000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Hull insurance proceeds paid in August 2013; paid to the lending bank, Credit Europe Bank"},"reason":"The court later found the ship had been deliberately sunk; the underwriters sued to recover the payment.","summary":"The hull underwriters paid US$22m in August 2013 and then sued the owner and the lending bank to recover it. The UK Supreme Court held in 2020 that the bank must be sued in the Netherlands; the final outcome was not found.","src":1},{"insurer":"Axa Insurance (Gulf)","insured":"Cargo interests","status":"litigation","year":2016,"amount":{"value":10200000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Cargo claim (about)"},"summary":"As cargo insurer, Axa claimed about €10.2m and defeated the owner's attempt to cap its liability at about £7.3m (High Court, 11 October 2016). Whether the claim was paid is not stated in the sources.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurance_paid","value":22,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"Hull insurance proceeds paid in August 2013; went to the lending bank, Credit Europe Bank."},{"key":"ship_market_value","value":6.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Market value of the ship per the judgment; bought in 2010 for US$15m."},{"key":"ship_purchase_price","value":15,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Price paid when the ship was bought."},{"key":"claim","value":10.2,"unit":"EUR m","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cargo insurer Axa Insurance (Gulf) claim."},{"key":"liability_cap_sought","value":7.3,"unit":"GBP m","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Limit of liability the owner sought; defeated by Axa."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The bulk carrier Atlantik Confidence, carrying steel, was set on fire and deliberately flooded and sank off Masirah Island, Oman. The High Court found it was deliberately sunk by the master and chief engineer at the request of Mr Agaoglu, described as the alter ego of the owners.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Credit Europe Bank (lending bank)","what":"Received the US$22m hull insurance proceeds, for a ship with a market value of about US$6.5m.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"The hull underwriters","what":"Paid US$22m in August 2013 and sued to recover it; the outcome is not given in the sources.","src":1},{"who":"Axa Insurance (Gulf), cargo insurer","what":"Claimed about €10.2m; the owner's attempt to cap liability at about £7.3m was defeated.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"The sea off Masirah Island","what":"The ship sank in deep water; the sources give no pollution figures.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Off Masirah Island, Oman; the ship was carrying steel loaded in Turkey for the Muscat airport passenger terminal. Court proceedings in England and the Netherlands.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fire on 30 March 2013; sank on 3 April 2013; hull underwriters paid in August 2013; High Court judgment 11 October 2016; UK Supreme Court 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The judgment records that the ship's market value was about US$6.5m against US$22m of hull proceeds and that all group companies were \"balance sheet insolvent\"; the sources do not set out the court's finding on motive.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The fire was set and the ship was flooded deliberately through the engine room and double-bottom tanks; it sank in deep water.","src":0}},"episodes":[],"sources":[{"t":"Kairos Shipping & Standard Club Europe v Enka & Co & Axa [2016] EWHC 2412 (Admlty) (judgment PDF hosted by Quadrant Chambers)","p":"High Court of Justice (Admiralty Court), via Quadrant Chambers","d":"2016-10-11","type":"court","u":"https://www.quadrantchambers.com/sites/default/files/media/document/atlantik_confidence_2016_ewhc_2412.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240823115738/https://www.quadrantchambers.com/sites/default/files/media/document/atlantik_confidence_2016_ewhc_2412.pdf"},{"t":"Aspen Underwriting v Credit Europe Bank [2020] UKSC 11","p":"UK Supreme Court (National Archives case law)","d":"2020","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2020/11","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415221348/https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2020/11"},{"t":"ATLANTIK CONFIDENCE: Court of Appeal Rejects Owner's Application for Permission to Appeal (Alex Kemp, HFW)","p":"HFW (published on LinkedIn Pulse)","d":"2017-09-09","u":"https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/atlantik-confidence-court-appeal-rejects-owners-application-alex-kemp","type":"press"}],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the vessel lost to an insured accident or deliberately sunk?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could the owner cap its liability to the cargo insurer?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Where could the lending bank be sued for return of the proceeds?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Aspen Underwriting v Credit Europe Bank [2020] UKSC 11: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No pollution figures are given in the cited sources, and nothing on the effect of the sinking on the sea or coast.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final outcome of the hull underwriters' US$22m recovery action (Dutch forum) was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Axa's cargo claim of about €10.2m was paid is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources conflict on the ship's value: the 2016 judgment records a market value of about US$6.5m and a 2010 purchase price of US$15m; a separate account without a source link gives about US$13.5m in one place and about US$6.5m in another.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources conflict on the date and naming: the judgment is dated 11 October 2016 and names Mr Agaoglu as the alter ego of the owners; a separate account without a source link dates the High Court findings to 2019 and names the shipowner as Iliopoulos.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed (account without a source link): that the people who attacked the ship had only pretended to be pirates and that the court held an attempted insurance fraud is not piracy.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed (account without a source link): that the cargo was misdeclared to avoid customs duty in China; who made that finding is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed (account without a source link): a claim of about US$77 million, with no information on who claimed it or from whom.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"aznalcollar-mine-spill","title":"Aznalcóllar mine spill (Spain)","dek":"A 1998 accident at the Aznalcóllar / Los Frailes mine in Spain, operated by Boliden Apirsa, produced claims of about 40 billion pesetas. In 2023 a Seville court rejected the Andalusian government's €89.9 million claim against Boliden; in 2025 the government approved the last permit to reopen the mine.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":37.52,"lon":-6.28,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Aznalcóllar, Seville","lat":37.52,"lon":-6.28,"role":"event"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Seville","role":"court"}],"start":1998,"end":2025,"eventDate":"1998-04-25","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Claim by the Andalusian government against Boliden, rejected by a Seville court on 28 July 2023","value":"€89.9 million","note":"Another account gives €89.8 million; El Debate rounds to about €90 million."},"happened":["The Aznalcóllar / Los Frailes mine, operated by Boliden Apirsa, was the site of an accident on 25 April 1998. El Debate later called it the Aznalcóllar disaster.","A MAPFRE note from the time said claims approached about 40 billion pesetas, against insured sums far lower. Boliden sued its contractors and their insurer, Banco Vitalicio, which was liable only up to the limit of each policy. Boliden lost at every level, and the Supreme Court confirmed the outcome in 2012.","On 28 July 2023 a Seville court rejected a claim of about €89.9 million by the Junta de Andalucía against Boliden. El Debate reported that the court relieved Boliden of paying about €90 million and that the costs stayed with Andalucía. It was also reported that the claim was dismissed first on procedural grounds and then on the merits.","On 30 May 2025 Infobae, citing EFE, reported that the Junta de Andalucía had given the go-ahead to the last permit to reopen the mine, with about 85,520 million litres to be discharged into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years. On 7 February 2025 Última Hora reported that the Junta had ordered documentation on the unified environmental authorisation (AAU) for the mine to be sent to the TSJA."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"Accident at the Aznalcóllar / Los Frailes mine (Boliden Apirsa), 25 April"},{"y":2012,"t":"Spanish Supreme Court confirms the loss of Boliden's suits against its contractors and their insurer"},{"y":2023,"t":"Seville court rejects the Junta de Andalucía's claim of about €89.9 million against Boliden (28 July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Última Hora (7 Feb): Junta orders documentation on the AAU sent to the TSJA; Infobae/EFE (30 May): Junta approves the last permit to reopen the mine"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Junta's approval of 'the last permit' to reopen the mine, with about 85,520 million litres to be discharged into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years.","who":"Junta de Andalucía, as reported by Infobae (EFE)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Accident at the Aznalcóllar / Los Frailes mine (Boliden Apirsa) on 25 April 1998.","src":4},{"t":"Claims approached about 40 billion pesetas, against insured sums far lower (MAPFRE note from the time).","src":6},{"t":"Boliden sued its contractors and their insurer Banco Vitalicio, liable only 'up to the limit of each policy'; Boliden lost at every level and the Supreme Court confirmed in 2012.","src":5},{"t":"A Seville court rejected the Junta de Andalucía's claim of about €89.9 million against Boliden on 28 July 2023; the costs stayed with Andalucía.","src":0},{"t":"The Junta gave the go-ahead to the last permit to reopen the mine on 30 May 2025; about 85,520 million litres are to be discharged into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years.","src":1},{"t":"The Junta ordered documentation on the unified environmental authorisation (AAU) for the mine to be sent to the TSJA (reported 7 February 2025).","src":2},{"t":"The Archbishop of Seville announced a thanksgiving mass for the mine's reopening.","src":7},{"t":"Boliden is listed among the 26 member companies of ICMM.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Claim for the 1998 accident, rejected","v":"€89.9 million","d":"Seville court, 28 July 2023"},{"k":"Planned discharge to the Guadalquivir estuary","v":"About 85,520 million litres","d":"Over 18.5 years, reported by Infobae (EFE), 30 May 2025"}]},"unknown":["Conflicting figures for the Junta's claim: €89.9 million in one account and €89.8 million in another.","Unconfirmed: that the Andalusian government granted the unified environmental authorisation (AAU) for reopening on 11 July 2024 to a Grupo México-Minorbis partnership, and that a court refused in September 2024 to suspend it.","Unconfirmed: that the European Commission communication COM(2000) 664 names Baia Mare and Aznalcóllar as its triggers.","Unconfirmed: that the mine lies near Doñana."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources contain no measure of ecological recovery. It records that in 2025 the Junta approved the last permit to reopen the mine, with a planned discharge into the Guadalquivir estuary.","whoPaid":"The Seville court's 2023 ruling left the Junta de Andalucía's claim of about €89.9 million unpaid by Boliden, and the costs stayed with Andalucía (El Debate). Boliden's own suits against its contractors and their insurer also failed.","statusLine":"As of 30 May 2025 (latest dated item): the Junta de Andalucía approved the last permit to reopen the mine; the Junta's €89.9 million claim against Boliden was rejected in July 2023.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"junta-de-andalucia","says":"Gave the go-ahead to the last permit to reopen the mine.","when":"2025-05-30","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"boliden","role":"Mine operator (Boliden Apirsa)"},{"id":"junta-de-andalucia","role":"Regional government; claimant against Boliden; granted reopening permits"},{"id":"banco-vitalicio","role":"Insurer of Boliden's contractors"},{"id":"mapfre","role":"Author of a note on claims versus insured sums"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who bears the cost of the 1998 accident?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Junta de Andalucía","says":"Claimed about €89.9 million from Boliden.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Boliden","says":"Sued its contractors and their insurer Banco Vitalicio and lost at every level; the Supreme Court confirmed in 2012.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Seville court","says":"Rejected the Junta's claim on 28 July 2023; costs stayed with Andalucía.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Boliden v contractors and their insurer (Banco Vitalicio)","forum":"Spanish courts, confirmed by the Tribunal Supremo","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"civil","claimant":"Boliden","defendant":"Contractors and their insurer Banco Vitalicio","filed":null,"decided":"2012","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Boliden sued its contractors and their insurer, which was liable only up to the limit of each policy. Boliden lost at every level; the Supreme Court confirmed the outcome in 2012.","src":5},{"title":"Junta de Andalucía v Boliden (damages claim)","forum":"Seville court","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"civil","claimant":"Junta de Andalucía","defendant":"Boliden","filed":null,"decided":"2023-07-28","status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":89.9,"currency":"EUR","label":"Claim, EUR millions"},"summary":"A Seville court rejected the claim on 28 July 2023; El Debate reported that costs stayed with Andalucía. It was also reported that the claim was dismissed first on procedural grounds and then on the merits.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Banco Vitalicio","insured":"Boliden's contractors","status":"litigation","year":2012,"summary":"Boliden sued the contractors and their insurer; the insurer was liable only 'up to the limit of each policy'. Boliden lost at every level and the Supreme Court confirmed in 2012.","src":5}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":40000,"unit":"pesetas m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Claims approached about 40,000 million pesetas (MAPFRE note from the time), against insured sums far lower."},{"key":"claim","value":89.9,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Junta de Andalucía's claim against Boliden, rejected 28 July 2023. Another account gives 89.8."},{"key":"planned_discharge_litres","value":85520000000,"unit":"litres","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"To be discharged into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years (Infobae/EFE, 30 May 2025)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An accident at the Aznalcóllar / Los Frailes mine on 25 April 1998, followed by litigation over its cost and a permit process to reopen the mine.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Boliden","what":"Relieved of paying the Junta's claim of about €89.9 million by the 2023 ruling.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Junta de Andalucía","what":"Its claim was rejected and costs stayed with Andalucía.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Aznalcóllar, Seville province, Andalusia, Spain; the planned discharge is into the Guadalquivir estuary.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Accident on 25 April 1998; Supreme Court confirmation in 2012; Seville ruling on 28 July 2023; last reopening permit on 30 May 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Insured sums were far lower than the claims, which approached about 40 billion pesetas.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Boliden's contractors' insurer was liable only up to the limit of each policy; Boliden's suits against contractors and insurer failed, and the Junta's claim was rejected.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Juzgado de Sevilla exime a Boliden de pagar 90 millones por el desastre de Aznalcóllar","p":"El Debate","d":"2023-07-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.eldebate.com/sociedad/sociedad-medio-ambiente/20230728/juzgado-sevilla-exime-boliden-pagar-90-millones-desastre-aznalcollar_131239.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230801141204/https://www.eldebate.com/sociedad/sociedad-medio-ambiente/20230728/juzgado-sevilla-exime-boliden-pagar-90-millones-desastre-aznalcollar_131239.html"},{"t":"La Junta da el visto bueno al último permiso para reabrir la mina de Aznalcóllar (Sevilla) (EFE, via Infobae)","p":"Infobae (EFE)","d":"2025-05-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.infobae.com/espana/agencias/2025/05/30/la-junta-da-el-visto-bueno-al-ultimo-permiso-para-reabrir-la-mina-de-aznalcollar-sevilla/"},{"t":"Junta ordena remitir al TSJA documentación requerida sobre AAU mina Aznalcóllar (Sevilla)","p":"Última Hora","d":"2025-02-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/comunidades/2025/02/07/2321403/junta-ordena-remitir-tsja-documentacion-requerida-sobre-aau-mina-aznalcollar-sevilla.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250524033103/https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/comunidades/2025/02/07/2321403/junta-ordena-remitir-tsja-documentacion-requerida-sobre-aau-mina-aznalcollar-sevilla.html"},{"t":"ICMM members","p":"ICMM","d":"n.d.","type":"registry","u":"https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/our-story/our-members","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218205214/https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/our-story/our-members"},{"t":"Spain court finds Swedish firm not liable for disaster costs","p":"The Local Spain (AFP)","d":"2023-07-28","u":"https://www.thelocal.es/20230728/spain-court-finds-swedish-firm-not-liable-for-disaster-costs","type":"press"},{"t":"Al no quedar el juez civil vinculado por resoluciones firmes de otros órdenes jurisdiccionales, el TS desestima la reclamación contra las empresas responsables de los perjuicios derivados de la rotura de la balsa de residuos de Aznalcóllar (STS 963/2011, 11 January 2012)","p":"La Administración al Día (INAP)","d":"2012-01","u":"https://laadministracionaldia.inap.es/noticia.asp?id=1057578","type":"official"},{"t":"Riesgo Medioambiental, no. 7 (September 2001)","p":"Pool Español de Riesgos Medioambientales (via Fundación MAPFRE)","d":"2001-09","u":"https://documentacion.fundacionmapfre.org/documentacion/en/media/group/1053787.do","type":"company"},{"t":"El arzobispo de Sevilla organiza una misa solemne de \"gracias a Dios\" por la reapertura de la mina de Aznalcóllar","p":"elDiario.es","d":"2024-08-19","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/sevilla/arzobispo-sevilla-organiza-misa-solemne-gracias-dios-reapertura-mina-aznalcollar_1_11596106.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["aznalcollar-mine-reopening-near-donana"],"natureLead":{"t":"The Junta de Andalucía gave the go-ahead in May 2025 to the last permit to reopen the mine, with about 85,520 million litres to be discharged into my Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years, Infobae reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who bears the cost of the 1998 accident?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures for the Junta's claim: €89.9 million in one account and €89.8 million in another.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Andalusian government granted the unified environmental authorisation (AAU) for reopening on 11 July 2024 to a Grupo México-Minorbis partnership, and that a court refused in September 2024 to suspend it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the European Commission communication COM(2000) 664 names Baia Mare and Aznalcóllar as its triggers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the mine lies near Doñana.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"renova-foundation","title":"Renova Foundation (Mariana dam, Brazil)","dek":"After the 2015 collapse of the Mariana tailings dam, a foundation funded by the mining companies ran the repair programmes for nine years. In October 2024 it was closed and replaced by a R$170 billion agreement, of which R$38 billion had already been spent.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-20.38,"lon":-43.42,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Minas Gerais","lat":-20.38,"lon":-43.42,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"}],"start":2015,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings"],"headline":{"label":"Headline settlement vs new money, October 2024 (100% basis)","value":"R$170bn / R$100bn","note":"R$170bn in total, of which R$38bn had already been spent through Renova to September 2024, R$100bn is new money to public authorities and communities over 20 years, and about R$32bn is Samarco performance obligations."},"happened":["The Mariana dam in Brazil collapsed in 2015. 19 deaths and damage along the Doce River are recorded. The operator was Samarco, linked in the sources to Vale and BHP.","The Renova Foundation was created after the collapse to carry out repair programmes. The record describes it as set up by BHP and Vale and funded by Samarco, with Vale and BHP Brasil as secondary funders at 50% each. In its fiscal year 2021 BHP agreed to provide up to US$725 million for Renova programmes plus US$40 million of working capital. R$1.3 billion of insurance bonds, which are guarantees and not payouts, secured Renova's obligations. In 2017 an independent science panel was formed at Renova's request; it was chaired by Yolanda Kakabadse, a former president of IUCN and of WWF International.","Renova's independence from the companies was questioned. According to Agência Pública (September 2018), about 20% of Renova's staff came from the companies that financed it, and a prosecutor assessed the companies and the foundation as in practice the same. In December 2023 the Minas Gerais state prosecutor’s office (MPMG) asked for Renova to be closed on the ground that it was not autonomous from the mining companies; the rebuilding of affected communities was not finished, Exame reported.","On 25 October 2024 an agreement was signed with a total of R$170 billion (about US$31.7 billion) on a 100% basis. It comprises R$38 billion already spent through Renova, R$100 billion to public authorities and communities over 20 years, indexed to the IPCA inflation index, and about R$32 billion of Samarco performance obligations. The agreement extinguished Renova; Samarco was to take over its programmes over a 12-month transition. The signing came nine years after the collapse. Where the R$38 billion went is questioned in the press. Unconfirmed: President Lula is reported to have said no one knows.","On 14 November 2025 the High Court of England and Wales found BHP liable (Município de Mariana v BHP Group (UK) Ltd [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)). In November 2024 the federal court in Ponte Nova, Minas Gerais, acquitted Samarco, Vale, BHP and the individual defendants in the criminal case, finding that the evidence did not establish any individual’s direct responsibility for the collapse, IndustriALL reported. On 6 August 2025 a federal court released the requirement for the R$1.3 billion of insurance bonds.","On 6 May 2026 the Court of Appeal in London refused BHP permission to appeal the liability findings ([2026] EWCA Civ 502), except on interest on costs, the Solicitors Journal reported. On 3 September 2026 the Second Panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region (TRF-6) unanimously overturned part of the Ponte Nova acquittals. It sentenced former Samarco managers Daviély Rodrigues Silva and Germano Silva Lopes to eight years and nine months in prison and Wagner Milagres Alves to seven years, three months and 14 days, for causing a flood resulting in death and for environmental crimes. Samarco was fined more than R$6 million, ordered to pay R$1 million to the National Environment Fund and barred from public contracts for ten years. The acquittals of Vale, BHP Billiton Brasil, VOGBR and three other individuals, including former Samarco president Ricardo Vescovi de Aragão, were upheld. The ruling can be appealed; Samarco said it would examine the decision before deciding on legal measures."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Mariana dam collapses (19 deaths recorded)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Independent science panel formed at Renova’s request, chaired by Yolanda Kakabadse"},{"y":2018,"t":"Agência Pública reports about 20% of Renova staff came from financier companies (September)"},{"y":2021,"t":"BHP agrees up to US$725m for Renova programmes plus US$40m working capital (fiscal year 2021)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Minas Gerais prosecutors ask for Renova to be closed (December)"},{"y":2024,"t":"R$38bn spent through Renova to September; R$170bn agreement signed 25 October; Renova extinguished"},{"y":2025,"t":"BHP found liable in England; federal court releases the R$1.3bn insurance-bond requirement (6 August)"},{"y":2026,"t":"6 May: Court of Appeal refuses BHP permission to appeal the English liability ruling. 3 September: TRF-6 convicts Samarco and three former managers; acquittals of Vale, BHP and others upheld","src":9}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"An “independent repair foundation”, Fundação Renova.","who":"How the foundation was presented publicly","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 20% of Renova’s staff came from financier companies (Agência Pública, September 2018).","src":4},{"t":"The Minas Gerais prosecutor’s office asked in December 2023 for Renova to be closed because it was not autonomous from the mining companies.","src":3},{"t":"The October 2024 agreement totals R$170bn: R$38bn already spent, R$100bn over 20 years, about R$32bn Samarco obligations.","src":0},{"t":"R$100bn of the total is new money, payable until 2043.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"2015–2043","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Spent through Renova","v":"R$38bn","d":"To September 2024; figure reported by the company. Where it went is described as unclear."},{"k":"New money under the 2024 agreement","v":"R$100bn","d":"To public authorities and communities, over 20 years, indexed to the IPCA"},{"k":"Deaths","v":"19","d":"No primary source was identified in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Where the R$38bn spent through Renova went: unclear; questioned in the press.","No source found says insurance proceeds went to Renova, the settlement or restoration.","Completion of the dissolution of Renova was not confirmed."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The Renova Foundation was closed under the October 2024 agreement, nine years after the collapse, and Samarco was to take over its programmes over a 12-month transition. In December 2023 the rebuilding of affected communities was reported as not finished.","whoPaid":"Samarco funded Renova, with Vale and BHP Brasil as secondary funders at 50% each. Under the 2024 agreement R$100bn is payable to public authorities and communities over 20 years, and about R$32bn is Samarco performance obligations.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the R$170bn agreement of October 2024 replaced the Renova Foundation; on 3 September 2026 the TRF-6 federal appeals court convicted Samarco and three former managers, a ruling open to appeal; on 6 May 2026 the Court of Appeal in London refused BHP permission to appeal the liability findings. Unconfirmed: completion of Renova’s dissolution.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Vale","says":"In its SEC filing Vale described the 25 October 2024 settlement as R$170bn (about US$31.7bn) on a 100% basis, comprising R$38bn already spent, R$100bn over 20 years and about R$32bn of Samarco obligations.","when":null,"src":0},{"actor":"BHP","says":"In fiscal year 2021 BHP agreed to provide up to US$725m for Renova programmes plus US$40m of working capital.","when":"FY2021","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"samarco","role":"Dam operator; main funder of Renova; takes over its programmes"},{"id":"vale","role":"Parent company of Samarco; secondary funder of Renova at 50%"},{"id":"bhp","role":"Parent company of Samarco; secondary funder of Renova at 50% (BHP Brasil)"},{"id":"renova-foundation","role":"Repair foundation, extinguished under the 2024 agreement"},{"id":"mpmg","role":"Minas Gerais state prosecutor’s office; asked for Renova to be closed"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the Renova Foundation independent of the companies that funded it?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Agência Pública","says":"About 20% of Renova’s staff came from the companies that financed it (September 2018).","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"A prosecutor","says":"Assessed the companies and the foundation as in practice the same.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Minas Gerais prosecutor’s office (MPMG)","says":"Asked in December 2023 for Renova to be closed because it was not autonomous from the mining companies; rebuilding of affected communities was unfinished.","src":3}]},{"point":"What does the R$170bn headline represent, and where did the R$38bn go?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Renova (company-reported figure)","says":"R$38bn spent through Renova to September 2024.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vale (SEC filing)","says":"R$170bn comprises R$38bn already spent, R$100bn to public authorities and communities over 20 years, and about R$32bn of Samarco performance obligations.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Diário do Comércio","says":"The agreement totals R$170bn, of which R$100bn is new money payable until 2043; Renova’s R$38bn is questioned.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Lula","says":"No one knows where the R$38bn went.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Settlement agreement for the Mariana dam collapse","forum":"Brazil (public authorities and the companies)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Public authorities","defendant":"Samarco, Vale and BHP","filed":null,"decided":"2024-10-25","status":"settled","amount":{"value":170000000000,"currency":"BRL","label":"Total agreement, 100% basis (about US$31.7bn)"},"summary":"R$38bn already spent, R$100bn over 20 years to public authorities and communities, about R$32bn of Samarco performance obligations. The agreement extinguished the Renova Foundation.","src":0},{"title":"Claim against BHP in England over the Mariana collapse","forum":"High Court of England and Wales (Technology and Construction Court); Court of Appeal","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Município de Mariana and others (more than 600,000 claimants, including municipalities, businesses and individuals)","defendant":"BHP","filed":null,"decided":"2025","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 14 November 2025 Mrs Justice O’Farrell found BHP liable for the collapse ([2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)). On 6 May 2026 the Court of Appeal refused BHP permission to appeal the liability findings ([2026] EWCA Civ 502), leaving only an appeal on interest on costs; a second-stage trial on compensation was scheduled for 2027–2028, according to the Solicitors Journal.","src":10},{"title":"Criminal proceedings over the Mariana collapse","forum":"Brazil","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Samarco, Vale, BHP Billiton Brasil, VOGBR and former managers of Samarco and VOGBR","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"In November 2024 the federal court in Ponte Nova acquitted the companies and the individual defendants, finding that the evidence did not establish any individual’s direct responsibility. On 3 September 2026 the Second Panel of the Federal Regional Court of the 6th Region (TRF-6) unanimously convicted Samarco and three of its former managers, Daviély Rodrigues Silva, Germano Silva Lopes and Wagner Milagres Alves, of causing a flood resulting in death and of environmental crimes; it upheld the acquittals of Vale, BHP Billiton Brasil, VOGBR and three other individuals. The ruling can be appealed, according to the federal prosecutors.","src":9}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None on record","insured":"Samarco (Renova obligations)","status":"unknown","year":2025,"summary":"R$1.3bn of insurance bonds secured Renova obligations; they are guarantees, not payouts. A federal court released the requirement on 6 August 2025.","src":7},{"insurer":"None on record","insured":"BHP and Vale","status":"paid","year":null,"summary":"BHP and Vale booked their insurance receipts as other income or equity results. No source found says the proceeds went to Renova, the settlement or restoration.","src":8}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":170,"unit":"BRL bn","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total of the 25 October 2024 agreement on a 100% basis; about US$31.7bn."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":38,"unit":"BRL bn","year":2024,"note":"Spent through Renova to September 2024; company-reported. Where it went is described as unclear."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":100,"unit":"BRL bn","year":2024,"qualifier":"payable over 20 years","note":"To public authorities and communities; new money, indexed to the IPCA. Not yet paid."},{"key":"samarco_performance_obligations","value":32,"unit":"BRL bn","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Samarco performance obligations under the agreement."},{"key":"insurance_bonds","value":1.3,"unit":"BRL bn","year":2025,"note":"Guarantees securing Renova obligations, not payouts; requirement released by a federal court on 6 August 2025."},{"key":"bhp_renova_commitment","value":725,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"BHP fiscal year 2021, plus US$40m working capital."},{"key":"renova_staff_from_financiers","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of Renova staff from financier companies, per Agência Pública (September 2018)."},{"key":"deaths","value":19,"unit":"people","year":2015,"note":"19 deaths, as stated in the High Court judgment of 14 November 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A foundation set up and funded by the mining companies after the Mariana dam collapse carried out the repair programmes, was questioned over its independence, and was closed in 2024 when a R$170bn agreement replaced it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BHP and Vale","what":"Booked their insurance receipts as other income or equity results; no source found says the proceeds went to Renova, the settlement or restoration.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People killed and affected by the collapse","what":"19 deaths recorded; damage along the Doce River; rebuilding of affected communities unfinished as of December 2023.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Mariana, Minas Gerais, and the Doce River, Brazil; related claim in England.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Dam collapse in 2015; Renova active until the agreement of 25 October 2024; payments under the agreement run to 2043.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The reasons for creating Renova as a company-funded foundation not on record; the prosecutor’s office asked for its closure in December 2023 because it was not autonomous.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Samarco funded Renova with Vale and BHP Brasil as secondary funders at 50% each; the 2024 agreement combines R$38bn already spent, R$100bn over 20 years and about R$32bn of Samarco obligations.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Vale S.A. filing with the US SEC (Renova funding and the 25 October 2024 settlement terms)","p":"Vale S.A. / SEC EDGAR","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312525185641/d941636d20f.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251113145234/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/811809/000119312525185641/d941636d20f.htm"},{"t":"Acordo Mariana assinado prevê 170 bi reparação","p":"Diário do Comércio","d":"2024-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://diariodocomercio.com.br/legislacao/acordo-mariana-assinado-preve-170-bi-reparacao/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241203122039/https://diariodocomercio.com.br/legislacao/acordo-mariana-assinado-preve-170-bi-reparacao/"},{"t":"Novo acordo de Mariana: poder público responsabiliza mineradoras e reparação de prejuízos causados por rompimento de barragem chegará a R$ 170 bilhões","p":"Agência Minas (Minas Gerais state government)","d":"2024-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.agenciaminas.mg.gov.br/noticia/novo-acordo-de-mariana-poder-publico-responsabiliza-mineradoras-e-reparacao-de-prejuizos-causados-por-rompimento-de-barragem-chegara-a-r-170-bilhoes-124010"},{"t":"Caso Samarco: negociação para repactuar reparação esfria","p":"Exame","d":"2023-12","type":"press","u":"https://exame.com/brasil/caso-samarco-negociacao-para-repactuar-reparacao-esfria-em-2023/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217183738/https://exame.com/brasil/caso-samarco-negociacao-para-repactuar-reparacao-esfria-em-2023/"},{"t":"Raposa no galinheiro","p":"Agência Pública","d":"2018-09-05","u":"https://apublica.org/2018/09/raposa-no-galinheiro/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Município de Mariana & Ors v BHP Group (UK) Ltd & Anor [2025] EWHC 3001 (TCC)","p":"High Court of Justice, Technology and Construction Court (England and Wales)","d":"2025-11-14","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewhc/tcc/2025/3001","type":"court"},{"t":"Brazilian court clears BHP, Samarco and Vale of environmental crimes in Mariana","p":"IndustriALL Global Union","d":"2024-11-21","u":"https://www.industriall-union.org/brazilian-court-clears-bhp-samarco-and-vale-of-environmental-crimes-in-mariana","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Samarco Update - Preliminary Agreement with Federal Prosecutors (BHP release, 19 January 2017)","p":"BHP (via InsuranceNewsNet)","d":"2017-01-29","u":"https://insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/samarco-update-preliminary-agreement-with-federal-prosecutors","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20170129123853/https://www.insurancenewsnet.com/oarticle/samarco-update-preliminary-agreement-with-federal-prosecutors"},{"t":"BHP Annual Report 2020, page 187 (Samarco dam failure)","p":"BHP","d":"2020","u":"https://content.bhp.com/annual-report-2020/files/basic-html/page189.html","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134146/https://content.bhp.com/annual-report-2020/files/basic-html/page189.html"},{"t":"TRF6 condena Samarco e três ex-gerentes por rompimento de barragem em Mariana (MG)","p":"Ministério Público Federal (PRR6)","d":"2026-09-04","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/prr6/noticias/trf6-condena-samarco-e-tres-ex-gerentes-por-rompimento-de-barragem-em-mariana-mg","type":"official"},{"t":"Município de Mariana v BHP: Court of Appeal refuses permission to appeal liability findings","p":"Solicitors Journal","d":"2026-05-06","u":"https://www.solicitorsjournal.com/sjarticle/municpio-de-mariana-v-bhp-court-of-appeal-refuses-permission-to-appeal-liability-findings","type":"press"},{"t":"TRF-6 condena Samarco e três ex-gerentes por rompimento da barragem de Fundão, em Mariana","p":"Diário do Comércio","d":"2026-09-04","u":"https://diariodocomercio.com.br/legislacao/trf6-condena-samarco-barragem-mariana/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"restoration-foundation","related":["samarco-mariana"],"natureLead":{"t":"By September 2024 R$38 billion had been spent through the Renova Foundation on repairing the damage along my Doce River, the company reported; an October 2024 agreement totalled R$170 billion.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Renova Foundation independent of the companies that funded it?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What does the R$170bn headline represent, and where did the R$38bn go?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None on record: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Where the R$38bn spent through Renova went: unclear; questioned in the press.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source found says insurance proceeds went to Renova, the settlement or restoration.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Completion of the dissolution of Renova was not confirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: BHP and Vale"]},{"id":"roger-hallam-sentence-and-uk-public-order-act-protests","title":"Roger Hallam sentence and UK Public Order Act protests","dek":"Roger Hallam was sentenced in July 2024 to five years in prison in the M25 conspiracy case, reported at the time as the longest UK sentence for non-violent protest. The Court of Appeal cut it to four years in March 2025.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"role":"court"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-07","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Hallam's prison term: July 2024 sentence and March 2025 appeal outcome","value":"5 years, cut to 4","note":"As recorded; not an estimate."},"happened":["The Public Order Act 2023 introduced new offences and penalties for protest in the United Kingdom.","Roger Hallam was sentenced in July 2024 to five years in prison in what was described as the M25 conspiracy case, after a jury at Southwark Crown Court convicted him of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. At the time it was reported as the longest UK sentence for non-violent protest.","On 7 March 2025 the Court of Appeal (R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199) reduced Hallam's term to four years. Co-defendants' terms of four years were cut to three years (Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster) or 30 months (Cressida Gethin, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu). Six of 16 appeals succeeded.","The Supreme Court refused permission to appeal on 8 October 2025. Just Stop Oil said in March 2025 that it had counted 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments among its participants, and that it would end direct action in April 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Public Order Act 2023 creates new offences and penalties for protest"},{"y":2024,"t":"July: Roger Hallam sentenced to 5 years in the M25 conspiracy case"},{"y":2025,"t":"March: Court of Appeal cuts Hallam's term to 4 years (7 March); Just Stop Oil reports 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments and says it will end direct action in April"},{"y":2025,"t":"8 October: Supreme Court refuses permission to appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Hallam sentenced in July 2024 to 5 years; the longest UK sentence for non-violent protest at the time.","src":4},{"t":"Court of Appeal, 7 March 2025: Hallam's term cut to 4 years; co-defendants cut from 4 years to 3 years or 30 months; 6 of 16 appeals succeeded.","src":0},{"t":"Supreme Court refused permission to appeal, 8 October 2025.","src":5},{"t":"Just Stop Oil's own figures (March 2025): 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments. The organisation said it would end direct action in April 2025.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Just Stop Oil's figures of 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments are its own, not independently verified."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Just Stop Oil said it ended direct action in April 2025.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2025: Court of Appeal reduced Hallam's sentence to four years (March 2025); Supreme Court refused permission to appeal (8 October 2025).","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"just-stop-oil","says":"Reported 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments (own count, March 2025) and said it would end direct action in April 2025.","when":"March 2025","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"just-stop-oil","role":"Climate protest group; defendants' movement"},{"id":"uk-court-of-appeal","role":"Court that reduced the sentences"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were prison sentences for non-violent protest in England and Wales appropriate?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Appeal (England and Wales)","says":"Reduced Hallam's term from 5 to 4 years and co-defendants' terms from 4 to 3 years or 30 months; 6 of 16 appeals succeeded.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Rapporteur of the Aarhus Convention","says":"Reported as saying that imprisonment for peaceful protest in England was almost unheard of since the 1930s (paraphrase; original wording not available).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Just Stop Oil","says":"Reported its own count of 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199","forum":"Court of Appeal (England and Wales)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution (R)","defendant":"Roger Hallam and co-defendants (Just Stop Oil protest case)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03-07","status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"Hallam's five-year sentence (imposed July 2024) was cut to four years. Co-defendants' terms were cut from four years to three years or 30 months. Six of 16 appeals succeeded. The Supreme Court refused permission to appeal on 8 October 2025.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sentence_years","value":5,"unit":"years","year":2024,"note":"Hallam's sentence, July 2024."},{"key":"sentence_years_after_appeal","value":4,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"Hallam's term after the Court of Appeal, 7 March 2025."},{"key":"arrests","value":3300,"unit":"arrests","year":2025,"est":false,"note":"Just Stop Oil's own count (March 2025); self-reported."},{"key":"imprisonments","value":180,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Just Stop Oil's own count (March 2025); self-reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A climate protester received a five-year prison sentence in the M25 conspiracy case; the Court of Appeal reduced it to four years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Roger Hallam and co-defendants","what":"Prison terms of 5 years (Hallam, cut to 4 on appeal) and 4 years (co-defendants, cut to 3 years or 30 months)","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom; Court of Appeal.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sentenced July 2024; Court of Appeal 7 March 2025; Supreme Court refused permission 8 October 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":null,"src":null},"how":{"t":"Sentence imposed after the M25 conspiracy case; appeals heard by the Court of Appeal.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199 (Just Stop Oil protests case) (via Climate Case Chart record)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"2025-03-07","type":"court","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/r-v-hallam-and-others-appellants-just-stop-oil-protests-case_8b06","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618022318/https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/r-v-hallam-and-others-appellants-just-stop-oil-protests-case_8b06"},{"t":"Hanging up the high-vis: Just Stop Oil says it will stop direct action protests this April","p":"Euronews","d":"2025-03-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/03/28/hanging-up-the-high-vis-just-stop-oil-says-it-will-stop-direct-action-protests-this-april","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251204114529/https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/03/28/hanging-up-the-high-vis-just-stop-oil-says-it-will-stop-direct-action-protests-this-april"},{"t":"R v Hallam and others (Appellants), UKSC/2025/0096: permission to appeal refused","p":"UK Supreme Court","d":"2025-10-08","u":"https://supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2025-0096","type":"court"},{"t":"Appeal court cuts prison sentences for six climate activists","p":"DrillOrDrop","d":"2025-03-07","u":"https://drillordrop.com/2025/03/07/appeal-court-cuts-prison-sentences-for-six-climate-activists/","type":"press"},{"t":"Record prison sentences handed to climate protesters who planned to block UK motorway","p":"Euronews (with AP)","d":"2024-07-19","u":"https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/07/19/record-prison-sentences-handed-to-climate-protesters-who-planned-to-block-uk-motorway","type":"press"},{"t":"R v Hallam and others (UKSC/2025/0096): permission to appeal","p":"The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom","d":"2025-10-08","u":"https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2025-0096","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were prison sentences for non-violent protest in England and Wales appropriate?","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Arrests: Just Stop Oil's own count (March 2025); self-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Imprisonments: Just Stop Oil's own count (March 2025); self-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Just Stop Oil's figures of 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments are its own, not independently verified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cargill-ibama-fine","title":"Cargill IBAMA fine (Brazil)","dek":"In May 2018 Brazil's environment agency IBAMA announced a fine of R$5,000,000 on Cargill Agrícola for buying soy from areas IBAMA had embargoed in the Cerrado. Cargill is also a listed corporate partner of WWF-US.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-7.53,"lon":-46.04,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Maranhão","lat":-7.53,"lon":-46.04,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2018,"eventDate":"2018-05-23","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"IBAMA fine on Cargill Agrícola for buying soy from embargoed Cerrado areas","value":"R$5,000,000","note":"As reported by the press citing IBAMA; IBAMA's own announcement was not found."},"happened":["On 23 May 2018 Brazil's environment agency IBAMA announced Operação Shoyo (Operation Shoyo). Cargill Agrícola was fined R$5,000,000 for buying soy from areas that IBAMA had embargoed in the Cerrado, around Balsas in Maranhão.","The fine was reported by Canal Rural, FeedNavigator and Greenpeace, citing IBAMA. IBAMA's original announcement on its government website was not found.","WWF-US's FY21 Corporate Partnerships Report (March 2022) listed Cargill, Inc. as a corporate partner in the $500,000–$1 million range. The report said Cargill and WWF were working together on sustainable seafood sourcing, responsible poultry production and climate commitments. Corporate income was 3% of WWF-US total income."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"23 May: IBAMA announces Operação Shoyo; Cargill Agrícola fined R$5,000,000 for buying soy from embargoed Cerrado areas"},{"y":2022,"t":"March: WWF-US FY21 Corporate Partnerships Report lists Cargill, Inc. at $500,000–$1 million"}],"said":[{"q":"Cargill and WWF are working together on sustainable seafood sourcing, responsible poultry production, climate commitments…","who":"WWF-US, FY21 Corporate Partnerships Report","when":"March 2022","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Cargill and WWF-US described as working together on sustainable seafood sourcing, responsible poultry production and climate commitments.","who":"WWF-US","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"IBAMA, Operação Shoyo, announced 23 May 2018: Cargill Agrícola fined R$5,000,000 for buying soy from IBAMA-embargoed areas in the Cerrado (Balsas, Maranhão). Reported by Canal Rural, FeedNavigator and Greenpeace, citing IBAMA.","src":1},{"t":"WWF-US FY21 Corporate Partnerships Report: Cargill, Inc., $500,000–$1 million; corporate income was 3% of WWF-US total income.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["IBAMA's original announcement of the fine was not found; the fine is known from press reports citing IBAMA."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest source, March 2022: the 2018 fine was reported as imposed; no appeal, payment or company response found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wwf-us","says":"Cargill and WWF are working together on sustainable seafood sourcing, responsible poultry production, climate commitments…","when":"March 2022","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"cargill","role":"Soy buyer fined (Cargill Agrícola); WWF-US corporate partner"},{"id":"ibama","role":"Brazilian environmental agency; imposed fine"},{"id":"wwf-us","role":"NGO; listed Cargill as corporate partner"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Operação Shoyo: IBAMA fine on Cargill Agrícola","forum":"IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"IBAMA","defendant":"Cargill Agrícola","filed":"2018-05-23","decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":5000000,"currency":"BRL","label":"Fine"},"summary":"IBAMA fined Cargill Agrícola R$5,000,000 for buying soy from IBAMA-embargoed areas in the Cerrado (Balsas, Maranhão). The outcome of any appeal and whether the fine was paid were not found.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":5000000,"unit":"BRL","year":2018,"note":"IBAMA fine on Cargill Agrícola, announced 23 May 2018; reported by the press citing IBAMA."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"IBAMA fined Cargill Agrícola R$5,000,000 for buying soy from areas IBAMA had embargoed in the Cerrado.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"WWF-US","what":"Listed Cargill, Inc. as a corporate partner at $500,000–$1 million (FY21 report)","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cerrado, Balsas, Maranhão, Brazil.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Announced 23 May 2018.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Buying soy from IBAMA-embargoed areas.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Operação Shoyo, an IBAMA operation.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"WWF-US FY21 Corporate Partnerships Report (Corporate Transparency Report), March 2022","p":"WWF-US","d":"2022-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/7di2fcxzps_Final_FY21_WWFUS_Corporate_Transparency_Report_.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250423235351/https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/7di2fcxzps_Final_FY21_WWFUS_Corporate_Transparency_Report_.pdf"},{"t":"Operação do Ibama multa empresas e produtores por soja ilegal no Cerrado","p":"Greenpeace Brasil","d":"2018-05","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/blog/operacao-do-ibama-multa-empresas-e-produtores-por-soja-ilegal-no-cerrado/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Operação Shoyo: IBAMA fine on Cargill Agrícola: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"IBAMA's original announcement of the fine was not found; the fine is known from press reports citing IBAMA.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"cerrejon-coal-mine-ruling","title":"Cerrejón coal mine ruling (Colombia)","dek":"On 16 December 2019 Colombia's Constitutional Court protected the rights to health and a healthy environment of the people of the Provincial Indigenous Reserve, a Wayúu community affected by the Cerrejón coal mining project, and ordered limits on coal-dust emissions.","country":"Colombia","region":"South America","lat":11,"lon":-72.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","lat":11,"lon":-72.7,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","role":"court"}],"start":2019,"end":2019,"eventDate":"2019-12-16","instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Constitutional Court ruling on coal-dust emissions affecting the Provincial reserve","value":"Sentencia T-614/2019","note":"Decision date of 16 December 2019 is given by secondary sources."},"happened":["Colombia's Constitutional Court issued Sentencia T-614 of 2019 on the Cerrejón coal mining project. As summarised by ANLA, Colombia's licensing regulator, the Court ordered protection of the fundamental rights to health and a healthy environment of the inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial, a Wayúu reserve.","The ruling is dated 16 December 2019. It ordered limits on coal-dust emissions (PM2.5 and PM10).","The mine is operated by Carbones del Cerrejón Limited, referred to in the sources as part of Glencore. A December 2025 international statement of solidarity reported an armed attack on a Wayuu leader, Misael Socarrás Ipuana, in La Guajira, and defenders of land and the environment there."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"16 December: Constitutional Court Sentencia T-614/2019 protects the rights to health and a healthy environment of the Provincial reserve and orders limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions"},{"y":2025,"t":"December: international statement reports an armed attack on Wayuu leader Misael Socarrás Ipuana in La Guajira"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Sentencia T-614/2019 (16 December 2019): the Constitutional Court protected the rights to health and a healthy environment of the Wayúu reserve at Provincial and ordered limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions.","src":1},{"t":"ANLA's summary of the ruling: the Court ordered protection of the fundamental rights to health and a healthy environment of the inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["No documented killing linked to Cerrejón was found; threats and a December 2025 armed attack on a Wayuu leader were reported in an international statement, which this record does not link to the company."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest source, December 2025: the Constitutional Court ruling of 16 December 2019 stands; compliance not documented.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"cerrejon","role":"Coal mine operator (Carbones del Cerrejón Limited)"},{"id":"colombia-constitutional-court","role":"Court that issued Sentencia T-614/2019"},{"id":"anla","role":"Colombian licensing regulator"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Sentencia T-614 de 2019","forum":"Constitutional Court of Colombia","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","kind":"civil","claimant":"Inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial (protected party)","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2019-12-16","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Court ordered protection of the fundamental rights to health and a healthy environment of the inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial (a Wayúu reserve) in relation to the Cerrejón mining project, and ordered limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Constitutional Court protected the rights to health and a healthy environment of a Wayúu reserve affected by the Cerrejón coal mining project and ordered limits on coal-dust emissions.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Inhabitants of the Resguardo Indígena Provincial (Wayúu)","what":"Rights to health and a healthy environment protected by the Court","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Resguardo Indígena Provincial (a Wayúu reserve) and the Cerrejón mining project, Colombia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling dated 16 December 2019 (date given by secondary sources).","src":1},"why":{"t":null,"src":null},"how":{"t":"Constitutional Court decision ordering limits on coal-dust (PM2.5/PM10) emissions.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Sentencia T-614 de 2019 de la Corte Constitucional: derechos fundamentales a la salud y al ambiente sano de comunidad indígena, proyecto minero El Cerrejón (ANLA summary)","p":"ANLA (Colombia)","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.anla.gov.co/wanla/eureka/jurisprudencia/sentencias/sentencia-t-614-de-2019-de-la-corte-constitucional-derechos-fundamentales-a-la-salud-y-al-ambiente-sano-de-comunidad-indigena-proyecto-minero-el-cerrejon"},{"t":"Sentencia T-614/19","p":"Corte Constitucional de Colombia","d":"2019-12-16","type":"court","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119121441/https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2019/T-614-19.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119121441/https://www.corteconstitucional.gov.co/relatoria/2019/T-614-19.htm","dead":true},{"t":"International statement in solidarity with Misael Socarrás Ipuana and defenders of land, the environment and human rights in La Guajira, Colombia","p":"London Mining Network","d":"2025-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://londonminingnetwork.org/2025/12/international-statement-in-solidarity-with-misael-socarras-ipuana-and-defenders-of-land-the-environment-and-human-rights-in-la-guajira-colombia/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416225619/https://londonminingnetwork.org/2025/12/international-statement-in-solidarity-with-misael-socarras-ipuana-and-defenders-of-land-the-environment-and-human-rights-in-la-guajira-colombia/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["hasdeo-coal-mine"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No documented killing linked to Cerrejón was found; threats and a December 2025 armed attack on a Wayuu leader were reported in an international statement, which this record does not link to the company.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sime-darby-plantation-withhold-release-order","title":"Sime Darby Plantation withhold release order","dek":"In December 2020 US Customs and Border Protection issued a Withhold Release Order on palm oil produced by Sime Darby Plantation, on forced-labour grounds. Later steps are reported only in secondary listings and are not stated here as fact.","country":"Malaysia","region":"Asia","lat":3.14,"lon":101.69,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"regulator"},{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","role":"company-home"}],"start":2020,"end":null,"eventDate":"2020-12-30","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"US import order on Sime Darby Plantation palm oil","value":"30 Dec 2020","note":"Withhold Release Order issued by US Customs and Border Protection on forced-labour grounds."},"happened":["On 30 December 2020 US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a Withhold Release Order on palm oil produced by Sime Darby Plantation. The order was issued on forced-labour grounds.","No further account from CBP, from Sime Darby Plantation or from any affected worker or community is given in the cited sources. Later steps attributed to the order are listed under what is unknown."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"30 December: CBP issues a Withhold Release Order on Sime Darby Plantation palm oil, citing forced labour"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"CBP issued a Withhold Release Order on Sime Darby Plantation palm oil on 30 December 2020, on forced-labour grounds.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the order was said to rest on \"all 11\" International Labour Organization forced-labour indicators. The CBP release was not reviewed directly; the order's date and basis are taken from secondary reporting.","Unconfirmed: a formal CBP finding in January 2021 and the lifting of the order on 31 January 2022, both from a secondary source.","Unconfirmed: Sime Darby was named in 2009-2010 reporting among palm and rubber concession holders in Liberia (about 220,000 hectares over 63 years). This is not established here as part of this case.","A corporate-accountability list names \"Sime Darby\" without saying which Sime Darby entity it refers to."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of the latest dated entry (30 December 2020 order): one report says the order was lifted; no other source confirms it.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"us-cbp","role":"Regulator that issued the Withhold Release Order"},{"id":"sime-darby-plantation","role":"Palm oil producer named in the order"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Withhold Release Order on Sime Darby Plantation palm oil","forum":"US Customs and Border Protection","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Customs and Border Protection","defendant":"Sime Darby Plantation","filed":"2020-12-30","decided":"2020-12-30","status":"unknown","summary":"CBP issued a Withhold Release Order on palm oil produced by Sime Darby Plantation on forced-labour grounds. One report says it was later lifted; no other source confirms it.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US Customs and Border Protection issued a Withhold Release Order on palm oil produced by Sime Darby Plantation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sime Darby Plantation","what":"Its palm oil became the subject of a CBP Withhold Release Order.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The cited sources do not say where the alleged forced labour took place. The order was issued by a United States agency.","src":null},"when":{"t":"30 December 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Forced labour.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A Withhold Release Order issued by CBP.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"CBP issues Withhold Release Order on palm oil produced by forced labor (national media release; listed, not reviewed directly)","p":"US Customs and Border Protection","d":"2020-12-30","type":"official","u":"https://cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-issues-withhold-release-order-palm-oil-produced-forced-labor","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018071947/https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-issues-withhold-release-order-palm-oil-produced-forced-labor"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"import-restriction","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Withhold Release Order on Sime Darby Plantation palm oil: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the order was said to rest on \"all 11\" International Labour Organization forced-labour indicators. The CBP release was not reviewed directly; the order's date and basis are taken from secondary reporting.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a formal CBP finding in January 2021 and the lifting of the order on 31 January 2022, both from a secondary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Sime Darby was named in 2009-2010 reporting among palm and rubber concession holders in Liberia (about 220,000 hectares over 63 years). This is not established here as part of this case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A corporate-accountability list names \"Sime Darby\" without saying which Sime Darby entity it refers to.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"mv-wakashio-oil-spill","title":"MV Wakashio oil spill (Mauritius)","dek":"The MV Wakashio ran aground off Mauritius in 2020. Its owner sought to cap its liability under the LLMC regime; on 23 February 2026 the Supreme Court of Mauritius refused limitation for oil pollution claims.","country":"Mauritius","region":"Africa","lat":-20.2,"lon":57.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mauritius","iso2":"MU","role":"event"},{"country":"Mauritius","iso2":"MU","role":"court"}],"start":2020,"end":null,"eventDate":"2020-07-25","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","fuel-spill","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Limitation fund sought by the owner","value":"Rs 719.66 million","note":"About SDR 12.74 million, as stated in a law-firm note; the Supreme Court refused limitation for oil pollution claims on 23 Feb 2026."},"happened":["The MV Wakashio ran aground off Mauritius in 2020; the incident is dated 25 July 2020. The registered owner was a subsidiary of a Japanese company; the operator was MOL.","The Wakashio was not a tanker. According to Appleby's analysis of the Supreme Court judgment, for fuel spills from ships other than tankers the cap on the shipowner's liability is set by the LLMC limitation regime.","The owner sought a limitation fund of Rs 719.66 million (about SDR 12.74 million).","On 23 February 2026 the Supreme Court of Mauritius refused limitation for oil pollution claims. The record states that the fund amount the court allowed, and any appeal, are not known. The case is recorded as open after more than five years."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"25 July: MV Wakashio incident off Mauritius"},{"y":2026,"t":"23 February: Supreme Court of Mauritius refuses limitation for oil pollution claims"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The owner sought a limitation fund of Rs 719.66 million (about SDR 12.74 million).","src":0},{"t":"The Supreme Court of Mauritius refused limitation for oil pollution claims on 23 February 2026.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The fund amount the court allowed after its 23 February 2026 ruling, and any appeal, are not known.","Unconfirmed: by November 2021 about 4,686 people had filed claims of about Rs 2 billion, and the insurer had paid about Rs 83 million.","Unconfirmed: MOL set up a voluntary foundation of 800 million yen for mangrove and coral.","Unconfirmed: the owner's limit was also expressed as about US$16.6 million."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of 23 February 2026: the Supreme Court of Mauritius refused limitation for oil pollution claims; the fund amount allowed and any appeal are not known.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Wakashio's owner (a subsidiary of a Japanese company)","says":"Sought a limitation fund of Rs 719.66 million (about SDR 12.74 million).","when":null,"src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"mauritius-supreme-court","role":"Court that refused limitation for oil pollution claims"},{"id":"mol","role":"Operator of the Wakashio"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can the owner cap its liability for the oil pollution claims under LLMC?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Wakashio's owner","says":"Sought a limitation fund of Rs 719.66 million (about SDR 12.74 million).","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of Mauritius","says":"On 23 February 2026 refused limitation for oil pollution claims.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Limitation of liability proceedings, Wakashio fuel-oil spill","forum":"Supreme Court of Mauritius","country":"Mauritius","iso2":"MU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Wakashio's owner (a subsidiary of a Japanese company)","defendant":"Persons claiming for oil pollution","filed":null,"decided":"2026-02-23","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":719.66,"currency":"MUR","label":"Limitation fund sought by the owner, Rs million (about SDR 12.74 million)"},"summary":"The owner sought a limitation fund under LLMC. On 23 February 2026 the court refused limitation for oil pollution claims. The fund amount allowed and any appeal are not known.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Owner's insurer (name: none on record)","insured":"Wakashio's owner","status":"unknown","year":2021,"reason":null,"summary":"Unconfirmed: by November 2021 the insurer had paid about Rs 83 million against about Rs 2 billion in claims from 4,686 people.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"limitation_fund_sought","value":719.66,"unit":"Rs m","year":null,"note":"Limitation fund sought by the owner; stated as about SDR 12.74 million."},{"key":"claim","value":2000,"unit":"Rs m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Claims filed by November 2021, reported not independently verified."},{"key":"claimants","value":4686,"unit":"people","year":2021,"unverified":true,"note":"Number of claimants by November 2021, reported not independently verified."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":83,"unit":"Rs m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Paid by the insurer by November 2021, reported not independently verified."},{"key":"foundation_funded","value":800,"unit":"JPY m","year":2021,"unverified":true,"note":"MOL voluntary foundation for mangrove and coral, reported not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The MV Wakashio ran aground off Mauritius in 2020 and its owner sought to limit its liability for oil pollution claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Off Mauritius.","src":0},"when":{"t":"25 July 2020; limitation ruling 23 February 2026.","src":0},"why":null,"how":{"t":"The owner applied for limitation of liability under LLMC; the Supreme Court of Mauritius refused limitation for oil pollution claims.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"When Local Law Diverges from the Global Maritime Order: The MV Wakashio Judgment and What It Means for Shipping in Mauritius (Okiyo Maritime Corp v The State of Mauritius, 2026 SCJ 86)","p":"Appleby (law-firm analysis of the Supreme Court judgment)","d":"2026-04-13","u":"https://www.applebyglobal.com/publications/when-local-law-diverges-from-the-global-maritime-order-the-mv-wakashio-judgment-and-what-it-means-for-shipping-in-mauritius/","type":"press"},{"t":"Wakashio's Owner Limits Liability Over Grounding as Wreck Removal Continues","p":"gCaptain","d":"2021-11-22","u":"https://gcaptain.com/wakashios-owner-limits-liability-over-grounding-as-wreck-removal-continues/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"liability-limitation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can the owner cap its liability for the oil pollution claims under LLMC?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Limitation of liability proceedings, Wakashio fuel-oil spill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Owner's insurer (name: none on record): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance claim: Claims filed by November 2021, reported not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Claimants: Number of claimants by November 2021, reported not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance paid out: Paid by the insurer by November 2021, reported not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Foundation funded: MOL voluntary foundation for mangrove and coral, reported not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The fund amount the court allowed after its 23 February 2026 ruling, and any appeal, are not known.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: by November 2021 about 4,686 people had filed claims of about Rs 2 billion, and the insurer had paid about Rs 83 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: MOL set up a voluntary foundation of 800 million yen for mangrove and coral.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the owner's limit was also expressed as about US$16.6 million.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"lead-paint-public-nuisance-insurance","title":"Lead paint public nuisance insurance (Santa Clara)","dek":"After a California public-nuisance suit over lead paint was settled in 2019, courts in California, New York and Ohio gave differing rulings on whether insurers had to cover the companies' payments into the abatement fund.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":37.35,"lon":-121.95,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","role":"court"}],"start":2000,"end":2024,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Each of three companies agreed to pay into an abatement fund (2019)","value":"about $101-102M","note":"Each; settlement of the California public-nuisance case."},"happened":["Santa Clara County and other California authorities sued in 2000 in a public-nuisance case over lead paint. The record treats it as a product case, not a site case. In 2019 Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra (successor to W.P. Fuller) and NL Industries each agreed to pay about $101-102 million into an abatement fund.","ConAgra's insurers, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's and others, denied cover under California Insurance Code section 533, which bars insurance for loss \"caused by the willful act of the insured.\" In Certain Underwriters v. ConAgra, 77 Cal.App.5th 729, the California Court of Appeal ruled for the insurers on 19 April 2022. It held that Fuller promoted lead paint \"with knowledge of the harmful nature of such use.\"","In Lloyd's v. NL Industries, 203 A.D.3d 595, the New York Appellate Division, First Department, decided on 24 March 2022 the other way for the policyholder: \"not a clear finding that NL either expected or intended to harm any person or property.\"","On 10 December 2024 the Ohio Supreme Court ruled 7-0 for the insurers on a different ground in the Sherwin-Williams matter: that abatement payments are not \"damages.\" The outcome of the petition for review to the California Supreme Court (S274797) in the ConAgra case is unconfirmed."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Santa Clara County and other California authorities sue over lead paint"},{"y":2019,"t":"Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra and NL Industries each agree to pay about $101-102M into an abatement fund"},{"y":2022,"t":"24 March: New York First Department rules for NL Industries on coverage; 19 April: California Court of Appeal rules for ConAgra's insurers"},{"y":2024,"t":"10 December: Ohio Supreme Court rules 7-0 that Sherwin-Williams' abatement payments are not \"damages\""}],"said":[{"q":"with knowledge of the harmful nature of such use","who":"California Court of Appeal on W.P. Fuller's promotion of lead paint, as reported by Simpson Thacher","when":"19 April 2022","src":0},{"q":"not a clear finding that NL either expected or intended to harm any person or property","who":"New York Appellate Division, First Department","when":"24 March 2022","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra and NL Industries each agreed in 2019 to pay about $101-102 million into an abatement fund.","src":3},{"t":"California Court of Appeal, 19 April 2022: insurers not obliged to cover ConAgra's payment, under Insurance Code section 533.","src":0},{"t":"New York First Department, 24 March 2022: no clear finding that NL expected or intended harm.","src":1},{"t":"Ohio Supreme Court, 10 December 2024, 7-0: abatement payments are not \"damages.\"","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The outcome of the petition for review to the California Supreme Court in the ConAgra case (S274797) is unconfirmed."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of 10 December 2024: coverage rulings split by state (California and Ohio for the insurers, New York for NL Industries); the California Supreme Court petition outcome is unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"lloyds","role":"Insurers (Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's) in the ConAgra and NL Industries coverage cases"},{"id":"sherwin-williams","role":"Company that agreed to pay into the abatement fund"},{"id":"conagra","role":"Company (successor to W.P. Fuller) that agreed to pay into the abatement fund"},{"id":"nl-industries","role":"Company that agreed to pay into the abatement fund"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Must insurers cover the companies' payments into the lead paint abatement fund?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's and others (ConAgra's insurers)","says":"Denied cover under California Insurance Code section 533, which bars insurance for loss \"caused by the willful act of the insured.\"","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"California Court of Appeal","says":"Ruled for the insurers on 19 April 2022; held that Fuller promoted lead paint \"with knowledge of the harmful nature of such use.\"","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"New York Appellate Division, First Department","says":"Ruled on 24 March 2022 for NL Industries: \"not a clear finding that NL either expected or intended to harm any person or property.\"","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Ohio Supreme Court","says":"Ruled 7-0 on 10 December 2024 for the insurers on a different ground: abatement payments are not \"damages.\"","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Santa Clara County and other California authorities v. lead paint companies (public nuisance)","forum":"California (court not named)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Santa Clara County and other California authorities","defendant":"Sherwin-Williams; ConAgra (successor to W.P. Fuller); NL Industries","filed":"2000","decided":"2019","status":"settled","summary":"In 2019 the three companies each agreed to pay about $101-102 million into an abatement fund.","src":3},{"title":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's v. ConAgra, 77 Cal.App.5th 729","forum":"California Court of Appeal","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's and others","defendant":"ConAgra","filed":null,"decided":"2022-04-19","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Insurers denied cover under California Insurance Code section 533. The court held that Fuller promoted lead paint with knowledge of the harmful nature of such use. The outcome of the California Supreme Court review petition (S274797) is unconfirmed.","src":0},{"title":"Lloyd's v. NL Industries, 203 A.D.3d 595","forum":"New York Appellate Division, First Department","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's","defendant":"NL Industries","filed":null,"decided":"2022-03-24","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court found no clear finding that NL either expected or intended to harm any person or property.","src":1},{"title":"Sherwin-Williams abatement payments coverage ruling","forum":"Ohio Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Not stated","filed":null,"decided":"2024-12-10","status":"unknown","summary":"The court ruled 7-0 for the insurers, on a different ground from knowledge or intent: that abatement payments are not \"damages.\"","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's and others","insured":"ConAgra (successor to W.P. Fuller)","status":"refused","year":2022,"reason":"California Insurance Code section 533 bars insurance for loss caused by the willful act of the insured.","summary":"The California Court of Appeal ruled for the insurers on 19 April 2022.","src":0},{"insurer":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's","insured":"NL Industries","status":"litigation","year":2022,"reason":null,"summary":"On 24 March 2022 the New York First Department found no clear finding that NL either expected or intended harm; the cited sources give no payment outcome.","src":1},{"insurer":"Insurers of Sherwin-Williams (names: none on record)","insured":"Sherwin-Williams","status":"refused","year":2024,"reason":"Ohio Supreme Court, 7-0: abatement payments are not \"damages.\"","summary":"The Ohio Supreme Court ruled for the insurers on 10 December 2024.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":"101-102","unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Stated for each of Sherwin-Williams, ConAgra and NL Industries, paid into an abatement fund."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Three paint companies agreed in 2019 to pay into a lead paint abatement fund, and courts then ruled on whether their insurers had to cover those payments.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers of ConAgra and Sherwin-Williams","what":"Prevailed in the California Court of Appeal (2022) and the Ohio Supreme Court (2024) coverage rulings.","src":0},{"who":"NL Industries","what":"Prevailed in the New York First Department coverage ruling (2022).","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"ConAgra","what":"The California Court of Appeal held its insurers need not cover its payment.","src":0},{"who":"Sherwin-Williams","what":"The Ohio Supreme Court held its abatement payments are not covered \"damages.\"","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California (underlying suit and ConAgra coverage ruling), New York (NL Industries), Ohio (Sherwin-Williams).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Suit filed 2000; settlement 2019; coverage rulings 24 March 2022, 19 April 2022 and 10 December 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Insurers refused on knowledge or willful-act grounds in the ConAgra and NL matters, and on the ground that abatement payments are not \"damages\" in the Sherwin-Williams matter.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Coverage litigation in state courts under California Insurance Code section 533 and the policies' terms.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"California appellate court rules that insurers are not obligated to indemnify lead paint abatement fund payment (Insurance Law Alert, law-firm note)","p":"Simpson Thacher & Bartlett","d":"2022-04-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2022/04/29/california-appellate-court-rules-that-insurers-are-not-obligated-to-indemnify-lead-paint-abatement-fund-payment-(insurance-law-alert)","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612120116/https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2022/04/29/california-appellate-court-rules-that-insurers-are-not-obligated-to-indemnify-lead-paint-abatement-fund-payment-(insurance-law-alert)"},{"t":"Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's v. NL Industries, 203 A.D.3d 595 (judgment text)","p":"New York Appellate Division, First Department","d":"2022-03-24","type":"court","u":"https://nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2022/2022_02056.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250414194258/https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2022/2022_02056.htm"},{"t":"Ohio Supreme Court rules that policyholder's payments into lead paint abatement fund are not covered damages under insurance policies (Insurance Law Alert, law-firm note)","p":"Simpson Thacher & Bartlett","d":"2024-12-20","type":"press","u":"https://stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2024/12/20/ohio-supreme-court-rules-that-policyholder-s-payments-into-lead-paint-abatement-fund-are-not-covered-damages-under-insurance-policies-(insurance-law-alert)","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514014543/https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2024/12/20/ohio-supreme-court-rules-that-policyholder-s-payments-into-lead-paint-abatement-fund-are-not-covered-damages-under-insurance-policies-(insurance-law-alert)"},{"t":"Sherwin-Williams Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Santa Clara County lead pigment settlement)","p":"Sherwin-Williams / SEC EDGAR","d":"2019-10","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/89800/000008980019000023/shw-201993010q.htm","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance-coverage-dispute","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Must insurers cover the companies' payments into the lead paint abatement fund?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Sherwin-Williams abatement payments coverage ruling: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the petition for review to the California Supreme Court in the ConAgra case (S274797) is unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"wolverine-world-wide-pfas-rockford","title":"Wolverine World Wide PFAS, Rockford (Michigan)","dek":"Wolverine World Wide, whose Rockford, Michigan operations are linked in the cited sources to tannery PFAS from Scotchgard, sued its legacy insurers in December 2018. A federal court held in 2021 that they owed a duty to defend.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":43.12,"lon":-85.56,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":43.12,"lon":-85.56,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Western District of Michigan","role":"court"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Recovered from legacy insurance policies, fiscal 2020","value":"$8.3M","note":"As reported in the company's Form 10-K for fiscal 2020. Confidential insurer settlements followed in 2024; their amounts were not disclosed."},"happened":["The record available for this case concerns insurance. It describes PFAS from Scotchgard associated with the tannery at Wolverine World Wide's Rockford, Michigan site, but it does not set out the contamination itself, its extent or its dates.","In December 2018 Wolverine sued its legacy insurers, among them American Insurance Co. and units of Travelers. In 2021 the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan held that the insurers owed a duty to defend, because the allegations left open whether the discharges were \"sudden or accidental\" or \"unexpected or unintended\". The ruling falls under the qualified \"sudden and accidental\" pollution exclusion found in policies of about 1973 to 1985.","Wolverine reported in its 10-K for fiscal 2020 that it had recovered $8.3 million from legacy policies. Law360 reported confidential settlements in June 2024 with one insurer and in August 2024 with Travelers.","Some sources cite a figure of $69.5 million in connection with the company. The cited sources describe it as Wolverine's own 2020 settlement with the state and townships, not an insurer payment; no other source confirms that description."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"December: Wolverine sues its legacy insurers (American Insurance Co., units of Travelers and others)"},{"y":2020,"t":"$8.3 million recovered from legacy policies in fiscal 2020, per the company's 10-K"},{"y":2021,"t":"W.D. Mich. holds the insurers owed a duty to defend under the \"sudden or accidental\" exception"},{"y":2024,"t":"Confidential settlements reported: one insurer in June, Travelers in August"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Wolverine sued its legacy insurers, including American Insurance Co. and units of Travelers, in December 2018.","src":0},{"t":"In 2021 the Western District of Michigan found a duty to defend, because the allegations left open whether discharges were \"sudden or accidental\" or \"unexpected or unintended\".","src":2},{"t":"$8.3 million was recovered from legacy policies in fiscal 2020.","src":0},{"t":"Confidential settlements were reported in June 2024 (one insurer) and August 2024 (Travelers), as reported by Law360.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"fiscal 2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The amounts of the June 2024 and August 2024 insurer settlements: confidential.","Unconfirmed: the $69.5 million figure that appears in some sources is Wolverine's own 2020 settlement with the state and townships, not an insurer payment."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"Legacy insurers: $8.3 million recovered by Wolverine in fiscal 2020, followed by confidential settlements in 2024.","statusLine":"As of August 2024: confidential settlements reported with one insurer (June) and Travelers (August); the cited sources show no later development.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wolverine-world-wide","says":"Reported in its 10-K for fiscal 2020 that $8.3 million had been recovered from legacy policies.","when":"fiscal 2020","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"wolverine-world-wide","role":"Insured; claimant in the coverage suit"},{"id":"travelers","role":"Legacy insurer (units named as defendants)"},{"id":"american-insurance-co","role":"Legacy insurer"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the legacy insurers owe Wolverine a defence for PFAS claims?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Wolverine World Wide","says":"Sued its legacy insurers in December 2018.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"US District Court, Western District of Michigan","says":"Held in 2021 that the insurers had a duty to defend, because the allegations left open whether the discharges were \"sudden or accidental\" or \"unexpected or unintended\".","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Wolverine World Wide coverage suit against legacy insurers","forum":"US District Court, Western District of Michigan","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Wolverine World Wide","defendant":"American Insurance Co., units of Travelers and other legacy insurers","filed":"2018-12","decided":"2021","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court held in 2021 that the insurers owed a duty to defend. Confidential settlements with one insurer (June 2024) and Travelers (August 2024) were later reported by Law360.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"American Insurance Co., units of Travelers and other legacy insurers","insured":"Wolverine World Wide","status":"litigation","year":2018,"amount":{"value":8.3,"currency":"USD","label":"Recovered from legacy policies in fiscal 2020 (millions)"},"summary":"Wolverine sued its legacy insurers in December 2018. The Western District of Michigan found a duty to defend in 2021. Wolverine recovered $8.3 million from legacy policies in fiscal 2020 and confidential settlements followed in 2024.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurance_paid","value":8.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Recovered from legacy policies in fiscal 2020 (company 10-K).","src":0}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An insurance coverage dispute over PFAS liabilities linked to tannery PFAS from Scotchgard at Wolverine World Wide's Rockford, Michigan site.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wolverine World Wide","what":"Recovered $8.3 million from legacy insurance policies in fiscal 2020","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Legacy insurers (American Insurance Co., units of Travelers)","what":"Found in 2021 to owe a duty to defend; confidential settlements in 2024","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rockford, Michigan; the coverage suit was heard in the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Suit filed December 2018; ruling 2021; settlements reported June and August 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The dispute turned on whether the discharges were \"sudden or accidental\" or \"unexpected or unintended\" under legacy policies.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Wolverine sued its legacy insurers; the court found a duty to defend; money was recovered under legacy policies and through confidential settlements.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Wolverine World Wide annual report on Form 10-K, fiscal 2020","p":"Wolverine World Wide (SEC filing)","d":"FY2020","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/110471/000011047121000008/www-20210102.htm"},{"t":"Wolverine World Wide, Inc. v. American Insurance Company, The et al (case page and article list)","p":"Law360","d":"2024-08-02","u":"https://www.law360.com/cases/5c33b8b6e23392450dc88179/articles","type":"press"},{"t":"PFAS coverage litigation: cases incl. Wolverine World Wide Inc. v. Am. Ins. Co. (Oct. 18, 2021)","p":"Carrier Management","d":"2023-04-10","u":"https://www.carriermanagement.com/features/2023/04/10/247074.htm","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the legacy insurers owe Wolverine a defence for PFAS claims?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amounts of the June 2024 and August 2024 insurer settlements: confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the $69.5 million figure that appears in some sources is Wolverine's own 2020 settlement with the state and townships, not an insurer payment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Legacy insurers (American Insurance Co., units of Travelers)"]},{"id":"mv-rak-carrier-coal-and-oil-spill","title":"MV Rak Carrier coal and oil spill (Mumbai)","dek":"A coal-laden ship went down about 20 nautical miles off Mumbai in August 2011, and oil and tar balls reached beaches as far as Raigad. The ship's Romanian insurer refused to pay for environmental damage; in 2016 India's National Green Tribunal ordered the owners to pay Rs 100 crore.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":18.9,"lon":72.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","lat":18.9,"lon":72.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Raigad","role":"affected"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Bombay High Court","role":"court"},{"country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","role":"company-home"}],"start":2011,"end":2016,"eventDate":"2011-08","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Ordered by India's National Green Tribunal, August 2016","value":"Rs 100 crore + Rs 5 crore","note":"Rs 100 crore against the ship's owners (about Rs 93 crore of it for mangrove restoration); Rs 5 crore against Adani for coal left on the seabed."},"happened":["In August 2011 the MV Rak Carrier went down about 20 nautical miles off Mumbai. The ship carried more than 60,000 tonnes of coal, 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel. Oil and tar balls reached beaches as far as Raigad.","The ship's P&I (protection and indemnity) insurer, Astra Asigurari of Romania, refused to pay for environmental damage. India's shipping directorate then banned ships insured by Astra from Mumbai. The Bombay High Court required that a hearing be held first.","In August 2016 India's National Green Tribunal (Justice Swatanter Kumar) found the ship not seaworthy and said surveys had been done in a \"biased manner\". It ordered the owners, named in the cited sources as Delta, to pay Rs 100 crore, about Rs 93 crore of it for mangrove restoration. It ordered Adani to pay Rs 5 crore for coal left on the seabed.","A suggestion that the insurance dispute reflected a deliberate motive appears only in commentary (Moneylife). No deliberate act."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"August: MV Rak Carrier goes down about 20 nm off Mumbai; oil and tar balls reach beaches up to Raigad"},{"y":2016,"t":"August: National Green Tribunal finds the ship not seaworthy; orders Rs 100 crore against the owners and Rs 5 crore against Adani"}],"said":[{"q":"biased manner","who":"National Green Tribunal (Justice Swatanter Kumar), on how the ship's surveys were done","when":"August 2016","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The ship carried more than 60,000 tonnes of coal, 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel.","src":0},{"t":"Oil and tar balls reached beaches up to Raigad.","src":0},{"t":"The P&I insurer, Astra Asigurari (Romania), refused to pay for environmental damage.","src":2},{"t":"India's shipping directorate banned ships insured by Astra from Mumbai; the Bombay High Court required a hearing first.","src":2},{"t":"The National Green Tribunal (August 2016) found the ship not seaworthy and the surveys done in a \"biased manner\".","src":0},{"t":"The owners were ordered to pay Rs 100 crore, about Rs 93 crore of it for mangrove restoration; Adani was ordered to pay Rs 5 crore for coal left on the seabed.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"2016 order","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil and tar balls on beaches","v":"Up to Raigad","d":"After the August 2011 sinking"},{"k":"Ordered for mangrove restoration","v":"About Rs 93 crore","d":"Part of the Rs 100 crore ordered against the owners (NGT, August 2016)"},{"k":"Coal left on the seabed","v":"Rs 5 crore","d":"Ordered against Adani (NGT, August 2016)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The record states that oil and tar balls reached beaches up to Raigad, and that the tribunal ordered money for mangrove restoration and for coal left on the seabed. It gives no ecological measurements.","report":[{"t":"Oil and tar balls from the ship reached my beaches, as far as Raigad, after August 2011.","src":0},{"t":"A tribunal ordered money for the restoration of my mangroves, and for coal left on my seabed.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Whether the insurer's refusal reflected any deliberate motive: a suggestion appears only in commentary (Moneylife); no deliberate act.","Reason given by Astra Asigurari for refusing to pay: none on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"The owners and Adani were ordered to pay; the P&I insurer refused to pay for environmental damage.","statusLine":"As of August 2016: the National Green Tribunal ordered the owners to pay Rs 100 crore and Adani Rs 5 crore; the cited sources show no later development.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"astra-asigurari","says":"Refused to pay for environmental damage.","when":null,"src":2},{"actor":"india-shipping-directorate","says":"Banned ships insured by Astra from Mumbai; the Bombay High Court required a hearing first.","when":null,"src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"astra-asigurari","role":"P&I insurer of the ship; refused to pay for environmental damage"},{"id":"rak-carrier-owners-delta","role":"Ship owners (named as Delta); ordered to pay Rs 100 crore"},{"id":"adani","role":"Ordered to pay Rs 5 crore for coal left on the seabed"},{"id":"india-shipping-directorate","role":"Banned Astra-insured ships from Mumbai"},{"id":"ngt-india","role":"Tribunal that found the ship not seaworthy and ordered payments"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who should pay for the environmental damage?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Astra Asigurari (P&I insurer)","says":"Refused to pay for environmental damage.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"India's shipping directorate","says":"Banned ships insured by Astra from Mumbai.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Bombay High Court","says":"Required a hearing before the ban.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"National Green Tribunal","says":"Ordered the owners to pay Rs 100 crore and Adani Rs 5 crore (August 2016).","src":0}]},{"point":"Was the ship seaworthy and properly surveyed?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"National Green Tribunal","says":"Found the ship not seaworthy, with surveys done in a \"biased manner\".","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"National Green Tribunal order on the MV Rak Carrier spill","forum":"National Green Tribunal (India)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Ship owners (named as Delta); Adani","filed":null,"decided":"2016-08","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":100,"currency":"INR crore","label":"Ordered against the owners, about Rs 93 crore of it for mangrove restoration; Rs 5 crore ordered separately against Adani"},"summary":"The tribunal found the ship not seaworthy, with surveys done in a \"biased manner\", ordered the owners to pay Rs 100 crore and Adani Rs 5 crore for coal left on the seabed.","src":0},{"title":"Bombay High Court on the ban of Astra-insured ships from Mumbai","forum":"Bombay High Court","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"After India's shipping directorate banned ships insured by Astra from Mumbai, the court required a hearing first.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Astra Asigurari (Romania), P&I insurer","insured":"MV Rak Carrier (owners named as Delta)","status":"refused","year":null,"summary":"The insurer refused to pay for environmental damage. India's shipping directorate then banned ships it insures from Mumbai; the Bombay High Court required a hearing first.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"coal_cargo_tonnes","value":60000,"unit":"t","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Coal on board.","src":0},{"key":"fuel_oil_tonnes","value":290,"unit":"t","year":2011,"note":"Fuel oil on board.","src":0},{"key":"diesel_tonnes","value":50,"unit":"t","year":2011,"note":"Diesel on board.","src":0},{"key":"compensation_ordered","value":100,"unit":"INR crore","year":2016,"note":"Ordered against the owners by the NGT; about Rs 93 crore of it for mangrove restoration.","src":0},{"key":"compensation_ordered","value":5,"unit":"INR crore","year":2016,"note":"Ordered against Adani for coal left on the seabed.","src":0}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A ship carrying coal, fuel oil and diesel went down off Mumbai; oil and tar balls reached beaches, the insurer refused to pay for environmental damage, and a tribunal ordered payments.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ship owners (named as Delta)","what":"Ordered to pay Rs 100 crore, about Rs 93 crore of it for mangrove restoration","src":0},{"who":"Adani","what":"Ordered to pay Rs 5 crore for coal left on the seabed","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Beaches up to Raigad; mangroves; the seabed","what":"Oil and tar balls reached beaches; mangrove restoration and removal of coal from the seabed were the subject of the ordered payments","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"About 20 nautical miles off Mumbai; beaches up to Raigad.","src":1},"when":{"t":"August 2011; tribunal order August 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The tribunal found the ship not seaworthy, with surveys done in a \"biased manner\".","src":0},"how":{"t":"The ship carried more than 60,000 tonnes of coal, 290 tonnes of fuel oil and 50 tonnes of diesel; oil and tar balls reached beaches. The insurer refused to pay, the shipping directorate banned its insured ships from Mumbai, and the tribunal ordered the owners and Adani to pay.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"2011 Mumbai oil spill: NGT slaps Rs 100-crore fine on shipping company","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2016-08-24","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/2011-mumbai-oil-spill-case-ngt-slaps-rs-100-crore-fine-on-shipping-company-55385","type":"press"},{"t":"Rak Carrier (incident information sheet)","p":"Cedre","d":"2012","u":"https://cedre.fr/en/resources/incident-information-sheets/rak-carrier","type":"official"},{"t":"Responsibility of the owner or the insurer towards the payment of damage (High court relief for MV Rak insurer)","p":"SAFETY4SEA","d":"2012","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220812010132/https://safety4sea.com/high-court-relief-for-mv-rak-insurer/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220812010132/https://safety4sea.com/high-court-relief-for-mv-rak-insurer/","dead":true}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who should pay for the environmental damage?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the ship seaworthy and properly surveyed?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bombay High Court on the ban of Astra-insured ships from Mumbai: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the insurer's refusal reflected any deliberate motive: a suggestion appears only in commentary (Moneylife); no deliberate act.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reason given by Astra Asigurari for refusing to pay: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"paraquat-litigation","title":"Paraquat litigation (Syngenta/Chevron) and the Paraquat Papers","dek":"Plaintiffs in the United States allege that the weed killer paraquat causes Parkinson's disease. Internal company documents released through litigation and published in 2022 and 2023 recorded decades of company findings on paraquat and the brain and efforts to influence science and regulators. By July 2026 more than 8,000 federal cases were pending and none had gone before a jury; Syngenta had settled without admitting liability and announced it would end Gramoxone sales.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40,"lon":-89,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Illinois","role":"court"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Paraná","role":"affected"}],"start":1958,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Cases pending in the US federal paraquat litigation, July 2026","value":"8,000+","note":"Up from more than 5,800 in April 2025; none had gone before a jury (The New Lede)."},"happened":["Paraquat is a contact weed killer that Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) developed in 1961 and sold as Gramoxone. ICI's agricultural arm later became Syngenta. Chevron was the US distributor from 1966 to 1986. Syngenta's headquarters are in Switzerland, which banned paraquat in 1989. Syngenta says US and Australian regulators judge paraquat safe, that no properly designed study has established a link to Parkinson's disease, and that more than 1,200 studies do not show causation.","Internal records released through litigation, published by The New Lede and The Guardian in 2022 and 2023 (the further SWAT-team files in June 2023) as the \"Paraquat Papers\", show that in 1958 ICI saw a related compound affect the nervous system, in 1966 observed tremors in rats and mice, and in 1968 found at autopsy that paraquat accumulated in the brain. An autopsy of an agricultural worker in 1976 showed cell degeneration in the substantia nigra, the brain region where cell loss occurs in Parkinson's disease. A 1985 Chevron note compared the legal risk to asbestos; Chevron stopped selling paraquat in 1986, citing increased competition. A 2003 document called the product a blockbuster and projected annual sales above $400 million. A 2003 company mouse study found no neuron loss and was disclosed; a researcher who repeated it with independent scientists' method found significant neuron loss, and that result was not published and reached the EPA only around 2019, after a lawyer threatened to send the data himself. In 2005 Syngenta, through the industry association CropLife America and without being named, argued against a critical scientist joining an EPA panel; the EPA did not select her in 2005 or in 2010 to 2011. By 2011 at the latest a \"PQ SWAT team\" worked to answer new studies, aiming at an international scientific consensus against the hypothesis that paraquat is a risk factor for Parkinson's. A defence lawyer had scientists' statements edited in 2008 to 2009, and Jack Housenger, a retired director of the EPA's pesticide office, became a company expert at $300 an hour. The New Lede wrote that the documents do not show Syngenta believed in a Parkinson's link; they show efforts to protect sales, answer outside research and influence the regulator.","In 2021 Syngenta settled paraquat claims for $187.5 million without admitting liability. In the consolidated federal cases in Illinois (MDL 3004) a settlement letter with an undisclosed amount was signed in April 2025, when more than 5,800 federal cases were pending. By July 2026 there were more than 8,000 and none had gone before a jury. The judge sent those who refused the settlement to a special master for meetings and depositions; 183 of one law firm's 217 clients left the settlement. Some lawyers estimated the average payment at $100,000 or less, and plaintiffs said little would remain after liens and fees. Syngenta says the settlement is not an admission of causation and that the cases lack merit.","The EPA's 2021 interim decision found the Parkinson's evidence insufficient; the Michael J. Fox Foundation and others sued over it. On 17 January 2025 the EPA said it wanted to withdraw the decision and asked for more data, and plaintiffs said they could not wait four more years. Paraquat was banned in more than 70 countries while US use stayed permitted during the review. Switzerland banned it in 1989. On 11 July 2007 the EU's Court of First Instance annulled the EU approval in a case brought by Sweden, supported by Denmark, Austria and Finland, ruling that the approval process had not adequately examined the Parkinson's link. Brazil's health surveillance agency ANVISA banned paraquat in September 2017 with a three-year transition; Brazil was the largest consumer, accounting for more than half of Syngenta's paraquat sales, and in 2016 Syngenta held 40% of a global market of about $1 billion. The agriculture ministry and the farm caucus in parliament pressed for the ban to be reversed. Unearthed, Greenpeace's investigative unit, reported that the UK exported 8,489 tonnes of banned pesticide active ingredients in 2023, 98% of it Syngenta's, including 2,771 tonnes of paraquat, all to the United States, and that the UK had made no commitment to limit the trade.","On 3 March 2026 Syngenta announced it would end Gramoxone production on 30 June and sales by 31 December 2026 at the latest, attributing the decision to competition from smaller producers. On 25 June 2026 the US Supreme Court held 7 to 2 in Monsanto v. Durnell that the federal pesticide law (FIFRA) bars state claims that would require a cancer warning not on the EPA-approved label. Part of the market that paraquat left was taken by diquat; diquat poisonings in Paraná, Brazil, rose from 1 to 3 a year to 9 in 2023. Sri Lanka banned paraquat, dimethoate and fenthion between 2008 and 2011; pesticide suicides fell 50% and all suicides 21% between 2011 and 2015, with rice yields unchanged, and because the three bans were measured together the effect of paraquat alone cannot be separated."],"timeline":[{"y":1958,"t":"ICI sees a related compound affect the nervous system"},{"y":1961,"t":"ICI develops paraquat, sold as Gramoxone"},{"y":1966,"t":"Tremors seen in rats and mice; Chevron becomes the US distributor (1966 to 1986)"},{"y":1968,"t":"Autopsies show paraquat accumulating in the brain"},{"y":1976,"t":"Autopsy of an agricultural worker shows degeneration of substantia nigra cells"},{"y":1985,"t":"A Chevron note compares the legal risk to asbestos"},{"y":1986,"t":"Chevron stops selling paraquat, citing increased competition"},{"y":1989,"t":"Switzerland bans paraquat"},{"y":2003,"t":"Company document projects annual paraquat sales above $400 million; company mouse study finds no neuron loss"},{"y":2007,"t":"11 July: EU Court of First Instance annuls the EU approval of paraquat"},{"y":2011,"t":"A 'PQ SWAT team' is working by this year at the latest; a 110-patient case-control study reports 2.5 times higher odds of reported rotenone or paraquat use among Parkinson's patients"},{"y":2017,"t":"September: Brazil's ANVISA bans paraquat with a three-year transition"},{"y":2020,"t":"October: Switzerland's Federal Council announces a ban on the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland"},{"y":2021,"t":"Syngenta settles for $187.5 million without admitting liability; EPA interim decision finds the Parkinson's evidence insufficient"},{"y":2022,"t":"The New Lede and The Guardian publish the Paraquat Papers"},{"y":2023,"t":"June: further internal files on the SWAT team published"},{"y":2025,"t":"17 January: EPA says it wants to withdraw its 2021 decision. April: settlement letter in MDL 3004, amount undisclosed; more than 5,800 federal cases"},{"y":2026,"t":"3 March: Syngenta announces Gramoxone exit. 25 June: Monsanto v. Durnell decided 7 to 2. July: more than 8,000 federal cases, none before a jury"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"US and Australian regulators judge paraquat safe, and no properly designed study has established a link to Parkinson's disease.","who":"Syngenta","src":0},{"t":"More than 1,200 studies do not show causation.","who":"Syngenta","src":8},{"t":"The settlement is not an admission of causation and the cases lack merit.","who":"Syngenta","src":2},{"t":"The decision to end Gramoxone production and sales reflects competition from smaller producers.","who":"Syngenta, 3 March 2026","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Internal ICI and Chevron records dated 1958 to 1986 describe nervous-system effects, brain accumulation, substantia nigra degeneration in a 1976 autopsy and a 1985 note comparing the legal risk to asbestos.","src":0},{"t":"A 2003 company mouse study found no neuron loss; a repeat by a researcher using independent scientists' method found significant neuron loss, was not published and reached the EPA around 2019.","src":0},{"t":"Syngenta conveyed its objection to a critical scientist's EPA panel nomination through CropLife America without being named; EPA did not select the scientist in 2005 or 2010–2011.","src":0},{"t":"A \"PQ SWAT team\" operated by 2011; a defence lawyer had scientists' statements edited in 2008–09; the retired head of EPA's pesticide office became a company expert at $300 an hour.","src":8},{"t":"A 2011 study with 110 patients and 358 controls found that Parkinson's patients were 2.5 times as likely to report using rotenone or paraquat. The exposure was self-reported and the figure covers both substances.","src":11},{"t":"Syngenta settled in 2021 for $187.5 million without admitting liability.","src":0},{"t":"More than 8,000 federal cases were pending in July 2026; none had gone before a jury; 183 of one firm's 217 clients left the settlement.","src":3},{"t":"EPA's 2021 interim decision found the Parkinson's evidence insufficient; on 17 January 2025 EPA said it wanted to withdraw it and ask for more data. Use remains legal in the US while the review continues.","src":4},{"t":"In 2023 the UK exported 8,489 tonnes of banned active ingredients, 98% of them Syngenta's. All 2,771 tonnes of paraquat went to the US, and the UK gave no commitment to limit this trade.","src":6},{"t":"On 25 June 2026 the US Supreme Court held 7 to 2 in Monsanto v. Durnell that the federal pesticide law (FIFRA) bars state-law claims that would require a warning not on the EPA-approved label.","src":9},{"t":"In October 2020 Switzerland's Federal Council announced a ban on the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland.","src":10},{"t":"Part of the market left by paraquat was taken by diquat. Diquat poisonings in Paraná, Brazil, rose from 1–3 a year to 9 in 2023.","src":6},{"t":"Sri Lanka banned paraquat, dimethoate and fenthion between 2008 and 2011. Pesticide suicides fell 50% and all suicides 21% between 2011 and 2015, while rice yields increased over the study period. Because the three bans were measured together, the effect of paraquat alone cannot be separated.","src":12},{"t":"No final court ruling has settled whether paraquat causes Parkinson's disease.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021 to 2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Federal cases pending","v":"8,000+","d":"July 2026; none before a jury (The New Lede)"},{"k":"Countries that banned paraquat","v":"70+","d":"As reported by The New Lede, January 2025; not banned in the US, where the EPA review continues"},{"k":"Settlements","v":"$187.5m (2021); 2025 amount confidential","d":"The 2021 settlement did not admit liability"},{"k":"Annual sales projected in a 2003 company document","v":"Over $400 million","d":"Projection, not realised sales"}]},"unknown":["The amount of the April 2025 settlement in MDL 3004 is confidential.","The amount Chevron paid in paraquat suits is not known.","The 2021 settlement is given as $187.5 million in one source section and as 'at least $187.5 million' in another, which is marked as.","No final court ruling has settled whether paraquat causes Parkinson's disease, and none of the more than 8,000 federal cases had reached a jury by July 2026.","Unconfirmed: a federal judge threatened a plaintiffs' lawyer with sanctions in October 2025.","Unconfirmed: Syngenta's exit closes its Huddersfield plant in England, and paraquat is less than 1% of company sales.","Unconfirmed: California's paraquat registration was cancelled in April 2026, with stocks saleable until 2028 and other companies' products unaffected.","Unconfirmed: UK authorities approved export of more than 28,000 tonnes of paraquat mixtures in 2018 (Public Eye).","Unconfirmed: China banned domestic use in 2016 while continuing to export (production capacity of 105,000 tonnes a year in 2009), and about 78 million pounds reached the US from China in one year (WUFT).","Unconfirmed: Thailand decided in 2019 to ban paraquat, delayed the ban to June 2020 and dropped glyphosate from the ban after a US official's letter.","Unconfirmed: ChemChina bought Syngenta in 2017 for about $43 billion and merged with Sinochem in 2021.","The cited sources do not list which five pesticides were covered by the Swiss export ban announced in October 2020."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed","review"],"harmStopped":"Syngenta announced in March 2026 that it would end Gramoxone production on 30 June and sales by 31 December 2026 at the latest. US use of paraquat remained permitted while the EPA review continued.","whoPaid":"Syngenta paid $187.5 million in 2021 and an undisclosed amount in 2025. Plaintiffs said little would remain for them after liens and fees from payments that some lawyers estimated at $100,000 or less on average.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: more than 8,000 federal cases pending, none tried before a jury; Syngenta had announced the end of Gramoxone sales by 31 December 2026; the EPA review was ongoing.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"syngenta","says":"US and Australian regulators judge paraquat safe; no properly designed study has established a Parkinson's link; later said more than 1,200 studies do not show causation.","when":"2022–2023","src":0},{"actor":"syngenta","says":"The settlement is not an admission of causation and the cases lack merit.","when":"April 2025","src":2},{"actor":"syngenta","says":"Attributed the decision to end Gramoxone production and sales to competition from smaller producers.","when":"3 March 2026","src":5},{"actor":"chevron","says":"Stopped selling paraquat in 1986, citing increased competition, according to the released documents.","when":"1986","src":0},{"actor":"us-epa","says":"Found the Parkinson's evidence insufficient in its 2021 interim decision; said on 17 January 2025 that it wanted to withdraw the decision and asked for more data.","when":"2021; 17 January 2025","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"syngenta","role":"Paraquat maker (successor to ICI's agricultural arm); settlement defendant"},{"id":"chevron","role":"US distributor of paraquat, 1966 to 1986"},{"id":"imperial-chemical-industries","role":"Developer of paraquat (1961)"},{"id":"croplife-america","role":"Industry association through which Syngenta's views reached the EPA"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; 2021 interim decision and 2025 withdrawal"},{"id":"michael-j-fox-foundation","role":"Challenged the EPA's 2021 decision"},{"id":"eu-court-of-first-instance","role":"Court that annulled the EU approval in 2007"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does paraquat cause Parkinson's disease?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Syngenta","says":"US and Australian regulators judge it safe; no properly designed study has established a link; more than 1,200 studies do not show causation.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"US EPA","says":"Its 2021 interim decision found the evidence insufficient; in January 2025 it said it wanted to withdraw that decision and asked for more data.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Case-control study, Iowa and North Carolina (2011)","says":"Among 110 patients and 358 controls, patients were 2.5 times as likely to report using rotenone or paraquat; exposure was self-reported and the result covers both substances together.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"The New Lede","says":"The Paraquat Papers do not show that Syngenta believed in a Parkinson's link; they show efforts to protect sales, answer outside research and influence the regulator.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"EU Court of First Instance","says":"Annulled the EU approval on 11 July 2007 on a challenge by Sweden, holding that the approval process had not sufficiently examined the Parkinson's link.","src":1}]},{"point":"What does the settlement mean for the plaintiffs?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Syngenta","says":"The settlement is not an admission of causation and the cases lack merit.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge, MDL 3004 (Illinois)","says":"Sent those who refused the settlement to a special master for meetings and depositions.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Plaintiffs and their lawyers","says":"Some lawyers estimated the average payment at $100,000 or less; plaintiffs said little would remain after liens and fees.","src":3}]},{"point":"Why did Chevron stop selling paraquat in 1986?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Chevron","says":"Cited increased competition in 1986.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Released ICI and Chevron documents","says":"A 1985 Chevron note compared the legal risk to asbestos.","src":0}]},{"point":"Should Brazil's paraquat ban stand?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"ANVISA (Brazil)","says":"Banned paraquat in September 2017 with a three-year transition.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Brazil's agriculture ministry and parliamentary farm caucus","says":"Pressed for the ban to be reversed.","src":7}]},{"point":"Why is Syngenta ending Gramoxone production and sales?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Syngenta","says":"Competition from small producers.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Paraquat Products Liability Litigation, MDL 3004","forum":"US federal court, Illinois (multidistrict litigation)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiffs alleging paraquat caused Parkinson's disease","defendant":"Syngenta","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"A settlement letter with an undisclosed amount was signed in April 2025, when more than 5,800 federal cases were pending. By July 2026 there were more than 8,000 and none had gone before a jury. The judge sent those who refused the settlement to a special master; 183 of one firm's 217 clients left it.","src":3},{"title":"Syngenta paraquat settlement, 2021","forum":"United States (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Paraquat plaintiffs","defendant":"Syngenta","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"settled","amount":{"value":187.5,"currency":"USD","label":"Millions; settlement without admission of liability"},"summary":"Syngenta settled without admitting liability.","src":0},{"title":"Sweden v. Commission, annulment of EU paraquat approval","forum":"Court of First Instance of the European Communities","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Sweden, supported by Denmark, Austria and Finland","defendant":"European Commission","filed":null,"decided":"2007-07-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court annulled the EU approval of paraquat, ruling that the approval process had not adequately examined the link to Parkinson's disease.","src":1},{"title":"Challenge to the EPA's 2021 paraquat interim decision","forum":"US court (forum not stated)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Michael J. Fox Foundation and others","defendant":"US EPA","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The challengers contested EPA's 2021 interim decision that found the Parkinson's evidence insufficient. On 17 January 2025 EPA said it wanted to withdraw the decision and request more data; the plaintiffs said they could not wait four more years.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":187.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Syngenta settlement without admission of liability.","src":0},{"key":"cases_pending","value":5800,"unit":"federal cases","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"April 2025, MDL 3004.","src":2},{"key":"cases_pending","value":8000,"unit":"federal cases","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"July 2026; none had gone before a jury.","src":3},{"key":"clients_left_settlement","value":183,"unit":"clients","year":2026,"note":"Of 217 clients of one law firm.","src":3},{"key":"average_payment_estimate","value":100000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"qualifier":"or less","est":true,"note":"Estimate by some lawyers, as reported by The New Lede.","src":3},{"key":"projected_annual_sales","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"qualifier":"above","note":"Projection in a 2003 company document.","src":0},{"key":"countries_banned","value":70,"unit":"countries","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Countries where paraquat was banned, as of January 2025.","src":4},{"key":"market_value","value":1,"unit":"USD bn","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Global paraquat market; Syngenta held 40% (Public Eye).","src":7},{"key":"exports_tonnes","value":2771,"unit":"t","year":2023,"note":"UK paraquat exports, all to the United States (Unearthed).","src":6},{"key":"diquat_poisonings_parana","value":9,"unit":"cases","year":2023,"note":"Up from 1 to 3 a year; diquat took part of the market paraquat left (Paraná, Brazil).","src":6},{"key":"banned_ingredients_exported_tonnes","value":8489,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"UK exports of banned active ingredients; 98% were Syngenta's."},{"key":"odds_ratio","value":2.5,"unit":"x","year":2011,"note":"Odds of reporting rotenone or paraquat use among Parkinson's patients (110 patients, 358 controls); self-reported exposure, both substances combined."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Litigation over the alleged link between paraquat exposure and Parkinson's disease, and the company records released through it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Syngenta","what":"A 2003 company document projected annual paraquat sales above $400 million; Brazil accounted for more than half of its paraquat sales in 2016","src":0},{"who":"Chevron","what":"US distributor of paraquat from 1966 to 1986","src":0},{"who":"Jack Housenger, retired director of EPA's pesticide office","what":"Became a company expert at $300 an hour.","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Syngenta","what":"Paid $187.5 million in 2021 and an undisclosed amount in 2025, without admitting liability","src":null},{"who":"Plaintiffs in the settlement","what":"Said little would remain after liens and fees from payments that some lawyers estimated at $100,000 or less.","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Plaintiffs alleging Parkinson's disease from paraquat","what":"More than 8,000 federal cases by July 2026; some lawyers estimated an average payment of $100,000 or less; plaintiffs said little would remain after liens and fees","src":3},{"who":"People in Paraná, Brazil","what":"Diquat poisonings rose from 1–3 a year to 9 in 2023 as diquat took part of the market paraquat left","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Federal courts in Illinois (MDL 3004); regulators and courts in the EU, Switzerland, Brazil and the UK; Syngenta is headquartered in Switzerland.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Internal records from 1958; settlement 2021; MDL settlement letter April 2025; Gramoxone exit announced 3 March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Plaintiffs allege paraquat causes Parkinson's disease; Syngenta says regulators judge it safe and no properly designed study establishes a link.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through responses prepared by a \"PQ SWAT team\", edited scientists' statements, objections routed through CropLife America and a former EPA official as company expert.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"Secret paraquat papers reveal corporate tactics to protect weed killer linked to Parkinson's disease","p":"The New Lede (with The Guardian)","d":"2022-10-20","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2022/10/secret-paraquat-papers-reveal-corporate-tactics-to-protect-weed-killer-linked-to-parkinsons-disease/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012092923/https://www.thenewlede.org/2022/10/secret-paraquat-papers-reveal-corporate-tactics-to-protect-weed-killer-linked-to-parkinsons-disease/"},{"t":"EU court reins in Syngenta: the beginning of the end for paraquat","p":"Public Eye","d":"2007-07-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511162702/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat"},{"t":"Syngenta moving to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming paraquat causes Parkinson's disease","p":"The New Lede","d":"2025-04-15","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/04/syngenta-moving-to-settle-thousands-of-lawsuits-claiming-paraquat-causes-parkinsons-disease/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260125114455/https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/04/syngenta-moving-to-settle-thousands-of-lawsuits-claiming-paraquat-causes-parkinsons-disease/"},{"t":"Judge pressures Parkinson's patients to accept Syngenta paraquat settlement","p":"The New Lede","d":"2026-07-06","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2026/07/judge-pressures-parkinsons-patients-to-accept-syngenta-paraquat-settlement/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710174221/https://www.thenewlede.org/2026/07/judge-pressures-parkinsons-patients-to-accept-syngenta-paraquat-settlement/"},{"t":"EPA moves to withdraw decision on paraquat, delays report on risks","p":"The New Lede","d":"2025-01-18","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/01/epa-moves-to-withdraw-decision-on-paraquat-delays-report-on-risks/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251112053551/https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/01/epa-moves-to-withdraw-decision-on-paraquat-delays-report-on-risks/"},{"t":"Syngenta to stop production of Gramoxone","p":"SDSU Extension","d":"2026","type":"academic","u":"https://extension.sdstate.edu/syngenta-stop-production-gramoxoner","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511052425/https://extension.sdstate.edu/syngenta-stop-production-gramoxoner"},{"t":"Ultimate hypocrisy: UK exported 8,500 tonnes of banned pesticides","p":"Unearthed (Greenpeace)","d":"2024-12-08","type":"investigative","u":"https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2024/12/08/ultimate-hypocrisy-uk-exported-8500-tonnes-banned-pesticides/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606133405/https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2024/12/08/ultimate-hypocrisy-uk-exported-8500-tonnes-banned-pesticides/"},{"t":"Brazil bans paraquat and the agribusiness lobby is gearing up for action","p":"Public Eye","d":"2017-10-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/brazil-bans-paraquat-and-the-agribusiness-lobby-is-gearing-up-for-action","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130210837/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/brazil-bans-paraquat-and-the-agribusiness-lobby-is-gearing-up-for-action/"},{"t":"Syngenta's SWAT team: internal files reveal secret strategies to influence science","p":"The New Lede / The Guardian","d":"2023-06-02","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2023/06/syngentas-swat-team-internal-files-reveal-secret-strategies-to-influence-science/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012092923/https://www.thenewlede.org/2023/06/syngentas-swat-team-internal-files-reveal-secret-strategies-to-influence-science/"},{"t":"Supreme Court decides Monsanto v. Durnell (law-firm briefing)","p":"Faegre Drinker","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2026/6/supreme-court-decides-monsanto-v-durnell"},{"t":"The Federal Council bans the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland","p":"Public Eye","d":"2020-10-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-federal-council-bans-the-export-of-five-pesticides-banned-in-switzerland","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260507183014/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-federal-council-bans-the-export-of-five-pesticides-banned-in-switzerland"},{"t":"Rotenone, paraquat, and Parkinson's disease (Agricultural Health Study case-control analysis)","p":"Environmental Health Perspectives","d":"2011-06","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3114841/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Suicide and pesticide regulation in Sri Lanka: effect of the 2008-2011 pesticide bans (Knipe et al.)","p":"PLoS One","d":"2017-03-06","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5338785/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260107081318/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5338785/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["eu-banned-pesticide-exports","chlorpyrifos-dow-findings-eu-ban-and-exports-of-banned-pesti","paraquat-bans-uk-production-for-export-and-chinese-exports","paraquat-and-diquat-substitution"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does paraquat cause Parkinson's disease?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What does the settlement mean for the plaintiffs?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did Chevron stop selling paraquat in 1986?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should Brazil's paraquat ban stand?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why is Syngenta ending Gramoxone production and sales?","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Odds ratio: Odds of reporting rotenone or paraquat use among Parkinson's patients (110 patients, 358 controls); self-reported exposure, both substances combined.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the April 2025 settlement in MDL 3004 is confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount Chevron paid in paraquat suits is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2021 settlement is given as $187.5 million in one source section and as 'at least $187.5 million' in another, which is marked as.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No final court ruling has settled whether paraquat causes Parkinson's disease, and none of the more than 8,000 federal cases had reached a jury by July 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a federal judge threatened a plaintiffs' lawyer with sanctions in October 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Syngenta's exit closes its Huddersfield plant in England, and paraquat is less than 1% of company sales.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: California's paraquat registration was cancelled in April 2026, with stocks saleable until 2028 and other companies' products unaffected.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: UK authorities approved export of more than 28,000 tonnes of paraquat mixtures in 2018 (Public Eye).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: China banned domestic use in 2016 while continuing to export (production capacity of 105,000 tonnes a year in 2009), and about 78 million pounds reached the US from China in one year (WUFT).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Thailand decided in 2019 to ban paraquat, delayed the ban to June 2020 and dropped glyphosate from the ban after a US official's letter.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ChemChina bought Syngenta in 2017 for about $43 billion and merged with Sinochem in 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not list which five pesticides were covered by the Swiss export ban announced in October 2020.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Syngenta","No source link — Who harmed: People in Paraná, Brazil"]},{"id":"dorothy-stang-killing","title":"Dorothy Stang killing","dek":"Dorothy Stang was killed on 12 February 2005 in Anapu, Pará, Brazil. Two ranchers were convicted of ordering the killing; one of them was released in 2018 and ordered back to prison in 2019.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-3.47,"lon":-51.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-3.47,"lon":-51.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2005,"end":2019,"eventDate":"2005-02-12","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Ranchers convicted of ordering the killing","value":"2","note":"Vitalmiro \"Bida\" Moura (30 years) and Regivaldo Galvão (30 years in 2010, reduced to 25 in 2017)."},"happened":["Dorothy Stang was killed on 12 February 2005 in Anapu, in the state of Pará, Brazil. She had opposed the occupation of land and logging around the PDS Esperança sustainable-development settlement.","The gunmen who carried out the killing were convicted. Rayfran das Neves Sales, who confessed to the shooting, was sentenced to 27 years in December 2005 and again to 27 years in October 2007 after a retrial.","Two ranchers were convicted of ordering the killing. Vitalmiro Bastos de Moura (\"Bida\") was sentenced to 30 years. Regivaldo Galvão received 30 years in 2010. In May 2013 the STF overturned Moura's conviction because his lawyer had not had enough time to prepare the defence; on 19 September 2013 a state court in Belém sentenced Moura to 30 years again and also convicted Galvão, with a 30-year sentence, according to Front Line Defenders.","The STJ (Superior Court of Justice) reduced Galvão's sentence to 25 years; sources date this to 2012 or to May 2017. In May 2018 Justice Marco Aurélio Mello of the STF released him on habeas corpus. On 19 February 2019 the STF's First Panel revoked that release and ordered him back to prison, and civil police arrested him in Altamira on 16 April 2019."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Dorothy Stang killed on 12 February in Anapu, Pará"},{"y":2010,"t":"Regivaldo Galvão sentenced to 30 years for ordering the killing"},{"y":2017,"t":"STJ reduces Galvão's sentence to 25 years"},{"y":2018,"t":"STF releases Galvão on habeas corpus"},{"y":2019,"t":"STF First Panel revokes the release in February; Galvão ordered back to prison"},{"y":2019,"t":"16 April: Galvão arrested again in Altamira"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Dorothy Stang was killed on 12 February 2005 in Anapu, Pará.","src":1},{"t":"The gunmen were convicted. Rayfran das Neves Sales is named among them.","src":5},{"t":"Ranchers Vitalmiro \"Bida\" Moura (30 years) and Regivaldo Galvão were convicted of ordering the killing.","src":5},{"t":"Galvão: 30 years in 2010; reduced to 25 years by the STJ in 2017; released on habeas corpus by the STF in 2018; release revoked by the STF's First Panel in February 2019.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Deaths","v":"1","d":"Dorothy Stang, 12 February 2005, Anapu, Pará"},{"k":"Ranchers convicted of ordering the killing","v":"2","d":"Moura (30 years); Galvão (30 years in 2010, 25 after the 2017 STJ reduction)"},{"k":"Release of a convicted rancher","v":"Revoked","d":"Galvão released on habeas corpus in 2018; release revoked by the STF First Panel in February 2019"}]},"unknown":["Sources differ on the year the STJ reduced Galvão's sentence to 25 years (2012 or May 2017)."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"No information is available on whether the land occupation and logging around the settlement stopped after the killing.","whoPaid":"The cited sources show prison sentences for the convicted gunmen and for two ranchers who ordered the killing; one rancher's sentence was reduced on appeal. No compensation or fine is recorded.","statusLine":"As of April 2019: the STF First Panel revoked the 2018 release of Regivaldo Galvão and he was arrested again on 16 April 2019; no later development is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"stf-brazil","role":"Released a convicted rancher on habeas corpus (2018); its First Panel revoked the release (February 2019)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Trial of the gunmen who killed Dorothy Stang","forum":"Brazil (court name: none on record)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution (name: none on record)","defendant":"Rayfran das Neves Sales and other gunmen","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The gunmen were convicted. Rayfran das Neves Sales, who confessed to the shooting, was sentenced to 27 years in December 2005 and again in October 2007.","src":5},{"title":"Trial of Vitalmiro \"Bida\" Moura for ordering the killing","forum":"Brazil (court name: none on record)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution (name: none on record)","defendant":"Vitalmiro \"Bida\" Moura, rancher","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"Convicted of ordering the killing and sentenced to 30 years in 2010. The STF overturned that conviction in May 2013, and a state court in Belém sentenced him to 30 years again on 19 September 2013.","src":5},{"title":"Trial and appeals of Regivaldo Galvão for ordering the killing","forum":"Brazil: trial court (not named), STJ and STF","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution (name: none on record)","defendant":"Regivaldo Galvão, rancher","filed":null,"decided":"2019-02","status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"Convicted of ordering the killing and sentenced to 30 years in 2010. The STJ reduced the sentence to 25 years (sources date this to 2012 or May 2017). Justice Marco Aurélio Mello of the STF released him on habeas corpus in May 2018, the STF's First Panel revoked that release in February 2019, and he was arrested again on 16 April 2019.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2005,"note":"Dorothy Stang, killed 12 February 2005."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":30,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Vitalmiro \"Bida\" Moura, convicted of ordering the killing; year of sentence not given."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":30,"unit":"years","year":2010,"note":"Regivaldo Galvão, first sentence."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":25,"unit":"years","year":2017,"note":"Regivaldo Galvão, sentence after reduction by the STJ."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dorothy Stang was killed in Anapu, Pará. The gunmen and two ranchers who ordered the killing were convicted.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Dorothy Stang","what":"Killed on 12 February 2005.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Dorothy Stang","what":"Killed on 12 February 2005.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Anapu, state of Pará, Brazil; the PDS Esperança sustainable-development settlement.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Killed 12 February 2005; Galvão's release revoked in February 2019 and Galvão arrested again on 16 April 2019.","src":1},"why":{"t":"She had opposed land occupation and logging around the PDS Esperança settlement.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The gunmen were convicted and two ranchers were convicted of ordering the killing. The cited sources do not describe how the killing was carried out.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Supremo concede HC a mandante de assassinato de Dorothy Stang","p":"Conjur","d":"2018-05-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.conjur.com.br/2018-mai-26/supremo-concede-hc-mandante-assassinato-dorothy-stang//?print=1"},{"t":"STF manda prender fazendeiro condenado por assassinato de Dorothy Stang","p":"Jornal de Brasília","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/politica-e-poder/stf-manda-prender-fazendeiro-condenado-por-assassinato-de-dorothy-stang/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018143312/https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/politica-e-poder/stf-manda-prender-fazendeiro-condenado-por-assassinato-de-dorothy-stang/"},{"t":"Mandante do assassinato de Dorothy Stang volta a ser preso no Pará","p":"Agência Brasil","d":"2019-04-17","u":"https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/justica/noticia/2019-04/mandante-de-assassinato-de-dorothy-stang-volta-ser-preso-no-para-0","type":"official"},{"t":"Acusado de matar Dorothy Stang é condenado novamente a 27 anos","p":"Jornal do Brasil","d":"2007-10-23","u":"https://www.jb.com.br/pais/noticias/2007/10/23/acusado-de-matar-dorothy-stang-e-condenado-novamente-a-27-anos.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Case History: Dorothy Stang","p":"Front Line Defenders","d":"2013-09-27","u":"https://frontlinedefenders.org/node/1684","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Case History: Dorothy Stang","p":"Front Line Defenders","d":"2013-09-27","u":"https://frontlinedefenders.org/hy/node/1684","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on the year the STJ reduced Galvão's sentence to 25 years (2012 or May 2017).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Dorothy Stang","No source link — Who harmed: Dorothy Stang"]},{"id":"adolfo-ich-killing-and-fenix-nickel-project","title":"Adolfo Ich killing and the Fénix nickel project","dek":"Adolfo Ich Chamán was killed on 27 September 2009 in El Estor, Guatemala. He had opposed the Fénix nickel project of CGN, then owned by Hudbay.","country":"Guatemala","region":"Central America","lat":15.53,"lon":-89.33,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","admin":"El Estor","lat":15.53,"lon":-89.33,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Ontario","role":"court"}],"start":2009,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2009-09-27","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Civil cases in Ontario against Hudbay","value":"Settled","note":"October 2024; no admission of liability; terms confidential."},"happened":["Adolfo Ich Chamán was killed on 27 September 2009 in El Estor, Guatemala. He opposed the Fénix nickel project of CGN, which was then owned by Hudbay.","Mynor Padilla, the former head of security at the mine, was acquitted of the killing by a judge in Puerto Barrios in April 2017. An appeal court overturned the acquittal and ordered a retrial in September 2017. On 17 December 2020 Padilla pleaded guilty, under an agreement with the victims, to homicide committed in an \"emotionally violent state\" in the killing of Ich; the court accepted the plea in January 2021.","Civil cases were brought in Ontario, Canada (Choc v Hudbay among them). A 2013 ruling allowed them to proceed in Canada. They were settled in October 2024 with no admission of liability and on confidential terms.","Hudbay sold the Fénix project in 2011."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Adolfo Ich Chamán killed on 27 September in El Estor"},{"y":2011,"t":"Hudbay sells the Fénix project"},{"y":2013,"t":"Ontario ruling allows the civil cases (Choc v Hudbay and related) to proceed in Canada"},{"y":2017,"t":"Security chief Mynor Padilla acquitted (April); retrial ordered (September)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Ontario civil cases settled in October; no admission of liability; terms confidential"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Adolfo Ich Chamán was killed on 27 September 2009 in El Estor.","src":5},{"t":"The security chief, Mynor Padilla, was acquitted in April 2017; a retrial was ordered in September 2017.","src":4},{"t":"The Ontario civil cases (Choc v Hudbay) were allowed to proceed in Canada by a 2013 ruling and were settled in October 2024 with no admission of liability and confidential terms.","src":0},{"t":"Hudbay sold Fénix in 2011.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Deaths","v":"1","d":"Adolfo Ich Chamán, 27 September 2009, El Estor"},{"k":"Criminal case","v":"Acquittal, then retrial ordered","d":"Mynor Padilla, security chief: acquitted April 2017; retrial ordered September 2017"},{"k":"Civil cases in Ontario","v":"Settled","d":"October 2024; no admission of liability; confidential terms"}]},"unknown":["Outlets report the sentence agreed in Padilla's plea differently.","The settlement terms of the Ontario civil cases are confidential."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no information on harm to nature from the Fénix project or on whether any harm stopped after Hudbay sold it in 2011.","whoPaid":"The Ontario civil cases were settled on confidential terms with no admission of liability, so the amount and the payer are not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2024: Padilla pleaded guilty in December 2020 and the court accepted the plea in January 2021; the Ontario civil cases against Hudbay were settled.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"hudbay","says":"Settled the Ontario civil lawsuits over its former operations in Guatemala in October 2024, with no admission of liability.","when":"October 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"hudbay","role":"Owner of CGN and the Fénix project until it sold the project in 2011; defendant in the Ontario civil cases"},{"id":"cgn","role":"Operator of the Fénix nickel project"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against security chief Mynor Padilla","forum":"Puerto Barrios, Guatemala (first instance); Guatemalan appeal court","country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution (name: none on record)","defendant":"Mynor Padilla, security chief","filed":null,"decided":"2021-01","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Padilla was acquitted in April 2017 and an appeal court ordered a retrial in September 2017. He pleaded guilty on 17 December 2020, under an agreement with the victims, to homicide committed in an \"emotionally violent state\" in the killing of Ich. The court accepted the plea in January 2021. Outlets report the agreed sentence differently.","src":3},{"title":"Choc v Hudbay and related civil cases","forum":"Ontario, Canada","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants in the Ontario civil cases","defendant":"Hudbay Minerals","filed":null,"decided":"2024-10","status":"settled","summary":"A 2013 ruling allowed the cases to proceed in Canada. They were settled in October 2024 with no admission of liability and on confidential terms.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2009,"note":"Adolfo Ich Chamán, killed 27 September 2009."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Adolfo Ich Chamán was killed in El Estor. He had opposed the Fénix nickel project. A criminal case and civil cases in Ontario followed.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Adolfo Ich Chamán","what":"Killed on 27 September 2009.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Adolfo Ich Chamán","what":"Killed on 27 September 2009.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"El Estor, Guatemala; civil cases in Ontario, Canada.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Killed 27 September 2009; civil cases settled October 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give what he opposed as the Fénix nickel project of CGN, then owned by Hudbay.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the killing was carried out.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Hudbay Minerals settles civil lawsuits regarding former operations in Guatemala","p":"BNN Bloomberg","d":"2024-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2024/10/07/hudbay-minerals-settles-civil-lawsuits-regarding-former-operations-in-guatemala/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250521215218/https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/company-news/2024/10/07/hudbay-minerals-settles-civil-lawsuits-regarding-former-operations-in-guatemala/"},{"t":"Ex-mine security head cleared of murder, assault against indigenous Guatemalans","p":"Mongabay","d":"2017-04","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2017/04/ex-mine-security-head-cleared-of-murder-assault-against-indigenous-guatemalans/","type":"press"},{"t":"Guatemala: Former security chief of subsidiary of Hudbay Minerals pleads guilty to murdering indigenous man","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (reposting Toronto Star)","d":"2021-01-08","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guatemala-former-security-chief-of-subsidiary-of-hudbay-minerals-pledged-guilty-to-murdering-indigenous/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712212316/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guatemala-former-security-chief-of-subsidiary-of-hudbay-minerals-pledged-guilty-to-murdering-indigenous/"},{"t":"Alleged Killer in Canadian Mining Company Lawsuit Acquitted in Guatemala","p":"MiningWatch Canada","d":"2017-04-06","u":"https://miningwatch.ca/node/9775","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Guatemala: Court of appeal overturns lower court ruling, orders retrial of ex-Hudbay security guard accused of killing activist","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (citing Canadian Press)","d":"2017-09-20","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/de/neuste-meldungen/guatemala-court-of-appeal-overturns-lower-court-ruling-orders-retrial-of-ex-hudbay-security-guard-accused-of-killing-activist/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710173652/https://www.business-humanrights.org/de/neuste-meldungen/guatemala-court-of-appeal-overturns-lower-court-ruling-orders-retrial-of-ex-hudbay-security-guard-accused-of-killing-activist/"},{"t":"Guatemala: Remembering Adolfo Ich Chamán","p":"HRD Memorial","d":"2020","u":"https://hrdmemorial.org/?p=2887","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Hudbay Minerals Announces Sale of Fenix Project","p":"Hudbay Minerals","d":"2011-08-05","u":"https://hudbayminerals.com/investors/press-releases/press-release-details/2011/Hudbay-Minerals-Announces-Sale-of-Fenix-Project/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250124002022/https://hudbayminerals.com/investors/press-releases/press-release-details/2011/Hudbay-Minerals-Announces-Sale-of-Fenix-Project/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Outlets report the sentence agreed in Padilla's plea differently.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The settlement terms of the Ontario civil cases are confidential.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Adolfo Ich Chamán","No source link — Who harmed: Adolfo Ich Chamán"]},{"id":"dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s","title":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva: PFAS cost-sharing and water-system settlement","dek":"In 2021 DuPont, Corteva and Chemours agreed to share the costs of legacy PFAS claims. In 2023 the three companies agreed to a US$1.185 billion fund for US public water systems, and further settlements with Ohio and New Jersey followed. The companies deny the allegations.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.7,"lon":-75.55,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","lat":39,"lon":-75.5,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","lat":40.4,"lon":-82.8,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","lat":40.1,"lon":-74.5,"role":"affected"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-06-02","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Fund for US public water systems, June 2023 (Chemours, DuPont and Corteva combined)","value":"US$1.185 bn","note":"As stated in the companies' announcement. The companies deny the allegations."},"happened":["DuPont separated Chemours in 2015. Chemours later alleged that, in the separation, DuPont understated its PFAS liability by US$1 billion to US$2 billion and received a dividend of US$3.9 billion. A report headed \"Round one to DuPont over Chemours in legal battle\" and a 17 December 2020 item headed \"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont\" describe the dispute between the two companies.","On 13 February 2017 DuPont and Chemours settled about 3,550 personal-injury suits for about US$670.7 million, split 50/50, with no admission of wrongdoing.","On 22 January 2021 DuPont, Corteva and Chemours announced an agreement on legacy PFAS claims. It provides for cost sharing up to US$4 billion over at most 20 years: half borne by Chemours, half by DuPont and Corteva, whose share is capped at US$2 billion. An escrow account of up to US$1 billion is to be funded until 2028.","On 2 June 2023 the three companies agreed to a US$1.185 billion fund for US public water systems. The companies deny the allegations. A judge's approval of the settlement was reported on 16 February 2024. In November or December 2023 an Ohio settlement of US$110 million was reached, of which DuPont's share was about US$39 million.","In August 2025 a settlement with New Jersey was announced: US$875 million in cash over 25 years, with shares of 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont and 14.5% Corteva, according to Chemours' filing. In the same month Chemours agreed to assign certain PFAS insurance rights in return for US$150 million. Chemours also reported a US$45 million settlement with one insurance carrier in July 2024 and four demands for arbitration against other carriers since April 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"DuPont separates Chemours"},{"y":2017,"t":"13 February: about 3,550 personal-injury suits settled for about US$670.7m, split 50/50; no admission of wrongdoing"},{"y":2020,"t":"17 December: PFAS Project item headed \"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont\""},{"y":2021,"t":"22 January: DuPont, Corteva and Chemours announce legacy PFAS cost-sharing agreement (up to US$4bn, at most 20 years, escrow up to US$1bn)"},{"y":2023,"t":"2 June: US$1.185bn fund for US public water systems; November/December: Ohio settlement of US$110m"},{"y":2024,"t":"16 February: judge's approval of the water-systems settlement reported; July: US$45m settlement with one insurance carrier (Chemours)"},{"y":2025,"t":"April onward: four demands for arbitration against noticed insurers (Chemours); August: New Jersey settlement of US$875m over 25 years, and a PFAS insurance memorandum assigning rights for US$150m"}],"said":[{"q":"In July 2024, a $45 settlement agreement was reached… with one of the insurance carriers","who":"Chemours, FY2025 Form 10-K (figures in US$ millions)","when":"FY2025","src":3},{"q":"Since April 2025, four Demands for Arbitration have been sent to additional noticed insurance carriers.","who":"Chemours, FY2025 Form 10-K","when":"FY2025","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The June 2023 agreement was announced by DuPont as a comprehensive PFAS settlement with US water systems.","who":"DuPont","src":0},{"t":"The January 2021 agreement was announced as a resolution of legacy PFAS claims.","who":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"13 February 2017: DuPont and Chemours settled about 3,550 personal-injury cases for US$670.7 million, covering \"all claims, both decided and still pending\", with no admission of liability.","src":8},{"t":"January 2021: cost sharing for legacy PFAS claims up to US$4 billion over at most 20 years, split 50/50 between Chemours and DuPont with Corteva; escrow of up to US$1 billion funded to 2028.","src":4},{"t":"2 June 2023: US$1.185 billion fund for US public water systems from Chemours, DuPont and Corteva. The companies deny the allegations.","src":0},{"t":"August 2025, New Jersey: US$875 million in cash over 25 years; shares 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont, 14.5% Corteva; funding for the clean-up of four sites secured by a surety bond.","src":2},{"t":"Chemours received about US$23 million and booked a US$23 million gain on a July 2024 settlement with one insurer. Noticed policies not yet paid have policy limits totalling US$750 million.","src":3},{"t":"The American Water Works Association said PFOA/PFOS treatment would cost more than US$3.8 billion a year and that the burden would fall on customers.","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fund for US public water systems (2023)","v":"US$1.185bn","d":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva combined; the companies deny the allegations"},{"k":"Legacy PFAS cost-sharing cap (2021)","v":"Up to US$4bn","d":"Over at most 20 years; escrow of up to US$1bn"},{"k":"New Jersey settlement (2025)","v":"US$875m","d":"Cash over 25 years, per Chemours' filing; other reports give a larger total"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the split of the US$1.185bn fund as about US$592m Chemours, about US$400m DuPont and about US$193m Corteva.","Unconfirmed: that Chemours' Delaware complaint said it received 19% of DuPont's business lines but two-thirds of its environmental liabilities and 90% of its lawsuits, and called DuPont's estimates \"systematically and extraordinarily wrong\".","Unconfirmed: that the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the arbitration referral of the Chemours v DuPont dispute.","Unconfirmed: that personal-injury claims and states' natural-resource claims are outside the scope of the 2023 water-systems settlement.","Unconfirmed: American Water Works Association estimates of US$37.1bn to US$48.3bn over five years for PFAS treatment, against an EPA estimate of US$1.5bn a year.","Conflicting figures: the 2017 personal-injury settlement is given as US$670.7m, about US$671m and US$671.7m in different records.","Conflicting figures: the dividend at the 2015 separation is given as US$3.9bn in one record and about US$4bn in another.","Conflicting figures: the New Jersey settlement is US$875m in cash over 25 years (about US$500m present value at an 8% discount, per the company's notice); WHYY reported it as about US$2bn in total including remediation funding of up to US$1.2bn and a US$475m reserve fund.","The 2017 and 2023 settlement filings reviewed do not mention insurance, and no documented coverage denial for DuPont or Chemours was found.","The identity of the insurer in Chemours' US$45 million settlement is not given.","A Simpson Thacher update of November 2025 describes the DuPont/Chemours insurance dispute as a California fraudulent-transfer claim over PFAS insurance rights; the parties and status are not on record."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no end date for the companies' PFAS releases; the agreements concern past contamination and claims.","whoPaid":"The three companies pay under the 2021, 2023 and 2025 agreements: Chemours bears half of the cost sharing, and DuPont and Corteva together are capped at US$2 billion. The American Water Works Association said the remaining treatment costs fall largely on water customers.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: New Jersey settlement of US$875m over 25 years announced; final approval of that settlement and of the insurance memorandum is not confirmed, and Chemours had sent four demands for arbitration to insurers.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"dupont","says":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva deny the allegations in the claims settled by the June 2023 water-systems fund.","when":"June 2023","src":0},{"actor":"dupont","says":"DuPont and Chemours settled the 2017 personal-injury cases with no admission of wrongdoing.","when":"February 2017","src":7},{"actor":"chemours","says":"Reported that it received about US$23m from an insurer in 2024 and has sent four demands for arbitration to other noticed insurers since April 2025.","when":"FY2025","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"chemours","role":"Spun off from DuPont in 2015; bears half of the cost sharing; party to the water-systems fund; insured"},{"id":"dupont","role":"Party to the cost-sharing agreement and the water-systems fund; alleged by Chemours to have received a dividend at the separation"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Party to the cost-sharing agreement and the water-systems fund"},{"id":"new-jersey-gov","role":"Counterparty to the August 2025 settlement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much PFAS liability did the 2015 separation leave with Chemours, and was it fairly estimated?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Chemours","says":"Alleged that DuPont understated its PFAS liability by US$1 billion to US$2 billion and received a dividend of US$3.9 billion at the 2015 separation.","src":5},{"voice":"court","holder":"Delaware court, as reported by PFAS Project","says":"A 17 December 2020 item was headed \"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont\".","src":6}]},{"point":"How large is the August 2025 New Jersey settlement?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Chemours (Form 8-K)","says":"US$875 million in cash over 25 years, about US$500 million in present value at an 8% discount; shares 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont, 14.5% Corteva.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"WHYY","says":"Reported it as about US$2 billion in total.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Chemours v DuPont over the 2015 separation","forum":"Delaware","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Chemours","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12","status":"dismissed","summary":"Chemours alleged that DuPont understated its PFAS liability by US$1 billion to US$2 billion and received a US$3.9 billion dividend. The record dates the dispute to 2019–2020 and reports it as sent to arbitration; a PFAS Project item of 17 December 2020 was headed \"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont\".","src":6},{"title":"C8 personal-injury litigation (Ohio multidistrict litigation)","forum":"Ohio multidistrict litigation","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"About 3,550 personal-injury plaintiffs","defendant":"DuPont and Chemours","filed":null,"decided":"2017-02-13","status":"settled","amount":{"value":670.7,"currency":"USD","label":"about US$670.7m, split 50/50 between DuPont and Chemours"},"summary":"Settled with no admission of liability, covering all claims, both decided and still pending. In one earlier verdict (Vigneron, testicular cancer), a jury awarded US$2 million compensatory (December 2016) and US$10.5 million punitive (January 2017); the cited sources give US$19.7 million as the total across three verdicts.","src":8},{"title":"US public water systems PFAS settlement (Chemours, DuPont, Corteva)","forum":"US court (a judge's approval was reported on 16 February 2024; court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"US public water systems","defendant":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","filed":null,"decided":"2023-06-02","status":"settled","amount":{"value":1185,"currency":"USD","label":"US$1.185bn fund; amounts in millions"},"summary":"The companies agreed to a US$1.185 billion fund on 2 June 2023 and deny the allegations.","src":0},{"title":"Ohio PFAS settlement","forum":"State of Ohio (forum name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of Ohio","defendant":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","filed":null,"decided":"2023-12","status":"settled","amount":{"value":110,"currency":"USD","label":"US$110m; DuPont's share about US$39m"},"summary":"Settlement of US$110 million in November or December 2023, of which DuPont's share was about US$39 million. The January 2021 announcement recorded an Ohio figure of US$83 million.","src":13},{"title":"New Jersey PFAS settlement","forum":"New Jersey (forum name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of New Jersey","defendant":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva","filed":null,"decided":"2025-08","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":875,"currency":"USD","label":"US$875m in cash over 25 years"},"summary":"Announced in August 2025: US$875 million over 25 years (about US$500 million in present value at an 8% discount, per the company's notice), shares 50% Chemours, 35.5% DuPont and 14.5% Corteva, with funding for the clean-up of four sites secured by a surety bond. Final approval is not confirmed in the cited sources.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"One unnamed insurance carrier","insured":"Chemours","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":{"value":45,"currency":"USD","label":"US$45m settlement; about US$23m received"},"summary":"In July 2024 Chemours reached a US$45 million settlement with one insurance carrier. It received about US$23 million and booked a US$23 million gain.","src":3},{"insurer":"Additional noticed insurance carriers","insured":"Chemours","status":"litigation","year":2025,"amount":{"value":750,"currency":"USD","label":"policy limits of noticed policies not yet paid; amounts in millions"},"summary":"Since April 2025 four demands for arbitration have been sent to additional noticed carriers. The noticed policies not yet paid have policy limits totalling US$750 million.","src":3},{"insurer":"Insurers under PFAS policies (rights assigned)","insured":"Chemours","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":{"value":150,"currency":"USD","label":"consideration for the assigned rights"},"summary":"A PFAS insurance memorandum of understanding of August 2025, tied to the New Jersey settlement, has Chemours assign certain PFAS insurance rights in return for US$150 million of consideration.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":1185,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Fund for US public water systems; Chemours, DuPont and Corteva combined."},{"key":"settlement","value":670.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 3,550 personal-injury cases, split 50/50 between DuPont and Chemours; other records give about 671 and 671.7."},{"key":"settlement","value":110,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Ohio settlement; DuPont's share about 39."},{"key":"settlement","value":875,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"New Jersey; cash over 25 years."},{"key":"settlement_present_value","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"New Jersey settlement at an 8% discount, per the company's notice."},{"key":"reserve_fund_cap","value":475,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"capped at","note":"New Jersey reserve fund; source not identified."},{"key":"cost_share_cap","value":4000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Legacy PFAS cost sharing over at most 20 years."},{"key":"cost_share_cap_dupont_corteva","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"capped at","note":"Combined share of DuPont and Corteva."},{"key":"escrow","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Escrow account funded to 2028."},{"key":"fund_share_chemours","value":592,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported but not independently verified."},{"key":"fund_share_dupont","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported but not independently verified."},{"key":"fund_share_corteva","value":193,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported but not independently verified."},{"key":"dividend_alleged","value":3900,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"alleged","note":"Dividend DuPont received at the separation, as alleged by Chemours; another record gives about 4,000."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":23,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Received by Chemours from one insurer under a US$45m settlement."},{"key":"policy_limits_unpaid","value":750,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Policy limits of noticed policies not yet paid (Chemours)."},{"key":"insurance_assignment_consideration","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Consideration to Chemours for assigning certain PFAS insurance rights."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours agreed to share the costs of legacy PFAS claims (2021) and to a US$1.185 billion fund for US public water systems (2023); settlements with Ohio (2023) and New Jersey (2025) followed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DuPont","what":"Alleged by Chemours to have received a dividend of US$3.9 billion at the 2015 separation.","src":5},{"who":"DuPont and Corteva","what":"Their combined share of the 2021 cost sharing is capped at US$2 billion of the US$4 billion cap.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Chemours","what":"Bears half of the 2021 cost sharing and 50% of the New Jersey settlement.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"US public water systems","what":"Claimants in the June 2023 settlement.","src":0},{"who":"Water customers","what":"The American Water Works Association said treatment costs would fall largely on them.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States: Delaware (Chemours v DuPont), Ohio, New Jersey and US public water systems.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2015 separation; February 2017, January 2021, June 2023 and August 2025 agreements.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The agreements resolved legacy PFAS claims; the companies deny the allegations.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Cost sharing capped at US$4 billion, an escrow account, a fund for water systems and settlements with two states; Chemours has also assigned insurance rights and sent arbitration demands to insurers.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reach comprehensive PFAS settlement with US water systems","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728011033/https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html"},{"t":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours announce resolution of legacy PFAS claims","p":"DuPont (investor relations)","d":"2021-01-22","type":"company","u":"https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240526224930/https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx"},{"t":"Chemours Form 8-K (current report)","p":"Chemours (SEC filing)","d":"2025-08-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402215915/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000110465925073336/tm2522433d1_8k.htm"},{"t":"Chemours annual report, Form 10-K for FY2025","p":"Chemours (SEC filing)","d":"2025-12-31","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260224125019/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000119312526065201/cc-20251231.htm"},{"t":"Chemours quarterly report, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended 31 March 2021","p":"Chemours (SEC filing)","d":"2021-03-31","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000156459021023483/cc-10q_20210331.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250505090210/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1627223/000156459021023483/cc-10q_20210331.htm"},{"t":"Round one to DuPont over Chemours in legal battle","p":"Speciality Chemicals Magazine","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.specchemonline.com/round-one-dupont-over-chemours-legal-battle","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230601060042/https://www.specchemonline.com/round-one-dupont-over-chemours-legal-battle"},{"t":"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont","p":"PFAS Project","d":"2020-12-17","type":"press","u":"https://pfasproject.com/2020/12/17/court-upholds-dismissal-of-chemours-lawsuit-against-dupont/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230529193228/https://pfasproject.com/2020/12/17/court-upholds-dismissal-of-chemours-lawsuit-against-dupont/"},{"t":"DuPont settles lawsuits over Teflon-making chemical leak","p":"The Edge Malaysia","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://theedgemalaysia.com/article/dupont-settles-lawsuits-over-teflon-making-chemical-leak"},{"t":"DuPont and Chemours end PFOA suits for $671 million","p":"CHEManager","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.chemanager-online.com/en/news/dupont-and-chemours-end-pfoa-suits-671-million"},{"t":"Vincent man wins $10.5M in C8 case","p":"The Marietta Times","d":"2017-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/01/vincent-man-wins-10-5m-in-c8-case/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930041606/https://www.mariettatimes.com/news/2017/01/vincent-man-wins-10-5m-in-c8-case/"},{"t":"Judge approves settlement requiring DuPont, Chemours and Corteva to pay $1.1 billion in PFAS contamination suit","p":"ASDWA","d":"2024-02-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250815222010/https://www.asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit/"},{"t":"PFAS litigation and insurance coverage update, November 2025","p":"Simpson Thacher (stblaw.com)","d":"2025-11-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2025/11/21/pfas-litigation-and-insurance-coverage-update---november-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216114735/https://www.stblaw.com/about-us/publications/view/2025/11/21/pfas-litigation-and-insurance-coverage-update---november-2025"},{"t":"Utilities see new costs in proposed PFAS water rule","p":"Roll Call","d":"2023-03-22","u":"https://www.rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-rule/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260916190518/https://rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-rule/"},{"t":"DuPont, Chemours, and Corteva Reach Natural Resource Restoration Agreement with the State of Ohio","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-11-29","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/dupont-chemours-and-corteva-reach-natural-resource-restoration-agreement-with-the-state-of-ohio.html","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"settlement","related":["chemours-spin-off-liabilities","pfas-water-utility-settlements-by-3m-dupont-chemours-and-cor","pfas-insurance-disputes","dupont-pfoa-c8","miteni-pfas-contamination","3m-pfas-water-utilities-settlement-accounting"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much PFAS liability did the 2015 separation leave with Chemours, and was it fairly estimated?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is the August 2025 New Jersey settlement?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"One unnamed insurance carrier: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Insurers under PFAS policies (rights assigned): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fund share chemours: Reported but not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fund share dupont: Reported but not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fund share corteva: Reported but not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the split of the US$1.185bn fund as about US$592m Chemours, about US$400m DuPont and about US$193m Corteva.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Chemours' Delaware complaint said it received 19% of DuPont's business lines but two-thirds of its environmental liabilities and 90% of its lawsuits, and called DuPont's estimates \"systematically and extraordinarily wrong\".","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed the arbitration referral of the Chemours v DuPont dispute.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that personal-injury claims and states' natural-resource claims are outside the scope of the 2023 water-systems settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: American Water Works Association estimates of US$37.1bn to US$48.3bn over five years for PFAS treatment, against an EPA estimate of US$1.5bn a year.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: the 2017 personal-injury settlement is given as US$670.7m, about US$671m and US$671.7m in different records.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: the dividend at the 2015 separation is given as US$3.9bn in one record and about US$4bn in another.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: the New Jersey settlement is US$875m in cash over 25 years (about US$500m present value at an 8% discount, per the company's notice); WHYY reported it as about US$2bn in total including remediation funding of up to US$1.2bn and a US$475m reserve fund.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2017 and 2023 settlement filings reviewed do not mention insurance, and no documented coverage denial for DuPont or Chemours was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The identity of the insurer in Chemours' US$45 million settlement is not given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Simpson Thacher update of November 2025 describes the DuPont/Chemours insurance dispute as a California fraudulent-transfer claim over PFAS insurance rights; the parties and status are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who harmed: Water customers"]},{"id":"asbestos-524-bankruptcy-trusts-and-j-j-talc-two-step","title":"Asbestos 524(g) bankruptcy trusts and J&J talc two-step","dek":"US asbestos claims are paid from trusts set up in bankruptcy under Section 524(g). A 2011 federal audit found a median payment of 25% of claim value; later, companies moved talc and asbestos claims into new entities that filed for bankruptcy.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"}],"start":1988,"end":null,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Median payment as a share of claim value across asbestos trusts (GAO, 2011)","value":"25%","note":"Range across trusts 1.1–100%; GAO-11-819 covered 60 trusts."},"happened":["The US Bankruptcy Code has allowed asbestos trusts since 1988, and Section 524(g), added in 1994, set the rules for trusts created in bankruptcy to pay asbestos claims. In 2011 the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that 60 such trusts held $36.8bn in assets and that 3.3 million claims had been paid, totalling $17.5bn, between 1988 and 2010.","The GAO found that payment percentages, meaning the share of a claim's value a trust paid, ranged from 1.1% to 100% across trusts, with a median of 25%. It wrote that most trusts \"cannot pay the full value of a claim.\" The record holds no trust data after 2011.","In 2021 Johnson & Johnson (J&J) moved its talc powder claims into a subsidiary, LTL Management, which filed for bankruptcy; this is commonly called a \"Texas two-step\". On 30 January 2023 the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit dismissed the filing, on the ground that LTL was not in financial distress when J&J had committed to provide funding of at least $61.5bn. More than 38,000 cases were pending at the time.","In 2017 Georgia-Pacific moved its asbestos liabilities to a subsidiary, Bestwall, which filed for bankruptcy with 64,000 suits pending. The bankruptcy had run for more than nine years in the cited sources, in North Carolina. A plaintiff died while it was pending. Plaintiffs' lawyers alleged that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7bn to its owner, Koch, during that time; this is an allegation, not a court finding.","Two further developments are unconfirmed: a third J&J filing, Red River Talc, with a proposed fund of about $9bn for about 90,000 claimants, reported dismissed by a Texas judge on 31 March 2025; and a refusal by the US Supreme Court on 1 June 2026 to hear the Bestwall plaintiffs' petition."],"timeline":[{"y":1988,"t":"First asbestos bankruptcy trust"},{"y":1994,"t":"Section 524(g) added to the Bankruptcy Code"},{"y":2011,"t":"GAO-11-819: 60 trusts, $36.8bn in assets; median payment 25% of claim value"},{"y":2017,"t":"Georgia-Pacific moves its asbestos liabilities to Bestwall, which files for bankruptcy with 64,000 suits pending"},{"y":2021,"t":"J&J moves talc claims to LTL Management, which files for bankruptcy"},{"y":2023,"t":"30 Jan: Third Circuit dismisses the LTL filing for lack of financial distress"}],"said":[{"q":"cannot pay the full value of a claim","who":"GAO, report GAO-11-819, on most asbestos trusts","when":"2011","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"60 trusts held $36.8bn in assets in 2011; 3.3 million claims were paid $17.5bn in total from 1988 to 2010; payment percentages ranged from 1.1% to 100%, median 25%.","src":0},{"t":"The Third Circuit dismissed LTL Management's bankruptcy on 30 January 2023 because there was no financial distress given a funding commitment from J&J of at least $61.5bn; more than 38,000 cases were involved.","src":1},{"t":"Bestwall filed for bankruptcy with 64,000 suits pending; the bankruptcy ran more than nine years in the cited sources.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1988–2010","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological data in this record","v":"None","d":"The record covers compensation of claimants, not an ecosystem"},{"k":"Payment as share of claim value","v":"25% median","d":"60 trusts, GAO, 2011"}]},"unknown":["No data on asbestos trust payments after 2011.","Plaintiffs' lawyers' allegation that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7bn to Koch during the Bestwall bankruptcy is not a court finding.","Unconfirmed: dismissal of the Red River Talc bankruptcy (about $9bn proposed fund, about 90,000 claimants) on 31 March 2025.","Unconfirmed: refusal by the US Supreme Court on 1 June 2026 to hear the Bestwall plaintiffs' petition."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"This record concerns payment of claims, not a physical release; the Bestwall bankruptcy had run more than nine years with no end date in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"In the GAO's 2011 sample of 60 trusts, payment percentages ranged from 1.1% to 100%, with a median of 25%.","statusLine":"As of the latest date in the cited sources: the Third Circuit dismissed the LTL Management filing in January 2023; the Bestwall bankruptcy had run more than nine years; a March 2025 dismissal of Red River Talc and a June 2026 US Supreme Court refusal in Bestwall are reported but unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"gao","role":"Source of the 2011 asbestos trust data"},{"id":"johnson-johnson","role":"Parent of LTL Management; talc claims"},{"id":"georgia-pacific","role":"Moved asbestos liabilities to Bestwall (2017)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Georgia-Pacific move money to its owner while the Bestwall bankruptcy was pending?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Plaintiffs' lawyers","says":"Alleged that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7bn to its owner, Koch, during the bankruptcy. This is not a court finding.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"LTL Management bankruptcy (J&J talc), Third Circuit","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Talc claimants (more than 38,000 cases)","defendant":"LTL Management, the J&J subsidiary that filed for bankruptcy","filed":"2021","decided":"2023-01-30","status":"dismissed","summary":"The court dismissed the bankruptcy filing, finding no financial distress given J&J's funding commitment of at least $61.5bn.","src":1},{"title":"Bestwall bankruptcy (Georgia-Pacific asbestos liabilities)","forum":"Bankruptcy proceedings, North Carolina (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Asbestos claimants (64,000 suits pending at filing)","defendant":"Bestwall, the Georgia-Pacific subsidiary that holds its asbestos liabilities","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Georgia-Pacific moved its asbestos liabilities to Bestwall in 2017; Bestwall filed for bankruptcy with 64,000 suits pending. The bankruptcy had run more than nine years in the cited sources.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"asbestos_trusts","value":60,"unit":"trusts","year":2011,"note":"Number of asbestos trusts covered by GAO-11-819."},{"key":"trust_assets","value":36800,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"Assets held by the 60 trusts."},{"key":"claims_paid","value":3300000,"unit":"claims","year":2010,"note":"Claims paid 1988–2010."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":17500,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Paid on those claims, 1988–2010."},{"key":"payment_percentage_median","value":25,"unit":"% of claim value","year":2011,"note":"Range across trusts 1.1–100%."},{"key":"claims_pending_ltl","value":38000,"unit":"cases","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cases involved in the LTL Management filing."},{"key":"funding_commitment_ltl","value":61500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"J&J funding commitment cited by the Third Circuit."},{"key":"claims_pending_bestwall","value":64000,"unit":"suits","year":2017,"note":"Suits pending when Bestwall filed for bankruptcy."},{"key":"fund_proposed_red_river","value":9000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: proposed fund of the Red River Talc plan, about 90,000 claimants."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Companies facing asbestos or talc claims used bankruptcy: trusts created under Section 524(g), and a two-step in which claims were moved to a new subsidiary that filed for bankruptcy.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Asbestos claimants","what":"In the GAO's 2011 sample, trusts paid a median 25% of claim value; most could not pay the full value of a claim.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 1988 (first trust) to 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The Third Circuit found no financial distress at LTL Management given J&J's funding commitment of at least $61.5bn.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A company moves its asbestos or talc claims into a new subsidiary, which then files for bankruptcy; trusts set up in bankruptcy pay claims.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"GAO-11-819 (asbestos trusts)","p":"US Government Accountability Office","d":"2011","type":"official","u":"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-11-819","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012133848/https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-11-819"},{"t":"Third Circuit Dismisses Johnson & Johnson Bankruptcy and Novel Mass-Tort Approach (Legal Sidebar LSB10911)","p":"Congressional Research Service","d":"2023-02-03","u":"https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/LSB10911.html","type":"official"},{"t":"The asbestos Texas two-step: Inside the long legal battle freezing tens of thousands of cancer claims in North Carolina","p":"WFAE / PRE News & Ideas","d":"2026-09-02","u":"https://www.wfae.org/2026-09-02/the-asbestos-texas-two-step-inside-the-long-legal-battle-freezing-tens-of-thousands-of-cancer-claims-in-north-carolina","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"bankruptcy-trust","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Georgia-Pacific move money to its owner while the Bestwall bankruptcy was pending?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fund proposed red river: Unconfirmed: proposed fund of the Red River Talc plan, about 90,000 claimants.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No data on asbestos trust payments after 2011.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Plaintiffs' lawyers' allegation that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7bn to Koch during the Bestwall bankruptcy is not a court finding.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: dismissal of the Red River Talc bankruptcy (about $9bn proposed fund, about 90,000 claimants) on 31 March 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: refusal by the US Supreme Court on 1 June 2026 to hear the Bestwall plaintiffs' petition.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"karachaganak-sulphur-fine-and-consortium-arbitration","title":"Karachaganak oil arbitration and the sulphur-fine reports (Kazakhstan)","dek":"Kazakhstan started an arbitration with the Karachaganak consortium in spring 2023 over disputed cost deductions. In February 2026 an interim award in Kazakhstan's favour, estimated at US$2–4 billion, was reported. The roughly $5 billion sulphur fine reported in April 2026 is described in its sources as a Kashagan fine and is recorded under that case.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":51.3,"lon":53.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Karachaganak oil arbitration: consortium reported ordered to pay","value":"estimated US$2–4 billion (interim award)","note":"Interim award by a Stockholm tribunal, reported by Interfax-Kazakhstan citing Kommersant (3 February 2026); the final amount is not on record."},"happened":["Times of Central Asia published a report on the Karachaganak oil arbitration. According to the report, citing an anonymous source, the consortium was ordered to pay. The headline, as shown in the URL, describes a multi-billion dollar win for Kazakhstan and says the country was not celebrating just yet. The amount, the tribunal and the date are not on record.","A roughly $5 billion sulphur-related environmental fine, reported by World Oil in April 2026 and by Times of Central Asia in 2026, is named in the URLs of both reports as a Kashagan matter. It is therefore recorded under the Kashagan case and not here; no source reviewed links it to Karachaganak.","Reuters reported in January 2025 that in spring 2023 Kazakhstan's government had started arbitration with the Kashagan and Karachaganak consortia over disputed cost deductions, with claims of US$13 billion and US$3.5 billion respectively.","On 3 February 2026 Interfax-Kazakhstan, citing Kommersant, reported that a Stockholm arbitration tribunal had ruled in Kazakhstan's favour in an interim award in the cost dispute over the Karachaganak field, with compensation estimated at US$2 billion to US$4 billion. The report does not mention an environmental component.","ICIJ reported in August 2026 that Kazakhstan's US$160 billion arbitration concerns the Kashagan project; it is recorded under the Kashagan case."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Spring: Kazakhstan starts arbitration with the Karachaganak consortium over disputed cost deductions (US$3.5 billion claim, Reuters)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"3 February: interim award in Kazakhstan's favour by a Stockholm tribunal reported, estimated at US$2–4 billion (Interfax-Kazakhstan, citing Kommersant)","src":2}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Times of Central Asia reported, citing an anonymous source, that the Karachaganak consortium was ordered to pay in an arbitration.","src":0},{"t":"Interfax-Kazakhstan, citing Kommersant, 3 February 2026: interim award in Kazakhstan's favour in the Karachaganak cost dispute, compensation estimated at US$2–4 billion.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Final amount of the Karachaganak award, and whether any part of it relates to environmental claims: none on record as of October 2026. The interim-award report does not mention an environmental component."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: an interim award in Kazakhstan's favour, estimated at US$2–4 billion, was reported in the Karachaganak cost-recovery arbitration; the final amount is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"State party in the arbitration"},{"id":"karachaganak-consortium","role":"Oil consortium reported ordered to pay in arbitration"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Karachaganak oil arbitration","forum":"Arbitral tribunal in Stockholm (as reported by Interfax-Kazakhstan)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Republic of Kazakhstan","defendant":"Karachaganak oil consortium","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Kazakhstan started the arbitration in spring 2023 over disputed cost deductions, claiming US$3.5 billion (Reuters). On 3 February 2026 Interfax-Kazakhstan, citing Kommersant, reported an interim award in Kazakhstan's favour by a Stockholm tribunal, with compensation estimated at US$2–4 billion. Times of Central Asia had reported, citing an anonymous source, that the consortium was ordered to pay.","src":2,"amount":{"value":2000,"currency":"USD","label":"interim award, estimated US$2–4 billion"}}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"award","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"estimated US$2–4 billion","note":"Interim award reported by Interfax-Kazakhstan citing Kommersant; final amount not on record."},{"key":"claim","value":3500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Cost-recovery claim filed in spring 2023 (Reuters)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil arbitration between Kazakhstan and the Karachaganak consortium, in which the consortium was reported ordered to pay, per an anonymous source.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kazakhstan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Arbitration started in spring 2023; interim award reported on 3 February 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Kazakhstan disputed cost deductions made by the consortium.","src":3},"how":{"t":"International arbitration between the state and the consortium; an interim award was reported in Kazakhstan's favour.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Why Kazakhstan is not celebrating its multi-billion dollar win in the Karachaganak oil arbitration just yet (headline from URL)","p":"Times of Central Asia","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/why-kazakhstan-is-not-celebrating-its-multi-billion-dollar-win-in-the-karachaganak-oil-arbitration-just-yet/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260729014926/https://timesca.com/why-kazakhstan-is-not-celebrating-its-multi-billion-dollar-win-in-the-karachaganak-oil-arbitration-just-yet/"},{"t":"Behind closed doors, Kazakhstan challenges decades-old deal with $160 billion claim against Big Oil (headline from URL)","p":"ICIJ (Caspian Cabals)","d":null,"type":"investigative","u":"https://icij.org/investigations/caspian-cabals/behind-closed-doors-kazakhstan-challenges-decades-old-deal-with-160-billion-claim-against-big-oil","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012052740/https://www.icij.org/investigations/caspian-cabals/behind-closed-doors-kazakhstan-challenges-decades-old-deal-with-160-billion-claim-against-big-oil/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan wins interim arbitration award worth up to $4 bln in Karachaganak dispute","p":"Interfax-Kazakhstan (citing Kommersant)","d":"2026-02-03","u":"https://lenta3.interfax.kz/en/news/78041","type":"press"},{"t":"Оператор Кашагана выплатит властям Казахстана 3,5 млрд тенге за сжигание газа на факелах (Kashagan operator to pay Kazakh authorities KZT 3.5 billion for gas flaring; Reuters)","p":"The Moscow Times (Reuters)","d":"2025-01-10","u":"https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/10/update-1-operator-kashagana-vyplatit-vlastyam-kazakhstana-35-mlrd-tenge-za-szhiganie-gaza-na-fakelakh-a151997","type":"press"},{"t":"Kazakhstan alleges Big Oil corruption tainted $10.7 billion in contracts, delayed key oil project","p":"ICIJ (Caspian Cabals)","d":"2026-08-14","u":"https://icij.org/investigations/caspian-cabals/kazakhstan-alleges-big-oil-corruption-tainted-10-7-billion-in-contracts-delayed-key-oil-project","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":["kashagan-sulphur-environmental-fine","kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Final amount of the Karachaganak award, and whether any part of it relates to environmental claims: none on record as of October 2026. The interim-award report does not mention an environmental component.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nauru-and-banaba-phosphate-mining-compensation","title":"Nauru and Banaba phosphate mining compensation","dek":"Phosphate from Nauru and Banaba (now part of Kiribati) was sold at half the world price between 1920 and 1968, according to Te Ara. Britain and New Zealand gave A$10 million, according to RNZ; a larger Australian payment and an ex gratia payment for Banaba are reported only in summary-level sources.","country":"Nauru","region":"Oceania","lat":-0.52,"lon":166.93,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nauru","iso2":"NR","lat":-0.52,"lon":166.93,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Kiribati","iso2":"KI","admin":"Banaba","lat":-0.85,"lon":169.53,"role":"affected"}],"start":1920,"end":1993,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Given by Britain and New Zealand toward Nauru (RNZ)","value":"A$10m","note":"A reported A$107m payment by Australia (1993) and a reported A$10m ex gratia payment for Banaba rest on summary-level sources and are not independently verified."},"happened":["Te Ara records that phosphate from Nauru and Banaba was sold at half the world price between 1920 and 1968. Banaba is now part of Kiribati. The cited sources do not describe the mining operations, the phosphate company, or the condition of either island.","RNZ’s history of Nauru records that Britain and New Zealand gave A$10 million, and that farmers gained from the arrangement. The Pacific treaty database lists a 1993 Nauru–Australia treaty; the settlement dates from 1993.","Devpolicy reported in April 2021 that Nauru’s phosphate fund had fallen from $1.3 billion to $0.3 billion.","Further payments and positions attributed to Australia, Britain and Nauru, and an ex gratia payment connected with Banaba, are reported only at summary level and are listed under “Not known” rather than stated as findings."],"timeline":[{"y":1920,"t":"Start of the period, ending in 1968, in which Te Ara records Nauru and Banaba phosphate sold at half the world price"},{"y":1993,"t":"Nauru–Australia treaty listed in the Pacific treaty database; Britain and New Zealand give A$10 million (RNZ)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Devpolicy (April): Nauru’s phosphate fund fell from $1.3 billion to $0.3 billion"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Phosphate from Nauru and Banaba was sold at half the world price, 1920–68 (Te Ara).","src":2},{"t":"Britain and New Zealand gave A$10 million; farmers gained (RNZ, Nauru history).","src":1},{"t":"Nauru’s phosphate fund fell from $1.3 billion to $0.3 billion (Devpolicy, April 2021).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":"1993","nature":[{"label":"Given by Britain and New Zealand toward Nauru (RNZ)","amount":10,"note":"Recorded as one figure for Britain and New Zealand together; the split is not stated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Given by Britain and New Zealand","v":"A$10m","d":"RNZ, Nauru history; the settlement dates from 1993"},{"k":"Nauru phosphate fund","v":"$1.3bn to $0.3bn","d":"Devpolicy, April 2021; currency given only as dollars"},{"k":"Phosphate sale price, 1920–68","v":"Half the world price","d":"Te Ara, South Pacific economic relations"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Australia paid A$107 million in 1993 and no liability was accepted. The figure comes from a Pacific treaty database listing seen only in search-summary form; the treaty text was not checked.","Unconfirmed: Australia maintained that it was not responsible for the period before 1967, Britain said it had never had responsibility, and Nauru gave up its claims. No primary statement was located.","Unconfirmed: a payment of A$10 million described as ex gratia, with no acceptance of liability, in connection with Banaba, 1977–81, linked to a case named Tito v Waddell (No 2). The source is an encyclopedia entry seen only in search-summary form; forum, parties and outcome were not checked.","The currency of the Nauru phosphate fund figures is given only as “dollars”."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record: the dates on which mining ended on Nauru and Banaba are not given.","whoPaid":"Britain and New Zealand gave A$10 million toward Nauru, according to RNZ. Australia’s reported A$107 million is unconfirmed.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the only payment confirmed in the sources is A$10 million from Britain and New Zealand; the reported Australian payment and the Banaba payment are unconfirmed; the Nauru phosphate fund was reported in April 2021 to have fallen from $1.3 billion to $0.3 billion.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"nauru-government","role":"Recipient of the settlement payments"},{"id":"uk-government","role":"Gave A$10 million together with New Zealand"},{"id":"new-zealand-government","role":"Gave A$10 million together with Britain"},{"id":"australia-government","role":"Reported payer of A$107 million (unconfirmed)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_paid","value":10,"unit":"AUD m","year":1993,"note":"Given by Britain and New Zealand toward Nauru, recorded as one figure (RNZ)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":107,"unit":"AUD m","year":1993,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported payment by Australia to Nauru; from a treaty database listing seen only in summary form."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":10,"unit":"AUD m","year":1981,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported ex gratia payment connected with Banaba, 1977–81; from an encyclopedia entry seen only in summary form."},{"key":"fund_value_start","value":1300,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Nauru phosphate fund before its fall; source says “dollars” (Devpolicy, April 2021)."},{"key":"fund_value_end","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Nauru phosphate fund after its fall; source says “dollars” (Devpolicy, April 2021)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Phosphate from Nauru and Banaba was sold at half the world price in 1920–68; Britain and New Zealand later gave A$10 million toward Nauru, and Nauru’s phosphate fund was reported in 2021 to have fallen from $1.3 billion to $0.3 billion.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Buyers of Nauru and Banaba phosphate","what":"Bought phosphate at half the world price, 1920–68.","src":2},{"who":"Farmers","what":"Recorded as having gained from the arrangement.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Nauru","what":"Its phosphate fund fell from $1.3 billion to $0.3 billion (April 2021 report).","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Nauru and Banaba (Kiribati), Pacific Ocean.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Sales at half the world price in 1920–68; settlement in 1993; fund report in April 2021.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the phosphate was sold at half the world price or on what basis the A$10 million was given.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Britain and New Zealand gave A$10 million toward Nauru; the mechanism and any conditions are not on record.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Nauru–Australia treaty listing, 1993 (Pacific Legal Information Institute treaty database)","p":"PacLII","d":"1993","type":"official","u":"https://pacliirms.austlii.edu.au/pits/en/treaty_database/1993/15.html","dead":true},{"t":"Nauru history","p":"RNZ","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://www.rnz.co.nz/collections/nff-nauru/nauru-history","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210122418/https://www.rnz.co.nz/collections/nff-nauru/nauru-history"},{"t":"South Pacific economic relations","p":"Te Ara","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://teara.govt.nz/mi/south-pacific-economic-relations/page-2","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250506121837/https://teara.govt.nz/mi/south-pacific-economic-relations/page-2"},{"t":"Nauru: riches to rags to riches","p":"Devpolicy","d":"2021-04-12","type":"academic","u":"https://devpolicy.org/nauru-riches-to-rags-to-riches-20210412/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260803235237/https://devpolicy.org/nauru-riches-to-rags-to-riches-20210412/"},{"t":"Certain Phosphate Lands in Nauru (Nauru v. Australia): case page, with the 1992 judgment and the 1993 discontinuance after settlement","p":"International Court of Justice","d":"1993-09","u":"https://icj-cij.org/case/80","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"mining-compensation","related":["nauru-phosphate-trust-fund"],"natureLead":{"t":"Between 1920 and 1968 my phosphate on Nauru and Banaba was sold at half the world price, according to Te Ara.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation paid: Reported payment by Australia to Nauru; from a treaty database listing seen only in summary form.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation paid: Reported ex gratia payment connected with Banaba, 1977–81; from an encyclopedia entry seen only in summary form.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Australia paid A$107 million in 1993 and no liability was accepted. The figure comes from a Pacific treaty database listing seen only in search-summary form; the treaty text was not checked.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Australia maintained that it was not responsible for the period before 1967, Britain said it had never had responsibility, and Nauru gave up its claims. No primary statement was located.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a payment of A$10 million described as ex gratia, with no acceptance of liability, in connection with Banaba, 1977–81, linked to a case named Tito v Waddell (No 2). The source is an encyclopedia entry seen only in search-summary form; forum, parties and outcome were not checked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The currency of the Nauru phosphate fund figures is given only as “dollars”.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gulf-war-compensation-and-kuwait-oil-damage-remediation","title":"Gulf War compensation (UNCC) and Kuwait oil-damage remediation","dek":"A UN commission was set up after the 1991 Gulf War to handle claims against Iraq. Soil remediation in Kuwait was still producing new contracts in 2025, with remediation contracts of USD 949 million in 2021 and USD 460 million in 2023.","country":"Kuwait","region":"Middle East","lat":29.31,"lon":47.48,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kuwait","iso2":"KW","lat":29.31,"lon":47.48,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","role":"payer"}],"start":1991,"end":2025,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Kuwait Oil Company soil remediation contracts, 2021","value":"USD 949m","note":"Contract value as reported by Saudi Gulf Projects, not payments made; a further USD 460 million in 2023."},"happened":["The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) handled claims against Iraq arising from the 1991 Gulf War. The totals claimed and paid, and the figures for environmental claims.","In Kuwait, remediation work was continuing in 2025. Saudi Gulf Projects reported in September 2025 that Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) remediation contracts were worth USD 949 million in 2021 and USD 460 million in 2023, that new contracts were still being signed and extensions requested in 2025, and that 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil had been found.","The Oil & Gas Journal reported in 1991 that about 75% of the 171 foreign firms that received contracts in the first three months after Kuwait’s liberation were American."],"timeline":[{"y":1991,"t":"UNCC claims period begins; of 171 foreign firms given contracts in the first three months after liberation, about 75% were American (Oil & Gas Journal)"},{"y":2021,"t":"KOC remediation contracts worth USD 949 million (Saudi Gulf Projects)"},{"y":2023,"t":"KOC remediation contracts worth USD 460 million"},{"y":2025,"t":"New remediation contracts and extension requests; 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil reported (September)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"KOC remediation contracts of USD 949 million (2021) and USD 460 million (2023); 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil reported in 2025 (Saudi Gulf Projects, September 2025).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1991–2025","nature":[{"label":"KOC soil remediation contracts","amount":949,"window":"2021","note":"Contract value as reported, not payments made."},{"label":"KOC soil remediation contracts","amount":460,"window":"2023","note":"Contract value as reported, not payments made."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Kuwait soil remediation","v":"Still under way in 2025","d":"New contracts and extension requests; 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil reported (Saudi Gulf Projects, September 2025)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: UN Geneva, in a February 2022 press release, is reported to give USD 352.5 billion claimed and USD 52.4 billion paid at the UNCC, with the last payment made in 2022 to Kuwait Petroleum.","Unconfirmed: CEOBS (2025) is reported to give about USD 85 billion claimed in 170 environmental claims and USD 5.261 billion awarded (6.2%), with awards made between 1998 and 2005.","The figure of 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil in Kuwait comes from a single trade-press report; no official figure appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not stopped in the cited sources: remediation in Kuwait was still producing new contracts and newly found contaminated soil in 2025.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not itemise who has paid for the Kuwait soil remediation contracts. Payment of the UNCC awards by Iraq is unconfirmed (see unknown).","statusLine":"As of September 2025 (latest dated source): Kuwait soil remediation was continuing with new contracts and 5 million tonnes of newly found contaminated soil reported.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"uncc","role":"UN commission that awarded and paid claims against Iraq"},{"id":"koc","role":"Awarded soil remediation contracts (2021, 2023)"},{"id":"iraq-government","role":"Party against which the claims were made"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Research NGO reporting the environmental claims figures"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":352500,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported total claimed at the UNCC (UN Geneva, February 2022)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":52400,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported total paid, 1991–2022 (UN Geneva)."},{"key":"claim","value":85000,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported environmental claims at the UNCC (170 claims), CEOBS, 2025."},{"key":"compensation_awarded","value":5261,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported awards on environmental claims, 1998–2005 (CEOBS, 6.2%)."},{"key":"remediation_contracts","value":949,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"KOC remediation contracts; contract value, not payments made."},{"key":"remediation_contracts","value":460,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"KOC remediation contracts; contract value, not payments made."},{"key":"contaminated_soil_tonnes","value":5000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"New contaminated soil reported found in Kuwait; single trade-press source."},{"key":"contracted_firms","value":171,"unit":"firms","year":1991,"note":"Foreign firms given contracts in the first three months after liberation; about 75% were American (Oil & Gas Journal)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A UN commission was set up to handle Gulf War claims against Iraq; soil remediation in Kuwait was still generating contracts in 2025, with Kuwait Oil Company contracts of USD 949 million in 2021 and USD 460 million in 2023.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Foreign contractors","what":"About 75% of the 171 foreign firms given contracts in the first three months after liberation were American (1991).","src":3},{"who":"Remediation contractors","what":"KOC remediation contracts of USD 949 million (2021) and USD 460 million (2023); new contracts still being signed in 2025.","src":2},{"who":"Kuwait Oil Company","what":"Signed the soil remediation contracts of 2021 and 2023.","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Kuwait’s environment","what":"Remediation was still continuing in 2025, with 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil reported.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Kuwait and Iraq.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Claims from 1991; remediation contracts in 2021 and 2023; remediation reported continuing in September 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The commission was set up after the 1991 Gulf War to handle claims against Iraq.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Kuwait Oil Company signed remediation contracts for the soil.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission holds special session (seen in search-summary form)","p":"UN Geneva","d":"2022-02","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ungeneva.org/es/news-media/press-release/2022/02/governing-council-united-nations-compensation-commission-holds","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930202700/https://www.ungeneva.org/es/news-media/press-release/2022/02/governing-council-united-nations-compensation-commission-holds"},{"t":"What can we learn from the UN post-war compensation system after the 1991 Gulf War?","p":"CEOBS","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/what-the-environmental-legacy-of-the-gulf-war-should-teach-us/"},{"t":"Kuwait soil remediation program accelerates","p":"Saudi Gulf Projects","d":"2025-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.saudigulfprojects.com/2025/09/kuwait-soil-remediation-program-accelerates-with-eight-million-tonnes-treated/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210124726/https://www.saudigulfprojects.com/2025/09/kuwait-soil-remediation-program-accelerates-with-eight-million-tonnes-treated/"},{"t":"Watching the World: Rebuilding Kuwait","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"1991","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17239198/watching-the-world-rebuilding-kuwait","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018143452/https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17239198/watching-the-world-rebuilding-kuwait"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"war-compensation","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2025 a further 5 million tonnes of contaminated soil were reported found on me in Kuwait; remediation contracts were worth USD 949 million in 2021 and USD 460 million in 2023.","src":[2]},"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance claim: Reported total claimed at the UNCC (UN Geneva, February 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation paid: Reported total paid, 1991–2022 (UN Geneva).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance claim: Reported environmental claims at the UNCC (170 claims), CEOBS, 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation awarded: Reported awards on environmental claims, 1998–2005 (CEOBS, 6.2%).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: UN Geneva, in a February 2022 press release, is reported to give USD 352.5 billion claimed and USD 52.4 billion paid at the UNCC, with the last payment made in 2022 to Kuwait Petroleum.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: CEOBS (2025) is reported to give about USD 85 billion claimed in 170 environmental claims and USD 5.261 billion awarded (6.2%), with awards made between 1998 and 2005.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The figure of 5 million tonnes of new contaminated soil in Kuwait comes from a single trade-press report; no official figure appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"turmeric-neem-basmati-nap-hal-patent-revocations","title":"Turmeric, neem, basmati, Nap Hal patent revocations","dek":"Evidence from India's Traditional Knowledge Digital Library is reported to have stopped 265 patent applications by March 2022, and the Nap Hal wheat patent was revoked at the European Patent Office in 2004. Several other revocations are unconfirmed. The cited sources record no payment returning to the source communities.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":22,"lon":79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","role":"affected"}],"start":2004,"end":2022,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"Patent applications stopped with evidence from India’s Traditional Knowledge Digital Library, to March 2022","value":"265","note":"Withdrawn, modified or rejected, as stated by CSIR TKDL."},"happened":["CSIR TKDL says that, as of 25 March 2022, evidence from the database had led to 265 patent applications being withdrawn, modified or rejected.","The Nap Hal wheat patent was revoked at the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2004. RAGT, which had taken over the patent, had itself requested revocation on 10 September 2004, and Greenpeace declared victory, according to Reason.","Revocations of patents on turmeric, neem, basmati rice and Pelargonium, and the history of the ayahuasca plant patent; they are listed under what is unknown."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Nap Hal wheat patent revoked at the EPO; RAGT asked for revocation on 10 September"},{"y":2022,"t":"CSIR TKDL: 265 patent applications stopped with TKDL evidence (25 March)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"265 patent applications withdrawn, modified or rejected with TKDL evidence, as of 25 March 2022 (CSIR TKDL).","src":2},{"t":"Nap Hal wheat patent revoked at the EPO in 2004 after RAGT, the holder, asked for revocation on 10 September 2004 (Reason).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Patent applications stopped with TKDL evidence","v":"265","d":"Withdrawn, modified or rejected, to 25 March 2022 (CSIR TKDL)"},{"k":"Payments to source communities from revoked patents","v":"None recorded","d":"None on record"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the turmeric patent was revoked at the US Patent and Trademark Office in 1997 and the neem patent at the EPO in 2000, final in 2005 (WIPO presentation on the TKDL).","Unconfirmed: that claims in RiceTec's basmati patent were withdrawn and rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2001 (Public Eye).","Unconfirmed: that the EPO revoked Schwabe's Pelargonium patent on 22 January 2010 after an opposition filed on behalf of the Alice community in South Africa, that sales of Schwabe's Pelargonium syrup were EUR 80 million in 2006, and that the Alice community received no share (Mail & Guardian).","Unconfirmed: that the ayahuasca plant patent was revoked in 1999 after an objection by COICA, reinstated in 2001 and expired in 2003 (GRAIN).","The cited sources record no payment returning to the source communities in any of these revocations.","The cited sources give no details of the Enola, teff and Kakadu plum objections."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: no harm to nature is described in them.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record no payment to source communities from any of the revoked patents.","statusLine":"As of the latest source (March 2022): the Nap Hal wheat patent was revoked in 2004, and CSIR TKDL reported 265 patent applications stopped with its evidence; other revocations are unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"ragt","says":"Requested revocation of the Nap Hal wheat patent it had taken over.","when":"10 September 2004","src":3},{"actor":"greenpeace","says":"Declared victory after the Nap Hal wheat patent was revoked.","when":"December 2004","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"csir-tkdl","role":"Indian database whose evidence stopped 265 patent applications"},{"id":"european-patent-office","role":"European Patent Office; revoked the Nap Hal wheat patent"},{"id":"ragt","role":"Holder of the Nap Hal wheat patent; asked for revocation"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Declared victory on the Nap Hal wheat revocation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who won the Nap Hal wheat revocation?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Declared victory after the patent was revoked.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"RAGT","says":"As holder of the patent, requested its revocation on 10 September 2004.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Nap Hal wheat patent revocation","forum":"European Patent Office","country":"Europe (EPO)","iso2":null,"kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":"RAGT","filed":"2004-09-10 (revocation requested by the patent holder)","decided":"2004","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Nap Hal wheat patent was revoked at the EPO in 2004. RAGT, which had taken over the patent, asked for revocation on 10 September 2004; Greenpeace declared victory.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"applications_stopped","value":265,"unit":"patent applications","year":2022,"note":"Withdrawn, modified or rejected with TKDL evidence, as of 25 March 2022 (CSIR TKDL)."},{"key":"revenue","value":80,"unit":"EUR m","year":2006,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported sales of Schwabe's Pelargonium syrup in 2006 (Mail & Guardian)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"CSIR TKDL says evidence from its database stopped 265 patent applications; the Nap Hal wheat patent was revoked at the EPO in 2004; no payment to source communities is recorded.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"RAGT","what":"Holder of the Nap Hal wheat patent, which was revoked in 2004 at its own request.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India, the United States and Europe (EPO).","src":null},"when":{"t":"The Nap Hal wheat revocation in 2004; the TKDL count is to 25 March 2022.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The patents drew on plants or traditional knowledge from other countries; TKDL evidence was used against 265 applications.","src":2},"how":{"t":"In the Nap Hal wheat case the patent holder itself asked for revocation.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"TKDL presentation to WIPO (seen in search-summary form)","p":"WIPO","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.wipo.org/edocs/mdocs/tk/en/wipo_tkdl_del_11/wipo_tkdl_del_11_ref_t13_2.pdf"},{"t":"Basmati rice «biopiracy» patent struck down by US patent office","p":"Public Eye","d":"2001","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/basmati-rice-biopiracy-patent-struck-down-by-us-patent-office","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309061327/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/basmati-rice-biopiracy-patent-struck-down-by-us-patent-office"},{"t":"About TKDL","p":"CSIR TKDL","d":"2022-03-25","type":"official","u":"https://www.tkdl.res.in/tkdl/LangDefault/Common/Abouttkdl.asp?GL=Eng","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260824121659/https://www.tkdl.res.in/tkdl/LangDefault/Common/Abouttkdl.asp?GL=Eng"},{"t":"Greenpeace Declares Victory","p":"Reason","d":"2004-12-08","type":"press","u":"https://reason.com/2004/12/08/greenpeace-declares-victory-ag"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"patent-revocation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who won the Nap Hal wheat revocation?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Revenue: Reported sales of Schwabe's Pelargonium syrup in 2006 (Mail & Guardian).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the turmeric patent was revoked at the US Patent and Trademark Office in 1997 and the neem patent at the EPO in 2000, final in 2005 (WIPO presentation on the TKDL).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that claims in RiceTec's basmati patent were withdrawn and rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2001 (Public Eye).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the EPO revoked Schwabe's Pelargonium patent on 22 January 2010 after an opposition filed on behalf of the Alice community in South Africa, that sales of Schwabe's Pelargonium syrup were EUR 80 million in 2006, and that the Alice community received no share (Mail & Guardian).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the ayahuasca plant patent was revoked in 1999 after an objection by COICA, reinstated in 2001 and expired in 2003 (GRAIN).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no payment returning to the source communities in any of these revocations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no details of the Enola, teff and Kakadu plum objections.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"texas-anti-esg-law-sb-13-and-states-suit-against-blackrock-v","title":"Texas anti-ESG law SB 13 and the states' suit against BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street","dek":"In 2021 Texas passed SB 13, which blacklists financial institutions that boycott fossil-fuel companies. In November 2024 Texas and other states sued BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, alleging they coordinated through climate initiatives to curb coal production; Vanguard settled in February 2026 for $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":30.27,"lon":-97.74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":30.27,"lon":-97.74,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Vanguard's settlement payment in the states' coal antitrust suit","value":"$29.5 million","note":"Paid in February 2026 without admission of wrongdoing; the allegations were not proven."},"happened":["In 2021 Texas enacted SB 13, which blacklists financial institutions that 'boycott' fossil-fuel companies. Laws that took effect in September 2021 barred banks that restricted the fossil-fuel and firearms industries from acting as municipal bond underwriters. The claim that the model text for the law came from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is described in the cited sources as disputed. Backers presented the campaign as a defence of energy workers and retirees' money against 'woke capitalism'.","In 2022 Garrett and Ivanov estimated that Texas municipalities would pay $303–532 million in extra interest on $32 billion of bonds issued in the first eight months of the laws, after five banks holding about 35% of the market withdrew. Authors aligned with the industry dispute the calculation. In August 2022, after a July ALEC meeting, 19 state attorneys general wrote to BlackRock; in 2023, 165 anti-ESG bills were introduced in 37 states.","In February 2024 JPMorgan Asset Management, State Street and PIMCO left the investor initiative Climate Action 100+, and BlackRock moved its membership to its international unit. On 19 March 2024 the Texas Permanent School Fund withdrew $8.5 billion from BlackRock. In November 2024 Texas and other states sued BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street, alleging that the three firms cooperated through climate initiatives to curb coal production.","Between December 2024 and January 2025 six large US banks left the Net Zero Banking Alliance and BlackRock left the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative, which was suspended. On 3 June 2025 Texas removed BlackRock from its list after it had left the climate initiatives. In August 2025 Judge Kernodle allowed most of the states' case to continue and noted that there was no direct evidence of a conspiracy.","On 4 February 2026 Judge Albright found SB 13 unconstitutional. In February 2026 Vanguard paid $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing and committed to remain passive, leaving the suit. The Net Zero Asset Managers initiative relaunched, without an explicit reference to 2050, and its US member count fell from 44 to 12. The suit continued against BlackRock and State Street, and an objection to the SB 13 ruling was listed as ongoing in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Texas enacts SB 13; laws barring restricted banks from municipal bond underwriting take effect in September"},{"y":2022,"t":"Garrett and Ivanov estimate $303–532 million of extra interest on Texas municipal bonds in eight months; July ALEC meeting; August letter from 19 attorneys general to BlackRock"},{"y":2023,"t":"165 anti-ESG bills introduced in 37 states"},{"y":2024,"t":"Feb: JPMorgan AM, State Street and PIMCO leave Climate Action 100+. 19 Mar: Texas school fund withdraws $8.5 billion from BlackRock. Nov: Texas and other states sue BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street."},{"y":2025,"t":"Jan: BlackRock leaves Net Zero Asset Managers. 3 Jun: BlackRock removed from the Texas list. Aug: judge lets most of the antitrust case proceed. 3 Oct: Net Zero Banking Alliance closes. 30 Oct: NZAM announces relaunch without the 2050 requirement."},{"y":2026,"t":"4 Feb: SB 13 found unconstitutional. Feb: Vanguard pays $29.5 million and leaves the suit; NZAM returns with 253 signatories."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The campaign was presented as a defence of the energy worker and the retiree's money against 'woke capitalism'.","who":"Campaign backers","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Texas withdrew $8.5 billion in school-fund assets from BlackRock on 19 March 2024.","src":0},{"t":"BlackRock was removed from Texas's list on 3 June 2025 after it left the climate initiatives.","src":1},{"t":"Texas and other states' suit against BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street survived a motion to dismiss in August 2025; the judge noted there was no direct evidence of a conspiracy.","src":3},{"t":"Vanguard settled in February 2026 for $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing and committed to remain passive.","src":4},{"t":"BlackRock's support for environmental and social shareholder proposals fell from 47% in 2021 to 4% in 2024 and to about 1% in 2025 (3 of 352 proposals); Vanguard's support was 0% in three consecutive proxy seasons (2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26).","src":8},{"t":"In 2025, 106 anti-ESG bills were introduced and 11 became law; since 2021, 52 laws and resolutions have passed in 21 states.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Vanguard settlement payment, February 2026","amount":29.5},{"label":"Texas school-fund assets withdrawn from BlackRock, March 2024","amount":8500},{"label":"Estimated extra interest paid by Texas municipalities in the first eight months (Garrett and Ivanov; disputed)","amount":532,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Range 303–532 million dollars on $32 billion of bonds."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fossil-fuel holdings, Vanguard (2023)","v":"$269 bn","d":"NGO study (Urgewald and others), via ai-CIO"},{"k":"Fossil-fuel holdings, BlackRock (2023)","v":"$263 bn","d":"NGO study (Urgewald and others), via ai-CIO"},{"k":"Support for environmental and social shareholder proposals, BlackRock","v":"47% (2021) to about 1% (2025)","d":"Calendar years; 3 of 352 proposals in 2025"}]},"unknown":["The states' coordination allegations were not tested at trial; the judge noted no direct evidence of conspiracy in August 2025, and the allegations remain unproven.","Whether the model text for SB 13 originated with ALEC is described as disputed.","The Garrett and Ivanov estimate of extra municipal interest is disputed by industry-aligned authors."],"evidence":["court-pending","court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"No ecological harm is on record for this case.","whoPaid":"Vanguard paid $29.5 million in settlement. Texas municipalities were estimated to pay $303–532 million in extra interest in the first eight months (Garrett and Ivanov; disputed). Texas's school fund moved $8.5 billion out of BlackRock.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Vanguard settled the states' coal antitrust suit in February 2026 for $29.5 million; the suit against BlackRock and State Street was listed as ongoing; SB 13 was found unconstitutional on 4 February 2026, and an objection to that ruling was listed as ongoing.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"vanguard","says":"Settled the states' antitrust suit for $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing and committed to remain passive.","when":"2026-02","src":4},{"actor":"blackrock","says":"Left the Net Zero Asset Managers initiative in January 2025 and moved its Climate Action 100+ membership to its international unit in February 2024; the cited sources give no statement by BlackRock on the suit.","when":"2025-01","src":null},{"actor":"texas-gov","says":"Removed BlackRock from its list on 3 June 2025 after BlackRock left the climate initiatives; the state's school fund withdrew $8.5 billion from BlackRock on 19 March 2024.","when":"2025-06-03","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"texas-gov","role":"Legislator, lead plaintiff state and list maintainer"},{"id":"blackrock","role":"Defendant; removed from the Texas list in June 2025"},{"id":"vanguard","role":"Defendant; settled for $29.5 million"},{"id":"state-street","role":"Defendant"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street coordinate through climate initiatives to curb coal production?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Texas and other states","says":"Alleged the three firms cooperated through climate initiatives to curb coal production.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge Kernodle (August 2025)","says":"Allowed most of the case to proceed and noted there was no direct evidence of a conspiracy.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vanguard","says":"Settled in February 2026 for $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"State Street","says":"No statement in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"What did the Texas bond-underwriting restrictions cost municipalities?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Garrett and Ivanov","says":"Estimated $303–532 million in extra interest on $32 billion of bonds in the first eight months, after five banks holding about 35% of the market withdrew.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Authors aligned with the industry","says":"Dispute this calculation.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Texas and other states v. BlackRock, Inc., Vanguard and State Street (coal antitrust suit)","forum":"US court in Texas (Judge Kernodle)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Texas and 12 other states","defendant":"BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street","filed":"2024-11","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The states allege the three firms cooperated through climate initiatives to curb coal production. In August 2025 the judge denied most of the motion to dismiss and noted there was no direct evidence of a conspiracy.","src":2},{"title":"Vanguard settlement in the states' coal antitrust suit","forum":"US court in Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Texas and 12 other states","defendant":"Vanguard","filed":"2024-11","decided":"2026-02","status":"settled","amount":{"value":29500000,"currency":"USD","label":"Paid by Vanguard without admission of wrongdoing"},"summary":"Vanguard paid $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing and committed to remain passive.","src":4},{"title":"Challenge to Texas SB 13","forum":"Judge Albright's court (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","kind":"civil","claimant":null,"defendant":"State of Texas (SB 13)","filed":null,"decided":"2026-02-04","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Judge Albright found SB 13 unconstitutional on 4 February 2026. An objection to the ruling was listed as ongoing.","src":11}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":29.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Vanguard's payment without admission of wrongdoing."},{"key":"assets_withdrawn","value":8500,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Texas Permanent School Fund assets withdrawn from BlackRock, 19 March 2024."},{"key":"extra_interest_estimate","value":532,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Range 303–532 million dollars on $32 billion of bonds (Garrett and Ivanov; disputed)."},{"key":"fossil_holdings_vanguard","value":269000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"NGO study via ai-CIO."},{"key":"fossil_holdings_blackrock","value":263000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"NGO study via ai-CIO."},{"key":"anti_esg_bills_filed","value":106,"unit":"bills","year":2025,"note":"11 became law in 2025; 52 laws and resolutions in 21 states since 2021."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Texas passed SB 13 in 2021 to blacklist financial institutions that boycott fossil-fuel companies; the state's school fund withdrew $8.5 billion from BlackRock in 2024; Texas and other states sued BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street in November 2024 over alleged coordination to curb coal production; Vanguard settled in February 2026.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BlackRock","what":"Removed from the Texas list on 3 June 2025 after leaving the climate initiatives.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Vanguard","what":"Paid $29.5 million in settlement without admitting wrongdoing.","src":4},{"who":"BlackRock","what":"Lost management of $8.5 billion of Texas school-fund assets in March 2024.","src":0},{"who":"Texas municipalities","what":"Estimated at $303–532 million of extra interest in eight months (Garrett and Ivanov; disputed).","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Texas, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2021 to 2026.","src":4},"why":{"t":"Backers presented the campaign as a defence of energy workers and retirees' money against 'woke capitalism'; the states' stated claim in the suit is that the firms coordinated to curb coal production.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A state blacklist law (SB 13), a state fund withdrawal, and a multi-state antitrust suit.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Texas education fund pulls $8.5 billion from BlackRock","p":"Ballotpedia News","d":"2024-03-28","type":"press","u":"https://news.ballotpedia.org/2024/03/28/texas-education-fund-pulls-8-5-billion-from-blackrock/"},{"t":"Texas comptroller, BlackRock and the energy boycott list","p":"Texas Tribune","d":"2025-06-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/03/texas-comptroller-blackrock-boycott-energy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923050727/https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/03/texas-comptroller-blackrock-boycott-energy/"},{"t":"Texas judge greenlights multi-state lawsuit accusing BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street of using ESG investing initiatives to manipulate energy markets","p":"ESG Today","d":"2025-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/texas-judge-greenlights-multi-state-lawsuit-accusing-blackrock-vanguard-state-street-of-using-esg-investing-initiatives-to-manipulate-energy-markets/"},{"t":"BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street motion to dismiss in coal antitrust case denied, Texas AG says","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2025-08-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/blackrock-vanguard-state-street-motion-to-dismiss-coal-antitrust-case-denied-texas-ag/757336/"},{"t":"Vanguard settles antitrust coal case brought by Texas and other states","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/vanguard-settles-antitrust-coal-case-texast-red-states-state-street-blackrock/813513/"},{"t":"Vanguard settles 13-state ESG antitrust suit","p":"Kelley Drye, Ad Law Access","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.kelleydrye.com/viewpoints/blogs/ad-law-access/vanguard-settles-13-state-esg-antitrust-suit"},{"t":"Texas v. BlackRock, Inc. (case documents)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":null,"type":"court","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/texas-v-blackrock-inc_f224?cfn=gas","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018143527/https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/texas-v-blackrock-inc_f224?cfn=gas"},{"t":"NGO study identifies Vanguard and BlackRock as big climate-change villains","p":"ai-CIO","d":"2023-04-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.ai-cio.com/news/ngo-study-ids-vanguard-blackrock-big-climate-change-villains/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119083126/https://www.ai-cio.com/news/ngo-study-ids-vanguard-blackrock-big-climate-change-villains/"},{"t":"BlackRock 2024 investment stewardship report shows declining environmental and social support","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/blackrock-2024-investment-stewardship-report-declining-environmental-social-support/725010/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260623065743/https://www.esgdive.com/news/blackrock-2024-investment-stewardship-report-declining-environmental-social-support/725010/"},{"t":"BlackRock support for environmental and social shareholder proposals below 2 percent in the 2025 proxy season","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/blackrock-support-environmental-social-shareholder-proposals-less-than-2-percent-2025-proxy-season/759918/"},{"t":"US states have passed 11 anti-ESG bills in 2025: Pleiades Strategy","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2025-07-31","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/us-states-have-passed-11-anti-esg-bills-in-2025-pleiades-strategy/756457/","type":"press"},{"t":"Texas Judge Strikes Down Anti-ESG \"Boycott\" Law (American Sustainable Business Council v. Hegar, W.D. Tex.)","p":"Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance","d":"2026-03-01","u":"https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/03/01/texas-judge-strikes-down-anti-esg-boycott-law/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"esg-politics","related":["leonard-leo-network-anti-esg-campaign-funding","texas-anti-esg-boycott-law-and-municipal-bond-costs"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street coordinate through climate initiatives to curb coal production?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did the Texas bond-underwriting restrictions cost municipalities?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"State Street: No statement in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The states' coordination allegations were not tested at trial; the judge noted no direct evidence of conspiracy in August 2025, and the allegations remain unproven.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the model text for SB 13 originated with ALEC is described as disputed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The Garrett and Ivanov estimate of extra municipal interest is disputed by industry-aligned authors.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Texas municipalities"]},{"id":"nature-conservancy-gas-drilling-on-texas-city-prairie-preser","title":"Nature Conservancy gas drilling on Texas City Prairie Preserve","dek":"The Nature Conservancy drilled for gas on a Texas prairie that Mobil Oil had donated in 1995 and that was the last wild breeding area of the endangered Attwater's prairie chicken. The Washington Post reported in 2003 that the well earned about $8 million by January 2002 while the number of nesting birds fell.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":29.4,"lon":-94.95,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas City, Texas","lat":29.4,"lon":-94.95,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","role":"affected"}],"start":1995,"end":2014,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Gas-well income to January 2002 vs TNC's net payment in the settlement","value":"about $8 million vs $5.6 million","note":"As reported by the Washington Post, 6 May 2003. Figures are as stated in the report; this site makes no calculation."},"happened":["In 1995 Mobil Oil donated a prairie of about 2,300 acres (about 930 hectares) in Texas to The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The land was the last breeding area in the wild of the endangered Attwater's prairie chicken.","TNC began gas drilling on the land in 1999. Pipeline construction ran past TNC's own end-of-July cut-off, set to protect the birds, and continued until November. By January 2002 the well had earned about $8 million. The number of nesting birds fell from 36 in 1998 to an estimated 16. In a 2002 internal analysis TNC's Texas science director wrote that the delays raised the likelihood of the birds' death (the cited sources give this as a Turkish rendering; the original wording is not reproduced).","The drilling extended beneath a mineral right owned by the Russell Sage Foundation. A Houston oilman bid $26,176 for the right without disclosing TNC's name. The dispute ended with a $10 million settlement; TNC said it paid $5.6 million after insurance and partner contributions. TNC's president described what had happened as a mistake. The Washington Post reported these facts on 6 May 2003; the Los Angeles Times had first reported the drilling in 2002.","TNC later announced that it was banning new drilling, but in 2007 it allowed a new oil well on the same land, citing an existing contract. According to the New York Times, TNC earned millions of dollars in oil and gas income from the land and the prairie chickens disappeared from it."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Mobil Oil donates about 2,300 acres of Texas prairie to TNC"},{"y":1998,"t":"36 nesting Attwater's prairie chickens on the land"},{"y":1999,"t":"TNC begins gas drilling on the land"},{"y":2002,"t":"January: well income reaches about $8 million. TNC's Texas science director writes an internal analysis on the delays. The Los Angeles Times first reports the drilling."},{"y":2003,"t":"6 May: Washington Post report on the drilling. The Senate Finance Committee begins a wider investigation of TNC (2003–2005)."},{"y":2007,"t":"TNC allows a new oil well on the same land under an existing contract"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Mobil Oil donated the prairie in 1995; the land was the last wild breeding area of the endangered Attwater's prairie chicken.","who":"Washington Post, 6 May 2003","src":0},{"t":"TNC later announced that it was banning new drilling.","who":"The Nature Conservancy","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Pipeline construction ran past TNC's own end-of-July cut-off and continued until November.","src":0},{"t":"The well earned about $8 million by January 2002; the number of nesting birds fell from 36 in 1998 to an estimated 16.","src":0},{"t":"A 2002 internal analysis by TNC's Texas science director said the delays raised the likelihood of the birds' death.","src":0},{"t":"TNC said it paid $5.6 million of a $10 million settlement after insurance and partner contributions.","src":0},{"t":"In 2007 TNC allowed a new oil well on the same land under an existing contract; according to the New York Times it earned millions of dollars in oil and gas income there and the prairie chickens disappeared from the land.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1999–2003","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Gas-well income to January 2002","amount":8,"qualifier":"about"},{"label":"Settlement, total","amount":10},{"label":"TNC net payment after insurance and partner contributions","amount":5.6}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nesting Attwater's prairie chickens","v":"36 to an estimated 16","d":"From 1998; end year of the estimate not stated"},{"k":"Prairie chickens on the land after the 2007 well","v":"Disappeared","d":"As reported by the New York Times, per the cited sources"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Washington Post report of 6 May 2003 and the New York Times account cited in the sources.","report":[{"t":"I was the last place in the wild where Attwater's prairie chickens bred. About 36 of them nested on me in 1998; the estimate afterwards was 16.","src":0},{"t":"Pipeline work on me continued until November, past the end-of-July cut-off set to protect the nesting birds.","src":0},{"t":"According to the New York Times, after the 2007 well the prairie chickens disappeared from me.","src":1}]},"unknown":["No executive is recorded as having been tried personally.","The year to which the estimate of 16 nesting birds applies is not stated."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Pipeline work ran past TNC's own end-of-July nesting cut-off. TNC later announced it was banning new drilling and then allowed a new oil well in 2007 under an existing contract.","whoPaid":"TNC said it paid $5.6 million of the $10 million settlement after insurance and partner contributions; the cited sources give the cost was borne by TNC's donations, the insurer and partners.","statusLine":"As of the 2007 well: the $10 million settlement had closed the litigation over the mineral-rights purchase, and TNC had allowed a new oil well on the land under an existing contract.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"tnc","says":"Its president described what had happened as a mistake; TNC said it paid $5.6 million of the $10 million settlement after insurance and partner contributions, and later announced it was banning new drilling.","when":"2003","src":0},{"actor":"tnc","says":"Allowed a new oil well on the same land in 2007, citing an existing contract.","when":"2007","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"Landowner and driller"},{"id":"mobil-oil","role":"Donor of the land (1995)"},{"id":"russell-sage-foundation","role":"Owner of the mineral right"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the pipeline work put the birds at risk?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Washington Post","says":"Pipeline construction ran past TNC's own end-of-July cut-off, and a 2002 internal analysis said the delays raised the likelihood of the birds' death.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"TNC (president)","says":"Described what had happened as a mistake.","src":0}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did TNC end drilling on the land?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TNC","says":"Announced that it was banning new drilling, then allowed a new oil well in 2007 citing an existing contract.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"New York Times","says":"TNC earned millions of dollars in oil and gas income from the land and the prairie chickens disappeared from it.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mineral-rights dispute over the Texas City Prairie Preserve well","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","kind":"civil","claimant":null,"defendant":"The Nature Conservancy","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":10000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Total settlement; TNC said its net payment was $5.6 million"},"summary":"The drilling extended beneath a mineral right owned by the Russell Sage Foundation, which a Houston oilman had bid $26,176 for without disclosing TNC's name. The litigation closed with a $10 million settlement.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None on record","insured":"The Nature Conservancy","status":"unknown","year":null,"summary":"TNC said its net payment of $5.6 million was after insurance and partner contributions to the $10 million settlement; the insurer's amount is not given.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":930,"unit":"ha","year":1995,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 2,300 acres donated by Mobil Oil."},{"key":"revenue","value":8,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Well income to January 2002."},{"key":"settlement","value":10,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Total settlement; date not stated."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":5.6,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"TNC's stated net payment after insurance and partner contributions; date not stated."},{"key":"nesting_birds","value":36,"unit":"birds","year":1998,"note":"Nesting Attwater's prairie chickens; the later estimate was 16, year not stated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Nature Conservancy drilled for gas on Texas City Prairie Preserve, the last wild breeding area of the Attwater's prairie chicken; pipeline work ran past its own nesting cut-off, and in 2007 it allowed a new oil well on the land.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Nature Conservancy","what":"The well earned about $8 million by January 2002.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"The Nature Conservancy","what":"Said it paid $5.6 million net of insurance and partner contributions in a $10 million settlement.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Attwater's prairie chicken","what":"Nesting birds fell from 36 in 1998 to an estimated 16; according to the New York Times the birds disappeared from the land after the 2007 well.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Texas City Prairie Preserve, near Texas City, Texas.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Donation 1995; drilling from 1999; report 6 May 2003; new oil well 2007.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Washington Post reported that the well earned about $8 million by January 2002; the cited sources do not give TNC's stated reason for drilling other than an existing contract for the 2007 well.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Gas drilling and pipeline construction on donated conservation land, extending under a mineral right bought by an oilman without disclosing TNC's name.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Nature Conservancy gas drilling placed endangered birds at risk (Washington Post, via Seattle Times archive)","p":"Washington Post / Seattle Times archive","d":"2003-05-06","type":"press","u":"https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030506/nature06/nature-conservancy-gas-drilling-placed-endangered-birds-at-risk"},{"t":"The country's largest environmental group is profiting from oil drilling","p":"Salon (Lindsay Abrams, citing The New York Times)","d":"2014-08-04","u":"https://www.salon.com/2014/08/04/the_countrys_largest_environmental_group_is_profiting_from_oil_drilling/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the pipeline work put the birds at risk?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did TNC end drilling on the land?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None on record: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No executive is recorded as having been tried personally.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year to which the estimate of 16 nesting birds applies is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chico-mendes-extractive-reserve-creation-and-reversal","title":"Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, Acre","dek":"The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created in Acre, Brazil, in March 1990, fifteen months after the rubber-tapper leader was shot dead. Records for 2019–2024 show clearing, cattle and pasture inside it.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-10.65,"lon":-68.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Acre (Xapuri)","lat":-10.65,"lon":-68.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Acre","role":"affected"}],"start":1988,"end":2024,"eventDate":"1988-12-22","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the reserve under pasture, 2023","value":"11%","note":"As reported: 105,000 ha of the reserve; reserve created in 1990 on about 970,570 ha."},"happened":["An extractive reserve (RESEX) in Brazil is a protected area where the land stays in state ownership but communities such as rubber tappers keep the right to gather forest products. According to Agência Senado, Brazil had 59 extractive reserves covering more than 12 million hectares in 2013. ICMBio, the federal agency that manages Brazil's federal conservation areas, is named after Chico Mendes.","Chico Mendes was shot at the back door of his home in Xapuri, Acre, on 22 December 1988. Rancher Darly Alves da Silva and his son Darci Alves Pereira were each sentenced to 19 years in prison, according to Agência Senado. A jury in Xapuri convicted them in December 1990, Darly as the one who ordered the killing and Darci as the one who fired the shot, according to Amnesty International and Agência Senado. The two escaped from prison in 1993 and were recaptured three years later, according to Memorial da Democracia; accounts of their release differ.","The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created on 12 March 1990, fifteen months after his death. The cited sources give its area as about 970,570 hectares across four municipalities.","In 2019 the reserve lost 74.5 km² of forest, about three times the average of the previous five years, according to Mongabay. Five ICMBio staff supervised the reserve at the time, and cattle were present on 97% of the parcels examined, more than 50,000 head in all. On 6 November 2019 Environment Minister Ricardo Salles met five people accused of environmental violations in the reserve; according to the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, he was receptive to their demands to shrink the boundaries and loosen enforcement. In the same period a bill was introduced in the legislature to remove 190 km² (about 2%) from the reserve.","By 2023 pasture covered 11% of the reserve (105,000 hectares), and clearing rose by 30% in 2024. The cited sources say Brazil-nut income is seasonal and informal, that families keep cattle as savings, and that some sell their plots illegally to ranchers."],"timeline":[{"y":1988,"t":"Chico Mendes shot at his home in Xapuri, Acre (22 December)"},{"y":1990,"t":"Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve created (12 March), about 970,570 ha"},{"y":2013,"t":"Brazil has 59 extractive reserves covering more than 12 million ha"},{"y":2019,"t":"74.5 km² cleared, about three times the previous five-year average; Environment Minister meets five alleged violators (6 November); bill proposes removing 190 km²"},{"y":2023,"t":"Pasture covers 11% of the reserve (105,000 ha)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Clearing in the reserve up 30%"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Brazil's federal conservation agency, ICMBio, carries the name of Chico Mendes.","who":"Agência Senado, December 2013","src":0},{"t":"The reserve is presented as a protected forest and as the legacy of Chico Mendes.","who":"Public narrative","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Chico Mendes was shot on 22 December 1988; the rancher and his son were each sentenced to 19 years.","src":0},{"t":"The reserve was created on 12 March 1990 on about 970,570 ha in four municipalities.","src":2},{"t":"2019: 74.5 km² cleared, about three times the previous five-year average; cattle on 97% of examined parcels, more than 50,000 head; five ICMBio staff supervising.","src":1},{"t":"6 November 2019: the Environment Minister met five alleged violators in the reserve; a bill proposed removing 190 km² (about 2%).","src":1},{"t":"2023: pasture covered 11% of the reserve (105,000 ha). 2024: clearing up 30%.","src":3},{"t":"In 2019 a party official was killed in a land dispute in Xapuri.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cleared in 2019","v":"74.5 km²","d":"About three times the previous five-year average (Mongabay, 2020)"},{"k":"Pasture share of the reserve, 2023","v":"11%","d":"105,000 ha; clearing up 30% in 2024"},{"k":"Cattle on examined parcels, 2019","v":"97%","d":"More than 50,000 head"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in satellite-era clearing figures and parcel surveys reported by Mongabay (2019 data) and in later figures for 2023–2024.","report":[{"t":"In 2019 I lost 74.5 km² of forest inside the Chico Mendes reserve, about three times the average of the previous five years.","src":1},{"t":"In 2019 cattle stood on 97% of the parcels that were examined, more than 50,000 head.","src":1},{"t":"By 2023 pasture covered 11% of me, 105,000 hectares. In 2024 the clearing rose by 30%.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the first 'empate' (rubber tappers standing in front of trees to stop felling) took place in Brasiléia in March 1976, with 60 people over three days.","Unconfirmed: union leader Wilson Pinheiro was killed in Brasiléia in 1980 and no one was prosecuted.","Unconfirmed: in 1987 Chico Mendes lobbied the Inter-American Development Bank over its financing of the BR-364 highway; sources say the loan was suspended or renegotiated.","Accounts of the release of the convicted rancher and his son after their recapture differ.","Unconfirmed: an ICMBio operation removed 400 head of illegal cattle from the reserve.","The cited sources give no source for the 2023 pasture and 2024 clearing figures."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"No stop is recorded: clearing in 2019 was about three times the previous five-year average, pasture covered 11% of the reserve in 2023, and clearing rose by 30% in 2024.","whoPaid":"Chico Mendes was killed in 1988 and a party official in a land dispute in Xapuri in 2019; the record also says rubber-tapper families keep cattle as savings because Brazil-nut income is seasonal and informal.","statusLine":"As of the latest figures in the cited sources (2024): pasture covered 11% of the reserve in 2023 and clearing rose 30% in 2024; no outcome of the 190 km² bill found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"icmbio","role":"Federal conservation agency named after Chico Mendes; supervised the reserve"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution for the killing of Chico Mendes","forum":"Jury court (Tribunal do Júri) of Xapuri, Acre","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecution","defendant":"Darly Alves da Silva and Darci Alves Pereira","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"A jury in Xapuri, tried from 12 to 15 December 1990, convicted rancher Darly Alves da Silva, as the one who ordered the killing, and his son Darci Alves Pereira, who fired the shot; each was sentenced to 19 years in prison, according to Amnesty International and Agência Senado. They escaped in 1993 and were recaptured three years later, according to Memorial da Democracia; accounts of their release differ.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":1988,"note":"Chico Mendes, killed 22 December 1988 in Xapuri."},{"key":"area_ha","value":970570,"unit":"ha","year":1990,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area of the reserve at creation, four municipalities."},{"key":"forest_lost_km2","value":74.5,"unit":"km²","year":2019,"note":"Cleared in the reserve in 2019, about three times the previous five-year average."},{"key":"pasture_ha","value":105000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Pasture, 11% of the reserve."},{"key":"cattle_head","value":50000,"unit":"head","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cattle on the parcels examined; cattle present on 97% of them."},{"key":"icmbio_staff","value":5,"unit":"staff","year":2019,"note":"ICMBio staff supervising the reserve."},{"key":"proposed_removal_km2","value":190,"unit":"km²","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bill proposing removal from the reserve (about 2%)."},{"key":"clearing_change_pct","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Increase in clearing in 2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An extractive reserve was created in memory of a murdered leader; later records show clearing, cattle and pasture inside it.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ranch owners on the reserve's border","what":"Met the Environment Minister on 6 November 2019; according to Folha de S.Paulo he was receptive to their demands to shrink the boundaries and loosen enforcement.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Chico Mendes","what":"Shot dead on 22 December 1988.","src":0},{"who":"Rubber-tapper families","what":"The cited sources say Brazil-nut income is seasonal and informal, so families keep cattle as savings and some sell plots illegally to ranchers.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"The forest of the reserve","what":"74.5 km² cleared in 2019; pasture over 11% of the reserve in 2023.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Xapuri and the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, Acre, Brazil (four municipalities).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Killing 22 December 1988; reserve created 12 March 1990; clearing and pasture figures 2019–2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The record states that a land-rights model and resistance with bodies came together; it also states that ranchers on the border pressed for smaller boundaries in 2019.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Cattle and clearing inside the reserve (2019: 97% of examined parcels had cattle); a bill proposed removing 190 km²; five ICMBio staff supervised the reserve.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Chico Mendes, legado de coragem em defesa da floresta","p":"Agência Senado","d":"2013-12-16","type":"official","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2013/12/16/chico-mendes-legado-de-coragem-em-defesa-da-floresta","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710230357/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2013/12/16/chico-mendes-legado-de-coragem-em-defesa-da-floresta"},{"t":"Conflict in the Chico Mendes reserve threatens this pioneering Amazonian project","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-01-16","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/conflict-in-the-chico-mendes-reserve-threaten-this-pioneering-amazonian-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260719132343/https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/conflict-in-the-chico-mendes-reserve-threaten-this-pioneering-amazonian-project/"},{"t":"Decreto no 99.144, de 12 de março de 1990 (creation of the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve)","p":"Presidency of Brazil, via Câmara dos Deputados","d":"1990-03-12","u":"https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1990/decreto-99144-12-marco-1990-331088-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Handcrafted woodwork helps save an Amazonian reserve one tree at a time","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-02-05","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/handcrafted-woodwork-helps-save-an-amazonian-reserve-one-tree-at-a-time/","type":"press"},{"t":"Tiros silenciam a voz de Chico Mendes","p":"Memorial da Democracia (Instituto Lula)","d":"n.d.","u":"https://memorialdademocracia.com.br/card/tiros-silenciam-a-voz-de-chico-mendes","type":"other"},{"t":"Brazil: Trial of the alleged killers of Chico Mendes (AMR 19/036/1990)","p":"Amnesty International","d":"1990-12","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AMR190361990ENGLISH.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chico-mendes-murder"],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the first 'empate' (rubber tappers standing in front of trees to stop felling) took place in Brasiléia in March 1976, with 60 people over three days.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: union leader Wilson Pinheiro was killed in Brasiléia in 1980 and no one was prosecuted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 1987 Chico Mendes lobbied the Inter-American Development Bank over its financing of the BR-364 highway; sources say the loan was suspended or renegotiated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Accounts of the release of the convicted rancher and his son after their recapture differ.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an ICMBio operation removed 400 head of illegal cattle from the reserve.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no source for the 2023 pasture and 2024 clearing figures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who lost: Rubber-tapper families"]},{"id":"green-belt-movement-and-karura-forest-grabbing","title":"Green Belt Movement and Karura Forest, Kenya","dek":"A tree-planting movement founded in Kenya in 1977 campaigned against land grabs in public forests. The cited sources show 477 hectares of Karura Forest allocated to 64 developers in 1994–1999 and continuing tree-cover loss in the Mau Forest.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-1.24,"lon":36.83,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Nairobi (Karura Forest)","lat":-1.24,"lon":36.83,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Mau Forest","role":"affected"}],"start":1977,"end":2023,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Public forest at Karura allocated to private developers, 1994–1999","value":"477 ha / 64 developers","note":"As recorded by Mongabay (2015); the whole area was later found by an anti-corruption commission to have been illegally sold."},"happened":["The Green Belt Movement was founded in Kenya in 1977 and is said to have planted more than 51 million trees there; this figure is the movement's own claim, and no independent count or survival rate was found. The cited sources say women were paid a small fee for each seedling that survived. Its founder, Wangari Maathai, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.","In 1989 the ruling party planned a 60-storey tower in Uhuru Park, Nairobi. The plan was abandoned in February 1990. In January 1992 Maathai was arrested. In late February 1992 she joined mothers of political prisoners in a hunger strike in Uhuru Park; police dispersed it, and Maathai and three women were seriously injured. President Daniel arap Moi called her a crazy woman. Amnesty International is reported to have said the women were beaten until they lost consciousness.","On 8 January 1999, while Maathai and others planted trees in Karura Forest, hired men beat them and the police did not intervene, according to Mongabay's account. In August 1999 Moi banned the allocation of land from the forest. By then 477 hectares of public forest had been allocated to 64 private developers in 1994–1999. In 2014 Kenya's Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission found that all land excised from the forest had been illegally taken and sold, by dealers Mongabay described as connected to the ruling class. In 2015 Mongabay reported that the Two Rivers development stood on a 40-hectare parcel carved from the forest and that York Holdings was laying claim to 7.4 hectares.","In July 2023 President William Ruto lifted a logging ban dating from 2018; a court nullified that decision in October 2023. On 13 November 2023 the government declared a national tree-planting day with a target of 100 million seedlings; no record of the number actually planted was found. Government targets stand at 30% tree cover and 15 billion trees by 2032.","The Mau Forest lost 19% of its tree cover (533 km²) between 2001 and 2022, according to Global Forest Watch data reported by Mongabay; the loss fell in 2021–22 and rose in 2023. The Kenya Forest Service said that satellite images do not reflect the situation on the ground."],"timeline":[{"y":1977,"t":"Green Belt Movement founded"},{"y":1989,"t":"Ruling party plans a 60-storey tower in Uhuru Park"},{"y":1990,"t":"Tower plan abandoned (February)"},{"y":1992,"t":"Maathai arrested (January); hunger strike in Uhuru Park dispersed by police, Maathai and three women seriously injured (late February)"},{"y":1994,"t":"477 ha of Karura public forest allocated to 64 private developers over 1994–1999"},{"y":1999,"t":"Maathai and others beaten while planting at Karura (8 January); Moi bans allocation of forest land (August)"},{"y":2004,"t":"Maathai receives the Nobel Peace Prize"},{"y":2014,"t":"Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission finds the land excised from Karura was illegally taken and sold"},{"y":2015,"t":"Mongabay reports the Two Rivers development on a 40 ha parcel carved from the forest and a York Holdings claim to 7.4 ha"},{"y":2023,"t":"Logging ban lifted (July), nullified by a court (October); national tree-planting day with 100 million seedling target (13 November)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The movement planted more than 51 million trees in Kenya.","who":"The Green Belt Movement's own claim, as given in a Goldman Prize blog","src":0},{"t":"A national tree-planting day on 13 November 2023 with a target of 100 million seedlings in one day.","who":"Government of Kenya","src":null},{"t":"Targets of 30% tree cover and 15 billion trees by 2032; more than 900 million planting notifications reported by February 2026.","who":"Government of Kenya","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"1994–1999: 477 ha of public forest at Karura allocated to 64 private developers; in 2014 an anti-corruption commission found the whole area had been illegally sold via intermediaries linked to ruling circles.","src":1},{"t":"2015: Two Rivers project took about 40 ha of the forest; York Holdings 7.4 ha.","src":1},{"t":"8 January 1999: Maathai and others beaten by hired men while planting at Karura; the police did not intervene.","src":1},{"t":"Mau Forest tree cover loss of 19% (533 km²) in 2001–2022.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Karura Forest allocated to private developers","v":"477 ha","d":"64 developers, 1994–1999 (Mongabay, 2015); whole area found illegally sold by an anti-corruption commission"},{"k":"Mau Forest tree cover lost, 2001–2022","v":"19%","d":"533 km²; fell in 2021–22, rose in 2023 (Mongabay, 2023)"},{"k":"Trees planted by the movement","v":"Unconfirmed","d":"51 million is the movement's own claim; no independent count or survival rate found"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in land-allocation figures for Karura (Mongabay, 2015) and satellite-derived tree-cover loss in the Mau Forest (Global Forest Watch via Mongabay, 2023).","report":[{"t":"Between 1994 and 1999, 477 hectares of my public forest at Karura were allocated to 64 private developers.","src":1},{"t":"In 2014 an anti-corruption commission found that all of that land had been illegally sold.","src":1},{"t":"In the Mau Forest I lost 19% of my tree cover between 2001 and 2022, 533 km². The loss fell in 2021–22 and rose in 2023.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the movement has planted more than 51 million trees; no independent count or survival rate was found.","Unconfirmed: Amnesty International said the women beaten in Uhuru Park in 1992 were beaten until they lost consciousness.","The number of seedlings planted on 13 November 2023 is not recorded.","How many carbon credits were actually sold under the World Bank carbon-credit agreement with the Green Belt Movement is unknown; the agreement allowed sales of up to 375,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over 2006–2017.","National forest cover figures vary with definition: 8.83% forest and 12.13% tree cover in the Kenya Forest Service 2021 assessment; a lower figure of about 6.7% attributed to the FAO is unconfirmed.","No independent ecological evaluation of the Green Belt Movement's planting was found."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Moi banned forest-land allocations in August 1999, after the 1994–1999 allocations of 477 ha. Tree-cover loss in the Mau Forest was recorded through 2022 and rose again in 2023.","whoPaid":"Maathai and other volunteers were arrested, injured or beaten in 1992 and 1999 according to the record; the public forest estate lost 477 ha at Karura.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated records (2023–2026): the July 2023 lifting of the logging ban was nullified by a court in October 2023; no count of the 13 November 2023 plantings found; government targets 30% tree cover and 15 billion trees by 2032.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"kenya-forest-service","says":"Said that satellite images of tree-cover loss in the Mau Forest do not reflect the situation on the ground.","when":"2024-11","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"green-belt-movement","role":"Tree-planting movement founded 1977"},{"id":"kfs","role":"Forest authority; disputed satellite figures for the Mau Forest"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Signed a carbon-credit agreement with the Green Belt Movement"},{"id":"centum","role":"Owner of the Two Rivers project that took about 40 ha of Karura Forest"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much tree cover has the Mau Forest lost?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Global Forest Watch (via Mongabay)","says":"Tree cover loss of 19% in 2001–2022; loss fell in 2021–22 and rose in 2023.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service","says":"Satellite images do not reflect the situation on the ground.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Forest Status Report 2024","says":"Estimates 84,716 ha of deforestation and 14,934 ha of degradation per year nationally.","src":null}]},{"point":"How much of Kenya is forest?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service, 2021 assessment","says":"Forest cover 8.83%; tree cover (counting trees outside official forests) 12.13%. The constitutional 10% target is tied to tree cover.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Uhuru Kenyatta, speech of 1 June 2022","says":"Said forest cover rose from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"A fact-checking site","says":"Found the claim wrong: 6.99% was 2010 data, and another official report gave 5.60% for 2013.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Isaac Kalua, then chair of Kenya's Water Towers agency (opinion article)","says":"A 7.1% figure was corrected to 7.2% without explanation, and institutions were under pressure to meet the 10% pledge.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Anti-corruption commission finding on the Karura forest land","forum":"Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Commission","defendant":"Not stated","filed":null,"decided":"2014","status":"unknown","summary":"In 2014 an anti-corruption commission found that all 477 hectares of Karura forest land allocated to 64 developers in 1994–1999 had been illegally sold via intermediaries linked to ruling circles. The cited sources give no remedy.","src":1},{"title":"Challenge to the 2023 lifting of the logging ban","forum":"Environment and Land Court, Nairobi","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmental protection groups","defendant":"Government of Kenya","filed":null,"decided":"2023-10","status":"claimant-won","summary":"President Ruto lifted a logging ban dating from 2018 in July 2023. In October 2023 the Environment and Land Court in Nairobi declared the decision null and void because the public had not been consulted, Africanews reported.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":51000000,"unit":"trees","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"The Green Belt Movement's own claim; no independent count or survival rate found."},{"key":"area_ha","value":477,"unit":"ha","year":1999,"note":"Public forest at Karura allocated to private developers in 1994–1999."},{"key":"developers","value":64,"unit":"developers","year":1999,"note":"Private developers who received Karura land."},{"key":"area_ha_two_rivers","value":40,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Parcel carved from the forest for the Two Rivers development (Mongabay, 2015)."},{"key":"area_ha_york_holdings","value":7.4,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Claimed by York Holdings (Mongabay, 2015)."},{"key":"tree_cover_loss_pct","value":19,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Mau Forest tree cover lost, 2001–2022."},{"key":"tree_cover_loss_km2","value":533,"unit":"km²","year":2022,"note":"Mau Forest tree cover lost, 2001–2022."},{"key":"injured","value":4,"unit":"people","year":1992,"note":"Maathai and three women seriously injured when police dispersed the hunger strike."},{"key":"seedling_target","value":100000000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2023,"note":"Government target for 13 November 2023; planted number not recorded."},{"key":"carbon_credit_potential","value":375000,"unit":"t CO2e","year":2017,"note":"Sales potential under the World Bank agreement, 2006–2017; credits actually sold unknown."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A tree-planting movement and its founder campaigned against allocation of public forest land; Karura Forest land was allocated to developers and Mau Forest cover declined.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"64 private developers","what":"Received 477 ha of Karura public forest in 1994–1999; the land was later found to have been illegally sold via intermediaries linked to ruling circles.","src":1},{"who":"Two Rivers project (owner Centum)","what":"Built on a 40 ha parcel carved from the forest; Mongabay (2015) described Centum as a company associated with former President Mwai Kibaki.","src":1},{"who":"York Holdings","what":"Laid claim to 7.4 ha of the forest, according to Mongabay (2015).","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Wangari Maathai and volunteers","what":"Arrested in 1992; injured in 1992; beaten at Karura in 1999.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Karura Forest","what":"477 ha of public forest allocated to private developers.","src":1},{"who":"Mau Forest","what":"19% of tree cover lost in 2001–2022.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Karura Forest and Uhuru Park, Nairobi; Mau Forest, Kenya.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Movement founded 1977; allocations 1994–1999; commission finding 2014; Mau loss 2001–2022; logging ban lifted and nullified 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not give a stated reason for the allocations; it records the commission's finding that the land was sold illegally via intermediaries linked to ruling circles.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Public forest land was allocated to 64 private developers in 1994–1999 and then sold through intermediaries; Moi banned further allocations in August 1999.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Green Belt Movement and Wangari Maathai (Goldman Prize blog)","p":"Goldman Environmental Prize","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.goldmanprize.org/blog/green-belt-movement-wangari-maathai/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914102158/https://www.goldmanprize.org/blog/green-belt-movement-wangari-maathai/"},{"t":"Kenya's Karura Forest, symbol of Greenbelt Movement, suffering death by 1000 cuts","p":"Mongabay","d":"2015-04-29","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2015/04/kenyas-karura-forest-symbol-of-greenbelt-movement-suffering-death-by-1000-cuts/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260219155831/https://news.mongabay.com/2015/04/kenyas-karura-forest-symbol-of-greenbelt-movement-suffering-death-by-1000-cuts/"},{"t":"Deforestation continues in Kenya's largest water-capturing forest","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-continues-in-kenyas-largest-water-capturing-forest-satellites-show/"},{"t":"Satellite images expose hidden crisis in Mau Forest","p":"Kenyans.co.ke","d":"2024-11-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250124045158/https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest"},{"t":"Kenyan environmental court halts lifting of logging ban","p":"Africanews","d":"2023-10-12","u":"https://africanews.com/2023/10/12/kenyan-environmental-court-halts-lifting-of-logging-ban","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616063122/https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/12/kenyan-environmental-court-halts-lifting-of-logging-ban/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much tree cover has the Mau Forest lost?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of Kenya is forest?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Anti-corruption commission finding on the Karura forest land: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Trees planted: The Green Belt Movement's own claim; no independent count or survival rate found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the movement has planted more than 51 million trees; no independent count or survival rate was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Amnesty International said the women beaten in Uhuru Park in 1992 were beaten until they lost consciousness.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of seedlings planted on 13 November 2023 is not recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"How many carbon credits were actually sold under the World Bank carbon-credit agreement with the Green Belt Movement is unknown; the agreement allowed sales of up to 375,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over 2006–2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"National forest cover figures vary with definition: 8.83% forest and 12.13% tree cover in the Kenya Forest Service 2021 assessment; a lower figure of about 6.7% attributed to the FAO is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation of the Green Belt Movement's planting was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rockhopper-v-italy-icsid-award-and-litigation-finance","title":"Rockhopper v. Italy (Ombrina Mare): the ICSID award and who financed it","dek":"A tribunal ordered Italy to pay Rockhopper Exploration EUR 190 million plus interest after Italy banned oil and gas activity within 12 miles of its coast. An ICSID committee annulled the award in 2025, and the claim was re-opened.","country":"Italy","region":"Europe","lat":42.3,"lon":14.55,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","lat":42.3,"lon":14.55,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-06-02","instrument":"finance","types":["finance","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Award against Italy, annulled in 2025","value":"EUR 190 million + interest","note":"As awarded on 23 August 2022; the award was annulled on 2 June 2025 and the claim was re-opened."},"happened":["In 2015 Italy again banned oil and gas activity within 12 miles of its coast. Rockhopper Exploration did not obtain a production concession for the Ombrina Mare field and in 2017 brought a claim against Italy under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). Italy had withdrawn from the treaty in 2016; the claim could still be brought because Article 47(3) of the ECT keeps investments that existed at the date of withdrawal protected for a further 20 years.","On 23 August 2022 the tribunal ordered Italy to pay EUR 190 million plus interest. A litigation funder had covered Rockhopper's costs from 2017 until the award; Inside Climate News named the funder as Harbour Litigation Funding. Rockhopper's own statements do not name it.","On 20 December 2023 Rockhopper announced that it had sold the award to what it described as a regulated specialist fund managing more than USD 4 billion in assets. The fund paid EUR 45 million upfront, of which EUR 26 million went to the first funder and about EUR 15 million remained with Rockhopper. A further EUR 65 million was payable if the annulment proceedings ended in Rockhopper's favour.","In October 2024 Rockhopper took out an insurance policy against the risk that the award would be annulled. On 2 June 2025 an ICSID annulment committee annulled the award because one of the arbitrators had not disclosed a conviction that had been overturned years earlier. In August 2025 the insurers paid Rockhopper EUR 31 million.","Rockhopper then re-submitted the same claim; a new funder took on the costs, and money recovered from the new case is to repay the insurers first. A new tribunal, chaired by Meg Kinnear, the former ICSID Secretary-General, was constituted in April 2026. No payment by Italy to Rockhopper is reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Italy again bans oil and gas activity within 12 miles of the coast"},{"y":2016,"t":"Italy withdraws from the Energy Charter Treaty"},{"y":2017,"t":"Rockhopper files its ECT claim over Ombrina Mare after failing to obtain a production concession"},{"y":2022,"t":"23 August: tribunal orders Italy to pay EUR 190 million plus interest"},{"y":2023,"t":"20 December: Rockhopper sells the award to a specialist fund for EUR 45 million upfront"},{"y":2024,"t":"October: Rockhopper takes out a policy against annulment of the award"},{"y":2025,"t":"2 June: ICSID committee annuls the award; August: insurers pay Rockhopper EUR 31 million"},{"y":2026,"t":"April: new tribunal for the re-submitted claim constituted, chaired by Meg Kinnear"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The ICSID annulment committee annulled the award on 2 June 2025 because an arbitrator had not disclosed a conviction that had been overturned years earlier.","src":0},{"t":"Rockhopper's announcement of 20 December 2023 states the terms of the sale of the award: EUR 45 million upfront, EUR 26 million of it to the first funder, about EUR 15 million to Rockhopper, and EUR 65 million contingent on the annulment outcome.","src":1},{"t":"Rockhopper received EUR 31 million from its annulment insurance; proceeds of the re-opened case repay the insurers first.","src":2},{"t":"A new tribunal chaired by Meg Kinnear was constituted for the re-submitted claim in April 2026.","src":3},{"t":"Climate Case Chart lists the cost of the case as falling on the taxpayer; according to the cited sources, Italy has not paid the award.","src":4},{"t":"Italy's costs of defending the case were paid from its own budget.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2022–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Awarded by the tribunal against Italy (annulled 2 June 2025), plus interest","amount":190,"note":"Not paid by Italy in the cited sources."},{"label":"Upfront payment by the specialist fund for the award (20 December 2023)","amount":45},{"label":"First litigation funder: share of the upfront payment","amount":26},{"label":"Rockhopper: share of the upfront payment","amount":15,"qualifier":"about"},{"label":"Contingent further payment if annulment failed (not triggered)","amount":65},{"label":"Annulment insurance payout to Rockhopper (August 2025)","amount":31}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Award against Italy","v":"EUR 190m","d":"Plus interest; annulled 2 June 2025"},{"k":"Paid by Italy to Rockhopper","v":"None recorded","d":"In the cited sources"},{"k":"Insurance payout to Rockhopper","v":"EUR 31m","d":"August 2025, after annulment"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not report the outcome of the re-submitted claim: the new tribunal was constituted in April 2026 and no ruling was found.","The first funder's name appears only in Inside Climate News (Harbour Litigation Funding); it does not appear in Rockhopper's own statements.","The insurers' names and the policy premium were not found; the sources describe a EUR 4 million policy and a EUR 31 million payout without reconciling the two figures.","The cost to Italy of its coastal ban is not settled, because the claim is being heard again.","The Ombrina Mare coastal environment is not assessed in any of the cited sources: the record concerns the compensation claim, not ecological findings."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The measure Rockhopper challenged, Italy's 12-mile coastal ban on oil and gas activity, is not reported as changed in the cited sources. The award concerned compensation.","whoPaid":"No payment by Italy to Rockhopper is reported. Money moved between the first funder, the specialist fund, Rockhopper and its insurers, and Italy's defence costs came from its own budget.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: a new tribunal chaired by Meg Kinnear was constituted to hear the re-submitted claim; no new ruling found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"rockhopper","says":"Announced that it had sold the Ombrina Mare arbitration award to a regulated specialist fund: EUR 45 million upfront and a further EUR 65 million if the annulment proceedings ended in its favour.","when":"20 December 2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"rockhopper","role":"Claimant and award holder"},{"id":"italy-gov","role":"Respondent state"},{"id":"harbour-litigation-funding","role":"First litigation funder (as named by Inside Climate News)"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Arbitration institution; annulment committee"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is Italy paying Rockhopper EUR 190 million?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Claim as circulated (holder: none on record)","says":"Italy is paying Rockhopper EUR 190 million.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID annulment committee","says":"Annulled the award on 2 June 2025 because an arbitrator had not disclosed an overturned conviction.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Climate Case Chart entry","says":"Records the award as EUR 190 million won, annulled in 2025, with the cost borne by the taxpayer.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Rockhopper Exploration v. Italy (Ombrina Mare), award of 23 August 2022","forum":"ICSID arbitration tribunal (Energy Charter Treaty)","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Rockhopper Exploration","defendant":"Italy","filed":"2017","decided":"2022-08-23","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":190,"currency":"EUR","label":"Awarded against Italy, EUR million, plus interest (interest at EURIBOR+4); annulled 2 June 2025"},"summary":"The tribunal ordered Italy to pay EUR 190 million plus interest over the loss of the Ombrina Mare production concession after the 12-mile coastal ban.","src":0},{"title":"Rockhopper Exploration v. Italy: annulment of the award","forum":"ICSID annulment committee","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Rockhopper Exploration","defendant":"Italy","filed":null,"decided":"2025-06-02","status":"overturned","summary":"The committee annulled the award because one of the arbitrators had not disclosed a conviction that had been overturned years earlier.","src":0},{"title":"Rockhopper Exploration v. Italy: re-submitted claim","forum":"ICSID tribunal chaired by Meg Kinnear","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Rockhopper Exploration","defendant":"Italy","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Rockhopper re-filed the same claim; a new funder covers the costs, and proceeds repay the insurers first. The tribunal was constituted in April 2026.","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Insurers not named in the sources","insured":"Rockhopper Exploration","status":"paid","year":2025,"amount":{"value":31,"currency":"EUR","label":"Payout, EUR million, after annulment of the award (policy described as EUR 4 million)"},"reason":"Cover against annulment of the award","summary":"Rockhopper took out the policy in October 2024. After the award was annulled the insurers paid EUR 31 million in August 2025; the insurers are repaid first from any proceeds of the re-submitted claim.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"award_amount","value":190,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"Awarded against Italy, plus interest; annulled 2 June 2025."},{"key":"sale_upfront","value":45,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Paid by the specialist fund for the award, 20 December 2023."},{"key":"funder_share_paid","value":26,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Part of the upfront payment that went to the first funder."},{"key":"claimant_share_retained","value":15,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Part of the upfront payment that remained with Rockhopper."},{"key":"sale_contingent","value":65,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Further payment if annulment proceedings ended in Rockhopper's favour."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":31,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Annulment insurance payout to Rockhopper."},{"key":"policy_amount","value":4,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Described in the sources as a EUR 4 million policy; whether this is cover or premium is not stated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An investor-state arbitration award of EUR 190 million plus interest against Italy, issued after Italy's 12-mile coastal ban on oil and gas activity and Rockhopper's failure to obtain a production concession for Ombrina Mare. The award was financed by a litigation funder, sold to a specialist fund, insured against annulment, annulled on 2 June 2025 and re-opened.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"First litigation funder (named by Inside Climate News as Harbour Litigation Funding)","what":"Received EUR 26 million of the EUR 45 million upfront payment before the award was annulled.","src":1},{"who":"Rockhopper Exploration","what":"Kept about EUR 15 million of the upfront payment and received EUR 31 million from its insurers.","src":1},{"who":"Insurers","what":"Paid EUR 31 million; they are repaid first from any proceeds of the re-submitted claim.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Italy","what":"Bore its own defence costs from its budget; the cost of the coastal ban is not settled while the claim is heard again.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Ombrina Mare field off Italy's coast; the arbitration was held under ICSID rules.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban in 2015; claim in 2017; award 23 August 2022; annulment 2 June 2025; new tribunal April 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Rockhopper did not obtain a production concession for Ombrina Mare after Italy again banned oil and gas activity within 12 miles of the coast, and claimed under the Energy Charter Treaty.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Italy withdrew from the ECT in 2016, but Article 47(3) keeps investments existing at that date protected for a further 20 years, which allowed the claim. A funder paid the costs, the award was sold to a specialist fund, and a EUR 4 million policy paid out EUR 31 million on annulment.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Rockhopper v. Italy: Decision on Annulment (2 June 2025)","p":"ICSID (via italaw)","d":"2025-06-02","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-html-files/italaw1826895_Decision-on-Annulment_2025-06-02.html"},{"t":"Rockhopper Exploration announces monetisation of Ombrina Mare arbitration award","p":"Rockhopper Exploration (via Energy-pedia)","d":"2023-12-20","type":"company","u":"https://www.energy-pedia.com/news/italy/rockhopper-exploration-announces-monetisation-of-ombrina-mare-arbitration-award-193669","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725170541/https://www.energy-pedia.com/news/italy/rockhopper-exploration-announces-monetisation-of-ombrina-mare-arbitration-award-193669"},{"t":"Rockhopper secures 31 million insurance payout tied to Ombrina arbitration","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2025-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/rockhopper-secures-31-million-insurance-payout-tied-to-ombrina-arbitration-547967.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250901094957/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/uk/news/breaking-news/rockhopper-secures-31-million-insurance-payout-tied-to-ombrina-arbitration-547967.aspx"},{"t":"New tribunal constituted for Rockhopper v. Italy resubmission with Meg Kinnear as chair","p":"IISD Investment Treaty News","d":"2026-04-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.iisd.org/itn/2026/04/21/new-tribunal-constituted-for-rockhopper-v-italy-resubmission-with-meg-kinnear-as-chair/"},{"t":"Rockhopper v. Italy (case entry)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/rockhopper-v-italy_bfca","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260716052356/https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/rockhopper-v-italy_bfca"},{"t":"Rockhopper stock price down 11% after losing Italy arbitration case","p":"Upstream","d":"2025-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.upstreamonline.com/finance/rockhopper-stock-price-down-11-after-losing-italy-arbitration-case/2-1-1827955"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"investor-state arbitration (Energy Charter Treaty)","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In August 2022 a tribunal ordered Italy to pay EUR 190 million plus interest over its ban on oil and gas activity within 12 miles of my coast; the award was annulled on 2 June 2025.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is Italy paying Rockhopper EUR 190 million?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the outcome of the re-submitted claim: the new tribunal was constituted in April 2026 and no ruling was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The first funder's name appears only in Inside Climate News (Harbour Litigation Funding); it does not appear in Rockhopper's own statements.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The insurers' names and the policy premium were not found; the sources describe a EUR 4 million policy and a EUR 31 million payout without reconciling the two figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cost to Italy of its coastal ban is not settled, because the claim is being heard again.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Ombrina Mare coastal environment is not assessed in any of the cited sources: the record concerns the compensation claim, not ecological findings.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Italy"]},{"id":"sengwer-evictions-from-embobut-forest-and-eu-water-towers-pr","title":"Sengwer evictions from Embobut forest and the EU Water Towers programme (Kenya)","dek":"A Sengwer herder was shot dead in January 2018 in Embobut forest, Kenya, by Kenya Forest Service guards during evictions linked to an EU-funded water-tower programme. The EU suspended the programme the next day and closed it in 2020; evictions continued in 2024.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":1.05,"lon":35.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Elgeyo-Marakwet","lat":1.05,"lon":35.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2018-01-16","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","water"],"headline":{"label":"EU programme suspended the day after the killing","value":"EUR 31 million","note":"Programme value as reported (about US$35 million); not a measure of money spent on the ground."},"happened":["Cherangany Hills and Mount Elgon are called Kenya's water towers because they feed the country's rivers. In June 2016 the European Union started a EUR 31 million programme with the Kenyan government, WaTER, to protect these forests. The government describes the evictions of people from the forests as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","The Sengwer had been evicted from Embobut forest before. In January 2014 about 7,000 Sengwer were evicted, and about 70% of them later returned, according to the Bretton Woods Project. In 2014 the World Bank's Inspection Panel found that the risk of eviction in a forest project the Bank approved in 2007 was foreseeable but had not been identified, and that safeguards had not been applied correctly. The Bank's president welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions. No record of compensation was found.","On 16 January 2018 Robert Kirotich, a 41-year-old Sengwer herder, was shot dead at Kapkok Glade in Embobut forest during evictions. Forest Peoples Programme reported that he was attacked by a group of about 40 Kenya Forest Service (KFS) guards, and that a second man, David Kipkosgei Kiptilkesi, was injured and taken away by the guards. Three UN special rapporteurs had earlier asked the EU to suspend its funding. The EU ambassador to Kenya, Stefano Dejak, announced the next day, 17 January 2018, that support was suspended. The EU closed the programme in 2020, citing a “lapsing of a contractual deadline”. No prosecution over the killing is stated in the sources.","In 2020 a Kenyan court dismissed the Sengwer's case; in 2021 the Court of Appeal ordered that people living in the forest on that day should not be evicted. In August 2023 a water fund of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) that overlaps Embobut set aside KSh 5 million for the Sengwer and KSh 15 million for the Ogiek and Cherangani communities.","In April and May 2024 KFS sent 170 officers into Embobut in an operation called “Imarisha Msitu”. According to the ministry, more than 600 families were removed; a photo caption reported about 200 homes burned. Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families. KFS said it had paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013 and that the Sengwer had violated the court order by returning to the forest; the community said it had not received the payment."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"KFS says it paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each (the community says it did not receive the payment)"},{"y":2014,"t":"About 7,000 Sengwer evicted from Embobut in January; World Bank Inspection Panel finds safeguards not applied correctly (November)"},{"y":2016,"t":"June: EU launches the EUR 31 million WaTER programme"},{"y":2018,"t":"16 January: a Sengwer herder shot dead; 17 January: EU suspends WaTER support"},{"y":2020,"t":"Kenyan court dismisses the Sengwer's case; EU closes the programme"},{"y":2021,"t":"Court of Appeal orders that people living in the forest that day are not to be evicted"},{"y":2023,"t":"August: a TNC water fund overlapping Embobut allocates KSh 5 million to the Sengwer and KSh 15 million to the Ogiek and Cherangani"},{"y":2024,"t":"April–May: KFS “Imarisha Msitu” operation, 170 officers; ministry says 600+ families removed"}],"said":[{"q":"lapsing of a contractual deadline","who":"European Union, as the reason cited for closing the WaTER programme","when":"2020","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The government says the evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","who":"Government of Kenya, as reported by Nation (Mwananchi), 9 May 2024","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Kenya Forest Service guards shot and killed a 41-year-old Sengwer herder at Kapkok Glade, Embobut forest, about 16 January 2018; a second man was injured; reports say about 40 guards were present.","src":0},{"t":"The EU suspended the EUR 31 million (about US$35 million) WaTER programme on 17 January 2018 and closed it in 2020.","src":1},{"t":"In 2014 the World Bank Inspection Panel found that the Bank had not applied safeguards correctly in a forest project it approved in 2007; about 7,000 Sengwer had been evicted from Embobut in January 2014.","src":6},{"t":"In 2020 a court dismissed the Sengwer's case; REDD-Monitor reported that Sengwer communities vowed to remain in Embobut despite the ruling.","src":2},{"t":"In 2021 the Court of Appeal ordered that people living in the forest on that day were not to be evicted.","src":7},{"t":"In April–May 2024 KFS deployed 170 officers; the ministry said more than 600 families were removed; Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families.","src":3},{"t":"A TNC water fund overlapping Embobut allocated KSh 5 million to the Sengwer and KSh 15 million to the Ogiek and Cherangani (August 2023).","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2016–2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"EU WaTER programme, announced value (suspended 17 January 2018, closed 2020)","amount":31,"note":"Programme value as reported; spending is not on record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People shot at Embobut, January 2018","v":"1 killed, 1 injured","d":"A Sengwer herder aged 41 killed; a second man injured"},{"k":"Sengwer evicted, January 2014","v":"About 7,000","d":"About 70% later returned (Bretton Woods Project)"},{"k":"Families removed, April–May 2024","v":"600+ vs 2,800+","d":"Ministry count of families vs Minority Rights Group count of families"}]},"unknown":["No prosecution of any Kenya Forest Service guard for the January 2018 killing was found.","The cited sources give no ecological measurements of Embobut forest or the water towers before or after the evictions.","Counts of the 2024 evictions differ by source: the ministry reported more than 600 families removed and a photo caption about 200 homes burned; Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families. None is an independent count.","Unconfirmed: 28 Sengwer homes were burned in July 2020; no prosecution found.","Whether KFS's 2013 payments of KSh 410,000 per family reached the families is disputed and no independent record was found.","The cited sources do not report what the Sengwer's 2018 petition has produced: it is listed as ongoing."],"evidence":["deaths","displacement","court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The EU suspended the programme on 17 January 2018, the day after the shooting, and closed it in 2020. Evictions continued: in April–May 2024 the ministry reported more than 600 families removed.","whoPaid":"The Sengwer: a man was killed, about 7,000 people were evicted in 2014 and, by the ministry's count, more than 600 families were removed in 2024. The EU programme was closed.","statusLine":"As of May 2024: evictions under the Imarisha Msitu operation reported; the Sengwer's 2018 petition is listed as ongoing and no prosecution for the 2018 killing was found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"eu","says":"The Kenya ambassador, Stefano Dejak, announced that support to the WaTER programme was suspended.","when":"17 January 2018","src":0},{"actor":"eu","says":"Closed the programme in 2020, citing a “lapsing of a contractual deadline”.","when":"2020","src":1},{"actor":"kfs","says":"Said it paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013 and that the Sengwer violated the court order by returning to the forest.","when":"May 2024","src":3},{"actor":"kenya-gov","says":"A ministry said more than 600 families were removed in the 2024 operation, and the government described the evictions as protecting the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","when":"May 2024","src":3},{"actor":"world-bank","says":"The Bank's president welcomed the Inspection Panel's finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions.","when":"November 2014","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Funder of the WaTER programme"},{"id":"kfs","role":"Forest authority whose guards carried out the evictions"},{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Government partner in the programme"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Water fund overlapping Embobut"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Funder of an earlier forest project (2007)"},{"id":"mrg","role":"NGO documenting the 2024 evictions"},{"id":"fpp","role":"NGO reporting the 2018 killing"},{"id":"un-special-rapporteurs","role":"Asked the EU to suspend funding before the killing"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Are the evictions protecting the forest?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kenya","says":"The evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sengwer communities, as reported by REDD-Monitor","says":"Vowed to remain in Embobut forest despite the 2020 court ruling.","src":2}]},{"point":"Was compensation paid in 2013?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service","says":"Paid 2,874 families KSh 410,000 each in 2013; the Sengwer then returned to the forest in violation of the court order.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sengwer community","says":"Said it did not receive the payment.","src":3}]},{"point":"How many people were affected by the 2024 operation?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry (as reported by Nation)","says":"More than 600 families removed; a photo caption reported about 200 homes burned.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Minority Rights Group","says":"Counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families.","src":4}]},{"point":"Why did the EU programme end?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"European Union","says":"Closed the programme in 2020, citing a “lapsing of a contractual deadline”.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"REDD-Monitor headline","says":"EU scraps US$35 million conservation and climate change programme in Kenya over forced evictions.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Forest Peoples Programme","says":"Reported that an Indigenous Sengwer man was shot and killed in an EU-funded project.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did the World Bank bear responsibility for the 2014 evictions?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Inspection Panel","says":"Found in 2014 that safeguards in a forest project approved in 2007 had not been applied correctly and that the eviction risk was foreseeable.","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank president","says":"Welcomed the finding that the Bank was not linked to the evictions.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Sengwer case, dismissed 2020","forum":"Kenyan court (name: none on record)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Sengwer","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"dismissed","summary":"A court dismissed the Sengwer's case in 2020; Sengwer communities said afterwards they would remain in Embobut forest.","src":2},{"title":"Sengwer appeal: order against eviction, 2021","forum":"Court of Appeal, Kenya","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Sengwer","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Court of Appeal ordered that people living in the forest on that day should not be evicted. Evictions were nevertheless reported in 2024; KFS says the Sengwer violated the order by returning to the forest.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"A 41-year-old Sengwer herder shot at Kapkok Glade, Embobut forest."},{"key":"injured","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"A second man injured in the same incident."},{"key":"guards_present","value":40,"unit":"guards","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reports say about 40 Kenya Forest Service guards were present."},{"key":"displaced","value":7000,"unit":"people","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sengwer evicted from Embobut in January 2014; about 70% later returned (Bretton Woods Project)."},{"key":"programme_value","value":31,"unit":"EUR m","year":2016,"note":"EU WaTER programme, about US$35 million as reported; suspended 17 January 2018, closed 2020."},{"key":"officers_deployed","value":170,"unit":"officers","year":2024,"note":"KFS Imarisha Msitu operation, April–May 2024."},{"key":"families_removed","value":600,"unit":"families","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ministry count, as reported by Nation."},{"key":"families_removed_mrg","value":2800,"unit":"families","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Minority Rights Group count; a different count from the ministry's."},{"key":"homes_burned","value":200,"unit":"homes","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"From a photo caption; the ministry's own figure is for families removed."},{"key":"homes_counted_mrg","value":800,"unit":"homes","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Minority Rights Group count."},{"key":"compensation_per_family","value":410000,"unit":"KSh","year":2013,"unverified":true,"note":"KFS says it paid 2,874 families this amount each; the community says it was not received."},{"key":"fund_allocation_sengwer","value":5000000,"unit":"KSh","year":2023,"note":"Allocated to the Sengwer in a TNC water fund overlapping Embobut."},{"key":"fund_allocation_others","value":15000000,"unit":"KSh","year":2023,"note":"Allocated to the Ogiek and Cherangani in the same fund."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Sengwer herder was shot dead by Kenya Forest Service guards during evictions in Embobut forest in January 2018. The EU, which funded a EUR 31 million water-tower programme in the area, suspended it the next day and closed it in 2020; evictions continued in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sengwer communities of Embobut forest","what":"About 7,000 evicted in January 2014 (about 70% later returned); a man killed in 2018; more than 600 families removed in 2024 by the ministry's count.","src":6},{"who":"European Union","what":"Closed its EUR 31 million WaTER programme in 2020.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Robert Kirotich, a 41-year-old Sengwer herder (killed), and David Kipkosgei Kiptilkesi (injured)","what":"Shot by Kenya Forest Service guards at Kapkok Glade on or about 16 January 2018.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Embobut forest, Cherangany Hills, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kenya; Kapkok Glade for the 2018 shooting.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Evictions in 2014; EU programme from June 2016; shooting 16 January 2018; suspension 17 January 2018; closure 2020; operation April–May 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The government states that the evictions protect the water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production; the Sengwer and advocacy groups dispute the evictions.","src":3},"how":{"t":"KFS guards carried out evictions in the forest; the 2024 operation deployed 170 officers.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Indigenous Sengwer man shot and killed, EU-funded [project] (press release)","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2018-01-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250613075108/http://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded"},{"t":"EU scraps US$35 million conservation and climate change programme in Kenya over forced evictions","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-10-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221207134754/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/"},{"t":"Sengwer and the forests are one and inseparable despite court ruling: Sengwer communities vow to remain in Embobut forest (summary)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-06-19","type":"ngo","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/06/19/sengwer-and-the-forests-are-one-and-inseparable-despite-court-ruling-indigenous-sengwer-communities-vow-to-remain-in-embobut-forest-kenya/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250709122001/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/06/19/sengwer-and-the-forests-are-one-and-inseparable-despite-court-ruling-indigenous-sengwer-communities-vow-to-remain-in-embobut-forest-kenya/"},{"t":"Government defends decision to evict Sengwer community","p":"Nation (Mwananchi)","d":"2024-05-09","type":"press","u":"https://mwananchi.co.tz/kenya/counties/elgeyo-marakwet/government-defends-decision-to-evict-sengwer-community--4617338"},{"t":"Sengwer evictions (summary)","p":"Minority Rights Group","d":"2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://minorityrights.org/sengwer-evictions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250421074958/https://minorityrights.org/sengwer-evictions/"},{"t":"EU suspends $35m funding to Kenya over herders' eviction","p":"The EastAfrican","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/eu-suspends-35m-funding-to-kenya-over-herders-eviction-1382038","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018143750/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/eu-suspends-35m-funding-to-kenya-over-herders-eviction-1382038"},{"t":"Inspection panel finds World Bank did not apply safeguards on Kenya forest project","p":"Bretton Woods Project","d":"2014-11-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2014/11/inspection-panel-finds-world-bank-did-not-apply-safeguards-on-kenya-forest-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613211114/https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2014/11/inspection-panel-finds-world-bank-did-not-apply-safeguards-on-kenya-forest-project/"},{"t":"Sengwer homes burned down again in Embobut forest, Kenya","p":"REDD-Monitor","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/sengwer-homes-burned-down-again-in","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["ogiek-mau-forest-evictions","kenya-water-fund-overlapping-sengwer-land"],"natureLead":{"t":"The EU began a EUR 31 million programme in June 2016 to protect my water-tower forests; it suspended it on 17 January 2018, the day after a Sengwer herder was shot dead in Embobut forest.","src":[0,1,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Are the evictions protecting the forest?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was compensation paid in 2013?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people were affected by the 2024 operation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did the EU programme end?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the World Bank bear responsibility for the 2014 evictions?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Homes burned: From a photo caption; the ministry's own figure is for families removed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation per family: KFS says it paid 2,874 families this amount each; the community says it was not received.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No prosecution of any Kenya Forest Service guard for the January 2018 killing was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no ecological measurements of Embobut forest or the water towers before or after the evictions.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Counts of the 2024 evictions differ by source: the ministry reported more than 600 families removed and a photo caption about 200 homes burned; Minority Rights Group counted more than 800 homes and more than 2,800 families. None is an independent count.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 28 Sengwer homes were burned in July 2020; no prosecution found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether KFS's 2013 payments of KSh 410,000 per family reached the families is disputed and no independent record was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report what the Sengwer's 2018 petition has produced: it is listed as ongoing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-endangered-species-act-rollbacks-2025-2026","title":"US Endangered Species Act rollbacks 2025–2026 (God Squad Gulf exemption, critical habitat rules)","dek":"Between 2025 and 2026 US authorities exempted Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activity from Endangered Species Act consultation, removed the regulatory definition of “harm”, and ended automatic protection for newly threatened species. Lawsuits were filed over the exemption.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":25,"lon":-90,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":25,"lon":-90,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-03-31","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Gulf oil and gas exempted from ESA consultation","value":"Unanimous","note":"Endangered Species Committee vote, 31 March 2026; first exemption on national-security grounds."},"happened":["On 7 April 2025, after Colossal Biosciences announced a “dire wolf”, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum likened the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list to “Hotel California”, saying that species added to it do not leave. He wrote that 97% of species added to the list had stayed on it, and said the only thing he wanted to see go extinct was the need for the list.","The ESA prohibits “taking” a protected animal, which covers killing, injuring and “harming” it. The regulation had defined harm to include significant habitat modification that actually kills or injures an animal, and the Supreme Court upheld that definition in 1995 in the Sweet Home case. A rule published on 14 July 2026 and effective on 14 September removed the definition; habitat modification alone is no longer a prohibited act. Section 7 consultation and critical-habitat obligations remain in force, and killing or injuring a listed animal remains prohibited. On 21 July 2026 two rules were published that ended automatic protection for species newly listed as threatened and required critical habitat to be excluded where the benefit of exclusion outweighs the benefit of designation and the species will not go extinct. Both rules restore 2019 regulations. Earthjustice stated an intention to sue.","The Endangered Species Committee, known as the “God Squad”, is a cabinet-level panel that can grant exemptions from the Act. It met on 31 March 2026 at the request of Defense Secretary Hegseth and unanimously exempted Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from the Act's consultation requirements on national-security grounds. It had met three times before and had never previously granted an exemption on national-security grounds. Environmental groups sued over the decision by 2 April 2026.","In Congress, the ESA Amendments Act (House bill H.R. 1897) passed committee 25 to 16; it would close delisting decisions to judicial review for five years and widen economic and security exemptions. A House floor vote scheduled for 22 April 2026 was cancelled. H.R. 845, which would remove the gray wolf from the list and bar judicial review of the decision, passed the House 211 to 204 on 18 December 2025.","On 30 March 2026 a federal court found four of the first Trump administration's ESA rules unlawful, according to a Beveridge & Diamond summary of 30 July 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"7 April: Interior Secretary Burgum likens the ESA list to “Hotel California”; 18 December: House passes H.R. 845 (gray wolf delisting, no judicial review), 211–204"},{"y":2026,"t":"30 March: federal court finds four first-term ESA rules unlawful; 31 March: Endangered Species Committee unanimously exempts Gulf oil and gas from ESA consultation; 2 April: lawsuits reported; 22 April: House floor vote on H.R. 1897 cancelled; 14 July: rule removing the definition of “harm” published (effective 14 September); 21 July: two rules published ending automatic protection for newly threatened species and requiring certain critical-habitat exclusions (effective 20 August)"}],"said":[{"q":"Hotel California","who":"Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary, likening the ESA list to the song","when":"7 April 2025","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"97% of species added to the ESA list have stayed on it.","who":"Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Endangered Species Committee, convened at the request of Defense Secretary Hegseth, unanimously exempted Gulf of Mexico oil and gas activities from the ESA's consultation obligations on 31 March 2026; it had met three times before and this was its first exemption on national-security grounds.","src":0},{"t":"Environmental groups sued over the decision to strip protections from imperiled Gulf species (reported 2 April 2026).","src":1},{"t":"The regulatory definition of “harm”, which included significant habitat modification that kills or injures animals, was removed by a rule published on 14 July 2026 and effective on 14 September 2026.","src":2},{"t":"Two rules published on 21 July 2026 ended automatic protection for species newly listed as threatened and made exclusion of an area from critical habitat required when the benefit of excluding it is greater and the species will not go extinct; both mirror regulations of the first Trump administration.","src":4},{"t":"A Federal Register notice, 91 FR 43300 of 14 July 2026, is cited for final ESA rules.","src":2},{"t":"H.R. 1897 passed committee 25–16; its floor vote on 22 April 2026 was cancelled. H.R. 845 passed the House 211–204 on 18 December 2025.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gulf oil and gas operations","v":"Exempted","d":"From ESA consultation requirements, 31 March 2026, unanimous"},{"k":"Habitat modification as “harm”","v":"Removed","d":"Definition removed by rule published 14 July 2026, effective 14 September 2026"},{"k":"Automatic protection for newly threatened species","v":"Ended","d":"Rule published 21 July 2026, restoring 2019 regulations"}]},"unknown":["No court ruling on the lawsuits against the Gulf exemption was found.","Unconfirmed: the exemption covers Rice's whale, put at about 51 individuals, and five sea turtle species. These details come.","Unconfirmed: NRDC and others filed suit, and a separate Rice's whale case was dropped because of the exemption. These details come.","Unconfirmed: critics counting species that did not go extinct put the share at more than 99%. Burgum's 97% measures species leaving the list and the critics' figure measures species not going extinct, so the two measure different things.","Unconfirmed: Burgum's remark that staff should “pick your favourite species and call Colossal”; no primary source was found.","The Federal Register notice 91 FR 43300 (14 July 2026) is cited in connection with the rule on automatic protection and critical-habitat exclusion, effective 20 August 2026; those rules are also given a 21 July 2026 publication date, so the citation and the dates do not line up.","Whether lawsuits against the 14 July and 21 July 2026 rules have been filed is not recorded; Earthjustice stated an intention to sue."],"evidence":["court-pending","review"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped in the cited sources: the exemption was granted on 31 March 2026 and the rule removing the definition of harm takes effect on 14 September 2026.","whoPaid":"Not established. The cited sources do not quantify costs to any party.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Gulf exemption in force with lawsuits filed and no ruling found; rules removing the definition of harm and ending automatic protection for newly threatened species published, with a stated intention to sue.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"us-interior","says":"Secretary Doug Burgum likened the ESA list to “Hotel California”, wrote that 97% of species added had stayed listed, and said the only thing he wanted to see go extinct was the need for the list.","when":"7 April 2025","src":null},{"actor":"esa-committee","says":"Voted unanimously to exempt Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from ESA consultation requirements on national-security grounds.","when":"31 March 2026","src":0},{"actor":"earthjustice","says":"Stated an intention to sue over the rules published on 21 July 2026.","when":"July 2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"us-department-of-the-interior","role":"Department led by Secretary Burgum"},{"id":"esa-committee","role":"Panel that granted the Gulf exemption"},{"id":"us-department-of-defense","role":"Department whose Secretary requested the committee meeting"},{"id":"earthjustice","role":"NGO that stated an intention to sue"},{"id":"us-house","role":"Passed H.R. 845; committee passed H.R. 1897"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do the 2026 rules remove protection of habitat?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US federal rules (14 and 21 July 2026)","says":"Removed the definition of harm, so habitat modification alone is no longer a prohibited act; restored the 2019 rules on automatic protection and critical-habitat exclusion.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Legal summaries as recorded","says":"Section 7 consultation and critical-habitat obligations continue and killing or injuring a listed animal remains prohibited, although the reach of the change is broad.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthjustice","says":"Stated an intention to sue over the rules published on 21 July 2026.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Was the Gulf exemption justified?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Endangered Species Committee","says":"Voted unanimously to exempt Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from consultation requirements on national-security grounds.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmental groups","says":"Sued over the decision to strip protections from imperiled Gulf species.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the God Squad exemption for Gulf of Mexico oil and gas","forum":"US federal court (name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmental groups","defendant":"Endangered Species Committee (federal government)","filed":"2026-04","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Environmental groups sued over the 31 March 2026 exemption; the suits are listed among ongoing cases.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"committee_vote","value":100,"unit":"% of members","year":2026,"note":"Unanimous vote of the Endangered Species Committee, 31 March 2026."},{"key":"committee_meetings_before","value":3,"unit":"meetings","year":2026,"note":"The committee had met three times before; first exemption on national-security grounds."},{"key":"listed_share_remaining","value":97,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"per Burgum","note":"Share of species added to the ESA list that stayed listed, as stated by Interior Secretary Burgum; the record cites more than 1,300 listed species."},{"key":"h_r_1897_committee_votes","value":25,"unit":"votes in favour","year":2025,"note":"Committee vote 25–16 on the ESA Amendments Act; floor vote cancelled 22 April 2026."},{"key":"h_r_845_house_votes","value":211,"unit":"votes in favour","year":2025,"note":"House vote 211–204, 18 December 2025, on delisting the gray wolf and barring judicial review."},{"key":"population","value":51,"unit":"individuals","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Rice's whale;, not independently verified."},{"key":"species_covered","value":5,"unit":"sea turtle species","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported in secondary summaries as covered by the exemption; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US authorities in 2026 exempted Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operations from ESA consultation, removed the regulatory definition of harm, and ended automatic protection for newly threatened species; final rules are cited from the Federal Register (91 FR 43300, 14 July 2026).","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gulf of Mexico oil and gas operators","what":"Exempted from the ESA's consultation requirements by the Endangered Species Committee on 31 March 2026.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Gulf of Mexico and the United States (federal level).","src":0},"when":{"t":"April 2025 remarks; December 2025 House vote; 31 March 2026 exemption; 14 and 21 July 2026 rules.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The exemption was granted on national-security grounds at the request of Defense Secretary Hegseth.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The cabinet-level Endangered Species Committee voted unanimously to exempt the activity; separate rules restored 2019 regulations and removed the definition of harm.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Endangered Species Act God Squad exempts offshore oil and gas operations from ESA consultation requirements","p":"Beveridge & Diamond","d":"2026-04-03","type":"company","u":"https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/endangered-species-act-god-squad-exempts-offshore-oil-and-gas-operations-from-esa-consultation-requirements/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901190118/https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/endangered-species-act-god-squad-exempts-offshore-oil-and-gas-operations-from-esa-consultation-requirements/"},{"t":"Environmental groups sue over decision to strip protections from imperiled Gulf species","p":"Florida Phoenix","d":"2026-04-02","type":"press","u":"https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/02/environmental-groups-sue-over-decision-to-strip-protections-from-imperiled-gulf-species/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710105708/https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/04/02/environmental-groups-sue-over-decision-to-strip-protections-from-imperiled-gulf-species/"},{"t":"Federal Register, 91 FR 43300 (14 July 2026)","p":"Federal Register / GovInfo","d":"2026-07-14","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-14/html/2026-14195.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922104119/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-07-14/html/2026-14195.htm"},{"t":"The Trump Administration Dismisses the Endangered Species List as 'Hotel California.' But There's Far More to the Story","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2025-08-24","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24082025/trump-administration-dismisses-endangered-species-list/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260227154430/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24082025/trump-administration-dismisses-endangered-species-list/"},{"t":"FWS Resurrects ESA Rules on Threatened Species Protections and Critical Habitat Exclusions","p":"Beveridge & Diamond","d":"2026-07-30","u":"https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/fws-resurrects-esa-rules-on-threatened-species-protections-and-critical-habitat-exclusions/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901191913/https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/fws-resurrects-esa-rules-on-threatened-species-protections-and-critical-habitat-exclusions/"},{"t":"House cancels floor vote on ESA Amendments Act","p":"Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC)","d":"2026-04-24","u":"https://www.rcrcnet.org/general/house-cancels-floor-vote-on-esa-amendments-act/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the 2026 rules remove protection of habitat?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the Gulf exemption justified?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Population: Rice's whale;, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Species covered: Reported in secondary summaries as covered by the exemption; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court ruling on the lawsuits against the Gulf exemption was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the exemption covers Rice's whale, put at about 51 individuals, and five sea turtle species. These details come.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: NRDC and others filed suit, and a separate Rice's whale case was dropped because of the exemption. These details come.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: critics counting species that did not go extinct put the share at more than 99%. Burgum's 97% measures species leaving the list and the critics' figure measures species not going extinct, so the two measure different things.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Burgum's remark that staff should “pick your favourite species and call Colossal”; no primary source was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Federal Register notice 91 FR 43300 (14 July 2026) is cited in connection with the rule on automatic protection and critical-habitat exclusion, effective 20 August 2026; those rules are also given a 21 July 2026 publication date, so the citation and the dates do not line up.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether lawsuits against the 14 July and 21 July 2026 rules have been filed is not recorded; Earthjustice stated an intention to sue.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"pfas-water-utility-settlements-by-3m-dupont-chemours-and-cor","title":"PFAS water utility settlements by 3M, DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","dek":"3M's settlement with US public water systems over PFAS received final approval on 29 March 2024; the present value of the payments was put at US$10.3 billion. The American Water Works Association said in 2023 that treating PFOA and PFOS would cost more than US$3.8 billion a year, with the burden falling on customers.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":2036,"eventDate":"2024-03-29","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"3M settlement with US public water systems, present value of payments over 13 years","value":"US$10.3 billion","note":"Pre-tax present value; nominal cap US$12.5 billion; payment schedule runs to 2036."},"happened":["A settlement between 3M and US public water systems received final approval on 29 March 2024. The figure of US$10.3 billion is the pre-tax present value of payments spread over 13 years; the nominal cap is US$12.5 billion and the payment schedule runs to 2036. The settlement covers all public water systems that have detected or may detect PFAS.","In the second quarter of 2023 3M recorded an expense for the settlement of US$10.3 billion (US$12.5 billion nominal, discounted at 5.2%, for 2024 to 2036), equal to US$14.19 per share. The company's tax benefit for that quarter, across all items, was US$2.184 billion. 3M's chief executive, Mike Roman, presented the settlement as an effort to reduce risk and uncertainty.","In March 2023 the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the utilities' trade association, said that treating PFOA and PFOS in drinking water would cost more than US$3.8 billion a year and that the burden would fall on customers, as reported by Roll Call.","In May 2024 ProPublica reported, from company documents, that 3M had known from animal experiments in the 1970s that PFOS was toxic, and that a 1979 report described it as more toxic than expected. In December 2022 3M announced that it would stop PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025; the business had annual sales of about US$1.3 billion. Chemours alleged that in its 2015 separation from DuPont, DuPont understated its PFAS liability by US$1 billion to US$2 billion and received a US$3.9 billion dividend; a US$4 billion cost-sharing agreement between the companies followed in 2021.","An EPA proposal dated 20 May 2026 stated that many water systems could not meet the 2029 deadline for the PFOA and PFOS limits. The cited sources' entry for the proposal gives 2031 as the proposed date and 20 July 2026 as the end of the comment period."],"timeline":[{"y":1979,"t":"A 3M report describes PFOS as more toxic than expected, as documented by ProPublica in 2024"},{"y":2015,"t":"Chemours separates from DuPont; Chemours later alleges understated PFAS liability and a US$3.9 billion dividend; US$4 billion sharing agreement in 2021"},{"y":2022,"t":"December: 3M announces it will stop PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025"},{"y":2023,"t":"March: AWWA says treatment will cost more than US$3.8 billion a year. Second quarter: 3M records a US$10.3 billion expense for the water-systems settlement"},{"y":2024,"t":"29 March: final approval of the 3M settlement with public water systems. May: ProPublica reports on 3M's knowledge of PFOS toxicity"},{"y":2026,"t":"20 May: EPA proposal states many systems cannot meet the 2029 deadline; comments due 20 July"},{"y":2036,"t":"End of the 3M payment schedule"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The settlement was presented as an effort to reduce risk and uncertainty.","who":"Mike Roman, chief executive of 3M","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Final approval of the 3M settlement: 29 March 2024; US$10.3 billion pre-tax present value over 13 years; US$12.5 billion nominal cap; schedule to 2036; covers all public water systems that have detected or may detect PFAS.","src":2},{"t":"Second quarter 2023: 3M expense of US$10.3 billion (US$12.5 billion nominal, 5.2% discount, 2024 to 2036), US$14.19 per share.","src":3},{"t":"AWWA, March 2023: PFOA and PFOS treatment to cost more than US$3.8 billion a year, with the burden on customers.","src":0},{"t":"3M announced in December 2022 that it would stop PFAS manufacturing, with annual sales of about US$1.3 billion, by the end of 2025.","src":4},{"t":"ProPublica, May 2024: 3M knew from 1970s animal experiments that PFOS was toxic; a 1979 report called it more toxic than expected.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024 to 2036","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"3M settlement with public water systems, present value of payments over 13 years","amount":10300,"qualifier":"present value","note":"Pre-tax. Nominal cap US$12.5 billion (12,500 million); schedule to 2036."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"3M annual PFAS manufacturing sales (stated at the December 2022 exit announcement)","amount":1300}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"3M settlement, present value","v":"US$10.3 billion","d":"13 years of payments; nominal cap US$12.5 billion; final approval 29 March 2024"},{"k":"AWWA treatment cost estimate (2023)","v":"More than US$3.8 billion a year","d":"AWWA said the burden would fall on customers"},{"k":"Per-customer cost","v":"Not stated","d":"The sources read give no per-customer amount"}]},"unknown":["No per-customer amount is given in the sources read.","Unconfirmed: the split of the June 2023 DuPont, Chemours and Corteva settlement (Chemours about US$592 million, DuPont US$400 million, Corteva US$193 million) and its exclusion of personal injury and states' natural-resource claims. These details come only.","Unconfirmed: an AWWA 2024 estimate that more than 7,000 water entry points need treatment, at US$37.1 billion to US$48.3 billion over five years (US$2.7 billion to US$3.5 billion a year), against an EPA estimate of US$1.5 billion a year. The figures come only.","Unconfirmed: an EPA announcement of 14 May 2025 that it would keep the PFOA and PFOS limits, move the deadline from 2029 to 2031 and start a support programme for small systems called PFAS OUT."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"3M announced in December 2022 that it would stop PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025. The cited sources do not record whether the exit was completed.","whoPaid":"3M under the settlement, with payments to 2036. AWWA said most of the treatment cost would fall to water customers.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: the 3M settlement with public water systems has final approval (29 March 2024) with payments scheduled to 2036; an EPA proposal dated 20 May 2026 says many systems cannot meet the 2029 deadline, with comments due 20 July 2026.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"3m","says":"Its chief executive, Mike Roman, described the settlement as an effort to reduce risk and uncertainty.","when":"2024-03","src":null},{"actor":"3m","says":"Announced it would stop PFAS manufacturing, with annual sales of about US$1.3 billion, by the end of 2025.","when":"2022-12","src":null},{"actor":"chemours","says":"Alleged that DuPont understated its PFAS liability by US$1 billion to US$2 billion in the 2015 separation and received a US$3.9 billion dividend.","when":"2019","src":null},{"actor":"awwa","says":"Said PFOA and PFOS treatment would cost more than US$3.8 billion a year and that the burden would fall on customers.","when":"2023-03","src":0},{"actor":"epa","says":"A proposal dated 20 May 2026 stated that many water systems could not meet the 2029 deadline.","when":"2026-05-20","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"Defendant and settling party; PFAS manufacturer"},{"id":"dupont","role":"Co-party to the June 2023 water-systems settlement; former parent of Chemours"},{"id":"chemours","role":"Co-party to the June 2023 water-systems settlement; alleged understated liability at separation"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Co-party to the June 2023 water-systems settlement"},{"id":"awwa","role":"Water utilities' trade association; cost estimates"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; drinking-water limits for PFOA and PFOS"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who bears the cost of treating PFAS in drinking water?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"3M","says":"Its chief executive described the settlement as reducing risk and uncertainty.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"American Water Works Association","says":"Treating PFOA and PFOS would cost more than US$3.8 billion a year, and the burden would fall on customers.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"3M settlement with US public water systems over PFAS","forum":null,"country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"US public water systems","defendant":"3M","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03-29","status":"settled","amount":{"value":10300,"currency":"USD","label":"US$10.3 billion present value (US$ millions); nominal cap US$12.5 billion"},"summary":"Final approval on 29 March 2024. The amount is the pre-tax present value of payments over 13 years; the payment schedule runs to 2036. The settlement covers all public water systems that have detected or may detect PFAS.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":10300,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"present value","note":"3M settlement with public water systems; pre-tax present value of 13 years of payments."},{"key":"settlement_nominal_cap","value":12500,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Nominal cap of the 3M settlement; payment schedule to 2036."},{"key":"per_share_charge","value":14.19,"unit":"USD per share","year":2023,"note":"3M second-quarter 2023 expense for the settlement; discount rate 5.2%."},{"key":"tax_benefit_quarter","value":2184,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"3M quarterly tax benefit for the second quarter of 2023, across all items, not only the PFAS settlement."},{"key":"treatment_cost_per_year","value":3800,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"AWWA estimate for PFOA and PFOS treatment (via Roll Call)."},{"key":"pfas_sales_per_year","value":1300,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"3M annual sales of PFAS manufacturing at the exit announcement."},{"key":"dividend","value":3900,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"alleged","note":"Dividend that Chemours alleged DuPont received in the 2015 separation."},{"key":"settlement","value":1185,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Fund for US public water systems agreed on 2 June 2023 by Chemours, DuPont and Corteva combined; the companies deny the allegations. The split between the three is not on record.","src":1},{"key":"treatment_cost_5yr_range","value":"37,100 to 48,300","unit":"USD m","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported AWWA 2024 estimate over five years for more than 7,000 water entry points; secondary report only."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"3M settled claims by US public water systems over PFAS. The settlement covers all public water systems that have detected or may detect PFAS.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"3M","what":"A settlement that its chief executive presented as reducing risk and uncertainty.","src":null},{"who":"DuPont","what":"Chemours alleged that DuPont received a US$3.9 billion dividend in the 2015 separation while understating its PFAS liability.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Water customers","what":"AWWA said most of the treatment cost would fall to them.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, public water systems.","src":null},"when":{"t":"1970s internal knowledge reported by ProPublica; expense recorded in the second quarter of 2023; final approval 29 March 2024; payments to 2036.","src":null},"why":{"t":"3M's chief executive described the settlement as an effort to reduce risk and uncertainty.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A settlement with a present value of US$10.3 billion and a nominal cap of US$12.5 billion, paid over 13 years to 2036.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Utilities see new costs in proposed PFAS water rule","p":"Roll Call","d":"2023-03-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-rule/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260916190518/https://rollcall.com/2023/03/22/utilities-see-new-costs-in-proposed-pfas-water-rule/"},{"t":"Chemours, DuPont and Corteva reach comprehensive PFAS settlement with US water systems","p":"DuPont","d":"2023-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728011033/https://www.dupont.com/news/chemours-dupont-and-corteva-reach-comprehensive-pfas-settlement-with-us-water-systems.html"},{"t":"3M Settlement with Public Water Suppliers to Address PFAS in Drinking Water Receives Final Court Approval","p":"3M","d":"2024-04-01","u":"https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1836/3m-settlement-with-public-water-suppliers-to-address-pfas","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728004803/https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1836/3m-settlement-with-public-water-suppliers-to-address-pfas"},{"t":"3M Reports Second-Quarter 2023 Results","p":"3M (press release)","d":"2023-07-25","u":"https://www.biospace.com/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive-initiatives-drive-strong-quarterly-financial-results-raises-full-year-adjusted-eps-guidance","type":"company"},{"t":"3M to Exit PFAS Manufacturing by the End of 2025","p":"3M","d":"2022-12-20","u":"https://news.3m.com/2022-12-20-3M-to-Exit-PFAS-Manufacturing-by-the-End-of-2025","type":"company"},{"t":"3M forever chemicals PFAS PFOS inside story","p":"ProPublica (co-published with The New Yorker)","d":"2024-05-20","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001101805/https://www.propublica.org/article/3m-forever-chemicals-pfas-pfos-inside-story"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chemours-spin-off-liabilities","dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s","pfas-insurance-disputes","dupont-pfoa-c8","miteni-pfas-contamination"],"natureLead":{"t":"PFAS in my water led to a 3M settlement with US public water systems worth US$10.3 billion in present value, approved on 29 March 2024; in 2023 the AWWA put PFOA and PFOS treatment at over US$3.8 billion a year.","src":[2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who bears the cost of treating PFAS in drinking water?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Treatment cost 5yr range: Reported AWWA 2024 estimate over five years for more than 7,000 water entry points; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No per-customer amount is given in the sources read.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the split of the June 2023 DuPont, Chemours and Corteva settlement (Chemours about US$592 million, DuPont US$400 million, Corteva US$193 million) and its exclusion of personal injury and states' natural-resource claims. These details come only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an AWWA 2024 estimate that more than 7,000 water entry points need treatment, at US$37.1 billion to US$48.3 billion over five years (US$2.7 billion to US$3.5 billion a year), against an EPA estimate of US$1.5 billion a year. The figures come only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an EPA announcement of 14 May 2025 that it would keep the PFOA and PFOS limits, move the deadline from 2029 to 2031 and start a support programme for small systems called PFAS OUT.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: 3M","No source link — Who gained: DuPont"]},{"id":"cambodian-sand-exports-to-singapore","title":"Cambodian sand exports to Singapore (Koh Kong, Mekong, Bassac)","dek":"Singapore's recorded sand imports from Cambodia for 2007 to 2015 were 72.7 million tonnes; Cambodia recorded exports of 2.8 million tonnes. Sand licences on the Koh Kong coast, the Mekong and the Bassac went to firms linked to senators and officials, and activists who documented the dredging were jailed.","country":"Cambodia","region":"Asia","lat":11.6,"lon":103,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Koh Kong","lat":11.6,"lon":103,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Kandal and Prey Veng (Mekong and Bassac)","lat":11.45,"lon":105,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","lat":1.35,"lon":103.82,"role":"import"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","water"],"headline":{"label":"Singapore's recorded sand imports from Cambodia vs Cambodia's recorded exports, 2007 to 2015","value":"72.7 Mt vs 2.8 Mt","note":"UN Comtrade data as reported by Open Development Mekong; the gap is about 26 times."},"happened":["A Global Witness report of 2010, reported by the Cambodia Daily, found that about 796,000 tonnes of sand a month were going from Koh Kong to Singapore. The sand was worth US$28.7 million at the place of extraction and US$248 million in Singapore. The licences had been granted behind closed doors to companies linked to Ly Yong Phat and Mong Reththy, both senators of the ruling Cambodian People's Party. Ly Yong Phat obtained his licence in Koh Kong after the 2009 export ban. The cited sources show no environmental assessment and no consultation of villagers, and Global Witness wrote that there was no evidence that the revenue reached the treasury.","In UN trade statistics (Comtrade) for 2007 to 2015, Cambodia declared exports of 2.8 million tonnes, while Singapore recorded imports of 72.7 million tonnes, valued at about US$752 million. For 2011 to 2015 the cited sources give more than US$400 million of value as absent from the records. Singapore's National Development Ministry has been recorded as saying that imports are commercial trade and that contractors must comply with the law of the source country.","Cambodia banned sand exports in 2017 and lifted the ban in 2020. On the Mekong and Bassac there were 49 licences covering 2,320 hectares, and extraction in 2020 was 11.7 million cubic metres, which the cited sources puts at 16 times natural replenishment. Licence holders include Global Green, run by the daughter of a timber businessman; Jin Ling Construction, linked to Prince Group, whose head Chen Zhi was an adviser to Hun Sen; and Sophearoth Aphivath, run by the daughter of General Meas Sophea. The wife of Ung Dipola, Director General of Mines, is recorded as co-director, in another company, with the manager of Sophearoth Aphivath. Ung Dipola said erosion was not caused by sand and that dredging covered only 4% of the river.","The measurements differ. In 2020 the ministry declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres on the Cambodian Mekong, while satellite estimates gave 59 million tonnes, about 39 million cubic metres; satellite-measured extraction had risen from 24 million tonnes in 2016. A review published in July 2026 by researchers at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, in Reviews of Geophysics, put extraction on the Cambodian Mekong at more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million tonnes permitted, with about 60% of it illegal. In Roka Koang commune, Kandal province, a villager has moved his house back from the riverbank repeatedly since 2016. In August 2024 in Prey Veng the houses and fields of five families went into the river; the district governor said a company held a contract with the provincial administration, and a Sand Resources Management Committee was then set up.","People who documented the trade were prosecuted. In 2016 three Mother Nature activists received suspended 18-month prison terms, after about 10 months in pre-trial detention, and were ordered to pay US$25,000 to a sand company. In January 2018 two activists who filmed ships suspected of carrying silica sand off Senator Ly Yong Phat's economic zone were jailed and fined after a complaint by a company he controls, according to FIDH. On 2 July 2024 ten Mother Nature activists were sentenced to 6 to 8 years for plotting, three of them also for insulting the King; the appeal of the five held in prison was pending in June 2026. No case against the licence holders over the sand trade is recorded. In September 2025 Singapore's PUB said that a polder method at Tekong had cut sand use by about half."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Start of the period in which Singapore recorded 72.7 million tonnes of imports and Cambodia 2.8 million tonnes of exports (to 2015)"},{"y":2009,"t":"Cambodian sand export ban; Ly Yong Phat later obtains a sand licence in Koh Kong"},{"y":2010,"t":"Global Witness report: about 796,000 tonnes a month from Koh Kong to Singapore"},{"y":2016,"t":"Three Mother Nature activists receive suspended prison terms and a US$25,000 compensation order; satellite-measured extraction on the Cambodian Mekong at 24 million tonnes"},{"y":2017,"t":"Cambodia bans sand exports"},{"y":2018,"t":"January: two activists jailed and fined after a complaint by a company controlled by Ly Yong Phat (FIDH)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Export ban lifted; extraction of 11.7 million cubic metres on the Mekong and Bassac; satellite estimate of 59 million tonnes"},{"y":2023,"t":"Singapore records sand imports of US$57.7 million, of which Malaysia US$50.9 million and the Philippines US$5.64 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"2 July: ten Mother Nature activists sentenced to 6 to 8 years by the Phnom Penh Capital Court. August: five families in Prey Veng lose houses and fields to the river"},{"y":2025,"t":"8 September: PUB reports the Tekong polder cut sand use by about half"},{"y":2026,"t":"22 July: review by Nanyang Technological University researchers in Reviews of Geophysics on extraction on the Cambodian Mekong"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Imports are commercial trade, and contractors must comply with the law of the source country.","who":"Singapore's National Development Ministry","src":null},{"t":"Dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.","who":"Cambodian ministry, as recorded in May 2022","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Comtrade, 2007 to 2015: Cambodia declared exports of 2.8 million tonnes; Singapore recorded imports of 72.7 million tonnes (about US$752 million). More than US$400 million of value for 2011 to 2015 is absent from the records.","src":2},{"t":"Global Witness (2010): sand from Koh Kong, about 796,000 tonnes a month; licences to firms linked to two ruling-party senators; no evidence that revenue reached the treasury.","src":0},{"t":"Mekong and Bassac: 49 licences, 2,320 hectares; extraction of 11.7 million cubic metres in 2020, 16 times replenishment.","src":8},{"t":"Satellite estimates for the Cambodian Mekong: 24 million tonnes in 2016, 59 million tonnes in 2020; ministry declaration for 2020: more than 13 million cubic metres.","src":9},{"t":"Court outcomes: 2016, three activists; January 2018, two activists; 2 July 2024, ten activists sentenced to 6 to 8 years. No case against licence holders over sand is recorded.","src":3},{"t":"The US Treasury sanctioned Ly Yong Phat on 12 September 2024 for forced labour in scam compounds, and the US and UK sanctioned Chen Zhi on 14 October 2025, followed by a US indictment and his arrest and transfer to China on 6 January 2026. These measures were not taken over sand or evictions; of the two, only Chen Zhi is personally charged.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2007 to 2015","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Value of the Koh Kong sand at the place of extraction (Global Witness, 2010)","amount":28.7,"note":"The cited sources do not specify the period the figure covers."},{"label":"Value of the same sand in Singapore (Global Witness, 2010)","amount":248,"note":"The cited sources do not specify the period the figure covers."},{"label":"Value absent from both countries' records, 2011 to 2015","amount":400,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2011 to 2015"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Singapore's recorded imports from Cambodia (Comtrade), 2007 to 2015, 72.7 million tonnes","amount":752}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Recorded exports vs recorded imports, 2007 to 2015","v":"2.8 Mt vs 72.7 Mt","d":"Cambodia's declared exports against Singapore's recorded imports (Comtrade)"},{"k":"Extraction vs replenishment, Mekong and Bassac, 2020","v":"16 times","d":"49 licences over 2,320 hectares; 11.7 million cubic metres"},{"k":"Satellite-measured extraction, Cambodian Mekong","v":"24 Mt (2016) to 59 Mt (2020)","d":"Ministry declared more than 13 million cubic metres for 2020"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Reports of riverbank collapse in Kandal and Prey Veng, and licence and satellite data on extraction volumes.","report":[{"t":"In Roka Koang commune in Kandal, a villager has moved his house back from my bank repeatedly since 2016.","src":8},{"t":"In August 2024 in Prey Veng, my bank took the houses and fields of five families.","src":10},{"t":"In 2020, extraction from my Mekong and Bassac reached 16 times my natural replenishment.","src":8},{"t":"My Koh Kong coast was dredged.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Global Witness found no evidence that licence revenue from the Koh Kong sand reached the state treasury.","No environmental assessment or consultation of villagers is recorded for the Koh Kong licences.","More than US$400 million of value for 2011 to 2015 is absent from the records of both countries.","No criminal or civil case against the licence holders over the sand trade is recorded.","The cited sources do not specify whether the 2010 value figures (US$28.7 million and US$248 million) cover a month or a longer period.","Unconfirmed: that bed lowering in the Cambodian Mekong reduced reverse flow into the Tonle Sap by 40% to 50% in 1998 to 2018 (source).","Unconfirmed: that Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 to 725.7 square kilometres between 1960 and 2019, and that it imported about 517 million tonnes of sand in 20 years (Singapore government page and a UN-attributed figure; reported)."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Cambodia's 2017 export ban was lifted in 2020. Satellite-measured extraction on the Cambodian Mekong rose from 24 million tonnes in 2016 to 59 million tonnes in 2020.","whoPaid":"Villagers whose houses and fields were lost to riverbank collapse; activists who documented the trade were jailed and fined. No penalty on the licence holders is recorded.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: no case over the sand licences is recorded; ten Mother Nature activists were sentenced to 6 to 8 years in July 2024, and the appeal of the five in prison was postponed indefinitely in June 2026; Cambodia's 2017 export ban was lifted in 2020; a July 2026 review put extraction on the Cambodian Mekong at more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million tonnes permitted.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"singapore-government","says":"Imports are commercial trade, and contractors must comply with the law of the source country (National Development Ministry).","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"pub-singapore","says":"An 800-hectare polder at Tekong cut sand use by about half compared with conventional reclamation, and more than 10 million cubic metres of clay were reused.","when":"2025-09-08","src":5},{"actor":"cambodia-government","says":"Director General of Mines Ung Dipola said erosion was not caused by sand and that dredging covered only 4% of the river.","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"cambodia-government","says":"A ministry declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres on the Mekong and said dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.","when":"2022-05","src":null},{"actor":"cambodia-government","says":"The Prey Veng district governor said a company held a contract with the provincial administration; a Sand Resources Management Committee was then set up.","when":"2024-08","src":null},{"actor":"lyp-group","says":"Filed the complaint that led to two activists being jailed over filming sand ships off its economic zone.","when":"2018-01","src":13}],"actors":[{"id":"singapore-government","role":"Importer of the sand; Ministry of National Development"},{"id":"pub-singapore","role":"Public authority; Tekong polder reclamation"},{"id":"cambodia-government","role":"Licensing authority; ministries and provincial administrations"},{"id":"lyp-group","role":"Company of Senator Ly Yong Phat; Koh Kong sand licences; complainant against activists"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade"},{"id":"mother-nature-cambodia","role":"NGO; activists prosecuted in 2016, 2018 and 2024"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much sand went from Cambodia to Singapore?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Open Development Mekong (Comtrade data)","says":"Cambodia declared exports of 2.8 million tonnes for 2007 to 2015; Singapore recorded imports of 72.7 million tonnes.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Singapore's National Development Ministry","says":"Imports are commercial trade, and contractors must comply with the law of the source country.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is dredging causing riverbank erosion?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ung Dipola, Director General of Mines, Cambodia","says":"Erosion was not caused by sand, and dredging covered only 4% of the river.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Villagers in Roka Koang (Kandal) and Prey Veng","says":"A villager in Roka Koang has moved his house back repeatedly since 2016; five families in Prey Veng lost houses and fields to the river in August 2024.","src":null}]},{"point":"How much sand is being dredged from the Cambodian Mekong?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Cambodian ministry","says":"Declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres in 2020 and said dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Satellite estimate (PlanetScope imagery) and Nanyang Technological University review","says":"59 million tonnes in 2020, about 39 million cubic metres; more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million permitted, about 60% illegal.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of three Mother Nature activists (sand company complaint)","forum":null,"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Sand company (complainant)","defendant":"Three Mother Nature activists","filed":null,"decided":"2016","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.025,"currency":"USD","label":"US$25,000 compensation to the sand company (US$ millions)"},"summary":"On 1 July 2016 the Koh Kong provincial court found Try Sovikea, Sim Somnang and San Mala guilty of instigating threats to destroy property and gave each an 18-month suspended sentence; they were ordered to pay a combined US$25,000 to the sand company Direct Access. They had spent about 10 months in pre-trial detention and were released the same day.","src":12},{"title":"Prosecution of two activists who filmed sand ships off Ly Yong Phat's economic zone","forum":null,"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"LYP Group (complainant)","defendant":"Two activists","filed":null,"decided":"2018-01-26","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 26 January 2018 the Koh Kong Provincial Court sentenced Mother Nature activists Hun Vannak (violating privacy) and Doem Kundy (incitement to commit a felony), who had filmed vessels suspected of being about to carry silica sand for export off Prek Ksach commune, to one year in prison with seven months suspended and a fine of 1 million riel each. The complaint came from the Kirisakor Koh Kong special economic zone company, controlled by Senator Ly Yong Phat, according to FIDH. The Court of Appeal upheld the sentences in August 2019, according to the Phnom Penh Post.","src":13},{"title":"Prosecution of ten Mother Nature activists for conspiracy","forum":null,"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecution","defendant":"Ten Mother Nature activists","filed":null,"decided":"2024-07-02","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 2 July 2024 the Phnom Penh Capital Court convicted ten activists of the organisation, which documented sand exports and coastal destruction, of plotting: seven received 6 years and three, also convicted of insulting the King, 8 years and a fine (LICADHO). LICADHO said the charges related to the group's peaceful environmental activism; they are not directly tied to the sand business. Five were sentenced in absentia. The appeal of the five held in prison was due to be heard on 2 June 2026; the Phnom Penh Court of Appeal postponed it indefinitely, and the Supreme Court refused them bail in 2025 and 2026, according to Mongabay (June 2026).","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sand_exports_declared","value":2.8,"unit":"Mt","year":2015,"note":"Cambodia's declared sand exports, 2007 to 2015 (Comtrade)."},{"key":"sand_imports_recorded","value":72.7,"unit":"Mt","year":2015,"note":"Singapore's recorded sand imports from Cambodia, 2007 to 2015 (Comtrade), valued at about US$752 million."},{"key":"sand_shipped_per_month","value":796000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Koh Kong to Singapore, per Global Witness (2010)."},{"key":"value_missing_from_records","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Value absent from the records, 2011 to 2015."},{"key":"licences","value":49,"unit":"licences","year":2020,"note":"Mekong and Bassac, covering 2,320 hectares."},{"key":"area_ha","value":2320,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Licensed area on the Mekong and Bassac."},{"key":"sand_extracted_m3","value":11700000,"unit":"m3","year":2020,"note":"Extraction on the Mekong and Bassac in 2020; the cited sources puts it at 16 times natural replenishment."},{"key":"sand_extracted_satellite","value":59,"unit":"Mt","year":2020,"note":"Satellite estimate for the Cambodian Mekong, up from 24 Mt in 2016; the ministry declared more than 13 million cubic metres."},{"key":"fine","value":25000,"unit":"USD","year":2016,"note":"Compensation ordered in favour of a sand company against three Mother Nature activists."},{"key":"sand_imports_singapore_2023","value":57.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Singapore's sand imports in 2023 per OEC; Malaysia 50.9 million and the Philippines 5.64 million."},{"key":"singapore_land_area","value":"581.5 to 725.7","unit":"km2","year":2019,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported land area, 1960 to 2019; secondary report only."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sand dredged on the Koh Kong coast and in the Mekong and Bassac rivers was exported to Singapore; recorded volumes differ between the two countries.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Licence holders linked to senators and officials","what":"Held sand licences in Koh Kong (firms linked to Ly Yong Phat and Mong Reththy) and on the Mekong and Bassac (Global Green, Jin Ling Construction, Sophearoth Aphivath).","src":0},{"who":"Singapore","what":"Received the sand; Global Witness valued the shipped sand at US$248 million in Singapore against US$28.7 million at the place of extraction.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Riverbank and coastal communities","what":"Riverbank collapse in Kandal and Prey Veng; the Koh Kong coast was dredged.","src":null},{"who":"Mother Nature activists","what":"Prison terms in 2016 and 2024 and a 2018 conviction of two other activists.","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Families in Prey Veng and Kandal","what":"Houses and fields lost to the river.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Koh Kong coast; Mekong and Bassac rivers (Kandal, Prey Veng); destination Singapore.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2007 to 2015 trade record; 2009 ban; 2010 Global Witness report; 2017 ban lifted in 2020; prosecutions in 2016, 2018 and 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Sand for Singapore; Cambodian licences were granted behind closed doors to firms linked to ruling-party senators, according to Global Witness.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Licences granted to linked firms; exports recorded at a fraction of the imports; the 2017 ban was lifted in 2020; extraction on the Mekong and Bassac reached 16 times replenishment in 2020.","src":null},"ratio":{"t":"Singapore's recorded imports were about 26 times Cambodia's recorded exports (72.7 Mt against 2.8 Mt, 2007 to 2015).","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Global Witness: Shifting Sand","p":"Global Witness","d":"2010-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/archive/swift-meaningful-action-must-follow-review-cambodian-sand-dredging-trade--global-witness","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250212193848/https://www.globalwitness.org/en/archive/swift-meaningful-action-must-follow-review-cambodian-sand-dredging-trade--global-witness/"},{"t":"Cambodia Daily report by P. Vrieze on sand shipments from Koh Kong to Singapore","p":"Cambodia Daily","d":"2010-04-11","type":"press","u":"https://english.cambodiadaily.com/?p=96561"},{"t":"Dredging figures do not add up","p":"Open Development Mekong","d":"2016","type":"press","u":"https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/dredging-figures-do-not-add-up/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230930003546/https://opendevelopmentmekong.net/news/dredging-figures-do-not-add-up/"},{"t":"Mother Nature activists violently arrested, sentenced to 6-8 years","p":"LICADHO","d":"2024-07-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://licadho-cambodia.org/articles/20240702/195/index.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415181410/https://www.licadho-cambodia.org/articles/20240702/195/index.html"},{"t":"Cambodian activists jailed, fined over sand-dredging monitoring","p":"RFA","d":"2018-01-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dredging-activists-01262018173028.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515010250/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dredging-activists-01262018173028.html"},{"t":"Empoldering method of land reclamation cuts sand usage by half","p":"PUB Singapore","d":"2025-09-08","type":"official","u":"https://www.pub.gov.sg/Resources/News-Room/PressReleases/2025/09/Tekong-Polder","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251220090543/https://www.pub.gov.sg/Resources/News-Room/PressReleases/2025/09/Tekong-Polder"},{"t":"Sand","p":"SG101 (Singapore government)","d":"2019","type":"official","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250623100341/https://www.sg101.gov.sg/infra/case-studies/sand/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250623100341/https://www.sg101.gov.sg/infra/case-studies/sand/","dead":true},{"t":"Singapore sand bilateral product profile","p":"OEC","d":"2023","type":"registry","u":"https://oec.world/profile/bilateral-product/sand/reporter/sgp"},{"t":"Mining the Mekong: Land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia's thirst for sand","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-08-29","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713001805/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/"},{"t":"Roar on the River: A Torrent of Sand Shores Up City's Rise","p":"VOD English","d":"2022-05-16","u":"https://vodenglish.news/roar-on-the-river-a-torrent-of-sand-shores-up-citys-rise/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606110856/https://vodenglish.news/roar-on-the-river-a-torrent-of-sand-shores-up-citys-rise/"},{"t":"Cambodia creates panel to monitor sand-dredging after protests from residents","p":"Radio Free Asia","d":"2024-09-06","u":"https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/sand-dredging-prey-veng-09062024161944.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Chairman of alleged criminal conglomerate arrested in Cambodia and extradited to China","p":"OCCRP","d":"2026-01-07","u":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/chairman-of-alleged-criminal-conglomerate-arrested-in-cambodia-and-extradited-to-china","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Three Cambodian activists convicted and heavily fined, but free","p":"Mongabay","d":"2016-07","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2016/07/three-cambodian-activists-convicted-and-heavily-fined-but-free/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Cambodia: Conviction and sentencing of Messrs. Hun Vannak and Doem Kundy","p":"FIDH (Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders)","d":"2018-01-26","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/cambodia-conviction-and-sentencing-of-messrs-hun-vannak-and-doem","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Cambodia: The Court of Appeal upholds the conviction and sentences of former Mother Nature organisation activists (Phnom Penh Post)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2019-08-27","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/cambodia-the-court-of-appeal-upholds-the-conviction-and-sentences-of-former-mother-nature-organisation-activists/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Rights groups renew call to free jailed Cambodian environmental activists","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-06-05","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/rights-groups-renew-call-to-free-jailed-cambodian-environmental-activists/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mekong-sand-mining","mekong-upstream-dams-and-tonle-sap-flow-reversal-decline"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is dredging causing riverbank erosion?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much sand is being dredged from the Cambodian Mekong?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much sand went from Cambodia to Singapore?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Singapore land area: Reported land area, 1960 to 2019; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Global Witness found no evidence that licence revenue from the Koh Kong sand reached the state treasury.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No environmental assessment or consultation of villagers is recorded for the Koh Kong licences.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"More than US$400 million of value for 2011 to 2015 is absent from the records of both countries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No criminal or civil case against the licence holders over the sand trade is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not specify whether the 2010 value figures (US$28.7 million and US$248 million) cover a month or a longer period.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that bed lowering in the Cambodian Mekong reduced reverse flow into the Tonle Sap by 40% to 50% in 1998 to 2018 (source).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 to 725.7 square kilometres between 1960 and 2019, and that it imported about 517 million tonnes of sand in 20 years (Singapore government page and a UN-attributed figure; reported).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Riverbank and coastal communities","No source link — Who harmed: Families in Prey Veng and Kandal"]},{"id":"1-4-dioxane-in-tide-prop-65-settlement-and-new-york-limit","title":"1,4-dioxane in Tide: Prop 65 settlement and New York limit","dek":"1,4-dioxane forms as a by-product when laundry-detergent surfactants are made, and does not appear on labels. The EPA revised its risk determination in November 2024; a 2011 test of Tide, a 2013 California settlement and New York limits are reported but not yet verified.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"regulator"}],"start":2011,"end":2024,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"EPA's revised determination on 1,4-dioxane in laundry and dish detergents","value":"November 2024","note":"Consumer use not counted as contributing to unreasonable risk; manufacturing and drain-down to drinking-water sources counted. No risk management rule proposed."},"happened":["1,4-dioxane is not added to laundry detergent. It forms as a by-product of ethoxylation, in which ethylene oxide is attached to a surfactant. It does not appear on the label and becomes visible only when someone tests for it. Impurities such as 1,4-dioxane do not enter the label under any of the labelling regimes described in the sources.","In November 2024 the EPA revised its risk determination. Exposure of consumers using the product was not counted as contributing to an unreasonable risk. Two other routes were counted: manufacturing by ethoxylation, for workers and for communities around factories, and the flow of dish and laundry detergent down the drain, contaminating surface waters that serve as drinking-water sources. A risk management rule had not been proposed.","The cited sources also report a 2011 civil-society test of Tide, a 2013 California Proposition 65 settlement, and New York limits in 2022 and 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"November: EPA revises its risk determination on 1,4-dioxane; manufacturing and drain-down to drinking-water sources counted, consumer use not counted; no risk management rule proposed"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"1,4-dioxane is a by-product of ethoxylation, not an ingredient; it does not appear on the label.","src":4},{"t":"In the labelling regimes reviewed, impurities such as 1,4-dioxane do not enter the label. New York has a limit on 1,4-dioxane but no label requirement.","src":4},{"t":"EPA, November 2024: consumer use not counted as contributing to unreasonable risk; ethoxylation manufacturing and detergent flowing down the drain to drinking-water source waters counted; no risk management rule proposed.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2011 to 2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Drain-down of detergent to drinking-water source waters","v":"Counted","d":"EPA revised risk determination, November 2024"},{"k":"Ethoxylation manufacturing (workers and nearby communities)","v":"Counted","d":"EPA revised risk determination, November 2024"},{"k":"Consumer use of the product","v":"Not counted","d":"EPA revised risk determination, November 2024"}]},"unknown":["A risk management rule has not been proposed, according to the November 2024 EPA record.","Unconfirmed: a 2011 test by Women's Voices for the Earth that found 89 parts per million of 1,4-dioxane in Tide Free & Gentle and 63 parts per million in Tide Original.","Unconfirmed: that Procter & Gamble first said the levels were completely safe, and that in 2013 a court-approved settlement under California's Proposition 65 had it reduce the level to below 25 parts per million.","Unconfirmed: a New York limit of 2 parts per million at the end of 2022 and 1 part per million at the end of 2023, with up to two exemptions of two years each for manufacturers.","Unconfirmed: that the third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (2013 to 2015) detected 1,4-dioxane in 21.9% of drinking-water systems, with 7.02% above 0.35 micrograms per litre.","Unconfirmed: a release of about 2,600 pounds of ethylene oxide on 25 November 2018 from the Croda plant at Atlas Point, Delaware, with 1,4-dioxane also found in the soil and groundwater."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No stop is recorded. The EPA had not proposed a risk management rule as of its November 2024 revision.","whoPaid":"Not stated in the sources read. The EPA counted workers and communities around ethoxylation factories, and drinking-water sources receiving detergent drain-down, as routes contributing to unreasonable risk.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026: the EPA revised its risk determination in November 2024 and had not proposed a risk management rule; the 2011 test, the 2013 settlement and the New York limits are unconfirmed.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"epa","says":"Revised its risk determination in November 2024: consumer use not counted as contributing to unreasonable risk; manufacturing by ethoxylation and detergent drain-down to drinking-water sources counted; no risk management rule proposed.","when":"2024-11","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; revised risk determination"},{"id":"procter-gamble","role":"Maker of Tide"},{"id":"womens-voices-for-the-earth","role":"NGO; reported a 2011 test"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"concentration_ppm","value":89,"unit":"ppm","year":2011,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported 1,4-dioxane in Tide Free & Gentle (Women's Voices for the Earth test); secondary report only."},{"key":"concentration_ppm","value":63,"unit":"ppm","year":2011,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported 1,4-dioxane in Tide Original; secondary report only."},{"key":"settlement_target_ppm","value":25,"unit":"ppm","year":2013,"qualifier":"below","unverified":true,"note":"Reported level agreed in the California Proposition 65 settlement; secondary report only."},{"key":"limit_ppm","value":2,"unit":"ppm","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported New York limit at the end of 2022; secondary report only."},{"key":"limit_ppm","value":1,"unit":"ppm","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported New York limit at the end of 2023; secondary report only."},{"key":"systems_detected_pct","value":21.9,"unit":"% of systems","year":2015,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported UCMR3 detection in drinking-water systems; 7.02% above 0.35 micrograms per litre; secondary report only."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"1,4-dioxane, a by-product of ethoxylation, is present in laundry and dish detergents; the EPA revised its risk determination in November 2024.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Workers and communities around ethoxylation factories","what":"Counted by the EPA as an exposure route contributing to unreasonable risk.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"EPA revision in November 2024. A 2011 test, a 2013 settlement and New York limits for 2022 and 2023 are unconfirmed.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Not stated in the sources read.","src":null},"how":{"t":"1,4-dioxane forms when ethylene oxide is attached to a surfactant; it is not listed on labels.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Tide reformulates detergents to reduce cancer-causing chemical","p":"Women's Voices for the Earth","d":"2013-01-25","type":"ngo","u":"https://womensvoices.org/2013/01/25/tide-reformulates-detergents-to-reduce-cancer-causing-chemical","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251006080416/https://womensvoices.org/2013/01/25/tide-reformulates-detergents-to-reduce-cancer-causing-chemical/"},{"t":"In New York, 1,4-dioxane is out of bounds","p":"Colonial Chemical and Univar","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://colonialchem.com/trending/in-new-york-14-dioxane-is-out-of-bounds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251209111138/https://colonialchem.com/trending/in-new-york-14-dioxane-is-out-of-bounds/"},{"t":"UCMR3: 1,4-dioxane in drinking water","p":"NJ DEP and GSI","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pdf/14-dioxane-pub-rev-test-sub.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250911094336/https://www.nj.gov/dep/watersupply/pdf/14-dioxane-pub-rev-test-sub.pdf"},{"t":"The truth behind New York's laundry detergent ban","p":"Maron Marvel (law firm analysis)","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.maronmarvel.com/the-truth-behind-new-yorks-laundry-detergent-ban/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018143916/https://www.maronmarvel.com/cleaning-up-some-misconceptions-about-new-yorks-laundry-detergent-ban/"},{"t":"Household, Personal Care and Cosmetic 1,4-Dioxane Limits","p":"New York State Department of Environmental Conservation","d":"2026","u":"https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/pollution-prevention/household-personal-cosmetic-dioxane-limits","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010001324/https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/pollution-prevention/household-personal-cosmetic-dioxane-limits"},{"t":"Final Risk Evaluation for 1,4-Dioxane","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2024-11","u":"https://epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/final-risk-evaluation-14-dioxane","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Concentration ppm: Reported 1,4-dioxane in Tide Free & Gentle (Women's Voices for the Earth test); secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Concentration ppm: Reported 1,4-dioxane in Tide Original; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Settlement target ppm: Reported level agreed in the California Proposition 65 settlement; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Limit ppm: Reported New York limit at the end of 2022; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Limit ppm: Reported New York limit at the end of 2023; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Systems detected pct: Reported UCMR3 detection in drinking-water systems; 7.02% above 0.35 micrograms per litre; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A risk management rule has not been proposed, according to the November 2024 EPA record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2011 test by Women's Voices for the Earth that found 89 parts per million of 1,4-dioxane in Tide Free & Gentle and 63 parts per million in Tide Original.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Procter & Gamble first said the levels were completely safe, and that in 2013 a court-approved settlement under California's Proposition 65 had it reduce the level to below 25 parts per million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a New York limit of 2 parts per million at the end of 2022 and 1 part per million at the end of 2023, with up to two exemptions of two years each for manufacturers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (2013 to 2015) detected 1,4-dioxane in 21.9% of drinking-water systems, with 7.02% above 0.35 micrograms per litre.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a release of about 2,600 pounds of ethylene oxide on 25 November 2018 from the Croda plant at Atlas Point, Delaware, with 1,4-dioxane also found in the soil and groundwater.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Workers and communities around ethoxylation factories"]},{"id":"milas-yatagan-olive-grove-opening-to-mining-law-7554-tempora","title":"Milas–Yatağan olive groves opened to mining (Law 7554, temporary article 45)","dek":"A 2025 law added a temporary article to Turkey's Mining Law that opens mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining if the trees are moved or an equivalent grove is established. Producers, courts and the Constitutional Court are now involved.","country":"Turkey","region":"Europe","lat":37.33,"lon":27.95,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Milas","lat":37.32,"lon":27.78,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Yatağan","lat":37.34,"lon":28.14,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Akbelen / İkizköy","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-07-24","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Olive trees whose transplanting MAPEG found suitable in Milas","value":"5,093","note":"Record states a count only; no record was found of how many moved trees survive."},"happened":["Turkey's Olive Cultivation Law (Law 3573, 1939), article 20, provides that an olive-grove area cannot be reduced, that no harmful facility may be built within 3 km of a grove, and that unauthorised removal of olive trees carries an administrative fine of 60 TL per tree. In 2022 an amendment to the Mining Regulation opened olive groves to mining; the Council of State (Danıştay) annulled it on 9 July 2024. In December 2022 an olive-grove article in an omnibus bill had been withdrawn after public reaction.","Law 7554, dated 24 July 2025, added temporary article 45 to the Mining Law. Under it, olive groves mapped in Milas and Yatağan are opened to mining if the trees are moved or an equivalent olive grove is established. The article gives coordinates. The article was adopted on 19 July 2025 by 255 votes to 199, and the same law treated permits left unanswered as granted and opened pasture and forest as well as olive groves.","Yatağan Termik and YK Enerji (a partnership of İçtaş and Limak) are the beneficiaries of the exception, and the producers on the map are those who lose land; 77 of them applied to the Council of State. Halk TV reported a letter in which the company asked the Privatisation Administration for extra funds for areas it could not expropriate because of olive legislation. The Akbelen and İkizköy areas are those the article serves.","Two applications have been made to the Constitutional Court (September 2025 and March 2026). The Directorate General of Mining and Petroleum Affairs (MAPEG) found the transplanting of 5,093 olive trees in Milas suitable. A court in Milas stayed expropriation cases over 679 parcels in İkizköy until the Council of State decides, and the Council of State stayed execution for about 194 parcels. Earlier, at Akbelen, a court stayed action in 2021, lifted the stay in 2022, and in July 2023 YK Enerji felled trees under gendarmerie protection. On 6 July 2026 the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Akbelen environmental defender Esra Işık to 2 years 1 month in prison for resisting public officials, and imposed a judicial fine with deferred pronouncement of the verdict for insulting public officials; the ruling becomes final only after appeal (Evrensel). Amnesty International said in June 2026 that she was prosecuted for exercising her rights."],"timeline":[{"y":1939,"t":"Law 3573: olive-grove area cannot be reduced; 60 TL fine per tree removed without permission"},{"y":2021,"t":"Akbelen: a court stays action (stay lifted 2022)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Mining Regulation amendment opens olive groves to mining; omnibus-bill olive article withdrawn in December"},{"y":2023,"t":"July: trees felled at Akbelen under gendarmerie protection"},{"y":2024,"t":"9 July: Council of State annuls the 2022 regulation amendment"},{"y":2025,"t":"19 July: article adopted in parliament; 24 July: Law 7554 adds temporary article 45; 77 producers apply to the Council of State; first Constitutional Court application (September)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Second Constitutional Court application (March); Milas court stays 679 parcels' expropriation cases; Council of State stays about 194 parcels; 6 July: Akbelen defender Esra Işık sentenced to 2 years 1 month in prison, subject to appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Trees are moved, or an equivalent olive grove is established: the condition written into the article","who":"Law 7554, temporary article 45","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Temporary article 45 opens mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining; Yatağan Termik and YK Enerji are recorded as the beneficiaries, and 77 producers on the map applied to the Council of State.","src":0},{"t":"The Council of State annulled the 2022 Mining Regulation amendment that had opened olive groves to mining (9 July 2024).","src":1},{"t":"Expropriation and valuation cases in Akbelen were stopped until the Council of State's decision becomes final.","src":3},{"t":"An omnibus-bill article opening olive groves was withdrawn in December 2022 after public reaction.","src":2},{"t":"Felling began in Akbelen forest in July 2023.","src":7},{"t":"Law 3573, article 20: olive-grove area cannot be reduced; no harmful facility within 3 km; 60 TL administrative fine per tree removed without permission.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Olive trees found suitable for transplanting (Milas)","v":"5,093","d":"MAPEG finding"},{"k":"Record of how many moved trees survive","v":"None found","d":"The condition is written in the law; no survival record was found"},{"k":"Fine for unauthorised removal (Law 3573)","v":"60 TL per tree","d":"Administrative fine"}]},"unknown":["No record was found of how many transplanted olive trees survive.","No Constitutional Court ruling on the two applications was found."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped on the record: the law is in force, two Constitutional Court applications and Council of State proceedings are pending, and courts have stayed expropriation steps over parcels at İkizköy.","whoPaid":"The mapped olive producers lose land; a compensation measure for them is not stated in the sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Constitutional Court applications filed (September 2025, March 2026); Council of State and Milas court have stayed expropriation steps; no ruling found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"yk-enerji","says":"In a letter reported by Halk TV, the company asked the Privatisation Administration for additional funds for areas it could not expropriate because of olive legislation.","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"tr-parliament","says":"Adopted the article on 19 July 2025, by 255 votes to 199 according to the cited sources; the law's stated condition is that trees are moved or an equivalent olive grove is established.","when":"2025-07-19","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"yk-enerji","role":"Partnership of İçtaş and Limak; recorded beneficiary"},{"id":"yatagan-termik","role":"Power plant operator; recorded beneficiary"},{"id":"tr-parliament","role":"Adopted Law 7554"},{"id":"mapeg","role":"Found transplanting of 5,093 olive trees suitable (Milas)"},{"id":"danistay","role":"Council of State; annulled 2022 regulation amendment; stayed execution for about 194 parcels"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does moving the trees or establishing an equivalent olive grove make up for olive groves opened to mining?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Law 7554, temporary article 45","says":"Opens mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining if the trees are moved or an equivalent olive grove is established.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"77 producers on the map","says":"Applied to the Council of State against the law.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"YK Enerji","says":"No public statement on the nature question is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Is the opening of mapped olive groves to mining lawful?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Parliament","says":"Adopted the article on 19 July 2025; Law 7554 is dated 24 July 2025.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Applicants to the Constitutional Court","says":"Two applications were made (September 2025 and March 2026).","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Milas court and the Council of State","says":"The Milas court stayed expropriation cases over 679 parcels in İkizköy until the Council of State decides; the Council of State stayed execution for about 194 parcels.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"2022 Mining Regulation amendment opening olive groves to mining","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Not named","defendant":"Not named","filed":null,"decided":"2024-07-09","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Council of State annulled the 2022 amendment to the Mining Regulation that had opened olive groves to mining.","src":1},{"title":"Producers' application against Law 7554 (Council of State)","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"77 producers from Milas and Yatağan","defendant":"Not named","filed":"2025","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"77 producers whose olive groves are on the map went to the Council of State against the law that opens the groves to mining.","src":0},{"title":"Constitutional Court applications against Law 7554","forum":"Constitutional Court","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Applicants not named","defendant":"Not named","filed":"2025-09 and 2026-03","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Two applications were made to the Constitutional Court (September 2025 and March 2026). No ruling was found.","src":8},{"title":"Expropriation and valuation cases at Akbelen / İkizköy","forum":"Milas court; Council of State","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Expropriating party not named","defendant":"Not named","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Expropriation was urgent for 679 parcels. The Council of State stayed execution for about 194 parcels, and the Milas court stayed the expropriation cases over the 679 parcels in İkizköy until the Council of State's decision.","src":3},{"title":"Conviction of an environmental defender in the Akbelen matter","forum":"Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance (Milas 3. Asliye Ceza Mahkemesi)","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Esra Işık, environmental defender","filed":null,"decided":"2026-07-06","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Esra Işık was held in pre-trial detention for 42 days from the end of March 2026 until her release on 11 May. On 6 July 2026 the court sentenced her to 2 years 1 month in prison for resisting public officials (Turkish Penal Code article 265) and to a judicial fine of 442 days, with deferred pronouncement of the verdict, for insulting public officials. The ruling becomes final only after appeal (Evrensel). Amnesty International (document EUR 44/1143/2026, June 2026) said she was prosecuted for exercising her rights.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_transplant_approved","value":5093,"unit":"trees","year":null,"note":"MAPEG found the transplanting of 5,093 olive trees in Milas suitable."},{"key":"parcels_expropriation","value":679,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"note":"Parcels in İkizköy / Akbelen under urgent expropriation; Milas court stayed the cases until the Council of State decides."},{"key":"parcels_stayed_execution","value":194,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Council of State stayed execution."},{"key":"producers_litigating","value":77,"unit":"producers","year":2025,"note":"Went to the Council of State against the law."},{"key":"vote_for","value":255,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"Votes for the article on 19 July 2025; 199 against, according to the cited sources."},{"key":"fine_per_tree","value":60,"unit":"TL per tree","year":null,"note":"Administrative fine for unauthorised removal under Law 3573, article 20."},{"key":"sentence","value":"2 years 1 month","unit":"prison","year":2026,"note":"Sentence given to Akbelen defender Esra Işık on 6 July 2026; subject to appeal."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Law 7554 added temporary article 45 to the Mining Law, opening mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining if the trees are moved or an equivalent olive grove is established.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Yatağan Termik and YK Enerji (a partnership of İçtaş and Limak)","what":"Recorded as the beneficiaries of the exception; the article serves YK Enerji's Akbelen and İkizköy sites.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Producers whose olive groves are on the map","what":"77 of them went to the Council of State.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan","what":"Opened to mining; no record was found of how many moved trees survive.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Milas and Yatağan, Turkey; the Akbelen and İkizköy areas.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law dated 24 July 2025, adopted on 19 July 2025; Constitutional Court applications September 2025 and March 2026; court stays in 2026.","src":4},"why":{"t":"Halk TV reported a letter in which YK Enerji asked the Privatisation Administration for additional funds for areas it could not expropriate because of olive legislation. No official statement of purpose is given in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through a temporary article in the Mining Law, with coordinates given in the article, a condition to move trees or establish an equivalent grove, and treatment of unanswered permits as granted.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Producers in Milas and Yatağan went to the Council of State against the law that opens olive groves to mining","p":"bianet","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107084836/https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565"},{"t":"Council of State annuls the regulation that opened olive groves to mining","p":"bianet","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/danistay-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yonetmeligi-iptal-etti-297332","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313110006/https://bianet.org/haber/danistay-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yonetmeligi-iptal-etti-297332"},{"t":"Olive-grove article removed from the omnibus bill proposal","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/son-dakika-zeytinlik-alan-ranti-torba-kanun-teklifinden-cikarildi-2012000","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221223165559/https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/son-dakika-zeytinlik-alan-ranti-torba-kanun-teklifinden-cikarildi-2012000"},{"t":"Expropriation and valuation cases in Akbelen stopped until the Council of State decision is final","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728045028/https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205"},{"t":"Bill on olive groves adopted in parliament (headline translated from Turkish)","p":"Medyascope","d":"2025-07-19","type":"press","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2025/07/19/zeytinlik-katliamini-ongoren-kanun-teklifi-mecliste-kabul-edildi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250719182857/https://medyascope.tv/2025/07/19/zeytinlik-katliamini-ongoren-kanun-teklifi-mecliste-kabul-edildi/"},{"t":"Olive Cultivation Law, Law No. 3573 (1939)","p":"Mevzuat (official legislation database)","d":"1939","type":"official","u":"https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.3.3573.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240217230314/https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.3.3573.pdf"},{"t":"Conviction at Akbelen (document EUR 44/1143/2026)","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/ru/documents/eur44/1143/2026/en/"},{"t":"Felling began in Akbelen forest to expand the coal area (headline translated from Turkish)","p":"Yetkin Report","d":"2023-07-26","type":"press","u":"https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606082622/https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/"},{"t":"Muğla Milas'ta maden için 5 binden fazla ağaç sökülecek","p":"Medyascope","d":"2026-03-25","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2026/03/25/mugla-milasta-maden-icin-5-binden-fazla-agac-sokulecek/","type":"press"},{"t":"Esra Işık'ın yargılandığı dava sonuçlandı: karar istinaftan sonra kesinleşecek","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-07-06","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5991325/esra-isik-in-yargilandigi-dava-sonuclandi-karar-istinaftan-sonra-kesinlesecek","type":"press"},{"t":"Akbelen direnişçisi Esra Işık'a para ve 2 yıl 1 ay hapis cezası","p":"T24","d":"2026-07","u":"https://t24.com.tr/cevre/akbelen-direniscisi-esra-isika-2-yil-1-ay-hapis-cezasi,1334374","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"MAPEG found the transplanting of 5,093 of my olive trees in Milas suitable, to open mapped groves to mining.","src":[8]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does moving the trees or establishing an equivalent olive grove make up for olive groves opened to mining?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the opening of mapped olive groves to mining lawful?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"YK Enerji: No public statement on the nature question is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found of how many transplanted olive trees survive.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No Constitutional Court ruling on the two applications was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"aydin-geothermal-plants-versus-fig-orchards-sari-zeybek-camk","title":"Aydın geothermal plants and fig orchards (Sarı Zeybek, Çamköy, Germencik)","dek":"In Aydın, Turkey's main fig-growing province, courts annulled environmental decisions for geothermal wells planned in fig orchards, and a minister reported a non-standard discharge from a geothermal plant. Plant owners are paid under a purchase guarantee set in Law 5346.","country":"Turkey","region":"Europe","lat":37.85,"lon":27.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Aydın","lat":37.85,"lon":27.85,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Germencik","lat":37.87,"lon":27.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Aydın (administrative courts)","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","chemical-pollution","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Aydın's share of Turkey's fig production","value":"55.9%","note":"Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry fig market report, July 2025."},"happened":["In 2023 Turkey ranked first in the world for figs, at 356 thousand tonnes, and held 49% of the world's dried-fig share; 55.9% of Turkish production came from Aydın (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry fig market report, July 2025). In the 2025/26 season dried-fig exports were 55 thousand tonnes worth USD 343 million, a figure the cited sources identify as the exporters' association's own declaration.","Geothermal power in Turkey is paid under Law 5346, which gives plants a price guarantee and an 85% discount on land fees. In 2026 a KAP (public disclosure platform) notice recorded that Margün bought a 24 MW geothermal plant in Germencik for USD 105.5 million, with a 15-year purchase guarantee of about 12.50 cents per kWh for five years and 10.50 cents afterwards; the company forecast about USD 172.8 million of EBITDA over 15 years. Nationally the sources record 68 geothermal plants with 1,772–1,786 MW installed (two sources give different figures) and 11.66 TWh generated in 2025, 3.2% of the total; a current plant count for Aydın is not on record.","Two court rulings concern wells in fig-growing areas. The Aydın 1st Administrative Court annulled, for the second time in 2022, the positive environmental impact assessment (ÇED) decision for the 54 MW Sarı Zeybek plant; press reports and the plaintiff said all of its wells were in fig orchards. In a ruling dated 2026, the Aydın 2nd Administrative Court unanimously annulled a decision that no ÇED was needed for drilling at Çamköy, citing fig orchards and first-class land, proximity to an olive grove, cumulative effects, and an error of about 3 km in the coordinates. The same company was given a positive ÇED decision for three wells in another village.","On the environmental record, the Minister of Environment reported in 2025 that the discharge of a geothermal plant was non-standard and an administrative and judicial process began; after an explosion in November 2025 the provincial directorate said it did not know the quantity of fluid that flowed. A 2015 doctoral thesis found higher heavy-metal levels in fig orchards 600–650 m from a plant, with the effect on yield and quality declining with distance; the figures themselves are not on record. A peer-reviewed record of boron pollution dates from 2002.","The industry's account, given by the president of the Geothermal Energy Association in 2021, was that reinjection is carried out, that water is not released to nature, and that reactions had stopped the investment. The literature also treats reinjection as a remedy, while a 2025 non-standard discharge is recorded."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Peer-reviewed record of boron pollution (location not stated)"},{"y":2015,"t":"Doctoral thesis: heavy metal higher in fig orchards 600–650 m from a plant"},{"y":2021,"t":"Geothermal Energy Association president: reinjection is used, water is not released to nature"},{"y":2022,"t":"Aydın 1st Administrative Court annuls the Sarı Zeybek ÇED decision for the second time"},{"y":2025,"t":"Minister of Environment reports non-standard discharge from a geothermal plant; November explosion, provincial directorate unable to say how much fluid flowed"},{"y":2026,"t":"Aydın 2nd Administrative Court annuls the Çamköy ÇED-not-required decision; Margün disclosure of the Germencik plant purchase"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Reinjection is carried out and water is not released to nature; reactions stopped the investment.","who":"President of the Geothermal Energy Association, 2021","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Aydın 1st Administrative Court annulled the Sarı Zeybek ÇED decision for the second time (2022).","src":5},{"t":"Aydın 2nd Administrative Court unanimously annulled the Çamköy ÇED-not-required decision (2026).","src":3},{"t":"The Minister of Environment reported in 2025 that a geothermal plant's discharge was non-standard.","src":4},{"t":"A 2015 doctoral thesis recorded higher heavy-metal levels in fig orchards 600–650 m from a plant.","src":8},{"t":"A peer-reviewed article from 2002 records boron pollution (location not stated).","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"ÇED decisions annulled by courts","v":"2","d":"Sarı Zeybek (2022) and Çamköy (2026)"},{"k":"Heavy metal in fig orchards near a plant","v":"Higher at 600–650 m","d":"2015 doctoral thesis; the figures are not on record"},{"k":"Independent yield and heavy-metal monitoring around plants","v":"None found","d":"None on record"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A 2015 doctoral thesis recorded higher heavy-metal levels in fig orchards near a geothermal plant; the Minister of Environment reported a non-standard discharge in 2025.","report":[{"t":"My fig orchards 600–650 metres from a geothermal plant held more heavy metal in a 2015 doctoral thesis; the effect on yield and quality was smaller the further away they stood.","src":8},{"t":"In 2025 the Minister of Environment reported that the discharge of a geothermal plant was non-standard.","src":4}]},"unknown":["The size of the heavy-metal effect on figs near plants is not available: the figures from the 2015 thesis were not seen.","A claim that cancer in Germencik is 4–5 times the Turkish average is unconfirmed: no underlying study is shown and no epidemiological record was found.","Unconfirmed: a claim of boron pollution at '150 times' a limit.","After the November 2025 explosion, the provincial directorate said it did not know the quantity of fluid that flowed.","A current count of geothermal plants in Aydın was not found."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Two ÇED decisions were annulled in court (2022 and 2026); a minister reported a non-standard discharge in 2025 and a process began. Plants continue to operate; the same company received a positive ÇED decision for three wells in another village.","whoPaid":"The purchase guarantee and land-fee discount are written into Law 5346 in cents per kWh and percent; no corresponding line for the loss of figs is stated in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: two ÇED annulments by Aydın administrative courts; discharge process opened in 2025; no independent monitoring found.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"margun","says":"KAP notice on the Germencik plant purchase: 24 MW, 15-year purchase guarantee, forecast of about USD 172.8 million EBITDA over 15 years.","when":"2026","src":0},{"actor":"geothermal-association-tr","says":"Its president said in 2021 that reinjection is carried out, water is not released to nature, and reactions stopped the investment.","when":"2021","src":null},{"actor":"tr-environment-ministry","says":"The Minister reported in 2025 that a geothermal plant's discharge was non-standard; an administrative and judicial process began.","when":"2025","src":4},{"actor":"tr-environment-ministry","says":"After the November 2025 explosion the provincial directorate said it did not know the quantity of fluid that flowed.","when":"2025-11","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"margun","role":"Bought the 24 MW Germencik geothermal plant"},{"id":"geothermal-association-tr","role":"Industry association"},{"id":"tr-environment-ministry","role":"Ministry and provincial directorate"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does reinjection keep geothermal fluid out of the environment?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"President of the Geothermal Energy Association (2021)","says":"Reinjection is carried out and water is not released to nature; reactions stopped the investment.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Minister of Environment (2025)","says":"The discharge of a geothermal plant was non-standard; an administrative and judicial process began.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Literature and a 2015 doctoral thesis","says":"The literature treats reinjection as a remedy; the thesis found higher heavy-metal levels in fig orchards 600–650 m from a plant.","src":null}]},{"point":"Were the geothermal wells planned at suitable sites?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Aydın 1st Administrative Court","says":"Annulled the positive ÇED decision for the Sarı Zeybek plant for the second time (2022).","src":5},{"voice":"court","holder":"Aydın 2nd Administrative Court","says":"Unanimously annulled the ÇED-not-required decision for drilling at Çamköy, citing a fig orchard and first-class land, proximity to an olive grove, cumulative effects and an error of about 3 km in the coordinates.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Kızılcaköy","says":"Won the Sarı Zeybek case at the Aydın 1st Administrative Court.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Agricultural chamber (plaintiff at Çamköy)","says":"Won the Çamköy case at the Aydın 2nd Administrative Court.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Plant owners","says":"No response to the rulings is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Sarı Zeybek geothermal plant (54 MW): ÇED decision annulled","forum":"Aydın 1st Administrative Court","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Kızılcaköy (as named in the report)","defendant":"Not named","filed":null,"decided":"2022","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court annulled the positive ÇED decision for the second time. Press reports and the plaintiff said all of the wells were in fig orchards.","src":5},{"title":"Çamköy drilling: ÇED-not-required decision annulled","forum":"Aydın 2nd Administrative Court","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Agricultural chamber (plaintiff)","defendant":"Not named","filed":null,"decided":"2026","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court unanimously annulled the decision that no ÇED was needed, citing a fig orchard and first-class land, proximity to an olive grove, cumulative effects and an error of about 3 km in the coordinates. The same company was given a positive ÇED decision for three wells in another village.","src":3},{"title":"Process following non-standard discharge from a geothermal plant","forum":"Administrative and judicial authorities","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Authorities (per the Minister's statement)","defendant":"A geothermal plant (not named)","filed":"2025","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Minister of Environment reported in 2025 that a plant's discharge was non-standard and said an administrative and judicial process had been started.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fig_production_tonnes","value":356000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Turkey's fig production, first in the world."},{"key":"dried_fig_world_share","value":49,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Turkey's share of dried figs worldwide."},{"key":"aydin_share_of_turkey_figs","value":55.9,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Share of Turkish production from Aydın."},{"key":"dried_fig_exports_tonnes","value":55000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"2025/26 season; exporters' association declaration.","src":2},{"key":"dried_fig_exports_value","value":343,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"2025/26 season; exporters' association declaration.","src":2},{"key":"plant_purchase_price","value":105.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Margün's purchase of a 24 MW plant in Germencik.","src":0},{"key":"plant_capacity_mw","value":24,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Germencik plant.","src":0},{"key":"feed_in_tariff_first_5_years","value":12.5,"unit":"cents/kWh","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"15-year purchase guarantee; 10.50 cents/kWh afterwards.","src":0},{"key":"ebitda_forecast_15y","value":172.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Company forecast over 15 years.","src":0},{"key":"geothermal_plants_turkey","value":68,"unit":"plants","year":2025,"note":"Installed capacity 1,772–1,786 MW depending on the source.","src":1},{"key":"geothermal_output_twh","value":11.66,"unit":"TWh","year":2025,"note":"3.2% of total generation.","src":1},{"key":"carbon_credits_sold_turkey","value":35000000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Voluntary carbon market, 2007–2015, over USD 200 million; 170 Gold Standard and 142 Verra projects, mostly renewable electricity."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Courts annulled environmental assessment decisions for geothermal wells in fig-growing areas of Aydın, and a minister reported a non-standard discharge from a geothermal plant.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Geothermal plant owners, for example Margün","what":"Paid under a 15-year purchase guarantee and a land-fee discount; Margün forecast about USD 172.8 million of EBITDA over 15 years.","src":0},{"who":"Project owners, intermediaries and offset buyers in the voluntary carbon market","what":"Turkey sold about 35 million tCO2e in 2007–2015; a Menderes geothermal project forecast about 43,000 credits a year, and South Pole wrote that another plant became economic with carbon-credit sales.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Fig growers near plants","what":"A 2015 thesis recorded higher heavy-metal levels in orchards 600–650 m from a plant.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Fig orchards in Aydın","what":"Heavy-metal levels in orchards near a plant; a non-standard discharge was reported in 2025; the size of the effect is not available.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Aydın, Turkey: Germencik, Çamköy, and the Sarı Zeybek site.","src":5},"when":{"t":"2022 to 2026.","src":5},"why":{"t":"Geothermal power is supported in Turkey by a price guarantee and a land-fee discount under Law 5346; no line for the loss of figs is stated in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plants and wells were permitted through ÇED decisions by the Ministry and governorate; villagers and the agricultural chamber challenged them in administrative courts.","src":5}},"sources":[{"t":"Margün KAP notice on the Germencik geothermal plant purchase","p":"KAP (Public Disclosure Platform)","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.kap.org.tr/tr/Bildirim/1660140"},{"t":"500 MW geothermal investment awaits start","p":"Para Dergi","d":"2026-05-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.paradergi.com.tr/sektorler/2026/05/04/500-mwlik-jeotermal-yatirimi-start-bekliyor","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513074149/https://paradergi.com.tr/sektorler/2026/05/04/500-mwlik-jeotermal-yatirimi-start-bekliyor"},{"t":"Turkish dried figs set out for export on 28 September (headline translated from Turkish)","p":"Ekonomi Gazetesi","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.ekonomigazetesi.com/sehirler/turk-kuru-inciri-28-eylulde-ihracat-yolculuguna-cikiyor-87356"},{"t":"Evrensel report on the Çamköy geothermal drilling case (February 2026)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5970932"},{"t":"Evrensel report on geothermal plant discharge (2025)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/589032","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018144024/https://www.evrensel.net/haber/589032/germencik-te-jes-zehrinde-devletin-sag-eli-sol-elini-yalanladi"},{"t":"Kızılcaköy won again: second annulment of the geothermal plant's positive ÇED decision (headline translated from Turkish)","p":"bianet","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/kizilcakoy-yine-kazandi-jes-in-ced-olumlu-kararina-ikinci-iptal-264813","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250906162827/https://bianet.org/haber/kizilcakoy-yine-kazandi-jes-in-ced-olumlu-kararina-ikinci-iptal-264813"},{"t":"Peer-reviewed article cited in the sources for boron pollution (Inderscience)","p":"Inderscience","d":"2002","type":"academic","u":"https://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=3741","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209001553/https://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=3741"},{"t":"Evrensel report on the Çamköy geothermal drilling case (September 2026)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/6000917"},{"t":"İncirde verim ve kalite üzerine jeotermal enerji tesislerinin olası etkilerinin belirlenmesi (doctoral thesis, no. 392482)","p":"Adnan Menderes University, Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences (via Tezara)","d":"2015","u":"https://tezara.org/theses/392482","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does reinjection keep geothermal fluid out of the environment?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Were the geothermal wells planned at suitable sites?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Plant owners: No response to the rulings is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the heavy-metal effect on figs near plants is not available: the figures from the 2015 thesis were not seen.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A claim that cancer in Germencik is 4–5 times the Turkish average is unconfirmed: no underlying study is shown and no epidemiological record was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claim of boron pollution at '150 times' a limit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"After the November 2025 explosion, the provincial directorate said it did not know the quantity of fluid that flowed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A current count of geothermal plants in Aydın was not found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Project owners, intermediaries and offset buyers in the voluntary carbon market","No source link — Who lost: Fig growers near plants"]},{"id":"owino-uhuru-lead-poisoning","title":"Owino Uhuru lead poisoning (Mombasa, Kenya)","dek":"A record of lead poisoning at Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, with a compensation award reported to have been overturned on appeal in 2023. Few details are stated in the cited sources.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-4.04,"lon":39.62,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Owino Uhuru, Mombasa","lat":-4.04,"lon":39.62,"role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":2023,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Compensation figure in the headline of the Business Daily article","value":"Sh1.3 billion","note":"From the article headline; the award and its reversal are not independently verified."},"happened":["The case concerns lead poisoning in the Owino Uhuru settlement of Mombasa, Kenya. The cited sources state very little about the poisoning itself, the source of the lead, the people affected, or the company or authorities involved.","Business Daily Africa published, in June 2023, an article headlined 'Owino Uhuru dwellers suffer blow in pursuit of Sh1.3bn poison pay'. It is the only source reviewed for the compensation proceedings.","Unconfirmed: a compensation award of 1.3 billion shillings, of which the state was to bear 70%, in connection with a lead smelter, was reported overturned on appeal in 2023 (Business Daily Africa, June 2023)."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"June: Business Daily Africa article, 'Owino Uhuru dwellers suffer blow in pursuit of Sh1.3bn poison pay'"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Business Daily Africa headlined an article, in June 2023, 'Owino Uhuru dwellers suffer blow in pursuit of Sh1.3bn poison pay'.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"KES","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a compensation award of 1.3 billion shillings (state share 70%) for the Owino Uhuru lead smelter was overturned on appeal in 2023.","The cited sources do not state the number of people poisoned, the lead levels, the operator of the smelter, or the extent of any clean-up."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not determined in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"None on record. Business Daily Africa reported in June 2023 that a compensation award was overturned on appeal; no other source confirms it.","statusLine":"As of June 2023: Business Daily Africa reported that a compensation award was overturned on appeal; no other source confirms it.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lead poisoning at Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, Kenya; Business Daily Africa reported a compensation award overturned on appeal in 2023; no other source confirms it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Owino Uhuru, Mombasa, Kenya.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Business Daily Africa article dated June 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Owino Uhuru dwellers suffer blow in pursuit of Sh1.3bn poison pay","p":"Business Daily Africa","d":"2023-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/counties/owino-uhuru-dwellers-suffer-blow-in-pursuit-of-sh1-3bn-poison-pay-2301336","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220810140408/https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/news/counties/owino-uhuru-dwellers-suffer-blow-in-pursuit-of-sh1-3bn-poison-pay-2301336"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a compensation award of 1.3 billion shillings (state share 70%) for the Owino Uhuru lead smelter was overturned on appeal in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the number of people poisoned, the lead levels, the operator of the smelter, or the extent of any clean-up.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"lliuya-v-rwe","title":"Lliuya v RWE","dek":"A Peruvian farmer sued the German energy company RWE for €17,000, a sum corresponding to RWE's share of about 0.47% of global emissions, because a glacial lake above his home could overflow. In May 2025 the court in Hamm accepted such liability in principle and dismissed the claim.","country":"Peru","region":"South America","lat":-9.53,"lon":-77.53,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"Huaraz","lat":-9.53,"lon":-77.53,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hamm","lat":51.68,"lon":7.82,"role":"court"}],"start":2025,"end":null,"eventDate":"2025-05-28","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Amount claimed from RWE vs amount awarded","value":"€17,000 / none","note":"Claim dismissed at Hamm on 28 May 2025; liability accepted in principle."},"happened":["Saúl Luciano Lliuya, a farmer and mountain guide from Huaraz in Peru, brought a civil case against the German energy company RWE in Germany. According to the record, his house lies below Palcacocha, a glacial lake that is reported to have overflowed in 1941. He asked for €17,000, a sum corresponding to RWE's share of about 0.47% of global emissions.","On 28 May 2025 the court in Hamm accepted in principle that large emitters can be liable in proportion to their share of emissions. It nevertheless dismissed the claim because it did not find the probability of the lake overflowing high enough. A European Law Institute (ELI) commentary of 18 June 2025 carried the title \"No liability yet\". The probability the court used is reported as slightly above 1% over 30 years; this figure is unconfirmed.","The costs of Lliuya's case were met by a German foundation that works on donations. No payment was made to the claimant.","RWE appears in the same record as a recipient of public money for leaving coal. Germany decided to pay RWE €2.6 billion and LEAG €1.75 billion in early-closure compensation for lignite; the European Commission approved the payment to RWE on 13 December 2023. In Germany's hard-coal closure auction of 1 December 2020, eleven plants received premiums totalling €317 million, of which €216 million went to RWE. RWE also filed an investment-treaty claim of €1.4 billion against the Netherlands over its coal-power ban and withdrew it in autumn 2023 after a German court ruling.","As of 11 October 2026 the cited sources report no later step in the Lliuya case after the May 2025 ruling."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"RWE opens the Eemshaven plant in the Netherlands"},{"y":2019,"t":"The Netherlands bans coal-fired electricity from 2030; a Bundestag research service writes that the German state is not legally obliged to pay lignite-exit compensation"},{"y":2020,"t":"1 Dec: German hard-coal closure auction; eleven plants receive €317 million in total, €216 million to RWE"},{"y":2021,"t":"RWE files an investment-treaty claim of €1.4 billion against the Netherlands over the Eemshaven plant"},{"y":2023,"t":"11 Jan: RWE announces five villages and three farmsteads will remain and Lützerath will be demolished. 27 Jul: German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) rules the arbitration clause of the Energy Charter Treaty invalid within the EU; RWE withdraws its claim in autumn. 13 Dec: European Commission approves the lignite-exit compensation to RWE"},{"y":2025,"t":"28 May: court in Hamm accepts liability of large emitters in principle and dismisses Lliuya's claim"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"RWE announced that five villages and three farmsteads would remain and that the former settlement of Lützerath would be demolished; the energy crisis was the stated reason for the demolition.","who":"RWE press release, 11 January 2023","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"The court in Hamm accepted in principle that large emitters can be liable in proportion to their emissions share, and dismissed the claim because it did not find the probability of the lake overflowing sufficiently high.","src":0},{"t":"The claim was €17,000, corresponding to RWE's share of about 0.47% of global emissions.","src":0},{"t":"The record states that no one paid in the case: the claim was dismissed and only the principle was accepted.","src":0},{"t":"In the hard-coal closure auction of 1 December 2020, eleven plants received €317 million in total, of which RWE received €216 million.","src":1},{"t":"The European Commission approved the German early-closure compensation for RWE's lignite exit (€2.6 billion) on 13 December 2023.","src":2},{"t":"The Bundestag research service wrote in 2019 that the state was not legally obliged to pay this compensation.","src":4},{"t":"RWE paid no penalty in these matters and received compensation for the coal exit.","src":2},{"t":"The Hague District Court found the Dutch coal law lawful and held that no compensation was required.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2020–2025","nature":[{"label":"Awarded to the claimant (claim of €17,000 dismissed)","amount":0,"window":"2025"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0,"note":"No payment was made in the Lliuya case."},"other":[{"label":"Lignite early-closure compensation to RWE, approved by the European Commission","amount":2600,"window":"2020–2023","note":"Payable over 15 years."},{"label":"Hard-coal closure premiums to RWE (1 December 2020 auction)","amount":216,"window":"2020","note":"Part of €317 million paid to eleven plants."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Amount claimed","v":"€17,000","d":"A sum corresponding to RWE's share of about 0.47% of global emissions"},{"k":"Amount awarded","v":"None","d":"Claim dismissed on 28 May 2025; liability accepted in principle"},{"k":"Flood probability","v":"Below threshold","d":"The court did not find the probability of the lake overflowing high enough"},{"k":"Glacial lake risk","v":"Continues","d":"The risk persists"}]},"unknown":["The probability figure used by the court (slightly above 1% over 30 years) is unconfirmed.","The number of deaths in the 1941 overflow and the volume of the lake are unconfirmed.","The donors behind the foundation that met the costs of the case are unconfirmed.","No flood is recorded: the case concerned the risk of an overflow, not a flood that had occurred.","Sources conflict on the formal status of RWE's investment-treaty file: one records a withdrawal in autumn 2023, while the cited sources list its official status among open items."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"No overflow is recorded. The glacial-lake risk continues, and the claim was dismissed with no payment.","whoPaid":"No payment was made to the claimant. In the opposite direction, German public funds were approved for RWE's lignite exit (€2.6 billion, Commission approval 13 December 2023) and hard-coal closure (€216 million of €317 million, 1 December 2020).","statusLine":"As of 11 October 2026: the Hamm court accepted liability of large emitters in principle and dismissed the claim on 28 May 2025; no later step is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"RWE","says":"Announced that five villages and three farmsteads would remain and that the former settlement of Lützerath would be demolished.","when":"2023-01-11","src":3},{"actor":"RWE","says":"Withdrew its €1.4 billion investment-treaty claim against the Netherlands in autumn 2023 after the German Federal Court of Justice ruling of 27 July 2023.","when":"2023","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"rwe","role":"Defendant; recipient of coal-exit compensation"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Approved the German compensation payment to RWE (13 December 2023)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can an emitter be held liable for a share of the risk of a glacial-lake flood, and was the risk high enough?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Court in Hamm, Germany","says":"Accepted in principle the liability of large emitters in proportion to their emissions share; dismissed the claim because it did not find the probability of the lake overflowing sufficiently high.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Saúl Luciano Lliuya, claimant","says":"Sought €17,000, a sum corresponding to RWE's share of about 0.47% of global emissions.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"European Law Institute (ELI)","says":"Titled its 18 June 2025 commentary \"No liability yet\".","src":0}]},{"point":"Was Germany obliged to pay RWE for the coal exit?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"German state","says":"Decided to pay RWE €2.6 billion and LEAG €1.75 billion in early-closure compensation for lignite, under a contract with Germany.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"Approved the payment to RWE on 13 December 2023.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Bundestag research service","says":"Wrote in 2019 that the state was not legally obliged to pay this compensation.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did the Dutch coal-power ban entitle RWE to compensation?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"RWE","says":"Filed a €1.4 billion investment-treaty claim in 2021 over the Eemshaven plant; withdrew it in autumn 2023.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Hague District Court","says":"Found the Dutch coal law lawful and held that no compensation was required.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"German Federal Court of Justice (BGH)","says":"Ruled on 27 July 2023 that the Energy Charter Treaty arbitration clause is invalid within the EU.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Lliuya v RWE","forum":"Court in Hamm","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Saúl Luciano Lliuya (Peruvian farmer and mountain guide)","defendant":"RWE","filed":null,"decided":"2025-05-28","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":17000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Amount claimed"},"summary":"The court accepted in principle that large emitters can be liable in proportion to their share of emissions and dismissed the claim because it did not find the probability of the glacial lake overflowing high enough. The share used was about 0.47% of global emissions.","src":0},{"title":"RWE v Netherlands (Eemshaven coal plant)","forum":"ICSID","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"RWE","defendant":"Netherlands","filed":"2021","decided":"2023","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":1400000000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Amount claimed"},"summary":"RWE filed in 2021 after the Netherlands banned coal-fired electricity from 2030. After the German Federal Court of Justice ruled on 27 July 2023 that the arbitration clause of the Energy Charter Treaty is invalid within the EU, RWE withdrew the claim in autumn 2023. The Hague District Court found the coal law lawful and held that no compensation was required.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":17000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"Amount claimed by Lliuya, corresponding to RWE's share of global emissions."},{"key":"emissions_share_pct","value":0.47,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"RWE's share of global emissions used to calculate the claim."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":0,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"No payment: claim dismissed."},{"key":"flood_probability_30yr","value":1,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"slightly above","unverified":true,"note":"Reported probability of overflow over 30 years; not independently verified."},{"key":"arbitration_claim","value":1400,"unit":"EUR m","year":2021,"note":"RWE's claim against the Netherlands; withdrawn in 2023."},{"key":"compensation_agreed","value":2600,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"German lignite early-closure compensation to RWE; Commission approval 13 December 2023."},{"key":"closure_premium","value":216,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"note":"RWE's share of €317 million in hard-coal closure premiums, 1 December 2020."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Peruvian farmer sued RWE in Germany for a share of the risk of a glacial-lake flood; the court accepted liability in principle and dismissed the claim.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RWE","what":"The claim was dismissed on 28 May 2025; no payment to the claimant.","src":0},{"who":"RWE","what":"Lignite early-closure compensation of €2.6 billion, approved by the European Commission on 13 December 2023.","src":2},{"who":"RWE","what":"€216 million of €317 million in hard-coal closure premiums, 1 December 2020.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Saúl Luciano Lliuya","what":"His claim of €17,000 was dismissed and nothing was awarded.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Huaraz, Peru (Palcacocha glacial lake); court in Hamm, Germany.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Ruling on 28 May 2025; filing date not stated in the cited sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The claim was set as RWE's share of global emissions (about 0.47%); the court dismissed it because the probability of the lake overflowing was not found high enough.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Civil claim in a German court; the court accepted proportional liability of large emitters in principle but not on the facts.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"No liability yet? What Lliuya v RWE AG means for transnational climate litigation","p":"European Law Institute (ELI)","d":"2025-06-18","type":"academic","voice":"research","u":"https://cjp.eli.org/news/250618-no-liability-yet-what-lliuya-v-rwe-ag-means-transnational-climate-litigation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518100530/https://cjp.eli.org/news/250618-no-liability-yet-what-lliuya-v-rwe-ag-means-transnational-climate-litigation"},{"t":"3-Aus für Steinkohlekraftwerke: Betreiber bekommen 317 Millionen Euro (dpa-AFX roundup)","p":"Börse Online / dpa-AFX","d":"2020-12-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.boerse-online.de/dpa-afx/roundup-3aus-fuer-steinkohlekraftwerke-betreiber-bekommen-317-millionen-euro-44401.html"},{"t":"EU Commission approves EUR 2.6bn German support for RWE's coal phase-out","p":"Enerdata","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/eu-commission-approves-eu26bn-german-support-rwes-coal-phase-out.html"},{"t":"Five villages and three farmsteads to remain; former settlement of Lützerath to be demolished","p":"RWE","d":"2023-01-11","type":"company","u":"https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-power/2023-01-11-five-villages-and-three-farmsteads-to-remain-former-settlement-of-luetzerath-to-be-demolished/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260828173831/https://www.rwe.com/en/press/rwe-power/2023-01-11-five-villages-and-three-farmsteads-to-remain-former-settlement-of-luetzerath-to-be-demolished/"},{"t":"RWE has no claim to compensation over coal exit - parliament lawyers","p":"Clean Energy Wire","d":"2019-02-27","u":"https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/rwe-has-no-claim-compensation-over-coal-exit-parliament-lawyers","type":"press"},{"t":"RWE and Uniper lose damages claim for coal plant closure","p":"DutchNews.nl","d":"2022-12-01","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/2022/12/rwe-and-uniper-lose-damages-claim-for-coal-plant-closure","type":"press"},{"t":"RWE drops EUR 1.4 billion case against Netherlands in climate win","p":"CorpWatch","d":"2024-01-26","u":"https://www.corpwatch.org/article/rwe-drops-eu14-billion-case-against-netherlands-climate-win","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612122403/https://www.corpwatch.org/article/rwe-drops-eu14-billion-case-against-netherlands-climate-win"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A farmer claimed €17,000 from RWE, its share of about 0.47% of global emissions, over my glacial lake above his home; on 28 May 2025 the claim was dismissed and nothing was paid.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can an emitter be held liable for a share of the risk of a glacial-lake flood, and was the risk high enough?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Germany obliged to pay RWE for the coal exit?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Dutch coal-power ban entitle RWE to compensation?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"RWE v Netherlands (Eemshaven coal plant): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Flood probability 30yr: Reported probability of overflow over 30 years; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The probability figure used by the court (slightly above 1% over 30 years) is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The number of deaths in the 1941 overflow and the volume of the lake are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The donors behind the foundation that met the costs of the case are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No flood is recorded: the case concerned the risk of an overflow, not a flood that had occurred.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources conflict on the formal status of RWE's investment-treaty file: one records a withdrawal in autumn 2023, while the cited sources list its official status among open items.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"edf-spying-on-greenpeace","title":"EDF spying on Greenpeace (France)","dek":"In November 2011 a court in Nanterre fined the French utility EDF €1.5 million and ordered it to pay €500,000 to Greenpeace in a surveillance case. In February 2013 the Versailles appeal court acquitted EDF.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":48.89,"lon":2.21,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Nanterre","lat":48.89,"lon":2.21,"role":"court"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Versailles","lat":48.8,"lon":2.13,"role":"court"}],"start":2011,"end":2013,"eventDate":"2013-02-06","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"First-instance fine on EDF (Nanterre, November 2011)","value":"€1.5 million","note":"EDF and Pascal Durieux were acquitted on appeal at Versailles on 6 February 2013."},"happened":["The French utility Électricité de France (EDF) was convicted in 2011 over surveillance of the environmental organisation Greenpeace. On 10 November 2011 the Nanterre court convicted EDF of complicity in fraudulent access to a computer system, fined it €1.5 million and ordered it to pay €500,000 to Greenpeace. Two EDF security staff, Pascal Durieux and Pierre-Paul François, each received three-year prison terms, partly suspended.","On 6 February 2013 the Versailles appeal court acquitted EDF and Pascal Durieux. Only the conviction of Pierre-Paul François stood, with €5,000 in damages.","The cited sources do not state when the surveillance took place, how it was carried out, or what EDF or Greenpeace said about the case."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"10 Nov: Nanterre court convicts EDF, fines it €1.5 million and orders €500,000 to Greenpeace; two EDF security staff (Durieux, François) get three-year terms, partly suspended"},{"y":2013,"t":"6 Feb: Versailles appeal court acquits EDF and Pascal Durieux; one conviction (Pierre-Paul François) stands, with €5,000 in damages"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Nanterre court, November 2011: EDF fined €1.5 million and ordered to pay €500,000 to Greenpeace; two EDF security staff jailed.","src":2},{"t":"Versailles appeal court, 6 February 2013: EDF and Pascal Durieux acquitted. Only Pierre-Paul François's conviction stood, with €5,000 in damages.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2011–2013","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Conviction of EDF","v":"Overturned","d":"Acquitted on appeal at Versailles, 6 February 2013"},{"k":"Subject of the case","v":"Surveillance of an environmental organisation","d":"No harm to an ecosystem is recorded in this case"}]},"unknown":["The figures and sentences of the November 2011 judgment are on record without a linked primary source."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the case concerned surveillance of an organisation, and no harm to an ecosystem is recorded.","whoPaid":"The record states the first-instance amounts (fine of €1.5 million and €500,000 to Greenpeace). It does not record any payment after the 2013 acquittal of EDF.","statusLine":"Latest step in the cited sources: Versailles appeal court, 6 February 2013, acquitted EDF and Pascal Durieux; no later step is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"edf","role":"Defendant; French utility"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Organisation placed under surveillance; awarded damages at first instance"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was EDF criminally liable for the surveillance of Greenpeace?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Nanterre court (2011)","says":"Fined EDF €1.5 million and ordered it to pay €500,000 to Greenpeace; two EDF security staff were jailed.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Versailles appeal court (2013)","says":"Acquitted EDF and Pascal Durieux; only the conviction of Pierre-Paul François stood, with €5,000 in damages.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"EDF","says":"No statement in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"No statement in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EDF surveillance of Greenpeace: first instance","forum":"Nanterre court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Greenpeace","defendant":"EDF and two EDF security staff","filed":null,"decided":"2011-11","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1500000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Fine on EDF; plus €500,000 to Greenpeace"},"summary":"The Nanterre court convicted EDF of complicity in fraudulent access to a computer system on 10 November 2011, fined it €1.5 million and ordered it to pay €500,000 to Greenpeace. Two EDF security staff, Pascal Durieux and Pierre-Paul François, each received three-year prison terms, partly suspended.","src":2},{"title":"EDF surveillance of Greenpeace: appeal","forum":"Versailles appeal court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Greenpeace","defendant":"EDF; Pascal Durieux; Pierre-Paul François","filed":null,"decided":"2013-02-06","status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":5000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Damages on the conviction that stood"},"summary":"EDF and Pascal Durieux were acquitted. Only Pierre-Paul François's conviction stood, with €5,000 in damages.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":1500000,"unit":"EUR","year":2011,"note":"Fine imposed on EDF by the Nanterre court, November 2011; EDF was acquitted on appeal in 2013."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":500000,"unit":"EUR","year":2011,"note":"Damages ordered to Greenpeace at Nanterre, November 2011; outcome after the 2013 appeal is not recorded."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":5000,"unit":"EUR","year":2013,"note":"Damages on the one conviction that stood at Versailles, 6 February 2013."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"EDF was convicted in 2011 over surveillance of Greenpeace and acquitted on appeal in 2013; one individual's conviction stood.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EDF","what":"Acquitted on appeal at Versailles on 6 February 2013.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace","what":"EDF's conviction was overturned on appeal; first-instance damages of €500,000 are recorded for 2011.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Greenpeace","what":"The organisation placed under EDF's surveillance.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"France: Nanterre court (first instance) and Versailles appeal court.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Nanterre judgment in November 2011; Versailles judgment on 6 February 2013. Dates of the surveillance are not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state EDF's reasons for the surveillance.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not state how the surveillance was carried out.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Nuclear spying verdict overturned","p":"World Nuclear News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/nuclear-spying-verdict-overturned-(1)"},{"t":"Affaire du piratage informatique de Greenpeace par EDF","p":"Le Monde du Droit","d":"2013","u":"https://www.lemondedudroit.fr/pi-tic/300-protection-de-la-vie-privee/28600-affaire-du-piratage-informatique-de-greenpeace-par-edf.html","type":"press"},{"t":"EDF fined for hacking Greenpeace computers","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2011-11-11","u":"https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/edf-fined-for-hacking-greenpeace-computers","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was EDF criminally liable for the surveillance of Greenpeace?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"EDF: No statement in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Greenpeace: No statement in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The figures and sentences of the November 2011 judgment are on record without a linked primary source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Greenpeace"]},{"id":"pepsico-potato-variety-registration","title":"PepsiCo potato variety registration (India)","dek":"The registration of PepsiCo's FL-2027 potato variety in India was revoked in 2021. The Delhi High Court upheld the revocation in 2023, and a division bench of the same court set it aside in 2024.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":28.61,"lon":77.21,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Delhi","lat":28.61,"lon":77.21,"role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Court stages on PepsiCo's FL-2027 registration","value":"Revoked 2021; upheld 2023; set aside 2024","note":"As reported by LiveLaw and PotatoPro. The registration's final status after the 2024 ruling: none on record."},"happened":["The case concerns the registration of FL-2027, a potato variety of PepsiCo, in India. The registration was revoked in 2021.","In 2023 the Delhi High Court upheld the revocation, according to a LiveLaw report dated 2023.","In 2024 a division bench of the Delhi High Court set aside the 2021 revocation and restored PepsiCo's renewal application, according to PotatoPro and a LiveLaw report dated January 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Registration of PepsiCo's FL-2027 potato variety revoked"},{"y":2023,"t":"Delhi High Court upholds the revocation (LiveLaw, 2023)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Delhi High Court division bench sets aside the revocation and restores the renewal application (LiveLaw, January 2024; PotatoPro, 2024)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The registration of PepsiCo's FL-2027 potato variety was revoked in 2021.","src":2},{"t":"The Delhi High Court upheld the revocation of the registration (report dated 2023).","src":1},{"t":"A Delhi High Court division bench set aside the 2021 revocation and restored the renewal application (2024).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the outcome of the restored renewal application."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of 2024: a Delhi High Court division bench set aside the 2021 revocation and restored PepsiCo's renewal application; no later outcome on record.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"pepsico","role":"Holder of the FL-2027 potato variety registration"},{"id":"delhi-high-court","role":"Court that heard the revocation matter"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the revocation of the FL-2027 registration to stand?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Delhi High Court (2023 ruling)","says":"Upheld the revocation of the registration.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Delhi High Court, division bench (2024)","says":"Set aside the 2021 revocation and restored the renewal application.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Revocation of PepsiCo's FL-2027 potato variety registration: Delhi High Court (2023)","forum":"Delhi High Court","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"appeal","claimant":"PepsiCo (holder of the revoked registration)","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2023","status":"dismissed","summary":"The court upheld the revocation of the registration of PepsiCo's potato variety.","src":1},{"title":"Revocation of PepsiCo's FL-2027 potato variety registration: Delhi High Court division bench (2024)","forum":"Delhi High Court (division bench)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"appeal","claimant":"PepsiCo (holder of the revoked registration)","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The division bench set aside the 2021 revocation of the FL-2027 registration and restored the renewal application.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The registration of PepsiCo's FL-2027 potato variety in India was revoked in 2021, the revocation was upheld by the Delhi High Court in 2023, and a division bench set it aside in 2024, restoring the renewal application.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India; the Delhi High Court.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Revocation in 2021; court ruling reported in 2023; division bench ruling in 2024 (LiveLaw report dated January 2024).","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through rulings of the Delhi High Court: the 2023 ruling upheld the revocation; the 2024 division bench set it aside and restored the renewal application.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Delhi High Court: revocation of PepsiCo registration of potato variety","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2024-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/high-court/delhi-high-court/delhi-high-court-revocation-pepsico-registration-potato-variety-lays-chips-246298","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240110065216/https://www.livelaw.in/amp/high-court/delhi-high-court/delhi-high-court-revocation-pepsico-registration-potato-variety-lays-chips-246298"},{"t":"Delhi High Court: revocation of PepsiCo registration of potato variety","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/high-court/delhi-high-court/delhi-high-court-revocation-pepsico-registration-potato-variety-232297","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240203120731/https://www.livelaw.in/amp/high-court/delhi-high-court/delhi-high-court-revocation-pepsico-registration-potato-variety-232297"},{"t":"Delhi HC permits PepsiCo to claim patent for potato chips variety","p":"PotatoPro","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.potatopro.com/news/2024/delhi-hc-permits-pepsico-claim-patent-potato-chips-variety","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250808104511/https://www.potatopro.com/news/2024/delhi-hc-permits-pepsico-claim-patent-potato-chips-variety"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"plant-variety-registration","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the revocation of the FL-2027 registration to stand?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the outcome of the restored renewal application.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mar-menor-legal-personhood","title":"Mar Menor legal personhood (Spain)","dek":"In 2022 Spain's Law 19/2022 gave the Mar Menor coastal lagoon legal personality, after a popular legislative initiative with 639,826 signatures. The Constitutional Court upheld the law on 20 November 2024.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":37.72,"lon":-0.78,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","lat":37.72,"lon":-0.78,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-11-20","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Signatures on the popular legislative initiative","value":"639,826","note":"As reported by Público; the initiative led to Law 19/2022."},"happened":["In 2022 Spain adopted Law 19/2022, which recognised the Mar Menor lagoon as a legal person. The law came from a popular legislative initiative that collected 639,826 signatures, according to Público.","The Constitutional Court upheld the law on 20 November 2024 (ruling 142/2024), by 7 votes to 5, rejecting a challenge brought by Vox. Público reported the ruling under the headline that the Constitutional Court endorsed the law giving the Mar Menor legal personality.","In May 2026 Legal Today reported that the lagoon was exercising its legal personality for the first time, as victim and private prosecutor (acusación particular) in a criminal trial before the Provincial Court of Murcia sitting in Cartagena. The defendant, an agricultural businessman who administers two companies and is not named in the report, was accused of an environmental offence over unauthorised desalination plants whose brine and nitrate discharges reached the lagoon; the prosecution sought seven years in prison. No verdict is recorded as of October 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Law 19/2022 recognises the Mar Menor lagoon as a legal person, following a popular legislative initiative with 639,826 signatures"},{"y":2024,"t":"20 November: Constitutional Court upholds the law (ruling 142/2024, 7–5)"},{"y":2026,"t":"May: Legal Today reports the lagoon exercising its legal personality for the first time, in a trial over illegal discharges"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Law 19/2022 recognised the Mar Menor lagoon as a legal person; the law came from a popular legislative initiative with 639,826 signatures.","src":0},{"t":"The Constitutional Court upheld the law on 20 November 2024 (ruling 142/2024), by 7 votes to 5.","src":1},{"t":"In 2026 the lagoon took part for the first time as a party in a criminal trial over discharges, which Legal Today described as illegal.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["No ruling in the 2026 trial in which the lagoon is a party is recorded; the case was described as continuing.","Unconfirmed: jurists reportedly say that the remaining core of the law is its protection bodies and the right of anyone to bring a case."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of May 2026: the law stands after the 2024 Constitutional Court ruling, and the lagoon is a private prosecutor in a criminal trial over discharges before the Provincial Court of Murcia; no verdict recorded.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"tribunal-constitucional-es","role":"Court that upheld Law 19/2022"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the law giving the Mar Menor legal personality constitutional?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court (majority)","says":"Upheld Law 19/2022 on 20 November 2024.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court (five dissenting votes)","says":"Voted against upholding the law; the reasoning is not in the cited sources.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Constitutional challenge to Law 19/2022 (Mar Menor legal personality)","forum":"Constitutional Court of Spain","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"regulatory","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2024-11-20","status":"dismissed","summary":"The Constitutional Court upheld Law 19/2022, which recognised the Mar Menor lagoon as a legal person, by 7 votes to 5 (ruling 142/2024). The challenge was brought by Vox (Público).","src":1},{"title":"Criminal trial over discharges with the Mar Menor as a party","forum":"Provincial Court of Murcia, Fifth Section (Cartagena)","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public prosecutor; the Mar Menor lagoon as victim and private prosecutor","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Legal Today reported on 18 May 2026 that the lagoon was acting as private prosecutor for the first time, in the trial of an agricultural businessman, administrator of two companies, accused of an environmental offence for running unauthorised desalination plants whose brine and nitrate discharges reached the lagoon. The prosecution sought seven years in prison and €506,137.44 in compensation to the State. The defendant is not named in the source; no verdict is recorded.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"signatures","value":639826,"unit":"signatures","year":null,"note":"Popular legislative initiative that led to Law 19/2022."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Law 19/2022 recognised the Mar Menor lagoon as a legal person; the Constitutional Court upheld it in 2024; in 2026 the lagoon took part as a party in a criminal trial over illegal discharges.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Mar Menor lagoon, Spain.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law 19/2022 (2022); Constitutional Court ruling 20 November 2024; trial reported 18 May 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the popular legislative initiative with 639,826 signatures.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a law adopted after a popular legislative initiative, upheld by the Constitutional Court, then used by the lagoon as a party in a criminal trial.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"El Constitucional avala la ley que dota al Mar Menor de personalidad jurídica","p":"Público","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.publico.es/sociedad/constitucional-avala-ley-dota-mar-menor-personalidad-juridica.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251031210542/https://www.publico.es/sociedad/constitucional-avala-ley-dota-mar-menor-personalidad-juridica.html"},{"t":"Constitutional Court ruling on Law 19/2022, Official State Gazette BOE-A-2024-27140","p":"BOE / Tribunal Constitucional","d":"2024","type":"court","u":"https://hj.tribunalconstitucional.es/docs/BOE/BOE-A-2024-27140.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250210042455/https://hj.tribunalconstitucional.es/docs/BOE/BOE-A-2024-27140.pdf"},{"t":"El Mar Menor ejerce por primera vez su personalidad jurídica en un juicio contra vertidos ilegales","p":"Legal Today","d":"2026-05-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.legaltoday.com/actualidad-juridica/noticias-de-derecho/el-mar-menor-ejerce-por-primera-vez-su-personalidad-juridica-en-un-juicio-contra-vertidos-ilegale-2026-05-18/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618112235/https://www.legaltoday.com/actualidad-juridica/noticias-de-derecho/el-mar-menor-ejerce-por-primera-vez-su-personalidad-juridica-en-un-juicio-contra-vertidos-ilegale-2026-05-18/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"legal-personhood","related":["te-urewera-legal-personhood","los-cedros-mining-permits-annulled"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the law giving the Mar Menor legal personality constitutional?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling in the 2026 trial in which the lagoon is a party is recorded; the case was described as continuing.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: jurists reportedly say that the remaining core of the law is its protection bodies and the right of anyone to bring a case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"la-oroya-smelter-ruling","title":"La Oroya smelter ruling (Peru)","dek":"In March 2024 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex and for a lack of oversight. A separate arbitration claim of at least US$800 million by Renco against Peru was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.","country":"Peru","region":"Latin America","lat":-11.52,"lon":-75.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"La Oroya","lat":-11.52,"lon":-75.9,"role":"affected"}],"start":1997,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-03","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Arbitration claim by Renco against Peru, dismissed for lack of jurisdiction","value":"At least US$800 million","note":"Claimed amount as reported by Peru's Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF)."},"happened":["The case concerns lead pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex in Peru. The cited sources' case summary covers the period 1997 to 2024, names Doe Run Peru, a Renco company, as the operator, and lists an extended PAMA, with the same company continuing under the deadlines granted.","In March 2024 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for the pollution from the complex and for the lack of oversight, according to Mongabay Latam. The ruling assigned responsibility to the Peruvian state rather than to Renco. A summary of the ruling based on AIDA states that the court found the state had known of the problem for decades.","In a separate proceeding under the US–Peru trade agreement, Renco brought an arbitration claim of at least US$800 million against Peru. An international tribunal dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction; the MEF published the outcome under the headline “International tribunal rules in favor of Peru in La Oroya arbitration” (source dated July 2016). The cited sources give no payment by Renco in Peru."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Tribunal dismisses Renco's arbitration claim of at least US$800 million against Peru for lack of jurisdiction (MEF, July 2016)"},{"y":2024,"t":"March: Inter-American Court of Human Rights holds the Peruvian state responsible for pollution from the La Oroya complex and for the lack of oversight"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex and for the lack of oversight (March 2024).","src":0},{"t":"The court found that the state had known of the problem for decades (AIDA).","src":1},{"t":"Renco's arbitration claim of at least US$800 million against Peru under the US–Peru trade agreement was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Lead pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex is recorded in the case summary, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for the pollution and the lack of oversight. The cited sources give no measurements.","report":[{"t":"I carried lead pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex.","src":0},{"t":"In March 2024 the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for that pollution and for the lack of oversight.","src":0}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give no payment by Renco in Peru."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"The Inter-American Court assigned responsibility to the Peruvian state; the cited sources give no payment by Renco in Peru.","statusLine":"As of March 2024: the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for the La Oroya pollution; no payment by Renco in Peru on record.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"Peru, Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF)","says":"Published the arbitration outcome under the headline “International tribunal rules in favor of Peru in La Oroya arbitration.”","when":"2016-07","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"renco-group","role":"Parent of Doe Run Peru; claimant in the arbitration against Peru"},{"id":"doe-run-peru","role":"Operator of the La Oroya complex (Renco company)"},{"id":"peru-state","role":"Respondent state held responsible by the Inter-American Court"},{"id":"inter-american-court-hr","role":"Court that issued the March 2024 ruling"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is responsible for the pollution from the La Oroya complex?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Inter-American Court of Human Rights","says":"Held the Peruvian state responsible for the pollution and for the lack of oversight, and not Renco (March 2024).","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Renco","says":"Brought an arbitration claim of at least US$800 million against Peru under the US–Peru trade agreement; the claim was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Peru, Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF)","says":"Published the tribunal's ruling in its favour in the La Oroya arbitration.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"La Oroya case: Inter-American Court of Human Rights (2024)","forum":"Inter-American Court of Human Rights","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"international","claimant":null,"defendant":"Peruvian state","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court held the Peruvian state responsible for pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex and for the lack of oversight. A summary based on AIDA states the court found the state had known of the problem for decades. Claimants are not on record.","src":0},{"title":"Renco v. Peru: arbitration under the US–Peru trade agreement","forum":"International arbitral tribunal (US–Peru trade agreement)","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Renco","defendant":"Peru","filed":null,"decided":"2016-07","status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":800,"currency":"USD","label":"At least US$800 million claimed (US$ million)"},"summary":"The tribunal dismissed Renco's claim of at least US$800 million for lack of jurisdiction.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":800,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Amount of Renco's arbitration claim against Peru, dismissed for lack of jurisdiction."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Inter-American Court of Human Rights held the Peruvian state responsible for lead pollution from the La Oroya metallurgical complex and for the lack of oversight; Renco's separate arbitration claim of at least US$800 million against Peru was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Peruvian state","what":"Held responsible by the Inter-American Court for the pollution and the lack of oversight.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"La Oroya, Peru.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Case summary period 1997–2024; arbitration outcome dated July 2016; Inter-American Court ruling March 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through a ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and, separately, an arbitration under the US–Peru trade agreement in which Renco's claim was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Corte internacional condena a Perú por contaminación ambiental en La Oroya","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2024-03","type":"press","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2024/03/corte-internacional-condena-a-peru-por-contaminacion-ambiental-oroya/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607175122/https://es.mongabay.com/2024/03/corte-internacional-condena-a-peru-por-contaminacion-ambiental-oroya/"},{"t":"Inter-American Court ruling in La Oroya case sets key precedent for protection of healthy environment","p":"AIDA","d":"2024-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://aida-americas.org/en/press/inter-american-court-ruling-la-oroya-case-sets-key-precedent-protection-healthy-environment","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615140650/https://aida-americas.org/en/press/inter-american-court-ruling-la-oroya-case-sets-key-precedent-protection-healthy-environment"},{"t":"International tribunal rules in favor of Peru in La Oroya arbitration","p":"Ministry of Economy and Finance of Peru (MEF)","d":"2016-07","type":"official","u":"https://mef.gob.pe/es/noticias/4562-international-tribunal-rules-in-favor-of-peru-in-la-oroya-arbitration"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"litigation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who is responsible for the pollution from the La Oroya complex?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no payment by Renco in Peru.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"great-nicobar-project-compensatory-afforestation","title":"Great Nicobar project compensatory afforestation (India)","dek":"About 130 km² of tropical forest on Great Nicobar island was set aside for an airport, port, power plant and city, with the compensatory afforestation planned about 2,400 km away in Haryana. On 20 June 2023 a Haryana village's land was placed under protection, and the state's mining department auctioned a quarter of it the same day.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":7,"lon":93.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Great Nicobar island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands","lat":7,"lon":93.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Rajawas village, Haryana","role":"affected"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-06-20","instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Distance between the forest set aside and the compensatory planting site","value":"about 2,400 km","note":"As reported by The Tribune; the forest area is given as 130 km²."},"happened":["According to The Tribune and The Wire, about 130 km² of tropical forest on Great Nicobar island was being set aside for an airport, a port, a power plant and a city. The compensatory afforestation for this diversion was to be carried out in the state of Haryana, about 2,400 km from the island.","In Rajawas village in Haryana, 506 acres of land were placed under protection on 20 June 2023. On the same day the state's mining department put a quarter of this land up for auction. The department said it had not known that the land was protected forest. The National Green Tribunal opened a case on its own motion (suo motu). The Tribune reported on 11 April 2025 that the Great Nicobar swap was under scrutiny.","The record also holds figures on India's compulsory afforestation fund (CAMPA) in other places. A committee set up by the Supreme Court reported in 2025 that 26,001 crore rupees of the 38,516 crore approved in 2019–2024 had been spent, which it put at 67.5%. In Uttarakhand the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found that the fund had been used for iPhones, laptops, a refrigerator, renovation and a tiger safari. The state said the diversion was about 1.8% of the fund and an error of judgment. On 19 March 2025 the Supreme Court described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file. A 2013 CAG report found that 7% of the area due to be planted in 2006–2012 had been planted.","A 2017 report by CFR-LA (Community Forest Rights-Learning and Advocacy), a forest rights network, found that more than 70% of 2,479 plantations in 10 states had been made on forest land contrary to the rules, and that all 52 plantations examined in three states were on community land that had been given to village councils. In Bakingia village, 40,000 saplings were planted on about 200 hectares while a community rights claim by 84 families was pending; villagers said nobody had spoken to them."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"CAG report: 7% of the area due to be planted in 2006–2012 had been planted"},{"y":2015,"t":"Planting at Bakingia village, Kandhamal, on about 200 ha while a community rights claim by 84 families was pending (period given as 2015 onwards)"},{"y":2017,"t":"CFR-LA report on 2,479 plantations in 10 states"},{"y":2023,"t":"20 June: 506 acres at Rajawas, Haryana, placed under protection; a quarter auctioned by the state mining department the same day; National Green Tribunal opens a suo motu case"},{"y":2025,"t":"19 March: Supreme Court closes the Uttarakhand CAMPA file, calling the deviations trivial in nature; 11 April: The Tribune reports the Great Nicobar swap is under scrutiny; Supreme Court committee reports 26,001 of 38,516 crore rupees spent in 2019–2024"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The forest set aside on Great Nicobar was to be compensated by afforestation in Haryana","who":"As reported by The Tribune and The Wire","src":0},{"t":"The Uttarakhand fund diversion was about 1.8% of the fund and an error of judgment","who":"State of Uttarakhand","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Forest set aside on Great Nicobar: about 130 km²; compensatory planting site in Haryana about 2,400 km away","src":0},{"t":"Rajawas, Haryana: 506 acres placed under protection on 20 June 2023; a quarter of the land auctioned for mining the same day; the mining department said it had not known the land was protected forest","src":0},{"t":"Supreme Court committee, 2025: 26,001 of 38,516 crore rupees approved in 2019–2024 spent (67.5%)","src":3},{"t":"Uttarakhand: CAG found the fund used for iPhones, laptops, a refrigerator, renovation and a tiger safari; Supreme Court closed the file on 19 March 2025","src":4},{"t":"CFR-LA, 2017: more than 70% of 2,479 plantations in 10 states on forest land contrary to the rules","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest set aside on Great Nicobar","v":"about 130 km²","d":"Tropical forest for an airport, port, power plant and city (The Tribune; The Wire)"},{"k":"Distance to the compensatory planting site","v":"about 2,400 km","d":"Rajawas area, Haryana (The Tribune)"},{"k":"Land protected and then auctioned","v":"a quarter of 506 acres","d":"Rajawas, Haryana, 20 June 2023 (The Tribune)"}]},"unknown":["Uttarakhand: no institution or person was recorded as paying a fine; the court imposed no penalty and the state said it had started disciplinary action against some staff.","Unconfirmed: LiveLaw reported in February 2026 that the National Green Tribunal did not interfere with the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar project, citing strategic importance, and mentioned about one million trees."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The case before the National Green Tribunal on the Rajawas land was recorded as ongoing.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of April 2025 (latest verified source): the National Green Tribunal had opened a suo motu case on the Rajawas land; no ruling found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"haryana-mining-dept","says":"Said it did not know the land was protected forest.","when":"2023–2025","src":0},{"actor":"uttarakhand-gov","says":"Said the diversion was about 1.8% of the fund and an error of judgment.","when":"2022–2025","src":null},{"actor":"india-supreme-court","says":"Described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file.","when":"2025-03-19","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"haryana-mining-dept","role":"State body that auctioned part of the Rajawas land"},{"id":"ngt-india","role":"Tribunal that opened a suo motu case on Rajawas"},{"id":"cag-india","role":"Auditor that reported on the compensatory afforestation fund"},{"id":"supreme-court-of-india","role":"Court that closed the Uttarakhand fund file"},{"id":"uttarakhand-gov","role":"State whose fund use the CAG examined"},{"id":"cfr-la","role":"Forest rights network that reported on plantations"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the Rajawas land known to be protected forest when part of it was auctioned?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Haryana state mining department","says":"Said it did not know the land was protected forest.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"National Green Tribunal","says":"Opened a case on its own motion.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Tribune","says":"Reported that the land was placed under protection on 20 June 2023 and a quarter of it was auctioned for mining the same day.","src":0}]},{"point":"Was the use of the Uttarakhand compensatory afforestation fund a serious diversion?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Comptroller and Auditor General of India","says":"Found the fund used for iPhones, laptops, a refrigerator, renovation and a tiger safari.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"State of Uttarakhand","says":"Said the diversion was about 1.8% of the fund and an error of judgment.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of India","says":"Described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file on 19 March 2025.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Were compensatory plantations made on land and in a way that the rules allowed?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"CFR-LA (forest rights network)","says":"Found more than 70% of 2,479 plantations in 10 states on forest land contrary to the rules, and all 52 plantations examined in three states on community land given to village councils (2017).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Villagers of Bakingia","says":"Said nobody had spoken to them before 40,000 saplings were planted on about 200 hectares while the claim of 84 families was pending.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Rajawas land (suo motu)","forum":"National Green Tribunal","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"National Green Tribunal (on its own motion)","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The tribunal opened a case on its own motion after the Rajawas land was placed under protection and a quarter of it was auctioned for mining on the same day (20 June 2023). The case was recorded as ongoing; no ruling found.","src":0},{"title":"Uttarakhand compensatory afforestation fund diversion","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":"State of Uttarakhand","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03-19","status":"unknown","summary":"After the CAG found the fund used for iPhones, laptops, a refrigerator, renovation and a tiger safari, the court described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file on 19 March 2025. The court imposed no penalty; the state said it had started disciplinary action against some staff.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_diverted_km2","value":130,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tropical forest on Great Nicobar set aside for an airport, port, power plant and city (The Tribune; The Wire)."},{"key":"distance_to_offset_km","value":2400,"unit":"km","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Distance from Great Nicobar to the compensatory planting site in Haryana (The Tribune)."},{"key":"offset_land_acres","value":506,"unit":"acres","year":2023,"note":"Land at Rajawas, Haryana, placed under protection on 20 June 2023; a quarter was auctioned for mining the same day."},{"key":"campa_approved","value":38516,"unit":"INR crore","year":2024,"note":"Approved in 2019–2024, per the 2025 report of the Supreme Court committee."},{"key":"campa_spent","value":26001,"unit":"INR crore","year":2024,"note":"Spent in 2019–2024, per the same report, which put it at 67.5% of the approved amount."},{"key":"plantations_surveyed","value":2479,"unit":"plantations","year":2017,"note":"CFR-LA report: more than 70% were on forest land contrary to the rules (10 states)."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":40000,"unit":"saplings","year":2015,"note":"Bakingia village, Kandhamal, on about 200 ha, with the claim of 84 families pending."},{"key":"area_planted_share","value":7,"unit":"%","year":2013,"note":"CAG 2013 report: share of the area due to be planted in 2006–2012 that had been planted."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forest on Great Nicobar was set aside for an airport, port, power plant and city, with compensatory afforestation planned in Haryana; land at Rajawas placed under protection for this purpose was partly auctioned for mining on the same day.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers of Bakingia (84 families)","what":"About 200 ha were planted with 40,000 saplings while their community rights claim was pending; they said nobody had spoken to them (a separate compensatory planting site in Kandhamal).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Great Nicobar island (forest set aside); Rajawas village, Haryana, about 2,400 km away (compensatory land).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Land protected and part auctioned on 20 June 2023; The Tribune reported on it on 11 April 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The forest was set aside for an airport, a port, a power plant and a city.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Compensatory afforestation was to be carried out on land in Haryana; a quarter of the Rajawas land was auctioned by the state mining department the day it was placed under protection.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Great Nicobar swap under scanner as Haryana auctions forest land for mining","p":"The Tribune","d":"2025-04-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/great-nicobar-swap-under-scanner-as-haryana-auctions-forest-land-for-mining","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260629200707/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/great-nicobar-swap-under-scanner-as-haryana-auctions-forest-land-for-mining/"},{"t":"Great Nicobar Island project, 130 sq km forest area","p":"The Wire","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://thewire.in/environment/great-nicobar-island-project-130-sq-km-forest-area","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251014164107/https://thewire.in/environment/great-nicobar-island-project-130-sq-km-forest-area"},{"t":"NGT, environmental clearance, Great Nicobar Island project","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2026-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/news-updates/ngt-environmental-clearance-great-nicobar-island-project-endangered-species-high-powered-committee-225842","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230424165423/https://www.livelaw.in/amp/news-updates/ngt-environmental-clearance-great-nicobar-island-project-endangered-species-high-powered-committee-225842"},{"t":"India raised compensatory afforestation: CAMPA spending against approved outlay, 2019-20 to 2023-24 (Central Empowered Committee report)","p":"ETV Bharat","d":"2025-07-28","u":"https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/india-raised-compensatory-afforestation-enn25072802476","type":"press"},{"t":"Supreme Court on Uttarakhand's alleged CAMPA funds misutilisation for iPhones, laptops: deviations trivial","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2025-03-19","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/supreme-court-uttarakhand-explanation-on-alleged-campa-funds-misutilization-for-buying-iphones-laptops-deviations-trivial-286904","type":"press"},{"t":"In 10 states, compensatory afforestation is violating forest rights and conservation laws (CFR-LA interim report)","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2017-11-15","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/forests/in-10-states-compensatory-afforestation-violating-forest-rights-and-conservation-laws-59122","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 130 km² of my tropical forest on Great Nicobar was set aside for an airport, port, power plant and city; the compensatory planting site is about 2,400 km away in Haryana, The Tribune reports.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Were compensatory plantations made on land and in a way that the rules allowed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Rajawas land known to be protected forest when part of it was auctioned?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the use of the Uttarakhand compensatory afforestation fund a serious diversion?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Uttarakhand compensatory afforestation fund diversion: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Uttarakhand: no institution or person was recorded as paying a fine; the court imposed no penalty and the state said it had started disciplinary action against some staff.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: LiveLaw reported in February 2026 that the National Green Tribunal did not interfere with the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar project, citing strategic importance, and mentioned about one million trees.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Villagers of Bakingia (84 families)"]},{"id":"indus-waters-treaty-suspension","title":"Indus Waters Treaty suspension","dek":"India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in April 2025. In August 2025 a Court of Arbitration issued an award on the treaty's general interpretation, which Pakistan welcomed and India did not recognise.","country":"India / Pakistan","region":"Asia","lat":31,"lon":72,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","role":"affected"}],"start":2025,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-04","instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Status of the treaty","value":"Suspended by India (April 2025)","note":"India keeps the treaty suspended and does not recognise the Court of Arbitration (award of August 2025)."},"happened":["In April 2025 India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan. Al Jazeera reported on the suspension on 24 April 2025.","In August 2025 a Court of Arbitration rendered an award on the issues of general interpretation of the treaty. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the award. India keeps the treaty suspended and does not recognise the court.","As background on the basin, a NASA Earth Observatory summary of 24 July 2015 described a satellite study (GRACE) of the world's 37 largest aquifers in 2003–2013. It found eight overstressed, the worst being the Arabian Aquifer System (60 million people), followed by the Indus and Murzuk-Djado."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"24 July: NASA Earth Observatory summary of the GRACE aquifer study (2003–2013), listing the Indus among the most stressed aquifers"},{"y":2025,"t":"April: India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty (Al Jazeera, 24 April)"},{"y":2025,"t":"August: Court of Arbitration award on general interpretation of the treaty; Pakistan welcomes it; India does not recognise the court"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in April 2025 and, as of August 2025, kept it suspended","src":0},{"t":"A Court of Arbitration rendered an award on the issues of general interpretation of the treaty in August 2025; India does not recognise the court","src":1},{"t":"GRACE study, 2003–2013: 8 of the 37 largest aquifers overstressed; the Indus ranked among the three worst after the Arabian Aquifer System","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Aquifers overstressed (GRACE, 2003–2013)","v":"8 of 37","d":"The Indus aquifer was listed after the Arabian Aquifer System as one of the worst (NASA Earth Observatory, 2015)"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"As of August 2025, the latest record, India kept the treaty suspended.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: India kept the treaty suspended and did not recognise the Court of Arbitration's award; no further development found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"pakistan-mofa","says":"Welcomed the award of the Court of Arbitration on the issues of general interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty.","when":"2025-08","src":1},{"actor":"india-gov","says":"Keeps the treaty suspended and does not recognise the Court of Arbitration.","when":"2025-08","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Suspended the treaty"},{"id":"pakistan-mofa","role":"Welcomed the Court of Arbitration award"},{"id":"indus-court-of-arbitration","role":"Issued the August 2025 award"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Published the GRACE aquifer summary (context)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the Court of Arbitration's August 2025 award recognised?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Pakistan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)","says":"Welcomed the award of the Court of Arbitration on the issues of general interpretation of the treaty.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of India","says":"Keeps the treaty suspended and does not recognise the court.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Arbitration","says":"Rendered an award on the issues of general interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty (August 2025).","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Indus Waters Treaty, general interpretation","forum":"Court of Arbitration","country":"India / Pakistan","iso2":null,"kind":"arbitration","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2025-08","status":"unknown","summary":"The court rendered an award on the issues of general interpretation of the treaty in August 2025. Pakistan welcomed it; India does not recognise the court. The parties to the proceedings are not on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"aquifers_overstressed","value":8,"unit":"aquifers","year":2015,"note":"GRACE satellite study of the 37 largest aquifers, 2003–2013 (NASA Earth Observatory, 24 July 2015). The Indus was listed among the three worst, after the Arabian Aquifer System (60 million people) and before Murzuk-Djado."},{"key":"aquifers_assessed","value":37,"unit":"aquifers","year":2015,"note":"Same study."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty in April 2025; a Court of Arbitration issued an award on its general interpretation in August 2025, which India did not recognise.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India and Pakistan (the Indus basin).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Suspension in April 2025; Court of Arbitration award in August 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":null,"src":null},"how":{"t":"India suspended the treaty and does not recognise the Court of Arbitration; Pakistan welcomed the award.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Kashmir attack: does India's Indus Waters Treaty freeze threaten Pakistan? (title taken from the article address)","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-04-24","type":"press","u":"https://aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/24/kashmir-attack-does-indias-indus-waters-treaty-freeze-threaten-pakistan","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922164130/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/24/kashmir-attack-does-indias-indus-waters-treaty-freeze-threaten-pakistan"},{"t":"Pakistan welcomes the award rendered by the Court of Arbitration on the issues of general interpretation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)","p":"Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs","d":"2025-08","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://mofa.gov.pk/press-releases/pakistan-welcomes-the-award-rendered-by-the-court-of-arbitration-on-the-issues-of-general-interpretation-of-the-indus-waters-treaty-iwt","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250816184149/https://mofa.gov.pk/press-releases/pakistan-welcomes-the-award-rendered-by-the-court-of-arbitration-on-the-issues-of-general-interpretation-of-the-indus-waters-treaty-iwt"},{"t":"Global groundwater basins in distress","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2015-07-24","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/global-groundwater-basins-in-distress-86263/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260905174346/https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/global-groundwater-basins-in-distress-86263/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the Court of Arbitration's August 2025 award recognised?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Indus Waters Treaty, general interpretation: outcome not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mau-forest-loss-and-forest-excisions","title":"Mau Forest loss and forest excisions (Kenya)","dek":"Satellite data showed the Mau Forest lost 19% of its tree cover in 2001–2022. Kenya's Forest Service said satellite images did not reflect the situation on the ground, and the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ruled on the eviction of the Ogiek people from the forest.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-0.5,"lon":35.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Mau Forest","lat":-0.5,"lon":35.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Nakuru","role":"court"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Narok","role":"court"}],"start":2001,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Tree cover lost in the Mau Forest, 2001–2022","value":"19% (533 km²)","note":"Global Forest Watch satellite data, as reported by Mongabay and Kenyans.co.ke; the Kenya Forest Service disputed the use of satellite images."},"happened":["The Mau Forest is described by Mongabay as Kenya's largest water-capturing forest. Satellite data from Global Forest Watch (GFW) showed a loss of 19% of its tree cover, or 533 km², in 2001–2022. According to Mongabay, the loss fell in 2021–22 and rose in 2023. When GFW showed more than 19% loss, the Kenya Forest Service said satellite images did not reflect the situation on the ground (Kenyans.co.ke, 28 November 2024). The 2024 National Forest Status Report estimated 84,716 hectares of deforestation and 14,934 hectares of degradation a year for the whole country.","On the Ogiek people of the Mau Forest, the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights issued a merits judgment on 26 May 2017 finding violations of Articles 2, 8, 14, 17, 21 and 22. It issued a reparations judgment in June 2022 ordering compensation and collective land titles; the compensation was recorded as 157.85 million Kenya shillings. Evictions had restarted in 2020. In November 2023 the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Wildlife Service evicted more than 700 people from the Mau. Courts in Nakuru (10 November) and Narok (23 November) issued orders halting the evictions.","Kenya's forest figures differ by definition. The Kenya Forest Service's 2021 assessment gave forest cover as 8.83% and tree cover, which also counts trees outside official forests, as 12.13%; the Service defines forest as at least 0.5 ha, 15% crown cover and 2 m height. The constitutional target of 10% is tied to tree cover. A fact-checking site found a claim by then President Kenyatta, that cover rose from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022, to be false: 6.99% was 2010 data, and another official report gave 5.60% for 2013 and 5.90% for 2018. The government's target is 30% tree cover and 15 billion trees by 2032.","In July 2023 President Ruto lifted the 2018 ban on tree felling; a court set the decision aside in October 2023. On 13 November 2023 the government set a one-day target of 100 million seedlings for a national tree-planting day."],"timeline":[{"y":2001,"t":"Start of the period over which GFW recorded a 19% tree cover loss in the Mau Forest (to 2022)"},{"y":2017,"t":"26 May: African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights merits judgment on the Ogiek (violations of Articles 2, 8, 14, 17, 21, 22)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Kenya-wide ban on tree felling introduced"},{"y":2020,"t":"Evictions of the Ogiek restart"},{"y":2022,"t":"June: reparations judgment (compensation and collective land titles)"},{"y":2023,"t":"July: tree felling ban lifted; October: court sets the decision aside; 10 and 23 November: Nakuru and Narok courts halt evictions of more than 700 people; 13 November: national tree-planting day with a target of 100 million seedlings"},{"y":2024,"t":"28 November: Kenyans.co.ke reports GFW data and the Forest Service response"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Forest cover rose from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022","who":"President Uhuru Kenyatta, 1 June 2022 (found false by a fact-checking site)","src":null},{"t":"A one-day target of 100 million seedlings on the national tree-planting day","who":"Government of Kenya, 13 November 2023","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Mau Forest tree cover loss 2001–2022: 19%, 533 km² (GFW); loss fell in 2021–22 and rose in 2023","src":0},{"t":"African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights: merits judgment 26 May 2017; reparations judgment June 2022","src":4},{"t":"More than 700 people evicted from the Mau by the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Wildlife Service in November 2023; Nakuru and Narok courts halted the evictions","src":5},{"t":"National estimate, 2024: 84,716 ha of deforestation and 14,934 ha of degradation a year","src":6},{"t":"Official forest cover 8.83% and tree cover 12.13% (2021 data)","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"KES","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mau Forest tree cover lost, 2001–2022","v":"19% (533 km²)","d":"Global Forest Watch satellite data; the Forest Service said satellite images do not reflect conditions on the ground"},{"k":"National deforestation estimate (2024 report)","v":"84,716 ha a year","d":"Plus 14,934 ha of degradation a year; whole country"},{"k":"Official forest cover vs tree cover (2021 data)","v":"8.83% vs 12.13%","d":"Different definitions; the constitutional 10% target is tied to tree cover"}]},"unknown":["No record was found of the number of seedlings actually planted on the 13 November 2023 tree-planting day.","Unconfirmed: the 2001 de-gazettement of about 59,000–67,000 ha of Kenyan forest, including 35,301 ha from East Mau, by gazette notice, and a finding by the Ndung'u Commission in 2005 that most forest-land allocations ignored ecological effects (BirdLife data zone).","Unconfirmed: Ogiek community representatives said the 2022 reparations judgment had not been implemented (Nation).","Unconfirmed: some organisations linked the November 2023 destruction of Ogiek homes in the Mau to carbon deals; a direct link was not established in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: a figure of about 6.7% for Kenyan forest cover under the FAO definition."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement"],"harmStopped":"Evictions were halted by court orders in November 2023; Mau tree cover loss rose in 2023 after falling in 2021–22.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of November 2024 (latest Mau-specific record): GFW data showed a 19% loss of tree cover in 2001–2022, which the Forest Service disputed; no record of implementation of the 2022 reparations judgment was verified.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"kfs","says":"Said satellite images do not reflect the real situation on the ground, in response to GFW data showing more than 19% loss in 2001–2022.","when":"2024-11","src":1},{"actor":"kenya-gov","says":"Lifted the tree felling ban in July 2023; a court set the decision aside in October 2023.","when":"2023-07","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"kfs","role":"Forest authority; carried out the November 2023 evictions with the Kenya Wildlife Service"},{"id":"kws","role":"Carried out the November 2023 evictions with the Kenya Forest Service"},{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Government of Kenya; party to the African Court case"},{"id":"african-court-hpr","role":"Court that ruled on the Ogiek case"},{"id":"gfw","role":"Satellite data on tree cover loss"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much tree cover has the Mau Forest lost?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Global Forest Watch","says":"Showed more than 19% loss of tree cover in 2001–2022 (19%, 533 km²).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Reported that the loss fell in 2021–22 and rose in 2023, according to satellite data.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service","says":"Said satellite images do not reflect the real situation on the ground.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kenya (National Forest Status Report 2024)","says":"Estimated 84,716 ha of deforestation and 14,934 ha of degradation a year nationally.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much of Kenya is forest?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service (2021 assessment)","says":"Forest cover 8.83%; tree cover, which also counts trees outside official forests, 12.13%; its forest definition requires at least 0.5 ha, 15% crown cover and 2 m height.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Uhuru Kenyatta","says":"Said cover rose from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022 (1 June 2022).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A fact-checking site","says":"Found the claim false: 6.99% was 2010 data, and another official report gave 5.60% for 2013 and 5.90% for 2018.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Isaac Kalua, then chair of the Water Towers body (opinion piece)","says":"Wrote that 7.1% had been corrected to 7.2% without explanation and that agencies were under pressure to meet the 10% target.","src":null}]},{"point":"Were the Ogiek lawfully evicted from the Mau Forest?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights","says":"Found violations of Articles 2, 8, 14, 17, 21 and 22 (26 May 2017) and ordered compensation and collective land titles (June 2022).","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Courts in Nakuru and Narok","says":"Issued orders halting the November 2023 evictions (10 and 23 November 2023).","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service","says":"Carried out the November 2023 evictions of more than 700 people; no statement of their own recorded.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ogiek of the Mau Forest","forum":"African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Ogiek community","defendant":"Government of Kenya","filed":null,"decided":"2022-06","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":157.85,"currency":"KES","label":"million Kenya shillings, compensation as recorded"},"summary":"Merits judgment on 26 May 2017 found violations of Articles 2, 8, 14, 17, 21 and 22. A reparations judgment in June 2022 ordered compensation and collective land titles. Evictions had restarted in 2020. Whether the judgment has been implemented is not on record.","src":4},{"title":"Evictions of more than 700 people from the Mau, November 2023","forum":"Courts in Nakuru and Narok","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":null,"defendant":"Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service","filed":null,"decided":"2023-11-23","status":"unknown","summary":"After the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Wildlife Service evicted more than 700 people in November 2023, courts in Nakuru (10 November) and Narok (23 November) issued orders halting the evictions. The parties who sought the orders are not on record.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tree_cover_loss_pct","value":19,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Mau Forest tree cover loss 2001–2022 (GFW; Mongabay). The Forest Service disputed the use of satellite images."},{"key":"tree_cover_loss_km2","value":533,"unit":"km²","year":2022,"note":"Same period."},{"key":"deforestation_national_ha_per_year","value":84716,"unit":"ha per year","year":2024,"note":"National estimate in the 2024 National Forest Status Report; degradation 14,934 ha per year. Whole country, not the Mau only."},{"key":"displaced","value":700,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Evicted from the Mau by the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Wildlife Service in November 2023."},{"key":"compensation","value":157.85,"unit":"KES m","year":2022,"note":"Compensation ordered by the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights (reparations judgment); payment not stated in the cited sources."},{"key":"forest_cover_pct","value":8.83,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Kenya Forest Service 2021 assessment, national; tree cover 12.13%."},{"key":"tree_cover_target_pct","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2032,"note":"Government target of 30% tree cover and 15 billion trees by 2032."},{"key":"trees_planted_reported","value":900000000,"unit":"planting reports","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Government planting reports as of February 2026, national."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Mau Forest lost 19% of its tree cover in 2001–2022 according to satellite data; the Kenya Forest Service disputed the data. The Ogiek people were evicted, an African court ruled on the evictions, and further evictions in November 2023 were halted by courts.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The Ogiek people and others evicted from the Mau","what":"The African Court found violations of their rights (2017) and ordered compensation and collective land titles (2022); more than 700 people were evicted in November 2023.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"The Mau Forest, Kenya; evictions subject to courts in Nakuru and Narok.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Tree cover loss 2001–2022; African Court judgments 2017 and 2022; evictions November 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":null,"src":null},"how":{"t":"Tree cover loss was measured by satellite (GFW); evictions were carried out by the Kenya Forest Service and the Kenya Wildlife Service.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Deforestation continues in Kenya's largest water-capturing forest, satellites show","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-continues-in-kenyas-largest-water-capturing-forest-satellites-show/"},{"t":"Satellite images expose hidden crisis in Mau Forest","p":"Kenyans.co.ke","d":"2024-11-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250124045158/https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest"},{"t":"Mau Forest Complex, Important Bird Area factsheet (cited for the 2001 excisions)","p":"BirdLife DataZone","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mau-forest-complex-iba-kenya/text","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231112093143/https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mau-forest-complex-iba-kenya/text"},{"t":"What is happening in Mau Forest after the eviction of illegal settlers (cited for implementation of the Ogiek judgment)","p":"Nation","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://nation.africa/kenya/news/what-is-happening-in-mau-forest-after-the-eviction-of-illegal-settlers--288750","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211111080343/https://nation.africa/kenya/news/what-is-happening-in-mau-forest-after-the-eviction-of-illegal-settlers--288750"},{"t":"African Court rules in favor of Indigenous land titles, reparations from the Kenyan govt","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-06","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/african-court-rules-in-favor-of-indigenous-land-titles-reparations-from-the-kenyan-govt","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260212154539/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/african-court-rules-in-favor-of-indigenous-land-titles-reparations-from-the-kenyan-govt/"},{"t":"Violent evictions are latest ordeal for Kenya's Ogiek seeking land rights","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-12","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/violent-evictions-are-latest-ordeal-for-kenyas-ogiek-seeking-land-rights/","type":"press"},{"t":"New report shows Kenya losing Sh534 billion annually to deforestation, forest degradation (Forest Status Report 2024)","p":"The Eastleigh Voice","d":"2025-02-13","u":"https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/climate action/114732/new-report-shows-kenya-losing-sh534-billion-annually-to-deforestation-forest-degradation","type":"press"},{"t":"Kenya's forest push faces enforcement gaps and policy contradictions, experts warn","p":"AllAfrica","d":"2026-02-16","u":"https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218040125/https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html"},{"t":"Court stops eviction of Ogiek from Mau forest (Environment and Land Court, Nakuru, interim orders of 10 November 2023)","p":"The Standard (Kenya)","d":"2023-11-30","u":"https://standardmedia.co.ke/sports/amp/rift-valley/article/2001486420/www.digger.co.ke","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["ogiek-mau-forest-evictions"],"natureLead":{"t":"My Mau Forest lost 19% of its tree cover, 533 km², in 2001–2022, by Global Forest Watch satellite data; the Kenya Forest Service says satellite images do not reflect the ground.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much tree cover has the Mau Forest lost?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of Kenya is forest?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the Ogiek lawfully evicted from the Mau Forest?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service: Carried out the November 2023 evictions of more than 700 people; no statement of their own recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Evictions of more than 700 people from the Mau, November 2023: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found of the number of seedlings actually planted on the 13 November 2023 tree-planting day.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2001 de-gazettement of about 59,000–67,000 ha of Kenyan forest, including 35,301 ha from East Mau, by gazette notice, and a finding by the Ndung'u Commission in 2005 that most forest-land allocations ignored ecological effects (BirdLife data zone).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ogiek community representatives said the 2022 reparations judgment had not been implemented (Nation).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: some organisations linked the November 2023 destruction of Ogiek homes in the Mau to carbon deals; a direct link was not established in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a figure of about 6.7% for Kenyan forest cover under the FAO definition.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: The Ogiek people and others evicted from the Mau"]},{"id":"redcycle-soft-plastics-collapse","title":"REDcycle soft plastics collapse (Australia)","dek":"REDcycle, a soft-plastic collection programme run with the supermarkets Coles and Woolworths, was wound up on 27 February 2023. Reports said it had stockpiled more than 12,000 tonnes of collected plastic in warehouses.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-34,"lon":142,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Victoria","role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"South Australia","role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2023-02-27","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Soft plastic reported stockpiled when the programme was wound up","value":"More than 12,000 tonnes","note":"As reported by The New Daily, 27 February 2023, in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia."},"happened":["REDcycle ran a soft-plastic recycling programme with the Australian supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths. Plastic collected through the programme was held in warehouses.","REDcycle was wound up on 27 February 2023. The New Daily reported that it was wound up by a court after it had stockpiled more than 12,000 tonnes of soft plastic, in secret, in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.","On 24 February 2023 The New Daily reported that Woolworths and Coles were taking over the REDcycle plastic. The supermarkets said they had paid the programme AUD 20 million over ten years.","In April 2023 the retailers found 44 stockpile sites in six states (AAP, 10 April 2023)."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"24 February: The New Daily reports that Woolworths and Coles are taking over the REDcycle plastic"},{"y":2023,"t":"27 February: REDcycle is wound up; more than 12,000 tonnes of soft plastic reported stockpiled in three states"},{"y":2023,"t":"April: the retailers find 44 stockpile sites in six states (AAP, 10 April)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A soft-plastic recycling programme run by REDcycle with the supermarkets Coles and Woolworths.","who":"REDcycle, Coles and Woolworths","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"REDcycle was wound up on 27 February 2023 after stockpiling more than 12,000 tonnes of soft plastic in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.","src":1},{"t":"The supermarkets said they had paid the programme AUD 20 million over ten years.","src":1},{"t":"The retailers found 44 stockpile sites in six states in April 2023 (AAP, 10 April 2023).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":"ten years","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Soft plastic held in warehouses","v":"More than 12,000 t","d":"New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia (The New Daily, 27 Feb 2023)"},{"k":"Stockpile sites found by the retailers","v":"44","d":"Six states, April 2023 (AAP, 10 April 2023)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 12,393 tonnes of soft plastic in 32 warehouses in three states in February 2023 (The New Daily, 24 February 2023)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say what became of the stockpiled plastic.","whoPaid":"The supermarkets said they had paid the programme AUD 20 million over ten years; the cited sources do not show who bore the cost of dealing with the stockpiles.","statusLine":"As of April 2023: REDcycle wound up; the retailers had found 44 stockpile sites in six states; no outcome for the plastic in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"redcycle","role":"Soft-plastic collection programme operator, wound up 27 February 2023"},{"id":"coles","role":"Supermarket partner; took over REDcycle plastic"},{"id":"woolworths","role":"Supermarket partner; took over REDcycle plastic"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Winding-up of REDcycle","forum":"Court (name: none on record)","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":null,"defendant":"REDcycle","filed":null,"decided":"2023-02-27","status":"unknown","summary":"The New Daily reported on 27 February 2023 that REDcycle was wound up by a court over stockpiled plastic.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_stockpiled_tonnes","value":12000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Soft plastic stockpiled in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia (The New Daily, 27 Feb 2023)."},{"key":"stockpile_sites","value":44,"unit":"sites","year":2023,"note":"Found by the retailers in six states, April 2023 (AAP, 10 April 2023)."},{"key":"programme_payments","value":20,"unit":"AUD m","year":2023,"note":"Paid by the supermarkets to the programme over ten years, as the supermarkets said; one entry gives the figure as more than 20 million dollars."},{"key":"plastic_stockpiled_tonnes","value":12393,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: 12,393 tonnes in 32 warehouses in three states, February 2023."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The soft-plastic collection programme REDcycle was wound up on 27 February 2023 after stockpiling more than 12,000 tonnes of collected plastic.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"REDcycle","what":"Received payments from the supermarkets, which they said totalled AUD 20 million over ten years.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia; later reports place stockpile sites in six states.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Wound up 27 February 2023; further sites found by the retailers in April 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the plastic was stockpiled.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plastic collected through the programme was held in warehouses; the retailers later took over the stock.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Woolworths, Coles take over REDcycle plastic","p":"The New Daily","d":"2023-02-24","type":"press","u":"https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2023/02/24/woolworths-coles-redcycle-plastic/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250912225325/https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/finance/consumer/2023/02/24/woolworths-coles-redcycle-plastic"},{"t":"REDcycle wound up by court over stockpiled plastic","p":"The New Daily","d":"2023-02-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2023/02/27/redcycle-wound-up-court-stockpiled-plastic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813172744/https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/state/nsw/2023/02/27/redcycle-wound-up-court-stockpiled-plastic"},{"t":"Extra REDcycle plastic stockpiles uncovered","p":"The Canberra Times (Australian Associated Press)","d":"2023-04-10","u":"https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8153041/extra-redcycle-plastic-stockpiles-uncovered/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"soft-plastic recycling programme","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Winding-up of REDcycle: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Plastic stockpiled tonnes: Unconfirmed: 12,393 tonnes in 32 warehouses in three states, February 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 12,393 tonnes of soft plastic in 32 warehouses in three states in February 2023 (The New Daily, 24 February 2023).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"portland-harbor-superfund-cleanup-plan","title":"Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup plan (Willamette River, Oregon)","dek":"In 2016 the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed dredging 150 acres of the Portland Harbor Superfund site and leaving 1,876 acres to monitored natural recovery. Its January 2017 decision chose active cleanup of 365 acres and natural recovery for about 1,774 acres.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":45.58,"lon":-122.75,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oregon","role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2017,"eventDate":"2017-01-06","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Planned cost: draft plan to final decision","value":"$746 million to about $1.05 billion","note":"One entry gives the draft cost as $750 million."},"happened":["In June 2016 the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a draft plan for the Portland Harbor Superfund site on the Willamette River in Oregon. It provided for dredging 150 acres and leaving 1,876 acres to monitored natural recovery, at a cost of $750 million (Willamette Week, 9 June 2016). Another record entry gives the draft figures as about 1,900 acres of natural recovery and a cost of $746 million.","A group of the companies that would pay for the cleanup praised the draft plan. Willamette Riverkeeper, a river conservation group, equated natural recovery with doing nothing (Willamette Week, 9 June 2016).","In January 2017 EPA chose a final plan for a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River: active cleanup by excavation and capping of 365 acres, and natural recovery for about 1,774 acres of lower-contamination sediment. The cost was about $1.05 billion. Another entry gives the natural recovery area as about 1,700 acres.","The Port of Portland, described in the cited sources as one of the responsible parties, said the cost could exceed $2 billion. The mayor supported the plan, stressing that local workers would do the work. EPA said the greatest risk to people was eating resident fish, and advised mothers and children not to eat them."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"9 June: Willamette Week reports EPA's draft plan: 150 acres dredged, 1,876 acres natural recovery, $750 million"},{"y":2017,"t":"6 January: EPA announces its final plan: 365 acres active cleanup, about 1,774 acres natural recovery, about $1.05 billion"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A draft plan to dredge 150 acres and leave 1,876 acres to monitored natural recovery, at a cost of $750 million.","who":"EPA, as reported by Willamette Week","src":0},{"t":"The mayor supported the plan, stressing that local workers would do the work.","who":"Mayor of Portland","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"EPA's final plan of January 2017 chose excavation and capping of 365 acres and monitored natural recovery for about 1,774 acres of lower-contamination sediment along a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River, at a cost of about $1.05 billion.","src":1},{"t":"The draft plan's cost was $746 million, rising to $1.05 billion in the final plan; the natural recovery area fell from about 1,900 acres to about 1,700 acres.","src":2},{"t":"EPA said the greatest human risk was eating resident fish and advised mothers and children not to eat them.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area to be cleaned actively (draft, 2016)","v":"150 acres","d":"EPA draft plan, as reported by Willamette Week, 9 June 2016"},{"k":"Area left to monitored natural recovery (draft, 2016)","v":"1,876 acres","d":"Another entry gives about 1,900 acres"},{"k":"Area to be cleaned actively (final, 2017)","v":"365 acres","d":"Excavation and capping; EPA, January 2017"},{"k":"Area left to monitored natural recovery (final, 2017)","v":"About 1,774 acres","d":"Lower-contamination sediment; another entry gives about 1,700 acres"}]},"unknown":["Figures for the draft plan differ between record entries: 1,876 acres of natural recovery and $750 million in one, about 1,900 acres and $746 million in another.","Figures for the final plan differ: about 1,774 acres of natural recovery in one entry, about 1,700 acres in another."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the cleanup has been carried out or whether the contamination has fallen.","whoPaid":"The cited sources say the companies responsible for the contamination would pay for the cleanup; it does not give shares.","statusLine":"As of January 2017: EPA chose the final plan (365 acres active cleanup, about 1,774 acres natural recovery, about $1.05 billion); no later progress in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Port of Portland","says":"The cost could exceed $2 billion.","when":"2017","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; issued the draft plan and the final Superfund decision"},{"id":"port-of-portland","role":"Responsible party that criticised the cost estimate"},{"id":"willamette-riverkeeper","role":"River conservation group that criticised the draft plan"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is monitored natural recovery an adequate remedy for most of the harbour?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Willamette Riverkeeper","says":"Equated natural recovery with doing nothing.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"A group of the companies that would pay for the cleanup","says":"Praised the draft plan.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"EPA","says":"Chose in January 2017 a plan of active cleanup on 365 acres and natural recovery on about 1,774 acres.","src":1}]},{"point":"What will the cleanup cost?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"EPA","says":"Cost of about $1.05 billion in the January 2017 decision, up from $746 million in the draft.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Port of Portland (described as one of the responsible parties)","says":"The cost could exceed $2 billion.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_active_cleanup_acres","value":150,"unit":"acres","year":2016,"note":"Draft plan: area to be dredged (Willamette Week, 9 June 2016)."},{"key":"area_natural_recovery_acres","value":1876,"unit":"acres","year":2016,"note":"Draft plan: area left to monitored natural recovery; another entry gives about 1,900 acres."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":750,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Draft plan cost; another entry gives $746 million."},{"key":"area_active_cleanup_acres","value":365,"unit":"acres","year":2017,"note":"Final plan: excavation and capping along a 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River."},{"key":"area_natural_recovery_acres","value":1774,"unit":"acres","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Final plan: lower-contamination sediment; another entry gives about 1,700 acres."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":1050,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Final plan cost."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cost the Port of Portland said the plan could exceed (a party's claim)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"EPA moved from a draft plan (150 acres dredged, 1,876 acres natural recovery, $750 million) to a final plan (365 acres excavated and capped, about 1,774 acres natural recovery, about $1.05 billion) for the Portland Harbor Superfund site.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"A 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River at Portland Harbor, Oregon.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Draft plan reported 9 June 2016; final decision announced January 2017.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the Superfund process; the record names eating resident fish as the greatest human risk.","src":null},"how":{"t":"EPA selected excavation and capping for 365 acres and monitored natural recovery for about 1,774 acres of lower-contamination sediment.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Willamette Riverkeeper slams the Portland Harbor cleanup plan as a do-nothing approach","p":"Willamette Week","d":"2016-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.wweek.com/news/2016/06/09/willamette-riverkeeper-slams-the-portland-harbor-cleanup-plan-as-a-do-nothing-approach/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20161012230356/http://www.wweek.com:80/news/2016/06/09/willamette-riverkeeper-slams-the-portland-harbor-cleanup-plan-as-a-do-nothing-approach/"},{"t":"EPA announces final Superfund cleanup plan for Portland Harbor","p":"US EPA (archive)","d":"2017-01-06","type":"official","u":"https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/newsreleases/epa-announces-final-superfund-cleanup-plan-portland-harbor.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260207141207/https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/newsreleases/epa-announces-final-superfund-cleanup-plan-portland-harbor.html"},{"t":"Portland Harbor Superfund cleanup: EPA proposal","p":"Oregon Public Broadcasting","d":"2016-06-08","u":"https://opb.org/news/article/portland-harbor-superfund-cleanup-epa-proposal","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Superfund remedy (monitored natural recovery)","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"EPA's January 2017 plan for 10 miles of my Willamette River chose active cleanup of 365 acres of sediment and natural recovery for about 1,774 acres, at a cost of about $1.05 billion.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is monitored natural recovery an adequate remedy for most of the harbour?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What will the cleanup cost?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures for the draft plan differ between record entries: 1,876 acres of natural recovery and $750 million in one, about 1,900 acres and $746 million in another.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures for the final plan differ: about 1,774 acres of natural recovery in one entry, about 1,700 acres in another.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pcb-pollution-and-monsanto-anniston-settlement","title":"PCB pollution and the Monsanto Anniston settlement","dek":"Monsanto settled claims by Anniston, Alabama residents over PCB pollution, reported at US$700 million. In 2025 Bayer, which owns Monsanto, sued an insurer over cover for later PCB settlements.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":33.66,"lon":-85.83,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alabama","lat":33.66,"lon":-85.83,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Missouri (St. Louis County)","role":"court"}],"start":2002,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Anniston residents' settlement, as reported","value":"US$700 million","note":"Reported by CNN Money for 2002; the record also gives a 2003 date and a US$550 million cash payment. Not an estimate."},"happened":["Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were the subject of a claim brought by residents of Anniston, Alabama against Monsanto. CNN Money reported in 2002 that the Anniston case settled for US$700 million and covered more than 20,000 residents.","A separate record, a filing by Solutia cited in the sources, describes a US$550 million cash payment in a 2003 Anniston settlement, to which Monsanto's insurers contributed. The cited sources do not reconcile the two dates and the two figures.","In June 2020 Bayer announced agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation. Its announcement listed up to US$10.9 billion for Roundup cancer claims, up to US$400 million for dicamba drift claims and about US$820 million for PCB water claims, and said the agreements were made with no admission of liability. Bloomberg Law reported the PCB part as US$650 million with cities and ports and US$170 million with three states.","In early December 2025 Bayer filed suit against AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri. The complaint concerns excess insurance policies running from June 1967 to April 1986. Bayer said it faced more than US$1.9 billion in PCB settlements by the end of 2024 and more than US$10 billion in Roundup settlements, and that it had sent payment demands in July 2024 (Roundup) and October 2024 (PCBs). The News Tribune reported that the insurer's grounds were not public and that the case was pending."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Anniston PCB case settles for US$700 million, covering more than 20,000 residents (CNN Money)"},{"y":2003,"t":"Solutia filing describes a US$550 million cash payment in the Anniston settlement, to which Monsanto's insurers contributed"},{"y":2020,"t":"June: Bayer announces agreements including about US$820 million for PCB water claims, with no admission of liability"},{"y":2024,"t":"Bayer sends payment demands to insurers: July (Roundup) and October (PCBs)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Early December: Bayer sues AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri; case pending"}],"said":[{"q":"meritless excuses and purported defenses","who":"Bayer's complaint against its insurers, describing their stated grounds, as reported by the News Tribune","when":"December 2025","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The June 2020 agreements were presented as settlements with no admission of liability.","who":"Bayer","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Anniston PCB claim settled for US$700 million, more than 20,000 residents covered, 2002.","src":3},{"t":"About US$820 million for PCB water claims in Bayer's June 2020 package; US$650 million with cities and ports and US$170 million with three states.","src":0},{"t":"More than US$1.9 billion in PCB settlements by end-2024 are at issue in Bayer's suit against AIG, filed December 2025 in St. Louis County, Missouri.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2002–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Anniston settlement, as reported","v":"US$700 million","d":"More than 20,000 residents; CNN Money, 2002"},{"k":"PCB water claims, Bayer 2020","v":"About US$820 million","d":"Cities, ports and three states; Bayer's figure"},{"k":"Insurer cover for later PCB settlements","v":"Disputed","d":"Bayer v. AIG, filed December 2025; pending"}]},"unknown":["Date and amount of the Anniston settlement: the cited sources give 2002 and US$700 million (CNN Money) and 2003 and a US$550 million cash payment (Solutia filing); the two are not reconciled.","AIG's grounds for refusing cover for the PCB and Roundup settlements: not public as of December 2025; the case is pending.","Unconfirmed: Monsanto was the only US producer of PCBs for four decades.","Unconfirmed: a 1969 Monsanto PCB committee document, as described in secondary coverage, is said to have named continued sales and profits and protection of the company's image among its aims.","Unconfirmed: a 2018 modelling study (Desforges et al., Science) is cited as finding the long-term viability of more than half of the world's orca populations threatened by PCBs."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Monsanto, and later Bayer, agreed to the settlements recorded; Monsanto's insurers contributed to the cash payment in the Anniston settlement (extent not stated). For later PCB settlements, Bayer sought payment from AIG, which according to Bayer's complaint refused; the case is pending.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: Bayer's suit against AIG over cover for PCB settlements was filed in St. Louis County, Missouri; no ruling in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"bayer","says":"Announced the June 2020 agreements as settlements with no admission of liability.","when":"2020-06-24","src":0},{"actor":"bayer","says":"In its complaint, described the insurers' stated grounds for refusing cover as \"meritless excuses and purported defenses\".","when":"2025-12","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Defendant in the Anniston and later PCB settlements"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Owner of Monsanto; party to the 2020 settlements; plaintiff against AIG"},{"id":"aig","role":"Excess insurer; defendant in Bayer's suit over cover for PCB and Roundup settlements"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do Bayer's excess insurance policies cover its PCB settlements?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer","says":"Its complaint says AIG refused payment demands for PCB settlements (more than US$1.9 billion by end-2024) and calls the insurers' stated grounds \"meritless excuses and purported defenses\".","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"AIG","says":"Grounds for refusing cover are not public; no AIG statement is in the cited sources.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Anniston residents' PCB claim against Monsanto","forum":"Court name: none on record (Anniston, Alabama)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Anniston, Alabama residents (more than 20,000)","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2002","status":"settled","amount":{"value":700,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, reported settlement (CNN Money, 2002); a Solutia filing gives a US$550 million cash payment in 2003"},"summary":"CNN Money reported in 2002 that the Anniston PCB case settled for US$700 million. Monsanto's insurers contributed to a US$550 million cash payment in the 2003 Anniston settlement, according to a Solutia filing cited in the sources. The two accounts are not reconciled.","src":3},{"title":"PCB water claims settled by Bayer/Monsanto, 2020","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"US cities and ports; three states","defendant":"Monsanto (Bayer)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-06","status":"settled","amount":{"value":820,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, about, PCB water claims (Bayer); Bloomberg Law: 650 with cities and ports, 170 with three states"},"summary":"On 24 June 2020 Bayer announced agreements including about US$820 million for PCB water claims, alongside up to US$10.9 billion for Roundup cancer claims and up to US$400 million for dicamba drift. Bayer said there was no admission of liability.","src":0},{"title":"Bayer v. AIG over cover for PCB and Roundup settlements","forum":"St. Louis County, Missouri","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Bayer","defendant":"AIG","filed":"2025-12","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1900,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, more than, PCB settlements by end-2024 (Roundup settlements more than USD 10 billion)"},"summary":"Bayer sued over excess policies running June 1967 to April 1986, after payment demands in July 2024 (Roundup) and October 2024 (PCBs). The insurer's grounds are not public. The case was pending.","src":1},{"title":"Sky Valley school cases, King County (Washington)","forum":"King County, Washington (jury trials)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiffs in the Sky Valley school cases","defendant":"Pharmacia / Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":75,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, punitive damages awarded in one case (Rose)"},"summary":"The cited sources note that King County juries in these cases awarded punitive damages against Pharmacia/Monsanto, for example US$75 million in the Rose case. Dates and later history are not in the cited sources.","src":4}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Monsanto's insurers (not named)","insured":"Monsanto","status":"paid","year":2003,"amount":{"value":550,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, cash settlement of which approximately US$160 million was to come from commercial insurance"},"summary":"The settling companies' commercial insurance was to provide approximately US$160 million of the US$600 million cash settlement in the 2003 Anniston settlement (Monsanto about US$390 million, Solutia US$50 million), according to a Solutia filing.","src":5},{"insurer":"AIG","insured":"Bayer / Monsanto","status":"litigation","year":2025,"amount":{"value":1900,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, more than, PCB settlements by end-2024"},"summary":"According to Bayer's complaint, AIG did not pay payment demands for PCB settlements of more than US$1.9 billion and Roundup settlements of more than US$10 billion. Bayer sued in St. Louis County, Missouri, in December 2025. AIG's grounds are not public; the case was pending.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":700,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"Anniston PCB settlement as reported by CNN Money."},{"key":"people_affected","value":20000,"unit":"people","year":2002,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Anniston residents covered by the settlement, per CNN Money."},{"key":"settlement","value":550,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"note":"Cash payment in the Anniston settlement, per a Solutia filing cited in the sources; Monsanto's insurers contributed."},{"key":"settlement","value":820,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bayer's figure for PCB water claims in its June 2020 announcement."},{"key":"settlement","value":650,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"PCB settlements with US cities and ports, per Bloomberg Law."},{"key":"settlement","value":170,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"PCB settlements with three states, per Bloomberg Law."},{"key":"claim","value":1900,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"PCB settlements by end-2024 at issue in Bayer's suit against AIG."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"PCB pollution claims against Monsanto, including the Anniston, Alabama settlement reported at US$700 million in 2002, later PCB settlements by Bayer, and Bayer's 2025 suit against AIG over insurance cover.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Monsanto / Bayer","what":"Agreed to the settlements recorded: US$700 million (Anniston, 2002, as reported) and about US$820 million for PCB water claims (2020).","src":0},{"who":"Monsanto's insurers","what":"Contributed to the cash payment in the Anniston settlement (extent not stated).","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Anniston, Alabama; US cities, ports and three states in the 2020 settlements; St. Louis County, Missouri for the insurance suit.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Settlement reported in 2002 (a 2003 date also appears); Bayer's agreements June 2020; payment demands July and October 2024; suit filed early December 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The record gathered does not state the cause or timing of the PCB releases at Anniston; it records the settlements and the later insurance dispute.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Claims were resolved by settlement; Bayer then sought payment from excess insurers and sued AIG when, according to its complaint, the insurer refused.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Bayer announces agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation","p":"Bayer","d":"2020-06-24","type":"company","u":"https://bayer.com/media/bayer-announces-agreements-to-resolve-major-legacy-monsanto-litigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251102151228/https://www.bayer.com/media/bayer-announces-agreements-to-resolve-major-legacy-monsanto-litigation/"},{"t":"Bayer sues AIG insurance to help with legal bills","p":"News Tribune","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/dec/06/bayer-sues-aig-insurance-to-help-with-legal-bills/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206192239/https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/dec/06/bayer-sues-aig-insurance-to-help-with-legal-bills/"},{"t":"Bayer settlement of Monsanto PCB and dicamba lawsuits","p":"Bloomberg Law","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/bayer-to-settle-monsanto-pcb-dicamba-lawsuits-for-1-2-billion","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201128234143/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/bayer-to-settle-monsanto-pcb-dicamba-lawsuits-for-1-2-billion"},{"t":"Monsanto Anniston settlement coverage (CNN Money; Beasley Allen)","p":"CNN Money","d":"2002","type":"press","u":"https://money.cnn.com/2002/01/02/companies/monsanto/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230602083332/https://money.cnn.com/2002/01/02/companies/monsanto/"},{"t":"Jury Awards $100M In Monsanto PCB 'Forever Chemical' Exposure Trial (Rose et al. v. Pharmacia LLC, King County Superior Court)","p":"Courtroom View Network (CVN)","d":"2025-01-16","u":"https://blog.cvn.com/jury-awards-100m-in-monsanto-pcb-forever-chemical-exposure-trial-watch-gavel-to-gavel-via-cvn","type":"press"},{"t":"Solutia press release / Form 8-K exhibit on the Anniston PCB settlement (20 August 2003)","p":"Solutia Inc. (SEC EDGAR)","d":"2003-08-20","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001043382/000106880003000518/exh99.txt","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":["monsanto-bayer-pcb-and-roundup-insurance-suit-v-aig","roundup-litigation"],"natureLead":{"t":"PCBs in my waters brought about US$820 million in settlements in June 2020, Bayer announced, made with no admission of liability.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do Bayer's excess insurance policies cover its PCB settlements?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"AIG: Grounds for refusing cover are not public; no AIG statement is in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Sky Valley school cases, King County (Washington): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Date and amount of the Anniston settlement: the cited sources give 2002 and US$700 million (CNN Money) and 2003 and a US$550 million cash payment (Solutia filing); the two are not reconciled.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"AIG's grounds for refusing cover for the PCB and Roundup settlements: not public as of December 2025; the case is pending.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Monsanto was the only US producer of PCBs for four decades.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1969 Monsanto PCB committee document, as described in secondary coverage, is said to have named continued sales and profits and protection of the company's image among its aims.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2018 modelling study (Desforges et al., Science) is cited as finding the long-term viability of more than half of the world's orca populations threatened by PCBs.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Monsanto's insurers"]},{"id":"alexander-ii-fishing-boat-sinking-attempt","title":"Alexander II fishing boat sinking attempt","dek":"In August 2009 the owner of a fishing boat arranged for its crew to flood and sink it off New Jersey. The attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew. The insurer denied the owner's US$400,000 claim. The owner and three others pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison in 2012 and 2013.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":37.9,"lon":-73.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"At sea, 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May, New Jersey","lat":37.9,"lon":-73.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey (Superior Court)","role":"court"}],"start":2009,"end":null,"eventDate":"2009-08","instrument":"staged-loss","types":["staged-loss","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Insurance claim denied (equal to the policy limit)","value":"US$400,000","note":"Stated figure; not an estimate."},"happened":["In August 2009 the fishing boat Alexander II was about 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May, New Jersey. The record states that the owner arranged for the crew to flood and sink the boat. The attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew.","The insurer, State National Insurance, denied a claim of US$400,000, which was the policy limit. The owner, Scott Tran, sued in New Jersey Superior Court in Camden County. The suit was later dropped, Soundings reported.","Four people pleaded guilty before US District Judge Renee Marie Bumb in Camden federal court to conspiracy to destroy a vessel on the high seas, according to the US Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. Crew members Erik James and Christopher Martin were each sentenced on 3 April 2012 to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $83,000 in restitution to the Coast Guard. Manh Nguyen, who admitted passing cash from Tran to the captain and crew, was sentenced on 1 June 2012 to 24 months. Tran was sentenced on 12 June 2013 to 46 months, fined $75,000 and ordered to pay $280,000 in restitution. The captain, Henry \"Mike\" Anholt, died in a car accident before the indictment was returned, Soundings reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"August: owner arranges for crew to flood and sink the boat 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May; attempt fails; Coast Guard rescues crew"},{"y":2012,"t":"3 April: crew members Erik James and Christopher Martin sentenced to 30 months each; 1 June: Manh Nguyen sentenced to 24 months"},{"y":2013,"t":"12 June: owner Scott Tran sentenced to 46 months, a $75,000 fine and $280,000 in restitution"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The owner arranged for the crew to flood and sink the boat; the attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew.","src":0},{"t":"State National Insurance denied the US$400,000 claim, which was the policy limit.","src":0},{"t":"Three people received prison sentences.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2009","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Insurance claim","v":"US$400,000","d":"Denied by State National Insurance; equal to the policy limit"},{"k":"Prison sentences","v":"Three people","d":"Forum, dates and identities not given in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The sinking attempt failed and the crew was rescued by the Coast Guard; the record states no environmental consequence.","whoPaid":"The insurer denied the US$400,000 claim; the record states no payout.","statusLine":"Four people pleaded guilty and were sentenced in 2012 and 2013 to between 24 and 46 months in prison; the owner's suit against the insurer was later dropped.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"state-national-insurance","role":"Insurer that denied the US$400,000 claim"},{"id":"us-coast-guard","role":"Rescued the crew"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the US$400,000 loss claim payable under the policy?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"State National Insurance","says":"Denied the US$400,000 claim (the policy limit).","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Scott Tran (the boat's owner)","says":"Sued the insurer in New Jersey Superior Court.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Owner v. State National Insurance","forum":"New Jersey Superior Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Scott Tran (the boat's owner)","defendant":"State National Insurance","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":400000,"currency":"USD","label":"USD, claim equal to the policy limit"},"summary":"Tran sued in New Jersey Superior Court, Camden County, seeking US$400,000 after the insurer denied the claim. The suit was later dropped, Soundings reported; the filing date is not stated in the sources.","src":0},{"title":"Prison sentences in connection with the sinking attempt","forum":"US District Court for the District of New Jersey (Camden), Judge Renee Marie Bumb","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey","defendant":"Scott Tran, Manh Nguyen, Erik James, Christopher Martin","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"plea","summary":"All four pleaded guilty to conspiracy to destroy a vessel on the high seas. Erik James and Christopher Martin were sentenced on 3 April 2012 to 30 months each; Manh Nguyen on 1 June 2012 to 24 months; Scott Tran on 12 June 2013 to 46 months, a $75,000 fine and $280,000 in restitution.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"State National Insurance","insured":"The boat's owner","status":"refused","year":null,"amount":{"value":400000,"currency":"USD","label":"USD, claim equal to the policy limit"},"summary":"The insurer denied the US$400,000 claim, which was the policy limit. The owner then sued in New Jersey Superior Court.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":400000,"unit":"USD","year":2009,"note":"Claim denied by the insurer; equal to the policy limit."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An attempt to sink a fishing boat, Alexander II, arranged by its owner; the attempt failed. The insurer denied a US$400,000 claim.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"At sea, 86 nautical miles south-east of Cape May, New Jersey; the owner's suit was filed in New Jersey Superior Court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"August 2009.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To collect US$400,000, the policy limit, from State National Insurance, according to the US Attorney's Office. Tran admitted offering the captain $10,000 and each crew member $2,000 to sink the boat.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The owner arranged for the crew to flood and sink the boat; the attempt failed and the Coast Guard rescued the crew.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 24 Months in Prison for Role in Plot to Sink Fishing Boat for Insurance Payout","p":"U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey (U.S. Department of Justice)","d":"2012-06-01","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nj/Press/files/Nguyen,%20Manh%20Sentencing%20News%20Release.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Two Former Members of Ship's Crew Both Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Sink Boat for Payment","p":"U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey (U.S. Department of Justice)","d":"2012-04-03","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nj/Press/files/James, Erik et al Sentencings News Release.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Camden County, N.J., man sentenced to 46 months in prison for conspiring to sink boat for insurance payment","p":"U.S. Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey (U.S. Department of Justice)","d":"2013-06-12","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nj/Press/files/Tran,%20Scott%20Sentencing%20News%20Release.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Botched scuttling means four years of hard time","p":"Soundings","d":"2013-06","u":"https://soundingsonline.com/news/video-botched-scuttling-mean-four-years-of-hard-time/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the US$400,000 loss claim payable under the policy?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Owner v. State National Insurance: outcome not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chico-mendes-murder","title":"Chico Mendes murder (Brazil)","dek":"Chico Mendes, a rubber tappers' leader who opposed forest clearing for cattle ranching, was shot at his home in Xapuri, Acre, on 22 December 1988. A rancher and his son were sentenced to 19 years each, and the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created in March 1990.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-10.65,"lon":-68.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Acre","lat":-10.65,"lon":-68.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Acre","role":"affected"}],"start":1988,"end":2024,"eventDate":"1988-12-22","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Convictions for the killing of Chico Mendes (1988)","value":"2 convicted, 19 years each","note":"Rancher Darly Alves da Silva and his son Darci Alves Pereira, as reported by Agência Senado (2013)."},"happened":["Chico Mendes was shot at the back door of his home in Xapuri, Acre, on 22 December 1988. He had opposed ranch expansion and forest clearing for cattle. In 1987 he had lobbied the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) over its financing of the BR-364 highway.","The rancher Darly Alves da Silva and his son Darci Alves Pereira were sentenced to 19 years in prison each. Darly was described as the man who ordered the killing and Darci as the shooter. They were convicted in December 1990. They escaped from prison and were at large for about three years; the Federal Police recaptured them in 1996. In 1999 Darly was granted house arrest on health grounds and Darci was moved to the semi-open regime, according to CartaCapital.","The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created on 12 March 1990, fifteen months after the killing, covering about 970,570 hectares across four municipalities. An extractive reserve (RESEX) is a protected area where the land stays in state ownership while communities such as rubber tappers keep the right to harvest forest products. Brazil's federal conservation agency, ICMBio, carries Mendes's name. In 2013 Brazil had 59 extractive reserves covering more than 12 million hectares in total.","Later records show pressure on the reserve. In 2019 deforestation in the reserve covered 74.5 square kilometres, about three times the average of the previous five years; five ICMBio officers were supervising the reserve at the time, and cattle were present on 97% of the plots examined. By 2023 pasture covered 11% of the reserve (105,000 hectares), and clearing rose by 30% in 2024.","Mendes was not the first rubber tappers' leader killed in the area. Wilson Pinheiro, a union president, was killed in Brasiléia on 21 July 1980; as of 2010 no one had been tried for ordering the killing. In March 2025 the federal prosecution service (MPF) appealed a first-instance ruling that rejected its civil claim against the State of Acre over the lack of investigation. In November 2019 the regional president of the PSOL party was killed in a land dispute over a rubber-producing community in Xapuri, according to Mongabay."],"timeline":[{"y":1980,"t":"Union president Wilson Pinheiro killed in Brasiléia (21 July); as of 2010 no one tried for ordering the killing"},{"y":1987,"t":"Mendes lobbies the Inter-American Development Bank over its financing of the BR-364 highway"},{"y":1988,"t":"Chico Mendes shot at his home in Xapuri, Acre (22 December)"},{"y":1990,"t":"Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve created (12 March), about 970,570 ha; December: Darly Alves da Silva and Darci Alves Pereira sentenced to 19 years each"},{"y":1993,"t":"Darly Alves da Silva and his son escape from prison; the Federal Police recapture them in 1996"},{"y":2013,"t":"Brazil has 59 extractive reserves covering more than 12 million ha"},{"y":2019,"t":"Clearing in the reserve of 74.5 km2, about three times the five-year average; November: regional president of the PSOL party killed in a land dispute in Xapuri"},{"y":2023,"t":"Pasture covers 11% of the reserve (105,000 ha)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Clearing in the reserve rises 30%"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Mendes was shot on 22 December 1988 in Xapuri; the rancher Darly Alves da Silva and his son Darci Alves Pereira received 19-year prison sentences.","src":0},{"t":"The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve was created on 12 March 1990, about 970,570 ha across four municipalities.","src":7},{"t":"In 2019, 74.5 km2 was cleared in the reserve, about three times the five-year average; cattle were present on 97% of the plots examined and more than 50,000 head were counted; five ICMBio officers supervised the reserve.","src":1},{"t":"A proposal to allow clearing of 190 km2 (about 2%) was recorded in 2019.","src":1},{"t":"By 2023 pasture covered 105,000 ha, 11% of the reserve; clearing rose 30% in 2024.","src":5},{"t":"Wilson Pinheiro was killed in Brasiléia in 1980 and no one was tried; in 2025 the prosecution objected to the state's negligence.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reserve created after the killing","v":"About 970,570 ha","d":"Created 12 March 1990, four municipalities in Acre"},{"k":"Clearing in the reserve, 2019","v":"74.5 km2","d":"About three times the average of the previous five years (Mongabay, 2020)"},{"k":"Pasture in the reserve, 2023","v":"11%","d":"105,000 ha; clearing rose 30% in 2024"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded as deforestation and pasture figures for the reserve created in Mendes's name; no ecological assessment is in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"In 2019, 74.5 square kilometres of my forest in the reserve were cleared, about three times the average of the previous five years.","src":1},{"t":"Cattle stood on 97% of the plots that were examined.","src":1},{"t":"By 2023 pasture covered 11% of my reserve, 105,000 hectares.","src":5},{"t":"In 2024 clearing in the reserve rose by 30%.","src":5}]},"unknown":["Sources differ on what happened to the IDB loan for the BR-364 highway: reported as suspended or renegotiated.","Unconfirmed: that rubber tappers stopped felling in 1976 by standing in front of trees (the 'empate' method), with about 60 people over three days in Brasiléia.","Unconfirmed: a report known only mentions the removal of 400 head of illegal cattle from the reserve.","No independent ecological evaluation of the reserve is in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The reserve was created fifteen months after the killing, on 12 March 1990. In 2019 clearing in the reserve was about three times the previous five-year average, and by 2023 pasture covered 11% of it.","whoPaid":"Mendes, the union president Wilson Pinheiro and a party official killed in a land dispute in Xapuri in 2019. There is also an economic cost for the rubber tappers: Brazil nut income is seasonal and informal, so families keep cattle as savings and some sell plots to ranchers.","statusLine":"As of the latest dates in the cited sources (2024): the two men were sentenced to 19 years; the reserve exists and clearing in it rose 30% in 2024.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"icmbio","role":"Brazil's federal conservation agency, named after Chico Mendes; five officers supervised the reserve in 2019"},{"id":"idb","role":"Financier of the BR-364 highway, which Mendes lobbied against in 1987"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Killing of Chico Mendes (1988)","forum":"Brazil (court name: none on record)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecution","defendant":"Darly Alves da Silva and Darci Alves Pereira","filed":null,"decided":"1990","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The rancher Darly Alves da Silva and his son Darci Alves Pereira were each sentenced to 19 years in prison in December 1990; Darly was convicted as the man who ordered the killing and Darci as the shooter. They escaped from prison and were recaptured by the Federal Police in 1996. In 1999 Darly was granted house arrest on health grounds and Darci was moved to the semi-open regime.","src":0},{"title":"Killing of Wilson Pinheiro (1980)","forum":"not on record","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"None identified","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"The union president was killed in Brasiléia on 21 July 1980; as of 2010 no one had been tried for ordering the killing. In a civil action, a federal court in Acre ruled that there was no State omission in the investigation; the MPF appealed to the TRF1 on 14 March 2025.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"persons","year":1988,"note":"Chico Mendes, shot in Xapuri on 22 December 1988."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":19,"unit":"years","year":1990,"note":"Prison sentence for each of the two convicted men."},{"key":"area_ha","value":970570,"unit":"ha","year":1990,"qualifier":"about","note":"Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, created 12 March 1990, four municipalities."},{"key":"extractive_reserves","value":59,"unit":"reserves","year":2013,"note":"Extractive reserves in Brazil, covering more than 12 million ha in total."},{"key":"forest_lost_km2","value":74.5,"unit":"km2","year":2019,"note":"Cleared in the reserve, about three times the average of the previous five years."},{"key":"icmbio_officers","value":5,"unit":"officers","year":2019,"note":"ICMBio officers supervising the reserve in 2019."},{"key":"plots_with_cattle","value":97,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Share of plots examined that held cattle."},{"key":"cattle_head","value":50000,"unit":"head","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cattle counted on the examined plots."},{"key":"proposed_clearing_km2","value":190,"unit":"km2","year":2019,"note":"Clearing proposal recorded in 2019, about 2% of the reserve."},{"key":"pasture_ha","value":105000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Pasture in the reserve, 11% of its area.","src":5},{"key":"clearing_change","value":30,"unit":"% increase","year":2024,"note":"Rise in clearing in the reserve in 2024.","src":5}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chico Mendes, a rubber tappers' leader, was shot at his home; the killers were sentenced and a protected reserve was later created in his name.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Landholders with offences inside the reserve","what":"Five of them met Environment Minister Ricardo Salles on 6 November 2019 and asked for protection from monitors; Folha de S. Paulo reported that he agreed.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Chico Mendes","what":"Killed on 22 December 1988.","src":0},{"who":"Wilson Pinheiro, union president","what":"Killed on 21 July 1980; as of 2010 no one had been tried for ordering the killing.","src":4},{"who":"The regional president of the PSOL party","what":"Killed in 2019 in a land dispute in Xapuri.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Rubber tappers","what":"Seasonal, informal Brazil nut income leads families to keep cattle as savings; some sell plots to ranchers.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Xapuri, Acre, Brazil; the reserve spans four municipalities in Acre.","src":0},"when":{"t":"22 December 1988 (killing); 12 March 1990 (reserve created); clearing records for 2019, 2023 and 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Mendes opposed ranch expansion and forest clearing for cattle and had lobbied the IDB over its financing of the BR-364 highway in 1987. The cited sources do not state a court-found motive.","src":2},"how":{"t":"He was shot at the back door of his home; the rancher Darly Alves da Silva was described as the person who ordered the killing and his son Darci Alves Pereira as the shooter.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Chico Mendes: legado de coragem em defesa da floresta","p":"Agência Senado","d":"2013-12-16","type":"official","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2013/12/16/chico-mendes-legado-de-coragem-em-defesa-da-floresta","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710230357/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2013/12/16/chico-mendes-legado-de-coragem-em-defesa-da-floresta"},{"t":"Conflict in the Chico Mendes Reserve threaten this pioneering Amazonian project","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-01-16","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/conflict-in-the-chico-mendes-reserve-threaten-this-pioneering-amazonian-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260719132343/https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/conflict-in-the-chico-mendes-reserve-threaten-this-pioneering-amazonian-project/"},{"t":"The Mystery of Chico Mendes (Kenneth Maxwell)","p":"The New York Review of Books","d":"1991-03-28","u":"https://www.nybooks.com/?p=21153","type":"press"},{"t":"Assassino de Chico Mendes assume presidência municipal do PL (Medicilândia, PA)","p":"CartaCapital","d":"2024-02-27","u":"https://www.cartacapital.com.br/?p=407922","type":"press"},{"t":"MPF recorre para condenar União e Estado do Acre por omissão em investigações da morte de Wilson Pinheiro na ditadura","p":"Ministério Público Federal","d":"2025-03-14","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-ac/noticias/mpf-recorre-para-condenar-uniao-e-estado-do-acre-por-omissao-em-investigacoes-da-morte-de-wilson-pinheiro-na-ditadura","type":"official"},{"t":"Handcrafted woodwork helps save an Amazonian reserve, one tree at a time","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-02-05","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/handcrafted-woodwork-helps-save-an-amazonian-reserve-one-tree-at-a-time/","type":"press"},{"t":"MPF recorre para condenar União e Estado do Acre por omissão em investigações da morte de Wilson Pinheiro na ditadura","p":"Ministério Público Federal (Procuradoria da República no Acre)","d":"2025-03-14","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-ac/noticias/mpf-recorre-para-condenar-uniao-e-estado-do-acre-por-omissao-em-investigacoes-da-morte-de-wilson-pinheiro-na-ditadura","type":"official"},{"t":"Decreto nº 99.144, de 12 de março de 1990 (Reserva Extrativista Chico Mendes)","p":"Câmara dos Deputados (Brazil)","d":"1990-03-12","u":"https://www2.camara.leg.br/legin/fed/decret/1990/decreto-99144-12-marco-1990-331088-publicacaooriginal-1-pe.html","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chico-mendes-extractive-reserve-creation-and-reversal"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on what happened to the IDB loan for the BR-364 highway: reported as suspended or renegotiated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that rubber tappers stopped felling in 1976 by standing in front of trees (the 'empate' method), with about 60 people over three days in Brasiléia.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a report known only mentions the removal of 400 head of illegal cattle from the reserve.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation of the reserve is in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who lost: The regional president of the PSOL party","No source link — Who harmed: Rubber tappers"]},{"id":"jose-claudio-and-maria-murder","title":"José Cláudio and Maria murder","dek":"José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo were killed on 24 May 2011 in Nova Ipixuna, Pará, Brazil. They had opposed logging and charcoal production in a sustainable-use settlement.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-4.92,"lon":-49.07,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará (Nova Ipixuna)","lat":-4.92,"lon":-49.07,"role":"event"}],"start":2011,"end":null,"eventDate":"2011-05-24","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Sentences recorded for the killing","value":"Gunmen 42–45 years; person who ordered it 60 years (fugitive)","note":"Sentencing dates and court: none on record."},"happened":["José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo were killed on 24 May 2011 in Nova Ipixuna, in the state of Pará, Brazil.","They opposed logging and charcoal production in the Praialta-Piranheira agro-extractive settlement, a sustainable-use settlement (PDS).","In April 2013 a jury in Marabá convicted the two gunmen, Lindonjonson Silva Rocha and Alberto Lopes do Nascimento, who received 42 and 45 years in prison. The same jury acquitted the rancher José Rodrigues Moreira, accused of ordering the killing, for insufficient evidence. In August 2014 the Pará Court of Justice annulled that trial. In December 2016 a jury sentenced Moreira to 60 years, 30 years for each death. He has been reported as a fugitive since the annulment.","Moreira's conviction came about five years after the killing. The cited sources do not report his arrest; the latest report found, from 2021, still describes him as at large."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo killed on 24 May in Nova Ipixuna, Pará"},{"y":2013,"t":"April: jury in Marabá convicts the two gunmen (42 and 45 years) and acquits José Rodrigues Moreira for insufficient evidence"},{"y":2014,"t":"August: Pará Court of Justice annuls the 2013 trial"},{"y":2016,"t":"December: jury sentences José Rodrigues Moreira to 60 years for ordering the killing; reported fugitive"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Gunmen sentenced to 42–45 years in prison; the person who ordered the killing sentenced to 60 years and a fugitive.","src":2},{"t":"About 5 years to convict the man who ordered the killing; appeals running 14 years or more.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Convictions","v":"Gunmen 42–45 years; person who ordered it 60 years (fugitive)","d":"Court and dates not stated in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether Moreira has been arrested since December 2016 was not found; the latest report seen, from 2021, describes him as a fugitive. Reports differ on whether he became a fugitive in 2013 or 2014, and on the gunmen's exact sentences (one record gives 42 years and eight months)."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"No information is available on whether the logging and charcoal production in the settlement stopped after the killings.","whoPaid":"Two people were killed; the cited sources give no compensation or other payment.","statusLine":"As of the latest report found (2021): the two gunmen were convicted in 2013 and the rancher who ordered the killing was sentenced to 60 years in December 2016; he was described as a fugitive.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of the gunmen","forum":"Jury court, Marabá, Pará","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":null,"defendant":"The gunmen","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"A jury in Marabá convicted the gunmen Lindonjonson Silva Rocha and Alberto Lopes do Nascimento in April 2013; they received 42 and 45 years in prison.","src":3},{"title":"Prosecution of the person who ordered the killing","forum":"Jury court, Marabá (2013, annulled); jury trial in 2016 with a changed venue (court not named in the source)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":null,"defendant":"José Rodrigues Moreira, rancher","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"A jury in Marabá acquitted Moreira in April 2013 for insufficient evidence; the Pará Court of Justice annulled that trial in August 2014. In December 2016 a jury convicted him of ordering the killing of the two and sentenced him to 60 years, 30 years for each death. He has been described as a fugitive since the annulment.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2011,"note":"José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo, killed 24 May 2011."},{"key":"sentence_years_gunmen","value":"42–45","unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Prison sentences of the gunmen."},{"key":"sentence_years_orderer","value":60,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Sentence of the person who ordered the killing, described as a fugitive."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two people were killed after opposing logging and charcoal production in an agro-extractive settlement.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo","what":"Killed on 24 May 2011.","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Nova Ipixuna, Pará, Brazil; Praialta-Piranheira agro-extractive (sustainable-use) settlement.","src":2},"when":{"t":"24 May 2011.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The two had opposed logging and charcoal production in the settlement.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The record refers to gunmen who carried out the killing and to a person who ordered it; no further detail is given.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Case History: Maria do Espírito Santo da Silva","p":"Front Line Defenders","d":"2013-04","u":"https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/pt/case/case-history-maria-do-espirito-santo-da-silva","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Mandante do assassinato de José e Maria do Espírito Santo é condenado a 60 anos de prisão no Pará","p":"Justiça Global","d":"2016-12-07","u":"https://www.global.org.br/en/blog/mandante-do-assassinato-de-jose-e-maria-do-espirito-santo-e-condenado-60-anos-de-prisao-no-para/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Pecuarista que encomendou morte de ativistas da Amazônia continua impune (Vegazeta, via Transcend Media Service)","p":"Transcend Media Service","d":"2020-11-30","u":"https://www.transcend.org/tms/2020/11/portugues-pecuarista-que-encomendou-morte-de-ativistas-da-amazonia-continua-impune","type":"press"},{"t":"Dois réus são condenados pela morte de extrativistas no Pará","p":"Jornal do Brasil","d":"2013-04-04","u":"https://www.jb.com.br/pais/noticias/2013/04/04/amp/dois-reus-sao-condenados-pela-morte-de-extrativistas-no-para.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Moreira has been arrested since December 2016 was not found; the latest report seen, from 2021, describes him as a fugitive. Reports differ on whether he became a fugitive in 2013 or 2014, and on the gunmen's exact sentences (one record gives 42 years and eight months).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"samir-flores-killing-and-huexca-power-plant","title":"Samir Flores killing and the Huexca power plant","dek":"Samir Flores Soberanes was killed on 20 February 2019 in Amilcingo, Morelos, days before the federal consultation on a state-owned power plant and gas pipeline he opposed. The only suspect was acquitted in March 2026.","country":"Mexico","region":"North America","lat":18.77,"lon":-98.79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Morelos (Amilcingo)","lat":18.77,"lon":-98.79,"role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":null,"eventDate":"2019-02-20","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Convictions for the killing","value":"None","note":"The only suspect was acquitted on 13 March 2026."},"happened":["Samir Flores Soberanes was killed on 20 February 2019 in Amilcingo, Morelos, Mexico, days before the federal consultation on the Proyecto Integral Morelos.","The record describes what he opposed as the Proyecto Integral Morelos of the CFE, the state power utility: the 642 MW Huexca thermoelectric plant, built by Abengoa, and a gas pipeline (Elecnor/Enagás).","One suspect, identified as Javier \"N\", was arrested in Cuautla on 30 September 2021, as announced by the Morelos state prosecutor's office; a judge ordered him held in pretrial detention on 1 October. A federal judge acquitted him on 13 March 2026, finding that the prosecution's evidence was insufficient. According to activists and press reports, two of the three witnesses presented by prosecutors died in unexplained circumstances and the third was missing; those deaths have not been independently confirmed in the cited sources. No one has been convicted.","After the killing, the government announced that the plant would start operating in 2020. Opponents said that amparo suspensions (court injunctions) were still pending in 2021. The plant's current operating status is not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Samir Flores Soberanes killed on 20 February in Amilcingo, Morelos, days before the federal consultation on the plant"},{"y":2020,"t":"Government announced the plant would start operating"},{"y":2021,"t":"Suspect Javier \"N\" arrested on 30 September; opponents said amparo suspensions were still pending"},{"y":2026,"t":"Federal judge acquitted the only suspect on 13 March"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The government announced that the Huexca plant would start operating in 2020.","who":"Mexican government","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"One suspect, Javier \"N\", arrested in October 2021 and acquitted by a federal judge on 13 March 2026; two key witnesses killed during the proceedings; no one convicted.","src":0},{"t":"The 642 MW Huexca thermoelectric plant (Abengoa) and a gas pipeline (Elecnor/Enagás) formed part of the CFE's Proyecto Integral Morelos.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Convictions","v":"None","d":"Only suspect acquitted 13 March 2026"},{"k":"Plant capacity","v":"642 MW","d":"Huexca thermoelectric plant"},{"k":"Plant operating status","v":"None on record","d":"Government announced operation in 2020"}]},"unknown":["Current operating status of the Huexca plant: none on record.","No one has been convicted of the killing."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not state whether the plant or pipeline stopped; the government announced in 2020 that the plant would start operating, and its current status is not stated.","whoPaid":"One person was killed; the cited sources give no compensation or other payment.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: the only suspect was acquitted by a federal judge on 13 March; no one has been convicted; the plant's current operating status is not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"abengoa","says":"A response from Abengoa is published on business-humanrights.org; its text is not reproduced in the cited sources.","when":null,"src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"cfe","role":"State power utility; owner of the Proyecto Integral Morelos"},{"id":"abengoa","role":"Builder of the Huexca thermoelectric plant"},{"id":"elecnor","role":"Gas pipeline (Elecnor/Enagás)"},{"id":"enagas","role":"Gas pipeline (Elecnor/Enagás)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Could the Huexca plant begin operating while court injunctions were pending?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mexican government","says":"Announced that the plant would start operating in 2020.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Opponents of the plant","says":"Said that amparo suspensions (court injunctions) were still pending in 2021.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of the only suspect in the killing of Samir Flores","forum":"Federal court (federal judge)","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Javier \"N\"","filed":"2021-09-30 (arrest)","decided":"2026-03-13","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The suspect was arrested on 30 September 2021 and acquitted by a federal judge on 13 March 2026 for insufficient evidence. Activists and press reports say two of the three witnesses presented by prosecutors died in unexplained circumstances and the third was missing; this was not independently confirmed. No one has been convicted.","src":0},{"title":"Amparo proceedings against the Huexca plant","forum":"None on record","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Opponents of the plant","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Opponents said that amparo suspensions (court injunctions) were still pending in 2021. The outcome is not on record.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Samir Flores Soberanes, killed 20 February 2019."},{"key":"witnesses_killed","value":2,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Two key witnesses were killed during the proceedings; dates not given."},{"key":"capacity_mw","value":642,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Huexca thermoelectric plant."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An activist who opposed a state power plant and gas pipeline was killed; the only suspect was acquitted.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Samir Flores Soberanes","what":"Killed on 20 February 2019.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Amilcingo, Morelos, Mexico.","src":null},"when":{"t":"20 February 2019, days before the federal consultation on the plant; acquittal of the only suspect on 13 March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The record states that he opposed the Proyecto Integral Morelos of the CFE (the Huexca plant and a gas pipeline). No one has been convicted of the killing.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the killing was carried out.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Único detenido por el asesinato de Samir Flores es liberado","p":"Expansión (politica.expansion.mx)","d":"2026-03-15","type":"press","u":"https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2026/03/15/unico-detenido-por-el-asesinato-de-samir-flores-es-liberado","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414055754/https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2026/03/15/unico-detenido-por-el-asesinato-de-samir-flores-es-liberado"},{"t":"Abengoa response","p":"business-humanrights.org","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/abengoa-response","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018144554/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/abengoa-response/"},{"t":"Presunto asesino de Samir Flores fue detenido en prisión; tiene un año preso","p":"Grupo Animal","d":"2021-10","u":"https://grupoanimal.mx/sociedad/presunto-asesino-samir-flores-ano-detenido","type":"press"},{"t":"Caso Samir Flores: absuelven al único detenido por su asesinato","p":"SDP Noticias","d":"2026-03","u":"https://www.sdpnoticias.com/estados/morelos/caso-samir-flores-absuelven-al-unico-detenido-por-su-asesinato/","type":"press"},{"t":"La termoeléctrica de Morelos, otro proyecto polémico que AMLO llevará a consulta","p":"Expansión Política","d":"2019-02-21","u":"https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2019/02/21/la-termoelectrica-de-morelos-otro-proyecto-polemico-que-amlo-llevara-a-consulta","type":"press"},{"t":"Suspensiones de amparo vigentes contra el Proyecto Integral Morelos, según opositores","p":"La Jornada","d":"2021-02-10","u":"https://www.jornada.com.mx/2021/02/10/estados/027n5est","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241119034113/https://www.jornada.com.mx/2021/02/10/estados/027n5est"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could the Huexca plant begin operating while court injunctions were pending?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Amparo proceedings against the Huexca plant: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Current operating status of the Huexca plant: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No one has been convicted of the killing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Samir Flores Soberanes"]},{"id":"bazooka-rhadebe-killing-and-xolobeni-mine","title":"Bazooka Rhadebe killing and Xolobeni mine (South Africa)","dek":"Sikhosiphi \"Bazooka\" Rhadebe, chair of the Amadiba Crisis Committee, was shot dead in March 2016 after opposing a titanium-sands mine at Xolobeni. No arrests had been reported by 2018, and the investigation was later reported to have been abandoned.","country":"South Africa","region":"Africa","lat":-31.3,"lon":30,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Eastern Cape (Xolobeni, Mbizana)","lat":-31.3,"lon":30,"role":"event"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Western Cape","role":"court"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Pretoria","role":"court"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"company-home"}],"start":2016,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2016-03-22","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Arrests for the killing of Rhadebe, as reported in 2018 and 2023","value":"None","note":"A civil-society report two years after the killing and a 2023 press report both describe an investigation that produced no arrests."},"happened":["Sikhosiphi \"Bazooka\" Rhadebe chaired the Amadiba Crisis Committee, a community body opposed to a titanium-sands mining project at Xolobeni, Mbizana, in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The project was run by TEM, which was majority owned (56%) by the Australian company Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC).","Rhadebe was killed on 22 March 2016 in the evening, in front of his home, aged 52. According to the HRD Memorial record, two men who said they were police shot him eight times in front of his son. Less than two hours earlier he had phoned a friend, Nonhle Mbuthuma, to say there was a \"death list\" carrying his name, hers and that of the committee's deputy chair, Mzamo Dlamini. MRC said it had no connection with the killing.","Two years later, in March 2018, no one had been arrested. A civil-society report cited by GroundUp said the investigation had been sabotaged from within the police and that Dlamini had never been interviewed. In 2023 the investigative outlet amaBhungane reported an unsigned note from a general of the Hawks, the police's priority-crimes unit, that appeared to justify abandoning the investigation.","In 2016 and 2017 MRC, its subsidiary Mineral Sands Resources and company officers, including Mark Caruso, sued six activists and lawyers for defamation for a total of about R14.25m: Dlamini, Cormac Cullinan, Reddell, John Clarke, Davies and Davine Cloete. Cloete is described as a community activist critical of MRC's Tormin mine. In 2021 the Western Cape High Court accepted that a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) defence could be raised and gave the defendants leave to amend their pleas; in 2022 the Constitutional Court recognised the defence in law. In November 2023 the parties partly settled on confidential terms. GroundUp reported that Caruso's separate claims against Dlamini, Cullinan and Clarke were not settled; the later status of those claims was not found.","On 22 November 2018 the High Court in Pretoria ruled in Baleni and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Others that community consent is required before a mining right is granted. In July 2016 MRC had announced that it would sell its stake in the Xolobeni project to a company called Keysha; whether the sale closed is not on record. The current status of the Xolobeni mining application is not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"22 March: Rhadebe shot dead at his home in Xolobeni, Mbizana; July: MRC announces it will sell its Xolobeni stake to Keysha (closing not confirmed)"},{"y":2017,"t":"MRC, a subsidiary and company officers sue six critics for about R14.25m (summonses served in 2016 and 2017)"},{"y":2018,"t":"March: no arrests two years on, civil-society report says investigation was sabotaged from within the police; 22 November: Pretoria High Court rules community consent is required for a mining right (Baleni)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Western Cape High Court accepts SLAPP as a viable defence ([2021] ZAWCHC 22)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Constitutional Court recognises the SLAPP defence ([2022] ZACC 37)"},{"y":2023,"t":"amaBhungane reports an unsigned Hawks note appearing to justify abandoning the investigation; November: partial confidential settlement of the defamation claims"}],"said":[{"q":"a SLAPP suit defence ensures that courts can protect their own integrity by guarding over the use of their processes","who":"Constitutional Court of South Africa, judgment (para 100)","when":"November 2022","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"MRC said it had no connection with Rhadebe's killing.","who":"Mineral Commodities Ltd, as recorded by HRD Memorial and Yale e360","src":null},{"t":"MRC announced that it would sell its stake in the Xolobeni project to Keysha.","who":"Mineral Commodities Ltd, July 2016","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rhadebe was killed on 22 March 2016 at his home, shot eight times, aged 52.","src":0},{"t":"No arrests had been made two years after the killing (GroundUp, March 2018).","src":1},{"t":"In 2023 amaBhungane reported an unsigned note from a Hawks general that appeared to justify abandoning the investigation.","src":2},{"t":"On 22 November 2018 the High Court in Pretoria ruled that community consent is required before a mining right is granted.","src":4},{"t":"The Western Cape High Court (2021) and the Constitutional Court (2022) accepted the SLAPP defence in MRC's defamation suit against six critics.","src":6},{"t":"In November 2023 MRC's R1m claim against Dlamini and R500k claim against Cullinan were partly settled; terms confidential.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"ZAR","window":"2017–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Arrests for the killing","v":"None reported","d":"No arrests two years on (GroundUp, 2018); a 2023 press report describes an abandoned probe"},{"k":"Community consent for a mining right","v":"Required","d":"Pretoria High Court, 22 November 2018 (Baleni)"},{"k":"Xolobeni mining application","v":"Status not found","d":"Current status is not on record"}]},"unknown":["No arrest has been reported in the killing of Rhadebe; no arrest after the March 2018 report.","The terms of the November 2023 partial settlement are confidential; the later status of Caruso's unsettled claims was not found.","Whether MRC's announced 2016 sale of its Xolobeni stake to Keysha closed was not confirmed.","The current status of the Xolobeni mining application was not found.","No prosecution in the Rhadebe case was found after the dates noted in the cited sources.","No independent ecological evaluation of the planned Xolobeni mine is on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The Xolobeni mine was not recorded as built or cancelled in the cited sources; the Pretoria High Court ruled in November 2018 that community consent is required before a mining right is granted.","whoPaid":"Rhadebe's family and the Amadiba community lost a committee chair; the six defendants carried the defamation claims of about R14.25m for years before the partial settlement.","statusLine":"As of the latest dates in the cited sources (November 2023): no arrests reported in the killing; defamation claims partly settled on confidential terms; later status of the unsettled claims and of the Xolobeni mining application not found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"mineral-commodities","says":"Said it had no connection with Rhadebe's killing.","when":"2016–2017","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"mineral-commodities","role":"Australian parent of TEM; plaintiff in the defamation suit"},{"id":"amadiba-crisis-committee","role":"Community committee chaired by Rhadebe"},{"id":"hawks","role":"South African police priority-crimes unit"},{"id":"western-cape-high-court","role":"Court that accepted the SLAPP defence (2021)"},{"id":"sa-constitutional-court","role":"Court that recognised the SLAPP defence (2022)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why did the investigation into the killing produce no arrests?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Civil-society report cited by GroundUp (March 2018)","says":"The investigation was sabotaged from within the police and Dlamini had never been interviewed.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"amaBhungane (2023)","says":"An unsigned note from a Hawks general appeared to justify abandoning the investigation.","src":2}]},{"point":"Were MRC's defamation suits against six critics a legitimate claim or an abuse of court process?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Mineral Commodities Ltd, its subsidiary and director Mark Caruso","says":"Brought defamation claims totalling about R14.25m against six activists and lawyers.","src":6},{"voice":"court","holder":"Western Cape High Court (2021)","says":"Accepted SLAPP as a viable defence, fitting within the common-law doctrine of abuse of process, and gave the defendants leave to amend their pleas.","src":6},{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court (2022)","says":"Recognised the SLAPP defence in law: it ensures that courts can protect their own integrity by guarding over the use of their processes.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Investigation into the killing of Sikhosiphi \"Bazooka\" Rhadebe","forum":"South African police investigation (Hawks involvement reported)","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State","defendant":"Unknown perpetrators","filed":"2016-03","decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"No arrests had been reported two years after the killing; in 2023 amaBhungane reported an unsigned note from a Hawks general that appeared to justify abandoning the investigation.","src":1},{"title":"Mineral Commodities Ltd and Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell and others (defamation / SLAPP defence)","forum":"Western Cape High Court ([2021] ZAWCHC 22); Constitutional Court ([2022] ZACC 37)","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Mineral Commodities Ltd, Mineral Sands Resources and director Mark Caruso","defendant":"Six activists and lawyers: Dlamini, Cullinan, Reddell, Clarke, Davies, Cloete","filed":"2016-2017","decided":"2022-11","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":14.25,"currency":"ZAR m","label":"Defamation damages claimed in total"},"summary":"The Western Cape High Court (Deputy Judge President Goliath) accepted SLAPP as a viable defence in 2021 and gave the defendants leave to amend their pleas; the Constitutional Court recognised the defence in 2022. In November 2023 claims by MRC and its subsidiary were settled on confidential terms. GroundUp reported that Caruso's separate claims against Dlamini, Cullinan and Clarke were not settled; the later status of those claims was not found.","src":6},{"title":"Baleni and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Others","forum":"High Court, Pretoria","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Baleni and 128 others (129 applicants)","defendant":"Minister of Mineral Resources and others","filed":null,"decided":"2018-11-22","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The High Court ruled that community consent is required before a mining right is granted.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Rhadebe, killed 22 March 2016 (HRD Memorial)."},{"key":"claim","value":14.25,"unit":"ZAR m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total defamation damages claimed by MRC and others against six people (US$759,802)."},{"key":"mrc_stake_in_tem","value":56,"unit":"percent","year":2016,"note":"MRC's majority holding in TEM, the Xolobeni project company."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The chair of a community committee opposed to a titanium-sands mine was shot dead; no arrests were reported, and the company later sued six critics for defamation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sikhosiphi \"Bazooka\" Rhadebe and his family","what":"He was killed on 22 March 2016, aged 52, in front of his son.","src":0},{"who":"Six activists and lawyers sued by MRC","what":"Faced defamation claims of about R14.25m until a partial settlement in November 2023.","src":8}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Xolobeni, Mbizana, Eastern Cape, South Africa; related court proceedings in the Western Cape High Court, Pretoria High Court and the Constitutional Court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Killing on 22 March 2016; defamation suits from 2016; Pretoria ruling 22 November 2018; SLAPP rulings 2021 and 2022; partial settlement November 2023.","src":7},"why":{"t":"Rhadebe chaired the Amadiba Crisis Committee, which opposed the Xolobeni titanium-sands project of TEM, majority owned by Mineral Commodities Ltd. The motive for the killing was not established in the cited sources.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Two men who said they were police shot him eight times at his home; a prior 'death list' naming three committee members had been reported by Rhadebe to a friend by phone.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Sikhosiphi Rhadebe (HRD Memorial record)","p":"HRD Memorial","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/sikhosiphi-rhadebe/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611005407/https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/sikhosiphi-rhadebe/"},{"t":"Family of murdered Xolobeni activist appeal to NPA to unblock investigation","p":"GroundUp","d":"2018-03-27","type":"press","u":"https://groundup.org.za/article/family-murdered-xolobeni-activist-appeal-npa-unblock-investigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260115052241/https://groundup.org.za/article/family-murdered-xolobeni-activist-appeal-npa-unblock-investigation/"},{"t":"Xolobeni murder: Hawks general fingered for shutting down investigation","p":"amaBhungane","d":"2023","type":"investigative","u":"https://amabhungane.org/230510-xolobeni-murder-hawks-general-fingered-for-shutting-down-investigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613083359/https://amabhungane.org/230510-xolobeni-murder-hawks-general-fingered-for-shutting-down-investigation/"},{"t":"MRC to sell Xolobeni stake","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2016-07-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/mrc-to-sell-xolobeni-stake-2016-07-18","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220419214015/https://www.miningweekly.com/article/mrc-to-sell-xolobeni-stake-2016-07-18"},{"t":"Baleni and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Others (2018)","p":"Polity","d":"2018-11-23","type":"press","u":"https://m.polity.org.za/article/baleni-others-vs-mineral-resources-minister-others-2018-11-23"},{"t":"Constitutional Court of South Africa judgment [2022] ZACC 37 (Mineral Commodities / Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell and others)","p":"Southern African Legal Information Institute (SAFLII)","d":"2022","type":"court","u":"https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2022/37.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209122831/https://www1.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2022/37.html"},{"t":"Mineral Commodities v Reddell and others: SLAPP defence accepted","p":"Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University","d":"n.d.","type":"academic","u":"https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/?p=94256"},{"t":"Mineral Commodities Ltd SLAPP suit partly settled with environmental activists out of court","p":"Daily Maverick","d":"2023-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-22-mineral-commodities-ltd-slapp-suit-partly-settled-with-environmental-activists-out-of-court/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240519232456/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-22-mineral-commodities-ltd-slapp-suit-partly-settled-with-environmental-activists-out-of-court/"},{"t":"Aussie mining company's SLAPP suit partly settled out of court","p":"GroundUp","d":"2023-11-22","u":"https://groundup.news/article/aussie-mining-companys-slapp-suit-partly-settled-out-of-court/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"mining-right","related":["mineral-commodities-v-reddell"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did the investigation into the killing produce no arrests?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were MRC's defamation suits against six critics a legitimate claim or an abuse of court process?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Mineral Commodities Ltd and Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell and others (defamation / SLAPP defence): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No arrest has been reported in the killing of Rhadebe; no arrest after the March 2018 report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The terms of the November 2023 partial settlement are confidential; the later status of Caruso's unsettled claims was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether MRC's announced 2016 sale of its Xolobeni stake to Keysha closed was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The current status of the Xolobeni mining application was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No prosecution in the Rhadebe case was found after the dates noted in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation of the planned Xolobeni mine is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"shell-nigeria-pipeline-spill-ruling","title":"Shell Nigeria pipeline spill ruling (Hague Court of Appeal, 2021)","dek":"On 29 January 2021 the Hague Court of Appeal held Shell Nigeria liable for damage from leaks in oil pipelines at Oruma and Goi. The matter was settled in December 2022 for €15 million, without an admission of liability.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":5,"lon":6.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"The Hague","role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2021-01-29","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Settlement after the appeal ruling, no admission of liability","value":"€15 million","note":"Settled December 2022."},"happened":["On 29 January 2021 the Hague Court of Appeal ruled on oil-pipeline leaks at Oruma and Goi in Nigeria. According to the court's news release as quoted in secondary sources, the court found: \"Shell Nigeria is therefore liable for the damage resulting from the leakage of those pipelines.\"","The report of the ruling states that Shell Nigeria had attributed leaks to sabotage and that the court placed a heavy burden of proof on a company that makes that claim.","In December 2022 the matter was settled for €15 million. The settlement was made without an admission of liability."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"29 January: Hague Court of Appeal holds Shell Nigeria liable for damage from the leaking pipelines at Oruma and Goi"},{"y":2022,"t":"December: settlement of €15 million, no admission of liability"}],"said":[{"q":"Shell Nigeria is therefore liable for the damage resulting from the leakage of those pipelines.","who":"Hague Court of Appeal, on the Oruma and Goi pipelines","when":"29 January 2021","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Hague Court of Appeal, 29 January 2021: Shell Nigeria liable for oil-pipeline leaks at Oruma and Goi.","src":0},{"t":"Settlement of €15 million in December 2022, without admission of liability.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2021–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Court finding","v":"Liable","d":"Hague Court of Appeal, 29 Jan 2021, leaks at Oruma and Goi"},{"k":"Settlement","v":"€15 million","d":"December 2022; no admission of liability"}]},"unknown":["The settlement was concluded without an admission of liability by Shell."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not state whether the leaks at Oruma and Goi were stopped or the sites cleaned up.","whoPaid":"Shell Nigeria, through a €15 million settlement made without admission of liability (December 2022).","statusLine":"As of December 2022: Hague Court of Appeal ruling of 29 January 2021 followed by a €15 million settlement; no later development on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Parent group of Shell Nigeria"},{"id":"shell-nigeria","role":"Defendant held liable for the pipeline leaks"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were pipeline leaks caused by sabotage, and who bears the burden of proving it?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Hague Court of Appeal","says":"Held Shell Nigeria liable for the damage from leakage of the Oruma and Goi pipelines; a secondary report says the court placed a heavy burden of proof on a company that invokes sabotage.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International (2013 report, general to the Niger Delta)","says":"Reported that joint investigation visits run by the companies determine the cause of a spill, that a sabotage finding reduces compensation, and gave examples of wrong attribution.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Oruma and Goi pipeline leaks (Hague Court of Appeal)","forum":"Hague Court of Appeal","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Shell Nigeria","filed":null,"decided":"2021-01-29","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court held Shell Nigeria liable for the damage resulting from the leakage of the pipelines at Oruma and Goi. A €15 million settlement without admission of liability followed in December 2022.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":15,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"Settlement of December 2022, no admission of liability."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Hague Court of Appeal held Shell Nigeria liable for damage from leaking oil pipelines at Oruma and Goi; the matter was later settled for €15 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Oruma and Goi, Nigeria; ruling in The Hague, Netherlands.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling 29 January 2021; settlement December 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"not on record beyond the court's finding of liability.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shell Nigeria was found liable for the damage resulting from the leakage of the pipelines; the cited sources note the court placed a heavy burden of proof on a party that invokes sabotage.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Shell Nigeria liable for oil spills in Nigeria (court news release, taken from a search result)","p":"Rechtspraak, Gerechtshof Den Haag","d":"2021-01-29","type":"court","u":"https://www.rechtspraak.nl/organisatie-en-contact/organisatie/gerechtshoven/gerechtshof-den-haag/nieuws/2021/01/shell-nigeria-liable-for-oil-spills-in-nigeria","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260707162016/https://www.rechtspraak.nl/organisatie-en-contact/organisatie/gerechtshoven/gerechtshof-den-haag/nieuws/2021/01/shell-nigeria-liable-for-oil-spills-in-nigeria"},{"t":"Bad Information: Oil Spill Investigations in the Niger Delta","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2013-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://amnestyusa.org/reports/bad-information-oil-spill-investigations-in-the-niger-delta","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250712040907/https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/bad-information-oil-spill-investigations-in-the-niger-delta/"},{"t":"Shell to pay 15 mln euros in settlement over Nigerian oil spills","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2022-12-23","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/23/shell-to-pay-15-mln-euros-in-settlement-over-nigerian-oil-spills","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"oil-spill-litigation","related":["ogoniland-and-bodo-spills-cleanup","ken-saro-wiwa-and-the-ogoni-nine-wiwa-v-shell","niger-delta-oil-spills-and-sabotage-attribution"],"natureLead":{"t":"Oil leaked from pipelines into me at Oruma and Goi; on 29 January 2021 a Hague court held Shell Nigeria liable, and in December 2022 it settled for €15 million without admitting liability.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were pipeline leaks caused by sabotage, and who bears the burden of proving it?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The settlement was concluded without an admission of liability by Shell.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp","title":"TotalEnergies v Greenpeace France","dek":"In 2023 TotalEnergies sued Greenpeace France over a November 2022 report on the company's emissions. On 28 March 2024 the Paris Judicial Court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-03-28","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Emissions figures in dispute for 2019","value":"455 Mt vs about 1.64 Gt CO2e","note":"TotalEnergies' declared figure against Greenpeace's estimate."},"happened":["In November 2022 Greenpeace France published a report on TotalEnergies' emissions. TotalEnergies had declared 455 Mt CO2e for 2019; Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt.","In April 2023 TotalEnergies brought a suit over the report. It asked the court to order the report's removal and to impose €2,000 per day for non-compliance, plus €1 in symbolic damages.","On 28 March 2024 the Paris Judicial Court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds, finding the summons too vague under Article 54 of the Code of Civil Procedure. It ordered TotalEnergies to pay €15,000 in costs. In April 2024 TotalEnergies told AFP that it would not appeal."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"November: Greenpeace France report on TotalEnergies' emissions"},{"y":2023,"t":"TotalEnergies sues over the report, seeking its removal plus €2,000 per day"},{"y":2024,"t":"28 March: Paris Judicial Court dismisses the suit on procedural grounds; April: TotalEnergies says it will not appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"TotalEnergies declared 455 Mt CO2e for 2019; Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt.","src":0},{"t":"28 March 2024: the Paris Judicial Court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds (summons too vague, Art. 54 of the Code of Civil Procedure).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2023–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Declared vs estimated 2019 emissions","v":"455 Mt vs about 1.64 Gt CO2e","d":"TotalEnergies' declaration against Greenpeace's estimate"},{"k":"Outcome of the suit","v":"Dismissed","d":"Paris Judicial Court, 28 March 2024, on procedural grounds; no ruling on the figures"}]},"unknown":["The court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds, so the cited sources give no ruling on which emissions figure is correct.","No link between TotalEnergies and the Uganda EACOP arrests was established in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the matter concerns a lawsuit over a report, and the cited sources give no environmental harm event.","whoPaid":"None on record. Unconfirmed: a €15,000 costs award to Greenpeace.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: suit dismissed on procedural grounds by the Paris Judicial Court; TotalEnergies said it would not appeal.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"TotalEnergies","says":"Asked the court to order the removal of the Greenpeace report and €2,000 per day.","when":"2023","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"greenpeace-france","role":"Defendant; author of the November 2022 report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What were TotalEnergies' 2019 emissions?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TotalEnergies","says":"Declared 455 Mt CO2e for 2019.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace France","says":"Estimated about 1.64 Gt CO2e for 2019 in its November 2022 report.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Paris Judicial Court","says":"Dismissed the suit on procedural grounds (summons too vague); no finding on the figures.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"TotalEnergies v Greenpeace France","forum":"Paris Judicial Court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"TotalEnergies","defendant":"Greenpeace France","filed":"2023","decided":"2024-03-28","status":"defendant-won","summary":"TotalEnergies sued over a November 2022 Greenpeace report, seeking its removal plus €2,000 per day. The court dismissed the suit on 28 March 2024 on procedural grounds: the summons was too vague under Art. 54 of the Code of Civil Procedure.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"emissions_declared_mt_co2e","value":455,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2019,"note":"Declared by TotalEnergies for 2019."},{"key":"emissions_estimated_gt_co2e","value":1.64,"unit":"Gt CO2e","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Greenpeace's estimate for 2019."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"TotalEnergies sued Greenpeace France over a report on its emissions; the Paris Judicial Court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Greenpeace France","what":"Suit against it dismissed","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Paris, France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Report November 2022; suit 2023; dismissal 28 March 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"not on record beyond the claim for removal of the report.","src":null},"how":{"t":"TotalEnergies asked for the report's removal plus €2,000 per day; the court found the summons too vague under Art. 54 of the Code of Civil Procedure.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"TotalEnergies v. Greenpeace France (SLAPP case)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"2024-03-28","type":"academic","u":"https://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp-case/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250611235312/https://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp-case/"},{"t":"Critiquée sur son bilan carbone, TotalEnergies renonce à faire appel dans son procès contre Greenpeace","p":"L'Orient-Le Jour (AFP)","d":"2024-04","u":"https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1412477/critiquee-sur-son-bilan-carbone-totalenergies-renonce-a-faire-appel-dans-son-proces-contre-greenpeace.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250624200808/https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1412477/critiquee-sur-son-bilan-carbone-totalenergies-renonce-a-faire-appel-dans-son-proces-contre-greenpeace.html"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"legal-action","related":["energy-transfer-v-greenpeace","corporate-suits-against-greenpeace","resolute-forest-products-v-greenpeace","standing-rock-dakota-access-arrests-and-tigerswan"],"natureLead":{"t":"TotalEnergies declared 455 Mt CO2e into my air for 2019; Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What were TotalEnergies' 2019 emissions?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds, so the cited sources give no ruling on which emissions figure is correct.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No link between TotalEnergies and the Uganda EACOP arrests was established in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lafarge-la-malle-sabotage-and-soulevements-de-la-terre-disso","title":"Lafarge La Malle sabotage and Soulèvements de la Terre dissolution","dek":"About 200 people sabotaged a Lafarge cement plant in France in December 2022. In June 2023 the government dissolved the movement Les Soulèvements de la Terre by decree; the Conseil d'État annulled the decree in November 2023.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":43.45,"lon":5.41,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Bouc-Bel-Air","lat":43.45,"lon":5.41,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2022-12-10","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"People reported at the sabotage of the La Malle plant","value":"about 200","note":"10 December 2022, Bouc-Bel-Air; reported figure."},"happened":["On 10 December 2022 about 200 people sabotaged the Lafarge La Malle cement plant at Bouc-Bel-Air, according to the record.","On 5 June 2023 about fifteen people were arrested in raids on several towns, and a further wave of arrests followed on 20 June; the police counter-terrorism sub-directorate (SDAT) was involved. Reported counts vary. In July 2023 at least two people were formally placed under investigation (mis en examen) at Aix-en-Provence for criminal association and aggravated damage.","On 21 June 2023 the government issued a decree dissolving Les Soulèvements de la Terre. Interior Minister Darmanin had called the group \"eco-terrorist\".","The Conseil d'État suspended the decree on 11 August 2023 and annulled it on 9 November 2023 as disproportionate. It ordered the State to pay €7,500 in total to some of the movement's members and supporters who had brought the challenges."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"10 Dec: about 200 people sabotage the Lafarge La Malle cement plant at Bouc-Bel-Air"},{"y":2023,"t":"5 and 20 Jun: waves of arrests, SDAT involved; 21 Jun: decree dissolving Les Soulèvements de la Terre; July: at least two people placed under formal investigation at Aix-en-Provence; 11 Aug: Conseil d'État suspends the decree; 9 Nov: Conseil d'État annuls it as disproportionate"}],"said":[{"q":"eco-terrorist","who":"Interior Minister Darmanin, describing Les Soulèvements de la Terre (single word as recorded)","when":"2023","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The group was described as \"eco-terrorist\" when the government dissolved it.","who":"Interior Minister Darmanin","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Conseil d'État annulled the dissolution decree on 9 November 2023 as disproportionate and ordered the State to pay €7,500.","src":0},{"t":"At least two people were formally charged with criminal association and aggravated damage.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Dissolution decree","v":"Annulled","d":"Conseil d'État, 9 Nov 2023, as disproportionate"},{"k":"People reported at the sabotage","v":"About 200","d":"10 Dec 2022"}]},"unknown":["The number of people arrested is reported differently (about fifteen on 5 June; 14 to 18 on 20 June); an exact total was not confirmed.","No trial or ruling on the criminal case against the at least two people placed under formal investigation was found."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of November 2023: the dissolution decree was annulled by the Conseil d'État; no outcome of the criminal investigation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"france-government","says":"Dissolved Les Soulèvements de la Terre by decree on 21 June 2023; the Interior Minister had called the group \"eco-terrorist\".","when":"2023-06-21","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"conseil-detat","role":"Court that suspended and annulled the dissolution decree"},{"id":"france-government","role":"Issued the dissolution decree"},{"id":"lafarge","role":"Operator of the La Malle cement plant"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was dissolving Les Soulèvements de la Terre a proportionate measure?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"French government","says":"Dissolved the group by decree on 21 June 2023; the Interior Minister had called it \"eco-terrorist\".","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Conseil d'État","says":"Annulled the decree on 9 November 2023 as disproportionate.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the dissolution decree of Les Soulèvements de la Terre","forum":"Conseil d'État","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Challengers of the decree (names: none on record)","defendant":"French State","filed":null,"decided":"2023-11-09","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":7500,"currency":"EUR","label":"Ordered to be paid by the State"},"summary":"The Conseil d'État suspended the decree on 11 August 2023 and annulled it on 9 November 2023 as disproportionate, ordering the State to pay €7,500 in total to some of the movement's members and supporters who had brought the challenges.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal proceedings after the La Malle plant sabotage","forum":"French criminal courts (not specified)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"French prosecuting authorities","defendant":"At least two people (charged)","filed":"2023","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"In July 2023 at least two people were formally placed under investigation (mis en examen) at Aix-en-Provence for criminal association and aggravated damage. No trial or ruling is on record.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_involved","value":200,"unit":"people","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"People who sabotaged the plant on 10 December 2022."},{"key":"fine","value":7500,"unit":"EUR","year":2023,"note":"Amount the Conseil d'État ordered the State to pay."},{"key":"people_charged","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Formally charged with criminal association and aggravated damage."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cement plant was sabotaged and the movement linked to the action was dissolved by government decree, later annulled by the Conseil d'État.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Les Soulèvements de la Terre","what":"Dissolved by decree on 21 June 2023; the decree was annulled on 9 November 2023.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lafarge La Malle cement plant, Bouc-Bel-Air, France.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Sabotage 10 December 2022; arrests 5 and 20 June 2023; decree 21 June 2023; annulment 9 November 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the reasons given for the sabotage beyond the government's description of the group as \"eco-terrorist\".","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sabotage by about 200 people; arrests led by the SDAT; dissolution by decree; annulment by the Conseil d'État.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Flash: le Conseil d'État annule le décret de dissolution des Soulèvements de la Terre","p":"Actu-Juridique","d":"2023-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.actu-juridique.fr/libertes-publiques-ddh/flash-le-conseil-detat-annule-le-decret-de-dissolution-des-soulevements-de-la-terre/"},{"t":"Une quinzaine de militants écolos arrêtés partout en France","p":"Politis","d":"2023-06-06","u":"https://www.politis.fr/articles/2023/06/une-quinzaine-de-militants-ecolos-arretes-partout-en-france/","type":"press"},{"t":"Sabotage de l'usine Lafarge : deux premières mises en examen","p":"Reporterre","d":"2023-07","u":"https://reporterre.net/Sabotage-de-l-usine-Lafarge-deux-premieres-mises-en-examen","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250927101400/https://reporterre.net/Sabotage-de-l-usine-Lafarge-deux-premieres-mises-en-examen"},{"t":"Sabotage de l'usine Lafarge : deux premières mises en examen","p":"Reporterre","d":"2023-07","u":"https://reporterre.net/Sabotage-de-l-usine-Lafarge-deux-premieres-mises-en-examen","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250927101400/https://reporterre.net/Sabotage-de-l-usine-Lafarge-deux-premieres-mises-en-examen"},{"t":"Paris protest in support of 'extremist' climate activist group SLT","p":"Euronews","d":"2023-06-22","u":"https://www.euronews.com/2023/06/22/paris-protest-in-support-of-extremist-climate-activist-group-slt","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"protest-policing","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was dissolving Les Soulèvements de la Terre a proportionate measure?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The number of people arrested is reported differently (about fifteen on 5 June; 14 to 18 on 20 June); an exact total was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No trial or ruling on the criminal case against the at least two people placed under formal investigation was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bayou-bridge-pipeline-arrests","title":"Bayou Bridge pipeline arrests (Louisiana)","dek":"Sixteen protesters and one journalist were arrested at several events in 2018, beginning soon after Louisiana's critical-infrastructure trespass law took effect on 1 August. In July 2021 the district attorney said he would not prosecute them. A court challenge to the law failed and the law remains in force.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":30.2,"lon":-91.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","lat":30.2,"lon":-91.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2018-08-09","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"People arrested on 9 Aug 2018 at the Bayou Bridge pipeline","value":"17","note":"16 activists and 1 journalist."},"happened":["Louisiana's Act 692 of 2018 made trespass on \"critical infrastructure\" a felony. The law took effect on 1 August 2018. Beginning in August 2018, 17 people, 16 protesters and one freelance journalist, were arrested at several events along the Bayou Bridge pipeline.","In July 2021 District Attorney Bofill Duhé sent the 17 an assurance of non-prosecution. He said they had never been formally charged and that being booked is not charging; the protesters' lawyers said they had been charged.","In White Hat v. Murrill, a challenge to the law, the district court on 5 June 2023 denied the plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment and rejected their First Amendment and vagueness claims. The Fifth Circuit affirmed on 20 June 2025, with one judge dissenting on vagueness. It held the arrested plaintiffs' as-applied challenge moot because the limitations period for charges from the 2018 protests had expired. The law remains in force."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"1 Aug: Act 692 takes effect; from August: 16 protesters and 1 journalist arrested at several events along the Bayou Bridge pipeline"},{"y":2021,"t":"July: district attorney says he will not prosecute the 17; says they were never formally charged"},{"y":2022,"t":""},{"y":2023,"t":"5 June: district court denies plaintiffs' summary judgment in White Hat v. Murrill and rejects their First Amendment and vagueness claims"},{"y":2025,"t":"20 Jun: Fifth Circuit affirms, one judge dissenting on vagueness"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"At least nine people, including one journalist, were arrested between 9 and 19 August 2018 (three on 9 August, four including the journalist Karen Savage on 18 August, two on 19 August), after the amended Louisiana critical-infrastructure law took effect on 1 August.","src":3},{"t":"The Fifth Circuit affirmed the ruling against the challengers of the law on 20 June 2025; the law remains in force.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People arrested","v":"17","d":"9 Aug 2018: 16 activists and 1 journalist"},{"k":"Law challenge","v":"Failed","d":"Fifth Circuit affirmed, 20 Jun 2025; one judge dissented on vagueness"}]},"unknown":["The district attorney said those arrested were never formally charged; their lawyers said they had been charged."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of June 2025: the Fifth Circuit affirmed the ruling against the challenge to Act 692; the law remains in force.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"us-fifth-circuit","role":"Appeals court that affirmed the ruling on the challenge to the law"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was Louisiana's critical-infrastructure trespass law unconstitutionally vague?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Fifth Circuit","says":"Affirmed the district court's ruling against the plaintiffs on 20 June 2025; one judge dissented on vagueness.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"White Hat v. Murrill (challenge to Act 692 of 2018)","forum":"US district court, then Fifth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiffs challenging the law","defendant":"Louisiana officials","filed":null,"decided":"2025-06-20","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The district court denied the plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment on 5 June 2023 and rejected their First Amendment and vagueness claims. The Fifth Circuit affirmed on 20 June 2025, with one judge dissenting on vagueness, and held the arrested plaintiffs' as-applied challenge moot.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"arrests","value":17,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"16 activists and 1 journalist, 9 August 2018."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Activists and a journalist were arrested under a new felony trespass law at a pipeline site; a later challenge to the law failed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"16 activists and 1 journalist","what":"Arrested from August 2018; in July 2021 the district attorney said he would not prosecute.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bayou Bridge pipeline, Louisiana.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Arrests from August 2018; district attorney's non-prosecution letter July 2021; district court ruling 5 June 2023; appeal ruling 20 June 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The arrests were made under Act 692 of 2018, which made trespass on \"critical infrastructure\" a felony.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Arrests began soon after the law took effect; in July 2021 the district attorney said he would not prosecute.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"White Hat v. Landry (case chart entry)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"2025-06","type":"court","u":"https://climatecasechart.com/case/white-hat-v-landry/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240707221249/https://climatecasechart.com/case/white-hat-v-landry/"},{"t":"Lawyers: Prosecutor won't charge 17 with pipeline trespass","p":"American Press (Associated Press)","d":"2021-07-14","u":"https://americanpress.com/?p=214753","type":"press"},{"t":"I Was Targeted Under Louisiana's Felony Trespassing Law for Reporting on Police Working for a Pipeline Company","p":"DeSmog","d":"2021-10-12","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2021/10/12/karen-savage-journalist-louisiana-trespassing-bayou-bridge","type":"press"},{"t":"Pipeline Protest Arrests Raise Questions About Controversial Louisiana Law","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2018-08-24","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24082018/pipeline-protests-new-louisiana-law-activist-arrests-oil-bayou-bridge-energy-transfer-partners/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260817192547/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24082018/pipeline-protests-new-louisiana-law-activist-arrests-oil-bayou-bridge-energy-transfer-partners/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"protest-policing","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Louisiana's critical-infrastructure trespass law unconstitutionally vague?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The district attorney said those arrested were never formally charged; their lawyers said they had been charged.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"just-stop-oil-m25-conspiracy-sentences","title":"Just Stop Oil / M25 conspiracy sentences (UK)","dek":"Roger Hallam was sentenced in July 2024 to five years over the M25 protest conspiracy; the Court of Appeal cut it to four years in March 2025. Just Stop Oil ended direct action in April 2025.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Roger Hallam's sentence after appeal (cut from 5 years)","value":"4 years","note":"R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199, 7 March 2025."},"happened":["Roger Hallam and others were sentenced in July 2024 in the M25 conspiracy case. Hallam received five years, at the time the longest UK sentence for non-violent protest, according to the record.","In R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199 (7 March 2025) the Court of Appeal cut Hallam's term to four years. Co-defendants' terms were cut from four years to three years or 30 months. Six of 16 appeals succeeded.","The Supreme Court refused permission to appeal on 8 October 2025.","Just Stop Oil's own figures, given in March 2025, were 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments. The group said it would end direct action in April 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Jul: Hallam sentenced to 5 years in the M25 conspiracy case"},{"y":2025,"t":"7 Mar: Court of Appeal cuts Hallam's term to 4 years; Mar: Just Stop Oil reports 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments; Apr: ends direct action; 8 Oct: Supreme Court refuses permission to appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Court of Appeal reduced Hallam's sentence from five years to four on 7 March 2025; six of 16 appeals succeeded.","src":0},{"t":"Just Stop Oil's self-reported figures were 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2024–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Hallam's sentence","v":"5 yrs to 4 yrs","d":"Court of Appeal, 7 Mar 2025"},{"k":"Appeals that succeeded","v":"6 of 16","d":"R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199"}]},"unknown":["The arrest and imprisonment totals are Just Stop Oil's own figures and are not independently verified."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of October 2025: the Supreme Court refused permission to appeal; Hallam's sentence stands at four years.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"just-stop-oil","says":"Reported 3,300 arrests and 180 imprisonments (self-reported) and said it would end direct action in April 2025.","when":"2025-03","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"just-stop-oil","role":"Protest group whose members were arrested and sentenced"},{"id":"uk-court-of-appeal","role":"Reduced the sentences on 7 March 2025"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"R v Hallam & Ors [2025] EWCA Crim 199 (M25 conspiracy sentences)","forum":"Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Appellants including Roger Hallam","defendant":"The Crown","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03-07","status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"Hallam's term was cut from five years to four. Co-defendants' terms were cut from four years to three years or 30 months. Six of 16 appeals succeeded. The Supreme Court refused permission to appeal on 8 October 2025.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sentence_years","value":4,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"Hallam's term after appeal, cut from 5 years."},{"key":"arrests","value":3300,"unit":"arrests","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Just Stop Oil's own count, self-reported."},{"key":"imprisonments","value":180,"unit":"imprisonments","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Just Stop Oil's own count, self-reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Climate protesters were sentenced in the M25 conspiracy case; sentences were reduced on appeal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Roger Hallam and co-defendants","what":"Sentenced in July 2024; terms reduced on appeal on 7 March 2025.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"England and Wales (M25 case; Court of Appeal).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Sentenced July 2024; appeal decided 7 March 2025; Supreme Court refused permission 8 October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not set out the court's reasoning beyond the reductions.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Conspiracy convictions, sentences, then appeals; six of 16 succeeded.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"R v Hallam and others, appellants (Just Stop Oil protests case)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"2025-03","type":"court","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/r-v-hallam-and-others-appellants-just-stop-oil-protests-case_8b06","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618022318/https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/r-v-hallam-and-others-appellants-just-stop-oil-protests-case_8b06"},{"t":"Hanging up the high-vis: Just Stop Oil says it will stop direct action protests this April","p":"Euronews","d":"2025-03-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/03/28/hanging-up-the-high-vis-just-stop-oil-says-it-will-stop-direct-action-protests-this-april","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251204114529/https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/03/28/hanging-up-the-high-vis-just-stop-oil-says-it-will-stop-direct-action-protests-this-april"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"protest-policing","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Arrests: Just Stop Oil's own count, self-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Imprisonments: Just Stop Oil's own count, self-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The arrest and imprisonment totals are Just Stop Oil's own figures and are not independently verified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"topacio-reynoso-killing-and-escobal-silver-mine","title":"Topacio Reynoso killing and the Escobal silver mine","dek":"A 16-year-old was killed in Mataquescuintla, Guatemala, in April 2014. The sources list her among people killed who opposed the Escobal silver mine, which has been suspended since 2017 by a Constitutional Court order.","country":"Guatemala","region":"Central America","lat":14.53,"lon":-90.18,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","admin":"Mataquescuintla","lat":14.53,"lon":-90.18,"role":"event"},{"country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","role":"affected"}],"start":2013,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2014-04-13","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Escobal mine status","value":"Suspended since 2017","note":"By Constitutional Court order pending an ILO 169 consultation; the Xinka denied consent (concluded 2023, published May 2025); Pan American disputes the result."},"happened":["Topacio Reynoso was killed on 13 April 2014 in Mataquescuintla, Guatemala. She was 16. The sources list her among people killed who opposed the Escobal silver mine, which was operated by Tahoe Resources, 40% owned by Goldcorp.","A prosecution for her killing was not found. The source cited for this is a Kairos Canada campaign page that demands justice for her father.","A related matter, Garcia v Tahoe, concerned the 2013 shooting of protesters. It was settled in July 2019. Pan American Silver said in its filing that it \"apologizes to the victims and to the community\".","The mine has been suspended since 2017 pending a consultation with the Xinka Indigenous People under ILO Convention 169, which a Constitutional Court ruling (September 2018) requires. On 8 May 2025 the Xinka Parliament stated that the Xinka people do not consent to the mine. In a letter dated 7 May 2025, Pan American Silver said the consultation was still under way and that it considered an Earthworks publication on the mine inaccurate."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Protesters shot; later the subject of Garcia v Tahoe"},{"y":2014,"t":"Topacio Reynoso, 16, killed on 13 April in Mataquescuintla"},{"y":2017,"t":"Escobal mine suspended by Constitutional Court order pending an ILO 169 consultation"},{"y":2019,"t":"Garcia v Tahoe settled in July; Pan American Silver apologised to the victims and the community"},{"y":2025,"t":"8 May: Xinka Parliament states the Xinka people do not consent to the mine; Pan American Silver says the consultation is ongoing"}],"said":[{"q":"apologizes to the victims and to the community","who":"Pan American Silver, in the Garcia v Tahoe settlement filing","when":"July 2019","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Topacio Reynoso was killed on 13 April 2014 in Mataquescuintla; she was 16.","src":0},{"t":"The Escobal mine has been suspended since 2017 by Constitutional Court order pending an ILO 169 consultation.","src":2},{"t":"The Xinka denied consent in the consultation (concluded 2023, published May 2025).","src":2},{"t":"Garcia v Tahoe, over the 2013 shooting of protesters, was settled in July 2019.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mine status","v":"Suspended since 2017","d":"Constitutional Court order pending ILO 169 consultation"},{"k":"Prosecution for the killing","v":"None found","d":"Kairos Canada campaign page"}]},"unknown":["No prosecution for the killing of Topacio Reynoso was found.","The cited sources do not state who killed her or whether the killing was linked to the mine."],"evidence":["deaths","court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The mine has been suspended since 2017 by Constitutional Court order pending an ILO 169 consultation.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; the settlement terms of Garcia v Tahoe are not given.","statusLine":"As of May 2025: mine suspended since 2017; the Xinka Parliament stated on 8 May 2025 that the Xinka people do not consent; Pan American Silver says the consultation is ongoing; no prosecution for the killing found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"pan-american-silver","says":"Apologised to the victims and to the community in the Garcia v Tahoe settlement.","when":"July 2019","src":1},{"actor":"pan-american-silver","says":"Said the ILO 169 consultation was still under way and that it considered an Earthworks publication on the mine inaccurate.","when":"May 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"tahoe-resources","role":"Operator of the Escobal mine"},{"id":"goldcorp","role":"40% owner of Tahoe Resources"},{"id":"pan-american-silver","role":"Party to the Garcia v Tahoe settlement; disputes the consultation result"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the ILO 169 consultation result valid?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Xinka consultation","says":"The Xinka denied consent (consultation concluded 2023, result published May 2025).","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Pan American Silver","says":"Disputes the result.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Garcia v Tahoe","forum":"Supreme Court of British Columbia","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"Victims of the 2013 shooting of protesters","defendant":"Tahoe Resources","filed":null,"decided":"2019-07","status":"settled","summary":"Case over the 2013 shooting of protesters at the Escobal mine, settled in July 2019. Pan American Silver said it \"apologizes to the victims and to the community\".","src":1},{"title":"Constitutional Court suspension of the Escobal mine","forum":"Constitutional Court","country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2018-09","status":"unknown","summary":"The mine has been suspended since 2017. The Constitutional Court's September 2018 ruling requires an ILO 169 consultation with the Xinka before it can resume.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2014,"note":"Topacio Reynoso, aged 16, killed 13 April 2014 in Mataquescuintla."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 16-year-old who, according to the cited sources, opposed the Escobal silver mine was killed; the mine was later suspended by the Constitutional Court.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Topacio Reynoso and her family","what":"She was killed at 16; her father is the subject of a Kairos Canada justice campaign.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Victims of the 2013 shooting of protesters","what":"Subject of Garcia v Tahoe, settled July 2019.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Mataquescuintla, Guatemala (Escobal silver mine).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Attack on 13 April 2014; mine suspended since 2017; Pan American Silver letter of 7 May 2025 says the consultation is ongoing.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Take action: demand justice for Topacio Reynoso's father","p":"Kairos Canada","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.kairoscanada.org/take-action-demand-justice-topacio-reynoso-father"},{"t":"Garcia v Tahoe settlement filing","p":"Pan American Silver (SEC filing)","d":"2019-07","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/771992/000077199219000048/a2019_07x30nrgarciavtahoe.htm"},{"t":"Pan American Silver response on the Escobal consultation (hosted by Earthworks)","p":"Pan American Silver","d":"2025-05","type":"company","u":"https://earthworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/paas-response.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411204525/https://earthworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/paas-response.pdf"},{"t":"Statement: The Xinka People do not consent to the \"El Escobal\" Mining Project","p":"MiningWatch Canada (statement of the Xinka Parliament)","d":"2025-05-08","u":"https://miningwatch.ca/news/2025/5/8/statement-xinka-people-do-not-consent-el-escobal-mining-project","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Xinka People Say \"No\" to the Escobal Mine","p":"Earthworks","d":"2025-05","u":"https://earthworks.org/releases/xinka-people-say-no-to-the-escobal-mine/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"mine-consultation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the ILO 169 consultation result valid?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Constitutional Court suspension of the Escobal mine: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No prosecution for the killing of Topacio Reynoso was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state who killed her or whether the killing was linked to the mine.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"dicamba-drift-and-epa-re-registration","title":"Dicamba drift (Bader Farms) and EPA re-registration","dek":"A peach grower, Bader Farms, won a jury verdict over dicamba drift from Monsanto and BASF products. Courts vacated the over-the-top dicamba registration in 2020 and 2024, and the EPA re-registered it in February 2026.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":37.1,"lon":-95.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Bayer provision for 2015-2020 dicamba drift damage","value":"Up to USD 400 million","note":"Set aside in 2020; about USD 300 million was to go to farmers."},"happened":["Monsanto (now Bayer) and BASF sold the herbicide dicamba and dicamba-tolerant Xtend seed. Xtend seed went on sale in 2015, when no approved dicamba existed for spraying over the crop. In the Bader Farms case the company's agronomy lead accepted that the companies had anticipated drift.","For 2017 Monsanto forecast 2,765 drift complaints; 3,101 came. It raised its complaint budget from USD 2.4 million to USD 6.5 million. The complaint form was designed to collect data to defend Monsanto, and the company had a no-settlement policy. Universities were barred by contract from testing the volatility of XtendiMax. In a farmer survey, 24% said they planted dicamba-tolerant soybeans only to protect themselves from a neighbour's spraying. In 2017, 3.6 million acres were damaged.","In 2020 a jury found that Monsanto and BASF had agreed to a joint venture and conspiracy over the drift. On appeal the 8th Circuit upheld liability and the USD 15 million compensatory award; the USD 250 million punitive award was overturned, and a retrial on punitive damages was sought. Bayer's CEO said the company did not admit crime or liability and attributed the damage to illegal application by third parties.","Courts vacated the dicamba registration twice, in 2020 and 2024. In 2020 Bayer set aside up to USD 400 million for 2015-2020 drift damage, about USD 300 million of it for farmers, with payment conditioned on yield records and evidence of dicamba. The EPA re-registered dicamba in February 2026 for 2026 and 2027, and the new registration was also challenged in court."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Xtend seed goes on sale; no approved over-the-top dicamba existed at the time"},{"y":2017,"t":"3,101 drift complaints against 2,765 forecast; 3.6 million acres damaged"},{"y":2018,"t":"Xtend soybeans planted on 44 million acres"},{"y":2019,"t":"Xtend platform on 60 million acres"},{"y":2020,"t":"Courts vacate dicamba registration (first time); Bader jury verdict; Bayer sets aside up to USD 400 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"Court vacates the registration again"},{"y":2026,"t":"EPA re-registers dicamba (February), for 2026 and 2027; challenged in court"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Monsanto forecast 2,765 drift complaints for 2017; 3,101 were received.","src":2},{"t":"The complaint budget rose from USD 2.4 million to USD 6.5 million.","src":2},{"t":"In a farmer survey, 24% said they planted dicamba-tolerant soybeans only to protect themselves from a neighbour's dicamba.","src":3},{"t":"The registration for over-the-top dicamba was vacated by courts in 2020 and 2024.","src":1},{"t":"The EPA approved over-the-top dicamba for tolerant soybean for 2026 and 2027.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Acres damaged","v":"3.6 million","d":"2017; figure"},{"k":"Complaints","v":"3,101","d":"2017, against 2,765 forecast by Monsanto"},{"k":"Registration","v":"Vacated twice","d":"2020 and 2024; re-issued February 2026"}]},"unknown":["Revenue of the Xtend platform is not published.","The amount of the Bader Farms settlement is not disclosed.","Unconfirmed: a sales projection for 'defensive planting' appears only in an advocacy group's account; the underlying document was not seen."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The registration was vacated in 2020 and 2024; the EPA re-registered over-the-top dicamba in February 2026 for 2026 and 2027.","whoPaid":"Bader Farms received a jury award of USD 15 million in compensatory damages (upheld) plus an undisclosed settlement; Bayer set aside up to USD 400 million for 2015-2020 drift damage.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: EPA re-registered over-the-top dicamba for 2026 and 2027; the new registration was challenged in court; no ruling found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"bayer","says":"Its CEO said the company did not admit crime or liability in the settlement and attributed the damage to illegal application by third parties.","when":"2020","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Seller of dicamba and Xtend seed; defendant in the Bader case"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Owner of Monsanto; set aside up to USD 400 million for drift damage"},{"id":"basf","role":"Dicamba seller; co-defendant in the Bader case"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; re-registered dicamba in February 2026"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who was responsible for dicamba drift damage?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Jury (2020) and 8th Circuit","says":"Found Monsanto and BASF liable; compensatory award of USD 15 million upheld, punitive damages overturned on appeal.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer","says":"Did not admit crime or liability; attributed the damage to illegal application by third parties.","src":null}]},{"point":"Should over-the-top dicamba be registered?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Federal courts","says":"Vacated the registration in 2020 and 2024.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"EPA","says":"Re-registered over-the-top dicamba for tolerant soybean for 2026 and 2027 (February 2026).","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bader Farms v Monsanto and BASF","forum":"MDL; jury trial, then 8th Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Bader Farms (peach grower)","defendant":"Monsanto (Bayer) and BASF","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":15,"currency":"USD","label":"Compensatory damages upheld (USD million)"},"summary":"A 2020 jury found the companies had agreed to a joint venture and conspiracy over dicamba drift. The 8th Circuit upheld liability and the USD 15 million compensatory award; the USD 250 million punitive award was overturned and a retrial on punitive damages was sought. Bader also reached a settlement whose amount was not disclosed.","src":4},{"title":"Vacatur of the over-the-top dicamba registration","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":"EPA","filed":null,"decided":"2024-02","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Courts vacated the registration in 2020 and 2024.","src":1},{"title":"Challenge to the February 2026 dicamba registration","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":"EPA","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The new registration was also challenged in court.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_paid","value":15,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Jury compensatory award to Bader Farms, upheld on appeal."},{"key":"punitive_damages_overturned","value":250,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Punitive award overturned on appeal."},{"key":"settlement","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Bayer provision for 2015-2020 drift damage; about USD 300 million for farmers, conditioned on yield records and dicamba evidence."},{"key":"complaints","value":3101,"unit":"complaints","year":2017,"note":"Drift complaints received; Monsanto had forecast 2,765."},{"key":"complaint_budget","value":6.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Raised from USD 2.4 million."},{"key":"area_acres_damaged","value":3600000,"unit":"acres","year":2017,"note":"Acres damaged by dicamba."},{"key":"xtend_soy_acres","value":44000000,"unit":"acres","year":2018,"note":"Xtend soybeans planted."},{"key":"xtend_platform_acres","value":60000000,"unit":"acres","year":2019,"note":"Xtend platform acres."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Drift from dicamba sprayed on dicamba-tolerant crops damaged neighbouring farms; a jury found the sellers liable and the product's registration was vacated twice and then re-issued.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto (Bayer) and BASF","what":"Sold dicamba and Xtend seed; platform revenue is not published; Xtend soybeans on 44 million acres in 2018.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Bader Farms","what":"Won a USD 15 million compensatory award, upheld on appeal.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Neighbouring farms","what":"3.6 million acres damaged in 2017; 3,101 drift complaints.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2015-2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established beyond the jury finding of joint venture and conspiracy.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Xtend seed was sold in 2015 before an approved over-the-top dicamba existed; drift followed.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"EPA approves dicamba over-the-top applications on tolerant soybean for 2026 and 2027","p":"SDSU Extension","d":"2026-02","type":"academic","u":"https://extension.sdstate.edu/epa-approves-dicamba-over-top-applications-tolerant-soybean-2026-and-2027","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605230355/https://extension.sdstate.edu/epa-approves-dicamba-over-top-applications-tolerant-soybean-2026-and-2027"},{"t":"The deal with dicamba: court vacates over-the-top registration","p":"National Agricultural Law Center","d":"2024-02","type":"academic","u":"https://nationalaglawcenter.org/the-deal-with-dicamba-court-vacates-over-the-top-registration/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260224235425/https://nationalaglawcenter.org/the-deal-with-dicamba-court-vacates-over-the-top-registration/"},{"t":"At Dicamba Trial, Evidence Shows Monsanto Execs Anticipated Pesticide Drift","p":"Civil Eats","d":"2020-01-31","u":"https://civileats.com/2020/01/31/at-dicamba-trial-evidence-shows-monsanto-execs-anticipated-pesticide-drift/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250721235948/https://civileats.com/2020/01/31/at-dicamba-trial-evidence-shows-monsanto-execs-anticipated-pesticide-drift/"},{"t":"24% of No-Tillers Seeding Dicamba-Tolerant Beans to Combat Drift Fears","p":"No-Till Farmer","u":"https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/7617-of-no-tillers-seeding-dicamba-tolerant-beans-to-combat-drift-fears","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250514105934/https://www.no-tillfarmer.com/articles/7617-of-no-tillers-seeding-dicamba-tolerant-beans-to-combat-drift-fears"},{"t":"Court reverses $60 million punitive damage award in dicamba case","p":"Farm Progress","d":"2022-08-01","u":"https://www.farmprogress.com/orchard-crops/court-reverses-60-million-punitive-damage-award-in-dicamba-case","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240714114703/https://www.farmprogress.com/orchard-crops/court-reverses-60-million-punitive-damage-award-in-dicamba-case"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"herbicide-registration","related":["dicamba-punitive-damages"],"natureLead":{"t":"Dicamba drift damaged 3.6 million acres of my land in 2017; Monsanto had forecast 2,765 drift complaints, and 3,101 came.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who was responsible for dicamba drift damage?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should over-the-top dicamba be registered?","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Revenue of the Xtend platform is not published.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the Bader Farms settlement is not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a sales projection for 'defensive planting' appears only in an advocacy group's account; the underlying document was not seen.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Monsanto (Bayer) and BASF","No source link — Who lost: Bader Farms","No source link — Who harmed: Neighbouring farms"]},{"id":"neom-evictions-and-death-sentences","title":"NEOM evictions and death sentences","dek":"UN human rights experts raised alarm in May 2023 over death sentences against tribal members who resisted eviction for NEOM in Saudi Arabia. In May 2026 Semafor reported that work on The Line was halted until after 2030 and the population target cut.","country":"Saudi Arabia","region":"Middle East","lat":28,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","admin":"NEOM","lat":28,"lon":35,"role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"NEOM population target, original vs reported 2026","value":"1.5 million vs at most 100,000","note":"As reported by Semafor, May 2026."},"happened":["On 3 May 2023 UN human rights experts expressed alarm over the possibly imminent execution of three Howeitat tribesmen in Saudi Arabia: Shadly Ahmad Mahmoud Abou Taqiqa al-Huwaiti, Ibrahim Salih Ahmad Abou Khalil al-Huwaiti and Atallah Moussa Mohammed al-Huwaiti. According to the experts, they were sentenced to death on 5 August 2022, the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the sentences on 23 January 2023, and they were arrested for resisting forced evictions linked to NEOM; they were charged under the 2017 terrorism law. Three other tribe members received prison terms of 27, 35 and 50 years. Dezeen reported the statement on 5 May 2023; ALQST gives 2 October 2022 as the date of the first sentences.","In May 2026 Semafor reported that Saudi Arabia had halted work on The Line, NEOM's central element, until after 2030, and that the population target had fallen from 1.5 million people to at most 100,000.","In a letter to the UN, reported by Dezeen on 25 July 2023, Saudi Arabia rejected the claim that the men were sentenced to death for opposing the NEOM evictions. It said they were convicted of terrorist offences and that the sentences were pending before the Supreme Court."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"3 May: UN human rights experts raise alarm over the possibly imminent execution of three Howeitat men; Jul: Saudi Arabia tells the UN they were convicted of terrorist offences"},{"y":2026,"t":"May: Semafor reports work on The Line halted until after 2030; population target cut from 1.5 million to at most 100,000"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Death sentences against people who resisted eviction for NEOM, on which UN experts raised alarm (May 2023).","src":0},{"t":"Population target cut from 1.5 million to at most 100,000; work halted until after 2030 (May 2026).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ALQST reported that the Huwaitat tribe was evicted for NEOM and that death sentences against three men who resisted the project were upheld; a BBC report in 2024 carried a statement by a colonel, which the BBC could not verify.","The outcome of the Supreme Court stage and the current status of the sentences are not stated in the sources collected."],"evidence":["displacement"],"harmStopped":"The sources collected do not state whether the sentences were carried out or withdrawn.","whoPaid":"People who resisted eviction for the project and were sentenced to death, according to the UN experts' alarm reported by Dezeen.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: sentences status not established in the sources collected; Semafor reported work on The Line halted until after 2030.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"neom","role":"Project owner"},{"id":"saudi-arabia-gov","role":"State authority"},{"id":"un-human-rights-experts","role":"International body raising alarm"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Death sentences against people who resisted NEOM-related eviction","forum":"Specialised Criminal Court; Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal","country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Saudi state (prosecution; not specified)","defendant":"Shadly Ahmad Mahmoud Abou Taqiqa al-Huwaiti, Ibrahim Salih Ahmad Abou Khalil al-Huwaiti and Atallah Moussa Mohammed al-Huwaiti","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"UN experts said in May 2023 that three Howeitat men were sentenced to death on 5 August 2022 under the terrorism law and that the Specialised Criminal Court of Appeal upheld the sentences on 23 January 2023. They said the men were arrested for resisting evictions linked to NEOM. Saudi Arabia told the UN the men were convicted of terrorist offences and that the sentences were pending before the Supreme Court.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"population_target_original","value":1500000,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Original NEOM population target, as reported by Semafor."},{"key":"population_target_revised","value":100000,"unit":"people","year":2026,"qualifier":"at most","note":"Revised target, as reported by Semafor."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Death sentences against people who resisted eviction for NEOM, raised by UN experts.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Tribal members who resisted eviction","what":"Sentenced to death, as reported by Dezeen citing UN experts.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"NEOM, Saudi Arabia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"UN experts' alarm reported May 2023; NEOM scaling back reported May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sentenced people had resisted eviction for NEOM.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The sources collected do not describe the proceedings.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"UN human rights experts alarm over executions linked to Neom","p":"Dezeen","d":"2023-05-05","type":"press","voice":"international","u":"https://www.dezeen.com/2023/05/05/un-human-rights-council-experts-alarm-executions-neom/amp/"},{"t":"Saudis' NEOM halts work on The Line until after 2030","p":"Semafor","d":"2026-05-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.semafor.com/article/05/22/2026/saudis-neom-halts-work-on-the-line-until-after-2030"},{"t":"Death sentences upheld for three men who resisted Neom project","p":"ALQST","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://alqst.org/en/post/death-sentences-upheld-for-three-men-who-resisted-neom-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306053812/https://alqst.org/en/post/death-sentences-upheld-for-three-men-who-resisted-neom-project"},{"t":"Human rights experts alarmed over 'imminent executions' in Saudi Arabia","p":"UN News","d":"2023-05-03","u":"https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136322","type":"official"},{"t":"Saudi Arabia denies Neom human rights abuses in response to UN report","p":"Dezeen","d":"2023-07-25","u":"https://www.dezeen.com/?p=1954455","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Death sentences against people who resisted NEOM-related eviction: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ALQST reported that the Huwaitat tribe was evicted for NEOM and that death sentences against three men who resisted the project were upheld; a BBC report in 2024 carried a statement by a colonel, which the BBC could not verify.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Supreme Court stage and the current status of the sentences are not stated in the sources collected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"los-cedros-mining-permits-annulled","title":"Los Cedros mining permits annulled (Ecuador)","dek":"In 2021 Ecuador's Constitutional Court annulled mining permits in the Los Cedros forest, finding that they violated the rights of nature. Reports said that legal mining stopped while illegal mining and deforestation continued.","country":"Ecuador","region":"Latin America","lat":0.32,"lon":-78.78,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","admin":"Los Cedros","lat":0.32,"lon":-78.78,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":null,"eventDate":"2021","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the reserve inside the state mining company's concession","value":"two thirds","note":"As reported in the sources cited for the case; the reserve's total area is not given."},"happened":["Two thirds of the Los Cedros forest were within a concession held by ENAMI, Ecuador's state mining company. In 2021 Ecuador's Constitutional Court found that the mining permits violated the rights of nature, which Ecuador's 2008 Constitution recognises, and annulled them. The case was brought by communities.","Verfassungsblog, in a review of rights-of-nature implementation, reported that legal mining stopped after the ruling, that illegal mining and deforestation continued, and that the state had left the burden of protection to a science station."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Ecuador's Constitution recognises rights of nature"},{"y":2021,"t":"Constitutional Court annuls the Los Cedros mining permits as violating the rights of nature"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Constitutional Court found the permits contrary to the rights of nature (2021).","src":0},{"t":"Reports said that legal mining stopped while illegal mining and deforestation continued.","src":2},{"t":"Two thirds of the forest lay within ENAMI's concession.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of the forest inside the state mining concession","v":"two thirds","d":"Before the ruling"},{"k":"Legal mining after the ruling","v":"Stopped","d":"Verfassungsblog"},{"k":"Mining and deforestation reported as illegal","v":"Continuing","d":"Verfassungsblog"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Verfassungsblog review of implementation of the ruling","report":[{"t":"Reports say illegal mining and deforestation have continued in my forest since the court annulled the permits.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: mining stopped within a month of the ruling.","The sources collected give two dates for the ruling: 1 December 2021 in one place and a resource page whose address carries 10 November 2021.","How lasting the implementation of the ruling is could not be tracked in the sources collected."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Legal mining stopped after the 2021 ruling; illegal mining and deforestation continued (Verfassungsblog).","whoPaid":"The record collected does not identify who bore the cost of the annulment.","statusLine":"As of the latest source: permits annulled in 2021; legal mining stopped; illegal mining and deforestation reported to continue; durability of the ruling's implementation not established.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ecuador-constitutional-court","role":"Court that annulled the permits"},{"id":"enami","role":"State mining company holding the concession"},{"id":"ecuador-gov","role":"State authority"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the ruling protect the forest in practice?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court of Ecuador","says":"The mining permits violated the rights of nature.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Verfassungsblog (NYU MOTH)","says":"Legal mining stopped, but illegal mining and deforestation continue and the burden of protection fell on a science station.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Los Cedros rights-of-nature case","forum":"Constitutional Court of Ecuador","country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Communities","defendant":"Not specified in the sources collected (the forest lay within an ENAMI concession)","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the mining permits contrary to the rights of nature and annulled them, according to ELAW and Yale e360.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"concession_share_of_reserve","value":"two thirds","unit":"of the forest","year":2021,"note":"Share within ENAMI's concession."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ecuador's Constitutional Court annulled mining permits in the Los Cedros forest.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"ENAMI and other permit holders","what":"Permits annulled; legal mining stopped.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Los Cedros forest","what":"Illegal mining and deforestation reported to continue after the ruling.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Los Cedros forest, Ecuador.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The Constitutional Court ruled in 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The court found the permits violated the rights of nature recognised by the Constitution.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Communities brought a case that led the court to annul the permits.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Los Cedros: mining violates the rights of nature (Constitutional Court of Ecuador, resource page)","p":"ELAW","d":null,"type":"court","u":"https://elaw.org/es/resource/ec_loscedros_10nov2021/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260110185132/https://elaw.org/es/resource/ec_loscedros_10nov2021"},{"t":"Landmark ruling blocks mining in Ecuadorian forest, citing rights of nature","p":"Yale e360","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/digest/landmark-ruling-blocks-mining-in-ecuadorian-forest-citing-rights-of-nature","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516234503/https://e360.yale.edu/digest/landmark-ruling-blocks-mining-in-ecuadorian-forest-citing-rights-of-nature"},{"t":"Rights of nature implementation","p":"Verfassungsblog / NYU MOTH","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://verfassungsblog.de/rights-of-nature-implementation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711025539/https://verfassungsblog.de/rights-of-nature-implementation/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mar-menor-legal-personhood"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the ruling protect the forest in practice?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: mining stopped within a month of the ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources collected give two dates for the ruling: 1 December 2021 in one place and a resource page whose address carries 10 November 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How lasting the implementation of the ruling is could not be tracked in the sources collected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"kashagan-sulphur-environmental-fine","title":"Kashagan sulphur environmental fine (Kazakhstan)","dek":"Kazakh authorities pursued an environmental fine of about $5 billion over sulphur at the Kashagan oil field. In April 2026 a report described the fine as upheld on appeal, setting back the oil majors in the consortium. In July 2026 the authorities froze the operator's assets over the fine; Kazakhstan's separate US$160 billion arbitration against the consortium includes claims for environmental damage.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46.2,"lon":51.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","lat":46.2,"lon":51.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental fine over sulphur at Kashagan","value":"about $5 billion","note":"Figure as given in World Oil's headline (April 2026) and in the Times of Central Asia summary. Breakdown: none on record."},"happened":["Kazakh authorities brought an environmental claim of about $5 billion over sulphur at the Kashagan oil field against the consortium partners operating it. The cited sources do not set out the technical basis of the claim, the quantity of sulphur involved or the period it covers.","In October 2024 Orda.kz, relaying a Bloomberg report, wrote that the consortium partners had resumed negotiations with the Kazakh authorities. The reported proposal was to drop the environmental claims in return for $110 million, with no admission of fault.","The Times of Central Asia reported in 2026 that Kazakhstan was widening its legal fight over Kashagan as arbitration and claims mounted. On 17 April 2026 World Oil reported that the oil majors had suffered a setback in their appeal against the fine of about $5 billion.","In March 2024 the Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control of Kazakhstan's ecology ministry said that NCOC, the Kashagan operator, had paid in full fines of KZT 12.419 billion from five administrative cases. The violations were burning sulphurous gas without an environmental permit and discharging untreated production water into the Caspian Sea. The appellate instance of the Atyrau specialised administrative court imposed the fines in February 2024; the related order to remedy the violations was before the Supreme Court.","Reuters reported in January 2025 that in spring 2023 Kazakhstan's government had started arbitration with the Kashagan and Karachaganak consortia over disputed cost deductions, with claims of US$13 billion and US$3.5 billion respectively.","ICIJ reported on 14 August 2026 that Kazakhstan's international arbitration over the Kashagan project totals US$160 billion and includes allegations of lost profits and environmental damage. The tribunal is registered at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague and the case is heard at London's International Dispute Resolution Centre; a final decision is expected in 2028 at the earliest. ICIJ also reported that on 21 July 2026 the Kazakh authorities froze NCOC assets, including property and transport, over the disputed US$5 billion environmental fine."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Spring: Kazakhstan starts arbitration with the Kashagan consortium over disputed cost deductions (US$13 billion claim, Reuters)","src":5},{"y":2024,"t":"October: Orda.kz, relaying Bloomberg, reports negotiations resumed between the consortium partners and Kazakh authorities; reported proposal of $110 million for dropping the environmental claims, no admission of fault"},{"y":2024,"t":"February: appellate court in Atyrau imposes KZT 12.419 billion in fines on NCOC in five administrative cases; paid in full by March","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Times of Central Asia reports Kazakhstan expanding its legal fight as arbitration and claims mount"},{"y":2026,"t":"17 April: World Oil reports the oil majors' appeal against the roughly $5 billion fine was set back"},{"y":2026,"t":"21 July: Kazakh authorities freeze NCOC assets over the disputed US$5 billion environmental fine (ICIJ)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"14 August: ICIJ reports the US$160 billion Kashagan arbitration, including environmental damage; final decision expected in 2028 at the earliest","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"consider that they have acted in accordance with the relevant contracts","who":"NCOC, on its consortium members, as reported by ICIJ","when":"August 2026","src":4}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"World Oil headline, 17 April 2026: oil majors face setback in $5 billion Kashagan environmental fine appeal.","src":0},{"t":"Times of Central Asia: Kazakhstan expands Kashagan legal fight as arbitration and claims mount.","src":1},{"t":"Orda.kz, relaying Bloomberg, October 2024: consortium partners resumed negotiations with Kazakh authorities; reported proposal of $110 million (social projects) in return for dropping the environmental claims, with no admission of fault.","src":2},{"t":"Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control, via Kapital.kz, 29 March 2024: NCOC paid in full KZT 12.419 billion in fines from five administrative cases (sulphurous gas burned without a permit; untreated production water discharged into the Caspian Sea).","src":3},{"t":"ICIJ, 14 August 2026: Kazakhstan's arbitration over Kashagan totals US$160 billion, including lost profits and environmental damage; NCOC assets frozen on 21 July 2026 over the US$5 billion environmental fine.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Environmental fine","v":"about $5 billion","d":"Reported as upheld on appeal, April 2026 (World Oil)"},{"k":"Reported settlement proposal","v":"$110 million","d":"Social projects in return for dropping environmental claims, no admission of fault (Orda.kz, October 2024)"},{"k":"Fines paid by NCOC, five administrative cases","v":"KZT 12.4 billion","d":"Sulphurous gas burned without a permit; untreated production water into the Caspian (February 2024)"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state whether the proposed $110 million arrangement was accepted.","Not disclosed: the part of the US$160 billion arbitration claim that relates to environmental damage. NCOC describes the proceedings as confidential."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"NCOC paid KZT 12.4 billion in fines from five administrative cases in 2024. Payment of the roughly $5 billion fine: none on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: an appeal against the roughly $5 billion sulphur-related fine was reported as set back in April; on 21 July the Kazakh authorities froze NCOC assets over the fine; Kazakhstan's US$160 billion arbitration against the consortium, which includes environmental damage, awaits a final decision expected in 2028 at the earliest.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"NCOC","says":"Its members consider that they have acted in accordance with the relevant contracts; it cannot comment further because the proceedings are confidential.","when":"August 2026","src":4},{"actor":"Eni, Inpex, Shell and Total","says":"Declined to comment and referred questions to NCOC.","when":"August 2026","src":4},{"actor":"ExxonMobil and CNPC","says":"Did not respond to ICIJ's requests for comment.","when":"August 2026","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-authorities","role":"Authorities pursuing the environmental claim"},{"id":"ncoc","role":"Kashagan operator; paid KZT 12.4 billion in environmental fines in 2024"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Kashagan sulphur environmental fine: appeal","forum":"Court (name: none on record)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Kazakh authorities","defendant":"Consortium partners operating the Kashagan field","filed":null,"decided":"2026-04","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":5000,"currency":"USD","label":"about $5 billion (USD million)"},"summary":"World Oil reported on 17 April 2026 that the oil majors faced a setback in their appeal against the environmental fine of about $5 billion. The Times of Central Asia reported that arbitration and further claims were also under way.","src":0},{"title":"NCOC: five administrative cases on environmental violations","forum":"Specialised Administrative Court of Atyrau (appellate instance)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control (Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources)","defendant":"NCOC","filed":null,"decided":"2024-02","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":12419,"currency":"KZT","label":"fines paid in full"},"summary":"The appellate instance imposed KZT 12.419 billion in fines for burning sulphurous gas without an environmental permit and discharging untreated production water into the Caspian Sea; NCOC paid in full. The related remedy order was before the Supreme Court in March 2024.","src":3},{"title":"Kazakhstan v. Kashagan consortium: international arbitration","forum":"Arbitral tribunal registered at the Permanent Court of Arbitration; hearings at London's International Dispute Resolution Centre","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Republic of Kazakhstan","defendant":"Kashagan consortium partners (NCOC)","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":160000,"currency":"USD","label":"total claim, including lost profits and environmental damage"},"summary":"ICIJ reported in August 2026 that the arbitration totals US$160 billion and includes environmental damage; the proceedings are confidential and a final decision is expected in 2028 at the earliest. Reuters reported that the cost-recovery claim filed in spring 2023 was US$13 billion.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sulphur-related environmental fine as given in the World Oil headline."},{"key":"settlement","value":110,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported proposal to drop environmental claims, social projects, no admission of fault (Orda.kz, relaying Bloomberg). Not recorded as agreed."},{"key":"fine","value":12419,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Fines paid in full by NCOC from five administrative cases (Kapital.kz, citing the Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control)."},{"key":"claim","value":160000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Total of Kazakhstan's Kashagan arbitration, including lost profits and environmental damage (ICIJ)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An environmental fine of about $5 billion relating to sulphur at the Kashagan oil field, appealed by the oil majors.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kashagan oil field, Kazakhstan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Negotiations reported October 2024; appeal reported April 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the label 'sulphur environmental fine'.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Court appeal by the oil majors, parallel arbitration and claims, and reported negotiations over a $110 million arrangement.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Oil majors face setback in $5 billion Kashagan environmental fine appeal","p":"World Oil","d":"2026-04-17","type":"press","u":"https://worldoil.com/news/2026/4/17/oil-majors-face-setback-in-5-billion-kashagan-environmental-fine-appeal/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260720200139/https://worldoil.com/news/2026/4/17/oil-majors-face-setback-in-5-billion-kashagan-environmental-fine-appeal/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan expands Kashagan legal fight as arbitration and claims mount","p":"Times of Central Asia","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/kazakhstan-expands-kashagan-legal-fight-as-arbitration-and-claims-mount/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260715185336/https://timesca.com/kazakhstan-expands-kashagan-legal-fight-as-arbitration-and-claims-mount/"},{"t":"Kashagan oil field: NCOC consortium partners resume negotiations with Kazakh authorities (via Orda.kz, relaying Bloomberg)","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/kashagan-oil-field-ncoc-consortium-partners-resume-negotiations-with-kazakh-authorities-3367/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306142558/https://en.orda.kz/kashagan-oil-field-ncoc-consortium-partners-resume-negotiations-with-kazakh-authorities-3367/"},{"t":"NCOC за нарушения экологических норм выплатил штраф на 12,4 млрд тенге (NCOC paid a KZT 12.4 billion fine for environmental violations)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2024-03-29","u":"https://kapital.kz/economic/124406/operator-kashagana-ncoc-oplatil-shtraf-za-narusheniya-ekologicheskikh-norm-v-polnom-ob-yeme.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Kazakhstan alleges Big Oil corruption tainted $10.7 billion in contracts, delayed key oil project","p":"ICIJ (Caspian Cabals)","d":"2026-08-14","u":"https://icij.org/investigations/caspian-cabals/kazakhstan-alleges-big-oil-corruption-tainted-10-7-billion-in-contracts-delayed-key-oil-project","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Оператор Кашагана выплатит властям Казахстана 3,5 млрд тенге за сжигание газа на факелах (Kashagan operator to pay Kazakh authorities KZT 3.5 billion for gas flaring; Reuters)","p":"The Moscow Times (Reuters)","d":"2025-01-10","u":"https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/10/update-1-operator-kashagana-vyplatit-vlastyam-kazakhstana-35-mlrd-tenge-za-szhiganie-gaza-na-fakelakh-a151997","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award","karachaganak-sulphur-fine-and-consortium-arbitration","caspian-seal-mass-deaths-2020-2025"],"natureLead":{"t":"Kashagan's operator burned sulphurous gas without a permit and discharged untreated production water into my Caspian Sea; it paid KZT 12.419 billion in fines, the regulator said in March 2024.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Settlements: Reported proposal to drop environmental claims, social projects, no admission of fault (Orda.kz, relaying Bloomberg). Not recorded as agreed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the proposed $110 million arrangement was accepted.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the part of the US$160 billion arbitration claim that relates to environmental damage. NCOC describes the proceedings as confidential.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bears-ears-national-monument-shrinkage","title":"Bears Ears national monument shrinkage (USA)","dek":"Utah's Bears Ears National Monument was declared in 2016, reduced by about 85% in 2017, restored in 2021 and reduced by about 91% on 13 July 2026. Seven mining claims were filed in the removed area the next day.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":37.6,"lon":-109.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Utah","lat":37.6,"lon":-109.9,"role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-07-13","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Reduction of Bears Ears National Monument, 13 July 2026","value":"91%","note":"From about 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres, as reported by E&E News."},"happened":["Bears Ears National Monument in Utah was declared in 2016. In 2017 it was reduced by about 85%. In 2021 it was restored. On 13 July 2026 a presidential proclamation reduced it from about 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres, a reduction of about 91%, according to E&E News.","On the same date Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was reduced from about 1.87 million acres to about 181,541 acres, about 90%, according to the same report. The 2017 reduction of Grand Staircase-Escalante had been about 46%.","On 14 July 2026, the day after the reduction, Kimmerle Mining filed seven mining claims in the area removed from Bears Ears, according to Earthjustice. Earthjustice said the same company had also filed claims after the 2017 reduction."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Bears Ears National Monument declared"},{"y":2017,"t":"Monument reduced by about 85%; Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 46%"},{"y":2021,"t":"Monument restored"},{"y":2026,"t":"13 July: Bears Ears reduced by about 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by about 90%; 14 July: Kimmerle Mining files seven mining claims in the removed area"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"E&E News reported that the 13 July 2026 proclamation cut Bears Ears by 91% and Grand Staircase-Escalante by 90%.","src":0},{"t":"Earthjustice reported that mining claims were filed immediately after the reductions; the cited sources give seven claims by Kimmerle Mining on 14 July 2026, in the area removed from Bears Ears.","src":1},{"t":"The cited sources give that the same company also filed claims after the 2017 reduction (Earthjustice).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Bears Ears reduction, 2026","v":"91%","d":"About 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres (E&E News)"},{"k":"Bears Ears reduction, 2017","v":"about 85%","d":"Restored in 2021"},{"k":"Mining claims after 2026 reduction","v":"7","d":"Filed 14 July 2026 by Kimmerle Mining (Earthjustice)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a combined figure of about 2.93 million acres (about 1.19 million hectares) removed from the two monuments.","Unconfirmed: a May 2025 US Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion reversing the 1938 view that only Congress may abolish a national monument.","Unconfirmed: a Colorado uranium company lobbied for the 2017 reduction and has said it asked for 1 to 2 percent (industry statement).","The cited sources record no stated rationale for the 2026 proclamation."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Bears Ears was reduced by about 91% on 13 July 2026 and seven mining claims were filed in the removed area the next day; no ruling is on record.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"us-president","role":"Issued the 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2026 proclamations"},{"id":"kimmerle-mining","role":"Filed mining claims in the removed area"},{"id":"earthjustice","role":"Reported the mining claims"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_acres","value":1360000,"unit":"acres","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bears Ears area before the 13 July 2026 reduction (E&E News)."},{"key":"area_acres","value":121096,"unit":"acres","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bears Ears area after the 13 July 2026 reduction (E&E News)."},{"key":"area_reduction_pct","value":91,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bears Ears reduction, 13 July 2026."},{"key":"area_reduction_pct","value":85,"unit":"%","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bears Ears reduction, 2017."},{"key":"area_reduction_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Grand Staircase-Escalante reduction, 13 July 2026 (about 1.87 million to about 181,541 acres)."},{"key":"mining_claims_filed","value":7,"unit":"claims","year":2026,"note":"Filed by Kimmerle Mining on 14 July 2026 in the area removed from Bears Ears (Earthjustice)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A presidential proclamation reduced Bears Ears National Monument by about 91% on 13 July 2026, after a reduction of about 85% in 2017 and restoration in 2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kimmerle Mining","what":"Filed seven mining claims in the area removed from Bears Ears on 14 July 2026, and also filed claims after the 2017 reduction.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bears Ears National Monument, Utah, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Declared 2016; reduced 2017; restored 2021; reduced 13 July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"No rationale is on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"By presidential proclamation; mining claims followed the next day.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Trump carves deeper into Utah monument protections","p":"E&E News","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-carves-deeper-into-utah-monument-protections/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006023147/https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-carves-deeper-into-utah-monument-protections/"},{"t":"Mining claims filed immediately after Trump decimates national monuments in Utah","p":"Earthjustice","d":"2026-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/mining-claims-filed-immediately-after-trump-decimates-national-monuments-in-utah","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902210758/https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/mining-claims-filed-immediately-after-trump-decimates-national-monuments-in-utah"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"My Bears Ears was cut by about 91% on 13 July 2026, from about 1.36 million acres to about 121,096 acres, E&E News reported; seven mining claims followed the next day.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a combined figure of about 2.93 million acres (about 1.19 million hectares) removed from the two monuments.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a May 2025 US Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel opinion reversing the 1938 view that only Congress may abolish a national monument.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Colorado uranium company lobbied for the 2017 reduction and has said it asked for 1 to 2 percent (industry statement).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no stated rationale for the 2026 proclamation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kenya-logging-ban-lifted-and-eucalyptus-felling","title":"Kenya logging ban lifted and eucalyptus felling","dek":"Kenya lifted its 2018 logging ban in July 2023 and a court set the decision aside in October 2023. A 2024 report cited six million eucalyptus trees in six months, while the government set a target of 15 billion trees by 2032.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":0,"lon":37.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","lat":0,"lon":37.9,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Eucalyptus trees reported in six months of 2024","value":"6 million","note":"Headline of an Eastleigh Voice article citing KEFRI; recorded as felled, not independently verified."},"happened":["Kenya introduced a logging ban in 2018, with a stated target of 10% tree cover. In July 2023 President William Ruto lifted the ban. A court set that decision aside in October 2023; Africanews reported it as the court halting the lifting of the logging ban.","On 13 November 2023 the government held a national tree-planting day with a target of 100 million seedlings in one day, within a goal of planting 15 billion trees by 2032. The number actually planted is not on record.","In 2024 Eastleigh Voice published an article headlined 'Six million eucalyptus trees in six months', with KEFRI given as the source. The cited sources' summary records the figure as six million eucalyptus trees felled in the first half of 2024.","The government gives forest cover as 8.83% and tree cover as 12.13%. Critics put cover at 6 to 7%, and FAO at about 6.7%. In the Mau Forest, tree cover fell by 19% (533 km2) between 2001 and 2022."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Logging ban introduced; target of 10% tree cover"},{"y":2023,"t":"July: President Ruto lifts the logging ban; October: a court sets the decision aside; 13 November: national tree-planting day, target of 100 million seedlings, goal of 15 billion trees by 2032"},{"y":2024,"t":"Eastleigh Voice (citing KEFRI): six million eucalyptus trees in six months, on record as felled in the first half of the year"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"We will plant 15 billion trees (goal to 2032).","who":"Government of Kenya","src":2},{"t":"Tree cover of 12.13%.","who":"Government of Kenya (official figure)","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"The 2018 logging ban was lifted in July 2023 and a court set the lifting aside in October 2023.","src":1},{"t":"Forest cover of 8.83% and tree cover of 12.13% (official); FAO about 6.7%; critics 6 to 7%.","src":4},{"t":"Mau Forest lost 19% of its tree cover (533 km2) between 2001 and 2022.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Eucalyptus trees, first half of 2024","v":"6 million","d":"Eastleigh Voice, citing KEFRI; no other source confirms it"},{"k":"Mau Forest tree cover lost, 2001–2022","v":"19%","d":"533 km2"},{"k":"Forest cover","v":"8.83% (official)","d":"FAO about 6.7%; critics 6 to 7%"}]},"unknown":["The number of seedlings actually planted on 13 November 2023 is not on record.","Unconfirmed: the six million eucalyptus figure is recorded as trees felled in the first half of 2024; the headline alone does not say who felled them.","National forest and tree cover figures conflict: 8.83% forest and 12.13% tree cover (official), about 6.7% (FAO), 6 to 7% (critics)."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 2024: the lifting of the logging ban was set aside by a court in October 2023; a report cited six million eucalyptus trees in six months of 2024.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Lifted the logging ban and set the 15 billion tree target"},{"id":"kefri","role":"Named as the source of the six million eucalyptus figure"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the logging ban remain lifted after July 2023?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President William Ruto","says":"Lifted the 2018 logging ban in July 2023.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court (name: none on record)","says":"Set the lifting aside in October 2023; Africanews reported the court halting the lifting of the ban.","src":1}]},{"point":"How much of Kenya is covered by forest and trees?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kenya","says":"Forest cover 8.83% and tree cover 12.13%.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO","says":"About 6.7%.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Critics (names: none on record)","says":"Cover is 6 to 7%.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the lifting of the logging ban","forum":"Court (name: none on record)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Government of Kenya","filed":null,"decided":"2023-10","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A court set aside the July 2023 decision to lift the 2018 logging ban in October 2023. Africanews headlined the ruling as the court halting the lifting of the ban.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_felled","value":6000000,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Eucalyptus, first half of 2024; Eastleigh Voice headline citing KEFRI, recorded as felled in the cited sources."},{"key":"forest_cover_pct","value":8.83,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Official figure; FAO about 6.7%, critics 6 to 7%."},{"key":"tree_cover_pct","value":12.13,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Official figure."},{"key":"tree_cover_lost_pct","value":19,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Mau Forest, 2001–2022."},{"key":"tree_cover_lost_km2","value":533,"unit":"km2","year":2022,"note":"Mau Forest, 2001–2022."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The 2018 logging ban was lifted in July 2023 and the decision set aside by a court in October 2023; six million eucalyptus trees in six months of 2024 were cited.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kenya; Mau Forest is the area with a recorded tree cover loss.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Ban 2018; lifted July 2023; court decision October 2023; eucalyptus figure first half of 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Presidential lifting of the ban; court decision setting it aside.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Ruto courts logging controversy as Kenya hosts Africa climate summit","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2023-08-29","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2023/08/29/kenya-ruto-logging-ban-africa-climate-summit/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Kenyan environmental court halts lifting of logging ban","p":"Africanews","d":"2023-10-12","u":"https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/12/kenyan-environmental-court-halts-lifting-of-logging-ban/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616063122/https://www.africanews.com/2023/10/12/kenyan-environmental-court-halts-lifting-of-logging-ban/"},{"t":"We target to plant 100 million trees on November 13 - CS Tuya","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2023-11-07","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-11-07-we-target-to-plant-100-million-trees-on-november-13-cs-tuya","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231222021711/https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/realtime/2023-11-07-we-target-to-plant-100-million-trees-on-november-13-cs-tuya/"},{"t":"Deforestation continues in Kenya's largest water-capturing forest, satellites show","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-11-07","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-continues-in-kenyas-largest-water-capturing-forest-satellites-show/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Kenya forest and tree cover figures","p":"AllAfrica","d":"2026-02","u":"https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218040125/https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html"},{"t":"Kenya fells six million eucalyptus trees in just six months despite conservation efforts","p":"Eastleigh Voice","d":"2024","u":"https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/ministry%20of%20environment/96897/kenya-fell-six-million-eucalyptus-trees-in-just-six-months-despite-conservation-efforts-","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of Kenya is covered by forest and trees?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the logging ban remain lifted after July 2023?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Trees felled: Eucalyptus, first half of 2024; Eastleigh Voice headline citing KEFRI, recorded as felled in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of seedlings actually planted on 13 November 2023 is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the six million eucalyptus figure is recorded as trees felled in the first half of 2024; the headline alone does not say who felled them.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"National forest and tree cover figures conflict: 8.83% forest and 12.13% tree cover (official), about 6.7% (FAO), 6 to 7% (critics).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"synagro-biosolids-pfas-contamination","title":"Synagro biosolids and PFAS in Texas","dek":"Five farm families in Johnson County, Texas, sued Synagro in 2024, alleging that sewage sludge spread on a neighbouring field contaminated their water and killed animals. The company denies the claims.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":32.4,"lon":-97.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas (Johnson County)","lat":32.4,"lon":-97.4,"role":"affected"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Farm families suing Synagro in Johnson County, Texas","value":"5","note":"Filed 2024; the company denies the claims."},"happened":["Synagro manages sewage sludge for municipalities. A 2020 EQT announcement recorded the sale of Synagro to a Goldman Sachs fund, and described the company as managing more than 14 million tonnes of sludge a year.","In 2024 five farm families in Johnson County, Texas, sued Synagro. They alleged that sludge spread on a neighbouring field had contaminated their water sources and killed their animals. Synagro denies the allegations.","The county declared a PFAS emergency in February 2025, according to KERA reporting.","A draft risk assessment from the US Environmental Protection Agency, dated January 2025, found that sludge containing only 1 part per billion of PFOA or PFOS could exceed the risk threshold."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"September: EQT announces the sale of Synagro to a Goldman Sachs fund"},{"y":2024,"t":"Five farm families in Johnson County sue Synagro"},{"y":2025,"t":"January: EPA draft risk assessment on PFOA and PFOS in sludge; February: Johnson County declares a PFAS emergency"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Five farm families sued Synagro in 2024; the company denies the allegations.","src":2},{"t":"Johnson County declared a PFAS emergency in February 2025.","src":2},{"t":"Synagro was sold to a Goldman Sachs fund in 2020 and manages more than 14 million tonnes of sludge a year.","src":0},{"t":"EPA draft risk assessment (January 2025): risk threshold can be exceeded at 1 ppb of PFOA or PFOS in sludge.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Water sources and animals","v":"Alleged contamination","d":"Alleged by five families in a 2024 lawsuit; denied by Synagro"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No measurement of the affected land or water is verified in the sources held"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a stillborn calf's liver was reported to have contained 610,000 parts per trillion of PFOS (The New Lede, February 2024).","Unconfirmed: the product Synagro sold was reported to have been marketed as \"safe and organic\".","No court ruling on the Johnson County claims is recorded in the sources held."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded in the sources held.","whoPaid":"Not determined: the lawsuit is pending and no ruling is recorded in the sources held.","statusLine":"As of the latest source held (KERA, December 2024; county emergency declared February 2025): the lawsuit against Synagro is pending and no ruling is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Synagro","says":"Denies the families' allegations.","when":"2024","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"synagro","role":"Sludge manager; defendant"},{"id":"goldman-sachs","role":"Owner of Synagro through a fund (since the 2020 sale)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did sludge spread on a neighbouring field contaminate the families' water and kill their animals?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Five farm families, Johnson County","says":"Allege that sludge spread on a neighbouring field contaminated their water sources and killed their animals.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Synagro","says":"Denies the allegations.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Johnson County","says":"Declared a PFAS emergency in February 2025.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Johnson County farm families v. Synagro","forum":"Court name: none on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Five farm families","defendant":"Synagro","filed":"2024","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The families allege that sludge spread on a neighbouring field contaminated their water sources and killed their animals. Synagro denies the claims.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plaintiff_families","value":5,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"Farm families who sued Synagro in Johnson County.","src":2},{"key":"sludge_managed_per_year","value":14000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"As stated at the 2020 sale announcement.","src":0},{"key":"pfos_ppt_calf_liver","value":610000,"unit":"ppt","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported by The New Lede; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Five farm families sued Synagro over alleged contamination of their water and the death of animals after sludge was spread on a neighbouring field.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Goldman Sachs fund (owner of Synagro)","what":"Owner of the company that manages the sludge; no earnings are given in the cited sources.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Five farm families, Johnson County","what":"Allege contaminated water sources and dead animals.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Livestock and water sources, Johnson County","what":"Alleged by the families; denied by Synagro.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Johnson County, Texas, United States.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Lawsuit filed in 2024; county emergency declaration February 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sewage sludge was spread on a neighbouring field, according to the families' allegation.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"EQT Infrastructure to sell Synagro","p":"EQT","d":"2020-09","type":"company","u":"https://eqtgroup.com/news/eqt-infrastructure-to-sell-synagro-2020-09-23"},{"t":"Dead livestock and poisoned water: Texas farmers sue over PFAS contamination","p":"The New Lede","d":"2024-02","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/02/dead-livestock-and-poisoned-water-texas-farmers-sue-over-pfas-contamination/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260404100339/https://www.thenewlede.org/2024/02/dead-livestock-and-poisoned-water-texas-farmers-sue-over-pfas-contamination/"},{"t":"North Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer poisoned land and livestock","p":"KERA News","d":"2024-12-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.keranews.org/environment-nature/2024-12-03/north-texas-farmers-say-sewage-based-fertilizer-poisoned-land-and-livestock","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217084702/https://www.keranews.org/environment-nature/2024-12-03/north-texas-farmers-say-sewage-based-fertilizer-poisoned-land-and-livestock"},{"t":"Five takeaways from the EPA's draft sewage sludge risk assessment for PFOA and PFOS","p":"Water & Wastes Digest","d":"2025-01","u":"https://www.wwdmag.com/sludge-biosolids/news/55261304/five-takeaways-from-the-epas-draft-sewage-sludge-risk-assessment-for-pfoa-and-pfos","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biosolids land application","related":["us-military-pfas-contamination-at-dod-sites"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did sludge spread on a neighbouring field contaminate the families' water and kill their animals?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Pfos ppt calf liver: Reported by The New Lede; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a stillborn calf's liver was reported to have contained 610,000 parts per trillion of PFOS (The New Lede, February 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the product Synagro sold was reported to have been marketed as \"safe and organic\".","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court ruling on the Johnson County claims is recorded in the sources held.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"k-s-werra-salt-discharge-and-monte-kali","title":"K+S: Werra salt discharge and Monte Kali","dek":"The potash company K+S discharges saline wastewater into the Werra river in Germany and is seeking a permit to continue until 2039. It also holds a salt heap of about 150 million tonnes at Monte Kali.","country":"Germany","region":"Europe","lat":50.88,"lon":9.92,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hesse (Werra valley)","lat":50.88,"lon":9.92,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hesse","role":"company-home"}],"start":2015,"end":2039,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Salt heap at Monte Kali","value":"about 150 Mt","note":"The company calls it an \"eternity task\"."},"happened":["K+S discharges saline wastewater into the Werra river in Germany under a permit from the state of Hesse that covers 2022 to 2027. Börse Online (dpa-AFX) reported in 2024 that the company had withdrawn its promise to stop discharging after 2028 and was seeking a permit for 2028 to 2039.","The Monte Kali salt heap holds about 150 million tonnes. A 2022 hessenschau report said an expert opinion found the salinisation around the heap to be worse than expected. The company itself describes the heap as an \"eternity task\".","A case over the underground injection of 9.5 million cubic metres of saline water between 2015 and 2021 was time-barred. The injection ended in 2021.","K+S also operates the Herfa-Neurode underground repository in emptied potash galleries. By 2011 it held 2.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste, including filter dusts from incineration, and about 30% of it came from abroad."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Herfa-Neurode holds 2.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste by this year"},{"y":2015,"t":"Underground injection of saline water, later the subject of a time-barred case, begins (2015–2021)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Underground injection of saline water ends"},{"y":2022,"t":"Werra discharge permit period begins (2022–2027); expert opinion on Monte Kali salinisation reported"},{"y":2024,"t":"K+S withdraws its promise to stop discharging after 2028 and seeks a permit for 2028–2039"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Werra discharge permit covers 2022–2027; K+S withdrew its promise to stop after 2028 and seeks a permit for 2028–2039.","src":0},{"t":"Monte Kali: about 150 million tonnes; an expert opinion found salinisation worse than expected.","src":1},{"t":"Case over injection of 9.5 million m3 of saline water time-barred; injection ended in 2021.","src":2},{"t":"Herfa-Neurode: 2.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste buried by 2011, about 30% from abroad.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Salt heap at Monte Kali","v":"about 150 Mt","d":"Company calls it an \"eternity task\""},{"k":"Salinisation around Monte Kali","v":"Worse than expected","d":"Expert opinion reported by hessenschau, 2022"},{"k":"Saline water injected underground","v":"9.5 million m3","d":"2015–2021; case time-barred"}]},"unknown":["No ruling on the injection case: it was time-barred, so no finding on the merits is recorded.","No decision on the permit for 2028–2039 is recorded in the sources held."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Underground injection of saline water ended in 2021; discharge into the Werra continues under permit and an extension to 2039 is sought.","whoPaid":"Not determined in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2024: K+S is seeking a permit to discharge into the Werra from 2028 to 2039; no decision is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"K+S","says":"Seeks a permit to continue discharging into the Werra from 2028 to 2039, having withdrawn its earlier promise to stop after 2028.","when":"2024","src":0},{"actor":"K+S","says":"Describes the Monte Kali heap, about 150 million tonnes, as an \"eternity task\".","when":"2022","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"k-s","role":"Potash producer; discharge permit holder; operator of Herfa-Neurode"},{"id":"hesse-state","role":"Permitting authority for the Werra discharge"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the salinisation around Monte Kali greater than expected?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Expert opinion reported by hessenschau","says":"Salinisation around Monte Kali is worse than expected.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Case over underground injection of saline water","forum":"None on record","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"unknown","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"K+S","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"time-barred","summary":"A case concerning the underground injection of 9.5 million cubic metres of saline water between 2015 and 2021 was time-barred. Injection ended in 2021.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"salt_heap_mt","value":150,"unit":"Mt","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Monte Kali salt heap.","src":1},{"key":"saline_water_injected_m3","value":9500000,"unit":"m3","year":2021,"note":"Injected underground, 2015–2021; case time-barred.","src":2},{"key":"hazardous_waste_buried_mt","value":2.8,"unit":"Mt","year":2011,"note":"Herfa-Neurode underground repository by 2011, including incineration filter dusts.","src":3},{"key":"foreign_share_hazardous_waste","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the Herfa-Neurode waste from abroad.","src":3}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"K+S discharges saline wastewater into the Werra, holds a salt heap of about 150 million tonnes at Monte Kali, and operates the Herfa-Neurode hazardous-waste repository.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"K+S","what":"Holds a permit to discharge into the Werra and seeks one to 2039; operates the Herfa-Neurode repository.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Werra river and surroundings of Monte Kali","what":"Expert opinion found salinisation worse than expected.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Werra valley, Hesse, Germany.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Permit 2022–2027; extension sought for 2028–2039; injection 2015–2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Discharge of saline wastewater into the river under permit, salt heap, and underground injection (ended 2021).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"K+S will weiter Abwasser in die Werra einleiten","p":"Börse Online (dpa-AFX)","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.boerse-online.de/dpa-afx/ks-will-weiter-abwasser-in-die-werra-einleiten-481284.html"},{"t":"Versalzung um 'Monte Kali' laut Gutachten schlimmer als gedacht","p":"hessenschau","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.hessenschau.de/wirtschaft/versalzung-um-monte-kali-in-neuhof-laut-gutachten-schlimmer-als-gedacht-v1,versalzung-monte-kali-100.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260115204839/https://www.hessenschau.de/wirtschaft/versalzung-um-monte-kali-in-neuhof-laut-gutachten-schlimmer-als-gedacht-v1,versalzung-monte-kali-100.html"},{"t":"Razzia beim Kalikonzern K+S","p":"taz","d":"2015-2021","type":"press","u":"https://taz.de/Razzia-beim-Kalikonzern-KS/!5228928/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018145051/https://taz.de/Razzia-beim-Kalikonzern-KS/!5228928/"},{"t":"Schriftlicher Bericht der Ministerin zum Berichtsantrag betreffend Akquise der K+S Entsorgung GmbH (Ausschussvorlage ULA 18/42, Drucksache 18/5906)","p":"Hessisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz","d":"2012-08-10","u":"https://www.gruene-hessen.de/landtag/files/2012/11/Schriftlicher-Bericht-der-Ministerin.pdf","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260212152822/https://www.gruene-hessen.de/landtag/files/2012/11/Schriftlicher-Bericht-der-Ministerin.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"discharge permit","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A salt heap of about 150 million tonnes stands on me at Monte Kali; an expert opinion reported by hessenschau in 2022 found the salinisation around it worse than expected.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the salinisation around Monte Kali greater than expected?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling on the injection case: it was time-barred, so no finding on the merits is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No decision on the permit for 2028–2039 is recorded in the sources held.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-epr-fake-certificates-scandal","title":"India EPR fake certificates","dek":"India's plastic packaging system lets brands meet recycling duties by buying certificates. In October 2023 the central and state pollution control boards identified about 700,000 fake certificates, according to the Centre for Science and Environment.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":28.6,"lon":77.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","lat":28.6,"lon":77.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":null,"eventDate":"2023-10","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Fake EPR certificates found by India's pollution control boards","value":"700,000","note":"Reported by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE): the number is 38 times the certificate-generating capacity of the recyclers concerned; found October 2023."},"happened":["India's extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules for plastic packaging require brands that put packaging on the market to obtain recycling certificates for the plastic they sell. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi research and advocacy group, described the system in a report published on 29 October 2024.","According to CSE, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state pollution control boards identified about 700,000 fake EPR certificates in October 2023. CSE reported that this was 38 times the certificate-generating capacity of the recyclers concerned.","CSE reported that the boards imposed an EPR penalty of 355 crore rupees. The CSE material does not say whether the penalty was collected.","CSE also reported that cement kilns and other co-processing plants declared far more plastic processed than their capacity, and that virgin plastic producers do not appear on the EPR portal. Packaging placed on the market was put at about 8 million tonnes a year.","In a later study reported by Down To Earth in August 2026, CSE found that for the town of Dharamshala an EPR credit sold for 1 to 1.25 rupees per kg while the municipal cost of managing the waste was up to 9.15 rupees per kg, a coverage of 13 to 14% of the cost."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"EPR rules for plastic packaging in force; road construction, waste-to-energy, waste-to-oil and cement co-processing are classed as end-of-life disposal for non-recyclable plastic and sit outside the recycling target."},{"y":2023,"t":"CPCB and state boards identify about 700,000 fake EPR certificates (October)."},{"y":2024,"t":"CSE report on the EPR system published (29 October); Down To Earth coverage (30 October)."},{"y":2026,"t":"CSE study on who pays for plastic packaging waste management reported by Down To Earth (August): credit prices cover 13–14% of management cost."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"EPR certificates as the proof that brands have paid for recycling of the plastic they put on the market, under a “polluter pays” design.","who":"India's EPR system, as described by CSE","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 700,000 fake EPR certificates identified by CPCB and state boards, October 2023; 38 times the recyclers' certificate-generating capacity (CSE).","src":0},{"t":"EPR penalty of 355 crore rupees; collection status not stated in the CSE material.","src":0},{"t":"Co-processing declarations of 335.4 million tonnes against a stated capacity of 11.4 million tonnes (CSE).","src":0},{"t":"Virgin plastic producers do not appear on the EPR portal (CSE).","src":0},{"t":"Dharamshala: EPR credit 1 to 1.25 rupees per kg; management cost up to 9.15 rupees per kg; coverage 13 to 14%; 66% of registered packaging is flexible (CSE, 2026).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fake certificates","v":"700,000","d":"Identified October 2023 (CSE)"},{"k":"Share of management cost covered by EPR credits","v":"13–14%","d":"CSE study, 2026"},{"k":"Penalty","v":"355 crore rupees","d":"Collection status not stated"}]},"unknown":["Whether the 355 crore rupee penalty was collected: not stated.","The co-processing declaration reported by CSE (335.4 million tonnes against 11.4 million tonnes of capacity) is larger than the 23.9 million tonnes of packaging reported as placed on the market since 2022; the unit of the declared figure is not on record.","Which brands or recyclers held the fake certificates: not named in the material read."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not stated in the material read.","whoPaid":"CSE reported that EPR credit prices covered 13 to 14% of the municipal cost of managing plastic packaging waste in its Dharamshala example.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: CSE reported EPR credits covering 13–14% of waste management cost; no collection of the 355 crore rupee penalty is stated.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"cpcb-india","role":"Regulator that identified the fake certificates"},{"id":"cse-india","role":"Research group that published the findings"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"CPCB EPR penalty","forum":"Central Pollution Control Board","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Central Pollution Control Board","defendant":"Not named in the material read","filed":null,"decided":"2023","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":355,"currency":"INR crore","label":"EPR penalty"},"summary":"CSE reported an EPR penalty of 355 crore rupees; whether it was collected is not stated.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fake_certificates","value":700000,"unit":"certificates","year":2023,"note":"Identified by CPCB and state boards, October 2023; 38 times recyclers' certificate-generating capacity (CSE)."},{"key":"fine","value":355,"unit":"INR crore","year":2023,"note":"EPR penalty; collection status not stated."},{"key":"coprocessing_declared_mt","value":335.4,"unit":"Mt","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Declared by co-processing plants against a capacity of 11.4 Mt (CSE); see unknown."},{"key":"packaging_per_year_mt","value":8,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Packaging placed on the market per year (CSE)."},{"key":"cost_coverage_pct","value":13.5,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"13–14","note":"Share of waste management cost covered by EPR credits (CSE study, Dharamshala example)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's plastic packaging EPR certificate system was found to contain about 700,000 fake certificates.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Brands obtaining certificates cheaply, per CSE","what":"Compliance at a low price; sellers of fake certificates","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Municipalities and waste collectors","what":"EPR credits covered 13 to 14% of management cost (CSE)","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India; CPCB and state pollution control boards.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fake certificates identified October 2023; CSE report 29 October 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the material read.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Certificates were generated beyond the recyclers' capacity; co-processing plants declared processing above their capacity.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Is the polluter really paying in India's plastic packaging waste management ecosystem?","p":"Centre for Science and Environment","d":"2024-10-29","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.cseindia.org/is-the-polluter-really-paying-in-india-s-plastic-packaging-waste-management-ecosystem--12445","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518161126/https://www.cseindia.org/is-the-polluter-really-paying-in-india-s-plastic-packaging-waste-management-ecosystem--12445"},{"t":"700k fake certificates, major polluters missing (CSE report)","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2024-10-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/waste/70k-fake-certificates-major-polluters-missing-misuse-of-epr-legislation-worsening-indias-plastic-problem-shows-cse-report","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241102081446/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/waste/70k-fake-certificates-major-polluters-missing-misuse-of-epr-legislation-worsening-indias-plastic-problem-shows-cse-report"},{"t":"Who pays the cost of managing plastic packaging waste in India, asks new CSE study","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2026-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/who-pays-the-cost-of-managing-plastic-packaging-waste-in-india-asks-new-cse-study","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260818165939/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/who-pays-the-cost-of-managing-plastic-packaging-waste-in-india-asks-new-cse-study"},{"t":"India EPR guidelines for plastic packaging","p":"Net Zero Compare","d":"2022–2026","type":"press","u":"https://netzerocompare.com/policies/india-epr-guidelines-for-plastic-packaging"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"epr-certificates","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"CPCB EPR penalty: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Coprocessing declared mt: Declared by co-processing plants against a capacity of 11.4 Mt (CSE); see unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 355 crore rupee penalty was collected: not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The co-processing declaration reported by CSE (335.4 million tonnes against 11.4 million tonnes of capacity) is larger than the 23.9 million tonnes of packaging reported as placed on the market since 2022; the unit of the declared figure is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which brands or recyclers held the fake certificates: not named in the material read.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"new-york-v-pepsico-and-la-county-v-pepsico-coca-cola","title":"New York v PepsiCo and LA County v PepsiCo/Coca-Cola","dek":"The State of New York sued PepsiCo over plastic pollution in the Buffalo River; a judge dismissed the suit in 2024 and the attorney general's office appealed. Los Angeles County sued PepsiCo and Coca-Cola over recyclability claims.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":42.88,"lon":-78.88,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":42.88,"lon":-78.88,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":34.05,"lon":-118.24,"role":"court"}],"start":2024,"end":null,"eventDate":"2024-11","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Share of branded plastic waste in a 84-country brand audit","value":"Coca-Cola 11%, PepsiCo 5%","note":"Break Free From Plastic audits, 1,576 events 2018–2022 (Cowger et al. 2024)."},"happened":["In 2024 the State of New York brought a suit against PepsiCo over plastic pollution of the Buffalo River. According to Reuters, as carried by Nasdaq in November 2024, a judge dismissed the suit on the ground that the polluters were others, not the company. The attorney general's office appealed.","In October 2024 Los Angeles County sued PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, alleging that they misled consumers about recyclability and caused public harm, according to Insurance Journal.","Both companies appear at the top of brand audits of plastic waste. A 2024 analysis in Science Advances of 1,576 audit events in 84 countries between 2018 and 2022 attributed 11% of branded waste to Coca-Cola and 5% to PepsiCo; 56 companies accounted for more than half of branded waste, and half of the items were unbranded."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Start of the brand-audit period analysed in Cowger et al. 2024 (to 2022)."},{"y":2024,"t":"Los Angeles County sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola (October); a New York judge dismisses the State's Buffalo River suit against PepsiCo and the attorney general's office appeals (November)."}],"said":[{"q":"The top global plastic polluters of 2023 are The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelēz International.","who":"Break Free From Plastic, 2023 global brand audit","when":"7 February 2024","src":3}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Brand audits: 1,576 audit events in 84 countries, 2018–2022. Coca-Cola 11%, PepsiCo 5%, Nestlé 3%, Danone 3%, Altria 2% of branded waste.","src":2},{"t":"56 companies account for more than 50% of branded waste; 50% of items were unbranded. Each 1% of production share corresponded to about 1% of pollution share.","src":2},{"t":"Oregon EPR: average fee 17–23 cents per lb; the operating organisation, Circular Action Alliance, has Coca-Cola and PepsiCo on its board, chaired by Keurig Dr Pepper; the fee methodology is confidential and there is no appeal mechanism (June 2025).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Coca-Cola share of branded plastic waste","v":"11%","d":"Brand audits, 84 countries, 2018–2022"},{"k":"PepsiCo share of branded plastic waste","v":"5%","d":"Same audits"},{"k":"Companies behind more than half of branded waste","v":"56","d":"Same audits"}]},"unknown":["Full text of the New York judge's reasoning: not in the material read; only the reported ground that others, not the company, were the polluters.","Outcome of the New York appeal and of the Los Angeles County suit: no ruling in the material read."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not stated in the material read.","whoPaid":"Not established in the material read.","statusLine":"As of November 2024: the New York suit was dismissed and appealed; the Los Angeles County suit had been filed.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"pepsico","role":"Defendant in both suits"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Defendant in the Los Angeles County suit"},{"id":"new-york-attorney-general","role":"Claimant in the Buffalo River suit"},{"id":"los-angeles-county","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"break-free-from-plastic","role":"Publisher of brand audits"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is responsible for the plastic in the Buffalo River?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"New York judge","says":"Dismissed the State's suit on the ground that the polluters were others, not the company (as reported by Reuters).","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"New York attorney general's office","says":"Appealed the dismissal.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"State of New York v PepsiCo (Buffalo River)","forum":"New York court (not named in the material read)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of New York","defendant":"PepsiCo","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"dismissed","summary":"A judge dismissed the suit on the ground that others, not the company, were the polluters. The attorney general's office appealed.","src":0},{"title":"Los Angeles County v PepsiCo and Coca-Cola","forum":"Not named in the material read","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Los Angeles County","defendant":"PepsiCo; The Coca-Cola Company","filed":"2024-10","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The county sued over alleged misleading of consumers on recyclability and public harm.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"brand_share_coca_cola_pct","value":11,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Share of branded plastic waste, 1,576 audit events in 84 countries, 2018–2022."},{"key":"brand_share_pepsico_pct","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Same audits."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Suits by New York State (Buffalo River) and Los Angeles County over plastic pollution and recyclability claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Buffalo River, New York State; Los Angeles County, California.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Los Angeles County suit October 2024; New York dismissal reported November 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Los Angeles County alleged misleading recyclability claims and public harm; the New York suit concerned plastic pollution of the Buffalo River.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Brand audits attribute 11% of branded plastic waste to Coca-Cola and 5% to PepsiCo.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Judge dismisses NY state lawsuit against PepsiCo over plastics, Reuters says (via Nasdaq)","p":"Nasdaq / Reuters","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/judge-dismisses-ny-state-lawsuit-against-pepsico-over-plastics-reuters-says","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241123053717/https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/judge-dismisses-ny-state-lawsuit-against-pepsico-over-plastics-reuters-says"},{"t":"Los Angeles County Sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Over Plastic Pollution","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/11/01/799395.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141608/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/11/01/799395.htm"},{"t":"Break Free From Plastic brand audits (Cowger et al., Science Advances 10(17))","p":"Science Advances","d":"2024-04","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adj8275"},{"t":"BFFP movement unveils 2023 global brand audit results","p":"Break Free From Plastic","d":"2024-02-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260624123238/https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/"},{"t":"Compliance with State Packaging EPR Laws Due by July 1, 2025","p":"Ballard Spahr","d":"2025-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.ballardspahr.com/insights/alerts-and-articles/2025/06/compliance-with-state-packaging-extended-producer-responsibility-laws-due-by-july-1-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260702222423/https://www.ballardspahr.com/insights/alerts-and-articles/2025/06/compliance-with-state-packaging-extended-producer-responsibility-laws-due-by-july-1-2025"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"litigation","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of the branded plastic waste found on me in 1,576 audit events in 84 countries between 2018 and 2022, 11% was Coca-Cola's and 5% PepsiCo's.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who is responsible for the plastic in the Buffalo River?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Los Angeles County v PepsiCo and Coca-Cola: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Full text of the New York judge's reasoning: not in the material read; only the reported ground that others, not the company, were the polluters.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the New York appeal and of the Los Angeles County suit: no ruling in the material read.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"bien-hoa-dioxin-cleanup-and-agent-orange-suit","title":"Bien Hoa dioxin cleanup and Agent Orange suit (Tran To Nga)","dek":"A French lawsuit by Tran To Nga against Agent Orange manufacturers was found inadmissible in 2021 and 2024; in July 2026 the Court of Cassation referred her appeal to its plenary assembly.","country":"Vietnam","region":"Asia","lat":10.95,"lon":106.82,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":"Bien Hoa","lat":10.95,"lon":106.82,"role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"court"}],"start":2020,"end":null,"eventDate":"2026-07","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Year the Court of Cassation referred the appeal to its plenary assembly","value":"2026","note":"Reporterre, July 2026."},"happened":["Tran To Nga's lawsuit against manufacturers of Agent Orange was heard in French courts. According to Reporterre, the suit was found inadmissible in 2021 and 2024 on grounds of immunity, and the claimant was ordered to pay legal costs of 1,500 euros per company. The record names Monsanto/Bayer and Dow among the defendants.","In July 2026 the Court of Cassation referred her appeal to its plenary assembly, according to Reporterre.","PBS NewsHour/AP also reported a US-funded dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa air base area, reportedly up to 450 million dollars over 2020–2030, paused by US aid cuts and then resumed; no other source confirms it, so it is listed under what is unknown."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Start of the reported 2020–2030 Bien Hoa cleanup funding period (PBS NewsHour/AP; no other source confirms it)."},{"y":2021,"t":"French court finds the claim inadmissible (first of two such findings)."},{"y":2024,"t":"Second finding of inadmissibility in France."},{"y":2025,"t":"Reported pause and restart of the Bien Hoa cleanup after USAID cuts (March; PBS NewsHour/AP; no other source confirms it)."},{"y":2026,"t":"Court of Cassation refers the appeal to its plenary assembly (July)."}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"French courts found the claim inadmissible in 2021 and 2024; costs of 1,500 euros per company were charged to the claimant.","src":0},{"t":"The Court of Cassation referred the appeal to its plenary assembly in July 2026.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"French findings of inadmissibility","v":"2","d":"2021 and 2024"},{"k":"Legal costs charged to claimant","v":"1,500 euros per company","d":"Reporterre"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the United States is funding up to 450 million dollars of dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa over 2020–2030; the work was reported paused by USAID cuts and then resumed (PBS/AP, March 2025).","Outcome of the plenary assembly hearing: not in the material read."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the material read.","whoPaid":"Not established in the material read.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the Court of Cassation had referred Tran To Nga's appeal to its plenary assembly.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto-bayer","role":"Defendant named in the French suit"},{"id":"dow","role":"Defendant named in the French suit"},{"id":"court-of-cassation-france","role":"Court hearing the appeal"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can Agent Orange manufacturers be sued in France?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"French courts","says":"Found the claim inadmissible in 2021 and 2024 on grounds of immunity (as reported by Reporterre).","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Tran To Nga","says":"Appealed to the Court of Cassation, which referred the case to its plenary assembly in July 2026.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Tran To Nga v Agent Orange manufacturers (including Monsanto/Bayer and Dow)","forum":"French courts; Court of Cassation","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Tran To Nga","defendant":"Monsanto/Bayer; Dow","filed":null,"decided":"2021, 2024","status":"ongoing","summary":"Found inadmissible in 2021 and 2024; costs of 1,500 euros per company charged to the claimant; appeal referred to the plenary assembly of the Court of Cassation in July 2026.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"cleanup_funding","value":450,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","unverified":true,"note":"Reported US-funded dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa, 2020–2030; not independently verified."},{"key":"legal_costs_per_company","value":1500,"unit":"EUR","year":2024,"note":"Costs charged to the claimant per company."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A lawsuit over Agent Orange in French courts, with a related dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa unconfirmed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"France (courts); Bien Hoa, Vietnam.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Inadmissible 2021 and 2024; referral to plenary assembly July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not in the material read.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The claim was found inadmissible on grounds of immunity.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Agent orange: le pourvoi de Tran To Nga renvoyé devant l'assemblée plénière de la Cour de cassation","p":"Reporterre","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://reporterre.net/Agent-orange-le-pourvoi-de-Tran-To-Nga-renvoye-devant-l-assemblee-pleniere-de-la-Cour-de-cassation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260824182521/https://reporterre.net/Agent-orange-le-pourvoi-de-Tran-To-Nga-renvoye-devant-l-assemblee-pleniere-de-la-Cour-de-cassation"},{"t":"USAID cuts jeopardize Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam","p":"PBS NewsHour / AP","d":"2025-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/usaid-cuts-jeopardize-agent-orange-cleanup-in-vietnam","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821040057/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/usaid-cuts-jeopardize-agent-orange-cleanup-in-vietnam"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"litigation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can Agent Orange manufacturers be sued in France?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Cleanup funding: Reported US-funded dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa, 2020–2030; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the United States is funding up to 450 million dollars of dioxin cleanup at Bien Hoa over 2020–2030; the work was reported paused by USAID cuts and then resumed (PBS/AP, March 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the plenary assembly hearing: not in the material read.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tyson-and-sanderson-farms-no-antibiotics-label-cases","title":"Tyson and Sanderson Farms 'no antibiotics' label cases","dek":"Two US poultry producers faced legal challenges over 'no antibiotics' and '100% natural' marketing. A 2024 federal test of 'no antibiotics' beef found residues in about one-fifth of samples.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2024,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Residues in 'no antibiotics' beef samples tested by FSIS (2024)","value":"About 1 in 5","note":"As reported by Western Livestock Journal; 196 cattle from 84 slaughterhouses."},"happened":["In June 2008 NBC News reported that a court had stopped Tyson Foods' 'no antibiotics' advertising. According to the report, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) had found that gentamicin, an antibiotic, was injected into eggs. Tyson withdrew the ads and labels.","A settlement of $5 million in 2010 was reported by Poultry World. The cited sources give no court record or primary document for the settlement.","In 2017 Meat+Poultry reported that Sanderson Farms' '100% natural' marketing had become the subject of a false-advertising lawsuit built on residue data from the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The company said it would fight the suit.","In 2024 the Western Livestock Journal reported that FSIS had tested 196 cattle from 84 slaughterhouses whose products carried 'no antibiotics' claims, and had found residues in roughly one-fifth of the samples."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"NBC News: a court halts Tyson's 'no antibiotics' ads; USDA reported to have found gentamicin injected into eggs; Tyson pulls ads and labels"},{"y":2010,"t":"Tyson settlement of $5 million reported (via Poultry World)"},{"y":2017,"t":"False-advertising lawsuit over Sanderson Farms' '100% natural' marketing, based on FSIS residue data"},{"y":2024,"t":"FSIS test of 'no antibiotics' beef: residues in about one-fifth of samples (Western Livestock Journal)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Tyson Foods advertised and labelled poultry as raised without antibiotics (withdrawn 2008).","who":"Tyson Foods, as reported by NBC News","src":1},{"t":"Sanderson Farms marketed its chicken as '100% natural'.","who":"Sanderson Farms, as described by Meat+Poultry","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"USDA reported finding that gentamicin had been injected into eggs (2008).","src":1},{"t":"FSIS found residues in about one-fifth of samples from 196 cattle at 84 slaughterhouses whose products carried 'no antibiotics' claims (2024).","src":0},{"t":"The Sanderson Farms lawsuit relied on FSIS residue data (2017).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Tyson settlement, 2010 (reported via Poultry World)","amount":5}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Residues in 'no antibiotics' beef samples","v":"About one-fifth","d":"FSIS test of 196 cattle from 84 slaughterhouses (2024)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the share of US broilers raised under 'no antibiotics ever' standards rose from 3% in 2014 to 52% in 2020, and Tyson moved in 2023 from a 'no antibiotics ever' standard to one that permits ionophores (WATTPoultry, via Pet Food Industry).","The cited sources give no court record, plaintiff or ruling for the Sanderson Farms lawsuit.","The 2024 FSIS test covered beef; the cited sources give no comparable FSIS test result for poultry."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give that Tyson withdrew its 'no antibiotics' ads and labels in 2008. It records no later change in practice and no measure of effect on antibiotic use or resistance.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give a $5 million settlement paid by Tyson in 2010 (reported via Poultry World). It records no payment by or to any other party.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited source (2024): the Tyson matter was settled (2010, reported); no outcome found for the Sanderson Farms suit; FSIS 2024 beef test found residues in about one-fifth of 'no antibiotics' samples.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"sanderson-farms","says":"The company said it would fight the false-advertising lawsuit.","when":"2017","src":2},{"actor":"tyson-foods","says":"Tyson pulled the ads and labels claiming no antibiotics.","when":"June 2008","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"tyson-foods","role":"Poultry producer; advertiser of 'no antibiotics' claims"},{"id":"sanderson-farms","role":"Poultry producer; marketer of '100% natural' chicken"},{"id":"usda","role":"Regulator; found gentamicin injected into eggs (2008)"},{"id":"usda-fsis","role":"Regulator; residue testing"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did 'no antibiotics' products contain antibiotic residues?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"USDA FSIS","says":"Found residues in about one-fifth of samples from 196 cattle at 84 slaughterhouses whose products carried 'no antibiotics' claims (2024).","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tyson Foods","says":"Pulled ads and labels claiming no antibiotics after the USDA finding on gentamicin injected into eggs (2008).","src":1}]},{"point":"Was Sanderson Farms' '100% natural' marketing false?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Plaintiffs in the false-advertising lawsuit","says":"The suit was based on FSIS residue data (claimant names not on record).","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sanderson Farms","says":"Said it would fight the lawsuit.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Tyson Foods 'no antibiotics' advertising","forum":"Court name: none on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Tyson Foods","filed":null,"decided":"2008","status":"settled","amount":{"value":5,"currency":"USD","label":"Settlement, 2010 (reported via Poultry World)"},"summary":"NBC News reported in June 2008 that a court stopped Tyson's 'no antibiotics' ads after the USDA found gentamicin injected into eggs. Tyson withdrew the ads and labels. A $5 million settlement in 2010 was reported by Poultry World.","src":1},{"title":"Sanderson Farms '100% natural' false-advertising lawsuit","forum":"Court name: none on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Sanderson Farms","filed":"2017","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Meat+Poultry reported in 2017 that the lawsuit was based on FSIS residue data and that Sanderson Farms said it would fight it. No outcome is on record.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":5,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Tyson settlement as reported by Poultry World; no primary document in the cited sources."},{"key":"residue_share_samples","value":20,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of FSIS samples with residues, 'no antibiotics' beef; one-fifth as reported by Western Livestock Journal."},{"key":"cattle_sampled","value":196,"unit":"cattle","year":2024,"note":"FSIS test of 'no antibiotics' claimants."},{"key":"slaughterhouses_sampled","value":84,"unit":"slaughterhouses","year":2024,"note":"Sources of the FSIS sample."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Challenges to 'no antibiotics' and '100% natural' labelling by two US poultry producers, and a 2024 federal test of 'no antibiotics' beef.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2008 (Tyson), 2010 (settlement reported), 2017 (Sanderson Farms suit), 2024 (FSIS beef test).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give no stated motive. The Sanderson Farms suit alleged false advertising based on FSIS residue data.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Tyson's ads were stopped by a court and withdrawn after USDA found gentamicin injected into eggs; the Sanderson Farms suit used FSIS residue data; FSIS tested 'no antibiotics' beef at slaughterhouses.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"USDA tests no-antibiotics meat claims","p":"Western Livestock Journal","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.wlj.net/udsa-tests-no-antibiotics-meat-claims"},{"t":"Tyson pulls ads, labels claiming no antibiotics","p":"NBC News","d":"2008-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24939374","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907194929/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna24939374"},{"t":"Sanderson Farms vows to fight false advertising lawsuit","p":"Meat+Poultry","d":"2017","type":"press","u":"https://meatpoultry.com/articles/16605-sanderson-farms-vows-to-fight-false-advertising-lawsuit","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250522034107/https://www.meatpoultry.com/articles/16605-sanderson-farms-vows-to-fight-false-advertising-lawsuit"},{"t":"No antibiotics ever poultry production stabilizing in the US","p":"WATTPoultry","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.wattagnet.com/articles/44262-no-antibiotics-ever-poultry-production-stabilizing-in-the-us"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"labelling","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did 'no antibiotics' products contain antibiotic residues?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Sanderson Farms' '100% natural' marketing false?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Sanderson Farms '100% natural' false-advertising lawsuit: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the share of US broilers raised under 'no antibiotics ever' standards rose from 3% in 2014 to 52% in 2020, and Tyson moved in 2023 from a 'no antibiotics ever' standard to one that permits ionophores (WATTPoultry, via Pet Food Industry).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no court record, plaintiff or ruling for the Sanderson Farms lawsuit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2024 FSIS test covered beef; the cited sources give no comparable FSIS test result for poultry.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"netherlands-q-fever-outbreak-and-goat-sector-growth","title":"Netherlands Q fever outbreak and goat sector growth","dek":"A Q fever outbreak linked to goats in the Netherlands was followed by culls and by growth in the goat population to more than 600,000 by 2019. Reporting on compensation for patients and families describes a maximum payment of EUR 15,000.","country":"Netherlands","region":"Europe","lat":51.5,"lon":5.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Noord-Brabant","lat":51.5,"lon":5.1,"role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":2021,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"disease","types":["disease","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Goat numbers after culls, 2019","value":"614,339","note":"Omroep Brabant, 2020: the goat population more than tripled after the culls."},"happened":["Omroep Brabant reported in March 2020 that after the culls ordered during the Q fever outbreak, the number of goats in the Netherlands more than tripled and reached 614,339 in 2019. The province of Noord-Brabant introduced a goat stop in 2017.","In 2021 reporting recorded that 2,780 people had applied under a compensation arrangement and 609 applications were rejected. The cited sources do not name the arrangement.","The Dutch state is recorded as having described Q fever as under control. The cited sources do not give the date or the source document for that statement."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Noord-Brabant introduces a goat stop"},{"y":2019,"t":"Goat population reaches 614,339 after culls"},{"y":2020,"t":"Omroep Brabant reports the goat sector is growing despite Q fever and other health risks"},{"y":2021,"t":"2,780 applications, of which 609 rejected, reported"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Q fever was under control.","who":"Dutch state (date and document: none on record)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The goat population more than tripled after the culls and reached 614,339 in 2019.","src":1},{"t":"Noord-Brabant introduced a goat stop in 2017.","src":1},{"t":"2,780 people applied and 609 applications were rejected (2021; scheme not named in the cited sources).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Goats in the Netherlands","v":"614,339","d":"2019, after the culls (Omroep Brabant)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Zembla (BNNVARA, 26 March 2019) reported that more than 4,000 people were infected in the outbreak, that there were 95 official deaths, that claims had been filed on behalf of 138 deceased people, and that the maximum payment was EUR 15,000, described as a 'recognition gesture' (erkenning gebaar).","Unconfirmed: Q fever victims were neighbours of goat farms.","The cited sources give no dates for the outbreak itself and no cull numbers."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","unverified-deaths"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give a goat stop in Noord-Brabant in 2017. It records that the national goat population nonetheless grew to 614,339 by 2019.","whoPaid":"Zembla reported that patients and their families received a maximum payment of EUR 15,000; no other source confirms it. No payment by the goat sector is stated in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited source (2021): 2,780 applications with 609 rejected reported; goat population 614,339 in 2019; no court outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"dutch-government","says":"Described Q fever as under control (date and source document not on record).","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"dutch-government","role":"Government; ordered culls and described Q fever as under control"},{"id":"noord-brabant","role":"Province; introduced a goat stop in 2017"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was Q fever under control while the goat sector grew?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Dutch state","says":"Q fever was under control (no date or document in the cited sources).","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Omroep Brabant","says":"The goat sector grew despite Q fever and other health risks; goat numbers more than tripled after the culls.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"goat_population","value":614339,"unit":"goats","year":2019,"note":"Reported by Omroep Brabant after the culls; more than tripled."},{"key":"compensation_applications","value":2780,"unit":"applications","year":2021,"note":"Scheme not named in the cited sources."},{"key":"applications_rejected","value":609,"unit":"applications","year":2021,"note":"Of 2,780 applications."},{"key":"deaths","value":95,"unit":"people","year":2019,"unverified":true,"note":"Official deaths according to Zembla (BNNVARA); not independently verified."},{"key":"people_affected","value":4000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Infected people according to Zembla; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Q fever outbreak linked to goats, culls, and growth of the goat population to 614,339 in 2019.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Netherlands, including Noord-Brabant.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Outbreak dates not on record; goat stop 2017; goat population 2019; reports 2019 to 2021.","src":1},"why":{"t":"not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Culls were followed by growth of the goat population; Noord-Brabant introduced a goat stop in 2017.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Meer Q-koorts doden dan gedacht: namens 138 overledenen schadeclaims ingediend","p":"Zembla (BNNVARA)","d":"2019-03-26","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.bnnvara.nl/zembla/artikelen/meer-q-koorts-doden-dan-gedacht-namens-138-overledenen-schadeclaims-ingediend","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250908215756/https://www.bnnvara.nl/zembla/artikelen/meer-q-koorts-doden-dan-gedacht-namens-138-overledenen-schadeclaims-ingediend"},{"t":"De geitensector groeit ondanks Q-koorts en andere gezondheidsrisico's","p":"Omroep Brabant","d":"2020-03-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/3166853/de-geitensector-groeit-ondanks-q-koorts-en-andere-gezondheidsrisicos","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508143622/https://www.omroepbrabant.nl/nieuws/3166853/de-geitensector-groeit-ondanks-q-koorts-en-andere-gezondheidsrisicos"},{"t":"Geen compensatie voor honderden patienten Q-koorts","p":"Hart van Nederland (RTL/SBS)","d":"2021-03","u":"https://www.hartvannederland.nl/milieu-gezondheid/artikelen/geen-compensatie-honderden-patienten-q-koorts","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"livestock-policy","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Q fever under control while the goat sector grew?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: Official deaths according to Zembla (BNNVARA); not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"People affected: Infected people according to Zembla; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Zembla (BNNVARA, 26 March 2019) reported that more than 4,000 people were infected in the outbreak, that there were 95 official deaths, that claims had been filed on behalf of 138 deceased people, and that the maximum payment was EUR 15,000, described as a 'recognition gesture' (erkenning gebaar).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Q fever victims were neighbours of goat farms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no dates for the outbreak itself and no cull numbers.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lagos-waterfront-evictions-and-eko-atlantic","title":"Lagos waterfront evictions (Otodo-Gbame, Badia East) and Eko Atlantic","dek":"Lagos State demolished waterfront settlements, citing public health and the environment, while the Eko Atlantic project dredged and reclaimed land from the sea. Amnesty International recorded forced evictions that it said went ahead despite court orders.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":6.45,"lon":3.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":"Lagos","lat":6.45,"lon":3.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":"Okun Alfa, Lagos","role":"affected"}],"start":2014,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening"],"headline":{"label":"People forcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame (Amnesty International, 2017)","value":"30,000+","note":"Amnesty also reported 11 deaths."},"happened":["In July 2014 Amnesty International reported that 266 structures were demolished at Badia East, in the area of a World Bank project, and that the World Bank Inspection Panel had closed a complaint without opening an investigation.","In November 2016 the Lagos governor announced that waterfront settlements would be demolished within seven days, citing public health and the environment. According to Habitat International Coalition (HIC), the threat covered 40 communities and more than 300,000 people, and the land was wanted for redevelopment.","In November 2017 Amnesty International reported that more than 30,000 people were forcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame despite court orders, and that 11 people died.","In the 2020s the Eko Atlantic sea wall of 8.5 km was presented as climate adaptation. A Cornell event description said critics argued that surrounding coastal communities bear the burden of erosion and flooding. In May 2026 Sahara Reporters carried accounts from residents of Okun Alfa who said they had lost homes and graves to surges since dredging began in 2008, and said a lawsuit over the environmental impact assessment of Eko Atlantic had been filed."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Dredging and fill said by Okun Alfa residents to have begun (Sahara Reporters, 2026)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Amnesty: 266 structures demolished at Badia East; World Bank Inspection Panel closes complaint without investigation"},{"y":2016,"t":"Governor announces demolition of waterfront settlements within 7 days (40 communities, 300,000+ people, per HIC)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Amnesty: more than 30,000 forcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame despite court orders; 11 deaths"},{"y":2026,"t":"Sahara Reporters: Okun Alfa residents describe loss of homes and graves to surges and dredging"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Waterfront settlements to be demolished for public health and environmental reasons.","who":"Lagos State governor, as reported by Habitat International Coalition","src":1},{"t":"The 8.5 km Eko Atlantic sea wall presented as climate adaptation.","who":"Eko Atlantic project, as described in a Cornell event listing","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 30,000 people were forcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame despite court orders; 11 people died (Amnesty International).","src":0},{"t":"266 structures were demolished at Badia East, in the area of a World Bank project; the Inspection Panel closed the complaint without opening an investigation.","src":2},{"t":"Okun Alfa residents said they lost homes and graves to surges after dredging began in 2008.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Structures demolished at Badia East","v":"266","d":"In a World Bank project area (Amnesty, 2014)"},{"k":"Planned demolition","v":"40 communities","d":"More than 300,000 people threatened (HIC, 2016)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Eko Atlantic has dredged about 140 million tonnes of sand since 2006 and presents itself as a 'Great Wall' holding back the sea (AggBusiness).","The cited sources give no ruling in the lawsuit over the environmental impact assessment of Eko Atlantic.","The cited sources give no response from the Lagos State government to Amnesty's findings, and none from Eko Atlantic or the World Bank."],"evidence":["displacement","deaths","court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no end to the evictions or dredging. It records only that evictions continued in 2017 despite court orders.","whoPaid":"Residents of the waterfront communities, according to Amnesty International, bore the evictions; Okun Alfa residents described loss of homes and graves. The cited sources give no compensation.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: Okun Alfa residents continue to describe losses from surges and dredging; no ruling found in the Eko Atlantic environmental impact lawsuit.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"lagos-state-government","says":"The governor said waterfront settlements would be demolished within seven days for public health and environmental reasons.","when":"November 2016","src":1},{"actor":"world-bank-inspection-panel","says":"Closed the complaint over Badia East without opening an investigation.","when":"July 2014","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"lagos-state-government","role":"Authority that announced and carried out waterfront demolitions"},{"id":"eko-atlantic","role":"Land reclamation and real estate project"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Funder of a project in the Badia East area"},{"id":"world-bank-inspection-panel","role":"Accountability mechanism; closed Badia East complaint"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"NGO; recorded evictions and deaths"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the waterfront demolitions justified on public health and environmental grounds?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Lagos State governor","says":"Waterfront settlements would be demolished within seven days for public health and environmental reasons.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"More than 30,000 people were forcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame despite court orders; 11 died.","src":0}]},{"point":"Does the Eko Atlantic sea wall protect the coast or shift erosion to neighbouring communities?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Eko Atlantic","says":"Sea wall of 8.5 km presented as climate adaptation (as described in the Cornell listing).","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Okun Alfa residents (Sahara Reporters)","says":"They lost homes and graves to surges following dredging that began in 2008.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Critics cited in the Cornell listing","says":"Surrounding coastal communities carry the burden of erosion and flooding.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Eko Atlantic environmental impact assessment lawsuit","forum":"None on record","country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Sahara Reporters (May 2026) said a lawsuit over the environmental impact assessment of Eko Atlantic had been filed. The cited sources give no forum, parties or outcome.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"displaced","value":30000,"unit":"people","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Forcibly evicted from Otodo-Gbame (Amnesty International)."},{"key":"deaths","value":11,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Amnesty International, Otodo-Gbame."},{"key":"structures_demolished","value":266,"unit":"structures","year":2014,"note":"Badia East, World Bank project area (Amnesty)."},{"key":"people_affected","value":300000,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Threatened by the governor's seven-day demolition notice across 40 communities (HIC)."},{"key":"sea_wall_km","value":8.5,"unit":"km","year":2020,"note":"Eko Atlantic sea wall length per the Cornell event description."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forced evictions of Lagos waterfront communities and a coastal reclamation project whose neighbours reported shoreline loss.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Waterfront residents of Otodo-Gbame and Badia East","what":"Homes; Amnesty reported 11 deaths at Otodo-Gbame","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Okun Alfa residents","what":"Reported loss of homes and graves to surges after dredging (residents' account)","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Lagos, Nigeria: Otodo-Gbame, Badia East, Okun Alfa and the Eko Atlantic site.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2008 (dredging, per residents), 2014 (Badia East), 2016 (demolition notice), 2017 (Otodo-Gbame), 2026 (Okun Alfa report).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The governor cited public health and the environment; HIC wrote that the land was wanted for redevelopment.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Demolitions with short notice, and dredging and fill for reclamation.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Nigeria: Deadly mass forced evictions make life misery for waterfront communities","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2017-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2017/11/nigeria-deadly-mass-forced-evictions-make-life-misery-for-waterfront-communities/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728080352/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2017/11/nigeria-deadly-mass-forced-evictions-make-life-misery-for-waterfront-communities/"},{"t":"Lagos waterfront evictions (10 November 2016)","p":"Habitat International Coalition","d":"2016-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://hic2.puntzero.cat/?p=9545"},{"t":"Nigeria: World Bank panel turns its back on forcibly evicted community","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2014-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/07/nigeria-world-bank-panel-turns-its-back-forcibly-evicted-community/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728112840/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/07/nigeria-world-bank-panel-turns-its-back-forcibly-evicted-community/"},{"t":"Does Africa Need Elite Cities? Eko Atlantic, Climate Urbanism, and the Surrounds of Lagos","p":"Cornell University (event listing)","d":"2020s","type":"academic","u":"https://events.cornell.edu/event/daniel-agbiboa-does-africa-need-elite-cities-eko-atlantic-climate-urbanism-and-the-surrounds-of-lagos","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251210000527/https://events.cornell.edu/event/daniel-agbiboa-does-africa-need-elite-cities-eko-atlantic-climate-urbanism-and-the-surrounds-of-lagos"},{"t":"My mother's grave. how surges, dredging are devouring Okun Alfa","p":"Sahara Reporters","d":"2026-05-03","type":"press","u":"https://saharareporters.com/2026/05/03/my-mothers-grave-ocean-how-surges-dredging-are-devouring-okun-alfa-lagos-disappearing","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260504040115/https://saharareporters.com/2026/05/03/my-mothers-grave-ocean-how-surges-dredging-are-devouring-okun-alfa-lagos-disappearing"}],"episodes":[],"related":["maldives-dredging-and-reclamation-contracts"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the Eko Atlantic sea wall protect the coast or shift erosion to neighbouring communities?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the waterfront demolitions justified on public health and environmental grounds?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Eko Atlantic environmental impact assessment lawsuit: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Eko Atlantic has dredged about 140 million tonnes of sand since 2006 and presents itself as a 'Great Wall' holding back the sea (AggBusiness).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no ruling in the lawsuit over the environmental impact assessment of Eko Atlantic.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no response from the Lagos State government to Amnesty's findings, and none from Eko Atlantic or the World Bank.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"alter-do-chao-and-dia-do-fogo-fire-allegations","title":"Alter do Chão and Dia do Fogo fire allegations","dek":"After the 2019 Amazon fires in Brazil, an allegation circulated that NGOs had set fires to attract donations. The Federal Police found no culprit among them. Two investigations into the separate \"Dia do Fogo\" were closed in 2024 without an indictment.","country":"Brazil","region":"Latin America","lat":-2.5,"lon":-54.95,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-2.5,"lon":-54.95,"role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","wildfire","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Dia do Fogo: properties penalised","value":"5.7% of 478","note":"Share of 478 properties penalised; two investigations closed in 2024 without an indictment."},"happened":["In 2019, fires burned in the Amazon in Brazil. In the Alter do Chão area an allegation was made that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) had started fires in order to raise donations. In November 2019 the Pará Civil Police arrested four volunteer fire-brigade members in connection with the Alter do Chão fires; they were released by court order after about two days and have denied the accusation.","In August 2020 the Federal Police concluded that it could not identify who started the fires, found no evidence against the four volunteers and asked for the inquiry to be archived. It found that the first fire points began 2.3 km and 4.6 km from the area the Civil Police had named as the origin, and that the fire was of human origin. The Federal Court archived the inquiry on 9 February 2021 at the request of federal prosecutors, because the person responsible could not be determined. ((o))eco described the claim that WWF financed the fires as false; WWF-Brasil said it did not buy the volunteers' photos.","A second allegation concerned the \"Dia do Fogo\" (10 and 11 August 2019, Novo Progresso, Pará), the claim that farmers set fires in a coordinated way. Two federal investigations into it were closed in the first half of 2024 without an indictment, because the evidence was not enough to sustain a case against those responsible, according to ClimaInfo citing BBC Brasil. Greenpeace identified 478 properties with fire hotspots on those two days; its 2020 follow-up reported that about 5% of those with forest fires had been punished, the outlets reporting it giving figures between 5% and 5.7%.","The allegation against NGOs did not hold: the Federal Police ruled out the brigade members' involvement and the inquiry was archived. The Dia do Fogo allegation was partly documented, but its investigations were archived with no one held responsible."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Amazon fires; allegation that NGOs started fires for donations; four volunteer brigade members arrested by the Pará Civil Police in November and released after about two days"},{"y":2020,"t":"Aug: Federal Police asks to archive the inquiry, finding no evidence against the four volunteers; Federal Court archives it on 9 February 2021"},{"y":2024,"t":"Two investigations into the Dia do Fogo closed without an indictment"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"That NGOs set the Amazon fires in order to attract donations","who":"Those who made the allegation in 2019 (not further identified)","src":5},{"t":"That WWF financed fires","who":"Those who made the allegation in 2019 (not further identified)","src":5},{"t":"That farmers burned in a coordinated way on the Dia do Fogo","who":"Those who made the allegation (not further identified)","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Federal Police found no culprit among the NGOs.","src":5},{"t":"The first fire hotspots were outside the area that had been blamed (Capadócia).","src":7},{"t":"The detained volunteer brigade members were released and the file was closed.","src":6},{"t":"Two Dia do Fogo investigations were closed in 2024 without an indictment; of 207 properties that burned forest on the two days (among 478 with heat spots), about 5% were fined.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"2019–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Indictments after the Dia do Fogo","v":"None","d":"Two investigations closed in 2024 without an indictment"},{"k":"Properties penalised","v":"5.7% of 478","d":"Dia do Fogo"}]},"unknown":["Dia do Fogo: two investigations were closed in 2024 without an indictment; the sources do not say which agency closed which."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not stated.","whoPaid":"Not stated.","statusLine":"As of 2024: both Dia do Fogo investigations closed without an indictment; the Alter do Chão inquiry was archived in February 2021 and the volunteers were released.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"federal-police-brazil","role":"Investigating authority"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Named in an allegation of financing fires; the allegation was found false"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did NGOs set fires at Alter do Chão in 2019?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Those who made the allegation (not further identified)","says":"NGOs set the fires to attract donations.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal Police","says":"Found no culprit among the NGOs; the first fire hotspots were outside the blamed area (Capadócia).","src":7}]},{"point":"Did farmers burn in coordination on the Dia do Fogo?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Two investigations","says":"Closed in 2024 without an indictment; of 207 properties that burned forest on the two days (among 478 with heat spots), about 5% were fined.","src":8}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Alter do Chão fire investigation","forum":"Federal Police investigation","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Volunteer brigade members (detained, later released)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"The Federal Police could not identify who started the fire and found no evidence against the four volunteers. The Federal Court archived the inquiry on 9 February 2021 at the request of federal prosecutors.","src":6},{"title":"Dia do Fogo investigations","forum":"Two investigations","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Not stated","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"unknown","summary":"Two federal investigations were closed in the first half of 2024 without an indictment.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"properties_investigated","value":478,"unit":"properties","year":2024,"note":"Dia do Fogo; of these, 5.7% were penalised."},{"key":"properties_penalised_share","value":5.7,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Share of 478 properties penalised, Dia do Fogo."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Allegations that NGOs, and separately farmers acting in coordination, started Amazon fires; the Federal Police found no evidence against the volunteers arrested, and the inquiry was archived; the second ended in two investigations closed without an indictment.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Volunteer fire-brigade members detained in 2019 and later released","what":"Arrested by the Pará Civil Police in November 2019; released by court order after about two days.","src":6}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alter do Chão and the Amazon, Brazil","src":6},"when":{"t":"2019 to 2024","src":8},"why":{"t":"Not stated.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not stated.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Polícia Federal descarta participação de brigadistas de Alter do Chão nos incêndios da Amazônia","p":"((o))eco","d":"2020-08-27","u":"https://oeco.org.br/reportagens/policia-federal-descarta-participacao-de-brigadistas-de-alter-do-chao-nos-incendios-da-amazonia/","type":"press"},{"t":"Justiça arquiva inquérito que apurava acusações contra brigadistas de Alter do Chão","p":"CartaCapital","d":"2021-02-19","u":"https://www.cartacapital.com.br/sustentabilidade/justica-arquiva-inquerito-que-apurava-acusacoes-contra-brigadistas-de-alter-do-chao/","type":"press"},{"t":"Vídeo espalha fake news sobre caso dos brigadistas em Alter do Chão","p":"((o))eco","d":"2020","u":"https://oeco.org.br/salada-verde/video-espalha-fake-news-sobre-caso-dos-brigadistas-em-alter-do-chao/","type":"press"},{"t":"Investigações sobre \"Dia do Fogo\" são arquivadas: ninguém é responsabilizado","p":"ClimaInfo","d":"2024-08-29","u":"https://climainfo.org.br/2024/08/29/investigacoes-sobre-dia-do-fogo-sao-arquivadas-ninguem-e-responsabilizado/","type":"press"},{"t":"Dia do Fogo completa cinco anos e propriedades que receberam financiamento seguem impunes","p":"Greenpeace Brasil","d":"2024-08","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/blog/dia-do-fogo-completa-cinco-anos-e-propriedades-que-receberam-financiamento-seguem-impunes/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"É falso que polícia descobriu que WWF Brasil financiou queimadas no Pará em 2019","p":"Aos Fatos","d":"2021-02-02","u":"https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/e-falso-que-policia-descobriu-que-WWF-Brasil-financiou-queimadas-no-para-em-2019/","type":"press"},{"t":"Inquérito sobre incêndio em Alter do Chão (PA) é arquivado sem apontar responsáveis","p":"Brasil de Fato","d":"2021-02-19","u":"https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2021/02/19/inquerito-sobre-incendio-em-alter-do-chao-pa-e-arquivado-sem-apontar-responsaveis","type":"press"},{"t":"Brigadistas são inocentados de incêndio em Alter do Chão","p":"DOL (Diário Online)","d":"2020-08-27","u":"https://dol.com.br/noticias/para/603813/brigadistas-sao-inocentados-de-incendio-em-alter-do-chao","type":"press"},{"t":"Investigações sobre 'Dia do Fogo' na Amazônia não identificaram culpados","p":"Agência Pública","d":"2024-08-28","u":"https://apublica.org/nota/investigacoes-sobre-dia-do-fogo-na-amazonia-nao-identificaram-culpados/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Dia do Fogo completa um ano com legado de impunidade","p":"Greenpeace Brasil","d":"2020-08","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/florestas/dia-do-fogo-completa-um-ano-com-legado-de-impunidade/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"wildfire-allegation","related":["pg-e-wildfire-settlement-tax-deduction-and-fire-victim-trust"],"natureLead":{"t":"Greenpeace identified 478 properties with fire hotspots on 10 and 11 August 2019 in my forest at Novo Progresso, Pará; of 207 that burned forest, about 5% were fined.","src":[4,9]},"subtags":["burning:land-fires"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did NGOs set fires at Alter do Chão in 2019?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did farmers burn in coordination on the Dia do Fogo?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Dia do Fogo investigations: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Dia do Fogo: two investigations were closed in 2024 without an indictment; the sources do not say which agency closed which.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"adblue-cartel","title":"AdBlue cartel (Daimler, BMW, VW)","dek":"Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen coordinated the dosing of AdBlue, the fluid used to clean diesel exhaust. The European Commission fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total; Daimler reported the cartel and was not fined.","country":"Germany","region":"Europe","lat":50.1,"lon":8.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"company-home"},{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"affected"}],"start":2009,"end":2014,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Fines on VW and BMW for the AdBlue cartel","value":"€875 million","note":"Total for both companies; Daimler reported the cartel and received no fine."},"happened":["From 2009 to 2014, Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen (VW) jointly limited the dosing of AdBlue in diesel vehicles. AdBlue is used in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems, which clean nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel exhaust. According to the European Commission, the coordination took place in joint technical meetings.","The European Commission described it as the first cartel formed to restrict the use of a new technology. It fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total. Daimler informed the Commission of the cartel under the leniency programme and was not fined.","A second, separate cartel decision involved the same manufacturers: 15 manufacturers and the industry association ACEA were fined 458 million euros for an agreement covering 2002 to 2017 not to advertise recycled content and not to pay dismantling centres. Daimler was also the whistleblower in that case and was not fined."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Coordination of AdBlue dosing between Daimler, BMW and VW begins (to 2014)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Period covered by the AdBlue cartel ends"},{"y":2017,"t":"Period covered by the separate end-of-life vehicle cartel ends (from 2002)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Commission found that VW, BMW and Daimler jointly limited AdBlue dosing in 2009-2014 and fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total.","src":0},{"t":"Daimler was a whistleblower and received no fine.","src":0},{"t":"The coordination was carried out in joint technical meetings.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2009–2014","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fines (VW and BMW)","v":"€875 million","d":"Total, European Commission decision"},{"k":"Daimler's fine","v":"None","d":"Reported the cartel under the leniency programme"},{"k":"Period","v":"2009–2014","d":"Coordination of AdBlue dosing"}]},"unknown":["No figure for the NOx emitted as a result of the limited dosing is not on record.","No estimate of the companies' gain from the cartel is not on record."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not stated.","whoPaid":"The party harmed is the European public, exposed to NOx; VW and BMW paid the fines.","statusLine":"According to the cited sources: Commission decision fining VW and BMW 875 million euros in total; Daimler not fined.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"volkswagen","role":"Fined, with BMW, 875 million euros in total"},{"id":"bmw","role":"Fined, with VW, 875 million euros in total"},{"id":"daimler","role":"Whistleblower under leniency programme; not fined"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Competition authority that issued the decision"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"AdBlue cartel decision","forum":"European Commission (competition law)","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":875,"currency":"EUR","label":"Fine on VW and BMW in total, millions"},"summary":"The Commission found that the three manufacturers coordinated AdBlue dosing in 2009-2014 and fined VW and BMW 875 million euros in total. Daimler was the whistleblower and received no fine.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":875,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"Total fine on VW and BMW for the AdBlue cartel; Daimler not fined."},{"key":"related_fine","value":458,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"Separate end-of-life vehicle cartel (15 manufacturers and ACEA), 2002-2017."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cartel in which Daimler, BMW and VW jointly limited the dosing of AdBlue, which cleans NOx from diesel exhaust.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Daimler","what":"No fine as whistleblower","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"VW and BMW","what":"Fines of 875 million euros in total","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"European public (exposed to NOx)","what":"As named in the cited sources","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"European Union","src":0},"when":{"t":"2009 to 2014","src":0},"why":null,"how":{"t":"Through joint technical meetings in which the manufacturers limited AdBlue dosing.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Antitrust: Commission fines car manufacturers EUR 875 million for restricting competition in emission cleaning for new diesel passenger cars (IP/21/3581)","p":"European Commission","d":"2021-07-08","u":"https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/en/ip_21_3581/IP_21_3581_EN.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"competition-fine","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No figure for the NOx emitted as a result of the limited dosing is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No estimate of the companies' gain from the cartel is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"end-of-life-vehicle-recycling-cartel","title":"End-of-life vehicle recycling cartel (EU carmakers, ACEA)","dek":"The European Commission fined 15 car manufacturers and their trade association ACEA a total of 458 million euros for agreeing, over 2002–2017, not to advertise recycled content in vehicles and not to pay dismantlers.","country":"European Union","region":"Europe","lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"role":"court"}],"start":2002,"end":2017,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance"],"headline":{"label":"Fine on 15 manufacturers and ACEA for the end-of-life vehicle cartel","value":"€458 million","note":"Period of the agreement: 2002–2017."},"happened":["According to the record, 15 vehicle manufacturers and their trade association ACEA agreed not to advertise the recycled content of vehicles and not to pay dismantling centres. The arrangement ran from 2002 to 2017, and the cited sources places it in the EU and the United Kingdom.","The European Commission fined the 15 manufacturers and ACEA 458 million euros. Daimler (Mercedes) was the whistleblower in this case and received no fine.","The same car companies were also involved in a separate cartel, on AdBlue dosing (2009–2014), in which Volkswagen and BMW were fined 875 million euros and Daimler was again the whistleblower and was not fined. The Commission described that case as the first cartel restricting the use of a new technology."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Start of the period covered by the end-of-life vehicle agreement"},{"y":2017,"t":"End of the period covered by the agreement"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Commission fined 15 manufacturers and ACEA 458 million euros for agreeing not to advertise recycled content and not to pay dismantling centres (2002–2017).","src":0},{"t":"Daimler, the whistleblower, was not fined in this cartel or in the AdBlue cartel.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2002–2017","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Recycled content advertised","v":"Agreed not to","d":"15 manufacturers and ACEA, 2002–2017"},{"k":"Payments to dismantling centres","v":"Agreed not to pay","d":"Commission decision"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"The decision concerned competition, not measured environmental outcomes"}]},"unknown":["The size of the gain the manufacturers made from the arrangement: no estimate is given in the cited sources.","The date of the Commission decision and the individual fines per company: not on record."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give the period of the arrangement as 2002–2017; it does not state a stop date for any harm.","whoPaid":"The fine was imposed on the manufacturers and ACEA. The cited sources give dismantling centres and consumers as the parties who did not receive payment or recycled-content information.","statusLine":"Fine of 458 million euros recorded; the cited sources give no decision date, appeal outcome or company response.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"acea","role":"Trade association; fined"},{"id":"daimler","role":"Manufacturer; whistleblower, not fined"},{"id":"volkswagen","role":"Manufacturer; party to the separate AdBlue cartel"},{"id":"bmw","role":"Manufacturer; party to the separate AdBlue cartel"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Regulator"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"End-of-life vehicle recycling cartel decision","forum":"European Commission","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"15 vehicle manufacturers and ACEA","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":458,"currency":"EUR","label":"Fine, millions"},"summary":"The Commission fined the manufacturers and ACEA for agreeing not to advertise recycled content in vehicles and not to pay dismantling centres. Daimler, the whistleblower, was not fined.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":458,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"Total fine on 15 manufacturers and ACEA; agreement period 2002–2017."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An agreement among 15 vehicle manufacturers and ACEA not to advertise recycled content and not to pay dismantling centres.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Manufacturers","what":"Avoided paying dismantling centres, as agreed (per the cited sources' description of the arrangement).","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Dismantling centres","what":"Were the parties the manufacturers agreed not to pay.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union and United Kingdom.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2002–2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the motive beyond the terms of the agreement.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through an agreement between competitors, including via the trade association ACEA, as found by the Commission.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Commission fines car manufacturers and association €458 million over end-of-life vehicles recycling cartel","p":"European Commission","d":"2025-04-01","u":"https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_881","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"cartel","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the gain the manufacturers made from the arrangement: no estimate is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the Commission decision and the individual fines per company: not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"niger-delta-oil-spills-and-sabotage-attribution","title":"Niger Delta oil spills and sabotage attribution (Shell, Eni)","dek":"In the Niger Delta, the cause of an oil spill is recorded in joint investigations run with the operating companies, and spills classed as sabotage attract no compensation. Critics say this lets companies avoid payment; Shell attributes most spills to sabotage.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":5,"lon":6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","lat":5,"lon":6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"court"}],"start":2008,"end":2022,"instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Spills attributed to theft and sabotage since 2016","value":"Over 75%","note":"Figure as of 2022."},"happened":["Spills from oil operations in the Niger Delta continued from 2008 to 2022 according to the record. The cause of each spill is determined in a joint investigation visit (JIV) form that the operating company takes part in. Under the Nigerian rules described in the cited sources, a spill classed as sabotage attracts no compensation.","Since 2016, over 75% of spills were attributed to theft and sabotage. In one period more than 80% of spills were counted as sabotage in Shell SPDC's incident reports. Amnesty International's report \"Bad Information: Oil Spill Investigations in the Niger Delta\" (November 2013) is cited for the finding that the companies' investigations decide cause and that misattribution examples exist.","In the Netherlands, the Hague Court of Appeal ruled against Shell Nigeria in 2021, placing a heavy burden of proof on a company that claims sabotage, and the cited sources note a 15 million euro settlement. In the Ogoni area, a 1 billion dollar fund proposed by UNEP was to be financed with 900 million dollars over five years by the SPDC joint venture, 55% of which is held by the state oil company NNPC; the first instalment was 180 million dollars. N690 million of clean-up contracts went to unqualified firms, and UNEP stated it distrusted HYPREP.","Shell sold SPDC, its Nigerian subsidiary, in 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Start of the spill period covered by the record"},{"y":2013,"t":"Amnesty International report on oil spill investigations in the Niger Delta (November)"},{"y":2015,"t":"SDN report: pipe vandalism partly fed by the \"easy money\" of surveillance and clean-up contracts"},{"y":2016,"t":"From this year over 75% of spills are attributed to theft and sabotage"},{"y":2018,"t":"Ogoni fund: SPDC joint venture to contribute 900 million dollars over five years; first instalment 180 million dollars"},{"y":2021,"t":"Hague Court of Appeal sets a heavy burden of proof on a company claiming sabotage; 15 million euro settlement"},{"y":2022,"t":"Spill period ends; clean-up contracts of N690 million to unqualified firms; UNEP expresses distrust in HYPREP"},{"y":2025,"t":"Shell sells SPDC"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Spills presented as the result of sabotage, with causes recorded in joint investigation forms.","who":"Shell and Eni incident reports","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Since 2016 over 75% of spills were attributed to theft and sabotage.","src":1},{"t":"Under Nigerian rules, spills classed as sabotage attract no compensation, and the classification is made by an investigation the company takes part in.","src":0},{"t":"The Hague Court of Appeal (2021) placed a heavy burden of proof on a company that claims sabotage.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Spills attributed to theft and sabotage","v":"Over 75%","d":"Since 2016"},{"k":"Delay in payments","v":"7 and 14 years","d":"As recorded; no payment recorded for spills labelled sabotage"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"Spill causes are set by company-involved investigations"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a Zembla report alleged that SPDC staff had young people pierce pipes so they could be hired for clean-up; Shell said it was not aware of this. The allegation is unproven.","Unconfirmed: the Amnesty finding on misattribution.","The sabotage share for Eni is on record as 89%; the basis is not stated."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give that spills continued after 2016.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give that payments were delayed by 7 and 14 years and that none is recorded for spills labelled sabotage; communities in the Niger Delta bear the loss.","statusLine":"Spills recorded 2008–2022; Hague Court of Appeal ruled in 2021; Shell sold SPDC in 2025; no later status in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Shell","says":"Said it was not aware of the allegation in the Zembla report that SPDC staff had pipes pierced.","when":"n/d","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Operator through SPDC; sold SPDC in 2025"},{"id":"eni","role":"Operator; incident reports record a sabotage share of 89%"},{"id":"nnpc","role":"State oil company; holds 55% of the SPDC joint venture"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"NGO; report on spill investigations"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Are most spills caused by sabotage?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell SPDC","says":"Most spills are sabotage (incident reports and joint investigation forms).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"The companies' investigations decide the cause, a sabotage record reduces compensation, and examples of misattribution exist (unconfirmed).","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Hague Court of Appeal","says":"A company claiming sabotage carries a heavy burden of proof (2021).","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Hague Court of Appeal v Shell Nigeria","forum":"Hague Court of Appeal","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"Nigerian communities","defendant":"Shell Nigeria","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"settled","amount":{"value":15,"currency":"EUR","label":"Settlement, millions"},"summary":"The court placed a heavy burden of proof on a company claiming sabotage; the cited sources note a 15 million euro settlement.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"spills_attributed_sabotage_share","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"over","note":"Share of spills attributed to theft and sabotage since 2016."},{"key":"settlement","value":15,"unit":"EUR m","year":2021,"note":"Settlement noted alongside the Hague Court of Appeal ruling."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":180,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"First instalment of the Ogoni fund; the joint venture was to contribute 900 million dollars over five years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oil spills in the Niger Delta whose cause is set by company-involved investigations, with sabotage attribution removing compensation.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operating companies (Shell, Eni)","what":"Spills classed as sabotage attract no compensation.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Niger Delta communities","what":"No compensation for spills classed as sabotage; payments delayed by 7 and 14 years.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Niger Delta communities","what":"Affected by spills 2008–2022.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Niger Delta, Nigeria.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2008–2022.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the compensation rule under which sabotage-labelled spills are not paid.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through joint investigation forms that the company takes part in.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Bad Information: Oil Spill Investigations in the Niger Delta","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2013-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://amnestyusa.org/reports/bad-information-oil-spill-investigations-in-the-niger-delta","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250712040907/https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/bad-information-oil-spill-investigations-in-the-niger-delta/"},{"t":"Criminal acts, sabotage and corruption see endless rate of oil spills in Niger Delta outpacing clean-up efforts","p":"Daily Maverick (ISS Today)","d":"2022-03-24","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-03-24-criminal-acts-sabotage-and-corruption-see-endless-rate-of-oil-spills-in-niger-delta-outpacing-clean-up-efforts","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220630173200/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-03-24-criminal-acts-sabotage-and-corruption-see-endless-rate-of-oil-spills-in-niger-delta-outpacing-clean-up-efforts/"},{"t":"International parent company responsibility: Shell and oil spills in Nigeria","p":"Loyens & Loeff","d":"2021-02-02","u":"https://www.loyensloeff.com/insights/news--events/news/international-parent-company-responsibility-shell-and-oil-spills-in-nigeria/","type":"press"},{"t":"Shell to Pay 15 Million Euros to Nigerian Farmers","p":"Voice of America","d":"2022-12-23","u":"https://www.voaafrica.com/a/shell-to-pay-15-million-to-nigerian-farmers-/6888724.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["ogoniland-and-bodo-spills-cleanup","ken-saro-wiwa-and-the-ogoni-nine-wiwa-v-shell","shell-nigeria-pipeline-spill-ruling"],"natureLead":{"t":"Since 2016, over 75% of the oil spills on me in the Niger Delta were classed as theft and sabotage, in investigations the operating company takes part in; a spill so classed attracts no compensation.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Are most spills caused by sabotage?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Zembla report alleged that SPDC staff had young people pierce pipes so they could be hired for clean-up; Shell said it was not aware of this. The allegation is unproven.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Amnesty finding on misattribution.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sabotage share for Eni is on record as 89%; the basis is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Operating companies (Shell, Eni)","No source link — Who lost: Niger Delta communities","No source link — Who harmed: Niger Delta communities"]},{"id":"south-african-west-coast-rock-lobster-quota-and-wwf-court-ca","title":"South African west coast rock lobster quota and WWF court case","dek":"In September 2018 the Western Cape High Court found the 2017/18 west coast rock lobster quota unlawful and unconstitutional. The stock was at about 2% of its pre-exploitation level.","country":"South Africa","region":"Africa","lat":-33.9,"lon":18.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Western Cape","lat":-33.9,"lon":18.4,"role":"court"}],"start":1997,"end":2018,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"West Coast rock lobster stock vs pre-exploitation level","value":"About 2%","note":"Latest assessment; another assessment gave 2.5% for 2015."},"happened":["The west coast rock lobster stock in South Africa stood at about 2% of its pre-exploitation level in the latest assessment cited in the sources (another assessment gave 2.5% for 2015). Illegal fishing was reported to be increasing.","Recovery targets were set relative to 2006. A 1997 target of a 20% increase between 1996 and 2006 was not met. In 2011 a target of a 35% increase over 2006–2021 was set. The 2017 recommendations implied about a 2% decrease, and the quotas set were projected to bring a 15% decrease.","WWF South Africa brought a case against the 2017/18 quota. In September 2018 the Western Cape High Court found the quota unlawful and unconstitutional. The scientific working group had recommended 790 tonnes if illegal fishing did not fall; the ministry cited harm to small-scale fishers and sought leave to appeal."],"timeline":[{"y":1997,"t":"Target of 20% increase over 1996–2006 set; not met"},{"y":2011,"t":"Target of 35% increase over 2006–2021 set"},{"y":2017,"t":"Recommendations implying a roughly 2% decrease; quotas projected to bring a 15% decrease"},{"y":2018,"t":"Western Cape High Court finds the 2017/18 quota unlawful and unconstitutional (September); ministry seeks leave to appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Management bodies announced stocks reaching targets as success and linked quota increases to them (general pattern).","who":"Fisheries management bodies","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"The west coast rock lobster stock stood at about 2% of its pre-exploitation level; illegal fishing was reported to be increasing.","src":0},{"t":"The Western Cape High Court (September 2018) found the 2017/18 quota unlawful and unconstitutional.","src":2},{"t":"The scientific working group recommended 790 tonnes if illegal fishing did not fall; the ministry set a higher quota, citing harm to small-scale fishers.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"ZAR","window":"2017/18","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Stock vs pre-exploitation level","v":"About 2%","d":"Latest assessment; 2.5% for 2015 in another assessment"},{"k":"Scientific recommendation","v":"790 t","d":"If illegal fishing did not fall"},{"k":"Recovery targets","v":"Set against 2006","d":"1997 target missed; 2011 target 35% increase; 2017 advice about 2% decrease"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Assessment of the stock against its pre-exploitation level","report":[{"t":"I am at about 2% of what I was before the fishing began, and illegal fishing on me is reported to be rising.","src":0}]},"unknown":["The outcome of the ministry's application for leave to appeal: no result found.","Quotas set after 2018: not known.","The ministry argued that small-scale fishers bear the cost of lower quotas; the cited sources give this as the ministry's position, not as a finding."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The court set aside the 2017/18 quota in 2018; the cited sources do not say whether the ruling stood after the ministry's appeal request.","whoPaid":"According to the ministry, the cost of lower quotas falls on small-scale fishers.","statusLine":"2018 judgment against the 2017/18 quota; ministry sought leave to appeal; no outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"South African fisheries ministry","says":"Cited harm to small-scale fishers and sought leave to appeal.","when":"2018","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf-south-africa","role":"NGO; claimant"},{"id":"south-africa-fisheries-ministry","role":"Set the quota; respondent"},{"id":"western-cape-high-court","role":"Court"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the 2017/18 quota exceed the scientific recommendation?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Scientific working group","says":"Recommended 790 tonnes if illegal fishing did not fall.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Fisheries ministry","says":"Cited harm to small-scale fishers.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Western Cape High Court","says":"Found the 2017/18 quota unlawful and unconstitutional.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"WWF South Africa challenge to the 2017/18 west coast rock lobster quota","forum":"Western Cape High Court","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"administrative","claimant":"WWF South Africa","defendant":"Fisheries ministry","filed":null,"decided":"2018-09","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the 2017/18 quota unlawful and unconstitutional; the ministry sought leave to appeal and no outcome was found.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"stock_pct_of_pristine","value":2,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Stock vs pre-exploitation level, latest assessment; 2.5% for 2015 in another assessment."},{"key":"recommended_catch_tonnes","value":790,"unit":"tonnes","year":2017,"note":"Scientific working group recommendation if illegal fishing did not fall."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A rock lobster quota that the court found unlawful and unconstitutional.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rock lobster quota holders","what":"The ministry set quotas above the shrinking target.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"West coast rock lobster stock","what":"At about 2% of its pre-exploitation level.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"West coast of South Africa; Western Cape High Court.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2017/18 quota; judgment September 2018.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The ministry cited harm to small-scale fishers.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Through a quota set above the scientific recommendation, challenged in court by WWF South Africa.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"WWF-SASSI species page: West coast rock lobster","p":"WWF South Africa (SASSI)","u":"https://wwfsassi.co.za/sassi-list/fish?id=119","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Working group documents on West Coast rock lobster recovery targets","p":"University of Cape Town (Open UCT repository)","u":"https://open.uct.ac.za/items/401df422-49c8-4dc4-ad11-88230d4e90ac","type":"academic"},{"t":"Govt challenging order to reduce rock lobster catch limit","p":"News24","d":"2018-10-30","u":"https://m.news24.com/Green/News/govt-challenging-order-to-reduce-rock-lobster-catch-limit-20181030","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20181115235836/https://m.news24.com/Green/News/govt-challenging-order-to-reduce-rock-lobster-catch-limit-20181030"},{"t":"Bluefin tuna catch quotas (WCPFC December 2024 decision)","p":"Japan Times","d":"2024-12-04","u":"https://japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/12/04/japan/bluefin-tuna-catch-quotas","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250808074230/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/12/04/japan/bluefin-tuna-catch-quotas/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the 2017/18 quota exceed the scientific recommendation?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the ministry's application for leave to appeal: no result found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Quotas set after 2018: not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The ministry argued that small-scale fishers bear the cost of lower quotas; the cited sources give this as the ministry's position, not as a finding.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-tax-deductibility-of-environmental-settlements","title":"US tax deductibility of environmental settlements (IRC 162(f))","dek":"US tax law denies a deduction for amounts paid to a government for violating a law, but allows one for amounts identified in the settlement as restitution, remediation or compliance. A 2005 GAO review found that agencies did not negotiate the point and that responding companies deducted all or part of the payment in 20 of 34 settlements.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":null,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Settlements where responding companies deducted all or part of the payment (GAO, 2001–2002 settlements)","value":"20 of 34","note":"As reported by GAO-05-747 (2005): 34 settlements with company responses, out of 160 large settlements reviewed at four agencies."},"happened":["Section 162(a) of the US Internal Revenue Code allows a deduction for the \"ordinary and necessary expenses\" of a trade or business. Section 162(f) provides that amounts paid to a government for violating a law are not deductible. The exception is for amounts identified in the court order or settlement as restitution, including \"remediation of property\", or as compliance costs.","The 2017 tax law changed section 162(f) to its current form: a payment to a government is not deductible, but an amount identified in the order or settlement as restitution, remediation or compliance, and documented as spent for that purpose, can be deducted. The reporting threshold rose from $600 to $50,000. Final regulations issued on 12 January 2021 widened the meaning of remediation for environmental cases: payments to protect or restore soil, air or water, to restore forest or to provide habitat, that are linked to the harm, can qualify even where the harm cannot be fully remedied.","The label is set when the settlement is written. A 2005 review by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO-05-747, 15 September 2005) covered 160 large settlements reached in 2001–2002 at four federal agencies, with a combined value above $9 billion. None of the four agencies negotiated the tax deductibility of the payment. Of the 34 settlements for which companies answered the survey, companies had deducted all or part of the payment in 20, and deduction was more frequent where the payment was not called a penalty.","Two company cases are on record. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) said its roughly $1.8 billion settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission over the 2017–2018 wildfires was \"technically not a penalty\" and calculated that deducting it would save about $468 million; the same agreement contained a commitment not to pass the cost on to customers (January 2020). 3M recorded a pre-tax charge of $10.3 billion in the second quarter of 2023 for its PFAS settlement with US public water suppliers; that figure is the present value, at 5.2%, of a nominal $12.5 billion payable from 2024 to 2036, and it reduced earnings per share by $14.19. The company's total tax line for that quarter was a $2.184 billion benefit; the cited sources do not show how much of it belongs to this settlement.","An earlier tax treatment is recorded for the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill: under a 1991 Alaska Department of Revenue position, civil and compensatory payments were deductible and fines were not. A secondary source (the Congressional Research Service as cited by Wood, 2010) put the after-tax cost of the $1.1 billion government settlement at \"$524 million\"."],"timeline":[{"y":1991,"t":"Alaska Department of Revenue position on Exxon Valdez payments: civil and compensatory payments deductible, fines not"},{"y":2005,"t":"GAO-05-747 (15 September): agencies did not negotiate deductibility; companies deducted in 20 of 34 responding settlements"},{"y":2017,"t":"Tax law amends IRC 162(f): payments to government not deductible unless identified as restitution, remediation or compliance and documented"},{"y":2020,"t":"PG&E calculates about $468 million tax saving on its CPUC settlement (January)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Final regulations (12 January) widen the definition of remediation for environmental payments"},{"y":2023,"t":"3M records $10.3 billion pre-tax charge for PFAS water-supplier settlement (second quarter)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Court and settlement announcements give the total figure, described in headlines as \"record\" settlements.","who":"Press and agency announcements","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"26 USC 162(f): no deduction for amounts paid to a government for violating a law; exception for amounts identified as restitution (including remediation of property) or compliance costs.","src":0},{"t":"Final regulations of 12 January 2021 treat environmental payments linked to the harm as remediation even where the harm cannot be fully remedied.","src":4},{"t":"GAO-05-747: no agency of the four negotiated tax deductibility in 160 large settlements; companies deducted all or part in 20 of 34 responding settlements.","src":2},{"t":"PG&E calculated a saving of about $468 million from deducting its roughly $1.8 billion CPUC settlement.","src":3},{"t":"3M booked a $10.3 billion pre-tax charge for its PFAS water-supplier settlement.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"various","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Responding companies that deducted","v":"20 of 34","d":"Settlements in the GAO sample with company responses (2001–2002 settlements)"},{"k":"Agencies that negotiated deductibility","v":"0 of 4","d":"GAO-05-747, 2005"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not part of this record","d":"The record concerns the tax label of payments, not measured outcomes for nature"}]},"unknown":["How much of the $2.184 billion total tax benefit in 3M's second quarter of 2023 belongs to the PFAS settlement: the cited sources report that the figure is not broken out.","Whether the $1.2 billion tax benefit from Fire Victim Trust share sales recorded in PG&E's 2023 annual report is as stated: reported, but the relevant section of the report could be read only in part.","Whether and how much of BP's Deepwater Horizon package was deducted: an estimate of about $15.3 billion of $20.8 billion deductible is noted in earlier entries, with no source given here."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources show a tax rule that remains in force and a 2021 regulation that widened the remediation category; it shows no measure of whether payments reached the damaged environment.","whoPaid":"The record reports that a deductible payment of $100 by a company taxed at 21% costs the public budget $21 of it; actual deductions in specific settlements are mostly not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: section 162(f) as amended in 2017 and the January 2021 regulations remain the rule described; actual deduction is documented only for the settlements named above.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"pge","says":"Said that its roughly $1.8 billion settlement with the CPUC was not technically a penalty, and planned to deduct it from tax, for a saving of about $468 million.","when":"January 2020","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"gao","role":"Auditor of the settlement sample (GAO-05-747)"},{"id":"pge","role":"Company that calculated a deduction on its CPUC settlement"},{"id":"3m","role":"Company that booked a PFAS settlement charge"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlements_reviewed","value":160,"unit":"settlements","year":2005,"note":"Large settlements at four agencies reviewed by GAO (2001–2002 settlements), combined value above $9 billion."},{"key":"settlements_with_company_response","value":34,"unit":"settlements","year":2005,"note":"Settlements for which companies answered the GAO survey."},{"key":"settlements_deducted","value":20,"unit":"settlements","year":2005,"note":"Of the 34 responding, companies deducted all or part of the payment."},{"key":"claimed_tax_saving","value":468,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"PG&E's own calculation of the saving from deducting its roughly $1.8 billion CPUC settlement."},{"key":"settlement_charge","value":10300,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"3M pre-tax charge for the PFAS water-supplier settlement; present value at 5.2% of a nominal $12.5 billion payable 2024–2036."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US tax rules decide whether payments made to settle environmental violations can be deducted from taxable income.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Companies that deducted all or part of a settlement (20 of 34 responding in the GAO sample)","what":"Reduced taxable income","src":2},{"who":"PG&E","what":"Calculated a saving of about $468 million on its CPUC settlement","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"The US public budget","what":"Tax revenue foregone where deduction is taken; the cited sources note that at a 21% rate $21 of each $100 deducted comes from the public budget","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (federal tax law); settlements in California, Alaska and other states are cited.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Statute amended in 2017; final regulations 12 January 2021; GAO review published 15 September 2005.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cited sources note that a payment's label, whether penalty or restitution, remediation or compliance, decides whether it is deductible. The cited sources do not give a stated purpose from the legislator.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The label is written into the court order or settlement and the amount must be documented as spent for that purpose; GAO found that agencies did not negotiate the tax treatment.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"26 USC 162 - Trade or business expenses","p":"Cornell Legal Information Institute","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/162","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260729191741/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/162"},{"t":"26 USC 165 - Losses","p":"Cornell Legal Information Institute","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/165","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008142559/https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/165"},{"t":"GAO-05-747: Environmental settlements and tax deductibility","p":"US Government Accountability Office","d":"2005-09-15","type":"official","u":"https://www.gao.gov/assets/a247766.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250206233131/https://www.gao.gov/assets/a247766.html"},{"t":"PG&E could receive tax break for settling with wildfire victims","p":"KTVU","d":"2020-01-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.ktvu.com/news/pge-could-receive-tax-break-for-settling-with-wildfire-victims","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251217102446/https://www.ktvu.com/news/pge-could-receive-tax-break-for-settling-with-wildfire-victims"},{"t":"T.D. 9946: Denial of Deduction for Certain Fines, Penalties, and Other Amounts; Related Information Reporting Requirements (final regulations)","p":"Internal Revenue Service / Treasury","d":"2021-01-12","u":"https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/td-9946.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"3M Reports Second-Quarter 2023 Results","p":"3M","d":"2023-07-25","u":"https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1790/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513161754/https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1790/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"tax-treatment","related":["scottishpower-ofgem-settlements-tax-case"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the $2.184 billion total tax benefit in 3M's second quarter of 2023 belongs to the PFAS settlement: the cited sources report that the figure is not broken out.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the $1.2 billion tax benefit from Fire Victim Trust share sales recorded in PG&E's 2023 annual report is as stated: reported, but the relevant section of the report could be read only in part.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether and how much of BP's Deepwater Horizon package was deducted: an estimate of about $15.3 billion of $20.8 billion deductible is noted in earlier entries, with no source given here.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: PG&E","No source link — Who lost: The US public budget"]},{"id":"volkswagen-audi-and-daimler-diesel-fines","title":"Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler diesel fines (Germany)","dek":"In 2018 German prosecutors issued administrative fine orders of 1 billion euros to Volkswagen and 800 million euros to Audi over diesel emissions. In each order 5 million euros was the fine and the rest was the recovery of economic benefit.","country":"Germany","region":"Europe","lat":52.27,"lon":10.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Lower Saxony","lat":52.27,"lon":10.52,"role":"court"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Bavaria","lat":48.14,"lon":11.58,"role":"court"}],"start":2015,"end":null,"eventDate":"2018-06-13","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Part of the Volkswagen order that was a fine","value":"€5 million of €1 billion","note":"Order of 13 June 2018; the remaining €995 million was recovery of economic benefit."},"happened":["On 13 June 2018 the Braunschweig public prosecutor issued an administrative fine order against Volkswagen AG in the context of the diesel crisis. The order totalled 1 billion euros: 5 million euros as the fine, which the cited sources give as the statutory maximum for a negligently committed supervisory breach, and 995 million euros as recovery of economic benefit (Abschöpfung). Volkswagen did not appeal.","On 16 October 2018 the Munich II public prosecutor ended administrative proceedings against Audi AG with a fine order of 800 million euros, made up of 5 million euros as the fine and 795 million euros as recovery of economic benefit. Audi accepted the order. On 24 September 2019 the Stuttgart public prosecutor issued Daimler AG a fine order of 870 million euros for a negligent breach of supervisory duty in its vehicle certification unit: 4 million euros as the fine and 866 million euros as recovery of economic benefit. Daimler did not appeal.","Under German income tax law, section 4(5) no. 8 of the Income Tax Act (EStG) bars deduction of administrative fines, but the recovery of economic benefit can be deducted if taxes were not deducted when it was calculated. A tax lawyer estimated that Volkswagen could in theory deduct 99.5% of the 1 billion euros, with about 300 million euros returning from the tax authority; the fine goes to Lower Saxony, while the cost of a deduction is spread across the country through the federal sharing formula. Whether the deduction was actually used is not on record.","Individuals were also dealt with. On 27 June 2023 the Munich II Regional Court convicted the former chief executive of Audi, Rupert Stadler, of fraud after a confession under a plea agreement and sentenced him to one year and nine months, suspended, plus a payment of 1.1 million euros; he had not ordered the manipulation but stopped sales of the affected cars too late. The Federal Court of Justice rejected his appeal on 16 December 2025, and the verdict is final. On 26 May 2025 the Braunschweig Regional Court convicted four former Volkswagen managers of fraud: the former head of diesel engine development received four years and six months in prison, the former head of powertrain electronics two years and seven months, and two others suspended sentences; the verdict was not final. On 1 July 2025 the Braunschweig Regional Court provisionally halted the case against Volkswagen's former chief executive, Martin Winterkorn, because he was unfit to stand trial; he disputes the allegations. In the United States, Volkswagen faced a 2.8 billion dollar criminal penalty and 1.5 billion dollars in civil settlements.","Separately, the European Commission fined Volkswagen and BMW 875 million euros for a cartel (2009–2014) that jointly limited the dosing of AdBlue, the fluid used in diesel exhaust cleaning. Daimler took part and was a whistleblower, and received no fine. The Commission described it as the first cartel to restrict use of a new technology."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Diesel emissions case begins (Germany and United States)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Braunschweig fine order against Volkswagen, 1 billion euros (13 June); Munich II order against Audi, 800 million euros (16 October)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Rupert Stadler, former Audi chief executive, receives suspended sentence by plea agreement (June)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Braunschweig Regional Court convicts four former Volkswagen managers of fraud (26 May); case against Martin Winterkorn, former Volkswagen chief executive, provisionally halted on health grounds (1 July); Federal Court of Justice rejects Rupert Stadler's appeal (16 December)","src":6}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The orders were reported by total: 1 billion euros for Volkswagen, 800 million euros for Audi.","who":"Volkswagen AG ad hoc announcements","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Volkswagen order: 1 billion euros = 5 million euros fine + 995 million euros recovery of economic benefit; no appeal.","src":0},{"t":"Audi order: 800 million euros = 5 million euros fine + 795 million euros recovery of economic benefit; accepted by Audi.","src":1},{"t":"Stadler: one year and nine months suspended plus 1.1 million euros, plea agreement, June 2023; Winterkorn trial suspended July 2025.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2018","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Volkswagen: fine","amount":5},{"label":"Volkswagen: recovery of economic benefit","amount":995},{"label":"Audi: fine","amount":5},{"label":"Audi: recovery of economic benefit","amount":795}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Part of Volkswagen order named a fine","v":"€5m of €1bn","d":"Braunschweig order, 13 June 2018"},{"k":"Part of Audi order named a fine","v":"€5m of €800m","d":"Munich II order, 16 October 2018"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not part of this record","d":"The record covers the legal label and tax treatment of the payments"}]},"unknown":["Whether Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler actually deducted the recovery of economic benefit from taxable income: none on record.","Unconfirmed: that the German deduction rule applies to recovery of economic benefit if taxes were not deducted in its calculation."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources show the fine orders accepted in 2018 and individual proceedings into 2025. It shows no measure of emissions reduction tied to the payments.","whoPaid":"The fine of 5 million euros went to Lower Saxony; the cost of any tax deduction of the 995 million euros would be shared nationally, but whether the deduction was taken is not established.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the fine orders against Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler are final; Rupert Stadler's conviction became final in December 2025; the case against Martin Winterkorn has been provisionally halted since July 2025; whether the payments were deducted for tax is not stated in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"volkswagen","says":"Did not appeal the administrative fine order of 13 June 2018.","when":"13 June 2018","src":0},{"actor":"audi","says":"Announcement headline: Audi AG accepts the fine and thereby acknowledges its responsibility.","when":"16 October 2018","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"volkswagen","role":"Fined company (1 billion euros order)"},{"id":"audi","role":"Fined company (800 million euros order)"},{"id":"daimler","role":"Reported fine of about 870 million euros; no other source confirms it"},{"id":"braunschweig-prosecutor","role":"Issued the Volkswagen order"},{"id":"munich-ii-prosecutor","role":"Issued the Audi order"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Administrative fine order against Volkswagen AG (diesel crisis)","forum":"Braunschweig public prosecutor","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Braunschweig public prosecutor","defendant":"Volkswagen AG","filed":"2018","decided":"2018-06-13","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1000,"currency":"EUR","label":"EUR m: 5 fine + 995 recovery of economic benefit"},"summary":"Order of 1 billion euros, of which 5 million euros was the fine and 995 million euros recovery of economic benefit. Volkswagen did not appeal.","src":0},{"title":"Administrative fine order against Audi AG (diesel crisis)","forum":"Munich II public prosecutor","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Munich II public prosecutor","defendant":"Audi AG","filed":"2018","decided":"2018-10-16","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":800,"currency":"EUR","label":"EUR m: 5 fine + 795 recovery of economic benefit"},"summary":"Order of 800 million euros, of which 5 million euros was the fine and 795 million euros recovery of economic benefit. Audi accepted it.","src":1},{"title":"Criminal case against Rupert Stadler, former Audi chief executive","forum":"Munich II Regional Court; Federal Court of Justice (appeal)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Rupert Stadler","filed":null,"decided":"2023-06","status":"plea","summary":"Convicted of fraud on 27 June 2023 after a confession under a plea agreement: one year and nine months suspended plus 1.1 million euros. The Federal Court of Justice rejected the appeal on 16 December 2025 (1 StR 270/24); the verdict is final.","src":5},{"title":"Criminal case against Martin Winterkorn, former Volkswagen chief executive","forum":"Braunschweig Regional Court","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Martin Winterkorn","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"On 1 July 2025 the court provisionally halted the proceedings because Winterkorn was unfit to stand trial; they can resume if his health allows. He disputes the allegations and has not been convicted.","src":7},{"title":"AdBlue dosing cartel","forum":"European Commission","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Volkswagen, BMW (Daimler took part and was a whistleblower)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":875,"currency":"EUR","label":"EUR m, Volkswagen and BMW"},"summary":"Fine for jointly limiting AdBlue dosing, 2009–2014; Daimler received no fine. The Commission called it the first cartel restricting use of a new technology.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":1000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Volkswagen order total: 5 fine + 995 recovery of economic benefit."},{"key":"fine","value":800,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Audi order total: 5 fine + 795 recovery of economic benefit."},{"key":"fine","value":5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Fine element in each of the Volkswagen and Audi orders."},{"key":"fine","value":870,"unit":"EUR m","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Daimler order of 24 September 2019 (Stuttgart public prosecutor): 4 fine + 866 recovery of economic benefit."},{"key":"fine","value":875,"unit":"EUR m","year":2009,"note":"EU AdBlue cartel fine on Volkswagen and BMW; cartel period 2009–2014."},{"key":"fine","value":2800,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Volkswagen US criminal penalty; civil settlements 1,500 USD m."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"German prosecutors fined Volkswagen and Audi in 2018 over diesel emissions; in each order only 5 million euros was the fine and the remainder was recovery of economic benefit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Volkswagen","what":"A tax lawyer estimated 99.5% of the 1 billion euros could in theory be deducted, about 300 million euros back from the tax authority; actual use not found","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Lower Saxony","what":"Received the fine; the cost of a deduction would be spread nationally through the federal sharing formula","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"European public (nitrogen oxide exposure)","what":"Listed in the cited sources as the harmed party in the diesel-related cases","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Braunschweig (Lower Saxony) and Munich, Germany; the United States and the European Union for related actions.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Orders issued 13 June 2018 (Volkswagen) and 16 October 2018 (Audi); individual proceedings 2023–2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Diesel emissions manipulation by the manufacturers; the orders were framed around a negligent supervisory breach. The prosecutors' full reasoning is not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Administrative fine orders combining a fine capped at 5 million euros with recovery of economic benefit.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Administrative order imposing a fine (Bussgeldbescheid) being issued by the Braunschweig public prosecutor against Volkswagen in the context of the diesel crisis","p":"Volkswagen AG (ad hoc announcement)","d":"2018-06-13","type":"company","u":"https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/ad-hoc/administrative-order-imposing-a-fine-bussgeldbescheid-being-issued-by-the-braunschweig-public-prosecutor-against-volkswagen-in-the-context-of-the-diesel-crisis-15939","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418064447/https://www.volkswagen-group.com/en/ad-hoc/administrative-order-imposing-a-fine-bussgeldbescheid-being-issued-by-the-braunschweig-public-prosecutor-against-volkswagen-in-the-context-of-the-diesel-crisis-15939"},{"t":"Administrative proceedings by the Munich II public prosecutor against Audi AG ended with a fine order; Audi accepts the fine (German original)","p":"Volkswagen AG (ad hoc announcement)","d":"2018-10-16","type":"company","u":"https://www.volkswagen-group.com/de/ad-hoc/ordnungswidrigkeitenverfahren-der-staatsanwaltschaft-muenchen-ii-gegen-die-audi-ag-wird-mit-erlass-eines-bussgeldbescheids-beendet-die-audi-ag-akzeptiert-das-bussgeld-und-bekennt-sich-damit-zu-ihrer-verantwortung-15940","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519104948/https://www.volkswagen-group.com/de/ad-hoc/ordnungswidrigkeitenverfahren-der-staatsanwaltschaft-muenchen-ii-gegen-die-audi-ag-wird-mit-erlass-eines-bussgeldbescheids-beendet-die-audi-ag-akzeptiert-das-bussgeld-und-bekennt-sich-damit-zu-ihrer-verantwortung-15940"},{"t":"Ex-Audi boss sentenced in Dieselgate case (via TechXplore)","p":"AFP / TechXplore","d":"2023-06-27","type":"press","u":"https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ex-audi-boss-dieselgate.amp","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230627130751/https://techxplore.com/news/2023-06-ex-audi-boss-dieselgate.amp"},{"t":"Antitrust: Commission fines car manufacturers EUR 875 million for restricting competition in emission cleaning for new diesel passenger cars","p":"European Commission","d":"2021-07-08","u":"https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/document/print/en/ip_21_3581/IP_21_3581_EN.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Dieselskandal: Daimler muss 870 Millionen Euro Bußgeld zahlen","p":"Legal Tribune Online","d":"2019-09-24","u":"https://www.lto.de/recht/nachrichten/n/staatsanwaltschaft-stuttgart-bussgeld-870-millionen-daimler-ag-diesel-skandal","type":"press"},{"t":"Urteil gegen Ex-Audi-Chef ist rechtskräftig (BGH, 1 StR 270/24)","p":"beck-aktuell","d":"2025-12-19","u":"https://www.beck-aktuell.de/heute-im-recht/rechtsprechung/bgh-1str27024-diesel-skandal-urteil-stadler-rechtskraeftig-audi-2025-12-19","type":"press"},{"t":"German court convicts four ex-Volkswagen managers of fraud in emissions scandal","p":"Euronews","d":"2025-05-26","u":"https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/05/26/german-court-convicts-four-ex-volkswagen-managers-of-fraud-in-emissions-scandal","type":"press"},{"t":"Prozess gegen Ex-VW-Chef Winterkorn vorerst eingestellt","p":"ZDFheute","d":"2025-07-01","u":"https://www.zdfheute.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/vw-dieselskandal-martin-winterkorn-verfahren-gestoppt-100.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"fine-and-disgorgement","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fines: Daimler order of 24 September 2019 (Stuttgart public prosecutor): 4 fine + 866 recovery of economic benefit.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Volkswagen, Audi and Daimler actually deducted the recovery of economic benefit from taxable income: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the German deduction rule applies to recovery of economic benefit if taxes were not deducted in its calculation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Volkswagen","No source link — Who lost: Lower Saxony","No source link — Who harmed: European public (nitrogen oxide exposure)"]},{"id":"georgia-pacific-bestwall-asbestos-bankruptcy","title":"Georgia-Pacific, Bestwall and the Texas two-step","dek":"In 2017 Georgia-Pacific, a Koch-owned company, moved its asbestos liabilities into a new unit, Bestwall, which then filed for bankruptcy with about 64,000 cases pending. The proceeding had run more than nine years by 2026.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":35.6,"lon":-79.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Carolina","lat":35.6,"lon":-79.8,"role":"court"}],"start":2017,"end":null,"eventDate":"2017","instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Asbestos cases pending when Bestwall filed","value":"about 64,000","note":"North Carolina, 2017–2026."},"happened":["In 2017 Georgia-Pacific, which is owned by Koch, transferred its asbestos liabilities to a unit called Bestwall. Bestwall then filed for bankruptcy while about 64,000 cases were pending against it. The proceeding is recorded in North Carolina and covers the years 2017 to 2026.","The project's glossary describes the 'Texas two-step' as a division of a company under Texas 'divisional merger' law, in which the litigation burden is assigned to a new company with few assets and that company files for bankruptcy. The record places Bestwall among the cases that used this method.","By 2026 the proceeding had run for more than nine years. One claimant, Ed Chapman, died while waiting. Plaintiffs' lawyers alleged that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7 billion to its owner Koch over this period; the cited sources give that this is an allegation and not a court finding.","For comparison, the cited sources note that the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit dismissed the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary LTL Management's bankruptcy on 30 January 2023, finding no financial distress given a funding commitment of at least $61.5 billion and more than 38,000 claims."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Georgia-Pacific assigns its asbestos liabilities to Bestwall; Bestwall files for bankruptcy with about 64,000 cases pending"},{"y":2023,"t":"Third Circuit dismisses the bankruptcy of Johnson & Johnson's LTL Management (30 January), a comparable structure"},{"y":2026,"t":"Bestwall proceeding has run more than nine years"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"About 64,000 cases were pending when Bestwall filed for bankruptcy (North Carolina, 2017–2026).","src":0},{"t":"The proceeding had run more than nine years; a claimant, Ed Chapman, died while waiting.","src":0},{"t":"Plaintiffs' lawyers allege that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7 billion to Koch over the period; this is not a court finding.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Harm to nature in this record","v":"None recorded","d":"The cited sources concerns liability for asbestos claims; it records no ecological harm."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the US Supreme Court declined on 1 June 2026 to hear the claimants' petition.","Unconfirmed: a figure of $1.84 billion described as Georgia-Pacific's dividend to Koch in a single year. The cited sources do not state which year.","The allegation that more than $7 billion went to Koch is not a court finding."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources; the proceeding was unresolved after more than nine years.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give no payments to claimants. It records claimants waiting, and one claimant dying during the proceeding.","statusLine":"As of 2026: the Bestwall bankruptcy had run more than nine years; the cited sources give no resolution.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"georgia-pacific","role":"Company that assigned asbestos liabilities to Bestwall"},{"id":"koch-industries","role":"Owner of Georgia-Pacific"},{"id":"bestwall","role":"Georgia-Pacific unit that filed for bankruptcy"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Georgia-Pacific transfer more than $7 billion to Koch during the Bestwall proceeding?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Plaintiffs' lawyers","says":"Alleged that Georgia-Pacific transferred more than $7 billion to its owner Koch over the period; the cited sources note this is not a court finding.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bestwall bankruptcy (asbestos claims)","forum":"Bankruptcy proceeding, North Carolina","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Asbestos claimants (about 64,000 cases pending at filing)","defendant":"Bestwall (Georgia-Pacific unit)","filed":"2017","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Bestwall filed for bankruptcy with about 64,000 cases pending after Georgia-Pacific assigned its asbestos liabilities to it in 2017. The proceeding had run more than nine years by 2026.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"cases_pending","value":64000,"unit":"cases","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cases pending against Bestwall at filing."},{"key":"alleged_transfer_to_owner","value":7000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Allegation by plaintiffs' lawyers; not a court finding."},{"key":"dividend_to_owner","value":1840,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: described as Georgia-Pacific's dividend to Koch in one year; year not stated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Georgia-Pacific assigned its asbestos liabilities to Bestwall, which filed for bankruptcy while about 64,000 cases were pending.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Koch (owner of Georgia-Pacific)","what":"Plaintiffs' lawyers allege more than $7 billion was transferred to Koch during the proceeding; not a court finding.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Asbestos claimants","what":"Their cases remained pending for more than nine years; one claimant died while waiting.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"North Carolina, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2017 to 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the parties' own reasons for the structure.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Under the 'Texas two-step', a company divides under Texas law, assigns the litigation burden to a new low-asset company, and that company files for bankruptcy.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"The asbestos Texas two-step: Inside the long legal battle freezing tens of thousands of cancer claims in North Carolina","p":"WFAE / PRE News & Ideas","d":"2026-09-02","u":"https://www.wfae.org/2026-09-02/the-asbestos-texas-two-step-inside-the-long-legal-battle-freezing-tens-of-thousands-of-cancer-claims-in-north-carolina","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"liability-transfer","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Georgia-Pacific transfer more than $7 billion to Koch during the Bestwall proceeding?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Dividend to owner: Unconfirmed: described as Georgia-Pacific's dividend to Koch in one year; year not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the US Supreme Court declined on 1 June 2026 to hear the claimants' petition.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a figure of $1.84 billion described as Georgia-Pacific's dividend to Koch in a single year. The cited sources do not state which year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The allegation that more than $7 billion went to Koch is not a court finding.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"peabody-patriot-coal-spin-off-and-coal-self-bonding","title":"Peabody, Patriot Coal and coal self-bonding","dek":"US coal companies were allowed to back mine-cleanup obligations with their own balance sheets rather than third-party guarantees. After bankruptcies in 2015–2016 and 2019, the sums at stake became visible.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":43,"lon":-107.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Wyoming","lat":43,"lon":-107.5,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Kentucky","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Virginia","role":"affected"}],"start":2007,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2016-09-13","instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Peabody's self-bond (US, 2016)","value":"$1.1652 billion","note":"Recorded as one third of the national self-bond total; WORC, 2016."},"happened":["Self-bonding means that a mining company shows its own balance sheet as security for cleanup, instead of a third-party guarantee. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that US coal mines carried $10.2 billion in reclamation bonds in 2017: 76% surety, 12% collateral and 12% ($1.2 billion) self-bonds. GAO recommended that Congress eliminate self-bonding.","The 2015–2016 coal bankruptcies made self-bonds visible. The Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC) reported on 13 September 2016 that Arch Coal held a self-bond of $486.5 million in Wyoming and that Peabody held $1.1652 billion nationally, about a third of the national total. Arch and Alpha moved to third-party surety bonds as a condition of leaving bankruptcy. The cited sources give the reason as a warning by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to Wyoming.","In 2019 Blackjewel went bankrupt with about 300 permits. In October 2019 the cited sources show an indemnity of $115 million, $220 million of bonded liability tied to permits that could not be sold, and a payment of $21 million by Contura (the successor to Alpha) to Blackjewel to be rid of its Wyoming mines. In Virginia, 20 permits belonging to the family of Governor Jim Justice remained self-bonded; if they were revoked, $195 million of cleanup would fall to the state.","A 2020 Kentucky study found that for 20% of Blackjewel's mines in the state, cleanup cost exceeded the bond by $38 million. Blackjewel proposed leaving cleanup to a trust funded only by those bonds; the proposal would also have prevented the state from pursuing the personal assets of Blackjewel's founder, Jeff Hoops. A fraudulent-transfer case was filed against Hoops."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"WORC reports self-bonds: Arch $486.5m in Wyoming, Peabody $1.1652bn nationally; Arch and Alpha move to third-party surety on leaving bankruptcy (13 Sep)"},{"y":2017,"t":"GAO: $10.2bn in US coal bonds, 12% ($1.2bn) self-bonds; GAO recommends ending self-bonding"},{"y":2019,"t":"Blackjewel goes bankrupt with about 300 permits; October figures for indemnity, unsold liability, Contura payment and Justice-family self-bonds"},{"y":2020,"t":"Kentucky study: cleanup cost exceeded the bond by $38m for 20% of Blackjewel's mines"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Arch Coal held a $486.5 million self-bond in Wyoming; Peabody held $1.1652 billion nationally, about a third of the national total (WORC, 13 September 2016).","src":0},{"t":"Arch and Alpha moved to third-party surety as a condition of leaving bankruptcy; the cited sources give OSMRE's warning to Wyoming as the reason.","src":0},{"t":"Blackjewel, October 2019: indemnity $115 million; $220 million of liability tied to unsold permits; Contura paid $21 million; Justice family's 20 self-bonded Virginia permits implied $195 million of cleanup if revoked.","src":1},{"t":"Kentucky study, 2020: for 20% of Blackjewel's mines in the state, cleanup cost exceeded the bond by $38 million.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Self-bonds as share of US coal bonds","v":"12%","d":"$1.2bn of $10.2bn (GAO, 2017)"},{"k":"Blackjewel Kentucky mines with cost above bond","v":"20%","d":"Exceeded the bond by $38m (Kentucky study, 2020)"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources give bond and liability figures, not ecological measurements."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that Peabody spun off Patriot Coal in 2007 with 11% of assets and 43% of liabilities (according to one report), that Patriot went bankrupt in 2012, and that Peabody agreed in 2013 to pay $310 million to a retiree health fund.","Unconfirmed: that Wyoming accepted $75 million in place of Arch's $486 million liability.","Unconfirmed: about 13,000 acres of unrepaired land associated with Blackjewel (acreage).","Whether the 2015–2016 GAO and WORC figures cover the same scope: the national self-bond total is given as about $1.2 billion (2017) and Peabody's own as $1.1652 billion (2016); the cited sources do not reconcile them."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources. Arch and Alpha left self-bonding in 2016; the cited sources give self-bonding by others (the Justice family's permits) still in place in 2019.","whoPaid":"In the Blackjewel matter the cited sources show $220 million of bonded liability tied to unsold permits, and states that if the Justice family's 20 self-bonded permits were revoked, $195 million of cleanup would fall to the state of Virginia.","statusLine":"As of 2020: Arch and Alpha had moved to third-party surety (2016); the Blackjewel bankruptcy left liabilities of $220 million tied to unsold permits; GAO's recommendation to end self-bonding is recorded without a legislative outcome.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"peabody-energy","role":"Coal producer holding the largest recorded national self-bond"},{"id":"arch-coal","role":"Coal producer with a Wyoming self-bond; moved to surety on leaving bankruptcy"},{"id":"alpha-natural-resources","role":"Coal producer; moved to surety on leaving bankruptcy"},{"id":"contura","role":"Successor to Alpha; paid Blackjewel to be rid of Wyoming mines"},{"id":"blackjewel","role":"Coal company that went bankrupt in 2019"},{"id":"osmre","role":"Federal mine regulator that warned Wyoming"},{"id":"gao","role":"US government auditor that recommended ending self-bonding"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is a company's own balance sheet adequate security for mine cleanup?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Government Accountability Office","says":"Reported $1.2 billion of the $10.2 billion in US coal bonds was self-bonded (2017) and recommended that Congress eliminate self-bonding.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)","says":"Warned Wyoming about self-bonding; Arch and Alpha then moved to third-party surety on leaving bankruptcy.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Fraudulent-transfer case against Blackjewel's founder","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"not on record","defendant":"Jeff Hoops, founder of Blackjewel","filed":"2019–2020","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"A fraudulent-transfer case was filed against Blackjewel's founder in connection with the Kentucky cleanup-trust proposal. The forum, claimant and outcome are not given.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"self_bond_arch_wyoming","value":486.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Arch Coal self-bond in Wyoming (WORC)."},{"key":"self_bond_peabody","value":1165,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Peabody national self-bond, about a third of the national total (WORC)."},{"key":"bonds_total","value":10200,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"US coal reclamation bonds (GAO): 76% surety, 12% collateral, 12% self-bonds."},{"key":"self_bonds_total","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Self-bonded share of US coal bonds (GAO)."},{"key":"blackjewel_indemnity","value":115,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Indemnity recorded for the Blackjewel bonds, October 2019."},{"key":"unsold_bonded_liability","value":220,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Bonded liability tied to permits that could not be sold."},{"key":"contura_payment","value":21,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Paid by Contura to Blackjewel to be rid of Wyoming mines."},{"key":"justice_self_bond_cleanup","value":195,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Cleanup that would fall to Virginia if 20 Justice-family self-bonded permits were revoked."},{"key":"kentucky_cost_over_bond","value":38,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Kentucky study: cleanup cost exceeded the bond by this amount for 20% of Blackjewel's Kentucky mines."},{"key":"permits","value":296,"unit":"permits","year":2020,"note":"Kentucky permits in the study; the bankruptcy was described elsewhere as about 300 permits."},{"key":"area_ha","value":13000,"unit":"acres","year":2020,"unverified":true,"note":"Unrepaired area associated with Blackjewel."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US coal companies backed mine-cleanup obligations with their own balance sheets (self-bonds); after bankruptcies the amounts, and the gaps between bonds and cleanup cost, became visible.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Coal companies using self-bonds","what":"Cleanup obligations backed by their own balance sheets rather than third-party guarantees; Peabody held $1.1652 billion nationally (2016).","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"State governments","what":"In the Blackjewel matter the cited sources show $220 million of bonded liability tied to unsold permits and $195 million of cleanup that would fall to Virginia if the Justice-family self-bonded permits were revoked.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Wyoming, Kentucky and Virginia, United States; Peabody's self-bond is recorded nationally.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2007 to 2020; main figures from 2016 and 2019.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the companies' own reasons for using self-bonds.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A mining company shows its own balance sheet as cleanup security in place of third-party guarantees.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Arch Coal replaces self-bonds","p":"Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC)","d":"2016-09-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://worc.org/arch-coal-replaces-self-bonds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902231442/https://worc.org/arch-coal-replaces-self-bonds/"},{"t":"Coal bankruptcy cleanup","p":"Appalachian Voices","d":"2019-10-11","u":"https://appvoices.org/2019/10/11/coal-bankruptcy-cleanup/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411173508/https://appvoices.org/2019/10/11/coal-bankruptcy-cleanup/"},{"t":"Blackjewel mine reclamation","p":"Appalachian Voices","d":"2020-12-15","u":"https://appvoices.org/2020/12/15/blackjewel-mine-reclamation/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260920230836/https://appvoices.org/2020/12/15/blackjewel-mine-reclamation/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"self-bonding","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A 2020 Kentucky study found that for 20% of Blackjewel's mines on my land in the state, cleanup cost exceeded the bond by $38 million.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is a company's own balance sheet adequate security for mine cleanup?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Fraudulent-transfer case against Blackjewel's founder: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area (ha): Unrepaired area associated with Blackjewel.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Peabody spun off Patriot Coal in 2007 with 11% of assets and 43% of liabilities (according to one report), that Patriot went bankrupt in 2012, and that Peabody agreed in 2013 to pay $310 million to a retiree health fund.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Wyoming accepted $75 million in place of Arch's $486 million liability.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 13,000 acres of unrepaired land associated with Blackjewel (acreage).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2015–2016 GAO and WORC figures cover the same scope: the national self-bond total is given as about $1.2 billion (2017) and Peabody's own as $1.1652 billion (2016); the cited sources do not reconcile them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: State governments"]},{"id":"unesco-world-heritage-listings-and-indigenous-rights","title":"UNESCO World Heritage listings and Indigenous rights","dek":"Four African sites (Odzala-Kokoua, Lake Bogoria, Simien, Bwindi) were listed, or removed from the danger list, while questions about Indigenous peoples' consent, eviction or compensation were on record. The cases show how the listing process treated those questions.","country":"Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda","region":"Africa","lat":0.27,"lon":36.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CG","lat":0.6,"lon":14.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Lake Bogoria","lat":0.27,"lon":36.1,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","admin":"Simien Mountains","lat":13.2,"lon":38,"role":"event"},{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":"Bwindi","lat":-1.05,"lon":29.7,"role":"court"}],"start":1991,"end":2025,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Listings examined in this record","value":"4 sites","note":"Odzala-Kokoua (2023), Lake Bogoria (2011), Simien (removed from the danger list, 2017), Bwindi (listed 1994)."},"happened":["A World Heritage listing recognises a site of Outstanding Universal Value on behalf of humanity. For natural sites the technical evaluation is done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the decision is taken by the World Heritage Committee, made up of states. The record describes the listing as bringing tourism, donations and prestige.","Odzala-Kokoua (Republic of the Congo, 11,794 km2). In 2022 IUCN recommended deferral because gold exploration permits inside the park meant conservation and management requirements were not met. After the Congo reported that it had cancelled the permits, the Committee inscribed the site unanimously in September 2023 (decision 45 COM 8B.1). Survival International had sent African Parks a written warning about three months earlier. The IUCN-based page for the site names African Parks as manager and refers to \"local communities\", not to Indigenous peoples.","Lake Bogoria (Kenya, 2011). The Committee listed the lake on IUCN's recommendation without the free, prior and informed consent of the Endorois, whom the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights had recognised in 2010 as owners of the land. On 5 November 2011 the Commission, in Resolution 197, stated that this violated the Endorois' right to development. According to an IUCN article, the draft decision prepared by IUCN does not name the Endorois and IUCN did not consult Endorois representatives during its field review. The Endorois had been evicted in the 1970s when the area became a game reserve. In July 2024 The Star reported that they had learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from the lake.","Simien (Ethiopia, 2017). The Committee removed the site from the List of World Heritage in Danger and congratulated the state; its decision notes that the voluntary resettlement of the Gich community was completed (41 COM 7A.13). The resettlement is recorded as part of the process of leaving the danger list.","Bwindi (Uganda). The Batwa were removed from the forest in 1991 and the site was listed in 1994. In August 2021 Uganda's Constitutional Court ruled unanimously (five judges) that the eviction was unlawful and that adequate compensation had not been paid; the government appealed. The 2022 report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, Calí Tzay, counted at least nine cases of threatened Indigenous rights at World Heritage sites, and the Committee in 2025 asked for a participation proposal by 2027."],"timeline":[{"y":"1970s","t":"Endorois evicted when Lake Bogoria area becomes a game reserve"},{"y":1991,"t":"Batwa removed from the Bwindi forest"},{"y":1994,"t":"Bwindi listed"},{"y":2010,"t":"African Commission recognises the Endorois as owners of the land (decision 276/03)"},{"y":2011,"t":"Lake Bogoria listed (35 COM 8B.6); African Commission Resolution 197 on 5 November"},{"y":2016,"t":"UN Special Rapporteur Tauli-Corpuz report; most recommendations not implemented"},{"y":2017,"t":"Simien removed from the danger list (41 COM 7A.13)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Uganda Constitutional Court rules Batwa eviction unlawful (August); government appeals"},{"y":2022,"t":"IUCN recommends deferring Odzala-Kokoua; UN Special Rapporteur Calí Tzay counts at least nine cases at World Heritage sites"},{"y":2023,"t":"Survival warns African Parks (June); Committee lists Odzala-Kokoua unanimously (September, 45 COM 8B.1)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Endorois learn from the press of enzyme extraction at Lake Bogoria (July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Committee decision 47 COM 11 asks for a participation proposal by 2027"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Listing presented as recognition of a site of Outstanding Universal Value on behalf of all humanity","who":"World Heritage Convention listing criterion","src":null},{"t":"Simien delisting from the danger list recorded with the \"voluntary resettlement\" of the Gich community noted as completed","who":"World Heritage Committee decision 41 COM 7A.13","src":null},{"t":"Odzala-Kokoua site page refers to \"local communities\" and names African Parks as manager","who":"IUCN-based site page","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"IUCN recommended deferral of Odzala-Kokoua in 2022 because of gold exploration permits inside the park; the Committee listed it in September 2023 after the Congo reported the permits cancelled","src":3},{"t":"African Commission Resolution 197 (5 November 2011): listing Lake Bogoria without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent violated their right to development","src":4},{"t":"Uganda Constitutional Court, August 2021: Batwa eviction unlawful, adequate compensation not paid; government appealed","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gold exploration permits inside Odzala-Kokoua","v":"Reported cancelled","d":"Congo told the Committee before the September 2023 vote; IUCN had recommended deferral in 2022"},{"k":"Indigenous consent at Lake Bogoria","v":"Not obtained","d":"African Commission Resolution 197, 5 November 2011"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation of the resettlements","v":"None on record","d":"The Simien and Bwindi outcomes are recorded as decisions and rulings, not ecological assessments"}]},"unknown":["The outcome of the government's appeal against the August 2021 Uganda Constitutional Court ruling on the Batwa is not known.","Unconfirmed: for Simien, 418 households moved and a budget of about US$4 million, with compensation disputes still under way in 2016; these figures come.","The Daily Monitor report on the Bwindi ruling was known.","A Minority Rights Group report is the only source for the statement that the African Commission's 2010 Endorois decision remained unimplemented in 2024.","The Odzala-Kokoua site page mentions local communities only; it does not mention Indigenous peoples."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources show none of the four listings withdrawn. The Endorois decision was reported as not implemented in 2024, and the Batwa ruling was under appeal.","whoPaid":"The Endorois, the Batwa of Bwindi and the Gich of Simien, as recorded in the decisions and rulings above; at Odzala-Kokoua, the park itself, where gold exploration permits had been issued inside it.","statusLine":"As of 2025: the World Heritage Committee asked for a participation proposal by 2027 (47 COM 11); the Uganda Batwa appeal and the African Commission's Endorois decision were reported unresolved.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"iucn","says":"An IUCN article states that the draft decision for Lake Bogoria, prepared by IUCN, does not name the Endorois, and that IUCN did not consult Endorois representatives in its field review.","when":"2011","src":null},{"actor":"unesco-whc","says":"In 2025 the Committee, by decision 47 COM 11, asked for a participation proposal by 2027. The Operational Guidelines call for free, prior and informed consent before an area affecting Indigenous land is placed on a tentative list.","when":"2019, 2025","src":null},{"actor":"kenya-government","says":"No response recorded; the Endorois asked for a revenue disclosure in 2024 after learning of enzyme extraction from the press.","when":"2024","src":0,"silent":true}],"actors":[{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Decision-maker on listings (World Heritage Committee)"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Technical evaluator for natural sites"},{"id":"african-parks","role":"Manager of Odzala-Kokoua"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Issued written warning to African Parks (June 2023)"},{"id":"african-commission","role":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights"},{"id":"kws","role":"Kenya Wildlife Service"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were Indigenous peoples consulted before Lake Bogoria was listed?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","says":"Resolution 197 (5 November 2011) stated that listing without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent violated their right to development.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"IUCN","says":"According to an IUCN article, its draft decision does not name the Endorois and it did not consult Endorois representatives during its field review.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did gold exploration permits inside Odzala-Kokoua meet the site's conservation requirements?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"IUCN","says":"In 2022 recommended deferral because the permits meant conservation and management requirements were not met.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Republic of the Congo","says":"Reported to the Committee that the permits had been cancelled.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee","says":"Listed the site unanimously in September 2023 (45 COM 8B.1).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Sent African Parks a written warning about three months before the listing.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Batwa v. Government of Uganda (Bwindi and Mgahinga evictions)","forum":"Constitutional Court of Uganda","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","kind":"civil","claimant":"Batwa","defendant":"Government of Uganda","filed":null,"decided":"2021-08","status":"ongoing","summary":"Five judges unanimously held that the Batwa were left landless without adequate compensation after the 1991 evictions and left the remedy to the High Court. The government appealed. Known of the Daily Monitor; the outcome of the appeal is not known.","src":2},{"title":"Endorois decision (Communication 276/03)","forum":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"international","claimant":"Endorois community","defendant":"Government of Kenya","filed":null,"decided":"2010","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Commission found in 2010 that the eviction violated rights and asked for a share of revenue to go to the Endorois. Minority Rights Group reported the decision as not implemented.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":11794,"unit":"km2","year":2023,"note":"Area of Odzala-Kokoua as recorded in the listing decision."},{"key":"displaced","value":418,"unit":"households","year":2017,"unverified":true,"note":"Simien, Gich resettlement; no other source confirms it."},{"key":"budget","value":4,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Simien resettlement budget; no other source confirms it."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"World Heritage listings and delistings of four African sites during which Indigenous consent, eviction or compensation were open questions.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"States and site managers","what":"The record describes listing as bringing tourism, donations and prestige; Bwindi is described as one of the best-known gorilla-tourism destinations.","src":null},{"who":"Kenya Wildlife Service","what":"Reported to have received a royalty of about US$9,000 from a Danish enzyme company from microbes taken from Lake Bogoria (2009).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Endorois","what":"Evicted in the 1970s from the Lake Bogoria area; the 2010 African Commission decision on revenue sharing was reported not implemented in 2024.","src":1},{"who":"Batwa (Bwindi)","what":"Removed from the forest in 1991; the Constitutional Court found in 2021 that adequate compensation had not been paid.","src":2},{"who":"Gich community (Simien)","what":"Resettled; the Committee decision describes the resettlement as voluntary and completed.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Odzala-Kokoua","what":"Gold exploration permits had been issued inside the park; IUCN said conservation and management requirements were not met; the Congo later reported the permits cancelled.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Odzala-Kokoua (Republic of the Congo), Lake Bogoria (Kenya), Simien (Ethiopia), Bwindi (Uganda).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Evictions from the 1970s and 1991; listings 1994, 2011, 2017 and 2023; Uganda ruling August 2021; Committee decision 47 COM 11 in 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the listing rationale as recognition of Outstanding Universal Value; Indigenous-rights bodies argue consent and compensation requirements were not met.","src":null},"how":{"t":"IUCN evaluates natural sites; the World Heritage Committee decides. Indigenous representatives are often heard only after a decision, according to the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA).","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Foreign companies on spot for illegally extracting enzymes from Lake Bogoria","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2024-07-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/africa/2024-07-17-foreign-companies-on-spot-for-illegally-extracting-enzymes-from-lake-bogoria"},{"t":"Implement Endorois Decision 276/03: Report on the impact of non-implementation of the African Commission's Endorois decision","p":"Minority Rights Group","d":"2022-2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://minorityrights.org/resources/implement-endorois-decision-276-03-report-on-the-impact-of-non-implementation-of-the-african-commissions-endorois-decision/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005224930/https://minorityrights.org/resources/implement-endorois-decision-276-03-report-on-the-impact-of-non-implementation-of-the-african-commissions-endorois-decision/"},{"t":"Court faults govt for failing to pay Batwa during eviction","p":"Daily Monitor (Uganda)","d":"2021-08","type":"press","u":"https://monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/court-faults-govt-for-failing-to-pay-batwa-during-eviction-3523244","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240725003848/https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/court-faults-govt-for-failing-to-pay-batwa-during-eviction-3523244"},{"t":"WHC/23/45.COM/INF.8B4: Factual errors letters (extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, Riyadh, 10-25 September 2023), including IUCN's replies on Forest Massif of Odzala-Kokoua","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Centre","d":"2023-07-31","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2023/whc23-45com-inf8B4-en.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Resolution on the Protection of Indigenous Peoples' Rights in the Context of the World Heritage Convention and the Designation of Lake Bogoria as a World Heritage Site (ACHPR/Res.197(L)2011)","p":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","d":"2011-11-05","u":"https://achpr.au.int/sw/node/2920","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did gold exploration permits inside Odzala-Kokoua meet the site's conservation requirements?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were Indigenous peoples consulted before Lake Bogoria was listed?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"People displaced: Simien, Gich resettlement; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Budget: Simien resettlement budget; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the government's appeal against the August 2021 Uganda Constitutional Court ruling on the Batwa is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: for Simien, 418 households moved and a budget of about US$4 million, with compensation disputes still under way in 2016; these figures come.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Daily Monitor report on the Bwindi ruling was known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Minority Rights Group report is the only source for the statement that the African Commission's 2010 Endorois decision remained unimplemented in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Odzala-Kokoua site page mentions local communities only; it does not mention Indigenous peoples.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: States and site managers","No source link — Who gained: Kenya Wildlife Service","No source link — Who lost: Gich community (Simien)","No source link — Who harmed: Odzala-Kokoua"]},{"id":"bou-craa-phosphate-mine-and-morocco-green-hydrogen-in-wester","title":"Bou Craa phosphate mine and Morocco green hydrogen in Western Sahara","dek":"Phosphate from the Bou Craa mine in Western Sahara is carried to the coast on a conveyor powered by a wind farm, and Morocco has allocated land in the territory for green hydrogen. The EU's Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that agreements covering the territory require the consent of its people.","country":"Western Sahara (controlled in large part by Morocco)","region":"Africa","lat":26.33,"lon":-12.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Western Sahara","iso2":"EH","admin":"Bou Craa","lat":26.33,"lon":-12.85,"role":"event"},{"country":"Western Sahara","iso2":"EH","admin":"Laayoune","lat":27.15,"lon":-13.2,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","role":"court"}],"start":1975,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy"],"headline":{"label":"Phosphate exported from Western Sahara, 2025","value":"2.02 million tonnes","note":"Figure from Western Sahara Resource Watch (36 ships); the value of the trade is estimated at about US$376.5 million."},"happened":["Western Sahara is listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory. Morocco has controlled most of it since 1975. The state-owned Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP), which is about 94% state-owned, aims to run on 100% renewable energy by 2027 and to produce green ammonia; its 2023-2027 green investment plan, announced in December 2022, was described as about US$13 billion with 1 million tonnes of green ammonia in 2027.","Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW), an advocacy group, reported that the conveyor of about 100 km that carries phosphate from the Bou Craa mine to the coast is powered almost entirely by the Foum el Oued wind farm (50.6 MW, 22 Siemens turbines, in operation since 2013), owned by Nareva. According to WSRW, Nareva belongs to Al Mada, described as the holding company of the Moroccan monarchy. WSRW also reported that the Aftissat wind complex in the territory reached 550 MW, with 121 turbines and Goldwind turbines in its last phases.","On 4 October 2024 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that EU trade and fisheries agreements with Morocco cannot be applied to Western Sahara without the explicit consent of its people, and that the Commission's consultation process did not demonstrate such consent. In October 2025 the EU and Morocco exchanged letters that re-applied tariff preferences to Western Sahara products and accepted Moroccan administrative region names on labels. The Commission wrote that the \"region of origin\" concept was the result of negotiations with Morocco. A European Parliament objection fell on 26 November 2025 with 359 votes in favour, 188 against and 76 abstentions; 360 were needed.","According to WSRW, about 2.02 million tonnes of phosphate were exported in 2025 in 36 ships, to India (1.34 million tonnes), Mexico and New Zealand, and the number of buyer companies fell to three. The Moroccan government said in May 2018 that 80% of jobs at Phosboucraa went to Sahrawis and that Sahara phosphate was only 2% of OCP production.","In March 2025 Morocco selected six green hydrogen projects, with five operators, in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Dakhla-Oued Eddahab and Guelmim-Oued Noun regions: up to 30,000 hectares of public land per project and about one million hectares in total. One of the operators is Nareva. In February 2026 a US-Spain-Germany partnership, ORNX, signed a deal for a US$4.5 billion green ammonia complex in Laayoune; the report on the deal refers to \"Morocco's southern provinces\" and does not name Western Sahara."],"timeline":[{"y":1975,"t":"Morocco begins controlling most of Western Sahara"},{"y":2013,"t":"Foum el Oued wind farm (50.6 MW) in operation at Laayoune, per WSRW"},{"y":2018,"t":"Moroccan minister states 80% of Phosboucraa jobs go to Sahrawis and Sahara phosphate is 2% of OCP output (May)"},{"y":2022,"t":"OCP announces 2023-2027 green investment plan (December)"},{"y":2024,"t":"EU Court of Justice rules consent of the people of Western Sahara is required (4 October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Morocco selects six hydrogen projects (March); EU-Morocco exchange of letters (October); Parliament objection fails by one vote (26 November); 2.02 Mt exported in 36 ships"},{"y":2026,"t":"ORNX signs Laayoune ammonia deal (February); WSRW reports record-low number of phosphate importers (29 May) and the 550 MW Aftissat complex (11 August)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Phosphate carried from a disputed territory with \"green\" electricity","who":"OCP renewable-energy target for 2027 and the Foum el Oued supply","src":5},{"t":"Jobs: 80% to Sahrawis; Sahara phosphate 2% of OCP production","who":"Moroccan government minister, May 2018","src":4},{"t":"Report on the ORNX deal places the project in \"Morocco's southern provinces\"","who":"News report on the February 2026 agreement","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"CJEU, 4 October 2024: agreements covering Western Sahara require the people's consent; the Commission's consultation did not show it","src":0},{"t":"2025 phosphate exports from Western Sahara: about 2.02 million tonnes, 36 ships, 3 buyer companies (WSRW)","src":3},{"t":"Hydrogen allocation: up to 30,000 ha per project, about 1 million ha in total, across regions that include Western Sahara","src":6},{"t":"","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated value of Western Sahara phosphate exports (WSRW estimate)","amount":376.5,"qualifier":"about","note":"Figure as stated by WSRW; not a payment to any party."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of Phosboucraa jobs held by Sahrawis","v":"80% (Moroccan minister's figure)","d":"Moroccan minister, May 2018; the actual share is not on record"},{"k":"Sahara phosphate share of OCP production","v":"2% vs about 10%","d":"Minister (2018)"},{"k":"Environmental assessment of the mine or hydrogen land allocation","v":"None on record","d":"No environmental evaluation is on record"}]},"unknown":["The Sahara phosphate share of OCP production (2%) and the Sahrawi share of Phosboucraa employment (80%) are stated only by the Moroccan government; no independent figure is given in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: details of the Foum el Oued wind farm and its supply to the conveyor come from a WSRW page and a business and human rights summary that were known only as a summary.","The cited sources show no consent given by the people of Western Sahara to the phosphate trade or hydrogen allocation."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed","review"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped. The phosphate trade continued in 2025 and 2026 and hydrogen land was allocated in 2025; the EU measure that applies trade preferences to the territory was reapplied in October 2025.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not identify a payer; it records that the people of Western Sahara were not shown to have consented (CJEU, October 2024).","statusLine":"As of August 2026: phosphate exports continued with three buyer companies in 2025; the Aftissat wind complex reached 550 MW; the EU letter-exchange stood after a Parliament objection fell by one vote in November 2025.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"morocco-government","says":"A minister stated that 80% of jobs at Phosboucraa went to Sahrawis and that Sahara phosphate was 2% of OCP production.","when":"May 2018","src":4},{"actor":"ocp","says":"Aims to run on 100% renewable energy by 2027 and to produce green ammonia; investment plan of about US$13 billion announced December 2022.","when":"December 2022","src":null},{"actor":"european-commission","says":"The \"region of origin\" concept was the result of the negotiations with Morocco.","when":"2025","src":2},{"actor":"nareva","says":"No response on record.","when":null,"src":null,"silent":true}],"actors":[{"id":"ocp","role":"State-owned phosphate producer; about 94% state-owned"},{"id":"nareva","role":"Owner of Foum el Oued and Aftissat wind projects; selected hydrogen operator"},{"id":"al-mada","role":"Holding company that owns Nareva, per WSRW"},{"id":"wsrw","role":"Advocacy source on the territory's resource trade"},{"id":"court-of-justice-eu","role":"Court of Justice of the European Union"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Negotiated the EU-Morocco arrangements"},{"id":"ornx","role":"US-Spain-Germany partnership; Laayoune green ammonia deal"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does trade with and investment in Western Sahara need the consent of its people?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Justice of the European Union","says":"On 4 October 2024: agreements covering Western Sahara require the people's consent and the Commission's consultation did not show it.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"The \"region of origin\" concept was the result of the negotiations with Morocco.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","says":"Described the Parliament vote of 26 November 2025 as a labelling grab; the objection fell one vote short.","src":2}]},{"point":"How large is the Sahara phosphate share of OCP output and the Sahrawi share of jobs?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Moroccan government minister","says":"80% of jobs at Phosboucraa went to Sahrawis; Sahara phosphate was 2% of OCP production.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EU agreements with Morocco and Western Sahara (C-778/21 P and related cases)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"EU institutions (Commission consultation at issue)","filed":null,"decided":"2024-10-04","status":"unknown","summary":"The Court ruled that agreements covering Western Sahara require the explicit consent of its people, and that the Commission's consultation process did not demonstrate it. In October 2025 an EU-Morocco exchange of letters re-applied tariff preferences; a Parliament objection fell by one vote on 26 November 2025.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"phosphate_exported_tonnes","value":2020000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"WSRW: 36 ships; India 1.34 million tonnes, Mexico, New Zealand."},{"key":"revenue","value":376.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"WSRW estimate of the value of the trade."},{"key":"wind_mw","value":550,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Aftissat wind complex, 121 turbines, per WSRW."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1000000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Public land allocated for six hydrogen projects across regions including Western Sahara; up to 30,000 ha per project."},{"key":"investment","value":4500,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"ORNX green ammonia complex at Laayoune."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Phosphate export from the Bou Craa mine powered by wind electricity, and allocation of public land in Morocco and Western Sahara for green hydrogen.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"OCP","what":"State-owned phosphate producer; the mine is in the disputed territory.","src":null},{"who":"Nareva (Al Mada)","what":"Owner of the Foum el Oued wind farm feeding the conveyor and one of the selected hydrogen operators; per WSRW linked to Moroccan royal family holding Al Mada.","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"People of Western Sahara","what":"The CJEU ruled in 2024 that their consent is required for agreements covering the territory.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bou Craa and Laayoune, Western Sahara; hydrogen regions Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra, Dakhla-Oued Eddahab and Guelmim-Oued Noun.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Morocco controls the territory since 1975; wind farm 2013; CJEU ruling October 2024; hydrogen selection March 2025; Aftissat 550 MW August 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"OCP aims for 100% renewable energy and green ammonia by 2027; hydrogen is promoted as export for European decarbonisation.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A wind farm supplies a 100 km conveyor; public land up to 30,000 ha per project is allocated for hydrogen; EU preferences were re-applied by an exchange of letters.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"EU court ruling: occupied Western Sahara is not part of EU-Morocco agreements (via Western Sahara Resource Watch)","p":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","d":"2024-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://wsrw.org/en/news/eu-court-ruling-occupied-western-sahara-not-part-of-eu-morocco-agreements","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410145813/https://wsrw.org/en/news/eu-court-ruling-occupied-western-sahara-not-part-of-eu-morocco-agreements"},{"t":"Occupied Western Sahara wind complex expands into Africa's top three","p":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","d":"2026-08-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://wsrw.org/en/news/occupied-western-sahara-wind-complex-expands-into-africas-top-three","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002035943/https://wsrw.org/en/news/occupied-western-sahara-wind-complex-expands-into-africas-top-three"},{"t":"Parliament greenlights Morocco's labelling grab","p":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","d":"2025-11-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://wsrw.org/en/news/parliament-greenlights-moroccos-labelling-grab","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260528075103/https://wsrw.org/en/news/parliament-greenlights-moroccos-labelling-grab"},{"t":"Record-low number of importers of Western Sahara phosphates","p":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","d":"2026-05-29","type":"ngo","u":"https://wsrw.org/en/news/record-low-number-of-importers-of-western-sahara-phosphates","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260531095148/https://wsrw.org/en/news/record-low-number-of-importers-of-western-sahara-phosphates"},{"t":"Jobs provided at Phosboucraa granted to Sahrawis (title from URL; reproduces the minister's statement)","p":"Yabiladi","d":"2018-05-23","type":"press","u":"https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/65181/jobs-provided-phosboucraa-granted-sahrawis.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018145534/https://en.yabiladi.com/articles/details/65181/jobs-provided-phosboucraa-granted-sahrawis.html"},{"t":"Foum el Oued wind farm (WSRW; Business and Human Rights Resource Centre summary)","p":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://wsrw.org/en/a105x4018"},{"t":"Acciona and Cepsa/Moeve among the companies selected by Morocco to develop green hydrogen projects in the Sahara","p":"Atalayar","d":"2025-03-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.atalayar.com/en/articulo/economy-and-business/acciona-and-cepsa-moeve-among-the-companies-selected-by-morocco-to-develop-green-hydrogen-projects-in-the-sahara/20250307134739212048.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922055512/https://www.atalayar.com/en/articulo/economy-and-business/acciona-and-cepsa-moeve-among-the-companies-selected-by-morocco-to-develop-green-hydrogen-projects-in-the-sahara/20250307134739212048.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 2.02 million tonnes of phosphate were taken from me in Western Sahara and exported in 2025, in 36 ships, Western Sahara Resource Watch reports.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does trade with and investment in Western Sahara need the consent of its people?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is the Sahara phosphate share of OCP output and the Sahrawi share of jobs?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"EU agreements with Morocco and Western Sahara (C-778/21 P and related cases): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Sahara phosphate share of OCP production (2%) and the Sahrawi share of Phosboucraa employment (80%) are stated only by the Moroccan government; no independent figure is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: details of the Foum el Oued wind farm and its supply to the conveyor come from a WSRW page and a business and human rights summary that were known only as a summary.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources show no consent given by the people of Western Sahara to the phosphate trade or hydrogen allocation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: OCP"]},{"id":"peru-ley-31973-forest-clearing-amnesty-and-constitutional-co","title":"Peru Ley 31973 forest clearing amnesty and Constitutional Court","dek":"Peru amended its forest law in January 2024 to cover clearing carried out before that date. In February 2025 the Constitutional Court annulled only two transitional provisions of Law 31973, and the amnesty provision remained, according to press reports.","country":"Peru","region":"South America","lat":-9.2,"lon":-75,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","role":"event"},{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","role":"court"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Provisions annulled by the Constitutional Court","value":"2 transitional provisions","note":"First and second complementary transitional provisions of Law 31973, 25 February 2025; the amnesty provision remained, per Caretas."},"happened":["In January 2024 Peru amended its forest legislation through Law 31973. The change amnestied forest clearing carried out before January 2024.","On 25 February 2025 the Constitutional Court (Tribunal Constitucional) of Peru declared unconstitutional the first and second complementary transitional provisions of Law 31973, according to its press note. It annulled only those two transitional provisions.","Caretas reported the ruling as a partial annulment and that the amnesty provision remained."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Law 31973 amends the forest law and amnesties clearing carried out before January 2024"},{"y":2025,"t":"Constitutional Court annuls the first and second complementary transitional provisions (25 February)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Constitutional Court press note: the first and second complementary transitional provisions of Law 31973 declared unconstitutional","src":0},{"t":"Caretas: partial annulment; the amnesty provision remained","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Clearing before January 2024","v":"Covered by the amnesty provision","d":"Provision remained after the 25 February 2025 ruling (Caretas)"},{"k":"Area cleared under the amnesty","v":"None on record","d":"No area or number of cases is given in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped in full. The Court annulled two transitional provisions; the amnesty provision remained in force per Caretas.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2025: the Constitutional Court annulled two transitional provisions of Law 31973 on 25 February 2025; the amnesty provision remained, per Caretas.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"peru-tc","role":"Constitutional Court of Peru"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Constitutional review of Law 31973","forum":"Tribunal Constitucional del Perú","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Law 31973 (forest-law amendment)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-02-25","status":"unknown","summary":"The Court declared unconstitutional the first and second complementary transitional provisions of the law. Caretas reported a partial annulment with the amnesty provision remaining.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A forest-law amendment amnestying clearing carried out before January 2024, partly annulled by the Constitutional Court.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Peru.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law amended January 2024; Constitutional Court ruling 25 February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Two transitional provisions were annulled by the Constitutional Court; the amnesty provision remained, per Caretas.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"TC declara inconstitucionales primera y segunda disposiciones complementarias transitorias de la Ley 31973","p":"Tribunal Constitucional del Perú","d":"2025-02-25","type":"court","u":"https://www.tc.gob.pe/institucional/notas-de-prensa/tc-declara-inconstitucionales-primera-y-segunda-disposiciones-complementarias-transitorias-de-la-ley-31973/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260121134958/https://www.tc.gob.pe/institucional/notas-de-prensa/tc-declara-inconstitucionales-primera-y-segunda-disposiciones-complementarias-transitorias-de-la-ley-31973/"},{"t":"TC declara inconstitucional disposiciones de la Ley 31973","p":"Caretas","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://caretas.pe/home_web/home_principal_secundario/tc-declara-inconstitucional-disposiciones-de-la-ley-31973"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Constitutional review of Law 31973: outcome not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hwang-woo-suk-research-fraud-and-sooam-cloning-business","title":"Hwang Woo-suk and the Sooam cloning business","dek":"A South Korean cloning scientist, convicted in 2009 of embezzling research funds and breaching the Bioethics Law, later worked in the United Arab Emirates, where he said he had cloned more than 150 camels. Much of the record on his later cloning company is unconfirmed.","country":"United Arab Emirates","region":"Middle East","lat":24.45,"lon":54.38,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Abu Dhabi","lat":24.45,"lon":54.38,"role":"event"},{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","lat":37.57,"lon":126.98,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2004,"end":null,"eventDate":"2023-07","instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Animals Hwang said he had cloned","value":"1,600+","note":"Hwang's own statement to the Seoul Shinmun, July 2023; not independently verified."},"happened":["In July 2023 the Seoul Shinmun reported that Hwang Woo-suk was working in the United Arab Emirates, at the Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute. The institute had been set up in October 2022 with the backing of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, the country's Deputy Prime Minister.","Hwang told the newspaper that he had cloned more than 150 camels in the UAE and that the total number of animals he had cloned exceeded 1,600.","Camel cloning in the Gulf is a paid service. The Reproductive Biotechnology Centre in Dubai announced its first cloned camel, Injaz, in April 2009. In 2021 the centre's scientific director said there had been 20 pregnancies the previous year and 28 that year, and that the centre produced more than 10 to 20 calves a year. He said Gulf clients paid 200,000 to 400,000 dirhams per clone, given in the report as about $54,500 to $109,000, and that the most popular order was for beauty-pageant camels.","Hwang's 2004 and 2005 papers in Science, which claimed stem cell lines from cloned human embryos, were retracted because they were based on fabricated data; Hwang admitted falsifying data in January 2006. On 26 October 2009 the Seoul Central District Court convicted him of embezzling about 830 million won of government research funds and of buying human eggs in breach of the Bioethics Law, and acquitted him of fraud over private donations from SK Group and NongHyup; he received two years in prison, suspended for three years. On appeal the sentence was reduced to 18 months, suspended for two years, and the Supreme Court upheld it on 27 February 2014. Accounts of his later cloning company and its announced projects are listed under \"What is not established\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Dubai's Reproductive Biotechnology Centre announces Injaz, its first cloned camel (April)"},{"y":2021,"t":"The Dubai centre's scientific director reports 28 camel pregnancies that year and prices of 200,000–400,000 dirhams per clone"},{"y":2022,"t":"Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute set up with the backing of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed (October)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Seoul Shinmun reports Hwang working at the institute; he says he has cloned more than 150 camels and over 1,600 animals in total (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"More than 150 camels cloned in the UAE; more than 1,600 animals cloned in total","who":"Hwang Woo-suk, to the Seoul Shinmun","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Seoul Shinmun reported the Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute was set up in October 2022 with the backing of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed.","src":0},{"t":"The Dubai centre's scientific director said in 2021 that Gulf clients paid 200,000 to 400,000 dirhams per clone and that beauty-pageant camels were the most popular order.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Camels cloned by Hwang in the UAE","v":"150+","d":"Hwang's statement, July 2023"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None in the sources","d":"The sources held describe commercial cloning of livestock; none assesses effects on nature"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that 2,221 eggs from 119 women were used, at least 66 women were paid and donors were not adequately informed of side effects (findings attributed to Korea's National Bioethics Committee).","Unconfirmed: that Sooam, founded by Hwang after the scandal, charged $100,000 per dog and said it had cloned more than 600 dogs (2015).","Unconfirmed: that Sooam and the Chinese firm Boyalife announced in November 2015 a cloning factory in Tianjin, planned at 100,000 cattle embryos a year rising to one million, with an investment given as 200 million yuan (another source: $500 million). The search that found this located no production reports after 2016, and a Swiss newspaper called the project over-marketed.","Unconfirmed: that Sooam signed a mammoth-cloning agreement with North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk in March 2012 with a stated aim of a living mammoth within six years. No such animal has been reported.","The sources do not state how many of the animals Hwang says he cloned were camels sold to clients, or what the Abu Dhabi institute charges.","Hwang's statement of 1,600 animals is his own; no independent count is held."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the sources held for this case.","whoPaid":"Not established. The only prices recorded are those paid by Gulf clients for camel clones at the Dubai centre.","statusLine":"As of July 2023 (latest verified item): Hwang was reported to be working at the Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute; no later record is held.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Hwang Woo-suk","says":"Said he had cloned more than 150 camels in the UAE and more than 1,600 animals in total.","when":"July 2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"abu-dhabi-biotechnology-institute","role":"Institute where Hwang was reported to work"},{"id":"dubai-reproductive-biotechnology-centre","role":"Commercial camel-cloning centre (context)"},{"id":"sooam-biotech","role":"Cloning company founded by Hwang (unconfirmed)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"animals_cloned","value":1600,"unit":"animals","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Hwang's own statement to the Seoul Shinmun, July 2023; total across his career."},{"key":"camels_cloned","value":150,"unit":"camels","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Hwang's statement: camels cloned in the UAE."},{"key":"price_per_clone","value":"200,000–400,000","unit":"AED","year":2021,"note":"Price paid by Gulf clients at the Dubai Reproductive Biotechnology Centre; the report gives about $54,500–109,000."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cloning scientist reported to be producing cloned camels for Gulf clients in the UAE. His earlier Science papers were retracted as fabricated and he was convicted in South Korea of embezzlement and a Bioethics Law breach; accounts of his later company are unconfirmed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gulf camel owners and the centres selling clones, at prices of 200,000–400,000 dirhams per clone","what":"Cloned animals, including beauty-pageant camels","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; earlier work and court cases in South Korea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2023 is the latest verified item; the Dubai centre's first cloned camel was announced in April 2009.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Hwang's stated output is camels for the Gulf market; the Dubai centre said beauty-pageant camels were the most popular order.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Animal cloning offered as a paid service; the Dubai centre reported 28 pregnancies in 2021.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Seoul Shinmun report on Hwang Woo-suk in the UAE","p":"Seoul Shinmun","d":"2023-07-10","type":"press","u":"https://m.seoul.co.kr/news/2023/07/10/20230710500009"},{"t":"Clone your camel: beauty pageants, races spur high demand (AFP)","p":"The Jakarta Post / AFP","d":"2021-09-12","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2021/09/12/clone-your-camel-beauty-pageants-races-spur-high-demand","type":"press"},{"t":"Woo Suk Hwang convicted, but not of fraud","p":"Scientific American (Nature News)","d":"2009-10-26","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/woo-suk-hwang-convicted-but-n/","type":"press"},{"t":"Stem cell scientist gets suspended prison term","p":"The Korea Times","d":"2014-02-27","u":"https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/southkorea/20140227/stem-cell-scientist-gets-suspended-prison-term","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 2,221 eggs from 119 women were used, at least 66 women were paid and donors were not adequately informed of side effects (findings attributed to Korea's National Bioethics Committee).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Sooam, founded by Hwang after the scandal, charged $100,000 per dog and said it had cloned more than 600 dogs (2015).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Sooam and the Chinese firm Boyalife announced in November 2015 a cloning factory in Tianjin, planned at 100,000 cattle embryos a year rising to one million, with an investment given as 200 million yuan (another source: $500 million). The search that found this located no production reports after 2016, and a Swiss newspaper called the project over-marketed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Sooam signed a mammoth-cloning agreement with North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk in March 2012 with a stated aim of a living mammoth within six years. No such animal has been reported.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state how many of the animals Hwang says he cloned were camels sold to clients, or what the Abu Dhabi institute charges.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Hwang's statement of 1,600 animals is his own; no independent count is held.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Gulf camel owners and the centres selling clones, at prices of 200,000–400,000 dirhams per clone"]},{"id":"turkish-holdings-coal-expansion-alongside-renewables-cenal-a","title":"Turkish holdings' coal expansion alongside renewables (Cenal, Akbelen, İçdaş)","dek":"Several Turkish energy groups run coal or lignite plants and renewable projects under the same corporate roof. Reports from 2023 to 2026 describe a coal unit approval at Cenal, tree felling at Akbelen and loans to renewable arms of coal-owning groups.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Europe & Central Asia","lat":37.2,"lon":27.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Muğla (Akbelen, Milas)","lat":37.2,"lon":27.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Added coal unit at Cenal accepted by the energy regulator","value":"1,050 MW","note":"Accepted by EPDK subject to an environmental impact assessment (ÇED); licence to 2062."},"happened":["Research cited in the case record lists several Turkish energy groups that own both coal or lignite plants and renewable projects: Limak and IC İçtaş (Yeniköy–Kemerköy lignite and Erzin solar plants), Cengiz (the Cenal imported-coal plant, 1,320 MW, with 61% of the group's portfolio described as renewable), Enerjisa Üretim (Tufanbeyli lignite and about 2 GW of wind), and Aydem, Fiba, Kolin and Koç/Tüpraş. At İçdaş, the same legal entity is recorded as owner of a coal plant and as a winner of a YEKA renewable-energy competition.","In 2026 the press reported that the energy regulator EPDK had accepted a 1,050 MW additional unit at Cenal, subject to an ÇED, with a licence running to 2062. BirGün reported that the COP31 President is also the minister whose ministry runs the ÇED process for Cenal.","At Akbelen, YK Enerji, a partnership of Limak and İçtaş that owns coal plants, was reported to have begun cutting trees on 26 July 2023 to expand a coal area, with gendarmerie protection. A court had stayed execution in 2021 and that decision was lifted in 2022. A presidential decision of 9 January 2026 ordered the urgent expropriation of 679 parcels in six neighbourhoods; the 6th Chamber of the Council of State (Danıştay) unanimously stayed its execution for the properties in the case (Medyascope, 7 May 2026). In July 2026 the Milas 2nd Civil Court of First Instance halted all seizure and valuation cases for the 679 parcels until the Council of State cases are final; YK Enerji said this was a procedural result of the stay and that reports of the expropriation being halted did not reflect the facts (Cumhuriyet).","On 19 July 2025 parliament adopted Law No. 7554, Article 11 of which opened olive groves to mining (vote 255 to 199). The article gives coordinates that, according to a letter reported by Halk TV, serve the Akbelen and İkizköy sites; in that letter the company asked the Privatisation Administration for extra funds for areas it could not expropriate because of olive legislation.","The EBRD lent USD 200 million to Enerjisa Üretim, and credit was also opened to Aydem Yenilenebilir and Fiba. Esra Işık, an Akbelen environmental defender, was detained after a protest on 30 March 2026 and held for 42 days. On 6 July 2026 the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced her to 2 years and 1 month in prison for resisting a public official, and on a charge of insulting public officials imposed a judicial fine with the verdict deferred. She appealed and remained free (Bianet; Amnesty International Canada)."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"A court stays execution of the Akbelen decision"},{"y":2022,"t":"The stay is lifted"},{"y":2023,"t":"Trees cut at Akbelen under gendarmerie protection (reported 26 July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Law No. 7554, Article 11, opens olive groves to mining (19 July); EBRD USD 200m to Enerjisa Üretim"},{"y":2026,"t":"January: urgent expropriation of 679 parcels at Akbelen ordered; EPDK accepts a 1,050 MW added unit at Cenal subject to ÇED; May: Council of State stays the expropriation; 6 July: Akbelen defender Esra Işık sentenced to 2 years and 1 month, appeal pending; July: Milas court halts seizure and valuation cases"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Renewable portfolios: Cengiz described as having 61% of its portfolio in renewables; Enerjisa Üretim as having about 2 GW of wind; Limak and IC İçtaş solar plants at Erzin.","who":"Companies, EBRD and GEM","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"EPDK accepted a 1,050 MW additional unit at Cenal subject to a ÇED, licence to 2062.","src":1},{"t":"Urgent expropriation covered 679 parcels at Akbelen; the Council of State stayed it for about 194.","src":2},{"t":"The EBRD lent USD 200 million to Enerjisa Üretim and opened credit to Aydem Yenilenebilir and Fiba.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"EBRD loan to Enerjisa Üretim","amount":200}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cenal added unit","v":"1,050 MW","d":"Accepted by EPDK subject to ÇED; licence to 2062"},{"k":"Akbelen parcels under urgent expropriation","v":"679","d":"Council of State stayed about 194"}]},"unknown":["Whether the Cenal ÇED for the 1,050 MW unit has been concluded: none on record.","The exact date of the Council of State stay is not stated in the sources; it was reported on 7 May 2026."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No stop is recorded: the Cenal unit was accepted subject to an ÇED and the Akbelen expropriation is stayed pending the final Council of State decision.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: EPDK has accepted the added Cenal unit subject to a ÇED; the Council of State has stayed the urgent expropriation at Akbelen and the Milas court has halted the seizure and valuation cases; Akbelen defender Esra Işık was sentenced to 2 years and 1 month on 6 July 2026, with an appeal pending.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"limak","role":"Co-owner of YK Enerji; coal and solar assets"},{"id":"ic-ictas","role":"Co-owner of YK Enerji; coal and solar assets"},{"id":"cengiz-holding","role":"Owner of the Cenal imported-coal plant"},{"id":"enerjisa-uretim","role":"Lignite and wind operator; EBRD borrower"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender"},{"id":"epdk","role":"Energy regulator"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the Akbelen expropriation and felling could proceed","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Council of State (Danıştay)","says":"Unanimously stayed execution of the urgent expropriation decision for the properties in the case (reported 7 May 2026).","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"YK Enerji (Limak and İçtaş)","says":"Said in July 2026 that the halt of the local cases was a procedural result of the Council of State stay and that reports that the expropriation had been halted or had ended did not reflect the facts.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Akbelen expropriation and valuation cases","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Landowners (96 annulment cases)","defendant":"Presidency (urgent expropriation decision of 9 January 2026)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The 6th Chamber of the Council of State unanimously stayed execution of the urgent expropriation decision for the properties in the case (reported 7 May 2026). In July 2026 the Milas 2nd Civil Court of First Instance halted the seizure and valuation cases for the 679 parcels until the Council of State decisions are final (Cumhuriyet, 27 July 2026).","src":7},{"title":"Prosecution of Esra Işık, Akbelen defender","forum":"Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public prosecutor","defendant":"Esra Işık","filed":null,"decided":"2026-07-06","status":"unknown","summary":"Detained after a protest on 30 March 2026 against the urgent expropriation and held for 42 days. On 6 July 2026 the court sentenced her to 2 years and 1 month in prison for resisting a public official; on the charge of insulting public officials it imposed a judicial fine and deferred the verdict. The verdict becomes final only after appeal; she appealed and remained free (Bianet; Amnesty International Canada).","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"parcels_expropriated","value":679,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"note":"Urgent expropriation at Akbelen."},{"key":"parcels_stayed","value":194,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Unconfirmed figure; reports describe the Council of State stay as covering the properties in the case among the 679 parcels."},{"key":"capacity_added_mw","value":1050,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Additional Cenal unit accepted by EPDK subject to ÇED."},{"key":"capacity_installed_mw","value":1320,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Cenal imported-coal capacity."},{"key":"loan","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"EBRD to Enerjisa Üretim."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Turkish energy groups with coal or lignite plants and renewable projects expanded coal capacity or coal mining areas, while receiving or advertising renewable financing.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Limak and İçtaş (via YK Enerji)","what":"Access to the Akbelen coal area","src":2},{"who":"Enerjisa Üretim, Aydem Yenilenebilir, Fiba","what":"EBRD lending","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Akbelen forest and olive groves","what":"Trees cut in 2023; olive groves opened to mining by Law No. 7554","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Akbelen (Milas, Muğla) and the Cenal plant, Türkiye.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2021 to 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the company letter reported by Halk TV seeking funds for areas it could not expropriate because of olive legislation.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Regulatory approval subject to ÇED, urgent expropriation, a change in olive legislation, and tree felling under gendarmerie protection.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"YEKA RES 2025 competition winners announced","p":"Forbes Türkiye","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.forbes.com.tr/ekonomi/yeka-res-2025-yarismalarinin-kazananlari-belli-oldu","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510174635/https://www.forbes.com.tr/ekonomi/yeka-res-2025-yarismalarinin-kazananlari-belli-oldu"},{"t":"New power plant permit alongside coal-exit pledge","p":"Bianet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/komurden-cikis-vaadiyle-yeni-santral-izni-ayni-masada-321076","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260702031235/https://bianet.org/haber/komurden-cikis-vaadiyle-yeni-santral-izni-ayni-masada-321076"},{"t":"Akbelen expropriation and valuation cases halted until Council of State decision is final","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728045028/https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205"},{"t":"EBRD boosts wind power generation in Türkiye","p":"EBRD","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2025/ebrd-boosts-wind-power-generation-in-tuerkiye.html","voice":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251223231648/https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2025/ebrd-boosts-wind-power-generation-in-tuerkiye.html"},{"t":"Climate network: Türkiye's COP31 presidency and new coal investments","p":"BirGün","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.birgun.net/haber/iklim-agi-turkiyenin-cop31-baskanligi-ile-yeni-komur-yatirimlari-celisiyor-734846","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260920172402/https://www.birgun.net/haber/iklim-agi-turkiyenin-cop31-baskanligi-ile-yeni-komur-yatirimlari-celisiyor-734846"},{"t":"Tree felling began in Akbelen forest to expand coal area","p":"Yetkin Report","d":"2023-07-26","type":"press","u":"https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606082622/https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/"},{"t":"Conviction in Akbelen","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/ru/documents/eur44/1143/2026/en/","voice":"international"},{"t":"Danıştay'dan Akbelen kararı: Yürütme durduruldu","p":"Medyascope","d":"2026-05-07","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2026/05/07/danistaydan-akbelen-karari-yurutme-durduruldu/","type":"press"},{"t":"Yaşam savunucusu Esra Işık’a 2 yıl 1 ay hapis cezası","p":"Bianet","d":"2026-07-07","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/yasam-savunucusu-esra-isika-2-yil-1-ay-hapis-cezasi-321242","type":"press"},{"t":"Türkiye: Environmental defender convicted after peaceful protest (urgent action)","p":"Amnesty International Canada","d":"2026-07-14","u":"https://amnesty.ca/urgent-actions/turkiye-environmental-defender-convicted-after-peaceful-protest/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"coal-expansion","related":["akbelen-forest-felling-for-yk-enerji-coal-mine-turkiye"],"natureLead":{"t":"Felling of my trees at Akbelen was reported to have begun on 26 July 2023 to expand a coal area; in 2026 urgent expropriation of 679 parcels there was ordered.","src":[5,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the Akbelen expropriation and felling could proceed","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecution of Esra Işık, Akbelen defender: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Cenal ÇED for the 1,050 MW unit has been concluded: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact date of the Council of State stay is not stated in the sources; it was reported on 7 May 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"olkaria-geothermal-projects","title":"Olkaria geothermal projects (Kenya)","dek":"Four Maasai villages were moved in 2014 to make way for the Olkaria IV geothermal plant in Kenya. In 2015 the World Bank Inspection Panel found the Bank had not applied its indigenous-peoples policy.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-0.9,"lon":36.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","lat":-0.9,"lon":36.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","role":"affected"}],"start":2013,"end":2017,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Resettlement land received vs land reported lost (Counter Balance, 2020)","value":"1,700 of 4,200 acres","note":"As reported by Counter Balance; the same figures appear elsewhere in hectares. Unit: unclear."},"happened":["Olkaria IV is a geothermal power plant built by the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) in Kenya's Rift Valley. According to the cited sources's sources it was financed by the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, the French Development Agency, the German development bank KfW and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).","In 2014 four Maasai villages were moved to a resettlement area known as RAPland (from the project's Resettlement Action Plan). Counter Balance reported in 2020 that about 1,000 people were moved and that they received 1,700 acres of land in place of 4,200 acres.","In June 2013, at nearby Narasha, Maasai families went to court to stop evictions linked to the same World Bank-supported geothermal programme. Cultural Survival reported that more than 3,500 families, including more than 1,000 children, were under threat of eviction.","The World Bank Inspection Panel, the Bank's independent complaints body, issued its report on the Olkaria IV resettlement on 2 July 2015. It found that the Bank had not applied its policy on indigenous peoples, that village elders were left out of early planning, that land titles were delayed and that livelihoods had not been adequately re-established. It viewed the practice of giving land for land favourably. A management action plan followed on 16 February 2017."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"June: Narasha Maasai go to court against evictions linked to the geothermal project (Cultural Survival)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Four Maasai villages moved to the RAPland resettlement area for Olkaria IV"},{"y":2015,"t":"2 July: World Bank Inspection Panel report finds the indigenous-peoples policy was not applied"},{"y":2017,"t":"16 February: management action plan responding to the Panel"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Inspection Panel (2015): the World Bank did not apply its indigenous-peoples policy; village elders were excluded from early planning; titles were delayed; livelihoods were not adequately re-established; land-for-land compensation was viewed favourably.","src":0},{"t":"Counter Balance (2020): about 1,000 people moved; 1,700 acres received in place of 4,200 acres.","src":3},{"t":"Cultural Survival (June 2013): more than 3,500 families and more than 1,000 children at Narasha were under threat of eviction; the community went to court.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2014-2017","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources give social findings only; no environmental assessment of the geothermal reservoir or habitat was found."}]},"unknown":["Resettlement land: the cited sources give 4,200 to 1,700 in acres (Counter Balance) in one place and in hectares in another; the unit has not been resolved.","Number of people displaced: about 1,000 (Counter Balance) in one account and more than 2,000 in another report; the two figures have not been reconciled.","Unconfirmed: total cost of USD 1.39 billion (World Bank USD 330 million), capacity of 280 MW, additional World Bank financing of USD 68 million approved in 2016 without triggering the indigenous-peoples policy, and shares of 12% (European Investment Bank) and 7% (KfW).","How the Olkaria action plan was carried out after 2020: not found.","Outcome of the 2013 Narasha court application: not found."],"evidence":["no-eval","displacement","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record that the resettlement was reversed; it records an action plan in February 2017 following the Panel report.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give that about 1,000 Maasai were moved and received less land than the figure Counter Balance reported they gave up; a teacher living nearby said the plant's electricity was not available in their homes.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (December 2025 summary): Panel report of 2015 and action plan of 2017 on record; implementation after 2020 not found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"kengen","role":"Plant developer and operator"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Financier; its Inspection Panel reviewed the resettlement"},{"id":"eib","role":"Financier"},{"id":"kfw","role":"Financier"},{"id":"afd","role":"Financier"},{"id":"jica","role":"Financier"},{"id":"world-bank-inspection-panel","role":"Independent complaints body"},{"id":"counter-balance","role":"NGO reporting on resettlement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the Olkaria IV resettlement carried out in line with the World Bank's indigenous-peoples policy?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Inspection Panel","says":"Found in 2015 that the Bank did not apply its indigenous-peoples policy, that elders were excluded from planning, that titles were delayed and that livelihoods were not adequately re-established; it viewed land-for-land compensation favourably.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Counter Balance","says":"Reported in 2020 that about 1,000 people moved and received 1,700 acres in place of 4,200 acres.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"World Bank / KenGen","says":"No public response on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Narasha Maasai application against evictions","forum":"Court (name: none on record)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Narasha Maasai community","defendant":"not on record","filed":"2013-06","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Cultural Survival reported on 13 June 2013 that Maasai at Narasha went to court to stop evictions linked to a World Bank-supported geothermal project; more than 3,500 families and more than 1,000 children were under threat of eviction. No outcome was found.","src":2},{"title":"World Bank Inspection Panel review of the Olkaria IV resettlement","forum":"World Bank Inspection Panel","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"international","claimant":"Affected Maasai villagers","defendant":"World Bank","filed":null,"decided":"2015-07-02","status":"unknown","summary":"The Panel found the Bank had not applied its indigenous-peoples policy. A management action plan was dated 16 February 2017. This is a complaints process, not a court.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"displaced","value":1000,"unit":"people","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Counter Balance (2020); another cited report gives more than 2,000."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1700,"unit":"acres","year":2014,"note":"Resettlement land received in place of 4,200 acres (Counter Balance); unit conflicts with a hectare version elsewhere in the cited sources."},{"key":"families_threatened","value":3500,"unit":"families","year":2013,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Narasha, June 2013 (Cultural Survival)."},{"key":"project_cost","value":1390,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported total project cost (World Bank share USD 330 million); mixed verification in the cited sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Relocation of four Maasai villages for the Olkaria IV geothermal plant and the Inspection Panel's finding on the World Bank's handling of it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"KenGen (plant developer); the financiers named by Counter Balance","what":"The Olkaria IV plant was built; the cited sources do not state the financiers' returns.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"About 1,000 Maasai moved from four villages","what":"Received 1,700 acres in place of 4,200 acres (Counter Balance).","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"The most vulnerable families","what":"The Panel found livelihoods were not adequately re-established.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Olkaria, Rift Valley, Kenya; Narasha nearby.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Evictions threatened in June 2013; villages moved in 2014; Panel report 2 July 2015; action plan 16 February 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To make way for the Olkaria IV geothermal plant (project justification beyond this is not on record).","src":null},"how":{"t":"Resettlement to the RAPland area under a Resettlement Action Plan; the Panel found policy and process failures.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Electricity Expansion Project (Olkaria IV) - Inspection Panel case","p":"World Bank Inspection Panel","d":"2015-07-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.inspectionpanel.org/panel-cases/electricity-expansion-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218181311/https://www.inspectionpanel.org/panel-cases/electricity-expansion-project"},{"t":"Bank implicated in Kenya Maasai eviction","p":"Bretton Woods Project","d":"2015-03-31","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2015/03/bank-implicated-in-kenya-maasai-eviction/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613211931/https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2015/03/bank-implicated-in-kenya-maasai-eviction/"},{"t":"Maasai in Kenya go to the courts to stop evictions caused by World Bank's geothermal power project","p":"Cultural Survival","d":"2013-06-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/maasai-kenya-go-courts-stop-evictions-caused-world-banks-geothermal-power-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260827012702/https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/maasai-kenya-go-courts-stop-evictions-caused-world-banks-geothermal-power-project"},{"t":"Heating up: The negative impact of development banks supporting geothermal industry in Kenya","p":"Counter Balance","d":"2020-01-08","u":"https://counter-balance.org/news/heating-up-the-negative-impact-of-development-banks-supporting-geothermal-industry-in-kenya","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Olkaria IV resettlement carried out in line with the World Bank's indigenous-peoples policy?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"World Bank / KenGen: No public response on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Narasha Maasai application against evictions: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"World Bank Inspection Panel review of the Olkaria IV resettlement: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Project cost: Reported total project cost (World Bank share USD 330 million); mixed verification in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Resettlement land: the cited sources give 4,200 to 1,700 in acres (Counter Balance) in one place and in hectares in another; the unit has not been resolved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Number of people displaced: about 1,000 (Counter Balance) in one account and more than 2,000 in another report; the two figures have not been reconciled.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: total cost of USD 1.39 billion (World Bank USD 330 million), capacity of 280 MW, additional World Bank financing of USD 68 million approved in 2016 without triggering the indigenous-peoples policy, and shares of 12% (European Investment Bank) and 7% (KfW).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the Olkaria action plan was carried out after 2020: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the 2013 Narasha court application: not found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: KenGen (plant developer); the financiers named by Counter Balance","No source link — Who lost: About 1,000 Maasai moved from four villages"]},{"id":"seneca-village-and-central-park","title":"Seneca Village and Central Park (USA)","dek":"Central Park in New York was built between 1857 and 1876 on land that included Seneca Village, a community of about 225 people that was cleared in 1857. The park's neighbouring properties now carry a measured price premium.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.785,"lon":-73.968,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":40.785,"lon":-73.968,"role":"event"}],"start":1853,"end":2025,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening"],"headline":{"label":"Property-value premium within 3 blocks of Central Park (Appleseed, 2009)","value":"about 18%","note":"Total reported as USD 17.7 billion, 8.1% of Manhattan real-estate value (2009)."},"happened":["Central Park was built between 1857 and 1876 on 341 hectares in Manhattan. The land cost was reported as about USD 5 million. A claim that total cost was USD 14 million could not be confirmed from a primary source.","The site included Seneca Village, a community of about 225 people, about two-thirds of them African American and about half of those homeowners. It was cleared by expropriation in 1857. Secondary sources give an average payment of about USD 700 per lot. Gotham Gazette reported that about 1,600 people in all were displaced from the park area.","Rosenzweig and Blackmar, cited by the Central Park Conservancy's history page, recorded that in 1853 the land was not considered suitable for private development and that there were no skyscrapers.","Frederick Law Olmsted argued for the park partly on property value: he calculated that the value of three surrounding districts rose from USD 26.4 million in 1856 to USD 236 million in 1873. The cited sources note there is no comparison with a no-park case.","In 2009 an Appleseed report found properties within three blocks of the park carried a premium of about 18%, totalling USD 17.7 billion, or 8.1% of Manhattan real-estate value. A 2015 report commissioned by the Central Park Conservancy put the figure above USD 26 billion. The Conservancy supplies about 80% of the park's operating budget; in fiscal 2025 it reported revenue of USD 172.9 million and net assets of USD 669.4 million, with 42 million visits a year."],"timeline":[{"y":1853,"t":"Land judged not suitable for private development (Rosenzweig and Blackmar, via Conservancy history page)"},{"y":1857,"t":"Seneca Village cleared by expropriation; park construction begins"},{"y":1873,"t":"Olmsted's figure for surrounding district value: USD 236 million (from USD 26.4 million in 1856)"},{"y":1876,"t":"Park construction period ends"},{"y":2009,"t":"Appleseed report: about 18% premium within three blocks, USD 17.7 billion"},{"y":2015,"t":"Conservancy-commissioned report: above USD 26 billion"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Seneca Village: about 225 people, about two-thirds African American, about half of those homeowners; cleared by expropriation in 1857; about USD 700 per lot on average (secondary sources).","src":3},{"t":"About 1,600 people displaced from the whole park area in 1857.","src":0},{"t":"Properties within three blocks of the park carried a premium of about 18% in 2009.","src":2},{"t":"The land was not considered suitable for private development in 1853.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1857-2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Property-value premium within 3 blocks (Appleseed, 2009)","amount":17700,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported as 8.1% of Manhattan real-estate value."},{"label":"Property-value premium (Conservancy-commissioned report, 2015)","amount":26000,"qualifier":"above","note":"Separate measure."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Global ecological contribution of urban parks","v":"No record found","d":"The global ecological contribution of urban parks is not on record; cities were reported to hold on average 8% of nearby natural areas' native bird species."}]},"unknown":["Global ecological contribution of urban parks: no record found.","Total construction cost of USD 14 million: could not be confirmed against a primary source.","Whether Olmsted's value increase was caused by the park: no comparison with a no-park case.","Premium estimates all come from studies commissioned by the Central Park Conservancy, according to the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court","displacement"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: the clearance of 1857 was completed.","whoPaid":"Seneca Village residents lost land and homes in 1857 for an average of about USD 700 per lot; neighbouring owners later received a measured price premium.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: premium and displacement figures on record; no court case or compensation process found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"central-park-conservancy","role":"Park operator; commissioned the 2015 premium report"},{"id":"appleseed","role":"Author of the 2009 premium report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large is the property-value premium from the park?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Appleseed (2009)","says":"About 18% within three blocks, USD 17.7 billion, 8.1% of Manhattan real-estate value.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Study commissioned by the Central Park Conservancy (2015)","says":"More than USD 26 billion added to adjacent blocks.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"General literature","says":"A premium of 8-10% for property adjacent to a passive park.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":225,"unit":"people","year":1857,"qualifier":"about","note":"Seneca Village population, secondary sources."},{"key":"displaced","value":1600,"unit":"people","year":1857,"qualifier":"about","note":"Displaced from the whole park area (Gotham Gazette)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":341,"unit":"ha","year":1876,"note":"Central Park."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":700,"unit":"USD per lot","year":1857,"qualifier":"average","note":"Secondary sources."},{"key":"revenue","value":172.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Central Park Conservancy, fiscal 2025."},{"key":"premium_pct","value":18,"unit":"%","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","note":"Within three blocks of the park (Appleseed)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Clearance of Seneca Village for Central Park and the later measured property premium around the park.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Owners of property near the park","what":"Premium of about 18% within three blocks in 2009.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Seneca Village residents","what":"Land and homes in 1857; about USD 700 per lot on average.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 1,600 people displaced from the park area","what":"Displaced in 1857.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Manhattan, New York City.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Cleared 1857; park built 1857-1876; premium measured 2009 and 2015.","src":null},"why":{"t":"To create a public park; Olmsted also argued for it on rising property values.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Expropriation of Seneca Village lots in 1857.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"The Death of Seneca Village","p":"Gotham Gazette","d":"2006","type":"press","u":"https://www.gothamgazette.com/environment/1902-death-of-seneca-village","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251231124348/http://www.gothamgazette.com/environment/1902-death-of-seneca-village"},{"t":"History of Central Park","p":"Central Park Conservancy","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://centralpark.org/history-of-central-park/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907175104/https://centralpark.org/history-of-central-park/"},{"t":"Property value premium within 3 blocks of Central Park","p":"Landscape Performance Series (Appleseed report, 2009)","d":"2009","type":"academic","u":"https://landscapeperformance.org/fast-fact-library/property-value-premium-within-3-blocks-of-central-park","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612042344/https://www.landscapeperformance.org/fast-fact-library/property-value-premium-within-3-blocks-of-central-park"},{"t":"Rediscovery and research of Seneca Village","p":"Central Park Conservancy","d":"","u":"https://centralparknyc.org/blog/rediscovery-and-research-of-seneca-village","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is the property-value premium from the park?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Global ecological contribution of urban parks: no record found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Total construction cost of USD 14 million: could not be confirmed against a primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Olmsted's value increase was caused by the park: no comparison with a no-park case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Premium estimates all come from studies commissioned by the Central Park Conservancy, according to the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Seneca Village residents"]},{"id":"north-sea-platform-decommissioning-tax-relief","title":"North Sea platform decommissioning tax relief (UK)","dek":"UK tax law lets oil and gas operators recover part of the cost of dismantling North Sea platforms. The regulator estimated the remaining cost to the Exchequer at GBP 10.8 billion.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":57,"lon":1.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2024,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Remaining Exchequer cost of decommissioning (NSTA estimate, Dec 2024)","value":"GBP 10.8 billion","note":"On a central estimate of GBP 43 billion total cost (2023 prices); down from GBP 21.8 billion in April 2023."},"happened":["Under UK tax law, operators can claim relief on the cost of decommissioning North Sea oil and gas infrastructure; decommissioning relief deeds date from 2013.","The regulator's central estimate of the total cost was GBP 43 billion in 2023 prices, from 2024. The Exchequer cost, as set out in the NSTA estimates of December 2024 and attributed in the cited sources to HMRC, was GBP 10.8 billion, made up of GBP 5.7 billion in repayments and GBP 5.1 billion in reduced tax take. The earlier estimate was GBP 21.8 billion in April 2023.","In 2019 Environment Analyst, reporting on the National Audit Office, reported that North Sea oil and gas decommissioning would cost the UK government GBP 24 billion."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Decommissioning relief deeds introduced (UK tax law)"},{"y":2019,"t":"NAO estimate reported: GBP 24 billion cost to government (Environment Analyst)"},{"y":2023,"t":"April: Exchequer cost estimate GBP 21.8 billion"},{"y":2024,"t":"December: NSTA estimate of GBP 10.8 billion remaining Exchequer cost"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Regulator's central estimate of total decommissioning cost: GBP 43 billion (2023 prices, from 2024).","src":0},{"t":"Exchequer cost: GBP 10.8 billion (GBP 5.7 billion repayments plus GBP 5.1 billion reduced tax take), down from GBP 21.8 billion in April 2023.","src":0},{"t":"NAO estimate reported in 2019: GBP 24 billion cost to government.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2024 estimate","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Exchequer cost: repayments","amount":5700},{"label":"Exchequer cost: reduced tax take","amount":5100}],"otherTotal":{"amount":10800,"note":"As stated in the cited sources."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological assessment","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources give fiscal figures only."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: relief is typically 30-40% of costs.","Reasons for the fall in the Exchequer estimate from GBP 21.8 billion to GBP 10.8 billion: not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give the UK Exchequer as bearing GBP 10.8 billion through repayments and reduced tax receipts.","statusLine":"As of December 2024: NSTA estimate of GBP 10.8 billion remaining Exchequer cost; no ruling or enforcement found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"nsta","role":"Regulator; published the estimates"},{"id":"hmrc","role":"Tax authority; relief repayments"},{"id":"nao","role":"Auditor; 2019 estimate reported"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":10800,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Remaining Exchequer cost: repayments GBP 5.7bn plus reduced tax take GBP 5.1bn."},{"key":"cost_total","value":43000,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"qualifier":"central estimate","note":"2023 prices."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tax relief for the cost of decommissioning North Sea oil and gas infrastructure.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operators claiming relief","what":"Repayments and reduced tax liability totalling GBP 10.8 billion (Exchequer cost).","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"UK Exchequer","what":"GBP 10.8 billion.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"UK North Sea.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Relief deeds from 2013; estimates 2019-2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Repayments and reduced tax take under UK tax law.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Estimates of the remaining Exchequer cost of decommissioning UK upstream oil and gas infrastructure","p":"North Sea Transition Authority","d":"2024-12","type":"official","u":"https://nstauthority.co.uk/media/x0zj5okf/estimates-of-the-remaining-exchequer-cost-of-decommissioning-uk-upstream-oil-and-gas-infrastructure-december-2024.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510050649/https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/media/x0zj5okf/estimates-of-the-remaining-exchequer-cost-of-decommissioning-uk-upstream-oil-and-gas-infrastructure-december-2024.pdf"},{"t":"North Sea O&G decommissioning to cost UK government GBP 24bn","p":"Environment Analyst (reporting the NAO)","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://environment-analyst.com/brn/74130/north-sea-og-decommissioning-to-cost-uk-government-24bn"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: relief is typically 30-40% of costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reasons for the fall in the Exchequer estimate from GBP 21.8 billion to GBP 10.8 billion: not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"golfrid-siregar-death-and-batang-toru-hydro","title":"Golfrid Siregar death and Batang Toru hydro","dek":"A WALHI lawyer who was litigating against the 510 MW Batang Toru hydropower project in Indonesia was found injured in Medan in October 2019 and died three days later. Police concluded it was a single-vehicle accident; WALHI disputes this.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":1.6,"lon":98.95,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"North Sumatra","lat":1.6,"lon":98.95,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Medan","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":null,"eventDate":"2019-10-03","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Capacity of the hydropower project Siregar was litigating against","value":"510 MW","note":"Financing entry recorded by AidData: $1.25bn."},"happened":["Golfrid Siregar, a lawyer with the Indonesian environmental organisation WALHI, was found injured in Medan on 3 October 2019 and died on 6 October 2019.","He was litigating against the 510 MW Batang Toru hydropower project, run by PT NSHE and built by Sinohydro, and had reported the alleged forgery of a signature on the project's environmental-assessment documents.","On 11 October 2019 North Sumatra police said he had been drinking and died in a single-vehicle motorbike crash, and ruled out any other party. BenarNews reported that three people were named as suspects for allegedly stealing his belongings. WALHI disputes the police conclusion: it says his laptop, wallet, phones and wedding ring were missing and that he did not drink. PT NSHE denies involvement. On 9 February 2020 his widow and WALHI North Sumatra asked Komnas HAM, the national human rights commission, for a full investigation.","The project was financed through a 2017 syndicated loan involving Bank of China, China Eximbank and others. AidData records a $1.25bn entry for the project. The project stands in the only known habitat of the Tapanuli orangutan, according to the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Syndicated loan for the Batang Toru project (Bank of China, China Eximbank and others)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Golfrid Siregar found injured in Medan on 3 October; died 6 October; police conclude single-vehicle accident, WALHI disputes"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Siregar was found injured in Medan on 3 October 2019 and died on 6 October 2019.","src":0},{"t":"Police concluded a single-vehicle accident; WALHI disputes this.","src":0},{"t":"A 2017 syndicated loan for the project is recorded by AidData with a $1.25bn entry.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Habitat","v":"Only known Tapanuli orangutan habitat","d":"The project lies in this habitat according to the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether anyone was responsible for Siregar's death: the police finding of a single-vehicle accident is disputed by WALHI; the only suspects named, per BenarNews, are three people accused of stealing his belongings, and no other finding is on record.","Whether the alleged forgery of the environmental-assessment signature was ever ruled on: no ruling is on record.","Unconfirmed: the project's current construction and lender status after 2024."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources: the police finding of an accident stands and WALHI disputes it; no court ruling on the death or on the alleged forgery is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Indonesian police","says":"Concluded that Siregar was the victim of a single-vehicle accident.","when":"2019","src":0},{"actor":"WALHI","says":"Disputes the police conclusion.","when":"2019","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"walhi","role":"Environmental organisation; Siregar's employer"},{"id":"pt-nshe","role":"Project company, Batang Toru hydropower"},{"id":"sinohydro","role":"Builder"},{"id":"bank-of-china","role":"Lender (2017 syndicated loan)"},{"id":"china-eximbank","role":"Lender (2017 syndicated loan)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What caused Golfrid Siregar's injuries and death?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Indonesian police","says":"Concluded a single-vehicle accident.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WALHI","says":"Disputes the police conclusion.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Golfrid Siregar, died 6 October 2019 after being found injured on 3 October."},{"key":"capacity_mw","value":510,"unit":"MW","year":2019,"note":"Capacity of the Batang Toru hydropower project."},{"key":"claim","value":1250,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"AidData entry","note":"Financing entry for the project recorded by AidData; linked to a 2017 syndicated loan."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A lawyer litigating against a hydropower project was found injured and died; police found an accident, WALHI disputes this.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Golfrid Siregar, WALHI lawyer","what":"Died; cause disputed","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Tapanuli orangutan","what":"The project is in the species' only known habitat","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia; project at Batang Toru.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Found injured 3 October 2019; died 6 October 2019.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Police concluded a single-vehicle accident; WALHI disputes this.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Indonesian activist's death (BenarNews report, 29 October 2019)","p":"BenarNews","d":"2019-10-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/activist-death-10292019164120.html"},{"t":"Project record: Batang Toru hydropower financing","p":"AidData","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://china.aiddata.org/projects/61098"},{"t":"Family seeks justice as probe into Indonesian activist's death stalls","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-02-17","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/indonesia-golfrid-siregar-nshe-medan-hydropower-batang-toru-walhi/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A 510 MW hydropower project stands in the sole known habitat of my Tapanuli orangutans, Mongabay reported.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What caused Golfrid Siregar's injuries and death?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether anyone was responsible for Siregar's death: the police finding of a single-vehicle accident is disputed by WALHI; the only suspects named, per BenarNews, are three people accused of stealing his belongings, and no other finding is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the alleged forgery of the environmental-assessment signature was ever ruled on: no ruling is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the project's current construction and lender status after 2024.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Tapanuli orangutan"]},{"id":"vida-manglar-mangrove-project","title":"Vida Manglar mangrove project","dek":"A blue-carbon project in the Cispata mangroves of Colombia, run with Conservation International, issued 67,000 credits. The developer reports that all were sold and that 92% of proceeds go to local people; no published criticism was found.","country":"Colombia","region":"South America","lat":9.4,"lon":-75.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":"Cispata","lat":9.4,"lon":-75.8,"role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":null,"eventDate":"2021-05","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Share of proceeds Conservation International says goes back to local people","value":"92%","note":"Developer statement; not independently verified."},"happened":["Vida Manglar (Verified Carbon Standard project 2290) is a mangrove carbon project at Cispata, Colombia, run by Conservation International. According to the organisation, it protects 7,500 hectares now and plans 11,000 hectares, and claims about 1 million tonnes of CO2 over 30 years.","Conservation International describes it as the first blue-carbon project under the Verified Carbon Standard to issue credits, in 2021.","A 2023 factsheet from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development lists 67,000 credits issued, all sold. The first round, in May 2021, sold about 20,000 credits at about USD 15. Apple co-funded the project, mostly as a philanthropic donation.","Conservation International says 92% of proceeds go back to local people. The project has 14 association agreements and 11 local staff, and the organisation says it supports casual work for up to 12,000 people.","Developer-reported monitoring for the first period shows unplanned deforestation 69% below the projected baseline, and 242 to 254 hectares restored. The agreements limit wood harvesting."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"First blue-carbon project under the Verified Carbon Standard to issue credits (May 2021: about 20,000 credits sold at about USD 15)"},{"y":2023,"t":"WBCSD factsheet: 67,000 credits issued, all sold"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"92% of proceeds go back to local people; 14 association agreements; 11 local staff; casual work for up to 12,000 people.","who":"Conservation International","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"67,000 credits issued and 100% sold (WBCSD factsheet, 2023).","src":1},{"t":"Unplanned deforestation 69% below the projected baseline in the first monitoring period; 242 to 254 ha restored (developer-reported).","src":0},{"t":"Agreements limit wood harvesting.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Unplanned deforestation vs baseline","v":"-69%","d":"First monitoring period; developer-reported"},{"k":"Area restored","v":"242-254 ha","d":"Developer-reported"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No independent assessment appears in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["No published criticism of the project is on record.","Unconfirmed: all monitoring figures (69% reduction against baseline; 242 to 254 ha restored) are developer-reported.","Total revenue from credit sales: none on record; only the May 2021 first-round volume and price are given."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: no harm is alleged in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources: 67,000 credits issued and reported sold; no published criticism found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Conservation International","says":"92% of proceeds go back to local people.","when":null,"src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Project operator"},{"id":"apple","role":"Co-funder, mostly as a philanthropic donation"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard (Verified Carbon Standard, project 2290)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_sold","value":67000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"Credits issued, reported as 100% sold (WBCSD factsheet, 2023)."},{"key":"credits_sold_first_round","value":20000,"unit":"credits","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"First round, May 2021, at about USD 15 per credit."},{"key":"area_ha","value":7500,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Area protected now, per Conservation International; 11,000 ha planned."},{"key":"deforestation_vs_baseline","value":-69,"unit":"%","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Unplanned deforestation against projected baseline, first monitoring period; developer-reported."},{"key":"area_restored_ha","value":"242-254","unit":"ha","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Developer-reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A mangrove blue-carbon project issuing and selling carbon credits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Local people (association agreements, local staff)","what":"Conservation International says 92% of proceeds go back to local people","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cispata, Colombia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"First credits issued in 2021; 2023 factsheet lists 67,000 credits sold.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Mangrove protection and restoration financed through carbon credits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Credits under the Verified Carbon Standard, with association agreements limiting wood harvesting.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Vida Manglar carbon project","p":"Conservation International","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.conservation.org/projects/vida-manglar-carbon-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811082316/https://www.conservation.org/projects/vida-manglar-carbon-project"},{"t":"Vida Manglar: Natural Climate Solutions in Action (factsheet)","p":"World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)","d":"2023","u":"https://archive.wbcsd.org/download/file/16129","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"67,000 carbon credits were issued in my name for my Cispata mangroves, all sold (WBCSD, 2023); the developer reports deforestation 69% below its projected baseline, with no independent assessment on record.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deforestation vs baseline: Unplanned deforestation against projected baseline, first monitoring period; developer-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area restored ha: Developer-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No published criticism of the project is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: all monitoring figures (69% reduction against baseline; 242 to 254 ha restored) are developer-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Total revenue from credit sales: none on record; only the May 2021 first-round volume and price are given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"dupont-cfc-phase-out-and-ozone-treaty","title":"DuPont CFC phase-out and the ozone treaty","dek":"In February 1988 DuPont declined a request from three US senators to stop making CFCs; in late March 1988 it announced a phase-out. The Montreal Protocol's 2016 Kigali Amendment later regulated HFCs, which do not harm ozone but are potent greenhouse gases.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"role":"event"},{"country":"Rwanda","iso2":"RW","admin":"Kigali","lat":-1.95,"lon":30.06,"role":"event"}],"start":1974,"end":2019,"eventDate":"1988-03","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"DuPont's share of the CFC supply, as reported in 1989","value":"about 25% of world, about 50% of US","note":"Christian Science Monitor, 9 August 1989."},"happened":["In June 1974 Molina and Rowland published in Nature a paper on the chlorine-catalysed destruction of ozone by chlorofluoromethanes. Wide attention followed an American Chemical Society press conference in September 1974.","In February 1988 three US senators asked DuPont to stop making CFCs. On 4 March 1988 DuPont chairman Richard Heckert wrote back refusing, saying the evidence did not yet justify dramatic cuts.","About three weeks later, in late March 1988 and after the findings of the Ozone Trends Panel that month, DuPont announced that it would phase out CFC production as substitutes became available. The announcement set no firm timetable at first. The Christian Science Monitor reported in August 1989 that DuPont supplied about 50% of US CFCs and about 25% of world CFCs.","The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol was agreed at the 28th Meeting of the Parties in Kigali, Rwanda, held 10 to 15 October 2016, and adopted on 15 October 2016. It entered into force on 1 January 2019. It adds 18 HFCs (Annex F) plus HFC-23 to the controlled substances and phases down production and consumption measured in CO2-equivalent: developed countries to 15% of baseline by 2036, with developing countries on later schedules. Overall it cuts HFCs by more than 80% over about 30 years.","HFCs do not harm ozone but are potent greenhouse gases."],"timeline":[{"y":1974,"t":"Molina and Rowland paper on CFC destruction of ozone published in Nature (June)"},{"y":1988,"t":"February: three US senators ask DuPont to stop making CFCs. 4 March: DuPont chairman declines. Late March: DuPont announces phase-out as substitutes become available"},{"y":1989,"t":"Christian Science Monitor reports DuPont supplied about 50% of US and about 25% of world CFCs"},{"y":2016,"t":"Kigali Amendment adopted 15 October"},{"y":2019,"t":"Kigali Amendment enters into force 1 January"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"DuPont chairman Richard Heckert wrote on 4 March 1988 that the evidence did not yet justify dramatic cuts in CFC production.","who":"DuPont","src":0},{"t":"In late March 1988 DuPont announced it would phase out CFC production as substitutes became available.","who":"DuPont","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Molina and Rowland, Nature 249 (5460): 810-812, dated June 1974 by Crossref.","src":4},{"t":"DuPont supplied about 50% of US CFCs and about 25% of world CFCs (Christian Science Monitor, 9 August 1989).","src":1},{"t":"Kigali Amendment: 18 HFCs plus HFC-23 added; developed countries to 15% of baseline by 2036; more than 80% overall cut over about 30 years; in force 1 January 2019.","src":2},{"t":"A DuPont executive described ozone science as \"pure science fiction\" (1974-1975, as reported; no URL for this item in the cited sources).","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"CFC producer response","v":"Declined 4 Mar 1988; phase-out announced late Mar 1988","d":"DuPont supplied about 25% of world CFCs"},{"k":"HFCs under the Kigali Amendment","v":"No ozone harm; potent greenhouse gases","d":"Phase-down: more than 80% over about 30 years"}]},"unknown":["The exact day of DuPont's March 1988 announcement: it is widely dated 24 March 1988, but no primary source was opened to confirm the day.","The announcement set no firm timetable at first.","The exact issue date of Molina and Rowland's paper: Crossref dates it June 1974; 28 June is believed but not confirmed.","Unconfirmed: a DuPont Freon unit executive reportedly said the end of a USD 3 billion CFC market would be replaced by \"enormous market potential\" for substitutes.","Unconfirmed: the dates of the Montreal Protocol (1987) and the expected recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole around 2066."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources: the Kigali Amendment entered into force on 1 January 2019; no litigation is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"DuPont","says":"Chairman Richard Heckert declined the senators' request on 4 March 1988, saying the evidence did not yet justify dramatic cuts; DuPont then announced a phase-out in late March 1988 as substitutes became available.","when":"March 1988","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"dupont","role":"CFC producer"},{"id":"unep","role":"Hosts the Montreal Protocol ozone secretariat"},{"id":"us-senators","role":"Asked DuPont to stop making CFCs (February 1988)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the evidence in early 1988 justify stopping CFC production?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Three US senators","says":"Asked DuPont in February 1988 to stop making CFCs.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"DuPont","says":"On 4 March 1988 its chairman said the evidence did not yet justify dramatic cuts; about three weeks later it announced a phase-out.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"market_share_world_pct","value":25,"unit":"%","year":1989,"qualifier":"about","note":"DuPont's share of world CFC supply, per the Christian Science Monitor."},{"key":"market_share_us_pct","value":50,"unit":"%","year":1989,"qualifier":"about","note":"DuPont's share of US CFC supply, per the Christian Science Monitor."},{"key":"hfc_reduction_pct","value":80,"unit":"%","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Overall HFC cut under the Kigali Amendment over about 30 years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DuPont refused then announced a CFC phase-out in 1988; the Kigali Amendment later regulated HFCs.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (Senate request, DuPont); Kigali, Rwanda (2016 amendment).","src":2},"when":{"t":"February to March 1988; Kigali Amendment 10-15 October 2016, in force 1 January 2019.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Ozone-depletion science from 1974 and the Ozone Trends Panel findings in March 1988 preceded the phase-out announcement.","src":0},"how":{"t":"DuPont announced a phase-out as substitutes became available; Kigali phases HFCs down in CO2-equivalent.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"DuPont and the CFC phase-out, 1988","p":"web.njit.edu","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://web.njit.edu/~lipuma/Ozone/oadd15.htm"},{"t":"DuPont CFC supply share (Christian Science Monitor, 9 August 1989)","p":"Christian Science Monitor","d":"1989-08-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.csmonitor.com/1989/0809/apont.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240716040552/https://www.csmonitor.com/1989/0809/apont.html"},{"t":"Kigali Amendment (2016): Amendment to the Montreal Protocol agreed by the Twenty-Eighth Meeting of the Parties","p":"UNEP Ozone Secretariat","d":"2016-10-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol/amendments/kigali-amendment-2016-amendment-montreal-protocol-agreed","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001072052/https://ozone.unep.org/treaties/montreal-protocol/amendments/kigali-amendment-2016-amendment-montreal-protocol-agreed"},{"t":"Kigali Amendment enters into force, bringing promise of reduced global warming","p":"IISD SDG Knowledge Hub","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://sdg.iisd.org/news/kigali-amendment-enters-into-force-bringing-promise-of-reduced-global-warming/"},{"t":"Molina and Rowland, Stratospheric sink for chlorofluoromethanes (Crossref record)","p":"Crossref","d":"1974-06","type":"academic","u":"https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1038/249810a0"},{"t":"The man who helped alert the world to a looming disaster","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)","d":"2012-03-16","u":"https://eia-international.org/the-man-who-helped-alert-the-world-to-a-looming-disaster/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20160113195239/https://eia-international.org/the-man-who-helped-alert-the-world-to-a-looming-disaster"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 1989 DuPont supplied about 25% of the world's CFCs, which a 1974 study in Nature linked to the breakdown of my ozone.","src":[1,4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the evidence in early 1988 justify stopping CFC production?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact day of DuPont's March 1988 announcement: it is widely dated 24 March 1988, but no primary source was opened to confirm the day.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The announcement set no firm timetable at first.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact issue date of Molina and Rowland's paper: Crossref dates it June 1974; 28 June is believed but not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a DuPont Freon unit executive reportedly said the end of a USD 3 billion CFC market would be replaced by \"enormous market potential\" for substitutes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the dates of the Montreal Protocol (1987) and the expected recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole around 2066.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"philippines-activists-castro-and-tamano-disappearance","title":"Philippines activists Castro and Tamano disappearance","dek":"Two activists who opposed land reclamation in Manila Bay were abducted in Bataan in September 2023. The Supreme Court granted them protection writs and found elements of enforced disappearance.","country":"Philippines","region":"Asia","lat":14.62,"lon":120.57,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Orion, Bataan","lat":14.62,"lon":120.57,"role":"event"},{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Manila Bay","lat":14.5,"lon":120.85,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Manila","lat":14.58,"lon":120.98,"role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-09-02","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Supreme Court finding","value":"Elements of enforced disappearance","note":"Writs of amparo and habeas data granted; ruling dated 24 October 2023, released 15 February 2024."},"happened":["Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano, members of AKAP KA Manila Bay, were anti-reclamation advocates in Manila Bay. They were abducted on 2 September 2023 in Orion, Bataan.","On 19 September 2023, at a press conference organised by the NTF-ELCAC in Plaridel, Bulacan, the two were presented as having surrendered. At that event they said they had been abducted and forced to sign affidavits; Lt. Col. Ronnel Dela Cruz of the army's 70th Infantry Battalion said at the same event that they had surrendered.","On 24 October 2023 the Supreme Court (G.R. No. 269249) issued writs of amparo and habeas data, returnable to the Court of Appeals, and a temporary protection order, and found that the elements of enforced disappearance were present. The decision was released on 15 February 2024. On 2 August 2024 the Court of Appeals denied the privilege of the writs (CA-G.R. SP No. 00073); the activists appealed to the Supreme Court (G.R. No. 276602), which had not decided the merits in the cited sources. In a resolution dated 6 May 2025, reported on 10 December 2025, the Supreme Court denied a motion by the government respondents and affirmed the temporary protection order.","In May 2022 the Dutch export credit agency Atradius DSB had given the dredging company Boskalis €1.5bn of insurance cover for San Miguel's airport reclamation in Manila Bay, according to a Both ENDS press release.","On 10 August 2023 the environment department said all 22 Manila Bay reclamation projects under review were suspended. In February 2024 the Philippine Reclamation Authority said it expected two of them to resume."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"May: Atradius DSB gives Boskalis €1.5bn of insurance cover for San Miguel's airport reclamation"},{"y":2023,"t":"10 August: all Manila Bay reclamation projects reported suspended; 2 September: Castro and Tamano abducted in Orion, Bataan; 19 September: presented at an NTF-ELCAC press conference, where they say they were abducted; 24 October: Supreme Court issues amparo and habeas data writs and a temporary protection order"},{"y":2024,"t":"15 February: Supreme Court decision released; Philippine Reclamation Authority expects two suspended projects to resume; 2 August: Court of Appeals denies the privilege of the writs"},{"y":2025,"t":"6 May: Supreme Court resolution affirms the temporary protection order (reported 10 December)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The two activists were presented as surrenderers at an army event.","who":"The army","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Supreme Court granted writs of amparo and habeas data plus a protection order and found elements of enforced disappearance.","src":0},{"t":"The protection order was reported upheld in December 2025.","src":1},{"t":"Atradius DSB gave Boskalis €1.5bn of insurance cover in May 2022 for San Miguel's airport reclamation.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reclamation projects suspended","v":"22","d":"Environment department, August 2023; 2 allowed to resume in November"},{"k":"Small-fisher income","v":"Down 80–90%","d":"Claim by a fishers' organisation, as reported by the Inquirer; not independently verified"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources do not include one"}]},"unknown":["The Court of Appeals denied the privilege of the writs on 2 August 2024; the Supreme Court consolidated the appeal (G.R. No. 276602) with G.R. No. 269249 and had not decided its merits in the cited sources.","The cited sources give two framings of the Supreme Court decision date: a decision dated 24 October 2023 and an announcement in February 2024.","Unconfirmed: the exact wording of the activists' statement at the army event that they had been abducted."],"evidence":["court-ruling","review"],"harmStopped":"Reclamation projects were suspended in August 2023, before the abduction on 2 September 2023. Two were allowed to resume in November 2023.","whoPaid":"The two activists, who were abducted. The record also states that small-scale fishers' groups reported income losses from Manila Bay reclamation.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: the Supreme Court affirmed the protection order in a resolution of 6 May 2025 (reported December 2025); the appeal against the Court of Appeals' denial of the writs was undecided in the cited sources; the sources show no criminal ruling.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Supreme Court of the Philippines","says":"Issued writs of amparo and habeas data and a temporary protection order; found elements of enforced disappearance.","when":"24 October 2023 (released 15 February 2024)","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"ph-supreme-court","role":"Court that granted the writs"},{"id":"akap-ka-manila-bay","role":"Activist group of the two abducted advocates"},{"id":"boskalis","role":"Dredging contractor"},{"id":"atradius-dsb","role":"Dutch export credit agency; insurer of Boskalis"},{"id":"ph-army","role":"Presented the two as surrenderers"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How did the two activists come to be in army custody?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"The army","says":"Presented the two as surrenderers.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Castro and Tamano","says":"At the army event they said they had been abducted.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of the Philippines","says":"Granted writs of amparo and habeas data and a protection order, finding elements of enforced disappearance.","src":0}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did Manila Bay reclamation harm the bay's fishers?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"A fishers' organisation","says":"Dredging in Cavite continued after the suspension of Manila Bay reclamation; the organisation said small fishers' income fell by 80–90%.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment department","says":"Suspended all Manila Bay reclamation projects in August 2023 (22 projects), with 2 allowed to resume in November.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Petition for writs of amparo and habeas data (G.R. No. 269249)","forum":"Supreme Court of the Philippines","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","kind":"civil","claimant":"Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano","defendant":"Lt. Col. Ronnel B. Dela Cruz and members of the 70th Infantry Battalion, the Philippine National Police in Bataan, the National Security Council and the NTF-ELCAC","filed":null,"decided":"2023-10-24 (released 2024-02-15)","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Court issued writs of amparo and habeas data, returnable to the Court of Appeals, and a temporary protection order, and found the elements of enforced disappearance present. The Court of Appeals denied the privilege of the writs on 2 August 2024; the appeal (G.R. No. 276602) was consolidated with this case. On 6 May 2025 the Court affirmed the protection order.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Atradius DSB (Dutch export credit agency)","insured":"Boskalis","status":"unknown","year":2022,"amount":{"value":1500,"currency":"EUR","label":"Insurance cover"},"summary":"Atradius DSB gave Boskalis €1.5bn of insurance cover in May 2022 for San Miguel's airport reclamation, according to a Both ENDS press release. No claim is recorded.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurance_cover","value":1500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"Atradius DSB cover to Boskalis, May 2022."},{"key":"reclamation_projects_suspended","value":22,"unit":"projects","year":2023,"note":"Suspended August 2023; 2 allowed to resume in November."},{"key":"small_fisher_income_drop_pct","value":"80–90","unit":"%","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Claim by a fishers' organisation reported by the Inquirer."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two anti-reclamation advocates were abducted; the Supreme Court found elements of enforced disappearance.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Boskalis","what":"Dredging work covered by €1.5bn of Atradius DSB insurance for San Miguel's airport reclamation.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Castro and Tamano","what":"Abducted on 2 September 2023.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Small-scale fishers (as stated by a fishers' organisation)","what":"Reported income falls of 80–90%; not independently verified.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Orion, Bataan, and Manila Bay, Philippines; ruling by the Supreme Court in Manila.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Abduction on 2 September 2023; decision dated 24 October 2023, released 15 February 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The two opposed land reclamation in Manila Bay. UN Special Rapporteur Ian Fry said in November 2023 that the anti-communist task force NTF-ELCAC was using its powers to \"protect key economic interests\"; the Philippine government rejected his call to abolish the task force.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The two were presented as surrenderers; they said they had been abducted. The Court issued amparo and habeas data writs and a protection order.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Supreme Court decision, G.R. No. 269249 (24 October 2023)","p":"Supreme Court of the Philippines (via Lawphil)","d":"2023-10-24","type":"court","u":"https://lawphil.net/judjuris/juri2023/oct2023/pdf/gr_269249_2023.pdf"},{"t":"SC upholds protection order for eco advocates","p":"Daily Tribune","d":"2025-12-10","type":"press","u":"https://tribune.net.ph/2025/12/10/sc-upholds-protection-order-for-eco-advocates"},{"t":"Supreme Court of the Philippines statement on the ruling","p":"Supreme Court of the Philippines","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/sc-grants-writs-of-amparo-habeas-data-in-favor-of-environmental-advocates/"},{"t":"Award of export support for controversial project in Manila undermines the Netherlands' environmental and CSR ambitions","p":"Both ENDS","d":"2022-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bothends.org/en/Whats-new/Press/Award-of-export-support-for-controversial-project-in-Manilla-undermines-the-Netherlands-environmental-and-CSR-ambitions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421231739/https://www.bothends.org/en/Whats-new/Press/Award-of-export-support-for-controversial-project-in-Manilla-undermines-the-Netherlands-environmental-and-CSR-ambitions/"},{"t":"All Manila Bay reclamation projects suspended: DENR","p":"ABS-CBN News (citing PNA)","d":"2023-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/10/23/all-manila-bay-reclamation-projects-suspended-denr"},{"t":"On World Fisheries Day, groups protest reclamation projects in Manila Bay","p":"Philippine Daily Inquirer","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1863256/on-world-fisheries-day-groups-protest-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240229072606/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1863256/on-world-fisheries-day-groups-protest-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay"},{"t":"2 Manila Bay reclamation projects expected to resume soon","p":"ABS-CBN News","d":"2024-02-28","type":"press","u":"https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/2/28/2-manila-bay-reclamation-projects-expected-to-resume-soon-2057"},{"t":"G.R. No. 269249 and G.R. No. 276602: Supreme Court resolution of 6 May 2025","p":"Chan Robles (Philippine Supreme Court decisions)","d":"2025-05-06","u":"https://chanrobles.com/cralaw/2025maydecisions.php?id=411","type":"court"},{"t":"UN expert calls on Philippines to abolish anti-communist task force","p":"BenarNews","d":"2023-11-15","u":"https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/task-force-11152023132149.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In August 2023 the environment department suspended 22 reclamation projects in my Manila Bay; 2 were allowed to resume in November.","src":[4,6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did Manila Bay reclamation harm the bay's fishers?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How did the two activists come to be in army custody?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Atradius DSB (Dutch export credit agency): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Small fisher income drop pct: Claim by a fishers' organisation reported by the Inquirer.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Court of Appeals denied the privilege of the writs on 2 August 2024; the Supreme Court consolidated the appeal (G.R. No. 276602) with G.R. No. 269249 and had not decided its merits in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give two framings of the Supreme Court decision date: a decision dated 24 October 2023 and an announcement in February 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the exact wording of the activists' statement at the army event that they had been abducted.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"wwf-nepal-chitwan-ranger-death","title":"WWF Nepal Chitwan ranger death (Shikharam Chaudhary)","dek":"A farmer died in 2006 after being held in the park jail at Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Three park officials were charged with murder; the government withdrew the case in 2007.","country":"Nepal","region":"Asia","lat":27.5,"lon":84.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":"Chitwan National Park","lat":27.5,"lon":84.35,"role":"event"}],"start":2006,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2006-06","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Park officials charged with murder","value":"3 charged; case withdrawn March 2007","note":"Per BuzzFeed News, 4 March 2019."},"happened":["In June 2006, rangers at Chitwan National Park in Nepal held the farmer Shikharam Chaudhary in the park jail. They suspected he had helped his son hide a rhino horn. According to BuzzFeed News he died in hospital nine days after his wife visited him in the jail; The Kathmandu Post says he died nine days after his arrest. One secondary account says he was taken to hospital after a week and died two days later.","An autopsy found 7 broken ribs and \"blue marks and bruises\". Police arrested three park officials, Tikaram Adhikari (then chief warden), Kamal Jung Kunwar and Ritesh Basnet, and charged them with murder.","According to BuzzFeed News, WWF staff in Nepal lobbied for the charges to be dropped. The government withdrew the case in March 2007, and WWF called this a victory. WWF Nepal's president welcomed the decision. One of the charged men, Ritesh Basnet, was later hired by WWF Nepal; he told BuzzFeed News he was innocent. In 2014 WWF gave a Leaders for a Living Planet award to Chitwan National Park, presented to Kamal Jung Kunwar, also charged in 2006 and by then chief warden. His memoir describes waterboarding; he told BuzzFeed News he was not involved in Chaudhary's death.","BuzzFeed News also reported that WWF ran informant networks. Its March 2019 investigation covered rangers supported by WWF in several countries.","In November 2020 a panel chaired by Navi Pillay, appointed by WWF, reported on the organisation's handling of human-rights complaints."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"June: Shikharam Chaudhary held in the park jail at Chitwan; dies in hospital; autopsy finds 7 broken ribs; three park officials charged with murder"},{"y":2007,"t":"March: government withdraws the case; WWF calls this a victory (per BuzzFeed News)"},{"y":2014,"t":"WWF gives Chitwan National Park a Leaders for a Living Planet award, presented to Kamal Jung Kunwar, one of those charged in 2006 (as reported by BuzzFeed News)"},{"y":2019,"t":"4 March: BuzzFeed News publishes \"WWF's Secret War\""},{"y":2020,"t":"July: a Chepang youth dies after being beaten; WWF suspends funding for Chitwan ranger training and field equipment (per the Pillay panel report); 24 November: Pillay panel reports"}],"said":[{"q":"blue marks and bruises","who":"Autopsy, as quoted by BuzzFeed News","when":"June 2006 (reported March 2019)","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"WWF called the withdrawal of the murder case a victory.","who":"WWF, as reported by BuzzFeed News","src":0},{"t":"A charged ranger received a WWF anti-poaching award.","who":"WWF, as reported by BuzzFeed News","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The autopsy found 7 broken ribs and \"blue marks and bruises\".","src":0},{"t":"Three park officials, including the chief warden, were charged with murder.","src":0},{"t":"The government withdrew the case in March 2007.","src":0},{"t":"Charged ranger Ritesh Basnet was later hired by WWF Nepal.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Murder charges","v":"Withdrawn","d":"Government, March 2007; three officials had been charged"},{"k":"Autopsy finding","v":"7 broken ribs","d":"As reported by BuzzFeed News"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not applicable","d":"The record concerns a death in custody, not a measured ecological outcome"}]},"unknown":["How long Chaudhary was held before he died: the main account says about nine days; one secondary account says he was taken to hospital after a week and died two days later.","Unconfirmed: a November 2020 panel chaired by Navi Pillay found no evidence that WWF staff directed abuse, but found that implementation of human-rights obligations was inadequate, weakest in the Congo Basin.","Unconfirmed: WWF said it accepted the panel's recommendations.","How the Pillay panel report treated the Chitwan case is not on record.","Who laid the murder charges and in which court is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say that the practice at issue stopped. In July 2020, after a separate death at Chitwan, WWF suspended funding for ranger training and field equipment, according to the Pillay panel report.","whoPaid":"Shikharam Chaudhary, who died in custody. The cited sources record no conviction.","statusLine":"As of November 2020 (latest dated item): the murder case was withdrawn in March 2007; no conviction found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"WWF","says":"Called the government's withdrawal of the case a victory.","when":"March 2007 (reported March 2019)","src":0},{"actor":"WWF Nepal","says":"Was not aware of most alleged abuses from 2006 to 2016 and treated them as a government matter; suspended funding for Chitwan ranger training and field equipment in July 2020.","when":"2020, as stated in the Pillay panel report","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Conservation NGO; funder and supporter of ranger units"},{"id":"wwf-nepal","role":"National WWF office; reported to have lobbied for the charges to be dropped and later hired a charged ranger"},{"id":"nepal-government","role":"Withdrew the murder case in March 2007"},{"id":"chitwan-national-park","role":"Park authority whose rangers held Chaudhary"},{"id":"buzzfeed-news","role":"Published the 2019 investigation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why were the murder charges dropped?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"BuzzFeed News","says":"WWF Nepal lobbied for the charges to be dropped; the government withdrew the case in March 2007 and WWF called this a victory.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"WWF Nepal (as stated in the Pillay panel report)","says":"Was not aware of most alleged abuses from 2006 to 2016 and treated them as a government matter.","src":null}]},{"point":"How long did Chaudhary spend in custody before he died?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"BuzzFeed News","says":"He died about nine days after being held in the park jail.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"A secondary account","says":"He was taken to hospital after a week and died two days later.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Murder charges against three park officials","forum":"None on record","country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State","defendant":"Tikaram Adhikari (then chief warden), Kamal Jung Kunwar and Ritesh Basnet (charged with murder)","filed":"2006","decided":"2007-03","status":"dismissed","summary":"Three park officials were charged with murder after Chaudhary's death. The government withdrew the case in March 2007.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"ribs_broken","value":7,"unit":"ribs","year":2006,"note":"Autopsy finding, as reported by BuzzFeed News."},{"key":"officials_charged","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2006,"note":"Park officials, including the chief warden, charged with murder."},{"key":"days_in_custody_before_death","value":9,"unit":"days","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"One secondary account says he was taken to hospital after a week and died two days later."},{"key":"revenue","value":767,"unit":"EUR m","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Donations raised by WWF in 2017, global figure."},{"key":"spend_chitwan","value":3,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"WWF spending in the Chitwan area, 2009–10."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A farmer died after being held in the park jail at Chitwan; three park officials were charged with murder and the case was withdrawn.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Charged park officials","what":"The government withdrew the murder case in March 2007.","src":0},{"who":"WWF","what":"Raised more than €767m in donations in 2017 and spent about $3m in the Chitwan area in 2009–10 (global figures).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Shikharam Chaudhary","what":"Died after being held in the park jail.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Shikharam Chaudhary","what":"The autopsy found 7 broken ribs and \"blue marks and bruises\".","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Chitwan National Park, Nepal.","src":0},"when":{"t":"June 2006; charges withdrawn March 2007; BuzzFeed News report of 4 March 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Rangers suspected Chaudhary of helping his son hide a rhino horn.","src":0},"how":{"t":"He was held in the park jail and died in hospital; accounts differ on the interval from his arrest or his wife's visit; the autopsy found 7 broken ribs.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"WWF's Secret War (Tom Warren and Katie Baker, with the Kathmandu Post)","p":"BuzzFeed News","d":"2019-03-04","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/wwf-world-wide-fund-nature-parks-torture-death"},{"t":"Transcript of NPR report on the BuzzFeed News investigation","p":"NPR","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.npr.org/transcripts/706295327"},{"t":"WWF scandal, part 10: BuzzFeed News (summary of the BuzzFeed investigation)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2019-03-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/wwf-scandal-part-10-buzzfeed-news"},{"t":"A new film celebrates a park official, and the torture and abuse of detainees","p":"The Kathmandu Post","d":"2019-03-13","u":"https://kathmandupost.com/movie-review/2019/03/13/a-new-film-celebrates-a-park-officialand-the-torture-and-abuse-of-detainees","type":"press"},{"t":"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action (Independent Panel report, Chapter 8: Chitwan National Park)","p":"WWF Independent Panel of Experts","d":"2020-11","u":"https://wwfasia.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/independent_panel_report___embedding_human_rights_in_conservation.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["wwf-supported-ecoguards-in-cameroon-and-car","messok-dja-ecoguard-abuses","wwf-independent-review-and-us-funding-suspension"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why were the murder charges dropped?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How long did Chaudhary spend in custody before he died?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How long Chaudhary was held before he died: the main account says about nine days; one secondary account says he was taken to hospital after a week and died two days later.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a November 2020 panel chaired by Navi Pillay found no evidence that WWF staff directed abuse, but found that implementation of human-rights obligations was inadequate, weakest in the Congo Basin.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF said it accepted the panel's recommendations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the Pillay panel report treated the Chitwan case is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who laid the murder charges and in which court is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: WWF"]},{"id":"uzbek-cotton-boycott-ends-forced-labour","title":"Uzbek cotton boycott ends forced labour","dek":"A global boycott of Uzbek cotton was lifted in March 2022 after the ILO reported that the state-organised harvest mobilisation had ended. Later monitoring reports recorded continuing local coercion, pressure on farmers, and land and purchasing control concentrated in private cotton clusters.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-03-01","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Share of cotton pickers counted as forced labour by ILO monitoring","value":"about 4% (2020 harvest) to about 1% (2021 harvest)","note":"Figures from ILO monitoring; the ILO measured pickers, not farmers."},"happened":["For years the Uzbek state mobilised about 2 million people a year (children, teachers, doctors and students) to pick cotton, according to ILO and Cotton Campaign material. An international boycott campaign against Uzbek cotton ran for roughly a decade. The ILO's monitoring of the 2020 harvest counted about 4% of pickers as forced; for the 2021 harvest, on the basis of 11,000 interviews, it reported that 99% of pickers were voluntary and coercion had fallen to about 1%.","On 1 March 2022 the ILO announced that Uzbek cotton was free from systemic child labour and forced labour. On 10 March 2022 the Cotton Campaign ended its call for a global boycott and 331 brands withdrew their boycott pledge, while stating that local coercion continued and that monitoring groups could not register. Third-party monitoring ended in May 2022. The US Department of Labor lifted its restrictions on Uzbek cotton on 29 September 2022, according to Kun.uz.","The ILO did not define 'systemic', and its measurement covered pickers rather than farmers. Its 2024 presentation gave a number of complaints (283, of which 35 were open) rather than a percentage. Critics Lasslett and Gstrein had earlier objected to interviews held under supervision, and the ILO defended its methods. The Uzbek Forum and the Cotton Campaign reported local forced labour for each following year: district targets, empty contracts, land seizure and police violence in 2022; collection of money from public employees in 23 districts in 2023; extra contracts that lowered the price mid-season in 2024; and a daily 4% target, sanctions on district heads and bank and library staff in the fields in 2025. The Ministry confirmed forced labour itself in 2025, punishing 8 officials for 74 violations (Anhor.uz). In February 2026 Human Rights Watch and the Uzbek Forum published a report that applied the ILO's forced-labour indicators to farmers for the first time, recording quotas, planting orders, threats to take land, beatings and detention.","Land and purchasing in the sector passed to 'clusters', private cotton-textile companies that hold land and a regional buying monopoly. Clusters took 73% of the harvest in 2019; there were 96 clusters on 907,783 ha in 2021 and 134 on more than 1 million ha in 2022. A peer-reviewed assessment found that the buying monopoly continued, that farmers had no alternative outlet and that change was 'at best moderate'. A presidential adviser told clusters in October 2023 to collect farmers' cotton without asking them. Indorama Agro, farming 54,000 ha, took loans of USD 60 million from the IFC, USD 70 million from the EBRD and USD 15 million from the ADB, and repaid early in January 2025, ending its safeguard obligations.","The record also lists costs and rewards. Clusters lost 6 trillion som in 2022 and received two relief packages of 3 trillion som each; a penalty write-off of 377 billion som followed in 2025, and the sector's bank debt stood at USD 2.2 billion. The farm-gate price fell from about 8,000 to about 6,000 som per kg in 2024, and about 30,000 farmers were underpaid for 2022 cotton. On the other side, the EU granted a trade preference worth EUR 28 million in customs savings in 2022, the World Bank approved USD 800 million in October 2025, and the ILO described Uzbekistan as a 'role model' in July 2024. At least 21 people died in Karakalpakstan in July 2022; Human Rights Watch reported in July 2025 that victims were still awaiting justice, and the EU partnership agreement was initialled days after the events."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Clusters take 73% of the cotton harvest (RFE/RL)"},{"y":2020,"t":"ILO monitoring counts about 4% of pickers as forced"},{"y":2021,"t":"ILO monitoring of the harvest (11,000 interviews): about 1% coercion; 96 clusters on 907,783 ha; EU trade preference granted in April; IFC invests in Indorama Agro (May)"},{"y":2022,"t":"ILO declares Uzbek cotton free from systemic child labour and forced labour (1 Mar); Cotton Campaign ends boycott call (10 Mar); third-party monitoring ends (May); at least 21 die in Karakalpakstan (Jul); US Department of Labor lifts restrictions (29 Sep); 134 clusters on more than 1 million ha"},{"y":2023,"t":"Uzbek Forum reports collection from public employees in 23 districts; presidential adviser tells clusters to collect cotton without asking farmers (Oct)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Farm-gate price falls to about 6,000 som/kg; ILO presents 2024 monitoring with 283 complaints, 35 open"},{"y":2025,"t":"Indorama Agro repays loans early (Jan); Ministry punishes 8 officials for 74 violations; World Bank approves USD 800 million (Oct)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Human Rights Watch and Uzbek Forum report on abuse of cotton and wheat farmers (16 Feb)"}],"said":[{"q":"Uzbek cotton is free from systemic child labour and forced labour","who":"ILO news item title","when":"1 March 2022","src":0},{"q":"Cotton Campaign Ends its Call for a Global Boycott","who":"Cotton Campaign news item title","when":"10 March 2022","src":1},{"q":"Lifting of the boycott will create millions of new jobs","who":"Narbaeva, official statement (title of the statement)","when":"11 June 2022","src":14},{"q":"Farmers Have No Freedom","who":"Human Rights Watch and Uzbek Forum report title","when":"16 February 2026","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"Uzbek cotton free from systemic child labour and forced labour","who":"ILO, 1 March 2022","src":0},{"t":"The boycott ended; lifting it would create millions of new jobs","who":"Narbaeva, official statement, 11 June 2022","src":null},{"t":"Uzbekistan described as a 'role model'; freedom of association and farmers not mentioned in the announcement","who":"ILO announcement of a new programme with Uzbekistan, 16 July 2024","src":8},{"t":"Textile employment up from 188,000 (2018) to about 600,000 (2024)","who":"World Bank, May 2025","src":null},{"t":"Uzbekistan made an approved sourcing country for factories registered with Better Work","who":"Disney, as reported by the ILO, June 2024","src":9}],"recorded":[{"t":"ILO monitoring measured pickers only, not farmers; it did not define 'systemic'; third-party monitoring ended in May 2022","src":0},{"t":"ILO's 2024 harvest presentation gave no percentage: 283 complaints, 35 open","src":5},{"t":"Uzbek Forum and Cotton Campaign recorded local forced labour in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025","src":3},{"t":"The Ministry itself confirmed forced labour in 2025: 8 officials punished, 74 violations","src":15},{"t":"Human Rights Watch and the Uzbek Forum applied ILO forced-labour indicators to farmers for the first time in 2026: quotas, planting orders, threats to take land, beatings, detention without trial; land lease terms cut from 49 to 30 years","src":7},{"t":"Clusters: 73% of the harvest in 2019; 96 clusters on 907,783 ha in 2021; 134 on more than 1 million ha in 2022","src":11},{"t":"A presidential adviser gave clusters authority to collect farmers' cotton without asking them (October 2023)","src":12},{"t":"The EU trade preference was granted in April 2021, when ILO monitoring for the 2020 harvest still counted about 4% forced labour","src":16},{"t":"Independent cooperatives were closed; silk cocoons remain on the US forced-labour list","src":17},{"t":"Textile exports were USD 3.2 billion in 2022 and USD 2.5-2.6 billion in 2025; official sources differ and the Presidency reports an increase on 2024; the main buyer is Russia","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Pickers counted as forced (ILO monitoring)","v":"about 4% to about 1%","d":"2020 harvest to 2021 harvest; pickers only, farmers not measured"},{"k":"Cotton clusters","v":"96 to 134","d":"2021 to 2022; 907,783 ha to more than 1 million ha"},{"k":"Third-party monitoring","v":"Ended May 2022","d":"Later figures come from complaint counts and civil-society reports"}]},"unknown":["The ILO did not define 'systemic' forced labour and did not measure farmers; third-party monitoring ended in May 2022, so no equivalent independent measurement of later harvests is on record.","The 2024 ILO presentation gave a count of complaints, not a percentage of pickers affected.","Official sources give different textile export figures for 2022-2025.","Unconfirmed: that Senator Murtazo Rakhmatov, who founded the first cluster, was appointed head of the cluster association in December 2020 (Kun.uz, secondary report only); that 22,400 ha were transferred 'overnight' from 475 farmers to his company's cluster (Uzbek Forum).","Unconfirmed: that the number of forced pickers in 2023 was increased by collection from public employees in 23 districts (Ecotextile, secondary report of an Uzbek Forum report)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The state-organised mobilisation of about 2 million pickers ended and ILO monitoring counted about 1% coercion in the 2021 harvest. Third-party monitoring ended in May 2022; later reports record local coercion, pressure on farmers and loss-making clusters supported by state banks.","whoPaid":"Farmers, whose price fell and who reported quotas, land threats and detention; state banks and taxpayers, who carried cluster losses of 6 trillion som in 2022 and relief and write-offs; and, per HRW, the victims in Karakalpakstan.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: HRW and the Uzbek Forum published a report recording coercion of cotton and wheat farmers; the boycott has not been reinstated in the cited sources.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"ilo","says":"Declared Uzbek cotton free from systemic child labour and forced labour; defended its reporting methods against criticism of its interview approach.","when":"March 2022; 2018","src":0},{"actor":"uzbekistan-gov","says":"An official statement said lifting the boycott would create millions of new jobs; the Ministry confirmed forced labour in 2025 and punished 8 officials for 74 violations.","when":"June 2022; 2025","src":null},{"actor":"ifc","says":"Announced an investment in Indorama Agro 'to promote sustainable cotton' (title of its release).","when":"May 2021","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"ilo","role":"Monitor of the cotton harvest"},{"id":"cotton-campaign","role":"Boycott coalition"},{"id":"uzbek-forum","role":"Independent monitor, critic"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Human rights investigator"},{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"Government"},{"id":"indorama-agro","role":"Cotton cluster operator, borrower"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Lender to Indorama Agro (USD 60 million)"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender to Indorama Agro (USD 70 million)"},{"id":"adb","role":"Lender to Indorama Agro (USD 15 million)"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Lender (USD 800 million, October 2025)"},{"id":"eu","role":"Trade partner (trade preference)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the boycott end forced labour in Uzbek cotton?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"ILO","says":"Uzbek cotton is free from systemic child labour and forced labour; 11,000 interviews in 2021; about 1% coercion.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Cotton Campaign","says":"Ended its call for a global boycott; stated that local coercion continues and monitoring groups cannot register.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Uzbek Forum","says":"Independent monitoring shows human rights risks remain (November 2022); local forced labour recorded in 2022-2025.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Uzbek Ministry","says":"Confirmed forced labour itself in 2025: 8 officials punished, 74 violations (Anhor.uz).","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Lasslett and Gstrein, criticising the ILO method","says":"Interviews held under supervision raise problems of consent and confidentiality; the ILO defended its reporting methods.","src":6}]},{"point":"Did the end of the boycott benefit Uzbek farmers?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Narbaeva, official statement","says":"Lifting the boycott will create millions of new jobs.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch and Uzbek Forum","says":"Farmers Have No Freedom: quotas, threats to land, beatings and detention; lease terms cut to 30 years.","src":7},{"voice":"research","holder":"Peer-reviewed study (Babadjanov and Petrick)","says":"The buying monopoly continues, farmers have no alternative sales channel and change is at best moderate.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Presidential adviser, as reported by Kun.uz","says":"Gave clusters authority to collect farmers' cotton without asking them (October 2023).","src":12}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":2000000,"unit":"people per year","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Annual state-organised mobilisation of children, teachers, doctors and students, now ended (ILO and Cotton Campaign material)."},{"key":"forced_labour_share_2020","value":4,"unit":"% of pickers","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"ILO monitoring, 2020 harvest."},{"key":"forced_labour_share_2021","value":1,"unit":"% of pickers","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"ILO monitoring, 2021 harvest; 11,000 interviews; 99% reported as voluntary."},{"key":"brands_lifting_pledge","value":331,"unit":"brands","year":2022,"note":"Brands that lifted their boycott pledge."},{"key":"complaints_2024_harvest","value":283,"unit":"complaints","year":2024,"note":"35 open (ILO 2025 presentation)."},{"key":"officials_punished","value":8,"unit":"officials","year":2025,"note":"74 violations recorded (Ministry, via Anhor.uz)."},{"key":"cluster_harvest_share","value":73,"unit":"% of harvest","year":2019,"note":"RFE/RL."},{"key":"clusters","value":134,"unit":"clusters","year":2022,"note":"On more than 1 million ha (Kun.uz); 96 clusters on 907,783 ha in 2021."},{"key":"area_ha","value":54000,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Indorama Agro."},{"key":"loan_ifc","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"To Indorama Agro; EBRD USD 70 m, ADB USD 15 m."},{"key":"price_per_kg_2024","value":6000,"unit":"som/kg","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Down from about 8,000 som/kg."},{"key":"farmers_underpaid","value":30000,"unit":"farmers","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Underpaid for the 2022 cotton."},{"key":"cluster_losses","value":6,"unit":"trillion som","year":2022,"note":"Clusters' losses; two relief packages of 3 trillion som each; 377 billion som penalty write-off in 2025; sector bank debt USD 2.2 billion."},{"key":"deaths","value":21,"unit":"people","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Karakalpakstan, July 2022 (Human Rights Watch)."},{"key":"customs_savings","value":28,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"EU trade preference."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A decade-long global boycott of Uzbek cotton ended in March 2022 after the ILO reported that the state-organised harvest mobilisation had ended; later reports record continued local coercion and pressure on farmers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cluster owners","what":"Land without tender and a regional buying monopoly; 73% of the harvest in 2019 (RFE/RL).","src":null},{"who":"Indorama Agro","what":"54,000 ha; loans of USD 60 m (IFC), USD 70 m (EBRD), USD 15 m (ADB); repaid early in January 2025, ending its safeguard obligations.","src":null},{"who":"Uzbek central government","what":"Removal from the US list, EU trade preference, EU enhanced partnership agreement, USD 800 m from the World Bank, 'role model' from the ILO.","src":8},{"who":"Foreign buyers","what":"A Korean trading firm's Uzbek unit reported net profit rising from 4.9 billion to 37 billion won after the Xinjiang ban (Chosun Biz via BHRRC); Disney made Uzbekistan an approved source country.","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"Price fell from about 8,000 to about 6,000 som/kg in 2024; about 30,000 underpaid for 2022 cotton.","src":null},{"who":"Taxpayers and state banks","what":"Cluster losses of 6 trillion som in 2022; 3 + 3 trillion som relief; 377 billion som penalty write-off; USD 2.2 billion bank debt.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers and cotton workers","what":"Quotas, planting orders, threats to take land, beatings and detention (HRW and Uzbek Forum, 2026); local forced labour recorded each year 2022-2025.","src":7},{"who":"People in Karakalpakstan","what":"At least 21 died in July 2022; victims awaited justice in July 2025 (HRW).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Uzbekistan: cotton districts; Karakalpakstan for the July 2022 deaths.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Boycott lifted March 2022; monitoring reports 2020-2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The ILO reported that systemic forced labour in the harvest had ended and the Cotton Campaign ended the boycott call on that basis; the Cotton Campaign said local coercion continued.","src":1},"how":{"t":"ILO monitoring (11,000 interviews in 2021) of pickers; the end of the central mobilisation; land and purchasing handed to clusters; trade preferences and loans followed.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Uzbek cotton is free from systemic child labour and forced labour","p":"ILO","d":"2022-03-01","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_838396/lang--en/index.htm"},{"t":"Cotton Campaign Ends its Call for a Global Boycott","p":"Cotton Campaign","d":"2022-03-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://cottoncampaign.org/news/cotton-campaign-ends-its-call-for-a-global-boycott-of-cotton-from-uzbekistan","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260604171443/https://www.cottoncampaign.org/news/cotton-campaign-ends-its-call-for-a-global-boycott-of-cotton-from-uzbekistan"},{"t":"Joint Statement on Ending the Call for a Global Boycott","p":"Cotton Campaign and Government of Uzbekistan","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://cottoncampaign.org/news/cotton-campaign-government-of-uzbekistan-joint-statement-on-ending-the-call-for-a-global-boycott-of-uzbek-cotton","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261007035729/https://www.cottoncampaign.org/news/cotton-campaign-government-of-uzbekistan-joint-statement-on-ending-the-call-for-a-global-boycott-of-uzbek-cotton"},{"t":"Independent monitoring shows human rights risks remain in the cotton industry","p":"Cotton Campaign / Uzbek Forum","d":"2022-11-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.cottoncampaign.org/news/uzbekistan-independent-monitoring-shows-human-rights-risks-remain-in-the-cotton-industry-despite-reforms-that-ended-state-imposed-forced-labor"},{"t":"Will Uzbekistan Finally Solve Forced Labor Through Mechanization?","p":"Uzbek Forum for Human Rights (via Cotton Campaign)","d":"2026-01-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.cottoncampaign.org/news/uzbek-forum-for-human-rights-will-uzbekistan-finally-solve-the-problem-of-forced-labor-through-mechanization"},{"t":"Successful presentation of independent monitoring of 2024 cotton harvest held","p":"ILO","d":"2025-02-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/successful-presentation-independent-monitoring-2024-cotton-harvest-held","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725051052/https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/successful-presentation-independent-monitoring-2024-cotton-harvest-held"},{"t":"ILO defends Uzbekistan cotton reporting methods","p":"Just Style","d":"2018","type":"press","u":"https://www.just-style.com/news/ilo-defends-uzbekistan-cotton-reporting-methods/"},{"t":"Farmers Have No Freedom: Abuse and exploitation of cotton and wheat farmers","p":"Human Rights Watch and Uzbek Forum","d":"2026-02-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/report/2026/02/16/farmers-have-no-freedom/abuse-and-exploitation-of-cotton-and-wheat-farmers-in","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925130320/https://www.hrw.org/report/2026/02/16/farmers-have-no-freedom/abuse-and-exploitation-of-cotton-and-wheat-farmers-in"},{"t":"ILO and Uzbekistan agree to develop new programme to improve labour conditions","p":"ILO","d":"2024-07-16","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilo-and-uzbekistan-agree-develop-new-programme-improve-labour-conditions","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723202215/https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/ilo-and-uzbekistan-agree-develop-new-programme-improve-labour-conditions"},{"t":"Year of progress: Uzbekistan's textile industry marks first anniversary","p":"ILO","d":"2024-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/year-progress-uzbekistan%E2%80%99s-textile-industry-marks-first-anniversary"},{"t":"Fergana news item 143869 on domestic processing of cotton","p":"Fergana","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://en.fergana.agency/news/143869/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260121215724/https://en.fergana.agency/news/143869/"},{"t":"Administrative regulation as the cause of the deadlock (Yusupov)","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2023-04-13","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/ru/06977589"},{"t":"Ganiev gave clusters authority to take cotton from farmers without asking","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2023-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/ru/news/2023/10/25/shuxrat-ganiyev-dal-klasteram-polnomochiya-zabirat-xlopok-u-fermerov-bez-sprosa"},{"t":"ILO welcomes lifting of Cotton Campaign boycott of Uzbekistan","p":"AKIpress","d":"2022-03","type":"press","u":"https://akipress.com/news:669043:ILO_welcomes_lifting_of_Cotton_Campaign_boycott_of_Uzbekistan","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220316125349/https://akipress.com/news:669043:ILO_welcomes_lifting_of_Cotton_Campaign_boycott_of_Uzbekistan/"},{"t":"Lifting of the boycott of Uzbek cotton will create millions of new jobs, says Chairperson of the Oliy Majlis","p":"New Cloth Market","d":"2022-06","u":"https://www.newclothmarketonline.com/international-business-pages/lifting-of-the-boycott-of-uzbek-cotton-will-create-of-millions-of-new-jobs-says-chairperson-of-the-oliy-majlis/","type":"press"},{"t":"Surxondaryoda majburiy mehnat","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2025-10-14","u":"https://anhor.uz/uzl/news/surxondaryoda-majburiy-mehnat/","type":"press"},{"t":"Systemic forced labour and child labour has come to an end in Uzbek cotton (ILO third-party monitoring of the 2020 harvest)","p":"International Labour Organization","d":"2021","u":"https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/systemic-forced-labour-and-child-labour-has-come-end-uzbek-cotton","type":"official"},{"t":"No place for independent cotton cooperatives in 'New Uzbekistan'?","p":"Uzbek Forum for Human Rights","d":"2023-02-10","u":"https://www.uzbekforum.org/no-place-for-independent-cotton-cooperatives-in-new-uzbekistan/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"trade-boycott","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the boycott end forced labour in Uzbek cotton?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the end of the boycott benefit Uzbek farmers?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The ILO did not define 'systemic' forced labour and did not measure farmers; third-party monitoring ended in May 2022, so no equivalent independent measurement of later harvests is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2024 ILO presentation gave a count of complaints, not a percentage of pickers affected.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Official sources give different textile export figures for 2022-2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Senator Murtazo Rakhmatov, who founded the first cluster, was appointed head of the cluster association in December 2020 (Kun.uz, secondary report only); that 22,400 ha were transferred 'overnight' from 475 farmers to his company's cluster (Uzbek Forum).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the number of forced pickers in 2023 was increased by collection from public employees in 23 districts (Ecotextile, secondary report of an Uzbek Forum report).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: Cluster owners","No source link — Who gained: Indorama Agro","No source link — Who lost: Farmers","No source link — Who lost: Taxpayers and state banks","No source link — Who harmed: People in Karakalpakstan"]},{"id":"keep-america-beautiful-founding-and-crying-indian-ad","title":"Keep America Beautiful founding and Crying Indian ad (US)","dek":"Keep America Beautiful was founded in December 1953 by a can maker and a glass-bottle maker. In 1971 its 'Crying Indian' advertisement presented litter as a matter of individual behaviour, while its executives opposed container deposit laws.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":1953,"end":2023,"eventDate":"1953-12","instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Founders of the litter-prevention group, December 1953","value":"American Can and Owens-Illinois","note":"Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later; the founders did not announce their involvement."},"happened":["Keep America Beautiful (KAB) was founded in December 1953 by American Can, a can manufacturer, and Owens-Illinois, a glass-bottle manufacturer. Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later, and the founders did not announce their participation. Author Heather Rogers has written that KAB was a reaction to Vermont's ban, in the same year, on beer bottles without a deposit; the Vermont law ended four years later.","KAB joined the Advertising Council in 1961. The 'Crying Indian' advertisement, in which a man in traditional dress looks at a polluted landscape and weeps, first aired on Earth Day 1971 and won two Clio advertising awards. The slogan said that people start pollution and that people can stop it. The advertisement's actor, Iron Eyes Cody, was of Italian descent; his birth name was Espera DeCorti. KAB transferred the copyright of the advertisement to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) in 2023.","According to historian Finis Dunaway, KAB executives opposed deposit laws that would have pushed producers towards reusable containers and described those who supported such laws as communists. The Audubon Society and the Sierra Club left KAB's advisory board for that reason. Tennessee chose in 1981 a small container tax instead of a deposit, and directed the revenue to litter crews and Keep Tennessee Beautiful. The tobacco industry ran cigarette-butt clean-up programmes with KAB in place of smoking bans.","KAB's own 2020 study found about twice as much beverage-container litter in states without deposit laws, according to Resource Recycling. Between 2017 and 2020 a KAB and Dow programme, the Hefty EnergyBag, was marketed as 'recycling'; plastic collected in Omaha was burned in a cement kiln, and material from Boise also went to a cement kiln."],"timeline":[{"y":1953,"t":"KAB founded in December by American Can and Owens-Illinois"},{"y":1961,"t":"KAB joins the Advertising Council"},{"y":1971,"t":"'Crying Indian' advertisement airs on Earth Day; two Clio awards"},{"y":1981,"t":"Tennessee chooses a container tax instead of a deposit law"},{"y":2017,"t":"KAB and Dow launch the Hefty EnergyBag programme (2017-2020); collected plastic burned in cement kilns"},{"y":2020,"t":"KAB study: about twice as much beverage-container litter in states without deposit laws"},{"y":2023,"t":"KAB transfers copyright of the advertisement to the NCAI"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Litter presented as a moral problem, with the person who litters called a 'litterbug'","who":"KAB campaigns","src":null},{"t":"A man in traditional dress weeps at a polluted landscape; the slogan says people start pollution and people can stop it","who":"KAB's 1971 advertisement","src":null},{"t":"The Hefty EnergyBag programme marketed as 'recycling'","who":"Dow and KAB, 2017-2020","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Founded in December 1953 by American Can and Owens-Illinois; Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later and the founders did not announce their participation","src":1},{"t":"KAB executives opposed deposit laws and called their supporters communists; the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club left the advisory board (Dunaway)","src":0},{"t":"The actor in the advertisement, Iron Eyes Cody, was of Italian descent; birth name Espera De Corti","src":0},{"t":"KAB's own 2020 study found about twice as much beverage-container litter in states without deposit laws","src":1},{"t":"Hefty EnergyBag: plastic collected in Omaha was burned in a cement kiln; material from Boise also went to a cement kiln","src":2},{"t":"Tobacco industry ran cigarette-butt clean-up programmes with KAB in place of smoking bans","src":4},{"t":"Copyright of the advertisement transferred to the NCAI in 2023","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Beverage-container litter in non-deposit states","v":"about 2x","d":"KAB's own 2020 study, compared with states with deposit laws"},{"k":"Hefty EnergyBag plastic","v":"Burned","d":"Omaha plastic burned in a cement kiln; Boise material sent to a cement kiln (2017-2020)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the Vermont law ended four years later after beer-industry lobbying.","Unconfirmed: that the advertisement was produced by the agency Marsteller Inc. with the Advertising Council.","Unconfirmed: that KAB's funders have included PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and WM (SourceWatch and The Intercept, deposit-law advocacy sources).","Unconfirmed: that Oregon's 1971 deposit law passed despite bottler lobbying, and that the beverage industry paid about 75% of the budget of the clean-up group SOLV.","Unconfirmed: that the word 'litterbug' predates KAB (uses from 1939 and 1947) and was popularised by KAB in the 1950s and 1960s."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not a harm event: the record concerns how litter was framed and who opposed deposit laws. The Hefty EnergyBag programme ran from 2017 to 2020 and its plastic was burned in cement kilns.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2023 (latest dated item): KAB transferred the copyright of the 1971 advertisement to the National Congress of American Indians.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"kab","says":"Transferred the copyright of the 'Crying Indian' advertisement to the National Congress of American Indians.","when":"2023","src":null},{"actor":"kab","says":"Its own 2020 study found about twice as much beverage-container litter in states without deposit laws.","when":"2020","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"keep-america-beautiful","role":"Litter-prevention organisation"},{"id":"american-can","role":"Founder"},{"id":"owens-illinois","role":"Founder"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Later member"},{"id":"ncai","role":"Recipient of the advertisement's copyright (2023)"},{"id":"dow","role":"Partner in the Hefty EnergyBag programme"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did KAB's litter framing shift responsibility from producers to individuals?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Finis Dunaway, historian","says":"KAB executives opposed deposit laws that would force producers towards reusable containers and called their supporters communists.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"KAB (1971 advertisement)","says":"People start pollution and people can stop it.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"KAB (2020 study)","says":"Beverage-container litter was about twice as high in states without deposit laws.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"clio_awards","value":2,"unit":"awards","year":1971,"note":"Won by the 'Crying Indian' advertisement."},{"key":"beverage_litter_ratio","value":2,"unit":"x, non-deposit vs deposit states","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"KAB's own 2020 study, as reported by Resource Recycling."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A litter-prevention group founded by packaging companies ran a 1971 advertisement that presented litter as individual behaviour, and its executives opposed deposit laws.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"American Can and Owens-Illinois (founders)","what":"Founded and supported an organisation whose executives opposed deposit laws that would have pushed producers towards reusable containers (Dunaway).","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Founded December 1953; advertisement aired on Earth Day 1971; copyright transferred 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Per Rogers, KAB was a reaction to Vermont's ban on no-deposit beer bottles; per Dunaway, its executives opposed deposit laws.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Advertising Council campaigns, the 1971 'Crying Indian' advertisement, and opposition to deposit laws.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"The Crying Indian ad that fooled the environmental movement","p":"Finis Dunaway (via whatitmeanstobeamerican.org)","d":"2017","type":"academic","u":"https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120065315/https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/"},{"t":"Resource Recycling article on Keep America Beautiful","p":"Resource Recycling","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://resource-recycling.com/?p=17051"},{"t":"Hefty Energy Bag program provokes backlash from environmental organizations","p":"Plastics Today","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/hefty-energy-bag-program-provokes-backlash-environmental-organizations"},{"t":"Native American advocacy group to retire 'Crying Indian' anti-pollution ad","p":"NBC News (AP)","d":"2023-02","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/native-advocacy-group-retire-crying-indian-anti-pollution-ad-rcna72398","type":"press"},{"t":"PR Watch, vol. 8 no. 3 (Keep America Beautiful and the tobacco industry)","p":"Center for Media and Democracy (PR Watch)","d":"2001","u":"https://www.prwatch.org/files/pdfs/prwatch/prwv8n3.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250326203940/https://www.prwatch.org/files/pdfs/prwatch/prwv8n3.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"advocacy-campaign","related":["oregon-bottle-bill","keep-america-beautiful-campaign-against-bottle-bills","hefty-energybag-programme"],"natureLead":{"t":"A 2020 Keep America Beautiful study found about twice as much beverage-container litter on me in states without deposit laws, Resource Recycling reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did KAB's litter framing shift responsibility from producers to individuals?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Vermont law ended four years later after beer-industry lobbying.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the advertisement was produced by the agency Marsteller Inc. with the Advertising Council.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that KAB's funders have included PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and WM (SourceWatch and The Intercept, deposit-law advocacy sources).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Oregon's 1971 deposit law passed despite bottler lobbying, and that the beverage industry paid about 75% of the budget of the clean-up group SOLV.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the word 'litterbug' predates KAB (uses from 1939 and 1947) and was popularised by KAB in the 1950s and 1960s.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"msc-certification-of-australian-orange-roughy-trawl-fishery","title":"MSC certification of Australian orange roughy trawl fishery","dek":"An Australian deep-sea trawl fishery for orange roughy was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council in February 2025, after an independent adjudicator had upheld an objection against an earlier assessment in January 2021. MSC narrowed its objections process the same month.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-25,"lon":134,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-02","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Objections accepted before the 2021 ruling (AMCS count)","value":"2 of 46","note":"As counted by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS)."},"happened":["Orange roughy lives for more than 150 years, is caught with deep-sea trawls and is listed as 'conservation dependent' under Australian law. In January 2021 an independent adjudicator upheld an objection brought by the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) and WWF-Australia against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) assessment of the Australian orange roughy trawl fishery. AMCS wrote that 26 of the 36 seamounts said to be protected for coral were too deep for coral. The objection was backed by 10,000 supporters, and the adjudicator found that the Australian 'conservation dependent' status was a binding rule in conflict with the MSC standard.","The fishery applied again with the same assessor, MRAG Americas. In February 2025 it was certified after a new AMCS objection was rejected; the certificate runs until February 2030. MSC announced that the independent adjudicator had cleared the fishery for certification.","In the same month, on 27 February 2025, MSC revised its objections process for a 12-month pilot. Objections may now concern procedure only, the accreditation body Assurance Services International (ASI) reviews them first, and referral to an adjudicator is reserved for 'exceptional' cases. Civil-society organisations paid the costs of the objections.","Fisheries pay the assessor for certification; MSC estimated in 2013 that a typical assessment cost between 15,000 and 120,000 dollars. MSC's own income comes mainly from logo licensing (93.2% of its 2025-26 income). A 2013 study found that 1 of 19 formal objections had been accepted; AMCS counted 2 of 46 before the 2021 ruling and IPNLF counted 2 of 25 in 2018. BLOOM calculated that 83% of MSC-certified catch in 2009-2017 came from high-impact methods such as bottom trawling and dredging."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Independent adjudicator upholds AMCS and WWF-Australia objection (7 Jan); AMCS says 26 of 36 seamounts are too deep for coral"},{"y":2025,"t":"Fishery certified after a new AMCS objection is rejected (Feb); certificate valid to February 2030; MSC narrows objections process to procedure-only (27 Feb)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Independent assessment and a right of objection before an 'independent adjudicator'","who":"MSC programme","src":null},{"t":"Fishery cleared for MSC certification by an independent adjudicator","who":"MSC announcement, February 2025","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Orange roughy lives for more than 150 years, is caught with deep-sea trawls and is listed as 'conservation dependent' under Australian law","src":0},{"t":"Objection by AMCS and WWF-Australia upheld on 7 January 2021; AMCS: 26 of 36 seamounts said to be coral-protected are too deep for coral","src":0},{"t":"The fishery re-applied with the same assessor, MRAG Americas, and was certified in February 2025 after AMCS's new objection was rejected","src":1},{"t":"MSC objections process revised on 27 February 2025: procedure-only objections, ASI review first, adjudicator in exceptional cases, 12-month pilot","src":2},{"t":"Fisheries pay the assessor; MSC estimated typical cost at 15,000-120,000 dollars (2013)","src":4},{"t":"93.2% of MSC's 2025-26 income comes from logo licences","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Seamounts said to be coral-protected","v":"26 of 36 too deep","d":"AMCS, January 2021"},{"k":"Certificate","v":"Valid to Feb 2030","d":"Fishery certified in February 2025"},{"k":"Species listing","v":"Conservation dependent","d":"Australian law"}]},"unknown":["No source reviewed states the fishery operator's own account of the objections.","The MSC objection fee paid in 2013 was capped at 7,500 dollars and later cut from a maximum of 15,000 to 5,000; the date and currency of the cut are not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not established: the fishery was certified in February 2025 and the certificate runs to February 2030.","whoPaid":"Civil-society organisations paid the costs of the objections; the record states no other cost-bearer.","statusLine":"As of February 2025: the fishery is certified to February 2030 and MSC's narrowed objections process is in a 12-month pilot.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"msc","says":"Announced the fishery cleared for MSC certification by an independent adjudicator.","when":"February 2025","src":1},{"actor":"msc","says":"Revised its objections process: procedure-only objections, ASI review first, adjudicator in exceptional circumstances; 12-month pilot.","when":"27 February 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"msc","role":"Certification body"},{"id":"amcs","role":"Objector"},{"id":"wwf-australia","role":"Objector"},{"id":"mrag-americas","role":"Conformity assessment body"},{"id":"asi","role":"Accreditation body, reviews objections"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do the seamount closures protect deep-sea coral from the trawl fishery, and does the fishery meet the MSC standard?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"AMCS and WWF-Australia","says":"26 of 36 seamounts said to be coral-protected are too deep for coral; objection upheld in January 2021.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Independent adjudicator, 2025","says":"Rejected AMCS's new objection; the fishery was cleared for certification.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Fishery operator","says":"No account in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Is the MSC objections process independent and accessible?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"2013 study","says":"1 of 19 formal objections accepted; fisheries pay the assessor; typical assessment cost 15,000-120,000 dollars.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"AMCS (2021) and IPNLF (2018)","says":"AMCS counted 2 of 46 objections accepted; IPNLF counted 2 of 25 and withdrew from the Echebastar tuna objection.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"MSC","says":"Revised the process on 27 February 2025: procedure-only objections, ASI review first, adjudicator in exceptional circumstances.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"seamounts_said_protected","value":36,"unit":"seamounts","year":2021,"note":"Seamounts said to be protected for coral (AMCS)."},{"key":"seamounts_too_deep_for_coral","value":26,"unit":"seamounts","year":2021,"note":"Of the 36 (AMCS)."},{"key":"objections_accepted_2013_study","value":1,"unit":"of 19 objections","year":2013,"note":"Formal MSC objections accepted."},{"key":"objections_accepted_amcs","value":2,"unit":"of 46 objections","year":2021,"note":"AMCS count before the orange roughy ruling."},{"key":"msc_logo_licence_share","value":93.2,"unit":"% of income","year":2025,"note":"MSC income 2025-26."},{"key":"high_impact_catch_share","value":83,"unit":"% of certified catch","year":2017,"note":"BLOOM, 2009-2017; bottom trawling and dredging combined; small-scale 7%."},{"key":"assessment_cost_estimate","value":"15,000-120,000","unit":"dollars (currency as stated in the source)","year":2013,"note":"MSC estimate of typical cost, paid by the fishery."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An Australian orange roughy trawl fishery was certified by MSC in February 2025 after an independent adjudicator had upheld an objection against an earlier assessment in January 2021.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The certified fishery","what":"Certificate valid to February 2030.","src":1},{"who":"MSC","what":"93.2% of 2025-26 income comes from logo licences.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"AMCS and WWF-Australia","what":"Bore the costs of the objections; the 2025 objection was rejected.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia; deep-sea seamounts fished for orange roughy.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Objection upheld 7 January 2021; fishery certified February 2025; objections process revised 27 February 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"AMCS and WWF-Australia objected that the 'conservation dependent' listing and coral-protection claims conflicted with the MSC standard.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The fishery paid an assessor (MRAG Americas), objections went to an independent adjudicator, and the process was then narrowed to procedural objections.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Orange roughy ruling: victory for sustainable fisheries and for ocean-loving Australians","p":"Australian Marine Conservation Society","d":"2021-01-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.marineconservation.org.au/orange-roughy-ruling-victory-for-sustainable-fisheries-and-for-ocean-loving-australians/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307183655/https://www.marineconservation.org.au/orange-roughy-ruling-victory-for-sustainable-fisheries-and-for-ocean-loving-australians/"},{"t":"Australia's orange roughy fishery cleared for MSC certification by independent adjudicator","p":"Marine Stewardship Council","d":"2025-03-21","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://msc.org/en-au/media-centre-anz/news-views/news/2025/02/20/australia-s-orange-roughy-fishery-cleared-for-msc-certification-by-independent-adjudicator"},{"t":"Revisions to the MSC objections process","p":"Marine Stewardship Council","d":"2025-02-27","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://www.msc.org/media-centre/news-opinion/news/2025/02/27/revisions-to-the-msc-objections-process"},{"t":"Our funding and finances","p":"Marine Stewardship Council","d":"2025-26","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://msc.org/about-the-msc/our-funding-and-finances","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006222411/https://www.msc.org/about-the-msc/our-funding-and-finances"},{"t":"Study finds Marine Stewardship Council eco-labeling program has weaknesses (Christian et al., 2013; NYU)","p":"ScienceDaily (New York University)","d":"2013-04-10","u":"https://sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130410154902.htm","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"certification","related":["pacific-tuna-msc-certification-disputes","msc-certification-of-alaska-bottom-trawl-and-tuna-fleets"],"natureLead":{"t":"Of 36 of my seamounts said to be protected for coral, 26 are too deep for coral, the Australian Marine Conservation Society wrote in January 2021.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the seamount closures protect deep-sea coral from the trawl fishery, and does the fishery meet the MSC standard?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the MSC objections process independent and accessible?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Fishery operator: No account in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states the fishery operator's own account of the objections.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The MSC objection fee paid in 2013 was capped at 7,500 dollars and later cut from a maximum of 15,000 to 5,000; the date and currency of the cut are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: AMCS and WWF-Australia"]},{"id":"newfoundland-and-labrador-community-resettlement-programmes","title":"Newfoundland and Labrador community resettlement programmes","dek":"Since the 1950s the province has paid residents of small coastal communities to move, and in recent decades it has weighed each closure against twenty years of service costs. The northern cod fishery, banned from 1992, reopened in 2024 under a quota that critics questioned.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":49,"lon":-55.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Newfoundland and Labrador","lat":49,"lon":-55.5,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Little Bay Islands, Notre Dame Bay","lat":49.63,"lon":-55.78,"role":"affected"}],"start":1954,"end":2025,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Households' maximum resettlement payment under the current rules, per household","value":"CAD 270,000","note":"Payment is per household, not per person; 250,000, 260,000 or 270,000 depending on household size (provincial FAQ)."},"happened":["Newfoundland and Labrador has run programmes that pay residents of small coastal communities to leave since the 1950s. The first programme (1954 to 1965) paid families CAD 150 and later CAD 600, and paid only if the whole community agreed. A joint federal-provincial Fisherman's Household Resettlement Program followed in 1965, paying up to CAD 1,000 per household, CAD 200 per household member and up to CAD 3,000 for a serviced lot, with an approval threshold of 90 per cent and later 80 per cent. Raymond Blake, writing in Newfoundland and Labrador Studies in 2015, reports that the programme's written aim was to move people out of small coastal villages and build a working fishing industry suited to the twentieth century. People were directed to 77 designated growth centres. The Globe and Mail put the number of communities resettled at 279.","The record on outcomes is mixed. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes the programme as generally regarded as unsuccessful, notes that many industries in the growth centres failed, and says resettled people lost their fishing livelihoods. Blake reports that, in a 1970 official survey, the share of households on social assistance was 11.7 per cent before moving and 6.9 per cent after, and that in the first year only 25 per cent of households chose a growth centre. His own family received a cheque of CAD 2,428 in 1969; at the destination a lot cost CAD 3,500 to 4,000 and a house about CAD 12,000, and the families made up the difference.","The current policy was set by successive provincial rules. In 2016 the government tied the cost-benefit calculation to 10, 15 or 20 years depending on the age profile of the community and stated that no services would be provided to those who stayed. In October 2021 it lowered the approval threshold to 75 per cent, fixed the calculation at 20 years, and required net savings to the province of around CAD 10 million for an assessment to proceed. The 2021 rules also removed care-home residents from the definition of permanent resident, which governs both the vote and the payment. Under the provincial FAQ, payments are CAD 250,000, 260,000 or 270,000 per household depending on its size; an adult permanent resident without property receives CAD 10,000; a cottage owner receives nothing and may go to the property at their own expense and risk. For William's Harbour in 2017 the government stated a cost of about CAD 4 million and 20-year savings of CAD 7.9 million.","Little Bay Islands, in Notre Dame Bay, is the community the sources follow most closely. The Globe and Mail reported in 2017 that the village once had about 600 people, 11 shops, three churches, a school and a doctor, and that 38 people, mostly elderly, remained. The collapse began with the cod fishing ban of 1992; the fish plant closed in 2011 and the school in 2018. The province offered CAD 250,000 to 270,000 per household if 90 per cent of residents agreed, and had calculated that the move would save about CAD 3.8 million over 20 years. The village formally closed at the end of 2019. An 86-year-old resident told the paper she was not happy to leave and would have chosen to stay for life, but knew that was not possible.","Commercial cod fishing reopened in June 2024 with a quota of 18,000 tonnes, about four and a half years after Little Bay Islands closed. Global Seafood Alliance reported a 62 to 76 per cent risk of the stock shrinking over 2024 to 2027. The 2023 stock was about 12 per cent of its 1960s biomass according to The Narwhal. In June 2025 Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced an increase to 38,000 tonnes and described it as sustainable; a Canadian Press report (via Barchart) carried the headline that scientists questioned the more than doubling of the catch."],"timeline":[{"y":1954,"t":"First resettlement programme: CAD 150, later CAD 600 per family, paid only if the whole community agreed"},{"y":1965,"t":"Fisherman's Household Resettlement Program: up to CAD 1,000 per household, CAD 200 per member, CAD 3,000 for a serviced lot; approval threshold 90%, later 80%"},{"y":1969,"t":"Resettled family receives CAD 2,428; lot at destination CAD 3,500 to 4,000, house about CAD 12,000 (Blake)"},{"y":1970,"t":"Official survey: households on social assistance 11.7% before moving, 6.9% after (Blake)"},{"y":1992,"t":"Cod fishing ban begins; Little Bay Islands begins to decline"},{"y":2011,"t":"Little Bay Islands fish plant closes"},{"y":2016,"t":"Provincial rules: cost-benefit over 10, 15 or 20 years; threshold 90%; payment up to CAD 270,000"},{"y":2017,"t":"Globe and Mail: Little Bay Islands has 38 residents; William's Harbour assessed at about CAD 4 million cost, CAD 7.9 million 20-year savings"},{"y":2019,"t":"Little Bay Islands formally closes at the end of the year"},{"y":2021,"t":"Provincial rules: threshold 75%, 20-year calculation, net savings of around CAD 10 million required, care-home residents excluded"},{"y":2024,"t":"Commercial cod fishing reopens in June with an 18,000 tonne quota"},{"y":2025,"t":"Quota raised to 38,000 tonnes (18 June); scientists question the increase"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Payments of CAD 150 to 600 per family (1954-65) were paid only if the whole community agreed","src":0},{"t":"1965 programme: up to CAD 1,000 per household, CAD 200 per member, CAD 3,000 for a serviced lot; threshold 90%, then 80%","src":1},{"t":"Programme described as generally unsuccessful; many growth-centre industries failed and resettled people lost fishing livelihoods","src":2},{"t":"2016 rules: cost-benefit over 10, 15 or 20 years; no services for those who stay","src":3},{"t":"2021 rules: threshold 75%; 20-year calculation; net savings of around CAD 10 million required; care-home residents excluded from the definition of permanent resident","src":4},{"t":"Current payment CAD 250,000, 260,000 or 270,000 per household; adult without property CAD 10,000; cottage owners nothing","src":5},{"t":"Little Bay Islands: about 600 people formerly, 38 in 2017; province calculated CAD 3.8 million savings over 20 years","src":7},{"t":"Northern cod quota 38,000 tonnes announced 18 June 2025","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Northern cod stock, 2023","v":"About 12%","d":"Of 1960s biomass (The Narwhal / The Conversation)"},{"k":"Commercial quota","v":"18,000 t, then 38,000 t","d":"June 2024 and June 2025 (Global Seafood Alliance; Fisheries and Oceans Canada)"},{"k":"Risk of stock shrinking, 2024 to 2027","v":"62 to 76%","d":"As reported by Global Seafood Alliance"}]},"unknown":["The official pages do not say whether the future service costs counted in the 20-year calculation are discounted to present value.","Unconfirmed: the 1992 cod ban cost about 30,000 jobs in the province and the stock stood at about 1 per cent of its historic peak at the time (secondary summaries only).","Unconfirmed: Fisheries and Oceans Canada had asked for a quota of 13,000 tonnes in 2024 and political advisers described the higher quota as a political win; Oceans North recommended 15,300 tonnes; a former departmental modeller, Noel Cadigan, said he saw no evidence the 2025 quota was sustainable.","Unconfirmed: Nippers Harbour voted 98 per cent to move in 2013 and was refused after the province calculated that staying would be CAD 4.4 million cheaper over 20 years; Gaultois, with a stated moving cost of CAD 10,051,000 and ferry costs of about CAD 940,000 a year, declined in 2023; the programme has no separate budget line; Tilt Cove's last four residents left in 2025.","Unconfirmed: Little Bay Islands voted 89.47 per cent in 2015, below the 90 per cent threshold; communities closed since 2002 include Great Harbour Deep, Petites, Big Brook, Grand Bruit, Round Harbour, William's Harbour and Snook's Arm.","Unconfirmed: the stock model was updated in October 2023 with data back to 1954 and a capelin index; the stock was then judged outside the critical zone, with a 29 per cent probability of being in it.","Unconfirmed: in 2013 the payment rose from CAD 100,000 to CAD 270,000 per household with a 90 per cent vote, and services including electricity are cut after a move."],"evidence":["displacement"],"harmStopped":"The 1992 cod ban lasted until the commercial reopening in June 2024. The resettlement rules remained in force under the 2021 revision.","whoPaid":"Under the current rules the province pays the household payments from public funds. According to Blake, resettled families in the 1960s bore the gap between the cheque and destination costs. Residents who remain in a closed community lose provincial services, and cottage owners receive no payment.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated source (June 2025): the province's 2021 resettlement rules apply and the northern cod quota stands at 38,000 tonnes; no court ruling or review found in the sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","says":"Set the resettlement approval threshold at 75 per cent, fixed the cost-benefit period at 20 years and required net savings of around CAD 10 million for an assessment (release of 27 October 2021).","when":"2021-10-27","src":4},{"actor":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","says":"Announced an increase in the northern cod total allowable catch to 38,000 tonnes and described it as sustainable (release of 18 June 2025).","when":"2025-06-18","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"nl-government","role":"Runs the resettlement programme and sets payments and thresholds"},{"id":"dfo-canada","role":"Federal fisheries department; sets the northern cod quota"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is the northern cod stock recovered enough for the 2025 quota?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","says":"Announced an increase to 38,000 tonnes in June 2025, in a release titled as a sustainable increase in the northern cod total allowable catch.","src":11},{"voice":"research","holder":"Scientists quoted by Canadian Press (via Barchart)","says":"The report is headlined that scientists question Ottawa more than doubling the cod catch in Newfoundland and Labrador.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Narwhal / The Conversation","says":"The 2023 stock was about 12 per cent of 1960s biomass.","src":10}]},{"point":"Did the 1960s resettlement leave households better off?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Canadian Encyclopedia (R. Pitt)","says":"The programme is generally regarded as unsuccessful; many growth-centre industries failed and resettled people lost their fishing livelihoods.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Raymond Blake, Newfoundland and Labrador Studies","says":"A 1970 official survey found social assistance fell from 11.7 per cent of households before moving to 6.9 per cent after; his own family covered the gap between the cheque and destination costs.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"communities_resettled","value":279,"unit":"communities","year":1975,"note":"Number of communities resettled in the 1950s to 1970s (The Globe and Mail)."},{"key":"payment_per_household","value":270000,"unit":"CAD","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Current payment is CAD 250,000, 260,000 or 270,000 per household by size (provincial FAQ)."},{"key":"population_before_after","value":38,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Little Bay Islands population in 2017, against about 600 formerly (The Globe and Mail)."},{"key":"projected_savings_little_bay","value":3.8,"unit":"CAD m","year":2017,"note":"Province's calculation of savings over 20 years from moving Little Bay Islands (The Globe and Mail)."},{"key":"projected_savings_williams_harbour","value":7.9,"unit":"CAD m","year":2017,"note":"20-year savings for William's Harbour against a cost of about CAD 4 million (provincial release)."},{"key":"marine_transport_cost","value":76,"unit":"CAD m per year","year":2017,"note":""},{"key":"cod_stock_pct_1960s_biomass","value":12,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of 1960s biomass (The Narwhal / The Conversation)."},{"key":"cod_quota","value":38000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Northern cod quota announced 18 June 2025; 18,000 tonnes in 2024."},{"key":"cod_catch_value","value":37.5,"unit":"CAD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Value of the 2024 catch as recorded in the notes to the Fisheries and Oceans Canada release."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Provincial programmes that pay residents of small, mostly coastal communities to relocate, evaluated against the cost of keeping services running; run alongside the 1992 cod ban and the 2024 reopening.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Provincial government","what":"Avoids service costs it calculated over 20 years, for example CAD 3.8 million for Little Bay Islands and CAD 7.9 million for William's Harbour","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents who remain in a closed community","what":"Lose provincial services, including electricity, after a move","src":5},{"who":"Cottage owners","what":"Receive no payment","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Northern cod stock","what":"About 12 per cent of 1960s biomass in 2023","src":10}]},"where":{"t":"Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada; Little Bay Islands, Notre Dame Bay.","src":7},"when":{"t":"Programmes from 1954; current rules from 2021; cod ban from 1992 to June 2024.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The 1965 programme's written aim was to move people from small coastal villages and build a working fishing industry; the current rules weigh payments against 20 years of service costs.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Residents vote; if the required share agrees (now 75 per cent of permanent residents) and the province's calculation shows net savings, households receive payments and services end.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"The Resettlement of Pushthrough, Newfoundland, in 1969 (R. Blake), Newfoundland and Labrador Studies 30(2), open-access PDF","p":"Newfoundland and Labrador Studies (Memorial University / University of New Brunswick journals platform)","d":"2015","u":"https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/NFLDS/article/download/25133/29082?inline=1","type":"academic"},{"t":"Newfoundland and Labrador Studies 30(2)","p":"R. Blake","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://erudit.org/fr/revues/nflds/2015-v30-n2-nflds30_2/nflds30_2art02","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018145926/https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/nflds/2015-v30-n2-nflds30_2/nflds30_2art02/"},{"t":"Newfoundland Resettlement Program","p":"The Canadian Encyclopedia (R. Pitt)","d":"2006 (updated 2015)","type":"academic","u":"https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/newfoundland-resettlement-program"},{"t":"News release, 29 November 2016","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":"2016-11-29","type":"official","u":"https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2016/ma/1129n09.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260131112943/https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2016/ma/1129n09.aspx"},{"t":"News release, 27 October 2021","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":"2021-10-27","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2021/mpa/1027n04/"},{"t":"Community relocation: frequently asked questions","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.nl.ca/mpa/faq/faq-relocation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250802215106/https://www.gov.nl.ca/mpa/faq/faq-relocation/"},{"t":"News release, 15 August 2017","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":"2017-08-15","type":"official","u":"https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2017/ma/0815n03.aspx"},{"t":"Newfoundland outports relocation (L. Jones)","p":"The Globe and Mail","d":"2017-09-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/newfoundland-outports-relocation/article36275746/"},{"t":"Town closure: turn out the lights, lock the doors","p":"Radio Canada International","d":"2019-12-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2019/12/16/town-closure-turn-out-the-lights-lock-the-doors-newfoundland-outport-town-closes-down","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230326171855/https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2019/12/16/town-closure-turn-out-the-lights-lock-the-doors-newfoundland-outport-town-closes-down/"},{"t":"Canada lifts 30-year cod fishing ban off Newfoundland and Labrador to mixed reactions","p":"Global Seafood Alliance","d":"2024-07-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.globalseafood.org/advocate/canada-lifts-30-year-cod-fishing-ban-off-newfoundland-and-labrador-to-mixed-reactions/"},{"t":"Newfoundland northern cod moratorium ended","p":"The Narwhal / The Conversation","d":"2024-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/newfoundland-northern-cod-moratorium-ended/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901203929/https://thenarwhal.ca/newfoundland-northern-cod-moratorium-ended/"},{"t":"Canada announces a sustainable increase in northern cod TAC","p":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","d":"2025-06-18","type":"official","u":"https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2025/06/contributing-to-a-stronger-economy-for-newfoundland-and-labrador-canada-announces-a-sustainable-increase-in-northern-cod-tac.html"},{"t":"Scientists question Ottawa more than doubling cod catch in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canadian Press)","p":"Barchart","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.barchart.com/story/news/32963144/scientists-question-ottawa-more-than-doubling-cod-catch-in-newfoundland-and-labrador"}],"episodes":[],"related":["northern-cod-collapse"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2023 my northern cod stood at about 12% of its 1960s biomass; the fishery, banned since 1992, reopened in 2024 with a quota of 18,000 tonnes.","src":[10,9]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the northern cod stock recovered enough for the 2025 quota?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the 1960s resettlement leave households better off?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The official pages do not say whether the future service costs counted in the 20-year calculation are discounted to present value.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1992 cod ban cost about 30,000 jobs in the province and the stock stood at about 1 per cent of its historic peak at the time (secondary summaries only).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Fisheries and Oceans Canada had asked for a quota of 13,000 tonnes in 2024 and political advisers described the higher quota as a political win; Oceans North recommended 15,300 tonnes; a former departmental modeller, Noel Cadigan, said he saw no evidence the 2025 quota was sustainable.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Nippers Harbour voted 98 per cent to move in 2013 and was refused after the province calculated that staying would be CAD 4.4 million cheaper over 20 years; Gaultois, with a stated moving cost of CAD 10,051,000 and ferry costs of about CAD 940,000 a year, declined in 2023; the programme has no separate budget line; Tilt Cove's last four residents left in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Little Bay Islands voted 89.47 per cent in 2015, below the 90 per cent threshold; communities closed since 2002 include Great Harbour Deep, Petites, Big Brook, Grand Bruit, Round Harbour, William's Harbour and Snook's Arm.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the stock model was updated in October 2023 with data back to 1954 and a capelin index; the stock was then judged outside the critical zone, with a 29 per cent probability of being in it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2013 the payment rose from CAD 100,000 to CAD 270,000 per household with a 90 per cent vote, and services including electricity are cut after a move.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"raja-ampat-nickel-licences-revoked","title":"Raja Ampat nickel licences revoked","dek":"In June 2025 Indonesia revoked four of five nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat islands. The state-linked company Gag Nikel kept operating.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-0.5,"lon":130.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Raja Ampat","lat":-0.5,"lon":130.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-06-10","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Nickel mining permits revoked in Raja Ampat","value":"4 of 5","note":"Fortune (AFP), 10 June 2025. The fifth, held by the state company Antam's Gag Nikel, continued."},"happened":["On or before 10 June 2025 the Indonesian government revoked four of five nickel mining permits in the Raja Ampat islands, according to Fortune (AFP). The fifth, held by Gag Nikel, a company of the state-owned Antam, remained in operation.","Greenpeace reported destruction of more than 500 hectares. Greenpeace videos about Raja Ampat had been viewed 15 million times. Indonesia's Energy Minister, Bahlil Lahadalia, said the corals in Raja Ampat had not been harmed.","The cited sources do not name the four permit holders or give the legal grounds of the revocation."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"10 June: Fortune (AFP) reports four of five nickel permits revoked; Antam's Gag Nikel continues; Greenpeace reports more than 500 hectares destroyed"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Greenpeace videos about nickel mining in Raja Ampat had been viewed 15 million times before the permits were revoked","who":"Fortune Asia, 10 June 2025","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Four of five nickel mining permits revoked","src":0},{"t":"The state company Antam's Gag Nikel kept operating","src":0},{"t":"Greenpeace reported destruction of more than 500 hectares","src":0},{"t":"Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the corals were not harmed","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Permits revoked","v":"4 of 5","d":"Fortune (AFP), 10 June 2025"},{"k":"Destruction reported by Greenpeace","v":"More than 500 ha","d":"A campaign organisation's figure; the energy minister said corals were not harmed"},{"k":"Independent ecological assessment","v":"None on record","d":"No assessment appears in the sources"}]},"unknown":["The names of the four permit holders and the legal grounds for revoking their permits are not on record.","The 500-hectare figure is Greenpeace's; the energy minister said corals were not harmed, and the cited sources give no independent measurement.","Unconfirmed: Gag Nikel was said to continue because its operation lies outside the geopark boundary.","Unconfirmed: a law banning mining on small islands and public pressure were cited as the reasons the revocation worked, and it was said the permits could be reissued."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Four of five permits were revoked; the fifth operation continued.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who bore the cost of the revocation. Greenpeace reports the damage fell on more than 500 hectares in the islands.","statusLine":"As of June 2025 (the latest dated source): four permits revoked, Gag Nikel operating; no appeal or reissue of permits on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Bahlil Lahadalia, Indonesia's Energy Minister","says":"Said the corals in Raja Ampat were not harmed.","when":"2025-06","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Revoked four of five nickel permits"},{"id":"antam","role":"State-owned miner; its Gag Nikel kept operating"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Campaign organisation; reported more than 500 hectares destroyed"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Was the environment in Raja Ampat damaged?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Reported destruction of more than 500 hectares.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Bahlil Lahadalia, Energy Minister","says":"Said the corals were not harmed.","src":0}]},{"point":"Why did one mine continue after four permits were revoked?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Fortune (AFP)","says":"The state company Antam's Gag Nikel continued operating.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Antam / Gag Nikel","says":"No statement appears in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Revocation of four nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat","forum":"Government of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Government of Indonesia","defendant":"Holders of four nickel mining permits (names: none on record)","filed":"2025","decided":"2025-06","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Four of five nickel permits in Raja Ampat were revoked; the fifth, Gag Nikel, continued. The grounds and any appeal are not on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"permits_revoked","value":4,"unit":"of 5 permits","year":2025,"note":"Nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat revoked (Fortune, AFP)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":500,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Greenpeace's figure for destruction; the energy minister said corals were not harmed."},{"key":"video_views","value":15000000,"unit":"views","year":2025,"note":"Views of Greenpeace videos about Raja Ampat (Fortune Asia, 10 June 2025)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia revoked four of five nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat; the state company Antam's Gag Nikel kept operating.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Antam (Gag Nikel)","what":"Kept its operation running","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Holders of the four revoked permits","what":"Lost their permits; names not given in the cited sources","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Raja Ampat islands","what":"More than 500 hectares destroyed, according to Greenpeace; the energy minister said corals were not harmed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Raja Ampat islands, Indonesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 10 June 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The grounds of the revocation are not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government revocation of four nickel mining permits.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Indonesia revokes nickel mining permits in Raja Ampat (AFP)","p":"Fortune Asia","d":"2025-06-10","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/asia/2025/06/10/indonesia-revokes-nickel-mining-permits-raja-ampat","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260102091112/https://fortune.com/asia/2025/06/10/indonesia-revokes-nickel-mining-permits-raja-ampat/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Greenpeace reported more than 500 hectares of damage on my Raja Ampat islands; the energy minister said my corals were not harmed, and in June 2025 four of five nickel permits were revoked.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the environment in Raja Ampat damaged?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did one mine continue after four permits were revoked?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Antam / Gag Nikel: No statement appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area (ha): Greenpeace's figure for destruction; the energy minister said corals were not harmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The names of the four permit holders and the legal grounds for revoking their permits are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The 500-hectare figure is Greenpeace's; the energy minister said corals were not harmed, and the cited sources give no independent measurement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Gag Nikel was said to continue because its operation lies outside the geopark boundary.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a law banning mining on small islands and public pressure were cited as the reasons the revocation worked, and it was said the permits could be reissued.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gabon-debt-for-nature-swap","title":"Gabon debt-for-nature swap","dek":"In August 2023 Gabon bought back a US$500 million bond at US$436 million and issued a US$500 million blue bond with a US cover from the DFC. The Nature Conservancy sponsored the deal; Bank of America did not disclose its fee.","country":"Gabon","region":"Africa","lat":0.39,"lon":9.45,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Gabon","iso2":"GA","lat":0.39,"lon":9.45,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2023-08-15","instrument":"debt-swap","types":["debt-swap"],"headline":{"label":"Conservation funding committed over 15 years","value":"US$163 million","note":"Against a US$500 million bond bought back for US$436 million. Figures as reported; no comparison is computed here."},"happened":["In August 2023 Gabon bought back a US$500 million bond for US$436 million and issued a new US$500 million blue bond in its place. BusinessDay reported the swap as covering about 4 per cent of Gabon's total debt. Bank of America acted as sole initial purchaser, structuring agent and bookrunner on the US$500 million issuance, and described the deal as the highest amount of new debt raised for a project sponsored by The Nature Conservancy (TNC).","The new bond carried a coupon of 6.097 per cent and falls due in 2038. With insurance from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) the bond received an Aa2 rating, while Gabon's own rating was Caa1. Gabon committed US$163 million to conservation over 15 years.","The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) reported that the nominal value of the debt was unchanged and that Gabon Blue Conservation, registered abroad, takes 20 per cent of the savings as a management fee. ORF is the only source for the 20 per cent figure in the material reviewed. Bank of America did not disclose its fee."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"15 August: Gabon buys back a US$500 million bond for US$436 million and issues a new US$500 million blue bond; Bank of America structures it; DFC insures it"}],"said":[{"q":"Bank of America acted as Sole Initial Purchaser, Structuring Agent and Bookrunner on the $500 million issuance.","who":"Bank of America newsroom","when":"15 August 2023","src":2},{"q":"the highest amount of new debt raised for a TNC-sponsored project.","who":"Bank of America newsroom","when":"15 August 2023","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The deal was presented as a debt-for-nature swap and as the highest amount of new debt raised for a TNC-sponsored project","who":"Bank of America newsroom, 15 August 2023","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"A US$500 million bond was bought back for US$436 million; the swap was about 4% of total debt","src":0},{"t":"Bank of America did not disclose its fee","src":0},{"t":"Coupon 6.097%, due 2038; Aa2 rating with DFC insurance against Gabon's own Caa1; US$163 million to conservation over 15 years","src":0},{"t":"The nominal value of the debt was unchanged; Gabon Blue Conservation reportedly takes 20% of savings as a management fee (single source)","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"15 years","nature":[{"label":"Committed conservation funding","amount":163,"qualifier":"committed","window":"15 years","note":"A commitment over 15 years, not an amount paid."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":163,"qualifier":"committed","note":"Single documented commitment."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Conservation funding committed","v":"US$163 million","d":"Over 15 years"},{"k":"Nominal debt","v":"Unchanged","d":"ORF"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No evaluation appears in the sources"}]},"unknown":["Bank of America did not disclose its fee for the transaction.","The 20 per cent management fee to Gabon Blue Conservation comes from a single source (ORF).","Unconfirmed: a military coup took place in Gabon about two weeks after the transaction.","Unconfirmed: the law firms Clifford Chance and Hogan Lovells earned advisory fees on debt-for-nature swaps.","No claim on the DFC cover has been reported on any debt-for-nature swap."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record documents a financing transaction, not harm to nature.","whoPaid":"The cited sources state that the DFC, a US government agency, covers political risk on the bond, which places risk on US taxpayers.","statusLine":"As of June 2026 (latest dated source): the cited sources report no claim on the DFC cover and no disclosure of Bank of America's fee.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Bank of America","says":"Described its role as sole initial purchaser, structuring agent and bookrunner and called the deal the highest amount of new debt raised for a TNC-sponsored project; did not disclose its fee.","when":"2023-08-15","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"bank-of-america","role":"Sole initial purchaser, structuring agent and bookrunner"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Sponsor of the project"},{"id":"dfc","role":"Political risk insurer"},{"id":"gabon-government","role":"Issuer of the bond"},{"id":"gabon-blue-conservation","role":"Entity reportedly taking 20% of savings as management fee"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the swap reduce Gabon's debt?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Observer Research Foundation","says":"The nominal value of the debt was unchanged.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"BusinessDay","says":"The swap covered about 4 per cent of Gabon's total debt.","src":0}]},{"point":"What did the intermediaries earn?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Bank of America","says":"Did not disclose its fee.","src":0,"silent":true},{"voice":"research","holder":"Observer Research Foundation","says":"Gabon Blue Conservation, registered abroad, reportedly takes 20 per cent of the savings as a management fee; the only source in the material reviewed.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)","insured":"Gabon blue bond","status":"unknown","year":2023,"amount":{"value":500,"currency":"USD","label":"up to US$500 million"},"summary":"Political risk insurance on the bond; DFC cover can reach 100 per cent of a loan, against 40 to 60 per cent for multilateral guarantees (CGD). No claim has been reported on any debt-for-nature swap.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"bond_face_value","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Face value of the bond bought back."},{"key":"buyback_cost","value":436,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Price paid to buy back the bond."},{"key":"coupon_rate","value":6.097,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Coupon of the new blue bond, due 2038."},{"key":"conservation_committed","value":163,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Committed over 15 years."},{"key":"debt_share_converted","value":4,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of Gabon's total debt covered by the swap (BusinessDay)."},{"key":"management_fee_share","value":20,"unit":"% of savings","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported by ORF only; single source."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gabon bought back a US$500 million bond for US$436 million and issued a US$500 million blue bond with DFC insurance, committing US$163 million to conservation over 15 years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bank of America","what":"Arranger; fee not disclosed","src":0},{"who":"Gabon Blue Conservation","what":"Reportedly takes 20% of savings as a management fee (single source)","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gabon.","src":0},"when":{"t":"August 2023.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Gabon's own rating was Caa1; DFC insurance gave the new bond an Aa2 rating.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Buyback of an existing bond with proceeds from a new bond insured by DFC; Bank of America structured it for a TNC-sponsored project.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Gabon finalises first debt-for-nature swap","p":"BusinessDay","d":"2023-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/africa/2023-08-15-gabon-finalises-first-debt-for-nature-swap/"},{"t":"Marine debt-for-nature swaps: fiscal promise and structural reality","p":"Observer Research Foundation","d":"2026-06-17","type":"academic","u":"https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/marine-debt-for-nature-swaps-fiscal-promise-and-structural-reality"},{"t":"Newsroom: Gabon debt-for-nature deal","p":"Bank of America","d":"2023-08-15","type":"company","u":"https://newsroom.bankofamerica.com"},{"t":"First debt-for-nature swap complete in Gabon","p":"Global Finance","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://gfmag.com/news/first-debt-for-nature-swap-complete-in-gabon"},{"t":"Debt swaps in war zones: DFC's political risk insurance takes center stage","p":"Center for Global Development","d":"n.d.","type":"academic","u":"https://www.cgdev.org/blog/debt-swaps-war-zones-dfcs-political-risk-insurance-takes-center-stage","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009015956/https://www.cgdev.org/blog/debt-swaps-war-zones-dfcs-political-risk-insurance-takes-center-stage"}],"episodes":[],"related":["belize-blue-bond"],"natureLead":{"t":"A US$500 million blue bond was issued in my name in August 2023; Gabon committed US$163 million to conservation over 15 years.","src":[0,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the swap reduce Gabon's debt?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did the intermediaries earn?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Bank of America: Did not disclose its fee.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Management fee share: Reported by ORF only; single source.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Bank of America did not disclose its fee for the transaction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 20 per cent management fee to Gabon Blue Conservation comes from a single source (ORF).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a military coup took place in Gabon about two weeks after the transaction.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the law firms Clifford Chance and Hogan Lovells earned advisory fees on debt-for-nature swaps.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No claim on the DFC cover has been reported on any debt-for-nature swap.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"saudi-voluntary-carbon-market","title":"Saudi regional voluntary carbon market auction","dek":"In 2023 the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company, founded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, held a voluntary carbon credit auction. Saudi Aramco and the state electricity company were among the buyers.","country":"Saudi Arabia","region":"Middle East","lat":24.7,"lon":46.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","lat":24.7,"lon":46.7,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":null,"eventDate":"2023","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Credits sold at the 2023 auction","value":"2.2 million t","note":"At SAR 23.50 per tonne, as recorded."},"happened":["The Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company (RVCMC) was founded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), the state investment fund. A June 2023 report by the Saudi business outlet Argaam said that PIF had set up the market and that Saudi Aramco, the state oil company, was its largest buyer.","In 2023 PIF published a release on an RVCMC voluntary carbon credit auction, which it described as the largest of its kind. The buyers named in the cited sources were Aramco and the state electricity company, listed as SEC. Figures recorded for the auction are 2.2 million tonnes sold at SAR 23.50 per tonne, about USD 6 per tonne.","About two-thirds of the credits came from projects in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The cited sources do not name the projects, the standards that certified them, or the sellers.","Aramco is itself among the largest emitters in the fossil fuel and cement sector: InfluenceMap reported in April 2024 that 57 producers accounted for 80% of the sector's CO2 emissions in 2016-2022, with Aramco, Gazprom and Coal India at the top."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"RVCMC auction held; buyers include Aramco and the state electricity company"},{"y":2023,"t":"Argaam (June): PIF set up the market; Aramco its largest buyer"},{"y":2024,"t":"InfluenceMap (April): Aramco among the three largest emitters of fossil and cement CO2 in 2016-2022"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The auction was the largest voluntary carbon credit auction.","who":"PIF press release, 2023","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Buyers named: Aramco and the state electricity company (SEC).","src":1},{"t":"Aramco described as the largest buyer; the market was set up by PIF.","src":0},{"t":"2.2 million tonnes at SAR 23.50 per tonne, about USD 6 per tonne.","src":0},{"t":"About three-quarters of the credits came from Africa and MENA projects.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"SAR","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Credits sold","v":"2.2 million t","d":"At SAR 23.50 per tonne (recorded)"},{"k":"Share from Africa and MENA projects","v":"About two-thirds","d":"Projects not named in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not document the projects behind the credits, their certification or any emission reductions they delivered.","The cited sources do not name the sellers or the amount received by each."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No source reviewed records harm to nature from the auction or any step to stop it.","whoPaid":"The buyers, at the recorded auction price; the cited sources do not say who bore any cost to nature.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2023 auction is documented only through a PIF release and press reporting; no independent evaluation of the credits is on record.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"PIF","says":"Published a 2023 release describing the auction as the largest voluntary carbon credit auction; the buyers it named were state companies.","when":"2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"pif","role":"Founder of RVCMC; sovereign investment fund"},{"id":"rvcmc","role":"Market operator and auction organiser"},{"id":"saudi-aramco","role":"Largest buyer"},{"id":"saudi-electricity-company","role":"Buyer"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_sold","value":2200000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Recorded for the RVCMC auction; no linked primary document."},{"key":"price_per_tonne","value":23.5,"unit":"SAR","year":2023,"note":"Recorded price per tonne."},{"key":"price_per_tonne_usd","value":6,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Recorded approximate price per tonne."},{"key":"africa_mena_share","value":"about two-thirds","unit":"of credits","year":2023,"note":"Share of credits from Africa and MENA projects, as stated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A voluntary carbon credit auction run by the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company in 2023.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Aramco and the state electricity company (SEC)","what":"Bought carbon credits at the auction","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Saudi Arabia; about two-thirds of the credits came from projects in Africa and MENA.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An auction of credits, with the market set up by PIF; the buyers named were state companies.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Argaam report on the PIF-founded carbon market and its largest buyer (June 2023)","p":"Argaam","d":"2023-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.argaam.com/en/article/articledetail/id/1651173","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230614182219/https://www.argaam.com/en/article/articledetail/id/1651173"},{"t":"PIF release on the voluntary carbon credit auction (2023)","p":"Public Investment Fund","d":"2023","type":"official","u":"https://www.pif.gov.sa/en/news-and-insights/newswire/2023/largest-ever-voluntary-carbon-credit-auction-sees-tons-of-credits-sold/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013100409/https://www.pif.gov.sa/en/news-and-insights/newswire/2023/largest-ever-voluntary-carbon-credit-auction-sees-tons-of-credits-sold/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"2.2 million tonnes of carbon credits were sold in my name at SAR 23.50 per tonne in a 2023 auction, with Aramco and the state electricity company among the buyers.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not document the projects behind the credits, their certification or any emission reductions they delivered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the sellers or the amount received by each.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"costa-rica-payments-for-ecosystem-services-and-forest-recove","title":"Costa Rica payments for ecosystem services and forest recovery","dek":"Since 1997 Costa Rica has paid landowners not to cut forest or to plant trees, and forest cover rose from about 21% in the late 1980s to nearly 60%. An independent study of the early years found no significant effect of the payments on deforestation.","country":"Costa Rica","region":"Latin America","lat":9.75,"lon":-83.75,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","lat":9.75,"lon":-83.75,"role":"event"}],"start":1997,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Forest cover: late 1980s to today","value":"About 21% to about 60%","note":"Cover share as recorded; a 2007 study found no significant effect of the payments in 1997-2000."},"happened":["Forest cover in Costa Rica fell from about 75% at the start of the twentieth century to about 21% in the late 1980s. It is now close to 60%. Most of the recovery is secondary forest that grew on abandoned pasture; teak and melina plantations can also be counted as forest.","Forest Law No. 7575 of 1996 prohibited converting forest to other uses without authorisation. Since 1997 the state has run a payments-for-ecosystem-services programme (PSA, from the Spanish) that pays landowners who do not cut forest or who plant trees. Fuel-tax payers and water-bill payers finance it. A 2025 Fundar annex put the fuel tax's share of the funding at 88%.","Sanchez-Azofeifa and colleagues (2007) found that in 1997-2000 deforestation was not significantly lower in areas that received payments. Earlier policies and commodity prices could explain the decline. Over 1997-2003 payments for protection fell from above USD 20 million to below USD 4 million, and the only carbon sale recorded was to Norway, for USD 2 million. A 2005 qualitative finding was that participants were owners of larger, titled farms. The Bribri and Cabecar Indigenous territories received a smaller share of the payments.","In 2021 the programme won the Earthshot Prize (GBP 1 million). The announcement said forests had doubled since the programme began. In October 2025 UNDP repeated the statement, attributing the success to combined policies without separating the payments' own contribution. The World Bank made results-based carbon payments of about USD 16.4 million in 2022 and about USD 17.5 million in 2025, about USD 34 million in total.","UNDP satellite monitoring recorded 5,566 hectares of forest converted to pineapple plantations in 2000-2015, 3,192 of them in Huetar Norte. Pesticide use was about 20 kg per hectare nationally in 2019, against 45 kg for pineapple and 70 kg for banana."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"Forest cover down to about 21% (late 1980s)"},{"y":1996,"t":"Forest Law No. 7575 bans unauthorised conversion of forest"},{"y":1997,"t":"PSA payments begin"},{"y":2007,"t":"Study: no significant effect of payments on deforestation in 1997-2000"},{"y":2015,"t":"5,566 ha of forest converted to pineapple since 2000 (UNDP satellite monitoring)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Indigenous land-recovery leader Sergio Rojas killed in Salitre; case closed 2020 without a perpetrator identified"},{"y":2021,"t":"Earthshot Prize awarded to the programme"},{"y":2022,"t":"World Bank results-based carbon payment of about USD 16.4 million"},{"y":2025,"t":"UNDP repeats that forests doubled; World Bank payment of about USD 17.5 million"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Forests had doubled since the payment programme began (paraphrase of the 2021 announcement).","who":"Earthshot Prize announcement, 2021","src":null},{"t":"Forests had doubled since the payment programme began; success attributed to combined policies (paraphrase).","who":"UNDP, via the Earthshot Prize, 15 October 2025","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Cover about 75% early in the twentieth century, about 21% in the late 1980s, close to 60% now.","src":5},{"t":"1997-2000: deforestation not significantly lower in areas receiving payments (Sanchez-Azofeifa et al., 2007).","src":6},{"t":"Payments for protection fell from above USD 20 million to below USD 4 million in 1997-2001; Norway paid USD 2 million for the only carbon sale recorded.","src":6},{"t":"5,566 ha of forest converted to pineapple in 2000-2015, 3,192 ha in Huetar Norte.","src":7},{"t":"Sergio Rojas, leader of an Indigenous land-recovery movement, was killed in Salitre in 2019; the case was closed in 2020 without a perpetrator identified.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1997-2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest cover","v":"About 21% to about 60%","d":"Late 1980s to today"},{"k":"Effect of payments, 1997-2000","v":"Not significant","d":"Sanchez-Azofeifa et al., 2007"},{"k":"Forest converted to pineapple","v":"5,566 ha","d":"2000-2015; UNDP satellite monitoring"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"UNDP satellite monitoring of forest converted to pineapple, 2000-2015.","report":[{"t":"My cover fell to about 21% in the late 1980s and is now close to 60%.","src":5},{"t":"Between 2000 and 2015, 5,566 hectares of my forest became pineapple plantation.","src":7}]},"unknown":["UNDP does not separate the payments' own contribution from that of other policies, and gives no measurement method for the doubling statement.","Unconfirmed: 39% of funds in 1997-2008 went to for-profit companies and under 1% to smallholders on agrarian-reform land.","Unconfirmed: the payments' effect on deforestation of 0-0.2% a year (Robalino and Pfaff).","Unconfirmed: forest cover of 53-60% today (FAO, via IPS, 2016), and the attribution of recovery to the collapse of beef prices, export agriculture, off-farm jobs and ecotourism.","Unconfirmed: the killing of Broran leader Jehry Rivera in Terraba in 2020, and the status of that case.","The additional effect of better-targeted payments after 2013 is not on record."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Cover recovered and has stayed high; forest was nonetheless converted to pineapple plantations in 2000-2015.","whoPaid":"Fuel-tax and water-bill payers financed the programme; the World Bank and Norway made carbon payments.","statusLine":"As of October 2025: UNDP and the Earthshot Prize credit the programme with doubling forests; the only independent measurement in the cited sources, covering 1997-2000, found no significant effect of the payments.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"UNDP","says":"Attributed Costa Rica's success to combined policies and did not separate the payments' contribution.","when":"2025-10-15","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"costa-rica-gov","role":"Runs the payment programme"},{"id":"undp","role":"Nominated the programme for the Earthshot Prize"},{"id":"earthshot-prize","role":"Awarded GBP 1 million in 2021"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Results-based carbon payer"},{"id":"norway-government","role":"Paid USD 2 million for the only carbon sale recorded"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the payments cause Costa Rica's forest recovery?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNDP","says":"Forests doubled since the programme began; success attributed to combined policies, with the payments' contribution not separated.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Sanchez-Azofeifa et al. (2007)","says":"Deforestation in 1997-2000 was not significantly lower in areas receiving payments; earlier policies and commodity prices could explain the decline.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_cover_share","value":75,"unit":"% of land","year":"early 20th century","qualifier":"about","note":"Forest cover at the start of the twentieth century."},{"key":"forest_cover_share","value":21,"unit":"% of land","year":"late 1980s","qualifier":"about","note":"Low point of forest cover."},{"key":"forest_cover_share","value":60,"unit":"% of land","year":2026,"qualifier":"close to","note":"Other figures reported: 53-60% (FAO via IPS)."},{"key":"prize_awarded","value":1,"unit":"GBP m","year":2021,"note":"Earthshot Prize."},{"key":"carbon_payments_received","value":16.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"World Bank results-based payment."},{"key":"carbon_payments_received","value":17.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"World Bank results-based payment; about USD 34 million for 2022 and 2025 together."},{"key":"protection_payments","value":20,"unit":"USD m","year":1997,"qualifier":"above","note":"Fell to below USD 4 million by 2003."},{"key":"carbon_sale_norway","value":2,"unit":"USD m","year":"1997-2003","note":"Only carbon sale recorded."},{"key":"fuel_tax_funding_share","value":88,"unit":"% of PSA payments","year":2025,"note":"From the Fundar 2025 annex."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":5566,"unit":"ha","year":"2000-2015","note":"Forest converted to pineapple; 3,192 ha in Huetar Norte."},{"key":"pesticide_use_per_ha","value":20,"unit":"kg/ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"National average; pineapple 45, banana 70, coffee 3."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A state programme paying landowners not to cut forest or to plant trees, alongside a 1996 ban on unauthorised forest conversion.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Owners of larger, titled farms","what":"Were the main participants in the payments (2005 qualitative finding)","src":null},{"who":"Costa Rica","what":"Received the Earthshot Prize of GBP 1 million (2021) and World Bank carbon payments","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Bribri and Cabecar Indigenous territories","what":"Received a smaller share of the payments","src":null},{"who":"Fuel-tax and water-bill payers","what":"Financed the programme","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest in Huetar Norte and elsewhere","what":"5,566 ha converted to pineapple in 2000-2015","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Costa Rica; 3,192 ha of the pineapple conversion in Huetar Norte.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Payments since 1997; forest law 1996; measurements for 1997-2000 and 2000-2015.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the programme's aim as keeping forest standing and planting trees; they do not state further motives.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments to landowners funded by fuel tax and water bills, supported by the 1996 ban on unauthorised conversion.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Costa Rica, UNDP and the Earthshot Prize: a success story worth repeating","p":"Earthshot Prize / UNDP","d":"2025-10-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://earthshotprize.org/news/costa-rica-undp-and-the-earthshot-prize-a-success-story-worth-repeating/"},{"t":"Annex on payments for ecosystem services (Fundar, 2025)","p":"Fundar","d":"2025-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://fund.ar/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Fundar_Anexo-Pagos_por_Servicios_Ecosistemicos_CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0.pdf"},{"t":"Robalino and Pfaff (2013), Land Economics","p":"Land Economics","d":"2013","type":"academic","u":"https://le.uwpress.org/content/89/3/432"},{"t":"Ecopayments and deforestation in Costa Rica: a nationwide analysis of PSA's initial years","p":"Duke Sanford School (Pfaff)","d":"2013-01-03","type":"academic","u":"https://sites.sanford.duke.edu/alexpfaff/2013/01/03/ecopayments-and-deforestation-in-costa-rica-a-nationwide-analysis-of-psas-initial-years"},{"t":"Forests and crops grow hand in hand in Costa Rica","p":"IPS","d":"2016-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2016/07/forests-and-crops-grow-hand-by-hand-in-costa-rica/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260330061943/https://www.ipsnews.net/2016/07/forests-and-crops-grow-hand-by-hand-in-costa-rica/"},{"t":"How did a Central American country smaller than West Virginia go from one of the worst deforestation rates on Earth to doubling its forest cover in a single generation?","p":"Science Blog","d":"2026-07-23","u":"https://scienceblog.com/sb-q-how-did-a-central-american-country-smaller-than-west-virginia-go-from-one-of-the-worst-deforestation-rates-on-earth-to-doubling-its-forest-cover-in-a-single-generation/","type":"press"},{"t":"Do Costa Rica's payments for environmental services work?","p":"Mongabay","d":"2007-09-17","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2007/09/do-costa-ricas-payments-for-environmental-services-work/","type":"press"},{"t":"5.500 hectáreas de bosque sucumbieron por cultivos de piña","p":"CRHoy","d":"2017-04-28","u":"https://crhoy.com/5-500-hectareas-de-bosque-sucumbieron-a-cultivos-de-pina/","type":"press"},{"t":"Indigenous Communities and UN Urge Costa Rica to Re-Open Sergio Rojas' Murder Case","p":"Cultural Survival","d":"2020-11-11","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/13121","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["fresh-del-monte-closure-of-four-costa-rica-banana-farms"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the payments cause Costa Rica's forest recovery?","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"UNDP does not separate the payments' own contribution from that of other policies, and gives no measurement method for the doubling statement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 39% of funds in 1997-2008 went to for-profit companies and under 1% to smallholders on agrarian-reform land.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the payments' effect on deforestation of 0-0.2% a year (Robalino and Pfaff).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: forest cover of 53-60% today (FAO, via IPS, 2016), and the attribution of recovery to the collapse of beef prices, export agriculture, off-farm jobs and ecotourism.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the killing of Broran leader Jehry Rivera in Terraba in 2020, and the status of that case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The additional effect of better-targeted payments after 2013 is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Owners of larger, titled farms","No source link — Who lost: Bribri and Cabecar Indigenous territories","No source link — Who harmed: Forest in Huetar Norte and elsewhere"]},{"id":"arc-drought-insurance-payout-to-malawi","title":"ARC drought insurance payout to Malawi","dek":"Malawi held African Risk Capacity drought insurance for the 2015/16 season. The model first estimated 20,594 people affected against about 2 million, and a USD 8.1 million payout came about nine months after the emergency declaration.","country":"Malawi","region":"Africa","lat":-13.25,"lon":34.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Malawi","iso2":"MW","lat":-13.25,"lon":34.3,"role":"affected"}],"start":2015,"end":2017,"eventDate":"2015/16 season","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"People affected: model estimate vs revised figure","value":"20,594 vs about 2 million","note":"Payout of USD 8.1 million against an estimated drought response need of USD 395 million."},"happened":["African Risk Capacity (ARC) is an African insurance pool that pays governments when a drought model is triggered. Malawi's premium for the 2015/16 season was about USD 4.7-5 million.","The ARC model first estimated that 20,594 people were affected by the drought. The estimate was later revised to about 2 million. ARC attributed the error to farmers having switched to a different maize variety than the model assumed.","A payout of USD 8.1 million was agreed in November 2016 and paid in January 2017, about nine months after the emergency declaration. The estimated total drought response need was USD 395 million.","ActionAid said Malawi had \"effectively made an economic loss.\" The report was covered by Climate Home News in May 2017 under the headline that the G7-backed insurance was too little, too late.","Across all ARC pools, premiums of over USD 100 million were collected for USD 720 million of cover (around 2020), and USD 65 million had been paid out by then. By March 2024 ARC reported total payouts above USD 170 million. In the 2023/24 El Nino drought the model triggered for Malawi and the government and UNHCR received about USD 11.6 million."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"2015/16 drought season; Malawi insured through ARC"},{"y":2016,"t":"Payout of USD 8.1 million agreed in November"},{"y":2017,"t":"Payout made in January, about nine months after the emergency declaration; report coverage in May"},{"y":2024,"t":"ARC marks ten years and reports payouts above USD 170 million; Malawi government and UNHCR receive about USD 11.6 million for 2023/24"}],"said":[{"q":"effectively made an economic loss.","who":"ActionAid, on Malawi's 2015/16 payout","when":"May 2017","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Model estimate 20,594 people affected, revised to about 2 million.","src":0},{"t":"Payout of USD 8.1 million agreed November 2016, paid January 2017.","src":0},{"t":"Premium about USD 4.7-5 million; estimated total drought response need USD 395 million.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2015/16","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People affected","v":"20,594 vs about 2 million","d":"Model estimate vs revised figure"},{"k":"Payout delay","v":"About 9 months","d":"After the emergency declaration"},{"k":"Payout vs need","v":"USD 8.1m vs USD 395m","d":"Payout vs estimated total response need"}]},"unknown":["ARC's premium totals after 2020 are not in the cited sources.","ARC overall payouts are given as USD 125 million across eight pools (2022 annual report) and above USD 170 million (2024); the two figures cover different periods."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: they record the size and timing of the payout, not the end of any harm to nature.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who paid the premium; the drought response need not covered by the payout fell on Malawi.","statusLine":"As of March 2024: the 2015/16 payout stands at USD 8.1 million, paid about nine months after the emergency declaration; in 2023/24 the model triggered and about USD 11.6 million was paid.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"African Risk Capacity","says":"Attributed the model error to farmers having switched to a different maize variety than the model assumed.","when":"2017","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"african-risk-capacity","role":"Insurer; sovereign risk pool"},{"id":"government-of-malawi","role":"Insured; received the payouts"},{"id":"actionaid","role":"Author of the 2017 report"},{"id":"unhcr","role":"Co-recipient of the 2023/24 payout"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the insurance deliver what it promised for the 2015/16 drought?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"ActionAid","says":"Malawi \"effectively made an economic loss.\"","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"African Risk Capacity","says":"The model error came from farmers switching to a different maize variety than the model assumed.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"African Risk Capacity","insured":"Government of Malawi","status":"paid","year":2016,"amount":{"value":8.1,"currency":"USD","label":"USD 8.1 million"},"reason":"Model first estimated 20,594 people affected against about 2 million; payout agreed November 2016, paid January 2017.","summary":"Premium of about USD 4.7-5 million; estimated total drought response need USD 395 million.","src":0},{"insurer":"African Risk Capacity","insured":"Government of Malawi and UNHCR","status":"paid","year":"2023/24","amount":{"value":11.6,"currency":"USD","label":"about USD 11.6 million"},"reason":"El Nino drought; the model was triggered.","summary":"Payout to the Malawi government and UNHCR.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"premium_paid","value":4.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported as about USD 4.7-5 million."},{"key":"people_affected","value":20594,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"First model estimate."},{"key":"people_affected","value":2000000,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Revised figure."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":8.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Paid about nine months after the emergency declaration."},{"key":"claim","value":395,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Estimated total drought response need."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":11.6,"unit":"USD m","year":"2023/24","qualifier":"about","note":"Malawi government and UNHCR."},{"key":"premiums_collected","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"All ARC pools, for USD 720 million of cover."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A drought insurance payout by African Risk Capacity to Malawi after a model first undercounted affected people.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Malawi government and population","what":"Received USD 8.1 million against an estimated response need of USD 395 million","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 2 million people","what":"Affected by the 2015/16 drought","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Malawi.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2015/16 drought; payout agreed November 2016 and paid January 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"ARC attributed the model's undercount to farmers having switched to a different maize variety than the model assumed.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A parametric model triggered the payout; it estimated 20,594 people affected, later revised to about 2 million.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"ActionAid report on ARC drought insurance and Malawi (2017)","p":"ActionAid","d":"2017","type":"ngo","u":"https://actionaid.org/publications/2017/wrong-model-resilience"},{"t":"G7-backed insurance 'too little, too late' for Malawi drought, report finds","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2017-05-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/05/25/g7-backed-insurance-little-late-malawi-drought-report-finds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250618212401/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2017/05/25/g7-backed-insurance-little-late-malawi-drought-report-finds/"},{"t":"African Risk Capacity (case study)","p":"Climate Policy Initiative","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/african-risk-capacity-2/"},{"t":"African Risk Capacity marks ten-year anniversary","p":"Creamer Media","d":"2024-03-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/african-risk-capacity-marks-ten-year-anniversary-2024-03-05","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240308152657/https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/african-risk-capacity-marks-ten-year-anniversary-2024-03-05"},{"t":"ARC pays 11.6m as drought triggers Malawi's parametric insurance","p":"Artemis","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/arc-pays-11-6m-as-drought-triggers-malawis-parametric-insurance/"},{"t":"ARC Ltd releases 2022 annual report","p":"Africa.com","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://africa.com/headlines/arc-ltd-releases-2022-annual-report"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"For my 2015/16 drought the insurance model first estimated 20,594 people affected, later revised to about 2 million; the payout was USD 8.1 million against an estimated response need of USD 395 million.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the insurance deliver what it promised for the 2015/16 drought?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"ARC's premium totals after 2020 are not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"ARC overall payouts are given as USD 125 million across eight pools (2022 annual report) and above USD 170 million (2024); the two figures cover different periods.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"india-pmfby-crop-insurance","title":"India PMFBY crop insurance","dek":"India's government-subsidised crop insurance scheme, run through public and private insurers, has been described by the agriculture ministry and by critics with different premium and claims figures. The cited sources give no ecological assessment of the scheme.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":20.6,"lon":78.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Claims paid against gross premium, 2016-17 to 2021-22 (calculated from a Rajya Sabha reply)","value":"₹130,015 crore vs ₹170,128 crore","note":"Calculation derived from a parliamentary reply; critics cite other figures. See Disputes."},"happened":["The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is a crop insurance scheme in India. According to the Drishti IAS summary of the scheme, farmers pay 2% of the premium for kharif crops, 1.5% for rabi crops and 5% for commercial crops; the state pays the rest.","A calculation from a Rajya Sabha reply, covering 2016-17 to 2021-22, gave gross premium of about ₹170,128 crore and claims paid of ₹130,015 crore, about 76%. The same calculation put the claims ratio at about 49% in 2021-22.","The government has framed the figures differently: it cited farmers' premium share of ₹29,257 crore against ₹152,596 crore in claims, to 2022-23. In February 2020 the government said claims ratios were 77%, 86% and 80% in 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19, that the gap between premium and claims was not profit, and that reinsurance and administrative costs were 10–12% of gross premium.","Drishti IAS, in November 2018, reported insurers' earnings of about ₹15,795 crore (about ₹6,459 crore of it in 2016-17) and said 84 lakh farmers left the scheme in 2017-18. Critics in a 2022 letter and a 2025 statement by the INLD gave other totals: premiums of ₹126,521 crore against claims of ₹87,320 crore over five years."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"PMFBY years begin (2016-17); insurers' earnings of about ₹6,459 crore reported for 2016-17"},{"y":2018,"t":"Drishti IAS reports insurers' earnings of about ₹15,795 crore and 84 lakh farmers leaving the scheme in 2017-18"},{"y":2020,"t":"Government says claims ratios of 77%, 86% and 80% (2016-17 to 2018-19) and that the premium–claims gap is not profit"},{"y":2023,"t":"Rajya Sabha reply (3 Feb 2023) on premiums and claims, 2016-17 to 2021-22"}],"said":[{"q":"No windfall gains to private insurers under PMFBY","who":"Business Standard headline reporting the Centre's position (PTI)","when":"7 February 2020","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Farmers pay only a small share of the premium (2% for kharif, 1.5% for rabi, 5% for commercial crops) and receive claims many times what they pay.","who":"Ministry of Agriculture presentation","src":1},{"t":"Farmers' premium share of ₹29,257 crore against ₹152,596 crore in claims, to 2022-23.","who":"Government of India","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Gross premium of about ₹170,128 crore and claims paid of ₹130,015 crore over 2016-17 to 2021-22, about 76% (calculation from a Rajya Sabha reply).","src":0},{"t":"Claims ratio fell to about 49% in 2021-22.","src":0},{"t":"Insurers' earnings of about ₹15,795 crore reported for 2016-18; 84 lakh farmers left the scheme in 2017-18.","src":1},{"t":"The ministry's presentation does not show the insurers' margin.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"2016-17 to 2021-22","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological outcome of the scheme","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources give no data on land, water or crops' ecological condition"},{"k":"Claims paid vs gross premium","v":"76%","d":"2016-17 to 2021-22; about 49% in 2021-22"}]},"unknown":["The insurers' margin is not shown in the ministry's presentation.","Premium and claims totals differ between the government's figures and those of critics (₹126,521 crore premiums against ₹87,320 crore claims over five years).","Unconfirmed: a 2017 Comptroller and Auditor General finding of unverified releases of funds to insurers.","No source reviewed gives gross figures for 2022-23 onward."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the cited sources describe no change to the scheme or to any ecological outcome.","whoPaid":"Central and state budgets pay the premium not paid by farmers; the cited sources do not show the insurers' margin.","statusLine":"As of the latest figures reviewed (2022-23): the government, critics and a parliamentary-reply calculation give different premium and claims totals; no ruling or ecological evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Government of India","says":"Claims ratios were 77%, 86% and 80% in 2016-17 to 2018-19, and the difference between premium and claims is not profit; reinsurance and administrative costs are 10–12% of gross premium.","when":"February 2020","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Pays the premium share not paid by farmers; presented the scheme's figures"},{"id":"pmfby-insurers","role":"Public and private insurers delivering PMFBY"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large was the gap between premiums and claims?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of India","says":"Farmers' premium share was ₹29,257 crore against ₹152,596 crore in claims, to 2022-23; the premium–claims gap is not profit because reinsurance and administrative costs are 10–12% of gross premium.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Critics (2022 letter; INLD 2025)","says":"Premiums were ₹126,521 crore against claims of ₹87,320 crore over five years (figures as given by the critics; not independently verified).","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Drishti IAS","says":"Insurers' earnings were about ₹15,795 crore in 2016-18 and 84 lakh farmers left the scheme in 2017-18.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"PMFBY insurers (public and private)","insured":"Farmers enrolled in PMFBY","status":"partial","year":2022,"amount":"Claims paid ₹130,015 crore against gross premium of about ₹170,128 crore, 2016-17 to 2021-22","summary":"Claims ratio of about 76% over six years and about 49% in 2021-22, per a calculation from a Rajya Sabha reply. Government figures for 2016-17 to 2018-19 were 77%, 86% and 80%.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"premium_gross","value":170128,"unit":"INR crore","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Gross premium 2016-17 to 2021-22, calculated from a Rajya Sabha reply.","src":0},{"key":"claims_paid","value":130015,"unit":"INR crore","year":2022,"note":"Claims paid 2016-17 to 2021-22.","src":0},{"key":"claims_ratio","value":76,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"2016-17 to 2021-22; about 49% in 2021-22.","src":0},{"key":"claims","value":152596,"unit":"INR crore","year":2023,"note":"Claims to 2022-23, government framing.","src":4},{"key":"farmer_premium_share","value":29257,"unit":"INR crore","year":2023,"note":"Farmers' premium share to 2022-23, government framing.","src":4},{"key":"insurer_earnings","value":15795,"unit":"INR crore","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Insurers' earnings reported for 2016-18 (about ₹6,459 crore in 2016-17).","src":1},{"key":"farmers_left","value":8400000,"unit":"farmers","year":2018,"note":"84 lakh farmers left the scheme in 2017-18.","src":1}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's crop insurance scheme PMFBY, in which farmers pay a small share of the premium and the state pays the rest.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers","what":"Earnings of about ₹15,795 crore reported for 2016-18; the government says the premium–claims gap is not profit.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers who left the scheme","what":"84 lakh farmers left in 2017-18.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India.","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 2016-17; figures reviewed run to 2022-23.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources state the scheme's aim only as crop insurance for farmers; no stated ecological purpose.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Farmers pay 2% (kharif), 1.5% (rabi) or 5% (commercial crops) of the premium; central and state budgets pay the remainder.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Rajya Sabha reply on PMFBY premiums and claims (3 February 2023)","p":"Rajya Sabha","d":"2023-02-03","type":"official","u":"https://rsdebate.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/740197/1/PQ_259_03022023_U168_p59_p60.pdf"},{"t":"सुस्त पड़ती फसल बीमा योजना (Crop insurance scheme losing steam)","p":"Drishti IAS","d":"2018-11-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.drishtiias.com/hindi/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/is-crop-insurance-scheme-losing-steam"},{"t":"No windfall gains to private insurers under PMFBY: Centre","p":"Business Standard (PTI)","d":"2020-02-07","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://www.business-standard.com/amp/article/pti-stories/no-windfall-gains-to-private-insurers-under-pmfby-centre-120020701562_1.html"},{"t":"PMFBY - Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: Smart Risk Protection Programme for Indian Agriculture (presentation, Kathmandu, 24 October 2024)","p":"Munich Re Foundation, International Conference on Inclusive Insurance 2024 (plenary 6)","d":"2024-10-24","u":"https://www.munichre-foundation.org/content/dam/munichre/foundation/publications/inclusive-insurance/2024-icii/ICII2024_Plenary6_PMBFY.pdf/_jcr_content/renditions/original./ICII2024_Plenary6_PMBFY.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Lok Sabha unstarred question answer on PMFBY (cumulative farmer premium and claims, 2016-17 to 2022-23, as on 31.12.2023)","p":"Lok Sabha / Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (eparlib.nic.in)","d":"2024","u":"https://eparlib.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2974788/1/AU645.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the gap between premiums and claims?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The insurers' margin is not shown in the ministry's presentation.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Premium and claims totals differ between the government's figures and those of critics (₹126,521 crore premiums against ₹87,320 crore claims over five years).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2017 Comptroller and Auditor General finding of unverified releases of funds to insurers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed gives gross figures for 2022-23 onward.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ogijo-battery-recycling-lead-poisoning","title":"Ogijo battery recycling lead poisoning (Nigeria)","dek":"Journalists' blood and soil tests around lead smelters in Ogijo, Nigeria, found widespread lead poisoning; the smelters' lead went through a trader to a US battery maker. Authorities closed the plants in November 2025 and plants reopened from February 2026.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":6.8,"lon":3.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":"Ogun State","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-11","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Volunteers tested in Ogijo with harmful blood lead","value":"About 70% of 70","note":"Journalists' test, November 2025; all tested workers were poisoned (number of workers not disclosed)."},"happened":["Imported lead-acid batteries are smelted at Ogijo, in Nigeria. Reporting by The Examination, with the New York Times, said lead from True Metals and six other Nigerian smelters was carried over the previous four years by the trader Trafigura to the US battery maker East Penn, which supplies batteries to Ford, GM and Tesla.","In November 2025 blood tests were carried out on 70 volunteers living near and working in the smelters. About 70% showed harmful lead levels; all tested workers were poisoned (the number of workers was not disclosed). Of 14 children tested, 8 were above 5 µg/dL. ICIR reported workers' average blood lead of about 20 µg/dL and a highest value of 38 µg/dL. Soil lead was measured at up to 186 times the hazard threshold.","After publication, the federal ministry sealed two facilities and Ogun State closed seven. East Penn stopped buying lead from Nigeria, saying Nigerian lead was less than 5% of its supply. The Examination reported in December 2025 that half the children tested had levels associated with permanent brain damage.","From February 2026 the plants reopened. Fines of about $7,000 per factory and a clean-up obligation of about $150,000 across four companies were reported. No compensation to those affected is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Start of the four-year period in which Trafigura carried Nigerian smelters' lead to the US"},{"y":2023,"t":"Industry group states 99% of US lead batteries are recycled (study it commissioned)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Blood tests of 70 volunteers (Nov); facilities sealed on 24 and 27 November; East Penn stops buying Nigerian lead"},{"y":2026,"t":"Plants reopen from February; fines and clean-up obligations reported"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product in the United States, with a recycling rate of 99%.","who":"Battery Council International (industry group), in a study it commissioned","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 70% of 70 volunteers tested had harmful blood lead; all tested workers were poisoned, number of workers not disclosed; 8 of 14 children tested were above 5 µg/dL; soil lead up to 186 times the hazard threshold.","src":0},{"t":"Workers' average blood lead about 20 µg/dL, highest 38 µg/dL.","src":1},{"t":"Half the children tested had levels associated with permanent brain damage; authorities closed plants; East Penn stopped buying lead from Nigeria.","src":3},{"t":"The industry's 99% figure refers to US weight; the study was commissioned by the industry and there is no audit.","src":2},{"t":"Plants began to reopen from February 2026.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Soil lead","v":"Up to 186 times threshold","d":"Hazard threshold; November 2025 reporting"},{"k":"Volunteers with harmful blood lead","v":"About 70% of 70","d":"All tested workers poisoned"},{"k":"Compensation to those affected","v":"None on record","d":"Plants reopened from February 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Journalists' soil measurements, reported in text.","report":[{"t":"My soil near the smelters held lead up to 186 times the hazard threshold, measured in November 2025.","src":0}]},"unknown":["The number of workers tested was not disclosed.","The volume of lead Trafigura carried and the collection of the fines are not on record.","No compensation to victims is on record.","No court case is on record; the actions reported are administrative closures."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Plants were sealed or closed in November 2025 and reopened from February 2026.","whoPaid":"People living and working around the smelters, whose blood lead was tested; no compensation is on record.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: plants reopened after closures; fines and clean-up obligations reported; no compensation or court case found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"East Penn","says":"Said that Nigerian lead was less than 5% of its supply, and stopped buying lead from Nigeria.","when":"November–December 2025","src":3},{"actor":"Trafigura","says":"None on record.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"trafigura","role":"Trader that carried the smelters' lead to the US"},{"id":"east-penn","role":"US battery maker; buyer of the lead"},{"id":"true-metals","role":"Nigerian smelter among those supplying the lead"},{"id":"bci","role":"Battery Council International, industry group; 99% recycling figure"},{"id":"ogun-state","role":"State government; closed seven facilities"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is battery recycling safe as presented?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Battery Council International","says":"Lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product in the US, at 99%.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Examination","says":"Lead recycled for US batteries is poisoning people in Ogijo.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"East Penn","says":"Said that Nigerian lead was less than 5% of its supply, and stopped buying.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Closure of Ogijo smelting facilities","forum":"Federal ministry and Ogun State authorities","country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Federal ministry and Ogun State","defendant":"Operators of the smelting facilities","filed":"2025-11-24","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The federal ministry sealed two facilities and Ogun State closed seven in November 2025. Plants reopened from February 2026; fines of about $7,000 per factory and a clean-up obligation of about $150,000 across four companies were reported.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_tested","value":70,"unit":"volunteers","year":2025,"note":"Blood-tested volunteers, about 70% with harmful lead.","src":0},{"key":"children_over_5ugdl","value":8,"unit":"children","year":2025,"note":"Of 14 children tested, above 5 µg/dL.","src":1},{"key":"worker_blood_lead_mean","value":20,"unit":"µg/dL","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Workers' average; highest 38 µg/dL.","src":1},{"key":"soil_lead_multiple","value":186,"unit":"times hazard threshold","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Soil lead near the smelters.","src":0},{"key":"fine","value":7000,"unit":"USD per factory","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported fine per factory.","unverified":true,"src":4},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":150000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Clean-up obligation across four companies (an obligation, not paid).","unverified":true,"src":4}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lead poisoning around battery-recycling smelters in Ogijo, Nigeria, whose lead reached a US battery maker.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Trafigura","what":"Traded the smelters' lead to a US buyer.","src":0},{"who":"East Penn","what":"Received recycled lead for batteries supplied to Ford, GM and Tesla.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"People around the smelters","what":"No compensation on record.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Workers and children in Ogijo","what":"Harmful blood lead in about 70% of 70 volunteers.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ogijo, Ogun State, Nigeria; lead sent to the United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lead trade over four years to 2025; tests November 2025; reopening from February 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"US rules on lead tightened and buyers turned to places such as Ogijo, per the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Imported lead-acid batteries were smelted in Ogijo; the lead went through the trader Trafigura to East Penn.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Recycling lead for U.S. car batteries is poisoning people","p":"The Examination","d":"2025-11-18","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.theexamination.org/articles/battery-recycling-nigeria-lead-poisoning-us-automakers","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260929032512/https://www.theexamination.org/articles/battery-recycling-nigeria-lead-poisoning-us-automakers"},{"t":"Lead in their blood: how battery recyclers are poisoning Nigerians [Part-1]","p":"ICIR (Premium Times)","d":"2025-11","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.icirnigeria.org/premium-times-lead-in-their-blood-how-battery-recyclers-are-poisoning-nigerians/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615104654/https://www.icirnigeria.org/premium-times-lead-in-their-blood-how-battery-recyclers-are-poisoning-nigerians/"},{"t":"Study claims lead batteries are most recycled consumer product in US","p":"Recycling Today","d":"2023-07","type":"press","u":"https://recyclingtoday.com/news/bci-study-claims-lead-batteries-most-recycled-consumer-product-in-united-states","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723170143/https://www.recyclingtoday.com/news/bci-study-claims-lead-batteries-most-recycled-consumer-product-in-united-states/"},{"t":"Nigeria closes battery recycling factories after lead poisoning","p":"The Examination","d":"2025-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.theexamination.org/articles/nigeria-closes-battery-recycling-factories-after-lead-poisoning"},{"t":"Nigerian battery recyclers pay for lead cleanup after Examination investigation","p":"The Examination","d":"2026-09-17","u":"https://www.theexamination.org/articles/ogijo-nigeria-lead-poisoning-cleanup-blood-tests","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"recycling","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is battery recycling safe as presented?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fines: Reported fine per factory.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Restoration spending: Clean-up obligation across four companies (an obligation, not paid).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The number of workers tested was not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The volume of lead Trafigura carried and the collection of the fines are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No compensation to victims is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case is on record; the actions reported are administrative closures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: People around the smelters"]},{"id":"onagawa-and-fukushima-daiichi-site-elevation-decisions","title":"Onagawa and Fukushima Daiichi site elevation decisions","dek":"Two Japanese nuclear plants on the Tohoku coast were built at different heights above sea level in the 1960s and 1970s. When the 2011 tsunami arrived, the heights set decades earlier had different consequences at each site.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":38.4,"lon":141.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Miyagi","lat":38.4,"lon":141.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Fukushima","lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"role":"event"}],"start":1967,"end":2011,"eventDate":"2011-03-11","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Site elevation set for the plant, above sea level","value":"14.8 m (Onagawa) vs about 10 m (Fukushima Daiichi)","note":"Other publications give slightly different numbers."},"happened":["The Fukushima Daiichi site was a natural bluff about 35 m above sea level. In 1967 TEPCO removed about 25 m of it, which put the reactor buildings at about 10 m. The reasons given were lower running costs for the seawater cooling pumps, reaching solid bedrock, which helps against earthquakes, and easier transport of equipment with lower construction costs. TEPCO engineer Hiroshi Kaburaki wrote in January 1969 that the decision compared construction costs with the operating costs of the circulation water pumps.","At Onagawa, run by Tohoku Electric, the site height was set at 14.8 m above sea level, with the first floors of the main buildings and key outdoor structures at 15.0 m. Press accounts credit Yanosuke Hirai (1902–1986), Tohoku Electric's vice president from 1960 to 1975, as the one member of the planning committee who argued for 14.8 m while colleagues thought about 12 m was enough. According to those accounts he cited the 869 Jogan tsunami and argued for an intake design that kept cooling water available when the sea drew back. Tohoku Electric's own 2024 paper credits an in-house committee of experts and does not name Hirai.","The committee for the Onagawa site height was formed in 1968 and the decision was made in the late 1960s; no exact date has been published. Construction started in 1980, and Unit 1, a 524 MW boiling water reactor, entered commercial operation in June 1984. Tohoku Electric says the tsunami assumed at the time was only about 3 m.","The 2011 tsunami was about 13 m at the Onagawa plant, according to Tohoku Electric and the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF). The earthquake also lowered the land by about 1 m, bringing the Onagawa site to about 13.8 m, so the remaining margin was under 1 m. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists gives different figures: 14.3 m at Onagawa and 13.1 m at Daiichi.","Former TEPCO executives were tried over the Fukushima Daiichi disaster. In the criminal case, three were acquitted in 2019 of professional negligence causing death and injury; the acquittals were upheld in 2023, and the Supreme Court made them final in March 2025. In a shareholder suit, the Tokyo District Court ordered four former executives to pay ¥13.32 trillion in July 2022; the Tokyo High Court overturned that ruling on 6 June 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":1967,"t":"TEPCO removes about 25 m of a bluff about 35 m high at Fukushima Daiichi; reactor buildings at about 10 m"},{"y":1968,"t":"Tohoku Electric forms the committee on the Onagawa site height"},{"y":1969,"t":"TEPCO engineer Hiroshi Kaburaki writes that the decision compared construction costs with pump operating costs (January)"},{"y":1980,"t":"Onagawa construction starts"},{"y":1984,"t":"Onagawa Unit 1 enters commercial operation (June)"},{"y":2011,"t":"Tsunami about 13 m at Onagawa; land lowered by about 1 m, leaving a margin of under 1 m"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Tohoku Electric's 2024 paper attributes the Onagawa site height to an in-house committee of experts, without naming Hirai.","who":"Tohoku Electric","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fukushima Daiichi: bluff of about 35 m reduced by about 25 m in 1967, putting the reactor buildings at about 10 m.","src":0},{"t":"Onagawa: site height 14.8 m above sea level; first floors of the main buildings and key outdoor structures at 15.0 m.","src":1},{"t":"The earthquake lowered the Onagawa land by about 1 m, to about 13.8 m; the tsunami at the plant was about 13 m.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"1967–2011","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Onagawa site height","v":"14.8 m","d":"Above sea level; first floors at 15.0 m"},{"k":"Fukushima Daiichi reactor buildings","v":"about 10 m","d":"After about 25 m of a roughly 35 m bluff was removed in 1967"},{"k":"Onagawa margin after the 2011 earthquake","v":"under 1 m","d":"Land lowered by about 1 m to about 13.8 m; tsunami about 13 m at the plant"}]},"unknown":["No exact date for the Onagawa site-height decision has been published; the sources give the late 1960s.","Accounts differ on who drove the 14.8 m decision: press accounts credit Yanosuke Hirai, while Tohoku Electric's 2024 paper credits an in-house committee of experts without naming him.","Published tsunami and elevation figures differ between sources (13 m, 14.3 m or 15 m at Onagawa; 13.1 m at Daiichi), and some articles describe the 14.8 m as a seawall or breakwater, or as 14.7 m."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable; the record covers siting decisions made between 1967 and the late 1960s and their effect in 2011.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say.","statusLine":"The cited sources give no development after the 2011 tsunami; no ruling or official finding on the site-height decisions is on record in them.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"tohoku-electric","says":"Its 2024 paper credits an in-house committee of experts for the Onagawa site height and says the tsunami assumed at the time was only about 3 m.","when":"2024","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"tepco","role":"Operator of Fukushima Daiichi"},{"id":"tohoku-electric","role":"Operator of Onagawa"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who decided the Onagawa site height of 14.8 m?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Press accounts (Mainichi and others)","says":"Credit Yanosuke Hirai, Tohoku Electric's vice president, as the lone voice for 14.8 m while colleagues thought about 12 m was enough.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tohoku Electric","says":"Its 2024 paper credits an in-house committee of experts, without naming Hirai.","src":1}]},{"point":"Why was the Fukushima Daiichi site cut down from about 35 m to about 10 m?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TEPCO engineer Hiroshi Kaburaki (1969)","says":"Wrote that the decision compared construction costs with the operating costs of the circulation water pumps.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Other reasons on record","says":"The reasons given were also reaching solid bedrock, which helps against earthquakes, and easier transport of equipment with lower construction costs; pumping cost was not the sole reason.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against former TEPCO executives","forum":"Tokyo District Court; High Court; Supreme Court","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Tsunehisa Katsumata, Ichiro Takekuro, Sakae Muto (former TEPCO executives)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Acquitted in 2019 of professional negligence causing death and injury; upheld in 2023; Supreme Court made it final in March 2025 for Takekuro and Muto; Katsumata died in 2024 and his prosecution was dismissed in November 2024.","src":4},{"title":"Shareholder case against four former TEPCO executives","forum":"Tokyo District Court; Tokyo High Court on appeal","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","kind":"civil","claimant":"TEPCO shareholders","defendant":"Four former TEPCO executives","filed":null,"decided":"2025-06-06","status":"overturned","amount":{"value":13320000,"currency":"JPY","label":"¥13.32tn ordered at first instance (July 2022), overturned"},"summary":"First instance ordered the payment in July 2022; the Tokyo High Court overturned the judgment on 6 June 2025.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"site_elevation_m","value":14.8,"unit":"m above sea level","year":1968,"note":"Onagawa site height; first floors at 15.0 m. One source gives 14.7 m."},{"key":"bluff_removed_m","value":25,"unit":"m","year":1967,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fukushima Daiichi, from a bluff of about 35 m; reactor buildings at about 10 m."},{"key":"tsunami_height_m","value":13,"unit":"m","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"At Onagawa, per Tohoku Electric and JAIF. The Bulletin gives 14.3 m at Onagawa and 13.1 m at Daiichi."},{"key":"subsidence_m","value":1,"unit":"m","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Land lowered at Onagawa by the earthquake, to about 13.8 m."},{"key":"assumed_tsunami_m","value":3,"unit":"m","year":1968,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tsunami assumed at the time of the Onagawa siting, per Tohoku Electric."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Siting decisions for two nuclear plants: TEPCO cut the Fukushima Daiichi bluff from about 35 m to about 10 m in 1967, and Onagawa was built with a site height of 14.8 m above sea level.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TEPCO","what":"Lower running costs for the seawater cooling pumps, lower construction costs and easier transport of equipment, as the reasons given for Daiichi.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Fukushima Daiichi (Fukushima) and Onagawa (Miyagi), on Japan's Tohoku coast.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Daiichi bluff cut in 1967; Onagawa site height decided in the late 1960s (committee formed 1968); tsunami on 11 March 2011.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Daiichi: pump operating costs, solid bedrock and easier transport and construction. Onagawa: press accounts cite the 869 Jogan tsunami and a design keeping cooling water available when the sea drew back.","src":null},"how":{"t":"TEPCO removed about 25 m of the bluff; Tohoku Electric set the Onagawa site at 14.8 m and its first floors at 15.0 m.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Onagawa: the Japanese nuclear power plant that didn't melt down on 3/11","p":"Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists","d":"2014-03","type":"press","u":"https://thebulletin.org/2014/03/onagawa-the-japanese-nuclear-power-plant-that-didnt-melt-down-on-3-11/"},{"t":"Tohoku Electric paper, PSAM17 & ASRAM2024","p":"Tohoku Electric","d":"2024","type":"company","u":"https://iapsam.org/PSAM17/program/Papers/PSAM17&ASRAM2024-1128.pdf"},{"t":"Subsidence at the Onagawa and Fukushima sites","p":"CNIC (Citizens' Nuclear Information Center)","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://cnic.jp/english/?p=4751","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260215200819/https://cnic.jp/english/?p=4751"},{"t":"Tepco bulldozed hill that could have prevented Fukushima disaster (Christopher Mims)","p":"Grist","d":"2011-07-12","u":"https://grist.org/?p=46259","type":"press"},{"t":"Acquittal of Fukushima operator ex-bosses finalised (AFP)","p":"Terra Daily / AFP","d":"2025-03-06","u":"https://terradaily.com/acquittal-of-fukushima-operator-ex-bosses-finalised-999/","type":"press"},{"t":"Japan high court overturns Fukushima disaster compensation ruling","p":"JURIST","d":"2025-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/06/japan-high-court-overturns-fukushima-disaster-compensation-ruling/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["fukushima-nuclear-damage-compensation-financing"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 1967 TEPCO removed about 25 m of my bluff at Fukushima Daiichi, about 35 m high, placing the reactor buildings at about 10 m above sea level.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who decided the Onagawa site height of 14.8 m?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why was the Fukushima Daiichi site cut down from about 35 m to about 10 m?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No exact date for the Onagawa site-height decision has been published; the sources give the late 1960s.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Accounts differ on who drove the 14.8 m decision: press accounts credit Yanosuke Hirai, while Tohoku Electric's 2024 paper credits an in-house committee of experts without naming him.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Published tsunami and elevation figures differ between sources (13 m, 14.3 m or 15 m at Onagawa; 13.1 m at Daiichi), and some articles describe the 14.8 m as a seawall or breakwater, or as 14.7 m.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: TEPCO"]},{"id":"jamaica-catastrophe-bonds-and-hurricane-melissa-payout","title":"Jamaica catastrophe bonds and the Hurricane Melissa payout","dek":"Jamaica bought hurricane cover through World Bank catastrophe bonds and a Caribbean risk pool. The 2021 bond paid nothing; the 2024 bond paid its full US$150 million after Hurricane Melissa in 2025.","country":"Jamaica","region":"Caribbean","lat":18.1,"lon":-77.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Jamaica","iso2":"JM","lat":18.1,"lon":-77.3,"role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-10","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Payouts after Hurricane Melissa vs reported damage","value":"US$150m bond + US$91.9m CCRIF vs US$8.8bn damage","note":"Payouts as announced by the World Bank and CCRIF; the damage figure is an estimate reported by Global Finance."},"happened":["In 2021 Jamaica issued a US$185 million catastrophe bond through the World Bank. According to a December 2022 Bloomberg report carried by Carrier Management, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany paid the premium on that bond, and the World Bank had by then issued about US$2.6 billion in such bonds since 2014. The Bretton Woods Project reported that the bond did not pay out in the 2021 and 2022 hurricane seasons.","In July 2024 Artemis reported, citing the bond's calculation agent Plenum, that Hurricane Beryl was not expected to trigger a loss on the Jamaica bond, because the pressure threshold was not crossed in any of the sub-areas the storm passed through. In October 2024 the Bretton Woods Project reported that the World Bank-brokered bond had failed to pay despite the devastation caused by Beryl. It quoted the V20 group of vulnerable countries as saying the bond's conditions were difficult and specific, and Eurodad as saying such innovations were ineffective.","In April 2024 a new US$150 million bond was issued (IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024). Artemis's deal directory records a risk margin of 7%, an expected loss of 1.5%, a trigger probability of 2.34% and a maturity of December 2027. Insurance Journal reported in August 2024 that investors in catastrophe bonds had earned about 20% in 2023 and about 15% in 2024, and that the new Jamaica bond was 60% more expensive per unit of cover than the 2021 bond. It also reported that a V20 report author had described the arrangement as a one-way street for sovereign issuers.","Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica in October 2025. On 7 November 2025 the World Bank announced that Melissa had triggered a 100% payout of the US$150 million bond, with AIR Worldwide as calculation agent. On 6 November 2025 CCRIF, the Caribbean risk pool, announced a second payout to Jamaica of US$21.1 million, following a first payout of US$70.8 million, a total of US$91.9 million. CCRIF said it had made 82 payouts totalling US$483 million since 2007.","Global Finance, citing the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, reported damage from Melissa of US$8.8 billion, equal to 41% of Jamaica's 2024 GDP. Artemis reported that the Swiss Re global catastrophe bond index returned 11.40% for 2025, having fallen below zero in January with the Los Angeles wildfires and ending the year positive despite the Melissa loss.","A World Weather Attribution study of 6 November 2025 found that heavy five-day rainfall like Melissa's is about 30% more intense and about twice as likely in today's climate, and that storms with such landfall winds in the region are about 7% stronger.","Imperial College London's Grantham Institute found in July 2024 that climate change made Beryl's extreme winds near Jamaica nearly twice as likely: a storm of that strength once expected about every 60 years is now expected about every 35 years, with winds about 7% stronger."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"World Bank begins issuing catastrophe bonds (about US$2.6bn by December 2022)"},{"y":2021,"t":"US$185m Jamaica bond issued; premium paid by the US, UK and Germany"},{"y":2022,"t":"2021 bond reported as not having paid in the 2021 and 2022 hurricane seasons"},{"y":2024,"t":"New US$150m bond (April); Hurricane Beryl does not trigger it (July); Bretton Woods Project criticism (October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Hurricane Melissa (October); CCRIF payouts (6 November); full US$150m bond payout announced (7 November)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Swiss Re global cat bond index reported at 11.40% return for 2025"}],"said":[{"q":"Hurricane Melissa Triggers 100% Payout of 150 Million (USD) World Bank Catastrophe Bond for Jamaica","who":"World Bank press release headline","when":"7 November 2025","src":0},{"q":"Jamaica's World Bank-brokered catastrophe bond fails to pay despite devastation of Hurricane Beryl","who":"Bretton Woods Project headline","when":"October 2024","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"The World Bank presented its catastrophe bonds as fast, transparent financial protection.","who":"World Bank","src":null},{"t":"A full payout of the US$150 million bond within days of Hurricane Melissa.","who":"World Bank","src":0},{"t":"A second CCRIF payout of US$21.1 million to Jamaica after Melissa.","who":"CCRIF","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The 2021 bond did not pay in the 2021 and 2022 hurricane seasons.","src":5},{"t":"Hurricane Beryl (2024) did not trigger the Jamaica bond.","src":4},{"t":"The 2021 bond premium was paid by the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.","src":6},{"t":"Melissa triggered a 100% payout of the US$150 million bond and CCRIF payments totalling US$91.9 million.","src":0},{"t":"Damage from Melissa was estimated at US$8.8 billion, 41% of 2024 GDP.","src":2},{"t":"Investors earned about 20% in 2023 and about 15% in 2024; the 2024 bond cost 60% more per unit of cover than the 2021 bond.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological assessment","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources describe payouts to the government and do not report effects on ecosystems."}]},"unknown":["The premium Jamaica paid for the 2024 bond: the cited sources give the risk margin (7%) but no premium amount.","Unconfirmed: a Moody's assessment, seen only in a reports of a Global Reinsurance article, said about 20% of Jamaican homes were insured and about 95% of those were underinsured.","Whether the 2021 bond's payout conditions were close to being met in 2021, 2022 or 2024: the cited sources do not give the margins."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No activity that harmed nature is recorded in this case; it concerns insurance payouts for hurricane losses.","whoPaid":"The United States, United Kingdom and Germany paid the premium on the 2021 bond, which paid nothing. Investors in the 2024 bond bore its US$150 million payout. The cited sources do not say who paid the premium on the 2024 bond.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: the 2024 bond paid in full and CCRIF paid US$91.9 million after Hurricane Melissa; the cited sources report no ruling or inquiry.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"world-bank","says":"Announced that Melissa triggered a 100% payout of the US$150 million bond, with AIR Worldwide as calculation agent.","when":"7 November 2025","src":0},{"actor":"ccrif","says":"Announced a second payout of US$21.1 million to Jamaica after Melissa, and said it had made 82 payouts totalling US$483 million since 2007.","when":"6 November 2025","src":1},{"actor":"world-bank","says":"A World Bank official said in 2022 that more donor premium support was hoped for, and the Bank said some governments find the premium hard to pay.","when":"December 2022","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Issuer and arranger of the catastrophe bonds"},{"id":"ccrif","role":"Caribbean risk pool that paid Jamaica after Melissa"},{"id":"government-of-jamaica","role":"Cover buyer and payout recipient"},{"id":"air-worldwide","role":"Calculation agent for the 2024 bond"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the cover work as presented?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank","says":"Reported that Melissa triggered a 100% payout of the US$150 million bond.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"CCRIF","says":"Announced a second payout of US$21.1 million, after US$70.8 million, following Melissa.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bretton Woods Project","says":"Reported that the 2021 bond did not pay in 2021 and 2022 or after Beryl in 2024; it cited the V20 as calling the conditions difficult and specific and Eurodad as calling the innovations ineffective.","src":5}]},{"point":"Who carries the cost of the cover, and who profits?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Insurance Journal","says":"Reported that investors earned about 20% in 2023 and about 15% in 2024, that the 2024 bond cost 60% more per unit of cover than the 2021 bond, and that a V20 report author called the arrangement a one-way street.","src":7},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank","says":"A World Bank official said in 2022 that more donor premium support was hoped for; the Bank said some governments find the premium hard to pay.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Jamaica","says":"No statement is in the cited sources.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"IBRD catastrophe bond (IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024), investors","insured":"Government of Jamaica","status":"paid","year":2025,"amount":{"value":150,"currency":"USD","label":"US$150 million, 100% payout"},"reason":"Hurricane Melissa met the bond's trigger.","summary":"The World Bank announced a full payout of the US$150 million bond on 7 November 2025.","src":0},{"insurer":"CCRIF","insured":"Government of Jamaica","status":"paid","year":2025,"amount":{"value":91.9,"currency":"USD","label":"US$70.8 million plus US$21.1 million"},"summary":"CCRIF announced two payouts after Melissa; the second was US$21.1 million, announced on 6 November 2025.","src":1},{"insurer":"World Bank catastrophe bond (2021), investors","insured":"Government of Jamaica","status":"unknown","year":2022,"reason":"No payout in the 2021 and 2022 hurricane seasons.","summary":"A US$185 million bond whose premium was paid by the United States, United Kingdom and Germany; reported as not having paid in 2021 or 2022.","src":5},{"insurer":"IBRD catastrophe bond (IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024), investors","insured":"Government of Jamaica","status":"unknown","year":2024,"reason":"Hurricane Beryl did not cross the pressure threshold in any of the sub-areas it passed through.","summary":"Artemis reported that Beryl was not expected to trigger a loss on the bond.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"bond_principal","value":185,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Jamaica bond issued through the World Bank in 2021."},{"key":"bond_principal","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024; maturity December 2027."},{"key":"expected_loss","value":1.5,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Expected loss of the 2024 bond."},{"key":"risk_margin","value":7,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Risk margin of the 2024 bond."},{"key":"trigger_probability","value":2.34,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Trigger probability of the 2024 bond."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Bond payout after Hurricane Melissa, 100% of the principal."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":91.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"CCRIF payouts after Melissa, announced as US$70.8m and US$21.1m."},{"key":"damage","value":8800,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"Melissa damage, as reported by Global Finance citing the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank."},{"key":"gdp_share","value":41,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Estimated Melissa damage as a share of 2024 GDP."},{"key":"index_return","value":11.4,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Swiss Re global catastrophe bond performance index return for 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Jamaica bought hurricane cover through World Bank catastrophe bonds (2021 and 2024) and through CCRIF. The 2021 bond and the 2024 bond in the Beryl season did not pay; the 2024 bond paid in full after Hurricane Melissa.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Jamaica","what":"Received the US$150 million bond payout and CCRIF payouts totalling US$91.9 million after Melissa.","src":0},{"who":"Catastrophe-bond investors","what":"Earned about 20% in 2023 and about 15% in 2024; the Swiss Re global index returned 11.40% for 2025.","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"Investors in the 2024 Jamaica bond","what":"The bond paid out 100% of its US$150 million after Melissa.","src":0},{"who":"United States, United Kingdom and German governments","what":"Paid the premium on the 2021 bond, which did not pay out in 2021 or 2022.","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Jamaica","what":"Melissa damage estimated at US$8.8 billion, 41% of 2024 GDP.","src":2},{"who":"Jamaica after Hurricane Beryl (2024)","what":"The bond did not pay, despite the devastation the Bretton Woods Project described.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Jamaica; the cover was arranged through the World Bank and a Caribbean risk pool.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021 to November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The World Bank presented its catastrophe bonds as fast, transparent financial protection; the bonds pay on defined storm parameters, not on assessed damage.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The government pays a premium that includes a risk margin (7% on the 2024 bond); investors receive that margin and lose principal if the trigger is met; a calculation agent (AIR Worldwide for the 2024 bond) determines whether it was.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Hurricane Melissa Triggers 100% Payout of 150 Million (USD) World Bank Catastrophe Bond for Jamaica","p":"World Bank","d":"2025-11-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/11/07/hurricane-melissa-triggers-100-payout-of-150-million-world-bank-catastrophe-bond-for-jamaica","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260723175853/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/11/07/hurricane-melissa-triggers-100-payout-of-150-million-world-bank-catastrophe-bond-for-jamaica"},{"t":"CCRIF announces 2nd payout to Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa","p":"CCRIF","d":"2025-11-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ccrif.org/news/ccrif-announces-2nd-payout-us211-million-j34-billion-jamaica-following-hurricane-melissa"},{"t":"Hurricane Melissa devastation saddles Jamaica with multi-billion dollar bill","p":"Global Finance","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://gfmag.com/insurance/hurricane-melissa-devastation-saddles-jamaica-with-multi-billion-dollar-bill/"},{"t":"IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024","p":"Artemis Deal Directory","d":"2024-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/deal-directory/ibrd-car-jamaica-2024/"},{"t":"Hurricane Beryl not expected to trigger Jamaica cat bond loss, Plenum confirms","p":"Artemis","d":"2024-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/hurricane-beryl-not-expected-to-trigger-jamaica-cat-bond-loss-plenum-confirms/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251025115130/https://www.artemis.bm/news/hurricane-beryl-not-expected-to-trigger-jamaica-cat-bond-loss-plenum-confirms/"},{"t":"Jamaica's World Bank-brokered catastrophe bond fails to pay despite devastation of Hurricane Beryl","p":"Bretton Woods Project","d":"2024-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2024/10/jamaicas-world-bank-brokered-catastrophe-bond-fails-to-pay-despite-devastation-of-hurricane-beryl/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421051357/https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2024/10/jamaicas-world-bank-brokered-catastrophe-bond-fails-to-pay-despite-devastation-of-hurricane-beryl/"},{"t":"Jamaica 2021 catastrophe bond premium and World Bank issuance (Bloomberg report via Carrier Management)","p":"Carrier Management","d":"2022-12-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2022/12/07/243179.htm"},{"t":"The Huge Profits Investors Have Made on Catastrophe Bonds Are Raising Eyebrows","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-08-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2024/08/19/788850.htm"},{"t":"Swiss Re global cat bond performance index returns 11.40% for 2025","p":"Artemis","d":"2026-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/swiss-re-global-cat-bond-performance-index-returns-11-40-for-2025/"},{"t":"Moody's warns Jamaica faces vast uninsured losses from Hurricane Melissa","p":"Global Reinsurance","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.globalreinsurance.com/home/moodys-warns-jamaica-faces-vast-uninsured-losses-from-hurricane-melissa/1456800.article"},{"t":"Climate change enhanced intensity of Hurricane Melissa, testing limits of adaptation in Jamaica and eastern Cuba","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2025-11-06","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-enhanced-intensity-of-hurricane-melissa-testing-limits-of-adaptation-in-jamaica-and-eastern-cuba/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Hurricane Beryl's extreme winds in Jamaica were nearly twice as likely due to climate change","p":"Grantham Institute, Imperial College London","d":"2024-07","u":"https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/research/climate-science/modelling-tropical-cyclones/hurricane-beryl/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"cat-bond","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Hurricane Melissa crossed me in October 2025; catastrophe cover paid US$150 million (World Bank bond) and US$91.9 million (CCRIF), against damage Global Finance reports as US$8.8 billion.","src":[0,1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the cover work as presented?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who carries the cost of the cover, and who profits?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"World Bank catastrophe bond (2021), investors: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"IBRD catastrophe bond (IBRD CAR Jamaica 2024), investors: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The premium Jamaica paid for the 2024 bond: the cited sources give the risk margin (7%) but no premium amount.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Moody's assessment, seen only in a reports of a Global Reinsurance article, said about 20% of Jamaican homes were insured and about 95% of those were underinsured.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2021 bond's payout conditions were close to being met in 2021, 2022 or 2024: the cited sources do not give the margins.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"verra-registry-fee-structure-auditor-ties-and-follow-the-mon","title":"Verra registry fee structure, auditor ties and the Follow the Money response","dek":"Verra runs the largest voluntary carbon-credit registry; project developers choose and pay the auditors, and Verra earns a levy on each credit. Follow the Money argued this gives Verra a financial interest in being less strict; Verra replied that the arrangement is standard practice.","country":"United States","region":"Global","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","role":"affected"},{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","role":"affected"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Verra per-credit levy","value":"US$0.10 to US$0.20","note":"Levy raised on 30 March 2023, per Verra's financial statements."},"happened":["Verra is a United States-based non-profit that operates the largest voluntary carbon-credit registry. A project developer chooses and pays a validation and verification body (VVB) to audit the tonnes the project claims. The VVB pays Verra a registration fee. According to a Transparency International US report summarised by REDD-Monitor on 2 April 2026, most of Verra's revenue comes from a levy on each credit issued, and in 2024 Verra's advisory group included a representative of Volkswagen, then the seventh-largest buyer of its credits.","On 18 October 2024 Verra published a reply to the Dutch outlet Follow the Money (FTM). It said that accreditation and international standards keep auditors impartial and that the party requesting an audit paying for it is standard practice in every sector. FTM had written that the per-credit levy gives Verra a financial interest in not being too strict, and cited a figure of 18 euro cents per approved credit. Verra's financial statements, show the levy was raised from US$0.10 to US$0.20 per credit on 30 March 2023, and revenue of US$32.4 million in 2022 and US$29.8 million in 2023, with a 2023 loss of US$9.3 million.","Kenneth Newcombe, founder of C-Quest Capital, sat on Verra's board from 2007 to 2023. C-Quest's cookstove methodology was approved in September 2020, while he was on the board. In October 2024 United States prosecutors charged him with falsifying data to inflate credit numbers. Tridip Goswami, former head of C-Quest's carbon accounting team, was charged with him; C-Quest's former chief operating officer, Jason Steele, pleaded guilty and is cooperating with US authorities, according to REDD-Monitor. Verra suspended the 27 implicated projects pending a review. Newcombe and Goswami deny the charges; the trial was postponed in December 2024 because of Newcombe's health. In August 2026 the judge was considering a defence request to move Newcombe's case to another court, Quantum Commodity Intelligence reported.","Researchers Coglianese and Giles found that 21 of Verra's 33 approved auditors signed 305 audits of 95 Verra projects known to have been over-credited. Verra found the study biased; the auditors' association IAVVB said responsibility lies with the registry. In March 2025 Verra rejected 37 rice-methane projects in China and suspended the four VVBs that audited them. In Cambodia, the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project received more than 27 million credits; its activities began on 1 January 2015 and consultation with Indigenous Chong communities began 31 months later. Verra paused issuance in June 2023 after a Human Rights Watch letter and re-approved the project in September 2024 after a review by three auditors that had previously approved it and were retained by the developer. Carbon Market Watch complained to the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM) that this was a clear conflict of interest. Verra said it does not conduct field investigations.","In September 2025 Verra reported that 15.2 million of the 26.8 million credits issued to the Kariba REDD+ project in Zimbabwe were excess, and that 10.3 million of these had been retired by buyers and remain valid. FTM had reported in January 2023 that Kariba credits worth about EUR 100 million were sold from 2011 to 2022, and that the project made up about 10% of South Pole's 2022 revenue of EUR 232 million. In November 2024 the ICVCM approved three REDD+ methodologies; older methodologies that Verra did not submit for assessment cannot receive its quality label."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Kenneth Newcombe joins Verra's board (to 2023)"},{"y":2020,"t":"C-Quest cookstove methodology approved (September)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Per-credit levy raised from US$0.10 to US$0.20 (30 March); Verra pauses Southern Cardamom issuance (June); FTM investigation of Kariba published (January)"},{"y":2024,"t":"US prosecutors charge Newcombe (October); Verra replies to FTM (18 October); Southern Cardamom re-approved (September); ICVCM decision on REDD+ methodologies (15 November)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Verra suspends four VVBs and rejects 37 Chinese rice projects (March); Kariba excess credits found (September)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Transparency International US report on conflicts summarised (2 April)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Judge considers defence request to transfer the Newcombe case (August)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Credits are backed by independent, accredited third-party auditors and international standards.","who":"Verra, in its reply to Follow the Money","src":0},{"t":"Payment of the auditor by the party requesting the audit is standard practice in every sector.","who":"Verra","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Most of Verra's revenue comes from a levy on each credit; a Volkswagen representative sat on its advisory group in 2024.","src":1},{"t":"21 of 33 approved auditors signed 305 audits of 95 over-credited projects.","src":4},{"t":"Verra suspended 27 projects after the C-Quest charges; US prosecutors charged Kenneth Newcombe in October 2024.","src":5},{"t":"Southern Cardamom: consultation with Indigenous Chong communities began 31 months after activities started; the post-suspension review was done by auditors who had previously approved the project.","src":6},{"t":"Kariba: 15.2 million of 26.8 million issued credits found excess; 10.3 million already retired remain valid.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Kariba credits found excess","v":"15.2m of 26.8m","d":"Verra, September 2025"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources concern registry fees, audits and conflicts, and do not report an ecological assessment."}]},"unknown":["The names of the four VVBs Verra suspended in March 2025: the source is paywalled and the names are not in the sources that could be opened.","A trial date in the Newcombe case and Jason Steele's sentence are not stated in the sources.","The share of Verra's revenue that comes from the per-credit levy, and Verra executive pay: no source found.","Market shares of VVBs: no measurement found.","Unconfirmed: a levy of US$0.23 per tonne from 1 January 2025, and a US$0.20 per-credit levy from 1 July 2023; the financial statements summary gives 30 March 2023 for the increase to US$0.20."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Verra suspended 27 projects after the C-Quest charges and four VVBs in March 2025; the cited sources do not say whether the underlying audit arrangement changed.","whoPaid":"Buyers of credits found to be excess, 10.3 million of which remain valid after retirement, and the Indigenous Chong communities consulted 31 months after activities started at Southern Cardamom.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: Verra's reply to Follow the Money stands; the Newcombe case had been postponed in December 2024 for health reasons, and the judge was considering a defence request to transfer it.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"verra","says":"Said accreditation and international standards keep auditors impartial and that the audited party paying for the audit is standard practice in every sector.","when":"18 October 2024","src":0},{"actor":"verra","says":"Found the Coglianese and Giles study biased.","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"iavvb","says":"Said responsibility for over-crediting lies with the registry.","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"verra","says":"Said it does not conduct field investigations (Southern Cardamom).","when":"2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Registry operator and standard-setter"},{"id":"south-pole","role":"Developer and marketer of Kariba credits"},{"id":"volkswagen","role":"Credit buyer with a representative on Verra's advisory group"},{"id":"c-quest-capital","role":"Cookstove project developer whose founder sat on Verra's board"},{"id":"scs-global-services","role":"Auditor involved in the Southern Cardamom review"},{"id":"aster-global","role":"Auditor involved in the Southern Cardamom review"},{"id":"aenor","role":"Auditor involved in the Southern Cardamom review"},{"id":"iavvb","role":"Association of verification bodies"},{"id":"carbon-market-watch","role":"Complainant to the ICVCM about the Southern Cardamom review"},{"id":"icvcm","role":"Quality council for the voluntary carbon market"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does developer-pays-auditor, with a per-credit levy to the registry, weaken audits?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money","says":"Wrote that the per-credit levy gives Verra a financial interest in not being too strict.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Said accreditation and international standards keep auditors impartial and that audit payment by the requester is standard practice in every sector.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Coglianese and Giles","says":"Found 21 of 33 approved auditors signed 305 audits of 95 over-credited projects.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra, on the study","says":"Found the study biased.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"IAVVB (auditors' association)","says":"Said responsibility lies with the registry.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the Southern Cardamom review independent?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Carbon Market Watch","says":"Complained to the ICVCM that the review was done by auditors who had approved the project earlier and were retained by the developer, calling it a clear conflict of interest.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Re-approved the project in September 2024 and said it does not conduct field investigations.","src":null}]},{"point":"How many Kariba credits stood for avoided deforestation?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"September 2025: 15.2 million of 26.8 million issued credits were excess; 10.3 million of these were already retired and remain valid.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money","says":"January 2023: South Pole's own internal accounts showed about two thirds of the total yield was on paper.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Sylvera and Calyx Global","says":"As reported by Bloomberg in March 2023: Kariba was inflated 5 to 8 times. The three analyses use different measures and cannot be converted into one another.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"United States v. Kenneth Newcombe (C-Quest Capital cookstove credits)","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of New York","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York","defendant":"Kenneth Newcombe, founder of C-Quest Capital and Verra board member 2007–2023; Tridip Goswami","filed":"October 2024","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Newcombe and Goswami were charged with fraud over manipulated data used to inflate credit numbers. Former chief operating officer Jason Steele pleaded guilty. Newcombe and Goswami deny the charges. The trial was postponed in December 2024 because of Newcombe's health; in August 2026 the judge was considering a defence request to transfer the case, according to Quantum Commodity Intelligence.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"levy_per_credit","value":0.2,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2023,"note":"Raised from US$0.10 on 30 March 2023 (Verra financial statements, as summarised)."},{"key":"revenue","value":32.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Verra revenue."},{"key":"revenue","value":29.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Verra revenue; 2023 loss of US$9.3m."},{"key":"net_loss","value":9.3,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Verra 2023 loss."},{"key":"ftm_cents_per_approved_credit","value":18,"unit":"EUR cents","year":2024,"note":"Figure attributed to Follow the Money in Verra's reply; the cited sources do not say exactly what it measures."},{"key":"audits_reviewed","value":305,"unit":"audits","year":2025,"note":"Audits of 95 over-credited Verra projects, signed by 21 of Verra's 33 approved auditors."},{"key":"projects_suspended","value":27,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"Suspended by Verra after the C-Quest charges."},{"key":"projects_rejected","value":37,"unit":"projects","year":2025,"note":"Chinese rice-methane projects rejected; four VVBs suspended; about 21 million credits of annual supply affected."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":27000000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Southern Cardamom REDD+ project."},{"key":"consultation_delay","value":31,"unit":"months","year":2015,"note":"Between the start of activities (1 January 2015) and consultation with Chong communities."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":26800000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Kariba REDD+ credits issued."},{"key":"excess_credits","value":15200000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Kariba credits Verra found excess; 10.3 million already retired remain valid."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Verra's registry earns a levy on each credit issued, while developers choose and pay the auditors. Follow the Money argued this weakens scrutiny; Verra said the arrangement is standard practice.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Verra","what":"Receives a levy on each credit; the share of its revenue this represents is not on record.","src":1},{"who":"Validation and verification bodies","what":"Paid by the developers whose projects they audit; three of them also carried out the Southern Cardamom review.","src":null},{"who":"South Pole","what":"Kariba made up about 10% of its 2022 revenue of EUR 232 million.","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Indigenous Chong communities (Cambodia)","what":"Consultation began 31 months after Southern Cardamom activities started; Human Rights Watch conducted 91 interviews.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Registry operated from the United States; projects in Zimbabwe (Kariba), Cambodia (Southern Cardamom) and China.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2007 to April 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Verra said that auditee-pays arrangements are standard practice in every sector and that accreditation keeps auditors impartial.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The developer pays the VVB, the VVB pays Verra a registration fee, and Verra takes a levy on each credit issued.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Setting the record straight: Verra's response to Follow the Money","p":"Verra","d":"2024-10-18","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://verra.org/verra-views/setting-the-record-straight-verras-response-to-follow-the-money/"},{"t":"Transparency International US report on conflicts of interest (summarised by REDD-Monitor)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2026-04-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/transparency-international-us-conflicts","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402123424/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/transparency-international-us-conflicts"},{"t":"Verra acts on Kariba project, cancels excess credits, advances independent review","p":"Verra","d":"2025-09","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://verra.org/verra-acts-on-kariba-project-cancels-excess-credits-advances-independent-review/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011065206/https://verra.org/verra-acts-on-kariba-project-cancels-excess-credits-advances-independent-review/"},{"t":"The South Pole Kariba carbon emission","p":"Follow the Money","d":"2023-01-27","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.ftm.eu/articles/south-pole-kariba-carbon-emission","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013124547/https://www.ftm.eu/articles/south-pole-kariba-carbon-emission"},{"t":"Caveat emptor: auditors can't save carbon markets (Coglianese and Giles on 305 audits of 95 over-credited Verra projects)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2026-01-13","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/caveat-emptor-auditors-cant-save","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Ken Newcombe, ex-CEO of C-Quest Capital","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024-10","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/ken-newcombe-ex-ceo-of-c-quest-capital","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241108165320/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/ken-newcombe-ex-ceo-of-c-quest-capital"},{"t":"Systems Failure in the Voluntary Carbon Market (Southern Cardamom REDD+ project)","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2024-05-16","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/16/systems-failure-voluntary-carbon-market","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251210000128/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/16/systems-failure-voluntary-carbon-market"},{"t":"U.S. Attorney announces criminal charges in multi-year fraud scheme in the market for carbon credits","p":"U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (U.S. Department of Justice)","d":"2024-10-02","u":"https://justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-criminal-charges-multi-year-fraud-scheme-market-carbon-credits","type":"official"},{"t":"New York court mulls transfer of Ken Newcombe case","p":"Quantum Commodity Intelligence","d":"2026-08-11","u":"https://www.qcintel.com/carbon/article/new-york-court-mulls-transfer-of-ken-newcombe-case-70822.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"26.8 million carbon credits were issued in my name from the Kariba project; in September 2025 Verra found 15.2 million of them excess.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many Kariba credits stood for avoided deforestation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does developer-pays-auditor, with a per-credit levy to the registry, weaken audits?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Southern Cardamom review independent?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The names of the four VVBs Verra suspended in March 2025: the source is paywalled and the names are not in the sources that could be opened.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A trial date in the Newcombe case and Jason Steele's sentence are not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of Verra's revenue that comes from the per-credit levy, and Verra executive pay: no source found.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Market shares of VVBs: no measurement found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a levy of US$0.23 per tonne from 1 January 2025, and a US$0.20 per-credit levy from 1 July 2023; the financial statements summary gives 30 March 2023 for the increase to US$0.20.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Validation and verification bodies","No source link — Who harmed: Indigenous Chong communities (Cambodia)"]},{"id":"carbon-credit-rating-agencies-and-space-intelligence-rebutta","title":"Carbon credit rating agencies and Space Intelligence rebuttal (Sylvera, BeZero)","dek":"Private firms such as Sylvera, BeZero and Calyx rate carbon credits, and sell their reports largely to credit buyers. Their investors and clients, and a company that sells monitoring to forest projects and led calls to retract a study critical of REDD+ credits, are examined in the cited sources.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":55.95,"lon":-3.19,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Edinburgh","lat":55.95,"lon":-3.19,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"regulator"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Funding rounds announced by two rating firms","value":"$57m and $50m","note":"Sylvera, July 2023 ($57 million); BeZero, November 2022 ($50 million). Amounts as announced by the companies."},"happened":["Sylvera, BeZero and Calyx are private companies that give carbon credits quality ratings. Carbon Market Watch reported that they sell their reports largely to credit buyers, and that the same Amazon project was rated high by Sylvera and low by Calyx and BeZero. It also reported that none of the four raters it examined includes human-rights safeguards in its ratings.","In January 2023 a nine-month joint investigation by the Guardian, Die Zeit and SourceMaterial reported that more than 90% of Verra's rainforest credits were likely to be phantom credits. Sylvera responded on 19 January 2023 that, of the REDD+ projects it rates, 31% were high quality and 25% were effectively junk; it said it had a team of about 150 people and had rated more than 85% of REDD+ credits.","BeZero announced a $50 million funding round on 14 November 2022. It was led by Quantum Energy Partners, with the venture arm of EDF, Hitachi and ICE (Intercontinental Exchange, which also operates a carbon-credit exchange); BeZero's total funding exceeded $70 million. Sylvera announced a $57 million Series B round on 18 July 2023. Press reports said that the consultancy Bain & Company was both a client and an investor of Sylvera.","In August 2023 West and colleagues published a study in Science that used synthetic controls on 26 REDD+ sites. For 18 projects with sufficient baseline data, developers' calculations allowed about 89 million credits, of which 6.1% could be tied to real additional reductions. In December 2023 a response led by Ed Mitchard, chief scientist of Space Intelligence, asked for the study to be retracted. Space Intelligence sells monitoring and verification to nature-based project developers, and the company published the bulletin carrying the response. Its customers include Apple and The Nature Conservancy.","On 3 February 2026 Singapore, which had chosen the three rating firms by tender to assess credits eligible against its carbon tax, announced that they were excluded from rating projects with which they have commercial relationships."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"BeZero announces a $50 million funding round led by Quantum Energy Partners (14 Nov)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Guardian, Die Zeit and SourceMaterial investigation (Jan); Sylvera responds (19 Jan); Sylvera announces $57 million round (18 Jul); West et al. in Science (24 Aug); response led by Space Intelligence's chief scientist asks for retraction (12 Dec)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Singapore excludes its three rating firms from rating projects with which they have commercial ties (3 Feb)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"31% of the REDD+ projects Sylvera rates are high quality and 25% are effectively junk; about 150-person team; more than 85% of REDD+ credits rated.","who":"Sylvera","src":0},{"t":"A response asking for retraction of the West et al. study.","who":"Space Intelligence, in a bulletin published by the company","src":3},{"t":"BeZero's $50 million round announced with Quantum Energy Partners as lead.","who":"BeZero","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sylvera announced a $57 million Series B round on 18 July 2023.","src":1},{"t":"BeZero announced a $50 million Series B round on 14 November 2022; EDF's venture arm, Hitachi and ICE took part.","src":2},{"t":"Carbon Market Watch reported that the same Amazon project was rated high by Sylvera and low by Calyx and BeZero, and that none of four raters includes human-rights safeguards in its ratings.","src":4},{"t":"Sylvera and Calyx Global estimated Kariba's credits to be inflated 5 to 8 times (Bloomberg, March 2023).","src":5},{"t":"Singapore announced on 3 February 2026 that its three tendered raters are excluded from rating projects with which they have commercial relationships.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of Sylvera-rated REDD+ projects called high quality","v":"31%","d":"Sylvera, January 2023"},{"k":"Share called effectively junk","v":"25%","d":"Sylvera, January 2023"},{"k":"Additional share of about 89 million credits in 18 projects","v":"6.1%","d":"West et al., Science, August 2023"}]},"unknown":["No cited record shows that Verra commissioned the Space Intelligence response to the West et al. study.","The listing of co-authors of the Space Intelligence response is unconfirmed.","The focus of Quantum Energy Partners on oil, gas and power plants, taken from a 2009 announcement."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No stop is on record; Singapore's February 2026 rule excludes its tendered raters from rating projects with which they have commercial ties.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; the record concerns who funds, buys from and invests in the raters.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: Singapore had excluded its three tendered raters from rating projects with which they have commercial ties; no court or regulator ruling on the raters or on the Space Intelligence response was found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"sylvera","says":"Said 31% of the REDD+ projects it rates are high quality and 25% effectively junk, in reply to the Guardian investigation.","when":"2023-01-19","src":0},{"actor":"space-intelligence","says":"Published a bulletin with a response, led by its chief scientist, asking for retraction of the West et al. study.","when":"2023-12-12","src":3},{"actor":"bezero","says":"Announced a $50 million round led by Quantum Energy Partners.","when":"2022-11-14","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"sylvera","role":"Carbon credit rating firm"},{"id":"bezero","role":"Carbon credit rating firm"},{"id":"calyx-global","role":"Carbon credit rating firm"},{"id":"space-intelligence","role":"Monitoring and verification company; authored the retraction request"},{"id":"quantum-energy-partners","role":"Lead investor in BeZero's round"},{"id":"bain-and-company","role":"Reported client and investor of Sylvera"},{"id":"carbon-market-watch","role":"NGO analysing the raters"},{"id":"singapore-government","role":"Government that tendered the three raters and set the exclusion rule"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many REDD+ credits are of low quality?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Guardian, Die Zeit and SourceMaterial","says":"Reported that more than 90% of Verra's rainforest credits were likely to be phantom credits.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sylvera","says":"Said 31% of the REDD+ projects it rates are high quality and 25% effectively junk.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"West and colleagues, Science","says":"Of about 89 million credits in 18 projects with sufficient baseline data, 6.1% could be tied to real additional reductions.","src":null}]},{"point":"Should the West et al. study be retracted?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Space Intelligence, led by its chief scientist Ed Mitchard","says":"Asked for the study to be retracted in a response published in December 2023; the company sells monitoring and verification to nature-based projects.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"West and colleagues","says":"Study stands as published in Science on 24 August 2023.","src":null}]},{"point":"Do commercial ties compromise the raters?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Carbon Market Watch","says":"Reported that raters sell largely to credit buyers and gave the example of one Amazon project rated high and low by different firms.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Singapore","says":"Excluded its three tendered raters from rating projects with which they have commercial relationships (3 February 2026).","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"BeZero","says":"Described its customers as energy, commodities and financial institutions.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"funding_raised","value":57,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Sylvera Series B, announced 18 July 2023."},{"key":"funding_raised","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"BeZero Series B, announced 14 November 2022; BeZero's total funding exceeded $70 million."},{"key":"credits_reviewed","value":89000000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Credits allowed by developers' calculations in 18 REDD+ projects with sufficient baseline data (West et al.)."},{"key":"additional_share","value":6.1,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Share of those credits tied to real additional reductions (West et al.)."},{"key":"sylvera_high_quality_share","value":31,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Share of REDD+ projects Sylvera rates that it called high quality."},{"key":"sylvera_junk_share","value":25,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Share of REDD+ projects Sylvera rates that it called effectively junk."},{"key":"sylvera_staff","value":150,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Team size cited by Sylvera."},{"key":"rated_share_redd","value":85,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Share of REDD+ credits Sylvera said it had rated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Private firms rating carbon credits, their investors and clients, and a monitoring company's call to retract a study critical of REDD+ credits.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sylvera","what":"Raised $57 million in July 2023.","src":1},{"who":"BeZero","what":"Raised $50 million in November 2022.","src":2},{"who":"Space Intelligence","what":"Sells monitoring and verification to nature-based project developers.","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Raters based in the United Kingdom; Space Intelligence in Edinburgh; Singapore as the buyer-regulator.","src":3},"when":{"t":"November 2022 to February 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Credit buyers and project developers use ratings and monitoring to judge credit quality; the cited sources show commercial ties between raters, investors and clients.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Rating firms sell reports largely to credit buyers; Space Intelligence sells verification to developers and its chief scientist led a response asking for retraction of a critical study.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Sylvera response to the Guardian investigation on offsets","p":"Sylvera","d":"2023-01-19","type":"company","u":"https://www.sylvera.com/blog/guardian-offsets-response"},{"t":"Sylvera raises $57 million Series B to incentivise investment in real climate impact","p":"Balderton (also TechCrunch)","d":"2023-07-18","type":"company","u":"https://www.balderton.com/news/sylvera-raises-57-million-series-b-to-incentivise-investment-in-real-climate-impact/"},{"t":"BeZero Carbon raises $50 million in Series B funding","p":"BeZero","d":"2022-11-14","type":"company","u":"https://bezerocarbon.com/news/bezero-carbon-raises-50-million-dollars-in-series-b-funding/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231003144130/https://bezerocarbon.com/news/bezero-carbon-raises-50-million-dollars-in-series-b-funding/"},{"t":"Bulletin carrying the Space Intelligence response to the West et al. study","p":"Ecosystem Marketplace (published by Space Intelligence)","d":"2023-12-12","type":"company","u":"https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/?p=25906"},{"t":"The top carbon-credit rating agencies are often inconsistent and inaccurate, watchdog claims (on Carbon Market Watch / Perspectives Climate Group report)","p":"Trellis","d":"2023-09-22","u":"https://trellis.net/article/top-carbon-credit-rating-agencies-are-often-inconsistent-and-inaccurate-watchdog-claims","type":"press"},{"t":"South Pole faces accusations due to exaggerated carbon offsets claims (summarising Bloomberg)","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"2023-03-27","u":"https://carbonherald.com/south-pole-faces-accusations-due-to-exaggerated-carbon-offsets-claims-bloomberg/","type":"press"},{"t":"Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Carbon Rating Service Providers","p":"Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore","d":"2026-02-03","u":"https://www.mse.gov.sg/latest-news/written-reply-to-parliamentary-question-on-carbon-rating-service-providers-/","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"For 18 REDD+ projects on me, developers' calculations allowed about 89 million credits; 6.1% could be tied to real additional reductions, West and colleagues reported in Science in August 2023.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many REDD+ credits are of low quality?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the West et al. study be retracted?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do commercial ties compromise the raters?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No cited record shows that Verra commissioned the Space Intelligence response to the West et al. study.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The listing of co-authors of the Space Intelligence response is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The focus of Quantum Energy Partners on oil, gas and power plants, taken from a 2009 announcement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"sbti-funding-scope-3-eac-announcement-and-ceo-exit","title":"SBTi funding, Scope 3 EAC announcement and CEO exit","dek":"The Science Based Targets initiative, which validates company climate targets, is funded by donations and by approval fees paid by companies. In April 2024 its board issued a statement opening the door to environmental attribute certificates for supply-chain emissions; staff and advisers objected and the CEO stepped down in July 2024.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2021,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-04-09","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Share of SBTi's 2024 revenue from company approval fees","value":"24.6%","note":"Twelve months to end of December 2024: 72.8% core donations, 24.6% approval fees, 2.6% project donations."},"happened":["The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) is a body based in the United Kingdom that checks whether company climate targets are consistent with the Paris Agreement. According to its funding page, in the twelve months to the end of December 2024, 72.8% of its revenue came from core donations, 24.6% from approval fees paid by companies to SBTi Services Limited, which it wholly owns, and 2.6% from project donations. SBTi says that company revenue has no influence on target decisions.","The approval fee was reported as about $9,500 per near-term target for large companies and about $1,250 for small businesses. A consultancy, Anthesis, put the total cost, including internal staff and outside advisers, at between $15,000 and $250,000. In 2021 the Bezos Earth Fund and the IKEA Foundation each gave $18 million, and Laudes gave $1 million, a total of $37 million. Past core donors included Amazon, the Bezos Earth Fund and the IKEA Foundation; past project donors included ArcelorMittal, Danone, LafargeHolcim, IKEA Supply AG and the UPS Foundation.","From September 2023 the board was chaired by Francesco Starace, chief executive of Enel from 2014 to 2023 and a partner of the investment firm EQT. The board also included Iván Duque, a former president of Colombia and a Bezos Earth Fund fellow. In March 2024 the Bezos Earth Fund convened the SBTi board and donors in London and, according to the Financial Times, defended the use of carbon credits; the fund also finances ICVCM and VCMI. The fund denies a link between the meeting and the later board statement.","On 9 April 2024 the board issued a statement, without consulting staff or the Technical Council, that opened the way to the use of environmental attribute certificates (EACs, which include carbon credits) for Scope 3 emissions, those arising in a company's supply chain and in the use of its products. Twenty-one advisers, about 20% of the advisory group, asked for the statement to be withdrawn. Doreen Stabinsky, a member of the Technical Council, said it was not a science-based decision. Staff asked on 10 April for the CEO to be removed and the statement reversed. Three days after the statement SBTi added that the standard had not changed.","On 2 July 2024 SBTi announced that CEO Luiz Amaral would step down for personal reasons, with Susan Jenny Ehr as interim CEO and Starace as chair. The final rule on credit use was not confirmed in the cited sources. Separately, over about a decade 695 companies had their commitments withdrawn or ended on expiry. Amazon's commitment was removed in August 2023 because it did not submit targets on time. The Bezos Earth Fund's grant ended in December 2024; the fund and IKEA had provided 61% of revenue in the previous year."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Bezos Earth Fund and IKEA Foundation give $18 million each; Laudes gives $1 million"},{"y":2023,"t":"Amazon's commitment removed (August); Starace becomes chair (September)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Bezos Earth Fund convenes board and donors in London (March); board statement on EACs for Scope 3 (9 April); staff ask for CEO removal (10 April); SBTi says the standard is unchanged (three days after the statement); CEO Amaral steps down (2 July); Bezos grant ends (December)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Company revenue has no influence on target decisions.","who":"SBTi","src":0},{"t":"The standard had not changed, added three days after the board statement.","who":"SBTi","src":4},{"t":"The Bezos Earth Fund's grant ended at the close of the originally agreed three-year term, according to both parties.","who":"SBTi and the Bezos Earth Fund","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"2024 revenue split: 72.8% core donations, 24.6% approval fees, 2.6% project donations.","src":0},{"t":"In 2021 the Bezos Earth Fund and IKEA Foundation gave $18 million each and Laudes $1 million, $37 million in total.","src":1},{"t":"Starace, Enel CEO from 2014 to 2023 and an EQT partner, was appointed chair in September 2023.","src":3},{"t":"On 9 April 2024 the board issued a statement on EACs for Scope 3 without consulting staff or the Technical Council; 21 advisers asked for its withdrawal.","src":4},{"t":"CEO Luiz Amaral stepped down on 2 July 2024; Susan Jenny Ehr became interim CEO.","src":5},{"t":"695 company commitments were withdrawn or ended on expiry over about a decade.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Approval fees in 2024 revenue","v":"24.6%","d":"SBTi funding page, twelve months to December 2024"},{"k":"Commitments withdrawn or expired over about a decade","v":"695","d":"Companies"},{"k":"Final rule on credit use for Scope 3","v":"Not confirmed","d":"The final rule is unconfirmed"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the final SBTi rule on the use of credits for Scope 3 emissions.","The report that the Bezos Earth Fund influenced the April 2024 decision is a secondary account based on unnamed sources and is unconfirmed; the fund denies it.","Fee figures for SBTi approval come from a consultancy and a Swiss federal document; they are unconfirmed."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable to the cited sources, which concern governance and funding rather than a harm to nature.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of July 2024: CEO Luiz Amaral had stepped down; the final SBTi rule on credit use for Scope 3 was not confirmed in the cited sources.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"sbti","says":"Said company revenue has no influence on target decisions.","when":"2024","src":0},{"actor":"sbti","says":"Added three days after the board statement that the standard had not changed.","when":"2024-04","src":4},{"actor":"sbti","says":"Announced that CEO Luiz Amaral would step down for personal reasons.","when":"2024-07-02","src":5},{"actor":"bezos-earth-fund","says":"Denied any link between its March 2024 meeting and the board statement, and denied influencing the decision.","when":"2024","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"sbti","role":"Standard-setter validating company climate targets"},{"id":"bezos-earth-fund","role":"Donor to SBTi; convened board and donors in March 2024"},{"id":"ikea-foundation","role":"Donor to SBTi"},{"id":"amazon","role":"Past core donor; its SBTi commitment was removed in August 2023"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the Bezos Earth Fund influence SBTi's April 2024 statement on credits?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Financial Times and Bloomberg, as reported by REDD-Monitor","says":"Reported that the fund, a main funder, defended carbon credits and influenced the decision, based on unnamed sources.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bezos Earth Fund","says":"Denied a link between its March 2024 meeting and the statement.","src":7}]},{"point":"Did SBTi permit the use of credits for Scope 3?","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"SBTi","says":"Only a board statement was published; three days later SBTi added that the standard had not changed.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"21 advisers and a Technical Council member","says":"Asked for the statement to be withdrawn; the Technical Council member said it was not a science-based decision.","src":4}]},{"point":"Did the Bezos Earth Fund end its funding?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bezos Earth Fund","says":"The grant ended at the close of the originally agreed three-year term.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"SBTi","says":"Said the grant ended at the close of the originally agreed three-year term.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue_share_core_donations","value":72.8,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Twelve months to end of December 2024."},{"key":"revenue_share_approval_fees","value":24.6,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Fees paid to SBTi Services Limited."},{"key":"revenue_share_project_donations","value":2.6,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Project donations."},{"key":"grant_bezos_earth_fund","value":18,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Grant in 2021."},{"key":"grant_ikea_foundation","value":18,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Grant in 2021."},{"key":"grants_total","value":37,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Including $1 million from Laudes."},{"key":"fee_large_company","value":9500,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported approval fee per near-term target for large companies."},{"key":"fee_small_business","value":1250,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported approval fee for small businesses."},{"key":"advisers_asking_withdrawal","value":21,"unit":"advisers","year":2024,"note":"About 20% of the advisory group."},{"key":"commitments_withdrawn_or_expired","value":695,"unit":"companies","year":2024,"note":"Over about a decade."},{"key":"funder_share_of_revenue","value":61,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Share provided by the Bezos Earth Fund and IKEA Foundation in the year before the Bezos grant ended."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SBTi's board issued a statement on 9 April 2024 opening the door to environmental attribute certificates for Scope 3 emissions; staff and advisers objected and the CEO stepped down in July 2024.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SBTi","what":"Revenue from core donations (72.8%) and approval fees (24.6%) in 2024.","src":0},{"who":"Consultancies","what":"A market for target-preparation services around SBTi approval, according to the record.","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"SBTi is based in the United Kingdom; the March 2024 meeting took place in London.","src":3},"when":{"t":"March to July 2024, with funding from 2021 and the grant ending in December 2024.","src":5},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the board's reasons.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The board published a statement without consulting staff or the Technical Council.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"How we are funded","p":"Science Based Targets initiative","d":null,"type":"registry","u":"https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/funders","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618080926/https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/funders"},{"t":"SBTi awarded $37 million in grants to accelerate 1.5C strategy","p":"ESG Today","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/sbti-awarded-37-million-in-grants-to-accelerate-1-5c-strategy"},{"t":"To SBTi or not to SBTi","p":"Anthesis Group","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.anthesisgroup.com/insights/to-sbti-or-not-to-sbti/"},{"t":"Francesco Starace appointed as chair of the Science Based Targets initiative","p":"EQT (Bloomberg, 12 September 2023)","d":"2023-09-12","type":"company","u":"https://eqtgroup.com/news/francesco-starace-appointed-as-chair-of-the-science-based-targets-initiative"},{"t":"Science Based Targets initiative (REDD-Monitor, citing the Financial Times and Bloomberg)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024-04-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/science-based-targets-initiative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250719091235/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/science-based-targets-initiative"},{"t":"Luiz Amaral to step down as CEO of the Science Based Targets initiative","p":"Science Based Targets initiative","d":"2024-07-02","type":"registry","u":"https://sciencebasedtargets.org/news/luiz-amaral-to-step-down-as-ceo-of-science-based-targets-initiative"},{"t":"Net-zero carbon emissions: Science Based Targets initiative, Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart","p":"The Invading Sea","d":"2024-11-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2024/11/27/net-zero-carbon-emissions-science-based-targets-initiative-sbti-amazon-microsoft-walmart/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516081653/https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2024/11/27/net-zero-carbon-emissions-science-based-targets-initiative-sbti-amazon-microsoft-walmart/"},{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund climate change charity","p":"National Observer (from the Guardian)","d":"2024-05-24","type":"press","u":"https://nationalobserver.com/2024/05/24/news/Bezos-Earth-Fund-climate-change-charity","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250802233815/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/05/24/news/Bezos-Earth-Fund-climate-change-charity"}],"episodes":[],"related":["bezos-earth-fund-first-grants-and-sbti-funding"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Bezos Earth Fund influence SBTi's April 2024 statement on credits?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did SBTi permit the use of credits for Scope 3?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Bezos Earth Fund end its funding?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the final SBTi rule on the use of credits for Scope 3 emissions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The report that the Bezos Earth Fund influenced the April 2024 decision is a secondary account based on unnamed sources and is unconfirmed; the fund denies it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Fee figures for SBTi approval come from a consultancy and a Swiss federal document; they are unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coca-cola-and-ilsi-influence-on-obesity-policy-in-china-and","title":"Coca-Cola and ILSI: influence on obesity policy in China and India","dek":"The International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI), founded in 1978 by a Coca-Cola executive, has branches in China and India. A 2019 BMJ study and later reporting describe ILSI's links to health regulators in both countries; ILSI and Coca-Cola dispute the reading that it shaped policy.","country":"China / India","region":"Asia","lat":28.61,"lon":77.21,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","lat":39.9,"lon":116.4,"role":"affected"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","lat":28.61,"lon":77.21,"role":"affected"}],"start":1978,"end":2026,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Share of ILSI-China obesity events on physical activity: 2004–2009 vs 2010–2015","value":"one third → two thirds","note":"Greenhalgh, The BMJ, January 2019. The author states that the effect on policy cannot be measured precisely."},"happened":["ILSI was founded in 1978 by Alex Malaspina, then a senior vice president of Coca-Cola. It is funded by food and agricultural-chemical companies and has branches in 17 countries. ILSI describes itself as a bridge between government, academia and industry and rejects the claim that it advances company interests. Corporate donations to ILSI totalled $2.4 million in 2012; Coca-Cola gave $163,500 in 2012 and $337,000 in 2013.","In China, a study by Susan Greenhalgh of Harvard published in The BMJ in January 2019 found that ILSI-China operates inside the building of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2004–2009 and 2010–2015, the share of ILSI-China's obesity events devoted to physical activity rose from about one third to about two thirds, while the share devoted to diet fell to about one fifth. A sugary-drink tax and restrictions on food advertising to children did not enter China's policy. Greenhalgh states that the effect on policy cannot be measured precisely. Coca-Cola co-founded the programme Exercise is Medicine China (2012), which promotes physical activity.","In India, the treasurer of ILSI India was also the director of regulatory affairs of Coca-Cola India, and ILSI members sat on panels of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) covering pesticides, additives and functional foods. In 2019 the India Resource Center wrote to FSSAI that this was unlawful. In April 2018 FSSAI published a draft requiring a red mark on products high in sugar, salt or fat and banning advertising to children. In August 2018 its chief executive, Pawan Agarwal, suspended the draft, citing industry concerns.","On 28 September 2026 FSSAI proposed a red hexagonal warning mark with a 365-day voluntary compliance period after notification. A court asked what had been done since 2022 and deferred its decision.","Coca-Cola ended its ILSI membership at all levels in January 2021 and gave only a routine review as the reason. PepsiCo, Kellogg and McDonald's remained members. Coca-Cola says excess sugar is good for no one, that it supports the recommendation that added sugar not exceed 10% of energy, and that since 2017 it has required that at least half of the research it supports be funded by other bodies. No fine or penalty against Coca-Cola or ILSI is stated in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":1978,"t":"ILSI founded by Alex Malaspina, a senior vice president of Coca-Cola"},{"y":2012,"t":"Exercise is Medicine China launched, co-founded by Coca-Cola; ILSI corporate donations $2.4m"},{"y":2015,"t":"Global Energy Balance Network, backed by Coca-Cola, dissolves in November; Rhona Applebaum retires"},{"y":2018,"t":"FSSAI publishes front-of-pack warning draft (April); suspended by its chief executive (August)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Greenhalgh study in The BMJ (January); ILSI-China publishes a response; India Resource Center writes to FSSAI"},{"y":2021,"t":"Coca-Cola ends ILSI membership (January)"},{"y":2026,"t":"FSSAI proposes red hexagon warning with 365-day voluntary period (28 September); court defers decision"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"ILSI described itself as a bridge between government, academia and industry.","who":"ILSI","src":null},{"t":"Coca-Cola said it supports a limit on added sugar of 10% of energy and, since 2017, requires that at least half of the research it funds be financed by other bodies.","who":"Coca-Cola","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"ILSI-China operates inside the building of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Greenhalgh, The BMJ, January 2019).","src":1},{"t":"Share of ILSI-China obesity events on physical activity rose from one third (2004–2009) to two thirds (2010–2015); share on diet fell to one fifth.","src":1},{"t":"The treasurer of ILSI India was also director of regulatory affairs at Coca-Cola India.","src":2},{"t":"FSSAI's April 2018 warning-label draft was suspended in August 2018; a new proposal was made on 28 September 2026.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Front-of-pack warning label, India","v":"Not in force","d":"Draft April 2018, suspended August 2018; new proposal 28 September 2026, court decision deferred"},{"k":"Sugary-drink tax, China","v":"None","d":"Not part of China's policy, per Greenhalgh (2019)"},{"k":"Penalty against Coca-Cola or ILSI","v":"None on record","d":"No fine or penalty on record"}]},"unknown":["How much of India's diabetes and obesity burden can be attributed to sugary drinks: no source reviewed says.","The cited sources record no fine, penalty or court ruling against Coca-Cola or ILSI.","Greenhalgh states that the effect of ILSI-China on Chinese policy cannot be measured precisely.","The court that deferred its decision on 28 September 2026, and the parties before it, are not on record.","Unconfirmed: that B. Sesikeran, a member of the board of ILSI India, was elected chair of FSSAI's warning-label panel.","Unconfirmed: that The New York Times reported in 2019 that ILSI's influence in India coincided with rising obesity and diabetes.","Unconfirmed: the 2022 proposal of a star-rating system in place of warnings, a Supreme Court deadline of 9 April 2025 that was exceeded, and the rejection of the star system in October 2025 after more than 14,000 comments.","Unconfirmed: that the sugar mills' association argued there was no evidence of harm from sugar.","Unconfirmed: an ICMR-INDIAB study (2023) estimating about 101 million adults with diabetes, 136 million with prediabetes and 254 million with obesity in India.","Unconfirmed: that The Wire counted 239 cases against health policies in six countries in 2010–2025, more than a third of identified company cases brought by nine groups led by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Mondelez.","The content of ILSI-China's published response to the BMJ study is known only; the page itself was not read in full."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Coca-Cola ended its ILSI membership in January 2021 and cited a routine review. The India warning label remained undecided as of September 2026.","whoPaid":"No fine or penalty is on record; the cited sources do not say who bore the health cost.","statusLine":"As of 11 October 2026: FSSAI proposed a warning label on 28 September 2026; a court deferred its decision; no penalty found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Coca-Cola","says":"Said excess sugar is good for no one, that it supports the recommendation that added sugar not exceed 10% of energy, and that since 2017 it requires at least half of the research it funds to be financed by other bodies.","when":"2017–2019","src":null},{"actor":"Coca-Cola","says":"Ended its ILSI membership at all levels, giving a routine review as the only reason.","when":"January 2021","src":null},{"actor":"ILSI Focal Point in China","says":"Published a response to the BMJ study and a related article, headed “Setting the record straight”.","when":"February 2019","src":0},{"actor":"FSSAI (chief executive Pawan Agarwal)","says":"Suspended the April 2018 warning-label draft, citing industry concerns.","when":"August 2018","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Founder-linked company; ILSI member until January 2021"},{"id":"ilsi","role":"Industry-funded scientific body, founded 1978"},{"id":"fssai","role":"Indian food regulator"},{"id":"china-cdc","role":"Host of ILSI-China in its building"},{"id":"india-resource-center","role":"NGO that wrote to FSSAI in 2019"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Did ILSI-China steer China's obesity policy toward physical activity?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Susan Greenhalgh, Harvard (The BMJ, January 2019)","says":"ILSI-China works inside the Chinese CDC building; its share of events on physical activity rose from one third to two thirds between 2004–2009 and 2010–2015; a sugary-drink tax and limits on child-directed food advertising did not enter policy. She states the effect on policy cannot be measured precisely.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"ILSI Focal Point in China","says":"Published a response to the BMJ study rejecting its findings.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Coca-Cola","says":"Said it supports limiting added sugar to 10% of energy and that exercise programmes such as Exercise is Medicine China promote physical activity.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Were ILSI-linked people on FSSAI panels contrary to law?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"India Resource Center","says":"Wrote to FSSAI in 2019 that ILSI members sitting on its pesticide, additive and functional-food panels was unlawful.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"FSSAI","says":"No reply to the 2019 letter appears in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"ilsi_corporate_donations","value":2.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Total corporate donations to ILSI in 2012."},{"key":"donation_to_ilsi","value":163500,"unit":"USD","year":2012,"note":"Coca-Cola's donation to ILSI in 2012."},{"key":"donation_to_ilsi","value":337000,"unit":"USD","year":2013,"note":"Coca-Cola's donation to ILSI in 2013."},{"key":"ilsi_branch_countries","value":17,"unit":"countries","year":2019,"note":"Countries with an ILSI branch."},{"key":"refund","value":1,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Returned by the Global Energy Balance Network after its dissolution in November 2015; $500,000 was kept."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An industry-funded scientific body founded by a Coca-Cola executive operated alongside health regulators in China and India while obesity policy was formed; China adopted no sugary-drink tax and India's warning-label draft was suspended.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Coca-Cola and other ILSI member companies","what":"No sugary-drink tax in China and no warning label in force in India; any commercial effect is not quantified in the cited sources.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Populations in China and India","what":"National obesity and diabetes estimates for India are reported, but the cited sources do not attribute any share to sugary drinks.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"China (ILSI-China, inside the Chinese CDC building) and India (FSSAI panels, New Delhi).","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 1978; China analysis covers 2004–2015; India draft April 2018, new proposal 28 September 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Not established. Greenhalgh states the effect on policy cannot be measured precisely; ILSI rejects the claim that it advances company interests.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through shared premises with a state health agency in China, and overlapping roles and panel seats in India.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Setting the record straight: ILSI Focal Point in China response to BMJ and Journal of Public Health Policy","p":"ILSI","d":"2019-02-11","type":"company","voice":"company","u":"https://ilsi.org/setting-the-record-straight-ilsi-focal-point-in-china-response-to-bmj-and-journal-of-public-health-policy/"},{"t":"Claims Coca-Cola shaped Chinese anti-obesity policies to its advantage via government ties: Studies","p":"FoodNavigator","d":"2019-01-15","u":"https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/01/15/Claims-Coca-Cola-shaped-Chinese-anti-obesity-policies-to-its-advantage-via-government-ties-Studies/","type":"press"},{"t":"Concerns raised over 'front group' representatives on Indian regulator's decision-making boards","p":"FoodNavigator","d":"2019-03-06","u":"https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2019/03/06/Concerns-raised-over-front-group-representatives-on-Indian-regulator-s-decision-making-boards/","type":"press"},{"t":"'Why Waste So Much Time?' SC Questions FSSAI's 365-day Voluntary Timeline for Food Warning Labels, Reserves Judgement","p":"Moneylife","d":"2026-09-28","u":"https://www.moneylife.in/article/why-waste-so-much-time-sc-questions-fssais-365day-voluntary-timeline-for-food-warning-labels-reserves-judgment/81782.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did ILSI-China steer China's obesity policy toward physical activity?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were ILSI-linked people on FSSAI panels contrary to law?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"FSSAI: No reply to the 2019 letter appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of India's diabetes and obesity burden can be attributed to sugary drinks: no source reviewed says.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no fine, penalty or court ruling against Coca-Cola or ILSI.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Greenhalgh states that the effect of ILSI-China on Chinese policy cannot be measured precisely.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The court that deferred its decision on 28 September 2026, and the parties before it, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that B. Sesikeran, a member of the board of ILSI India, was elected chair of FSSAI's warning-label panel.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that The New York Times reported in 2019 that ILSI's influence in India coincided with rising obesity and diabetes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2022 proposal of a star-rating system in place of warnings, a Supreme Court deadline of 9 April 2025 that was exceeded, and the rejection of the star system in October 2025 after more than 14,000 comments.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the sugar mills' association argued there was no evidence of harm from sugar.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an ICMR-INDIAB study (2023) estimating about 101 million adults with diabetes, 136 million with prediabetes and 254 million with obesity in India.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that The Wire counted 239 cases against health policies in six countries in 2010–2025, more than a third of identified company cases brought by nine groups led by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Mondelez.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The content of ILSI-China's published response to the BMJ study is known only; the page itself was not read in full.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Coca-Cola and other ILSI member companies","No source link — Who harmed: Populations in China and India"]},{"id":"corio-rainforest-land-purchase","title":"Corio, ABP and forest land investments (Netherlands)","dek":"Corio N.V. was a Dutch shopping-centre investor, and the cited sources record no rainforest purchase by it. Its reported main shareholder, the pension fund ABP, separately held a majority of a forestry fund in Mozambique whose subsidiary a 2010 government review found occupying 32,000 hectares without land-use rights.","country":"Netherlands","region":"Europe","lat":52.09,"lon":5.12,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Utrecht","lat":52.09,"lon":5.12,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Niassa","lat":-13.3,"lon":36,"role":"affected"}],"start":2000,"end":2021,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance"],"headline":{"label":"Land found occupied without a land-use right by a forestry fund subsidiary in Niassa, Mozambique (September 2010 review)","value":"32,000 ha","note":"As reported by TNI and FIAN (2013). The fund denied the finding."},"happened":["Corio N.V. was headquartered in Utrecht, listed in Amsterdam and Paris, and included in the AEX index from March 2008. It was a retail property company: its share of holdings other than shopping centres fell from 47% in 2000 to about 4% at the end of 2010, and in 2010 it had a retail portfolio worth €7.2 billion and about 450 full-time staff. It operated in the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Turkey. Its merger into the French company Klépierre took effect on 31 March 2015. The cited sources record no rainforest or forest land holding by Corio, and Corio's annual reports for 2005–2014 were not read.","In Turkey, Corio bought 47% of the Akmerkez centre in Istanbul in 2005 for €149 million. In November 2008 Turkish press reported about €800 million invested in 11 shopping-centre projects there, with chief executive Gerard Groener calling Turkey the company's fastest-growing market. In 2014 it owned seven centres in Turkey with a combined value of about €510 million.","ABP, the Dutch civil-service pension fund, decided in 2007 to add forest land to its portfolio, on the stated ground that forests give stable and potentially high returns for pension funds. According to a 2013 briefing by the Transnational Institute (TNI) and FIAN, an ABP senior portfolio manager announced a target of about €1 billion in land investments. ABP took about 60% of the Global Solidarity Forest Fund (GSFF), a $100 million fund set up by the Diocese of Västerås in Sweden and the Church of Norway's foundation OVF; other sources give ABP's share as 54.5% and the investment as €47 million or $60 million.","GSFF's subsidiary Chikweti Forests of Niassa planted pine and eucalyptus in Niassa province, Mozambique, on natural miombo woodland and farmland; the sources describe it as a plantation, not rainforest. The project was presented as a sustainable forest and carried Forest Stewardship Council certification. In September 2010 a review by Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and National Directorate of Land and Forests found that Chikweti occupied 32,000 hectares without a DUAT, the state-granted right to use and benefit from land; GSFF rejected the finding. In December 2011 ABP acknowledged that the investment did not meet its environmental, social and governance criteria, but declined to withdraw. The cited sources date from 2011–2013 and do not show whether ABP later left.","Other Dutch investors appear in the same body of reporting. Mongabay reported in February 2021 that ABP held shares worth about $219 million, mostly in JBS, and the health-sector pension fund PFZW about $163 million, in the Brazilian meat companies JBS, Marfrig and Minerva, and that 79% of pension-fund investment in those companies came from the Netherlands. The development bank FMO, 51% state-owned, co-financed Feronia's palm plantations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (reported at $100–200 million from 2013 together with other European development banks; nine communities want their land back, and a human-rights defender was killed in July 2019), and joined the Addax sugar-cane project in Sierra Leone, where 60 villages lost land and from which FMO withdrew around 2015. Rabobank co-financed the Plantar eucalyptus charcoal and carbon project in Minas Gerais, Brazil; local communities said the land was not abandoned and that they were dispossessed, and Rabobank said its loan was repaid in 2008."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Corio N.V. formed by a merger; non-shopping-centre share of holdings 47%"},{"y":2005,"t":"Corio buys 47% of Akmerkez, Istanbul, for €149m"},{"y":2007,"t":"ABP decides to add forest land; takes about 60% of GSFF"},{"y":2010,"t":"Mozambique review finds Chikweti on 32,000 ha without DUAT (September)"},{"y":2011,"t":"ABP acknowledges the investment did not meet its ESG criteria but does not withdraw (December)"},{"y":2013,"t":"TNI and FIAN briefing; Dutch minister Lilianne Ploumen calls land grabbing a “serious concern” (May)"},{"y":2015,"t":"Corio merges into Klépierre (31 March)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Mongabay reports ABP and PFZW holdings in Brazilian meat companies (5 February)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Chikweti was presented as a sustainable forest and carried FSC certification.","who":"Project and fund (as described in the reporting reviewed)","src":null},{"t":"Investment in forest land was described as giving stable and potentially high returns for pension funds.","who":"ABP, 2007 (as reported by TNI and FIAN)","src":1},{"t":"Plantar was presented as a pioneering carbon project reforesting abandoned pasture.","who":"Project, as described by TNI","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"A September 2010 review by Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and National Directorate of Land and Forests found 32,000 ha occupied without a DUAT.","src":1},{"t":"ABP acknowledged in December 2011 that the investment did not meet its ESG criteria and declined to withdraw.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Land occupied without a DUAT, Niassa","v":"32,000 ha","d":"Mozambique government review, September 2010; GSFF denied"},{"k":"Forest type at Chikweti","v":"Plantation","d":"Pine and eucalyptus on natural miombo woodland and farmland; not rainforest"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No ecological assessment of Chikweti appears in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["No source reviewed records a purchase of rainforest land by Corio.","Whether ABP left Chikweti or GSFF after 2011: the sources date from 2011–2013.","Unconfirmed: that Corio was formed in 2000 by the merger of VIB with WBN, a wholly owned ABP subsidiary; that ABP held 39% of Corio in 2006 (IPE); and that ABP, through APG, committed in July 2014 to transfer its 30.6% stake to Klépierre (IBJ).","Unconfirmed: a World Bank BioCarbon Fund table giving Chikweti 63,040 ha of DUAT and 14,250 ha planted.","Unconfirmed: that the Mozambican peasants' union UNAC has documented eucalyptus plantations entering peasant land since 2007 and that the national directorate confirmed consultations were not properly held.","Unconfirmed: that ABP, through APG, bought a majority of about 70,000 ha of forest in the southern United States for about $462 million, a third of the 170,000 ha Forico plantation in Tasmania, and plantations in New Zealand; and that ABP holds a forest and farmland portfolio of about €3 billion that it aims to raise to €5 billion.","Unconfirmed: that in April 2018 the Dutch Royal House said King Willem-Alexander holds no shares in companies bearing the title “Koninklijk”; the statement says nothing about other family members.","Unconfirmed: royal-family investments abroad, including a resort in Mozambique (2007–2012), a 1,500-ha estate in Patagonia (2009) and a villa in Greece (2012); ownership and sizes of the Patagonian land are reported inconsistently.","The Dutch state's holdings in forest-related investments are not totalled in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"ABP acknowledged in December 2011 that the investment missed its ESG criteria and stayed invested. The cited sources do not show a later exit.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; communities in Niassa, Minas Gerais, Sierra Leone and the Congo are reported as having lost land or said they were dispossessed.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026: no rainforest purchase by Corio is on record; the latest sources on ABP's Chikweti investment date from 2011–2013.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"GSFF (Global Solidarity Forest Fund)","says":"Rejected the finding that Chikweti occupied land without a DUAT.","when":"2010","src":1},{"actor":"ABP","says":"Acknowledged that the investment did not meet its ESG criteria but declined to withdraw.","when":"December 2011","src":2},{"actor":"Dutch Minister Ben Knapen","says":"Said the government does not dictate policy to private investors, and defended forest investments as important for Mozambique's development.","when":"2011–2013","src":1},{"actor":"Rabobank","says":"Said the Plantar loan was repaid in 2008.","when":"2008","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"abp","role":"Dutch civil-service pension fund; reported main Corio shareholder; GSFF investor"},{"id":"apg","role":"ABP's asset manager"},{"id":"corio","role":"Dutch shopping-centre investor, 2000–2015"},{"id":"gsff","role":"Global Solidarity Forest Fund, forestry fund in Mozambique"},{"id":"chikweti","role":"GSFF subsidiary; plantations in Niassa"},{"id":"fmo","role":"Dutch development bank, 51% state-owned"},{"id":"rabobank","role":"Co-financier of the Plantar project"},{"id":"pfzw","role":"Pension fund with Brazilian meat-company holdings"},{"id":"tni","role":"NGO; author of the 2013 briefing"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did Chikweti occupy land without legal land-use rights?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mozambique Ministry of Agriculture and National Directorate of Land and Forests","says":"A September 2010 review found 32,000 ha occupied without a DUAT.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"GSFF","says":"Rejected the finding.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"ABP","says":"Acknowledged in December 2011 that the investment did not meet its environmental, social and governance criteria, and declined to withdraw.","src":2}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Should the Dutch government intervene in pension-fund investments linked to land disputes?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Minister Ben Knapen","says":"The government does not dictate policy to private investors; forest investments matter for Mozambique's development.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Minister Lilianne Ploumen","says":"On 16 May 2013 described land grabbing as a serious concern.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"TNI and FIAN","says":"Describe Dutch pension funds, banks, companies and the state as involved in the global land and water grab through direct finance and support for voluntary self-regulation codes.","src":1}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Was the Plantar project reforestation or dispossession?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Project (as described by TNI)","says":"A pioneering carbon project reforesting abandoned pasture.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Local communities","says":"Said the land was not abandoned and that they were dispossessed.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rabobank","says":"Said the loan was repaid in 2008.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mozambique government review of Chikweti's land use","forum":"Ministry of Agriculture and National Directorate of Land and Forests","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Government of Mozambique (review)","defendant":"Chikweti Forests of Niassa (GSFF subsidiary)","filed":"2010-09","decided":"2010-09","status":"unknown","summary":"The review found 32,000 hectares occupied without a DUAT. GSFF rejected the finding. The cited sources do not record a penalty or remedy.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":32000,"unit":"ha","year":2010,"note":"Land found occupied without a DUAT by Chikweti, per the September 2010 Mozambique review."},{"key":"fund_size","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"Size of the Global Solidarity Forest Fund."},{"key":"stake_pct","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"ABP's share of GSFF; other sources give 54.5%."},{"key":"land_investment_target","value":1000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"ABP's announced land-investment target, per TNI and FIAN."},{"key":"holdings","value":219,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"ABP's holdings in Brazilian meat companies, mostly JBS (Mongabay)."},{"key":"holdings","value":163,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"PFZW's holdings in JBS, Marfrig and Minerva (Mongabay)."},{"key":"portfolio_value","value":7200,"unit":"EUR m","year":2010,"note":"Corio retail property portfolio."},{"key":"investment","value":149,"unit":"EUR m","year":2005,"note":"Corio's purchase of 47% of Akmerkez, Istanbul."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"No rainforest purchase by Corio is on record. Corio was a shopping-centre investor; ABP, its reported main shareholder, held about 60% of a forestry fund whose Mozambican subsidiary a government review found on 32,000 ha without land-use rights.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ABP and the other GSFF investors","what":"Held a forestry fund stake; returns on the investment are not on record.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Local communities near Plantar (Brazil), Addax (Sierra Leone) and Feronia (DR Congo)","what":"Reported as having lost land or said they were dispossessed; these are separate projects financed by other Dutch investors.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land in Niassa province, Mozambique","what":"32,000 ha of natural miombo woodland and farmland occupied by plantations without a DUAT, per the 2010 government review; no ecological assessment is on record.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Utrecht, Netherlands (Corio); Niassa province, Mozambique (Chikweti).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Corio 2000–2015; ABP forest decision 2007; Mozambique review September 2010; ABP statement December 2011.","src":2},"why":{"t":"ABP stated that forest land gives pension funds stable and potentially high returns.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A pension fund took a majority of a forestry fund holding plantations on land used under a state-granted DUAT.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Klepierre and Corio to create the leading pure play retail property company in Europe (joint press release)","p":"Klepierre S.A. and Corio N.V. (filed with the AMF)","d":"2014-07-29","u":"https://echanges.dila.gouv.fr/OPENDATA/AMF/CNS/2014/07/FCCNS127651_20140729.pdf","type":"company"},{"t":"The Netherlands and the Global Land and Water Grab","p":"TNI and FIAN","d":"2013","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.tni.org/files/download/nl_and_global_land_and_water_grab.pdf"},{"t":"ABP concedes African forestry investment failed to meet ESG criteria","p":"IPE via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2011-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/abp-concedes-african-forestry-investment-failed-to-meet-esg-criteria"},{"t":"Investigation: Dutch, Japanese pension funds pay for Amazon deforestation","p":"Mongabay","d":"2021-02-05","type":"investigative","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/investigation-dutch-japanese-pension-funds-pay-for-amazon-deforestation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610055326/https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/investigation-dutch-japanese-pension-funds-pay-for-amazon-deforestation/"},{"t":"Türkiye cazip (Corio in Turkey)","p":"Bigpara / Hürriyet","d":"2008-11-21","type":"press","u":"https://bigpara.hurriyet.com.tr/haberler/konut-haberleri/turkiye-cazip_ID651717/"},{"t":"Akmerkez için dev teklif","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2014-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/akmerkez-icin-dev-teklif-100027"}],"episodes":[],"related":["eliasch-amazon-land-purchase","abp-forest-and-agriculture-portfolio","kiribati-purchase-of-fijian-land"],"natureLead":{"t":"A September 2010 Mozambican government review found a forestry fund subsidiary occupying 32,000 hectares of my land in Niassa without land-use rights; the fund denied the finding.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did Chikweti occupy land without legal land-use rights?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the Dutch government intervene in pension-fund investments linked to land disputes?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Plantar project reforestation or dispossession?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Mozambique government review of Chikweti's land use: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed records a purchase of rainforest land by Corio.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether ABP left Chikweti or GSFF after 2011: the sources date from 2011–2013.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Corio was formed in 2000 by the merger of VIB with WBN, a wholly owned ABP subsidiary; that ABP held 39% of Corio in 2006 (IPE); and that ABP, through APG, committed in July 2014 to transfer its 30.6% stake to Klépierre (IBJ).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a World Bank BioCarbon Fund table giving Chikweti 63,040 ha of DUAT and 14,250 ha planted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Mozambican peasants' union UNAC has documented eucalyptus plantations entering peasant land since 2007 and that the national directorate confirmed consultations were not properly held.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that ABP, through APG, bought a majority of about 70,000 ha of forest in the southern United States for about $462 million, a third of the 170,000 ha Forico plantation in Tasmania, and plantations in New Zealand; and that ABP holds a forest and farmland portfolio of about €3 billion that it aims to raise to €5 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in April 2018 the Dutch Royal House said King Willem-Alexander holds no shares in companies bearing the title “Koninklijk”; the statement says nothing about other family members.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: royal-family investments abroad, including a resort in Mozambique (2007–2012), a 1,500-ha estate in Patagonia (2009) and a villa in Greece (2012); ownership and sizes of the Patagonian land are reported inconsistently.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Dutch state's holdings in forest-related investments are not totalled in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hyphen-hydrogen-project","title":"Hyphen green hydrogen project (Namibia)","dek":"A planned green hydrogen and ammonia export project inside the Tsau //Khaeb National Park near Lüderitz, in which the Namibian state holds 24%. Its final investment decision was postponed to the end of 2027.","country":"Namibia","region":"Africa","lat":-26.65,"lon":15.16,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Namibia","iso2":"NA","admin":"ǁKaras","lat":-26.65,"lon":15.16,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Namibian state stake in the project; final investment decision postponed to end of 2027","value":"24%","note":"The Namibian, 6 October 2026."},"happened":["Hyphen is a green hydrogen project, to produce hydrogen with renewable electricity, usually converted to ammonia for export. Its site is inside the Tsau //Khaeb National Park around Lüderitz, Namibia. The project was valued at $10 billion, and promoters said it would create 15,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs. A study announced in December 2022 with German backing said Namibia planned to start exports before 2025.","The tender, run between 2020 and 2023, was exempted from public procurement rules, and the bids and the reasons for the selection were not disclosed. Namibia's green hydrogen commissioner, James Mnyupe, defended the exemption. One partner, Nicholas Holdings, is registered in the British Virgin Islands and holds its stake through Mauritius. In December 2023 the state took a 24% stake. Germany declared Hyphen a strategic foreign project in 2024. The European Investment Bank announced a loan of up to €500 million, and the African Development Bank provided a grant and loan.","A port is planned near Shark Island, where up to 3,000 Nama and Herero were killed in the German genocide of 1904–1908. Nama representatives objected in April 2024, saying the memorial site could be damaged.","A report backed by a German ministry stated that producing one litre of treated water needs two to three litres of seawater and leaves one to two litres of brine, and that existing environmental assessments assume this volume to be small.","In October 2026 the final investment decision was postponed to the end of 2027. Opposition shadow minister Rodney Cloete said that, with the state a part-owner, the costs of every delay were now partly the state's own."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Tender begins around Lüderitz (2020–2023); exempted from public procurement rules"},{"y":2022,"t":"December: German-backed study announces Namibia plans to start exports before 2025"},{"y":2023,"t":"December: the Namibian state takes a 24% stake"},{"y":2024,"t":"April: Nama representatives object to the Shark Island port plan; Germany declares Hyphen a strategic foreign project"},{"y":2026,"t":"6 October: final investment decision postponed to end of 2027"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The project would create 15,000 construction jobs and 3,000 permanent jobs.","who":"Promoters of the project","src":null},{"t":"Namibia would start exporting green hydrogen before 2025.","who":"German-backed study announcement, December 2022","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The tender was exempted from public procurement rules; bids and selection reasons were not disclosed.","src":1},{"t":"The final investment decision was postponed to the end of 2027; the state holds 24%.","src":0},{"t":"The site lies inside the Tsau //Khaeb National Park.","src":0},{"t":"A German-ministry-backed report says each litre of treated water leaves one to two litres of brine and that current environmental assessments assume a small volume.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Site","v":"Inside a national park","d":"Tsau //Khaeb National Park, around Lüderitz"},{"k":"Brine per litre of treated water","v":"1–2 litres","d":"From 2–3 litres of seawater; existing environmental assessments assume a small volume (German-ministry-backed report, October 2023)"},{"k":"Planned exports before 2025","v":"Not met","d":"Final investment decision postponed to end of 2027"}]},"unknown":["Tender documents have never been disclosed, and the bids and reasons for the selection are not public.","The grantor of the €40 million grant listed with the postponement is not on record.","A response from the Hyphen consortium to the Nama objection to the port is not on record.","The cited sources do not report an independent ecological assessment of the site."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The project had not reached a final investment decision as of October 2026.","whoPaid":"Not established; the state holds 24% and public lenders were announced.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: final investment decision postponed to the end of 2027; the state holds 24%.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Namibia's green hydrogen commissioner, James Mnyupe","says":"Defended the exemption of the tender from public procurement rules.","when":"2020–2023","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"hyphen-namibia","role":"Project company"},{"id":"namibia-gov","role":"24% shareholder since December 2023; granted the tender"},{"id":"nicholas-holdings","role":"Partner registered in the British Virgin Islands, holding through Mauritius"},{"id":"eib","role":"Announced loan of up to €500 million"},{"id":"afdb","role":"Provided grant and loan"},{"id":"germany-government","role":"Declared Hyphen a strategic foreign project in 2024"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Was the tender properly run?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"James Mnyupe, Namibia's green hydrogen commissioner","says":"Defended the exemption from public procurement rules.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Namibian authorities","says":"Bids and the reasons for selection were not disclosed.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is the brine from desalination for the project small enough to ignore?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"German-ministry-backed report (October 2023)","says":"One litre of treated water needs two to three litres of seawater and leaves one to two litres of brine.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Existing environmental assessments (authors not named)","says":"Assume the brine volume to be small, according to the same report.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Did the 2022 export timeline hold?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"German-backed study announcement, December 2022","says":"Namibia planned to start exports before 2025.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Namibian, 6 October 2026","says":"The final investment decision was postponed to the end of 2027; shadow minister Rodney Cloete said the state, as part-owner, now shares the cost of delay.","src":0}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Will the port near Shark Island damage the memorial site?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Nama representatives","says":"Concerned that the memorial site, where up to 3,000 Nama and Herero were killed in 1904–1908, would be harmed (April 2024).","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"investment","value":10,"unit":"USD bn","year":2023,"note":"Stated project value."},{"key":"state_stake_pct","value":24,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Namibian state shareholding since December 2023."},{"key":"loan","value":500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"European Investment Bank loan announced for Hyphen."},{"key":"grant","value":40,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Grant listed with the October 2026 postponement; the grantor is not on record."},{"key":"jobs_promised_construction","value":15000,"unit":"jobs","year":2023,"note":"Promoters' figure."},{"key":"jobs_promised_permanent","value":3000,"unit":"jobs","year":2023,"note":"Promoters' figure."},{"key":"deaths","value":3000,"unit":"people","year":1908,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Nama and Herero killed on Shark Island, 1904–1908, near the planned port."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A planned export green hydrogen and ammonia project inside a national park; the final investment decision was postponed to the end of 2027.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Project partners","what":"No returns yet; the project has not reached a final investment decision.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Nama community","what":"Representatives objected to a port near Shark Island, a genocide memorial site.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Tsau //Khaeb National Park, around Lüderitz, Namibia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Tender 2020–2023; state stake December 2023; decision postponed 6 October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Stated aim: export green hydrogen to Europe and create jobs; seawater was to supply the water.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through a tender exempt from procurement rules, a state stake, and announced public lenders.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Hyphen delay raises questions on promises made","p":"The Namibian","d":"2026-10-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.namibian.com.na/hyphen-delay-raises-questions-on-promises-made/"},{"t":"Namibia's $10bn green hydrogen project raises myriad concerns","p":"African Arguments","d":"2023-11-16","u":"https://africanarguments.org/2023/11/namibia-10bn-green-hydrogen-project-raises-myriad-concerns/","type":"press"},{"t":"Monitor how brine discharge will impact marine life - report","p":"New Era (Namibia)","d":"2023-10-24","u":"https://neweralive.na/?p=219181","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A project valued at $10 billion is planned inside my Tsau //Khaeb National Park; a German-ministry-backed report says each litre of treated water leaves one to two litres of brine.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the brine from desalination for the project small enough to ignore?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the tender properly run?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the 2022 export timeline hold?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Will the port near Shark Island damage the memorial site?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Namibian authorities: Bids and the reasons for selection were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Tender documents have never been disclosed, and the bids and reasons for the selection are not public.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The grantor of the €40 million grant listed with the postponement is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A response from the Hyphen consortium to the Nama objection to the port is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report an independent ecological assessment of the site.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Nama community"]},{"id":"cane-toad-introduction","title":"Cane toad introduction (Australia)","dek":"In 1935 the cane toad was released in Queensland to control a sugar-cane pest. A warning issued the following year did not stop the releases, and the toad is now widespread.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-19.3,"lon":146.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-19.3,"lon":146.8,"role":"event"}],"start":1935,"end":1936,"eventDate":"1935-08","instrument":"invasive-species","types":["invasive-species"],"headline":{"label":"Toads released in August 1935 vs toads reported today","value":"2,400 → 200 million+","note":"The population figure carries no individual citation."},"happened":["In August 1935 about 2,400 cane toads were released in Queensland. The toads had been brought from Hawaii by Reginald Mungomery of the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations. The aim was to control the cane beetle, a pest of sugar cane.","No impact study had been carried out before the release. It had not been tested whether the toad would eat the cane beetle.","In 1936 the entomologist Walter Froggatt wrote that the toad could become a pest as large as the rabbit or the prickly pear cactus. A federal ban on releases followed. The sugar industry and the Queensland government pressed for the ban to be lifted, and Prime Minister Joseph Lyons lifted it in 1936.","The toad had no effect on the cane beetle. The cited sources report that it now numbers more than 200 million animals and spreads by 40 to 60 kilometres a year, and that it poisons native predators."],"timeline":[{"y":1935,"t":"About 2,400 cane toads released in Queensland in August; no impact study carried out"},{"y":1936,"t":"Walter Froggatt warns the toad could become a pest; a federal ban follows and is lifted the same year after pressure from the sugar industry and the Queensland government"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The toad was introduced to control the cane beetle in sugar cane.","who":"Sugar industry and the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The release went ahead without an impact study and without testing whether the toad ate the cane beetle.","src":0},{"t":"The 1936 warning led to a federal ban, which was lifted the same year.","src":0},{"t":"The toad did not control the cane beetle.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Toads released, 1935","v":"2,400","d":"Released in August 1935"},{"k":"Population reported today","v":"200 million+","d":"Spread of 40–60 km a year; figure from the cited sources, without an individual citation"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: declines of up to 90% in some goanna (monitor lizard) populations in northern Australia, with no date given.","No source reviewed records any penalty or liability for the release or for lifting the 1936 ban."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The 1936 ban on further releases was lifted the same year; the cited sources record no later halt to the toad's spread.","whoPaid":"Native predators reported poisoned by the toad; no source reviewed records any party being held to pay.","statusLine":"The cited sources describe the toad as widespread across northern Australia; no later date is given.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"bureau-sugar-experiment-stations","role":"Body that brought the toads from Hawaii"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should releases have continued after the 1936 warning?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Walter Froggatt, entomologist","says":"Wrote in 1936 that the toad could become a pest as large as the rabbit or the prickly pear cactus.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sugar industry","says":"Pressed with the Queensland government for the federal ban to be lifted.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prime Minister Joseph Lyons","says":"Lifted the federal ban in 1936.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"animals_released","value":2400,"unit":"toads","year":1935,"note":"Released in August 1935."},{"key":"population","value":200000000,"unit":"toads","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Current population; no individual citation."},{"key":"spread_km_per_year","value":"40–60","unit":"km a year","year":null,"note":"Rate of advance."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Cane toads were released in Queensland in 1935 to control a sugar-cane pest, without an impact study.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sugar industry (expected benefit)","what":"Expected control of the cane beetle; the toad did not control it.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Native predators","what":"Reported to be poisoned by the toad.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Queensland, Australia; toads brought from Hawaii.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Release in August 1935; warning and federal ban in 1936, lifted the same year.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To control the cane beetle in sugar cane.","src":1},"how":{"t":"About 2,400 toads were released after Reginald Mungomery of the Bureau of Sugar Experiment Stations brought them from Hawaii.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Defining moments in Australian history: introduction of cane toads","p":"Australian Geographic","d":"2023-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/history-culture/2023/03/defining-moments-in-australian-history-introduction-of-cane-toads/"},{"t":"TOAD ARMY LANDS: the cane toad in the press (Simon Miller)","p":"State Library of Queensland","d":"2012-12-07","u":"https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/toad-army-lands-cane-toad-press","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 2,400 cane toads were released on me in Queensland in August 1935; more than 200 million are reported now, spreading 40 to 60 km a year.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should releases have continued after the 1936 warning?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: declines of up to 90% in some goanna (monitor lizard) populations in northern Australia, with no date given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed records any penalty or liability for the release or for lifting the 1936 ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Native predators"]},{"id":"tropical-forest-forever-facility","title":"Tropical Forest Forever Facility","dek":"A fund launched at COP30 in November 2025 targets 125 billion dollars to pay tropical forest countries for keeping forests standing. Its payment order puts private investors first and forest countries last.","country":"Brazil","region":"Global","lat":-1.46,"lon":-48.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Belém","lat":-1.46,"lon":-48.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":null,"eventDate":"2025-11","instrument":"debt-swap","types":["debt-swap","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Capital target vs commitments reported","value":"$125 bn vs about $7 bn","note":"Target per WRI; commitments per Carbon Pulse, September 2026. Part of the commitments is conditional or in the form of loans."},"happened":["The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) was formally launched in November 2025 at the COP30 climate summit in Belém. It targets 125 billion dollars of capital, made up of 25 billion dollars of sponsor capital and 100 billion dollars of private capital.","The capital is invested in the bond market. According to WRI, the returns are paid first to private investors, then to donor countries, and last to forest countries, at about 4 dollars per hectare per year. WRI also reports that payments are reduced by 100 to 200 times the base rate for each hectare deforested. The public tranche bears the first loss; the private senior tranche is paid first. A share of 20% of payments goes to Indigenous peoples and local communities.","Pledges at COP30 included 3 billion dollars from Norway, 1 billion dollars each from Brazil and Indonesia, and 1 billion euros over 10 years from Germany. According to Carbon Pulse, about 7 billion dollars had been committed by September 2026, against a target of 10 billion dollars by the end of 2026. Part of the total was conditional or in the form of credit, including a 400 million pound loan from the United Kingdom."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Fund formally launched at COP30 in Belém in November; 125 billion dollar capital target"},{"y":2026,"t":"September: about 7 billion dollars committed, including a UK loan of 400 million pounds (Carbon Pulse)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Headline describing the fund as having exceeded expectations.","who":"Press headline","src":2},{"t":"A 125 billion dollar forest fund.","who":"Fund design as launched at COP30","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Target capital: 125 billion dollars (25 billion sponsor, 100 billion private).","src":0},{"t":"Payment order: private investors first, then donor countries, then forest countries at about 4 dollars per hectare per year.","src":0},{"t":"About 7 billion dollars committed by September 2026; much of it conditional or in the form of credit.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Payment to forest countries","v":"About $4 per hectare per year","d":"Paid last, after private investors and donor countries (WRI)"},{"k":"Capital target vs commitments","v":"$125 bn vs about $7 bn","d":"Commitments per Carbon Pulse, September 2026; part conditional or credit"}]},"unknown":["The fund launched in November 2025; its effect on forest loss has not been measured.","Unconfirmed: the official current total of the fund and the exact conditions of Norway's pledge."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the fund is new and its effect on forest loss has not been measured.","whoPaid":"The public tranche bears first losses; forest countries are paid last under the design described by WRI.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: about 7 billion dollars committed against a 125 billion dollar target, much of it conditional or credit; no effect on forests measured.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"wri","role":"Published the description of the fund's payment structure"},{"id":"norway-government","role":"Pledged about 3 billion dollars (part conditional)"},{"id":"germany-bmz","role":"Pledged 1 billion euros over 10 years (via Germany's environment ministry)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the fund exceed expectations?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Headline","says":"Described the fund as having exceeded expectations.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Carbon Pulse","says":"Reported about 7 billion dollars committed against a 125 billion dollar target, much of it conditional or in the form of credit.","src":2}]},{"point":"Who bears the risk and who is paid first?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"WRI","says":"Private investors sit in the senior tranche and are paid first; the public tranche bears the first loss; forest countries are paid last.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"target_capital","value":125000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Capital target: 25 billion sponsor plus 100 billion private."},{"key":"commitments","value":7000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Carbon Pulse, September 2026; part conditional or credit."},{"key":"payment_per_ha","value":4,"unit":"USD per ha per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paid to forest countries last (WRI)."},{"key":"community_share","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Share of payments for Indigenous peoples and local communities."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fund investing capital in bonds and paying forest countries per hectare of standing forest.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Private investors","what":"Paid first in the payment order; sit in the senior tranche.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Launched in Belém, Brazil; applies to tropical forest countries.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Launched November 2025; status as of September 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"To pay countries for keeping tropical forests standing without selling them.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Capital is invested in bonds; returns go first to private investors, then donor countries, then forest countries; deductions apply for deforestation.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Financing nature conservation: the Tropical Forest Forever Facility","p":"World Resources Institute","d":"2025-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wri.org/insights/financing-nature-conservation-tropical-forest-forever-facility","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914055358/https://www.wri.org/insights/financing-nature-conservation-tropical-forest-forever-facility"},{"t":"Cautious optimism greets new global forest fund at COP30","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/cautious-optimism-greets-new-global-forest-fund-at-cop30","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417123314/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/cautious-optimism-greets-new-global-forest-fund-at-cop30/"},{"t":"TFFF pledges and commitments","p":"Carbon Pulse","d":"2026-09","type":"press","u":"https://carbon-pulse.com/547187/"},{"t":"Germany pledges one billion euros to innovative rainforest conservation fund","p":"German Federal Ministry for the Environment","d":"2025-11","type":"official","u":"https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/en/pressrelease/germany-pledges-one-billion-euros-to-innovative-rainforest-conservation-fund","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260829031832/https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/en/pressrelease/germany-pledges-one-billion-euros-to-innovative-rainforest-conservation-fund"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Forest countries are to be paid about 4 dollars per hectare per year to keep my forests standing, WRI reports; about 7 billion dollars of a 125 billion target was committed by September 2026.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the fund exceed expectations?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who bears the risk and who is paid first?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The fund launched in November 2025; its effect on forest loss has not been measured.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the official current total of the fund and the exact conditions of Norway's pledge.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fikile-ntshangase-killing-and-somkhele-coal-mine","title":"Fikile Ntshangase killing and Somkhele coal mine (South Africa)","dek":"Fikile Ntshangase, who opposed the expansion of Tendele's Somkhele coal mine in KwaZulu-Natal, was killed in October 2020. The mine continued to operate.","country":"South Africa","region":"Africa","lat":-28,"lon":32,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"KwaZulu-Natal","lat":-28,"lon":32,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":null,"eventDate":"2020-10-22","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"People held accountable for the killing","value":"None reported","note":"As of 2022 per the source reviewed; no later update found."},"happened":["Fikile Ntshangase was killed on 22 October 2020 in Ophondweni, KwaZulu-Natal.","She had opposed the expansion of Tendele's Somkhele coal mine. According to the source reviewed, she refused to sign an agreement withdrawing the court challenges to the expansion.","The mine continued operating.","Daily Maverick reported on 26 October 2025 that police said the suspected killers of Fikile Ntshangase had died, and that who paid for the killing had not been established. No arrest or trial has been reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Fikile Ntshangase killed on 22 October in Ophondweni, KwaZulu-Natal"},{"y":2025,"t":"26 Oct: Daily Maverick reports police saying the suspected killers have died"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Fikile Ntshangase was killed on 22 October 2020 in Ophondweni, KwaZulu-Natal.","src":0},{"t":"She had opposed the expansion of Tendele's Somkhele coal mine and refused to sign an agreement withdrawing the court challenges.","src":0},{"t":"Somkhele is listed among the projects that continued.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mine","v":"Operating","d":"Somkhele continued after the killing"}]},"unknown":["No one has been tried or convicted for the killing in the cited sources. Daily Maverick reported in October 2025 that police said the suspected killers had died; who paid for the killing has not been established."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The mine continued to operate after the killing.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2025, according to Daily Maverick: no trial; police said the suspected killers had died.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"tendele","role":"Operator of the Somkhele coal mine"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2020,"note":"Fikile Ntshangase, killed 22 October 2020."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An activist who opposed the expansion of the Somkhele coal mine was killed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Fikile Ntshangase","what":"Killed on 22 October 2020.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ophondweni, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.","src":0},"when":{"t":"22 October 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources; she opposed the mine expansion and refused to withdraw the court challenges.","src":0},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Joint statement on the killing of activist Fikile Ntshangase","p":"Centre for Applied Legal Studies, University of the Witwatersrand","d":"2020","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wits.ac.za/news/sources/cals-news/2020/joint-statement-on-the-killing-of-activist-fikile-ntshangase.html"},{"t":"Police claim Fikile Ntshangase's killers are dead, but who paid the hitmen?","p":"Daily Maverick","d":"2025-10-26","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-26-police-claim-fikile-ntshangases-killers-are-dead-but-who-paid-the-hitmen/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261015140737/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-10-26-police-claim-fikile-ntshangases-killers-are-dead-but-who-paid-the-hitmen/"},{"t":"5 000 applications for 100 jobs: community tense as operations restart at Somkhele coal mine","p":"News24","d":"2024-06-07","u":"https://www.news24.com/business/companies/5-000-applications-for-100-jobs-community-tense-as-operations-restart-at-somkhele-coal-mine-20240607","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mineral-commodities-v-reddell","gupta-family-coal-mine-acquisition"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No one has been tried or convicted for the killing in the cited sources. Daily Maverick reported in October 2025 that police said the suspected killers had died; who paid for the killing has not been established.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"great-barrier-reef-in-danger-listing-delayed","title":"Great Barrier Reef 'in danger' listing delayed","dek":"In 2021 an expert panel recommended listing the Great Barrier Reef as 'in danger' under the World Heritage Convention. The World Heritage Committee postponed the decision after the Australian government lobbied its members.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-18.3,"lon":147.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-18.3,"lon":147.7,"role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2021-07-23","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Committee members lobbied by the Australian government before the 2021 vote","value":"18 of 21","note":"Not independently verified."},"happened":["In 2021 an expert panel recommended that the Great Barrier Reef be placed on the World Heritage 'in danger' list. By then the reef had gone through three mass bleaching events.","Before the vote, the cited sources record that Australia's Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, met members of the World Heritage Committee one by one in Paris, and that the government took ambassadors on a snorkelling tour of the reef. One account states that the government lobbied 18 of the committee's 21 members.","On 23 July 2021 the committee postponed the decision. A report was due by February 2022. Al Jazeera, in July 2021, reported the delay as the result of lobbying.","Later reef status is on record as follows: the reef was presented in 2024 as having record coral cover; coral cover in the northern section fell from 39.8% to 30% by 2025.","A study in Nature (Henley and colleagues, 7 August 2024) found that January–March ocean heat in the Coral Sea in 2024, 2017 and 2020 was the highest in a 400-year reconstruction, and that climate-model simulations show human influence on the climate is responsible for the rapid warming."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Expert panel recommends 'in danger' listing; reef has had three mass bleaching events"},{"y":2021,"t":"Environment Minister Sussan Ley meets committee members in Paris; ambassadors taken on a snorkelling tour of the reef"},{"y":2021,"t":"23 July: World Heritage Committee postpones the listing decision; report due by February 2022"},{"y":2024,"t":"Reef presented as having record coral cover"},{"y":2025,"t":"Northern coral cover falls from 39.8% to 30%"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The reef presented as having record coral cover (2024).","who":"Public presentation of the 2024 reef survey","src":null},{"t":"Ambassadors taken on a snorkelling tour of the reef before the committee vote (2021).","who":"Australian government","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"An expert panel recommended an 'in danger' listing in 2021; the reef had by then had three mass bleaching events.","src":1},{"t":"The World Heritage Committee postponed the decision on 23 July 2021.","src":0},{"t":"Northern coral cover fell from 39.8% to 30% by 2025.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mass bleaching events by July 2021","v":"3","d":"Recorded before the committee postponed the listing"},{"k":"Northern coral cover","v":"39.8% to 30%","d":"By 2025"},{"k":"Listing decision","v":"Postponed","d":"23 July 2021; report due by February 2022"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Bleaching events before the 2021 decision and the fall in northern coral cover by 2025.","report":[{"t":"By July 2021 I had been through three mass bleaching events.","src":1},{"t":"In my northern section, coral cover fell from 39.8% to 30% by 2025.","src":2}]},"unknown":["The Australian government's own account of the Paris meetings and the ambassadors' reef tour is not on record.","Unconfirmed: in 2018 the Australian government gave the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, a body with six staff, a grant of A$443.3 million without a tender, decided in 11 working days and paid up front; the national audit office is reported to have found 'deficiencies' in the decision process; press reports say mining and fossil-fuel companies sit on the foundation's paid panel; administrative costs are reported at up to A$86 million.","Unconfirmed: the 2025 coral loss in the north and south of the reef was the largest annual loss on record.","Unconfirmed: 83.7% of the world's reef area was exposed to bleaching-level heat stress between January 2023 and April 2025."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The listing was postponed on 23 July 2021; the cited sources record a further decline in northern coral cover by 2025.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record the reef as the party that bore the harm; the Australian government, coal and tourism are recorded as the parties that gained.","statusLine":"The World Heritage Committee postponed the 'in danger' listing on 23 July 2021; the cited sources describe a further decline in northern coral cover by 2025.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"australia-government","role":"Government that lobbied committee members"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Body that postponed the listing decision"},{"id":"gbr-foundation","role":"Recipient of a reported 2018 government grant; no other source confirms it"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the postponement of the 'in danger' listing the result of government lobbying?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Expert panel","says":"Recommended an 'in danger' listing in 2021; the reef had by then had three mass bleaching events.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Al Jazeera","says":"Reported in July 2021 that the listing was delayed through lobbying.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Australian government","says":"No statement of its own on the lobbying is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"committee_members_lobbied","value":18,"unit":"members","year":2021,"note":"Of the 21 members of the World Heritage Committee, as reported; no cited primary source."},{"key":"bleaching_events","value":3,"unit":"mass bleaching events","year":2021,"note":"Recorded by the date of the committee decision."},{"key":"coral_cover_north_before","value":39.8,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Northern coral cover before the 2025 fall."},{"key":"coral_cover_north_after","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Northern coral cover after the 2025 fall."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Heritage Committee postponed placing the Great Barrier Reef on the 'in danger' list on 23 July 2021, after an expert panel had recommended it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Australian government, coal and tourism","what":"Avoided the 'in danger' listing.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The reef","what":"Northern coral cover fell from 39.8% to 30% by 2025.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"The Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia; the committee lobbying took place in Paris.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Committee decision on 23 July 2021; report due by February 2022.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources state that the listing was avoided by lobbying committee members.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Environment Minister met committee members one by one in Paris; ambassadors were taken on a snorkelling tour of the reef; one account says 18 of 21 members were lobbied.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Report on the delayed 'in danger' listing of the Great Barrier Reef","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2021-07","type":"press","u":null},{"t":"UNESCO recommends the Great Barrier Reef be declared World Heritage 'in danger'","p":"WWF-Australia","d":"2021-06-22","u":"https://wwf.org.au/news/2021/unesco-recommends-the-great-barrier-reef-be-declared-world-heritage-in-danger/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Long-Term Monitoring Program: Annual Summary Report of Coral Reef Condition 2024/25 (Quick Look)","p":"Australian Institute of Marine Science","d":"2025-08-06","u":"https://www.aims.gov.au/sites/default/files/2025-08/Quick%20Look%20AIMS%20Annual%20GBR%20Report%202024-2025%206th%20August%202025.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Highest ocean heat in four centuries places Great Barrier Reef in danger","p":"Nature","d":"2024-08-07","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11306100/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":["great-barrier-reef-foundation-a-443m-grant"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the postponement of the 'in danger' listing the result of government lobbying?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Australian government: No statement of its own on the lobbying is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Australian government's own account of the Paris meetings and the ambassadors' reef tour is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2018 the Australian government gave the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, a body with six staff, a grant of A$443.3 million without a tender, decided in 11 working days and paid up front; the national audit office is reported to have found 'deficiencies' in the decision process; press reports say mining and fossil-fuel companies sit on the foundation's paid panel; administrative costs are reported at up to A$86 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2025 coral loss in the north and south of the reef was the largest annual loss on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 83.7% of the world's reef area was exposed to bleaching-level heat stress between January 2023 and April 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Australian government, coal and tourism","No source link — Who harmed: The reef"]},{"id":"sabarmati-riverfront-development","title":"Sabarmati Riverfront Development (Ahmedabad)","dek":"Ahmedabad's Sabarmati riverfront project was presented as reclaiming the river for the city and won awards. Sources report thousands of families moved 7 to 15 km away and a river that downstream carries industrial effluent and sewage.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":23.03,"lon":72.58,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Gujarat","lat":23.03,"lon":72.58,"role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2019,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","water"],"headline":{"label":"Reclaimed land earmarked for commercial sale","value":"14%–21%","note":"Share of reclaimed riverfront land, as reported by Down To Earth."},"happened":["The Sabarmati Riverfront Development project in Ahmedabad, India, ran from 2009 to 2019 according to the cited sources. The Ahmedabad municipality and its project company, SRFDCL, presented it as reclaiming the river for the city.","Down To Earth reported that the project received a HUDCO loan, won a HUDCO award in 2012 and was placed on KPMG's 'most innovative' list, and that 14% to 21% of the reclaimed land was earmarked for commercial sale.","Reports of how many people were displaced differ. A 1999–2002 survey counted about 8,500 families (Scroll, 2014); Scroll also reported about 12,000 people evicted over nine years. The project company put the figure at more than 10,000 households; Down To Earth reported about 5,000 families. Land Conflict Watch reported that more than 1,000 families were left without shelter after the May 2011 demolitions. Scroll and Land Conflict Watch reported resettlement sites 7 to 15 km away, and an average of 7 km from the centre.","Down To Earth reported in March 2019 that the stretch along the city had been filled with water from the Narmada canal, which it described as a dirty stagnant pool, and that the last 120 km of the river to the sea carried only industrial effluent and sewage.","The cited sources record no penalty or prosecution. The project company stated that resettlement was supervised by the Gujarat High Court."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"A 1999–2002 survey counts about 8,500 families on the riverbank"},{"y":2009,"t":"Project period begins (2009–2019)"},{"y":2011,"t":"May demolitions: more than 1,000 families left without shelter"},{"y":2012,"t":"HUDCO award; project later cited on KPMG's 'most innovative' list"},{"y":2014,"t":"Scroll reports about 12,000 people evicted in nine years"},{"y":2019,"t":"Down To Earth reports waste flowing downstream over the last 120 km of the river"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The project was presented as reclaiming the river for the city.","who":"Ahmedabad municipality and SRFDCL","src":null},{"t":"The project received the HUDCO award (2012) and a place on KPMG's 'most innovative' list.","who":"HUDCO; KPMG","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Displacement figures: about 8,500 families (1999–2002 survey), about 12,000 people (nine years), more than 10,000 households (project company), about 5,000 families (Down To Earth).","src":0},{"t":"More than 1,000 families were left without shelter after the May 2011 demolitions.","src":1},{"t":"Resettlement sites were 7 to 15 km away.","src":0},{"t":"The stretch along the city was filled with Narmada canal water; the last 120 km of the river to the sea carried only industrial effluent and sewage.","src":2},{"t":"14% to 21% of reclaimed land was earmarked for commercial sale.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Urban riverfront stretch","v":"Narmada canal water","d":"Filled with canal water; described by Down To Earth as a dirty stagnant pool (2019)"},{"k":"Last 120 km to the sea","v":"Industrial effluent and sewage only","d":"Down To Earth, March 2019"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Down To Earth, March 2019, on the state of the river along the city and downstream.","report":[{"t":"Along the city, my bed was filled with water brought from the Narmada canal.","src":2},{"t":"In my last 120 km to the sea I carry only industrial effluent and sewage.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Displacement figures differ across sources: about 5,000 families, about 8,500 families, more than 10,000 households and about 12,000 people.","The cited sources record no penalty or prosecution connected with the project."],"evidence":["displacement","no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record any stop to the displacement or the downstream discharge.","whoPaid":"Families moved 7 to 15 km from the riverbank, and the river downstream, which carries industrial effluent and sewage over its last 120 km.","statusLine":"As of the latest source reviewed (March 2019): resettlement figures remained disputed and the last 120 km of the river was reported to carry only industrial effluent and sewage.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"srfdcl","says":"Stated that more than 10,000 households were affected and that resettlement was supervised by the Gujarat High Court.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"ahmedabad-municipal-corporation","role":"Project owner"},{"id":"srfdcl","role":"Project company"},{"id":"hudco","role":"Lender and award giver"},{"id":"kpmg","role":"Ranking publisher"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many people were displaced?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Scroll (2014)","says":"A 1999–2002 survey counted about 8,500 families; about 12,000 people were evicted in nine years.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"SRFDCL (project company)","says":"More than 10,000 households.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Down To Earth (2019)","says":"About 5,000 families relocated.","src":2}]},{"point":"Did the project restore the river?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ahmedabad municipality and SRFDCL","says":"Presented the project as reclaiming the river for the city.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Down To Earth (2019)","says":"The stretch along the city was filled with Narmada canal water; the last 120 km of the river to the sea carried only industrial effluent and sewage.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"displaced","value":8500,"unit":"families","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Survey of 1999–2002, as cited by Scroll (2014)."},{"key":"displaced","value":12000,"unit":"people","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Evicted over nine years, per Scroll (2014)."},{"key":"displaced","value":10000,"unit":"households","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Project company figure."},{"key":"displaced","value":5000,"unit":"families","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Down To Earth (2019)."},{"key":"homeless_families_2011","value":1000,"unit":"families","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Left without shelter after the May 2011 demolitions (Land Conflict Watch)."},{"key":"resettlement_distance_km","value":"7-15","unit":"km","year":2014,"note":"Distance of resettlement sites (Scroll); Land Conflict Watch gives an average of 7 km from the centre."},{"key":"land_for_sale_share","value":"14-21","unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Share of reclaimed land earmarked for commercial sale (Down To Earth)."},{"key":"river_km","value":120,"unit":"km","year":2019,"note":"Final stretch of the river to the sea reported to carry only industrial effluent and sewage."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A riverfront development in Ahmedabad displaced thousands of families, was filled with Narmada canal water, and left the river downstream carrying industrial effluent and sewage.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ahmedabad municipality and SRFDCL","what":"Reclaimed land, part earmarked for commercial sale; awards and a loan.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Displaced families","what":"Moved 7 to 15 km away; more than 1,000 left without shelter after May 2011.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"The river downstream","what":"The last 120 km carries only industrial effluent and sewage.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2009 to 2019, with demolitions in May 2011.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The project was presented as reclaiming the river for the city.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The stretch along the city was filled with water from the Narmada canal and part of the reclaimed land was earmarked for commercial sale.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Sabarmati Riverfront displacement","p":"Scroll","d":"2014-09","type":"press","u":"https://amp.scroll.in/article/679648/scroll_in","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018150300/https://amp.scroll.in/article/679648/scroll_in"},{"t":"Families displaced by Sabarmati Riverfront continue to face hardships","p":"Land Conflict Watch","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/families-displaced-by-sabarmati-rvierfront-continue-to-face-hardships"},{"t":"The dark side of Sabarmati river development","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2019-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/the-dark-side-of-sabarmati-river-development-63728","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240927142247/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/the-dark-side-of-sabarmati-river-development-63728"},{"t":"Concerns over Sabarmati Riverfront Development Project","p":"Down To Earth","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/concerns-over-sabarmati-riverfront-development-project-5786","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206070003/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/concerns-over-sabarmati-riverfront-development-project-5786"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the project restore the river?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people were displaced?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Displacement figures differ across sources: about 5,000 families, about 8,500 families, more than 10,000 households and about 12,000 people.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no penalty or prosecution connected with the project.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cabo-pulmo-national-park-community-no-take-success","title":"Cabo Pulmo National Park (Mexico) community no-take success","dek":"A village of about 100 people stopped fishing on its own reef in 1995. A peer-reviewed measurement found fish biomass rose from 0.75 to 4.24 tonnes per hectare between 1999 and 2009, while control areas did not change.","country":"Mexico","region":"Americas","lat":23.43,"lon":-109.42,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Baja California Sur","lat":23.43,"lon":-109.42,"role":"event"}],"start":1995,"end":2025,"eventDate":"1995","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Fish biomass in the park, 1999 to 2009","value":"0.75 to 4.24 t/ha","note":"Peer-reviewed measurement (+463%); control areas showed no change."},"happened":["In 1995 a village of about 100 people on the Gulf of California stopped fishing on its own reef. The area was declared a national park the same year, and the fishing ban covered nearly all of it. The cited sources state that boat captains, dive guides and a few families enforced the rule. The park covers 71 km2.","A peer-reviewed measurement in PLoS ONE, published on 12 August 2011, found that fish biomass in the park rose from 0.75 to 4.24 tonnes per hectare between 1999 and 2009, an increase of 463%, with top predators about 11 times more abundant and no change in control areas. The article attributes the result to the village's leadership and self-enforcement and gives no share of the credit to non-governmental organisations.","A large tourism project, Cabo Cortes, with about 30,000 rooms on 3,800 ha, 17 km from the reef, was cancelled in June 2012. WWF Mexico described the cancellation as a major victory. A second project, Cabo Dorado, was withdrawn in 2014. The Cabo Cortes land remains in the hands of its Spanish owners and a new application is possible.","Mongabay Latam reported in 2021 that the park received about 40,000 visitors a year according to one scientist, that rangers were too few, that a new road was being built into the park, and that Mario Castro, one of the village's guardians, regretted promoting the park in the media. Development and Cooperation (D+C) reported in October 2025 that more than 90% of reefs in the Gulf of California had degraded and that families who gave up fishing lost income and tradition."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Village stops fishing on its reef; area declared a national park (71 km2)"},{"y":2009,"t":"End of the measurement period: fish biomass 4.24 t/ha, up from 0.75 t/ha in 1999"},{"y":2011,"t":"PLoS ONE publishes the biomass measurement (12 August); Scripps announces the reserve as the world's most robust marine reserve"},{"y":2012,"t":"Cabo Cortes tourism project cancelled (June); WWF Mexico calls it a major victory"},{"y":2014,"t":"Cabo Dorado project withdrawn"},{"y":2021,"t":"Mongabay Latam reports visitor pressure, too few rangers and a new road"},{"y":2025,"t":"D+C reports that more than 90% of Gulf of California reefs are degraded"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The cancellation of Cabo Cortes presented as a major victory.","who":"Omar Vidal, WWF Mexico director general","src":1},{"t":"The reserve announced as the world's most robust marine reserve (2011).","who":"Scripps Institution of Oceanography","src":5},{"t":"A claim that there is '600% more life' in Cabo Pulmo.","who":"A local statement, source unclear","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fish biomass rose from 0.75 to 4.24 t/ha between 1999 and 2009 (+463%); top predators about 11 times; no change in control areas.","src":0},{"t":"The 463% figure measures total biomass (weight), not the number of fish.","src":3},{"t":"About 40,000 visitors a year, according to one scientist; too few rangers; a new road in the park.","src":3},{"t":"More than 90% of reefs in the Gulf of California are degraded.","src":4},{"t":"In 2006 five local tourism businesses with fewer than 30 employees earned about US$538,800.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fish biomass, 1999 to 2009","v":"0.75 to 4.24 t/ha","d":"+463%, measured in the park; control areas unchanged (PLoS ONE, 2011)"},{"k":"Top predators","v":"About 11 times","d":"Same measurement period"},{"k":"Gulf of California reefs","v":"More than 90% degraded","d":"D+C, October 2025"}]},"unknown":["No peer-reviewed biomass series after 2009 is on record.","The split of tourism income between local and outside businesses is not on record.","Unconfirmed: the Greenpeace Mexico petition against Cabo Cortes gathered 220,000 signatures; the figure comes of Greenpeace Mexico's page.","It is not on record whether the community's success was used in fundraising appeals by large organisations."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Fishing in the park stopped in 1995; the cited sources record biomass rising from 1999 to 2009. Two large tourism projects were cancelled or withdrawn, though the Cabo Cortes land remains with its owners.","whoPaid":"Families who gave up fishing lost income and tradition (D+C, 2025).","statusLine":"As of October 2025: the park's biomass gain is documented to 2009; visitor pressure, too few rangers and a new road are reported, and the Cabo Cortes land remains in private hands.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wwf-mexico","says":"Its director general, Omar Vidal, described the cancellation of Cabo Cortes as a major victory.","when":"2012-06","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf-mexico","role":"NGO that claimed the Cabo Cortes outcome as a victory"},{"id":"greenpeace-mexico","role":"NGO that ran a petition against Cabo Cortes"},{"id":"scripps-oceanography","role":"Research institution that announced the reserve in 2011"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who deserves credit for the recovery?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF Mexico","says":"Called the cancellation of Cabo Cortes a major victory.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Peer-reviewed article (PLoS ONE, 2011)","says":"Attributes the success to the village's leadership and self-enforcement; gives no share to non-governmental organisations.","src":0}]},{"point":"How much did marine life increase?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"PLoS ONE (2011)","says":"Fish biomass rose 463% between 1999 and 2009; this is weight, not number of fish.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A local statement circulated in 2021, source unclear","says":"There is 600% more life.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"biomass_before","value":0.75,"unit":"t/ha","year":1999,"note":"Fish biomass in the park (PLoS ONE, 2011)."},{"key":"biomass_after","value":4.24,"unit":"t/ha","year":2009,"note":"Fish biomass in the park (PLoS ONE, 2011)."},{"key":"biomass_change","value":463,"unit":"%","year":2009,"note":"Change in total fish biomass, 1999 to 2009; control areas unchanged."},{"key":"area_ha","value":7100,"unit":"ha","year":2011,"note":"Park area of 71 km2."},{"key":"visitors_per_year","value":40000,"unit":"visitors","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"According to one scientist cited by Mongabay Latam."},{"key":"planned_rooms","value":30000,"unit":"rooms","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cabo Cortes project, 3,800 ha, 17 km from the reef."},{"key":"tourism_revenue_2006","value":538800,"unit":"USD","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"Five local tourism businesses with fewer than 30 employees."},{"key":"reef_degraded_share","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Gulf of California reefs reported degraded by D+C."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A village stopped fishing on its reef in 1995 and a peer-reviewed measurement found fish biomass rose 463% between 1999 and 2009.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Local tourism businesses","what":"Five businesses earned about US$538,800 in 2006.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Families who gave up fishing","what":"Lost income and tradition.","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cabo Pulmo, Gulf of California, Baja California Sur, Mexico.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Fishing stopped in 1995; biomass measured 1999 to 2009; pressures reported 2012 to 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"A binding rule, a community enforcing it and an independent measurement came together, as the cited sources put it.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The park was declared in 1995 and the fishing ban covered nearly all of it; boat captains, dive guides and a few families enforced it.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"PLoS ONE article on fish biomass recovery at Cabo Pulmo","p":"PLoS ONE","d":"2011-08-12","type":"academic","u":"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0023601"},{"t":"La cancelacion del plan turistico en Cabo Pulmo, una gran victoria: WWF (Expansion, via CNN)","p":"Expansion","d":"2012-06-15","type":"press","u":"https://expansion.mx/planetacnn/2012/06/15/la-cancelacion-del-plan-turistico-en-cabo-pulmo-una-gran-victoria-wwf"},{"t":"Cabo Pulmo, una historia de exito para la gente y la vida marina","p":"Greenpeace Mexico","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/mexico/blog/8796/cabo-pulmo-una-historia-de-exito-para-la-gente-y-la-vida-marina/"},{"t":"Cabo Pulmo: climate change and excess tourists put the marine sanctuary at risk","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2021-03-31","type":"press","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2021/03/cabo-pulmo-cambio-climatico-y-exceso-de-turistas-ponen-en-riesgo-santuario-marino-en-mexico/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418222629/https://es.mongabay.com/2021/03/cabo-pulmo-cambio-climatico-y-exceso-de-turistas-ponen-en-riesgo-santuario-marino-en-mexico/"},{"t":"The Gulf of California has seen reefs decline, Cabo Pulmo has rebounded after residents stopped fishing","p":"Development and Cooperation (D+C)","d":"2025-10-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/gulf-california-has-seen-reefs-decline-cabo-pulmo-has-rebounded-after-residents-stopped"},{"t":"Scripps Institution of Oceanography news page on Cabo Pulmo","p":"Scripps Institution of Oceanography","d":"2011","type":"academic","u":"https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/hidden-baja-undersea-park-worlds-most-robust-marine-reserve"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Fish biomass on my Cabo Pulmo reef rose from 0.75 to 4.24 tonnes per hectare between 1999 and 2009; in control areas it did not change, PLoS ONE reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much did marine life increase?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who deserves credit for the recovery?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No peer-reviewed biomass series after 2009 is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The split of tourism income between local and outside businesses is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Greenpeace Mexico petition against Cabo Cortes gathered 220,000 signatures; the figure comes of Greenpeace Mexico's page.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"It is not on record whether the community's success was used in fundraising appeals by large organisations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Local tourism businesses"]},{"id":"california-forest-carbon-projects-burned","title":"California forest carbon projects burned (Verra buffer pool)","dek":"Wildfires burned forests enrolled in carbon-offset projects in California. Credits for the burned carbon were replaced from the registry's shared buffer pool, which the records reviewed say was largely used up.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":37,"lon":-120,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","wildfire","insurance-fund","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Share of Verra's buffer pool consumed by fires","value":"About 40%","note":"The separate 100-year fire-risk share of the pool was used up faster (see metrics)."},"happened":["Carbon-offset registries hold back part of each forest project's credits in a shared buffer pool. The pool is meant to cover later losses of the stored carbon, including losses to fire. When stored carbon burns, credits are taken from the pool to replace the credits that were issued for it.","In California, the records reviewed state that fires consumed about 40% of the buffer pool. The pool had set aside a 20% share for 100 years of fire risk. A separate record states that wildfires in California used at least 95% of that fire-risk share in less than ten years. The records give the pool at 41.8 million credits.","Credits placed in the pool to replace burned credits are not charged to the buyers of the burned credits. The cited sources say buyers were not asked to pay.","A project's post-fire carbon stock had not been disclosed for about 60 months, although the rules require disclosure within 23 months. The cited sources do not name the project.","Verra wrote in 2021 that its cancellation rules might be insufficient. Since December 2025 it has allowed some projects to take out insurance in place of setting aside credits in the buffer pool. The records reviewed say no paid or refused carbon-credit insurance claim is public."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Verra writes that its cancellation rules \"may be insufficient\" (paraphrase of the record)"},{"y":2025,"t":"From December, Verra allows insurance in place of buffer-pool contributions for some projects"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The buffer pool held a 20% share for 100 years of fire risk.","who":"Registry buffer-pool design, as recorded","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fires consumed about 40% of the buffer pool.","src":1},{"t":"Fires in California used at least 95% of the share set aside for 100-year fire risk in less than ten years.","src":0},{"t":"Replacement credits come from the pool; buyers of the burned credits are not asked to pay.","src":1},{"t":"One project's post-fire carbon stock had not been disclosed for about 60 months against a rule of 23 months.","src":1},{"t":"The records give Verra's pool as 41.8 million credits.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Buffer pool consumed by fires","v":"About 40%","d":"Of Verra's buffer pool, as recorded"},{"k":"Fire-risk share used","v":"At least 95%","d":"Of the share set aside for 100-year fire risk, in under ten years"},{"k":"Post-fire carbon stock disclosure","v":"About 60 months","d":"Against a rule requiring disclosure within 23 months; one project"}]},"unknown":["Paid or refused claims under carbon-credit insurance: none are public.","The post-fire carbon stock of the project that had not disclosed it for about 60 months: not disclosed.","Which projects burned and how many credits were replaced from the pool: the cited sources do not say.","Whether the pool's 41.8 million credits are the balance before or after the fire losses: the cited sources do not say.","The share of California credits found to be excess is recorded as 29% in a Global Change Biology study (November 2021); the cited sources do not state what it was measured against."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say that the pool losses have been made good or that the rules have been changed to prevent a repeat; they record only that insurance has been allowed for some projects since December 2025.","whoPaid":"Replacement credits were drawn from the shared buffer pool, which holds credits set aside by projects; buyers of the burned credits were not asked to pay.","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed (Verra's December 2025 insurance rule): fires have consumed about 40% of the buffer pool; no carbon-credit insurance claim is public.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"verra","says":"Wrote in 2021 that its cancellation rules might be insufficient; allows insurance in place of buffer-pool contributions for some projects since December 2025.","when":"2021; December 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Registry that runs the buffer pool"},{"id":"carb","role":"California regulator of the offset programme"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Kita, Oka, CFC, Howden, Chaucer, Artio (carbon-credit insurance providers)","insured":"None on record","status":"unknown","year":null,"reason":null,"summary":"No paid or refused claim is public. One product pays only if the project developer's contract and the registry's buffer pool cannot cover the gap. An insurer's brochure says a small share of natural carbon projects meet its quality standards. Verra has allowed some projects to take out insurance in place of buffer-pool contributions since December 2025.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"buffer_pool_credits","value":41800000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Verra's buffer pool, as recorded."},{"key":"buffer_pool_consumed_by_fire","value":40,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the pool consumed by fires."},{"key":"fire_risk_share_set_aside","value":20,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Share of the pool set aside for 100 years of fire risk."},{"key":"fire_risk_share_used","value":95,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Of the fire-risk share, used in less than ten years."},{"key":"post_fire_stock_disclosure_delay","value":60,"unit":"months","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Against a rule requiring disclosure within 23 months; one project."},{"key":"excess_credits_share","value":29,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Share of California credits found to be excess in a Global Change Biology study (November 2021); the measure is not further specified in the cited sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Wildfires burned carbon stored in California forest-offset projects; the credits issued for that carbon were replaced from Verra's shared buffer pool.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Buyers of the burned credits","what":"Their credits were replaced from the pool; they were not asked to pay.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Verra's buffer pool","what":"About 40% consumed by fires; at least 95% of the fire-risk share used in under ten years.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California, United States.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Fire losses over less than ten years; Verra's rule change on insurance dates from December 2025. The cited sources give no fire years.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The pool's fire-risk share was set at 20% for 100 years; the records state it was used up much faster.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Credits are taken from the buffer pool to replace credits for burned carbon; buyers are not charged.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"California's forest carbon offsets buffer pool is severely undercapitalized","p":"Frontiers in Forests and Global Change (Badgley et al.)","d":"2022-08-05","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.930426/full","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925191402/https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.930426/full"},{"t":"Lionshead fifth anniversary: buffer pool update","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2025-09-03","u":"https://carbonplan.org/blog/lionshead-fifth-anniversary","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Long-Term Monitoring System for Reversals in VCS AFOLU Projects (consultation)","p":"Verra","d":"2021-12","u":"https://verra.org/long-term-monitoring-system-for-reversals-in-vcs-afolu-projects-open-for-consultation/","type":"company"},{"t":"Verra approves insurance policies for use under Durability Pilot","p":"Verra","d":"2026-07-08","u":"https://verra.org/verra-approves-insurance-policies-for-use-under-durability-pilot/","type":"company"},{"t":"Verra response to the Telegraph series on carbon offsetting","p":"Verra","u":"https://verra.org/verra-response-to-the-telegraph-series-on-carbon-offsetting","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":["california-offsets-buffer-pool"],"natureLead":{"t":"Fires have consumed about 40% of the buffer pool of carbon credits held for my California forests, and at least 95% of its 100-year fire-risk share in under ten years.","src":[0,1]},"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Kita, Oka, CFC, Howden, Chaucer, Artio (carbon-credit insurance providers): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Paid or refused claims under carbon-credit insurance: none are public.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The post-fire carbon stock of the project that had not disclosed it for about 60 months: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which projects burned and how many credits were replaced from the pool: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the pool's 41.8 million credits are the balance before or after the fire losses: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of California credits found to be excess is recorded as 29% in a Global Change Biology study (November 2021); the cited sources do not state what it was measured against.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"coca-cola-plastic-pledges-and-brand-audits","title":"Coca-Cola plastic pledges and brand audits","dek":"Coca-Cola pledged in 2018 to collect a bottle or can for each one it sold by 2030. In December 2024 it revised its goals, while brand audits counted its products as the largest share of branded plastic waste.","country":"United States","region":"Global","lat":33.75,"lon":-84.39,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"court"},{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Coca-Cola's share of branded plastic waste in 84 countries, 2018–2022","value":"11%","note":"Brand audits, Cowger et al. 2024, Science Advances."},"happened":["On 19 January 2018 Coca-Cola announced its \"World Without Waste\" goals. They included collecting a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030, making all packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and using 50% recycled content by 2030. The company later added a goal of 25% reusable packaging by 2030.","A study of 1,576 brand-audit events in 84 countries between 2018 and 2022 (Cowger et al., Science Advances, April 2024) found Coca-Cola products made up 11% of branded plastic waste, PepsiCo 5%, Nestlé 3%, Danone 3% and Altria 2%. Fifty-six companies accounted for more than half of branded waste, and half of the items were unbranded. The authors found that each 1% of a company's production share corresponded to about 1% of its share of pollution. Break Free From Plastic, which organises brand audits, named Coca-Cola first among the top global plastic polluters of 2023 in a report of 7 February 2024.","In December 2024 Coca-Cola revised its goals. It dropped the 25% reuse target and the goal to reduce virgin plastic, lowered its recycled-content target from 50% by 2030 to 35–40% by 2035, and lowered its collection target from 100% equivalent by 2030 to 70–75% by 2035. Reporting says the company said it needed more time and intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists.","A 2025 investigation by AFP and SourceMaterial found that about two-thirds of the plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned. Buyers named included arms of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in 2024. Coca-Cola and Unilever were reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.","Los Angeles County sued PepsiCo and Coca-Cola in October 2024, alleging they misled consumers about recyclability and caused a public nuisance. The records reviewed give no outcome."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Coca-Cola announces World Without Waste goals (19 January)"},{"y":2021,"t":"The Ocean Cleanup begins its global partnership with Coca-Cola"},{"y":2022,"t":"Coca-Cola sponsors the COP27 climate summit; Ocean Conservancy withdraws the incineration recommendation in its 2015 report"},{"y":2024,"t":"Break Free From Plastic names Coca-Cola first among top plastic polluters of 2023 (February); Science Advances brand-audit study (April); Los Angeles County sues Coca-Cola and PepsiCo (October); Coca-Cola revises its goals (December)"},{"y":2025,"t":"AFP and SourceMaterial report on plastic credits; Oregon packaging fees take effect under a board that includes Coca-Cola"}],"said":[{"q":"The top global plastic polluters of 2023 are The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé, Unilever, PepsiCo, Mondelēz International.","who":"Break Free From Plastic, 2023 global brand audit","when":"7 February 2024","src":0},{"q":"intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists","who":"Coca-Cola, as reported by Waste Dive on dropping the reuse target","when":"December 2024","src":3},{"q":"We need to stop producing so much plastic.","who":"Neil Tangri, GAIA","when":"2025","src":12}],"shown":[{"t":"A pledge to collect a bottle or can for each one sold by 2030, to make all packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and to use 50% recycled content by 2030.","who":"Coca-Cola, World Without Waste, 19 January 2018","src":null},{"t":"A global partnership with The Ocean Cleanup since 2021.","who":"The Ocean Cleanup, 2025 in review","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Coca-Cola products were 11% of branded plastic waste in audits of 84 countries, 2018–2022; PepsiCo 5%.","src":1},{"t":"Fifty-six companies accounted for more than half of branded waste; half of the items were unbranded.","src":1},{"t":"In December 2024 Coca-Cola dropped the 25% reuse target and the virgin-plastic reduction goal, and lowered its recycled-content and collection targets.","src":2},{"t":"About two-thirds of plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned; buyers included arms of Coca-Cola.","src":12},{"t":"Los Angeles County sued Coca-Cola and PepsiCo over recyclability claims and public nuisance.","src":7},{"t":"Coca-Cola and PepsiCo sit on the board of Circular Action Alliance, the operator of Oregon's packaging fees; the fee methodology is confidential and there is no appeal mechanism.","src":8},{"t":"Coca-Cola was a sponsor of the COP27 climate summit in 2022.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of branded plastic waste","v":"11%","d":"Coca-Cola, 84 countries, 2018–2022 audits"},{"k":"Collection pledge","v":"100% by 2030 → 70–75% by 2035","d":"Coca-Cola, revised December 2024"},{"k":"Credited plastic burned or planned to be burned","v":"About two-thirds","d":"Four registries, AFP and SourceMaterial, 2025"}]},"unknown":["Whether Coca-Cola's plastic-credit affiliates responded to the AFP and SourceMaterial findings: no response is on record.","Outcome of the Los Angeles County suit: none found.","Whether and how the Alliance to End Plastic Waste figures relate to Coca-Cola's own pledges: the cited sources do not say.","The brand-audit method counts branded litter items; the 'worst polluter' label rests on that count.","Fees and methodology of Oregon's producer-responsibility system: methodology confidential."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record revised, lower pledges rather than a stop: the 2030 collection goal became 70–75% by 2035 in December 2024.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who paid for the pledges that were dropped or for the waste counted in the audits.","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed (2025): Coca-Cola revised its plastic goals in December 2024; the Los Angeles County suit has no outcome on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"coca-cola","says":"Said it needed more time on its goals and intends to continue to invest in refillable packaging where infrastructure already exists.","when":"December 2024","src":3},{"actor":"coca-cola","says":"Reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.","when":"2022","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Beverage company; pledges, plastic-credit buyer through affiliates, defendant"},{"id":"pepsico","role":"Beverage company; co-defendant in the Los Angeles County suit"},{"id":"break-free-from-plastic","role":"Brand-audit organiser"},{"id":"aepw","role":"Industry alliance, subject of a Greenpeace analysis"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Analyst of the alliance's results"},{"id":"los-angeles-county","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"the-ocean-cleanup","role":"Cleanup partner of Coca-Cola since 2021"},{"id":"ocean-conservancy","role":"Withdrew a 2015 report's incineration recommendation in 2022"},{"id":"circular-action-alliance","role":"Operator of Oregon's packaging producer-responsibility system"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Said it does not buy plastic credits"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did plastic credits reduce plastic pollution?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP and SourceMaterial","says":"About two-thirds of plastic credited in four registries was burned or planned to be burned, about 84,289 t of plastic and an estimated 237,000 t of CO2; buyers included arms of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive in 2024.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Coca-Cola","says":"Reported to have said in 2022 that plastic credits are not a solution.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nestlé","says":"Says it does not buy plastic credits without a credible, solid, harmonised global standard (reported).","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the Alliance to End Plastic Waste match the scale of plastic production?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"The alliance gave $375 million and 119,000 t of plastic was collected; five member companies produced 132 million t of plastic feedstock in the same period, more than 1,000 times what was collected.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste","says":"Said its 15 million t target was too ambitious (as reported by Greenpeace).","src":5}]},{"point":"Why were the 2018 goals lowered in December 2024?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Coca-Cola","says":"Said it needed more time.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Reported that the company cut its reusable-plastic pledge and lowered its collection target.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Los Angeles County v. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola (plastic recyclability and public nuisance)","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Los Angeles County","defendant":"PepsiCo; Coca-Cola","filed":"2024-10","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The county alleged that the companies misled consumers about recyclability and caused a public nuisance through plastic pollution. No outcome is recorded.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"share_of_branded_waste","value":11,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Coca-Cola share of branded plastic waste; 1,576 audit events, 84 countries, 2018–2022 (Cowger et al. 2024)."},{"key":"share_of_branded_waste_pepsico","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"PepsiCo share, same audits."},{"key":"audit_events","value":1576,"unit":"events","year":2022,"note":"Brand-audit events, 2018–2022."},{"key":"countries_audited","value":84,"unit":"countries","year":2022,"note":"Same audits."},{"key":"companies_over_half_of_branded_waste","value":56,"unit":"companies","year":2022,"note":"Accounted for more than 50% of branded waste."},{"key":"recycled_content_target_2030","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Original goal; revised to 35–40% by 2035 in December 2024."},{"key":"collection_target_2030","value":100,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Equivalent collection for each bottle or can sold; revised to 70–75% by 2035 in December 2024."},{"key":"reuse_target_2030","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Added later; removed in December 2024."},{"key":"plastic_credits_burned","value":84289,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"burned or planned to be burned","note":"Across four registries, AFP and SourceMaterial; about two-thirds of credited plastic."},{"key":"plastic_credits_co2","value":237000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2025,"qualifier":"estimated","est":true,"note":"AFP and SourceMaterial estimate for the burned plastic."},{"key":"alliance_funding","value":375,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Alliance to End Plastic Waste, per Greenpeace 2024."},{"key":"alliance_plastic_collected","value":119000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Per Greenpeace 2024."},{"key":"ocean_cleanup_collected_2025","value":25000000,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"note":"Debris collected by The Ocean Cleanup in 2025; cumulative 45 million kg."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coca-Cola set and then lowered plastic pledges while brand audits attributed the largest share of branded plastic waste to its products; plastic credits bought by its affiliates were reported to fund burning of plastic.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global (brand audits in 84 countries); court action in California; COP27 in Egypt.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Pledge January 2018; audits 2018–2022; goals revised December 2024; credits investigation 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the company's reason as needing more time; no other reason is stated.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Brand audits count branded litter items; each 1% of production share corresponded to about 1% of pollution share.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"BFFP movement unveils 2023 global brand audit results","p":"Break Free From Plastic","d":"2024-02-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260624123238/https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org/2024/02/07/bffp-movement-unveils-2023-global-brand-audit-results/"},{"t":"Global study finds more than half of branded plastic pollution linked to 56 companies","p":"CSIRO","d":"2024-04","type":"academic","u":"https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2024/April/Global-study-finds-more-than-half-of-branded-plastic-pollution-linked-to-56-companies","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511181232/https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2024/April/Global-study-finds-more-than-half-of-branded-plastic-pollution-linked-to-56-companies"},{"t":"Coca-Cola cuts back on reusable plastic pledge","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012110007/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734615/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609154140/https://www.wastedive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734615/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Packaging Dive","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422182133/https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/"},{"t":"Alliance to end plastic waste: oil and chemical companies (Greenpeace analysis)","p":"Greenpeace Unearthed","d":"2024-11-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2024/11/20/alliance-to-end-plastic-waste-oil-chemical-exxon-shell-total/"},{"t":"2025 in review","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2026-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826085237/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/"},{"t":"Los Angeles County Sues PepsiCo and Coca-Cola Over Plastic Pollution","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/11/01/799395.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141608/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/11/01/799395.htm"},{"t":"Compliance with State Packaging EPR Laws Due by July 1, 2025","p":"Ballard Spahr","d":"2025-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.ballardspahr.com/insights/alerts-and-articles/2025/06/compliance-with-state-packaging-extended-producer-responsibility-laws-due-by-july-1-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260702222423/https://www.ballardspahr.com/insights/alerts-and-articles/2025/06/compliance-with-state-packaging-extended-producer-responsibility-laws-due-by-july-1-2025"},{"t":"Activists slam Coca-Cola sponsorship of Egypt COP27","p":"The New Arab","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.newarab.com/news/activists-slam-coca-cola-sponsorship-egypt-cop27"},{"t":"Mea culpa from Ocean Conservancy for its influential 2015 report","p":"Plastic Soup Foundation","d":"2022-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240414181145/https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2022/07/mea-culpa-from-ocean-conservancy-for-its-influential-2015-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240414181145/https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2022/07/mea-culpa-from-ocean-conservancy-for-its-influential-2015-report/","dead":true},{"t":"Branded plastic pollution study (Cowger et al., Science Advances 10(17))","p":"PubMed Central","d":"2024-04","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11042729"},{"t":"\"Cocktail of contaminants\": Burning plastic and emitting toxic gases has become central to plastic offsetting claims","p":"SourceMaterial / AFP","d":"2025-02-12","u":"https://source-material.org/?p=4336","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":["coca-cola-and-unilever-plastic-target-rollbacks"],"natureLead":{"t":"Coca-Cola's products were 11% of the branded plastic waste found on me in audits in 84 countries, 2018–2022; in December 2024 it moved its collection target from 100% by 2030 to 70–75% by 2035.","src":[11,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did plastic credits reduce plastic pollution?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the Alliance to End Plastic Waste match the scale of plastic production?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why were the 2018 goals lowered in December 2024?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Los Angeles County v. PepsiCo and Coca-Cola (plastic recyclability and public nuisance): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Coca-Cola's plastic-credit affiliates responded to the AFP and SourceMaterial findings: no response is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the Los Angeles County suit: none found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether and how the Alliance to End Plastic Waste figures relate to Coca-Cola's own pledges: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The brand-audit method counts branded litter items; the 'worst polluter' label rests on that count.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Fees and methodology of Oregon's producer-responsibility system: methodology confidential.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cosmos-1408-anti-satellite-test","title":"Cosmos 1408 anti-satellite test (Russia)","dek":"On 15 November 2021 Russia destroyed its own satellite Cosmos 1408 with a missile in low Earth orbit. The test produced 1,807 catalogued pieces of debris, and the International Space Station crew sheltered in their spacecraft.","country":"Russia","region":"Low Earth orbit","lat":null,"lon":null,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"actor"}],"start":2021,"end":null,"eventDate":"2021-11-15","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Catalogued debris pieces from the test","value":"1,807","note":"Count from ESA and the CelesTrak catalogue; 4 remained at the time of the count (date not stated)."},"happened":["On 15 November 2021 Russia struck its Cosmos 1408 satellite, which weighed 2,180 kg, with a missile at an altitude of 465–490 km. The ESA and CelesTrak catalogue count records 1,807 catalogued pieces, of which 4 remained in orbit.","The US State Department said the test produced \"over fifteen hundred pieces of trackable orbital debris\". The crew of the International Space Station closed hatches and sheltered in their spacecraft from shortly before 2 a.m. to about 4 a.m. EST. The NASA Administrator, Nelson, called the test \"reckless and dangerous\".","For comparison, India's Mission Shakti test on 27 March 2019 against the Microsat-R satellite at about 294 by 265 km left 130 catalogued pieces, none remaining. NASA Administrator Bridenstine said about 400 pieces were produced in total and about 60 were trackable.","In 2022 the United States decided to stop anti-satellite missile tests, and about 37 countries joined it. The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on this in 2022 with 155 votes; China voted against. The commitment is not binding."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"India's Mission Shakti test, 27 March: 130 catalogued pieces, none remaining"},{"y":2021,"t":"Russia destroys Cosmos 1408, 15 November; ISS crew shelters for about two hours"},{"y":2022,"t":"US decides to stop anti-satellite missile tests; about 37 countries join; UN General Assembly resolution adopted with 155 votes, China against"}],"said":[{"q":"reckless and dangerous","who":"NASA Administrator Nelson","when":"November 2021","src":0},{"q":"over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris","who":"US State Department","when":"November 2021","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Cosmos 1408, 1,750 kg, was struck at 465–490 km on 15 November 2021; 1,604 fragments had been catalogued by 7 March 2022.","src":2},{"t":"The ISS crew closed hatches and sheltered in their spacecraft from shortly before 2 a.m. to about 4 a.m. EST.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Catalogued debris pieces","v":"1,807","d":"ESA and CelesTrak catalogue count; 4 remaining"},{"k":"Debris from India's 2019 test, for comparison","v":"130","d":"Catalogued; none remaining"}]},"unknown":["Russia's own account of the test: no statement is on record.","The date of the count that gives 4 pieces remaining: not stated.","The commitment on anti-satellite test moratoria is not binding.","Who gained from the test: the cited sources do not say."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The 2022 moratorium commitment is not binding; the cited sources record no further Russian test after November 2021.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say.","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed (2022 resolution): 1,807 pieces catalogued, 4 remaining at the time of the count; the moratorium commitment is not binding.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Conducted the test"},{"id":"nasa","role":"Statement on the test; ISS crew sheltered"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many pieces did the test produce?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"ESA and CelesTrak catalogue","says":"1,807 catalogued pieces.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"US State Department","says":"Over fifteen hundred pieces of trackable orbital debris.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Russia","says":"No statement on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"debris_catalogued","value":1807,"unit":"pieces","year":2021,"note":"ESA and CelesTrak catalogue count."},{"key":"debris_remaining","value":4,"unit":"pieces","year":null,"note":"Remaining at the time of the count; date not stated."},{"key":"satellite_mass","value":2180,"unit":"kg","year":2021,"note":"Cosmos 1408."},{"key":"debris_catalogued_india_2019","value":130,"unit":"pieces","year":2019,"note":"India's Mission Shakti, for comparison; none remaining."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia destroyed its Cosmos 1408 satellite with a missile in low Earth orbit, producing 1,807 catalogued pieces of debris.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Crew of the International Space Station","what":"Sheltered in their spacecraft for about two hours.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Low Earth orbit, 465–490 km altitude.","src":null},"when":{"t":"15 November 2021.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state Russia's reason.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A missile struck the satellite, which weighed 2,180 kg.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"NASA Administrator Statement on Russian ASAT Test","p":"NASA","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-statement-on-russian-asat-test/"},{"t":"US Officials: Russian Anti-Satellite Test Created Extensive New Orbital Debris Field","p":"Air & Space Forces Magazine","d":"2021-11-15","u":"https://www.airandspaceforces.com/u-s-officials-russian-anti-satellite-test-created-extensive-new-orbital-debris-field/","type":"press"},{"t":"The Intentional Destruction of Cosmos 1408 (Orbital Debris Quarterly News, Vol. 26, Issue 1)","p":"NASA Orbital Debris Program Office","d":"2022-03","u":"https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv26i1.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many pieces did the test produce?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Russia: No statement on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Russia's own account of the test: no statement is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the count that gives 4 pieces remaining: not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The commitment on anti-satellite test moratoria is not binding.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the test: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"standing-rock-dakota-access-arrests-and-tigerswan","title":"Standing Rock / Dakota Access: arrests, TigerSwan and the Greenpeace damages award","dek":"Law enforcement counted 761 arrests during the Dakota Access pipeline protests at Standing Rock; the Water Protector Legal Collective counted 841 prosecutions. A private security firm described the movement in leaked documents as an insurgency, and a North Dakota jury later awarded the pipeline developer damages against Greenpeace entities.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":46,"lon":-100.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","lat":46,"lon":-100.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota (Morton County)","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","role":"affected"}],"start":null,"end":2025,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"State cases from the Standing Rock arrests (Water Protector Legal Collective final tally)","value":"836 cases; 392 dismissed; 26 convictions at trial","note":"Morton County Sheriff counted 761 arrests; the Water Protector Legal Collective counted 854."},"happened":["People who protested the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock were arrested in large numbers. North Dakota's emergency services office, citing the Morton County Sheriff's Department, counted 761 arrests, 709 of them protesters. The Water Protector Legal Collective (WPLC) defended 841 cases: 836 state cases plus 5 federal prosecutions.","Of the 836 state cases, 392 were dismissed, 42 ended in acquittal, 26 ended in conviction at trial, and 45 were inactive or had outstanding warrants, according to the WPLC tally as reported by Highland Public Radio.","On 27 May 2017 The Intercept published leaked documents from the private security firm TigerSwan. They described the movement as an ideologically driven insurgency with a strong religious component that followed the jihadist insurgency model. North Dakota's Private Investigative and Security Board sued over unlicensed operation; the district judge dismissed the case on 30 May 2018 and sent fines to the administrative process. In September 2020 TigerSwan settled with the board for $175,000, without acknowledging wrongdoing, and agreed not to operate in North Dakota, according to Inforum.","The pipeline developer also pursued litigation against protest organisations. In a federal suit that included BankTrack, the racketeering claims against BankTrack and Earth First were dismissed earlier and all claims were dismissed in February 2019 by Judge Billy Roy Wilson. In a second suit, in North Dakota state court in Morton County, a jury returned a verdict on 19 March 2025 of about $666.9 million against Greenpeace International (GPI), Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace Fund. On 29 October 2025 Judge James Gion cut the award to about $345 million.","The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law told Congress in September 2022 that at least 17 US states had adopted critical-infrastructure protest laws since 2016. In Louisiana, 16 activists and 1 journalist were arrested in total in connection with the Bayou Bridge pipeline under a 2018 felony trespass law, beginning 8 days after the law took effect.","The district court entered final judgment of about $345 million in February 2026. Greenpeace said it would seek a new trial and, if necessary, appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court, and filed a motion for a new trial in early April 2026. On 7 May 2026 the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled 4 to 1 for Energy Transfer on a separate point and directed the district court to issue an antisuit injunction barring Greenpeace International from pursuing claims in a Dutch court that the North Dakota case lacked foundation."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"ICNL later counted at least 17 US states adopting critical-infrastructure protest laws from this year on (testimony, September 2022)"},{"y":2017,"t":"The Intercept publishes leaked TigerSwan documents (27 May)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Judge Grinsteiner dismisses the licensing suit against TigerSwan (30 May); claims against BankTrack dismissed; Louisiana arrests under Act 692 begin 8 days after it took effect (9 August)"},{"y":2019,"t":"All claims in the first suit dismissed (February)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Jury verdict of about $666.9m against Greenpeace entities (19 March); judge cuts award to about $345m (29 October)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Feb: final judgment of about $345m entered; early April: Greenpeace files motion for new trial; 7 May: North Dakota Supreme Court directs an antisuit injunction concerning Greenpeace International's Dutch suit"}],"said":[{"q":"an ideologically driven insurgency with a strong religious component","who":"TigerSwan documents, as quoted by The Intercept","when":"27 May 2017","src":4},{"q":"followed the jihadist insurgency model","who":"TigerSwan documents, as quoted by The Intercept","when":"27 May 2017","src":4},{"q":"nothing left of the complaint that is within the purview of the district court","who":"Judge Grinsteiner, North Dakota district court","when":"30 May 2018","src":12},{"q":"dangerously broad","who":"Judge Billy Roy Wilson, describing the suit that included BankTrack","when":"July 2018","src":0},{"q":"Posting articles written by people with similar beliefs does not create a RICO enterprise.","who":"Judge Billy Roy Wilson","when":"February 2019","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The movement was characterised in internal security-contractor documents as following the jihadist insurgency model.","who":"TigerSwan documents leaked to The Intercept","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"Morton County Sheriff counted 761 arrests; WPLC counted 854.","src":3},{"t":"WPLC final tally of 836 state cases: 392 dismissed, 42 acquitted, 26 convicted at trial, 45 inactive or with outstanding warrants; plus 5 federal prosecutions, 841 cases in total.","src":3},{"t":"The jury verdict of 19 March 2025 was about $666.9 million; some outlets reported about $660 million or $670 million. The judge reduced the award to about $345 million on 29 October 2025, finding some damages duplicative, without legal basis, or above statutory caps on punitive damages.","src":1},{"t":"ICNL told Congress that at least 17 states had adopted such laws since 2016; 24 states considered 43 bills.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Arrests","v":"761 to 854","d":"Morton County Sheriff and WPLC counts"},{"k":"State cases dismissed","v":"392 of 836","d":"WPLC final tally"},{"k":"Damages award after reduction","v":"About $345m","d":"North Dakota state court, 29 October 2025"}]},"unknown":["Whether the board appealed the 2018 dismissal of the licensing case against TigerSwan: not found; the case ended in a September 2020 settlement.","The cited sources do not state a contract value for TigerSwan's work.","The cited sources do not report an ecological assessment of the protest sites or the pipeline route."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"The cited sources show an award of about $345 million against Greenpeace entities and arrests of between 761 and 854 people, most state cases ending without conviction at trial.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: final judgment of about $345 million entered in February 2026; Greenpeace's motion for a new trial was pending in the cited sources; on 7 May 2026 the North Dakota Supreme Court ordered an antisuit injunction concerning Greenpeace International's Dutch suit.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"energy-transfer","role":"Pipeline developer; claimant in the damages suit"},{"id":"tigerswan","role":"Private security contractor"},{"id":"greenpeace-usa","role":"Defendant in the damages suit (with Greenpeace International and Greenpeace Fund)"},{"id":"banktrack","role":"Defendant in the first suit, dismissed"},{"id":"wplc","role":"Legal collective that tallied the arrests"},{"id":"morton-county-sheriff","role":"Law enforcement; counted 761 arrests"},{"id":"icnl","role":"Provided testimony on US protest laws"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many people were arrested?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Morton County Sheriff","says":"761 arrests.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Water Protector Legal Collective","says":"854 arrests; final tally of 836 state cases plus 5 federal prosecutions.","src":3}]},{"point":"Did the protest organisers form a racketeering enterprise, and what damages were owed?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge Billy Roy Wilson","says":"Called the first suit \"dangerously broad\" and dismissed all claims in February 2019: \"Posting articles written by people with similar beliefs does not create a RICO enterprise.\"","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"North Dakota jury, Morton County","says":"Returned a verdict of about $666.9 million against GPI, Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace Fund on 19 March 2025.","src":5},{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge James Gion","says":"Cut the award to about $345 million on 29 October 2025, finding some damages duplicative, without legal basis, or above statutory punitive caps.","src":1}]},{"point":"Was TigerSwan's characterisation of the movement accurate?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TigerSwan (leaked documents)","says":"Described the movement as \"an ideologically driven insurgency with a strong religious component\" that \"followed the jihadist insurgency model\".","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"TigerSwan","says":"No public response to the leak is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Suit including BankTrack (racketeering claims)","forum":"US District Court, North Dakota (Judge Billy Roy Wilson)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"BankTrack and others","filed":null,"decided":"2019-02","status":"dismissed","summary":"The racketeering claims against BankTrack and Earth First were dismissed earlier; all claims were dismissed in February 2019. The judge called the suit \"dangerously broad\".","src":0},{"title":"Energy Transfer v Greenpeace","forum":"North Dakota state court, Morton County (Judge James Gion)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","kind":"civil","claimant":"Energy Transfer","defendant":"Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund","filed":null,"decided":"2025-10-29","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":345,"currency":"USD","label":"About $345 million after reduction (jury verdict about $666.9 million)"},"summary":"Jury verdict of 19 March 2025; award cut on 29 October 2025; final judgment of about $345 million entered in February 2026. Greenpeace filed a motion for a new trial in April 2026 and said it would appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court if necessary; Energy Transfer said it would appeal the reduction. No ruling on the motion was found.","src":1},{"title":"North Dakota Private Investigative and Security Board v TigerSwan","forum":"North Dakota district court (Judge Grinsteiner)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","kind":"administrative","claimant":"North Dakota Private Investigative and Security Board","defendant":"TigerSwan","filed":null,"decided":"2018-05-30","status":"dismissed","summary":"Suit over unlicensed operation. Dismissed 30 May 2018, with fines sent to the administrative process. In September 2020 TigerSwan settled with the board for $175,000, without acknowledging wrongdoing, and agreed not to operate in North Dakota.","src":12},{"title":"State prosecutions of Standing Rock arrestees","forum":"North Dakota state courts","country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecutors","defendant":"People arrested at Standing Rock","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"WPLC final tally of 836 state cases: 392 dismissed, 42 acquitted, 26 convicted at trial, 45 inactive or with outstanding warrants. Five federal prosecutions were also brought.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"arrests","value":761,"unit":"people","year":null,"qualifier":"per Morton County Sheriff","note":"Sheriff's count."},{"key":"arrests","value":854,"unit":"people","year":null,"qualifier":"per Water Protector Legal Collective","note":"WPLC count."},{"key":"state_cases","value":836,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"WPLC final tally."},{"key":"cases_dismissed","value":392,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"Of 836 state cases."},{"key":"cases_acquitted","value":42,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"Of 836 state cases."},{"key":"convicted_at_trial","value":26,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"Of 836 state cases."},{"key":"federal_prosecutions","value":5,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"In addition to state cases; 841 cases in total per WPLC."},{"key":"settlement","value":666.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Jury verdict, 19 March 2025; some outlets reported about $660m or $670m."},{"key":"fine","value":345,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Award after reduction by the judge, 29 October 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mass arrests of protesters at the Dakota Access pipeline protests, leaked security-contractor documents describing the movement as an insurgency, and a damages award against Greenpeace entities.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Energy Transfer, claimant","what":"Jury verdict of about $666.9 million against Greenpeace entities, reduced to about $345 million.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund","what":"Ordered to pay about $345 million after reduction.","src":1},{"who":"People arrested at Standing Rock","what":"761 arrests by law-enforcement count and 841 prosecutions by the WPLC count; 26 convictions at trial among 836 state cases.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Standing Rock and Morton County, North Dakota; Bayou Bridge pipeline arrests in Louisiana.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Leak published 27 May 2017; licensing suit dismissed 30 May 2018; verdict 19 March 2025; award reduced 29 October 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a single motive; ICNL testified that at least 17 states adopted critical-infrastructure protest laws since 2016.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Through arrests and state prosecutions, private-security surveillance and documents, and civil litigation against protest organisations.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Judge tosses $900M suit over Greenpeace pipeline protests","p":"Courthouse News","d":"2019-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-tosses-900m-suit-over-greenpeace-pipeline-protests/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928084259/https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-tosses-900m-suit-over-greenpeace-pipeline-protests/"},{"t":"Judge orders Greenpeace to pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half","p":"PBS NewsHour","d":"2025-10-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-orders-greenpeace-to-pay-345-million-in-pipeline-lawsuit-cutting-jury-amount-nearly-in-half"},{"t":"Testimony to Congress on US protest laws","p":"International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)","d":"2022-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/Page%20Testimony.pdf"},{"t":"More than two years later, last NoDAPL trials finish","p":"Highland Public Radio (hpr1.com)","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/more-than-two-years-later-last-nodapl-trials-finish","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420190400/https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/more-than-two-years-later-last-nodapl-trials-finish/"},{"t":"Leaked documents reveal security firm's counterterrorism tactics at Standing Rock to defeat pipeline insurgencies","p":"The Intercept","d":"2017-05-27","type":"investigative","u":"https://theintercept.com/2017/05/27/leaked-documents-reveal-security-firms-counterterrorism-tactics-at-standing-rock-to-defeat-pipeline-insurgencies/"},{"t":"Jury finds Greenpeace at fault for protest damages, awards pipeline developer more than $660 million","p":"Florida Phoenix (States Newsroom)","d":"2025-03-21","type":"press","u":"https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/03/21/jury-finds-greenpeace-at-fault-for-protest-damages-awards-pipeline-developer-more-than-660-million/"},{"t":"By the Numbers (March 2017)","p":"North Dakota Department of Emergency Services (ndresponse.gov)","d":"2017-03","u":"https://ndresponse.gov/2016/dakota-access-pipeline/press-releases/march-2017/numbers-07","type":"official"},{"t":"Greenpeace organisations to appeal US$345 million North Dakota court judgment in Energy Transfer's intimidation lawsuit","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2026-02","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/81840/greenpeace-organisations-appeal-345-million-north-dakota-court-judgment-energy-transfers-intimidation-lawsuit/","type":"party"},{"t":"North Dakota Supreme Court Blocks Greenpeace's Collateral Attack on a Jury's Verdict","p":"National Law Review","d":"2026-05-12","u":"https://natlawreview.com/article/north-dakota-supreme-court-blocks-greenpeaces-collateral-attack-jurys-verdict","type":"press"},{"t":"Greenpeace seeks new trial, claiming jury pool biased in case over Dakota Access Pipeline","p":"Kiowa County Press","d":"2026-04-06","u":"https://kiowacountypress.net/content/greenpeace-seeks-new-trial-claiming-jury-pool-biased-case-over-dakota-access-pipeline","type":"press"},{"t":"5 years on, public records battle brews over DAPL protest enforcement","p":"Inforum","d":"2021-08-02","u":"https://www.inforum.com/news/5-years-on-public-records-battle-brews-over-dapl-protest-enforcement","type":"press"},{"t":"Water Protector Legal Collective report condemns government treatment of Native protesters","p":"Water Protector Legal Collective","d":"2019-06-24","u":"https://www.waterprotectorlegal.org/post/water-protector-legal-collective-report-condemns-government-treatment-of-native-protesters","type":"party"},{"t":"Judge dismisses case against Dakota Access security firm TigerSwan","p":"Grand Forks Herald","d":"2018-05-30","u":"https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/judge-dismisses-case-against-dakota-access-security-firm-tigerswan","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["energy-transfer-v-greenpeace","corporate-suits-against-greenpeace","resolute-forest-products-v-greenpeace","totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people were arrested?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the protest organisers form a racketeering enterprise, and what damages were owed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was TigerSwan's characterisation of the movement accurate?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"TigerSwan: No public response to the leak is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"State prosecutions of Standing Rock arrestees: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the board appealed the 2018 dismissal of the licensing case against TigerSwan: not found; the case ended in a September 2020 settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state a contract value for TigerSwan's work.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report an ecological assessment of the protest sites or the pipeline route.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fukushima-nuclear-damage-compensation-financing","title":"Fukushima nuclear damage compensation financing (Japan)","dek":"After the March 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, Japan financed compensation through government bonds to be repaid by utilities and electricity consumers. Courts acquitted three former TEPCO executives and, in 2025, overturned a shareholder judgment against four former executives.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Fukushima","lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"role":"event"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Tokyo","role":"court"}],"start":2011,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2011-03","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Government-bond ceiling for nuclear damage compensation, FY2024","value":"¥15.4tn","note":"Cumulative grants from the NDF to TEPCO were ¥11.4148tn as of September 2025."},"happened":["After the Fukushima Daiichi accident in March 2011, Japan relied on the Nuclear Damage Compensation Act of 1961 and a fund set up in 2011 (the NDF). Operator liability is unlimited; required financial security is ¥120bn (since 2010). Compensation was financed after the harm through government bonds, levies and grid fees.","The NDF government-bond ceiling was raised from ¥13.5tn to ¥15.4tn in the FY2024 budget. The allocation was compensation of about ¥9.2tn, decontamination of about ¥4.0tn and interim storage of about ¥2.2tn. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) raised its total cost estimate from ¥21.5tn to ¥23.4tn in December 2023. Cumulative NDF grants to TEPCO were ¥11.4148tn, plus ¥188.9bn in government indemnity, as of September 2025.","Repayment comes from utility contributions and the energy special account. A ¥2.4tn past shortfall in contributions is being collected through grid fees over 40 years from FY2020, at about ¥0.07 per kWh, according to a 2020 government presentation.","A Congressional Research Service summary compares this with the United States, where the limit per incident is about $16.1bn and anything above needs Congress. It states that Fukushima damages exceeded $90bn in media reports, and that a comparable US three-reactor accident would have a $47.3bn limit.","In the courts, the Tokyo District Court acquitted former TEPCO chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and two deputies of professional negligence causing death and injury in 2019; the High Court upheld this in 2023 and the Supreme Court made it final in March 2025. In a shareholder case, the Tokyo District Court in July 2022 ordered four former executives to pay ¥13.32tn to TEPCO; the Tokyo High Court overturned that on 6 June 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"A TEPCO affiliate calculated a tsunami height above 15 metres for the plant (court records, as reported)"},{"y":2011,"t":"Fukushima Daiichi accident (March); NDF set up"},{"y":2012,"t":"¥1tn of public money injected into TEPCO; the state held 50.11% of voting rights"},{"y":2019,"t":"Tokyo District Court acquits three former executives"},{"y":2020,"t":"¥2.4tn past shortfall begins to be collected through grid fees over 40 years"},{"y":2022,"t":"Shareholder case: first-instance order of ¥13.32tn against four former executives (July)"},{"y":2023,"t":"METI total cost estimate ¥23.4tn (December); High Court upholds acquittals"},{"y":2025,"t":"Supreme Court finalises acquittals (March); Tokyo High Court overturns shareholder judgment (6 June); NDF grants to TEPCO ¥11.4148tn (September)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Operator liability under Japanese law is unlimited; required financial security is ¥120bn (since 2010).","src":6},{"t":"Government-bond ceiling raised from ¥13.5tn to ¥15.4tn in the FY2024 budget: compensation about ¥9.2tn, decontamination about ¥4.0tn, interim storage about ¥2.2tn.","src":1},{"t":"METI total cost estimate rose from ¥21.5tn to ¥23.4tn (December 2023).","src":1},{"t":"¥2.4tn past shortfall in contributions collected through grid fees over 40 years from FY2020 (about ¥0.07/kWh).","src":2},{"t":"Japan's Board of Audit found in April 2016 that TEPCO wasted more than a third of ¥190bn; one ¥18.4bn machine ran for 5 days (as reported by the Associated Press).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"2011–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Bond ceiling (FY2024)","v":"¥15.4tn","d":"Compensation about ¥9.2tn, decontamination about ¥4.0tn, interim storage about ¥2.2tn"},{"k":"NDF grants to TEPCO","v":"¥11.4148tn","d":"Cumulative to September 2025"},{"k":"METI total cost estimate","v":"¥23.4tn","d":"December 2023; previously ¥21.5tn"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that a ¥650bn decontamination budget went to joint ventures led by Taisei, Kajima, Obayashi and Maeda, and that Asahi reported radioactive waste dumped into rivers and falsified photographs in reports.","Unconfirmed: a 2016 government panel raising the Fukushima cost estimate to about ¥22tn."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Under the financing structure described, government bonds are to be repaid by utilities and electricity consumers; a ¥2.4tn past shortfall is collected through grid fees over 40 years from FY2020.","statusLine":"As of September 2025: NDF grants to TEPCO ¥11.4148tn; the shareholder judgment was overturned in June 2025 and the acquittals became final in March 2025.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"tepco","role":"Plant operator; recipient of NDF grants"},{"id":"ndf-japan","role":"Fund that channels grants to TEPCO"},{"id":"meti","role":"Ministry that published total cost estimates"},{"id":"japan-government","role":"Issuer of bonds; held 50.11% of TEPCO voting rights from 2012"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the tsunami foreseeable by TEPCO's executives?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Court records, as reported","says":"A TEPCO affiliate calculated in 2008 a tsunami above 15 metres and presented it to the then nuclear division deputy head, Sakae Muto, who declined to adopt the estimate without giving reasons.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Tokyo District Court (2019), High Court (2023), Supreme Court (2025)","says":"Acquitted Katsumata, Takekuro and Muto of professional negligence causing death and injury.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Tokyo High Court (6 June 2025)","says":"Overturned the shareholder judgment: the forecast was not urgent data and the wave was not foreseeable.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against former TEPCO executives","forum":"Tokyo District Court; High Court; Supreme Court","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Tsunehisa Katsumata, Ichiro Takekuro, Sakae Muto (former TEPCO executives)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Acquitted in 2019 of professional negligence causing death and injury; upheld in 2023; Supreme Court made it final in March 2025 for Takekuro and Muto; Katsumata died in 2024 and his prosecution was dismissed in November 2024.","src":7},{"title":"Shareholder case against four former TEPCO executives","forum":"Tokyo District Court; Tokyo High Court on appeal","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","kind":"civil","claimant":"TEPCO shareholders","defendant":"Four former TEPCO executives","filed":null,"decided":"2025-06-06","status":"overturned","amount":{"value":13320000,"currency":"JPY","label":"¥13.32tn ordered at first instance (July 2022), overturned"},"summary":"First instance ordered the payment in July 2022; the Tokyo High Court overturned the judgment on 6 June 2025.","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"None on record","insured":"Nuclear operators in Japan (required financial security)","status":"unknown","year":2010,"amount":{"value":120000,"currency":"JPY","label":"¥120bn required financial security"},"summary":"Required financial security of ¥120bn since 2010; operator liability unlimited.","src":6}],"metrics":[{"key":"bond_ceiling","value":15.4,"unit":"JPY tn","year":2024,"note":"NDF government-bond ceiling, FY2024."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":11.4148,"unit":"JPY tn","year":2025,"qualifier":"cumulative NDF grants to TEPCO","note":"As of September 2025; plus ¥188.9bn government indemnity."},{"key":"claim","value":13.32,"unit":"JPY tn","year":2022,"note":"Shareholder case first-instance order against four former executives; overturned June 2025."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1,"unit":"JPY tn","year":2012,"note":"Public money injected into TEPCO; the state held 50.11% of voting rights."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":23.4,"unit":"JPY tn","year":2023,"note":"METI total cost estimate, December 2023; previously ¥21.5tn."},{"key":"past_shortfall","value":2.4,"unit":"JPY tn","year":2020,"note":"Collected through grid fees over 40 years from FY2020, about ¥0.07/kWh."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Financing of nuclear damage compensation after the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident through government bonds, utility contributions and grid fees.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Electricity consumers and utilities","what":"Repay the bonds; a ¥2.4tn past shortfall is collected through grid fees over 40 years from FY2020.","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Fukushima Daiichi, Japan; Tokyo courts.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Accident in March 2011; FY2024 bond ceiling; grants as of September 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Nuclear Damage Compensation Act of 1961 makes the operator liable without limit, with required security of ¥120bn.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government bonds finance NDF grants to TEPCO, repaid from utility contributions and the energy special account.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"The Congressional Research Service stated a limit of $47.3bn for a comparable US three-reactor accident, against Fukushima damages reported above $90bn.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Nuclear power plant accident liability (CRS In Focus IF10821)","p":"Congressional Research Service via EveryCRSReport","d":"2024-01-25","type":"official","u":"https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2024-01-25_IF10821_cc9e09e4364dfe6fa2735a2bd42a549d2125385d.html"},{"t":"Nuclear damage compensation implementation document","p":"Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)","d":"2023-12-22","type":"official","u":"https://www.meti.go.jp/earthquake/nuclear/kinkyu/pdf/2023/20231222baisyoutou.jissi.honbun.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609214955/https://www.meti.go.jp/earthquake/nuclear/kinkyu/pdf/2023/20231222baisyoutou.jissi.honbun.pdf"},{"t":"Presentation on the past shortfall in contributions (ANRE, August 2020)","p":"Cabinet Office, Japan","d":"2020-08-07","type":"official","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250215105713/https://www.cao.go.jp/consumer/kabusoshiki/kokyoryokin/takuso/doc/007_20200807_shiryou2_1.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250215105713/https://www.cao.go.jp/consumer/kabusoshiki/kokyoryokin/takuso/doc/007_20200807_shiryou2_1.pdf","dead":true},{"t":"Japan high court overturns Fukushima disaster compensation ruling","p":"JURIST","d":"2025-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/06/japan-high-court-overturns-fukushima-disaster-compensation-ruling/"},{"t":"Japan audit: Millions of dollars wasted in Fukushima cleanup (AP, via Atomic Age blog)","p":"Associated Press via University of Chicago Atomic Age blog","d":"2016-04-16","type":"press","u":"https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/atomicage/2016/04/16/japan-audit-millions-of-dollars-wasted-in-fukushima-cleanup-via-ap/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251205054639/https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/atomicage/2016/04/16/japan-audit-millions-of-dollars-wasted-in-fukushima-cleanup-via-ap/"},{"t":"Nuclear liability protocols ratified to strengthen","p":"World Nuclear News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Nuclear-liability-protocols-ratified-to-strengthen","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313200616/https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/nuclear-liability-protocols-ratified-to-strengthen"},{"t":"Japan revises nuclear liability laws","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2009-04-23","u":"https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Japan-revises-nuclear-liability-laws","type":"press"},{"t":"Acquittal of Fukushima operator ex-bosses finalised (AFP)","p":"Terra Daily / AFP","d":"2025-03-06","u":"https://terradaily.com/acquittal-of-fukushima-operator-ex-bosses-finalised-999/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"nuclear-liability","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"After the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, the government-bond ceiling for compensation was raised to ¥15.4tn in the FY2024 budget, with about ¥4.0tn allocated to decontaminating me.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the tsunami foreseeable by TEPCO's executives?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"None on record: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a ¥650bn decontamination budget went to joint ventures led by Taisei, Kajima, Obayashi and Maeda, and that Asahi reported radioactive waste dumped into rivers and falsified photographs in reports.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2016 government panel raising the Fukushima cost estimate to about ¥22tn.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"china-national-sword-plastic-import-ban-and-container-return","title":"China National Sword plastic import ban and container returns","dek":"China banned imports of most plastic waste from 1 January 2018. A 2018 study estimated the ban would displace 111 Mt of plastic waste by 2030, and later shipments ended up in other countries, some of which returned containers to the senders.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":35,"lon":103,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"event"},{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","role":"affected"},{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","role":"affected"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"affected"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2018,"end":2020,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Share of cumulative global plastic-waste imports taken by China since 1992","value":"45%","note":"About 106 Mt (Brooks, Wang & Jambeck, Science Advances, 2018)."},"happened":["Brooks, Wang and Jambeck (Science Advances, 20 June 2018) reported that China took 45% of cumulative global plastic-waste imports since 1992, about 106 Mt. The study estimated that the import ban, in force from 1 January 2018, would displace 111 Mt by 2030.","Plastic-waste exports from the European Union continued: Eurostat recorded 1.3 Mt of recyclable plastic exported outside the EU in 2023 (CN code 3915). Recoup reported that more than 25% of England's 600,000-plus tonnes of plastic-waste exports went to Türkiye in 2023.","Several countries returned containers. On 31 May 2019 the Philippines sent 69 containers back to Canada, out of 103 shipped in 2013–14. On 20 January 2020 Malaysia returned 150 containers (3,737 t) to 13 countries, including France (43), the UK (42), the US (17), Canada (11) and Spain (10), and, according to Waste360, more than 200 illegal plants were shut.","Indonesia sent back dozens of containers in 2019; reported counts differ (49, 57 and 58). The Basel Action Network and Nexus3 found that only 12 of 58 US containers actually went back to the United States, with the rest going to India, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries.","In August 2020 Interpol published 'Emerging criminal trends in the global plastic waste market since January 2018', which reported that illegal shipments were rerouted to South-East Asia via transit countries."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"China's plastic-waste import ban in force from 1 January; Brooks, Wang and Jambeck publish estimate (20 June)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Philippines sends 69 containers back to Canada (31 May); Indonesia returns containers"},{"y":2020,"t":"Malaysia returns 150 containers to 13 countries (20 January); Interpol report on plastic-waste crime (August)"},{"y":2023,"t":"EU exports 1.3 Mt of recyclable plastic outside the bloc (Eurostat); England sends more than 25% of its plastic-waste exports to Türkiye (Recoup)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"China took 45% of cumulative global plastic-waste imports since 1992 (about 106 Mt); the ban would displace an estimated 111 Mt by 2030","src":0},{"t":"Malaysia returned 150 containers (3,737 t) to 13 countries and, according to Waste360, shut more than 200 illegal plants","src":3},{"t":"Of 58 US containers Indonesia was reported to have returned, only 12 went back to the US (BAN and Nexus3)","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic waste displaced by the ban (estimate)","v":"111 Mt","d":"By 2030 (Brooks, Wang and Jambeck, 2018)"},{"k":"Plastic-waste plants shut in Malaysia","v":"more than 200","d":"As of 20 January 2020"}]},"unknown":["Container counts for Indonesia's 2019 returns conflict (49, 57 and 58).","Ocean-bound plastic certification fees are not published by Zero Plastic Oceans or Control Union, and Verra's fee schedule page (2 November 2022) showed no figures."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the Interpol report of August 2020 describes illegal shipments being rerouted to South-East Asia via transit countries.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (Eurostat, October 2024): the EU exported 1.3 Mt of recyclable plastic outside the bloc in 2023.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"interpol","role":"Published a report on plastic-waste crime"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many containers did Indonesia send back, and where did they go?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reports of Indonesia's returns","says":"Counts of 49, 57 and 58 containers were reported.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Basel Action Network and Nexus3","says":"Found only 12 of 58 US containers actually went back to the US; the rest went to India, Thailand, Vietnam and others.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_waste_imports_share","value":45,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"China's share of cumulative global plastic-waste imports since 1992.","src":0},{"key":"plastic_waste_imports_mt","value":106,"unit":"Mt","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"China's cumulative imports since 1992.","src":0},{"key":"plastic_waste_displaced_mt","value":111,"unit":"Mt","year":2030,"est":true,"note":"Estimated displacement by 2030 due to the ban.","src":0},{"key":"plastic_exported_outside_eu_mt","value":1.3,"unit":"Mt","year":2023,"note":"Recyclable plastic exported outside the EU (CN 3915).","src":1},{"key":"containers_returned","value":150,"unit":"containers","year":2020,"note":"Malaysia, 20 January 2020; 3,737 t returned to 13 countries.","src":3},{"key":"containers_returned","value":69,"unit":"containers","year":2019,"note":"Philippines to Canada, 31 May 2019, from 103 shipped in 2013–14.","src":4}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China's ban on plastic-waste imports (National Sword) displaced the trade to other countries, and several of them returned containers or shut plants reported as illegal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"China; displacement to Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Türkiye and other South-East Asian and transit countries.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Ban in force from 1 January 2018; container returns in 2019–2020; Interpol report August 2020; Eurostat 2023 data.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Illegal shipments were rerouted to South-East Asia via transit countries (Interpol, August 2020).","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"Brooks, Wang & Jambeck, Science Advances, doi:10.1126/sciadv.aat0131","p":"Science Advances","d":"2018-06-20","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aat0131"},{"t":"Eurostat news: EU exports of recyclable plastic","p":"Eurostat","d":"2024-10-11","type":"official","u":"https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20241011-1","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260718065825/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20241011-1"},{"t":"Recoup: share of England's plastic-waste exports sent to Türkiye in 2023","p":"Recoup","d":"2023","type":"ngo","u":null},{"t":"Malaysia returns 150 containers of plastic waste","p":"Waste360","d":"2020-01-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.waste360.com/plastics/malaysia-returns-150-containers-plastic-waste","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210422133347/https://www.waste360.com/plastics/malaysia-returns-150-containers-plastic-waste"},{"t":"Philippines ships 69 containers of dumped rubbish back to Canada","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2019-05-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/5/31/philippines-ships-69-containers-of-dumped-rubbish-back-to-canada"},{"t":"Indonesia waste plastic export and import illegal (BAN/Nexus3 findings)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-11","type":"investigative","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/indonesia-waste-plastic-export-import-illegal/"},{"t":"INTERPOL report alerts to sharp rise in plastic waste crime (Emerging criminal trends in the global plastic waste market since January 2018)","p":"Interpol","d":"2020-08","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.interpol.int/en/News-and-Events/News/2020/INTERPOL-report-alerts-to-sharp-rise-in-plastic-waste-crime"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"import-ban","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many containers did Indonesia send back, and where did they go?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Container counts for Indonesia's 2019 returns conflict (49, 57 and 58).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Ocean-bound plastic certification fees are not published by Zero Plastic Oceans or Control Union, and Verra's fee schedule page (2 November 2022) showed no figures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"amazon-water-positive-pledge-and-leaked-2022-memo","title":"Amazon's water-positive pledge and a leaked 2022 memo","dek":"Amazon Web Services has pledged to be water positive by 2030. A leaked 2022 internal memo, reported in October 2025, discussed whether to leave the water used in generating electricity out of the pledge.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":41.65,"lon":-0.88,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Aragón","lat":41.65,"lon":-0.88,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Maipo basin","role":"event"},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Querétaro","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-10-25","instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre","water"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the memo's $109 million offset programme that, per the memo, would have been spent anyway","value":"Half","note":"As reported by SourceMaterial from the leaked 2022 memo; the memo's own dollar figure was $109 million."},"happened":["Amazon Web Services (AWS) set a goal to be \"water positive\" by 2030, meaning it would return more water than it uses. SourceMaterial reported that a 2022 internal AWS memo discussed the water used to generate the electricity the data centres consume.","SourceMaterial published its report on the leaked memo on 25 October 2025. According to the report, the memo said that adding electricity-related water to the campaign would double its size and budget, and that the figure should be disclosed only if a regulator asked. The memo also said that half of the $109 million of water-replenishment projects would have been spent anyway.","Separately, SourceMaterial reported in April 2025 that 62 of the 632 data centres of Amazon, Microsoft and Google combined were in water-scarce regions, 38 of them operating and 24 planned.","In Aragón, Spain, a report of 25 March 2025 said AWS had asked to raise the water permits of three data centres by 48% per facility, from 36.4 to 53.9 million litres a year. A campaign against data centres in the region, called \"No es sequía, es saqueo\" (\"It is not drought, it is plunder\"), began in September 2025. In July 2026 an environmental approval for Amazon's largest data centre in Aragón, at Zaragoza, was reported to carry a water cap of 204,697 cubic metres a year, and the president of the Ebro basin authority said the water was not guaranteed all year.","In October 2026, a non-binding neighbourhood vote in Cuarte (Huesca) on a further AWS project, Walqa 2, was reported to have 99.1% of participants voting against. The cited sources do not give Amazon's public response to the memo report."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Internal AWS memo on the scope of the water-positive campaign, later leaked"},{"y":2025,"t":"AWS asks to raise water permits at three Aragón data centres by 48% per facility (reported March); SourceMaterial reports 62 of 632 big-tech data centres in water-scarce regions (April); campaign \"No es sequía, es saqueo\" begins (September); SourceMaterial reports on the leaked memo (25 October)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Environmental approval with a water cap for the Zaragoza campus reported (July); non-binding Cuarte vote against AWS Walqa 2 (October)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A pledge to be water positive by 2030: to return more water than the company uses","who":"AWS","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"A 2022 internal memo said that including the water used to generate electricity would double the campaign's size and budget, and that disclosure should happen only if a regulator asked, according to SourceMaterial's report.","src":0},{"t":"The same memo said that half of the $109 million of offset projects would have been spent anyway, according to SourceMaterial.","src":0},{"t":"AWS asked to raise the water permits of three Aragón data centres by 48% per facility, from 36.4 to 53.9 million litres a year.","src":2},{"t":"An environmental approval for the Zaragoza AWS campus set a cap of 204,697 cubic metres of water a year; the president of the Ebro basin authority said water was not guaranteed all year.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022 memo","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Water-permit request, three Aragón facilities","v":"36.4 to 53.9 million L/yr","d":"Per facility, +48% (reported March 2025)"},{"k":"Water cap, Zaragoza campus","v":"204,697 m³/yr","d":"Reported July 2026; basin authority said supply not guaranteed all year"},{"k":"Big-tech data centres in water-scarce regions","v":"62 of 632","d":"Amazon, Microsoft and Google combined (SourceMaterial, April 2025)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that AWS's pledge leaves power-plant water outside its scope, and that AWS replenished 4 of every 10 gallons used in 2023 through projects in Chile's Maipo basin and Cape Town (Gizmodo, citing Grist, September 2024).","The reported claim that water used indirectly is about twelve times direct use is not tied to a named source in the material reviewed.","The World Bank was reported to say that indirect water is at least 80% of the total used by data centres; the source link is not in the material reviewed."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not report that any water use stopped; the pledge target year is 2030, and the Zaragoza campus was reported with a water cap in July 2026.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources. Groups in Aragón say the water competes with local use; no source quantifies the effect on local water users.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: no court case or regulatory finding is reported; the Zaragoza campus has a water cap and a non-binding Cuarte vote went against a further AWS project.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"amazon-aws","role":"Data-centre operator; made the water-positive pledge"},{"id":"ebro-basin-authority","role":"River-basin authority that commented on water availability"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is there enough water in Aragón for the planned AWS data centres?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Amazon Web Services","says":"Asked to raise the water permits of three data centres by 48% per facility, from 36.4 to 53.9 million litres a year.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Campaign \"No es sequía, es saqueo\"","says":"Campaigned against data centres in Aragón under the name \"It is not drought, it is plunder\"; the campaign put data centres at 51.6% of the region's energy plan and AWS investment at 15.7 million euros per job.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"President of the Ebro basin authority","says":"Said water for the Zaragoza campus was not guaranteed all year; the campus was given a cap of 204,697 m³ a year.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"offset_budget","value":109,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Water-replenishment offsets in the leaked memo; half would have been spent anyway, per SourceMaterial."},{"key":"water_permit_current_ml","value":36400000,"unit":"L/yr per facility","year":2025,"note":"Current permit at each of three Aragón data centres."},{"key":"water_permit_requested_ml","value":53900000,"unit":"L/yr per facility","year":2025,"note":"Requested permit, +48%."},{"key":"water_cap_m3","value":204697,"unit":"m³/yr","year":2026,"note":"Cap on the Zaragoza AWS campus."},{"key":"datacentres_in_scarce_regions","value":62,"unit":"data centres","year":2025,"note":"Of 632 Amazon, Microsoft and Google data centres combined; 38 active, 24 planned."},{"key":"cuarte_vote_against_pct","value":99.1,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"of participants","note":"Non-binding neighbourhood vote on AWS Walqa 2; reported by an aggregator site."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A leaked 2022 AWS memo, reported in October 2025, discussed leaving the water used in electricity generation out of the \"water positive by 2030\" pledge, and local water disputes over AWS data centres in Aragón.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Amazon Web Services","what":"According to the memo, a narrower pledge scope avoided doubling the campaign's size and budget.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global pledge; local disputes in Aragón (Spain), with offsets in the Maipo basin (Chile) and a related facility in Querétaro (Mexico).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Memo written in 2022; reported 25 October 2025; Aragón events March 2025 to October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The memo said that adding electricity-related water would double the campaign's size and budget.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through the scope of the water-accounting pledge and the choice of where replenishment projects are located.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Amazon leak reveals true data centres water usage secret plan","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2025-10-25","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/amazon-leak-reveals-true-data-centres-water-usage-secret-plan/"},{"t":"Big Tech's data centre push will take water from the world's driest areas","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2025-04-09","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909154250/https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/"},{"t":"Los centros de datos de 'Amazon' en Aragón han solicitado aumentar su 'consumo hídrico' un 48%","p":"Ecoticias","d":"2025-03-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecoticias.com/sostenibilidad/centros-datos-amazon-aumentar-consumo-hidrico-48"},{"t":"Arranca la campaña contra la implantación de centros de datos en Aragón: 'No es sequía, es saqueo'","p":"elDiario.es","d":"2025-09-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/aragon/economia/arranca-campana-implantacion-centros-datos-aragon-no-sequia-saqueo_1_12592997.amp.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250913144136/https://www.eldiario.es/aragon/economia/arranca-campana-implantacion-centros-datos-aragon-no-sequia-saqueo_1_12592997.amp.html"},{"t":"Cuarte rechaza con un 99,1% el centro de datos de AWS en Walqa (aggregator site)","p":"Ecosistema Startup","d":"2026-10-05","type":"press","u":"https://ecosistemastartup.com/cuarte-rechaza-con-un-991-el-centro-de-datos-de-aws-en-walqa/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010053327/https://ecosistemastartup.com/cuarte-rechaza-con-un-991-el-centro-de-datos-de-aws-en-walqa/"},{"t":"Amazon recibe el aval ambiental para levantar su mayor centro de datos en Aragón","p":"Merca2","d":"2026-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.merca2.es/2026/07/16/centro-datos-amazon-aragon-permiso-ambiental-2418205/"},{"t":"Critics slam Amazon's water positive pledge as data centers strain local resources (via Grist; marked unverified)","p":"Gizmodo","d":"2024-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://gizmodo.com/critics-slam-amazons-water-positive-pledge-as-data-centers-strain-local-resources-2000493389"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Amazon Web Services asked to raise its water permits from me in Aragón by 48%, from 36.4 to 53.9 million litres a year at each of three data centres, reported in March 2025.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is there enough water in Aragón for the planned AWS data centres?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that AWS's pledge leaves power-plant water outside its scope, and that AWS replenished 4 of every 10 gallons used in 2023 through projects in Chile's Maipo basin and Cape Town (Gizmodo, citing Grist, September 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reported claim that water used indirectly is about twelve times direct use is not tied to a named source in the material reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The World Bank was reported to say that indirect water is at least 80% of the total used by data centres; the source link is not in the material reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"malaysia-imported-plastic-waste-crisis","title":"Malaysia imported plastic waste crisis (Jenjarom)","dek":"After China largely closed its doors to plastic waste in January 2018, imports into Malaysia rose and unlicensed plastic-burning plants opened around Jenjarom. In January 2020 Malaysia sent 150 containers back to 13 countries.","country":"Malaysia","region":"Asia","lat":2.88,"lon":101.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","admin":"Jenjarom, Kuala Langat district, Selangor","lat":2.88,"lon":101.52,"role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2018-01","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","shipping","chemical-pollution","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Plastic still on the ground in Jenjarom three years after the 2020 returns","value":"about 17,000 t","note":"Reported in 2023 (C4 Center)."},"happened":["In January 2018 China largely closed to imports of plastic waste, and waste sent for recycling was then directed to Malaysia. C4 Center reported that 754,000 tonnes of plastic waste were imported in the first seven months of 2018. Greenpeace has reported a figure of 870,000 tonnes for the whole of 2018, about three times the 2016 level, with waste arriving from more than 19 countries including the US, the UK and Australia; no other source confirms it.","Unlicensed plants that burned plastic opened around Jenjarom, in Kuala Langat district, Selangor, and worked at night. A resident aged 64 told the New Straits Times in 2019 that he woke at 2 a.m. choking on the smell of burning plastic, and that his whole family woke the same way. A neighbour aged 45 said he had headaches and fainted when the smoke spread. The plants in the town were reported to have processed about 17,000 tonnes of dirty plastic.","Pua Lay Peng, a local chemist, said there had been an unbearable smell in the air since February 2018 and that high fences prevented anyone seeing inside the plants. Officials inspected 38 plants in July 2018 and only 3 had a recycling licence. Fourteen plants were closed; Pua said 4 of them reopened. The Kuala Langat Environmental Action Group, which she founded, documented more than 40 unlicensed plants. She said she received death threats and that red paint was thrown at her home as a warning.","In January 2020 Malaysia returned 150 containers of plastic waste, 3,737 tonnes, to 13 countries; this was stated as about 0.4% of the roughly 870,000 tonnes received in 2018. More than 300 facilities in the country were reported closed between 2018 and 2021. In 2023 C4 Center reported that about 17,000 tonnes of plastic were still on the ground in Jenjarom."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"China largely closes to plastic waste imports (January); Malaysia imports 754,000 t in the first seven months; unbearable smell reported in Jenjarom from February; 38 plants inspected in July, 3 licensed, 14 closed"},{"y":2019,"t":"Residents describe nights of smoke and choking to the New Straits Times (February)"},{"y":2020,"t":"150 containers (3,737 t) returned to 13 countries (January)"},{"y":2023,"t":"About 17,000 t of plastic still on the ground in Jenjarom (C4 Center)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"July 2018 inspection of 38 plants in Jenjarom: 3 had a recycling licence; 14 were closed.","src":4},{"t":"Kuala Langat Environmental Action Group documented more than 40 unlicensed plants.","src":5},{"t":"Malaysia returned 150 containers (3,737 t) to 13 countries in January 2020.","src":1},{"t":"About 17,000 t of plastic remained on the ground in Jenjarom in 2023.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic left on the ground, Jenjarom","v":"about 17,000 t","d":"Reported 2023 (C4 Center)"},{"k":"Inspected plants with a recycling licence","v":"3 of 38","d":"July 2018 inspection"},{"k":"Plants closed after that inspection","v":"14","d":"Pua Lay Peng said 4 reopened"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Residents' accounts of smoke from plastic burning and a 2023 report of plastic left on the ground. No air, soil or water measurements appear in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"In 2018 plastic was burned at night near homes in Jenjarom, and residents reported choking smoke.","src":2},{"t":"In 2023 about 17,000 tonnes of plastic were still lying on the ground in my town.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Malaysia's plastic imports reached 870,000 tonnes in 2018, three times the 2016 level, from more than 19 countries (Greenpeace, as reported).","Unconfirmed: more than 200 illegal facilities were shut and the cost of the 2020 returns was paid by shipping lines and companies (CBC/AP, via a secondary report). Another report says the senders paid. The cited sources disagree on who bore the cost.","Air, soil and water measurements near the Jenjarom plants: none on record.","Prosecutions or penalties against the operators of the unlicensed plants: none on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Fourteen plants were closed in July 2018 and one local campaigner said 4 reopened; more than 300 facilities in Malaysia were later reported closed. About 17,000 tonnes of plastic were still on the ground in Jenjarom in 2023.","whoPaid":"Residents of Jenjarom, who reported smoke and smell; the cost of the 2020 returns is reported differently by different sources.","statusLine":"As of 2023: about 17,000 t of plastic reported still on the ground in Jenjarom; no court case found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"kuala-langat-environmental-action-group","role":"Local group documenting unlicensed plants"},{"id":"malaysia-government","role":"Inspected plants and returned containers"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many of the closed plants stayed closed?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Officials (July 2018 inspection)","says":"Inspected 38 plants, found 3 licensed, and closed 14.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Pua Lay Peng, Kuala Langat Environmental Action Group","says":"Said 4 of the 14 closed plants reopened.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_imported_tonnes","value":754000,"unit":"t","year":2018,"note":"First seven months of 2018 (C4 Center)."},{"key":"plastic_imported_tonnes","value":870000,"unit":"t","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Whole of 2018, about three times 2016 (Greenpeace); no other source confirms it."},{"key":"plastic_on_ground_tonnes","value":17000,"unit":"t","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Plastic reported still on the ground in Jenjarom."},{"key":"plants_inspected","value":38,"unit":"plants","year":2018,"note":"July 2018, Jenjarom."},{"key":"plants_licensed","value":3,"unit":"plants","year":2018,"note":"Of the 38 inspected."},{"key":"plants_closed","value":14,"unit":"plants","year":2018,"note":"After the July 2018 inspection."},{"key":"containers_returned","value":150,"unit":"containers","year":2020,"note":"To 13 countries."},{"key":"returned_tonnes","value":3737,"unit":"t","year":2020,"note":"Stated as about 0.4% of 2018 imports."},{"key":"facilities_closed","value":300,"unit":"facilities","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Closed in Malaysia, 2018 to 2021."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Imports of plastic waste into Malaysia rose after China's January 2018 restriction; unlicensed plants burned plastic around Jenjarom; Malaysia returned 150 containers in 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of Jenjarom","what":"Smoke and smell reported at night; plastic left on the ground","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Pua Lay Peng","what":"Said she received death threats and that red paint was thrown at her home","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Jenjarom, Kuala Langat district, Selangor, Malaysia.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2018 to 2023; containers returned January 2020.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Waste was redirected to Malaysia after China's January 2018 restriction, described as sent for recycling.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Unlicensed plants, some of them behind high fences, processed and burned plastic at night.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Malaysia still grappling with 2018 imported plastic waste problems","p":"C4 Center","d":"2023","type":"ngo","u":"https://c4center.org/?p=9264"},{"t":"Malaysia sends back 150 containers of trash","p":"CBC (AP)","d":"2020-01-20","type":"press","u":"https://amp.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-sends-back-150-containers-of-trash-1.5433003","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018150354/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/malaysia-sends-back-150-containers-of-trash-1.5433003"},{"t":"Jenjarom folk reclaim their right to a pollution-free life","p":"New Straits Times","d":"2019-02-23","type":"press","u":"https://nst.com.my/amp/news/nation/2019/02/462875/jenjarom-folk-reclaim-their-right-pollution-free-life","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018150800/https://www.nst.com.my/amp/news/nation/2019/02/462875/jenjarom-folk-reclaim-their-right-pollution-free-life"},{"t":"Malaysia plastic waste sent back (search result)","p":"Global Citizen","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://globalcitizen.org/en/content/malaysia-plastic-waste-sent-back","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617064636/https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/malaysia-plastic-waste-sent-back/"},{"t":"An unbearable smell in the air: NZ's role in the Malaysian plastics dumping ground","p":"1News / Radio New Zealand Insight","d":"2018-09-22","u":"https://www.1news.co.nz/2018/09/22/an-unbearable-smell-in-the-air-nzs-role-in-the-malaysian-plastics-dumping-ground/","type":"press"},{"t":"Meet Malaysia's frontline defender against plastic pollution (Pua Lay Peng)","p":"Greenpeace Southeast Asia","d":"2021","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/southeastasia/story/44608/meet-malaysias-frontline-defender-against-plastic-pollution/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"subtags":["burning:open-burning"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many of the closed plants stayed closed?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Plastic imported tonnes: Whole of 2018, about three times 2016 (Greenpeace); no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Malaysia's plastic imports reached 870,000 tonnes in 2018, three times the 2016 level, from more than 19 countries (Greenpeace, as reported).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: more than 200 illegal facilities were shut and the cost of the 2020 returns was paid by shipping lines and companies (CBC/AP, via a secondary report). Another report says the senders paid. The cited sources disagree on who bore the cost.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Air, soil and water measurements near the Jenjarom plants: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Prosecutions or penalties against the operators of the unlicensed plants: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Pua Lay Peng"]},{"id":"earthshot-prize-funders-dp-world-and-edelman-cannes-award","title":"Earthshot Prize funders, DP World and Edelman Cannes award","dek":"DP World is a founding funder of the Earthshot Prize and the client of a campaign that won a Titanium Lion at Cannes in June 2024. The agency, Edelman, is estimated to earn part of its revenue from fossil-fuel clients.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Cannes","role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-06","instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Environment-themed Cannes winners, 2020 to 2025, that used impact claims DeSmog could not verify","value":"at least 8 of 20","note":"DeSmog review, June 2026."},"happened":["Prince William and the Royal Foundation launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020, a ten-year programme that awards five prizes a year. Its founding funders include Amazon, the Bezos Earth Fund, the port operator DP World, Standard Chartered, Temasek Trust and Uber; the Earthshot Prize website lists 24 founding funders. Its \"Global Alliance\" includes Deloitte, British Airways, Unilever and Walmart, and the shipping company Berge Bulk is an \"Impact Partner\".","DP World gave at least £1 million in 2022. On 11 February 2026 the group Republic filed a complaint with the Charity Commission for England and Wales after documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein named DP World's chairman. The Commission said it was assessing the complaint and has announced no finding.","In June 2024 the agency Edelman won a Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions for \"The Move to -15\", a DP World campaign proposing that frozen cargo be carried at -15 degrees instead of -18. The campaign claimed energy savings of 5 to 7 percent and 17.7 million tonnes of CO2 a year. Edelman's announcement page returned an HTTP 403 error when checked, and these figures come.","Clean Creatives, which campaigns against agencies that work for fossil-fuel clients, estimated that 5.64 percent of Edelman's revenue came from such clients and listed 10 Edelman contracts on its 2025 list. In 2025 Earthshot gave the communications for its Rio ceremony to LLYC Brasil, the crisis-communications agency of Petrobras; the two contracts overlapped for at least four months. Earthshot said it partners only with organisations that have strict sustainability commitments."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Earthshot Prize launched by Prince William and the Royal Foundation as a ten-year programme"},{"y":2022,"t":"DP World donates at least £1 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"Edelman wins Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions for DP World's \"The Move to -15\" (June)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Earthshot gives Rio ceremony communications to LLYC Brasil; Clean Creatives lists 10 Edelman fossil-fuel contracts"},{"y":2026,"t":"Republic complaint to the Charity Commission (11 February); DeSmog review of Cannes impact claims (June)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"\"The Move to -15\": carrying frozen cargo at -15 degrees instead of -18, with claimed energy savings of 5 to 7 percent and 17.7 million tonnes of CO2 a year.","who":"DP World and Edelman (campaign claim; figures)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"DP World donated at least £1 million to Earthshot in 2022.","src":5},{"t":"Earthshot's 2025 Rio ceremony communications went to LLYC Brasil, which held a Petrobras contract from 2019 to 29 July 2025; the two contracts overlapped for at least four months.","src":3},{"t":"Edelman won a Titanium Lion at Cannes in June 2024 for DP World's campaign.","src":2},{"t":"Edelman was awarded the COP30 contract (USD 835,000 in the cited sources) in 2024 to 2025 and, in the same period, arranged meetings with the summit secretariat for Vibra.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The Charity Commission's assessment of the Earthshot complaint: no finding announced.","Unconfirmed: the campaign's 5 to 7 percent energy saving and 17.7 million tonnes of CO2 a year.","Unconfirmed: a claim that Edelman won the award a month after taking a Shell account; the only source found is a weak events page.","Unconfirmed: the GBP 50 million size of the Earthshot programme (Royal Foundation page, partly via secondary reports)."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: no ecological outcome is recorded for this case.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: Charity Commission assessing Republic's February 2026 complaint; no finding announced.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"The Earthshot Prize","says":"Said it partners only with organisations that have strict sustainability commitments (paraphrased).","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"Charity Commission for England and Wales","says":"Said it was assessing the complaint; announced no finding.","when":"February 2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"earthshot-prize","role":"Prize programme"},{"id":"dp-world","role":"Founding funder; client of the award-winning campaign"},{"id":"edelman","role":"Agency that made the campaign"},{"id":"royal-foundation","role":"Co-founder of the Earthshot Prize"},{"id":"charity-commission-england-wales","role":"Regulator assessing the complaint"},{"id":"llyc-brasil","role":"Communications agency used for the 2025 ceremony"},{"id":"clean-creatives","role":"Campaign group listing agencies' fossil-fuel contracts"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the Earthshot Prize funded by a person linked to Jeffrey Epstein?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Republic","says":"Filed a complaint with the Charity Commission after the name of DP World's chairman appeared in Epstein documents.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Charity Commission for England and Wales","says":"Said it was assessing the complaint; no finding announced.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"DP World","says":"No response on record in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Do Cannes environment awards reflect verified impact?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"DeSmog","says":"Of 20 environment-themed winning campaigns from 2020 to 2025, at least 8 used impact figures that could not be verified; the jury does not see declared impact data.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Said at least 300 Cannes awards have gone to air-travel and oil advertising since the Paris Agreement.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Edelman","says":"Announced the Titanium Lion win for DP World's campaign.","src":2}]},{"point":"Do Earthshot's partners fit its stated criteria?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The Earthshot Prize","says":"Said it partners only with organisations that have strict sustainability commitments.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Clean Creatives (estimate)","says":"Estimated that 5.64 percent of Edelman's revenue came from fossil-fuel clients; LLYC Brasil, used for the 2025 ceremony, was Petrobras's crisis-communications agency.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Complaint to the Charity Commission about the DP World donation to Earthshot","forum":"Charity Commission for England and Wales","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Republic","defendant":"The Earthshot Prize (complaint concerns the DP World donation)","filed":"2026-02-11","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Commission said it was assessing the complaint and announced no finding.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"donation","value":1,"unit":"GBP m","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"DP World donation to Earthshot."},{"key":"founding_funders","value":24,"unit":"funders","year":2026,"note":"Listed on the Earthshot Prize website."},{"key":"prize_value","value":1,"unit":"GBP m","year":2020,"note":"Each of five prizes a year."},{"key":"programme_size","value":50,"unit":"GBP m","year":2020,"unverified":true,"note":"Programme figure from a partly search-summary source."},{"key":"co2_saving_claimed","value":17.7,"unit":"Mt CO2 a year","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Campaign claim; Edelman's page returned HTTP 403."},{"key":"fossil_revenue_share","value":5.64,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Clean Creatives estimate of Edelman revenue from fossil-fuel clients."},{"key":"cop30_contract","value":835000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"Edelman COP30 contract."},{"key":"unverifiable_impact_campaigns","value":8,"unit":"of 20 campaigns","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"DeSmog review of environment-themed Cannes winners, 2020 to 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A founding funder of the Earthshot Prize was the client of a campaign that won a climate-themed Cannes award; the agency's fossil-fuel client revenue is estimated at 5.64 percent.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DP World","what":"Founding funder of Earthshot and client of a Titanium Lion-winning campaign","src":2},{"who":"Edelman","what":"Won the Titanium Lion at Cannes Lions in June 2024","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"London (Earthshot) and Cannes (awards).","src":null},"when":{"t":"2020 to 2026; Cannes award June 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Donation to the Earthshot Prize; campaign by Edelman for DP World entered in Cannes Lions.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Our partners","p":"The Earthshot Prize","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://earthshotprize.org/people-partners/our-partners/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004003336/https://earthshotprize.org/people-partners/our-partners/"},{"t":"Prince William and the Royal Foundation launch Earthshot Prize","p":"Royal Foundation","d":"2020","type":"company","u":"https://royalfoundation.com/prince-william-and-the-royal-foundation-launch-50-million-pound-earthshot-prize/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421035736/https://royalfoundation.com/prince-william-and-the-royal-foundation-launch-50-million-pound-earthshot-prize/"},{"t":"Edelman first legacy PR firm to win a Titanium Lion at 2024 Cannes Lions","p":"Edelman","d":"2024-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2024-cannes-lions-edelman-first-legacy-pr-firm-win-titanium-lion","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260213190844/https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2024-cannes-lions-edelman-first-legacy-pr-firm-win-titanium-lion"},{"t":"Revealed: Prince William's climate prize hired PR firm tied to Brazilian fossil fuel industry","p":"DeSmog","d":"2025-11-03","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2025/11/03/revealed-prince-williams-climate-prize-hired-pr-firm-tied-to-brazilian-fossil-fuel-industry/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Exclusive: COP30 PR agency Edelman lobbied presidency to favour fossil fuel client","p":"DeSmog","d":"2025-11-21","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2025/11/21/exclusive-ahead-of-cop30-edelman-played-both-sides-of-the-climate-coin/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"William under pressure as Charity Commission assesses complaint over Earthshot funding","p":"AOL / Newsweek","d":"2026-02-11","u":"https://www.aol.com/articles/william-under-pressure-charity-commission-185850994.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":["edelman-api-contract-energy-citizens-and-cop30-contract"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do Cannes environment awards reflect verified impact?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the Earthshot Prize funded by a person linked to Jeffrey Epstein?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do Earthshot's partners fit its stated criteria?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"DP World: No response on record in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Programme size: Programme figure from a partly search-summary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Co2 saving claimed: Campaign claim; Edelman's page returned HTTP 403.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Charity Commission's assessment of the Earthshot complaint: no finding announced.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the campaign's 5 to 7 percent energy saving and 17.7 million tonnes of CO2 a year.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claim that Edelman won the award a month after taking a Shell account; the only source found is a weak events page.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the GBP 50 million size of the Earthshot programme (Royal Foundation page, partly via secondary reports).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"clayoquot-sound-protection","title":"Clayoquot Sound protection (Canada)","dek":"In 1993 the British Columbia government issued a land use decision for Clayoquot Sound on Vancouver Island.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":49.15,"lon":-125.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia","lat":49.15,"lon":-125.9,"role":"event"}],"start":1993,"end":2023,"eventDate":"1993","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Protected area announced vs old forest protected, 1993 (Canadian Encyclopedia)","value":"33% vs 14%","note":"Canadian Encyclopedia, via a secondary report."},"happened":["The British Columbia government issued the Clayoquot Sound Land Use Decision in 1993 to resolve the conflict over logging in the area. Figures for the decision and its aftermath are reported by the Canadian Encyclopedia, Sierra Club BC and Global News and are listed under what is unknown."],"timeline":[{"y":1993,"t":"British Columbia issues the Clayoquot Sound Land Use Decision"},{"y":2023,"t":"Sierra Club BC publishes a 30-year analysis of logging of Vancouver Island's old forest"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The Canadian Encyclopedia reports that the 1993 decision made 62% of public land in Clayoquot available for logging; 33% was announced as protected, of which old forest was 14%; 859 convictions followed the 1993 protests. No other source confirms these figures.","Sierra Club BC reported in August 2023 that 35% of the productive old forest left on Vancouver Island in 1993 was logged in the following 30 years; productive old forest fell from about 31% (6,870 km2) to about 20% (4,470 km2). No other source confirms it.","Global News reported that in 1996 the province paid MacMillan Bloedel CAD 9.3 million over three years for the added cost of \"ecological logging\". No other source confirms it.","Unconfirmed: Friends of Clayoquot Sound said 74% of the old rain forest was opened to logging, a figure that differs from the Canadian Encyclopedia's.","Unconfirmed: MacMillan Bloedel was sold to Weyerhaeuser in 1999, and Weyerhaeuser sold its British Columbia coastal assets to Brascan in 2005 for about CAD 1.2 billion; the region became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000.","Compensation paid directly to companies at Clayoquot: none on record."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: figures for the 1993 decision and its aftermath are each reported by a single source (Canadian Encyclopedia, Sierra Club BC, Global News).","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"british-columbia-government","role":"Issued the 1993 land use decision"},{"id":"sierra-club-bc","role":"Analysis of old forest logged since 1993"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much old forest the 1993 decision opened to logging","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Canadian Encyclopedia","says":"Reported that 62% of public land was made available for logging, 33% was announced as protected and old forest within it was 14%.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Friends of Clayoquot Sound","says":"Said 74% of the old rain forest was opened to logging.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"protected_share","value":33,"unit":"percent","year":1993,"unverified":true,"note":"Announced protected share (Canadian Encyclopedia, secondary report)."},{"key":"old_growth_protected_share","value":14,"unit":"percent","year":1993,"unverified":true,"note":"Old forest within the protected area."},{"key":"convictions","value":859,"unit":"people","year":1993,"unverified":true,"note":"Convictions after the 1993 protests; other summaries say more than 850."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The British Columbia government issued the Clayoquot Sound Land Use Decision in 1993.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1993.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To find a \"balance\" in the logging conflict.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Land use decision by the provincial government.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Clayoquot Sound","p":"The Canadian Encyclopedia","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/article/clayoquot-sound","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200429082028/https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/article/clayoquot-sound"},{"t":"Twenty years later, the war in the woods at Clayoquot Sound still reverberates across B.C.","p":"Global News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/774070/twenty-years-later-the-war-in-the-woods-at-clayoquot-sound-still-reverberates-across-b-c","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260831054600/https://globalnews.ca/news/774070/twenty-years-later-the-war-in-the-woods-at-clayoquot-sound-still-reverberates-across-b-c/"},{"t":"More than a third of Vancouver Island's last old-growth forests logged since 1993","p":"Sierra Club BC","d":"2023-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://sierraclub.bc.ca/more-than-a-third-of-vancouver-islands-last-old-growth-forests-logged-since-1993-clayoquot-protests/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240103091933/https://sierraclub.bc.ca/more-than-a-third-of-vancouver-islands-last-old-growth-forests-logged-since-1993-clayoquot-protests/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much old forest the 1993 decision opened to logging","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Protected share: Announced protected share (Canadian Encyclopedia, secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Old growth protected share: Old forest within the protected area.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Convictions: Convictions after the 1993 protests; other summaries say more than 850.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Canadian Encyclopedia reports that the 1993 decision made 62% of public land in Clayoquot available for logging; 33% was announced as protected, of which old forest was 14%; 859 convictions followed the 1993 protests. No other source confirms these figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Sierra Club BC reported in August 2023 that 35% of the productive old forest left on Vancouver Island in 1993 was logged in the following 30 years; productive old forest fell from about 31% (6,870 km2) to about 20% (4,470 km2). No other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Global News reported that in 1996 the province paid MacMillan Bloedel CAD 9.3 million over three years for the added cost of \"ecological logging\". No other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Friends of Clayoquot Sound said 74% of the old rain forest was opened to logging, a figure that differs from the Canadian Encyclopedia's.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: MacMillan Bloedel was sold to Weyerhaeuser in 1999, and Weyerhaeuser sold its British Columbia coastal assets to Brascan in 2005 for about CAD 1.2 billion; the region became a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2000.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Compensation paid directly to companies at Clayoquot: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nexia-biotechnologies-biosteel-spider-silk-goats-and-protexi","title":"Nexia Biotechnologies: BioSteel spider-silk goats and Protexia","dek":"A Canadian company announced goats that produced a spider-silk protein in their milk and promised bulletproof vests and surgical thread. Its sellable asset proved to be a nerve-agent antidote made the same way, and the company went bankrupt in 2009.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":45.5,"lon":-73.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","lat":45.5,"lon":-73.6,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Wyoming and Utah","role":"affected"}],"start":1993,"end":2013,"eventDate":"2000-05-22","instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Herd announced as the goal vs herd reported","value":"Several thousand vs about 50","note":"Nexia's stated goal (ABC News, January 2002) against the herd size reported for the same period. Counts as reported; not independently audited."},"happened":["Nexia Biotechnologies was founded in 1993 by Jeffrey Turner and Paul Ballard, with roots at McGill University. The company licensed a patent from Randy Lewis of the University of Wyoming on spider-web protein genes and inserted those genes into goats so that they worked only in the mammary gland. The goats' milk contained the protein that spider silk is built from; fibres were then spun from the protein in the laboratory.","In May 2000 a Guardian report, reproduced in Hebrew by Hayadan on 22 May 2000, introduced two male goats, Webster and Peter. It quoted Turner as saying that one goat's milk over one month would be enough to make a vest, and wrote that the Pentagon wanted the material for missile defence and the US and Canadian armies for lightweight vests. In January 2002 Nexia and a US Army research unit based at Natick announced the first fibres drawn from protein made in mammalian cells. The Globe and Mail reported that Nexia's shares rose 39% on the day, to close at C$6.95 in Toronto.","ABC News reported in January 2002 that Turner expected sutures and biodegradable fishing line in 2003 or 2004, lightweight body armour three to five years after that, and a herd of \"several thousand\" goats. The Globe and Mail reported in the same month that the fibres were close to natural silk in elasticity and toughness but had only 20–30% of its tensile strength, and described the material in side panels as stronger than steel and Kevlar. According to ABC, fibre output was at the level of \"a few strands\".","Nexia's marketable asset was not spider silk but Protexia, a nerve-agent antidote (human butyrylcholinesterase) produced in goat milk. After failing to raise new financing, Nexia sold its Protexia assets and goat herd to PharmAthene in 2005; Research Money reported proceeds of $15.6 million and the resignation of founder Turner. In its annual report for 2010, PharmAthene said the US Department of Defense did not extend the Protexia contract beyond 31 December 2010. PharmAthene closed its Canadian Protexia operations and recorded an impairment of about US$4.6 million.","According to the Canadian Science and Technology Museums Corporation (Ingenium), Nexia did little more to develop BioSteel after 2005. Most of the herd went to the University of Wyoming in 2007, and in 2009 the federally funded research network AFMNet bought Nexia's spider-silk assets; the price was not disclosed. Nexia went bankrupt in 2009. Two goats, Sugar and Spice, were sold to the Canada Agriculture Museum in Ottawa, which removed them from display in 2013 after public pressure (AgFunderNews, 2019). Lewis's laboratory at Utah State University kept about 30 goats in 2012 and more than 20 in 2019."],"timeline":[{"y":1993,"t":"Nexia Biotechnologies founded (Jeffrey Turner, Paul Ballard)"},{"y":2000,"t":"Company raises capital and lists; goats Webster and Peter presented to the press (22 May); one goat-month of milk said to be enough for a vest"},{"y":2002,"t":"First fibres announced with a US Army unit (January); shares up 39% on the day; sutures and fishing line promised for 2003–04"},{"y":2005,"t":"Protexia assets and goat herd sold to PharmAthene; founder Turner resigns"},{"y":2006,"t":"US Department of Defense Protexia contract reported at up to $213 million"},{"y":2007,"t":"Most of the remaining spider-silk herd goes to the University of Wyoming"},{"y":2009,"t":"AFMNet buys Nexia's spider-silk assets; Nexia goes bankrupt"},{"y":2010,"t":"Defense Department does not extend the Protexia contract beyond 31 December; PharmAthene closes Canadian operations and records about US$4.6 million impairment"},{"y":2013,"t":"Two goats removed from display at the Canada Agriculture Museum after public pressure"},{"y":2017,"t":"Utah State University reports about 0.5 g of recovered protein per litre of goat milk"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"One goat's milk over one month would be enough to make a vest.","who":"Jeffrey Turner, Nexia, as reported by the Guardian and reproduced by Hayadan (22 May 2000)","src":3},{"t":"Sutures and biodegradable fishing line in 2003 or 2004; lightweight body armour three to five years later; a herd of several thousand goats.","who":"Jeffrey Turner, Nexia, as reported by ABC News (January 2002)","src":null},{"t":"The material described as stronger than steel and Kevlar.","who":"Globe and Mail side panels (January 2002)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fibres reported at 20–30% of the tensile strength of natural silk (Globe and Mail, January 2002).","src":9},{"t":"Fibre output at the level of \"a few strands\" (ABC News, January 2002).","src":10},{"t":"Recovered protein of about 0.5 g per litre of goat milk at Utah State University in 2017; a 2022 systematic review in Frontiers described purification from goat milk as long, expensive and inefficient.","src":11},{"t":"Nexia sold its Protexia assets and herd in 2005 and went bankrupt in 2009; the Defense Department did not extend the Protexia contract after 31 December 2010.","src":7},{"t":"The cited sources record no sale of a commercial BioSteel product.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1993–2010","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Herd goal vs herd reported","v":"Several thousand vs about 50","d":"Goal stated in January 2002 (ABC News); herd of about 50 reported for the same period"},{"k":"Fibre strength","v":"20–30%","d":"Of natural spider silk, tensile strength (Globe and Mail, January 2002)"},{"k":"Goats at Utah State University","v":"About 30 → 20+","d":"2012 and 2019 counts; later status not on record"}]},"unknown":["The exact amount and currency of Nexia's 2000 share offering: a museum page gives $40 million, but no primary document is cited.","How much money the US Army put into the project: sources say only \"joint research\".","Whether any BioSteel product (suture thread, fishing line) was ever sold commercially: no sale is on record, and the absence is not proven either.","Capital raised 1993–2000 is given as $67 million with no currency stated (Edward Willett, reproducing the National Post).","Herd size in 2002: one source gives about 50 goats, a museum page gives about 150 and a claim of up to 20 g of protein per litre; the museum's claim has no primary source.","Unconfirmed: the sale of the Protexia assets was announced at US$18 million, closing at US$11.2 million in cash plus shares.","Unconfirmed: in September 2006 the Department of Defense signed a Protexia contract worth \"up to\" US$213 million, of which US$34.7 million was firmly allocated to the first phase.","Unconfirmed: grants to Lewis's laboratory from the Navy, Army, Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, about $1.15 million (2013), $1.9 million (2014), $1 million (2015) and $420,000 (2018).","Unconfirmed: the Science citation for the January 2002 fibres (Lazaris et al., volume 295) rests on secondary summaries.","The status of the Utah State goat herd after 2019.","The sale price AFMNet paid for Nexia's spider-silk assets: not disclosed."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable on the record: the cited sources describe a commercial and research promise rather than an operation with documented damage to nature.","whoPaid":"Investors who financed Nexia (capital of $67 million raised 1993–2000, currency not stated) and, after 2005, the PharmAthene operations that were closed in 2010 with an impairment of about US$4.6 million. The cited sources do not trace losses to any other party.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Nexia went bankrupt in 2009; the cited sources record no commercial BioSteel product and no court case.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"nexia","says":"Jeffrey Turner said sutures and biodegradable fishing line would arrive in 2003 or 2004, body armour three to five years later, and that the herd would grow to several thousand goats.","when":"January 2002","src":null},{"actor":"pharmathene","says":"Its annual report for 2010 said the Department of Defense did not extend the Protexia contract beyond 31 December 2010, citing concerns about the duration of protection and budget; the company closed its Canadian Protexia operations and recorded an impairment of about US$4.6 million.","when":"FY2010 (10-K)","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"nexia","role":"Developer of the transgenic goats and Protexia"},{"id":"pharmathene","role":"Bought the Protexia assets and herd in 2005"},{"id":"us-army-sbccom","role":"Research partner on the 2002 fibres"},{"id":"us-department-of-defense","role":"Customer under the Protexia contract"},{"id":"university-of-wyoming","role":"Licensor of the patent; received most of the herd in 2007"},{"id":"afmnet","role":"Bought Nexia's spider-silk assets in 2009"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the fibres meet what was promised?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nexia (Jeffrey Turner)","says":"Expected sutures and fishing line in 2003 or 2004, body armour three to five years later, and a herd of several thousand goats.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Globe and Mail","says":"Fibres were close to natural silk in elasticity and toughness but had 20–30% of its tensile strength.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"ABC News","says":"Fibre production was at the level of a few strands.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"capital_raised","value":67,"unit":"m, currency not stated","year":2000,"note":"Raised 1993–2000 (Edward Willett, reproducing the National Post)."},{"key":"ipo_proceeds","value":40,"unit":"m, currency not stated","year":2000,"unverified":true,"note":"From a museum page; no primary document."},{"key":"asset_sale_proceeds","value":15.6,"unit":"m, currency not stated","year":2005,"note":"Research Money, 3 May 2005; sale of operations to PharmAthene."},{"key":"share_price_rise","value":39,"unit":"%","year":2002,"note":"Closed at C$6.95 on the Toronto exchange on the announcement day (Globe and Mail, 18 January 2002)."},{"key":"impairment","value":4.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"PharmAthene closure of Canadian Protexia operations (10-K FY2010)."},{"key":"contract_ceiling","value":213,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"qualifier":"up to","unverified":true,"note":"Reported Department of Defense Protexia contract; secondary report only."},{"key":"herd_size","value":50,"unit":"goats","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Per the January 2002 reporting; a museum page gives about 150 without a primary source."},{"key":"herd_size_utah","value":30,"unit":"goats","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Utah State University laboratory."},{"key":"herd_size_utah","value":20,"unit":"goats","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Utah State University laboratory."},{"key":"protein_recovery","value":0.5,"unit":"g per litre","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Utah State University recovery from goat milk."},{"key":"fibre_strength","value":25,"unit":"% of natural silk tensile strength","year":2002,"qualifier":"20–30","note":"Globe and Mail, January 2002."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A company engineered goats to produce a spider-silk protein in their milk, promised bulletproof vests and surgical thread, and sold its only marketable asset, a goat-milk nerve-agent antidote, in 2005 before going bankrupt in 2009.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Holders of Nexia shares on 18 January 2002","what":"The share price rose 39% on the announcement day.","src":null},{"who":"PharmAthene","what":"Acquired the Protexia assets and herd in 2005.","src":4},{"who":"AFMNet","what":"Bought Nexia's spider-silk assets in 2009 at an undisclosed price.","src":null},{"who":"University of Wyoming","what":"Received most of the herd in 2007.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"PharmAthene","what":"Closed its Canadian Protexia operations and recorded an impairment of about US$4.6 million after the Department of Defense did not extend the contract.","src":7},{"who":"Nexia","what":"Went bankrupt in 2009.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Near Montreal, Canada (company); goats later held in Wyoming and Utah, United States, and two at the Canada Agriculture Museum in Ottawa.","src":null},"when":{"t":"1993 to 2013: founded 1993, goats presented 2000, fibres announced 2002, assets sold 2005, bankruptcy 2009, contract not extended 2010.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources state the company's stated aims: lightweight armour, surgical thread and fishing line. They do not state a conservation purpose.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Spider-web protein genes were inserted into goats so they were active only in the mammary gland; fibres were drawn from the protein purified from milk.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"The Silky, Milky, Totally Strange Saga of the Spider Goat (Jesse Hirsch)","p":"Modern Farmer","d":"2013-09-16","u":"https://modernfarmer.com/2013/09/saga-spidergoat/","type":"press"},{"t":"Nexia Biotechnologies, capital raised and remaining assets (via Edward Willett, reproducing the National Post)","p":"Edward Willett","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://edwardwillett.com/?p=2489"},{"t":"BioSteel goat page","p":"Museum of PostNatural History (Swiss page)","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://en.mhpn.ch/pn-biosteel","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519181420/https://en.mhpn.ch/pn-biosteel"},{"t":"Goats Webster and Peter (Guardian/Haaretz report, reproduced in Hebrew)","p":"Hayadan","d":"2000-05-22","type":"press","u":"https://hayadan.com/%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%96-%D7%95%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%91-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%96%D7%A7-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9D","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212031050/https://hayadan.com/%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%9B%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A9-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%96-%D7%95%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%91-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%96%D7%A7-%D7%91%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%9D"},{"t":"Nexia sells assets, founder Jeffrey Turner resigns","p":"Research Money","d":"2005-05-03","type":"press","u":"https://researchmoneyinc.com/article/nexia-sells-assets-founder-jeffrey-turner-resigns"},{"t":"Nexia Biotechnologies completes sale of Protexia operations assets to PharmAthene","p":"BioSpace","d":"2005","type":"press","u":"https://www.biospace.com/b-nexia-biotechnologies-inc-b-completes-sale-of-protexia-operations-assets-to-b-pharmathene-inc-b-b-pharmathene-b-closes-11-2-series-c","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251207014149/https://www.biospace.com/b-nexia-biotechnologies-inc-b-completes-sale-of-protexia-operations-assets-to-b-pharmathene-inc-b-b-pharmathene-b-closes-11-2-series-c"},{"t":"PharmAthene wins $213 million DoD contract for Protexia","p":"FDAnews","d":"2006-09","type":"press","u":"https://fdanews.com/articles/62799-pharmathene-wins-213-million-dod-contract-for-protexia","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018150621/https://www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings"},{"t":"PharmAthene annual report (Form 10-K), fiscal year 2010","p":"PharmAthene / US SEC","d":"2011","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326190/000114420411018968/v216624_10k.htm"},{"t":"What happened to those GM spider goats with the silky milk?","p":"AgFunderNews","d":"2019-09-02","type":"press","u":"https://agfundernews.com/what-happened-to-those-gm-spider-goats-with-the-silky-milk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260601034357/https://agfundernews.com/what-happened-to-those-gm-spider-goats-with-the-silky-milk"},{"t":"Transgenic goats help spin spider silk","p":"The Globe and Mail","d":"2002-01-18","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/science/transgenic-goats-help-spin-spider-silk/article4129781","type":"press"},{"t":"Spinning tough spider silk from goat milk","p":"ABC News","d":"2002-01","u":"https://abcnews.com/Technology/CuttingEdge/spinning-tough-spider-silk-goat-milk/story?id=98095","type":"press"},{"t":"Recombinant Spider Silk: Promises and Bottlenecks","p":"Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Ramezaniaghdam, Nahdi, Reski)","d":"2022-03-08","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8957953/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biomanufacturing","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the fibres meet what was promised?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Ipo proceeds: From a museum page; no primary document.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Contract ceiling: Reported Department of Defense Protexia contract; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact amount and currency of Nexia's 2000 share offering: a museum page gives $40 million, but no primary document is cited.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much money the US Army put into the project: sources say only \"joint research\".","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any BioSteel product (suture thread, fishing line) was ever sold commercially: no sale is on record, and the absence is not proven either.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Capital raised 1993–2000 is given as $67 million with no currency stated (Edward Willett, reproducing the National Post).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Herd size in 2002: one source gives about 50 goats, a museum page gives about 150 and a claim of up to 20 g of protein per litre; the museum's claim has no primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the sale of the Protexia assets was announced at US$18 million, closing at US$11.2 million in cash plus shares.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in September 2006 the Department of Defense signed a Protexia contract worth \"up to\" US$213 million, of which US$34.7 million was firmly allocated to the first phase.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: grants to Lewis's laboratory from the Navy, Army, Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, about $1.15 million (2013), $1.9 million (2014), $1 million (2015) and $420,000 (2018).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Science citation for the January 2002 fibres (Lazaris et al., volume 295) rests on secondary summaries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status of the Utah State goat herd after 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The sale price AFMNet paid for Nexia's spider-silk assets: not disclosed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: Holders of Nexia shares on 18 January 2002","No source link — Who gained: AFMNet","No source link — Who gained: University of Wyoming","No source link — Who lost: Nexia"]},{"id":"vietnam-forest-transition-displaced-logging-abroad","title":"Vietnam's forest recovery and logging displaced abroad","dek":"Vietnam restricted logging in its natural forests from 1992 and its forest cover rose. A 2009 study found that wood harvesting equal to 39.1% of the domestic regrowth was displaced abroad, about half of the imports being illegal.","country":"Vietnam","region":"Asia","lat":16,"lon":108,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","role":"event"},{"country":"Laos","iso2":"LA","role":"affected"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","role":"affected"}],"start":1987,"end":2006,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Domestic forest regrowth offset by wood harvested abroad, 1987–2006","value":"39.1%","note":"49.0 million m³ of wood harvested abroad against 125.4 million m³ of domestic regrowth (Meyfroidt & Lambin, 2009). The study's own estimate."},"happened":["From 1992 Vietnam tightened restrictions on logging in its natural forests. According to a 2009 study by Patrick Meyfroidt and Eric Lambin in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), harvest quotas in natural forests were sharply cut in 1992 and exports of logs and sawn timber were banned. In 1993 logging was banned in special-use forests and in the northern provinces, and in 1998 the commercial logging ban was extended to 58% of natural forests. Forest cover rose from 24.7% in 1992 to 38.2% in 2005.","The study compared Vietnam's forest regrowth in 1987–2006 (125.4 million cubic metres) with the wood harvest that moved abroad. It estimated that 49.0 million cubic metres, or 39.1% of the domestic regrowth, was displaced to other countries. Of that 39.1%, the study attributed 22.7% to leakage from the domestic logging restrictions and 16.4% to rising demand.","According to the 2009 study, about 48.1% of the imports were illegal. Much of the illegal timber came from Cambodia and Laos in the early 1990s, later from Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia. The study attributed 84% of the displacement to exports of wood products from Vietnam's fast-growing wood-processing sector.","In 2010 Meyfroidt, Thomas Rudel and Lambin published a related PNAS study of seven developing countries (Costa Rica, Chile, El Salvador, Bhutan, China, India and Vietnam). It found that the land change embodied in the countries' net wood trade offset 74% of their afforested area. Including agricultural products, net displacement equalled 22% of total afforestation (39% excluding India) and 52% over the last five years of the period (69% excluding India). For China the figures were 45% overall and 74% over the last five years.","A 2001 review by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Forests Out of Bounds, compared natural-forest logging bans in China, New Zealand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The review said that evidence of the ecological outcome of the bans was largely missing and that success was usually measured by the area closed."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"Start of the period studied by Meyfroidt & Lambin (1987–2006)"},{"y":1992,"t":"Logging quotas in natural forests cut sharply; log and sawn-timber export ban; forest cover 24.7%"},{"y":1993,"t":"Logging banned in special-use forests and in the northern provinces"},{"y":1998,"t":"Commercial logging ban extended to 58% of natural forests"},{"y":2001,"t":"FAO publishes Forests Out of Bounds, covering Vietnam and five other countries"},{"y":2005,"t":"Forest cover 38.2%"},{"y":2009,"t":"PNAS study published: 39.1% of regrowth offset by harvest abroad"},{"y":2010,"t":"PNAS study of seven countries, including Vietnam, on displaced land use"},{"y":2016,"t":"Laos Prime Minister's Order 15 (13 May) bans exports of logs and sawn timber from natural forest"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Forest cover rose from 24.7% in 1992 to 38.2% in 2005.","src":0},{"t":"49.0 million m³ of wood harvest displaced abroad in 1987–2006, 39.1% of the 125.4 million m³ of domestic regrowth.","src":0},{"t":"According to the 2009 study, about 48.1% of the imports were illegal; 84% of the displacement was attributed to exports of wood products.","src":0},{"t":"FAO (2001): the ecological outcome of logging bans was largely unmeasured across the six countries reviewed, including Vietnam.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1987–2006","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Domestic forest cover","v":"24.7% → 38.2%","d":"1992 to 2005 (Meyfroidt & Lambin, 2009)"},{"k":"Regrowth offset by harvest abroad","v":"39.1%","d":"49.0 of 125.4 million m³, 1987–2006"},{"k":"Share of imports reported as illegal","v":"About 48.1%","d":"Mostly from Cambodia and Laos in the early 1990s"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Peer-reviewed estimate of wood harvest displaced to other countries; the cited sources do not measure the condition of the forests abroad.","report":[{"t":"Wood harvest equal to part of what grew back in Vietnam was cut abroad. A 2009 study found that much of the illegal timber that Vietnam imported in the early 1990s came from Cambodia and Laos.","src":0}]},"unknown":["The ecological condition of the forests in Laos, Cambodia and other source countries after the harvests: the cited sources give no measurement.","Unconfirmed: in 2019 Vietnam's forest-product exports were US$10.62 billion and imports US$4.89 billion, and Cameroon supplied about 60% of its tropical timber imports, most of it assessed as high-risk for legality (Forest Trends IDAT summary).","Unconfirmed: Vietnam's timber imports from Laos fell immediately after the 2016 Lao ban, but enforcement was weak (Chatham House).","No response from the Vietnamese government or wood industry to the study is on record.","The cited sources do not report any court case, fine or compensation tied to the displaced harvest."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established: the study covers 1987–2006 and the cited sources do not say whether the displacement continued or stopped.","whoPaid":"According to the study, the forests of the countries that supplied the timber, chiefly Cambodia and Laos in the early 1990s, with the illegal share of imports about 48.1%.","statusLine":"As of the cited sources (study published 2009, related study 2010): displacement estimated at 39.1% of regrowth for 1987–2006; no later quantification found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"fao","role":"Author of the 2001 review of logging bans"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_cover_share","value":24.7,"unit":"% of land","year":1992,"note":"Meyfroidt & Lambin (2009)."},{"key":"forest_cover_share","value":38.2,"unit":"% of land","year":2005,"note":"Meyfroidt & Lambin (2009)."},{"key":"forest_regrowth_m3","value":125400000,"unit":"m³","year":2006,"note":"Domestic regrowth 1987–2006."},{"key":"wood_displaced_m3","value":49000000,"unit":"m³","year":2006,"note":"Wood harvest displaced abroad 1987–2006; 39.1% of regrowth."},{"key":"displacement_share","value":39.1,"unit":"% of regrowth","year":2006,"note":"Of which 22.7% leakage from restrictions and 16.4% from rising demand."},{"key":"illegal_import_share","value":48.1,"unit":"% of imports","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mostly Cambodia and Laos in the early 1990s."},{"key":"export_share_of_displacement","value":84,"unit":"%","year":2006,"note":"Share of displacement attributed to exports of wood products."},{"key":"natural_forest_ban_share","value":58,"unit":"% of natural forests","year":1998,"note":"Commercial logging ban."},{"key":"forest_product_exports","value":10620,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"unverified":true,"note":"Forest Trends IDAT summary; search-level."},{"key":"forest_product_imports","value":4890,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"unverified":true,"note":"Forest Trends IDAT summary; search-level."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Vietnam restricted logging in natural forests from 1992 and forest cover rose; a 2009 study estimated that wood harvest equal to 39.1% of the regrowth moved abroad.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vietnam's wood-product exporters","what":"The study attributed 84% of the displaced harvest to exports of wood products.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests in Cambodia and Laos","what":"Source of much of the illegal timber imported in the early 1990s, according to the study.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Vietnam, with timber sourced from Cambodia and Laos (early 1990s) and later Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Logging restrictions from 1992; study period 1987–2006; published 2009.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the restrictions as logging quotas and bans; the study attributes 22.7% of regrowth to leakage from them and 16.4% to rising demand.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Restrictions on domestic harvest and log exports coincided with imports, about half of them illegal according to the 2009 study, and growing exports of wood products.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"39.1% of the domestic regrowth was offset by wood harvested abroad (49.0 of 125.4 million m³).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Forest transition in Vietnam and displacement of deforestation abroad (PNAS 106(38))","p":"Meyfroidt & Lambin","d":"2009","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2752536","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208132508/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2752536/"},{"t":"Forest transitions, trade, and the global displacement of land use (PNAS)","p":"Meyfroidt, Rudel & Lambin","d":"2010","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3000287","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250812143412/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3000287/"},{"t":"Vietnam country page (IDAT)","p":"Forest Trends / TRAFFIC","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.forest-trends.org/idat_countries/vietnam/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711110439/https://www.forest-trends.org/idat_countries/vietnam/"},{"t":"Prime Minister's Order 15 on log and sawn-timber exports","p":"Lao Trade Portal","d":"2016-05-13","type":"official","u":"https://laotradeportal.gov.la/en-gb/site/display/1013","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516010822/https://www.laotradeportal.gov.la/en-gb/site/display/1013"},{"t":"Forests Out of Bounds: Impacts and Effectiveness of Logging Bans in Natural Forests in Asia-Pacific (RAP Publication 2001/08), overview chapter","p":"FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific","d":"2001","u":"https://www.fao.org/4/X6967E/x6967e04.htm","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"forest-transition","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Forest product exports: Forest Trends IDAT summary; search-level.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Forest product imports: Forest Trends IDAT summary; search-level.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The ecological condition of the forests in Laos, Cambodia and other source countries after the harvests: the cited sources give no measurement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2019 Vietnam's forest-product exports were US$10.62 billion and imports US$4.89 billion, and Cameroon supplied about 60% of its tropical timber imports, most of it assessed as high-risk for legality (Forest Trends IDAT summary).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Vietnam's timber imports from Laos fell immediately after the 2016 Lao ban, but enforcement was weak (Chatham House).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No response from the Vietnamese government or wood industry to the study is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report any court case, fine or compensation tied to the displaced harvest.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eastern-australia-agriculture-water-purchase","title":"Australian government water purchase from Eastern Australia Agriculture (Cayman-linked firm)","dek":"In 2017 the Australian government bought flood-water licences in Queensland from Eastern Australia Agriculture, a company whose parent was registered in the Cayman Islands, for about A$80 million as water for the environment. A minister had founded the company, and a June 2020 press report said the deal had provided no water.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-28,"lon":148,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-28,"lon":148,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cayman Islands","iso2":"KY","role":"company-home"}],"start":2017,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2017","instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Paid for 28.7 GL of water licences; water received by 2020","value":"A$78.9m for 28.7 GL; none","note":"Price and volume as reported by the Canberra Times (2019); other reports give about A$80m. Michael West Media reported in June 2020 that the deal had provided no water."},"happened":["In 2017 the Australian government, under the then Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, approved the purchase of surface-water licences from Eastern Australia Agriculture (EAA) in Queensland, described as water for the environment in the Murray–Darling Basin. EAA's parent company was registered in the Cayman Islands. The purchase was made by limited tender. The Canberra Times reported the price as A$78.9 million for 28.7 gigalitres; other reports gave about A$80 million.","The licences covered only surface water flowing during floods. A press report in June 2020 said the deal had provided no water; the government received none until 2020. The government was reported to have paid nearly twice the mid-point estimate of its own valuer. The deal had been rejected twice earlier, before Joyce signed it.","Angus Taylor, who was energy minister in 2017, had founded or co-founded the company; the cited sources describe this differently. He said he cut his ties before entering parliament in 2013 and gained no benefit from the sale. Joyce said the opposition had also bought water from the same company; the opposition said its own purchases were made by competitive tender.","In 2019 the Canberra Times reported that the government ordered a probe into water buybacks after the controversy over Joyce. In 2020 the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) examined limited-tender water purchases (27 transactions worth 190 million dollars, as stated, currency not specified). It found that the department had not set up a framework to ensure value for money and had given decision-makers incomplete information; the audit did not examine the merits of the purchases or anyone's motives. A Senate inquiry is also listed in the cited sources. No penalty is recorded."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Angus Taylor says he cut his ties with EAA before entering parliament"},{"y":2017,"t":"Government approves purchase of EAA's Queensland flood-water licences by limited tender; Joyce approves; Taylor is energy minister"},{"y":2019,"t":"Canberra Times: government orders probe into water buybacks; reports 28.7 GL for A$78.9m and the Cayman link"},{"y":2020,"t":"ANAO examines limited-tender water purchases; Michael West Media reports the deal has provided no water (26 June)"}],"said":[{"q":"The $80m water deal that has provided no water","who":"Michael West Media (headline)","when":"26 June 2020","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The purchase was presented as buying water for the environment in the Murray–Darling Basin.","who":"Australian government, as described in press and audit reporting","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The government paid A$78.9 million for 28.7 GL of licences from a company with a Cayman Islands parent, per the Canberra Times; the purchase was by limited tender.","src":1},{"t":"The licences covered only flood-event surface flow; the government received no water until 2020.","src":0},{"t":"The price was reported to be nearly twice the mid-point estimate of the government's own valuer.","src":2},{"t":"The ANAO found in 2020 that the department had not set up a value-for-money framework for limited-tender water purchases and had given decision-makers incomplete information; it did not examine merits or motives.","src":3},{"t":"No penalty is recorded.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":"2017–2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid to EAA for 28.7 GL of licences (Canberra Times)","amount":78.9}],"otherTotal":{"amount":78.9},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Water delivered to the environment","v":"None by 2020","d":"Licences covered only flood-derived surface water (Michael West Media, 2020)"},{"k":"Price vs valuation","v":"Nearly twice","d":"Reported as nearly twice the valuer's mid-point estimate"},{"k":"Volume bought","v":"28.7 GL","d":"For A$78.9 million"}]},"unknown":["How much water, if any, the licences have delivered to the Murray–Darling Basin since 2020: none on record.","The merits of and motives for the purchase: the ANAO did not examine them.","Whether any repayment or clawback occurred: none is on record.","No ruling, penalty or finding of wrongdoing against any party is recorded.","Whether Angus Taylor founded the company or co-founded it: the cited sources use both descriptions.","The currency of the audit figure is given only as 'dollars'; the 190 million refers to 27 limited-tender transactions.","The results of the Senate inquiry listed in the cited sources are not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable on the record: the purchase delivered no water by 2020, and the cited sources describe no damage to nature caused by it.","whoPaid":"Australian taxpayers, who paid about A$80 million from government funds; the water for the environment, as of 2020, had not been delivered.","statusLine":"As of June 2020: an audit had examined limited-tender water purchases; the deal was reported to have provided no water; no court case or penalty is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"angus-taylor","says":"Said he cut his ties to the company before entering parliament in 2013 and did not benefit from the sale.","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"barnaby-joyce","says":"Said the opposition had also bought water from the same company.","when":null,"src":null},{"actor":"australian-opposition","says":"Said its own purchases from the company were made by competitive tender.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"eastern-australia-agriculture","role":"Seller of the water licences (parent registered in the Cayman Islands)"},{"id":"australian-government","role":"Buyer of the licences"},{"id":"anao","role":"Auditor of limited-tender water purchases"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the purchase give the public value for money?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Michael West Media","says":"The A$80 million deal provided no water.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Audit Office (ANAO), 2020","says":"The department had not set up a framework to ensure value for money and gave decision-makers incomplete information; the audit did not examine the merits or motives.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the choice of seller linked to the minister's connections?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Press reporting","says":"EAA's parent was in the Cayman Islands and the company had been founded (or co-founded) by Angus Taylor, minister of energy in 2017.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Angus Taylor","says":"Cut ties before entering parliament in 2013; no benefit from the sale.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was buying water from the same company a practice shared by both sides of politics?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Barnaby Joyce, then Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources","says":"The opposition had also bought water from the same company.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Opposition","says":"Its own purchases were made by competitive tender.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"purchase_price","value":78.9,"unit":"AUD m","year":2017,"note":"Price reported by the Canberra Times for 28.7 GL; other reports give about A$80m.","src":1},{"key":"water_purchased_gl","value":28.7,"unit":"GL","year":2017,"note":"Licences bought from EAA, covering flood-event surface flow only (Canberra Times).","src":1},{"key":"water_delivered","value":0,"unit":"GL","year":2020,"note":"Government received no water until 2020.","src":0},{"key":"transactions_audited","value":27,"unit":"transactions","year":2020,"note":"ANAO audit of limited-tender water purchases; value given as 190 million dollars (currency not specified).","src":3}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The government bought flood-event water licences for about A$80 million from a company whose parent was registered in the Cayman Islands, as water for the environment; no water was received until 2020.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Eastern Australia Agriculture","what":"Received A$78.9 million for 28.7 GL of licences.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Australian taxpayers","what":"Paid about A$80 million for licences that provided no water by 2020.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Queensland licences, bought for the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia; seller's parent registered in the Cayman Islands.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Purchase approved in 2017; probe ordered in 2019; audit and reporting in 2020.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The purchase was presented as water for the environment.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Purchase by limited tender approved by the agriculture and water minister, reported to be at nearly twice the valuer's mid-point estimate, after two earlier rejections of the deal.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"The $80m water deal that has provided no water","p":"Michael West Media","d":"2020-06-26","type":"press","u":"https://michaelwest.com.au/the-80m-water-deal-that-has-provided-no-water/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516210852/https://michaelwest.com.au/the-80m-water-deal-that-has-provided-no-water/"},{"t":"Morrison government orders probe into water buybacks in wake of Joyce controversy","p":"Canberra Times","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://canberratimes.com.au/story/6085665/morrison-government-orders-probe-into-water-buybacks-in-wake-of-joyce-controversy","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240419034225/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6085665/morrison-government-orders-probe-into-water-buybacks-in-wake-of-joyce-controversy/"},{"t":"Barnaby's Boondoggle: documents reveal $80m price for 'Watergate' licences was nearly twice valuation","p":"Michael West Media","d":"2020-08-17","u":"https://michaelwest.com.au/?p=255058","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Procurement of Strategic Water Entitlements (Auditor-General Report No. 2 2020-21)","p":"Australian National Audit Office","d":"2020-07-16","u":"https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/procurement-strategic-water-entitlements","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["shell-acquisition-of-select-carbon"],"natureLead":{"t":"Licences for 28.7 gigalitres were bought in my name in 2017 for A$78.9 million; by 2020 the government had received no water, Michael West Media reported.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the purchase give the public value for money?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the choice of seller linked to the minister's connections?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was buying water from the same company a practice shared by both sides of politics?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much water, if any, the licences have delivered to the Murray–Darling Basin since 2020: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The merits of and motives for the purchase: the ANAO did not examine them.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any repayment or clawback occurred: none is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling, penalty or finding of wrongdoing against any party is recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Angus Taylor founded the company or co-founded it: the cited sources use both descriptions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The currency of the audit figure is given only as 'dollars'; the 190 million refers to 27 limited-tender transactions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The results of the Senate inquiry listed in the cited sources are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tasman-spirit-oil-spill","title":"Tasman Spirit oil spill (Pakistan)","dek":"An oil spill at Karachi in July 2003 in a country that was not a member of the IOPC Funds. The ship's insurer declined to discuss compensation until the crew was released, after nine months in detention.","country":"Pakistan","region":"Asia","lat":24.86,"lon":67,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":"Karachi","lat":24.86,"lon":67,"role":"event"}],"start":2003,"end":2004,"eventDate":"2003-07-27","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Government demand reported","value":"US$1bn (another report: US$10bn)","note":"Reported demand. Final settlement: none on record."},"happened":["The Tasman Spirit incident took place at Karachi, Pakistan, on 27 July 2003. A list of oil-spill cases gives the figure for the incident as 27–30,000 t; the list does not say what the figure measures.","Pakistan was not a member of the IOPC Funds, so the international fund regime did not apply to the incident.","The ship's insurer, the American Club, was reported to have refused to discuss compensation until the crew was released. The crew was held for nine months and was released on 14 April 2004. The Pakistani government's demand was reported at US$1bn; another report gave US$10bn. A final settlement is not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2003,"t":"27 July: Tasman Spirit incident at Karachi"},{"y":2004,"t":"14 April: crew released after about nine months in detention"}],"said":[{"q":"steadfastly refused to discuss compensation until the crew has been released","who":"Cedre / Dawn, describing the position of the American Club (the ship's insurer)","when":"2003–2004","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Pakistan was not a member of the IOPC Funds at the time of the incident.","src":0},{"t":"The crew was held for nine months and released on 14 April 2004.","src":0},{"t":"The government demand was reported at US$1bn; another report gave US$10bn.","src":0},{"t":"The final settlement was not found.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2003–2004","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reported government demand","v":"US$1bn","d":"Another report gives US$10bn; no final settlement found"},{"k":"Crew detention","v":"9 months","d":"Released 14 April 2004"}]},"unknown":["Final settlement: none on record.","The reported government demand differs between reports: US$1bn in one, US$10bn in another.","What the figure '27–30,000 t' measures is not specified in the material reviewed (unconfirmed as quantity spilled)."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Not established: a final settlement was not found.","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed: the crew had been released on 14 April 2004; no final settlement was found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"american-club","says":"Reported as having refused to discuss compensation until the crew had been released.","when":"2003–2004","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"american-club","role":"Ship's insurer (P&I)"},{"id":"pakistan-government","role":"Claimant; reported demand US$1bn"},{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"International compensation regime; Pakistan not a member"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large was the government's compensation demand?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"One report","says":"The government demand was US$1bn.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Another report","says":"The government demand was US$10bn.","src":2}]},{"point":"Could compensation be negotiated while the crew was held?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"American Club (as reported by Cedre / Dawn)","says":"Refused to discuss compensation until the crew was released.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"American Club","insured":"Owner of the Tasman Spirit (name: none on record)","status":"unknown","year":2003,"reason":"Reported refusal to discuss compensation until the crew was released.","summary":"The insurer was reported to have declined to discuss compensation until the crew was freed; the crew was released on 14 April 2004. The final outcome of the claim was not found.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Government demand as reported; another report gives US$10bn.","unverified":true},{"key":"crew_detention_months","value":9,"unit":"months","year":2004,"note":"Crew held until release on 14 April 2004."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":27000,"unit":"t","year":2003,"qualifier":"listed as 27–30,000 t","unverified":true,"note":"Figure as listed for the incident; what it measures is not specified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil-spill incident involving the tanker Tasman Spirit at Karachi, followed by a dispute over compensation and the detention of the crew.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The crew","what":"Held for nine months.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Karachi, Pakistan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"27 July 2003; crew released 14 April 2004.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The insurer declined to discuss compensation until the crew was released; Pakistan was outside the IOPC Funds regime.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Tasman Spirit (incident information sheet)","p":"Cedre","d":"2004","u":"https://cedre.fr/en/resources/incident-information-sheets/tasman-spirit","type":"official"},{"t":"Wreck Removed, Mess Remains","p":"MarineLink","d":"2004-03-08","u":"https://www.marinelink.com/news/323413","type":"press"},{"t":"Pakistan Court Allows Tasman Spirit Crew to Exit Country","p":"The Maritime Executive","d":"2004-04-21","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/2004-04-21pakistan-court-allows-tasman-spirit-cr","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the government's compensation demand?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could compensation be negotiated while the crew was held?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"American Club: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insurance claim: Government demand as reported; another report gives US$10bn.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Oil spilled (tonnes): Figure as listed for the incident; what it measures is not specified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Final settlement: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The reported government demand differs between reports: US$1bn in one, US$10bn in another.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"What the figure '27–30,000 t' measures is not specified in the material reviewed (unconfirmed as quantity spilled).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"eu-banned-pesticide-exports","title":"EU banned-pesticide exports","dek":"Exports from EU countries of pesticides banned in EU fields rose from about 81,000 tonnes in 2018 to about 122,000 tonnes in 2024, according to Public Eye, despite a 2020 Commission pledge.","country":"European Union","region":"Europe","lat":50,"lon":10,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","role":"affected"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"EU exports of pesticides banned in EU fields, 2024","value":"about 122,000 t","note":"Up from about 81,000 t in 2018 (+50%), per Public Eye (23 September 2025)."},"happened":["Public Eye reported in September 2025 that EU countries approved the export in 2024 of about 122,000 tonnes of pesticides banned in their own fields, up from 81,000 tonnes in 2018 (an increase of about 50%). The exports went to 93 countries; 75% of the destination countries were low- or middle-income. BASF was the largest exporter, with more than 33,000 tonnes, and Brazil, with about 15,000 tonnes, was the second-largest recipient.","Germany's exports of these pesticides rose from 8,000 tonnes to more than 50,000 tonnes over the same period. France was reported to have banned such exports in 2022, after which Syngenta was reported to have moved some operations to Germany.","The European Commission had pledged in 2020 to ban such exports. The Public Eye report was titled as showing a sharp rise despite the Commission's promises. The Commission was reported to have withdrawn the pledge in June 2026, giving as its reason that a ban would shift production outside the EU.","Kenya was reported to receive these pesticides, to have Kenyan farmers bear the cost of destroying produce rejected at the EU border for residues, and to have banned 77 pesticides in June 2025. No penalty is recorded."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"About 81,000 t of banned pesticides notified for export from the EU"},{"y":2020,"t":"Commission pledge to ban exports of pesticides banned in the EU"},{"y":2022,"t":"France bans such exports; Syngenta reported to move some operations to Germany"},{"y":2024,"t":"About 122,000 t approved for export; BASF over 33,000 t"},{"y":2025,"t":"Public Eye report, 23 September; Kenya reported to ban 77 pesticides in June"},{"y":2026,"t":"Commission reported to withdraw the 2020 pledge, citing production shifting outside the EU"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A 2020 Commission pledge to end exports of pesticides banned in the EU.","who":"European Commission, as described by Public Eye","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Exports of EU-banned pesticides from EU countries rose from about 81,000 t (2018) to about 122,000 t (2024), a rise of about 50%.","src":0},{"t":"Exports reached 93 countries; 75% of the destination countries were low- or middle-income. BASF exported more than 33,000 t; Brazil received about 15,000 t.","src":0},{"t":"Germany's exports rose from 8,000 t to more than 50,000 t.","src":0},{"t":"No penalty is recorded.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2018–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Exports of EU-banned pesticides, 2018","v":"81,000 t","d":"Approximate (Public Eye)"},{"k":"Exports of EU-banned pesticides, 2024","v":"122,000 t","d":"Approximate (Public Eye); +50%"},{"k":"Share going to low- and middle-income countries","v":"75%","d":"Of destination countries (Public Eye)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: EU companies planned exports of 13,274 t of neonicotinoids banned in the EU in 2021, with the Netherlands fifth (Public Eye and Unearthed, via Greenpeace NL).","Unconfirmed: a Foodwatch (2024) comparison of Dutch export notifications with EU border findings of banned substances on imported food.","No ecological or health assessment tied to these exports is given in the cited sources.","No ruling or penalty is recorded."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped: exports rose between 2018 and 2024 according to Public Eye.","whoPaid":"Reported to include Kenyan farmers, who bear destruction costs for rejected produce (no URL in the cited sources).","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed (Public Eye, 23 September 2025; Commission position reported for June 2026): exports of about 122,000 t in 2024; no ruling or penalty found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"european-commission","says":"Reported to have withdrawn its 2020 pledge in June 2026, saying a ban would shift production outside the EU.","when":"June 2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"basf","role":"Largest exporter (over 33,000 t in 2024)"},{"id":"syngenta","role":"Exporter; reported to have moved some operations to Germany after the French ban"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Exporter named as a seller of banned products"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Made the 2020 pledge; reported to have withdrawn it in 2026"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the EU ban exports of pesticides it has banned for use on its own fields?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Public Eye","says":"Exports of banned pesticides rose about 50% between 2018 and 2024 despite the Commission's promises.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"Reported (June 2026) to have withdrawn the 2020 pledge, on the grounds that a ban would shift production outside the EU.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"BASF, Syngenta, Corteva","says":"No public response on record in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"exports_banned_pesticides_2018","value":81000,"unit":"t","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"EU countries, pesticides banned in EU fields."},{"key":"exports_banned_pesticides_2024","value":122000,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Up about 50% from 2018."},{"key":"basf_exports_banned_pesticides","value":33000,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Largest exporter."},{"key":"destination_countries","value":93,"unit":"countries","year":2024,"note":"75% low- or middle-income."},{"key":"germany_exports_banned_pesticides_2024","value":50000,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Up from 8,000 t in 2018."},{"key":"brazil_imports_banned_pesticides","value":15000,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Second-largest recipient."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Exports from EU countries of pesticides banned for use in the EU.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BASF","what":"Largest exporter, over 33,000 t in 2024.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Kenyan farmers","what":"Reported to bear the cost of destroying produce rejected at the EU border for residues.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"From EU countries, mainly Germany, to 93 countries including Brazil and Kenya.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018 to 2024 (Public Eye, 23 September 2025); Commission position reported for June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Commission was reported to say a ban would shift production outside the EU.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through export notifications and approvals for pesticides banned in the EU.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Sharp rise in EU export trade in banned pesticides despite European Commission promises","p":"Public Eye","d":"2025-09-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/topics/pesticides/sharp-rise-in-eu-export-trade-in-banned-pesticides-despite-european-commission-promises","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913090526/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/topics/pesticides/sharp-rise-in-eu-export-trade-in-banned-pesticides-despite-european-commission-promises"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chlorpyrifos-dow-findings-eu-ban-and-exports-of-banned-pesti","paraquat-bans-uk-production-for-export-and-chinese-exports","paraquat-litigation"],"natureLead":{"t":"EU countries approved export in 2024 of about 122,000 tonnes of pesticides banned from my EU fields, to 93 countries, up from about 81,000 tonnes in 2018, Public Eye reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the EU ban exports of pesticides it has banned for use on its own fields?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"BASF, Syngenta, Corteva: No public response on record in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: EU companies planned exports of 13,274 t of neonicotinoids banned in the EU in 2021, with the Netherlands fifth (Public Eye and Unearthed, via Greenpeace NL).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Foodwatch (2024) comparison of Dutch export notifications with EU border findings of banned substances on imported food.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No ecological or health assessment tied to these exports is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling or penalty is recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Kenyan farmers"]},{"id":"whaling-after-the-moratorium","title":"Whaling after the moratorium (Japan, Norway, Iceland)","dek":"The International Whaling Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982, in force from 1986. Whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland continued in later decades, and recovery has differed widely between whale populations.","country":"Iceland","region":"Global","lat":64.1,"lon":-21.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iceland","iso2":"IS","role":"event"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","role":"event"},{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","role":"event"}],"start":1982,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Fin whales taken by Iceland in the 2026 season (quota 150)","value":"93","note":"Season of 94 days closed on 20 September 2026; the company named is Hvalur hf."},"happened":["The International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted in 1982 for a moratorium on commercial whaling; the vote was 25 to 7 and the moratorium took effect in 1986. The Animal Welfare Institute and allied groups had launched a 'Save the Whales' campaign in 1971.","Whaling did not stop everywhere after 1986. The cited sources record catches in 2025 of 293 whales for Japan, with Japan's whaling continuing on a state budget of about 5.07 billion yen for fiscal 2026, and 429 whales for Norway, where the 2025 catch was 31% of the quota. Iceland took 93 fin whales in 2026 against a quota of 150, after its remaining whaling company had not hunted for the two preceding years.","Populations have recovered unevenly. A 2019 model put the Western South Atlantic humpback at about 93% of its pre-whaling number, up from about 450 animals in the mid-1950s, where the IWC had estimated 47% in 2006. In the North Pacific, humpback numbers fell about 20% between 2012 and 2021, which researchers linked to a marine heatwave. Antarctic blue whales stand at roughly 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number.","The accounts of the moratorium's effects also differ over valuation. IMF economists calculated in 2019 that a whale was worth more than 2 million dollars; the authors of papers cited in that calculation wrote in 2022 that its scientific basis was lacking. Published estimates put whale carbon at no more than 0.004 to 0.02% of annual fossil emissions, and Project Drawdown rates it 'Keep Watching' at under 0.02 Gt CO2 a year.","Enforcement has been thin where whaling broke the rules. The Soviet Union killed at least 190,183 whales in the North Pacific in 1948-79 and reported 169,638 to the IWC; in 1994 the IWC adopted a resolution on Russia's recovered records that, according to the cited sources, praised rather than penalised it. In 2014 the International Court of Justice ordered Japan only to revoke its whaling permits. At its 2026 meeting the IWC again rejected a South Atlantic whale sanctuary: 39 votes in favour and 18 against, short of the three-quarters threshold."],"timeline":[{"y":1971,"t":"Animal Welfare Institute and allies launch the 'Save the Whales' campaign"},{"y":1982,"t":"IWC votes 25 to 7 for a moratorium on commercial whaling"},{"y":1986,"t":"Moratorium takes effect"},{"y":1994,"t":"IWC resolution on Russian catch records; no penalty or compensation on record"},{"y":2014,"t":"International Court of Justice orders Japan to revoke its whaling permits"},{"y":2015,"t":"Sea Shepherd's US entity pays 2.55 million dollars to Japanese whaling bodies"},{"y":2025,"t":"Japan takes 293 whales; Norway 429, 31% of its quota"},{"y":2026,"t":"Iceland takes 93 fin whales (quota 150); IWC again rejects South Atlantic sanctuary (39 for, 18 against)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"'Whales eat three to six times as much fish as people catch'","who":"A whaling company (name: none on record)","src":null},{"t":"'The stock is very good and strictly regulated'","who":"Norway","src":null},{"t":"'One whale is worth 2 million dollars; the stock is worth 1 trillion dollars'","who":"IMF economists, 2019","src":null},{"t":"'Hobart Declaration, new measures'","who":"IWC, 2026","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Norway's 2025 catch was 31% of its quota; the 2026 quota increase came from carrying over unused quota.","src":7},{"t":"Models reviewed indicate that removing whales would not meaningfully raise fish catches.","src":8},{"t":"The authors of papers cited in the IMF valuation wrote in 2022 that its scientific basis was lacking.","src":9},{"t":"The IWC's 2026 South Atlantic sanctuary vote fell below the three-quarters threshold: 39 in favour, 18 against.","src":6},{"t":"The IWC took no recorded penalty against Russia for under-reported Soviet catches and praised it in 1994 for finding old records.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"Fiscal 2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Japanese state budget for whaling, fiscal 2026","amount":5070,"qualifier":"about"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Western South Atlantic humpback","v":"About 93%","d":"Of pre-whaling number (2019 model); about 450 animals in the mid-1950s"},{"k":"North Pacific humpback","v":"About -20%","d":"2012-2021; researchers link it to a marine heatwave"},{"k":"Antarctic blue whale","v":"About 1-1.5%","d":"Of pre-whaling number (239,000 then; about 2,000-3,500 now)"},{"k":"Whale-derived carbon","v":"Under 0.02 Gt CO2 a year","d":"Project Drawdown 'Keep Watching'; no meaningful change to climate (Pearson 2023, Meynecke 2023)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Population figures for great whales before and after commercial whaling, as reviewed in the sources; no single source covers all populations.","report":[{"t":"Industrial whaling killed about 2.9 million large whales in the twentieth century.","src":3},{"t":"Whaling reduced great-whale biomass by about 81%, according to Pearson and colleagues (2023).","src":11},{"t":"My Antarctic blue whales number about 2,280 (1998 survey estimate, 95% interval 1,160 to 4,500) where there were once 239,000.","src":12},{"t":"My Western South Atlantic humpbacks have returned to about 93% of their pre-whaling number; my North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% between 2012 and 2021.","src":13},{"t":"The iron in my faeces and the nitrogen I carry to breeding grounds have been modelled but not measured in the field.","src":10}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give no evaluation of whether the 'ideal' population level for any species has been reached; the IWC's own target is defined for managing hunting, not for ecological restoration.","Unconfirmed: Japan, Norway and Iceland together caught more than 44,000 whales between 1986 and 2024 under objections and 'scientific permits'.","Unconfirmed: the IWC objected-to vote details, including which states (Japan, Norway, Peru, the Soviet Union) lodged objections and that Norway remained unbound.","Unconfirmed: Japan withdrew from the IWC in 2019 and returned to commercial whaling in its own waters.","Unconfirmed: a 2008 advocacy-commissioned report of 13 million whale-watchers in 119 countries spending 2.1 billion dollars.","Unconfirmed: the Soviet Union killed 48,702 humpbacks in 1947-73 and reported 2,710.","Revenue and profit of the Icelandic whaling company are not on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped: the cited sources record catches of 293 whales by Japan and 429 by Norway in 2025 and 93 fin whales by Iceland in 2026.","whoPaid":"Japanese taxpayers are recorded as carrying the cost of whaling (at least 30 billion yen in 1987-2008, per an advocacy source, and 2.28 billion yen from the 2011 earthquake reconstruction fund); the cited sources record no repayment of whaling earnings by any company or state.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: Iceland's 2026 season closed on 20 September with 93 fin whales taken; the IWC again rejected a South Atlantic sanctuary in 2026.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"IWC","says":"Adopted a resolution in 1994 praising Russia for locating old catch records; no penalty or compensation on record.","when":"1994","src":2},{"actor":"Japanese whaling bodies","says":"Said a 2015 deal with Sea Shepherd would end clashes at sea.","when":"2015","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"iwc","role":"Regulator: adopted the moratorium (1982) and rejected the South Atlantic sanctuary (2026)"},{"id":"hvalur-hf","role":"Icelandic whaling company, 2026 season"},{"id":"sea-shepherd","role":"Anti-whaling group; paid 2.55 million dollars to Japanese whaling bodies in 2015"},{"id":"awi","role":"Launched the 'Save the Whales' campaign (1971)"},{"id":"icj","role":"Ordered Japan to revoke whaling permits (2014)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the moratorium restore whale populations?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Population models reviewed","says":"Western South Atlantic humpbacks are at about 93% of their pre-whaling number; North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% in 2012-2021; Antarctic blue whales stand at about 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"IWC","says":"Titled its 2026 outcome the 'Hobart Declaration, new measures'; the South Atlantic sanctuary proposal fell short of the three-quarters threshold (39 for, 18 against).","src":6}]},{"point":"Does whale abundance cut fish catches?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"A whaling company (name: none on record)","says":"Whales eat three to six times as much fish as people catch.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Models reviewed","says":"Removing whales would not meaningfully raise fish catches.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is the Norwegian whale stock well managed?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Norway","says":"The stock is very good and strictly regulated.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Catch records reviewed","says":"The 2025 catch was 31% of the quota; the 2026 quota increase came from carrying over unused quota.","src":null}]},{"point":"What is a whale worth, and is the valuation sound?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IMF economists (2019)","says":"A whale is worth more than 2 million dollars and the stock about 1 trillion dollars.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Authors of papers cited in the calculation (2022)","says":"The scientific basis for the valuation is lacking.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Project Drawdown, Pearson (2023), Meynecke (2023)","says":"Whale carbon is under 0.02 Gt CO2 a year and does not meaningfully change the course of climate.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"International Court of Justice: whaling permits","forum":"International Court of Justice","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"international","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Japan","filed":null,"decided":"2014","status":"unknown","summary":"In 2014 the court ordered Japan to revoke its whaling permits; the cited sources record no other remedy.","src":15}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"whales_killed_japan","value":293,"unit":"whales","year":2025,"note":"Japan's catch in 2025; the target was met as 76% of planned meat."},{"key":"whales_killed_norway","value":429,"unit":"whales","year":2025,"note":"Norway's 2025 catch, 31% of the quota."},{"key":"whales_killed_iceland","value":93,"unit":"fin whales","year":2026,"note":"Quota 150; season of 94 days closed 20 September 2026."},{"key":"whales_killed_total_20c","value":2900000,"unit":"large whales","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"Industrial whaling, 1900-1999 (Rocha and colleagues, 2014, via NBC News); likely an undercount."},{"key":"whales_killed_ussr_actual","value":190183,"unit":"whales","year":1979,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Soviet catch in the North Pacific, 1948-79; 169,638 reported to the IWC."},{"key":"subsidy","value":5070,"unit":"JPY m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Japanese state budget for whaling, fiscal 2026."},{"key":"subsidy","value":30000,"unit":"JPY m","year":2008,"qualifier":"at least","unverified":true,"note":"Reported taxpayer cost 1987-2008, from an advocacy source."},{"key":"settlement","value":2.55,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Paid by Sea Shepherd's US entity to Japanese whaling bodies."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The IWC moratorium on commercial whaling did not end whaling in Japan, Norway and Iceland, and population recovery since has varied between species.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Whaling operators in Japan, Norway and Iceland","what":"Continued catches in 2025-2026; Japan's whaling continued on a state budget of about 5.07 billion yen (fiscal 2026).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Japanese taxpayers","what":"Reported to have carried the cost of whaling, including 2.28 billion yen from the 2011 earthquake reconstruction fund.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Great whale populations","what":"About 2.9 million large whales killed in the twentieth century; Antarctic blue whales at about 1 to 1.5% of their pre-whaling number.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Japan, Norway and Iceland, in the IWC and in the North Atlantic, North Pacific and Southern Ocean.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Moratorium voted 1982, in force 1986; catches recorded through 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Moratoria and sanctuary proposals are decided by IWC votes. Japan, Norway and Iceland continued whaling in different forms; the cited sources do not record a legal obligation that stopped them.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A commission vote (25 to 7 in 1982) set the moratorium; whaling continued under national decisions, quotas and permits.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AWI and the history of animal welfare (Save the Whales campaign; IWC moratorium vote 25-7, in force 1986)","p":"Animal Welfare Institute","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://awionline.org/about-us/awi-celebrating-75-years/awi-and-history-of-animal-welfare/"},{"t":"Soviet catches: revised totals","p":"Journal of Cetacean Research and Management (IWC)","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/556","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250620090139/https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/556"},{"t":"IWC Resolution 1994-6","p":"InforMEA","d":"1994","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecolex.org/details/decision/resolution-1994-6-bfd5b666-bc28-4253-b732-b30c8a2a590c/"},{"t":"3 million whales were killed in the 20th century: report (Rocha and colleagues, 2014)","p":"NBC News","d":"2015","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/3-million-whales-were-killed-20th-century-report-n322961","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907095304/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/3-million-whales-were-killed-20th-century-report-n322961"},{"t":"Japan whalers say deal with Sea Shepherd will end ocean clashes","p":"NBC News","d":"2015","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/japan-whalers-say-deal-sea-shepherd-will-end-ocean-clashes-n636326","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250816132451/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/japan-whalers-say-deal-sea-shepherd-will-end-ocean-clashes-n636326"},{"t":"Iceland's last whaling company shrugs off threat of permanent ban","p":"The Star (Reuters)","d":"2026-09-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2026/09/14/iceland039s-last-whaling-company-shrugs-off-threat-of-permanent-ban","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914132443/https://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2026/09/14/iceland039s-last-whaling-company-shrugs-off-threat-of-permanent-ban"},{"t":"South Atlantic whale sanctuary bid blocked again","p":"The Star (dpa)","d":"2026-10-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/10/02/south-atlantic-whale-sanctuary-bid-blocked-again-at-iwc-meeting","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002165321/https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/10/02/south-atlantic-whale-sanctuary-bid-blocked-again-at-iwc-meeting"},{"t":"NGOs condemn Norway's increased 2026 whaling quota","p":"Oceanographic Magazine","d":"2026","u":"https://oceanographicmagazine.com/news/ngo-s-condemn-norway-s-increased-2026-whaling-quota/","type":"press"},{"t":"Marine Mammal Impacts in Exploited Ecosystems: Would Large Scale Culling Benefit Fisheries?","p":"PLOS ONE (Morissette, Christensen and Pauly)","d":"2012-09-06","u":"https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0043966","type":"academic"},{"t":"Scientists to carbon markets: don't monetize the whales","p":"The Peninsula (Bloomberg)","d":"2022-12-15","u":"https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/12/2022/scientists-to-carbon-markets-dont-monetize-the-whales","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221223234728/https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/12/2022/scientists-to-carbon-markets-dont-monetize-the-whales"},{"t":"Whales in the carbon cycle: can recovery remove carbon dioxide?","p":"Trends in Ecology & Evolution (Pearson et al.)","d":"2023","u":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.012","type":"academic"},{"t":"Whales could be a valuable carbon sink","p":"University of Hawai'i News","d":"2023-01-24","u":"https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2023/01/24/whales-carbon-dioxide/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Abundance of Antarctic blue whales south of 60°S from three complete circumpolar sets of surveys","p":"Journal of Cetacean Research and Management (T. A. Branch)","d":"2007","u":"https://science.uct.ac.za/media/420463","type":"academic"},{"t":"From 440 to 25,000: one humpback whale population's amazing recovery","p":"Discover Magazine","d":"2019-10-17","u":"https://discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/from-440-to-25-000-one-humpback-whale-populations-amazing-recovery","type":"press"},{"t":"Marine heatwave whale decline (humpback whales, North Pacific, Royal Society Open Science 2024)","p":"The New Daily","d":"2024-02-28","u":"https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/2024/02/28/marine-heatwave-whale-decline","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250521143718/https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/life/science/2024/02/28/marine-heatwave-whale-decline"},{"t":"Whaling in the Antarctic (Australia v. Japan: New Zealand intervening), Judgment of 31 March 2014","p":"International Court of Justice","d":"2014-03-31","u":"https://www.icj-cij.org/case/148","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"related":["whale-oil-kerosene-and-the-1986-whaling-moratorium","save-the-whales-campaign-and-iwc-whaling-moratorium"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the moratorium restore whale populations?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does whale abundance cut fish catches?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the Norwegian whale stock well managed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What is a whale worth, and is the valuation sound?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"International Court of Justice: whaling permits: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Public grants / subsidies: Reported taxpayer cost 1987-2008, from an advocacy source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no evaluation of whether the 'ideal' population level for any species has been reached; the IWC's own target is defined for managing hunting, not for ecological restoration.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Japan, Norway and Iceland together caught more than 44,000 whales between 1986 and 2024 under objections and 'scientific permits'.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the IWC objected-to vote details, including which states (Japan, Norway, Peru, the Soviet Union) lodged objections and that Norway remained unbound.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Japan withdrew from the IWC in 2019 and returned to commercial whaling in its own waters.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2008 advocacy-commissioned report of 13 million whale-watchers in 119 countries spending 2.1 billion dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Soviet Union killed 48,702 humpbacks in 1947-73 and reported 2,710.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue and profit of the Icelandic whaling company are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Whaling operators in Japan, Norway and Iceland","No source link — Who lost: Japanese taxpayers"]},{"id":"india-campa-compensatory-afforestation-fund","title":"India CAMPA compensatory afforestation fund","dek":"India's compensatory afforestation fund collects payments from projects that clear forest land and spends them on planting. Civil-society records document planting on land communities held or claimed, and an official audit found fund money used on consumer goods.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":20.6,"lon":78.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Uttarakhand","role":"affected"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Odisha","role":"affected"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Chhattisgarh","role":"affected"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Haryana","role":"affected"}],"start":2006,"end":2025,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Share of CAMPA money approved for 2019-2024 that was spent","value":"67.5%","note":"26,001 crore of 38,516 crore rupees, per a Supreme Court-appointed committee's 2025 report."},"happened":["In India, a mine, dam or road that uses forest land pays for compensatory afforestation. The money goes into national and state funds set up under a 2016 law and is passed to state forest departments. The body that manages the funds is the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). A crore is ten million.","The Forest Rights Act (2006) recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities and gives authority to the village council (gram sabha). The 2016 law required consultation with the gram sabha, not its consent. According to Land Conflict Watch, the fund held more than 42,000 crore rupees (about 6.5 billion dollars) in 2017. In four states it recorded at least 22 conflicts covering about 100,000 hectares and about 40,000 people; in 80% of the cases the gram sabha's consent had not been obtained.","Individual cases were documented. In Burlubaru, Odisha, teak was planted on about 50 hectares belonging to 52 Kutia Kondh families who received title in 2012. In Sonakhan, Chhattisgarh, 20 hectares were fenced in, including a sacred site. In Bakingia, Kandhamal, about 40,000 saplings were planted on about 200 hectares while 84 families' community-rights application was pending; villagers said nobody had consulted them. A 2017 report by a forest-rights network found that more than 70% of 2,479 plantations in 10 states were on forest land in violation of the rules and that all 52 plantations examined in three states were on community land titled to gram sabhas.","On spending, a committee set up by the Supreme Court reported in 2025 that 26,001 crore rupees (67.5%) of the 38,516 crore approved for 2019-2024 had been spent. In Uttarakhand, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India found that fund money had been used for iPhones, laptops, refrigerators, renovation and a tiger safari. The state said the deviation was about 1.8% of 753 crore rupees and an error of judgement. On 19 March 2025 the Supreme Court described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file. A 2013 audit found that 7% of the area due to be planted in 2006-2012 had been planted.","In the Great Nicobar project, 130 square kilometres of tropical forest are being allocated for an airport, port, power plant and township. The compensatory planting is to take place in Haryana, about 2,400 kilometres away. In Rajawas village, 506 acres were placed under protection on 20 June 2023; the same day the state mining department auctioned a quarter of the land. The department said it did not know the land was protected forest, and the National Green Tribunal took the matter up on its own motion."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Period covered by the 2013 audit (to 2012): 7% of the area due to be planted had been planted"},{"y":2012,"t":"52 Kutia Kondh families in Burlubaru, Odisha, receive title to land later planted with teak"},{"y":2015,"t":"Plantation in Bakingia, Kandhamal, Odisha, begins without consultation, per Land Conflict Watch"},{"y":2016,"t":"Law requires consultation with the gram sabha, not consent"},{"y":2017,"t":"Land Conflict Watch records at least 22 conflicts; fund above 42,000 crore rupees"},{"y":2023,"t":"Rajawas land protected on 20 June and partly auctioned for mining the same day"},{"y":2025,"t":"Supreme Court closes the Uttarakhand file on 19 March; Supreme Court committee reports 67.5% of approved money spent"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Compensatory afforestation offsets forest land diverted to mines, dams and roads","who":"Indian law and state forest departments","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"At least 22 CAMPA-related conflicts in four states covering about 100,000 hectares and about 40,000 people; 80% without village council consent.","src":0},{"t":"Plantation of about 40,000 saplings on about 200 hectares in Bakingia while 84 families' community-rights application was pending.","src":1},{"t":"26,001 of 38,516 crore rupees spent in 2019-2024 (67.5%).","src":2},{"t":"Uttarakhand: the audit found fund money used for iPhones, laptops, a refrigerator, renovation and a tiger safari; about 1.8% of 753 crore rupees; unpaid interest 275.34 crore.","src":3},{"t":"No institution or person is recorded as having paid a fine in the Uttarakhand matter.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":"2019-2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Planting completed (2006-2012 audit)","v":"7%","d":"Of 103,000 hectares due to be planted (2013 audit)"},{"k":"Money spent (2019-2024)","v":"67.5%","d":"26,001 of 38,516 crore rupees"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources contain no survival or biodiversity assessment of the plantations"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give no survival rate, species composition or biodiversity outcome for the plantations.","No court has imposed a penalty in the Uttarakhand matter; the state said it began disciplinary action against some staff.","The cited sources show two area figures for 2019-2024, 178,261 and 209,297 hectares, without stating which is the target.","Unconfirmed: the Government of India transferred 47,436 crore rupees to 27 states in August 2019.","Unconfirmed: a contract linked to the fund was extended three times without tender."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"No stop on record: the Supreme Court closed the Uttarakhand file on 19 March 2025, and the cited sources show plantings continuing in disputed areas.","whoPaid":"In the documented cases, communities bore the cost: planting took place on land they held title to or had applied for, and the cited sources record no compensation.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: the Supreme Court has closed the Uttarakhand file; a court-appointed committee reported 67.5% of approved 2019-2024 money spent.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Uttarakhand government","says":"Said the deviation was about 1.8% of the fund and an error of judgement; said it had begun disciplinary action against some staff.","when":"2025","src":3},{"actor":"Haryana state mining department","says":"Said it did not know the land was protected forest.","when":"2023","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"india-campa","role":"Fund authority (national and state CAMPA)"},{"id":"uttarakhand-gov","role":"State government; used fund money for consumer goods"},{"id":"cag-india","role":"Auditor: found misuse in Uttarakhand; 2013 audit of planting"},{"id":"supreme-court-of-india","role":"Closed the Uttarakhand file on 19 March 2025; appointed committee"},{"id":"ngt-india","role":"Took the Rajawas matter up on its own motion"},{"id":"haryana-mining-dept","role":"Auctioned part of protected land at Rajawas on 20 June 2023"},{"id":"land-conflict-watch","role":"Documented conflicts and the Bakingia case"},{"id":"cfr-la","role":"Forest-rights network that produced the 2017 plantation report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the plantations placed lawfully and with communities' consent?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Land Conflict Watch","says":"At least 22 conflicts in four states; 80% without village council consent.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Community Forest Rights-Learning and Advocacy (CFR-LA)","says":"More than 70% of 2,479 plantations in 10 states were on forest land in violation of the rules; all 52 examined in three states were on community land.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Indian law (2016)","says":"Required consultation with the gram sabha, not its consent.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the use of fund money in Uttarakhand significant?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Comptroller and Auditor General","says":"Found fund money used for iPhones, laptops, a refrigerator, renovation and a tiger safari.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Uttarakhand government","says":"Put the deviation at about 1.8% and called it an error of judgement.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of India","says":"Described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file on 19 March 2025.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Uttarakhand CAMPA fund use","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Uttarakhand government","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03-19","status":"unknown","summary":"The Supreme Court accepted the state's explanation, described the deviations as trivial in nature and closed the file; no penalty was imposed.","src":3},{"title":"Rajawas land auctioned the day it was protected","forum":"National Green Tribunal","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"National Green Tribunal (own motion)","defendant":"Haryana mining department","filed":"2024-10","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The tribunal took the matter up on its own motion after the state mining department tendered a quarter of the 506 acres on the day they were protected; no ruling is on record.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fund_balance","value":42000,"unit":"INR crore","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"About 6.5 billion dollars at the time, per Land Conflict Watch."},{"key":"conflicts","value":22,"unit":"conflicts","year":2017,"qualifier":"at least","note":"In four states."},{"key":"area_ha","value":100000,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area covered by the 22 conflicts."},{"key":"people_affected","value":40000,"unit":"people","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"People covered by the 22 conflicts."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":40000,"unit":"saplings","year":2015,"note":"Bakingia, Kandhamal, on about 200 hectares, from 2015."},{"key":"claim","value":38516,"unit":"INR crore","year":2024,"note":"Approved for 2019-2024."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":26001,"unit":"INR crore","year":2024,"note":"Spent of the 38,516 crore approved (67.5%)."},{"key":"diverted_funds","value":753,"unit":"INR crore","year":2022,"note":"Uttarakhand fund; the state put the deviation at about 1.8% of this; unpaid interest 275.34 crore."},{"key":"diverted_forest_area_km2","value":130,"unit":"km2","year":2023,"note":"Great Nicobar forest allocated for the project; compensatory planting about 2,400 km away in Haryana."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's compensatory afforestation fund collects payments for forest land diverted to projects and spends them on planting; documented plantings overlapped with community land and some money was used for other purposes.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"State forest departments","what":"Receive the transferred fund money for planting.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Kutia Kondh families of Burlubaru, Odisha","what":"Teak was planted on about 50 hectares of land to which 52 families received title in 2012.","src":null},{"who":"84 families of Bakingia, Kandhamal","what":"About 200 hectares planted with 40,000 saplings while their community-rights application was pending.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest land at Rajawas, Haryana, and Great Nicobar","what":"Rajawas land was auctioned for mining the day it was protected; 130 square kilometres of Great Nicobar forest are allocated for development.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"India: Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and the Great Nicobar Island.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2006-2025; 2016 law; conflicts recorded in 2017; Supreme Court closure on 19 March 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Projects that divert forest land are required to pay for planting elsewhere; the cited sources do not state the motives of individual state officials.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments go into national and state funds and are passed to state forest departments, which choose planting sites; the 2016 law required consultation with the village council, not consent.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"6.5bn afforestation fund pitted forest departments against tribals","p":"IndiaSpend / Land Conflict Watch","d":"2017-11-24","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.isignal.in/6-5bn-afforestation-fund-pitted-forest-depts-tribals","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151102/https://www.isignal.in/6-5bn-afforestation-fund-pitted-forest-depts-tribals"},{"t":"CAMPA plantation undermines FRA in Bakingia village of Kandhamal","p":"Land Conflict Watch","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/campa-plantation-undermines-fra-in-bakingia-village-of-kandhamal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412135954/https://www.landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/campa-plantation-undermines-fra-in-bakingia-village-of-kandhamal"},{"t":"India raised compensatory afforestation","p":"ETV Bharat","d":"2025-07-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.etvbharat.com/en/!bharat/india-raised-compensatory-afforestation-enn25072802476"},{"t":"Supreme Court: Uttarakhand explanation on alleged CAMPA funds misutilization for buying iPhones, laptops; deviations trivial","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2025-03-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/supreme-court-uttarakhand-explanation-on-alleged-campa-funds-misutilization-for-buying-iphones-laptops-deviations-trivial-286904"},{"t":"NGT takes cognisance of auction for mining in protected Aravalli","p":"Bar & Bench","d":"2024-10-04","u":"https://www.barandbench.com/news/ngt-cognisance-auction-mining-aravali","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of 38,516 crore rupees approved for compensatory afforestation for my cleared forests in 2019–2024, 26,001 crore (67.5%) had been spent, a Supreme Court committee reported in 2025.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the plantations placed lawfully and with communities' consent?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the use of fund money in Uttarakhand significant?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Uttarakhand CAMPA fund use: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rajawas land auctioned the day it was protected: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no survival rate, species composition or biodiversity outcome for the plantations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court has imposed a penalty in the Uttarakhand matter; the state said it began disciplinary action against some staff.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources show two area figures for 2019-2024, 178,261 and 209,297 hectares, without stating which is the target.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Government of India transferred 47,436 crore rupees to 27 states in August 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a contract linked to the fund was extended three times without tender.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: State forest departments","No source link — Who lost: Kutia Kondh families of Burlubaru, Odisha","No source link — Who harmed: Forest land at Rajawas, Haryana, and Great Nicobar"]},{"id":"hill-knowlton-frank-statement-and-tirc","title":"Hill & Knowlton, the Frank Statement and the TIRC","dek":"A public-relations firm ran the tobacco industry's research committee from 1953 and later worked for oil and plastics-industry clients and for the 2022 COP27 climate summit. The same agency name recurs across industries in the cited sources.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.7,"lon":-74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","role":"event"}],"start":1953,"end":2022,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Newspapers that carried the 1954 Frank Statement advertisement","value":"448","note":"Estimated to have reached about 43 million people."},"happened":["In December 1953 the tobacco industry set up the Tobacco Industry Research Committee (TIRC). The public-relations firm Hill & Knowlton ran it, and its founder John Hill helped plan the strategy with tobacco executives. In 1954 the committee's advertisement, known as the Frank Statement, appeared in 448 newspapers and is estimated to have reached about 43 million people.","The advertisement said there was no proof that cigarettes caused lung cancer and promised independent research. Through this structure the industry distributed more than 300 million dollars in research funding over about 40 years.","The firm's client list later extended beyond tobacco. According to the Center for International Environmental Law, as summarised by DeSmog, Hill & Knowlton worked for the oil industry from 1956. In 1974 it ran an April-to-November campaign for the vinyl chloride and PVC producers' committee of the Plastics Industry Association.","In 2022 Egypt gave the communications of the COP27 climate summit to the agency. Its clients at the time included ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Saudi Aramco and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, whose secretariat it ran, and Coca-Cola, a summit sponsor. More than 420 scientists called on the firm to drop its fossil-fuel clients. The agency is now part of the WPP holding company."],"timeline":[{"y":1953,"t":"Tobacco industry sets up the TIRC; Hill & Knowlton runs it"},{"y":1954,"t":"Frank Statement advertisement appears in 448 newspapers"},{"y":1956,"t":"Hill & Knowlton begins work for the oil industry (per CIEL / DeSmog)"},{"y":1974,"t":"Hill & Knowlton campaign for the vinyl chloride and PVC producers' committee, April-November"},{"y":2022,"t":"Hill & Knowlton handles COP27 communications; more than 420 scientists ask it to drop fossil-fuel clients"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Frank Statement said there was no proof that cigarettes cause lung cancer and promised independent research","who":"Tobacco industry advertisement, 1954","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The TIRC was run by Hill & Knowlton; the industry distributed more than 300 million dollars in research funding over about 40 years through it.","src":0},{"t":"The firm worked for the oil industry from 1956 (CIEL, as summarised by DeSmog).","src":1},{"t":"The firm ran a 1974 campaign for the vinyl chloride and PVC producers' committee of the Plastics Industry Association.","src":2},{"t":"In 2022 the firm handled COP27 communications while its clients included ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Saudi Aramco and the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"About 1953-1993","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Research funding distributed through the TIRC structure over about 40 years","amount":300,"qualifier":"more than"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Sectors served by the same agency","v":"Tobacco, oil, plastics, climate summit","d":"1953, 1956, 1974, 2022"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not applicable","d":"The record concerns communications work, not a site or ecosystem"}]},"unknown":["Whether Hill & Knowlton also worked for the Chemical Manufacturers Association is not on record; the 1974 work for the Plastics Industry Association's committee is documented.","Unconfirmed: the December 1953 meeting between Hill & Knowlton and tobacco company presidents, and the TIRC office being located one floor below the firm.","Unconfirmed: that Hill & Knowlton established the TIRC rather than managed it.","The cited sources do not give the agency's fees from any of the clients named."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record concerns an agency's client work, and the cited sources describe no end to the practice.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2022: Hill & Knowlton handled COP27 communications while serving oil clients; more than 420 scientists asked it to drop them.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"hill-knowlton","role":"Public-relations firm; ran the TIRC; handled COP27 communications"},{"id":"tirc","role":"Tobacco Industry Research Committee, set up in December 1953"},{"id":"wpp","role":"Holding company of Hill & Knowlton"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Client at the time of COP27"},{"id":"shell","role":"Client at the time of COP27"},{"id":"saudi-aramco","role":"Client at the time of COP27"},{"id":"plastics-industry-association","role":"Client in 1974 (vinyl chloride and PVC producers' committee)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should an agency with fossil-fuel clients run a climate summit's communications?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"More than 420 scientists","says":"Called on Hill & Knowlton to drop its fossil-fuel clients.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"newspapers","value":448,"unit":"newspapers","year":1954,"note":"Frank Statement advertisement."},{"key":"readership","value":43000000,"unit":"people","year":1954,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimated reach of the Frank Statement."},{"key":"research_funding","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":1993,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Distributed through the TIRC structure over about 40 years."},{"key":"scientists_signing","value":420,"unit":"scientists","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Called on the firm to drop fossil-fuel clients."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A public-relations firm ran the tobacco industry's research committee and was later engaged by oil and plastics-industry clients and for a climate summit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hill & Knowlton","what":"Engaged by the tobacco, oil and plastics industries and, in 2022, for COP27 communications.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (tobacco, plastics) and Egypt (COP27).","src":null},"when":{"t":"1953 to 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The 1954 advertisement said there was no proof of a link between cigarettes and lung cancer; the cited sources do not state the firm's own reasons for taking later clients.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The firm ran the TIRC, placed the Frank Statement in 448 newspapers, and served later clients on commission.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Tobacco Industry Research Committee","p":"Tobacco Tactics","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.tobaccotactics.org/article/tobacco-industry-research-committee/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811025007/https://www.tobaccotactics.org/article/tobacco-industry-research-committee/"},{"t":"Smoke and Fumes: six decades of the oil-tobacco nexus of deception and attacks on science (CIEL, summarised by DeSmog)","p":"DeSmog","d":"2016-07-20","type":"investigative","u":"https://desmog.com/2016/07/20/smoke-and-fumes-six-decades-oil-tobacco-nexus-deception-and-attacks-science","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421130130/https://www.desmog.com/2016/07/20/smoke-and-fumes-six-decades-oil-tobacco-nexus-deception-and-attacks-science/"},{"t":"Hill & Knowlton, Plastics Industry Association vinyl chloride and PVC producers' committee, April-November 1974","p":"ToxicDocs","d":"1974","type":"court","voice":"company","u":"https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/91nBE33b2G9YMnKJpe4gny09q","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018150937/https://www.toxicdocs.org/d/91nBE33b2G9YMnKJpe4gny09q"},{"t":"Drop fossil fuels: 400+ scientists urge PR firm Hill+Knowlton, which runs COP27 communications, to cut ties","p":"DeSmog","d":"2022-11-04","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2022/11/04/drop-fossil-fuels-400-scientists-pr-hill-knowlton-cop27/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711211613/https://www.desmog.com/2022/11/04/drop-fossil-fuels-400-scientists-pr-hill-knowlton-cop27/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"public-relations","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should an agency with fossil-fuel clients run a climate summit's communications?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Hill & Knowlton also worked for the Chemical Manufacturers Association is not on record; the 1974 work for the Plastics Industry Association's committee is documented.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the December 1953 meeting between Hill & Knowlton and tobacco company presidents, and the TIRC office being located one floor below the firm.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Hill & Knowlton established the TIRC rather than managed it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the agency's fees from any of the clients named.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: Hill & Knowlton"]},{"id":"torrey-canyon-spill-and-creation-of-iopc-funds","title":"Torrey Canyon spill and creation of the IOPC Funds","dek":"The 1967 Torrey Canyon spill off south-west England led governments, the shipping industry and the oil industry to build a two-tier compensation system for oil spills from tankers. Later spills show where that system's limits fell.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":50,"lon":-6.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"affected"},{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Trinidad and Tobago","iso2":"TT","role":"affected"}],"start":1967,"end":2026,"eventDate":"1967","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Oil spilled in the Torrey Canyon grounding, 1967 (ITOPF)","value":"119,000 t","note":"Spill size as given by ITOPF; it is the incident behind the 1969 and 1971 conventions."},"happened":["The Torrey Canyon grounded in 1967 off south-west England and spilled 119,000 tonnes of oil, according to ITOPF. The IOPC Funds' commemorative brochure says the incident \"led Governments, the shipping industry and the oil industry to unite.\"","Two conventions followed under the International Maritime Organization. The 1969 Civil Liability Convention (CLC) set the shipowner's liability. The 1971 Fund Convention, adopted on 18 December 1971 and in force from 16 October 1978, created a fund paid for by oil receivers. One stated purpose of the 1971 Convention, according to the IMO, was \"to give relief to shipowners in respect of the additional financial burden\" imposed by the 1969 CLC. A 1969 Brussels proposal had been for a fund \"subscribed to by the cargo interests.\"","The system has two tiers: the shipowner and its insurer pay up to the CLC limit, and the Fund pays above it, funded by contributions from companies that receive more than 150,000 tonnes of crude or heavy fuel oil by sea a year in member states. According to the Fund's own FAQ, it does not operate on an annual levy and invoices only when incidents occur or circumstances require it; it has a policy of not levying contributors earlier than needed.","The Prestige spill (Spain, 2002) shows how the limits worked in practice. The Spanish Supreme Court awarded EUR 1,439.08m in 2018, of which EUR 884.98m was pollution damage and EUR 554.10m \"pure environmental and moral damages.\" The IOPC Funds said the latter was not recoverable from the 1992 Fund. The final level of payments was 15.22%.","Two later incidents are recorded in the IOPC Funds' documents. In Hebei Spirit (South Korea, 2007) 127,483 claims were filed for KRW 4,227bn. In Gulfstream (Tobago, February 2024) the barge had no identified flag and no P&I insurer, and the Fund has been paying claims while the registered owner remains unidentified."],"timeline":[{"y":1967,"t":"Torrey Canyon grounds off south-west England; 119,000 t of oil spilled (ITOPF)"},{"y":1969,"t":"Civil Liability Convention (CLC) sets the shipowner's liability"},{"y":1971,"t":"Fund Convention adopted on 18 December"},{"y":1978,"t":"Fund Convention enters into force on 16 October"},{"y":2002,"t":"Prestige spill; shipowner's insurer pays EUR 22.8m and the 1992 Fund EUR 147.9m (to 31 Dec 2024: EUR 147,937,442)"},{"y":2014,"t":"1971 Fund closes after paying about GBP 331m"},{"y":2018,"t":"Spanish Supreme Court awards EUR 1,439.08m in the Prestige case (19 December)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Gulfstream barge spill off Tobago; Court of Appeal in London refuses registration of the Spanish judgment against the Prestige insurer (12 December)"},{"y":2026,"t":"UK Supreme Court hears the London Club's appeal on 22-23 June; judgment awaited"}],"said":[{"q":"led Governments, the shipping industry and the oil industry to unite.","who":"IOPC Funds, 1971 Fund commemorative brochure, on the Torrey Canyon","when":"undated","src":0},{"q":"to give relief to shipowners in respect of the additional financial burden","who":"IMO convention page, on one stated purpose of the 1971 Fund Convention","when":"undated","src":1},{"q":"only invoices when incidents occur or circumstances require it.","who":"IOPC Funds FAQ","when":"undated","src":3},{"q":"has a policy of not levying contributors earlier than needed.","who":"IOPC Funds FAQ","when":"undated","src":3},{"q":"shall be limited to costs of reasonable measures of reinstatement actually undertaken or to be undertaken","who":"IOPC Funds, Claims for environmental damage: an overview, on the 1992 conventions","when":"2019","src":10},{"q":"two of the largest contributors to the 1992 Fund","who":"IOPC Funds news item, on Reliance and Nayara Energy","when":"8 August 2022","src":9},{"q":"appears to have no insurance, was in poor condition.","who":"Director of the IOPC Funds, on the Gulfstream barge, as recorded in IOPC document IOPC/MAY26/3/5","when":"2026","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"The Torrey Canyon incident brought governments, the shipping industry and the oil industry together.","who":"IOPC Funds commemorative brochure","src":0},{"t":"The system was set up to share the cost between shipowners and oil receivers.","who":"IOPC Funds","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The IOPC Funds do not collect in advance: the General Fund is levied on oil received in the preceding calendar year, and a Major Claims Fund is set up for each incident and levied after it, on oil received in the year preceding the incident, only from contributors in states that were members on the incident date.","src":4},{"t":"Under the 1992 oil-spill conventions, compensation for impairment of the environment is limited to the costs of reasonable measures of reinstatement. Loss of enjoyment, claims calculated by theoretical models, punitive claims and loss of environmental services are not admissible.","src":10},{"t":"In the Prestige case the 1992 Fund and the shipowner's insurer paid at a level of 15.22% (12.65% Fund and 2.57% CLC). The CLC limit was EUR 22.8m and CLC plus Fund EUR 171.5m.","src":6},{"t":"In the Prestige case the Spanish court's EUR 554.10m for pure environmental and moral damages was not recoverable from the 1992 Fund; the cited sources record no payment against it.","src":6},{"t":"Under Article 4.5 of the Fund Convention, when established claims exceed the limit every claimant receives the same proportion.","src":5},{"t":"The Supplementary Fund (total SDR 750m) has had no incidents (Annual Report 2025). Under TOPIA 2006, P&I clubs reimburse 50% of Supplementary Fund payments for tanker incidents; no incident has yet triggered it.","src":18},{"t":"The IOPC Funds publish no ranked list of contributing companies.","src":4},{"t":"In the Erika case the Court of Cassation (25 September 2012) upheld criminal liability for four parties, including Total SA, and held that Total could not rely on CLC protection because the damage resulted from its \"recklessness.\"","src":8},{"t":"After the Torrey Canyon spill, early dispersant chemicals used on the coast did more harm than the oil, according to the ITOPF case study.","src":16}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Prestige case, 2002-2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"My shore was cleaned with chemicals that harmed me more than the oil did.","outcomes":[{"k":"Torrey Canyon: early dispersants","v":"More harmful than the oil","d":"ITOPF case study"},{"k":"Environmental damage under the 1992 conventions","v":"Reinstatement costs only","d":"Theoretical-model and \"loss of environmental services\" claims are not admissible (IOPC Funds, 2019)"},{"k":"Prestige: pure environmental and moral damages","v":"EUR 554.10m awarded; not recoverable from the Fund","d":"Spanish Supreme Court, 2018; no payment found"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text rather than in figures: the ITOPF case study on Torrey Canyon and the IOPC Funds' own description of what environmental claims can recover.","report":[{"t":"In 1967, 119,000 tonnes of oil entered my waters off south-west England.","src":2},{"t":"The early dispersant chemicals used on the oil harmed me more than the oil did.","src":16},{"t":"Under the 1992 conventions the money available for harm to me is limited to reasonable measures of reinstatement actually undertaken or to be undertaken.","src":10}]},"unknown":["How much each oil-receiving company contributes to the IOPC Funds: the cited sources say no ranked list is published.","Whether contributors pass the levies on to consumers: no source states this.","How often an incident has exceeded the Funds' limits: no consolidated statistic was found.","Cumulative payments by the Funds are given inconsistently across IOPC publications (GBP 823m, \"more than GBP 788m\" and \"some USD 1 billion\"), as is the number of incidents (\"over 150\", \"155\", \"nearly 160\").","Unconfirmed: payment levels of 50%, 60%, 80% and 100% in the Erika case and of 60% cut to 35% in the Hebei Spirit case rest on summaries of IOPC documents, not on the documents themselves.","Unconfirmed: that rocky shores recovered in three years without chemicals and ten years where chemicals were used after Torrey Canyon (cited to local press).","Whether any payment has been made against the EUR 554.10m of pure environmental and moral damages in the Prestige case: none was found.","No payment by the Prestige shipowner was found; the owner was held vicariously liable in Spain."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The system has paid claims since 1978, but the cited sources record that environmental damage is recoverable only as reinstatement costs and that payments in the Prestige case reached 15.22%.","whoPaid":"Under the system, the shipowner's insurer pays up to the CLC limit and oil-receiving companies in member states fund the rest, up to the Fund limit; amounts above the limits are not covered by either tier.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the UK Supreme Court heard the London Club's appeal on 22-23 June 2026 and judgment is awaited; the IOPC Funds continue to pay Gulfstream claims.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The Fund does not operate on an annual levy and invoices only when incidents occur or circumstances require it; it has a policy of not levying contributors earlier than needed.","when":"undated","src":3},{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"Pure environmental and moral damages awarded in the Prestige judgment are not recoverable from the 1992 Fund.","when":"2019","src":6},{"actor":"london-club","says":"Relied on rule 3.1 (\"pay to be paid\") and the London arbitration clause; the Court of Appeal accepted that arbitral awards created a binding issue estoppel.","when":"2013-2024","src":12}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Administers the 1992 Fund and Supplementary Fund; pays claims above the shipowner's limit"},{"id":"london-club","role":"P&I insurer of the Prestige; paid the CLC limit and contested a larger Spanish judgment"},{"id":"spain-gov","role":"Claimant in the Prestige case"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can the Prestige insurer be held to the Spanish judgment beyond the CLC limit?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Spain","says":"Obtained a EUR 855.5m Spanish judgment against the London Club; the Club's appeal to the UK Supreme Court (UKSC/2025/0034) was given permission in part on 6 May 2025. Spain's own appeal (UKSC/2025/0031) was refused on 2 May 2025.","src":12},{"voice":"company","holder":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual (the Club)","says":"Relied on its \"pay to be paid\" rule 3.1 and the London arbitration clause (rule 43.2); the English Court of Appeal refused registration of the Spanish judgment.","src":12},{"voice":"court","holder":"English Court of Appeal ([2024] EWCA Civ 1536, 12 December 2024)","says":"The arbitrator's awards \"did, however, create a binding issue estoppel,\" so registration was refused on public-policy grounds.","src":12}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Can the Fund pay for pure environmental damage?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Spanish Supreme Court (2018)","says":"Awarded EUR 554.10m for pure environmental and moral damages in the Prestige case.","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"The EUR 554.10m was \"not recoverable from the 1992 Fund\"; environmental claims under the 1992 conventions are limited to reasonable reinstatement measures.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prestige: Spanish Supreme Court judgment","forum":"Spanish Supreme Court","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"civil","claimant":"Spanish and French states and other claimants","defendant":"Mare Shipping Inc (owner); London P&I Club (liable up to its US$1bn policy)","filed":null,"decided":"2018-12-19","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1439.08,"currency":"EUR","label":"EUR 884.98m pollution damage plus EUR 554.10m pure environmental and moral damages"},"summary":"The court awarded EUR 1,439.08m. The EUR 554.10m for pure environmental and moral damages was not recoverable from the 1992 Fund. The Fund and the CLC paid at a level of 15.22%.","src":6},{"title":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual v Spain (registration of Spanish judgment)","forum":"Court of Appeal of England and Wales; UK Supreme Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"appeal","claimant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","defendant":"Kingdom of Spain","filed":null,"decided":"2024-12-12","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":855.5,"currency":"EUR","label":"Spanish judgment against the Club that registration was refused for"},"summary":"On 12 December 2024 the Court of Appeal found that Schaff's arbitral awards created a binding issue estoppel and refused registration of the Spanish judgment; it also held equitable compensation for the Club was not available and no injunction could issue against the states. The UK Supreme Court refused Spain's appeal on 2 May 2025, gave the Club permission in part on 6 May 2025 and heard it on 22-23 June 2026; judgment is awaited.","src":12}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","insured":"Mare Shipping Inc (Prestige owner)","status":"partial","year":2003,"amount":{"value":22.8,"currency":"EUR","label":"CLC limitation fund, deposited at Corcubion court May 2003"},"reason":"Rule 3.1 (\"pay to be paid\") and a London arbitration clause (rule 43.2); the English courts refused registration of a EUR 855.5m Spanish judgment against the Club.","summary":"The Club paid the CLC limit of EUR 22.8m. P&I pollution cover was US$1bn per occurrence, and the Spanish court held the Club liable up to that limit; the English Court of Appeal declined to register that judgment.","src":12},{"insurer":"None (no P&I insurer recorded)","insured":"Gulfstream barge (flag \"Unknown\")","status":"uninsured","year":2024,"reason":"Registered owner not identified; no limitation proceedings started.","summary":"The owner's CLC limit was estimated at SDR 4.51m. The IOPC Funds are paying claims: 357 claims, USD 48.5m; TTD 60.57m paid by 6 March 2026.","src":7}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":119000,"unit":"t","year":1967,"note":"Torrey Canyon (ITOPF)."},{"key":"settlement","value":1439.08,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"note":"Prestige: Spanish Supreme Court award (EUR 884.98m pollution damage plus EUR 554.10m environmental and moral)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":147.9,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Prestige: paid by the 1992 Fund to 31 December 2024 (EUR 147,937,442)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":22.8,"unit":"EUR m","year":2003,"note":"Prestige: CLC limitation fund paid by the shipowner's insurer."},{"key":"payment_level","value":15.22,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Prestige: final level of payments (12.65% Fund plus 2.57% CLC)."},{"key":"claim","value":4227,"unit":"KRW bn","year":2020,"note":"Hebei Spirit: claims filed (127,483 claims)."},{"key":"fund_limit","value":750,"unit":"SDR m","year":2026,"note":"Supplementary Fund total limit."},{"key":"claim","value":48.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Gulfstream: 357 claims, USD 48.5m, as stated in IOPC/MAY26/3/5; TTD 60.57m paid by 6 March 2026. How the two figures relate is not on record."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967 led to the 1969 Civil Liability Convention and the 1971 Fund Convention, and later to the 1992 conventions administered by the IOPC Funds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shipowners (a stated purpose of the 1971 Convention was relief from the additional financial burden of the 1969 CLC)","what":"Liability shared with oil receivers","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Companies receiving more than 150,000 t of crude or heavy fuel oil a year by sea in member states","what":"Pay the Fund's levies after incidents","src":4},{"who":"Claimants whose losses exceed the limits","what":"Prestige: payments reached a level of 15.22%","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Coastline hit by Torrey Canyon oil and early dispersant chemicals","what":"Chemicals did more harm than the oil","src":16}]},"where":{"t":"Torrey Canyon: off south-west England. Later cases cited: Spain (Prestige), South Korea (Hebei Spirit), Tobago (Gulfstream).","src":2},"when":{"t":"1967 spill; conventions adopted 1969 and 18 December 1971; Fund Convention in force 16 October 1978; the 1971 Fund closed in 2014.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Governments, the shipping industry and the oil industry united after the spill; the stated aim was to share cost between shipowners and oil receivers.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Tier 1: shipowner and its insurer up to the CLC limit. Tier 2: the Fund, paid for by oil receivers, levied after incidents rather than in advance.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"IOPC Funds 1971 Fund commemorative brochure","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"undated","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1971_Commemorative_Brochure_e_01.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250918024426/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/1971_Commemorative_Brochure_e_01.pdf"},{"t":"International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (FUND)","p":"International Maritime Organization","d":"undated","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.imo.org/en/About/Conventions/Pages/International-Convention-on-the-Establishment-of-an-International-Fund-for-Compensation-for-Oil-Pollution-Damage-(FUND).aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260908063746/https://www.imo.org/en/about/conventions/pages/international-convention-on-the-establishment-of-an-international-fund-for-compensation-for-oil-pollution-damage-(fund).aspx"},{"t":"ITOPF: our history","p":"ITOPF","d":"undated","type":"company","u":"https://itopf.org/about-us/our-history","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006063409/https://www.itopf.org/about-us/our-history/"},{"t":"IOPC Funds: frequently asked questions (oil reporting and contributions)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"undated","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/oil-reporting-and-contributions/frequently-asked-questions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316054037/https://iopcfunds.org/oil-reporting-and-contributions/frequently-asked-questions"},{"t":"Contributions to the IOPC Funds 2025","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Contributions-to-the-IOPC-Funds-2025_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260409020413/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Contributions-to-the-IOPC-Funds-2025_e.pdf"},{"t":"Text of Conventions","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Text-of-Conventions_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415133953/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Text-of-Conventions_e.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige incident report (IOPC/OCT19/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019-10","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/IOPC-OCT19-3-2_e-1.pdf"},{"t":"Gulfstream incident report (IOPC/MAY26/3/5)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/83743/en/IOPC-MAY26-3-5_en.pdf"},{"t":"Erika and Prestige judgements delivered","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2012","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/erika-and-prestige-judgements-delivered/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113121637/https://iopcfunds.org/news/erika-and-prestige-judgements-delivered/"},{"t":"IOPC Funds visit to India","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2022-08-08","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/iopc-funds-visit-to-india/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307084501/https://iopcfunds.org/news/iopc-funds-visit-to-india"},{"t":"Claims for environmental damage: an overview","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IOPC-Environmental-Brochure-6pp-A4_English-FOR-WEB.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220120065749/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IOPC-Environmental-Brochure-6pp-A4_English-FOR-WEB.pdf"},{"t":"Hebei Spirit incident report (IOPC/NOV20/3/4)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2020-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/IOPC-NOV20-3-4_e-1.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134810/https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/IOPC-NOV20-3-4_e-1.pdf"},{"t":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association v Spain [2024] EWCA Civ 1536","p":"Court of Appeal of England and Wales","d":"2024-12-12","type":"court","u":"https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2024/1536","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124014842/https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2024/1536"},{"t":"Prestige payments (IOPC/OCT22/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2022-10","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/74659/en/IOPC-OCT22-3-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige payments and claims status (IOPC/NOV25/9/2/1)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/82689/en/IOPC-NOV25-9-2-1_en.pdf"},{"t":"IOPC Funds Annual Report 2025","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-03","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/IOPC-Annual-Report-2025_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415130344/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/IOPC-Annual-Report-2025_e.pdf"},{"t":"Torrey Canyon, United Kingdom, 1967 (case study)","p":"ITOPF","d":"undated","type":"company","u":"https://www.itopf.org/in-action/case-studies/torrey-canyon-united-kingdom-1967/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260730214725/https://www.itopf.org/in-action/case-studies/torrey-canyon-united-kingdom-1967/"},{"t":"1992 Fund Convention and Supplementary Fund Protocol","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"undated","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/about-us/legal-framework/1992-fund-convention-supplementary-fund-protocol/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011030606/https://iopcfunds.org/about-us/legal-framework/1992-fund-convention-supplementary-fund-protocol/"},{"t":"Supplementary Fund Financial Review 2024","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-01","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Supplementary-Fund-Financial-Review-2024_e.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408180207/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Supplementary-Fund-Financial-Review-2024_e.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"shipping-liability-fund","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Can the Fund pay for pure environmental damage?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can the Prestige insurer be held to the Spanish judgment beyond the CLC limit?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much each oil-receiving company contributes to the IOPC Funds: the cited sources say no ranked list is published.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether contributors pass the levies on to consumers: no source states this.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How often an incident has exceeded the Funds' limits: no consolidated statistic was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Cumulative payments by the Funds are given inconsistently across IOPC publications (GBP 823m, \"more than GBP 788m\" and \"some USD 1 billion\"), as is the number of incidents (\"over 150\", \"155\", \"nearly 160\").","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: payment levels of 50%, 60%, 80% and 100% in the Erika case and of 60% cut to 35% in the Hebei Spirit case rest on summaries of IOPC documents, not on the documents themselves.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that rocky shores recovered in three years without chemicals and ten years where chemicals were used after Torrey Canyon (cited to local press).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any payment has been made against the EUR 554.10m of pure environmental and moral damages in the Prestige case: none was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No payment by the Prestige shipowner was found; the owner was held vicariously liable in Spain.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tnc-hawaii-coral-reef-parametric-insurance","title":"TNC Hawaii coral reef parametric insurance","dek":"In 2022 The Nature Conservancy bought a wind-triggered insurance policy for Hawaii's coral reefs, paid for by donor grants. It was triggered for the first time in August 2026.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":20.8,"lon":-156.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Hawaii","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-08","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"First payout trigger, Hurricane Lala, August 2026 (reported minimum payout)","value":"USD 200,000","note":"Reported minimum. Final amount: unclear."},"happened":["The Nature Conservancy (TNC) announced a coral reef insurance policy for Hawaii on 20-21 November 2022. TNC was the policyholder and Munich Re the insurer; Willis Towers Watson (WTW) was the broker. The limit was up to US$2m, the premium US$110,000, the trigger winds of 50 knots, and the term ran to the end of 2023. The premium was funded by grants from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the Howden Group Foundation.","In 2024 TNC renewed the policy. According to Insurance Journal, TNC selected an insurance company of the Munich Re Group from seven bids, with WTW as broker. Civil Beat reported a 2024 premium of $106k, paid by donors and the Howden Foundation, and that more ocean area was covered. TNC said on 15 April 2025 that it had renewed the policy for 2025 with Munich Re Group.","The policy's terms were a 50-knot trigger, a minimum payout of $200k, $1m per storm and $2m per year. Hurricane Lala triggered it for the first time in August 2026, with winds of 65 knots. The reported minimum payout was $200,000; the final amount was not confirmed in the cited sources.","The policy is wind-triggered. Swiss Re's July 2026 presentation to the Asian Development Bank described existing Hawaii, Quintana Roo and MAR Fund policies as wind-triggered only; no document reviewed states an explicit bleaching exclusion. NOAA stated on 2 June 2026 that from early 2023 to mid-2025 bleaching-level heat stress affected 84% of the world's coral reef area; that figure is heat-stress exposure, not the share of reefs that bleached or died."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Policy announced 20-21 November: TNC policyholder, Munich Re insurer, WTW broker; limit up to US$2m, premium US$110,000, 50-knot trigger"},{"y":2024,"t":"Policy renewed; TNC selects a Munich Re Group insurer from seven bids; premium $106k"},{"y":2025,"t":"TNC renews for 2025 with Munich Re Group (15 April)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Hurricane Lala triggers the policy for the first time in August; reported minimum payout $200,000"}],"said":[{"q":"Working with WTW, TNC selected an insurance company of Munich Re to provide this parametric coverage.","who":"TNC newsroom","when":"20 November 2022","src":0},{"q":"Helping to design the first pre-arranged, trigger-based financing policy for coral reefs in the U.S. was very rewarding.","who":"Simon Young, WTW, on TNC's page","when":"20 November 2022","src":0},{"q":"selected an insurance company of the Munich Re Group from seven bids","who":"Insurance Journal, reporting on the 2024 renewal","when":"16 February 2024","src":2},{"q":"TNC developed the new policy with WTW.","who":"WTW, as reported in the 2024 renewal coverage","when":"2024","src":2},{"q":"TNC renewed Hawai'i's coral reef insurance policy for 2025 with Munich Re Group.","who":"TNC newsroom","when":"15 April 2025","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The first coral reef insurance policy in the United States.","who":"TNC newsroom","src":0},{"t":"Parametric insurance \"just paid out for a coral reef for the first time in the US\" (headline).","who":"Insurance Business","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Policy terms: trigger at 50 knots of wind; minimum payout $200k; $1m per storm; $2m per year.","src":3},{"t":"Premiums documented: $110k for 2022-23 (no payout) and $106k for 2024, in total $216k for 2022-24; 2025 and 2026 premiums were not disclosed.","src":3},{"t":"The premium was paid by donors: the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the Howden Group Foundation in 2022; donors and the Howden Foundation in 2024.","src":0},{"t":"Hurricane Lala (August 2026, 65 knots) triggered the policy; the payout was reported as a minimum of $200,000.","src":5},{"t":"Existing Hawaii, Quintana Roo and MAR Fund policies are wind-triggered only; no document reviewed states an explicit bleaching exclusion.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022-2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"line":"The policy answers to the wind. I have no record of what its money was spent on.","outcomes":[{"k":"Trigger","v":"Wind of 50 knots","d":"Hurricane Lala, August 2026, 65 knots"},{"k":"Reported payout","v":"USD 200,000 minimum","d":"Final amount not confirmed in the cited sources"},{"k":"Use of payout on the reef","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources do not say how the payout was spent"},{"k":"Bleaching-level heat stress, early 2023 to mid-2025","v":"84% of reef area worldwide","d":"NOAA, 2 June 2026; heat-stress exposure, not share bleached or dead"}]},"unknown":["The 2025 and 2026 premiums were not disclosed.","The final amount of the Hurricane Lala payout is not confirmed; the reported minimum is $200,000.","How the payout was or will be spent on the reefs: the cited sources do not say.","Unconfirmed: a total premium of about $432k over four years (Insurance Business, 21 August 2026, as summarised); only $216k is documented, for 2022-24.","Unconfirmed: a TNC headline about Hurricane Lowell appeared in one report only.","No document reviewed states an explicit exclusion of coral bleaching, though the policies are wind-triggered only.","Full policy wording is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: the policy pays after a wind event and does not itself prevent harm to the reef.","whoPaid":"Donors paid the documented premiums (the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, the Howden Group Foundation and other donors); the insurer, a Munich Re Group company, was to pay on a trigger and reportedly did so in August 2026.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the policy was triggered for the first time by Hurricane Lala in August 2026, with a reported minimum payout of $200,000; the final amount is not confirmed.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"tnc","says":"Working with WTW, TNC selected an insurance company of Munich Re to provide this parametric coverage.","when":"20 November 2022","src":0},{"actor":"tnc","says":"TNC renewed Hawai'i's coral reef insurance policy for 2025 with Munich Re Group.","when":"15 April 2025","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"Policyholder"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Insurer (Munich Re Group)"},{"id":"wtw","role":"Broker and co-designer"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Munich Re Group","insured":"The Nature Conservancy (TNC)","status":"paid","year":2026,"amount":{"value":0.2,"currency":"USD","label":"Reported minimum payout (USD 200,000), final amount unconfirmed"},"summary":"Parametric policy with a 50-knot wind trigger, a $200k minimum payout, $1m per storm and $2m per year. Hurricane Lala (August 2026, 65 knots) triggered it for the first time; the payout was reported as a minimum of $200,000.","src":5}],"metrics":[{"key":"insurance_limit","value":2,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Policy limit at launch."},{"key":"premium","value":110000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"Premium for the first term (2022-23); no payout."},{"key":"premium","value":106000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"2024 premium, chosen from seven bids."},{"key":"premium","value":432000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported total over four years in a trade report; not independently verified. Only $216k is documented (2022-24)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":200000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Reported minimum payout after Hurricane Lala; final amount unconfirmed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A parametric (trigger-based) insurance policy for Hawaii's coral reefs, held by TNC and insured by a Munich Re Group company.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TNC (policyholder)","what":"Reported minimum payout of $200,000 after Hurricane Lala","src":5},{"who":"Munich Re Group (insurer) and WTW (broker)","what":"Premiums of $110k (2022-23) and $106k (2024); broker and insurer fees not stated","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Donors: the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the Howden Group Foundation","what":"Paid the premiums","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hawaii, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced 20-21 November 2022; renewed in 2024 and 2025; first triggered in August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To provide pre-arranged, trigger-based financing for coral reefs in the United States.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Wind speed of 50 knots triggers payment, with a $200k minimum, $1m per storm and $2m per year.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"First-ever US coral reef insurance policy","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"2022-11-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://nature.org/en-us/newsroom/first-ever-us-coral-reef-insurance-policy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616104303/https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/first-ever-us-coral-reef-insurance-policy/"},{"t":"Insurance Journal, 22 November 2022 (Hawaii coral reef policy)","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2022-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2022/11/22/696282.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221122180914/https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2022/11/22/696282.htm"},{"t":"Insurance Journal, Hawaii reef policy 2024","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2024-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/02/16/760930.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240216065039/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2024/02/16/760930.htm"},{"t":"More ocean area will be covered under Hawaii's new coral reef insurance policy","p":"Civil Beat","d":"2024-02","type":"press","u":"https://civilbeat.org/2024/02/more-ocean-area-will-be-covered-under-hawaiis-new-coral-reef-insurance-policy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723025143/https://www.civilbeat.org/2024/02/more-ocean-area-will-be-covered-under-hawaiis-new-coral-reef-insurance-policy/"},{"t":"TNC renews Hawai'i coral reef insurance for 2025","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"2025-04-15","type":"ngo","u":"https://nature.org/en-us/newsroom/hi-reef-insurance/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904031027/https://www.nature.org/en-us/newsroom/hi-reef-insurance/"},{"t":"Hurricane Lala triggers The Nature Conservancy's US coral reef insurance policy for first time","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2026-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hurricane-lala-triggers-the-nature-conservancys-us-coral-reef-insurance-policy-for-first-time/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914011635/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hurricane-lala-triggers-the-nature-conservancys-us-coral-reef-insurance-policy-for-first-time/"},{"t":"Parametric insurance just paid out for a coral reef for the first time in the US","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2026-08-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/parametric-insurance-just-paid-out-for-a-coral-reef-for-the-first-time-in-the-us-587082.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151243/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/breaking-news/parametric-insurance-just-paid-out-for-a-coral-reef-for-the-first-time-in-the-us-587082.aspx"},{"t":"Designing and operationalizing parametric insurance for coral reefs (presentation, Asian Development Bank event)","p":"Swiss Re / ADB","d":"2026-07","type":"company","u":"https://events.development.asia/system/files/materials/2026/07/7-designing-and-operationalizing-parametric-insurance-for-coral-reefs.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151527/https://events.development.asia/system/files/materials/2026/07/7-designing-and-operationalizing-parametric-insurance-for-coral-reefs.pdf"},{"t":"The world's fourth mass coral bleaching event likely ended in 2025","p":"NOAA","d":"2026-06-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/worlds-fourth-mass-coral-bleaching-event-likely-ended-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013134359/https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/worlds-fourth-mass-coral-bleaching-event-likely-ended-2025"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"parametric-insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Hurricane Lala, with 65-knot winds, triggered the insurance policy on my Hawaii coral reefs for the first time in August 2026; the reported minimum payout was $200,000.","src":[5,6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Premium: Reported total over four years in a trade report; not independently verified. Only $216k is documented (2022-24).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The 2025 and 2026 premiums were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final amount of the Hurricane Lala payout is not confirmed; the reported minimum is $200,000.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the payout was or will be spent on the reefs: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a total premium of about $432k over four years (Insurance Business, 21 August 2026, as summarised); only $216k is documented, for 2022-24.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a TNC headline about Hurricane Lowell appeared in one report only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No document reviewed states an explicit exclusion of coral bleaching, though the policies are wind-triggered only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Full policy wording is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mar-fund-mesoamerican-reef-parametric-insurance","title":"MAR Fund Mesoamerican Reef parametric insurance","dek":"A parametric insurance policy covers protected reef areas along the Mesoamerican Reef in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. Its only documented payout, US$175,000, followed Hurricane Lisa in November 2022.","country":"Belize","region":"Central America","lat":17.3,"lon":-87.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Belize","iso2":"BZ","role":"event"},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","role":"affected"},{"country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","role":"affected"},{"country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":null,"eventDate":"2022-11-02","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Documented payout under the policy","value":"US$175,000","note":"Hurricane Lisa, Turneffe Atoll, Belize, 2 November 2022."},"happened":["MAR Fund, which works across the Mesoamerican Reef region (Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras), holds a parametric insurance policy for reef areas. The cover is underwritten by AXA Climate and Munich Re and placed by WTW. The InsuResilience Solutions Fund financed development and purchase of the policy.","On 2 November 2022 Hurricane Lisa passed Turneffe Atoll in Belize at 70 knots and triggered the policy. A payout of US$175,000 was made to MAR Fund's Emergency Fund. It is the only payout documented in the cited sources.","For 2024/25 the annual limit was US$1.5 million across 11 sites, with payout steps from US$70,000 to US$350,000 per site. AXA Climate lists a sixth placement covering 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027 and 12 protected areas.","Premiums were co-funded by the InsuResilience Solutions Fund, UNDP and ORRAA. Their amounts have not been published."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Parametric cover for the Mesoamerican Reef system announced; WTW is broker and AXA Climate designer and carrier"},{"y":2022,"t":"Hurricane Lisa triggers the policy on 2 November; US$175,000 paid to MAR Fund's Emergency Fund"},{"y":2023,"t":"Coral bleaching reported as the most severe on record in the region"},{"y":2024,"t":"Annual limit US$1.5m across 11 sites; no payout found for Beryl, Sara or Milton"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Hurricane Lisa triggered the policy at Turneffe Atoll, Belize, on 2 November 2022 (70 knots); US$175,000 was paid.","src":1},{"t":"The 2024/25 annual limit was US$1.5 million; payout response levels ranged from US$70,000 to US$350,000 per site.","src":5},{"t":"Premium amounts have not been published.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022","nature":[{"label":"Payout to MAR Fund's Emergency Fund after Hurricane Lisa","amount":0.175}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0.175},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Payout after Hurricane Lisa","v":"US$175,000","d":"Turneffe Atoll, 2 November 2022"},{"k":"Coral bleaching 2023","v":"About 40%","d":"Share of coral reported seriously affected (Mongabay, 2024)"},{"k":"Coral cover 2024","v":"19% to 17%","d":"Reported decline in the region (Mongabay, 2024)"}]},"unknown":["Premiums paid in each year are not published.","The cited sources do not say whether Hurricanes Beryl, Sara or Milton (2024) triggered the policy; no payout was found.","Unconfirmed: the 2019 premium was not found."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the payout reduced damage to the reef.","whoPaid":"Premiums were co-funded by the InsuResilience Solutions Fund, UNDP and ORRAA; amounts are not published.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the sixth placement is listed for 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027; the only documented payout remains Hurricane Lisa (2022).","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"mar-fund","role":"Policyholder (reef conservation fund)"},{"id":"axa-climate","role":"Designer and carrier"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Underwriter"},{"id":"wtw","role":"Broker and co-creator of the programme"},{"id":"insuresilience-solutions-fund","role":"Financed development and purchase"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"AXA Climate with Munich Re","insured":"MAR Fund","status":"paid","year":2022,"amount":{"value":175000,"currency":"USD","label":"Payout after Hurricane Lisa"},"summary":"Parametric policy triggered by Hurricane Lisa at Turneffe Atoll on 2 November 2022; US$175,000 paid to MAR Fund's Emergency Fund.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":175000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"Payout after Hurricane Lisa, Turneffe Atoll."},{"key":"annual_limit","value":1500000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"2024/25 annual limit across 11 sites."},{"key":"protected_areas_covered","value":12,"unit":"protected areas","year":2026,"note":"Sixth placement, 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A parametric insurance policy that pays when a hurricane of defined strength passes over insured reef sites in the Mesoamerican Reef region.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"MAR Fund Emergency Fund","what":"Received US$175,000 after Hurricane Lisa.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mesoamerican Reef region: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras; the documented payout related to Turneffe Atoll, Belize.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Cover since 2021; Hurricane Lisa on 2 November 2022; sixth placement for 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the policy's purpose in the policyholder's own words.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payout steps are set per site between US$70,000 and US$350,000; the annual limit for 2024/25 was US$1.5 million across 11 sites.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Parametric insurance: 6th placement of the Mesoamerican Reef programme","p":"AXA Climate","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://climate.axa/publications/parametric-insurance-6th-placement-of-the-mesoamerican-reef-programme/"},{"t":"Belize first to receive payout by MAR Fund after Hurricane Lisa triggers parametric policy","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2022-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/belize-first-to-receive-payout-by-mar-fund-after-hurricane-lisa-triggers-parametric-policy-wtw/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221111144304/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/belize-first-to-receive-payout-by-mar-fund-after-hurricane-lisa-triggers-parametric-policy-wtw/"},{"t":"WTW announces parametric cover for Mesoamerican coral reef system","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/wtw-announces-parametric-cover-for-mesoamerican-coral-reef-system/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230327095854/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/wtw-announces-parametric-cover-for-mesoamerican-coral-reef-system/"},{"t":"Hurricane Lisa triggers parametric Mesoamerican Reef insurance","p":"Artemis","d":"2022-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/hurricane-lisa-triggers-parametric-mesoamerican-reef-insurance/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250630183458/https://www.artemis.bm/news/hurricane-lisa-triggers-parametric-mesoamerican-reef-insurance/"},{"t":"After historic 2024 coral bleaching, hope remains for Mesoamerican Reef","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/after-historic-2024-coral-bleaching-hope-remains-for-mesoamerican-reef/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520202233/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/after-historic-2024-coral-bleaching-hope-remains-for-mesoamerican-reef/"},{"t":"Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) Fund Insurance Programme (parametric insurance case study)","p":"PreventionWeb (UNDRR)","d":"2025","u":"https://www.preventionweb.net/quick/94157","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A US$175,000 insurance payout was made in my reef's name after Hurricane Lisa in November 2022; coral cover in my region was reported to fall from 19% to 17% in 2024.","src":[1,3,4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Premiums paid in each year are not published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Hurricanes Beryl, Sara or Milton (2024) triggered the policy; no payout was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2019 premium was not found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"rena-grounding","title":"Rena grounding (New Zealand)","dek":"The container ship Rena ran aground in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, on 5 October 2011. The cited sources give figures for government costs and an insurer settlement, none of which could be checked against a primary document.","country":"New Zealand","region":"Oceania","lat":-37.53,"lon":176.43,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":"Bay of Plenty","role":"event"}],"start":2011,"end":null,"eventDate":"2011-10-05","instrument":"shipping","types":["shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Government costs reported","value":"NZ$47m","note":"Reported figure; unconfirmed."},"happened":["The Rena ran aground on 5 October 2011 in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.","Reported figures for the response: government costs of NZ$47 million, a settlement of NZ$27.6 million plus NZ$10.4 million contingent attributed to the Swedish Club, and a statutory liability limit of about NZ$11.3 million. These figures are unconfirmed (see unknown).","An opposition estimate put the shortfall borne by New Zealand taxpayers at about NZ$20 million; this is likewise unconfirmed."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Rena grounds in the Bay of Plenty on 5 October"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Rena grounded on 5 October 2011 in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"NZD","window":"2011","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: government costs of NZ$47m.","Unconfirmed: a settlement of NZ$27.6m with a further NZ$10.4m contingent, attributed to the Swedish Club.","Unconfirmed: a statutory liability limit of about NZ$11.3m.","Unconfirmed: an opposition estimate of a taxpayer shortfall of about NZ$20m.","The cited sources do not describe the ecological damage."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say.","whoPaid":"Unconfirmed: part of the cost fell on New Zealand taxpayers.","statusLine":"The cited sources give no date after the 2011 event; current status not established.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"government_cost","value":47,"unit":"NZD m","year":2011,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported government costs; unconfirmed."},{"key":"settlement","value":27.6,"unit":"NZD m","year":2011,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported settlement, with NZ$10.4m further contingent (Swedish Club); unconfirmed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Grounding of the Rena in the Bay of Plenty.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.","src":0},"when":{"t":"5 October 2011.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"MV Rena (spill response case study)","p":"Maritime New Zealand","u":"https://maritimenz.govt.nz/public/environmental-protection/responding-to-spills/spill-response-case-studies/mv-rena","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209084023/https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/public/environmental-protection/responding-to-spills/spill-response-case-studies/mv-rena/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Government cost: Reported government costs; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Settlements: Reported settlement, with NZ$10.4m further contingent (Swedish Club); unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: government costs of NZ$47m.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a settlement of NZ$27.6m with a further NZ$10.4m contingent, attributed to the Swedish Club.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a statutory liability limit of about NZ$11.3m.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an opposition estimate of a taxpayer shortfall of about NZ$20m.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the ecological damage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"lagunes-and-diaz-disappearance-near-ternium-las-encinas-mine","title":"Lagunes and Díaz disappearance near Ternium Las Encinas mine (Mexico)","dek":"Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia disappeared on 15 January 2023, hours after a meeting about the Las Encinas iron-ore mine of Ternium in Michoacán. They remained missing as of January 2026.","country":"Mexico","region":"North America","lat":18.7,"lon":-103.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Michoacán","role":"affected"},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Colima","role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":null,"eventDate":"2023-01-15","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"People missing since 15 January 2023","value":"2","note":"Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia; still missing as of January 2026."},"happened":["Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia disappeared on 15 January 2023 on the Colima–Michoacán border, hours after a meeting about the mine. They had opposed Ternium's Las Encinas iron-ore mine in San Miguel de Aquila, in a Nahua community.","After the disappearance the mine was halted. It restarted in July 2023. Ternium said: \"We have received a request to restart our operations from the community.\" The company has said it \"categorically rejects\" any link to the disappearance.","The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances issued an urgent action and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) requested precautionary measures. A non-governmental organisation wrote to Ternium in January 2025.","In April 2023 the Federal Attorney General's Office (FGR) detained two men, José \"N\" and Fernando \"N\", who were ordered to stand trial as material co-authors of the disappearance, charged as disappearance committed by private individuals. A third man, Oscar Fernando \"N\", was detained on 7 February 2025 on a warrant requested by the FGR; Colima prosecutors said he is presumed innocent until a court rules. Proceedings were delayed in 2025, and Proceso reported in January 2026 that the families say the detainees are not the masterminds. No intellectual authors have been named in the cited sources. The men were still missing as of January 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Lagunes and Díaz disappear on 15 January; April: FGR detains two men, ordered to stand trial as material co-authors; the mine is halted, then restarted in July"},{"y":2025,"t":"Non-governmental organisation letter to Ternium (January); 7 February: third man detained; May: complaint to the OECD filed against Ternium by representatives of the Aquila community"}],"said":[{"q":"We have received a request to restart our operations from the community.","who":"Ternium, on restarting the mine","when":"July 2023","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Ternium said the restart followed a request from the community.","who":"Ternium","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The two men disappeared on 15 January 2023 on the Colima–Michoacán border, hours after a meeting about the mine.","src":5},{"t":"The mine was halted after the disappearance and restarted in July 2023.","src":0},{"t":"No intellectual authors have been named; the men were still missing as of January 2026.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["No intellectual authors have been named.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the mine.","No verdict or sentence for the three detained men is reported in the cited sources; hearings were delayed, per Proceso in January 2026.","An OECD complaint against Ternium was filed in May 2025, per Chronicle.lu; no decision was found."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The mine restarted in July 2023; the men remain missing.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: the two men remained missing; three men were detained and no verdict was reported; no intellectual authors named.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"ternium","says":"Said it \"categorically rejects\" any link to the disappearance.","when":"2023","src":null},{"actor":"ternium","says":"\"We have received a request to restart our operations from the community.\"","when":"July 2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"ternium","role":"Operator of the Las Encinas iron-ore mine"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the disappearance linked to the mine?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Ternium","says":"Said it categorically rejects any link.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Disappeared 15 January 2023; still missing as of January 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Disappearance of two people who opposed the Las Encinas iron-ore mine.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia","what":"Disappeared; still missing as of January 2026.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Colima–Michoacán border; the mine is in San Miguel de Aquila, Michoacán.","src":null},"when":{"t":"15 January 2023; mine restarted July 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not establish a motive; no intellectual authors have been named.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Ternium restarts Mexico mine operations after hiatus when activists disappeared","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2023-07-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/ternium-restarts-mexico-mine-operations-after-hiatus-when-activists-disappeared-2023-07-06"},{"t":"Letter to Ternium SA","p":"ICAR","d":"2025-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.icar.ngo/s/Letter-to-Ternium-SA.pdf"},{"t":"Cae el tercer presunto implicado en el secuestro de Ricardo Lagunes Gasca y Antonio Díaz","p":"Proceso","d":"2025-02-08","u":"https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2025/2/8/cae-el-tercer-presunto-implicado-en-el-secuestro-de-ricardo-lagunes-gasca-antonio-diaz-343657.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Rendición de cuentas: familiares de Ricardo Lagunes Gasca y de Antonio Díaz Valencia","p":"Proceso","d":"2026-01-15","u":"https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/2026/1/15/rendicion-de-cuentas-familiares-de-ricardo-lagunes-gasca-de-antonio-diaz-valencia-366583.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260207002242/https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/2026/1/15/rendicion-de-cuentas-familiares-de-ricardo-lagunes-gasca-de-antonio-diaz-valencia-366583.html"},{"t":"Luxembourg company referenced on anniversary of disappearances in Mexico","p":"Chronicle.lu","d":"2026-01","u":"https://chronicle.lu/category/abroad/59026-luxembourg-company-referenced-on-anniversary-of-disappearances-in-mexico","type":"press"},{"t":"ICAR & partners call for accountability on second anniversary of forced disappearance of human rights defenders","p":"International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR)","d":"2025-01","u":"https://www.icar.ngo/news/press-release-76lyp","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Piden regreso con vida del defensor de derechos humanos Ricardo Lagunes","p":"Heraldo de México","d":"2026-01-15","u":"https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/nacional/2026/1/15/piden-regreso-con-vida-del-defensor-de-derechos-humanos-ricardo-lagunes-759587.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260117035111/https://heraldodemexico.com.mx/nacional/2026/1/15/piden-regreso-con-vida-del-defensor-de-derechos-humanos-ricardo-lagunes-759587.html"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"extraction","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the disappearance linked to the mine?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No intellectual authors have been named.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the mine.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No verdict or sentence for the three detained men is reported in the cited sources; hearings were delayed, per Proceso in January 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"An OECD complaint against Ternium was filed in May 2025, per Chronicle.lu; no decision was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Ricardo Lagunes Gasca and Antonio Díaz Valencia"]},{"id":"plastic-bank-and-repurpose-collector-schemes","title":"Plastic Bank and rePurpose collector schemes","dek":"Two companies pay people to collect plastic and sell the result to brands as plastic credits or recycled-content claims. Their collection totals are the companies' own figures; no independent audit was found.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":14.6,"lon":121,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"event"},{"country":"Haiti","iso2":"HT","role":"event"},{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Plastic collected, as claimed by Plastic Bank","value":"More than 160 million kg by April 2025","note":"Company claim. No independent audit found."},"happened":["Plastic Bank is a company that pays collectors for plastic and sells the collected material to brands. According to Henkel, its partnership with Plastic Bank began in 2017 in Haiti, was extended for five years in 2019, and later covered the Philippines, Indonesia and Egypt. SC Johnson has said its partnership covers more than 300 collection points in the Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil.","Plastic Bank has claimed that more than 160 million kg of plastic had been collected by April 2025. SC Johnson has claimed that its partnership with Plastic Bank accounted for more than 20 million kg, equal to 1 billion bottles. Plastic Bank pays collectors in bonuses. The cited sources record the bonus as about PHP 8–15 per kg in the Philippines (Inquirer, 2023) and BRL 0.35 per kg in Brazil. The company describes its price as above market; that description is the company's own and has not been independently checked.","rePurpose Global sells plastic credits. The European Investment Bank described a credit price of about USD 0.50 per kg in a story on an Indian plastic project; rePurpose's own business page states about USD 0.25 per lb of footprint. Neither price has been independently verified.","WWF's revised 2025 position on plastic crediting says it does not recommend the terms “plastic neutral”, “plastic neutrality” or “net zero plastic”, which it calls ambiguous and inherently misleading while a company sells plastic. The UK Food Standards Agency has no agreed definition of “ocean plastic”-type claims, and Changing Markets describes such claims as a common form of greenwashing.","The cited sources contain no independent audit of Plastic Bank's collection figures and no investigation of what collectors are paid."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Henkel partnership with Plastic Bank begins, starting in Haiti"},{"y":2019,"t":"Henkel extends the partnership by five years; later covers the Philippines, Indonesia and Egypt"},{"y":2023,"t":"Inquirer reports collector bonus of about PHP 8–15 per kg in the Philippines"},{"y":2025,"t":"Plastic Bank claims more than 160 million kg collected (April); WWF publishes revised plastic crediting position"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"More than 160 million kg of plastic collected by April 2025","who":"Plastic Bank (company claim)","src":null},{"t":"More than 20 million kg (1 billion bottles) collected through the SC Johnson partnership","who":"SC Johnson (company claim)","src":0},{"t":"More than 300 collection points in the Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil","who":"SC Johnson (company claim)","src":null},{"t":"Collectors paid an above-market price","who":"Plastic Bank (self-verified claim)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Collector bonus of about PHP 8–15 per kg in the Philippines (Inquirer, 2023) and BRL 0.35 per kg in Brazil","src":5},{"t":"No independent audit of Plastic Bank's collection totals on record","src":null},{"t":"No investigation of collector pay on record","src":null},{"t":"WWF does not recommend the terms “plastic neutral”, “plastic neutrality” or “net zero plastic”","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Independent audit of collection totals","v":"None found","d":"The 160 million kg figure is Plastic Bank's own claim"},{"k":"Plastic collected, as claimed","v":"160 million kg+","d":"Plastic Bank, by April 2025"},{"k":"Investigation of collector pay","v":"None found","d":"“Above-market price” is self-verified"}]},"unknown":["No independent audit of Plastic Bank's collection claims has been on record.","No investigation of collector pay has been found; the claim that collectors receive an above-market price is the company's own.","Unconfirmed: the collector bonus rates (about PHP 8–15 per kg in the Philippines; BRL 0.35 per kg in Brazil).","Unconfirmed: rePurpose Global's credit price of about USD 0.50 per kg (EIB story) and about USD 0.25 per lb of footprint (rePurpose's own page).","Plastic Bank's revenue, the price brands pay, and certification fees are not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not on record. The cited sources do not describe any halt to the schemes.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources. Brands pay for the material or credits; the prices are not disclosed except the figures noted above.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (2025): the companies' collection totals are unaudited; no investigation of collector pay found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"plastic-bank","says":"Claims more than 160 million kg collected by April 2025; says it pays an above-market price (self-verified).","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"sc-johnson","says":"Claims its Plastic Bank partnership accounts for more than 20 million kg, equal to 1 billion bottles.","when":null,"src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"plastic-bank","role":"Plastic collection and credit seller"},{"id":"repurpose-global","role":"Plastic credit seller"},{"id":"henkel","role":"Brand partner of Plastic Bank"},{"id":"sc-johnson","role":"Brand partner of Plastic Bank"},{"id":"wwf","role":"NGO; published position on plastic crediting"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Are the collection totals real and is collector pay above market?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Plastic Bank","says":"More than 160 million kg collected by April 2025; collectors are paid an above-market price.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"SC Johnson","says":"Its partnership with Plastic Bank accounts for more than 20 million kg (1 billion bottles).","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF","says":"Does not recommend the terms “plastic neutral”, “plastic neutrality” or “net zero plastic”, calling them ambiguous and inherently misleading while a company sells plastic.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_collected_kg","value":160000000,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Plastic Bank's own claim as of April 2025; no independent audit found."},{"key":"plastic_collected_kg_sc_johnson","value":20000000,"unit":"kg","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"SC Johnson partnership claim, equal to 1 billion bottles."},{"key":"collection_points","value":300,"unit":"points","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"SC Johnson claim; Philippines, Indonesia and Brazil."},{"key":"collector_bonus_philippines","value":"PHP 8–15","unit":"per kg","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported by Inquirer (2023); not independently verified."},{"key":"collector_bonus_brazil","value":0.35,"unit":"BRL per kg","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported; not independently verified."},{"key":"credit_price_repurpose","value":0.5,"unit":"USD per kg","year":null,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"EIB story on an Indian plastic project; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Companies pay collectors for plastic and sell the collected material or credits to brands, which use them in recycled-content or plastic-offset claims.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Plastic Bank and rePurpose Global (sellers); partner brands including Henkel and SC Johnson (claims)","what":"Revenue and sustainability claims; amounts not disclosed in the cited sources","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Haiti, the Philippines, Indonesia, Egypt and Brazil (Plastic Bank partnerships); India (rePurpose project).","src":1},"when":{"t":"Henkel partnership from 2017; collection claim as of April 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Brands buy collection and credit schemes to support recycled-content and plastic-offset claims; WWF says terms such as “plastic neutral” are misleading while a company sells plastic.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Collectors are paid bonuses per kg; collected material is sold on; credits are priced per kg (rePurpose, about USD 0.50 per kg per EIB).","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Plastic Bank stops 2 billion bottles","p":"SC Johnson","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://scjohnson.com/en/news-stories/press-releases/plastic-bank-stops-2-billion","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608210328/https://scjohnson.com/en/news-stories/press-releases/plastic-bank-stops-2-billion"},{"t":"Plastic Bank partnership","p":"Henkel","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://henkel.com/sustainability/regenerative-planet/circular-economy/plastic-bank-partnership","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240613005858/https://www.henkel.com/sustainability/regenerative-planet/circular-economy/plastic-bank-partnership"},{"t":"Indian plastic solution","p":"European Investment Bank","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.eib.org/en/stories/indian-plastic-solution","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117222425/https://www.eib.org/en/stories/indian-plastic-solution"},{"t":"Plastic Crediting Position (revised 2025)","p":"WWF","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/63y9kpkeos_WWF_Plastic_Crediting_Positon_Revised_2025.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251115081004/https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/63y9kpkeos_WWF_Plastic_Crediting_Positon_Revised_2025.pdf"},{"t":"OBP Ocean Bound Plastic certification","p":"Control Union","d":null,"type":"registry","u":"https://www.controlunion.com/certification-program/obp-ocean-bound-plastic-certification/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614012711/https://www.controlunion.com/certification-program/obp-ocean-bound-plastic-certification/"},{"t":"Plastic Bank: Picking up the pieces for trash collectors","p":"Philippine Daily Inquirer","d":"2023","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1825764/plastic-bank-picking-up-the-pieces-for-trash-collectors/amp","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"plastic-credit","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Plastic Bank claims more than 160 million kg of plastic collected in my name by April 2025; no independent audit of that total is on record.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Are the collection totals real and is collector pay above market?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Collector bonus philippines: Reported by Inquirer (2023); not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Collector bonus brazil: Reported; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Credit price repurpose: EIB story on an Indian plastic project; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent audit of Plastic Bank's collection claims has been on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No investigation of collector pay has been found; the claim that collectors receive an above-market price is the company's own.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the collector bonus rates (about PHP 8–15 per kg in the Philippines; BRL 0.35 per kg in Brazil).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: rePurpose Global's credit price of about USD 0.50 per kg (EIB story) and about USD 0.25 per lb of footprint (rePurpose's own page).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Plastic Bank's revenue, the price brands pay, and certification fees are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Plastic Bank and rePurpose Global (sellers); partner brands including Henkel and SC Johnson (claims)"]},{"id":"yasuni-itt-oil-wells-closure","title":"Yasuní ITT oil wells closure (Ecuador)","dek":"In 2023 Ecuadorian voters chose to leave the oil of the Yasuní ITT block underground. By August 2025 the sources record 10 of 246 wells closed, and the block was still producing in 2026.","country":"Ecuador","region":"South America","lat":-0.95,"lon":-76,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","lat":-0.95,"lon":-76,"role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Wells closed after the 2023 referendum","value":"10 of 246","note":"As of August 2025. A 2026 El Mercurio headline reported 59 of 247; the two counts are not reconciled."},"happened":["The Yasuní-ITT initiative, which ran from 2007 to 2013, asked for USD 3.6 billion in return for leaving the oil of the Yasuní ITT block underground. It raised about USD 13.5 million and ended in 2013.","In the 2023 referendum 58.95% of voters chose to leave the oil in the ground. In 2024 the block was producing 50,000 barrels a day.","By August 2025, 10 of 246 wells had been closed. A 2025 El Mercurio report headline described the closure of the wells as pending. The figure listed as the cost of implementing the referendum result is USD 1.345 billion, and the annual revenue loss from the closure is listed at about USD 1.2 billion.","In 2026 a further El Mercurio headline reported that 59 of 247 wells had been closed. Another record of the same year states that the block was still in production in 2026. The cited sources do not explain the difference between the counts of 10 and 59 closed wells, or between 246 and 247 wells in total."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Yasuní-ITT initiative begins; target of USD 3.6 billion to keep the oil underground"},{"y":2013,"t":"Initiative ends having raised about USD 13.5 million"},{"y":2023,"t":"Referendum: 58.95% vote for the oil to stay in the ground"},{"y":2024,"t":"The block produces 50,000 barrels a day"},{"y":2025,"t":"By August, 10 of 246 wells closed; El Mercurio reports the closure as pending"},{"y":2026,"t":"Block still in production; El Mercurio headline reports 59 of 247 wells closed"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Public position that oil at Yasuní would be closed within a year of the referendum","who":"Ecuador","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"58.95% of voters chose to leave the oil in the ground (2023).","src":0},{"t":"10 of 246 wells closed by August 2025.","src":0},{"t":"The block produced 50,000 barrels a day in 2024.","src":2},{"t":"The block was still in production in 2026.","src":1},{"t":"El Mercurio headline, 2026: 59 of 247 wells closed.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2007-2013","nature":[{"label":"Contributions raised by the Yasuní-ITT initiative (initiative ended 2013)","amount":13.5,"qualifier":"about","note":"Initiative target: USD 3,600 million."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":13.5,"qualifier":"about"},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wells closed","v":"10 of 246","d":"August 2025; a 2026 headline reported 59 of 247"},{"k":"Vote to leave oil underground","v":"58.95%","d":"2023 referendum"},{"k":"Production","v":"50,000 barrels a day","d":"2024; block still in production in 2026"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give two different counts of closed wells (10 of 246 in August 2025; 59 of 247 in a 2026 headline) and do not reconcile them.","What the figure of USD 1.345 billion listed as the cost of implementing the referendum covers is not defined in the cited sources.","The outcome of a lawsuit over the non-implementation of the referendum, mentioned in the cited sources, is not stated.","Unconfirmed: that the vote share was about 59% in some sources and 54% to 59% in others; that the closure was to begin in August 2024 and all 246 wells be closed by December 2029; that production fell to about 46,500 barrels a day in the first seven months of 2025, about 20% lower than a year earlier; that a Constitutional Court deadline of one year expired in August 2024; that an official of Petroecuador said some wells were faulty and not repaired; that the industry chamber asked for the decision to be reversed; and that lost revenue to 2029 was put at USD 2.46 billion by Ecuadorian press.","Unconfirmed: that on 3 October 2013 the National Assembly declared oil extraction in blocks 31 and 43 of Yasuní National Park to be in the national interest, limited to one thousandth of the park area."],"evidence":["court-pending","review"],"harmStopped":"Partly. The cited sources record 10 of 246 wells closed by August 2025 and the block still in production in 2026.","whoPaid":"The state budget, through lost revenue listed at about USD 1.2 billion a year.","statusLine":"As of 2026: the block remained in production; the sources give differing counts of closed wells (10 of 246 in August 2025; 59 of 247 in a 2026 headline).","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ecuador-gov","role":"Government; party to the referendum implementation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many wells have been closed?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Figures recorded for August 2025","says":"10 of 246 wells closed.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"El Mercurio (Cuenca), 2025","says":"Headline: closure of the wells at Yasuní is pending.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"El Mercurio, 2026","says":"Headline: 59 of 247 wells closed.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"referendum_yes_share","value":58.95,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Share of voters choosing to leave the oil underground."},{"key":"wells_closed","value":10,"unit":"wells","year":2025,"note":"Out of 246 wells, as of August 2025."},{"key":"wells_closed","value":59,"unit":"wells","year":2026,"note":"Out of 247 wells, per an El Mercurio headline; differs from the August 2025 count."},{"key":"oil_production_barrels_per_day","value":50000,"unit":"barrels/day","year":2024,"note":"Production of the block in 2024."},{"key":"initiative_target","value":3600,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"Amount the Yasuní-ITT initiative asked for."},{"key":"initiative_raised","value":13.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Amount raised before the initiative ended."},{"key":"implementation_cost","value":1345,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Figure listed as the cost of implementing the referendum result; not defined further."},{"key":"annual_revenue_loss","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Revenue lost each year from closing the block."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ecuadorian voters chose in 2023 to leave the Yasuní ITT oil underground; the sources record 10 of 246 wells closed by August 2025 and the block still in production in 2026.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ecuador's state budget","what":"Revenue loss from closing the block, listed at about USD 1.2 billion a year","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Yasuní ITT oil block, Ecuador.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Initiative 2007 to 2013; referendum 2023; closure counts in 2025 and 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Voters chose to leave the oil underground; the cited sources do not explain why the closure has been slow beyond noting the cost.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through a referendum followed by the closing of wells; the initiative before it sought international contributions in return for not extracting the oil.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Cierre de pozos en el Yasuní está pendiente","p":"El Mercurio (Cuenca)","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://elmercurio.com.ec/?p=1209746"},{"t":"El Mercurio report on wells closed at Yasuní, 59 of 247 (headline as listed)","p":"El Mercurio (Cuenca)","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://elmercurio.com.ec/?p=1275374"},{"t":"One year after oil referendum, what's next for Ecuador's Yasuni National Park?","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-08-20","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/one-year-after-oil-referendum-whats-next-for-ecuadors-yasuni-national-park/","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2023, 58.95% of voters chose to leave my Yasuní oil underground; by August 2025, 10 of 246 wells were closed.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many wells have been closed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give two different counts of closed wells (10 of 246 in August 2025; 59 of 247 in a 2026 headline) and do not reconcile them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the figure of USD 1.345 billion listed as the cost of implementing the referendum covers is not defined in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of a lawsuit over the non-implementation of the referendum, mentioned in the cited sources, is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the vote share was about 59% in some sources and 54% to 59% in others; that the closure was to begin in August 2024 and all 246 wells be closed by December 2029; that production fell to about 46,500 barrels a day in the first seven months of 2025, about 20% lower than a year earlier; that a Constitutional Court deadline of one year expired in August 2024; that an official of Petroecuador said some wells were faulty and not repaired; that the industry chamber asked for the decision to be reversed; and that lost revenue to 2029 was put at USD 2.46 billion by Ecuadorian press.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that on 3 October 2013 the National Assembly declared oil extraction in blocks 31 and 43 of Yasuní National Park to be in the national interest, limited to one thousandth of the park area.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Ecuador's state budget"]},{"id":"big-tech-data-centre-emissions-accounting","title":"Big Tech data-centre emissions accounting (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta)","dek":"Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta report data-centre emissions using accounting rules that count purchased renewable certificates. Company reports, press and researchers give differing pictures of what those figures show about electricity, emissions and water.","country":"United States","region":"Global","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre"],"headline":{"label":"Microsoft market-based Scope 2 emissions, FY2024 as reported and FY2025 when unbundled certificates were no longer counted","value":"258,217 t to about 2.7 Mt","note":"Company-reported figures as described by ESG Dive on 13 July 2026; the two years differ and electricity use rose in between, so the figures are not a like-for-like comparison."},"happened":["Large technology companies report the emissions of their electricity use in two ways. Market-based Scope 2 accounting counts renewable energy certificates the company has bought. Location-based accounting uses the average emissions of the grid where the electricity is used. Unbundled certificates are certificates bought separately from the electricity itself, sometimes in another grid.","Microsoft reported total emissions of 20.29 million tonnes in fiscal 2025, up 25% in a year, and emissions 23.4% above 2020, while its energy use rose 168% over the same period and Scope 3 accounted for more than 97% of the total (ESG Dive; DatacenterDynamics). In its fiscal 2025 report Microsoft stopped counting unbundled certificates and disclosed facility-level data for the first time. Its market-based Scope 2 emissions rose from 258,217 tonnes in fiscal 2024 to about 2.7 million tonnes once those certificates were left out, and Scope 2's share of the total rose from 2% to 13% (ESG Dive; the figures cover different years). Microsoft's stated target is to be carbon negative by 2030. Between January and mid-July 2026 its carbon-removal purchases fell 80% to 8.55 million tonnes against the same period a year earlier (BNEF data, via Let's Data Science).","Google reported 2024 emissions 51% above 2019, against a goal of a 50% cut by 2030; its goal boundary was 11.5 million tonnes and its total including emissions outside the boundary was 15.2 million tonnes (Trellis). Its 2026 report showed electricity up 37%, Scope 1 and 2 emissions down 2% and Scope 3 up 25% (ESG Today). It reported 66% hourly carbon-free energy in 2024 while reporting that 100% of consumption was matched with renewable energy on an annual basis. Google dropped, from 2023, the operational carbon-neutral claim it had held since 2007 through offsets (Bloomberg Law).","Amazon reported 80.9 million tonnes in 2025, up 16%, with Scope 2 up 34%, and a third year of claiming 100% matching with renewable energy (ESG Dive). An employee group, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, said 68% of its certificates were unbundled. Meta's location-based Scope 2 emissions rose by about 150% between 2019 and 2024, according to a shareholder filing by As You Sow and partners; its market-based Scope 1 and 2 emissions for 2024 are listed as 48,826 tonnes.","The GHG Protocol's 2025 to 2026 consultation on Scope 2 drew 909 responses, 70% of which opposed hourly matching. A new standard is expected at the earliest at the end of 2028. In 2025 Amazon, Meta, Google and Microsoft signed 49% of the 55.9 GW of corporate clean-energy purchase deals recorded by BNEF.","A Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program review of about 50 regulatory filings found that the cost of discounts given to big technology companies is spread across general utility customers; Microsoft's name was redacted in the filings."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Google begins maintaining an operational carbon-neutral claim through offsets"},{"y":2019,"t":"Baseline year for Google's 2030 goal and for the reported Meta location-based Scope 2 rise"},{"y":2020,"t":"Baseline for the reported Microsoft emissions increase of 23.4%"},{"y":2023,"t":"Google stops claiming carbon neutrality; Google and BCG say AI could help cut 5–10% of global emissions by 2030 (November)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Google emissions 51% above 2019; Amazon employee group disputes renewable claim (July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"DatacenterDynamics: Microsoft emissions up 23.4% on 2020 (May); Microsoft fiscal-2025 total of 20.29 Mt; Amazon 80.9 Mt; four large technology companies sign 49% of global corporate clean-energy purchase deals"},{"y":2026,"t":"White House pledge on household electricity costs (March); GHG Protocol consultation: 70% of 909 responses oppose hourly matching (July); BNEF: Microsoft carbon-removal purchases down 80% (August)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Carbon negative by 2030 (target)","who":"Microsoft","src":3},{"t":"100% renewable-energy matching, claimed for a third year","who":"Amazon","src":6},{"t":"100% of consumption matched with renewable energy on an annual basis","who":"Google","src":2},{"t":"Artificial intelligence could help reduce 5% to 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030","who":"Google and BCG, November 2023","src":20},{"t":"0.26 mL of water for a median Gemini prompt, cooling only","who":"Google","src":13},{"t":"More water replenished than withdrawn in fiscal 2025 and a water use effectiveness of 0.27 litres per kWh","who":"Microsoft","src":16},{"t":"An operational carbon-neutral claim, held from 2007 and dropped from 2023","who":"Google","src":17},{"t":"A net-zero 2030 goal with a 50% cut against 2019","who":"Google","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Microsoft total emissions 20.29 Mt in fiscal 2025 (up 25%); 23.4% above 2020.","src":3},{"t":"Google emissions in 2024 were 51% above 2019; hourly carbon-free energy share 66% globally; Taiwan 15% and Hong Kong 2% (2025).","src":2},{"t":"Amazon emissions 80.9 Mt in 2025 (up 16%).","src":6},{"t":"Amazon employee group: 68% of certificates unbundled; certificates from Canada and Arizona used for Virginia consumption.","src":7},{"t":"Of 632 data centres of Amazon, Microsoft and Google, 62 are in water-scarce areas (38 active, 24 planned).","src":15},{"t":"Data centres were about 180 Mt of CO2, 0.5% of emissions from fuel combustion, and 1.5% of global electricity, per the International Energy Agency as listed.","src":23},{"t":"Microsoft's energy use rose 168% against 2020; its market-based Scope 2 was 258,217 t in fiscal 2024 and about 2.7 Mt in fiscal 2025 without unbundled certificates.","src":4},{"t":"Microsoft's carbon-removal purchases from January to mid-July 2026 were 8.55 Mt, 80% below the same period a year earlier.","src":5},{"t":"A Harvard review of about 50 regulatory filings found that the cost of discounts given to big technology companies is spread across general utility customers.","src":22}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Microsoft total emissions, fiscal 2025","v":"20.29 Mt","d":"Up 25% in a year; 23.4% above 2020"},{"k":"Google emissions, 2024","v":"+51%","d":"Against 2019; goal boundary 11.5 Mt, total 15.2 Mt"},{"k":"Amazon emissions, 2025","v":"80.9 Mt","d":"Up 16%; Scope 2 up 34%"},{"k":"Data centres in water-scarce areas","v":"62 of 632","d":"Amazon, Microsoft and Google, 2025"},{"k":"Ecological assessment","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources report emissions and water figures, not effects on ecosystems."}]},"unknown":["How much of Microsoft's reported Scope 2 emissions was offset by unbundled certificates in years other than the two compared is not on record; the two years differ.","Amazon's own response to the employee group's 68% figure is not in the cited sources.","OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are among 10 foundation-model companies listed by Stanford's 2025 Foundation Model Transparency Index as not disclosing environmental data (xAI scored 14 of 100); Anthropic had not published Scope 1 to 3 emissions as of March 2026.","Where the leaked 2022 Amazon Web Services note was published is not on record.","Unconfirmed: that data-centre emissions of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple in 2020 to 2022 were 7.62 times the reported figure on a location-based basis (a Guardian analysis republished by eceee).","Unconfirmed: the attribution of some outcomes to data centres in specific locations, such as a Quilicura wetland loss and Batam water cuts, where the cause is disputed.","The cited sources give no emissions figure for Google's data-centre electricity on a location basis."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","review","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not as such. Microsoft stopped counting unbundled certificates in fiscal 2025; the cited sources do not report the other companies changing their accounting, and each company's reported totals rose over the period.","whoPaid":"No allocation of costs is established in the cited sources. The PJM market monitor attributed USD 29.4 billion of USD 63.6 billion in the last four capacity auctions to data-centre demand. A Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program review of about 50 regulatory filings found that the cost of discounts given to big technology companies is spread across general utility customers.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the GHG Protocol's Scope 2 consultation is under way; the companies' reported emissions rose over the period; no court case is on record.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"microsoft","says":"Said it replenished more water than it withdrew in fiscal 2025 and that its water use effectiveness was 0.27 L/kWh.","when":"24 June 2026","src":16},{"actor":"google","says":"Said its 2030 climate goals are getting harder to reach, while reporting that it cut operational emissions; publishes hourly carbon-free energy shares by cloud region.","when":"July 2026","src":1},{"actor":"google","says":"Redesigned its Cerrillos, Chile, data centre to use air cooling after the Environmental Court questioned its groundwater use of at least 7.6 million litres a day.","when":"September 2024","src":12},{"actor":"amazon","says":"Reported a third year of 100% matching of electricity with renewable energy.","when":"2025","src":6},{"actor":"meta","says":"Among the large companies, reports indirect (power-plant) water use; the figure for 2024 is listed as more than 20 times its direct water use.","when":"2024","src":null},{"actor":"microsoft","says":"Its fiscal 2025 report left out unbundled certificates and disclosed facility-level data for the first time.","when":"FY2025 report, covered 13 July 2026","src":3},{"actor":"google","says":"Dropped its operational carbon-neutral claim from 2023.","when":"2023","src":17}],"actors":[{"id":"microsoft","role":"Company; reports data-centre emissions and buys carbon-removal credits"},{"id":"google","role":"Company; reports hourly and annual carbon-free energy matching"},{"id":"amazon","role":"Company; claims 100% renewable matching"},{"id":"meta","role":"Company; Scope 2 and gas-plant supply in Louisiana"},{"id":"ghg-protocol","role":"Standard-setter; Scope 2 consultation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do market-based reports and annual matching show the electricity actually used?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Microsoft","says":"Left unbundled certificates out of its fiscal 2025 market-based Scope 2 figure and reported facility-level data.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Amazon","says":"Reported a third year of 100% matching with renewable energy.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amazon Employees for Climate Justice","says":"68% of Amazon's certificates were unbundled; certificates from Canada and Arizona were used for Virginia consumption; the group put the real renewable share at close to 22%.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Google","says":"Matched 100% of consumption annually; its hourly carbon-free energy share was 66% globally in 2024, 15% in the Taiwan cloud region and 2% in Hong Kong in 2025.","src":10},{"voice":"standard","holder":"GHG Protocol consultation","says":"70% of 909 responses opposed hourly matching; a new standard is expected at the earliest at the end of 2028.","src":8},{"voice":"company","holder":"More than 60 companies including Apple and Amazon","says":"Asked that revisions to Scope 2 reporting be optional; Meta leads the Emissions First coalition.","src":9}]},{"point":"How much water does an AI query use?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Google","says":"A median Gemini prompt uses 0.24 Wh and 0.26 mL of water, cooling only.","src":13},{"voice":"research","holder":"Researcher Ren, cited by PCWorld","says":"About 50 mL when indirect water is included.","src":13},{"voice":"company","holder":"Mistral AI","says":"A 400-token response used 45 mL of water in its life-cycle analysis (July 2025).","src":null}]},{"point":"Has a climate benefit from artificial intelligence been shown?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Google and BCG","says":"AI could help reduce 5% to 10% of global greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030.","src":20},{"voice":"international","holder":"International Energy Agency","says":"Applications could cut about 1,400 Mt by 2035, but there is no momentum guaranteeing wide uptake.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"emissions_total","value":20.29,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2025,"note":"Microsoft total, fiscal 2025, up 25% in one year."},{"key":"emissions_change","value":23.4,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Microsoft total emissions against 2020."},{"key":"scope2_market_based","value":258217,"unit":"t CO2e","year":2024,"note":"Microsoft fiscal 2024, market-based Scope 2."},{"key":"scope2_without_unbundled_certificates","value":2.7,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Microsoft fiscal 2025 when unbundled certificates were no longer counted; share of Scope 2 in total rose from 2% to 13%."},{"key":"carbon_removal_purchases","value":8.55,"unit":"Mt","year":2026,"note":"Microsoft purchases January to mid-July 2026, down 80% on a year earlier (BNEF data)."},{"key":"emissions_change","value":51,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Google, 2024 against 2019; goal is a 50% cut by 2030."},{"key":"emissions_goal_boundary","value":11.5,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2024,"note":"Google goal boundary; total including emissions outside the boundary 15.2 Mt."},{"key":"hourly_carbon_free_share","value":66,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Google, global; Taiwan 15% and Hong Kong 2% (2025)."},{"key":"emissions_total","value":80.9,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2025,"note":"Amazon, up 16%; Scope 2 up 34%."},{"key":"unbundled_certificate_share","value":68,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Amazon, per employee group Amazon Employees for Climate Justice."},{"key":"scope2_location_based_change","value":150,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Meta, 2019 to 2024, per shareholder filing."},{"key":"scope1_2_market_based","value":48826,"unit":"t CO2e","year":2024,"note":"Meta market-based Scope 1 and 2."},{"key":"location_based_to_reported_ratio","value":7.62,"unit":"times","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Guardian analysis of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple data centres 2020 to 2022, republished by eceee; not independently verified."},{"key":"data_centres_in_water_scarce_areas","value":62,"unit":"data centres","year":2025,"note":"Out of 632 for Amazon, Microsoft and Google (38 active, 24 planned)."},{"key":"corporate_clean_energy_purchases","value":55.9,"unit":"GW","year":2025,"note":"Four large technology companies signed 49% of these deals; Meta 10.24 GW, Amazon 10.22 GW (BNEF)."},{"key":"energy_use_change","value":168,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Microsoft energy use change against 2020 (DatacenterDynamics)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Large technology companies report data-centre emissions with market-based accounting and annual renewable matching; the sources compare these with location-based and hourly measures and with reported totals.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft","what":"Report electricity as matched with renewable certificates; their reported totals nonetheless rose (Microsoft 23.4% above 2020; Google 51% above 2019; Amazon 80.9 Mt in 2025)","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Electricity customers in the PJM region","what":"Data-centre demand was listed as USD 29.4 billion of USD 63.6 billion in the last four capacity auctions, according to the market monitor","src":null},{"who":"General utility customers","what":"A Harvard review of about 50 regulatory filings found that the cost of discounts given to big technology companies is spread across them; Microsoft's name was redacted in the filings.","src":22}],"harmed":[{"who":"Communities in water-scarce areas","what":"62 of 632 data centres of Amazon, Microsoft and Google are in water-scarce areas","src":15}]},"where":{"t":"Global, with company reporting from the United States; water cases in Chile and Uruguay, among others.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2019 to 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Growing electricity demand from data centres and artificial intelligence, and accounting rules that allow certificates to be counted against electricity use.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Market-based Scope 2 accounting, annual matching with renewable energy certificates, and choice of boundary for targets and water figures.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"Data center emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it keep up the ruse? (Guardian, republished by eceee; summary only)","p":"eceee","d":"2024-09-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.eceee.org/all-news/news/data-center-emissions-probably-662-higher-than-big-tech-claims-can-it-keep-up-the-ruse/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251104132031/https://www.eceee.org/all-news/news/data-center-emissions-probably-662-higher-than-big-tech-claims-can-it-keep-up-the-ruse/"},{"t":"Google Cuts Operational Emissions, But Says Moonshot Climate Goals 'Getting Harder'","p":"ESG Today","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/google-cuts-operational-emissions-but-says-moonshot-climate-goals-getting-harder/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260918200908/https://www.esgtoday.com/google-cuts-operational-emissions-but-says-moonshot-climate-goals-getting-harder/"},{"t":"Google isn't abandoning its 2030 goal despite another big emissions increase","p":"Trellis","d":"2025-07","type":"press","u":"https://trellis.net/article/google-isnt-abandoning-its-2030-goal-despite-another-big-emissions-increase","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917111535/https://trellis.net/article/google-isnt-abandoning-its-2030-goal-despite-another-big-emissions-increase/"},{"t":"Microsoft's data center expansion drove 25% emissions spike","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2026-07-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/microsofts-data-center-expansion-drove-25-emissions-spike-2025-environmental-sustainability-report/825082/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914064341/https://www.esgdive.com/news/microsofts-data-center-expansion-drove-25-emissions-spike-2025-environmental-sustainability-report/825082/"},{"t":"Microsoft emissions up 23% since 2020, blames AI data centers","p":"DatacenterDynamics","d":"2025-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-emissions-up-23-since-2020-blames-ai-data-centers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260817203040/https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/microsoft-emissions-up-23-since-2020-blames-ai-data-centers/"},{"t":"Microsoft's Carbon-Removal Purchases Fall 80% During AI Buildout (from Bloomberg)","p":"Let's Data Science","d":"2026-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://letsdatascience.com/news/microsoft-cuts-carbon-removal-purchases-amid-ai-expansion-633fa644"},{"t":"Amazon 2025 emissions jump as AI brings momentum and complexity","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/amazon-2025-emissions-jump-as-ai-brings-momentum-and-complexity-report/825667/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260802050337/https://www.esgdive.com/news/amazon-2025-emissions-jump-as-ai-brings-momentum-and-complexity-report/825667/"},{"t":"Environmental groups accuse Amazon of 'distorting the truth' in latest clean-energy claim","p":"Engadget","d":"2024-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.engadget.com/environmental-groups-accuse-amazon-of-distorting-the-truth-in-latest-clean-energy-claim-170633705.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240918035419/https://www.engadget.com/environmental-groups-accuse-amazon-of-distorting-the-truth-in-latest-clean-energy-claim-170633705.html"},{"t":"GHG Protocol faces pushback on scope 2 reforms","p":"Argus Media","d":"2026-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2858486-ghg-protocol-faces-pushback-on-scope-2-reforms","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260729201523/https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2858486-ghg-protocol-faces-pushback-on-scope-2-reforms"},{"t":"Apple, Amazon join push for looser greenhouse emissions reporting","p":"Engadget","d":"2026-04-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-amazon-join-push-for-looser-greenhouse-emissions-reporting-182314690.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002185426/https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-amazon-join-push-for-looser-greenhouse-emissions-reporting-182314690.html"},{"t":"Carbon free energy for Google Cloud regions","p":"Google Cloud","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://cloud.google.com/sustainability/region-carbon","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008222756/https://cloud.google.com/sustainability/region-carbon"},{"t":"Notice of Exempt Solicitation - Meta Platforms (PX14A6G)","p":"As You Sow and partners, filed with the SEC","d":"2026-05","type":"official","voice":"civil","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000121465926005915/o511264px14a6g.htm"},{"t":"Google se rinde con proyecto original de data center en Cerrillos y anuncia futuro rediseno de la iniciativa","p":"CNN Chile","d":"2024-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.cnnchile.com/negocios/google-se-rinde-con-proyecto-original-de-data-center-en-cerrillos-y-anuncia-futuro-rediseno-de-la-iniciativa_20240917/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134530/https://www.cnnchile.com/negocios/google-se-rinde-con-proyecto-original-de-data-center-en-cerrillos-y-anuncia-futuro-rediseno-de-la-iniciativa/"},{"t":"Experts are skeptical about Google's AI water consumption claims","p":"PCWorld","d":"2025-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.pcworld.com/article/2886730/experts-are-skeptical-about-googles-ai-water-consumption-claims.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260106212052/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2886730/experts-are-skeptical-about-googles-ai-water-consumption-claims.html"},{"t":"Foundation Model Transparency Index: AI companies' information","p":"Stanford Report","d":"2025-12","type":"academic","u":"https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/12/foundation-model-transparency-index-ai-companies-information","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260905021445/https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/12/foundation-model-transparency-index-ai-companies-information"},{"t":"Big Tech's data centre push will take water from the world's driest areas","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2025-04-09","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909154250/https://www.source-material.org/amazon-microsoft-google-trump-data-centres-water-use/"},{"t":"Inside Microsoft's two-decade push to cut water intensity while scaling for growth","p":"Microsoft","d":"2026-06-24","type":"company","u":"https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/06/24/inside-microsofts-two-decade-push-to-cut-water-intensity-while-scaling-for-growth/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013101827/https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2026/06/24/inside-microsofts-two-decade-push-to-cut-water-intensity-while-scaling-for-growth/"},{"t":"Google Is No Longer Claiming to Be Carbon Neutral","p":"Bloomberg Law","d":"2024-07-08","type":"press","u":"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/google-is-no-longer-claiming-to-be-carbon-neutral","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250524175604/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/environment-and-energy/google-is-no-longer-claiming-to-be-carbon-neutral"},{"t":"Amazon, Meta, Google, Microsoft Account for Half of Global Clean Energy Purchase Deals in 2025","p":"ESG Today","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/amazon-meta-google-microsoft-account-for-half-of-global-clean-energy-purchase-deals-in-2025/"},{"t":"American tech giants sign pledge to protect households from power price escalation","p":"W.Media","d":"2026-03-05","type":"press","u":"https://w.media/american-tech-giants-sign-pledge-to-protect-households-from-power-price-escalation/"},{"t":"Accelerating climate action with AI","p":"Google","d":"2023-11-20","type":"company","u":"https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/report-ai-sustainability-google-cop28/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251229150011/https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/report-ai-sustainability-google-cop28/"},{"t":"Built at any cost: How AI infrastructure is rewriting the cloud sustainability rulebook","p":"Computing","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.computing.co.uk/research/2026/built-at-any-cost-ai-infrastructure-rewriting-cloud-sustainability-rulebook","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612233320/https://www.computing.co.uk/research/2026/built-at-any-cost-ai-infrastructure-rewriting-cloud-sustainability-rulebook"},{"t":"Extracting Profits from the Public: How Utility Ratepayers Are Paying for Big Tech's Power","p":"Harvard Environmental and Energy Law Program","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/extracting-profits-from-the-public-how-utility-ratepayers-are-paying-for-big-techs-power/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013001551/https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/extracting-profits-from-the-public-how-utility-ratepayers-are-paying-for-big-techs-power/"},{"t":"Energy and AI: AI and climate change","p":"International Energy Agency","d":"2025-04","u":"https://iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/ai-and-climate-change","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"carbon-accounting","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Microsoft reported 20.29 Mt of emissions for fiscal 2025, up 25%; 62 of 632 data centres of Amazon, Microsoft and Google are operating or planned where my water is scarce.","src":[3,15]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much water does an AI query use?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do market-based reports and annual matching show the electricity actually used?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Has a climate benefit from artificial intelligence been shown?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Location based to reported ratio: Guardian analysis of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple data centres 2020 to 2022, republished by eceee; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"How much of Microsoft's reported Scope 2 emissions was offset by unbundled certificates in years other than the two compared is not on record; the two years differ.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Amazon's own response to the employee group's 68% figure is not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are among 10 foundation-model companies listed by Stanford's 2025 Foundation Model Transparency Index as not disclosing environmental data (xAI scored 14 of 100); Anthropic had not published Scope 1 to 3 emissions as of March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where the leaked 2022 Amazon Web Services note was published is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that data-centre emissions of Google, Microsoft, Meta and Apple in 2020 to 2022 were 7.62 times the reported figure on a location-based basis (a Guardian analysis republished by eceee).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the attribution of some outcomes to data centres in specific locations, such as a Quilicura wetland loss and Batam water cuts, where the cause is disputed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no emissions figure for Google's data-centre electricity on a location basis.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who lost: Electricity customers in the PJM region"]},{"id":"indonesia-waste-to-energy-tariff-and-danantara","title":"Indonesia waste-to-energy (PSEL) tariff and Danantara","dek":"In 2025 Indonesia replaced the fee municipalities paid waste-to-energy plants with a 30-year electricity tariff of 20 US cents per kWh. In 2026 the Danantara investment fund selected operators, and the environmental group WALHI objected.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-6.2,"lon":106.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","lat":-6.2,"lon":106.8,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste","chemical-pollution","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Waste-to-energy electricity tariff, 30 years","value":"20 US cents per kWh","note":"Tipping fee removed in 2025; the earlier tariff is listed at about 13 US cents."},"happened":["Indonesia's waste-to-energy programme (PSEL) is built around plants that burn municipal waste to generate electricity. In 2024 data from GoodStats recorded that 39.4% of Indonesia's waste was food and that 54.44% of landfills used open dumping.","In 2025 the government removed the tipping fee, which municipalities paid to plants, and set a tariff of 20 US cents per kWh for 30 years under Presidential Regulation 109 (Perpres 109). Kontan reported that the burden shifted to the state electricity company PLN and the state budget. The earlier tariff is listed at about 13 US cents. The cited sources state that projects had stalled because municipalities had not allocated budgets for the fee.","In January 2026, the investment fund Danantara selected Chinese operators, and the environmental group WALHI said the arrangement created an incentive to keep waste generation high (Indonesia Business Post).","On 14 July 2026 Danantara announced eight winners of the PSEL tender. They include PT Chandra Waste Energy, a subsidiary of the petrochemical company Chandra Asri (Serang, 1,161 tonnes a day), Pertamina Power Indonesia (Yogyakarta, with China's Tianjin TEDA), Bakrie Power (Surabaya), China Everbright, Veolia and Suez (Kabar Bursa).","The Paper reported in July 2025 that Chinese incineration plants ran at about 60% of capacity, and the China Environmental Protection Federation counted 79 Chinese incineration projects abroad as of May 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"GoodStats: 39.4% of waste is food; 54.44% of landfills use open dumping"},{"y":2025,"t":"Tipping fee removed; tariff of 20 US cents per kWh for 30 years (Perpres 109)"},{"y":2026,"t":"January: Danantara selects Chinese operators; WALHI objects. 14 July: eight tender winners announced"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Electricity from waste, with a 30-year tariff of 20 US cents per kWh","who":"Government of Indonesia","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"39.4% of Indonesia's waste is food; 54.44% of landfills use open dumping (2024).","src":1},{"t":"The tipping fee was removed in 2025; tariff of 20 US cents per kWh for 30 years; burden shifted to PLN and the state budget.","src":0},{"t":"Danantara announced eight PSEL tender winners on 14 July 2026.","src":3},{"t":"Chinese incineration plants ran at about 60-70% of capacity (reported July 2025).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of waste that is food","v":"39.4%","d":"2024, GoodStats"},{"k":"Landfills using open dumping","v":"54.44%","d":"2024, GoodStats"},{"k":"Tariff","v":"20 US cents per kWh","d":"30 years, from 2025"}]},"unknown":["The size of the state's 20-year to 30-year payment obligation under the programme is not established in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not state how the January 2026 selection of Chinese operators relates to the eight winners announced on 14 July 2026, which include Indonesian companies.","Unconfirmed: that the programme foresees about 91 trillion rupiah of investment across 33 regions (BCA Sekuritas, summary only).","Unconfirmed: that Zhejiang Weiming and Wangneng, Chinese operators, won Indonesian tenders."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the programme was still being implemented in July 2026.","whoPaid":"PLN and the state budget, according to Kontan's report on the tariff.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: eight PSEL tender winners announced by Danantara; WALHI had objected to the tariff arrangement; no court case is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"walhi","says":"Said the arrangement creates an incentive to keep waste generation high.","when":"January 2026","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"danantara","role":"State investment fund; ran the tender"},{"id":"pln","role":"State electricity company; buyer of the electricity"},{"id":"walhi","role":"Environmental NGO; opposes the programme"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does the tariff create an incentive to keep waste generation high?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"WALHI","says":"Waste-to-energy projects are a policy failure and the arrangement creates an incentive to keep waste generation high.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Indonesia","says":"Set a 30-year tariff of 20 US cents per kWh under Perpres 109 and removed the tipping fee.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"food_waste_share","value":39.4,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Share of Indonesia's waste that is food (GoodStats)."},{"key":"open_dumping_landfill_share","value":54.44,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Share of landfills using open dumping."},{"key":"tariff","value":20,"unit":"US cents/kWh","year":2025,"note":"Electricity tariff for 30 years."},{"key":"tariff_previous","value":13,"unit":"US cents/kWh","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Earlier tariff, as listed."},{"key":"tender_winners","value":8,"unit":"winners","year":2026,"note":"Announced by Danantara on 14 July 2026."},{"key":"plant_capacity","value":1161,"unit":"tonnes/day","year":2026,"note":"PT Chandra Waste Energy, Serang."},{"key":"programme_investment","value":91,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported investment across 33 regions; no other source confirms it."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia removed the tipping fee for waste-to-energy plants and set a 30-year tariff of 20 US cents per kWh; Danantara then selected operators for the programme.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Winning operators including PT Chandra Waste Energy, Pertamina Power Indonesia, Bakrie Power, China Everbright, Veolia and Suez","what":"Selected in the PSEL tender announced on 14 July 2026","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"PLN and the state budget","what":"Carry the cost of the 20-US-cent tariff, according to Kontan","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia; plants include Serang, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.","src":3},"when":{"t":"2024 to July 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Projects had stalled because municipalities had not allocated budgets for the tipping fee, according to the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A presidential regulation set the tariff; Danantara ran the tender.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Tarif listrik PLTSa US 20 sen, beban beralih ke PLN dan APBN","p":"Kontan","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://industri.kontan.co.id/news/tarif-listrik-pltsa-us-20-sen-beban-beralih-ke-pln-dan-apbn","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260310080019/https://industri.kontan.co.id/news/tarif-listrik-pltsa-us-20-sen-beban-beralih-ke-pln-dan-apbn"},{"t":"39% Sampah Indonesia adalah Sisa Makanan","p":"GoodStats","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://data.goodstats.id/statistic/39-sampah-indonesia-adalah-sisa-makanan-r1vK4","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005081031/https://data.goodstats.id/statistic/39-sampah-indonesia-adalah-sisa-makanan-r1vK4"},{"t":"WALHI rejects government push for waste-to-energy projects, calls it a policy failure","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2026-01","type":"press","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/5928/environment/walhi-rejects-government-push-for-waste-to-energy-projects-calls-it-a-policy-failure","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260202124451/https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/5928/environment/walhi-rejects-government-push-for-waste-to-energy-projects-calls-it-a-policy-failure"},{"t":"Danantara umumkan 8 pemenang tender PSEL, anak usaha Chandra Asri (TPIA) masuk daftar","p":"Kabar Bursa","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.kabarbursa.com/ekonomi-hijau/danantara-umumkan-8-pemenang-tender-psel-anak-usaha-chandra-asri-tpia-masuk-daftar.md"},{"t":"China's Waste Incineration Plants Are Running Out of Trash","p":"International Consultant Committee of Waste to Energy (ICCWtE)","d":"2025-07","u":"https://www.iccwte.org/index/article/iccwte/id/696.html","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"waste-to-energy tariff","related":["indonesia-waste-to-energy-tender-awards"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2024, 54.44% of Indonesia's landfills used open dumping on me, and 39.4% of its waste was food.","src":[1]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the tariff create an incentive to keep waste generation high?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Programme investment: Reported investment across 33 regions; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the state's 20-year to 30-year payment obligation under the programme is not established in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how the January 2026 selection of Chinese operators relates to the eight winners announced on 14 July 2026, which include Indonesian companies.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the programme foresees about 91 trillion rupiah of investment across 33 regions (BCA Sekuritas, summary only).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Zhejiang Weiming and Wangneng, Chinese operators, won Indonesian tenders.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"uk-anaerobic-digestion-gate-fees-and-hanford-stoke-dispute","title":"UK anaerobic digestion gate fees and the Hanford-Stoke dispute","dek":"In the United Kingdom, the fee that councils pay anaerobic digestion plants to take food and garden waste fell from a median of £24 to £13 per tonne, and new contracts signed from April 2022 had a negative median. Separately, an energy-from-waste operator at Hanford asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council for about £650,000 over waste it did not deliver.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":52.98,"lon":-2.17,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Stoke-on-Trent","lat":52.98,"lon":-2.17,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste"],"headline":{"label":"Median UK anaerobic digestion gate fee","value":"£13 per tonne","note":"Median across UK anaerobic digestion contracts in a July 2026 compilation; ten fees were negative. New contracts starting in April 2022 had a median of -£15 per tonne."},"happened":["A gate fee is the price per tonne that a waste owner, usually a council, pays a treatment plant to accept waste. Councils in the United Kingdom send separately collected food and garden waste to anaerobic digestion (AD) plants, which turn it into biogas and digestate, and send residual waste to energy-from-waste (EfW) plants, landfill or other routes.","In a July 2026 compilation of UK gate fees, the median AD gate fee was £13 per tonne, with ten fees negative. The same compilation gave £66 for in-vessel composting, £34 for landfill plus a landfill tax of £126.15, and £182 for EfW. The record states that the AD median fell from £24 to £13 per tonne, and that new AD contracts starting in April 2022 had a median of -£15 per tonne. In 2025/26, 12 councils had zero or negative gate fees.","The cited sources show the income of AD plants moving away from the gate fee. A 2003–04 model of the Holsworthy plant put the gate fee at 20–27% of revenue and electricity at 73–80%, and its authors wrote that electricity and heat sales alone were not enough. An operator of the Greenfinch plant said its gate fee income was 675 thousand against 300 thousand from electricity, about 69% of revenue. The sources record that, as fees fell, revenue at new plants shifted to energy and subsidy, and that the Green Gas Support Scheme was extended to 2028.","The other side of a long waste contract is a put-or-pay clause, under which a council pays for a minimum tonnage whether or not it delivers it. letsrecycle reported that the operator of an energy-from-waste facility at Hanford asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council for about £650,000 because it sent less waste than contracted. The cited sources note that councils in the Belfast area (arc21) committed 80% of their estimated residual waste under such terms."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Holsworthy AD plant model: gate fee 20–27% of revenue, electricity 73–80%"},{"y":2022,"t":"New AD contracts starting in April 2022 have a median gate fee of -£15 per tonne"},{"y":2024,"t":"Hanford EfW operator asks Stoke-on-Trent City Council for about £650,000 for a delivery shortfall (reported 2023–2024)"},{"y":2026,"t":"UK AD median gate fee £13 per tonne; ten negative; Green Gas Support Scheme extended to 2028"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"UK AD gate fee: median £13 per tonne, ten fees negative (July 2026 compilation); in-vessel composting £66, landfill £34 plus £126.15 tax, EfW £182 (bulky waste only)","src":4},{"t":"New AD contracts from April 2022: median gate fee -£15 per tonne","src":0},{"t":"In 2025/26, 12 councils had zero or negative AD gate fees","src":4},{"t":"Hanford EfW operator asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council for about £650,000 for delivering less waste than contracted","src":3},{"t":"Holsworthy (2003–04 model): gate fee 20–27% of revenue, electricity 73–80%; operating cost £450,000 a year","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Median UK AD gate fee","v":"£13/t","d":"Down from £24; new contracts from April 2022 at -£15"},{"k":"Stoke-on-Trent shortfall claim","v":"About £650,000","d":"Requested by the Hanford EfW operator for waste not delivered"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that Stoke-on-Trent City Council could not tell whether the fall in its waste was due to its own recycling work or to the economic downturn.","Unconfirmed: that a UK parliamentary committee wrote that such contracts worry it because of their effect on recycling rates.","The cited sources do not say whether Stoke-on-Trent City Council paid the amount requested, or how the claim was settled.","The cited sources do not give a currency for the Greenfinch figures of 675 thousand and 300 thousand.","No court or regulatory proceeding is on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"The cited sources record a request that Stoke-on-Trent City Council pay about £650,000 for a delivery shortfall; they do not say whether it paid. On gate fees, the cited sources show councils paying less, and in some cases nothing or being paid, to AD plants.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: UK AD median gate fee £13 per tonne with ten negative; no outcome found for the £650,000 Stoke-on-Trent claim.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"stoke-on-trent-city-council","role":"Council asked to pay about £650,000 under a put-or-pay type contract"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"gate_fee_median","value":13,"unit":"GBP per tonne","year":2026,"note":"Median UK anaerobic digestion gate fee in a July 2026 compilation; ten fees negative."},{"key":"gate_fee_median_new_contracts","value":-15,"unit":"GBP per tonne","year":2022,"note":"Median for new AD contracts starting in April 2022, as relayed from WRAP (Anaerobic-digestion.com)."},{"key":"claim","value":650000,"unit":"GBP","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Amount the Hanford EfW operator asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council to pay for delivering less waste than contracted; reported 2023–2024."},{"key":"gate_fee_landfill_tax","value":126.15,"unit":"GBP per tonne","year":2026,"note":"Landfill tax, shown with a landfill gate fee of £34 per tonne in the same compilation."},{"key":"capex_food_waste_plant","value":"3.6-6","unit":"GBP m","year":null,"note":"Reported capital cost of a 2 MW food waste plant of 40,000 tonnes a year in the UK."},{"key":"capex_advanced_plant","value":"22-25","unit":"GBP m","year":null,"note":"Reported capital cost of an advanced 75,000 tonnes a year plant in the UK."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"UK gate fees for anaerobic digestion of food waste fell until the median was £13 per tonne, with some fees negative, while an EfW operator at Hanford asked Stoke-on-Trent City Council for about £650,000 for a delivery shortfall under a put-or-pay type contract.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Councils sending food waste to AD plants","what":"Lower or negative gate fees as plants compete for feedstock.","src":null},{"who":"Hanford EfW operator","what":"Requested about £650,000 from Stoke-on-Trent City Council.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Stoke-on-Trent City Council","what":"Faced a request for about £650,000.","src":3},{"who":"AD plant operators","what":"Gate fee income fell and revenue at new plants shifted to energy and subsidy.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom; the Hanford EfW facility and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Gate fee data from 2022 to July 2026; Stoke claim reported 2023–2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources record that, as competition for feedstock increased between 2022 and 2026, gate fees fell and in some cases reversed; put-or-pay clauses in long contracts bind councils to minimum tonnages.","src":null},"how":{"t":"AD plants and EfW plants are paid per tonne accepted; put-or-pay clauses charge councils for tonnage not delivered.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Cost of anaerobic digestion gate fees","p":"Anaerobic-digestion.com","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://blog.anaerobic-digestion.com/cost-of-anaerobic-digestion-gate-fees/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514064714/https://blog.anaerobic-digestion.com/cost-of-anaerobic-digestion-gate-fees/"},{"t":"Case study Holsworthy","p":"Strathclyde ESRU","d":"2004","type":"academic","u":"https://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/03-04/biomass/case%20studyhols.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220901035956/https://www.esru.strath.ac.uk//EandE/Web_sites/03-04/biomass/case%20studyhols.html"},{"t":"High return for anaerobic digestion operator claims","p":"letsrecycle","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/high-return-for-anaerobic-digestion-operator-claims/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151505/https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/high-return-for-anaerobic-digestion-operator-claims/"},{"t":"Stoke faces bill for sending less waste to EfW","p":"letsrecycle","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://letsrecycle.com/news/stoke-faces-bill-for-sending-less-waste-to-efw","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221010044337/https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/stoke-faces-bill-for-sending-less-waste-to-efw/"},{"t":"WRAP finds MRF gate fees on the rise as organics fees fall","p":"letsrecycle.com","d":"2026-07-06","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/wrap-finds-mrf-gate-fees-on-the-rise-as-organics-fees-fall/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"gate-fee","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Stoke-on-Trent City Council could not tell whether the fall in its waste was due to its own recycling work or to the economic downturn.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a UK parliamentary committee wrote that such contracts worry it because of their effect on recycling rates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Stoke-on-Trent City Council paid the amount requested, or how the claim was settled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a currency for the Greenfinch figures of 675 thousand and 300 thousand.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court or regulatory proceeding is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Councils sending food waste to AD plants","No source link — Who lost: AD plant operators"]},{"id":"fao-plant-treaty-multilateral-system-and-benefit-sharing-fun","title":"FAO Plant Treaty multilateral system and benefit-sharing fund","dek":"Under the Plant Treaty's Multilateral System, 116,763 standard material transfer agreements had been signed by 1 January 2025, while a Third World Network account says only 5 or 6 of more than 25,000 recipients made monetary contributions. Negotiators in Lima in 2025 did not agree on expanding the system.","country":"International","region":"Global","lat":41.9,"lon":12.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"Lima","role":"event"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Rome","lat":41.9,"lon":12.5,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2004,"end":2025,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"Recipients making monetary contributions","value":"5–6 of 25,000+","note":"Third World Network, July 2025, on standard material transfer agreements signed up to 1 January 2025."},"happened":["The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the Plant Treaty) operates a Multilateral System that covers 35 food crops and 29 forage crops. Genebank material is supplied under a standard material transfer agreement (SMTA). A Benefit-sharing Fund (BSF) receives payments.","According to FAO's 2025 report, 116,763 SMTAs had been signed by 1 January 2025, with providers in 69 countries and recipients in 189 countries, an average of 17 SMTAs a day.","Third World Network wrote in July 2025 that payment under the SMTA is required only if the product is not available to others without restriction for research, and that of more than 25,000 recipients only 5 or 6 made monetary contributions. It reported that the BSF had received about $30 million since 2009, more than 97% of it voluntary and about 90% from governments.","At the Governing Body's eleventh session in Lima, held at the end of 2025, a package to expand the Multilateral System was not agreed. Payment, the list of covered crops (Annex I) and digital sequence information (DSI) were deferred to the twelfth session. Down To Earth reported that the Global North wanted to expand Annex I and prevent mandatory DSI payments, and that the Global South rejected the consensus text. Third World Network reported proposed payment rates ranging from 0.01% to 0.5% of seed sales and a best case for an expanded system of about $7 million a year."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Benefit-sharing Fund begins collecting; about $30 million received since"},{"y":2025,"t":"By 1 January: 116,763 SMTAs signed; Third World Network reports 5–6 paying recipients (10 July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Governing Body session in Lima fails to agree on expanding the Multilateral System; payment, Annex I and DSI deferred to the next session"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"116,763 SMTAs signed by 1 January 2025; providers in 69 countries, recipients in 189 countries; average 17 SMTAs a day","src":0},{"t":"More than 25,000 recipients; 5–6 made monetary contributions","src":1},{"t":"Payment proposals for an expanded system: 0.01% of seed sales (North America) to 0.5% (Latin America); best case about $7 million a year","src":1},{"t":"Lima Governing Body session: expansion package not agreed; payment, Annex I and DSI deferred","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"SMTAs signed","v":"116,763","d":"By 1 January 2025 (FAO)"},{"k":"Recipients paying","v":"5–6","d":"Of more than 25,000 recipients (Third World Network)"},{"k":"Money received by the Benefit-sharing Fund","v":"About $30 million","d":"Since 2009; over 97% voluntary"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the first user payment to the fund came in 2018 from Nunhems, $119,083, about 0.77% of its sales of 10 vegetable varieties in the United States.","Unconfirmed: six seed companies contributed $824,680 in total, 89% of it from one firm (summary of a Centre for Science and Environment briefing).","Unconfirmed: an earlier package to expand the Multilateral System also failed in 2019.","Unconfirmed: the ratio of paying recipients to SMTAs signed (about 0.005%) is a calculation from published figures, not a figure stated by a source.","No independent evaluation of where Benefit-sharing Fund money was spent is on record.","No court case is on record."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"The cited sources record that the Benefit-sharing Fund is funded more than 97% by voluntary contributions and about 90% by governments; payment by seed users under the SMTA is required only when the product is not available to others for research.","statusLine":"As of the Lima session at the end of 2025: expansion of the Multilateral System not agreed; payment, Annex I and DSI deferred to the next session.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"fao-plant-treaty","role":"Treaty secretariat and Governing Body"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What share of seed sales should companies pay into the Benefit-sharing Fund under an expanded system?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"North America (proposal)","says":"0.01% of a company's seed sales.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Norway and Africa (proposals)","says":"0.1% of seed sales.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Latin America (proposal)","says":"0.5% of seed sales.","src":1}]},{"point":"Should the system cover more crops and require payment for digital sequence information?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Global North delegations","says":"Wanted to expand Annex I and prevent mandatory DSI payments, according to Down To Earth.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Global South delegations","says":"Rejected the consensus text, according to Down To Earth.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"smtas_signed","value":116763,"unit":"agreements","year":2025,"note":"SMTAs signed by 1 January 2025 (FAO)."},{"key":"smta_recipients","value":25000,"unit":"recipients","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Recipients under SMTAs, per Third World Network."},{"key":"paying_recipients","value":"5-6","unit":"recipients","year":2025,"note":"Recipients that made monetary contributions, per Third World Network."},{"key":"fund_received","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Received by the Benefit-sharing Fund since 2009; more than 97% voluntary and about 90% from governments."},{"key":"projected_annual_benefit","value":7,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Best-case scenario for an expanded system, per a 2025 co-chair note reported by Third World Network. A projection."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Plant Treaty's Multilateral System supplied genebank material under 116,763 SMTAs by 1 January 2025; Third World Network reported that only 5 or 6 of more than 25,000 recipients paid, and talks on expanding the system did not reach agreement in Lima.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Recipients of genebank material under SMTAs","what":"Access to material; payment required only if the product is not available to others for research.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global; the Governing Body met in Lima, Peru.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Fund collecting since 2009; SMTA data to 1 January 2025; Lima session at the end of 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources record disagreement between Global North and Global South delegations over expanding the crop list and mandatory payment for digital sequence information, and over payment rates.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Material is supplied under an SMTA; payment is required only when the product is not available without restriction to others for research.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Rapport à l'Organe directeur sur la mise en oeuvre et le fonctionnement du Système multilatéral 2025","p":"FAO","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/areas-of-work/the-multilateral-system/implementation-mls/fr","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241111171803/https://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/areas-of-work/the-multilateral-system/implementation-mls/fr/"},{"t":"Plant Treaty: South should beware of short selling seed collections to save 'Gene Bank Relevance'","p":"Third World Network","d":"2025-07-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://twn.my/title2/susagri/2025/sa1150.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251218050411/https://twn.my/title2/susagri/2025/sa1150.htm"},{"t":"The 11th session of the Governing Body of the ITPGRFA concluded in Lima, Peru","p":"Vision IAS","d":"2025-12-01","type":"press","u":"https://visionias.in/current-affairs/news-today/2025-12-01/environment/the-11th-session-of-the-governing-body-of-the-itpgrfa-concluded-in-lima-peru","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214012212/https://visionias.in/current-affairs/news-today/2025-12-01/environment/the-11th-session-of-the-governing-body-of-the-itpgrfa-concluded-in-lima-peru"},{"t":"The Lima standoff and the rise of biodiversity cartels: a Global South perspective","p":"Down To Earth","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/wildlife-biodiversity/the-lima-standoff-and-the-rise-of-biodiversity-cartels-a-global-south-perspective","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260107112843/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/wildlife-biodiversity/the-lima-standoff-and-the-rise-of-biodiversity-cartels-a-global-south-perspective"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"116,763 agreements to transfer my plant genetic resources were signed by 1 January 2025; Third World Network says 5 or 6 of more than 25,000 recipients made monetary contributions.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What share of seed sales should companies pay into the Benefit-sharing Fund under an expanded system?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the system cover more crops and require payment for digital sequence information?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the first user payment to the fund came in 2018 from Nunhems, $119,083, about 0.77% of its sales of 10 vegetable varieties in the United States.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: six seed companies contributed $824,680 in total, 89% of it from one firm (summary of a Centre for Science and Environment briefing).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an earlier package to expand the Multilateral System also failed in 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the ratio of paying recipients to SMTAs signed (about 0.005%) is a calculation from published figures, not a figure stated by a source.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent evaluation of where Benefit-sharing Fund money was spent is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-mirror-measure-on-antimicrobials-and-brazil-beef-exclusio","title":"EU mirror measure on antimicrobials and Brazil beef exclusion","dek":"A measure adopted by the European Union in 2019 became applicable seven years later. From 3 September 2026 Brazil, which the EU did not list as providing sufficient antimicrobial assurances, can no longer export meat to the EU.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"affected"},{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"regulator"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Brazilian beef sent to the EU in 2025","value":"128.9 thousand tonnes","note":"Valued at $1.06 billion; Brazil is not on the EU list from 3 September 2026."},"happened":["In 2019 the European Union adopted what the sources call the mirror measure on antibiotics in livestock farming. The Veblen Institute wrote in May 2026 that it became applicable seven years later and that its implementing rules substantially weakened its scope.","The measure requires exporters of animal products to the EU to give antimicrobial assurances. A summary by AGRINFO says that from 3 September 2026 exporting countries must document that no antimicrobials were used for growth promotion or reserved for humans during the animal's life.","On 6 June 2026 the EU did not list Brazil, having found its antimicrobial assurances insufficient. In 2025, 128.9 thousand tonnes of Brazilian beef worth $1.06 billion went to the EU. Brazil cannot export meat to the EU from 3 September 2026 and, as of October 2026, was not on the list. The record puts the number of countries or territories listed at 92.","The record places the measure against EU animal use data: antimicrobial use in animals fell 44% from 2014 to 2021, to 92.6 mg/kg against 125.0 mg/kg in humans in 2021. In 2024 EU sales to food animals rose 5% and the European Medicines Agency wrote that the decline since 2010–2022 might be slowing or reversing."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"EU adopts the mirror measure on antibiotics in livestock farming"},{"y":2026,"t":"6 June: EU does not list Brazil; 3 September: import requirement applicable and Brazil unable to export meat to the EU"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"EU removed or did not list Brazil because its antimicrobial assurances were judged insufficient (5 June 2026)","src":1},{"t":"2025: 128.9 thousand tonnes of Brazilian beef, $1.06 billion, went to the EU","src":1},{"t":"Measure adopted in 2019 and applicable seven years later; implementing rules weakened its scope (Veblen Institute, 13 May 2026)","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Brazilian beef to the EU, 2025","v":"128.9 thousand t","d":"Worth $1.06 billion; excluded from 3 September 2026"},{"k":"EU animal antimicrobial use, 2014–2021","v":"-44%","d":"92.6 mg/kg in animals against 125.0 mg/kg in humans in 2021"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture treats compliance as primarily the private sector's work.","Unconfirmed: that the Brazilian beef exporters' association Abiec expects a return to the EU market in the first half of 2027.","Unconfirmed: that the 92 listed countries or territories entered the list on the basis of declarations on paper.","Unconfirmed: the exact certification wording (no growth-promotion or human-reserved antimicrobials over the animal's life), taken from an AGRINFO summary.","Unconfirmed: that growth-promotion use remains an official category in Brazil.","No court or trade-dispute proceeding is on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":"The cited sources record that Brazilian meat exporters lost access to the EU market from 3 September 2026; they do not quantify the loss.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the EU requirement applies from 3 September 2026 and Brazil is not on the list.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"eu","says":"Did not list Brazil, having found its antimicrobial assurances insufficient.","when":"2026-06-06","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Regulator that adopted the measure and decided the list"},{"id":"veblen-institute","role":"Think tank analysing the measure"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How strong is the EU mirror measure as applied?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Veblen Institute","says":"The implementing rules substantially weakened the scope of the measure adopted in 2019.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Union","says":"Applied the measure from 3 September 2026 and did not list Brazil.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"beef_exports_to_eu_tonnes","value":128900,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Brazilian beef sent to the EU in 2025."},{"key":"beef_exports_to_eu_value","value":1.06,"unit":"USD bn","year":2025,"note":"Value of Brazilian beef sent to the EU in 2025."},{"key":"countries_listed","value":92,"unit":"countries or territories","year":2026,"note":"Count reported for the EU list; Brazil is not on it."},{"key":"animal_antimicrobial_use_change","value":-44,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"EU animal antimicrobial use, 2014 to 2021; 92.6 mg/kg against 125.0 mg/kg for humans in 2021."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An EU measure on antimicrobial use in imported animal products became applicable in 2026, and Brazil was not listed, so it cannot export meat to the EU from 3 September 2026.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Brazilian beef exporters","what":"Lost access to the EU market, which took 128.9 thousand tonnes worth $1.06 billion in 2025.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union and Brazil.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Measure adopted in 2019; Brazil not listed on 6 June 2026; requirement from 3 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The EU found Brazil's antimicrobial assurances insufficient.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The EU required exporting countries to give antimicrobial assurances and listed those that did; the cited sources put the number listed at 92.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"The EU mirror measure on antibiotics in livestock farming could result in.","p":"Institut Veblen","d":"2026-05-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.veblen-institute.org/The-EU-mirror-measure-on-antibiotics-in-livestock-farming-could-result-in.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611133832/https://www.veblen-institute.org/The-EU-mirror-measure-on-antibiotics-in-livestock-farming-could-result-in.html"},{"t":"União Europeia oficializa veto à carne brasileira por regras sanitárias","p":"Gazeta do Povo","d":"2026-06-05","u":"https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/mundo/uniao-europeia-oficializa-veto-a-carne-brasileira-por-regras-sanitarias/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"import-rule","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How strong is the EU mirror measure as applied?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture treats compliance as primarily the private sector's work.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Brazilian beef exporters' association Abiec expects a return to the EU market in the first half of 2027.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the 92 listed countries or territories entered the list on the basis of declarations on paper.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the exact certification wording (no growth-promotion or human-reserved antimicrobials over the animal's life), taken from an AGRINFO summary.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that growth-promotion use remains an official category in Brazil.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court or trade-dispute proceeding is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Brazilian beef exporters"]},{"id":"who-pandemic-agreement-and-pabs-annex","title":"WHO Pandemic Agreement and the PABS annex","dek":"A Pandemic Agreement was reported adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2025, but its pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) annex was not adopted in May 2026, and the agreement had not opened for signature as of October 2026.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":46.2,"lon":6.14,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","lat":46.2,"lon":6.14,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-05-19","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"Drivers of disease emergence listed in the zero draft vs the final Article 4","value":"5: 0","note":"Zero draft (climate, land use, wildlife trade, desertification, antimicrobial resistance) against final Article 4, May 2025."},"happened":["Health Policy Watch reported on 20 May 2025 that the World Health Assembly had adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement at its 78th session (WHA78) and that entry into force depended on the adoption of an annex on pathogen access and benefit sharing (PABS) and on 60 ratifications. This is unconfirmed here.","The zero draft of the agreement listed five drivers of disease emergence: climate, land use, wildlife trade, desertification and antimicrobial resistance. The cited sources record that the final Article 4, dated May 2025, focuses on surveillance, for example in laboratories, and does not address habitat exploitation or livestock. The list of drivers and the One Health principle that appeared in the zero draft were removed.","On 1 May 2026 WHO announced that Member States had agreed to extend negotiations on the PABS annex. On 19 May 2026 the PAHO page on the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) recorded that the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) did not adopt the annex, that the negotiation was deferred to WHA80 in May 2027 or to a special session, and that the agreement had not been opened for signature.","The United States' withdrawal from WHO took effect on 22 January 2026, and an executive order halted its participation in the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. Argentina withdrew on 17 March 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Pandemic Agreement reported adopted at WHA78 (May); final Article 4 has no list of drivers"},{"y":2026,"t":"US withdrawal from WHO takes effect (22 Jan); Argentina withdraws (17 Mar); WHO announces extension of PABS talks (1 May); WHA79 does not adopt the PABS annex and defers it to May 2027 (19 May)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Zero draft: five drivers of disease emergence listed; final Article 4 (May 2025): no list of drivers.","src":4},{"t":"WHO announced on 1 May 2026 that Member States had agreed to extend negotiations on the PABS annex.","src":1},{"t":"WHA79 did not adopt the PABS annex; negotiation deferred to May 2027 (WHA80) or a special session; the agreement was not opened for signature (19 May 2026).","src":2},{"t":"The United States' withdrawal from WHO took effect on 22 January 2026 and halted its participation in the negotiations; Argentina withdrew on 17 March 2026.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2011–2017","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Drivers of disease emergence listed","v":"5 → 0","d":"Zero draft against final Article 4, May 2025"},{"k":"Agreement open for signature","v":"No","d":"As of the latest date on record, October 2026"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state when, or whether, the PABS annex will be adopted; negotiations were deferred to May 2027 or a special session.","Unconfirmed: that the agreement was adopted at WHA78 and that entry into force requires the PABS annex and 60 ratifications (Health Policy Watch, 20 May 2025)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the annex has not been adopted and the agreement has not opened for signature.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record no payments under the PABS annex, which has not been adopted.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the PABS annex was not adopted by WHA79 (May 2026), negotiations were deferred to May 2027, and the Pandemic Agreement had not opened for signature.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"who","says":"WHO announced that Member States had agreed to extend negotiations on the PABS annex.","when":"2026-05-01","src":1},{"actor":"who","says":"WHO regretted the United States' withdrawal and warned of global health risks (headline of the reporting item).","when":"2026-01","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"who","role":"Convenor of the Pandemic Agreement and PABS negotiations"},{"id":"us-government","role":"Withdrew from WHO; participation in the negotiations halted"},{"id":"argentina-government","role":"Withdrew from WHO on 17 March 2026"},{"id":"paho","role":"Regional WHO office; recorded the WHA79 outcome"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"drivers_listed","value":0,"unit":"drivers","year":2025,"note":"Final Article 4 lists none; the zero draft listed five."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Reported adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement (May 2025) and the unsuccessful attempt to adopt its PABS annex (May 2026).","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"World Health Assembly, WHO (global).","src":1},"when":{"t":"PABS annex not adopted on 19 May 2026; deferred to May 2027 or a special session.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give no reason for the failure to complete the annex; WHO announced an extension of negotiations.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Final Article 4 focuses on surveillance and removed the zero draft's list of drivers; entry into force is reported to depend on the annex and 60 ratifications.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"The Pandemic Agreement is adopted, entry into force awaits an annex","p":"Health Policy Watch","d":"2025-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://healthpolicy-watch.news/the-pandemic-agreement-is-adopted-entry-into-force-awaits-an-annex/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420062951/https://healthpolicy-watch.news/the-pandemic-agreement-is-adopted-entry-into-force-awaits-an-annex/"},{"t":"WHO Member States agree to extend negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing annex","p":"WHO","d":"2026-05-01","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.who.int/news/item/01-05-2026-who-member-states-agree-to-extend-negotiations-on-pathogen-access-and-benefit-sharing-annex","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011001314/https://www.who.int/news/item/01-05-2026-who-member-states-agree-to-extend-negotiations-on-pathogen-access-and-benefit-sharing-annex"},{"t":"PAHO and the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG)","p":"PAHO","d":"2026-05-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.paho.org/en/paho-and-open-ended-intergovernmental-working-group-igwg","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151623/https://www.paho.org/en/paho-and-open-ended-intergovernmental-working-group-igwg"},{"t":"WHO regrets US withdrawal, warns of global health risks","p":"The Citizen (Tanzania)","d":"2026-01-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/who-regrets-us-withdrawal-warns-of-global-health-risks-5337968","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260126060631/https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/who-regrets-us-withdrawal-warns-of-global-health-risks-5337968"},{"t":"One Health in the New Pandemic Agreement: Why the One Health Provisions Are Not Enough to Prevent the Next Pandemic","p":"Völkerrechtsblog (Armando Saitta)","d":"2025-08-06","u":"https://voelkerrechtsblog.org/one-health-in-the-new-pandemic-agreement/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"pandemic-agreement","related":["indonesia-h5n1-sample-withholding-and-who-pip-framework"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state when, or whether, the PABS annex will be adopted; negotiations were deferred to May 2027 or a special session.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the agreement was adopted at WHA78 and that entry into force requires the PABS annex and 60 ratifications (Health Policy Watch, 20 May 2025).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"johor-and-batam-data-centres-for-singapore","title":"Johor and Batam data centres for Singapore","dek":"After Singapore limited new data centre capacity, planned capacity grew in neighbouring Johor (Malaysia) and Batam (Indonesia). Johor paused approvals of water-intensive facilities in November 2025, and residents of Batam's Nongsa area, without piped water for three to six months, blocked the road to a data centre park in October 2026.","country":"Malaysia / Indonesia / Singapore","region":"Asia","lat":1.49,"lon":103.74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","admin":"Johor","lat":1.49,"lon":103.74,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Batam (Nongsa)","lat":1.18,"lon":104.1,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"company-home"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-10-08","instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre","water"],"headline":{"label":"Planned data centre capacity, Johor vs Singapore","value":"2,486 MW vs 207 MW","note":"Fitch, as reported by TechNode Global, 28 August 2026. Planned capacity, not installed capacity."},"happened":["Singapore placed a moratorium on new data centres from 2019 to 2022 and kept a strict quota afterwards, according to the cited sources. In August 2026 Fitch said that Singapore's capacity constraints were steering data centre growth to Malaysia, and put planned capacity at 2,486 MW in Johor against 207 MW in Singapore.","In Johor, the state paused approvals of water-intensive Tier 1 and Tier 2 data centres in November 2025, and deferred their water requests for evaporative cooling to 2027, W.Media reported in May 2026. Moody's projected in September 2026 that data centre demand in Malaysia would reach about 73 TWh by 2035, requiring 14 to 17 GW of capacity on top of 28 GW existing, with gas remaining a transition fuel. Wood Mackenzie projected that data centres could account for about 40 per cent of Johor's electricity demand by 2035.","In Batam, Indonesia, residents of the Nongsa area told The Star (via the Jakarta Post and ANN) in October 2026 that they had been without piped water for three to six months; on 8 October 2026 they blocked the road to a data centre park. The same report said the data centres were supplied from a separate reservoir through a dedicated pipeline.","Katadata reported that nine data centres in Nongsa would request 29 million litres of water a day in 2032, about 8.4 per cent of Batam's supply, and that a request of 1.4 trillion rupiah for repairs to the water network had been rejected by the central government. Batam's authority has linked the shortage to El Niño; whether drought or data centre demand is responsible is disputed in the coverage reviewed."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Singapore moratorium on new data centres begins (to 2022); strict quota follows"},{"y":2025,"t":"Johor pauses approval of water-intensive Tier 1–2 data centres (November)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Fitch: 2,486 MW planned in Johor vs 207 MW in Singapore (August); Moody's and Wood Mackenzie projections (June–September); Nongsa residents block road to data centre park (8 October)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A 'green data centre' framework for Singapore, announced alongside the moratorium and quota.","who":"Government of Singapore","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Planned data centre capacity: 2,486 MW in Johor, 207 MW in Singapore (Fitch).","src":4},{"t":"Johor paused approvals of water-intensive Tier 1–2 data centres in November 2025; their evaporative-cooling water requests were deferred to 2027.","src":0},{"t":"Nongsa residents without piped water for three to six months; data centres supplied from a separate reservoir by dedicated pipeline.","src":5},{"t":"Nine Nongsa data centres projected to request 29 million litres a day in 2032, about 8.4% of Batam's supply; a 1.4 trillion rupiah repair request was rejected by the central government.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Planned capacity","v":"2,486 MW vs 207 MW","d":"Johor vs Singapore (Fitch, August 2026)"},{"k":"Projected data centre water request, Nongsa","v":"29 million litres a day","d":"Nine data centres, 2032; about 8.4% of Batam supply (Katadata)"},{"k":"Residents without piped water","v":"3–6 months","d":"Nongsa, Batam, as of October 2026 (The Star)"}]},"unknown":["Whether the shortage in Nongsa is caused by drought or by data centre demand: Batam's authority points to El Niño, and the coverage reviewed does not settle the attribution.","Unconfirmed: a demand of 440 MLD for data centres on Johor's water operator by 2035 (about 23% of 2023 demand) and a tariff of RM5.33 per cubic metre for data centres, which come of a report in The Vibes.","No ecological assessment of water withdrawals for the Johor or Batam data centres is cited in the sources.","No court case, penalty or ruling is reported in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the cited sources describe the protest of October 2026 and do not report a halt to Batam's data centre expansion. Johor paused approvals of water-intensive facilities in November 2025.","whoPaid":"Residents of Nongsa, who were reported without piped water for three to six months while the data centres were supplied through a dedicated line.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Nongsa residents blocked the road to a data centre park; Johor's pause on water-intensive approvals continued; no legal proceedings found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"bp-batam","says":"Attributes the water shortage to El Niño, according to the coverage reviewed.","when":"2025–2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"singapore-government","role":"Set the moratorium and quota on data centres"},{"id":"bp-batam","role":"Batam authority"},{"id":"singtel-nxera","role":"Data centre partnership in Batam"},{"id":"fitch","role":"Credit rating agency (capacity figures)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the water shortage in Nongsa caused by drought or by data centre demand?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"BP Batam","says":"Attributes the shortage to El Niño.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Star (Jakarta Post/ANN)","says":"Residents had no piped water for three to six months while data centres were supplied from a separate reservoir through a dedicated pipeline.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"planned_capacity_johor","value":2486,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Planned data centre capacity in Johor (Fitch)."},{"key":"planned_capacity_singapore","value":207,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Planned data centre capacity in Singapore (Fitch)."},{"key":"johor_share_of_state_electricity_2035","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2035,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Wood Mackenzie projection of data centres' share of Johor electricity demand."},{"key":"months_without_piped_water","value":"3–6","unit":"months","year":2026,"note":"Nongsa residents, as reported by The Star."},{"key":"water_request_2032","value":29000000,"unit":"litres per day","year":2032,"est":true,"note":"Nine Nongsa data centres, projection reported by Katadata; about 8.4% of Batam supply."},{"key":"repair_request_rejected","value":1.4,"unit":"trillion IDR","year":2025,"note":"Network repair request rejected by the central government (Katadata)."},{"key":"data_centre_demand_malaysia_2035","value":73,"unit":"TWh","year":2035,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Moody's projection."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Data centre capacity planned for Johor and Batam as Singapore limited its own, with reported water shortages in Batam's Nongsa area.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Nongsa residents, reported without piped water for three to six months","what":"Water supply","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Nongsa residents","what":"Reported water shortage; attribution disputed","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Johor (Malaysia), Batam and Nongsa (Indonesia), Singapore.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2019 to October 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Singapore's constraints on capacity steered growth to Malaysia, according to Fitch.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Planned capacity in Johor was reported at 2,486 MW against 207 MW in Singapore; in Batam, data centres were supplied from a separate reservoir by dedicated pipeline.","src":5}},"sources":[{"t":"[SPECIAL REPORT] How Johor deals with thirsty data centers","p":"W.Media","d":"2026-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://w.media/special-report-how-johor-deals-with-thirsty-data-centers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612050244/https://w.media/special-report-how-johor-deals-with-thirsty-data-centers/"},{"t":"Johor moves to curb high-water data centres amid environmental concerns","p":"The Vibes","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.thevibes.com/articles/lifestyle/119505/johor-moves-to-curb-high-water-data-centres-amid-environmental-concerns","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214034421/https://www.thevibes.com/articles/lifestyle/119505/johor-moves-to-curb-high-water-data-centres-amid-environmental-concerns"},{"t":"Data center-led demand growth will drive substantial investments in Malaysia's power sector: Moody's","p":"TechNode Global","d":"2026-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://technode.global/2026/09/17/data-center-led-demand-growth-will-drive-substantial-investments-in-malaysias-power-sector-moodys/"},{"t":"Johor DCs could account for 40 percent of state electricity demand by 2035: Wood Mackenzie report","p":"W.Media","d":"2026-06-23","type":"press","u":"https://w.media/johor-dcs-could-account-for-40-percent-of-state-electricity-demand-by-2035-wood-mackenzie-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710165924/https://w.media/johor-dcs-could-account-for-40-percent-of-state-electricity-demand-by-2035-wood-mackenzie-report/"},{"t":"Singapore's capacity constraints steer data center growth to Malaysia: Fitch","p":"TechNode Global","d":"2026-08-28","type":"press","u":"https://technode.global/2026/08/28/singapores-capacity-constraints-steer-data-center-growth-to-malaysia-fitch/"},{"t":"Batam residents protest data centre expansion as water shortages worsen","p":"The Star (Jakarta Post/ANN)","d":"2026-10-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/10/08/batam-residents-protest-data-centre-expansion-as-water-shortages-worsen","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261014155859/https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/10/08/batam-residents-protest-data-centre-expansion-as-water-shortages-worsen"},{"t":"A Digital Boom in a Thirsty City","p":"Katadata","d":"2025-2026","type":"investigative","u":"https://katadata.co.id/data-center-batam/en","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260704142952/https://katadata.co.id/data-center-batam/en"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Nine data centres at Nongsa, Batam, are projected to request 29 million litres of my water a day in 2032, about 8.4% of Batam's supply, Katadata reported.","src":[6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the water shortage in Nongsa caused by drought or by data centre demand?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the shortage in Nongsa is caused by drought or by data centre demand: Batam's authority points to El Niño, and the coverage reviewed does not settle the attribution.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a demand of 440 MLD for data centres on Johor's water operator by 2035 (about 23% of 2023 demand) and a tariff of RM5.33 per cubic metre for data centres, which come of a report in The Vibes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No ecological assessment of water withdrawals for the Johor or Batam data centres is cited in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case, penalty or ruling is reported in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"chennai-water-body-restoration-evictions-and-perumbakkam-res","title":"Chennai water-body restoration evictions and Perumbakkam resettlement","dek":"Since 2015, 19,817 families have been evicted from 83 settlements in Chennai, 95 per cent of them for water-body restoration. Of these, 12,045 families were resettled at Perumbakkam, which flooded six times in nine years.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":12.9,"lon":80.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Tamil Nadu (Chennai)","lat":12.9,"lon":80.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2024,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","protected-area","water"],"headline":{"label":"Families evicted from 83 settlements since 2015, 95% for water-body restoration","value":"19,817","note":"Citizen Matters, January 2024."},"happened":["Citizen Matters reported in January 2024 that since 2015 a total of 19,817 families had been evicted from 83 settlements in Chennai, and that 95 per cent of the evictions were for the restoration of water bodies. The state government of Tamil Nadu described the programme as water-body restoration and flood prevention.","Of the evicted families, 12,045 were resettled at Perumbakkam. The Caravan reported in 2016 that three resettlement sites in Chennai had been built on a flood plain, marsh and lake basin and were submerged in December 2015. Citizen Matters reported that Perumbakkam flooded six times in nine years (2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023) and that the settlement was nevertheless extended with 1,152 more homes.","SEJ (Undark) reported in August 2020 that of a first batch of 2,092 families from the banks of the Cooum river, 500 had moved to Perumbakkam, about 30 km away, and that 60,000 families had been relocated in the previous forty years.","No penalty or sanction is reported in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Evictions for water-body restoration begin; three resettlement sites submerged in December 2015"},{"y":2016,"t":"The Caravan reports resettlement sites built on flood plain, marsh and lake basin"},{"y":2018,"t":"Perumbakkam floods (also 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023)"},{"y":2020,"t":"SEJ (Undark): 500 of 2,092 families from the Cooum river moved about 30 km to Perumbakkam"},{"y":2024,"t":"Citizen Matters: 19,817 families evicted from 83 settlements since 2015; Perumbakkam extended by 1,152 homes"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The evictions were presented as 'restoration of water bodies' and flood prevention.","who":"Government of Tamil Nadu","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"19,817 families evicted from 83 settlements since 2015; 95% of evictions for water-body restoration.","src":0},{"t":"12,045 evicted families resettled at Perumbakkam, which flooded in 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023; extended by 1,152 homes.","src":0},{"t":"Three resettlement sites built on flood bed, marsh and lake basin, submerged in December 2015.","src":2},{"t":"500 of an initial 2,092 families from the Cooum river banks moved about 30 km to Perumbakkam; 60,000 families relocated over the previous forty years.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Families evicted since 2015","v":"19,817","d":"From 83 settlements; 95% for water-body restoration (Citizen Matters, 2024)"},{"k":"Years flooded at Perumbakkam","v":"6 in 9 years","d":"2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023"},{"k":"Homes added after the floods","v":"1,152","d":"Extension of the Perumbakkam settlement"}]},"unknown":["Who benefited from the land cleared by the evictions: the cited sources do not say.","No penalty is reported for the siting of resettlement housing in flood-prone areas."],"evidence":["no-court","displacement"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the settlement at Perumbakkam was extended with 1,152 homes after six floods.","whoPaid":"The evicted families, resettled at a site that flooded six times in nine years.","statusLine":"As of January 2024 (latest source reviewed): 19,817 families evicted since 2015; Perumbakkam extended by 1,152 homes; no penalty reported.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"tamil-nadu-government","says":"Describes the programme as restoration of water bodies and flood prevention.","when":"2015–2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"tamil-nadu-government","role":"State government; carried out the evictions"},{"id":"tn-urban-housing-board","role":"State urban housing board; resettlement housing"},{"id":"ircdu","role":"Civil society monitor (flood audit)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do the evictions protect families from flood risk?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Tamil Nadu","says":"The programme is water-body restoration and flood prevention.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Citizen Matters (flood audit report)","says":"Displaced families were placed in the path of floods; Perumbakkam flooded six times in nine years.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Caravan","says":"Three resettlement sites were built on a flood plain, marsh and lake basin and were submerged in December 2015.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"families_evicted","value":19817,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"From 83 settlements since 2015 (Citizen Matters)."},{"key":"eviction_share_restoration","value":95,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Share of evictions for water-body restoration."},{"key":"families_resettled_perumbakkam","value":12045,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"Evicted for restoration and resettled at Perumbakkam."},{"key":"homes_added_perumbakkam","value":1152,"unit":"homes","year":2024,"note":"Extension of the settlement despite flooding."},{"key":"flood_years","value":6,"unit":"floods in 9 years","year":2023,"note":"2015, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023."},{"key":"families_relocated_40_years","value":60000,"unit":"families","year":2020,"note":"Relocated in the previous forty years, as reported by SEJ (Undark)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Families evicted from riverside and lakeside settlements for water-body restoration were resettled at Perumbakkam, a site that flooded repeatedly.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"19,817 evicted families","what":"Homes and settlements","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"12,045 families resettled at Perumbakkam","what":"Repeated flooding of the resettlement site","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; resettlement at Perumbakkam.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2015; latest source January 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Restoration of water bodies and flood prevention, according to the state government.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Settlements on river and lake banks were cleared and the families moved to resettlement housing, 500 of an initial 2,092 Cooum families to Perumbakkam about 30 km away.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Marooned and abandoned: displaced families were put in the path of floods","p":"Citizen Matters","d":"2024-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://citizenmatters.in/flood-audit-report-of-ircduc/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003111850/https://citizenmatters.in/flood-audit-report-of-ircduc/"},{"t":"Sixty-Thousand Evictions in the Name of Environmentalism","p":"SEJ (Undark)","d":"2020-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.sej.org/node/36255","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151822/https://www.sej.org/headlines/india-sixty-thousand-evictions-name-environmentalism"},{"t":"Placing the Poor in the Flood Path","p":"The Caravan","d":"2016","type":"investigative","u":"https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/placing-the-poor-in-the-flood-pathpost-disaster-slum-resettlement-in-chennai","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419085638/https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/placing-the-poor-in-the-flood-pathpost-disaster-slum-resettlement-in-chennai"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Since 2015, 19,817 families were evicted from 83 settlements, 95% for restoring my water bodies; the Perumbakkam resettlement site flooded six times in nine years.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the evictions protect families from flood risk?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who benefited from the land cleared by the evictions: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty is reported for the siting of resettlement housing in flood-prone areas.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sveaskog-logging-of-old-forest-in-luokta-mavas-sami-reindeer","title":"Sveaskog logging of old forest in Luokta-Mávas Sámi reindeer land (Sweden)","dek":"Sveaskog, Sweden's state-owned forest company, wanted to fell about 700 hectares in the Luokta-Mávas reindeer grazing area; a Sámi representative said only 200 hectares had been agreed. A 2022 study found that old forest lost to felling does not show up in official forest statistics.","country":"Sweden","region":"Europe","lat":66.9,"lon":17.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":"Norrbotten (Luokta-Mávas)","lat":66.9,"lon":17.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":"Arjeplog (Maskaure)","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2021,"eventDate":"2021-06-03","instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Felling Sveaskog wanted vs felling agreed, Luokta-Mávas","value":"About 700 ha vs 200 ha","note":"As reported by The Local, 3 June 2021; the 200 ha figure is the Sámi representative's account."},"happened":["In 2021 The Local reported that Sveaskog, the Swedish state-owned forest company, wanted to fell about 700 hectares in the Luokta-Mávas reindeer grazing area in Norrbotten. Lars Anders Baer, a Sámi representative and head of the area, said that the parties had agreed on only 200 hectares and that 95 per cent of Sveaskog's land there was reindeer pasture.","Reindeer feed in winter on lichen, which grows in quantity only in old forest; clear-felling with soil scarification destroys it. The area of lichen-rich forest has fallen by 71 per cent since the mid-20th century, according to the cited sources.","Olof Johansson, Sveaskog's forest policy director, acknowledged that the company's methods had at times been 'quite rough', and said that under the law it could override Sámi objections but had chosen to return to the table.","In neighbouring Maskaure Sámi village (Arjeplog), Sveaskog's plans in 2020 covered the sale of 10,400 hectares (more than 2,000 hectares of it pasture) and felling of 400 hectares in 32 forests.","A 2022 Lund University study found that 19 per cent of felling in Sweden in 2003–2019 took place in forest never previously felled, and that unprotected old forest was lost at 1.4 per cent a year, with no official map of it. Under the FAO definition, felled and replanted land remains forest, so the loss does not appear in the statistics."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Sveaskog plans for Maskaure village: sale of 10,400 ha and felling of 400 ha in 32 forests"},{"y":2021,"t":"The Local reports Sveaskog wanted to fell about 700 ha in Luokta-Mávas; Sámi representative says 200 ha was agreed"},{"y":2022,"t":"Lund University study on conversion of old boreal forest to plantation"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Sweden reports that more than 70% of the country is forest and that the forest area is growing.","who":"Sweden's forest statistics","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sveaskog manages 3.1 million hectares of productive forest.","src":0},{"t":"Annual growth 120 million m³ against harvest of 90 million m³ (Sweden, 2019).","src":1},{"t":"19% of 2003–2019 felling in forest never previously felled; unprotected old forest lost at 1.4% a year; no official map (Lund University, 2022).","src":2},{"t":"Unprotected old forest: 1.8 million hectares, 8% of productive forest (2008–2023).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Felling wanted vs agreed","v":"About 700 ha vs 200 ha","d":"Luokta-Mávas, 2021 (The Local; agreed figure per Sámi representative)"},{"k":"Lichen-rich forest","v":"-71%","d":"Since the mid-20th century"},{"k":"Unprotected old forest lost","v":"1.4% a year","d":"2003–2019 (Lund University, 2022)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Baer's quoted remark that the Sámi had 'nowhere left to go', which comes and was not checked against the article.","How Sweden reports clear-cut areas to the FAO: not checked against a primary source.","The outcome of the 2021 felling plans at Luokta-Mávas is not on record.","No court case or ruling is reported in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the cited sources do not state whether the felling at Luokta-Mávas was reduced or stopped.","whoPaid":"Sámi reindeer herding communities, whose winter lichen grounds depend on old forest; the loss does not appear as a loss in forest statistics.","statusLine":"As of June 2021 (latest report reviewed): Sveaskog said it had chosen to return to the table; outcome not found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"sveaskog","says":"Forest policy director Olof Johansson acknowledged that methods had at times been 'quite rough', and said that under the law the company could override Sámi objections but had chosen to return to the table.","when":"June 2021","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"sveaskog","role":"State-owned forest company; planned felling"},{"id":"luokta-mavas-sameby","role":"Sámi reindeer herding area; represented by Lars Anders Baer"},{"id":"maskaure-sameby","role":"Neighbouring Sámi village"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much felling had been agreed in Luokta-Mávas?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Sveaskog","says":"Wanted to fell about 700 hectares; acknowledged that methods had at times been 'quite rough' and chose to return to the table.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Lars Anders Baer, Sámi representative and head of the area","says":"Only 200 hectares had been agreed; 95% of Sveaskog's land there was reindeer pasture.","src":0}]},{"point":"Is old forest being lost in Sweden?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Swedish forest statistics / FAO definition","says":"More than 70% of Sweden is forest and the area is growing; felled and replanted land counts as forest.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Lund University (2022)","says":"19% of 2003–2019 felling was in forest never previously felled; unprotected old forest is lost at 1.4% a year; no official map exists.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":700,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Felling Sveaskog wanted in Luokta-Mávas (The Local)."},{"key":"agreed_felling_ha","value":200,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Area the Sámi representative said had been agreed."},{"key":"pasture_share","value":95,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Share of Sveaskog's land in the area that is reindeer pasture, per Baer."},{"key":"lichen_forest_loss","value":71,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Fall in lichen-rich forest since the mid-20th century."},{"key":"old_forest_loss_rate","value":1.4,"unit":"% per year","year":2019,"note":"Unprotected old forest, Sweden, 2003–2019 (Lund University, 2022)."},{"key":"felling_in_old_forest","value":19,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Share of 2003–2019 felling in never-felled forest."},{"key":"unprotected_old_forest_ha","value":1800000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"8% of productive forest, 2008–2023."},{"key":"sveaskog_forest_ha","value":3100000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Productive forest managed by Sveaskog."},{"key":"maskaure_sale_ha","value":10400,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Planned sale, more than 2,000 ha of it pasture; 400 ha felling in 32 forests."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Planned felling of old forest by a state-owned company in a Sámi reindeer grazing area, with the loss not visible in official forest statistics.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sámi reindeer herders of Luokta-Mávas and Maskaure","what":"Winter lichen grounds in old forest","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Old boreal forest and its lichen","what":"Loss through clear-felling and soil scarification","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Luokta-Mávas reindeer grazing area, Norrbotten, and Maskaure village, Arjeplog, Sweden.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2020–2021; Lund University study 2022.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Timber production; Sveaskog's account of its reasons is not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Clear-felling with soil scarification, which destroys the lichen; under the FAO definition, felled and replanted land remains forest.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Never have I seen so few old trees around: what's happening to Sweden's forests?","p":"The Local (Anne Grietje Franssen)","d":"2021-06-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.thelocal.se/20210603/never-have-i-seen-so-few-old-trees-around-whats-happening-to-swedens-forests","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260226110145/https://www.thelocal.se/20210603/never-have-i-seen-so-few-old-trees-around-whats-happening-to-swedens-forests"},{"t":"Forest area in Sweden doubled in last 100 years","p":"Timber Online","d":"2019-01-08","u":"https://www.timber-online.net/log_wood/2019/01/forest-area-in-sweden-doubled-in-last-100-years.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Study uncovers widespread and ongoing clearcutting of Swedish old forests","p":"Lund University","d":"2022-11-09","u":"https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/study-uncovers-widespread-and-ongoing-clearcutting-swedish-old-forests","type":"academic"},{"t":"Sweden has vast 'old growth' forests - but they are being chopped down faster than the Amazon","p":"The Conversation","d":"2024-03-13","u":"https://theconversation.com/sweden-has-vast-old-growth-forests-but-they-are-being-chopped-down-faster-than-the-amazon-218753","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":["fsc-certified-logging-in-sami-territory"],"natureLead":{"t":"From 2003 to 2019, 19% of felling in my Swedish forest was in forest never previously felled, and unprotected old forest was lost at 1.4% a year (Lund University, 2022).","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much felling had been agreed in Luokta-Mávas?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is old forest being lost in Sweden?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Baer's quoted remark that the Sámi had 'nowhere left to go', which comes and was not checked against the article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How Sweden reports clear-cut areas to the FAO: not checked against a primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the 2021 felling plans at Luokta-Mávas is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case or ruling is reported in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"paraquat-bans-uk-production-for-export-and-chinese-exports","title":"Paraquat bans, UK production for export and Chinese exports","dek":"Switzerland banned paraquat in 1989 and the EU withdrew its approval in 2007, while paraquat continued to be made in the United Kingdom and exported. Brazil and Thailand also moved to restrict it in 2017–2019.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":53.65,"lon":-1.78,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"affected"}],"start":1989,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Paraquat exported from the United Kingdom in 2023","value":"2,771 t","note":"All of it went to the United States; the UK exported 8,489 t of banned active ingredients that year, 98% of it Syngenta's (Unearthed, December 2024)."},"happened":["Switzerland, where Syngenta has its headquarters, has banned paraquat since 1989. On 11 July 2007 the EU's Court of First Instance annulled the EU approval of paraquat in a case brought by Sweden and supported by Denmark, Austria and Finland. The court held that the approval process had not sufficiently examined the link with Parkinson's disease.","In September 2017 Brazil's health surveillance agency ANVISA banned paraquat with a three-year transition. According to Public Eye, Brazil was the largest consumer: Syngenta made more than half of its paraquat sales there and held 40% of a global market of about US$1 billion in 2016. The agriculture ministry and the farm caucus in the legislature pressed for the ban to be reversed.","Public Eye reported that UK authorities approved exports of more than 28,000 tonnes of paraquat mixtures in 2018. Unearthed reported that in 2023 the UK exported 8,489 tonnes of banned active ingredients, 98% of them Syngenta's, including 2,771 tonnes of paraquat, all sent to the United States, and that the UK had given no commitment to limit this trade. In October 2020 the Swiss Federal Council banned the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland, paraquat among them, from 2021; Public Eye said that because most of Syngenta's hazardous pesticides are made in the UK, China and the US, the ban does not directly cover that production.","In the United States the EPA's 2021 interim decision had found the evidence for a Parkinson's link insufficient, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation and others challenged it. On 17 January 2025 the EPA said it wanted to withdraw the decision and request more data; the challengers said they could not wait four more years. Use remained permitted in the US while the review continued. On 3 March 2026 Syngenta announced that it would end production of Gramoxone on 30 June 2026 and sales by 31 December 2026 at the latest.","Paraquat is banned in more than 70 countries. In Paraná, Brazil, poisonings from diquat, which partly replaced paraquat there, rose from 1–3 cases a year to 9 in 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":1989,"t":"Switzerland bans paraquat"},{"y":2007,"t":"EU Court of First Instance annuls the EU approval of paraquat (11 July)"},{"y":2017,"t":"ANVISA bans paraquat in Brazil with a three-year transition (September)"},{"y":2018,"t":"UK authorities approve export of more than 28,000 t of paraquat mixtures (Public Eye)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Swiss Federal Council bans export of five domestically banned pesticides from 2021 (October)"},{"y":2023,"t":"UK exports 8,489 t of banned active ingredients, including 2,771 t of paraquat, all to the US"},{"y":2025,"t":"EPA says it wants to withdraw its 2021 interim decision and request more data (17 January)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Syngenta announces end of Gramoxone production (30 June) and sales (31 December) (announced 3 March)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Syngenta announced it would end Gramoxone production on 30 June 2026 and sales by 31 December 2026 at the latest; the stated reason was competition.","who":"Syngenta, 3 March 2026","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"In 2023 the UK exported 8,489 tonnes of banned active ingredients, 98% of them Syngenta's; 2,771 tonnes of paraquat, all to the United States.","src":2},{"t":"The Swiss export ban of 2021 does not directly cover Syngenta production in the UK, China and the US, according to Public Eye.","src":3},{"t":"Diquat poisonings in Paraná, Brazil, rose from 1–3 cases a year to 9 in 2023.","src":2},{"t":"EU-wide, approved exports of pesticides banned for use in the EU were about 122,000 tonnes in 2024, up from 81,000 tonnes in 2018; 75% of destination countries were low- or middle-income (Public Eye, September 2025).","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2016","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Global paraquat market, 2016 (Syngenta share about 40%)","amount":1000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2016","note":"Figure from Public Eye (2017); Brazil accounted for more than half of Syngenta's paraquat sales."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Paraquat exported from the UK","v":"2,771 t","d":"2023; all to the United States (Unearthed)"},{"k":"Countries banning paraquat","v":"70+","d":"As stated in the cited sources"},{"k":"Environmental measurements","v":"None in sources","d":"The cited sources record human-health findings and trade volumes, not measurements in soil, water or wildlife"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: China banned domestic use of paraquat in 2016 while production for export continued; a market research firm put Chinese capacity at 105,000 tonnes a year in 2009, with more than 80% exported.","Unconfirmed: a reports of a WUFT report (April 2026) said China and South Korea ban paraquat at home and sell it to the United States, about 78 million pounds in one year, with Sinochem International among the exporters.","Unconfirmed: ChemChina bought Syngenta in 2017 for about US$43 billion, and ChemChina and Sinochem merged in 2021 under a holding linked to China's state asset regulator.","Unconfirmed: Brazil's ban took effect in September 2020 with stocks usable until July 2021; Thailand decided in 2019 to ban paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate, delayed two of the bans to June 2020 after a letter from a US Department of Agriculture official, and removed glyphosate from the ban.","Unconfirmed: Syngenta's Huddersfield (UK) plant would close with the Gramoxone exit and paraquat was under 1% of company sales; California's paraquat registration was cancelled in April 2026, with stocks sellable until 2028.","The cited sources record no ruling on the Michael J. Fox Foundation's challenge to the EPA's 2021 interim decision.","A source reviewed lists a 2021 US settlement in which Syngenta did not admit liability (US$187.5 million), without stating what claims it covered; it is not recorded here as part of this case."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Syngenta said production would end on 30 June 2026 and sales by 31 December 2026; other manufacturers' products and existing stocks are not covered by that announcement in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record poisonings among farmers in Paraná, Brazil, linked to diquat, the product that partly replaced paraquat; they record no compensation.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated item in the sources (Syngenta's March 2026 announcement): production due to end 30 June 2026 and sales by 31 December 2026; the EPA review of the Parkinson's evidence was under way.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Syngenta","says":"Announced it would end Gramoxone production on 30 June 2026 and sales by 31 December 2026 at the latest; the stated reason was competition.","when":"3 March 2026","src":null},{"actor":"UK government","says":"Had given no commitment to limit the trade in banned pesticides, according to Unearthed.","when":"2024","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"syngenta","role":"Producer; made paraquat for export in the UK"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; interim decision of 2021 and January 2025 announcement"},{"id":"anvisa","role":"Brazilian regulator that banned paraquat in 2017"},{"id":"swiss-federal-council","role":"Banned export of five pesticides from 2021"},{"id":"eu-general-court","role":"Annulled EU approval of paraquat in 2007"},{"id":"public-eye","role":"NGO; source of UK export, Brazil and Swiss figures"},{"id":"unearthed","role":"Investigative unit of Greenpeace UK; source of 2023 UK export figures"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does the Swiss export ban reach Syngenta's paraquat?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Swiss Federal Council","says":"Banned from 2021 the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland, including paraquat.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Public Eye","says":"Because most of Syngenta's hazardous pesticides are made in the UK, China and the US, the ban does not directly cover that production.","src":3}]},{"point":"Should Brazil's 2017 paraquat ban stand?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"ANVISA, Brazil","says":"Banned paraquat in September 2017 with a three-year transition.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Brazilian agriculture ministry and legislative farm caucus","says":"Pressed for the ban to be reversed.","src":4}]},{"point":"Is the evidence for a Parkinson's link sufficient to act on?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"EU Court of First Instance","says":"Held in 2007 that the approval process had not sufficiently examined the link with Parkinson's disease.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"US EPA","says":"Its 2021 interim decision found the evidence insufficient; on 17 January 2025 it said it wanted to withdraw that decision and request more data.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Michael J. Fox Foundation and others","says":"Challenged the 2021 decision; said they could not wait four more years.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Sweden v. EU approval of paraquat","forum":"Court of First Instance of the European Communities","country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","kind":"international","claimant":"Sweden (supported by Denmark, Austria, Finland)","defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":"2007-07-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court annulled the EU approval of paraquat, holding that the approval process had not sufficiently examined the link with Parkinson's disease.","src":0},{"title":"Michael J. Fox Foundation and others v. EPA (paraquat interim decision)","forum":"United States","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Michael J. Fox Foundation and others","defendant":"US Environmental Protection Agency","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The challengers contested the EPA's 2021 interim decision that found Parkinson's evidence insufficient. On 17 January 2025 the EPA said it wanted to withdraw the decision and request more data.","src":6},{"title":"Monsanto v. Durnell","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Durnell","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2026-06-25","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":1.25,"currency":"USD m","label":"Verdict reversed (as stated: USD 1.25 million)"},"summary":"By 7 to 2 the court held that the federal pesticide statute (FIFRA) bars state suits demanding a cancer warning that is absent from the EPA-approved label. The cited sources treat the ruling as relevant to pesticide suits generally; they do not say it was a paraquat case.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"paraquat_exported_tonnes","value":2771,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"UK paraquat exports in 2023, all to the United States (Unearthed)."},{"key":"banned_active_ingredients_exported_tonnes","value":8489,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"UK exports of banned active ingredients; 98% Syngenta's (Unearthed)."},{"key":"paraquat_export_approved_tonnes","value":28000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Paraquat mixtures approved for export by UK authorities in 2018 (Public Eye)."},{"key":"eu_banned_pesticide_export_approved_tonnes","value":122000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"EU-approved exports of pesticides banned for EU use; 81,000 tonnes in 2018; BASF the largest exporter at more than 33,000 tonnes; Brazil the second-largest recipient at about 15,000 tonnes (Public Eye, September 2025)."},{"key":"countries_banning_paraquat","value":70,"unit":"countries","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"As stated in the cited sources."},{"key":"diquat_poisonings_parana","value":9,"unit":"cases","year":2023,"note":"Up from 1–3 cases a year; Paraná, Brazil."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Paraquat, a herbicide banned in Switzerland and the EU, continued to be produced in the UK for export, and the sources report exports from China and the EU as well.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Syngenta","what":"Held about 40% of a global paraquat market of about US$1 billion in 2016 and made more than half of its paraquat sales in Brazil (Public Eye); 98% of the UK's banned-ingredient exports in 2023 were its products (Unearthed).","src":4}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers in Paraná, Brazil","what":"Diquat poisonings rose from 1–3 cases a year to 9 in 2023; one small farmer was reported to have suffered temporary paralysis in 2021 after exposure to a diquat-based product made in the UK.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Production in the UK; use in the United States and Brazil; bans in Switzerland, the EU and Brazil.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Swiss ban 1989; EU court ruling 2007; Brazilian ban 2017; UK export figures 2018 and 2023; Syngenta exit announced 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Public Eye and Unearthed attribute the trade to the fact that national bans cover domestic use and, in the Swiss case, do not directly cover production in other countries. Syngenta gave competition as the reason for ending Gramoxone.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Export approvals by UK authorities of paraquat mixtures; a Swiss export ban covering five pesticides from 2021.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"EU court reins in Syngenta: the beginning of the end for paraquat","p":"Public Eye","d":"2007-07-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511162702/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat"},{"t":"UK exports banned pesticide to developing countries","p":"Public Eye","d":"2018","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/uk-exports-banned-pesticide-to-developing-countries"},{"t":"Ultimate hypocrisy: UK exported 8,500 tonnes of banned pesticides","p":"Unearthed (Greenpeace)","d":"2024-12-08","type":"investigative","u":"https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2024/12/08/ultimate-hypocrisy-uk-exported-8500-tonnes-banned-pesticides/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606133405/https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2024/12/08/ultimate-hypocrisy-uk-exported-8500-tonnes-banned-pesticides/"},{"t":"The Federal Council bans the export of five pesticides banned in Switzerland","p":"Public Eye","d":"2020-10-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-federal-council-bans-the-export-of-five-pesticides-banned-in-switzerland","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260507183014/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/the-federal-council-bans-the-export-of-five-pesticides-banned-in-switzerland"},{"t":"Brazil bans paraquat and the agribusiness lobby is gearing up for action","p":"Public Eye","d":"2017-10-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/brazil-bans-paraquat-and-the-agribusiness-lobby-is-gearing-up-for-action","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130210837/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/news/detail/brazil-bans-paraquat-and-the-agribusiness-lobby-is-gearing-up-for-action/"},{"t":"Sharp rise in EU export trade in banned pesticides despite European Commission promises","p":"Public Eye","d":"2025-09-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/topics/pesticides/sharp-rise-in-eu-export-trade-in-banned-pesticides-despite-european-commission-promises","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913090526/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/topics/pesticides/sharp-rise-in-eu-export-trade-in-banned-pesticides-despite-european-commission-promises"},{"t":"EPA moves to withdraw decision on paraquat, delays report on risks","p":"The New Lede","d":"2025-01-18","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/01/epa-moves-to-withdraw-decision-on-paraquat-delays-report-on-risks/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251112053551/https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/01/epa-moves-to-withdraw-decision-on-paraquat-delays-report-on-risks/"},{"t":"Supreme Court Decides Monsanto v. Durnell","p":"Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath","d":"2026-06","u":"https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2026/6/supreme-court-decides-monsanto-v-durnell","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"banned-pesticide-export","related":["eu-banned-pesticide-exports","chlorpyrifos-dow-findings-eu-ban-and-exports-of-banned-pesti","paraquat-litigation"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does the Swiss export ban reach Syngenta's paraquat?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should Brazil's 2017 paraquat ban stand?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the evidence for a Parkinson's link sufficient to act on?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: China banned domestic use of paraquat in 2016 while production for export continued; a market research firm put Chinese capacity at 105,000 tonnes a year in 2009, with more than 80% exported.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a reports of a WUFT report (April 2026) said China and South Korea ban paraquat at home and sell it to the United States, about 78 million pounds in one year, with Sinochem International among the exporters.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ChemChina bought Syngenta in 2017 for about US$43 billion, and ChemChina and Sinochem merged in 2021 under a holding linked to China's state asset regulator.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Brazil's ban took effect in September 2020 with stocks usable until July 2021; Thailand decided in 2019 to ban paraquat, chlorpyrifos and glyphosate, delayed two of the bans to June 2020 after a letter from a US Department of Agriculture official, and removed glyphosate from the ban.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Syngenta's Huddersfield (UK) plant would close with the Gramoxone exit and paraquat was under 1% of company sales; California's paraquat registration was cancelled in April 2026, with stocks sellable until 2028.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no ruling on the Michael J. Fox Foundation's challenge to the EPA's 2021 interim decision.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A source reviewed lists a 2021 US settlement in which Syngenta did not admit liability (US$187.5 million), without stating what claims it covered; it is not recorded here as part of this case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who harmed: Farmers in Paraná, Brazil"]},{"id":"quebec-caribou-emergency-order-and-boreal-17-percent-target","title":"Québec caribou emergency order and the 17 percent protection target","dek":"In 2024 the Canadian federal government began an emergency-order process for three Québec caribou herds. The Québec Chief Forester estimated it would cut the allowable timber harvest by 4.1% province-wide; the Québec government opposed it.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":48.1,"lon":-77.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Québec","lat":48.1,"lon":-77.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Québec (Charlevoix)","lat":47.6,"lon":-70.5,"role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Reduction in allowable timber harvest from the proposed federal order, province-wide","value":"4.1%","note":"Québec Chief Forester analysis of 15 July 2024; 1.4 million cubic metres a year."},"happened":["In June 2024 the Canadian federal government began the process for an emergency order covering three caribou herds in Québec: Val-d'Or, Charlevoix and Pipmuacan. Animals in two of the herds were being kept in fenced enclosures: nine in Val-d'Or and 30 in Charlevoix.","On 15 July 2024 the Québec Chief Forester analysed the proposal. According to Noovo's report of 16 July 2024, the order would have reduced the allowable harvest by 1.4 million cubic metres a year, or 4.1% across the province: 790,400 cubic metres for Pipmuacan, 357,000 for Charlevoix and 245,900 for Val-d'Or.","The Québec government forecast the loss of at least 2,000 jobs and declined to take part in consultations.","The cited sources record no emergency order being issued. A July 2026 agreement between Ottawa and Québec was reported, but only (see unknown)."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Federal government begins emergency-order process for three Québec caribou herds (June); Chief Forester analysis (15 July); Québec forecasts at least 2,000 job losses"},{"y":2026,"t":"Noovo reported an Ottawa–Québec caribou agreement (July); no other source confirms it"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Chief Forester estimated the proposed order would reduce the allowable harvest by 1.4 million cubic metres a year, 4.1% province-wide.","src":0},{"t":"Allowable-harvest reductions by herd: Pipmuacan 790,400 m³, Charlevoix 357,000 m³, Val-d'Or 245,900 m³.","src":0},{"t":"Nine animals in Val-d'Or and 30 in Charlevoix were kept in fenced enclosures.","src":3},{"t":"Québec forecast at least 2,000 job losses and declined to take part in consultations.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"2024–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Allowable harvest cut proposed","v":"4.1%","d":"1.4 million m³ a year province-wide (Chief Forester, 15 July 2024)"},{"k":"Caribou held in fenced enclosures","v":"9 and 30","d":"Val-d'Or and Charlevoix herds"},{"k":"Emergency order issued","v":"None in sources","d":"The cited sources record no issued order"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources record no issued emergency order.","Unconfirmed: in July 2026 Ottawa and Québec reached an agreement closing the dispute, with Ottawa giving Québec 25 million dollars over five years and Indigenous communities 15 million dollars (currency not stated); the source is a secondary report.","Unconfirmed: in December 2020 the Québec government announced it had reached the 17% protection target by adding 257,000 square kilometres, mostly in the Grand Nord north of the 55th parallel; Noovo's report, environmental groups and Indigenous peoples' criticism of this, and Greenpeace's description of the target as reached at the last minute and of disputed reality, come.","Unconfirmed: in 2025 the Québec government introduced Bill 97 dividing the forest into three zones, and Atikamekw and Innu communities blocked logging roads; the bill was withdrawn in September 2025.","Unconfirmed: the Québec government described the federal intervention as unacceptable interference."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no issued emergency order and no change in allowable harvest.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who bore the cost of the outcome; Québec forecast at least 2,000 job losses from the proposed order.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: no emergency order on record; an Ottawa–Québec agreement was unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Government of Québec","says":"Forecast at least 2,000 job losses from the proposed federal order and declined to take part in consultations.","when":"2024","src":null},{"actor":"Government of Canada","says":"Began the emergency-order process for the Val-d'Or, Charlevoix and Pipmuacan herds in June 2024.","when":"June 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Began the emergency-order process"},{"id":"quebec-government","role":"Opposed the order; forecast job losses"},{"id":"quebec-chief-forester","role":"Analysed the order's effect on allowable harvest"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the federal emergency order go ahead for the three herds?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Canada","says":"Began the emergency-order process for the Val-d'Or, Charlevoix and Pipmuacan herds in June 2024.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Québec Chief Forester","says":"Estimated a cut of 1.4 million cubic metres a year in allowable harvest, 4.1% province-wide.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Québec","says":"Forecast at least 2,000 job losses and declined to take part in consultations.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"allowable_harvest_reduction_m3","value":1400000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2024,"note":"Proposed order, province-wide; 4.1% of the allowable harvest (Chief Forester, 15 July 2024)."},{"key":"allowable_harvest_reduction_pct","value":4.1,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Province-wide."},{"key":"allowable_harvest_reduction_pipmuacan_m3","value":790400,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2024,"note":"Pipmuacan herd."},{"key":"allowable_harvest_reduction_charlevoix_m3","value":357000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2024,"note":"Charlevoix herd."},{"key":"allowable_harvest_reduction_val_dor_m3","value":245900,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2024,"note":"Val-d'Or herd."},{"key":"caribou_fenced_val_dor","value":9,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"note":"Held in a fenced enclosure."},{"key":"caribou_fenced_charlevoix","value":30,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"note":"Held in a fenced enclosure."},{"key":"jobs_at_risk","value":2000,"unit":"jobs","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Québec's forecast of job losses from the proposed order."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A proposed federal emergency order to protect three Québec caribou herds, which the Québec Chief Forester estimated would cut the allowable harvest by 4.1% province-wide.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Forestry sector in Québec","what":"At least 2,000 jobs forecast lost by the Québec government if the order went ahead.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Val-d'Or and Charlevoix caribou herds","what":"Nine and 30 animals respectively were kept in fenced enclosures.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Val-d'Or, Charlevoix and Pipmuacan caribou ranges, Québec, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Process began June 2024; Chief Forester analysis 15 July 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The federal government began the process for three caribou herds; the Québec government cited forecast job losses in opposing it.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A federal emergency order process, assessed through its effect on the allowable harvest.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Le décret sur les caribous causerait une baisse de 4 % de la possibilité forestière","p":"Noovo","d":"2024-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.noovo.info/nouvelle/le-decret-sur-les-caribous-causerait-une-baisse-de-4-de-la-possibilite-forestiere.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251011141831/https://www.noovo.info/nouvelle/le-decret-sur-les-caribous-causerait-une-baisse-de-4-de-la-possibilite-forestiere.html"},{"t":"D'autres aires protégées seront annoncées dans le sud du Québec","p":"Noovo","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.noovo.info/nouvelle/dautres-aires-protegees-seront-annoncees-dans-le-sud-du-quebec.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250428185253/https://www.noovo.info/nouvelle/dautres-aires-protegees-seront-annoncees-dans-le-sud-du-quebec.html"},{"t":"Les écologistes sont divisés face à l'accord Québec-Ottawa sur les caribous","p":"Noovo","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.noovo.info/nouvelles/environnement/article/les-ecologistes-sont-divises-face-a-laccord-quebec-ottawa-sur-les-caribous/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151936/https://www.noovo.info/nouvelles/environnement/article/les-ecologistes-sont-divises-face-a-laccord-quebec-ottawa-sur-les-caribous/"},{"t":"Décret d'urgence visant à protéger l'habitat du caribou boréal au Québec","p":"Environment and Climate Change Canada (Government of Canada)","d":"2024-06-19","u":"https://www.canada.ca/fr/environnement-changement-climatique/nouvelles/2024/06/decret-durgence-visant-a-proteger-lhabitat-du-caribou-boreal-au-quebec.html","type":"official"},{"t":"Décret fédéral : Québec refuse de participer aux consultations sur le caribou","p":"Noovo Info (La Presse canadienne)","d":"2024-07-24","u":"https://www.noovo.info/nouvelle/decret-federal-quebec-refuse-de-participer-aux-consultations-sur-le-caribou.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2024, 9 of my caribou in Val-d'Or and 30 in Charlevoix were held in fenced enclosures; Québec's Chief Forester estimated the proposed federal order would cut the allowable harvest by 1.4 million cubic metres a year.","src":[0,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the federal emergency order go ahead for the three herds?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no issued emergency order.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in July 2026 Ottawa and Québec reached an agreement closing the dispute, with Ottawa giving Québec 25 million dollars over five years and Indigenous communities 15 million dollars (currency not stated); the source is a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in December 2020 the Québec government announced it had reached the 17% protection target by adding 257,000 square kilometres, mostly in the Grand Nord north of the 55th parallel; Noovo's report, environmental groups and Indigenous peoples' criticism of this, and Greenpeace's description of the target as reached at the last minute and of disputed reality, come.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2025 the Québec government introduced Bill 97 dividing the forest into three zones, and Atikamekw and Innu communities blocked logging roads; the bill was withdrawn in September 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Québec government described the federal intervention as unacceptable interference.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Forestry sector in Québec","No source link — Who harmed: Val-d'Or and Charlevoix caribou herds"]},{"id":"tassc-tozzi-and-milloy-tobacco-funded-sound-science-campaign","title":"TASSC, Tozzi and Milloy: a tobacco-funded 'sound science' campaign","dek":"The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC) was set up in 1993 by Philip Morris and the public relations firm APCO. Philip Morris also paid the consultant Jim Tozzi and the Weinberg Group.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":1993,"end":2003,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"TASSC spending in 1994","value":"about US$880,000","note":"About US$320,000 was spent in its first 24 weeks in 1993 (Ong and Glantz, 2001)."},"happened":["TASSC was founded in February 1993 by Philip Morris and the public relations firm APCO. According to Ong and Glantz (American Journal of Public Health, 2001), about US$320,000 was spent in its first 24 weeks and about US$880,000 in 1994, and more than 20,000 invitation letters were sent. Burson-Marsteller ran its European arm. Steve Milloy was its first director and later founded the website junkscience.com; Frederick Seitz and Fred Singer also served in it.","Philip Morris paid Jim Tozzi's organisation, Federal Focus, at least US$200,000 in 1993 and paid Tozzi US$40,000 a month, according to the same source.","The Chemical Manufacturers Association, now the American Chemistry Council, published the 'Good Epidemiology Practices' guideline in 1991. Philip Morris adapted it in 1993–94. A Philip Morris lawyer named the food, plastics, chemicals and packaging sectors as natural candidates for TASSC; the company's 1994 plan targeted food, chemicals, metals, cell phones and electrical, packaging, pharmaceuticals and forest/paper.","The Weinberg Group, a consultancy, received US$50,000 from Philip Morris in 1995 for secondary-smoke projects and US$250,000 in 1998 for a risk-management conference, and helped the tobacco lawyers' international programme of scientist consultants. In an April 2003 letter to DuPont about PFOA, the firm proposed expert panels and reports on 'junk science' and said DuPont should shape the debate at every level."],"timeline":[{"y":1991,"t":"Chemical Manufacturers Association publishes 'Good Epidemiology Practices'"},{"y":1993,"t":"TASSC founded by Philip Morris and APCO (February); Philip Morris pays Federal Focus and Tozzi"},{"y":1994,"t":"TASSC spends about US$880,000; Philip Morris plan targets food, chemicals, metals and other sectors"},{"y":1995,"t":"Philip Morris pays Weinberg Group US$50,000"},{"y":1998,"t":"Philip Morris pays Weinberg Group US$250,000 for a risk-management conference"},{"y":2003,"t":"Weinberg Group letter to DuPont on PFOA (April)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A coalition named for the advancement of sound science, which sent more than 20,000 invitation letters.","who":"TASSC, as described by Ong and Glantz (2001)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"TASSC was founded in February 1993 by Philip Morris and APCO.","src":0},{"t":"TASSC spent about US$320,000 in its first 24 weeks and about US$880,000 in 1994.","src":0},{"t":"Philip Morris paid Federal Focus at least US$200,000 in 1993 and Jim Tozzi US$40,000 a month.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1993–1998","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"TASSC spending, first 24 weeks","amount":0.32,"qualifier":"about","window":"1993","note":"Ong and Glantz (2001)."},{"label":"TASSC spending","amount":0.88,"qualifier":"about","window":"1994","note":"Ong and Glantz (2001)."},{"label":"Philip Morris payment to Federal Focus","amount":0.2,"qualifier":"at least","window":"1993","note":"Ong and Glantz (2001)."},{"label":"Philip Morris payments to Weinberg Group","amount":0.05,"window":"1995","note":"A further US$250,000 in 1998 for a risk-management conference."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["The full TASSC membership list is not on record; the claim that Dow, Exxon, 3M and Procter & Gamble were members is unconfirmed.","The names of the 11 corporate supporters of the 1997 Weinberg conference are not on record.","Unconfirmed: Milloy received US$180,000 in consulting payments from Philip Morris in 2000–2001 and US$40,000 from ExxonMobil in 2000–2003 for his organisations, and was named in the American Petroleum Institute's 1998 climate communications plan.","Unconfirmed: in 2000 Tozzi was among the architects of the Data Quality Act, and in 2002 he used it with Syngenta against the atrazine assessment.","Unconfirmed: Frederick Seitz directed a US$45 million R.J. Reynolds biomedical research programme in 1979–1985 and later became founding chairman of the George C. Marshall Institute.","Whether Hill & Knowlton also worked for the Chemical Manufacturers Association has not been established; the confirmed 1974 work was for a Plastics Industry committee on vinyl chloride.","No direct coordination document between Philip Morris's 1993 plan on the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the American Chemistry Council's 2017 campaign has been found; the similarity is in the method."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not state when TASSC ceased to operate.","whoPaid":"Philip Morris and APCO founded TASSC; the cited sources record Philip Morris's payments to Federal Focus, Tozzi and the Weinberg Group but do not itemise who paid TASSC's spending.","statusLine":"As of the cited sources (research dated October 2026): no court or regulatory finding about TASSC is recorded; the funding figures come from Ong and Glantz (2001).","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"philip-morris","role":"Co-founder of TASSC; paid Federal Focus, Tozzi and Weinberg Group"},{"id":"apco","role":"Public relations firm; co-founder of TASSC"},{"id":"tassc","role":"Coalition"},{"id":"federal-focus","role":"Tozzi's organisation; paid by Philip Morris"},{"id":"weinberg-group","role":"Consultancy; paid by Philip Morris; wrote to DuPont in 2003"},{"id":"burson-marsteller","role":"Ran TASSC's European arm"},{"id":"american-chemistry-council","role":"Successor to the Chemical Manufacturers Association, which published the 1991 guideline"},{"id":"dupont","role":"Recipient of the Weinberg Group's 2003 letter on PFOA"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"campaign_spending","value":0.32,"unit":"USD m","year":1993,"qualifier":"about","note":"TASSC spending in its first 24 weeks (Ong and Glantz, 2001)."},{"key":"campaign_spending","value":0.88,"unit":"USD m","year":1994,"qualifier":"about","note":"TASSC spending in 1994 (Ong and Glantz, 2001)."},{"key":"invitation_letters","value":20000,"unit":"letters","year":1993,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Sent by TASSC."},{"key":"payment_federal_focus","value":0.2,"unit":"USD m","year":1993,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Philip Morris to Federal Focus."},{"key":"payment_tozzi_monthly","value":0.04,"unit":"USD m per month","year":1993,"note":"Philip Morris to Jim Tozzi."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A coalition for 'sound science' founded by Philip Morris and a public relations firm, with associated payments to consultants.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Federal Focus and Jim Tozzi","what":"Received at least US$200,000 and US$40,000 a month respectively from Philip Morris in 1993.","src":0},{"who":"Weinberg Group","what":"Received US$50,000 in 1995 and US$250,000 in 1998 from Philip Morris.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, with a European arm run by Burson-Marsteller.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Founded February 1993; spending recorded for 1993 and 1994; payments 1995–1998; Weinberg letter April 2003.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources record Philip Morris's 1993–94 plan targeting food, chemicals, metals, cell phones and electrical, packaging, pharmaceuticals and forest/paper sectors.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a coalition run with a public relations firm, adaptation of the 'Good Epidemiology Practices' guideline, and paid consultants.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Ong EK, Glantz SA. Constructing 'sound science' and 'good epidemiology': tobacco, lawyers, and public relations firms","p":"American Journal of Public Health","d":"2001","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1446868","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003121854/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1446868/"},{"t":"Beyond Pesticides daily news archive, 2004 (on Tozzi and the Data Quality Act)","p":"Beyond Pesticides","d":"2004","type":"ngo","u":"https://beyondpesticides.org/archive/daily-news-archive/2004/file955","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250330013132/https://www.beyondpesticides.org/archive/daily-news-archive/2004/file955"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"front-group","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The full TASSC membership list is not on record; the claim that Dow, Exxon, 3M and Procter & Gamble were members is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The names of the 11 corporate supporters of the 1997 Weinberg conference are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Milloy received US$180,000 in consulting payments from Philip Morris in 2000–2001 and US$40,000 from ExxonMobil in 2000–2003 for his organisations, and was named in the American Petroleum Institute's 1998 climate communications plan.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2000 Tozzi was among the architects of the Data Quality Act, and in 2002 he used it with Syngenta against the atrazine assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Frederick Seitz directed a US$45 million R.J. Reynolds biomedical research programme in 1979–1985 and later became founding chairman of the George C. Marshall Institute.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Hill & Knowlton also worked for the Chemical Manufacturers Association has not been established; the confirmed 1974 work was for a Plastics Industry committee on vinyl chloride.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No direct coordination document between Philip Morris's 1993 plan on the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the American Chemistry Council's 2017 campaign has been found; the similarity is in the method.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Weinberg Group"]},{"id":"tobacco-groups-diversification-into-oil-food-shipping","title":"Tobacco groups' diversification into oil, food and shipping","dek":"Several large tobacco groups are reported to have owned oil, food, packaging and shipping businesses. The filings reviewed document the board roles of one Loews family member across insurance, pipeline and offshore-drilling companies.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.7,"lon":-74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Andrew H. Tisch, director of Boardwalk Pipelines general partner","value":"2005–2021","note":"As stated in Loews' 2024 proxy statement. Not an estimate."},"happened":["The question examined is whether tobacco manufacturers have also owned businesses in oil, food, packaging and shipping, and whether people connected to them sit on the boards of other sectors. Most of the corporate ownership histories that bear on this (R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris/Altria, Loews, ITC) come from secondary summaries and are listed as unconfirmed rather than stated as fact.","The filings reviewed document one chain. Loews' 2024 proxy statement describes Andrew H. Tisch as Loews Co-Chairman; its 2026 proxy describes him as director emeritus. The same material records him as a director of the Boardwalk Pipelines general partner from 2005 until 2021 and of Diamond Offshore from 2011 until 2020, and as a director of the insurer CNA. A CNA registration statement filed on 7 May 2026 is signed by him as a director.","The same filings list Andrew H. Tisch as a trustee of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). His August 2026 Form 4 for Loews shows him as neither a director nor an officer of Loews. A pipeline operator, an offshore driller and an insurer therefore appear in the cited sources of a conservation organisation's trustee, but the cited sources say nothing about any decision of the trustee or the organisation connected to these roles."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Andrew H. Tisch becomes a director of the Boardwalk Pipelines general partner (Loews 2024 proxy)."},{"y":2011,"t":"Becomes a director of Diamond Offshore (Loews 2024 proxy)."},{"y":2020,"t":"Diamond Offshore directorship ends (Loews 2024 proxy)."},{"y":2021,"t":"Boardwalk Pipelines general partner directorship ends (Loews 2024 proxy)."},{"y":2026,"t":"Signs a CNA registration statement (S-8, 7 May 2026) as a director; Loews 2026 proxy describes him as director emeritus."}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Loews 2024 proxy: Co-Chairman of Loews; Boardwalk Pipelines general partner director 2005 until 2021; Diamond Offshore director 2011 until 2020.","src":0},{"t":"CNA S-8 of 7 May 2026: signed by Andrew H. Tisch as director.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: R.J. Reynolds bought the container shipper Sea-Land in 1969, entered oil with American Independent Oil Company in 1970, renamed itself R.J. Reynolds Industries, and bought Burmah Oil and Gas in 1976 and Del Monte in 1979 (NCpedia).","Unconfirmed: Philip Morris bought General Foods in 1985, Kraft in 1988 (about US$12.9bn) and Nabisco in 2000; Altria distributed its 88.9% Kraft stake to shareholders in 2007 (Globe and Mail and Food Processing, via a secondary report).","Unconfirmed: Loews held the cigarette maker Lorillard, Diamond Offshore and Boardwalk Pipelines under one holding company, and holds 53% of the packaging company Altium Packaging today (Loews 10-K 2004).","Unconfirmed: ITC (India) drew about 43% of revenue and 84% of earnings before interest and tax from cigarettes in 2025 while selling soap and personal-care brands; BAT's stake fell to 22.9% in May 2025.","No source reviewed states a public response from Loews, CNA, Boardwalk Pipelines, Diamond Offshore or the Wildlife Conservation Society on these roles."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: board roles of one Loews family member are documented in SEC filings; corporate ownership histories of the tobacco groups remain unconfirmed.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"loews","role":"Holding company; Co-Chairman role documented (2024 proxy)"},{"id":"cna-financial","role":"Insurer; director role documented"},{"id":"boardwalk-pipelines","role":"Natural gas pipeline company; general partner board"},{"id":"diamond-offshore","role":"Offshore drilling company"},{"id":"wcs","role":"Conservation organisation; trustee role documented"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"kraft_acquisition_price","value":12.9,"unit":"USD bn","year":1988,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Philip Morris purchase of Kraft; search-summary source, not independently verified."},{"key":"kraft_stake_distributed","value":88.9,"unit":"%","year":2007,"unverified":true,"note":"Altria's Kraft stake distributed to shareholders; search-summary source."},{"key":"altium_stake","value":53,"unit":"%","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Loews' holding in Altium Packaging; search-summary source."},{"key":"cigarette_share_of_revenue","value":43,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"ITC; search-summary source."},{"key":"cigarette_share_of_ebit","value":84,"unit":"%","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"ITC, earnings before interest and tax; search-summary source."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tobacco groups are reported to have owned oil, food, packaging and shipping businesses. The filings reviewed document the pipeline, offshore-drilling and insurance directorships of one Loews family member.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (Loews, CNA, Boardwalk Pipelines, Diamond Offshore); India (ITC) appears only in unconfirmed reports.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Directorships documented from 2005 to 2021 (Boardwalk), 2011 to 2020 (Diamond Offshore) and 2026 (CNA S-8).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give no stated reason for the diversifications.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through ownership under holding companies and through board seats, as described in proxy statements and registration filings.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Loews Corporation 2024 proxy statement (DEF 14A)","p":"SEC EDGAR","d":"2024","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/60086/000114036124017458/ny20018674x1_def14a.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260110025457/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/60086/000114036124017458/ny20018674x1_def14a.htm"},{"t":"CNA Financial Form S-8","p":"SEC EDGAR","d":"2026-05-07","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/21175/000110465926057223/tm2613452d1_s8.htm"},{"t":"R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company","p":"NCpedia","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.ncpedia.org/r-j-reynolds-tobacco-company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902110803/https://www.ncpedia.org/r-j-reynolds-tobacco-company"},{"t":"Altria to spin off its stake in Kraft","p":"Food Processing","d":"2007","type":"press","u":"https://www.foodprocessing.com/home/news/11342767/food-industry-news-altria-to-spin-off-its-stake-in-kraft-this-month-food-processing","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124000242/https://www.foodprocessing.com/home/news/11342767/food-industry-news-altria-to-spin-off-its-stake-in-kraft-this-month-food-processing"},{"t":"Loews Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal year 2008","p":"Loews Corporation (SEC EDGAR)","d":"2009","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000060086/000006008609000008/form10k.htm","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"corporate-diversification","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Kraft acquisition price: Philip Morris purchase of Kraft; search-summary source, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Kraft stake distributed: Altria's Kraft stake distributed to shareholders; search-summary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Altium stake: Loews' holding in Altium Packaging; search-summary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Cigarette share of revenue: ITC; search-summary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Cigarette share of ebit: ITC, earnings before interest and tax; search-summary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: R.J. Reynolds bought the container shipper Sea-Land in 1969, entered oil with American Independent Oil Company in 1970, renamed itself R.J. Reynolds Industries, and bought Burmah Oil and Gas in 1976 and Del Monte in 1979 (NCpedia).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Philip Morris bought General Foods in 1985, Kraft in 1988 (about US$12.9bn) and Nabisco in 2000; Altria distributed its 88.9% Kraft stake to shareholders in 2007 (Globe and Mail and Food Processing, via a secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Loews held the cigarette maker Lorillard, Diamond Offshore and Boardwalk Pipelines under one holding company, and holds 53% of the packaging company Altium Packaging today (Loews 10-K 2004).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ITC (India) drew about 43% of revenue and 84% of earnings before interest and tax from cigarettes in 2025 while selling soap and personal-care brands; BAT's stake fell to 22.9% in May 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states a public response from Loews, CNA, Boardwalk Pipelines, Diamond Offshore or the Wildlife Conservation Society on these roles.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"spiber-collapse-and-restructuring","title":"Spiber collapse and restructuring","dek":"A Japanese maker of fermentation-derived protein fibres, reported to have raised more than 100 billion yen, entered private restructuring in December 2025 after reporting 414 million yen of revenue for 2024. A state-backed fund that had invested about 14 billion yen exited in June 2026.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":38.7,"lon":139.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Iowa","role":"affected"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Revenue 2024 against reported total capital","value":"¥414m vs more than ¥100bn","note":"Revenue from Tokyo Shoko Research; capital from Business Insider Japan. Not an estimate."},"happened":["Spiber is a Japanese company that makes protein fibres by microbial fermentation and was known for an artificial spider-silk material called QMONOS. According to Business Insider Japan, its total capital raised exceeded 100 billion yen.","According to Tokyo Shoko Research (TSR), Spiber's revenue was 414 million yen in 2024 and 177 million yen in 2025. Net loss was 29.5 billion yen in 2024 and 43.8 billion yen in 2025. At the end of 2025 equity was minus 28.1 billion yen and liabilities exceeded assets by about 30 billion yen. A United States plant investment in Iowa, with ADM, did not go as planned because of the pandemic, a weak yen and raw-material costs.","A loan of 35 billion yen fell due on 28 December 2025 and was not repaid. The company entered what the sources call a rule-based private restructuring. The business was transferred to a company of Maya Kawana for about 5 billion yen, plus about 10 billion yen of working capital. Shareholders approved the plan on 25 March 2026. The former company is to liquidate its assets and enter private liquidation about two years later.","The state-backed Cool Japan Fund had invested about 14 billion yen in Spiber. Kyodo reported on 24 June 2026 that the fund's accumulated loss had reached 54 billion yen. FashionSnap reported in August 2026 that the fund transferred all its Spiber shares to the founder in June 2026, with the price not disclosed. A question in the Japanese parliament in May 2026 about whether the 14 billion yen had been lost entirely did not receive a direct answer from the government."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Revenue 414 million yen; net loss 29.5 billion yen (TSR)."},{"y":2025,"t":"Revenue 177 million yen; net loss 43.8 billion yen; 35 billion yen loan due 28 December not repaid; private restructuring begins."},{"y":2026,"t":"Shareholders approve the transfer plan (25 March); parliamentary question on the Cool Japan Fund investment (May); Cool Japan Fund transfers its shares to the founder (June); Kyodo reports the fund's accumulated loss at 54 billion yen (24 June)."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Said the company's strengths had been discussed mostly only in a sustainability context (paraphrase).","who":"Maya Kawana, whose company took over the business","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Revenue 414 million yen (2024) and 177 million yen (2025); net loss 29.5 billion yen and 43.8 billion yen; equity minus 28.1 billion yen at the end of 2025.","src":0},{"t":"35 billion yen loan due 28 December 2025 unpaid; business transferred for about 5 billion yen plus about 10 billion yen working capital; shareholders approved on 25 March 2026.","src":1},{"t":"Cool Japan Fund: about 14 billion yen invested; accumulated loss 54 billion yen.","src":2},{"t":"Cool Japan Fund transferred all its shares to the founder in June 2026; price not disclosed.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"2024–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Revenue, 2024","v":"¥414m","d":"Against reported total capital above ¥100bn (TSR; Business Insider Japan)"},{"k":"Net loss, 2025","v":"¥43.8bn","d":"Tokyo Shoko Research"},{"k":"Cool Japan Fund accumulated loss","v":"¥54bn","d":"Kyodo, 24 June 2026; fund had invested about ¥14bn in Spiber"}]},"unknown":["Actual production tonnage, the amount spent on the United States plant, and the fate of employees: none on record.","The price at which the Cool Japan Fund transferred its shares: not disclosed.","Unconfirmed: Spiber was founded in 2007 in Tsuruoka by Kazuhide Sekiyama; in 2013 it set up a pilot plant with Kojima Press with capacity of 100 kg a month.","Unconfirmed: Spiber raised 25 billion yen in January 2021 and 34.4 billion yen in September 2021, the latter including Carlyle and the Cool Japan Fund.","Unconfirmed: a limited run of 50 'Moon Parka' garments with Goldwin went on sale in December 2019, marketed as 'Brewed Protein' rather than spider silk."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the cited sources record a financial collapse, not environmental harm.","whoPaid":"The Cool Japan Fund (state-backed) recorded an accumulated loss of 54 billion yen, and the lenders of a 35 billion yen loan were not repaid on its due date.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the business has been transferred to a new owner, shareholders approved the plan on 25 March 2026, and the Cool Japan Fund exited in June 2026; the former company is to enter private liquidation about two years after approval.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"Maya Kawana (acquirer)","says":"Said the company's strengths had been discussed mostly only in a sustainability context (paraphrase).","when":"2025–2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"spiber","role":"Company; fibre maker that entered private restructuring"},{"id":"cool-japan-fund","role":"State-backed investor, about 14 billion yen invested"},{"id":"kawana-company","role":"Acquirer of the business"},{"id":"carlyle","role":"Investor in the 2021 round (reported; no other source confirms it)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the Cool Japan Fund's investment in Spiber lost?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kyodo","says":"The fund's accumulated loss reached 54 billion yen; the fund had put about 14 billion yen into Spiber.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"FashionSnap","says":"The fund transferred all its Spiber shares to the founder in June 2026; the price was not disclosed.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Japan","says":"Did not answer directly when asked in parliament in May 2026 whether the 14 billion yen had been lost entirely.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":414,"unit":"JPY m","year":2024,"note":"Tokyo Shoko Research."},{"key":"revenue","value":177,"unit":"JPY m","year":2025,"note":"Tokyo Shoko Research."},{"key":"net_loss","value":29.5,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2024,"note":"Tokyo Shoko Research."},{"key":"net_loss","value":43.8,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2025,"note":"Tokyo Shoko Research."},{"key":"equity","value":-28.1,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2025,"note":"End of 2025; liabilities exceeded assets by about 30 billion yen."},{"key":"capital_raised","value":100,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Total capital, per Business Insider Japan."},{"key":"loan_due","value":35,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2025,"note":"Loan due 28 December 2025, not repaid."},{"key":"transfer_price","value":5,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Plus about 10 billion yen of working capital."},{"key":"investment","value":14,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cool Japan Fund investment in Spiber."},{"key":"fund_accumulated_loss","value":54,"unit":"JPY bn","year":2026,"note":"Cool Japan Fund, per Kyodo, 24 June 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fermentation-based protein-fibre company with reported capital above 100 billion yen entered private restructuring after unpaid debt, and its business was transferred to a new owner.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Maya Kawana's company","what":"Took over the business for about 5 billion yen plus about 10 billion yen of working capital.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Cool Japan Fund","what":"About 14 billion yen invested; accumulated loss of the fund 54 billion yen.","src":2},{"who":"Lenders on the 35 billion yen loan","what":"The loan fell due on 28 December 2025 and was not repaid.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Japan; a plant investment in Iowa, United States, with ADM.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Loan default 28 December 2025; shareholder approval 25 March 2026; fund exit June 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The sources attribute the difficulty to the United States plant investment, hit by the pandemic, a weak yen and raw-material costs, and to revenue far below the capital raised.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a rule-based private restructuring: transfer of the business to a new company, followed by planned private liquidation of the former company.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Spiber financial results and restructuring","p":"Tokyo Shoko Research","d":"","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.tsr-net.co.jp/data/detail/1202684_1527.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260812060517/https://www.tsr-net.co.jp/data/detail/1202684_1527.html"},{"t":"Spiber private restructuring","p":"Business Insider Japan","d":"2026-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsider.jp/article/2603-spiber-out-of-court-workout/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260906083043/https://www.businessinsider.jp/article/2603-spiber-out-of-court-workout/"},{"t":"Cool Japan Fund loss and Spiber investment (via OANDA Japan)","p":"Kyodo","d":"2026-06-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.oanda.jp/lab-education/market_news/kn_2026062401001644/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152052/https://www.oanda.jp/lab-education/market_news/kn_2026062401001644/"},{"t":"Cool Japan Fund restructuring","p":"FashionSnap","d":"2026-08-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.fashionsnap.com/article/2026-08-20/cool-japan-fund-restructuring/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001101656/https://www.fashionsnap.com/article/2026-08-20/cool-japan-fund-restructuring/"},{"t":"Spiber funding round, September 2021","p":"The Bridge","d":"2021-09","type":"press","u":"https://thebridge.jp/en/2021/09/spiber-jpy34-4b-funding","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240229075433/https://thebridge.jp/en/2021/09/spiber-jpy34-4b-funding"},{"t":"Moon Parka announcement","p":"Goldwin","d":"2019-12","type":"company","u":"https://about.goldwin.co.jp/eng/news/page-10045","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250619011056/https://about.goldwin.co.jp/eng/news/page-10045"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"venture-funding","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Cool Japan Fund's investment in Spiber lost?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Japan: Did not answer directly when asked in parliament in May 2026 whether the 14 billion yen had been lost entirely.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Actual production tonnage, the amount spent on the United States plant, and the fate of employees: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The price at which the Cool Japan Fund transferred its shares: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Spiber was founded in 2007 in Tsuruoka by Kazuhide Sekiyama; in 2013 it set up a pilot plant with Kojima Press with capacity of 100 kg a month.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Spiber raised 25 billion yen in January 2021 and 34.4 billion yen in September 2021, the latter including Carlyle and the Cool Japan Fund.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a limited run of 50 'Moon Parka' garments with Goldwin went on sale in December 2019, marketed as 'Brewed Protein' rather than spider silk.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"whale-oil-kerosene-and-the-1986-whaling-moratorium","title":"Whale oil, kerosene and the 1986 whaling moratorium","dek":"A widely repeated account says kerosene replaced whale oil and saved the whales. Reported research puts the large-whale kill at about 2.9 million in the twentieth century, after kerosene was widespread, and ties the end of most commercial whaling to the international ban in effect from 1986.","country":"International","region":"Global","lat":-60,"lon":0,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"International","iso2":"XX","role":"event"}],"start":1859,"end":2022,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Large whales killed by industrial whaling, 1900–1999","value":"about 2.9 million","note":"Rocha, Clapham and Ivashchenko (2014), as reported by NBC News; authors and outside experts say the figure is probably low."},"happened":["Kerosene became widely used after 1859 and displaced whale oil in lighting. A common account holds that this petroleum product saved the whales. The cited sources report that the large-scale killing took place later.","According to Rocha, Clapham and Ivashchenko (2014), as reported by NBC News, industrial-scale whaling killed about 2.9 million large whales between 1900 and 1999. The most-hunted species were the fin whale (about 874,000) and the sperm whale (about 761,000). More than 469,000 whales were killed in the Southern Hemisphere alone in the 1950s. The authors and outside experts said the total was probably low because Soviet catches had been under-reported for years.","NBC reported that the international whaling moratorium in effect from 1986 largely ended commercial whaling, and that about 7,170 whales were killed in the 1990s.","Population recoveries have been recorded for some species. In August 2008 the IUCN moved the humpback whale from Vulnerable to Least Concern, linking the change to protection from commercial hunting; two subpopulations remained endangered. In the western South Atlantic the estimate rose from about 440 whales in the late 1950s to about 25,000, which is 93% of the pre-whaling population. In 2019 IMF economists calculated a value of more than US$2 million per whale; authors of the papers cited in that calculation wrote in 2022 that it lacked scientific basis."],"timeline":[{"y":1859,"t":"Kerosene begins to spread as a lighting fuel (the cited sources give no more precise date)."},{"y":1900,"t":"Industrial-scale whaling of large whales, about 2.9 million killed by 1999 (Rocha et al. 2014)."},{"y":1986,"t":"International whaling moratorium takes effect."},{"y":1990,"t":"About 7,170 whales killed in the 1990s (NBC)."},{"y":2008,"t":"IUCN moves the humpback whale from Vulnerable to Least Concern."},{"y":2019,"t":"IMF economists put the value of a whale at more than US$2 million."},{"y":2022,"t":"Authors of the papers cited write that the valuation lacks scientific basis."}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"That petroleum products such as kerosene saved the whales (a widely repeated account, no single speaker named).","who":"Common account","src":null},{"t":"That a whale is worth more than US$2 million.","who":"IMF economists, 2019","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 2.9 million large whales killed 1900–1999; probably an undercount because of under-reported Soviet catches.","src":0},{"t":"About 7,170 whales killed in the 1990s, after the 1986 moratorium.","src":0},{"t":"Population recovery has been measured for the western South Atlantic humpback whale.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Large whales killed, 1900–1999","v":"about 2.9m","d":"Rocha et al. 2014, via NBC News; likely low"},{"k":"Whales killed in the 1990s","v":"about 7,170","d":"NBC News, after the 1986 moratorium"},{"k":"Western South Atlantic humpback whales","v":"about 440 to about 25,000","d":"From the late 1950s to now; 93% of the pre-whaling population"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Catch counts and population estimates in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"Between 1900 and 1999 industrial whaling killed about 2.9 million of my large whales, mostly fin whales and sperm whales.","src":0},{"t":"In the 1950s alone, more than 469,000 of my whales were killed in the Southern Hemisphere.","src":0},{"t":"In the western South Atlantic my humpback whales fell to about 440 and are now about 25,000, which is 93% of their number before whaling.","src":3}]},"unknown":["The carbon value of a whale has not been measured; the population recovery of the humpback whale has.","No primary source was found for the claim that 84% of world whale oil went into margarine in 1935.","Unconfirmed: Richard York (2017, Socius) found that most whale killing came after the 1859 oil boom, in the twentieth century and especially after the Second World War.","Unconfirmed: petroleum-powered catcher ships made fast species such as the blue whale and fin whale catchable, with about 30,000 blue whales killed in the 1930-31 season.","Unconfirmed: from 1911 whale oil entered margarine through hydrogenation, and Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie merged in 1929 to form Unilever.","Unconfirmed: the International Whaling Commission adopted the moratorium on 23 July 1982 by 25 votes to 7 with 5 abstentions; Japan, Norway, Peru and the Soviet Union objected formally; Japan, Norway and Iceland killed more than 44,000 whales between 1986 and 2024.","Unconfirmed: Soviet fleets killed 48,702 humpback whales in 1947-1973 and reported 2,710; North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% in 2012-2021 after a marine heat wave."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Commercial whaling largely stopped after the moratorium in effect from 1986; about 7,170 whales were killed in the 1990s according to NBC. Some populations have recovered and others have not.","whoPaid":"The whale populations; the cited sources report that the whaling sector lost its earnings after the ban.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (2022 reference): no court ruling is on record; the record concerns what ended the large-scale killing of whales.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"iucn","role":"Assessed the humpback whale (2008)"},{"id":"imf","role":"Economists' 2019 valuation of a whale"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What ended the large-scale killing of whales: replacement of whale oil by petroleum products, or the ban?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Common account (no single holder named)","says":"Kerosene replaced whale oil and saved the whales.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Rocha, Clapham and Ivashchenko (2014), as reported by NBC News","says":"Industrial whaling killed about 2.9 million large whales in the twentieth century; the international ban in effect from 1986 largely ended commercial whaling.","src":0}]},{"point":"Is a whale worth more than US$2 million?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IMF economists (2019)","says":"Calculated a value of more than US$2 million per whale.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Authors of the papers cited in the IMF calculation (2022)","says":"Wrote that the valuation lacks scientific basis.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"whales_killed","value":2900000,"unit":"whales","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"Large whales killed by industrial whaling 1900–1999; probably low (Rocha et al. 2014, via NBC)."},{"key":"fin_whales_killed","value":874000,"unit":"whales","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"1900–1999 (Rocha et al. 2014, via NBC)."},{"key":"sperm_whales_killed","value":761000,"unit":"whales","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"1900–1999 (Rocha et al. 2014, via NBC)."},{"key":"whales_killed","value":469000,"unit":"whales","year":1959,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Southern Hemisphere only, in the 1950s."},{"key":"whales_killed","value":7170,"unit":"whales","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"In the 1990s, after the 1986 moratorium (NBC)."},{"key":"humpback_population","value":25000,"unit":"whales","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Western South Atlantic; from about 440 in the late 1950s; 93% of the pre-whaling population."},{"key":"whale_value","value":2,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"IMF economists' per-whale valuation; authors of cited papers disputed its basis in 2022."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Large-scale killing of whales continued through the twentieth century, after kerosene was widespread, and largely ended after the international moratorium in effect from 1986.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Whaling sector","what":"Reported to have lost its earnings after the ban.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Large whales","what":"About 2.9 million killed in 1900–1999.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Global; the Southern Hemisphere accounts for more than 469,000 kills in the 1950s.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Kerosene from 1859; industrial whaling 1900–1999; moratorium in effect from 1986.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Commercial demand for whale oil and products is given as the driver; the 'saved by kerosene' account is disputed.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Industrial whaling with petroleum-powered fleets, ended largely by an international ban rather than by replacement of the product.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"3 million whales were killed in the 20th century: report (Rocha, Clapham and Ivashchenko, 2014)","p":"NBC News","d":"2015","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/3-million-whales-were-killed-20th-century-report-n322961","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907095304/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/3-million-whales-were-killed-20th-century-report-n322961"},{"t":"World's whaling slaughter tallied at 3 million","p":"Scientific American","d":"2014","type":"press","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/world-s-whaling-slaughter-tallied-at-3-million","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260919183854/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/world-s-whaling-slaughter-tallied-at-3-million/"},{"t":"AWI and the history of animal welfare (campaign background)","p":"Animal Welfare Institute","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://awionline.org/about-us/awi-celebrating-75-years/awi-and-history-of-animal-welfare/"},{"t":"From 440 to 25,000: One Humpback Whale Population's Amazing Recovery","p":"Discover Magazine","d":"2019-10-17","u":"https://discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/from-440-to-25-000-one-humpback-whale-populations-amazing-recovery","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"whaling-moratorium","related":["whaling-after-the-moratorium","save-the-whales-campaign-and-iwc-whaling-moratorium"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What ended the large-scale killing of whales: replacement of whale oil by petroleum products, or the ban?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is a whale worth more than US$2 million?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The carbon value of a whale has not been measured; the population recovery of the humpback whale has.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No primary source was found for the claim that 84% of world whale oil went into margarine in 1935.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Richard York (2017, Socius) found that most whale killing came after the 1859 oil boom, in the twentieth century and especially after the Second World War.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: petroleum-powered catcher ships made fast species such as the blue whale and fin whale catchable, with about 30,000 blue whales killed in the 1930-31 season.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: from 1911 whale oil entered margarine through hydrogenation, and Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie merged in 1929 to form Unilever.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the International Whaling Commission adopted the moratorium on 23 July 1982 by 25 votes to 7 with 5 abstentions; Japan, Norway, Peru and the Soviet Union objected formally; Japan, Norway and Iceland killed more than 44,000 whales between 1986 and 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Soviet fleets killed 48,702 humpback whales in 1947-1973 and reported 2,710; North Pacific humpbacks fell about 20% in 2012-2021 after a marine heat wave.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Whaling sector"]},{"id":"agra-funded-by-gates-and-rockefeller","title":"AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa)","dek":"AGRA was set up in 2006 by the Gates and Rockefeller foundations to double the yields and incomes of 30 million households by 2020. A 2021 evaluation commissioned by the Gates Foundation said it did not meet its headline goal; reports on hunger and yields in its focus countries give conflicting figures.","country":"Africa (13 focus countries)","region":"Africa","lat":1,"lon":17,"approxCoords":true,"places":[],"start":2006,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Reported change in the number of hungry people in 13 focus countries","value":"+30%","note":"From the 2020 report False Promises, as reported by U.S. Right to Know. AGRA disputed the report and the attribution of the change to AGRA is contested."},"happened":["AGRA was founded in 2006 by the Gates and Rockefeller foundations. Its goal was to double the yield and income of 30 million households by 2020 and to halve food insecurity. According to the Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute, the agenda was set by the donor.","The Gates Foundation gave AGRA US$661 million up to 2018, about two-thirds of its grants, according to figures reported by U.S. Right to Know. In 2022 the foundation committed a further US$200 million over five years. The US government's contribution was US$90 million.","In 2020 the report False Promises said that the number of hungry people in AGRA's 13 focus countries had risen 30% and that maize yields had risen 29% over 12 years against a target of 100%. AGRA said the report was not peer-reviewed and did not respond concretely to its data.","A 2021 evaluation by Mathematica, commissioned by the Gates Foundation, said: \"AGRA did not meet its headline goal.\" Maize yields rose in 3 of 6 countries, seed-law reforms grew the private sector, and governments remained dependent on AGRA for policy-making. In September 2022 the words \"Green Revolution\" were dropped from the organisation's name; no reason was given.","Twenty-year assessments differ. Tufts reported a 25% rise in a yield index and a 58% rise in the number of undernourished people, to about 150 million, while AGRA said output and farmers' incomes had doubled. Tufts accepted that the outcome cannot be attributed to AGRA alone. In March 2025 Alice Ruhweza, a former WWF Africa director, became AGRA's president."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"AGRA founded by the Gates and Rockefeller foundations; goal of doubling yields and incomes of 30 million households by 2020"},{"y":2018,"t":"Gates Foundation grants to AGRA reach US$661 million"},{"y":2020,"t":"False Promises report: hunger up 30% in 13 focus countries; 170 organisations from 83 countries object to the appointment of AGRA's former president as special envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit"},{"y":2021,"t":"Mathematica evaluation commissioned by the Gates Foundation: AGRA did not meet its headline goal"},{"y":2022,"t":"\"Green Revolution\" dropped from the name (September); Gates Foundation commits a further US$200 million over five years"},{"y":2025,"t":"Alice Ruhweza becomes AGRA president (March)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Tufts GDAE 20-year review (August): yield index +25%, undernourished +58%; AGRA says output and incomes doubled"}],"said":[{"q":"AGRA did not meet its headline goal.","who":"Mathematica evaluation commissioned by the Gates Foundation","when":"2021","src":3},{"q":"My investment group chose to do this. It is not connected to climate","who":"Bill Gates, on the foundation-linked farmland purchases","when":"2021","src":11},{"q":"There isn't some grand scheme involved","who":"Bill Gates, on the farmland holdings","when":"2023","src":10},{"q":"There's a real business argument to be made","who":"A Monsanto executive, on the WEMA drought-tolerant maize project","when":"2016, as reported by St. Louis Public Radio","src":15}],"shown":[{"t":"Output and farmer incomes doubled over 20 years","who":"AGRA","src":4},{"t":"Goal of doubling the yield and income of 30 million households and halving food insecurity by 2020","who":"AGRA's founders (Gates and Rockefeller foundations), as described by Tufts GDAE","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Gates Foundation grants to AGRA up to 2018: US$661 million, about two-thirds of grants; US government contribution US$90 million.","src":1},{"t":"A further five-year US$200 million from the Gates Foundation in 2022.","src":2},{"t":"False Promises (2020): the number of hungry people in 13 focus countries rose 30% and maize yield rose 29% in 12 years against a target of 100%.","src":1},{"t":"Mathematica evaluation (2021): maize yields rose in 3 of 6 countries; seed reforms grew the private sector; governments remained dependent on AGRA in policy-making; seed companies and input dealers were strengthened; results at farmer level were 'mixed'.","src":3},{"t":"In September 2022 'Green Revolution' was dropped from AGRA's name; no reason was given.","src":2},{"t":"Twenty-year balance (Tufts GDAE): yield index +25%; undernourished people +58% to about 150 million; traditional crops such as millet and sorghum declined.","src":0},{"t":"Alice Ruhweza, AGRA's president since March 2025, is a former WWF Africa director. The Green Climate Fund approved project FP257, run by AGRA, with a grant of US$75.6 million.","src":5},{"t":"Agnes Kalibata, a former AGRA president, was appointed special envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit; 170 organisations from 83 countries objected.","src":14},{"t":"The Gates Foundation gave CGIAR more than US$720 million in 2003-2014. In a GRAIN analysis of older data, about 80% of the foundation's agricultural grants outside research networks went to US and European organisations and about 10% to Africa.","src":7},{"t":"Bill Gates is described as the largest private owner of US farmland: 275,000 acres in 17 states, held through Cascade and Cottonwood, about 0.03% of US farmland.","src":9},{"t":"In 2010 the Gates Foundation Trust bought 500,000 Monsanto shares, about US$27.6 million.","src":12},{"t":"Funding for the WEMA drought-tolerant maize project for Africa came mostly from the Gates Foundation; Monsanto technology was provided royalty-free.","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2006-2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Hungry people, 13 focus countries","v":"+30%","d":"False Promises (2020); AGRA disputed the report"},{"k":"Yield index over 20 years","v":"+25%","d":"Tufts GDAE (2026); undernourished +58%"},{"k":"Traditional crops","v":"Declined","d":"Millet and sorghum, per reporting on the Tufts review"}]},"unknown":["No document supporting claims of a concealed intent behind the Gates Foundation's agricultural funding is on record.","A report that the Rockefeller Foundation and IKEA stopped core funding is unconfirmed.","The cited sources do not give a single agreed figure for the change in hunger or yields attributable to AGRA: the Tufts review and AGRA give conflicting results."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No end to the programme is on record; the name changed in September 2022 and a new president took office in March 2025.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; reports disagree on how far hunger and yield outcomes in the focus countries can be attributed to AGRA.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: a 20-year review by Tufts GDAE (August 2026) and AGRA report conflicting results; AGRA continues under president Alice Ruhweza.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"agra","says":"Said the False Promises report was not peer-reviewed and gave no concrete response to its data.","when":"2020","src":1},{"actor":"agra","says":"Said output and farmer incomes had doubled over 20 years.","when":"2026","src":4},{"actor":"gates-foundation","says":"Commissioned the Mathematica evaluation of AGRA, which found the headline goal was not met.","when":"2021","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"agra","role":"Programme under review"},{"id":"gates-foundation","role":"Co-founder and principal funder"},{"id":"rockefeller-foundation","role":"Co-founder"},{"id":"mathematica","role":"Evaluator commissioned by the Gates Foundation"},{"id":"tufts-gdae","role":"Research institution; 20-year review"},{"id":"cgiar","role":"Recipient of Gates Foundation funding"},{"id":"gcf","role":"Approved AGRA-run project FP257"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Former employer of AGRA's president"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did AGRA meet its goals, and did hunger rise because of it?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"False Promises report, as reported by U.S. Right to Know","says":"The number of hungry people in 13 focus countries rose 30%; maize yield rose 29% in 12 years against a target of 100%.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"AGRA","says":"Said the report was not peer-reviewed; gave no concrete response to its data. Later said output and farmer incomes had doubled over 20 years.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Mathematica, commissioned by the Gates Foundation","says":"\"AGRA did not meet its headline goal.\" Maize yields rose in 3 of 6 countries.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Tufts GDAE","says":"Yield index +25% and undernourished people +58% over 20 years; accepts the outcome cannot be attributed to AGRA alone.","src":0}]},{"point":"Should AGRA's former president have been special envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"United Nations","says":"Named Agnes Kalibata, a former AGRA president, special envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit.","src":13},{"voice":"civil","holder":"170 organisations from 83 countries (HOMEF call)","says":"Called for the appointment to be revoked.","src":14}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"gates_grants_to_agra","value":661,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"up to","note":"About two-thirds of AGRA's grants."},{"key":"gates_further_grant","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Five-year commitment."},{"key":"us_government_contribution","value":90,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"As reported with the Gates Foundation figure."},{"key":"hunger_change_pct","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Increase in hungry people in 13 focus countries (False Promises). Attribution to AGRA is contested."},{"key":"maize_yield_change_pct","value":29,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Over 12 years against a target of 100%."},{"key":"staple_yield_change_pct","value":18,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Staple-crop yield over 12 years, in the False Promises summary; a different measure from the maize figure."},{"key":"yield_index_change_pct","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Tufts GDAE, over 20 years."},{"key":"undernourished_change_pct","value":58,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Tufts GDAE, over 20 years."},{"key":"undernourished_people","value":150000000,"unit":"people","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tufts GDAE."},{"key":"gcf_grant","value":75.6,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Green Climate Fund project FP257 run by AGRA."},{"key":"cgiar_funding_by_gates","value":720,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"qualifier":"more than","note":"2003-2014."},{"key":"gates_us_farmland","value":275000,"unit":"acres","year":null,"note":"17 states; about 0.03% of US farmland."},{"key":"monsanto_shares_purchase","value":27.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"500,000 shares bought by the Gates Foundation Trust."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"AGRA, set up by the Gates and Rockefeller foundations in 2006 to double the yield and income of 30 million households by 2020 and halve food insecurity.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Seed companies and input dealers","what":"Strengthened by the programme, according to the Gates-commissioned evaluation; results at farmer level were 'mixed'.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Traditional crops (millet, sorghum)","what":"Declined during the period reviewed.","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"13 focus countries in Africa (False Promises); the Mathematica evaluation covered 6 countries.","src":1},"when":{"t":"From 2006; evaluations in 2020, 2021 and 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The goal was set by the funders, according to Tufts GDAE.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Grant funding, seed-law reform support and seed and fertiliser packages; governments remained dependent on AGRA for policy-making.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Tufts GDAE report on AGRA's first 20 years (final, August 2026)","p":"Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute","d":"2026-08","type":"academic","u":"https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.tufts.edu/dist/0/5123/files/2026/08/TWiseAGRA20FinalAug2026.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821165145/https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.tufts.edu/dist/0/5123/files/2026/08/TWiseAGRA20FinalAug2026.pdf"},{"t":"Gates Foundation's failing Green Revolution in Africa: new report","p":"U.S. Right to Know","d":"2020","type":"ngo","u":"https://usrtk.org/our-investigations/gates-foundations-failing-green-revolution-in-africa-new-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220630100927/https://usrtk.org/our-investigations/gates-foundations-failing-green-revolution-in-africa-new-report/"},{"t":"AGRA retreats from its own Green Revolution","p":"Food Tank","d":"2022-10","type":"press","u":"https://foodtank.com/news/2022/10/agra-retreats-from-its-own-green-revolution/"},{"t":"Evaluation of AGRA (PIATA), commissioned by the Gates Foundation (hosted by U.S. Right to Know)","p":"Mathematica","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PIATA_Evaluation_AGRA.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260204170154/https://usrtk.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/PIATA_Evaluation_AGRA.pdf"},{"t":"Africa's Green Revolution falls short as productivity and food security gains remain limited","p":"AgriFocus Africa","d":"2026-09-03","type":"press","u":"https://agrifocusafrica.com/2026/09/03/africas-green-revolution-falls-short-as-productivity-and-food-security-gains-remain-limited/"},{"t":"Alice Ruhweza named AGRA president, succeeding Kalibata","p":"Capital FM","d":"2025-03","type":"press","u":"https://capitalfm.africa/alice-ruhweza-named-agra-president-succeeding-kalibata/"},{"t":"FP257 project page","p":"Green Climate Fund","d":"","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.greenclimate.fund/portfolio/projects/fp257","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152328/https://www.greenclimate.fund/portfolio/projects/fp257"},{"t":"Study finds rich countries get bulk of Gates Foundation agriculture grants (GRAIN analysis)","p":"Global Agriculture","d":"2014","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.globalagriculture.org/news/study-finds-rich-countries-get-bulk-of-gates-foundation-agriculture-grants/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212165150/https://www.globalagriculture.org/news/study-finds-rich-countries-get-bulk-of-gates-foundation-agriculture-grants/"},{"t":"CGIAR welcomes Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's US$1.4 billion pledge to climate adaptation","p":"CGIAR","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/cgiar-welcomes-bill-melinda-gates-foundations-1-4-billion-pledge-to-climate-adaptation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251215000112/https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/news/cgiar-welcomes-bill-melinda-gates-foundations-1-4-billion-pledge-to-climate-adaptation"},{"t":"Bill Gates, top 100 landowners","p":"The Land Report","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://landreport.com/top-100-landowners/bill-gates","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240102191655/https://landreport.com/top-100-landowners/bill-gates"},{"t":"Bill Gates farmland article","p":"Entrepreneur","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/442912"},{"t":"Bill Gates tells Reddit why he has acquired so much farmland","p":"AgFunderNews","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://agfundernews.com/bill-gates-tells-reddit-why-hes-acquired-so-much-farmland","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713224015/https://agfundernews.com/bill-gates-tells-reddit-why-hes-acquired-so-much-farmland"},{"t":"Should the Gates Foundation sell its stock in Monsanto?","p":"Biofortified","d":"2010-10-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://biofortified.org/2010/10/06/should-the-gates-foundation-sell-its-stock-in-monsanto/"},{"t":"Food Systems Summit leadership","p":"United Nations","d":"","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/leadership","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260910054457/https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit/leadership"},{"t":"Call to revoke AGRA's Agnes Kalibata as special envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit","p":"HOMEF","d":"2020-02-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://homef.org/2020/02/10/call-to-revoke-agras-agnes-kalibata-as-special-envoy-to-2021-un-food-systems-summit/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614043846/https://homef.org/2020/02/10/call-to-revoke-agras-agnes-kalibata-as-special-envoy-to-2021-un-food-systems-summit/"},{"t":"Altruism or PR? How Monsanto plans to snag a foothold in African seed markets","p":"St. Louis Public Radio","d":"2016-12-14","u":"https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2016-12-14/altruism-or-pr-how-monsanto-plans-to-snag-a-foothold-in-african-seed-markets","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did AGRA meet its goals, and did hunger rise because of it?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should AGRA's former president have been special envoy to the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No document supporting claims of a concealed intent behind the Gates Foundation's agricultural funding is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A report that the Rockefeller Foundation and IKEA stopped core funding is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a single agreed figure for the change in hunger or yields attributable to AGRA: the Tufts review and AGRA give conflicting results.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tesco-fictional-farm-brands","title":"Tesco fictional farm brands (UK)","dek":"In 2016 Tesco launched seven fictional farm brand names for its products. A farmers' union complained to Trading Standards; Tesco said the names denote a quality specification, not a farm.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":54,"lon":-2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":null,"eventDate":"2016-07","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Fictional farm brands launched by Tesco","value":"7","note":"2016. Tesco states the brands appear in more than 70% of its customers' baskets (company statement)."},"happened":["In 2016 Tesco launched seven fictional farm brands, among them Boswell and Woodside. The names are not those of working farms, and some of the products sold under them are imported.","In July 2016 the National Farmers' Union complained to Trading Standards about the brands, as reported by The Drum and Food Manufacture.","Tesco said the names are a quality specification, not a farm. It stated that the brands appear in more than 70% of baskets.","The complaint was left without a decision between the institutions concerned."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Tesco launches seven fictional farm brands; the National Farmers' Union complains to Trading Standards (July); no decision is recorded"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Seven brands carrying farm names, such as Boswell and Woodside","who":"Tesco","src":0},{"t":"The brands appear in more than 70% of baskets","who":"Tesco (company statement)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The names do not belong to farms and some of the products are imported.","src":1},{"t":"Tesco says the names are a quality specification, not a farm.","src":0},{"t":"The farmers' union complaint was not decided between the institutions concerned.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2016","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Brands with fictional farm names","v":"7","d":"Tesco, 2016"},{"k":"Outcome of the complaint","v":"Undecided","d":"Not decided between the institutions concerned"}]},"unknown":["The complaint to Trading Standards was left without a decision between the institutions concerned."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No change to the brands is on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; no harm to nature is recorded in this case.","statusLine":"As of July 2016 reporting: the National Farmers' Union complaint to Trading Standards was undecided; no later ruling found.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"tesco","says":"The names are a quality specification, not a farm; the brands appear in more than 70% of baskets.","when":"July 2016","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"tesco","role":"Retailer that launched the brands"},{"id":"nfu","role":"Farmers' union that complained to Trading Standards"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do the fictional farm names misrepresent the origin of the products?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"National Farmers' Union","says":"Complained to Trading Standards about the brand names.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tesco","says":"The names are a quality specification, not a farm.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Trading Standards and other institutions","says":"No decision on the complaint is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"NFU complaint to Trading Standards over Tesco farm brands","forum":"Trading Standards (complaint)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"National Farmers' Union","defendant":"Tesco","filed":"2016-07","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The union complained about the use of fictional farm names; the complaint was left undecided between the institutions concerned.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fictional_brands","value":7,"unit":"brands","year":2016,"note":"Farm-style brand names launched by Tesco."},{"key":"basket_share","value":70,"unit":"%","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","est":false,"note":"Share of baskets containing the brands; a company statement."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Seven fictional farm brand names used on Tesco products in 2016.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tesco","what":"Sold products under farm-style names; says the brands appear in more than 70% of baskets.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2016; complaint reported in July 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Brand names that are not working farms, on products some of which are imported; Tesco calls the names a quality specification.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"National Farmers' Union complains to Trading Standards over supermarket Tesco's use of fictional farm brands","p":"The Drum","d":"2016-07-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/07/18/national-farmers-union-complains-trading-standards-over-supermarkets-tesco-using","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220820033133/https://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/07/18/national-farmers-union-complains-trading-standards-over-supermarkets-tesco-using"},{"t":"Fake farm brands spark NFU complaint","p":"Food Manufacture","d":"2016-07-18","type":"press","u":"https://foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2016/07/18/Fake-farm-brands-spark-NFU-complaint","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220627060423/https://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/Article/2016/07/18/Fake-farm-brands-spark-NFU-complaint"},{"t":"Fake farms complaint shows no sign of progress","p":"The Grocer","u":"https://thegrocer.co.uk/news/fake-farms-complaint-shows-no-sign-of-progress/542707.article","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do the fictional farm names misrepresent the origin of the products?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Trading Standards and other institutions: No decision on the complaint is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"NFU complaint to Trading Standards over Tesco farm brands: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The complaint to Trading Standards was left without a decision between the institutions concerned.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sri-lanka-fertiliser-ban","title":"Sri Lanka fertiliser ban","dek":"In 2021 Sri Lanka banned chemical fertiliser as part of an organic farming drive and reversed the ban within months. The main-season rice harvest fell by about 40%.","country":"Sri Lanka","region":"Asia","lat":7.9,"lon":80.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Fall in main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest","value":"about 40%","note":"S&P Global, August 2022. The World Bank reports a 32-40% fall in paddy yield, a separate measure."},"happened":["In 2021 Sri Lanka's government under Rajapaksa banned chemical fertiliser overnight, according to Down To Earth. The move was part of an organic farming drive.","The ban was lifted within seven months. In November 2021 the Inquirer, citing AFP, reported that Sri Lanka had ended the farm chemical ban as the organic drive failed.","The main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest fell by about 40%, according to S&P Global. The World Bank reports a fall in paddy yield of 32-40%, which is a separate measure. Rice imports rose from 15,770 tonnes to 147,091 tonnes, and compensation exceeded US$200 million.","The causes of Sri Lanka's economic crisis are disputed. Down To Earth wrote that the main causes were debt, lost tourism and economic policy, and the foreign-exchange crisis had begun before the ban."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Chemical fertiliser banned overnight; ban lifted within seven months (November 2021 report: Sri Lanka ends farm chemical ban as organic drive fails)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Maha 2021/22 rice harvest about 40% lower (S&P Global, August 2022); crisis debate in the press"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Sri Lanka banned chemical fertiliser overnight in 2021.","src":2},{"t":"The ban was ended in November 2021 as the organic drive failed.","src":0},{"t":"Main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest fell by about 40%.","src":1},{"t":"Paddy yield fell by 32-40% (World Bank; separate measure).","src":3},{"t":"Rice imports rose from 15,770 tonnes to 147,091 tonnes; compensation exceeded US$200 million.","src":5},{"t":"The state ban's cost was borne by small producers.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021-2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Main-season rice harvest","v":"about -40%","d":"Maha 2021/22 (S&P Global)"},{"k":"Paddy yield","v":"-32 to -40%","d":"World Bank; separate measure"},{"k":"Rice imports","v":"15,770 t to 147,091 t","d":"Years not specified in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["No cited record shows that the fertiliser industry designed the crisis."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The ban was lifted within seven months of being imposed.","whoPaid":"Small producers, according to the Inquirer/AFP report.","statusLine":"As of August 2022 reporting: the ban was lifted in 2021; the main-season rice harvest was about 40% lower; the cause of the wider crisis remained disputed.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"bayer","says":"Described the Sri Lankan transition as excessive and said it would not fully replace chemicals.","when":"2023","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"sri-lanka-government","role":"Imposed and lifted the 2021 chemical fertiliser ban"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Source of the paddy yield figure"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Crop-protection company that commented on the transition"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What caused Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and what part did the fertiliser ban play?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Down To Earth","says":"The ban was imposed overnight, but the main causes of the crisis were debt, lost tourism and economic policy.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Substack and US right-wing press commentary (2022)","says":"Presented Sri Lanka as an 'ESG champion' that collapsed because of green dogma, with the ban as the single cause.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Sri Lanka","says":"No account of its own is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"What does the episode show about organic farming?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer","says":"Described the Sri Lankan transition as excessive and said it would not fully replace chemicals.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Inquirer (AFP)","says":"Reported that the organic drive failed and the ban was ended.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"rice_harvest_change_pct","value":-40,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Main-season (Maha 2021/22) rice harvest."},{"key":"paddy_yield_change_pct_low","value":-32,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"World Bank; low end of the 32-40% range; a separate measure from the harvest fall."},{"key":"paddy_yield_change_pct_high","value":-40,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"World Bank; high end of the 32-40% range."},{"key":"rice_imports_before","value":15770,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Year not specified in the cited sources."},{"key":"rice_imports_after","value":147091,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Year not specified in the cited sources."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Recipients and payer not specified in the cited sources."},{"key":"ban_duration_months","value":7,"unit":"months","year":2021,"qualifier":"within","note":"Time before the ban was lifted."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2021 ban on chemical fertiliser, lifted within seven months, followed by a fall of about 40% in the main-season rice harvest.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Small producers","what":"Bore the cost of the state ban, according to the Inquirer/AFP report.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sri Lanka.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021; harvest fall measured for Maha 2021/22.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The ban was part of an organic farming drive.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The government banned chemical fertiliser overnight.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Sri Lanka ends farm chemical ban as organic drive fails","p":"Inquirer (AFP)","d":"2021-11","type":"press","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1518333/sri-lanka-ends-farm-chemical-ban-as-organic-drive-fails","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221227202445/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1518333/sri-lanka-ends-farm-chemical-ban-as-organic-drive-fails"},{"t":"S&P Global blog on Sri Lanka's crisis, food and organic farming (title not recorded)","p":"S&P Global","d":"2022-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/blog/agriculture/081022-sri-lanka-crisis-food-organic-farming","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420031117/https://www.spglobal.com/energy/en/news-research/blog/agriculture/081022-sri-lanka-crisis-food-organic-farming"},{"t":"Is organic farming responsible for Sri Lanka's economic crisis?","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/agriculture/is-organic-farming-responsible-for-sri-lanka-s-economic-crisis--82419"},{"t":"World Bank document on paddy yield (title not recorded)","p":"World Bank","d":"","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentos.bancomundial.org/es/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099557412122318720","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412001512/https://documentos.bancomundial.org/es/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099557412122318720"},{"t":"Q&A with Bayer: it would be detrimental to take chemical crop protection out of the toolbox","p":"AgFunderNews","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://agfundernews.com/qa-w-bayer-it-would-be-detrimental-to-take-chemical-crop-protection-out-of-the-toolbox","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913204030/https://agfundernews.com/qa-w-bayer-it-would-be-detrimental-to-take-chemical-crop-protection-out-of-the-toolbox"},{"t":"Sri Lanka resurfaces as major rice buyer as fertilizer import ban leads to output decline","p":"S&P Global Commodity Insights","d":"2022-02-10","u":"https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/agriculture/021022-sri-lanka-resurfaces-as-major-rice-buyer-as-fertilizer-import-ban-leads-to-output-decline","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250428214939/https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/latest-news/agriculture/021022-sri-lanka-resurfaces-as-major-rice-buyer-as-fertilizer-import-ban-leads-to-output-decline"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Chemical fertiliser was banned on my fields in Sri Lanka in 2021 and the ban ended in November 2021; the main-season rice harvest fell by about 40%, S&P Global reported.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What caused Sri Lanka's economic crisis, and what part did the fertiliser ban play?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What does the episode show about organic farming?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Sri Lanka: No account of its own is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No cited record shows that the fertiliser industry designed the crisis.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"papua-food-and-energy-estate","title":"Papua food and energy estate (Indonesia)","dek":"Indonesia declared a food and energy project in Merauke, South Papua, a National Strategic Project in 2024. Sources put its size at between 1.2 million and over 2 million hectares, and report forest clearing with military participation.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-8.5,"lon":140.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Merauke, South Papua","lat":-8.5,"lon":140.4,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Forest area released for the project, Merauke","value":"486,939 ha","note":"As reported by Kompas, October 2025. Sources give the overall project area as between 1.2 million and over 2 million hectares."},"happened":["In 2024 Indonesia declared its Merauke food and energy project in South Papua a National Strategic Project (PSN). Sources describe its area as between 1.2 million and more than 2 million hectares; Mongabay, citing the research group CELIOS, reported a project of 2 to 3 million hectares in December 2024.","Project Multatuli, citing the Jakarta Post and the advocacy group Pusaka, reported that ten companies had received recommendation letters for the release of a total of 541,094 hectares of forest from the forest estate, and that in July 2024 a ministerial decision opened 13,540 hectares, including protected forest, to food infrastructure linked to defence.","Kompas reported in October 2025 that 486,939 hectares of forest had been released for Merauke and that battalions of the Indonesian military (TNI) were clearing land; the figures in the cited sources are five battalions and at least 2,000 soldiers. The Jakarta Post reported in March 2025 that concerns had been raised about the military's role in the project.","Mighty Earth, an advocacy group, reported that more than 50,000 hectares had been cleared in Merauke. Mongabay's December 2024 report described plans for about 2 million hectares of sugarcane and bioethanol and said indigenous consent had not been obtained.","The cited sources describe the affected customary (adat) lands as those of the Malind, Maklew, Yei and Khimaima peoples."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Merauke food and energy project declared a National Strategic Project; July: ministerial decision opens 13,540 ha, including protected forest, to defence-linked food infrastructure"},{"y":2024,"t":"December: Mongabay reports a 2 to 3 million hectare project and the risk of a carbon backfire from sugarcane clearing"},{"y":2025,"t":"March: Jakarta Post reports concerns over the TNI's role. October: Kompas reports 486,939 ha of forest released and TNI battalions clearing land"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Presented as 'food and energy sovereignty'.","who":"Indonesian government framing","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"486,939 ha of forest released for Merauke; TNI battalions clearing land; customary lands affected (Kompas, October 2025).","src":0},{"t":"Ten companies received recommendation letters for release of 541,094 ha of forest; a July 2024 ministerial decision opened 13,540 ha, including protected forest, to defence-linked food infrastructure.","src":2},{"t":"More than 50,000 ha cleared in Merauke, according to Mighty Earth.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest released","v":"486,939 ha","d":"For Merauke, per Kompas (October 2025)"},{"k":"Cleared so far","v":"50,000+ ha","d":"Mighty Earth, an advocacy group (2025)"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not on record","d":"None on record"}]},"unknown":["Project area: sources give between 1.2 million and over 2 million hectares (Project Multatuli) and 2 to 3 million hectares (Mongabay/CELIOS); no single official figure is cited.","Unconfirmed: the July 2024 ministerial decision opening 13,540 ha, and that the customary owners (Malind, Maklew, Yei, Khimaima) are not legally recognised.","Indonesia received a results-based forest payment and later large-scale clearing began in Merauke; no source on record establishes a causal link."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","displacement"],"harmStopped":"Clearing was reported as continuing as of October 2025; no halt is on record.","whoPaid":"Customary landowners and the forest, according to the cited sources; no compensation is on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2025: forest release and military-assisted clearing reported in Merauke; no court ruling or independent evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Government of Indonesia","says":"Kompas headline reports the government saying it was ready to carry out reforestation, in response to criticism that the project triggers deforestation.","when":"October 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Declared the project a National Strategic Project"},{"id":"tni","role":"Indonesian military; reported clearing land"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the Merauke project driving deforestation?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kompas","says":"Reported the project criticised as triggering deforestation, with 486,939 ha of forest released.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Mighty Earth","says":"More than 50,000 ha cleared in Merauke.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Indonesia","says":"Reported as saying it was ready to reforest.","src":0}]},{"point":"Was indigenous consent obtained?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Indigenous consent was not obtained for the planned sugarcane and bioethanol area.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":486939,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Forest released for Merauke, per Kompas."},{"key":"project_area_ha_low","value":1200000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"from","note":"Lower end of project area in the cited sources (Project Multatuli)."},{"key":"forest_release_recommended_ha","value":541094,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Recommendation letters to ten companies for release from the forest estate."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":50000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cleared in Merauke, per Mighty Earth (advocacy group)."},{"key":"soldiers_deployed","value":2000,"unit":"soldiers","year":2025,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Five TNI battalions."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forest release and clearing for a food and energy estate in Merauke, South Papua, declared a National Strategic Project.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ten companies holding recommendation letters for forest release","what":"Recommended access to 541,094 ha of forest-estate land.","src":2},{"who":"Sugar and bioethanol investors","what":"Named in the cited sources as investors in the project.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Malind, Maklew, Yei and Khimaima communities","what":"Customary (adat) lands affected.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest of Merauke","what":"486,939 ha released; more than 50,000 ha cleared according to Mighty Earth.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Merauke, South Papua, Indonesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2024 (National Strategic Project declaration); clearing reported through 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Presented as food and energy sovereignty; planned crops include sugarcane for bioethanol.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Forest-estate release decisions and recommendation letters; clearing by companies and by TNI battalions.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"PSN Merauke Dikritik Picu Deforestasi, Pemerintah Bilang Siap Reforestasi","p":"Kompas","d":"2025-10-21","type":"press","u":"https://lestari.kompas.com/read/2025/10/21/170300986/psn-merauke-dikritik-picu-deforestasi-pemerintah-bilang-siap-reforestasi","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251106232940/https://lestari.kompas.com/read/2025/10/21/170300986/psn-merauke-dikritik-picu-deforestasi-pemerintah-bilang-siap-reforestasi"},{"t":"Concerns raised over TNI's role in Papua food estate","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2025-03-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/03/01/concerns-raised-over-tnis-role-in-papua-food-estate.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422081704/https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/03/01/concerns-raised-over-tnis-role-in-papua-food-estate.html"},{"t":"Merauke food estate (citing Jakarta Post and Pusaka)","p":"Project Multatuli","d":"2024","type":"investigative","u":"https://projectmultatuli.org/?p=31971"},{"t":"Indonesia risks carbon backfire with massive deforestation for sugarcane (CELIOS)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/indonesia-risks-carbon-backfire-with-massive-deforestation-for-sugarcane/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608232522/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/12/indonesia-risks-carbon-backfire-with-massive-deforestation-for-sugarcane/"},{"t":"Food estate projects in Indonesia","p":"Mighty Earth","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://mightyearth.org/what-we-do/food-estate-projects-in-indonesia/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616032824/https://mightyearth.org/what-we-do/food-estate-projects-in-indonesia/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the Merauke project driving deforestation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was indigenous consent obtained?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Project area: sources give between 1.2 million and over 2 million hectares (Project Multatuli) and 2 to 3 million hectares (Mongabay/CELIOS); no single official figure is cited.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the July 2024 ministerial decision opening 13,540 ha, and that the customary owners (Malind, Maklew, Yei, Khimaima) are not legally recognised.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Indonesia received a results-based forest payment and later large-scale clearing began in Merauke; no source on record establishes a causal link.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Sugar and bioethanol investors"]},{"id":"kolwezi-forced-evictions","title":"Kolwezi forced evictions (Cité Gécamines, DRC)","dek":"Amnesty International and a Congolese rights group documented forced evictions around six copper and cobalt projects near Kolwezi, and reported about 39,000 residents of Cité Gécamines under threat from a Zijin–Gécamines mine.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","region":"Africa","lat":-10.7,"lon":25.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"Kolwezi","lat":-10.7,"lon":25.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2023,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Residents of Cité Gécamines reported under threat of eviction","value":"about 39,000","note":"Amnesty International report, September 2023."},"happened":["In September 2023 Amnesty International and the Congolese organisation IBGDH published a report on copper and cobalt mining expansion around Kolwezi. It documented forced evictions, arson, beatings and sexual assault linked to six projects, based on more than 130 interviews.","The report said that in the Cité Gécamines neighbourhood, home to about 39,000 people, houses had been marked with red crosses, and that the area was threatened by the mine of COMMUS, a partnership between Zijin and Gécamines. It said the village of Mukumbi, of about 400 structures, was burned in 2016.","The report named Chemaf, ERG (whose largest shareholder is the government of Kazakhstan) and the Zijin–Gécamines partnership COMMUS. Chemaf agreed to pay USD 1.5 million but denied fault.","A 62-year-old resident evicted from his home told Amnesty that company and government representatives had come and told residents there was a mine in the area."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Mukumbi village, about 400 structures, burned (Amnesty report)"},{"y":2023,"t":"September: Amnesty International and IBGDH publish the report on evictions around six cobalt and copper projects; Chemaf agrees to pay USD 1.5 million and denies fault"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Forced evictions, arson, beatings and sexual assault documented around six projects near Kolwezi, based on more than 130 interviews.","src":0},{"t":"About 39,000 people in Cité Gécamines reported under eviction threat from the COMMUS mine; houses marked with red crosses.","src":0},{"t":"Mukumbi village, about 400 structures, burned in 2016.","src":0},{"t":"Chemaf agreed to pay USD 1.5 million and denied fault.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Chemaf agreed payment","amount":1.5,"note":"Agreed to pay; fault denied. Recipient and terms not stated in the cited sources."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People under eviction threat","v":"about 39,000","d":"Cité Gécamines, Amnesty International and IBGDH (2023)"},{"k":"Projects documented","v":"6","d":"Copper and cobalt projects around Kolwezi"}]},"unknown":["Chemaf agreed to pay USD 1.5 million but denied fault; to whom and on what terms is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources describe the Cité Gécamines evictions as a continuing threat as of September 2023.","whoPaid":"Residents of the affected neighbourhoods, according to Amnesty International and IBGDH.","statusLine":"As of September 2023: Amnesty report published; Chemaf agreed to pay USD 1.5 million while denying fault; no ruling found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Chemaf","says":"Agreed to pay USD 1.5 million but denied fault.","when":"2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"chemaf","role":"Mining company named in the report"},{"id":"erg","role":"Mining group named in the report; largest shareholder is the government of Kazakhstan"},{"id":"zijin-mining","role":"Partner in COMMUS"},{"id":"gecamines","role":"Partner in COMMUS"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"Documented the evictions"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for the evictions","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International and IBGDH","says":"Documented forced evictions, arson, beatings and sexual assault around six projects.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Chemaf","says":"Agreed to pay USD 1.5 million but denied fault.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":39000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Residents of Cité Gécamines reported under eviction threat."},{"key":"structures_burned","value":400,"unit":"structures","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mukumbi village."},{"key":"settlement","value":1.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Chemaf agreed payment; fault denied."},{"key":"interviews","value":130,"unit":"interviews","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Basis of the Amnesty report."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forced evictions around six copper and cobalt projects near Kolwezi, documented by Amnesty International and IBGDH.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chemaf, ERG and COMMUS (Zijin–Gécamines)","what":"Named as operators of the projects concerned; mining expansion.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of Cité Gécamines and Mukumbi","what":"Homes; about 39,000 people in Cité Gécamines reported under threat.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Evicted residents","what":"Arson, beatings and sexual assault documented.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2016 to 2023 (report published September 2023).","src":0},"why":{"t":"Expansion of copper and cobalt mining.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Houses marked with red crosses; arson, beatings and sexual assault documented.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"DR Congo: Huge expansion of cobalt and copper mining wrecking lives (new report)","p":"Amnesty International UK","d":"2023-09-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/dr-congo-huge-expansion-cobalt-and-copper-mining-wrecking-lives-new-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825214513/https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/dr-congo-huge-expansion-cobalt-and-copper-mining-wrecking-lives-new-report/"},{"t":"Powering Change or Business as Usual?","p":"Amnesty International Ireland","d":"2023-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.ie/congo-cobalt-copper/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241027072806/https://www.amnesty.ie/congo-cobalt-copper/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"forced-eviction","related":["jakarta-forced-evictions-2015"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for the evictions","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Chemaf agreed to pay USD 1.5 million but denied fault; to whom and on what terms is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"blue-carbon-llc-forest-carbon-deals","title":"Blue Carbon LLC forest carbon deals (UAE, Africa)","dek":"A Dubai company founded in 2022 signed memoranda in 2023 covering about 24.5 million hectares of forest in Africa and elsewhere. By late 2025 the Liberian deal was reported halted and no credits had been issued.","country":"United Arab Emirates","region":"Africa","lat":25.2,"lon":55.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Dubai","lat":25.2,"lon":55.3,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Liberia","iso2":"LR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","role":"affected"},{"country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","role":"affected"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","role":"affected"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","role":"affected"},{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-11-28","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Forest area covered by the memoranda","value":"about 24.5 million ha","note":"Non-binding memoranda signed in 2023; no credits issued."},"happened":["Blue Carbon LLC was founded in Dubai in October 2022 by Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai's ruling family. In 2023, ahead of the COP28 climate summit hosted by the UAE, it signed memoranda with Liberia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya, and with Papua New Guinea and three Caribbean countries, covering about 24.5 million hectares in total.","The Liberian memorandum covered about 1 million hectares for 30 years; the sources describe this as about 10% of the country or about 15% of its forests. The Zimbabwean memorandum covered 7.5 million hectares, about 20% of the country. One source gives Zambia as 8 million hectares. Daily Maverick reported the deals on 28 November 2023 and the AP reported on the risks to indigenous livelihoods in April 2024.","A draft Liberian contract, as reported, gave the company sole decision over the sale and price of carbon credits.","By November 2025, in a joint AFP and Code for Africa investigation, a Liberian official described the deal as 'halted', and the Zambian agreement had ended without any transaction. The company's website had closed, it was not found in any carbon registry, and it did not respond. As of March 2026, per the cited sources, the Zimbabwean deal had reached only a registration application."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"October: Blue Carbon LLC founded in Dubai"},{"y":2023,"t":"Memoranda signed with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries ahead of COP28; 28 November: Daily Maverick reports the deals"},{"y":2024,"t":"April: AP reports concerns about risks to indigenous livelihoods"},{"y":2025,"t":"November: AFP and Code for Africa report the deals stalled; Liberia 'halted', Zambia ended without any transaction"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Non-binding memoranda covering about 24.5 million ha, 30-year terms.","src":0},{"t":"No credits issued; no registration in any carbon registry found.","src":2},{"t":"Liberian deal reported halted; Zambian agreement ended without any transaction.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area under memoranda","v":"about 24.5 million ha","d":"Liberia about 1 million, Zimbabwe 7.5 million"},{"k":"Credits issued","v":"0","d":"None issued as of the 2025 reports"}]},"unknown":["Liberian area is described variously as about 10% of the country and about 15% of its forests.","The company did not respond; no public statement from it is on record.","Unconfirmed: that the Liberian draft gave the company 70% of credit revenue."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources describe the Liberian deal as halted and the Zambian agreement as ended by 2025; no credits were issued.","whoPaid":"No payment is on record.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: Liberia deal reported halted, Zambia ended without any transaction, Zimbabwe at registration-application stage; no credits issued.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Blue Carbon LLC","says":"No response; reported as silent, with its website closed.","when":"November 2025","src":2},{"actor":"Liberian official","says":"Described the deal as 'halted'.","when":"November 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"blue-carbon-llc","role":"Company that signed the memoranda"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the deals were a genuine climate venture","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP / Code for Africa","says":"The deals stalled by 2025; no credits issued; company not found in carbon registries.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Blue Carbon LLC","says":"No public response found; company reported silent.","src":2,"silent":true},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Critics","says":"The oil-producing COP28 host acquired green credentials before the summit.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":24500000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total covered by the memoranda."},{"key":"area_ha_liberia","value":1000000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Liberia, 30 years."},{"key":"area_ha_zimbabwe","value":7500000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"About 20% of the country."},{"key":"credits_issued","value":0,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"None issued."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Non-binding memoranda for exclusive forest carbon rights over about 24.5 million ha.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Blue Carbon LLC and its founder","what":"Optional exclusive rights to forest carbon; according to critics, a green profile ahead of COP28.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Forest communities in the named areas","what":"Community land rights put at risk, per the AP report.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Liberia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and three Caribbean countries; company based in Dubai.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Founded October 2022; memoranda 2023; stall reported November 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Carbon credits from forest protection.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Memoranda of understanding with exclusive carbon-credit rights, 30-year terms.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Dubai carbon trader buys up African forests","p":"Daily Maverick","d":"2023-11-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-28-dubai-carbon-trader-buys-up-african-forests/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231218090502/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-28-dubai-carbon-trader-buys-up-african-forests/"},{"t":"A Dubai company's staggering land deals in Africa raise fears about risks to indigenous livelihoods","p":"AP (via WSLS)","d":"2024-04-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.wsls.com/news/2024/04/07/a-dubai-companys-staggering-land-deals-in-africa-raise-fears-about-risks-to-indigenous-livelihoods/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240412092118/https://www.wsls.com/news/2024/04/07/a-dubai-companys-staggering-land-deals-in-africa-raise-fears-about-risks-to-indigenous-livelihoods/"},{"t":"The case of Africa's vanishing carbon deals (AFP and Code for Africa, via Al-Monitor)","p":"Al-Monitor","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/11/case-africas-vanishing-carbon-deals","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420171938/https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/11/case-africas-vanishing-carbon-deals"},{"t":"Blue Carbon LLC signed carbon deals (relying on AFP and Code for Africa)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/blue-carbon-llc-signed-carbon-deals","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712031102/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/blue-carbon-llc-signed-carbon-deals"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Memoranda covering about 24.5 million hectares of my forest were signed in 2023; no credits had been issued as of the 2025 reports.","src":[0,2,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the deals were a genuine climate venture","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Blue Carbon LLC: No public response found; company reported silent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Liberian area is described variously as about 10% of the country and about 15% of its forests.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The company did not respond; no public statement from it is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Liberian draft gave the company 70% of credit revenue.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Blue Carbon LLC and its founder"]},{"id":"chut-wutty-killing","title":"Chut Wutty killing (Cambodia)","dek":"Chut Wutty was killed on 26 April 2012 in Koh Kong province while near a Timber Green logging site with journalists. A court said military police officer In Rattana shot him and was then fatally shot by Timber Green's security chief, who was convicted of \"unintentional murder\"; the inquiry into Wutty's death was closed in October 2012.","country":"Cambodia","region":"Asia","lat":11.6,"lon":103.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Koh Kong (Cardamom Mountains)","lat":11.6,"lon":103.4,"role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":2012,"eventDate":"2012-04-26","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Convictions for the death of Chut Wutty","value":"None","note":"The court attributed the shooting to an officer who also died; a Timber Green guard was convicted of killing that officer."},"happened":["Chut Wutty was killed on 26 April 2012 in Koh Kong, in the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia. He was near a logging site operated by Timber Green, and journalists were with him.","According to the court outcome, the Koh Kong court concluded that a military police officer, In Rattana, shot Wutty and was then fatally shot by a Timber Green security guard. Licadho, a rights group, said In Rattana shot Wutty as he tried to start his car; a police spokesman, Kheng Tito, had said the officer shot Wutty and then killed himself.","Rann Boroth (also spelled Rann Borath), Timber Green's security chief, was convicted on 22 October 2012 of \"unintentional murder\" of In Rattana. The sentence was two years, with 18 months suspended. Wutty's wife, Sam Chanthy, said the court did not conduct a thorough inquiry and that she believes others at Timber Green were behind her husband's death.","The inquiry into Wutty's death was closed in October 2012. Global Witness published a press release headed \"Cambodian court denies justice to family of murdered activist Chut Wutty\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"26 April: Chut Wutty killed in Koh Kong while near a Timber Green logging site with journalists"},{"y":2012,"t":"October: inquiry into Wutty's death closed; court outcome reported"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The court said that military police officer In Rattana shot Chut Wutty and then died himself.","who":"The court","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Chut Wutty was killed on 26 April 2012 in Koh Kong (Cardamom Mountains) while near a Timber Green logging site with journalists.","src":0},{"t":"Timber Green guard Rann Boroth was convicted of \"unintentionally\" killing In Rattana: two years, 18 months suspended.","src":1},{"t":"The inquiry into Wutty's death was closed in October 2012.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Harm to the forest at the logging site","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources do not describe the condition of the forest or the logging operation."},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No source reviewed reports one."}]},"unknown":["Whether anyone was charged or tried for the killing of Chut Wutty himself: no source reviewed records it.","The finding of the closed inquiry beyond the court's statement that In Rattana shot Wutty and then died."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest source reviewed (October 2012): the inquiry into Chut Wutty's death was closed; Timber Green's security chief was convicted of unintentional murder of the officer the court said shot him. In 2022 the Cambodian government said the case could be reopened if the family and NGOs submit more evidence.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"timber-green","role":"Operator of the logging site near which Chut Wutty was killed"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the court's outcome a just account of Chut Wutty's death?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Cambodian court","says":"A military police officer, In Rattana, shot Wutty and then died himself; a Timber Green guard was convicted of unintentionally killing Rattana.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Global Witness","says":"Press release headed: the court denied justice to the family of the murdered activist Chut Wutty.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of Rann Boroth for the death of In Rattana","forum":"Koh Kong provincial court","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Rann Boroth (Rann Borath), Timber Green security chief","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Rann Boroth was convicted of \"unintentional murder\" of military police officer In Rattana on 22 October 2012 and sentenced to two years, 18 months suspended. The court said In Rattana had shot Chut Wutty and was then fatally shot by Boroth.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2012,"note":"Chut Wutty, and military police officer In Rattana, whom the court said shot Wutty and then died."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":2,"unit":"years","year":2012,"note":"Sentence of Timber Green guard Rann Boroth; 18 months suspended."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chut Wutty was killed near a logging site; a court said a military police officer shot him, and the Timber Green security chief was convicted of unintentional murder of that officer.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Chut Wutty","what":"Killed on 26 April 2012.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Koh Kong province, Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia, near a Timber Green logging site.","src":0},"when":{"t":"26 April 2012; inquiry closed October 2012.","src":0},"why":{"t":"No source reviewed states a motive.","src":null},"how":{"t":"According to the court, military police officer In Rattana shot Wutty and was then fatally shot by Timber Green's security chief.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Radio Free Asia report on the Chut Wutty inquiry","p":"Radio Free Asia","d":"2012-10-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/chut-wutty-10222012181333.html"},{"t":"Cambodian court denies justice to family of murdered activist Chut Wutty","p":"Global Witness","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/cambodian-court-denies-justice-to-family-of-murdered-activist-chut-wutty","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250918092142/https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/cambodian-court-denies-justice-to-family-of-murdered-activist-chut-wutty/"},{"t":"Blaming dead officer, court closes probe into fixer's murder","p":"Reporters Without Borders","d":"2012-10-23","u":"https://rsf.org/en/blaming-dead-officer-court-closes-probe-fixers-murder","type":"ngo"},{"t":"A decade after activist’s death, rights groups in Cambodia press for answers","p":"Radio Free Asia","d":"2022-04-26","u":"https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/chut-wutty-04262022162506.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the court's outcome a just account of Chut Wutty's death?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecution of Rann Boroth for the death of In Rattana: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether anyone was charged or tried for the killing of Chut Wutty himself: no source reviewed records it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The finding of the closed inquiry beyond the court's statement that In Rattana shot Wutty and then died.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bahamas-debt-for-nature-swap","title":"Bahamas debt-for-nature swap","dek":"In November 2024 the Bahamas took part in a US$300 million debt-for-nature transaction arranged by Standard Chartered, with a partial guarantee from the Inter-American Development Bank and US$30 million of insurance from AXA XL. The Nature Conservancy was a named participant.","country":"Bahamas","region":"Caribbean","lat":25.03,"lon":-77.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Bahamas","iso2":"BS","lat":25.03,"lon":-77.4,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-11","instrument":"debt-swap","types":["debt-swap","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Size of the Bahamas transaction","value":"US$300 million","note":"November 2024."},"happened":["In November 2024 the Bahamas concluded a debt-for-nature transaction of US$300 million. The cited sources name Standard Chartered as the arranging bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) as provider of a partial guarantee, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as the conservation organisation involved.","The cited sources list two further components: US$70 million from Builders Vision and US$30 million in insurance from AXA XL. One report states that the deal \"includes $30 million in insurance from Axa XL\".","Among the swaps reviewed, the Bahamas deal is listed alongside operations in Ecuador (Amazon, December 2024) and El Salvador (October 2024). The cited sources do not give the terms of the Bahamas transaction beyond the figures above."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"November: US$300 million Bahamas debt-for-nature transaction, with Standard Chartered, IDB, AXA XL and TNC named"}],"said":[{"q":"The deal includes $30 million in insurance from Axa XL.","who":"Report by One Stop ESG on the Bahamas swap","when":"November 2024","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Standard Chartered is listed as the arranger of the Bahamas transaction of November 2024, US$300 million.","src":0},{"t":"IDB provided a partial guarantee; Builders Vision US$70 million; AXA XL US$30 million insurance.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Conservation funding committed","v":"Reported","d":"One report gives more than US$120 million; the figure is not tied to a primary document in the cited sources."},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No source reviewed reports one."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: more than US$120 million of conservation funding from the Bahamas transaction.","Fees and returns to the arranger, insurer and other participants: no source reviewed states them."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited source (November 2024): the US$300 million transaction was announced; the cited sources give no later outcome.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"standard-chartered","role":"Arranging bank"},{"id":"idb","role":"Provider of a partial guarantee"},{"id":"axa-xl","role":"Provider of US$30 million insurance"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Conservation organisation involved in the transaction"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"AXA XL","insured":"The Bahamas transaction (insured party: none on record)","status":"unknown","year":2024,"amount":{"value":30,"currency":"USD","label":"US$30 million (millions)"},"summary":"AXA XL is listed as providing US$30 million in insurance as part of the November 2024 deal.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"transaction_size","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Bahamas debt-for-nature transaction, November 2024."},{"key":"insurance_provided","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"AXA XL insurance within the transaction."},{"key":"investment","value":70,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Builders Vision, as listed in the transaction components."},{"key":"conservation_funding","value":120,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","unverified":true,"note":"Reported figure, not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A US$300 million debt-for-nature transaction for the Bahamas in November 2024.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Bahamas.","src":null},"when":{"t":"November 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the Bahamas government's stated reasons for the transaction.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Standard Chartered arranged the transaction, with an IDB partial guarantee, Builders Vision US$70 million, AXA XL US$30 million insurance and TNC involved.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"The Bahamas Nature Bond case study","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.nature.org/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/documents/t/h/The-Bahamas-Nature-Bond-Case-Study.pdf"},{"t":"Bahamas unlocks $124 million for ocean protection through debt swap","p":"One Stop ESG","d":"2024-11","type":"press","u":"https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/bahamas-unlocks-124-million-for-ocean-protection-through-debt-swap-1732683365903","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251205080700/https://onestopesg.com/esg-news/bahamas-unlocks-124-million-for-ocean-protection-through-debt-swap-1732683365903"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A US$300 million debt-for-nature transaction was arranged in my name for the Bahamas in November 2024; no independent ecological evaluation is on record.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"AXA XL: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Conservation funding: Reported figure, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: more than US$120 million of conservation funding from the Bahamas transaction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Fees and returns to the arranger, insurer and other participants: no source reviewed states them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"verra-suspension-of-chinese-rice-project-verifiers","title":"Verra suspension of Chinese rice project verifiers","dek":"In March 2025 the carbon standard Verra rejected 37 rice methane projects in China and suspended four verification bodies that had audited them. The case raises the question of who pays and who checks the checkers.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":35,"lon":105,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","lat":35,"lon":105,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-03","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Rice methane projects rejected by Verra","value":"37","note":"March 2025; four verification bodies suspended."},"happened":["In March 2025 Verra, the carbon credit standard-setter and registry, rejected 37 rice cultivation (methane) projects in China and suspended the four verification bodies that had audited them. The register entry names them as CCSC (China Classification Society Certification), CQC (China Quality Certification Center), CTI and TÜV Nord. It says that 25 of the projects had issued excess credits.","Under the system described in the cited sources, the project developer chooses the verifier and pays it; the verifier pays a registration fee to Verra; and most of Verra's income comes from a fee per credit. Verra's per-credit share rose on 30 March 2023 from US$0.10 to US$0.20, and has been US$0.23 per tonne since 2025. Verra's 2023 revenue was US$29.8 million.","In October 2024, before the suspension, Verra told the Dutch outlet Follow the Money that verifiers are kept impartial through accreditation, and that the party requesting an audit paying for it is standard practice in every sector. Follow the Money wrote that the fee structure gave Verra a financial interest in not being too strict.","Researchers Coglianese and Giles found that 21 of Verra's 33 approved auditors had signed 305 audits of 95 projects known to have been over-credited. Verra found their research biased. The auditors' association, IAVVB, argued that responsibility lay with the registry."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"30 March: Verra's per-credit share raised from US$0.10 to US$0.20"},{"y":2024,"t":"October: Verra tells Follow the Money that accreditation keeps verifiers impartial"},{"y":2025,"t":"Fee US$0.23 per tonne in force; March: Verra rejects 37 Chinese rice projects and suspends four verification bodies"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Verra said that accreditation keeps its verifiers impartial and that the party requesting an audit paying for it is standard practice in every sector.","who":"Verra, to Follow the Money","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Verra rejected 37 rice methane projects in China and suspended the four verification bodies that audited them (CCSC, CQC, CTI, TÜV Nord); 25 of the projects had issued excess credits.","src":0},{"t":"21 of Verra's 33 approved auditors signed 305 audits of 95 projects later known to be over-credited (Coglianese and Giles).","src":1},{"t":"The developer chooses and pays the verifier; Verra's income is largely a share per credit.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Projects rejected","v":"37","d":"Rice methane projects in China, March 2025"},{"k":"Projects that had issued excess credits","v":"25","d":"Of the 37, per the register entry citing Verra"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No source reviewed reports methane measurements at the rice fields."}]},"unknown":["How many credits were affected: one register entry gives about 21 million credits of annual supply, but no primary document is cited for the figure (unconfirmed).","Whether the suspended verifiers' names appear in other sources: an earlier check found them only in the register entry citing Verra's announcement.","Whether the suspensions remain in force: none on record.","The responses of the four suspended verification bodies: none on record."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of March 2025: Verra rejected 37 Chinese rice projects and suspended four verification bodies; no later outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"verra","says":"Rejected 37 rice cultivation projects in China and suspended the verification bodies involved.","when":"March 2025","src":0},{"actor":"verra","says":"Told Follow the Money that accreditation keeps verifiers impartial and that the party requesting an audit paying for it is standard practice in every sector.","when":"October 2024","src":null},{"actor":"iavvb","says":"Argued that responsibility lay with the registry.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"ccsc","role":"Verification body, suspended"},{"id":"cqc","role":"Verification body, suspended"},{"id":"cti","role":"Verification body, suspended"},{"id":"tuv-nord","role":"Verification body, suspended"},{"id":"iavvb","role":"Association of verification bodies"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is responsible when verified projects are later found over-credited?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Coglianese and Giles","says":"21 of Verra's 33 approved auditors signed audits of 95 projects known to be over-credited (305 audits).","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Found the Coglianese and Giles research biased.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"IAVVB (auditors' association)","says":"Responsibility lies with the registry.","src":null}]},{"point":"Does the developer-pays model compromise verification?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Follow the Money","says":"The structure gives Verra a financial interest in not being too strict.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Accreditation keeps verifiers impartial; the requesting party paying is standard practice in every sector.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"projects_rejected","value":37,"unit":"projects","year":2025,"note":"Rice methane projects in China rejected by Verra, March 2025."},{"key":"verifiers_suspended","value":4,"unit":"verification bodies","year":2025,"note":"CCSC, CQC, CTI and TÜV Nord."},{"key":"projects_with_excess_credits","value":25,"unit":"projects","year":2025,"note":"Of the 37 rejected, per the register entry citing Verra."},{"key":"credits_affected_annual","value":21000000,"unit":"credits per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported, not independently verified."},{"key":"revenue","value":29.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Verra's revenue in 2023."},{"key":"credit_fee","value":0.23,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"Verra's per-credit share since 2025; it was US$0.10, raised to US$0.20 on 30 March 2023."},{"key":"audits_by_flagged_verifiers","value":305,"unit":"audits","year":null,"note":"Audits of 95 over-credited projects; 21 of 33 approved auditors signed them (Coglianese and Giles)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Verra rejected 37 rice methane projects in China and suspended four verification bodies that had audited them.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"China.","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The announcement's stated reasons are not on record beyond the finding that 25 of the projects had issued excess credits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The developer chooses and pays the verifier; Verra's income is largely a share per credit; Verra suspended the verifiers after review.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Verra suspends VVBs involved in rice cultivation projects in China","p":"Verra","d":"2025-03","type":"official","voice":"standard","u":"https://verra.org/verra-suspends-vvbs-involved-in-rice-cultivation-projects-in-china/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006072848/https://verra.org/verra-suspends-vvbs-involved-in-rice-cultivation-projects-in-china/"},{"t":"Caveat emptor: Auditors can't save carbon offsets","p":"REDD-Monitor (Chris Lang)","d":"2026-01-13","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/caveat-emptor-auditors-cant-save","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In March 2025 Verra rejected 37 rice methane projects in China; 25 of them had issued excess credits in my name.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is responsible when verified projects are later found over-credited?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does the developer-pays model compromise verification?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Credits affected annual: Reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"How many credits were affected: one register entry gives about 21 million credits of annual supply, but no primary document is cited for the figure (unconfirmed).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the suspended verifiers' names appear in other sources: an earlier check found them only in the register entry citing Verra's announcement.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the suspensions remain in force: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The responses of the four suspended verification bodies: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"biosphere-2-experiment","title":"Biosphere 2 experiment","dek":"Eight people lived for two years in a sealed 1.27-hectare structure in Arizona. Oxygen fell from 20.9% to about 14.5% over about 16 months and oxygen was supplied from outside.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":32.58,"lon":-110.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Arizona","lat":32.58,"lon":-110.85,"role":"event"}],"start":1991,"end":1994,"eventDate":"1991-09-26","instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Oxygen inside the sealed structure, over about 16 months","value":"20.9% to about 14.5%","note":"Equivalent to an altitude of about 4,100 metres; oxygen was supplied from outside."},"happened":["Biosphere 2 was a sealed artificial ecosystem of about 1.27 hectares in Arizona. Eight people lived inside it from 26 September 1991 to 26 September 1993.","Over about 16 months the oxygen level inside fell from 20.9% to about 14.5%, equivalent to an altitude of about 4,100 metres. The publications cited in the sources give the cause as respiration by soil microbes exceeding photosynthesis, with carbon dioxide bound in the structure's exposed concrete; excess organic matter had been put into the soils. Oxygen was supplied from outside, by liquid-oxygen tankers.","One source gives the figure as 14.2% rather than about 14.5%.","The structure's ant community changed: a species not found in 1990–91, Paratrechina longicornis, accounted for more than 99.9% of the ants coming to baits in 1996.","The structure's advisory board resigned and management changed in 1994. The cost is reported as between about USD 150 million and more than USD 200 million."],"timeline":[{"y":1991,"t":"Eight people enter the sealed structure (26 September)"},{"y":1993,"t":"Two-year stay ends (26 September); oxygen had fallen to about 14.5% over about 16 months and oxygen had been supplied from outside"},{"y":1994,"t":"Advisory board resigns and management changes"},{"y":1996,"t":"Ant survey: Paratrechina longicornis accounts for more than 99.9% of ants at baits; Science publishes an assessment by Cohen and Tilman (15 November)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Eight people lived in the structure for two years, from 26 September 1991 to 26 September 1993.","src":3},{"t":"Oxygen fell from 20.9% to about 14.5% over about 16 months, and oxygen was supplied from outside.","src":0},{"t":"Oxygen fell from 20.9% to 14.5% (Mental Floss).","src":2},{"t":"In 1996 Paratrechina longicornis, absent in 1990–91, made up more than 99.9% of ants at baits.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oxygen level","v":"20.9% to about 14.5%","d":"Over about 16 months, 1991–93; equivalent to about 4,100 metres altitude"},{"k":"Ant community in 1996","v":"More than 99.9% one species","d":"Paratrechina longicornis, absent in 1990–91, at baits"},{"k":"External oxygen","v":"Supplied","d":"Liquid oxygen delivered from outside"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that all pollinators in the structure died and that cockroaches multiplied. No primary source confirming this is on record."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The two-year stay ended on 26 September 1993.","whoPaid":"The cost is reported as between about USD 150 million and more than USD 200 million; the cited sources do not say who paid.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: historical experiment (1991–93); oxygen and ant findings recorded; pollinator and cockroach accounts unconfirmed.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[{"point":"What was the lowest oxygen level reached?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Edinburgh archive and Mental Floss","says":"Oxygen fell from 20.9% to about 14.5%.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Britannica","says":"Gives the figure as 14.2%.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":1.27,"unit":"ha","year":1991,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sealed structure."},{"key":"people_inside","value":8,"unit":"people","year":1991,"note":"Lived inside for two years."},{"key":"oxygen_start","value":20.9,"unit":"%","year":1991,"note":"Oxygen level at the start."},{"key":"oxygen_low","value":14.5,"unit":"%","year":1993,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reached over about 16 months; one source gives 14.2%."},{"key":"altitude_equivalent_m","value":4100,"unit":"m","year":1993,"qualifier":"about","note":"Altitude equivalent of the low oxygen level."},{"key":"cost_low","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":1993,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lower end of the reported cost range."},{"key":"cost_high","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":1993,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Upper end of the reported cost range."},{"key":"ant_share","value":99.9,"unit":"%","year":1996,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Paratrechina longicornis, share of ants at baits."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Eight people lived for two years in a sealed 1.27-hectare structure; oxygen fell from 20.9% to about 14.5% and was supplied from outside.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Arizona, United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"26 September 1991 to 26 September 1993.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the purpose of the experiment.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A sealed structure with soils, plants and people; oxygen fell because soil microbe respiration exceeded photosynthesis and carbon dioxide was bound in concrete, according to the cited publications; liquid oxygen was supplied from outside.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Biosphere 2","p":"University of Edinburgh archive (J. Deacon)","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon/biosphere/biosph.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250521133046/https://archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon/biosphere/biosph.htm"},{"t":"Cohen and Tilman, Biosphere 2 lessons (Science, 15 November 1996; full text not accessed)","p":"Science","d":"1996-11-15","type":"academic","u":"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.274.5290.1150","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250729092633/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.274.5290.1150"},{"t":"How living inside Biosphere 2 changed these scientists' lives","p":"Mental Floss","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://mentalfloss.com/article/81553/how-living-inside-biosphere-2-changed-these-scientists-lives","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251008220811/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/81553/how-living-inside-biosphere-2-changed-these-scientists-lives"},{"t":"Benchmarks: September 26, 1991: Crew sealed inside Biosphere 2","p":"EARTH Magazine (American Geosciences Institute)","d":"","u":"https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/benchmarks-september-26-1991-crew-sealed-inside-biosphere-2/","type":"press"},{"t":"Ecological dominance by Paratrechina longicornis (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an invasive tramp ant, in Biosphere 2","p":"Florida Entomologist 82(3):381-388 (Wetterer et al.)","d":"1999","u":"https://experts.arizona.edu/en/publications/ecological-dominance-by-paratrechina-longicornis-hymenoptera-form/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"closed-ecosystem","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In Biosphere 2, a sealed artificial version of my ecosystems of about 1.27 hectares in Arizona, oxygen fell from 20.9% to about 14.5% over about 16 months and was then supplied from outside.","src":[0,2,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What was the lowest oxygen level reached?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that all pollinators in the structure died and that cockroaches multiplied. No primary source confirming this is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"brazil-environmental-licensing-law-vetoes-and-agri-lobby","title":"Brazil's general environmental licensing law: Congress overrides the vetoes","dek":"Brazil's Congress overrode 52 of the 63 vetoes the government placed on the General Environmental Licensing Law, on 27 November 2025, days after the COP30 climate summit in Belém. The restored provisions include a self-declared licence and licence exemptions for some activities.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-15.8,"lon":-47.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Federal District","lat":-15.8,"lon":-47.9,"role":"court"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-11-27","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Vetoes overridden by Congress","value":"52 of 63","note":"27 November 2025. One news outlet counts 56 overridden; other sources give 52 to 56."},"happened":["Brazil's General Environmental Licensing Law (Law 15,190/2025) was signed by President Lula with 63 provisions vetoed by the government.","On 27 November 2025 the National Congress overrode 52 of the vetoed items (Veto no. 29/2025), according to Agência Senado. The restored provisions include a licence based on the company's own declaration (the \"licença de adesão e compromisso\", LAC) for small and medium activities with low and medium pollution potential; a licence exemption for maintenance of existing infrastructure and for agricultural activities on rural properties whose entry in the rural environmental registry (CAR) has not yet been approved; removal of federal and municipal approval in the Atlantic Forest; and a change that makes the opinions of the Indigenous affairs agency FUNAI and of the Fundação Palmares advisory only.","The override came days after COP30, which Brazil hosted in Belém. Agência Pública reported the override under a headline giving 56 vetoes; the cited sources give a range of 52 to 56.","Provisions on the special environmental licence (Licença Ambiental Especial, LAE) were dealt with separately through provisional measure MP 1,308/2025. Seven LAE-related items were counted as overridden in June 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Law 15,190/2025 signed with 63 provisions vetoed by the government","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"27 Nov: Congress overrides 52 veto items, days after COP30","src":0}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Congress overrode 52 veto items on 27 November 2025; restored items include the self-declared LAC licence, licence exemptions for existing-infrastructure maintenance and for agriculture on land with an unapproved rural registry entry, and advisory-only opinions from FUNAI and Fundação Palmares.","src":0},{"t":"The government had vetoed 63 provisions of the law (Veto no. 29/2025).","src":0},{"t":"Agência Pública reported 56 vetoes overridden after COP30.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Vetoes overridden","v":"52 of 63","d":"27 November 2025 (Agência Senado); one outlet counts 56"},{"k":"Independent assessment of ecological effect","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources describe the legal changes, not measured effects on ecosystems"}]},"unknown":["How many vetoes were overridden: sources give 52 (Agência Senado) and 56 (Agência Pública headline); one report says 52 to 56.","Unconfirmed: the Indigenous affairs agency FUNAI said 297 Indigenous territories would be left unprotected by the restored provisions.","Unconfirmed: the umbrella group Observatório do Clima, bringing together 161 organisations, called the override the largest environmental setback in the country's history, and organisations took the matter to the Supreme Court.","Unconfirmed: the congressional agribusiness caucus (Frente Parlamentar da Agropecuária) covered 306 of 513 deputies and 50 senators in December 2024. The cited sources do not document its role on this law.","Unconfirmed: the law was signed on 8 August 2025.","No ecological evaluation of the restored provisions appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: Congress overrode 52 veto items on 27 November 2025 and seven LAE-related items in June 2026; no court ruling on the override on record.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"brazil-congress","role":"Overrode the vetoes"},{"id":"funai","role":"Indigenous affairs agency whose opinion became advisory"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many vetoes did Congress override?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Agência Senado (Brazilian Senate news agency)","says":"Congress overrode 52 items of the veto to the General Environmental Licensing Law on 27 November 2025.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Agência Pública","says":"Congress overrode 56 vetoes of the environmental licensing law after COP30 (headline figure).","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"vetoes_issued","value":63,"unit":"provisions","year":2025,"note":"Provisions vetoed by the government (Veto no. 29/2025)."},{"key":"vetoes_overridden","value":52,"unit":"items","year":2025,"qualifier":"52 to 56 depending on source","note":"Overridden on 27 November 2025."},{"key":"indigenous_lands_unprotected","value":297,"unit":"territories","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Figure attributed to FUNAI; unconfirmed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Congress overrode 52 of the 63 vetoes placed on Brazil's General Environmental Licensing Law (Law 15,190/2025), restoring a self-declared licence, licence exemptions and advisory-only opinions from FUNAI and Fundação Palmares.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operators of activities covered by the restored self-declared licence and licence exemptions (small and medium low- and medium-pollution activities; maintenance of existing infrastructure; agriculture on land with an unapproved rural registry entry)","what":"Lighter licensing requirements","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"FUNAI and Fundação Palmares","what":"Their opinions in licensing became advisory only","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil (National Congress, Brasília); the law applies nationally.","src":0},"when":{"t":"27 November 2025 (override); seven further LAE-related items counted as overridden in June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"No source reviewed states the reasons Congress gave in the override vote.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Congress voted to override items of the presidential veto to Law 15,190/2025 (Veto no. 29/2025).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Congresso derruba 52 itens de veto à Lei Geral do Licenciamento Ambiental","p":"Agência Senado","d":"2025-11-27","type":"official","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/11/27/congresso-derruba-52-itens-de-veto-a-lei-geral-do-licenciamento-ambiental","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003200527/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/11/27/congresso-derruba-52-itens-de-veto-a-lei-geral-do-licenciamento-ambiental"},{"t":"Congresso derruba 56 vetos de licenciamento ambiental após COP30","p":"Agência Pública","d":"2025-11","type":"investigative","u":"https://apublica.org/2025/11/congresso-derruba-56-vetos-de-licenciamento-ambiental-apos-cop30/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510233924/https://apublica.org/2025/11/congresso-derruba-56-vetos-de-licenciamento-ambiental-apos-cop30/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"environmental-licensing-law","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many vetoes did Congress override?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Indigenous lands unprotected: Figure attributed to FUNAI; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How many vetoes were overridden: sources give 52 (Agência Senado) and 56 (Agência Pública headline); one report says 52 to 56.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Indigenous affairs agency FUNAI said 297 Indigenous territories would be left unprotected by the restored provisions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the umbrella group Observatório do Clima, bringing together 161 organisations, called the override the largest environmental setback in the country's history, and organisations took the matter to the Supreme Court.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the congressional agribusiness caucus (Frente Parlamentar da Agropecuária) covered 306 of 513 deputies and 50 senators in December 2024. The cited sources do not document its role on this law.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the law was signed on 8 August 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No ecological evaluation of the restored provisions appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"rosy-wolfsnail-introduction","title":"Rosy wolfsnail introduction, Moorea (French Polynesia)","dek":"A predatory snail was introduced to Moorea to control the giant African snail. A University of Hawaii record states that it ended the island's endemic Partula tree snails in the wild.","country":"French Polynesia","region":"Oceania","lat":-17.53,"lon":-149.83,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"French Polynesia","iso2":"PF","admin":"Moorea","lat":-17.53,"lon":-149.83,"role":"event"}],"start":1984,"end":1987,"instrument":"invasive-species","types":["invasive-species"],"headline":{"label":"Moorea Partula species extinct in the wild","value":"9 of 9","note":"By 1987, according to the University of Hawaii record cited."},"happened":["The rosy wolfsnail (Euglandina), a predatory snail, was brought to Moorea, French Polynesia, to control the giant African snail. The cited sources do not say who released it or in which year.","According to a record in the University of Hawaii ScholarSpace (Pacific Science, 1984), the predatory snail ended the endemic snails in the wild. The same record is cited for the finding that all nine of Moorea's Partula tree-snail species were extinct in the wild by 1987 and that control of the target snail could not be demonstrated.","One report gives the predator's advance across the island as about 1.2 kilometres a year. Another report links the predatory snail to the extinction of at least 134 land-snail species in the Pacific between 1955 and 2024; that figure comes and was not checked against a primary source."],"timeline":[{"y":1984,"t":"Pacific Science paper on the predatory snail and Moorea's endemic snails (University of Hawaii ScholarSpace record)","src":0},{"y":1987,"t":"All nine Moorea Partula species extinct in the wild, according to the record cited","src":0}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"A predatory snail introduced against the giant African snail ended Moorea's endemic Partula snails in the wild; control of the target snail could not be demonstrated.","src":0},{"t":"All nine Moorea Partula species were extinct in the wild by 1987.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Moorea Partula species extinct in the wild","v":"9 of 9","d":"By 1987 (University of Hawaii record)"},{"k":"Control of the target snail","v":"Not demonstrated","d":"Could not be shown, according to the record cited"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text in a University of Hawaii ScholarSpace record.","report":[{"t":"My Partula tree snails on Moorea were ended in the wild by a predatory snail brought to the island against another snail.","src":0},{"t":"All nine of my Moorea Partula species were extinct in the wild by 1987.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Who released the predatory snail on Moorea and in which year: the cited sources do not say.","Whether the predatory snail controlled the giant African snail: no evidence of control could be demonstrated, according to the record cited.","Unconfirmed: the predatory snail is linked to the extinction of at least 134 land-snail species in the Pacific, 1955 to 2024.","Unconfirmed: a warning against the introduction was not heeded."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest source reviewed (Pacific Science record, 1984, with a 1987 extinction-in-the-wild date): all nine Moorea Partula species extinct in the wild.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"species_extinct_wild","value":9,"unit":"species","year":1987,"note":"Moorea Partula species extinct in the wild."},{"key":"spread_rate_km_per_year","value":1.2,"unit":"km per year","qualifier":"about","note":"Predator advance across the island, as summarised; no URL given for the underlying source."},{"key":"species_extinct_associated","value":134,"unit":"land-snail species","unverified":true,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Pacific, 1955 to 2024;, not checked against a primary source."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A predatory snail introduced to control the giant African snail ended Moorea's endemic Partula tree snails in the wild.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Moorea's endemic Partula tree snails (nine species)","what":"Extinct in the wild by 1987","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Moorea's endemic Partula tree snails","what":"Extinction in the wild","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Moorea, French Polynesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Pacific Science record dated 1984; all nine species gone from the wild by 1987.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The predator was brought in against the giant African snail.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The predatory snail spread across the island, reported at about 1.2 km a year, and ended the endemic snails in the wild.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Pacific Science article on the predatory snail and endemic snails of Moorea (ScholarSpace record)","p":"Pacific Science / University of Hawaii ScholarSpace","d":"1984","type":"academic","u":"https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/7f365341-87c4-4947-ac94-0144aadae78a/full","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519011242/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/7f365341-87c4-4947-ac94-0144aadae78a/full"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biological-control","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Species extinct associated: Pacific, 1955 to 2024;, not checked against a primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who released the predatory snail on Moorea and in which year: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the predatory snail controlled the giant African snail: no evidence of control could be demonstrated, according to the record cited.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the predatory snail is linked to the extinction of at least 134 land-snail species in the Pacific, 1955 to 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a warning against the introduction was not heeded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"indonesian-nickel-oversupply-bhp-nickel-west-suspension-and","title":"Indonesian nickel oversupply: BHP Nickel West suspension and the LME green contract","dek":"Indonesia supplied about two thirds of global nickel mine output in 2025, much of it processed with captive coal power. Australian producers closed, BHP suspended Nickel West, and the London Metal Exchange declined a separate green nickel contract.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-2.1,"lon":121.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Sulawesi (Morowali)","lat":-2.1,"lon":121.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Western Australia","lat":-31,"lon":121.7,"role":"affected"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Indonesia's share of 2025 global nickel mine output","value":"67%","note":"2.6 Mt of 3.9 Mt, USGS data as reported by Katadata Databoks."},"happened":["According to USGS data reported by Katadata Databoks on 28 April 2026, Indonesia produced 2.6 million tonnes of the 3.9 million tonnes of global nickel mine output in 2025, 67%. Australia's output fell 54% and the Philippines' 24%.","Mining.com reported in 2024 that Indonesian oversupply had closed at least six Australian nickel projects and that BHP's Nickel West had been suspended with a $2.5 billion impairment. The cited sources do not give the date of the suspension.","Fastmarkets reported in October 2025 that the London Metal Exchange (LME) had declined to launch a separate green nickel contract and outlined a plan for sustainable base-metal premiums with a threshold of 20 tonnes of CO2e. One report states that the exchange gave insufficient market interest as the reason.","IEEFA reported in October 2024 that three Indonesian producers using coal-based power had a carbon intensity of 57 to 70 tonnes of CO2 per tonne of nickel (2023 company data), against the 20-tonne low-carbon threshold the LME had proposed. Captive coal capacity in Indonesia stood at 19.3 GW in July 2025, up 4.49 GW in a year, about 80% of coal additions in the country, according to CREA and GEM.","Indonesia's Ministry of Environment reported in June 2025 that, at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), it had found more than 1,800 hectares of structures outside the environmental impact assessment, more than 12 million tonnes of unpermitted nickel slag and waste, and 24 emission sources without continuous monitoring. Whether sanctions were applied was unclear."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Captive coal capacity in the nickel regions begins to rise (more than doubled by July 2025)","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"Mining.com reports at least six Australian nickel projects closed and BHP Nickel West suspended with a $2.5 billion impairment","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"October: IEEFA reports 57 to 70 t CO2 per tonne of nickel for three coal-based Indonesian producers","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"June: Indonesian Ministry of Environment reports findings at IMIP","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"October: Fastmarkets reports the LME plan for premiums with a 20 t CO2e threshold and no separate green nickel contract","src":1},{"y":2026,"t":"28 April: Katadata Databoks reports Indonesia at 67% of 2025 global nickel mine output; Australia down 54%","src":3}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Downstreaming (hilirisasi): process the ore in the country and keep the value there","who":"Government of Indonesia","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Indonesia 2.6 Mt of 3.9 Mt global nickel mine output in 2025; Australia down 54%, Philippines down 24%.","src":3},{"t":"At least six Australian nickel projects closed; BHP Nickel West suspended with a $2.5 billion impairment.","src":0},{"t":"Carbon intensity of three coal-based Indonesian producers: 57 to 70 t CO2 per tonne of nickel, against a 20 t proposed LME threshold.","src":2},{"t":"LME declined a separate green nickel contract and outlined a premium plan with a 20 t CO2e threshold.","src":1},{"t":"Indonesian Ministry of Environment found more than 1,800 ha of structures outside the impact assessment, more than 12 Mt of unpermitted slag and waste, and 24 unmonitored emission sources at IMIP.","src":5},{"t":"Nickel use in Indonesia in 2025: 83% steel, 17% batteries.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Carbon intensity, coal-based Indonesian nickel","v":"57-70 t CO2/t Ni","d":"Three producers, 2023 company data (IEEFA); LME proposed low-carbon threshold 20 t"},{"k":"Forest loss, Morowali area","v":"At least 75,000 ha","d":"Underlying source not given"},{"k":"Unpermitted slag and waste at IMIP","v":"More than 12 Mt","d":"Indonesian Ministry of Environment, June 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text in the Indonesian Ministry of Environment findings and in reported estimates.","report":[{"t":"Nickel mines in Indonesia have cleared at least 75,000 hectares of my forest.","src":7},{"t":"More than 12 million tonnes of unpermitted slag and waste lie in the industrial park at Morowali, and 24 emission sources have no continuous monitoring.","src":5},{"t":"A tailings embankment collapse in the park killed three workers; a furnace explosion killed 21.","src":8}]},"unknown":["Whether the Ministry of Environment findings at IMIP led to sanctions: unclear.","Date of the BHP Nickel West suspension: the cited sources do not state it.","Unconfirmed: a hydropower-based producer, Vale, had a carbon intensity of 28.7 t CO2 per tonne of nickel.","Unconfirmed: the LME rejected the separate green contract on the ground that market interest was insufficient (summary of reporting)."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: Indonesia at 67% of 2025 global nickel mine output; BHP Nickel West suspended; no separate LME green nickel contract; enforcement of the June 2025 environment-ministry findings unclear.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"lme","says":"Declined to launch a separate green nickel contract and outlined a plan for sustainable base-metal premiums with a threshold of 20 t CO2e.","when":"October 2025","src":1},{"actor":"indonesia-klh","says":"Found more than 1,800 ha of structures outside the impact assessment, more than 12 Mt of unpermitted slag and waste and 24 unmonitored emission sources at IMIP.","when":"June 2025","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"bhp","role":"Suspended Nickel West"},{"id":"lme","role":"Declined a separate green nickel contract"},{"id":"imip","role":"Industrial park where findings were made"},{"id":"tsingshan","role":"Chinese-capital operator at the park"},{"id":"huayou","role":"Chinese-capital operator at the park"},{"id":"indonesia-klh","role":"Indonesian Ministry of Environment"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is nickel produced with captive coal power low-carbon?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"IEEFA","says":"Three coal-based Indonesian producers had 57 to 70 t CO2 per tonne of nickel in 2023, against the 20 t low-carbon threshold the LME proposed.","src":2},{"voice":"standard","holder":"London Metal Exchange","says":"Declined a separate green nickel contract; its premium plan uses a 20 t CO2e threshold.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Indonesia","says":"Presents the policy as downstreaming: process ore in the country and keep the value there.","src":null}]},{"point":"How much value stays in Indonesia?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Celios (think tank)","says":"Revenue lost through tax holidays is about 32 trillion rupiah.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"An economist critic of the policy","says":"Indonesia keeps at most about 10% of nickel value added.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Indonesia","says":"Nickel exports rose from about $6 billion in 2013 to about $30 billion in 2022.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ministry of Environment findings at IMIP","forum":"Ministry of Environment (KLH), Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Environment","defendant":"IMIP industrial park","filed":"2025-06","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The ministry found structures outside the impact assessment, unpermitted slag and waste, and unmonitored emission sources. Whether sanctions were applied is unclear.","src":5},{"title":"Forest task force action against Weda Bay Nickel","forum":"Indonesian forest task force","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Forest task force","defendant":"Weda Bay Nickel","filed":"2025-09","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The task force seized 148 ha of an unpermitted area of 444 ha; a penalty of 6.5 billion rupiah per hectare was set for nickel. Across 71 companies the penalties totalled 38.9 trillion rupiah.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nickel_mine_output_indonesia","value":2.6,"unit":"Mt","year":2025,"note":"Of 3.9 Mt global nickel mine output (67%)."},{"key":"nickel_output_change_australia","value":-54,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Reported fall in Australian output."},{"key":"impairment_nickel_west","value":2.5,"unit":"$ bn","year":2024,"note":"BHP Nickel West impairment, as stated in the source summary."},{"key":"co2_intensity_nickel","value":"57-70","unit":"t CO2 per t Ni","year":2023,"note":"Three coal-based Indonesian producers (IEEFA); LME proposed threshold 20 t."},{"key":"captive_coal_capacity","value":19.3,"unit":"GW","year":2025,"note":"July 2025; up 4.49 GW in a year (about 80% of coal additions)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":75000,"unit":"ha","qualifier":"at least","note":"Morowali-area forest loss; underlying source not given."},{"key":"deaths","value":21,"unit":"workers","note":"Furnace explosion in the largest industrial park; a tailings embankment collapse killed three more."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesian nickel output expanded, with captive coal power, as Australian producers closed, BHP suspended Nickel West and the LME declined a separate green nickel contract.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Indonesian nickel producers","what":"Share of global nickel mine output of 67% in 2025","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"BHP","what":"Nickel West suspended with a $2.5 billion impairment","src":0},{"who":"Australian nickel producers","what":"At least six projects closed; national output down 54% in 2025","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest and communities around the Indonesian industrial parks","what":"At least 75,000 ha of forest loss and unpermitted waste (source for the forest figure not given)","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Sulawesi and Maluku, Indonesia (IMIP, Morowali); Western Australia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2023 to 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Reporting describes a nickel price crash extending Indonesia's grip on supply.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Coal-fired captive power supports Indonesian smelting, with carbon intensity of 57 to 70 t CO2 per tonne of nickel, against an LME-proposed 20 t threshold.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Nickel price crash seen extending Indonesia's grip on supply","p":"Mining.com","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/web/nickel-price-crash-seen-extending-indonesias-grip-on-supply/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114233350/https://www.mining.com/web/nickel-price-crash-seen-extending-indonesias-grip-on-supply/"},{"t":"LME outlines plan for sustainable base metal premiums (LME Week 2025)","p":"Fastmarkets","d":"2025-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/lme-outlines-plan-for-sustainable-base-metal-premiums-lme-week-2025/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260521200525/https://www.fastmarkets.com/insights/lme-outlines-plan-for-sustainable-base-metal-premiums-lme-week-2025/"},{"t":"Indonesia's nickel companies need renewable energy amid increasing production","p":"IEEFA","d":"2024-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://ieefa.org/resources/indonesias-nickel-companies-need-renewable-energy-amid-increasing-production","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901142533/https://ieefa.org/resources/indonesias-nickel-companies-need-renewable-energy-amid-increasing-production"},{"t":"Indonesia Kuasai Bobot Produksi Nikel Global pada 2025","p":"Katadata Databoks","d":"2026-04-28","type":"press","u":"https://databoks.katadata.co.id/pertambangan/statistik/69f03847e10b5/indonesia-kuasai-bobot-produksi-nikel-global-pada-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615210237/https://databoks.katadata.co.id/pertambangan/statistik/69f03847e10b5/indonesia-kuasai-bobot-produksi-nikel-global-pada-2025"},{"t":"Out of sight, out of control: 31 GW of captive coal is jeopardizing Indonesia's economic and emissions goals","p":"Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA)","d":"2026-01-27","u":"https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/31-gw-of-captive-coal-is-jeopardizing-indonesias-economic-and-emissions-goals/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260905134319/https://energyandcleanair.org/publication/31-gw-of-captive-coal-is-jeopardizing-indonesias-economic-and-emissions-goals/"},{"t":"KLH/BPLH temukan pelanggaran lingkungan serius di kawasan industri PT IMIP","p":"Ministry of Environment / Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH), Indonesia","d":"2025-06-17","u":"https://kemenlh.go.id/news/detail/klhbplh-temukan-pelanggaran-lingkungan-serius-di-kawasan-industri-pt-imip","type":"official"},{"t":"Indonesia's captive coal: could it lead the transition away?","p":"Dialogue Earth / Eco-Business","d":"2026-09-21","u":"https://www.eco-business.com/news/indonesias-captive-coal-could-it-lead-the-transition-away/","type":"press"},{"t":"Indonesia nickel concessions result in deforestation, adverse human rights impacts, Mighty Earth report finds","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (reporting Mighty Earth, From Forests to Electric Vehicles)","d":"2024-05-01","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/ko/최신-뉴스/indonesia-nickel-concessions-result-to-deforestation-adverse-human-rights-impacts-mighty-earth-report-finds/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Kolam limbah nikel IMIP jebol dan tewaskan tiga pekerja","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2025-04-08","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2025/04/08/kolam-limbah-nikel-imip-jebol-dan-tewaskan-tiga-pekerja/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Government seizes nickel mining sites in N. Maluku, SE Sulawesi for permit violations","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2025-09-19","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/5267/policy/government-seizes-nickel-mining-sites-in-n-maluku-se-sulawesi-for-permit-violations","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"commodity-market","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is nickel produced with captive coal power low-carbon?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much value stays in Indonesia?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ministry of Environment findings at IMIP: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Ministry of Environment findings at IMIP led to sanctions: unclear.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Date of the BHP Nickel West suspension: the cited sources do not state it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a hydropower-based producer, Vale, had a carbon intensity of 28.7 t CO2 per tonne of nickel.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the LME rejected the separate green contract on the ground that market interest was insufficient (summary of reporting).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who harmed: Forest and communities around the Indonesian industrial parks"]},{"id":"norway-longship-and-northern-lights-ccs-sleipner","title":"Norway Longship and Northern Lights CCS; Sleipner","dek":"Norway funds Longship, a carbon capture and storage chain whose Northern Lights storage site, owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, began injecting carbon dioxide in August 2025. The Sleipner field has reportedly stored carbon dioxide under the seabed since 1996.","country":"Norway","region":"Europe","lat":60.5,"lon":4.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","lat":60.5,"lon":4.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","lat":58.4,"lon":1.9,"role":"event"}],"start":1991,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-08","instrument":"climate-tech","types":["climate-tech"],"headline":{"label":"Northern Lights phase 1 injection capacity","value":"1.5 Mt/yr","note":"Per Maritime Executive, 25 August 2025; the same source gives 5 Mt/yr in 2028 with EU funding."},"happened":["Northern Lights is the storage component of Longship, Norway's carbon capture and storage chain. It is a partnership of Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies. It injected its first carbon dioxide in August 2025. Maritime Executive reported a first-phase capacity of 1.5 million tonnes a year, rising to 5 million tonnes a year in 2028 with EU funding.","Two further accounts are known only from secondary summaries and have not been independently verified. One is a Norwegian government statement on Longship, reported to give a 2020 total cost estimate of NOK 25.1 billion, of which the state would bear NOK 16.8 billion. The other is an engineering case study of Sleipner, reported to say that Norway placed a carbon tax on offshore oil and gas production in 1991 and that Statoil (now Equinor) then began injecting carbon dioxide from the Sleipner field into the Utsira saline formation, because storage cost less than the tax."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Northern Lights injects first carbon dioxide (August)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Northern Lights was reported as injecting carbon dioxide into subsea storage, with a first-phase capacity of 1.5 million tonnes a year and 5 million tonnes a year planned for 2028 with EU funding.","who":"Maritime Executive","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Northern Lights injected its first carbon dioxide in August 2025.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"NOK","window":"2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Northern Lights phase 1 capacity","v":"1.5 Mt/yr","d":"Reported by Maritime Executive, August 2025"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources do not describe one"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Sleipner has stored about 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year since 1996 and about 16 million tonnes by 2016, after Norway's 1991 offshore carbon tax (source: a reports of an Institution of Civil Engineers case study).","Unconfirmed: Longship's 2020 cost estimate of NOK 25.1 billion, with a state share of NOK 16.8 billion (about two-thirds).","Unconfirmed: IEEFA wrote that unexpected subsurface problems occurred at Sleipner and Snohvit.","The cited sources give no ecological evaluation of the storage sites."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the cited sources describe storage operations, not a harm that stopped.","whoPaid":"Unconfirmed: the Norwegian state would bear about two-thirds of Longship's estimated cost.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: Northern Lights has injected its first carbon dioxide; no ecological evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"equinor","role":"Northern Lights partner; former Statoil"},{"id":"shell","role":"Northern Lights partner"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Northern Lights partner"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"injection_capacity_phase1","value":1.5,"unit":"Mt CO2 per year","year":2025,"note":"Northern Lights first-phase capacity."},{"key":"injection_capacity_2028","value":5,"unit":"Mt CO2 per year","year":2028,"qualifier":"planned","note":"With EU funding, per Maritime Executive."},{"key":"project_cost","value":25.1,"unit":"NOK bn","year":2020,"unverified":true,"note":"Longship estimated total cost; secondary report only."},{"key":"state_share_cost","value":16.8,"unit":"NOK bn","year":2020,"unverified":true,"note":"State share of Longship estimate; secondary report only."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Norway's Longship carbon capture and storage chain, with the Northern Lights storage site.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, as Northern Lights partners","what":"Own the storage site that began injecting in August 2025.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Offshore Norway.","src":null},"when":{"t":"First injection at Northern Lights in August 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources state no purpose beyond carbon storage.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Carbon dioxide is injected into subsea storage.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Funding for Longship and Northern Lights approved","p":"Norwegian government","d":"2020","type":"official","u":"https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/funding-for-longship-and-northern-lights-approved/id2791729/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210724175902/https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/funding-for-longship-and-northern-lights-approved/id2791729/"},{"t":"Northern Lights injects first CO2 in subsea storage well","p":"Maritime Executive","d":"2025-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/northern-lights-injects-first-co2-in-subsea-storage-well","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615135738/https://maritime-executive.com/article/northern-lights-injects-first-co2-in-subsea-storage-well"},{"t":"Sleipner carbon capture and storage project (case study)","p":"Institution of Civil Engineers","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ice.org.uk/engineering-resources/case-studies/sleipner-carbon-capture-and-storage-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240621082327/https://www.ice.org.uk/engineering-resources/case-studies/sleipner-carbon-capture-and-storage-project"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"carbon-capture-storage","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In August 2025 Northern Lights began injecting carbon dioxide beneath my seabed, at a first-phase capacity of 1.5 Mt a year, Maritime Executive reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Project cost: Longship estimated total cost; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"State share cost: State share of Longship estimate; secondary report only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Sleipner has stored about 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year since 1996 and about 16 million tonnes by 2016, after Norway's 1991 offshore carbon tax (source: a reports of an Institution of Civil Engineers case study).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Longship's 2020 cost estimate of NOK 25.1 billion, with a state share of NOK 16.8 billion (about two-thirds).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IEEFA wrote that unexpected subsurface problems occurred at Sleipner and Snohvit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no ecological evaluation of the storage sites.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, as Northern Lights partners"]},{"id":"fieldwood-bankruptcy-and-us-offshore-decommissioning","title":"Fieldwood bankruptcy and US offshore decommissioning","dek":"Estimated decommissioning liabilities for US offshore oil platforms are far larger than the supplemental bonds held against them. The bankruptcy of Fieldwood Energy moved about $9 billion of liabilities to co-owners and previous owners.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":28,"lon":-90,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":28,"lon":-90,"role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated liabilities vs supplemental bonds held (June 2023)","value":"$40-70bn vs ~$3.5bn","note":"GAO-24-106229; figures as stated, not recomputed."},"happened":["A report cited as GAO-24-106229 estimated decommissioning liabilities for US offshore oil and gas platforms at $40-70 billion. Against this, about $3.5 billion of supplemental bonds were held as of June 2023.","In the bankruptcy of Fieldwood Energy, about $9 billion of liabilities were pushed to co-owners and predecessors.","In April 2024 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued a rule that added $6.9 billion in new supplemental financial assurance."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"About $3.5bn of supplemental bonds held against estimated $40-70bn liabilities (June)"},{"y":2024,"t":"BOEM rule: $6.9bn in new supplemental financial assurance (April)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Estimated liabilities of $40-70bn against about $3.5bn of supplemental bonds held (June 2023), per GAO-24-106229.","src":0},{"t":"BOEM's April 2024 rule added $6.9bn in new supplemental financial assurance.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023-2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Estimated liabilities","v":"$40-70bn","d":"GAO-24-106229"},{"k":"Supplemental bonds held","v":"~$3.5bn","d":"June 2023"},{"k":"Liabilities moved to co-owners and predecessors","v":"~$9bn","d":"Fieldwood bankruptcy"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give no date or court outcome for the Fieldwood bankruptcy.","No source states what share of the platforms has been decommissioned, or the condition of the sites."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"About $9 billion of Fieldwood's liabilities passed to co-owners and previous owners.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: BOEM rule adding $6.9bn in supplemental financial assurance issued; no later source found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"fieldwood-energy","role":"Bankrupt offshore operator"},{"id":"boem","role":"Regulator; issued April 2024 financial-assurance rule"},{"id":"gao","role":"Auditor; estimated liabilities"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"decommissioning_liability","value":40,"unit":"USD bn","year":2023,"qualifier":"range 40-70","note":"GAO estimate of liabilities, lower bound; upper bound 70."},{"key":"supplemental_bonds_held","value":3.5,"unit":"USD bn","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"As of June 2023."},{"key":"liabilities_transferred","value":9,"unit":"USD bn","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fieldwood bankruptcy; moved to co-owners and predecessors."},{"key":"new_financial_assurance","value":6.9,"unit":"USD bn","year":2024,"note":"BOEM April 2024 rule."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Estimated US offshore decommissioning liabilities far exceed the supplemental bonds held; Fieldwood's bankruptcy moved about $9bn of liabilities to co-owners and predecessors.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"US offshore oil and gas platforms.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bonds as of June 2023; BOEM rule April 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Supplemental bonds and financial assurance requirements set by BOEM; liabilities passed to prior owners in the bankruptcy.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Offshore Oil and Gas: Interior Needs to Improve Decommissioning Enforcement and Mitigate Related Risks (GAO-24-106229)","p":"U.S. Government Accountability Office","d":"2024","u":"https://gao.gov/products/gao-24-106229","type":"official"},{"t":"Interior Department Takes Action to Protect Taxpayers from Offshore Oil and Gas Decommissioning Costs","p":"U.S. Department of the Interior","d":"2024-04-15","u":"https://www.doi.gov/node/57076","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"decommissioning-liability","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Decommissioning the oil platforms in my US offshore waters is estimated at $40-70 billion; about $3.5 billion in supplemental bonds was held against it in June 2023, per GAO.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no date or court outcome for the Fieldwood bankruptcy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source states what share of the platforms has been decommissioned, or the condition of the sites.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"fengyun-1c-anti-satellite-test","title":"Fengyun-1C anti-satellite test","dek":"On 11 January 2007 China destroyed its Fengyun-1C weather satellite with a missile. The catalogue lists 3,532 pieces from the event, of which 2,312 were still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":35,"lon":105,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"event","lat":35,"lon":105}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2007-01-11","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Catalogued pieces from the test / still in orbit on 15 Oct 2026","value":"3,532 / 2,312","note":"CelesTrak catalogue count, as tabulated in the ESA report and NASA Orbital Debris Quarterly News."},"happened":["On 11 January 2007 China carried out an anti-satellite test against its own Fengyun-1C satellite, which had a mass of 958 kg and was at an altitude of 843 to 863 km. The event details come from the European Space Agency (ESA) report cited in NASA's Orbital Debris Quarterly News (ODQN).","The catalogue of tracked objects lists 3,532 pieces from the event. On 15 October 2026, 2,312 of them were still in orbit, according to the CelesTrak catalogue.","NASA's Orbital Debris Quarterly News said that the Fengyun-1C test and the 2009 collision of Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 together \"more than doubled the cataloged objects below 1000 km altitude\".","The same NASA newsletter reported collision-avoidance manoeuvres by a spacecraft: two in November 2024, taking the total to 40 since 1999, and one on 30 April 2025, raising it to 41. The fragments avoided came from the Fengyun-1C test (2007), the DMSP F13 explosion (2015) and a Chinese CZ-2D stage from 2005."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"11 January: China destroys Fengyun-1C with a missile at 843–863 km"},{"y":2009,"t":"10 February: Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collide at about 776–791 km"},{"y":2019,"t":"27 March: India's Mission Shakti test against Microsat-R at about 294 × 265 km; 130 pieces catalogued, none left in orbit"},{"y":2021,"t":"Russian anti-satellite test: International Space Station crew shelter in their spacecraft for about two hours"},{"y":2022,"t":"The United States decides to stop anti-satellite missile tests; about 37 countries joined the moratorium"},{"y":2025,"t":"30 April: a manoeuvre raises the total to 41 since 1999, avoiding fragments that included Fengyun-1C debris"},{"y":2026,"t":"15 October: 2,312 of 3,532 catalogued Fengyun-1C pieces still in orbit (CelesTrak)"}],"said":[{"q":"more than doubled the cataloged objects below 1000 km altitude","who":"NASA Orbital Debris Quarterly News 29-3, on the Fengyun-1C test and the Iridium–Cosmos collision together","when":"2025","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Fengyun-1C, 11 January 2007, 843–863 km, 958 kg: 3,532 catalogued pieces; 2,312 still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","src":2},{"t":"Fragments from the 2007 test were among those a spacecraft avoided in manoeuvres counted at 40 (November 2024) and 41 (April 2025) since 1999.","src":1},{"t":"India's 2019 Mission Shakti test, at about 294 × 265 km: 130 catalogued pieces, none left in orbit.","src":2},{"t":"After the 2021 Russian test the crew of the International Space Station sheltered in their spacecraft for about two hours.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Catalogued pieces from the test","v":"3,532","d":"CelesTrak catalogue, as tabulated by ESA / NASA"},{"k":"Still in orbit on 15 October 2026","v":"2,312","d":"CelesTrak count"},{"k":"Effect on catalogued objects below 1,000 km","v":"More than doubled","d":"With the 2009 collision; NASA ODQN 29-3"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state China's own account of the 2007 test."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: the debris from the test remained in orbit in part (2,312 of 3,532 pieces on 15 October 2026). The United States decided in 2022 to stop anti-satellite missile tests, and about 37 countries joined the moratorium.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who bore costs. They record that the 2007 test and the 2009 collision together more than doubled the catalogued objects below 1,000 km, and that spacecraft have manoeuvred to avoid its fragments.","statusLine":"As of 15 October 2026: 2,312 of 3,532 catalogued pieces remained in orbit; no ruling, liability finding or cost figure is on record.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"china-gov","role":"State that conducted the test"},{"id":"nasa","role":"Publisher of Orbital Debris Quarterly News"},{"id":"esa","role":"Source of event details"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"debris_catalogued","value":3532,"unit":"pieces","year":2026,"note":"Catalogued pieces from the Fengyun-1C test, CelesTrak count of 15 October 2026."},{"key":"debris_in_orbit","value":2312,"unit":"pieces","year":2026,"note":"Pieces still in orbit on 15 October 2026."},{"key":"satellite_mass_kg","value":958,"unit":"kg","year":2007,"note":"Mass of Fengyun-1C."},{"key":"avoidance_manoeuvres_total","value":41,"unit":"manoeuvres","year":2025,"note":"Total since 1999 for the spacecraft reported in ODQN 29-3; fragments avoided included Fengyun-1C debris."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China destroyed its Fengyun-1C satellite with a missile in an anti-satellite test, creating 3,532 catalogued pieces.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Low Earth orbit at 843–863 km altitude.","src":null},"when":{"t":"11 January 2007.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state China's stated purpose.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A missile struck the 958 kg satellite.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Orbital Debris Quarterly News, vol. 29, issue 2","p":"NASA","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250004804/downloads/ODQN%2029-2_final.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260413021544/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250004804/downloads/ODQN%2029-2_final.pdf"},{"t":"Orbital Debris Quarterly News, vol. 29, issue 3","p":"NASA","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250008945/downloads/ODQN%2029-3_final.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260109152919/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250008945/downloads/ODQN%2029-3_final.pdf"},{"t":"CelesTrak public satellite catalog (SATCAT), queried 18 October 2026: FENGYUN 1C objects of launch 1999-025, 3,532 catalogued, 2,312 without decay date; MICROSAT-R objects of launch 2019-006, 130 catalogued, 0 in orbit","p":"CelesTrak","d":"2026-10-18","u":"https://celestrak.org/pub/satcat.csv","type":"registry"},{"t":"ESA Space Environment Report 2025 (Fengyun 1C fragmentation: 11 January 2007, 843.3-863.3 km, mass 958 kg)","p":"European Space Agency, Space Debris Office","d":"2025-10-21","u":"https://www.sdo.esoc.esa.int/publications/Space_Environment_Report_I9R1_20251021.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Orbital Debris Quarterly News, vol. 23, issue 3 (Indian ASAT test: 294 x 265 km)","p":"NASA Orbital Debris Program Office","d":"2019-08","u":"https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv23i3.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"NASA Administrator Statement on Russian Anti-Satellite Test","p":"NASA","d":"2021-11-15","u":"https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-statement-on-russian-asat-test/","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A missile test on 11 January 2007 left 3,532 catalogued pieces in my orbital space; 2,312 were still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","src":[2,3]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state China's own account of the 2007 test.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"iridium-33-and-cosmos-2251-collision","title":"Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collision","dek":"On 10 February 2009 the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 satellites collided at about 776–791 km altitude. The catalogue lists 1,715 pieces from Cosmos 2251 and 657 from Iridium 33.","country":"Low Earth orbit","region":"Orbit","lat":0,"lon":0,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Low Earth orbit","iso2":"","role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2009-02-10","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris"],"headline":{"label":"Catalogued pieces / still in orbit on 15 Oct 2026","value":"2,372 / 727","note":"Cosmos 2251: 1,715 / 611; Iridium 33: 657 / 116. CelesTrak catalogue count."},"happened":["On 10 February 2009 the satellites Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collided at about 776 to 791 km altitude. The event details are from the European Space Agency (ESA) report.","The CelesTrak catalogue lists 1,715 pieces from Cosmos 2251 and 657 from Iridium 33. On 15 October 2026, 611 of the Cosmos 2251 pieces and 116 of the Iridium 33 pieces were still in orbit.","NASA's Orbital Debris Quarterly News (ODQN 29-3) said that the 2009 collision and the 2007 Fengyun-1C anti-satellite test together \"more than doubled the cataloged objects below 1000 km altitude\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"11 January: China's Fengyun-1C anti-satellite test (3,532 catalogued pieces)"},{"y":2009,"t":"10 February: Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 collide at about 776–791 km"},{"y":2019,"t":"27 March: India's Mission Shakti anti-satellite test"},{"y":2026,"t":"15 October: 611 of 1,715 Cosmos 2251 pieces and 116 of 657 Iridium 33 pieces still in orbit (CelesTrak)"}],"said":[{"q":"more than doubled the cataloged objects below 1000 km altitude","who":"NASA Orbital Debris Quarterly News 29-3, on the Fengyun-1C test and the Iridium–Cosmos collision together","when":"2025","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Cosmos 2251: 1,715 catalogued pieces, 611 still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","src":2},{"t":"Iridium 33: 657 catalogued pieces, 116 still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cosmos 2251 pieces catalogued / in orbit","v":"1,715 / 611","d":"CelesTrak, 15 October 2026"},{"k":"Iridium 33 pieces catalogued / in orbit","v":"657 / 116","d":"CelesTrak, 15 October 2026"},{"k":"Effect on catalogued objects below 1,000 km","v":"More than doubled","d":"With the 2007 Fengyun-1C test; NASA ODQN 29-3"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not describe any measure taken after the collision; 727 of the 2,372 catalogued pieces were still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who bore costs of the collision.","statusLine":"As of 15 October 2026: 727 of 2,372 catalogued pieces remained in orbit; no ruling, liability finding or cost figure is on record.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"nasa","role":"Publisher of Orbital Debris Quarterly News"},{"id":"esa","role":"Source of event details"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"debris_catalogued","value":1715,"unit":"pieces","year":2026,"note":"Cosmos 2251 pieces in the catalogue."},{"key":"debris_in_orbit","value":611,"unit":"pieces","year":2026,"note":"Cosmos 2251 pieces still in orbit on 15 October 2026."},{"key":"debris_catalogued_iridium_33","value":657,"unit":"pieces","year":2026,"note":"Iridium 33 pieces in the catalogue."},{"key":"debris_in_orbit_iridium_33","value":116,"unit":"pieces","year":2026,"note":"Iridium 33 pieces still in orbit on 15 October 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two satellites, Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251, collided in orbit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Low Earth orbit at about 776–791 km altitude.","src":0},"when":{"t":"10 February 2009.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a cause.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The two satellites collided.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"ESA Space Environment Report 2026 (Issue 10)","p":"European Space Agency, Space Debris Office","d":"2026-09-08","u":"https://www.sdo.esoc.esa.int/environment_report/Space_Environment_Report_I10R1_20260908.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Orbital Debris Quarterly News, Volume 29, Issue 3 (Overview of the Cataloged Population)","p":"NASA Orbital Debris Program Office","d":"2025-09","u":"https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250008945/downloads/ODQN%2029-3_final.pdf","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260109152919/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20250008945/downloads/ODQN%2029-3_final.pdf"},{"t":"CelesTrak SATCAT public catalogue (Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 debris counts, 15 October 2026)","p":"CelesTrak","d":"2026-10-15","u":"https://celestrak.org/pub/satcat.csv","type":"registry"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A collision on 10 February 2009 left 2,372 catalogued pieces in my orbital space; 727 were still in orbit on 15 October 2026.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"wwf-supported-ecoguards-in-cameroon-and-car","title":"WWF-supported ecoguards in Cameroon and CAR (Lobéké, Dzanga-Sangha)","dek":"Ecoguards trained and paid with WWF support were accused of beatings and torture around Lobéké in Cameroon, and WWF staff were accused of involvement in a rifle purchase in Dzanga-Sangha in the Central African Republic. An independent panel reported in November 2020 that it found no evidence that WWF staff directed abuses, and that WWF had not taken adequate steps once it knew of the allegations.","country":"Cameroon","region":"Africa","lat":2.25,"lon":15.75,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","lat":2.25,"lon":15.75,"role":"event"},{"country":"Central African Republic","iso2":"CF","lat":2.85,"lon":16.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2020,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Rifles allegedly bought from the army with WWF staff involvement, Dzanga-Sangha, 2009","value":"15","note":"Alleged by BuzzFeed News; about 2 million CFA francs reported unaccounted for. The independent panel found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms."},"happened":["Around Lobéké in Cameroon, allegations were made of beatings, torture and burned huts by ecoguards. WWF trained the ecoguards, paid salaries and built housing. The record states that the park management plan provides for WWF to help organise \"coups de poing\" raids on villages.","BuzzFeed News published an investigation in March 2019 on ranger units that WWF funded or equipped in Asia and Africa. For Lobéké it reported a complaint from five villagers that forest rangers and soldiers, for whom WWF paid salaries and bought vehicles, beat an 11-year-old boy and his parents with machetes; the article gives the date as 2017 in one passage and October 2018 in another. For Dzanga-Sangha in the Central African Republic it recorded that WWF staff were involved in a 2009 purchase of 15 AK rifles from the army, with about 2 million CFA francs left unaccounted for. Further allegations in the cited sources are that WWF helped ecoguards buy army weapons and hired Maisha Consulting to deal with the Seleka. BuzzFeed also reported that WWF paid informants in India, Nepal, Cameroon and CAR; WWF said publicly that it does not run informants directly.","Survival International had earlier filed a complaint against WWF with the Swiss National Contact Point under the OECD guidelines, on 10 February 2016 according to OECD Watch (the contact point records receipt on 19 February). The contact point accepted the case on 20 December 2016; mediation failed and Survival withdrew on 4 September 2017, and OECD Watch lists the case as \"withdrawn\". The contact point issued a final statement on 21 November 2017.","WWF commissioned an independent panel chaired by Navi Pillay, a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which reported on 24 November 2020 across six countries. On WWF's role, the panel wrote that there were \"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence\". For Cameroon it found that WWF had heard allegations \"as early as 2008\" and that \"Until recent years, WWF had not taken adequate steps to fulfil that responsibility.\" For Dzanga-Sangha it \"found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms\" and judged the hiring of Maisha Consulting \"necessary in the circumstances\".","Across the network, the panel found implementation of WWF's human rights commitments \"inconsistent. and especially weak in the Congo Basin countries\", and that no agreements or memoranda of understanding with state partners contained human rights provisions and no donor project agreements before 2019 required human rights due diligence. It recommended codes of conduct for ecoguards as a condition of WWF support, complaint mechanisms, monitoring of patrols, and suspension and prosecution of accused ecoguards. WWF said it \"embraces\" the recommendations."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Cameroon: WWF hears allegations of ecoguard abuses, according to the independent panel"},{"y":2009,"t":"Dzanga-Sangha: alleged purchase of 15 AK rifles from the army involving WWF staff; about 2 million CFA francs reported unaccounted for"},{"y":2016,"t":"10 February: Survival International files OECD complaint against WWF with the Swiss National Contact Point"},{"y":2017,"t":"Lobéké: complaint that rangers beat an 11-year-old boy and his parents; BuzzFeed gives the date as 2017 in one passage and October 2018 in another"},{"y":2019,"t":"March: BuzzFeed News investigation into WWF-supported ranger units"},{"y":2020,"t":"24 November: independent panel chaired by Navi Pillay reports; WWF says it embraces the recommendations"}],"said":[{"q":"no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated in any of these alleged abuses, and the Panel saw no evidence","who":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF, report on WWF's role","when":"November 2020","src":4},{"q":"Until recent years, WWF had not taken adequate steps to fulfil that responsibility.","who":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF, on Cameroon","when":"November 2020","src":4},{"q":"found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms","who":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF, on Dzanga-Sangha","when":"November 2020","src":4},{"q":"necessary in the circumstances","who":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF, on the hiring of Maisha Consulting","when":"November 2020","src":4},{"q":"inconsistent. and especially weak in the Congo Basin countries","who":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF, on implementation of human rights commitments","when":"November 2020","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"WWF trained the ecoguards, paid salaries and built housing in Lobéké.","who":"BuzzFeed News and other reports","src":0},{"t":"The Lobéké park management plan provides for WWF to help organise \"coups de poing\" raids on villages.","who":"Lobéké park management plan","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"BuzzFeed News reported allegations of beatings, torture and burned huts by ecoguards in Lobéké and, for 2017, the torture of an 11-year-old child by ecoguards whose salaries and vehicles WWF provided.","src":0},{"t":"BuzzFeed News reported that WWF staff were involved in a 2009 purchase of 15 AK rifles from the army in Dzanga-Sangha, with about 2 million CFA francs unaccounted for.","src":0},{"t":"Survival International filed an OECD complaint against WWF with the Swiss National Contact Point on 10 February 2016 (228 pages). Talks broke down; OECD Watch lists the case as withdrawn.","src":2},{"t":"The independent panel found WWF heard allegations from Cameroon \"as early as 2008\".","src":4},{"t":"The panel found serious allegations reached WWF's senior management in 2014–2018, that advisers' reports were softened before reaching the board, and that WWF placed its relationship with governments ahead of the safety of communities.","src":5},{"t":"No agreements or memoranda of understanding with state partners contained human rights provisions, and no donor project agreements before 2019 required human rights due diligence.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Panel finding on WWF staff directing abuses","v":"None found","d":"Independent panel, November 2020: no allegations that WWF staff directed or participated, and no evidence seen"},{"k":"Time between first allegations and adequate steps (Cameroon)","v":"From 2008","d":"Panel: allegations heard \"as early as 2008\"; adequate steps not taken \"until recent years\""},{"k":"Prosecutions of accused ecoguards in Lobéké or Dzanga-Sangha","v":"None on record","d":"The panel recommended suspension and prosecution of accused ecoguards"}]},"unknown":["No directors-and-officers insurance or insurer settlement has been documented for WWF in connection with the allegations.","The panel's detailed findings on Lobéké and Dzanga-Sangha are known only from the quotations and summaries in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record whether the alleged abuses in Lobéké and Dzanga-Sangha stopped. WWF said it embraces the panel's recommendations (codes of conduct, complaint mechanisms, patrol monitoring, suspension and prosecution of accused ecoguards).","whoPaid":"According to the allegations, villagers around Lobéké bore the beatings and torture; the cited sources do not record compensation.","statusLine":"Latest dated item in the cited sources: the independent panel's report of November 2020; no prosecution or court ruling is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wwf","says":"Said it \"embraces\" the independent panel's recommendations: codes of conduct for ecoguards as a condition of WWF support, complaint mechanisms, monitoring of patrols, and suspension and prosecution of accused ecoguards.","when":"November 2020","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Trained and paid ecoguards in Lobéké; commissioned the independent panel"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Filed OECD complaint against WWF (2016)"},{"id":"maisha-consulting","role":"Hired in connection with the Seleka in Dzanga-Sangha; hiring judged necessary by the panel"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did WWF staff or WWF CAR provide or procure arms in Dzanga-Sangha?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"BuzzFeed News","says":"Reported that WWF staff were involved in a 2009 purchase of 15 AK rifles from the army, with about 2 million CFA francs unaccounted for, and that WWF helped ecoguards buy army weapons.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF","says":"\"found no evidence that WWF CAR provided or procured arms\"; the hiring of Maisha Consulting was \"necessary in the circumstances\".","src":null}]},{"point":"Did WWF act on abuse allegations in Cameroon when it learned of them?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF","says":"WWF heard allegations \"as early as 2008\"; \"Until recent years, WWF had not taken adequate steps to fulfil that responsibility.\"","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Filed a 228-page OECD complaint against WWF on 10 February 2016; talks broke down and OECD Watch lists the case as withdrawn.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Survival International v WWF (OECD complaint)","forum":"Swiss National Contact Point, OECD","country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","kind":"international","claimant":"Survival International","defendant":"WWF","filed":"2016-02-10","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"A complaint filed under the OECD guidelines. The Swiss contact point accepted it on 20 December 2016; mediation failed, Survival withdrew on 4 September 2017 and the contact point issued a final statement on 21 November 2017. OECD Watch lists the case as \"withdrawn\".","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"weapons_purchased","value":15,"unit":"rifles","year":2009,"unverified":true,"note":"AK rifles allegedly bought from the army in Dzanga-Sangha with WWF staff involvement (BuzzFeed News). The panel found no evidence WWF CAR provided or procured arms."},{"key":"unaccounted","value":2000000,"unit":"CFA francs","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Amount reported as unaccounted for in the alleged rifle purchase."},{"key":"children_affected","value":1,"unit":"child","year":2017,"unverified":true,"note":"11-year-old alleged to have been tortured by ecoguards in Lobéké."},{"key":"complaint_pages","value":228,"unit":"pages","year":2016,"note":"Length of the Survival International OECD complaint."},{"key":"funding_received","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reported as received by WWF from the US government since 2004 in connection with this work; the exact scope is not on record."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Allegations of beatings, torture and burned huts by WWF-supported ecoguards around Lobéké (Cameroon), and of WWF staff involvement in a rifle purchase from the army in Dzanga-Sangha (Central African Republic); an independent panel found no evidence that WWF staff directed abuses but found inadequate steps once allegations were known.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers around Lobéké, including an 11-year-old child (alleged)","what":"Alleged beatings, torture and burned huts by ecoguards","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lobéké, Cameroon; Dzanga-Sangha, Central African Republic.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Allegations known to WWF from 2008; rifle purchase alleged for 2009; alleged beating of a child dated 2017 or October 2018 in BuzzFeed; panel report 24 November 2020.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a motive. The panel wrote that WWF placed its relationship with governments ahead of the safety of communities.","src":null},"how":{"t":"WWF trained the ecoguards, paid salaries, provided vehicles and built housing; the Lobéké management plan provides for WWF to help organise \"coups de poing\" raids on villages.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"BuzzFeed News investigation into WWF-supported ranger units (torture and death allegations)","p":"BuzzFeed News","d":"2019-03","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/wwf-world-wide-fund-nature-parks-torture-death"},{"t":"NPR transcript on WWF-supported park rangers","p":"NPR","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.npr.org/transcripts/706295327"},{"t":"Survival International vs WWF (OECD complaint listing)","p":"OECD Watch","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.oecdwatch.org/complaint/survival-international-vs-wwf/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710170134/https://www.oecdwatch.org/complaint/survival-international-vs-wwf/"},{"t":"World Wide Fund for Nature International (WWF) and Survival International Charitable Trust (specific instance CH0014)","p":"OECD National Contact Points database","d":"2017-11-21","u":"https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/database/instances/ch0014.htm","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250703141947/https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/database/instances/ch0014.htm"},{"t":"Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action - Report of the Independent Panel of Experts (Pillay, Knox, MacKinnon)","p":"Independent Panel of Experts commissioned by WWF","d":"2020-11-17","u":"https://www.lahurnip.org/uploads/resource/file/embedding-human-rights-in-nature-conservation-from-intent-to-action.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Report: WWF knew about rights abuses by park rangers, but didn't respond effectively","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-12-08","u":"http://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-wwf-knew-about-rights-abuses-by-park-rangers-but-didnt-respond-effectively/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260828105907/https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-wwf-knew-about-rights-abuses-by-park-rangers-but-didnt-respond-effectively/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["messok-dja-ecoguard-abuses","wwf-nepal-chitwan-ranger-death","wwf-independent-review-and-us-funding-suspension"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did WWF staff or WWF CAR provide or procure arms in Dzanga-Sangha?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did WWF act on abuse allegations in Cameroon when it learned of them?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Survival International v WWF (OECD complaint): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Weapons purchased: AK rifles allegedly bought from the army in Dzanga-Sangha with WWF staff involvement (BuzzFeed News). The panel found no evidence WWF CAR provided or procured arms.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Unaccounted: Amount reported as unaccounted for in the alleged rifle purchase.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Children affected: 11-year-old alleged to have been tortured by ecoguards in Lobéké.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No directors-and-officers insurance or insurer settlement has been documented for WWF in connection with the allegations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The panel's detailed findings on Lobéké and Dzanga-Sangha are known only from the quotations and summaries in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kaziranga-shoot-on-sight-killings","title":"Kaziranga shoot-on-sight killings (India)","dek":"Dozens of people were reported killed in encounters with forest guards at Kaziranga National Park in Assam between 2013 and 2016. The park director described the deaths as crossfire; critics said the guards worked under a shoot-on-sight policy, which the park management denies.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":26.58,"lon":93.17,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Assam","lat":26.58,"lon":93.17,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2017,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"People killed in 2014 / 2015 / 2016, park director's figures","value":"22 / 23 / 5","note":"Described by the director as crossfire. An activist group counted 55 killed from 2013 to 2016."},"happened":["Kaziranga National Park in Assam, India, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 6 December 1985 and covers 42,996 hectares. Park management denies that there is an official shoot-on-sight order.","The BBC film \"Killing for Conservation\", presented by Justin Rowlatt, aired on 11 February 2017. Park director Satyendra Singh gave figures of 22 people killed in 2014, 23 in 2015 and 5 in 2016, and described the deaths as crossfire. An activist group, via Down To Earth, counted 55 people killed since 2013 (no end year is given). A 2014 forest department report is cited in the sources as saying that no forest staff were killed in encounters from 1985 to June 2014.","India's environment ministry called the film \"grossly erroneous\". The National Tiger Conservation Authority recommended blacklisting Rowlatt and barred the BBC from filming in tiger reserves for five years. The park director rejected the BBC's claims.","On 12 July 2016, at about six in the evening, a boy of seven or eight was shot in the leg in Sildhubi village on the edge of the park. His father said a forest guard shot him from close range; two guards were suspended after public protest, according to a 2016 report in The Ecologist. Park director Satyendra Singh said the shooting was an accident: a guard firing in the air to chase a rhino out of a village hit the boy with a stray bullet, and the guard was suspended and in police custody, according to Mongabay in April 2017. Mongabay also reported that the forest department paid for the boy's medical care and gave the family more than $3,000. In July 2017 the father said the department had said it would pay for treatment but did not take the family to Delhi after a hospital in Guwahati could not provide adequate care, and was not paying for the Delhi treatment. The family went to a hospital in Delhi with help from villagers, where a doctor said the boy needed another year and two major operations. No court outcome for the guard is on record.","On 19 September 2016, an eviction under a Gauhati High Court order in three villages near the park brought down about 300 houses, and two people died. The Assam police chief said villagers threw stones and security forces used rubber bullets and tear gas; residents said security forces fired at them. The National Human Rights Commission said police had maintained that the deaths were not caused by bullet injuries. India's National Human Rights Commission took up the case on its own motion; the cited sources do not give an outcome."],"timeline":[{"y":1985,"t":"6 December: Kaziranga placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list (42,996 ha)"},{"y":2010,"t":"Assam government issues a notification under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, reported to give guards first-stage protection against prosecution"},{"y":2014,"t":"Park director's figure: 22 people killed; park strategy proposal reported by BuzzFeed News to include wording on never allowing unauthorised entry"},{"y":2015,"t":"Park director's figure: 23 people killed"},{"y":2016,"t":"April: a royal visit to the park; 12 July: a boy is shot by a forest guard; 19 September: eviction at Banderdubi, two people killed; park director's figure for the year: 5 killed"},{"y":2017,"t":"11 February: BBC film aired; environment ministry calls it \"grossly erroneous\"; NTCA bars the BBC from filming in tiger reserves for five years"}],"said":[{"q":"grossly erroneous","who":"India's environment ministry, on the BBC film","when":"February 2017","src":1},{"q":"Indian law should not be construed as authorising a … shoot on sight … policy","who":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF, in a note on Kaziranga","when":"November 2020","src":9}],"shown":[{"t":"The park director described the deaths as crossfire in encounters between guards and poachers.","who":"Park director Satyendra Singh, as reported","src":2},{"t":"There is no official shoot-on-sight order.","who":"Park management, as reported","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Park director's figures: 22 people killed in 2014, 23 in 2015, 5 in 2016.","src":2},{"t":"An activist group, via Down To Earth, counted 55 killed from 2013 to 2016.","src":3},{"t":"A 2014 forest department report is cited as saying no forest staff were killed in encounters from 1985 to June 2014.","src":1},{"t":"BuzzFeed News reported that a 2014 strategy proposal for the park included wording to the effect of never allowing unauthorised entry (\"kill the unwanted\"), and listed five WWF India employees as an expert panel.","src":10},{"t":"An Assam government notification of 2010 under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is reported to give guards first-stage protection against prosecution.","src":11},{"t":"More than 20 people were reported killed in 2015, reported as more than the number of rhinos poached that year.","src":0},{"t":"Informers can receive up to $1,000 if information they give leads to a death, according to the park director's 2014 report as reported.","src":2},{"t":"Eviction of 19 September 2016 under a Gauhati High Court order: about 300 houses in three villages, police fired on protesters, two killed (an 18-year-old woman and a man). The National Human Rights Commission took up the case on its own motion.","src":13},{"t":"Two guards were suspended after the shooting of the boy in July 2016.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People killed in 2015 compared with rhinos poached","v":"More people","d":"More than 20 people reported killed in 2015, more than the number of rhinos poached that year; the rhino figure is not on record"},{"k":"Guard tried for a killing","v":"None found","d":"No guard tried for a killing is on record"},{"k":"Official cumulative total of deaths","v":"None found","d":"Counts differ by source and period and none is an official total"}]},"unknown":["No official cumulative total of people killed at Kaziranga exists in the cited sources; the counts differ by period and method.","A figure of 106 people killed in 20 years, attributed to Survival International, could not be traced to a source and is unconfirmed.","A figure of at least 62 people killed over nine years, attributed to Newslaundry and Scroll, is unconfirmed.","The period for the activist group's count of 55 killed is given as 2013 to 2016 in one source and 2013 to 2017 in another.","No guard was found to have been tried for a killing at Kaziranga.","No court outcome for the guard who shot the boy in July 2016 was found; Mongabay reported the guard in police custody in April 2017 and compensation paid, while the father said in July 2017 the department was not paying for Delhi treatment.","The outcome of the National Human Rights Commission's own-motion case on the 19 September 2016 eviction was not found.","A 2017 arrest of a guard said to have threatened to shoot villagers as 'poachers' was reported by Survival International; unconfirmed."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the killings have stopped. The park director's figures fall from 23 in 2015 to 5 in 2016.","whoPaid":"People living around the park, according to the counts of an activist group and press reports; the cited sources do not record compensation or prosecution.","statusLine":"Latest dated item in the cited sources: July 2017 press report on the boy shot in 2016; no prosecution of a guard for a killing is recorded.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"kaziranga-park-management","says":"Park director Satyendra Singh described the deaths as crossfire; park management denies an official shoot-on-sight order and rejected the BBC's claims.","when":"February 2017","src":2},{"actor":"india-environment-ministry","says":"Called the BBC film \"grossly erroneous\".","when":"February 2017","src":1},{"actor":"ntca","says":"Recommended blacklisting the BBC presenter and barred the BBC from filming in tiger reserves for five years.","when":"2017","src":1},{"actor":"wwf","says":"The independent panel it commissioned took no position on the shootings. Mongabay reported in November 2021 that WWF distanced itself from rights abuses at a US congressional hearing.","when":"November 2020; November 2021","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"kaziranga-park-management","role":"Park management; director Satyendra Singh gave the death figures"},{"id":"india-environment-ministry","role":"Called the BBC film \"grossly erroneous\""},{"id":"ntca","role":"Barred the BBC from filming in tiger reserves for five years"},{"id":"bbc","role":"Aired \"Killing for Conservation\" on 11 February 2017"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Five WWF India employees listed as an expert panel on the 2014 strategy proposal (BuzzFeed News)"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Source of the 106-in-20-years figure (unconfirmed)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many people were killed by guards, and in what circumstances?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Park director Satyendra Singh","says":"22 people killed in 2014, 23 in 2015 and 5 in 2016, described as crossfire.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Activist group (via Down To Earth)","says":"55 people killed from 2013 to 2016.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"BBC","says":"Aired \"Killing for Conservation\" on 11 February 2017 on the killings at Kaziranga.","src":1}]},{"point":"Is there a shoot-on-sight policy at Kaziranga?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Park management","says":"Denies an official shoot-on-sight order.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"India's environment ministry","says":"Called the BBC film \"grossly erroneous\".","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"BuzzFeed News","says":"Reported that a 2014 strategy proposal for the park included wording to the effect of never allowing unauthorised entry (\"kill the unwanted\"), with five WWF India employees listed as an expert panel.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent panel commissioned by WWF","says":"Took no position on the shootings but noted that \"Indian law should not be construed as authorising a … shoot on sight … policy\".","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"National Human Rights Commission own-motion case on the Banderdubi eviction","forum":"National Human Rights Commission of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"National Human Rights Commission (own motion)","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2016","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Two people died during police action against protesters at the 19 September 2016 eviction of about 300 houses under a Gauhati High Court order. The Commission took up the case on its own motion; the outcome was not found.","src":12}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":22,"unit":"people","year":2014,"qualifier":"per park director","note":"Described as crossfire."},{"key":"deaths","value":23,"unit":"people","year":2015,"qualifier":"per park director","note":"Described as crossfire."},{"key":"deaths","value":5,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"per park director","note":"Described as crossfire."},{"key":"deaths","value":55,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"per activist group","note":"Count for 2013 to 2016, via Down To Earth; another source gives 2013 to 2017."},{"key":"deaths","value":62,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"at least","unverified":true,"note":"Over nine years (2007 to 2016), attributed to Newslaundry and Scroll; not independently verified."},{"key":"deaths","value":106,"unit":"people","year":2016,"unverified":true,"note":"Over 20 years, attributed to Survival International; the source could not be found."},{"key":"injured","value":1,"unit":"child","year":2016,"note":"A boy of seven or eight shot in the leg on 12 July 2016."},{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Killed when police fired during the 19 September 2016 eviction."},{"key":"houses_demolished","value":300,"unit":"houses","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Three villages, 19 September 2016."},{"key":"informer_reward","value":1000,"unit":"USD","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Reward for informers where information leads to a death, according to the park director's 2014 report as reported."},{"key":"area_ha","value":42996,"unit":"ha","year":1985,"note":"Area listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"People were reported killed in encounters with forest guards at Kaziranga National Park; the park director described the deaths as crossfire, while critics alleged a shoot-on-sight policy that park management denies.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Families of those killed","what":"Deaths of relatives, at counts that differ by source","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"A boy of seven or eight from Sildhubi village","what":"Shot in the leg by a forest guard on 12 July 2016; doctors said he needed a year and two major operations","src":3},{"who":"Residents of three villages near the park","what":"About 300 houses brought down in the 19 September 2016 eviction; two people died during the police action against protesters","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Counts cover 2013 onwards (park director: 2014 to 2016); BBC film aired 11 February 2017.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The park director described the deaths as crossfire. The cited sources do not state an official policy reason; park management denies a shoot-on-sight order.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Killings were reported in encounters between forest guards and suspected poachers. A 2010 Assam government notification under section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is reported to give guards first-stage protection against prosecution, and informers can receive rewards of up to $1,000 where their information leads to a death.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Are India's shoot-on-sight wildlife guards doing more harm than good?","p":"The Ecologist","d":"2017-02-28","type":"press","u":"https://theecologist.org/2017/feb/28/are-indias-shoot-sight-wildlife-guards-doing-more-harm-good","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116222303/https://theecologist.org/2017/feb/28/are-indias-shoot-sight-wildlife-guards-doing-more-harm-good"},{"t":"BBC Kaziranga rhino poachers and forest coverage","p":"The Wire","d":"2017-02","type":"press","u":"https://thewire.in/environment/bbc-kaziranga-rhino-poachers-forest","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250714123028/https://thewire.in/environment/bbc-kaziranga-rhino-poachers-forest"},{"t":"Director of Kaziranga rejects claims made by BBC","p":"Newslaundry","d":"2017-02-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/02/17/director-of-kaziranga-rejects-claims-made-by-bbc","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260213032659/https://www.newslaundry.com/2017/02/17/director-of-kaziranga-rejects-claims-made-by-bbc"},{"t":"Eight-year-old shot by Kaziranga forest guard in 2016 shifted to AIIMS Delhi","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2017-07-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/forests/eight-year-old-shot-by-kaziranga-forest-guard-in-2016-shifted-to-aiims-delhi-58273","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231116114142/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/forests/eight-year-old-shot-by-kaziranga-forest-guard-in-2016-shifted-to-aiims-delhi-58273"},{"t":"WWF distances itself from rights abuses at U.S. congressional hearing","p":"Mongabay","d":"2021-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/wwf-distances-itself-from-rights-abuses-at-u-s-congressional-hearing/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616063919/https://news.mongabay.com/2021/11/wwf-distances-itself-from-rights-abuses-at-u-s-congressional-hearing/"},{"t":"Kaziranga: the frontline of India's rhino wars","p":"Mongabay","d":"2017-04","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2017/04/kaziranga-the-frontline-of-indias-rhino-wars/","type":"press"},{"t":"Two killed in violent eviction from 'shoot on sight' national park","p":"Survival International","d":"2016-09-23","u":"https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/11422","type":"ngo"},{"t":"NHRC notice to the Government of Assam over reported loss of life amidst police action during an eviction drive near Kaziranga National Park","p":"National Human Rights Commission of India","d":"2016-09-21","u":"https://nhrc.nic.in/media/press-release/nhrc-notice-to-the-government-assam-over-reported-loss-life-amidst-police-action-during-an-eviction-drive-near-kaziranga-national-park-21-09-2016","type":"official"},{"t":"Guards shoot indigenous boy in India's 'shoot-to-kill' national park","p":"The Ecologist","d":"2016-07-20","u":"https://theecologist.org/2016/jul/20/guards-shoot-indigenous-boy-indias-shoot-kill-national-park","type":"press"},{"t":"Independent Panel statement on its review of WWF's human rights commitments (Embedding Human Rights in Nature Conservation: From Intent to Action)","p":"WWF Independent Panel of Experts","d":"2020-11-24","u":"https://wwf.be/sites/default/files/articles/files/RAPPORT-AUTRES/Independent-review-2020/2-ir-independent-panel-statement.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"WWF support for sterilization programs and 'shoot on sight' uncovered by Dutch TV","p":"Survival International","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/12142","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Rajya Sabha unstarred question 227 (use of firearms by forest officers, Assam notification FRW.22/2009/5 of 14.7.2010 under section 197 CrPC)","p":"Rajya Sabha, Government of India","d":"2012-12-18","u":"https://rsdebate.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/615188/2/PQ_227_18122012_S341_p7_p10.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"NHRC notice to the Government of Assam over reported loss of life amidst police action during an eviction drive near Kaziranga National Park","p":"National Human Rights Commission of India","d":"2016-09-21","u":"https://nhrc.nic.in/media/press-release/nhrc-notice-to-the-government-assam-over-reported-loss-life-amidst-police-action-during-an-eviction-drive-near-kaziranga-national-park-21-09-2016","type":"official"},{"t":"2 killed while protesting evictions near Indian rhino park","p":"Associated Press (via Fox News)","d":"2016-09-20","u":"https://www.foxnews.com/world/2-killed-while-protesting-evictions-near-indian-rhino-park.amp","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people were killed by guards, and in what circumstances?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is there a shoot-on-sight policy at Kaziranga?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"National Human Rights Commission own-motion case on the Banderdubi eviction: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: Over nine years (2007 to 2016), attributed to Newslaundry and Scroll; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: Over 20 years, attributed to Survival International; the source could not be found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"No official cumulative total of people killed at Kaziranga exists in the cited sources; the counts differ by period and method.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A figure of 106 people killed in 20 years, attributed to Survival International, could not be traced to a source and is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A figure of at least 62 people killed over nine years, attributed to Newslaundry and Scroll, is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The period for the activist group's count of 55 killed is given as 2013 to 2016 in one source and 2013 to 2017 in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No guard was found to have been tried for a killing at Kaziranga.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court outcome for the guard who shot the boy in July 2016 was found; Mongabay reported the guard in police custody in April 2017 and compensation paid, while the father said in July 2017 the department was not paying for Delhi treatment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the National Human Rights Commission's own-motion case on the 19 September 2016 eviction was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A 2017 arrest of a guard said to have threatened to shoot villagers as 'poachers' was reported by Survival International; unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of three villages near the park"]},{"id":"homero-gomez-gonzalez-death","title":"Homero Gómez González death (Monarch reserve, Mexico)","dek":"The manager of a monarch butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán, Mexico, who opposed logging in the reserve, disappeared on 13 January 2020 and was found dead in a well on 29 January. No conviction has been found.","country":"Mexico","region":"North America","lat":19.53,"lon":-100.37,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Michoacán","lat":19.53,"lon":-100.37,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Convictions for the death","value":"None found","note":"A former municipal legal officer was arrested in April 2024 for extortion, not for the killing."},"happened":["Homero Gómez González managed the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary in Ocampo, Michoacán, within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, and opposed logging in the reserve. He disappeared on 13 January 2020 and was found dead in a well on 29 January.","The prosecutor cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident. In January 2020, 53 municipal police officers were questioned or detained; reports differ on which.","The Michoacán prosecutor, Adrián López Solís, said in May 2024, after a Netflix documentary, that the case file had never been closed, and ordered the investigation reactivated. On 9 April 2025, local media in Valle de Bravo (State of Mexico) reported the arrest of the former Ocampo síndica (municipal legal officer), Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis, on suspicion of extortion; the State of Mexico prosecutor reportedly confirmed that she faces proceedings for extortion. She has not been charged in connection with the death, and her connection to the case rests on reports that she invited him to the event he attended on 13 January 2020. No conviction has been found."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"13 January: disappears; January: 53 municipal police officers questioned or detained; 29 January: found dead in a well in Ocampo"},{"y":2024,"t":"May: Michoacán prosecutor says the case file was never closed and orders the investigation reactivated after a Netflix documentary"},{"y":2025,"t":"9 April: the former Ocampo síndica is reported arrested on suspicion of extortion, not in connection with the death"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The prosecutor cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident.","who":"Prosecutor, as reported","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"He disappeared on 13 January 2020 and was found dead in a well on 29 January in Ocampo, Michoacán.","src":3},{"t":"He managed the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary and opposed logging in the reserve.","src":3},{"t":"53 municipal police officers were questioned or detained in January 2020; reports differ on which.","src":4},{"t":"The case was reopened after a Netflix documentary.","src":0},{"t":"The former Ocampo síndica, Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis, was arrested in April 2024 for extortion, not for the killing.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Convictions for the death","v":"None found","d":"No conviction on record"},{"k":"Protected status of the place","v":"Biosphere reserve","d":"Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, a protected reserve"}]},"unknown":["No conviction for the death has been found.","Reports differ on which of the 53 municipal police officers were questioned and which were detained in January 2020.","The former municipal legal officer was reported arrested in April 2025 on suspicion of extortion; the cited sources do not connect that arrest to charges in the death, and no court outcome was found."],"evidence":["deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"The sanctuary manager, who died; the cited sources record no convictions or compensation.","statusLine":"Latest dated item in the cited sources: April 2025 reported arrest of a former municipal legal officer on suspicion of extortion; no conviction for the death has been found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ocampo-municipal-police","role":"53 municipal police officers questioned or detained in January 2020"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How did he die?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor","says":"Cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"La Razón","says":"Reported that the case was reopened.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Extortion arrest of the former Ocampo municipal legal officer","forum":"Michoacán","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Authorities (names: none on record)","defendant":"Elizabeth Guzmán Vilchis, former Ocampo síndica","filed":"2025-04","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Reported arrested on 9 April 2025 in Valle de Bravo on suspicion of extortion; the State of Mexico prosecutor reportedly confirmed that she faces proceedings for extortion. Not charged in connection with the death. No outcome is on record.","src":1},{"title":"Investigation into the death of Homero Gómez González","forum":"Michoacán","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors (names: none on record)","defendant":"Not named","filed":"2020","decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"The prosecutor initially leaned towards an accident; the Michoacán prosecutor said in May 2024 that the file had never been closed and ordered it reactivated after a Netflix documentary. No conviction has been found.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"person","year":2020,"note":"Found dead in a well on 29 January 2020."},{"key":"police_questioned","value":53,"unit":"officers","year":2020,"qualifier":"questioned or detained","note":"Municipal police officers in January 2020; reports differ on which."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The manager of a monarch butterfly sanctuary disappeared and was found dead in a well; no conviction has been found.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Homero Gómez González, manager of the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary","what":"Died; found dead in a well on 29 January 2020","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ocampo, Michoacán, Mexico; El Rosario sanctuary, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Disappeared 13 January 2020; found dead 29 January 2020; investigation reactivated in May 2024; former municipal legal officer reported arrested on suspicion of extortion on 9 April 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"No motive has been stated. He opposed logging in the reserve.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Found dead in a well; the prosecutor cited drowning with a head wound and initially leaned towards an accident.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Michoacán reabren caso crimen activista","p":"La Razón","d":"2024-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.razon.com.mx/estados/michoacan-reabren-caso-crimen-activista-577793/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240709044357/https://www.razon.com.mx/estados/michoacan-reabren-caso-crimen-activista-577793"},{"t":"Reportan la captura de exsíndica de Ocampo, vinculada con el asesinato del activista de la mariposa monarca Homero Gómez","p":"Grupo Marmor","d":"2025-04-10","u":"https://grupomarmor.com.mx/2025/04/10/reportan-la-captura-de-exsindica-de-ocampo-vinculada-con-el-asesinato-del-activista-de-la-mariposa-monarca-homero-gomez/","type":"press"},{"t":"Candidata a jueza en Michoacán encarcelada estará en la boleta de la elección judicial","p":"TV Azteca","d":"2025-05-29","u":"https://www.tvazteca.com/aztecanoticias/candidata-a-jueza-en-michoacan-encarcelada-estara-en-la-boleta-la-eleccion-judicial","type":"press"},{"t":"Sadness and worry after 2 men connected to butterfly sanctuary are found dead","p":"NPR (republished by KPBS)","d":"2020-02-03","u":"https://www.kpbs.org/news/2020/02/03/sadness-and-worry-after-2-men-connected-to","type":"press"},{"t":"Policías bajo la lupa por desaparición de defensor de la mariposa monarca","p":"Telemundo 51 (AP)","d":"2020-01-22","u":"https://www.telemundo51.com/noticias/mexico/policias-bajo-la-lupa-por-desaparicion-de-defensor-de-la-mariposa-monarca/2039837/?amp=1","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How did he die?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Extortion arrest of the former Ocampo municipal legal officer: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No conviction for the death has been found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Reports differ on which of the 53 municipal police officers were questioned and which were detained in January 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The former municipal legal officer was reported arrested in April 2025 on suspicion of extortion; the cited sources do not connect that arrest to charges in the death, and no court outcome was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Homero Gómez González, manager of the El Rosario monarch butterfly sanctuary"]},{"id":"iss-battery-pallet-debris-hits-florida-home","title":"ISS battery pallet debris hits a Florida home","dek":"A piece of equipment jettisoned from the International Space Station in March 2021 survived re-entry and struck a house in Naples, Florida, on 8 March 2024. The family filed a claim against NASA for more than $80,000.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":26.14,"lon":-81.79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","lat":26.14,"lon":-81.79,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-03-08","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris"],"headline":{"label":"Family's claim against NASA vs adjuster's repair estimate","value":"> $80,000 vs about $15,000","note":"As stated in press reports of the June 2024 claim."},"happened":["On 8 March 2024 debris from the International Space Station (ISS) struck a home in Naples, Florida. The object came from a pallet that held about 5,800 lb (2.6 t) of old batteries and had been jettisoned from the station in March 2021.","On 15 April 2024 NASA identified the piece as \"a stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount the batteries.\" The part is made of Inconel, weighs about 1.6 lb (0.7 kg) and measures 4 × 1.6 in.","NASA said the ISS programme would \"perform a detailed investigation of the jettison and re-entry analysis to determine the cause of the debris survival.\"","In June 2024 the Otero family, through the law firm Cranfill Sumner, filed an administrative claim for more than $80,000. An insurance adjuster's repair estimate was about $15,000. NASA's six-month response window applied to the claim."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Battery pallet jettisoned from the ISS (March)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Debris strikes a home in Naples, Florida (8 March); NASA identifies the part (15 April); family files administrative claim for more than $80,000 (June)"}],"said":[{"q":"a stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount the batteries.","who":"NASA, identifying the piece","when":"15 April 2024","src":0},{"q":"perform a detailed investigation of the jettison and re-entry analysis to determine the cause of the debris survival.","who":"NASA, on the ISS programme's planned follow-up","when":"April 2024","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The jettisoned pallet held about 5,800 lb (2.6 t) of old batteries; the recovered piece was an Inconel stanchion of about 1.6 lb (0.7 kg).","src":0},{"t":"The family's claim exceeded $80,000; an insurance adjuster's repair estimate was about $15,000.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Object recovered","v":"1.6 lb","d":"Inconel stanchion from a battery pallet jettisoned in March 2021"}]},"unknown":["The cause of the debris's survival through re-entry: NASA said an investigation would be carried out; no result is on record.","The outcome of the Otero family's claim (paid, denied or taken to court): none on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether any change was made to jettison practice after the event.","whoPaid":"Not on record: the claim's outcome has not been found.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (claim filed June 2024): the claim's outcome and the result of NASA's investigation are not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"nasa","says":"Identified the piece as a stanchion from flight support equipment for the batteries and said the ISS programme would investigate the jettison and re-entry analysis.","when":"15 April 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"nasa","role":"Operator of the ISS equipment; respondent to the claim"},{"id":"cranfill-sumner","role":"Law firm for the Otero family"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Value of the damage to the home","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Otero family (via Cranfill Sumner)","says":"Filed an administrative claim for more than $80,000.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurance adjuster","says":"Repair estimate of about $15,000.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"NASA","says":"No response to the claim on record; a six-month response window applied.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Otero family administrative claim against NASA","forum":"NASA administrative claim process","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Otero family","defendant":"NASA","filed":"2024-06","decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":80000,"currency":"USD","label":"More than $80,000 claimed"},"summary":"The family filed through Cranfill Sumner; NASA's six-month response window applied. The outcome was not found.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Insurance adjuster (insurer not named)","insured":"Otero family","status":"unknown","year":2024,"summary":"An insurance adjuster's repair estimate was about $15,000. Whether any payment was made is not on record.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":80000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Administrative claim filed June 2024."},{"key":"debris_mass_kg","value":0.7,"unit":"kg","year":2024,"note":"Recovered stanchion, about 1.6 lb."},{"key":"pallet_mass_kg","value":2600,"unit":"kg","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Battery pallet jettisoned in March 2021 (about 5,800 lb)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Debris from a jettisoned ISS battery pallet survived re-entry and struck a house.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Otero family (homeowners)","what":"Damage to the home; claim filed for more than $80,000","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Naples, Florida, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Pallet jettisoned March 2021; impact 8 March 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"NASA said it would investigate the jettison and re-entry analysis to determine why the debris survived; no cause is on record.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A stanchion (Inconel, about 1.6 lb) from the mounting equipment of a battery pallet survived re-entry.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"NASA space debris crashed Florida home (reporting of NASA's 15 April 2024 identification; NASA's own blog post not retrieved)","p":"NBC News","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/nasa-space-debris-crashed-florida-home-rcna147990"},{"t":"NASA faces $80,000 claim after space debris hit family home","p":"Gulf News","d":"2024-06","type":"press","u":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/nasa-faces-80000-claim-after-space-debris-hit-family-home-1.1719029511901","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415095709/https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/nasa-faces-80000-claim-after-space-debris-hit-family-home-1.1719029511901"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Value of the damage to the home","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"NASA: No response to the claim on record; a six-month response window applied.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Otero family administrative claim against NASA: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Insurance adjuster (insurer not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cause of the debris's survival through re-entry: NASA said an investigation would be carried out; no result is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Otero family's claim (paid, denied or taken to court): none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"falcon-9-upper-stage-reentry-over-poland","title":"Falcon 9 upper stage reentry over Poland","dek":"A Falcon 9 second stage that could not perform its deorbit burn reentered uncontrolled on 19 February 2025, dropping fragments in Poland. A lidar in Germany recorded a roughly 10-fold lithium spike in the upper atmosphere about 20 hours after a reentry of the same stage.","country":"Poland","region":"Europe","lat":52.4,"lon":16.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","admin":"Greater Poland","lat":52.4,"lon":16.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"affected"}],"start":2025,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-02-19","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris"],"headline":{"label":"Lithium in one upper stage vs natural meteoric input worldwide","value":"about 30 kg vs about 80 g per day","note":"As stated in the reports reviewed."},"happened":["A Falcon 9 second stage (Starlink 11-4, launched 1 February 2025) suffered a propellant leak that prevented its deorbit burn. It reentered uncontrolled on 19 February 2025.","The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) recorded the reentry over Poland between 04:46 and 04:48 on 19 February 2025. Fragments were found at Komorniki (a tank about 1.5 × 1 m behind a warehouse), Wiry, Śliwno and Szamotuły, and later at Łowyń.","A study first circulated as a preprint in 2025 and listed as Communications Earth & Environment 7:161 (2026) reported the first ground-based detection of a reentry plume. About 20 hours after the stage reentered west of Ireland, a lidar at Kühlungsborn, Germany, recorded a roughly 10-fold lithium spike at about 96 km altitude.","The reports state that one upper stage holds about 30 kg of lithium, against a natural meteoric lithium input of about 80 g per day worldwide."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Starlink 11-4 launched on a Falcon 9 (1 February); propellant leak prevents deorbit burn; uncontrolled reentry (19 February) with debris found in Poland; lidar at Kühlungsborn records lithium spike about 20 hours later"},{"y":2026,"t":"Lithium-plume study listed as Communications Earth & Environment 7:161"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"POLSA recorded the reentry over Poland on 19 February 2025 between 04:46 and 04:48; fragments were found at Komorniki, Wiry, Śliwno, Szamotuły and later Łowyń.","src":0},{"t":"A lidar at Kühlungsborn recorded a roughly 10-fold lithium spike at about 96 km about 20 hours after the stage reentered west of Ireland.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Lithium at about 96 km","v":"about 10-fold spike","d":"Recorded by lidar at Kühlungsborn, Germany, about 20 hours after the reentry"},{"k":"Lithium in one upper stage","v":"about 30 kg","d":"Natural meteoric input is about 80 g per day worldwide"}]},"unknown":["Ecological effects of the lithium plume: the cited sources report the detection but no assessment of effects.","Operator response and any claim, ruling or liability finding: none on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether practice changed after the reentry.","whoPaid":"Not on record: no cost or claim is stated in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (study listed 2026): fragments recovered in Poland; no claim, ruling or operator statement found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"spacex","role":"Launch operator of the Falcon 9 stage"},{"id":"polsa","role":"Polish Space Agency; recorded the reentry"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"lithium_in_stage_kg","value":30,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lithium held in one upper stage, as reported."},{"key":"lithium_natural_input_g_per_day","value":80,"unit":"g per day","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Natural meteoric lithium input worldwide."},{"key":"lithium_spike_factor","value":10,"unit":"fold","year":2025,"qualifier":"roughly","note":"Lidar reading at about 96 km, Kühlungsborn, about 20 hours after reentry."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An uncontrolled Falcon 9 upper-stage reentry dropped debris in Poland and was followed by a measured lithium spike in the upper atmosphere.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Over Poland (debris at Komorniki, Wiry, Śliwno, Szamotuły, Łowyń); lithium recorded at Kühlungsborn, Germany.","src":0},"when":{"t":"19 February 2025, 04:46–04:48 over Poland; lithium spike about 20 hours after a reentry west of Ireland.","src":0},"why":{"t":"A propellant leak prevented the stage's deorbit burn.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The stage reentered uncontrolled; a lidar detected the plume as a lithium increase at about 96 km.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"SpaceX rocket stage burns up over Europe and crashes in Poland","p":"Smithsonian Magazine","d":"2025-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spacex-rocket-stage-burns-up-over-europe-and-crashes-in-poland-while-blue-origin-debris-washes-ashore-in-the-bahamas-180986108/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009085326/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/spacex-rocket-stage-burns-up-over-europe-and-crashes-in-poland-while-blue-origin-debris-washes-ashore-in-the-bahamas-180986108/"},{"t":"First ground-based detection of a reentry plume (Communications Earth & Environment 7:161, 2026; White Rose repository)","p":"University repository","d":"2026","type":"academic","u":"https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/239179/"},{"t":"Rocket re-entry pollutes the upper atmosphere","p":"Physics World","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://physicsworld.com/a/rocket-re-entry-pollutes-the-upper-atmosphere/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260818061722/https://physicsworld.com/a/rocket-re-entry-pollutes-the-upper-atmosphere/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A lidar in Germany recorded a roughly 10-fold lithium spike at about 96 km in my upper atmosphere about 20 hours after a Falcon 9 stage reentered; one upper stage holds about 30 kg of lithium.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ecological effects of the lithium plume: the cited sources report the detection but no assessment of effects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Operator response and any claim, ruling or liability finding: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"long-march-5b-uncontrolled-reentries","title":"Long March 5B uncontrolled reentries","dek":"The core stage of China's Long March 5B rocket reentered the atmosphere without control after launches in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Debris was reported on the ground in Côte d'Ivoire in 2020 and in Indonesia and Malaysia in 2022.","country":"China","region":"Global","lat":7.7,"lon":-5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Côte d'Ivoire","iso2":"CI","admin":"Bocanda","role":"affected"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"West Kalimantan","role":"affected"},{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","admin":"Sarawak","role":"affected"},{"country":"Maldives","iso2":"MV","role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"company-home"}],"start":2020,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2020-05-11","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris"],"headline":{"label":"Casualties reported from the 2020 reentry","value":"None","note":"Reports of a pipe about 12 m long in Mahounou village and house damage in N'guinou, Côte d'Ivoire; no casualties reported."},"happened":["The Long March 5B rocket made its first flight on 5 May 2020. Its core stage reentered the atmosphere on 11 May 2020 over the Atlantic Ocean.","Reports from Côte d'Ivoire described a pipe about 12 metres long in Mahounou village (Bocanda) and house damage in N'guinou. No casualties were reported. McDowell said some of the objects were \"very likely part of the Chinese rocket stage\"; other items may have been unrelated, and full attribution was not confirmed.","A Long March 5B stage reentered near the Maldives on 8–9 May 2021. NASA Administrator Nelson said on 9 May 2021 that China was failing to meet responsible standards regarding space debris.","Another reentry took place on 30 July 2022 at 16:45 UTC, according to US Space Command, after the Wentian launch. Debris was found in West Kalimantan (Indonesia) and Sarawak (Malaysia). Nelson said China did not share specific trajectory information.","A further uncontrolled reentry followed the Mengtian launch in November 2022, and drop-zone warnings were issued in the Philippines. McDowell said there were no uncontrolled reentries of 20-tonne-class Long March 5B stages in 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"First Long March 5B flight 5 May; core stage reentered 11 May over the Atlantic; debris reported in Côte d'Ivoire"},{"y":2021,"t":"Reentry near the Maldives, 8–9 May; NASA Administrator criticised China's debris standards"},{"y":2022,"t":"Reentry 30 July; debris found in West Kalimantan and Sarawak. Further uncontrolled reentry after the Mengtian launch in November; Philippine drop-zone warnings issued"},{"y":2024,"t":"McDowell: no 20-tonne-class Long March 5B uncontrolled reentries"}],"said":[{"q":"China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.","who":"Nelson, NASA Administrator","when":"9 May 2021","src":2},{"q":"are very likely part of the Chinese rocket stage","who":"McDowell, on some objects found in Côte d'Ivoire","when":"May 2020","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Core stage reentered over the Atlantic on 11 May 2020; reports of debris in Mahounou and N'guinou, Côte d'Ivoire; no casualties reported","src":1},{"t":"Reentry near the Maldives on 8–9 May 2021","src":2},{"t":"Reentry on 30 July 2022 at 16:45 UTC per US Space Command; debris found in West Kalimantan and Sarawak","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Debris reported on land","v":"Côte d'Ivoire, Indonesia, Malaysia","d":"2020 and 2022 reentries"},{"k":"Casualties reported (2020)","v":"None","d":"Pipe and house damage reported in Côte d'Ivoire"}]},"unknown":["Whether all objects found in Côte d'Ivoire came from the rocket stage: McDowell said some were very likely part of it and others may have been unrelated; full attribution was not confirmed.","The words attributed to Nelson in 2022 are paraphrased in the cited sources; the phrase \"failed to share\" does not appear in his words as recorded.","The cited sources do not describe the condition of land or water at any debris site.","No compensation, claim or court case is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say the reentries ended; McDowell said none of the 20-tonne class occurred in 2024.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest source reviewed: uncontrolled reentries recorded in 2020, 2021 and 2022; McDowell reported none of the 20-tonne class in 2024; no claim or ruling on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"nasa","role":"Government space agency; its Administrator commented on the reentries"},{"id":"us-space-command","role":"Source of the 2022 reentry time"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":0,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Reports from Côte d'Ivoire described no casualties."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Uncontrolled reentries of Long March 5B stages, with debris reported on land in 2020 and 2022.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Mahounou and N'guinou, Côte d'Ivoire","what":"Pipe about 12 m long and house damage reported; no casualties","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Atlantic Ocean and Côte d'Ivoire (2020); near the Maldives (2021); West Kalimantan, Indonesia, and Sarawak, Malaysia (2022); Philippine drop zones (Nov 2022).","src":3},"when":{"t":"11 May 2020; 8–9 May 2021; 30 July 2022; November 2022.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the stages reentered without control.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The stages reentered uncontrolled after the Long March 5B launches of 2020, 2021 and 2022 (Wentian, Mengtian).","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"SpaceX and China power record-breaking year for orbital launches","p":"AIAA","d":"2026-01-05","type":"academic","u":"https://aiaa.org/2026/01/05/spacex-and-china-power-record-breaking-year-for-orbital-launches/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260526171826/https://aiaa.org/2026/01/05/spacex-and-china-power-record-breaking-year-for-orbital-launches/"},{"t":"Debris from China's rocket may have hit African villages","p":"Room","d":"2020-05","type":"press","u":"https://room.eu.com/news/debris-from-chinas-rocket-may-have-hit-african-villages","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519125706/https://room.eu.com/news/debris-from-chinas-rocket-may-have-hit-african-villages"},{"t":"China says most rocket debris burned up during reentry","p":"WGBH","d":"2021-05-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.wgbh.org/news/2021-05-09/china-says-most-rocket-debris-burned-up-during-reentry","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251211184124/https://www.wgbh.org/news/2021-05-09/china-says-most-rocket-debris-burned-up-during-reentry"},{"t":"Debris from China's rocket booster falls to Earth","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2022-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/31/debris-from-chinas-rocket-booster-falls-to-earth","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420131648/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/7/31/debris-from-chinas-rocket-booster-falls-to-earth"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"other","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether all objects found in Côte d'Ivoire came from the rocket stage: McDowell said some were very likely part of it and others may have been unrelated; full attribution was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The words attributed to Nelson in 2022 are paraphrased in the cited sources; the phrase \"failed to share\" does not appear in his words as recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the condition of land or water at any debris site.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No compensation, claim or court case is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"china-small-hydropower-closures-yangtze-economic-belt","title":"China small hydropower closures, Yangtze Economic Belt","dek":"China's Ministry of Water Resources said in May 2021 that a rectification of small hydropower plants in the Yangtze Economic Belt had closed more than 3,500 plants by the end of 2020. It said water had returned to more than 90,000 km of river sections where flow had been reduced or cut.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":30,"lon":112,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Yangtze Economic Belt","lat":30,"lon":112,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2020,"eventDate":"2021-05-11","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"River sections reported to have regained water by end-2020","value":"90,000+ km","note":"Figure from China's Ministry of Water Resources, covering the Yangtze Economic Belt, not the whole country."},"happened":["China carried out a rectification of small hydropower plants in the Yangtze Economic Belt, a region of the country rather than the whole of it. In places, small plants had reduced or cut the flow of rivers.","In May 2021 China's Ministry of Water Resources reported, as carried by Science and Technology Daily, that by the end of 2020 more than 3,500 plants had been closed in the rectification. The closed plants were in the core and buffer zones of protected areas. More than 20,000 further plants had been rectified.","The ministry said that river sections of more than 90,000 km, where small plants had reduced or cut the flow, had regained water by the end of 2020.","A separate finding attributed to China's National Audit Office, reported by The Paper, said flow was interrupted over more than 1,017 km in 333 rivers in the Yangtze belt because of small hydropower plants.","A cleanup campaign in 2018–2020 reviewed about 25,000 small plants and closed about 3,500, according to a record summary that gives no source link."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Cleanup campaign on small hydropower plants in the Yangtze belt begins (2018–2020)"},{"y":2020,"t":"By year-end, more than 3,500 plants closed and more than 20,000 rectified; ministry says 90,000+ km of river sections regained water"},{"y":2021,"t":"Ministry of Water Resources announces results (reported 11 May)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"More than 3,500 plants closed and more than 90,000 km of river sections regained water by the end of 2020","who":"China's Ministry of Water Resources, as reported by Science and Technology Daily","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 3,500 plants closed, in the core and buffer zones of protected areas; more than 20,000 rectified","src":0},{"t":"More than 90,000 km of river sections where small plants had reduced or cut flow regained water by the end of 2020","src":0},{"t":"Flow interrupted over more than 1,017 km in 333 rivers in the Yangtze belt because of small hydropower plants, per the National Audit Office as reported by The Paper (secondary source)","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"River sections regaining water","v":"90,000+ km","d":"Ministry of Water Resources, by end of 2020"},{"k":"Flow interrupted by small plants","v":"1,017+ km in 333 rivers","d":"National Audit Office, via The Paper"},{"k":"Plants closed","v":"3,500+","d":"Core and buffer zones of protected areas"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statement of China's Ministry of Water Resources (May 2021) and a National Audit Office finding reported by The Paper.","report":[{"t":"Small hydropower plants reduced or cut my flow along more than 90,000 km of river sections in the Yangtze Economic Belt, by the ministry's own account.","src":0},{"t":"Auditors found my flow interrupted over more than 1,017 km in 333 rivers because of small plants.","src":1}]},"unknown":["The owners of the closed plants are not on record.","No penalty on any plant owner is on record.","The two official figures are not reconciled in the cited sources: flow interrupted over more than 1,017 km in 333 rivers, and more than 90,000 km of sections where flow had been reduced or cut.","A current official count of dams and reservoirs in the basin is not on record; an older record gives more than 48,000 reservoirs and 2,441 hydropower stations in 2005.","No independent ecological evaluation of the restored river sections is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The ministry reported that plants in protected-area core and buffer zones were closed and that water returned to more than 90,000 km of river sections by the end of 2020.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of May 2021: the Ministry of Water Resources reported 3,500+ plants closed and 90,000+ km of river sections regained water by end-2020; no later update on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"china-ministry-water-resources","says":"More than 3,500 small hydropower plants closed and more than 20,000 rectified in the Yangtze Economic Belt; more than 90,000 km of river sections regained water by the end of 2020.","when":"May 2021","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"china-ministry-water-resources","role":"Regulator that reported the rectification"},{"id":"nao","role":"Auditor whose finding on interrupted flow was reported"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plants_closed","value":3500,"unit":"plants","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Small hydropower plants closed in the Yangtze Economic Belt by end of 2020."},{"key":"plants_rectified","value":20000,"unit":"plants","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Plants rectified in the same exercise."},{"key":"river_km_flow_restored","value":90000,"unit":"km","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"River sections where flow had been reduced or cut and water was restored, per the ministry."},{"key":"river_km_flow_interrupted","value":1017,"unit":"km","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Flow interrupted in 333 rivers, per the National Audit Office as reported by The Paper (secondary source)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rectification of small hydropower plants in the Yangtze Economic Belt: closures in protected areas and restoration of flow in river sections.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Owners of the closed small hydropower plants (not named in the sources)","what":"Plants closed","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Yangtze Economic Belt, China (not the whole country).","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018–2020 rectification; results announced in May 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Small plants had reduced or cut the flow of rivers; closures covered protected-area core and buffer zones.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Plants were closed or rectified; the ministry reported water returning to river sections by end-2020.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Ministry of Water Resources statement on small hydropower rectification in the Yangtze Economic Belt (Science and Technology Daily, via rmzxw.com.cn)","p":"China Ministry of Water Resources","d":"2021-05-11","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.rmzxw.com.cn/c/2021-05-11/2851243.shtml","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251130232442/http://www.rmzxw.com.cn/c/2021-05-11/2851243.shtml"},{"t":"National Audit Office finding on flow interruption by small hydropower plants (via The Paper)","p":"The Paper","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12294421","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607015914/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12294421"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The owners of the closed plants are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty on any plant owner is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The two official figures are not reconciled in the cited sources: flow interrupted over more than 1,017 km in 333 rivers, and more than 90,000 km of sections where flow had been reduced or cut.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A current official count of dams and reservoirs in the basin is not on record; an older record gives more than 48,000 reservoirs and 2,441 hydropower stations in 2005.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation of the restored river sections is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"north-aral-sea-restoration-via-kokaral-dam","title":"North Aral Sea restoration via Kokaral dam (Kazakhstan)","dek":"Kazakhstan's Kokaral dam is credited by the Kazakh ministry with enlarging the North Aral Sea by 36% and halving its salinity. The cited sources hold few independent figures.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46.1,"lon":61,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","role":"event","lat":46.1,"lon":61}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Change in North Aral Sea area after the Kokaral dam (Kazakh ministry figure)","value":"+36%","note":"Reported by the Kazakh ministry via Bizmedia, 2026; not independently verified."},"happened":["The North Aral Sea, the Kazakh part of the Aral Sea, was the subject of a restoration scheme built around the Kokaral dam. The cited sources describe the dam as a large engineering work used for repair rather than extraction.","A March 2026 report in the Kazakh outlet Bizmedia, citing the ministry, gave the area of the North Aral Sea as 36% larger and its salinity as halved after the dam.","Two further figures appear without a link to a primary document: the fish catch in the North Aral rose from 695 tonnes to thousands of tonnes after the dam, and the catch quota was about six times higher in the period 2018–2026.","The cited sources record no lawsuit, no insurance claim and no named dispute about the dam."],"timeline":[{"y":2026,"t":"Kazakh ministry figures reported by Bizmedia: North Aral Sea area +36%, salinity halved (13 March 2026)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"North Aral Sea area 36% larger; salinity halved","who":"Kazakh ministry, as reported by Bizmedia (March 2026)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fish catch in the North Aral rose from 695 tonnes to thousands of tonnes after the dam.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Lake area","v":"+36%","d":"Kazakh ministry, via Bizmedia, 2026"},{"k":"Salinity","v":"Halved","d":"Kazakh ministry, via Bizmedia, 2026"},{"k":"Fish catch","v":"695 t to thousands of t","d":"After the dam; source not linked in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Cost of the dam and who paid for it: no source states it.","Independent ecological evaluation of the restored lake: none on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not assessed in the cited sources: the record describes repair of an earlier loss, not a halted activity.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: ministry reports the lake 36% larger and salinity halved; no independent evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Kazakh ministry","says":"Reported the North Aral Sea area as 36% larger and salinity as halved after the Kokaral dam.","when":"2026","src":0}],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_change_pct","value":36,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Increase in North Aral Sea area after the dam, per the Kazakh ministry as reported by Bizmedia."},{"key":"fish_catch_tonnes","value":695,"unit":"t","year":null,"note":"Catch before the dam; later reported as thousands of tonnes. No cited primary source.","unverified":true}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A dam at Kokaral that enlarged the Kazakh North Aral Sea and reduced its salinity, according to the Kazakh ministry.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"North Aral Sea, Kazakhstan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Figures reported in March 2026; construction date not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"By damming the North Aral Sea at Kokaral.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Bizmedia.kz report on the North Aral Sea water level (citing the ministry)","p":"Bizmedia","d":"2026-03-13","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2026-03-13-podnyat-uroven-vody-severnogo-arala-do-44-m-planiruetsya-v-kazahstane/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418205656/https://bizmedia.kz/2026-03-13-podnyat-uroven-vody-severnogo-arala-do-44-m-planiruetsya-v-kazahstane/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan: Measuring the Northern Aral's comeback","p":"Eurasianet","d":"2018","u":"https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-measuring-the-northern-arals-comeback","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260122183008/https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-measuring-the-northern-arals-comeback"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The Kazakh ministry says the Kokaral dam enlarged my North Aral Sea by 36% and halved its salinity; the figures are not independently verified.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fish catch tonnes: Catch before the dam; later reported as thousands of tonnes. No cited primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Cost of the dam and who paid for it: no source states it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Independent ecological evaluation of the restored lake: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"cambodia-redd-indigenous-consultation-failure","title":"Cambodia REDD+ indigenous consultation failure","dek":"Human Rights Watch reported that Chong Indigenous communities were not consulted for 31 months about the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project in Cambodia, and documented evictions and detentions. Wildlife Alliance denied the abuses.","country":"Cambodia","region":"Asia","lat":11.5,"lon":103.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Southern Cardamom Mountains","lat":11.5,"lon":103.2,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Thmar Dounpov commune","role":"affected"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Credits issued to the Southern Cardamom REDD+ project","value":"27 million+","note":"Credits issued, per the project record; project area about 500,000 ha."},"happened":["The Southern Cardamom REDD+ project in south-western Cambodia is run by Wildlife Alliance with the Ministry of Environment. It covers about 500,000 hectares and 29 villages, and activity began on 1 January 2015 under three Verra standards. It has been issued more than 27 million credits.","In a 118-page report of 28 February 2024, \"Carbon Offsetting's Casualties\", Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Chong Indigenous people were not consulted for more than two years. HRW's account, based on 91 interviews, was that six Chong families were evicted and three people were held for months without trial. It also recorded a Chong man's account of being hit in the back with a gun during an arrest in February 2021. Patrols mixed ministry rangers, gendarmes and Wildlife Alliance staff. Wildlife Alliance denied the abuses.","Verra suspended issuance in June 2023 after a letter from HRW, and reinstated the project on 10 September 2024 with conditions. According to HRW, Verra did not contact any project stakeholders or community members directly. The re-review was carried out by SCS Global Services, Aster Global and AENOR, which had approved the project earlier; Carbon Market Watch complained to the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market, calling this a clear conflict of interest.","On 27 June 2024, during the suspension, Environment Ministry rangers and Wildlife Alliance staff arrested Chong farmer Pork Nget in the Thmar Dounpov commune, saying his field lay inside the project. He received a five-year prison sentence for encroachment; the sentence was suspended but the charge stands. His family showed land documents issued under a 2013 decree, and the commune administration recognised the field. In June 2024, a few weeks before the arrest, his brother Pork Chuon broke a kneecap when a Wildlife Alliance staff member and military police chased him; police fired a shot in the air."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Project activity begins (1 January) in the Southern Cardamom Mountains"},{"y":2018,"t":""},{"y":2021,"t":"February: a Chong man tells HRW he was hit in the back with a gun during an arrest"},{"y":2023,"t":"Verra suspends credit issuance (June) after HRW letter"},{"y":2024,"t":"HRW report (28 Feb); Pork Nget's brother injured fleeing a patrol (June); Pork Nget arrested (27 June); Verra reinstates the project (10 Sep)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Indigenous community calls out the project as tensions persist (Mongabay, March)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Communities overwhelmingly support the project; about $3 million spent on livelihoods in 2023–2024; no law-enforcement authority","who":"Wildlife Alliance","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Consultation with Chong communities began 31 months after activity started on 1 January 2015.","src":1},{"t":"Six Chong families evicted; three people held for months without trial (HRW).","src":0},{"t":"Verra suspended issuance in June 2023 and reinstated the project on 10 September 2024 with conditions.","src":2},{"t":"Wildlife Alliance had objected to 1,851 hectares measured for inclusion in the commune and in 2015 agreed with officials a map that left this land outside it.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Credits issued","v":"27 million+","d":"Southern Cardamom REDD+, activity from 1 January 2015"},{"k":"Delay in consulting the Chong","v":"31 months","d":"HRW; Mongabay 2025"},{"k":"Ecological outcome","v":"Not assessed","d":"The cited sources concern consultation and rights, not forest cover"}]},"unknown":["Buyers of the credits: none on record.","Wildlife Alliance denies the abuses HRW reported; no court or independent finding on them is on record.","Unconfirmed: that Conservation International was involved in a REDD+ project in the Cardamoms, that Disney took about 40% of its credits, and that an analysis found it issued about ten times the credits it merited."],"evidence":["no-eval","displacement","review"],"harmStopped":"None on record: an arrest was reported in June 2024 and Verra reinstated issuance in September 2024.","whoPaid":"Chong Indigenous families, per HRW: evictions, detention and loss of access to farmland.","statusLine":"As of March 2025: project reinstated by Verra in September 2024; community continued to object; no court ruling on HRW's findings found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Wildlife Alliance","says":"Denied the abuses; said communities overwhelmingly support the project, that it spent about $3 million on livelihoods in 2023–2024 and that it has no law-enforcement authority.","when":"2024","src":null},{"actor":"Verra","says":"Said it does not carry out field investigations and was unaware of the arrest of Pork Nget.","when":"2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"wildlife-alliance","role":"Project developer with the Ministry of Environment"},{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-environment","role":"Project partner; rangers took part in patrols"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard-setter and registry"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Author of the 2024 report"},{"id":"carbon-market-watch","role":"Filed complaint with ICVCM about the re-review"},{"id":"scs-global-services","role":"Auditor of the project and of the 2024 re-review"},{"id":"aster-global","role":"Auditor of the project and of the 2024 re-review"},{"id":"aenor","role":"Auditor of the project and of the 2024 re-review"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the Chong consulted, and were they evicted and beaten?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"The Chong were not consulted for more than two years; six families were evicted, three people were held for months without trial, and a man said he was hit with a gun during a 2021 arrest.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Wildlife Alliance","says":"Denied the abuses.","src":0}]},{"point":"Was the 2024 re-review independent?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Carbon Market Watch","says":"Complained to ICVCM that the review by auditors who had approved the project was a clear conflict of interest.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Verra","says":"Reinstated the project on 10 September 2024 with conditions; did not contact stakeholders or community members directly (per HRW).","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of Pork Nget for encroachment","forum":"Cambodian court (name: none on record)","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecuting authority (name: none on record)","defendant":"Pork Nget","filed":"2024-06","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Arrested 27 June 2024 by ministry rangers and Wildlife Alliance staff; received a five-year prison sentence for encroachment, later suspended; the charge stands.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":27000000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Southern Cardamom REDD+."},{"key":"area_ha","value":500000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Project area."},{"key":"villages","value":29,"unit":"villages","year":2024,"note":"Villages covered by the project."},{"key":"families_evicted","value":6,"unit":"Chong families","year":2024,"note":"Per HRW."},{"key":"months_without_consultation","value":31,"unit":"months","year":2015,"note":"From 1 January 2015 activity start to consultation with Chong communities."},{"key":"livelihood_spending","value":3,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Wildlife Alliance's own figure for 2023–2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A REDD+ carbon project in the Southern Cardamoms where HRW reported that Chong communities were not consulted for 31 months and faced eviction and detention.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Project developer and credit holders (credits issued: more than 27 million)","what":"Credit issuance","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Chong families","what":"Land access; six families evicted (HRW)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Pork Nget and family","what":"Arrest and suspended five-year sentence; brother injured","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Southern Cardamom Mountains, south-western Cambodia; Thmar Dounpov commune.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Activity from 1 January 2015; HRW report 28 February 2024; Verra suspension June 2023 to reinstatement 10 September 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the project's REDD+ credit purpose.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Patrols mixing ministry rangers, gendarmes and Wildlife Alliance staff enforced the project boundary, per HRW.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Carbon Offsetting's Casualties: Violations of Chong Indigenous Peoples' Rights","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2024-02-28","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/02/28/carbon-offsettings-casualties/violations-chong-indigenous-peoples-rights","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241101203215/https://www.hrw.org/report/2024/02/28/carbon-offsettings-casualties/violations-chong-indigenous-peoples-rights"},{"t":"Indigenous community calls out Cambodian REDD project as tensions simmer in the Cardamoms","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-03","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/indigenous-community-calls-out-cambodian-redd-project-as-tensions-simmer-in-the-cardamoms/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615054327/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/indigenous-community-calls-out-cambodian-redd-project-as-tensions-simmer-in-the-cardamoms/"},{"t":"Cambodian carbon credit project hit by rights abuse claims is reinstated","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-09","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/cambodian-carbon-credit-project-hit-by-rights-abuse-claims-is-reinstated/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260703132332/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/09/cambodian-carbon-credit-project-hit-by-rights-abuse-claims-is-reinstated/"},{"t":"Southern Cardamom REDD project still ignoring Indigenous Chong rights (CamboJA News reporting)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2025-03-17","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/southern-cardamom-redd-project-still","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250624212642/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/southern-cardamom-redd-project-still"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"More than 27 million carbon credits were issued in my name for about 500,000 hectares of my Cardamom forest; no assessment of my forest cover is on record.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the Chong consulted, and were they evicted and beaten?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the 2024 re-review independent?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecution of Pork Nget for encroachment: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Livelihood spending: Wildlife Alliance's own figure for 2023–2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Buyers of the credits: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Wildlife Alliance denies the abuses HRW reported; no court or independent finding on them is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Conservation International was involved in a REDD+ project in the Cardamoms, that Disney took about 40% of its credits, and that an analysis found it issued about ten times the credits it merited.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Pork Nget and family"]},{"id":"antarctic-krill-fishing-near-penguin-colonies","title":"Antarctic krill fishing near penguin colonies","dek":"Press reports say that in 2024 a rule spreading krill fishing across Antarctic areas lapsed and the catch concentrated near penguin colonies. The fishing industry says krill is healthy and the catch is under 1% of biomass.","country":"Antarctica","region":"Antarctica","lat":-63,"lon":-58,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Antarctica","iso2":"AQ","role":"event","lat":-63,"lon":-58}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Share of krill catch taken in a single area (Sea Shepherd, 2025)","value":"57%","note":"NGO figure from a summary of its statement; not independently verified."},"happened":["A July 2025 report distributed by AP and carried by PBS NewsHour said a record krill catch near Antarctica could trigger an early closure of the fishery, and that fishing had concentrated in areas used by penguins.","Conservation Measure 51-07, a rule that spread krill fishing across areas, was not renewed in 2024, according to a summary of Sea Shepherd's statement on the 2025 record catch. Sea Shepherd said 57% of the catch came from a single area.","Aker BioMarine, a krill-fishing company, published a 2019 survey summary giving krill biomass of 62.6 million tonnes and said the catch was under 1% of it. A later Mongabay report summary said the fishery closed months early in 2026 after reaching its limit for a second year; those figures come only."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Aker BioMarine survey summary: 62.6 million tonnes of krill, catch under 1% (company statement)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Spatial spreading rule CM 51-07 not renewed"},{"y":2025,"t":"Record catch reported; fishing concentrated in penguin areas (AP via PBS, July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Krill is healthy and the catch is under 1% of biomass (62.6 Mt)","who":"Aker BioMarine, 2019","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Krill fishing concentrated in penguin areas; the spatial spreading rule lapsed in 2024.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Spatial spreading rule","v":"Lapsed 2024","d":"CM 51-07, per Sea Shepherd summary and AP/PBS"},{"k":"Catch in a single area","v":"57%","d":"Sea Shepherd, 2025 (summary)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the fishery's 620,000-tonne limit was filled two years running and closed months early in 2026.","Unconfirmed: one company took about 63% of the catch.","Effect of the fishing on penguin populations: no figure in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: record catch reported and fishing concentrated in penguin areas; no ruling or independent evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Aker BioMarine","says":"Krill biomass is healthy at 62.6 Mt and the catch is under 1% of it.","when":"2019","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"aker-biomarine","role":"Krill fishing company"},{"id":"sea-shepherd","role":"NGO critic of the record catch"},{"id":"ccamlr","role":"Body whose measure CM 51-07 lapsed"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is krill fishing concentrating where it can harm penguins?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AP via PBS NewsHour","says":"Krill fishing concentrated in penguin areas.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sea Shepherd","says":"57% of the catch came from a single area and the rule CM 51-07 lapsed (summary).","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Aker BioMarine","says":"Krill biomass is 62.6 Mt and the catch is under 1% of it (summary).","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"krill_biomass_tonnes","value":62600000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"note":"Aker BioMarine survey figure, as summarised.","unverified":true},{"key":"catch_single_area_pct","value":57,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Sea Shepherd, as summarised.","unverified":true}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Krill fishing concentrated in penguin areas after a spreading rule lapsed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Krill fishing companies including Aker BioMarine","what":"Fishing access","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Antarctic waters.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 (rule lapsed) to 2025 (record catch).","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The spatial rule CM 51-07 was not renewed in 2024, per Sea Shepherd's summary.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Record catch of krill near Antarctica could trigger early closure of fishery","p":"AP via PBS NewsHour","d":"2025-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/record-catch-of-krill-near-antarctica-could-trigger-early-closure-of-fishery","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251028105408/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/record-catch-of-krill-near-antarctica-could-trigger-early-closure-of-fishery"},{"t":"Record Antarctic krill catch red flags","p":"Sea Shepherd Australia","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.seashepherd.org.au/latest-news/record-antarctic-krill-catch-red-flags","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606110020/https://www.seashepherd.org.au/latest-news/record-antarctic-krill-catch-red-flags/"},{"t":"New large-scale Antarctic krill survey confirms healthy krill biomass","p":"Aker BioMarine","d":"2019","type":"company","u":"https://www.akerbiomarine.com/news/new-large-scale-antarctic-krill-survey-confirms-healthy-krill-biomass","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251230002611/https://www.akerbiomarine.com/news/new-large-scale-antarctic-krill-survey-confirms-healthy-krill-biomass"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Sea Shepherd says 57% of the krill catch from my Antarctic waters in 2025 was taken in a single area; the rule spreading the catch lapsed in 2024.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is krill fishing concentrating where it can harm penguins?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Krill biomass tonnes: Aker BioMarine survey figure, as summarised.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Catch single area pct: Sea Shepherd, as summarised.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the fishery's 620,000-tonne limit was filled two years running and closed months early in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: one company took about 63% of the catch.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effect of the fishing on penguin populations: no figure in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"marange-diamonds-and-kimberley-process","title":"Marange diamonds and the Kimberley Process (Zimbabwe)","dek":"Human Rights Watch reported that soldiers killed more than 200 miners at the Marange diamond field in 2008. The Kimberley Process approved Marange exports in 2011, because its definition of a conflict diamond covers only rebel financing.","country":"Zimbabwe","region":"Africa","lat":-19.5,"lon":32.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","lat":-19.5,"lon":32.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2008","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Miners reported killed by the army at Marange, 2008","value":"200+","note":"Figure as reported by Human Rights Watch (2009); the government denied it."},"happened":["In June 2009 Human Rights Watch published a report on the Marange diamond field in Zimbabwe. It reported that more than 200 miners had been killed there in 2008, and that the army was responsible. The Zimbabwean government denied the account.","In December 2011 the Kimberley Process, the certification scheme for rough diamonds, approved exports of diamonds from Marange. The Ecologist reported that Global Witness left the scheme as a result, saying that it laundered diamonds from Marange.","The Kimberley Process defines a conflict diamond only as one that finances rebels fighting governments. Killings by a state's own army fall outside that definition. An effort to widen the definition failed to reach agreement for the third time in November 2025, according to a civil-society account.","A local organisation recorded that more than a thousand families were moved from the diamond field between 2009 and 2013. According to the same record, the water and electricity promised to them had still not been provided."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Army reported to have killed more than 200 miners at Marange (Human Rights Watch, 2009); the government denied it"},{"y":2009,"t":"Human Rights Watch report on Marange published (26 June); families begin to be moved from the field (to 2013, per a local organisation)"},{"y":2011,"t":"Kimberley Process approves Marange exports; Global Witness leaves the scheme (December)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Third attempt to widen the Kimberley Process definition of conflict diamonds ends without agreement (November)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Diamonds from Marange were certified for export under the Kimberley Process in 2011.","who":"Kimberley Process, as reported by The Ecologist","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Human Rights Watch reported more than 200 miners killed at Marange in 2008, by the army.","src":0},{"t":"The Kimberley Process definition of a conflict diamond covers only rebel financing against governments.","src":3},{"t":"More than 1,000 families moved from the diamond field in 2009–2013; promised water and electricity not delivered (record of a local organisation).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Kimberley Process definition of conflict diamond","v":"Rebel financing only","d":"Army killings fall outside it (IPIS)"},{"k":"Marange exports approved","v":"2011","d":"Three years after the killings reported for 2008"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources contain no measurement of ecological damage at Marange.","The cited sources give no figure for the value of diamonds exported from Marange after approval."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","deaths","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether killings at Marange stopped after 2011.","whoPaid":"Miners reported killed in 2008 and families reported moved between 2009 and 2013.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: the Kimberley Process definition of conflict diamonds still covers only rebel financing after a third failed attempt to widen it.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"zimbabwe-government","says":"Denied the account of killings at Marange.","when":"2009","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"zimbabwe-army","role":"Reported by Human Rights Watch to have killed miners at Marange"},{"id":"kimberley-process","role":"Certification scheme that approved Marange exports in 2011"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"NGO that left the Kimberley Process in 2011"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"NGO that reported the killings"},{"id":"zimbabwe-government","role":"Denied the killings"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were more than 200 miners killed by the army at Marange in 2008?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"Reported more than 200 dead at Marange in 2008 and held the army responsible.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Zimbabwe","says":"Denied the account.","src":0}]},{"point":"Should Marange diamonds have been certified for export?","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Kimberley Process","says":"Approved Marange exports in December 2011.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Global Witness","says":"Left the scheme, saying the certification system launders diamonds.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"IPIS and a civil-society coalition","says":"Called for a wider definition of conflict diamonds; the definition covers only rebel financing.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":200,"unit":"people","year":2008,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Miners reported killed at Marange by the army; Human Rights Watch, 2009. The government denied it."},{"key":"displaced","value":1000,"unit":"families","year":2013,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Families moved from the diamond field, 2009–2013, per a local organisation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Soldiers were reported to have killed miners at the Marange diamond field in 2008; the Kimberley Process then approved Marange exports in 2011.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Holders of Marange diamonds certified for export","what":"Access to certified export; the cited sources give no amounts.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Miners reported killed; families moved from the field","what":"Lives; homes. Promised water and electricity were still absent in the local record.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Marange diamond field, Zimbabwe.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Killings reported for 2008; relocation 2009–2013; export approval December 2011.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Kimberley Process definition of a conflict diamond covers only rebel financing, so violence by a state's army was outside it.","src":3},"how":{"t":"The scheme certified exports under its existing definition; Global Witness left the scheme in protest.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Human Rights Watch report on killings at the Marange diamond field","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2009-06-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/06/26/diamonds-deadly-toll","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20150107231355/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/06/26/diamonds-deadly-toll"},{"t":"Global Witness quits Kimberley Process; Zimbabwe blood diamonds exported","p":"The Ecologist","d":"2011-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://theecologist.org/2011/dec/06/global-witness-quits-kimberley-process-zimbabwe-blood-diamonds-exported","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411024954/https://theecologist.org/2011/dec/06/global-witness-quits-kimberley-process-zimbabwe-blood-diamonds-exported"},{"t":"Global Witness leaves Kimberley Process, calls for the diamond trade to be held accountable","p":"Global Witness","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/archive/global-witness-leaves-kimberley-process-calls-diamond-trade-be-held-accountable","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250118062312/https://www.globalwitness.org/en/archive/global-witness-leaves-kimberley-process-calls-diamond-trade-be-held-accountable/"},{"t":"Kimberley Process intersessional meeting: civil society coalition calls for meaningful reform of the definition of conflict diamonds","p":"IPIS","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://ipisresearch.be/nl/kimberley-process-intersessional-meeting-civil-society-coalition-calls-meaningful-reform-definition-conflict-diamonds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612115651/https://ipisresearch.be/nl/kimberley-process-intersessional-meeting-civil-society-coalition-calls-meaningful-reform-definition-conflict-diamonds/"},{"t":"CNRG statement on the occasion of Zimbabwe hosting the Kimberley Process Intersessional in Victoria Falls","p":"Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), Zimbabwe","d":"2025","u":"https://cnrgzim.org/press-releases/cnrg-statement-on-the-occasion-of-zimbabwe-hosting-the-kimberley-process-intersessional-in-victoria-falls/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"subtags":["war:conflict-economy"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were more than 200 miners killed by the army at Marange in 2008?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should Marange diamonds have been certified for export?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources contain no measurement of ecological damage at Marange.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no figure for the value of diamonds exported from Marange after approval.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nepal-forest-carbon-deals","title":"Nepal forest carbon deals (World Bank ER-MR, LEAF)","dek":"Nepal received US$9.4 million from the World Bank's Forest Carbon Partnership Facility for 1.88 million tonnes of CO2 reductions in 2025, and has a LEAF Coalition agreement worth up to US$55 million. Studies of community forests report that benefits reached poorer and lower-caste households unevenly.","country":"Nepal","region":"Asia","lat":28.4,"lon":84.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","lat":28.4,"lon":84.1,"role":"event"}],"start":2000,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Payment for emission reductions under the World Bank carbon fund","value":"US$9.4 million for 1.88 Mt","note":"World Bank, November 2025."},"happened":["In November 2025 the World Bank announced that Nepal would receive US$9.4 million from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility for 1.88 million tonnes of CO2 reductions. A report on the monitoring report states that 61% of this came from carbon sequestration by afforestation; no other source confirms it.","Nepal also has an agreement with the LEAF Coalition worth up to US$55 million. Credits under it can be used against Singapore's carbon tax and for aviation offsetting.","Nepal's community forests are managed by user groups. Studies in the cited sources report that the poorest households gained little: the poverty gain for Dalit households was statistically insignificant (p=0.532); blacksmith Kami households were excluded from charcoal collection in nearly half of user groups; and no Dalit women were among grantees in a REDD+ pilot.","Donor-funded programmes in the sector include MSFP (US$62 million), Hariyo Ban (about US$37 million in one source, US$29.9 million in another) and Forests for Prosperity (US$24 million, of which US$17.9 million was credit). Separately, a Kathmandu Post editorial of May 2025 said domestic timber was rotting while Nepal imported NPR 6–8 billion of timber a year."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"World Bank announces US$9.4 million for 1.88 Mt under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (November); Kathmandu Post editorial on timber (27 May)"},{"y":2025,"t":"LEAF Coalition agreement of up to US$55 million on record"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"'1.88 Mt CO2 reduced'; '80% of carbon revenue to communities'.","who":"Programme presentation of the carbon payments","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The 80% share includes local governments and implementers; the share left for communities is at most 70%.","src":8},{"t":"About 76% of timber sold in Nepal comes from private forests; community timber costs twice as much and rots.","src":1},{"t":"Dalit households: poverty gain statistically insignificant (p=0.532).","src":5},{"t":"Kami blacksmiths excluded from charcoal collection in nearly half of user groups.","src":6},{"t":"No Dalit women among grantees in a REDD+ pilot.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reductions paid for","v":"1.88 Mt CO2","d":"World Bank, November 2025"},{"k":"Share attributed to afforestation","v":"61%","d":"From a report on the monitoring report; no other source confirms it"}]},"unknown":["Figures for Hariyo Ban differ between sources: about US$37 million and US$29.9 million; the World Bank blog gives conflicting figures.","The 61% afforestation share was reported of the monitoring report: unconfirmed.","The cited sources describe two series of figures for a share of benefit (39.6% and 46.08%) as not comparable."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say.","whoPaid":"The cited sources report that poorer and lower-caste households received little of the benefit.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: World Bank payment of US$9.4 million announced; LEAF agreement of up to US$55 million on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank-fcpf","role":"Paid for emission reductions"},{"id":"leaf-coalition","role":"Credit buyer coalition"},{"id":"nepal-government","role":"Seller of emission reductions"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much carbon revenue reaches communities?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank / programme","says":"80% of carbon revenue to communities.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Studies cited","says":"The 80% includes local governments and implementers; at most 70% is left for communities.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Makwanpur felling case","forum":"Not stated","country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"A district forest officer, user group managers and timber operators","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"A district forest officer, user group managers and timber operators were tried together on charges of illegal felling; no outcome is stated.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"carbon_payment","value":9.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"World Bank FCPF payment to Nepal."},{"key":"co2_reductions","value":1.88,"unit":"Mt CO2","year":2025,"note":"Reductions for which payment was made."},{"key":"leaf_agreement","value":55,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"LEAF Coalition agreement."},{"key":"timber_imports","value":6,"unit":"NPR bn per year (6–8)","year":2025,"qualifier":"6–8","note":"Kathmandu Post editorial, 27 May 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nepal was paid US$9.4 million for 1.88 Mt of forest emission reductions and signed a LEAF agreement of up to US$55 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nepal's government and programme implementers","what":"Payments under the carbon fund.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Dalit households and Kami blacksmiths","what":"Little gain and exclusion from charcoal collection in nearly half of user groups.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Nepal.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Payment announced November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Payment for forest carbon under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility and the LEAF Coalition.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Results-based payment for emission reductions measured under an ER-MR monitoring report.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Nepal receives US$9.4 million for forest carbon credits under the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility","p":"World Bank","d":"2025-11-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/11/16/nepal-receives-9-4-million-for-forest-carbon-credits-under-the-forest-carbon-partnership-facility","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009191941/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/11/16/nepal-receives-9-4-million-for-forest-carbon-credits-under-the-forest-carbon-partnership-facility"},{"t":"Timber trouble (editorial)","p":"The Kathmandu Post","d":"2025-05-27","type":"press","u":"https://kathmandupost.com/editorial/2025/05/27/timber-trouble","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518030029/https://kathmandupost.com/editorial/2025/05/27/timber-trouble"},{"t":"Rights and Resources Initiative on MSFP","p":"RRI","d":"2012","type":"ngo","u":"https://rightsandresources.org/?p=24010"},{"t":"WWF to lead 30 million conservation program in Nepal","p":"WWF","d":"2011","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wwf.sg/wwf-to-lead-30-million-conservation-program-in-nepal/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220812122055/https://www.wwf.sg/wwf-to-lead-30-million-conservation-program-in-nepal/"},{"t":"A new and more sustainable era for Nepal's forests","p":"World Bank blog","d":"2021","type":"official","u":"https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/new-and-more-sustainable-era-nepals-forests-0","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605222613/https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/endpovertyinsouthasia/new-and-more-sustainable-era-nepals-forests-0"},{"t":"Effects of forestry decentralization on rural inequality in Nepal","p":"Nature Sustainability (Cook, Andersson, Benedum, Grillos, Karna et al.)","d":"2026-01-05","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01729-z","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260105152928/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-025-01729-z"},{"t":"The issues of oppressed groups' access to collectively managed resources: an empirical analysis","p":"Banko Janakari (B. Dhakal)","d":"2007","u":"https://nepjol.info/index.php/BANKO/article/view/360","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410064950/https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/BANKO/article/view/360"},{"t":"Social equity and livelihood implications of REDD+ in rural communities - a case study from Nepal","p":"International Journal of the Commons (Poudel, Thwaites, Race, Dahal)","d":"2015","u":"https://thecommonsjournal.org/articles/10.18352/ijc.444","type":"academic"},{"t":"Nepal signs major carbon deal but community access remains challenging","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-02","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612235008/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/nepal-signs-major-carbon-deal-but-community-access-remains-challenging/"},{"t":"Illegal felling in Brahma Community Forest, Makwanpur: CIAA files corruption cases in the Special Court","p":"Onlinekhabar","d":"2019-05","u":"https://www.onlinekhabar.com/?p=766123","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["nepal-community-forestry-success"],"natureLead":{"t":"In November 2025 the World Bank announced that Nepal would receive US$9.4 million for 1.88 million tonnes of CO2 reductions in my forests.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much carbon revenue reaches communities?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Makwanpur felling case: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures for Hariyo Ban differ between sources: about US$37 million and US$29.9 million; the World Bank blog gives conflicting figures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The 61% afforestation share was reported of the monitoring report: unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources describe two series of figures for a share of benefit (39.6% and 46.08%) as not comparable.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Dalit households and Kami blacksmiths"]},{"id":"indorama-agro-cotton-project","title":"Indorama Agro cotton project (Uzbekistan)","dek":"A cotton producer in Uzbekistan took loans from the IFC, the EBRD and the Asian Development Bank and repaid them early in January 2025. Civil-society groups reported job losses, displacement and reprisals in its area of operation.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":41,"lon":64.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Area operated by Indorama Agro, as reported by CEE Bankwatch","value":"54,000 ha","note":"Figure from CEE Bankwatch (January 2025). IFC's 2021 announcement referred to about 50,000 ha."},"happened":["Indorama Agro is a cotton producer operating in Uzbekistan. According to CEE Bankwatch, it works about 54,000 hectares. In May 2021 the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's private-sector arm, announced an investment under the headline \"IFC invests in Indorama Agro to promote sustainable cotton\". The cited sources list loans to the company of USD 60 million from the IFC, USD 70 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and USD 15 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).","In April 2021 the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights and CEE Bankwatch sent a briefing on the loans to the EBRD. It said the environmental and social impact assessment had gaps on water, soil and health, and noted pesticides that are restricted in the European Union.","In January 2025 CEE Bankwatch reported that the EBRD's Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM) was investigating the project. It put the number of farms that gave up land at 1,068 and listed job losses of 5,418 and 9,070, with 90 people found eligible for livelihood support. In April 2025 a statement by 89 NGOs, addressed to the IFC and the EBRD, reported about 10,000 people displaced and more than 80 cases of reprisal, and said the company had left the lenders' safeguard obligations by repaying its debt early.","The EBRD's IPAM case registry lists a complaint about the Indorama Agro Capex Loan (Request #3). The entry records the land-transfer complaint as open and an outcome in September 2023 described as inconclusive."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Uzbek Forum for Human Rights and CEE Bankwatch send a briefing on the Indorama Agro loans to the EBRD (April); IFC announces its investment (May)"},{"y":2023,"t":"September: an outcome recorded in the EBRD IPAM registry as inconclusive"},{"y":2025,"t":"January: Indorama Agro repays its debt early, ending the lenders' safeguard obligations; CEE Bankwatch reports that IPAM is investigating. April: 89 NGOs address an urgent call to the IFC and the EBRD"},{"y":2026,"t":"EBRD IPAM registry lists the land-transfer complaint on Request #3 as open"}],"said":[{"q":"IFC invests in Indorama Agro to promote sustainable cotton","who":"IFC press release headline (partial, as recorded)","when":"May 2021","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The IFC presented its investment as a way to promote sustainable cotton and improve livelihoods in rural areas of Uzbekistan.","who":"IFC","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"CEE Bankwatch: the project covers 54,000 ha; job losses of 5,418 and 9,070 are listed; 90 people are entitled to livelihood support.","src":1},{"t":"CEE Bankwatch: 1,068 farms gave up land.","src":1},{"t":"A statement by 89 NGOs reports about 10,000 people displaced and more than 80 reprisal cases, and says the company exited the lenders' safeguard obligations by early repayment.","src":2},{"t":"The EBRD IPAM registry lists the land-transfer complaint on the Indorama Agro Capex Loan as open.","src":3},{"t":"Uzbek Forum and CEE Bankwatch told the EBRD that the impact assessment had gaps on water, soil and health and noted pesticides restricted in the EU.","src":4},{"t":"Civil-society groups reported that police told workers that international organisations could not help them.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Impact assessment gaps","v":"Water, soil, health","d":"Uzbek Forum and CEE Bankwatch briefing for the EBRD, April 2021"},{"k":"Pesticides","v":"EU-restricted","d":"The same briefing noted pesticides restricted in the European Union"},{"k":"Farms that gave up land","v":"1,068","d":"CEE Bankwatch, January 2025"}]},"unknown":["Indorama Agro's own account of the job losses, displacement and reprisal allegations is not on record.","The IPAM registry records a September 2023 outcome as inconclusive; the cited sources do not describe what was examined or concluded.","Unconfirmed: the IFC announcement's description of the project's size (about 50,000 ha) and the loan amounts; the cited sources give the loan figures without a primary loan document.","The cited sources do not say whether the reported losses were remedied after the early repayment.","The cited sources contain no independent ecological evaluation of the project."],"evidence":["displacement","review"],"harmStopped":"The loans were repaid early in January 2025, ending the lenders' safeguard obligations. The cited sources do not say whether the reported harms were remedied.","whoPaid":"According to the NGO statements, farmers and workers in the project area: farms gave up land, jobs were lost and about 10,000 people were reported displaced.","statusLine":"As of 2026: the EBRD IPAM registry lists the land-transfer complaint as open; the company repaid its loans early in January 2025.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"ifc","says":"Announced its investment under the headline \"IFC invests in Indorama Agro to promote sustainable cotton\".","when":"May 2021","src":0},{"actor":"ebrd","says":"Lists the complaint on the Indorama Agro Capex Loan (Request #3) in its IPAM case registry as open.","when":"2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"indorama-agro","role":"Cotton producer and borrower"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Lender"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender; operator of the accountability mechanism handling the complaint"},{"id":"adb","role":"Lender"},{"id":"cee-bankwatch","role":"Civil-society monitor of the loans"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the project improve livelihoods, or did it cost people their land and jobs?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IFC","says":"Presented the investment as promoting sustainable cotton and improving rural livelihoods in Uzbekistan.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CEE Bankwatch","says":"Reported 1,068 farms giving up land, job losses of 5,418 and 9,070, and 90 people eligible for livelihood support.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"89 NGOs","says":"Reported about 10,000 people displaced and more than 80 reprisal cases, and asked the IFC and the EBRD to act.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Complaint on the Indorama Agro Capex Loan (Request #3)","forum":"EBRD Independent Project Accountability Mechanism (IPAM)","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Complainants (names: none on record)","defendant":"EBRD (loan to Indorama Agro)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The registry lists the land-transfer complaint as open and records an outcome in September 2023 described as inconclusive.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":54000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Area of the project as reported by CEE Bankwatch (January 2025)."},{"key":"loan_ifc","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Loan from the IFC to Indorama Agro; amount."},{"key":"loan_ebrd","value":70,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Loan from the EBRD to Indorama Agro; amount."},{"key":"loan_adb","value":15,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Loan from the ADB to Indorama Agro; amount."},{"key":"farms_left_land","value":1068,"unit":"farms","year":2025,"note":"Farms that gave up land, per CEE Bankwatch."},{"key":"jobs_lost","value":5418,"unit":"jobs","year":2025,"note":"First of two job-loss figures listed by CEE Bankwatch; the second is 9,070. The cited sources give a combined figure of about 14,500."},{"key":"jobs_lost","value":9070,"unit":"jobs","year":2025,"note":"Second of two job-loss figures listed by CEE Bankwatch."},{"key":"displaced","value":10000,"unit":"people","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported by 89 NGOs (April 2025); not independently verified."},{"key":"reprisal_cases","value":80,"unit":"cases","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reported by 89 NGOs (April 2025)."},{"key":"livelihood_support_eligible","value":90,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"People found eligible for livelihood support, per CEE Bankwatch."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Loans from the IFC, the EBRD and the ADB to a cotton producer in Uzbekistan, followed by reports of land abandonment, job losses, displacement and reprisals in its area, a complaint to the EBRD's accountability mechanism and early repayment of the debt in January 2025.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Indorama Agro","what":"Received loans of USD 60 million (IFC), 70 million (EBRD) and 15 million (ADB) and exited the lenders' safeguard obligations by repaying early in January 2025.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Farms and workers in the project area","what":"1,068 farms gave up land; job losses of 5,418 and 9,070 were listed.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"People in the project area","what":"About 10,000 reported displaced and more than 80 reprisal cases, according to 89 NGOs.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Uzbekistan; the cited sources do not name the districts.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Loans announced 2021; early repayment January 2025; complaint listed in the IPAM registry (2026).","src":3},"why":{"t":"The IFC stated the aim of promoting sustainable cotton and improving rural livelihoods; the cited sources give no statement of the company's own reasons.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through lending from three development finance institutions; accountability was pursued through the EBRD's IPAM complaint process.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"IFC invests in Indorama Agro to promote sustainable cotton and improve livelihoods in rural areas in Uzbekistan","p":"IFC","d":"2021-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ifc.org/en/pressroom/2021/ifc-invests-in-indorama-agro-to-promote-sustainable-cotton-and-improve-livelihoods-in-rural-areas-in-uzbekistan","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420152125/https://www.ifc.org/en/pressroom/2021/ifc-invests-in-indorama-agro-to-promote-sustainable-cotton-and-improve-livelihoods-in-rural-areas-in-uzbekistan"},{"t":"EBRD's Independent Project Accountability Mechanism investigates the Indorama Agro cotton project in Uzbekistan","p":"CEE Bankwatch","d":"2025-01-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://bankwatch.org/blog/ebrd-s-independent-project-accountability-mechanism-investigates-the-indorama-agro-cotton-project-in-uzbekistan","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610004718/https://bankwatch.org/blog/ebrd-s-independent-project-accountability-mechanism-investigates-the-indorama-agro-cotton-project-in-uzbekistan"},{"t":"Urgent Call on the IFC and the EBRD (statement by 89 NGOs)","p":"Rights in Development","d":"2025-04-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://rightsindevelopment.org/statement-indorama-agro-uzbekistan/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009084728/https://rightsindevelopment.org/statement-indorama-agro-uzbekistan/"},{"t":"Indorama Agro Capex Loan (Request #3)","p":"EBRD Independent Project Accountability Mechanism case registry","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/what-we-do/projects/independent-project-accountability-mechanism/case-registry/indorama-agro-capex-loan-request-3.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152425/https://www.ebrd.com/home/what-we-do/projects/independent-project-accountability-mechanism/case-registry/indorama-agro-capex-loan-request-3.html"},{"t":"Indorama Agro loans: Briefing for EBRD","p":"Uzbek Forum for Human Rights and CEE Bankwatch (via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)","d":"2021-04-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/es/últimas-noticias/indorama-agro-loans-uzbekistan-briefing-for-ebrd","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152451/https://www.business-humanrights.org/es/%C3%BAltimas-noticias/indorama-agro-loans-uzbekistan-briefing-for-ebrd/"},{"t":"\"International Organizations Cannot Help You. Do not speak to them.\" Cotton producer Indorama Agro silences workers speaking out against rights violations while development banks fail to ensure compliance","p":"Uzbek Forum for Human Rights","d":"2024-04-02","u":"https://www.uzbekforum.org/labor-rights-violations-persist-in-uzbekistan/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["uzbekistan-cotton-clusters"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the project improve livelihoods, or did it cost people their land and jobs?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Indorama Agro's own account of the job losses, displacement and reprisal allegations is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The IPAM registry records a September 2023 outcome as inconclusive; the cited sources do not describe what was examined or concluded.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the IFC announcement's description of the project's size (about 50,000 ha) and the loan amounts; the cited sources give the loan figures without a primary loan document.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the reported losses were remedied after the early repayment.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources contain no independent ecological evaluation of the project.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"dr-congo-oil-blocks-auction-after-forest-deal","title":"DR Congo oil blocks auction after forest deal","dek":"The Democratic Republic of Congo offered oil and gas blocks for tender in 2022 and again in May 2025. Greenpeace and Rainforest Foundation UK reported that the blocks overlapped protected areas and forest.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","region":"Africa","lat":-2.9,"lon":23.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","role":"event"},{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"Virunga National Park","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Oil blocks offered in the May 2025 round, of which new","value":"55 (52 new)","note":"Rainforest Foundation UK reported that the 52 new blocks overlap 8.3 million hectares of protected areas."},"happened":["In 2022 the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offered 30 oil and gas blocks for tender. According to Greenpeace, at least nine of them overlapped protected areas, including Virunga, and the concessions covered 11.2 million hectares of forest and 1 million hectares of peatland.","One of the cited sources records that the DRC put oil blocks out to tender six months after signing a forest agreement, and that the tender was later cancelled. The cited sources do not name the agreement. A 2024 item from Greenpeace Afrique is titled \"Annulation de l'appel d'offres pour 27 blocs\" (cancellation of the tender for 27 blocks).","In January 2025 the DRC created the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor, covering more than 544,000 square kilometres. In May 2025 it opened 55 oil blocks to tender, 52 of them new. Rainforest Foundation UK analysed the new round and reported an overlap of 8.3 million hectares with protected areas.","A July 2026 Greenpeace Africa report is cited in the sources as finding that 72% of the Green Corridor overlaps oil blocks. The outcome of the 2025 tender is not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Government offers 30 oil and gas blocks for tender; Greenpeace reports at least nine overlapping protected areas"},{"y":2024,"t":"Greenpeace Afrique item on the cancellation of a tender for 27 blocks"},{"y":2025,"t":"January: Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor created. May: 55 oil blocks (52 new) opened to tender; Rainforest Foundation UK reports overlap with 8.3 million ha of protected areas"},{"y":2026,"t":"July: Greenpeace Africa report on overlap between the Green Corridor and oil blocks"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor was established in January 2025 over more than 544,000 square kilometres and described as the world's largest community reserve.","who":"DRC government (declaration of the Green Corridor)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rainforest Foundation UK reports that the 52 new blocks in the 2025 round overlap 8.3 million hectares of protected areas.","src":0},{"t":"Greenpeace reported that at least 13 of the 30 blocks offered in 2022 overlapped protected areas, including Virunga.","src":2},{"t":"Greenpeace Afrique published an item titled \"Annulation de l'appel d'offres pour 27 blocs\" in 2024.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Protected area overlapped by the 52 new 2025 blocks","v":"8.3 million ha","d":"Rainforest Foundation UK analysis"},{"k":"2022 blocks overlapping protected areas","v":"At least 9 of 30","d":"Greenpeace"},{"k":"Forest and peatland within the 2022 concessions","v":"11.2 million ha forest; 1 million ha peatland","d":"Greenpeace"}]},"unknown":["The outcome of the May 2025 tender, including any awards, is not on record.","The cited sources do not say how the 27 blocks in the 2024 Greenpeace Afrique item relate to the 30 blocks offered in 2022.","The cited sources do not name the forest agreement that preceded the cancelled tender.","Unconfirmed: Greenpeace Africa (July 2026) is cited as finding that 72% of the Green Corridor overlaps oil blocks and 23% (12.3 million ha) overlaps mining licences, and that the blocks cover 66.8 million ha (64%) of intact forest.","Unconfirmed: preparations to lift the DRC's 2002 moratorium on new industrial forest concessions were described as at an advanced stage in June 2026.","No government statement on the 2025 round is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record a tender cancelled after the first round; the outcome of the May 2025 round is not on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the outcome of the May 2025 oil-block tender is not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"drc-government","says":"Minister Didier Budimbu was reported as saying in 2022 that what mattered was that the country win, with or without oil; a climate negotiator said the country would not accept climate colonialism.","when":"2022","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"drc-government","role":"Licensing authority"},{"id":"greenpeace-africa","role":"NGO reporting on overlap with protected areas"},{"id":"rainforest-foundation-uk","role":"NGO that analysed the 2025 licensing round"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Should oil blocks be licensed where they overlap forest and protected areas?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"At least nine of the 30 blocks offered in 2022 overlapped protected areas including Virunga; the concessions covered 11.2 million ha of forest and 1 million ha of peatland.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Rainforest Foundation UK","says":"The 52 new blocks in the 2025 round overlap 8.3 million ha of protected areas.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"DRC government (Minister Didier Budimbu; a climate negotiator)","says":"In 2022 a minister was reported as saying that what mattered was that the country win, with or without oil; a climate negotiator said the country would not accept climate colonialism.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"blocks_offered","value":30,"unit":"blocks","year":2022,"note":"Oil and gas blocks offered for tender in 2022."},{"key":"blocks_offered","value":55,"unit":"blocks","year":2025,"note":"Blocks opened to tender in May 2025, of which 52 were new."},{"key":"blocks_in_protected_areas","value":9,"unit":"blocks","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Greenpeace: blocks from the 2022 round overlapping protected areas."},{"key":"forest_in_blocks_ha","value":11200000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Forest covered by the 2022 concessions, per Greenpeace."},{"key":"peatland_in_blocks_ha","value":1000000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Peatland covered by the 2022 concessions, per Greenpeace."},{"key":"protected_area_overlap_ha","value":8300000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Overlap of the 52 new 2025 blocks with protected areas, per Rainforest Foundation UK."},{"key":"corridor_area_km2","value":544000,"unit":"km2","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Area of the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor created in January 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oil and gas blocks were offered for tender in 2022 and again in May 2025; Greenpeace and Rainforest Foundation UK reported overlap with protected areas and forest. One source records a tender six months after a forest agreement, later cancelled.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Protected areas and forest in the licensed areas","what":"Overlap with the offered blocks was reported (8.3 million ha of protected areas in the 2025 round); no drilling or damage is on record.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo, including Virunga National Park and the Kivu-Kinshasa Green Corridor.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2022 and May 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"In 2022 a minister was reported as saying that what mattered was that the country win, with or without oil. The cited sources give no other stated reason.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through tenders for oil and gas blocks: 30 in 2022 and 55 in May 2025.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Threat posed by new DRC oil block licensing round","p":"Rainforest Foundation UK","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/new-analysis-shows-extent-of-threat-posed-by-new-drc-oil-block-licensing-round/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260521022051/https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/new-analysis-shows-extent-of-threat-posed-by-new-drc-oil-block-licensing-round/"},{"t":"Annulation de l'appel d'offres pour 27 blocs","p":"Greenpeace Afrique","d":"2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/fr/communique-de-presse/56548/rdc-greenpeace-afrique-se-rejouit-de-lannulation-de-lappel-doffres-pour-27-blocs-petroliers-et-exhorte-le-gouvernement-congolais-a-renoncer-definitivement-a-ce-processus/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611094212/https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/fr/communique-de-presse/56548/rdc-greenpeace-afrique-se-rejouit-de-lannulation-de-lappel-doffres-pour-27-blocs-petroliers-et-exhorte-le-gouvernement-congolais-a-renoncer-definitivement-a-ce-processus/"},{"t":"We'll keep our forests, you keep your dollars: report documents Congolese communities pledge to resist oil and gas auction","p":"Greenpeace Africa","d":"2022-09-29","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/52368/well-keep-our-forests-you-keep-your-dollars-report-documents-congolese-communities-pledge-to-resist-oil-and-gas-auction/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Rainforest Foundation UK reports that the 52 new oil blocks offered in May 2025 overlap 8.3 million hectares of my protected areas.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should oil blocks be licensed where they overlap forest and protected areas?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the May 2025 tender, including any awards, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the 27 blocks in the 2024 Greenpeace Afrique item relate to the 30 blocks offered in 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the forest agreement that preceded the cancelled tender.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace Africa (July 2026) is cited as finding that 72% of the Green Corridor overlaps oil blocks and 23% (12.3 million ha) overlaps mining licences, and that the blocks cover 66.8 million ha (64%) of intact forest.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: preparations to lift the DRC's 2002 moratorium on new industrial forest concessions were described as at an advanced stage in June 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No government statement on the 2025 round is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"north-atlantic-right-whale-deaths-and-us-vessel-speed-rule-w","title":"North Atlantic right whale deaths and US vessel-speed rule withdrawal","dek":"NOAA maintains an Unusual Mortality Event page for North Atlantic right whales covering 2017 to 2026. A news report carried the headline that NOAA had withdrawn a proposed rule requiring ships to slow down.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":41,"lon":-70,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","shipping"],"headline":{"label":"Right whale cases in the 2017–2026 Unusual Mortality Event","value":"176 (43 dead)","note":"Reported but not independently verified; see Unknown."},"happened":["NOAA Fisheries maintains a page for the 2017–2026 North Atlantic right whale Unusual Mortality Event in the United States and Canada.","WLOS carried a report headlined \"NOAA withdraws proposed right whale protection rule\", concerning a proposed rule requiring ships to slow down in the Maine and North Atlantic area.","The cited sources give figures for the whale population, the number of cases in the mortality event and the status of fishing-gear rules only through secondary summaries; these are listed under Unknown rather than stated as findings."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Start of the NOAA Unusual Mortality Event for North Atlantic right whales (2017–2026)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Population estimate published by the New England Aquarium and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium"},{"y":2026,"t":"NOAA Unusual Mortality Event page covers 2017–2026"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NOAA Fisheries maintains a page titled \"2017–2026 North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event\", covering the United States and Canada.","src":0},{"t":"WLOS carried a report headlined \"NOAA withdraws proposed right whale protection rule\".","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2025 population estimate of 384 North Atlantic right whales (+10/-9) from the New England Aquarium and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, known only through a secondary report.","Unconfirmed: 176 cases in the 2017–2026 Unusual Mortality Event, of which 43 dead and 41 seriously injured, known only through a reports of the NOAA page.","Unconfirmed: the date and content of the withdrawal of the vessel-speed rule, known only through a reports of the WLOS report.","Unconfirmed: that lobster-gear rules were frozen until 2028, with a required risk reduction of 90% against a current 47%.","No statement from NOAA, shipping companies or fishing interests on the withdrawal is on record."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2026: NOAA's Unusual Mortality Event page covers 2017–2026; WLOS reported that NOAA withdrew the proposed vessel-speed rule, and no other source confirms it.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"noaa","role":"Regulator and publisher of the Unusual Mortality Event page"},{"id":"new-england-aquarium","role":"Publisher of the 2025 population estimate"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"population","value":384,"unit":"whales","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Estimate (+10/-9) from the New England Aquarium and North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, known only through a secondary report."},{"key":"ume_cases","value":176,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"Cases in the 2017–2026 Unusual Mortality Event, known only through a reports of the NOAA page."},{"key":"deaths","value":43,"unit":"whales","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"Dead whales within the 176 cases, known only through a reports of the NOAA page."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A NOAA Unusual Mortality Event for North Atlantic right whales (2017–2026) and a report that NOAA withdrew a proposed rule requiring ships to slow down.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"North Atlantic; United States and Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2017–2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state NOAA's reasons for withdrawing the rule.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources give no account of how the whales died or how the rule was withdrawn.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"2017–2026 North Atlantic Right Whale Unusual Mortality Event","p":"NOAA Fisheries","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2017-2026-north-atlantic-right-whale-unusual-mortality-event","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930180451/https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/2017-2026-north-atlantic-right-whale-unusual-mortality-event"},{"t":"NOAA withdraws proposed right whale protection rule","p":"WLOS","d":"—","type":"press","u":"https://wlos.com/news/nation-world/noaa-withdraws-proposed-right-whale-protection-rule-requiring-ships-to-slow-down-maine-north-atlantic"},{"t":"Right whale population estimate 2025","p":"New England Aquarium / North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.neaq.org/right-whale-population-estimate-2025/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826163917/https://www.neaq.org/right-whale-population-estimate-2025/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"NOAA lists 176 cases among my North Atlantic right whales in its 2017–2026 Unusual Mortality Event, 43 of them deaths; their 2025 population estimate was 384.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Population: Estimate (+10/-9) from the New England Aquarium and North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, known only through a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Ume cases: Cases in the 2017–2026 Unusual Mortality Event, known only through a reports of the NOAA page.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: Dead whales within the 176 cases, known only through a reports of the NOAA page.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2025 population estimate of 384 North Atlantic right whales (+10/-9) from the New England Aquarium and the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, known only through a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 176 cases in the 2017–2026 Unusual Mortality Event, of which 43 dead and 41 seriously injured, known only through a reports of the NOAA page.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the date and content of the withdrawal of the vessel-speed rule, known only through a reports of the WLOS report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that lobster-gear rules were frozen until 2028, with a required risk reduction of 90% against a current 47%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No statement from NOAA, shipping companies or fishing interests on the withdrawal is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"taiji-dolphin-drive-hunt","title":"Taiji dolphin drive hunt","dek":"In the town of Taiji, Japan, dolphins are driven into a cove each season; some are killed and some are captured alive. Advocacy groups report that the live animals are sold to aquariums and marine parks, including parks in China.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":33.6,"lon":135.97,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture","role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"destination of live dolphins"}],"start":2008,"end":null,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Dolphins killed and captured alive, Taiji, 2025/26 season","value":"416 killed / 84 live","note":"Ceta-Base season results; the quota for the season was 1,814. Observer counts are reported not to match."},"happened":["Each season fishers in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, drive groups of dolphins into a cove. Some animals are killed; others are taken alive. Ceta-Base, an advocacy-run database, recorded 416 dolphins killed and 84 captured alive in the 2025/26 season, against a quota of 1,814. Its record states that observer counts do not match one another.","PETA reported 286 killed and 94 captured alive in the 2024/25 season, and said that captures of bottlenose dolphins increased while the number killed fell. For 2026/27, Ceta-Base recorded no killings and 24 live captures so far, six weeks into the season (as of October 2026).","Action for Dolphins, citing the CITES trade database, reported that Japan exported 1,336 live dolphins in 2012–2024, 1,122 of them to China, and that a live dolphin could sell for up to $100,000. The Dolphin Project, reviewing sales contracts, reported prices of $7,085 to $131,200 per dolphin and said that one of the buyers was the Taiji municipal development company.","No criminal or civil proceeding and no sanction connected with the hunt is on record. A statement attributed to the Wakayama prefectural government says that since 2008 dolphin killing has been moved to an enclosed area out of public view."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Wakayama Prefecture moves dolphin killing into an enclosed area out of view (no URL on record for this item)"},{"y":"2012–2024","t":"Japan exports 1,336 live dolphins, 1,122 of them to China (CITES, as cited by Action for Dolphins)"},{"y":"2024/25","t":"286 dolphins killed, 94 captured alive (PETA)"},{"y":"2025/26","t":"416 killed, 84 captured alive; quota 1,814 (Ceta-Base)"},{"y":"2026/27","t":"First six weeks: no killings, 24 live captures (Ceta-Base, October 2026)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A 'bloody cove' mass killing in Taiji","who":"Advocacy campaigns against the hunt","src":null},{"t":"A 'smiling dolphin' as an attraction in shows and swimming programmes","who":"Marine parks and aquariums","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"2025/26 season: 416 dolphins killed, 84 captured alive, quota 1,814; 2026/27 to date: 0 killed, 24 captured alive.","src":0},{"t":"2024/25 season: 286 killed, 94 captured alive; bottlenose captures increased.","src":2},{"t":"CITES records cited by Action for Dolphins: 1,336 live exports in 2012–2024, 1,122 to China.","src":1},{"t":"Sales contracts reviewed by the Dolphin Project: prices from $7,085 to $131,200; a municipal company among the buyers.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Dolphins killed, 2025/26","v":"416","d":"Quota 1,814 (Ceta-Base)"},{"k":"Dolphins captured alive, 2025/26","v":"84","d":"Ceta-Base; PETA reported 94 for 2024/25"},{"k":"Independent population assessment","v":"None on record","d":"No stock or population figure for the affected dolphin groups appears in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Observer counts of animals killed and captured are reported not to match one another; the cited sources do not reconcile them.","The record of the Taiji municipal development company as a buyer comes from an advocacy organisation (the Dolphin Project); no response from the company or the town is on record.","Unconfirmed: the Environmental Investigation Agency said in 2014 that dolphin meat sold for about 4% of the price of a live animal and that large-scale driving began in 1969.","No population assessment of the dolphin groups taken is on record."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"No killings were recorded in the first six weeks of the 2026/27 season (24 live captures); the season is not complete and the hunt has not been stopped.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2026/27 season is under way with no killings and 24 live captures recorded so far; no legal proceeding or sanction is on record.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"wakayama-prefecture","says":"A statement attributed to the prefectural government, as paraphrased in the cited sources, says that cows and pigs also have feelings and intelligence; the prefecture moved dolphin killing into an enclosed area in 2008.","when":"2008 (measure)","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"taiji-municipal-development-company","role":"Reported buyer of live dolphins (per the Dolphin Project)"},{"id":"wakayama-prefecture","role":"Prefectural government"},{"id":"dolphin-project","role":"Advocacy organisation; source on sales contracts"},{"id":"ceta-base","role":"Advocacy-run database of season counts"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many dolphins are killed and captured each season?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ceta-Base","says":"Recorded 416 killed and 84 captured alive in 2025/26, against a quota of 1,814.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"PETA","says":"Reported 286 killed and 94 captured alive in 2024/25.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Observer groups","says":"The record states that observer counts do not match one another.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"dolphins_killed","value":416,"unit":"dolphins","year":2026,"note":"2025/26 season (Ceta-Base)."},{"key":"dolphins_captured_live","value":84,"unit":"dolphins","year":2026,"note":"2025/26 season (Ceta-Base)."},{"key":"dolphin_quota","value":1814,"unit":"dolphins","year":2026,"note":"Quota for 2025/26 as reported by Ceta-Base."},{"key":"dolphins_killed","value":286,"unit":"dolphins","year":2025,"note":"2024/25 season (PETA)."},{"key":"dolphins_captured_live","value":94,"unit":"dolphins","year":2025,"note":"2024/25 season (PETA)."},{"key":"dolphins_killed","value":0,"unit":"dolphins","year":2026,"note":"2026/27 season, first six weeks (Ceta-Base, October 2026)."},{"key":"dolphins_captured_live","value":24,"unit":"dolphins","year":2026,"note":"2026/27 season, first six weeks (Ceta-Base, October 2026)."},{"key":"live_exports","value":1336,"unit":"dolphins","year":2024,"note":"Japan, 2012–2024, per CITES records cited by Action for Dolphins."},{"key":"live_exports_to_china","value":1122,"unit":"dolphins","year":2024,"note":"Of the 1,336 exports, 2012–2024."},{"key":"live_dolphin_price_range","value":"7,085–131,200","unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"Prices in sales contracts reviewed by the Dolphin Project."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An annual drive hunt in Taiji in which dolphins are driven into a cove, some are killed and some are captured alive.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Buyers of live dolphins, including the Taiji municipal development company (per the Dolphin Project)","what":"Live animals bought under sales contracts at $7,085 to $131,200 each.","src":3},{"who":"Marine parks in China","what":"Received 1,122 of the 1,336 live dolphins exported from Japan in 2012–2024.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Dolphins","what":"416 killed and 84 captured alive in 2025/26.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan; live animals exported mainly to China.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Seasonal; counts reported for 2024/25, 2025/26 and the start of 2026/27.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources describe revenue as coming mainly from live sales, per the Dolphin Project; no statement of purpose from the town is on record.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Dolphins are driven into the cove; some are selected for live sale and the rest are killed.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Taiji Seasonal Results","p":"Ceta-Base","d":"2026-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://cetabase.org/?p=2820"},{"t":"While the 2025-26 Taiji drive hunt season is over, our work continues","p":"Action for Dolphins","d":"2026-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.afd.org.au/news/while-the-2025-26-taiji-drive-hunt-season-is-over-our-work-continues/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417085040/https://www.afd.org.au/news/while-the-2025-26-taiji-drive-hunt-season-is-over-our-work-continues/"},{"t":"Fewer Dolphins Killed, More Bottlenoses Abducted","p":"PETA","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.peta.org/news/2025-taiji-dolphin-drive-hunts/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311155235/https://www.peta.org/news/2025-taiji-dolphin-drive-hunts/"},{"t":"Behind the Business Side of Taiji","p":"Dolphin Project","d":"2025-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.dolphinproject.org/blog/behind-the-business-side-of-taiji/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410214543/https://www.dolphinproject.org/blog/behind-the-business-side-of-taiji/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Annual drive hunt with live capture for sale","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In the 2025/26 season at Taiji, 416 of my dolphins were killed and 84 captured alive, Ceta-Base reports; the season's quota was 1,814.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many dolphins are killed and captured each season?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Observer counts of animals killed and captured are reported not to match one another; the cited sources do not reconcile them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The record of the Taiji municipal development company as a buyer comes from an advocacy organisation (the Dolphin Project); no response from the company or the town is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Environmental Investigation Agency said in 2014 that dolphin meat sold for about 4% of the price of a live animal and that large-scale driving began in 1969.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No population assessment of the dolphin groups taken is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"india-satat-compost-and-cbg-shortfalls-indore-bio-cng-plant","title":"India SATAT compost and compressed biogas shortfalls; Indore bio-CNG plant","dek":"India promotes compressed biogas plants and market support for city compost. Reports describe a private bio-CNG plant in Indore that pays the municipality, and a fall in city compost sales despite a per-tonne subsidy.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":22.72,"lon":75.86,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Indore, Madhya Pradesh","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"affected"}],"start":2019,"end":null,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste"],"headline":{"label":"City compost sold, India","value":"215,726 t to 99,366 t","note":"2019-20 to 2020-21, as reported by Citizen Matters."},"happened":["In 2022 the Free Press Journal reported on a bio-CNG plant built in Indore from segregated municipal organic waste. The report said the private operator invested 150 crore rupees, pays the municipality 2.52 crore rupees a year, and that 50% of the gas goes to the municipality. Under a 20-year contract the municipality supplies segregated waste at about 90% purity and buys half of the gas at 5 rupees below the market price, according to an account without a URL on record. The plant was reported to process 543 tonnes of segregated wet waste a day at 95% purity and to sell bio-CNG at 56 rupees per kilogram.","Municipalities elsewhere in India pay plant operators per tonne. Down To Earth reported payments of 225 rupees per tonne at Nagpur, 300 at Pune and 445 at Deonar, in an article on the cost of closing the Deonar landfill.","Citizen Matters reported that sales of city compost fell from 215,726 tonnes in 2019-20 to 99,366 tonnes in 2020-21, and that 33.4% of the available support had been paid. India provides market-development assistance of 1,500 rupees per tonne of city compost.","Official reporting cited in the sources puts source segregation at 89% of wards and waste processing at 80%. The record also states that at the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi only 7% of legacy waste had been processed by bio-mining by 2022. The sources for these two items are not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":"2019-20","t":"City compost sales: 215,726 tonnes (Citizen Matters)"},{"y":"2020-21","t":"City compost sales: 99,366 tonnes (Citizen Matters)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Free Press Journal reports the Indore bio-CNG plant, the 2.52 crore rupee annual payment to the municipality and 150 crore rupees of investment"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Official reporting of source segregation in 89% of wards and 80% of waste processed","who":"Government of India","src":null},{"t":"Ribbon-cutting launches of waste-processing plants","who":"Officials","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"City compost sales fell from 215,726 t (2019-20) to 99,366 t (2020-21); 33.4% of the support was paid.","src":0},{"t":"Municipalities pay 225 rupees per tonne (Nagpur), 300 (Pune) and 445 (Deonar).","src":1},{"t":"In Indore the operator pays the municipality 2.52 crore rupees a year and the municipality takes 50% of the gas; investment 150 crore rupees.","src":2},{"t":"At Ghazipur landfill, Delhi, 7% of legacy waste had been bio-mined by 2022 (source not named in the cited sources).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"City compost sales","v":"215,726 t to 99,366 t","d":"2019-20 to 2020-21 (Citizen Matters)"},{"k":"Legacy waste bio-mined at Ghazipur","v":"7%","d":"By 2022; source not named in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that 132 of a target of 5,000 compressed biogas plants had been commissioned under SATAT, producing 920 tonnes a day (Energetica India, January 2026).","The cited sources do not give the subsidy share of revenue for Indian compressed biogas or compost plants.","The sources for the 89% segregation and 80% processing figures, and for the Ghazipur 7% figure, are not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"In Indore the private operator pays the municipality; elsewhere municipalities pay operators per tonne (225 to 445 rupees).","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the cited sources describe the 2022 Indore plant arrangement and 2019-21 compost sales; no later outcome or response from the parties is on record.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"indore-municipal-corporation","role":"Municipal authority; receives annual payment and half of the gas"},{"id":"indore-bio-cng-operator","role":"Private operator of the Indore bio-CNG plant (name not on record)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"compost_sold","value":215726,"unit":"t","year":2020,"note":"City compost sales 2019-20 (Citizen Matters)."},{"key":"compost_sold","value":99366,"unit":"t","year":2021,"note":"City compost sales 2020-21 (Citizen Matters)."},{"key":"compost_support_per_tonne","value":1500,"unit":"INR per t","year":2021,"note":"Market-development assistance for city compost."},{"key":"compost_support_paid_share","value":33.4,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Share of the support reported as paid (Citizen Matters)."},{"key":"municipal_payment_per_tonne","value":225,"unit":"INR per t","year":null,"note":"Nagpur (Down To Earth)."},{"key":"municipal_payment_per_tonne","value":300,"unit":"INR per t","year":null,"note":"Pune (Down To Earth)."},{"key":"municipal_payment_per_tonne","value":445,"unit":"INR per t","year":null,"note":"Deonar (Down To Earth)."},{"key":"operator_payment_to_municipality","value":2.52,"unit":"INR crore per year","year":2022,"note":"Indore plant (Free Press Journal)."},{"key":"investment","value":150,"unit":"INR crore","year":2022,"note":"Indore plant (Free Press Journal)."},{"key":"legacy_waste_biomined_share","value":7,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Ghazipur landfill, Delhi, by 2022; source not named in the cited sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A bio-CNG plant in Indore operating under a contract in which the operator pays the municipality, and national support for compressed biogas and city compost that the sources describe as under-delivering.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Indore Municipal Corporation","what":"2.52 crore rupees a year from the operator and 50% of the gas.","src":2},{"who":"Private operator of the Indore plant","what":"Segregated waste supply under a 20-year contract; sells bio-CNG.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"City compost producers","what":"Sales fell from 215,726 t to 99,366 t between 2019-20 and 2020-21.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indore, Madhya Pradesh; national figures for India.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Compost data for 2019-20 and 2020-21; Indore plant reported in 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the official rationale beyond the existence of the schemes.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The operator pays the municipality a premium and takes segregated waste; the municipality buys half of the gas.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Converting kitchen waste to compost","p":"Citizen Matters","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://citizenmatters.in/oped-reasons-for-failure-to-turn-city-waste-to-manure/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313230328/https://citizenmatters.in/oped-reasons-for-failure-to-turn-city-waste-to-manure/"},{"t":"Cost of closing Deonar","p":"Down To Earth","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/cost-of-closing-deonar-rs-3500-crore-711"},{"t":"Indore mega plant established to produce bio-CNG from domestic waste","p":"Free Press Journal","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/indore-mega-plant-established-to-produce-bio-cng-from-domestic-waste-in-city","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221223063101/https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/indore-mega-plant-established-to-produce-bio-cng-from-domestic-waste-in-city"},{"t":"India commissions 132 CBG plants under SATAT, output hits 920 tonnes per day (not independently verified)","p":"Energetica India","d":"2026-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.energetica-india.net/news/india-commissions-132-cbg-plants-under-satat-output-hits-920-tonnes-per-day","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260204072813/https://www.energetica-india.net/news/india-commissions-132-cbg-plants-under-satat-output-hits-920-tonnes-per-day"},{"t":"Only 7% of total legacy waste in Delhi's Ghazipur landfill is bio-mined: Report","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2022-08-03","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/only-7-of-total-legacy-waste-in-delhi-s-ghazipur-landfill-is-bio-mined-report-84139","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610064736/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/only-7-of-total-legacy-waste-in-delhi-s-ghazipur-landfill-is-bio-mined-report-84139"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Municipal waste-to-energy contracts and compost market-development support","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"By 2022, 7% of the legacy waste on my ground at Ghazipur landfill, Delhi, had been bio-mined, Down To Earth reported.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 132 of a target of 5,000 compressed biogas plants had been commissioned under SATAT, producing 920 tonnes a day (Energetica India, January 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the subsidy share of revenue for Indian compressed biogas or compost plants.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources for the 89% segregation and 80% processing figures, and for the Ghazipur 7% figure, are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Private operator of the Indore plant"]},{"id":"indian-plastic-roads-and-plastic-building-material-ventures","title":"Indian plastic roads and plastic building-material ventures","dek":"India has used waste plastic in tens of thousands of kilometres of roads, and ventures in Kenya and elsewhere make building materials from plastic waste. Reported volumes are small, and test results on emissions and fire behaviour are mixed.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":22,"lon":79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"},{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","role":"event"},{"country":"Côte d'Ivoire","iso2":"CI","role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":null,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Waste plastic roads, India, as of February 2024","value":"about 40,000 km rural roads, 2,900 km national highways","note":"Plastic made up 6–8% of the mix, about 1 tonne per kilometre (Indian Infrastructure)."},"happened":["Indian Infrastructure reported in October 2024 that waste plastic had been used in about 40,000 km of rural roads and 2,900 km of national highways in India. The mix contained 6–8% plastic, at about 1 tonne per kilometre.","In Kenya, Gjenge Makers was reported to have processed 50 tonnes of plastic in 2021 into paving products, with a daily capacity of around 500 kg (Africanews). The Africanews report is a secondary source.","National Geographic reported in 2025 that Conceptos Plásticos had converted about 4,000 tonnes of plastic in total into more than 550 classrooms, and that its factory in Côte d'Ivoire, built with UNICEF, had a design capacity of 9,600 tonnes a year.","Laboratory and test results point to risks. RMIT in 2022 found in a laboratory study that plastic added as a bitumen modifier released microplastics earlier, and that cold and low pH increased release. Austroads in 2019 recommended a precautionary approach because of worker exposure to formaldehyde and toluene vapour and microplastic leaching from plastic roads. A 2022 Stellenbosch University fire test found that exposed plastic-bottle ecobricks showed flaming droplets, dense smoke and sustained burning."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Austroads recommends a precautionary approach to plastic roads (health and microplastic leaching)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Gjenge Makers reported to process 50 tonnes of plastic"},{"y":2022,"t":"RMIT laboratory study on earlier microplastic release; Stellenbosch University fire test of ecobricks"},{"y":2024,"t":"India reported to have used waste plastic in about 40,000 km of rural roads and 2,900 km of national highways (as of February 2024)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Conceptos Plásticos reported to have converted about 4,000 tonnes of plastic in total; Côte d'Ivoire factory design capacity 9,600 t/year"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Waste plastic turned into roads, pavements and classrooms","who":"Programmes and ventures as reported in Indian Infrastructure, Africanews and National Geographic","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 40,000 km of rural roads and 2,900 km of national highways used waste plastic by February 2024; 6–8% plastic in the mix, about 1 t per km.","src":0},{"t":"Gjenge Makers: 50 t processed in 2021; capacity around 500 kg a day.","src":1},{"t":"Conceptos Plásticos: about 4,000 t in total, more than 550 classrooms; Côte d'Ivoire design capacity 9,600 t/year.","src":2},{"t":"Exposed ecobricks in a Stellenbosch fire test showed flaming droplets, dense smoke and sustained burning.","src":3},{"t":"RMIT (2022, laboratory): plastic-modified bitumen released microplastics earlier; Austroads (2019) advised a precautionary approach.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"INR","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic in road mix","v":"6–8%","d":"About 1 t per km (Indian Infrastructure)"},{"k":"Microplastic release in laboratory","v":"Earlier release","d":"RMIT, 2022; cold and low pH increased release"},{"k":"Ecobrick fire test","v":"Flaming droplets, dense smoke","d":"Stellenbosch University, 2022"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not show what share of these projects' funding comes from public programmes, donors or prizes; no record of the subsidy share was found.","The Gjenge Makers figures come from a secondary report."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; the sources mention public programmes (India's rural road fund), donors (UNICEF) and prizes without giving amounts.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the latest volumes in the cited sources are from February 2024 (India) and 2025 (Conceptos Plásticos); no regulatory ruling is on record.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"gjenge-makers","role":"Kenyan maker of plastic paving products"},{"id":"conceptos-plasticos","role":"Maker of plastic building components"},{"id":"unicef","role":"Partner in the Côte d'Ivoire factory"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"road_length_km","value":40000,"unit":"km","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rural roads using waste plastic, as of February 2024."},{"key":"highway_length_km","value":2900,"unit":"km","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"National highways using waste plastic, as of February 2024."},{"key":"plastic_share_of_mix","value":"6–8","unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Plastic in the road mix."},{"key":"plastic_per_km","value":1,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Plastic per kilometre of road."},{"key":"plastic_processed","value":50,"unit":"t","year":2021,"note":"Gjenge Makers (Africanews)."},{"key":"plastic_processed","value":4000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Conceptos Plásticos, in total (National Geographic)."},{"key":"design_capacity","value":9600,"unit":"t per year","year":2025,"note":"Côte d'Ivoire factory (National Geographic)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Waste plastic is used in road surfacing in India and in building materials by ventures in Kenya and elsewhere.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India; Kenya; Côte d'Ivoire.","src":0},"when":{"t":"India figures as of February 2024; Gjenge 2021; Conceptos Plásticos 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources describe the use as a way to put waste plastic to use; no formal statement of purpose is on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plastic is mixed into road material at 6–8% or processed into paving and building components.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"India constructs 40,000 km of rural roads using plastic waste for sustainable highways","p":"Indian Infrastructure","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://indianinfrastructure.com/2024/10/04/india-constructs-40000-km-of-rural-roads-using-plastic-waste-for-sustainable-highways/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250326015205/https://indianinfrastructure.com/2024/10/04/india-constructs-40000-km-of-rural-roads-using-plastic-waste-for-sustainable-highways/"},{"t":"Single-use plastic is being turned into colourful pavements in Kenya","p":"Africanews","d":"2020-12","type":"press","u":"https://africanews.com/2020/12/16/single-use-plastic-is-being-turned-into-colourful-pavements-in-kenya","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518055703/https://www.africanews.com/2020/12/16/single-use-plastic-is-being-turned-into-colourful-pavements-in-kenya/"},{"t":"Meet the builders making schools from plastic waste","p":"National Geographic","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/oscar-andres-mendez-and-isabel-cristina-gamez-nat-geo-33-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001060208/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/oscar-andres-mendez-and-isabel-cristina-gamez-nat-geo-33-2025"},{"t":"Behaviour of masonry systems incorporating waste plastic subjected to fire","p":"Stellenbosch University","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/124748","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724033049/https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/124748"},{"t":"Paving roads with recycled plastics: Microplastic pollution or eco-friendly solution? (Enfrin, Myszka, Giustozzi; Journal of Hazardous Materials)","p":"RMIT University","d":"2022","u":"https://research-repository.rmit.edu.au/articles/journal_contribution/Paving_roads_with_recycled_plastics_Microplastic_pollution_or_eco-friendly_solution_/27558951","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Waste plastic used in road surfacing and building materials","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"By February 2024, about 40,000 km of rural roads and 2,900 km of national highways across my land in India used waste plastic, about 1 tonne per kilometre.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show what share of these projects' funding comes from public programmes, donors or prizes; no record of the subsidy share was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Gjenge Makers figures come from a secondary report.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gaza-reconstruction-and-board-of-peace-first-contract","title":"Gaza reconstruction and the Board of Peace's first contract","dek":"The first construction contract issued under the Board of Peace for Gaza was for a military post, ahead of a USD 2.45 billion plan. Researchers and UN agencies have put figures on the war's emissions, the rubble and the cost of recovery.","country":"Palestine (Gaza Strip)","region":"Middle East","lat":31.5,"lon":34.45,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Palestine (Gaza Strip)","iso2":"PS","lat":31.5,"lon":34.45,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-08-06","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"First contract issued under the Board of Peace","value":"A military post","note":"Followed by a USD 2.45 billion plan, as reported by The Irish Times, 6 August 2026."},"happened":["In July 2024 UNEP was quoted as saying that clearing the rubble in Gaza could take 15 years and cost more than USD 500 million. In February 2025 the UN, the EU and the World Bank put the cost of rebuilding at USD 53.2 billion.","Two university studies estimated the emissions linked to the war. A 2024 study from Queen Mary University of London said rebuilding 100,000 buildings would generate at least 30 million tonnes of CO2. A study reported by Lancaster University in March 2026 put the war's emissions at about 33 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent and noted that military emissions fall outside mandatory reporting.","On 6 August 2026 The Irish Times reported that the Board of Peace had issued its first building contract, for a military base, to be built by the company Arkel. The report said a USD 2.45 billion plan followed."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"UNEP: clearing Gaza rubble could take 15 years and cost more than USD 500 million (July); QMUL study on emissions from the war and from rebuilding"},{"y":2025,"t":"UN, EU and World Bank: rebuilding needs USD 53.2 billion (February)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Lancaster University reports study of the war's climate cost (March); Board of Peace issues its first building contract, for a military base (August)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The first building contract issued by the Board of Peace was for a military base, to be built by Arkel; a USD 2.45 billion plan followed.","src":0},{"t":"UNEP said clearing the rubble could take 15 years and cost more than USD 500 million.","src":2},{"t":"The UN, EU and World Bank put rebuilding needs at USD 53.2 billion.","src":3},{"t":"Researchers estimated the war's emissions at about 33 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent, of which active military operations accounted for at least 1.3 million tonnes.","src":4},{"t":"Researchers estimated that rebuilding 100,000 buildings would generate at least 30 million tonnes of CO2.","src":5},{"t":"Rubble volume was given as between 39 and 61.5 million tonnes.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Emissions from the war","v":"About 33 Mt CO2e","d":"Lancaster University, March 2026; active operations at least 1.3 Mt"},{"k":"Emissions from rebuilding 100,000 buildings","v":"At least 30 Mt CO2","d":"QMUL, 2024"},{"k":"Rubble clearance","v":"15 years","d":"UNEP, July 2024; more than USD 500 million"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Emission estimates from two university studies and a UNEP statement on rubble.","report":[{"t":"The war put about 33 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent into my air, by one 2026 estimate.","src":4},{"t":"Rebuilding 100,000 buildings would add at least 30 million tonnes of CO2.","src":5},{"t":"Clearing the rubble could take 15 years.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Military emissions are outside mandatory reporting, according to the authors of the 2026 study.","The cited sources do not state how the rubble will be treated or where it will be disposed of.","The cited sources do not give the value of the first contract."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the Board of Peace had issued its first building contract, for a military base; the cited sources record no environmental assessment.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"board-of-peace","role":"Issued the first building contract"},{"id":"arkel","role":"Contractor for the military base"},{"id":"unep","role":"Estimated rubble clearance time and cost"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"co2e_war_mt","value":33,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Emissions from the war, as reported by Lancaster University."},{"key":"co2e_active_ops_mt","value":1.3,"unit":"Mt","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Active military operations."},{"key":"co2_reconstruction_mt","value":30,"unit":"Mt CO2","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Rebuilding 100,000 buildings (QMUL)."},{"key":"recovery_need","value":53200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"UN, EU and World Bank."},{"key":"rubble_clearance_cost","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"UNEP, over 15 years."},{"key":"plan_value","value":2450,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Plan following the first contract."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Board of Peace issued its first building contract for Gaza, for a military base.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Arkel","what":"Received the first building contract.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gaza.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 6 August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the reason for starting with a military base.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The contract was reported to precede a USD 2.45 billion plan.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Trump's Gaza Board of Peace issues first building contract for military base","p":"The Irish Times","d":"2026-08-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2026/08/06/trumps-gaza-board-of-peace-issues-first-building-contract-for-military-base/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006060249/https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2026/08/06/trumps-gaza-board-of-peace-issues-first-building-contract-for-military-base/"},{"t":"Asharq Al-Awsat report on the Board of Peace contract","p":"Asharq Al-Awsat","d":"2026-08","type":"press","u":"https://english.aawsat.com/node/5321758"},{"t":"Clearing Gaza rubble could take 15 years, UN agency says","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2024-07-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/7/15/clearing-gaza-rubble-could-take-15-years-un-agency-says","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211025252/https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/7/15/clearing-gaza-rubble-could-take-15-years-un-agency-says"},{"t":"More than 50bn dollars needed to rebuild Gaza","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-02-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/19/more-than-50bn-needed-to-rebuild-gaza-after-israels-war-on-enclave","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813092545/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/19/more-than-50bn-needed-to-rebuild-gaza-after-israels-war-on-enclave"},{"t":"Study highlights the hidden climate cost of the Israel-Gaza war","p":"Lancaster University","d":"2026-03","type":"academic","u":"https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/study-highlights-the-hidden-climate-cost-of-the-israelgaza-war","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011143442/https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/news/study-highlights-the-hidden-climate-cost-of-the-israelgaza-war"},{"t":"New study reveals substantial carbon emissions from the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict","p":"Queen Mary University of London","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251126052947/https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/hss/new-study-reveals-substantial-carbon-emissions-from-the-ongoing-israel-gaza-conflict.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251126052947/https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2024/hss/new-study-reveals-substantial-carbon-emissions-from-the-ongoing-israel-gaza-conflict.html","dead":true},{"t":"In Gaza, a pile of rubble as large as 170 Empire State Buildings (AFP analysis of UN data)","p":"Adnkronos English (AFP)","d":"2025-10-24","u":"https://english.adnkronos.com/2025/10/24/in-gaza-a-pile-of-rubble-as-large-as-170-empire-state-buildings/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"reconstruction","related":[],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction","war:explosions-munitions"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Military emissions are outside mandatory reporting, according to the authors of the 2026 study.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how the rubble will be treated or where it will be disposed of.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the value of the first contract.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-h5n1-sample-withholding-and-who-pip-framework","title":"Indonesia's H5N1 sample withholding and the WHO PIP Framework","dek":"In 2007 Indonesia stopped sending H5N1 virus samples to the WHO over how its strain was used in a vaccine. The dispute preceded the WHO's Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework, and the pathogen access and benefit-sharing annex to the Pandemic Agreement remained unadopted in 2026.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"Annual contribution of vaccine makers under the PIP Framework","value":"USD 28 million","note":"Per year since 2012, per the WHO Q&A."},"happened":["In 2007 and 2008 Indonesia stopped sending H5N1 samples to the WHO. CIDRAP reported that Indonesia gave as its reason that the company CSL had used its strain in a vaccine without authorisation.","A project summary links the episode to the WHO's Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework. Under the framework, vaccine manufacturers have contributed USD 28 million a year since 2012. By June 2016 USD 92.8 million had been collected, the collection rate for 2014-2015 was 96 per cent, and manufacturers had pledged 350 million doses for a pandemic.","The Pandemic Agreement was adopted at the World Health Assembly in May 2025; Health Policy Watch reported that its entry into force depended on acceptance of an annex on pathogen access and benefit sharing (PABS) and on 60 ratifications. In May 2026 the World Health Assembly did not adopt the annex; PAHO reported that talks were deferred to May 2027 and that the agreement had not been opened for signature."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Indonesia stops sending H5N1 samples to the WHO"},{"y":2012,"t":"Manufacturers begin annual PIP Framework contributions of USD 28 million"},{"y":2016,"t":"USD 92.8 million collected under the PIP Framework (by June)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Pandemic Agreement adopted at WHA78 (May); entry into force awaits the PABS annex"},{"y":2026,"t":"WHA79 does not adopt the PABS annex (May); talks deferred to May 2027"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Indonesia stopped sending H5N1 samples to the WHO after CSL used its strain in a vaccine without authorisation, as CIDRAP reported.","src":0},{"t":"The PIP Framework collected USD 92.8 million from manufacturers by June 2016; the 2014-2015 collection rate was 96 per cent.","src":1},{"t":"The zero draft of the Pandemic Agreement listed five drivers of outbreaks (climate, land use, wildlife trade, desertification, antimicrobial resistance); the final Article 4 does not list them, referring instead to \"environmental, climatic, social, anthropogenic and economic factors\" (Article 4.3) and, separately, to antimicrobial resistance (Article 4.2(c) and (j)).","src":4},{"t":"The PABS annex was not adopted in May 2026.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2012-2016","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Manufacturers' contributions to the PIP Framework, to June 2016","amount":92.8}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Drivers of outbreaks listed in the agreement","v":"5 to 0","d":"Zero draft versus final Article 4 (May 2025)"},{"k":"PABS annex","v":"Not adopted","d":"WHA79, May 2026"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a WHO WPRO update was cited as giving 1,002 human H5N1 cases and 479 deaths (47.8 per cent) in 25 countries from 2003 to 7 August 2026.","Indonesia's own account of its reasons is reported only through CIDRAP in the cited sources.","No source reviewed gives CSL's account."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Pandemic Agreement had not been opened for signature and the PABS annex was deferred to May 2027.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Indonesia","says":"Stopped sending H5N1 samples to the WHO after its strain was used in a vaccine by CSL without authorisation.","when":"2007-2008","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Withheld H5N1 samples"},{"id":"who","role":"Runs the PIP Framework and Pandemic Agreement talks"},{"id":"csl","role":"Vaccine maker named in CIDRAP's report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who should share in the benefits of H5N1 virus samples?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Indonesia","says":"Stopped sending samples after CSL used its strain in a vaccine without authorisation.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"WHO","says":"Under the PIP Framework manufacturers contribute USD 28 million a year; USD 92.8 million had been collected by June 2016.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"pip_contribution","value":28,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2012,"note":"Manufacturers' annual contribution since 2012."},{"key":"pip_collected","value":92.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Collected by June 2016."},{"key":"pip_collection_rate","value":96,"unit":"per cent","year":2015,"note":"2014-2015."},{"key":"pandemic_doses_pledged","value":350000000,"unit":"doses","year":2016,"note":"Pledged for a pandemic."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia withheld H5N1 samples from the WHO over the use of its strain in a vaccine.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vaccine manufacturers","what":"Contribute USD 28 million a year to the PIP Framework.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia; WHO.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2007-2008; framework contributions since 2012; Pandemic Agreement 2025-2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Indonesia's reason, as reported by CIDRAP: its strain was used in a vaccine without authorisation.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sample withholding led to the PIP Framework, according to a project summary.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Indonesia details reasons for withholding H5N1 viruses","p":"CIDRAP","d":"2008","type":"press","u":"https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/indonesia-details-reasons-withholding-h5n1-viruses","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606101039/https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/indonesia-details-reasons-withholding-h5n1-viruses"},{"t":"Pandemic influenza preparedness framework (Q&A) (as cited with TWN Health Info)","p":"WHO","d":"2017","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.who.int/features/qa/pandemic-influenza-preparedness/en/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200411125446/https://www.who.int/features/qa/pandemic-influenza-preparedness/en/"},{"t":"The Pandemic Agreement is adopted, entry into force awaits an annex","p":"Health Policy Watch","d":"2025-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://healthpolicy-watch.news/the-pandemic-agreement-is-adopted-entry-into-force-awaits-an-annex/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420062951/https://healthpolicy-watch.news/the-pandemic-agreement-is-adopted-entry-into-force-awaits-an-annex/"},{"t":"PAHO and the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG)","p":"PAHO","d":"2026-05-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.paho.org/en/paho-and-open-ended-intergovernmental-working-group-igwg","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018151623/https://www.paho.org/en/paho-and-open-ended-intergovernmental-working-group-igwg"},{"t":"WHO Pandemic Agreement, resolution WHA78.1 (Annex, Article 4: Pandemic prevention and surveillance)","p":"World Health Organization, Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly","d":"2025-05-20","u":"https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA78/A78_R1-en.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["who-pandemic-agreement-and-pabs-annex"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who should share in the benefits of H5N1 virus samples?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a WHO WPRO update was cited as giving 1,002 human H5N1 cases and 479 deaths (47.8 per cent) in 25 countries from 2003 to 7 August 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Indonesia's own account of its reasons is reported only through CIDRAP in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed gives CSL's account.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"patancheru-pharmaceutical-effluent-and-hyderabad-drug-resist","title":"Patancheru pharmaceutical effluent and Hyderabad drug resistance","dek":"A 2017 study found an antifungal at high concentration and drug-resistant bacteria in Hyderabad sewage. India proposed discharge limits for 121 antibiotics in 2020 and left them out of the 2021 final rule.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":17.5,"lon":78.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Telangana","lat":17.5,"lon":78.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Antibiotic discharge limits: draft versus final rule","value":"121 to 0","note":"2020 draft versus 2021 final rule."},"happened":["A team led by Christoph Lübbert reported in 2017 that Hyderabad sewage contained fluconazole at up to 236,950 micrograms per litre, and that more than 95 per cent of samples held carbapenemase-producing bacteria, according to Chemistry World.","In 2020 India's environment ministry published a draft with discharge limits for 121 antibiotics. The final rule of 2021 contained no antibiotic limits. AMR Insights reported that the industry association had asked for limits to be targets rather than binding standards.","A 2026 antimicrobial resistance benchmark found that all companies reporting compliance measured it in the receiving water after dilution, and that none of 17 companies measured at the pipe."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Study of Hyderabad sewage: fluconazole up to 236,950 ug/L; carbapenemase-producing bacteria in more than 95 per cent of samples"},{"y":2020,"t":"Draft standard with limits for 121 antibiotics"},{"y":2021,"t":"Final rule without antibiotic limits (reported August 2021)"},{"y":2026,"t":"AMR Benchmark: none of 17 companies measures at the pipe (10 March)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Seven companies reported 100 per cent compliance with discharge standards.","who":"Companies, as recorded in the 2026 benchmark","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Hyderabad sewage contained fluconazole at up to 236,950 ug/L; more than 95 per cent of samples contained carbapenemase-producing bacteria.","src":1},{"t":"The 2020 draft set limits for 121 antibiotics; the 2021 final rule set none.","src":0},{"t":"None of 17 companies measured discharge at the pipe, as the WHO recommends; compliance was measured in the receiving water after dilution.","src":null}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Antibiotic discharge limits","v":"121 to 0","d":"2020 draft versus 2021 final rule"},{"k":"Carbapenemase-producing bacteria in Hyderabad sewage samples","v":"More than 95%","d":"Lübbert team, 2017"},{"k":"Companies measuring at the pipe","v":"0 of 17","d":"AMR Benchmark, 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Measurements in Hyderabad sewage reported in 2017.","report":[{"t":"My sewage carried fluconazole at up to 236,950 micrograms per litre.","src":1},{"t":"More than 95 per cent of the samples held bacteria that produce carbapenemase.","src":1}]},"unknown":["No penalty and no antibiotic discharge limit are on record.","Unconfirmed: a 2007 Nature report that effluent from a treatment plant serving about 90 bulk drug makers in Patancheru contained ciprofloxacin at 31 mg per litre.","The identities of the companies in the 2026 benchmark are not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: the 2021 rule contained no antibiotic limits and none of 17 benchmarked companies measured at the pipe.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Industry association (IDMA)","says":"Asked that discharge limits be targets rather than binding standards.","when":"2021","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"india-environment-ministry","role":"Dropped antibiotic limits from the final rule"},{"id":"idma","role":"Industry association"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Should antibiotic discharge limits be binding, and where should compliance be measured?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"India's environment ministry","says":"Published a draft with limits for 121 antibiotics in 2020; the final rule in 2021 had none.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Industry association","says":"Asked that the limits be targets.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Seven companies","says":"Reported 100 per cent compliance, measured in the receiving water after dilution.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"antibiotic_limits_draft","value":121,"unit":"antibiotics","year":2020,"note":"Draft discharge limits."},{"key":"antibiotic_limits_final","value":0,"unit":"antibiotics","year":2021,"note":"Final rule."},{"key":"fluconazole_sewage","value":236950,"unit":"ug/L","year":2017,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Hyderabad sewage."},{"key":"carbapenemase_share","value":95,"unit":"per cent","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Of sewage samples."},{"key":"companies_measuring_at_pipe","value":0,"unit":"of 17 companies","year":2026,"note":"AMR Benchmark."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India dropped antibiotic discharge limits from its final rule while Hyderabad sewage showed an antifungal and resistant bacteria.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Drug manufacturers","what":"Final rule contained no antibiotic limits.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hyderabad and Patancheru, India.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2017 study; 2020 draft; 2021 rule; 2026 benchmark.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The industry association asked for targets rather than limits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The 2021 final rule omitted the limits; compliance is measured after dilution.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Environment ministry quashes limits for discharge of antibiotic residue in water bodies","p":"AMR Insights","d":"2021-08","type":"press","u":"https://amr-insights.eu/environment-ministry-quashes-limits-for-discharge-of-antibiotic-residue-in-water-bodies/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221204150742/https://www.amr-insights.eu/environment-ministry-quashes-limits-for-discharge-of-antibiotic-residue-in-water-bodies/"},{"t":"Pollution from Indian drugmakers drives drug resistance","p":"Chemistry World","d":"2017","type":"press","u":"https://chemistryworld.com/news/pollution-from-indian-drugmakers-drives-drug-resistance/3007349.article","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250425181523/https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/pollution-from-indian-drugmakers-drives-drug-resistance/3007349.article"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"pollution-standard","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should antibiotic discharge limits be binding, and where should compliance be measured?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty and no antibiotic discharge limit are on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2007 Nature report that effluent from a treatment plant serving about 90 bulk drug makers in Patancheru contained ciprofloxacin at 31 mg per litre.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The identities of the companies in the 2026 benchmark are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zoetis-growth-promoter-sales-in-india-and-portfolio-sale-to","title":"Zoetis growth-promoter sales in India and portfolio sale to Phibro","dek":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported in 2018 that Zoetis sold antibiotics in India with a promise of faster livestock growth, without a prescription. In 2024 Zoetis sold its medicated feed additive portfolio to Phibro for $350 million.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":22,"lon":79,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2017,"end":2025,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Price Phibro paid for Zoetis' medicated feed additive portfolio (2024)","value":"$350 million","note":"Reported by AgNavigator, April 2024."},"happened":["Zoetis is described in the sources as the world's largest animal-medicines company. In the United States it stopped selling antibiotics for growth promotion; the cited sources place this under a 2017 ban. The company's US position was that its products are not for growth promotion.","In October 2018 The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported that Zoetis sold antibiotics in India to fatten livestock, promising \"faster growth\", and that the products were found on sale without a prescription.","In January 2019 the Bureau reported that Zoetis had removed the growth claims from its website. The Bureau's article was headlined as the company having stopped marketing the antibiotics as growth promoters in India; the cited sources describe sales as continuing for that purpose.","In April 2024 Phibro bought Zoetis' medicated feed additive portfolio for $350 million. AgNavigator reported that the portfolio covered more than 37 product lines sold in 80 countries, with plants in the United States, Italy and China.","In its results for full-year 2025, published in February 2026, Zoetis reported revenue of $9.467 billion and anti-infective revenue of $1.036 billion. The same release showed medicated feed additive revenue falling from $293 million to $27 million."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"United States ban on antibiotics for growth promotion; Zoetis stops US sales for that purpose"},{"y":2018,"t":"Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports Zoetis sells antibiotics in India with a \"faster growth\" promise, without prescription (12 Oct)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Zoetis removes growth claims from its website; Bureau reports continued sales (18 Jan)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Phibro buys Zoetis' medicated feed additive portfolio for $350 million (April)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Zoetis reports 2025 results: revenue $9.467 billion; medicated feed additive revenue down from $293 million to $27 million (11 Feb)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"\"Our products are not for growth promotion\" (paraphrase of the Zoetis position in the United States)","who":"Zoetis","src":null},{"t":"Growth claims for antibiotics on the company's Indian website, promising faster growth","who":"Zoetis, as reported by The Bureau of Investigative Journalism","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Antibiotics sold by Zoetis in India as growth promoters were found on sale without a prescription (Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 2018).","src":0},{"t":"Zoetis removed growth claims from its website in January 2019 but continued to sell the products for that purpose, according to the Bureau.","src":1},{"t":"Phibro bought the medicated feed additive portfolio for $350 million in 2024.","src":2},{"t":"Zoetis medicated feed additive revenue fell from $293 million to $27 million; the period is not on record.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Phibro purchase price for the medicated feed additive portfolio, 2024","amount":350}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological or resistance evaluation","v":"None cited","d":"No measurement of antibiotic resistance linked to these sales appears in the cited sources."}]},"unknown":["No penalty or enforcement action against Zoetis over the Indian sales is on record.","Whether sales of the products for growth promotion in India continued after the portfolio passed to Phibro: not stated."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Zoetis removed the growth claims from its website in January 2019; the Bureau reported sales continuing. The portfolio passed to Phibro in 2024.","whoPaid":"The cited sources identify the public in India and in importing countries, and future patients, as exposed to antibiotic-resistance risk. No payment by Zoetis or Phibro is on record.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: the portfolio was sold to Phibro in 2024; no penalty is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"zoetis","says":"In the United States the company's position was that its products are not for growth promotion; its reply to the Indian findings is not in the cited sources.","when":"n.d.","src":null},{"actor":"zoetis","says":"Removed growth claims from its website.","when":"January 2019","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"zoetis","role":"Animal-medicines company; seller of the portfolio"},{"id":"phibro","role":"Buyer of the medicated feed additive portfolio"},{"id":"tbij","role":"Investigative outlet that reported the Indian sales"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were Zoetis antibiotics in India sold for growth promotion?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism","says":"Zoetis sold the antibiotics in India with a \"faster growth\" promise, and the products were found without a prescription.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (2019)","says":"Zoetis removed growth claims from its website but continued to sell the products for that purpose.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Zoetis","says":"In the United States, its stated position was that its products are not for growth promotion; its reply on India is not in the cited sources.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":9467,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Zoetis total revenue, full year 2025."},{"key":"anti_infective_revenue","value":1036,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Zoetis anti-infective revenue, full year 2025."},{"key":"feed_additive_revenue_before","value":293,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Medicated feed additive revenue before the fall; the period is not on record."},{"key":"feed_additive_revenue_after","value":27,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Medicated feed additive revenue after the fall."},{"key":"sale_price","value":350,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Purchase price paid by Phibro for the portfolio."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Zoetis sold antibiotics in India with a growth-promotion claim, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, and in 2024 sold its medicated feed additive portfolio to Phibro for $350 million.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Zoetis","what":"Revenue from the products until 2024 and $350 million from the portfolio sale.","src":2},{"who":"Phibro","what":"Acquired a portfolio of more than 37 product lines sold in 80 countries, with annual revenue of about $400 million.","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The public in India and importing countries","what":"Exposed to antibiotic-resistance risk from growth-promoter use.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"India and the United States; the portfolio was sold in 80 countries.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Reports of October 2018 and January 2019; sale to Phibro in April 2024; Zoetis results published 11 February 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the company's reasons for the Indian sales or for the 2024 sale.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Products were marketed with a faster-growth claim and found sold without prescription; the claims were removed from the website in 2019; the feed additive business was sold as a portfolio in 2024.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"World's biggest animal drugs company sells antibiotics to fatten livestock in India despite superbug risk","p":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism","d":"2018-10-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2018-10-12/worlds-biggest-animal-drugs-company-sells-antibiotics-to-fatten-livestock-in-india-despite-superbug-risk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260521201054/https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2018-10-12/worlds-biggest-animal-drugs-company-sells-antibiotics-to-fatten-livestock-in-india-despite-superbug-risk"},{"t":"World's biggest animal drugs company stops marketing antibiotics as growth promoters in India","p":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism","d":"2019-01-18","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2019-01-18/worlds-biggest-animal-drugs-company-stops-marketing-antibiotics-as-growth-promoters-in-india","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260506122620/https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2019-01-18/worlds-biggest-animal-drugs-company-stops-marketing-antibiotics-as-growth-promoters-in-india"},{"t":"Phibro snaps up Zoetis' medicated feed additive portfolio for 350M","p":"AgNavigator","d":"2024-04-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.agnavigator.com/Article/2024/04/30/phibro-snaps-up-zoetis-medicated-feed-portfolio-for-350m/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152614/https://www.agnavigator.com/Article/2024/04/30/phibro-snaps-up-zoetis-medicated-feed-portfolio-for-350m/"},{"t":"Zoetis Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Results","p":"Zoetis (via Business Wire)","d":"2026-02-11","type":"company","u":"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260211839882/en/Zoetis-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2025-Results","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309025820/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260211839882/en/Zoetis-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-and-Full-Year-2025-Results"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Veterinary antibiotic sales","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were Zoetis antibiotics in India sold for growth promotion?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty or enforcement action against Zoetis over the Indian sales is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether sales of the products for growth promotion in India continued after the portfolio passed to Phibro: not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: The public in India and importing countries"]},{"id":"florida-citizens-depopulation-and-insurer-affiliate-profits","title":"Florida Citizens depopulation and insurer affiliate profits","dek":"Florida's state-run insurer of last resort fell from about 1.4 million policies in 2023 to 293,772 in May 2026 as private insurers took policies over. A state regulator's internal analysis of 2017-19 showed insurers losing money while their affiliates earned more.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":27.8,"lon":-81.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Citizens Property Insurance policies in force","value":"1.4m to 293,772","note":"Peak September 2023 (about 1.4 million) to 31 May 2026."},"happened":["Citizens Property Insurance is Florida's state-run insurer of last resort. It peaked at about 1.4 million policies in September 2023. It then fell to 396,387 by December 2025, as private insurers took policies over, according to WUSF, and to 293,772 on 31 May 2026, according to Citizens' own policy count.","In July 2023 Farmers stopped writing Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida, affecting about 100,000 customers. Its statement was: \"This business decision was necessary to effectively manage risk exposure.\" It did not name hurricanes.","Florida Trend reported in November 2025 that the law treats a private offer of up to 20% above the Citizens premium as acceptable for policyholders being moved off Citizens. If Citizens' funds fall short, assessments can be levied on all policyholders in the state.","In February 2025 WLRN reported on an internal analysis by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation covering 2017-19. It showed insurers recording a loss of $432 million while affiliated companies recorded $1.8 billion in net income, with about $680 million paid in dividends. The analysis was not shown to the legislature and became public through the press.","In 2026 Citizens' reinsurance tower cost about 20% less, and an average rate decrease of 8.7% was approved against an average requested change of -4.8%, according to Insurance Business."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Start of the period covered by the regulator's internal analysis (2017-19)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Farmers stops writing its branded policies in Florida (11 Jul); Citizens peaks at about 1.4 million policies (Sep)"},{"y":2025,"t":"WLRN reports the regulator's analysis (26 Feb); Citizens falls to 396,387 policies by December"},{"y":2026,"t":"Citizens at 293,772 policies on 31 May; reinsurance cost about 20% lower and rate decreases approved"}],"said":[{"q":"This business decision was necessary to effectively manage risk exposure.","who":"Farmers, on stopping its branded Florida policies","when":"11 July 2023","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"Florida insurers were losing money and rate increases were needed","who":"Florida insurers","src":null},{"t":"The shrinking of Citizens as a sign of a healthy private market","who":"State regulator and the insurers taking over policies","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Citizens policies fell from about 1.4 million (September 2023) to 293,772 (31 May 2026).","src":2},{"t":"The regulator's 2017-19 analysis showed insurers at -$432 million and affiliates at $1.8 billion in net income, with about $680 million in dividends; it was not shown to the legislature.","src":0},{"t":"Private offers up to 20% above the Citizens premium count as acceptable; assessments on all state policyholders are possible if Citizens falls short.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017-2019","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Net income of insurers' affiliated companies, 2017-19 (regulator's analysis)","amount":1800},{"label":"Dividends, 2017-19 (about)","amount":680,"qualifier":"about"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Citizens policies in force","v":"293,772","d":"31 May 2026, down from about 1.4 million in September 2023"},{"k":"Insurers vs affiliates, 2017-19","v":"-$432m vs $1.8bn","d":"Regulator's internal analysis, as reported by WLRN"}]},"unknown":["The regulator's analysis was not shown to the legislature.","Which affiliates received the funds is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable; the cited sources describe a market restructuring, not a harm that stopped.","whoPaid":"Policyholders moved to private offers up to 20% above the Citizens premium; all policyholders in the state if Citizens' assessments are triggered.","statusLine":"As of 31 May 2026: Citizens held 293,772 policies; no legal proceeding is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"farmers","says":"\"This business decision was necessary to effectively manage risk exposure.\"","when":"11 July 2023","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"citizens-property-insurance","role":"State-run insurer of last resort"},{"id":"florida-oir","role":"State insurance regulator; author of the internal analysis"},{"id":"farmers","role":"Insurer that stopped branded Florida policies"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were Florida insurers losing money?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Florida insurers","says":"Framing in the cited sources: insurers were losing money and rate increases were needed.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (internal analysis, 2017-19)","says":"Insurers recorded a loss of $432 million while affiliates recorded $1.8 billion in net income, with about $680 million in dividends.","src":0}]},{"point":"Is the shrinking of Citizens a sign of a healthy private market?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State regulator and taking-over insurers","says":"Framing in the cited sources: the decline shows a healthy private market.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Florida Trend","says":"Private offers up to 20% above the Citizens premium are acceptable under the law.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Farmers","insured":"About 100,000 Florida customers","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"reason":"\"This business decision was necessary to effectively manage risk exposure.\"","summary":"Farmers stopped writing Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida on 11 July 2023.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"policies_peak","value":1400000,"unit":"policies","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Citizens policies, September 2023."},{"key":"policies_in_force","value":396387,"unit":"policies","year":2025,"note":"Citizens, December 2025."},{"key":"policies_in_force","value":293772,"unit":"policies","year":2026,"note":"Citizens, 31 May 2026."},{"key":"insurer_loss","value":432,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Insurers' loss, 2017-19, regulator's analysis."},{"key":"affiliate_net_income","value":1800,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Affiliates' net income, 2017-19."},{"key":"dividends","value":680,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"2017-19."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Florida's state insurer of last resort shrank as private insurers took policies over, while a regulator's internal analysis showed insurers' affiliates earning more than the insurers lost.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Affiliates of Florida insurers","what":"$1.8 billion in net income and about $680 million in dividends, 2017-19.","src":0},{"who":"Insurers taking over Citizens policies","what":"Policies moved from Citizens; private offers up to 20% above the Citizens premium count as acceptable.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Insurers (as reporting entities)","what":"Recorded a combined loss of $432 million, 2017-19.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Policyholders","what":"Moved to private offers up to 20% above the Citizens premium; exposed to statewide assessments if Citizens falls short.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Florida, United States.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2017-19 analysis; Citizens peak September 2023; count of 293,772 on 31 May 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Farmers cited risk exposure; the cited sources give no other stated reasons.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Policies were moved from Citizens to private insurers; affiliate structures received income while the insurers recorded losses.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Secret study found Florida insurers sent billions to affiliates while crying poor","p":"WLRN","d":"2025-02-26","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2025-02-26/secret-study-found-florida-insurers-sent-billions-to-affiliates-while-crying-poor","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606035829/https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2025-02-26/secret-study-found-florida-insurers-sent-billions-to-affiliates-while-crying-poor"},{"t":"Citizens policies now lowest level since 2019","p":"Florida Trend","d":"2025-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.floridatrend.com/articles/2025/11/26/citizens-policies-now-lowest-level-since-2019/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251126124035/https://www.floridatrend.com/articles/2025/11/26/citizens-policies-now-lowest-level-since-2019/"},{"t":"20260531 Policies in Force - Public","p":"Citizens Property Insurance","d":"2026-05-31","type":"official","u":"https://www.citizensfla.com/-/20260531-policies-in-force","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152545/https://www.citizensfla.com/-/20260531-policies-in-force"},{"t":"Citizens Property Insurance now has fewer than 400,000 policies","p":"WUSF","d":"2025-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://wusf.org/text/politics-issues/2025-12-27/citizens-property-insurance-now-has-fewer-than-400-000-policies"},{"t":"Farmers Insurance leaving Florida (statement quoted by Tampa Bay Times)","p":"Tampa Bay Times","d":"2023-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713002150/https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/"},{"t":"Florida approves more home insurance rate cuts as double-digit requests pile up","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/property/florida-approves-more-home-insurance-rate-cuts-as-doubledigit-requests-pile-up-591320.aspx"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Property insurance market","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were Florida insurers losing money?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the shrinking of Citizens a sign of a healthy private market?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The regulator's analysis was not shown to the legislature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which affiliates received the funds is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"venezuela-2026-twin-earthquakes-insurance-gap","title":"Venezuela 2026 twin earthquakes insurance gap","dek":"Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on 24 June 2026. Munich Re put the loss at about 30 billion dollars with under 1 billion insured; UNDP and UNDRR gave damage estimates of 6.7 and about 37 billion dollars.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":8,"lon":-66,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","role":"event"}],"start":2026,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-06-24","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Loss, Munich Re estimate, and insured share","value":"about $30bn loss; under $1bn insured","note":"Munich Re via Artemis, July 2026. UNDP and UNDRR give different damage figures."},"happened":["Twin earthquakes struck Venezuela on 24 June 2026, according to the title of a UNDRR-linked publication on PreventionWeb.","Munich Re's first-half 2026 figures, reported by Artemis in July 2026, put global economic catastrophe losses at $112 billion against $44 billion insured. For Venezuela the report put the loss from the twin earthquakes at about $30 billion, with less than $1 billion insured.","UNDP estimated direct economic damage at $6.7 billion, almost entirely uninsured, according to Insurance Business. UNDRR's technical estimate was about $37 billion in direct physical damage.","Spanish-language outlet La Patilla reported on 30 July 2026 that about 6% of Venezuelans are insured and that some policies excluded earthquakes. This comes from a secondary report and has not been checked against the article."],"timeline":[{"y":2026,"t":"Twin earthquakes strike Venezuela (24 June); UNDP, Munich Re and UNDRR publish differing loss estimates; La Patilla reports on insurance coverage (30 July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Munich Re put the twin earthquakes' loss at about $30 billion, with less than $1 billion insured.","src":0},{"t":"UNDP estimated direct economic damage at $6.7 billion, almost entirely uninsured.","src":1},{"t":"UNDRR's technical estimate was about $37 billion in direct physical damage.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loss estimate range","v":"$6.7bn to about $37bn","d":"UNDP (direct economic damage) to UNDRR (direct physical damage)"},{"k":"Insured amount","v":"Under $1bn","d":"Munich Re, via Artemis"}]},"unknown":["The loss estimates differ widely: UNDP $6.7 billion, Munich Re about $30 billion, UNDRR about $37 billion, with different definitions.","Unconfirmed: about 6% of Venezuelans are insured; some policies excluded earthquakes; the regulator removed the exclusion for health policies a day after the quakes (La Patilla, via a secondary report)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable; the cited sources describe a disaster loss and its insurance coverage.","whoPaid":"The cited sources put almost all of the loss on those who were uninsured; no compensation figure is on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: loss estimates published by UNDP, Munich Re and UNDRR; no compensation or claims figure found.","updated":"2026-07-30","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"munich-re","role":"Reinsurer; source of the $30 billion loss estimate"},{"id":"undp","role":"Source of the $6.7 billion damage estimate"},{"id":"undrr","role":"Source of the $37 billion damage estimate"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large was the damage from the twin earthquakes?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNDP","says":"Direct economic damage of $6.7 billion, almost entirely uninsured.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Munich Re","says":"A loss of about $30 billion, with less than $1 billion insured.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNDRR","says":"About $37 billion in direct physical damage.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Insurers in Venezuela","insured":"Policyholders in Venezuela","status":"unknown","year":2026,"summary":"Munich Re reported less than $1 billion of the roughly $30 billion loss as insured; the insurers' own claims figures are not in the cited sources.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"loss_munich_re","value":30000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Munich Re estimate of the loss."},{"key":"insured_loss","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"under","note":"Munich Re, via Artemis."},{"key":"damage_undp","value":6700,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"UNDP, direct economic damage."},{"key":"damage_undrr","value":37000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"UNDRR, direct physical damage."},{"key":"insured_share_population","value":6,"unit":"percent","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported by La Patilla; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Twin earthquakes caused losses estimated between $6.7 billion and about $37 billion, with less than $1 billion insured according to Munich Re.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Uninsured households and businesses in Venezuela","what":"Bore almost all of the loss, according to UNDP.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Venezuela.","src":2},"when":{"t":"24 June 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not explain why coverage was low beyond the La Patilla report.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Munich Re, UNDP and UNDRR published differing loss estimates using different definitions.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Munich Re pegs global insured catastrophe losses at $44bn for H1 2026","p":"Artemis","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/munich-re-pegs-global-insured-catastrophe-losses-at-44bn-for-h1-2026/"},{"t":"New report says Venezuela's twin earthquakes put 6.7 billion (USD) in damage on the map","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/new-report-says-venezuelas-twin-earthquakes-put-6-7-billion-in-damage-on-the-map-580501.aspx"},{"t":"Estimacion analitica de danos ocasionados por los terremotos del 24 de junio de 2026 en Venezuela","p":"PreventionWeb (UNDRR)","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://www.preventionweb.net/es/publication/documents-and-publications/estimacion-analitica-de-danos-ocasionados-por-los-terremotos"},{"t":"Los terremotos evidenciaron una grave vulnerabilidad: apenas 6% de los venezolanos esta asegurado","p":"La Patilla","d":"2026-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://lapatilla.com/2026/07/30/los-terremotos-evidenciaron-una-grave-vulnerabilidad-apenas-6-de-los-venezolanos-esta-asegurado/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260731071504/https://lapatilla.com/2026/07/30/los-terremotos-evidenciaron-una-grave-vulnerabilidad-apenas-6-de-los-venezolanos-esta-asegurado/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Disaster insurance gap","related":["dask-and-2023-turkiye-earthquakes-insurance"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the damage from the twin earthquakes?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Insurers in Venezuela: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Insured share population: Reported by La Patilla; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The loss estimates differ widely: UNDP $6.7 billion, Munich Re about $30 billion, UNDRR about $37 billion, with different definitions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 6% of Venezuelans are insured; some policies excluded earthquakes; the regulator removed the exclusion for health policies a day after the quakes (La Patilla, via a secondary report).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"net-zero-insurance-alliance-collapse-and-insurers-fossil-und","title":"Net-Zero Insurance Alliance collapse and insurers’ fossil underwriting","dek":"The UN-convened Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, launched in 2021, lost its major members in 2023 and was closed in April 2024. Reports in the same period recorded continued insurance of coal, oil and gas projects, including by Lloyd’s market members.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":51.51,"lon":-0.08,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"affected"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","types":["insurance-retreat","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Fossil-fuel premiums written by insurers, 2022","value":"about US$21.25 billion","note":"Reported figure for coal, oil and gas projects worldwide; Lloyd’s share up to US$2.2 billion (Offshore Technology, 10 November 2023)."},"happened":["The Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) launched in July 2021. Its founding members were Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Generali, Munich Re, SCOR, Swiss Re and Zurich. Lloyd’s joined in October 2021.","In 2023 the alliance’s major members left in sequence. Munich Re left on 31 March 2023, citing antitrust risk. Zurich left on 5 April, Hannover Re on 19 April, Swiss Re on 22 May, Allianz, AXA and SCOR on 25 May, and Lloyd’s on 26 May. UNEP, which convened the alliance, was reported as saying the exits came “in light of the recent discussions within the United States.”","The alliance was closed on 25 April 2024, after exits that followed antitrust pressure from 23 Republican attorneys general. A successor body, the Forum for Insurance Transition to Net Zero (FIT), was set up; none of its first 19 participants was US-based. Members of the bank counterpart, the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, voted on 3 October 2025 to cease operations.","During and after the exits, campaign groups and trade press reported continued insurance of fossil-fuel projects. Insurers were reported to have earned about US$21.25 billion in premiums from coal, oil and gas projects in 2022, Lloyd’s up to US$2.2 billion. Reclaim Finance and Insuramore data, cited by Insure Our Future in November 2025, showed Lloyd’s fossil-fuel premiums rising 2.4% a year in 2020–2024 while the rest of the market fell 2.8% a year.","Project-level records show a mixed pattern. On the Adani Carmichael coal mine in Australia, individual insurers and the broker Marsh ended their involvement while Lloyd’s confirmed that some of its members had insured the mine from 2019 and did not name them. On the Trans Mountain oil pipeline in Canada, Zurich did not renew in 2020 and the project said adequate capacity remained in the market. On the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), Munich Re rejected cover in April 2022 while some Lloyd’s syndicates were named in 2024 as holdouts."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"NZIA launches (July) with Allianz, Aviva, AXA, Generali, Munich Re, SCOR, Swiss Re and Zurich as founding members; Lloyd’s joins in October"},{"y":2022,"t":"Insurers write about US$21.25bn in coal, oil and gas premiums (reported); Marsh ends its relationship with the Adani Carmichael mine (23 June); Munich Re rejects EACOP cover (April)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Exits: Munich Re 31 Mar; Zurich 5 Apr; Hannover Re 19 Apr; Swiss Re 22 May; Allianz, AXA, SCOR 25 May; Lloyd’s 26 May. Probitas says it stopped covering the Adani mine at end-2022 (July)"},{"y":2024,"t":"NZIA closed 25 April; FIT set up with no US-based participants among its first 19"},{"y":2025,"t":"Net-Zero Banking Alliance members vote to cease operations (3 October); Insure Our Future reports Lloyd’s fossil premiums rising while the market’s fall (5 November)"}],"said":[{"q":"in light of the recent discussions within the United States","who":"UNEP, as reported by ESG Today","when":"30 May 2023","src":1},{"q":"without exposing ourselves to material antitrust risks are so limited","who":"Joachim Wenning, Munich Re CEO, on collective decarbonisation","when":"March 2023","src":2},{"q":"continue its individual sustainability journey","who":"AXA, on leaving NZIA, as reported by Business Insurance","when":"25 May 2023","src":5},{"q":"does not, has never, and will not write any policies relating directly to the Adani Carmichael coal mine itself","who":"Brit, Lloyd’s syndicate manager","when":"24 February 2021","src":20},{"q":"There remains adequate capacity in the market to meet Trans Mountain’s insurance needs and our renewal.","who":"Trans Mountain","when":"July 2020","src":18}],"shown":[{"t":"A UN-convened alliance of insurers committed to net-zero underwriting, launched July 2021","who":"NZIA founding members, as reported","src":21},{"t":"Lloyd’s policy of no new cover from 1 January 2022 for thermal coal power plants, thermal coal mines, oil sands and new Arctic energy exploration, with no renewals after 1 January 2030","who":"Lloyd’s, in its ESG report of December 2020 (as reported by Business Insurance)","src":14},{"t":"Chubb’s standard of 22 March 2023: no underwriting of oil and gas extraction projects in protected areas","who":"Chubb","src":10},{"t":"Swiss Re’s policy of no re/insurance for businesses with more than 30% thermal coal exposure, announced June 2017 and implemented 2 July 2018","who":"Swiss Re (as reported by Carrier Management)","src":19}],"recorded":[{"t":"NZIA exits ran from 31 March to 26 May 2023; the alliance was closed on 25 April 2024.","src":0},{"t":"About US$21.25 billion in premiums from coal, oil and gas projects were written by insurers in 2022; Lloyd’s up to US$2.2 billion.","src":3},{"t":"Lloyd’s fossil-fuel premiums rose 2.4% a year in 2020–2024; the rest of the market fell 2.8% a year; Lloyd’s is about 9% of the market.","src":4},{"t":"Lloyd’s confirmed that some of its members had insured the Adani Carmichael mine from 2019 and would not name them.","src":13}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fossil-fuel premiums written by insurers","v":"about US$21.25bn","d":"Global, 2022; Lloyd’s up to US$2.2bn (Offshore Technology, 2023)"},{"k":"Lloyd’s fossil premiums vs rest of market","v":"+2.4% vs −2.8% a year","d":"2020–2024 (Reclaim Finance and Insuramore data, via Insure Our Future)"},{"k":"Independent evaluation of nature outcomes","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources record underwriting decisions, not measured effects on ecosystems"}]},"unknown":["Which Lloyd’s members insured the Adani Carmichael mine: Lloyd’s confirmed the cover and did not name them.","Which insurers cover the Trans Mountain pipeline: insurer names have been confidential since the Canada Energy Regulator ruling of April 2021.","Bravus said it “has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail Project” and named no insurers.","Swiss Re’s exit date is given as 22 May 2023 in one report and about 23 May in another.","Unconfirmed: campaigners’ statement that the Carmichael mine is self-insured.","No measured effect on ecosystems of any insurer’s underwriting decision appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record exits from the alliance and individual refusals of cover, and record continued fossil-fuel underwriting by Lloyd’s members and others.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance has been closed since April 2024 and the Net-Zero Banking Alliance ceased operations in October 2025; reports of continued fossil-fuel underwriting by Lloyd’s members remain; no court case found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"munich-re","says":"Left NZIA on 31 March 2023, citing antitrust risk.","when":"2023-03-31","src":2},{"actor":"axa","says":"Left NZIA on 25 May 2023, saying it would continue its individual sustainability journey.","when":"2023-05-25","src":5},{"actor":"chubb","says":"Announced it would not underwrite oil and gas extraction projects in protected areas.","when":"2023-03-22","src":10},{"actor":"lloyds","says":"Confirmed that some of its members insured the Adani Carmichael mine from 2019; did not name them.","when":"","src":13},{"actor":"zurich","says":"Did not renew Trans Mountain cover in July 2020; did not comment on customer relationships.","when":"2020-07","src":18},{"actor":"probitas-1492","says":"Said it had stopped covering the Adani mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover.","when":"2023-07","src":12},{"actor":"marsh-mclennan","says":"Confirmed on 23 June 2022 that it had ended its commercial relationship with the Adani Carmichael mine.","when":"2022-06-23","src":11},{"actor":"trans-mountain-corp","says":"Said adequate capacity remained in the market to meet its insurance needs.","when":"2020-07","src":18},{"actor":"bravus","says":"Said it has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail project; named no insurers.","when":"","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"nzia","role":"Insurer alliance (closed April 2024)"},{"id":"fit-forum","role":"Successor forum to NZIA"},{"id":"unep","role":"Convener of NZIA"},{"id":"lloyds","role":"Insurance market; left NZIA 26 May 2023"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Founding member; left 31 March 2023"},{"id":"swiss-re","role":"Founding member; left May 2023"},{"id":"zurich","role":"Founding member; left 5 April 2023"},{"id":"allianz","role":"Founding member; left 25 May 2023"},{"id":"axa","role":"Founding member; left 25 May 2023"},{"id":"scor","role":"Founding member; left 25 May 2023"},{"id":"hannover-re","role":"Left NZIA 19 April 2023"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Not an NZIA member; adopted oil and gas standard 2023"},{"id":"marsh-mclennan","role":"Broker; ended Adani Carmichael relationship 2022"},{"id":"probitas","role":"Lloyd’s syndicate; Adani rail and port cover until 2023"},{"id":"bravus","role":"Operator of the Carmichael mine and rail project"},{"id":"trans-mountain","role":"Pipeline owner (Government of Canada)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why did insurers leave the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Munich Re","says":"Cited antitrust risk; its CEO said options for collective decarbonisation “without exposing ourselves to material antitrust risks are so limited.”","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP","says":"Reported as saying the exits came “in light of the recent discussions within the United States.”","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"ESG Dive","says":"Reported the alliance closed on 25 April 2024 after exits that followed antitrust pressure from 23 Republican attorneys general.","src":0}]},{"point":"Who insured the Adani Carmichael coal mine, and how many insurers refused?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Market Forces","says":"Counted 44 insurers ruling out the project at 23 June 2022 and named Probitas1492 as insurer of the rail line, port and Bowen Rail Company, citing “insider information” (December 2022).","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"Probitas","says":"Said it stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover; counted as the 46th insurer to rule out.","src":12},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lloyd’s","says":"Confirmed some members insured the mine from 2019; declined to name them.","src":13,"silent":true},{"voice":"company","holder":"Bravus","says":"Said it has the requisite insurance in place and named no insurers.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Is capacity for fossil-fuel projects constrained by insurer exits?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Trans Mountain","says":"“There remains adequate capacity in the market to meet Trans Mountain’s insurance needs and our renewal.”","src":18},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Rainforest Action Network","says":"Reported that the insurance certificate listed 11 insurers in 2020, and that Zurich did not renew in July 2020.","src":18}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Zurich","insured":"Trans Mountain pipeline","status":"cover-declined","year":2020,"summary":"Zurich did not renew in July 2020 and did not comment on customer relationships. Total cover was C$508 million; Zurich was sole insurer of the first C$8 million.","src":18},{"insurer":"Probitas 1492 (Lloyd’s syndicate)","insured":"Adani Carmichael rail line and port","status":"cover-declined","year":2023,"summary":"Probitas said it stopped covering the mine at the end of 2022 and would not renew the rail cover, and was counted as the 46th insurer to rule out the project.","src":12},{"insurer":"Munich Re","insured":"East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP)","status":"cover-declined","year":2022,"summary":"Munich Re rejected cover in April 2022.","src":17}],"metrics":[{"key":"premiums_fossil","value":21.25,"unit":"USD bn","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Premiums insurers earned from coal, oil and gas projects, global (Offshore Technology, 10 November 2023)."},{"key":"premiums_fossil_lloyds","value":2.2,"unit":"USD bn","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Lloyd’s share of those premiums."},{"key":"premiums_fossil_growth_lloyds","value":2.4,"unit":"% a year","year":2024,"note":"Lloyd’s fossil-fuel premiums, 2020–2024; the rest of the market fell 2.8% a year (Insure Our Future)."},{"key":"insurance_cover","value":508,"unit":"CAD m","year":2020,"note":"Total Trans Mountain cover in July 2020; Zurich was sole insurer of the first C$8 million."},{"key":"insurers_declined","value":46,"unit":"insurers","year":2023,"note":"Insurers counted by campaigners as ruling out the Adani Carmichael project, as of July 2023."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, launched in 2021, lost its major members in 2023 and was closed in April 2024. Reports in the same period recorded continued insurance of coal, oil and gas projects.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers writing fossil-fuel risks","what":"About US$21.25 billion in premiums from coal, oil and gas projects in 2022, Lloyd’s up to US$2.2 billion","src":3},{"who":"Reinsurers","what":"2025 net profit of about US$4.8 billion at Swiss Re, EUR 6.12 billion at Munich Re and EUR 2.64 billion at Hannover Re (reported)","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global; London (Lloyd’s) is the market named most often. Project cases: Carmichael mine (Australia), Trans Mountain pipeline (Canada), EACOP (East Africa).","src":3},"when":{"t":"July 2021 launch; exits 31 March–26 May 2023; closure 25 April 2024; Net-Zero Banking Alliance vote 3 October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Munich Re cited antitrust risk; UNEP was reported as pointing to discussions in the United States; ESG Dive reported antitrust pressure from 23 Republican attorneys general.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Members left one by one over about two months in 2023; the remaining structure was disbanded in April 2024 and a new forum was created without US-based participants.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Net-Zero Insurance Alliance disbands, rebrands as Forum for Insurance Transition to Net Zero","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2024-04-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/net-zero-insurance-alliance-disbands-rebrands-forum-insurance-transition-net-zero/714598/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616061918/https://www.esgdive.com/news/net-zero-insurance-alliance-disbands-rebrands-forum-insurance-transition-net-zero/714598/"},{"t":"Insurers exit Net-Zero Insurance Alliance as U.S. political pressure builds","p":"ESG Today","d":"2023-05-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/insurers-exit-net-zero-insurance-alliance-as-u-s-political-pressure-builds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251010064348/https://www.esgtoday.com/insurers-exit-net-zero-insurance-alliance-as-u-s-political-pressure-builds/"},{"t":"Munich Re pulls out of UN climate group, citing antitrust concerns","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2023-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/Munich-Re-pulls-out-of-UN-climate-group,-citing-antitrust-concerns,-Joachim-Wenn/"},{"t":"Insurers double down on fossil fuel projects despite record climate disaster payouts","p":"Offshore Technology","d":"2023-11-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/insurers-double-down-on-fossil-fuel-projects-despite-record-climate-disaster-payouts/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260115021216/https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/insurers-double-down-on-fossil-fuel-projects-despite-record-climate-disaster-payouts/"},{"t":"Lloyd of London’s booming fossil fuel business bucks market trend","p":"Insure Our Future","d":"2025-11-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://global.insure-our-future.com/lloyds-of-londons-booming-fossil-fuel-business-bucks-market-trend/"},{"t":"Allianz, AXA, SCOR quit UN climate alliance as insurers hold talks","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2023-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/allianz-axa-scor-quit-un-climate-alliance-as-insurers-hold-talks/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815173642/https://www.businessinsurance.com/allianz-axa-scor-quit-un-climate-alliance-as-insurers-hold-talks/"},{"t":"Swiss Re decides to leave Net-Zero Insurance Alliance","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2023-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/swiss-re-decides-to-leave-net-zero-insurance-alliance/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240923193747/https://www.businessinsurance.com/Swiss-Re-decides-to-leave-Net-Zero-Insurance-Alliance/"},{"t":"Zurich exits insurance climate alliance days after Munich Re","p":"Bloomberg Law","d":"2023-04","type":"press","u":"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/zurich-exits-insurance-climate-alliance-days-after-munich-re-1","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230408120922/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/esg/zurich-exits-insurance-climate-alliance-days-after-munich-re-1"},{"t":"Lloyd’s, QBE join growing list of Net-Zero Insurance Alliance departures","p":"S&P Global Market Intelligence","d":"2023-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2023/5/lloyd-s-qbe-join-growing-list-of-net-zero-insurance-alliance-departures-75946058","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251210135521/https://www.spglobal.com/market-intelligence/en/news-insights/articles/2023/5/lloyd-s-qbe-join-growing-list-of-net-zero-insurance-alliance-departures-75946058"},{"t":"Hannover Re the latest to leave Net-Zero Insurance Alliance","p":"Reinsurance News","d":"2023-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hannover-re-the-latest-to-leave-net-zero-insurance-alliance/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230922092316/https://www.reinsurancene.ws/hannover-re-the-latest-to-leave-net-zero-insurance-alliance/"},{"t":"Chubb announces new climate and conservation-focused underwriting standards for oil and gas extraction","p":"Chubb","d":"2023-03-22","type":"company","u":"https://news.chubb.com/2023-03-22-Chubb-Announces-New-Climate-and-Conservation-Focused-Underwriting-Standards-for-Oil-and-Gas-Extraction","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260708211004/https://news.chubb.com/2023-03-22-Chubb-Announces-New-Climate-and-Conservation-Focused-Underwriting-Standards-for-Oil-and-Gas-Extraction"},{"t":"World’s largest insurance broker cuts ties with Adani Carmichael coal mine","p":"Market Forces","d":"2022-06-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.marketforces.org.au/worlds-largest-insurance-broker-cuts-ties-with-adani-carmichael-coal-mine/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250807070822/https://www.marketforces.org.au/worlds-largest-insurance-broker-cuts-ties-with-adani-carmichael-coal-mine/"},{"t":"Probitas says it will not renew Adani coal mine railway","p":"Commercial Risk Online","d":"2023-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.commercialriskonline.com/probitas-says-it-will-not-renew-adani-coal-mine-railway/"},{"t":"Calls for Lloyd’s of London to rule out insurance for Adani coal mine","p":"Insurance Business Australia","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/calls-for-lloyds-of-london-to-rule-out-insurance-for-adani-coal-mine-237026.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250811081652/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/calls-for-lloyds-of-london-to-rule-out-insurance-for-adani-coal-mine-237026.aspx"},{"t":"Lloyd’s steps back from coal in first climate change policy","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2020-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/Lloyds-steps-back-from-coal-in-first-climate-change-policy/"},{"t":"Arch Insurance, AEGIS London respond to pressure, rule out EACOP","p":"Insure Our Future","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://global.insure-our-future.com/arch-insurance-aegis-london-respond-to-pressure-rule-out-eacop/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250915194619/https://global.insure-our-future.com/arch-insurance-aegis-london-respond-to-pressure-rule-out-eacop/"},{"t":"Net-Zero Banking Alliance members vote to cease operations","p":"Carbon Pulse","d":"2025-10","type":"press","u":"https://carbon-pulse.com/441602/"},{"t":"The world’s largest insurer Munich Re rejects EACOP","p":"StopEACOP","d":"2022-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240211194854/https://www.stopeacop.net/our-news/the-worlds-largest-insurer-munich-re-rejects-eacop","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240211194854/https://www.stopeacop.net/our-news/the-worlds-largest-insurer-munich-re-rejects-eacop","dead":true},{"t":"Trans Mountain insurers (Talanx, Zurich and others)","p":"Rainforest Action Network","d":"2020-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.ran.org/?p=9814"},{"t":"Swiss Re adopts thermal coal policy","p":"Carrier Management","d":"2018-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2018/07/03/181280.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516104529/https://www.carriermanagement.com/news/2018/07/03/181280.htm"},{"t":"Brit does not, has never, and will not insure Adani coal mine","p":"Insurance Business Australia","d":"2021-02-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/brit-does-not-has-never-and-will-not-insure-adani-coal-mine-247325.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722110525/https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/environmental/brit-does-not-has-never-and-will-not-insure-adani-coal-mine-247325.aspx"},{"t":"Allianz joins newly formed Net-Zero Insurance Alliance","p":"Allianz","d":"2021-07-12","type":"company","u":"https://www.allianz.com/en/mediacenter/news/commitment/environment/210712_Allianz-joins-newly-formed-Net-Zero-Insurance-Alliance.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250809021758/https://www.allianz.com/en/mediacenter/news/commitment/environment/210712_Allianz-joins-newly-formed-Net-Zero-Insurance-Alliance.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did insurers leave the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who insured the Adani Carmichael coal mine, and how many insurers refused?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is capacity for fossil-fuel projects constrained by insurer exits?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Lloyd’s: Confirmed some members insured the mine from 2019; declined to name them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Bravus: Said it has the requisite insurance in place and named no insurers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which Lloyd’s members insured the Adani Carmichael mine: Lloyd’s confirmed the cover and did not name them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which insurers cover the Trans Mountain pipeline: insurer names have been confidential since the Canada Energy Regulator ruling of April 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Bravus said it “has the requisite insurance in place for the Carmichael mine and rail Project” and named no insurers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Swiss Re’s exit date is given as 22 May 2023 in one report and about 23 May in another.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: campaigners’ statement that the Carmichael mine is self-insured.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No measured effect on ecosystems of any insurer’s underwriting decision appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Reinsurers"]},{"id":"nairobi-river-regeneration-and-riparian-demolitions","title":"Nairobi River regeneration and riparian demolitions","dek":"After flooding in 2024, Kenya’s national government ordered homes along Nairobi’s riverbanks demolished on 48 hours’ notice. In 2025 the presidency launched a KSh 50 billion river regeneration programme that includes 50,000 housing units in reclaimed areas.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-1.286,"lon":36.817,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Nairobi","role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","water"],"headline":{"label":"Households affected by riparian demolition orders","value":"40,000","note":"Households reported affected; the promised payment was KSh 10,000 per household. Figures on who was paid differ by source and date."},"happened":["After the flooding of 2024, Kenya’s national government issued orders to clear structures along Nairobi’s riverbanks. Members of parliament later questioned the 48-hour notice period. About 40,000 households were reported affected, and the government promised KSh 10,000 per household.","In May 2024 the Interior Cabinet Secretary said that 25,000 of the 40,000 affected households had received the KSh 10,000, which Eastleigh Voice reported as 15,000 households yet to be paid. In October 2024 members of parliament told the Cabinet Secretary that 26,697 households had not been paid.","A statement by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) with civil society organisations said that when the orders were issued there was no resettlement plan and no census of affected people, and that more than 127,000 people in Nairobi alone were projected to be permanently displaced.","In March 2025 the Kenyan presidency launched a KSh 50 billion Nairobi River regeneration programme. It envisages 50,000 affordable housing units and 60 km of sewerage in reclaimed areas, and states an aim of clearing informal settlements."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"May: national government orders riparian demolitions on 48 hours’ notice after floods; Interior Cabinet Secretary says 25,000 of 40,000 households paid KSh 10,000; civil society statement on evictions"},{"y":2024,"t":"October: MPs question the Cabinet Secretary; say 26,697 households not paid"},{"y":2025,"t":"March: presidency launches KSh 50 billion Nairobi River regeneration programme with 50,000 housing units and 60 km of sewerage in reclaimed areas"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A KSh 50 billion Nairobi River regeneration project","who":"Office of the President of Kenya, March 2025","src":3},{"t":"50,000 affordable housing units and 60 km of sewerage in reclaimed areas","who":"Office of the President of Kenya, March 2025","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"40,000 households were affected by the riparian orders; KSh 10,000 per household was promised.","src":0},{"t":"In May 2024 the Interior Cabinet Secretary said 25,000 households had been paid; in October 2024 MPs said 26,697 had not.","src":1},{"t":"Civil society said no resettlement plan or census existed when the orders were issued.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"KES","window":"2024–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Households affected","v":"40,000","d":"Riparian demolition orders, 2024"},{"k":"Households not paid KSh 10,000","v":"26,697","d":"Members of parliament, October 2024; the Cabinet Secretary had said 25,000 were paid in May 2024"},{"k":"Measured change in river condition","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources give no river-quality or flood measurements"}]},"unknown":["Households paid: the Interior Cabinet Secretary said 25,000 of 40,000 households were paid (May 2024), while members of parliament said 26,697 had not been paid (October 2024); the two figures are for different dates and are not reconciled in the sources.","No resettlement plan or census existed when the orders were issued (civil society statement).","No penalty on any party and no remedy beyond a parliamentary query are recorded.","No measurement of the river’s condition before or after the demolitions appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":["displacement","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Households along the riverbanks, where the sources record 40,000 affected and, by the MPs’ account, 26,697 unpaid in October 2024.","statusLine":"As of March 2025: a KSh 50 billion regeneration programme was launched; the cited sources record no ruling, penalty or payment reconciliation.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"kenya-national-government","says":"The Interior Cabinet Secretary said 25,000 of 40,000 affected households had received KSh 10,000.","when":"2024-05","src":0},{"actor":"kenya-presidency","says":"Launched a KSh 50 billion Nairobi River regeneration project with 50,000 housing units and 60 km of sewerage in reclaimed areas.","when":"2025-03","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Ordered the riparian demolitions"},{"id":"kenya-presidency","role":"Launched the KSh 50 billion regeneration programme"},{"id":"ihs-rotterdam","role":"Published civil society solidarity statement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many affected households were paid KSh 10,000?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Interior Cabinet Secretary","says":"25,000 of 40,000 households had received the payment (May 2024).","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Members of parliament","says":"26,697 households had not been paid (October 2024).","src":1}]},{"point":"Was the displacement planned for?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"IHS and civil society organisations","says":"No resettlement plan or census existed when the orders were issued; more than 127,000 people in Nairobi alone were projected to be permanently displaced.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Members of parliament","says":"Questioned the 48-hour notice period.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":40000,"unit":"households","year":2024,"note":"Households affected by riparian demolition orders."},{"key":"compensation_promised","value":10000,"unit":"KSh per household","year":2024,"note":"Promised payment per household."},{"key":"households_paid","value":25000,"unit":"households","year":2024,"note":"Interior Cabinet Secretary, May 2024."},{"key":"households_unpaid","value":26697,"unit":"households","year":2024,"note":"Members of parliament, October 2024."},{"key":"displaced","value":127000,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Projected permanent displacement in Nairobi alone, per civil society statement."},{"key":"programme_budget","value":50000,"unit":"KSh m","year":2025,"note":"KSh 50 billion regeneration programme."},{"key":"housing_units_planned","value":50000,"unit":"units","year":2025,"note":"Affordable housing in reclaimed areas."},{"key":"sewerage_km","value":60,"unit":"km","year":2025,"note":"Planned sewerage."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Riverbank structures along Nairobi’s rivers were ordered cleared after flooding in 2024, followed by a KSh 50 billion river regeneration programme with 50,000 housing units planned in reclaimed areas.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"National government and presidency","what":"Sponsor of a KSh 50 billion programme with 50,000 housing units planned in reclaimed areas","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Households along the riverbanks","what":"40,000 households affected, given 48 hours’ notice; KSh 10,000 promised per household","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Nairobi, Kenya.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Orders after the 2024 floods (May 2024); parliamentary questions October 2024; programme launched March 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The national government’s stated frame was flood response and river regeneration; the programme is presented as regeneration with housing.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Demolition orders on 48 hours’ notice, a KSh 10,000 per household payment, and a later programme of housing and sewerage in reclaimed areas.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Only 15,000 flood-affected households yet to receive Sh10,000 compensation","p":"Eastleigh Voice","d":"2024-05","type":"press","u":"https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/cabinet%20secretary%20kithure%20kindiki/44961/only-15-000-flood-affected-households-yet-to-receive-sh10-000-compensation---kindiki"},{"t":"Lawmakers grill Duale over demolition of homes","p":"The Standard","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://thestandard.ke/business/national/article/2001504679/lawmakers-grill-duale-over-demolition-of-homes"},{"t":"Solidarity Statement on the Recent Evictions in Nairobi","p":"IHS / civil society organisations","d":"2024-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://ihs.nl/en/media/2024-05-csosolidaritystatement","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240616034943/https://www.ihs.nl/en/media/2024-05-csosolidaritystatement"},{"t":"President Ruto launches KSh50 billion Nairobi River regeneration project","p":"Office of the President of Kenya","d":"2025-03","type":"official","u":"https://www.president.go.ke/president-ruto-launches-ksh50-billion-nairobi-river-regeneration-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013041916/https://www.president.go.ke/president-ruto-launches-ksh50-billion-nairobi-river-regeneration-project/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many affected households were paid KSh 10,000?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the displacement planned for?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Households paid: the Interior Cabinet Secretary said 25,000 of 40,000 households were paid (May 2024), while members of parliament said 26,697 had not been paid (October 2024); the two figures are for different dates and are not reconciled in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No resettlement plan or census existed when the orders were issued (civil society statement).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty on any party and no remedy beyond a parliamentary query are recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No measurement of the river’s condition before or after the demolitions appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"harita-nickel-kawasi-chromium-6-water-and-sago-loss","title":"Harita Nickel, Kawasi chromium-6 water and sago loss (Obi Island)","dek":"An April 2025 investigation reported chromium-6 in Kawasi village’s drinking-water source above Indonesia’s limit, next to Harita Group’s nickel operations on Obi Island. Harita disputes the findings; a 2026 report recorded a fall in sago palm area in the district.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-1.5,"lon":127.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku","role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","mining-tailings","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Chromium-6 in Kawasi drinking-water source vs Indonesia’s limit","value":"173 ppb vs 50 ppb","note":"Highest measurement reported (February 2023); limit 50 ppb. Harita reports 5–40 ppb in its own tests."},"happened":["Kawasi is a coastal village on Obi Island that adjoins the nickel mine and smelters of Harita Group. The industrial zone is within 100 metres of the back of village houses, according to Mongabay Indonesia. Nickel from the site, according to the investigation, enters the supply chains of Tesla, BMW, Ford, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz through Chinese battery makers.","In April 2025, OCCRP, the Gecko Project, The Guardian and Deutsche Welle published an investigation based on leaked company documents. It reported that chromium-6 in the village’s drinking-water source repeatedly exceeded Indonesia’s limit of 50 parts per billion (ppb): 128 ppb in February 2022 and 173 ppb in February 2023, and above the limit on all 30 days tested in August 2022. None of the villagers interviewed recalled receiving a warning. The investigation reported that the company had known of exceedances since 2012. Harita denied the findings, said its own tests measured 5–40 ppb and said the water was potable.","A community leader in Kawasi told the investigation that she had had bloody and pus-containing cough, frequent abdominal cramps and diarrhoea since the mine began, and that she did not know whether the water was the cause but drank it every day.","Mongabay Indonesia reported on 25 April 2026, citing district agriculture office data, that sago palm area in the area fell from 297 hectares in 2023 to 127 hectares in 2025, and the number of sago producers from 284 to 100. It reported that the relocation settlement known as Kawasi Baru or the “eco-village”, which Harita built about 5 km inland was constructed on cut and filled sago gardens, and villagers said some plots were taken on Sundays or at night without the owners’ knowledge. Harita’s sustainability manager wrote that land use complied with free, prior and informed consent and had been examined in the IRMA audit.","Harita became the first Indonesian mine to enter an audit by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) in October 2024. The site audit took place in April 2025. After the draft report Harita chose an optional corrective-action period of up to 12 months, during which results are not published. As of IRMA’s update of 28 July 2026 the audit was ongoing."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Date from which, according to the April 2025 investigation, the company knew of chromium-6 exceedances; Harita denies"},{"y":2022,"t":"Chromium-6 in Kawasi source measured at 128 ppb (February); all 30 days tested in August above the 50 ppb limit"},{"y":2023,"t":"Regional environment agency inspector states in January that the company had demonstrated compliance; 173 ppb measured (February); IPO raises US$660m (April)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Harita enters IRMA audit (October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"IRMA site audit (April); OCCRP and partners publish investigation (April); sago area down to 127 ha"},{"y":2026,"t":"Mongabay Indonesia reports sago decline (25 April); IRMA update: audit ongoing (28 July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"An IRMA audit of Harita Nickel, the first for an Indonesian mine","who":"Harita Group and IRMA","src":0},{"t":"Kawasi Baru “eco-village” relocation settlement with school, health clinic and uninterrupted electricity","who":"Harita Group, as described in the investigation","src":null},{"t":"A company executive held up a glass of water from the source before the press in April 2023","who":"Harita Group, as reported","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Chromium-6 in the village drinking-water source measured 128 ppb in February 2022 and 173 ppb in February 2023; the limit is 50 ppb.","src":3},{"t":"All 30 days tested in August 2022 exceeded the limit.","src":3},{"t":"Sago area fell from 297 ha in 2023 to 127 ha in 2025; producers fell from 284 to 100.","src":1},{"t":"IRMA results had not been published as of its update of 28 July 2026.","src":0},{"t":"Rainforest Rescue reported boron, hexavalent chromium and nickel seeping into groundwater on Obi Island and over-full tailings dams.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Harita Group initial public offering, April 2023","amount":660}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Chromium-6 in drinking-water source","v":"128–173 ppb","d":"Limit 50 ppb; Feb 2022 and Feb 2023 (OCCRP and partners, 2025)"},{"k":"Sago palm area","v":"297 ha to 127 ha","d":"2023 to 2025 (Mongabay Indonesia, citing district agriculture office data)"},{"k":"Independent audit result","v":"Not published","d":"IRMA audit ongoing as of 28 July 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Measurements of chromium-6 above the national limit, and district data on sago area, as reported; Harita disputes the water findings.","report":[{"t":"My drinking-water source at Kawasi was measured at 128 ppb of chromium-6 in February 2022 and 173 ppb in February 2023. Indonesia’s limit is 50 ppb. The company says its own tests measured 5–40 ppb.","src":3},{"t":"My sago palms in the area covered 297 hectares in 2023 and 127 hectares in 2025.","src":1}]},"unknown":["IRMA audit results: Harita chose a corrective-action period of up to 12 months, during which results are not published; the audit was ongoing as of July 2026.","Whether the community leader’s symptoms are caused by the water: she said she does not know.","Whether the company executive drank the water he held up before the press in April 2023: photographs do not show it.","Chromium-6 measurements conflict: 128–173 ppb in the investigation’s documents, 5–40 ppb in Harita’s own tests.","Unconfirmed: whether the company knew of exceedances from 2012, which Harita denies."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources; the IRMA audit was ongoing as of July 2026.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; the investigation and Mongabay Indonesia describe Kawasi villagers as bearing the water and land effects.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the IRMA audit of Harita Nickel was ongoing and results were unpublished; Harita disputes the chromium-6 findings; no court case found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"harita-nickel","says":"Denied the investigation’s findings, said its own tests measured 5–40 ppb and that the water was potable.","when":"2025-04","src":null},{"actor":"harita-nickel","says":"Its sustainability manager wrote that land use for the relocation settlement complied with free, prior and informed consent and was examined in the IRMA audit.","when":"2026-04","src":1},{"actor":"irma","says":"Update of 28 July 2026: the Harita Nickel audit was ongoing; Harita had chosen the optional corrective-action period.","when":"2026-07-28","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"harita","role":"Mine and smelter operator, Obi Island"},{"id":"irma","role":"Auditor/standard-setter of the responsible mining audit"},{"id":"occrp","role":"Investigative network; co-published the April 2025 investigation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does chromium-6 in Kawasi’s drinking-water source exceed the legal limit?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"OCCRP, Gecko Project, The Guardian and Deutsche Welle","says":"Leaked company documents showed 128 ppb (February 2022) and 173 ppb (February 2023) against a 50 ppb limit, and exceedances on all 30 days tested in August 2022.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Harita Group","says":"Its own tests measured 5–40 ppb and the water was potable.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Regional environment agency inspector","says":"Said in January 2023 that the company had demonstrated compliance.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the land for the relocation settlement acquired with free, prior and informed consent?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay Indonesia","says":"The settlement was built on cut and filled sago gardens; villagers said some plots were taken on Sundays or at night without owners’ knowledge.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Harita Group sustainability manager","says":"Land use complied with free, prior and informed consent and was examined in the IRMA audit.","src":1},{"voice":"standard","holder":"IRMA","says":"Audit results not yet published under the corrective-action period the company chose.","src":0,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Did the company know of chromium-6 exceedances from 2012?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"OCCRP and partners","says":"Reported, from leaked documents, that the company had known of exceedances since 2012.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Harita Group","says":"Denied the findings.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"chromium6_ppb","value":128,"unit":"ppb","year":2022,"note":"Kawasi drinking-water source, February 2022; limit 50 ppb."},{"key":"chromium6_ppb","value":173,"unit":"ppb","year":2023,"note":"Kawasi drinking-water source, February 2023; limit 50 ppb."},{"key":"chromium6_ppb_company","value":40,"unit":"ppb","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Harita’s own tests, reported as 5–40 ppb."},{"key":"area_ha","value":127,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Sago palm area; 297 ha in 2023 (district agriculture office data, via Mongabay Indonesia)."},{"key":"sago_producers","value":100,"unit":"producers","year":2025,"note":"Down from 284 in 2023."},{"key":"revenue","value":660,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Raised in Harita’s April 2023 IPO (not nature-related revenue)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chromium-6 above Indonesia’s limit was reported in the drinking-water source of Kawasi village next to Harita Group’s operations on Obi Island, and sago palm area in the district fell between 2023 and 2025.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Harita Group","what":"Raised US$660 million in an April 2023 IPO; its facilities were given National Strategic Project status (as reported)","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Kawasi villagers","what":"Drinking-water source above the national limit; sago land reduced; relocation to a settlement built on sago gardens","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Groundwater and sago palm area on Obi Island","what":"Chromium-6 above the legal limit; sago area from 297 ha to 127 ha","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Kawasi village, Obi Island, South Halmahera, North Maluku, Indonesia.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Exceedances reported from 2012; measurements February 2022 and February 2023; investigation April 2025; sago report April 2026; IRMA update July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a cause for the chromium-6 measurements. Rainforest Rescue reported seepage of boron, chromium-6 and nickel into groundwater on Obi.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Water exceedances were documented in leaked company records; land for the relocation settlement was converted from sago gardens.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Harita Nickel CAP update","p":"IRMA","d":"2026-07-28","type":"registry","u":"https://responsiblemining.net/harita-nickel-cap-update/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520134942/https://responsiblemining.net/harita-nickel-cap-update/"},{"t":"Nasib hutan sagu ketika industri nikel masuk Pulau Obi","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2026-04-25","type":"press","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2026/04/25/nasib-hutan-sagu-ketika-industri-nikel-masuk-pulau-obi-1/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613182906/https://mongabay.co.id/2026/04/25/nasib-hutan-sagu-ketika-industri-nikel-masuk-pulau-obi-1/"},{"t":"Toxic nickel waste puts Morowali’s people and coast at risk","p":"Rainforest Rescue","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/updates/16036/toxic-nickel-waste-puts-morowali-s-people-and-coast-at-risk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008045609/https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/updates/16036/toxic-nickel-waste-puts-morowali-s-people-and-coast-at-risk"},{"t":"Major Nickel Supplier Harita Knew About Water Contamination at Indonesian Operation for a Decade","p":"OCCRP (with The Gecko Project and DW)","d":"2025-04-30","u":"https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/major-nickel-supplier-harita-knew-about-water-contamination-at-indonesian-operation-for-a-decade","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":["imip-nickel-waste-landslides-and-obi-island","indonesia-halmahera-iwip-nickel-complex-and-hongana-manyawa"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does chromium-6 in Kawasi’s drinking-water source exceed the legal limit?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the land for the relocation settlement acquired with free, prior and informed consent?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the company know of chromium-6 exceedances from 2012?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"IRMA: Audit results not yet published under the corrective-action period the company chose.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"IRMA audit results: Harita chose a corrective-action period of up to 12 months, during which results are not published; the audit was ongoing as of July 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the community leader’s symptoms are caused by the water: she said she does not know.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the company executive drank the water he held up before the press in April 2023: photographs do not show it.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Chromium-6 measurements conflict: 128–173 ppb in the investigation’s documents, 5–40 ppb in Harita’s own tests.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: whether the company knew of exceedances from 2012, which Harita denies.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Harita Group"]},{"id":"palau-national-marine-sanctuary","title":"Palau National Marine Sanctuary","dek":"Palau closed 80% of its exclusive economic zone to fishing under a 2015 law that took effect in 2020. Proposals to reopen part of it have been tabled since 2022.","country":"Palau","region":"Oceania","lat":7.5,"lon":134.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Palau","iso2":"PW","lat":7.5,"lon":134.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":null,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Share of Palau's exclusive economic zone closed to fishing","value":"80%","note":"Under the National Marine Sanctuary Act (RPPL 9-49, 2015), in force from 2020. Proposals to reduce it to 50% were reported in 2024 and December 2025."},"happened":["Palau closed 80% of its exclusive economic zone, the sea area extending 200 nautical miles from the coast over which a state controls the resources, to fishing. The National Marine Sanctuary Act (RPPL No. 9-49) was passed in 2015 and took effect in 2020. Oversight is funded by a US$100 environmental fee charged to each tourist.","The cited sources tie the sanctuary to traditional authority: a former president, Remengesau, has linked it to the traditional fishing ban, known as a \"bul\", set by chiefs. The law is debated again each year. A 2022 bill proposed opening up to 70% of Palau's waters to fishing; the Council of Chiefs opposed it and the Senate removed the amendments.","The government cited an economy that contracted by 17% in 2021 and tourist fees lost during the pandemic as the reason for the proposal. Fishing fleets from other countries and domestic fishers are recorded as those who lose income under the closure. Donors including The Nature Conservancy (TNC) provided US$10.8 million. The Agriculture Minister, Steven Victor, previously worked at TNC, and TNC's Micronesia director is named in the bill.","In December 2025 the Island Times reported that Japanese and Okinawan fishing interests demanded a reduction to 50% as a \"minimum\", and that a survey showed about 70% of citizens wanted the sanctuary to continue. The cited sources contain no independent study of the sanctuary's effect on fish stocks."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"National Marine Sanctuary Act (RPPL 9-49) passed"},{"y":2020,"t":"Act takes effect; 80% of the exclusive economic zone closed to fishing"},{"y":2021,"t":"Economy contracts by 17%; government cites it in arguing for easing the closure"},{"y":2022,"t":"Bill proposes opening up to 70% of waters; Council of Chiefs opposes; Senate removes the amendments"},{"y":2025,"t":"Japanese and Okinawan fishing interests demand a reduction to 50%; a survey puts public support for the sanctuary at about 70% (Island Times, 23 December)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A sanctuary covering 80% of the exclusive economic zone.","who":"National Marine Sanctuary Act, as summarised by UNEP LEAP","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Act was passed in 2015 and took effect in 2020; oversight is funded by a US$100 fee per tourist.","src":3},{"t":"A 2022 bill proposed opening up to 70% of Palau's waters; the Council of Chiefs opposed it and the Senate removed the amendments.","src":4},{"t":"In December 2025 fishing interests asked for a reduction to 50%, and a survey reported about 70% of citizens in favour of keeping the sanctuary.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2011–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area closed to fishing","v":"80%","d":"Of the exclusive economic zone, from 2020"},{"k":"Independent study of stock effect","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources contain none"}]},"unknown":["No independent study measuring the sanctuary's effect on fish stocks is on record.","Unconfirmed: a pre-closure baseline study that, according to its authors, found the main tuna stocks were not overfished and that the benefit may lie more with bycatch species (figures cited: 104.8 million hooks; 3,601.88 tonnes in 2019, 64% yellowfin).","Unconfirmed: that President Whipps said in August 2024 that he favoured reducing the sanctuary to 50%.","Unconfirmed: tuna revenue rising from US$16.5 million to US$37.9 million, attributed to the Island Times.","Unconfirmed: the Palau Pledge tourism campaign winning three Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Lions.","The status of any 2026 amendment to the law is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The closure remained in force at the latest date in the cited sources (December 2025); proposals to reduce it were pending.","whoPaid":"Foreign fishing fleets and domestic fishers, the groups recorded as losing income from the closure.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: the 80% closure remained in force; fishing interests were asking for a reduction to 50%; no 2026 outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"palau-government","says":"Cited an economy that contracted by 17% in 2021 and pandemic-halted tourist fees as grounds for a 2022 bill to open up to 70% of waters.","when":"2021–2022","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"palau-government","role":"Enacted the sanctuary; later proposed reducing it"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Donor group member; former employer of the Agriculture Minister; Micronesia director named in the bill"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the sanctuary be reduced?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Palau government","says":"Cited the 17% contraction of the economy in 2021 and lost tourist fees in proposing to open up to 70% of waters in 2022.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Council of Chiefs","says":"Opposed the 2022 bill.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Island Times","says":"Reported in December 2025 that Japanese and Okinawan fishing interests demanded 50% as a minimum, and that about 70% of citizens wanted the sanctuary to continue.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_share_closed","value":80,"unit":"% of exclusive economic zone","year":2020,"note":"Closed to fishing under the National Marine Sanctuary Act."},{"key":"tourist_fee","value":100,"unit":"USD per tourist","year":2020,"note":"Environmental fee that funds oversight."},{"key":"economy_change","value":-17,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Contraction of the economy cited by the government."},{"key":"donor_funding","value":10.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Provided by donors including TNC."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Palau closed 80% of its exclusive economic zone to fishing; proposals to reduce the closure have been tabled since 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Foreign fishing fleets and domestic fishers","what":"Reduced access to fishing grounds.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Palau, western Pacific.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Act passed in 2015; in force from 2020; reduction proposals in 2022, 2024 and December 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources tie the sanctuary to a traditional chiefly fishing ban; the government later cited the economy and lost tourist fees in proposing a reduction.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A statute closing 80% of the zone, with oversight funded by a US$100 fee on each tourist.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Palau National Marine Sanctuary Act (RPPL No. 9-49, 2015), summary entry (via UNEP LEAP)","p":"UNEP Law and Environment Assistance Platform","d":"2015","type":"official","u":"https://leap.unep.org/en/countries/pw/national-legislation/palau-national-marine-sanctuary-act-rppl-no-9-49-2015"},{"t":"Palau ends 2025 facing fiscal, ocean and social pressures","p":"Island Times","d":"2025-12-23","type":"press","u":"https://islandtimes.org/palau-ends-2025-facing-fiscal-ocean-and-social-pressures/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251223114416/https://islandtimes.org/palau-ends-2025-facing-fiscal-ocean-and-social-pressures/"},{"t":"In Palau, residents are divided on easing fishing restrictions","p":"NPR","d":"2024-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/25/nx-s1-5071209/in-palau-residents-are-divided-on-easing-fishing-restrictions","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250828151351/https://www.npr.org/2024/08/25/nx-s1-5071209/in-palau-residents-are-divided-on-easing-fishing-restrictions"},{"t":"Famed marine sanctuary law to take effect Jan. 1, 2020","p":"Island Times","d":"2019-12-20","u":"https://islandtimes.org/famed-marine-sanctuary-law-to-take-effect-jan-1-2020/","type":"press"},{"t":"Palau chiefs say costs outweigh gains from opening marine sanctuary","p":"Pacific Island Times","d":"2022-04-13","u":"https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/palau-chiefs-say-costs-outweigh-gains-from-opening-marine-sanctuary","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Eighty percent of my Palauan exclusive economic zone has been closed to fishing since 2020; no independent study of the effect on stocks is on record.","src":[2,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the sanctuary be reduced?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent study measuring the sanctuary's effect on fish stocks is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a pre-closure baseline study that, according to its authors, found the main tuna stocks were not overfished and that the benefit may lie more with bycatch species (figures cited: 104.8 million hooks; 3,601.88 tonnes in 2019, 64% yellowfin).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that President Whipps said in August 2024 that he favoured reducing the sanctuary to 50%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: tuna revenue rising from US$16.5 million to US$37.9 million, attributed to the Island Times.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Palau Pledge tourism campaign winning three Grand Prix at the 2018 Cannes Lions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status of any 2026 amendment to the law is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Foreign fishing fleets and domestic fishers"]},{"id":"edelman-api-contract-energy-citizens-and-cop30-contract","title":"Edelman: API contract, Energy Citizens and the COP30 contract","dek":"The public relations firm Edelman worked for the American Petroleum Institute from 2005 to 2016 and later won the communications contract for the COP30 climate summit in Brazil. The cited sources show it holding fossil-fuel and climate-related work at the same time.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.7,"lon":-74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-1.46,"lon":-48.49,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"affected"}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Edelman's reported revenue share from fossil-fuel contracts","value":"5.64%","note":"Estimate by Clean Creatives, 2025 edition."},"happened":["From 2005 to 2016 Edelman worked for the American Petroleum Institute (API), the US oil industry lobby. According to DeSmog, the contract made up more than 10% of the firm's revenue in 2010. In 2009 Edelman helped build \"Energy Citizens\", a structure set up against climate legislation.","In 2014 Edelman's plan for the TransCanada pipeline was leaked, and Edelman and TransCanada parted ways, according to DeSmog.","In June 2024 Edelman won a Titanium Lion at the Cannes Lions festival for a campaign for the port operator DP World. DP World is also recorded as a founding funder of the Earthshot Prize.","In 2025 Edelman received a US$835,000 contract for Brazil's COP30 summit. The record states that in the same period it also worked for Shell, Petrobras and Chevron, and that its oil and gas adviser arranged meetings with the summit secretariat on behalf of the fuel distributor Vibra Energia.","Clean Creatives, a campaign against agency work for fossil-fuel clients, counted 1,217 contracts between 709 agencies and fossil-fuel clients in 74 countries in its 2025 report and estimated that 5.64% of Edelman's revenue came from them. Its September 2026 edition recorded more than 1,300 contracts and 802 agencies."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Edelman begins work for the American Petroleum Institute (to 2016)"},{"y":2009,"t":"Edelman helps build \"Energy Citizens\""},{"y":2010,"t":"API contract is more than 10% of Edelman's revenue, according to DeSmog"},{"y":2014,"t":"Edelman's TransCanada plan leaked; Edelman and TransCanada part ways"},{"y":2024,"t":"Edelman wins a Titanium Lion at Cannes for a DP World campaign (June)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Edelman receives a US$835,000 COP30 contract; Clean Creatives 2025 report estimates 5.64% of its revenue is fossil-fuel work"},{"y":2026,"t":"Clean Creatives September edition: more than 1,300 contracts, 802 agencies"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Edelman presented as the winner of a Titanium Lion at Cannes in June 2024.","who":"Edelman","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"API contract from 2005 to 2016; more than 10% of Edelman's revenue in 2010.","src":0},{"t":"Edelman helped build Energy Citizens in 2009.","src":0},{"t":"COP30 contract worth US$835,000 in 2025; Edelman's oil and gas adviser arranged meetings for Vibra Energia with the summit secretariat in the same period.","src":4},{"t":"Clean Creatives estimate: 5.64% of Edelman's revenue from fossil-fuel contracts (2025).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2005–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"COP30 communications contract (2025)","amount":0.835}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Edelman revenue from fossil-fuel contracts","v":"5.64%","d":"Clean Creatives estimate, 2025"},{"k":"API contract share of revenue, 2010","v":"More than 10%","d":"According to DeSmog"}]},"unknown":["Edelman's own response to the reporting on the COP30 contract and the Vibra meetings is not on record.","The cited sources give conflicting counts of 2025 contracts for the two largest holding groups: one passage lists Omnicom 118 and WPP 88, another Omnicom 120 and WPP 82.","Unconfirmed: that the TransCanada plan proposed wearing down opponents by distraction and creating fake grassroots groups, and that Edelman said in 2015 it would not work with climate deniers.","Unconfirmed: claimed savings of 17.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the DP World \"Move to -15\" campaign.","Unconfirmed: that Edelman is a family firm and the world's largest independent public relations firm.","Unconfirmed: a link between the Cannes award and a Shell account; the source was a weak event page."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no harm to nature attributable to this matter and no end date for the activities described.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: Clean Creatives' latest report recorded more than 1,300 agency contracts with fossil-fuel clients; no response from Edelman on COP30 found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"edelman","role":"Public relations firm; API contractor 2005–2016; COP30 communications contract"},{"id":"american-petroleum-institute","role":"Client 2005–2016"},{"id":"vibra-energia","role":"Fuel distributor on whose behalf meetings with the COP30 secretariat were arranged"},{"id":"dp-world","role":"Client of the Cannes-winning campaign; Earthshot funder"},{"id":"shell","role":"Client in 2025"},{"id":"clean-creatives","role":"Campaign counting agency contracts with fossil-fuel clients"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue_share_api","value":10,"unit":"% of Edelman revenue","year":2010,"qualifier":"more than","note":"API contract's share of revenue in 2010, according to DeSmog."},{"key":"contract_value","value":835000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"Edelman's COP30 contract."},{"key":"revenue_share_fossil","value":5.64,"unit":"% of Edelman revenue","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Clean Creatives estimate of revenue from fossil-fuel contracts."},{"key":"agency_contracts","value":1217,"unit":"contracts","year":2025,"note":"Clean Creatives: 709 agencies, 74 countries."},{"key":"agency_contracts","value":1300,"unit":"contracts","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Clean Creatives September 2026 edition: 802 agencies."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A public relations firm held an oil lobby contract for 11 years and later won a climate summit's communications contract while serving fossil-fuel clients.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Edelman","what":"Fees from API (more than 10% of revenue in 2010) and a US$835,000 COP30 contract.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, Canada and Brazil.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2005 to 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Contracts for communications work and the establishment of Energy Citizens (2009), according to the record.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Edelman (profile)","p":"DeSmog","d":"","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.desmog.com/edelman/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904045226/https://www.desmog.com/edelman/"},{"t":"Edelman and TransCanada part ways after leaked documents expose aggressive PR attack on Energy East pipeline opponents","p":"DeSmog","d":"2014-11-26","type":"investigative","u":"https://desmog.com/2014/11/26/edelman-and-transcanada-part-ways-after-leaked-documents-expose-aggressive-pr-attack-energy-east-pipeline-opponents","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419054953/https://www.desmog.com/2014/11/26/edelman-and-transcanada-part-ways-after-leaked-documents-expose-aggressive-pr-attack-energy-east-pipeline-opponents/"},{"t":"Advertising contracts with Big Oil hit record high as profits soar from war in Iran","p":"DeSmog (citing Clean Creatives F-List)","d":"2026-09-17","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2026/09/17/advertising-contracts-with-big-oil-hit-record-high-as-profits-soar-from-war-in-iran/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260918152847/https://www.desmog.com/2026/09/17/advertising-contracts-with-big-oil-hit-record-high-as-profits-soar-from-war-in-iran/"},{"t":"Edelman, first legacy PR firm to win a Titanium Lion","p":"Edelman","d":"2024-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2024-cannes-lions-edelman-first-legacy-pr-firm-win-titanium-lion","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260213190844/https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2024-cannes-lions-edelman-first-legacy-pr-firm-win-titanium-lion"},{"t":"Exclusive: COP30 PR Agency Edelman Lobbied Presidency to Favour Fossil Fuel Client","p":"DeSmog (with Intercept Brasil)","d":"2025-11-21","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2025/11/21/exclusive-ahead-of-cop30-edelman-played-both-sides-of-the-climate-coin/","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"related":["earthshot-prize-funders-dp-world-and-edelman-cannes-award"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Edelman's own response to the reporting on the COP30 contract and the Vibra meetings is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give conflicting counts of 2025 contracts for the two largest holding groups: one passage lists Omnicom 118 and WPP 88, another Omnicom 120 and WPP 82.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the TransCanada plan proposed wearing down opponents by distraction and creating fake grassroots groups, and that Edelman said in 2015 it would not work with climate deniers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: claimed savings of 17.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from the DP World \"Move to -15\" campaign.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Edelman is a family firm and the world's largest independent public relations firm.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a link between the Cannes award and a Shell account; the source was a weak event page.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"microsoft-forestry-carbon-deals-and-apple-restore-fund","title":"Microsoft forestry carbon deals and the Apple Restore Fund","dek":"Microsoft contracted tens of millions of tonnes of forestry-based carbon removal from re.green, Rubicon, Chestnut Carbon and Kijani Forestry, while its own emissions rose 29% between 2020 and 2023. Apple's Restore Fund, managed by Climate Asset Management, invests partly in plantings of commercial species such as eucalyptus.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-15.8,"lon":-47.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Forestry carbon removal contracted by Microsoft (as reported)","value":"re.green 3 Mt · Chestnut 7 Mt · Rubicon 18 Mt","note":"Tonnes of carbon dioxide as reported in press coverage of the deals; delivery periods differ (re.green and Chestnut are long-term offtake agreements). Microsoft reported 17.1 Mt of emissions for 2023."},"happened":["In May 2024 press reports described a Microsoft agreement with the Brazilian restoration company re.green for 3 million tonnes of carbon removal from more than 16,000 hectares of restoration, and a framework deal with Rubicon Carbon for 18 million tonnes. A separate report in May 2025 covered the same deals.","In January 2025 TechCrunch reported a Microsoft agreement with Chestnut Carbon, a reforestation company working in the southern United States, for 7 million tonnes over 25 years from 60,000 acres. The same report gave Microsoft's emissions as 17.1 million tonnes in 2023, a 29% increase on 2020.","In 2026 the first project under the Rubicon framework, Kijani Forestry in northern Uganda, was reported as involving 2 million credits and more than 50,000 smallholder farmers. The cited sources do not state what share of revenue goes to the farmers.","In March 2024 Apple announced an expansion of its Restore Fund, to US$280 million in total of which Apple contributed US$200 million, with TSMC and Murata joining. The fund is managed by Climate Asset Management, a partnership between HSBC and the advisory and investment firm Pollination, which was reported in September 2024 to manage more than US$1 billion. The fund invests in projects in Paraguay, Brazil and Kenya, partly in plantings of commercial species such as eucalyptus.","In March 2026 re.green was the only bidder in Brazil's first federal forest concession to include carbon rights, for Bom Futuro National Forest in Rondônia; it received a 40-year concession and is to pay the state 0.70% of gross revenue. A member of re.green's board is a former president of Brazil's central bank, and the company sells credits to Microsoft."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"April: re.green receives investment of R$389 million from family-office and fund investors, with a stated target of 1 million hectares"},{"y":2023,"t":"December: Microsoft and Mombak agree a purchase of 1.5 million carbon removal credits by 2032 (reported)"},{"y":2024,"t":"March: Apple expands the Restore Fund to US$280 million; May: Microsoft deals with re.green and Rubicon reported"},{"y":2025,"t":"January: Microsoft–Chestnut Carbon deal reported; May: further coverage of the re.green and Rubicon deals"},{"y":2026,"t":"March: re.green wins the Bom Futuro forest concession; Kijani Forestry (Uganda) reported as first project under the Rubicon framework"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Apple presented the Restore Fund as an expanded fund of US$280 million with TSMC and Murata as new investors.","who":"Apple","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Microsoft's reported emissions were 17.1 million tonnes in 2023, up 29% from 2020.","src":2},{"t":"re.green's concession at Bom Futuro had a single bidder and a state payment of 0.70% of gross revenue over 40 years.","src":6},{"t":"The Apple Restore Fund is managed by Climate Asset Management and invests partly in plantings of commercial species such as eucalyptus.","src":null}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Contracted removal (re.green, Chestnut, Rubicon)","v":"3 Mt · 7 Mt · 18 Mt","d":"As reported; contract terms differ"},{"k":"Microsoft emissions 2020–2023","v":"+29%","d":"17.1 Mt in 2023 (TechCrunch)"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation of these projects","v":"Not found","d":"The cited sources do not include one"}]},"unknown":["Revenue share for the 50,000+ smallholder farmers at Kijani Forestry: not disclosed.","Unconfirmed: that re.green had bought about 26,000 hectares by early 2025 against a target of 1 million hectares.","Unconfirmed: that former Bank of America executives sit on the management of Rubicon Carbon.","Unconfirmed: that the Microsoft–re.green agreement covers 3 million tonnes over 15 years."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no harm to nature attributed to these deals and no stop.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (2026): the Microsoft and Apple fund arrangements are active; no court case or independent ecological evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"apple","says":"Announced the expansion of its Restore Fund with TSMC and Murata.","when":"13 March 2024","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"microsoft","role":"Credit buyer"},{"id":"regreen","role":"Restoration company; seller of credits to Microsoft; sole bidder for the Bom Futuro concession"},{"id":"rubicon-carbon","role":"Credit seller under framework deal with Microsoft"},{"id":"chestnut-carbon","role":"Reforestation developer; seller to Microsoft"},{"id":"kijani-forestry","role":"First project under the Rubicon framework (Uganda)"},{"id":"apple","role":"Restore Fund sponsor"},{"id":"climate-asset-management","role":"Manager of the Apple Restore Fund"},{"id":"hsbc","role":"Partner in Climate Asset Management"},{"id":"pollination","role":"Partner in Climate Asset Management"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_sold","value":3000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2024,"note":"re.green–Microsoft agreement, as reported; from more than 16,000 ha of restoration."},{"key":"area_ha","value":16000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Restoration area in the re.green–Microsoft agreement."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":18000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2024,"note":"Rubicon framework deal with Microsoft, as reported."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":7000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2025,"note":"Chestnut Carbon–Microsoft agreement, over 25 years, 60,000 acres."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":2000000,"unit":"credits","year":2026,"note":"Kijani Forestry (Uganda), first project under the Rubicon framework; 50,000+ smallholder farmers."},{"key":"emissions_change","value":29,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Microsoft's emissions increase 2020–2023; 17.1 Mt in 2023."},{"key":"fund_size","value":280,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Apple Restore Fund after the March 2024 expansion; Apple's share US$200 million."},{"key":"assets_managed","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Climate Asset Management, as reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Microsoft contracted forestry-based carbon removal from several developers, and Apple's Restore Fund expanded to US$280 million, managed by Climate Asset Management.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"re.green, Rubicon, Chestnut Carbon, Kijani Forestry","what":"Sellers of forestry carbon removal to Microsoft; revenue not stated in the cited sources.","src":null},{"who":"Climate Asset Management (HSBC and Pollination)","what":"Manager of the Apple Restore Fund and of more than US$1 billion in assets, as reported.","src":4}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil (re.green, Bom Futuro in Rondônia), the southern United States (Chestnut), northern Uganda (Kijani); Apple fund: Paraguay, Brazil, Kenya.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2023 to 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Microsoft's emissions rose 29% between 2020 and 2023 while it contracted carbon removal.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Long-term offtake agreements for tonnes of carbon removal from planted or restored forest; an investment fund managed by a bank–advisory partnership.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Microsoft signs another reforestation-based carbon removal megadeal","p":"ESG Today","d":"2024-05-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/microsoft-signs-another-reforestation-based-carbon-removal-megadeal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251016171438/https://www.esgtoday.com/microsoft-signs-another-reforestation-based-carbon-removal-megadeal/"},{"t":"Microsoft deals coverage (via farmlandgrab)","p":"DatacenterDynamics","d":"2025-05-16","type":"press","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/32844"},{"t":"Microsoft signs massive carbon credit deal with reforestation startup Chestnut Carbon","p":"TechCrunch","d":"2025-01-30","type":"press","u":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/microsoft-signs-massive-carbon-credit-deal-with-reforestation-startup-chestnut-carbon","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260806212516/https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/30/microsoft-signs-massive-carbon-credit-deal-with-reforestation-startup-chestnut-carbon/"},{"t":"Apple expands innovative Restore Fund with TSMC and Murata","p":"Apple","d":"2024-03-13","type":"company","u":"https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/03/apple-expands-innovative-restore-fund-with-tsmc-and-murata/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917092905/https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/03/apple-expands-innovative-restore-fund-with-tsmc-and-murata/"},{"t":"Apple Restore Fund / Climate Asset Management coverage","p":"ESG Today","d":"2024-09-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/?p=17303","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152728/https://www.esgtoday.com/hsbc-pollination-jv-raises-over-1-billion-for-natural-capital-investment-platform/"},{"t":"re.green investment announcement","p":"Global Private Capital Association","d":"2022-04","type":"press","u":"https://globalprivatecapital.org/?p=36505"},{"t":"Re.green vence 1º leilão federal de floresta para crédito de carbono","p":"CNN Brasil","d":"2026-03-25","u":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/economia/investimentos/re-green-vence-leilao-florestal-e-marca-estreia-de-creditos-de-carbono/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260326040431/https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/economia/investimentos/re-green-vence-leilao-florestal-e-marca-estreia-de-creditos-de-carbono/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Microsoft contracted 3 Mt (re.green), 7 Mt (Chestnut) and 18 Mt (Rubicon) of carbon removal from my forests, as reported; its emissions rose 29% from 2020 to 2023, to 17.1 Mt.","src":[0,1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Revenue share for the 50,000+ smallholder farmers at Kijani Forestry: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that re.green had bought about 26,000 hectares by early 2025 against a target of 1 million hectares.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that former Bank of America executives sit on the management of Rubicon Carbon.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Microsoft–re.green agreement covers 3 million tonnes over 15 years.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: re.green, Rubicon, Chestnut Carbon, Kijani Forestry"]},{"id":"eu-deforestation-regulation-delays-and-trade-pressure","title":"EU Deforestation Regulation delays and trade pressure","dek":"The EU regulation requiring that cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, cattle, rubber and wood sold in the EU did not come from land deforested after 2020 has been postponed twice. Trading partners, the United States government and industry groups pressed for delay.","country":"European Union","region":"Europe","lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","admin":"Brussels","role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Application date for large and medium operators","value":"30 Dec 2026","note":"After two postponements (regulation 2025/2650); small operators 30 June 2027."},"happened":["The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), adopted in 2023, requires companies selling cocoa, coffee, soy, palm oil, cattle, rubber and wood products in the EU to show that the goods did not come from land deforested after 2020.","In July 2022 and September 2023 Indonesia, with a group of countries including Brazil and Malaysia, sent joint letters to the EU about the regulation; the letters had 14 and 17 signatories. On 30 May 2024 the US Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture and the US Trade Representative asked the EU to delay, and 27 US senators described the rules as a non-tariff barrier to trade.","On 14 November 2024 the European Parliament adopted amendments proposed by the European People's Party and passed with votes of far-right groups, including a 12-month delay and a proposed \"no-risk\" country category. The category did not enter the final text; the delay did, moving the date to December 2025.","On 26 November 2025 Parliament voted 402 to 250 for a second one-year delay. Regulation 2025/2650 was published on 23 December 2025: the date became 30 December 2026 for large and medium companies and 30 June 2027 for small ones, and printed publications were removed from the scope. A joint US–EU statement of 21 August 2025, which is not legally binding, recorded the EU's acceptance that deforestation risk from US production is negligible.","On 4 May 2026 the Commission's simplification review did not add a \"no-risk\" category. It proposed removing cattle hides and leather products from the scope and estimated that compliance costs would fall by 75%."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"July: joint letter from Indonesia and like-minded countries to the EU"},{"y":2023,"t":"September: second joint letter (17 signatories); EUDR adopted"},{"y":2024,"t":"30 May: US ministers ask for delay; 14 November: Parliament adopts delay amendments"},{"y":2025,"t":"21 August: US–EU joint statement; 26 November: Parliament votes 402–250 for second delay; 23 December: regulation 2025/2650 published"},{"y":2026,"t":"4 May: Commission simplification review proposes removing hides and leather from scope"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Brussels Times reported the second postponement with the official reason that the IT system was not ready.","who":"Brussels Times, citing the official reason","src":null},{"t":"The Commission estimated a 75% reduction in compliance costs from its May 2026 proposal.","who":"European Commission","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Parliament voted 402 to 250 on 26 November 2025 for a second delay; regulation 2025/2650 was published on 23 December 2025.","src":2},{"t":"The \"no-risk\" country category was not included in the final text.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Application date, large and medium operators","v":"30 Dec 2026","d":"Regulation 2025/2650"},{"k":"Number of postponements","v":"2","d":"Last published 23 December 2025"},{"k":"Cut-off date for deforestation","v":"31 Dec 2020","d":"Reported as unchanged (unconfirmed)"}]},"unknown":["The Commission's 75% cost reduction is its own estimate; no independent estimate is on record.","Unconfirmed: the vote count of 371 to 240 on the November 2024 delay amendments.","Unconfirmed: the figure of US$3.5 billion in forest-product trade cited in the US request.","Unconfirmed: that the cut-off date of 31 December 2020 was left unchanged by the postponements.","Effect of the regulation on deforestation: not measured, as it has not yet applied."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The regulation has not yet applied; the application date was moved twice.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (September 2026): application date 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators and 30 June 2027 for small ones; the Commission proposed removing hides and leather from scope in May 2026.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"eu","says":"The Commission's May 2026 review proposed removing cattle hides and leather and estimated compliance costs would fall by 75%.","when":"4 May 2026","src":null},{"actor":"eu","says":"In the joint statement with the United States, the EU accepted that deforestation risk from US production is negligible and committed to address US producers' concerns.","when":"21 August 2025","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Regulator"},{"id":"european-parliament","role":"Voted both postponements"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Proposer of simplification review"},{"id":"us-government","role":"Asked for delay"},{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Led joint letters"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why was the regulation postponed?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"European Union (official reason)","says":"The second postponement was explained by the readiness of the IT system.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"United States ministers and 27 senators","says":"Asked the EU to delay; the senators called the rules a non-tariff barrier to trade.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthsight","says":"Said the November 2024 vote weakened the regulation, adopted with votes of far-right groups.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"vote_for","value":402,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"European Parliament, 26 November 2025, second delay; 250 against."},{"key":"vote_against","value":250,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"European Parliament, 26 November 2025."},{"key":"compliance_cost_reduction","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"Commission estimate","note":"Estimated effect of the May 2026 proposal to remove hides and leather."},{"key":"signatories","value":14,"unit":"countries","year":2022,"note":"July 2022 joint letter."},{"key":"signatories","value":17,"unit":"countries","year":2023,"note":"September 2023 joint letter."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Application of the EU Deforestation Regulation was postponed twice, to 30 December 2026 for large and medium operators.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Importers and commodity exporters","what":"More time before the rules apply.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Letters July 2022 and September 2023; votes November 2024 and November 2025; review May 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Trading partners and industry sought delay; the official reason given for the second postponement was the IT system.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Parliament amendments and votes; regulation 2025/2650.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"EUDR deadline sparks global delay requests","p":"FoodNavigator","d":"2024-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/08/27/EUDR-deadline-sparks-global-delay-requests/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240917072816/https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/08/27/EUDR-deadline-sparks-global-delay-requests"},{"t":"EUDR weakened","p":"Earthsight","d":"2024-11-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/EUDR-weakened","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415194844/https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/EUDR-weakened"},{"t":"EU Parliament agrees to delay review of supply chain deforestation law","p":"ESG Today (via VinciWorks)","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/eu-parliament-agrees-to-delay-review-supply-chain-deforestation-law/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251215203005/https://www.esgtoday.com/eu-parliament-agrees-to-delay-review-supply-chain-deforestation-law/"},{"t":"EU Commission publishes simplification review of EUDR","p":"Baker McKenzie","d":"2026-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2026/05/eu-commission-publishes-simplification-review-of-eudr","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607022635/https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2026/05/eu-commission-publishes-simplification-review-of-eudr"},{"t":"Repeated delays hinder EU Deforestation Regulation","p":"InfluenceMap","d":"2025-10-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://influencemap.org/insight/Repeated-Delays-Hinder-EU-Deforestation-Regulation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605135749/https://influencemap.org/insight/Repeated-Delays-Hinder-EU-Deforestation-Regulation"},{"t":"Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on the making available on the Union market and the export from the Union of certain commodities and products associated with deforestation and forest degradation","p":"European Parliament and Council of the EU (EUR-Lex)","d":"2023-05-31","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32023R1115","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"deforestation-regulation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why was the regulation postponed?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Commission's 75% cost reduction is its own estimate; no independent estimate is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the vote count of 371 to 240 on the November 2024 delay amendments.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the figure of US$3.5 billion in forest-product trade cited in the US request.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the cut-off date of 31 December 2020 was left unchanged by the postponements.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Effect of the regulation on deforestation: not measured, as it has not yet applied.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Importers and commodity exporters"]},{"id":"leonard-leo-network-anti-esg-campaign-funding","title":"Leonard Leo network and the anti-ESG campaign","dek":"A campaign against ESG investing in the United States was funded through a network linked to Leonard Leo, including Consumers' Research, which a 2026 investigation traced largely to DonorsTrust. State officials, model legislation and lawsuits followed between 2021 and 2026.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Share of Consumers' Research's 2024 funds that came from DonorsTrust","value":"65%","note":"Of the $9.34 million it raised in 2024, according to a 2026 investigation by Documented."},"happened":["ESG means the use of environmental, social and governance criteria in investment decisions. Proxy advisers recommend to institutional investors how to vote at shareholder meetings; ISS, owned by Deutsche Börse, and Glass Lewis, owned by Peloton Capital, together hold more than 90% of that US market.","The campaign presented itself as a defence against what it called woke capitalism, with stated aims of protecting energy jobs and keeping retirees' money out of politics. According to the cited sources, Leonard Leo said that businesses out of step with the feelings of most Americans should pay a price. Marble Freedom Trust, which Leo chairs, received a $1.6 billion political donation in 2020 from the Chicago industrialist Barre Seid.","According to a 2026 investigation by Documented, Consumers' Research, the public face of the campaign, received 65% of the $9.34 million it raised in 2024 and about 80% of its 2023 funds from DonorsTrust; The 85 Fund, linked to Leo, gave DonorsTrust $92.05 million. Consumers' Research also paid CRC Advisors, Leo's consulting firm, hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Consumers' Research was the top-tier sponsor of the State Financial Officers Foundation (SFOF) from 2021; the president of ALEC and a vice-president of the Heritage Foundation sat on the SFOF board.","Correspondence published by Documented with the New York Times showed that the American Petroleum Institute (API) met SFOF and state treasurers in May 2022 about the SEC climate disclosure rule, that an API regional director sent a Utah treasurer material about BlackRock, and that an SFOF policy alert carried API logos. At an ALEC meeting in July 2022, a Heritage Action representative described the coalition as an \"astroturf operation\" to which Heritage Action gave \"air cover\". The next month 19 attorneys general wrote to BlackRock, and in 2023 165 anti-ESG bills were introduced in 37 states.","In 2025 and 2026 the same organisations appeared again. Model bills presented at ALEC's December 2025 summit had versions introduced in 11 states by April 2026. Texas passed a proxy-adviser law in June 2025 that a federal court blocked as applied to ISS and Glass Lewis. A coal antitrust suit against BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street went forward, and Vanguard paid $29.5 million in February 2026 without admitting wrongdoing. A study by Garrett and Ivanov estimated that Texas municipal borrowers would pay $303–532 million in extra interest after banks withdrew from municipal bond underwriting."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Marble Freedom Trust receives a $1.6 billion political donation from Barre Seid"},{"y":2021,"t":"Consumers' Research becomes top-tier sponsor of SFOF; Texas SB 13 takes effect in September"},{"y":2022,"t":"API meets SFOF and state treasurers (May); ALEC meeting (July); 19 attorneys general write to BlackRock (August)"},{"y":2023,"t":"165 anti-ESG bills introduced in 37 states"},{"y":2025,"t":"Texas proxy-adviser law (June); court partly denies dismissal of the coal antitrust suit (August); presidential order on proxy advisers (December); ALEC summit presents two model bills (December)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Judge Albright finds SB 13 unconstitutional (4 February); Vanguard pays $29.5 million; 11 states have introduced the model bills by April; Documented investigation published 4 June"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The campaign presented itself as a defence against \"woke capitalism\", to protect energy jobs and keep retirees' money out of politics.","who":"Campaign backers, as described in the Documented investigation","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Marble Freedom Trust, chaired by Leonard Leo, received a $1.6 billion political donation from Barre Seid in 2020.","src":0},{"t":"Consumers' Research received 65% of the $9.34 million it raised in 2024, and about 80% in 2023, from DonorsTrust.","src":0},{"t":"Consumers' Research payments to CRC Advisors, Leo's consulting firm, were more than $600,000 in 2013–19, $113,000 in 2020 and $625,000 in 2021.","src":1},{"t":"Documented's 2026 review names no fossil fuel company among the donors of the Leo-linked groups.","src":0},{"t":"Heritage's past donations from Exxon and Koch, and ALEC backers including Chevron, Peabody and Koch Industries, are on record.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological outcome","v":"Not assessed","d":"The cited sources do not measure an effect on ecosystems"},{"k":"Extra municipal interest, Texas","v":"$303–532 million","d":"Estimate by Garrett and Ivanov for $32 billion of bonds in the first eight months after September 2021"}]},"unknown":["The full donor lists of SFOF and Consumers' Research are not public.","Direct donations from fossil fuel companies to the Leo-linked groups are not documented.","The donors of the Sixteen Thirty Fund and the New Venture Fund are not public; where Wyss money went is known only from statements.","Unconfirmed: that the Leo network spent more than $10 million on anti-ESG efforts (attributed to the New York Times).","Industry-aligned authors dispute the Texas interest-cost estimate; their calculation is not on record."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable; the campaign and related litigation were ongoing in 2026.","whoPaid":"Texas municipal borrowers, and so taxpayers, were estimated to pay extra interest on bonds after banks withdrew from underwriting.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: Texas SB 13 found unconstitutional and Vanguard settled for $29.5 million; the coal antitrust case continues; no ruling found on the proxy-adviser suits.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Vanguard","says":"Paid $29.5 million in February 2026 without admitting wrongdoing.","when":"2026-02","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"marble-freedom-trust","role":"Recipient of a $1.6 billion donation; chaired by Leonard Leo"},{"id":"consumers-research","role":"Public face of the campaign; sponsor of SFOF"},{"id":"state-financial-officers-foundation","role":"Network of state financial officers"},{"id":"alec","role":"Model legislation body"},{"id":"heritage-foundation","role":"Think tank represented on the SFOF board"},{"id":"american-petroleum-institute","role":"Met SFOF and state treasurers in 2022"},{"id":"blackrock","role":"Target of attorneys general letter and Texas suit"},{"id":"vanguard","role":"Settled the coal antitrust suit for $29.5 million"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the campaign a grassroots effort or industry-backed?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Documented","says":"Correspondence showed API meeting SFOF and treasurers and an SFOF alert carrying API logos; the investigation names no fossil fuel company among the Leo-linked groups' donors.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Heritage Action representative (2022)","says":"Described the coalition as an \"astroturf operation\" to which Heritage Action gave \"air cover\".","src":null}]},{"point":"What did Texas's anti-ESG banking laws cost municipalities?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Garrett and Ivanov","says":"Five banks holding about 35% of the market withdrew; municipalities were to pay $303–532 million extra interest on $32 billion of bonds in eight months.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Industry-aligned authors","says":"Dispute the calculation.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street agree to cut coal output?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Texas and other Republican-led states","says":"Alleged that the firms agreed through their climate initiatives to reduce coal production.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Federal judge (August 2025)","says":"Denied most of the motion to dismiss but noted there was no direct evidence.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vanguard","says":"Settled for $29.5 million without admitting wrongdoing.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Texas and other states v. BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street (coal antitrust)","forum":"US federal court, Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Texas and other Republican-led states","defendant":"BlackRock, Vanguard, State Street","filed":"2024","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":29.5,"currency":"USD","label":"Vanguard settlement (USD million)"},"summary":"In August 2025 the judge rejected most of the motion to dismiss but noted there was no direct evidence. Vanguard settled in February 2026 without admitting wrongdoing; the cited sources show no settlement by the other defendants.","src":4},{"title":"Challenge to Texas SB 13 (2021) restricting banks that limit fossil fuel and firearms industries","forum":"US federal court, Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"State of Texas","filed":null,"decided":"2026-02-04","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Judge Albright found SB 13 unconstitutional on 4 February 2026.","src":5},{"title":"ISS and Glass Lewis v. Texas (proxy-adviser law, June 2025)","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"ISS and Glass Lewis","defendant":"State of Texas","filed":"2025","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"A federal court stopped the law's application to the two firms in a free-speech case. Separately, four states filed a suit in May 2026 involving ISS.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"donation","value":1600,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Barre Seid's donation to Marble Freedom Trust."},{"key":"anti_esg_spending","value":10,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"over","unverified":true,"note":"Reported by ValueEdge Advisors citing the New York Times; not independently verified."},{"key":"revenue","value":9.34,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Consumers' Research funds raised in 2024; 65% from DonorsTrust."},{"key":"donorstrust_gifts","value":92.05,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Given to DonorsTrust by The 85 Fund."},{"key":"settlement","value":29.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Vanguard, without admission of wrongdoing."},{"key":"extra_interest_low","value":303,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Lower bound of the Garrett and Ivanov estimate for $32 billion of Texas municipal bonds in eight months; disputed by industry-aligned authors."},{"key":"extra_interest_high","value":532,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Upper bound of the same estimate."},{"key":"anti_esg_bills","value":165,"unit":"bills","year":2023,"note":"Introduced in 37 states."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A campaign against ESG investing funded through a network linked to Leonard Leo, with state officials, model bills and lawsuits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Leonard Leo network (Marble Freedom Trust, The 85 Fund, CRC Advisors)","what":"Marble Freedom Trust received the $1.6 billion donation; CRC Advisors received payments from Consumers' Research.","src":1},{"who":"Varidon Strategies, founded by Catherine Gunsalus","what":"Two Kansas model texts are attributed to the firm.","src":null},{"who":"Texas bond intermediaries that stayed in the market","what":"Municipalities paid more interest after rivals left.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Texas municipal borrowers and taxpayers","what":"Estimated extra interest of $303–532 million.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, especially Texas, Kansas and Utah.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2020 to 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The campaign stated aims of protecting energy jobs and keeping retirees' money out of politics.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Donations through DonorsTrust and Consumers' Research, SFOF sponsorship, ALEC model bills, attorney general letters and lawsuits.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Economic civil war: ALEC and ESG","p":"Documented","d":"2026-06-04","type":"investigative","u":"https://documented.org/investigations/economic-civil-war-alec-esg","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913201736/https://documented.org/investigations/economic-civil-war-alec-esg"},{"t":"Leonard Leo and ESG","p":"Common Dreams","d":"2023-07-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.commondreams.org/news/leonard-leo-esg","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012203824/https://www.commondreams.org/news/leonard-leo-esg"},{"t":"Leonard Leo is behind the ESG disinformation campaign","p":"ValueEdge Advisors","d":"2023-07-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://valueedgeadvisors.com/2023/07/12/leonard-leo-is-behind-the-esg-disinformation-campaign/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230719164807/https://valueedgeadvisors.com/2023/07/12/leonard-leo-is-behind-the-esg-disinformation-campaign/"},{"t":"Who still funds ALEC?","p":"Common Cause","d":"2020","u":"https://www.commoncause.org/articles/who-still-funds-alec/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260207010746/https://www.commoncause.org/articles/who-still-funds-alec/"},{"t":"Vanguard settles coal antitrust suit with Republican states for $29.5M (Texas et al. v. BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street)","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2026-03-02","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/vanguard-settles-antitrust-coal-case-texast-red-states-state-street-blackrock/813513/","type":"press"},{"t":"Texas Judge Strikes Down Anti-ESG \"Boycott\" Law (American Sustainable Business Council v. Hegar, W.D. Tex.)","p":"Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance","d":"2026-03-01","u":"https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2026/03/01/texas-judge-strikes-down-anti-esg-boycott-law/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Texas Court Blocks Enforcement of New Texas Proxy Advisor Law Against ISS and Glass Lewis","p":"Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher","d":"2025-08","u":"https://www.gibsondunn.com/texas-court-blocks-enforcement-of-new-texas-proxy-advisor-law-against-iss-and-glass-lewis/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"anti-esg-campaign","related":["texas-anti-esg-law-sb-13-and-states-suit-against-blackrock-v"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the campaign a grassroots effort or industry-backed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did Texas's anti-ESG banking laws cost municipalities?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street agree to cut coal output?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Anti esg spending: Reported by ValueEdge Advisors citing the New York Times; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The full donor lists of SFOF and Consumers' Research are not public.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Direct donations from fossil fuel companies to the Leo-linked groups are not documented.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The donors of the Sixteen Thirty Fund and the New Venture Fund are not public; where Wyss money went is known only from statements.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Leo network spent more than $10 million on anti-ESG efforts (attributed to the New York Times).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Industry-aligned authors dispute the Texas interest-cost estimate; their calculation is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: Varidon Strategies, founded by Catherine Gunsalus","No source link — Who gained: Texas bond intermediaries that stayed in the market","No source link — Who lost: Texas municipal borrowers and taxpayers"]},{"id":"chlorpyrifos-dow-findings-eu-ban-and-exports-of-banned-pesti","title":"Chlorpyrifos: exports of an EU-banned pesticide","dek":"Chlorpyrifos, an insecticide the EU no longer allows, was still notified for export from Belgium and Denmark in the second half of 2022. It was listed for global elimination under the Stockholm Convention in 2025 with 22 exempted uses.","country":"Belgium","region":"Europe","lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","role":"event"},{"country":"Denmark","iso2":"DK","role":"event"},{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","role":"affected"},{"country":"Tunisia","iso2":"TN","role":"affected"},{"country":"Bangladesh","iso2":"BD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","role":"affected"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"EU-banned chlorpyrifos notified for export, second half of 2022","value":"380+ tonnes","note":"European companies notified more than 380 tonnes; 349 tonnes (91%) came from the Belgian company of India-based UPL (Unearthed, 28 March 2023)."},"happened":["In the second half of 2022, European companies filed export notifications for more than 380 tonnes of chlorpyrifos products, according to an investigation published by Unearthed on 28 March 2023. Of that amount, 349 tonnes (91%) were notified by the Belgian company of India-based UPL. Recipients included Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Costa Rica. The investigation reported that the substance is banned in the EU, and that the EU had at the same time lowered the permitted residue of chlorpyrifos in imported food to the lowest measurable level.","A Danish exporter was owned by FMC, a United States company. FMC told Unearthed that the substance is not extremely hazardous under the criteria of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).","The export of banned pesticides from the EU was broader than chlorpyrifos. EU countries exported about 122,000 tonnes of banned pesticides in 2024, a 50% increase on 2018. About three quarters went to low- and middle-income countries, and about 15,000 tonnes went to Brazil. The European Commission had promised in 2020 to bring forward a legislative proposal by the end of 2023; the promise was not met.","In May 2025 the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants added chlorpyrifos to its global elimination list, but the number of exempted uses was raised from the 7 recommended by experts to 22."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"European Commission promises a legislative proposal on exports of banned pesticides by the end of 2023; the promise is not met"},{"y":2022,"t":"Second half: European companies notify more than 380 tonnes of chlorpyrifos exports; 349 tonnes from UPL's Belgian company"},{"y":2023,"t":"28 March: Unearthed publishes its investigation into EU-banned pesticides exported to the Global South"},{"y":2024,"t":"EU countries export about 122,000 tonnes of banned pesticides, 50% more than in 2018"},{"y":2025,"t":"May: Stockholm Convention lists chlorpyrifos for global elimination, with 22 exempted uses"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"FMC said chlorpyrifos is not extremely hazardous under FAO criteria.","who":"FMC, owner of the Danish exporter","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 380 tonnes of chlorpyrifos products were notified for export from Europe in the second half of 2022; 349 tonnes (91%) came from UPL's Belgian company.","src":0},{"t":"The EU lowered the residue limit for chlorpyrifos in imported food to the lowest measurable level.","src":0},{"t":"The Stockholm Convention listing of May 2025 carries 22 exempted uses against 7 recommended by experts.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Chlorpyrifos notified for export, H2 2022","v":"380+ t","d":"Of which UPL's Belgian company 349 t (91%)"},{"k":"Stockholm Convention exemptions","v":"22 vs 7","d":"Uses exempted at the May 2025 listing versus uses recommended by experts"},{"k":"Ecological harm data","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources give no measurement of harm to ecosystems from the exported amounts"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the EU did not renew its approval of chlorpyrifos in January 2020, citing concerns about genetic damage (genotoxicity) and brain development.","Unconfirmed: a 2018 re-analysis found that changes in brain size in the raw data of a 1998 rat study by Dow were absent from the summary given to regulators.","Unconfirmed: Corteva, the largest producer, said in 2020 that it stopped producing chlorpyrifos because of falling demand (National Observer, 9 February 2020).","Unconfirmed: India was reported to have received a five-year production exemption under the Stockholm listing.","Unconfirmed: the 2021 US ban was overturned by a court in 2023, and the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed in 2024 to keep use on 11 products.","Unconfirmed: Dow gave USD 1 million to a US presidential inauguration, and the EPA's reversal on a chlorpyrifos ban followed a meeting on an official's schedule 20 days earlier; the EPA says that meeting was cancelled.","No fine or settlement against any party concerning chlorpyrifos is on record.","The cited sources give no response from UPL."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established: the cited sources record exports in 2022 and a global listing in 2025 with exemptions, but no date on which exports of the substance from the EU stopped.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; they record no fine, settlement or compensation.","statusLine":"As of May 2025: chlorpyrifos listed under the Stockholm Convention with 22 exempted uses; no fine or settlement on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"FMC","says":"Said chlorpyrifos is not extremely hazardous under FAO criteria.","when":"2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"upl","role":"Exporter via its Belgian company"},{"id":"fmc","role":"Owner of the Danish exporter"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Largest producer (reported)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should an EU-banned insecticide be exported?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Unearthed","says":"European companies notified more than 380 tonnes of chlorpyrifos for export in the second half of 2022, while the EU limited residues in imported food to the lowest measurable level.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"FMC","says":"The substance is not extremely hazardous under FAO criteria.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Stockholm Convention","says":"Listed chlorpyrifos for global elimination in May 2025, with 22 exempted uses instead of the 7 recommended by experts.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"UPL","says":"No response on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"chlorpyrifos_export_notified_tonnes","value":380,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Export notifications by European companies, second half of 2022."},{"key":"chlorpyrifos_export_upl_tonnes","value":349,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"From UPL's Belgian company; 91% of the notified amount."},{"key":"banned_pesticide_exports_eu_tonnes","value":122000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"All banned pesticides, not chlorpyrifos alone; 50% more than in 2018; about 15,000 tonnes to Brazil."},{"key":"stockholm_exempted_uses","value":22,"unit":"uses","year":2025,"note":"Exempted uses at the May 2025 listing; experts had recommended 7."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Export from Belgium and Denmark of a pesticide the EU does not allow, and a later global listing with exemptions.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"UPL (Belgian company)","what":"Notified 349 tonnes of the 380+ tonnes of chlorpyrifos exports in the second half of 2022.","src":0},{"who":"FMC (owner of the Danish exporter)","what":"Its Danish company exported chlorpyrifos.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Exports from Belgium and Denmark to Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Costa Rica among others.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Second half of 2022; report of 28 March 2023; Stockholm listing in May 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the exporters' commercial reasons beyond FMC's statement on hazard classification.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through export notifications filed by European companies under the EU export regime.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"EU-banned pesticides exported to the Global South","p":"Unearthed (Greenpeace UK)","d":"2023-03-28","type":"investigative","u":"https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2023/03/28/eu-banned-pesticide-global-south/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416012605/https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2023/03/28/eu-banned-pesticide-global-south/"},{"t":"Corteva to stop producing chlorpyrifos","p":"National Observer","d":"2020-02-09","type":"press","u":"https://nationalobserver.com/2020/02/09/news/corteva-stop-producing-chlorpyrifos","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009132625/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/02/09/news/corteva-stop-producing-chlorpyrifos"},{"t":"Parties to the Stockholm Convention agree to phase out the highly toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos","p":"Pesticide Action Network International","d":"2025-05","u":"https://pan-international.org/parties-to-the-stockholm-convention-agree-to-phase-out-the-highly-toxic-pesticide-chlorpyrifos/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306204054/https://pan-international.org/parties-to-the-stockholm-convention-agree-to-phase-out-the-highly-toxic-pesticide-chlorpyrifos/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"pesticide-export","related":["eu-banned-pesticide-exports","paraquat-bans-uk-production-for-export-and-chinese-exports","paraquat-litigation","us-chlorpyrifos-ban-vacated"],"natureLead":{"t":"More than 380 tonnes of chlorpyrifos, an insecticide the EU no longer allows, were notified for export from Europe in the second half of 2022; no measurement of harm to my ecosystems is on record.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should an EU-banned insecticide be exported?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"UPL: No response on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the EU did not renew its approval of chlorpyrifos in January 2020, citing concerns about genetic damage (genotoxicity) and brain development.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2018 re-analysis found that changes in brain size in the raw data of a 1998 rat study by Dow were absent from the summary given to regulators.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Corteva, the largest producer, said in 2020 that it stopped producing chlorpyrifos because of falling demand (National Observer, 9 February 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: India was reported to have received a five-year production exemption under the Stockholm listing.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2021 US ban was overturned by a court in 2023, and the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed in 2024 to keep use on 11 products.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Dow gave USD 1 million to a US presidential inauguration, and the EPA's reversal on a chlorpyrifos ban followed a meeting on an official's schedule 20 days earlier; the EPA says that meeting was cancelled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No fine or settlement against any party concerning chlorpyrifos is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no response from UPL.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"atryn-goat-milk-drug-commercial-failure","title":"ATryn: a drug made in goat milk","dek":"ATryn, an antithrombin made in the milk of genetically engineered goats, was approved in the EU in 2006 and in the US in 2009. Its EU marketing authorisation was withdrawn in December 2018 for commercial reasons; it had not been sold since 2015.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":48.85,"lon":2.35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"company-home"}],"start":2006,"end":2018,"instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Years between EU approval and withdrawal of ATryn","value":"2006 to 2018","note":"EU approval July 2006; US approval 6 February 2009; EU authorisation withdrawn 22 December 2018 for commercial reasons; not sold since 2015 (EMA)."},"happened":["ATryn is a human antithrombin produced in the milk of genetically engineered goats. It was approved in the EU in July 2006. The US Food and Drug Administration approved it on 6 February 2009; Pharmaceutical Technology described it as the first biological product from a genetically engineered animal to receive such approval.","The European Medicines Agency (EMA) lists the EU marketing authorisation as withdrawn on 22 December 2018 for commercial reasons. The EMA records that ATryn had not been sold since 2015.","Further reports on US sales, the partner company and a 2010 takeover of the developer are listed under unconfirmed items."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"July: ATryn approved in the EU"},{"y":2009,"t":"6 February: US FDA approves ATryn"},{"y":2015,"t":"ATryn no longer sold in the EU (EMA)"},{"y":2018,"t":"22 December: EU marketing authorisation withdrawn for commercial reasons"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Pharmaceutical Technology reported the 2009 approval as the first biological product produced in genetically engineered animals to be approved.","who":"Pharmaceutical Technology","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The EU marketing authorisation was withdrawn on 22 December 2018 for commercial reasons; the product had not been sold since 2015.","src":1},{"t":"The US FDA approved ATryn on 6 February 2009.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Years on the EU market after the first approval, to last sale","v":"2006 to 2015","d":"Approval July 2006; not sold since 2015 (EMA)"},{"k":"Reason given for withdrawal","v":"Commercial","d":"EMA, 22 December 2018"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: US sales were only USD 1.5 million cumulatively by July 2010, and the partner Lundbeck withdrew (from a company filing known only through a secondary report).","Unconfirmed: GTC was transferred to the French company LFB in 2010 at about USD 0.30 per share, about USD 21 million in total.","Unconfirmed: according to LFB, ATryn left the US market in 2015 because the contract manufacturer doing the purification closed its plant after problems with the FDA.","The cited sources give no sales figure for the EU market."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: they record a commercial withdrawal, not harm to nature.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest EMA record in the cited sources (22 December 2018): EU marketing authorisation withdrawn for commercial reasons.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"European Medicines Agency","says":"Records the withdrawal of the EU marketing authorisation on 22 December 2018 for commercial reasons, with no sales since 2015.","when":"2018-12-22","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"gtc","role":"Company that developed ATryn"},{"id":"lfb","role":"French company that took over GTC (reported)"},{"id":"ema","role":"EU regulator that recorded the withdrawal"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ATryn, a human antithrombin made in the milk of genetically engineered goats, was approved in the EU and the US and later withdrawn from the EU market.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"EU and US approvals; the cited sources do not give the location of the goat herd.","src":null},"when":{"t":"EU approval July 2006; US approval 6 February 2009; withdrawal 22 December 2018.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The EMA gives commercial reasons.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The marketing authorisation was withdrawn after the product had not been sold since 2015.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"First protein produced in transgenic animals approved","p":"Pharmaceutical Technology","d":"2009-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.pharmtech.com/view/first-protein-produced-transgenic-animals-approved","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250915184746/https://www.pharmtech.com/view/first-protein-produced-transgenic-animals-approved"},{"t":"ATryn: EPAR (European public assessment report)","p":"European Medicines Agency","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/atryn","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250716160720/https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/EPAR/atryn"},{"t":"GTC quarterly report (Form 10-Q)","p":"GTC / US Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2010","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000904973/000119312510168672/d10q.htm"},{"t":"BioCentury article on the LFB takeover of GTC","p":"BioCentury","d":"2010-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.biocentury.com/article/186079"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biopharming","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: US sales were only USD 1.5 million cumulatively by July 2010, and the partner Lundbeck withdrew (from a company filing known only through a secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: GTC was transferred to the French company LFB in 2010 at about USD 0.30 per share, about USD 21 million in total.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: according to LFB, ATryn left the US market in 2015 because the contract manufacturer doing the purification closed its plant after problems with the FDA.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no sales figure for the EU market.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"mekong-upstream-dams-and-tonle-sap-flow-reversal-decline","title":"Mekong upstream dams and the decline of Tonle Sap flow reversal","dek":"Each monsoon the Mekong pushes the Tonle Sap River backwards into Cambodia's Tonle Sap lake. A 2022 peer-reviewed study found this reverse flow fell by 56.5% between 1962–72 and 2010–18, and attributed about 21% of the fall to dams.","country":"Cambodia","region":"Asia","lat":12.8,"lon":104.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","lat":12.8,"lon":104.1,"role":"affected"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Yunnan (upper Mekong, known as the Lancang)","role":"event"},{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":"Mekong Delta","role":"affected"}],"start":1962,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Decline in Tonle Sap reverse flow, 1962–72 to 2010–18","value":"56.5%","note":"Chua et al. 2022 (Hydrology and Earth System Sciences). The study attributed about 21% of the decline to dams."},"happened":["The Tonle Sap in Cambodia is a lake whose flow reverses each year. During the monsoon the Mekong pushes back the Tonle Sap River and the lake grows to more than three times its dry-season size, above 15,000 km². The Mekong River Commission has put the lake's annual fish catch at 150,000–550,000 tonnes, and fish provide more than 60–70% of animal protein in Cambodia. For the lower Mekong countries, the Commission's 2007 paper put the share of animal protein from fish at 47–80%.","A study by Chua and colleagues (2022, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences) found that reverse flow into the Tonle Sap fell by 56.5% between 1962–72 and 2010–18, and that the flood season shortened by 26–40 days. It attributed about 21% of the decline to dams. It named irrigation abstraction and riverbed incision as other important drivers, and found no significant trend in rainfall over 1960–2019.","In the upper basin, the Lancang (the upper Mekong in China) carries 11 dams with a combined storage of more than 47 billion m³. After the low flows of 2019, a US-funded study published through the Stimson Center in April 2020 said Chinese dams had held back water. China rejected this. The Mekong River Commission said the study used calculated rather than measured flow and that the record low came from low rainfall, but it accepted that the dams raised dry-season flows and lowered wet-season flows.","Sand extraction is the other driver the sources describe. In the Vietnamese Mekong Delta, a study published in Science Advances in July 2026 estimated average extraction of 48 million m³ a year in 2017–2021, 6–15 times natural replenishment, and attributed 25–30% of riverbed erosion and 16–30% of the rise in salinity to sand mining. In Cambodia, satellite-based work reported extraction of the Mekong rising from 24 to 59 million tonnes a year between 2016 and 2020.","A Reuters and EOMAP analysis reported in 2022 that four dams retain 81% of the Mekong's sediment. A Mekong River Commission scenario for 2040 projects a 97% fall in sediment reaching the delta and a loss of between 40% and 80% of fish biomass."],"timeline":[{"y":1962,"t":"Start of the 1962–72 baseline period used to measure Tonle Sap reverse flow"},{"y":2007,"t":"Mekong River Commission paper: fish provide 47–80% of animal protein in the lower Mekong countries"},{"y":2016,"t":"Cambodian Mekong sand extraction measured at 24 million tonnes a year (later satellite work)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Cambodia bans sand exports; the ban is lifted in 2020"},{"y":2019,"t":"Low flows in the Mekong; dispute over the role of upstream dams begins"},{"y":2020,"t":"Stimson Center publishes the study saying Chinese dams held back water (April); Cambodian extraction measured at 59 million tonnes a year"},{"y":2022,"t":"Chua et al. report a 56.5% fall in Tonle Sap reverse flow; Reuters and EOMAP report that four dams retain 81% of sediment"},{"y":2026,"t":"Science Advances study quantifies sand mining in the Vietnamese delta (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Tonle Sap reverse flow fell by 56.5% between 1962–72 and 2010–18, and the flood season shortened by 26–40 days.","src":9},{"t":"The Chua et al. study attributed about 21% of the discharge reduction at Kratie (5% at Kampong Cham) to upstream development including dams, named irrigation and riverbed incision as other drivers, and found no significant rainfall trend over 1960–2019.","src":9},{"t":"Four dams retain 81% of the Mekong's sediment (Reuters and EOMAP, 2022).","src":1},{"t":"Sand extraction in the Vietnamese delta averaged 48 million m³ a year in 2017–2021, 6–15 times natural replenishment.","src":3},{"t":"In the Vietnamese delta, 1,808 houses were lost to the river or sea in 2018–2020, and more than 600 hectares of coastal land are lost each year.","src":7},{"t":"Cambodia's Mekong and Bassac rivers carried 49 sand licences; extraction in 2020 reached 16 times natural replenishment.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tonle Sap reverse flow","v":"-56.5%","d":"1962–72 to 2010–18 (Chua et al. 2022); dams about 21% of the decline"},{"k":"Flood season","v":"26–40 days shorter","d":"Same study"},{"k":"Sediment retained at four dams","v":"81%","d":"Reuters and EOMAP, 2022"},{"k":"Sand extraction vs replenishment, Vietnamese delta","v":"6–15 times","d":"2017–2021 average of 48 million m³ a year (Science Advances, July 2026)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Peer-reviewed measurements of flow, flood-season length and sediment, as reported in the sources.","report":[{"t":"My Tonle Sap reverse flow fell by 56.5% between 1962–72 and 2010–18.","src":9},{"t":"My flood season became 26–40 days shorter.","src":9},{"t":"Four dams hold back 81% of my sediment.","src":1},{"t":"In my delta, sand has been taken at 6–15 times the rate at which I replace it.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Share of the Tonle Sap decline caused by each driver: dams account for about 21% in the Chua et al. study; the remainder is attributed to irrigation and riverbed incision without a published breakdown in the cited sources.","Who holds the sand licences and extracts sand on the Tonle Sap and Cambodian Mekong stretches: the owners are not on record for the Tonle Sap decline.","A 2025 Nature Sustainability paper (Southampton) is reported to say that riverbed lowering in 1998–2018 cut reverse flow into the Tonle Sap by 40–50% and that this would fall further by 2038.","A figure of about 6.18 million tonnes of sand entering the delta each year against about 50 million tonnes extracted is reported from a summary of a 2020 Nature Sustainability paper; it is unconfirmed.","Whether the Mekong River Commission's 2040 sediment and fish-biomass scenario figures (97% and 40–80%) have been independently checked is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no measure that has stopped the decline; the cited studies describe the driver trends as continuing.","whoPaid":"The cited sources point to lower-basin fishing communities and delta residents, including 1,808 houses lost in the Vietnamese delta in 2018–2020.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: studies attribute the decline to dams, irrigation abstraction and sand-driven riverbed incision; the attribution to Chinese dams was disputed by China in 2019–2020 and no ruling or settlement was found.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"China (government)","says":"Rejected the 2020 study's conclusion that its upstream dams held back water in the 2019 low-flow period.","when":"2020","src":null},{"actor":"Mekong River Commission","says":"Said the 2020 study used calculated flow and that the record low came from low rainfall, while accepting that the dams raised dry-season flows and lowered wet-season flows.","when":"2020","src":null},{"actor":"Cambodia, Director General of Mines (Ung Dipola)","says":"Said riverbank erosion does not come from sand and that sand dredging has taken only about 4% of the river.","when":"2022","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"mekong-river-commission","role":"Intergovernmental river basin body; source of fish and scenario figures"},{"id":"china-gov","role":"Operator of the upper Mekong (Lancang) dams; rejected the 2019 low-flow attribution"},{"id":"stimson-center","role":"Think tank that published the 2020 study"},{"id":"cambodia-mines-department","role":"Sand-mining regulator"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did upstream Chinese dams cause the low Mekong flows of 2019?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Stimson Center (US-funded study)","says":"Concluded that Chinese dams held back water in 2019.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"China","says":"Rejected the conclusion.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"Mekong River Commission","says":"Said the study used calculated flow and the record low came from rainfall; accepted that the dams raised dry-season flows and lowered wet-season flows.","src":null}]},{"point":"What explains the decline in Tonle Sap reverse flow?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Chua et al. (2022)","says":"Dams explain about 21% of the 56.5% decline; irrigation and riverbed incision are the other important drivers; no significant rainfall trend over 1960–2019.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Earth Observatory of Singapore and NTU","says":"In the Vietnamese delta, sand mining accounts for 25–30% of riverbed erosion and 16–30% of the rise in salinity.","src":4}]},{"point":"Is sand extraction behind the erosion of Mekong riverbanks in Cambodia?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ung Dipola, Cambodia's Director General of Mines","says":"Said the erosion does not come from sand and that dredging has taken about 4% of the river.","src":6},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Reported 49 licences on the Mekong and Bassac rivers and extraction in 2020 at 16 times natural replenishment.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Singapore Earth Observatory and NTU compilation","says":"Reported about 20 million tonnes a year permitted against more than 50 million tonnes a year extracted on the main stem of the Mekong, about 60% of it illegal.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"reverse_flow_decline_pct","value":56.5,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Tonle Sap reverse flow, 1962–72 to 2010–18 (Chua et al. 2022)."},{"key":"reverse_flow_decline_dam_share_pct","value":21,"unit":"%","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the decline the same study attributes to dams."},{"key":"flood_season_shortening_days","value":"26–40","unit":"days","year":2018,"note":"Shortening of the flood season in the same study."},{"key":"upper_dams_storage_bn_m3","value":47000000000,"unit":"m³","qualifier":"more than","note":"Storage of 11 dams on the Lancang (upper Mekong)."},{"key":"sediment_retained_pct","value":81,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Retained at four dams (Reuters and EOMAP)."},{"key":"sand_extracted_vietnam_delta_m3","value":48000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2021,"note":"Average 2017–2021, 6–15 times natural replenishment."},{"key":"sand_extracted_cambodia_mekong_mt","value":59000000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2020,"note":"Up from 24 million tonnes in 2016 (satellite-based estimate)."},{"key":"houses_lost","value":1808,"unit":"houses","year":2020,"note":"Vietnamese Mekong Delta, 2018–2020."},{"key":"reverse_flow_decline_bed_lowering_pct","value":"40–50","unit":"%","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Riverbed lowering 1998–2018."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The reverse flow from the Mekong into Cambodia's Tonle Sap fell by 56.5% between 1962–72 and 2010–18, and the flood season shortened by 26–40 days.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operators of upper-basin (Lancang) hydropower in Yunnan, China","what":"Operate 11 dams with more than 47 billion m³ of storage.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Tonle Sap fishers and lower-basin communities","what":"Fish provide more than 60–70% of animal protein in Cambodia; annual catch has been put at 150,000–550,000 tonnes.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of the Vietnamese Mekong Delta","what":"1,808 houses lost to the river or sea in 2018–2020; more than 600 hectares of coastal land lost each year.","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Tonle Sap lake and river, Cambodia; upper Mekong (Lancang), Yunnan, China; Mekong Delta, Vietnam.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Measured between 1962–72 and 2010–18; dam dispute from the 2019 low flows.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Dams, irrigation abstraction and riverbed incision from sand mining are the drivers named in the sources; rainfall showed no significant trend over 1960–2019.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Dams store and release water; irrigation takes water from the river; sand extraction lowers the riverbed.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"New evidence: how China turned off the Mekong tap","p":"Stimson Center (Eyes on Earth)","d":"2020-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.stimson.org/2020/new-evidence-how-china-turned-off-the-mekong-tap/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012210850/https://www.stimson.org/2020/new-evidence-how-china-turned-off-the-mekong-tap/"},{"t":"Chinese dams ruin Mekong river delta farmers (Reuters, with EOMAP analysis)","p":"BusinessDay (via Reuters)","d":"2022-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2022-12-15-chinese-dams-ruin-mekong-river-delta-farmers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306234444/https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2022-12-15-chinese-dams-ruin-mekong-river-delta-farmers/"},{"t":"Mekong River Commission technical paper on fisheries and food (2007)","p":"Mekong River Commission","d":"2007","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://archive.iwlearn.org/mrcmekong.org/free_download/Tech16_split.htm"},{"t":"Sand mining is destabilising the Mekong Delta far more than previously understood","p":"Nanyang Technological University (NIE)","d":"2026-07","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/news-events/news/detail/sand-mining-is-destabilising-the-mekong-delta-far-more-than-previously-understood--nie--ntu-singapore-study-finds","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260806135344/https://www.ntu.edu.sg/nie/news-events/news/detail/sand-mining-is-destabilising-the-mekong-delta-far-more-than-previously-understood--nie--ntu-singapore-study-finds"},{"t":"Counterfactual modeling isolates sand mining impacts, revealing it as a key driver of Mekong Delta destabilization","p":"Earth Observatory of Singapore","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://earthobservatory.sg/research/publications/counterfactual-modeling-isolates-sand-mining-impacts-revealing-it-as-a-key-driver-of-mekong-delta-destabilization"},{"t":"River sand mining outstrips nature's supply: study","p":"Earth Observatory of Singapore","d":"2026-07-22","type":"academic","u":"https://earthobservatory.sg/news/news/river-sand-mining-outstrips-nature-s-supply-study"},{"t":"Mining the Mekong: land and livelihoods lost to Cambodia's thirst for sand","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-08-29","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713001805/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mining-the-mekong-land-and-livelihoods-lost-to-cambodias-thirst-for-sand/"},{"t":"In Vietnam's Mekong Delta, sand mining means lost homes and fortunes","p":"Eco-Business (Mekong Eye)","d":"2022-07-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eco-business.com/id/news/in-vietnams-mekong-delta-sand-mining-means-lost-homes-and-fortunes/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418230732/https://www.eco-business.com/id/news/in-vietnams-mekong-delta-sand-mining-means-lost-homes-and-fortunes/"},{"t":"Mekong Delta loses 600 ha of land every year due to landslide","p":"Radio Free Asia (Vietnamese service)","d":"2024-08-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/mekong-delta-loses-600-ha-of-land-every-year-due-to-landslide-08242024083025.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813044647/https://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/news/vietnamnews/mekong-delta-loses-600-ha-of-land-every-year-due-to-landslide-08242024083025.html"},{"t":"Drastic decline of flood pulse in the Cambodian floodplains (Mekong River and Tonle Sap system)","p":"Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (Chua, Lu, Oeurng, Sok, Grundy-Warr)","d":"2022-02-07","u":"https://hess.copernicus.org/articles/26/609/2022/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mekong-sand-mining","cambodian-sand-exports-to-singapore","mekong-dams-sediment-trapping"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did upstream Chinese dams cause the low Mekong flows of 2019?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What explains the decline in Tonle Sap reverse flow?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is sand extraction behind the erosion of Mekong riverbanks in Cambodia?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Reverse flow decline bed lowering pct: Riverbed lowering 1998–2018.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Share of the Tonle Sap decline caused by each driver: dams account for about 21% in the Chua et al. study; the remainder is attributed to irrigation and riverbed incision without a published breakdown in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who holds the sand licences and extracts sand on the Tonle Sap and Cambodian Mekong stretches: the owners are not on record for the Tonle Sap decline.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A 2025 Nature Sustainability paper (Southampton) is reported to say that riverbed lowering in 1998–2018 cut reverse flow into the Tonle Sap by 40–50% and that this would fall further by 2038.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A figure of about 6.18 million tonnes of sand entering the delta each year against about 50 million tonnes extracted is reported from a summary of a 2020 Nature Sustainability paper; it is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Mekong River Commission's 2040 sediment and fish-biomass scenario figures (97% and 40–80%) have been independently checked is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Operators of upper-basin (Lancang) hydropower in Yunnan, China","No source link — Who lost: Tonle Sap fishers and lower-basin communities"]},{"id":"lapindo-mud-flow","title":"Lapindo mud flow (Sidoarjo, Indonesia)","dek":"A mud eruption beside a gas well drilled by Lapindo Brantas in East Java began in 2006, swallowed twelve villages and was still flowing in its twentieth year. In 2009 the Supreme Court saw no compensation liability and police closed their investigation for lack of evidence; in 2015 the state lent the company money to pay compensation.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-7.53,"lon":112.71,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Sidoarjo, East Java","lat":-7.53,"lon":112.71,"role":"event"},{"country":"Jersey","iso2":"JE","role":"company-home"}],"start":2006,"end":2020,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Repaid by 2019 against a 2015 state loan to the company","value":"5 billion of 773 billion rupiah","note":"As reported by Kontan; figures are the sources' own, not an estimate."},"happened":["In 2006 hot mud began to flow beside a gas well drilled by Lapindo Brantas in Sidoarjo, East Java. The mud swallowed twelve villages and was still flowing in the twentieth year. Lapindo Brantas belonged to the Bakrie family. Aburizal Bakrie was at the time Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and later became chair of the Golkar party.","On 22 November 2006 a gas pipeline under the dike holding back the mud exploded. Thirteen people died, most of them soldiers sent to reinforce the dike. The cited sources record no crime name for the deaths and no prosecution for them.","The company's first account was that the Yogyakarta earthquake two days earlier had triggered the eruption. In 2007 the State Audit Agency (BPK) counted many rule violations in the drilling. In 2008 the government declared the event a natural disaster. In April 2009 the Supreme Court again called it a natural disaster and saw no compensation liability. In August 2009 East Java police closed the file on 13 suspects, including Lapindo's general manager Imam Pria Agustino, for insufficient evidence. The cause, drilling or earthquake, remains a matter of scientific debate in the cited sources.","Four months after the eruption, Lapindo was sold for $2 to a Jersey-registered company owned by the Bakrie family. A government decree divided the affected area: Lapindo was to pay inside the core area and the state outside it. When Lapindo could not complete its payments, the Finance Ministry opened a loan to the company in 2015 of 773 billion rupiah, and victims were paid from it. By 2019 the company had repaid 5 billion rupiah. The State Audit Agency's claim was put at 1.91 trillion rupiah, and the company proposed to settle the rest with physical assets.","Television channels owned by the Bakrie family, TVOne and ANTV, called the event the 'Sidoarjo mud' rather than the Lapindo mud. Research from ISEAS (2022) and a statement from Universitas Gadjah Mada describe this naming as a framing that moved the company's name out of the coverage.","In October 2022 the Finance Ministry's Directorate General of State Assets gave the Attorney General's Office authority to pursue Lapindo's repayment. The 2021 central government financial report put the company's debt at Rp 2.55 trillion at the end of 2021, up from Rp 2.23 trillion a year earlier; the principal was Rp 773 billion and the rest interest and late-payment penalties, Katadata reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Mud begins to flow beside the Lapindo Brantas gas well; on 22 November a gas pipeline under the dike explodes and 13 people die"},{"y":2007,"t":"State Audit Agency (BPK) counts many rule violations in the drilling"},{"y":2008,"t":"Government declares the event a natural disaster"},{"y":2009,"t":"Supreme Court calls it a natural disaster (April) and sees no compensation liability; police close the investigation of 13 suspects for insufficient evidence (August)"},{"y":2015,"t":"Finance Ministry opens a state loan of 773 billion rupiah to Lapindo to pay victims"},{"y":2019,"t":"Company has repaid 5 billion rupiah of the loan"},{"y":2020,"t":"Government considers new options to collect the debt (Jakarta Post, December)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Finance Ministry gives the Attorney General's Office authority to collect Lapindo's debt of Rp 2.55 trillion (October)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The eruption was triggered by the Yogyakarta earthquake two days earlier, and was a natural disaster.","who":"Lapindo Brantas; later the government (2008) and the Supreme Court (2009)","src":null},{"t":"The event was named for the place, 'Sidoarjo mud', rather than for the company.","who":"TVOne and ANTV (owned by the Bakrie family)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"13 people died on 22 November 2006 when a gas pipeline under the mud dike exploded; most were soldiers sent to strengthen the dike.","src":4},{"t":"The State Audit Agency counted many rule violations in the drilling in 2007.","src":5},{"t":"Police closed the file on 13 suspects, including Lapindo's general manager, in August 2009 for insufficient evidence.","src":6},{"t":"The state loan to the company was 773 billion rupiah in 2015; 5 billion rupiah had been repaid by 2019.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"IDR","window":"2015–2019","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Villages swallowed by mud","v":"12","d":"Still flowing in the twentieth year"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No assessment of harm to nature is in the cited sources"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text, not in figures: the eruption and its extent are described in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"Hot mud came up beside a gas well in 2006 and swallowed twelve villages.","src":5},{"t":"The mud was still flowing in the twentieth year.","src":4}]},"unknown":["The cause of the eruption, drilling or earthquake, is described as a matter of scientific debate.","The outcome of Walhi's application to the anti-corruption commission is not on record.","The loan outstanding is reported as 773 billion rupiah in one source and as 781 billion rupiah in another.","What became of the state's collection of the debt after October 2022, and of the company's offer to settle the remainder with physical assets, is not on record.","No prosecution is on record for the 13 deaths."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The mud was still flowing in the twentieth year.","whoPaid":"The state paid compensation outside the core area and lent the company money for the rest, and 5 billion rupiah of the 773 billion rupiah loan had been repaid by 2019.","statusLine":"As of October 2022: the Finance Ministry had given the Attorney General's Office authority to pursue repayment, and the debt stood at Rp 2.55 trillion at the end of 2021, according to Katadata.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Lapindo Brantas","says":"Said the eruption was triggered by the Yogyakarta earthquake two days earlier.","when":"2006","src":null},{"actor":"Government of Indonesia","says":"Declared the event a natural disaster by government decision.","when":"2008","src":null},{"actor":"Lapindo Brantas","says":"Proposed to settle the remaining debt with physical assets.","when":"2019–2020","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"lapindo-brantas","role":"Gas well operator; mud eruption beside its well"},{"id":"bakrie-family","role":"Owners of Lapindo Brantas and of the TVOne and ANTV channels"},{"id":"bpk-indonesia","role":"State Audit Agency; counted rule violations and claimed the loan balance"},{"id":"indonesia-finance-ministry","role":"Lender of the 2015 state loan"},{"id":"tvone","role":"Television channel owned by the Bakrie family"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What triggered the mud eruption?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Lapindo Brantas","says":"Said the Yogyakarta earthquake two days earlier triggered it.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Audit Agency (BPK)","says":"Counted many rule violations in the drilling in 2007.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","says":"Called it a natural disaster in April 2009 and saw no compensation liability.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Scientists","says":"The cause, drilling or earthquake, is a matter of scientific debate.","src":null}]},{"point":"Should the event be called the Lapindo mud or the Sidoarjo mud?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"TVOne and ANTV (Bakrie family)","says":"Named the event after the place, the Sidoarjo mud.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"ISEAS (2022)","says":"Describes the naming as part of a Lapindo framing in the Indonesian media.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Universitas Gadjah Mada (editorial board statement)","says":"Described media affiliation with political parties as producing politically coloured reporting, and gave the Lapindo and Sidoarjo naming as an example.","src":3}]},{"point":"Who pays for compensation and how much of the state loan has been repaid?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Finance Ministry and State Audit Agency","says":"Lent 773 billion rupiah in 2015 and put its claim at 1.91 trillion rupiah.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kontan","says":"Reported that Lapindo had repaid 5 billion rupiah to the government.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lapindo Brantas","says":"Proposed to cover the remainder with physical assets.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Supreme Court ruling on the mud eruption","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"civil","claimant":"Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), according to The Jakarta Post (8 August 2009)","defendant":"Lapindo Brantas","filed":null,"decided":"2009-04","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Supreme Court again called the eruption a natural disaster and saw no compensation liability.","src":5},{"title":"Police investigation of 13 suspects","forum":"East Java police","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (police investigation)","defendant":"13 suspects, including Lapindo's general manager Imam Pria Agustino","filed":null,"decided":"2009-08","status":"dismissed","summary":"Police closed the file for insufficient evidence. No one was prosecuted.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":13,"unit":"people","year":2006,"note":"Gas pipeline explosion under the mud dike, 22 November 2006; most were soldiers."},{"key":"villages_swallowed","value":12,"unit":"villages","year":2006,"note":"Swallowed by the mud."},{"key":"state_loan","value":773,"unit":"IDR billion","year":2015,"note":"Finance Ministry loan to Lapindo; another source gives 781 billion rupiah."},{"key":"loan_repaid","value":5,"unit":"IDR billion","year":2019,"note":"Repaid by Lapindo by 2019 (Kontan)."},{"key":"audit_claim","value":1.91,"unit":"IDR trillion","year":2020,"note":"State Audit Agency claim."},{"key":"sale_price","value":2,"unit":"USD","year":2007,"note":"Price at which Lapindo was sold to a Bakrie-owned Jersey company; sources give 'four months after' the mud began."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hot mud erupted beside a gas well drilled by Lapindo Brantas in Sidoarjo from 2006 and swallowed twelve villages.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bakrie family companies","what":"Lapindo was sold for $2 to a Bakrie-owned Jersey company; by 2019 the company had repaid 5 billion rupiah of a 773 billion rupiah state loan.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of twelve villages","what":"Villages swallowed by the mud.","src":null},{"who":"State budget","what":"Lent 773 billion rupiah to the company in 2015 and carries a claim of 1.91 trillion rupiah.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"13 people killed in the pipeline explosion","what":"Died on 22 November 2006, most of them soldiers sent to reinforce the dike.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 2006; still flowing in the twentieth year.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cause, drilling or earthquake, is disputed.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hot mud flowed from beside a gas well during drilling by Lapindo Brantas.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Lapindo Baru bayar utang Rp 5 miliar ke pemerintah","p":"Kontan","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://nasional.kontan.co.id/news/lapindo-baru-bayar-utang-rp-5-miliar-ke-pemerintah","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221001153829/https://nasional.kontan.co.id/news/lapindo-baru-bayar-utang-rp-5-miliar-ke-pemerintah"},{"t":"Govt mulls new options to collect debt payment from Bakries' Lapindo","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2020-12-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/12/04/govt-mulls-new-options-to-collect-debt-payment-from-bakries-lapindo"},{"t":"The media landscape in Indonesia: the more things change, the more they stay the same","p":"ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS Perspective)","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/iseas-perspective/2022-77-the-media-landscape-in-indonesia-the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same-by-sofie-syarief/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261014102426/https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/iseas-perspective/2022-77-the-media-landscape-in-indonesia-the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same-by-sofie-syarief/"},{"t":"Afiliasi media parpol jadikan pemberitaan bernuansa politis","p":"Universitas Gadjah Mada","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/4515-afiliasi-media-parpol-jadikan-pemberitaan-bernuansa-politis","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230531103129/https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/4515-afiliasi-media-parpol-jadikan-pemberitaan-bernuansa-politis"},{"t":"Indonesians mark 20 years since mud volcano eruption swallowed up entire communities in East Java","p":"Associated Press (via WTOP)","d":"2026-05-29","u":"https://wtop.com/world/2026/05/residents-mark-20th-anniversary-of-indonesia-mud-volcano-eruption-that-swallowed-up-entire-villages/","type":"press"},{"t":"Mudflow erupting after 7 years","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2013-03-05","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/05/mudflow-erupting-after-7-years","type":"press"},{"t":"Police drop criminal probe of Lapindo over mudflow","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2009-08-08","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08/08/police-drop-criminal-probe-lapindo-over-mudflow","type":"press"},{"t":"Indonesian pipeline blast kills 8, mud flow blamed","p":"Reuters (via ReliefWeb)","d":"2006-11-23","u":"https://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/indonesian-pipeline-blast-kills-8-mud-flow-blamed","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516180307/https://reliefweb.int/report/indonesia/indonesian-pipeline-blast-kills-8-mud-flow-blamed"},{"t":"Kemenkeu Minta Bantuan Kejagung Tagih Lapindo Bayar Utang Rp 2,5 T","p":"Katadata","d":"2022-10-14","u":"https://katadata.co.id/amp/finansial/makro/6349582ed80f2/kemenkeu-minta-bantuan-kejagung-tagih-lapindo-bayar-utang-rp-2-5-t","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"state-debt","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What triggered the mud eruption?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the event be called the Lapindo mud or the Sidoarjo mud?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who pays for compensation and how much of the state loan has been repaid?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cause of the eruption, drilling or earthquake, is described as a matter of scientific debate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Walhi's application to the anti-corruption commission is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The loan outstanding is reported as 773 billion rupiah in one source and as 781 billion rupiah in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What became of the state's collection of the debt after October 2022, and of the company's offer to settle the remainder with physical assets, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No prosecution is on record for the 13 deaths.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Residents of twelve villages","No source link — Who harmed: 13 people killed in the pipeline explosion"]},{"id":"mozambique-lng-environmental-assessment","title":"Mozambique LNG environmental assessment (ERM)","dek":"ERM, a consultancy about 60% owned by the private equity firm KKR, prepared the environmental impact assessment for the Mozambique LNG project for Anadarko and Eni. A 2024 Drilled report examined the project manager's later move to Anadarko and TotalEnergies; ERM rejects the conflict-of-interest claim.","country":"Mozambique","region":"Africa","lat":-10.75,"lon":40.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","lat":-10.75,"lon":40.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company-home"}],"start":2014,"end":2024,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"KKR's stake in ERM, bought in May 2021","value":"about 60%","note":"The deal valued the company at $2.85 billion (Globe and Mail, May 2021)."},"happened":["ERM prepared the environmental impact assessment for the Mozambique LNG project for Anadarko and Eni. The project manager who coordinated the assessment later worked as an environmental adviser at Anadarko and then at TotalEnergies. ERM rejects the suggestion that this created a conflict of interest.","In May 2021 the private equity firm KKR bought about 60% of ERM, valuing the company at $2.85 billion. KKR also held stakes in Anadarko projects and has a majority stake in TC Energy's Coastal GasLink pipeline. A civil-society report cited by the Drilled outlet in 2024 said KKR had invested in about 200 fossil-fuel assets with annual emissions of about 93 million tonnes."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Period dated for the ERM assessment and the project manager's later moves (Drilled, 2014 / 2024)"},{"y":2021,"t":"KKR buys about 60% of ERM, valuing the company at $2.85 billion (May)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Drilled publishes its report on ERM, the Mozambique LNG assessment and KKR's fossil assets"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"ERM prepared the Mozambique LNG environmental impact assessment for Anadarko and Eni.","src":0},{"t":"The ERM project manager who coordinated the assessment later worked as an environmental adviser at Anadarko, then at TotalEnergies.","src":0},{"t":"KKR owns about 60% of ERM; the May 2021 deal valued the company at $2.85 billion.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Findings of the Mozambique LNG assessment on nature","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources do not state what the assessment found about the project's effects on nature"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state what the Mozambique LNG assessment found about effects on nature.","The purchase price of KKR's stake in ERM was not disclosed; the reported company value was $2.85 billion.","The cited sources do not show that KKR's ownership changed any specific ERM report.","A trade publication is reported to describe oil and gas as the largest slice of ERM's portfolio, without giving a percentage; this is unconfirmed.","MUFG is reported by Zitamar to be a lender to Mozambique LNG; this is unconfirmed."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record concerns the authorship and ownership of the assessment, not a recorded harm.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not state who paid ERM for the assessment.","statusLine":"As of 2024: ERM rejects the conflict-of-interest claim raised in the Drilled report; no ruling or review outcome was found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"ERM","says":"Rejects the suggestion of a conflict of interest.","when":"2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"erm","role":"Consultancy that prepared the Mozambique LNG environmental impact assessment"},{"id":"kkr","role":"Private equity owner of about 60% of ERM"},{"id":"anadarko","role":"Developer for whom the assessment was prepared; later employer of the assessment's project manager"},{"id":"eni","role":"Developer for whom the assessment was prepared"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Later employer of the assessment's project manager"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the assessment's author have a conflict of interest?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Drilled","says":"Reported that the ERM project manager who coordinated the assessment later worked for Anadarko and TotalEnergies, and that KKR, ERM's majority owner, held fossil-fuel assets.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"ERM","says":"Rejects the conflict-of-interest claim.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"stake_pct","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"KKR's stake in ERM."},{"key":"company_value","value":2850,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Reported value of ERM in the May 2021 deal."},{"key":"kkr_fossil_assets","value":200,"unit":"assets","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fossil-fuel assets KKR had invested in, per a civil-society report cited by Drilled."},{"key":"kkr_fossil_emissions_mt","value":93000000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Annual emissions of those assets, same report."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ERM prepared the environmental impact assessment for the Mozambique LNG project for Anadarko and Eni.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ERM","what":"Authored the assessment for Anadarko and Eni; majority owned by KKR since May 2021.","src":1},{"who":"KKR","what":"Owns about 60% of ERM and held stakes in Anadarko projects.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mozambique.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Assessment dated 2014 and report dated 2024 in the sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A consultancy prepared the assessment for the project's developers.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Drilled: report on Mozambique LNG, TotalEnergies and the ERM assessment","p":"Drilled","d":"2024","type":"investigative","u":"https://drilled.media/news/total-mozambique","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311015808/https://drilled.media/news/total-mozambique"},{"t":"OMERS, AIMCo sell majority stake in Britain's ERM to KKR","p":"The Globe and Mail","d":"2021-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-omers-aimco-sell-majority-stake-in-britains-erm-to-kkr","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220517112019/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-omers-aimco-sell-majority-stake-in-britains-erm-to-kkr/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"environmental-assessment","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the assessment's author have a conflict of interest?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state what the Mozambique LNG assessment found about effects on nature.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The purchase price of KKR's stake in ERM was not disclosed; the reported company value was $2.85 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show that KKR's ownership changed any specific ERM report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A trade publication is reported to describe oil and gas as the largest slice of ERM's portfolio, without giving a percentage; this is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"MUFG is reported by Zitamar to be a lender to Mozambique LNG; this is unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bezos-earth-fund-first-grants-and-sbti-funding","title":"Bezos Earth Fund: first grants and SBTi funding","dek":"In November 2020 the Bezos Earth Fund made a first round of grants of $791 million to 16 organisations, $100 million each to five of them. It was also a core funder of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), which validates company climate targets.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2020-11","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"First-round grants, November 2020","value":"$791m to 16 organisations","note":"$100m each to The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, EDF, WRI and WWF. Figure as reported by Quartz."},"happened":["In November 2020 the Bezos Earth Fund made its first round of grants: $791 million to 16 organisations. The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and WWF received $100 million each. The fund is financed from the wealth of Jeff Bezos, whose fortune comes from Amazon, and has been described in the cited sources as a $10 billion commitment.","By September 2026, Fortune reported, about $2.4 billion had been given and $7.6 billion remained. Grants fell to $183 million in 2025 and were reported to be at least $400 million in 2026. The fund's foundation was recognised in January 2024 as a private foundation with 501(c)(3) status. Its 2024 tax return, as reported by ProPublica and InfluenceWatch, showed $24.5 million in expenses, $223,491 in assets and pay of $817,660 to its chief executive, Andrew Steer. Most of the roughly $2.4 billion in grants announced does not appear on that return. InfluenceWatch reported that more than 99% of the foundation's spending went as consulting fees to a separate company, Bezos Earth Fund LLC.","The fund was one of two core funders of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), a UK-based body that validates whether company climate targets are consistent with the Paris Agreement. In 2021 the Bezos Earth Fund and the IKEA Foundation each gave $18 million, and ESG Today reported SBTi grants of $37 million in total. In 2023 core grants made up 45% of SBTi's income, according to REDD-Monitor. In 2024 core grants were 72.8% of income, fees paid by companies to SBTi Services Limited 24.6% and project grants 2.6%. SBTi has said that income from companies has no effect on its target decisions.","On 9 April 2024 the SBTi board issued a statement opening the way to the use of environmental attribute certificates, including carbon credits, for supply-chain (scope 3) emissions. It had not consulted staff or the Technical Council. Twenty-one advisers asked for the statement to be withdrawn, staff asked for the chief executive's removal, and the chief executive, Luiz Amaral, stepped down in July 2024. REDD-Monitor, citing the Financial Times and Bloomberg, reported that the Bezos Earth Fund had convened the SBTi board and donors in London in March 2024 to argue for the use of credits and had influenced the decision. The fund denies this. The fund's $18 million grant ended in December 2024 and was not renewed; the fund said it ended as planned, and critics linked its end to the political climate in Washington."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"November: first round of grants, $791m to 16 organisations; five receive $100m each"},{"y":2021,"t":"Bezos Earth Fund and IKEA Foundation each give $18m to SBTi"},{"y":2023,"t":"August: Amazon's SBTi commitment removed after it did not submit targets in time; September: Francesco Starace becomes SBTi board chair"},{"y":2024,"t":"January: fund's foundation recognised as a 501(c)(3) private foundation; March: London meeting on carbon-credit use reported; 9 April: SBTi board statement on scope 3 credits; July: SBTi chief executive steps down; December: fund's $18m SBTi grant ends"},{"y":2026,"t":"September: Fortune reports about $2.4bn given and $7.6bn remaining"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"SBTi presents its approval as science-based and states that income from companies has no effect on target decisions.","who":"SBTi (How we are funded)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"First round, November 2020: $791m to 16 organisations; TNC, NRDC, EDF, WRI and WWF received $100m each.","src":0},{"t":"About $2.4bn given and $7.6bn remaining by September 2026; grants $183m in 2025 and at least $400m in 2026.","src":3},{"t":"2024 tax return: $24.5m expenses, $223,491 assets, $817,660 pay to the chief executive; most of the announced grants do not appear on the return.","src":2},{"t":"SBTi income 2024: 72.8% core grants, 24.6% company approval fees, 2.6% project grants.","src":6},{"t":"In 2021 the Bezos Earth Fund and the IKEA Foundation each gave SBTi $18m; the fund's grant ended in December 2024.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"First-round grants","v":"$791m","d":"16 organisations; $100m each to five (Quartz, 2020)"},{"k":"Given by September 2026","v":"About $2.4bn","d":"Of a reported $10bn commitment (Fortune, 2026)"},{"k":"SBTi core-grant share of income","v":"72.8%","d":"2024 (SBTi, How we are funded)"}]},"unknown":["Most of the roughly $2.4 billion in grants announced does not appear on the foundation's 2024 tax return.","Whether the fund influenced the SBTi board's April 2024 statement: the claim comes from secondary reports citing unnamed sources, and the fund denies it.","Unconfirmed: criticism that the first round gave most of its money to the five largest, already visible, organisations.","Whether the SBTi board statement of April 2024 led to a final rule on carbon-credit use: SBTi added three days later that the standard was unchanged, and no final rule was confirmed."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The fund's $18 million SBTi grant ended in December 2024.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not identify a party that bore a cost; the sources describe donations from the fund and the IKEA Foundation to SBTi.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the fund reported about $2.4bn given of a $10bn commitment; its SBTi grant ended in December 2024.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"bezos-earth-fund","says":"Denies a link between its March 2024 London meeting and the SBTi board's April 2024 statement.","when":"2024","src":4},{"actor":"bezos-earth-fund","says":"Said the SBTi grant ended as planned.","when":"December 2024","src":null},{"actor":"sbti","says":"Said income from companies has no effect on target decisions; three days after the April 2024 board statement it added that the standard had not changed.","when":"2024","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"bezos-earth-fund","role":"Funder: first-round grants and core SBTi grant"},{"id":"sbti","role":"Standard-setter for company climate targets; grant recipient"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Recipient of $100m (first round)"},{"id":"wri","role":"Recipient of $100m (first round)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the Bezos Earth Fund influence the SBTi board's April 2024 statement on carbon credits?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"REDD-Monitor, citing the Financial Times and Bloomberg","says":"Reported that the fund convened the board and donors in London in March 2024, argued for carbon credits and influenced the decision. The claim rests on unnamed sources.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bezos Earth Fund","says":"Denies a link between the meeting and the statement.","src":4},{"voice":"standard","holder":"SBTi","says":"Said three days after the board statement that the standard had not changed.","src":null}]},{"point":"Why did the fund's SBTi grant end in December 2024?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bezos Earth Fund","says":"Said the grant ended as planned.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Critics","says":"Linked the end of the grant to the political climate in Washington.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the April 2024 board statement a science-based decision?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Doreen Stabinsky, Technical Council member","says":"Said the decision was not science-based.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"SBTi board","says":"Issued the statement opening the way to certificates for scope 3 emissions without consulting staff or the Technical Council.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"first_round_grants","value":791,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"First round to 16 organisations."},{"key":"grant_per_organisation","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Each to TNC, NRDC, EDF, WRI and WWF."},{"key":"grants_given_total","value":2400,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Given by September 2026; $7.6bn remaining."},{"key":"grants_2025","value":183,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Grants fell in 2025."},{"key":"grants_2026","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Reported level in 2026."},{"key":"sbti_grant","value":18,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Bezos Earth Fund grant; the IKEA Foundation also gave $18m. Ended December 2024."},{"key":"foundation_expenses","value":24.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Per the foundation's 2024 return."},{"key":"foundation_assets","value":223491,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Per the foundation's 2024 return."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Bezos Earth Fund made a first round of grants of $791 million to 16 organisations in November 2020, including $100 million each to five large organisations, and was a core funder of SBTi, the body that validates company climate targets.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, EDF, WRI and WWF","what":"$100 million each in the first round.","src":0},{"who":"SBTi","what":"Core grants from the fund and the IKEA Foundation, $18 million each in 2021; core grants were 72.8% of 2024 income.","src":7}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (fund); United Kingdom (SBTi board meeting in London, 2024).","src":4},"when":{"t":"November 2020 (first round); 2021 (SBTi grants); March to April 2024 (London meeting and board statement); December 2024 (SBTi grant ends).","src":5},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the fund's selection criteria for the first round.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Grants made through a US private foundation recognised in January 2024 and a separate company, Bezos Earth Fund LLC; most of the announced grants do not appear on the foundation's 2024 return.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund makes him the biggest climate activist backer","p":"Quartz","d":"2020-11-16","type":"press","u":"https://qz.com/1934403/bezos-earth-fund-makes-him-the-biggest-climate-activist-backer","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250713023516/https://qz.com/1934403/bezos-earth-fund-makes-him-the-biggest-climate-activist-backer"},{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund (profile)","p":"InfluenceWatch","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/bezos-earth-fund/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617191530/https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/bezos-earth-fund/"},{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund, Form 990-PF","p":"ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer","d":"2024","type":"registry","u":"https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/931868994"},{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund commitment (Fortune, 30 September 2026)","p":"Fortune","d":"2026-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2026/09/30/jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-bezos-earth-fund-25-million-pacific-10-billion-commitment-deadline-2030/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012155631/https://fortune.com/2026/09/30/jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-bezos-earth-fund-25-million-pacific-10-billion-commitment-deadline-2030/"},{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund climate change charity (via The Guardian)","p":"National Observer","d":"2024-05-24","type":"press","u":"https://nationalobserver.com/2024/05/24/news/Bezos-Earth-Fund-climate-change-charity","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250802233815/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/05/24/news/Bezos-Earth-Fund-climate-change-charity"},{"t":"Science Based Targets initiative (citing the Financial Times and Bloomberg)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/science-based-targets-initiative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250719091235/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/science-based-targets-initiative"},{"t":"How we are funded","p":"SBTi","d":"2024","type":"registry","u":"https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/funders","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618080926/https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/funders"},{"t":"SBTi awarded $37 million in grants to accelerate 1.5C strategy","p":"ESG Today","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/sbti-awarded-37-million-in-grants-to-accelerate-1-5c-strategy"},{"t":"Luiz Amaral to step down as CEO of Science Based Targets initiative","p":"SBTi","d":"2024-07-02","type":"registry","u":"https://sciencebasedtargets.org/news/luiz-amaral-to-step-down-as-ceo-of-science-based-targets-initiative"},{"t":"Net-zero carbon emissions, SBTi, Amazon, Microsoft, Walmart","p":"The Invading Sea","d":"2024-11-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2024/11/27/net-zero-carbon-emissions-science-based-targets-initiative-sbti-amazon-microsoft-walmart/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516081653/https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2024/11/27/net-zero-carbon-emissions-science-based-targets-initiative-sbti-amazon-microsoft-walmart/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sbti-funding-scope-3-eac-announcement-and-ceo-exit"],"natureLead":{"t":"A reported $10 billion was committed in my name; by September 2026, about $2.4 billion had been given, Fortune reported.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Bezos Earth Fund influence the SBTi board's April 2024 statement on carbon credits?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did the fund's SBTi grant end in December 2024?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the April 2024 board statement a science-based decision?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Most of the roughly $2.4 billion in grants announced does not appear on the foundation's 2024 tax return.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the fund influenced the SBTi board's April 2024 statement: the claim comes from secondary reports citing unnamed sources, and the fund denies it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: criticism that the first round gave most of its money to the five largest, already visible, organisations.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the SBTi board statement of April 2024 led to a final rule on carbon-credit use: SBTi added three days later that the standard was unchanged, and no final rule was confirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"great-barrier-reef-foundation-a-443m-grant","title":"Great Barrier Reef Foundation A$443m grant (Australia)","dek":"In 2018 the Australian government awarded a A$443 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation without a tender. The national audit office reviewed the award in January 2019.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-18.3,"lon":147.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","lat":-18.3,"lon":147.7,"role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2025,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Grant awarded without a tender","value":"A$443m","note":"Great Barrier Reef Foundation, 2018. The audit office reported administrative costs of up to A$86m."},"happened":["In 2018 the Australian government awarded a grant of A$443 million (A$443.3 million in the audit office's report) to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. The award was not put to tender. The Australian national audit office (ANAO) published a performance audit of the award in January 2019 (audit report No. 22, 2018-19).","The audit office's findings, as recorded, included that the grant was made without competition and that its administrative costs could reach A$86 million.","Press reports said the foundation's paid annual advisory panel included mining and fossil-fuel companies. The cited sources do not carry the foundation's or the government's own account of the award.","The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) reported in 2025 the sharpest decline in the reef's coral cover on its record."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"A$443m awarded to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation without a tender"},{"y":2019,"t":"January: audit office publishes performance audit of the award (No. 22, 2018-19)"},{"y":2025,"t":"AIMS reports the sharpest decline on the reef"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The audit office examined the award of A$443.3m to the foundation; the grant was not competitively tendered and administrative costs of up to A$86m were recorded.","src":0},{"t":"Press reports said the foundation's paid annual panel included mining and fossil-fuel companies.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":"2018-2019","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Grant","v":"A$443m","d":"Awarded without a tender, 2018 (ANAO, 2019)"},{"k":"Administrative costs","v":"Up to A$86m","d":"As recorded by the audit office"},{"k":"Reef condition","v":"Sharpest decline in 2025","d":"AIMS, 2025"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: details attributed to the audit office: the foundation had 6 employees, the award took 11 working days, and the grant was paid up front.","The reef-spending breakdown of the grant is not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The grant was funded from the Australian federal budget.","statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (2025): the award was audited in January 2019; no later outcome of the grant is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"gbr-foundation","role":"Grant recipient"},{"id":"australia-government","role":"Grant provider"},{"id":"anao","role":"Auditor of the award"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"grant","value":443.3,"unit":"AUD m","year":2018,"note":"Grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, not tendered."},{"key":"administrative_costs","value":86,"unit":"AUD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"As recorded by the audit office."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Australian government gave a A$443 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation without a tender.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Great Barrier Reef Foundation","what":"Received the A$443 million grant; administrative costs of up to A$86 million were recorded.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia; the Great Barrier Reef.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018 (award); January 2019 (audit report).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the government's rationale for awarding the grant without a tender.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Direct grant from the federal budget, not put to competitive tender.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Award of $443.3 million grant to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation","p":"Australian National Audit Office","d":"2019-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/award-4433-million-grant-to-the-great-barrier-reef-foundation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516195424/https://www.anao.gov.au/work/performance-audit/award-4433-million-grant-to-the-great-barrier-reef-foundation"},{"t":"Australia's plan to save the Great Barrier Reef is a wolf in sheep's clothing","p":"ScienceAlert (citing the Sydney Morning Herald)","d":"2018-08-01","u":"https://www.sciencealert.com/australia-s-plan-to-save-the-great-barrier-reef-is-a-wolf-in-sheep-s-clothing","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["great-barrier-reef-in-danger-listing-delayed"],"natureLead":{"t":"A grant of A$443 million was awarded for my reef in 2018 without a tender; the audit office recorded administrative costs of up to A$86 million.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: details attributed to the audit office: the foundation had 6 employees, the award took 11 working days, and the grant was paid up front.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The reef-spending breakdown of the grant is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mexico-water-concessions-concentration","title":"Mexico water concessions concentration","dek":"A study by IBERO, reported by the newspaper Crónica in August 2026, found that fewer than 1% of Mexico's water-concession holders hold about one-fifth of the water under concession.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":23.6,"lon":-102.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","lat":23.6,"lon":-102.5,"role":"event"}],"start":1995,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-08-03","instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Share of concession holders holding about one-fifth of concessioned water","value":"Under 1%","note":"IBERO study as reported by Crónica, August 2026."},"happened":["On 3 August 2026 the newspaper Crónica reported on a study by IBERO of Mexico's water-concession records. According to the report, fewer than 1% of concession holders hold about one-fifth of the water under concession. The article's headline refers to anomalies in the registries and to hoarding that depletes aquifers.","Figures attributed to the national water authority Conagua, as cited in a piece from the UNAM Institute of Economic Research, put the average cost of tap water at 2 centavos a litre and bottled water at 7.50 to 8.25 pesos a litre. The same piece, titled as an account of the business of extracting water and selling it up to 494 times dearer, stated that water concessions rose by 3,191% between 1995 and 2019.","In the 2022 water crisis in Monterrey, Expansión reported that Heineken held concessions for more than 143 million cubic metres of water, and that AMLO, as the report calls the president, asked for its production to be stopped. The industry chamber CAINTRA said industry accounted for 4% of water use in the area and agriculture for 71%.","A document in the Mexican Senate gazette of 3 June 2020 records a concession of about 420,000 cubic metres a year in Chiapas. A separate summary in the cited sources states that a bottler was given a concession in a Chiapas city short of water."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Start of the period over which concessions are reported to have risen by 3,191% (to 2019)"},{"y":2020,"t":"3 June: Senate gazette document records a concession of about 420,000 m3 a year in Chiapas"},{"y":2022,"t":"August: Expansión reports Heineken's concessions of more than 143 million m3 during the Monterrey crisis"},{"y":2026,"t":"3 August: Crónica reports the IBERO finding on concentration of concessions"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Fewer than 1% of concession holders hold about one-fifth of the concessioned water (IBERO study, via Crónica).","src":0},{"t":"Conagua figures: tap water about 2 centavos a litre on average; bottled water 7.50 to 8.25 pesos a litre; concessions up 3,191% in 1995-2019.","src":1},{"t":"Heineken held concessions for more than 143 million m3 during the Monterrey crisis.","src":2},{"t":"Chiapas: concession of about 420,000 m3 a year.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"MXN","window":"1995-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Concession holders holding about one-fifth of concessioned water","v":"Under 1%","d":"IBERO study via Crónica, 2026"},{"k":"Growth in concessions","v":"3,191%","d":"1995-2019 (Conagua figure, via UNAM IIEc)"},{"k":"Aquifer condition","v":"Described as depleted","d":"Crónica headline; no figure in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the IBERO study's own figures for aquifer depletion.","Whether the bottler or other holders named in secondary summaries hold concessions in the top fraction is not stated."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not quantify a cost borne by a named party.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the IBERO finding on concentration was reported by Crónica; no response from Conagua is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"conagua","role":"Water authority granting concessions"},{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Government"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did brewers leave Monterrey without water in the 2022 crisis?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Expansión","says":"Reported that Heineken held concessions for more than 143 million m3 of water and that AMLO asked for its production to be stopped.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CAINTRA (industry chamber)","says":"Industry accounted for 4% of water use and agriculture for 71%.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"holders_share_pct","value":1,"unit":"% of concession holders","year":2026,"qualifier":"under","note":"Hold about one-fifth of the concessioned water."},{"key":"concessioned_water_share_pct","value":20,"unit":"% of concessioned water","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Held by fewer than 1% of holders."},{"key":"concession_growth_pct","value":3191,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Growth in concessions, 1995-2019."},{"key":"tap_water_price","value":0.02,"unit":"MXN per litre","year":2022,"qualifier":"average","note":"2 centavos, per Conagua."},{"key":"bottled_water_price","value":"7.50-8.25","unit":"MXN per litre","year":2022,"note":"Per Conagua."},{"key":"heineken_concession_m3","value":143000000,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reported during the Monterrey crisis."},{"key":"chiapas_concession_m3_per_year","value":420000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Senate gazette document."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A small share of holders controls about one-fifth of the water under concession in Mexico, according to an IBERO study.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Concession holders at the top of the distribution","what":"Fewer than 1% of holders hold about one-fifth of the concessioned water.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mexico; cases cited in Monterrey and Chiapas.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Concessions reported to have risen between 1995 and 2019; the finding reported in August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a reason for the concentration.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through water concessions granted by Conagua; the cited sources give their length as 5 to 30 years.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Crisis hidrica en Mexico: anomalias en registros y acaparamiento que agota los acuiferos (IBERO)","p":"Cronica","d":"2026-08-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.cronica.com.mx/nacional/2026/08/03/crisis-hidrica-en-mexico-anomalias-en-registros-y-acaparamiento-que-agota-los-acuiferos-ibero/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260804142509/https://www.cronica.com.mx/nacional/2026/08/03/crisis-hidrica-en-mexico-anomalias-en-registros-y-acaparamiento-que-agota-los-acuiferos-ibero/"},{"t":"El meganegocio de extraer agua y venderla hasta 494 veces mas cara","p":"UNAM Instituto de Investigaciones Economicas","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://let.iiec.unam.mx/print/3448"},{"t":"Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma concesiones agua Cerro Prieto","p":"Expansion","d":"2022-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://expansion.mx/empresas/2022/08/05/cuauhtemoc-moctezuma-concesiones-agua-cerro-prieto","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220820025257/https://expansion.mx/empresas/2022/08/05/cuauhtemoc-moctezuma-concesiones-agua-cerro-prieto"},{"t":"Senate gazette, 3 June 2020: point of agreement on Chiapas water concessions","p":"Mexican Senate","d":"2020-06-03","type":"official","u":"https://infosen.senado.gob.mx/sgsp/gaceta/64/2/2020-06-03-1/assets/documentos/PA_MORENA_emeteria_claudia_martnez_pozos_san_cristobal.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240512050513/https://infosen.senado.gob.mx/sgsp/gaceta/64/2/2020-06-03-1/assets/documentos/PA_MORENA_emeteria_claudia_martnez_pozos_san_cristobal.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Fewer than 1% of Mexico's water-concession holders hold about one-fifth of my water under concession, according to an IBERO study reported by Crónica in August 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did brewers leave Monterrey without water in the 2022 crisis?","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the IBERO study's own figures for aquifer depletion.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the bottler or other holders named in secondary summaries hold concessions in the top fraction is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"macquarie-island-cat-eradication-and-rabbit-boom","title":"Macquarie Island cat eradication and rabbit boom","dek":"Cats were removed from Macquarie Island, and the rabbit population then increased. A 2009 paper recorded that about 40% of the island's vegetation changed and that the extra cost exceeded A$24 million.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-54.62,"lon":158.86,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","lat":-54.62,"lon":158.86,"role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"invasive-species","types":["invasive-species"],"headline":{"label":"Island vegetation changed after cat removal","value":"about 40%","note":"As reported by Bergstrom 2009; additional cost above A$24 million."},"happened":["Cats were removed from Macquarie Island. According to a 2009 paper in the Journal of Applied Ecology (Bergstrom 2009), the removal was followed by a rabbit population boom.","The same record states that about 40% of the island's vegetation changed and that the additional cost exceeded A$24 million. The cited sources do not itemise that cost or say who paid it.","A separate review of island eradication attempts, cited alongside the case, counted 1,550 attempts, of which 88% were successful; 236 native species benefited and 7 species were harmed. The review lists the Macquarie Island cat removal as a case in which removing one introduced animal led to an increase in another."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Bergstrom 2009 published in the Journal of Applied Ecology on the removal of cats and the rabbit increase"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Cat eradication was followed by a rabbit population boom; about 40% of the island's vegetation changed (Bergstrom 2009).","src":0},{"t":"Additional cost above A$24 million (Bergstrom 2009).","src":0},{"t":"Island eradication attempts overall: 1,550 attempts, 88% successful; 236 native species benefited, 7 harmed.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"AUD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Vegetation changed","v":"about 40%","d":"Share of the island's vegetation, after cat removal and the rabbit increase (Bergstrom 2009)"},{"k":"Additional cost","v":"above A$24 million","d":"Stated, citing Bergstrom 2009"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text (Bergstrom 2009): vegetation change after the rabbit increase.","report":[{"t":"After the cats were removed, my rabbits increased, and about 40% of my vegetation changed.","src":0}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the years of the cat removal or of the rabbit increase.","The cited sources do not itemise the additional cost of more than A$24 million or say who paid it."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say.","whoPaid":"The cited sources give an additional cost of more than A$24 million and does not say who paid it.","statusLine":"As of the cited sources (2009 paper): cat removal followed by a rabbit boom and vegetation change; later status not on record.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"vegetation_changed_pct","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the island's vegetation changed after cat removal and rabbit increase (Bergstrom 2009)."},{"key":"additional_cost","value":24,"unit":"AUD m","year":2009,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Additional cost stated, citing Bergstrom 2009."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Removal of cats from Macquarie Island was followed by a rabbit population boom and vegetation change.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Island vegetation","what":"About 40% changed after the rabbit increase.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Macquarie Island (Australia).","src":0},"when":{"t":"None on record; the paper was published in 2009.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the programme's stated aims.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cats were removed; the rabbit population then increased.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Cat eradication and the rabbit boom on Macquarie Island (Bergstrom 2009, via University of Tasmania repository record)","p":"Journal of Applied Ecology","d":"2009","type":"academic","u":"https://ecite.utas.edu.au/54573","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230528031246/http://ecite.utas.edu.au/54573"},{"t":"Review of island eradication attempts (PMC9365850)","p":"PubMed Central","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9365850","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250211011241/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9365850/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"invasive-species-eradication","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the years of the cat removal or of the rabbit increase.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not itemise the additional cost of more than A$24 million or say who paid it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"eliasch-amazon-land-purchase","title":"Eliasch Amazon land purchase","dek":"In 2006 Johan Eliasch said he had bought about 160,000 hectares in the Brazilian Amazon. An executive of the seller said the legal entitlement was 45,511 hectares.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-5,"lon":-62,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-5,"lon":-62,"role":"event"}],"start":2006,"end":2006,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance"],"headline":{"label":"Area claimed vs legal title","value":"about 160,000 ha vs 45,511 ha","note":"As stated in 2006 by the buyer and by an executive of the seller."},"happened":["In 2006 Johan Eliasch said he had bought about 160,000 hectares in the Amazon. According to an executive of the selling company, the legal entitlement was 45,511 hectares (New Statesman, 2006).","In the same year the New Statesman published a long read under the title \"Green colonials\" covering the purchase."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Eliasch says he bought about 160,000 ha; a seller's executive says legal title was 45,511 ha; New Statesman publishes \"Green colonials\""}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The purchase of about 160,000 hectares of Amazon land.","who":"Johan Eliasch, 2006","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Legal entitlement of 45,511 hectares, according to an executive of the selling company.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area claimed","v":"about 160,000 ha","d":"Stated by the buyer, 2006"},{"k":"Legal entitlement","v":"45,511 ha","d":"Stated by an executive of the seller"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the price or the terms of the purchase.","The cited sources do not state what became of the area or its forest after the purchase."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say.","statusLine":"As of 2006 reporting: area dispute between the buyer's claim and the seller's executive's account; no later status in the cited sources.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[{"point":"How large was the area bought?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Johan Eliasch (buyer)","says":"Said he had bought about 160,000 hectares.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"An executive of the selling company","says":"Said the legal entitlement was 45,511 hectares.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":160000,"unit":"ha","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area the buyer said he had bought."},{"key":"area_ha","value":45511,"unit":"ha","year":2006,"note":"Legal entitlement, according to an executive of the seller."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A purchase of Amazon land whose size was stated differently by the buyer and by a seller's executive.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Brazilian Amazon.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2006.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the buyer's reasons.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Purchase from a land and timber company, according to the cited sources.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Green colonials","p":"New Statesman","d":"2006-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.newstatesman.com/long-reads/2006/11/green-colonials","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617063312/https://www.newstatesman.com/long-reads/2006/11/green-colonials"}],"episodes":[],"related":["corio-rainforest-land-purchase","kiribati-purchase-of-fijian-land"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2006 a buyer said he had bought about 160,000 hectares of my Amazon forest; an executive of the seller said the legal entitlement was 45,511 hectares.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the area bought?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the price or the terms of the purchase.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state what became of the area or its forest after the purchase.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"nyse-natural-asset-company-proposal-withdrawn","title":"NYSE natural asset company proposal withdrawn","dek":"In 2021 the New York Stock Exchange and Intrinsic Exchange Group announced a new class of listed companies that would hold rights to the ecosystem services of natural areas. The Exchange withdrew its listing proposal on 17 January 2024, after a regulatory review and an objection from 25 state attorneys general.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.707,"lon":-74.011,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":40.707,"lon":-74.011,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2021,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-01-17","instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Value of nature's ecosystem services cited in the 2021 announcement","value":"US$125 trillion a year","note":"A claim made in the announcement; the figure matches a 2014 estimate by Robert Costanza and co-authors. No natural asset company was ever listed."},"happened":["On 14 September 2021 the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Intrinsic Exchange Group (IEG) announced a new asset class, Natural Asset Companies (NACs). A NAC would hold the rights to the ecosystem services produced by an area of land, such as carbon capture, clean water and biodiversity, and would be listed and traded on the exchange. The announcement said the ecosystem services produced by nature were worth US$125 trillion a year.","IEG was a for-profit company. Its founding investors included the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Rockefeller Foundation. The NYSE took a minority stake in IEG and a seat on its board. According to a letter from a US member of Congress, IEG would have been entitled to a share of the listing and trading revenue of the NACs it helped list. IEG also wrote the accounting method, called the Ecological Performance Report, used to measure what a NAC held.","The NYSE submitted its listing proposal to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in 2023. The SEC opened a formal review in December 2023, to decide whether to approve or disapprove it. On 9 January 2024 attorneys general of 25 states called on the SEC to reject the proposal. Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador described NACs as a structure designed to take land out of productive uses in the name of environmentalism.","The NYSE withdrew the proposal on 17 January 2024, eight days after the attorneys general's letter. The reason it gave was feedback from regulators and market participants. No natural asset company was listed or traded."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"14 September: NYSE and IEG announce Natural Asset Companies and cite US$125 trillion a year in ecosystem services"},{"y":2023,"t":"NYSE submits its listing proposal to the SEC; one law firm dates the filing to September (reported, not confirmed)"},{"y":2023,"t":"December: the SEC opens a formal review to approve or disapprove the proposal"},{"y":2024,"t":"9 January: attorneys general of 25 states call on the SEC to reject the proposal"},{"y":2024,"t":"17 January: NYSE withdraws the proposal"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Ecosystem services worth US$125 trillion a year; a new asset class in which investment in nature would be listed on the exchange","who":"NYSE and Intrinsic Exchange Group, announcement of 14 September 2021","src":0},{"t":"The IDB and the Rockefeller Foundation named as founding investors of IEG","who":"Inter-American Development Bank, 2021","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The NYSE held a minority stake in IEG and a seat on its board.","src":2},{"t":"According to a letter from a US member of Congress, IEG would have shared in the listing and trading revenue of the NACs it helped list.","src":2},{"t":"The SEC opened a formal review in December 2023; attorneys general of 25 states asked the SEC to reject the proposal on 9 January 2024; the NYSE withdrew it on 17 January 2024.","src":2},{"t":"The NYSE gave only feedback from regulators and market participants as its reason for withdrawing.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Natural asset companies listed","v":"None","d":"The proposal was withdrawn on 17 January 2024 before any listing or trading"},{"k":"Ecosystem-services value claimed","v":"US$125 trillion a year","d":"Figure used in the 2021 announcement; a 2014 estimate by Costanza and co-authors"}]},"unknown":["The NYSE gave only feedback from regulators and market participants as its reason for withdrawing; no further explanation is on record.","The date of the filing with the SEC: one law firm dated it to September 2023, which is reported but not confirmed.","Unconfirmed: a pilot project in Costa Rica was reported at the time of the 2021 announcement.","IEG's own response to the objections is not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The proposal was withdrawn on 17 January 2024, before any natural asset company was listed.","whoPaid":"No cost to nature or to named communities is recorded, because no natural asset company was listed.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the NYSE withdrew its proposal on 17 January 2024; no natural asset company has been listed.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"nyse","says":"Withdrew the proposal on 17 January 2024, citing feedback from regulators and market participants.","when":"17 January 2024","src":2},{"actor":"idaho-attorney-general","says":"Called on the SEC to reject the proposal and described NACs as a structure designed to take land out of productive uses in the name of environmentalism.","when":"January 2024","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"nyse","role":"Exchange that proposed the listing standard; minority shareholder in IEG"},{"id":"ieg","role":"Co-announcer; wrote the measurement framework; potential revenue-share beneficiary"},{"id":"idb","role":"Founding investor in IEG"},{"id":"rockefeller-foundation","role":"Founding investor in IEG"},{"id":"sec","role":"Regulator that opened a formal review in December 2023"},{"id":"idaho-attorney-general","role":"State official who objected to the proposal"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should natural areas be held and traded through listed companies?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"NYSE and Intrinsic Exchange Group","says":"Announced a new asset class, Natural Asset Companies, and cited ecosystem services worth US$125 trillion a year.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Attorneys general of 25 US states","says":"Called on the SEC to reject the proposal on 9 January 2024.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Raul Labrador, Idaho Attorney General","says":"Described NACs as a structure designed to take land out of productive uses in the name of environmentalism.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"NYSE","says":"Withdrew the proposal, citing feedback from regulators and market participants.","src":4}]},{"point":"Did the arrangement place the framework writer and the exchange on the same side of the revenue?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"A US member of Congress, in a letter","says":"IEG would have been entitled to a share of the listing and trading revenue of the NACs it helped list.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Intrinsic Exchange Group","says":"No response is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"ecosystem_services_value_claimed","value":125,"unit":"USD trillion per year","year":2021,"note":"Figure cited in the NYSE and IEG announcement of 14 September 2021."},{"key":"attorneys_general_objecting","value":25,"unit":"states","year":2024,"note":"Attorneys general who called on the SEC to reject the proposal on 9 January 2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A proposal to list companies that would hold the rights to the ecosystem services of natural areas, withdrawn before any listing.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Intrinsic Exchange Group (planned, not realised)","what":"Would have been entitled to a share of listing and trading revenue, according to a letter from a US member of Congress.","src":2},{"who":"New York Stock Exchange (planned, not realised)","what":"Minority shareholder in IEG with a board seat; would have listed the companies.","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States: New York (exchange), Washington (SEC), and the states whose attorneys general objected.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Announced 14 September 2021; SEC review opened December 2023; withdrawn 17 January 2024.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The announcement cited ecosystem services worth US$125 trillion a year. The NYSE withdrew citing feedback from regulators and market participants; the attorneys general objected to land coming under private company control.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The NYSE filed a listing proposal with the SEC, which opened a formal review; objections followed from 25 state attorneys general.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"NYSE to list new asset class for natural asset companies targeting massive opportunity in ecosystem services","p":"ESG Today","d":"2021-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/nyse-to-list-new-asset-class-for-natural-asset-companies-targeting-massive-opportunity-in-ecosystem-services/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010140636/https://www.esgtoday.com/nyse-to-list-new-asset-class-for-natural-asset-companies-targeting-massive-opportunity-in-ecosystem-services/"},{"t":"NYSE and Intrinsic Exchange Group announce new asset class to power a sustainable future","p":"Inter-American Development Bank","d":"2021","type":"official","u":"https://www.iadb.org/en/news/nyse-and-intrinsic-exchange-group-announce-new-asset-class-power-sustainable-future","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260126225528/https://www.iadb.org/en/news/nyse-and-intrinsic-exchange-group-announce-new-asset-class-power-sustainable-future"},{"t":"NYSE listing standards: natural asset companies","p":"Cooley PubCo","d":"2024-01-22","type":"press","u":"https://cooleypubco.com/2024/01/22/nyse-listing-standards-nacs/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214074855/https://cooleypubco.com/2024/01/22/nyse-listing-standards-nacs/"},{"t":"NYSE withdraws proposal to list natural asset companies one week after Attorney General Labrador's letter of protest","p":"Idaho Attorney General","d":"2024-01-19","type":"official","u":"https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/nyse-withdraws-proposal-to-list-natural-asset-companies-one-week-after-attorney-general-labradors-letter-of-protest/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420131723/https://www.ag.idaho.gov/newsroom/nyse-withdraws-proposal-to-list-natural-asset-companies-one-week-after-attorney-general-labradors-letter-of-protest/"},{"t":"NYSE withdraws natural asset company listing proposal","p":"TheCorporateCounsel","d":"2024-01-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.thecorporatecounsel.net/blog/2024/01/nyse-withdraws-natural-asset-company-listing-proposal.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616213810/https://www.thecorporatecounsel.net/blog/2024/01/nyse-withdraws-natural-asset-company-listing-proposal.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The 2021 NYSE announcement cited US$125 trillion a year as the value of my ecosystem services; the proposal was withdrawn in January 2024 and no natural asset company was listed.","src":[0,1,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should natural areas be held and traded through listed companies?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the arrangement place the framework writer and the exchange on the same side of the revenue?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Intrinsic Exchange Group: No response is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The NYSE gave only feedback from regulators and market participants as its reason for withdrawing; no further explanation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the filing with the SEC: one law firm dated it to September 2023, which is reported but not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a pilot project in Costa Rica was reported at the time of the 2021 announcement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"IEG's own response to the objections is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"vale-ore-sand-tailings-sand","title":"Vale ore-sand (Agera) tailings sand","dek":"Vale set up a company, Agera, to sell sand made from iron-ore mining tailings. About 0.9 million tonnes were sold from 2021 to 2023, against an estimated Brazilian sand consumption of about 214 million tonnes in 2018.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings"],"headline":{"label":"Ore-sand sold by Vale, 2021–2023","value":"about 0.9 million tonnes","note":"2024 target: 2.1 million tonnes (InfoMoney, 2023)."},"happened":["Vale, the Brazilian mining company, created Agera to commercialise sand made from mining tailings. The sand is called ore-sand. InfoMoney reported the creation of the company in 2023. About 900,000 tonnes had been sold since 2021, and the 2024 target was 2.1 million tonnes.","A University of Geneva release of April 2022 described a study with the University of Queensland that examined Vale samples. It described mining waste as the world's largest waste stream, at 30 to 60 billion tonnes a year, and ore-sand as a way to make sand from it.","Brazilian sand consumption in 2018 was estimated at about 214 million tonnes, of which 76.7 million tonnes were declared. About 137 million tonnes, or 64%, were unregistered, worth about 13 billion reais a year, according to a Brazilian press report."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Vale begins selling sand made from tailings"},{"y":2022,"t":"April: University of Geneva release on the ore-sand study"},{"y":2023,"t":"InfoMoney reports the creation of Agera; about 900,000 tonnes sold since 2021"},{"y":2024,"t":"Sales target of 2.1 million tonnes"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Sand made from mining tailings, sold through a dedicated company","who":"Vale, through the creation of Agera (as reported by InfoMoney)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 900,000 tonnes of ore-sand sold since 2021; 2024 target 2.1 million tonnes.","src":0},{"t":"Brazilian sand consumption in 2018 estimated at about 214 million tonnes; 76.7 million tonnes declared; about 137 million tonnes (64%) unregistered, worth about 13 billion reais a year.","src":2},{"t":"The University of Geneva described mining waste as the largest waste stream, at 30 to 60 billion tonnes a year.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ore-sand sold","v":"about 0.9 Mt","d":"2021–2023; 2024 target 2.1 Mt (InfoMoney)"},{"k":"Unregistered sand, Brazil 2018","v":"about 137 Mt","d":"Estimate: 64% of about 214 Mt consumed (Brazilian press report)"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the share of Vale's annual tailings that ore-sand represents, or its share of Brazilian sand consumption.","Where the ore-sand is produced and which tailings it comes from are not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: no harm to nature is on record.","whoPaid":"No party is recorded as bearing a cost in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed (2023 reporting): Agera had sold about 900,000 tonnes since 2021 and aimed for 2.1 million tonnes in 2024.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"vale","says":"Created Agera to sell sand made from mining tailings.","when":"2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"vale","role":"Mining company; owner of Agera"},{"id":"agera","role":"Company selling sand made from tailings"},{"id":"unige","role":"Research institution behind the ore-sand study"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"ore_sand_sold_tonnes","value":900000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sold since 2021, as reported by InfoMoney."},{"key":"ore_sand_target_tonnes","value":2100000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"2024 sales target."},{"key":"brazil_sand_consumption_tonnes","value":214000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate reported by the Brazilian press; 76.7 million tonnes declared and about 137 million tonnes unregistered."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Vale subsidiary that sells sand made from iron-ore mining tailings.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vale","what":"Sells tailings as sand through Agera.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sales since 2021; Agera's creation reported in 2023; 2024 sales target.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To commercialise sand using mining tailings.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Tailings are processed into ore-sand and sold through Agera.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Vale anuncia criação da Agera, empresa para comercializar areia aproveitando rejeitos da mineração","p":"InfoMoney","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.infomoney.com.br/?p=2270286"},{"t":"Une solution au plus grand flux de déchets du monde: fabriquer du sable","p":"Université de Genève","d":"2022-04","type":"academic","u":"https://www.unige.ch/medias/en/2022/une-solution-au-plus-grand-flux-de-dechets-du-monde-fabriquer-du-sable","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113105048/https://www.unige.ch/medias/en/2022/une-solution-au-plus-grand-flux-de-dechets-du-monde-fabriquer-du-sable"},{"t":"Mercado ilegal da areia movimenta R$ 13 bilhões por ano no Brasil","p":"Diário do Nordeste","d":"2020-10","u":"https://diariodonordeste.verdesmares.com.br/regiao/mercado-ilegal-da-areia-movimenta-r-13-bilhoes-por-ano-no-brasil-1.2998788","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114173000/https://diariodonordeste.verdesmares.com.br/regiao/mercado-ilegal-da-areia-movimenta-r-13-bilhoes-por-ano-no-brasil-1.2998788"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Brazil consumed an estimated 214 million tonnes of my sand in 2018, about 137 million tonnes of it unregistered; Vale sold about 0.9 million tonnes of ore-sand from 2021 to 2023.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the share of Vale's annual tailings that ore-sand represents, or its share of Brazilian sand consumption.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where the ore-sand is produced and which tailings it comes from are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rooibos-benefit-sharing-agreement","title":"Rooibos benefit-sharing agreement (South Africa)","dek":"A rooibos industry benefit-sharing arrangement in South Africa paid 12.2 million rand to two San and Khoi councils in its first year, set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price. Cultural Survival reported that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities.","country":"South Africa","region":"Africa","lat":-30,"lon":25,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":null,"eventDate":"2022-07","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"Benefit-sharing payment as a share of the farm-gate price","value":"1.5%","note":"As reported in the South African government statement of July 2022; the first-year payment was 12.2 million rand."},"happened":["In July 2022 the South African government published a statement on gov.za, titled \"Payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities a milestone for industrywide collaboration\". The statement reported a payment from the rooibos sector to San and Khoi communities.","According to the cited sources, the benefit-sharing amount was set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price. The first-year payment, in 2022, was 12.2 million rand, divided equally between two councils.","In June 2020 Cultural Survival reported on the arrangement under the headline \"Indigenous Peoples to Share In Tea Industry Profits\". It reported that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities and that the Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state.","Farmer's Weekly reported that rooibos exports were 5,900 tonnes in 2015 and 9,700 tonnes in 2024, and about 10,930 tonnes in 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Rooibos exports at 5,900 tonnes (Farmer's Weekly)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Cultural Survival reports on the arrangement (1 June); reports that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities and that the Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state"},{"y":2022,"t":"Government statement (July) reports payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities; first-year payment 12.2 million rand, divided equally between two councils"},{"y":2024,"t":"Rooibos exports at 9,700 tonnes"},{"y":2025,"t":"Rooibos exports at about 10,930 tonnes"}],"said":[{"q":"Payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities a milestone for industrywide collaboration","who":"Title of a South African government statement published on gov.za","when":"July 2022","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The agreement was described as the first industry-wide agreement of its kind in the world.","who":"South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and the Rooibos Council, as recorded","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The benefit-sharing amount was 1.5% of the farm-gate price.","src":0},{"t":"The first-year payment (2022) was 12.2 million rand, divided equally between two councils.","src":0},{"t":"About 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities (Cultural Survival, 2020).","src":1},{"t":"The Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state (Cultural Survival, 2020).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"ZAR","window":"2022","nature":[{"label":"First-year benefit payment to the two councils (divided equally)","amount":12.2,"window":"2022"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":12.2,"note":"Single documented payment; no later-year figure found."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of the farm-gate price paid as benefit","v":"1.5%","d":"As reported in the July 2022 government statement"},{"k":"First-year payment","v":"12.2 million rand","d":"2022; divided equally between two councils"},{"k":"Indigenous share of rooibos farmers","v":"About 2%","d":"Cultural Survival, June 2020"}]},"unknown":["The amount paid after the first year is not on record.","The 1.5% and 12.2 million rand figures come from the South African government statement (July 2022) and are not independently verified.","The Khoi and San are reported as not officially recognised by the state (Cultural Survival, 2020); the cited sources do not record the state's own position on this.","The cited sources do not state the legal basis for the arrangement or how the councils spend the payment."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of the latest cited sources (2025): the first-year payment of 12.2 million rand was reported in July 2022; no later payment figure and no court case are on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"dffe-south-africa","says":"Published a statement presenting the payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities as a milestone for industry-wide collaboration.","when":"July 2022","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"dffe-south-africa","role":"Government department; published the statement on the payment"},{"id":"rooibos-council","role":"Rooibos industry body; described the agreement as the first industry-wide agreement of its kind"},{"id":"cultural-survival","role":"NGO; reported on the arrangement in 2020"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the arrangement a model for benefit-sharing with the Khoi and San?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"DFFE, South Africa","says":"Described the payment as a milestone for industry-wide collaboration.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Cultural Survival","says":"Reported that about 2% of rooibos farmers come from Indigenous communities and that the Khoi and San are not officially recognised by the state.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"benefit_share_percent","value":1.5,"unit":"% of farm-gate price","year":2022,"note":"Benefit-sharing amount as reported."},{"key":"benefit_paid","value":12.2,"unit":"ZAR m","year":2022,"note":"First-year payment, divided equally between two councils."},{"key":"indigenous_farmer_share","value":2,"unit":"% of rooibos farmers","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rooibos farmers from Indigenous communities, as reported by Cultural Survival."},{"key":"rooibos_exports_tonnes","value":5900,"unit":"tonnes","year":2015,"note":"Rooibos exports."},{"key":"rooibos_exports_tonnes","value":9700,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Rooibos exports."},{"key":"rooibos_exports_tonnes","value":10930,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rooibos exports."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A rooibos sector benefit-sharing payment to San and Khoi communities, set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price, with a first-year payment of 12.2 million rand divided equally between two councils.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Two San and Khoi councils","what":"Received the first-year payment of 12.2 million rand, divided equally.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"South Africa.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Payment reported in July 2022; reporting on the arrangement dates from June 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the reason or legal basis for the arrangement.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The amount is set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price and divided equally between two councils.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The payment is 1.5% of the farm-gate price; about 2% of rooibos farmers are from Indigenous communities.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Payment of benefits from rooibos to San and Khoi communities a milestone for industrywide collaboration","p":"gov.za (South African government)","d":"2022-07","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/foresty-fisheries-and-environment-payment-benefits-rooibos-san-and-khoi","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260701023308/https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/foresty-fisheries-and-environment-payment-benefits-rooibos-san-and-khoi"},{"t":"Indigenous Peoples to Share In Tea Industry Profits","p":"Cultural Survival","d":"2020-06-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/12902","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152846/https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/indigenous-peoples-share-tea-industry-profits"},{"t":"Rooibos exports keeping the industry going","p":"Farmer's Weekly","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/rooibos-exports-keeping-the-industry-going","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107162406/https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/rooibos-exports-keeping-the-industry-going/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The first-year benefit-sharing payment for my rooibos, in 2022, was 12.2 million rand, set at 1.5% of the farm-gate price and divided equally between two San and Khoi councils.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the arrangement a model for benefit-sharing with the Khoi and San?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount paid after the first year is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The 1.5% and 12.2 million rand figures come from the South African government statement (July 2022) and are not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Khoi and San are reported as not officially recognised by the state (Cultural Survival, 2020); the cited sources do not record the state's own position on this.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the legal basis for the arrangement or how the councils spend the payment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"queretaro-data-centre-water-use","title":"Querétaro data-centre water use (Mexico)","dek":"Oxfam said a Microsoft campus in Querétaro, Mexico, held a permit to draw 25 million litres of water a year. An El País estimate put new data centres in Querétaro at 13% of metropolitan water consumption.","country":"Mexico","region":"North America","lat":20.59,"lon":-100.39,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Querétaro","lat":20.59,"lon":-100.39,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":null,"eventDate":"2025-09","instrument":"data-centre","types":["data-centre","water"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated share of Querétaro metropolitan water consumption used by new data centres","value":"13%","note":"Estimate, not a measurement. El País estimate of 15 billion litres a year, as reported by Xataka México on 1 September 2025."},"happened":["On 1 September 2025 Xataka México reported an El País estimate that new data centres in Querétaro could use 15 billion litres of water a year, which it put at 13% of metropolitan consumption. It reported that 7 of the state's 11 aquifers were overexploited.","On 31 August 2026 Plano Informativo, citing Reforma and Oxfam, reported that, according to Oxfam, a Microsoft campus in Querétaro held a permit to draw 25 million litres of water a year, that 94% of the state was in extreme drought, and that promised jobs had not materialised.","Two data-centre facilities in Querétaro were reported to employ 17 people."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Xataka México (1 September) reports El País estimate: new data centres in Querétaro could use 15 billion litres a year, 13% of metropolitan consumption; 7 of 11 aquifers overexploited"},{"y":2026,"t":"Plano Informativo (31 August), citing Oxfam: a Microsoft campus in Querétaro holds a permit to draw 25 million litres a year; 94% of the state in extreme drought; promised jobs not materialised"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"A Microsoft campus in Querétaro held a permit to draw 25 million litres of water a year, according to Oxfam as reported by Plano Informativo (Reforma).","src":0},{"t":"94% of Querétaro state was in extreme drought, according to Oxfam as reported by Plano Informativo (Reforma).","src":0},{"t":"Oxfam said the jobs promised by data-centre projects had not materialised (as reported by Plano Informativo, Reforma).","src":0},{"t":"El País estimated that new data centres in Querétaro could use 15 billion litres of water a year, 13% of metropolitan consumption. This is an estimate, not a measurement.","src":1},{"t":"7 of 11 aquifers were overexploited (as reported by Xataka México).","src":1},{"t":"Two data-centre facilities in Querétaro were reported to employ 17 people.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Estimated share of metropolitan water consumption","v":"13%","d":"El País estimate for new data centres, 15 billion litres a year; not a measurement"},{"k":"Aquifers overexploited","v":"7 of 11","d":"As reported by Xataka México, September 2025"},{"k":"Share of the state in extreme drought","v":"94%","d":"Oxfam, as reported by Plano Informativo, August 2026"}]},"unknown":["The 13% share and the 15 billion litre figure are an El País estimate, not a measurement.","Plano Informativo reported that a December 2025 report attributed to Oxfam described data centres as a \"new digital extractivism\"; no other source confirms it.","The Oxfam figures on the Microsoft permit and on drought are reported through Plano Informativo (Reforma) and were not checked against the Oxfam document.","The source of the figure of 17 employees at two facilities is not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of August 2026: Oxfam's figures were reported through Plano Informativo; no measurement of data-centre water use, response from the operators or ruling is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"microsoft","role":"Operator of a campus in Querétaro, named by Oxfam"},{"id":"oxfam","role":"NGO; source of the permit, drought and jobs figures"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the jobs promised by data-centre projects in Querétaro materialise?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oxfam","says":"Said the promised jobs had not materialised (as reported by Plano Informativo, Reforma).","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"water_permit_litres","value":25000000,"unit":"litres per year","year":2026,"note":"Permit held by a Microsoft campus in Querétaro, according to Oxfam as reported by Plano Informativo (Reforma)."},{"key":"water_use_litres","value":15000000000,"unit":"litres per year","year":2025,"est":true,"qualifier":"could","note":"El País estimate for new data centres in Querétaro, as reported by Xataka México; an estimate, not a measurement."},{"key":"metro_water_share_percent","value":13,"unit":"% of metropolitan consumption","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"El País estimate, as reported by Xataka México."},{"key":"aquifers_overexploited","value":7,"unit":"of 11 aquifers","year":2025,"note":"As reported by Xataka México."},{"key":"state_in_extreme_drought_percent","value":94,"unit":"% of the state","year":2026,"note":"According to Oxfam, as reported by Plano Informativo (Reforma)."},{"key":"jobs","value":17,"unit":"employees at two facilities","year":null,"note":"Reported; the source is not on record."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Reports on the water use of data centres in Querétaro: an Oxfam-reported 25 million litre a year permit for a Microsoft campus, and an El País estimate of 15 billion litres a year for new data centres.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Querétaro, Mexico.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Reports dated 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a reason beyond the reports themselves.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The figures come from a permit reported by Oxfam and from an El País estimate of use by new data centres.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Querétaro resiente el costo digital","p":"Plano Informativo (citing Reforma and Oxfam)","d":"2026-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://planoinformativo.com/1166440/-queretaro-resiente-el-costo-digital-","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260831175416/https://planoinformativo.com/1166440/-queretaro-resiente-el-costo-digital-"},{"t":"México está recibiendo más centros de datos que nunca, mientras hay un problema paralelo: la escasez de agua (El País estimate)","p":"Xataka México","d":"2025-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.xataka.com.mx/robotica-e-ia/mexico-esta-recibiendo-centros-datos-que-nunca-hay-problema-paralelo-escasez-agua","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607013019/https://www.xataka.com.mx/robotica-e-ia/mexico-esta-recibiendo-centros-datos-que-nunca-hay-problema-paralelo-escasez-agua"},{"t":"Acaparan el agua centros de datos","p":"Plano Informativo","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://planoinformativo.com/1166635/acaparan-el-agua-centros-de-datos"},{"t":"Querétaro, la nueva capital digital de México.. ¿a costa del agua y las comunidades?","p":"Ecoosfera","d":"2025-06-04","u":"https://ecoosfera.com/?p=146037","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A Microsoft campus in Querétaro held a permit to draw 25 million litres of my water a year, Oxfam said; 7 of 11 aquifers were overexploited, Xataka México reported.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the jobs promised by data-centre projects in Querétaro materialise?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 13% share and the 15 billion litre figure are an El País estimate, not a measurement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Plano Informativo reported that a December 2025 report attributed to Oxfam described data centres as a \"new digital extractivism\"; no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Oxfam figures on the Microsoft permit and on drought are reported through Plano Informativo (Reforma) and were not checked against the Oxfam document.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source of the figure of 17 employees at two facilities is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chicago-606-trail-gentrification","title":"Chicago 606 trail gentrification","dek":"A study by DePaul University's Institute for Housing Studies found prices rising 48.2% on the west end of Chicago's 606 trail. Median sale prices along the trail were reported at 97,000 dollars in 2012 and 462,000 dollars in 2018.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":41.91,"lon":-87.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Illinois (Chicago)","lat":41.91,"lon":-87.7,"role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":null,"eventDate":"2018","instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening"],"headline":{"label":"Price rise on the west end of the 606 trail","value":"48.2%","note":"DePaul Institute for Housing Studies measure, as reported by Block Club Chicago. A separate measure put the median sale price at 97,000 dollars in 2012 and 462,000 dollars in 2018."},"happened":["A study by DePaul University's Institute for Housing Studies (IHS), reported by Block Club Chicago, found that home prices along the west end of the 606 trail had risen 48.2%. The report's headline put the rise at 344% since 2012.","A separate measure in the same record gave the median sale price along the trail as 97,000 dollars in 2012 and 462,000 dollars in 2018.","In 2021 Chicago introduced a demolition fee of 15,000 dollars on single-family homes. WTTW reported in March 2022 that, in the first seven months of the fee, there were 3 demolitions, against a previous average of more than 25 a year, and that 120,000 dollars had gone to a community land trust. An effort to extend the fee in Pilsen and along the 606 trail was advancing."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Median sale price along the 606 trail: 97,000 dollars"},{"y":2018,"t":"Median sale price along the 606 trail: 462,000 dollars"},{"y":2021,"t":"Demolition fee of 15,000 dollars on single-family homes introduced"},{"y":2022,"t":"WTTW (March): 3 demolitions in the first seven months of the fee, against a previous average of more than 25 a year; effort to extend the fee advancing"}],"said":[{"q":"Home prices along west end of 606 trail up 344% since 2012","who":"Title of the DePaul Institute for Housing Studies study report as carried by Block Club Chicago","when":"2016–2019","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Prices on the west end of the 606 trail rose 48.2% (DePaul IHS, as reported by Block Club Chicago).","src":0},{"t":"The median sale price was 97,000 dollars in 2012 and 462,000 dollars in 2018 (DePaul IHS, as reported by Block Club Chicago).","src":0},{"t":"A demolition fee of 15,000 dollars on single-family homes began in 2021, after the price rise.","src":1},{"t":"In the first seven months of the fee there were 3 demolitions, against a previous average of more than 25 a year.","src":1},{"t":"120,000 dollars from the fee went to a community land trust.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Price rise, west end of the trail","v":"48.2%","d":"DePaul IHS, as reported by Block Club Chicago"},{"k":"Median sale price along the trail","v":"97,000 to 462,000 dollars","d":"2012 to 2018"},{"k":"Demolitions after the fee","v":"3 in seven months","d":"Previous average above 25 a year (WTTW, March 2022)"}]},"unknown":["The 48.2% price rise and the 97,000 to 462,000 dollar change in median sale price are two separate measures; the cited sources do not give the period or area of the 48.2% figure.","The cited sources do not say how many households were displaced.","The cited sources do not name who gained from the price rise."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":null,"whoPaid":null,"statusLine":"As of March 2022 (latest dated item in the cited sources): a demolition fee introduced in 2021 was reported to have cut demolitions near the trail, and an effort to extend it was advancing.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"depaul-ihs","role":"Research institution; measured the price rise"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"price_rise_percent","value":48.2,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Price rise on the west end of the 606 trail, DePaul IHS, as reported by Block Club Chicago."},{"key":"median_sale_price","value":97000,"unit":"USD","year":2012,"note":"Median sale price along the 606 trail."},{"key":"median_sale_price","value":462000,"unit":"USD","year":2018,"note":"Median sale price along the 606 trail."},{"key":"demolition_fee","value":15000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"Fee on single-family homes."},{"key":"demolitions","value":3,"unit":"demolitions in the first seven months of the fee","year":2021,"note":"Previous average was more than 25 a year."},{"key":"community_land_trust_paid","value":120000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"Amount from the fee that went to a community land trust, as reported by WTTW."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Home prices on the west end of Chicago's 606 trail rose 48.2%; the median sale price along the trail was reported as 97,000 dollars in 2012 and 462,000 dollars in 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Along the 606 trail, Chicago, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Median sale prices 2012 to 2018; demolition fee 2021; WTTW report March 2022.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a cause.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources give prices and the demolition fee but does not set out a mechanism.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Home prices along west end of 606 trail up 344% since 2012, new study finds as council seeks solution (Block Club Chicago, via DePaul IHS)","p":"DePaul Institute for Housing Studies (Block Club Chicago)","d":"2016-2019","type":"academic","u":"https://www.housingstudies.org/media/filer_public/cf/fe/cffe0526-cac6-4a3b-a516-28308bb1cdd3/home_prices_along_west_end_of_606_trail_up_344_since_2012_new_study_finds_as_council_seeks_solution__block_club_chicago.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200923040051/https://www.housingstudies.org/media/filer_public/cf/fe/cffe0526-cac6-4a3b-a516-28308bb1cdd3/home_prices_along_west_end_of_606_trail_up_344_since_2012_new_study_finds_as_council_seeks_solution__block_club_chicago.html"},{"t":"Effort to Extend Demolition Fee in Pilsen, Along 606 Trail Advances","p":"WTTW","d":"2022-03-21","type":"press","u":"https://news.wttw.com/2022/03/21/effort-extend-demolition-fee-pilsen-along-606-trail-advances","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012234913/https://news.wttw.com/2022/03/21/effort-extend-demolition-fee-pilsen-along-606-trail-advances"}],"episodes":[],"related":["atlanta-beltline-green-gentrification","high-line-property-value-effect"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 48.2% price rise and the 97,000 to 462,000 dollar change in median sale price are two separate measures; the cited sources do not give the period or area of the 48.2% figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many households were displaced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name who gained from the price rise.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"quest-ccs","title":"Quest CCS (Shell, Alberta)","dek":"Shell's Quest carbon capture facility in Alberta, Canada, was presented as proof that the technology is safe and effective. Global Witness reported that over five years it captured 5 million tonnes of carbon and emitted 7.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":53.7,"lon":-113.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":53.7,"lon":-113.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2020,"instrument":"climate-tech","types":["climate-tech","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Carbon captured vs greenhouse gases emitted, 2015–2020 (Global Witness)","value":"5 Mt: 7.5 Mt","note":"Figures as reported by Global Witness in January 2022; Shell disputes the comparison (see Unknown)."},"happened":["Quest is a carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in Alberta, Canada, owned by Shell. CCS separates carbon dioxide from a stack or gas stream, moves it by pipeline and injects it underground.","Shell presented Quest as evidence that CCS is a safe and effective technology, according to Global Witness, which cited the company's own framing of the plant.","In January 2022 Global Witness reported that Quest captured 5 million tonnes of carbon over five years (2015–2020) while the facility emitted 7.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in the same period. It put the share of the facility's carbon emissions that was captured at 48%, and at 39% when other greenhouse gases were counted.","Public support took two forms in the cited sources: direct funding from the federal and Alberta governments, and an Alberta rule that gave Quest two carbon credits for each tonne of carbon it stored. Greenpeace Canada calculated that half of the credits sold represented reductions that did not occur, that Shell earned more than 200 million dollars from them, and that 93% of the project's cost fell to taxpayers when direct subsidies were included. The cited sources identifies these figures as the calculation of a campaign organisation."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Start of the five-year period covered by the Global Witness comparison (2015–2020)"},{"y":2020,"t":"End of the five-year period covered by the Global Witness comparison"},{"y":2022,"t":"Global Witness publishes its analysis of Quest (January)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Quest as proof that CCS technology is \"safe and effective\"","who":"Shell, as described by Global Witness","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Five years of operation: 5 million tonnes of carbon captured; 7.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases emitted (Global Witness).","src":0},{"t":"Share of the facility's carbon emissions captured: 48%; 39% counting other greenhouse gases (Global Witness).","src":0},{"t":"Alberta rule: two carbon credits for each tonne of carbon stored.","src":1},{"t":"Greenpeace Canada's calculation: half of the credits sold covered reductions that did not occur; more than 200 million dollars in credit revenue to Shell; 93% of project cost borne by the public including direct subsidies.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"2015–2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Carbon captured vs emitted","v":"5 Mt vs 7.5 Mt","d":"Five years, as reported by Global Witness (January 2022)"},{"k":"Share of carbon emissions captured","v":"48%","d":"39% counting other greenhouse gases (Global Witness)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Shell was reported to have called the Global Witness analysis flat wrong and to have said Quest was designed to capture about one third of its production emissions.","Unconfirmed: public funding of 865 million Canadian dollars (120 million federal, 745 million from Alberta), reported in 2014 as roughly two thirds of construction and ten years of operation.","The Greenpeace Canada figures on credit revenue and the public share of cost are that organisation's own calculation; the underlying document was not available for review.","Unconfirmed: Global Witness compares Quest's capture with the 90% capture figure promised for blue hydrogen, which is not the share Quest was designed to capture."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"According to Greenpeace Canada's calculation, most of the cost fell to taxpayers through direct subsidies and the credit rule.","statusLine":"As of January 2022 (latest dated report in the sources): Global Witness had published its analysis; no ruling or regulatory finding found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Facility owner"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"NGO that published the capture-versus-emissions comparison"},{"id":"greenpeace-canada","role":"NGO that calculated credit revenue and public cost share"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"co2_captured_tonnes","value":5000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"Carbon captured over five years, 2015–2020 (Global Witness)."},{"key":"ghg_emitted_tonnes","value":7500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"Greenhouse gases emitted by the facility over the same five years (Global Witness)."},{"key":"capture_share_percent","value":48,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Share of carbon emissions captured; 39% counting other greenhouse gases (Global Witness)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A carbon capture and storage facility that Shell presented as safe and effective; Global Witness reported it emitted more greenhouse gases than it captured over five years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"Credits issued at two per tonne stored; more than 200 million dollars of credit revenue according to Greenpeace Canada's calculation.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers (Canada, Alberta)","what":"Bore 93% of project cost including direct subsidies, according to Greenpeace Canada's calculation.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alberta, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2015–2020 (comparison period); analysis published January 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Carbon dioxide separated at the facility is stored underground; Alberta granted two credits per tonne stored.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Shell hydrogen true emissions (Quest comparison)","p":"Global Witness","d":"2022-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-gas/shell-hydrogen-true-emissions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250104175536/https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-gas/shell-hydrogen-true-emissions/"},{"t":"Shell loves a bargain (Quest CCS and Alberta's 2-for-1 credit rule)","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2024","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/story/65837/shell-fanned-the-flames-of-the-climate-crisis-with-a-2-for-1-deal/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Over five years Shell's Quest facility in Alberta captured 5 million tonnes of carbon and emitted 7.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into my air, Global Witness reported; Shell disputes the comparison.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell was reported to have called the Global Witness analysis flat wrong and to have said Quest was designed to capture about one third of its production emissions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: public funding of 865 million Canadian dollars (120 million federal, 745 million from Alberta), reported in 2014 as roughly two thirds of construction and ten years of operation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Greenpeace Canada figures on credit revenue and the public share of cost are that organisation's own calculation; the underlying document was not available for review.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Global Witness compares Quest's capture with the 90% capture figure promised for blue hydrogen, which is not the share Quest was designed to capture.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Shell","No source link — Who lost: Taxpayers (Canada, Alberta)"]},{"id":"sierra-club-donations-from-chesapeake-energy","title":"Sierra Club donations from Chesapeake Energy","dek":"From 2007 the Sierra Club received about 26 million dollars from the head of gas producer Chesapeake Energy and associated people for its campaign against coal. The club later refused a further 30 million dollars.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":35.47,"lon":-97.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oklahoma","lat":35.47,"lon":-97.52,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":2012,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Donations to the Sierra Club from Chesapeake Energy's head and associates, 2007 onward","value":"about $26m","note":"Sources vary between \"over $25 million\" and $26.1 million."},"happened":["From 2007 the Sierra Club, a US environmental organisation, received donations of about 26 million dollars from Chesapeake Energy's chief executive and associated individuals, according to MIT Technology Review. The money went to the club's campaign against coal-fired power, known as Beyond Coal.","Natural gas is described in the sources as the rival fuel to coal. In the same period the club's executive director, Carl Pope, defended gas as a bridge fuel, and made joint promotional trips with the company's chief executive, according to the cited sources.","The sources report that the club later stopped taking the gas money and turned down a further 30 million dollars. The dates given for the period of donations vary between sources, from 2007–2010 to 2007–2012.","The amount is reported differently across sources: \"over 25 million dollars\" in some and 26.1 million dollars in others."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Donations from Chesapeake Energy's chief executive and associates to the Sierra Club begin"},{"y":2010,"t":"Reported date on which the Sierra Club stopped accepting the gas money (unconfirmed)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Natural gas as a \"bridge fuel\" between coal and renewable energy","who":"American Gas Association, in 1981 and 2008; later defended by Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, during the donation period","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Donations of about 26 million dollars from Chesapeake Energy's head and associates for the club's anti-coal campaign; a further 30 million dollars was refused.","src":0},{"t":"Sources give the total as \"over 25 million dollars\" and as around 26 million dollars.","src":1},{"t":"A 2011 study by Howarth and colleagues argued that methane leakage weakens the bridge-fuel argument.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2007–2012","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Donations received","v":"about $26m","d":"From Chesapeake Energy's head and associates, for the anti-coal campaign (MIT Technology Review)"},{"k":"Further offer refused","v":"$30m","d":"Reported as declined by the club"}]},"unknown":["The exact total is not settled: sources give \"over 25 million dollars\" and 26.1 million dollars.","The year in which the club stopped the donations is reported as 2010 in some sources and the record is given as 2007–2012 in others; the Sierra Club's own statement on the matter was unconfirmed.","No response from Chesapeake Energy is on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The sources report that the club stopped the donations and refused a further 30 million dollars; the date is given as 2010 in some sources.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated source reviewed (2016): donations reported as ended; no ruling or investigation found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"sierra-club","role":"Recipient; environmental organisation"},{"id":"chesapeake-energy","role":"Natural gas producer whose head and associates gave the money"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much did the Sierra Club receive?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"MIT Technology Review","says":"About 26 million dollars, with a further 30 million dollars refused.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"donations_received","value":26,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"From Chesapeake Energy's head and associates, 2007 onward; some sources say over 25 million dollars, others 26.1 million dollars."},{"key":"donations_refused","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Further offer declined by the club."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An environmental organisation received about 26 million dollars from the head of a gas producer for its campaign against coal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sierra Club","what":"Funding for its Beyond Coal campaign.","src":0},{"who":"Chesapeake Energy","what":"A campaign against coal, a rival fuel to natural gas.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2007 onward; sources give 2007–2010 or 2007–2012.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Donations from the chief executive of Chesapeake Energy and associated individuals went to the club's anti-coal campaign; the club's executive director defended gas as a bridge fuel in the same period.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"How Chesapeake CEO Aubrey McClendon helped push coal to the brink","p":"MIT Technology Review","d":"2016-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/03/03/108926/how-chesapeake-ceo-aubrey-mcclendon-helped-push-coal-to-the-brink/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260929223208/https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/03/03/108926/how-chesapeake-ceo-aubrey-mcclendon-helped-push-coal-to-the-brink/"},{"t":"Sierra Club accepted millions from natural gas industry, report says","p":"Yale Environment 360","d":"2012-02-03","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/digest/sierra_club_accepted_millions_from_natural_gas_industry_report_says","type":"press"},{"t":"Methane and the greenhouse-gas footprint of natural gas from shale formations (Howarth, Santoro, Ingraffea), news summary","p":"ScienceDaily (Cornell University release), Climatic Change","d":"2011-04-12","u":"https://sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412065948.htm","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"ngo-funding","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much did the Sierra Club receive?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact total is not settled: sources give \"over 25 million dollars\" and 26.1 million dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The year in which the club stopped the donations is reported as 2010 in some sources and the record is given as 2007–2012 in others; the Sierra Club's own statement on the matter was unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No response from Chesapeake Energy is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Chesapeake Energy"]},{"id":"ethylene-oxide-in-indian-sesame","title":"Ethylene oxide in Indian sesame (EU recalls)","dek":"Sesame seed exported from India was found to have been treated with ethylene oxide, a fumigant, and was recalled in Europe from 2020. The cited sources give few verified details.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":21,"lon":78,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2021,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"RASFF notifications on Indian sesame by January 2021","value":"477","note":"As reported by Food Safety News; not independently verified."},"happened":["Food Safety News reported in February 2021 that recalls of contaminated sesame seed were continuing in Europe. The contaminant was ethylene oxide, a fumigant. The seed came from India.","The reporting counted notifications in RASFF, the European Union's rapid alert system for food and feed, and said that thousands of products had been recalled. The cited sources do not describe the legal limit applied, the testing method used or the recalled products by name."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Ethylene oxide residue in Indian sesame first reported in Europe (Food Safety News; no other source confirms it)"},{"y":2021,"t":"By January, 477 RASFF notifications and recalls of thousands of products (as reported by Food Safety News)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Food Safety News reported in February 2021 that contaminated sesame seed recalls were continuing in Europe.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"RASFF notifications","v":"477","d":"By January 2021, as reported by Food Safety News; no other source confirms it"},{"k":"Ecological measurement","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources record a food-safety residue, not an effect on land or water"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: sesame from India was fumigated with ethylene oxide, with first detection in Belgium in 2020.","Unconfirmed: 477 RASFF notifications by January 2021, with thousands of products recalled.","Unconfirmed: the practice was estimated to have been widespread for years.","The cited sources do not state who carried out the fumigation, how many exporters were involved, or whether any exporter or authority was penalised.","The cited sources do not state any response from Indian exporters or the Indian authorities."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the fumigation stopped.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who bore the cost of the recalls.","statusLine":"As of October 2026 the cited sources hold one press report from February 2021 and no later record.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"rasff_notifications","value":477,"unit":"notifications","year":2021,"qualifier":"by January","unverified":true,"note":"Reported figure for Indian sesame; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sesame seed from India was reported to contain ethylene oxide, a fumigant, and was recalled in Europe.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India (origin); recalls in Europe.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2020; recalls continuing in February 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the seed was fumigated with ethylene oxide.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the contamination was detected beyond the RASFF notifications.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Contaminated sesame seed recalls continue in Europe","p":"Food Safety News","d":"2021-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/02/contaminated-sesame-seed-recalls-continue-in-europe/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616052436/https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2021/02/contaminated-sesame-seed-recalls-continue-in-europe/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Rasff notifications: Reported figure for Indian sesame; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: sesame from India was fumigated with ethylene oxide, with first detection in Belgium in 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 477 RASFF notifications by January 2021, with thousands of products recalled.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the practice was estimated to have been widespread for years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state who carried out the fumigation, how many exporters were involved, or whether any exporter or authority was penalised.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state any response from Indian exporters or the Indian authorities.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"barbados-debt-for-nature-swap","title":"Barbados debt-for-nature swap","dek":"In September 2022 Barbados refinanced about US$150 million of debt through a Credit Suisse-led transaction backed by guarantees from the Inter-American Development Bank and The Nature Conservancy. The cited sources put the conservation commitment at US$50 million.","country":"Barbados","region":"Caribbean","lat":13.19,"lon":-59.54,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Barbados","iso2":"BB","lat":13.19,"lon":-59.54,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":null,"eventDate":"2022-09","instrument":"debt-swap","types":["debt-swap"],"headline":{"label":"Debt converted vs conservation money committed","value":"US$150m: US$50m","note":"Face value of debt bought back or converted; conservation commitment. Figures as reported."},"happened":["In September 2022 Barbados completed a debt-for-nature transaction arranged by Credit Suisse as global lead, with CIBC FirstCaribbean as domestic lead. The cited sources give the size of the transaction as US$150 million, and the bond issued as US$146.5 million.","The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) provided a guarantee of US$100 million and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) a guarantee of US$50 million. Barbados committed US$50 million to conservation.","Barbados is one of several swaps in which Credit Suisse and TNC were involved, alongside Belize (2021) and Ecuador-Galápagos (2023). In the Belize and Galápagos transactions the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) provided insurance; the cited sources do not show DFC cover for Barbados."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Barbados debt-for-nature transaction closed in September: about US$150m of debt, US$146.5m bond, US$50m for conservation"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Credit Suisse acted as global lead and CIBC FirstCaribbean as domestic lead.","src":0},{"t":"Guarantees: IDB US$100m, TNC US$50m.","src":0},{"t":"Bond issued: US$146.5m; debt bought back or converted: US$150m; conservation commitment: US$50m.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022","nature":[{"label":"Conservation money committed","amount":50}],"natureTotal":{"amount":50},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Conservation money committed","v":"US$50m","d":"Against US$150m of debt bought back or converted, as reported"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources do not describe any measured outcome for nature"}]},"unknown":["Fees or margins paid to the arranging banks and other advisers in the Barbados transaction: no figure appears in the cited sources.","Duration of the conservation commitment and who manages it: none on record.","Ecological results of the transaction: no evaluation appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the cited sources: the transaction closed in September 2022; no evaluation of conservation outcomes found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"credit-suisse","role":"Global lead arranger"},{"id":"cibc-firstcaribbean","role":"Domestic lead arranger"},{"id":"idb","role":"Guarantor (US$100m)"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Guarantor (US$50m)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"debt_face_value","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Face value of debt bought back or converted, as reported."},{"key":"bond_issued","value":146.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Size of the transaction as listed in the Credit Suisse release record."},{"key":"conservation_committed","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Conservation money committed."},{"key":"guarantee_idb","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Guarantee by the Inter-American Development Bank."},{"key":"guarantee_tnc","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Guarantee by The Nature Conservancy."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A debt-for-nature transaction in which Barbados refinanced about US$150 million of debt with a US$146.5 million bond backed by guarantees, and committed US$50 million to conservation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Credit Suisse and CIBC FirstCaribbean","what":"Arranged the transaction as global and domestic lead; their remuneration is not on record.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Barbados.","src":0},"when":{"t":"September 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the government's stated rationale for this transaction.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Debt was bought back or converted using a bond of US$146.5 million; the IDB guaranteed US$100 million and TNC US$50 million.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Credit Suisse finances debt conversion for marine conservation in Barbados","p":"Credit Suisse","d":"2022-09","type":"company","u":"https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us-news/en/articles/media-releases/cs-finances-debt-conversion-for-marine-conservation-in-barbados-202209.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230921192914/https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us-news/en/articles/media-releases/cs-finances-debt-conversion-for-marine-conservation-in-barbados-202209.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"US$150 million of debt was bought back or converted in my name in 2022, against a conservation commitment of US$50 million; no measured outcome for nature is on record.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Fees or margins paid to the arranging banks and other advisers in the Barbados transaction: no figure appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Duration of the conservation commitment and who manages it: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ecological results of the transaction: no evaluation appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"worldview-international-foundation-mangrove-project","title":"Worldview International Foundation mangrove project (Myanmar)","dek":"A Myanmar mangrove planting programme registered with Verra reports seedling survival of 86 to 96 percent and an AA rating from BeZero. The cited sources contain no independent audit.","country":"Myanmar","region":"Southeast Asia","lat":19.8,"lon":96.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Myanmar","iso2":"MM","lat":19.8,"lon":96.1,"role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Self-reported seedling survival","value":"86–96%","note":"Reported by Worldview International Foundation itself. Independent check: none on record."},"happened":["Worldview International Foundation (WIF) reports six projects registered with Verra. One of them, VCS 1764, covers about 2,100 hectares and is expected to generate about 184,006 credits a year.","WIF reports survival of 86 to 96 percent for its plantings and a BeZero AA rating.","The cited sources contain no independent audit or investigation of the project. The figures above are the foundation's own."],"timeline":[],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Survival of 86–96% and a BeZero AA rating.","who":"Worldview International Foundation (self-reported)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Six projects registered with Verra are reported by the foundation; VCS 1764 covers about 2,100 ha with about 184,006 credits a year expected.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Seedling survival (self-reported)","v":"86–96%","d":"Reported by Worldview International Foundation"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No independent audit or investigation appears in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Independent verification of survival rates: no independent audit or investigation appears in the cited sources.","Credits sold, prices and revenue: none on record."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: no harm is on record.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the cited sources: the foundation reports its own survival and rating figures; no independent audit found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Worldview International Foundation","says":"Reports survival of 86–96% and a BeZero AA rating.","when":null,"src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"wif","role":"Project developer"},{"id":"verra","role":"Registry"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":2100,"unit":"ha","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area of VCS 1764, as reported by the foundation."},{"key":"credits_expected_per_year","value":184006,"unit":"credits","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Expected annual credits for VCS 1764."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":"86–96","unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"self-reported","note":"Survival of plantings, as reported by the foundation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A mangrove planting programme in Myanmar, registered with Verra as VCS 1764, covering about 2,100 hectares with about 184,006 credits a year expected.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Myanmar.","src":0},"when":null,"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plantings are registered as carbon projects with Verra; the foundation reports survival of 86–96% and a BeZero AA rating.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Reforestation and Restoration of degraded mangrove lands, sustainable livelihood and community development in Myanmar (Project Description, VCS Version 3, v3.0)","p":"Worldview International Foundation (VCS project 1764)","d":"2018-02-19","u":"https://www.cooleffect.org/lib/content/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Myanmar_PROJ_DESC_1764_19FEB2018.pdf","type":"registry"},{"t":"Mangroves - The Pick of the Crop of the Voluntary Carbon Market, a win-win-win solution (chairman statement)","p":"Worldview International Foundation (copy hosted by Besteforeldreaksjonen)","d":"2024-09-15","u":"https://besteforeldreaksjonen.no/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/innlegg-pa-WIFs-hjemmeside.pdf","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Worldview International Foundation reports 86–96% seedling survival in my Myanmar mangroves; no independent check is on record.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Independent verification of survival rates: no independent audit or investigation appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Credits sold, prices and revenue: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — When? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chikweti-forestry-plantations","title":"Chikweti forestry plantations (Mozambique)","dek":"A Dutch pension fund held a majority stake in a fund that planted pine and eucalyptus in Niassa province, Mozambique. A 2010 government review found that 32,000 hectares were occupied without land-use rights.","country":"Mozambique","region":"Africa","lat":-13,"lon":36.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Niassa","lat":-13,"lon":36.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"company-home"}],"start":2007,"end":null,"eventDate":"2010-09","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Land occupied without DUAT (government review, September 2010)","value":"32,000 ha","note":"Finding of Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and the National Directorate of Lands and Forests (DNTF); the fund denied it."},"happened":["In 2007 the Dutch pension fund ABP decided to add forest land to its portfolio. According to a briefing by the Transnational Institute (TNI) and FIAN, it took 60 percent of the Global Solidarity Forest Fund (GSFF), a US$100 million fund set up by the Diocese of Västerås of the Church of Sweden and the Church of Norway's foundation OVF. Other sources give ABP's share as 54.5 percent and its investment as €47 million or US$60 million. GSFF's subsidiary Chikweti Forests of Niassa established pine and eucalyptus plantations in Niassa province, Mozambique.","ABP's stated reason was that forest land offers stable and potentially high returns for pension funds. A senior ABP portfolio manager announced a target of raising land investment to about €1 billion under the slogan 'The world is our farm', according to TNI and FIAN.","In Mozambique land belongs to the state, and the right to use it is held through a DUAT (right of use and benefit of land), which works as a title. A review in September 2010 by the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Directorate of Lands and Forests (DNTF) found that Chikweti had occupied 32,000 hectares illegally, without a DUAT. GSFF denied the finding.","In December 2011 ABP conceded that the investment did not meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria, but declined to withdraw. In 2011–2013 the Dutch minister Ben Knapen said the government does not dictate policy to private investors, and the government defended forest investment as important for Mozambique's development, according to TNI and FIAN."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"ABP decides to add forest land to its portfolio and takes a majority stake in GSFF"},{"y":2010,"t":"September: Mozambican government review finds 32,000 ha occupied without DUAT; GSFF denies"},{"y":2011,"t":"5 December: ABP concedes the investment did not meet ESG criteria; declines to withdraw"},{"y":2013,"t":"TNI/FIAN briefing on the Netherlands and the global land and water grab published"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"A September 2010 review by Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and DNTF found Chikweti Forests of Niassa occupied 32,000 ha without DUAT; GSFF denied it.","src":0},{"t":"ABP conceded in December 2011 that the investment did not meet ESG criteria and declined to withdraw.","src":1},{"t":"Chikweti was seeking FSC certification (its fund announced FSC certification as its aim; De Volkskrant reported in December 2011 that the project had failed to obtain it after an FSC team found problems in May 2011) when the government review of September 2010 found 32,000 ha occupied without DUAT.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Land occupied without DUAT","v":"32,000 ha","d":"Mozambican government review, September 2010; denied by GSFF"},{"k":"Plantation type","v":"Pine and eucalyptus","d":"Established on natural miombo woodland and agricultural land"}]},"unknown":["Current status of GSFF and Chikweti and whether ABP has since exited: the cited sources date from 2011–2013.","A table in a World Bank BioCarbon Fund document is reported to give 63,040 ha of DUAT and 14,250 ha planted for Chikweti; unconfirmed.","Whether local communities were properly consulted: reported by the Mozambican farmers' union and the DNTF; no other source confirms it."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the cited sources (2011–2013) do not say whether the occupation ended or whether ABP exited.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the cited sources (2011–2013): ABP conceded the investment did not meet ESG criteria and stayed invested; current status not found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Global Solidarity Forest Fund (GSFF)","says":"Denied that Chikweti had occupied 32,000 ha without DUAT.","when":"2010","src":0},{"actor":"ABP","says":"Conceded that the investment did not meet ESG criteria; declined to withdraw.","when":"December 2011","src":1},{"actor":"Dutch government (Minister Ben Knapen)","says":"The government does not dictate policy to private investors; forest investment was defended as important for Mozambique's development.","when":"2011–2013","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"abp","role":"Majority investor in GSFF"},{"id":"gsff","role":"Forest fund"},{"id":"chikweti","role":"Plantation company (GSFF subsidiary)"},{"id":"dntf","role":"Reviewing authority"},{"id":"fsc","role":"Certification scheme"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Chikweti occupy 32,000 hectares without land-use rights (DUAT)?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mozambique Ministry of Agriculture and DNTF","says":"A September 2010 review by the Ministry of Agriculture and the DNTF found that Chikweti Forests of Niassa occupied 32,000 ha illegally, without DUAT.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Global Solidarity Forest Fund","says":"Denied the finding.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":32000,"unit":"ha","year":2010,"note":"Land found occupied without DUAT by a government review; denied by GSFF."},{"key":"fund_size","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"note":"Size of GSFF."},{"key":"abp_stake","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2007,"qualifier":"sources differ","note":"ABP share of GSFF per TNI; other sources give 54.5%."},{"key":"abp_investment","value":47,"unit":"EUR m","year":2007,"qualifier":"sources differ","note":"Other sources give US$60 million."},{"key":"abp_land_target","value":1000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2013,"note":"Target for land investment announced by an ABP portfolio manager."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A forestry fund majority-held by ABP established pine and eucalyptus plantations in Niassa, Mozambique; a government review found 32,000 ha occupied without DUAT.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ABP and the other investors in GSFF","what":"Stakes in a forestry fund; returns are not on record.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Niassa province, Mozambique.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2007; government review September 2010; ABP statement December 2011.","src":0},"why":{"t":"ABP said forest land offers stable and potentially high returns for pension funds.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through GSFF and its subsidiary Chikweti Forests of Niassa, using DUAT land-use rights granted by the state.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"The Netherlands and the Global Land and Water Grab","p":"Transnational Institute and FIAN","d":"2013","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.tni.org/files/download/nl_and_global_land_and_water_grab.pdf"},{"t":"ABP concedes African forestry investment failed to meet ESG criteria","p":"IPE / Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2011-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/abp-concedes-african-forestry-investment-failed-to-meet-esg-criteria"},{"t":"The Human Rights Impacts of Tree Plantations in Niassa Province, Mozambique","p":"FIAN International / Transnational Institute (Hands off the Land Alliance)","d":"2012-09","u":"https://www.tni.org/files/download/niassa_report-hi.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A September 2010 Mozambican government review found that Chikweti Forests of Niassa occupied 32,000 hectares of my land without land-use rights; the fund denied it.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Chikweti occupy 32,000 hectares without land-use rights (DUAT)?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Current status of GSFF and Chikweti and whether ABP has since exited: the cited sources date from 2011–2013.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"A table in a World Bank BioCarbon Fund document is reported to give 63,040 ha of DUAT and 14,250 ha planted for Chikweti; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether local communities were properly consulted: reported by the Mozambican farmers' union and the DNTF; no other source confirms it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"volgoneft-212-239-spill","title":"Volgoneft 212/239 spill (Kerch Strait)","dek":"Two Volgoneft tankers were involved in an oil spill in the Kerch Strait on 15 December 2024. In August 2025 a Krasnodar court was reported to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":45.3,"lon":36.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","lat":45.3,"lon":36.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnodar","role":"court"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-12-15","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Court award reported against the owner of the Volgoneft 212 (August 2025)","value":"RUB 49.46bn","note":"As reported secondarily by USM/TASS; the insurer guarantee on record was RUB 533.4m."},"happened":["The Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 were involved in a spill in the Kerch Strait on 15 December 2024.","In August 2025 a court in Krasnodar was reported to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212. The cited sources give the court figures only through secondary reports (USM/TASS).","The liability limit under the Civil Liability Convention (CLC) was SDR 4.51m per ship. An insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m was reported. The insurer is not on record.","CEOBS wrote in December 2025 that \"two fleet support vessels have been involved in a substantial spill near the Kerch Strait that led to cetacean deaths\". The article does not name the vessels or give the date of the spill."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"15 December: spill involving the Volgoneft 212 and 239 in the Kerch Strait"},{"y":2025,"t":"August: Krasnodar court reported to award RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"CLC limit of SDR 4.51m per ship.","src":1},{"t":"Insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m.","src":0},{"t":"Krasnodar court, August 2025: RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Court award vs insurer guarantee","v":"RUB 49.46bn vs RUB 533.4m","d":"Krasnodar court, August 2025; insurer guarantee as reported (secondary)"}]},"unknown":["The Russian court figures are secondary, taken from USM/TASS reports, not from the judgment itself.","The insurer is not on record. Unconfirmed: one report names it as the Russian National Reinsurance Co.","Number of cetacean deaths attributed to the spill: none on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who paid; an insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m was reported.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: a Krasnodar court was reported to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212; no payment is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Krasnodar court award against the owner of the Volgoneft 212","forum":"Krasnodar court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Owner of the Volgoneft 212","filed":null,"decided":"2025-08","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":49460,"currency":"RUB","label":"RUB 49.46bn (value in millions)"},"summary":"A Krasnodar court was reported in August 2025 to have awarded RUB 49.46bn against the owner of the Volgoneft 212. The figure is secondary, from USM/TASS.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"not on record","insured":"Owner of the Volgoneft 212","status":"unknown","year":2025,"amount":"RUB 533.4m insurer guarantee","reason":null,"summary":"An insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m was reported; the CLC limit was SDR 4.51m per ship. The insurer is not on record.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":49460,"unit":"RUB m","year":2025,"note":"Krasnodar court award against the owner of the Volgoneft 212, as reported by USM/TASS."},{"key":"insurance_guarantee","value":533.4,"unit":"RUB m","year":2025,"note":"Insurer guarantee reported; payment not confirmed."},{"key":"clc_limit","value":4.51,"unit":"SDR m per ship","year":2024,"note":"CLC limit of liability."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil spill involving the tankers Volgoneft 212 and 239.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kerch Strait.","src":null},"when":{"t":"15 December 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a cause.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the spill occurred.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Krasnodar court award and insurer guarantee (secondary, from USM/TASS)","p":"USM/TASS","d":"2025-08","type":"press","u":null},{"t":"Texts of Conventions (1992 Civil Liability Convention, Article V limits)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds","d":"2025-11","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Text-of-Conventions_e.pdf","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415133953/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Text-of-Conventions_e.pdf"},{"t":"Evidencing a recovery plan for Black Sea dolphins and porpoises","p":"CEOBS (Conflict and Environment Observatory)","d":"2025-12-04","u":"https://ceobs.org/evidencing-a-recovery-plan-for-black-sea-dolphins-and-porpoises/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["black-sea-cetacean-deaths-war","kerch-strait-storm-2007-volgoneft-139"],"natureLead":{"t":"Two tankers were involved in an oil spill into my Kerch Strait on 15 December 2024; a court award of RUB 49.46bn was reported, against an insurer guarantee of RUB 533.4m.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"not on record: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Russian court figures are secondary, taken from USM/TASS reports, not from the judgment itself.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The insurer is not on record. Unconfirmed: one report names it as the Russian National Reinsurance Co.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Number of cetacean deaths attributed to the spill: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"princess-empress-oil-spill","title":"Princess Empress oil spill (Philippines)","dek":"The tanker Princess Empress spilled oil off Mindoro on 28 February 2023. Of PHP 15.06bn claimed, PHP 3.88bn was approved and PHP 2.71bn paid.","country":"Philippines","region":"Asia","lat":13,"lon":121.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Mindoro","lat":13,"lon":121.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-02-28","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-retreat"],"headline":{"label":"Claims paid vs claimed","value":"PHP 2.71bn of PHP 15.06bn","note":"PHP 3.88bn approved; paid by the Shipowners' Club and the 1992 Fund (IOPC document NOV25/3/12)."},"happened":["The tanker Princess Empress spilled oil off Mindoro, the Philippines, on 28 February 2023.","According to IOPC Funds document IOPC/NOV25/3/12, claims of PHP 15.06bn were submitted, PHP 3.88bn was approved and PHP 2.71bn had been paid. The payments came from the Shipowners' Club and the 1992 Fund.","The Philippine maritime regulator MARINA stated that the tanker sailed without an amended certificate of public convenience, and revoked the certificate on 11 May 2023. A senator warned that the insurer might refuse to pay; the Club paid regardless.","The Princess Empress is one of the incidents to which the voluntary STOPIA 2006 scheme (amended 2017) applied. Under it, owners of ships of 29,548 GT or less entered in International Group P&I clubs voluntarily raise their exposure to SDR 20m by reimbursing the 1992 Fund. In the November 2025 levy cycle the 1992 Fund levied £5m for the Princess Empress, due 1 March 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"28 February: Princess Empress oil spill off Mindoro"},{"y":2023,"t":"11 May: MARINA revokes the tanker's certificate of public convenience"},{"y":2025,"t":"November: IOPC document records PHP 15.06bn claimed, PHP 3.88bn approved, PHP 2.71bn paid; £5m levied for the Princess Empress, due 1 March 2026"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"PHP 15.06bn claimed; PHP 3.88bn approved; PHP 2.71bn paid (Shipowners' Club plus 1992 Fund).","src":0},{"t":"MARINA stated the tanker sailed without an amended certificate of public convenience and revoked the certificate on 11 May 2023.","src":1},{"t":"STOPIA 2006 (amended 2017) applied to the Princess Empress.","src":0},{"t":"November 2025 levy cycle: £5m for the Princess Empress, due 1 March 2026.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"PHP","window":"2023–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Claims paid vs claimed","v":"PHP 2.71bn of PHP 15.06bn","d":"PHP 3.88bn approved (IOPC document NOV25/3/12)"}]},"unknown":["Claims of PHP 15.06bn were submitted and PHP 3.88bn approved; the cited sources do not give reasons for the difference."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say.","whoPaid":"The Shipowners' Club and the 1992 Fund paid PHP 2.71bn, according to IOPC document NOV25/3/12.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: PHP 2.71bn paid of PHP 3.88bn approved and PHP 15.06bn claimed.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Shipowners' Club","says":"Paid claims, despite a senator's warning that the insurer might refuse.","when":"2023","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"1992 Fund; paid claims together with the Shipowners' Club"},{"id":"shipowners-club","role":"P&I insurer; paid claims"},{"id":"marina","role":"Philippine maritime regulator; revoked the tanker's certificate"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"MARINA revocation of certificate of public convenience","forum":"MARINA","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"MARINA","defendant":"Owner/operator of the Princess Empress","filed":null,"decided":"2023-05-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"MARINA stated the tanker sailed without an amended certificate of public convenience and revoked the certificate on 11 May 2023.","src":1}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Shipowners' Club","insured":"Owner of the Princess Empress","status":"paid","year":2025,"amount":"PHP 2.71bn paid together with the 1992 Fund","reason":null,"summary":"A senator warned the insurer might refuse; the Club paid regardless. The cited sources give PHP 2.71bn paid jointly with the 1992 Fund against PHP 3.88bn approved.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":15060,"unit":"PHP m","year":2025,"note":"Total claimed (IOPC/NOV25/3/12)."},{"key":"claim_approved","value":3880,"unit":"PHP m","year":2025,"note":"Approved (IOPC/NOV25/3/12)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":2710,"unit":"PHP m","year":2025,"note":"Shipowners' Club plus 1992 Fund (IOPC/NOV25/3/12)."},{"key":"levy","value":5,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Levied for the Princess Empress in the November 2025 cycle, due 1 March 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil spill from the tanker Princess Empress.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mindoro, the Philippines.","src":null},"when":{"t":"28 February 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"MARINA stated the tanker sailed without an amended certificate of public convenience; the cited sources do not state the cause of the spill.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the spill occurred.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"IOPC Funds document IOPC/NOV25/3/12 (Princess Empress)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-11","type":"official","u":null},{"t":"MARINA revokes CPC of Princess Empress owner","p":"PortCalls Asia","d":"2023-05","u":"https://portcalls.com/marina-revokes-cpc-of-princess-empress-owner/","type":"press"},{"t":"Assessment of contributions to Major Claims Funds, 1992 Fund (IOPC/NOV25/9/2/1)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds","d":"2025-09-19","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/82689/en/IOPC-NOV25-9-2-1_en.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Incidents involving the IOPC Funds - 1992 Fund: Princess Empress (IOPC/NOV25/3/12)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds","d":"2025-10-07","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/82823/en/IOPC-NOV25-3-12_en.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sea-empress-oil-spill"],"natureLead":{"t":"The tanker Princess Empress spilled oil into my sea off Mindoro on 28 February 2023; by November 2025, PHP 2.71 billion of the PHP 15.06 billion claimed had been paid.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Claims of PHP 15.06bn were submitted and PHP 3.88bn approved; the cited sources do not give reasons for the difference.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"dark-basin-hacking-of-climate-groups","title":"Dark Basin hacking of climate groups (#ExxonKnew)","dek":"An Israeli private investigator was sentenced in a US federal court for his part in a spearphishing campaign that targeted US climate and environmental organisations. Exxon said it had no knowledge of the investigator and had not been involved in any hacking.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.71,"lon":-74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":40.71,"lon":-74,"role":"court"}],"start":null,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2023-11-16","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Sentence imposed on the investigator","value":"80 months","note":"Federal court, Southern District of New York, 16 November 2023, with forfeiture of $4,844,968."},"happened":["Aviram Azari, an Israeli private investigator, was sentenced in federal court in the Southern District of New York on 16 November 2023 to 80 months in prison and forfeiture of $4,844,968. The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York described the case as involving a massive spearphishing campaign.","The victims included the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Rockefeller Family Fund, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Climate Investigations Center. The episode is known as the hacking of climate groups, linked to the #ExxonKnew campaign, and the hacking operation as \"Dark Basin\".","Exxon said it \"has no knowledge of Azari nor have we been involved in any hacking activities\", according to NPR. Azari pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer hacking, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft before sentencing. Prosecutors have not said who hired him."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"16 November: Aviram Azari sentenced to 80 months and forfeiture of $4,844,968 in the Southern District of New York"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Exxon denied any knowledge of the hacking.","who":"Exxon, as recorded in the reviewed sources","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Aviram Azari was sentenced on 16 November 2023 to 80 months and forfeiture of $4,844,968 (Southern District of New York).","src":0},{"t":"Victims included the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Rockefeller Family Fund, the Conservation Law Foundation and the Climate Investigations Center.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Harm to nature","v":"Not recorded","d":"The cited sources describe hacking of organisations, not physical harm to ecosystems."}]},"unknown":["Who commissioned the hacking: the cited sources record that prosecutors have not said who hired Azari and that Exxon says it has no knowledge of him."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record; the record names the victim organisations and a forfeiture of $4,844,968 ordered against the investigator.","statusLine":"As of the November 2023 sentencing: Azari sentenced to 80 months; Exxon says it has no knowledge of Azari.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"exxon","says":"Said it has no knowledge of Azari and has not been involved in any hacking activities.","when":null,"src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"exxon","role":"Company that denied knowledge"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecuting authority (Southern District of New York)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"United States v. Aviram Azari (spearphishing campaign)","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of New York","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Aviram Azari","filed":null,"decided":"2023-11-16","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":4844968,"currency":"USD","label":"Forfeiture"},"summary":"Azari, an Israeli private investigator, was sentenced to 80 months in prison and forfeiture of $4,844,968 for his involvement in a massive spearphishing campaign.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sentence_months","value":80,"unit":"months","year":2023,"note":"Prison sentence, 16 November 2023."},{"key":"forfeiture","value":4844968,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Forfeiture ordered with the sentence."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Spearphishing campaign against climate and environmental organisations, for which the investigator Aviram Azari, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Union of Concerned Scientists, Rockefeller Family Fund, Conservation Law Foundation, Climate Investigations Center","what":"Named as victims of the hacking","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sentenced in the Southern District of New York.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sentencing on 16 November 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Spearphishing, as described by the US Attorney's Office.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Israeli hacker-for-hire sentenced to 80 months in prison for involvement in massive spearphishing campaign","p":"US Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York","d":"2023-11-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/israeli-hacker-hire-sentenced-80-months-prison-involvement-massive-spearphishing","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611015616/https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/israeli-hacker-hire-sentenced-80-months-prison-involvement-massive-spearphishing"},{"t":"Private detective who led a hacking attack against climate activists gets prison time","p":"NPR","d":"2023-11-16","u":"https://www.npr.org/2023/11/16/1213320496/azari-israeli-private-detective-hacking-climate-change-activists-exxonmobil","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"none","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who commissioned the hacking: the cited sources record that prosecutors have not said who hired Azari and that Exxon says it has no knowledge of him.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"spain-environmental-liability-financial-guarantee","title":"Spain: environmental liability financial guarantee (EU Directive Art. 14)","dek":"The EU Environmental Liability Directive leaves it to each Member State whether to require operators to hold financial security for environmental damage. Spain is among the states that made it mandatory, with a cap of €20 million.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":40.4,"lon":-3.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","lat":40.4,"lon":-3.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"regulator"}],"start":2004,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Cap on the mandatory financial guarantee in Spain","value":"€20 million","note":"As described in a secondary report; the legal text was not reviewed."},"happened":["Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability, Article 14(1), says Member States \"shall take measures to encourage the development of financial security instruments and markets\". Article 14(2) was deleted by Regulation (EU) 2019/1010.","In its evaluation of the directive (SWD(2016) 121, 14 April 2016) the European Commission wrote: \"The ELD does however not establish a system of mandatory financial security at EU level.\" A Commission review in 2010 had found \"not sufficient justification\" for a harmonised mandatory system.","A 2020 Commission study listed mandatory financial security in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain. The industry body FERMA lists eight states: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain.","In Spain, Law 26/2007 made a financial guarantee mandatory for operators, with a cap of €20 million. The start of the obligation is given as 30 October 2018 in one place and as 2019 in another. A compensation fund run by the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros, financed by an 8% levy, covers damage that appears after cover ends, for up to 30 years."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Directive 2004/35/EC adopted; Article 14 leaves financial security to Member States"},{"y":2007,"t":"Spanish Law 26/2007 on environmental liability"},{"y":2010,"t":"Commission review finds \"not sufficient justification\" for a harmonised mandatory system"},{"y":2016,"t":"Commission evaluation SWD(2016) 121 (14 April): no mandatory financial security at EU level"},{"y":2018,"t":"Spanish mandatory guarantee applies from 30 October 2018 (one source gives 2019)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Regulation (EU) 2019/1010 deletes Article 14(2)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Commission study lists Spain among five states with mandatory financial security"}],"said":[{"q":"shall take measures to encourage the development of financial security instruments and markets","who":"Directive 2004/35/EC, Article 14(1)","when":"2004","src":0},{"q":"The ELD does however not establish a system of mandatory financial security at EU level.","who":"European Commission, evaluation SWD(2016) 121","when":"14 April 2016","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The directive does not require financial security at EU level; Article 14(1) asks Member States to encourage it.","src":0},{"t":"Spain requires a financial guarantee with a cap of €20 million under Law 26/2007.","src":2},{"t":"A Consorcio compensation fund financed by an 8% levy covers damage that appears after cover ends, for up to 30 years.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Financial guarantee cap in Spain","v":"€20 million","d":"As described in a secondary report"},{"k":"Cover for damage appearing after cover ends","v":"Up to 30 years","d":"Consorcio compensation fund, financed by an 8% levy"}]},"unknown":["Start date of the Spanish obligation: given as 30 October 2018 in one source and as 2019 in another.","No source reviewed reports any payment made from a financial guarantee for damage to nature in Spain."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: this record describes a financial-security rule, not a single damaging event.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who has paid for environmental damage under the Spanish guarantee.","statusLine":"Spain's mandatory financial guarantee for environmental liability is described in the sources as capped at €20 million; the EU directive itself does not make financial security mandatory.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Evaluated the directive and reported on mandatory financial security"},{"id":"consorcio-de-compensacion-de-seguros","role":"Operates the compensation fund for damage appearing after cover ends"},{"id":"ferma","role":"Industry body listing states with mandatory financial security"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros","insured":"Operators in Spain subject to Law 26/2007","status":"unknown","year":null,"amount":{"value":20,"currency":"EUR","label":"Cap on the mandatory guarantee (million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"A compensation fund financed by an 8% levy covers environmental damage that appears after cover ends, for up to 30 years.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"guarantee_cap","value":20,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"Cap on the mandatory financial guarantee under Spanish Law 26/2007, as described in a secondary report."},{"key":"fund_levy","value":8,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Levy financing the Consorcio compensation fund."},{"key":"fund_cover_years","value":30,"unit":"years","year":null,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Period after cover ends during which damage that appears is covered by the fund."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A rule on financial security for environmental liability: optional at EU level under the directive, mandatory in Spain with a cap of €20 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union; Spain.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Directive adopted 2004; Spanish Law 26/2007; Spanish guarantee mandatory from 30 October 2018 or 2019 depending on the source.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the policy reasons, other than the Commission's 2010 finding of \"not sufficient justification\" for a harmonised mandatory system.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Article 14(1) asks Member States to encourage financial security instruments; Spain requires a guarantee and backs it with a Consorcio fund financed by an 8% levy.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Directive 2004/35/EC, Article 14","p":"legislation.gov.uk","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2004/35/article/14"},{"t":"Commission evaluation of the Environmental Liability Directive, SWD(2016) 121","p":"European Commission (via CBD)","d":"2016-04-14","type":"official","u":"https://www.cbd.int/financial/doc/ec-liabilityevaluation.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230416142635/https://www.cbd.int/financial/doc/ec-liabilityevaluation.pdf"},{"t":"The environmental damage compensation fund","p":"Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.consorsegurosdigital.com/en/numero-10/content/news/the-environmental-damage-compensation-fund","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250402201044/https://www.consorsegurosdigital.com/en/numero-10/content/news/the-environmental-damage-compensation-fund/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Start date of the Spanish obligation: given as 30 October 2018 in one source and as 2019 in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed reports any payment made from a financial guarantee for damage to nature in Spain.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"akbelen-forest-felling-for-yk-enerji-coal-mine-turkiye","title":"Akbelen forest felling for YK Enerji coal mine (Türkiye)","dek":"Trees were felled at Akbelen in 2023 under gendarmerie escort for the coal operations of YK Enerji, a partnership of Limak and İçtaş. A 2025 law later opened mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining; court challenges are pending.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Asia","lat":37.3,"lon":27.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","lat":37.3,"lon":27.8,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-07-26","instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Parcels under urgent expropriation at Akbelen","value":"679","note":"Figure as reported by Bianet (2026); expropriation and valuation cases are stayed pending a Council of State ruling."},"happened":["YK Enerji, a partnership of Limak and İçtaş that owns coal-fired power plants, sought to extend its mining area at Akbelen. In July 2023 trees were felled in the Akbelen forest under gendarmerie escort. Yetkin Report reported the start of the felling on 26 July 2023. In September 2023 the business magazine Para Dergi described the same group's investments with an emphasis on solar power.","The record also states that a court suspended execution of the plans in 2021, that the decision was lifted in 2022, and that YK Enerji then felled trees in 2023. In December 2022 the İzmir Regional Administrative Court's 7th Chamber rejected the İkizköy residents' objection to the lifting, BirGün reported. A 2022 regulation opening olive groves to mining was annulled by the Council of State, according to bianet (2024).","On 20 June 2025 Halk TV published a letter attributed to YK Enerji. According to Halk TV, the company asked the Privatisation Administration for additional resources for areas it had not been able to expropriate because of olive legislation. In July 2025 Law No. 7554 (24 July 2025) added provisional article 45 to the Mining Law: olive groves mapped in Milas and Yatağan become open to mining if the trees are moved or an equivalent grove is established. Medyascope reported the bill's adoption by parliament on 19 July 2025.","Bianet reported that 77 producers whose land is on the map went to the Council of State against the law. Two applications were made to the Constitutional Court, in September 2025 and March 2026. Bianet and Cumhuriyet reported in 2026 that urgent expropriation covered 679 parcels at Akbelen, that the Council of State suspended execution for about 194 parcels, and that expropriation and valuation cases were stayed until the Council of State decision becomes final.","Environmental defender Esra Işık was detained at the end of March 2026 after a protest against the urgent expropriation near Akbelen and held for 42 days; Amnesty International said she was prosecuted for exercising her rights and called for the charges to be dropped. On 6 July 2026 the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced her to 2 years and 1 month in prison for resisting an official to prevent the performance of duty, and to a judicial fine for insulting a public official, with the announcement of that judgment deferred, Cumhuriyet and Medyascope reported. Her lawyers said she would appeal; the verdict becomes final only after the appeal."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"A court suspends execution of the plans (court not named in the cited sources)"},{"y":2022,"t":"The suspension is lifted; a 2022 regulation opening olive groves to mining is later annulled by the Council of State (reported by bianet, 2024)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Trees felled at Akbelen under gendarmerie escort (Yetkin Report, 26 July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Halk TV publishes a letter attributed to YK Enerji (20 June); Law No. 7554 adopted (19 July) and dated 24 July; Constitutional Court application (September)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Second Constitutional Court application (March); expropriation and valuation cases stayed until the Council of State decision is final; Esra Işık sentenced by the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance (6 July), subject to appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The group's investments were presented with an emphasis on solar power.","who":"Para Dergi, September 2023","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Trees were felled at Akbelen under gendarmerie escort in July 2023 for the owner of coal-fired power plants.","src":0},{"t":"Law No. 7554 added provisional article 45 to the Mining Law, opening mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining if trees are moved or an equivalent grove is established.","src":3},{"t":"77 producers went to the Council of State against the law; two Constitutional Court applications were filed (September 2025, March 2026).","src":4},{"t":"The Mining and Petroleum Affairs authority (MAPEG) found the relocation of 5,093 olive trees in Milas appropriate.","src":4},{"t":"The Milas court stayed the expropriation cases for 679 parcels at İkizköy until the Council of State rules; the Council of State suspended execution for about 194 parcels.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Trees felled at Akbelen","v":"Number not stated","d":"The cited sources record the felling in July 2023 without a count"},{"k":"Olive trees approved for relocation (Milas)","v":"5,093","d":"MAPEG finding, as reported by bianet (2025)"}]},"unknown":["The number of trees felled at Akbelen in 2023 is not on record.","The court that suspended execution in 2021 and the reasons for lifting the suspension in 2022 are not on record.","No source reviewed gives a public-interest assessment or its supporting calculation for the exception created by Law No. 7554.","No ruling by the Constitutional Court or the Council of State on the law is recorded as of the latest source."],"evidence":["court-pending","court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: the cited sources do not say that felling or mining has stopped. Expropriation and valuation cases are stayed pending a Council of State decision.","whoPaid":"The record names the producers whose olive groves are on the map as the party affected by the law; compensation for them is not on record.","statusLine":"As of 2026: two Constitutional Court applications filed (September 2025, March 2026); expropriation and valuation cases at Akbelen stayed until the Council of State decision is final; no ruling found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"yk-enerji","role":"Owner of coal-fired power plants; mining operator at Akbelen (Limak and İçtaş partnership)"},{"id":"limak","role":"Partner in YK Enerji"},{"id":"ictas","role":"Partner in YK Enerji"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Council of State challenge to Law No. 7554 by 77 producers","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"77 producers with olive groves on the map","defendant":"The State (Law No. 7554)","filed":"2025","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Producers whose groves are mapped in Milas and Yatağan went to the Council of State against the law that opens their land to mining.","src":4},{"title":"Constitutional Court applications against Law No. 7554","forum":"Constitutional Court","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Applicants (names: none on record)","defendant":"The State (Law No. 7554)","filed":"September 2025 and March 2026","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Two applications were made to the Constitutional Court; no decision is recorded.","src":4},{"title":"Expropriation and valuation cases for İkizköy and Akbelen parcels","forum":"Milas court and Council of State","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Urgent expropriation covered 679 parcels. The Council of State suspended execution for about 194 parcels, and the Milas court stayed the expropriation and valuation cases until the Council of State decision is final.","src":8},{"title":"2021 suspension and 2022 lifting of execution at Akbelen","forum":"Administrative courts; objection rejected by the İzmir Regional Administrative Court, 7th Chamber (December 2022)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2021; lifted 2022","status":"unknown","summary":"A court suspended execution in 2021; the suspension was lifted in 2022 after an expert report favourable to the company, and in December 2022 the İzmir Regional Administrative Court's 7th Chamber rejected the residents' objection (BirGün). Trees were felled in 2023.","src":9},{"title":"Prosecution of Akbelen defender Esra Işık","forum":"Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance (Milas 3. Asliye Ceza Mahkemesi)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public prosecutor","defendant":"Esra Işık, environmental defender","filed":null,"decided":"2026-07-06","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Işık was charged under Articles 265 and 125 of the Turkish Penal Code with resisting an official to prevent the performance of duty and insulting public officials, after a protest against the urgent expropriation (Amnesty International, June 2026). On 6 July 2026 the court sentenced her to 2 years and 1 month in prison on the first charge and to a judicial fine on the second, with the announcement of that judgment deferred (Cumhuriyet, Medyascope). Her lawyers said she would appeal; the verdict was not final.","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"parcels_expropriated_urgent","value":679,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"note":"Urgent expropriation at Akbelen/İkizköy, as reported by Bianet; cases stayed pending the Council of State decision."},{"key":"parcels_execution_suspended","value":194,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Council of State suspension of execution."},{"key":"olive_trees_relocation_approved","value":5093,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"MAPEG found relocation appropriate in Milas."},{"key":"producers_challenging_law","value":77,"unit":"producers","year":2025,"note":"Went to the Council of State against Law No. 7554."},{"key":"prison_sentence_months","value":25,"unit":"months","year":2026,"note":"2 years 1 month; Esra Işık, Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance, 6 July 2026; subject to appeal."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Trees were felled at Akbelen for the mining area of YK Enerji's coal operations, and a 2025 law opened mapped olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Yatağan Termik and YK Enerji (İçtaş and Limak), named by bianet as the beneficiaries of the exception in the law","what":"Access to the mapped olive groves for mining","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Producers with olive groves on the map (77 went to the Council of State)","what":"Their groves are opened to mining if the trees are moved or replaced","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Akbelen forest and İkizköy in Milas, and the mapped olive groves of Milas and Yatağan, Türkiye.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Court suspension 2021; lifted 2022; felling July 2023; Law No. 7554 dated 24 July 2025; Constitutional Court applications September 2025 and March 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"A letter attributed to YK Enerji, published by Halk TV on 20 June 2025, asked the Privatisation Administration for additional resources for areas it could not expropriate because of olive legislation.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Felling under gendarmerie escort after a court suspension was lifted; then a law adding provisional article 45 to the Mining Law and urgent expropriation of parcels.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Akbelen ormanında kömür alanını genişletmek için kesim başladı","p":"Yetkin Report","d":"2023-07-26","type":"press","u":"https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606082622/https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/"},{"t":"Yatırımlarıyla öne çıkan enerji sihirbazları","p":"Para Dergi","d":"2023-09-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.paradergi.com.tr/sektorler/2023/09/12/yatirimlariyla-one-cikan-enerji-sihirbazlari-2","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511061606/https://www.paradergi.com.tr/sektorler/2023/09/12/yatirimlariyla-one-cikan-enerji-sihirbazlari-2"},{"t":"Yandaş şirketler zeytinlikleri istedi: işte o skandal mektup (YK Enerji letter)","p":"Halk TV","d":"2025-06-20","type":"press","u":"https://halktv.com.tr/makale/yandas-sirketler-zeytinlikleri-istedi-iste-o-skandal-mektup-948479","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250805051439/https://halktv.com.tr/makale/yandas-sirketler-zeytinlikleri-istedi-iste-o-skandal-mektup-948479"},{"t":"Zeytinlik katliamını öngören kanun teklifi Meclis'te kabul edildi","p":"Medyascope","d":"2025-07-19","type":"press","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2025/07/19/zeytinlik-katliamini-ongoren-kanun-teklifi-mecliste-kabul-edildi/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250719182857/https://medyascope.tv/2025/07/19/zeytinlik-katliamini-ongoren-kanun-teklifi-mecliste-kabul-edildi/"},{"t":"Milas ve Yatağan'lı üreticiler zeytinlikleri madenciliğe açan yasaya karşı Danıştay'a gitti","p":"bianet","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107084836/https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565"},{"t":"Danıştay zeytinlikleri madenciliğe açan yönetmeliği iptal etti","p":"bianet","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/danistay-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yonetmeligi-iptal-etti-297332","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313110006/https://bianet.org/haber/danistay-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yonetmeligi-iptal-etti-297332"},{"t":"Akbelen conviction (Amnesty International document EUR 44/1143/2026)","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/ru/documents/eur44/1143/2026/en/"},{"t":"Kömürden çıkış vaadiyle yeni santral izni aynı masada","p":"bianet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/komurden-cikis-vaadiyle-yeni-santral-izni-ayni-masada-321076","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260702031235/https://bianet.org/haber/komurden-cikis-vaadiyle-yeni-santral-izni-ayni-masada-321076"},{"t":"Akbelen'de el koyma ve değer tespit davaları Danıştay kararı kesinleşene kadar durduruldu","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728045028/https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205"},{"t":"İkizköylülerin itirazı reddedildi: Akbelen'i koruma zamanı","p":"BirGün","d":"2022-12-23","u":"https://www.birgun.net/haber/ikizkoylulerin-itirazi-reddedildi-akbelen-i-koruma-zamani-414826","type":"press"},{"t":"Akbelen direnişçisi Esra Işık'a 2 yıl 1 ay hapis cezası","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026-07-06","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/siyaset/akbelen-direniscisi-esra-isik-a-2-yil-1-ay-hapis-cezasi-2518525","type":"press"},{"t":"Akbelen direnişçisi Esra Işık'a hapis cezası: \"Biz onurumuzu savunduk, bunun suç olmadığını biliyoruz\"","p":"Medyascope","d":"2026-07-07","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2026/07/07/akbelen-direniscisi-esra-isika-hapis-cezasi-biz-onurumuzu-savunduk-bunun-suc-olmadigini-biliyoruz/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["turkish-holdings-coal-expansion-alongside-renewables-cenal-a","akbelen-forest-conviction"],"natureLead":{"t":"Trees were felled in my Akbelen forest in July 2023 for coal operations; the mining authority found the relocation of 5,093 olive trees in Milas appropriate.","src":[0,4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"2021 suspension and 2022 lifting of execution at Akbelen: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of trees felled at Akbelen in 2023 is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The court that suspended execution in 2021 and the reasons for lifting the suspension in 2022 are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed gives a public-interest assessment or its supporting calculation for the exception created by Law No. 7554.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling by the Constitutional Court or the Council of State on the law is recorded as of the latest source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"high-line-property-value-effect","title":"High Line property value effect (New York)","dek":"A 2020 study reported that homes within 0.1 mile of New York's High Line gained 35.3% more in value than homes in the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band. The cited sources measure prices, not the number of people displaced.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.748,"lon":-74.005,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":40.748,"lon":-74.005,"role":"event"}],"start":2005,"end":2020,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening"],"headline":{"label":"Extra value gain within 0.1 mile of the High Line, compared with the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band","value":"+35.3%","note":"Figure reported in a 2020 study (via Kenyon College); a relative gain, not a dollar value."},"happened":["A 2020 study published in Landscape and Urban Planning, summarised by Kenyon College, compared housing near New York's High Line. It reported that homes within 0.1 mile of the High Line gained 35.3% more in value than homes in the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band.","A broader literature review of 28 cities in the United States, Canada and Europe (Anguelovski et al., 2022) found that greening was strongly and positively associated with later gentrification in 17 of them. In 8 of those the greening was the leading factor. The High Line is one of the cases in that literature; the review is cited here from the researchers' summary.","The literature on northern cities measures prices, rents, income and education. It does not measure how many people were displaced or where they went, according to the reviewed methods summary (2022)."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"West Chelsea rezoning approved (CityLand)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Study reports a 35.3% extra value gain within 0.1 mile of the High Line"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Homes within 0.1 mile of the High Line gained 35.3% more in value than homes in the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band (2020 study).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Housing value gain near the park","v":"+35.3%","d":"Within 0.1 mile versus the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band (2020 study)"}]},"unknown":["How many people were displaced, and where they went, is not measured in the northern-city literature reviewed.","Unconfirmed: CityLand (2005) is cited for the West Chelsea rezoning including 1,195 affordable homes out of 5,557.","Unconfirmed: a secondary account attributes to a High Line founder a 2017 statement that the project had failed on gentrification, and says he later said the words were taken out of context.","Ecological outcomes of the High Line are not assessed in the cited sources."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the cited sources: no harm to nature is recorded for this case.","whoPaid":"Not established: the cited sources measure the price effect and do not record who bore costs or whether anyone was displaced.","statusLine":"As of 2020: the study reports a 35.3% extra value gain near the High Line; no displacement figures are on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"property_value_premium_pct","value":35.3,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Extra value gain for homes within 0.1 mile of the High Line versus the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band."},{"key":"affordable_units_west_chelsea_rezoning","value":1195,"unit":"homes","year":2005,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported by CityLand as 1,195 of 5,557 homes."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A study reported a 35.3% extra value gain for homes within 0.1 mile of the High Line compared with the 0.1 to 0.4 mile band.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Owners of homes within 0.1 mile of the High Line","what":"Relative value gain of 35.3% (2020 study)","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The High Line, New York, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study published 2020; related rezoning 2005.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources; the studies report association, and causation is not established by them.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Measured as the difference in home value gain by distance band from the park.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"The Economics of Eco-Gentrification (summary of a 2020 study in Landscape and Urban Planning)","p":"Kenyon College","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://www.kenyon.edu/news/archive/the-economics-of-eco-gentrification/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206100120/https://www.kenyon.edu/news/archive/the-economics-of-eco-gentrification/"},{"t":"High Line/Chelsea Rezoning Gets Go Ahead","p":"CityLand","d":"2005","type":"press","u":"https://www.citylandnyc.org/high-linechelsea-rezoning-gets-go-ahead/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212132901/https://www.citylandnyc.org/high-linechelsea-rezoning-gets-go-ahead/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["atlanta-beltline-green-gentrification","chicago-606-trail-gentrification"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Affordable units west chelsea rezoning: Reported by CityLand as 1,195 of 5,557 homes.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"How many people were displaced, and where they went, is not measured in the northern-city literature reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: CityLand (2005) is cited for the West Chelsea rezoning including 1,195 affordable homes out of 5,557.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a secondary account attributes to a High Line founder a 2017 statement that the project had failed on gentrification, and says he later said the words were taken out of context.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ecological outcomes of the High Line are not assessed in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"brent-spar-decommissioning-controversy","title":"Brent Spar decommissioning controversy (North Sea)","dek":"Sources describe the Brent Spar controversy only through later references: a 1995 trade-press headline on a Greenpeace admission of error and the later cost to the UK public of North Sea decommissioning.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":61,"lon":1.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event","lat":61,"lon":1.7}],"start":1995,"end":2019,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","water"],"headline":{"label":"UK government share of North Sea oil and gas decommissioning cost","value":"£24bn","note":"As headlined by Environment Analyst (2019) from National Audit Office figures; of a £58bn total decommissioning cost."},"happened":["The Brent Spar controversy concerned the decommissioning of an oil installation in the North Sea. The cited sources contain no account of the events themselves.","A 1995 Oil & Gas Journal item is headlined \"Greenpeace: We erred in Brent Spar controversy\" and carries the note \"quantity of oil error\"; its content is not on record.","In 2019 Environment Analyst reported National Audit Office figures under the headline \"North Sea O&G decommissioning to cost UK government £24bn\". The cited sources give the total UK decommissioning cost as £58bn, of which about £24bn is borne by taxpayers."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Oil & Gas Journal headline: \"Greenpeace: We erred in Brent Spar controversy\""},{"y":2019,"t":"Environment Analyst reports the UK government share of North Sea decommissioning at £24bn"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"North Sea oil and gas decommissioning was reported to cost the UK government £24bn, of a total of £58bn.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Decommissioning cost borne by UK taxpayers","v":"£24bn","d":"Of £58bn total (National Audit Office figures, via Environment Analyst, 2019)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 1995 Oil & Gas Journal item says Greenpeace erred in the Brent Spar controversy, listed as an error about the quantity of oil.","Unconfirmed: a separate figure of £43bn in decommissioning cost with £10.8bn taken by the Treasury was flagged as unconfirmed.","The decommissioning method chosen, the quantity of oil and any environmental measurements are not on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"UK taxpayers bear about £24bn of an estimated £58bn North Sea decommissioning cost (National Audit Office figures, via Environment Analyst, 2019).","statusLine":"As of 2019: the latest cited source reports the UK government share of North Sea decommissioning cost at £24bn; the Brent Spar events themselves are not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Campaigner in the Brent Spar controversy"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"decommissioning_cost_uk_government","value":24,"unit":"GBP bn","year":2019,"note":"North Sea oil and gas decommissioning cost to the UK government, per Environment Analyst reporting National Audit Office figures."},{"key":"decommissioning_cost_total_uk","value":58,"unit":"GBP bn","year":2019,"note":"Total UK decommissioning cost."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A controversy over the decommissioning of the Brent Spar oil installation in the North Sea; the cited sources document only later cost figures.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"UK taxpayers","what":"Bear about £24bn of North Sea decommissioning cost","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"North Sea, United Kingdom.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Controversy dated 1995 in a trade-press item; cost figure reported in 2019.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"North Sea O&G decommissioning to cost UK government £24bn","p":"Environment Analyst (reporting National Audit Office figures)","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://environment-analyst.com/brn/74130/north-sea-og-decommissioning-to-cost-uk-government-24bn"},{"t":"Greenpeace: We erred in Brent Spar controversy","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"1995","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17217152/greenpeace-we-erred-in-brent-spar-controversy","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260428195834/https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17217152/greenpeace-we-erred-in-brent-spar-controversy"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1995 Oil & Gas Journal item says Greenpeace erred in the Brent Spar controversy, listed as an error about the quantity of oil.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a separate figure of £43bn in decommissioning cost with £10.8bn taken by the Treasury was flagged as unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The decommissioning method chosen, the quantity of oil and any environmental measurements are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"pribilof-fur-seal-harvest-and-alaska-commercial-company","title":"Pribilof fur seal harvest and Alaska Commercial Company","dek":"The Alaska Commercial Company held the Pribilof Islands fur seal harvest in the late nineteenth century. A federal agency history records that the Aleut residents were later compensated by the US government, not by the company.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":57.1,"lon":-170.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":57.1,"lon":-170.3,"role":"event"}],"start":1870,"end":1983,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Who paid the Aleut residents of the Pribilof Islands","value":"The US government, not the company","note":"Per a NOAA history of Aleut management; compensation in 1979 and 1983."},"happened":["The Alaska Commercial Company was the lessee of the fur seal harvest on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, in the period 1870 to 1890. A 1913 US House of Representatives report on the fur seal industry is cited for the company's net profit over the lease (see Unknown: that document had not been opened when the record was compiled).","A history of Aleut management published by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) records that the Aleut residents of the islands were compensated in 1979 and 1983, and that the payments came from the US government. The history states that the company did not pay.","Separately, a 1911 treaty among the United States, Great Britain (on behalf of Canada), Japan and Russia ended pelagic (open-sea) sealing in the North Pacific. The treaty terms are cited to a US State Department publication (Foreign Relations of the United States, 1940); the specific terms reported are listed under Unknown."],"timeline":[{"y":1870,"t":"Start of the 1870–1890 period of the Alaska Commercial Company's harvest on the Pribilof Islands"},{"y":1911,"t":"Treaty ending open-sea fur sealing in the North Pacific signed"},{"y":1979,"t":"First compensation to Pribilof Aleut residents, paid by the US government"},{"y":1983,"t":"Second compensation to Pribilof Aleut residents, paid by the US government"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NOAA's history of Aleut management states that the US government, not the company, paid the Aleut residents of the Pribilof Islands in 1979 and 1983.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1870–1983","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources give no herd counts that are independently verified."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the company's net profit over 1870–1890 was $18.75 million. The source cited, a 1913 US House report, had not been opened.","Unconfirmed: that the company took 1.86 million seals in 1870–1890.","Unconfirmed: that the Aleut residents were paid in food and shelter, not money, until 1946.","Unconfirmed: that the 1911 convention gave Great Britain and Japan 15% shares each of the Pribilof land harvest in return for ending open-sea sealing; that the herd was estimated at 4 million or more before the hunt, 215,900 in the 1912 count and about 1.5 million in the 1950s; and that Japan withdrew from the agreement in 1941.","The legal basis of the 1979 and 1983 payments and their amounts are not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The 1911 treaty ended open-sea sealing; the herd's later recovery is unconfirmed.","whoPaid":"According to the NOAA history, the US government paid the compensation to the Aleut residents in 1979 and 1983; the company did not.","statusLine":"As recorded: compensation was paid by the US government in 1979 and 1983; no payment by the company is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"alaska-commercial-company","role":"Lessee of the Pribilof fur seal harvest"},{"id":"us-government","role":"Paid compensation to Aleut residents, 1979 and 1983"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Commercial harvest of fur seals on the Pribilof Islands by the Alaska Commercial Company, and later compensation of the islands' Aleut residents.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Alaska Commercial Company","what":"Held the harvest lease in 1870–1890; its net profit figure is unconfirmed.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Aleut residents of the Pribilof Islands","what":"Received compensation in 1979 and 1983, paid by the US government.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pribilof Islands, Alaska, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Harvest period 1870–1890; compensation 1979 and 1983.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The company held the harvest lease; the NOAA history records that compensation came from the state, not the company.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Aleut management history (Pribilof Islands)","p":"NOAA, National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://library.oarcloud.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOS/ORR/TM_NOS_ORR/TM_NOS-ORR_17/HTML/Pribilof_html/Pages/history_Aleut_mgmt.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250906061029/https://library.oarcloud.noaa.gov/noaa_documents.lib/NOS/ORR/TM_NOS_ORR/TM_NOS-ORR_17/HTML/Pribilof_html/Pages/history_Aleut_mgmt.htm"},{"t":"Fur seal industry (1913 report)","p":"US House of Representatives","d":"1913","type":"official","u":"https://www.archive.org/download/fursealindustryo00unit/fursealindustryo00unit_bw.pdf"},{"t":"Foreign Relations of the United States, 1940, vol. IV, document 1093 (fur seal convention note)","p":"US Department of State, Office of the Historian","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1940v04/d1093","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250929200900/https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1940v04/d1093"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the company's net profit over 1870–1890 was $18.75 million. The source cited, a 1913 US House report, had not been opened.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the company took 1.86 million seals in 1870–1890.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Aleut residents were paid in food and shelter, not money, until 1946.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the 1911 convention gave Great Britain and Japan 15% shares each of the Pribilof land harvest in return for ending open-sea sealing; that the herd was estimated at 4 million or more before the hunt, 215,900 in the 1912 count and about 1.5 million in the 1950s; and that Japan withdrew from the agreement in 1941.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The legal basis of the 1979 and 1983 payments and their amounts are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"peruvian-guano-trade-and-gibbs-family","title":"Peruvian guano trade and the Gibbs family","dek":"Peru exported guano from its coastal islands from the 1840s and later defaulted on its debts. A British estate bought with guano wealth was acquired by the National Trust in 2002 with a public grant of GBP 17.425 million. Guano bird numbers stood at 529,400 in January 2025.","country":"Peru","region":"South America","lat":-12,"lon":-77.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","lat":-12,"lon":-77.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company-home"}],"start":1840,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Public grant used to buy an estate built on guano wealth (2002)","value":"GBP 17.425 million","note":"Figure as reported by the Antiques Trade Gazette; the grant came from a public fund."},"happened":["Peru exported guano, the accumulated droppings of seabirds, from the 1840s to the 1870s. The Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA), an advocacy organisation, records about $500 million in guano exports in 1840–76, followed by a default.","Unconfirmed: the Gibbs family held the guano monopoly in Peru; none of the sources cited here states this directly (see Unknown).","In 2002 the National Trust acquired the Tyntesfield estate. The Antiques Trade Gazette reported that a public fund paid GBP 17.425 million.","Guano birds themselves are reported to have declined during the twentieth century; no other source confirms it. In January 2025 AgroRural, an agency of Peru's Agriculture Ministry, counted 529,400 guano birds on 22 islands and 8 coastal points, as reported by Reuters via bdnews24. The count was about 4 million in 2022. The reported causes were the 2022 bird flu, the 2023 El Niño and overfishing of anchovy in 2024. In the same year Peruvian officials approved the largest anchovy quota in seven years."],"timeline":[{"y":1840,"t":"Start of the guano export boom reported by COHA (1840–76)"},{"y":1876,"t":"End of the 1840–76 period; COHA records default after about $500 million in exports"},{"y":2002,"t":"National Trust acquires Tyntesfield; a public fund pays GBP 17.425 million"},{"y":2022,"t":"Guano bird count of about 4 million (as reported)"},{"y":2025,"t":"AgroRural counts 529,400 guano birds (January); largest anchovy quota in seven years approved"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"COHA: about $500 million in Peruvian guano exports in 1840–76, followed by default.","src":0},{"t":"Antiques Trade Gazette: a public fund paid GBP 17.425 million for the Tyntesfield estate in 2002.","src":1},{"t":"Reuters via bdnews24: AgroRural counted 529,400 guano birds in January 2025 on 22 islands and 8 coastal points; the count was about 4 million in 2022. The reported causes were the 2022 bird flu, the 2023 El Niño and anchovy overfishing in 2024.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2002","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Public fund payment for the Tyntesfield estate (2002)","amount":17.425}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Guano birds counted","v":"529,400","d":"AgroRural, January 2025, 22 islands and 8 coastal points (via Reuters / bdnews24)"},{"k":"Guano birds counted in 2022","v":"About 4 million","d":"As reported by the same source"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the Gibbs family established the Peruvian guano monopoly and became the richest family in Britain not of the aristocracy.","Unconfirmed: about 11 million tonnes of guano exported from Peru in 1840–1880, the world's largest exporter (cited to Gestion, Lima).","Unconfirmed: a 1869 contract with Auguste Dreyfus for two million tonnes of guano, and Peru's 1875 inability to pay its debts (cited to PUCP, Lima).","Unconfirmed: guano bird numbers falling from more than 20 million to about 5 million between the late 1950s and the 1960s, with anchovy fishing for fishmeal taking 85% of the catch available to the birds; sources cited give differing figures (27 million to 5.5 million, 15 million to 5 million).","Unconfirmed: that the anchovy stock collapsed in 1972 through overfishing and El Niño."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record the end of the guano harvest; they report seabird numbers falling after the 1950s and standing at 529,400 in January 2025.","whoPaid":"As reported, a public fund paid GBP 17.425 million in 2002 for the estate; Peru defaulted on its debts after the 1840-76 export boom.","statusLine":"As of January 2025: AgroRural counted 529,400 guano birds; a larger anchovy quota was approved the same year.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"gibbs-family","role":"Reported holder of the Peruvian guano monopoly"},{"id":"national-trust","role":"Acquirer of Tyntesfield (2002)"},{"id":"agrorural","role":"Peruvian agency that counted guano birds (2025)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":1876,"qualifier":"about","note":"Guano exports from Peru 1840–76, per COHA."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":17.425,"unit":"GBP m","year":2002,"note":"Public fund payment for the Tyntesfield estate, per the Antiques Trade Gazette."},{"key":"birds_counted","value":529400,"unit":"birds","year":2025,"note":"AgroRural count of guano birds, January 2025, on 22 islands and 8 coastal points."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Guano exports from Peru in the nineteenth century, the later acquisition of a British estate linked to guano wealth by a public-funded National Trust purchase, and the present decline of guano birds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gibbs family (reported)","what":"Reported holder of the guano monopoly and its wealth; no other source confirms it.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Peru","what":"Defaulted after the 1840–76 export period, per COHA.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Guano birds","what":"Counted at 529,400 in January 2025, against about 4 million in 2022.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Peru's coastal islands; Tyntesfield estate, England.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Exports 1840–76; estate purchase 2002; bird counts 2022 and 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Guano was exported; later a public fund paid for the estate; birds declined from the 2022 bird flu, the 2023 El Niño and anchovy overfishing in 2024, per Reuters.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"The Great Peruvian Guano Bonanza: Rise, Fall and Legacy","p":"Council on Hemispheric Affairs (COHA)","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://coha.org/the-great-peruvian-guano-bonanza-rise-fall-and-legacy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411235343/https://coha.org/the-great-peruvian-guano-bonanza-rise-fall-and-legacy/"},{"t":"National Trust win battle for Tyntesfield","p":"Antiques Trade Gazette","d":"2002","type":"press","u":"https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/2002/national-trust-win-battle-for-tyntesfield/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240524075924/https://www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/2002/national-trust-win-battle-for-tyntesfield/"},{"t":"Peru guano birds (Reuters report)","p":"bdnews24","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://bdnews24.com/world/9e18c4926c8e","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250728214939/https://bdnews24.com/world/9e18c4926c8e"},{"t":"Tyntesfield's history","p":"National Trust","d":"","u":"https://nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/bath-bristol/tyntesfield/history-of-tyntesfield","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"AgroRural counted 529,400 guano birds on my islands and coastal points in January 2025, against about 4 million in 2022, Reuters reported.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Gibbs family established the Peruvian guano monopoly and became the richest family in Britain not of the aristocracy.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 11 million tonnes of guano exported from Peru in 1840–1880, the world's largest exporter (cited to Gestion, Lima).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1869 contract with Auguste Dreyfus for two million tonnes of guano, and Peru's 1875 inability to pay its debts (cited to PUCP, Lima).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: guano bird numbers falling from more than 20 million to about 5 million between the late 1950s and the 1960s, with anchovy fishing for fishmeal taking 85% of the catch available to the birds; sources cited give differing figures (27 million to 5.5 million, 15 million to 5 million).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the anchovy stock collapsed in 1972 through overfishing and El Niño.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Gibbs family (reported)"]},{"id":"octopus-farm-project","title":"Octopus farm project (Nueva Pescanova, Canary Islands)","dek":"Nueva Pescanova proposed an octopus farm in the Canary Islands. A July 2026 headline in Diario de Avisos stated that no octopus farm would be built there.","country":"Spain","region":"Europe","lat":28.3,"lon":-15.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Canary Islands","lat":28.3,"lon":-15.4,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Headline of Diario de Avisos, July 2026","value":"\"No se construira granja de pulpos en Canarias\"","note":"Headline as published; the article had not been opened when the record was compiled."},"happened":["Nueva Pescanova, a Spanish seafood company, proposed an octopus farm in the Canary Islands.","In October 2025 elDiario.es, citing the animal-welfare group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), carried a report headlined \"La polemica granja de pulpos. 28.000 toneladas de peces\" about the project. The article's contents are not on record beyond the headline.","In July 2026 Diario de Avisos carried the headline \"No se construira granja de pulpos en Canarias\". Only the headline is available in the cited sources (see Unknown)."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"elDiario.es / CIWF report on the Canary Islands octopus farm project (October)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Diario de Avisos headline: no octopus farm will be built in the Canaries (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Diario de Avisos headline, July 2026: \"No se construira granja de pulpos en Canarias\".","src":0},{"t":"elDiario.es headline, October 2025: \"La polemica granja de pulpos. 28.000 toneladas de peces\".","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that Pescanova withdrew the project (derived of the Diario de Avisos article, which had not been opened).","Unconfirmed: the figure of 28,000 tonnes of fish in the elDiario.es / CIWF headline, and what it refers to.","Unconfirmed: that California became the second US state to ban octopus farming in September 2024 (SeafoodSource); Washington and California bans are also mentioned.","The location, size, permits and financing of the proposed farm are not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The July 2026 Diario de Avisos headline states that no farm will be built; the article itself had not been opened.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Diario de Avisos headlined that no octopus farm will be built in the Canary Islands; the underlying article has not been reviewed.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"nueva-pescanova","role":"Company that proposed the octopus farm"},{"id":"ciwf","role":"Animal-welfare group cited in elDiario.es report"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A proposed octopus farm in the Canary Islands by Nueva Pescanova.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Canary Islands, Spain.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reports dated October 2025 and July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"No se construira granja de pulpos en Canarias","p":"Diario de Avisos","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://diariodeavisos.elespanol.com/2026/07/no-se-construira-granja-de-pulpos-en-canarias/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811053023/https://diariodeavisos.elespanol.com/2026/07/no-se-construira-granja-de-pulpos-en-canarias/"},{"t":"La polemica granja de pulpos. 28.000 toneladas de peces (headline)","p":"elDiario.es","d":"2025-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/canariasahora/ciencia_y_medio_ambiente/granja-pulpos-canarias-necesitaria-28-000-toneladas-peces-alimentarlos_1_12665221.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260823135034/https://www.eldiario.es/canariasahora/ciencia_y_medio_ambiente/granja-pulpos-canarias-necesitaria-28-000-toneladas-peces-alimentarlos_1_12665221.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Pescanova withdrew the project (derived of the Diario de Avisos article, which had not been opened).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the figure of 28,000 tonnes of fish in the elDiario.es / CIWF headline, and what it refers to.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that California became the second US state to ban octopus farming in September 2024 (SeafoodSource); Washington and California bans are also mentioned.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The location, size, permits and financing of the proposed farm are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"ghazipur-landfill-and-india-legacy-waste-claims","title":"Ghazipur landfill and India legacy-waste claims","dek":"India reports that it processes most of its waste. At the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi, a report found that only a small share of the old waste had been bio-mined by 2022.","country":"India","region":"Asia","lat":28.62,"lon":77.33,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Delhi","lat":28.62,"lon":77.33,"role":"event"}],"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste"],"headline":{"label":"Legacy waste at Ghazipur processed by bio-mining, to 2022","value":"7%","note":"As reported by Down To Earth; the landfill held about 14 Mt of legacy waste."},"happened":["A July 2025 article in The Week on the Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 gave an official figure of 80.26% of waste processed in India and said the country had 2,417 legacy-waste dumpsites. The figures are given as official.","At the Ghazipur landfill in Delhi, a report covered by Down To Earth found that only 7% of the legacy waste had been processed by bio-mining by 2022. The same coverage put the amount of legacy waste at the site at 14 Mt."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Only 7% of the legacy waste at Ghazipur had been bio-mined, according to the report covered by Down To Earth"},{"y":2025,"t":"The Week reports an official figure of 80.26% of waste processed and 2,417 legacy-waste dumpsites (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"That 80.26% of waste in India is processed, and that there are 2,417 legacy-waste dumpsites.","who":"Official figures as reported by The Week","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"By 2022 only 7% of the legacy waste at the Ghazipur landfill had been processed by bio-mining.","src":1},{"t":"The landfill held about 14 Mt of legacy waste.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Legacy waste bio-mined at Ghazipur","v":"7%","d":"By 2022 (Down To Earth)"},{"k":"Legacy waste at the site","v":"14 Mt","d":"Down To Earth"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the national figure of 80.26% processed and the count of 2,417 legacy-waste dumpsites, as given by The Week in July 2025.","No source reviewed states how the official processed figure is defined.","The cited sources do not give the amount of bio-mining completed at Ghazipur after 2022."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the legacy waste has been cleared.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not assign costs.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: an official figure of 80.26% of waste processed was reported; the latest figure found for Ghazipur is 7% of legacy waste bio-mined by 2022.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[{"point":"Does the official figure that most waste is processed describe what happened to old dumpsites?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of India","says":"Reported officially that 80.26% of waste is processed (as reported by The Week, July 2025).","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Down To Earth","says":"Reported that only 7% of the legacy waste at Ghazipur had been bio-mined by 2022.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"legacy_waste_processed_share","value":7,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Share of legacy waste bio-mined at Ghazipur, per Down To Earth."},{"key":"legacy_waste_tonnes","value":14,"unit":"Mt","year":2022,"note":"Legacy waste at the Ghazipur landfill, per Down To Earth."},{"key":"waste_processed_share_reported","value":80.26,"unit":"%","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Official national figure as reported by The Week; not independently verified."},{"key":"legacy_dumpsites","value":2417,"unit":"sites","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"As reported by The Week; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An official claim that most waste in India is processed, set against a report that little of the old waste at the Ghazipur landfill had been bio-mined.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ghazipur landfill, Delhi, India.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Bio-mining status to 2022; national figure reported July 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state why the processed share at Ghazipur was low.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Legacy waste is processed by bio-mining; the national figure is reported officially.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0: can the August 15 garbage management programme clear legacy waste by 2026","p":"The Week","d":"2025-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2025/07/19/swachh-bharat-mission-2-0-can-august-15-garbage-management-programme-clear-legacy-waste-by-2026.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250802215310/https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2025/07/19/swachh-bharat-mission-2-0-can-august-15-garbage-management-programme-clear-legacy-waste-by-2026.html"},{"t":"Only 7% of legacy waste bio-mined","p":"Down To Earth","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/only-7-of-total-legacy-waste-in-delhi-s-ghazipur-landfill-is-bio-mined-report-84139","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610064736/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/only-7-of-total-legacy-waste-in-delhi-s-ghazipur-landfill-is-bio-mined-report-84139"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Waste-processing statistics and legacy-waste clearance (bio-mining)","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"By 2022, 7% of the 14 Mt of legacy waste on my ground at the Ghazipur landfill had been bio-mined, Down To Earth reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the official figure that most waste is processed describe what happened to old dumpsites?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Waste processed share reported: Official national figure as reported by The Week; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Legacy dumpsites: As reported by The Week; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the national figure of 80.26% processed and the count of 2,417 legacy-waste dumpsites, as given by The Week in July 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states how the official processed figure is defined.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the amount of bio-mining completed at Ghazipur after 2022.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"korea-and-china-swine-fever-swill-feed-bans","title":"Korea and China swine-fever swill-feed bans","dek":"China banned feeding food leftovers to pigs in 2018 and South Korea in 2019 because of African swine fever. Korea partly lifted its ban in 2025, and swine-fever cases were reported to have risen about fourfold in 2026.","country":"South Korea","region":"Asia","lat":36.5,"lon":127.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"disease","types":["disease"],"headline":{"label":"Share of China's 2018 swine-fever outbreaks linked to feeding food leftovers","value":"34%","note":"23 outbreaks, as reported from a November 2018 Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs briefing."},"happened":["China banned feeding food leftovers to pigs in 2018 because of African swine fever. South Korea did the same in 2019.","In November 2018 a report on a Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs briefing, carried by Daily Economic News, said that 23 swine-fever outbreaks, 34% of the total that year, had been linked to feeding leftovers.","South Korea partly allowed feeding food leftovers to pigs again in 2025. A Daum report of April 2026 said that African swine fever cases then rose about fourfold."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"China bans feeding food leftovers to pigs; 23 outbreaks (34%) that year linked to such feeding (briefing reported in November)"},{"y":2019,"t":"South Korea bans feeding food leftovers to pigs"},{"y":2025,"t":"South Korea partly allows feeding food leftovers again"},{"y":2026,"t":"Swine-fever cases in Korea reported to have risen about fourfold (April report)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"In 2018, 23 African swine-fever outbreaks in China, 34% of the total, were linked to feeding food leftovers.","src":0},{"t":"Korea banned feeding food leftovers to pigs in 2019 and partly allowed it again in 2025; cases of African swine fever were reported to have risen about fourfold in 2026.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"China 2018 outbreaks linked to leftover feeding","v":"23 (34%)","d":"Ministry briefing, as reported November 2018"},{"k":"Korea swine-fever cases after partial re-allowance","v":"about 4 times","d":"Daum report, April 2026"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not state whether the 2026 rise in Korean cases was caused by the partial re-allowance; they report the two events in sequence.","The cited sources do not give the number of pigs affected in either country."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the outbreaks have stopped.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not assign costs.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: Korea has partly re-allowed feeding food leftovers to pigs; swine-fever cases were reported to have risen about fourfold.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"outbreaks_linked_to_leftover_feeding","value":23,"unit":"outbreaks","year":2018,"note":"China; 34% of that year's African swine-fever outbreaks, per a ministry briefing."},{"key":"outbreak_share_linked_to_leftover_feeding","value":34,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"China, per the same briefing."},{"key":"case_increase_factor_korea","value":4,"unit":"times","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rise in African swine-fever cases in Korea, per a Daum report of April 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bans on feeding food leftovers to pigs, introduced in China (2018) and South Korea (2019) against African swine fever, and Korea's partial reversal in 2025.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"China and South Korea.","src":1},"when":{"t":"China 2018; Korea 2019; Korea partial re-allowance 2025; case rise reported April 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"To limit the spread of African swine fever; 23 outbreaks (34%) in China in 2018 were linked to feeding leftovers.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Prohibition of feeding food leftovers to pigs, later partly lifted in Korea.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs press briefing (report)","p":"Daily Economic News (每日经济新闻)","d":"2018-11","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2018-11-21/1274652.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190914124656/http://www.nbd.com.cn:80/articles/2018-11-21/1274652.html"},{"t":"ASF outbreaks up fourfold (ASF 발생 4배 급증)","p":"Daum","d":"2026-04","type":"press","u":"https://v.daum.net/v/20260428093834880"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Bans on feeding food leftovers (swill) to pigs, introduced against African swine fever","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the 2026 rise in Korean cases was caused by the partial re-allowance; they report the two events in sequence.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of pigs affected in either country.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"permian-produced-water-discharge-and-north-dakota-brine-spil","title":"Permian produced water discharge and North Dakota brine spills","dek":"Oilfield wastewater, known as produced water, has grown about 30-fold in the Permian Basin since 2010, and most of it is injected underground. In North Dakota, brine spills have recurred every year, and the land they damaged has never been calculated.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":31.9,"lon":-102.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas and New Mexico (Permian Basin)","lat":31.9,"lon":-102.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","lat":48.15,"lon":-103.6,"role":"affected"}],"start":2010,"end":2025,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","water","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Permian produced water, 2022","value":"about 5 billion barrels","note":"About 30 times the 2010 volume; about 85% injected into more than 2,000 wells (AAPG Bulletin, 2024)."},"happened":["Produced water is the salty water that comes up with oil and gas. A 2023 university publication put worldwide output at about 280 million barrels a day, against oil production of 97 million barrels a day.","In the Permian Basin, produced water rose about 30-fold from 2010 to about 5 billion barrels in 2022, according to a 2024 article in the AAPG Bulletin. About 85% of it was injected into more than 2,000 wells.","In New Mexico, 2.74 billion barrels of produced water were generated in 2025, and about 40% was reused, according to the New Mexico State University Produced Water Research Consortium.","In April 2024 the Texas Tribune reported that companies were seeking to release more treated oilfield wastewater into Texas rivers and streams, including the Pecos River, and that federal regulation of such discharges was limited.","In North Dakota, NBC News reported in 2018 that brine spills numbered 138 in 2014 and about 80 a year afterwards, and that the land damaged by them had never been calculated."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Start of the Permian produced water increase later measured at about 30-fold"},{"y":2014,"t":"North Dakota records 138 brine spills"},{"y":2018,"t":"NBC News reports about 80 brine spills a year; land damage never calculated"},{"y":2022,"t":"Permian produced water about 5 billion barrels, about 85% injected"},{"y":2024,"t":"Texas Tribune reports companies seeking permits to discharge treated produced water to the Pecos River"},{"y":2025,"t":"New Mexico produced water 2.74 billion barrels; about 40% reused"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Produced water described as available for \"beneficial reuse\" (the label used by the Texas environmental regulator, TCEQ)","who":"Texas Commission on Environmental Quality","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Permian produced water about 5 billion barrels in 2022, about 30 times the 2010 volume; about 85% injected into more than 2,000 wells","src":1},{"t":"New Mexico produced water 2.74 billion barrels in 2025, about 40% reused","src":3},{"t":"North Dakota brine spills: 138 in 2014, then about 80 a year; damaged land never calculated","src":4},{"t":"Companies sought to release treated produced water into the Pecos River; federal regulation of this was limited","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Permian produced water, 2022","v":"about 5 billion barrels","d":"About 30 times the 2010 volume; about 85% injected (AAPG Bulletin, 2024)"},{"k":"North Dakota brine spills","v":"138 in 2014; about 80 a year after","d":"NBC News, 2018"},{"k":"Land damaged by brine spills","v":"Never calculated","d":"NBC News, 2018"}]},"unknown":["The area of North Dakota land damaged by brine spills has never been calculated (NBC News, 2018).","Federal regulation of discharges of treated produced water to rivers was described as limited (Texas Tribune, April 2024)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the spills or the growth in produced water have stopped; the latest figures cited are for 2022 and 2025.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not record who paid for land damaged by North Dakota brine spills; the 2018 report said the damaged land had never been calculated.","statusLine":"As of the latest source reviewed (New Mexico figures for 2025): produced water volumes in the Permian and New Mexico were large and mostly injected; no ruling or enforcement outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"produced_water_world_bbl_per_day","value":280000000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Worldwide produced water; oil production 97 million barrels per day."},{"key":"produced_water_permian_bbl","value":5000000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 30 times the 2010 volume; about 85% injected into more than 2,000 wells."},{"key":"produced_water_new_mexico_bbl","value":2740000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2025,"note":"About 40% reused."},{"key":"brine_spills_nd","value":138,"unit":"spills","year":2014,"note":"Then about 80 a year (NBC News, 2018)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Growth in oilfield produced water in the Permian Basin and recurring brine spills in North Dakota.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"North Dakota farmers, described by NBC News as struggling with the brine spills","what":"Land affected by brine spills; extent never calculated","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land in North Dakota affected by brine spills","what":"Damaged area never calculated","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Permian Basin (Texas and New Mexico) and North Dakota, United States.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Permian growth from 2010 to 2022; New Mexico 2025; North Dakota spills 2014 onwards.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the growth in oil production and the volumes of water that come up with it.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Produced water is mostly injected underground (about 85% in the Permian); some is reused; companies have sought to discharge treated water to rivers; North Dakota brine spills occurred at about 80 a year.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Produced water treatment and reuse options: alternatives for sustainable.","p":"UAE University","d":"2023","type":"academic","u":"https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/publications/produced-water-treatment-and-reuse-options-alternatives-for-susta/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610115451/https://research.uaeu.ac.ae/en/publications/produced-water-treatment-and-reuse-options-alternatives-for-susta/"},{"t":"AAPG Bulletin article on Permian produced water (Datapages)","p":"AAPG Bulletin","d":"2024-08","type":"academic","u":"https://archives.datapages.com/data/bulletns/aop/2024-08-15/aapgbltn24025aop.html"},{"t":"Companies aim to release more treated oilfield wastewater into rivers and streams","p":"Texas Tribune","d":"2024-04-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/29/texas-treated-produced-water-disposal-discharge-rivers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712030605/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/29/texas-treated-produced-water-disposal-discharge-rivers/"},{"t":"Produced Water Volumes and Management in New Mexico By the Numbers","p":"NMSU Produced Water Research Consortium","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://nmpwrc.nmsu.edu/1-Produced-Water-Volumes-and-Management-in-New-Mexico-By-the-Numbers---Final2.pdf","dead":true},{"t":"Salting the earth: North Dakota farmers struggle with a toxic byproduct of the oil boom","p":"NBC News","d":"2018","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/salting-earth-north-dakota-farmers-struggle-toxic-byproduct-oil-boom-n895771","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260211125710/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/salting-earth-north-dakota-farmers-struggle-toxic-byproduct-oil-boom-n895771"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Produced water in my Permian Basin reached about 5 billion barrels in 2022, about 30 times the 2010 volume; about 85% was injected into my ground through more than 2,000 wells (AAPG Bulletin, 2024).","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The area of North Dakota land damaged by brine spills has never been calculated (NBC News, 2018).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Federal regulation of discharges of treated produced water to rivers was described as limited (Texas Tribune, April 2024).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-coal-ash-ponds-groundwater-contamination-and-epa-delay","title":"US coal ash ponds, groundwater contamination and EPA delay","dek":"A 2022 report found that 91% of US power plants with coal ash ponds were contaminating groundwater. In February 2026 the deadline for groundwater monitoring at such sites was reported extended to 2031.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Carolina","role":"court","lat":35.6,"lon":-79.8},{"country":"Puerto Rico (United States)","iso2":"PR","admin":"Guayama","role":"affected","lat":17.98,"lon":-66.11}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"US power plants with coal ash ponds contaminating groundwater, 2022","value":"91% (265 of 292)","note":"Only 4% (11 plants) chose a cleanup plan that includes treatment (Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project report, November 2022)."},"happened":["A November 2022 report by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice found that 265 of 292 US power plants with coal ash ponds, 91%, were contaminating groundwater. Only 11 plants, 4%, had chosen a cleanup plan that included treatment.","In February 2026 Earthjustice reported that the Environmental Protection Agency had extended the groundwater monitoring period by 33 months, to 2031, ahead of a larger rollback of the coal ash rules.","The coal ash industry association reported that 72% of the 63.6 million short tons of coal ash produced in 2024 was put to beneficial use. An EPA page says its 12,400-ton threshold applies only to non-encapsulated fill that is not on a road, and that the definition was being reconsidered.","In Puerto Rico, Canary Media reported that ash from the AES plant was sold as fill around Guayama after the Dominican Republic refused it, that no record was kept of where it went, and that ash distributed in this way was exempt from the rule. The company's own groundwater measurements showed arsenic at more than twice the standard.","In North Carolina, Duke Energy's coal ash cleanup was put at $8–9 billion. Utility Dive reported that most of the cost fell to customers and that Duke continued to earn a return on it. A January 2021 settlement with the state attorney general included an additional $100 million penalty. Separately, Duke sued about 30 insurers in 2017 over its coal ash liability and received about $418 million in settlements by August 2021."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"29 March: Duke Energy sues about 30 insurers in North Carolina Business Court over coal ash liability"},{"y":2021,"t":"January: settlement between the North Carolina attorney general and Duke Energy; August: last of 14 insurer settlements"},{"y":2022,"t":"November: report finds 91% of plants with ash ponds contaminate groundwater"},{"y":2024,"t":"63.6 million short tons of coal ash produced; industry survey reports 72% beneficially used (published 2025)"},{"y":2026,"t":"February: groundwater monitoring period extended by 33 months, to 2031"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"72% of coal ash in the United States put to \"beneficial use\" in 2024","who":"American Coal Ash Association survey, as reported by Concrete Products","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"265 of 292 power plants with coal ash ponds contaminating groundwater (91%); 11 plants (4%) chose a cleanup plan with treatment (2022)","src":0},{"t":"Groundwater monitoring period extended by 33 months, to 2031 (February 2026)","src":1},{"t":"Ash sold as fill in Puerto Rico; no record kept; company measurements showed arsenic in groundwater at more than twice the standard","src":5},{"t":"Duke Energy cleanup plan of $8–9 billion; most of the cost passed to customers; Duke earns a return","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plants contaminating groundwater","v":"91% (265 of 292)","d":"US plants with coal ash ponds, 2022"},{"k":"Plants with a treatment-based cleanup plan","v":"4% (11)","d":"2022"},{"k":"Groundwater arsenic near Guayama, Puerto Rico","v":"More than twice the standard","d":"The company's own measurement (Canary Media)"}]},"unknown":["Where the ash sold as fill around Guayama, Puerto Rico, went: no record was kept (Canary Media).","The EPA's definition of beneficial use was being reconsidered, according to the agency's own page."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say that groundwater contamination at the plants has stopped. In February 2026 the monitoring period was reported extended to 2031.","whoPaid":"Utility Dive reported that most of Duke Energy's $8–9 billion cleanup cost fell to customers. A consumer group said the settlement saved customers $1.1 billion.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: groundwater monitoring period extended to 2031; Duke Energy insurer case settled in 2021; no ruling on Puerto Rico ash found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"american-coal-ash-association","says":"Reported through its survey that 72% of coal ash produced in 2024 was beneficially used.","when":"2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"duke-energy","role":"Utility; coal ash owner, claimant against insurers"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator"},{"id":"aes-puerto-rico","role":"Owner of the Guayama plant"},{"id":"american-coal-ash-association","role":"Industry association"},{"id":"earthjustice","role":"Environmental law group"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is most US coal ash put to beneficial use?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"American Coal Ash Association","says":"Its survey reported a beneficial use rate of 72% in 2024.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"US Environmental Protection Agency","says":"Its page states that a 12,400-ton threshold applies only to non-encapsulated fill that is not on a road, and that the definition was being reconsidered.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project","says":"265 of 292 plants with coal ash ponds were contaminating groundwater.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did Duke Energy's insurers owe cover for coal ash liability?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Duke Energy","says":"Sued about 30 insurers in March 2017 under 57 general liability policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, with a liability estimate of $5.1 billion.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insurers","says":"Said the damage \"was caused intentionally, by or at Duke's direction\", that \"Duke continued to dispose of (coal ash) in unlined ash ponds long after it knew it had environmental problems\", that there was no distinct pollution event (\"occurrence\"), and that Duke had made claims for the same ponds in the 1990s.","src":9},{"voice":"court","holder":"Chief Judge Bledsoe, North Carolina Business Court","says":"Found at summary judgment that the insurers had not proved intentional damage at the Mayo plant, and ruled that \"all sums\" allocation applies to TIG and Ranger.","src":9}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Duke Energy v. about 30 insurers (coal ash liability cover)","forum":"North Carolina Business Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Duke Energy","defendant":"About 30 insurers","filed":"2017-03-29","decided":"2021-08","status":"settled","amount":{"value":418,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million received in settlements"},"summary":"Duke sued over 57 general liability policies from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. Liability was estimated at $5.1 billion, with more than $725 million spent by November 2016. There were 14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021. Two foreign insurers defaulted.","src":9},{"title":"North Carolina Attorney General settlement with Duke Energy on coal ash cleanup","forum":"State of North Carolina","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"North Carolina Attorney General","defendant":"Duke Energy","filed":null,"decided":"2021-01","status":"settled","amount":{"value":100,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million additional penalty"},"summary":"Utility Dive reported a cleanup plan of $8–9 billion, with write-offs of $485 million and $270 million and a further $100 million penalty. The consumer group NCLCV reported a saving of $1.1 billion for customers.","src":7}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"About 30 insurers","insured":"Duke Energy","status":"partial","year":2021,"amount":{"value":418,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million received in settlements"},"reason":"Insurers argued the damage was intentional, that there was no distinct occurrence, and that Duke had made claims on the same ponds in the 1990s.","summary":"14 settlements with 23 insurers, the last in August 2021. Two foreign insurers defaulted.","src":9}],"metrics":[{"key":"plants_with_groundwater_contamination","value":265,"unit":"plants (of 292)","year":2022,"note":"91% of US plants with coal ash ponds."},{"key":"plants_with_treatment_cleanup_plan","value":11,"unit":"plants","year":2022,"note":"4% of plants."},{"key":"coal_ash_produced","value":63600000,"unit":"short tons","year":2024,"note":"Beneficial use rate 72% per the industry survey."},{"key":"monitoring_extension","value":33,"unit":"months","year":2026,"note":"Groundwater monitoring period extended to 2031."},{"key":"cleanup_cost","value":"8–9","unit":"USD billion","year":2021,"note":"Duke Energy cleanup plan, North Carolina."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":418,"unit":"USD million","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Received from insurers in settlements."},{"key":"claim","value":5.1,"unit":"USD billion","year":2017,"note":"Duke's liability estimate in the suit."},{"key":"groundwater_arsenic_multiple","value":">2","unit":"times the standard","year":null,"note":"The company's own measurement near Guayama, Puerto Rico."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coal ash ponds at US power plants were found to contaminate groundwater, and the EPA extended the groundwater monitoring period to 2031.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Duke Energy","what":"Earns a return on the cleanup cost passed to customers","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Duke Energy customers","what":"Bore most of the $8–9 billion cleanup cost","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Groundwater at 265 of 292 plants; groundwater near Guayama, Puerto Rico","what":"Contamination; arsenic more than twice the standard near Guayama","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"United States; North Carolina; Guayama, Puerto Rico.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2015 to 2026; report November 2022; monitoring extension February 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the account that ash was stored in ponds and sold or used as fill.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ash stored in ponds leaked into groundwater; ash was also placed as fill, in Puerto Rico without records.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"New Report: Most Power Plants Violating Federal Rules Mandating Cleanup of Toxic Coal Ash Dumps","p":"Earthjustice","d":"2022-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://earthjustice.org/press/2022/new-report-most-power-plants-violating-federal-rules-mandating-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-dumps","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410092927/https://earthjustice.org/press/2022/new-report-most-power-plants-violating-federal-rules-mandating-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-dumps"},{"t":"Trump EPA Delays Cleanup of Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps in Advance of Larger Rollback","p":"Earthjustice","d":"2026-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/trump-epa-delays-cleanup-of-hundreds-of-coal-ash-dumps-in-advance-of-larger-rollback","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260315053750/https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/trump-epa-delays-cleanup-of-hundreds-of-coal-ash-dumps-in-advance-of-larger-rollback"},{"t":"ACAA survey on coal ash production and use (via Concrete Products)","p":"Concrete Products","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://concreteproducts.com/index.php/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/36888"},{"t":"Frequent Questions about the Beneficial Use of Coal Ash","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2015/2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.epa.gov/coalash/frequent-questions-about-beneficial-use-coal-ash","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250819150349/https://www.epa.gov/coalash/frequent-questions-about-beneficial-use-coal-ash"},{"t":"In Puerto Rico, residents wait for accountability, cleanup of toxic coal ash 'caminos blancos'","p":"Canary Media","d":"2023-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/in-puerto-rico-residents-wait-for-accountability-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-caminos-blancos","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250322084431/https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/in-puerto-rico-residents-wait-for-accountability-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-caminos-blancos"},{"t":"EPA promises action on Puerto Rico coal ash, but residents are tired of waiting","p":"Canary Media","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/epa-promises-action-on-puerto-rico-coal-ash-but-residents-are-tired-of-waiting","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250905153637/https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/epa-promises-action-on-puerto-rico-coal-ash-but-residents-are-tired-of-waiting"},{"t":"Duke to profit from coal ash cleanup after settling with North Carolina AG","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2021-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-to-profit-from-coal-ash-cleanup-after-settling-with-north-carolina-ag/593925/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141741/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/"},{"t":"Duke coal ash clean-up settlement shifts $1.1B in costs away from North Carolina customers","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2021-01-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018141741/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-coal-ash-clean-up-settlement-shifts-11b-in-costs-away-from-north-car/593925/"},{"t":"Insurers were off the hook? Duke Energy knew coal ash risk","p":"Indianapolis Business Journal","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.ibj.com/articles/64224-insurers-were-off-the-hook-duke-energy-knew-coal-ash-risk","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220120014914/https://www.ibj.com/articles/64224-insurers-were-off-the-hook-duke-energy-knew-coal-ash-risk"},{"t":"Attorney General Josh Stein announces $215 million in savings for Duke Energy customers","p":"North Carolina Department of Justice","d":"","type":"official","u":"https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-josh-stein-announces-215-million-in-savings-for-duke-energy-customers/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514203144/https://ncdoj.gov/attorney-general-josh-stein-announces-215-million-in-savings-for-duke-energy-customers/"},{"t":"Duke Energy coal ash settlement (WBTV)","p":"WBTV","d":"2021-01-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.wbtv.com/2021/01/25/nc-attorney-general-settlement-reached-coal-ash-clean-up-with-duke-energy","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210127112305/https://www.wbtv.com/2021/01/25/nc-attorney-general-settlement-reached-coal-ash-clean-up-with-duke-energy/"},{"t":"Duke Energy coal ash: total $8–9 billion; $1.1 billion saving for consumers","p":"NCLCV / WCCB","d":"2021-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://nclcv.org/cib02082021-coal-ash/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["duke-energy-coal-ash-cleanup-cost-recovery","duke-energy-coal-ash-insurance-dispute","tva-kingston-coal-ash-spill-insurance"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2022, 265 of 292 US power plants with coal ash ponds, 91%, were contaminating my groundwater, an Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project report found.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is most US coal ash put to beneficial use?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Duke Energy's insurers owe cover for coal ash liability?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where the ash sold as fill around Guayama, Puerto Rico, went: no record was kept (Canary Media).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The EPA's definition of beneficial use was being reconsidered, according to the agency's own page.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-fly-ash-utilisation-and-singrauli-ash-dam-breach","title":"India fly ash utilisation and the Singrauli ash dam breach","dek":"India's official figures count about 96% of fly ash as utilised. In 2021–22, 13.14% of that was low-lying area filling, a term without a definition. In April 2020 an ash dam breached in Singrauli and six people died.","country":"India","region":"South Asia","lat":24.2,"lon":82.67,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Singrauli","lat":24.2,"lon":82.67,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Fly ash counted as utilised, 2021–22","value":"96%","note":"Of 270.82 million tonnes; 13.14% of the use was low-lying area filling (CPCB, via Deccan Herald)."},"happened":["India's Central Electricity Authority reported that 307 million tonnes of fly ash were utilised in 2024–25, 96.34% of the ash generated, according to Powerline. In one group of power stations the rate was 30%.","For 2021–22, the Deccan Herald reported that 96% of 270.82 million tonnes of fly ash was counted as utilised, and that 13.14% of the use was filling of low-lying areas.","Scroll.in reported in 2021 that \"low-lying area\" has no definition and that more than half of industry did not comply with the rules.","In April 2020 an ash dam breached in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. Six people died. Mongabay India reported that fly ash slurry contaminated a water reservoir, and that it was the third such incident in the region in a year."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"April: Singrauli ash dam breach; six dead; third incident in the region in a year"},{"y":2021,"t":"Scroll.in reports that \"low-lying area\" has no definition"},{"y":2022,"t":"2021–22: 96% of 270.82 Mt counted as utilised; 13.14% of use was low-lying area filling"},{"y":2026,"t":"March: report on 2024–25 shows 307 Mt utilised (96.34%)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"96% fly ash utilisation in 2021–22; 96.34% in 2024–25","who":"Central Electricity Authority and Central Pollution Control Board data, as reported by Powerline and Deccan Herald","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"307 Mt of fly ash utilised in 2024–25 (96.34%); one group of power stations at 30%","src":0},{"t":"13.14% of 2021–22 ash use was low-lying area filling","src":1},{"t":"\"Low-lying area\" has no definition; more than half of industry did not comply with the rules","src":2},{"t":"Singrauli ash dam breach, April 2020: six dead; reservoir contaminated by fly ash slurry","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ash counted as utilised, 2021–22","v":"96%","d":"13.14% of the use was low-lying area filling"},{"k":"Deaths in the Singrauli breach","v":"6","d":"April 2020; third incident in the region in a year"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Mongabay India reported that fly ash slurry from the breached Singrauli ash dam contaminated a water reservoir.","report":[{"t":"In April 2020 an ash dam breached in Singrauli, and fly ash slurry contaminated my water reservoir.","src":3}]},"unknown":["\"Low-lying area\" has no official definition (Scroll.in, 2021).","Whether the counted utilisation is disposed ash or productive use is not separated in the figures reported."],"evidence":["deaths"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether ash dam breaches or the filling of low-lying areas with ash have stopped.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not record who paid for the Singrauli breach; six people died and a water reservoir was contaminated.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: official data report 96.34% fly ash utilisation for 2024–25; no ruling or official finding on the 2020 Singrauli breach found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"cea-india","role":"Counts and reports ash utilisation"},{"id":"cpcb-india","role":"Pollution regulator; ash data"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does a 96% utilisation figure mean the ash was put to productive use?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Central Electricity Authority","says":"Reported 307 million tonnes utilised in 2024–25, 96.34% of the ash generated.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Deccan Herald (CPCB data)","says":"For 2021–22, 13.14% of the use was low-lying area filling.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Scroll.in","says":"\"Low-lying area\" has no definition, and more than half of industry did not comply with the rules.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":6,"unit":"people","year":2020,"note":"Singrauli ash dam breach, April 2020."},{"key":"fly_ash_generated","value":270820000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"2021–22; 96% counted as utilised."},{"key":"fly_ash_utilised","value":307000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"2024–25; 96.34% of ash generated."},{"key":"lowland_fill_share","value":13.14,"unit":"% of utilisation","year":2022,"note":"2021–22."},{"key":"ash_dam_incidents_region","value":3,"unit":"incidents in a year","year":2020,"note":"Singrauli region, as reported by Mongabay India."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Official fly ash utilisation figures count low-lying area filling as use; an ash dam breach at Singrauli killed six people.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Power stations","what":"Report high utilisation rates; the sources do not state a financial gain","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Villages and water sources near Singrauli","what":"Six deaths; homes and water reservoir affected","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Water reservoir at Singrauli","what":"Contaminated by fly ash slurry","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"India; Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.","src":3},"when":{"t":"April 2020 breach; utilisation figures for 2021–22 and 2024–25.","src":3},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ash dam breach released fly ash slurry; utilisation figures include ash used as filling for low-lying areas.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Report on Ash Generation and Utilization for Grid-Connected Thermal Power Stations for the Year 2024–25","p":"Powerline (reporting a Central Electricity Authority report)","d":"2026-03-26","type":"press","u":"https://powerline.net.in/2026/03/26/report-on-ash-generation-and-utilization-for-grid-connected-thermal-power-stations-for-the-year-2024-25/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260504030532/https://powerline.net.in/2026/03/26/report-on-ash-generation-and-utilization-for-grid-connected-thermal-power-stations-for-the-year-2024-25/"},{"t":"Green board asks Karnataka officials to monitor fly ash utilisation","p":"Deccan Herald","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/green-board-asks-karnataka-officials-to-monitor-fly-ash-utilisation-2708673","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231010043354/https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/green-board-asks-karnataka-officials-to-monitor-fly-ash-utilisation-2708673"},{"t":"India's new directives on sustainable disposal of fly ash may do more harm than good","p":"Scroll.in","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://scroll.in/article/1003328/indias-new-directives-on-sustainable-disposal-of-fly-ash-may-do-more-harm-than-good","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250522042512/https://scroll.in/article/1003328/indias-new-directives-on-sustainable-disposal-of-fly-ash-may-do-more-harm-than-good"},{"t":"Fly ash slurry in Singrauli contaminates water reservoir after taking lives and homes","p":"Mongabay India","d":"2020-04","type":"press","u":"https://india.mongabay.com/2020/04/fly-ash-slurry-in-singrauli-contaminates-water-reservoir-after-taking-lives-and-homes/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419084018/https://india.mongabay.com/2020/04/fly-ash-slurry-in-singrauli-contaminates-water-reservoir-after-taking-lives-and-homes/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does a 96% utilisation figure mean the ash was put to productive use?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"\"Low-lying area\" has no official definition (Scroll.in, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the counted utilisation is disposed ash or productive use is not separated in the figures reported.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"holcim-geocycle-and-brand-cement-plastic-co-processing","title":"Holcim Geocycle and brand-cement plastic co-processing","dek":"Holcim's waste unit Geocycle burns plastic and other waste as fuel in cement kilns, and Holcim describes the material it processes as recycled. Reuters reported in 2021 that the plant partnerships with consumer brands were growing, and that the US Environmental Protection Agency had found no meaningful climate benefit from burning plastic instead of coal in kilns.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":47.4,"lon":8.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","lat":47.4,"lon":8.5,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","role":"event"},{"country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","role":"event"},{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Plastic burned per year by Geocycle: 2021 and 2040 target (Reuters)","value":"2 Mt → 11 Mt","note":"As reported by Reuters in October 2021; Mt = million tonnes."},"happened":["Holcim is a cement producer. Its waste-management unit, Geocycle, processes waste in cement kilns, where the waste is burned as fuel or raw material. Holcim states that Geocycle processed about 14 million tonnes of waste in 2023. Holcim does not publish gate fees (the charges paid to take waste) or revenue from this activity.","In October 2021 Reuters reported that it had found nine collaborations between consumer brands and cement companies on plastic waste, in Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Philippines, India and Indonesia. Reuters reported that Geocycle was burning 2 million tonnes of plastic a year and had a 2040 target of 11 million tonnes. Reuters also reported that the US Environmental Protection Agency had found no meaningful climate benefit from burning plastic in a cement kiln instead of coal.","In a 2026 web page titled \"Closing the loop with Geocycle\", Holcim said that its cement kilns recycled 12.6 million tonnes of material in 2025. The word \"recycled\" is Holcim's.","Whether kiln co-processing counts as recycling differs between jurisdictions. European Union law treats energy recovery as a step separate from recycling, and in 2023 a European Parliament rapporteur proposed adding energy recovery to the definition of recycling. In the Philippines, co-processing in cement kilns counts toward the producer-responsibility recovery target alongside recycling. India classes co-processing as end-of-life disposal outside the recycling target. Vietnam does not count co-processing toward its target."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Reuters reports nine brand-cement plastic collaborations and Geocycle burning 2 million tonnes of plastic a year, with an 11 million tonne target for 2040"},{"y":2023,"t":"Holcim reports that Geocycle processed about 14 million tonnes of waste; a European Parliament rapporteur proposes widening the EU definition of recycling to include energy recovery"},{"y":2025,"t":"Holcim says its kilns recycled 12.6 million tonnes of material"},{"y":2026,"t":"Holcim publishes \"Closing the loop with Geocycle\""}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Holcim described the 12.6 million tonnes of material processed in its cement kilns in 2025 as recycled, on a page titled \"Closing the loop with Geocycle\".","who":"Holcim","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Geocycle was burning 2 million tonnes of plastic a year, with a 2040 target of 11 million tonnes; Reuters found nine brand-cement collaborations in five countries.","src":1},{"t":"The US Environmental Protection Agency found no meaningful climate benefit from burning plastic instead of coal in a cement kiln (as reported by Reuters).","src":1},{"t":"Holcim states that Geocycle processed about 14 million tonnes of waste in 2023; no gate fees or revenue are published.","src":2},{"t":"Holcim's cement capacity was 203 million tonnes a year in 2024, the third-largest of the companies ranked in Global Cement's Top 100 (CNBM 530, Anhui Conch 407, Holcim 203, Heidelberg 187).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic burned by Geocycle","v":"2 Mt a year","d":"Reuters, 2021; 2040 target 11 Mt a year"},{"k":"Climate benefit versus coal","v":"None meaningful","d":"US EPA finding, as reported by Reuters"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources contain no measurement of kiln emissions or local effects"}]},"unknown":["Gate fees and revenue from Geocycle's co-processing are not published.","The cited sources give no emissions or air-quality measurements for Holcim's kilns burning plastic.","Estimates of the extra greenhouse-gas emissions from burning a tonne of plastic differ: the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency gave about 2.7 t CO2e, the Center for International Environmental Law about 1 t net (2.9 t if the electricity credit is not deducted); the difference comes from system boundaries."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no end to kiln co-processing; Holcim's 2025 figure is 12.6 million tonnes.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who bore costs from kiln emissions or waste handling.","statusLine":"As of 2026: Holcim says its kilns recycled 12.6 million tonnes of material in 2025; no gate fees or revenue are published.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"holcim","says":"Describes the 12.6 million tonnes of material processed in its kilns in 2025 as recycled.","when":"2026","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"holcim","role":"Cement producer; operator of Geocycle"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; found no meaningful climate benefit from burning plastic instead of coal in kilns (as reported)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does burning waste in a cement kiln count as recycling?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Holcim","says":"Describes the 12.6 million tonnes of material processed in its kilns in 2025 as recycled.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Union","says":"Energy recovery is a step separate from recycling; a European Parliament rapporteur proposed in 2023 to add it to the recycling definition.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Philippines","says":"Cement-kiln co-processing counts toward the producer-responsibility recovery target alongside recycling.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"India","says":"Co-processing is classed as end-of-life disposal, outside the recycling target.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vietnam","says":"Co-processing is not counted toward the target.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Does burning plastic in a kiln instead of coal bring a climate benefit?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Environmental Protection Agency","says":"Found no meaningful climate benefit from burning plastic instead of coal in a cement kiln (as reported by Reuters).","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Center for International Environmental Law","says":"Burning a tonne of plastic adds about 2.7 t CO2e on top of production emissions (Swedish EPA); about 1 t net, or 2.9 t without the electricity credit (CIEL). These estimates are for plastic burning in general, not specifically Holcim's kilns.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"waste_processed","value":14,"unit":"Mt","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Waste processed by Holcim/Geocycle, stated by Holcim (holcim.com/waste-management)."},{"key":"plastic_burned","value":2,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2021,"note":"Plastic burned by Geocycle, as reported by Reuters; 2040 target 11 Mt per year."},{"key":"material_recycled_claim","value":12.6,"unit":"Mt","year":2025,"note":"Material Holcim says its kilns recycled in 2025 (Holcim's term)."},{"key":"cement_capacity","value":203,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2024,"note":"Holcim capacity in Global Cement Top 100."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Holcim's Geocycle unit burns waste, including plastic, in cement kilns and describes the material it processes as recycled.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Holcim (Geocycle)","what":"Operates the waste co-processing; whether it receives gate fees or other revenue is not published.","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Holcim kilns worldwide; Reuters' nine brand-cement collaborations were in Costa Rica, El Salvador, the Philippines, India and Indonesia.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Reuters report October 2021; Holcim's recycling claim concerns 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state Holcim's motive for the co-processing business beyond its own account of closing the loop.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Waste is fed into cement kilns as fuel or raw material.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Closing the loop with Geocycle","p":"Holcim","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.holcim.com/who-we-are/our-stories/closing-the-loop","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001141033/https://www.holcim.com/who-we-are/our-stories/closing-the-loop"},{"t":"Trash and Burn: Big Brands' New Plastic Waste Plan (Reuters, via VOA)","p":"VOA / Reuters","d":"2021-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.voanews.com/a/trash-and-burn-big-brands-new-plastic-waste-plan/6290656.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608152939/https://www.voanews.com/a/trash-and-burn-big-brands-new-plastic-waste-plan/6290656.html"},{"t":"Waste management","p":"Holcim","d":"2023","type":"company","u":"https://holcim.com/waste-management","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211208005722/https://www.holcim.com/waste-management"},{"t":"Global Cement Top 100 2026","p":"Global Cement","d":"2025-11-24","type":"press","u":"https://globalcement.com/magazine/articles/1390-global-cement-top-100-2026","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917150609/https://www.globalcement.com/magazine/articles/1390-global-cement-top-100-2026"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Waste co-processing in cement kilns","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Reuters reported in 2021 that Holcim's Geocycle burned 2 million tonnes of plastic a year in cement kilns, and that the US EPA found no meaningful benefit to my climate over burning coal.","src":[1]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does burning plastic in a kiln instead of coal bring a climate benefit?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does burning waste in a cement kiln count as recycling?","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Gate fees and revenue from Geocycle's co-processing are not published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no emissions or air-quality measurements for Holcim's kilns burning plastic.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Estimates of the extra greenhouse-gas emissions from burning a tonne of plastic differ: the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency gave about 2.7 t CO2e, the Center for International Environmental Law about 1 t net (2.9 t if the electricity credit is not deducted); the difference comes from system boundaries.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kenya-plastic-bag-ban-enforcement-and-manufacturers-oppositi","title":"Kenya plastic bag ban enforcement and manufacturers' opposition","dek":"Kenya banned the production and use of plastic bags in 2017 over the objection of its manufacturers' association. Reports on enforcement describe arrests of bag users rather than producers.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":-1.29,"lon":36.82,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","lat":-1.29,"lon":36.82,"role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2023,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Arrests reported by NEMA in the first two years of the 2017 ban","value":"500+","note":"With more than 300 prosecutions."},"happened":["In 2017 Kenya banned the production and use of plastic bags. In March 2017 The EastAfrican reported that the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) protested the ban and argued for recycling instead. The paper reported that a 120% tax introduced in 2007 had not markedly reduced bag use.","Kenya's National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) reported more than 500 arrests and more than 300 prosecutions in the two years after the ban.","In May 2023 The Star reported arrests of 34 people linked to banned plastics. In Nairobi in 2023, all 19 people arrested were users of bags, and each was fined 50,000 shillings."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"A 120% tax on plastic bags is introduced; The EastAfrican later reports it did not markedly reduce use"},{"y":2017,"t":"Kenya bans production and use of plastic bags; the manufacturers' association protests and argues for recycling"},{"y":2019,"t":"NEMA has reported more than 500 arrests and 300 prosecutions over two years of the ban"},{"y":2023,"t":"The Star reports 34 arrests linked to banned plastics; in Nairobi all 19 arrested are bag users, fined 50,000 shillings"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Argued for recycling in place of the ban.","who":"Kenya Association of Manufacturers (as reported by The EastAfrican)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"NEMA reported more than 500 arrests and more than 300 prosecutions in the first two years of the 2017 ban.","src":0},{"t":"In 2023 all 19 people arrested in Nairobi were bag users; each was fined 50,000 shillings.","src":0},{"t":"A 120% tax introduced in 2007 had not markedly reduced bag use (The EastAfrican).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Arrests, first two years of ban","v":"500+","d":"NEMA; more than 300 prosecutions"},{"k":"Nairobi arrests in 2023","v":"19 of 19 users","d":"Each fined 50,000 shillings"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources give no measurement of plastic waste in the environment"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources give no measurement of plastic-bag litter before and after the ban."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record whether the ban reduced bag litter.","whoPaid":"In the 2023 Nairobi arrests the people fined were bag users.","statusLine":"As of May 2023: NEMA was still reporting arrests under the 2017 ban.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"nema","says":"Reported more than 500 arrests and more than 300 prosecutions in the two years after the 2017 ban.","when":"2019","src":0},{"actor":"kam","says":"Opposed the ban and argued for recycling instead.","when":"March 2017","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"nema","role":"Environmental regulator; enforces the ban"},{"id":"kam","role":"Manufacturers' association; opposed the ban"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Ban or recycling?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kenya","says":"Banned production and use of plastic bags in 2017.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kenya Association of Manufacturers","says":"Opposed the ban and argued for recycling.","src":1}]},{"point":"Who is penalised under the ban?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NEMA","says":"Reported more than 500 arrests and more than 300 prosecutions in two years; in 2023, all 19 people arrested in Nairobi were users and each was fined 50,000 shillings.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"arrests","value":500,"unit":"arrests","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"NEMA, in the first two years of the 2017 ban."},{"key":"prosecutions","value":300,"unit":"prosecutions","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"NEMA, in the first two years of the 2017 ban."},{"key":"arrests_nairobi_2023","value":19,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"All were bag users; each fined 50,000 shillings."},{"key":"fine","value":50000,"unit":"shillings","year":2023,"note":"Fine on each of the 19 users arrested in Nairobi."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya banned production and use of plastic bags in 2017; enforcement has led to arrests, and manufacturers opposed the ban.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Bag users arrested in 2023","what":"Fined 50,000 shillings each (19 in Nairobi).","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kenya, including Nairobi.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban in 2017; enforcement reports from 2019 and 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The ban aimed to end the production and use of plastic bags; the cited sources do not state the ban's official rationale.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Enforced by NEMA through arrests and prosecutions.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"NEMA arrests 34 linked with banned plastics","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2023-05-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-05-12-nema-arrests-34-linked-with-banned-plastics","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230523210317/https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2023-05-12-nema-arrests-34-linked-with-banned-plastics/"},{"t":"Manufacturers protest as Kenya bans production, use of plastic bags","p":"The EastAfrican","d":"2017-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/kenyan-manufacturers-protest-plastics-ban/2560-3859912-477v4az/index.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20181010213749/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke:80/business/kenyan-manufacturers-protest-plastics-ban/2560-3859912-477v4az/index.html"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Plastic bag ban","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Ban or recycling?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is penalised under the ban?","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no measurement of plastic-bag litter before and after the ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"myanmar-kachin-heavy-rare-earth-mining-and-kok-river-arsenic","title":"Myanmar Kachin heavy rare earth mining and Kok River arsenic","dek":"Thai and Mekong River Commission measurements in 2025 found arsenic at 2.5 times the World Health Organization limit at four of five sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers. Reports attributed it mainly to rare earth and gold mining in Myanmar's Shan State.","country":"Thailand","region":"Asia","lat":20,"lon":99.85,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Myanmar","iso2":"MM","admin":"Shan State","lat":21,"lon":98.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Myanmar","iso2":"MM","admin":"Kachin State","lat":25.4,"lon":97.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","lat":20,"lon":99.85,"role":"affected"}],"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Arsenic versus the WHO limit, Kok and Mekong rivers (4 of 5 sites)","value":"2.5 times","note":"Measurements by Thailand's Pollution Control Department and the Mekong River Commission, June-July 2025."},"happened":["In June and July 2025, Thailand's Pollution Control Department and the Mekong River Commission measured arsenic in the Kok and Mekong rivers. At four of five sites the level was 2.5 times the World Health Organization limit. The reports linked the contamination to rare earth and gold mines in Myanmar's Shan State.","Mongabay reported that rare earth mining in Myanmar was blamed for toxic river spillover into Thailand. The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre headlined the Mekong River Commission's assessment as showing serious arsenic contamination in the Mekong and Kok rivers due mainly to mining operations.","Arsenic risk to rice irrigated with Kok River water in Thailand was also noted."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Global Witness publishes an investigation into heavy rare earth mining in Myanmar (claims unconfirmed, see unknown)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Thai and Mekong River Commission measurements find arsenic at 2.5 times the WHO limit at four of five sites on the Kok and Mekong"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Thailand's Pollution Control Department and the Mekong River Commission measured arsenic at 2.5 times the WHO limit at 4 of 5 sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers; the source was identified as rare earth and gold mines in Shan State.","src":0},{"t":"The Mekong River Commission's assessment found the contamination due mainly to mining operations (as headlined by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Arsenic versus WHO limit","v":"2.5 times","d":"4 of 5 sites, Kok and Mekong rivers, 2025"},{"k":"Reported source","v":"Mining in Shan State","d":"Rare earth and gold mines in Myanmar"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources give no assessment of fish or ecosystem effects"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Global Witness (May 2024) reported that Myanmar had become the largest source of heavy rare earths for China, that China's imports from Myanmar rose from 19,500 tonnes in 2021 to 41,700 tonnes in 2023, more than twice its domestic production, and that about 300 sites in Kachin held more than 2,700 leach ponds in 2022.","Unconfirmed: that armed groups controlled mines in Kachin."],"evidence":["no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record any end to the arsenic contamination.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record the contamination reaching rivers in Thailand, a country with no commercial link to the mines.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: measurements found arsenic at 2.5 times the WHO limit at four of five sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"thailand-pcd","role":"Public authority; measured arsenic in the Kok and Mekong"},{"id":"mekong-river-commission","role":"International organisation; assessed arsenic contamination"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"NGO; reported on heavy rare earth mining in Myanmar"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Where does the arsenic in the Kok and Mekong rivers come from?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Thailand's Pollution Control Department","says":"Measured arsenic at 2.5 times the WHO limit at 4 of 5 sites; the source was identified as rare earth and gold mines in Shan State.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Mekong River Commission","says":"Assessment found serious arsenic contamination in the Mekong and Kok rivers due mainly to mining operations (as headlined by BHRRC).","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Mine operators in Myanmar","says":"No response is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"arsenic_multiple_of_who_limit","value":2.5,"unit":"times","year":2025,"note":"At 4 of 5 sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Arsenic at 2.5 times the WHO limit was measured at four of five sites on the Kok and Mekong rivers, linked to rare earth and gold mining in Shan State.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers in Thailand","what":"Arsenic risk to rice irrigated with Kok River water.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Kok and Mekong rivers in Thailand; mines in Myanmar's Shan State.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Measurements reported June-July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the mine operators' reasons or the commercial context of the mining.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Arsenic from mines in Shan State reached the Kok and Mekong rivers across the border.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Rare earth rush in Myanmar blamed for toxic river spillover into Thailand","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-06","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/rare-earth-rush-in-myanmar-blamed-for-toxic-river-spillover-into-thailand/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009125413/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/06/rare-earth-rush-in-myanmar-blamed-for-toxic-river-spillover-into-thailand/"},{"t":"Southeast Asia: Mekong River Commission's assessment reveals serious arsenic contamination in the Mekong and Kok rivers due mainly to mining operations","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2025-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/southeast-asia-mekong-river-commissions-assessment-reveals-serious-arsenic-contamination-in-the-mekong-and-kok-rivers-due-mainly-to-mining-operations/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250910034030/https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/southeast-asia-mekong-river-commissions-assessment-reveals-serious-arsenic-contamination-in-the-mekong-and-kok-rivers-due-mainly-to-mining-operations/"},{"t":"New investigation reveals the alarming expansion of heavy rare earth mining in Myanmar and the devastating cost for communities and the environment","p":"Global Witness","d":"2024-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/new-investigation-reveals-the-alarming-expansion-of-heavy-rare-earth-mining-in-myanmar-and-the-devastating-cost-for-communities-and-the-environment/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251216144843/https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/new-investigation-reveals-the-alarming-expansion-of-heavy-rare-earth-mining-in-myanmar-and-the-devastating-cost-for-communities-and-the-environment/"},{"t":"Kachin: environmental, health costs up as rare earths exports to China reach record level","p":"AsiaNews","d":"2024-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.asianews.it/en/south-east-asia/myanmar/kachin-environmental-health-costs-up-as-rare-earths-exports-to-china-reach-record-level"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Rare earth and gold mining","related":["myanmar-rare-earth-mining-deforestation"],"natureLead":{"t":"Arsenic was measured at 2.5 times the WHO limit at 4 of 5 sites on my Kok and Mekong rivers in June–July 2025, by Thailand's Pollution Control Department and the Mekong River Commission.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Where does the arsenic in the Kok and Mekong rivers come from?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Mine operators in Myanmar: No response is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Global Witness (May 2024) reported that Myanmar had become the largest source of heavy rare earths for China, that China's imports from Myanmar rose from 19,500 tonnes in 2021 to 41,700 tonnes in 2023, more than twice its domestic production, and that about 300 sites in Kachin held more than 2,700 leach ponds in 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that armed groups controlled mines in Kachin.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Farmers in Thailand"]},{"id":"moroccanoil-and-argan","title":"MoroccanOil and argan (Israel/Morocco)","dek":"An Israeli cosmetics brand named for Morocco reported revenue of USD 60.6 million in 2024. No benefit-sharing with the Amazigh women's cooperatives that work with argan in Morocco is on record.","country":"Morocco","region":"Africa","lat":30.4,"lon":-9.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","lat":30.4,"lon":-9.6,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","lat":32,"lon":34.8,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2019,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-05-10","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"MoroccanOil revenue, 2024, and recorded benefit-sharing with Moroccan cooperatives","value":"USD 60.6m vs none on record","note":"Revenue as reported by Hespress English (10 May 2024). Benefit-sharing record: none on record."},"happened":["Hespress English reported on 10 May 2024 that MoroccanOil, a brand produced in Israel, had revenue of USD 60.6 million. The article's headline gives the figure as USD 62 million.","According to the same report, about 20,000 argan trees grow in Israel, and the cited sources record no benefit-sharing arrangement with the Amazigh women's cooperatives in Morocco, where argan is traditionally worked.","In Morocco, SNRT News reported that argan production fell 51% over a period given as 2019 to 2025, attributed to drought. The same report said the cooperatives were competing with large cosmetics companies for raw material, and gave the number of cooperatives as 4,525.","A 2023 article in the journal Human Ecology reports that intermediaries have taken over the argan trade in Morocco."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Start of the period over which SNRT News reports a 51% fall in Moroccan argan production, attributed to drought"},{"y":2023,"t":"Human Ecology article reports intermediaries taking over the argan trade"},{"y":2024,"t":"Hespress English reports MoroccanOil revenue of USD 60.6 million and about 20,000 argan trees in Israel"},{"y":2025,"t":"End of the period over which argan production is reported to have fallen 51%"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The brand name \"MoroccanOil\" for a product made in Israel","who":"MoroccanOil Ltd. (brand name)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Revenue of USD 60.6 million reported for MoroccanOil (Hespress English, 2024).","src":0},{"t":"About 20,000 argan trees in Israel.","src":0},{"t":"No benefit-sharing arrangement with Amazigh cooperatives is on record.","src":0},{"t":"Argan production in Morocco fell 51%, period given as 2019 to 2025, attributed to drought; cooperatives compete with large cosmetics companies for raw material; 4,525 cooperatives.","src":1},{"t":"Intermediaries have taken over the argan trade in Morocco.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"MoroccanOil revenue, 2024 (as reported)","amount":60.6}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Argan production in Morocco","v":"-51%","d":"Period given as 2019-2025, attributed to drought (SNRT News)"},{"k":"Argan trees in Israel","v":"About 20,000","d":"Hespress English, 2024"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No assessment of the effect of the trade on argan trees is in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether any payment or benefit-sharing arrangement exists between MoroccanOil and Moroccan cooperatives: none is on record.","The source of the argan material used by MoroccanOil is not on record.","The Hespress English headline gives USD 62 million while its text, as recorded, gives USD 60.6 million; the cited sources do not explain the difference."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the cited sources record no measure to limit effects on argan trees or to share benefits.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not identify who bore the cost; they record no payment to the Moroccan cooperatives.","statusLine":"As of 2024-2025 reporting: no benefit-sharing record found; Moroccan argan production reported down 51% in 2019-2025.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"moroccanoil","role":"Brand owner, producer in Israel"},{"id":"amazigh-argan-cooperatives","role":"Argan cooperatives in Morocco"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":60.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"MoroccanOil revenue as reported by Hespress English; the article headline says USD 62 million."},{"key":"argan_trees_israel","value":20000,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Argan trees in Israel (Hespress English)."},{"key":"argan_production_change","value":-51,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Fall in Moroccan argan production over a period given as 2019-2025, attributed to drought (SNRT News)."},{"key":"cooperatives","value":4525,"unit":"cooperatives","year":2019,"note":"Number of argan cooperatives in Morocco, as given by SNRT News."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An Israeli brand named for Morocco earned reported revenue of USD 60.6 million from an oil made from Moroccan-origin argan, with no benefit-sharing on record.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"MoroccanOil Ltd.","what":"Reported revenue of USD 60.6 million (2024)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Amazigh women's cooperatives, Morocco","what":"No benefit-sharing is on record; production fell 51% in 2019-2025 and they compete with large cosmetics firms for raw material","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Israel (production, company) and Morocco (argan, cooperatives).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Revenue reported for 2024; production decline reported for 2019-2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a reason for the absence of benefit-sharing.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The product is made in Israel; the cited sources record no benefit-sharing arrangement.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"How Morocco's Argan fuels a USD 62 million Israeli business.","p":"Hespress English","d":"2024-05-10","type":"press","u":"https://en.hespress.com/84896-84896.html"},{"t":"Industrie de l'argan: les coopératives face à la sécheresse et à la concurrence","p":"SNRT News","d":"2019-2025","type":"press","u":"https://snrtnews.com/fr/article/industrie-de-largan-les-cooperatives-face-a-la-secheresse-et-a-la-concurrence","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725091637/https://snrtnews.com/fr/article/industrie-de-largan-les-cooperatives-face-a-la-secheresse-et-a-la-concurrence"},{"t":"Article on the takeover of the argan trade by intermediaries","p":"Human Ecology","d":"2023","type":"academic","u":"https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10745-023-00453-6","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153145/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10745-023-00453-6"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Argan production in my Moroccan groves fell 51% over a period given as 2019 to 2025, a fall SNRT News attributed to drought.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any payment or benefit-sharing arrangement exists between MoroccanOil and Moroccan cooperatives: none is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source of the argan material used by MoroccanOil is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The Hespress English headline gives USD 62 million while its text, as recorded, gives USD 60.6 million; the cited sources do not explain the difference.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"marine-genetic-sequence-patents-and-bbnj","title":"Marine genetic sequence patents (BASF) and BBNJ","dek":"A 2018 analysis reported by AAAS counted 12,998 patented genetic sequences from 862 marine species, 47% of them held by one company, BASF. The High Seas Treaty (BBNJ) was reported to have entered into force in January 2026.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":0,"lon":-30,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"International waters","iso2":"XX","role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2018-06","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"headline":{"label":"Share of patented marine genetic sequences held by BASF (2018)","value":"47%","note":"Figure reported by AAAS from Blasiak et al. (2018); not independently verified."},"happened":["AAAS reported in June 2018, citing a study by Blasiak and colleagues, that 12,998 genetic sequences from 862 marine species were covered by patents. According to that report, 47% of these sequences were held by BASF, 98% of the patents were filed in 10 countries, and 165 countries held none.","A 2013 count, whose source is not identified in the material reviewed, found that patent documents concentrated on about 4% of described species.","The BBNJ Agreement on the high seas has been presented under the heading of the ocean as the common heritage of humanity. A reports of IISD SDG Knowledge Hub reported that it entered into force on 17 January 2026 with 83 parties; this has not been independently verified.","The cited sources contain no statement from BASF about these patents and no record of payments to coastal or island states."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"A count reports patent documents concentrated on about 4% of described species (source not identified)"},{"y":2018,"t":"AAAS reports Blasiak et al.: 12,998 patented sequences from 862 marine species; 47% held by BASF"},{"y":2026,"t":"BBNJ Agreement enters into force on 17 January"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The ocean as the \"common heritage of humanity\" under the BBNJ Agreement (2026)","who":"BBNJ framing as cited in the material reviewed","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"12,998 patented marine genetic sequences from 862 species; 47% held by BASF; 98% of patents in 10 countries; 165 countries with none (reported by AAAS, 2018).","src":0},{"t":"Patent documents concentrated on about 4% of described species (2013 count; source not identified).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of patented marine sequences held by one company","v":"47%","d":"BASF; AAAS report of Blasiak et al., 2018"},{"k":"Countries holding none of the patents","v":"165","d":"Patents filed in 10 countries account for 98% (same report)"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources do not assess any effect on marine ecosystems"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 12,998 sequences from 862 marine species patented, 47% held by BASF, 98% of patents in 10 countries, 165 countries with none (AAAS, June 2018, citing Blasiak et al.).","Unconfirmed: the BBNJ Agreement entered into force on 17 January 2026 with 83 parties.","No payment from marine sequence patents to coastal or island states is on record.","BASF's own statement on these patents is not on record."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the cited sources do not record any measure to limit the patenting or any effect on marine ecosystems.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record no payments and identify no payer.","statusLine":"As of 2026 reporting: BBNJ in force since 17 January 2026; no benefit-sharing payments are reported.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"basf","role":"Holder of 47% of counted patented marine sequences (reported)"},{"id":"aaas","role":"Publisher of the report on the Blasiak et al. analysis"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sequences_patented","value":12998,"unit":"sequences","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Patented marine genetic sequences from 862 species (AAAS, citing Blasiak et al.)."},{"key":"species_with_patented_sequences","value":862,"unit":"species","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Marine species behind the patented sequences (same report)."},{"key":"basf_share","value":47,"unit":"%","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Share of the patented sequences held by BASF (same report)."},{"key":"patents_in_ten_countries","value":98,"unit":"%","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Share of patents filed in 10 countries (same report)."},{"key":"countries_without_patents","value":165,"unit":"countries","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"Countries with no such patents (same report)."},{"key":"bbnj_parties","value":83,"unit":"parties","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"Parties at entry into force on 17 January 2026 of IISD SDG Knowledge Hub."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Patents on marine genetic sequences were reported to be concentrated in one company and ten countries, while the BBNJ Agreement presents the ocean as common heritage.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BASF","what":"Reported holder of 47% of the counted patented marine sequences","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Coastal and island states","what":"165 countries held none of the counted patents","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Marine genetic resources worldwide; patents filed in 10 countries.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Analysis published in 2018; BBNJ reported in force from 17 January 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a motive.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through patents on genetic sequences derived from marine species.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"One corporation holds most oceans genetic patents","p":"AAAS","d":"2018-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.aaas.org/news/one-corporation-holds-most-oceans-genetic-patents","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240414224934/https://www.aaas.org/news/one-corporation-holds-most-oceans-genetic-patents"},{"t":"BBNJ Agreement Enters into Force","p":"IISD SDG Knowledge Hub","d":"2026-01-17","type":"press","u":"https://sdg.iisd.org/news/bbnj-agreement-enters-into-force/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260129010943/https://sdg.iisd.org/news/bbnj-agreement-enters-into-force/"},{"t":"Biological Diversity in the Patent System (Oldham, Hall, Forero), PLoS ONE 8(11): e78737","p":"PLoS ONE (via PubMed Central)","d":"2013-11","u":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3827099/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"12,998 genetic sequences from 862 of my marine species were patented, 47% of them by one company, AAAS reported in 2018.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Sequences patented: Patented marine genetic sequences from 862 species (AAAS, citing Blasiak et al.).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Species with patented sequences: Marine species behind the patented sequences (same report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Basf share: Share of the patented sequences held by BASF (same report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Patents in ten countries: Share of patents filed in 10 countries (same report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Countries without patents: Countries with no such patents (same report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Bbnj parties: Parties at entry into force on 17 January 2026 of IISD SDG Knowledge Hub.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 12,998 sequences from 862 marine species patented, 47% held by BASF, 98% of patents in 10 countries, 165 countries with none (AAAS, June 2018, citing Blasiak et al.).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the BBNJ Agreement entered into force on 17 January 2026 with 83 parties.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No payment from marine sequence patents to coastal or island states is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"BASF's own statement on these patents is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-national-flood-insurance-program-debt-and-fema-reinsuranc","title":"US National Flood Insurance Program debt and FEMA reinsurance","dek":"The US National Flood Insurance Program owed the Treasury USD 22.525 billion in March 2026. FEMA bought reinsurance in 2017 and a catastrophe bond in 2021 to transfer part of the program's flood risk to private capital.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-03-10","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"NFIP debt to the US Treasury","value":"USD 22.525 billion","note":"As of March 2026, per the Congressional Research Service."},"happened":["The Congressional Research Service (CRS) reported on 10 March 2026 that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) owed the US Treasury USD 22.525 billion. It added that the program had borrowed a further USD 2 billion in February 2025 and that USD 7.9 billion of borrowing authority remained.","Insurance Journal reported on 6 December 2017 that FEMA had paid a reinsurance premium of USD 150 million in 2017 and expected to collect its full USD 1.042 billion limit for claims after Hurricane Harvey.","In 2021 FEMA placed a catastrophe bond, FloodSmart Re 2021-1, providing USD 575 million of flood protection. Artemis reported a first-year premium of about USD 79.4 million.","The cited sources do not report any assessment of the effect of the program's design on flood-prone ecosystems."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"FEMA pays a USD 150 million reinsurance premium and expects to collect USD 1.042 billion after Hurricane Harvey (Insurance Journal, 6 December)"},{"y":2021,"t":"FEMA places the FloodSmart Re 2021-1 catastrophe bond: USD 575 million of protection, first-year premium about USD 79.4 million"},{"y":2025,"t":"NFIP borrows a further USD 2 billion from the Treasury (February)"},{"y":2026,"t":"CRS reports NFIP debt of USD 22.525 billion and USD 7.9 billion of remaining borrowing authority (10 March)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NFIP owed the Treasury USD 22.525 billion; USD 2 billion of additional borrowing in February 2025; USD 7.9 billion of authority remaining (CRS, 10 March 2026).","src":0},{"t":"FEMA paid a USD 150 million reinsurance premium in 2017 and expected to collect a USD 1.042 billion limit after Harvey.","src":1},{"t":"FloodSmart Re 2021-1: USD 575 million of protection; first-year premium about USD 79.4 million.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"NFIP debt to the Treasury","v":"USD 22.525bn","d":"CRS, 10 March 2026"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources do not assess effects on flood-prone ecosystems"}]},"unknown":["Whether FEMA's 2017 reinsurance claim was paid in full: the source reviewed reports an expectation of full recovery, and no source reviewed confirms the final payment.","Any payout under the 2021 catastrophe bond is not on record.","No source reviewed states a repayment schedule for the NFIP debt."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the cited sources record no measure on the debt and no ecological effect.","whoPaid":"The debt is owed to the US Treasury; the cited sources do not state who will repay it.","statusLine":"As of 10 March 2026: NFIP owed the Treasury USD 22.525 billion, with USD 7.9 billion of borrowing authority remaining.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"fema","role":"Administrator of the NFIP; buyer of reinsurance and catastrophe bond"},{"id":"us-treasury","role":"Lender to the NFIP"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Reinsurers (names: none on record)","insured":"FEMA / NFIP","status":"unknown","year":2017,"amount":{"value":1042,"currency":"USD","label":"Limit FEMA expected to collect, USD m"},"summary":"FEMA paid a USD 150 million premium and expected to collect the full USD 1.042 billion limit after Hurricane Harvey. No source reviewed confirms final payment.","src":1},{"insurer":"Catastrophe bond investors (FloodSmart Re 2021-1)","insured":"FEMA / NFIP","status":"unknown","year":2021,"amount":{"value":575,"currency":"USD","label":"Protection, USD m"},"summary":"USD 575 million of flood protection with a first-year premium of about USD 79.4 million. No payout is on record.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"nfip_debt","value":22525,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"NFIP debt to the Treasury (CRS, 10 March 2026)."},{"key":"additional_borrowing","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Additional borrowing in February 2025."},{"key":"remaining_borrowing_authority","value":7900,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Remaining authority as of March 2026."},{"key":"reinsurance_premium","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"FEMA reinsurance premium."},{"key":"claim","value":1042,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"expected","note":"Limit FEMA expected to collect after Hurricane Harvey."},{"key":"cat_bond_protection","value":575,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"FloodSmart Re 2021-1 protection."},{"key":"cat_bond_premium","value":79.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"First-year premium."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The NFIP owed the Treasury USD 22.525 billion and FEMA bought reinsurance and a catastrophe bond to transfer part of its flood risk.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"FEMA / NFIP","what":"Expected to collect USD 1.042 billion from reinsurance for a USD 150 million premium (2017)","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"US Treasury (lender)","what":"NFIP debt of USD 22.525 billion outstanding in March 2026","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reinsurance 2017; catastrophe bond 2021; debt figures February 2025 and March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not set out FEMA's stated reason beyond transferring risk.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The NFIP borrows from the Treasury after large events and buys reinsurance and catastrophe bond cover.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"CRS Insight IN10784: National Flood Insurance Program debt","p":"Congressional Research Service (via EveryCRSReport)","d":"2026-03-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/2026-03-10_IN10784_7300eba688a8827c8abddacb2ee0aa444e876963.html"},{"t":"U.S. Flood Program to Collect 1 Billion (USD) in Reinsurance for Hurricane Harvey Claims","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2017-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/12/06/473261.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210918043631/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/12/06/473261.htm"},{"t":"FEMA got favorable terms for new 575m flood catastrophe bond: Maurstad","p":"Artemis","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/fema-got-favorable-terms-for-new-575m-flood-catastrophe-bond-maurstad/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723083745/https://www.artemis.bm/news/fema-got-favorable-terms-for-new-575m-flood-catastrophe-bond-maurstad/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Reinsurers (names: none on record): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Catastrophe bond investors (FloodSmart Re 2021-1): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether FEMA's 2017 reinsurance claim was paid in full: the source reviewed reports an expectation of full recovery, and no source reviewed confirms the final payment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Any payout under the 2021 catastrophe bond is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states a repayment schedule for the NFIP debt.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mexico-ibrd-catastrophe-bonds-and-fonden-abolition","title":"Mexico IBRD catastrophe bonds (Otis, Polo) and FONDEN abolition","dek":"Mexico buys storm protection through catastrophe bonds issued by the World Bank's IBRD. The bond paid part of the cover after Hurricane Otis in 2023 and paid nothing after Hurricane Polo in 2026.","country":"Mexico","region":"North America","lat":23.6,"lon":-102.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","lat":23.6,"lon":-102.5,"role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Pacific named-storm cover bought in 2024","value":"USD 175 million","note":"Of USD 595 million total cover in 2024, per Insurance Insider ILS (May 2024)."},"happened":["Mexico's public disaster fund, FONDEN, was abolished in 2021. El Financiero reported in October 2023 that the catastrophe bond was no longer linked to it and that some municipalities would not receive funds for infrastructure repairs.","After Hurricane Otis in 2023, the Pacific tranche of Mexico's bond issued through the IBRD was partly triggered. Expansión reported in November 2023 that the Finance Ministry (Hacienda) expected about USD 60 million, and that the previous payout had taken about four months.","In 2024 Mexico secured USD 175 million of Pacific named-storm cover with an IBRD bond, within total 2024 cover of USD 595 million. Insurance Insider ILS reported a spread of 1,200 basis points to investors and a multiple of 2.9x.","In September 2026 Hurricane Polo made landfall in Baja California Sur. Artemis reported that its centre did not pass through any trigger zone and that the IBRD bond did not pay.","ClimaMeter, a rapid-analysis project of France's CNRS, found that storms similar to Hurricane Otis produced about 10–20 mm more rain a day in 2000–2022 than in 1979–2000, mainly because of human-driven climate change; its authors stated low confidence in the method, and the analysis gives no result for wind."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"FONDEN, Mexico's public disaster fund, abolished"},{"y":2023,"t":"Hurricane Otis partly triggers the Pacific tranche; Hacienda expects about USD 60 million (Nov)"},{"y":2024,"t":"USD 175 million of Pacific named-storm cover secured within USD 595 million total (May)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Hurricane Polo makes landfall in Baja California Sur; bond does not pay (Sep)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Otis: the Pacific tranche of the bond was partly triggered; Hacienda expected about USD 60 million; the previous payout took about four months.","src":0},{"t":"FONDEN was abolished in 2021; the bond is no longer linked to it; some municipalities will not receive funds for infrastructure repair.","src":1},{"t":"2024 Pacific tranche: USD 175 million; investor spread 1,200 basis points; multiple 2.9x; total 2024 cover USD 595 million.","src":2},{"t":"Polo (2026): centre did not pass through any trigger zone; the bond did not pay.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological outcome","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources describe triggers and payouts, not effects on ecosystems."}]},"unknown":["How much of the roughly USD 60 million expected after Otis was received and by whom it was spent: none on record.","Whether municipalities left without FONDEN funds received repair money from another source: none on record.","Unconfirmed: the annual premium for the Pacific tranche, an expected loss of 4.09% for 2024–2028 and comparisons with other catastrophe bonds come from a secondary calculation and are not stated here as fact."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not on record.","whoPaid":"None on record; they say only that some municipalities would not receive funds for infrastructure repair.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the Pacific tranche of the IBRD bond did not pay after Hurricane Polo; the Otis payout was reported as partial in 2023.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"mexico-gov","says":"Hacienda estimated that about USD 60 million would arrive from the catastrophe bond after Otis.","when":"November 2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Bond sponsor and beneficiary (Hacienda)"},{"id":"ibrd","role":"Issuer of the catastrophe bond"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"IBRD catastrophe bond, Pacific tranche (investors)","insured":"Government of Mexico","status":"partial","year":2023,"amount":"About USD 60 million expected (Hacienda estimate)","reason":"Hurricane Otis partly triggered the tranche.","summary":"Expansión reported that the Treasury expected about USD 60 million after Otis and that the previous payout had taken about four months.","src":0},{"insurer":"IBRD catastrophe bond, Pacific tranche (investors)","insured":"Government of Mexico","status":"refused","year":2026,"reason":"Parametric trigger not met: the centre of Hurricane Polo did not pass through any trigger zone.","summary":"Artemis reported that Polo made landfall in Baja California Sur and that the bond did not pay.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Expected payout after Otis (Hacienda estimate)."},{"key":"insurance_cover_pacific","value":175,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Pacific named-storm cover, 2024."},{"key":"insurance_cover_total","value":595,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Total 2024 cover."},{"key":"investor_spread","value":1200,"unit":"basis points","year":2024,"note":"Spread paid to investors on the Pacific tranche."},{"key":"risk_multiple","value":2.9,"unit":"x","year":2024,"note":"Multiple reported for the Pacific tranche."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mexico buys named-storm protection through IBRD catastrophe bonds whose payout depends on storm parameters; FONDEN, the earlier public fund, was abolished in 2021.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"None on record","what":"No source reviewed names who gained.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Some municipalities","what":"Would not receive funds for infrastructure repair, per El Financiero.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mexico; Pacific coast (Otis, Polo in Baja California Sur).","src":3},"when":{"t":"FONDEN abolished 2021; Otis 2023; 2024 bond; Polo 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the Treasury's expectation of a payout after Otis.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The bond pays when a storm meets defined trigger parameters; Polo's centre did not pass through any trigger zone.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Hacienda estima que llegarán 60 mdd por bono catastrófico","p":"Expansión","d":"2023-11-15","type":"press","u":"https://expansion.mx/economia/2023/11/15/hacienda-estima-que-llegaran-60-mdd-por-bono-catastrofico","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418165556/https://expansion.mx/economia/2023/11/15/hacienda-estima-que-llegaran-60-mdd-por-bono-catastrofico"},{"t":"Huracán Otis: ¿De cuánto es el bono catastrófico para la cobertura de desastres naturales?","p":"El Financiero","d":"2023-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/economia/2023/10/25/huracan-otis-de-cuanto-es-el-bono-catastrofico-para-la-cobertura-de-desastres-naturales/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260317125423/https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/economia/2023/10/25/huracan-otis-de-cuanto-es-el-bono-catastrofico-para-la-cobertura-de-desastres-naturales/"},{"t":"Mexico secures 175mn of Pacific named storm coverage with IBRD bond","p":"Insurance Insider ILS","d":"2024-05","type":"press","u":"https://insuranceinsiderils.com/article/2d6jccwzfyz2gvy9y5l34/catastrophe-bonds/mexico-secures-175mn-of-pacific-named-storm-coverage-with-ibrd-bond","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250913174020/https://www.insuranceinsiderils.com/article/2d6jccwzfyz2gvy9y5l34/catastrophe-bonds/mexico-secures-175mn-of-pacific-named-storm-coverage-with-ibrd-bond"},{"t":"Hurricane Polo makes landfall in Baja California Sur, Mexico, no threat to IBRD cat bond","p":"Artemis","d":"2026-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.artemis.bm/news/hurricane-polo-makes-landfall-in-baja-california-sur-mexico-no-threat-to-ibrd-cat-bond/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260929074524/https://www.artemis.bm/news/hurricane-polo-makes-landfall-in-baja-california-sur-mexico-no-threat-to-ibrd-cat-bond/"},{"t":"Heavy rain in hurricane Otis mostly strengthened by human-driven climate change","p":"ClimaMeter","d":"2023-10-26","u":"http://www.climameter.org/20231025-hurricane-otis","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the roughly USD 60 million expected after Otis was received and by whom it was spent: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether municipalities left without FONDEN funds received repair money from another source: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the annual premium for the Pacific tranche, an expected loss of 4.09% for 2024–2028 and comparisons with other catastrophe bonds come from a secondary calculation and are not stated here as fact.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: None on record"]},{"id":"manila-bay-rehabilitation-resettlement-and-pasig-riverwalk","title":"Manila Bay rehabilitation resettlement and Pasig riverwalk","dek":"The Manila Bay rehabilitation programme has moved informal settler families away from the shoreline. A separate privately financed Pasig riverwalk plans temporary container housing for up to 10,000 families.","country":"Philippines","region":"Asia","lat":14.55,"lon":120.95,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","lat":14.55,"lon":120.95,"role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":2025,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Informal families resettled under the Manila Bay programme, August 2025","value":"57,134 of 238,747 (23.93%)","note":"DILG CALABARZON, August 2025."},"happened":["The Manila Bay rehabilitation programme, which rests on a Supreme Court decision and is run with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), identified 238,747 informal settler families. By August 2025, DILG CALABARZON reported, 57,134 of them (23.93%) had been resettled; the rate in the National Capital Region was 36.56%. An earlier record from 2019 gave 70,165 of 190,655 families, which rests on a different base.","In January 2024 the Inquirer reported a PHP 18 billion, privately financed Pasig River riverwalk project under which up to 10,000 families would be moved temporarily into container vans, with PHP 1 million per family.","A 2022 study by the Penn Institute for Urban Research found that state-led resettlement at five sites in 2010–2016 coincided more with changes in economic land use than with disaster or planned retreat.","In August 2023 the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) suspended 22 reclamation projects in Manila Bay to review compliance with environmental compliance certificate conditions, and allowed two to continue in November 2023. In November 2023 a fisherfolk organisation said small fishers' income had fallen by 80–90% as dredging in Cavite continued."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Earlier record: 70,165 of 190,655 informal families reported resettled (different base)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Penn IUR study: resettlement sites coincide with economic land-use change (2010–2016, five sites)"},{"y":2023,"t":"DENR suspends 22 Manila Bay reclamation projects (Aug); two allowed to continue (Nov); fisherfolk group reports 80–90% income fall (Nov)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Pasig riverwalk: PHP 18 billion, up to 10,000 families to container vans (Jan)"},{"y":2025,"t":"DILG CALABARZON: 57,134 of 238,747 families (23.93%) resettled (Aug)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"\"Manila Bay rehabilitation: white beach\": 3,500 tonnes of crushed dolomite brought from Cebu.","who":"DENR","src":null},{"t":"Resettlement of informal settler families as flood-risk reduction under the Manila Bay programme.","who":"DILG CALABARZON (headline of its August 2025 release)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"238,747 informal families identified; 57,134 (23.93%) resettled by August 2025; 36.56% in the National Capital Region.","src":0},{"t":"Pasig riverwalk: PHP 18 billion, privately financed; up to 10,000 families temporarily in container vans; PHP 1 million per family.","src":1},{"t":"Resettlement decisions at five sites in 2010–2016 coincided more with economic land-use change than with disaster risk.","src":2},{"t":"Dolomite fill: initial reports gave a cost of PHP 389 million; the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute described it as temporary; no environmental impact assessment was carried out.","src":5},{"t":"22 reclamation projects suspended in August 2023; two allowed to continue in November 2023.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"PHP","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Dolomite beach fill","v":"Temporary","d":"University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute; 3,500 t brought from Cebu; no environmental impact assessment"},{"k":"Small fishers' income","v":"Down 80–90%","d":"Claim by a fisherfolk organisation, November 2023, with dredging in Cavite continuing"}]},"unknown":["The final status of the reclamation projects other than the two allowed to continue in November 2023: no source reviewed gives it.","Unconfirmed: the abduction of two activists who opposed Manila Bay reclamation in 2023, a Supreme Court finding of elements of enforced disappearance, and EUR 1.5 billion of Dutch export-credit insurance cover for the dredging contractor Boskalis. No source link is held for these.","Unconfirmed: that the Philippine Reclamation Authority was awaiting the restart of the Bacoor (90 ha) and Navotas (30 ha) reclamations in February 2024."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: resettlement continued in 2025, with 23.93% of identified families resettled.","whoPaid":"Informal settler families moved from the shoreline: 57,134 families by August 2025.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: 57,134 of 238,747 identified informal families resettled; no completion date found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"dilg","says":"DILG CALABARZON headlined its release as reaffirming its commitment to flood-risk reduction, with 57.1K informal settler families resettled under the programme.","when":"August 2025","src":0},{"actor":"denr","says":"Suspended 22 Manila Bay reclamation projects to review compliance with environmental compliance certificate conditions.","when":"August 2023","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"dilg","role":"Resettlement programme implementer"},{"id":"denr","role":"Environment department; suspended reclamation projects"},{"id":"ph-supreme-court","role":"Court whose decision underlies the rehabilitation programme"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is resettlement driven by flood-risk reduction?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"DILG CALABARZON","says":"Presented the resettlement as part of flood-risk reduction (headline of its August 2025 release).","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Penn Institute for Urban Research","says":"State-led resettlement at five sites in 2010–2016 coincided more with changes in economic land use than with disaster or planned retreat.","src":2}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Has reclamation and dredging in Manila Bay harmed small fishers?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"A fisherfolk organisation","says":"Small fishers' income fell by 80–90% while dredging in Cavite continued.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"DENR","says":"Suspended 22 reclamation projects in August 2023 for review of environmental compliance certificate conditions; allowed two to continue in November.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Supreme Court decision on Manila Bay rehabilitation","forum":"Supreme Court of the Philippines","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The resettlement programme is described as carried out under a Supreme Court decision on Manila Bay rehabilitation; the cited sources give no further detail.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"informal_families_identified","value":238747,"unit":"families","year":2025,"note":"Informal settler families identified under the programme."},{"key":"families_resettled","value":57134,"unit":"families","year":2025,"note":"Resettled by August 2025 (23.93%; 36.56% in the National Capital Region)."},{"key":"families_resettled_2019","value":70165,"unit":"families","year":2019,"note":"Of 190,655 families, on a different base; reported in an earlier record."},{"key":"pasig_riverwalk_cost","value":18000,"unit":"PHP m","year":2024,"note":"PHP 18 billion, privately financed."},{"key":"families_to_container_vans","value":10000,"unit":"families","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Temporary housing; PHP 1 million per family reported."},{"key":"dolomite_t","value":3500,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Crushed dolomite brought from Cebu."},{"key":"dolomite_cost","value":389,"unit":"PHP m","year":null,"note":"Initial reports."},{"key":"reclamation_projects_suspended","value":22,"unit":"projects","year":2023,"note":"Suspended by DENR in August 2023; two allowed to continue in November."},{"key":"fisher_income_fall_pct","value":"80–90","unit":"%","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Claim by a fisherfolk organisation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Resettlement of informal settler families under the Manila Bay rehabilitation programme, and a planned privately financed Pasig riverwalk with temporary container housing.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"None on record","what":"The Pasig project is privately financed; its beneficiaries are not on record.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Informal settler families","what":"57,134 families resettled by August 2025.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Small fishers","what":"A fisherfolk organisation said their income fell by 80–90%.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Manila Bay and the Pasig River, Metro Manila, Philippines.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Resettlement figures to August 2025; Pasig project reported January 2024; reclamation suspensions in 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"DILG presented the programme as flood-risk reduction; a 2022 study found site selection coincided more with economic land-use change.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Families are moved from the shoreline to resettlement sites; Pasig families would be housed temporarily in container vans.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"DILG reaffirms commitment to flood risk reduction: 57.1K ISFs resettled under MBCRPP","p":"DILG CALABARZON","d":"2025-08","type":"official","u":"https://calabarzon.dilg.gov.ph/dilg-reaffirms-commitment-to-flood-risk-reduction-57-1k-isfs-resettled-under-mbcrpp/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412060118/https://calabarzon.dilg.gov.ph/dilg-reaffirms-commitment-to-flood-risk-reduction-57-1k-isfs-resettled-under-mbcrpp/"},{"t":"Pasig River project: 10,000 families to live in container vans temporarily","p":"Inquirer","d":"2024-01","type":"press","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1891449/pasig-river-project-10000-families-to-live-in-container-vans-temporarily/amp"},{"t":"Rethinking the heavy hand of flood prevention in informal settlements","p":"Penn Institute for Urban Research","d":"2022-05","type":"academic","u":"https://penniur.upenn.edu/publications/rethinking-the-heavy-hand-of-flood-prevention-in-informal-settlements-an-investigation","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711060831/https://penniur.upenn.edu/publications/rethinking-the-heavy-hand-of-flood-prevention-in-informal-settlements-an-investigation"},{"t":"All Manila Bay reclamation projects suspended: DENR","p":"ABS-CBN (with PNA)","d":"2023-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/10/23/all-manila-bay-reclamation-projects-suspended-denr"},{"t":"On World Fisheries Day, groups protest reclamation projects in Manila Bay","p":"Inquirer","d":"2023-11","type":"press","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1863256/on-world-fisheries-day-groups-protest-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240229072606/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1863256/on-world-fisheries-day-groups-protest-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay"},{"t":"Manila's new white sand coast is a threat to marine life, groups say","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-09","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/09/manilas-new-white-sand-coast-is-a-threat-to-marine-life-groups-say/","type":"press"},{"t":"Battle of Manila Bay cannot be postponed","p":"Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region IV-A","u":"https://news.calabarzon.dilg.gov.ph/3836/battle-of-manila-bay-cannot-be-postponed-dilg/","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618135503/https://news.calabarzon.dilg.gov.ph/3836/battle-of-manila-bay-cannot-be-postponed-dilg/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"3,500 tonnes of crushed dolomite from Cebu were laid on my Manila Bay shore without an environmental impact assessment; the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute described the fill as temporary.","src":[5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Has reclamation and dredging in Manila Bay harmed small fishers?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is resettlement driven by flood-risk reduction?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Supreme Court decision on Manila Bay rehabilitation: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fisher income fall pct: Claim by a fisherfolk organisation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final status of the reclamation projects other than the two allowed to continue in November 2023: no source reviewed gives it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the abduction of two activists who opposed Manila Bay reclamation in 2023, a Supreme Court finding of elements of enforced disappearance, and EUR 1.5 billion of Dutch export-credit insurance cover for the dredging contractor Boskalis. No source link is held for these.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Philippine Reclamation Authority was awaiting the restart of the Bacoor (90 ha) and Navotas (30 ha) reclamations in February 2024.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"cheonggyecheon-stream-restoration-merchants","title":"Cheonggyecheon stream restoration merchants (Seoul)","dek":"Seoul removed a highway and restored the Cheonggyecheon stream. Merchants displaced by the project were offered space in the Garden Five shopping centre outside the centre, where about 350 remained by 2014.","country":"South Korea","region":"Asia","lat":37.57,"lon":126.98,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","lat":37.57,"lon":126.98,"role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2014,"instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Private-sale contract rate for relocation space (2009) and merchants remaining (2014)","value":"16.85% and about 350","note":"About 6,100 merchants were to be relocated; Asia Economy, February 2014."},"happened":["Seoul's Cheonggyecheon restoration removed a highway and restored a stream. The relocation of merchants to a shopping centre outside the city centre, Garden Five, was part of the project; a paper in Sustainability (MDPI, 2016) described the relocation as having failed.","The paper reported 60,000 shops, 220,000 merchants and more than 3,000 street vendors in the Cheonggyecheon area and 42,000 meetings held.","About 6,100 merchants were to be relocated. The private-sale contract rate in 2009 was 16.85%. Asia Economy reported in February 2014 that eviction suits had been filed against merchants who could not pay rent and fees at Garden Five, and that about 350 Cheonggyecheon merchants remained."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Private-sale contract rate at Garden Five: 16.85%"},{"y":2014,"t":"Eviction suits against Garden Five merchants who could not pay rent and fees; about 350 Cheonggyecheon merchants remain (Feb)"},{"y":2016,"t":"Sustainability paper describes the relocation to Garden Five as having failed"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The project was presented as restoring the stream.","who":"Seoul Metropolitan Government","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 6,100 merchants were to be relocated; the private-sale contract rate was 16.85%; about 350 Cheonggyecheon merchants remained at Garden Five in 2014.","src":1},{"t":"Eviction suits were filed against merchants who could not pay rent and fees at Garden Five.","src":1},{"t":"60,000 shops, 220,000 merchants and more than 3,000 street vendors in the area; 42,000 meetings; the relocation to Garden Five failed.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"KRW","window":"2009–2014","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ecological outcome","v":"Not on record","d":"The cited sources cover merchants' relocation, not the stream's ecology."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the restoration received the 10th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design from Harvard GSD in September 2010.","Seoul's own account of the merchants' relocation: no source reviewed gives it."],"evidence":["displacement","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not on record.","whoPaid":"Merchants who relocated to Garden Five and could not pay rent and fees, per Asia Economy (February 2014).","statusLine":"As of February 2014: eviction suits against Garden Five merchants; about 350 Cheonggyecheon merchants remained.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"seoul-metropolitan-government","role":"Project owner"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Eviction suits at Garden Five","forum":"Not stated","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","kind":"civil","claimant":null,"defendant":"Merchants at Garden Five who could not pay rent and fees","filed":"2014","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Asia Economy reported in February 2014 that eviction suits had been filed against Garden Five tenants who could not pay rent and fees; its headline referred to 77 merchants forced out.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"merchants_to_relocate","value":6100,"unit":"merchants","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Merchants to be relocated."},{"key":"contract_rate","value":16.85,"unit":"%","year":2009,"note":"Private-sale contract rate."},{"key":"merchants_remaining","value":350,"unit":"merchants","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cheonggyecheon merchants remaining."},{"key":"merchants_evicted","value":77,"unit":"merchants","year":2014,"note":"As given in the Asia Economy headline."},{"key":"shops","value":60000,"unit":"shops","year":2016,"note":"In the Cheonggyecheon area, per the Sustainability paper."},{"key":"merchants","value":220000,"unit":"merchants","year":2016,"note":"Per the Sustainability paper."},{"key":"street_vendors","value":3000,"unit":"vendors","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Per the Sustainability paper."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Highway removal and stream restoration in Seoul, with merchants relocated to Garden Five.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"None on record","what":"No source reviewed names who gained.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Cheonggyecheon merchants","what":"About 6,100 were to be relocated; about 350 remained by 2014.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Garden Five merchants","what":"Eviction suits for unpaid rent and fees.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Seoul, South Korea; relocation to the Garden Five centre outside the city centre.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Contract rate recorded in 2009; eviction suits and merchant count in 2014.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Merchants were offered space in Garden Five; the paper describes the relocation as having failed.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Cheonggyecheon restoration","p":"Sustainability (MDPI)","d":"2016","type":"academic","u":"https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/11/1178","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250914121332/https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/8/11/1178"},{"t":"가든파이브 입주 상인 77명 강제 퇴거 (Garden Five: 77 tenant merchants forcibly evicted)","p":"Asia Economy","d":"2014-02","type":"press","u":"https://view.asiae.co.kr/article/2014020812561186944"},{"t":"Restoring Seoul's Cheonggyecheon River","p":"Harvard Korea Institute","d":"2010-09","type":"academic","u":"https://korea.fas.harvard.edu/event/restoring-seouls-cheonggyecheon-river-10th-veronica-rudge-green-prize-urban-design","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250905202449/https://korea.fas.harvard.edu/event/restoring-seouls-cheonggyecheon-river-10th-veronica-rudge-green-prize-urban-design"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Eviction suits at Garden Five: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the restoration received the 10th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design from Harvard GSD in September 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Seoul's own account of the merchants' relocation: no source reviewed gives it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: None on record"]},{"id":"hfc-23-destruction-credits-under-cdm","title":"HFC-23 destruction credits under the CDM (China, India)","dek":"The UN Clean Development Mechanism issued carbon credits for destroying HFC-23, a by-product gas of refrigerant manufacture. Records describe production of the gas rising during crediting and global emissions reaching a record in 2018.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":35,"lon":103,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"event"}],"start":2005,"end":2019,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","chemical-pollution","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Cost of destroying the gas vs price of the credit, per tonne CO2e","value":"about 1: 70","note":"As stated in the sources: destruction about €0.17 per tonne CO2e; credits sold at an average of about €12. Not calculated here."},"happened":["Factories that make the refrigerant gas HCFC-22 emit HFC-23, a potent greenhouse gas, as a by-product. The UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) issued carbon credits to projects that burned it. The cited sources put the cost of destroying the gas at about €0.17 per tonne of CO2 equivalent and the average credit price at about €12.","One account counts 19 HFC-23 projects in the CDM (11 in China, 5 in India) that were expected to generate about 500 million credits, about half of all credits, with destruction costing $0.20 per tonne and payment up to 70 times that. Indian manufacturers said the credits reached up to 88% of their annual profits. China and India opposed closing the gap.","The Chinese state taxed 65% of the credit revenue and collected $1.3 billion. In 2011 the Environmental Investigation Agency published a press release reporting that an official of the China CDM Fund, Xie Fei, had said producers would stop burning the gas if credit trading ended.","In Russia, every HFC-23 and SF6 project under the parallel Joint Implementation scheme raised its output of waste gas to what a source describes as an unprecedented level once crediting began. A 2011 paper in Climate Policy, cited in the sources as supporting the perverse-incentive reading, concerned HFC-23 projects in China, India and Mexico, with more gas produced during crediting periods.","After the payments ended, atmospheric measurements showed global HFC-23 emissions at a record 15.9 gigagrams a year in 2018, when a fall of 87% had been expected. Emissions in eastern China rose from 5.0 gigagrams a year in 2008 to 9.5 in 2019. Credits already issued remained valid; the cited sources record no reclaim."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Crediting of HFC-23 destruction under the CDM and Joint Implementation begins (start of the period covered by the sources)"},{"y":2008,"t":"Eastern China HFC-23 emissions: 5.0 Gg a year"},{"y":2011,"t":"EIA press release reports a China CDM Fund official's statement on what producers would do if credit trading ended; Climate Policy paper on perverse incentives"},{"y":2018,"t":"Global HFC-23 emissions reach a record 15.9 Gg a year"},{"y":2019,"t":"Eastern China HFC-23 emissions: 9.5 Gg a year"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"HFC-23 destroyed","who":"The credit registry, which recorded the gas as destroyed","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Destruction cost about €0.17 per tonne CO2e; average credit price about €12","src":0},{"t":"Chinese state levy of 65% on credit revenue; $1.3 billion collected","src":0},{"t":"More HFC-23 produced during crediting periods in projects in China, India and Mexico (Climate Policy, 2011)","src":1},{"t":"Global HFC-23 emissions at a record 15.9 Gg a year in 2018, against an expected fall of 87% after payments ended","src":3},{"t":"Eastern China HFC-23 emissions 5.0 Gg a year in 2008 and 9.5 Gg in 2019","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"not stated","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Chinese state: 65% levy on HFC-23 credit revenue","amount":1300,"note":"Stated as $1.3 billion collected; period not stated."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Global HFC-23 emissions, 2018","v":"15.9 Gg/yr","d":"Record, measured in the atmosphere; a fall of 87% had been expected after payments ended"},{"k":"Eastern China HFC-23 emissions","v":"5.0 → 9.5 Gg/yr","d":"2008 and 2019"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Atmospheric measurements of HFC-23 reported in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"Measurements of my air put global HFC-23 emissions at a record 15.9 gigagrams a year in 2018.","src":3},{"t":"In eastern China the emission rose from 5.0 gigagrams a year in 2008 to 9.5 in 2019.","src":4}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the European Union stopped accepting these credits after April 2013.","Unconfirmed: a Max Planck-linked analysis (November 2024) putting real emission reductions at 68% of credits for HFC-23 projects, against under 16% across all credit projects.","Unconfirmed: an estimate that an installation of about $100 million earned about $4.7 billion in credits by 2012; the attribution is uncertain.","The cited sources record no clawback or cancellation of the credits issued."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Emissions are recorded rising after crediting payments ended; credits already issued remained valid.","whoPaid":"Buyers of the credits paid about €12 per tonne for destruction costing about €0.17; the atmosphere carried the later rise in emissions.","statusLine":"Latest dated item in the cited sources: eastern China HFC-23 emissions of 9.5 Gg a year in 2019; no reclaim of issued credits found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"china-cdm-fund","says":"An official, Xie Fei, said in 2011 that producers would stop burning the gas if credit trading ended (as reported by the Environmental Investigation Agency).","when":"2011","src":0},{"actor":"indian-hfc-23-producers","says":"Said the credits reached up to 88% of their annual profits.","when":"not stated","src":null},{"actor":"china-india-governments","says":"China and India opposed closing the gap.","when":"not stated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"unfccc-cdm","role":"Credit issuer (Clean Development Mechanism)"},{"id":"china-cdm-fund","role":"Chinese state fund; 65% levy on credit revenue"},{"id":"eia","role":"NGO that published the 2011 press release"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did crediting give producers a reason to make more HFC-23?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmental Investigation Agency","says":"Reported that a China CDM Fund official said producers would stop burning the gas if credit trading ended.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Climate Policy paper (2011)","says":"Cited in the cited sources for the perverse-incentive reading: more HFC-23 produced during crediting periods in China, India and Mexico.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"China and India","says":"Opposed closing the gap.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"destruction_cost","value":0.17,"unit":"EUR per t CO2e","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cost of burning HFC-23 as stated in the sources."},{"key":"credit_price","value":12,"unit":"EUR per t CO2e","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Average credit price as stated."},{"key":"destruction_cost_alt","value":0.2,"unit":"USD per t","year":null,"note":"Alternative figure from another account, which also states payment up to 70 times this."},{"key":"state_levy_share","value":65,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Share of credit revenue taxed by the Chinese state."},{"key":"state_revenue","value":1.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Collected by the Chinese state from the levy."},{"key":"projects","value":19,"unit":"projects","year":null,"note":"HFC-23 projects in the CDM, of which 11 in China and 5 in India."},{"key":"credits_expected","value":500000000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Expected from these projects, about half of all CDM credits."},{"key":"producer_profit_share","value":88,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Share of annual profits from credits, as stated by Indian producers."},{"key":"hfc23_emissions_global","value":15.9,"unit":"Gg per year","year":2018,"note":"Record global emissions, measured in the atmosphere; an 87% fall had been expected after payments ended."},{"key":"hfc23_emissions_east_china","value":5,"unit":"Gg per year","year":2008,"note":"Eastern China."},{"key":"hfc23_emissions_east_china","value":9.5,"unit":"Gg per year","year":2019,"note":"Eastern China."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"UN carbon credits were issued for destroying HFC-23, a by-product greenhouse gas of HCFC-22 manufacture; records show production of the gas rising during crediting and a record in global emissions in 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"HCFC-22 manufacturers in China and India","what":"Credits worth, for Indian producers, up to 88% of annual profits by their own account.","src":null},{"who":"The Chinese state","what":"A 65% levy on credit revenue; $1.3 billion collected.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The atmosphere","what":"Record HFC-23 emissions of 15.9 Gg a year in 2018.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"China, India and Russia (Joint Implementation projects); measurements for global and eastern China emissions.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2005 to 2019 in the cited sources; EIA press release 2011.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Credits paid far more than destruction cost, and a China CDM Fund official was reported saying producers would stop burning the gas if trading ended.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The CDM issued credits for destruction of the by-product; emissions measured in the atmosphere rose after payments ended.","src":null},"ratio":{"t":"Destruction about €0.17 per tonne CO2e against a credit price of about €12, as stated.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"China threat to vent super greenhouse gases in bid to extort billions (press release)","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2011","type":"ngo","u":"https://eia-international.org/press-releases/china-threat-to-vent-super-greenhouse-gases-in-bid-to-extort-billions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519061842/https://eia-international.org/press-releases/china-threat-to-vent-super-greenhouse-gases-in-bid-to-extort-billions/"},{"t":"Perverse incentives under the CDM: a comment (Working Paper 53)","p":"Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (Climate Policy, 2011)","d":"2011","type":"academic","u":"https://www.cccep.ac.uk/publication/perverse-incentives-under-the-cdm-a-comment-working-paper-53/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606044322/https://www.cccep.ac.uk/publication/perverse-incentives-under-the-cdm-a-comment-working-paper-53/"},{"t":"Climate impact of carbon crediting projects substantially overestimated","p":"Max Planck Society","d":"2024-11","type":"academic","u":"https://www.mpg.de/23737687/climate-impact-of-carbon-crediting-projects-substantially-overestimated","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412132657/https://www.mpg.de/23737687/climate-impact-of-carbon-crediting-projects-substantially-overestimated"},{"t":"Increase in global emissions of HFC-23 despite near-total expected reductions","p":"Nature Communications (Stanley et al.)","d":"2020-01-21","u":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6972758/","type":"academic"},{"t":"A rise in HFC-23 emissions from eastern Asia since 2015 (Park et al.)","p":"Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 23, 9401","d":"2023-08","u":"https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/23/9401/2023/acp-23-9401-2023.html","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did crediting give producers a reason to make more HFC-23?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the European Union stopped accepting these credits after April 2013.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Max Planck-linked analysis (November 2024) putting real emission reductions at 68% of credits for HFC-23 projects, against under 16% across all credit projects.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an estimate that an installation of about $100 million earned about $4.7 billion in credits by 2012; the attribution is uncertain.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no clawback or cancellation of the credits issued.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: HCFC-22 manufacturers in China and India","No source link — Who harmed: The atmosphere"]},{"id":"deliver-or-pay-waste-incinerator-contract","title":"Deliver-or-pay waste incinerator contract (Pietrasanta, Italy)","dek":"A waste-to-energy plant contract in Italy required a minimum of 10,000 tonnes a year. When separate collection rose and deliveries fell below it, the operator asked for €13 million and the municipalities paid €5 million.","country":"Italy","region":"Europe","lat":43.96,"lon":10.23,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2017,"eventDate":"c. 2017","instrument":"waste","types":["waste","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Operator's claim vs amount paid by the municipalities","value":"€13 million vs €5 million","note":"The municipalities' payment is described as a penalty."},"happened":["A contract for a waste-incineration plant serving Pietrasanta and other municipalities in Italy set a minimum delivery of 10,000 tonnes of waste a year. Such \"deliver-or-pay\" (put-or-pay) clauses make the municipality liable for the operator's loss if it supplies less.","Separate collection approached the 65% target, and deliveries to the plant fell below the contractual threshold. The operator asked for €13 million. The municipalities paid €5 million, around 2017.","The cited sources describe the clause as removing the plant's risk from falling waste volumes: a fall in waste became a debt of the municipalities. The name of the operator and its profit are not published in these sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Deliveries fall below the 10,000-tonne annual minimum as separate collection nears 65%; operator asks €13 million; municipalities pay €5 million (around 2017)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Waste-to-energy","who":"Municipality and plant operator, as the plant is described","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Minimum delivery of 10,000 tonnes a year in the incinerator contract","src":0},{"t":"Separate collection approaching the 65% target; deliveries below the threshold","src":0},{"t":"Operator's claim: €13 million; municipalities' payment: €5 million","src":0},{"t":"In general, incineration contracts run 20–30 years and include minimum tonnage","src":0},{"t":"In 2017 the European Commission warned about overcapacity and investments that would stand idle","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"c. 2017","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid by the municipalities to the operator under the minimum-delivery clause","amount":5,"note":"The operator had asked for €13 million."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Separate collection","v":"approaching 65%","d":"Target; deliveries to the plant fell below the contractual minimum"}]},"unknown":["The name of the plant operator and its profit are not published in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not name the municipalities other than Pietrasanta."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: no harm to a site or habitat is on record.","whoPaid":"The municipalities paid €5 million to the operator.","statusLine":"Around 2017: municipalities paid €5 million against a €13 million claim; no later development on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"pietrasanta-incinerator-operator","role":"Plant operator (name not on record)"},{"id":"pietrasanta-municipalities","role":"Municipalities party to the contract"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"min_delivery_tonnes","value":10000,"unit":"t per year","year":2017,"note":"Contractual minimum delivery."},{"key":"separate_collection_target","value":65,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"Target that separate collection was approaching."},{"key":"claim","value":13,"unit":"EUR m","year":2017,"note":"Requested by the operator."},{"key":"settlement","value":5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2017,"note":"Paid by the municipalities."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Municipalities paid €5 million to an incinerator operator after separate collection pushed deliveries below the contract's minimum.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The plant operator (name not on record)","what":"Received €5 million after asking for €13 million.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"The municipalities","what":"Paid €5 million.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pietrasanta, Italy.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Legal dispute 2010 to 2015 (reported in 2017).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The contract set a minimum annual delivery of 10,000 tonnes, and deliveries fell below it.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A deliver-or-pay clause made the municipalities liable for the shortfall.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Deliver or pay: how waste incineration causes recycling to slow","p":"Zero Waste Europe","d":"2017-10-31","u":"https://zerowasteeurope.eu/2017/10/deliver-pay-waste-incineration-causes-recycling-slow/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"The role of waste-to-energy in the circular economy, COM(2017) 34","p":"European Commission (EUR-Lex)","d":"2017-01-26","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52017DC0034","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"waste-contract","related":[],"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The name of the plant operator and its profit are not published in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the municipalities other than Pietrasanta.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"net-zero-banking-alliance-exits-and-closure","title":"Net Zero Banking Alliance exits and closure","dek":"Major banks left the Net-Zero Banking Alliance from December 2024, and its members voted on 3 October 2025 to cease operations. In 2024 it had covered more than 140 banks.","country":"International","region":"Global","lat":null,"lon":null,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"affected"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"affected"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Banks in the alliance at its peak","value":"140+","note":"Representing $74 trillion in assets, 2024."},"happened":["In 2023, insurers left the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance within two months. Munich Re gave competition-law risk as a reason. Esgtoday reported that UNEP said the exits came \"in light of the recent discussions within the United States.\"","Between December 2024 and January 2025, six large US banks left the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). JPMorgan left between late December 2024 and early January 2025; Bank of America left in December 2024 or January 2025; Citi is reported to have left on 31 December 2024. HSBC, a founder, left on 11 July 2025, and Barclays on about 1 August 2025.","Other departures reported include MUFG, a steering-group member until March 2025, and UBS in August 2025. In April 2025 Rabobank was still a member.","On 3 October 2025 NZBA members voted to cease operations immediately and shift to a guidance-based model. At its peak in 2024 the alliance covered more than 140 banks representing $74 trillion in assets.","Banking on Climate Chaos reported banks' fossil fuel financing of $869 billion in 2024. For 2025 it ranked JPMorgan Chase first ($58.2 billion), Bank of America second ($47.3 billion), MUFG third ($47.0 billion) and Citi fifth ($45.3 billion)."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Insurers leave the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance within two months; Munich Re cites competition-law risk"},{"y":2024,"t":"February: JPMorgan Asset Management, State Street and PIMCO leave Climate Action 100+ (related). November: Texas and other states sue BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street over alleged coordination on coal (related)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Dec 2024 to Jan 2025: six large US banks leave NZBA and BlackRock leaves the asset-manager alliance (NZAM), which is suspended. HSBC leaves 11 July; Barclays about 1 August; UBS in August; NZBA members vote to cease operations 3 October; NZAM announces relaunch without its 2050 requirement 30 October"},{"y":2026,"t":"NZAM returns with 253 signatories (February); a federal judge finds Texas SB 13 unconstitutional (February, related)"}],"said":[{"q":"the organisation no longer has the membership to support our transition.","who":"Barclays, on leaving NZBA","when":"August 2025","src":3},{"q":"in light of the recent discussions within the United States","who":"UNEP, as reported by Esgtoday, on the 2023 insurer exits from the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance","when":"30 May 2023","src":0},{"q":"immediately cease operations and shift to a guidance-based model","who":"NZBA members' vote, as reported by ESG Dive","when":"3 October 2025","src":5}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 140 banks, $74 trillion in assets at the alliance's peak (2024)","src":6},{"t":"Six large US banks left between December 2024 and January 2025","src":5},{"t":"Members voted to cease operations on 3 October 2025","src":1},{"t":"HSBC, a founder, left on 11 July 2025","src":2},{"t":"Citi reported to have exited on 31 December 2024 (secondary report)","src":4},{"t":"Banks' fossil fuel financing: $869 billion in 2024","src":7},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026: JPMorgan Chase $58.2 billion in 2025 (rank 1; $248.5 billion over 2021–25); Bank of America $47.3 billion (rank 2); MUFG $47.0 billion (rank 3); Citi $45.3 billion (rank 5; $206.9 billion over 2021–25)","src":8},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026: JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs abandoned their coal exclusions","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Banks' fossil fuel financing, 2024","v":"$869 billion","d":"Global total"},{"k":"Largest financier, 2025","v":"JPMorgan Chase, $58.2 billion","d":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: MUFG as a lender to the Mozambique LNG project, from tags on the Zitamar news site.","Exit dates for Bank of America and Citi (31 December 2024) come from secondary reports; JPMorgan's is given as between late December 2024 and early January 2025.","No source reviewed gives a single common reason for the bank departures."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record concerns membership of a voluntary alliance, not a specific site.","whoPaid":"No payment or loss is on record.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: NZBA closed after the 3 October 2025 vote; its asset-manager counterpart NZAM returned with 253 signatories.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"barclays","says":"Said it left because the organisation no longer had the membership to support its transition.","when":"August 2025","src":3},{"actor":"munich-re","says":"Gave competition-law risk as the reason for leaving the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance.","when":"2023","src":null},{"actor":"unep","says":"Said, as reported by Esgtoday, that the insurer exits came in light of recent discussions within the United States.","when":"May 2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"nzba","role":"Voluntary alliance of banks (closed October 2025)"},{"id":"jpmorgan","role":"Left NZBA; largest fossil fuel financier in 2025 (Banking on Climate Chaos)"},{"id":"bank-of-america","role":"Left NZBA"},{"id":"citi","role":"Left NZBA"},{"id":"hsbc","role":"NZBA founder; left July 2025"},{"id":"barclays","role":"Left NZBA about August 2025"},{"id":"ubs","role":"Left NZBA August 2025"},{"id":"mufg","role":"Steering-group member until March 2025; then left"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"Insurer that left the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance in 2023"},{"id":"unep","role":"UN body whose statement on the 2023 insurer exits was reported"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why did the members leave the climate alliances?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Barclays","says":"“the organisation no longer has the membership to support our transition.”","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Munich Re (Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, 2023)","says":"Competition-law risk.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP (Net-Zero Insurance Alliance, 2023, via Esgtoday)","says":"The exits came “in light of the recent discussions within the United States.”","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"banks_in_alliance_peak","value":140,"unit":"banks","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Members of NZBA at its peak."},{"key":"assets_represented","value":74,"unit":"USD trillion","year":2024,"note":"Assets represented by NZBA members."},{"key":"us_banks_exited","value":6,"unit":"banks","year":2025,"note":"Large US banks that left NZBA between December 2024 and January 2025."},{"key":"fossil_financing_banks","value":869,"unit":"USD billion","year":2024,"note":"Banks' fossil fuel financing."},{"key":"fossil_financing_jpmorgan","value":58.2,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Rank 1, Banking on Climate Chaos 2026; 2024: 53.5."},{"key":"fossil_financing_bank_of_america","value":47.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Rank 2, Banking on Climate Chaos 2026."},{"key":"fossil_financing_mufg","value":47,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Rank 3, Banking on Climate Chaos 2026."},{"key":"fossil_financing_citi","value":45.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Rank 5, Banking on Climate Chaos 2026."},{"key":"nzam_signatories_return","value":253,"unit":"signatories","year":2026,"note":"Asset-manager alliance NZAM on its return in February 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Net-Zero Banking Alliance lost its large US and several European and Asian members from December 2024, and its members voted to cease operations on 3 October 2025.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global alliance; exits by banks in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Japan.","src":null},"when":{"t":"December 2024 to October 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Barclays said the alliance no longer had the membership to support its transition; no source reviewed gives a single common reason.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Individual banks announced exits; members then voted on 3 October 2025 to cease operations immediately and move to a guidance-based model.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Insurers exit Net-Zero Insurance Alliance as US political pressure builds","p":"ESG Today","d":"2023-05-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/insurers-exit-net-zero-insurance-alliance-as-u-s-political-pressure-builds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251010064348/https://www.esgtoday.com/insurers-exit-net-zero-insurance-alliance-as-u-s-political-pressure-builds/"},{"t":"NZBA members vote to cease operations (Carbon Pulse report)","p":"Carbon Pulse","d":"2025-10","type":"press","u":"https://carbon-pulse.com/441602/"},{"t":"HSBC exits Net-Zero Banking Alliance","p":"ESG Today","d":"2025-07","type":"press","u":"https://esgtoday.com/hsbc-exits-net-zero-banking-alliance/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251214185120/https://www.esgtoday.com/hsbc-exits-net-zero-banking-alliance/"},{"t":"Barclays ditches climate alliance as key members pull out","p":"Cyprus Mail","d":"2025-08-06","type":"press","u":"https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/08/06/barclays-ditches-climate-alliance-as-key-members-pull-out","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250912070622/https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/08/06/barclays-ditches-climate-alliance-as-key-members-pull-out"},{"t":"Why are banking giants, Citi etc., quitting the net-zero alliance","p":"Sustainability Magazine","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://sustainabilitymag.com/articles/why-are-banking-giants-citi-etc-quitting-net-zero-alliance","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260802022355/https://sustainabilitymag.com/articles/why-are-banking-giants-citi-etc-quitting-net-zero-alliance"},{"t":"NZBA votes to cease all operations, abandon membership model","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2025-10-03","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/nzba-votes-to-cease-all-operations-abandon-membership-model/801935/","type":"press"},{"t":"Net Zero Banking Alliance Ceases Operations","p":"ESG Today","d":"2025-10-03","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/?p=21507","type":"press"},{"t":"Banks' fossil fuel finance totals $869 billion in 2024, a dramatic increase in financing","p":"Rainforest Action Network (Banking on Climate Chaos 2025)","d":"2025-06-16","u":"https://www.ran.org/press-releases/bocc2025/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Banking on Climate Chaos 2026 (17th edition)","p":"Rainforest Action Network and partner organisations","d":"2026-06","u":"https://www.bankingonclimatechaos.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/BOCC_2026_vFINAL.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"voluntary-alliance","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did the members leave the climate alliances?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: MUFG as a lender to the Mozambique LNG project, from tags on the Zitamar news site.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Exit dates for Bank of America and Citi (31 December 2024) come from secondary reports; JPMorgan's is given as between late December 2024 and early January 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed gives a single common reason for the bank departures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"half-earth-and-30x30-advocacy-funding","title":"Half-Earth and 30x30 advocacy funding (Wyss Campaign for Nature)","dek":"A Swiss philanthropist pledged US$1 billion, later US$1.5 billion, to a campaign for protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030. The target was adopted in 2022; reports on the coverage reached so far and on what the protected areas protect are partial.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":45.5,"lon":-73.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"event","admin":"Montreal","lat":45.5,"lon":-73.6}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-12-19","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Wyss pledge for the 30x30 campaign","value":"US$1.5 billion","note":"Pledge, listed as US$1 billion at the 2018 launch and US$1.5 billion later. Amount spent: none on record."},"happened":["In October 2018 the Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, through the Wyss Foundation, launched the Wyss Campaign for Nature, a ten-year, US$1 billion campaign. The pledge was later listed at US$1.5 billion. The campaign's advocacy arm, Campaign for Nature, gave technical support to the High Ambition Coalition of 122 countries during the Kunming-Montreal biodiversity negotiations and formed a formal partnership with the coalition in 2023.","In December 2022 the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted in Montreal. Target 3, known as 30x30, calls for at least 30% of land and sea to be effectively conserved and managed by 2030. The World Resources Institute (WRI) noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up.","A cost-benefit report prepared for Campaign for Nature (Waldron et al., July 2020) estimated that 30x30 would cost about US$140 billion a year, against about US$24 billion then being spent, and that benefits would exceed costs by at least five to one. One of its co-authors, Enric Sala, is a National Geographic explorer-in-residence.","Researchers and civil-society groups disputed parts of the agenda. Büscher, Fletcher and co-authors wrote in 2016 and 2017 that Half-Earth style proposals would harm people and not meet conservation goals. Schleicher and colleagues (Nature Sustainability, November 2019) calculated that at least one billion people live in the areas a Half-Earth scheme would protect, and described this as a lower bound. In June 2022 Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival International and Minority Rights Group wrote to delegates that the 30% target was not backed by science. In April 2021 Survival International said 300 million people would lose their land; in May 2021 it corrected \"most are indigenous\" to \"many are indigenous\". The 300 million figure is the organisation's own estimate.","On coverage, the Protected Planet Report 2024 (UNEP and IUCN) put protected land at 17.6% and ocean at 8.4%, with growth below 0.5 percentage points on each since 2020. Management effectiveness had been assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of the ocean, and equitable governance for 0.2% of land. In October 2026 the figures were given as 18.69% of land and 10.04% of the ocean. Wyss money also reached individual protected-area operators: the Wyss Foundation committed US$108 million to African Parks in 2021, and in September 2026 Germany and the Wyss and Walton foundations each committed US$100 million to the Legacy Landscapes Fund for ten protected areas in Africa."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Büscher and Fletcher publish a critique of Half-Earth in Aeon (March)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Wyss Foundation launches the US$1 billion Wyss Campaign for Nature (October)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Schleicher et al. calculate that at least one billion people live in areas a Half-Earth scheme would protect (November)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Waldron report prepared for Campaign for Nature: about US$140 billion a year needed; benefits at least five times costs (July)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Survival International publishes the \"300 million\" claim (April) and corrects wording (May); IDS finds no Indigenous account among the 100 most-reached 30x30 posts (June); Wyss Foundation commits up to US$108 million to African Parks"},{"y":2022,"t":"Kunming-Montreal Framework adopted with the 30x30 target (19 December); Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival and Minority Rights Group write to delegates (June)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Campaign for Nature forms a formal partnership with the High Ambition Coalition"},{"y":2024,"t":"Protected Planet Report: 17.6% of land and 8.4% of ocean protected (October)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Germany, Wyss and Walton foundations commit US$100 million each to the Legacy Landscapes Fund (September); coverage reported at 18.69% of land and 10.04% of ocean (October)"}],"said":[{"q":"We are deeply grateful to a core group of funders who provide largely flexible, multi-year funding at significant levels.","who":"African Parks, strategic partners page","when":"undated","src":9},{"q":"two landmark commitments to African Parks ($65 million in 2016 and $108 million in 2021)","who":"African Parks, biography page for Hansjörg Wyss","when":"undated","src":10}],"shown":[{"t":"A ten-year, US$1 billion campaign to protect nature, launched by the Wyss Foundation","who":"Wyss Campaign for Nature (October 2018 announcement)","src":0},{"t":"\"Heads of state and ministers unite to accelerate delivery of 30x30\"","who":"Campaign for Nature (page title, 24 September 2026)","src":3},{"t":"30x30 as a target for the world to reach by 2030","who":"WRI statement on the Kunming-Montreal agreement (19 December 2022)","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"Land protected: 17.6% (2024), 18.69% (October 2026). Ocean protected: 8.4% (2024), 10.04% (October 2026).","src":14},{"t":"Management effectiveness assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of the ocean (2024); equitable governance assessed for 0.2% of land.","src":12},{"t":"WRI noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up for the framework.","src":7},{"t":"The Federal Election Commission found no evidence of abuse in Wyss-linked political giving in 2022, criticised the groups for not providing evidence of restrictive grant agreements, and took no action on US$119,000 in direct donations because of the statute of limitations.","src":6},{"t":"The 100 most-reached social media posts on 30x30 included none from Indigenous accounts (IDS, June 2021).","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Protected land (UNEP-IUCN)","v":"17.6%","d":"2024; 18.69% reported in October 2026"},{"k":"Protected ocean (UNEP-IUCN)","v":"8.4%","d":"2024; 10.04% reported in October 2026"},{"k":"Land with management effectiveness assessed","v":"under 5%","d":"2024; ocean 1.3%; equitable governance 0.2% of land"},{"k":"EU waters: MPAs fully or highly protected","v":"0.2%","d":"Aminian-Biquet et al., One Earth 2024: MPAs cover 11.4% of EU waters; 86% of MPA area has low protection or allows industrial activities"}]},"unknown":["How much of the pledged US$1.5 billion has been spent, and on what: the cited sources do not give a full breakdown of grants.","Whether the Wyss Foundation funded the Waldron report: the sources record only that it was prepared for Campaign for Nature.","Unconfirmed: that more than US$1 billion of the pledge had been distributed as grants by 2021.","Unconfirmed: that Campaign for Nature's first partners were The Nature Conservancy and National Geographic.","Unconfirmed: that Dinerstein told Vox in 2021 that there was no scientific basis for 30%, calling it arbitrary; the statement could not be confirmed on Vox's own page.","Unconfirmed: that Dinerstein's team argued the Schleicher et al. calculation contained errors in assumptions and data.","The year of the Wyss Foundation's US$65 million commitment to African Parks is given as 2016 on one African Parks page and 2017 in another source.","The protected areas and their managers under the September 2026 Legacy Landscapes Fund commitment were not disclosed.","Which Wyss-funded projects, if any, have been assessed for their effect on the species and habitats they cover: no such assessment appears in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the record covers funding and advocacy for a conservation target, and no source states a harm to nature that was stopped.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not identify a party that bore a cost from the campaign itself. Researchers and civil-society groups state that people living in or near areas to be protected could bear costs if protected areas are expanded without changing how they are managed.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 30x30 target is in force in the Kunming-Montreal Framework; reported coverage is 18.69% of land and 10.04% of ocean; no source reviewed reports the effect of Wyss-funded work on nature.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"wri","says":"Noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up for the framework (19 December 2022).","when":"2022-12-19","src":7},{"actor":"fec","says":"Found no evidence of abuse in Wyss-linked political giving; criticised the absence of evidence of restrictive grant agreements.","when":"2022","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"wyss-foundation","role":"Funder; launched the US$1 billion campaign (2018)"},{"id":"campaign-for-nature","role":"Advocacy campaign for 30x30"},{"id":"african-parks","role":"Recipient of Wyss Foundation commitments"},{"id":"legacy-landscapes-fund","role":"Fund receiving US$100 million each from Germany, the Wyss and Walton foundations (September 2026)"},{"id":"wri","role":"Commented on the Kunming-Montreal agreement"},{"id":"unep","role":"Co-author of the Protected Planet Report 2024"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Co-author of the Protected Planet Report 2024"},{"id":"rainforest-foundation-uk","role":"Co-signatory of June 2022 letter to delegates"},{"id":"ids","role":"Research institute; analysis of 30x30 social media posts"},{"id":"fec","role":"US regulator; reviewed Wyss-linked political giving (2022)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the 30% target backed by science?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Rainforest Foundation UK, Survival International, Minority Rights Group","says":"Wrote to delegates in June 2022 that the 30x30 conservation pledge was not backed by science.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Waldron et al. (report prepared for Campaign for Nature)","says":"Estimated that 30x30 would cost about US$140 billion a year and that benefits would exceed costs by at least five to one.","src":null},{"voice":"standard","holder":"WRI","says":"Welcomed the agreement and noted that no robust monitoring system had been set up.","src":7}]},{"point":"Does counting protected area measure protection?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP and IUCN (Protected Planet Report 2024)","says":"Reported 17.6% of land and 8.4% of ocean protected, with management effectiveness assessed for under 5% of land and 1.3% of ocean.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Aminian-Biquet et al. (One Earth, 2024)","says":"MPAs cover 11.4% of EU waters but only 0.2% are fully or highly protected, and 86% of MPA area has low protection or allows industrial activities.","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"Campaign for Nature","says":"Described the September 2026 meeting as governments uniting \"to accelerate delivery of 30x30\" (page title).","src":3}]},{"point":"How many people live in the areas a Half-Earth or 30x30 scheme would protect, and who bears the cost?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Schleicher et al. (Nature Sustainability, 2019)","says":"Calculated that at least one billion people would live in areas protected under a Half-Earth scheme at ecoregion level (about 247 million already in protected areas, 760 million in areas not yet protected), and called it a lower bound.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Said in April 2021 that 300 million people would lose their land; corrected \"most are indigenous\" to \"many are indigenous\" in May 2021. The figure is the organisation's own estimate.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Wyss Foundation / Campaign for Nature","says":"No public response to this point appears in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Federal Election Commission review of Wyss-linked political giving","forum":"Federal Election Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Hansjörg Wyss and Wyss-linked groups","filed":null,"decided":"2022","status":"unknown","summary":"In 2022 the Commission found no evidence of abuse, but criticised the groups for not providing evidence of a restrictive grant agreement. It also identified US$119,000 in direct political donations by Mr Wyss over 16 years and took no action on them because of the statute of limitations.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"pledge","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Initial pledge of the Wyss Campaign for Nature (ten years).","src":0},{"key":"pledge","value":1500,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Pledge as later listed by the campaign; the exact date of the increase is given as 2021 in the cited sources.","src":0},{"key":"commitment","value":108,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Wyss Foundation commitment to African Parks.","src":2},{"key":"commitment","value":65,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Earlier Wyss Foundation commitment to African Parks; year given as 2016 by one African Parks page and 2017 elsewhere.","src":10},{"key":"commitment","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Total of three US$100 million commitments (Germany, Wyss Foundation, Walton foundation) to the Legacy Landscapes Fund for ten protected areas in Africa.","src":3},{"key":"annual_cost_30x30","value":140000,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2020,"note":"Estimate in the Waldron report prepared for Campaign for Nature; spending then about US$24 billion a year.","src":13},{"key":"area_protected_pct_land","value":17.6,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"UNEP-IUCN Protected Planet Report 2024.","src":12},{"key":"area_protected_pct_land","value":18.69,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Reported October 2026.","src":14},{"key":"area_protected_pct_ocean","value":8.4,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"UNEP-IUCN Protected Planet Report 2024.","src":12},{"key":"area_protected_pct_ocean","value":10.04,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Reported October 2026.","src":14},{"key":"people_affected","value":1000000000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"note":"Schleicher et al. calculation of people living in areas a Half-Earth scheme would protect at ecoregion level; stated by the authors as a lower bound. Not an outcome of the Wyss campaign.","src":15}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A philanthropic pledge of US$1 billion, later listed as US$1.5 billion, to a campaign promoting protection of 30% of land and sea by 2030, together with the target's adoption in the Kunming-Montreal Framework and the scientific and rights-based criticism of it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"African Parks","what":"Recipient of Wyss Foundation commitments of US$65 million and up to US$108 million (2021)","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global; the framework was adopted in Montreal, Canada, and the funder is based in Switzerland. The Wyss-funded protected-area commitments named in the cited sources are in Africa.","src":7},"when":{"t":"Campaign launched October 2018; framework adopted 19 December 2022; latest commitments September 2026.","src":7},"why":{"t":"The campaign's stated aim was adoption of the 30x30 target and funding of projects to deliver it; the cited sources give no fuller statement of motive.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through grants to conservation groups, advocacy support to governments in the biodiversity negotiations, and commitments to protected-area operators and a long-term fund.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"A report prepared for Campaign for Nature estimated benefits at least five times costs for 30x30 (about US$140 billion a year needed, about US$24 billion spent in 2020).","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Wyss Foundation launches $1 billion campaign","p":"Wyss Campaign for Nature","d":"2018-10-25","type":"company","u":"https://www.wysscampaign.org/news/2018/10/25/wyss-foundation-launches-1-billion-campaign","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250925205520/https://www.wysscampaign.org/news/2018/10/25/wyss-foundation-launches-1-billion-campaign"},{"t":"Wyss Campaign for Nature: projects","p":"Wyss Campaign for Nature","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.wysscampaign.org/projects","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231231014149/https://www.wysscampaign.org/projects"},{"t":"Wyss Foundation commits $108M to secure protected areas in Africa","p":"African Parks","d":"2021","type":"company","u":"https://www.africanparks.org/wyss-foundation-commits-108m-secure-protected-areas-africa","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250926142704/https://www.africanparks.org/wyss-foundation-commits-108m-secure-protected-areas-africa"},{"t":"Heads of state and ministers unite to accelerate delivery of 30x30","p":"Campaign for Nature","d":"2026-09-24","type":"ngo","u":"https://campaignfornature.org/heads-of-state-and-ministers-unite-to-accelerate-delivery-of-30x30/"},{"t":"The 30x30 conservation pledge isn't backed by science, warn human rights groups","p":"Rainforest Foundation UK","d":"2022-06-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/the-30x30-conservation-pledge-isnt-backed-by-science-warn-human-rights-groups/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415125927/https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/the-30x30-conservation-pledge-isnt-backed-by-science-warn-human-rights-groups/"},{"t":"We need to talk about 30x30","p":"Institute of Development Studies (IDS)","d":"2021-06-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ids.ac.uk/news/we-need-to-talk-about-30x30/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213004354/https://www.ids.ac.uk/news/we-need-to-talk-about-30x30/"},{"t":"Wyss political giving and the Federal Election Commission review (Fortune / Bloomberg)","p":"Fortune / Bloomberg","d":"2024-01-25","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2024/01/25/hansjorg-wyss-swiss-billionaire-george-soros-american-right-wing/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250828143222/https://fortune.com/2024/01/25/hansjorg-wyss-swiss-billionaire-george-soros-american-right-wing/"},{"t":"Statement: countries agree landmark deal to protect the world's ecosystems","p":"World Resources Institute","d":"2022-12-19","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wri.org/news/statement-countries-agree-landmark-deal-protect-worlds-ecosystems","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518160531/https://www.wri.org/news/statement-countries-agree-landmark-deal-protect-worlds-ecosystems"},{"t":"African Parks annual report 2025","p":"African Parks","d":"2026-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.africanparks.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/0424-AP-2025-Annual-Report-Interactive-FINAL.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153326/https://www.africanparks.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/0424-AP-2025-Annual-Report-Interactive-FINAL.pdf"},{"t":"Strategic partners","p":"African Parks","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.africanparks.org/strategic-partners","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240530192818/https://www.africanparks.org/strategic-partners"},{"t":"Mr Hansjörg Wyss","p":"African Parks","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.africanparks.org/about-us/our-people/mr-hansjorg-wyss","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240912092006/https://www.africanparks.org/about-us/our-people/mr-hansjorg-wyss"},{"t":"Data paper for Aminian-Biquet et al., One Earth (2024), on marine protected area coverage in EU waters","p":"DOAJ","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://doaj.org/article/ff47419c67894dd1add0f07a6d72a65e"},{"t":"World must act faster to protect 30% of the planet: protected and conserved areas need to be better managed and fairly governed (Protected Planet Report 2024)","p":"IUCN","d":"2024-10-28","u":"https://iucn.org/press-release/202410/world-must-act-faster-protect-30-planet-protected-and-conserved-areas-need","type":"official"},{"t":"Expand conserved areas to boost global economy ravaged by COVID-19: report","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-07-23","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/07/expand-conserved-areas-to-boost-global-economy-ravaged-by-covid-19-report/","type":"press"},{"t":"Protected Planet: global coverage statistics (updated October 2026)","p":"UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (Protected Planet)","d":"2026-10","u":"https://www.protectedplanet.net/en","type":"official"},{"t":"\"Half Earth\" conservation could affect over a billion people (summary of Schleicher et al., Nature Sustainability 2019)","p":"TABLE (Table Debates)","d":"2019-11-25","u":"https://www.tabledebates.org/node/8517","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A US$1.5 billion pledge was made in my name for a campaign to protect 30% of my land and sea by 2030; 17.6% of my land was protected in 2024, 18.69% in October 2026.","src":[0,12,14]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is the 30% target backed by science?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does counting protected area measure protection?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people live in the areas a Half-Earth or 30x30 scheme would protect, and who bears the cost?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Wyss Foundation / Campaign for Nature: No public response to this point appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Federal Election Commission review of Wyss-linked political giving: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the pledged US$1.5 billion has been spent, and on what: the cited sources do not give a full breakdown of grants.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Wyss Foundation funded the Waldron report: the sources record only that it was prepared for Campaign for Nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that more than US$1 billion of the pledge had been distributed as grants by 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Campaign for Nature's first partners were The Nature Conservancy and National Geographic.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Dinerstein told Vox in 2021 that there was no scientific basis for 30%, calling it arbitrary; the statement could not be confirmed on Vox's own page.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Dinerstein's team argued the Schleicher et al. calculation contained errors in assumptions and data.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year of the Wyss Foundation's US$65 million commitment to African Parks is given as 2016 on one African Parks page and 2017 in another source.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The protected areas and their managers under the September 2026 Legacy Landscapes Fund commitment were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which Wyss-funded projects, if any, have been assessed for their effect on the species and habitats they cover: no such assessment appears in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sandoz-schweizerhalle-fire-and-rhine-recovery","title":"Sandoz Schweizerhalle fire and Rhine recovery","dek":"In November 1986 a fire at a Sandoz warehouse near Basel sent pesticides and a mercury compound into the Rhine and killed fish along about 400 kilometres. The river was later declared a living river again, but its salmon population depends on stocking.","country":"Switzerland","region":"Europe","lat":47.53,"lon":7.65,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":"Basel area","lat":47.53,"lon":7.65,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"North Rhine-Westphalia","role":"affected"}],"start":1986,"end":2025,"eventDate":"1986-11-01","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Chemicals burned at the warehouse","value":"About 1,351 tonnes","note":"Of agricultural chemicals, 1 November 1986; about 30 tonnes of pesticide and 200 kg of a mercury compound reached the Rhine."},"happened":["On 1 November 1986 about 1,351 tonnes of agricultural chemicals burned at a Sandoz warehouse near Basel. Firefighting water carried pesticides and a mercury compound into the Rhine. About 30 tonnes of pesticide and 200 kg of a mercury compound were recorded as entering the river, and about 150,000 eels died along roughly 400 kilometres.","Sandoz paid CHF 43 million to the Rhine states and set up a CHF 10 million research fund. Two firefighters were charged; the cited sources record no charges against company management.","In 2006 the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) declared the river, once called Europe's sewer, a living river again. In 2008 the first salmon since 1958 was caught in Basel; more than 5,000 salmon had returned to the Rhine basin, and up to 20,000 juvenile salmon were released in Switzerland each year.","Since 2000 an average of about 200 salmon a year have returned. After the droughts of 2018 and 2019 the numbers fell, and 72 salmon were counted in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2024. The population depends on juveniles from hatcheries, and the target of a wild population by 2020 was not reached.","On micropollutants, an ICPR interim report of December 2025 covering 2016–2023 found that of 21 substances monitored at wastewater plants, 8 had decreased and 4, including an antibiotic and the chemical PFOA, had increased. The 2040 target is a 30% reduction."],"timeline":[{"y":1986,"t":"Fire at Sandoz warehouse near Basel; about 1,351 tonnes burned; pesticides and mercury compound reach the Rhine (1 November)"},{"y":2006,"t":"ICPR declares the Rhine a living river again"},{"y":2008,"t":"First salmon caught in Basel since 1958"},{"y":2024,"t":"72 salmon counted in North Rhine-Westphalia"},{"y":2025,"t":"ICPR interim report on micropollutants: 8 of 21 substances down, 4 up (December)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Rhine, once called Europe's sewer, declared a living river again","who":"International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (2006)","src":null},{"t":"Salmon returning to the Rhine basin; the first caught in Basel since 1958","who":"Swissinfo report (October 2008)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 1,351 tonnes of agricultural chemicals burned; about 30 tonnes of pesticide and 200 kg of a mercury compound entered the Rhine; about 150,000 eels died along about 400 km.","src":3},{"t":"Sandoz paid CHF 43 million to the Rhine states and set up a CHF 10 million research fund; two firefighters were charged and company management was not held to account.","src":2},{"t":"About 200 salmon a year returned on average since 2000; 72 counted in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2024; the population depends on hatchery juveniles.","src":1},{"t":"ICPR interim report (December 2025): 8 of 21 monitored substances decreased and 4 increased, including an antibiotic and PFOA.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"CHF","window":"1986","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sandoz payment to the Rhine states","amount":43},{"label":"Sandoz research fund","amount":10}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Eels killed","v":"About 150,000","d":"Along about 400 km of the Rhine, November 1986"},{"k":"Salmon returning (NRW)","v":"72","d":"2024; average about 200 a year since 2000"},{"k":"Wild salmon population","v":"Not reached","d":"Population depends on hatchery juveniles; the target of a wild population by 2020 was not met"},{"k":"Micropollutants at wastewater plants","v":"8 down, 4 up","d":"Of 21 substances, 2016–2023 (ICPR, December 2025)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Fish deaths along about 400 km of the Rhine after the 1986 fire, and a salmon population that, as of 2024, depends on stocking.","report":[{"t":"In November 1986 about 30 tonnes of pesticide and 200 kg of a mercury compound reached me. About 150,000 eels died along 400 kilometres of my length.","src":3},{"t":"In 2008 a salmon was caught at Basel for the first time since 1958. In 2024 only 72 were counted in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the population depends on fish released from hatcheries.","src":1}]},"unknown":["The ratio of Sandoz's compensation to the company's profit is not on record.","The total public cost of treatment works built on the Rhine is not on record.","Unconfirmed: that the Rhine states then adopted a binding action programme, invested in treatment and set up joint measurement stations.","Where and under what charges the two firefighters were prosecuted, and the outcome, are not on record.","The findings of the Zoological Society of London's 2026 river report on Rhine recovery are not recorded here."],"evidence":["review","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The fire and the discharge happened in a single event on 1 November 1986. Salmon returns have since recovered in part but, as of 2024, depend on stocking.","whoPaid":"Sandoz paid CHF 43 million to the Rhine states and set up a CHF 10 million research fund. Two firefighters were charged. The cost of wastewater treatment on the Rhine was met by taxpayers and water-bill payers, according to the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: salmon returns depend on hatchery stocking; the ICPR reported 8 of 21 monitored micropollutants down and 4 up.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"icpr","says":"Declared the Rhine a living river again in 2006; in December 2025 reported 8 of 21 monitored micropollutants decreased and 4 increased, with a 2040 target of a 30% reduction.","when":"2025-12","src":null},{"actor":"sandoz","says":"Paid CHF 43 million to the Rhine states and set up a CHF 10 million research fund. No further public statement appears in the cited sources.","when":"1986","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"sandoz","role":"Operator of the warehouse; paid the Rhine states"},{"id":"novartis","role":"Later owner of the Sandoz business"},{"id":"icpr","role":"International commission; declared the Rhine a living river in 2006"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Has the Rhine recovered?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Swissinfo (2008)","says":"Reported the first salmon caught in Basel since 1958, with more than 5,000 salmon returned and up to 20,000 juveniles released in Switzerland each year.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"ICPR","says":"Declared the Rhine a living river again in 2006.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"dpa (reported by Yahoo, January 2025)","says":"Salmon returns fell after the 2018–2019 droughts; 72 salmon were counted in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2024; the population depends on hatchery juveniles.","src":1}]},{"point":"Who was held to account for the fire?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Sandoz","says":"Paid CHF 43 million to the Rhine states and set up a CHF 10 million research fund; no other statement appears in the cited sources.","src":null,"silent":true},{"voice":"court","holder":"Prosecution","says":"Two firefighters were charged; no charges against company management appear in the cited sources.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal charges after the Sandoz fire","forum":"None on record","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Two firefighters","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The cited sources record that two firefighters were charged and that company management was not held to account. The court, the charges and the outcome are not stated.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"chemicals_burned_tonnes","value":1351,"unit":"tonnes","year":1986,"qualifier":"about","note":"Agricultural chemicals burned at the Sandoz warehouse, 1 November 1986.","src":2},{"key":"pesticide_tonnes","value":30,"unit":"tonnes","year":1986,"qualifier":"about","note":"Pesticide entering the Rhine.","src":3},{"key":"mercury_compound_kg","value":200,"unit":"kg","year":1986,"note":"Mercury compound entering the Rhine.","src":3},{"key":"eels_killed","value":150000,"unit":"eels","year":1986,"qualifier":"about","note":"Eels that died along the Rhine.","src":3},{"key":"river_km","value":400,"unit":"km","year":1986,"qualifier":"about","note":"Length of river affected by fish deaths.","src":3},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":43,"unit":"CHF m","year":1986,"note":"Sandoz payment to the Rhine states.","src":2},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":10,"unit":"CHF m","year":1986,"note":"Research fund set up by Sandoz.","src":2},{"key":"salmon_returned","value":200,"unit":"salmon per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"average, since 2000","note":"Average annual returns to the Rhine since 2000.","src":1},{"key":"salmon_returned","value":72,"unit":"salmon","year":2024,"note":"Counted in North Rhine-Westphalia.","src":1}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fire at a Sandoz agricultural-chemicals warehouse near Basel released pesticides and a mercury compound into the Rhine, killing fish along about 400 km; the river was later declared a living river again, but its salmon population still depends on stocking.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish of the Rhine, including about 150,000 eels","what":"Died in the days after the fire","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Sandoz warehouse near Basel, Switzerland; the Rhine along about 400 km downstream.","src":null},"when":{"t":"1 November 1986; recovery measures reported in 2006, 2008, 2024 and December 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the cause of the fire.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Firefighting water carried pesticides and a mercury compound from the warehouse into the Rhine.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Hope jumps at salmon's return to Switzerland","p":"Swissinfo","d":"2008-10-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-politics/hope-jumps-at-salmon-s-return-to-switzerland/6977722","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153422/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-politics/hope-jumps-at-salmon-s-return-to-switzerland/6977722"},{"t":"Salmon counts in North Rhine-Westphalia (dpa, via Yahoo)","p":"dpa (via Yahoo)","d":"2025-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/arctic-back-repopulating-europes-rivers-071829912.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250119043938/https://www.yahoo.com/news/arctic-back-repopulating-europes-rivers-071829912.html"},{"t":"Chemical disaster still burns in Swiss memory","p":"SWI swissinfo.ch","d":"2016-11-01","u":"https://swissinfo.ch/eng/schweizerhalle-fire_chemical-disaster-still-burns-in-swiss-memory/42559954","type":"press"},{"t":"30 years after SANDOZ (background document)","p":"International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR)","d":"2016","u":"https://www.iksr.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente_en/Press_Releases/30_Jahre_nach_SANDOZ_Hintergrund.docx_de-DE_en-GB.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Interim report shows first positive developments regarding micropollutants in the Rhine","p":"International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR)","d":"2025-12-15","u":"https://www.iksr.org/en/press/press-releases/press-releases-individual-presentation/interim-report-shows-first-positive-developments-regarding-micropollutants-in-the-rhine","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Has the Rhine recovered?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who was held to account for the fire?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Sandoz: Paid CHF 43 million to the Rhine states and set up a CHF 10 million research fund; no other statement appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal charges after the Sandoz fire: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The ratio of Sandoz's compensation to the company's profit is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The total public cost of treatment works built on the Rhine is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Rhine states then adopted a binding action programme, invested in treatment and set up joint measurement stations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where and under what charges the two firefighters were prosecuted, and the outcome, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The findings of the Zoological Society of London's 2026 river report on Rhine recovery are not recorded here.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Fish of the Rhine, including about 150,000 eels"]},{"id":"bhutan-constitutional-forest-rule-and-bhutan-for-life","title":"Bhutan constitutional forest rule and Bhutan for Life","dek":"Bhutan's 2008 Constitution requires at least 60% of the country to stay under forest, and in 2017 the Green Climate Fund and WWF launched a US$43 million conservation partnership. The cited sources record who bore local costs and note that the 'carbon negative' figures vary between sources.","country":"Bhutan","region":"Asia","lat":27.5,"lon":90.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Bhutan","iso2":"BT","lat":27.5,"lon":90.4,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":null,"eventDate":"2017-11-11","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Constitutional minimum forest cover","value":"at least 60%","note":"Rule set by the 2008 Constitution. Protected areas covered 51% of the country when the Bhutan for Life partnership was announced in November 2017."},"happened":["Bhutan's 2008 Constitution requires that at least 60% of the country remain under forest cover in perpetuity. The country presents itself as 'carbon negative', meaning that its forests absorb more carbon than its economy emits.","On 11 November 2017 in Thimphu the Green Climate Fund announced the 'Bhutan for Life' partnership with WWF. The announcement gave the total as US$43 million, of which the Fund's share was US$26.6 million, and stated that protected areas covered 51% of the country. The announcement described the project as serving Bhutan's commitment to remain carbon neutral.","Reports from the local side of the arrangement say that farmers living alongside forest and wildlife bore costs from wildlife damage. A compensation fund for livestock losses was set up in only eight village blocks (gewogs), and the official livestock-loss data cover compensation claims only. Survey figures on crop loss exist but are unconfirmed.","The forest rule remains in place. Reported new pressures include hydropower, roads and housing, and a state investment company's use of surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining; these items are unconfirmed. No independent assessment of forest area cleared for hydropower or mining is given in the cited sources."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Constitution requires at least 60% of the country to stay under forest"},{"y":2017,"t":"Green Climate Fund and WWF announce the US$43 million Bhutan for Life partnership (11 November, Thimphu)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Bhutan is a 'carbon negative' country.","who":"Bhutan's national presentation","src":null},{"t":"The Bhutan for Life partnership serves the project's commitment to remain carbon neutral.","who":"Green Climate Fund announcement (paraphrase)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Protected areas covered 51% of the country in November 2017.","src":0},{"t":"The partnership was announced at US$43 million, including US$26.6 million from the Green Climate Fund.","src":0},{"t":"A wildlife-damage compensation fund was set up in only eight village blocks (gewogs); the official livestock-loss data cover compensation claims only. The 2004 figure was 788 animals.","src":4},{"t":"Emission and sink figures for Bhutan's 'carbon negative' claim differ between sources, and carbon and carbon-dioxide units are mixed.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest rule","v":"At least 60%","d":"Constitutional minimum since 2008; the rule remains in place"},{"k":"Protected areas","v":"51%","d":"Share of the country, per the Green Climate Fund announcement of 11 November 2017"},{"k":"Independent assessment of forest cleared for hydropower or mining","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources contain none"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: forest cover of about 71% (2,730,889 ha) (AFoCO, secondary report).","Unconfirmed: in 2017 about 70% of farmers reported crop damage and 12% livestock loss from wildlife.","Unconfirmed: a 2023 study of 431 people in Trashiyangtse and Tsirang (2017–2019) found 98.7% and 92.2% had experienced human–wildlife conflict, and its authors wrote that crop loss led to land being left fallow.","Unconfirmed: emissions of 1.5–2.2 million tonnes, sinks of 6–9 million tonnes and an export offset of 4.4 million tonnes (Harvard International Review and others, secondary report).","Unconfirmed: a 600 MW target for hydropower-fuelled Bitcoin mining since 2023 (ORF, secondary report).","No independent assessment of forest cleared for hydropower or mining is on record.","The cited sources state that the local cost of wildlife conflict does not appear in the national narrative."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The forest rule remains in place; reported new pressures are unconfirmed.","whoPaid":"Farmers living alongside forest and wildlife, according to the cited sources; the compensation fund covered eight village blocks only.","statusLine":"Rule in place; figures on crop loss, forest cover and the carbon balance are unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"gcf","says":"Announced the Bhutan for Life partnership as an innovative US$43 million arrangement with WWF and said it serves the project's commitment to remain carbon neutral.","when":"2017-11-11","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"gcf","role":"Funder of Bhutan for Life (US$26.6 million)"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Partner in Bhutan for Life"},{"id":"bhutan-government","role":"Author of the constitutional forest rule"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is Bhutan 'carbon negative'?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Bhutan (national presentation)","says":"The country describes itself as carbon negative: its forests absorb more carbon than its economy emits.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Harvard International Review and others","says":"Reported figures vary between sources, units of carbon and carbon dioxide are mixed, and the export offset is a projection.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"protected_area_share","value":51,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"Share of Bhutan covered by protected areas at the partnership announcement.","src":0},{"key":"partnership_value","value":43,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Total Bhutan for Life partnership.","src":0},{"key":"gcf_contribution","value":26.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Green Climate Fund share.","src":0},{"key":"livestock_compensation_claims","value":788,"unit":"animals","year":2004,"note":"Animals in compensation claims; the data cover claims only. Fund covers eight gewogs.","src":4},{"key":"forest_cover","value":71,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"2,730,889 ha, AFoCO (secondary report)."},{"key":"crop_damage_reported","value":70,"unit":"% of farmers","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Survey figure."},{"key":"livestock_loss_reported","value":12,"unit":"% of farmers","year":2017,"unverified":true,"note":"Survey figure."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A constitutional rule fixing a minimum forest share and an international conservation partnership built on Bhutan's protected-area system.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"WWF and the Green Climate Fund","what":"Partners in the announced US$43 million partnership.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers living alongside forest and wildlife","what":"Crop and livestock losses reported (survey figures unconfirmed); compensation fund in eight village blocks only.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bhutan; partnership announced in Thimphu.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Constitution 2008; partnership announced 11 November 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Constitution requires forest cover to be kept in perpetuity; the partnership was described as serving a carbon-neutral commitment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A binding constitutional minimum plus donor-funded protected-area management.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"GCF heralds innovative Bhutan for Life partnership at launch ceremony","p":"Green Climate Fund","d":"2017-11-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.greenclimate.fund/news/gcf-heralds-innovative-bhutan-for-life-partnership-at-launch-ceremony","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418234845/https://www.greenclimate.fund/news/gcf-heralds-innovative-bhutan-for-life-partnership-at-launch-ceremony"},{"t":"An overview of forestry in Bhutan: current situation and challenges","p":"AFoCO","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://afocosec.org/an-overview-of-forestry-in-bhutan-current-situation-and-challenges/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611200225/https://afocosec.org/an-overview-of-forestry-in-bhutan-current-situation-and-challenges/"},{"t":"Carbon negativity in Bhutan: an inverse free-rider problem","p":"Harvard International Review","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://hir.harvard.edu/carbon-negativity-in-bhutan-an-inverse-free-rider-problem/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260916153333/https://hir.harvard.edu/carbon-negativity-in-bhutan-an-inverse-free-rider-problem/"},{"t":"Bhutan's crypto mining bets: decoding economic and foreign policy implications","p":"ORF","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/bhutan-s-crypto-mining-bets-decoding-economic-and-foreign-policy-implications","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508092007/https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/bhutan-s-crypto-mining-bets-decoding-economic-and-foreign-policy-implications"},{"t":"Human-Wildlife conflict","p":"The Bhutanese","d":"2013-08-10","u":"https://thebhutanese.bt/human-wildlife-conflict/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is Bhutan 'carbon negative'?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Forest cover: 2,730,889 ha, AFoCO (secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Crop damage reported: Survey figure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Livestock loss reported: Survey figure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: forest cover of about 71% (2,730,889 ha) (AFoCO, secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2017 about 70% of farmers reported crop damage and 12% livestock loss from wildlife.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2023 study of 431 people in Trashiyangtse and Tsirang (2017–2019) found 98.7% and 92.2% had experienced human–wildlife conflict, and its authors wrote that crop loss led to land being left fallow.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: emissions of 1.5–2.2 million tonnes, sinks of 6–9 million tonnes and an export offset of 4.4 million tonnes (Harvard International Review and others, secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 600 MW target for hydropower-fuelled Bitcoin mining since 2023 (ORF, secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent assessment of forest cleared for hydropower or mining is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources state that the local cost of wildlife conflict does not appear in the national narrative.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Farmers living alongside forest and wildlife"]},{"id":"oregon-bottle-bill","title":"Oregon bottle bill (1971)","dek":"In 1971 Oregon passed a container deposit law at a time when a packaging-industry-founded group, Keep America Beautiful, promoted anti-litter messaging aimed at individuals.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":44,"lon":-120.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oregon","lat":44,"lon":-120.5,"role":"event"}],"start":1953,"end":null,"eventDate":"1971","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics"],"headline":{"label":"Oregon legislative vote on the 1971 deposit law","value":"House 54–6, Senate 22–8","note":"Vote tally."},"happened":["Keep America Beautiful (KAB) was founded in December 1953 by American Can, a can maker, and Owens-Illinois, a glass-bottle maker. Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later; the founders did not announce their involvement. According to author Heather Rogers, KAB was formed in reaction to Vermont's ban, the same year, on non-deposit beer bottles. A deposit is a small charge added to a container's price and refunded when the container is returned.","KAB joined the Advertising Council in 1961. Its campaign in which an actor in Native American dress weeps at a polluted landscape went on air on Earth Day 1971 and won two Clio awards. The actor, Iron Eyes Cody, was of Italian descent. In 2023 KAB transferred the advertisement's copyright to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).","Historian Finis Dunaway wrote that KAB executives opposed deposit laws that would push manufacturers towards reusable containers and described their supporters as communists. The Audubon Society and the Sierra Club left KAB's advisory board over this. The cited sources record that the legislature passed Oregon's 1971 deposit law by 54–6 in the House and 22–8 in the Senate.","Tennessee chose a small container tax instead of a deposit in 1981, directing the proceeds to cleanup crews and Keep Tennessee Beautiful. The tobacco industry also ran cigarette-butt cleanup programmes with KAB in place of smoking restrictions."],"timeline":[{"y":1953,"t":"KAB founded by American Can and Owens-Illinois (December); Vermont bans non-deposit beer bottles the same year (per Heather Rogers)"},{"y":1961,"t":"KAB joins the Advertising Council"},{"y":1971,"t":"Oregon deposit law passed; KAB advertisement goes on air on Earth Day"},{"y":1981,"t":"Tennessee adopts a container tax instead of a deposit"},{"y":2023,"t":"KAB transfers the advertisement's copyright to NCAI"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Litter treated as an individual moral failing, with the person who litters labelled a 'litterbug'; the 1971 advertisement's slogan said that people start pollution and people can stop it (paraphrase).","who":"KAB campaign","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"KAB was founded by a can maker and a glass-bottle maker; Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later and the founders did not announce their involvement.","src":0},{"t":"Oregon's legislature passed the deposit law by 54–6 (House) and 22–8 (Senate).","src":1},{"t":"Tennessee chose a container tax over a deposit in 1981; proceeds went to cleanup crews and Keep Tennessee Beautiful.","src":2},{"t":"Audubon and Sierra Club left KAB's advisory board over its stance on deposit laws.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Roadside litter share from beverage containers","v":"About 40% to 6% by 1979","d":"Reported; the figure comes from a source favouring deposit laws"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that Oregon's law passed despite lobbying by bottlers and 7-Up and an anonymous offer of money.","Unconfirmed: that beverage containers' share of roadside litter fell from about 40% to about 6% by 1979, and that return rates were 98% in Germany (2018) and 90% in Lithuania (2021); both figures come from a source that favours deposit systems.","Unconfirmed: that industry supplied about 75% of the budget of SOLV, the cleanup group founded by Oregon's governor.","Unconfirmed: that the Vermont law ended after four years because of the beer lobby, and that the advertisement was produced by the agency Marsteller Inc.","The history of KAB and of bottle bills in the cited sources rests largely on organisations that favour deposit laws, and KAB's lobbying against state deposit laws rests largely on Dunaway's account; no primary document was reviewed.","No KAB response to Dunaway's account is on record."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Oregon's law is described as lasting; the effect on litter is reported but unconfirmed.","whoPaid":"Under a deposit law, consumers pay through deposits and producers through collection systems.","statusLine":"Law described as lasting; litter and return-rate figures unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"keep-america-beautiful","role":"Anti-litter organisation founded by packaging makers"},{"id":"american-can","role":"Co-founder of KAB"},{"id":"owens-illinois","role":"Co-founder of KAB"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Later KAB member"},{"id":"ncai","role":"Recipient of the advertisement's copyright, 2023"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was KAB's anti-litter campaign a substitute for deposit laws?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Finis Dunaway (historian)","says":"KAB executives opposed deposit laws and described their supporters as communists; Audubon and Sierra Club left KAB's advisory board as a result.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"legislative_vote_house","value":"54–6","unit":"votes","year":1971,"note":"Oregon House vote."},{"key":"legislative_vote_senate","value":"22–8","unit":"votes","year":1971,"note":"Oregon Senate vote."},{"key":"container_share_of_litter","value":"40% to 6%","unit":"% of roadside litter","year":1979,"unverified":true,"note":"From a source favouring deposit systems."},{"key":"advertisement_awards","value":2,"unit":"Clio awards","year":1971,"note":"Won by the 1971 advertisement."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A container deposit law passed in Oregon in 1971, alongside a packaging-industry-founded campaign that framed litter as an individual's behaviour.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Packaging and beverage companies (American Can, Owens-Illinois, Coca-Cola, Dixie Cup)","what":"Founded or later joined KAB; the cited sources describe KAB's anti-litter framing as replacing deposit laws in some states such as Tennessee.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Oregon, United States.","src":1},"when":{"t":"KAB founded 1953; Oregon law 1971; Tennessee container tax 1981.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources describe KAB as formed in reaction to Vermont's 1953 deposit rule (Rogers) and as opposing deposit laws (Dunaway).","src":0},"how":{"t":"A legislative deposit requirement versus an advertising campaign and, in Tennessee, a container tax.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"The 'Crying Indian' Ad That Fooled the Environmental Movement (Finis Dunaway)","p":"What It Means to Be American (Smithsonian / Zocalo Public Square)","d":"2017-11-09","u":"https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120065315/https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/"},{"t":"Oregon's Evolving Bottle Bill","p":"Oregon Department of Environmental Quality","d":"2026","u":"https://www.oregon.gov/deq/recycling/Pages/Bottle-Bill.aspx","type":"official"},{"t":"A Little Litter History (Scenic Tennessee)","p":"Scenic America","d":"2026","u":"https://www.scenic.org/chapter/scenic-tennessee/litter-history/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"deposit-law","related":["keep-america-beautiful-founding-and-crying-indian-ad"],"natureLead":{"t":"Beverage containers' share of litter on my roadsides fell from about 40% to 6% by 1979, according to a source favouring deposit laws.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was KAB's anti-litter campaign a substitute for deposit laws?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Container share of litter: From a source favouring deposit systems.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Oregon's law passed despite lobbying by bottlers and 7-Up and an anonymous offer of money.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that beverage containers' share of roadside litter fell from about 40% to about 6% by 1979, and that return rates were 98% in Germany (2018) and 90% in Lithuania (2021); both figures come from a source that favours deposit systems.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that industry supplied about 75% of the budget of SOLV, the cleanup group founded by Oregon's governor.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Vermont law ended after four years because of the beer lobby, and that the advertisement was produced by the agency Marsteller Inc.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The history of KAB and of bottle bills in the cited sources rests largely on organisations that favour deposit laws, and KAB's lobbying against state deposit laws rests largely on Dunaway's account; no primary document was reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No KAB response to Dunaway's account is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"save-the-whales-campaign-and-iwc-whaling-moratorium","title":"Save the Whales campaign and IWC whaling moratorium","dek":"A 1971 campaign by the Animal Welfare Institute and allies led to a 1982 International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling. The cited sources describe uneven recovery, continued whaling by some countries and unpunished unreported Soviet catches.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":20,"lon":-30,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":1971,"end":null,"eventDate":"1982","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"IWC vote on the commercial whaling moratorium, 1982","value":"25–7","note":"Five abstentions; in force from 1986."},"happened":["The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and its allies launched the 'Save the Whales' campaign in 1971. Greenpeace's first whale voyage began in 1975. The cited sources record no evidence that industry produced the slogan.","The International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted 25 to 7, with 5 abstentions, to adopt a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982; it took effect in 1986. Some countries continued whaling after it took effect.","The Soviet Union killed 190,183 whales in the North Pacific in 1948–79 and reported 169,638 to the IWC, according to a study in the IWC's Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. In 1994 an IWC resolution praised Russia for finding its old records; no penalty or compensation is recorded.","In 2015 Sea Shepherd in the United States paid US$2.55 million to Japanese whaling bodies. The material reviewed states that in 2014 the International Court of Justice ordered Japan only to revoke whaling permits.","The cited sources describe recovery as uneven: a 2019 model put the Western South Atlantic humpback population at 93% of its pre-whaling level, where the IWC had given 47% in 2006, while Antarctic blue whales remain at a small fraction of their pre-whaling numbers according to research estimates."],"timeline":[{"y":1971,"t":"AWI and allies launch 'Save the Whales'"},{"y":1975,"t":"Greenpeace's first whale voyage begins"},{"y":1982,"t":"IWC adopts the commercial whaling moratorium, 25–7 with 5 abstentions"},{"y":1986,"t":"Moratorium enters into force"},{"y":1994,"t":"IWC resolution 1994-6 praises Russia for finding historical catch records; no penalty recorded"},{"y":2014,"t":"International Court of Justice orders Japan only to revoke whaling permits (per the material reviewed)"},{"y":2015,"t":"Sea Shepherd in the United States pays US$2.55 million to Japanese whaling bodies"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"'The moratorium saved the whales.'","who":"Popular account of the moratorium","src":null},{"t":"The campaign as a grassroots movement that ended commercial whaling.","who":"Campaign narrative","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The IWC adopted the moratorium by 25 votes to 7 with 5 abstentions; it took effect in 1986.","src":1},{"t":"Soviet North Pacific catches 1948–79: 190,183 killed, 169,638 reported to the IWC.","src":2},{"t":"An IWC resolution in 1994 praised Russia for finding old records; no penalty or compensation is recorded.","src":3},{"t":"Sea Shepherd in the United States paid US$2.55 million to Japanese whaling bodies in 2015.","src":4},{"t":"Greenpeace's first whale voyage began in 1975, after AWI's campaign of 1971.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Western South Atlantic humpback whales, share of pre-whaling level","v":"93% (2019 model); 47% (IWC, 2006)","d":"Confidence interval 73–100%; population about 27,000 in 1830 and about 450 in the mid-1950s (model)"},{"k":"Large-whale biomass, share of pre-whaling level","v":"About 28% (19–38%)","d":"Research estimate in the cited sources; Pearson and others (2023) found whaling cut biomass by 81%"},{"k":"Antarctic blue whales, share of pre-whaling numbers","v":"About 1–1.5%","d":"About 2,000–3,500 against 239,000; research estimate"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that Japan, Norway, Peru and the Soviet Union lodged formal objections to the moratorium, and that Norway's objection continues.","Unconfirmed: Japan 293 whales in 2025, Norway 429, Iceland 93 fin whales in 2026.","Unconfirmed: Norwegian catches of about 641,100 whales in 1905–1972, and net profits of 60–147% of capital at Viking Whaling in 1924–28.","Unconfirmed: that voting states included many that had never whaled or had stopped when it became unprofitable (United Kingdom 1963, Netherlands 1964, United States 1971, Australia 1978), and that new IWC members recruited from 1979 were mostly not whalers (Sidney Holt's 1983 letter, full text not read).","Unconfirmed: 2008 whale-watching figures (119 countries, 13 million participants, US$2.1 billion, about 13,200 jobs) from an IFAW report prepared in an advocacy context.","Unconfirmed: that the IWC's management procedure allows no catch below 54% of carrying capacity (IWC page, secondary report).","The cited sources record no repayment of whaling profits and no restoration fund by any company, family or state, and no penalty for the unreported Soviet catches.","The cited sources do not state who first used the phrase 'save the whales'.","Whales' climate role: the cited sources report that whale carbon is a very small share of fossil emissions and that the value of their ecosystem role is modelled, not measured in the field."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Commercial whaling was formally halted from 1986, but the cited sources record continued whaling by some countries and uneven recovery.","whoPaid":"Coastal whaling communities and countries that continued to whale, according to the cited sources; in Japan taxpayers funded whaling. These items are partly.","statusLine":"Moratorium in force since 1986; recovery described as uneven and whaling continuing in some countries.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"iwc","says":"Adopted a resolution in 1994 praising Russia for finding its historical catch records.","when":"1994","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"iwc","role":"Adopted the moratorium (1982)"},{"id":"awi","role":"Launched the Save the Whales campaign (1971)"},{"id":"sea-shepherd","role":"Paid US$2.55 million to Japanese whaling bodies (2015)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How far have humpback whales recovered, and against which baseline?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"2019 model for Western South Atlantic humpbacks","says":"Population at about 93% of its pre-whaling level (confidence interval 73–100%).","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"IWC (2006 estimate)","says":"Gave 47% for the same population.","src":null}]},{"point":"Were Soviet catches reported accurately?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"IWC Journal of Cetacean Research and Management study","says":"190,183 whales killed in the North Pacific in 1948–79; 169,638 reported.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"IWC (Resolution 1994-6)","says":"Praised Russia for finding old records; no penalty recorded.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"iwc_vote_for","value":25,"unit":"votes","year":1982,"note":"Votes in favour of the moratorium.","src":1},{"key":"iwc_vote_against","value":7,"unit":"votes","year":1982,"note":"Votes against; 5 abstained.","src":1},{"key":"soviet_catch_killed","value":190183,"unit":"whales","year":1979,"note":"North Pacific, 1948–79.","src":2},{"key":"soviet_catch_reported","value":169638,"unit":"whales","year":1979,"note":"Reported to the IWC, 1948–79.","src":2},{"key":"settlement","value":2.55,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Paid by Sea Shepherd in the United States to Japanese whaling bodies.","src":4},{"key":"whales_killed_1900_1999","value":2900000,"unit":"whales","year":1999,"unverified":true,"note":"Secondary summary; no source link."},{"key":"whale_watching_participants","value":13000000,"unit":"people","year":2008,"unverified":true,"note":"IFAW report, prepared in an advocacy context."},{"key":"whale_watching_spending","value":2100,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"unverified":true,"note":"IFAW report, 119 countries."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 1971 advocacy campaign and the IWC's 1982 moratorium on commercial whaling.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Whale-watching industry","what":"2008 IFAW figures: 119 countries, 13 million participants, US$2.1 billion (IFAW's own figures; advocacy context).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Coastal whaling communities and countries that continued to whale","what":"Described in the cited sources as having borne the cost.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (campaign) and the IWC membership; whales in all oceans.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Campaign 1971; vote 1982; in force 1986.","src":1},"why":{"t":"AWI and allies campaigned against commercial whaling.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The IWC adopted a moratorium by 25–7 vote with 5 abstentions.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"AWI and the history of animal welfare","p":"Animal Welfare Institute","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://awionline.org/about-us/awi-celebrating-75-years/awi-and-history-of-animal-welfare/"},{"t":"International whaling ban goes into effect","p":"EBSCO Research Starters","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://ebsco.com/research-starters/law/international-whaling-ban-goes-effect","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711175653/https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/international-whaling-ban-goes-effect"},{"t":"Soviet catches: revised totals","p":"IWC Journal of Cetacean Research and Management","d":null,"type":"academic","voice":"international","u":"https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/556","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250620090139/https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/556"},{"t":"IWC Resolution 1994-6","p":"InforMEA","d":"1994","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecolex.org/details/decision/resolution-1994-6-bfd5b666-bc28-4253-b732-b30c8a2a590c/"},{"t":"Japan whalers say deal with Sea Shepherd will end ocean clashes","p":"NBC News","d":"2015","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/japan-whalers-say-deal-sea-shepherd-will-end-ocean-clashes-n636326","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250816132451/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/japan-whalers-say-deal-sea-shepherd-will-end-ocean-clashes-n636326"},{"t":"Why oil didn't save the whales (via Resilience.org)","p":"Resilience.org","d":"2020-06-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-06-29/why-oil-didnt-save-the-whales-and-why-it-matters/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416173351/https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-06-29/why-oil-didnt-save-the-whales-and-why-it-matters/"},{"t":"\"Save the Whales\" 35th Anniversary","p":"Greenpeace USA","d":"2010","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/save-the-whales-35th-anniversary/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":["whaling-after-the-moratorium","whale-oil-kerosene-and-the-1986-whaling-moratorium"],"natureLead":{"t":"The Soviet Union killed 190,183 whales in my North Pacific in 1948–79 and reported 169,638 to the IWC; no penalty or compensation is recorded.","src":[2,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How far have humpback whales recovered, and against which baseline?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Were Soviet catches reported accurately?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Whales killed 1900 1999: Secondary summary; no source link.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Whale watching participants: IFAW report, prepared in an advocacy context.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Whale watching spending: IFAW report, 119 countries.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Japan, Norway, Peru and the Soviet Union lodged formal objections to the moratorium, and that Norway's objection continues.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Japan 293 whales in 2025, Norway 429, Iceland 93 fin whales in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Norwegian catches of about 641,100 whales in 1905–1972, and net profits of 60–147% of capital at Viking Whaling in 1924–28.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that voting states included many that had never whaled or had stopped when it became unprofitable (United Kingdom 1963, Netherlands 1964, United States 1971, Australia 1978), and that new IWC members recruited from 1979 were mostly not whalers (Sidney Holt's 1983 letter, full text not read).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2008 whale-watching figures (119 countries, 13 million participants, US$2.1 billion, about 13,200 jobs) from an IFAW report prepared in an advocacy context.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the IWC's management procedure allows no catch below 54% of carrying capacity (IWC page, secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no repayment of whaling profits and no restoration fund by any company, family or state, and no penalty for the unreported Soviet catches.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state who first used the phrase 'save the whales'.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Whales' climate role: the cited sources report that whale carbon is a very small share of fossil emissions and that the value of their ecosystem role is modelled, not measured in the field.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: Whale-watching industry","No source link — Who lost: Coastal whaling communities and countries that continued to whale"]},{"id":"shell-nature-based-solutions-and-carbon-neutral-driving-ads","title":"Shell nature-based solutions and carbon-neutral driving ads","dek":"Shell announced up to $300 million for natural ecosystems and offered customers carbon-neutral driving by offsetting fuel emissions. The Dutch Advertising Code Committee found the carbon-neutral advertising misleading; its rulings are not binding.","country":"Netherlands","region":"Europe","lat":52.1,"lon":5.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":2023,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Shell's announced investment in natural ecosystems, 2019–2021","value":"up to $300m","note":"Announced figure, as recorded; amount actually spent not on record."},"happened":["Between 2019 and 2021 Shell announced that it would invest up to $300 million in natural ecosystems, and offered customers in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Spain the option of \"carbon-neutral driving\", with the emissions of the fuel they bought offset. In the Netherlands the programme was linked to the planting of 5 million trees over 12 years.","The Dutch Advertising Code Committee (Reclame Code Commissie) found Shell's CO2-neutral advertisements misleading in 2021–2022. The committee's rulings are not legally binding. Other rules that are binding on advertising claims of this kind are listed in the cited sources: a German Federal Court of Justice ruling on the term \"climate neutral\" (27 June 2024) and EU Directive 2024/825 on offset-based neutrality claims.","In February 2021 Shell published its \"Sky 1.5\" scenario. It assumed about 700 million hectares of reforestation over the century, an area described as close to the size of Brazil, with net-zero emissions reached in 2058 and oil, gas and coal still in use at the end of the century. The scenario also assumed removal of 12 gigatonnes of CO2 a year by 2060.","Reporting on the wider corporate record states that in 2023 Shell withdrew its nature-based credit target of 120 million tonnes a year."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Shell announces up to $300 million for natural ecosystems (2019–2021) and offers carbon-neutral driving; Netherlands programme tied to 5 million trees over 12 years"},{"y":2021,"t":"Shell publishes the Sky 1.5 scenario (February); Dutch Advertising Code Committee rules against CO2-neutral advertising (2021–2022)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Shell withdraws its nature-based credit target of 120 million tonnes a year (as reported)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Customers could drive \"carbon neutral\" because Shell offset the emissions of the fuel they bought.","who":"Shell advertising and customer offer, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Spain, 2019","src":null},{"t":"Up to $300 million to be invested in natural ecosystems over 2019–2021; 5 million trees over 12 years in the Netherlands.","who":"Shell announcement","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Dutch Advertising Code Committee found Shell's CO2-neutral advertisements misleading; the committee's decisions are not binding.","src":1},{"t":"Sky 1.5 assumes about 700 million hectares of reforestation over the century, net zero in 2058 and widespread fossil fuel use in 2100.","src":0},{"t":"Reported commitments to the 1t.org tree initiative stood at 134.4 billion trees against 2.6 billion planted or protected in May 2024 (Bloomberg analysis).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2021","nature":[{"label":"Announced investment in natural ecosystems","amount":300,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Announced ceiling; the amount spent is not on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Land assumed in Sky 1.5","v":"~700 million ha","d":"Reforestation over the century; scenario published February 2021"},{"k":"Regulatory finding","v":"Misleading","d":"Dutch Advertising Code Committee on CO2-neutral ads; not binding"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation of the offset projects","v":"None on record","d":"No evaluation in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["The amount Shell actually spent of the announced $300 million: not on record.","Which offset projects supplied the credits for the carbon-neutral driving offer, and how many credits were retired: not on record.","Shell's own response to the Dutch Advertising Code Committee's findings: no source states it.","Unconfirmed: that Shell decided in 2024 to sell most of its nature-based business.","No court ruling on the advertisements is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2023 (latest date in the sources): Dutch Advertising Code Committee had found the carbon-neutral ads misleading; Shell had withdrawn its nature-based credit target; no court ruling on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Fuel seller; advertiser of carbon-neutral driving; author of the Sky 1.5 scenario"},{"id":"dutch-advertising-code-committee","role":"Self-regulatory body that ruled the ads misleading"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Could fuel emissions be described as \"CO2 neutral\" in advertising?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Dutch Advertising Code Committee","says":"Found Shell's CO2-neutral advertisements misleading (2021–2022); its decisions are not binding.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"No response is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"investment_announced","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Natural ecosystems, 2019–2021, as announced."},{"key":"trees_planned","value":5000000,"unit":"trees","year":2019,"note":"Netherlands, over 12 years, as announced."},{"key":"area_ha","value":700000000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reforestation assumed in Sky 1.5 over the century."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell advertised carbon-neutral driving based on offsets and announced up to $300 million for natural ecosystems; a Dutch self-regulatory committee found the advertising misleading.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"Marketed fuel as carbon neutral and published a scenario in which reforestation offsets continued fossil fuel use.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Netherlands, United Kingdom and Spain (offer); global (Sky 1.5 scenario).","src":null},"when":{"t":"2019–2021 for the investment and offer; rulings 2021–2022; Sky 1.5 in February 2021.","src":null},"why":{"t":"No source states Shell's reasons beyond the announced aims.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Offsets of fuel emissions through nature-based projects; Sky 1.5 assumed about 700 million ha of reforestation.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Shell Sky 1.5 scenario coverage (February 2021)","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2021-02-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-shell-says-new-brazil-sized-forest-would-be-needed-to-meet-1-5c-climate-goal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907094601/https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-shell-says-new-brazil-sized-forest-would-be-needed-to-meet-1-5c-climate-goal"},{"t":"Shell-reclames met claim 'CO2-neutraal' zijn misleidend","p":"Greenpeace Nederland","d":"2021-08-27","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/nl/algemeen/47500/shell-reclames-met-claim-co2-neutraal-zijn-misleidend/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Shell announced up to $300 million for my ecosystems in 2019–2021; the amount spent is not on record.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Could fuel emissions be described as \"CO2 neutral\" in advertising?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Shell: No response is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount Shell actually spent of the announced $300 million: not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which offset projects supplied the credits for the carbon-neutral driving offer, and how many credits were retired: not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Shell's own response to the Dutch Advertising Code Committee's findings: no source states it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Shell decided in 2024 to sell most of its nature-based business.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court ruling on the advertisements is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"totalenergies-bateke-acacia-carbon-project","title":"TotalEnergies Batéké acacia carbon project (Congo)","dek":"A 40,000-hectare acacia plantation on the Batéké plateau in the Republic of Congo was planned to generate carbon credits for TotalEnergies. Reporting found that farmers lost land, and that the project stopped in May 2025 with about 12.5% of the target planted.","country":"Republic of Congo","region":"Africa","lat":-3,"lon":16,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Republic of Congo","iso2":"CG","role":"event"},{"country":"Republic of Congo","iso2":"CG","role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"company-home"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Planted against the 40,000 ha target when the project stopped (May 2025)","value":"~5,000 ha (12.5%)","note":"As reported; figures from the reporting cited in the sources."},"happened":["On 18 September 2020 a law in the Republic of Congo declared land on the Batéké plateau \"private property of the state\". About six weeks later the state leased the land for 60 years to a forestry company, at $105,634 a year. The company sub-leased it to TotalEnergies, which planned a 40,000-hectare acacia plantation (known as BaCaSi) to offset its emissions. The project was expected to remove 10 million tonnes of CO2 over 20 years.","The lease contained a clause under which the state guaranteed the eviction of \"all alleged landholders\". Reporting by Unearthed and SourceMaterial (SourceMaterial published 12 December 2022) found that nine families were paid about $1 per hectare, about $80,000 in total. Land in the area had earlier been leased at about 16 times that rate. An incomplete census by the Justice and Peace Commission counted 160 people who depended on the land.","Pulchérie Amboula, who grew cassava on land inherited from her father and processed it into the staple food foufou, told the reporters that men in pickup trucks watched her until she removed her tractor from the field. The head of the Nkonon land, Maixent Jourdain Adzabi, said his family had \"never been involved\" in consultations. Ragan Ndzoro, who received part of the payment, called the money insignificant.","The companies said the land had not been expropriated because it already belonged to the state, and that cassava fields had not been touched. In May 2025 the project stopped, with about 5,000 of the 40,000 hectares planted. The cited sources do not say whether the lease was terminated, whether TotalEnergies formally withdrew, or whether Amboula returned to her land."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"18 September: law declares the land private property of the state; about six weeks later it is leased for 60 years at $105,634 a year; the lease guarantees eviction of all alleged landholders"},{"y":2021,"t":"Nine families paid about $1 per hectare, about $80,000 in total (2021–2022)"},{"y":2022,"t":"SourceMaterial publishes its report on 12 December"},{"y":2025,"t":"May: project stops with about 5,000 of 40,000 hectares planted (12.5% of target)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A 40,000-hectare plantation to build the company's own carbon sink, with an expected 10 million tonnes of CO2 removed over 20 years.","who":"Project description as reported by SourceMaterial","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The land was declared the state's private property on 18 September 2020 and leased for 60 years at $105,634 a year; the lease required the state to guarantee eviction of all alleged landholders.","src":0},{"t":"Nine families received about $80,000 in total, about $1 per hectare; earlier leases in the area were about 16 times higher.","src":0},{"t":"An incomplete census by the Justice and Peace Commission found 160 people dependent on the land.","src":0},{"t":"About 5,000 of 40,000 hectares (12.5%) had been planted when the project stopped in May 2025.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid to nine families for the land","amount":0.08,"qualifier":"about","note":"About $1 per hectare, as reported; recorded in millions."},{"label":"Annual lease paid to the state (per year, for 60 years)","amount":0.105634}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Target area","v":"40,000 ha","d":"Acacia plantation on the Batéké plateau"},{"k":"Planted at stop (May 2025)","v":"~5,000 ha","d":"12.5% of target"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No evaluation in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether Pulchérie Amboula returned to her land: not on record.","Whether the lease was terminated: not on record.","Whether TotalEnergies formally withdrew: not on record. One account of its withdrawal rests on a single secondary source.","The Justice and Peace Commission's census was not completed.","Unconfirmed: that TotalEnergies planned to spend up to $100 million a year on its carbon sink programme in 2020–2030 and to build a stock of 50 million tonnes of credits.","No court case on the evictions is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","displacement","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The project stopped in May 2025. No source says that the affected families regained their land or were further compensated.","whoPaid":"Farming families on the plateau, who lost fields and, in the cases reported, were paid about $1 per hectare.","statusLine":"As of 2025 (latest date in the sources): project stopped in May 2025 with about 12.5% of the target planted; no lease termination, return of land or court case on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"The companies involved (TotalEnergies and the lease holders, as reported)","says":"The land was not expropriated because it already belonged to the state, and cassava fields were not touched.","when":"2022","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Sub-lessee and carbon-credit sponsor of the plantation"},{"id":"congo-government","role":"Declared the land state property and leased it for 60 years"},{"id":"justice-and-peace-commission-congo","role":"Counted 160 people dependent on the land in an incomplete census"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were landholders expropriated for the plantation?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The companies involved","says":"The land was not expropriated because it already belonged to the state; cassava fields were not touched.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Farmers and local leaders interviewed","says":"Families lost fields, were paid about $1 per hectare and were not involved in consultations.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of the Republic of Congo","says":"No response is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":40000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Target area of the plantation."},{"key":"area_planted_ha","value":5000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Planted when the project stopped; 12.5% of target."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":80000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paid to nine families, about $1 per hectare."},{"key":"lease_payment","value":105634,"unit":"USD per year","year":2020,"note":"Annual lease to the state, 60-year term."},{"key":"people_affected","value":160,"unit":"people","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Counted dependent on the land in an incomplete census."},{"key":"co2_target_tonnes","value":10000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2020,"note":"Expected removal over 20 years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 40,000-hectare acacia plantation was planned for TotalEnergies on state-leased land; farmers lost land and the project stopped with 12.5% planted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"Planned carbon sink to offset its emissions, on land sub-leased from a forestry company.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Nine families on the plateau","what":"Land, paid about $1 per hectare in total about $80,000.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"160 people counted as dependent on the land","what":"Livelihoods tied to the land, per an incomplete census.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Batéké plateau, Republic of Congo.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2020 to May 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To plant acacia as a carbon sink for TotalEnergies' emissions.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Law of 18 September 2020 declared the land state property; 60-year lease with an eviction guarantee clause; sub-lease to TotalEnergies.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Total oil Congo carbon offsetting project, Indigenous land, forest","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"2022-12-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://source-material.org/total-oil-congo-carbon-offsetting-project-indigenous-land-forest/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002042038/https://www.source-material.org/total-oil-congo-carbon-offsetting-project-indigenous-land-forest/"},{"t":"TotalEnergies 20-F, 2025 (exhibit)","p":"TotalEnergies","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/879764/000110465926035876/tot-20251231xex15d1.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904213314/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/879764/000110465926035876/tot-20251231xex15d1.htm"},{"t":"Congo: TotalEnergies abandonne son projet de plantation de forêt qui devait compenser ses émissions de carbone","p":"Reporterre (via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)","d":"2025-05-28","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/congo-totalenergies-abandonne-son-projet-de-plantation-de-forêt-qui-devait-compenser-ses-émissions-de-carbonne/","type":"investigative","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164046/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/congo-totalenergies-abandonne-son-projet-de-plantation-de-for%C3%AAt-qui-devait-compenser-ses-%C3%A9missions-de-carbonne/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A 40,000-hectare acacia plantation was planned on me to offset TotalEnergies' emissions; when the project stopped in May 2025, about 5,000 hectares (12.5%) had been planted.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were landholders expropriated for the plantation?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of the Republic of Congo: No response is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Pulchérie Amboula returned to her land: not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the lease was terminated: not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether TotalEnergies formally withdrew: not on record. One account of its withdrawal rests on a single secondary source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Justice and Peace Commission's census was not completed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that TotalEnergies planned to spend up to $100 million a year on its carbon sink programme in 2020–2030 and to build a stock of 50 million tonnes of credits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case on the evictions is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"accce-clean-coal-advertising-and-forged-letters","title":"ACCCE clean coal advertising and forged letters (US)","dek":"A coal-industry association is reported to have spent heavily on 'clean coal' advertising in 2008, and a subcontractor is reported to have sent forged letters against climate legislation in 2009. No other source confirms these reports.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2009,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence"],"headline":{"label":"Years of the US Department of Energy 'Clean Coal' programme","value":"1986–1993","note":"The 2008–2009 association campaign is unconfirmed; see What is not known."},"happened":["'Clean coal' was a marketing term for anthracite coal before the Second World War. From 1986 to 1993 it was the name of a programme run by the US Department of Energy.","The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is described as a coal-industry association. The cited sources report a 2008 advertising campaign by the association and a 2009 episode in which letters were sent in the names of civil-rights organisations. These reports exist only in summary form and have not been independently verified, so they are listed under What is not known rather than stated here as fact.","According to Brulle and Werthman, in a study covering 1988 to 2020, the phrase 'clean coal' became an accepted way of speaking in the climate debate that was no longer questioned."],"timeline":[{"y":1986,"t":"US Department of Energy Clean Coal programme begins"},{"y":1993,"t":"US Department of Energy Clean Coal programme ends"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The term 'clean coal' was used as a marketing term for anthracite before the Second World War and later became the name of a US Department of Energy programme that ran from 1986 to 1993.","src":0},{"t":"According to Brulle and Werthman, 'clean coal' became an accepted way of speaking in the climate debate, no longer questioned (study period 1988–2020).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2008","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Environmental measurement","v":"None","d":"The material on this case concerns advertising and lobbying; it contains no measurement of an environmental effect."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the association spent $35–45 million on 'clean coal' advertising in 2008.","Unconfirmed: in 2009 a subcontractor of the association, named in the reports as Bonner, sent 12 forged letters in the names of civil-rights organisations, opposing climate legislation.","Unconfirmed: the advertising was prepared by the agency R&R Partners. The agency's fee from the association rests on secondary reports only.","Unconfirmed: the US Department of Energy Clean Coal programme received about $2.6 billion up to 1990."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"The 2008–2009 association campaign is reported only in summary form; no verified account, ruling or response is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"accce","role":"Coal-industry association (reported campaign)"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"Ran the Clean Coal programme, 1986–1993"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"advertising_spend","value":"35–45","unit":"USD m","year":2008,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported spend on 'clean coal' advertising; not independently verified."},{"key":"forged_letters","value":12,"unit":"letters","year":2009,"unverified":true,"note":"Reported number of forged letters; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The term 'clean coal' moved from a pre-war marketing term to the name of a US Department of Energy programme (1986–1993). A 2008 advertising campaign and 2009 forged letters linked to a coal-industry association are unconfirmed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States. The reported campaign dates to 2008–2009.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Programme 1986–1993; reported association campaign 2008–2009.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Clean coal","p":"Global Energy Monitor","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.gem.wiki/Clean_coal","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517185504/https://www.gem.wiki/Clean_Coal"},{"t":"The clean coal lobbying blitz","p":"Center for Public Integrity","d":null,"type":"investigative","u":"https://publicintegrity.org/environment/the-clean-coal-lobbying-blitz/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260425170237/https://publicintegrity.org/environment/the-clean-coal-lobbying-blitz/"},{"t":"PR industry's major overlooked influence on climate politics (Brulle and Werthman, Climatic Change)","p":"DeSmog","d":"2021-11-30","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2021/11/30/pr-industry-major-overlooked-influence-climate-politics-brulle/","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"advertising-campaign","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Advertising spend: Reported spend on 'clean coal' advertising; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Forged letters: Reported number of forged letters; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the association spent $35–45 million on 'clean coal' advertising in 2008.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2009 a subcontractor of the association, named in the reports as Bonner, sent 12 forged letters in the names of civil-rights organisations, opposing climate legislation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the advertising was prepared by the agency R&R Partners. The agency's fee from the association rests on secondary reports only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US Department of Energy Clean Coal programme received about $2.6 billion up to 1990.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"harrison-campaign-against-silent-spring-and-burson-marstelle","title":"Harrison campaign against Silent Spring and Burson-Marsteller crisis PR","dek":"A public-relations executive ran the chemical industry association's campaign against Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 and later designed the Global Climate Coalition's communications. Burson-Marsteller, now BCW, handled crisis communications and set up grassroots-style groups for several industries.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"event"}],"start":1962,"end":1997,"instrument":"influence","types":["influence","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Global Climate Coalition spending on advertising against the Kyoto Protocol","value":"$13 million","note":"As recorded for 1997–2001. Figure as stated in the sources."},"happened":["In 1962, after the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Velsicol, the maker of the pesticides chlordane and heptachlor, threatened to sue Carson's publisher. The National Agricultural Chemicals Association launched a public-relations campaign, and Monsanto published, in its own magazine, a parody that imitated Carson's style.","E. Bruce Harrison ran the association's campaign on behalf of chemical manufacturers. He later worked for the American Petroleum Institute and, in the early 1990s, designed the public-relations campaign of the Global Climate Coalition (GCC). By 1997 the environmental public-relations firm he founded counted General Motors, BP America and Monsanto among its clients.","The GCC, formed in 1989, was a lobbying coalition of fossil-fuel producers and large users. Its own experts wrote in 1995 that the scientific basis of the greenhouse effect was well established and could not be denied; in 1996 the coalition's leadership asked for sections rebutting contrary theories to be removed from the text. The GCC spent $13 million on advertising against the Kyoto Protocol, the US Senate unanimously passed the Byrd-Hagel resolution in July 1997, and State Department notes said the 2001 US rejection of Kyoto was in part based on the GCC's input. In 1995 Harrison wrote that the GCC had successfully changed the course of press coverage of climate science.","Burson-Marsteller, now BCW and part of the advertising group WPP, ran communications for Union Carbide after the Bhopal chemical disaster, for Exxon after the Exxon Valdez oil spill and during the Three Mile Island nuclear accident. It also set up groups that looked like grassroots organisations, known as astroturf, for the timber and tobacco industries, among them the Forest Alliance and the National Smokers' Alliance. Its European arm ran the European side of the Advancement of Sound Science Coalition (TASSC), which Philip Morris and the firm APCO founded in February 1993."],"timeline":[{"y":1962,"t":"Silent Spring published; Velsicol threatens publisher; association campaign led by E. Bruce Harrison"},{"y":1989,"t":"Global Climate Coalition formed"},{"y":1993,"t":"TASSC founded by Philip Morris and APCO; Burson-Marsteller runs its European arm"},{"y":1995,"t":"GCC experts' note says greenhouse science is well established; Harrison writes that GCC changed press coverage"},{"y":1996,"t":"GCC leadership asks for contrary-theory sections to be removed"},{"y":1997,"t":"Senate passes Byrd-Hagel resolution unanimously (July); Harrison's firm lists GM, BP America and Monsanto as clients"},{"y":2001,"t":"US rejects Kyoto; State Department notes cite GCC input as partly behind it"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Monsanto's magazine published a parody imitating Carson's style (1962).","who":"Monsanto","src":null},{"t":"Burson-Marsteller built Forest Alliance and National Smokers' Alliance, groups that presented as grassroots organisations.","who":"Presenter: none on record","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Velsicol, maker of chlordane and heptachlor, threatened to sue the publisher of Silent Spring; the National Agricultural Chemicals Association ran a public-relations campaign; Monsanto published a parody (1962–1963).","src":1},{"t":"E. Bruce Harrison ran the campaign against Silent Spring, then worked for the American Petroleum Institute and designed the GCC's campaign (1962–1997).","src":0},{"t":"Harrison's firm counted General Motors, BP America and Monsanto among its clients in 1997.","src":0},{"t":"GCC experts wrote in 1995 that the greenhouse-effect science was well established; in 1996 the leadership asked for contrary-theory sections to be removed.","src":3},{"t":"GCC spent $13 million on advertising against the Kyoto Protocol; the Senate passed Byrd-Hagel unanimously in July 1997.","src":2},{"t":"State Department notes said the 2001 US rejection of Kyoto was in part based on the GCC's input.","src":2},{"t":"Burson-Marsteller ran communications after Bhopal (Union Carbide), the Exxon Valdez spill (Exxon) and Three Mile Island.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1993–1997","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Environmental measurement","v":"None","d":"The material on this case concerns communications campaigns; it contains no field measurement for the pesticides or for the climate science involved."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: American Cyanamid spokesman Robert White-Stevens said on television that following Carson's path would return the world to the Dark Ages.","Unconfirmed: Harrison's firm took on the GCC account in 1992.","Unconfirmed: the agency Marsteller Inc. prepared the 1971 'crying Indian' advertisement for Keep America Beautiful, and Marsteller became part of Burson-Marsteller in 1979.","No source states what fees Harrison's firm or Burson-Marsteller received for the campaigns described."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"Historical case; no court ruling, regulatory finding or response from the firms named is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"eb-harrison-firm","role":"Environmental public-relations firm founded by E. Bruce Harrison"},{"id":"burson-marsteller","role":"Public-relations firm (now BCW, part of WPP)"},{"id":"global-climate-coalition","role":"Lobbying coalition of fossil-fuel producers and users, formed 1989"},{"id":"velsicol","role":"Maker of chlordane and heptachlor"},{"id":"monsanto","role":"Client of Harrison's firm; published a parody of Carson"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"advertising_spend","value":13,"unit":"USD m","year":1997,"note":"GCC advertising against the Kyoto Protocol, recorded for 1997–2001."},{"key":"front_group_spend","value":320000,"unit":"USD","year":1993,"qualifier":"about","note":"TASSC spending in its first 24 weeks."},{"key":"front_group_spend","value":880000,"unit":"USD","year":1994,"qualifier":"about","note":"TASSC spending in 1994."},{"key":"invitation_letters","value":20000,"unit":"letters","year":1994,"qualifier":"more than","note":"TASSC invitation letters sent."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A public-relations executive ran the chemical industry association's campaign against Silent Spring and later designed the Global Climate Coalition's communications; Burson-Marsteller ran crisis communications and set up grassroots-style groups for several industries.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Velsicol, National Agricultural Chemicals Association, Monsanto","what":"Their products and industry were the subject of Carson's book and the target of the 1962–1963 campaign.","src":null},{"who":"Global Climate Coalition members","what":"The coalition's public-relations campaign was designed by Harrison's firm; State Department notes said its input partly underlay the 2001 rejection of Kyoto.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (campaigns); Europe for the TASSC arm.","src":null},"when":{"t":"1962 to 1997 for Harrison's work; 1993 for TASSC.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the clients' interests as recorded.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Trade-association public relations, parody, lobbying coalition advertising, and groups presented as grassroots organisations.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"E. Bruce Harrison dies at 88","p":"O'Dwyer's","d":"2021-01-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/15557/2021-01-25/e-bruce-harrison-dies-at-88.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512094751/https://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/15557/2021-01-25/e-bruce-harrison-dies-at-88.html"},{"t":"Industrial and Agricultural Interests Fight Back (Rachel Carson's Silent Spring exhibition)","p":"Environment & Society Portal, Rachel Carson Center (Mark Stoll)","u":"https://www.environmentandsociety.org/exhibitions/rachel-carsons-silent-spring/industrial-and-agricultural-interests-fight-back","type":"academic"},{"t":"Global Climate Coalition (GCC)","p":"DeSmog","u":"https://www.desmog.com/global-climate-coalition","type":"investigative"},{"t":"1995 Global Climate Coalition Draft Climate Change Science Primer","p":"Climate Files","d":"1995-12","u":"https://www.climatefiles.com/denial-groups/global-climate-coalition-collection/global-climate-coalition-draft-primer","type":"ngo"},{"t":"The acceptable face of disaster","p":"Mail & Guardian (Andy Beckett)","d":"1997-08-22","u":"https://mg.co.za/article/1997-08-22-the-acceptable-face-of-disaster","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"public-relations-campaign","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: American Cyanamid spokesman Robert White-Stevens said on television that following Carson's path would return the world to the Dark Ages.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Harrison's firm took on the GCC account in 1992.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the agency Marsteller Inc. prepared the 1971 'crying Indian' advertisement for Keep America Beautiful, and Marsteller became part of Burson-Marsteller in 1979.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source states what fees Harrison's firm or Burson-Marsteller received for the campaigns described.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Velsicol, National Agricultural Chemicals Association, Monsanto","No source link — Who gained: Global Climate Coalition members"]},{"id":"occidental-stratos-direct-air-capture-plant","title":"Occidental Stratos direct air capture plant (Texas)","dek":"Occidental is building a direct air capture plant in Texas with a planned capacity of 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The plant draws on federal tax credits, a federal hub allocation and outside investment, and its start-up has slipped to the end of 2026.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":31.4,"lon":-103.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":31.4,"lon":-103.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"climate-tech","types":["climate-tech","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Stratos planned capacity vs largest operating direct air capture plant, per year","value":"500,000 t vs 36,000 t","note":"Planned capacity of Stratos against the largest operating plant, as stated in the sources; Stratos's start-up target is end-2026."},"happened":["Stratos is Occidental's direct air capture (DAC) plant in Texas. DAC pulls carbon dioxide out of open air with large fans; because the gas is very dilute in air, the method uses much energy, and its cost in 2025 was reported at $600 to $1,000 per tonne. Stratos has a planned capacity of 500,000 tonnes a year, against 36,000 tonnes a year for the largest operating DAC plant. Construction began in May 2023 and the plant was scheduled to operate by the end of 2024. Stratos is presented as the world's largest carbon removal plant.","In August 2023 Occidental agreed to buy the DAC company Carbon Engineering for about $1.1 billion; at that date the Stratos start-up was given as mid-2025. BlackRock invested $550 million in the project, and Occidental and its 1PointFive unit secured Class VI permits for the plant, covering three wells with a combined storage figure of about 722,000 tonnes a year. In July 2024 Microsoft agreed to buy 500,000 tonnes of carbon removal over six years; the contract says the carbon will be stored in saline formations and not used in oil production, and the price was not disclosed.","The United States' 45Q provision of the income-tax code gives a company a tax credit for each tonne of carbon captured and stored. After the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act the credit was $85 per tonne for permanent storage from point sources and $180 for DAC, and $60 and $130 where the carbon is used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or otherwise used. A July 2025 budget law removed the distinction, so carbon used in EOR now receives the same credit as permanent storage. Enverus calculated that the change cut the break-even price of EOR from $28 to $16 a barrel. The 2021 infrastructure law set aside $3.5 billion for regional DAC hubs; the Department of Energy allocated up to $500 million to Occidental's South Texas hub, of which about $50 million, the first tranche, was received.","In March 2023 Occidental's chief executive Vicki Hollub described DAC as giving the oil and gas industry a licence to continue to operate for 60, 70 or 80 years. In April 2022 Brad Crabtree, the founding director of the coalition that campaigned for the 45Q credit (first called the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative, since 2018 the Carbon Capture Coalition), became the Department of Energy's Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, whose office oversaw the DAC hubs. The cited sources show the post and the programme link; it does not show his personal role in the decision on Occidental's hub.","In May 2026 a fault caused a new delay at Stratos, and in August 2026 the start-up target was given as the end of 2026. Occidental's new chief executive, Richard Jackson, told investors the company could not keep investing in low-carbon projects without support from regulators or other companies, and said it aimed to sell carbon capture to data centres."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Infrastructure law sets aside $3.5 billion for DAC hubs"},{"y":2022,"t":"Inflation Reduction Act raises 45Q credit; Brad Crabtree becomes Department of Energy Assistant Secretary (April)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Stratos construction starts (May); Hollub 'licence to operate' remark (March); Occidental agrees to buy Carbon Engineering for about $1.1 billion (August); DOE hub allocation of up to $500 million (August); BlackRock invests $550 million (November)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Microsoft contracts for 500,000 tonnes of removal over six years (July); original operating target (end of 2024) passes"},{"y":2025,"t":"Occidental buys Holocene and DOE carbon removal team is down to one person (April); 45Q equalised for EOR in July budget law; leaked list marks hub first tranches 'terminate' (October)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Fault and new delay (May); start-up target given as end-2026 (August); Richard Jackson succeeds Hollub as chief executive"}],"said":[{"q":"license to continue to operate","who":"Vicki Hollub, then chief executive of Occidental, describing direct air capture for the oil and gas industry","when":"March 2023","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"Stratos described as the world's largest carbon removal plant.","who":"As reported by E&E News, 2026","src":null},{"t":"Direct air capture presented as 'net zero oil' and carbon removal.","who":"Occidental","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Stratos: planned capacity 500,000 tonnes a year; largest operating DAC plant 36,000 tonnes a year.","src":7},{"t":"Operating target moved from end-2024 to mid-2025 (August 2023) to end-2026 (August 2026) after a May 2026 fault.","src":2},{"t":"BlackRock invested $550 million in Stratos.","src":1},{"t":"Occidental and 1PointFive secured Class VI permits for three wells at Stratos.","src":0},{"t":"Microsoft's contract is for 500,000 tonnes over six years, stored in saline formations and not used in oil production; the price was not disclosed.","src":8},{"t":"A July 2025 law set 45Q for EOR at the same value as permanent storage ($85 per tonne for point sources).","src":5},{"t":"Department of Energy: $3.5 billion for DAC hubs (2021 law); up to $500 million allocated to Occidental's South Texas hub, about $50 million received as first tranche; a leaked October 2025 list marked such first tranches 'terminate'.","src":9},{"t":"In April 2025 the Department of Energy's carbon removal team was down to one employee.","src":3},{"t":"In 2023 the world removed about 2 billion tonnes of carbon a year, nearly all from afforestation; DAC and similar new methods removed about 1.35 million tonnes a year, under one-thousandth of the total.","src":10},{"t":"The IEA's head, Fatih Birol, said in November 2023 that the oil and gas sector should drop the belief that very large amounts of carbon capture are the solution. The IEA said reaching 1.5 degrees on current consumption projections would need 32 billion tonnes of capture by 2050, 23 billion from air.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Planned capacity vs largest operating DAC plant","v":"500,000 t vs 36,000 t per year","d":"Stratos target; start-up now end-2026"},{"k":"Global removal, 2023","v":"About 2 billion t a year","d":"Nearly all from afforestation; DAC and similar methods about 1.35 million t a year"},{"k":"Actual Stratos capture, 2024–2026","v":"Not found","d":"No figures in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["The Internal Revenue Service does not disclose which companies receive the 45Q credit or how much; even the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration did not name 10 companies.","No actual capture figures for Stratos for 2024–2026 are on record.","The price of Microsoft's contract was not disclosed.","No primary Department of Energy document on the status of the hub funds was found, between the October 2025 leaked list marking first tranches 'terminate' and an April 2026 trade-press report that the department would keep the funds ($1.2 billion, base unclear).","Global DAC capture figures conflict: for 27 plants the IEA gives about 0.01 million tonnes a year, NBC (2023) about 100,000 tonnes a year; one may be capacity and the other output.","Unconfirmed: Amazon agreed to buy 250,000 tonnes over 10 years and Airbus 400,000 tonnes from Stratos.","Unconfirmed: the Treasury estimated the cost of 45Q at $36.2 billion for 2024–2033, and the Joint Committee on Taxation said the 2025 law adds $14.2 billion.","Unconfirmed: the 45Q credit was $10 per tonne for EOR and $20 for pure storage in 2008.","Unconfirmed: Occidental agreed in December 2023 to buy the Permian Basin oil producer CrownRock for about $12 billion, closing in August 2024 at $12.4 billion (figures of Occidental's annual report).","Unconfirmed: Hollub's 2023 remark was made at CERAWeek in Houston; the pages reviewed do not name the conference."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: no harm to nature is on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: start-up target given as end-2026 after a May 2026 fault; no actual capture figures found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"occidental","says":"Chief executive Richard Jackson told investors the company could not keep investing in low-carbon projects without support from regulators or other companies, and that it aimed to sell carbon capture to data centres.","when":"2026","src":null},{"actor":"occidental","says":"Then chief executive Vicki Hollub said in February 2025 that CO2 enhanced oil recovery could add 50 to 70 billion barrels of oil to US supply.","when":"February 2025","src":null},{"actor":"microsoft","says":"Its contract states that the carbon will be stored in saline formations and not used in oil production.","when":"July 2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"occidental","role":"Owner and developer of Stratos"},{"id":"carbon-engineering","role":"DAC company acquired by Occidental, August 2023"},{"id":"blackrock","role":"Investor ($550 million)"},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Buyer of carbon removal (500,000 tonnes over six years)"},{"id":"amazon","role":"Reported buyer (unconfirmed)"},{"id":"airbus","role":"Reported buyer (unconfirmed)"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"Funder of DAC hubs; Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree from April 2022"},{"id":"carbon-capture-coalition","role":"Coalition that campaigned for the 45Q credit"},{"id":"iea","role":"International body (assessment of carbon capture)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can carbon capture at the scale in company statements serve as the solution for the oil and gas sector?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Occidental, Vicki Hollub","says":"Described direct air capture as the technology that would help protect the industry over time, giving it a licence to continue to operate for 60, 70 or 80 years (March 2023).","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol","says":"Said in November 2023 that the sector should drop the belief that very large amounts of carbon capture are the solution.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is there enough CO2 to support the extra oil that EOR with captured carbon could yield?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Occidental, Vicki Hollub","says":"Said in February 2025 that CO2 EOR could add 50 to 70 billion barrels of oil to US supply.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"TechCrunch","says":"Noted that there is not enough carbon dioxide for that quantity.","src":null}]},{"point":"How much do the world's DAC plants capture each year?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"International Energy Agency","says":"About 0.01 million tonnes a year for 27 plants.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"NBC (2023)","says":"About 100,000 tonnes a year for the same 27 plants.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"capture_capacity_tonnes_per_year","value":500000,"unit":"t CO2/yr","year":2026,"note":"Planned Stratos capacity."},{"key":"capture_capacity_tonnes_per_year","value":36000,"unit":"t CO2/yr","year":2026,"note":"Largest operating DAC plant, as stated in the sources."},{"key":"storage_permit_tonnes_per_year","value":722000,"unit":"t CO2/yr","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Three Class VI permitted wells at Stratos."},{"key":"investment","value":550,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"BlackRock investment in Stratos."},{"key":"acquisition_price","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Occidental's agreed purchase of Carbon Engineering, August 2023."},{"key":"subsidy","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Department of Energy hub allocation to Occidental's South Texas hub; about $50 million first tranche received."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":500000,"unit":"t CO2","year":2024,"note":"Microsoft contract over six years."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":250000,"unit":"t CO2","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Amazon, over 10 years; reported, not independently verified."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":400000,"unit":"t CO2","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"Airbus; reported, not independently verified."},{"key":"removal_cost","value":"600–1,000","unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"Reported cost of DAC."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Occidental's Stratos direct air capture plant in Texas, with a planned capacity of 500,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, built with 45Q tax-credit eligibility, a federal hub allocation, outside investment and carbon removal contracts; its start-up has been delayed to end-2026.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Occidental","what":"Sells carbon removal; BlackRock invested $550 million; the Department of Energy allocated up to $500 million to its hub; the amount of 45Q credit it claims is not public.","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Texas, United States (South Texas hub); Carbon Engineering is Canadian.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Construction began May 2023; target moved from end-2024 to mid-2025 to end-2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Occidental's chief executive described DAC in 2023 as giving the oil and gas industry a licence to continue to operate; the new chief executive said in 2026 that the company needs outside support and aims to sell capture to data centres.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Large fans extract CO2 from air; the CO2 is injected into Class VI storage wells; income comes from carbon removal credits, the 45Q tax credit and federal hub funding.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"In 2023 DAC and similar new methods removed about 1.35 million tonnes a year against about 2 billion tonnes a year of total removal, under one-thousandth.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Occidental and 1PointFive secure Class VI permits for Stratos direct air capture facility","p":"Occidental","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.oxy.com/news/news-releases/occidental-and-1pointfive-secure-class-vi-permits-for-stratos-direct-air-capture-facility/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923201804/https://www.oxy.com/news/news-releases/occidental-and-1pointfive-secure-class-vi-permits-for-stratos-direct-air-capture-facility/"},{"t":"BlackRock invests $550 million in Occidental carbon capture project (via Bloomberg)","p":"World Oil","d":"2023-11-08","type":"press","u":"https://worldoil.com/news/2023/11/8/blackrock-invests-550-million-in-occidental-carbon-capture-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309013656/https://www.worldoil.com/news/2023/11/8/blackrock-invests-550-million-in-occidental-carbon-capture-project/"},{"t":"Occidental to acquire direct air capture technology company for $1.1 billion","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2023-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://ogj.com/energy-transition/article/14297783/occidental-to-acquire-direct-air-capture-technology-company-for-11-billion","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114002135/https://www.ogj.com/energy-transition/article/14297783/occidental-to-acquire-direct-air-capture-technology-company-for-11-billion"},{"t":"Occidental buys Holocene","p":"Heatmap","d":"2025-04-16","type":"press","u":"https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/occidental-buys-holocene","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119205823/https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/occidental-buys-holocene"},{"t":"Direct air capture, carbon dioxide removal and Occidental's Vicki Hollub","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2023-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://climatechangenews.com/2023/08/15/direct-air-capture-carbon-dioxide-removal-occidental-vicki-hollub/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260219134243/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2023/08/15/direct-air-capture-carbon-dioxide-removal-occidental-vicki-hollub/"},{"t":"Keeping up with carbon: key changes for 45Q tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and possible impacts","p":"Payne Institute, Colorado School of Mines","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://payneinstitute.mines.edu/keeping-up-with-carbon-key-changes-for-45q-tax-credits-under-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-and-possible-impacts/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712054839/https://payneinstitute.mines.edu/keeping-up-with-carbon-key-changes-for-45q-tax-credits-under-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-and-possible-impacts/"},{"t":"Occidental Petroleum annual report (Form 10-K) for 2024","p":"Occidental / SEC","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/797468/000079746825000029/oxy-20241231.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260827202020/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/797468/000079746825000029/oxy-20241231.htm"},{"t":"World's largest carbon removal plant to open at the end of 2026","p":"E&E News","d":"2026-08-07","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/worlds-largest-carbon-removal-plant-to-open-at-the-end-of-2026/","type":"press"},{"t":"Microsoft agrees to purchase 500,000 Tonnes of DAC Carbon Removal Credits","p":"1PointFive","d":"2024-07-09","u":"https://www.1pointfive.com/news/1pointfive-and-microsoft-announce-agreement-for-direct-air-capture-cdr-credits","type":"company"},{"t":"DOE Might Cut Funding For The Two Largest DAC Hubs In The US","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"2025-10-08","u":"https://carbonherald.com/doe-might-cut-funding-for-the-two-largest-dac-hubs-in-the-us/","type":"press"},{"t":"Nine key takeaways about the 'state of CO2 removal' in 2024","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2024-06-04","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/nine-key-takeaways-about-the-state-of-co2-removal-in-2024/","type":"press"},{"t":"Large amounts of carbon capture as a solution is an 'illusion' - IEA","p":"Electrek","d":"2023-11-23","u":"https://electrek.co/2023/11/23/large-amounts-of-carbon-capture-as-a-solution-is-an-illusion-iea/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["doe-direct-air-capture-hubs-termination-list"],"natureLead":{"t":"Occidental's Stratos plant is planned to remove 500,000 tonnes of CO2 a year from my air, against 36,000 tonnes for the largest operating plant; no figures for actual capture are on record.","src":[7]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can carbon capture at the scale in company statements serve as the solution for the oil and gas sector?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is there enough CO2 to support the extra oil that EOR with captured carbon could yield?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much do the world's DAC plants capture each year?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Carbon credits sold: Amazon, over 10 years; reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Carbon credits sold: Airbus; reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Internal Revenue Service does not disclose which companies receive the 45Q credit or how much; even the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration did not name 10 companies.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No actual capture figures for Stratos for 2024–2026 are on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The price of Microsoft's contract was not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No primary Department of Energy document on the status of the hub funds was found, between the October 2025 leaked list marking first tranches 'terminate' and an April 2026 trade-press report that the department would keep the funds ($1.2 billion, base unclear).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Global DAC capture figures conflict: for 27 plants the IEA gives about 0.01 million tonnes a year, NBC (2023) about 100,000 tonnes a year; one may be capacity and the other output.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Amazon agreed to buy 250,000 tonnes over 10 years and Airbus 400,000 tonnes from Stratos.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Treasury estimated the cost of 45Q at $36.2 billion for 2024–2033, and the Joint Committee on Taxation said the 2025 law adds $14.2 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 45Q credit was $10 per tonne for EOR and $20 for pure storage in 2008.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Occidental agreed in December 2023 to buy the Permian Basin oil producer CrownRock for about $12 billion, closing in August 2024 at $12.4 billion (figures of Occidental's annual report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Hollub's 2023 remark was made at CERAWeek in Houston; the pages reviewed do not name the conference.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what"]},{"id":"make-sunsets-stratospheric-balloon-launches","title":"Make Sunsets stratospheric balloon launches (Mexico)","dek":"A start-up founder launched weather balloons in Baja California in April 2022 without permits and later sold USD 10 \"cooling credits\" tied to releasing sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere. Mexico announced a ban on such experiments in January 2023.","country":"Mexico","region":"North America","lat":30.5,"lon":-115,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Baja California","lat":30.5,"lon":-115,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"regulator"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2022-04","instrument":"climate-tech","types":["climate-tech","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Balloons launched and cooling credits sold, February 2023 to April 2025","value":"147 balloons / 128,000 credits","note":"Figures from the company's website as reported by Inside Climate News in April 2025. Company revenue was not disclosed."},"happened":["Make Sunsets sells \"cooling credits\" at USD 10 each. According to Climate Home News (2023), each credit stands for the release of at least one gram of sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere, which the company says offsets the warming effect of one tonne of carbon dioxide for one year.","The company's founder, Luke Iseman, launched the first two balloons in April 2022 in the Mexican state of Baja California, before the company was formed. According to MIT Technology Review (2022), he had no permits and the balloons carried no measuring instruments; whether the particles reached the stratosphere is not known. The company said it had raised about USD 750,000 from investors including Boost VC and Pioneer Fund. Iseman described the venture as part business and part provocation.","Kelly Wanser, an executive at the organisation SilverLining, described the credits as speculative and of no value (MIT Technology Review, 2022). According to the company's website in April 2025, 147 balloons had been launched and 128,000 credits sold since February 2023. The company has not disclosed its revenue.","In January 2023 the Mexican government announced that it would ban solar geoengineering experiments, stating that the balloons had been launched without prior notice and without the consent of the Mexican government or the surrounding communities (Climate Home News, 2023). In April 2025 the US Environmental Protection Agency asked Make Sunsets for information; the outcome is not on record.","Other outdoor experiments met resistance elsewhere. Harvard's SCoPEx balloon experiment, planned for 2021 from Kiruna in Sweden, was cancelled after the Saami Council wrote that there was no acceptable reason to allow the project in Sweden or elsewhere and after its advisory committee decided against the flight; the project was abandoned in March 2024 (MIT Technology Review, 2024). The city of Alameda, California, voted unanimously 5-0 in June 2024 to stop a University of Washington cloud-brightening experiment that researchers had begun without permission (NBC, 2024); more than 70 environmental groups had objected."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"April: first two balloons launched in Baja California without permits or measuring instruments; January 2022: more than 60 academics call for an International Non-Use Agreement on solar geoengineering"},{"y":2023,"t":"January: Mexico announces a ban on solar geoengineering experiments. February: Make Sunsets' recorded 147-balloon, 128,000-credit sales period begins; Africa's environment ministers' conference (AMCEN) calls for a non-use mechanism"},{"y":2024,"t":"March: SCoPEx abandoned. June: Alameda stops a cloud-brightening experiment"},{"y":2025,"t":"April: EPA asks Make Sunsets for information; company website reports 147 balloons and 128,000 credits sold since February 2023. May: UK agency ARIA funds 21 projects, five with outdoor experiments. July: AMCEN, meeting in Nairobi, calls explicitly for a non-use agreement. October: Stardust Solutions announces a USD 60 million round"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A USD 10 credit that releases at least one gram of sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere and offsets the warming effect of one tonne of carbon dioxide for one year","who":"Make Sunsets, as reported by Climate Home News (2023)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The first two balloons, launched in April 2022 in Baja California, had no permits and carried no measuring instruments; whether the particles reached the stratosphere is not known","src":0},{"t":"Mexico announced in January 2023 that it would ban such experiments","src":1},{"t":"147 balloons launched and 128,000 credits sold between February 2023 and April 2025, according to the company's website","src":2},{"t":"The company has not disclosed its revenue","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022-2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Particles reached the stratosphere","v":"Not known","d":"The first two balloons carried no measuring instruments"},{"k":"Permits for the first launch","v":"None","d":"April 2022, Baja California (MIT Technology Review, 2022)"},{"k":"Independent evaluation of the credit claim","v":"None found","d":"The credits were described as speculative by SilverLining's executive and by scientists cited by MIT Technology Review"}]},"unknown":["Whether the particles released in April 2022 reached the stratosphere: not known.","Make Sunsets' revenue: not disclosed.","Outcome of the EPA's April 2025 request for information to Make Sunsets: not known.","Where the launches after February 2023 took place: the cited sources do not say.","Unconfirmed: that Tennessee (2024) and Montana and Florida (2025) banned solar geoengineering, and that some such state laws draw on the \"chemtrail\" conspiracy belief.","Unconfirmed: that Boost VC is the fund of Adam Draper."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Mexico announced a ban on such experiments in January 2023. According to the company's website, 147 balloons were launched between February 2023 and April 2025; the cited sources do not give their launch locations.","whoPaid":"Buyers paid USD 10 per credit. The company said it had raised about USD 750,000 from investors. Company revenue was not disclosed.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources: Mexico announced a ban in January 2023; the EPA requested information from the company in April 2025; no outcome found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"make-sunsets","says":"The founder described the venture as part business and part provocation (MIT Technology Review, 2022).","when":"2022","src":0},{"actor":"mexico-gov","says":"Said the balloons were launched without prior notice and without the consent of the Mexican government or surrounding communities, and announced it would ban the experiments.","when":"January 2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"make-sunsets","role":"Company selling cooling credits"},{"id":"boost-vc","role":"Investor in Make Sunsets"},{"id":"pioneer-fund","role":"Investor in Make Sunsets"},{"id":"silverlining","role":"Organisation whose executive criticised the credits"},{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Government that announced a ban"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator that requested information"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does one gram of sulphur dioxide released by a balloon offset the warming of one tonne of carbon dioxide for a year?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Make Sunsets","says":"Sells each USD 10 credit as releasing at least one gram of sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere, offsetting the warming effect of one tonne of carbon dioxide for one year.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"SilverLining (executive Kelly Wanser)","says":"Described the credits as speculative and of no value.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Scientists cited by MIT Technology Review (2022)","says":"Found the credits speculative.","src":0}]},{"point":"Is outdoor solar geoengineering experimentation acceptable without prior notice and public consent?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Mexico","says":"Said the balloons were launched without prior notice and without the consent of the Mexican government or surrounding communities; announced a ban in January 2023.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Saami Council","says":"Wrote that there was no acceptable reason to allow SCoPEx in Sweden or elsewhere.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"More than 60 academics (January 2022)","says":"Called for an International Non-Use Agreement with five principles: no public funding, a ban on outdoor experiments, no patents, no use of technologies developed by third parties, and opposition to institutionalising solar geoengineering as a policy option in international bodies. Their letter names \"moral hazard\": hope of future geoengineering could weaken emission-cut commitments.","src":5},{"voice":"international","holder":"African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)","says":"Called for a non-use governance mechanism in 2023 and explicitly for a non-use agreement in Nairobi in July 2025; about sixty Global South countries made a similar call.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK agency ARIA","says":"In May 2025 awarded about USD 60 million to 21 projects, five of them with outdoor experiments (Scientific American, 2025).","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EPA request for information to Make Sunsets","forum":"US Environmental Protection Agency","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Environmental Protection Agency","defendant":"Make Sunsets","filed":"2025-04","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The EPA requested information from Make Sunsets in April 2025. The outcome is not known.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"balloons_launched","value":147,"unit":"balloons","year":2025,"note":"Launched since February 2023, according to the company's website in April 2025."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":128000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Sold since February 2023, according to the company's website in April 2025."},{"key":"credit_price","value":10,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2023,"note":"Price of one cooling credit."},{"key":"investment_raised","value":750000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Raised from investors including Boost VC and Pioneer Fund, according to the company."},{"key":"sector_funding","value":267,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"SRM360: total funding of solar geoengineering work through the end of 2025; 38% philanthropy, 33% governments, 29% commercial; 97% to institutions in the Global North."},{"key":"stardust_funding","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Round raised by Stardust Solutions in October 2025, led by Lowercarbon Capital with the venture arm of Exor; total funding USD 75 million."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A start-up launched balloons in Baja California in April 2022 without permits or measuring instruments and later sold cooling credits for releasing sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Make Sunsets","what":"Sold 128,000 credits at USD 10 per credit between February 2023 and April 2025 according to its website; revenue not disclosed.","src":2},{"who":"Investors including Boost VC and Pioneer Fund","what":"Put about USD 750,000 into the company, according to the company.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Baja California, Mexico (first launches); the US Environmental Protection Agency is the regulator that requested information.","src":0},"when":{"t":"First balloons in April 2022; credit sales and 147 launches from February 2023 to April 2025; Mexican ban announced January 2023.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The company's founder described the venture as part business and part provocation.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Weather balloons release sulphur dioxide; each USD 10 credit corresponds to at least one gram, which the company says offsets the warming of one tonne of carbon dioxide for one year.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"A startup says it's begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate","p":"MIT Technology Review","d":"2022-12-24","u":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/12/24/1066041/a-startup-says-its-begun-releasing-particles-into-the-atmosphere-in-an-effort-to-tweak-the-climate/","type":"press"},{"t":"Mexico plans to ban solar geoengineering after rogue experiment","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2023-01-18","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2023/01/18/mexico-plans-to-ban-solar-geoengineering-after-rogue-experiment/","type":"press"},{"t":"EPA targets sulfur dioxide balloons startup","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2025-04-18","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18042025/epa-targets-sulfur-dioxide-balloons-startup/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260319192037/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18042025/epa-targets-sulfur-dioxide-balloons-startup/"},{"t":"U.K. funds geoengineering experiments as global controversy grows","p":"Scientific American (E&E News)","d":"2025-05-12","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/u-k-funds-geoengineering-experiments-as-global-controversy-grows","type":"press"},{"t":"Harvard halts its long-planned atmospheric geoengineering experiment","p":"MIT Technology Review","d":"2024-03-18","u":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/03/18/1089879/harvard-halts-its-long-planned-atmospheric-geoengineering-experiment","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011060445/https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/03/18/1089879/harvard-halts-its-long-planned-atmospheric-geoengineering-experiment/"},{"t":"Climate scientists call for ban on solar geoengineering","p":"Resilience.org","d":"2022-01-21","u":"https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-01-21/climate-scientists-ban-solar-geoengineering/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"AMCEN call for non-use of solar geoengineering","p":"solargeoeng.org","d":"2025-09-04","u":"https://www.solargeoeng.org/?p=6101","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Make Sunsets says it launched 147 balloons into my sky and sold 128,000 cooling credits between February 2023 and April 2025; whether the first particles reached the stratosphere is not known.","src":[2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does one gram of sulphur dioxide released by a balloon offset the warming of one tonne of carbon dioxide for a year?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is outdoor solar geoengineering experimentation acceptable without prior notice and public consent?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"EPA request for information to Make Sunsets: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the particles released in April 2022 reached the stratosphere: not known.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Make Sunsets' revenue: not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the EPA's April 2025 request for information to Make Sunsets: not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Where the launches after February 2023 took place: the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Tennessee (2024) and Montana and Florida (2025) banned solar geoengineering, and that some such state laws draw on the \"chemtrail\" conspiracy belief.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Boost VC is the fund of Adam Draper.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-taxonomy-hydropower-exemption-and-california-large-hydro","title":"EU taxonomy hydropower exemption and California large hydro exclusion","dek":"In 2021 the EU taxonomy exempted hydropower above 5 W/m² power density, and run-of-river plants, from life-cycle emissions analysis. California has not counted hydropower above 30 MW towards its renewable quota since 2002, citing river ecology.","country":"European Union / United States","region":"Europe / North America","lat":37,"lon":-120,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"regulator"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":37,"lon":-120,"role":"regulator"}],"start":2002,"end":2021,"eventDate":"2021-04-30","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Power-density threshold below which the EU taxonomy requires life-cycle analysis of hydropower","value":"5 W/m²","note":"Plants above the threshold, and run-of-river plants, are exempt (EU, 30 April 2021). California's cut-off is 30 MW installed capacity."},"happened":["Under California law, hydropower plants above 30 MW have not counted towards the state's renewable energy quota since 2002. The reason recorded is the effect on river ecology. According to the California Senate analysis of SB 971 (24 April 2012), large hydropower supplied up to 16% of state generation in some years.","On 30 April 2021 the EU taxonomy for green investment exempted hydropower plants with a power density above 5 W/m², and run-of-river plants, from life-cycle emissions analysis. The entry records a threshold of 100 g CO2e/kWh and treats all pumped storage as making a \"substantial contribution\". The International Hydropower Association welcomed the decision and the Norwegian government supported the exemption.","Power density is installed capacity divided by the area of the reservoir. The UN Clean Development Mechanism had set its own thresholds in 2006: plants at or below 4 W/m² were not eligible, those between 4 and 10 W/m² were assigned 90 g CO2/kWh, and above 10 W/m² reservoir emissions were counted as zero.","Research cited in the sources describes impacts that these labels do not capture. A 2016 global synthesis by Deemer and colleagues estimated that reservoir surfaces emit about 0.8 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year, about 80% of it methane. The IPCC added a methane accounting for flooded land in its 2019 refinement, but Paris Agreement parties are not required to use it. Reservoirs hold 5% of lake storage but account for 16% of evaporation (2022), and evaporation from Lake Nasser in Egypt was 10.6 to 17.4 billion cubic metres a year depending on the method.","IRENA and EU definitions classify hydropower as renewable, so the same dam is counted as renewable in the IRENA statistics but would not count under California's rule."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"California stops counting hydropower above 30 MW towards its renewable quota"},{"y":2006,"t":"UN Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board (meeting 23) sets power-density thresholds of 4 and 10 W/m²"},{"y":2012,"t":"24 April: California Senate analysis of SB 971 records the 30 MW rule and its river-ecology rationale"},{"y":2016,"t":"Deemer and colleagues estimate global reservoir emissions at about 0.8 billion tonnes CO2e a year"},{"y":2019,"t":"IPCC supplementary guidance adds methane accounting for flooded land; Paris parties not required to use it"},{"y":2021,"t":"30 April: EU taxonomy exempts hydropower above 5 W/m² and run-of-river plants from life-cycle analysis; hydropower association welcomes it"},{"y":2025,"t":"A proposal to change California's rule is recorded; its content is not on record"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"EU recognition of sustainable hydropower in investment rules","who":"International Hydropower Association (title of its 30 April 2021 news item)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Since 2002 California does not count hydropower above 30 MW towards its renewable quota; the reason is the effect on river ecology; large hydropower supplied up to 16% of state generation in some years","src":1},{"t":"EU taxonomy, 30 April 2021: hydropower above 5 W/m² and run-of-river plants exempt from life-cycle analysis; threshold 100 g CO2e/kWh; all pumped storage treated as substantial contribution","src":0},{"t":"Reservoir surfaces emit about 0.8 billion tonnes CO2e a year, about 80% methane (Deemer and colleagues, 2016)","src":2},{"t":"Reservoirs hold 5% of lake storage but account for 16% of evaporation (2022)","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2002-2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reservoir emissions","v":"About 0.8 Gt CO2e/yr","d":"Global synthesis, Deemer and colleagues, 2016; about 80% methane"},{"k":"Share of lake evaporation","v":"16%","d":"From reservoirs holding 5% of lake storage (2022)"},{"k":"Life-cycle analysis in the EU taxonomy","v":"Exempt above 5 W/m²","d":"Also exempt for run-of-river plants (30 April 2021)"}]},"unknown":["Paris Agreement parties are not required to use the IPCC's 2019 methane accounting for flooded land.","Content of the 2025 proposal to change California's rule: none on record.","Unconfirmed: that hydropower stood at 1,296 GW, 25.1% of renewable capacity, at the end of 2025.","Emission values after 2006 under the Clean Development Mechanism thresholds: the cited sources do not say whether they changed."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable as a single event. California's rule has been in force since 2002; the EU exemption took effect on 30 April 2021.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources: the EU exemption (30 April 2021) and California's 30 MW rule (since 2002) remain on record; a 2025 proposal to change the California rule is noted without detail.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"iha","says":"Welcomed the EU recognition of sustainable hydropower in investment rules.","when":"30 April 2021","src":0},{"actor":"norway-government","says":"Supported the exemption in the EU taxonomy.","when":"2021","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Author of the taxonomy rule"},{"id":"iha","role":"Industry association that welcomed the exemption"},{"id":"norway-government","role":"Government that supported the exemption"},{"id":"california-state","role":"Jurisdiction that excludes hydropower above 30 MW from its renewable quota"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Should hydropower above 5 W/m² be exempt from life-cycle emissions analysis?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"International Hydropower Association","says":"Welcomed the EU's recognition of sustainable hydropower in investment rules.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Norway","says":"Supported the exemption.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Deemer and colleagues (2016)","says":"Reservoir surfaces emit about 0.8 billion tonnes CO2e a year, about 80% of it methane.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is large hydropower renewable?","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"IRENA and EU definitions","says":"Classify hydropower as renewable.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"State of California","says":"Has not counted hydropower above 30 MW towards its renewable quota since 2002, citing its effect on river ecology.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"power_density_threshold","value":5,"unit":"W/m²","year":2021,"note":"EU taxonomy: hydropower above this power density, and run-of-river plants, exempt from life-cycle analysis."},{"key":"emissions_threshold","value":100,"unit":"g CO2e/kWh","year":2021,"note":"Threshold recorded for the EU taxonomy entry."},{"key":"california_capacity_threshold","value":30,"unit":"MW","year":2002,"note":"Hydropower above this capacity does not count towards California's renewable quota."},{"key":"large_hydro_share_of_state_generation","value":16,"unit":"%","year":2012,"qualifier":"up to","note":"In some years, according to the California Senate analysis of SB 971."},{"key":"reservoir_emissions","value":800000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2e per year","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Global reservoir surfaces, about 80% methane (Deemer and colleagues)."},{"key":"reservoir_evaporation_share","value":16,"unit":"% of global lake evaporation","year":2022,"note":"Reservoirs hold 5% of lake storage."},{"key":"nasser_lake_evaporation","value":10600000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":null,"qualifier":"10.6 to 17.4 depending on method","note":"Lake Nasser, Egypt."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two rules set different bars for counting hydropower as green: the EU taxonomy exempts it above 5 W/m² from life-cycle analysis, and California excludes plants above 30 MW from its renewable quota.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hydropower industry","what":"The International Hydropower Association welcomed the EU exemption.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"River ecosystems","what":"California cites the effect on river ecology as the reason for excluding large hydropower from its renewable quota.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"European Union (taxonomy) and California, United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"California since 2002; EU taxonomy on 30 April 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"California cites the effect on river ecology; the cited sources do not give the EU's stated reasons.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The EU rule uses a power-density threshold of 5 W/m²; California's uses an installed-capacity threshold of 30 MW.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"IHA welcomes EU recognition of sustainable hydropower in investment rules","p":"International Hydropower Association","d":"2021-04-30","type":"company","u":"https://www.hydropower.org/news/iha-welcomes-eu-recognition-of-sustainable-hydropower-in-investment-rules","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608165439/https://www.hydropower.org/news/iha-welcomes-eu-recognition-of-sustainable-hydropower-in-investment-rules"},{"t":"SB 971 bill analysis","p":"California Senate","d":"2012-04-24","type":"official","u":"https://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0951-1000/sb_971_cfa_20120424_101350_sen_comm.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240708175645/http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/sen/sb_0951-1000/sb_971_cfa_20120424_101350_sen_comm.html"},{"t":"Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Reservoir Water Surfaces: A New Global Synthesis (Deemer et al.)","p":"BioScience 66(11), 949-964","d":"2016","u":"https://dare.uva.nl/id/6fe8a425-ca11-48ae-a045-9e913f8198b6","type":"academic"},{"t":"Evaporative water loss of 1.42 million global lakes (Zhao et al.)","p":"Nature Communications","d":"2022","u":"https://www.atmos.albany.edu/facstaff/zhou/pdf/pdf_papers/Zhao_et_al_2022.pdf","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Reservoirs on my rivers emit about 0.8 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year, a 2016 global synthesis estimates; the EU taxonomy exempts hydropower above 5 W/m² from life-cycle analysis.","src":[2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should hydropower above 5 W/m² be exempt from life-cycle emissions analysis?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is large hydropower renewable?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Paris Agreement parties are not required to use the IPCC's 2019 methane accounting for flooded land.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Content of the 2025 proposal to change California's rule: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that hydropower stood at 1,296 GW, 25.1% of renewable capacity, at the end of 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Emission values after 2006 under the Clean Development Mechanism thresholds: the cited sources do not say whether they changed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"mangrove-restoration-failures","title":"Mangrove restoration failures (Sri Lanka, Philippines, Indonesia, Sundarbans)","dek":"Mangrove planting programmes in four regions announced targets in hectares or seedlings. Field studies and press reports record low survival at many sites, and in two cases the implementing body's announcement could not be matched with survival data.","country":"Sri Lanka / Philippines / Indonesia / India","region":"Asia","lat":21.9,"lon":89,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","role":"event"},{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"West Bengal (Sundarbans)","lat":21.9,"lon":89,"role":"event"}],"start":2005,"end":2022,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting"],"headline":{"label":"Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami: hectares planted vs hectares with mangrove at survey","value":"1,000-1,200 ha vs 200-220 ha","note":"Survey of 23 sites by Kodikara and colleagues (Restoration Ecology, 2017)."},"happened":["A 2015 review of 54 studies found a median survival of 44.7% for planted mangroves in developing countries (Bayraktarov and colleagues, cited by Mongabay).","In Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, Kodikara and colleagues surveyed 23 planting sites covering about 1,000 to 1,200 hectares. Only about 200 to 220 hectares carried mangrove. At 9 sites, covering 36 of 67 plantings, no plants survived; survival ranged from 0% to 78%, and three sites had survival above 50%. About USD 13 million had been spent on the work. A separate summary records that at 75% of sites fewer than 10% of seedlings survived.","In the Philippines, long-term survival of planted mangroves was generally 10% to 20%, according to Primavera and Esteban (Mongabay, 2008); a World Bank-supported project reached 35% and a small local project 97%. The authors attributed low survival to planting the wrong species on seagrass beds and open sand where mangroves never grew. Trellis reported that fewer than 2% of record-setting numbers of seedlings survived.","In Indonesia, a target of 600,000 hectares by 2024 was set. The Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) announced it had exceeded its 2021 target with 34,911 hectares (target 30,000). It did not answer a question about verification, and the survival rate is not known. Only 30% of the target area was suitable for restoration. Indonesian peer-reviewed journals (2022 to 2025) report mangrove survival of 10% to 44%.","In the Indian Sundarbans, authorities announced in 2020 that a target of 50 million seedlings had been met; a regional official said survival is normally 70%. A year later West Bengal's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, asked where the 50 million mangroves had gone. At Pakhiraloy on Gosaba island, part of a 10-hectare planting was washed away by the river and the rest damaged by cattle grazing; villagers estimated that no more than 30,000 of about 200,000 seedlings remained (Mongabay-India, 2022). In the region, 3.2 lakh (320,000) paid workdays cost 6.52 crore rupees. Dense mangrove cover in the Sundarbans fell from 1,038 km² to 994 km² between 2007 and 2021 (State of Forests in India report, via India CSR)."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Tsunami; planting programmes follow in Sri Lanka"},{"y":2008,"t":"Primavera and Esteban report 10% to 20% long-term survival in the Philippines (Mongabay, 23 July 2008)"},{"y":2012,"t":"Kodikara and colleagues' field visits to Sri Lankan planting sites begin (visits ran 2012 to 2014)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Kodikara and colleagues publish in Restoration Ecology"},{"y":2020,"t":"Sundarbans: 50 million seedling target announced as met; Pakhiraloy planting"},{"y":2021,"t":"BRGM announces 34,911 ha, above its 30,000 ha target; West Bengal chief minister asks where the 50 million mangroves went"},{"y":2022,"t":"Mongabay-India reports on survival at Pakhiraloy (6 September)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A target of 50 million seedlings in the Sundarbans announced in 2020 as met","who":"Indian authorities, as reported by Mongabay-India (2022)","src":2},{"t":"34,911 hectares restored in 2021 against a 30,000-hectare target","who":"Indonesia's Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sri Lanka: about 200 to 220 of 1,000 to 1,200 planted hectares carried mangrove; no plants survived at 9 of 23 sites","src":0},{"t":"Philippines: long-term survival generally 10% to 20%; 35% in a World Bank-supported project; 97% in a small local project","src":1},{"t":"Indonesia: survival 10% to 44% in peer-reviewed journals; the agency's survival rate is not known","src":5},{"t":"Sundarbans: villagers estimate no more than 30,000 of about 200,000 seedlings remain at Pakhiraloy; dense mangrove cover fell from 1,038 km² to 994 km² between 2007 and 2021","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2005-2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Sri Lanka: hectares with mangrove at survey","v":"200-220 of 1,000-1,200 ha","d":"23 sites surveyed (Kodikara and colleagues, 2017)"},{"k":"Philippines: long-term survival","v":"10%-20%","d":"Primavera and Esteban (Mongabay, 2008); a small local project reached 97%"},{"k":"Indonesia: survival in peer-reviewed journals","v":"10%-44%","d":"2022 to 2025; the agency's survival rate is not known"},{"k":"Sundarbans: dense mangrove cover","v":"1,038 to 994 km²","d":"2007 to 2021 (State of Forests in India report)"}]},"unknown":["Indonesia: survival rate of the mangroves counted by the agency is not known; the agency did not answer a question about verification.","Unconfirmed: that the Philippines' National Greening Programme missed 88.17% of its 2011 to 2019 targets, according to the Commission on Audit.","Unconfirmed: the site-level survival figures for Sri Lanka (9 of 23 sites with no surviving plants; about USD 13 million spent) are taken from summaries of the Kodikara and colleagues study rather than from the paper itself."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable as a single event; the cited sources describe planting programmes, not a halt.","whoPaid":"Spending on record: about USD 13 million on the Sri Lanka work, and 3.2 lakh paid workdays costing 6.52 crore rupees in the Sundarbans region. The cited sources do not say who bore the costs of the losses.","statusLine":"As of 2022 for the latest case-specific report (Mongabay-India, September 2022): survival data remain disputed or unavailable in Indonesia and the Sundarbans.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"brgm","says":"Announced it had exceeded its 2021 target with 34,911 hectares; did not answer a question about verification.","when":"2021-2022","src":null,"silent":true},{"actor":"west-bengal-gov","says":"A regional official said mangrove survival is normally 70%; a year after the 50 million-seedling announcement the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, asked where the 50 million mangroves had gone.","when":"2020-2021","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"brgm","role":"Indonesian agency announcing restoration targets met"},{"id":"west-bengal-gov","role":"Government of the Sundarbans region in India"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How many of the mangroves planted in the Sundarbans survived?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Indian authorities (regional official)","says":"Announced the 50 million-seedling target as met and said survival is normally 70%; at 5,000 seedlings per hectare the target would require 10,000 hectares.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee","says":"Asked a year later where the 50 million mangroves had gone.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Villagers at Pakhiraloy","says":"Estimated that no more than 30,000 of about 200,000 seedlings remained.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"State of Forests in India report (via India CSR)","says":"Dense mangrove cover fell from 1,038 km² to 994 km² between 2007 and 2021.","src":3}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the planted area in Indonesia survive to count as restored mangrove?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM)","says":"Announced it had exceeded its 2021 target with 34,911 hectares against 30,000.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM)","says":"Did not answer a question about verification.","src":null,"silent":true},{"voice":"research","holder":"Indonesian peer-reviewed journals (2022-2025)","says":"Report mangrove survival of 10% to 44%.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"restoration_paid","value":13,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sri Lanka: spent on mangrove work at more than 20 sites (2012 to 2014 visits).","unverified":true},{"key":"survival_rate","value":44.7,"unit":"%","year":2015,"qualifier":"median","note":"Median survival of planted mangroves in developing countries across 54 studies (Bayraktarov and colleagues, via Mongabay)."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":97,"unit":"%","year":2008,"note":"Philippines: small local project, about USD 45,000."},{"key":"area_ha","value":34911,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Indonesia: restoration reported by BRGM against a 30,000 ha target; national target 600,000 ha by 2024."},{"key":"seedlings_planted","value":50000000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2020,"note":"Sundarbans: target announced as met."},{"key":"area_ha","value":10,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Pakhiraloy, Gosaba island: planting area; villagers estimate no more than 30,000 of about 200,000 seedlings remain."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mangrove planting programmes in Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Sundarbans reported targets in hectares or seedlings, while surveys and press reports recorded low survival at many sites.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Implementing agencies","what":"Announced targets as met or exceeded on planted-area or seedling counts (BRGM in Indonesia; authorities in the Sundarbans).","src":2},{"who":"Local workers in the Sundarbans region","what":"3.2 lakh paid workdays costing 6.52 crore rupees.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Villagers at Pakhiraloy","what":"Waiting for the embankment-protecting planting to establish; villagers estimate no more than 30,000 of about 200,000 seedlings remain.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Mangrove ecosystems","what":"Sri Lanka: no plants survived at 9 of 23 surveyed sites; Sundarbans: dense cover fell from 1,038 km² to 994 km² between 2007 and 2021.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Sundarbans (West Bengal, India).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Planting after the 2004 Sri Lanka tsunami; Philippines figures from 2008; Indonesia 2021 to 2025; Sundarbans 2020 to 2022.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Survey authors and press reports attributed low survival to planting the wrong species on sites where mangroves never grew (Philippines), and to river erosion and cattle grazing (Pakhiraloy). Experts wrote that programmes prioritised short-term area increase over long-term establishment.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Targets were set and reported as hectares planted or seedlings planted; survival was measured later in field studies where it was measured at all.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Kodikara et al., Restoration Ecology 25(5):705-716 (Sri Lanka mangrove planting survey; figures as reported in secondary summaries)","p":"Restoration Ecology","d":"2017","type":"academic","u":"https://serm.ulb.be/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kodikaraetal_2017_RestorationEcol.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240330033308/https://serm.ulb.be/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Kodikaraetal_2017_RestorationEcol.pdf"},{"t":"How to replant a mangrove forest: local low-cost initiatives prove most successful (Primavera and Esteban)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2008-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2008/07/how-to-replant-a-mangrove-forest-local-low-cost-initiatives-prove-most-successful/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312021408/https://news.mongabay.com/2008/07/how-to-replant-a-mangrove-forest-local-low-cost-initiatives-prove-most-successful/"},{"t":"The reality of saving young mangroves in the Sundarbans","p":"Mongabay-India","d":"2022-09-06","type":"press","u":"https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-reality-of-saving-young-mangroves-in-the-sundarbans/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711114920/https://india.mongabay.com/2022/09/the-reality-of-saving-young-mangroves-in-the-sundarbans/"},{"t":"Sundarbans mangrove cover in decline: State of Forests in India report","p":"India CSR","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://indiacsr.in/sundarbans-mangrove-cover-in-decline-state-of-forests-in-india-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712024653/https://indiacsr.in/sundarbans-mangrove-cover-in-decline-state-of-forests-in-india-report/"},{"t":"Phantom forests: why ambitious tree-planting projects are failing","p":"Trellis","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://trellis.net/article/phantom-forests-why-ambitious-tree-planting-projects-are-failing/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420230815/https://trellis.net/article/phantom-forests-why-ambitious-tree-planting-projects-are-failing/"},{"t":"Indonesian peer-reviewed journal article on mangrove survival (Juvenil)","p":"Universitas Trunojoyo journals","d":"2022-2025","type":"academic","u":"https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/juvenil/article/view/27651","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417105626/https://journal.trunojoyo.ac.id/juvenil/article/view/27651"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"After the 2004 tsunami, about 1,000 to 1,200 hectares were planted with mangrove on my Sri Lankan shore, at a cost of about USD 13 million; at survey, about 200 to 220 hectares carried mangrove.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many of the mangroves planted in the Sundarbans survived?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the planted area in Indonesia survive to count as restored mangrove?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM): Did not answer a question about verification.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Restoration spending: Sri Lanka: spent on mangrove work at more than 20 sites (2012 to 2014 visits).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Indonesia: survival rate of the mangroves counted by the agency is not known; the agency did not answer a question about verification.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Philippines' National Greening Programme missed 88.17% of its 2011 to 2019 targets, according to the Commission on Audit.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the site-level survival figures for Sri Lanka (9 of 23 sites with no surviving plants; about USD 13 million spent) are taken from summaries of the Kodikara and colleagues study rather than from the paper itself.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"england-biodiversity-net-gain-market-and-natural-england-sta","title":"England Biodiversity Net Gain market and Natural England statutory credits","dek":"Since February 2024 major building projects in England must deliver a 10% biodiversity gain for 30 years, on site or by buying off-site units. The state agency Natural England sells statutory credits as a last resort.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":52.5,"lon":-1.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"England","lat":52.5,"lon":-1.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance"],"headline":{"label":"Natural England statutory credit price per credit (two credits per biodiversity unit)","value":"£42,000–£650,000","note":"As reported; at the cheapest tier a developer pays £84,000 per unit, against about £11,900 per unit Natural England paid for private units in its second year."},"happened":["Since February 2024, large construction projects in England have been required to compensate for the nature they damage with a 10% net gain, and to protect it for 30 years. The rule is called Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Gain is measured with the government's biodiversity metric, a calculation spreadsheet. A developer who cannot deliver the gain on site buys \"biodiversity units\" elsewhere.","Private habitat banks price their units freely. As a last resort the government agency Natural England sells statutory credits: £42,000 to £650,000 per credit, with two credits needed per unit. The government has written that these prices were deliberately set \"high enough not to compete with the private market\". In its first year Natural England collected £206,180 from statutory credits and spent nothing on nature. In its second year it bought private units in Lincolnshire: 44.6 units for £530,000, about £11,900 per unit.","Environment Bank said it owned more than 40% of the sites on the national register and sold to the largest housebuilders. By May 2025 about 3,000 hectares had been listed on the off-site market and 58 hectares, 2%, had been sold.","On measurement, a review of early-adopter councils found that area calculations did not match in about one in five projects and that about a quarter of units fell into a \"governance gap\" in which they could not be monitored. The metric tracked plant diversity but not birds or butterflies. Sheffield University examined 42 housing projects and found 53% of the ecological features promised were in place; 41% of councils had no ecologist.","In 2025 the Planning and Infrastructure Act opened a route for developers to pay a levy into a Nature Restoration Fund instead of meeting the obligation, which the environmental watchdog called a \"regression\". On 6 August 2026 projects of 0.2 hectares or less were exempted from BNG, and the government's impact assessment was rated \"red\" by the independent committee that reviews regulation."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"February: BNG becomes mandatory for major projects in England"},{"y":2025,"t":"Natural England's first-year statutory credit report: £206,180 collected, no spending on nature. May: about 3,000 ha listed off-site, 58 ha sold. Planning and Infrastructure Act opens a Nature Restoration Fund levy route; watchdog calls it a regression. November: DUAL launches BNG insurance cover"},{"y":2026,"t":"15 June: statutory credit report for 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 published. 6 August: projects of 0.2 ha and under exempted from BNG"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Developers must leave nature 10% better off and protect it for 30 years","who":"The BNG rule as described in government material","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Natural England collected £206,180 from statutory credits in its first year and spent nothing on nature","src":0},{"t":"In its second year Natural England bought 44.6 private units for £530,000","src":0},{"t":"About 3,000 ha listed off-site by May 2025; 58 ha (2%) sold","src":5},{"t":"Sheffield University review of 42 housing projects: 53% of promised ecological features in place; 41% of councils had no ecologist","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"Natural England statutory credit reports, 2025–2026","nature":[{"label":"Natural England spending on nature, first year","amount":0}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Statutory credit revenue, first reported figure","amount":0.20618},{"label":"Statutory credit revenue, second reported figure","amount":0.4261}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Promised features in place","v":"53%","d":"42 housing projects reviewed by Sheffield University"},{"k":"Off-site land sold","v":"2%","d":"58 ha of about 3,000 ha listed, May 2025"},{"k":"Species coverage of the metric","v":"Plants, not birds or butterflies","d":"Early-adopter council review"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an average private unit price of about £30,000 in 2024 on one marketplace.","Unconfirmed: a phosphorus price of up to £42,500 per kilogram in local nutrient credit markets.","How much of the Nature Restoration Fund levy will reach habitat: no figures in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not say what Natural England did with the £206,180 collected in the first year, other than that nothing was spent on nature."],"evidence":["no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not report whether biodiversity losses were reduced.","whoPaid":"Developers pay for units or credits; the cited sources do not trace the cost further.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: BNG remains in force with small sites exempted from 6 August 2026; no evaluation of ecological outcomes found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"uk-government","says":"Statutory credit prices were deliberately set high enough not to compete with the private market.","when":"2024–2026","src":null},{"actor":"environment-bank","says":"Said it owned more than 40% of the sites on the national register and sold to the largest housebuilders.","when":"February 2025","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"natural-england","role":"Sells statutory credits, buys private units, keeps the register"},{"id":"environment-bank","role":"Habitat bank"},{"id":"uk-government","role":"Sets the rule and the credit prices"},{"id":"dual-group","role":"Insurer (BNG cover)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does the measured gain match gain on the ground?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Sheffield University review","says":"Of 42 housing projects, 53% of the promised ecological features were in place; 41% of councils had no ecologist.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK government","says":"The rule requires a 10% gain measured with the biodiversity metric.","src":null}]},{"point":"Does the Nature Restoration Fund levy weaken the obligation?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Environmental watchdog","says":"Called the draft Planning and Infrastructure Bill a regression.","src":2}]},{"point":"Is the statutory credit price a market price or a deterrent?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"UK government","says":"Prices were deliberately kept high enough not to compete with the private market.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Natural England","says":"Reports show it paid about £11,900 per private unit while the cheapest statutory tier costs a developer £84,000 per unit.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[{"insurer":"DUAL (Howden MGA)","insured":"Highlands Rewilding, Bunloit estate","status":"unknown","year":2025,"summary":"In November 2025 DUAL launched what it described as the first biodiversity net gain and carbon unit cover, which pays for substitute units. Bidwells said such insurance \"must exclude\" losses caused by landowner failure and that 30-year risks are hard to quantify; Kennedys described it as \"a gap in the market\".","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"statutory_credit_price_low","value":42000,"unit":"GBP per credit","year":2024,"note":"Lower end of the Natural England statutory credit range; two credits per unit."},{"key":"statutory_credit_price_high","value":650000,"unit":"GBP per credit","year":2024,"note":"Upper end of the range."},{"key":"revenue","value":206180,"unit":"GBP","year":2025,"note":"Natural England statutory credit revenue, first year; no spending on nature."},{"key":"revenue","value":426100,"unit":"GBP","year":2026,"note":"Second statutory credit revenue figure reported."},{"key":"private_units_bought","value":44.6,"unit":"units","year":2026,"note":"Bought by Natural England in Lincolnshire for £530,000, about £11,900 per unit."},{"key":"area_ha","value":3000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Listed on the off-site market by May 2025; 58 ha (2%) sold."},{"key":"area_ha_sold","value":58,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Sold of the listed area by May 2025."},{"key":"features_in_place","value":53,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Of promised ecological features, 42 housing projects (Sheffield University)."},{"key":"nutrient_scheme_price_per_home","value":2675,"unit":"GBP per home","year":2025,"note":"First Environmental Delivery Plan, Norfolk, water pollution; 15,780 homes, 100 years."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A mandatory 10% biodiversity net gain rule for major building projects in England, with a private off-site unit market and a state-run statutory credit of last resort.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Environment Bank","what":"Said it owned more than 40% of the sites on the national register and sold to the largest housebuilders.","src":1},{"who":"Natural England","what":"Collected £206,180 from statutory credits in its first year.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"England; first Environmental Delivery Plan in Norfolk.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Mandatory since February 2024; small sites exempted 6 August 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The government wrote that statutory credit prices were set deliberately high so as not to compete with the private market.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Developers meet the gain on site, buy private off-site units, or as a last resort buy statutory credits from Natural England.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Biodiversity net gain statutory credits report, 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026","p":"GOV.UK","d":"2026-06-15","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biodiversity-net-gain-bng-statutory-credit-reports-2025-to-2026/biodiversity-net-gain-bng-statutory-credits-report-1-april-2025-to-31-march-2026"},{"t":"Biodiversity net gain market is thriving, says Environment Bank","p":"Property Reporter","d":"2025-02-12","type":"press","u":"https://propertyreporter.co.uk/biodiversity-net-gain-market-is-thriving-environment-bank.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251209170814/https://www.propertyreporter.co.uk/biodiversity-net-gain-market-is-thriving-environment-bank.html"},{"t":"Planning and Infrastructure Bill represents legislative regression, environmental watchdog says","p":"Local Government Lawyer","d":"2025-05-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/environment/766-environmental-news/60833-planning-and-infrastructure-bill-represents-legislative-regression-environmental-watchdog-says","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251211182606/https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/environment/766-environmental-news/60833-planning-and-infrastructure-bill-represents-legislative-regression-environmental-watchdog-says"},{"t":"Overcoming the challenges faced by habitat banks","p":"Bidwells","d":null,"type":"company","u":"https://www.bidwells.co.uk/insights-reports-events/overcoming-the-challenges-faced-by-habitat-banks","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418195955/https://www.bidwells.co.uk/insights-reports-events/overcoming-the-challenges-faced-by-habitat-banks/"},{"t":"DUAL launches first insurance product to support biodiversity net gain","p":"DUAL","d":"2025-11","type":"company","u":"https://www.dualgroup.com/news-and-media/dual-launches-first-insurance-product-to-support-biodiversity-net-gain","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260327132552/https://www.dualgroup.com/news-and-media/dual-launches-first-insurance-product-to-support-biodiversity-net-gain"},{"t":"Oxford Nature Recovery Research Centre (Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery): BNG off-site market, first year and quarter (to May 2025)","p":"University of Oxford, Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery","d":"2025-06","u":"https://naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk/?p=3177","type":"academic"},{"t":"House-builders exposed for cheating on nature commitments (University of Sheffield study for Wild Justice; RTPI)","p":"The Construction Index","d":"2025-05-12","u":"https://www.theconstructionindex.co.uk/news/view/house-builders-exposed-for-cheating-on-nature-commitments?amp=1","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["dual-biodiversity-net-gain-insurance-bunloit"],"natureLead":{"t":"Of the ecological features promised for me on 42 housing projects in England, 53% were in place, a Sheffield University study found.","src":[6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the measured gain match gain on the ground?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the Nature Restoration Fund levy weaken the obligation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the statutory credit price a market price or a deterrent?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"DUAL (Howden MGA): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an average private unit price of about £30,000 in 2024 on one marketplace.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a phosphorus price of up to £42,500 per kilogram in local nutrient credit markets.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the Nature Restoration Fund levy will reach habitat: no figures in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what Natural England did with the £206,180 collected in the first year, other than that nothing was spent on nature.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"offshore-wind-wake-effect-disputes","title":"Offshore wind wake effect disputes (Ørsted, UK and Germany)","dek":"Offshore wind farms slow the wind for farms downwind of them. In UK and German waters, developers dispute who bears the resulting losses, and UK law does not define the effect.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":54.75,"lon":2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"event","lat":54.75,"lon":2},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy"],"headline":{"label":"Lifetime loss claimed by Equinor and SSE from RWE's Dogger Bank South project","value":"US$778 million","note":"A claim by the two companies, not a finding."},"happened":["Behind a wind turbine the air is slower and more turbulent. Wind farms downwind of another farm receive less wind; this is called the wake effect. RenewEconomy reported in May 2025 that the effect cut the output of the downwind farm by 5% to 20% and could extend up to 70 kilometres. About 20 gigawatts of projects in UK waters were involved in such disputes.","Equinor and SSE said RWE's Dogger Bank South project would cause their farms lifetime losses of US$778 million. RWE's UK executive said developers should live with the risk they took.","A law firm note of June 2025 (Watson Farley & Williams) stated that the wake effect and \"wind theft\" are not defined in British law. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband asked for an assessment of the effect of a new BP and EnBW plant in the Irish Sea on Ørsted's plants. The renewable energy national policy statement EN-3, in force from 6 January 2026, expects a newcomer to make \"reasonable efforts\" and assess the wake effect, but states that the planning system will not decide wake-loss compensation, which is a commercial matter between companies.","In Germany, a 2020 study for the North Sea coast showed wind weakening as more farms were built. In May 2026 TotalEnergies filed a position in the parliamentary lobby register asking that the Offshore Wind Act (WindSeeG) provide that later-tendered sites must not devalue sites already awarded. In August 2025 two North Sea sites had received no bids."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Study of the German North Sea coast: wind weakens as farms increase"},{"y":2025,"t":"May: RenewEconomy reports 5–20% wake losses up to 70 km and about 20 GW of UK projects in dispute; June: Watson Farley & Williams note says the effect is undefined in British law; August: two German North Sea sites receive no bids"},{"y":2026,"t":"6 January: EN-3 in force; May: TotalEnergies lobby-register position on WindSeeG"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Wake effect and \"wind theft\" are not defined in British law (law firm note, June 2025)","src":2},{"t":"EN-3 states that planning will not decide wake-loss compensation","src":3},{"t":"Two German North Sea sites received no bids in August 2025","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"claimed lifetime loss","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Downwind output loss","v":"5–20%","d":"Reported by RenewEconomy, May 2025; effect up to 70 km"},{"k":"UK capacity in dispute","v":"About 20 GW","d":"Reported 2025"},{"k":"Wake effect in UK law","v":"Not defined","d":"Law firm note, June 2025"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in its planning filings Ørsted stated that protections against wake effects are in consent conditions for Awel y Môr (condition 25), Mona, Morecambe and Outer Dowsing (decision of 10 February 2026) but not in Five Estuaries, and that it withdrew its objection to Morgan after a commercial agreement.","Unconfirmed: Ørsted estimated its own loss from Dogger Bank South at £84 million to £295 million.","Unconfirmed: a University of Bergen study states that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not regulate cross-border wake effects.","No source states who ultimately bears wake-loss compensation when it is settled commercially."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not report any change in the wake effect.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who pays; compensation is left to commercial negotiation under EN-3.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: no ruling or settlement of the Dogger Bank South wake dispute found; EN-3 leaves compensation to commercial agreement.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"rwe","says":"Its UK executive said developers should live with the risk they took.","when":"2025","src":null},{"actor":"totalenergies","says":"Filed a position in the German parliamentary lobby register asking that later-tendered sites must not devalue sites already awarded.","when":"May 2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"orsted","role":"Operator of existing UK offshore wind farms"},{"id":"rwe","role":"Developer of Dogger Bank South"},{"id":"equinor","role":"Claimant over Dogger Bank South wake losses"},{"id":"sse","role":"Claimant over Dogger Bank South wake losses"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Lobbied on German tender rules"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who bears wake-effect losses between neighbouring wind farms?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Equinor and SSE","says":"Said Dogger Bank South would cause their farms lifetime losses of US$778 million.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"RWE","says":"Its UK executive said developers should live with the risk they took.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK planning policy (EN-3)","says":"The planning system will not decide compensation; it is a commercial matter between companies.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"wake_loss_min","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Lower end of downwind farm output reduction reported by RenewEconomy."},{"key":"wake_loss_max","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Upper end of downwind farm output reduction reported by RenewEconomy."},{"key":"wake_distance_km","value":70,"unit":"km","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Reported by RenewEconomy."},{"key":"capacity_in_dispute","value":20,"unit":"GW","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"UK capacity involved in wake disputes."},{"key":"claim","value":778,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Lifetime loss claimed by Equinor and SSE from Dogger Bank South."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Disputes between offshore wind developers over losses caused when an upwind farm slows the wind reaching a downwind farm.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Equinor and SSE","what":"Claimed lifetime losses of US$778 million from Dogger Bank South.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"UK waters (Dogger Bank, Irish Sea) and the German North Sea.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2020–2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"UK law does not define wake effects and EN-3 leaves compensation to commercial agreement.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Newcomers are expected to make reasonable efforts and assess wake effects; compensation is negotiated commercially.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Ørsted IPs: response to February 2026 request for information","p":"Planning Inspectorate (Ørsted submission)","d":"2026-02","type":"company","u":"https://nsip-documents.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/published-documents/EN010125-002614-Orsted%20IPs%20-%20Response%20to%20February%202026%20RfI.pdf"},{"t":"Ørsted IPs: comments on further information submissions received by Deadline 6","p":"Planning Inspectorate (Ørsted submission)","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://nsip-documents.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/published-documents/EN010125-001933-Orsted%20IPs%20-%20Comments%20on%20any%20further%20information/%20submissions%20received%20by%20Deadline%206.pdf","dead":true},{"t":"The great wind robbery","p":"Watson Farley & Williams","d":"2025-06-03","u":"https://www.wfw.com/articles/the-great-wind-robbery/","type":"press"},{"t":"Supplementary guidance for renewable energy infrastructure (EN-3): offshore wind wake effects","p":"UK Government (DESNZ), GOV.UK","d":"2026-01-06","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-policy-statement-for-renewable-energy-infrastructure-en-3-2025/supplementary-guidance-for-renewable-energy-infrastructure-en-3-offshore-wind-wake-effects-accessible-webpage","type":"official"},{"t":"Ausschreibungen nach § 50 WindSeeG für die zentral voruntersuchten Flächen N-10.1 und N-10.2 (Übersicht 2025)","p":"Bundesnetzagentur","d":"2026-01-30","u":"https://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/DE/Beschlusskammern/BK06/BK6_72_Offshore/Ausschr_vorunters_Flaechen/2025/uebersicht_ausschreibungen_2025.html?nn=664748","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"wake-effect","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who bears wake-effect losses between neighbouring wind farms?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in its planning filings Ørsted stated that protections against wake effects are in consent conditions for Awel y Môr (condition 25), Mona, Morecambe and Outer Dowsing (decision of 10 February 2026) but not in Five Estuaries, and that it withdrew its objection to Morgan after a commercial agreement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ørsted estimated its own loss from Dogger Bank South at £84 million to £295 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a University of Bergen study states that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not regulate cross-border wake effects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source states who ultimately bears wake-loss compensation when it is settled commercially.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Equinor and SSE"]},{"id":"mkuju-river-uranium-mine-and-selous-boundary-change","title":"Mkuju River uranium mine and the Selous boundary change","dek":"In 2012 the World Heritage Committee approved a change to the boundary of Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve so that a uranium mine could be developed, calling the decision exceptional. A pilot processing plant opened in July 2025.","country":"Tanzania","region":"Africa","lat":-10.2,"lon":37.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":"Namtumbo (pilot plant); Selous Game Reserve","lat":-10.2,"lon":37.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":"Selous Game Reserve","role":"affected"}],"start":2009,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2012-07","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the reserve removed for the mine, as stated by the minister (2012)","value":"0.8%","note":"Statement by the minister; the Committee decision does not give the size of the excised area and advocacy sources give about 200 km²."},"happened":["The Mkuju River uranium project lies inside the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, a World Heritage site of 50,000 square kilometres. ARMZ, a subsidiary of the Russian state nuclear company Rosatom, acquired the project in 2011 by buying the Australian company Mantra Resources. In 2012 the project was run by Uranium One on behalf of ARMZ, which held 51%.","In July 2012 the World Heritage Committee, in decision 36 COM 8B.43, approved a change to the reserve's boundary to allow mining. The decision stated that boundary changes made for mining should go through the 'significant modification' procedure and expressed regret that the request had been submitted as a 'minor modification'. It approved the change nonetheless, as an exceptional and unique case. The conditions included adding a new area of forest in its place, no mining in the remaining area, and a contribution by investors to a conservation fund. Local people are mentioned in one clause only, on respect for their economic and social needs.","Tanzania's Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Kagasheki, said in 2012 that the area to be excised was 'only 0.8%' of the reserve and that the mine would give the country an opportunity to meet its social and economic goals. The decision text does not state the size of the excised area. Advocacy sources give about 200 square kilometres, whereas 0.8% of 50,000 square kilometres corresponds to about 400 square kilometres.","The reserve's condition was already under pressure. Selous was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2014 after its elephant count fell from about 70,000 in 2005 to 13,000 in 2013. In 2018 the Julius Nyerere dam, inside the reserve, was added to the grounds for the danger listing. A 2,115-megawatt dam inside the reserve is also recorded as approved. Uranium Network estimated that the mine would produce 60 million tonnes of radioactive and toxic waste over ten years.","A pilot processing plant was opened on 31 July 2025 by Mantra Tanzania, a Rosatom subsidiary, with the president attending. The main plant is planned for 3,000 tonnes a year and expected to start in 2029. The government holds a 20% share; the sources record expectations of 'hundreds of jobs' from the pilot plant and a dividend of about US$ 40 million a year on the state's share."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Start of the period covered by the record (2009 to 2019)"},{"y":2011,"t":"ARMZ (Rosatom) acquires the Australian company Mantra Resources and with it the Mkuju River project"},{"y":2012,"t":"July: World Heritage Committee approves the boundary change for the mine (36 COM 8B.43); minister says the excised area is 'only 0.8%'"},{"y":2013,"t":"Report to the Committee in February did not cover implementation of the decision; elephant count at 13,000"},{"y":2014,"t":"Selous placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger"},{"y":2018,"t":"Julius Nyerere dam inside the reserve added to the grounds for danger listing (decision 43 COM 7A.16, 2019)"},{"y":2025,"t":"31 July: pilot uranium processing plant opened; main plant planned for 2029"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The excised area is 'only 0.8%' of the reserve and the mine gives the country an opportunity to meet its social and economic goals.","who":"Kagasheki, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, 2012 (paraphrased from the record)","src":0},{"t":"The pilot plant would create 'hundreds of jobs' and the state's 20% share is expected to pay a dividend of about US$ 40 million a year.","who":"Expectations recorded for the 2025 pilot plant opening","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"The World Heritage Committee approved the boundary change in July 2012 as 'exceptional and unique' while regretting that it had been submitted as a 'minor modification'.","src":1},{"t":"The decision does not state the size of the excised area; advocacy sources say about 200 km², while the minister's 0.8% corresponds to about 400 km².","src":1},{"t":"Elephants in Selous fell from about 70,000 (2006) to 13,000 (2013); the site was listed as in danger in 2014.","src":2},{"t":"ARMZ (Rosatom) held 51% of the project in 2012; Mantra Tanzania, a Rosatom subsidiary, opened the pilot plant on 31 July 2025.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Elephants in the reserve","v":"About 70,000 to 13,000","d":"2005 to 2013; Selous listed as in danger in 2014"},{"k":"Area removed for the mine","v":"Not stated in the decision","d":"Minister: 0.8%; advocacy sources: about 200 km²"},{"k":"Estimated mine waste","v":"60 million tonnes in 10 years","d":"Estimate by Uranium Network"}]},"unknown":["The Committee decision does not give the size of the excised area; the minister's 0.8% and the advocacy figure of about 200 km² do not match.","A February 2013 report to the Committee did not cover implementation of the decision's conditions.","Unconfirmed: a reports of a World Nuclear News article gives the excised area as 41,286 hectares (0.8%). It was not checked against the Committee decision.","Unconfirmed: that a dam inside the reserve was built after the boundary decision."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not record any limit on the mine's development after the boundary change; a pilot plant opened in July 2025 and the main plant is planned for 2029.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources. The sources list the reserve's elephant decline and the dam among the grounds for the danger listing; it does not state who bore the costs of the mine.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: pilot processing plant opened; main plant planned for 2029.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"tanzania-government","says":"The minister said the area to be excised was only 0.8% of the reserve and that the mine gave the country an opportunity to achieve its social and economic goals.","when":"2012","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"rosatom","role":"Russian state nuclear company; parent of ARMZ and Mantra Tanzania"},{"id":"uranium-one","role":"Ran the project in 2012 on behalf of ARMZ"},{"id":"mantra-tanzania","role":"Rosatom subsidiary that opened the pilot plant in 2025"},{"id":"world-heritage-committee","role":"Approved the boundary change in 2012"},{"id":"tanzania-gov","role":"Government; 20% share in the project"},{"id":"uranium-network","role":"Source of the waste estimate"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large is the area removed from the reserve?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kagasheki, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism","says":"Said in 2012 that the area to be excised was only 0.8% of the reserve.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Advocacy sources","says":"Give an area of about 200 square kilometres.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee (36 COM 8B.43)","says":"The decision does not give the size of the excised area.","src":null}]},{"point":"Do the mine's benefits outweigh its effect on the reserve?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Tanzanian government / project backers","says":"Expected 'hundreds of jobs' from the pilot plant and a dividend of about US$ 40 million a year on the state's 20% share.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Uranium Network","says":"Estimated that the mine would produce 60 million tonnes of radioactive and toxic waste in 10 years.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee","says":"Approved the change as exceptional and unique, with conditions including a new forest area, no mining in the remainder, and investor contributions to a conservation fund; regretted that it was submitted as a minor modification.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":41286,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: figure of a World Nuclear News article; the decision itself gives no size."},{"key":"reserve_area_km2","value":50000,"unit":"km2","year":2012,"note":"Size of the Selous Game Reserve World Heritage site."},{"key":"excised_share_pct","value":0.8,"unit":"%","year":2012,"note":"Share of the reserve to be excised, as stated by the minister."},{"key":"excised_area_km2","value":200,"unit":"km2","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Figure given by advocacy sources."},{"key":"elephants_count","value":70000,"unit":"animals","year":2005,"qualifier":"about","note":"Elephant count in Selous before the decline."},{"key":"elephants_count","value":13000,"unit":"animals","year":2013,"note":"Elephant count in Selous; the reason given for the 2014 danger listing."},{"key":"dam_capacity_mw","value":2115,"unit":"MW","year":2012,"note":"Dam inside the reserve recorded as approved."},{"key":"tailings_tonnes","value":60000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2012,"est":true,"note":"Uranium Network estimate of radioactive and toxic waste over 10 years."},{"key":"state_share_pct","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Government's share in the project."},{"key":"dividend_expected","value":40,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Expected dividend on the state's 20% share."},{"key":"plant_capacity","value":3000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2029,"note":"Planned for the main plant, expected to start in 2029; the cited sources do not name the product unit."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Heritage Committee approved a change to the boundary of the Selous Game Reserve so that the Mkuju River uranium mine could be developed.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ARMZ / Rosatom (51% of the project in 2012) and Uranium One as operator","what":"Rights to develop the uranium project after the boundary change.","src":0},{"who":"Tanzanian government","what":"20% share in the project; expected dividend of about US$ 40 million a year.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Local people","what":"Mentioned in the Committee decision in one clause, on respect for their economic and social needs.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Selous Game Reserve","what":"Area excised for the mine; elephants fell from about 70,000 (2005) to 13,000 (2013); the Julius Nyerere dam was added to the danger grounds in 2018.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Mkuju River, Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania; pilot plant at Namtumbo.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Committee decision July 2012; pilot plant opened 31 July 2025; main plant planned for 2029.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The minister said the mine would give the country an opportunity to achieve its social and economic goals and that only 0.8% of the reserve was involved.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a Committee decision made under the 'significant modification' procedure for mining-related boundary changes, approved as exceptional with conditions.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Mkuju River boundary change","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2012-07-06","type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/mkuju-river-boundary-change","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153553/https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/mkuju-river-boundary-change"},{"t":"Decision 36 COM 8B.43: Selous Game Reserve (United Republic of Tanzania) - boundary modification","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee (36th session, 2012)","d":"2012","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4814","type":"official"},{"t":"Aerial Census of Large Animals in the Selous-Mikumi Ecosystem, Dry Season 2013 (population status of African elephant)","p":"Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI)","d":"2013","u":"https://tzdpg.or.tz/storage/2022/09/Aerial-Elephant-Census-Selous-Mikumi-Dry-season-2013.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"My elephants in the Selous reserve fell from about 70,000 in 2005 to 13,000 in 2013, an aerial census by the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute recorded.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How large is the area removed from the reserve?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the mine's benefits outweigh its effect on the reserve?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Area (ha): Unconfirmed: figure of a World Nuclear News article; the decision itself gives no size.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Committee decision does not give the size of the excised area; the minister's 0.8% and the advocacy figure of about 200 km² do not match.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A February 2013 report to the Committee did not cover implementation of the decision's conditions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a reports of a World Nuclear News article gives the excised area as 41,286 hectares (0.8%). It was not checked against the Committee decision.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a dam inside the reserve was built after the boundary decision.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Tanzanian government","No source link — Who lost: Local people","No source link — Who harmed: Selous Game Reserve"]},{"id":"indonesia-halmahera-iwip-nickel-complex-and-hongana-manyawa","title":"Halmahera nickel complex (IWIP, Weda Bay) and the Hongana Manyawa","dek":"Nickel mines and smelters on the Indonesian island of Halmahera overlap the territory of the Hongana Manyawa, some of whom live without contact with the outside world. Climate Rights International and other groups report forest clearance, river pollution and health effects; companies dispute parts of the account.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":0.5,"lon":127.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Halmahera, North Maluku","lat":0.5,"lon":127.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Lelilef; Sagea and Ake Jira rivers","role":"affected"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","role":"company-home"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Tropical forest cleared in Halmahera nickel licence areas by end-2023 (at least)","value":"5,331 ha","note":"Figure from Climate Rights International, as reported by BHRRC and Mongabay."},"happened":["The Indonesia Weda Bay Industrial Park (IWIP) on Halmahera island is a nickel processing complex. IWIP's partners are Tsingshan, Huayou and Zhenshi. The Weda Bay Nickel mining company is owned by Tsingshan (51%), Eramet (39%) and Antam (10%). Its licence area is about 45,000 hectares. Indonesia banned raw nickel exports in 2020 and presents domestic processing as the basis of an electric-vehicle battery industry.","The complex runs on coal. IWIP relies on 14 captive coal plants, not connected to the grid, with a capacity of 4.54 gigawatts and annual emissions of about 28.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide at full operation. Across Indonesia, captive coal capacity reached 19.3 gigawatts in July 2025, and all new additions were tied to nickel, made possible by a 'national strategic project' exception to Presidential Regulation 112/2022, which otherwise bans new coal plants. According to the energy research group CREA, 83% of Indonesia's 2025 nickel output went to stainless steel and 17% to batteries.","Climate Rights International (CRI) reported that at least 5,331 hectares of tropical forest were cleared in Halmahera nickel licence areas by the end of 2023. Other records cited in the sources include a rise in acute respiratory infection cases at the Lelilef village clinic from 434 in 2020 to 10,579 in 2023, at least 13 serious floods since IWIP was established, chromium and nickel above limits in the Sagea and Ake Jira rivers, and arsenic in gulf fish about 20 times higher than in 2007. IWIP and Weda Bay Nickel say they are not responsible for the pollution at Sagea.","Survival International says the Hongana Manyawa number about 3,500, that about 500 of them live without contact with the outside world, and that at least 19 companies mine on their land. It says more than three quarters of the Weda Bay Nickel licence area overlaps this territory and cites leaked reports it says show the company has known of uncontacted people since 2013. Eramet says it has found no evidence of uncontacted people. In November 2025 Ngigoro protested at Eramet's Paris headquarters. Most of the figures on the Hongana Manyawa come from an advocacy organisation; no independent count exists.","In September 2025 an Indonesian forest task force seized 148 hectares of Weda Bay Nickel's area, which it said was an unpermitted area of 444 hectares, and set a penalty of 6.5 billion rupiah per hectare for nickel; 71 companies were fined a total of 38.9 trillion rupiah. In June 2024 BASF withdrew from a planned US$ 2.6 billion project with Eramet on Halmahera; the cited sources do not give BASF's reason."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Year from which, according to Survival International citing leaked reports, Eramet knew of uncontacted people in the area"},{"y":2018,"t":"Start of the ownership record for IWIP and Weda Bay Nickel"},{"y":2020,"t":"Indonesia bans raw nickel exports; Lelilef clinic records 434 acute respiratory infection cases"},{"y":2023,"t":"By end-2023 at least 5,331 ha of forest cleared in Halmahera nickel licence areas (CRI); Lelilef clinic records 10,579 acute respiratory infection cases"},{"y":2024,"t":"July: floods displace 1,726 people (1 death recorded); June: BASF withdraws from the Sonic Bay project with Eramet; Survival International publishes its Hongana Manyawa figures"},{"y":2025,"t":"June: groundbreaking of a battery plant partnered with CATL; July: captive coal capacity 19.3 GW; September: forest task force seizes 148 ha of Weda Bay Nickel's area; 27 November: Ngigoro protests at Eramet's Paris headquarters"},{"y":2026,"t":"China Global South publishes CELIOS analysis of the Weda Bay expansion (9 October); Weda Bay 2026 quota reduced to 12 from 32 million wet metric tonnes (as reported)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A groundbreaking in June 2025 for a US$ 6 to 7 billion battery plant partnered with CATL, promoted as the 'world's first integrated mine-to-battery ecosystem'.","who":"As promoted at the June 2025 groundbreaking (promoter: none on record)","src":null},{"t":"Launch of 11 industrial projects worth US$ 10.2 billion on Halmahera.","who":"President Prabowo Subianto","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"At least 5,331 hectares of tropical forest cleared in Halmahera nickel licence areas by the end of 2023.","src":3},{"t":"Captive coal plants at IWIP: 14 plants, 4.54 GW, about 28.6 million tonnes of CO₂ a year at full operation.","src":1},{"t":"Chromium and nickel above limits in the Sagea and Ake Jira rivers; arsenic in gulf fish about 20 times higher than in 2007.","src":2},{"t":"Forest task force seized 148 ha of Weda Bay Nickel's area in September 2025, of an unpermitted area of 444 ha.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest cleared in licence areas","v":"At least 5,331 ha","d":"By end-2023 (Climate Rights International)"},{"k":"Arsenic in gulf fish","v":"About 20 times the 2007 level","d":"As reported by CELIOS via China Global South"},{"k":"Captive coal power at IWIP","v":"14 plants, 4.54 GW","d":"About 28.6 million tonnes of CO₂ a year at full operation"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Forest clearance, river measurements and fish samples reported by Climate Rights International and CELIOS; company denials noted in the disputes.","report":[{"t":"At least 5,331 hectares of my tropical forest in the Halmahera nickel licence areas had been cleared by the end of 2023.","src":3},{"t":"Chromium and nickel in my Sagea and Ake Jira rivers were measured above the limit.","src":2},{"t":"Arsenic in the fish of the gulf was found to be 20 times higher than in 2007.","src":2},{"t":"The coal plants that power the complex can emit about 28.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year when running at full capacity.","src":1}]},"unknown":["The exact site of the CATL-partnered battery plant is not known; one record places the groundbreaking within 12 miles of where an uncontacted group was filmed.","Eramet's full-year 2025 results are not on record.","No independent count of the Hongana Manyawa exists; population, uncontacted numbers and the licence overlap come from Survival International.","Unconfirmed: the account of Eramet's knowledge of uncontacted people since 2013 rests on reports Survival International says were leaked."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no end to the clearance or discharges. In September 2025 the state seized 148 hectares of Weda Bay Nickel's area for unpermitted forest use; the licence area is about 45,000 hectares.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources. The reports cited describe the forest, the Sagea and Ake Jira rivers, gulf fish, Lelilef residents and the Hongana Manyawa as affected.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the state seizure of 148 ha of Weda Bay Nickel's area (September 2025) is the only enforcement action in the cited sources; Survival International and Eramet still differ over whether uncontacted people live in the licence area.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"eramet","says":"Said it has found no evidence of uncontacted people in its licence area.","when":"2024","src":null},{"actor":"iwip","says":"IWIP and Weda Bay Nickel said they are not responsible for the pollution at Sagea.","when":"2025-2026","src":null},{"actor":"weda-bay-nickel","says":"Said, with IWIP, that it is not responsible for the pollution at Sagea.","when":"2025-2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"tsingshan","role":"51% owner of Weda Bay Nickel; IWIP co-founder"},{"id":"eramet","role":"39% owner of Weda Bay Nickel"},{"id":"antam","role":"10% owner of Weda Bay Nickel"},{"id":"huayou","role":"IWIP partner; investor in three refineries there"},{"id":"iwip","role":"Industrial park operator"},{"id":"weda-bay-nickel","role":"Nickel mining company on Halmahera"},{"id":"basf","role":"Withdrew from a project with Eramet in 2024"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Source of Hongana Manyawa figures"},{"id":"climate-rights-international","role":"Source of forest-loss figure"},{"id":"indonesia-forest-task-force","role":"Seized 148 ha in September 2025"},{"id":"catl","role":"Partner in the June 2025 battery plant"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do uncontacted Hongana Manyawa live in the Weda Bay licence area?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"About 500 of the roughly 3,500 Hongana Manyawa live without contact; more than three quarters of the Weda Bay Nickel licence overlaps their land; leaked reports show the company has known since 2013.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Eramet","says":"Found no evidence that uncontacted people live in the area.","src":null}]},{"point":"Who is responsible for the pollution of the Sagea river?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"CELIOS, via China Global South","says":"Chromium and nickel were measured above limits in the Sagea and Ake Jira rivers, and arsenic in gulf fish was about 20 times higher than in 2007.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"IWIP and Weda Bay Nickel","says":"Say they are not responsible for the pollution at Sagea.","src":null}]},{"point":"Has the government acted equally on nickel permits elsewhere?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Noted that the government revoked nickel permits in Raja Ampat to protect tourism but did not take the same step for the Hongana Manyawa.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Forest task force","says":"Seized 148 hectares of Weda Bay Nickel's 444-hectare unpermitted area in September 2025.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":5331,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Tropical forest cleared in Halmahera nickel licence areas by end-2023 (CRI)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":75000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Forest cleared for nickel in Indonesia as a whole (Mighty Earth); a further 500,000 ha lies within concessions."},{"key":"area_ha","value":45000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Weda Bay Nickel licence area."},{"key":"seized_ha","value":148,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Weda Bay Nickel area seized by the forest task force in September 2025; unpermitted area 444 ha."},{"key":"fine","value":6.5,"unit":"IDR bn per ha","year":2025,"note":"Penalty rate set for nickel, September 2025."},{"key":"fine","value":38.9,"unit":"IDR trillion","year":2025,"note":"Total penalties imposed on 71 companies, September 2025."},{"key":"people_affected","value":3500,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Hongana Manyawa population (Survival International)."},{"key":"uncontacted_people","value":500,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Hongana Manyawa living without contact (Survival International)."},{"key":"companies_in_territory","value":19,"unit":"companies","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Companies mining on Hongana Manyawa land (Survival International)."},{"key":"respiratory_cases","value":434,"unit":"cases","year":2020,"note":"Acute respiratory infection cases at the Lelilef village clinic."},{"key":"respiratory_cases","value":10579,"unit":"cases","year":2023,"note":"Acute respiratory infection cases at the Lelilef village clinic."},{"key":"floods","value":13,"unit":"floods","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Serious floods since IWIP was established."},{"key":"displaced","value":1726,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Displaced by floods in July 2024; 1 death recorded."},{"key":"coal_capacity_gw","value":4.54,"unit":"GW","year":2025,"note":"14 captive coal plants at IWIP."},{"key":"co2_tonnes_per_year","value":28600000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Annual emissions of the captive plants at full operation."},{"key":"investment","value":10.2,"unit":"USD bn","year":2025,"note":"Eleven industrial projects launched on Halmahera."},{"key":"investment","value":2.6,"unit":"USD bn","year":2024,"note":"Project from which BASF withdrew."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A nickel mining and processing complex on Halmahera, powered by captive coal, overlaps the territory of the Hongana Manyawa; groups report forest clearance, river and fish contamination and health effects, and companies dispute parts of this account.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tsingshan","what":"51% of Weda Bay Nickel; co-founder of IWIP.","src":1},{"who":"Eramet","what":"39% of Weda Bay Nickel.","src":1},{"who":"Antam","what":"10% of Weda Bay Nickel.","src":1},{"who":"Huayou","what":"IWIP partner; investor in three refineries there.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Hongana Manyawa","what":"More than three quarters of the Weda Bay Nickel licence area overlaps their territory (Survival International).","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Tropical forest","what":"At least 5,331 ha cleared by end-2023.","src":3},{"who":"Sagea and Ake Jira rivers and gulf fish","what":"Chromium, nickel and arsenic reported above limits or earlier levels.","src":2},{"who":"Residents of Lelilef","what":"Respiratory infection cases at the village clinic rose from 434 (2020) to 10,579 (2023).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Halmahera island, North Maluku, Indonesia (IWIP, Weda Bay).","src":1},"when":{"t":"From 2018 to 2026 in the cited sources; seizure in September 2025.","src":5},"why":{"t":"Indonesia banned raw nickel exports in 2020 and promotes domestic processing for an electric-vehicle battery industry.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Through nickel mining and refining powered by captive coal plants, under a 'national strategic project' exception to the ban on new coal plants.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Survival International news, Ngigoro protests at Eramet's Paris headquarters","p":"Survival International","d":"2025-11-27","type":"ngo","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/14383","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012125602/https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/14383"},{"t":"Climate Rights International report on Halmahera nickel","p":"Climate Rights International","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://cri.org/reports/ongoing-harms-limited-accountability/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616175253/https://cri.org/reports/ongoing-harms-limited-accountability/"},{"t":"Indonesia Weda Bay nickel expansion and environmental limits (CELIOS analysis)","p":"China Global South","d":"2026-10-09","type":"press","u":"https://chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/indonesia-weda-bay-nickel-expansion-environmental-limits/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009045237/https://chinaglobalsouth.com/analysis/indonesia-weda-bay-nickel-expansion-environmental-limits/"},{"t":"Indonesia nickel concessions result in deforestation, adverse human rights impacts, Mighty Earth report finds","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2024-05-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/indonesia-nickel-concessions-result-to-deforestation-adverse-human-rights-impacts-mighty-earth-report-finds/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250916055239/https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/indonesia-nickel-concessions-result-to-deforestation-adverse-human-rights-impacts-mighty-earth-report-finds/"},{"t":"Indonesian nickel project harms environment and human rights, report says","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-02","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/indonesian-nickel-project-harms-environment-and-human-rights-report-says/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012125646/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/02/indonesian-nickel-project-harms-environment-and-human-rights-report-says/"},{"t":"Government seizes nickel mining sites in N. Maluku, SE Sulawesi for permit violations","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2025-09-12","type":"press","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/5267/policy/government-seizes-nickel-mining-sites-in-n-maluku-se-sulawesi-for-permit-violations"},{"t":"Government seizure and penalties for nickel permit violations","p":"SMM","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://news.metal.com/newscontent/103662351"},{"t":"Weda Bay production and 2026 quota (summary of Eramet bulletin)","p":"SMM","d":"2025-10","type":"press","u":"https://news.metal.com/newscontent/103460191","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153725/https://news.metal.com/newscontent/103460191-eramets-indonesian-unit-wbn-reports-mixed-h1-2025-results-amid-mining-challenges"}],"episodes":[],"related":["imip-nickel-waste-landslides-and-obi-island","harita-nickel-kawasi-chromium-6-water-and-sago-loss"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who is responsible for the pollution of the Sagea river?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do uncontacted Hongana Manyawa live in the Weda Bay licence area?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Has the government acted equally on nickel permits elsewhere?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact site of the CATL-partnered battery plant is not known; one record places the groundbreaking within 12 miles of where an uncontacted group was filmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Eramet's full-year 2025 results are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"No independent count of the Hongana Manyawa exists; population, uncontacted numbers and the licence overlap come from Survival International.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the account of Eramet's knowledge of uncontacted people since 2013 rests on reports Survival International says were leaked.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of Lelilef"]},{"id":"great-bear-rainforest-agreement","title":"Great Bear Rainforest agreement (Canada)","dek":"A February 2016 agreement set 85% of the Great Bear Rainforest on the British Columbia coast aside as protected and left a 550,000-hectare zone open to logging. Reporting since has disputed how much old forest remains in the logging zone.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":52.5,"lon":-128.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","lat":52.5,"lon":-128.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":null,"eventDate":"2016-02-01","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Share set aside as protected vs open to logging","value":"85% / 15%","note":"As reported by AP on the agreement signed 1 February 2016; logging zone 550,000 ha."},"happened":["On 1 February 2016 the final Great Bear Rainforest agreement was announced on the British Columbia coast. AP reported that it provided for 85% of the forest to be protected, with a logging zone of 550,000 hectares and an annual allowable cut of 2.5 million cubic metres until 2026.","In November 2019 The Narwhal reported that on Gilford Island, where the forest company Interfor logged, 3% of the original old-growth forest remained as old growth. Interfor said that less than 1% of the 15% logging area was cut each year.","A study published in PNAS in 2022 covered 8,550 square kilometres around Bella Bella. It found that about 570 square kilometres were logged between 1860 and 2016, that 87% of this was in old-growth forest after 1970, and that industry took the most profitable valley-bottom forest first.","Critics described the agreement as leaving a large gap through which companies could log large old trees while the protection targets were met on paper. A Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis chief, Rick Johnson, was reported as saying that his territory had been over-logged."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Final agreement announced 1 February: 85% protected, 550,000 ha logging zone, annual allowable cut of 2.5 million m³ until 2026"},{"y":2019,"t":"The Narwhal reports that 3% of the original old-growth forest remained on Gilford Island"},{"y":2022,"t":"PNAS study of Bella Bella area logging history reported (3 October)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The agreement was reported as protecting a huge swath of the British Columbia coast from logging.","who":"Juneau Empire / AP, headline","src":0},{"t":"Christy Clark, then premier of British Columbia, announced the agreement at a ceremony at the UBC Museum of Anthropology and called it a turning point.","who":"Christy Clark (paraphrase)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"85% protected; 550,000 ha logging zone; annual allowable cut of 2.5 million m³ until 31 December 2026.","src":0},{"t":"On Gilford Island, 3% of the original old-growth forest remained as old growth.","src":1},{"t":"About 570 km² logged in an 8,550 km² area around Bella Bella, 1860–2016; 87% of it in old-growth forest after 1970.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of the region protected under the agreement","v":"85%","d":"AP, 1 February 2016"},{"k":"Old growth remaining on Gilford Island","v":"3%","d":"Share of the original old-growth forest, The Narwhal, 2019"},{"k":"Logging in the Bella Bella study area that was in post-1970 old growth","v":"87%","d":"Of about 570 km² logged, 1860–2016 (PNAS, as reported 2022)"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a first agreement was signed in 2006, and the parties to the 2016 agreement included 26 First Nations, environmental groups and forest companies.","Unconfirmed: in 2007 the federal and provincial governments set up a joint fund for First Nations-led conservation and development.","Unconfirmed: in 2023 Interfor logged 27 hectares on Gilford Island that had been proposed for deferral.","Unconfirmed: Pacific Wild's Ian McAllister said the 15% open to logging holds the largest and best low-elevation old forest.","The cited sources give no independent ecological evaluation of the logging zone since 2016."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The protected 85% is recorded as large; the cited sources report that old-growth logging continued inside the 15% logging zone.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not quantify who bore costs; a Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis chief was reported as saying his territory had been over-logged.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the allowable cut of 2.5 million m³ a year runs to 31 December 2026; the cited sources record a dispute over old-growth logging in the logging zone.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"interfor","says":"Said that less than 1% of the 15% logging area was cut each year.","when":"2019","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"interfor","role":"Forest company logging on Gilford Island"},{"id":"timberwest","role":"Forest company that continued logging"},{"id":"pacific-wild","role":"Conservation group"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much old-growth forest remains in the logging zone?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"The Narwhal","says":"On Gilford Island, 3% of the original old-growth forest remained as old growth.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Interfor","says":"Said that less than 1% of the 15% logging area was cut each year.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"PNAS study (as reported by Global News / Canadian Press)","says":"Of about 570 km² logged around Bella Bella between 1860 and 2016, 87% was in old-growth forest after 1970, with the most profitable valley bottoms taken first.","src":2}]},{"point":"Does the agreement allow old-growth logging while protection targets are met on paper?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"The Narwhal","says":"Reported criticism that the agreement left a gap through which companies could log large old trees.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Christy Clark, then premier of British Columbia","says":"Announced the agreement as a turning point.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"protected_share","value":85,"unit":"%","year":2016,"note":"Share of the region protected under the agreement (AP)."},{"key":"logging_zone_ha","value":550000,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"Logging zone under the agreement (AP)."},{"key":"allowable_cut_m3_per_year","value":2500000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2016,"note":"Annual allowable cut until 31 December 2026 (AP)."},{"key":"old_growth_remaining_share","value":3,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Share of the original old growth remaining on Gilford Island (The Narwhal)."},{"key":"area_logged_km2","value":570,"unit":"km²","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Logged 1860–2016 in an 8,550 km² area around Bella Bella; 87% in post-1970 old growth (PNAS, as reported 2022)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An agreement that protected 85% of the Great Bear Rainforest and left a 550,000-hectare zone open to logging with an annual allowable cut of 2.5 million cubic metres.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Logging companies such as Interfor, which continued to log in the zone","what":"Continued access to the logging zone","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"A Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis chief said his territory had been over-logged","what":"Reported over-logging of territory","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Old-growth forest in the logging zone","what":"3% of the original old growth remained on Gilford Island","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Great Bear Rainforest on the coast of British Columbia, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Final agreement announced on 1 February 2016; allowable cut set until 31 December 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the reasons in the documents they cite.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The agreement divided the region into a protected 85% and a logging zone of 550,000 ha with an annual allowable cut.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Deal protects huge swath of B.C. coast from logging","p":"Juneau Empire / AP","d":"2016-02-01","type":"press","u":"https://juneauempire.com/news/deal-protects-huge-swath-of-b-c-coast-from-logging"},{"t":"The Great Bear loophole: why old-growth is still logged in B.C.'s iconic protected rainforest","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2019-11-29","type":"investigative","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/the-great-bear-loophole-why-old-growth-is-still-logged-in-b-c-s-iconic-protected-rainforest/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260831041740/https://thenarwhal.ca/the-great-bear-loophole-why-old-growth-is-still-logged-in-b-c-s-iconic-protected-rainforest/"},{"t":"B.C. study links policy changes and logging patterns, shows targeting of old growth","p":"Global News / Canadian Press","d":"2022-10-03","type":"press","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/9173196/b-c-study-links-policy-changes-and-logging-patterns-shows-targeting-of-old-growth/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615024950/https://globalnews.ca/news/9173196/b-c-study-links-policy-changes-and-logging-patterns-shows-targeting-of-old-growth/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Under the 2016 agreement 85% of my rainforest region is protected and 550,000 hectares are open to logging; in 2019 The Narwhal reported 3% of the original old growth remained on Gilford Island.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much old-growth forest remains in the logging zone?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the agreement allow old-growth logging while protection targets are met on paper?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a first agreement was signed in 2006, and the parties to the 2016 agreement included 26 First Nations, environmental groups and forest companies.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2007 the federal and provincial governments set up a joint fund for First Nations-led conservation and development.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2023 Interfor logged 27 hectares on Gilford Island that had been proposed for deferral.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Pacific Wild's Ian McAllister said the 15% open to logging holds the largest and best low-elevation old forest.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no independent ecological evaluation of the logging zone since 2016.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: A Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis chief said his territory had been over-logged"]},{"id":"face-foundation-mount-elgon-carbon-forest","title":"FACE Foundation Mount Elgon carbon forest (Uganda)","dek":"A 1994 agreement covering 25,000 hectares of Mount Elgon in Uganda is listed as a carbon forest project. Reporting links the project area to the eviction of the Benet people.","country":"Uganda","region":"Africa","lat":1.1,"lon":34.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":"Mount Elgon","lat":1.1,"lon":34.5,"role":"event"}],"start":1990,"end":2009,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Area covered by the 1994 agreement","value":"25,000 ha","note":"As listed for the FACE Foundation Mount Elgon carbon forest, 1990–2009."},"happened":["The FACE Foundation Mount Elgon carbon forest in Uganda is listed with a 1994 agreement covering 25,000 hectares. The period of the case runs from 1990 to 2009.","A November 2009 IPS report is cited for evictions of the Benet people from the area.","Separately, Minority Rights Group counted at least seven shootings by Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers in the Benet area of Mount Elgon since April 2020, and Amnesty International's 2024 report said that UWA officers shot three people, killing two children. The cited sources do not tie these shootings to the FACE project."],"timeline":[{"y":1994,"t":"Agreement covering 25,000 ha"},{"y":2009,"t":"IPS report on the Benet evictions (November)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Minority Rights Group begins counting shootings by UWA rangers in the Benet area (from April)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Amnesty International report on UWA shootings"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"A 1994 agreement covered 25,000 ha.","src":0},{"t":"Evictions of the Benet people are reported in connection with the project area.","src":0},{"t":"Minority Rights Group counted at least seven shootings by UWA rangers in the Benet area since April 2020; Amnesty's 2024 report said UWA officers shot three people, killing two children. Not tied to the project in the cited sources.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area covered by the 1994 agreement","v":"25,000 ha","d":"As listed for the Mount Elgon project"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No evaluation of tree survival or carbon outcome is reported"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the FACE Foundation was set up in 1990 by the Dutch electricity generating board to offset the emissions of a new power station by planting trees.","Unconfirmed: the 1994 agreement was made with the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Mount Elgon National Park, and credits went to the Dutch firm GreenSeat, which sold them to airline customers.","Unconfirmed: FACE rejected the link between its project and the evictions.","Unconfirmed: the project kept its FSC certificate.","The cited sources do not give the number of people evicted, the dates of the evictions or any compensation."],"evidence":["displacement"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the evictions or the project ended.","whoPaid":"The Benet people, reported as evicted from the park area (IPS, November 2009).","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the cited sources record evictions reported in 2009 and later shootings in the area; no court ruling or official finding on the project is on record.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"face-foundation","says":"Reported as rejecting the link between the project and the evictions; no other source confirms it.","when":null,"src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"face-foundation","role":"Project foundation"},{"id":"uganda-wildlife-authority","role":"Park authority"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the Benet evictions connected to the carbon forest project?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"IPS (November 2009)","says":"Reported evictions of the Benet people from the Mount Elgon area; headline: Uganda Mount Elgon eviction has reduced us to beggars.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"FACE Foundation","says":"Reported as rejecting the connection; no other source confirms it.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":25000,"unit":"ha","year":1994,"note":"Area of the 1994 agreement."},{"key":"shootings_by_rangers","value":7,"unit":"shootings","year":2020,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Minority Rights Group count since April 2020, Benet area, by UWA rangers; not tied to the project in the cited sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A tree-planting carbon forest project on Mount Elgon in Uganda, covered by a 1994 agreement over 25,000 hectares, in an area from which the Benet people were reported evicted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Benet people","what":"Reported evicted from the park area","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mount Elgon, Uganda.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1990 to 2009 (agreement 1994; IPS report November 2009).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the project's listing as a carbon forest.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Uganda: Mount Elgon eviction has reduced us to beggars","p":"IPS (cited with WRM and Chris Lang)","d":"2009-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2009/11/uganda-mount-elgon-eviction-has-reduced-us-to-beggars/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153650/https://www.ipsnews.net/2009/11/uganda-mount-elgon-eviction-has-reduced-us-to-beggars/"},{"t":"'Five decades down the line, we shall not relent..' (Benet community, Mount Elgon)","p":"Minority Rights Group International","d":"2020-08-27","u":"https://minorityrights.org/2020/08/27/we-shall-not-relent","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240106022632/https://minorityrights.org/2020/08/27/we-shall-not-relent/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the Benet evictions connected to the carbon forest project?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the FACE Foundation was set up in 1990 by the Dutch electricity generating board to offset the emissions of a new power station by planting trees.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1994 agreement was made with the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Mount Elgon National Park, and credits went to the Dutch firm GreenSeat, which sold them to airline customers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: FACE rejected the link between its project and the evictions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the project kept its FSC certificate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of people evicted, the dates of the evictions or any compensation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"indonesia-seizure-of-illegal-plantations-and-transfer-to-agr","title":"Indonesia seizure of plantations in forest areas and transfer to Agrinas Palma","dek":"In 2025 an Indonesian task force said it had reclaimed about 3.4 million hectares of plantations in forest areas and handed about 1.5 million hectares to the company Agrinas Palma. A research centre disputed how much of the first area was palm oil.","country":"Indonesia","region":"Asia","lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Area the task force said it reclaimed","value":"3.4 million ha","note":"Task force figure, 2025; about 1.5 million ha handed to Agrinas Palma."},"happened":["A 2020 law gave palm plantations in forest areas a route to legal status. By May 2024, 822 billion rupiah had been collected from 241 companies, and in October 2024 the Attorney General's Office opened a corruption investigation into the programme. Fines were calculated on a simplified timber value of 25.7 cubic metres per hectare.","The programme covers 3.37 million hectares of palm in forest areas; a ministry estimate put eligible plantations at 2,130, on 2.1 million hectares. Fines were set at 5 to 15 million rupiah per hectare, roughly 350 to 1,000 US dollars.","In 2025 the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) said it had reclaimed about 3.4 million hectares and transferred about 1.5 million hectares to Agrinas Palma. The research centre Pustaka Alam said that, of the first 833,413 hectares, 61% was palm and about 614,235 hectares were smallholder plantations.","On 13 May 2026 the task force reported about 5.88 million hectares of palm land in forest areas reclaimed since February 2025 and made a seventh handover of about 2.37 million hectares, via the Finance Ministry and the Danantara investment agency, to the state-owned PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero), with Rp10.27 trillion in administrative fines deposited (Bisnis Indonesia). In July 2026 Agrinas's president director, Abdul Ghani, told a parliamentary committee that the company had been entrusted with about 4.1 million hectares of plantations in forest areas."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Omnibus law articles 110A and 110B provide a route to legal status for palm plantations in forest areas"},{"y":2024,"t":"822 billion rupiah collected from 241 companies by May; Attorney General's Office opens corruption investigation in October"},{"y":2025,"t":"Task force says about 3.4 million ha reclaimed and about 1.5 million ha handed to Agrinas Palma; Pustaka Alam disputes the composition of the first 833,413 ha"},{"y":2026,"t":"January: AGO searches six locations including a former minister's home; 13 May: task force reports about 5.88 million ha reclaimed and hands a further 2.37 million ha to Agrinas Palma Nusantara; July: Agrinas says it manages about 4.1 million ha"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"About 3.4 million hectares reclaimed; about 1.5 million hectares transferred to Agrinas Palma.","who":"Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH), 2025","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Pustaka Alam said that of the first 833,413 ha, 61% was palm and about 614,235 ha were smallholder plantations.","src":0},{"t":"By May 2024, 822 billion rupiah had been collected from 241 companies under the plantation programme.","src":1},{"t":"In October 2024 the Attorney General's Office opened a corruption investigation into the programme.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"IDR","window":"to May 2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area the task force said it reclaimed","v":"3.4 million ha","d":"Task force figure, 2025"},{"k":"Share of the first 833,413 ha that was palm","v":"61%","d":"Pustaka Alam, reported by InfoSawit, 2025"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: under articles 110A and 110B of the 2020 omnibus law, plantations with a local permit could pay an administrative fine and gain permanent legal status, while those with no permit could pay a fine and operate for one more crop cycle, up to 15 years.","Unconfirmed: plantations in protected forests and conservation forests were excluded from the amnesty.","Unconfirmed: the seized land was not returned to forest and only its owner changed.","The cited sources give no ecological assessment of the reclaimed land."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether any forest loss stopped as a result of the seizures.","whoPaid":"Pustaka Alam said about 614,235 hectares of the first 833,413 hectares were smallholder plantations.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Attorney General's Office corruption investigation, opened October 2024, was still at the investigation stage, with ministry officials named as suspects but not identified; by May 2026 the task force reported about 5.88 million hectares of palm land reclaimed, and in July 2026 the state company Agrinas Palma Nusantara said it had been entrusted with about 4.1 million hectares.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"satgas-pkh","says":"Said it had reclaimed about 3.4 million ha and handed about 1.5 million ha to Agrinas Palma.","when":"2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"satgas-pkh","role":"Forest Area Enforcement Task Force"},{"id":"agrinas-palma","role":"Recipient of seized plantations"},{"id":"pustaka-alam","role":"Research centre"},{"id":"indonesia-attorney-general","role":"Investigating authority"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much of the area reclaimed was palm oil plantation and how much was smallholder land?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Satgas PKH","says":"Said it had reclaimed about 3.4 million ha and transferred about 1.5 million ha to Agrinas Palma.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Pustaka Alam","says":"Said that of the first 833,413 ha, 61% was palm and about 614,235 ha were smallholder plantations.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Corruption investigation into the forest-area plantation programme","forum":"Attorney General's Office","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Attorney General's Office","defendant":"Ministry of Environment and Forestry officials named as suspects but not identified (January 2025)","filed":"2024-10","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Attorney General's Office opened a corruption investigation into the programme in October 2024. On 8 January 2025 Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said officials of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry were suspects in the investigation into palm plantation governance from 2005 to 2024, without naming them (Antara). On 28 and 29 January 2026 investigators searched six locations, including the home of former environment and forestry minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar, whose status was that of a witness, according to the office's director of investigations (CNN Indonesia). The names of suspects and any charges are not stated in the sources.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":3400000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area the task force said it reclaimed."},{"key":"area_transferred_ha","value":1500000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area the task force said was transferred to Agrinas Palma."},{"key":"palm_in_forest_area_ha","value":3370000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Palm in forest areas, as listed for the 2020–2024 programme."},{"key":"fine","value":822,"unit":"IDR billion","year":2024,"note":"Collected from 241 companies by May 2024."},{"key":"smallholder_area_ha","value":614235,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Pustaka Alam claim for the first 833,413 ha."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A task force reclaimed plantations in forest areas and transferred about 1.5 million hectares of them to Agrinas Palma.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Agrinas Palma","what":"About 1.5 million ha transferred, per the task force","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Smallholder growers, per Pustaka Alam","what":"About 614,235 ha of the first 833,413 ha were smallholder plantations","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Forest areas of Indonesia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2025 (following the 2020 omnibus law and the 2024 collection of fines).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The task force said it reclaimed the land and handed part of it to Agrinas Palma.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Pustaka Alam: inconsistency found in forest area task force's claims on palm oil land reacquisition","p":"InfoSawit","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://en.infosawit.com/news/16601/pustaka-alam--inconsistency-found-in-forest-area-task-force-s-claims-on-palm-oil-land-reacquisition"},{"t":"Indonesia investigates suspected corruption in palm oil amnesty program","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-10-17","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indonesia-investigates-suspected-corruption-in-palm-oil-amnesty-program/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614002541/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indonesia-investigates-suspected-corruption-in-palm-oil-amnesty-program/"},{"t":"Jaksa Agung ungkap ada pejabat KLHK jadi tersangka kasus korupsi","p":"Antara","d":"2025-01-08","u":"https://megapolitan.antaranews.com/berita/334798/jaksa-agung-ungkap-ada-pejabat-klhk-jadi-tersangka-kasus-korupsi","type":"press"},{"t":"Kejagung geledah rumah eks Menteri LHK Siti Nurbaya","p":"CNN Indonesia","d":"2026-01-30","u":"https://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20260130172053-12-1322893/kejagung-geledah-rumah-eks-menteri-lhk-siti-nurbaya","type":"press"},{"t":"Prabowo sebut banyak pihak tak suka Satgas PKH setelah setor denda Rp10,27 triliun","p":"Bisnis Indonesia","d":"2026-05-13","u":"https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20260513/15/1973579/prabowo-sebut-banyak-pihak-tak-suka-satgas-pkh-setelah-setor-denda-rp1027-triliun","type":"press"},{"t":"Agrinas Palma kelola 4,1 juta hektare lahan di kawasan hutan","p":"BCA Sekuritas (IQPlus)","d":"2026-07-06","u":"https://bcasekuritas.co.id/en/latest-news/news/agrinas-palma-kelola-41-juta-hektare-lahan-di-kawasan-hutan","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The task force reported about 5.88 million hectares of palm land in my forest areas reclaimed since February 2025; in July 2026 Agrinas Palma said it had been entrusted with about 4.1 million hectares.","src":[4,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much of the area reclaimed was palm oil plantation and how much was smallholder land?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Smallholder area ha: Pustaka Alam claim for the first 833,413 ha.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: under articles 110A and 110B of the 2020 omnibus law, plantations with a local permit could pay an administrative fine and gain permanent legal status, while those with no permit could pay a fine and operate for one more crop cycle, up to 15 years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: plantations in protected forests and conservation forests were excluded from the amnesty.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the seized land was not returned to forest and only its owner changed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no ecological assessment of the reclaimed land.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sellafield-decommissioning-and-hanford-cleanup-budgets","title":"Sellafield decommissioning and Hanford cleanup budgets","dek":"Two state-funded nuclear clean-up programmes, Hanford in the United States and Sellafield in the United Kingdom, carry cost estimates of hundreds of billions of dollars and many decades of work. At Hanford, contractors settled False Claims Act cases in 2016 and 2020.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":46.55,"lon":-119.49,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Washington","lat":46.55,"lon":-119.49,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Cumbria","lat":54.42,"lon":-3.5,"role":"event"}],"start":1943,"end":2086,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","war-military"],"headline":{"label":"Hanford: total clean-up cost estimate (US Department of Energy, April 2025)","value":"$364–589.4 billion","note":"Completion given as 2086. Estimate as reported by Tri-Cities Business News."},"happened":["Hanford, on the Columbia River in Washington state, holds nuclear waste left from the wartime Manhattan Project. A waste treatment plant (WTP) is being built there by contractors including Bechtel and URS, the latter now part of AECOM.","In November 2016 the US Department of Justice announced the settlement of a lawsuit against Energy Department contractors. The settlement, of $125 million, covered allegations that Bechtel and URS billed the government for defective nuclear-quality material and used federal contract money for a multi-year lobbying campaign aimed at keeping the plant funded.","In September 2020 Bechtel and AECOM settled a second suit, over allegations that they billed the government for idle labour hours at Hanford, for $57.8 million. The same report gave the cost of the waste treatment plant as $16.8 billion.","In April 2025 the Department of Energy gave a Hanford clean-up cost estimate of $364 billion to $589.4 billion, with completion in 2086.","Sellafield, in the United Kingdom, is a separate decommissioning programme. A National Audit Office press release in October 2024 said the site was not yet achieving value for money. Cost figures attributed to the National Audit Office for Sellafield are unconfirmed and listed under unknowns."],"timeline":[{"y":1943,"t":"Hanford waste begins to accumulate from the Manhattan Project"},{"y":2016,"t":"Bechtel and URS settle the Department of Justice case for $125 million"},{"y":2020,"t":"Bechtel and AECOM settle an idle-labour billing suit for $57.8 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"National Audit Office says Sellafield is not yet achieving value for money (October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Department of Energy gives Hanford clean-up cost as $364–589.4 billion, ending in 2086 (April)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Department of Energy and its contractor Bechtel said they were committed to the Hanford clean-up (paraphrase; wording not on record).","who":"US Department of Energy and Bechtel","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Bechtel and URS settled the Department of Justice case for $125 million in November 2016.","src":0},{"t":"Bechtel and AECOM settled the idle-labour billing claim for $57.8 million in September 2020.","src":1},{"t":"The Department of Energy put the total Hanford clean-up cost at $364–589.4 billion, with completion in 2086 (April 2025).","src":2},{"t":"The waste treatment plant cost was given as $16.8 billion (September 2020 report).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2016–2020","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Settlement, Bechtel and URS (2016)","amount":125},{"label":"Settlement, Bechtel and AECOM (2020)","amount":57.8}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Hanford clean-up estimate","v":"$364–589.4 billion","d":"Department of Energy estimate reported April 2025; completion 2086"},{"k":"Waste treatment plant cost","v":"$16.8 billion","d":"As given in a September 2020 report"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Sellafield figures attributed to the National Audit Office, namely a decommissioning cost estimate of £136 billion (March 2024), £2.7 billion spent on the site in 2023-24, and clean-up continuing to 2125.","Unconfirmed: a US Department of Energy Environmental Management budget of about $8.5 billion for fiscal year 2025, a Hanford request of $3.1 billion, and the Bechtel vitrification plant described as about $17 billion.","Whether Bechtel or AECOM admitted liability in either Hanford settlement is not on record.","The contractors' profit from Hanford is not published in the cited sources.","No source reviewed reports a criminal charge against any individual in connection with the Hanford settlements."],"evidence":["review","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No source reviewed says that the clean-up has been completed at either site; the Department of Energy's April 2025 estimate puts completion at Hanford in 2086.","whoPaid":"The Hanford settlements were paid by the contractors; the plant and the clean-up are federally funded.","statusLine":"As of April 2025: the Department of Energy gave a Hanford clean-up estimate of $364–589.4 billion ending in 2086; the 2016 and 2020 settlements were concluded.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"us-doe","says":"Said it was committed to the clean-up (paraphrase; wording not on record).","when":"undated","src":null},{"actor":"bechtel","says":"Said it was committed to the clean-up (paraphrase; wording not on record).","when":"undated","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"bechtel","role":"Hanford waste treatment plant contractor"},{"id":"aecom","role":"Owner of URS, Hanford contractor"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"Hanford owner and funder"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Government party in the settled cases"},{"id":"nao","role":"UK auditor reporting on Sellafield"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"United States v. Energy Department contractors (Bechtel and URS): mischarging and lobbying","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States (Department of Justice)","defendant":"Bechtel and URS (now AECOM)","filed":null,"decided":"2016-11","status":"settled","amount":{"value":125,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement, millions"},"summary":"The government alleged the contractors billed it for defective nuclear-quality material and used federal contract funds for a multi-year lobbying campaign to keep the waste treatment plant funded. The case ended in a $125 million settlement.","src":0},{"title":"Hanford idle-labour billing suit","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Bechtel and AECOM","filed":null,"decided":"2020-09","status":"settled","amount":{"value":57.8,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement, millions"},"summary":"The government alleged the contractors billed for idle labour hours at the Hanford clean-up site. The suit was settled for $57.8 million.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":125,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Bechtel and URS, Department of Justice case."},{"key":"settlement","value":57.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Bechtel and AECOM, idle-labour billing suit."},{"key":"wtp_cost","value":16800,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Waste treatment plant cost as given in the 2020 report."},{"key":"cleanup_cost_estimate_low","value":364000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Low end of Department of Energy total Hanford clean-up estimate; completion 2086."},{"key":"cleanup_cost_estimate_high","value":589400,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"High end of Department of Energy total Hanford clean-up estimate."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nuclear-waste clean-up programmes at Hanford (United States) and Sellafield (United Kingdom), with two settlements by Hanford contractors.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hanford site on the Columbia River, Washington, United States; Sellafield, Cumbria, United Kingdom.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Hanford waste from 1943; settlements in 2016 and 2020; Department of Energy estimate of April 2025 ends in 2086.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The Department of Justice alleged mischarging and lobbying with contract funds in 2016; a second suit alleged billing for idle labour.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The government sued contractors, and the cases ended in settlements of $125 million (2016) and $57.8 million (2020).","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"United States settles lawsuit against Energy Department contractors","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2016-11","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-settles-lawsuit-against-energy-department-contractors-knowingly-mischarging","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250201232118/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-settles-lawsuit-against-energy-department-contractors-knowingly-mischarging"},{"t":"Bechtel, Ex-AECOM Unit Settle U.S. Cleanup Site Labor Overbilling Suit","p":"ENR","d":"2020-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.enr.com/articles/50122-bechtel-ex-aecom-units-58m-pact-settles-us-cleanup-site-labor-overbilling-suit","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250726013236/https://www.enr.com/articles/50122-bechtel-ex-aecom-units-58m-pact-settles-us-cleanup-site-labor-overbilling-suit"},{"t":"Report: Hanford cleanup to cost tens of billions more, take years longer based on latest estimates","p":"Tri-Cities Business News","d":"2025-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/report-hanford-cleanup-to-cost-tens-of-billions-more-take-years-longer-based-on-latest-estimates","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412222004/https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/report-hanford-cleanup-to-cost-tens-of-billions-more-take-years-longer-based-on-latest-estimates"},{"t":"Sellafield nuclear site not yet achieving value for money","p":"National Audit Office","d":"2024-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/sellafield-nuclear-site-not-yet-achieving-value-for-money/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710232039/https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/sellafield-nuclear-site-not-yet-achieving-value-for-money/"},{"t":"Decommissioning Sellafield: managing risks from the nuclear legacy (summary)","p":"National Audit Office","d":"2024-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/decommissioning-sellafield-managing-risks-from-the-nuclear-legacy-summary.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241204021033/https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/decommissioning-sellafield-managing-risks-from-the-nuclear-legacy-summary.pdf"},{"t":"DOE request would trim 2025 cleanup budget, increase Hanford spend","p":"Exchange Monitor","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.exchangemonitor.com/doe-request-would-trim-2025-cleanup-budget-increase-hanford-spend","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416232716/https://www.exchangemonitor.com/doe-request-would-trim-2025-cleanup-budget-increase-hanford-spend/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"cleanup-contracts","related":["hanford-nuclear-site-cleanup"],"natureLead":{"t":"Hanford, on my Columbia River, holds nuclear waste; the Department of Energy estimated clean-up at $364 billion to $589.4 billion in April 2025, with completion in 2086.","src":[2]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Sellafield figures attributed to the National Audit Office, namely a decommissioning cost estimate of £136 billion (March 2024), £2.7 billion spent on the site in 2023-24, and clean-up continuing to 2125.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a US Department of Energy Environmental Management budget of about $8.5 billion for fiscal year 2025, a Hanford request of $3.1 billion, and the Bechtel vitrification plant described as about $17 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Bechtel or AECOM admitted liability in either Hanford settlement is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The contractors' profit from Hanford is not published in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed reports a criminal charge against any individual in connection with the Hanford settlements.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"lagos-visionscape-waste-contract-and-zoomlion-jospong","title":"Lagos Visionscape waste contract (Nigeria) and Zoomlion/Jospong (Ghana)","dek":"A ten-year waste-management contract in Lagos State, Nigeria, was reported to have collapsed within about three years, and a Ghanaian investigation examined payments to the waste companies Jospong Group and Zoomlion. The figures are as reported by Guardian Nigeria (via Songhai Advisory) and The Fourth Estate / Citi Newsroom.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":6.52,"lon":3.38,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":"Lagos","lat":6.52,"lon":3.38,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","lat":5.6,"lon":-0.19,"role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste"],"headline":{"label":"Reported monthly payment to Visionscape (allegation)","value":"None on record","note":"The figure comes from rival private collectors and is listed under unknowns."},"happened":["This record covers two waste-management arrangements in West Africa. In Nigeria, Lagos State entered a waste-management contract with Visionscape; a January 2019 article by Guardian Nigeria, republished by Songhai Advisory, was headlined as saying the contract had fallen victim to political rifts in Lagos State.","In Ghana, the waste companies Zoomlion and Jospong Group were paid for sanitation work; a December 2025 report by The Fourth Estate with Citi Newsroom examined how much Jospong Group had been paid to clean up the country."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Period in which the Lagos State contract with Visionscape was reported to have run (2017–2019)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Guardian Nigeria article, via Songhai Advisory, on the contract and political rifts (January)"},{"y":2025,"t":"The Fourth Estate and Citi Newsroom publish a report on payments to Jospong Group (December)"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"ledger":{"currency":"NGN","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the ten-year Visionscape contract in Lagos collapsed in about three years (2017-2019).","Unconfirmed: an allegation, made by rival private waste collectors, that Visionscape was paid 700 million naira a month.","Unconfirmed: The Fourth Estate and Citi Newsroom (December 2025) reported that Jospong Group received 505 million cedi from the sanitation levy in 2024 and alleged that it did not pay sanitation guards.","Unconfirmed: the Ghanaian government was reported to owe Zoomlion 1.2 billion cedi.","Responses from Visionscape, Lagos State, Jospong Group, Zoomlion and the Ghanaian government to these reports are not on record.","No source reviewed gives any environmental measure, such as waste collected or dumped, for either arrangement."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether waste collection in Lagos or Ghana changed as a result of these events.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not establish who bore the cost.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: a Ghanaian investigative report on payments to Jospong Group was published; no ruling or official response is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"visionscape","role":"Lagos waste-management contractor"},{"id":"lagos-state-government","role":"Contracting authority, Lagos"},{"id":"jospong-group","role":"Ghanaian waste company"},{"id":"zoomlion","role":"Ghanaian waste company"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Lagos waste-management contract with Visionscape and payments to Jospong Group and Zoomlion in Ghana were the subject of press reports.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lagos State, Nigeria; Ghana.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Lagos contract 2017-2019 (as reported); Ghana report December 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources state no cause for the end of the Lagos contract beyond political rifts, as in the article's headline.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Not established in the cited sources.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Waste management contract falls victim to political rifts in Lagos State (Guardian Nigeria, via Songhai Advisory)","p":"Songhai Advisory","d":"2019-01","type":"press","u":"https://songhaiadvisory.com/blog/2019/1/2/waste-management-contract-falls-victim-to-political-rifts-in-lagos-state","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206054450/https://www.songhaiadvisory.com/blog/2019/1/2/waste-management-contract-falls-victim-to-political-rifts-in-lagos-state"},{"t":"How Jospong Group was paid GHC1.48 billion to clean up the country yet Ghana remains in filth and dirt (title as in the URL)","p":"The Fourth Estate / Citi Newsroom","d":"2025-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.thefourthestategh.com/2025/12/how-jospong-group-was-paid-ghc1-48-billion-to-clean-up-the-country-yet-ghana-remains-in-filth-and-dirt","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260915122523/https://thefourthestategh.com/2025/12/how-jospong-group-was-paid-ghc1-48-billion-to-clean-up-the-country-yet-ghana-remains-in-filth-and-dirt"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"waste-contracts","related":["agbogbloshie-scrapyard-demolition"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the ten-year Visionscape contract in Lagos collapsed in about three years (2017-2019).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an allegation, made by rival private waste collectors, that Visionscape was paid 700 million naira a month.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: The Fourth Estate and Citi Newsroom (December 2025) reported that Jospong Group received 505 million cedi from the sanitation levy in 2024 and alleged that it did not pay sanitation guards.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Ghanaian government was reported to owe Zoomlion 1.2 billion cedi.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Responses from Visionscape, Lagos State, Jospong Group, Zoomlion and the Ghanaian government to these reports are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed gives any environmental measure, such as waste collected or dumped, for either arrangement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"dutch-pfas-soil-limit-crisis-2019","title":"Dutch PFAS soil limit, 2019","dek":"In July 2019 the Dutch government set a PFAS limit of 0.1 microgram per kilogram for soil moved to agricultural and nature land. The national health institute RIVM states that this value is a measurement limit, not a risk threshold.","country":"Netherlands","region":"Europe","lat":52.1,"lon":5.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","lat":52.1,"lon":5.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":null,"eventDate":"2019-07-08","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"PFAS limit for soil moved to agriculture and nature land (July 2019)","value":"0.1 µg/kg","note":"RIVM describes this as a measurement limit, not a risk threshold."},"happened":["On 8 July 2019 the Dutch government published an interim action framework for PFAS in soil. It set a limit of 0.1 microgram per kilogram for soil to be moved to agricultural and nature land.","RIVM, the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, states on its own question-and-answer page that this value is a measurement limit and not a risk threshold.","RIVM also measured PFAS in eggs from home-kept chickens at 60 locations across the country in 2025. no source link is on record for that measurement, so its results are not recorded here."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"8 July: interim PFAS action framework published; 0.1 µg/kg limit for soil moved to agricultural and nature land"},{"y":2025,"t":"RIVM measures PFAS in eggs from home-kept chickens at 60 locations"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The interim framework set a 0.1 µg/kg PFAS value for soil moved to agricultural and nature land.","who":"Dutch government, as described by RIVM","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"RIVM states the 0.1 µg/kg value is a measurement limit, not a risk threshold.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"PFAS limit, soil moved to agriculture and nature (8 July 2019)","v":"0.1 µg/kg","d":"RIVM: a measurement limit, not a risk threshold"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation of the limit","v":"None on record","d":"The cited sources do not describe one"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the limit took effect on 1 October 2019, that it halted soil transport and dredging projects, and that an industry body put the Dutch PFAS background level at 0.5–1 microgram per kilogram.","Unconfirmed: that the limit was raised to 0.8 microgram per kilogram on 1 December 2019 and that in 2020 background values (PFOA 1.9, PFOS 1.4 microgram per kilogram) were adopted as usable values for agriculture and nature.","The national distribution of Dutch agricultural soil across the soil-quality classes, and how much of it exceeds PFAS background values, is not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of 2025: the 0.1 µg/kg limit is described by RIVM as a measurement limit; later changes to the limit are not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"rivm","says":"The 0.1 µg/kg value is a measurement limit, not a risk threshold.","when":"RIVM page, 8 July 2019 entry","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"rivm","role":"National institute for public health and the environment; published the explanation of the limit"},{"id":"dutch-government","role":"Issued the interim PFAS action framework"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"pfas_soil_limit","value":0.1,"unit":"µg/kg","year":2019,"note":"Limit for soil moved to agricultural and nature land; a measurement limit, not a risk threshold (RIVM)."},{"key":"egg_sampling_sites","value":60,"unit":"locations","year":2025,"note":"RIVM measured eggs from home-kept chickens; no URL in the cited sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A PFAS limit of 0.1 µg/kg was set for soil moved to agricultural and nature land.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Netherlands, national.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Framework published 8 July 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An interim government action framework set the limit; RIVM states it is a measurement limit, not a risk threshold.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Questions and answers: PFAS in soil and dredged sediment","p":"RIVM","d":"2019-07-08","type":"official","u":"https://www.rivm.nl/pfas/bodem/vragen-en-antwoorden-pfas-in-grond-en-bagger","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614040751/https://www.rivm.nl/pfas/bodem/vragen-en-antwoorden-pfas-in-grond-en-bagger"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the limit took effect on 1 October 2019, that it halted soil transport and dredging projects, and that an industry body put the Dutch PFAS background level at 0.5–1 microgram per kilogram.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the limit was raised to 0.8 microgram per kilogram on 1 December 2019 and that in 2020 background values (PFOA 1.9, PFOS 1.4 microgram per kilogram) were adopted as usable values for agriculture and nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The national distribution of Dutch agricultural soil across the soil-quality classes, and how much of it exceeds PFAS background values, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"swiss-ban-of-nonylphenol-ethoxylates-and-eu-restriction","title":"Nonylphenol ethoxylates: Swiss ban and EU restriction","dek":"EU Directive 2003/53/EC restricted nonylphenol and its ethoxylates from 17 January 2005. A Swiss ban on their use in laundry detergent in the 1980s is unconfirmed in the cited sources.","country":"Switzerland","region":"Europe","lat":46.8,"lon":8.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","lat":46.8,"lon":8.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"European Union","iso2":"EU","role":"event"}],"start":1984,"end":2014,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"EU limit for nonylphenol and its ethoxylates in cleaning products","value":"0.1%","note":"Directive 2003/53/EC; in force from 17 January 2005 (Danish EPA fact sheet)."},"happened":["Nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) are detergent ingredients that break down to nonylphenol in wastewater treatment. Nonylphenol is toxic to aquatic life and acts as an endocrine disruptor. Switzerland is described as the first country to act, but the details of the Swiss measures are not on record (see unknown).","EU Directive 2003/53/EC restricted nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates. The restriction applied from 17 January 2005, per EUR-Lex. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency fact sheet gives a limit of 0.1% for cleaning products.","In the United States the Environmental Protection Agency set out a voluntary phase-out for nonylphenol ethoxylates in industrial laundry detergents, with 2013 for liquid and 2014 for powder products."],"timeline":[{"y":2003,"t":"EU Directive 2003/53/EC adopted"},{"y":2005,"t":"17 January: EU restriction on nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates applies"},{"y":2013,"t":"US EPA voluntary phase-out target for industrial laundry detergent, liquid products"},{"y":2014,"t":"US EPA voluntary phase-out target for industrial laundry detergent, powder products"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Directive 2003/53/EC restricts nonylphenol and its ethoxylates from 17 January 2005.","src":0},{"t":"Limit of 0.1% in cleaning products, in force from 2005.","src":1},{"t":"EPA action plan: voluntary phase-out in industrial laundry detergent by 2013 (liquid) and 2014 (powder).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"EU limit in cleaning products","v":"0.1%","d":"Directive 2003/53/EC, in force 2005"},{"k":"Water concentrations after the Swiss ban","v":"Unconfirmed","d":"Reported to have fallen; the source page was not read in full"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that a Swiss team showed in 1984 that NPE converts to nonylphenol, that Switzerland banned NPE in laundry detergent in 1986, and that nonylphenol concentrations in Swiss waters fell markedly afterwards (cited to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, BAFU).","Unconfirmed: that OSPAR/PARCOM adopted a recommendation in 1992.","Unconfirmed: that ethoxylated substitutes such as alcohol ethoxylates generate 1,4-dioxane as a by-product, and cell experiments on dishwasher rinse-aid ingredients."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest source reviewed: the EU restriction has applied since 17 January 2005; the Swiss ban and its measured effect on water concentrations are unconfirmed.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Adopted Directive 2003/53/EC"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Published the nonylphenol ethoxylate action plan"},{"id":"bafu","role":"Swiss Federal Office for the Environment; source for the Swiss record"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"np_npe_limit_cleaning_products","value":0.1,"unit":"%","year":2005,"note":"EU limit in cleaning products (Danish EPA fact sheet on Directive 2003/53/EC)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nonylphenol and its ethoxylates were restricted in the EU from 2005; the US set a voluntary phase-out for industrial laundry detergents.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union; United States (industrial laundry detergent); Switzerland (unconfirmed).","src":0},"when":{"t":"EU restriction applied from 17 January 2005; US phase-out targets 2013 and 2014.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the properties of nonylphenol (toxic to aquatic life, endocrine-disrupting), which the sources describe without a primary URL.","src":null},"how":{"t":"EU directive restriction with a 0.1% limit in cleaning products; US voluntary phase-out under an EPA action plan.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Directive 2003/53/EC","p":"EUR-Lex","d":"2003","type":"official","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/53/oj/eng","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250606171444/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2003/53/oj/eng"},{"t":"Fact sheet: nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates","p":"Danish Environmental Protection Agency","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://eng.mst.dk/chemicals/chemicals-in-products/chemical-legislation/fact-sheets-on-legislation/fact-sheet-nonylphenol-and-nonylphenol-ethoxylates","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260803150513/https://eng.mst.dk/chemicals/chemicals-in-products/chemical-legislation/fact-sheets-on-legislation/fact-sheet-nonylphenol-and-nonylphenol-ethoxylates"},{"t":"Risk management for nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-nonylphenol-and-nonylphenol-ethoxylates","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218185313/https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-nonylphenol-and-nonylphenol-ethoxylates"},{"t":"Octylphenol, nonylphenol and their ethoxylates","p":"Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU)","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en/octylphenol-nonylphenol-and-their-ethoxylates","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210081631/https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en/octylphenol-nonylphenol-and-their-ethoxylates"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a Swiss team showed in 1984 that NPE converts to nonylphenol, that Switzerland banned NPE in laundry detergent in 1986, and that nonylphenol concentrations in Swiss waters fell markedly afterwards (cited to the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, BAFU).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that OSPAR/PARCOM adopted a recommendation in 1992.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that ethoxylated substitutes such as alcohol ethoxylates generate 1,4-dioxane as a by-product, and cell experiments on dishwasher rinse-aid ingredients.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lake-biwa-phosphate-detergent-ban","title":"Lake Biwa phosphate-detergent ban","dek":"After a freshwater red tide in 1977, Shiga Prefecture banned the sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent around Lake Biwa in an ordinance of 1979–1980. The prefecture's page says the ordinance remains in force.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":35.3,"lon":136.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Shiga Prefecture","lat":35.3,"lon":136.1,"role":"event"}],"start":1977,"end":1980,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","water","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Phosphate-containing detergent: sale and use","value":"Banned","note":"Shiga Prefecture ordinance, 1979–1980; still in force per the prefecture."},"happened":["In 1977 a freshwater red tide occurred in Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, according to the prefecture's page.","A ban on the sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent followed in the 1979–1980 Lake Biwa ordinance. The prefecture says the ordinance is still in force.","Unconfirmed: the measure is described as arising from a soap movement of local households and a soap council set up in 1978 (see unknown)."],"timeline":[{"y":1977,"t":"Freshwater red tide in Lake Biwa"},{"y":1979,"t":"Ordinance banning the sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent adopted (1979–1980, per Shiga Prefecture)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Phosphate-containing detergent may not be sold or used under the Lake Biwa ordinance.","who":"Shiga Prefecture","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Freshwater red tide in Lake Biwa, 1977.","src":0},{"t":"Ordinance banning sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent, 1979–1980; in force today.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Freshwater red tide, 1977","v":"Recorded","d":"Shiga Prefecture"},{"k":"Red tide since the ordinance","v":"None on record","d":"Reported as absent for over ten years; the source was not read in full"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that a soap movement of households led to the ordinance, that a soap council was formed in 1978, and that the ordinance set Japan's first nitrogen and phosphorus limits for industrial wastewater.","Unconfirmed: that no freshwater red tide has been seen for more than a decade, and that this reflects the ordinance together with sewage investment and advanced treatment.","The monitored phosphorus levels in the lake before and after the ordinance are not on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established in the cited sources beyond the prefecture's statement that the ordinance remains in force.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of the latest source: the Shiga Prefecture ordinance banning phosphate-containing detergent is described as still in force; its measured effect on the lake is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"shiga-prefecture","role":"Adopted the Lake Biwa ordinance"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A prefectural ordinance banned the sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Shiga Prefecture, Lake Biwa, Japan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Red tide 1977; ordinance 1979–1980.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Followed a freshwater red tide in 1977 (sequence per the prefecture's page; causal reasoning not stated).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a prefectural ordinance banning the sale and use of phosphate-containing detergent.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Lake Biwa ordinance and the phosphate-detergent ban","p":"Shiga Prefecture","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.pref.shiga.lg.jp/ab00/9957.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909011040/https://www.pref.shiga.lg.jp/ab00/9957.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":["phosphate-detergents-and-lake-erie-eutrophication-phosphate"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a soap movement of households led to the ordinance, that a soap council was formed in 1978, and that the ordinance set Japan's first nitrogen and phosphorus limits for industrial wastewater.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that no freshwater red tide has been seen for more than a decade, and that this reflects the ordinance together with sewage investment and advanced treatment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The monitored phosphorus levels in the lake before and after the ordinance are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"green-tobacco-sickness-in-rio-grande-do-sul-and-tobacco-curi","title":"Green tobacco sickness in Rio Grande do Sul and tobacco curing deforestation","dek":"Two reported harms of tobacco growing: nicotine poisoning among small farmers in southern Brazil, and wood burned to cure tobacco leaf in Africa. The cited sources give a prevalence figure for the first and an annual wood figure for the second; neither has been independently verified here.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-29.5,"lon":-52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rio Grande do Sul","lat":-29.5,"lon":-52,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","role":"affected"}],"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Small producers with green tobacco sickness, Dom Feliciano (2011–2012)","value":"34.5% of 354","note":"Reported figure, not independently verified."},"happened":["The cited sources describe two separate matters linked by tobacco growing. The first is \"green tobacco sickness\" (doença da folha verde do tabaco), a form of nicotine poisoning absorbed through the skin from wet tobacco leaves. The second is the use of wood to cure tobacco leaf in Africa.","For Rio Grande do Sul, a study published through SciELO and UNISC in 2020 is cited as reporting the condition in 34.5% of 354 small producers in Dom Feliciano in 2011–2012. This figure is unconfirmed in the material reviewed.","For Africa, a Medicus Mundi compilation is cited as reporting that about 8.05 million tonnes of wood are burned each year to cure tobacco and that 69% of farmers in Tanzania clear new forest land each season. This figure is unconfirmed in the material reviewed."],"timeline":[],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: green tobacco sickness was found in 34.5% of 354 small producers in Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul, in 2011–2012 (SciELO / UNISC, 2020).","Unconfirmed: organophosphate poisonings were found in Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul.","Unconfirmed: a 1996 state legislature report stated that 80% of suicides in Venâncio Aires were among farmers and that the rate rose with pesticide use. The industry association Sinditabaco calls the link \"inconsistent\".","Unconfirmed: in the integrated system in southern Brazil, companies supply seed, pesticides and technical support.","Unconfirmed: about 8.05 million tonnes of wood are burned a year to cure tobacco in Africa, and 69% of Tanzanian farmers clear new forest land each season (Medicus Mundi compilation).","No source reviewed gives the area of forest cleared by tobacco curing, or a measurement of forest loss, for Rio Grande do Sul or Tanzania.","The cited sources do not record a court case, regulatory finding or company statement on either matter."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether either practice has stopped or been limited.","whoPaid":"The cited sources describe small farmers as bearing the reported health effects; the cited sources give no costs or payments.","statusLine":"No dated status: the sources contain only reported prevalence and wood-use figures and no ruling or regulatory action.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Sinditabaco (industry association)","says":"Reported to have called the link between pesticide use and farmer suicides in Venâncio Aires “inconsistent”; no other source confirms it.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[],"disputes":[{"point":"Is the rate of suicide among farmers in Venâncio Aires linked to pesticide use?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State legislature report (1996)","says":"Reported to have found that 80% of suicides in Venâncio Aires were among farmers and that the rate rose with pesticide use; no other source confirms it.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sinditabaco (industry association)","says":"Reported to consider the link “inconsistent”; no other source confirms it.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":34.5,"unit":"% of 354 small producers","year":2012,"unverified":true,"note":"Green tobacco sickness, Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul, 2011–2012. Reported, not independently verified."},{"key":"wood_burned_tobacco_curing","value":8050000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":null,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Africa, 2010s. Reported, not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nicotine poisoning among tobacco farmers in Rio Grande do Sul, and wood burned to cure tobacco leaf in Africa, are reported; no other source confirms either.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Small tobacco producers in Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul","what":"Green tobacco sickness found in 34.5% of 354 (reported; no other source confirms it).","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Dom Feliciano, Candelária and Venâncio Aires in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Africa, including Tanzania.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study period 2011–2012 for Dom Feliciano; the wood-use figure is dated to the 2010s.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state a cause beyond the description of nicotine absorption from wet leaf and the need for wood to cure leaf.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Green tobacco sickness is described as nicotine poisoning through the skin from wet tobacco leaf; in Tanzania, farmers are reported to clear new forest each season for curing wood.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Green tobacco sickness in Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul (study cited as C3-67)","p":"SciELO / UNISC (Cadernos de Saúde Pública)","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://scielosp.org/article/csp/2020.v36n8/e00122719","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241216063703/https://scielosp.org/article/csp/2020.v36n8/e00122719/"},{"t":"Tobacco: the forest slayer (compilation)","p":"Medicus Mundi","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://medicusmundi.ch/en/advocacy/publications/mms-bulletin/fighting-tobacco-in-lmic/kapitel-3/tobacco-the-forest-slayer","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422223829/https://www.medicusmundi.ch/en/advocacy/publications/mms-bulletin/fighting-tobacco-in-lmic/kapitel-3/tobacco-the-forest-slayer"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"none","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Medicus Mundi reports that about 8.05 million tonnes of wood are burned in Africa each year to cure tobacco, and that 69% of farmers in Tanzania clear new forest from me each season.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the rate of suicide among farmers in Venâncio Aires linked to pesticide use?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"People affected: Green tobacco sickness, Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul, 2011–2012. Reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Wood burned tobacco curing: Africa, 2010s. Reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: green tobacco sickness was found in 34.5% of 354 small producers in Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul, in 2011–2012 (SciELO / UNISC, 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: organophosphate poisonings were found in Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1996 state legislature report stated that 80% of suicides in Venâncio Aires were among farmers and that the rate rose with pesticide use. The industry association Sinditabaco calls the link \"inconsistent\".","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in the integrated system in southern Brazil, companies supply seed, pesticides and technical support.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 8.05 million tonnes of wood are burned a year to cure tobacco in Africa, and 69% of Tanzanian farmers clear new forest land each season (Medicus Mundi compilation).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed gives the area of forest cleared by tobacco curing, or a measurement of forest loss, for Rio Grande do Sul or Tanzania.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not record a court case, regulatory finding or company statement on either matter.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ppl-therapeutics-collapse-and-transgenic-sheep-cull","title":"PPL Therapeutics collapse and transgenic sheep cull (Scotland, New Zealand)","dek":"PPL Therapeutics, the company created to commercialise the research behind Dolly the sheep, laid off about 90% of its staff in July 2003 and began culling a New Zealand flock of about 4,000 transgenic sheep.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":55.86,"lon":-3.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Scotland","lat":55.86,"lon":-3.2,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","role":"event"}],"start":1987,"end":2004,"instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Transgenic sheep in the New Zealand flock when the cull began (July 2003)","value":"about 4,000","note":"Reported by LabOnline; later reports give 3,500 culled (not independently verified)."},"happened":["Dolly the sheep was born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland on 5 July 1996, produced from an adult sheep's mammary gland cell. She was the only lamb to reach adulthood from 277 attempts.","PPL Therapeutics was reported to have been set up by Roslin in 1987 to commercialise its research. The commercial aim reported was to produce human therapeutic proteins in the milk of cloned transgenic animals. This and the later steps below are unconfirmed in the material reviewed.","In July 2003, according to LabOnline, PPL dismissed about 90% of its staff and began culling a flock of about 4,000 transgenic sheep in New Zealand.","Dolly was euthanised on 14 February 2003 at the age of six and a half, because of progressive lung disease and severe arthritis. Roslin said the illness was not related to her being a clone and that other sheep in the flock had died of the same lung disease."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"Unconfirmed: Roslin set up PPL Therapeutics to commercialise its research"},{"y":1996,"t":"Dolly born, 5 July, at the Roslin Institute; the only lamb to reach adulthood from 277 attempts"},{"y":2003,"t":"Dolly euthanised, 14 February; PPL dismisses about 90% of staff and begins culling the New Zealand flock, July"},{"y":2004,"t":"A report of February 2004 gives 3,500 transgenic sheep culled in New Zealand; no other source confirms it"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Dolly was born on 5 July 1996 from an adult mammary gland cell and was the only lamb to reach adulthood from 277 attempts.","src":0},{"t":"Funding for Dolly came from the UK Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) and PPL Therapeutics.","src":6},{"t":"In July 2003 PPL dismissed about 90% of its staff and began culling about 4,000 transgenic sheep in New Zealand.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Transgenic sheep culled, New Zealand","v":"about 4,000","d":"Cull began July 2003 (LabOnline). A February 2004 report gives 3,500; a further report gives 6,500 for Scotland and New Zealand combined. No other source confirms these figures."}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: PPL entered an alpha-1 antitrypsin partnership with Bayer in August 2000; in April 2003 PPL cancelled a 42 million pound production plant and wrote off 7.5 million pounds; Bayer withdrew in June 2003 (Outsourcing-Pharma, 20 June 2003).","Unconfirmed: in February 2004 the New Zealand regulator ERMA required all biological material from the project to be cut up and burned, and 3,500 transgenic sheep were culled (LabOnline, February 2004).","Unconfirmed: a July 2003 report gives a herd of 6,500 sheep across Scotland and New Zealand, and a 40 million US dollar collaboration with Bayer (BioWorld / Outsourcing-Pharma, 16 July 2003). The 3,500–4,000 figure applies to the New Zealand flock only.","Unconfirmed: in 1997 Roslin gave PPL an exclusive licence to the nuclear transfer technique for producing therapeutic proteins in animal milk; Polly, born in 1997, was a cloned transgenic sheep carrying the human factor IX gene.","Unconfirmed: PPL's US arm became Revivicor in 2003 and was bought by United Therapeutics in 2011.","The total cost of the Dolly project, and the amount by which the ministry cut Roslin's funding, are not on record.","The cited sources do not report that a drug produced in milk by PPL's animals reached the market.","No source reviewed reports an independent assessment of the animal welfare or environmental aspects of the cull."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give the cull as beginning in July 2003; they do not record a later stop or a count of sheep culled beyond the figures above.","whoPaid":"Who bore the cost of the cull is not on record. A 7.5 million pound write-off by PPL was reported; no other source confirms it.","statusLine":"Cull of the New Zealand flock reported from July 2003; the cited sources record no later proceedings.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Roslin Institute","says":"Said Dolly's illness was unrelated to her being a clone and that other sheep in the flock died of the same lung disease.","when":"2003","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"ppl-therapeutics","role":"Biotechnology company; owner of the transgenic flock"},{"id":"roslin-institute","role":"Research institute that produced Dolly"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Partner reported to have withdrawn in 2003"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sheep_culled","value":4000,"unit":"sheep","year":2003,"qualifier":"about","note":"Transgenic sheep in the New Zealand flock when the cull began, July 2003 (LabOnline)."},{"key":"staff_dismissed_share","value":90,"unit":"% of employees","year":2003,"qualifier":"about","note":"PPL staff dismissed, July 2003 (LabOnline)."},{"key":"sheep_culled_reported","value":3500,"unit":"sheep","year":2004,"unverified":true,"note":"New Zealand, February 2004 report. Not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"PPL Therapeutics dismissed about 90% of its staff and began culling its flock of about 4,000 transgenic sheep in New Zealand.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"PPL Therapeutics employees","what":"About 90% dismissed, July 2003.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"The transgenic sheep of the New Zealand flock","what":"About 4,000 sheep, culling began July 2003.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Scotland (Roslin Institute; PPL Therapeutics) and New Zealand (the flock).","src":1},"when":{"t":"Dolly was born in 1996; the dismissals and cull began in July 2003.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The sources describe the cull as following the failure of PPL's commercial plan. The Bayer withdrawal and plant cancellation were reported as the cause; no other source confirms it.","src":null},"how":{"t":"PPL dismissed staff and began culling the New Zealand flock; a 2004 report says the regulator ERMA required the biological material to be cut up and burned, and no other source confirms it.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Happy birthday Dolly","p":"CORDIS (European Commission)","d":"2006-07-05","u":"https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/25945-happy-birthday-dolly","type":"official"},{"t":"Clone sheep company to cull","p":"LabOnline","d":"2003-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.labonline.com.au/content/life-scientist/news/clone-sheep-company-to-cull-979243297"},{"t":"NZ's transgenic sheep face slaughter","p":"LabOnline","d":"2004-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.labonline.com.au/content/life-scientist/news/nz-s-transgenic-sheep-face-slaughter-1097938478","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153845/https://www.labonline.com.au/content/life-scientist/news/nz-s-transgenic-sheep-face-slaughter-1097938478"},{"t":"PPL hits the rocks as Bayer jumps ship","p":"Outsourcing-Pharma","d":"2003-06-20","type":"press","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230201023558/https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Article/2003/06/20/PPL-hits-the-rocks-as-Bayer-jumps-ship","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230201023558/https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Article/2003/06/20/PPL-hits-the-rocks-as-Bayer-jumps-ship","dead":true},{"t":"Sheep cull follows staff cuts at PPL","p":"BioWorld / Outsourcing-Pharma","d":"2003-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241211063820/https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Article/2003/07/16/Sheep-cull-follows-staff-cuts-at-PPL/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241211063820/https://www.outsourcing-pharma.com/Article/2003/07/16/Sheep-cull-follows-staff-cuts-at-PPL/","dead":true},{"t":"Genetic engineering and the Dolly commodity","p":"ETC Group / BioWorld","d":"1997","type":"ngo","u":"https://etcgroup.org/sites/www.etcgroup.org/files/publication/453/01/rafigenodollycommodity97.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251014193625/https://www.etcgroup.org/sites/www.etcgroup.org/files/publication/453/01/rafigenodollycommodity97.pdf"},{"t":"Getting to meet Dolly, the ovine disrupter","p":"Otago Daily Times","d":"2025-06-29","u":"https://www.odt.co.nz/news/opinion/getting-to-meet-dolly-the-ovine-disrupter-vyqguoqy","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"none","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Sheep culled reported: New Zealand, February 2004 report. Not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: PPL entered an alpha-1 antitrypsin partnership with Bayer in August 2000; in April 2003 PPL cancelled a 42 million pound production plant and wrote off 7.5 million pounds; Bayer withdrew in June 2003 (Outsourcing-Pharma, 20 June 2003).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in February 2004 the New Zealand regulator ERMA required all biological material from the project to be cut up and burned, and 3,500 transgenic sheep were culled (LabOnline, February 2004).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a July 2003 report gives a herd of 6,500 sheep across Scotland and New Zealand, and a 40 million US dollar collaboration with Bayer (BioWorld / Outsourcing-Pharma, 16 July 2003). The 3,500–4,000 figure applies to the New Zealand flock only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 1997 Roslin gave PPL an exclusive licence to the nuclear transfer technique for producing therapeutic proteins in animal milk; Polly, born in 1997, was a cloned transgenic sheep carrying the human factor IX gene.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: PPL's US arm became Revivicor in 2003 and was bought by United Therapeutics in 2011.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The total cost of the Dolly project, and the amount by which the ministry cut Roslin's funding, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report that a drug produced in milk by PPL's animals reached the market.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed reports an independent assessment of the animal welfare or environmental aspects of the cull.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sinogene-pet-and-police-dog-cloning","title":"Sinogene pet and police dog cloning (China)","dek":"Sinogene, a Chinese company, sold dog and cat clones and kept more than 1,000 beagles as egg donors and surrogates, according to a 2019 report. In South Korea a state agency produced six cloned working dogs in 2013.","country":"China","region":"Asia","lat":39.9,"lon":116.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"company-home"},{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2022,"instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Price quoted by Sinogene for a cloned dog (April 2019)","value":"380,000 yuan","note":"Reported by iFanr / PingWest."},"happened":["According to a report by iFanr / PingWest in April 2019, the Chinese company Sinogene was asking 380,000 yuan for a cloned dog. The company kept more than 1,000 beagles as egg donors and surrogate mothers. Each clone required 10 to 30 egg-donor dogs, and the first successful clone came on the 217th attempt.","In May 2013 the South Korean Rural Development Administration (RDA) produced six clones from quarantine, police, army and rescue dogs. DailyVet reported that one clone cost 46 million won and that training a conventionally bred search dog cost 130 million won, a comparison presented as a 65% saving.","Other reported items about Sinogene, including a 2019 police dog clone, 2022 delivery numbers and the cloning of an Arctic wolf in 2022, are unconfirmed."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"South Korean RDA produces six cloned quarantine, police, army and rescue dogs (May)"},{"y":2019,"t":"iFanr / PingWest reports Sinogene's price of 380,000 yuan, a colony of more than 1,000 beagles and a first success on the 217th attempt (April)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The RDA's comparison of 46 million won per clone with 130 million won to train a conventionally bred search dog was presented as a 65% saving.","who":"South Korean Rural Development Administration, as reported by DailyVet (2013)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sinogene asked 380,000 yuan for a cloned dog in April 2019.","src":0},{"t":"Sinogene kept more than 1,000 beagles as egg donors and surrogate mothers; each clone needed 10 to 30 egg-donor dogs.","src":0},{"t":"The first successful Sinogene clone came on the 217th attempt.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"CNY","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Egg-donor dogs per clone","v":"10 to 30","d":"Sinogene, as reported in April 2019"},{"k":"Beagles kept as donors and surrogates","v":"more than 1,000","d":"Sinogene, as reported in April 2019"},{"k":"Attempts before first successful clone","v":"217th","d":"Sinogene, as reported in April 2019"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: by July 2022 Sinogene had delivered more than 300 clones (about 200 dogs and 100 cats) and the price of a cat clone had fallen to 118,000 yuan (Aboluowang, relaying AFP).","Unconfirmed: in 2019 a police dog, Kunxun, was cloned with Yunnan Agricultural University and support from the Ministry of Public Security.","Unconfirmed: in September 2022 Sinogene and Harbin Polarland cloned an Arctic wolf, Maya, from 85 embryos with 7 beagle surrogates and one pup, presented as a step in protecting endangered species; the Arctic wolf is described as low risk (CNN / KVIA, 20 September 2022).","Unconfirmed: a 2025 Chinese report described contract disputes, no standard for the welfare of surrogate animals and no certification system in the sector.","The cited sources give no information on the health or fate of the donor and surrogate dogs, or on Sinogene's own account of animal welfare.","No source reviewed reports a court case or regulatory action on Sinogene."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not say whether the use of donor and surrogate dogs has changed.","whoPaid":"The cited sources record the price paid by buyers (380,000 yuan for a dog in 2019); they do not record who bore any cost to the donor and surrogate animals.","statusLine":"Latest dated item in the cited sources is the September 2022 Arctic wolf report; no ruling or regulatory action found.","updated":null,"responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"sinogene","role":"Pet and animal cloning company, China"},{"id":"south-korea-rda","role":"State agency that produced six cloned working dogs in 2013"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"price_dog_clone","value":380000,"unit":"CNY","year":2019,"note":"Price asked by Sinogene for a cloned dog, April 2019."},{"key":"donor_beagles_kept","value":1000,"unit":"dogs","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Beagles kept by Sinogene as egg donors and surrogates, April 2019."},{"key":"donor_dogs_per_clone","value":"10-30","unit":"dogs","year":2019,"note":"Egg-donor dogs needed per clone, as reported April 2019."},{"key":"attempts_to_first_clone","value":217,"unit":"attempts","year":2019,"note":"First successful Sinogene clone was the 217th attempt."},{"key":"cost_clone_rda","value":46000000,"unit":"KRW","year":2013,"note":"Cost of one cloned working dog, South Korean RDA, as reported by DailyVet."},{"key":"cost_training_search_dog","value":130000000,"unit":"KRW","year":2013,"note":"Cost of training a conventionally bred search dog, as reported by DailyVet."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sinogene sold cloned dogs and cats and kept more than 1,000 beagles as egg donors and surrogates.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sinogene","what":"Asked 380,000 yuan per cloned dog in April 2019.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Donor and surrogate beagles","what":"More than 1,000 kept; 10 to 30 egg-donor dogs per clone (as reported). The cited sources give no health data.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"China (Sinogene); South Korea (RDA clones).","src":0},"when":{"t":"April 2019 for the Sinogene report; May 2013 for the South Korean clones.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources describe a commercial market for cloned pets; the South Korean agency presented cloning working dogs as a saving against training costs.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Clones were produced using beagles as egg donors and surrogate mothers; the first success came on the 217th attempt.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"38万，克隆一只宠物 (Sinogene price, beagle colony, number of attempts)","p":"iFanr / PingWest","d":"2019-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.ifanr.com/1199422","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250905131133/https://www.ifanr.com/1199422"},{"t":"Chinese researchers clone an Arctic wolf in landmark conservation project (via KVIA)","p":"CNN / KVIA","d":"2022-09-20","type":"press","u":"https://kvia.com/news/us-world/cnn-asia-pacific/2022/09/20/chinese-researchers-clone-an-arctic-wolf-in-landmark-conservation-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251211154336/https://kvia.com/news/us-world/cnn-asia-pacific/2022/09/20/chinese-researchers-clone-an-arctic-wolf-in-landmark-conservation-project/"},{"t":"Sinogene deliveries, 2022 (via Aboluowang, relaying AFP)","p":"Aboluowang","d":"2022-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.aboluowang.com/2022/0723/1779684.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250618023613/https://www.aboluowang.com/2022/0723/1779684.html"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"none","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: by July 2022 Sinogene had delivered more than 300 clones (about 200 dogs and 100 cats) and the price of a cat clone had fallen to 118,000 yuan (Aboluowang, relaying AFP).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2019 a police dog, Kunxun, was cloned with Yunnan Agricultural University and support from the Ministry of Public Security.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in September 2022 Sinogene and Harbin Polarland cloned an Arctic wolf, Maya, from 85 embryos with 7 beagle surrogates and one pup, presented as a step in protecting endangered species; the Arctic wolf is described as low risk (CNN / KVIA, 20 September 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2025 Chinese report described contract disputes, no standard for the welfare of surrogate animals and no certification system in the sector.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no information on the health or fate of the donor and surrogate dogs, or on Sinogene's own account of animal welfare.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed reports a court case or regulatory action on Sinogene.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"black-footed-ferret-cloning-and-wild-plague","title":"Black-footed ferret cloning (Antonia) and wild plague","dek":"A black-footed ferret cloned from cells frozen in 1988 gave birth in 2024, the first clone of a U.S. endangered species to produce young. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said no release of the clone or her young was planned.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40,"lon":-100,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":1988,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-11-01","instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Cloned animal's offspring: born vs released","value":"3 born, 2 survived; release not planned","note":"U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service press release, 1 November 2024."},"happened":["The black-footed ferret population alive today, not counting clones, descends from seven individuals, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Cells from Willa, a ferret that died in 1988, were stored in the San Diego Zoo's \"Frozen Zoo\". Those cells carry about three times the genetic diversity of the present population.","A clone named Antonia, produced from those cells, gave birth to three kits in 2024; two survived. FWS described this as the first time a clone of a U.S. endangered species had produced offspring. The partners named were FWS, the Smithsonian, Revive & Restore, the San Diego Zoo and ViaGen.","FWS said there were no plans to release Antonia or her offspring into the wild."],"timeline":[{"y":1988,"t":"Willa dies; her cells are kept in the San Diego Zoo's Frozen Zoo"},{"y":2024,"t":"Antonia, a clone made from Willa's cells, gives birth to three kits, two of which survive (FWS, 1 November 2024)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The cloned ferret's kits were presented as a conservation advance: new offspring of a clone that add genetic diversity from cells frozen in 1988.","who":"U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1 November 2024","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Three kits were born to the clone Antonia in 2024 and two survived.","src":0},{"t":"The population not counting clones descends from seven individuals; the frozen cells carry about three times its genetic diversity.","src":0},{"t":"FWS said there were no plans to release Antonia or her offspring into the wild.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Kits born to the clone","v":"3 (2 survived)","d":"2024, per FWS"},{"k":"Release of clone or offspring","v":"Not planned","d":"FWS, 1 November 2024"},{"k":"Genetic diversity in Willa's frozen cells vs present population","v":"About 3x","d":"Per FWS"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the wild population, given as an estimated 400-500 ferrets on an undated Smithsonian page.","Unconfirmed: the conventional captive-breeding programme producing more than 7,000 kits and releasing more than 2,600 into the wild.","Unconfirmed: the largest South Dakota population falling from 355 in 2007 to 49 in 2013 and recovering to 160 in 2023, attributed to plague in prairie dogs, the ferret's prey and burrow habitat; three of 19 release sites holding no population because of plague; a new plague outbreak confirmed in the area in June 2024.","Unconfirmed: that only 18 ferrets were known worldwide in 1986.","No source reviewed states the cost of the cloning work."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No harm event is on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the FWS release of 1 November 2024: three kits born to the clone, two surviving; no release planned.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"us-fws","says":"Announced the kits born to the cloned ferret and said there were no plans to release the clone or her offspring.","when":"1 November 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"usfws","role":"Federal agency; project partner"},{"id":"smithsonian","role":"Project partner"},{"id":"revive-and-restore","role":"Project partner"},{"id":"san-diego-zoo","role":"Project partner; holder of the Frozen Zoo cell bank"},{"id":"viagen","role":"Cloning company; project partner"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"kits_born","value":3,"unit":"kits","year":2024,"note":"Born to the clone Antonia; two survived (FWS)."},{"key":"kits_survived","value":2,"unit":"kits","year":2024,"note":"Of the three born to the clone Antonia (FWS)."},{"key":"founder_individuals","value":7,"unit":"individuals","year":2024,"note":"Number of individuals from which the population, not counting clones, descends (FWS)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A black-footed ferret clone produced kits in 2024; the FWS said no release of the clone or her young was planned.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States; the cited sources do not name the facility.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Cells from a ferret that died in 1988; kits born in 2024; FWS announcement on 1 November 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"FWS described the clone's offspring as adding genetic diversity from cells frozen in 1988.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A clone was produced from cells stored in the San Diego Zoo's Frozen Zoo; the partners were FWS, the Smithsonian, Revive & Restore, the San Diego Zoo and ViaGen.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Advancements in black-footed ferret conservation continue with new offspring from cloned ferret","p":"U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service","d":"2024-11-01","type":"official","u":"https://fws.gov/press-release/2024-11/advancements-black-footed-ferret-conservation-continue-new-offspring-cloned","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011214837/https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2024-11/advancements-black-footed-ferret-conservation-continue-new-offspring-cloned"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"species-cloning","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"My black-footed ferrets alive today, not counting clones, descend from seven individuals, the Fish and Wildlife Service says; a clone bore three kits in 2024, two survived.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the wild population, given as an estimated 400-500 ferrets on an undated Smithsonian page.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the conventional captive-breeding programme producing more than 7,000 kits and releasing more than 2,600 into the wild.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the largest South Dakota population falling from 355 in 2007 to 49 in 2013 and recovering to 160 in 2023, attributed to plague in prairie dogs, the ferret's prey and burrow habitat; three of 19 release sites holding no population because of plague; a new plague outbreak confirmed in the area in June 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that only 18 ferrets were known worldwide in 1986.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states the cost of the cloning work.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fda-2008-clone-food-decision","title":"FDA 2008 clone food decision","dek":"On 15 January 2008 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared meat and milk from cattle, pig and goat clones and their offspring as safe as that of conventional animals and set no labelling requirement.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"}],"start":2001,"end":2008,"eventDate":"2008-01-15","instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Clone offspring meat and milk: FDA finding","value":"Declared safe; no label","note":"FDA decision of 15 January 2008, as reported by News-Medical."},"happened":["From 2001, U.S. producers had voluntarily kept meat and milk from clones off the market.","On 15 January 2008 the FDA declared meat and milk from cattle, pig and goat clones, and from the offspring of clones of any species, as safe as that from conventional animals. It set no labelling requirement. For sheep it found the data insufficient.","A voluntary hold on the clones themselves continued, but their offspring could be sold immediately."],"timeline":[{"y":2001,"t":"U.S. producers begin a voluntary hold on marketing meat and milk from clones"},{"y":2008,"t":"15 January: FDA declares meat and milk from cattle, pig and goat clones and clone offspring as safe as conventional; no labelling requirement"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Meat and milk from clones and their offspring were presented as safe as that from conventional animals.","who":"U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 15 January 2008","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The FDA decision covered cattle, pig and goat clones and the offspring of clones of any species; the data for sheep were found insufficient.","src":0},{"t":"No labelling requirement was set.","src":0},{"t":"A voluntary hold on marketing the clones themselves continued while their offspring could be sold.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2008","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Labelling requirement","v":"None","d":"FDA decision, 15 January 2008"},{"k":"Species covered","v":"Cattle, pig, goat","d":"Sheep data found insufficient"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that in September 2008 an FDA spokesperson said clone offspring had \"theoretically\" already entered the food chain and that there was no way to know, because the products cannot be told apart.","Unconfirmed: that the EU Council in 2011 accepted labelling for fresh beef only, that Parliament found this insufficient and that negotiations collapsed.","Unconfirmed: that the European Parliament in 2015 voted by 529 votes for a ban and that no law followed.","No cited source reports a health problem linked to the consumption of clone-derived food; whether any would be detectable is not addressed in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable; no harm event is on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the January 2008 decision: clone-offspring meat and milk declared safe with no labelling requirement; later developments are not on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"us-fda","says":"Declared meat and milk from cattle, pig and goat clones and clone offspring as safe as conventional food; set no labelling requirement.","when":"15 January 2008","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"us-fda","role":"Federal regulator"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The FDA declared meat and milk from cattle, pig and goat clones, and from clone offspring of any species, as safe as conventional and required no label.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"15 January 2008, after a voluntary hold by producers that began in 2001.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give the FDA's finding of equivalent safety; they do not set out further reasoning.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A regulatory decision with no labelling requirement; a voluntary hold continued on the clones themselves.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"FDA declares meat and milk from cloned animals safe (report of 15 January 2008)","p":"News-Medical","d":"2008-01-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/01/15/34341.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201020150435/https://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/01/15/34341.aspx"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"food-safety-regulation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in September 2008 an FDA spokesperson said clone offspring had \"theoretically\" already entered the food chain and that there was no way to know, because the products cannot be told apart.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the EU Council in 2011 accepted labelling for fresh beef only, that Parliament found this insufficient and that negotiations collapsed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the European Parliament in 2015 voted by 529 votes for a ban and that no law followed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No cited source reports a health problem linked to the consumption of clone-derived food; whether any would be detectable is not addressed in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bolt-threads-microsilk-and-spac-listing","title":"Bolt Threads Microsilk and SPAC listing","dek":"Bolt Threads, a U.S. company making silk-like protein by yeast fermentation, sold 50 Microsilk neckties in 2017 and listed on Nasdaq through a special-purpose acquisition merger in 2024. Its 2024 revenue was $1.37 million against a net loss of $65.4 million.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":37.8,"lon":-122.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2017,"end":2024,"instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Bolt Projects, financial year 2024","value":"Revenue $1.37m; net loss $65.4m","note":"Company results announcement; year-end cash $3.5 million."},"happened":["In March 2017 Bolt Threads sold 50 neckties made from \"Microsilk\", a protein produced in yeast, at $314.15 each. The company's chief scientist described the tie as a showcase product and said a more widely available product would follow, according to MIT Technology Review.","In October 2023 the company announced a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), with expected gross proceeds of $35 million. The reporting described the product focus as cosmetics rather than fibre.","The company reached Nasdaq through the SPAC merger in August 2024. For financial year 2024 it reported revenue of $1.37 million, a net loss of $65.4 million and year-end cash of $3.5 million. Its main product was by then a cosmetic ingredient, \"b-silk\" or \"Vegan Silk\", rather than a fibre."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"March: 50 Microsilk neckties sold at $314.15 each"},{"y":2023,"t":"5 October: SPAC merger announced, expected gross proceeds $35 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"August: listing on Nasdaq through the SPAC merger; year ends with revenue $1.37m, net loss $65.4m, cash $3.5m"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Microsilk, a yeast-made silk protein, was shown in a limited run of 50 neckties.","who":"Bolt Threads, March 2017","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"50 neckties were sold at $314.15 each in March 2017.","src":0},{"t":"Financial year 2024: revenue $1.37 million, net loss $65.4 million, year-end cash $3.5 million; main product a cosmetic ingredient.","src":2},{"t":"SPAC merger announced on 5 October 2023 with expected gross proceeds of $35 million.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Revenue, financial year 2024","v":"$1.37m","d":"Company results announcement"},{"k":"Net loss, financial year 2024","v":"$65.4m","d":"Company results announcement"},{"k":"Independent land-use account for the sugar feedstock","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Bolt's total private capital, given as between $300 million and $471 million depending on the source, with a 2021 valuation listed at $1.15 billion; the sources conflict.","Unconfirmed: that Bolt halted production of its mycelium leather \"Mylo\" in June or July 2023 because it could not find financing, and that the chief executive said the company had come \"devastatingly close\" to commercial scale.","Unconfirmed: a Microsilk dress made with Stella McCartney for a MoMA exhibition in July 2017.","Unconfirmed: a Nasdaq notice and a 1-for-20 reverse share split in February 2025.","No independent calculation was found of which fields (corn, sugar cane) supply the sugar that feeds the fermentation, or how much land larger scale would need.","No source reviewed states environmental harm caused by the company."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable; no harm event is on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the financial year 2024 results: revenue $1.37 million and net loss $65.4 million. Unconfirmed: later events (reverse split, Nasdaq notice).","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"bolt-threads","says":"The chief scientist said, as reported by MIT Technology Review, that the necktie was a showcase product and that a more widely available product would follow.","when":"2017-03-10","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"bolt-threads","role":"Company; maker of Microsilk"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":1.37,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Financial year 2024, company results announcement."},{"key":"net_loss","value":65.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Financial year 2024, company results announcement."},{"key":"cash","value":3.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Year-end cash, company results announcement."},{"key":"necktie_units_sold","value":50,"unit":"ties","year":2017,"note":"Microsilk neckties at $314.15 each."},{"key":"spac_expected_gross_proceeds","value":35,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"expected","note":"As announced 5 October 2023."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bolt Threads sold 50 Microsilk neckties in 2017 and listed on Nasdaq through a SPAC merger in 2024, with 2024 revenue of $1.37 million and a net loss of $65.4 million.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Necktie sale March 2017; SPAC merger announced 5 October 2023; Nasdaq listing August 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The company described the 2017 tie as a showcase product; the 2023 announcement shifted focus from fibre to cosmetics.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Microsilk is a protein produced in yeast by fermentation; the listing came through a special-purpose acquisition company merger.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Synthetic spider silk for sale in a $314 necktie","p":"MIT Technology Review","d":"2017-03-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/03/10/153305/synthetic-spider-silk-for-sale-in-a-314-necktie/amp/"},{"t":"Bolt Threads SPAC deal","p":"Fashion Dive","d":"2023-10-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.fashiondive.com/news/bolt-threads-spac/695755/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515071741/https://www.fashiondive.com/news/bolt-threads-spac/695755/"},{"t":"Bolt Projects Reports Q4 2024 Financial Results","p":"Bolt Projects Holdings (company release via Stock Titan)","d":"2025-03-18","u":"https://www.stocktitan.net/news/BSLK/bolt-projects-reports-q4-2024-financial-aoucjvjeo41g.html","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250321212521/https://www.stocktitan.net/news/BSLK/bolt-projects-reports-q4-2024-financial-aoucjvjeo41g.html"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biofabrication","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bolt's total private capital, given as between $300 million and $471 million depending on the source, with a 2021 valuation listed at $1.15 billion; the sources conflict.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Bolt halted production of its mycelium leather \"Mylo\" in June or July 2023 because it could not find financing, and that the chief executive said the company had come \"devastatingly close\" to commercial scale.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Microsilk dress made with Stella McCartney for a MoMA exhibition in July 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Nasdaq notice and a 1-for-20 reverse share split in February 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent calculation was found of which fields (corn, sugar cane) supply the sugar that feeds the fermentation, or how much land larger scale would need.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states environmental harm caused by the company.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"kraig-biocraft-laboratories-recombinant-silk-claims","title":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories: recombinant spider silk claims","dek":"A Michigan company that breeds genetically modified silkworms announced record cocoon output in 2026 and described it as spider silk. The announcements gave cocoon weight but not the share of spider protein, revenue or customers.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":42.28,"lon":-83.74,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":42.28,"lon":-83.74,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech"],"headline":{"label":"Accumulated loss, fiscal 2024 (company figure, not independently verified)","value":"about $53.1 million","note":"Reported in a reports of the company's SEC Form 10-K; revenue for the year was reported as zero."},"happened":["Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is an Ann Arbor-based company whose shares trade over the counter. It works with genetically modified silkworms to produce a fibre it calls \"Dragon Silk\", and operates in the United States and Vietnam.","In July 2016 the company announced its first contract with the US Army: a fully funded base work order of $99,962, with options of up to $1 million. In the same announcement the company said it was on the way to delivering the first commercially viable, mass-produced recombinant spider silk.","Reported figures from the company's annual report for fiscal 2024 (seen only as a reports of the SEC filing) were zero revenue, a net loss of about $3.4 million and an accumulated loss of about $53.1 million, with the auditor warning about the company's ability to continue as a going concern.","In April 2026 the company announced it had produced more than 1.3 metric tons of recombinant spider silk cocoons in a single month. In June 2026 it announced about 2.5 metric tons in a single production cycle. The announcements give the weight of cocoons. They do not state the share of spider protein in the cocoons, and do not report revenue or customers.","The best result reported in the scientific literature cited in the source material is a modified cocoon with up to 35 percent spider protein (MaSp1) by weight. No sale of commercial spider silk by the company is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"July: Kraig announces its first US Army contract (base $99,962; options up to $1 million)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Fiscal year: revenue reported as zero; net loss about $3.4 million; accumulated loss about $53.1 million (company figures, not independently verified)"},{"y":2026,"t":"April: company announces more than 1.3 metric tons of cocoons in one month. June: about 2.5 metric tons of cocoons in one cycle"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A contract with the US Army, described as putting the company on the way to delivering the first commercially viable, mass-produced recombinant spider silk (July 2016).","who":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories announcement, as reported by Soldier Systems","src":0},{"t":"More than 1.3 metric tons of spider silk cocoons in a single month, described as a fivefold increase over the previous high (April 2026).","who":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories press release, via BioSpace","src":2},{"t":"Record of about 2.5 metric tons of recombinant spider silk in one production cycle (June 2026).","who":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, as reported by GeneOnline","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"The April 2026 release states cocoon weight; it gives no spider-protein share and no revenue.","src":2},{"t":"The June 2026 figure is a company statement of about 2.5 metric tons of cocoons.","src":3},{"t":"Fiscal 2024: revenue zero, net loss about $3.4 million, accumulated loss about $53.1 million, going-concern warning from the auditor (Form 10-K; company figures, not independently verified).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2016–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cocoon output announced","v":"over 1.3 t in a month; about 2.5 t in a cycle","d":"Company announcements, April and June 2026; cocoon weight, not fibre weight"},{"k":"Spider-protein share of cocoon","v":"Not stated","d":"Neither announcement gives it; the best literature result cited is up to 35% by weight"},{"k":"Revenue, fiscal 2024","v":"0","d":"Reported in the SEC Form 10-K; company figure, not independently verified"}]},"unknown":["The share of spider protein in the cocoons announced in April and June 2026: neither announcement states it.","Revenue and customers in 2026: the announcements do not report them.","Whether the 2026 production took place in Vietnam or the United States: none on record.","The fiscal 2024 financial figures (zero revenue, net loss about $3.4 million, accumulated loss about $53.1 million, going-concern warning) were seen only in a reports of the Form 10-K and are unconfirmed."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No environmental harm is on record; the matter concerns product claims.","whoPaid":"None on record; the company reported an accumulated loss of about $53.1 million (company figure, not independently verified).","statusLine":"As of June 2026: the company has announced about 2.5 metric tons of cocoons in one cycle; no spider-silk sales or protein share are on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"kraig-biocraft","says":"Announced a US Army contract in July 2016, a monthly output of more than 1.3 metric tons of cocoons in April 2026, and about 2.5 metric tons in a single cycle in June 2026. The announcements do not state spider-protein share, revenue or customers.","when":"July 2016; April 2026; June 2026","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"kraig-biocraft","role":"Company making genetically modified silkworm silk"},{"id":"us-army","role":"Customer under a 2016 contract"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does announced cocoon tonnage amount to spider-silk output?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories","says":"Announced more than 1.3 metric tons of spider silk cocoons in a month (April 2026) and about 2.5 metric tons of recombinant spider silk in one cycle (June 2026).","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Scientific literature cited in the source material","says":"The best result reported is up to 35 percent spider protein (MaSp1) by weight in a modified cocoon (Frontiers 2022, citing Xu et al. 2018).","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories","says":"No statement on the spider-protein share, revenue or customers appears in the announcements reviewed.","src":2,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"contract_base_value","value":99962,"unit":"USD","year":2016,"note":"Fully funded base work order, US Army contract announced July 2016."},{"key":"contract_option_max","value":1000000,"unit":"USD","year":2016,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Maximum with options."},{"key":"cocoons_month","value":1.3,"unit":"metric tons","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cocoon weight in a single month, April 2026 (company statement)."},{"key":"cocoons_cycle","value":2.5,"unit":"metric tons","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cocoon weight in a single production cycle, June 2026 (company statement)."},{"key":"revenue","value":0,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Fiscal 2024 per reports of Form 10-K; not independently verified."},{"key":"net_loss","value":3.4,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Fiscal 2024 per reports of Form 10-K; not independently verified."},{"key":"accumulated_loss","value":53.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Per reports of Form 10-K; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A company announced record output of genetically modified silkworm cocoons and described it as recombinant spider silk, without stating the spider-protein share, revenue or customers.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Company based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with operations in the United States and Vietnam.","src":null},"when":{"t":"US Army contract announced July 2016; output announcements April and June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The company said in 2016 it was on the way to delivering the first commercially viable, mass-produced recombinant spider silk.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Genetically modified silkworms produce cocoons containing spider protein; the announcements give cocoon weight.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories announces contract with US Army to deliver Dragon Silk","p":"Soldier Systems","d":"2016-07-12","type":"press","u":"https://soldiersystems.net/2016/07/12/kraig-biocraft-laboratories-announces-contract-with-us-army-to-deliver-dragon-silk/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250823231711/https://soldiersystems.net/2016/07/12/kraig-biocraft-laboratories-announces-contract-with-us-army-to-deliver-dragon-silk/"},{"t":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Form 10-K, fiscal year 2024","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR)","d":"2025","type":"registry","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1413119/000164117225001238/form10-k.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260109190319/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1413119/000164117225001238/form10-k.htm"},{"t":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories shatters production record, delivering over 1.3 metric tons of spider silk cocoons in a single month (via BioSpace/GlobeNewswire)","p":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories","d":"2026-04-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/kraig-biocraft-laboratories-shatters-production-record-delivering-over-1-3-metric-tons-of-spider-silk-cocoons-in-a-single-month-a-5x-increase-over-previous-high","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260407090212/https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/kraig-biocraft-laboratories-shatters-production-record-delivering-over-1-3-metric-tons-of-spider-silk-cocoons-in-a-single-month-a-5x-increase-over-previous-high"},{"t":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories produces record 2.5 metric tons of recombinant spider silk","p":"GeneOnline","d":"2026-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.geneonline.com/kraig-biocraft-laboratories-produces-record-2-5-metric-tons-of-recombinant-spider-silk/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"biotech-product-claims","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does announced cocoon tonnage amount to spider-silk output?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Kraig Biocraft Laboratories: No statement on the spider-protein share, revenue or customers appears in the announcements reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Revenue: Fiscal 2024 per reports of Form 10-K; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Net loss: Fiscal 2024 per reports of Form 10-K; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Accumulated loss: Per reports of Form 10-K; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of spider protein in the cocoons announced in April and June 2026: neither announcement states it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue and customers in 2026: the announcements do not report them.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2026 production took place in Vietnam or the United States: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The fiscal 2024 financial figures (zero revenue, net loss about $3.4 million, accumulated loss about $53.1 million, going-concern warning) were seen only in a reports of the Form 10-K and are unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"us-withdrawal-from-66-international-bodies-and-paris-unfccc","title":"US withdrawal from 66 international bodies and Paris/UNFCCC","dek":"On 7 January 2026 the United States announced its withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including the IPCC, IPBES, the UNFCCC and IUCN. The UNFCCC withdrawal takes effect on 27 February 2027.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2027,"eventDate":"2026-01-07","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"International bodies the US withdrew from, 7 January 2026","value":"66","note":"Of these, 31 were reported as UN entities."},"happened":["On 7 January 2026 a US presidential memorandum ordered the withdrawal of the United States from 66 international organisations, conventions and treaties. The bodies named in the sources include the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UN-REDD and IRENA. Press reports said 31 of the 66 were UN entities.","The White House memorandum was titled as withdrawing the United States from organisations, conventions and treaties that it described as contrary to United States interests. The cited sources do not give a fuller statement of reasons.","The sources record that the US exit from the Paris Agreement took effect at the end of January 2026. They also record that the notice of withdrawal from the UNFCCC was given on 27 February 2026 and takes effect on 27 February 2027, with a UN depositary notification published.","In 2024 the United States gave the IPCC $1.8 million, by far the largest donor; the next largest, Germany, gave $383,000. In February 2025 the administration halted federal scientists' work for the IPCC and did not nominate authors. A university group nominated 282 candidates instead; 63 were selected as authors, and the group raised the authors' travel money itself. Bloomberg reported that IPCC funding could run out in 2028.","The sources state that the United States had covered about 10 percent of IPBES's budget and about 22 percent of the UNFCCC's core budget. No senior US representative was sent to COP30, the first time since 1995 according to one report; about 100 state and local officials attended."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"February: administration halts federal scientists' IPCC work and does not nominate authors"},{"y":2026,"t":"7 January: presidential memorandum orders withdrawal from 66 organisations. End of January: Paris Agreement exit takes effect. 27 February: notice of UNFCCC withdrawal given"},{"y":2027,"t":"27 February: UNFCCC withdrawal due to take effect"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The withdrawal was presented as ending US participation in bodies contrary to US interests.","who":"White House memorandum","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"66 organisations named; 31 reported as UN entities.","src":1},{"t":"UNFCCC withdrawal notice given 27 February 2026; effective 27 February 2027.","src":3},{"t":"US contribution to the IPCC in 2024: $1.8 million, the largest; Germany second with $383,000.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Bodies withdrawn from","v":"66","d":"Including IPCC, IPBES, UNFCCC, IUCN; 31 reported as UN entities"},{"k":"US share of IPBES budget","v":"about 10%","d":"As stated in the cited sources"},{"k":"US share of UNFCCC core budget","v":"about 22%","d":"As stated in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether the United States can rejoin the Paris Agreement or the UNFCCC without Senate approval: described as an open legal question.","The exact date the Paris exit took effect: the date often cited (27 January) was not confirmed in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: a funding gap at a REDD+ project in Cambodia after the US left UN-REDD.","Unconfirmed: Bloomberg's philanthropy covered the US share of UNFCCC dues from 2017 to 2025 ($4.5 million in 2023)."],"evidence":["no-court","review"],"harmStopped":"The UNFCCC withdrawal takes effect on 27 February 2027; the Paris exit took effect at the end of January 2026.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources. The sources record that some measurement work (IPCC authors' travel) was funded by a university group instead.","statusLine":"As of March 2026: the Paris exit is in effect; the UNFCCC withdrawal notice has been filed and takes effect on 27 February 2027.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"white-house","says":"Issued a memorandum ordering withdrawal from organisations, conventions and treaties described as contrary to the interests of the United States.","when":"7 January 2026","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"us-government","role":"Withdrawing state"},{"id":"ipcc","role":"Body the US withdrew from"},{"id":"ipbes","role":"Body the US withdrew from"},{"id":"unfccc","role":"Treaty secretariat the US is leaving"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Body the US withdrew from"},{"id":"un-redd","role":"Programme the US withdrew from"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"bodies_withdrawn","value":66,"unit":"organisations","year":2026,"note":"Organisations named in the 7 January 2026 memorandum."},{"key":"un_entities_withdrawn","value":31,"unit":"UN entities","year":2026,"note":"Reported number of UN units among the 66."},{"key":"ipcc_us_contribution","value":1.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"US contribution to the IPCC; largest donor."},{"key":"ipcc_germany_contribution","value":0.383,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Second-largest donor, as stated."},{"key":"ipcc_authors_nominated","value":282,"unit":"candidates","year":2025,"note":"Nominated by a university group; 63 selected as authors."},{"key":"ipbes_us_budget_share","value":10,"unit":"percent","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of IPBES budget covered by the US."},{"key":"unfccc_us_core_budget_share","value":22,"unit":"percent","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of UNFCCC core budget covered by the US."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The United States ordered withdrawal from 66 international organisations, including the IPCC, IPBES, UNFCCC and IUCN.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"IPCC","what":"Lost its largest donor: the US gave $1.8 million in 2024 against $383,000 from Germany.","src":null},{"who":"IPBES","what":"Lost a country that covered about 10 percent of its budget.","src":null},{"who":"UNFCCC","what":"Lost a country that covered about 22 percent of its core budget.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Decision taken in Washington, D.C.; affects bodies headquartered elsewhere.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Memorandum of 7 January 2026; Paris exit in effect from end of January 2026; UNFCCC withdrawal effective 27 February 2027.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The White House memorandum describes the organisations as contrary to the interests of the United States.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A presidential memorandum, followed by formal notice to the UN depositary for the UNFCCC.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Withdrawing the United States from international organizations, conventions and treaties that are contrary to the interests of the United States","p":"The White House","d":"2026-01-07","type":"official","u":"https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-international-organizations-conventions-and-treaties-that-are-contrary-to-the-interests-of-the-united-states/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261014130436/https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/withdrawing-the-united-states-from-international-organizations-conventions-and-treaties-that-are-contrary-to-the-interests-of-the-united-states/"},{"t":"Trump withdraws the U.S. from the IPCC, IPBES, UN Climate Change, IUCN and 66 other international organizations","p":"Noticias Ambientales","d":"2026-01-08","type":"press","u":"https://noticiasambientales.com/environment-en/trump-withdraws-the-u-s-from-the-ipcc-ipbes-un-climate-change-iucn-and-66-other-international-organizations/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260111062930/https://noticiasambientales.com/environment-en/trump-withdraws-the-u-s-from-the-ipcc-ipbes-un-climate-change-iucn-and-66-other-international-organizations/"},{"t":"The US withdraws from dozens of international bodies, including climate-focused organizations","p":"Engadget","d":"2026-01-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-withdraws-from-dozens-of-international-bodies-including-climate-focused-organizations-195259578.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607080800/https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-us-withdraws-from-dozens-of-international-bodies-including-climate-focused-organizations-195259578.html"},{"t":"US set to exit UN climate convention in February 2027","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2026-03-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/03/04/us-set-to-exit-un-climate-convention-in-february-2027/"},{"t":"Depositary notification CN.102.2026 (United States, UNFCCC)","p":"United Nations Treaty Collection","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2026/CN.102.2026-Eng.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001142243/https://treaties.un.org/doc/Publication/CN/2026/CN.102.2026-Eng.pdf"},{"t":"The IPCC said humans cause climate change. Is that why Trump quit it?","p":"E&E News","d":"2026-01-09","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/the-ipcc-said-humans-cause-climate-change-is-that-why-trump-quit-it","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609035446/https://www.eenews.net/articles/the-ipcc-said-humans-cause-climate-change-is-that-why-trump-quit-it/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"treaty-withdrawal","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the United States can rejoin the Paris Agreement or the UNFCCC without Senate approval: described as an open legal question.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact date the Paris exit took effect: the date often cited (27 January) was not confirmed in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a funding gap at a REDD+ project in Cambodia after the US left UN-REDD.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bloomberg's philanthropy covered the US share of UNFCCC dues from 2017 to 2025 ($4.5 million in 2023).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: IPCC","No source link — Who lost: IPBES","No source link — Who lost: UNFCCC"]},{"id":"turkish-sugar-law-starch-based-sugar-quota-and-2018-sugar-fa","title":"Turkish sugar law, starch-based sugar quota and 2018 sugar factory privatisation","dek":"Turkey's Sugar Law of 2001 capped the share of starch-based (maize) sugar in the national sugar quota, and the cap moved from 10% to 2.5% over two decades. A multinational maize-sweetener producer, a beet cooperative union, the Treasury and beet and tobacco growers all appear in the cited sources as gainers or losers at different dates.","country":"Turkey","region":"Europe & Central Asia","lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Bursa (Orhangazi)","role":"affected"}],"start":2001,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Starch-based sugar share of the total sugar quota","value":"10% (2001) to 2.5% (2019 to 2026/27)","note":"Quota rules under Law No. 4634; 2.5% equals 72,750 tonnes."},"happened":["Law No. 4634 (the Sugar Law) of 2001 set the quota for starch-based sugar (NBŞ, in Turkish) at 10% of the total sugar quota and allowed the competent authority to raise or lower it by up to 50%. The quota was then repeatedly raised by 50%, to roughly 15%, according to a 2021 review of 20 years of quota practice.","In 2018 the ceiling in the law was lowered to 5% and, in the same year, the power to set the quota passed to the President. The Sugar Authority was closed in 2017–2018. From 2019 to the 2026/27 period the quota stood at 2.5%, or 72,750 tonnes. In 2023/24 the quota was split between Cargill (31,893 tonnes) and PNS Pendik (10,330 tonnes).","In 2018 a report written by Cargill, reported by the Turkish press, carried a scenario in which quotas were abolished and sugar factories privatised, so that starch-based sugar would rise from 15% to 48.5% of beet sugar in 2023. The report also gave water needs of 480 mm for maize and 900 mm for sugar beet. The beet cooperative union Pankobirlik rejected the report's claims as false. In 2018, 13 state sugar factories were sold for a total of about 4.85 billion Turkish lira; the buyers included Doğuş, Alteks, Kayseri Şeker, Safi, Erser-Sterk, Binbirgıda and Albayrak, and none was Cargill or another starch-based sugar company.","A separate line of dispute concerns Cargill's Orhangazi plant in Bursa: Turkish outlets reported in 2025 that it continued to operate despite 11 annulment decisions. The record also holds a 2008 report of a law approved under the presidency of Abdullah Gül, which bianet described as an amnesty law for Cargill; the intent behind the 2006–2008 provisions is asserted by critics and is not established in the cited sources.","In June 2026 Law No. 7584 provided that sugar beet may not be planted without a contract and that the Ministry sets the planting areas. As of the latest date in the cited sources, the starch-based sugar quota remained at 2.5% for 2026/27."],"timeline":[{"y":2001,"t":"Law No. 4634 sets starch-based sugar quota at 10% of the total; authority may raise or cut it by up to 50%"},{"y":2008,"t":"bianet reports President Gül approved a law described as an amnesty for Cargill"},{"y":2018,"t":"Ceiling lowered to 5%, quota power moves to the President; 13 sugar factories sold for about 4.85 billion lira; Cargill-written privatisation report reported by the press"},{"y":2019,"t":"Starch-based sugar quota set at 2.5%, kept through 2026/27 (72,750 tonnes)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Press reports Cargill's Bursa plant operating despite 11 annulment decisions"},{"y":2026,"t":"Law No. 7584 (June): sugar beet may not be planted without contract; Ministry sets planting areas"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Pankobirlik thanked the President after the quota fell, in a report headed that the beet producer's face had brightened.","who":"Yeni Akit, 2019","src":14}],"recorded":[{"t":"Quota for starch-based sugar: 10% in 2001; raised repeatedly by 50% (about 15%); 5% in 2018; 2.5% from 2019 to 2026/27 (72,750 tonnes).","src":3},{"t":"2023/24 starch-based sugar quota: Cargill 31,893 tonnes, PNS Pendik 10,330 tonnes.","src":4},{"t":"2018 privatisation: 13 factories sold for about 4.85 billion lira; no starch-based sugar company among the buyers.","src":7},{"t":"Cargill's 2018 report gave 480 mm of water for maize and 900 mm for sugar beet.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"TRY","window":"2018","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sale of 13 state sugar factories, 2018 (total price)","amount":4850,"qualifier":"about","note":"Stated in lira; millions."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Water need per crop","v":"480 mm vs 900 mm","d":"Maize vs sugar beet, as stated in Cargill's 2018 report"},{"k":"Independent environmental assessment of the quota shift","v":"Not found","d":"The cited sources contain none"}]},"unknown":["Cargill's lobbying spending in Turkey: no record found.","Whether the 2006–2008 legal provisions were adopted for Cargill's benefit: asserted by critics, not established.","Causes of the fall in small beet and tobacco producers: sources give differing accounts (Pankobirlik, a trade union and the opposition).","Unconfirmed: the Treasury's saving of about US$5.4 billion between 2001 and 2017.","Unconfirmed: that a review finding sucrose and starch-based sugar metabolically equivalent was partly funded by the maize refiners' association."],"evidence":["no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"The starch-based sugar quota fell from 10% to 2.5%; the cited sources contain no ecological measurement of the effect.","whoPaid":"The record names beet and tobacco growers as the losers of the 2001 to 2017 programmes; the cited sources do not say who bore any environmental cost.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: starch-based sugar quota at 2.5% (72,750 tonnes) for 2026/27; Law No. 7584 of June 2026 requires beet contracts; no court ruling on the Bursa plant found.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"pankobirlik","says":"Rejected the claims of Cargill's 2018 report as false.","when":"2018","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"cargill","role":"Starch-based sugar producer; author of the 2018 privatisation scenario"},{"id":"pankobirlik","role":"Sugar beet cooperative union"},{"id":"pns-pendik","role":"Starch-based sugar quota holder"},{"id":"turkish-treasury","role":"Public finance (reported saver)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Cargill's scenario or lobbying drive the decline of sugar beet farming?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Cargill (2018 report)","says":"The report set out a scenario in which, with quotas lifted and factories privatised, starch-based sugar would reach 48.5% of beet sugar in 2023.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Pankobirlik","says":"Called the report's claims false.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"Turkish press and opposition","says":"Sources differ on causation; reported accounts attribute the fall in small producers to policy rather than to falling tonnage.","src":null}]},{"point":"Does starch-based sugar differ from sucrose in health effect?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Health Science Board (2018)","says":"Said excess sucrose and starch-based sugar 'prepare the ground' for metabolic disease and asked that the quota not be increased.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"A review, partly supported by the maize refiners' association","says":"Concluded that the two sugars are metabolically equivalent.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Annulment decisions concerning Cargill's Orhangazi (Bursa) plant","forum":"Turkish administrative courts","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"A 2025 report said the plant continued to operate despite 11 annulment decisions.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"quota_share_nbs","value":2.5,"unit":"% of total sugar quota","year":2026,"note":"Same level from 2019 to 2026/27; equals 72,750 tonnes."},{"key":"quota_nbs_tonnes","value":72750,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"2026/27 quota."},{"key":"privatisation_proceeds","value":4.85,"unit":"TRY bn","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total for 13 sugar factories."},{"key":"sugar_beet_output","value":22000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Beet tonnage."},{"key":"water_need_maize_mm","value":480,"unit":"mm","year":2018,"note":"As stated in Cargill's 2018 report."},{"key":"water_need_beet_mm","value":900,"unit":"mm","year":2018,"note":"As stated in Cargill's 2018 report."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Quota rules and privatisation that shaped the share of maize-derived sugar in Turkey's sugar market.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Starch-based sugar companies (2002–2017)","what":"Quota raised repeatedly under the authority's power to increase it by up to 50%","src":3},{"who":"The Treasury (2001–2017)","what":"Reported saving of about US$5.4 billion","src":null},{"who":"Feed and white-meat industries and importers (maize)","what":"Recorded as gainers from maize after 2018","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Starch-based sugar companies (after 2018)","what":"Quota cut to 5%, then 2.5%","src":3},{"who":"Sugar beet and tobacco growers (2001–2017)","what":"Reported to have numbered in the hundreds of thousands; tobacco producers fell about 84%","src":10},{"who":"The independent sugar regulator","what":"Sugar Authority closed in 2017–2018","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Turkey; Orhangazi, Bursa.","src":6},"when":{"t":"2001 to 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The 2001 law followed commitments made to the IMF on cutting the beet quota and to the World Bank on cutting subsidies.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Statutory quota ceiling, annual quota decisions, factory privatisation in 2018 and, from 2026, mandatory beet contracts.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Letter of intent to the IMF, Turkey","p":"IMF","d":"2001","type":"official","u":"https://www.imf.org/external/np/loi/2001/tur/02/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260906171431/https://www.imf.org/external/np/loi/2001/tur/02/"},{"t":"World Bank 2004 report (PDF)","p":"World Bank","d":"2004","type":"official","u":"https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/870291468760190594/pdf/29505.pdf"},{"t":"Law No. 4634 (Sugar Law)","p":"mevzuat.gov.tr","d":"2001","type":"official","u":"https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuatmetin/1.5.4634.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211024062003/https://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.4634.pdf"},{"t":"Twenty years of the starch-based sugar quota","p":"Tarım Dünyası","d":"2021-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.tarimdunyasi.net/2021/06/09/nisasta-bazli-seker-kotasinin-20-yillik-uygulamalari/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250616213728/https://www.tarimdunyasi.net/2021/06/09/nisasta-bazli-seker-kotasinin-20-yillik-uygulamalari/"},{"t":"Sugar quotas for 2026/27 set","p":"İşçi Haber (via AA)","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.iscihaber.net/gundem/sekerde-2026-2027-donemi-kotalari-belirlendi/190579","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154003/https://www.iscihaber.net/gundem/guney-kibris-rum-yonetimi-yuksek-mahkemesinden-turkiye-karari/272589"},{"t":"Gül approved the amnesty law for Cargill","p":"bianet","d":"2008","type":"press","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/gul-cargill-e-af-yasasini-onayladi-106062","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723141020/https://bianet.org/haber/gul-cargill-e-af-yasasini-onayladi-106062"},{"t":"Despite 11 annulment decisions, the Cargill plant in Bursa continues to operate","p":"Başka Gazete","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.baskagazete.com/haber/11-iptal-kararina-ragmen-bursa-daki-cargill-fabrikasi-faaliyetini-surduruyor-175514.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411235727/https://www.baskagazete.com/haber/11-iptal-kararina-ragmen-bursa-daki-cargill-fabrikasi-faaliyetini-surduruyor-175514.html"},{"t":"Beet-versus-maize fight over sugar privatisation","p":"Tarım Dünyası","d":"2018-03-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.tarimdunyasi.net/2018/03/21/seker-ozellestirmesinde-pancar-misir-kavgasi/"},{"t":"Sözcü obtains the privatisation report written by Cargill","p":"Sözcü","d":"2018","type":"press","u":"https://www.sozcu.com.tr/cargillin-yazdigi-ozellestirme-raporuna-sozcu-ulasti-wp2257351","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250731141605/https://www.sozcu.com.tr/cargillin-yazdigi-ozellestirme-raporuna-sozcu-ulasti-wp2257351"},{"t":"Statistics","p":"Pankobirlik","d":"n.d.","type":"company","u":"https://pankobirlik.com.tr/istatistikler.pdf"},{"t":"The end of Turkish tobacco is coming","p":"Bloomberg HT","d":"2015","type":"press","u":"https://www.bloomberght.com/analiz-turk-tutununun-sonu-geliyor-1-1717399","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154028/https://www.bloomberght.com/analiz-turk-tutununun-sonu-geliyor-1-1717399"},{"t":"ECtHR application no. 25680/05","p":"echrcaselaw.com","d":"n.d.","type":"court","u":"https://www.echrcaselaw.com/en/?p=7536"},{"t":"Cargill wants, the AKP gives","p":"BirGün","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.birgun.net/haber/cargill-istiyor-akp-veriyor-617310","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251115055040/https://www.birgun.net/haber/cargill-istiyor-akp-veriyor-617310"},{"t":"Heinrich Böll Foundation Turkey, 2018","p":"Heinrich Böll Stiftung","d":"2018","type":"ngo","u":"https://tr.boell.org/en/node/20611"},{"t":"Pankobirlik thanks the President: quota cut","p":"Yeni Akit","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://www.yeniakit.com.tr/haber/pankobirlikten-cumhurbaskanina-tesekkur-kota-dustu-pancar-ureticisinin-yuzu-guldu-601290.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Cargill's scenario or lobbying drive the decline of sugar beet farming?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does starch-based sugar differ from sucrose in health effect?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Annulment decisions concerning Cargill's Orhangazi (Bursa) plant: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Cargill's lobbying spending in Turkey: no record found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2006–2008 legal provisions were adopted for Cargill's benefit: asserted by critics, not established.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Causes of the fall in small beet and tobacco producers: sources give differing accounts (Pankobirlik, a trade union and the opposition).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Treasury's saving of about US$5.4 billion between 2001 and 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that a review finding sucrose and starch-based sugar metabolically equivalent was partly funded by the maize refiners' association.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: The Treasury (2001–2017)","No source link — Who gained: Feed and white-meat industries and importers (maize)","No source link — Who lost: The independent sugar regulator"]},{"id":"mexico-avocado-us-inspection-suspensions-and-michoacan-defor","title":"Mexico avocado: US inspection suspensions and Michoacán deforestation","dek":"The United States suspended inspections of Mexican avocados three times between 2022 and 2026 after threats and attacks in Michoacán. Reports link the export boom to forest clearing, extortion and, in Chile's Petorca, to water shortages.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America & Caribbean","lat":19.6,"lon":-101.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Michoacán","role":"event"},{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Petorca","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2001,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture","water"],"headline":{"label":"Mexico's avocado exports in 2024","value":"US$3.78 billion","note":"More than 80% went to the United States."},"happened":["The United States suspended inspections of avocados from Mexico three times: in 2022 after a threat to a US Department of Agriculture inspector, in 2024 after an attack on two employees, and in August 2026, when Michoacán operations were halted and Mexico sent 1,500 soldiers. The Michoacán governor described the 2026 incident as a protest. US inspections partially resumed afterwards, according to AFP.","Mexico's avocado exports reached US$3.78 billion in 2024, with more than 80% going to the United States. A trade outlet projected US$4 billion for 2025.","The Center for Responsible Investment (CRI) reported in 2023 that forest-cleared land was found in 49 of 56 exporting municipalities, and that in Ocumicho two leaders who had banned outside avocado planting were shot, one of whom died. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) reported gross deforestation in Michoacán of 269,676 hectares in 2001–2018, said extortion ran through the whole supply chain, and cited unnamed official sources for the claim that 80% of orchards were established illegally.","In Chile's Petorca province, villagers received water by tanker twice a week, according to reporting. Chile's 1981 Water Code made water rights free, perpetual and tradable; the code was reformed in 2022 despite lobbying. Reporting put water use at about 320 litres per avocado in the area against a world average of 70 litres, and found at least 65 illegal pipes.","In the European Union, per-capita avocado consumption was 1.40 kg in 2020 and 1.90 kg in 2024, with about 88% imported; 45% of external supply came from Peru, 9% from Chile and about 1% from Mexico."],"timeline":[{"y":1981,"t":"Chile's Water Code makes water rights free, perpetual and tradable"},{"y":2001,"t":"Start of the 2001–2018 period of 269,676 ha gross deforestation in Michoacán reported by GI-TOC"},{"y":2022,"t":"US suspends Mexican avocado imports after a threat to a USDA inspector; Chile reforms its Water Code"},{"y":2024,"t":"US suspends inspections again after an attack on two employees; Mexican avocado exports reach US$3.78bn"},{"y":2026,"t":"August: US halts Michoacán operations; Mexico sends 1,500 soldiers; inspections partially resume"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Described the August 2026 incident as a protest.","who":"Governor of Michoacán","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Three US suspensions of Mexican avocado inspections: 2022 (threat to an inspector), 2024 (attack on two employees), August 2026 (Michoacán operations halted).","src":0},{"t":"Exports of US$3.78 billion in 2024; more than 80% to the United States.","src":3},{"t":"Forest-cleared land found in 49 of 56 exporting municipalities (CRI; no independent verification seen).","src":4},{"t":"Gross deforestation in Michoacán of 269,676 ha, 2001–2018.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Mexican avocado exports, 2024","amount":3780,"note":"Millions of US dollars; exporters, packers and buyers gain in the trade."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gross deforestation, Michoacán 2001–2018","v":"269,676 ha","d":"GI-TOC 2024"},{"k":"Exporting municipalities with forest-cleared land","v":"49 of 56","d":"CRI 2023; no independent verification seen"},{"k":"Water per avocado, Petorca","v":"about 320 L vs 70 L","d":"Against a world average, as reported in 2019"}]},"unknown":["Independent verification of the CRI municipality count: none seen.","Unconfirmed: that 80% of orchards were established illegally (GI-TOC, citing unnamed official sources).","Unconfirmed: a former minister's figure of 4,000 illegal wells in Petorca.","Total value of extortion payments: no confirmed figure in the cited sources."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Inspections were suspended three times; the cited sources do not report that clearing or extraction stopped.","whoPaid":"Producers and workers in Michoacán; villagers in Petorca; forest and water, according to the reports cited.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: US inspections partially resumed after the August 2026 halt; no independent verification of the forest-clearing counts found.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"michoacan-government","says":"Characterised the August 2026 incident as a protest.","when":"August 2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"usda","role":"US inspection authority"},{"id":"michoacan-government","role":"State government"},{"id":"cri","role":"Reporting organisation (Center for Responsible Investment)"},{"id":"gi-toc","role":"Research network"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What was the August 2026 incident in Michoacán?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Governor of Michoacán","says":"Described it as a protest.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"United States","says":"Halted Michoacán operations and later partially resumed inspections; Mexico sent 1,500 soldiers.","src":2}]},{"point":"How much of Michoacán's orchard expansion was illegal?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"GI-TOC","says":"Cited unnamed official sources for the claim that 80% of orchards were established illegally.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CRI","says":"Found forest-cleared land in 49 of 56 exporting municipalities.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue","value":3.78,"unit":"USD bn","year":2024,"note":"Mexican avocado exports; more than 80% to the United States."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":269676,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"qualifier":"gross","note":"Michoacán, 2001–2018 (GI-TOC)."},{"key":"municipalities_with_clearing","value":49,"unit":"of 56 municipalities","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"CRI; no independent verification seen."},{"key":"troops_sent","value":1500,"unit":"soldiers","year":2026,"note":"Sent by Mexico after the August 2026 halt."},{"key":"water_per_avocado","value":320,"unit":"litres","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Petorca area; world average about 70 litres."},{"key":"illegal_pipes","value":65,"unit":"pipes","year":2019,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Petorca."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US suspensions of avocado inspections after violence in Michoacán, set beside reports of forest clearing and water use in avocado regions.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Exporters, packers and US buyers","what":"Trade of US$3.78 billion in 2024","src":3},{"who":"Organised crime and local elites","what":"Reported to gain through extortion across the supply chain","src":5},{"who":"Importers and supermarkets","what":"Reported as gainers from the trade","src":4},{"who":"Large water-rights holders in Chile","what":"Hold tradable rights under the 1981 Water Code","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Michoacán producers and workers","what":"Bore the cost of the suspensions","src":1},{"who":"Indigenous communities","what":"Two leaders shot in Ocumicho, one died","src":4},{"who":"Petorca villagers","what":"Supplied by tanker; code reformed in 2022","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Pine-oak forest in Michoacán","what":"269,676 ha gross deforestation, 2001–2018","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Michoacán, Mexico; Petorca, Chile.","src":5},"when":{"t":"2001 to 2026.","src":5},"why":{"t":"Export demand, mainly from the United States, for avocados.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Orchard expansion into forest, extortion reported by GI-TOC, and in Chile tradable water rights.","src":5}},"sources":[{"t":"US suspends Mexican avocado imports after threat to inspector","p":"NBC News","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mexico/us-suspends-mexican-avocado-imports-threat-inspector-rcna16053","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250905233549/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mexico/us-suspends-mexican-avocado-imports-threat-inspector-rcna16053"},{"t":"US to resume avocado and mango inspections in Mexico","p":"NBC News","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-resume-avocados-mangoes-inspection-mexico-rcna158407"},{"t":"US partially resumes avocado inspections in Mexico","p":"AFP (via Macau Business)","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://macaubusiness.com/us-partially-resumes-avocado-inspections-in-mexico/"},{"t":"Mexico's avocado exports to reach 4 billion this year","p":"FreshPlaza","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9730728/mexico-s-avocado-exports-to-reach-4-billion-this-year/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154141/https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9730728/mexico-s-avocado-exports-to-reach-4-billion-this-year/"},{"t":"Mexico avocado exports fuelling deforestation and abuse","p":"Center for Responsible Investment (CRI)","d":"2023","type":"ngo","u":"https://cri.org/mexico-avocados-export-fueling-deforstation-abuse/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154258/https://cri.org/mexico-avocados-export-fueling-deforstation-abuse/"},{"t":"Mexico's avocado boom and organized crime","p":"Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime","d":"2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/mexicos-avocado-boom-and-organized-crime/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011070931/https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/mexicos-avocado-boom-and-organized-crime/"},{"t":"Chile's avocado growers blamed for water shortages","p":"FreshPlaza (via Thomson Reuters Foundation)","d":"2019","type":"press","u":"https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9111221/chile-s-avocado-growers-blamed-for-water-shortages","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190619163527/https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9111221/chile-s-avocado-growers-blamed-for-water-shortages/"},{"t":"Avocados and stolen water","p":"Danwatch","d":"2017","type":"investigative","u":"https://old.danwatch.dk/en/undersogelse/avocados-and-stolen-water/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001155203/https://old.danwatch.dk/en/undersogelse/avocados-and-stolen-water/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of Michoacán's orchard expansion was illegal?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was the August 2026 incident in Michoacán?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Municipalities with clearing: CRI; no independent verification seen.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Independent verification of the CRI municipality count: none seen.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 80% of orchards were established illegally (GI-TOC, citing unnamed official sources).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a former minister's figure of 4,000 illegal wells in Petorca.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Total value of extortion payments: no confirmed figure in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism-burden-on-turkish-expo","title":"EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism burden on Turkish exporters","dek":"The EU's carbon border mechanism entered its definitive period on 1 January 2026. Estimates put the 2026 burden on Turkish exporters between EUR 399 million and EUR 771 million, and several governments have objected to the rule.","country":"Turkey","region":"Europe & Central Asia","lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","role":"affected"}],"start":2026,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-01-01","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated 2026 CBAM burden on Turkish exporters","value":"EUR 399 million to 771 million","note":"Estimate (EBRD 2021; Redshaw 2026)."},"happened":["The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) moved to its definitive period on 1 January 2026. It covers cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen, and the certificate price is tied to the EU emissions trading price.","Estimates put Turkish exporters' 2026 CBAM burden at EUR 399 million to EUR 771 million. The burden could reach about 50% of today's price in cement, about 18% in aluminium and about 9% in steel. With verified emissions the cost falls to about a quarter.","CBAM revenue currently goes to national budgets. The European Commission proposed that 75% go to the EU budget from 2028; Bruegel put the amount at up to EUR 1.2 billion a year.","Turkey adopted Climate Law No. 7552 in July 2025 and an emissions trading regulation in August 2026. The pilot runs 2026–2027, covers five of CBAM's six sectors, is reporting-only in 2026, and free allocation is 100%.","Objections have come from other governments: the BRICS summit in Rio (2025) referred to CBAM and forest rules as protectionism, and the New Delhi Declaration of 12 September 2026 named CBAM. Russia opened a WTO case on 12 May 2025; the EU blocked panel establishment once in July 2026. A study by ACF and LSE estimated that CBAM could reduce Africa's annual GDP by 0.91%."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"EBRD estimate of the Turkish burden published"},{"y":2025,"t":"Turkey's Climate Law No. 7552 (July); Russia opens WTO case on CBAM (12 May); BRICS Rio summit refers to CBAM"},{"y":2026,"t":"CBAM definitive period from 1 Jan; EU blocks WTO panel once (July); Turkish ETS regulation (August); New Delhi Declaration names CBAM (12 Sept)"},{"y":2028,"t":"Commission proposes 75% of CBAM revenue go to the EU budget; pricing of pre-consumer scrap proposed"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"CBAM covers cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen from 1 January 2026.","src":0},{"t":"Estimated 2026 burden on Turkish exporters: EUR 399 million to EUR 771 million.","src":1},{"t":"CBAM counts post-consumer scrap as zero embedded emissions.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated CBAM burden on Turkish exporters, 2026 (lower bound of range up to 771)","amount":399,"qualifier":"from","est":true,"note":"Range EUR 399m to 771m; millions of euros."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Emissions price on covered imports","v":"Tied to the EU ETS price","d":"Definitive period from 1 January 2026"},{"k":"Ecological measurement of effect","v":"Not found","d":"The cited sources contain none"}]},"unknown":["Revenue distribution: only a Commission proposal exists; no decision found.","Unconfirmed: the wording of the BRICS and New Delhi declarations; they come from news reports.","Whether a domestic Turkish carbon price will be deductible from CBAM: no such price applies in the pilot."],"evidence":["no-eval","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The mechanism is in force and the cited sources record no measured environmental effect.","whoPaid":"Turkish exporters of covered goods, according to the estimates cited; the cited sources do not say who bears an environmental cost.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: CBAM definitive period running; Russia's WTO case ongoing after the EU blocked panel establishment once; Turkey's ETS in pilot.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"european-commission","says":"Proposed that 75% of CBAM revenue go to the EU budget from 2028.","when":"2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Regulator of CBAM"},{"id":"wto","role":"Dispute forum"},{"id":"turkish-exporters","role":"Affected exporters"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is CBAM a climate measure or protectionism?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"BRICS (Rio 2025; New Delhi 2026)","says":"Referred to CBAM as protectionism disguised as environmental policy; news reports.","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Union","says":"The rule applies to all and verified emissions reduce the cost.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia","says":"Opened a WTO case on 12 May 2025; the EU blocked panel establishment once in July 2026.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Russia v European Union: CBAM","forum":"World Trade Organization","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Russia","defendant":"European Union","filed":"2025-05-12","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The EU blocked the establishment of a panel once in July 2026.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"burden_low","value":399,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"Lower bound, Turkish exporters (EBRD 2021; Redshaw 2026)."},{"key":"burden_high","value":771,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"Upper bound."},{"key":"cost_share_cement","value":50,"unit":"% of today's price","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","est":true,"note":"Cement."},{"key":"africa_gdp_loss","value":0.91,"unit":"% of GDP","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"ACF and LSE estimate, about US$25 billion a year at 2021 GDP."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A border carbon charge on covered imports into the EU, with a cost for Turkish exporters.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EU and member-state budgets","what":"Revenue goes to national budgets; 75% proposed for the EU budget from 2028","src":3},{"who":"Low-carbon producers with verified emissions","what":"Cost falls to about a quarter","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Turkish exporters","what":"EUR 399 million to EUR 771 million in 2026 (estimate)","src":1},{"who":"African exporters","what":"Estimated GDP loss of 0.91%","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union border; Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 1 January 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To price the carbon in imported goods like the EU's own production.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Importers buy certificates priced to the EU emissions market.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism","p":"European Commission","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/carbon-border-adjustment-mechanism_en"},{"t":"Turkish exporters to EU face EUR 771 million burden due to carbon border tax","p":"Balkan Green Energy News","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://balkangreenenergynews.com/turkish-exporters-to-eu-face-eur-771-million-burden-due-to-carbon-border-tax/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251111234828/https://balkangreenenergynews.com/turkish-exporters-to-eu-face-eur-771-million-burden-due-to-carbon-border-tax/"},{"t":"CBAM to increase costs and pressure EU-bound exports","p":"Eurometal","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://eurometal.net/anil-akalin-cbam-to-increase-costs-and-pressure-eu-bound-exports/"},{"t":"Financing the EU budget: assessment of five proposals for new resources","p":"Bruegel","d":"2026","type":"academic","u":"https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/financing-eu-budget-assessment-five-proposals-new-resources","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009104510/https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/financing-eu-budget-assessment-five-proposals-new-resources"},{"t":"Turkey emissions trading system regulation published","p":"Erdem & Erdem","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.erdem-erdem.av.tr/turkiye-emisyon-ticaret-sistemi-yonetmeligi-yayimlandi","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154401/https://www.erdem-erdem.av.tr/turkiye-emisyon-ticaret-sistemi-yonetmeligi-yayimlandi"},{"t":"Turkey ETS","p":"ICAP","d":"2026","type":"registry","u":"https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/node/1238"},{"t":"BRICS rallies Global South cooperation","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/economy/brics-rallies-global-south-cooperation-as-it-sees-western-influence-wane","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250727074539/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/economy/brics-rallies-global-south-cooperation-as-it-sees-western-influence-wane"},{"t":"BRICS backs carbon market cooperation while opposing unilateral CBAM","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/brics-backs-carbon-market-cooperation-while-opposing-unilateral-cbam","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913043549/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/brics-backs-carbon-market-cooperation-while-opposing-unilateral-cbam"},{"t":"The CBAM scrap loophole","p":"CBAM Guide","d":"2025-2026","type":"press","u":"https://cbamguide.com/compliance/scrap-loophole/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154520/https://cbamguide.com/compliance/scrap-loophole/"},{"t":"EU Statements as delivered at the DSB meeting, 24 July 2026 (Agenda point 2: CBAM - request for the establishment of a panel by the Russian Federation, WT/DS639/3)","p":"European Union Delegation to the WTO (EEAS)","d":"2026-07-24","u":"https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/world-trade-organization-wto/eu-statements-delivered-dsb-meeting-24-july-2026_en","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is CBAM a climate measure or protectionism?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue distribution: only a Commission proposal exists; no decision found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the wording of the BRICS and New Delhi declarations; they come from news reports.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether a domestic Turkish carbon price will be deductible from CBAM: no such price applies in the pilot.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: African exporters"]},{"id":"lessepsian-invasions-pufferfish-in-turkey-and-bounty-payment","title":"Lessepsian invasions: pufferfish in Turkey and bounty payments","dek":"Since the Suez Canal opened in 1869, hundreds of Red Sea species have entered the Mediterranean. On the Turkish coast, fishers report net damage from pufferfish, and the state pays a bounty for each one removed.","country":"Turkey","region":"Mediterranean","lat":36.6,"lon":36.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Eastern Mediterranean coast","lat":36.6,"lon":36.2,"role":"affected"}],"start":1869,"end":2025,"instrument":"invasive-species","types":["invasive-species","shipping","fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Pufferfish removed under Turkey's bounty scheme, 2020 to end of 2025","value":"665,000","note":"Ministry figure as reported by Milliyet; about 13 million TL paid. The size of the pufferfish stock is not known."},"happened":["The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and connected the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Species that crossed it are called Lessepsian migrants. A compilation by Zenetos and colleagues (2012) counted 986 alien marine species in the Mediterranean; 54% of them arrived \"probably\" through corridors, mainly the Suez Canal. The count is a record; the pathway attribution is an expert estimate.","There is no single current figure for species that came through Suez. The cited sources show 204 in 1978 and more than 490 in the 2012 compilation. For Turkey, a count at the end of 2020 listed 539 alien marine species, 58% of Red Sea origin, and Suez accounted for 72% of introductions along the Levant coast.","The effects on fishers differ. A trawl study at Karataş in 2002–03 found that Suez-origin species made up 26.66% of the catch; of the 77 fish and 24 invertebrate species entering the nets, some had become important market resources and some damaged nets and catch. The pufferfish was first recorded in Turkey in 2003, at Gökova. In a 2017 survey of 467 fishers, 92% of small-scale fishers on the south coast said their nets had been damaged; the authors state that the size of the effect is not known.","Turkey began paying fishers for pufferfish in 2020, at 5 TL per tail. In 2024 the rate was 25 TL for the spotted pufferfish and 10 TL for seven other species; in 2025 it was 35 TL for the spotted pufferfish. From 2020 to the end of 2025, 665,000 pufferfish were collected and about 13 million TL was paid. The lionfish was first recorded in Turkey in April 2014, in the Gulf of Iskenderun.","The Suez Canal earned Egypt between USD 9.4 and 10.3 billion in 2023. After attacks in the Red Sea, revenue fell to about USD 4 billion in 2024, with transits dropping from about 26,000 to 13,213 ships, and stood at USD 4.67 billion in fiscal year 2025/26. The Gulf-to-Rotterdam route is 10,358 km via Suez and 17,975 km via the Cape of Good Hope."],"timeline":[{"y":1869,"t":"Suez Canal opens"},{"y":1978,"t":"204 Suez-origin species recorded in the Mediterranean"},{"y":2003,"t":"Pufferfish first recorded in Turkey, at Gökova"},{"y":2012,"t":"Compilation counts 986 alien marine species in the Mediterranean (Zenetos and others)"},{"y":2014,"t":"Lionfish first recorded in Turkey, in the Gulf of Iskenderun (April)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Survey of 467 fishers: 92% of south-coast small-scale fishers report net damage"},{"y":2020,"t":"Turkey pays 5 TL per pufferfish tail; 539 alien marine species recorded in Turkey by end of year"},{"y":2023,"t":"Suez Canal revenue USD 9.4–10.3 billion"},{"y":2024,"t":"Bounty set at 25 TL (spotted pufferfish) and 10 TL (seven other species); Suez revenue falls to about USD 4 billion"},{"y":2025,"t":"Bounty for spotted pufferfish raised to 35 TL; 665,000 pufferfish collected since 2020"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The ministry reported 665,000 pufferfish collected and about 13 million TL paid between 2020 and the end of 2025","who":"Turkish ministry, as reported by Milliyet","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"986 alien marine species in the Mediterranean; 54% probably arrived through corridors, mainly Suez (expert estimate of pathway)","src":0},{"t":"Suez-origin species were 26.66% of the catch in trawls at Karataş in 2002–03","src":1},{"t":"Bounty per pufferfish: 5 TL in 2020; 25 TL or 10 TL in 2024; 35 TL for the spotted pufferfish in 2025","src":4},{"t":"Suez Canal revenue USD 9.4–10.3 billion in 2023; about USD 4 billion in 2024; USD 4.67 billion in 2025/26","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"TL","window":"2020–2025","nature":[{"label":"Public bounty payments for pufferfish removal, 2020 to end of 2025","amount":13,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported ministry figure; 665,000 fish collected."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":13,"qualifier":"about","note":"Only the bounty payments appear in the cited sources; no other spending on the Mediterranean species is on record."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Alien marine species, Mediterranean","v":"986","d":"Zenetos and others, 2012; 54% probably via corridors, mainly Suez"},{"k":"Alien marine species, Turkey","v":"539","d":"End of 2020; 58% of Red Sea origin; Suez explains 72% of Levant introductions"},{"k":"Pufferfish removed","v":"665,000","d":"2020 to end of 2025; stock size not known"}]},"unknown":["The size of the effect of pufferfish on fishing gear: the 2017 survey authors state it is not known.","The size of the pufferfish stock: not known, so the share removed by the bounty cannot be stated.","Unconfirmed: a claim of EUR 5 million lost by fishers up to 2014, given without a method.","Unconfirmed: a claim that 50 million pufferfish were prevented from reproducing, given without a method.","The relative contribution of the Suez Canal and of sea warming to the changes: not measured.","The effect of the 13 fish species recorded as crossing: no impact record found."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The spread has not stopped; the pufferfish bounty continued through 2025.","whoPaid":"Small-scale south-coast fishers who reported net damage; the Turkish public budget for the bounty payments.","statusLine":"As of the end of 2025: bounty payments ongoing, with 665,000 pufferfish collected since 2020; no assessment of stock size found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"turkey-government","says":"Reported 665,000 pufferfish collected and about 13 million TL paid under the bounty scheme from 2020 to the end of 2025.","when":"2026","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"egypt-government","role":"Operator of the Suez Canal; received canal revenue"},{"id":"turkey-government","role":"Pays the pufferfish bounty"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Which factor drives the change in Eastern Mediterranean species: the Suez Canal or sea warming?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Egypt (2020 statement)","says":"Reported as stating that fewer than 5% of invaders are destructive and that warnings are political.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"alien_species_mediterranean","value":986,"unit":"species","year":2012,"note":"Alien marine species in the Mediterranean; 54% probably via corridors, mainly Suez."},{"key":"alien_species_turkey","value":539,"unit":"species","year":2020,"note":"End of 2020; 58% of Red Sea origin."},{"key":"pufferfish_removed","value":665000,"unit":"fish","year":2025,"note":"Collected 2020 to end of 2025 under the bounty scheme."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":13,"unit":"TL m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Bounty payments, 2020 to end of 2025."},{"key":"revenue","value":9.4,"unit":"USD bn","year":2023,"qualifier":"9.4 to 10.3","note":"Suez Canal revenue in 2023; the sources give a range of 9.4–10.3."},{"key":"revenue","value":4,"unit":"USD bn","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Suez Canal revenue in 2024."},{"key":"revenue","value":4.67,"unit":"USD bn","year":2026,"note":"Suez Canal revenue, fiscal year 2025/26."},{"key":"ships_transiting","value":13213,"unit":"ships","year":2024,"note":"Down from about 26,000."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Red Sea species entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, including pufferfish that fishers on the Turkish coast report damage their nets, and a state bounty paid for each pufferfish removed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Egyptian state","what":"Suez Canal revenue of USD 9.4–10.3 billion in 2023; it fell in 2024.","src":6},{"who":"Some Eastern Mediterranean fishers","what":"New commercial species entered markets; at Karataş some Suez-origin species became important resources.","src":1},{"who":"Shippers","what":"The Gulf-to-Rotterdam route is 10,358 km via Suez against 17,975 km via the Cape of Good Hope.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Small-scale south-coast fishers","what":"92% of those surveyed in 2017 reported net damage.","src":null},{"who":"Turkish public budget","what":"About 13 million TL paid in pufferfish bounties, 2020 to end of 2025.","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Fishing gear and catch at Karataş","what":"Some Suez-origin species damaged nets and catch.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Suez Canal in Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey, including Gökova and the Gulf of Iskenderun.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Canal opened 1869; Turkish pufferfish record 2003; bounty from 2020.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The canal links two seas; the cited sources do not state a single cause for the change in species, and the shares of Suez and warming are not measured.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Species crossed the canal; Turkey pays fishers per pufferfish tail: 5 TL in 2020, 25 TL or 10 TL in 2024, 35 TL for the spotted pufferfish in 2025.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Alien marine species in the Mediterranean (Zenetos and others, 2012)","p":"MarineInfo","d":"2012","type":"academic","u":"https://marineinfo.org/doc/publication/288228"},{"t":"Study of Suez-origin species in Turkish trawl catches (IJAB 2014)","p":"International Journal of Aquatic Biology","d":"2014","type":"academic","u":"https://ij-aquaticbiology.com/index.php/ijab/article/view/134","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612114012/https://ij-aquaticbiology.com/index.php/ijab/article/view/134"},{"t":"Study of Suez-origin species in Turkish trawl catches (Medcoast 2011)","p":"Medcoast","d":"2011","type":"academic","u":"https://openaccess.mku.edu.tr/items/b8a88e1d-ad2b-490b-b67b-50d4238a9715/full"},{"t":"Balon balığı avlayana 5 TL destek","p":"Hürriyet","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/balon-baligi-avlayana-5-tl-destek-41678300","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210413144512/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/balon-baligi-avlayana-5-tl-destek-41678300"},{"t":"Official Gazette notice on pufferfish payments","p":"Resmî Gazete","d":"2024-04-13","type":"official","u":"https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2024/04/20240413-1.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240426044853/https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2024/04/20240413-1.htm"},{"t":"6 yılda 665 bin balon balığı ekosistemden uzaklaştırıldı","p":"Milliyet","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://uzmanpara.milliyet.com.tr/uzmanpara/6-yilda-665-bin-balon-baligi-ekosistemden-uzaklastirildi-7630457","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728074413/https://uzmanpara.milliyet.com.tr/uzmanpara/6-yilda-665-bin-balon-baligi-ekosistemden-uzaklastirildi-7630457"},{"t":"Egypt's Suez Canal revenue fell sharply in 2024 on regional tensions","p":"Hellenic Shipping News","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/egypts-suez-canal-revenue-fell-sharply-in-2024-on-regional-tensions/"},{"t":"Suez Canal revenue rises 23 percent in the 2025-2026 fiscal year as regional tensions ease","p":"Egyptian Streets","d":"2026-06-30","type":"press","u":"https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/06/30/suez-canal-revenue-rises-23-percent-in-the-2025-2026-fiscal-year-as-regional-tensions-ease/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260818042102/https://egyptianstreets.com/2026/06/30/suez-canal-revenue-rises-23-percent-in-the-2025-2026-fiscal-year-as-regional-tensions-ease/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A 2012 compilation counted 986 alien marine species in my Mediterranean, 54% of them probably arriving through corridors, mainly the Suez Canal; Turkey's bounty scheme removed 665,000 pufferfish from 2020 to the end of 2025.","src":[0,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Which factor drives the change in Eastern Mediterranean species: the Suez Canal or sea warming?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the effect of pufferfish on fishing gear: the 2017 survey authors state it is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the pufferfish stock: not known, so the share removed by the bounty cannot be stated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claim of EUR 5 million lost by fishers up to 2014, given without a method.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claim that 50 million pufferfish were prevented from reproducing, given without a method.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The relative contribution of the Suez Canal and of sea warming to the changes: not measured.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the 13 fish species recorded as crossing: no impact record found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Shippers","No source link — Who lost: Small-scale south-coast fishers"]},{"id":"japan-plastic-waste-exports-to-asia","title":"Japan plastic waste exports to Asia","dek":"Japan exported 683,000 tonnes of plastic waste in 2024, almost all of it to East and Southeast Asia. Japan's reported recycling rate counts a large share of that export.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":36.2,"lon":138.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","role":"affected"},{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Plastic waste exported by Japan, 2024","value":"683,000 t","note":"Between 91.6% and 98.2% went to East and Southeast Asia (Japan Ministry of the Environment presentation)."},"happened":["In 2024 Japan exported 683,000 tonnes of plastic waste, according to a presentation by Japan's Ministry of the Environment. Between 91.6% and 98.2% of it went to East and Southeast Asia. Between 2021 and 2025, Malaysia's share of Japan's exports rose from 34% to 40% and Vietnam's from 26% to 29%.","The Basel Convention amendments on plastic waste were adopted at COP-14 (29 April to 10 May 2019) and entered into force on 1 January 2021. They created entries for plastic waste presumed hazardous, plastic waste presumed non-hazardous and almost free of contamination, and other plastic waste subject to prior informed consent. In Japan the amendment took effect in January 2021. Uncontaminated, single-resin waste falls outside the control regime, and the sorting rests on visual inspection.","Japan reports that 87% of its plastic waste is put to effective use. For 2022, the Plastic Waste Management Institute (PWMI), an industry association, gives the breakdown as 22% material recycling, 62% thermal recycling (incineration with energy recovery) and 7% incineration without energy recovery. About two-thirds of the plastic material recycling that Japan reports comes from exports (2022); around 2018 the share was about seven-tenths."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"About 7/10 of reported plastic material recycling came from exports"},{"y":2019,"t":"Basel Convention plastic amendments adopted at COP-14"},{"y":2021,"t":"Amendments in force (1 January); Malaysia's share of Japan's plastic waste exports 34%, Vietnam's 26%"},{"y":2022,"t":"PWMI breakdown: 22% material, 62% thermal, 7% incineration without energy recovery; about 2/3 of reported material recycling from exports"},{"y":2024,"t":"Japan exports 683,000 t of plastic waste; 91.6–98.2% to East and Southeast Asia"},{"y":2025,"t":"Malaysia's share 40%, Vietnam's 29%"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Japan recycles 87% of its plastic waste","who":"Figure compiled by the Plastic Waste Management Institute, an industry association","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"683,000 t of plastic waste exported in 2024; 91.6–98.2% to East and Southeast Asia","src":0},{"t":"2022 breakdown: material recycling 22%, thermal recycling 62%, incineration without energy recovery 7%","src":2},{"t":"About two-thirds of reported plastic material recycling came from exports in 2022","src":2},{"t":"Basel plastic amendments in force from 1 January 2021","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Plastic waste exported","v":"683,000 t","d":"2024; 91.6–98.2% to East and Southeast Asia"},{"k":"Share of reported material recycling from exports","v":"about 2/3","d":"2022; about 7/10 around 2018"},{"k":"Independent assessment of harm in receiving countries","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources record the flows, not measured damage"}]},"unknown":["Damage to the environment or health in the receiving countries: none on record.","What happens to the exported plastic after arrival: not covered by the figures reviewed."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Exports continued: 683,000 t in 2024, with Malaysia's and Vietnam's shares rising through 2025.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; harm in receiving countries is not documented in them.","statusLine":"As of 2025: exports continued to East and Southeast Asia; no ruling, penalty or independent assessment found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"japan-ministry-environment","role":"Published the export figures"},{"id":"pwmi","role":"Industry association compiling the plastic waste recycling breakdown"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does Japan recycle 87% of its plastic waste?","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"Plastic Waste Management Institute (industry association)","says":"87% effectively used in 2022, counting thermal recycling (62%) and material recycling (22%).","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Breakdown of the same 2022 figure","says":"Of the 87%, 62 points are incineration with energy recovery, and about two-thirds of material recycling comes from exports.","src":null}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_waste_exported_tonnes","value":683000,"unit":"t","year":2024,"note":"Japan's plastic waste exports."},{"key":"export_share_east_se_asia","value":98.2,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"91.6 to 98.2","note":"Share to East and Southeast Asia; the source gives a range of 91.6–98.2%."},{"key":"malaysia_share","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Up from 34% in 2021."},{"key":"vietnam_share","value":29,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Up from 26% in 2021."},{"key":"material_recycling_share","value":22,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"PWMI breakdown."},{"key":"thermal_recycling_share","value":62,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Incineration with energy recovery."},{"key":"incineration_no_energy_share","value":7,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Incineration without energy recovery."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Japan exported 683,000 t of plastic waste in 2024, nearly all to East and Southeast Asia; its reported recycling rate includes this export.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Japan","what":"About two-thirds of its reported plastic material recycling came from exports in 2022.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"From Japan to East and Southeast Asia, chiefly Malaysia (40% in 2025) and Vietnam (29% in 2025).","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021 to 2025, with Basel plastic amendments in force from January 2021.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the exporters' reasons.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Under the Basel amendments, uncontaminated single-resin waste falls outside control; sorting rests on visual inspection.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Japan: plastic waste exports (Asian Network workshop 2025, session 2)","p":"Ministry of the Environment, Japan","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.env.go.jp/en/recycle/asian_net/Annual_Workshops/2025_PDF/Session2/S2_Japan.pdf"},{"t":"Basel Convention plastic waste amendments: overview","p":"Basel Convention Secretariat","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/PlasticWasteAmendments/Overview/tabid/8426/Default.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402154539/https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/PlasticWasteAmendments/Overview/tabid/8426/Default.aspx"},{"t":"Plastic Products, Plastic Waste and Resource Recovery [2022] (PWMI Newsletter No. 53)","p":"Plastic Waste Management Institute (PWMI), Japan","d":"2024-01","u":"https://www.pwmi.or.jp/ei/siryo/ei/ei_pdf/ei53.pdf","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does Japan recycle 87% of its plastic waste?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Damage to the environment or health in the receiving countries: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What happens to the exported plastic after arrival: not covered by the figures reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Japan"]},{"id":"fukushima-treated-water-discharge-and-chinese-seafood-ban","title":"Fukushima treated water discharge and Chinese seafood ban","dek":"Japan began discharging treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi plant into the Pacific on 24 August 2023 after the IAEA found the plan consistent with international standards. China banned Japanese seafood imports, partly reopened in 2025 and suspended them again in November 2025.","country":"Japan","region":"Asia","lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Fukushima","lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"affected"},{"country":"Fiji","iso2":"FJ","role":"affected"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-08-24","instrument":"water","types":["water","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Water to be discharged over about 30 years","value":"1.37 million m³","note":"Approximate; discharge began 24 August 2023 (WNN, reporting the IAEA)."},"happened":["In 2023 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Japan's plan to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi site was consistent with international safety standards and that the radiological impact would be \"negligible\". About 1.37 million cubic metres of water is to be discharged over about 30 years. The discharge began on 24 August 2023.","Before that, the Japanese fishers' federation (Zengyoren) was categorically opposed to the discharge in 2021, and in 2022 repeated its strong opposition.","China banned Japanese seafood imports completely in August 2023. In 2022, before the ban, more than 700 Japanese firms had sold about USD 600 million of seafood to China. Japan set up two funds totalling 80 billion yen. China partly reopened to Japanese seafood in 2025 and suspended imports again in November 2025 during a diplomatic row.","Among Pacific island states the response was divided. Fiji's prime minister endorsed the IAEA findings in August 2023. In November 2023, Pacific Islands Forum leaders expressed strong concern and recognised each member's right to set its own position."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Japanese fishers' federation Zengyoren opposes discharge \"categorically\""},{"y":2022,"t":"Zengyoren repeats strong opposition; more than 700 firms sell about USD 600 million of seafood to China"},{"y":2023,"t":"IAEA finds plan consistent with international standards; discharge begins 24 August; China bans Japanese seafood (August); Fiji's prime minister endorses the IAEA findings (August); Pacific Islands Forum leaders express strong concern (November)"},{"y":2025,"t":"China partly reopens to Japanese seafood, then suspends imports again in November"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The release plan was consistent with international safety standards and the radiological impact would be negligible","who":"IAEA, 2023","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 1.37 million m³ to be discharged over about 30 years; discharge began 24 August 2023","src":0},{"t":"Zengyoren opposed the discharge in 2021 and repeated its strong opposition in 2022","src":2},{"t":"China banned Japanese seafood in August 2023 and suspended imports again in November 2025","src":4},{"t":"In 2022, more than 700 firms sold about USD 600 million of seafood to China; Japan set up two funds totalling 80 billion yen","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"JPY","window":"2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Two funds set up by Japan for the seafood sector (total)","amount":80000,"note":"80 billion yen."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Water to be discharged","v":"1.37 million m³","d":"About 30 years; began 24 August 2023"},{"k":"Radiological impact (IAEA, 2023)","v":"Negligible","d":"IAEA assessment of the plan"},{"k":"Measurement record showing harm","v":"None found","d":"The cited sources contain no measurement showing poisoning since 2023"}]},"unknown":["No measurement record showing contamination or poisoning of the Pacific since discharge began in 2023 was found; claims that the release poisoned the Pacific are not backed by a measurement in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: the date and scope of China's partial reopening in 2025 and its status in 2026.","Unconfirmed: IAEA sampling results from 2025.","Unconfirmed: a government panel's December 2016 estimate that Fukushima cleanup cost would reach about 22 trillion yen."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The discharge was continuing in 2025, planned over about 30 years.","whoPaid":"Japanese seafood exporters lost the Chinese market in the ban; Japan set up two funds totalling 80 billion yen. The sources record the loss as coming from trade and politics, not from measured radiation.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: discharge continuing; China suspended imports of Japanese seafood again; no measurement showing harm to the Pacific found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"iaea","says":"Found the plan consistent with international safety standards and the radiological impact negligible.","when":"2023","src":0},{"actor":"japan-government","says":"Set up two funds totalling 80 billion yen for the seafood sector.","when":"2023","src":5},{"actor":"china-gov","says":"Banned Japanese seafood imports in August 2023; its reasons are not on record.","when":"2023","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"iaea","role":"Assessed the discharge plan"},{"id":"japan-government","role":"Authorised the discharge; set up seafood funds"},{"id":"china-gov","role":"Banned Japanese seafood imports"},{"id":"zengyoren","role":"Japanese fishers' federation; opposed the discharge"},{"id":"pacific-islands-forum","role":"Regional body; leaders expressed strong concern"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the treated water be discharged into the Pacific?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA","says":"The plan is consistent with international safety standards; the radiological impact would be negligible.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Zengyoren (Japanese fishers' federation)","says":"Opposed the discharge categorically in 2021 and repeated its strong opposition in 2022.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prime minister of Fiji","says":"Endorsed the IAEA findings (August 2023).","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"Pacific Islands Forum leaders","says":"Expressed strong concern (November 2023) and recognised each member's right to set its own position.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of China","says":"Banned Japanese seafood imports in August 2023; its stated reasons are not in the cited sources.","src":4,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"water_discharged_m3","value":1370000,"unit":"m3","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total to be discharged over about 30 years."},{"key":"seafood_sales_to_china","value":600,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sold by more than 700 firms before the ban."},{"key":"subsidy","value":80000,"unit":"JPY m","year":2023,"note":"Two funds totalling 80 billion yen."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Japan began discharging treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi site on 24 August 2023; China then banned Japanese seafood.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Japanese seafood exporters","what":"More than 700 firms sold about USD 600 million of seafood to China in 2022 before the ban.","src":5}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Fukushima Daiichi site, Japan; the Pacific; import markets in China.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Discharge from 24 August 2023 over about 30 years; Chinese ban from August 2023, re-suspended November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The IAEA found the plan consistent with international standards; the cited sources do not state China's reasons.","src":0},"how":{"t":"About 1.37 million m³ of treated water discharged over about 30 years; China banned Japanese seafood imports.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Fukushima water release is safe, IAEA concludes","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Fukushima-water-release-is-safe,-IAEA-concludes","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615145649/https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/fukushima-water-release-is-safe,-iaea-concludes"},{"t":"Co-ops oppose plans to release Fukushima water into the Pacific","p":"Co-op News","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.thenews.coop/co-ops-oppose-plans-to-release-fukushima-water-into-the-pacific/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510181640/https://www.thenews.coop/co-ops-oppose-plans-to-release-fukushima-water-into-the-pacific/"},{"t":"News item on Zengyoren's opposition","p":"Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF)","d":"2022","type":"press","u":"https://www.jaif.or.jp/en/news/5663","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230612021910/https://www.jaif.or.jp/en/news/5663"},{"t":"Japan doubles cost estimate for Fukushima cleanup","p":"Phys.org","d":"2016-12","type":"press","u":"https://phys.org/news/2016-12-japan-fukushima-cleanup.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230627230459/https://phys.org/news/2016-12-japan-fukushima-cleanup.html"},{"t":"China to suspend imports of Japanese seafood amid diplomatic row","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-11-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/19/china-to-suspend-imports-of-japanese-seafood-amid-diplomatic-row-reports","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711062626/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/19/china-to-suspend-imports-of-japanese-seafood-amid-diplomatic-row-reports"},{"t":"Japan's Fukushima water release and its seafood industry","p":"Global News","d":"2023","type":"press","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/9930921/japan-fukushima-water-seafood-industry/amp","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251004001751/https://globalnews.ca/news/9930921/japan-fukushima-water-seafood-industry/amp/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 1.37 million cubic metres of treated water are to be discharged into my Pacific over about 30 years, from 24 August 2023; the IAEA assessed the radiological impact in 2023 as negligible.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should the treated water be discharged into the Pacific?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of China: Banned Japanese seafood imports in August 2023; its stated reasons are not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No measurement record showing contamination or poisoning of the Pacific since discharge began in 2023 was found; claims that the release poisoned the Pacific are not backed by a measurement in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the date and scope of China's partial reopening in 2025 and its status in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IAEA sampling results from 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a government panel's December 2016 estimate that Fukushima cleanup cost would reach about 22 trillion yen.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fresh-del-monte-closure-of-four-costa-rica-banana-farms","title":"Fresh Del Monte closure of four Costa Rica banana farms","dek":"On 5 May 2026 Fresh Del Monte announced the closure of four banana farms in Limón province, Costa Rica, covering about 1,200 hectares and more than 850 workers. The company cited currency, plant disease, climate and cost factors.","country":"Costa Rica","region":"Central America","lat":9.99,"lon":-83.03,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Limón","lat":9.99,"lon":-83.03,"role":"event"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Osa","role":"affected"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Guácimo","role":"affected"}],"start":2019,"end":null,"eventDate":"2026-05-05","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Banana farms closed in Limón","value":"4 farms, about 1,200 ha","note":"Company announcement of 5 May 2026, as reported in the press; the closed area is about 3% of the company's Costa Rica operation by the company's own statement."},"happened":["On 5 May 2026 Fresh Del Monte announced that it was closing four banana farms in Limón province, Costa Rica. The press reported the area as about 1,200 hectares and the number of affected workers as more than 850; sources gave a range of 800 to 900. The company said the closed farms were about 3% of its operation in the country. It did not leave Costa Rica: its pineapple operation was outside the decision, and a new packing facility was reported to have opened in October 2026.","The announcement listed several reasons: a rise in the value of the Costa Rican colón from about ¢700 to ¢450, black sigatoka (a fungal leaf disease of banana), precautions against Fusarium wilt tropical race 4 (TR4), climate variability and input costs. TR4 had not been reported in Costa Rica; a sector body said the country was free of it, and no official confirmation was found. The company said it had repeatedly asked for approval of new sigatoka fungicides. A spokesperson said the decision was not a response to a productivity problem or a demand problem.","The company's quarterly filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission recorded the closure of four farms and an exit cost of $10.6 million. It gave the reason as low profitability and declining production, and did not mention the exchange rate. In an earlier company document the company said its Costa Rica production had fallen 23% by May 2025, of which 7 percentage points were due to weather and 16 to sigatoka.","Research cited in the sources describes black sigatoka as developing resistance quickly under intensive spraying, with samples from unsprayed farms remaining susceptible. Banana plantations rely on a single clone, which research on the crop describes as a vulnerability to disease. The company texts reviewed (press announcement, the SEC filing and 2025 investor material) do not refer to monoculture, to the clonal uniformity of the banana variety, or to resistance linked to spraying intensity.","Separately, an environmental permit for a Del Monte pineapple project of about 600 hectares in Osa, near the Térraba-Sierpe wetland, was withdrawn in 2019. In 2026 communities in Guácimo said the same company was preparing to convert more than 400 hectares to pineapple and warned of effects on water sources and a biological corridor. No company statement on the Guácimo claim was found. The future use of the closed 1,200 hectares and the terms of severance pay were not on record; a member of the legislature proposed transferring the farms to cooperatives."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Environmental viability withdrawn for a Del Monte pineapple project of about 600 ha in Osa, near the Térraba-Sierpe wetland"},{"y":2025,"t":"Company reports Costa Rica production down 23% by May 2025 (7 points weather, 16 points sigatoka)"},{"y":2026,"t":"5 May: four banana farms in Limón announced closed (about 1,200 ha, more than 850 workers). June: communities in Guácimo warn of a pineapple expansion of more than 400 ha. SEC filing records a $10.6 million exit cost. October: new pineapple packing facility reported opened"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The closure is not a response to a productivity problem or a demand problem (paraphrase of a spokesperson's statement, originally in Spanish).","who":"Fresh Del Monte spokesperson","src":0},{"t":"Reasons for the closure: colón appreciation, black sigatoka, TR4 precautions, climate variability and input costs; repeated requests for approval of new sigatoka fungicides.","who":"Fresh Del Monte, announcement of 5 May 2026","src":0},{"t":"Closure reason: low profitability and declining production.","who":"Fresh Del Monte, SEC quarterly filing 2026","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"Four banana farms in Limón closed; about 1,200 ha; more than 850 workers (sources give 800 to 900); about 3% of the company's operation in the country (company statement).","src":0},{"t":"Exit cost of $10.6 million recorded in the company's SEC quarterly filing; the filing does not mention the exchange rate.","src":4},{"t":"Company reports Costa Rica production down 23% by May 2025, split by the company into 7 points weather and 16 points sigatoka; no independent confirmation.","src":5},{"t":"Black sigatoka developed resistance quickly under intensive spraying; samples from unsprayed farms stayed susceptible (a single study).","src":6},{"t":"Environmental permit for a Del Monte pineapple project of about 600 ha in Osa, near the Térraba-Sierpe wetland, withdrawn in 2019.","src":8},{"t":"Communities in Guácimo said in 2026 that the company was preparing to convert more than 400 ha to pineapple.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Exit cost recorded by Fresh Del Monte for the four closed farms (SEC quarterly filing)","amount":10.6}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area of banana farms closed","v":"About 1,200 ha","d":"Four farms in Limón, 5 May 2026; about 3% of the company's Costa Rica operation (company statement)"},{"k":"Production loss attributed to disease and weather","v":"23%","d":"Company figure to May 2025: 7 points weather, 16 points sigatoka; no independent confirmation"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None found","d":"No source reviewed assesses environmental effects of the closure or of the land's future use"}]},"unknown":["The future use of the closed 1,200 ha is not on record.","The terms of severance pay for the dismissed workers are not on record.","No official confirmation was found that Costa Rica is free of TR4; this is stated by a sector body.","The split of the 23% production fall into weather (7 points) and sigatoka (16 points) is the company's own calculation; no independent confirmation was found.","The company texts reviewed do not address monoculture or the clonal uniformity of the crop; the company's full set of texts was not reviewed.","No company statement on the Guácimo pineapple expansion claim was found.","Unconfirmed: the companywide figures on the share of operations closed (about 3%) come from the company only.","No court case relating to the closure was found."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no environmental change attributed to the closure, and the use of the closed land is not on record. The pineapple operation continued, and a new packing facility was reported opened in October 2026.","whoPaid":"Workers: more than 850 lost their jobs (sources give 800 to 900). The company recorded a $10.6 million exit cost.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: four banana farms closed since 5 May 2026; future use of the land and severance terms not on record; no court case found.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"fresh-del-monte","says":"Said the closure of the four farms did not respond to a productivity or demand problem, and cited currency, black sigatoka, TR4 precautions, climate variability and input costs; said it had repeatedly asked for approval of new sigatoka fungicides.","when":"5 May 2026","src":0},{"actor":"fresh-del-monte","says":"In its SEC quarterly filing gave the reason for the closures as low profitability and declining production.","when":"2026","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"fresh-del-monte","role":"Company that closed the four banana farms"},{"id":"sec","role":"Recipient of the company's quarterly filing"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What was the main reason for closing the farms?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Fresh Del Monte (announcement)","says":"Cited the rise of the colón from about ¢700 to ¢450, black sigatoka, TR4 precautions, climate variability and input costs.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Fresh Del Monte (SEC filing)","says":"Gave the reason as low profitability and declining production; the filing does not mention the exchange rate.","src":4}]},{"point":"Why did black sigatoka become hard to control?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Fresh Del Monte","says":"Attributed 16 of 23 percentage points of the production fall to sigatoka and 7 to weather (its own calculation), and said it had repeatedly asked for approval of new fungicides.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Wageningen study","says":"Black sigatoka develops resistance quickly under intensive spraying; samples from unsprayed farms stayed susceptible (a single study).","src":6}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":1200,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Area of the four banana farms closed in Limón."},{"key":"people_affected","value":850,"unit":"workers","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Sources give 800 to 900 affected workers."},{"key":"exit_cost","value":10.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Exit cost recorded in the company's SEC quarterly filing."},{"key":"share_of_country_operation","value":3,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Company statement of the closed area's share of its Costa Rica operation."},{"key":"production_decline","value":23,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Company figure for Costa Rica production to May 2025; company split: 7 points weather, 16 points sigatoka. No independent confirmation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fresh Del Monte closed four banana farms in Limón province, Costa Rica, in May 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"More than 850 workers (sources give 800 to 900) who lost their jobs","what":"Employment","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Limón province, Costa Rica; the company's pineapple operations in Osa and Guácimo are discussed separately.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced 5 May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The company cited currency appreciation, black sigatoka, TR4 precautions, climate variability and input costs; its SEC filing cited low profitability and declining production.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Closure of four farms of about 1,200 ha in total, with dismissal of more than 850 workers and a recorded exit cost of $10.6 million.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Fresh Del Monte closes banana farms in Costa Rica","p":"FreshFruitPortal","d":"2026-05-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.freshfruitportal.com/news/2026/05/06/fresh-del-monte-cr-farms/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260722152100/https://www.freshfruitportal.com/news/2026/05/06/fresh-del-monte-cr-farms/"},{"t":"Del Monte announces a mass layoff of banana workers in Costa Rica","p":"Banana Link","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bananalink.org.uk/news/del-monte-fresh-announces-a-mass-layoff-of-banana-workers-in-costa-rica/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613091757/https://www.bananalink.org.uk/news/del-monte-fresh-announces-a-mass-layoff-of-banana-workers-in-costa-rica/"},{"t":"Fresh Del Monte cierra cuatro fincas bananeras","p":"La Nación","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://www.nacion.com/economia/fresh-del-monte-cierra-cuatro-fincas-bananeras-en/PT572UMONZGMBAQOSLN2ZXKAPE/story/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517154826/https://www.nacion.com/economia/fresh-del-monte-cierra-cuatro-fincas-bananeras-en/PT572UMONZGMBAQOSLN2ZXKAPE/story/"},{"t":"Del Monte despedirá a 850 empleados por cierre de 4 fincas bananeras","p":"CRHoy","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://crhoy.com/del-monte-despedira-a-850-empleados-por-cierre-de-4-fincas-bananeras/"},{"t":"Quarterly report (Form 10-Q)","p":"Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., filed with the US SEC","d":"2026-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001047340/000104734026000042/fdp-20260626.htm"},{"t":"Fresh Del Monte 2025 company text on its pineapple segment and Costa Rica production","p":"Fresh Del Monte","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://freshdelmonte.com/?p=6005"},{"t":"Black sigatoka resistance study (Ordoñez et al.)","p":"PubMed Central","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4652896","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003000930/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4652896/"},{"t":"Banana disease and single-clone dependence (Dita et al.)","p":"Frontiers in Plant Science","d":"2018","type":"academic","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2018.01468/full"},{"t":"MINAE retira viabilidad ambiental a proyecto piñero cerca del humedal Térraba-Sierpe","p":"Delfino","d":"2019-12","type":"press","u":"https://delfino.cr/2019/12/minae-retira-viabilidad-ambiental-a-proyecto-pinero-en-las-cercanias-del-humedal-terraba-sierpe","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419053034/https://delfino.cr/2019/12/minae-retira-viabilidad-ambiental-a-proyecto-pinero-en-las-cercanias-del-humedal-terraba-sierpe"},{"t":"Comunidades de Guácimo alertan por expansión piñera","p":"Delfino","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://delfino.cr/2026/06/comunidades-de-guacimo-alertan-por-expansion-pinera-que-podria-afectar-fuentes-de-agua-y-corredor-biologico","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616230546/https://delfino.cr/2026/06/comunidades-de-guacimo-alertan-por-expansion-pinera-que-podria-afectar-fuentes-de-agua-y-corredor-biologico"},{"t":"Diputado liberacionista pide al Gobierno convocar al sistema cooperativo para dar una salida a fincas bananeras","p":"Semanario Universidad","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://semanariouniversidad.com/pais/diputado-liberacionista-pide-al-gobierno-convocar-al-sistema-cooperativo-para-dar-una-salida-a-fincas-bananeras-que-despidieron-a-850-trabajadores/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260507132428/https://semanariouniversidad.com/pais/diputado-liberacionista-pide-al-gobierno-convocar-al-sistema-cooperativo-para-dar-una-salida-a-fincas-bananeras-que-despidieron-a-850-trabajadores/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Farm closure","related":["costa-rica-payments-for-ecosystem-services-and-forest-recove"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why did black sigatoka become hard to control?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was the main reason for closing the farms?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The future use of the closed 1,200 ha is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The terms of severance pay for the dismissed workers are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No official confirmation was found that Costa Rica is free of TR4; this is stated by a sector body.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The split of the 23% production fall into weather (7 points) and sigatoka (16 points) is the company's own calculation; no independent confirmation was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The company texts reviewed do not address monoculture or the clonal uniformity of the crop; the company's full set of texts was not reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No company statement on the Guácimo pineapple expansion claim was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the companywide figures on the share of operations closed (about 3%) come from the company only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case relating to the closure was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ciheam-bari-and-italian-state-funding","title":"CIHEAM Bari and Italian state funding","dek":"CIHEAM Bari, the Italian institute of an intergovernmental Mediterranean agronomic organisation, is funded mainly by the Italian state. The cited sources show extensive counted activity, mostly self-reported, and thin independent measurement of field effects.","country":"Italy","region":"Europe","lat":41.12,"lon":16.87,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Puglia","lat":41.12,"lon":16.87,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","role":"affected"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","role":"affected"}],"start":1962,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Italian voluntary core contribution, 2022 and 2023","value":"€3.14m, then €1.75m","note":"Recorded as official development assistance; Türkiye's contribution and the current total budget were not found."},"happened":["CIHEAM (the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies) was founded in 1962 at the OECD headquarters with the signatures of seven countries; Türkiye was a founding signatory. It has 13 members, and each state has one representative on its Board of Directors. Whether the Bari institute was founded in 1961 or 1962 is unclear in the sources.","Italy is the main funder. Its mandatory contribution to Bari in 2015 was €6,282,120. Its voluntary core contribution was €3.14 million in 2022 and €1.75 million in 2023, recorded as official development assistance with the recipient listed as developing countries, unspecified. Italy's Foreign Ministry funded an Africa-focused training centre at Bari at €6.5 million, and a Deputy Foreign Minister described the institution as a key partner in Italy's Africa plan (the Mattei Plan). The Agriculture Ministry funded 30 projects worth €10 million, mainly monitoring the Italian organic sector, and the Foreign Ministry funded about 20 projects worth €35 million over seven years. The stated aim of programmes run for the Interior Ministry was to train people in source countries according to the needs of Italian agriculture and so regulate labour migration; this is the institution's own description.","The institution reports more than 14,000 students and trainees from over 100 countries since 1962, 60% of the students from Africa, and 31 research projects and 44 cooperation projects in 40 countries. These figures are the institution's own, not independently verified. It launched the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network (MOAN) in 1999; it became a network of ministries in 2006 with its secretariat at Bari, and by 2019 had 24 countries, including Türkiye. The network pages show no measured results. In CIHEAM members outside the EU, organic area rose from 176,329 ha in 2004 to 744,898 ha in 2014 and the number of producers from 26,405 to 71,733; the figures were presented alongside CIHEAM actions, and CIHEAM's share of the change is not stated.","The only independent evaluation found, from 2017 for the Italian Foreign Ministry, covered an olive oil project in Lebanon (2009 to 2012). It found relevance high and producers' knowledge increased. It also found the indicators focused on outputs, the logical framework 'self-referential', effectiveness impossible to estimate accurately for lack of baseline data, impact 'expected' rather than shown, and cooperatives not transformed. It recommended that baseline data be a binding condition for project approval; the institution's response was not found.","In 2022 CIHEAM Bari signed a memorandum with the Med-Or Foundation, set up in 2021 on the initiative of the defence and aerospace company Leonardo. A 2015 investigation by prosecutors in Lecce into nine scientists and an emergency commissioner over the Xylella outbreak in Puglia olive trees examined a hypothesis linking the bacterial strain to a 2010 workshop at the Bari institute; in May 2019 the Lecce judge for preliminary investigations, Alcide Maritati, granted the prosecutors' request for dismissal because a causal link to the spread of the bacterium could not be established (Olive Oil Times)."],"timeline":[{"y":1962,"t":"CIHEAM founded at the OECD headquarters by seven countries, Türkiye among them"},{"y":1999,"t":"Bari launches the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network (MOAN)"},{"y":2006,"t":"MOAN becomes a network of ministries; secretariat at Bari"},{"y":2009,"t":"Lebanon olive oil project starts (to 2012); evaluated independently in 2017"},{"y":2015,"t":"Italy's mandatory contribution to Bari: €6,282,120; Lecce prosecutors open the Xylella investigation"},{"y":2022,"t":"Memoranda with TAGEM (Türkiye) and the Med-Or Foundation; Italian voluntary core contribution €3.14 million"},{"y":2023,"t":"Italian voluntary core contribution €1.75 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"Four joint proposals with Turkish partners to an EU Mediterranean programme; Italian Foreign Ministry funds a €6.5 million Africa-focused training centre at Bari"},{"y":2026,"t":"30 September: Rome Water Investment Flagship launched, funded by the Italian Foreign Ministry; amount not stated"}],"said":[{"q":"Non ci mancano le iniziative","who":"Scientific coordinator of CIHEAM Bari, on the launch of the Rome Water Investment Flagship","when":"30 September 2026","src":12,"translated":"Italian"}],"shown":[{"t":"More than 14,000 students and trainees from over 100 countries since 1962; 60% of students from Africa; 31 research projects and 44 cooperation projects in 40 countries.","who":"CIHEAM Bari","src":null},{"t":"Organic area in non-EU CIHEAM members rose from 176,329 ha (2004) to 744,898 ha (2014); producers from 26,405 to 71,733, presented alongside CIHEAM actions.","who":"CIHEAM Bari, G7 presentation, 2017","src":7},{"t":"The Board of Directors in 2025 praised efforts on internal governance and transparency.","who":"CIHEAM Board of Directors","src":11}],"recorded":[{"t":"Italy's 2015 mandatory contribution to Bari: €6,282,120; voluntary core contribution €3.14 million (2022) and €1.75 million (2023), classed as official development assistance to developing countries, unspecified.","src":2},{"t":"Italian Foreign Ministry funding of €6.5 million for an Africa-focused training centre at Bari.","src":4},{"t":"The only independent evaluation found (2017) says effectiveness cannot be accurately estimated for lack of baseline data and cooperatives were not transformed.","src":8},{"t":"MOAN pages report no measured results.","src":6},{"t":"CIHEAM Bari signed a memorandum with the Med-Or Foundation, set up by Leonardo, in 2022.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2015–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Independent evaluations found","v":"1","d":"2017, Lebanon olive oil project; no baseline data, effectiveness not estimable"},{"k":"Measured result for the organic network","v":"None found","d":"MOAN pages report none"},{"k":"Organic area, non-EU CIHEAM members","v":"176,329 to 744,898 ha","d":"2004 to 2014; CIHEAM's share of the change not stated"}]},"unknown":["Türkiye's contribution and the current total budget of CIHEAM Bari were not found.","The Italian voluntary contribution is recorded with the recipient as developing countries, unspecified; no named field recipient appears in the cited sources.","CIHEAM's share in the rise of organic area and producers in member countries is not established.","Whether the Bari institute was founded in 1961 or 1962 is unclear in the sources.","The institution's response to the 2017 evaluation's recommendation on baseline data was not found.","No published independent audit report or court of auditors review of CIHEAM was found; the Board's praise of its own transparency is a self-declaration.","The outcome of the four joint proposals with Turkish partners to the EU Mediterranean programme was not found.","The amount of the Rome Water Investment Flagship is not stated in the source.","The outcome of the part of the Xylella investigation transferred to Bari prosecutors in 2019 is not stated in the sources.","No published general criticism or audit report on the institution was found."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No harm to nature is on record. The record concerns funding and counted activity; measured field effects are not documented beyond one 2017 evaluation.","whoPaid":"The Italian state budget is the main funder; the field recipient is not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Italian funding continues (Rome Water Investment Flagship launched 30 September 2026, amount not stated); one independent evaluation of a project found, none of the institution.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"ciheam","says":"The Board of Directors in 2025 praised efforts on internal governance and transparency (self-declared).","when":"2025","src":11},{"actor":"ciheam","says":"The scientific coordinator said the institution does not lack initiatives and added that a clearer path from knowledge to action is needed.","when":"30 September 2026","src":12}],"actors":[{"id":"ciheam","role":"Intergovernmental organisation whose Bari institute is the subject of this record"},{"id":"italy-foreign-ministry","role":"Funder of Bari projects, the Africa-focused training centre and the water flagship"},{"id":"italy-agriculture-ministry","role":"Funder of 30 projects, EUR 10 million"},{"id":"med-or-foundation","role":"Partner under a 2022 memorandum; set up by Leonardo"},{"id":"leonardo","role":"Defence and aerospace company that launched the Med-Or Foundation"},{"id":"tagem","role":"Turkish agricultural research directorate; 2022 memorandum partner"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is CIHEAM's effect on the ground measured?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"CIHEAM Bari","says":"Reports more than 14,000 trainees, 31 research projects and 44 cooperation projects, and presents rising organic area and producer numbers in member countries alongside its actions.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Italian Foreign Ministry (2017 evaluation)","says":"Found relevance high and producers' knowledge increased, but effectiveness could not be accurately estimated for lack of baseline data; impact 'expected'; cooperatives not transformed.","src":8}]},{"point":"Did a workshop at the Bari institute bring the bacterial strain that dried Puglia's olive trees?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Lecce prosecutors (2015)","says":"Investigated nine scientists and the emergency commissioner on the hypothesis that the strain had been brought in 2010 for a Bari workshop.","src":13},{"voice":"research","holder":"The scientists","says":"Said the strain was not used at the workshop and that the most likely source was ornamental plants from Costa Rica.","src":13},{"voice":"court","holder":"Investigating judge","says":"Dismissed the case in May 2019, finding that a causal link to the spread of the bacterium could not be established (as reported by Olive Oil Times).","src":14}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Xylella investigation, Lecce","forum":"Lecce prosecutors; Lecce judge for preliminary investigations (Alcide Maritati)","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Lecce prosecutors","defendant":"Nine scientists and the emergency commissioner (under investigation)","filed":"2015","decided":null,"status":"dismissed","summary":"Investigation, announced in December 2015, into whether the bacterial strain that dried olive trees in Puglia was brought in 2010 for a workshop at the Bari institute. The scientists said the strain was not used and the likeliest source was ornamental plants from Costa Rica. In May 2019 the Lecce judge for preliminary investigations, Alcide Maritati, granted the prosecutors' request for dismissal because a causal link to the spread could not be established; the part concerning public funds and documents was transferred to prosecutors in Bari, and its outcome is not stated in the sources. Reported by Scientific American (2015) and Olive Oil Times (2019).","src":13}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"italy_mandatory_contribution","value":6.28212,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"note":"Italy's mandatory contribution to Bari (€6,282,120)."},{"key":"italy_voluntary_contribution","value":3.14,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"note":"Voluntary core contribution, recorded as official development assistance."},{"key":"italy_voluntary_contribution","value":1.75,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Voluntary core contribution, recorded as official development assistance."},{"key":"africa_training_centre_funding","value":6.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Italian Foreign Ministry funding for an Africa-focused training centre at Bari."},{"key":"agriculture_ministry_projects","value":10,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"note":"Funding for 30 projects, mainly monitoring the Italian organic sector (institution's statement)."},{"key":"foreign_ministry_projects","value":35,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"About 20 projects over seven years (institution's statement)."},{"key":"trainees","value":14000,"unit":"people","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Students and trainees since 1962 (institution's statement; not independently verified)."},{"key":"organic_area_ha","value":744898,"unit":"ha","year":2014,"note":"Organic area in non-EU CIHEAM members; 176,329 ha in 2004. CIHEAM's share of the change is not stated."},{"key":"organic_producers","value":71733,"unit":"producers","year":2014,"note":"Organic producers in non-EU CIHEAM members; 26,405 in 2004."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"CIHEAM Bari receives Italian state funding for agricultural training, research and cooperation; its counted activity is self-reported and independent measurement of field effects is thin.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CIHEAM Bari","what":"Italian contributions classed as official development assistance (€3.14 million in 2022, €1.75 million in 2023)","src":3},{"who":"Italian organic sector and Italian agriculture","what":"Stated aims of Italian ministry-funded programmes (monitoring the organic sector; training matched to labour needs), as described by the institution","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bari, Puglia, Italy, with projects in Mediterranean and African countries, including Lebanon and Türkiye.","src":4},"when":{"t":"CIHEAM founded 1962; funding figures 2015 to 2023; water flagship launched 30 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The declared framework is Italy's Africa policy and the needs of Italian agriculture.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Italian ministries (Foreign, Agriculture, Interior) fund projects and contributions to Bari; CIHEAM is governed by member states' representatives.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"CIHEAM history","p":"CIHEAM","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ciheam.org/?p=55121","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018155032/https://www.ciheam.org/timelines/history/"},{"t":"CIHEAM governance","p":"CIHEAM","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ciheam.org/detailed-news/projects/about-us/governance/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260810172352/https://www.ciheam.org/detailed-news/projects/about-us/governance/"},{"t":"Contribution report: Italy 2015","p":"CIHEAM","d":"2015","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ciheam.org/uploads/attachments/154/CAR_Italy_-_2015.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240730161557/https://www.ciheam.org/uploads/attachments/154/CAR_Italy_-_2015.pdf"},{"t":"OpenAid: CIHEAM activity record","p":"Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS)","d":"n.d.","type":"official","u":"https://openaid.aics.gov.it/en/iati-activity/XM-DAC-6-4-012318-01-2","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260107121146/http://openaid.aics.gov.it/en/iati-activity/XM-DAC-6-4-012318-01-2"},{"t":"Italian Foreign Ministry item on the Africa-focused training centre at Bari","p":"Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs","d":"2024","type":"official","u":"https://www.esteri.it/it/?p=127750","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018154638/https://www.esteri.it/it/sala_stampa/archivionotizie/comunicati/2024/11/il-vice-ministro-cirielli-partecipa-alla-conferenza-di-presentazione-del-nuovo-polo-di-formazione-del-ciheam-bari/"},{"t":"CIHEAM 2019 item on the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network","p":"CIHEAM","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ciheam.org/?p=1993"},{"t":"MOAN 12th network meeting","p":"CIHEAM Bari","d":"2024","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420153939/https://www.iamb.ciheam.org/news-events/moan-mediterranean-organic-agriculture-network-12th-network-meeting/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420153939/https://www.iamb.ciheam.org/news-events/moan-mediterranean-organic-agriculture-network-12th-network-meeting/","dead":true},{"t":"CIHEAM Bari presentation to the G7 (organic agriculture)","p":"CIHEAM Bari, via FederBio","d":"2017","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://feder.bio/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/G7-M.-Raeli-CIHEAM-Bari.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260116121104/https://feder.bio/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/G7-M.-Raeli-CIHEAM-Bari.pdf"},{"t":"Summary report of three agricultural projects, Lebanon (independent evaluation)","p":"Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs","d":"2017","type":"official","u":"https://www.esteri.it/mae/resource/doc/2018/03/2017Lebanon_Summary_report3agricultural_projects.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107151534/https://www.esteri.it/mae/resource/doc/2018/03/2017Lebanon_Summary_report3agricultural_projects.pdf"},{"t":"The Med-Or Foundation signs a memorandum of understanding with CIHEAM","p":"Med-Or Foundation","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://www.med-or.org/en/news/la-fondazione-med-or-firma-un-memorandum-of-understanding-con-il-ciheam","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611230344/https://www.med-or.org/en/news/la-fondazione-med-or-firma-un-memorandum-of-understanding-con-il-ciheam"},{"t":"New Leonardo foundation launched on Med-Or Day","p":"Leonardo","d":"2021","type":"company","u":"https://www.leonardo.com/en/news-and-stories-detail/-/detail/new-leonardo-foundation-launched-on-med-or-day","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260213025617/https://www.leonardo.com/en/news-and-stories-detail/-/detail/new-leonardo-foundation-launched-on-med-or-day"},{"t":"157th meeting of the Board of Directors","p":"CIHEAM","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ciheam.org/fr/agendas/157e-conseil-dadministration/"},{"t":"Acqua, una sfida per la cooperazione: il CIHEAM Bari al Forum Euromediterraneo 2026","p":"ANSA","d":"2026-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.ansa.it/puglia/notizie/2026/10/07/acqua-una-sfida-per-la-cooperazione-il-ciheam-bari-al-forum-euromediterraneo-2026_a02ac663-dfb3-43ce-af25-772720264cbd.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008161358/https://www.ansa.it/puglia/notizie/2026/10/07/acqua-una-sfida-per-la-cooperazione-il-ciheam-bari-al-forum-euromediterraneo-2026_a02ac663-dfb3-43ce-af25-772720264cbd.html"},{"t":"Italian scientists under investigation after olive-tree deaths","p":"Scientific American","d":"2015-12-21","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/italian-scientists-under-investigation-after-olive-tree-deaths/","type":"press"},{"t":"Charges dropped against scientists in Lecce Xylella case","p":"Olive Oil Times","d":"2019-05","u":"https://oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/europe/charges-dropped-against-scientists-in-lecce-xylella-case/67868","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"Agricultural training and cooperation funding","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did a workshop at the Bari institute bring the bacterial strain that dried Puglia's olive trees?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is CIHEAM's effect on the ground measured?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Türkiye's contribution and the current total budget of CIHEAM Bari were not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Italian voluntary contribution is recorded with the recipient as developing countries, unspecified; no named field recipient appears in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"CIHEAM's share in the rise of organic area and producers in member countries is not established.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Bari institute was founded in 1961 or 1962 is unclear in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The institution's response to the 2017 evaluation's recommendation on baseline data was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No published independent audit report or court of auditors review of CIHEAM was found; the Board's praise of its own transparency is a self-declaration.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the four joint proposals with Turkish partners to the EU Mediterranean programme was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the Rome Water Investment Flagship is not stated in the source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the part of the Xylella investigation transferred to Bari prosecutors in 2019 is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No published general criticism or audit report on the institution was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kerch-strait-storm-2007-volgoneft-139","title":"Kerch Strait storm, November 2007: Volgoneft 139 fuel-oil spill and sulphur-ship sinkings","dek":"On 11 November 2007 the tanker Volgoneft 139 broke in two in a storm in the Kerch Strait and fuel oil spilled; three sulphur-laden cargo ships sank in the same area. Russian courts awarded RUB 503.2 million in 2012; the IOPC 1992 Fund had paid RUB 337,734,596 by the end of 2018, and the insurer Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":45.3,"lon":36.617,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnodar Krai (Taman Peninsula, Chushka Spit, port of Kavkaz)","lat":45.3,"lon":36.617,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Crimea (Kerch, Tuzla Island), Ukraine at the time","role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Saint Petersburg","role":"court"}],"start":2007,"end":2018,"eventDate":"2007-11-11","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Paid by the IOPC 1992 Fund to 31 December 2018 (claims received: RUB 8,486,679,741)","value":"RUB 337,734,596","note":"Court judgment of June 2012: RUB 503.2 million including interest. The insurer Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant by October 2018."},"happened":["On 11 November 2007 the tanker Volgoneft 139 (3,463 GT, built 1978, Russian flag, owned by JSC Volgotanker) was at anchor in the Kerch Strait when it was caught in a severe storm. It broke in two; the stern section was beached by the captain and the fore section sank. The IOPC Funds recorded a cargo of 4,077 tonnes of heavy fuel oil and a spill of between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes; the EC–UNEP assessment gave the cargo as 3,463 tonnes and the initial spillage as about 1,300 tonnes. Three other cargo ships loaded with sulphur (Volnogorsk, Nakhichevan and Kovel) sank in the same area within two hours. The IOPC Funds noted in 2008 that four crew members of ships in the area died and four others were missing.","The IOPC Funds reported about 250 kilometres of shoreline oiled in Russia and Ukraine (its 2008 note had given some 50 kilometres, from media reports; the French centre Cedre gave 30 kilometres). Heavy bird casualties in excess of 30,000 were reported. Russian authorities said an unknown amount of oil sank to the sea bed. Russia reported that about 70,000 tonnes of oily debris, sand and sea-grass were taken away for disposal; Ukraine reported about 6,500 tonnes of oily waste, mainly from Tuzla Island. About 913 tonnes of heavy fuel oil were removed from the stern section, and 1,200 tonnes of a fuel oil and water mixture were recovered when the fore section was temporarily raised a month after the storm.","Russia was a party to the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 Fund Convention; Ukraine was a party to neither at the time. In February 2008 the Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region declared the shipowner's limitation fund constituted by an Ingosstrakh letter of guarantee for RUB 116,636,700, equal to 3 million SDR, and higher courts confirmed this by December 2008. Claims received by the 1992 Fund totalled RUB 8,486,679,741 (£183.8 million) in March 2013; the Fund assessed RUB 338.78 million, and the court judgment was RUB 503.2 million. Claims of RUB 1,840.9 million became time-barred. Rosprirodnadzor's environmental-damage claim of RUB 6,048.1 million, calculated under the Russian 'Metodika', was rejected by the Saint Petersburg court in September 2010.","The shipowner's insurer Ingosstrakh was not a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs and its cover of 3 million SDR was below the 1992 Civil Liability Convention minimum of 4.51 million SDR, leaving an 'insurance gap' of about 1.5 million SDR (RUB 58.5 million), which the three government claimants bore pro rata. The IOPC Funds reported that Ingosstrakh refused to pay the amounts it owed under the 2012 judgment and, as at October 2018, had paid only one claimant that had brought a separate action. The 1992 Fund's total payment was RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018, and the incident was closed in October 2018.","On the Ukrainian side, the European Commission and UNEP carried out a post-disaster needs assessment in July 2008. Its economic chapter put total economic costs at UAH 126,732,844–142,983,540 (USD 25,346,569–28,596,708), with a biodiversity-loss line of UAH 13,500; the Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection said in December 2008 that losses exceeded USD 1 billion. According to an official interviewed by RIA Novosti in October 2008, criminal proceedings against the captains were terminated for absence of corpus delicti (the legal elements of the offence), apart from the suspended Nakhichevan case; no conviction is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Storm and breakage of Volgoneft 139 (11 Nov); Ukrainian clean-up on Tuzla Island with more than 500 people by 21 Nov; Rosprirodnadzor and Rosselkhoznadzor damage estimates reported (22 Nov); Ukrainian fishing in the strait suspended by Order 320 (25 Dec)","src":11},{"y":2008,"t":"Limitation fund declared (Feb); JSC Volgotanker declared bankrupt in Moscow (Mar); Ukrainian State Commission decides to seek recovery from Russian shipowners (Mar); higher courts confirm the fund (May, Sep, Dec); EC–UNEP fieldwork (Jul); fore section raised again and towed to Kavkaz (Aug); criminal proceedings against the captains terminated or suspended (reported 20 Oct); EC–UNEP report (Nov)","src":2},{"y":2010,"t":"Saint Petersburg court rejects the 'Metodika' claim and finds the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character (Sep)","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"Court awards RUB 503.2 million including interest (Jun); confirmed on appeal (Sep)","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Court of Cassation confirms the judgment (Jan); 1992 Fund Executive Committee authorises payments (23 Apr); Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court annuls rulings in the contested part (8 Oct)","src":5},{"y":2014,"t":"Saint Petersburg court holds the insurance gap is to be deducted pro rata from all awards (Nov)","src":6},{"y":2016,"t":"Court issues enforcement certificates against overpaid private claimants","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"Incident closed; Volgoneft 139 Major Claims Fund closed and £3.675 million reimbursed to contributors (Oct)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The tanker was at anchor when it was caught in a severe storm and heavy seas.","who":"IOPC Funds Secretariat, note on Volgoneft 139","when":"March 2013","src":0},{"q":"the incident was not unavoidable and that the Master had not taken all possible measures to avoid the breaking of the vessel and the pollution","who":"IOPC Funds summary of the Arbitration Court of Krasnodar, which rejected the shipowner's appeal against an administrative fine","when":"February 2008","src":1},{"q":"the result of a lack of timely implementation of the increase in the limits of liability which entered into force in 2003","who":"IOPC Funds Director, on the insurance gap","when":"May 2010","src":1},{"q":"will continue to cause harm until the ship is removed from the seabed and the shoreline is cleaned up","who":"UNEP and the European Commission, on the spilled oil, which they described as relatively low in toxicity","when":"November 2008","src":9},{"q":"This is not about compensation from Russia as a state","who":"Andrei Deshchitsa, spokesman of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as quoted by Kommersant","when":"November 2007","src":11,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"had presented a number of challenges to the Fund and had also highlighted the difficulties that can arise in incidents where the insurer is uncooperative or where the national legislation has not been correctly implemented","who":"IOPC 1992 Fund Director, on the case","when":"2018 annual report","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Losses to Ukraine of over USD 1 billion, excluding, in the ministry's words, the environmental damage, biodiversity loss and water and land damage that the EC–UNEP figure left out","who":"Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection, December 2008","src":20},{"t":"Damage to water bodies and coastline of about RUB 6.5 billion (RUB 6.04 billion for Volgoneft-139) and RUB 4 billion for animals, birds, fish stocks and game","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources, Rosprirodnadzor and Rosselkhoznadzor, as reported by Kommersant on 22 November 2007","src":11},{"t":"Shoreline clean-up in Russia undertaken by the Russian military under the supervision of the Prime Minister","who":"IOPC Funds, citing reports, 2008","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Claims received by the 1992 Fund RUB 8,486,679,741 (£183.8 million); assessed by the Fund at RUB 338.78 million; court judgment RUB 503.2 million; paid by the Fund RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018.","src":0},{"t":"The Fund's Executive Committee authorised payment in full to private claimants and interim payments to three government claimants with pro rata deductions for the insurance gap (decision of 23 April 2013).","src":5},{"t":"Ingosstrakh refused to pay the amounts owed under the 2012 judgment and, as at October 2018, had paid only one claimant that had brought a separate action.","src":3},{"t":"The 1992 Fund overpaid four private claimants about RUB 8.7 million; it recovered the amounts from all except the Kerch Port Authority and then discontinued that recovery.","src":3},{"t":"In the EC–UNEP economic chapter the only valuation of the living environment as such is a biodiversity-loss line of UAH 13,500.","src":8},{"t":"Criminal proceedings against the captains were terminated for absence of corpus delicti, according to an official interviewed by RIA Novosti; the Nakhichevan case was suspended; no conviction is on record.","src":16}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2008–2018","nature":[{"label":"Rosprirodnadzor 'Metodika' environmental-damage claim (rejected by the Saint Petersburg court, September 2010)","amount":6048.1,"qualifier":"claimed","window":"2010","note":"Also given by the IOPC Funds as RUB 6,048.6 million."},{"label":"Regional-government environmental-restoration claim","amount":1819.6,"qualifier":"claimed","window":"2010","note":"Lacked the information necessary for its assessment, according to the IOPC Funds."},{"label":"Rosprirodnadzor monitoring costs assessed by the 1992 Fund and awarded","amount":0.688487,"window":"2013","note":"Plus RUB 92,974 interest."},{"label":"Biodiversity loss, EC–UNEP economic chapter (Ukraine)","amount":null,"note":"UAH 13,500, the only valuation of the living environment in that chapter."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Claims received by the 1992 Fund","amount":8486.679741,"window":"2013"},{"label":"Fund assessment of the claims","amount":338.78,"window":"2013"},{"label":"Court judgment including interest (June 2012)","amount":503.2,"window":"2012"},{"label":"Paid by the 1992 Fund","amount":337.734596,"window":"to 31 December 2018"},{"label":"Payable by Ingosstrakh under the proposed interim split","amount":116.280004,"window":"2013","note":"Ingosstrakh paid one claimant only, as at October 2018."},{"label":"Limitation fund (Ingosstrakh letter of guarantee, 3 million SDR)","amount":116.6367,"window":"2008"},{"label":"Insurance-gap contribution borne by the three government claimants","amount":58.5276,"window":"2013"},{"label":"Claims that became time-barred","amount":1840.9,"window":"2013"},{"label":"Administrative fine on the shipowner","amount":0.04,"window":"2008","note":"RUB 40,000."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Shoreline oiled","v":"Some 250 km","d":"IOPC Funds, 2010–2013, Russia and Ukraine; Cedre gives 30 km"},{"k":"Oil spilled","v":"1,200–2,000 t","d":"IOPC Funds; other sources give 1,300 to 3,190 tonnes"},{"k":"Bird casualties","v":"30,000+","d":"Reported by the IOPC Funds; the counter is not named"},{"k":"Biodiversity loss valued","v":"UAH 13,500","d":"The only valuation of the living environment in the EC–UNEP economic chapter"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The IOPC Funds, UNEP and the European Commission recorded oiled shoreline in Russia and Ukraine, bird casualties, oil on the sea bed and a suspension of fishing.","report":[{"t":"My shoreline was oiled over some 250 kilometres in Russia and Ukraine, according to the IOPC Funds (2010–2013); Cedre gives 30 kilometres.","src":0},{"t":"Bird casualties in excess of 30,000 were reported on my shores, according to the IOPC Funds.","src":2},{"t":"An unknown amount of oil sank to my sea bed, according to the Russian authorities cited by the IOPC Funds.","src":2},{"t":"UNEP and the European Commission found the oil relatively low in toxicity and said it would continue to cause harm until the ship was removed from my seabed and the shoreline was cleaned up (November 2008).","src":9},{"t":"Ukraine suspended fishing in me under Fishery Committee Order 320 of 25 December 2007.","src":8},{"t":"The only valuation of my living environment in the EC–UNEP economic chapter is a biodiversity-loss line of UAH 13,500.","src":8}]},"unknown":["None on record: a conviction in the Kerch Strait criminal proceedings; the case concerning the captain of the Nakhichevan was suspended (RIA Novosti, 2008).","None on record: an outcome of the Ukrainian state claim against Russia or the shipowners; the Kerch Port Authority claim went through the Saint Petersburg limitation proceedings.","None on record: an outcome of the suits that Rosprirodnadzor planned in 2007 against the owners of the sulphur ships, as reported by Kommersant.","None on record: compensation on claims totalling RUB 1,840.9 million that became time-barred.","Not measured: the amount of oil that sank to the sea bed was reported as unknown by the Russian authorities.","Not disclosed: remediation and waste-processing costs in Ukraine; the information was classified, according to the EC–UNEP economic chapter, which says its total is not a full representation of real costs.","Insufficient: the regional-government environmental-restoration claim of RUB 1,819.6 million lacked the information necessary for its assessment, and no supporting documentation was submitted for several claims, including the Ministry of Emergencies claim (IOPC Funds, 2010).","Unclear: the source and method of the figure of more than 30,000 bird casualties; the IOPC Funds does not name the counter.","Unclear: Ukraine's status under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention; the IOPC 2008 note said Ukraine was a party, and later IOPC documents state that the convention entered into force for Ukraine on 28 November 2008 and did not apply to this incident.","Figures differ: the UNIAN report of 19 March 2008 carries a headline of USD 1.5 billion for Ukraine's demand, while its text prints '1 мільярд 427 тисяч 940 доларів США'.","Figures differ: the IOPC Funds gives RUB 337.7 million paid by the Fund; Novaya Gazeta (2025) says that only RUB 174.8 million could be collected, without naming who collected it or from whom."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The spill was a single event on 11 November 2007; the IOPC Funds reported that the fore section was raised in August 2008. Oil on the sea bed was reported as an unknown amount.","whoPaid":"The IOPC 1992 Fund paid RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018. The shipowner's insurer Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant by October 2018. The three government claimants bore the insurance gap of RUB 58,527,600 pro rata.","statusLine":"As of the IOPC 2018 annual report: the incident was closed in October 2018; the 1992 Fund had paid RUB 337,734,596 and Ingosstrakh had paid one claimant.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The 1992 Fund Director said the case had presented challenges to the Fund and had highlighted the difficulties that can arise where the insurer is uncooperative or national legislation has not been correctly implemented.","when":"2018","src":3},{"actor":"ingosstrakh","says":"Pleaded force majeure: a natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable and irresistible character. The court decided otherwise in September 2010 and Ingosstrakh did not appeal.","when":"2010","src":1},{"actor":"ingosstrakh","says":"Its deputy director, Egor Vishnevsky, cited a liability cap of USD 4.7 million (115 million roubles) under the 1969 convention.","when":"November 2007","src":11},{"actor":"volgotanker","says":"Declined to comment.","when":"November 2007","src":11},{"actor":"rosprirodnadzor","says":"Considered that only its claim for costs incurred was admissible under the conventions; the 'Metodika' claim was based on Russian national law and was expected to be rejected.","when":"May 2010","src":1},{"actor":"government-of-ukraine","says":"The Ministry of Environmental Protection rejected the USD 28 million figure attributed to EC and UNEP experts and maintained that losses exceeded USD 1 billion.","when":"December 2008","src":20}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Compensation administrator; paid RUB 337,734,596"},{"id":"ingosstrakh","role":"Shipowner's insurer; cover of 3 million SDR"},{"id":"volgotanker","role":"Shipowner; declared bankrupt in March 2008"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Environmental regulator; claimant under 'Metodika'"},{"id":"arbitration-court-st-petersburg-leningrad","role":"Constituted the limitation fund; awarded RUB 503.2 million"},{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Affected state; damage estimate over USD 1 billion"},{"id":"unep","role":"Post-disaster needs assessment with the European Commission"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Post-disaster needs assessment with UNEP"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Government claimants; military clean-up reported"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Volume of fuel oil spilled","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"Between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes (2008–2010 documents); up to 2,000 tonnes (2012–2013 documents).","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"EC–UNEP post-disaster needs assessment","says":"Approximately 1,300 tonnes initially; Ukrainian Ministry of Transport data of 20 November 2007 gave 1,300 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, 2.3 tonnes of lubricants, 25 tonnes of marine diesel and 5.5 tonnes of heating oil.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant, 22 November 2007","says":"3.19 thousand tonnes of fuel oil, in the context of the Ministry of Natural Resources damage estimate.","src":11},{"voice":"press","holder":"RAPSI, 2010; Novaya Gazeta, 2025","says":"About 2 thousand tonnes.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"RAPSI, 2012–2013; UNIAN, 2008","says":"Over 1.2 thousand tonnes.","src":13}]},{"point":"Quantity of cargo on Volgoneft 139","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"Loaded with 4,077 tonnes of heavy fuel oil.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"EC–UNEP (MIC report)","says":"3,463 tonnes of residual oil (heavy fuel oil type M-100).","src":7}]},{"point":"Length of oiled shoreline","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds, 2008 note","says":"Some 50 kilometres, according to media reports.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds, 2010–2013","says":"Some 250 kilometres of shoreline in the Russian Federation and Ukraine.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Cedre","says":"30 kilometres.","src":10}]},{"point":"Quantity of oily waste collected","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds (reporting Russia and Ukraine)","says":"Russia: some 70,000 tonnes of oily debris, sand and sea-grass; Ukraine: some 6,500 tonnes of oily waste, mainly from Tuzla Island.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Cedre","says":"About 13,000 tonnes in Russia and about 1,700 tonnes in Ukraine.","src":10}]},{"point":"Cause of the breakage: force majeure or a preventable loss","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Ingosstrakh (insurer)","says":"The storm was a natural phenomenon of an exceptional, inevitable and irresistible character.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds experts","says":"The storm was not exceptional (similar storms four times in the past 20 years) and not inevitable given timely forecasts; no port authority had powers to close the anchorage, so action was the responsibility of the master and the shipowner.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region","says":"In September 2010 it decided the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character and that the shipowner and insurer were liable.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian investigators, October 2008","says":"Abnormal weather, with the classification society's wave limits exceeded, was named as the main cause.","src":16},{"voice":"company","holder":"Volgotanker (shipowner)","says":"Declined to comment (2007).","src":11,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Whether Rosprirodnadzor appealed the September 2010 rejection of its 'Metodika' claim","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"Rosprirodnadzor did not appeal and the judgment is therefore final.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"RAPSI, 2012","says":"Three court instances rejected the claim between September 2010 and April 2011.","src":13}]},{"point":"Amount recovered by claimants","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds","says":"RUB 337,734,596 paid by the 1992 Fund as at 31 December 2018.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Novaya Gazeta, 2025","says":"Only RUB 174.8 million could be collected; the article names neither who collected it nor from whom.","src":18}]},{"point":"Ukraine's damage figure","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection, December 2008","says":"Losses over USD 1 billion; the EC–UNEP figure excluded environmental damage, biodiversity loss, and water and land damage.","src":20},{"voice":"international","holder":"EC–UNEP economic chapter, November 2008","says":"Total economic costs UAH 126,732,844–142,983,540 (USD 25,346,569–28,596,708 at USD 1 = UAH 5).","src":8}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Limitation fund for the shipowner","forum":"Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Volgotanker (shipowner) and Ingosstrakh","defendant":"Claimants against the shipowner","filed":2008,"decided":2008,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":116.6367,"currency":"RUB","label":"limitation fund (3 million SDR)"},"summary":"In February 2008 the court declared the shipowner's limitation fund constituted by an Ingosstrakh letter of guarantee for RUB 116,636,700. The Court of Appeal (May 2008), the Court of Cassation (September 2008) and the Supreme Court (December 2008) confirmed it, holding that Russian courts apply limits as published in the Russian Official Gazette.","src":1},{"title":"Administrative fine on the shipowner","forum":"Arbitration Court of Krasnodar","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Russian administrative authority (not named in the IOPC summary)","defendant":"Volgotanker (shipowner)","filed":null,"decided":2008,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.04,"currency":"RUB","label":"fine (RUB 40,000)"},"summary":"A fine of RUB 40,000 was imposed on the shipowner. In February 2008 the Arbitration Court of Krasnodar rejected the shipowner's appeal; according to the IOPC Funds summary, the court stated that the incident was not unavoidable and that the master had not taken all possible measures to avoid the breaking of the vessel and the pollution.","src":1},{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor 'Metodika' environmental-damage claim","forum":"Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor","defendant":"Volgotanker and Ingosstrakh","filed":2008,"decided":2010,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":6048.1,"currency":"RUB","label":"claimed"},"summary":"The claim of about RUB 6.05 billion, calculated under the Russian 'Metodika', was rejected in September 2010 under Article I.6 of the 1992 Civil Liability Convention. Judge Sergei Markin called the claims unproven (RAPSI). The same court decided in September 2010 that the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character and that the shipowner and insurer were liable; Ingosstrakh did not appeal.","src":0},{"title":"Quantum of compensation claims against the shipowner and insurer","forum":"Arbitration Court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Krasnodar Krai civil defence department, Novorossiysk emergency rescue works administration, Temryuk district administration, OOO Zeya, BashVolgotanker, Kerch sea trade port, Rosprirodnadzor","defendant":"Volgotanker, Ingosstrakh and the IOPC 1992 Fund","filed":2008,"decided":2012,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":503.2,"currency":"RUB","label":"judgment including interest"},"summary":"In June 2012 the court awarded RUB 503.2 million including interest; the shipowner and Ingosstrakh were liable up to 3 million SDR and the 1992 Fund for all amounts above that. The Court of Appeal (September 2012) and the Court of Cassation (January 2013) confirmed the judgment. RAPSI itemised the award, with RUB 337.9 million to the Krasnodar Krai civil defence department and about RUB 689,000 to Rosprirodnadzor.","src":0},{"title":"Annulment of the quantum rulings and remittal","forum":"Presidium of the Supreme Arbitration Court of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Appellant in the quantum proceedings (not identified in the RAPSI report)","defendant":"Claimants in the quantum proceedings","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"On 8 October 2013 the Presidium annulled the lower-court rulings in the contested part and returned the case for a new hearing (RAPSI). In November 2014 the Saint Petersburg court held that the insurance gap of 1.51 million SDR should be deducted pro rata from the amount previously awarded to all claimants (as noted by the 1992 Fund Executive Committee on 22 April 2015).","src":15},{"title":"Criminal proceedings against the captains","forum":"Russian investigative authorities (South Transport Investigative Department)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigators and prosecutors","defendant":"Captains of Volgoneft-139, Volnogorsk and Nakhichevan; captain of the port of Kavkaz","filed":2007,"decided":2008,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"According to an official interviewed by RIA Novosti on 20 October 2008, cases were merged. Proceedings against the captains of Volgoneft-139, Volnogorsk and Nakhichevan under Article 252 parts 1–2 (marine pollution) were terminated for absence of corpus delicti (the legal elements of the offence). Proceedings against the Kavkaz port captain under Article 293 part 1 were terminated on the same ground; he was on official leave at the time. The captain of the Nakhichevan was listed as missing and the investigation under Article 263 part 3 was suspended. Investigators named abnormal weather as the main cause.","src":16}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Ingosstrakh","insured":"Volgotanker (shipowner)","status":"partial","year":2018,"amount":{"value":116.280004,"currency":"RUB","label":"payable by Ingosstrakh under the proposed interim split (2013)"},"reason":"Ingosstrakh refused to pay the amounts owed under the 2012 judgment.","summary":"According to the IOPC Funds, as at October 2018 Ingosstrakh had paid only the amount it owed to one claimant that had brought a separate action against it. Ingosstrakh is not a member of the International Group of P&I Clubs, so STOPIA 2006 did not apply.","src":3},{"insurer":"Ingosstrakh","insured":"Volgotanker (shipowner)","status":"partial","year":2008,"amount":{"value":116.6367,"currency":"RUB","label":"limitation fund (3 million SDR; USD 5 million in 2008)"},"reason":"Cover of 3 million SDR against a 1992 Civil Liability Convention minimum of 4.51 million SDR after November 2003.","summary":"The difference left an insurance gap of about 1.5 million SDR (RUB 58.5 million), which the three government claimants bore pro rata. The IOPC Funds Director said it was the result of a lack of timely implementation of the increase in the limits of liability that entered into force in 2003.","src":1},{"insurer":"IOPC 1992 Fund","insured":"Claimants above the shipowner's limit of liability","status":"paid","year":2018,"amount":{"value":337.734596,"currency":"RUB","label":"paid as at 31 December 2018"},"reason":null,"summary":"The 1992 Fund paid RUB 337,734,596; the incident was closed in October 2018 and the Volgoneft 139 Major Claims Fund was closed with £3.675 million reimbursed to contributors.","src":3}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":2000,"unit":"tonnes (heavy fuel oil)","year":2007,"qualifier":"up to","note":"IOPC Funds: between 1,200 and 2,000 tonnes; other sources give 1,300 to 3,190 tonnes."},{"key":"coast_km","value":250,"unit":"km","year":2010,"qualifier":"some","note":"IOPC Funds, 2010–2013; its 2008 note gave some 50 km; Cedre gives 30 km."},{"key":"birds_casualties","value":30000,"unit":"birds","year":2007,"qualifier":"in excess of","note":"Reported by the IOPC Funds; the counter is not named."},{"key":"deaths","value":4,"unit":"crew members of ships in the area","year":2007,"note":"Four others were missing (IOPC Funds, 2008)."},{"key":"waste_removed_tonnes","value":70000,"unit":"tonnes (oily debris, sand and sea-grass)","year":2008,"note":"Russia; Ukraine reported some 6,500 tonnes of oily waste."},{"key":"claim","value":8486.679741,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"note":"Claims received by the 1992 Fund (£183.8 million)."},{"key":"claim","value":6048.1,"unit":"RUB m","year":2010,"note":"Rosprirodnadzor 'Metodika' claim; rejected."},{"key":"settlement","value":503.2,"unit":"RUB m","year":2012,"note":"Court judgment including interest."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":337.734596,"unit":"RUB m","year":2018,"note":"Paid by the 1992 Fund as at 31 December 2018."},{"key":"fine","value":0.04,"unit":"RUB m","year":2008,"note":"Administrative fine on the shipowner (RUB 40,000)."},{"key":"time_barred_claims","value":1840.9,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"note":"Claims that became time-barred."},{"key":"claim","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"qualifier":"over","note":"Ukrainian Ministry of Environmental Protection; no outcome on record."},{"key":"economic_cost_estimate","value":126.732844,"unit":"UAH m","year":2008,"note":"EC–UNEP economic chapter, lower bound; upper bound UAH 142,983,540 (USD 25,346,569–28,596,708)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 11 November 2007 the tanker Volgoneft 139 broke in two in a storm in the Kerch Strait and spilled fuel oil (1,200 to 2,000 tonnes according to the IOPC Funds); three sulphur-laden cargo ships sank in the same area.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Krasnodar Krai civil defence department","what":"Awarded RUB 337.9 million of the June 2012 judgment (RAPSI)","src":13},{"who":"Private claimants","what":"Paid in full by the 1992 Fund under the decision of 23 April 2013, with later recovery of an overpayment of some RUB 8.7 million from all except the Kerch Port Authority","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"IOPC 1992 Fund","what":"Paid RUB 337,734,596 as at 31 December 2018","src":3},{"who":"Three government claimants","what":"Bore the insurance gap of RUB 58,527,600 pro rata","src":0},{"who":"Claimants with time-barred claims","what":"Claims totalling RUB 1,840.9 million became time-barred","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Kerch Strait shoreline in Russia and Ukraine","what":"Some 250 kilometres oiled according to the IOPC Funds","src":0},{"who":"Birds","what":"Heavy casualties in excess of 30,000 reported","src":2},{"who":"Sea bed","what":"An unknown amount of oil sank to it, according to the Russian authorities","src":2},{"who":"Crews of ships in the area","what":"Four died and four were missing (IOPC Funds, 2008)","src":2},{"who":"Ukrainian fishing in the strait","what":"Suspended by Fishery Committee Order 320 of 25 December 2007","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"Kerch Strait between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, between the Taman Peninsula (Krasnodar Krai, Russia) and Crimea (Ukraine at the time); affected areas include Taman Peninsula, Tuzla Spit, Chushka Spit and Tuzla Island, with the port of Kavkaz where wreck sections were towed.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Storm and breakage on 11 November 2007; the fore section was raised again in August 2008; court and IOPC proceedings ran from 2008 to 2018 and the incident was closed in October 2018.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The IOPC Funds recorded a severe storm and heavy seas. Its experts held the storm was not exceptional and not inevitable, and the Saint Petersburg court decided in September 2010 that the spill did not result from a natural phenomenon of an exceptional or inevitable character; Ingosstrakh had pleaded force majeure. Russian investigators named abnormal weather as the main cause in October 2008.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The shipowner's liability was limited to 3 million SDR under a limitation fund constituted by an Ingosstrakh letter of guarantee; the 1992 Fund compensated amounts above that. The insurer's cover was below the convention minimum, leaving an insurance gap borne pro rata by the government claimants, and Ingosstrakh did not pay what it owed under the 2012 judgment.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"IOPC/APR13/3/5 Volgoneft 139, Note by the Secretariat","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2013-03-27","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/en-272.pdf"},{"t":"IOPC/JUN10/3/4 Volgoneft 139, Note by the Director","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2010-05-28","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_JUN10_3_4.pdf"},{"t":"92FUND/EXC.41/8 Volgoneft 139","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2008-05-30","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/92FUND_EXC.41_8.pdf"},{"t":"Annual Report 2018","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Annual-Report_2018-for-WEB_e.pdf"},{"t":"Incident map data (Volgoneft 139)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-10-18","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-json/incidents/map/jsonlist"},{"t":"Decision 003920 (Executive Committee, 23 April 2013)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2013-04-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/decisions-database/decision-003920"},{"t":"Decision 004037 (Executive Committee, 22 April 2015)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2015-04-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/decisions-database/decision-004037/"},{"t":"Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait: Ukraine Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (excerpt, PCA exhibit UA-460)","p":"European Commission / UNEP","d":"2008","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://files.pca-cpa.org/pcadocs/ua-ru/04.%20UA%20Rejoinder%20Memorial/01.%20Exhibits/UA-460.pdf"},{"t":"Economic assessment of the damage caused by the oil spill in the Kerch Strait","p":"UNEP / Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (O. Maslyukivska)","d":"2008-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/handle/123456789/157"},{"t":"Clean-up needed on Ukrainian shores one year after major oil spill – UN report","p":"UN News","d":"2008-11-19","type":"press","voice":"international","u":"https://news.un.org/en/story/2008/11/282352-clean-needed-ukrainian-shores-one-year-after-major-oil-spill-un-report"},{"t":"Kerch Strait incident sheet","p":"Cedre","d":"undated","type":"academic","u":"https://cedre.fr/en/resources/incident-information-sheets/detroit-de-kertch"},{"t":"Судовладельцев ждет минприродная катастрофа (Shipowners face an environmental-ministry catastrophe)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2007-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/828156"},{"t":"Суд отказал Росприроднадзору в иске к «Волготанкеру» на 6 млрд руб (Court rejects Rosprirodnadzor's 6 bn rouble claim against Volgotanker)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2010-09-02","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20100902/250637146.html"},{"t":"Суд взыскал 500 млн руб ущерба за разлив нефти в Керченском проливе (Court awards 500 m roubles for Kerch Strait spill)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2012-06-19","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20120619/263493254.html"},{"t":"Взыскание ущерба за разлив нефти в Керченском проливе обжаловано (Kerch spill damages award appealed)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2012-11-09","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20121109/265295662.html"},{"t":"ВАС отменил решения по делу об ущербе за разлив нефти в Керченском проливе (Supreme Arbitration Court annuls rulings in Kerch spill case)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2013-10-08","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20131008/269121376.html"},{"t":"Михаил Маркаров: расследование катастрофы в Керчи приостановлено (Mikhail Markarov: Kerch disaster investigation suspended)","p":"RIA Novosti","d":"2008-10-20","type":"press","u":"https://ria.ru/20081020/153506466.html"},{"t":"Main versions of Kerch Strait catastrophes made public","p":"Caucasian Knot","d":"2007-11-17","type":"press","u":"https://amp.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/6830"},{"t":"Невосполнимо! (Irreplaceable!)","p":"Novaya Gazeta","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2025/04/05/nevospolnimo"},{"t":"Україна вимагає від Росії $1,5 мільярда за забруднення Керченської протоки (Ukraine demands $1.5 bn from Russia for Kerch Strait pollution)","p":"UNIAN","d":"2008-03-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.unian.ua/crimea/103729-ukrajina-vimagae-vid-rosiji-15-milyarda-za-zabrudnennya-kerchenskoji-protoki.html"},{"t":"Україна наполягає на $1 млрд збитків від мазутної аварії (Ukraine insists on $1 bn losses from fuel-oil accident)","p":"UNIAN","d":"2008-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.unian.ua/crimea/amp-168947-ukrajina-napolyagae-na-1-mlrd-zbitkiv-vid-mazutnoji-avariji.html"}],"related":["volgoneft-212-239-spill"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume of fuel oil spilled","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Length of oiled shoreline","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Quantity of oily waste collected","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Ukraine's damage figure","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Biodiversity loss, EC–UNEP economic chapter (Ukraine) — UAH 13,500, the only valuation of the living environment in that chapter.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Quantity of cargo on Volgoneft 139","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cause of the breakage: force majeure or a preventable loss","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Rosprirodnadzor appealed the September 2010 rejection of its 'Metodika' claim","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount recovered by claimants","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Volgotanker (shipowner): Declined to comment (2007).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a conviction in the Kerch Strait criminal proceedings; the case concerning the captain of the Nakhichevan was suspended (RIA Novosti, 2008).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an outcome of the Ukrainian state claim against Russia or the shipowners; the Kerch Port Authority claim went through the Saint Petersburg limitation proceedings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an outcome of the suits that Rosprirodnadzor planned in 2007 against the owners of the sulphur ships, as reported by Kommersant.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation on claims totalling RUB 1,840.9 million that became time-barred.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the amount of oil that sank to the sea bed was reported as unknown by the Russian authorities.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: remediation and waste-processing costs in Ukraine; the information was classified, according to the EC–UNEP economic chapter, which says its total is not a full representation of real costs.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the regional-government environmental-restoration claim of RUB 1,819.6 million lacked the information necessary for its assessment, and no supporting documentation was submitted for several claims, including the Ministry of Emergencies claim (IOPC Funds, 2010).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the source and method of the figure of more than 30,000 bird casualties; the IOPC Funds does not name the counter.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Ukraine's status under the 1992 Civil Liability Convention; the IOPC 2008 note said Ukraine was a party, and later IOPC documents state that the convention entered into force for Ukraine on 28 November 2008 and did not apply to this incident.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the UNIAN report of 19 March 2008 carries a headline of USD 1.5 billion for Ukraine's demand, while its text prints '1 мільярд 427 тисяч 940 доларів США'.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the IOPC Funds gives RUB 337.7 million paid by the Fund; Novaya Gazeta (2025) says that only RUB 174.8 million could be collected, without naming who collected it or from whom.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kamchatka-avacha-bay-die-off-2020","title":"Avacha Bay marine die-off, Kamchatka, autumn 2020","dek":"In September and October 2020 the water off Khalaktyrsky beach in Avacha Bay discolored and dead marine animals washed ashore. A study co-authored by Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President Andrei Adrianov described a Karenia algal bloom; Greenpeace Russia and others pointed to the Kozelsky pesticide landfill and military ranges. The money on record is the budget for clearing the landfill.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":53,"lon":158.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Kamchatka Krai (Avacha Bay, Khalaktyrsky beach, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Yelizovsky district)","lat":53,"lon":158.8,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2020-09-01","instrument":"water","types":["water","chemical-pollution","waste"],"headline":{"label":"Regional estimate for recultivating the Kozelsky pesticide landfill (October 2022)","value":"About RUB 134 million","note":"A tender of RUB 50,965,960 for surveys and design was announced in May 2021. A fine or compensation tied to the die-off: none on record."},"happened":["From early September to 3 October 2020, according to the Investigative Committee's description of the criminal case, pollution affected Avacha Bay near Khalaktyrsky beach and the Babya, Bolshaya Lagernaya and Malaya Lagernaya bays. The water discolored and dead bottom animals, including echinoderms, washed ashore. Two surfers suffered chemical corneal burns; the regional government said 11 people sought care and the regional health ministry had earlier reported nine people with first-degree chemical corneal burns. The Federal Medical-Biological Agency reported 19 people in hospital, with urine, blood and hair tests showing no heavy metals or other man-made pollutants (Kommersant).","The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on 7 October 2020 under Article 247 part 2 (handling of environmentally hazardous substances and waste) and Article 252 part 2 (marine pollution) of the Criminal Code, saying the pollution involved petroleum-containing components, including phenol. Rosprirodnadzor reported iron, phenol and phosphate in rivers flowing into Avacha Gulf at 2.2 to 10.8 times permissible limits; the Ministry of Natural Resources said 116 of 292 samples exceeded limits. Rosprirodnadzor said that its 5,000 studies, including at the Kozelsky landfill, found no evidence of a man-made cause.","Researchers including Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President Andrei Adrianov (Orlova et al., Harmful Algae, 2022) described a bloom of Karenia species over more than 300 × 100 km that lasted about two months, with nearly total mortality at 5–20 m depth; the dominant species was Karenia selliformis. The Kamchatka government said in February 2022 that several dinoflagellate species had grown at once, up to 700 thousand cells per litre, and that bottom communities were starting to recover. Greenpeace Russia called the event an ecological catastrophe and said its satellite images suggested a river carried toxins, with a first release on 9 September. Divers of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve reported that 95% of the benthos was dead.","The Kozelsky landfill, about 35 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, holds about 108 tonnes of pesticides, including about 20 tonnes of arsenic compounds, buried in 1979–1982 and sealed with geomembrane in 2010. The regional government said the enterprises involved no longer existed and that no archival records of quantities survived. An inspection on 6 October 2020 found the outer perimeter fence breached and no visible signs of a pesticide spill. Governor Vladimir Solodov said the landfill would be recultivated regardless of whether there had been a leak.","In November 2020 the region proposed allocating RUB 361 million from its reserve fund to liquidate the landfill. In March 2021 the Minister of Natural Resources signed an order adding the landfill to the state register of accumulated environmental harm, opening an application for federal funds. In May 2021 the regional ministry tendered surveys and design documentation at RUB 50,965,960 from the regional budget, and in October 2022 it put recultivation at about RUB 134 million, planned for 2023 if federal funds were allocated."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Discoloured water and dead marine animals off Khalaktyrsky beach (1 Sep to 3 Oct, per the Investigative Committee); criminal case opened (7 Oct); landfill perimeter fence found breached (6 Oct); Kommersant reports officials' and scientists' versions (23 Oct); regional government proposes RUB 361 million from the reserve fund for the landfill (26 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Landfill added to the state register of accumulated environmental harm (Mar); tender of RUB 50,965,960 for surveys and design (May)","src":3},{"y":2022,"t":"Kamchatka government names a multi-species dinoflagellate bloom (Feb); Orlova et al. published in Harmful Algae; recultivation estimated at about RUB 134 million (27 Oct)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"If we answer the age-old Russian question of who is to blame: the natural phenomenon is to blame","who":"Andrei Adrianov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, quoted by Kommersant","when":"October 2020","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"will be recultivated regardless of whether there was a leak","who":"Vladimir Solodov, Governor of Kamchatka Krai, on the Kozelsky landfill","when":"October 2020","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Visually, there are no signs of a pesticide spill","who":"Inspection of the Kozelsky landfill, 6 October 2020, as reported by Interfax","when":"October 2020","src":1,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The landfill to be recultivated 'after the pollution of the ocean' (headline wording)","who":"Interfax, 7 October 2020","src":2},{"t":"A natural phenomenon as the cause","who":"Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President Andrei Adrianov, October 2020","src":4},{"t":"An ecological catastrophe, with satellite images suggesting a river carried toxins","who":"Greenpeace Russia, as reported by Kommersant","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"A criminal case was opened on 7 October 2020 under Articles 247 part 2 and 252 part 2 of the Criminal Code; no outcome is on record.","src":0},{"t":"A fine, compensation payment or Rosprirodnadzor damage calculation for the die-off: none on record.","src":0},{"t":"The landfill was added to the state register of accumulated environmental harm in March 2021.","src":3},{"t":"Tender value for surveys and design: RUB 50,965,960 (May 2021); recultivation estimate about RUB 134 million (October 2022).","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2020–2022","nature":[{"label":"Fine, compensation or damage calculation tied to the die-off","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Reserve-fund allocation proposed for liquidating the Kozelsky landfill (November 2020)","amount":361,"window":"2020","qualifier":"proposed"},{"label":"Tender for surveys and design documentation, Kozelsky landfill (May 2021, regional budget)","amount":50.96596,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Recultivation of the Kozelsky landfill (regional ministry estimate, October 2022)","amount":134,"window":"2022","qualifier":"about","note":"Planned for 2023 if federal funds were allocated."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Bloom extent","v":"More than 300 × 100 km","d":"About two months; nearly total mortality at 5–20 m depth (Orlova et al., 2022)"},{"k":"Benthos dead","v":"95%","d":"Reported by Kronotsky Nature Reserve divers (Kommersant)"},{"k":"People who sought care","v":"11 to 19","d":"Regional government 11; Federal Medical-Biological Agency 19"},{"k":"Fine or compensation for the die-off","v":"None on record","d":"The money on record is the landfill clean-up budget"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Researchers described a two-month Karenia bloom with nearly total mortality at 5–20 m depth; Kronotsky Nature Reserve divers reported 95% of benthos dead.","report":[{"t":"In autumn 2020 a bloom of Karenia species covered more than 300 × 100 km of my coastal waters for about two months, with nearly total mortality at 5–20 m depth, according to Orlova et al. (Harmful Algae, 2022).","src":9},{"t":"Divers of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve reported 95% of my benthos dead, according to Kommersant.","src":4},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor reported iron, phenol and phosphate in the rivers flowing into my Avacha Gulf at 2.2 to 10.8 times permissible limits, according to Kommersant.","src":4},{"t":"The Kamchatka government said in February 2022 that my bottom communities were beginning to recover.","src":8}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the cause. The Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President, Rosprirodnadzor and the regional government named a natural cause or a harmful algal bloom; Greenpeace Russia, activists and early media pointed to the Kozelsky landfill or military ranges. Kam24 later wrote that the landfill was ruled not to be the cause.","None on record: the outcome of the Investigative Committee's criminal case after its opening on 7 October 2020.","None on record: a fine, compensation payment or damage calculation by Rosprirodnadzor for the 2020 die-off.","None on record: insurance linked to the die-off.","Not disclosed: phytoplankton and biological sample data had not been published by officials at the time, according to WWF Russia (via Kommersant).","None on record: archival records of the substances buried at Kozelsky; the regional government said none survive.","Insufficient: the 2022 recultivation depended on federal funds that had not yet been allocated (Kam24).","Figures differ: the landfill area is 2.8 ha in Interfax and 7.03 ha in Kamchatka.live."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The Investigative Committee dated the pollution from 1 September to 3 October 2020. The Kamchatka government said in February 2022 that bottom communities were beginning to recover.","whoPaid":"None on record for the die-off. Public budgets were proposed and tendered for the Kozelsky landfill: RUB 361 million proposed from the reserve fund, RUB 50,965,960 for surveys and design from the regional budget, and about RUB 134 million estimated for recultivation.","statusLine":"As of October 2022: recultivation of the landfill estimated at about RUB 134 million and awaiting federal funds; the criminal case had no outcome on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"rosprirodnadzor","says":"Its head, Svetlana Radionova, said no man-made cause had been found; the agency reported 5,000 studies, including at the Kozelsky landfill.","when":"23 October 2020","src":4},{"actor":"russian-academy-of-sciences","says":"Vice-President Andrei Adrianov attributed the event to a natural phenomenon; Orlova et al. (2022) described a Karenia bloom.","when":"October 2020; 2022","src":4},{"actor":"kamchatka-krai-government","says":"Named a simultaneous mass growth of several dinoflagellate species at up to 700 thousand cells per litre (minister Alexey Kumarkov); the Governor said the landfill would be recultivated regardless of a leak.","when":"October 2020; February 2022","src":8},{"actor":"pacific-fleet-russia","says":"Denied using heavy equipment at the Kozelsky and Radygino ranges that summer.","when":"October 2020","src":4},{"actor":"wwf-russia","says":"Said the red-tide explanation was quite possible, but that officials had not published phytoplankton or biological sample data.","when":"October 2020","src":4},{"actor":"greenpeace","says":"Greenpeace Russia called the event an ecological catastrophe and said its satellite images suggested a river carried toxins, with a first release on 9 September.","when":"October 2020","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"kamchatka-krai-government","role":"Regional government; landfill liquidation budgets"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Opened the criminal case on 7 October 2020"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Federal environmental regulator; reported sampling results"},{"id":"russian-academy-of-sciences","role":"Researchers attributing the event to an algal bloom"},{"id":"pacific-fleet-russia","role":"Named as a suspected source by activists and media; denied use of heavy equipment"},{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"NGO commenting on data publication"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"NGO; Greenpeace Russia satellite analysis"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Cause of the die-off","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Andrei Adrianov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences","says":"The natural phenomenon is to blame.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Orlova et al., Harmful Algae (2022)","says":"A bloom of Karenia species over more than 300 × 100 km lasting about two months; dominant species Karenia selliformis.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"No man-made cause found after 5,000 studies; 292 samples, 116 over limits (Ministry of Natural Resources).","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kamchatka government, February 2022","says":"Simultaneous mass growth of several dinoflagellate species, up to 700 thousand cells per litre.","src":8},{"voice":"research","holder":"Anton Georgiev, Moscow State University researcher","says":"Karenia toxins act weakly on invertebrates; he suggested oxygen depletion after the bloom.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"An ecological catastrophe; its satellite images suggested a river carried toxins, with a first release on 9 September.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF Russia","says":"The red-tide explanation is quite possible, but officials had not published phytoplankton or biological sample data.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Pacific Fleet","says":"Denied using heavy equipment at the Kozelsky and Radygino ranges that summer.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vladimir Solodov, Governor of Kamchatka Krai","says":"The landfill will be recultivated regardless of whether there was a leak.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kam24, October 2022","says":"The landfill was ruled not to be the cause.","src":7}]},{"point":"Number of people affected","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kamchatka regional government","says":"11 people sought care.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kamchatka regional health ministry","says":"Earlier: nine people with first-degree chemical corneal burns.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal Medical-Biological Agency","says":"19 people sought hospital care; tests of urine, blood and hair found no heavy metals or other man-made pollutants.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A surf-school founder","says":"Over 200 people were affected.","src":0}]},{"point":"Area of the Kozelsky landfill","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax","says":"2.8 ha.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kamchatka.live","says":"7.03 ha.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case over marine pollution off Kamchatka","forum":"Investigative Committee of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee","defendant":"No defendant named in the sources","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"A criminal case was opened on 7 October 2020 under Article 247 part 2 (violation of rules for handling environmentally hazardous substances and waste) and Article 252 part 2 (marine pollution) of the Criminal Code. Investigators said the pollution involved petroleum-containing components, including phenol, between 1 September and 3 October 2020. No termination, suspension or court outcome is on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"bloom_extent_km","value":300,"unit":"km (length; width more than 100 km)","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Orlova et al. (2022); lasted about two months; nearly total mortality at 5–20 m depth."},{"key":"benthos_dead_pct","value":95,"unit":"%","year":2020,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Kronotsky Nature Reserve divers, via Kommersant."},{"key":"people_affected","value":11,"unit":"people who sought care","year":2020,"note":"Regional government; the Federal Medical-Biological Agency reported 19."},{"key":"samples_over_limits","value":116,"unit":"of 292 samples","year":2020,"note":"Ministry of Natural Resources, via Kommersant."},{"key":"pesticides_buried_tonnes","value":108,"unit":"tonnes","year":1982,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kozelsky landfill, buried 1979–1982; about 20 tonnes of arsenic compounds (Kamchatka government via Interfax)."},{"key":"reserve_fund_proposed","value":361,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Proposed allocation for liquidating the Kozelsky landfill."},{"key":"tender_value","value":50.96596,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Surveys and design documentation, regional budget."},{"key":"restoration_estimate","value":134,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Recultivation of the Kozelsky landfill; planned for 2023 if federal funds were allocated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In September and October 2020 the water off Khalaktyrsky beach in Avacha Bay, Kamchatka, discolored and dead marine animals washed ashore; researchers described a Karenia algal bloom and other parties pointed to the Kozelsky pesticide landfill or military ranges.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Federal Ecological Operator","what":"Expected to carry out the liquidation of the Kozelsky landfill under the November 2020 proposal","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Kamchatka regional budget","what":"Tender of RUB 50,965,960 for surveys and design documentation; RUB 361 million proposed from the reserve fund","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bottom communities of Avacha Bay","what":"Nearly total mortality at 5–20 m depth; 95% of benthos reported dead by reserve divers","src":9},{"who":"Surfers and bathers","what":"Chemical corneal burns; 11 people sought care according to the regional government and 19 according to the Federal Medical-Biological Agency","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Avacha Bay (Avachinsky Gulf), near Khalaktyrsky beach and the Babya, Bolshaya Lagernaya and Malaya Lagernaya bays, within Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yelizovsky district, Kamchatka Krai; the Kozelsky landfill is about 35 km from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 1 September to 3 October 2020 according to the criminal case; satellite-based bloom duration about two months; criminal case opened 7 October 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Disputed: the Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President and co-authors of the Orlova et al. study, Rosprirodnadzor and the regional government named a natural cause or a harmful algal bloom; Greenpeace Russia and others suspected pollution from the Kozelsky landfill or military ranges.","src":4},"how":{"t":"The regional government proposed RUB 361 million from the reserve fund for the landfill in November 2020; the landfill entered the federal register of accumulated environmental harm in March 2021; a RUB 50,965,960 tender followed in May 2021 and a recultivation estimate of about RUB 134 million in October 2022.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Возбуждено уголовное дело об экокатастрофе на Камчатке (Criminal case opened over Kamchatka eco-catastrophe)","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/730381"},{"t":"Эксперты на Камчатке выявили нарушение периметра полигона ядохимикатов (Experts find breach of pesticide landfill perimeter)","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/730352"},{"t":"Козельский полигон ядохимикатов рекультивируют после загрязнения океана (Kozelsky landfill to be recultivated after ocean pollution)","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/730433"},{"t":"Полигон ядохимикатов на Камчатке включен в реестр вредных объектов (Kamchatka pesticide landfill added to harm register)","p":"Interfax","d":"2021-03-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/756457"},{"t":"Коварная Karenia (The sneaky Karenia)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2020-10-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4547160"},{"t":"На Камчатке ликвидируют Козельский полигон (Kozelsky landfill to be liquidated)","p":"AiF-Kamchatka","d":"2020-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://kamchatka.aif.ru/society/na_kamchatke_likvidiruyut_kozelskiy_poligon"},{"t":"На проект ликвидации Козельского полигона потратят более 50 млн рублей (Over 50 m roubles for Kozelsky liquidation project)","p":"Kamchatka.live","d":"2021-05-24","type":"press","u":"https://kamchatka.live/n/1205"},{"t":"Для ликвидации Козельского полигона ядохимикатов на Камчатке осталось найти деньги (Only money left to find for Kozelsky liquidation)","p":"Kam24","d":"2022-10-27","type":"press","u":"https://kam24.ru/news/main/20221027/92711.html"},{"t":"Ученые назвали окончательную причину загрязнения акватории Камчатки (Scientists name final cause of Kamchatka water pollution)","p":"EastRussia","d":"2022-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/uchenye-nazvali-okonchatelnuyu-prichinu-zagryazneniya-akvatorii-kamchatki/"},{"t":"A massive bloom of Karenia species (Dinophyceae) off the Kamchatka coast, Russia, in the fall of 2020, Harmful Algae 120:102337 (doi 10.1016/j.hal.2022.102337)","p":"Orlova T. Yu. et al.","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://www.iacp.dvo.ru/publications/3915"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the die-off","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Fine, compensation or damage calculation tied to the die-off — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of people affected","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Area of the Kozelsky landfill","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause. The Russian Academy of Sciences Vice-President, Rosprirodnadzor and the regional government named a natural cause or a harmful algal bloom; Greenpeace Russia, activists and early media pointed to the Kozelsky landfill or military ranges. Kam24 later wrote that the landfill was ruled not to be the cause.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the Investigative Committee's criminal case after its opening on 7 October 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a fine, compensation payment or damage calculation by Rosprirodnadzor for the 2020 die-off.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance linked to the die-off.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: phytoplankton and biological sample data had not been published by officials at the time, according to WWF Russia (via Kommersant).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: archival records of the substances buried at Kozelsky; the regional government said none survive.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the 2022 recultivation depended on federal funds that had not yet been allocated (Kam24).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the landfill area is 2.8 ha in Interfax and 7.03 ha in Kamchatka.live.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"soviet-whaling-falsified-iwc-catch-reports","title":"Soviet whaling catches and the reports to the IWC, 1948–1979","dek":"Researchers at NOAA and collaborators estimate that Soviet fleets killed 534,119 whales from 1933 into the 1970s, of which 178,726 were not reported to the International Whaling Commission. The IWC adopted Resolution 1994-6 in May 1994, which contains no penalty or compensation.","country":"Russia","region":"Global","lat":-55,"lon":160,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"USSR fleets, base at Vladivostok; Russian Federation as successor","role":"company-home"}],"start":1948,"end":1994,"eventDate":"1994-05-23","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Whales killed by the USSR, 1933 into the 1970s (Ivashchenko and Clapham, 2014)","value":"534,119","note":"Of which 178,726 were not reported to the IWC. Estimate by the authors; compensation, fine or IWC sanction: none on record."},"happened":["In their 2014 paper in Marine Fisheries Review, Y. V. Ivashchenko and P. J. Clapham of NOAA wrote that beginning in 1948 the USSR, despite being a signatory to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, ran a secret global whaling campaign that lasted three decades and was revealed only after the end of the Cold War. Catches were under-reported or misreported: according to the authors, sperm whale sex and length data were falsified, with the fleets reporting males while taking undersized females, which they say led the IWC to lower the sperm whale minimum length from 11.6 to 9.2 m. A 1966 fleet report stated that 73.1% of all catches (4,391 of 6,006 whales) were in violation of the whaling regulations.","The authors estimated that 534,119 whales were killed by the USSR, of which 178,726 were not reported to the IWC. In the Antarctic the total catch was approximately 338,336 whales, of which only 185,778 were reported; in the North Pacific the USSR killed an estimated 194,177 whales and reported 169,615. A separate 2013 revision of North Pacific catches for 1948–79 counted at least 190,183 whales killed, with 169,638 reported. For Southern Hemisphere humpbacks the authors wrote that takes of more than 48,000 whales precipitated a population crash and the closure of shore whaling stations in Australia and New Zealand; they also reported 3,368 southern right whales killed against 4 reported.","After international observers arrived in 1972, the Soviet fleets carried Japanese observers and the Japanese fleets Soviet observers. A 2015 update added 17 previously unreported blue whale catches from 1972, bringing the Soviet North Pacific blue whale total since 1948 to 1,638, of which 878 were reported. Alexei Yablokov, then Science Advisor to President Yeltsin, spoke about the Soviet whaling data at the Society for Marine Mammalogy conference in Galveston, Texas, in November 1993.","On 23 May 1994 the IWC adopted Resolution 1994-6, which commended the Government of the Russian Federation for its efforts to locate original catch records, urged it to keep supplying original data, authorised Secretariat help from voluntary funds, and invited other governments to check their own past data for inaccuracies or falsification. The resolution contains no penalty or sanction, and no compensation, fine or sanction against the USSR or Russia is on record. Government-set annual targets for whale products paid factory fleet crews a bonus only when exceeded, according to Ivashchenko, Clapham and Brownell; a 1977 order by the Vice-Minister of Fisheries set fines of 25–50 roubles for killing prohibited whales."],"timeline":[{"y":1948,"t":"Start of the Soviet whaling campaign described by Ivashchenko and Clapham","src":0},{"y":1959,"t":"Slava and Sovetskaya Ukraina take 25,000 humpbacks in two seasons (1959–61)","src":0},{"y":1966,"t":"A fleet report states 73.1% of catches (4,391 of 6,006 whales) were in violation of the whaling regulations","src":0},{"y":1972,"t":"International observers on Soviet and Japanese fleets; 17 blue whale catches later found unreported","src":2},{"y":1977,"t":"Order by Vice-Minister of Fisheries Zhigalov sets fines of 25–50 roubles for killing prohibited whales","src":3},{"y":1993,"t":"Yablokov speaks at the Society for Marine Mammalogy conference in Galveston (Nov)","src":3},{"y":1994,"t":"IWC Resolution 1994-6 adopted at IWC46 (23 May)","src":4},{"y":2013,"t":"Revised North Pacific totals published in the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management","src":1},{"y":2014,"t":"Ivashchenko and Clapham publish worldwide totals in Marine Fisheries Review","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Update on Soviet blue whale catches in the eastern North Pacific, 1972 (IWC Scientific Committee paper)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"this lasted for three decades and was revealed only after the end of the Cold War","who":"Y. V. Ivashchenko and P. J. Clapham, Marine Fisheries Review, on the Soviet whaling campaign","when":"2014","src":0},{"q":"The government set annual targets for quantities of whale products … and paid factory fleet crews a bonus only if these targets were exceeded.","who":"Ivashchenko, Clapham and Brownell, foreword to the Berzin memoir","when":"2008","src":3},{"q":"Whaling resources in the North Pacific are so depleted that there is no point talking about a hunt of 'legal' whales.","who":"Soviet fleet inspection department report, quoted by Ivashchenko and Clapham","when":"1968","src":0},{"q":"CONGRATULATES AND COMMENDS the Government of the Russian Federation for its efforts to locate original catch records","who":"International Whaling Commission, Resolution 1994-6","when":"23 May 1994","src":4},{"q":"Understanding the true costs and the nature of revenues within this industry is beyond the scope of the present paper and requires a separate study by an expert in Soviet economics.","who":"Ivashchenko and Clapham","when":"2014","src":0},{"q":"have still not been addressed in the years following the revelations","who":"Ivashchenko and Clapham, on flaws in the international observer system","when":"2014","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Catch reports to the IWC that listed males for sperm whales while undersized females were being taken","who":"Soviet whaling fleets, according to Ivashchenko and Clapham","src":0},{"t":"A report that past Soviet whaling statistics were unreliable, and previously unreported Southern Hemisphere data supplied to the Scientific Committee in 1994","who":"Russian Federation, as recited in IWC Resolution 1994-6","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014): 534,119 whales killed by the USSR, 178,726 not reported to the IWC.","src":0},{"t":"Revised North Pacific totals for 1948–79: at least 190,183 whales killed, 169,638 reported (2013).","src":1},{"t":"IWC Resolution 1994-6 contains no penalty or compensation.","src":4},{"t":"A 1977 order set fines of 25–50 roubles for captain-directors and harpooners for killing prohibited whales, and 15–50 roubles for lactating females; fleet leaders' monthly salaries were 'a thousand rubles or more' (A. A. Berzin's memoir).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"1948–1994","nature":[{"label":"Compensation, fine or IWC sanction against the USSR or Russia for the unreported catches","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Fines under the 1977 order, per captain-director or harpooner for killing prohibited whales","amount":null,"note":"RUB 25–50; RUB 15–50 for lactating females. Fleet leaders' monthly salaries 'a thousand rubles or more' (Berzin)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Whales killed, USSR (1933 into the 1970s)","v":"534,119","d":"178,726 not reported to the IWC (Ivashchenko and Clapham, 2014)"},{"k":"Southern Hemisphere humpbacks","v":"More than 48,000","d":"Takes preceded a population crash and closure of shore stations in Australia and New Zealand"},{"k":"Southern right whales","v":"3,368 killed","d":"Against 4 reported"},{"k":"Eastern North Pacific right whale","v":"About 30 animals","d":"Population estimate cited from Wade et al. (2011)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014) and the 2013 North Pacific revision estimated Soviet catches per species and the number not reported to the IWC.","report":[{"t":"Soviet fleets killed an estimated 534,119 of my whales from 1933 into the 1970s; 178,726 were not reported to the IWC, according to Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014).","src":0},{"t":"Takes of more than 48,000 of my Southern Hemisphere humpback whales precipitated a population crash and the closure of shore whaling stations in Australia and New Zealand, according to Ivashchenko and Clapham.","src":0},{"t":"Soviet fleets killed 3,368 of my southern right whales and reported 4, according to Ivashchenko and Clapham.","src":0},{"t":"In the North Pacific, 681 of my right whales were caught from 1948 to 1979 and 11 were reported, according to Ivashchenko, Clapham and Brownell (2013).","src":1},{"t":"My eastern North Pacific right whale population is estimated today at only 30 animals (Wade et al., 2011, cited by Ivashchenko and Clapham).","src":0},{"t":"My Oceania humpback population remains at relatively low numbers and is not recovering as expected (Constantine et al., 2012, cited by Ivashchenko and Clapham).","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: compensation, a fine or an IWC sanction against the USSR or Russia for the unreported catches; IWC Resolution 1994-6 imposes no penalty or compensation.","None on record: court or tribunal proceedings.","Not measured: the true costs and the nature of revenues of Soviet whaling; the authors write that this is beyond the scope of their paper and requires a separate study by an expert in Soviet economics.","Insufficient: true catch data are missing for three years, for which a correction factor of 4,000 animals is used (Ivashchenko and Clapham).","Insufficient: much original data was destroyed by individuals who had no wish to see the truth brought into the light of day (Berzin).","Unclear: the status of the western North Pacific right whale stock, which the authors describe as unknown.","Figures differ: the global unreported total is 178,726 in the abstract of Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014), approximately 177,130 in its text and 'almost 180,000' in its conclusion; North Pacific reported totals are 169,615 (2014) and 169,638 (2013). These are revisions by the same research group."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The authors describe the campaign as lasting about three decades from 1948 and as continuing in part after observers arrived in 1972, with 17 unreported blue whale catches that year. North Pacific revisions cover 1948–79.","whoPaid":"None on record. No compensation, fine or IWC sanction against the USSR or Russia is on record; the research that reconstructed the catches was funded by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Marine Conservation Institute, the North Pacific Research Board and NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources (2008–2015 research papers and IWC Resolution 1994-6 of May 1994): no penalty, compensation or court proceeding on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"ussr","says":"A Russian Federation official published a report that past Soviet whaling statistics were unreliable, and Russia supplied previously unreported Southern Hemisphere data to the IWC Scientific Committee in 1994 (as recited in IWC Resolution 1994-6).","when":"1994","src":4},{"actor":"iwc","says":"Resolution 1994-6 commended the Government of the Russian Federation for its efforts to locate original catch records and invited other governments to check their own past data for inaccuracies or falsification.","when":"23 May 1994","src":4},{"actor":"noaa","says":"Ivashchenko and Clapham wrote that flaws in the observer system have still not been addressed in the years following the revelations.","when":"2014","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"ussr","role":"Flag state of the whaling fleets; successor Russian Federation"},{"id":"iwc","role":"Adopted Resolution 1994-6"},{"id":"noaa","role":"Authors' institution; funded the reconstruction"},{"id":"nmfs","role":"Co-funder of the research reconstructing the catches"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Supplied original catch data to the IWC Scientific Committee in 1994"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Total number of whales killed and not reported to the IWC","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014), abstract","says":"534,119 whales killed, of which 178,726 were not reported to the IWC.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014), text","says":"Antarctic: about 338,336 killed, 185,778 reported; North Pacific: 194,177 killed, 169,615 reported; difference approximately 177,130 whales. Table 1 prints the Antarctic reported total as 185,768.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivashchenko, Clapham and Brownell (2013)","says":"North Pacific 1948–79: at least 190,183 whales killed (195,783 including a sperm whale estimate), 169,638 reported; difference 20,568 (26,168 including the estimate).","src":1}]},{"point":"Cost of Soviet whale oil production","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Tønnessen and Johnsen (1982), cited by Ivashchenko and Clapham","says":"Using the reported catch data, it was 2.4 times more expensive for the Soviet whaling fleets to produce whale oil than to buy it.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014)","says":"Not a valid comparison, because Soviet whaling was a state-owned, government-subsidized industry.","src":0}]},{"point":"Access to original Soviet catch records in 1994","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian Federation (as recited in IWC Resolution 1994-6)","says":"Published a report that past statistics were unreliable and supplied previously unreported Southern Hemisphere data in 1994.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"A. A. Berzin, former Soviet whale scientist (memoir dated Vladivostok, June 1994)","says":"Kept a 1994 telegram from the Fisheries Industry Administration that prohibits the transfer of original whaling data to the American side.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"IWC Resolution 1994-6 on Soviet catch data","forum":"International Whaling Commission, 46th meeting","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"International Whaling Commission","defendant":"No defendant named","filed":null,"decided":1994,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"Adopted on 23 May 1994, the resolution commended the Government of the Russian Federation for its efforts to locate original catch records, urged it to keep supplying original data, authorised Secretariat help from voluntary funds, and invited other governments to check their own past data for inaccuracies or falsification. It contains no penalty or sanction.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"whales_killed","value":534119,"unit":"whales","year":2014,"qualifier":"estimate","est":true,"note":"USSR, 1933 into the 1970s (Ivashchenko and Clapham 2014)."},{"key":"whales_unreported","value":178726,"unit":"whales","year":2014,"qualifier":"estimate","est":true,"note":"Not reported to the IWC; the text gives approximately 177,130."},{"key":"whales_killed","value":190183,"unit":"whales","year":2013,"qualifier":"at least","note":"North Pacific 1948–79 (195,783 including a sperm whale estimate); 169,638 reported."},{"key":"whales_in_violation","value":4391,"unit":"whales of 6,006","year":1966,"note":"1966 fleet report: 73.1% of catches were in violation of the whaling regulations."},{"key":"humpbacks_killed","value":48000,"unit":"whales","year":1960,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Southern Hemisphere humpbacks; Slava and Sovetskaya Ukraina took 25,000 in two seasons (1959–61)."},{"key":"right_whales_killed","value":3368,"unit":"whales","year":2014,"note":"Southern right whales; 4 reported."},{"key":"blue_whales_killed","value":1638,"unit":"whales","year":2015,"note":"Soviet North Pacific blue whale total since 1948, of which 878 were reported (includes 17 unreported 1972 catches)."},{"key":"fine","value":25,"unit":"RUB","year":1977,"qualifier":"from","note":"Fines of 25–50 roubles under the 1977 order for killing prohibited whales; 15–50 roubles for lactating females."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Soviet fleets killed an estimated 534,119 whales from 1933 into the 1970s and did not report 178,726 of them to the IWC, according to Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014).","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Factory fleet crews","what":"Received a bonus only if government-set annual targets for whale products were exceeded","src":3},{"who":"National whaling inspectors","what":"Paid by the fleet, with salary dependent on raw product output (Berzin)","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Southern Hemisphere humpback whales","what":"Takes of more than 48,000 whales preceded a population crash and closure of shore stations in Australia and New Zealand","src":0},{"who":"Southern right whales","what":"3,368 killed against 4 reported","src":0},{"who":"North Pacific right whales","what":"681 caught and 11 reported, 1948–79; the eastern population is estimated at about 30 animals","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Southern Hemisphere and Antarctic waters; North Pacific including the Kuril Islands area, the Okhotsk Sea and the eastern North Pacific off Washington and Oregon. The North Atlantic was the only major ocean in which the Soviets did not operate. In 1972 blue whale catches were made 96–626 nautical miles from the US west coast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 1948 for about three decades; North Pacific revisions cover 1948–79; revealed after 1993 and addressed by IWC Resolution 1994-6 on 23 May 1994.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The authors wrote that the government set annual targets for whale products and paid factory fleet crews a bonus only if they were exceeded; in 1977 the fines for killing prohibited whales were 25–50 roubles, while fleet leaders' monthly salaries were a thousand roubles or more (Berzin).","src":3},"how":{"t":"Catches were under-reported or misreported; sperm whale sex and length data were falsified according to the authors, with males reported while undersized females were taken; national inspectors were paid by the fleet.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Too Much Is Never Enough: The Cautionary Tale of Soviet Illegal Whaling, Marine Fisheries Review 76(1–2) (doi 10.7755/MFR.76.1_2.1)","p":"Ivashchenko Y. V., Clapham P. J., NOAA","d":"2014","type":"academic","u":"https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/mfr761-21.pdf"},{"t":"Soviet catches of whales in the North Pacific: revised totals, J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 13(1) (doi 10.47536/jcrm.v13i1.556)","p":"Ivashchenko Y. V., Clapham P. J., Brownell R. L. Jr., International Whaling Commission","d":"2013","type":"academic","u":"https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/556","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250620090139/https://journal.iwc.int/index.php/jcrm/article/view/556"},{"t":"New data on Soviet blue whale catches in the eastern North Pacific in 1972 (IWC SC/66a/IA)","p":"Ivashchenko, Clapham, Brownell","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://swfsc-publications.fisheries.noaa.gov/publications/CR/2015/2015Ivashchenko.pdf"},{"t":"The Truth About Soviet Whaling: A Memoir by A. A. Berzin, with foreword, Marine Fisheries Review 70(2)","p":"NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service","d":"2008","type":"academic","u":"https://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-content/mfr702opt.pdf"},{"t":"IWC Resolution 1994-6 (database reproduction)","p":"ECOLEX (FAO/IUCN/UNEP)","d":"1994-05-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecolex.org/details/decision/resolution-1994-6-bfd5b666-bc28-4253-b732-b30c8a2a590c/"}],"related":["whaling-after-the-moratorium","save-the-whales-campaign-and-iwc-whaling-moratorium"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Total number of whales killed and not reported to the IWC","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation, fine or IWC sanction against the USSR or Russia for the unreported catches — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Fines under the 1977 order, per captain-director or harpooner for killing prohibited whales — RUB 25–50; RUB 15–50 for lactating females. Fleet leaders' monthly salaries 'a thousand rubles or more' (Berzin).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cost of Soviet whale oil production","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Access to original Soviet catch records in 1994","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation, a fine or an IWC sanction against the USSR or Russia for the unreported catches; IWC Resolution 1994-6 imposes no penalty or compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court or tribunal proceedings.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the true costs and the nature of revenues of Soviet whaling; the authors write that this is beyond the scope of their paper and requires a separate study by an expert in Soviet economics.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: true catch data are missing for three years, for which a correction factor of 4,000 animals is used (Ivashchenko and Clapham).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: much original data was destroyed by individuals who had no wish to see the truth brought into the light of day (Berzin).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the status of the western North Pacific right whale stock, which the authors describe as unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the global unreported total is 178,726 in the abstract of Ivashchenko and Clapham (2014), approximately 177,130 in its text and 'almost 180,000' in its conclusion; North Pacific reported totals are 169,615 (2014) and 169,638 (2013). These are revisions by the same research group.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sakhalin-2-environmental-approval-gazprom-stake-and-lenders","title":"Sakhalin-2: 2006 approval revocation, Gazprom stake purchase, 2009 damage-claim settlement and lender exits","dek":"In September 2006 Russian authorities moved to cancel the environmental approval of the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project; on 21 December 2006 Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi signed a protocol for Gazprom to take 50% plus one share for USD 7.45 billion. A claim of RUB 390 million was settled in July 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":46.62,"lon":142.93,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sakhalin Oblast (Prigorodnoye LNG plant, Aniva Bay)","lat":46.62,"lon":142.93,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Makarov and Dolinsk districts, Sakhalin (onshore pipeline route)","lat":48.6,"lon":142.8,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Moscow","lat":46.96,"lon":142.74,"role":"court"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Tokyo (lenders and shareholders)","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London (lenders)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2005,"end":2009,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","pipeline","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Damage claim filed by the regulator, settled in 2009","value":"RUB 390 million","note":"Settled in July 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; Kommersant reported no cash due under the claim. The regulator's 2006 estimate of the cost of rectifying damage was USD 10-50 billion (Oil & Gas Journal)."},"happened":["In July 2005 Pacific Environment reported that a court in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, on a suit by Sakhalin Environment Watch and Sakhalin citizens against the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC), upheld a ruling that the environmental impact review for the Aniva Bay LNG jetty was invalid. A press report of 30 July 2005 said Russian newspapers reported LNG terminal work suspended, while sources on Sakhalin said work continued. On 29 August 2006 the Presnensky district court in Moscow rejected an environmental groups' suit against the Ministry of Natural Resources that sought to cancel the 2003 expert approval. On 5 September 2006 Rosprirodnadzor, the federal environmental regulator, filed suit to revoke approval for Sakhalin-2, citing unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review and failure to take anti-erosion measures (AP).","On 18-19 September 2006 Minister of Natural Resources Yuri Trutnev signed an order cancelling the ministry's 2003 order approving the positive state environmental expertise of the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye development. The basis was a protest by First Deputy Prosecutor General Alexander Buksman, and the order required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor to take effect. Prosecutors held that the expertise relied on insufficiently developed documentation and lacked a risk evaluation; Rosprirodnadzor's August 2006 inspection reported discharges with excess oil-product content from the Molikpaq platform. On 29 September 2006 Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Rosprirodnadzor, said dredge spoil for the 800 m jetty near Prigorodnoye had been dumped markedly closer to shore than the permitted 24 km site, that a pipeline-induced landslide had destroyed forest in Makarov district, and that the agency intended to seek criminal cases and suspension of pipeline construction. Preliminary forest damage was RUB 11.6 million in Makarov district and RUB 14-15 million for about 50 ha at the Dolinsk section. In October 2006 Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of rectifying damage at USD 10-50 billion, a figure Mitvol attributed to land reclamation and seabed cleaning in Aniva Bay, with a final figure promised \"until the end of next summer\". Sakhalin Energy said no applicable law had been violated.","On 21 December 2006 Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi signed a protocol in Moscow with President Putin present. The sale and purchase agreement followed in April 2007: Gazprom paid USD 7.45 billion in cash for 50% plus one share of SEIC, leaving Shell with 27.5%, Mitsui with 12.5% and Mitsubishi with 10% (before: Shell 55%, Mitsui 25%, Mitsubishi 20%). In April 2007 the Ministry of Natural Resources also approved SEIC's revised environmental action plan. According to Kommersant, the company paid USD 11 million for natural resource damage in 2007; the payee and legal basis were not stated. In 2006 the company said unforeseen costs would be counted as costs recoverable by the Russian Federation under the 1994 production sharing agreement.","Rosprirodnadzor brought a claim of RUB 390 million for environmental damage against SEIC before the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region; a hearing was moved from 18 March to 20 April 2009. On 2-3 July 2009 the parties settled. Kommersant reported that the company documented RUB 647 million spent on environmental measures, that the parties agreed to count this as compensation, that the court approved the settlement and that no cash was due under the claim. Rosprirodnadzor said the disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored; Sakhalin Energy described the impact as short-term and reversible; Gazprom said the claims concerned a period before it joined the project.","The lenders reacted separately. On 11 January 2007 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced it would no longer consider the Sakhalin II financing package it had considered for five years, citing the change of ownership; in August 2007 it confirmed it would not resume negotiations. On 4 March 2008 SEIC withdrew applications for \"hundreds of millions of dollars\" in public financing from US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD. On 16 June 2008 the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) signed a loan agreement of up to USD 3.7 billion with SEIC for Phase 2, cofinanced with a commercial bank syndicate of up to USD 1.6 billion. An IUCN panel statement describes the western gray whale advisory process as a condition of the agreement set up by the banks and other lending institutions."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk court upholds a ruling that the Aniva Bay jetty environmental review was invalid (reported 28 Jul)","src":11},{"y":2006,"t":"Moscow court rejects environmentalists' suit (29 Aug); Rosprirodnadzor sues to revoke approval (5 Sep)","src":10},{"y":2006,"t":"Ministry order cancels the 2003 expertise (18-19 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2006,"t":"Mitvol statements on dredge spoil and forest damage (29 Sep)","src":1},{"y":2006,"t":"Rosprirodnadzor damage estimate of USD 10-50 billion (Oct)","src":5},{"y":2006,"t":"Protocol between Gazprom, Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi signed in Moscow (21 Dec)","src":7},{"y":2007,"t":"EBRD stops considering the financing (11 Jan)","src":14},{"y":2007,"t":"Sale and purchase agreement for 50% plus one share at USD 7.45 billion; revised environmental action plan approved (Apr)","src":6},{"y":2007,"t":"Deforestation fine reported by RIA Novosti (19 Dec)","src":17},{"y":2008,"t":"SEIC withdraws US Ex-Im and UK ECGD applications (4 Mar)","src":15},{"y":2008,"t":"JBIC signs loan of up to USD 3.7 billion (16 Jun)","src":20},{"y":2009,"t":"Settlement of the RUB 390 million claim approved by the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region; RUB 647 million of company spending counted as compensation (2-3 Jul)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"Work on the pipeline cannot continue; the project must be stopped","who":"Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Rosprirodnadzor, to Kommersant","when":"29 September 2006","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"will have to pay fines for ecological damage, whoever its shareholders are","who":"Oleg Mitvol, quoted by agency reports (of Sakhalin Energy)","when":"11 December 2006","src":8},{"q":"none of these developments relate to the existing Phase 1 activities which are not impacted in any way","who":"Ian Craig, Sakhalin Energy chief executive","when":"September 2006","src":4},{"q":"By making this deal, Gazprom is now on the environmental hook, along with Shell, Mitsubishi and Mitsui.","who":"Doug Norlen, Pacific Environment","when":"December 2006","src":12},{"q":"Sakhalin Energy will still have to pay for damages to fisheries in Aniva Bay.","who":"Dmitry Lisitsyn, Sakhalin Environment Watch","when":"December 2006","src":12},{"q":"financing is unfeasible, given the timeframe of the project","who":"EBRD, as reported by Global Trade Review","when":"August 2007","src":16},{"q":"We celebrate this tremendous victory","who":"Dmitry Lisitsyn, Sakhalin Environment Watch, on the withdrawal of export credit applications","when":"4 March 2008","src":15},{"q":"continue to do so through the monitoring of the project","who":"JBIC, on environmental concerns raised by Hokkaido stakeholders","when":"16 June 2008","src":20}],"shown":[{"t":"Environmental issues could be considered \"resolved in principle\" after the Gazprom agreement.","who":"President Putin, December 2006, as quoted by Kommersant in 2009","src":2},{"t":"The deal brought \"stability\".","who":"Jeroen van der Veer, Shell chief executive, December 2006","src":7},{"t":"The environmental impact was \"short-term and reversible\".","who":"Sakhalin Energy, 2009","src":2},{"t":"The disturbed state of the environment had \"effectively been restored\".","who":"Rosprirodnadzor, 2009","src":2},{"t":"Headline: \"Gazprom removed the $50 billion claims against Sakhalin Energy for 650 million roubles\".","who":"Kommersant, 3 July 2009","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Settlement of July 2009: RUB 647 million of company environmental spending counted as compensation for the RUB 390 million claim; no cash due under the claim; settlement approved by the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region.","src":2},{"t":"Gazprom paid USD 7.45 billion in cash for 50% plus one share of SEIC; Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi retained 27.5%, 12.5% and 10%.","src":6},{"t":"Kommersant (2009) stated that the project cost under the production sharing agreement was estimated at USD 21 billion and that even the environmental costs \"could be reimbursed by the state\" under that agreement.","src":2},{"t":"The company paid USD 11 million for natural resource damage in 2007 (Kommersant).","src":2},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor inspectors reported violations of forestry legislation during pipeline construction (forest destruction) in April 2008.","src":18},{"t":"The Ministry of Natural Resources approved SEIC's revised environmental action plan in April 2007.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"Mixed (see each line)","window":"2005-2009","nature":[{"label":"Rosprirodnadzor claim for environmental damage (RUB m)","amount":390,"window":"2008-2009","note":"Settled in 2009."},{"label":"Company environmental spending counted as compensation in the settlement (RUB m)","amount":647,"window":"to 2009","note":"No cash due under the claim."},{"label":"Payment for natural resource damage (USD m)","amount":11,"window":"2007","note":"Payee and legal basis not disclosed."},{"label":"Regulator's estimate of the cost of rectifying damage (USD m)","amount":null,"qualifier":"USD 10,000-50,000 million","est":true,"window":"2006","note":"Estimate stated by Rosprirodnadzor in October 2006; no final figure on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Paid by Gazprom for 50% plus one share of SEIC (USD m)","amount":7450,"window":"2006-2007"},{"label":"JBIC loan for Phase 2, up to (USD m)","amount":3700,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2008"},{"label":"Commercial bank syndicate cofinancing, up to (USD m)","amount":1600,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2008"},{"label":"JBIC loan for Phase 1 (USD m)","amount":116,"window":"1997"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Claim settled","v":"RUB 390 million","d":"Offset by RUB 647 million of company environmental spending, July 2009"},{"k":"Cost estimate stated in 2006","v":"USD 10-50 billion","d":"Rosprirodnadzor estimate of rectifying damage; no final figure on record"},{"k":"Forest damage reported","v":"about 50 ha","d":"Dolinsk section, preliminary figure from Rosprirodnadzor, September 2006"},{"k":"Stake price","v":"USD 7.45 billion","d":"Paid by Gazprom for 50% plus one share of SEIC"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements by the regulator Rosprirodnadzor in 2006 and 2008, an NGO figure from 2005 and the company's own monitoring page; no independent measurement of volumes or fisheries losses is on record.","report":[{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor reported in September 2006 that spoil dredged for the Prigorodnoye jetty was dumped closer to my shore than the permitted 24 km site, leaving debris on my seabed in Aniva Bay.","src":1},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor reported in 2006 that a landslide linked to pipeline construction destroyed my forest in Makarov district, and that about 50 ha of my forest at the Dolinsk section were damaged.","src":1},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor's August 2006 inspection reported discharges with excess oil-product content from the Molikpaq platform into my sea.","src":3},{"t":"Pacific Environment stated in 2005 that dumping of 2 million cubic metres of dredging waste into my Aniva Bay had begun, and that the bay is habitat for 25% of the salmon caught on Sakhalin.","src":11},{"t":"In April 2008 Rosprirodnadzor inspectors reported violations of forestry legislation, including forest destruction, during pipeline construction through my forests.","src":18},{"t":"The company's monitoring page says the pipelines cross about 1,000 of my freshwater bodies, with no significant deformation of riverbeds at most crossings and no impact on fish communities at the operation stage; the page gives no dates.","src":21},{"t":"In 2009 Rosprirodnadzor stated that my disturbed state had effectively been restored, and Sakhalin Energy described the impact as short-term and reversible.","src":2}]},"unknown":["None on record: a criminal conviction or court finding of liability for environmental damage in connection with the 2006 allegations; Mitvol's stated intent in September 2006 to seek criminal cases has no outcome on record.","None on record: the final damage figure that Rosprirodnadzor promised for \"the end of next summer\" (2007).","Not measured: an official volume of dredge spoil dumped in Aniva Bay or of fisheries losses; the 2 million cubic metres figure comes from an NGO.","None on record: any payment to fishermen or for Aniva Bay fisheries.","Not disclosed: the payee and legal basis of the USD 11 million paid for natural resource damage in 2007.","Not disclosed: the case number of the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region settlement.","Unclear: whether the September 2006 ministry order took effect; it required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor (Kommersant).","Disputed: when the claim arose. PortNews (RIA Novosti) reported it on 19 December 2007; pravo.ru reported violations identified in April 2008; Kommersant (2009) dated Rosprirodnadzor's damage assessment to spring 2007 and said the claim concerned 2006 pipeline construction.","Figures differ: PortNews printed the fine as \"over 390 billion rubles ($15.8 million)\"; pravo.ru and Kommersant give RUB 390 million.","Insufficient: the company's river-monitoring page gives no dates or data series (self-reported).","Unclear: the Development Assistance Plan agreement for indigenous peoples (indigenous council, Sakhalin Energy, regional administration) is reported with USD 300,000 over five years from 1 June 2006 to 1 June 2011; the wording does not say whether per year or in total (RAIPON author).","Disputed: motive. Officials described the actions as environmental enforcement; an analyst described them as a political campaign; no official finding resolves it."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Rosprirodnadzor stated in 2009 that the disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored; Sakhalin Energy described the impact as short-term and reversible.","whoPaid":"Under the July 2009 settlement the company's RUB 647 million of environmental spending was counted as compensation and no cash was due. Kommersant reported that environmental costs could be reimbursed by the state under the production sharing agreement. The company paid USD 11 million for natural resource damage in 2007.","statusLine":"As of 2009 (latest sources): the RUB 390 million claim was settled by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; ownership of the project changed again in 2022 (see related case).","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Sakhalin Energy","says":"No applicable law was violated; the developments did not relate to existing Phase 1 activities, according to chief executive Ian Craig.","when":"September 2006","src":4},{"actor":"Sakhalin Energy","says":"The environmental impact was short-term and reversible.","when":"2009","src":2},{"actor":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"The disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored.","when":"2009","src":2},{"actor":"Gazprom","says":"The claims concerned a period before it joined the project.","when":"2009","src":2},{"actor":"Shell","says":"Did not link the agencies' actions to the Gazprom talks.","when":"September 2006","src":3},{"actor":"EBRD","says":"Financing was unfeasible given the timeframe of the project; it had worked with SEIC on environmental, whale-protection, river-crossing and indigenous-peoples measures.","when":"January and August 2007","src":14},{"actor":"SEIC","says":"Withdrew the US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD applications citing \"serious concerns over possible delays\", as told to Dow Jones.","when":"4 March 2008","src":15},{"actor":"JBIC","says":"It would continue to raise environmental concerns through monitoring of the project, including oil spill response.","when":"16 June 2008","src":20}],"actors":[{"id":"gazprom","role":"Bought 50% plus one share of SEIC for USD 7.45 billion"},{"id":"shell","role":"Seller; shareholder of SEIC (55% before, 27.5% after)"},{"id":"mitsui","role":"Seller; shareholder of SEIC (25% before, 12.5% after)"},{"id":"mitsubishi","role":"Seller; shareholder of SEIC (20% before, 10% after)"},{"id":"sakhalin-energy","role":"Project operator; defendant in the RUB 390 million claim"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Environmental regulator; claimant"},{"id":"uzbekistan-natural-resources-ministry","role":"Cancelled the 2003 expertise approval by order of September 2006"},{"id":"russian-prosecutor-general","role":"Protest of the First Deputy Prosecutor General led to the order"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"President Putin present at the December 2006 protocol"},{"id":"sakhalin-environment-watch","role":"Plaintiff in the 2005 jetty case; NGO commenter"},{"id":"jbic","role":"Lender: up to USD 3.7 billion for Phase 2"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Stopped considering the financing in 2007"},{"id":"us-exim-bank","role":"Application withdrawn in 2008"},{"id":"uk-export-finance","role":"Application (ECGD) withdrawn in 2008"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Size of the regulator's 2006 damage estimate","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Oil & Gas Journal (17 Oct 2006)","says":"Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of rectifying damage at USD 10-50 billion.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (3 Jul 2009, retrospective)","says":"Mitvol estimated damage at USD 30-50 billion in autumn 2006 and officials threatened USD 50 billion claims.","src":2}]},{"point":"State of the environment and fisheries damage after the 2009 settlement","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"The disturbed state of the environment had effectively been restored.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sakhalin Energy","says":"The impact was short-term and reversible.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sakhalin Environment Watch (Dmitry Lisitsyn, December 2006)","says":"Sakhalin Energy would still have to pay for damages to fisheries in Aniva Bay.","src":12}]},{"point":"Whether anything was paid under the 2009 settlement","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (text)","says":"The company documented RUB 647 million spent on environmental measures, counted as compensation; no cash was due under the claim.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (headline)","says":"The headline gives the figure as 650 million roubles.","src":2}]},{"point":"Figure and date of the claim","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"PortNews (RIA Novosti, 19 Dec 2007)","says":"A fine \"over 390 billion rubles ($15.8 million)\" for deforestation.","src":17},{"voice":"press","holder":"pravo.ru (24 Mar 2009)","says":"Rosprirodnadzor v. SEIC, 390 million roubles; violations identified in April 2008.","src":18}]},{"point":"Motive for the 2006 enforcement actions","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor (suit of 5 September 2006)","says":"Rosprirodnadzor's suit cited unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review and failure to take anti-erosion measures.","src":10},{"voice":"research","holder":"Valery Nesterov, Troika Dialog analyst","says":"The agencies' actions were a political campaign aimed at shifting the production sharing agreement to the normal tax regime and bringing in Russian partners.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"Did not link the agencies' actions to the Gazprom talks.","src":3}]},{"point":"Reason for the withdrawal of US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD applications","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Pacific Environment and Sakhalin Environment Watch (Doug Norlen)","says":"The banks had a responsibility to state their rejection publicly; the withdrawal let lenders avoid formally rejecting the project on environmental grounds.","src":15},{"voice":"company","holder":"SEIC","says":"Withdrew the applications citing \"serious concerns over possible delays\".","src":15}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Sakhalin Environment Watch and Sakhalin citizens v. Ministry of Natural Resources and SEIC (Aniva Bay jetty review)","forum":"Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Sakhalin Environment Watch and Sakhalin citizens","defendant":"Ministry of Natural Resources; Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC)","filed":null,"decided":2005,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Pacific Environment reported in July 2005 that the court upheld a ruling that the environmental impact review for the Aniva Bay LNG jetty was invalid. A press report of 30 July 2005 said a local court ruled Shell had not followed the correct environmental procedures for jetty approval.","src":11},{"title":"Environmental groups v. Ministry of Natural Resources (cancellation of the 2003 expertise)","forum":"Presnensky district court, Moscow","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Environmental groups","defendant":"Ministry of Natural Resources","filed":null,"decided":2006,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 29 August 2006 the court rejected the suit seeking to cancel the 2003 expertise.","src":0},{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor suit to revoke approval for Sakhalin-2","forum":"Court not stated in the source","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor","defendant":"Not stated in the source","filed":2006,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Filed 5 September 2006, citing unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review and failure to take anti-erosion measures (AP).","src":10},{"title":"Ministry of Natural Resources order cancelling the 2003 approval of the state environmental expertise","forum":"Ministry of Natural Resources","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Office of the Prosecutor General (protest by First Deputy Prosecutor General)","defendant":"Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye development (Sakhalin Energy)","filed":2006,"decided":2006,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Order signed 18-19 September 2006 by Minister Yuri Trutnev on the prosecutor's protest; it required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor to take effect.","src":0},{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor v. Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (environmental damage)","forum":"Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor","defendant":"Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (SEIC)","filed":2008,"decided":2009,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":390,"currency":"RUB","label":"claimed (million)"},"summary":"Claim of RUB 390 million for environmental damage; hearing moved from 18 March to 20 April 2009. Settlement approved by the court in July 2009: RUB 647 million of company environmental spending counted as compensation; no cash due under the claim.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":390,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"note":"Rosprirodnadzor claim for environmental damage, settled July 2009."},{"key":"settlement","value":647,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"note":"Company environmental spending counted as compensation; no cash due."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":11,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"note":"Paid for natural resource damage (Kommersant); payee and legal basis not stated."},{"key":"damage_estimate_low","value":10000,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"est":true,"note":"Rosprirodnadzor estimate of the cost of rectifying damage (Oil & Gas Journal, October 2006)."},{"key":"damage_estimate_high","value":50000,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"est":true,"note":"Upper end of the same estimate; Kommersant (2009) gives USD 30-50 billion."},{"key":"forest_damage_makarov","value":11.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2006,"note":"Preliminary forest damage, Makarov district (Rosprirodnadzor)."},{"key":"forest_damage_dolinsk","value":14,"unit":"RUB m","year":2006,"qualifier":"14-15","note":"Preliminary damage for about 50 ha, Dolinsk section."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":50,"unit":"ha","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"Dolinsk section, Rosprirodnadzor, September 2006."},{"key":"dredge_spoil_m3","value":2000000,"unit":"m3","year":2005,"note":"Figure stated by Pacific Environment (NGO); no official volume on record."},{"key":"stake_price","value":7450,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"note":"Paid by Gazprom in cash for 50% plus one share of SEIC."},{"key":"loan_jbic_phase2","value":3700,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"qualifier":"up to","note":"JBIC loan agreement of 16 June 2008."},{"key":"loan_syndicate","value":1600,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Commercial bank syndicate cofinancing."},{"key":"loan_jbic_phase1","value":116,"unit":"USD m","year":1997,"note":"JBIC loan for Phase 1, December 1997."},{"key":"project_cost_psa","value":21000,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"est":true,"note":"Project cost under the production sharing agreement as estimated by Kommersant."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In 2006 Russian authorities moved to cancel the environmental approval of Sakhalin-2 and reported dredge-spoil dumping, forest damage and discharges; Gazprom bought 50% plus one share of the operator for USD 7.45 billion; a RUB 390 million damage claim was settled in 2009 by counting RUB 647 million of company environmental spending; lenders including the EBRD, US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD stepped back while JBIC lent up to USD 3.7 billion.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gazprom","what":"50% plus one share of SEIC for USD 7.45 billion in cash","src":6},{"who":"Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi","what":"Received the USD 7.45 billion cash price for part of their stakes","src":7},{"who":"Sakhalin Energy","what":"The RUB 390 million claim was settled by counting RUB 647 million of its own environmental spending, with no cash due","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi","what":"Stakes reduced from 55%, 25% and 20% to 27.5%, 12.5% and 10%","src":6},{"who":"EBRD, US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD","what":"Financing applications dropped or withdrawn in 2007-2008","src":15}],"harmed":[{"who":"Aniva Bay seabed","what":"Dredge spoil dumped closer to shore than the permitted 24 km site, leaving debris on the seabed (Rosprirodnadzor, 2006)","src":1},{"who":"Forest in Makarov and Dolinsk districts","what":"Forest destroyed by a landslide linked to pipeline construction; about 50 ha at the Dolinsk section (Rosprirodnadzor, 2006)","src":1},{"who":"Sea around the Molikpaq platform","what":"Discharges with excess oil-product content reported by an August 2006 inspection","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Prigorodnoye LNG plant and jetty on Aniva Bay, the onshore pipeline route (including Makarov and Dolinsk districts) and the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Lunskoye fields, Sakhalin; courts in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and Moscow.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Court ruling on the jetty review in 2005; enforcement actions August-December 2006; protocol with Gazprom 21 December 2006; sale agreement April 2007; EBRD exit January 2007; ECA withdrawals March 2008; JBIC loan June 2008; settlement July 2009.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Authorities cited unfulfilled recommendations of the state ecological review, failure to take anti-erosion measures and insufficient documentation behind the expertise; an analyst described the actions as a political campaign tied to the production sharing agreement terms and the entry of Russian partners, and no official finding resolved the motive.","src":3},"how":{"t":"The Ministry of Natural Resources cancelled the 2003 expertise on a prosecutor's protest, Rosprirodnadzor sued and quantified damage, the shareholders signed the protocol with Gazprom, and the claim was later settled by offsetting company spending; lenders conditioned financing on environmental measures.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Ministry of Natural Resources cancelled the Sakhalin-2 environmental expertise; project under threat of stoppage (in Russian)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2006-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/705781"},{"t":"Oleg Mitvol decided to stop Sakhalin Energy (in Russian)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2006-09-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/708908"},{"t":"Gazprom removed the $50 billion claims against Sakhalin Energy for 650 million roubles (in Russian)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2009-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1197015"},{"t":"Sakhalin-2 will be stopped (in Russian)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2006-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/articles/2006/09/19/sahalin-2-ostanovyat"},{"t":"Russian permit revocation draws Sakhalin Energy response","p":"Offshore Magazine","d":"2006-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.offshore-mag.com/production/article/16792006/russian-permit-revocation-draws-sakhalin-energy-response"},{"t":"Sakhalin-2 environmental damage pegged at $10-50 billion","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2006-10-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/article/17281373/sakhalin-2-environmental-damage-pegged-at-10-50-billion"},{"t":"Gazprom acquires controlling stake in Sakhalin-2","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2007-04-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/article/17287494/gazprom-acquires-controlling-stake-in-sakhalin2"},{"t":"Gazprom takes control of Sakhalin-2 from Shell","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2006-12-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1143781.html"},{"t":"Shell may cede Sakhalin-2 control","p":"Al Jazeera (agencies)","d":"2006-12-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2006/12/11/shell-may-cede-sakhalin-2-control"},{"t":"Russian minister backs official in Shell campaign","p":"Oneindia (Reuters)","d":"2006-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.oneindia.com/2006/12/15/russian-minister-backs-official-in-shell-campaign-1166126643.html"},{"t":"Russia Agency Sues to Stop Shell Project","p":"Cultural Survival (AP)","d":"2006-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/9548"},{"t":"Russian Court Rejects Shell's Sakhalin-II Environmental Review","p":"Cultural Survival (Pacific Environment press release)","d":"2005-07-28","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/9492"},{"t":"Sakhalin II Deal Leaves Shell and Gazprom on the Environmental Hook","p":"Cultural Survival (Pacific Environment / Sakhalin Environment Watch)","d":"2006-12-28","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/9516"},{"t":"Fish protest forces Shell to delay oil terminal (press report by Malcolm Moore, reprinted)","p":"FoE Japan (reprint)","d":"2005-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://foejapan.org/en/aid/jbic02/sakhalin/050802.html"},{"t":"EBRD press release on Sakhalin II (reproduced)","p":"FoE Japan (EBRD text)","d":"2007-01-11","type":"official","u":"https://foejapan.org/en/aid/jbic02/sakhalin/070112.html","voice":"international"},{"t":"Environmental Victory: Sakhalin II cannot get financing from US and UK export credit agencies (NGO advisory)","p":"FoE Japan (NGO advisory)","d":"2008-03-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://foejapan.org/aid/jbic02/sakhalin/press/20080304e.html"},{"t":"EBRD halts Sakhalin II talks","p":"Global Trade Review","d":"2007-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.gtreview.com/news/europe/ebrd-halts-sakhalin-ii-talks/"},{"t":"Sakhalin II operator fined for deforestation","p":"PortNews (RIA Novosti)","d":"2007-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://en.portnews.ru/news/8203"},{"t":"Court to hear Rosprirodnadzor suit against Sakhalin Energy on 20 April (in Russian)","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009-03-24","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/9367/"},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor agreed a settlement with Sakhalin Energy (in Russian; RIA Novosti)","p":"MK","d":"2009-07-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.mk.ru/incident/news/2009/07/02/311955-rosprirodnadzor-poshel-na-mirovoe-soglashenie-s-sakhalin-energy.html"},{"t":"Loan agreement for Sakhalin II (Phase 2), NR/2008-22","p":"JBIC","d":"2008-06-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.jbic.go.jp/en/information/press/press-2008/0616-6171.html"},{"t":"Sakhalin Energy: river crossings","p":"Sakhalin Energy LLC","d":"n.d.","type":"company","u":"https://sakhalinenergy.ru/en/hse/environment/rivers/"},{"t":"Development Assistance Plan for the indigenous peoples of Sakhalin (O. Murashko, RAIPON)","p":"ANSIPRA","d":"2006","type":"ngo","u":"https://ansipra.npolar.no/english/Items/Sakhalin_update_2.html"},{"t":"Independent Evaluation of the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel","p":"IUCN","d":"2018","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/independent_evaluation_of_the_western_gray_whale_advisory_panel_2018_0.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"WGWAP Closing Statement","p":"IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group","d":"2022-04-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IUCN-WGWAP-Final-Statement-13-Apr-2022-RRR-2024-edits-incorporated.pdf","voice":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["western-gray-whales-sakhalin-and-iucn-panel","sakhalin-projects-2022-decrees-and-ecological-audit"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the regulator's 2006 damage estimate","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"State of the environment and fisheries damage after the 2009 settlement","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Regulator's estimate of the cost of rectifying damage (USD m) — Estimate stated by Rosprirodnadzor in October 2006; no final figure on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether anything was paid under the 2009 settlement","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Figure and date of the claim","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Motive for the 2006 enforcement actions","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Reason for the withdrawal of US Ex-Im Bank and UK ECGD applications","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rosprirodnadzor suit to revoke approval for Sakhalin-2: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ministry of Natural Resources order cancelling the 2003 approval of the state environmental expertise: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a criminal conviction or court finding of liability for environmental damage in connection with the 2006 allegations; Mitvol's stated intent in September 2006 to seek criminal cases has no outcome on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the final damage figure that Rosprirodnadzor promised for \"the end of next summer\" (2007).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: an official volume of dredge spoil dumped in Aniva Bay or of fisheries losses; the 2 million cubic metres figure comes from an NGO.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any payment to fishermen or for Aniva Bay fisheries.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the payee and legal basis of the USD 11 million paid for natural resource damage in 2007.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the case number of the Arbitration Court of the Sakhalin Region settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the September 2006 ministry order took effect; it required the agreement of Rostekhnadzor (Kommersant).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: when the claim arose. PortNews (RIA Novosti) reported it on 19 December 2007; pravo.ru reported violations identified in April 2008; Kommersant (2009) dated Rosprirodnadzor's damage assessment to spring 2007 and said the claim concerned 2006 pipeline construction.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: PortNews printed the fine as \"over 390 billion rubles ($15.8 million)\"; pravo.ru and Kommersant give RUB 390 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the company's river-monitoring page gives no dates or data series (self-reported).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the Development Assistance Plan agreement for indigenous peoples (indigenous council, Sakhalin Energy, regional administration) is reported with USD 300,000 over five years from 1 June 2006 to 1 June 2011; the wording does not say whether per year or in total (RAIPON author).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: motive. Officials described the actions as environmental enforcement; an analyst described them as a political campaign; no official finding resolves it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"western-gray-whales-sakhalin-and-iucn-panel","title":"Western gray whales off Sakhalin and the company-funded IUCN advisory panel","dek":"An advisory panel convened by IUCN and paid for by Sakhalin Energy as a lender condition advised on western gray whales near the Sakhalin oil and gas fields from 2006 until it ended in March 2022. In 2015 the panel and the company disagreed over the timing of seismic surveys, and the final meeting report was not released.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":52.9,"lon":143.3,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Piltun Lagoon and Piltun-Astokhskoye/Odoptu fields, north-east Sakhalin","lat":52.9,"lon":143.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"South-east Kamchatka (second feeding area)","role":"affected"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Fishing nets off Japan (three females killed in 2005)","role":"affected"}],"start":2004,"end":2022,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Annual budget of the whale advisory panel at its peak (2010)","value":"about USD 1.4 million","note":"Estimate read from the budget chart in the 2018 IUCN-commissioned evaluation; chart values range from about USD 0.8 million (2006) to about USD 1.4 million (2010), about USD 0.8 million in 2018. Until 2012 the expenses were recoverable for the company under the production sharing agreement."},"happened":["The IUCN Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP) was convened in October 2006 and first met in November 2006; Sakhalin Energy funded it to meet lender requirements (\"a condition of the agreement set up by the banks and other lending institutions\"). An earlier Independent Scientific Review Panel (September 2004 to January 2005) recommended that SEIC reroute, \"at considerable expense\", the offshore pipeline that would have crossed the whales' nearshore feeding area off Piltun Lagoon; the cost was not stated. Over its life the panel held 22 formal meetings and 38 closed task-force meetings, and the panel and its predecessors issued 639 recommendations between 2004 and 2021, mostly to Sakhalin Energy, \"the only company formally participating\". Its terms ran 2006-2011, 2012-2016 and 2017-2021; IUCN and Sakhalin Energy signed a 2017-2021 agreement in March 2017.","A 2006 assessment presented to the IWC Scientific Committee (Cooke, Weller, Bradford, Burdin, Brownell) counted 122 whales aged beyond calves (90% confidence interval 113-131) in 2006, including 30 mature females, with a 3.0% annual increase in 1994-2005; because three females were killed in fishing nets off Japan in 2005, it gave about a 75% probability of decline and a risk above 25% of extirpation by 2030. IUCN reported about 115 animals in 2004 and 174 in 2015, growing 3-4% a year. The panel's final statement gave growth of around 5% a year over 1995-2020, with 220-270 individuals, not including first-year calves, feeding off Sakhalin and south-east Kamchatka as of 2020. The IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group archive lists the western subpopulation as Critically Endangered in 2000 and 2008 and Endangered in 2018.","In February 2009 IUCN reported that the panel's fifth report criticised Sakhalin Energy's \"inadequate collaboration on whale conservation\" and that documents had not been delivered in time. On 8 May 2015 the panel issued a statement of concern: IUCN postponed its 16th meeting because Sakhalin Energy \"had not delivered expected information and documents in a timely fashion or in some cases, at all\"; the combined planned seismic activity of SEIC and Exxon Neftegas Ltd (ENL, operator of Sakhalin-1) \"was greater than had ever before occurred\", and SEIC's 2015 survey area was twice its 2010 survey; the panel advised postponement to 2016. SEIC replied that postponement was \"not feasible\" because of 2016-2017 activities of other operators, and that the State Environmental Expert Review had issued a positive decision for the 2015 survey. ENL ran a seismic programme near the feeding area in 2015, including work on behalf of Rosneft, and the panel said ENL did not seek its advice and had not provided detailed information on its marine mammal plan; ENL did not agree to a single shared photo-identification and genetic database offered by the IWC.","A 2018 IUCN-commissioned evaluation said Sakhalin Energy \"did not comply, and chose to move forward with its seismic survey plans\" in 2015. It recorded WGWAP budgets rising from about USD 0.8 million in 2006 to about USD 1.4 million in 2010 and falling back to about USD 0.8 million by 2018; it said the 2018 cumulative budget of the Joint Programme, the WGWAP and the monitoring programme was less than 55% of the 2014 cumulative budget, and that Sakhalin Energy first provided 2014-2018 budget data and then withdrew its permission for it to be included. The evaluation also said Russia's Ministry of Education and Science denied a permit for acoustic monitoring in 2018 \"without explanation\", and that the panel stated the monitoring plan could not be fully implemented without it.","The panel's final meeting took place in November 2021 in Gland; according to the IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group archive the final meeting report was finalised in January 2022 \"but never released\", and panel work was removed from the IUCN website after February 2022. The panel's final statement was submitted to the IWC Scientific Committee in April 2022. The panel was disbanded at the end of March 2022 \"when the contract between IUCN and Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (Sakhalin Energy) expired\". The statement noted that the implications of the March 2022 withdrawal of Shell and Exxon personnel for the Joint Programme and for a planned 2022 Piltun-Astokhskoye seismic survey were not known."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Independent Scientific Review Panel begins (September); its recommendation leads SEIC to reroute the offshore pipeline","src":1},{"y":2006,"t":"Cooke et al. assessment of 122 whales (June); WGWAP convened (October) and first meets (November)","src":8},{"y":2009,"t":"IUCN reports the panel's criticism of Sakhalin Energy's collaboration (12 Feb)","src":4},{"y":2015,"t":"Panel statement of concern on combined seismic surveys (8 May); surveys run 1 June to 30 September","src":2},{"y":2016,"t":"IUCN reports 174 whales in 2015 (3 Sep)","src":5},{"y":2017,"t":"IUCN and Sakhalin Energy sign a 2017-2021 agreement (March)","src":6},{"y":2018,"t":"Independent evaluation of the panel; acoustic monitoring permit denied by the Ministry of Education and Science","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Final panel meeting in Gland (November)","src":7},{"y":2022,"t":"Report finalised in January but not released; panel disbanded end of March; final statement sent to the IWC Scientific Committee in April","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"This type of lender-company-panel relationship is rare if not unique.","who":"Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel, final statement","when":"April 2022","src":1},{"q":"Sakhalin Energy did not comply, and chose to move forward with its seismic survey plans","who":"Independent evaluation of the WGWAP commissioned by IUCN, on 2015","when":"2018","src":0},{"q":"For Sakhalin Energy, funding the WGWAP is far more cost-efficient than not receiving international loans","who":"Independent evaluation of the WGWAP commissioned by IUCN","when":"2018","src":0},{"q":"Sakhalin Energy has reaped enormous benefits from the WGWAP through increased trust and reputation","who":"Independent evaluation of the WGWAP commissioned by IUCN","when":"2018","src":0},{"q":"had not delivered expected information and documents in a timely fashion or in some cases, at all","who":"WGWAP statement of concern, on Sakhalin Energy","when":"8 May 2015","src":2},{"q":"not feasible","who":"Sakhalin Energy, on postponing the 2015 seismic survey","when":"2015","src":3},{"q":"ENL does not seek the Panel's advice","who":"WGWAP statement of concern, on Exxon Neftegas Ltd","when":"8 May 2015","src":2},{"q":"will depend on more companies in the region joining this effort","who":"Doug Nowacek, IUCN, on the recovery of the whales","when":"September 2016","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"The Company \"has led its Grey Whale Monitoring Programme since 1997\".","who":"Sakhalin Energy LLC website (current)","src":10},{"t":"Postponement of the 2015 survey was \"not feasible\"; the State Environmental Expert Review issued a positive decision for the survey's environmental impact assessment.","who":"Sakhalin Energy, 2015","src":3},{"t":"Sakhalin Energy \"has reaped enormous benefits from the WGWAP through increased trust and reputation\".","who":"Independent evaluation commissioned by IUCN, 2018","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sakhalin Energy funded the WGWAP to meet lender requirements and funds 1.8 full-time-equivalent staff at IUCN to manage it.","src":0},{"t":"\"Until 2012 these expenses were recoverable for the company under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA)\".","src":0},{"t":"The 2018 cumulative budget of the Joint Programme, the WGWAP and the monitoring programme was less than 55% of the 2014 cumulative budget.","src":0},{"t":"The WGWAP and Joint Programme budgets \"are not reviewed regularly by Panel members or by lenders and their consultants\".","src":0},{"t":"The panel and its predecessors issued 639 recommendations in 2004-2021; the panel held 22 formal and 38 closed task-force meetings.","src":1},{"t":"The 2010-2011 satellite tagging was co-sponsored by ENL, Sakhalin Energy and IUCN.","src":1},{"t":"The 2015 behavioural study acknowledges ENL for financial support.","src":9},{"t":"Obligations towards the whales were contractual (lender agreements and the Health, Safety, Environmental and Social Action Plan).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2006-2018","nature":[{"label":"Offshore pipeline reroute away from the nearshore feeding area","amount":null,"note":"Described as \"at considerable expense\"; amount not disclosed."},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2006","amount":0.8,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2006","note":"Read from the budget chart in the 2018 evaluation."},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2009","amount":1.32,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2009"},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2010 (peak)","amount":1.4,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2010"},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2013","amount":0.96,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2013"},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2016","amount":0.8,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2016"},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2017","amount":0.78,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2017"},{"label":"WGWAP budget, 2018","amount":0.8,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2018"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Whales counted, 2020","v":"220-270","d":"Feeding off Sakhalin and south-east Kamchatka, not including first-year calves (panel final statement)"},{"k":"Whales counted, 2006","v":"122","d":"Aged beyond calves, 90% confidence interval 113-131 (Cooke et al.)"},{"k":"Panel recommendations","v":"639","d":"2004-2021, mostly to Sakhalin Energy"},{"k":"Panel budget at peak","v":"about USD 1.4 million","d":"2010, read from the 2018 evaluation chart"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Population assessments by scientists for the IWC and IUCN, the panel's final statement and a peer-reviewed behavioural study of the 2015 seismic surveys.","report":[{"t":"In 2006 scientists counted 122 of my western gray whales older than calves (90% confidence interval 113-131), including 30 mature females.","src":8},{"t":"Three of my females were killed in fishing nets off Japan in 2005; with that extra mortality the 2006 assessment gave about a 75% probability of decline and a risk above 25% of extirpation by 2030.","src":8},{"t":"IUCN reported about 115 of me in 2004 and 174 in 2015, growing 3-4% a year.","src":5},{"t":"The panel's final statement gave 220-270 of me, not including first-year calves, feeding off Sakhalin and south-east Kamchatka as of 2020, growing around 5% a year over 1995-2020.","src":1},{"t":"The IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group archive lists my western subpopulation as Critically Endangered in 2000 and 2008 and Endangered in 2018.","src":7},{"t":"A study of the 2015 seismic surveys followed 1,270 tracks and 401 focal follows between 1 June and 30 September 2015, at received levels of 59-172 dB re 1 μPa² SPL; it found that mitigation \"did not eliminate short-term behavioral responses\" in me.","src":9},{"t":"The panel said in 2015 that the combined planned seismic activity of two operators near my feeding area \"was greater than had ever before occurred\".","src":2}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: the panel stated in 2015 that \"at present there is insufficient information to support\" a full cumulative-impact assessment.","Not disclosed: detailed information on Exxon Neftegas Ltd's marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan, which the panel said it had not been given; no independent observer was planned for ENL.","Not measured: no exposure modelling had been conducted by either company for the staggered 2015 survey arrangement (panel statement).","Not disclosed: the final panel meeting report, finalised in January 2022 and never released (IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group archive).","Not disclosed: Sakhalin Energy's 2014-2018 budget data for the Joint Programme, the WGWAP and the monitoring programme, which it withdrew permission for the evaluators to include.","None on record: a court case concerning the whales; the obligations were contractual (lender agreements and the Health, Safety, Environmental and Social Action Plan).","Not disclosed: the cost of the offshore pipeline reroute, described only as \"considerable expense\".","Not disclosed: the amount co-sponsored by ENL, Sakhalin Energy and IUCN for the 2010-2011 satellite tagging.","Unclear: the implications of the March 2022 withdrawal of Shell and Exxon personnel for the Joint Programme and the planned 2022 Piltun-Astokhskoye seismic survey (panel statement footnote)."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Sakhalin Energy funded the panel as a lender requirement; until 2012 the expenses were recoverable for the company under the production sharing agreement.","statusLine":"As of March 2022: the panel was disbanded when the IUCN-Sakhalin Energy contract expired; the final meeting report was never released and the panel's final statement went to the IWC Scientific Committee in April 2022.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Sakhalin Energy","says":"Postponement of the 2015 seismic survey was not feasible because of 2016-2017 activities of other operators; the State Environmental Expert Review issued a positive decision for the survey's environmental impact assessment.","when":"2015","src":3},{"actor":"Sakhalin Energy LLC","says":"The Company has led its Grey Whale Monitoring Programme since 1997.","when":"current website","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"sakhalin-energy","role":"Funded the panel as a lender requirement; operator of Sakhalin-2"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Convened and hosted the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel"},{"id":"iwc","role":"Scientific Committee received the 2006 assessment and the panel's final statement"},{"id":"exxon-neftegas","role":"Operator of Sakhalin-1; ran the 2015 seismic programme"},{"id":"jbic","role":"Lender whose loan conditions led to the panel"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender whose conditions shaped the panel process before leaving the financing"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Timing of the 2015 seismic surveys","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (IUCN), 8 May 2015","says":"The combined planned seismic activity of SEIC and ENL was greater than had ever before occurred; SEIC's 2015 survey area was twice its 2010 survey; the panel advised postponement to 2016.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sakhalin Energy","says":"Postponement was not feasible because of 2016-2017 activities of other operators; the State Environmental Expert Review issued a positive decision for the 2015 survey.","src":3}]},{"point":"Sharing of whale photo-identification and genetic data","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel and IWC","says":"A single shared photo-identification and genetic database was offered by the IWC.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Exxon Neftegas Ltd (as described by the panel)","says":"Did not agree to the single shared database.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"whale_population_1plus","value":122,"unit":"whales","year":2006,"qualifier":"90% CI 113-131","note":"Non-calf population; Cooke et al., IWC SC/58/BRG30."},{"key":"mature_females","value":30,"unit":"whales","year":2006,"qualifier":"26-35","note":"Cooke et al."},{"key":"population_growth_rate","value":3,"unit":"% per year","year":2005,"note":"1994-2005 (Cooke et al.)."},{"key":"whale_population","value":115,"unit":"whales","year":2004,"qualifier":"about","note":"IUCN, September 2016."},{"key":"whale_population","value":174,"unit":"whales","year":2015,"note":"IUCN, September 2016; growth of 3-4% a year."},{"key":"whale_population_low","value":220,"unit":"whales","year":2020,"note":"Panel final statement: 220-270 individuals feeding off Sakhalin and south-east Kamchatka, not including first-year calves."},{"key":"whale_population_high","value":270,"unit":"whales","year":2020,"note":"Upper end of the same range."},{"key":"reproductive_females_low","value":51,"unit":"whales","year":2016,"note":"IUCN CSG archive: between 51 and 72."},{"key":"reproductive_females_high","value":72,"unit":"whales","year":2016,"note":"Upper end of the same range."},{"key":"panel_recommendations","value":639,"unit":"recommendations","year":2021,"note":"2004-2021, panel and predecessors, mostly to Sakhalin Energy."},{"key":"panel_formal_meetings","value":22,"unit":"meetings","year":2021,"note":"Plus 38 closed task-force meetings."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":800000,"unit":"USD","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Read from the bar chart in the 2018 evaluation; data provided by IUCN."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":1320000,"unit":"USD","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Same chart."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":1400000,"unit":"USD","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Peak, same chart."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":960000,"unit":"USD","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Same chart."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":800000,"unit":"USD","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Same chart."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":780000,"unit":"USD","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Same chart."},{"key":"panel_budget","value":800000,"unit":"USD","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Same chart."},{"key":"seismic_tracks","value":1270,"unit":"tracks","year":2015,"note":"Whale tracks in the behavioural study, 1 June-30 September 2015, with 401 focal follows."},{"key":"seismic_received_level_low","value":59,"unit":"dB re 1 μPa² SPL","year":2015,"note":"Lowest received level in the behavioural study."},{"key":"seismic_received_level_high","value":172,"unit":"dB re 1 μPa² SPL","year":2015,"note":"Highest received level in the behavioural study."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An IUCN advisory panel funded by Sakhalin Energy as a lender condition advised on western gray whales near the Sakhalin oil and gas fields from 2006 to 2022; the panel and the company disagreed over the timing of 2015 seismic surveys, and the panel's final meeting report was never released.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sakhalin Energy","what":"Met lender requirements through the panel and, in the 2018 evaluation's words, gained \"increased trust and reputation\"; expenses were recoverable under the production sharing agreement until 2012","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel","what":"Ended in March 2022 when the IUCN-Sakhalin Energy contract expired; its final report was never released","src":7}],"harmed":[{"who":"Western gray whales","what":"Short-term behavioural responses to the 2015 seismic surveys that mitigation did not eliminate","src":9},{"who":"Western gray whales","what":"Three females killed in fishing nets off Japan in 2005, raising the assessed probability of decline","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"Piltun Lagoon nearshore feeding area and the offshore feeding area near the Piltun-Astokhskoye and Odoptu fields, north-east Sakhalin; a second feeding area off south-east Kamchatka.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Review panel 2004-2005; WGWAP convened October 2006, terms 2006-2011, 2012-2016 and 2017-2021; seismic dispute May 2015; evaluation 2018; disbanded end of March 2022.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Lenders required an advisory process on the whales as a condition of the Sakhalin II loan agreements; the panel described the lender-company-panel relationship as rare if not unique.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Sakhalin Energy paid for the panel, which IUCN convened; the panel issued recommendations and statements, and the company decided on its own survey schedule in 2015.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Independent Evaluation of the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel","p":"IUCN","d":"2018","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/independent_evaluation_of_the_western_gray_whale_advisory_panel_2018_0.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"WGWAP Closing Statement (Reeves, Donovan, Weller)","p":"IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group","d":"2022-04-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/IUCN-WGWAP-Final-Statement-13-Apr-2022-RRR-2024-edits-incorporated.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"WGWAP statement of concern on 2015 seismic surveys","p":"IUCN","d":"2015-05-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/import/downloads/finalcleanwgwapstatement_08_may_final.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Sakhalin Energy response to the May 2015 IUCN WGWAP statement","p":"Sakhalin Energy (via IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group)","d":"2015","type":"company","u":"https://iucn-csg.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Sakhalin-Energy-Response-to-May-2015-IUCN-WGWAP-Statement-English-and-Russian.pdf"},{"t":"Scientists concerned about Sakhalin Energy's inadequate collaboration on whale conservation","p":"IUCN","d":"2009-02-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/content/scientists-concerned-about-sakhalin-energys-inadequate-collaboration-whale-conservation","voice":"international"},{"t":"IUCN-led panel finds critically endangered whales in Russia recovering, warns industry still poses threat","p":"IUCN","d":"2016-09-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/news/secretariat/201609/iucn-led-panel-finds-critically-endangered-whales-russia-recovering-warns-industry-still-poses-threat","voice":"international"},{"t":"IUCN and Sakhalin Energy renew their commitment to protect western gray whales","p":"IUCN","d":"2017-03-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn.org/news/western-gray-whale-advisory-panel/201703/iucn-and-sakhalin-energy-renew-their-commitment-protect-western-gray-whales","voice":"international"},{"t":"Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP) archive","p":"IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://iucn-csg.org/western-gray-whale-advisory-panel-wgwap-archive/","voice":"international"},{"t":"Population assessment of Western Gray Whales in 2006 (Cooke, Weller, Bradford, Burdin, Brownell; IWC SC/58/BRG30)","p":"International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee (NOAA archive)","d":"2006-06","type":"academic","u":"https://storage.googleapis.com/nmfs_odp_swfsc/Publications/Files/CR/2006/2006Cooke.pdf"},{"t":"Western gray whale behavioral response to seismic surveys during operations in their feeding grounds off Sakhalin, Russia (Gailey et al., Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 194:740)","p":"Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (PMC)","d":"2022-10-18","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9579098"},{"t":"Sakhalin Energy: biodiversity","p":"Sakhalin Energy LLC","d":"n.d.","type":"company","u":"https://sakhalinenergy.ru/en/hse/environment/biodiversity/"},{"t":"Loan agreement for Sakhalin II (Phase 2), NR/2008-22","p":"JBIC","d":"2008-06-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.jbic.go.jp/en/information/press/press-2008/0616-6171.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sakhalin-2-environmental-approval-gazprom-stake-and-lenders","sakhalin-projects-2022-decrees-and-ecological-audit"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Timing of the 2015 seismic surveys","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Sharing of whale photo-identification and genetic data","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Money","text":"Offshore pipeline reroute away from the nearshore feeding area — Described as \"at considerable expense\"; amount not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the panel stated in 2015 that \"at present there is insufficient information to support\" a full cumulative-impact assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: detailed information on Exxon Neftegas Ltd's marine mammal monitoring and mitigation plan, which the panel said it had not been given; no independent observer was planned for ENL.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: no exposure modelling had been conducted by either company for the staggered 2015 survey arrangement (panel statement).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the final panel meeting report, finalised in January 2022 and never released (IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group archive).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Sakhalin Energy's 2014-2018 budget data for the Joint Programme, the WGWAP and the monitoring programme, which it withdrew permission for the evaluators to include.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case concerning the whales; the obligations were contractual (lender agreements and the Health, Safety, Environmental and Social Action Plan).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cost of the offshore pipeline reroute, described only as \"considerable expense\".","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount co-sponsored by ENL, Sakhalin Energy and IUCN for the 2010-2011 satellite tagging.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the implications of the March 2022 withdrawal of Shell and Exxon personnel for the Joint Programme and the planned 2022 Piltun-Astokhskoye seismic survey (panel statement footnote).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sakhalin-projects-2022-decrees-and-ecological-audit","title":"Sakhalin-2 and Sakhalin-1 in 2022: transfer decrees, the ecological-audit deduction clause and write-downs","dek":"Presidential Decree No. 416 of 30 June 2022 passed the rights of the Sakhalin-2 operator to a new Russian company and provided that a government audit, including an ecological audit, would set a damage amount to be debited from foreign shareholders' sale proceeds. Shell recorded a USD 1,614 million impairment on Sakhalin-2, and ExxonMobil said Russia terminated its Sakhalin-1 interests on 14 October 2022.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":46.96,"lon":142.74,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sakhalin Oblast (Sakhalin Energy LLC, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk; Sakhalin-1 fields)","lat":46.96,"lon":142.74,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Moscow (Moscow Arbitration Court)","role":"court"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Mitsui and Mitsubishi stakes","role":"company-home"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","law-policy","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Sale price of Shell's 27.5% stake, paid into a Type \"C\" account","value":"RUB 94.8 billion","note":"Price in government order 701-r of 23 March 2024 (Interfax). Under Decree No. 416 a damage amount set by government act after an audit that includes an ecological audit would be debited from the account; no such amount is on record."},"happened":["Decree No. 416 of 30 June 2022, citing among its grounds the \"threat of a natural and man-made emergency\", provided that the Government create a Russian limited liability company to which all rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Company (SEIC) pass, and that SEIC property created under the production sharing agreement (PSA) pass into Russian Federation ownership with free use by the company. Shares pass to Gazprom Sakhalin Holding pro rata, with other shares held by the company pending transfer; foreign shareholders had one month to notify consent; unclaimed shares are valued and sold to a Russian legal entity free of tax, with proceeds credited to a Type \"C\" account in the shareholder's name. The Government conducts a \"financial, ecological, technological and other audit\" of the foreign persons' PSA activities; a government act sets the \"amount of damage caused\" and the liable persons; and that amount is debited from the Type \"C\" account in favour of the company. Disputes go to the Moscow Arbitration Court. The decree was amended on 30 December 2022 (No. 982) and 3 January 2024 (No. 2).","Shell reported that the transfer to the new company took place on 17 August 2022, that on 1 September 2022 it advised it would not apply for shares and \"reserved all rights and remedies\", and that the Russian Federation was expected to conduct an audit determining the \"amount of damage caused\". On 30-31 August 2022 the Russian Government approved the Mitsui (12.5%, via MIT SEL Investment) and Mitsubishi (10%, via DGS Japan Co.) stakes, with appraiser B1-Consult (formerly EY); Interfax reported that \"Foreign partners receive funds only after compensation for any damages is determined and offset.\"","In April 2023 government order 890-r provided for the sale of Shell's 27.5% to Novatek Moscow Region LLC; Kommersant reported on 4 April 2023 that President Putin agreed Shell could receive the full RUB 94.8 billion and that authorities had planned an audit \"suspecting Shell of harming the project\", with a deduction of damage. On 23 March 2024 order 701-r replaced the buyer with Sakhalinsky Proekt LLC, wholly owned by Gazprom Sakhalin Holding, kept the price at RUB 94.8 billion and invalidated the 2023 order; proceeds go to the Type \"C\" account. Novatek said in 2023 that shortcomings could be covered from Shell's unpaid 2021 dividends.","Shell recorded a Sakhalin-2 impairment of USD 1,614 million in the first quarter of 2022 and a carrying value of zero at 31 December 2022. Kyodo reported on 2 August 2022 that Mitsui reduced its investment value by JPY 136.6 billion and Mitsubishi by JPY 81.1 billion. On 2 October 2024 the Prosecutor General of Russia filed a claim in Moscow against eight Shell entities including a claim for about EUR 1.5 billion from Shell Energy Europe to Gazprom Export for alleged unpaid 2022 gas, and a declaration that Gazprom Export can take RUB 94 billion \"purportedly set aside for Shell for Sakhalin equity compensation from a Type-C account\"; Shell's 2025 Form 20-F states the proceedings are ongoing. Hearings are closed, and prosecutors said the information \"may increase sanctions pressure on our country\".","For Sakhalin-1, Exxon reported in its 2022 Form 10-K a first-quarter 2022 charge of USD 3.4 billion after tax (USD 4.6 billion pre-tax), \"largely representing the full impairment of its operations related to Sakhalin\", and said that \"Effective October 14, 2022, the Russian government unilaterally terminated the Corporation's interests in Sakhalin\". About 150 million oil-equivalent barrels were removed from proved reserves, and a fourth-quarter after-tax benefit of USD 1.1 billion was described by Exxon as \"largely reflecting the impact of the expropriation on the company's various obligations\". As of October 2026 a US OFAC general licence for Sakhalin-2 (oil to Japan, services, Gazprombank) runs to 18 December 2026 and UK permission for Sakhalin 2 LNG shipping to Japan and South Korea runs to 31 March 2028; the owners are Gazprom, Mitsui and Mitsubishi."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Decree No. 416 signed (30 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Shell Sakhalin-2 impairment of USD 1,614 million, first quarter results","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"Transfer to the new company (17 Aug); Shell advises on 1 Sep it will not apply for shares","src":2},{"y":2022,"t":"Mitsui and Mitsubishi stakes approved by the Government (30-31 Aug)","src":5},{"y":2022,"t":"Exxon Sakhalin-1 interests terminated (14 Oct)","src":4},{"y":2023,"t":"Order 890-r for sale of Shell's 27.5% to Novatek Moscow Region LLC (Apr)","src":10},{"y":2024,"t":"Order 701-r: buyer replaced by Sakhalinsky Proekt LLC, price RUB 94.8 billion (23 Mar)","src":6},{"y":2024,"t":"Prosecutor General files claim in Moscow against eight Shell entities (2 Oct)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Shell Form 20-F states proceedings are ongoing (12 Mar); US licence extended to 18 Dec (15 Jun); UK permission extended to 31 Mar 2028 (1 Oct)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"reserved all rights and remedies","who":"Shell, on its position after 1 September 2022","when":"1 September 2022","src":2},{"q":"it is not possible to reliably estimate the magnitude and timing of any possible obligations or payments","who":"Shell, Form 20-F 2025","when":"12 March 2026","src":3},{"q":"Foreign partners receive funds only after compensation for any damages is determined and offset.","who":"Interfax, on the approval of Mitsui and Mitsubishi stakes","when":"31 August 2022","src":5},{"q":"Effective October 14, 2022, the Russian government unilaterally terminated the Corporation's interests in Sakhalin","who":"ExxonMobil, Form 10-K 2022","when":"February 2023","src":4},{"q":"properly deal with the situation following consultations with the Japanese government and project partners","who":"Tetsuya Shigeta, Mitsui chief financial officer","when":"August 2022","src":12},{"q":"may increase sanctions pressure on our country","who":"Russian prosecutors, on disclosure of information in the Shell case","when":"April 2025","src":7,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Decree grounds: \"threat of a natural and man-made emergency\" (translated).","who":"President of Russia, Decree No. 416","src":0},{"t":"Authorities planned an audit \"suspecting Shell of harming the project\" with a deduction of damage (translated).","who":"Kommersant, 4 April 2023","src":10},{"t":"Shell's investment in Sakhalin-2 is held at 27.5% (minus one share) in SEIC, which \"purportedly no longer holds any licences, rights and obligations in Sakhalin-2\".","who":"Shell Form 20-F 2025","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Decree No. 416 provides for a financial, ecological, technological and other audit of foreign persons' PSA activities and for a government act setting the amount of damage caused, to be debited from the Type \"C\" account.","src":0},{"t":"Sale price of Shell's 27.5% stake: RUB 94.8 billion (order 701-r, 23 March 2024), proceeds to the Type \"C\" account.","src":6},{"t":"Shell received USD 165 million of 2021 dividends in April 2022 and estimated unpaid dividends at about USD 1 billion (Kommersant).","src":10},{"t":"Sakhalin-2 output was about 11.5 million tonnes of LNG and about 3.7 million tonnes of oil in 2022, and 10.3 million tonnes of LNG in 2025.","src":9},{"t":"Shell's carrying value of the Sakhalin-2 investment was zero at 31 December 2022.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"Mixed (see each line)","window":"2022-2026","nature":[{"label":"Damage amount to be set by government act under Decree No. 416 and debited from the Type \"C\" account","amount":null,"note":"No amount on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Shell impairment of Sakhalin-2 (USD m)","amount":1614,"window":"Q1 2022"},{"label":"Shell total Russia pre-tax charges (USD m)","amount":4235,"window":"Q1 2022","note":"Post-tax USD 3,894 million."},{"label":"Sale price of Shell's 27.5% stake (RUB m)","amount":94800,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Mitsui reduction of investment value (JPY m)","amount":136600,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Mitsubishi reduction of investment value (JPY m)","amount":81100,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Exxon Q1 2022 charge, after tax (USD m)","amount":3400,"window":"Q1 2022","note":"Pre-tax USD 4,600 million."},{"label":"Prosecutor General's claim from Shell Energy Europe to Gazprom Export, about (EUR m)","amount":1500,"qualifier":"about","window":"2024"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Audit result published","v":"none","d":"No result of the decree's ecological audit or damage-amount act on record"},{"k":"Shell impairment, Sakhalin-2","v":"USD 1,614 million","d":"First quarter of 2022"},{"k":"Sale price of Shell's 27.5%","v":"RUB 94.8 billion","d":"Held in a Type \"C\" account"},{"k":"Mitsui and Mitsubishi value cuts","v":"JPY 217.7 billion","d":"Combined, reported August 2022"}]},"unknown":["None on record: a published result of the decree's ecological audit, or any government act fixing the \"amount of damage caused\"; the Kommersant (2025) and Interfax (2025) articles on the prosecutor's claim do not mention environmental damage.","Not disclosed: the court case number of the Prosecutor General's claim; the hearings are closed.","Not disclosed: whether any sum has been debited from the Type \"C\" account.","Insufficient: Shell stated that it is not possible to reliably estimate the magnitude and timing of any possible obligations or payments.","Unclear: the status of Exxon's former Sakhalin-1 stake in 2026."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"No damage amount has been set on record. Proceeds of the RUB 94.8 billion sale of Shell's stake are held in a Type \"C\" account from which a government-set damage amount would be debited.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Prosecutor General's claim against eight Shell entities in Moscow is ongoing; no result of the decree's ecological audit is on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Shell","says":"Objected to the transfers and reserved all rights and remedies; it is not possible to reliably estimate the magnitude and timing of any possible obligations or payments.","when":"September 2022; March 2026","src":3},{"actor":"Mitsui","says":"Will properly deal with the situation following consultations with the Japanese government and project partners.","when":"August 2022","src":12},{"actor":"Novatek","says":"Shortcomings could be covered from Shell's unpaid 2021 dividends.","when":"2023","src":10},{"actor":"ExxonMobil","says":"Remained focused on safety of people, protection of the environment, and integrity of operations.","when":"2022","src":4},{"actor":"Russian prosecutors","says":"Disclosure of information in the Shell case may increase sanctions pressure on the country.","when":"April 2025","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Held 27.5% of SEIC; impairment of USD 1,614 million; defendant in the Moscow claim"},{"id":"mitsui","role":"Held 12.5% of SEIC; reduced investment value"},{"id":"mitsubishi","role":"Held 10% of SEIC; reduced investment value"},{"id":"gazprom","role":"Gazprom Sakhalin Holding takes shares; Gazprom group buys Shell's 27.5%"},{"id":"sakhalin-energy","role":"New Russian company holding SEIC's rights and obligations"},{"id":"novatek","role":"Named buyer of Shell's 27.5% in the 2023 order, later replaced"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Sakhalin-1 interests terminated on 14 October 2022"},{"id":"exxon-neftegas","role":"Operator of Sakhalin-1"},{"id":"russian-prosecutor-general","role":"Claimant in the Moscow case against eight Shell entities"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Decree No. 416 and the orders on the stake sale"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Legality of the transfer of Sakhalin-2 rights and shares","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"Objected to the transfers and reserved all rights and remedies.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"President of Russia, Decree No. 416","says":"Special economic measures are justified by a threat of a natural and man-made emergency; disputes go to the Moscow Arbitration Court.","src":0}]},{"point":"Forum for disputes","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"A lawyer quoted by Kommersant (4 April 2023)","says":"The production sharing agreement provides for Stockholm arbitration, while the decree provides for the Moscow Arbitration Court.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Decree No. 416","says":"Disputes go to the Moscow Arbitration Court.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Decree No. 416 of 30 June 2022 (transfer of SEIC rights and shares; audit and damage-deduction clause)","forum":"President of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Russian Federation","defendant":"Foreign shareholders of SEIC (Shell, Mitsui, Mitsubishi)","filed":2022,"decided":2022,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Creates a Russian company to take SEIC's rights and obligations, transfers PSA-created property to federal ownership, sells unclaimed shares with proceeds credited to a Type \"C\" account, and provides for a financial, ecological, technological and other audit and a government act setting the amount of damage to be debited from that account. Amended 30 December 2022 (No. 982) and 3 January 2024 (No. 2).","src":0},{"title":"Prosecutor General of Russia v. eight Shell entities","forum":"Moscow Arbitration Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Prosecutor General of Russia","defendant":"Eight Shell entities (including Shell Energy Europe)","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1500,"currency":"EUR","label":"claimed, about (million)"},"summary":"Filed 2 October 2024. According to Shell's 2025 Form 20-F the claim seeks declarations concerning support of SEIC that Shell abandoned, about EUR 1.5 billion from Shell Energy Europe to Gazprom Export for alleged unpaid 2022 gas, and a declaration that Gazprom Export can take RUB 94 billion \"purportedly set aside for Shell for Sakhalin equity compensation from a Type-C account\". Hearings are closed; the proceedings are ongoing.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"impairment","value":1614,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Shell Sakhalin-2 impairment, Q1 2022; recoverable amount based on risk-adjusted dividends on 2021 results."},{"key":"russia_charges_pretax","value":4235,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Shell total Russia pre-tax charges, Q1 2022 (post-tax USD 3,894 million)."},{"key":"carrying_value","value":0,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Shell carrying value of the Sakhalin-2 investment at 31 December 2022."},{"key":"dividends_received","value":165,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Shell, 2021 dividends received in April 2022 (Kommersant)."},{"key":"dividends_unpaid","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Shell's estimate of unpaid dividends as reported by Kommersant."},{"key":"stake_sale_price","value":94800,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"note":"Price of Shell's 27.5% stake, order 701-r, paid to a Type \"C\" account."},{"key":"value_cut_mitsui","value":136600,"unit":"JPY m","year":2022,"note":"Mitsui reduction of investment value (Kyodo); no effect on profit and loss."},{"key":"value_cut_mitsubishi","value":81100,"unit":"JPY m","year":2022,"note":"Mitsubishi reduction of investment value (Kyodo); no effect on profit and loss."},{"key":"value_cut_combined","value":217700,"unit":"JPY m","year":2022,"note":"Combined, as reported."},{"key":"value_cut_earlier_combined","value":94000,"unit":"JPY m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Earlier combined reduction in the fiscal year to March 2022 (Kyodo)."},{"key":"claim","value":1500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Claim for alleged unpaid 2022 gas, Shell Energy Europe to Gazprom Export, in the Prosecutor General's case."},{"key":"claim_rub","value":94000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Amount in the declaration concerning the Type \"C\" account."},{"key":"output_lng","value":11500000,"unit":"t","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sakhalin-2 LNG output (Interfax); oil about 3.7 million t."},{"key":"output_lng","value":10300000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"note":"Sakhalin-2 LNG output (Interfax)."},{"key":"exxon_impairment_after_tax","value":3400,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Exxon Q1 2022, \"largely representing the full impairment of its operations related to Sakhalin\"; pre-tax USD 4,600 million."},{"key":"exxon_q4_benefit","value":1100,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Exxon Q4 2022 after-tax benefit, \"largely reflecting the impact of the expropriation on the company's various obligations\" (Exxon's wording)."},{"key":"reserves_removed","value":150000000,"unit":"oil-equivalent barrels","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Removed from Exxon proved reserves."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Decree No. 416 of 30 June 2022 moved the Sakhalin-2 operator's rights to a new Russian company, with sale proceeds of unclaimed foreign shares held in a Type \"C\" account from which a damage amount set after an audit that includes an ecological audit would be debited; no audit result is on record. Shell, Mitsui, Mitsubishi and ExxonMobil recorded write-downs, and the Prosecutor General filed a claim against eight Shell entities.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gazprom group (Gazprom Sakhalin Holding, Sakhalinsky Proekt LLC)","what":"Shares in the new company pro rata and the purchase of Shell's 27.5% for RUB 94.8 billion","src":6},{"who":"The new Russian company","what":"Rights and obligations of SEIC and free use of PSA-created property; any government-set damage amount debited in its favour","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Shell","what":"USD 1,614 million impairment on Sakhalin-2; carrying value zero at 31 December 2022; sale proceeds in a Type \"C\" account","src":1},{"who":"Mitsui and Mitsubishi","what":"Investment value cuts of JPY 136.6 billion and JPY 81.1 billion; funds only after any damages are determined and offset","src":12},{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Charge of USD 3.4 billion after tax in Q1 2022; Sakhalin-1 interests terminated on 14 October 2022","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sakhalin Energy LLC in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and the Sakhalin-2 and Sakhalin-1 assets, Sakhalin; the Moscow Arbitration Court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Decree 30 June 2022; transfer 17 August 2022; Shell declines 1 September 2022; Exxon termination 14 October 2022; sale orders April 2023 and 23 March 2024; Prosecutor General's claim 2 October 2024; Shell Form 20-F 12 March 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The decree cites unfriendly actions of certain foreign states and international organisations and a threat of a natural and man-made emergency; Shell objected to the transfers, and Exxon stated that the Russian government unilaterally terminated its interests.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A presidential decree created a Russian company to take over SEIC, with unclaimed shares sold tax-free and proceeds held in a Type \"C\" account subject to a government-set damage amount.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Decree No. 416 \"On the application of special economic measures in the fuel and energy sector in connection with unfriendly actions of certain foreign states and international organisations\" (as amended 30.12.2022 No. 982 and 03.01.2024 No. 2; in Russian)","p":"President of Russia (kremlin.ru)","d":"2022-06-30","type":"official","u":"http://kremlin.ru/acts/bank/48021"},{"t":"Q1 2022 results, exhibit 99.2","p":"Shell plc (SEC filing)","d":"2022-05","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1306965/000130696522000020/q12022exhibit992.htm"},{"t":"Form 20-F 2022","p":"Shell plc (SEC filing)","d":"2023-03","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1306965/000130696523000007/shel-20221231.htm"},{"t":"Form 20-F 2025","p":"Shell plc (SEC filing)","d":"2026-03-12","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1306965/000162828026017024/shel-20251231.htm"},{"t":"Form 10-K 2022","p":"Exxon Mobil Corporation (SEC filing)","d":"2023-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000003408823000020/xom-20221231.htm"},{"t":"Mitsubishi decides to stay in Sakhalin-2","p":"Interfax","d":"2022-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/82732/"},{"t":"Gazprom replaces Novatek as buyer of 27.5% stake in Sakhalin Energy","p":"Interfax","d":"2024-03-25","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/100739/"},{"t":"Court on 11 June will continue hearing the Prosecutor General's claim against Shell (in Russian)","p":"Interfax","d":"2025-04-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1020748"},{"t":"U.S. extends licence for Sakhalin-2 to Dec 18","p":"Interfax","d":"2026-06-15","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/118059/"},{"t":"UK extends permission for transportation of LNG from Sakhalin 2 until March 31, 2028","p":"Interfax","d":"2026-10-01","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/119357/"},{"t":"Shell is cutting its way out (in Russian)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2023-04-04","type":"press","u":"https://kommersant.ru/doc/5913587"},{"t":"Prosecutor General's Office demands that Shell compensate Gazprom EUR 1.5 billion (in Russian)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2025-03-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7604250"},{"t":"Mitsui and Mitsubishi cut value of stakes in Sakhalin 2 (Kyodo)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2022-08-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/russia-major-japanese-trading-companies-mitsui-co-and-mitsubishi-corp-cut-value-of-stakes-in-sakhalin-2-energy-project-citing-growing-business-uncertainty/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sakhalin-2-environmental-approval-gazprom-stake-and-lenders","western-gray-whales-sakhalin-and-iucn-panel"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Damage amount to be set by government act under Decree No. 416 and debited from the Type \"C\" account — No amount on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Legality of the transfer of Sakhalin-2 rights and shares","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Forum for disputes","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published result of the decree's ecological audit, or any government act fixing the \"amount of damage caused\"; the Kommersant (2025) and Interfax (2025) articles on the prosecutor's claim do not mention environmental damage.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the court case number of the Prosecutor General's claim; the hearings are closed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whether any sum has been debited from the Type \"C\" account.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Shell stated that it is not possible to reliably estimate the magnitude and timing of any possible obligations or payments.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the status of Exxon's former Sakhalin-1 stake in 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russia-joint-implementation-erus","title":"Russian Joint Implementation credits under the Kyoto Protocol, 2009–2012","dek":"Russia approved 108 Joint Implementation projects through tenders run by the state bank Sberbank, and 98 registered projects received about 266 million emission reduction units, according to Sberbank figures cited by the Stockholm Environment Institute. A 2015 SEI study found significant environmental integrity concerns for more than 80% of Russian and Ukrainian units.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Russian Federation (national approval track)","lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (project RU1000353)","lat":61,"lon":73,"role":"event"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"buyer"}],"start":2009,"end":2015,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Emission reduction units issued to registered Russian projects","value":"266 million","note":"98 registered projects, per Sberbank data cited by SEI. ERU prices fell from more than EUR 12 in 2010 to less than EUR 0.10 in early 2013."},"happened":["Joint Implementation (JI) is the mechanism under Article 6 of the Kyoto Protocol through which projects in a host country earn Emission Reduction Units (ERUs) that buyers can use for compliance. Russian JI procedures adopted in 2007 never became operational and were replaced in 2009. The Ministry for Economic Development and Trade acted as Designated Focal Point (DFP), and the state-owned Sberbank, the \"operator of carbon units\", handled project approval, registration and ERU issuance; Sberbank took on the operator role in October 2009. The first Russian Letters of Approval were issued in 2010. Russia did not join the second Kyoto commitment period and therefore cannot host JI projects in it.","Projects were approved through tenders held by Sberbank rather than case by case. Sberbank rated each project; an expert council nominated by Sberbank and approved by the DFP made recommendations, and the DFP approved the project lists. Cumulative reductions approved in each tender were initially capped at 30 million tCO2e and total Russian ERU approvals at 300 million; both limits were later removed. The third tender ran from 12 August to 5 September 2011: Sberbank received 70 applications totalling 106.58 million tCO2e, against sector limits of 30 million tonnes each for energy and industrial processes and 10 million tonnes for waste. The two earlier tenders had approved 33 projects. To receive ERUs, the project owner and the buyer needed Sberbank's approval of their Emission Reduction Purchase Agreement, and Sberbank charged issuance fees.","According to Sberbank, as cited by SEI, the government approved 108 projects with total projected reductions of around 309 million tCO2e; 98 were registered and received 266 million ERUs. SEI described Russia as the second-largest JI host, with 31% of all ERUs issued (another passage of the same paper gives 30% of ERUs in the first commitment period). All Russian projects except two, accounting for 99.8% of ERUs issued, were registered under Track 1, the host-country-controlled track without international review. In 2012, the last year of the first commitment period, Russia approved 72 projects (67% of its approved projects) and issued 210 million ERUs (79% of the issued volume). SEI's Table 19, based on UNEP Risoe data, lists 97 registered projects and 265,053 thousand ERUs, of which associated petroleum gas (APG) utilisation accounted for 22 projects and 116,840 thousand ERUs and HFC and SF6 projects for 3 projects and 53,347 thousand. Thirty-nine Russian projects (41%) were credited retroactively for more than four years and delivered 165 million ERUs, 62% of Russian ERUs.","Project RU1000353 covered APG utilisation at ten oil fields in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, operated by four companies owned by TNK-BP. According to the project design document as summarised by SEI, the APG decision was made in 2003, construction ran from 2004 to 2012, the Letter of Approval came in May 2012 and the first issuance was on 30 August 2012; all ERUs were issued retroactively, more than 77 million. The 22 Russian APG JI projects generated 117 million ERUs, 14% of all ERUs in the first commitment period. SEI concluded that \"it is not plausible that the project is additional\". After 2007 Russian law required 95% APG utilisation and set penalties for flaring more than 5%; SEI reported that operators perceived the risk of penalties as limited.","The 2015 SEI working paper reviewed a random sample of 60 projects and the six largest project types, applied to the 642 projects registered as of March 2014. In the sample, additionality claims were not plausible for 73% of ERUs issued and questionable for another 12%. SEI estimated that Russia's expected surplus of about 5.7 billion Assigned Amount Units (34% of its assigned amount) let it issue ERUs from projects with limited environmental integrity. Buyers used more than 560 million ERUs from all host countries in the EU Emissions Trading System by April 2015. Commission Regulation (EU) No 550/2011 barred credits from HFC-23 destruction and adipic-acid N2O projects from the EU system from 1 January 2013."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Initial Russian JI procedures adopted; they never became operational","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"Revised procedures replace the 2007 ones; Sberbank becomes operator of carbon units (October)","src":3},{"y":2010,"t":"First Russian Letters of Approval issued","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Commission Regulation (EU) No 550/2011 adopted (7 June); third Sberbank tender open 12 August–5 September, 70 applications","src":4},{"y":2012,"t":"Russia approves 72 projects and issues 210 million ERUs; first issuance for RU1000353 on 30 August","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"ERU prices below EUR 0.10 in early 2013; Russia stays outside the second Kyoto commitment period","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07 published (August)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"about three-quarters of JI offsets are unlikely to represent additional emissions reductions","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, abstract (all Joint Implementation host countries)","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"significant environmental integrity concerns for more than 80% of ERUs from Russia and Ukraine","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, executive summary","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"Like Ukraine, Russia could afford to issue large numbers of ERUs from projects with very limited environmental integrity because of its large expected AAU surplus","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"a subjective judgment of the authors based on the limited information publicly available","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, describing its own additionality assessment","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"makes it impossible to check whether substantial changes were made e.g. to the monitoring plans","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, on the Russian JI registry website keeping only the latest document versions","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"it is not plausible that the project is additional","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, on project RU1000353","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"considerable transaction costs","who":"Project design document of RU1000353, as quoted by SEI, on why TNK-BP decided against a full design document in 2007","when":"2007","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Sberbank head German Gref promised in 2011 to place about EUR 600 million of potential Kyoto money from Russian projects quickly, plus EUR 1.4–1.9 billion in 2012; Kommersant described these as forecasts.","who":"Kommersant, 6 October 2011","src":2},{"t":"Having entered the Kyoto Protocol, Russia should get some investment out of it.","who":"President Dmitry Medvedev, June 2011, as quoted by Kommersant","src":2},{"t":"Success of third-tender applications would depend on the quality of documents, not on the tender quota.","who":"Sberbank (Vsevolod Gavrilov, head of energy-saving and environmental projects), September 2011","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sberbank figures cited by SEI: 108 approved projects (around 309 million tCO2e projected), 98 registered, 266 million ERUs.","src":0},{"t":"Track 1 (no international review) covered all registered projects except two, 99.8% of ERUs issued.","src":0},{"t":"In SEI's sample, additionality claims were not plausible for 73% of ERUs issued and questionable for another 12%.","src":0},{"t":"Bureau Veritas Certification determined and/or verified 56% of all JI projects, which generated 78% of ERUs; in the sample, 77% of the projects it determined made implausible additionality claims (SEI).","src":0},{"t":"ERU prices fell from more than EUR 12 in 2010 to less than EUR 0.10 in early 2013 and stayed well below EUR 0.50.","src":0},{"t":"More than 560 million ERUs from all host countries had been used in the EU ETS by April 2015; 132.8 million international credits (66.4 million CERs, 66.4 million ERUs) were exchanged in phase three by 30 April 2014.","src":5},{"t":"Before Sberbank's entry, ERU contracts were priced at USD 2–3 per tonne, according to Oleg Pluzhnikov of the Ministry of Economic Development.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2010–2013","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Kyoto-rules market to 2012 (Kommersant estimate: 300 million t state quota at roughly EUR 8/t)","amount":2500,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"to 2012"},{"label":"Russian JI reductions transferred by October 2011 (about 20 million t; Kommersant: at most about)","amount":200,"qualifier":"at most about","est":true,"window":"2011"},{"label":"Sberbank forecast of potential Kyoto money for Russian projects to be placed quickly (Gref)","amount":600,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2011","note":"A forecast; a further EUR 1.4–1.9 billion was forecast for 2012."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"ERUs issued","v":"266 million","d":"98 registered projects (Sberbank figures cited by SEI)"},{"k":"Integrity concerns","v":"> 80%","d":"Share of ERUs from Russia and Ukraine (SEI)"},{"k":"EU ETS target","v":"≈ 400 million tCO2","d":"Estimated undermining from all JI use (SEI)"},{"k":"ERU price","v":"EUR 12 to < 0.10","d":"2010 to early 2013"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Desk estimates from project documents and national inventory data by the Stockholm Environment Institute (2015); no atmospheric measurement.","report":[{"t":"According to a 2015 SEI estimate covering all Joint Implementation host countries, my atmosphere may have received about 600 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent more than if countries had met their targets domestically.","src":0},{"t":"SEI estimated that the credits undermined the EU emissions trading target by about 400 million tonnes of CO2.","src":0},{"t":"In 2011 about 37 billion cubic metres of associated petroleum gas were flared in Russia, according to satellite-based data cited by SEI.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: total revenue earned by Russian project owners or total fees collected by Sberbank.","Not disclosed: a breakdown of which EU ETS operators surrendered Russian ERUs; the European Commission states that phase-three use per compliance year cannot be traced.","Insufficient: the Russian registry website kept only the latest versions of documents, some verification and monitoring reports were unavailable and many documents were only in Russian; holding and transaction data could not be queried as Decision 13/CMP.1 requires (SEI).","None on record: Letters of Endorsement; Russia did not issue them, which SEI says makes timeline-based additionality checks harder.","Figures differ: SEI gives Russia's share of ERUs as 30% (p. 24) and 31% (p. 80), and issued units as 265 million (UNEP Risoe table) and 266 million (Sberbank and UNFCCC data).","None on record: a response from the Russian government to the SEI findings.","None on record: a company response from TNK-BP to the SEI assessment of RU1000353.","Insufficient: the design document for RU1000353 gives limited information, and bundling ten fields makes additionality assessment of each field impossible (SEI).","None on record: a court ruling or prosecution concerning Russian JI."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Russia did not join the second Kyoto commitment period and cannot host JI projects in it (SEI).","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"Latest source is the August 2015 SEI study; Russian JI issuance belongs to the first Kyoto commitment period, and no court ruling or prosecution is on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Sberbank","says":"Third-tender applications would be reviewed under a new, simplified procedure; success would depend on the quality of documents, not on the tender quota (Vsevolod Gavrilov).","when":"September 2011","src":3},{"actor":"Ministry of Economic Development","says":"Unit prices should be close to European secondary-market prices with some discount; earlier contracts transferring ERUs to foreign companies had no legal force because the units are state property (Oleg Pluzhnikov).","when":"January 2011","src":1},{"actor":"VTB","says":"Lobbied to end Sberbank's exclusive operator status and described this as normal competition (Andrey Kostin).","when":"2011","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"sberbank","role":"State bank; operator of carbon units and tender organiser"},{"id":"economy-ministry-russia","role":"Designated Focal Point for Joint Implementation"},{"id":"tnk-bp","role":"Owner of the companies behind project RU1000353"},{"id":"stockholm-environment-institute","role":"Authors of the 2015 Joint Implementation study"},{"id":"vitol","role":"Swiss trader named in contracts with two Russian plants"},{"id":"bureau-veritas-certification","role":"Auditor of 56% of JI projects"},{"id":"vtb","role":"Bank that lobbied against Sberbank's operator status"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Regulation 550/2011; EU ETS credit data"},{"id":"unfccc","role":"Kyoto Protocol Joint Implementation framework"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Approved projects through the Designated Focal Point"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether pre-2011 contracts selling ERUs to foreign companies were valid","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economic Development (Oleg Pluzhnikov)","says":"Earlier contracts had no legal force because the units are state property; adapting them was Sberbank's problem.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Baker & McKenzie lawyer (Sergei Sitnikov)","says":"Disagreed that the earlier contracts lacked legal force and warned that a 'special path' could harm the market.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Investors (anonymous)","says":"The new decree gave buyers an option to cancel ERU purchase contracts, which they said undermined earlier deals.","src":2}]},{"point":"Whether the APG utilisation at ten TNK-BP fields (RU1000353) was additional","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Project design document (TNK-BP companies)","says":"Baseline assumed that all utilised APG would otherwise have been flared; TNK-BP decided against a full design document in 2007 because of considerable transaction costs.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Stockholm Environment Institute","says":"The baseline assumption is contradictory and it is not plausible that the project is additional.","src":0}]},{"point":"Russia's share and number of issued ERUs","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"SEI, p. 24","says":"Russia generated 30% of all ERUs in the first commitment period.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"SEI, p. 80","says":"98 registered projects and more than 266 million ERUs, 31% of all ERUs issued.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"SEI Table 19 (UNEP Risoe 2014)","says":"97 registered projects and 265,053 thousand ERUs.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":266000000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"qualifier":"more than","note":"98 registered projects, per Sberbank data cited by SEI."},{"key":"projects_approved","value":108,"unit":"projects","year":2014,"note":"Total projected reductions of around 309 million tCO2e (Sberbank, via SEI)."},{"key":"credits_issued_2012","value":210000000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2012,"note":"79% of the issued volume; 72 projects approved in 2012."},{"key":"tender_applications","value":70,"unit":"applications","year":2011,"note":"Third tender, 12 August–5 September 2011, totalling 106.58 million tCO2e."},{"key":"credits_retroactive","value":165000000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"note":"From 39 projects credited retroactively for more than four years; 62% of Russian ERUs."},{"key":"eru_used_eu_ets","value":560000000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2015,"qualifier":"more than","note":"From all host countries, as of April 2015."},{"key":"eru_price_eur","value":12,"unit":"EUR per ERU","year":2010,"qualifier":"more than"},{"key":"eru_price_eur","value":0.1,"unit":"EUR per ERU","year":2013,"qualifier":"less than","note":"Early 2013."},{"key":"additionality_not_plausible_share","value":73,"unit":"% of ERUs issued","year":2014,"note":"In SEI's random sample of 60 projects; a further 12% questionable."},{"key":"offset_emissions_excess","value":600000000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"SEI estimate for all JI use: global emissions may have been this much higher than with domestic reductions."},{"key":"eu_ets_target_undermined","value":400000000,"unit":"tCO2","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"SEI estimate."},{"key":"credits_issued_ru1000353","value":77400000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2012,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Project RU1000353; SEI annex table."},{"key":"apg_flared_bcm","value":37000000000,"unit":"m3","year":2011,"note":"Russia, satellite-based GGFR data cited by SEI."},{"key":"sberbank_fee_eur_per_tonne","value":0.05,"unit":"EUR per tonne","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fee remaining with Sberbank per tonne taken abroad, as reported by Kommersant."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia issued about 266 million Joint Implementation emission reduction units to 98 registered projects in the first Kyoto commitment period. SEI found significant environmental integrity concerns for more than 80% of Russian and Ukrainian units.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Russian project owners","what":"Earned ERUs sold to foreign buyers; total revenue is not on record","src":0},{"who":"Sberbank","what":"Charged issuance fees as operator; about EUR 0.05 per tonne taken abroad according to Kommersant; total not on record","src":2},{"who":"EU ETS operators","what":"Used more than 560 million ERUs from all host countries for compliance by April 2015","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"ERU holders","what":"Prices fell from more than EUR 12 in 2010 to less than EUR 0.10 in early 2013","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Global atmosphere","what":"SEI estimate: use of JI may have enabled global emissions about 600 million tCO2e higher than with domestic reductions","src":0},{"who":"EU ETS emission reduction target","what":"SEI estimate: undermined by about 400 million tCO2","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Russian Federation, nationwide; project RU1000353 at ten oil fields in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Procedures replaced in 2009; Letters of Approval from 2010; 210 million ERUs issued in 2012; SEI study published August 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"SEI attributed the issuance of units from projects with limited environmental integrity to Russia's large expected AAU surplus of about 5.7 billion units.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sberbank ran tenders and rated projects, the Designated Focal Point approved the lists, and nearly all projects were registered under Track 1 without international review.","src":0}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Has Joint Implementation reduced GHG emissions? Lessons learned for the design of carbon market mechanisms (Working Paper 2015-07)","p":"Stockholm Environment Institute (Kollmuss, Schneider, Zhezherin)","d":"2015-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2015-07-JI-lessons-for-carbon-mechs.pdf"},{"t":"The Ministry of Economy explained the rules of the game on the 'Kyoto' market (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2011-01-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1572876"},{"t":"VTB will challenge the monopoly on air (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2011-10-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1788629"},{"t":"Sberbank will review applications from the third 'Kyoto' tender under a simplified procedure (translated title)","p":"PRIME (citing RIA Novosti)","d":"2011-09-21","type":"press","u":"https://1prime.ru/20110921/758096419.html"},{"t":"Commission Regulation (EU) No 550/2011","p":"European Union","d":"2011-06-07","type":"official","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/550/oj"},{"t":"Number of international credits exchanged totals 132.8 million","p":"European Commission","d":"2014-05-02","type":"official","u":"https://climate.ec.europa.eu/news-other-reads/news/number-international-credits-exchanged-totals-1328-million-2014-05-02_en"},{"t":"Russian industry paid to increase emissions under UN carbon credits scheme","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2015-08-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/russian-industry-paid-to-increase-emissions-under-un-carbon-credits-scheme"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the APG utilisation at ten TNK-BP fields (RU1000353) was additional","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether pre-2011 contracts selling ERUs to foreign companies were valid","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Russia's share and number of issued ERUs","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: total revenue earned by Russian project owners or total fees collected by Sberbank.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a breakdown of which EU ETS operators surrendered Russian ERUs; the European Commission states that phase-three use per compliance year cannot be traced.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the Russian registry website kept only the latest versions of documents, some verification and monitoring reports were unavailable and many documents were only in Russian; holding and transaction data could not be queried as Decision 13/CMP.1 requires (SEI).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Letters of Endorsement; Russia did not issue them, which SEI says makes timeline-based additionality checks harder.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: SEI gives Russia's share of ERUs as 30% (p. 24) and 31% (p. 80), and issued units as 265 million (UNEP Risoe table) and 266 million (Sberbank and UNFCCC data).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a response from the Russian government to the SEI findings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a company response from TNK-BP to the SEI assessment of RU1000353.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the design document for RU1000353 gives limited information, and bundling ten fields makes additionality assessment of each field impossible (SEI).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling or prosecution concerning Russian JI.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russia-hfc-23-sf6-joint-implementation-projects","title":"HFC-23 and SF6 Joint Implementation projects at KCKK Polymer and HaloPolymer Perm","dek":"Three Joint Implementation projects at two Russian fluorochemical sites issued 54 million emission reduction units. A 2015 study in Nature Climate Change found that waste-gas generation rose abruptly once crediting rules no longer capped it, and estimated that about 28–33 million credits were issued in excess.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":58.55,"lon":50.05,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov region (KCKK Polymer)","lat":58.55,"lon":50.05,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Perm, Perm Krai (HaloPolymer Perm)","lat":58.07,"lon":56.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","role":"buyer"}],"start":2008,"end":2015,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Credits estimated to have been issued in excess","value":"28–33 million","note":"Estimate by the study authors for all four plants together, equal to 66–79% of credits issued in periods without methodological safeguards."},"happened":["Three registered Joint Implementation (JI) projects at two facilities destroy HFC-23, a by-product of HCFC-22 manufacture, and SF6 off-gas: RU1000201 covers HFC-23 and SF6 at KCKK Polymer in Kirovo-Chepetsk, and RU1000202 (HFC-23) and RU1000309 (SF6) cover HaloPolymer Perm. Together they issued 54 million emission reduction units (ERUs), 6% of ERUs issued by April 2014 according to UNEP Risoe data. A smaller Russian HFC-23 project reached determination but was never registered. The study's Supplementary Information states that the registered and proposed projects cover all Russian production: three HCFC-22 facilities with about 44,000 tonnes a year of capacity and two SF6 facilities with about 1,800 tonnes a year. The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) gives the global warming potential of HFC-23 as 11,700 and of SF6 as 23,900 in the first commitment period.","RU1000201 and RU1000202 were developed by Camco International and initially applied CDM methodology AM0001 v5.2, which caps eligible HCFC-22 production at the 2002–2004 maximum and the HFC-23 waste rate at the 2002–2004 minimum. Crediting began in 2008. In 2011 both projects adopted revised monitoring plans with a JI-specific approach, applied from 1 January 2010; the revision removed both caps, so that, in the study's words, \"all waste gas generated becomes eligible for crediting\". It also declared original design-document information inaccurate, including applicable Russian regulations and historical data on HCFC-22 production and on HFC-23 generation and abatement. RU1000309 (SF6, HaloPolymer Perm) was developed and approved in 2011/2012 and claimed credits retroactively from 1 January 2008.","Schneider and Kollmuss (Nature Climate Change, published online 24 August 2015) reported that \"all projects abating HFC-23 and SF6 under the Kyoto Protocol's Joint Implementation mechanism in Russia increased waste gas generation to unprecedented levels, once they could generate credits from producing more waste gas\". SEI's working paper summarised the increase as abrupt from the second quarter of 2011, when the safeguards were abandoned, and \"mostly attributable to an increase in waste generation rate, and not in production levels\". The Supplementary Information states that total Russian HCFC-22 production did not increase substantially in 2011 and 2012; that in 2012 the HFC-23 waste generation rate at HaloPolymer Perm exceeded the IPCC range of 1.5% to 4% and any known value, including the 19 CDM plants in developing countries; and that for SF6 at HaloPolymer Perm the estimated 1990–2007 rate ranged from 0.4% to 5.8% (average 3.8%) against 16.9% reported by the plant for 2008–2010. Waste generation peaked in October–November 2012 at HaloPolymer Perm and in the fourth quarter of 2011 for SF6 at KCKK Polymer; the authors offer one possible explanation, the commonly used 1 December delivery date for carbon futures.","The original design documents stated that HFC-23 was already partly abated before the JI projects; the revised documentation states that it was not. The auditor DNV confirmed the original information at determination and Bureau Veritas Certification confirmed the revised information at verification. SEI also noted data inconsistencies: some periods report more HFC-23 incinerated than generated, or negative fugitive emissions, and from 2012 RU1000202 stopped reporting HFC-23 generation at all; the auditor did not identify these issues. Russia's greenhouse gas inventory kept an implied HFC-23 emission factor of about 3% in 2007–2009, and inventory SF6 emissions fell by 24 tonnes (from 53 to 29 tonnes) in 2007–2008 while the projects claimed reductions of 93–199 tonnes of SF6 a year in 2008–2012.","The authors estimated that \"for all four plants together, about 28-33 million credits were issued in excess, corresponding to 66-79% of the credits issued for the periods where methodological safeguards to prevent perverse incentives were not applied\". Commission Regulation (EU) No 550/2011 banned HFC-23 credits from use in the EU Emissions Trading System from 1 January 2013, with pre-2013 credits usable until 30 April 2013. HaloPolymer Perm and HaloPolymer Kirovo-Chepetsk did not respond to Nature's requests for comment."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Crediting begins at RU1000201 and RU1000202; SF6 project RU1000309 later claims credits retroactively from 1 January 2008","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"EU Regulation 550/2011 adopted (7 June); revised monitoring plans for RU1000201 and RU1000202 remove the caps, applied retroactively from 1 January 2010; waste generation rises abruptly from the second quarter","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"RU1000202 stops reporting HFC-23 generation; waste generation at HaloPolymer Perm peaks in October–November","src":2},{"y":2013,"t":"EU ban on HFC-23 credits applies from 1 January; pre-2013 credits usable until 30 April","src":3},{"y":2015,"t":"Nature Climate Change paper published online (24 August)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"all projects abating HFC-23 and SF6 under the Kyoto Protocol's Joint Implementation mechanism in Russia increased waste gas generation to unprecedented levels, once they could generate credits from producing more waste gas","who":"Schneider and Kollmuss, Nature Climate Change, abstract","when":"24 August 2015","src":1},{"q":"for all four plants together, about 28-33 million credits were issued in excess, corresponding to 66-79% of the credits issued for the periods where methodological safeguards to prevent perverse incentives were not applied","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, summarising Schneider and Kollmuss","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"all waste gas generated becomes eligible for crediting","who":"Supplementary Information, on the 2011 revised monitoring plans","when":"2015","src":2},{"q":"mostly attributable to an increase in waste generation rate, and not in production levels","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, on the increase in waste gas","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"in practice this requirement did not prevent large industrial gas projects from making substantial changes after their registration","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07, on the Russian requirement of Designated Focal Point approval for changes to core parameters","when":"August 2015","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The original design documents stated that HFC-23 was already partly abated before the JI projects.","who":"Project design documents of RU1000201 and RU1000202, confirmed by DNV at determination","src":2},{"t":"The revised documentation stated that HFC-23 had not been abated before the projects.","who":"Revised project documentation, confirmed by Bureau Veritas Certification at verification","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Three registered projects at two facilities issued 54 million ERUs, 6% of ERUs issued by April 2014 (UNEP Risoe).","src":0},{"t":"In 2012 the HFC-23 waste generation rate at HaloPolymer Perm exceeded the IPCC range of 1.5% to 4% and any known value; SF6 at HaloPolymer Perm was 16.9% as reported for 2008–2010 against an estimated 0.4% to 5.8% for 1990–2007.","src":2},{"t":"Secondary ERU prices were still above EUR 10 in mid-2011; Nature's news coverage reported credits worth more than EUR 20 each in 2008 and less than EUR 1 by 2015.","src":4},{"t":"Inventory SF6 emissions fell by 24 tonnes in 2007–2008 while the projects claimed reductions of 93–199 tonnes of SF6 a year in 2008–2012.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2008–2015","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"ERUs issued","v":"54 million","d":"Three projects at two facilities, by April 2014 (UNEP Risoe)"},{"k":"Credits issued in excess","v":"28–33 million","d":"Authors' estimate, all four plants together"},{"k":"HFC-23 waste rate, 2012","v":"> 4%","d":"At HaloPolymer Perm, above the IPCC range of 1.5% to 4%"},{"k":"SF6 waste rate","v":"16.9%","d":"Reported by HaloPolymer Perm for 2008–2010; estimated 0.4–5.8% for 1990–2007"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Estimates by the study authors from monitoring reports, design documents and Russia's greenhouse gas inventory; no atmospheric measurement of emissions from these plants.","report":[{"t":"A 2015 study estimates that about 28–33 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent of offset claims against my atmosphere, issued from 2008 to 2012, were not matched by reductions.","src":0},{"t":"The waste rate of HFC-23 at one Perm plant in 2012 was above the IPCC range of 1.5% to 4% and above any known value, according to the study.","src":2}]},"unknown":["None on record: monitoring data showing whether the extra waste gas was destroyed or vented; the authors state that the data needed to determine which pathway occurred is not available. If extra HCFC-22 or SF6 was produced without demand and vented, they state the emissions increase would exceed the credits issued and, for HCFC-22, ozone-layer protection would be undermined.","Not disclosed: revenue received by the plant operators, the buyers of these ERUs and the prices paid. Kommersant (2011) names Vitol as contracted buyer for ERUs from Galogen and the KChKhK polymer plant under a contract then in dispute.","Insufficient: monitoring reports missing from the Russian registry, namely the 1st and 2nd reports (2008–2009) for RU1000201 and the 1st, 2nd and 4th monitoring reports and 4th verification report for RU1000202.","Not disclosed: whether SF6 was abated before project RU1000309; its documentation does not say. SF6 production data before 2008 is unavailable for HaloPolymer Perm.","Not measured: after the 2011 revision, HCFC-22 and SF6 production is no longer monitored at three of the plants.","Unclear: which four plants the estimate of 28–33 million excess credits covers; three registered projects at two facilities and one unregistered project are described.","None on record: statements from Bureau Veritas Certification, DNV, Camco or the Russian Designated Focal Point on these findings.","None on record: a court ruling or a Russian or international regulatory action against these projects."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"EU Regulation 550/2011 banned HFC-23 credits from the EU Emissions Trading System from 1 January 2013.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"Latest source is the August 2015 study and news coverage; no court ruling or regulatory action against the projects is on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"HaloPolymer Perm","says":"Did not respond to Nature's requests for comment.","when":"August 2015","src":4,"silent":true},{"actor":"HaloPolymer Kirovo-Chepetsk","says":"Did not respond to Nature's requests for comment.","when":"August 2015","src":4,"silent":true}],"actors":[{"id":"halopolymer","role":"Operator of the Kirovo-Chepetsk and Perm plants"},{"id":"camco-international","role":"Developer of RU1000201 and RU1000202"},{"id":"dnv","role":"Determination auditor who confirmed the original design documents"},{"id":"bureau-veritas-certification","role":"Verifier who confirmed the revised documentation"},{"id":"stockholm-environment-institute","role":"Authors of the Nature Climate Change paper and working paper"},{"id":"vitol","role":"Swiss trader named in contracts for ERUs from the two plants"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Regulation 550/2011 banning HFC-23 credits from 2013"},{"id":"unfccc","role":"Kyoto Protocol Joint Implementation framework"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether HFC-23 was abated before the Joint Implementation projects","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"DNV (determination auditor)","says":"Confirmed the original design-document information, which stated HFC-23 was partly abated beforehand.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Bureau Veritas Certification (verifier)","says":"Confirmed the revised information, which states HFC-23 was not abated beforehand.","src":2}]},{"point":"The finding that waste gas generation rose once crediting rewarded it","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Schneider and Kollmuss (Stockholm Environment Institute)","says":"All Russian HFC-23 and SF6 abatement projects increased waste gas generation to unprecedented levels once more waste gas earned credits; about 28–33 million credits were issued in excess.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"HaloPolymer Perm","says":"Did not respond to Nature's requests for comment.","src":4,"silent":true},{"voice":"company","holder":"HaloPolymer Kirovo-Chepetsk","says":"Did not respond to Nature's requests for comment.","src":4,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Validity of Vitol's 2011 contracts for ERUs from Galogen and the KChKhK polymer plant","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economic Development (Oleg Pluzhnikov)","says":"Earlier contracts transferring ERUs to foreign companies had no legal force because the units are state property.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"Baker & McKenzie lawyer (Sergei Sitnikov)","says":"Disputed the ministry's view that the earlier contracts lacked legal force.","src":6}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"credits_issued","value":54000000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"note":"Three registered projects at two facilities; 6% of ERUs issued by April 2014 (UNEP Risoe)."},{"key":"credits_excess_low","value":28000000,"unit":"credits","year":2012,"est":true,"qualifier":"low end","note":"Authors' estimate of credits issued in excess, all four plants together; high end 33 million."},{"key":"credits_excess_high","value":33000000,"unit":"credits","year":2012,"est":true,"qualifier":"high end","note":"Equal to 66–79% of credits issued in periods without methodological safeguards."},{"key":"hcfc22_capacity","value":44000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Three Russian HCFC-22 facilities (Supplementary Information)."},{"key":"sf6_capacity","value":1800,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Two Russian SF6 facilities (Supplementary Information)."},{"key":"sf6_waste_rate_reported","value":16.9,"unit":"% of production","year":2010,"note":"Reported by HaloPolymer Perm for 2008–2010; estimated 0.4–5.8% (average 3.8%) for 1990–2007."},{"key":"sf6_inventory_drop","value":24,"unit":"tonnes","year":2008,"note":"Inventory SF6 emissions fell from 53 to 29 tonnes in 2007–2008; projects claimed 93–199 tonnes a year of reductions in 2008–2012."},{"key":"eru_price_eur","value":10,"unit":"EUR per ERU","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Secondary price in mid-2011."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Three Joint Implementation projects at KCKK Polymer and HaloPolymer Perm issued 54 million ERUs for destroying HFC-23 and SF6. A 2015 study found waste gas generation rose abruptly after crediting safeguards were removed in 2011.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operators of the two plants","what":"Received ERUs for destroyed waste gas; revenue is not on record","src":0},{"who":"Buyers of the ERUs","what":"Used credits against their targets; Vitol named as contracted buyer in a 2011 dispute","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"ERU holders","what":"Secondary prices above EUR 10 in mid-2011; credits worth more than EUR 20 in 2008 and less than EUR 1 by 2015","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere","what":"About 28–33 million credits issued in excess, per the authors' estimate","src":0},{"who":"Ozone layer","what":"Would be undermined if extra HCFC-22 was produced without demand and vented; the data needed to tell is unavailable","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"KCKK Polymer, Kirovo-Chepetsk (Kirov region), and HaloPolymer Perm (Perm Krai), Russia.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Crediting from 2008; monitoring plans revised in 2011 and applied from 1 January 2010; paper published 24 August 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Revised monitoring plans removed caps on eligible HCFC-22 production and HFC-23 waste rate, so that all waste gas became eligible for credits.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Waste generation rates rose abruptly from the second quarter of 2011; some periods report more HFC-23 incinerated than generated, and from 2012 one project stopped reporting generation.","src":0}},"related":["hfc-23-destruction-credits-under-cdm"],"sources":[{"t":"Has Joint Implementation reduced GHG emissions? Lessons learned for the design of carbon market mechanisms (Working Paper 2015-07)","p":"Stockholm Environment Institute (Kollmuss, Schneider, Zhezherin)","d":"2015-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2015-07-JI-lessons-for-carbon-mechs.pdf"},{"t":"Perverse effects of carbon markets on HFC-23 and SF6 abatement projects in Russia (Nature Climate Change 5, 1061–1063; abstract)","p":"Stockholm Environment Institute (Schneider, Kollmuss)","d":"2015-08-24","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sei.org/publications/perverse-effects-of-carbon-markets-on-hfc-23-and-sf6-abatement-projects-in-russia/"},{"t":"Supplementary Information to Schneider and Kollmuss, nclimate2772","p":"Stockholm Environment Institute","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/nclimate2772-supplementary-information.pdf"},{"t":"Commission Regulation (EU) No 550/2011","p":"European Union","d":"2011-06-07","type":"official","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/550/oj"},{"t":"Carbon-Credits Scheme Linked to Increased Production of Greenhouse Gases (Nature news, reproduced)","p":"Scientific American / Nature","d":"2015-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-credits-scheme-linked-to-increased-production-of-greenhouse-gases/"},{"t":"Russians accused of abusing carbon credits","p":"Cooling Post","d":"2015-08-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.coolingpost.com/world-news/russians-accused-of-abusing-carbon-credits/"},{"t":"The Ministry of Economy explained the rules of the game on the 'Kyoto' market (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2011-01-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/1572876"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether HFC-23 was abated before the Joint Implementation projects","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"The finding that waste gas generation rose once crediting rewarded it","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Validity of Vitol's 2011 contracts for ERUs from Galogen and the KChKhK polymer plant","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"HaloPolymer Perm: Did not respond to Nature's requests for comment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"HaloPolymer Kirovo-Chepetsk: Did not respond to Nature's requests for comment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: monitoring data showing whether the extra waste gas was destroyed or vented; the authors state that the data needed to determine which pathway occurred is not available. If extra HCFC-22 or SF6 was produced without demand and vented, they state the emissions increase would exceed the credits issued and, for HCFC-22, ozone-layer protection would be undermined.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: revenue received by the plant operators, the buyers of these ERUs and the prices paid. Kommersant (2011) names Vitol as contracted buyer for ERUs from Galogen and the KChKhK polymer plant under a contract then in dispute.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: monitoring reports missing from the Russian registry, namely the 1st and 2nd reports (2008–2009) for RU1000201 and the 1st, 2nd and 4th monitoring reports and 4th verification report for RU1000202.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whether SF6 was abated before project RU1000309; its documentation does not say. SF6 production data before 2008 is unavailable for HaloPolymer Perm.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: after the 2011 revision, HCFC-22 and SF6 production is no longer monitored at three of the plants.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: which four plants the estimate of 28–33 million excess credits covers; three registered projects at two facilities and one unregistered project are described.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: statements from Bureau Veritas Certification, DNV, Camco or the Russian Designated Focal Point on these findings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling or a Russian or international regulatory action against these projects.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russia-carbon-units-registry-296-fz","title":"Russia's national carbon-unit system under Federal Law 296-FZ","dek":"Federal Law 296-FZ of 2021 created Russian carbon units, each the verified result of a climate project equal to one tonne of CO2 equivalent. The national registry lists 141 projects and 37,726,274 units in circulation, and sources give conflicting figures for circulation and prices.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Russian Federation (national registry)","lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"St Petersburg (registration address of the largest project)","lat":59.818124,"lon":30.327906,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Carbon units in circulation in the national registry","value":"37,726,274","note":"Registry data of 18 October 2026, with 141 projects and 255,377 units retired; other sources give different circulation figures."},"happened":["Federal Law of 2 July 2021 No. 296-FZ \"On limiting greenhouse gas emissions\" defines a climate project as \"a set of measures ensuring the reduction (prevention) of greenhouse gas emissions or an increase in their absorption\" (Art. 2(7)) and a carbon unit as \"the verified result of implementing a climate project, expressed as a mass of greenhouse gases equivalent to 1 tonne of carbon dioxide\" (Art. 2(9)). Owners may retire units \"in order to reduce the carbon footprint\" (Art. 11(3)), and issued units \"are taken into account when assessing achievement of greenhouse-gas reduction targets\" (Art. 9(7)). Organisations emitting 150 thousand tCO2e or more a year, and from 1 January 2024 those emitting 50 thousand tonnes or more, must file annual emission reports by 1 July. Criteria for climate projects are delegated to the authorised federal executive body (Art. 9(2)). The registry operator is JSC Kontur.","The registry data on carbonreg.ru, read on 18 October 2026, listed 141 projects, all with state \"active\"; 120,786,335 carbon units planned for issue; 37,726,274 in circulation; and 255,377 retired against a carbon footprint. The page also carried quota-unit fields of 741,491 (total) and 13,195 (fulfilled). The largest single project, 41-2023-00000007, is run by OOO Gazprom MKS and prevents methane venting during repair of trunk gas pipelines, using mobile compressor stations, across 15 Gazprom gas-transport subsidiaries in the Unified Gas Supply System from Yamal to the Kazakh border. It was registered on 22 November 2023 with a project start of 1 October 2019. Verified results for 2019–2022 were 275,316, 5,982,805, 10,010,323 and 12,038,393 tCO2e; the registry shows 28,272,196 units of this project in circulation, 34,641 retired and 49,928,002 planned to 2029, against a baseline of 24,650,303.6 tCO2e a year of venting (the 2016–2018 average). Other large issuers by verified volume are AO Polyus Krasnoyarsk (power substitution, 2,156,797), PAO Nizhnekamskneftekhim (energy efficiency, 1,988,512), AO RUSAL Krasnoyarsk (forest fire protection, 1,351,054) and AO TANECO (1,112,998).","Other bodies gave different counts. The Ministry of Economic Development reported 132 climate projects and 37 million units in circulation, 1.2 million of them issued in 2026, as of 12 August 2026. A study by Kept, reported by Vedomosti, counted 127 projects with potential of 109 million units as of 1 August 2026, of which 37.6 million were in circulation, and 110 of the 127 projects were reduction rather than absorption projects. Kontur's Yevgeny Panin said in July 2026 that 122 projects were registered and about 37 million units were in circulation, and that 97 projects would complete crediting periods by 2035 and issue 57.9 million units.","On the demand side, Kontur said about 90% of all retirements in the registry were by Sakhalin experiment participants meeting quotas; retirements totalled 72,400 tonnes in the first half of 2026 against 145,700 tonnes in all of 2025. The registry news feed lists recent retirements to offset the carbon footprint of OOO RVB (30 September 2026) and OOO UK Rosvodokanal (16 October 2026), and a credit of quota units to OAO Russian Railways (15 October 2026). Individuals made their first retirements in 2026 (220 units). Russia applied in March 2026 to include its national system in ICAO's CORSIA, with a decision expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. Government Decree No. 234 of 5 March 2026 adds conditions for international-cooperation climate projects from 1 September 2026 to 1 September 2032: public consultation, Ministry of Economic Development approval, a registry mark on the project and on each unit, and transfer of information to the UNFCCC secretariat. A registry reserve account for projects at risk of reversal takes effect on 1 March 2027.","Prices and market depth were reported differently. Vedomosti cited starting exchange bids of 550–625 roubles a unit with price guidance of 600 roubles (July 2026) and a Kept partner's estimate of 700–1,000 roubles per tCO2e. A Kept manager told Kommersant that from 2022 to July 2025 the volume of deals was about 2.5 million roubles at an average price of about 700 roubles a unit, which \"often barely covers the cost of verification\", and that fewer than 200 thousand of more than 100 million potential units were in circulation. EastRussia, reporting a Sakhalin forum, said prices fell from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles per tCO2. Deputy Economy Minister Ilya Torosov said in April 2024 that Russia spends about 10 billion roubles a year on climate projects, including forest planting and measuring ecosystem and ocean absorption; registry-operator services have been exempt from VAT since early 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Federal Law 296-FZ signed (2 July)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Gazprom MKS methane project 41-2023-00000007 registered (22 November)","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"Reporting threshold for regulated organisations falls to 50 thousand tCO2e (1 January)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Registry-operator services exempt from VAT from early 2024 (reported 23 April)","src":7},{"y":2026,"t":"Application to CORSIA (March); Decree No. 234 (5 March); registry reports 141 projects (October)","src":2},{"y":2027,"t":"Registry reserve account for reversal-risk projects takes effect (1 March)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"a set of measures ensuring the reduction (prevention) of greenhouse gas emissions or an increase in their absorption","who":"Federal Law 296-FZ, Art. 2(7) (translated)","when":"2 July 2021","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the verified result of implementing a climate project, expressed as a mass of greenhouse gases equivalent to 1 tonne of carbon dioxide","who":"Federal Law 296-FZ, Art. 2(9) (translated)","when":"2 July 2021","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"often barely covers the cost of verification","who":"Nikolai Trofimov, manager at Kept, on the average unit price of about 700 roubles (translated)","when":"13 August 2026","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"mainly on paper","who":"Kept (Nikolai Trofimov), on the existence of the carbon-unit market (translated)","when":"13 August 2026","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the carbon-unit market is infrastructurally ready","who":"Yevgeny Panin, Kontur (translated)","when":"July 2026","src":5,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The reserve account will widen the scope of the Russian programme under CORSIA; natural climate projects are to be added later.","who":"Ministry of Economic Development, as reported by Kommersant, 13 August 2026","src":3},{"t":"The reserve is a guarantee for foreign buyers and a sign of Russia's readiness for the international market.","who":"Oksana Gogunskaya, CEO of Kontur, as reported by Kommersant, 13 August 2026","src":3},{"t":"Carbon units are a risk-management tool and a commercial asset.","who":"Sibur representatives (Gizzatullin, Galaktionova), as reported by Vedomosti, 27 August 2026","src":4},{"t":"The project aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save natural gas; without it the gas would have been vented.","who":"Gazprom MKS, in the registry project description","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Registry data of 18 October 2026: 141 projects, all with state \"active\"; 120,786,335 units planned for issue; 37,726,274 in circulation; 255,377 retired.","src":1},{"t":"Gazprom MKS project 41-2023-00000007: 28,272,196 units in circulation, 34,641 retired, 49,928,002 planned to 2029; verified results 275,316, 5,982,805, 10,010,323 and 12,038,393 tCO2e for 2019–2022.","src":1},{"t":"Retirements by Sakhalin experiment participants were about 90% of all retirements; 72,400 tonnes in the first half of 2026 and 145,700 tonnes in 2025 (Kontur).","src":5},{"t":"Registry project entries carry no additionality test field; the text of 296-FZ contains no definition of additionality.","src":0},{"t":"Individuals made their first retirements in 2026 (220 units).","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2022–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"State spending on climate projects including forest planting and absorption measurement (Deputy Economy Minister Torosov), per year","amount":10000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2024 statement"},{"label":"Volume of carbon-unit deals 2022 to July 2025 at an average of about RUB 700 per unit (Kept manager, via Kommersant)","amount":2.5,"qualifier":"about","window":"2022–July 2025","note":"As stated in the article."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Projects in registry","v":"141","d":"All with state active, 18 October 2026"},{"k":"Units in circulation","v":"37,726,274","d":"Registry data"},{"k":"Units retired","v":"255,377","d":"Against a carbon footprint, registry data"},{"k":"Largest project","v":"28,272,196 units","d":"Gazprom MKS methane project, in circulation"}]},"unknown":["None on record: a definition of additionality in the text of 296-FZ; criteria for climate projects are delegated to the authorised federal executive body (Art. 9(2)).","None on record: an additionality test field in registry project entries.","None on record: independent measurement of any project's effect on emissions; the registry holds project-reported, verifier-confirmed reductions.","Not disclosed: prices and volumes of individual over-the-counter transactions in the registry data.","Not disclosed: per-project buyer identities; the registry names buyers only in retirement news items.","Figures differ: units in circulation are 37,726,274 in the registry, 37 million per the Ministry of Economic Development, 37.6 million per the Kept study and fewer than 200 thousand per a Kept manager; the article does not say whether the last figure refers to traded units.","Figures differ: the number of projects is 141 in the registry, 132 per the Ministry (12 August 2026), 127 per the Kept study (1 August 2026) and 122 per Kontur (July 2026).","Figures differ: prices are 550–625 roubles at exchange start with guidance of 600 (Vedomosti, July 2026) and 700–1,000 roubles (Kept partner), while EastRussia reports a fall from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles.","Unclear: the decision on Russia's March 2026 application to CORSIA, expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.","Unclear: whether amendments to 296-FZ after 2021 changed the regulated-organisation thresholds or added quota obligations."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: registry lists 141 active projects; reserve account for reversal-risk projects takes effect 1 March 2027; CORSIA decision awaited.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Ministry of Economic Development","says":"The reserve account will widen the scope of the Russian programme under CORSIA; natural climate projects are to be added later.","when":"August 2026","src":3},{"actor":"Kontur","says":"The carbon-unit market is infrastructurally ready; supply is rising, demand is slowing and prices have stabilised (Yevgeny Panin).","when":"July 2026","src":5},{"actor":"Gazprom MKS","says":"The project aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions and save natural gas; without it the gas would have been vented.","when":"2023","src":1},{"actor":"Strategy Partners","says":"The reserve account does not by itself secure international recognition (Elena Pastukhova).","when":"August 2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"kontur-registry","role":"Operator of the national carbon-unit registry"},{"id":"economy-ministry-russia","role":"Approves international-cooperation projects; reports registry figures"},{"id":"gazprom-mks","role":"Executor of the largest registry project"},{"id":"rusal","role":"Issuer of forest fire-protection units"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Adopted Decree No. 234 of 2026"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many carbon units are in circulation","positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"National registry (JSC Kontur)","says":"37,726,274 units in circulation on 18 October 2026.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economic Development","says":"37 million units in circulation as of 12 August 2026, 1.2 million of them issued in 2026.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kept (Nikolai Trofimov)","says":"Fewer than 200 thousand of more than 100 million potential units are in circulation.","src":3}]},{"point":"The price of a carbon unit","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Kontur (via Vedomosti)","says":"Starting exchange bids of 550–625 roubles per unit with price guidance of 600 roubles (July 2026).","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kept partner Vladimir Lukin","says":"Prices of 700–1,000 roubles per tCO2e.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"EastRussia (Sakhalin forum report)","says":"Prices fell from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles per tCO2, described as a supply surplus.","src":6}]},{"point":"Whether a functioning market exists","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Kontur (Yevgeny Panin)","says":"The carbon-unit market is infrastructurally ready.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kept (Nikolai Trofimov)","says":"The market exists mainly on paper; mandatory demand is almost absent apart from Sakhalin and the external market is closed.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"registry_projects","value":141,"unit":"projects","year":2026,"note":"All with state active; registry data of 18 October 2026."},{"key":"credits_planned","value":120786335,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"Planned for issue (registry)."},{"key":"credits_in_circulation","value":37726274,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"Registry data."},{"key":"credits_retired","value":255377,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"Retired against a carbon footprint (registry)."},{"key":"quota_units_total","value":741491,"unit":"quota units","year":2026,"note":"Registry field quotaUnitsTotalCount."},{"key":"quota_units_fulfilled","value":13195,"unit":"quota units","year":2026,"note":"Registry field quotaUnitsFulfilled."},{"key":"gazprom_mks_units_in_circulation","value":28272196,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"Project 41-2023-00000007."},{"key":"gazprom_mks_units_retired","value":34641,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"Project 41-2023-00000007."},{"key":"gazprom_mks_units_planned","value":49928002,"unit":"carbon units","year":2029,"note":"Planned to 2029."},{"key":"price_guidance","value":600,"unit":"RUB per unit","year":2026,"note":"Exchange price guidance, July 2026 (Vedomosti)."},{"key":"retirements_2025","value":145700,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Total retirements (Kontur)."},{"key":"retirements_h1_2026","value":72400,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"First half of 2026 (Kontur)."},{"key":"state_climate_spending","value":10000,"unit":"RUB million per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Statement by Deputy Economy Minister Torosov."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia's national registry lists 141 climate projects and 37,726,274 carbon units in circulation under Federal Law 296-FZ; the largest project, run by Gazprom MKS, accounts for 28,272,196 of the units in circulation.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gazprom MKS","what":"28,272,196 units in circulation from the methane-venting prevention project","src":1},{"who":"Project holders such as Polyus Krasnoyarsk, Nizhnekamskneftekhim, RUSAL Krasnoyarsk and TANECO","what":"Verified volumes of 2,156,797; 1,988,512; 1,351,054 and 1,112,998 units","src":1},{"who":"Kontur","what":"Registry operator; services exempt from VAT since early 2024","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"Unit sellers","what":"Prices reported from 1,000 down to 150–250 roubles per tCO2 (EastRussia); an average of about 700 roubles barely covering verification (Kept)","src":6}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Russian Federation, nationwide; registry operator JSC Kontur.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Law signed 2 July 2021; registry data read 18 October 2026; reserve account from 1 March 2027.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Units are issued as verified results of climate projects and retired to offset a carbon footprint or to meet Sakhalin experiment quotas.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Projects are registered, validated and verified, units are issued in the registry and sold over the counter and on exchange.","src":1}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Federal Law No. 296-FZ of 2 July 2021 'On limiting greenhouse gas emissions' (translated title)","p":"President of Russia (kremlin.ru)","d":"2021-07-02","type":"official","u":"http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/47013"},{"t":"Russian Carbon Units Registry: home page with project data","p":"JSC Kontur","d":"2026-10-18","type":"registry","u":"https://carbonreg.ru/ru/"},{"t":"Government Decree No. 234 of 5 March 2026 on registration of climate projects and carbon units (legal review)","p":"ppt.ru","d":"2026","type":"press","u":"https://ppt.ru/obzory/vstupaet-v-silu/postanovlenie-pravitelstva-rf-05-03-2026-234-o-registratsii-klimaticheskikh-proektov-i-uglerodnykh-edinits"},{"t":"Gases will be put into a special account (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2026-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8878323"},{"t":"The Russian carbon market is looking for new sources of demand (translated title)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2026-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/esg/climate/articles/2026/08/27/1223973-rinok-ischet-istochniki"},{"t":"Up to 58 million carbon units will appear on the Russian market by 2035 (translated title)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2026-07-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/esg/climate/news/2026/07/02/1210682-do-58-mln-uglerodnih-edinits-poyavyatsya-na-rinke-rf-do-2035-goda"},{"t":"Results of Sakhalin's climate experiment discussed at the 'Islands of Sustainable Development' forum (translated title)","p":"EastRussia","d":"2026-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/itogi-klimaticheskogo-eksperimenta-sakhalina-obsudili-na-forume-ostrova-ustoychivogo-razvitiya/"},{"t":"State Duma committee approves bill on climate projects in forests (translated title)","p":"Interfax","d":"2024-04-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/957393"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Russia's carbon-unit registry listed 120,786,335 units planned for issue in my name, 37,726,274 in circulation and 255,377 retired against a carbon footprint on 18 October 2026.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many carbon units are in circulation","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The price of a carbon unit","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether a functioning market exists","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a definition of additionality in the text of 296-FZ; criteria for climate projects are delegated to the authorised federal executive body (Art. 9(2)).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an additionality test field in registry project entries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: independent measurement of any project's effect on emissions; the registry holds project-reported, verifier-confirmed reductions.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: prices and volumes of individual over-the-counter transactions in the registry data.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: per-project buyer identities; the registry names buyers only in retirement news items.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: units in circulation are 37,726,274 in the registry, 37 million per the Ministry of Economic Development, 37.6 million per the Kept study and fewer than 200 thousand per a Kept manager; the article does not say whether the last figure refers to traded units.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the number of projects is 141 in the registry, 132 per the Ministry (12 August 2026), 127 per the Kept study (1 August 2026) and 122 per Kontur (July 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: prices are 550–625 roubles at exchange start with guidance of 600 (Vedomosti, July 2026) and 700–1,000 roubles (Kept partner), while EastRussia reports a fall from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the decision on Russia's March 2026 application to CORSIA, expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether amendments to 296-FZ after 2021 changed the regulated-organisation thresholds or added quota obligations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russia-forest-climate-projects-rusal-and-sakhalin-larch","title":"Russian forest-climate projects: RUSAL fire-protection units and Sakhalin larch planting","dek":"RUSAL Krasnoyarsk's aerial fire-protection project on 504,986 hectares earned Russian carbon units, and units from it were sold to a UAE fund in October 2024 in the first foreign transaction in Russia's registry. Registry operator, forestry agency and scientists have questioned forest-project quality in general, and one registered project plans to plant larch on bogs on Sakhalin.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":60.96,"lon":87.53,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (RUSAL Krasnoyarsk project)","lat":60.961944,"lon":87.533056,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sakhalin Oblast, Poronaysk district (larch project)","lat":49.271533,"lon":143.048315,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","role":"buyer"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting","wildfire","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"RUSAL project units in circulation in the registry","value":"1,229,080","note":"Project 04-2023-00000012, 504,986 ha; 121,974 further units retired. Registry data of 18 October 2026."},"happened":["RUSAL Krasnoyarsk's project 04-2023-00000012 earns carbon units as \"increased absorption\" for airborne fire protection of a 504,986 ha forest tract in the Nizhne-Yeniseisky forestry district near Yartsevo, Krasnoyarsk Krai. The project rests on a framework agreement of 17 April 2019 between RUSAL, the Krasnoyarsk Krai government and Rosleskhoz (the federal forestry agency); its start date is 19 July 2019 and end date 19 October 2033. The registry describes the tract as moved from unmanaged \"reserve forests\" to \"managed forests\", with aerial patrol and firefighting; the baseline states \"any fire on this forest plot could become significant\". The methodology was developed for the project in line with GOST R ISO 14064-2-2021, and the verifier was the Union for the Protection of Environmental Rights of the Population of Moscow Oblast (accreditation RA.RU.150015). Validation was positive on 28 November 2023, registration followed on 29 December 2023 and verification on 28 May 2024.","Verified results were 270,461 tCO2e (2019), 270,314 (2020), 270,368 (2021), 269,703 (2022) and 270,208 (2023), with 5,152,843 planned to 2033. The registry shows 1,229,080 units in circulation and 121,974 retired. RUSAL said units were issued in June 2024. Gazprombank arranged a transfer of units to Equity International, a UAE investment fund, announced on 17–18 October 2024 at the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow; the buyer used them to offset the carbon footprint of one of its assets, and volume and price were not disclosed. Kommersant reported in September 2025 that nearly 40% of the volume of carbon-unit and quota-unit deals that year were closed using results of RUSAL's forest-protection project.","Federal Law No. 492-FZ of 26 December 2024, in force from 1 January 2025, gave forest-climate projects a basis in the Forest Code, with projects run under an agreement with the federal forest oversight body. At a round table in March 2025 organised by the RSPP climate committee and the carbon-monitoring consortium, only 3 of 51 registry projects were forest projects (two reforestation, one fire protection). Vladimir Dmitriev of Rosleskhoz acknowledged quality problems in project documentation; Kontur CEO Oksana Gogunskaya said international buyers would not buy \"home-made\" methodologies and that forest projects lacked clear permanence guarantees and insurance; Vladimir Korotkov of the Institute of Global Climate and Ecology said developers used methodologies incorrectly and that monocultures harmed biodiversity; and Evgeny Shvarts of the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences called project quality low and most projects PR-oriented. A registry reserve account from 1 March 2027 will hold units from forestry, peatland and agroforestry projects at risk of reversal and cancel them if a release is confirmed.","Registry project 64-2023-00000006 on Sakhalin, run by OOO VTsL (Interfax names it OOO Vaninsky Forestry Centre, a resident of the Free Port of Vladivostok), plants Dahurian larch on non-forest land (\"bogs\") over 5,955.1 ha in 15 plots in the Poronaysk forestry district. It plans 1,515,282.92 units to 2102 with a crediting period from 1 September 2038 to 1 September 2102, a baseline accumulation of 25,184.06 tCO2e and registration on 8 September 2023; no units have been issued. The project's own claim is total biomass stored of 1,541,674.20 tCO2e and project emissions of 1,207.22 tCO2e. An unnamed member of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Scientific Council on Forests, quoted by The Moscow Times, criticised monoculture conifer planting and expected the Sakhalin project to fail on bog peat; the outlet's experts spoke anonymously because it is labelled a \"foreign agent\" in Russia.","On national accounting, a February 2021 Environment Ministry directive counted unmanaged \"reserve\" forests like managed ones, which the ministry said could add almost 0.5 billion tonnes of CO2 absorption a year; Greenpeace Russia's Alexei Yaroshenko disputed the official sink claims and said fire-control zones should not count as managed forests. Kommersant reported in December 2025 that at the end of 2024 Russia raised its forest absorption estimate by about 0.5 billion tonnes of CO2 a year, to about 1.2 billion tonnes. Science Minister Valery Falkov said in 2020 that at least 80 carbon polygons were needed to estimate how much carbon the environment absorbs, and presidential aide Andrey Fursenko linked the monitoring system to Russia's positions in international negotiations; The Moscow Times cited 18 polygons. The Research Centre \"Carbon Polygon of NSU\" acts as an accredited validator in the registry, for the Sakhalin larch project."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"RUSAL project starts (19 July) under a framework agreement of 17 April 2019 with the Krasnoyarsk Krai government and Rosleskhoz","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Sakhalin larch project registered (8 September); RUSAL project validated (28 November) and registered (29 December)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"RUSAL project verified (28 May); units issued (June); first foreign transaction announced (17–18 October); Law 492-FZ signed (26 December)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Law 492-FZ in force (1 January); round table on forest-project quality (March); Kommersant reports nearly 40% of deal volume tied to RUSAL results (September)","src":6},{"y":2027,"t":"Registry reserve account for reversal-risk projects takes effect (1 March)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"any fire on this forest plot could become significant","who":"Registry project description, RUSAL Krasnoyarsk project 04-2023-00000012 (translated)","when":"2023","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"home-made","who":"Oksana Gogunskaya, CEO of Kontur, on methodologies international buyers would not buy (translated)","when":"March 2025","src":6,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The first voluntary forest offset project on aerial fire management in Russia; the commitment to carbon neutrality is a global economic trend.","who":"RUSAL (Elena Myakotnikova), press release of 21 October 2024","src":1},{"t":"The deal demonstrates the readiness of the registry infrastructure for international trade.","who":"Gazprombank (Ekaterina Salugina-Sorokovaya), as reported by TASS, 19 October 2024","src":2},{"t":"Prospects for a united BRICS carbon market.","who":"Equity International (Salem Humaid Almazaini), in the RUSAL release","src":1},{"t":"Natural climate projects are gaining global priority over technological ones.","who":"RUSAL/En+ (Irina Bakhtina), as reported by Kommersant, 2025","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"RUSAL project 04-2023-00000012: 1,229,080 units in circulation, 121,974 retired, 5,152,843 planned to 2033; the registry shows 255,377 retired units in total.","src":0},{"t":"The registry lists two public files for the RUSAL project, the project location and the validation conclusion.","src":0},{"t":"Sale of RUSAL units to a UAE fund: volume and price not disclosed.","src":1},{"t":"At the March 2025 round table, 3 of 51 registry projects were forest projects.","src":6},{"t":"Sakhalin larch project 64-2023-00000006: 5,955.1 ha, 1,515,282.92 units planned to 2102, no units issued.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"State spending on climate projects including forest planting and absorption measurement (Deputy Economy Minister Torosov), per year","amount":10000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2024 statement"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"RUSAL fire-protection area","v":"504,986 ha","d":"Krasnoyarsk Krai tract, project 04-2023-00000012"},{"k":"Units in circulation","v":"1,229,080","d":"RUSAL project; 121,974 retired"},{"k":"Sakhalin larch planting","v":"5,955.1 ha","d":"On non-forest land (bogs); no units issued"},{"k":"Forest projects at round table","v":"3 of 51","d":"Registry projects that were forest projects, March 2025"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: volume and price of the units sold to Equity International (RUSAL, TASS).","Not disclosed: a verification report for the RUSAL project; the registry lists only two public files, the project location and the validation conclusion.","None on record: independent measurement of fire outcomes in the RUSAL project area.","None on record: measured data on the peat carbon effects of the Sakhalin larch planting on bogs.","None on record: a study measuring the outcome of any registered Russian forest climate project.","None on record: permanence guarantees and insurance for forest projects, according to the Kontur CEO (2025).","None on record: a regulator or registry cancelling or suspending a Russian forest carbon unit; all 141 registry projects show state active.","Disputed: official forest-sink figures, which Greenpeace Russia and independent scientists question.","Not disclosed: the budget of the state-funded carbon polygons."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the RUSAL project has 1,229,080 units in circulation and the Sakhalin larch project has issued none; a reserve account for reversal-risk forest units takes effect on 1 March 2027.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"RUSAL","says":"Describes the project as the first voluntary forest offset project on aerial fire management in Russia and the commitment to carbon neutrality as a global economic trend.","when":"21 October 2024","src":1},{"actor":"Rosleskhoz","says":"Acknowledged quality problems in forest-climate project documentation (Vladimir Dmitriev).","when":"March 2025","src":6},{"actor":"Kontur","says":"International buyers will not buy home-made methodologies; forest projects lack clear permanence guarantees and insurance (Oksana Gogunskaya).","when":"March 2025","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"rusal","role":"Executor of the Krasnoyarsk fire-protection project; seller of units"},{"id":"gazprombank","role":"Arranged the first foreign transaction in the registry"},{"id":"equity-international","role":"UAE fund that bought RUSAL units"},{"id":"kontur-registry","role":"Registry operator"},{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Federal forestry agency; party to the framework agreement"},{"id":"vcl-forestry","role":"Executor of the Sakhalin larch project"},{"id":"nsu-carbon-polygon","role":"Validator of the Sakhalin larch project"},{"id":"greenpeace-russia","role":"Disputed official forest-sink claims"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Federal Law 492-FZ and reserve-account rules"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether Russia's official forest absorption figures are reliable","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Ministry","says":"A February 2021 directive counting unmanaged reserve forests like managed ones could add almost 0.5 billion tonnes of CO2 absorption a year.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Alexei Yaroshenko)","says":"Disputed the official sink claims and said fire-control zones should not count as managed forests.","src":8}]},{"point":"Whether the Sakhalin larch planting on bogs will deliver the stored biomass the project claims","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Project 64-2023-00000006 (registry entry)","says":"Total biomass stored of 1,541,674.20 tCO2e and project emissions of 1,207.22 tCO2e.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Unnamed member of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Scientific Council on Forests","says":"Criticised monoculture conifer planting and expected the project to fail on bog peat.","src":7}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":504986,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"RUSAL Krasnoyarsk fire-protection tract, project 04-2023-00000012."},{"key":"credits_in_circulation","value":1229080,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"RUSAL project, registry data."},{"key":"credits_retired","value":121974,"unit":"carbon units","year":2026,"note":"RUSAL project, registry data; the registry shows 255,377 retired units in total."},{"key":"credits_planned","value":5152843,"unit":"carbon units","year":2033,"note":"RUSAL project, planned to 2033."},{"key":"verified_results_2023","value":270208,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2023,"note":"RUSAL project; 2019–2022 verified results 270,461; 270,314; 270,368; 269,703."},{"key":"area_ha","value":5955.1,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Sakhalin larch planting on non-forest land in 15 plots, project 64-2023-00000006."},{"key":"credits_planned","value":1515282.92,"unit":"carbon units","year":2102,"note":"Sakhalin larch project, planned to 2102; no units issued."},{"key":"forest_absorption_estimate","value":1200000000,"unit":"tCO2 per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"National estimate raised by about 0.5 billion tCO2 a year at the end of 2024 (Kommersant)."},{"key":"carbon_polygons_needed","value":80,"unit":"polygons","year":2020,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Science Minister Valery Falkov."},{"key":"state_climate_spending","value":10000,"unit":"RUB million per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Statement by Deputy Economy Minister Torosov."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"RUSAL Krasnoyarsk's aerial fire-protection project earned carbon units that were sold in the first foreign transaction in Russia's registry; the registry operator, the forestry agency and scientists have questioned the quality of Russian forest-climate projects in general.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RUSAL Krasnoyarsk","what":"1,229,080 units in circulation and 121,974 retired; foreign sale price undisclosed","src":0},{"who":"Equity International (UAE)","what":"Bought units to offset the carbon footprint of one of its assets","src":1},{"who":"Gazprombank","what":"Arranged the transfer","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Bog peat on Sakhalin","what":"Planned larch plantations over 5,955.1 ha on non-forest land; no measured data on peat carbon effects","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nizhne-Yeniseisky district, Krasnoyarsk Krai (504,986 ha), and Poronaysk district, Sakhalin Oblast (5,955.1 ha).","src":0},"when":{"t":"RUSAL project 2019–2033, verified 28 May 2024, foreign sale October 2024; Sakhalin larch project registered 8 September 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Units are credited as increased absorption for airborne fire protection; the Sakhalin project plants larch to store biomass.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Aerial patrol and firefighting move the tract from unmanaged reserve forest to managed forest; units were transferred through Gazprombank to a UAE fund.","src":0}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Russian Carbon Units Registry: home page with project data (projects 04-2023-00000012 and 64-2023-00000006)","p":"JSC Kontur","d":"2026-10-18","type":"registry","u":"https://carbonreg.ru/ru/"},{"t":"First international transaction in Russian carbon unit registry held with RUSAL's carbon units","p":"RUSAL","d":"2024-10-21","type":"company","u":"https://rusal.ru/en/press-center/press-releases/first-international-transaction-in-russian-carbon-unit-registry-held-with-rusal-s-carbon-units/"},{"t":"First deal to sell Russian carbon units abroad completed","p":"TASS","d":"2024-10-19","type":"press","u":"https://tass.com/economy/1858339/amp"},{"t":"Time to earn on the climate (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2025-09-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8006565"},{"t":"Russia keeps its target of carbon neutrality by 2060 (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2025-12-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8317172"},{"t":"Signed: law establishing the mechanism for forest-climate projects (Federal Law 492-FZ)","p":"ConsultantPlus","d":"2024-12-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.consultant.ru/law/hotdocs/87718.html"},{"t":"A decision has been made to improve the quality of forest-climate projects (translated title)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2025-03-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/esg/climate/news/2025/03/21/1099559-kachestvo-lesoklimaticheskih-proektov-resheno-uluchshit"},{"t":"Russia says its forests can absorb its greenhouse gas emissions…","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/07/18/russia-says-its-forests-can-absorb-its-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-change-and-poor-forestry-standards-make-this-unlikely"},{"t":"Russia Says Its Forests Neutralize Billions of Tons of Greenhouse Gases. Scientists Have Their Doubts","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2021","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/08/06/russia-says-its-forests-neutralize-billions-of-tons-of-greenhouse-gases-scientists-have-their-doubts"},{"t":"Falkov says more than 80 carbon polygons are needed (translated title)","p":"Izvestia","d":"2020-09-22","type":"press","u":"https://iz.ru/1063947/2020-09-22/falkov-zaiavil-o-neobkhodimosti-sozdaniia-bolee-80-karbonovykh-poligonov"},{"t":"Gases will be put into a special account (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2026-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8878323"},{"t":"State Duma committee approves bill on climate projects in forests (translated title)","p":"Interfax","d":"2024-04-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/957393"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Fire protection of 504,986 hectares of my forest near Yartsevo has earned carbon units in my name: 1,229,080 in circulation and 121,974 retired, registry data of 18 October 2026 show.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether Russia's official forest absorption figures are reliable","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the Sakhalin larch planting on bogs will deliver the stored biomass the project claims","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: volume and price of the units sold to Equity International (RUSAL, TASS).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a verification report for the RUSAL project; the registry lists only two public files, the project location and the validation conclusion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: independent measurement of fire outcomes in the RUSAL project area.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured data on the peat carbon effects of the Sakhalin larch planting on bogs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a study measuring the outcome of any registered Russian forest climate project.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: permanence guarantees and insurance for forest projects, according to the Kontur CEO (2025).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a regulator or registry cancelling or suspending a Russian forest carbon unit; all 141 registry projects show state active.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: official forest-sink figures, which Greenpeace Russia and independent scientists question.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the budget of the state-funded carbon polygons.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sakhalin-carbon-neutrality-experiment","title":"Sakhalin carbon-neutrality experiment under Federal Law 34-FZ","dek":"Federal Law 34-FZ of 2022 set an experiment in Sakhalin Oblast from 1 September 2022 to 31 December 2028 with a goal of carbon neutrality by 31 December 2025. Officials announced on 2 August 2025 that absorption exceeded emissions under the regional cadastre, and representatives of the RSPP were reported as saying the balance came from refining the cadastre rather than from quotas.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":50,"lon":143,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sakhalin Oblast (Sakhalin island and the Kuril Islands)","lat":50,"lon":143,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2028,"eventDate":"2025-08-02","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Payment for exceeding an emissions quota","value":"RUB 1,000 per tCO2e","note":"Paid to the Sakhalin regional budget; 35 companies take part. Total fees collected are not on record."},"happened":["Federal Law of 6 March 2022 No. 34-FZ \"On conducting an experiment on limiting greenhouse gas emissions in certain constituent entities of the Russian Federation\" set the experiment in Sakhalin Oblast from 1 September 2022 to 31 December 2028, with the goal of carbon neutrality in the oblast by 31 December 2025 (Art. 3). The start was moved from 1 March to 1 September 2022 during the second reading because by-laws, the quota methodology and the fee rules, were not ready. The law defines carbon neutrality as a state in which the mass of anthropogenic emissions does not exceed the mass of absorption in a calendar year (Art. 2(10)). Expansion to other regions requires amending the law (Art. 3).","Quotas are set for each regional regulated organisation. Organisations may use carbon units and quota fulfilment units (EVK) to meet quotas; they pay for emissions above quota at a rate set by the federal government, with the payment going to the regional budget for emission-reduction and absorption measures and research, due by 1 June (Art. 8). Emissions under quota earn one EVK per tonne (Art. 8(14)). An annual inventory of emissions and absorptions is entered into a regional cadastre agreed with the federal hydrometeorology body (Art. 6). Moscow Times, citing Reuters, reported the rate as 1,000 roubles per excess tonne. The starting point reported by Kommersant via EastRussia was 12.3 million tCO2e emitted and 11.1 million tonnes absorbed in 2021; in November 2024 the Ministry of Economic Development and VEB.RF told COP29, according to Reuters, that net emissions were about 732,000 tCO2e in 2023 against about 1.4 million tonnes in 2021, with a target cut of 1.2 million tonnes and 35 organisations, each emitting more than 20,000 tonnes a year, under quotas for 2024–2028.","Governor Valery Limarenko announced early carbon neutrality on 2 August 2025, saying absorption exceeded emissions under the cadastre as agreed with Rosgidromet. Kommersant reported that 35 companies take part, that participants together had to cut emissions by almost 160 thousand tCO2e for 2024–2025, and that the 2024 inventory was carried out by the Yu. A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology and agreed by Roshydromet. It reported a quota market volume of 266 thousand tCO2e and 131 thousand carbon units credited in 2025, eight times the 2024 figure; the consultancy publication INFRAGREEN assigned the 266 thousand and 131 thousand figures to 2024 compliance. Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported emissions cut threefold and regional output up by a third, with RUSAL supplying 40% of the verified carbon units used and RUSAL, NOVATEK, SIBUR, Gazprom, Russian Railways and SakhalinEnergo named as trading firms. A lawyer writing in Advokatskaya Gazeta said PAO Sakhalinenergo received 684 quota fulfilment units in 2025 and sold 384 to MP Noglikskiy Vodokanal. The first exchange trades of Sakhalin EVK took place on 30 June 2025, and the registry shows 13,195 quota units fulfilled. Official results were reported at a State Council commission meeting on 16 December 2025.","Vedomosti reported that in the second period (2025–2026) the number of companies exceeding quotas fell from 12 to 4 and the excess fell to 67,800 tCO2e; companies bought about 63,000 units to offset and EVK were barely used, with one participant using 1,000 EVK bought at 200 roubles each. Kontur said about 90% of all retirements in the national registry were by Sakhalin participants, and that retirements totalled 72,400 tonnes in the first half of 2026 against 145,700 tonnes in all of 2025; Kontur's Yevgeny Panin said Sakhalin reporting had just closed, so the fall was hard to interpret. EastRussia, reporting a forum on 31 July 2026, said prices of carbon units fell from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles per tonne and that six regions (Yakutia, Komi, Tatarstan, Irkutsk, Arkhangelsk and Stavropol) were adopting Sakhalin practices.","Representatives of the RSPP (Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs) were reported by Kommersant on 25 December 2025 as saying the balance was reached \"not through quota-setting but as a result of refining the regional cadastre\". Experts from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of National Economic Forecasting were reported as saying that in its current design the quota mechanism brings no budget revenue and no protection against the EU carbon border tax. Minister Maxim Reshetnikov said the aim was the competitiveness of low-carbon exports and asked whether neutrality could be sustained long term; presidential climate envoy Ruslan Edelgeriev said the target was achieved alongside economic growth."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Law 34-FZ signed (6 March); start moved to 1 September","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Payment rate of RUB 1,000 per tCO2e applies from 1 March (reported)","src":8},{"y":2024,"t":"Quotas apply for 2024–2028; 2024 inventory by the Izrael Institute agreed with Roshydromet","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"First exchange trades of Sakhalin EVK (30 June); governor announces carbon neutrality (2 August); results reported to State Council commission (16 December)","src":13},{"y":2026,"t":"Second-period results reported: companies above quota fall from 12 to 4 (Vedomosti, August)","src":6},{"y":2028,"t":"Experiment period ends (31 December)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"clean air, unique wildlife and a high quality of life","who":"Governor Valery Limarenko, on what the experiment produced (translated by The Moscow Times)","when":"August 2025","src":9,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"not through quota-setting but as a result of refining the regional cadastre","who":"Representatives of the RSPP, on how the balance was reached, as reported by Kommersant (translated)","when":"25 December 2025","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"soft","who":"Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, on regulation for business for now, as reported by Kommersant (translated)","when":"4 August 2025","src":10,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Sakhalin is the first Russian region where absorption exceeds emissions under the official cadastre; the next task is to move from experimental to systemic practice.","who":"Governor Valery Limarenko, as reported by Kommersant, 2025","src":2},{"t":"The target was achieved alongside economic growth.","who":"Ruslan Edelgeriev, presidential climate envoy, as reported by INFRAGREEN","src":3},{"t":"The quota methodology needs revision with business; Russia seeks international recognition of its registry.","who":"Milena Milich, the governor's climate representative, as reported by Kommersant and EastRussia","src":2},{"t":"Emissions cut threefold while regional output rose by a third.","who":"Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 5 August 2025","src":11}],"recorded":[{"t":"Experiment period 1 September 2022 to 31 December 2028; target date for carbon neutrality 31 December 2025 (Art. 3 of 34-FZ).","src":0},{"t":"35 companies participate; for 2024–2025 they must together cut emissions by almost 160 thousand tCO2e.","src":2},{"t":"Quota market volume of 266 thousand tCO2e and 131 thousand carbon units credited (Kommersant: 2025; INFRAGREEN: 2024 compliance).","src":10},{"t":"Second period: companies exceeding quotas fell from 12 to 4; excess 67,800 tCO2e; about 63,000 units bought to offset.","src":6},{"t":"Registry shows 13,195 quota units fulfilled; first exchange trades of Sakhalin EVK on 30 June 2025.","src":13},{"t":"About 90% of all retirements in the national registry are by Sakhalin participants (Kontur).","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2023–2028","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Neutrality target","v":"31 Dec 2025","d":"Date set in Art. 3 of 34-FZ; announced reached on 2 August 2025"},{"k":"Participants","v":"35 companies","d":"Under quotas for 2024–2028"},{"k":"Companies above quota","v":"12 to 4","d":"Second period, 2025–2026 (Vedomosti)"},{"k":"Payment above quota","v":"RUB 1,000 per tCO2e","d":"To the regional budget"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: absolute emissions and absorption tonnage in the August 2025 announcements.","None on record: post-recalculation emission and absorption figures in tonnes.","Not disclosed: the methodology for forest absorption in the regional cadastre and any independent verification of the cadastre figures.","None on record: the cadastre methodology change that the RSPP representatives referred to.","Not disclosed: quota allocations per company, total fees paid to the regional budget and the programme budget.","None on record: final 2025 results; the 2025 results were to be summarised in 2026.","Figures differ: net emissions in 2021 are given as 12.3 million tCO2e emitted and 11.1 million tonnes absorbed (Kommersant via EastRussia) and as about 1.4 million tonnes net (VEB.RF via Reuters).","Figures differ: INFRAGREEN assigns the quota volume of 266 thousand tCO2e and 131 thousand carbon units to 2024 compliance, while Kommersant reports 131 thousand credited in 2025, eight times 2024.","Figures differ: carbon-unit prices are reported as falling from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles (EastRussia), while Vedomosti cites exchange bids of 550–625 roubles in July 2026.","Disputed: the year neutrality was reached, by the end of 2024 in the governor's results announced in August 2025 and in 2025 in the forum report.","Disputed: whether neutrality reflects real emission changes or an accounting revision of the cadastre."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2026 (latest sources opened): the experiment runs to 31 December 2028; officials report absorption above emissions under the regional cadastre, and no independent verification is on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Sakhalin Oblast government","says":"Sakhalin is the first Russian region where absorption exceeds emissions under the official cadastre (Governor Valery Limarenko).","when":"August 2025","src":2},{"actor":"Ministry of Economic Development","says":"Aim is competitiveness of low-carbon exports; asked whether neutrality can be sustained long term (Minister Maxim Reshetnikov).","when":"August 2025","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"sakhalin-oblast-government","role":"Regional government running the experiment"},{"id":"economy-ministry-russia","role":"Ministry responsible for the experiment's rules"},{"id":"kontur-registry","role":"Registry operator; source of retirement data"},{"id":"rusal","role":"Supplier of about 40% of carbon units used"},{"id":"izrael-institute","role":"Carried out the 2024 inventory"},{"id":"rspp","role":"Association whose representatives questioned the cause of neutrality"},{"id":"ras-forecasting-institute","role":"Sceptical assessment of the quota mechanism"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Set the payment rate; federal law 34-FZ"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether neutrality reflects real emission changes or an accounting revision","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Sakhalin Oblast government (Governor Valery Limarenko)","says":"Absorption exceeds emissions under the official cadastre agreed with Roshydromet.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"RSPP representatives","says":"The balance was reached not through quota-setting but as a result of refining the regional cadastre.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Institute of National Economic Forecasting, Russian Academy of Sciences","says":"In its current design the quota mechanism brings no budget revenue and no protection against the EU carbon border tax.","src":2}]},{"point":"The year neutrality was reached","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Governor's results (announced August 2025)","says":"By the end of 2024.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"EastRussia forum report (31 July 2026)","says":"In 2025.","src":5}]},{"point":"The year of the 266 thousand tCO2e quota volume and 131 thousand credited units","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (4 August 2025)","says":"131 thousand carbon units credited in 2025, eight times the 2024 figure.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"INFRAGREEN (consultancy publication)","says":"Quota volume of 266 thousand tCO2e and 131 thousand units credited for 2024 compliance.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"participants","value":35,"unit":"companies","year":2025,"note":"Kommersant; Reuters: 35 organisations each emitting more than 20,000 t a year."},{"key":"payment_rate","value":1000,"unit":"RUB per tCO2e","year":2023,"note":"Payment for exceeding quota, to the regional budget (Moscow Times, Reuters)."},{"key":"emissions_2021","value":12300000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2021,"note":"Emitted, with 11.1 million tonnes absorbed (Kommersant via EastRussia)."},{"key":"absorption_2021","value":11100000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"note":"Kommersant via EastRussia."},{"key":"net_emissions_2021","value":1400000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"VEB.RF via Reuters."},{"key":"net_emissions_2023","value":732000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"VEB.RF via Reuters, November 2024."},{"key":"quota_volume","value":266000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2024,"note":"Year disputed: INFRAGREEN assigns it to 2024 compliance; Kommersant (4 August 2025) reports it with the 2025 announcement."},{"key":"credits_credited","value":131000,"unit":"carbon units","year":2025,"note":"Kommersant: 2025, eight times 2024; INFRAGREEN: 2024 compliance."},{"key":"required_reduction","value":160000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2025,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Participants' combined required cut for 2024–2025 (Kommersant)."},{"key":"companies_above_quota_before","value":12,"unit":"companies","year":2025,"note":"First period, per Vedomosti."},{"key":"companies_above_quota_after","value":4,"unit":"companies","year":2026,"note":"Second period, per Vedomosti."},{"key":"quota_excess","value":67800,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Second period, per Vedomosti."},{"key":"units_bought_to_offset","value":63000,"unit":"units","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Second period, per Vedomosti."},{"key":"quota_units_fulfilled","value":13195,"unit":"quota units","year":2026,"note":"Registry field quotaUnitsFulfilled."},{"key":"retirements_2025","value":145700,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"All retirements in the national registry (Kontur); about 90% by Sakhalin participants."},{"key":"retirements_h1_2026","value":72400,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"First half of 2026 (Kontur)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Federal Law 34-FZ set an experiment of regional emissions quotas in Sakhalin Oblast from 1 September 2022 to 31 December 2028, with a goal of carbon neutrality by 31 December 2025, which officials announced as reached on 2 August 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sakhalin regional budget","what":"Receives payments of RUB 1,000 per tCO2e above quota; total collected is not on record","src":8},{"who":"Sellers of carbon units such as RUSAL","what":"Supplied about 40% of the verified carbon units used (Nezavisimaya Gazeta)","src":11},{"who":"PAO Sakhalinenergo","what":"Received 684 quota fulfilment units in 2025 and sold 384 to MP Noglikskiy Vodokanal (Advokatskaya Gazeta)","src":12}],"lost":[{"who":"Participants exceeding quotas","what":"Pay RUB 1,000 per excess tonne or buy units to offset; about 63,000 units bought in the second period","src":6}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sakhalin Oblast (Sakhalin island and the Kuril Islands), Russia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Experiment 1 September 2022 to 31 December 2028; neutrality target 31 December 2025; announced 2 August 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The law sets carbon neutrality in Sakhalin Oblast as the experiment's goal; Minister Reshetnikov linked it to the competitiveness of low-carbon exports.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Quotas for regional regulated organisations, payments above quota to the regional budget, tradable quota fulfilment units and national carbon units, with emissions and absorption entered in a regional cadastre agreed with Roshydromet.","src":0}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Federal Law No. 34-FZ of 6 March 2022 'On conducting an experiment on limiting greenhouse gas emissions in certain constituent entities of the Russian Federation' (translated title)","p":"President of Russia (kremlin.ru)","d":"2022-03-06","type":"official","u":"http://www.kremlin.ru/acts/bank/47605"},{"t":"Carbon-neutrality experiment on Sakhalin postponed (translated title)","p":"EastRussia","d":"2022-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/eksperiment-po-uglerodnoy-neytralnosti-na-sakhaline-otlozhili/"},{"t":"Time to earn on the climate (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2025-09-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8006565"},{"t":"The Sakhalin breakthrough: how the first Russian region reached carbon neutrality while its economy grew (translated title; consultancy publication)","p":"INFRAGREEN","d":"2025-12-18","type":"press","u":"https://infragreen.ru/how-sakhalin-achieved-carbon-neutrality/"},{"t":"Russia keeps its target of carbon neutrality by 2060 (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2025-12-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8317172"},{"t":"Results of Sakhalin's climate experiment discussed at the 'Islands of Sustainable Development' forum (translated title)","p":"EastRussia","d":"2026-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/itogi-klimaticheskogo-eksperimenta-sakhalina-obsudili-na-forume-ostrova-ustoychivogo-razvitiya/"},{"t":"The Russian carbon market is looking for new sources of demand (translated title)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2026-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/esg/climate/articles/2026/08/27/1223973-rinok-ischet-istochniki"},{"t":"Up to 58 million carbon units will appear on the Russian market by 2035 (translated title)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2026-07-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/esg/climate/news/2026/07/02/1210682-do-58-mln-uglerodnih-edinits-poyavyatsya-na-rinke-rf-do-2035-goda"},{"t":"Greenhouse gas emissions in Sakhalin's climate experiment fell twofold since 2021 (translated title; Reuters)","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2024-11-21","type":"press","u":"https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2024/11/21/vybrosy-parnikovykh-gazov-v-ramkakh-klimaticheskogo-eksperimenta-na-sakhaline-sokratilis-v-2-raza-s-21g-a148309"},{"t":"Sakhalin Becomes First Russian Region to Reach Carbon Neutrality, Officials Say","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2025-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/08/03/sakhalin-becomes-first-russian-region-to-reach-carbon-neutrality-officials-say"},{"t":"Sakhalin goes into neutral air (translated title)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2025-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/7940568"},{"t":"The Sakhalin experiment reached its goal (translated title)","p":"Nezavisimaya Gazeta","d":"2025-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.ng.ru/economics/2025-08-05/100_111405082025.html"},{"t":"Interim successes of the Sakhalin experiment (opinion)","p":"Advokatskaya Gazeta","d":"2025-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.advgazeta.ru/mneniya/promezhutochnye-uspekhi-sakhalinskogo-eksperimenta/"},{"t":"Russian Carbon Units Registry: home page with project data and news feed","p":"JSC Kontur","d":"2026-10-18","type":"registry","u":"https://carbonreg.ru/ru/"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"On my Sakhalin, 12.3 million tCO2e were emitted and 11.1 million tonnes absorbed in 2021, Kommersant reported; on 2 August 2025 the governor announced carbon neutrality under the regional cadastre.","src":[1,10]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether neutrality reflects real emission changes or an accounting revision","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The year neutrality was reached","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The year of the 266 thousand tCO2e quota volume and 131 thousand credited units","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: absolute emissions and absorption tonnage in the August 2025 announcements.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: post-recalculation emission and absorption figures in tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the methodology for forest absorption in the regional cadastre and any independent verification of the cadastre figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the cadastre methodology change that the RSPP representatives referred to.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: quota allocations per company, total fees paid to the regional budget and the programme budget.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: final 2025 results; the 2025 results were to be summarised in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: net emissions in 2021 are given as 12.3 million tCO2e emitted and 11.1 million tonnes absorbed (Kommersant via EastRussia) and as about 1.4 million tonnes net (VEB.RF via Reuters).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: INFRAGREEN assigns the quota volume of 266 thousand tCO2e and 131 thousand carbon units to 2024 compliance, while Kommersant reports 131 thousand credited in 2025, eight times 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: carbon-unit prices are reported as falling from about 1,000 to 150–250 roubles (EastRussia), while Vedomosti cites exchange bids of 550–625 roubles in July 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the year neutrality was reached, by the end of 2024 in the governor's results announced in August 2025 and in 2025 in the forum report.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether neutrality reflects real emission changes or an accounting revision of the cadastre.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nornickel-daldykan-red-river-2016","title":"Daldykan River turns red near Norilsk, September 2016","dek":"The Daldykan River near Norilsk was reported red in September 2016. Nornickel attributed the colouring to a dike overflow after heavy rain at the Nadezhda plant's tailings system; the only payment on record is an administrative fine of RUB 30,000.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":69.33,"lon":88,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (Norilsk, Daldykan River)","lat":69.33,"lon":88,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Norilsk","role":"company-home"}],"start":2016,"end":2016,"eventDate":"2016-09-05","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","mining"],"headline":{"label":"Fine reported for the September 2016 Daldykan River discharge","value":"RUB 30,000","note":"Administrative fine under Article 8.13 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which sets a range of RUB 30,000–40,000. No damage claim or damage assessment is on record."},"happened":["The Daldykan River runs past the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (NMP) southwest of Norilsk and under the plant's tailings slurry pipeline. Reports of red water in the river first appeared on 6 September 2016. Russia's Ministry of Natural Resources first said the cause could be an accident at a Nornickel enterprise or a ruptured slurry pipeline; Nornickel did not confirm a leak at that stage.","On 8 September 2016 Nornickel published photographs showing the river in its natural colour, presenting them as a rebuttal of reports of a change of colour from large-scale pollution of the river. NASA Earth Observatory quoted Nornickel managers in September 2016: \"As far as we know, the color of the river today is no different from usual.\"","In a statement dated 12 September 2016, Nornickel said that in 2015–2016 it had modernised the tailings dam and tailings pipeline of the NMP hydrometallurgical shop; that before a pipe tie-in its standard procedure required draining the whole pipeline, with the wash water discharged into the tailings dam; and that on 5 September, after abnormal heavy rain, one of the dikes overflowed and water entered the Daldykan. It described the effect as short-term staining of the river with iron salts that \"presents no hazards for people and river fauna\". The Chemical Engineer reported that Nornickel accepted responsibility after first denying that plant operations caused the pollution, and that the Ministry of Natural Resources had opened an investigation.","On 31 October 2016 Meduza reported, citing REGNUM and Life.ru, that the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant had been fined RUB 30,000 under Article 8.13 of the Code of Administrative Offences, which sets a range of RUB 30,000–40,000. Consoglobe described the fine on 2 November 2016 as 500 euros, imposed by a court after a Ministry investigation.","NASA Landsat imagery shows red discoloration around Norilsk in September 1997, July 1998, August 2013, July 2014 and July 2015. In the August 2016 Landsat 8 and August 2001 Landsat 7 images, red water trails several kilometres long run along the slurry pipeline and follow the Daldykan. Consoglobe, citing NASA images, reported six similar incidents between 1997 and 2016."],"timeline":[{"y":1997,"t":"Red discoloration around Norilsk visible in Landsat imagery (also July 1998, August 2013, July 2014, July 2015)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Dike overflow at the Nadezhda tailings dam (5 Sep, per Nornickel); red water reported (6 Sep); Nornickel publishes photographs of the river in natural colour (8 Sep); Nornickel statement (12 Sep); fine of RUB 30,000 reported (31 Oct)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"On the 5th of September after abnormal heavy rain … the overflow of one of the dikes occurred, and water entered Daldykan river.","who":"Nornickel statement","when":"2016-09-12","src":1},{"q":"presents no hazards for people and river fauna","who":"Nornickel statement","when":"2016-09-12","src":1},{"q":"As far as we know, the color of the river today is no different from usual.","who":"Nornickel managers, quoted by NASA Earth Observatory","when":"September 2016","src":0},{"q":"You can't just say that it's no big deal, Right now there is a ministry of environment commission there","who":"Alexei Kiselyov, Greenpeace Russia (as quoted from The Guardian)","when":"September 2016","src":4},{"q":"These effects are very marked and widespread and can be mapped using remote sensing methods.","who":"Gareth Rees, University of Cambridge, on discoloration in the mid-1990s (quoted by NASA Earth Observatory)","when":"September 2016","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Photographs of the river in its natural colour, published on 8 September 2016 as a rebuttal of reports of a colour change","who":"Nornickel","src":2},{"t":"The colouring described as short-term staining of the river with iron salts","who":"Nornickel","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fine of RUB 30,000 under Article 8.13 of the Code of Administrative Offences, reported on 31 October 2016","src":3},{"t":"NASA Landsat imagery shows red discoloration around Norilsk in September 1997, July 1998, August 2013, July 2014 and July 2015","src":0},{"t":"In September 2016 NASA stated that Russian investigators had not yet concluded their inquiry","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2016","nature":[{"label":"Damage compensation or restoration payment","amount":null,"window":"2016","note":"No damage claim or damage assessment is on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Administrative fine, Article 8.13 (Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant)","amount":0.03,"window":"2016","note":"RUB 30,000; the article sets a range of RUB 30,000–40,000."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fine reported","v":"RUB 30,000","d":"Administrative fine under Article 8.13, reported 31 October 2016"},{"k":"Earlier discoloration in satellite imagery","v":"5 dates","d":"September 1997, July 1998, August 2013, July 2014, July 2015 (NASA Landsat)"},{"k":"Damage claim","v":"None on record","d":"No damage assessment published"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Nornickel's statement of 12 September 2016 and NASA Earth Observatory's analysis of Landsat imagery; no regulator water-sample data is on record.","report":[{"t":"My Daldykan River was reported red from 6 September 2016.","src":2},{"t":"Nornickel described the colouring as short-term staining with iron salts after a dike overflowed on 5 September 2016.","src":1},{"t":"NASA Landsat imagery shows red discoloration around Norilsk in September 1997, July 1998, August 2013, July 2014 and July 2015.","src":0},{"t":"In the August 2016 Landsat 8 image and the August 2001 Landsat 7 image, red water runs for several kilometres along the slurry pipeline and follows my course.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Unclear: which body imposed the fine. Consoglobe reported that a court imposed it after a Ministry investigation; Meduza did not name the body.","None on record: a final finding from the Ministry of Natural Resources or Rosprirodnadzor. In September 2016 NASA stated that Russian investigators had not yet concluded their inquiry.","None on record: a damage calculation or compensation claim for the incident.","None on record: water-sample concentrations, affected river length or discharged volume from a regulator."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The company dated the dike overflow to 5 September 2016 and described the colouring as short-term.","whoPaid":"The Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant was fined RUB 30,000 as reported; no damage payment is on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the only payment on record is an administrative fine of RUB 30,000 reported on 31 October 2016; no damage assessment is published.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Said the overflow of a dike followed abnormal heavy rain on 5 September 2016, described the colouring as short-term staining with iron salts that presents no hazards for people and river fauna, and said it would eliminate the effects of the old tailings pipeline operation by sanitary stripping of the ground.","when":"2016-09-12","src":1},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Published photographs on 8 September 2016 showing the river in its natural colour.","when":"2016-09-08","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"nornickel","role":"Owner of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant; issued the 12 September 2016 statement"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Published Landsat imagery of the discoloration"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Greenpeace Russia commented on the incident"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What caused the red colour, and did it pose a hazard to river fauna?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (8 September 2016)","says":"Published photographs showing the river in its natural colour; managers told NASA the river's colour was no different from usual.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (12 September 2016)","says":"Attributed the colouring to a dike overflow after abnormal heavy rain on 5 September and described it as short-term staining with iron salts presenting no hazards for people and river fauna.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Said the cause could be an accident at a Nornickel enterprise or a ruptured slurry pipeline.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"Said it could not simply be said that it was no big deal, and noted that a ministry of environment commission was at the site.","src":4}]},{"point":"Which body imposed the RUB 30,000 fine?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Consoglobe (2 November 2016)","says":"Reported that a court imposed the fine, equivalent to 500 euros, after a Ministry investigation.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Meduza (31 October 2016)","says":"Reported the fine under Article 8.13, citing REGNUM for the original report and Life.ru for the amount, without naming the body that imposed it.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Administrative fine, Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (Article 8.13, Code of Administrative Offences)","forum":"Not named in the sources (Consoglobe reports a court)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (Nornickel)","filed":2016,"decided":2016,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.03,"currency":"RUB","label":"fine (range under the article: RUB 30,000–40,000)"},"summary":"A fine of RUB 30,000 was reported on 31 October 2016 under Article 8.13 of the Code of Administrative Offences for the colouring of the river. Consoglobe reported that a court imposed it after a Ministry investigation.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":0.03,"unit":"RUB m","year":2016,"note":"Administrative fine, Article 8.13; the article sets a range of RUB 30,000–40,000."},{"key":"similar_incidents","value":6,"unit":"incidents","year":2016,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Consoglobe, citing NASA images: six similar incidents between 1997 and 2016."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Daldykan River near Norilsk was reported red from 6 September 2016. Nornickel attributed the colouring to a dike overflow at the Nadezhda plant's tailings system after heavy rain; the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant was fined RUB 30,000.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant (Nornickel)","what":"Fined RUB 30,000 under Article 8.13 of the Code of Administrative Offences","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Daldykan River","what":"Reported red from 6 September 2016; Nornickel described short-term staining with iron salts","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Daldykan River, which runs past the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant southwest of Norilsk and under its tailings slurry pipeline.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Dike overflow on 5 September 2016 (per Nornickel); red water reported on 6 September; Nornickel statement on 12 September; fine reported on 31 October 2016.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Nornickel attributed the overflow to abnormal heavy rain during the draining of a modernised tailings pipeline. The Ministry of Natural Resources first pointed to a possible accident at a Nornickel enterprise or a ruptured slurry pipeline.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Before a pipe tie-in, wash water from the drained pipeline is discharged into the tailings dam; Nornickel said one of the dikes overflowed after heavy rain and water entered the river.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Siberian River Has Turned Red Before, Satellites Show","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2016-09-15","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/siberian-river-has-turned-red-before-satellites-show-88725"},{"t":"Statement by Norilsk Nickel: \"Abnormal rains became the reason for Daldykan River Case\" (company text reproduced)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2016-09-13","type":"company","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/statement-by-norilsk-nickel"},{"t":"Norilsk Nickel explained the red colour of the river by water from the plant","p":"Meduza","d":"2016-09-12","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/news/2016/09/12/norilskiy-nikel-ob-yasnil-krasnyy-tsvet-reki-popadaniem-vody-s-zavoda"},{"t":"Nornickel fined RUB 30,000 for turning a river red","p":"Meduza","d":"2016-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/news/2016/10/31/nornikel-oshtrafovali-na-30-tysyach-rubley-za-okrashivanie-reki-v-krasnyy-tsvet"},{"t":"Norilsk Nickel admits fault for red river","p":"The Chemical Engineer","d":"2016-09-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/norilsk-nickel-admits-fault-for-red-river/"},{"t":"Red river in Russia: Nornickel must pay a 500 euro fine","p":"Consoglobe","d":"2016-11-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.consoglobe.com/riviere-rouge-russie-nornickel-cg"}],"episodes":[],"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What caused the red colour, and did it pose a hazard to river fauna?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Damage compensation or restoration payment — No damage claim or damage assessment is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which body imposed the RUB 30,000 fine?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: which body imposed the fine. Consoglobe reported that a court imposed it after a Ministry investigation; Meduza did not name the body.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a final finding from the Ministry of Natural Resources or Rosprirodnadzor. In September 2016 NASA stated that Russian investigators had not yet concluded their inquiry.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a damage calculation or compensation claim for the incident.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: water-sample concentrations, affected river length or discharged volume from a regulator.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nornickel-talnakh-tailings-discharge-2020","title":"Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility: wastewater pumped onto the tundra, 2017–2020","dek":"Wastewater from the Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility near Norilsk was pumped onto the tundra in June 2020, after earlier discharges recorded from 2017. In July 2024 five people were charged under Article 246 of the Criminal Code; no court outcome is on record.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":69.49,"lon":88.4,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (Talnakh, Norilsk)","lat":69.49,"lon":88.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (Dudinka, Yenisei River)","lat":69.4,"lon":86.18,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (Tukhard, Taimyr)","lat":69.5,"lon":84.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai Arbitration Court","role":"court"}],"start":2017,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2020-06-28","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","water","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Damage stated by investigators vs amount paid voluntarily","value":"> RUB 320m / RUB 282m","note":"Investigative Committee, July 2024: total damage of more than RUB 320m; RUB 282m paid voluntarily during the investigation. Sources differ on who paid."},"happened":["On 28 June 2020 journalists of Novaya Gazeta, Greenpeace Russia activists and Vasily Ryabinin, a former deputy head of the Norilsk Rosprirodnadzor department, found pumps draining liquid from the tailings dam of the Talnakh Concentrator (TOF) onto the tundra. Ryabinin called the police, the Emergencies Ministry (MChS), Rosprirodnadzor and the prosecutor's office. Nornickel security then turned off the pumping station, and a caterpillar tractor crushed a police car that had brought prosecutor's office staff. Meduza gave the discharge path as tundra, streams, the Kharaelakh River and Lake Pyasino.","Rosprirodnadzor's 2021 claim stated that on 28 June 2020 company workers laid two flexible pipelines connected to a floating pumping unit to discharge wastewater from the TOF tailings facility onto the tundra; MChS warned of a threat to the Kharaelakh River and the pumping was stopped. Nornickel called the discharge a \"gross violation\" of the tailings facility's operating rules. Its internal investigation found two episodes of unauthorised discharge of process water onto nearby land through flexible pipelines and floating pumping stations, and on 13 July 2020 it dismissed the TOF director, the chief engineer and the deputy chief engineer for operations and industrial and environmental safety of hydraulic structures. No source gives the volume discharged.","Earlier, on 16 June 2020, a criminal case was opened under Article 246 of the Criminal Code over discharges between June 2017 and July 2019 into the Tomulakh River intake zone and onto soil near the Oktyabrsky mine, against unidentified employees of Nornickel and JSC Mekhanobrinzhiniring; Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of restoring the environment at more than RUB 154m. On 1 July 2020 the Norilsk branch of the Investigative Committee opened a second case over the June 2020 pumping. WWF Russia, citing satellite imagery, said discharges had been recorded since 2017 and that the Shchuchya River bore the main effluent load; Nornickel said meltwater had passed through the unclosed contour of the second-stage tailings facility under construction \"without negative environmental impact\".","On 26 February 2021 Rosprirodnadzor's Yenisei Interregional Department sued PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel in the Arbitration Court of Krasnoyarsk Krai for RUB 12,549,600 for soil damage from the June 2020 discharge. On 3 July 2024 the Investigative Committee's Main Investigative Directorate for Krasnoyarsk Krai and Khakassia completed its investigation and five people were charged under Article 246 for the period 2016–2021. It put the total damage at more than RUB 320m, with soil and surface water contaminated with copper and nickel, said RUB 282m had been paid voluntarily, and said property worth more than RUB 55m had been seized. The case was sent to the prosecutor to approve the indictment before going to court.","Nornickel's Sustainability Report 2024 gives \"Charges paid by the Company to remedy damages arising from non-compliance with environmental laws (excluding environmental fines)\" of RUB 8m in 2020, RUB 146,205m in 2021, RUB 236m in 2022, RUB 15m in 2023 and RUB 276m in 2024; for 2024 it says the charges were largely related to compensation for soil disturbance caused by meltwater and stormwater from the section of the Talnakh Concentrator's tailings storage facility that was under construction.","The Sustainability Report 2023 names two further 2023 cases in connection with these charges, without amounts: effluents discharged into the Yenisei River above permissible pollutant levels by the Dudinka oil depot of TTK, and soil damage from a mining-water stream at discharge point No. 170 of the Oktyabrsky Mine (Polar Division).","In June 2020 a pipeline of Norilsktransgaz, a Nornickel group company, lost pressure near Tukhard (Taimyr). Interfax reported that about 44.5 tonnes of aviation fuel were released and a criminal case was opened; Current Time reported 44 tonnes into an unnamed lake of 600 square metres and an emergency regime in Tukhard."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Start of the discharges (June 2017 – July 2019) named in the 16 June 2020 criminal case; WWF Russia says discharges have been recorded since 2017","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Criminal case on the Tomulakh discharges (16 Jun); Greenpeace samples on the Kharaelakh (25 Jun); pumping discovered (28 Jun); criminal case on the pumping (1 Jul); dismissals (13 Jul); Tukhard aviation-fuel release (June)","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"Rosprirodnadzor files a RUB 12,549,600 claim (26 Feb)","src":11},{"y":2023,"t":"Company names Dudinka oil depot and Oktyabrsky Mine cases in its sustainability report","src":16},{"y":2024,"t":"Investigation completed; five people charged under Article 246; case sent to the prosecutor (3 Jul)","src":12}],"said":[{"q":"There is no threat of a tailings leak","who":"Nornickel","when":"2020-06-28","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"gross violation","who":"Nornickel, on the discharge of process water by the Talnakh Concentrator","when":"2020-06-28","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"is not provided for","who":"Nornickel, on discharging recycled water beyond the TOF tailings perimeter","when":"2020-07-13","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"without negative environmental impact","who":"Nornickel, on the 2017–2019 meltwater episodes","when":"2020-06","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"for the prevention of possible emergency situations","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor, on why the liquid was pumped","when":"2020-06","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"This is lawlessness and a crime against nature and our children. Cleanup needs to begin immediately","who":"Vasily Ryabinin, former deputy head of the Norilsk Rosprirodnadzor department (Meduza translation)","when":"2020-06-29","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"neither company management nor regulators made adequate attempts to fix the situation","who":"Alexey Knizhnikov, WWF Russia, on why the situation was not corrected (translated)","when":"2020-06-26","src":7,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Water samples of 28 June 2020 from the TOF settling pond indicated that the discharge could not cause significant environmental harm","who":"Nornickel","src":6},{"t":"Meltwater passed through the unclosed contour of the second-stage tailings facility without negative environmental impact, citing June–July 2019 tests by a Rosprirodnadzor specialised laboratory","who":"Nornickel","src":7},{"t":"On 30 September 2026 Expert RA raised Nornickel's ESG rating to ESG-AA- (from ESG-A+); the release mentions completion of main recovery work after the 2020 accident, a compensation programme with Rosrybolovstvo for aquatic bioresources running to 2052, and exceedances of pollutant limits in Norilsk","who":"Expert RA (release summary)","src":17},{"t":"52% of Group assets were certified to ISO 14001 at the end of 2025","who":"Nornickel Annual Report 2025","src":18}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor soil samples showed contamination, including a lower mass fraction of organic matter at the contaminated site than in background samples","src":10},{"t":"Investigative Committee, July 2024: soil and surface water contaminated with copper and nickel; total damage of more than RUB 320m; RUB 282m paid voluntarily; property worth more than RUB 55m seized","src":12},{"t":"Prosecutor's office: soil polluted over 209 thousand square metres (single outlet)","src":14},{"t":"Greenpeace samples near the discharge on the Kharaelakh River, taken on 25 June: anionic surfactants at 50 times the maximum permissible concentration and iron at 3 times","src":8},{"t":"Company-reported damage-remediation charges, excluding fines, in RUB m: 2020: 8; 2021: 146,205; 2022: 236; 2023: 15; 2024: 276","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Restoration cost estimate, 2017–2019 discharges (Rosprirodnadzor)","amount":154,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2017–2019"},{"label":"Soil-damage claim, June 2020 discharge (Rosprirodnadzor)","amount":12.5496,"window":"2020","note":"Claim filed 26 February 2021; no outcome on record."},{"label":"Total damage stated by the Investigative Committee (2024)","amount":320,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2016–2021"},{"label":"Paid voluntarily during the investigation (Investigative Committee)","amount":282,"window":"2024","note":"Sources differ on who paid."},{"label":"Company-reported damage-remediation charges, excluding fines, 2020","amount":8,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Company-reported damage-remediation charges, excluding fines, 2021","amount":146205,"window":"2021","note":"The same report separately lists \"RUB 146 billion paid in 2021\"."},{"label":"Company-reported damage-remediation charges, excluding fines, 2022","amount":236,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Company-reported damage-remediation charges, excluding fines, 2023","amount":15,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Company-reported damage-remediation charges, excluding fines, 2024","amount":276,"window":"2024","note":"Largely related to compensation for soil disturbance by meltwater and stormwater from the section of the tailings facility under construction."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damage stated by investigators","v":"> RUB 320m","d":"Investigative Committee, July 2024; RUB 282m paid voluntarily"},{"k":"Soil polluted","v":"209,000 m²","d":"Prosecutor's office, via one outlet"},{"k":"Surfactants vs permissible level","v":"50×","d":"Greenpeace sample, Kharaelakh River, 25 June 2020"},{"k":"Court outcome","v":"None on record","d":"Five people charged under Article 246, July 2024"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Rosprirodnadzor soil sampling, the Investigative Committee's 2024 statement, the prosecutor's office, Greenpeace sampling and WWF Russia's satellite analysis; no discharge volume is on record.","report":[{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor soil samples from my tundra showed contamination, including a lower mass fraction of organic matter at the contaminated site than in background samples.","src":10},{"t":"The Investigative Committee stated in 2024 that my soil and surface water were chemically contaminated with copper and nickel.","src":12},{"t":"The prosecutor's office said 209 thousand square metres of my soil were polluted, according to one outlet.","src":14},{"t":"Greenpeace samples from my Kharaelakh River near the discharge, taken on 25 June 2020, showed anionic surfactants at 50 times the maximum permissible concentration and iron at 3 times.","src":8},{"t":"Greenpeace reported a strong unpleasant smell and dead trees at the site.","src":2},{"t":"WWF Russia, citing satellite imagery, said discharges had been recorded since 2017 and that my Shchuchya River bore the main effluent load.","src":7},{"t":"A lake of 600 square metres near Tukhard received 44 tonnes of aviation fuel in June 2020, according to Current Time.","src":5}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the volume of wastewater pumped onto the tundra in June 2020; none of the sources gives it.","None on record: a court referral, verdict or termination of the Article 246 case against the five people charged in July 2024. The charged people are not named in the sources.","None on record: the outcome of the RUB 12,549,600 arbitration claim, or its case number.","Unclear: whether the case on the 2017–2019 discharges (restoration cost over RUB 154m) and the 2024 indictment (2016–2021, over RUB 320m) are the same or merged proceedings; no source states it.","Figures differ: Kommersant reported that Nornickel paid the RUB 282m and that company property was seized; Vedomosti reported that the defendants paid and employees' property was seized; ABN reported that the company paid and plant property was seized.","Figures differ: Interfax gave about 44.5 tonnes of aviation fuel released near Tukhard; Current Time gave 44 tonnes.","Self-reported only: the 209 thousand square metre area of polluted soil comes from the prosecutor's office, as reported by one outlet.","Not disclosed: whether the company-reported charges for 2022 or 2024 include the RUB 282m the Investigative Committee said was paid.","Not disclosed: amounts per case for the 2023 Dudinka oil depot and Oktyabrsky Mine cases, and measured concentrations or areas for them and for the 2024 soil disturbance; the company's report gives \"No amounts\" per case.","None on record: a damage claim, ruling or payment for the Tukhard aviation-fuel release."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The pumping observed on 28 June 2020 stopped after Nornickel security turned off the pumping station.","whoPaid":"RUB 282m was paid voluntarily during the investigation; sources differ on whether the company or the defendants paid. The outcome of the RUB 12.5m soil claim is not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: five people were charged under Article 246 in July 2024 and the case was sent to the prosecutor; no court outcome is on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Called the discharge a gross violation of the tailings facility's operating rules; said there was no threat of a tailings leak.","when":"2020-06-28","src":3},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Its internal investigation found two episodes of unauthorised discharge of process water onto nearby land; it dismissed the TOF director, the chief engineer and the deputy chief engineer. It said samples of 28 June 2020 from the settling pond indicated no significant environmental harm, that it had no documentary evidence of similar past violations, and that it did not rule out earlier lapses.","when":"2020-07-13","src":6},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"On the 2017–2019 episodes, said meltwater passed through the unclosed contour of the second-stage tailings facility under construction without negative environmental impact.","when":"2020-06","src":7},{"actor":"rosprirodnadzor","says":"Its head said the liquid was pumped for the prevention of possible emergency situations after water levels rose during hot-water pipeline testing and rainfall.","when":"2020-06","src":2},{"actor":"wwf-russia","says":"Said discharges had been recorded since 2017 and that it was unclear why neither company management nor regulators made adequate attempts to fix the situation.","when":"2020-06-26","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"nornickel","role":"Owner and operator of the Talnakh Concentrator; defendant in the RUB 12.5m claim"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Environmental regulator; estimated restoration cost and filed the soil-damage claim"},{"id":"krasnoyarsk-arbitration-court","role":"Forum of the RUB 12.5m claim"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Opened the criminal cases; completed the investigation and charged five people in July 2024"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Took samples at the discharge on 25 June 2020"},{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Reported discharges since 2017 from satellite imagery"},{"id":"mekhanobrinzhiniring","role":"Employer, with Nornickel, of the unidentified employees named in the 16 June 2020 case"},{"id":"norilsktransgaz","role":"Nornickel group company; pipeline near Tukhard lost pressure in June 2020"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the June 2020 discharge cause significant harm to the environment?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel","says":"Water samples of 28 June 2020 from the TOF settling pond indicated the discharge could not cause significant environmental harm; the 2017–2019 meltwater passed through the unclosed contour without negative environmental impact.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"Samples near the discharge on the Kharaelakh River showed anionic surfactants at 50 times the maximum permissible concentration and iron at 3 times.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"Soil samples showed contamination, including a lower mass fraction of organic matter than in background samples.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Investigative Committee (2024)","says":"Soil and surface water were chemically contaminated with copper and nickel.","src":12}]},{"point":"Why was the liquid pumped onto the tundra, and was it authorised?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor (head Svetlana Radionova)","says":"The liquid was pumped for the prevention of possible emergency situations after water levels rose during hot-water pipeline testing and rainfall.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"MChS Krasnoyarsk","says":"Called the pumping unauthorised.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel","says":"Called the discharge a gross violation of the tailings facility's operating rules; its internal investigation found two episodes of unauthorised discharge.","src":6}]},{"point":"Who paid the RUB 282m, and whose property was seized?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant","says":"Nornickel paid and company property was seized; the five charged are TOF employees.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"Vedomosti","says":"The defendants paid and employees' property was seized; the five charged are TOF employees.","src":13},{"voice":"press","holder":"ABN","says":"The company paid and plant property was seized; the five charged are employees of contractor companies.","src":14}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case on the 2017–2019 discharges (Tomulakh River, Oktyabrsky mine soil)","forum":"Investigative authorities; case opened under Article 246 of the Criminal Code","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative authorities","defendant":"Unidentified employees of Nornickel and JSC Mekhanobrinzhiniring","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":154,"currency":"RUB","label":"restoration cost estimate by Rosprirodnadzor (more than)"},"summary":"Opened on 16 June 2020 under Article 246 over discharges between June 2017 and July 2019. No persons had been identified at that stage. Rosprirodnadzor estimated the cost of restoring the environment at more than RUB 154m.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal case on the June 2020 pumping at the Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility","forum":"Norilsk branch of the Investigative Committee","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee","defendant":"Not named in the sources","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Opened on 1 July 2020 for breach of environmental rules in operating the tailings storage facility for the Talnakh Concentrator's production waste.","src":4},{"title":"Charges of five people under Article 246 (2016–2021 period)","forum":"Investigative Committee, Main Investigative Directorate for Krasnoyarsk Krai and Khakassia; case sent to the prosecutor","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee","defendant":"Five people charged; not named in the sources","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":320,"currency":"RUB","label":"total damage stated by investigators (more than)"},"summary":"Investigation completed on 3 July 2024. The five were accused of knowing of significant defects in the hydrotechnical structure, of repeated discharges of recycled water beyond the settling pond in 2018–2019, and of pumping recycled water onto land outside it in June 2020. RUB 282m was paid voluntarily and property worth more than RUB 55m was seized. The case was sent to the prosecutor to approve the indictment before going to court; no court outcome is on record.","src":13},{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor v. PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (soil damage, June 2020 discharge)","forum":"Arbitration Court of Krasnoyarsk Krai","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor, Yenisei Interregional Department","defendant":"PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel","filed":2021,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":12.5496,"currency":"RUB","label":"claimed"},"summary":"A claim for RUB 12,549,600 was filed on 26 February 2021. Rosprirodnadzor stated that soil samples showed contamination. No ruling, settlement or payment is on record.","src":10},{"title":"Criminal case on the Tukhard aviation-fuel release","forum":"Not stated in the source","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Not named in the source","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Interfax reported on 13 July 2020 that a criminal case was opened after a Norilsktransgaz pipeline lost pressure near Tukhard and about 44.5 tonnes of aviation fuel were released.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"restoration_cost_estimate","value":154,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Rosprirodnadzor estimate for the 2017–2019 discharges (Tomulakh River, Oktyabrsky mine soil)."},{"key":"damages_claimed","value":12.5496,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Rosprirodnadzor claim for soil damage from the June 2020 discharge; filed 26 February 2021."},{"key":"damage_total_stated","value":320,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Investigative Committee, 3 July 2024."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":282,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"note":"Paid voluntarily during the investigation; the payer differs between sources."},{"key":"property_seized","value":55,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Value of property seized; whose property differs between sources."},{"key":"people_charged","value":5,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Charged under Article 246; not named in the sources."},{"key":"area_polluted_m2","value":209000,"unit":"m²","year":2024,"note":"Prosecutor's office, via one outlet."},{"key":"mpc_multiple_surfactants","value":50,"unit":"× maximum permissible concentration","year":2020,"note":"Greenpeace sample on the Kharaelakh River, 25 June 2020."},{"key":"mpc_multiple_iron","value":3,"unit":"× maximum permissible concentration","year":2020,"note":"Greenpeace sample on the Kharaelakh River, 25 June 2020."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":44.5,"unit":"tonnes (aviation fuel)","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Interfax; Current Time gave 44 tonnes into a lake of 600 square metres. Tukhard, Norilsktransgaz pipeline."},{"key":"damage_charges_company","value":8,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Charges paid by the company to remedy damages arising from non-compliance with environmental laws, excluding environmental fines (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"damage_charges_company","value":146205,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Charges paid by the company to remedy damages arising from non-compliance with environmental laws, excluding environmental fines (Sustainability Report 2024). The same report separately lists \"RUB 146 billion paid in 2021\"."},{"key":"damage_charges_company","value":236,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Charges paid by the company to remedy damages arising from non-compliance with environmental laws, excluding environmental fines (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"damage_charges_company","value":15,"unit":"RUB m","year":2023,"note":"Charges paid by the company to remedy damages arising from non-compliance with environmental laws, excluding environmental fines (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"damage_charges_company","value":276,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"note":"Charges paid by the company to remedy damages arising from non-compliance with environmental laws, excluding environmental fines (Sustainability Report 2024)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Wastewater from the Talnakh Concentrator tailings facility was pumped onto the tundra in June 2020, after discharges recorded from 2017. Investigators put total damage at more than RUB 320m, with RUB 282m paid voluntarily; five people were charged in July 2024.","src":12},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Talnakh Concentrator management (Nornickel)","what":"The TOF director, the chief engineer and the deputy chief engineer were dismissed on 13 July 2020","src":6},{"who":"Payer of the RUB 282m (Nornickel or the defendants, sources differ)","what":"RUB 282m paid voluntarily during the investigation; property worth more than RUB 55m seized","src":12}],"harmed":[{"who":"Tundra soil near the Talnakh Concentrator","what":"Contamination reported by Rosprirodnadzor; 209 thousand square metres per the prosecutor's office","src":14},{"who":"Kharaelakh River","what":"Anionic surfactants at 50 times and iron at 3 times the maximum permissible concentration in Greenpeace samples","src":8},{"who":"Tomulakh River intake zone and soil near the Oktyabrsky mine","what":"Receiving discharges in 2017–2019 named in the 16 June 2020 case","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The tailings storage facility of the Talnakh Concentrator (TOF), Talnakh district of Norilsk; the discharge path ran through tundra, streams, the Kharaelakh River and Lake Pyasino. The 2017–2019 discharges went to the Tomulakh River intake zone and to soil near the Oktyabrsky mine.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Discharges between June 2017 and July 2019; pumping discovered on 28 June 2020; criminal case opened on 1 July 2020; claim filed on 26 February 2021; five people charged on 3 July 2024.","src":12},"why":{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor's head said the liquid was pumped to prevent possible emergencies after water levels rose; Nornickel called the discharge a gross violation of operating rules. Investigators accused the five of knowing of significant defects in the hydrotechnical structure.","src":13},"how":{"t":"Workers laid two flexible pipelines connected to a floating pumping unit and pumped wastewater from the tailings facility onto the tundra on 28 June 2020; recycled water was also discharged beyond the settling pond in 2018–2019, according to the charges.","src":11}},"sources":[{"t":"Criminal case opened over Talnakh Concentrator wastewater discharges into the Tomulakh River and soil","p":"Kommersant","d":"2020-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4379634"},{"t":"Criminal case opened against Nornickel employees over pollution of the Tomulakh River (Interfax)","p":"The Insider","d":"2020-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://theins.ru/news/226131"},{"t":"Journalists uncover 'Norilsk Nickel' plant pumping toxic wastewater into the Russian tundra","p":"Meduza","d":"2020-06-29","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/amp/en/feature/2020/06/29/journalists-uncover-norilsk-nickel-plant-pumping-toxic-wastewater-into-the-russian-tundra"},{"t":"Nornickel called the discharge of process water by the Talnakh Concentrator into the tundra a gross violation","p":"Meduza","d":"2020-06-28","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/news/2020/06/28/nornikel-priznal-grubym-narusheniem-sbros-othodov-talnahskoy-obogatitelnoy-fabriki-v-tundru"},{"t":"Investigative Committee opened a criminal case over Nornickel's waste discharge into the tundra","p":"Current Time","d":"2020-07-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/ugolovnoe-delo-nornikel/30699949.html"},{"t":"Nornickel dismissed the management of the Talnakh plant","p":"Current Time","d":"2020-07-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/russia-norilsk-nornickel/30723585.html"},{"t":"Nornickel dismissed the management of the Talnakh plant over the waste discharge into the tundra","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-07-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/717101"},{"t":"WWF Russia: Nornickel has discharged waste into rivers near Norilsk since 2017","p":"Snob","d":"2020-06-26","type":"press","u":"https://snob.ru/society/wwf-rossii-nornikel-sbrasyvaet-othody-v-reki-pod-norilskom-s-2017-goda/"},{"t":"Radio Svoboda report on Greenpeace samples at the Talnakh Concentrator discharge: pollutants 50 times the maximum permissible concentration","p":"Radio Svoboda","d":"2020-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/30767606.html"},{"t":"Arctic wastewater dump near Russia's Norilsk was toxic, says Greenpeace (Reuters)","p":"Arctic Today","d":"2020-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://arctictoday.com/arctic-wastewater-dump-near-russias-norilsk-was-toxic-says-greenpeace"},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor sued Nornickel for more than RUB 12.5m over the wastewater discharge into the tundra","p":"Novaya Gazeta","d":"2021-02-26","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.ru/amp/articles/2021/02/26/168167-rosprirodnadzor-podal-isk-k-nornikelyu-na-12-5-mln-rubley-iz-za-sliva-stochnyh-vod-v-tundru"},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor seeks RUB 12.5m from Nornickel over wastewater discharge into the tundra (TASS)","p":"InvestFuture","d":"2021-02-26","type":"press","u":"https://investfuture.ru/articles/rosprirodnadzor-trebuet-vzyskat-s-nornikelya-12-5-mln-rub-za-sliv-stochnykh-vod-v-tundru"},{"t":"Nornickel employees charged with causing RUB 320m of damage to nature","p":"Kommersant","d":"2024-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6806009"},{"t":"Investigative Committee charged Talnakh plant employees with RUB 320m of environmental damage","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2024-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/strana/siberian/news/2024/07/03/1047657-sk-obvinil-sotrudnikov"},{"t":"Investigation of an environmental-damage criminal case completed in Krasnoyarsk","p":"ABN (abnews.ru)","d":"2024-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://abnews.ru/siberia/news/krasnoyarsk/2024/7/3/v-krasnoyarske-zavershili-rassledovanie-ugolovnogo-dela-ob-ushherbe-ekologii"},{"t":"Sustainability Report 2024: Ecological well-being","p":"Nornickel","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://sr2024.nornickel.ru/download/csr/en/pdf/parts/environmental-wellbeing.pdf"},{"t":"Sustainability Report 2023: Environmental management","p":"Nornickel","d":"2024","type":"company","u":"https://sr2023.nornickel.ru/en/environmental-protection/environmental-management.html"},{"t":"Expert RA upgraded the ESG rating of Norilsk Nickel to ESG-AA-","p":"Expert RA","d":"2026-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://raexpert.ru/releases/2026/sep30a"},{"t":"Annual Report 2025: Ecology and climate (PDF)","p":"Nornickel","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://ar2025.nornickel.ru/pdf-cutted/ru/ar/sustainable-development/ecology-climate-change/page.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the June 2020 discharge cause significant harm to the environment?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why was the liquid pumped onto the tundra, and was it authorised?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who paid the RUB 282m, and whose property was seized?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rosprirodnadzor v. PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel (soil damage, June 2020 discharge): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal case on the Tukhard aviation-fuel release: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volume of wastewater pumped onto the tundra in June 2020; none of the sources gives it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court referral, verdict or termination of the Article 246 case against the five people charged in July 2024. The charged people are not named in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the RUB 12,549,600 arbitration claim, or its case number.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the case on the 2017–2019 discharges (restoration cost over RUB 154m) and the 2024 indictment (2016–2021, over RUB 320m) are the same or merged proceedings; no source states it.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Kommersant reported that Nornickel paid the RUB 282m and that company property was seized; Vedomosti reported that the defendants paid and employees' property was seized; ABN reported that the company paid and plant property was seized.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Interfax gave about 44.5 tonnes of aviation fuel released near Tukhard; Current Time gave 44 tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the 209 thousand square metre area of polluted soil comes from the prosecutor's office, as reported by one outlet.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whether the company-reported charges for 2022 or 2024 include the RUB 282m the Investigative Committee said was paid.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: amounts per case for the 2023 Dudinka oil depot and Oktyabrsky Mine cases, and measured concentrations or areas for them and for the 2024 soil disturbance; the company's report gives \"No amounts\" per case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a damage claim, ruling or payment for the Tukhard aviation-fuel release.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nornickel-sulphur-programme-so2","title":"Nornickel Sulphur Programme: SO2 targets, spending and measured emissions at Norilsk and Kola","dek":"Nornickel has published successive SO2 reduction targets and investment totals for its Norilsk and Kola smelters since 2015. Company-reported Norilsk emissions were 1,146 kt in 2025 against 1,854 kt in 2015; NASA's satellite catalogue lists different values for the same years.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":69.36,"lon":88.133,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (Norilsk smelters)","lat":69.36,"lon":88.133,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Murmansk Oblast (Nikel and Monchegorsk, Kola Division)","lat":69.415,"lon":30.254,"role":"event"},{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":"Border area with Russia (Svanvik monitoring station)","role":"affected"},{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":"Government Pension Fund Global (exclusion of Nornickel, 2009)","role":"fund"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution","burning","finance"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Company-reported Norilsk SO2 emissions, 2025 against 2015","value":"−38%","note":"1,146 kt in 2025 against 1,854 kt in 2015, as labelled in Nornickel's Annual Report 2025. Published targets: a 75% reduction by 2023 (Annual Report 2017); 45% in 2023 and 90% in 2025 (Annual Report 2020)."},"happened":["In 2015 Nornickel reported emitting up to 2 million tonnes of SO2 a year and planned SO2 capture of 95% or more from 2016, with completion in the first quarter of 2019, according to First Vice President Sergei Dyachenko; the 2012 programme, with a budget of up to US$2bn under Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, was described by the company as no longer current. The Annual Report 2017 set a target of a 75% reduction of SO2 emissions in the Norilsk Industrial District by 2023 against 2015 and 50% in Nikel by 2019, with about US$2.5bn of investment by 2023, and recorded that stage 1, including the closure of the Nickel Plant in Norilsk, was completed in 2016. The Annual Report 2020 restated the target as a reduction of 45% in 2023 and 90% in 2025 (2015 baseline).","The schedule then changed. The Annual Report 2021 gave a Nadezhda launch in 2023 and, for the Copper Plant, a final investment decision in June 2021, construction from 2022, launch in 2025 and recovery of 99%–99.5% of SO2, within an investment of US$4.1–4.3bn. The Annual Report 2022 gave a Nadezhda target of a 45% SO2 reduction by 2024 and marked the Copper Plant as \"Redesign in 2023\", with its timeline referenced to Clause 6 of Government Resolution No. 353 of 12 March 2022. The Annual Report 2023 gave Nadezhda a ramp-up to design capacity by the end of 2024 and the Copper Plant as \"Redesign, refinement of design solutions\", with no launch year. On 17 April 2026 Evgeny Fedorov, First Vice President and head of the Polar Division, said the Copper Plant would operate until the end of 2028, after which its smelting stage would be shut down and moved closer to consumers, and that he expected a 90% cut in absolute SO2 in the Norilsk Industrial District, more than 700 thousand tonnes a year (TASS, citing Taimyr Telegraph).","The first line at the Nadezhda plant was commissioned on 25 October 2023. SO2 from the main smelting units is converted to sulphuric acid and neutralised with limestone; the gypsum slurry goes to a repository designed for 90 million cubic metres and 15 years of operation, with capacity of about 2.4 million tonnes a year of sulphuric acid and about 5 million tonnes a year of gypsum, and Interfax reported no current plans to use the gypsum. Plant director Vitaly Muravyov said that once all lines reached design capacity the plant's SO2 should fall from the current 1.1 million tonnes to 197,000 tonnes. Nornickel reported SO2 recovered of 7.5 thousand tonnes in 2023, about 390 thousand tonnes in 2024 and 489 thousand tonnes in 2025, and said construction of a third sulphuric-acid line continued in 2025.","Nornickel's emissions series and NASA Goddard's satellite catalogue give different values for the Norilsk smelters. The company reported Norilsk-site SO2 of 1,854 kt in 2015, 1,837 kt in 2020, 1,256 kt in 2024 and 1,146 kt in 2025, and Kola-site SO2 of 155.1 kt in 2015, 73.2 kt in 2020, 12.8 kt in 2024 and 13.7 kt in 2025. The NASA catalogue lists 1,934.1 kt in 2015, 1,660.5 kt in 2020, 1,104.0 kt in 2024 and 1,527.8 kt in 2025 for the Norilsk smelters; its authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. In August 2019 Greenpeace, using NASA data, ranked the Norilsk smelter complex as the world's largest SO2 emission hotspot.","At Kola, the Nikel smelting shop (900 kt a year of charge) was shut down on 23 December 2020 and the Monchegorsk metallurgical shop on 20 March 2021. NILU's Svanvik station page states that emissions from the Zapolyarny briquetting plant and the Nikel smelter have been significantly reduced. The Barents Observer reported that Norway had granted NOK 300 million in the early 1990s to reduce Nikel emissions and that the money was never spent and was returned. The Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global lists GMK Norilskiy Nickel PAO as excluded under the criterion \"Severe environmental damage\", decided on 19 November 2009 and still listed in the 11 August 2026 update.","On 11 March 2022 the State Duma passed in first reading bill No. 84931-8, which moved the end of the emissions-quota experiment covering 12 cities including Norilsk from 31 December 2024 to 31 December 2026. Deputy Economy Minister Alexei Khersontsev said the delay gave companies time to find new equipment suppliers and adjust timelines. Interfax quoted the Clean Air target for these cities as a 20% fall in emissions by 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global excludes the company under the criterion \"Severe environmental damage\" (19 Nov)","src":17},{"y":2015,"t":"Nornickel reports up to 2 million tonnes of SO2 a year; plans 95% capture from 2016 with completion in Q1 2019","src":12},{"y":2016,"t":"Stage 1 of the environmental programme, including closure of the Nickel Plant in Norilsk, completed","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"Annual Report 2017 targets: −75% SO2 in the Norilsk Industrial District by 2023, −50% in Nikel by 2019","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Greenpeace ranks the Norilsk smelter complex as the world's largest SO2 emission hotspot, using NASA data (August)","src":13},{"y":2020,"t":"Annual Report 2020 targets: −45% in 2023 and −90% in 2025; Nikel smelter shut down (23 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2021,"t":"Monchegorsk metallurgical shop shut down (20 Mar); Copper Plant final investment decision (June)","src":3},{"y":2022,"t":"Duma passes bill postponing the emissions-quota experiment to 31 Dec 2026 (11 Mar); Copper Plant marked \"Redesign in 2023\"","src":11},{"y":2023,"t":"First line at Nadezhda commissioned (25 Oct)","src":9},{"y":2025,"t":"Company reports 489 thousand tonnes of SO2 recovered and Norilsk-site SO2 of 1,146 kt","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"Fedorov: Copper Plant to operate until the end of 2028, then smelting relocated (17 Apr)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"This is a historic event","who":"Potanin, Nornickel, on the Nikel smelter shutdown (as quoted by The Barents Observer)","when":"2020-12-23","src":15},{"q":"which also produces goods for the green economy","who":"Potanin, Nornickel, describing the company (as quoted by The Barents Observer)","when":"2020-12-23","src":15},{"q":"from the current 1.1 million tonnes to 197,000 tonnes","who":"Vitaly Muravyov, director of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant, on SO2 once all lines reach design capacity","when":"2023-10-25","src":9,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"A more than 99% recovery rate was achieved, a figure confirmed by government agencies during control and oversight inspections","who":"Nornickel Sustainability Report 2024","when":"2025","src":6},{"q":"unparalleled in scale","who":"Nornickel Annual Report 2025, on the Nadezhda project","when":"2026","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"For those who decided to try their hand at entrepreneurship, good starting conditions were created","who":"Andrey Chibis, governor of Murmansk Oblast (as quoted by The Barents Observer)","when":"2020-12-23","src":15},{"q":"have now been significantly reduced","who":"NILU, Svanvik monitoring station page, on emissions from the Zapolyarny briquetting plant and the Nikel smelter","when":"2024-11-29","src":16}],"shown":[{"t":"The Norilsk smelter complex described as the largest SO2 emission hotspot in the world, followed by Kriel (South Africa) and Zagroz (Iran), using NASA data","who":"Greenpeace (August 2019)","src":13},{"t":"Norilsk described as having the largest individual SO2 emissions","who":"Reuters, via The Moscow Times (20 August 2019)","src":14},{"t":"The Norilsk smelters described as one of the largest anthropogenic SO2 sources visible from satellites","who":"Nickolay Krotkov, NASA (September 2016)","src":18},{"t":"The Nadezhda project described as unparalleled in scale; a recovery rate of more than 99% confirmed by government agencies during inspections","who":"Nornickel (Annual Report 2025; Sustainability Report 2024)","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Company-reported Norilsk-site SO2: 1,854 kt (2015), 1,837 kt (2020), 1,256 kt (2024), 1,146 kt (2025); the company labels 2025 −9% against 2024 and −38% against 2015","src":5},{"t":"Company-reported Kola-site SO2: 155.1 kt (2015), 73.2 kt (2020), 12.8 kt (2024), 13.7 kt (2025); the company labels 2025 −91% against 2015 and attributes the small 2025 rise to increased processing of raw materials","src":5},{"t":"NASA Goddard catalogue, Norilsk smelters: 2,022.6 kt (2005), 2,397.4 kt (2013), 1,934.1 kt (2015), 1,660.5 kt (2020), 1,098.4 kt (2023), 1,104.0 kt (2024), 1,527.8 kt (2025); overall uncertainty about 50%","src":7},{"t":"The Earth System Science Data paper behind the catalogue names Norilsk among the largest sources whose emissions \"demonstrated little changes\" over the period it covers","src":8},{"t":"Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global: GMK Norilskiy Nickel PAO excluded under the criterion \"Severe environmental damage\", decision date 19.11.2009, still listed at the 11 August 2026 update","src":17},{"t":"Expert RA's 30 September 2026 ESG release notes exceedances of pollutant limits in Norilsk during the rating period","src":19}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Sulphur Programme 2.0 investment, 2020","amount":11300,"window":"2020","note":"Company figure: RUB 11.3 bn (US$154 million)."},{"label":"Kola comprehensive environmental project, 2020","amount":1200,"window":"2020","note":"Company figure: RUB 1.2 bn (US$16 million)."},{"label":"Kola comprehensive environmental project, 2021–2025","amount":3500,"window":"2021–2025","note":"Company figure: RUB 3.5 bn (US$49 million)."},{"label":"Sulphur Programme total including Mokulaevsky limestone infrastructure","amount":180000,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Interfax, October 2023."},{"label":"Sulphur Programme invested by October 2023","amount":120000,"qualifier":"about","window":"to Oct 2023","note":"Interfax, October 2023."},{"label":"Nadezhda complex projected at full completion","amount":250000,"qualifier":"projected","note":"Sustainability Report 2024."},{"label":"Environmental costs and expenditures (company-reported), 2020","amount":35000,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Environmental costs and expenditures (company-reported), 2021","amount":199000,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Environmental costs and expenditures (company-reported), 2022","amount":84000,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Environmental costs and expenditures (company-reported), 2023","amount":101000,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Environmental costs and expenditures (company-reported), 2024","amount":97000,"window":"2024"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Outplacement of 660 Nikel smelting-shop staff","amount":912,"window":"2020–2022","note":"Company figure: RUB 912 million (US$12.8 million); 72% stayed with the company."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Company-reported Norilsk SO2, 2025 against 2015","v":"1,146 kt vs 1,854 kt","d":"Annual Report 2025; labelled −38%"},{"k":"Published target for 2025","v":"−90%","d":"Annual Report 2020, 2015 baseline"},{"k":"NASA catalogue, Norilsk smelters, 2025","v":"1,527.8 kt","d":"Overall uncertainty about 50%; 2015 value 1,934.1 kt"},{"k":"Nikel smelter, NASA catalogue","v":"69.9 kt to 5.4 kt","d":"2015 to 2025; shut down 23 December 2020"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Company-reported emissions, NASA Goddard's satellite catalogue and NILU's monitoring station page; no court case over SO2 emissions is on record.","report":[{"t":"My air over Norilsk received 1,854 kt of SO2 in 2015 and 1,146 kt in 2025 from the Norilsk site, according to Nornickel's Annual Report 2025.","src":5},{"t":"NASA's satellite catalogue lists the Norilsk smelters at 1,934.1 kt in 2015 and 1,527.8 kt in 2025, with an overall uncertainty of about 50%.","src":7},{"t":"At Nikel, near the Norwegian border, NASA's catalogue lists SO2 of 69.9 kt in 2015 and 5.4 kt in 2025; the smelter was shut down on 23 December 2020.","src":7},{"t":"NILU's Svanvik station states that emissions from the Zapolyarny briquetting plant and the Nikel smelter have been significantly reduced, and continues to measure heavy metals in my air and precipitation.","src":16}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the direction of change in Norilsk SO2 for 2025. Nornickel reports 1,146 kt (−9% against 2024); the NASA catalogue lists 1,527.8 kt against 1,104.0 kt in 2024, with an overall uncertainty of about 50%.","Disputed: Nornickel's own Kola percentages differ between reports. The Annual Report 2020 gives −71% at Nikel and Zapolyarny and −58% in the Russia–Norway border area for 2020; the Annual Report 2022 gives −71% in the border area and −50% at Nikel and Zapolyarny.","Not disclosed: year-by-year Sulphur Programme spending after 2020; the company's annual report pages give only totals and the 2020 figure.","Not disclosed: a launch year for the Copper Plant in the Annual Report 2023, and a reason for the 2023 redesign in the Annual Report 2022.","Not disclosed: an investment amount for the 2026 relocation of Copper Plant smelting.","None on record: a court case over SO2 air emissions."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The Nikel smelter was shut down on 23 December 2020 and the Monchegorsk metallurgical shop on 20 March 2021. At Norilsk, emissions continued in 2025 at 1,146 kt according to the company.","whoPaid":"The programme's investment totals are company figures; company-reported environmental capital investments were RUB 10.4 bn in 2020 and RUB 42.1 bn in 2024. The Norwegian NOK 300 million grant of the early 1990s was reported as never spent and returned.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Nadezhda lines are in operation with a third sulphuric-acid line under construction in 2025; the Copper Plant is due to run until the end of 2028 before smelting is relocated; Nornickel remains on the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global's exclusion list.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Potanin called the Nikel smelter shutdown a historic event and described the company as one that also produces goods for the green economy.","when":"2020-12-23","src":15},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Reported a recovery rate of more than 99%, a figure it said was confirmed by government agencies during control and oversight inspections.","when":"2025","src":6},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Described the Nadezhda project as unparalleled in scale and reported 489 thousand tonnes of SO2 recovered in 2025.","when":"2026","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"nornickel","role":"Operator of the Norilsk and Kola smelters; publisher of the targets and emissions figures"},{"id":"nasa","role":"NASA Goddard publishes the global SO2 point-source catalogue"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Quoted Nickolay Krotkov on Norilsk SO2 (2016)"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Ranked SO2 hotspots using NASA data (August 2019)"},{"id":"norway-government-pension-fund-global","role":"Excluded the company on 19 November 2009 under the criterion \"Severe environmental damage\""},{"id":"norway-government","role":"Reported to have granted NOK 300 million in the early 1990s to reduce Nikel emissions"},{"id":"nilu","role":"Operates the Svanvik monitoring station near the Russian border"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Resolution No. 353 of 12 March 2022; emissions-quota experiment postponed"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much SO2 did the Norilsk smelters emit, and in which direction did emissions move in 2025?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (Annual Report 2025)","says":"Norilsk-site SO2 of 1,854 kt in 2015, 1,837 kt in 2020, 1,256 kt in 2024 and 1,146 kt in 2025; 2025 labelled −9% against 2024 and −38% against 2015.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"NASA Goddard catalogue V2 (Norilsk smelters)","says":"1,934.1 kt in 2015, 1,660.5 kt in 2020, 1,104.0 kt in 2024 and 1,527.8 kt in 2025; the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%.","src":7}]},{"point":"How far did SO2 fall in the Kola Division and the Russia–Norway border area?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (Annual Report 2020)","says":"In 2020 SO2 fell 71% at Nikel and Zapolyarny and 58% in the Russia–Norway border area.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (Annual Report 2022)","says":"In 2020 SO2 fell 71% in the border area and 50% at Nikel and Zapolyarny; the Kola Division fell 85% in 2021 against 2015 and Kola MMC 90%.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (Annual Report 2021)","says":"A 90% reduction from Kola MMC in 2021 against 2015.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"investment","value":11300,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Sulphur Programme 2.0 investment in 2020 (US$154 million), Annual Report 2020."},{"key":"investment","value":3600,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"close to","note":"Sulphur Programme 2.0, 2019–2025, Annual Report 2020."},{"key":"investment","value":4300,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Annual Report 2021 gives \"USD 4.1-4.3 bn\"; period not stated."},{"key":"investment","value":180000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Sulphur Programme total including Mokulaevsky limestone infrastructure; about RUB 120 bn invested by October 2023 (Interfax)."},{"key":"investment","value":250000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"qualifier":"projected","note":"Nadezhda complex at full completion (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"grant_returned","value":300,"unit":"NOK m","year":null,"note":"Norwegian grant of the early 1990s to reduce Nikel emissions; reported as never spent and returned."},{"key":"so2_recovered_kt","value":7.5,"unit":"kt","year":2023,"note":"Company-reported SO2 recovered, first Nadezhda line."},{"key":"so2_recovered_kt","value":390,"unit":"kt","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Company-reported SO2 recovered; second line in comprehensive testing from September 2024."},{"key":"so2_recovered_kt","value":489,"unit":"kt","year":2025,"note":"Company-reported SO2 recovered."},{"key":"so2_nmp_current_kt","value":1100,"unit":"kt","year":2023,"note":"Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant SO2 \"current 1.1 million tonnes\" (Muravyov, Interfax)."},{"key":"so2_nmp_design_kt","value":197,"unit":"kt","year":2023,"note":"Stated expectation once all lines reach design capacity (Muravyov, Interfax)."},{"key":"so2_reduction_pct","value":38,"unit":"% decrease, Norilsk site, 2025 vs 2015","year":2025,"note":"As labelled by the company (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_reduction_pct","value":91,"unit":"% decrease, Kola site, 2025 vs 2015","year":2025,"note":"As labelled by the company (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_norilsk","value":1854,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2015,"note":"Company-reported Norilsk-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_norilsk","value":1837,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2020,"note":"Company-reported Norilsk-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_norilsk","value":1256,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2024,"note":"Company-reported Norilsk-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_norilsk","value":1146,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2025,"note":"Company-reported Norilsk-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_kola","value":155.1,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2015,"note":"Company-reported Kola-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_kola","value":73.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2020,"note":"Company-reported Kola-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_kola","value":12.8,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2024,"note":"Company-reported Kola-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_kola","value":13.7,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2025,"note":"Company-reported Kola-site SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_group","value":1601,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2021,"note":"Company-reported Group SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_group","value":1778,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2022,"note":"Company-reported Group SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_group","value":1671,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2023,"note":"Company-reported Group SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_group","value":1269,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2024,"note":"Company-reported Group SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_company_group","value":1160,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2025,"note":"Company-reported Group SO2 (Annual Report 2025)."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2022.6,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2005,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2002.7,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2006,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1890.6,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2007,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1891.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2008,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2237,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2009,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2136.3,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2010,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2010.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2011,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2078.9,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2012,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2397.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2013,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2046.3,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2014,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1934.1,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2015,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Catalogue uncertainty column for this year: 102.5."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":2012.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2016,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1718.8,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2017,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1756.7,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2018,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1641.9,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1660.5,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Catalogue uncertainty column for this year: 53.3."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1586.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1731.6,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1098.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1104,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Catalogue uncertainty column for this year: 36.9."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_norilsk","value":1527.8,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Catalogue uncertainty column for this year: 48.1."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":69.9,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2015,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":30.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2016,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":76.8,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2017,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":63.7,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2018,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":46.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":19.9,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":6.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":2.5,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":3.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":2.1,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_nikel","value":5.4,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Nikel smelter."},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":37.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2015,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":42.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":19.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":42.2,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":17.5,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":14.1,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"so2_emissions_nasa_severonikel","value":22.8,"unit":"kt SO2/yr","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Satellite-derived estimate from NASA Goddard's global SO2 catalogue (V2); the authors state an overall uncertainty of about 50%. Severonikel/Monchegorsk; the catalogue comment is \"Very weak signal, just above the sensitivity level.\""},{"key":"env_spending_company","value":35,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2020,"note":"Company-reported environmental costs and expenditures; of which OPEX for environmental protection RUB 21.8 bn, environmental capital investments RUB 10.4 bn, charges for permissible and excess emissions, effluents and waste RUB 2.4 bn (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"env_spending_company","value":199,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2021,"note":"Company-reported environmental costs and expenditures; of which OPEX for environmental protection RUB 18.1 bn, environmental capital investments RUB 31.9 bn, charges for permissible and excess emissions, effluents and waste RUB 2.6 bn (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"env_spending_company","value":84,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2022,"note":"Company-reported environmental costs and expenditures; of which OPEX for environmental protection RUB 34.4 bn, environmental capital investments RUB 46.4 bn, charges for permissible and excess emissions, effluents and waste RUB 3.2 bn (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"env_spending_company","value":101,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2023,"note":"Company-reported environmental costs and expenditures; of which OPEX for environmental protection RUB 37.8 bn, environmental capital investments RUB 60.3 bn, charges for permissible and excess emissions, effluents and waste RUB 3.1 bn (Sustainability Report 2024)."},{"key":"env_spending_company","value":97,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2024,"note":"Company-reported environmental costs and expenditures; of which OPEX for environmental protection RUB 52.3 bn, environmental capital investments RUB 42.1 bn, charges for permissible and excess emissions, effluents and waste RUB 2.4 bn (Sustainability Report 2024)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nornickel has published successive SO2 reduction targets and investment totals for its Norilsk and Kola smelters since 2015; company-reported Norilsk emissions were 1,146 kt in 2025 against 1,854 kt in 2015, and the Nikel smelter was shut down in December 2020.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Companies in the 12 cities of the emissions-quota experiment, including Norilsk","what":"End of the experiment moved from 31 December 2024 to 31 December 2026 (bill passed in first reading on 11 March 2022)","src":11}],"lost":[{"who":"660 Nikel smelting-shop staff","what":"Smelting shop shut down; outplacement of RUB 912 million for 2020–2022, with 72% staying with the company","src":1},{"who":"Nornickel","what":"Excluded by the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global on 19 November 2009 under the criterion \"Severe environmental damage\"; still listed on 11 August 2026","src":17}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air of the Norilsk Industrial District","what":"Company-reported SO2 of 1,146 kt in 2025 (1,854 kt in 2015)","src":5},{"who":"Air of the Kola Division and the Russia–Norway border area","what":"Company-reported Kola-site SO2 of 13.7 kt in 2025 (155.1 kt in 2015)","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Norilsk smelters (Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant and Copper Plant), Krasnoyarsk Krai; Nikel smelter (Pechenga district, Murmansk Oblast, a few kilometres from the Norwegian border) and Severonikel/Monchegorsk in the Kola Division.","src":7},"when":{"t":"Targets published from 2015 and revised in the 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 annual reports; Nikel smelter shut down on 23 December 2020; first Nadezhda line commissioned on 25 October 2023; Copper Plant to operate until the end of 2028 (statement of 17 April 2026).","src":10},"why":{"t":"Nornickel's stated aim is to cut SO2 emissions at Norilsk and Kola; the Annual Report 2022 ties the Copper Plant timeline to Government Resolution No. 353 of 12 March 2022 and gives no reason for the 2023 redesign.","src":3},"how":{"t":"At Nadezhda, SO2 from the main smelting units is converted to sulphuric acid and neutralised with limestone, with the gypsum slurry going to a repository; at Kola the Nikel smelting shop and the Monchegorsk metallurgical shop were shut down.","src":9}},"sources":[{"t":"Annual Report 2017: Improvement of environmental conditions","p":"Nornickel","d":"2018","type":"company","u":"https://ar2017.nornickel.ru/en/strategy-overview/ecology.html"},{"t":"Annual Report 2020: Environmental projects","p":"Nornickel","d":"2021","type":"company","u":"https://ar2020.nornickel.ru/en/strategic-report/key-investment-projects/environmental.html"},{"t":"Annual Report 2021: Sulphur Project 2.0","p":"Nornickel","d":"2022","type":"company","u":"https://ar2021.nornickel.ru/en/strategic-report/implementation-strategy/sulfur-program-2-0.html"},{"t":"Annual Report 2022: Sulphur Project 2.0","p":"Nornickel","d":"2023","type":"company","u":"https://ar2022.nornickel.ru/en/strategic-report/key-production-projects/sulphur-project.html"},{"t":"Annual Report 2023: Sulphur project","p":"Nornickel","d":"2024","type":"company","u":"https://ar2023.nornickel.ru/en/strategic-report/strategic-investment-projects/sulphur-project.html"},{"t":"Annual Report 2025: Ecology and climate (PDF, Russian)","p":"Nornickel","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://ar2025.nornickel.ru/pdf-cutted/ru/ar/sustainable-development/ecology-climate-change/page.pdf"},{"t":"Sustainability Report 2024: Ecological well-being (PDF)","p":"Nornickel","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://sr2024.nornickel.ru/download/csr/en/pdf/parts/environmental-wellbeing.pdf"},{"t":"Global SO2 point source catalogue V2, 2005–2025 (Catalogue_SO2_2025.xls)","p":"NASA Goddard","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://so2.gsfc.nasa.gov/kml/Catalogue_SO2_2025.xls"},{"t":"Version 2 of the global catalogue of large anthropogenic and volcanic SO2 sources and emissions derived from satellite measurements (Fioletov et al., ESSD 15, 75–93)","p":"Earth System Science Data","d":"2023-01-04","type":"academic","u":"https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/75/2023"},{"t":"Nornickel to invest more than RUB 180bn in the Sulphur Programme","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/business/927544"},{"t":"Nornickel to relocate smelting and cut emissions by 90% by 2028 (TASS)","p":"InvestFuture","d":"2026-04-17","type":"press","u":"https://investfuture.ru/articles/nornikel-pereneset-plavilnoe-proizvodstvo-i-snizit-vybrosy-na-90-k-2028-godu-36224958"},{"t":"Duma passed a bill freezing several environmental initiatives for two years","p":"Interfax","d":"2022-03-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/827684"},{"t":"Nornickel is considering issuing green bonds","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2015-11-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/business/articles/2015/11/26/618398-nornikel-rassmatrivaet-vozmozhnost-vipustit-zelenie-bondi"},{"t":"Greenpeace analysis ranks global SO2 air pollution hotspots","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2019-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/23819/global-so2-air-pollution-hotspots-ranked-by-greenpeace-analysis/"},{"t":"Russia's Norilsk Tops Global List of SO2 Emissions Hot Spots – NASA (Reuters)","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2019-08-20","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/2024/07/22/russias-norilsk-tops-global-list-of-so2-emissions-hot-spots-nasa"},{"t":"Potanin: 'This is a historic event for Nornickel'","p":"The Barents Observer","d":"2020-12-23","type":"press","u":"https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/industry-and-energy/2020/12/potanin-historic-event-nornickel"},{"t":"Svanvik monitoring station","p":"NILU","d":"2024-11-29","type":"academic","u":"https://nilu.com/?p=10517"},{"t":"Exclusion of companies","p":"Norges Bank Investment Management","d":"2026-08","type":"official","u":"https://www.nbim.no/en/responsible-investment/ethical-exclusions/exclusion-of-companies/"},{"t":"Siberian River Has Turned Red Before, Satellites Show","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2016-09-15","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/siberian-river-has-turned-red-before-satellites-show-88725"},{"t":"Expert RA upgraded the ESG rating of Norilsk Nickel to ESG-AA-","p":"Expert RA","d":"2026-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://raexpert.ru/releases/2026/sep30a"}],"episodes":[],"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much SO2 did the Norilsk smelters emit, and in which direction did emissions move in 2025?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How far did SO2 fall in the Kola Division and the Russia–Norway border area?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the direction of change in Norilsk SO2 for 2025. Nornickel reports 1,146 kt (−9% against 2024); the NASA catalogue lists 1,527.8 kt against 1,104.0 kt in 2024, with an overall uncertainty of about 50%.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Nornickel's own Kola percentages differ between reports. The Annual Report 2020 gives −71% at Nikel and Zapolyarny and −58% in the Russia–Norway border area for 2020; the Annual Report 2022 gives −71% in the border area and −50% at Nikel and Zapolyarny.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: year-by-year Sulphur Programme spending after 2020; the company's annual report pages give only totals and the 2020 figure.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a launch year for the Copper Plant in the Annual Report 2023, and a reason for the 2023 redesign in the Annual Report 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an investment amount for the 2026 relocation of Copper Plant smelting.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case over SO2 air emissions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"taimyr-indigenous-peoples-and-nornickel-programme","title":"Taimyr and Kola indigenous peoples and Nornickel: letter, development programme and compensation payments, 2020–2025","dek":"After the May 2020 Norilsk diesel spill, indigenous organisations called on Tesla to refuse Nornickel products, and Nornickel announced a development programme, compensation payments and a coordination council. The company reports the programme as completed in 2024; NGOs report that support was made conditional and that Ust-Avam has not received the compensation it requested.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":71,"lon":93.5,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets Municipal District, Krasnoyarsk Krai (Volochanka, Ust-Avam, Tukhard)","lat":71,"lon":93.5,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River","role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Kola Peninsula, Murmansk Oblast (Sami)","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2020-08-07","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing","mining"],"headline":{"label":"Company-reported spend on the five-year Taimyr programme, 2020–2024","value":"More than RUB 2bn","note":"Nornickel's Human Rights Report 2024; no year-by-year breakdown and no independent audit is on record."},"happened":["On 7 August 2020 the Aborigen Forum, in an open letter to Tesla signed by its general secretary, asked Tesla to refuse Nornickel products until four conditions were met: an independent assessment of environmental damage in Taimyr and Murmansk Oblast; compensation to indigenous communities for damage to their traditional way of life; recultivation of contaminated land; and policies requiring free and informed consent. The forum called land taken for industry \"a lunar landscape\".","On 25 September 2020 Nornickel announced a comprehensive plan to 2025 worth RUB 2bn, with more than 40 measures based on a summer 2020 ethnological expedition, and signed an agreement with three associations: the Association of Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East, the Krasnoyarsk Krai regional association and the Taimyr association. On 22 December 2020 NTEK announced payments totalling RUB 174m to 699 people, clan communities and individuals fishing on Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River; the recipient list was agreed with community representatives and the national indigenous association, and the damage was calculated by the Arctic Development Project Office. The announcement was later removed from Nornickel's website.","In June 2021 two indigenous representatives, one Dolgan and one Sami from Kola, met Credit Suisse and UBS representatives in Bern and said they had been refused meetings at Nornickel's Zug subsidiary Metal Trade Overseas AG; the Sami delegate said the company does not respect the rights of indigenous people. Nornickel confirmed in a 21 March [2021] letter to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre \"direct compensation of 174 million roubles (CHF 2.2 million) to 699 people\".","A coalition article published by Cultural Survival on 1 June 2022 reported that on 6 February 2022 police searched homes in Ust-Avam (population about 450) and confiscated reindeer meat; that community members said receiving support required agreeing that the spill had not affected their fisheries, and that Ust-Avam refused and had not received the compensation it requested; that leaders said the free, prior and informed consent process in Tukhard violated international standards; and that Nornickel's planned audit by the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) was put on hold after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Communities were \"considering legal action\" to recover the meat.","Nornickel's Human Rights Report 2024 states that in 2024 the company completed the five-year programme and directed more than RUB 2bn to it, and that a Coordination Council with 58 communities directed RUB 400m to community development in 2021–2024 (RUB 100m a year). It reports 23% of the housing stock renewed in Volochanka and Ust-Avam, feldsher-midwife stations up 27%, and zero recorded violations of indigenous peoples' rights in 2024. On 9 December 2025 the company announced a new agreement with the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FADN) and the association of indigenous peoples."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Aborigen Forum letter to Tesla (7 Aug); Nornickel plan and agreement with three associations (25 Sep); payments of RUB 174m to 699 people announced (22 Dec)","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"Indigenous representatives meet Credit Suisse and UBS in Bern (June); Coordination Council formed","src":3},{"y":2022,"t":"Police search homes in Ust-Avam and confiscate reindeer meat (6 Feb, per a coalition of NGOs)","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"Company reports the five-year Taimyr programme completed","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"New agreement with FADN and the indigenous peoples' association (9 Dec)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"a lunar landscape","who":"Aborigen Forum, on land taken for industry (as reported by Meduza)","when":"2020-08-07","src":0},{"q":"the company does not respect the rights of indigenous people","who":"Sami delegate (as quoted by swissinfo)","when":"2021-06-17","src":3},{"q":"considering legal action","who":"Communities, as reported in a coalition article by Cultural Survival","when":"2022-06-01","src":4},{"q":"without showing documents or identification","who":"Cultural Survival, First Peoples Worldwide, Batani Fund, Earthworks and Society for Threatened Peoples, on the police entry into homes","when":"2022-06-01","src":4},{"q":"0 cases of violation of indigenous peoples' rights were recorded in 2024","who":"Nornickel Human Rights Report 2024","when":"2025","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The agreement continues Nornickel's course of developing constructive and mutually beneficial relations","who":"Andrei Grachev, Vice President, Nornickel (press release)","when":"2025-12-09","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Modern approaches combine state guarantees and voluntary corporate commitments of business","who":"Igor Barinov, head of FADN (press release)","when":"2025-12-09","src":6,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The five-year programme completed in 2024 with more than RUB 2bn directed to it; zero recorded violations of indigenous peoples' rights in 2024","who":"Nornickel (Human Rights Report 2024)","src":5},{"t":"The new agreement with FADN and the association of indigenous peoples described as directed at the development of local communities","who":"Nornickel (press release, 9 December 2025)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"NTEK announced payments totalling RUB 174m to 699 people; the announcement was later removed from Nornickel's website","src":2},{"t":"Nornickel confirmed \"direct compensation of 174 million roubles (CHF 2.2 million) to 699 people\" in a 21 March [2021] letter to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","src":3},{"t":"Per Profundo data cited by the Society for Threatened Peoples, as of April 2021 UBS held US$45 million in Nornickel shares and bonds, and Credit Suisse held US$27 million in equity and had issued US$268 million in loans","src":3},{"t":"Coordination Council: RUB 400m for community development in 2021–2024, RUB 100m a year; 58 communities","src":5},{"t":"IRMA audit of Nornickel put on hold after Russia's invasion of Ukraine (Cultural Survival coalition article)","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2020–2024","nature":[{"label":"Payments announced to 699 people after the 2020 spill (NTEK)","amount":174,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Five-year Taimyr programme, company-reported","amount":2000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2020–2024"},{"label":"Coordination Council, community development","amount":400,"window":"2021–2024","note":"RUB 100m a year."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Programme spend, company-reported","v":"> RUB 2bn","d":"2020–2024; no year-by-year breakdown"},{"k":"Payments to 699 people","v":"RUB 174m","d":"Announced 22 December 2020 by NTEK"},{"k":"Independent assessment of damage to traditional land use","v":"None on record","d":"First demand of the Aborigen Forum letter"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A coalition article by Cultural Survival; no independent damage assessment of traditional land use is on record.","report":[{"t":"In 2021 residents could not fish in my Lake Pyasino because of the 2020 spill, according to Cultural Survival.","src":4}]},"unknown":["None on record: an independent assessment of environmental damage to traditional land use in Taimyr and Murmansk Oblast, the first demand of the Aborigen Forum letter.","Not disclosed: a year-by-year breakdown of the more than RUB 2bn programme spend in the company's Human Rights Report 2024.","None on record: an independent audit of the compensation payments.","None on record: a lawsuit by indigenous communities against Nornickel; Cultural Survival (2022) reported that communities were considering legal action to recover the confiscated meat.","None on record: a complaint from residents about the RUB 174m payments in the swissinfo article, or a response from the company press service to Sibir.Realii in the 22 December 2020 report.","Disputed: the programme period. Interfax reported the RUB 2bn plan on 25 September 2020 as running to 2025; the company later reports it as 2020–2024 and completed."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The spill was a single event on 29 May 2020; the company reports the five-year programme completed in 2024.","whoPaid":"Nornickel and its subsidiary NTEK funded the programme and the RUB 174m payments; the company reports more than RUB 2bn for 2020–2024.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the company reports the 2020–2024 programme completed and a new agreement with FADN signed on 9 December 2025; NGOs report that Ust-Avam has not received the compensation it requested.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Reported that it completed the five-year programme in 2024 with more than RUB 2bn directed to it, and zero recorded violations of indigenous peoples' rights in 2024.","when":"2025","src":5},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Confirmed direct compensation of RUB 174 million (CHF 2.2 million) to 699 people in a 21 March [2021] letter to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.","when":"2021-03-21","src":3},{"actor":"nornickel","says":"Announced a new agreement with FADN and the association of indigenous peoples; Vice President Andrei Grachev said it continues the company's course of developing constructive and mutually beneficial relations.","when":"2025-12-09","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"nornickel","role":"Funder of the programme and agreement partner"},{"id":"ntek","role":"Announced the RUB 174m payments to 699 people"},{"id":"aborigen-forum","role":"Sent the 7 August 2020 open letter to Tesla"},{"id":"tesla","role":"Addressee of the 7 August 2020 letter"},{"id":"cultural-survival","role":"Coalition article of 1 June 2022 on Ust-Avam and Tukhard"},{"id":"ubs","role":"Met indigenous representatives in Bern, June 2021; shareholder and bondholder per NGO data"},{"id":"credit-suisse","role":"Met indigenous representatives in Bern, June 2021; shareholder and lender per NGO data"},{"id":"fadn","role":"Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs; party to the 9 December 2025 agreement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Has the support programme met the communities' needs, and is support conditional?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (Human Rights Report 2024)","says":"The five-year programme was completed in 2024 with more than RUB 2bn directed to it; zero cases of violation of indigenous peoples' rights were recorded in 2024.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Community members and a coalition of NGOs (Cultural Survival, 2022)","says":"Receiving support required agreeing that the spill had not affected fisheries; Ust-Avam refused and had not received the compensation it requested.","src":4}]},{"point":"When did the RUB 2bn programme end?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (25 September 2020, via Interfax)","says":"Announced a comprehensive plan worth RUB 2bn running to 2025.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nornickel (Human Rights Report 2024; press release of 9 December 2025)","says":"Reports the five-year programme as 2020–2024, completed in 2024, with more than RUB 2bn.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_paid","value":174,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Payments announced by NTEK to 699 people on 22 December 2020; Nornickel confirmed RUB 174 million (CHF 2.2 million) in a 21 March [2021] letter."},{"key":"people_compensated","value":699,"unit":"people","year":2020,"note":"Clan communities and individuals fishing on Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River."},{"key":"programme_spend_company","value":2000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Five-year Taimyr programme, 2020–2024, company-reported."},{"key":"coordination_council_funding","value":400,"unit":"RUB m","year":2024,"note":"2021–2024, RUB 100m a year; 58 communities."},{"key":"housing_renewed_pct","value":23,"unit":"% of housing stock","year":2024,"note":"Volochanka and Ust-Avam, company-reported."},{"key":"feldsher_midwife_stations_increase_pct","value":27,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Company-reported."},{"key":"investor_holding","value":45,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"UBS, shares and bonds, as of April 2021 (Profundo data cited by the Society for Threatened Peoples)."},{"key":"investor_holding","value":27,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Credit Suisse, equity, as of April 2021 (Profundo data cited by the Society for Threatened Peoples)."},{"key":"investor_loans","value":268,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Credit Suisse loans, as of April 2021 (Profundo data cited by the Society for Threatened Peoples)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"After the May 2020 Norilsk diesel spill, indigenous organisations asked Tesla to refuse Nornickel products, and Nornickel announced a RUB 2bn programme, RUB 174m in payments to 699 people and a coordination council; the company reports the programme completed in 2024.","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"699 people (clan communities and individuals fishing on Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River)","what":"Payments totalling RUB 174m announced by NTEK","src":2},{"who":"58 communities in the Coordination Council","what":"RUB 400m for community development in 2021–2024, RUB 100m a year (company-reported)","src":5},{"who":"Volochanka and Ust-Avam","what":"23% of the housing stock renewed and feldsher-midwife stations up 27% (company-reported)","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Ust-Avam","what":"Reported by NGOs as not having received the compensation it requested after refusing to accept that the spill had not affected its fisheries","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River fisheries","what":"Residents could not fish in Lake Pyasino in 2021 because of the spill (Cultural Survival)","src":4},{"who":"Ust-Avam residents","what":"Reindeer meat confiscated in police searches of homes on 6 February 2022, as reported by a coalition of NGOs","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Taimyr Dolgano-Nenets Municipal District, Krasnoyarsk Krai (Volochanka, Ust-Avam, Tukhard); Lake Pyasino and the Pyasina River; Kola (Sami).","src":5},"when":{"t":"Letter to Tesla on 7 August 2020; plan and agreement on 25 September 2020; payments announced on 22 December 2020; programme reported completed in 2024; new agreement with FADN on 9 December 2025.","src":6},"why":{"t":"The Aborigen Forum asked Tesla to refuse Nornickel products until independent damage assessment, compensation, recultivation and free and informed consent policies were in place.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Nornickel signed an agreement with three indigenous associations, funded a five-year programme and a Coordination Council, and announced direct payments calculated by the Arctic Development Project Office.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Indigenous groups in Northern Russia ask Elon Musk to boycott Russian mining company 'Nornickel'","p":"Meduza","d":"2020-08-07","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2020/08/07/indigenous-groups-in-northern-russia-ask-elon-musk-to-boycott-russian-mining-company-nornickel"},{"t":"Nornickel to direct RUB 2bn to support indigenous peoples of the North","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-09-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/728626"},{"t":"Nornickel will pay compensation to Taimyr's indigenous peoples (Vedomosti, via Radio Svoboda / Sibir.Realii)","p":"Radio Svoboda","d":"2020-12-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/31012882.html"},{"t":"Russian activists demand action on Nornickel spill","p":"swissinfo.ch","d":"2021-06-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/russian-activists-demand-action-on-nornickel-spill/46709650"},{"t":"Isolated and Impacted by Nickel Mining: Indigenous Communities in Russia Search for Avenues of Justice","p":"Cultural Survival (coalition)","d":"2022-06-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/index%2ephp/node/13654"},{"t":"Human Rights Report 2024: indigenous peoples' rights (PDF, Russian)","p":"Nornickel","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://human-rights2024.nornickel.ru/pdf/hr/ru/results-human-rights-compliance-2024_indigenous-peoples-rights.pdf"},{"t":"Nornickel's new agreement with FADN and the indigenous peoples' association (company press release)","p":"Vedomosti","d":"2025-12-09","type":"company","u":"https://www.vedomosti.ru/press_releases/2025/12/09/novoe-soglashenie-nornikelya-s-fadn-rossii-i-assotsiatsiei-korennih-narodov-napravleno-na-razvitie-mestnih-soobschestv"}],"episodes":[],"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Has the support programme met the communities' needs, and is support conditional?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"When did the RUB 2bn programme end?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an independent assessment of environmental damage to traditional land use in Taimyr and Murmansk Oblast, the first demand of the Aborigen Forum letter.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a year-by-year breakdown of the more than RUB 2bn programme spend in the company's Human Rights Report 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an independent audit of the compensation payments.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a lawsuit by indigenous communities against Nornickel; Cultural Survival (2022) reported that communities were considering legal action to recover the confiscated meat.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a complaint from residents about the RUB 174m payments in the swissinfo article, or a response from the company press service to Sibir.Realii in the 22 December 2020 report.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the programme period. Interfax reported the RUB 2bn plan on 25 September 2020 as running to 2025; the company later reports it as 2020–2024 and completed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"usinsk-1994-komi-oil-spill-world-bank-ebrd-loans","title":"Usinsk pipeline spill (Komi, 1994) and the World Bank and EBRD emergency loans","dek":"Repeated failures of the Kharyaga–Usinsk oil pipeline in the Komi Republic in 1994 released oil into bogs, creeks and the Kolva River. The World Bank lent US$99 million and the EBRD US$25 million to the Russian Federation, on-lent to the pipeline operator Komineft; published estimates of the volume spilled differ widely.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":66.3,"lon":57.3,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Komi Republic (Usinsk district)","lat":66.3,"lon":57.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Kolva, Usa and Pechora river basin","role":"affected"}],"start":1994,"end":2004,"eventDate":"1994-08-12","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Emergency loans to the Russian Federation, on-lent to Komineft","value":"US$99m + US$25m","note":"IBRD loan 3872-RU approved 25 April 1995; EBRD loan signed 5 May 1995. Disbursed: US$98.41m (IBRD) and US$17.5m (EBRD), according to the World Bank's evaluation."},"happened":["Between February 1994 and January 1995 the Kharyaga–Usinsk oil pipeline in the Usinsk district of the Komi Republic failed repeatedly, with a cascade of failures in August and September 1994 and in January 1995, according to the World Bank. The pipeline had a history of spills starting in 1982. Oil was held in bogs, creeks and temporary dikes; in autumn 1994 some dikes failed and oil reached the Kolva River, which flows into the Usa, a tributary of the Pechora, which flows to the Barents Sea.","The World Bank said Komineft knew in 1992 that the pipeline's integrity was deteriorating, mainly because of corrosive water (about 25%) in the transported fluid, and that a replacement programme was only 60% complete when Section 2 ruptured 'due to lack of funds'. The Christian Science Monitor reported that two leaks were noticed on 12 August 1994 and that pumping continued at full pressure until 6 September; heavy rain on 27 September (Oil & Gas Journal: 1 October) overtopped or washed out dams. The Komi Republic Emergency Situation Commission declared an emergency in the Kolva River area on 10 October 1994.","Estimates of the volume of oil released differ widely between the World Bank ('in excess of 100,000 tons', with 'over 20,000 tons' into the Kolva), Komineft (84,000 to 102,200 barrels in two press accounts), other Russian officials, a US Deputy Energy Secretary and a local environmental movement; estimates of the contaminated area differ as well. The pipeline carried up to 11 million tons of oil a year, and the World Bank judged that shutting it down was not feasible.","The Russian Prime Minister asked the World Bank for emergency assistance on 23 January 1995. The Bank's Board approved a US$99 million IBRD loan on 25 April 1995 and a US$25 million EBRD loan was signed on 5 May 1995; both were made to the Russian Federation and on-lent to Komineft. Project cost at appraisal was US$140 million, including US$16 million from Komineft; actual cost was US$115 million. The project paid for an international management contractor, replacement of 64.2 km of pipe, spill containment and clean-up, and a social programme for affected villages.","Lukoil acquired Komineft in 1999. The EBRD loan closed on 31 December 1999 and the IBRD loan on 30 June 2002. Lukoil-Komi reclaimed 42.2 ha in 2000 and 33.7 ha in 2001. The World Bank's Operations Evaluation Department rated the outcome 'Satisfactory' in 2003. According to Lukoil, the 1994 accident area was released from 'environmental disaster zone' status in 2004."],"timeline":[{"y":1982,"t":"The pipeline's history of spills begins (World Bank)","src":1},{"y":1994,"t":"Leaks begin in February; two leaks noticed 12 August; heavy rain 27 September; Komi emergency declared 10 October","src":3},{"y":1995,"t":"Russian Prime Minister requests assistance (23 Jan); management contractor chosen (13 Feb); World Bank memorandum (5 Apr); Board approval of loan 3872-RU (25 Apr); EBRD loan signed (5 May); Government Decree No. 629 approves the EBRD agreement (27 Jun)","src":0},{"y":1999,"t":"Lukoil acquires Komineft; EBRD loan closes (31 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2002,"t":"IBRD loan closes (30 Jun); 237 of 270 ha reclaimed by May according to Komineft figures","src":1},{"y":2003,"t":"World Bank evaluation rates the outcome 'Satisfactory' (28 Apr)","src":2},{"y":2004,"t":"1994 accident area released from 'environmental disaster zone' status (Lukoil)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"By April or May of next year, all the pollution will be cleaned up","who":"Valentin Leonidov, president of Komineft","when":"October 1994","src":3},{"q":"Everything is under control now","who":"Valery Ilyin, Komineft spokesman","when":"28 October 1994","src":4},{"q":"This event is nothing out of the ordinary","who":"Yuri Nogotkov, Energy Ministry spokesman","when":"28 October 1994","src":4},{"q":"This is potentially a very dangerous accident for the environment","who":"Alexander Shuval, press chief of the Environment Ministry","when":"28 October 1994","src":4},{"q":"must have been tens of thousands of tons, not hundreds of thousands","who":"Ivan Khudyakov, chairman of the Usinsk branch of the Movement to Save the Pechora","when":"October 1994","src":3},{"q":"Whether it be 100,000 bbl or 2 million bbl, that's a lot of oil.","who":"William White, US Deputy Energy Secretary, as quoted by Oil & Gas Journal","when":"October 1994","src":5},{"q":"what are our cows going to eat in the meantime?","who":"Irina Yesimova, deputy mayor of Kolva","when":"October 1994","src":3},{"q":"They have leaks all the time, and they have been concealing it for a long time","who":"Yevgeny Rochev, journalist at Usinsk Nov","when":"October 1994","src":3},{"q":"long-standing resentment about Komineft's pattern of behavior","who":"World Bank completion report, describing the views of villagers","when":"2002","src":1},{"q":"a potential environmental disaster was avoided","who":"World Bank Operations Evaluation Department review","when":"April 2003","src":2},{"q":"no provision was made for the accumulated effects of a long history of previous oil spills, leaving the local communities with a residue of grievances.","who":"World Bank Operations Evaluation Department review","when":"April 2003","src":2},{"q":"LUKOIL volunteered to eliminate its consequences.","who":"Lukoil press release","when":"14 November 2005","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"Komineft told the Christian Science Monitor that 84,000 barrels escaped.","who":"Komineft officials","src":3},{"t":"Komineft's president said all the pollution would be cleaned up by April or May 1995.","who":"Komineft","src":3},{"t":"The Energy Ministry's spokesman called the event 'nothing out of the ordinary'; the Environment Ministry's press chief called it 'potentially a very dangerous accident for the environment'.","who":"Russian ministries","src":4},{"t":"Lukoil said it 'volunteered to eliminate' the consequences of the 1994 accident.","who":"Lukoil (2005)","src":7},{"t":"The evaluation rated the outcome 'Satisfactory' and said 'a potential environmental disaster was avoided'.","who":"World Bank Operations Evaluation Department","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"World Bank: oil released 'in excess of 100,000 tons (730,000 barrels)' cumulatively, of which 'over 20,000 tons' reached the Kolva River.","src":0},{"t":"Komineft data cited by the World Bank: 270.4 hectares contaminated and damaged; by 1 September 1999, 161.79 ha reclaimed; by May 2002, 237 of 270 ha reclaimed with 33 ha left for 2002–2003; about 40,000 cubic metres of sludge still in containment polygons in 2002.","src":1},{"t":"The World Bank completion report said burning of peat bogs 'just drove the oil further down', that moving oily peat into sand pits increased the number of areas needing eventual clean-up, and that most areas resisted microbial degradation.","src":1},{"t":"Financing plan at appraisal: World Bank US$99 million, EBRD US$25 million, Komineft US$16 million; the EBRD disbursed US$17.5 million because it could extend the loan only about one year beyond the original closing date.","src":2},{"t":"Social mitigation programme for affected villages: US$4.53 million, of which US$3.95 million was committed (World Bank US$2.82 million, EBRD US$0.70 million, Komineft US$0.43 million); villagers were 'in general, dissatisfied' with it.","src":1},{"t":"World Bank evaluation: a baseline study prepared in 1995 'was not followed up' and a subsequent report was delayed until late 2001; the small socio-economic rehabilitation programme 'did not make much headway'.","src":2},{"t":"A 'financial dispute between the consultant and Komineft' delayed the environmental monitoring report until late 2001.","src":1},{"t":"Items listed as not yet financed included an integrated data sensing and control system estimated at about US$15 million.","src":1},{"t":"The World Bank estimated the present value of shutting the pipeline down at some 15 times the cost of the project, and the financial rate of return to the pipeline company at over 30% on a transport price of US$3.75 per ton.","src":1},{"t":"In October 1994 local environmentalists told the Monitor they could not judge Komineft's figure because snow covered the site; a Fuel and Energy Ministry ecology head told the Monitor he did not know the size of the accident until the information appeared in the Western press.","src":3},{"t":"Decree No. 629 states that repayment of the EBRD loan 'will be made from the funds of JSC Komineft' (translated).","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Spill containment and clean-up, EBRD-financed payments","amount":9.1,"note":"From the borrower's report in the World Bank completion report; part of US$17.5m in EBRD-financed payments."},{"label":"Lukoil-Komi land reclamation, 2000 (42.2 ha)","amount":null,"window":"2000","note":"RUB 32 million, under Lukoil-Komi's self-financed corporate programme."},{"label":"Lukoil-Komi land reclamation, 2001 (33.7 ha)","amount":null,"window":"2001","note":"RUB 12 million, under the same programme."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"IBRD loan to the Russian Federation, on-lent to Komineft","amount":99,"window":"1995–2002","note":"US$98.41m disbursed."},{"label":"EBRD loan to the Russian Federation, on-lent to Komineft","amount":25,"window":"1995–1999","note":"US$17.5m disbursed."},{"label":"Komineft contribution in the financing plan","amount":16,"window":"1995"},{"label":"Russian government advance for the management contractor's mobilisation","amount":12,"window":"1995"},{"label":"Pipeline section replacement, EBRD-financed payments","amount":5.5},{"label":"Social mitigation programme for affected villages","amount":4.53,"note":"US$3.95m committed."},{"label":"Project cost at appraisal","amount":140,"window":"1995","note":"Actual project cost: US$115m."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil released into the Kolva River","v":"Over 20,000 tons","d":"World Bank; its estimate of the cumulative release was in excess of 100,000 tons"},{"k":"Volume estimates","v":"Differ widely","d":"Komineft officials gave 84,000 barrels; the US Deputy Energy Secretary passed on 2 million barrels"},{"k":"Land reclaimed by May 2002","v":"237 of 270 ha","d":"Komineft figures in the World Bank completion report; 33 ha left for 2002–2003"},{"k":"Loans disbursed","v":"US$98.41m + US$17.5m","d":"World Bank and EBRD, lent to the Russian Federation and on-lent to Komineft"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"World Bank project documents, contemporary press reports and a 2007 Bellona chapter citing the newspaper Tribuna.","report":[{"t":"Over 20,000 tons of oil reached my Kolva River in 1994, according to the World Bank.","src":0},{"t":"Komineft data put the contaminated and damaged area at 270.4 hectares; by May 2002, 237 of those hectares had been reclaimed and about 40,000 cubic metres of sludge remained in containment polygons.","src":1},{"t":"In September 2001 sampling, my upper and middle Quaternary aquifers were within maximum permissible concentrations and my shallow water-carrying regions were slightly contaminated, according to the World Bank completion report.","src":1},{"t":"Burning of my peat bogs during clean-up 'just drove the oil further down', according to the World Bank completion report.","src":1},{"t":"Fishermen found tar balls at Mutni Materik, about 125 miles downriver, and Komineft acknowledged oil on my river banks for at least 30 miles, according to the Christian Science Monitor in 1994.","src":3},{"t":"According to Bellona (2007, citing the newspaper Tribuna), whitefish, white salmon and grayling declined sharply in my Kolva from 1995, spawning grounds declined in the Usa, and migratory birds died; it also reported cadmium and zinc in potato samples and lead in cows' and mothers' milk.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: no measured final volume of oil is given in the World Bank documents, the press reports or the Bellona chapter; estimates differ (see disputes).","Unclear: the pipeline is called the Kharyaga–Usinsk pipeline by the World Bank (146 km in the 1995 memorandum, 148 km in the completion report), the Vozei-GOSP pipeline by Lukoil and the Vozey-Golovnie pipeline by Bellona; whether these are one line or sections of it is not stated.","Figures differ: the World Bank gives pipe diameters of 325 mm (Section 1) and 530 mm (Section 2); Bellona gives 720 mm.","Insufficient: Bellona's reports of declines in fish and birds and of metals in food name no measuring body or data series.","Insufficient: in October 1994 local environmentalists told the Christian Science Monitor they could not judge Komineft's figure because snow covered the site.","Insufficient: the World Bank's evaluation says a 1995 baseline study was not followed up and a later report was delayed until late 2001."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The World Bank dates the leaks from February 1994 to January 1995. Containment, replacement of 64.2 km of pipe and reclamation followed from 1995; by May 2002, 237 of 270 ha were reported reclaimed and 33 ha remained.","whoPaid":"The World Bank (US$98.41m disbursed) and the EBRD (US$17.5m) lent the money to the Russian Federation, which on-lent it to Komineft; Decree No. 629 says EBRD repayment would come from Komineft's funds. Lukoil financed further reclamation from 2000 under its own corporate programme.","statusLine":"As of 2005: both emergency loans had closed by 2002, and Lukoil reported that the 1994 accident area was released from 'environmental disaster zone' status in 2004.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"komineft","says":"Its president said in October 1994 that all pollution would be cleaned up by April or May 1995; its spokesman said everything was under control; officials gave a figure of 84,000 barrels escaped.","when":"October 1994","src":3},{"actor":"lukoil","says":"Said it started working in the Komi Republic five years after the 1994 accident and 'volunteered to eliminate its consequences'; reported 4.6 billion rubles spent on environmental activities in Komi in 2000–2005, 1,592.75 ha returned to land users and 878.7 km of pipelines replaced (all activities in the republic).","when":"2005-11-14","src":7},{"actor":"ibrd","says":"Its evaluation department rated the outcome 'Satisfactory' and said sustainability was 'Highly Likely' because of Lukoil's backing.","when":"2003-04-28","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"ibrd","role":"Lender: US$99 million loan to the Russian Federation (3872-RU)"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender: US$25 million loan to the Russian Federation"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Borrower of both loans; on-lent them to Komineft"},{"id":"komineft","role":"Pipeline operator; implementing agency; repaying the on-lent loans"},{"id":"lukoil","role":"Acquired Komineft in 1999; funded further reclamation"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"One of the NGOs consulted in 1995 (World Bank completion report)"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much oil was released in 1994?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank (1995 memorandum, 2002 completion report)","says":"'In excess of 100,000 tons (730,000 barrels)' cumulatively; 'over 20,000 tons' into the Kolva River.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Komineft, via Oil & Gas Journal (31 October 1994)","says":"102,200 barrels.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Komineft officials, via the Christian Science Monitor (31 October 1994)","says":"84,000 barrels escaped; tens, possibly hundreds, of thousands of barrels also soaked into the tundra.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Komineft spokesman Valery Ilyin, via the Christian Science Monitor (28 October 1994)","says":"3.6 million gallons.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"'Other Russian officials', via Oil & Gas Journal","says":"219,000–438,000 barrels.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"William White, US Deputy Energy Secretary","says":"Up to 80 million gallons, as told to the New York Times (via the Christian Science Monitor, 28 October 1994); he also passed on '2 million bbl' from American oil companies in the area (Oil & Gas Journal).","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ivan Khudyakov, Movement to Save the Pechora (Usinsk branch)","says":"Tens of thousands of tons, not hundreds of thousands, based on pipe capacity.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bellona (2007), citing the newspaper Tribuna","says":"The 'official version' was 100,000–120,000 tonnes.","src":6}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How large was the contaminated area?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Emergency Situations, via the Christian Science Monitor","says":"26 square miles of tundra soaked.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Komineft data, via the World Bank completion report","says":"270.4 hectares contaminated and damaged.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Bellona (2007)","says":"'Official estimates' of 115 hectares were 'strongly underestimated'; more than 400 hectares were cleansed over four years; Lukoil's 1999 inventory found 750 hectares still needing remediation.","src":6}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How serious was the accident, and how soon would it be cleaned up?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Energy Ministry spokesman","says":"'This event is nothing out of the ordinary.'","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Ministry press chief","says":"'This is potentially a very dangerous accident for the environment.'","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Komineft president (October 1994)","says":"All the pollution would be cleaned up by April or May 1995.","src":3},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank completion report (2002)","says":"By May 2002, 237 of 270 ha had been reclaimed according to Komineft figures; 33 ha were left for 2002–2003.","src":1}]},{"point":"Did the social mitigation programme meet the villages' needs?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank","says":"Programme of US$4.53 million, of which US$3.95 million was committed, spent on fodder and calves, drinking-water wells, medical and laboratory equipment, food supplements for children under 2, summer stays for children and a school and kindergartens; the evaluation says the small socio-economic rehabilitation programme 'did not make much headway'.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Villagers, as reported in the World Bank completion report","says":"'In general, dissatisfied' with the programme; felt 'a lack of transparency'.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":100000,"unit":"tons","year":1994,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Cumulative, World Bank (1995 memorandum and 2002 completion report); stated as 730,000 barrels."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":20000,"unit":"tons","year":1994,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Released into the Kolva River (World Bank)."},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":102200,"unit":"barrels","year":1994,"note":"Komineft, via Oil & Gas Journal, 31 October 1994."},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":84000,"unit":"barrels","year":1994,"note":"Komineft officials, via the Christian Science Monitor, 31 October 1994."},{"key":"area_ha","value":270.4,"unit":"ha","year":1994,"note":"Komineft data, via the World Bank completion report: contaminated and damaged."},{"key":"area_ha","value":115,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Bellona (2007): 'official estimates', described as strongly underestimated."},{"key":"area_reclaimed_ha","value":161.79,"unit":"ha","year":1999,"note":"By 1 September 1999 (Komineft figure, World Bank completion report)."},{"key":"area_reclaimed_ha","value":237,"unit":"ha","year":2002,"note":"By May 2002, of 270 ha; 33 ha left for 2002–2003."},{"key":"sludge_m3","value":40000,"unit":"m3","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Still in containment polygons."},{"key":"river_bank_oiled_miles","value":30,"unit":"miles","year":1994,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Komineft acknowledged oil on the river banks (Christian Science Monitor)."},{"key":"loan_ibrd","value":99,"unit":"USD m","year":1995,"note":"Loan 3872-RU to the Russian Federation; 17 years including 5 years' grace."},{"key":"loan_ebrd","value":25,"unit":"USD m","year":1995,"note":"Signed 5 May 1995."},{"key":"disbursed_ibrd","value":98.41,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"World Bank evaluation."},{"key":"disbursed_ebrd","value":17.5,"unit":"USD m","year":1999,"note":"Instead of US$25m; the EBRD could extend the loan only about one year beyond the original closing date."},{"key":"project_cost","value":140,"unit":"USD m","year":1995,"note":"Appraisal, net of taxes."},{"key":"project_cost","value":115,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"Actual."},{"key":"government_advance","value":12,"unit":"USD m","year":1995,"note":"Russian government advance to pay the management contractor's mobilisation."},{"key":"social_programme","value":4.53,"unit":"USD m","year":1997,"note":"US$3.95m committed."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":9.1,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Oil spill containment and clean-up, EBRD-financed payments (borrower's report)."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":32,"unit":"RUB m","year":2000,"note":"Lukoil-Komi reclamation of 42.2 ha."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":12,"unit":"RUB m","year":2001,"note":"Lukoil-Komi reclamation of 33.7 ha."},{"key":"environmental_spending_komi","value":4600,"unit":"RUB m","year":2005,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Lukoil, all environmental activities in Komi in 2000–2005, not only the 1994 site."},{"key":"pipe_replaced_km","value":64.2,"unit":"km","year":null,"note":"530 mm pipe replaced by JSC Poisk under the project."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Repeated failures of the Kharyaga–Usinsk oil pipeline in 1994 released oil into bogs, creeks and the Kolva River in the Komi Republic. The World Bank lent US$99 million and the EBRD US$25 million to the Russian Federation, on-lent to Komineft, to contain and clean up the spill and replace the pipeline.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Komineft","what":"Received the on-lent IBRD and EBRD loans; the pipeline stayed in operation, carrying up to 11 million tons of oil a year","src":1},{"who":"International management contractor AES/Hartek","what":"Contract of US$50 million (IBRD part US$41 million), signed March 1995","src":1},{"who":"JSC Poisk","what":"Pipeline rehabilitation contract of US$29.5 million (IBRD part US$24 million); 64.2 km of 530 mm pipe replaced","src":1},{"who":"Affected villages","what":"Social mitigation programme of US$4.53 million, of which US$3.95 million was committed","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Komineft","what":"Assumed the foreign exchange risk on the on-lent loans and, under Decree No. 629, was to repay the EBRD loan from its own funds; its contribution in the financing plan was US$16 million","src":0},{"who":"Russian Federation","what":"Borrower of the US$99 million and US$25 million loans; advanced US$12 million for the management contractor's mobilisation","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Kolva River","what":"Over 20,000 tons of oil (World Bank)","src":0},{"who":"Bogs, creeks and tundra around Usinsk","what":"270.4 hectares contaminated and damaged according to Komineft data; 237 of 270 ha reclaimed by May 2002","src":1},{"who":"Villages and herders in the Kolva basin","what":"Grazing floodplains and water sources affected; villagers dissatisfied with the mitigation programme","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Usinsk district, Komi Republic, north of European Russia: bogs and creeks along the Kharyaga–Usinsk pipeline; oil reached the Kolva River, a tributary system of the Usa and Pechora.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Leaks from February 1994 to January 1995, with failures in August–September 1994; emergency declared 10 October 1994; IBRD Board approval 25 April 1995; EBRD loan signed 5 May 1995; loans closed 31 December 1999 (EBRD) and 30 June 2002 (IBRD).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The World Bank said Komineft knew in 1992 that the pipeline's integrity was deteriorating, mainly because of corrosive water (about 25%) in the transported fluid, and that a replacement programme was only 60% complete when Section 2 ruptured 'due to lack of funds'.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The World Bank and the EBRD lent to the Russian Federation, which on-lent the funds to Komineft under a subsidiary loan agreement; Komineft paid an international management contractor, a pipeline contractor and a supervision consultant, and ran a social programme for affected villages.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The World Bank estimated the present value of shutting the pipeline down at some 15 times the cost of the project.","src":1}},"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill","lukoil-komi-usinsk-kolva-spills"],"sources":[{"t":"Russian Federation: Emergency Oil Spill Recovery and Mitigation Project, Memorandum and Recommendation of the President (Report P6578)","p":"World Bank","d":"1995-04-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/931291468307163228/Russian-Federation-Emergency-Oil-Spill-Recovery-and-Mitigation-Project"},{"t":"Implementation Completion Report, Emergency Oil Spill Recovery and Mitigation Project (Report 25250)","p":"World Bank","d":"2002-12-30","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/704121468777959856/Russian-Federation-Emergency-Oil-Spill-Recovery-and-Mitigation-Project"},{"t":"ICR Review ICRR11442, Emergency Oil Spill Mitigation","p":"World Bank Operations Evaluation Department","d":"2003-04-28","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/898791474487376506/Russian-Federation-Emergency-Oil-Spill-Mitigation"},{"t":"A Big Chill of a Spill: Workers Hack At Frozen Oil in Russia's Tundra","p":"The Christian Science Monitor","d":"1994-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.csmonitor.com/1994/1031/31014.html"},{"t":"Not Enough Fingers to Swiftly Plug All of Russia's Leaky Oil Pipelines","p":"The Christian Science Monitor","d":"1994-10-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/amphtml/1994/1028/28031.html"},{"t":"Big spill reported in Komi region of Russian Arctic","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"1994-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://ogj.com/home/article/17211650/big-spill-reported-in-komi-region-of-russian-arctic"},{"t":"Chapter 4. Oil and gas accidents prevention and liquidation","p":"Bellona","d":"2007","type":"ngo","u":"https://bellona.org/assets/fil_Chapter_4._Oil_and_gas_accidents_prevention_and_liquidation.pdf"},{"t":"LUKOIL accomplished reinstatement of lands in Komi","p":"LUKOIL","d":"2005-11-14","type":"company","u":"https://www.lukoil.com/PressCenter/Pressreleases/Pressrelease/lukoil-accomplished-reinstatement-of-lands-in-komi"},{"t":"Decree No. 629 of 27 June 1995 approving the agreement between the Russian Federation and the EBRD on a loan to eliminate the consequences of the Kharyaga–Usinsk pipeline accident (text via the rulaws.ru mirror, in Russian)","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"1995-06-27","type":"official","u":"https://rulaws.ru/goverment/Postanovlenie-Pravitelstva-RF-ot-27.06.1995-N-629"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much oil was released in 1994?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How large was the contaminated area?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How serious was the accident, and how soon would it be cleaned up?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Lukoil-Komi land reclamation, 2000 (42.2 ha) — RUB 32 million, under Lukoil-Komi's self-financed corporate programme.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Lukoil-Komi land reclamation, 2001 (33.7 ha) — RUB 12 million, under the same programme.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the social mitigation programme meet the villages' needs?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: no measured final volume of oil is given in the World Bank documents, the press reports or the Bellona chapter; estimates differ (see disputes).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the pipeline is called the Kharyaga–Usinsk pipeline by the World Bank (146 km in the 1995 memorandum, 148 km in the completion report), the Vozei-GOSP pipeline by Lukoil and the Vozey-Golovnie pipeline by Bellona; whether these are one line or sections of it is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the World Bank gives pipe diameters of 325 mm (Section 1) and 530 mm (Section 2); Bellona gives 720 mm.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Bellona's reports of declines in fish and birds and of metals in food name no measuring body or data series.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: in October 1994 local environmentalists told the Christian Science Monitor they could not judge Komineft's figure because snow covered the site.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the World Bank's evaluation says a 1995 baseline study was not followed up and a later report was delayed until late 2001.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"lukoil-komi-usinsk-kolva-spills","title":"Lukoil-Komi oil spills in the Usinsk area and the Kolva River, 2011–2023, damage claims and payments","dek":"Spills from Lukoil-Komi pipelines in the Usinsk area of the Komi Republic and on the Kolva River led to a RUB 615 million land-damage claim that was annulled on jurisdiction grounds, and to voluntary payments after the May 2021 Kolva spill reported as RUB 374,186,000 for water and RUB 130,069,000 for soil.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":66.3,"lon":57.3,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Komi Republic (Usinsk district)","lat":66.3,"lon":57.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Oshskoye field)","lat":67,"lon":57,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Komi Republic (Ukhta, Yarega area)","lat":63.4,"lon":53.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Kolva, Usa and Pechora rivers","role":"affected"}],"start":2011,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2021-05-11","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Voluntary payments by Lukoil-Komi after the May 2021 Kolva spill, as reported","value":"RUB 374.186m (water) + RUB 130.069m (soil)","note":"Figures from statements by the head of Rosprirodnadzor, reported by BFM (1 September 2021) and 7x7 (22 October 2021). The recipient is not named."},"happened":["Between 2011 and 2023 spills were reported on Lukoil-Komi lines in the Usinsk district of the Komi Republic and in the neighbouring Nenets Autonomous Okrug (NAO). Nine spills on land in Komi in 2011 underlay a claim of about RUB 615 million by Rosprirodnadzor's Komi office. The Komi Arbitrazh Court granted it in full on 25 September 2013 and the Second Arbitrazh Appeal Court upheld it on 24 December 2013; in 2014 the cassation court annulled the rulings, the Komi court terminated the proceedings on 15 July 2014 on the ground that such disputes belong to courts of general jurisdiction, and the appeal court upheld the termination in September 2014. The company said the harm had already been compensated through land reclamation.","In August 2014 Greenpeace Russia's 'Oil patrol' reported 205 oil spills in the Usinskoye, Vozeyskoye and Kharyaginskoye area. Rosprirodnadzor rejected the evidence for 34 sites; the checks of those sites were done by experts of Lukoil-Usinskneftegaz, not by Rosprirodnadzor. Lukoil-Komi planned to clean 89 sites in 2015 and reclaim 28 in 2016. Other spills were reported at the Verkhne-Vozeyskoye field in September 2016 (Lukoil said three hectares; people on site said 'far bigger') and near Ukhta in May 2019, where the Komi Arbitrazh Court awarded more than RUB 5.9 million.","On 11 May 2021 a pressure pipeline of the Oshskoye field operated by Lukoil-Komi depressurised and oil reached the Kolva River at Usinsk. Volume figures differ: the head of Komi said 6–7 tonnes, the Usinsk administration citing Lukoil-Komi about 90 tonnes, and Rosprirodnadzor's head about 100 tonnes of oil-containing liquid on the ground, of which 9 tonnes reached the river; Greenpeace Russia assumed 500 to 800 tonnes reached the water. About 1.3 ha was contaminated and about 0.3 ha disturbed by machinery. The response involved 209 people, 22 boats, 2 cutters and 7 barges, and over 100 tonnes of oil-containing waste had been collected by 19 May. The emergency regime in the Usinsk, Izhma and Ust-Tsilma districts was lifted on 23 June 2021.","Rosprirodnadzor opened administrative cases, Rostekhnadzor found that the line did not meet safety, strength, corrosion-resistance and reliability requirements, and the Naryan-Mar City Court suspended operation of the line. Criminal cases were opened under Articles 246 and 250 of the Criminal Code. Lukoil-Komi was not sued for damages: Rosprirodnadzor's head said it voluntarily paid RUB 374,186,000 for water (1 September 2021) and, according to 7x7 on 22 October 2021, RUB 130,069,000 for soil. The Save Pechora Committee said the damage was 'agreed' and that the penalty had no preventive effect; Greenpeace Russia estimated possible damage at more than RUB 1 billion if 500–800 tonnes reached the water.","In July 2023 a pipeline of the company Nobel-Oil (not Lukoil) ruptured at the Yuzhno-Oshskoye field; Rosprirodnadzor's head said up to 1,000 cubic metres of oil could have entered the Kolva and that Nobel-Oil had not provided information. On 19 May 2023 the Prosecutor General's Office of Russia listed Greenpeace as an 'undesirable organisation', ending its legal activity in the country."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Nine spills on land in Komi underlie the later RUB 615m claim","src":11},{"y":2012,"t":"March pipeline leak into the Bezymyanny stream; Lukoil-Komi fined RUB 4.6m; prosecutor opens administrative case at Usinsk City Court (6 Nov) after Greenpeace complaints","src":17},{"y":2013,"t":"Komi Arbitrazh Court grants the RUB 615m claim (25 Sep); Second Arbitrazh Appeal Court upholds it (24 Dec)","src":12},{"y":2014,"t":"Federal Arbitrazh Court of the Volga-Vyatka District suspends enforcement (Feb)","src":13},{"y":2014,"t":"Cassation court annuls the rulings and remands the case (reported 7 May)","src":14},{"y":2014,"t":"Komi Arbitrazh Court terminates the proceedings on jurisdiction grounds (15 Jul); Greenpeace 'Oil patrol' reports 205 spills (Aug)","src":15},{"y":2014,"t":"Second Arbitrazh Appeal Court upholds the termination (reported 2 Sep)","src":16},{"y":2015,"t":"Rosprirodnadzor and Greenpeace dispute the number of spills (Feb)","src":9},{"y":2016,"t":"Spill at the Verkhne-Vozeyskoye field (Sep)","src":20},{"y":2019,"t":"Spill near Ukhta (Yarega area) (May)","src":18},{"y":2020,"t":"Leak from an inactive pipeline at the Kharyaga field into the Kolva (Oct)","src":22},{"y":2021,"t":"Oshskoye line leak into the Kolva (11 May); emergency lifted (23 Jun); water payment reported (1 Sep); soil payment reported (21 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Greenpeace listed as undesirable in Russia (19 May); Nobel-Oil pipeline rupture at the Yuzhno-Oshskoye field, Kolva River (2 Jul)","src":21}],"said":[{"q":"The ecosystem has already been restored because we took all exhaustive measures","who":"Vagit Alekperov, president of Lukoil (translated)","when":"3 June 2021","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We are law-abiding, we always comply with all laws of the Russian Federation","who":"Vagit Alekperov, president of Lukoil (translated)","when":"4 June 2021","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We must clarify these calculations, what they are based on","who":"Vagit Alekperov, president of Lukoil (translated)","when":"4 June 2021","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Nature has suffered again, and we will pursue both damage calculations and punishment of those responsible","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor (translated)","when":"17 May 2021","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We are not presenting claims at this moment","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor (translated)","when":"June 2021","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Lukoil-Komi voluntarily paid 374 million 186 thousand rubles","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor (translated)","when":"1 September 2021","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Lukoil probably concealed the real time and scale of the accident, as they've done before","who":"Save Pechora Committee activists, as reported by The Moscow Times","when":"May 2021","src":10},{"q":"This penalty also has no preventive effect.","who":"Ivan Ivanov, chairman of the Save Pechora Committee","when":"22 October 2021","src":8},{"q":"we need annual billion-ruble penalties for oil spills","who":"Vladimir Chuprov, Greenpeace Russia","when":"2 September 2021","src":7},{"q":"They refused to consider the data of 34 points, even though we had 100 percent proof that there was contamination.","who":"Vasily Yablokov, Greenpeace GIS expert","when":"February 2015","src":9},{"q":"the oil-producing companies in the region are doing what they can to conceal facts related to spills","who":"Save the Pechora","when":"October 2016","src":20},{"q":"By our estimates 1,000 cubic meters of oil could have entered the Kolva","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor (translated)","when":"July 2023","src":19,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the biggest such fine in the country's history","who":"Greenpeace, on the January 2014 ruling in the RUB 615m case, as reported by The Moscow Times","when":"January 2014","src":11}],"shown":[{"t":"Lukoil's president said the Komi ecosystem had been restored.","who":"Vagit Alekperov, Lukoil","src":1},{"t":"Most of the spilled product had been collected and no rainbow film was visible along the river.","who":"Lukoil-Komi (May 2021)","src":5},{"t":"Fish in the Kolva faced no threat and no exceedances of maximum permissible concentrations had been found.","who":"Vladimir Uyba, head of the Komi Republic (June 2021)","src":2},{"t":"The booms 'did their job'; Rostekhnadzor classified the event as an 'accident', not an 'ecological catastrophe'.","who":"Komi head and Rostekhnadzor, as reported by Kommersant","src":5},{"t":"The 2021 payment was described as voluntary compensation for water damage.","who":"Rosprirodnadzor (1 September 2021)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Komi Arbitrazh Court granted the RUB 615m claim on 25 September 2013 and the appeal court upheld it on 24 December 2013; the cassation court annulled the rulings and the proceedings were terminated on 15 July 2014 on jurisdiction grounds.","src":15},{"t":"Lukoil-Komi spent RUB 15 million on recultivation of the nine 2011 plots (20.5 to 21 hectares); the court found this insufficient (The Moscow Times).","src":11},{"t":"A separate RUB 96 million lawsuit by the Komi forestry committee against Lukoil was reported in 2014.","src":11},{"t":"Greenpeace Russia's 2014 survey: 205 spills, of which 148 from pipeline depressurisation, 20 from uncleaned sludge storage, 11 from sludge discharge and 16 from industrial waste; Rosprirodnadzor rejected evidence for 34 sites.","src":9},{"t":"2012 checks after Greenpeace complaints: 12 contaminated plots covering 224 thousand square metres; oil in soil above norms 'more than 1,000 times' on some plots, up to 214 times the permissible concentration in the stream and three times in the Kolva.","src":17},{"t":"The 2021 volumes were calculated because there were no metering units on the line (Rosprirodnadzor's head).","src":0},{"t":"In 2021 Rosprirodnadzor's head first gave 'more than 300 million rubles' as a damage estimate (SPIEF, 3 June 2021); Lukoil's president said the calculations must be clarified; the payments reported in September and October 2021 were RUB 374,186,000 and RUB 130,069,000.","src":3},{"t":"Greenpeace Russia's Vladimir Chuprov cited Lukoil's quarterly profits as exceeding 15 billion rubles and said the formula for the 2021 damage calculation is not public.","src":7},{"t":"Ukhta 2019: Rosprirodnadzor assessed the damage at RUB 6.3 million over 1,639 square metres; the company spent RUB 476,000 on remediation; the Komi Arbitrazh Court awarded more than RUB 5.9 million.","src":18},{"t":"In May 2021 the Komi State Council announced a bill raising subsoil users' liability, with a higher coefficient for pipelines past their service life.","src":5},{"t":"Since 19 May 2023 Greenpeace has been unable to operate legally in Russia.","src":21}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Lukoil-Komi recultivation of the nine 2011 plots","amount":15,"note":"The court found this insufficient (The Moscow Times, 2014)."},{"label":"Remediation spending after the 2019 Ukhta spill","amount":0.476,"window":"2019","note":"Company figure reported by The Insider; the damage was assessed at RUB 6.3 million."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Voluntary payment for water damage, May 2021 Kolva spill (Lukoil-Komi)","amount":374.186,"window":"2021","note":"Per Rosprirodnadzor's head; recipient not named."},{"label":"Voluntary payment for soil damage, May 2021 Kolva spill (Lukoil-Komi)","amount":130.069,"window":"2021","note":"Per Rosprirodnadzor's head, reported by 7x7; the stated total in that report differs."},{"label":"Rosprirodnadzor land-damage claim, nine 2011 plots (annulled 2014)","amount":615,"qualifier":"about","window":"2013–2014"},{"label":"Fine, March 2012 leak into the Bezymyanny stream","amount":4.6,"window":"2012"},{"label":"Court award, 2019 Ukhta spill","amount":5.9,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2021"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"May 2021 Kolva spill, volume","v":"Estimates differ","d":"Komi head 6–7 t; Usinsk administration citing Lukoil-Komi about 90 t; Rosprirodnadzor about 100 t (9 t to the river); Greenpeace assumed 500–800 t to water"},{"k":"Voluntary payments, 2021","v":"RUB 374.186m + RUB 130.069m","d":"Water and soil, as reported; recipient not named"},{"k":"RUB 615m land-damage claim","v":"Annulled","d":"Granted in 2013, upheld on appeal, annulled in 2014 and terminated on jurisdiction grounds"},{"k":"Spills found by Greenpeace Russia, 2014","v":"205","d":"Usinskoye, Vozeyskoye and Kharyaginskoye area; Rosprirodnadzor rejected evidence for 34 sites"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Press reports of regulator statements and laboratory tests, Greenpeace Russia's survey and statements by the Save Pechora Committee.","report":[{"t":"In 2021 oil slicks lay on my Kolva, Usa and Pechora rivers, according to Izvestia.","src":3},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor's head said about 1.3 hectares of my land was contaminated in May 2021, with about 0.3 hectares disturbed by machinery, and that 9 of about 100 tonnes of oil-containing liquid reached the river.","src":0},{"t":"The MSU Testing Center found oil products at 500 times the maximum permissible concentration in my Kolva and at twice that concentration in my Pechora, in samples taken by a Novaya Gazeta correspondent in 2021.","src":4},{"t":"Locals reported dead fish on my Kolva on 10 May 2021, before the leak was officially confirmed, according to The Moscow Times. The head of Komi said later that fish faced no threat and no exceedances were found.","src":10},{"t":"According to Ivan Ivanov of the Save Pechora Committee, contamination was found about 400 km from the site in August 2021, and possibly 208 km of polluted banks on my Kolva, Usa and Pechora were ignored.","src":8},{"t":"Nine plots of my land, 20.5 to 21 hectares, were contaminated by the spills of 2011, according to The Moscow Times.","src":11},{"t":"Checks in 2012 found 12 contaminated plots of 224 thousand square metres, with oil in soil above norms 'more than 1,000 times' on some plots and up to 214 times the permissible concentration in a stream.","src":17}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the two 2021 payments as reported (RUB 374,186,000 for water, per Rosprirodnadzor's head via RIA Novosti and BFM; RUB 130,069,000 for soil, per Rosprirodnadzor's head on Instagram as reported by 7x7) and the total of RUB 504,876,000 stated by 7x7.","Not disclosed: the recipient of the 2021 payments; it is not named in the coverage of the payments.","Not disclosed: Rosprirodnadzor's formula for calculating the 2021 damage; Greenpeace Russia's Vladimir Chuprov said it is not public and asked officials to publish it.","Self-reported only: the payment figures come from statements by Rosprirodnadzor's head on Instagram, relayed by RIA Novosti, BFM and 7x7.","Not measured: the 2021 volumes were calculated; Rosprirodnadzor's head said the line had no metering units.","Unclear: which Lukoil subsidiary paid the RUB 130,069,000 for soil; 7x7 names Lukoil-Komi and the Kolvinsky oil field, while another outlet attributed the payment to Lukoil-Severneftegaz.","Unclear: 7x7 reported a criminal fine of RUB 14,000 on a Lukoil-Komi department head; its two articles give different grounds (failure to meet emergency-prevention rules; a separate spill in the NAO in July 2021).","Not disclosed: Nobel-Oil did not provide Rosprirodnadzor with information on the July 2023 rupture (Rosprirodnadzor's head).","Disputed: the volume and effect of the May 2021 spill (see disputes).","Insufficient: Save Pechora said in 2020 that the volume of the Kharyaga leak could not be determined because rescuers lacked recovery and metering equipment."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Lukoil-Komi said most of the spilled product had been collected by 19 May 2021, and Komi lifted the emergency regime on 23 June 2021. Further spills were reported at other fields in 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2023.","whoPaid":"Lukoil-Komi, as reported: RUB 374,186,000 for water and RUB 130,069,000 for soil in 2021, paid voluntarily after Rosprirodnadzor's demands; RUB 15 million on recultivation after the 2011 spills. The recipient of the 2021 payments is not named.","statusLine":"As of July 2023: the 2021 payments were reported paid; the Nobel-Oil rupture of 2 July 2023 was under a criminal case in Komi; Greenpeace had been listed as undesirable in Russia on 19 May 2023.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"lukoil","says":"Its president said on 3 June 2021 that the ecosystem had already been restored and on 4 June that the company is law-abiding and must clarify the basis of the 300-million-ruble estimate.","when":"2021-06-04","src":3},{"actor":"lukoil-komi","says":"Said in May 2021 that most of the spilled products had been collected and no rainbow film was visible along the river.","when":"2021-05-19","src":5},{"actor":"lukoil-komi","says":"In the RUB 615 million case, said the harm had already been compensated through land reclamation and that the area and size of the damage were not proven.","when":"2014","src":15},{"actor":"rosprirodnadzor","says":"Its head said Lukoil-Komi voluntarily paid RUB 374 million 186 thousand, that the spill volume was about 100 tonnes, and in June 2021 that no claims were being presented at that moment.","when":"2021-09-01","src":6},{"actor":"greenpeace","says":"Its Russian office called for annual billion-ruble penalties and asked officials to publish the damage formula; in 2015 it said Rosprirodnadzor refused to consider data from 34 points.","when":"2021-09-02","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"lukoil-komi","role":"Operator of the lines; paid the 2021 amounts; defendant in the RUB 615 million case"},{"id":"lukoil","role":"Parent company; president commented on the 2021 spill"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Environmental regulator; claimant in the 615 million case; announced the 2021 payments"},{"id":"rostekhnadzor","role":"Industrial safety regulator; found the line did not meet requirements"},{"id":"komi-arbitration-court","role":"Granted the RUB 615 million claim in 2013; terminated it in 2014; awarded more than RUB 5.9 million in the Ukhta case"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Opened criminal cases after the 2021 and 2023 spills"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Documented chronic spills; third party in the 2012 administrative case"},{"id":"save-pechora-committee","role":"Local environmental group; reported spills and contested the 2021 damage settlement"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much oil was released in the May 2021 Kolva spill?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Vladimir Uyba, head of the Komi Republic","says":"6–7 tonnes.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Moscow Times (14 May 2021, initial estimates)","says":"About seven tons: four tons on 1.27 ha of ground and three tons in the Kolva.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Usinsk administration, citing Lukoil-Komi","says":"About 90 tonnes.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor (preliminary, 17 May 2021)","says":"About 100 tonnes of oil-containing liquid on the ground, of which 9 tonnes reached the river; oil content usually 40–50%; the volumes are estimates because there were no metering units.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Vladimir Chuprov)","says":"Assumed 500 to 800 tons reached the water.","src":7}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Was the Kolva ecosystem restored after the 2021 spill, and was the water affected?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Vagit Alekperov, Lukoil","says":"The ecosystem 'has already been restored' (translated).","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Svetlana Radionova, Rosprirodnadzor","says":"In June 2021 the consequences had 'not even finished being eliminated' (translated).","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vladimir Uyba, head of Komi","says":"Fish in the Kolva faced no threat and no exceedances of permissible concentrations were found.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"MSU Testing Center, on samples taken by a Novaya Gazeta correspondent","says":"Oil product concentrations of 500 times the permissible concentration in the Kolva and twice in the Pechora.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ivan Ivanov, Save Pechora Committee","says":"Contamination about 400 km from the site in August 2021; possibly 208 km of polluted banks ignored.","src":8}]},{"point":"How should the 2021 damage be assessed, and was the payment adequate?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Lukoil (June 2021)","says":"Disputed the estimate of more than 300 million rubles; its president said the calculations must be clarified.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor (1 September 2021)","says":"Lukoil-Komi voluntarily paid RUB 374,186,000 for water.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Vladimir Chuprov)","says":"Possible damage of more than one billion rubles if 500–800 tons reached the water; the calculation formula is not public.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ivan Ivanov, Save Pechora Committee","says":"The damage is 'agreed'; it suits Lukoil and spares Rosprirodnadzor from proving it in court.","src":8}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the 2014 Greenpeace survey show 205 spills?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"205 spills in the Usinskoye, Vozeyskoye and Kharyaginskoye area; it had '100 percent proof' for the 34 rejected sites.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"Rejected the evidence for 34 sites; the checks of those sites were done by experts of Lukoil-Usinskneftegaz.","src":9}]},{"point":"Was the RUB 615 million claim discharged by land reclamation?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Lukoil-Komi","says":"The harm was already compensated through land reclamation; the area and size of the damage were not proven.","src":15},{"voice":"court","holder":"Komi Arbitrazh Court and Second Arbitrazh Appeal Court (2013)","says":"Granted the claim in full and upheld it, holding compensation separate from reclamation; later annulled and terminated on jurisdiction grounds.","src":12}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much oil entered the Kolva in the July 2023 Nobel-Oil rupture?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"Up to 1,000 cubic metres could have entered the Kolva (translated).","src":19},{"voice":"company","holder":"Nobel-Oil","says":"Did not provide information to Rosprirodnadzor.","src":19,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor (Komi office) v. Lukoil-Komi, land damage on nine plots","forum":"Arbitrazh Court of the Komi Republic; Second Arbitrazh Appeal Court; Federal Arbitrazh Court of the Volga-Vyatka District","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor (Komi office)","defendant":"Lukoil-Komi","filed":null,"decided":2014,"status":"overturned","amount":{"value":615,"currency":"RUB","label":"claimed; granted at first instance and on appeal, later annulled"},"summary":"The Komi Arbitrazh Court granted the claim in full on 25 September 2013 and the Second Arbitrazh Appeal Court upheld it on 24 December 2013. In February 2014 the Volga-Vyatka District court suspended enforcement and in May 2014 the cassation court annulled all rulings. On 15 July 2014 the Komi court terminated the proceedings, citing paragraph 30 of the Supreme Court Plenum resolution under which such disputes belong to courts of general jurisdiction; the appeal court's upholding of the termination was reported on 2 September 2014. The company said the harm had been compensated through reclamation.","src":15},{"title":"Prosecutor's administrative case after the March 2012 stream leak","forum":"Usinsk City Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Prosecutor","defendant":"Lukoil-Komi","filed":2012,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Opened on 6 November 2012 and sent to Usinsk City Court after Greenpeace complaints, with Greenpeace as a third party. Lukoil-Komi was reported to have been fined RUB 4.6 million for the March 2012 leak into the Bezymyanny stream.","src":17},{"title":"Damage case after the May 2019 Ukhta (Yarega) spill","forum":"Arbitrazh Court of the Komi Republic","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not named (Rosprirodnadzor assessed the damage)","defendant":"Lukoil-Komi","filed":null,"decided":2021,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":5.9,"currency":"RUB","label":"more than; awarded"},"summary":"Reported on 2 June 2021: the court awarded more than RUB 5.9 million against Lukoil-Komi; Rosprirodnadzor had assessed the damage at RUB 6.3 million and the company spent RUB 476,000 on remediation.","src":18},{"title":"Criminal cases after the May 2021 Kolva spill","forum":"Investigative Committee for the Arkhangelsk Region and the Nenets Autonomous Okrug; Usinsk police","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee; Usinsk police","defendant":"Not named","filed":2021,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"A criminal case was opened under Article 246 of the Criminal Code (environmental rules during works) and the Usinsk police opened a case under Article 250 Part 1 (water pollution). Rosprirodnadzor opened administrative cases under Articles 8.13 and 8.16 of the Administrative Code.","src":2},{"title":"Rostekhnadzor protocol and suspension of the Oshskoye line","forum":"Naryan-Mar City Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Rostekhnadzor","defendant":"Lukoil-Komi","filed":2021,"decided":2021,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Rostekhnadzor found that the line did not meet requirements for safety, strength, corrosion resistance and reliability and drew up a protocol under Article 9.1 Part 1 of the Administrative Code; the Naryan-Mar City Court suspended operation of the line.","src":2},{"title":"Criminal case after the July 2023 Nobel-Oil pipeline rupture","forum":"Investigative Committee of the Komi Republic","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee of the Komi Republic","defendant":"Not named","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"A case was opened under Article 247 Part 2 of the Criminal Code and the Usinsk prosecutor started an inspection. The pipeline belonged to Nobel-Oil, not Lukoil.","src":19}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":100,"unit":"tonnes (oil-containing liquid)","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rosprirodnadzor, preliminary, 17 May 2021; oil content usually 40–50%; calculated, no metering units."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":9,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"note":"Portion of the above that reached the river (Rosprirodnadzor)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1.3,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Contaminated, plus about 0.3 ha disturbed by machinery."},{"key":"area_ha","value":21,"unit":"ha","year":2011,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Nine plots, 20.5 to 21 ha (The Moscow Times)."},{"key":"spills_found","value":205,"unit":"spills","year":2014,"note":"Greenpeace Russia 'Oil patrol', Usinskoye, Vozeyskoye and Kharyaginskoye area; 21 since the start of 2014."},{"key":"response_personnel","value":209,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"With 22 boats, 2 cutters and 7 barges (Kommersant, 19 May 2021)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":374.186,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Voluntary payment for water damage, per Rosprirodnadzor's head; recipient not named."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":130.069,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Voluntary payment for soil damage, per Rosprirodnadzor's head as reported by 7x7."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":300,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Rosprirodnadzor's head at SPIEF, 3 June 2021 (preliminary)."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":1000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Greenpeace Russia, if 500–800 tons reached the water."},{"key":"claim","value":615,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rosprirodnadzor Komi office, nine plots; annulled 2014."},{"key":"claim","value":96,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"note":"Komi forestry committee lawsuit against Lukoil (reported by The Moscow Times)."},{"key":"fine","value":4.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2012,"note":"Lukoil-Komi, March 2012 leak into the Bezymyanny stream."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":15,"unit":"RUB m","year":null,"note":"Recultivation of the nine 2011 plots; the court found it insufficient."},{"key":"claim","value":6.3,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"Rosprirodnadzor's assessment of the Ukhta damage."},{"key":"court_award","value":5.9,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Komi Arbitrazh Court, Ukhta case."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":0.476,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"Company spending on Ukhta remediation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Spills from Lukoil-Komi lines in the Usinsk area of the Komi Republic between 2011 and 2021 led to a RUB 615 million land-damage claim, annulled on jurisdiction grounds in 2014, and to voluntary payments after the May 2021 Kolva spill reported as RUB 374,186,000 for water and RUB 130,069,000 for soil.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Lukoil-Komi and Rosprirodnadzor","what":"According to Ivan Ivanov of the Save Pechora Committee, the agreed 2021 damage suited Lukoil and spared Rosprirodnadzor from proving it in court","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Lukoil-Komi","what":"Paid RUB 374,186,000 and RUB 130,069,000 in 2021 as reported; RUB 15 million on recultivation after 2011; a RUB 4.6 million fine in 2012; more than RUB 5.9 million awarded in the Ukhta case","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Kolva, Usa and Pechora rivers","what":"Oil slicks in 2021; about 100 tonnes of oil-containing liquid on the ground and 9 tonnes in the river according to Rosprirodnadzor","src":0},{"who":"Soil on nine plots in Komi","what":"20.5 to 21 hectares contaminated in 2011","src":11}]},"where":{"t":"Usinsk district of the Komi Republic (Usinskoye, Vozeyskoye and Kharyaginskoye fields), the Oshskoye field line in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Ukhta area, and the Kolva, Usa and Pechora rivers.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Spills in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021; the RUB 615 million case ran from 25 September 2013 to 2 September 2014; the Kolva spill began on 11 May 2021; payments were reported on 1 September and 21 October 2021.","src":6},"why":{"t":"Rostekhnadzor found that the Oshskoye line did not meet safety, strength, corrosion-resistance and reliability requirements; the 2021 volumes were calculated because the line had no metering units.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor's head said Lukoil-Komi voluntarily paid after the regulator's demands, with no court claim for damages; in 2013–2014 Rosprirodnadzor's court claim for RUB 615 million was won and then annulled on jurisdiction grounds.","src":6}},"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill","russia-bans-wwf-and-greenpeace","usinsk-1994-komi-oil-spill-world-bank-ebrd-loans","kharyaga-kolva-leak-2020"],"sources":[{"t":"Oil spill area at the Lukoil-Komi field was 1.3 ha (in Russian)","p":"Interfax","d":"2021-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/766282"},{"t":"Alekperov says Komi ecosystem restored after oil spill (in Russian)","p":"Interfax","d":"2021-06-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/770300"},{"t":"Komi lifts oil spill emergency regime (in Russian)","p":"Interfax","d":"2021-06-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/773593"},{"t":"Lukoil will compensate damage from Komi oil spill (in Russian)","p":"Izvestia","d":"2021-06-04","type":"press","u":"https://iz.ru/1174058/2021-06-04/lukoil-kompensiruet-ushcherb-ot-razliva-nefti-v-komi"},{"t":"Lukoil disagrees with 300 million ruble damage estimate for Komi oil spill (in Russian)","p":"Novaya Gazeta","d":"2021-06-04","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.ru/amp/articles/2021/06/04/lukoil-ne-soglasilsia-s-otsenkoi-ushcherba-ot-razliva-nefti-v-komi-v-razmere-300-mln-rublei"},{"t":"Most oil products that entered the river collected in Komi (in Russian)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2021-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4817767"},{"t":"Lukoil voluntarily paid more than 374 million rubles for harm to the Kolva (in Russian)","p":"Business FM","d":"2021-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.bfm.ru/news/480416"},{"t":"LUKOIL pays compensation of 374 million rubles for an oil spill in Komi, ecologists estimating possible damage at one billion","p":"7x7 Horizontal Russia","d":"2021-09-02","type":"press","u":"https://semnasem.cc/news/2021/09/02/lukoil-pays-compensation-of-374-million-rubles-for-an-oil-spill-in-komi-ecologists-estimating-possible-damage-at-one-billion"},{"t":"LUKOIL pays all the damage for an oil spill in the Kolva River in Komi, activists calling the extent of damages 'agreed'","p":"7x7 Horizontal Russia","d":"2021-10-22","type":"press","u":"https://semnasem.cc/news/2021/10/22/lukoil-pays-all-the-damage-for-an-oil-spill-in-the-kolva-river-in-komi-activists-calling-the-extent-of-damages-agreed"},{"t":"Rosprirodnazdor experts didn't agree with the Greenpeace data on the number of oil spills in the Usinsk district","p":"7x7 Horizontal Russia","d":"2015-02-20","type":"press","u":"https://semnasem.cc/articles/2015/02/20/rosprirodnazdor-experts-didn-t-agree-with-the-greenpeace-data-on-the-number-of-oil-spills-in-the-usinsk-district"},{"t":"Russian Authorities Battle to Contain New Arctic Oil Spill","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2021-05-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/07/29/russian-authorities-battle-to-contain-new-arctic-oil-spill"},{"t":"LUKoil Hit with $18.5M Fine","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2014-01-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/01/12/lukoil-hit-with-185m-fine-a30991"},{"t":"Court upholds recovery of 615 million rubles from Lukoil-Komi (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2013-12-25","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/arbitration/20131225/270249238.html"},{"t":"Court suspends ruling on 615 million rubles from Lukoil-Komi (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2014-02-24","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/arbitration/20140224/270793095.html"},{"t":"Cassation annuls 615 million ruble ruling against Lukoil-Komi (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2014-05-07","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/arbitration/20140507/271270903.html"},{"t":"Court terminates Rosprirodnadzor–Lukoil-Komi 615 million dispute (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2014-07-25","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/arbitration/20140725/271800550.html"},{"t":"Termination of the 615 million dispute is lawful (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2014-09-02","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20140902/272031657.html"},{"t":"Greenpeace gets Lukoil to answer in court for river pollution (in Russian)","p":"Altapress","d":"2012-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://altapress.ru/story/grinpis-dobilsya-chto-lukoyl-otvetit-pered-sudom-za-zagryaznenie-rek-nefteproduktami-97522"},{"t":"Komi court orders Lukoil subsidiary to pay almost six million rubles over spill (in Russian)","p":"The Insider","d":"2021-06-02","type":"press","u":"https://theins.ru/news/242409"},{"t":"Pipeline rupture in Komi; up to 1,000 cubic metres of oil may have entered the Kolva (in Russian)","p":"Novaya Gazeta Europe","d":"2023-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2023/07/03/v-komi-proizoshel-proryv-nefteprovoda-v-reku-kolva-mogli-moglo-popast-1000-kubometrov-nefti-news"},{"t":"More oil spills from Lukoil's pipes in Komi","p":"The Barents Observer","d":"2016-10-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/climate-crisis/more-oil-spills-from-lukoils-pipes-in-komi/129020"},{"t":"Russia bans Greenpeace","p":"The Barents Observer","d":"2023-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.thebarentsobserver.com/democracy-and-media/russia-bans-greenpeace/127832"},{"t":"Regime of emergency was imposed in the North-East of Komi due to petroleum products spill","p":"7x7 Horizontal Russia","d":"2020-10-19","type":"press","u":"https://semnasem.org/news/2020/10/19/regime-of-emergency-was-imposed-in-the-north-east-of-komi-due-to-petroleum-products-spill"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much oil was released in the May 2021 Kolva spill?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the Kolva ecosystem restored after the 2021 spill, and was the water affected?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the 2014 Greenpeace survey show 205 spills?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much oil entered the Kolva in the July 2023 Nobel-Oil rupture?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How should the 2021 damage be assessed, and was the payment adequate?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the RUB 615 million claim discharged by land reclamation?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Nobel-Oil: Did not provide information to Rosprirodnadzor.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecutor's administrative case after the March 2012 stream leak: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal cases after the May 2021 Kolva spill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal case after the July 2023 Nobel-Oil pipeline rupture: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the two 2021 payments as reported (RUB 374,186,000 for water, per Rosprirodnadzor's head via RIA Novosti and BFM; RUB 130,069,000 for soil, per Rosprirodnadzor's head on Instagram as reported by 7x7) and the total of RUB 504,876,000 stated by 7x7.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the recipient of the 2021 payments; it is not named in the coverage of the payments.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Rosprirodnadzor's formula for calculating the 2021 damage; Greenpeace Russia's Vladimir Chuprov said it is not public and asked officials to publish it.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the payment figures come from statements by Rosprirodnadzor's head on Instagram, relayed by RIA Novosti, BFM and 7x7.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the 2021 volumes were calculated; Rosprirodnadzor's head said the line had no metering units.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: which Lukoil subsidiary paid the RUB 130,069,000 for soil; 7x7 names Lukoil-Komi and the Kolvinsky oil field, while another outlet attributed the payment to Lukoil-Severneftegaz.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: 7x7 reported a criminal fine of RUB 14,000 on a Lukoil-Komi department head; its two articles give different grounds (failure to meet emergency-prevention rules; a separate spill in the NAO in July 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Nobel-Oil did not provide Rosprirodnadzor with information on the July 2023 rupture (Rosprirodnadzor's head).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the volume and effect of the May 2021 spill (see disputes).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Save Pechora said in 2020 that the volume of the Kharyaga leak could not be determined because rescuers lacked recovery and metering equipment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kharyaga-kolva-leak-2020","title":"Kharyaga field pipeline leak into the Kolva River, October 2020, and court finding of RUB 24 million damage","dek":"Oil leaked from an inactive pipeline at the Kharyaga field in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug into the Kolva River in October 2020. In January 2022 the Naryan-Mar City Court convicted an employee and fined the person RUB 240,000, finding damage of RUB 24 million.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":67.2,"lon":56.7,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Nenets Autonomous Okrug (Kharyaga field)","lat":67.2,"lon":56.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Komi Republic (Kolva River, Usinsk)","role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Naryan-Mar","role":"court"}],"start":2020,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2020-10-17","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Damage found by the Naryan-Mar City Court","value":"RUB 24m","note":"Court finding of 24 million rubles of 'serious consequences to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River'; fine of RUB 240,000 on an employee (28 January 2022)."},"happened":["On 17 October 2020 the Save Pechora Committee reported a leak from an inactive oil pipeline at the Kharyaga field in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug; oil reached the Kolva River and flowed toward Usinsk in the Komi Republic. Emergency regimes were imposed in Usinsk and the NAO on 19 October 2020 and the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 246 of the Criminal Code. A source of the Telegram channel Life Shot put the volume at 0.9 cubic metres; Komi's Natural Resources Minister gave no figure. Four booms were placed, two in the NAO and two in Komi, with a fifth planned, and the film was collected with sorbent.","The Komi Ministry of Emergency Management saw an oil film on the Kolva from aerial reconnaissance, and the Usinsk water intake was said not to be under threat. The Save Pechora Committee criticised officials for declaring the emergency 15 hours after the accident was reported and said rescuers lacked equipment.","On 28 January 2022 the Naryan-Mar City Court convicted an employee under Article 217 (industrial safety rules, major damage by negligence) and Article 250 Part 1 (surface water pollution) and fined the person RUB 240,000. The court found that the defendant broke the approved procedure for cleaning a pipeline section and gave instructions that led to the spill, with 'serious consequences to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River in the amount of 24 million rubles'."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Leak reported by the Save Pechora Committee (17 Oct); emergency regimes in Usinsk and the NAO and criminal case opened under Art. 246 (19 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Naryan-Mar City Court convicts an employee under Arts. 217 and 250(1) and fines the person RUB 240,000 (28 Jan)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"serious consequences to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River in the amount of 24 million rubles.","who":"Naryan-Mar City Court verdict, as reported by 7x7","when":"28 January 2022","src":1},{"q":"was certainly not a disaster","who":"Roman Polshvedkin, head of Komi's Ministry of Natural Resources, on the spill","when":"October 2020","src":0},{"q":"the main task","who":"Yuri Bezdudny, Governor of the NAO, on minimising the effects of the spill","when":"October 2020","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The spill was 'certainly not a disaster' and the Usinsk water intake was not under threat.","who":"Komi's Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of Emergency Management","src":0},{"t":"Work was to be done openly, with public information.","who":"Yuri Bezdudny, Governor of the NAO","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The court found that the defendant broke the approved procedure for cleaning a pipeline section and gave instructions that led to the spill.","src":1},{"t":"Fine of RUB 240,000 on the acting tool-pusher of Lukoil-Severneftegaz's commercial oil transportation party.","src":1},{"t":"Volume of 0.9 cubic metres per a source of the Telegram channel Life Shot; Save Pechora said the volume could not be determined for lack of recovery and metering equipment.","src":0},{"t":"No damage amount or affected area was reported at the time of the leak.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2020–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Damage found by the court (to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River)","amount":24,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Fine on an employee","amount":0.24,"window":"2022"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damage found by the court","v":"RUB 24m","d":"'Serious consequences to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River'"},{"k":"Fine on an employee","v":"RUB 240,000","d":"Naryan-Mar City Court, 28 January 2022"},{"k":"Volume leaked","v":"0.9 m3","d":"Per a source of the Telegram channel Life Shot; Save Pechora said it could not be determined"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Press reports of aerial reconnaissance by Komi's Ministry of Emergency Management and of the court verdict.","report":[{"t":"An oil film lay on my Kolva River in October 2020, seen from aerial reconnaissance by Komi's Ministry of Emergency Management.","src":0},{"t":"The Usinsk water intake on me was said not to be under threat.","src":0},{"t":"The Naryan-Mar City Court found damage of 24 million rubles to the Russian Federation and to me in 2022.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the volume leaked; the Save Pechora Committee said it could not be determined because rescuers lacked recovery and metering equipment.","Not disclosed: no damage amount or affected area was reported at the time of the leak (7x7, 19 October 2020).","Disputed: the operator; 7x7 in 2020 cites Lukoil-Komi reporting the spill and Lukoil-Usinskneftegaz taking part in the response, while its 2022 court report names an employee of Lukoil-Severneftegaz.","Unclear: whether and by whom the RUB 24 million was paid."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"By 19 October 2020 four booms were in place and the film was being collected with sorbent; emergency regimes were imposed in Usinsk and the NAO the same day.","whoPaid":"The court found damage of RUB 24 million and fined an employee of Lukoil-Severneftegaz RUB 240,000; payment of the RUB 24 million is not on record.","statusLine":"As of 28 January 2022: an employee convicted and fined RUB 240,000 by the Naryan-Mar City Court; no payment of the RUB 24 million damage on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"lukoil-komi","says":"Reported the spill, according to a source of the Telegram channel Life Shot cited by 7x7.","when":"2020-10-19","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"lukoil-komi","role":"Reported the spill (per 7x7, 2020)"},{"id":"lukoil-severneftegaz","role":"Employer of the convicted employee (per the 2022 court report)"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Opened the criminal case under Art. 246"},{"id":"naryan-mar-city-court","role":"Convicted an employee and found RUB 24 million of damage"},{"id":"save-pechora-committee","role":"Reported the leak; criticised the speed of the emergency declaration"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Which Lukoil subsidiary was responsible for the pipeline?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"7x7 (19 October 2020), citing a source of Life Shot","says":"Lukoil-Komi reported the spill and Lukoil-Usinskneftegaz took part in the response.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Naryan-Mar City Court, as reported by 7x7 (28 January 2022)","says":"The convicted employee worked for Lukoil-Severneftegaz.","src":1}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much oil leaked?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"A source of the Telegram channel Life Shot","says":"0.9 cubic metres.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Save Pechora Committee","says":"The volume cannot be determined because rescuers lacked recovery and metering equipment.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Komi's Natural Resources Minister","says":"Gave no figure.","src":0}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How serious was the spill?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Roman Polshvedkin, Komi's Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"'Certainly not a disaster'.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Naryan-Mar City Court","says":"Found serious consequences to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River in the amount of 24 million rubles.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Save Pechora Committee","says":"The emergency was declared 15 hours after the accident was reported and rescuers lacked equipment.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case after the October 2020 Kharyaga leak","forum":"Naryan-Mar City Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee (Arkhangelsk Oblast and NAO directorate)","defendant":"An employee of Lukoil-Severneftegaz (not named in the source)","filed":2020,"decided":2022,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.24,"currency":"RUB","label":"fine"},"summary":"The Investigative Committee opened a case under Article 246 of the Criminal Code on 19 October 2020. On 28 January 2022 the Naryan-Mar City Court convicted the defendant under Article 217 (industrial safety rules, major damage by negligence) and Article 250 Part 1 (surface water pollution) and fined the person RUB 240,000. The court found damage of RUB 24 million.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_m3","value":0.9,"unit":"m3","year":2020,"note":"Per a source of the Telegram channel Life Shot; Save Pechora said the volume could not be determined."},{"key":"damage_found_by_court","value":24,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"'Serious consequences to the Russian Federation and the Kolva River'."},{"key":"fine","value":0.24,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"On an employee, Naryan-Mar City Court."},{"key":"booms_placed","value":4,"unit":"booms","year":2020,"note":"Two in the NAO and two in Komi; a fifth planned."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oil leaked from an inactive pipeline at the Kharyaga field in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug into the Kolva River in October 2020; in January 2022 a court convicted an employee, fined the person RUB 240,000 and found damage of RUB 24 million.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"An employee of Lukoil-Severneftegaz","what":"Convicted and fined RUB 240,000","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Kolva River","what":"Oil film seen from aerial reconnaissance; damage of RUB 24 million found by the court","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Kharyaginskoye (Kharyaga) oil field in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug; the Kolva River, flowing toward Usinsk in the Komi Republic.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Leak reported on 17 October 2020; emergency regimes and criminal case on 19 October 2020; verdict on 28 January 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The court found that the defendant broke the approved procedure for cleaning a pipeline section and gave instructions that led to the spill.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The leak came from an inactive pipeline during technological works; the Investigative Committee opened a case under Article 246 and the Naryan-Mar City Court convicted an employee under Articles 217 and 250 Part 1.","src":0}},"related":["lukoil-komi-usinsk-kolva-spills","norilsk-diesel-spill"],"sources":[{"t":"Regime of emergency was imposed in the North-East of Komi due to petroleum products spill","p":"7x7 Horizontal Russia","d":"2020-10-19","type":"press","u":"https://semnasem.org/news/2020/10/19/regime-of-emergency-was-imposed-in-the-north-east-of-komi-due-to-petroleum-products-spill"},{"t":"Court in the NAO fines LUKOIL's tool-pusher for oil spill in the Kolva River","p":"7x7 Horizontal Russia","d":"2022-01-28","type":"press","u":"https://semnasem.cc/news/2022/01/28/court-in-the-nao-fines-lukoil-s-tool-pusher-for-oil-spill-in-the-kolva-river"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much oil leaked?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How serious was the spill?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which Lukoil subsidiary was responsible for the pipeline?","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the volume leaked; the Save Pechora Committee said it could not be determined because rescuers lacked recovery and metering equipment.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: no damage amount or affected area was reported at the time of the leak (7x7, 19 October 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the operator; 7x7 in 2020 cites Lukoil-Komi reporting the spill and Lukoil-Usinskneftegaz taking part in the response, while its 2022 court report names an employee of Lukoil-Severneftegaz.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether and by whom the RUB 24 million was paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"arctic-sunrise-prirazlomnaya-arbitration","title":"Arctic Sunrise seizure at the Prirazlomnaya platform: ITLOS bond, PCA arbitration, 2019 settlement and ECtHR judgment","dek":"Russian authorities boarded the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and detained 30 people after a protest at Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Pechora Sea in September 2013. An ITLOS order, an arbitral tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration, a 2019 Netherlands–Russia settlement and a 2023 European Court of Human Rights judgment followed.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":69.25,"lon":57.3,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Pechora Sea (Prirazlomnoye field)","lat":69.25,"lon":57.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Flag state of the Arctic Sunrise; claimant","role":"affected"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hamburg (ITLOS)","role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"The Hague (Permanent Court of Arbitration)","role":"court"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Strasbourg (European Court of Human Rights)","role":"court"}],"start":2012,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2013-09-18","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","fossil-fuel","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Dutch transfer to Greenpeace International under the 2019 settlement","value":"EUR 2,700,159.16","note":"As recorded by the European Court of Human Rights (27 June 2023); EUR 605,000 of it went to the 30 applicants, EUR 20,167 each. Press reports of the settlement give '2.7 million euros' and, in one outlet citing AFP, '$2.7 million'."},"happened":["Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya platform stands on the Prirazlomnoye field on the Pechora Sea shelf, 60 kilometres off the shore at a water depth of 19 to 20 metres according to Gazprom; production started in December 2013. Greenpeace's 'Save the Arctic' campaign, which since 2010 sought a ban on offshore oil drilling and industrial fishing in Arctic waters, held a first protest on the platform on 24–28 August 2012. Greenpeace Russia said the Emergencies Ministry's 2007 approval of the platform's spill-response plan expired in July 2012.","On 18 September 2013 five inflatables from the Arctic Sunrise approached the platform and two activists began to scale it to unfurl a banner; water cannon was fired from the platform and the Coast Guard vessel Ladoga took the climbers. On 19 September armed FSB agents boarded the Arctic Sunrise from a helicopter and the vessel was towed to Murmansk. Thirty people were on board, 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists of 19 nationalities (the 'Arctic 30').","The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for piracy on 24 September 2013 and charged the 30 on 2–3 October. On 21 October the head of the investigation wrote that the platform 'was not a vessel but a port facility', and on 23 October the charges were amended to hooliganism. The detainees were released on bail between 20 and 29 November, the State Duma adopted an amnesty on 18 December and the prosecutions were discontinued on 24–25 December 2013. No one was convicted.","The Netherlands began arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on 4 October 2013. On 22 November 2013 the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ordered the release of the vessel and detainees upon a bond of EUR 3.6 million, which the Netherlands posted on 2 December; Russia did not appear. The arbitral tribunal issued awards on jurisdiction (26 November 2014), the merits (14 August 2015, unanimous, finding breaches of the Convention) and compensation (10 July 2017), ordering Russia to pay the Netherlands five amounts with interest (listed in the Award on Compensation entry). Russia said it did not take part in the proceedings.","On 17 May 2019 the Netherlands and Russia announced a 'full and final settlement' whose details are confidential. According to the European Court of Human Rights, the Netherlands transferred EUR 2,700,159.16 to Greenpeace International, which transferred EUR 605,000 to the 30 applicants in equal shares. On 27 June 2023 the Court found violations of Article 5 § 1 and Article 10 and made no monetary award because the applicants had already received compensation; the judgment became final on 27 September 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"First Greenpeace protest at the platform (24–28 Aug); spill-response plan approval reported to expire in July","src":23},{"y":2012,"t":"Greenpeace action against Arctic oil reported (27 Aug)","src":9},{"y":2013,"t":"Protest (18 Sep); FSB boarding (19 Sep); piracy case (24 Sep); Netherlands starts arbitration (4 Oct); ITLOS order (22 Nov); bond posted (2 Dec); amnesty (18 Dec); prosecutions discontinued (24–25 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Russia's Note Verbale refusing to take part (27 Feb); arrest of the ship lifted (6 Jun); ship leaves Murmansk (1 Aug); Award on Jurisdiction (26 Nov)","src":3},{"y":2015,"t":"Award on the Merits (14 Aug; press release 24 Aug)","src":1},{"y":2017,"t":"Award on Compensation (10 Jul)","src":2},{"y":2019,"t":"Netherlands–Russia joint statement and settlement (17 May)","src":12},{"y":2023,"t":"ECtHR judgment in Bryan and Others v. Russia (27 Jun; final 27 Sep)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"The Russian Federation did not take part in these proceedings","who":"Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman (translated)","when":"25 August 2015","src":18,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"contains obvious inaccuracies","who":"Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, on the award (translated)","when":"25 August 2015","src":18,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"does not take into account that Greenpeace activists' actions created a direct threat to the platform's safety","who":"Artem Kozhin, Russian Foreign Ministry deputy spokesman, on the award (translated)","when":"20 July 2017","src":19,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"protest at sea is an internationally lawful use of the sea related to the freedom of navigation","who":"Arbitral tribunal, Award on the Merits, as quoted in the PCA press release","when":"14 August 2015","src":1},{"q":"Both countries acknowledge the right to protest at sea.","who":"Stef Blok, Dutch Foreign Minister","when":"May 2019","src":15},{"q":"In my view the charge is absolutely absurd","who":"Mikhail Kreindlin, Greenpeace (translated)","when":"September 2013","src":20,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"This rusty oil platform is an Arctic disaster waiting to happen.","who":"Sini Saarela, Greenpeace activist","when":"18 September 2013","src":10},{"q":"Arctic drilling is not safe and oil spills are inevitable","who":"Greenpeace press release","when":"18 September 2013","src":10},{"q":"Justice has been done, now we can finally close this chapter.","who":"Faiza Oulahsen, one of the Arctic 30","when":"May 2019","src":14},{"q":"After the Arctic 30 have received the compensation they are due, all the remaining money will go right back into campaigning against an oil industry","who":"Greenpeace International","when":"2019","src":11},{"q":"completely exclude an oil spill","who":"Gazprom, on the platform's design features during extraction and storage, as reported by Radio Svoboda (translated)","when":"December 2013","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"meets the most stringent safety requirements and can withstand the highest ice loads.","who":"Gazprom, project page","when":"2026","src":6},{"q":"The company has not proven it has technology to clean up emergency spills and readiness to start work","who":"Alexey Knizhnikov, WWF Russia (translated)","when":"December 2013","src":7,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The piracy charge: the 30 were charged 'under the disguise of environmental defence activities'.","who":"Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (October 2013)","src":0},{"t":"The protest was 'aggressive and provocative'.","who":"Russia's Note Verbale to the Netherlands (18 September 2013), as recorded by the PCA","src":1},{"t":"The platform's design features completely exclude an oil spill during extraction and storage.","who":"Gazprom (December 2013)","src":7},{"t":"The remaining settlement money would go back into campaigning against the oil industry.","who":"Greenpeace International (2019)","src":11}],"recorded":[{"t":"The tribunal found Russia in breach of UNCLOS Articles 56(2), 58(1), 58(2), 87(1)(a) and 92(1); in breach of Articles 290(6) and 296(1) by not complying with the ITLOS order; and in breach of Part XV and Article 300 by not paying deposits. Russia had 'not at any time established a safety zone of three nautical miles around the platform'. No apology or non-repetition was ordered; restitution of seized property was ordered.","src":1},{"t":"Award on Compensation (10 July 2017): EUR 1,695,126.18 for damage to the Arctic Sunrise; EUR 600,000 non-material damage to the Arctic 30; EUR 2,461,935.43 material damage from measures against the Arctic 30; EUR 13,500 for the bank guarantee; EUR 625,000 reimbursement of Russia's share of arbitration deposits paid by the Netherlands; plus interest at Euro LIBOR + 6% (material damage), + 3% (non-material damage) and Euro LIBOR flat (guarantee and deposits) from the date of the Award on the Merits.","src":2},{"t":"The ECtHR awarded no non-pecuniary damages 'since the applicants have already obtained financial compensation in connection with the events' and no costs; it held the finding of a violation sufficient just satisfaction (5 votes to 2). The applicants 'did not submit a claim for pecuniary damage'.","src":0},{"t":"Neither the applicants nor Greenpeace International were parties to the settlement; the ECtHR records the Dutch transfer 'in accordance with the terms of a confidential settlement agreement'.","src":0},{"t":"Russia did not appear before ITLOS or the arbitral tribunal and did not pay its share of the deposits; at the tribunal's first procedural meeting 'there were no representatives from the Russian Federation'.","src":3},{"t":"ITLOS Order of 22 November 2013 (Case No. 22): release of the vessel and detained persons upon a bond of EUR 3.6 million; Russia did not appear, citing its Article 298 declaration in a Note Verbale of 22 October 2013.","src":5},{"t":"Mediazona reported that the Russian and Dutch foreign ministries called the 2019 settlement full and final and did not name the amount, and cited the hooliganism charge under Article 213 Part 2.","src":13},{"t":"Commentary at the University of Tromsø says the settlement also covers scientific cooperation in the Russian Arctic and understandings on protest at sea.","src":17},{"t":"The case was formally closed on 24 September 2014, according to Greenpeace's press secretary; the Investigative Committee for the North-Western Federal District declined to confirm this officially.","src":21},{"t":"The ECtHR found the arrest and detention of the applicants arbitrary under Article 5 § 1 and found a violation of Article 10 (freedom of expression).","src":0},{"t":"Gazprom reports reserves of over 70 million tons of oil at the Prirazlomnoye field; Radio Svoboda reported about 72 million tonnes recoverable and design output of about 6 million tonnes a year, citing Gazprom's press service.","src":6},{"t":"In 2012 a Russian activist was fined RUB 11,500 and a Polish activist RUB 10,000 by the Cheryomushki magistrate's court in Moscow for a protest at Gazprom's headquarters against Prirazlomnaya drilling.","src":22}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2013–2019","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"ITLOS bond posted by the Netherlands (bank guarantee to Russia)","amount":3.6,"window":"2013"},{"label":"PCA award: damage to the Arctic Sunrise","amount":1.69512618,"window":"2017","note":"Ordered against Russia, with interest."},{"label":"PCA award: non-material damage to the Arctic 30","amount":0.6,"window":"2017"},{"label":"PCA award: material damage from measures against the Arctic 30","amount":2.46193543,"window":"2017"},{"label":"PCA award: cost of the bank guarantee","amount":0.0135,"window":"2017"},{"label":"PCA award: reimbursement of Russia's share of arbitration deposits","amount":0.625,"window":"2017"},{"label":"Settlement: Dutch transfer to Greenpeace International","amount":2.70015916,"window":"2019","note":"Per the ECtHR; whether Russia paid the Netherlands is not stated."},{"label":"Settlement: Greenpeace International to the 30 applicants","amount":0.605,"window":"2019","note":"EUR 20,167 each."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"ITLOS bond posted by the Netherlands","v":"EUR 3.6m","d":"22 November 2013 order; bond posted 2 December 2013"},{"k":"PCA Award on Compensation, 2017","v":"Five EUR amounts","d":"EUR 1,695,126.18 + 600,000 + 2,461,935.43 + 13,500 + 625,000, with interest"},{"k":"Dutch transfer to Greenpeace International, 2019","v":"EUR 2,700,159.16","d":"EUR 605,000 passed to the 30 applicants, EUR 20,167 each"},{"k":"People detained after the protest","v":"30","d":"28 activists and 2 freelance journalists of 19 nationalities; no one convicted"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the terms of the 2019 settlement; the Russian and Dutch foreign ministries described it as 'full and final' without naming the amount (Mediazona; University of Tromsø NCLOS blog).","Unclear: whether, when and how much Russia paid the Netherlands; the ECtHR records only the Dutch transfer to Greenpeace International.","Figures differ: the settlement amount was reported as 2.7 million euros (Reuters, DutchNews; EUR 2,700,159.16 in the ECtHR judgment) and as '$2.7 million' (Maritime Executive, citing AFP).","None on record: an oil spill from the Prirazlomnaya platform; the environmental questions raised concern spill-response preparedness and risk.","Disputed: whether the platform's spill-response plan approval expired in July 2012 (Greenpeace Russia) and whether the platform can spill (Gazprom's design claims).","Not disclosed: the full spill-response plan; Greenpeace said in 2012 that Gazprom had released only a summary.","Insufficient: after the charges were changed in October 2013, 'no information has been submitted to the Court as to whether the reasons for their continuing pre-trial detention were reviewed' (ECtHR)."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Detainees were released on bail between 20 and 29 November 2013 and the prosecutions were discontinued on 24–25 December 2013; the arrest of the ship was lifted on 6 June 2014 and it left Murmansk on 1 August 2014. Production at Prirazlomnaya started in December 2013.","whoPaid":"The Netherlands posted a EUR 3.6 million bond in 2013 and, under the 2019 settlement, transferred EUR 2,700,159.16 to Greenpeace International, of which EUR 605,000 reached the 30 applicants. The tribunal ordered Russia to pay the Netherlands five amounts in 2017; Russia's payment, if any, is not on record.","statusLine":"As of 27 September 2023: the ECtHR judgment of 27 June 2023 is final; the terms of the 2019 settlement remain confidential.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Russia did not take part in the arbitration, that the tribunal had no jurisdiction and that the award 'contains obvious inaccuracies'; deputy spokesman Artem Kozhin said the award did not take into account a direct threat to the platform's safety and that the activists' actions were provocative (translated).","when":"2015-08-25","src":18},{"actor":"dutch-government","says":"Foreign Minister Stef Blok said both countries acknowledge the right to protest at sea; in a letter to parliament he said the Netherlands had successfully defended the importance of peaceful protest at sea, including in the Arctic.","when":"2019-05-17","src":15},{"actor":"greenpeace-international","says":"Said it was not a party to the settlement and welcomed the Russian government's agreement with a declaration confirming the substance of the tribunal's ruling; said remaining money would go back into campaigning.","when":"2019","src":11},{"actor":"gazprom","says":"Said in 2012 that Greenpeace rejected an offer to come aboard for constructive dialogue (Greenpeace Russia said it received no such offer); said in 2013 that the platform's design completely excludes an oil spill.","when":"2012-08-27","src":23},{"actor":"wwf-russia","says":"In December 2013 its Alexey Knizhnikov said the company had not proven it had technology to clean up emergency spills and that no plan for ice conditions had been presented to the public (translated).","when":"2013-12","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"greenpeace-international","role":"Organisation behind the protest; received EUR 2,700,159.16 under the 2019 settlement"},{"id":"dutch-government","role":"Flag state of the Arctic Sunrise; claimant before ITLOS and the PCA tribunal; posted the EUR 3.6 million bond"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Respondent; did not appear before ITLOS or the PCA tribunal; settled in 2019"},{"id":"gazprom","role":"Owner of the Prirazlomnaya platform (with Gazprom Neft Shelf)"},{"id":"gazprom-neft-shelf","role":"Co-owner and operator of the platform"},{"id":"itlos","role":"Ordered release of the vessel and detainees on a EUR 3.6 million bond"},{"id":"pca","role":"Administered the Annex VII arbitration; awards of 2014, 2015 and 2017"},{"id":"echr","role":"Bryan and Others v. Russia, 2023: violations of Articles 5 § 1 and 10"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Greenpeace Russia: contested the platform's spill-response plan"},{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Commented in 2013 on the lack of a spill-response plan for ice conditions"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the arbitral tribunal have jurisdiction over the dispute?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian Federation (Note Verbale of 22 October 2013 citing its Article 298 declaration; Foreign Ministry, 2015)","says":"Did not take part; the tribunal has no jurisdiction (translated).","src":18},{"voice":"court","holder":"ITLOS (22 November 2013)","says":"Ordered release of the vessel and detainees upon a EUR 3.6 million bond, by 19 votes to 2.","src":4},{"voice":"court","holder":"PCA arbitral tribunal (26 November 2014)","says":"Russia's declaration does not exclude the dispute.","src":2}]},{"point":"Was the Prirazlomnaya platform a vessel, and was the protest piracy?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation (2–3 October 2013)","says":"Charged the 30 with piracy 'under the disguise of environmental defence activities'.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Head of the Investigative Committee's investigation (21 October 2013)","says":"The platform 'was not a vessel but a port facility', precluding piracy; charges were amended to hooliganism on 23 October.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Thirteenth Appellate Commercial Court (23 October 2012, case A26-3152/2012)","says":"The platform was registered on 26 September 2012 as a marine ice-resistant stationary platform.","src":0}]},{"point":"Was the protest lawful and peaceful?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia (Note Verbale, 18 September 2013; Foreign Ministry, 2017)","says":"The protest was 'aggressive and provocative'; the activists' actions created a direct threat to the platform's safety (translated).","src":19},{"voice":"court","holder":"PCA arbitral tribunal (2015)","says":"Protest at sea is an internationally lawful use of the sea related to the freedom of navigation; Russia had not established a three-nautical-mile safety zone around the platform.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace (Mikhail Kreindlin)","says":"The charge was absurd; Greenpeace is a fundamentally non-violent organisation (translated).","src":20},{"voice":"government","holder":"Netherlands (Stef Blok)","says":"Both countries acknowledge the right to protest at sea.","src":15}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Could the platform spill oil, and was it prepared to respond?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Gazprom (2013, via Radio Svoboda)","says":"The platform's design features completely exclude an oil spill during extraction and storage (translated).","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Gazprom (project page)","says":"Wellheads are inside the platform, the foundation acts as a buffer zone between the well and the open sea, and the offloading line has emergency shutdown.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace (2012)","says":"Platform equipment was rated for 500 tonnes of spilled oil with the rest of the response kit more than 1,000 km away; shoreline equipment was '15 shovels, 15 buckets'; independent modelling by Valentin Zhuravel found a 140,000 sq km risk zone, with a spill reaching nearby reserves in about 20 hours.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF Russia (Alexey Knizhnikov, December 2013)","says":"The company had not proven it had technology to clean up emergency spills; no plan for ice conditions had been presented to the public (translated).","src":7}]},{"point":"Had the platform's spill-response plan approval expired?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (2012)","says":"The Emergencies Ministry approved the plan in 2007 for five years; the approval expired in July 2012 and the Ministry asked Gazprom Neft Shelf in March 2012 to correct and resubmit it; in its view drilling without it was not permitted.","src":8}]},{"point":"Was there an offer to Greenpeace to come aboard in August 2012?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Gazprom (via Business FM)","says":"Greenpeace rejected an offer to come aboard for constructive dialogue (translated).","src":23},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"It received no such offer.","src":23}]},{"point":"In what currency and amount was the 2019 settlement paid?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"European Court of Human Rights (2023)","says":"The Netherlands transferred EUR 2,700,159.16 to Greenpeace International.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters (via Yahoo News)","says":"Greenpeace to receive 2.7 million euros.","src":14},{"voice":"press","holder":"DutchNews.nl","says":"EUR 2.7 million to Greenpeace to pay for damage to the ship, additional costs and compensation for the 30-strong crew.","src":15},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Maritime Executive, citing AFP","says":"'$2.7 million'.","src":16}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Russian criminal proceedings against the Arctic 30","forum":"Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation; Leninskiy District Court of Murmansk; Murmansk Regional Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation","defendant":"The 30 people on board (28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists)","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"A case for piracy (Criminal Code Article 227) was opened on 24 September 2013 and the 30 were charged on 2–3 October; the Leninskiy District Court authorised detention until 24 November 2013 and the Murmansk Regional Court upheld it. On 23 October the charges were amended to hooliganism (Article 213 Part 2, per Mediazona). The ship's master was also charged with an administrative offence (Article 19.4 § 2). Following the amnesty of 18 December 2013 the prosecutions were discontinued on 24–25 December 2013. No one was convicted.","src":0},{"title":"Case No. 22, The 'Arctic Sunrise' (Netherlands v. Russian Federation), provisional measures","forum":"International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Hamburg)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"international","claimant":"Kingdom of the Netherlands","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":3.6,"currency":"EUR","label":"bond for release"},"summary":"On 22 November 2013 ITLOS ordered release of the vessel and all detained persons upon the posting of a bond of EUR 3.6 million, as a bank guarantee to the Russian Federation, by 19 votes to 2. Russia did not appear, citing its Article 298 declaration in a Note Verbale of 22 October 2013. The Netherlands posted the bond on 2 December 2013.","src":4},{"title":"Arctic Sunrise Arbitration (Netherlands v. Russian Federation): Awards on Jurisdiction and the Merits","forum":"Annex VII arbitral tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (seat Vienna)","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Kingdom of the Netherlands","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":2013,"decided":2015,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The tribunal (Judge Thomas Mensah, President; Henry Burmester, Alfred Soons, Janusz Symonides, Alberto Székely) held on 26 November 2014 that Russia's declaration did not exclude the dispute. On 14 August 2015 it unanimously found that Russia had breached UNCLOS Articles 56(2), 58(1), 58(2), 87(1)(a) and 92(1), Articles 290(6) and 296(1) by not complying with the ITLOS order, and Part XV and Article 300 by not paying deposits. No apology or non-repetition was ordered; restitution of seized property was ordered. Russia did not take part.","src":1},{"title":"Arctic Sunrise Arbitration: Award on Compensation","forum":"Annex VII arbitral tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Kingdom of the Netherlands","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":2013,"decided":2017,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 10 July 2017 the tribunal unanimously ordered Russia to pay the Netherlands, with interest: EUR 1,695,126.18 for damage to the Arctic Sunrise (EUR 1,799,546 claimed); EUR 600,000 for non-material damage to the Arctic 30 (EUR 1,719,000 claimed); EUR 2,461,935.43 for material damage from measures against the Arctic 30 (EUR 3,998,881 claimed); EUR 13,500 for the bank guarantee; and EUR 625,000 reimbursing Russia's share of arbitration deposits paid by the Netherlands.","src":2},{"title":"Netherlands–Russia settlement of the Arctic Sunrise dispute","forum":"Bilateral settlement (joint statement of 17 May 2019)","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"international","claimant":"Kingdom of the Netherlands","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":2.70015916,"currency":"EUR","label":"transferred by the Netherlands to Greenpeace International (ECtHR)"},"summary":"A 'full and final settlement' without prejudice to the parties' legal positions, reached after a meeting at the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers session in Helsinki (RAPSI, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry). The Netherlands transferred EUR 2,700,159.16 to Greenpeace International, which transferred EUR 605,000 to the 30 applicants (EUR 20,167 each). Commentary says the settlement also covers scientific cooperation in the Russian Arctic and understandings on protest at sea.","src":12},{"title":"Bryan and Others v. Russia, no. 22515/14","forum":"European Court of Human Rights, Third Section (Strasbourg)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"Thirty applicants (the Arctic 30)","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Judgment of 27 June 2023 (final 27 September 2023): violations of Article 5 § 1 (arbitrary arrest and detention) and Article 10 (freedom of expression). No monetary award, since the applicants had already received financial compensation; the finding of a violation was held sufficient just satisfaction (5 votes to 2).","src":0},{"title":"Administrative fines after the 2012 protest at Gazprom's headquarters","forum":"Cheryomushki magistrate's court, Moscow","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"A Russian activist and a Polish activist","filed":2012,"decided":2012,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Fined RUB 11,500 (the Russian activist) and RUB 10,000 (the Polish activist) under Article 20.2 Part 2 of the Administrative Code for a protest at Gazprom's headquarters against Prirazlomnaya drilling.","src":22}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"bond","value":3.6,"unit":"EUR m","year":2013,"note":"ITLOS order of 22 November 2013; bank guarantee posted by the Netherlands on 2 December 2013."},{"key":"award","value":1695126.18,"unit":"EUR","year":2017,"note":"Damage to the Arctic Sunrise; claimed EUR 1,799,546."},{"key":"award","value":600000,"unit":"EUR","year":2017,"note":"Non-material damage to the Arctic 30; claimed EUR 1,719,000."},{"key":"award","value":2461935.43,"unit":"EUR","year":2017,"note":"Material damage from measures against the Arctic 30; claimed EUR 3,998,881."},{"key":"award","value":13500,"unit":"EUR","year":2017,"note":"Cost of the bank guarantee."},{"key":"award","value":625000,"unit":"EUR","year":2017,"note":"Reimbursement of Russia's share of arbitration deposits paid by the Netherlands."},{"key":"settlement","value":2700159.16,"unit":"EUR","year":2019,"note":"Transferred by the Netherlands to Greenpeace International (ECtHR)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":605000,"unit":"EUR","year":2019,"note":"Transferred by Greenpeace International to the 30 applicants in equal shares."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":20167,"unit":"EUR","year":2019,"note":"Per applicant."},{"key":"arrested","value":30,"unit":"people","year":2013,"note":"28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists, 19 nationalities."},{"key":"fine","value":11500,"unit":"RUB","year":2012,"note":"Russian activist, Moscow protest at Gazprom headquarters."},{"key":"fine","value":10000,"unit":"RUB","year":2012,"note":"Polish activist, same protest."},{"key":"oil_reserves","value":70000000,"unit":"tons","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"Prirazlomnoye field reserves per Gazprom."},{"key":"risk_zone_km2","value":140000,"unit":"km2","year":2012,"note":"Spill risk zone from independent modelling cited by Greenpeace."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"After a September 2013 protest at Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya platform, Russian authorities seized the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and detained 30 people; an ITLOS bond order, a PCA tribunal award, a 2019 Netherlands–Russia settlement and a 2023 ECtHR judgment followed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Greenpeace International","what":"Received EUR 2,700,159.16 from the Netherlands under the 2019 settlement, according to the ECtHR","src":0},{"who":"The 30 applicants","what":"EUR 605,000 in equal shares of EUR 20,167 each, transferred by Greenpeace International","src":0},{"who":"Gazprom","what":"Production at Prirazlomnaya started in December 2013; ARCO crude entered the market in April 2014","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Russian Federation","what":"Ordered by the PCA tribunal in 2017 to pay the Netherlands five EUR amounts with interest; found in breach of UNCLOS; ECtHR found violations of Articles 5 § 1 and 10","src":2},{"who":"Kingdom of the Netherlands","what":"Posted a EUR 3.6 million bond in 2013 and, under the settlement, transferred EUR 2,700,159.16 to Greenpeace International","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Arctic 30","what":"Detained from September 2013 and charged with piracy and then hooliganism; released on bail in November 2013; ECtHR found their arrest and detention arbitrary","src":0},{"who":"The Arctic Sunrise","what":"Damage assessed by the PCA tribunal at EUR 1,695,126.18","src":2},{"who":"Pechora Sea and nearby nature reserves","what":"Greenpeace cited the risk of an oil spill in an area containing three nature reserves protected by Russian law, and modelling it cited put a spill risk zone at 140,000 sq km","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"Prirazlomnoye field, Pechora Sea shelf (south-eastern Barents Sea), Russian EEZ, 60 kilometres off the shore at Varandey; the vessel was taken to Murmansk. Proceedings: ITLOS, PCA and the ECtHR.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Protest on 18 September 2013; boarding on 19 September; ITLOS order 22 November 2013; PCA awards 26 November 2014, 14 August 2015 and 10 July 2017; settlement 17 May 2019; ECtHR judgment 27 June 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Greenpeace protested against the start of oil extraction at the platform, citing the risk of an oil spill in an area with three protected nature reserves. Russia described the protest as aggressive and provocative; the arbitral tribunal found that protest at sea is an internationally lawful use of the sea.","src":10},"how":{"t":"FSB agents boarded the ship from a helicopter on 19 September 2013 and towed it to Murmansk; the Netherlands brought ITLOS and Annex VII arbitration proceedings, posted a EUR 3.6 million bond and settled with Russia in 2019, transferring EUR 2,700,159.16 to Greenpeace International.","src":0}},"related":["russia-bans-wwf-and-greenpeace","corporate-suits-against-greenpeace"],"sources":[{"t":"Case of Bryan and Others v. Russia, no. 22515/14, judgment (copy hosted by policehumanrightsresources.org)","p":"European Court of Human Rights","d":"2023-06-27","type":"court","u":"https://policehumanrightsresources.org/content/uploads/2024/06/CASE-OF-BRYAN-AND-OTHERS-v.-RUSSIA.pdf"},{"t":"Press release: Arbitral Tribunal renders Award on the Merits (Arctic Sunrise)","p":"Permanent Court of Arbitration","d":"2015-08-24","type":"court","u":"https://pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/1444"},{"t":"Press release: Tribunal renders Award on Compensation (Arctic Sunrise)","p":"Permanent Court of Arbitration","d":"2017-07-18","type":"court","u":"https://pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/2215"},{"t":"Press release: Arbitral Tribunal holds first procedural meeting (Arctic Sunrise)","p":"Permanent Court of Arbitration","d":"2014-03-21","type":"court","u":"https://pcacases.com/web/sendAttach/1319"},{"t":"Press Release 205: Tribunal orders the release of the Arctic Sunrise and the detained persons upon the posting of a bond","p":"International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea","d":"2013-11-22","type":"court","u":"https://www.itlos.org/fileadmin/itlos/documents/press_releases_english/PR_205_E.pdf"},{"t":"Order of 22 November 2013, Case No. 22 (Arctic Sunrise)","p":"International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea","d":"2013-11-22","type":"court","u":"https://www.itlos.org/fileadmin/itlos/documents/cases/case_no.22/published/C22_Order_221113.pdf"},{"t":"Prirazlomnoye field (project page)","p":"Gazprom","d":"2026-10-18 (accessed)","type":"company","u":"https://www.gazprom.com/projects/prirazlomnoye/"},{"t":"Gazprom starts production at Prirazlomnaya (in Russian)","p":"Radio Svoboda","d":"2013-12-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/25207538.html"},{"t":"Greenpeace uncovers Gazprom's expired oil spill response plan","p":"Greenpeace Aotearoa","d":"2012-08-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/aotearoa/story/greenpeace-uncovers-gazproms-expired-oil-spill-response-plan/"},{"t":"New action to stop Arctic oil","p":"The Barents Observer","d":"2012-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/node/24109"},{"t":"Greenpeace activists scale Gazprom drilling platform, two arrested in Arctic oil protest","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2013-09-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://wayback.archive-it.org/9650/20200417013545/http://p3-raw.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/2013/Greenpeace-activists-scale-Gazprom-drilling-platform-two-arrested-in-Arctic-oil-protest/"},{"t":"Settlement of the Arctic Sunrise case between the Netherlands and Russia","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2019","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/22071/settlement-of-the-arctic-sunrise-case-between-the-netherlands-and-russia/"},{"t":"Russia and the Netherlands reach agreement on the Prirazlomnaya situation (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2019-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/international_news/20190517/299208536.html"},{"t":"Russia and the Netherlands settle the Arctic Sunrise dispute (in Russian)","p":"Mediazona","d":"2019-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://zona.media/news/2019/05/17/arctic-dispute"},{"t":"Greenpeace to receive $3 million in settlement with Russia","p":"Reuters (via Yahoo News)","d":"2019-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/greenpeace-receive-3-million-settlement-135126309.html"},{"t":"Netherlands, Russia agree deal on Arctic Sunrise compensation","p":"DutchNews.nl","d":"2019-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2019/05/netherlands-russia-agree-deal-on-arctic-sunrise-compensation/"},{"t":"Russia, Netherlands reach settlement for Greenpeace ship seizure","p":"The Maritime Executive","d":"2019-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/russia-netherlands-reach-settlement-for-greenpeace-ship-seizure"},{"t":"Settlement of the Dispute concerning the Arctic Sunrise: a belated recognition of the relevance of the Award on the Merits","p":"University of Tromsø, NCLOS blog (Alex Oude Elferink)","d":"2019-07-08","type":"academic","u":"https://site.uit.no/nclos/2019/07/08/settlement-of-the-dispute-concerning-the-arctic-sunrise-a-belated-recognition-of-the-relevance-of-the-award-on-the-merits-in-the-arctic-sunrise-case/"},{"t":"Russian Foreign Ministry says arbitration lacks jurisdiction in Arctic Sunrise case (in Russian)","p":"Interfax","d":"2015-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/462401"},{"t":"Russian Foreign Ministry: Hague arbitration was not authorised to hear the Arctic Sunrise case (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2017-07-20","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/international_news/20170720/279426154.html"},{"t":"Greenpeace calls Investigative Committee's piracy charge absurd (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2013-09-24","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/incident_news/20130924/268921145.html"},{"t":"Investigative Committee closes hooliganism case over Prirazlomnaya platform (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2014-10-01","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20141001/272250538.html"},{"t":"Court fines Greenpeace activists for protest at Gazprom's office (in Russian)","p":"RAPSI","d":"2012-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/moscourts_news/20120905/264587023.html"},{"t":"Greenpeace halts Gazprom vessel in the Arctic (in Russian)","p":"Business FM","d":"2012-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.bfm.ru/news/191486"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Could the platform spill oil, and was it prepared to respond?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the arbitral tribunal have jurisdiction over the dispute?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Prirazlomnaya platform a vessel, and was the protest piracy?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the protest lawful and peaceful?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Had the platform's spill-response plan approval expired?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was there an offer to Greenpeace to come aboard in August 2012?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"In what currency and amount was the 2019 settlement paid?","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the terms of the 2019 settlement; the Russian and Dutch foreign ministries described it as 'full and final' without naming the amount (Mediazona; University of Tromsø NCLOS blog).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether, when and how much Russia paid the Netherlands; the ECtHR records only the Dutch transfer to Greenpeace International.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the settlement amount was reported as 2.7 million euros (Reuters, DutchNews; EUR 2,700,159.16 in the ECtHR judgment) and as '$2.7 million' (Maritime Executive, citing AFP).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an oil spill from the Prirazlomnaya platform; the environmental questions raised concern spill-response preparedness and risk.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether the platform's spill-response plan approval expired in July 2012 (Greenpeace Russia) and whether the platform can spill (Gazprom's design claims).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the full spill-response plan; Greenpeace said in 2012 that Gazprom had released only a summary.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: after the charges were changed in October 2013, 'no information has been submitted to the Court as to whether the reasons for their continuing pre-trial detention were reviewed' (ECtHR).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"lumber-liquidators-lacey-act-russian-oak","title":"Lumber Liquidators Lacey Act guilty plea over Russian Far East oak flooring","dek":"In October 2015 Lumber Liquidators pleaded guilty in a US federal court to a felony and four misdemeanor Lacey Act counts over hardwood flooring made in China from timber harvested in the Russian Far East. The plea agreement totalled US$13.15 million, including US$1,230,825 in payments to conservation funds.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":48.48,"lon":135.08,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Khabarovsk Krai","lat":48.48,"lon":135.08,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Suifenhe","lat":44.4,"lon":131.15,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Norfolk, Virginia","lat":36.85,"lon":-76.29,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"}],"start":2010,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2015-10-22","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Total under the plea agreement (DOJ)","value":"US$13.15 million","note":"DOJ figure: US$7.8 million criminal fine, US$969,175 criminal forfeiture, more than US$1.23 million community service payments and more than US$3.15 million through a related civil forfeiture."},"happened":["On 22 October 2015 Lumber Liquidators, Inc. pleaded guilty in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (Norfolk) to one felony count of entering goods by false statements and four misdemeanor Lacey Act counts. The plea agreement was signed on 7 October 2015. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) described the case as the first felony conviction related to the import or use of illegal timber and the largest criminal fine ever under the Lacey Act. The investigation was run jointly by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and ICE Homeland Security Investigations as \"Operation Oakenshield\".","The joint statement of facts, as summarised by DOJ, said that from 2010 to 2013 the company repeatedly failed to follow its own internal procedures and failed to act on self-identified \"red flags\", although employees knew Russian Far East timber was considered high-risk. The counts cover shipments from 1 October 2011 to 23 September 2013. Count Four concerned Mongolian oak from a concession in Khabarovsk Province: the permit allowed 373 m3, Russian forestry experts estimated about 300 m3 as the commercial maximum, and shipments under that permit came to 2,494.80 m3, which the statement called about 800% of the allowable harvest. Other counts concerned oak declared as Welsh oak or as \"Mongolian oak harvested in Germany\" (the statement says neither occurs where declared) and Myanmar timber declared as Indonesian mahogany.","The company was sentenced on 1 February 2016. The terms were a US$7.8 million criminal fine (against a stipulated gross gain of US$4.6 million), US$969,175 in criminal forfeiture, a related civil forfeiture of more than US$3.15 million in cash, five years of organisational probation, a government-approved environmental compliance plan and three third-party audits. Community service payments of US$1,230,825 went to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (US$880,825, of which US$500,000 for timber identification technology and US$380,825 for Amur leopard conservation) and to the USFWS Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund (US$350,000). No restitution was ordered.","The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) published \"Liquidating the Forests\" on 9 October 2013, linking Lumber Liquidators to a Chinese manufacturer, Suifenhe Xingjia Group, and to timber from the Russian Far East; the EIA said a federal investigation opened in September 2013. The company said in 2014 that the EIA report contained fundamental inaccuracies. EIA also reported that in December 2014 a Russian court found senior executives of a Russian logging company, Beryozoviy LLC, guilty on 15 counts of illegal logging and participation in a criminal network, and described that company as a supplier of Xingjia.","On 13 August 2024 a news report said LL Flooring, formerly Lumber Liquidators, had filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware and announced 94 store closures."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Start of the conduct period described in the statement of facts (2010–2013)","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"EIA publishes \"Liquidating the Forests\" (9 Oct); EIA says the federal investigation opened in September","src":5},{"y":2014,"t":"Company disputes the EIA report (EIA account of 3 Oct); a Russian court convicts Beryozoviy LLC executives (Dec, per EIA)","src":7},{"y":2015,"t":"Plea agreement signed (7 Oct); guilty plea entered in Norfolk (22 Oct)","src":2},{"y":2016,"t":"Sentencing in the Eastern District of Virginia (1 Feb)","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"LL Flooring files for Chapter 11 in Delaware (reported 13 Aug)","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"the first felony conviction related to the import or use of illegal timber and the largest criminal fine ever under the Lacey Act","who":"US Department of Justice, plea release","when":"22 October 2015","src":0},{"q":"Lumber Liquidators' race to profit resulted in the plundering of forests and wildlife habitat that, if continued, could spell the end of the Siberian tiger.","who":"John C. Cruden, Assistant Attorney General, DOJ","when":"22 October 2015","src":0},{"q":"This company left a trail of corrupt transactions and habitat destruction.","who":"John C. Cruden, Assistant Attorney General, DOJ","when":"1 February 2016","src":1},{"q":"Lumber Liquidators made American consumers unwittingly complicit in the ongoing destruction of some of the world's last remaining intact forests.","who":"Dan Ashe, Director, US Fish and Wildlife Service","when":"1 February 2016","src":1},{"q":"Lumber Liquidators, Inc. admits guilt for the offenses that are the subject of this criminal proceeding.","who":"Plea agreement, Lumber Liquidators, Inc.","when":"7 October 2015","src":2},{"q":"does not stipulate that it took any illegal conduct with a deliberate or willful intent","who":"Plea agreement, on the company's position","when":"7 October 2015","src":2},{"q":"We are pleased to reach this agreement and resolve a legacy issue related to the Lacey Act.","who":"John Presley, chairman, Lumber Liquidators","when":"8 October 2015","src":3},{"q":"The real cost to the company will come from having to forego cheap, stolen wood.","who":"Kate Horner, EIA","when":"October 2015","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"Before the charges the company said the EIA report \"contained fundamental inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims\" and cited a \"rigorous compliance program\".","who":"Lumber Liquidators, as quoted by EIA (3 October 2014)","src":7},{"t":"Asked by Global News whether it sold illegal Russian Far East wood, the company answered \"No.\"","who":"Lumber Liquidators, written answer as reported by EIA (3 October 2014)","src":7},{"t":"Press reported a \"$10 million\" settlement on 8 October 2015; this figure excluded the civil forfeiture.","who":"CBS58 (8 October 2015)","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Guilty plea on 22 October 2015 to one felony count (18 U.S.C. § 542) and four misdemeanor counts (16 U.S.C. §§ 3372, 3373); sentence on 1 February 2016.","src":2},{"t":"Count Four: permit of 373 m3 of Mongolian oak; shipments of 2,494.80 m3 under that permit (statement of facts).","src":2},{"t":"Per-count figures in the statement of facts: 12, 23, 35, 79 and 6 shipments, 385.48, 614.73, 1,134, 2,559.6 and 238 m3, with approximate profits of US$397,362.16, US$673,024.25, US$1,442,460.85, US$3,216,453.44 and US$324,064.86.","src":2},{"t":"Purchase orders of Russian oak flooring rose from two in the first quarter of 2011 to nearly 60 by the third quarter of 2013.","src":2},{"t":"Criminal fine of US$7.8 million, payable US$4 million at sentencing, US$2 million within 12 months and the balance within 24 months, directed to the Lacey Act Reward Fund; special assessment US$900.","src":2},{"t":"Restitution: none ordered, by agreement.","src":2},{"t":"Sentence terms: five years of organisational probation; compliance plan within three months, failing which the company must cease importing hardwood flooring; audits at 18, 35 and 48 months.","src":2},{"t":"Civil forfeiture in the companion case United States v. $3,155,000.00 Res covered 2,129,242 sq ft of birch and 242,717 sq ft of oak flooring.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2015–2016","nature":[{"label":"Community service payment: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (US$500,000 for timber identification technology; US$380,825 for Amur leopard conservation)","amount":0.880825},{"label":"Community service payment: USFWS Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund (wild tiger research and conservation)","amount":0.35}],"natureTotal":1.230825,"other":[{"label":"Criminal fine (directed to the Lacey Act Reward Fund)","amount":7.8},{"label":"Criminal forfeiture (Mongolian oak flooring imported February–August 2013)","amount":0.969175},{"label":"Civil forfeiture (United States v. $3,155,000.00 Res; DOJ: more than US$3.15 million in cash)","amount":3.155},{"label":"Stipulated gross gain used for the fine","amount":4.6}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Permit against shipments","v":"373 m3 vs 2,494.80 m3","d":"Mongolian oak, one Khabarovsk concession permit (statement of facts)"},{"k":"Paid to conservation funds","v":"US$1,230,825","d":"National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and USFWS Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund"},{"k":"Wild Siberian tigers cited","v":"450","d":"DOJ: \"the last 450 wild Siberian tigers\""},{"k":"Amur leopards cited","v":"fewer than 50 / 57","d":"DOJ release against the statement of facts"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The joint statement of facts and DOJ recorded the overshoot of a harvest permit in Khabarovsk Province and cited Mongolian oak acorns as a food source for tiger prey species. No field measurement of habitat loss from these shipments is on record.","report":[{"t":"One concession in my Khabarovsk forests held a permit for 373 m3 of Mongolian oak; 2,494.80 m3 were shipped from it in 2013, according to the statement of facts.","src":2},{"t":"My Mongolian oak acorns are a chief food source for the prey species of my tigers, according to DOJ.","src":0},{"t":"The statement of facts cites an estimated 450 Siberian tigers and 57 Amur leopards remaining in my wild; DOJ cited fewer than 50 Amur leopards.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the statement of facts gives 2,494.80 m3 (1,491,336 ft2) shipped under the one concession permit and 2,559.6 m3 (1,530,072 ft2) for the 79 Count Four shipments.","Figures differ: DOJ's release gives fewer than 50 Amur leopards in the wild; the statement of facts gives 57.","Not measured: habitat loss attributable to these shipments.","Not disclosed: the Chinese suppliers and any Russian concession holder; the statement of facts refers to them as Company X, Company Y and Company Z.","None on record: completion of the fine instalments, the community service payments or the audits.","Not disclosed: the court and the defendants in the Russian Beryozoviy LLC case; EIA's account does not name them.","None on record: insurance relating to the fine or forfeitures."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The conduct period was 2010–2013; the sentence required a government-approved compliance plan within three months and five years of probation with three audits.","whoPaid":"Lumber Liquidators paid under the plea agreement: US$7.8 million fine, forfeitures and US$1,230,825 to conservation funds, US$13.15 million in total (DOJ). No restitution was ordered.","statusLine":"As of August 2024: sentence imposed 1 February 2016; the company, renamed LL Flooring, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"lumber-liquidators","says":"Admitted guilt for the offenses in the plea agreement; did not stipulate deliberate or willful intent; on Counts Four and Five stated it failed to exercise due care.","when":"7 October 2015","src":2},{"actor":"lumber-liquidators","says":"Chairman John Presley said the company was pleased to reach the agreement and resolve a legacy issue related to the Lacey Act.","when":"8 October 2015","src":3},{"actor":"lumber-liquidators","says":"Before the charges the company said the EIA report contained fundamental inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims and answered \"No\" when asked whether it sold illegal Russian Far East wood (as reported by EIA).","when":"3 October 2014","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"lumber-liquidators","role":"Defendant; pleaded guilty"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecutor"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Co-investigator; recipient of community service payment"},{"id":"nfwf","role":"Recipient of community service payments"},{"id":"eia","role":"NGO whose 2013 report preceded the investigation"},{"id":"us-district-court-eastern-virginia","role":"Court"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Intent: the company admitted guilt but did not stipulate deliberate or willful intent","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"DOJ and USFWS","says":"Their statements used the word \"knowingly\" in describing the conduct.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lumber Liquidators","says":"Admitted guilt for the offenses; did not stipulate that it took any illegal conduct with a deliberate or willful intent; on Counts Four and Five \"LL failed to exercise due care\".","src":2}]},{"point":"What the company knew about the origin of the wood before the charges","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"EIA","says":"Claimed company managers toured the Chinese manufacturer's operations and knew the wood was illegal; the claims rest on EIA's undercover recordings.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Lumber Liquidators","says":"Said in 2014 the EIA report contained fundamental inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims, and cited a rigorous compliance program.","src":7},{"voice":"court","holder":"Statement of facts","says":"Names the suppliers only as Company X, Company Y and Company Z.","src":2}]},{"point":"Number of Amur leopards remaining in the wild","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"DOJ plea release","says":"Fewer than 50 remain in the wild.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Statement of facts","says":"An estimated 57 Amur leopards remaining in the wild.","src":2}]},{"point":"Volume shipped under the Count Four concession","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Statement of facts, narrative","says":"2,494.80 m3 (1,491,336 ft2) shipped under the one permit.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Statement of facts, count table","says":"2,559.6 m3 (1,530,072 ft2) for Count Four's 79 shipments.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"United States v. Lumber Liquidators, Inc.","forum":"US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (Norfolk)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States (DOJ)","defendant":"Lumber Liquidators, Inc.","filed":2015,"decided":2016,"status":"plea","amount":{"value":7.8,"currency":"USD","label":"criminal fine"},"summary":"Guilty plea entered 22 October 2015 to one felony count of entering goods by false statements (18 U.S.C. § 542) and four misdemeanor Lacey Act counts; sentenced 1 February 2016 to the US$7.8 million fine, US$969,175 criminal forfeiture, US$1,230,825 in community service payments, five years of organisational probation, a compliance plan and three audits. No restitution.","src":1},{"title":"United States v. $3,155,000.00 Res (civil forfeiture)","forum":"US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Birch and oak flooring (in rem), US$3,155,000.00","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":3.155,"currency":"USD","label":"res"},"summary":"Companion in rem case covering 2,129,242 sq ft of birch and 242,717 sq ft of oak flooring; DOJ counted more than US$3.15 million in cash through the related civil forfeiture within the US$13.15 million total.","src":2},{"title":"Criminal case against Beryozoviy LLC executives","forum":"Russian court (not named in the source)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Russian prosecutors","defendant":"Senior executives of Beryozoviy LLC (not named in the source)","filed":null,"decided":2014,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":66,"currency":"RUB","label":"damage (EIA gives about US$2 million)"},"summary":"EIA reported that in December 2014 the executives were found guilty on 15 counts of illegal logging (2010–2012) and participation in a criminal network; the director of the group was sentenced to 15 years in a penal colony. Volumes: over 1,500 m3, including 327 m3 of hardwoods from Khoso Natural Park; the concession lay about 200 km north of Khabarovsk. EIA describes the company as a supplier of the Chinese manufacturer Xingjia.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":7.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Criminal fine; stipulated gross gain US$4.6 million."},{"key":"forfeiture","value":0.969175,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Criminal forfeiture."},{"key":"forfeiture_civil","value":3.155,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Civil forfeiture, United States v. $3,155,000.00 Res."},{"key":"community_service_payments","value":1.230825,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"US$880,825 to NFWF and US$350,000 to the USFWS Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund."},{"key":"settlement","value":13.15,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"DOJ's total under the plea agreement, including the civil forfeiture."},{"key":"gross_gain","value":4.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Stipulated in the plea agreement."},{"key":"permit_volume_m3","value":373,"unit":"m3","year":2013,"note":"Mongolian oak allowed under the Count Four concession permit."},{"key":"timber_shipped_m3","value":2494.8,"unit":"m3","year":2013,"note":"Shipped under that permit, per the statement of facts narrative; the count table gives 2,559.6 m3."},{"key":"probation_years","value":5,"unit":"years","year":2016,"note":"Organisational probation."},{"key":"russian_court_damage","value":66,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"note":"Beryozoviy LLC case, as reported by EIA."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lumber Liquidators pleaded guilty in October 2015 to a felony and four misdemeanor Lacey Act counts over hardwood flooring made in China from Russian Far East timber, and in February 2016 was sentenced to a US$7.8 million fine, forfeitures, community service payments and five years of probation.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Lumber Liquidators","what":"Stipulated gross gain of US$4,600,000 from the conduct (plea agreement)","src":2},{"who":"National Fish and Wildlife Foundation","what":"US$880,825 in community service payments","src":2},{"who":"USFWS Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund","what":"US$350,000 in community service payments","src":2},{"who":"Lacey Act Reward Fund","what":"Destination of the US$7.8 million criminal fine","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Lumber Liquidators","what":"US$13.15 million under the plea agreement (DOJ), plus probation and audits","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Khabarovsk concession forest","what":"Permit of 373 m3 of Mongolian oak against 2,494.80 m3 shipped in 2013","src":2},{"who":"Siberian tiger and Amur leopard habitat","what":"DOJ cited Mongolian oak acorns as a chief food source for the tigers' prey species","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Harvest in Khabarovsk Province (Khabarovsk Krai), Russian Far East; processing in China (EIA traced wood to Suifenhe); court in Norfolk, Virginia.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Conduct 2010–2013; plea agreement 7 October 2015; guilty plea 22 October 2015; sentence 1 February 2016.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The statement of facts says the company failed to follow its own procedures and to act on red flags while increasing purchases from Chinese manufacturers using Russian Far East timber.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Mongolian oak was imported under false species and origin declarations and from a concession whose permit was exceeded; the plea resolved one count under 18 U.S.C. § 542 and four under the Lacey Act.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Lumber Liquidators Inc. Pleads Guilty to Environmental Crimes and Agrees to Pay More Than $13 Million in Fines, Forfeiture and Community Service Payments (PR 15-1298)","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2015-10-22","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/lumber-liquidators-inc-pleads-guilty-environmental-crimes-and-agrees-pay-more-13-million"},{"t":"Lumber Liquidators Inc. Sentenced for Illegal Importation of Hardwood and Related Environmental Crimes (PR 16-116)","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2016-02-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/lumber-liquidators-inc-sentenced-illegal-importation-hardwood-and-related-environmental"},{"t":"Exhibit 10.1: Plea Agreement and Statement of Facts, United States v. Lumber Liquidators, Inc. (E.D. Va.), filed with the SEC","p":"US District Court, Eastern District of Virginia (via SEC EDGAR)","d":"2015-10-07","type":"court","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1396033/000114420415058462/v421764_ex10-1.htm"},{"t":"Lumber Liquidators to pay millions in DOJ settlement","p":"CBS58","d":"2015-10-08","type":"press","u":"https://cbs58.com/news/lumber-liquidators-to-pay-millions-in-doj-settlement"},{"t":"US judge accepts plea deal from Lumber Liquidators over Lacey Act violations","p":"Mongabay","d":"2015-10-22","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2015/10/us-judge-accepts-plea-deal-from-lumber-liquidators-over-lacey-act-violations/"},{"t":"Liquidating the Forests (report page)","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2013-10-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://old-vp-site.eia-global.org/reports/liquidating-the-forests-report"},{"t":"Lumber Liquidators importing illegal hardwood flooring","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2013-10-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://old-vp-site.eia-global.org/press-releases/lumber-liquidators-importing-illegal-hardwood-flooring"},{"t":"Lumber Liquidators lies to the public","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2014-10-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://old-vp-site.eia-global.org/press-releases/lumber-liquidators-lies-to-the-public"},{"t":"Russian supplier to Lumber Liquidators convicted of organized crime","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2015-01-28","type":"ngo","u":"https://old-vp-site.eia-global.org/blog-posts/russian-supplier-to-lumber-liquidators-convicted-of-organized-crime"},{"t":"LL Flooring files for bankruptcy, 94 stores to close","p":"Gray News (WAFB)","d":"2024-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.wafb.com/2024/08/13/ll-flooring-files-bankruptcy-94-stores-close"}],"related":["china-natural-forest-protection-programme-and-total-logging"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Number of Amur leopards remaining in the wild","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume shipped under the Count Four concession","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Intent: the company admitted guilt but did not stipulate deliberate or willful intent","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What the company knew about the origin of the wood before the charges","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"United States v. $3,155,000.00 Res (civil forfeiture): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the statement of facts gives 2,494.80 m3 (1,491,336 ft2) shipped under the one concession permit and 2,559.6 m3 (1,530,072 ft2) for the 79 Count Four shipments.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: DOJ's release gives fewer than 50 Amur leopards in the wild; the statement of facts gives 57.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: habitat loss attributable to these shipments.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the Chinese suppliers and any Russian concession holder; the statement of facts refers to them as Company X, Company Y and Company Z.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: completion of the fine instalments, the community service payments or the audits.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the court and the defendants in the Russian Beryozoviy LLC case; EIA's account does not name them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the fine or forfeitures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russian-far-east-hardwood-logging-exports-to-china","title":"Hardwood logging in the Russian Far East and exports to China","dek":"WWF Russia and the Environmental Investigation Agency reported that Mongolian oak logged in Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krai for export to China exceeded authorised volumes by 2–4 times in 2004–2011. Russian officials in 2020 and 2023 gave their own estimates of unrecorded and illegally harvested timber.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":46.5,"lon":134.5,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Primorsky Krai","lat":45,"lon":134,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Khabarovsk Krai","lat":48.5,"lon":135,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"buyer"}],"start":2001,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2013-02-27","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Mongolian oak exported against authorised, Primorsky and Khabarovsk, 2010 (WWF Russia)","value":"905,702 m3 vs 452,213 m3","note":"WWF Russia: roundwood equivalent of oak products exported in 2010 against the logging volume authorised by the two provinces' forest agencies."},"happened":["WWF Russia's 2013 report, edited by D.Y. Smirnov, stated that in 2004–2011 the volume of Mongolian oak logged for export to China exceeded authorised logging volumes by 2–4 times. In 2010 the forest agencies of Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krai authorised logging of 452,213 m3 of Mongolian oak; the two provinces exported 340,780 m3 of oak products, a roundwood equivalent of at least 905,702 m3, which WWF put at 200% of the permitted volume and stated \"At least half the exported oak was stolen.\" For 2007 and 2008 WWF reported more than 1,700,000 m3 of oak logged for export and said that, assuming similar authorised levels, illegal oak logging \"could reach 400 %\".","WWF reported that forest rangers registered 113,500 m3 of stolen timber in the two provinces in 2010, while by its calculation at least 451,300 m3 of Mongolian oak was stolen that year. In Primorsky Krai 691 illegal logging cases were registered in 2011, of which \"only 16% made it to a trial\"; in Dalnerechensk County the figure was 6%. WWF described \"intermediate\" and \"sanitary\" logging as loopholes. Pyotr Diuk, former head of the Primorsky Province Forest Management Agency, was filmed covertly in 2010 and quoted by WWF saying the agency was supposed to cut about 200 thousand m3 of oak but cut 800 thousand or a million every year.","The Environmental Investigation Agency said on 9 October 2013 that as much as 80 percent of all timber exported annually from the region is illegal, that this deprives the state of tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue and threatens over 100,000 indigenous people. EIA's 2013 report on Japan's imports estimated that illegal logging comprises at least 50% of total timber harvests in eastern Russia, with some estimates nearing 90%. In June 2014 Mongolian oak was added to Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), according to the US Department of Justice.","Russian officials gave their own figures. Rosleskhoz official A. Mariyev said in 2013 that criminal charges were brought against 65 people in the Far Eastern Federal District in the first nine months of 2012, and gave illegal harvesting of about 49,000 m3 in 2011 and 23,000 m3 in 2012. On 29 September 2020 President Putin said exports of raw timber from the Far East often go through grey or openly criminal schemes. On 21 October 2020 Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko said unrecorded, illegally harvested timber is by expert estimates 10 to 30 million m3 a year and that no one knows the real volumes. On 10 March 2023 Rosleskhoz head Ivan Sovetnikov said satellite monitoring detected 300,000 m3 of illegally felled timber in 2022."],"timeline":[{"y":2001,"t":"WWF analysis: Primorsky's exported oak, ash and elm exceeded authorised logging by 1.5–2 times","src":0},{"y":2010,"t":"Provinces authorise 452,213 m3 of Mongolian oak; exports of oak products 340,780 m3 (roundwood equivalent at least 905,702 m3); Diuk filmed covertly","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"WWF Russia report; Interfax reports WWF's 27 Feb statement; EIA publishes \"Liquidating the Forests\" (9 Oct)","src":1},{"y":2014,"t":"Mongolian oak added to CITES Appendix III (June)","src":8},{"y":2020,"t":"Putin speaks of grey or criminal export schemes (29 Sep); Abramchenko gives 10–30 million m3 a year estimate (21 Oct)","src":5},{"y":2023,"t":"Rosleskhoz head reports 300,000 m3 of illegal felling detected by satellite in 2022 (10 Mar)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"from the period 2004-2011 the volume of Mongolian oak (the most valuable hardwood species) logged for export to China exceeded authorized logging volumes by 2-4 times.","who":"WWF Russia report (D.Y. Smirnov, ed.)","when":"2013","src":0},{"q":"We're supposed to cut about 200 thousand [m3] of oak, but we cut 800 or a million. Every year.","who":"Pyotr Diuk, former head of the Primorsky Province Forest Management Agency, filmed covertly (\"Dark Forest\", 2010), as quoted by WWF","when":"2010","src":0},{"q":"As much as 80 percent of all timber exported annually from the region is illegal.","who":"Environmental Investigation Agency","when":"9 October 2013","src":2},{"q":"Illegal logging is estimated to comprise at least 50% of total timber harvests in eastern Russia, with some estimates nearing 90%.","who":"Environmental Investigation Agency, \"The Open Door\"","when":"2013","src":4},{"q":"often all this goes through various grey or openly criminal export schemes. Simply put – what is it called? – they run contraband.","who":"President Vladimir Putin","when":"29 September 2020","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Unrecorded, illegally harvested timber, by expert estimates, amounts to 10 to 30 million m3 a year. But unfortunately no one knows the real volumes.","who":"Viktoria Abramchenko, Deputy Prime Minister","when":"21 October 2020","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"It is difficult to precisely quantify the wood flows from the Russian Far East through China.","who":"WWF Russia report","when":"2013","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Illegal logging threatens valuable forests in Primorsky Krai; about 900,000 m3 of Mongolian oak logged per year in Primorsky against a permitted 450,000.","who":"Igor Chestin, director of WWF Russia, via Interfax","src":1},{"t":"Detected illegal harvesting of about 49,000 m3 in 2011 and 23,000 m3 in 2012; criminal charges against 65 people in the first nine months of 2012.","who":"A. Mariyev, Rosleskhoz, via Interfax","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"WWF 2001 analysis: Primorsky's exported oak, ash and elm exceeded authorised logging by 1.5–2 times. Primorsky Krai Duma data cited by WWF: permitted Manchurian ash logging declined from 272,000 m3 to 191,100 m3 (1996–1999) while exports rose from 267,000 to 363,000 m3.","src":0},{"t":"Prosecution rates (WWF): 691 illegal logging cases registered in Primorsky Krai in 2011, 16% reaching trial; 6% in Dalnerechensk County; 66% of illegal logging sentences concern perpetrators who harvested less than 10 m3.","src":0},{"t":"2011 trade context (WWF): Russia supplied about 25% of China's roundwood and sawnwood imports; the Far East exported more than 260,000 m3 of valuable hardwood logs and 447,000 m3 of sawnwood; China exported US$9.4 billion of wood furniture and US$393 million of solid hardwood flooring to the US, EU and Japan.","src":0},{"t":"Interfax (2013) reported that less than 1% of damages were recovered as compensation.","src":1},{"t":"2019 (Abramchenko): recorded harvest 219 million m3; timber exports about US$8 billion, 42% to China; export duty receipts fell from RUB 15 billion in 2016 to RUB 11 billion in 2019.","src":5},{"t":"Since 1 January 2022 all roundwood transport is recorded in LesEGAIS: 8.5 million documents covering more than 550 million m3 (Sovetnikov, 2023).","src":7},{"t":"CITES: Mongolian oak added to Appendix III in June 2014.","src":8},{"t":"Suifenhe Xingjia Group's single biggest trading partner was Lumber Liquidators, according to EIA.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Chinese exports of wood furniture to the US, EU and Japan (WWF)","amount":9400,"window":"2011"},{"label":"Chinese exports of solid hardwood flooring to the US, EU and Japan (WWF)","amount":393,"window":"2011"},{"label":"Russian timber exports, China taking 42% (Abramchenko)","amount":8000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2019"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oak authorised vs exported","v":"452,213 m3 vs 905,702 m3","d":"Primorsky and Khabarovsk, 2010; export roundwood equivalent (WWF)"},{"k":"Stolen oak, 2010","v":"at least 451,300 m3","d":"WWF calculation, against 113,500 m3 of stolen timber registered by rangers"},{"k":"Cases reaching trial","v":"16%","d":"691 illegal logging cases registered in Primorsky Krai in 2011 (WWF)"},{"k":"Detected by satellite, 2022","v":"300,000 m3","d":"Illegally felled timber, Rosleskhoz head, 2023"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"WWF Russia calculated that oak logged and exported from Primorsky and Khabarovsk Krai exceeded authorised volumes in 2004–2011 and described degradation of Amur tiger habitat and Korean pine–broadleaf forest.","report":[{"t":"According to WWF Russia, Mongolian oak logged for export from my Primorsky and Khabarovsk forests exceeded authorised volumes by 2–4 times in 2004–2011.","src":0},{"t":"In 2010 about 905,702 m3 of oak in roundwood equivalent left my two provinces against 452,213 m3 authorised, according to WWF.","src":0},{"t":"WWF reported that logging degrades key habitats of my Amur tiger and reduces its critical food supplies.","src":0},{"t":"WWF reported that my Korean pine–broadleaf forests face severe degradation.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the scale of illegality. WWF gives 2–4 times the permitted oak volume; EIA gives up to 80% of exports and 50–90% of harvests; Rosleskhoz gave detected volumes of 49,000 m3 (2011) and 23,000 m3 (2012); the federal estimate for the whole country is 10–30 million m3 a year.","Unclear: who gave the Interfax figure that less than 1% of damages were recovered; the text does not attribute it.","None on record: a tiger population trend attributed to logging.","None on record: statements from Chinese importers, or direct statements from Udege communities in the Bikin basin.","Insufficient: WWF states that registered illegal logging may be only a quarter of the actual stolen volume of one tree species, and that wood flows through China are difficult to quantify.","Not disclosed: the real volumes of illegally harvested timber; Abramchenko said no one knows them."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. Interfax reported that less than 1% of damages were recovered as compensation.","statusLine":"As of March 2023: Rosleskhoz reported 300,000 m3 of illegal felling detected by satellite in 2022; roundwood transport has been recorded in LesEGAIS since 1 January 2022.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko said unrecorded, illegally harvested timber is by expert estimates 10 to 30 million m3 a year and that no one knows the real volumes.","when":"21 October 2020","src":5},{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"President Putin said raw timber exports from the Far East often go through grey or openly criminal schemes.","when":"29 September 2020","src":6},{"actor":"rosleskhoz","says":"A. Mariyev gave detected illegal harvesting of about 49,000 m3 in 2011 and 23,000 m3 in 2012 and 65 people charged in the first nine months of 2012.","when":"2013","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Author of the 2013 report on illegal logging in the Russian Far East"},{"id":"eia","role":"NGO reports on illegal timber exports to China and Japan"},{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Federal forestry agency; gave detected-volume figures"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Officials' statements 2020 and 2023"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Scale of illegal logging and exports in the Russian Far East","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"WWF Russia","says":"Oak logged for export exceeded authorised volumes by 2–4 times in 2004–2011; in 2010 exports at roundwood equivalent were 200% of the permitted volume; registered illegal logging may be only a quarter of the stolen volume of one species.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"EIA","says":"As much as 80 percent of timber exported annually from the region is illegal (2013); illegal logging at least 50% of harvests in eastern Russia, some estimates nearing 90% (The Open Door).","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz (Mariyev)","says":"Illegal harvesting of about 49,000 m3 in 2011 and 23,000 m3 in 2012.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko","says":"Unrecorded, illegally harvested timber is by expert estimates 10 to 30 million m3 a year nationally; the real volumes are not known.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oak_authorised_m3","value":452213,"unit":"m3","year":2010,"note":"Mongolian oak logging authorised by Primorsky and Khabarovsk forest agencies (WWF)."},{"key":"oak_exported_products_m3","value":340780,"unit":"m3","year":2010,"note":"Oak products exported by the two provinces (WWF)."},{"key":"oak_exported_roundwood_equivalent_m3","value":905702,"unit":"m3","year":2010,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Roundwood equivalent, 200% of the permitted volume (WWF)."},{"key":"oak_stolen_m3","value":451300,"unit":"m3","year":2010,"qualifier":"at least","note":"WWF calculation for Mongolian oak."},{"key":"stolen_timber_registered_m3","value":113500,"unit":"m3","year":2010,"note":"Registered by forest rangers in the two provinces."},{"key":"illegal_logging_cases_registered","value":691,"unit":"cases","year":2011,"note":"Primorsky Krai; 16% reached trial, 6% in Dalnerechensk County (WWF)."},{"key":"illegal_harvest_detected_m3","value":49000,"unit":"m3","year":2011,"note":"Rosleskhoz figure via Interfax."},{"key":"illegal_harvest_detected_m3","value":23000,"unit":"m3","year":2012,"note":"Rosleskhoz figure via Interfax."},{"key":"persons_charged","value":65,"unit":"people","year":2012,"note":"Far Eastern Federal District, first nine months of 2012 (Rosleskhoz via Interfax)."},{"key":"illegal_harvest_estimate_low","value":10000000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2020,"note":"Federal expert estimate of unrecorded, illegally harvested timber (Abramchenko)."},{"key":"illegal_harvest_estimate_high","value":30000000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2020,"note":"Upper end of the same estimate."},{"key":"harvest_recorded","value":219000000,"unit":"m3","year":2019,"note":"Abramchenko."},{"key":"export_duty_receipts","value":15000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2016,"note":"Abramchenko."},{"key":"export_duty_receipts","value":11000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"Abramchenko."},{"key":"illegal_felling_detected_satellite_m3","value":300000,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"note":"Rosleskhoz head Sovetnikov, 2023."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"WWF Russia and EIA reported that Mongolian oak and other hardwoods were logged in the Russian Far East for export to China in volumes above authorised levels; Russian officials gave lower detected figures and national estimates of illegal harvesting.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Suifenhe Xingjia Group","what":"Lumber Liquidators was its single biggest trading partner (EIA)","src":3},{"who":"Chinese manufacturers of flooring and furniture","what":"Exported US$9.4 billion of wood furniture and US$393 million of solid hardwood flooring to the US, EU and Japan in 2011 (WWF)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Russian state","what":"Tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue (EIA); export duty receipts RUB 15 billion in 2016 and RUB 11 billion in 2019 (Abramchenko)","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Amur tiger habitat and Korean pine–broadleaf forest","what":"Habitat degradation and reduced food supplies (WWF)","src":0},{"who":"Indigenous people of the region","what":"EIA: over 100,000 indigenous people threatened","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Primorsky Krai and Khabarovsk Krai, including the Bikin River basin, Dalnerechensk County and the Tayozhniy wildlife reserve (WWF).","src":0},"when":{"t":"WWF data for 2001 and 2004–2011; EIA report 9 October 2013; official statements 2013, 2020 and 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"WWF described intermediate and sanitary logging as loopholes and the registered share of stolen timber as small against the calculated stolen volume.","src":0},"how":{"t":"WWF compared permitted logging volumes with the roundwood equivalent of exported oak products and with rangers' registered volumes.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Illegal logging in the Russian Far East: global demand and taiga destruction (D.Y. Smirnov, ed.)","p":"WWF Russia","d":"2013","type":"ngo","u":"https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/3ffstllnc6_WWF_Report_Illegal_Logging_in_the_Russian_Far_East_English.pdf"},{"t":"WWF: illegal logging threatens valuable forests in Primorsky territory","p":"Interfax","d":"2013-02-27","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/51290/"},{"t":"Liquidating the Forests (report page)","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2013-10-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://old-vp-site.eia-global.org/reports/liquidating-the-forests-report"},{"t":"Lumber Liquidators importing illegal hardwood flooring","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2013-10-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://old-vp-site.eia-global.org/press-releases/lumber-liquidators-importing-illegal-hardwood-flooring"},{"t":"The Open Door: Japan's continuing failure to prevent imports of illegal Russian timber","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2013","type":"ngo","u":"https://static.us.eia.org/pdfs/Open_Door_ENG.pdf"},{"t":"Viktoria Abramchenko addressed the Federation Council during government hour","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2020-10-21","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/40663/"},{"t":"Meeting on the development and decriminalisation of the forest sector (transcript)","p":"President of Russia","d":"2020-09-30","type":"official","u":"http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/64116"},{"t":"Mikhail Mishustin meets Rosleskhoz head Ivan Sovetnikov","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2023-03-10","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/47961/"},{"t":"Lumber Liquidators Inc. Pleads Guilty to Environmental Crimes and Agrees to Pay More Than $13 Million (PR 15-1298)","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2015-10-22","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/lumber-liquidators-inc-pleads-guilty-environmental-crimes-and-agrees-pay-more-13-million"}],"related":["china-natural-forest-protection-programme-and-total-logging"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Scale of illegal logging and exports in the Russian Far East","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the scale of illegality. WWF gives 2–4 times the permitted oak volume; EIA gives up to 80% of exports and 50–90% of harvests; Rosleskhoz gave detected volumes of 49,000 m3 (2011) and 23,000 m3 (2012); the federal estimate for the whole country is 10–30 million m3 a year.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: who gave the Interfax figure that less than 1% of damages were recovered; the text does not attribute it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a tiger population trend attributed to logging.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: statements from Chinese importers, or direct statements from Udege communities in the Bikin basin.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: WWF states that registered illegal logging may be only a quarter of the actual stolen volume of one tree species, and that wood flows through China are difficult to quantify.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the real volumes of illegally harvested timber; Abramchenko said no one knows them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russia-2022-round-log-export-ban","title":"Russia's 1 January 2022 ban on exports of unprocessed softwood and valuable hardwood logs","dek":"President Putin instructed in September 2020 that exports of unprocessed or roughly processed coniferous and valuable broadleaf timber be banned from 1 January 2022. The government implemented export duties and EAEU quotas, and in December 2025 extended prohibitive duties on beams and sawnwood to the end of 2028.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":48.48,"lon":135.08,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Nationwide; largest 2020 log exporter Khabarovsk Krai","lat":48.48,"lon":135.08,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"buyer"},{"country":"Finland","iso2":"FI","role":"buyer"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2022-01-01","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Unprocessed timber exports, first quarter 2022 against first quarter 2021","value":"−54%","note":"1.4 million m3, Interfax citing the Federal Customs Service; only non-valuable species such as birch and aspen may still be exported."},"happened":["At a meeting on 29 September 2020 (published 30 September 2020) President Vladimir Putin instructed that from 1 January 2022 a complete ban be introduced on exporting from Russia unprocessed or roughly, only-for-show processed timber of coniferous and valuable broadleaf species. He cited grey and criminal export schemes (\"contraband\"), logging at a low technological level, a lack of reforestation and the aim of deep processing in the Far East, and instructed customs to ensure roundwood is not exported disguised as sawnwood. He proposed soft loans through the Industrial Development Fund for small and medium enterprises to build processing capacity.","The instruments on record set duties and quotas. Government Resolution No. 2068 of 27 November 2021 sets export customs duty rates for goods leaving the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) customs territory from 1 January 2022 (for example oak logs at 20% but not less than €30/m3, beech and ash at €100/m3, Scots pine and spruce/fir at 80% but not less than €55.2/m3, birch 7%, aspen 5%). Resolution No. 380 of 16 March 2022 sets annual limits on exports of HS 4403 timber to EAEU states, requires EAEU exports to be recorded in LesEGAIS and sends exports to Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan by rail only. Resolution No. 737 of 15 May 2021 put duties on sawnwood with moisture above 22% from 1 July 2021.","After the ban the Federal Customs Service reported that unprocessed timber exports fell 54% year on year in the first quarter of 2022; for the full year 2022 exports fell 70% and roundwood exports were 3.5–3.8 million m3 (expert estimates relayed from Kommersant), with China taking 2.25 million m3. Industry and economists quoted by Rossiyskaya Gazeta in December 2021 described stagnation and an undermined raw material base.","On 29 December 2025 Resolution No. 2204 extended prohibitive duties on beams and sawnwood to 31 December 2028; the government said the aim is to keep restricting raw timber exports for which sawnwood serves as \"cover goods\". In 2020 Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko said forest loss exceeds regeneration by about 450,000 ha a year on average; in 2023 Rosleskhoz head Sovetnikov said reforestation in 2022 exceeded the area of dead and felled forest by 18% (1.3 million ha)."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Putin instructs a complete ban from 1 January 2022 (29 Sep); Abramchenko gives forest-loss figures (21 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Resolution No. 737 duties on moist sawnwood (1 Jul); Resolution No. 2068 export duty rates adopted (27 Nov)","src":5},{"y":2022,"t":"Ban and duties in force from 1 Jan; Resolution No. 380 on EAEU quotas (16 Mar); first-quarter exports fall 54%","src":9},{"y":2023,"t":"Sovetnikov reports 2022 reforestation and satellite-detected illegal felling (10 Mar)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Resolution No. 2204 extends prohibitive duties on beams and sawnwood to 31 December 2028 (29 Dec)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"I instruct that from 1 January 2022 a complete ban be introduced on exporting from Russia unprocessed or roughly, only-for-show processed timber of coniferous and valuable broadleaf species.","who":"President Vladimir Putin","when":"29 September 2020","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"From such predatory use of the forest we must move to rational use planned many years ahead.","who":"V. Spirenkov, deputy head of Rosleskhoz","when":"9 December 2021","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The industry is, in essence, already stagnating.","who":"A. Sidorenko, Dalexportles","when":"December 2021","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Our raw material base has been undermined.","who":"V. Zausaev, economist","when":"December 2021","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"only non-valuable species may now be exported.","who":"Ruslan Davydov, First Deputy Head of the Federal Customs Service","when":"April 2022","src":9,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Such restrictions have applied since 2022.","who":"Government of Russia","when":"31 December 2025","src":3,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"A \"complete ban\" on exports of unprocessed softwood and valuable hardwood logs from 1 January 2022.","who":"President Putin (instruction of 29 September 2020) and press (Lenta.ru, \"Putin banned timber exports from Russia\", 1 January 2022)","src":0},{"t":"Exporters take only the best timber, do not process residues and do not reforest.","who":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta, stating the ban's environmental rationale (9 December 2021)","src":10}],"recorded":[{"t":"2019: roundwood (HS 4403) exports 15.2 million m3, 13.5% of timber export value (Abramchenko).","src":1},{"t":"2020: unprocessed timber exports 15.5 million m3, 7.2% of harvest (Federal Customs Service data); about 4,000 organisations affected; Far East unprocessed timber 42% of its timber export value against 12% nationally.","src":8},{"t":"2021: unprocessed timber exports 13.888 million m3, down 10.2% on 2020; first quarter 2022: 1.4 million m3, down 54%; main importers China 57% and Finland 18%.","src":9},{"t":"2021 total timber export value rose 38% to US$12.5 billion (Lenta.ru).","src":11},{"t":"2022: unprocessed timber exports fell 70%; roundwood exports 3.5–3.8 million m3 (expert estimates); China 2.25 million m3 (59%, down 63%); total timber exports 27.1 million m3 (Rosleskhozinforg); logging fell by about one-third according to market participants; rail shipments to Far East and East Siberian processors rose 36% (RZD).","src":12},{"t":"Rail export tariffs through the two border crossings open to roundwood were raised 70-fold from 1 January 2022 (Interfax, article background).","src":9},{"t":"Resolution No. 380 limits for 2022 include Armenia 1,265 m3, Kazakhstan 477,497 m3 and Kyrgyzstan 29,680 m3.","src":4},{"t":"Resolution No. 2204 beam rates: conifer €200/m3, beech €250, ash €300, oak €370; sawnwood rates 10% but not less than €13/m3 for conifer, €15 for oak and €50 for beech and ash.","src":3},{"t":"Forest loss exceeds regeneration by about 450,000 ha a year on average, and more than 35 million ha of lost forest needs restoration (Abramchenko, 2020).","src":1},{"t":"2022: reforestation exceeded the area of dead and felled forest by 18% (1.3 million ha); wildfire area fell from 10.1 million ha to 3.3 million ha between 2021 and 2022 (Sovetnikov, 2023).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Russian timber exports (Abramchenko), China 42%","amount":8000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2019"},{"label":"Russian total timber export value (Lenta.ru)","amount":12500,"window":"2021"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest loss over regeneration","v":"about 450,000 ha a year","d":"Average, Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko, 2020"},{"k":"Reforestation over loss, 2022","v":"18% (1.3 million ha)","d":"Rosleskhoz head Sovetnikov, 2023"},{"k":"Wildfire area, 2021 to 2022","v":"10.1 to 3.3 million ha","d":"Sovetnikov, 2023"},{"k":"Unprocessed timber exports, 2022","v":"−70%","d":"Eastrussia, 27 January 2023"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Russian officials gave forest-loss and reforestation figures for 2020 and 2022; no independent measurement links the export restriction to changes in illegal logging volumes.","report":[{"t":"My forests lose more than they regrow: by the Deputy Prime Minister's figure of 2020, loss exceeds regeneration by about 450,000 ha a year on average, and more than 35 million ha of lost forest needs restoration.","src":1},{"t":"In 2022 reforestation exceeded my dead and felled forest by 18% (1.3 million ha), according to the head of Rosleskhoz.","src":2},{"t":"My burned area fell from 10.1 million ha in 2021 to 3.3 million ha in 2022, according to the head of Rosleskhoz.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Unclear: the legal act that imposes the HS 4403 export ban itself; the resolutions on record set export duties and EAEU quotas, while officials and press describe a ban implemented from 1 January 2022 on the presidential instruction.","Not disclosed: an official full-year 2022 Federal Customs Service figure for roundwood exports; the 3.5–3.8 million m3 figure is an expert estimate.","None on record: an independent measurement linking the restriction to changes in illegal logging volumes.","Not measured: whether the restriction displaced low-value exports such as rough sawnwood rather than reducing them; the government's 2025 \"cover goods\" wording points to sawnwood as a substitute but no volume is given."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. Industry commentators quoted in December 2021 reported job losses among Far East logging workers; the export duty receipts fell from RUB 15 billion in 2016 to RUB 11 billion in 2019 before the ban.","statusLine":"As of 31 December 2025: Resolution No. 2204 extends prohibitive duties on beams and sawnwood to 31 December 2028.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"President Putin instructed a complete ban from 1 January 2022, citing grey and criminal export schemes, low-technology logging and lack of reforestation.","when":"29 September 2020","src":0},{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"The government extended prohibitive duties on beams and sawnwood to 31 December 2028, stating that sawnwood serves as cover goods for raw timber exports.","when":"31 December 2025","src":3},{"actor":"rosleskhoz","says":"Deputy head Spirenkov said the forest must move from predatory use to rational use planned many years ahead.","when":"9 December 2021","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Issued the instruction, duties and quotas"},{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Federal forestry agency; reported 2022 reforestation and satellite monitoring"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the measure is a ban or a regime of prohibitive duties and quotas","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President Putin","says":"Instructed a complete ban from 1 January 2022 on unprocessed or roughly processed coniferous and valuable broadleaf timber.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government Resolutions Nos. 2068 and 2204","says":"Set prohibitive export duty rates; Resolution No. 380 sets EAEU export quotas.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Lenta.ru and Rossiyskaya Gazeta","says":"Describe the regime as a ban.","src":11}]},{"point":"Effect on the industry","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"A. Sidorenko, Dalexportles","says":"The industry is already stagnating; two-thirds of over 30,000 Far East logging workers are reported as unemployed (as stated in Rossiyskaya Gazeta's text).","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz (Sovetnikov)","says":"Reforestation in 2022 exceeded the area of dead and felled forest by 18%.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"roundwood_exports","value":15200000,"unit":"m3","year":2019,"note":"HS 4403, 13.5% of timber export value (Abramchenko)."},{"key":"roundwood_exports","value":15500000,"unit":"m3","year":2020,"note":"Unprocessed timber, 7.2% of harvest (Federal Customs Service data via Interfax)."},{"key":"roundwood_exports","value":13888000,"unit":"m3","year":2021,"note":"Unprocessed timber, down 10.2% on 2020 (Federal Customs Service)."},{"key":"roundwood_exports","value":1400000,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"note":"First quarter, down 54% year on year (Federal Customs Service via Interfax)."},{"key":"roundwood_exports","value":3500000,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"qualifier":"3.5–3.8","est":true,"note":"Full-year expert estimate relayed from Kommersant; the range is 3.5–3.8 million m3."},{"key":"timber_export_value","value":12500,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Up 38% (Lenta.ru)."},{"key":"timber_exports_total","value":27100000,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"note":"Rosleskhozinforg via EastRussia."},{"key":"forest_loss_over_regeneration_ha","value":450000,"unit":"ha per year","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Average (Abramchenko); more than 35 million ha needs restoration."},{"key":"reforestation_over_loss_ha","value":1300000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"18% above dead and felled forest area (Sovetnikov)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":3300000,"unit":"ha burned","year":2022,"note":"Down from 10.1 million ha in 2021 (Sovetnikov)."},{"key":"illegal_felling_detected_satellite_m3","value":300000,"unit":"m3","year":2022,"note":"Satellite monitoring (Sovetnikov)."},{"key":"lesegais_documents","value":8500000,"unit":"documents","year":2022,"note":"Covering more than 550 million m3 of roundwood transport."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia introduced prohibitive export duties and EAEU quotas, described by the President and press as a ban, on unprocessed coniferous and valuable broadleaf timber from 1 January 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Russian wood processors","what":"Soft loans through the Industrial Development Fund proposed for deep-processing capacity","src":0},{"who":"Far East and East Siberian processors","what":"Rail shipments of roundwood to them rose 36% in 2022 (RZD)","src":12}],"lost":[{"who":"Log exporters","what":"Unprocessed timber exports fell 70% in 2022; Far East logging workers reported unemployed (industry account)","src":12}],"harmed":[{"who":"Russian forests","what":"Loss exceeding regeneration by about 450,000 ha a year on average (2020)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Russia nationwide; largest log-exporting regions in 2020 were Khabarovsk, Vologda, Irkutsk, Primorsky, Leningrad, Krasnoyarsk and Karelia.","src":8},"when":{"t":"Instruction 29 September 2020; in force from 1 January 2022; prohibitive duties extended to 31 December 2028 by Resolution No. 2204 of 29 December 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Putin cited uncontrolled export of unprocessed timber through grey and criminal schemes, archaic logging, lack of reforestation and the aim of deep processing in the Far East.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Export duties (Resolution No. 2068), EAEU export quotas recorded in LesEGAIS (Resolution No. 380) and prohibitive duties on beams and sawnwood (No. 2204).","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Meeting on the development and decriminalisation of the forest sector (transcript)","p":"President of Russia","d":"2020-09-30","type":"official","u":"http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/64116"},{"t":"Viktoria Abramchenko addressed the Federation Council during government hour","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2020-10-21","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/40663/"},{"t":"Mikhail Mishustin meets Rosleskhoz head Ivan Sovetnikov","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2023-03-10","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/47961/"},{"t":"Government extends restrictions on exports of certain timber to the end of 2028 (Resolution No. 2204 of 29 December 2025)","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2025-12-31","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/57474/"},{"t":"Resolution No. 380 of 16 March 2022 on the export of certain types of timber to EAEU member states","p":"Government of Russia (via FAO FAOLEX)","d":"2022-03-16","type":"official","u":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/rus215912.pdf"},{"t":"Government Resolution No. 2068 of 27 November 2021 on export customs duty rates","p":"Alta-Soft (legal database)","d":"2021-11-27","type":"registry","u":"https://www.alta.ru/tamdoc/21ps2068/"},{"t":"Tariff annex to Resolution No. 2068 of 27 November 2021","p":"TKS.ru","d":"2021","type":"registry","u":"https://www.tks.ru/files/other/law/337d05f6f85b317bcac510bfc8201173.pdf"},{"t":"Government Resolution No. 737 of 15 May 2021","p":"Alta-Soft (legal database)","d":"2021-05-15","type":"registry","u":"https://www.alta.ru/tamdoc/21ps0737/"},{"t":"Rosleskhoz: unprocessed timber export ban could affect 4,000 organisations","p":"Interfax","d":"2021-07-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/780240"},{"t":"Russia's unprocessed timber exports fell 54% in the first quarter","p":"Interfax","d":"2022-04-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/business/835540"},{"t":"New timber export rules from January 2022","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2021-12-09","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2021/12/09/reg-dfo/s-ianvaria-2022-goda-zarabotaiut-novye-pravila-dlia-eksporta-lesa.html"},{"t":"Putin banned timber exports from Russia","p":"Lenta.ru","d":"2022-01-01","type":"press","u":"https://lenta.ru/news/2022/01/01/forrrrrrrrrrrst/"},{"t":"Roundwood exports collapsed in 2022","p":"EastRussia","d":"2023-01-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/eksport-kruglyaka-obrushilsya-v-2022-godu/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the measure is a ban or a regime of prohibitive duties and quotas","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Effect on the industry","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the legal act that imposes the HS 4403 export ban itself; the resolutions on record set export duties and EAEU quotas, while officials and press describe a ban implemented from 1 January 2022 on the presidential instruction.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an official full-year 2022 Federal Customs Service figure for roundwood exports; the 3.5–3.8 million m3 figure is an expert estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an independent measurement linking the restriction to changes in illegal logging volumes.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: whether the restriction displaced low-value exports such as rough sawnwood rather than reducing them; the government's 2025 \"cover goods\" wording points to sawnwood as a substitute but no volume is given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tukolon-reserve-sanitary-logging-conviction","title":"Tukolon reserve sanitary logging conviction in Irkutsk Oblast","dek":"In May 2022 the Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk convicted four former officials, including the former regional forestry minister, over a 2018 clear-felling of about 120 ha of relict forest in the Tukolon regional reserve. The cut had been justified as sanitary logging of pest- and fire-damaged forest.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":56.28,"lon":107.58,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Tukolon regional nature reserve, Kazachinsko-Lensky District, Irkutsk Oblast","lat":56.28,"lon":107.58,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Kirovsky District Court, Irkutsk","lat":52.29,"lon":104.28,"role":"court"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2022-05-18","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","law-policy","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Relict forest clear-felled in the Tukolon regional reserve","value":"about 120 ha","note":"Investigators' figure as reported by Interfax; Novaya Gazeta reported 116 ha of a planned 500 ha."},"happened":["In 2018 about 120 ha of relict forest in the Tukolon regional nature reserve (Kazachinsko-Lensky District, Irkutsk Oblast) was clear-felled as sanitary logging; Novaya Gazeta reported 116 ha of a planned 500 ha. The Irkutsk regional government argued that the forest was infested with bark beetles and damaged by forest fires, and the regional Ministry of Forest Complex said the need for continuous sanitary felling had been confirmed. A Rosleskhoz Siberian district check, prompted by Greenpeace, found that the cut was commercial, with 96.3% of the timber commercial-grade (as reported by Novaya Gazeta). A criminal case was opened on 14 June 2018.","On 6 June 2019 the Irkutsk Oblast minister of the forest complex, Sergey Sheverda, was detained and charged by the Investigative Committee under Article 286 part 3 (exceeding official powers); the charge said he knew there were no grounds for logging in the reserve. The regional government said the Tukolon sanitary logging was carried out after all necessary permits were obtained. In May 2019 the Prosecutor General's Office had separately reported a scheme in which forestry enterprise staff falsified acts on the need for sanitary felling to bypass auctions and sell timber cheaply; a case was opened under Article 260 part 3 and Article 286 part 3.","On 18 May 2022 the Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk convicted four former officials: Sheverda, 6 years 6 months; Gennady Rykov, former director of the Kazachinsko-Lensky forestry enterprise, 6 years 6 months; Alexey Tuga, former deputy minister, 6 years; and Alexander Vladimirov, former forest pathology engineer at the Irkutsk branch of the Russian Centre for Forest Protection, 5 years. All sentences were in a general-regime colony, with a 3-year ban on holding certain posts. Interfax reported that the officials knew there were no grounds for continuous sanitary felling in the reserve; the charges were reported under Article 260 part 3 (illegal logging) and Article 33 part 5 (aiding), with IRK.ru also listing Article 262 (violations in specially protected natural areas). The court granted a civil claim reported as over RUB 480 million by Interfax and more than RUB 360 million by IRK.ru.","The Irkutsk Regional Court reduced Sheverda's sentence by two months to 6 years 4 months in November 2022. On 25 December 2023 it overturned a lower-court decision that had replaced the remainder of his sentence with a milder punishment, which the prosecution had challenged. Sheverda was released at the end of his term, reported on 15 January 2024, with pre-trial detention counted at 1.5 days per day.","On 6 August 2019, during the Siberian fire season, Prosecutor General's Office spokesman Alexander Kurennoy said that in Irkutsk Oblast, apparently, fires had been used to cover illegal logging. Prosecutors said regional officials had reported inaccurate burned areas, distances to settlements and extinguishing times, and had opened criminal cases against several officials of regional forestry enterprises. The Irkutsk regional government said no documents had reached it from the prosecutor's office. Rosleskhoz's acting head said the theory that forests were set on fire to conceal illegal logging was baseless."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"About 120 ha clear-felled in Tukolon reserve; criminal case opened (14 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Prosecutors report a sanitary-felling scheme (May); Sheverda detained and charged (6 Jun); Prosecutor General's Office statement on fires and illegal logging in Irkutsk (6 Aug); Rosleskhoz says no confirmation (Sep)","src":3},{"y":2020,"t":"Then-prosecutor Alexander Voronin claims the Tukolon timber was sold to China at first-grade prices","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Kirovsky District Court convicts four former officials (18 May); appeal reduces Sheverda's sentence (Nov)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Irkutsk Regional Court overturns decision replacing the remainder of Sheverda's sentence (25 Dec)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Sheverda released at the end of his term (reported 15 Jan)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"We identified such cases in Irkutsk Oblast too, when, apparently, fires were used to cover illegal logging.","who":"Alexander Kurennoy, spokesman, Prosecutor General's Office","when":"6 August 2019","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"No documents from the prosecutor's office have reached us; we hear only unsubstantiated accusations.","who":"Irina Alashkevich, Irkutsk regional government press service","when":"August 2019","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"sanitary logging in Tukolon was carried out after all necessary permits were obtained.","who":"Irkutsk regional government","when":"2019","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the need for clear sanitary cuts was confirmed.","who":"Irkutsk Oblast Ministry of Forest Complex","when":"2018","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the accused knew there were no grounds for logging in the reserve.","who":"Investigative Committee charge against Sergey Sheverda","when":"June 2019","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"is baseless","who":"Rosleskhoz acting head Klinov, on the theory that forests were set on fire to conceal illegal logging","when":"25 September 2019","src":8},{"q":"Today this is a voluntary decision of governors. The exchange-sale mechanism operates in 17 regions of the Russian Federation.","who":"Viktoria Abramchenko, Deputy Prime Minister, on exchange sale of sanitary-felled wood","when":"21 October 2020","src":9,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Sanitary logging of forest infested with bark beetles and \"damaged by forest fires\".","who":"Irkutsk Oblast government, as reported by Interfax","src":0},{"t":"The Tukolon timber was sold to China at first-grade wood prices.","who":"Alexander Voronin, then-prosecutor, 2020 (reported claim), via Interfax","src":0},{"t":"Fires apparently used to cover illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast.","who":"Prosecutor General's Office spokesman Alexander Kurennoy, 6 August 2019","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk convicted Sheverda, Rykov, Tuga and Vladimirov on 18 May 2022 (Interfax; Oblastnaya Gazeta).","src":0},{"t":"Reported finding: the officials knew there were no grounds for continuous sanitary felling in the reserve; about 120 ha of relict forest was felled.","src":0},{"t":"Sheverda's sentence was reduced by two months to 6 years 4 months on appeal; a decision replacing the remainder with a milder punishment was overturned on 25 December 2023.","src":2},{"t":"Prosecutors found signs of illegal logging in some re-ignition areas that were not in the fire reports (Current Time).","src":6},{"t":"Accounts Chamber (2023): regional burned-area data was found unreliable more often in 2022 than in 2020 (+13.1%), with the largest deviation (58.1%) in Irkutsk Oblast in 2022.","src":10},{"t":"Accounts Chamber: recovery for illegal logging identified by remote monitoring was no more than 0.2% of identified damage over 10 years.","src":10},{"t":"In 2019 between 2.3 and 3.7 million ha were burning in Siberia and the Far East in July, depending on the source (Current Time).","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2018–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Damage found by the court (Interfax)","amount":481,"qualifier":"about","window":"2022"},{"label":"Civil claim granted (Interfax: over RUB 480 million)","amount":480,"qualifier":"over","window":"2022"},{"label":"Civil claim granted (IRK.ru: more than RUB 360 million)","amount":360,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2022"},{"label":"Damage put by investigators at charging (Pravo.ru)","amount":748,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Damage reported by Novaya Gazeta","amount":880,"qualifier":"over","window":"2018"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Relict forest felled","v":"about 120 ha","d":"Regional reserve, 2018 (investigators' figure via Interfax); 116 ha per Novaya Gazeta"},{"k":"Commercial-grade timber","v":"96.3%","d":"Rosleskhoz Siberian district check, as reported by Novaya Gazeta"},{"k":"Damage found by the court","v":"about RUB 481 million","d":"Interfax; other sources give RUB 748 million and over RUB 880 million"},{"k":"Prison sentences","v":"5 to 6.5 years","d":"Four former officials, 18 May 2022"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Investigators and the court record reported about 120 ha of relict forest clear-felled in a regional reserve; no field survey of the forest's condition before or after the cut is on record.","report":[{"t":"About 120 ha of my relict forest in the Tukolon regional reserve was clear-felled in 2018, according to the investigators' figure reported by Interfax.","src":0},{"t":"Novaya Gazeta reported that 116 ha of a planned 500 ha was cut, and that 96.3% of the timber was commercial-grade, according to a Rosleskhoz Siberian district check.","src":5},{"t":"In 2019, 2.3 to 3.7 million ha of my Siberian and Far Eastern forest were burning in July, depending on the source.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the damage figure. The investigators put it at RUB 748 million at charging (Pravo.ru, 2019); Novaya Gazeta reported over RUB 880 million (2018); the court found about RUB 481 million (Interfax, 2022). The civil claim granted is reported as over RUB 480 million (Interfax) and more than RUB 360 million (IRK.ru).","Disputed: whether fires were set to enable sanitary logging. The Prosecutor General's Office spokesman said fires apparently covered illegal logging; Rosleskhoz's acting head called the theory baseless.","None on record: a court ruling or formal charge linking a forest fire to concealment of illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast.","None on record: whether any of the civil claim has been paid.","Self-reported only: the regional government's account that the Tukolon forest was infested with bark beetles and damaged by fires and that all permits were obtained.","None on record: the outcome of Prime Minister Medvedev's check of whether fires were set deliberately to hide illegal logging, reported as due on 1 November 2019."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The felling took place in 2018 and a criminal case was opened on 14 June 2018.","whoPaid":"The court granted a civil claim reported as over RUB 480 million (Interfax) or more than RUB 360 million (IRK.ru); payment is not reported. The four officials received 5 to 6.5 years in a general-regime colony.","statusLine":"As of January 2024: convictions of 18 May 2022 stand; Sheverda's sentence was reduced on appeal to 6 years 4 months and he was released at the end of his term.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"irkutsk-regional-government","says":"Sanitary logging in Tukolon was carried out after all necessary permits were obtained; the forest was infested with bark beetles and damaged by forest fires.","when":"2019","src":3},{"actor":"irkutsk-regional-government","says":"Press service said no documents from the prosecutor's office had reached it and it heard only unsubstantiated accusations.","when":"August 2019","src":7},{"actor":"rosleskhoz","says":"Acting head said the theory that forests were set on fire to conceal illegal logging was baseless.","when":"25 September 2019","src":8},{"actor":"russian-prosecutor-general","says":"Spokesman said apparently fires had been used to cover illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast; opened cases against officials of regional forestry enterprises.","when":"6 August 2019","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"kirovsky-district-court-irkutsk","role":"Convicted four former officials"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Detained and charged the former minister"},{"id":"irkutsk-regional-government","role":"Defended the sanitary felling as authorised and necessary"},{"id":"russian-prosecutor-general","role":"Statements on fires and illegal logging, 2019"},{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Siberian district check; rejected the arson theory"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Prompted the Rosleskhoz check"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the Tukolon felling was needed as sanitary logging","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Irkutsk regional government","says":"The forest was infested with bark beetles and damaged by forest fires; sanitary logging was carried out after all necessary permits were obtained.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Irkutsk Oblast Ministry of Forest Complex","says":"The need for clear sanitary cuts was confirmed (2018).","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz Siberian district check, prompted by Greenpeace","says":"The cut was commercial; 96.3% of the timber was commercial-grade (as reported by Novaya Gazeta).","src":5},{"voice":"court","holder":"Kirovsky District Court of Irkutsk","says":"Convicted four former officials who, as reported, knew there were no grounds for continuous sanitary felling in the reserve.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether fires were set to cover illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General's Office (Kurennoy)","says":"Such cases were identified in Irkutsk Oblast, when, apparently, fires were used to cover illegal logging.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz (acting head Klinov)","says":"The theory is baseless; no confirmation that forests were set on fire to conceal illegal logging.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Irkutsk regional government","says":"No documents from the prosecutor's office have reached it; it hears only unsubstantiated accusations.","src":7}]},{"point":"Amount of damage in the Tukolon case","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Investigators (June 2019)","says":"RUB 748 million.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Novaya Gazeta (2018)","says":"Over RUB 880 million.","src":5},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court, as reported by Interfax (2022)","says":"About RUB 481 million; civil claim of over RUB 480 million granted.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"IRK.ru (2024)","says":"Claim granted of more than RUB 360 million.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against Sheverda, Rykov, Tuga and Vladimirov (Tukolon reserve)","forum":"Kirovsky District Court, Irkutsk","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors; Investigative Committee","defendant":"Sergey Sheverda (former Irkutsk Oblast minister of the forest complex), Gennady Rykov (former director, Kazachinsko-Lensky forestry enterprise), Alexey Tuga (former deputy minister; spelled Tugi in Interfax), Alexander Vladimirov (former forest pathology engineer, Russian Centre for Forest Protection, Irkutsk branch)","filed":2018,"decided":2022,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":481,"currency":"RUB","label":"damage found by the court (about; Interfax)"},"summary":"Convicted on 18 May 2022 under Article 260 part 3 (illegal logging) and Article 33 part 5 (aiding), with Article 262 also reported by IRK.ru: Sheverda 6 years 6 months, Rykov 6 years 6 months, Tuga 6 years, Vladimirov 5 years, in a general-regime colony with a 3-year ban on holding certain posts. Sheverda was earlier charged under Article 286 part 3 (exceeding official powers).","src":0},{"title":"Appeal and sentence review for Sergey Sheverda","forum":"Irkutsk Regional Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Sergey Sheverda","filed":2022,"decided":2023,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":null,"summary":"The sentence was reduced by two months to 6 years 4 months (November 2022); on 25 December 2023 the court overturned a lower-court decision that had replaced the remainder with a milder punishment, which the prosecution had challenged.","src":2},{"title":"Civil claim for damages (Tukolon reserve)","forum":"Kirovsky District Court, Irkutsk","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not named in press coverage","defendant":"The convicted officials","filed":null,"decided":2022,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":480,"currency":"RUB","label":"claim granted (Interfax: over RUB 480 million; IRK.ru: more than RUB 360 million)"},"summary":"Interfax reported a civil claim of over RUB 480 million granted; IRK.ru reported more than RUB 360 million. Whether any of it was paid is not reported.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":120,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Relict forest clear-felled in the reserve (investigators' figure via Interfax). Novaya Gazeta: 116 ha of a planned 500 ha."},{"key":"commercial_grade_share","value":96.3,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Share of commercial-grade timber found by Rosleskhoz Siberian district check, as reported by Novaya Gazeta."},{"key":"damage","value":748,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"Investigators' figure at charging (Pravo.ru)."},{"key":"damage","value":880,"unit":"RUB m","year":2018,"qualifier":"over","note":"Novaya Gazeta."},{"key":"damage","value":481,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Court finding as reported by Interfax."},{"key":"compensation_claim","value":480,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"qualifier":"over","note":"Civil claim granted per Interfax."},{"key":"compensation_claim","value":360,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Claim granted per IRK.ru."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":6.5,"unit":"years","year":2022,"note":"Sheverda and Rykov, each 6 years 6 months; Tuga 6 years; Vladimirov 5 years."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":6.33,"unit":"years","year":2022,"note":"Sheverda after appeal: 6 years 4 months."},{"key":"burned_area_data_deviation","value":58.1,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Largest deviation in regional burned-area data, Irkutsk Oblast (Accounts Chamber, 2023)."},{"key":"recovery_share_remote_monitoring","value":0.2,"unit":"% of identified damage","year":2023,"qualifier":"no more than","note":"Over 10 years (Accounts Chamber)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 120 ha of relict forest in the Tukolon regional reserve was clear-felled as sanitary logging in 2018; in May 2022 a court convicted four former officials, and prosecutors separately said in 2019 that fires had apparently been used to cover illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Buyers of the Tukolon timber","what":"Then-prosecutor Voronin claimed in 2020 that the timber was sold to China at first-grade wood prices (reported claim)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Sergey Sheverda, Gennady Rykov, Alexey Tuga, Alexander Vladimirov","what":"Prison sentences of 5 to 6.5 years and a 3-year ban on holding certain posts","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Tukolon regional nature reserve","what":"About 120 ha of relict forest clear-felled","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Tukolon regional nature reserve, Kazachinsko-Lensky District, Irkutsk Oblast; Kirovsky District Court in Irkutsk.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Felling in 2018; case opened 14 June 2018; minister charged 6 June 2019; verdict 18 May 2022; appeal ruling November 2022; further ruling 25 December 2023; release reported 15 January 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The regional government said the forest was infested with bark beetles and damaged by fires; the court-reported finding was that the officials knew there were no grounds for continuous sanitary felling.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sanitary clear-felling was authorised in a regional reserve; the convictions were for aiding illegal logging and, per IRK.ru, violations in a specially protected area.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Ex-head of Irkutsk forestry ministry convicted over illegal logging with RUB 481 million damage","p":"Interfax","d":"2022-05-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/841526"},{"t":"Ex-head of the Irkutsk Oblast forestry ministry sentenced to 6.5 years in a colony","p":"Oblastnaya Gazeta (OGIRK)","d":"2022-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogirk.ru/2022/05/19/jeks-glava-minlesa-irkutskoj-oblasti-prigovoren-k-6-5-godam-kolonii/"},{"t":"Ex-minister of the forest complex of Irkutsk Oblast Sergey Sheverda released","p":"IRK.ru","d":"2024-01-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.irk.ru/news/20240115/case/"},{"t":"Irkutsk Oblast forest minister charged","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2019-06-07","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/212176/"},{"t":"Rosleskhoz begins additional inspection in Irkutsk Oblast","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2019-06-10","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2019/06/10/reg-sibfo/rosleshoz-nachal-dopolnitelnuiu-proverku-v-irkutskoj-oblasti.html"},{"t":"The \"black sanitation\" case","p":"Novaya Gazeta","d":"2018-06-18","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2018/06/16/76829-delo-chernyh-sanitarov"},{"t":"Prosecutor General says forests in Irkutsk Oblast were set on fire deliberately","p":"Current Time","d":"2019-08-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/30095338.html"},{"t":"Forest fires in Irkutsk Oblast used to cover illegal logging","p":"Radio Svoboda / Sibir.Realii","d":"2019-08-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/30096861.html"},{"t":"No confirmation that forests were set on fire to conceal illegal logging – Rosleskhoz","p":"Interfax (English)","d":"2019-09-25","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/19047/"},{"t":"Viktoria Abramchenko addressed the Federation Council during government hour","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2020-10-21","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/40663/"},{"t":"Audit report on forest fire prevention (Accounts Chamber bulletin text)","p":"Accounts Chamber of Russia (via Meganorm)","d":"2023","type":"official","u":"https://meganorm.ru/mega_doc/fire/statya/0/statya_otchet_o_rezultatakh_kontrolnogo_meropriyatiya_audit.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the Tukolon felling was needed as sanitary logging","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether fires were set to cover illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount of damage in the Tukolon case","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the damage figure. The investigators put it at RUB 748 million at charging (Pravo.ru, 2019); Novaya Gazeta reported over RUB 880 million (2018); the court found about RUB 481 million (Interfax, 2022). The civil claim granted is reported as over RUB 480 million (Interfax) and more than RUB 360 million (IRK.ru).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether fires were set to enable sanitary logging. The Prosecutor General's Office spokesman said fires apparently covered illegal logging; Rosleskhoz's acting head called the theory baseless.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling or formal charge linking a forest fire to concealment of illegal logging in Irkutsk Oblast.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any of the civil claim has been paid.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the regional government's account that the Tukolon forest was infested with bark beetles and damaged by fires and that all permits were obtained.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of Prime Minister Medvedev's check of whether fires were set deliberately to hide illegal logging, reported as due on 1 November 2019.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fsc-russia-suspension-and-birch-plywood-sanctions-cases","title":"FSC suspension of Russia and Belarus and birch plywood sanctions cases in the EU","dek":"In March 2022 the Forest Stewardship Council suspended trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and blocked controlled wood sourcing from both. After the EU banned Russian wood imports in April 2022, enforcement actions over birch plywood declared as Kazakh or Turkish followed in Poland, the Netherlands, Latvia and Greece.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":54.35,"lon":18.65,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"event"},{"country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","admin":"Gdańsk; Katowice; Lublin","lat":54.35,"lon":18.65,"role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Ridderkerk","lat":51.87,"lon":4.6,"role":"court"},{"country":"Latvia","iso2":"LV","role":"court"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-03-08","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Birch plywood estimated to have entered the EU since sanctions (Earthsight)","value":"over €1.5 billion","note":"Retail value, NGO estimate published January 2025; Earthsight estimated a further €273 million from November 2024 to April 2025."},"happened":["On 8 March 2022 the FSC International Board agreed to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries, \"Because of the association of the forest sector in Russia and Belarus with armed invasion.\" The suspension took effect on 8 April 2022. The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) declared all wood from both countries \"conflict timber\"; PEFC data show 31,976,108 ha certified in Russia and 9,022,400 ha in Belarus at 31 December 2021. FSC's position page, last updated in April 2026, says all forest management certificates in Russia were terminated by the certification bodies, that FSC Russia and FSC International ended their partnership, and that FSC is investigating supply chains involving over 800 certificate holders.","Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576 of 8 April 2022 prohibited importing goods listed in Annex XXI, which includes CN 44 (wood and articles of wood), originating in or exported from Russia; contracts concluded before 9 April 2022 could be executed until 10 July 2022.","In January 2025 Earthsight published \"Blood-stained Birch\", estimating that birch plywood with a retail value of over €1.5 billion had entered the EU since sanctions took effect, via Türkiye, Kazakhstan and China, naming Russian producers including Segezha, Sveza and Murashinsky and Poland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Estonia and Greece as the largest importing states. Some of the companies named denied or disputed the allegations; others did not respond.","Enforcement followed. On 4 June 2024 Dutch authorities arrested two company directors from Ridderkerk on suspicion of importing Russian timber through Chinese suppliers in breach of sanctions. In Gdańsk, the Polish National Revenue Administration (KAS) announced on 29 December 2025 that five men had been charged in proceedings it described as concerning the illegal import of Russian and Belarusian birch plywood declared as originating in Kazakhstan and Türkiye. On 17 July 2026 the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) carried out investigative measures in Poland against a Katowice company director, with estimated evaded customs duties of about €206,000 and unpaid VAT of around €47,000. In Latvia, a court verdict reported on 5 March 2026 fined a company €39,000 and a customs declarant €14,800 over timber imports from Russia; the product was glued timber."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"PEFC declares Russian and Belarusian wood conflict timber (2 Mar); FSC Board decision (8 Mar); EU Regulation 2022/576 (8 Apr); FSC suspension effective (8 Apr); import transition ends (10 Jul)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Arrests of two company directors in Ridderkerk, Netherlands (4 Jun)","src":11},{"y":2025,"t":"Earthsight \"Blood-stained Birch\" (29 Jan); Earthsight estimates further €273 million of imports (14 Jul); charges in Gdańsk reported (29 Dec)","src":7},{"y":2026,"t":"Latvian verdict reported (5 Mar); EPPO investigative measures in Katowice (17 Jul); FSC position page updated (April)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"to suspend all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and to block all controlled wood sourcing from the two countries","who":"FSC International Board decision","when":"8 March 2022","src":0},{"q":"Because of the association of the forest sector in Russia and Belarus with armed invasion.","who":"FSC, stated reason","when":"8 March 2022","src":0},{"q":"We also express our sympathy with those people in Belarus and Russia who do not want this war.","who":"Kim Carstensen, FSC Director General","when":"8 March 2022","src":0},{"q":"All forest management certificates in Russia were terminated by the respective certification bodies.","who":"FSC position page","when":"April 2026","src":1},{"q":"The Forest Etalon system will allow us to preserve the accomplishments which FSC has achieved in Russia over the years.","who":"FSC Russia","when":"April 2022","src":4},{"q":"Twenty container-loads continue to arrive every day","who":"Earthsight, \"Blood-stained Birch\"","when":"29 January 2025","src":7},{"q":"not aware of any resale of our products to EU countries","who":"Murashinsky, as reported by Earthsight","when":"2025","src":7},{"q":"we are not responsible for the further movement of goods","who":"Krasnyi Yakor, as reported by Earthsight","when":"2025","src":7},{"q":"All persons concerned are presumed innocent until proven guilty in the competent Polish courts of law.","who":"European Public Prosecutor's Office","when":"17 July 2026","src":10},{"q":"The penalties that authorities are able to issue for EUTR breaches are often small.","who":"Earthsight","when":"2025","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"FSC declared that all forest management certificates in Russia had been terminated and that there was a risk of illegal Russian wood entering supply chains through third countries.","who":"FSC position page (April 2026)","src":1},{"t":"FSC Russia closed its office and announced a temporary national scheme, \"Forest Etalon\".","who":"FSC Russia, via Timber-Online (April 2022)","src":4},{"t":"Birch plywood estimated at over €1.5 billion retail value entered the EU since sanctions, with twenty container-loads arriving every day.","who":"Earthsight (29 January 2025)","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"FSC position page: FSC says it helped preserve 61 million hectares of well-managed forests over 20 years, including 3.5 million hectares of high conservation value forests; Timber-Online reported 61 million hectares FSC-certified in Russia at 1 April 2022.","src":1},{"t":"FSC: under the Eurasia Integrity Workplan it is investigating supply chains involving over 800 certificate holders; ASI field investigations in Kazakhstan led to two companies leaving FSC and another being blocked.","src":1},{"t":"ITTO (November 2022): FSC worldwide 160.3 million ha, decreased 70.4 million ha; the page does not attribute the drop by country.","src":5},{"t":"Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576, Article 3i, prohibits imports of Annex XXI goods (including CN 44, wood and articles of wood) originating in or exported from Russia.","src":6},{"t":"Earthsight: duties on Türkiye and Kazakhstan are 15.8%; a new anti-dumping investigation into birch plywood from China was launched in October 2024.","src":7},{"t":"Gdańsk: the proceedings concern the illegal import of Russian and Belarusian birch plywood under a false declaration of origin in Kazakhstan and Türkiye; penalty of imprisonment not shorter than 3 years (KAS).","src":9},{"t":"EPPO: documents stated the birch plywood was manufactured in Kazakhstan; the evidence indicates the country of origin was in fact Russia (period October 2023 to April 2025).","src":10},{"t":"Netherlands: administration, bank accounts, homes and timber stock seized; the NVWA assisted and the Functioneel Parket leads the case.","src":11},{"t":"Latvia: 50 packages (1,260 units) of glued timber confiscated and €13,935 of sale proceeds paid to the state.","src":13},{"t":"Greece: customs detained a shipment and several others from the same supplier (Tianma Lvjian), according to Earthsight; investigations are ongoing.","src":15},{"t":"Earthsight: a July 2024 raid by Polish sanctions authorities on an unnamed importer of Kazakh-declared plywood, and a December 2023 EUTR inspection of Alvi-Bel that flagged no violations.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2022–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Birch plywood estimated to have entered the EU since sanctions (Earthsight, retail value, to October 2024)","amount":1500,"qualifier":"over","est":true,"window":"2022–2024"},{"label":"Further imports estimated November 2024 to April 2025 (Earthsight)","amount":273,"est":true,"window":"2024–2025"},{"label":"Sveza exports to the EU through third countries, retail value (Earthsight, from leaked documents)","amount":38.2,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Evaded customs duties alleged (EPPO estimate, Poland)","amount":0.206,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2023–2025"},{"label":"Unpaid VAT alleged (EPPO estimate, Poland)","amount":0.047,"qualifier":"around","window":"2023–2025"},{"label":"Latvia: fine on the company","amount":0.039,"window":"2026"},{"label":"Latvia: fine on the customs declarant","amount":0.0148,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Latvia: sale proceeds paid to the state","amount":0.013935,"window":"2026"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Birch plywood entering the EU (NGO estimate)","v":"over €1.5 billion","d":"Retail value since sanctions took effect (Earthsight, January 2025)"},{"k":"Certificate holders under investigation","v":"over 800","d":"FSC, Eurasia Integrity Workplan"},{"k":"High conservation value forest","v":"3.5 million ha","d":"FSC figure for forests it says it helped preserve in Russia"},{"k":"Evaded duties alleged in one Polish case","v":"approximately €206,000","d":"EPPO, October 2023 to April 2025"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: harm to forests. The enforcement records and the FSC and sanctions decisions concern war revenue, customs and certification integrity and carry no measure of forest harm.","Disputed: the Russian FSC area figure of 61 million ha. FSC words it as forests helped preserve over 20 years; Timber-Online reports it as FSC-certified area in Russia at 1 April 2022.","Figures differ: the Polish customs administration reported four Polish citizens and one Russian citizen among the five men charged in Gdańsk; another press report gave three Poles and two Russians.","None on record: a court verdict in a birch plywood sanctions case. The only conviction on record (Latvia) concerns glued timber.","Not disclosed: the court and the parties in the Latvian verdict, and whether it is final; the €70,200 headline total is not itemised.","Not disclosed: the authority conducting the Greek investigation.","None on record: charges in the EPPO Katowice measures, which are investigative measures only."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"In Latvia a company was fined €39,000 and a customs declarant €14,800, with €13,935 of sale proceeds going to the state. Elsewhere proceedings are ongoing.","statusLine":"As of 17 July 2026: proceedings in Gdańsk and Katowice are ongoing; the only conviction on record, in Latvia (reported 5 March 2026), concerns glued timber.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"fsc","says":"Suspended all trading certificates in Russia and Belarus and blocked controlled wood sourcing from both; all forest management certificates in Russia were terminated by certification bodies.","when":"8 March 2022; updated April 2026","src":1},{"actor":"eppo","says":"Investigative measures in Poland over alleged evaded customs duties and VAT and suspected sanctions circumvention; all persons concerned are presumed innocent.","when":"17 July 2026","src":10},{"actor":"poland-kas","says":"Five men charged in Gdańsk; proceedings described as developing.","when":"29 December 2025","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"fsc","role":"Suspended certificates in Russia and Belarus"},{"id":"asi","role":"Accreditation body; field investigations in Kazakhstan"},{"id":"pefc","role":"Declared Russian and Belarusian wood conflict timber"},{"id":"eu","role":"Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576 wood import ban"},{"id":"earthsight","role":"NGO investigation \"Blood-stained Birch\""},{"id":"eppo","role":"Investigative measures in Katowice"},{"id":"poland-kas","role":"Polish National Revenue Administration; Gdańsk charges"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether Russian birch plywood reached the EU through the intermediaries named by Earthsight","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthsight","says":"Over €1.5 billion of birch plywood entered the EU since sanctions via Türkiye, Kazakhstan and China.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Murashinsky","says":"Not aware of any resale of its products to EU countries.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Krasnyi Yakor","says":"Not responsible for the further movement of goods.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tianma Lvjian","says":"Categorically denied the allegations as baseless.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"SAABR","says":"Not a conduit for illicit trade.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Segezha, Sveza, Euro Plywood, Linyi Camel","says":"Did not respond to Earthsight.","src":7,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Basis of the 61 million ha figure for FSC in Russia","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"FSC","says":"Over 20 years FSC helped preserve 61 million hectares of well-managed forests, including 3.5 million hectares of high conservation value forests.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Timber-Online","says":"61 million hectares FSC-certified in Russia as of 1 April 2022.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Gdańsk proceedings over birch plywood declared as Kazakh or Turkish","forum":"Gdańsk District Prosecutor's Office (Prokuratura Okręgowa w Gdańsku)","country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Gdańsk District Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Five men charged (four Polish citizens and one Russian citizen per KAS); not named","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Detentions ordered and five men charged in proceedings that KAS described as concerning the illegal import of Russian and Belarusian birch plywood under a false declaration of origin (Kazakhstan, Türkiye); penalty of imprisonment not shorter than 3 years; proceedings described as developing. Release dated 29 December 2025.","src":9},{"title":"EPPO investigative measures, Katowice company","forum":"European Public Prosecutor's Office","country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","kind":"criminal","claimant":"European Public Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Director of a Katowice company (suspect; not named)","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":0.206,"currency":"EUR","label":"estimated evaded customs duties (approximately; plus around €47,000 unpaid VAT)"},"summary":"The director allegedly misled the Customs and Tax Office in Lublin between October 2023 and April 2025 by stating that birch plywood was manufactured in Kazakhstan; the evidence indicates the country of origin was in fact Russia. The suspect was questioned, released and asked to provide a financial guarantee. Investigative measures only; no charge mentioned.","src":10},{"title":"Arrests of two company directors over Russian timber imports","forum":"Functioneel Parket (Netherlands), investigated by FIOD","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Functioneel Parket","defendant":"A man (73) and a woman (46) from Ridderkerk, directors of two companies; not named","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Arrested on 4 June 2024 on suspicion of buying and importing Russian timber through Chinese suppliers in breach of sanctions; administration, bank accounts, homes and timber stock seized; Timber Trades Journal reported the timber was believed to be birch plywood.","src":11},{"title":"Latvian verdict over timber imports from Russia","forum":"Latvian court (not named in press coverage)","country":"Latvia","iso2":"LV","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Latvian prosecutors","defendant":"A company (SIA) and a customs declarant; not named","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.039,"currency":"EUR","label":"fine on the company; the declarant was fined €14,800"},"summary":"Verdict reported on 5 March 2026: the company was fined €39,000, 50 packages (1,260 units) of glued timber were confiscated and €13,935 of sale proceeds went to the state; the customs declarant was separately fined €14,800, in a sentence that took effect in February 2025. The headline total of €70,200 is not itemised.","src":13},{"title":"Greek customs investigation into birch plywood from Tianma Lvjian","forum":"Greek customs (authority not named)","country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Greek customs authority","defendant":"Shipments from Tianma Lvjian","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Customs detained a shipment and several others from the same supplier, according to Earthsight; investigations are ongoing.","src":15}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":31976108,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"PEFC-certified forest in Russia at 31 December 2021."},{"key":"area_ha","value":9022400,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"PEFC-certified forest in Belarus at 31 December 2021."},{"key":"area_ha","value":61000000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"FSC figure for Russia; FSC words it as forests helped preserve over 20 years, Timber-Online as FSC-certified area at 1 April 2022."},{"key":"hcv_forest_ha","value":3500000,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"High conservation value forests FSC says it helped preserve in Russia."},{"key":"fsc_certified_area_worldwide_ha","value":160300000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"ITTO: decreased 70.4 million ha; not attributed by country."},{"key":"certificate_holders_investigated","value":800,"unit":"holders","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"FSC Eurasia Integrity Workplan."},{"key":"import_value_estimate","value":1500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","est":true,"note":"Birch plywood retail value entering the EU since sanctions (Earthsight)."},{"key":"import_value_estimate","value":273,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Imports November 2024 to April 2025 (Earthsight)."},{"key":"container_loads_per_day","value":20,"unit":"container-loads per day","year":2025,"note":"Earthsight."},{"key":"evaded_customs_duties","value":0.206,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"EPPO estimate, Poland."},{"key":"unpaid_vat","value":0.047,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"qualifier":"around","note":"EPPO estimate, Poland."},{"key":"fine","value":0.039,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Latvian company."},{"key":"fine","value":0.0148,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Latvian customs declarant."},{"key":"confiscated_sale_proceeds","value":0.013935,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Paid to the Latvian state."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"FSC suspended certification in Russia and Belarus in 2022 and the EU banned Russian wood imports; later enforcement actions in Poland, the Netherlands, Latvia and Greece concerned birch plywood and other timber declared as originating elsewhere.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Importers of plywood declared as Kazakh or Turkish","what":"Alleged evaded customs duties of about €206,000 and unpaid VAT of around €47,000 in one Polish case (EPPO estimate)","src":10}],"lost":[{"who":"Latvian company and customs declarant","what":"Fines of €39,000 and €14,800; €13,935 of proceeds paid to the state","src":13},{"who":"Russian and Belarusian certified forest operators","what":"FSC certificates suspended or terminated from April 2022","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Russia and Belarus (certification); EU states including Poland (Gdańsk, Katowice, Lublin), the Netherlands (Ridderkerk), Latvia and Greece; transit via Kazakhstan, Türkiye, China and Georgia.","src":7},"when":{"t":"FSC decision 8 March 2022, effective 8 April 2022; EU Regulation 8 April 2022; arrests in the Netherlands 4 June 2024; Gdańsk charges December 2025; Latvian verdict reported 5 March 2026; EPPO measures 17 July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"FSC cited the association of the forest sector in Russia and Belarus with armed invasion; the EU measure forms part of its sanctions on Russia.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Authorities describe false declarations of country of origin (Kazakhstan, Türkiye) for plywood of Russian or Belarusian origin, with Earthsight tracing routes via Türkiye, Kazakhstan and China.","src":9}},"sources":[{"t":"No FSC material from Russia and Belarus until the invasion ends","p":"Forest Stewardship Council","d":"2022-03-08","type":"ngo","voice":"standard","u":"https://fsc.org/en/newscentre/general-news/no-fsc-material-from-russia-and-belarus-until-the-invasion-ends"},{"t":"FSC's position on certification in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine (updated April 2026)","p":"Forest Stewardship Council","d":"2026-04","type":"ngo","voice":"standard","u":"https://fsc.org/en/newscentre/integrity-and-disputes/fscs-position-on-certification-in-belarus-russia-and-ukraine"},{"t":"FAQs on the current situation in Russia and Belarus","p":"Forest Stewardship Council","d":"2022-03-31","type":"ngo","voice":"standard","u":"https://es.fsc.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/FSC_FAQs_Current-Situation-In-Russia-And-Belarus_2022-03-31.pdf"},{"t":"FSC, PEFC suspend Russian, Belarus wood certification","p":"Argus Media","d":"2022-03-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2309857-fsc-pefc-suspend-russian-belarus-wood-certification"},{"t":"FSC Russia to launch its own certification system","p":"Timber-Online (Holzkurier)","d":"2022-04-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.timber-online.net/wood_products/2022/04/fsc-russia-to-launch-its-own-certification-system.html"},{"t":"Updated Information on Forest & Timber Certification in ITTO Producing Members (2022)","p":"International Tropical Timber Organization","d":"2022-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.itto.int/direct/topics/topics_pdf_download/topics_id=7565&no=12&disp=inline"},{"t":"Council Regulation (EU) 2022/576 of 8 April 2022","p":"EUR-Lex","d":"2022-04-08","type":"official","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022R0576"},{"t":"Blood-stained Birch","p":"Earthsight","d":"2025-01-29","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/blood-stained-birch"},{"t":"Amendments to EUDR could harm EU efforts to block Russian and Belarusian 'conflict timber'","p":"Earthsight","d":"2025-07-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/eudr-amendment-sanctions-risk"},{"t":"KAS and Border Guard counter sanctions evasion in birch plywood","p":"Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa (Poland)","d":"2025-12-29","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.pl/web/kas/kas-i-sg-przeciwdziala-omijaniu-sankcji-w-obszarze-sklejki-brzozowej"},{"t":"Poland: EPPO carries out investigative measures in customs and VAT fraud probe and suspected sanctions circumvention","p":"European Public Prosecutor's Office","d":"2026-07-17","type":"official","u":"https://www.eppo.europa.eu/media/news/poland-eppo-carries-out-investigative-measures-customs-and-vat-fraud-probe-and-suspected-sanctions-2026-07-17_en"},{"t":"Arrests for evasion and violation of sanctions law (citing FIOD)","p":"BijzonderStrafrecht.nl","d":"2024-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.bijzonderstrafrecht.nl/home/aanhoudingen-in-omzeiling-en-overtreding-sanctiewet"},{"t":"Arrests made in The Netherlands over Russian birch plywood imports","p":"Timber Trades Journal","d":"2024-06-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.ttjonline.com/news/arrests-made-in-the-netherlands-over-russian-birch-plywood-imports/"},{"t":"A man and his company were fined 70,200 euros for importing timber from Russia","p":"Inbox.lv / BB.LV","d":"2026-03-05","type":"press","u":"https://news.inbox.lv/14zycwe-a-man-and-his-company-were-fined-70-200-euros-for-importing-timber-from-russia?language=en"},{"t":"Latvia – company and individual convicted of timber imports from Russia","p":"Duane Morris, European Sanctions Enforcement blog","d":"2026-03-09","type":"press","u":"https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2026/03/09/latvia-company-and-individual-convicted-of-timber-imports-from-russia/"},{"t":"Greece – investigation into alleged imports of sanctioned Russian birch","p":"Duane Morris, European Sanctions Enforcement blog","d":"2025-07-15","type":"press","u":"https://blogs.duanemorris.com/europeansanctionsenforcement/2025/07/15/greece-investigation-into-alleged-imports-of-sanctioned-russian-birch/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"FSC says it helped preserve 3.5 million hectares of my high conservation value forest in Russia; its position page says all forest management certificates there were terminated.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Basis of the 61 million ha figure for FSC in Russia","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Russian birch plywood reached the EU through the intermediaries named by Earthsight","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Segezha, Sveza, Euro Plywood, Linyi Camel: Did not respond to Earthsight.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: harm to forests. The enforcement records and the FSC and sanctions decisions concern war revenue, customs and certification integrity and carry no measure of forest harm.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the Russian FSC area figure of 61 million ha. FSC words it as forests helped preserve over 20 years; Timber-Online reports it as FSC-certified area in Russia at 1 April 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Polish customs administration reported four Polish citizens and one Russian citizen among the five men charged in Gdańsk; another press report gave three Poles and two Russians.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court verdict in a birch plywood sanctions case. The only conviction on record (Latvia) concerns glued timber.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the court and the parties in the Latvian verdict, and whether it is final; the €70,200 headline total is not itemised.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the authority conducting the Greek investigation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: charges in the EPPO Katowice measures, which are investigative measures only.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"russia-forest-fire-control-zones-and-funding-audit","title":"Russia's forest-fire control zones and federal fire-service funding","dek":"Since 2015 Russian rules have let regional commissions stop or suspend suppression of forest fires in designated control zones when forecast suppression costs exceed forecast harm. The Accounts Chamber put the zones at 534.4 million ha in 2020 and found burned area up 2.2 times and reported damage down 3 times between 2017 and 2021.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":62.03,"lon":129.73,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Russian forest fund (nationwide); largest control zone in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)","lat":62.03,"lon":129.73,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2015-10-08","instrument":"wildfire","types":["wildfire","law-policy","finance","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Burned area against fire-protection spending, 2021 compared with 2017","value":"2.2× area, 2.1× spending","note":"Accounts Chamber: burned area rose 2.2 times to 9.9 million ha and regional spending from all sources rose 2.1 times to RUB 24.3bn, while reported damage fell 3 times."},"happened":["On 8 October 2015 Order No. 426 of the Ministry of Natural Resources added “control zones” to the Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires. In a control zone, suppression may be stopped or suspended, where no settlements or economic facilities are threatened and forecast suppression costs exceed the forecast harm, by decision of the regional emergency and fire-safety commission. Regional executive bodies set the zones within the aerial forest-protection zone, in hard-to-reach and remote forests.","Order No. 244 of 1 April 2022 approved new Rules (in force 1 March 2023 to 1 March 2029). They kept the cost-against-harm clause and added that supporting materials go to the federal coordination headquarters, which may order suppression to resume. Federal Law No. 343-FZ of 24 July 2023 put control zones into the Forest Code (Article 51.1) from 1 January 2024, and Rosleskhoz Order No. 1174 of 27 December 2023 set the criteria: a zone section of at least 500,000 ha, only in listed forest districts, and definitions of “hard-to-reach” and “remote” forest.","The Accounts Chamber put the zones at 534.4 million ha in 2020 (46.7% of forest-fund land), 526.3 million ha in 2021 (46%) and 505.4 million ha in 2022 (44.1%). Rosleskhoz head Sergei Anoprienko gave about 620 million ha for 2019 and about 530 million ha for 2020. On 4 September 2026 NIA Ekologiya, citing Avialesookhrana, reported 80 fires covering 1.65 million ha on which suppression had been stopped, 35 of them (1.14 million ha) in Yakutia.","The Accounts Chamber audit of forest monitoring and fire protection for 2020–2022 (Bulletin 2023 No. 4) found that regional fire-protection spending from all sources rose 2.1 times between 2017 and 2021, to RUB 24.3bn, while burned area rose 2.2 times, to 9.9 million ha, and reported damage fell 3 times. It recorded that sector reporting gave no objective information on damage, that the share of unreliable regional information on burned area rose in 2022 compared with 2020 (largest deviation 58.1%, Irkutsk Oblast), that state contracts with FBU Avialesookhrana carried 20% overhead and 15% profitability, and that two Mi-8MTV helicopters bought for RUB 1,079.7m for blasting work were used for income-generating firefighting in Yakutia in 2022.","Presidential Decree No. 382 of 15 June 2022 set a target of cutting forest-fire area on forest-fund land by at least 50% in 2022–2030 relative to 2021. Federal funding figures reported afterwards include RUB 20.2bn for 2025 (Novaya Gazeta Europe, citing RIA Novosti), about RUB 3bn announced on 4 December 2025 to compensate 11 regions’ 2025 suppression costs, and Government Order No. 2740-r of 30 September 2026, which allocated RUB 3,819,829.9 thousand from the reserve fund for regions’ costs of fighting fires under emergency regimes."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Order No. 426 adds control zones to the Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires (8 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"State Duma bill No. 766522-7 would bar stopping suppression on cost grounds","src":6},{"y":2019,"t":"Ministry of Natural Resources proposes moving zone decisions to the federal level (15 Aug)","src":15},{"y":2020,"t":"Rosleskhoz reports that zones shrank by 88 million ha since 2019, to 532 million ha (June)","src":13},{"y":2022,"t":"Order No. 244 approves new Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires (1 Apr)","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"Presidential Decree No. 382 on reducing forest-fire area (15 Jun)","src":4},{"y":2023,"t":"Accounts Chamber publishes its audit of forest monitoring and fire protection (27 Apr)","src":7},{"y":2023,"t":"Federal Law No. 343-FZ adds Forest Code Article 51.1 (24 Jul)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"Rosleskhoz Order No. 1174 sets criteria for control zones (27 Dec)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Government announces about RUB 3bn to compensate 11 regions’ suppression costs (4 Dec)","src":10},{"y":2026,"t":"Government Order No. 2740-r allocates reserve-fund subventions (30 Sep)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"Avialesookhrana lists no fires with suppression stopped at 00:00 Moscow time (18 Oct)","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"Fires in control zones are under constant observation by regional fire units and monitored from space.","who":"Avialesookhrana (public statement, translated)","when":"2026","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Full abolition of control zones would require a multiple increase in forces and resources.","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources (as reported by Kommersant, translated)","when":"May 2020","src":13,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Sector reporting gives no objective information on damage; as burned area rose 2.2 times over five years, reported damage fell 3 times.","who":"Accounts Chamber, audit report (translated)","when":"2023","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"However, as we see, systemic problems in this area cancel out the effect of the measures taken.","who":"Sergey Mamedov, Accounts Chamber auditor (as reported by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, translated)","when":"April 2023","src":21,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"No legal criteria exist for designating zones or for suspension decisions; as a result about half the forest fund is in zones and refusals are taken almost automatically.","who":"Alexei Yaroshenko, head of the forest department, Greenpeace Russia (presentation, translated)","when":"26 August 2019","src":20,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The so-called control zone, where for economic reasons, out of poverty, we have refused to fight fires.","who":"Grigory Kuksin, Greenpeace Russia, on Yakutia (translated)","when":"2021","src":18,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Any forest fire spotted in the first minute can be put out with one bucket of water.","who":"Ivan Sovetnikov, head of Rosleskhoz (translated)","when":"November 2022","src":22,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"To some extent we were lucky with the weather.","who":"Konstantin Kobyakov, WWF Russia, on the 2022 fall in burned area (translated)","when":"November 2022","src":22,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Avialesookhrana’s public page states that fires in control zones are under constant observation by regional fire units and monitored from space.","who":"Avialesookhrana (2026)","src":8},{"t":"Rosleskhoz reported that control zones shrank by 88 million ha since 2019, to 532 million ha out of a 1.1 billion ha forest fund.","who":"Rosleskhoz, as reported by Kommersant (June 2020)","src":13},{"t":"Sector reporting showed damage from forest fires falling 3 times while burned area rose 2.2 times over five years.","who":"Accounts Chamber, describing official sector reporting (2023)","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"Control zones covered 534.4 million ha (46.7% of forest-fund land) in 2020, 526.3 million ha (46%) in 2021 and 505.4 million ha (44.1%) in 2022; under the 2022 Rules the area was to shrink by 17.9% (415 million ha as calculated by the Accounts Chamber).","src":7},{"t":"The planned cut in zone area and the expansion of the aerial zone were “not backed by matching budget funding”; the 2023 draft federal budget held fire spending at RUB 14,211.2m, the 2022 level.","src":7},{"t":"The Accounts Chamber named control zones as a factor affecting the size of burned area.","src":7},{"t":"In Yakutia in 2022 the regional commission stopped suppression of fires on which RUB 13.2m of budget money had been spent. In Ust-Maya forestry district RUB 7.9m was spent and the fire grew from 2,712 ha (decision of 11 July 2022) to 5,252 ha (fire end 30 July 2022); in Mirny forestry district RUB 4.6m was spent and the fire grew from 10,734 ha (decision of 30 June 2022) to 12,130 ha (end 19 July 2022).","src":7},{"t":"First-day suppression rate was 76.3% in 2021, 1.8% lower than in 2020. In 2020 patrols did not confirm fires at 23,386 of 29,588 ISDM-Rosleskhoz hotspots (79%); Krasnoyarsk Krai spent RUB 47.1m on such checks.","src":7},{"t":"RUB 283.3m requested by Rosleskhoz in April 2022 for blasting work was allocated in September 2022, when the season was practically over.","src":7},{"t":"A peer-reviewed study of 2016–2021 found that 89% of the area burnt was in forests controlled by fire-fighting aircraft or areas without protection, a wider category than control zones alone.","src":11},{"t":"Under the 2022 Rules a fire left unfought that spreads to within 5 km of a settlement or economic facility triggers a regional decision on resuming suppression; area, shape and daily growth of unfought fires must be recorded daily in official reporting to Rosleskhoz.","src":1},{"t":"At 00:00 Moscow time on 18 October 2026 Avialesookhrana listed no fires with suppression stopped or suspended by regional commissions and 7 fires on 45.20 ha under active suppression.","src":9},{"t":"Government Order No. 2740-r of 30 September 2026 covered 10 regions; total area under suppression in them was 1,226,143.4 ha against a 2021–2025 five-year average of 772,097.1 ha. Rosleskhoz is to report on use of the funds by 1 April 2027. Yakutia is not in the list.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Reported fire damage, 2017 (sector reporting)","amount":25200,"window":"2017","note":"The Accounts Chamber states that sector reporting gives no objective information on damage."},{"label":"Reported fire damage, 2018 (sector reporting)","amount":19800,"window":"2018"},{"label":"Reported fire damage, 2019 (sector reporting)","amount":13500,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Reported fire damage, 2020 (sector reporting)","amount":11500,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Reported fire damage, 2021 (sector reporting)","amount":8400,"window":"2021"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Regional fire-protection spending, all sources, 2021","amount":24300,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Federal subvention to regions: fire monitoring, 2021","amount":4150.7,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Federal subvention to regions: fire suppression, 2021","amount":4982.6,"window":"2021"},{"label":"State-task subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana: monitoring, 2021","amount":219.3,"window":"2021"},{"label":"State-task subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana: suppression, 2021","amount":1053.3,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Federal fire-safety and suppression spending, 2023 draft budget","amount":14211.2,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Reserve-fund subventions for regions’ suppression costs, Order No. 2740-r","amount":3819.8299,"window":"2026","note":"RUB 3,819,829.9 thousand."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Accounts Chamber recorded burned area of 9.9 million ha in 2021, 2.2 times the 2017 figure, and a peer-reviewed study found that 417.7 million ha of poor or unprotected Russian forests accounted for about half of total carbon emissions.","report":[{"t":"My forest-fund land lay in control zones of 534.4 million ha in 2020 (46.7%), 526.3 million ha in 2021 (46%) and 505.4 million ha in 2022 (44.1%), according to the Accounts Chamber. Fires there could be left unfought when forecast suppression costs exceeded forecast harm.","src":7},{"t":"The area of fire on my forest-fund land rose from 4.5 million ha in 2017 to 9.9 million ha in 2021, according to sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber.","src":7},{"t":"In 2016–2021, 89% of the area burnt in my Russian forests was in forests controlled by fire-fighting aircraft or in areas without protection, according to a 2022 study.","src":11},{"t":"417.7 million ha of my poor or unprotected Russian forests, 42% of the total, account for about half of total carbon emissions, according to the same study.","src":11},{"t":"On 1 January 2022 my timber stock was 79.1 billion m³, 0.2% below early 2019, and 35.3 million ha needed reforestation, according to the Accounts Chamber.","src":7},{"t":"By early September 2026 suppression had been stopped on 80 fires covering 1.65 million ha of my forest, 1.14 million ha of it in Yakutia, according to Avialesookhrana data cited by NIA Ekologiya.","src":19}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Control zones, 2020","v":"534.4 million ha","d":"46.7% of forest-fund land (Accounts Chamber)"},{"k":"Burned area, 2017 → 2021","v":"4.5 → 9.9 million ha","d":"Regional spending rose 2.1 times to RUB 24.3bn"},{"k":"Reported damage, 2017 → 2021","v":"RUB 25.2bn → 8.4bn","d":"Sector reporting; the Accounts Chamber says it gives no objective information"},{"k":"Suppression stopped, September 2026","v":"80 fires, 1.65 million ha","d":"NIA Ekologiya, citing Avialesookhrana"}]},"unknown":["None on record: an official annual share of burned area in control zones for 2019, 2020 and 2021 (Rosleskhoz or Avialesookhrana year-end data).","None on record: the total control-zone area for 2023–2026 under Order No. 1174. Avialesookhrana publishes regional zone maps (2023 and 2025 files) but no national figure.","Unclear: shares of fires left unfought are given without a stated base. Pravo.ru, citing Kommersant, reported on 29 July 2019 that only 3.3% of forest fires in Russia were being fought; The Moscow Times reported on 23 July 2020 that the Forestry Agency decided not to extinguish 91% of fires because they were in control zones, without saying whether the 91% is a share by number of fires or by area.","Not measured: fire damage. The Accounts Chamber recorded the absence of a mechanism to determine damage caused by forest fires, which it said creates a risk of understating it as burned area grows.","Self-reported only: regional burned-area data. The Accounts Chamber found the share of unreliable regional information on burned area rose by 13.1% in 2022 compared with 2020, with the largest deviation (58.1%) in Irkutsk Oblast in 2022.","None on record: planning of regional fire-protection measures and volumes by forestry district (Accounts Chamber finding).","Insufficient: lightning detectors in regions were switched off and thunderstorm data did not reach regional fire centres (Accounts Chamber finding).","Not disclosed: the text of a Rosleskhoz cost-norm order of 19 June 2019, which Greenpeace Russia described as “a secret order … still unavailable and not working in practice”.","Figures differ: for the December 2025 compensation to 11 regions the government portal gives about RUB 3bn; a second report gives about RUB 2.6bn.","Figures differ: for 2021 federal fire funding Kommersant gives RUB 6bn; the Accounts Chamber lists four separate 2021 lines (subventions to regions and state-task subsidies to FBU Avialesookhrana). The basis of the Kommersant figure is not stated."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The cost-against-harm clause remained in the Rules in force from 1 March 2023 to 1 March 2029. At 00:00 Moscow time on 18 October 2026 Avialesookhrana listed no fires with suppression stopped or suspended.","whoPaid":"None on record for harm to the forests. Suppression costs were met by federal subventions to the regions, state-task subsidies to FBU Avialesookhrana and regional spending.","statusLine":"As of 18 October 2026: the cost-against-harm clause remains in Order No. 244 (in force 1 March 2023 to 1 March 2029); Government Order No. 2740-r of 30 September 2026 allocated reserve-fund subventions to regions; no fires with suppression stopped were listed on 18 October 2026.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Full abolition of control zones would require a multiple increase in forces and resources.","when":"May 2020","src":13},{"actor":"Avialesookhrana","says":"Fires in control zones are under constant observation by regional fire units and monitored from space; suspension decisions are taken by regional commissions under Order No. 244.","when":"2026","src":8},{"actor":"Rosleskhoz","says":"Funding was increased by more than RUB 5bn, concentrated on Krasnoyarsk Krai, Zabaikalsky Krai and Yakutia (Ivan Sovetnikov, head of Rosleskhoz).","when":"18 March 2025","src":23}],"related":["siberia-2019-wildfire-season","yakutia-2021-wildfire-season"],"actors":[{"id":"russia-minprirody","role":"Issued Order No. 426 (2015) and Order No. 244 (2022)"},{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Sets control-zone criteria; agrees regional zones in writing"},{"id":"russia-accounts-chamber","role":"Auditor of forest monitoring and fire protection"},{"id":"avialesookhrana","role":"Federal aerial fire service; receives state-task subsidies"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Reserve-fund Order No. 2740-r (2026); Decree No. 382 issued by the President"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Greenpeace Russia: commentary and satellite-based estimates"},{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Commentary on zones and funding"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Size of the control zones in 2019–2020","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Sergei Anoprienko, head of Rosleskhoz (Rossiyskaya Gazeta, November 2020)","says":"About 620 million ha in 2019; down 92 million ha in 2020, leaving about 530 million ha, of which 217 million ha in Yakutia.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant, citing Rosleskhoz (June 2020)","says":"Zones shrank by 88 million ha since 2019 to 532 million ha, out of a 1.1 billion ha forest fund, “almost half” of it.","src":13},{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounts Chamber","says":"534.4 million ha (46.7% of forest-fund land) in 2020.","src":7}]},{"point":"Official burned area against satellite-based estimates","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources / Rosleskhoz (official data, as cited)","says":"January–June 2020: 4.8 million ha; January–June 2024: just over 1 million ha; January–June 2025: 2.7 million ha.","src":25},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"January–June 2020: 13.5 million ha from satellite images; the total difference from Ministry of Natural Resources data was 280%.","src":25},{"voice":"civil","holder":"“Земля касается каждого” project (Alexei Yaroshenko)","says":"January–June 2024: 5.1 million ha; January–June 2025: 9.5 million ha.","src":25}]},{"point":"Whether control zones should be cut or abolished","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Full abolition would require a multiple increase in forces and resources.","src":13},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF Russia","says":"Funding would have to rise at least tenfold to fight fires outside the remaining zones; on a 2020 draft cutting zones to about 6% of the forest fund (a Greenpeace estimate cited by Kommersant), “swinging from one extreme to the other”.","src":13},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Alexei Yaroshenko, 2019)","says":"Excluding forests within 10 km of settlements, roads, railways, reserves and national parks, and developed forests, would roughly halve the zones.","src":20}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Order No. 426 of the Ministry of Natural Resources: control zones","forum":"Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia (registered with the Ministry of Justice, No. 39552, 30 October 2015)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Ministry of Natural Resources","defendant":null,"filed":2015,"decided":2015,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Order of 8 October 2015 amended the Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires (Order No. 313 of 8 July 2014) to allow suppression in a control zone to be stopped or suspended when forecast costs exceed forecast harm and no settlements or economic facilities are threatened; superseded by the 2022 Rules, which kept the clause.","src":0},{"title":"Order No. 244 of the Ministry of Natural Resources: Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires","forum":"Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia (registered with the Ministry of Justice, No. 69620, 12 August 2022)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Ministry of Natural Resources","defendant":null,"filed":2022,"decided":2022,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"In force 1 March 2023 to 1 March 2029. Zones are approved annually by 20 February in agreement with the federal body; the regional commission decides on stopping, suspending and resuming suppression and sends supporting materials to the federal headquarters, which may order a restart.","src":1},{"title":"Federal Law No. 343-FZ: Forest Code Article 51.1 (fire zoning)","forum":"Federal Assembly / President of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"State Duma / Federal Assembly","defendant":null,"filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Law of 24 July 2023 gave Rosleskhoz the power to set norms and criteria for control zones; the provisions took effect on 1 January 2024.","src":3},{"title":"Rosleskhoz Order No. 1174: norms and criteria for control zones","forum":"Rosleskhoz (registered with the Ministry of Justice, No. 76778, 29 December 2023)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Rosleskhoz","defendant":null,"filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Order of 27 December 2023, in force from 1 January 2024: a zone section of at least 500,000 ha; zones only in listed forest districts; “hard-to-reach” forest means road density of no more than 2 km per 1,000 ha, bogs over 30% of the area or average slope over 12 degrees; “remote” means beyond the effective helicopter radius and at least 200 km from state aerodromes and landing sites of regional aerial fire units.","src":2},{"title":"State Duma bill No. 766522-7 (ban on stopping suppression on cost grounds)","forum":"State Duma of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Deputies S.M. Mironov, O.A. Nilov, M.V. Emelyanov and O.V. Shein","defendant":null,"filed":2019,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Bill of 2019 would have added Forest Code Article 53.4 barring the stopping or suspension of suppression in a control zone even where costs exceed forecast harm. The explanatory note named Order No. 426 (2015) as “one of the causes” of the growing burned area. The 2022 Rules in force keep the cost-against-harm clause.","src":6},{"title":"Presidential Decree No. 382: reduction of forest-fire area","forum":"President of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"President of Russia","defendant":null,"filed":2022,"decided":2022,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Decree of 15 June 2022 required a reduction of forest-fire area on forest-fund land of at least 50% in 2022–2030 relative to 2021, and a 100% share of fires put out on the first day by 2030 (governors).","src":4},{"title":"Government Order No. 2740-r: reserve-fund subventions for regions’ suppression costs","forum":"Government of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Government of Russia","defendant":null,"filed":2026,"decided":2026,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":3819.8299,"currency":"RUB","label":"reserve-fund subventions (RUB 3,819,829.9 thousand)"},"summary":"Order of 30 September 2026 allocated reserve-fund subventions to Rosleskhoz for regions’ costs under emergency regimes, plus RUB 141,152.5 thousand to Krasnoyarsk Krai for aerial monitoring (620.34 extra flight hours); Rosleskhoz to report on use by 1 April 2027.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"control_zone_area_million_ha","value":534400000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"46.7% of forest-fund land (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"control_zone_area_million_ha","value":526299999.99999994,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"46% of forest-fund land (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"control_zone_area_million_ha","value":505400000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"44.1% of forest-fund land (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":4500000,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"note":"Sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":8500000,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"note":"Sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":10000000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":9100000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":9900000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"reported_fire_damage","value":25.2,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2017,"note":"Sector reporting; the Accounts Chamber says it gives no objective information on damage."},{"key":"reported_fire_damage","value":19.8,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2018,"note":"Sector reporting."},{"key":"reported_fire_damage","value":13.5,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2019,"note":"Sector reporting."},{"key":"reported_fire_damage","value":11.5,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2020,"note":"Sector reporting."},{"key":"reported_fire_damage","value":8.4,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2021,"note":"Sector reporting."},{"key":"fire_protection_spending_regions","value":24300,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"From all sources; 2.1 times the 2017 level (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"first_day_suppression_share","value":76.3,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"1.8% lower than in 2020 (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"unreliable_data_max_deviation","value":58.1,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Largest deviation in verified burned area, Irkutsk Oblast (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"hotspots_not_confirmed","value":23386,"unit":"hotspots","year":2020,"note":"Of 29,588 ISDM-Rosleskhoz hotspots (79%) patrols did not confirm a fire (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"hotspot_check_cost_krasnoyarsk","value":47.1,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Krasnoyarsk Krai spending on checking hotspots (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"helicopter_purchase_cost","value":1079.7,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Two Mi-8MTV helicopters bought for blasting work and used for income-generating firefighting in Yakutia (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"late_allocation","value":283.3,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Requested in April 2022 for blasting work; allocated in September 2022 (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"subvention_fire_monitoring","value":5106.4,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Federal subvention to regions (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"subvention_fire_monitoring","value":4150.7,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Federal subvention to regions (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"subvention_fire_monitoring","value":5969.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Federal subvention to regions (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"subvention_fire_suppression","value":3989.2,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Federal subvention to regions (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"subvention_fire_suppression","value":4982.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Federal subvention to regions (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"subvention_fire_suppression","value":3180.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Federal subvention to regions (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"state_task_monitoring_avialesookhrana","value":165.7,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"state_task_monitoring_avialesookhrana","value":219.3,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"state_task_monitoring_avialesookhrana","value":382.3,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"state_task_suppression_avialesookhrana","value":983.5,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"state_task_suppression_avialesookhrana","value":1053.3,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"Subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"state_task_suppression_avialesookhrana","value":1691,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Subsidy to FBU Avialesookhrana (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"fire_budget_federal_draft","value":14211.2,"unit":"RUB m","year":2023,"note":"Federal fire-safety and suppression spending in the 2023 draft budget, equal to 2022 (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"federal_fire_funding","value":7,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Per year, as reported by Kommersant."},{"key":"federal_fire_funding","value":6.2,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2020,"note":"Fire safety, as given by Rosleskhoz (Kommersant)."},{"key":"federal_fire_funding","value":6,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2021,"note":"From the federal centre (Kommersant)."},{"key":"federal_fire_funding","value":14.2,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2022,"note":"From the federal centre (Kommersant)."},{"key":"federal_fire_budget","value":20.2,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2025,"note":"Federal wildfire budget, 26% more than the previous year (Novaya Gazeta Europe, citing RIA Novosti)."},{"key":"compensation_to_regions","value":3,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"To compensate 11 regions’ 2025 suppression costs (government portal, 4 December 2025)."},{"key":"reserve_fund_subventions","value":3819829.9,"unit":"RUB thousand","year":2026,"note":"Government Order No. 2740-r, 30 September 2026."},{"key":"aerial_monitoring_allocation","value":141152.5,"unit":"RUB thousand","year":2026,"note":"To Krasnoyarsk Krai for aerial monitoring (Order No. 2740-r)."},{"key":"area_under_suppression_ha","value":1226143.4,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"Total across the 10 regions listed in Order No. 2740-r, against a 2021–2025 five-year average of 772,097.1 ha."},{"key":"yakutia_spend_before_stop","value":13.2,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"note":"Budget money already spent on fires whose suppression the regional commission stopped (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"burned_area_share_unprotected_or_aircraft_zone","value":89,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Share of area burnt in 2016–2021 in forests controlled by fire-fighting aircraft or areas without protection (Romanov et al. 2022)."},{"key":"poor_or_unprotected_forest_million_ha","value":417700000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"42% of total; accounts for about half of total carbon emissions (Romanov et al. 2022)."},{"key":"area_unfought_million_ha","value":1650000,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"80 fires with suppression stopped, as of early September 2026 (NIA Ekologiya, citing Avialesookhrana); Yakutia 35 fires on 1.14 million ha, Krasnoyarsk Krai 40 fires on 491.2 thousand ha."},{"key":"fire_area_cap","value":4680000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Fire-area cap for 2025; for 2024 the allowed area was 5.1 million ha against 8+ million ha affected (Rossiyskaya Gazeta via Novaya Gazeta Europe)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russian rules since 2015 allow regional commissions to stop or suspend suppression of forest fires in control zones when forecast costs exceed forecast harm. The Accounts Chamber audited fire protection for 2020–2022 and recorded rising burned area and falling reported damage.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"FBU Avialesookhrana","what":"State-task subsidies in 2022 of RUB 1,691.0m for suppression and RUB 382.3m for monitoring; its income-generating state contracts carried 20% overhead and 15% profitability","src":7},{"who":"Regions","what":"Federal subventions in 2022 of RUB 5,969.6m for monitoring and RUB 3,180.6m for suppression","src":7}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests inside control zones","what":"Zones covered 534.4 million ha in 2020 (46.7% of forest-fund land)","src":7},{"who":"Forests in Ust-Maya and Mirny forestry districts, Yakutia","what":"Fires grew from 2,712 ha to 5,252 ha and from 10,734 ha to 12,130 ha after the commission stopped suppression in 2022","src":7},{"who":"Forests inside control zones","what":"Suppression stopped on 80 fires covering 1.65 million ha by early September 2026 (NIA Ekologiya, citing Avialesookhrana)","src":19}]},"where":{"t":"Russian forest fund, mainly remote northern and eastern taiga; the largest control zone is in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia).","src":2},"when":{"t":"Order No. 426 of 8 October 2015; Rules of 1 April 2022 in force 1 March 2023 to 1 March 2029; Law No. 343-FZ of 24 July 2023; Order No. 1174 of 27 December 2023; Accounts Chamber audit published 27 April 2023; reserve-fund Order No. 2740-r of 30 September 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The rule ties the decision to fight a fire to a comparison of forecast suppression cost and forecast harm. The Accounts Chamber named control zones as a factor affecting burned area and found the planned cut in zone area not backed by matching budget funding.","src":7},"how":{"t":"Regional bodies set zones with Rosleskhoz’s written agreement; the regional emergency and fire-safety commission decides to stop, suspend or resume suppression and sends materials to the federal headquarters, which may order a restart. Funding runs through federal subventions to regions and state-task subsidies to FBU Avialesookhrana.","src":1},"ratio":{"t":"Between 2017 and 2021 regional fire-protection spending rose 2.1 times and burned area 2.2 times, while reported damage fell 3 times (Accounts Chamber).","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Order No. 426 of 8 October 2015 amending the Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires (text via PPT.ru)","p":"Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia","d":"2015-10-08","type":"official","u":"https://pravo.ppt.ru/prikaz/minprirody/n-426-79309"},{"t":"Order No. 244 of 1 April 2022 approving the Rules for Extinguishing Forest Fires (text via Garant)","p":"Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia","d":"2022-04-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.garant.ru/products/ipo/prime/doc/405045151/"},{"t":"Order No. 1174 of 27 December 2023 on norms and criteria for designating forest-fire control zones (scan via FAOLEX)","p":"Rosleskhoz","d":"2023-12-27","type":"official","u":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/rus222990.pdf"},{"t":"Federal Law No. 343-FZ of 24 July 2023 amending the Forest Code (text via Legalacts)","p":"Federal Assembly / President of Russia","d":"2023-07-24","type":"official","u":"https://legalacts.ru/doc/federalnyi-zakon-ot-24072023-n-343-fz-o-vnesenii-izmenenii/"},{"t":"Decree No. 382 of 15 June 2022 on measures to reduce the area of forest fires (text via Legalacts)","p":"President of Russia","d":"2022-06-15","type":"official","u":"https://legalacts.ru/doc/ukaz-prezidenta-rf-ot-15062022-n-382-o-merakh/"},{"t":"Order No. 2740-r of 30 September 2026 on reserve-fund subventions for forest-fire suppression (text via PPT.ru)","p":"Government of Russia","d":"2026-09-30","type":"official","u":"https://pravo.ppt.ru/rasporyazheniye/356309"},{"t":"Bill No. 766522-7 and explanatory note (text via Meganorm)","p":"State Duma deputies Mironov, Nilov, Emelyanov, Shein","d":"2019","type":"official","u":"https://meganorm.ru/mega_doc/fire/zakonoproekt/0/proekt_federalnogo_zakona_N_766522-7_o_vnesenii_izmeneniya_v.html"},{"t":"Audit of the system of monitoring and accounting of forest resources and fire protection for 2020–2021 and part of 2022, Bulletin of the Accounts Chamber 2023 No. 4 (text via Meganorm)","p":"Accounts Chamber of Russia","d":"2023","type":"official","u":"https://meganorm.ru/mega_doc/fire/statya/0/statya_otchet_o_rezultatakh_kontrolnogo_meropriyatiya_audit.html"},{"t":"Control-zone maps","p":"FBU Avialesookhrana","d":"2026-10-18","type":"official","u":"https://aviales.ru/default.aspx?textpage=229"},{"t":"Forest-fire situation in Russia at 00:00 Moscow time, 18 October 2026","p":"FBU Avialesookhrana","d":"2026-10-18","type":"official","u":"https://aviales.ru/popup.aspx?news=10545"},{"t":"Cabinet compensates 11 regions’ costs of fighting forest fires","p":"Government portal Объясняем.рф","d":"2025-12-04","type":"official","u":"https://xn--90aivcdt6dxbc.xn--p1ai/articles/news/kabmin-kompensiruet-11-regionam-raskhody-na-tushenie-lesnykh-pozharov/"},{"t":"Reassessment of carbon emissions from fires and a new estimate of net carbon uptake in Russian forests in 2001–2021 (Science of the Total Environment 846, 157322)","p":"Romanov A.A. et al.","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/191061/"},{"t":"Rosleskhoz shrinks the zones where forest fires may be left burning","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2020-11-03","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2020/11/03/reg-urfo/rosleshoz-sokrashchaet-zony-gde-lesnye-pozhary-mozhno-ne-tushit.html"},{"t":"From a spark, plans will ignite","p":"Kommersant","d":"2020-06-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4389938"},{"t":"“Either we cope with the fires or they cope with us”: interview with Grigory Kuksin","p":"Kommersant","d":"2021-06-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4856854"},{"t":"Governors are being stripped of control zones","p":"Kommersant","d":"2019-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4061469"},{"t":"Ministry of Natural Resources to revise forest-fire fighting rules","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2019-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/213460/"},{"t":"In Photos: Disastrous Wildfires Sweep Siberia","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2020-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/2020/07/23/in-photos-disastrous-wildfires-sweep-siberia-a70932"},{"t":"“Each next year will be worse than the last”: interview with Grigory Kuksin","p":"Current Time","d":"2021-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/russia-wildfire-greenpeace/31360695.html"},{"t":"Yakutia holds four-fifths of the area of actively fought forest fires","p":"NIA “Ekologiya” (citing Avialesookhrana)","d":"2026-09-04","type":"press","u":"https://nia.eco/2026/09/04/133098/"},{"t":"What must be done before year-end to cut fire risks next year (presentation, Krasnoyarsk)","p":"Greenpeace Russia (A.Yu. Yaroshenko)","d":"2019-08-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://cepl.rssi.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Ярошенко_научные-дебаты-по-пожарам_Красноярск_26-августа-2019-г.pdf"},{"t":"Accounts Chamber: regions skip almost 65% of recommended measures to protect forests from fires","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2023-04-27","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2023/04/27/schetnaia-palata-v-regionah-ne-vypolniaiut-pochti-65-rekomenduemyh-meropriiatij-po-sohraneniiu-lesa-ot-pozharov.html"},{"t":"Weather helped fight the fire","p":"Kommersant","d":"2022-11-15","type":"press","u":"https://kommersant.ru/doc/5668433"},{"t":"On guard of the forests: how agencies prepare for the forest-fire season","p":"Profile","d":"2025-03-18","type":"press","u":"https://profile.ru/news/society/na-strazhe-lesov-kak-vedomstva-gotovyatsya-k-sezonu-lesnyh-pozharov-1676658/"},{"t":"The forest smells of burning","p":"Novaya Gazeta Europe","d":"2025-04-30","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/04/30/les-pakhnet-gariu"},{"t":"Too little fire","p":"Novaya Gazeta Europe","d":"2025-08-21","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/08/21/malo-ognia"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Official burned area against satellite-based estimates","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Size of the control zones in 2019–2020","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether control zones should be cut or abolished","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"State Duma bill No. 766522-7 (ban on stopping suppression on cost grounds): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an official annual share of burned area in control zones for 2019, 2020 and 2021 (Rosleskhoz or Avialesookhrana year-end data).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the total control-zone area for 2023–2026 under Order No. 1174. Avialesookhrana publishes regional zone maps (2023 and 2025 files) but no national figure.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: shares of fires left unfought are given without a stated base. Pravo.ru, citing Kommersant, reported on 29 July 2019 that only 3.3% of forest fires in Russia were being fought; The Moscow Times reported on 23 July 2020 that the Forestry Agency decided not to extinguish 91% of fires because they were in control zones, without saying whether the 91% is a share by number of fires or by area.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: fire damage. The Accounts Chamber recorded the absence of a mechanism to determine damage caused by forest fires, which it said creates a risk of understating it as burned area grows.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: regional burned-area data. The Accounts Chamber found the share of unreliable regional information on burned area rose by 13.1% in 2022 compared with 2020, with the largest deviation (58.1%) in Irkutsk Oblast in 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: planning of regional fire-protection measures and volumes by forestry district (Accounts Chamber finding).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: lightning detectors in regions were switched off and thunderstorm data did not reach regional fire centres (Accounts Chamber finding).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the text of a Rosleskhoz cost-norm order of 19 June 2019, which Greenpeace Russia described as “a secret order … still unavailable and not working in practice”.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: for the December 2025 compensation to 11 regions the government portal gives about RUB 3bn; a second report gives about RUB 2.6bn.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: for 2021 federal fire funding Kommersant gives RUB 6bn; the Accounts Chamber lists four separate 2021 lines (subventions to regions and state-task subsidies to FBU Avialesookhrana). The basis of the Kommersant figure is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"siberia-2019-wildfire-season","title":"Siberian wildfire season of 2019: Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk and Yakutia","dek":"In July and August 2019 fires burned across Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast and Yakutia while regional authorities left most of the burning area unfought under the control-zone rule. The Accounts Chamber later gave 10 million ha burned and RUB 13.5bn in reported damage for the year.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":58,"lon":105,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnoyarsk Krai","lat":56,"lon":92.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Irkutsk Oblast","lat":52.3,"lon":104.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sakha Republic (Yakutia)","lat":62,"lon":129.7,"role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"wildfire","types":["wildfire","law-policy","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Burned area in Russia, 2019 (official sector reporting)","value":"10 million ha","note":"Accounts Chamber, citing sector reporting; reported damage RUB 13.5bn for the year."},"happened":["Fires burned from spring 2019 and became critical in July and August in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast and Yakutia. On 24 July 2019 Meduza reported nearly 2 million ha burning in Siberia and the Far East: 846,000 ha in Krasnoyarsk Krai, over 458,000 ha in Irkutsk Oblast and over 557,000 ha in Yakutia, with the fires “almost not being fought”. Pravo.ru, citing Rosleskhoz, reported over 3.3 million ha in 11 regions on 29 July. On 13 August Kommersant reported ISDM-Rosleskhoz figures of 5.4 million ha burning, of which 4.7 million ha was forest; Avialesookhrana put the area actively burning at about 3 million ha, more than 2.7 million ha of it in control zones; and Rosleskhoz gave 1.9 million ha burning outside control zones as of 12 August.","The Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Alexander Uss, was reported by Meduza, citing a Telegram channel, as telling students that fighting fires in the control zone was pointless and perhaps even harmful. The head of the Krasnoyarsk Krai government, Yuri Lapshin, was reported by Meduza as saying that the logic of not fighting the fires was that money had to be saved. After a presidential decision of 31 July to send Defence Ministry aviation, Uss thanked President Putin on 1 August.","On 1 August 2019 the Krasnoyarsk Krai directorate of the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Article 293 part 1.1 of the Criminal Code over the conduct of regional forestry ministry officials; investigators alleged that from 22 March to 1 August the officials did not take the necessary measures to extinguish forest fires. The same day Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev ordered the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Investigative Committee and the Interior Ministry to check for deliberate arson concealing illegal logging, with a deadline of 1 November 2019. On 6 August the Prosecutor General’s Office said fires in Irkutsk Oblast had apparently covered illegal logging and that officials in Irkutsk and other regions gave false information on fire locations, distances to settlements and suppression times; the Irkutsk regional government said it had received no documents from prosecutors. On 25 September the acting head of Rosleskhoz, Mikhail Klinov, said there was no evidence of arson concealing illegal logging and that the theory was baseless.","On 2 August 2019 the Accounts Chamber said about 7,600 forest fires in the first six months of 2019 had led to losses of RUB 2.4bn and named underfunding, lack of equipment, poorly equipped regional ground and aerial forces and tenants not meeting fire-safety duties as main causes. For the full year the Accounts Chamber later gave 10 million ha burned and RUB 13.5bn in damage, citing sector reporting. Annual fire-protection funding was about RUB 7bn in 2019, against RUB 25–30bn a year that experts cited as needed.","Copernicus CAMS estimated that fires within and around the Arctic Circle, including the Sakha Republic and Alaska, released about 50 megatonnes of CO2 in June 2019 and 79 megatonnes in July 2019, and that smoke at times covered millions of square kilometres. Meduza reported smoke over a series of Siberian regions and over Yekaterinburg in July 2019, and BFM reported over 800 settlements in the smoke zone, mainly in Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"24 Jul: nearly 2 million ha burning in Siberia and the Far East","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"28–29 Jul: remarks by the Krasnoyarsk governor on control-zone fires reported","src":5},{"y":2019,"t":"29 Jul: over 3.3 million ha burning in 11 regions (Rosleskhoz via Pravo.ru)","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"31 Jul: presidential decision to send Defence Ministry aviation","src":6},{"y":2019,"t":"1 Aug: Investigative Committee opens a criminal case in Krasnoyarsk Krai","src":13},{"y":2019,"t":"1 Aug: Prime Minister orders checks for arson concealing illegal logging","src":7},{"y":2019,"t":"2 Aug: Accounts Chamber gives RUB 2.4bn losses for the first six months","src":8},{"y":2019,"t":"6 Aug: Prosecutor General’s Office statements on Irkutsk Oblast","src":14},{"y":2019,"t":"13 Aug: ISDM-Rosleskhoz and Avialesookhrana figures on burning area and control zones","src":3},{"y":2019,"t":"15 Aug: Ministry of Natural Resources proposes moving zone decisions to the federal level","src":9},{"y":2019,"t":"25 Sep: acting head of Rosleskhoz says the arson theory is baseless","src":16}],"said":[{"q":"It doesn't occur to anyone to melt an iceberg so that it would be warmer for us? … Something similar applies to forest fires in the control zone.","who":"Alexander Uss, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai, to Siberian Federal University students (reported by Meduza citing the Telegram channel Borus; translated)","when":"28 July 2019 (Zona Media); published 29 July 2019","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"It is an ordinary natural phenomenon, fighting which is pointless, and perhaps even harmful in some places.","who":"Alexander Uss, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai (reported by Meduza citing the Telegram channel Borus; translated)","when":"28 July 2019 (Zona Media); published 29 July 2019","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"By definition are not extinguished.","who":"Alexander Uss, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai, on fires in the control zone (reported by Zona Media; translated)","when":"28 July 2019","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"I would like to sincerely thank, on behalf of the people of Krasnoyarsk, our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.","who":"Alexander Uss, Governor of Krasnoyarsk Krai (translated)","when":"1 August 2019","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The logic is clear: money must be saved.","who":"Yuri Lapshin, head of the Krasnoyarsk Krai government, on the logic of not fighting fires (reported by Meduza; translated)","when":"24 July 2019","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We found such facts in Irkutsk Oblast too, where apparently fires covered illegal logging.","who":"Alexander Kurennoy, spokesperson, Prosecutor General’s Office (translated)","when":"6 August 2019","src":14,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We have received no documents from prosecutors; we hear only unfounded accusations.","who":"Irina Alashkevich, press head, Irkutsk regional government (translated)","when":"August 2019","src":14,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"there is no evidence of arson concealing illegal logging at present, and this theory is baseless","who":"Mikhail Klinov, acting head of Rosleskhoz (Interfax)","when":"25 September 2019","src":16},{"q":"Such cases probably exist, but I think it is not a mass phenomenon.","who":"Andrei Sirin, director, Forest Science Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, on arson (translated)","when":"August 2019","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"At current funding, about 7 billion rubles a year, fighting all fires, especially in the taiga, is impossible.","who":"Greenpeace Russia (presentation, translated)","when":"26 August 2019","src":10,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Regional authorities said the forest-fire situation was under control.","who":"Regional authorities, as reported by Kommersant (August 2019)","src":3},{"t":"Avialesookhrana’s summary of 24 August 2019 listed 7 fires on 180 ha in Irkutsk Oblast and no Irkutsk entries in the control-zone part, the day after the regional emergency regime was lifted.","who":"Avialesookhrana, as described in a Greenpeace Russia presentation","src":10},{"t":"Official sector reporting gave burned area of 10 million ha and damage of RUB 13.5bn for 2019.","who":"Accounts Chamber, citing sector reporting","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"On 24 July 2019 burning area was 846,000 ha in Krasnoyarsk Krai, over 458,000 ha in Irkutsk Oblast and over 557,000 ha in Yakutia.","src":0},{"t":"On 31 July 2019 Avialesookhrana gave a total area of about 3 million ha, more than 300 fires not fought by decision of regional commissions and 147 fires on 107,123 ha under active suppression at 00:00 Moscow time.","src":2},{"t":"On 12–13 August 2019: ISDM-Rosleskhoz 5.4 million ha burning (4.7 million ha forest); Avialesookhrana about 3 million ha actively burning, more than 2.7 million ha of it in control zones; Rosleskhoz 1.9 million ha outside control zones as of 12 August.","src":3},{"t":"For the full year 2019 the Accounts Chamber recorded 10 million ha burned and damage of RUB 13.5bn in sector reporting.","src":4},{"t":"On 15 August 2019 the Ministry of Natural Resources proposed moving zone decisions from regions to the federal level and barring regions from changing zone boundaries; Minister Dmitry Kobylkin had ordered Rosleskhoz on 30 July to revise zone boundaries by 19 August.","src":9},{"t":"Investigators said the amount of damage in the Krasnoyarsk criminal case had not yet been determined (August 2019); investigative actions were carried out at the regional forestry ministry, the regional emergency ministry office and KGAU “Lesopozharny tsentr”.","src":13},{"t":"Prosecutors said signs of illegal logging and campfire remains were found where fires resumed, but were not recorded in fire reports.","src":14},{"t":"Rosleskhoz’s acting head said five wildfires in illegal-logging areas were recorded in Russia in 2019.","src":16}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Reported fire damage, full year 2019 (sector reporting via the Accounts Chamber)","amount":13500,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Losses from about 7,600 fires, first six months of 2019 (Accounts Chamber)","amount":2400,"window":"H1 2019"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Annual forest fire-protection funding, 2019 (Kommersant)","amount":7000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2019"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Official sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber gave 10 million ha burned in 2019, and Copernicus CAMS estimated 50 and 79 megatonnes of CO2 from Arctic Circle fires in June and July 2019.","report":[{"t":"About 10 million ha of my forest burned in Russia in 2019, according to official sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber.","src":4},{"t":"Fires within and around my Arctic Circle, including the Sakha Republic and Alaska, released about 50 megatonnes of CO2 in June 2019 and 79 megatonnes in July 2019, according to Copernicus CAMS.","src":12},{"t":"In the first fourteen days of July 2019 my fires released approximately 31 megatonnes of CO2, according to Copernicus CAMS.","src":11},{"t":"Smoke from my Siberian fires at times covered over millions of square kilometres; CAMS forecasts of 22 August 2019 showed smoke moving into the high Arctic, some reaching Greenland across the North Pole.","src":12},{"t":"Greenpeace Russia estimated that my 2019 fires released over 225 million tonnes of CO2, as reported by Kommersant.","src":3}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Burned area, 2019","v":"10 million ha","d":"Official sector reporting (Accounts Chamber)"},{"k":"CO2 from Arctic Circle fires","v":"50 + 79 megatonnes","d":"June and July 2019 (Copernicus CAMS)"},{"k":"Settlements in the smoke zone","v":"800+","d":"Mainly Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast (BFM, 1 August 2019)"}]},"unknown":["Unclear: Kommersant’s year-to-date burned-area figure of 14.9 million ha (August 2019) does not clearly name the measuring body.","Not disclosed: the bodies that took the pollution readings reported by Meduza for 22–24 July 2019 (maximum single-dose limits exceeded in Novosibirsk and Tomsk, PM2.5 at twice the norm in Krasnoyarsk, carbon monoxide at 1.1 times the norm in Kirensk, fine dust at 1.8 times the norm in Yekaterinburg).","None on record: the amount of damage in the Krasnoyarsk criminal case; investigators said in August 2019 that it had not yet been determined.","Self-reported only: Greenpeace Russia stated that official damage counts only timber losses and that fires in forests on agricultural land (about 10% of Russia’s forests) are not counted as forest fires.","Disputed: whether fires in Irkutsk Oblast were set to conceal illegal logging; see the disputes below."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Defence Ministry aviation was sent after a presidential decision of 31 July 2019, as reported by Zona Media. The date the fires ended is not on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources, the Krasnoyarsk Krai criminal case opened on 1 August 2019 has no recorded outcome; the Accounts Chamber gave 10 million ha burned and RUB 13.5bn reported damage for 2019.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Krasnoyarsk Krai","says":"The Governor said fighting fires in the control zone was pointless and perhaps even harmful, and later thanked the President for sending Defence Ministry aviation.","when":"28 July – 1 August 2019","src":5},{"actor":"Irkutsk regional government","says":"No documents from the prosecutor’s office had reached it; it heard only unfounded accusations.","when":"August 2019","src":14},{"actor":"Rosleskhoz","says":"There is no evidence of arson concealing illegal logging at present; five wildfires in illegal-logging areas were recorded in Russia that year.","when":"25 September 2019","src":16},{"actor":"Prosecutor General’s Office","says":"Fires in Irkutsk Oblast had apparently covered illegal logging; officials gave false information on fire locations, distances to settlements and suppression times.","when":"6 August 2019","src":14}],"related":["russia-forest-fire-control-zones-and-funding-audit","yakutia-2021-wildfire-season"],"actors":[{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Federal forestry agency; reported fire areas"},{"id":"avialesookhrana","role":"Federal aerial fire service; reported areas burning and in control zones"},{"id":"russia-minprirody","role":"Ordered revision of control zones (30 July 2019)"},{"id":"russia-accounts-chamber","role":"Gave losses and year-end burned area"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Opened the Krasnoyarsk criminal case (1 August 2019)"},{"id":"russian-prosecutor-general","role":"Statements on distorted fire statistics and apparent arson (6 August 2019)"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Prime Minister ordered arson checks (1 August 2019)"},{"id":"copernicus-cams","role":"Measured CO2 emissions and smoke"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Greenpeace Russia: funding and damage-accounting commentary"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether fires in Irkutsk Oblast were set to conceal illegal logging","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General’s Office (spokesperson Alexander Kurennoy, 6 August 2019)","says":"Facts found in Irkutsk Oblast where, apparently, fires covered illegal logging; signs of illegal logging and campfire remains were found where fires resumed but were not recorded in fire reports. These were statements, not charges.","src":14},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz (acting head Mikhail Klinov, 25 September 2019)","says":"No evidence of arson concealing illegal logging at present and the theory is baseless; five wildfires in illegal-logging areas were recorded in Russia that year.","src":16},{"voice":"research","holder":"Andrei Sirin, Forest Science Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences","says":"Such cases probably exist but are not a mass phenomenon.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Irkutsk regional government (press head Irina Alashkevich)","says":"No documents from the prosecutor’s office had arrived; only unfounded accusations were heard.","src":14}]},{"point":"Burned area in 2019","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounts Chamber, citing sector reporting","says":"10 million ha for the full year.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (as reported by Kommersant, August 2019)","says":"Expected 2019 to exceed the 15.4 million ha of 2018.","src":3}]},{"point":"Accuracy of regional fire reporting","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor Roman Fedosov, Main Directorate for supervision of environmental law (6 August 2019)","says":"Irkutsk and other regional officials gave false information on fire locations, distances to settlements and suppression times.","src":15},{"voice":"government","holder":"Irkutsk regional government","says":"Received no documents from prosecutors; heard only unfounded accusations.","src":14},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Yaroshenko, 26 August 2019)","says":"The Avialesookhrana summary of 24 August 2019 listed 7 Irkutsk fires on 180 ha and no Irkutsk entries in the control-zone part, the day after the regional emergency regime was lifted.","src":10}]},{"point":"How fire damage is counted","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounts Chamber (2023 audit)","says":"Sector reporting does not give objective information on damage; reported damage fell 3 times between 2017 and 2021 while burned area rose 2.2 times.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Yaroshenko, 2019)","says":"Official damage counts only timber losses; if investigators do not confirm a legal violation as the cause, official damage is automatically lower by 50–250 times.","src":10}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case over fire-suppression measures by Krasnoyarsk Krai forestry officials (Criminal Code Art. 293 part 1.1)","forum":"Investigative Committee, Krasnoyarsk Krai directorate","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee of Russia","defendant":"Officials of the Krasnoyarsk Krai forestry ministry (not named in the source)","filed":2019,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Opened on 1 August 2019. Investigators alleged that from 22 March to 1 August 2019 the officials did not take the necessary measures to extinguish forest fires. Investigative actions were carried out at the forestry ministry, the regional emergency ministry office and KGAU “Lesopozharny tsentr”. Investigators said the amount of damage had not yet been determined.","src":13}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_burning_ha","value":846000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Krasnoyarsk Krai, 24 July 2019 (Meduza)."},{"key":"area_burning_ha","value":458000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Irkutsk Oblast, 24 July 2019 (Meduza)."},{"key":"area_burning_ha","value":557000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Yakutia, 24 July 2019 (Meduza)."},{"key":"area_burning_million_ha","value":3300000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Siberia and the Far East, 11 regions, 29 July 2019 (Pravo.ru citing Rosleskhoz)."},{"key":"area_burning_million_ha","value":5400000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"ISDM-Rosleskhoz, of which 4.7 million ha forest (Kommersant, 13 August 2019)."},{"key":"area_burning_million_ha","value":3000000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Actively burning per Avialesookhrana, of which more than 2.7 million ha in control zones (Kommersant, 13 August 2019)."},{"key":"area_burning_million_ha","value":1900000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Outside control zones as of 12 August 2019 (Rosleskhoz via Kommersant)."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":10000000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Full year, sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"reported_fire_damage","value":13.5,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2019,"note":"Full year, sector reporting cited by the Accounts Chamber."},{"key":"fire_losses_h1","value":2.4,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2019,"note":"About 7,600 forest fires in the first six months of 2019 (Accounts Chamber, 2 August 2019)."},{"key":"fires_count","value":7600,"unit":"fires","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"First six months of 2019 (Accounts Chamber)."},{"key":"federal_fire_funding","value":7,"unit":"RUB bn","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Annual; experts cited 25–30 RUB bn a year as needed (Kommersant). Greenpeace proposed 26–30 RUB bn a year."},{"key":"co2_emitted_mt","value":50,"unit":"megatonnes CO2","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"June 2019, Arctic Circle fires including Sakha Republic and Alaska (Copernicus CAMS)."},{"key":"co2_emitted_mt","value":79,"unit":"megatonnes CO2","year":2019,"note":"July 2019, Arctic Circle fires including Sakha Republic and Alaska (Copernicus CAMS)."},{"key":"co2_emitted_mt","value":31,"unit":"megatonnes CO2","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"First fourteen days of July 2019 (Copernicus CAMS, 16 July 2019)."},{"key":"co2_emitted_mt","value":225000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Greenpeace Russia estimate for 2019 (reported by Kommersant)."},{"key":"settlements_in_smoke","value":800,"unit":"settlements","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Mainly Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast (BFM, 1 August 2019)."},{"key":"settlements_in_smoke","value":70,"unit":"settlements","year":2019,"note":"Irkutsk Oblast (Kommersant, August 2019)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":180,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Seven Irkutsk fires listed in the Avialesookhrana summary of 24 August 2019 (Greenpeace presentation)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fires in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast and Yakutia burned through July and August 2019 while regional authorities left most of the burning area unfought under the control-zone rule; the Accounts Chamber later gave 10 million ha burned and RUB 13.5bn reported damage for the year.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Krasnoyarsk Krai forestry ministry officials (unnamed)","what":"Subject of a criminal case opened on 1 August 2019; investigative actions at the ministry; no outcome on record","src":13}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast and Yakutia","what":"846,000 ha, over 458,000 ha and over 557,000 ha burning on 24 July 2019","src":0},{"who":"Residents of settlements in the smoke zone","what":"Over 800 settlements, mainly in Yakutia, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk Oblast","src":7},{"who":"Arctic atmosphere","what":"About 50 and 79 megatonnes of CO2 in June and July 2019 from Arctic Circle fires","src":12}]},"where":{"t":"Krasnoyarsk Krai (north: Evenkia), Irkutsk Oblast (north: Katangsky district, Kirensk) and Yakutia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From spring 2019; critical in July–August 2019; criminal case opened 1 August 2019; Prosecutor General’s Office statements 6 August 2019.","src":13},"why":{"t":"Regional authorities applied the control-zone rule, under which suppression may be stopped when forecast costs exceed forecast harm. The Accounts Chamber named underfunding, lack of equipment, poorly equipped regional forces and tenants not meeting fire-safety duties as main causes of losses in the first half of 2019.","src":8},"how":{"t":"Regional commissions decided not to fight fires in control zones; on 31 July 2019 a presidential decision sent Defence Ministry aviation; the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case and the Prime Minister ordered arson checks on 1 August.","src":6},"ratio":{"t":"Annual fire-protection funding was about RUB 7bn in 2019 against RUB 25–30bn a year that experts cited as needed (Kommersant).","src":9}},"sources":[{"t":"Two million hectares of forest burning in Siberia and the Far East; smoke covers several regions","p":"Meduza","d":"2019-07-24","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/feature/2019/07/24/v-sibiri-i-na-dalnem-vostoke-goryat-lesa-na-ploschadi-v-dva-milliona-gektarov-dymom-zatyanulo-neskolko-regionov-strany"},{"t":"Ministry of Natural Resources to revise forest-fire fighting rules","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2019-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/213460/"},{"t":"Forest fires in Russia cover about 3 million hectares","p":"Lenta.ru","d":"2019-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://lenta.ru/news/2019/07/31/run_forest_run/"},{"t":"Nature will burn its own","p":"Kommersant","d":"2019-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4059734"},{"t":"Audit of the system of monitoring and accounting of forest resources and fire protection for 2020–2021 and part of 2022, Bulletin of the Accounts Chamber 2023 No. 4 (text via Meganorm)","p":"Accounts Chamber of Russia","d":"2023","type":"official","u":"https://meganorm.ru/mega_doc/fire/statya/0/statya_otchet_o_rezultatakh_kontrolnogo_meropriyatiya_audit.html"},{"t":"“An ordinary natural phenomenon, fighting which is pointless and even harmful”: Krasnoyarsk governor on forest fires","p":"Meduza","d":"2019-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/news/2019/07/29/obychnoe-prirodnoe-yavlenie-borotsya-s-kotorym-bessmyslenno-i-dazhe-vredno-gubernator-krasnoyarskogo-kraya-o-lesnyh-pozharah"},{"t":"Krasnoyarsk governor thanked Putin for fire-fighting","p":"Zona Media","d":"2019-08-01","type":"press","u":"https://zona.media/news/2019/08/01/uss"},{"t":"Dmitry Medvedev ordered a check of the theory of deliberate forest arson in Siberia","p":"BFM.ru","d":"2019-08-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.bfm.ru/news/420837"},{"t":"Russia’s forest fires cause losses of 2.4 bln rubles in 6 months – Audit Chamber","p":"Interfax","d":"2019-08-02","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/19513/"},{"t":"Governors are being stripped of control zones","p":"Kommersant","d":"2019-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4061469"},{"t":"What must be done before year-end to cut fire risks next year (presentation, Krasnoyarsk)","p":"Greenpeace Russia (A.Yu. Yaroshenko)","d":"2019-08-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://cepl.rssi.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Ярошенко_научные-дебаты-по-пожарам_Красноярск_26-августа-2019-г.pdf"},{"t":"Copernicus tracks effects of Arctic Circle wildfires","p":"Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service","d":"2019-07-16","type":"official","u":"https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/copernicus-tracks-effects-arctic-circle-wildfires"},{"t":"Arctic wildfires continue to blaze","p":"Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service","d":"2019-08-22","type":"official","u":"https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/arctic-wildfires-continue-blaze"},{"t":"Investigative Committee opens first criminal case over forest fires in Siberia","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2019-08-01","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/213549/"},{"t":"Fires in Irkutsk Oblast covered illegal logging","p":"Radio Svoboda / Sibir.Realii","d":"2019-08-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/30096861.html"},{"t":"Prosecutor General’s Office reports deliberate arson in Irkutsk Oblast","p":"Current Time","d":"2019-08-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/30095338.html"},{"t":"No confirmation that forests were set on fire to conceal illegal logging – Rosleskhoz","p":"Interfax","d":"2019-09-25","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/19047/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Burned area in 2019","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Accuracy of regional fire reporting","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How fire damage is counted","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether fires in Irkutsk Oblast were set to conceal illegal logging","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal case over fire-suppression measures by Krasnoyarsk Krai forestry officials (Criminal Code Art. 293 part 1.1): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Kommersant’s year-to-date burned-area figure of 14.9 million ha (August 2019) does not clearly name the measuring body.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the bodies that took the pollution readings reported by Meduza for 22–24 July 2019 (maximum single-dose limits exceeded in Novosibirsk and Tomsk, PM2.5 at twice the norm in Krasnoyarsk, carbon monoxide at 1.1 times the norm in Kirensk, fine dust at 1.8 times the norm in Yekaterinburg).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amount of damage in the Krasnoyarsk criminal case; investigators said in August 2019 that it had not yet been determined.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Greenpeace Russia stated that official damage counts only timber losses and that fires in forests on agricultural land (about 10% of Russia’s forests) are not counted as forest fires.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether fires in Irkutsk Oblast were set to conceal illegal logging; see the disputes below.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"yakutia-2021-wildfire-season","title":"Yakutia wildfire season of 2021: burned area and emissions","dek":"Fires in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) burned a total area of 9.4 million ha in 2021, the largest in almost four decades of satellite observation, according to Avialesookhrana figures cited in a peer-reviewed paper. Copernicus CAMS estimated that Sakha and Chukotka fires released 806 of Russia’s 970 megatonnes of CO2 from June to August.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":62.03,"lon":129.73,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sakha Republic (Yakutia)","lat":62.03,"lon":129.73,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"wildfire","types":["wildfire","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Burned area in Yakutia, 2021","value":"9.4 million ha","note":"Avialesookhrana total as cited in Remote Sensing (2022); about 150,000 hotspots, almost twice the previous high of 2020."},"happened":["The 2021 fire season in the Sakha Republic ran from June to early September, with the fastest growth in hotspots between 24 July and 12 August. On 19 July 2021 Meduza reported 216 fire foci covering over 1.5 million ha, more than 2,000 people and 284 units of equipment, including a Be-200 aircraft, in action; Yakutsk was covered in smoke, airport work was disrupted and the Lena ferry service was halted. On 10 August ISDM-Rosleskhoz data cited by the Agency for Social Information put burned area in Yakutia at 9.3 million ha, against 6.8 million ha in 2020, with the largest single fire about 1.6 million ha.","A paper by researchers at the Yu.G. Shafer Institute (Remote Sensing, 7 October 2022) cited an Avialesookhrana total of 9.4 million ha for the year, described as the largest in almost four decades of satellite observation in the region, and about 150,000 hotspots in 2021, almost twice the previous high of 2020. For Russia as a whole Rosleskhoz gave 10.1 million ha and 15.1 thousand fires, the Accounts Chamber (sector reporting) gave 9.9 million ha, and Greenpeace Russia, using satellite data, gave 18.2 million ha covered by fire, above the 18.1 million ha of 2012.","Yakutia holds the largest control zone, 217 million ha in 2020 according to the head of Rosleskhoz. On 16 July 2021 Greenpeace Russia’s Grigory Kuksin said suppression had been refused on 230 fires covering more than 1 million ha. Yakutia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Sadovnikov was quoted by Novaya Gazeta Europe as saying that fighting fire is very hard when the region receives 6 rubles 10 kopecks per hectare.","Copernicus CAMS estimated CO2 emissions from wildfires in Russia as a whole from June to August 2021 at 970 megatonnes, with the Sakha Republic and Chukotka accounting for 806 megatonnes, and stated: “A new emissions record was set on 3rd August for the region.” NASA Earth Observatory reported poor air quality in Yakutsk, which has about 280,000 people, and the Shafer Institute researchers recorded smoke reaching the Ural Mountains, Mongolia, the North Pole and Alaska."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"19 Jul: 216 fire foci and over 1.5 million ha burning in Yakutia","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"10 Aug: 9.3 million ha burned in Yakutia (ISDM-Rosleskhoz via ASI)","src":1},{"y":2021,"t":"21 Sep: Copernicus CAMS summer summary of emissions","src":7},{"y":2021,"t":"6 Dec: Copernicus CAMS year review","src":8},{"y":2022,"t":"7 Oct: Tomshin and Solovyev publish the Yakutia 2021 season analysis in Remote Sensing","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"Of course, when you get 6 rubles 10 kopecks per hectare, fighting fire is very hard.","who":"Dmitry Sadovnikov, Deputy Prime Minister of Yakutia, as quoted by Novaya Gazeta Europe (translated)","when":"2021","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"People cause most fires, 99% are people's fault.","who":"Grigory Kuksin, Greenpeace Russia (translated)","when":"July 2021","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The so-called control zone, where for economic reasons, out of poverty, we have refused to fight fires.","who":"Grigory Kuksin, Greenpeace Russia, on Yakutia (translated)","when":"July 2021","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"This year was the most destructive fire year for Russian forests.","who":"Alexei Yaroshenko, Greenpeace Russia, to TASS (via The Moscow Times)","when":"2021","src":5},{"q":"Based on current official burned area reports, Sakha is on track to have an extreme year of fire.","who":"Jessica McCarty, Miami University (via NASA Earth Observatory)","when":"10 August 2021","src":9}],"shown":[{"t":"Official reporting gave Russia’s 2021 burned area as 10.1 million ha (Rosleskhoz) and 9.9 million ha (Accounts Chamber, sector reporting).","who":"Rosleskhoz; Accounts Chamber","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Burned area in Yakutia: over 1.5 million ha on 19 July 2021; 9.3 million ha on 10 August 2021 (2020: 6.8 million ha); total 9.4 million ha for the year.","src":1},{"t":"In 2020 Yakutia held 217 million ha of control zones, the largest regional share.","src":11},{"t":"Multi-year averages for Yakutia: 87.9% of fires and 95.9% of burned area are caused by thunderstorms (Accounts Chamber).","src":4},{"t":"Federal subventions to all regions in 2021: RUB 4,150.7m for fire monitoring and RUB 4,982.6m for suppression (Accounts Chamber).","src":4},{"t":"Yakutsk air pollutant concentrations were 1.7–3 times the maximum permissible concentration on 19 July 2021 (Meduza).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Federal subvention to all regions: fire monitoring, 2021","amount":4150.7,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Federal subvention to all regions: fire suppression, 2021","amount":4982.6,"window":"2021"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Avialesookhrana figures cited in a peer-reviewed paper give 9.4 million ha burned in Yakutia in 2021, and Copernicus CAMS estimated 806 megatonnes of CO2 from Sakha and Chukotka fires from June to August.","report":[{"t":"About 9.4 million ha of my Sakha Republic burned in 2021, the largest area in almost four decades of satellite observation, according to Avialesookhrana figures cited in a 2022 paper.","src":2},{"t":"From June to August 2021 fires in my Russian forests released an estimated 970 megatonnes of CO2, 806 megatonnes of it from the Sakha Republic and Chukotka, according to Copernicus CAMS.","src":7},{"t":"My Sakha fires set the highest summer-time total in the CAMS GFAS dataset from June to August 2021, more than double previous years, according to CAMS.","src":8},{"t":"In July 2021 the monthly mean aerosol optical depth over Yakutsk was 0.82 (MODIS MAIAC) and 1.37 (AERONET station), 14.9 and 18.7 times the 2007 values, according to researchers at the Shafer Institute.","src":2},{"t":"Smoke from my fires reached the Ural Mountains in the west, Mongolia in the south, the North Pole in the north and Alaska in the east, with a maximum plume extent of about 10–12 million km², according to the same researchers.","src":2},{"t":"About 8 Mt of PM2.5 were emitted in Russia in 2021, mostly by my Yakutia forest fires, according to Romanov et al. (2022) as cited by the same researchers.","src":2},{"t":"Stand-replacing fires covered about 2.5 million ha of my Yakutia in 2021, according to Ponomarev et al. as cited by the same researchers.","src":2}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Burned area in Yakutia, 2021","v":"9.4 million ha","d":"Avialesookhrana total cited in Remote Sensing (2022)"},{"k":"CO2, June–August 2021","v":"970 megatonnes (Russia)","d":"806 megatonnes from the Sakha Republic and Chukotka (Copernicus CAMS)"},{"k":"Smoke plume extent","v":"10–12 million km²","d":"Maximum, reaching the Urals, Mongolia, the North Pole and Alaska"}]},"unknown":["None on record: an annual 2021 control-zone share of fires or burned area for Yakutia from official or NGO sources.","Not disclosed: the original source of the Sadovnikov quote about RUB 6.10 per hectare; Novaya Gazeta Europe does not name it.","Not disclosed: the body that took the Yakutsk air-pollution readings reported by Meduza on 19 July 2021.","None on record: a criminal case concerning Yakutia’s 2021 fire management.","None on record: insurance payouts for the burned forests.","Disputed: the cause of the fires and the national burned area; see the disputes below."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The season ran from June to early September 2021.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources: 9.4 million ha burned in Yakutia in 2021 (Avialesookhrana via Remote Sensing); no criminal case on fire management and no insurance payout on record.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Government of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia)","says":"Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Sadovnikov: when the region gets 6 rubles 10 kopecks per hectare, fighting fire is very hard.","when":"2021","src":6}],"related":["russia-forest-fire-control-zones-and-funding-audit","siberia-2019-wildfire-season"],"actors":[{"id":"sakha-government","role":"Regional government; commented on per-hectare funding"},{"id":"avialesookhrana","role":"Federal aerial fire service; source of the 9.4 million ha total"},{"id":"rosleskhoz","role":"Reported national fire area and fires"},{"id":"russia-accounts-chamber","role":"Reported national burned area and causes of fire in Yakutia"},{"id":"copernicus-cams","role":"Measured CO2 emissions"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Reported on smoke and emissions"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Greenpeace Russia: satellite-based area and commentary"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Cause of the fires","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Grigory Kuksin, July 2021)","says":"People are the cause of most fires; 99% are people’s fault. The scope of the 99% figure is not stated.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounts Chamber (multi-year averages for Yakutia)","says":"Thunderstorms cause 87.9% of fires and 95.9% of burned area.","src":4}]},{"point":"Russia’s burned area in 2021","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz (via Kommersant)","says":"10.1 million ha; 15.1 thousand fires.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounts Chamber (sector reporting)","says":"9.9 million ha.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia (Yaroshenko, satellite data)","says":"18.2 million ha covered by fire, above the 18.1 million ha of 2012.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fire_foci","value":216,"unit":"foci","year":2021,"note":"Yakutia, 19 July 2021 (Meduza)."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":1500000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"over","note":"Yakutia, 19 July 2021 (Meduza)."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":9300000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Yakutia, 10 August 2021 (ISDM-Rosleskhoz via ASI); 2020: 6.8 million ha."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":9400000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Yakutia, year total (Avialesookhrana, cited in Remote Sensing 14, 4980)."},{"key":"largest_fire_million_ha","value":1600000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Largest single fire in Yakutia (ASI)."},{"key":"hotspots","value":150000,"unit":"hotspots","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Almost twice the previous high of 2020 (Tomshin and Solovyev)."},{"key":"people_deployed","value":2000,"unit":"people","year":2021,"qualifier":"over","note":"With 284 units of equipment, 19 July 2021 (Meduza)."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":10100000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Russia, Rosleskhoz (Kommersant); 15.1 thousand fires."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":9900000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Russia, Accounts Chamber (sector reporting)."},{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":18200000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Russia, covered by fire, Greenpeace Russia satellite data."},{"key":"co2_emitted_mt","value":970,"unit":"megatonnes CO2","year":2021,"note":"Russia, June–August 2021 (Copernicus CAMS)."},{"key":"co2_emitted_mt","value":806,"unit":"megatonnes CO2","year":2021,"note":"Sakha Republic and Chukotka, June–August 2021 (Copernicus CAMS)."},{"key":"carbon_emitted_global_mt","value":1760,"unit":"megatonnes carbon","year":2021,"note":"Global wildfire total for 2021 (Copernicus CAMS)."},{"key":"pm25_emitted_mt","value":8,"unit":"Mt","year":2021,"note":"Russia, mostly from Yakutia fires (Romanov et al. 2022, as cited by Tomshin and Solovyev)."},{"key":"aerosol_optical_depth","value":1.37,"unit":"AOD","year":2021,"note":"Monthly mean, July 2021, AERONET Yakutsk station; 0.82 by MODIS MAIAC; 14.9 and 18.7 times the 2007 values."},{"key":"smoke_plume_extent_million_km2","value":12000000,"unit":"km²","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Maximum plume extent about 10–12 million km² (Tomshin and Solovyev)."},{"key":"stand_replacing_fire_million_ha","value":2500000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Yakutia (Ponomarev et al., as cited by Tomshin and Solovyev)."},{"key":"lightning_share_of_fires","value":87.9,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Multi-year average for Yakutia (Accounts Chamber); 95.9% of burned area."},{"key":"control_zone_area_million_ha","value":217000000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Yakutia (Anoprienko, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, November 2020)."},{"key":"fires_suppression_refused","value":230,"unit":"fires","year":2021,"note":"Covering more than 1 million ha, as of 16 July 2021 (Greenpeace Russia, Kuksin)."},{"key":"funding_per_hectare","value":6.1,"unit":"RUB per ha","year":2021,"note":"Quoted by Yakutia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Sadovnikov (Novaya Gazeta Europe)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fires in the Sakha Republic burned a total of 9.4 million ha in 2021, the largest area in almost four decades of satellite observation, and Copernicus CAMS estimated 806 megatonnes of CO2 from Sakha and Chukotka fires from June to August.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests of the Sakha Republic","what":"9.4 million ha burned in 2021; about 2.5 million ha stand-replacing (as cited)","src":2},{"who":"Residents of Yakutsk (about 280,000 people)","what":"Poor air quality; pollutant concentrations 1.7–3 times the maximum permissible concentration on 19 July 2021","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"Sakha Republic (Yakutia), including central Yakutia (Vilyuysk, Nyurba districts); Yakutsk was covered in smoke.","src":0},"when":{"t":"June to early September 2021; fastest hotspot growth from 24 July to 12 August 2021.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Greenpeace Russia attributed 99% of fires to people; the Accounts Chamber’s multi-year data for Yakutia attribute 87.9% of fires and 95.9% of burned area to thunderstorms. Yakutia’s deputy prime minister said that at 6 rubles 10 kopecks per hectare fighting fire is very hard.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Yakutia holds the largest control-zone area (217 million ha in 2020); Greenpeace Russia said suppression had been refused on 230 fires covering more than 1 million ha by 16 July 2021, while over 2,000 people and 284 units of equipment were deployed on 19 July.","src":11}},"sources":[{"t":"Yakutia on fire: fire area exceeds 1.5 million hectares, the capital is covered in smoke","p":"Meduza","d":"2021-07-19","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/feature/2021/07/19/yakutiya-v-ogne-ploschad-pozharov-prevysila-1-5-milliona-gektarov-stolitsa-respubliki-okutana-dymom-foto-i-video"},{"t":"Experts: this summer’s fires in Yakutia were the largest in the history of observations","p":"Agency for Social Information (ASI)","d":"2021-08-12","type":"press","u":"https://asi.org.ru/news/2021/08/12/pozhary-v-yakutii-etim-letom-stali-samymi-krupnymi-za-istoriyu-nablyudenij/"},{"t":"Features of the Extreme Fire Season of 2021 in Yakutia (Eastern Siberia) and Heavy Air Pollution Caused by Biomass Burning (Remote Sensing 14, 4980)","p":"Tomshin O., Solovyev V. (Yu.G. Shafer Institute, SB RAS)","d":"2022-10-07","type":"academic","u":"https://mdpi-res.com/d_attachment/remotesensing/remotesensing-14-04980/article_deploy/remotesensing-14-04980.pdf"},{"t":"Weather helped fight the fire","p":"Kommersant","d":"2022-11-15","type":"press","u":"https://kommersant.ru/doc/5668433"},{"t":"Audit of the system of monitoring and accounting of forest resources and fire protection for 2020–2021 and part of 2022, Bulletin of the Accounts Chamber 2023 No. 4 (text via Meganorm)","p":"Accounts Chamber of Russia","d":"2023","type":"official","u":"https://meganorm.ru/mega_doc/fire/statya/0/statya_otchet_o_rezultatakh_kontrolnogo_meropriyatiya_audit.html"},{"t":"Russia’s 2021 Fire Cover Widest Since Imaging Began – Greenpeace","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2021-09-21","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/2025/04/03/russias-2021-fire-cover-widest-since-imaging-began-greenpeace"},{"t":"We’re burning!","p":"Novaya Gazeta Europe","d":"2024-07-24","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/07/24/gorim"},{"t":"A summer of wildfires saw devastation and record emissions around the Northern Hemisphere","p":"Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service","d":"2021-09-21","type":"official","u":"https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/copernicus-summer-wildfires-saw-devastation-and-record-emissions-around-northern-hemisphere"},{"t":"2021 saw widespread wildfire devastation and new regional emission records broken","p":"Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service","d":"2021-12-06","type":"official","u":"https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/copernicus-2021-saw-widespread-wildfire-devastation-and-new-regional-emission-records-broken"},{"t":"An Unusually Smoky Fire Season in Sakha","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2021-08-10","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/an-unusually-smoky-fire-season-in-sakha-148678/"},{"t":"“Each next year will be worse than the last”: interview with Grigory Kuksin","p":"Current Time","d":"2021-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/russia-wildfire-greenpeace/31360695.html"},{"t":"Rosleskhoz shrinks the zones where forest fires may be left burning","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2020-11-03","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2020/11/03/reg-urfo/rosleshoz-sokrashchaet-zony-gde-lesnye-pozhary-mozhno-ne-tushit.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Russia’s burned area in 2021","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cause of the fires","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an annual 2021 control-zone share of fires or burned area for Yakutia from official or NGO sources.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the original source of the Sadovnikov quote about RUB 6.10 per hectare; Novaya Gazeta Europe does not name it.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the body that took the Yakutsk air-pollution readings reported by Meduza on 19 July 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a criminal case concerning Yakutia’s 2021 fire management.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance payouts for the burned forests.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the fires and the national burned area; see the disputes below.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"baikalsk-pulp-and-paper-mill-closure-and-waste-clean-up","title":"Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill: closure and waste clean-up","dek":"The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill discharged treated wastewater into Lake Baikal from 1966 and stopped production in 2013 after bankruptcy proceedings. Millions of tonnes of pulp-production waste remained in storage ponds on the shore, and federal clean-up funding has been set by successive programmes since 2013.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":51.51,"lon":104.15,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Irkutsk Oblast (Baikalsk)","lat":51.51,"lon":104.15,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Lake Baikal","lat":53.5,"lon":108,"role":"affected"}],"start":1966,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2013-09-13","instrument":"waste","types":["waste","water","chemical-pollution","protected-area","liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Federal clean-up funding allocated by August 2025","value":"More than RUB 11bn","note":"Statement by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev, who said more than RUB 15bn was planned in total."},"happened":["The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill was commissioned in 1966 on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, in the town of Baikalsk, Irkutsk Oblast. It produced bleached, unbleached and sulphate viscose pulp (Interfax). The Moscow Times wrote that at its peak it employed over 2,000 people and could produce 100,000 tons of bleached pulp a year; Interfax gave a capacity of about 200,000 tonnes a year. Lenta.ru reported that 51% of the mill was held by Continental Management, which it said belonged to the Basel holding, and the remainder by the federal property agency Rosimushchestvo; Interfax (2012) and The Moscow Times (2013) gave the state share as 49%.","State environment reports for Irkutsk Oblast, cited in a 2008 university paper, recorded exceedances of maximum permissible concentrations at the mill's outfall for suspended solids, chlorides, sulphates, phenols and oil products, and bottom sediment polluted by carbohydrates and the lignin-humus complex over 7.9 km² in 1995 and 17.8 km² in 1998. The mill's water-use licence expired on 3 November 2007. In December 2007 Rosprirodnadzor sued for RUB 4 billion of environmental damage, later recalculated to RUB 419 million; the court awarded RUB 19 million and the Fourth Arbitration Appeal Court upheld the award (reported 21 May 2009). In August 2008 the mill switched to a closed water cycle with its own treatment facilities and chlorine bleaching was banned; in autumn 2008 the owners halted production, citing unprofitability.","After the stoppage on 6 October 2008 (date as given by Pravo.ru), the federal government allocated money for wage arrears and social upkeep, and the Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast opened supervision (bankruptcy) proceedings on 28 October 2009 on a claim by Sibstroiles. On 13 January 2010 Government Decree No. 1 removed the ban on pulp, paper and cardboard production without closed (non-discharge) water systems from the list of activities banned in the central ecological zone. The Supreme Court dismissed challenges by an individual and Greenpeace Russia on 17 June 2010, holding that government decrees are not objects of state ecological expertise under Law 174-FZ; the Cassation Board upheld the ruling on 12 August 2010. The mill resumed open-cycle production in June 2010 (The Moscow Times). In 2011 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee stated that continued operation without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value.","Liquidation proceedings began in December 2012. VEB opened a credit line for current operations in December 2012 and bought the mill's debt for nearly RUB 1.75 billion in February 2013 (Vedomosti, via BFM). Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich announced a \"gradual closure\" on 26-27 February 2013, VEB.RF's supervisory board approved a credit line for the closure on 5 July 2013, and the last batch of pulp was produced on 13 September 2013. The first deputy head of the Irkutsk regional government said the decision \"was made by its creditors\"; The Moscow Times wrote that the official grounds were financial, not ecological. The Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast declared the company legally liquidated in October 2024.","Waste remained in storage ponds after closure. Interfax named VEB-Engineering, then Rosgeologia, then Rosatom as contractors. Government Order No. 2339-r of 25 October 2017 named Rosgeologia sole contractor; the Irkutsk government announced unilateral termination of the contract in August 2019, citing missed deadlines. GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies was designated on 23 March 2020, and Government Order No. 2824-r of 30 October 2020 named the Federal Environmental Operator (FEO), part of Rosatom, which signed state contract No. 4/2020EI on 27 November 2020. According to the explanatory note to the draft 2022–2024 federal budget, as reported by Interfax, the money planned through 2025 comes from the payment made by Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company, a Nornickel subsidiary, for the May 2020 fuel spill. In August 2025 Rosatom reported that construction of the main and auxiliary process facilities at both sites was finished and commissioning had begun. In July 2026 a university biologist wrote that no technology had been adopted for the Solzansky landfill, and in October 2026 a government order named Lomonosov Moscow State University and FEO sole contractors for pilot tests there, with contracts running to 1 June 2028."],"timeline":[{"y":1966,"t":"Mill commissioned on the southern shore of Lake Baikal","src":19},{"y":2007,"t":"Water-use licence expired (3 Nov); Rosprirodnadzor claim for RUB 4bn filed in December, later recalculated to RUB 419m","src":34},{"y":2008,"t":"Closed water cycle introduced (August); owners halted production in autumn (6 Oct date per Pravo.ru)","src":28},{"y":2009,"t":"Federal wage and social-upkeep allocations (June); court upheld RUB 19m award on appeal (reported 21 May); supervision proceedings opened (28 Oct)","src":36},{"y":2010,"t":"Decree No. 1 (13 Jan); Supreme Court dismissed challenges (17 Jun); cassation upheld (12 Aug); open-cycle production resumed (June)","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"World Heritage Committee decision 35 COM 7B.23","src":6},{"y":2012,"t":"Discharge allowed until 16 August 2013 (late August); VEB credit line (December); liquidation proceedings began (December)","src":24},{"y":2013,"t":"VEB bought the mill's debt (February); closure announced (26-27 Feb); closure credit line (5 Jul); last pulp batch (13 Sep)","src":43},{"y":2017,"t":"Presidential instruction (14 Aug) and government order (23 Aug); Rosgeologia named sole contractor (25 Oct); state contract signed (22 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2018,"t":"Subsidies to Irkutsk Oblast of RUB 1,111.9m cut by Federal Law No. 459-FZ","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"Irkutsk government announced termination of the Rosgeologia contract (August); agreement with Irkutsk Oblast for RUB 1,412.6m (14 Feb)","src":22},{"y":2020,"t":"GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies designated (23 Mar); FEO named sole contractor (30 Oct); contract signed (27 Nov); Rosprirodnadzor found over-sludge water reaching Baikal (December)","src":12},{"y":2021,"t":"Emergency regime in Baikalsk (April); VEB.RF subsidiary bought the property complex; SB RAS expert note (April)","src":52},{"y":2022,"t":"Planned Solzansky method changed to lithification (April); Order No. 4344-r approved the Baikalsk development programme (29 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"FEO began main works at the treatment-plant site and the Babkhinsky landfill (June)","src":10},{"y":2024,"t":"Company legally liquidated (October); Limnological Institute and prosecutors took sediment cores at the outfall (June)","src":48},{"y":2025,"t":"Rosatom reported process facilities built and commissioning begun (August); Decree No. 1348 on clean-up subsidies (1 Sep)","src":9},{"y":2026,"t":"First stage of demolition finished (12 Jan); mudflow-protection reconstruction began (May); Patrushev visit (1 Jul); MSU and FEO named for Solzansky pilot tests (October)","src":50}],"said":[{"q":"Of course there is nothing good in the mill's activity. But… no significant harm was done over these decades","who":"Vladimir Putin, then Prime Minister, attributing the view to Academician Nigmatulin","when":"2009","src":38,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We will not act thoughtlessly, carelessly, without thinking about nature and about Baikal","who":"Vladimir Putin, as reported by Lenta.ru","when":"2010","src":28,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We are shocked by this order","who":"Ivan Blokov, Greenpeace Russia","when":"2010","src":28,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value","who":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Decision 35 COM 7B.23","when":"2011","src":6},{"q":"The outgoing water was actually cleaner than what went in from the lake.","who":"Alexander Ivanov, insolvency administrator","when":"2013","src":26},{"q":"Over the years, they have been dumping who knows what along with the sludge.","who":"Dmitry Sheibe, VEB-Engineering","when":"2013","src":26},{"q":"The money is allocated, but the lignin lies where it lay, posing a danger","who":"Nikolai Nikolaev, chair of the State Duma natural-resources committee","when":"2018","src":45,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"About 4 billion rubles was allocated for these purposes, and 90% of the money was returned to the budget","who":"Alexey Kaulbars, Accounts Chamber auditor","when":"December 2018","src":46,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"things went no further than talk and spending of the allocated funds","who":"Valentin Parmon, chair of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences","when":"2021","src":13,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We are confident that already in 2028 we will forget about any threats to Lake Baikal","who":"Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom","when":"2025","src":20,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"at last there is an owner and a tangible horizon for a solution","who":"Maxim Timofeev, director of the Irkutsk State University Biology Institute","when":"July 2026","src":51,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The government's representative told the Supreme Court that the restart was needed for the town's development and for waste processing.","who":"Government of Russia, in court (2010)","src":40},{"t":"Every step of the clean-up had been discussed with the local population and residents.","who":"Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko (2024)","src":11},{"t":"The full set of clean-up works would be completed in 2027, and threats to Lake Baikal would be forgotten in 2028.","who":"Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev (2025)","src":9},{"t":"The city treatment facilities worked properly and no discharges were occurring at the time of the December 2020 ruling.","who":"Vasily Temgenevsky, head of Baikalsk (2020)","src":44}],"recorded":[{"t":"On 23 August 2017, on the President's instruction of 14 August 2017 (No. Пр-1602), the government ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Economic Development to fund the clean-up from the 2018–2020 federal budget and to name a sole contractor.","src":2},{"t":"In December 2012 VEB opened a credit line for the mill's current operations, and payments were made for wage arrears and for coal debts to Vostsibugol.","src":8},{"t":"In February 2013 VEB bought the mill's debt for nearly RUB 1.75 billion (Vedomosti, via BFM); total debt at December 2012 was RUB 2.86 billion, of which voting debt was RUB 1.68 billion.","src":43},{"t":"In June 2009 the federal government allocated RUB 87.6 million for wage arrears and compensation; total arrears were RUB 100 million. The payer was not named.","src":35},{"t":"From the stoppage on 6 October 2008 to July 2009 more than RUB 530 million was allocated to the mill's social upkeep (wages, compensation, running the thermal power plant); in July 2009 Putin asked the transport minister and Russian Railways to work out a special rail tariff for the mill. The payer of the allocations was not named.","src":37},{"t":"The mill's 2008 loss was RUB 680 million and its credit debt RUB 1.2 billion in April 2009.","src":33},{"t":"In April 2010 the Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast recognised an Alfa Bank claim of RUB 577 million; total claims were at least RUB 1.7 billion. Management described the mill in October 2008 as in a state of financial and economic default.","src":39},{"t":"In April 2009 Irkutsk governor Igor Esipovsky said the government had concluded that subsidising the enterprise was not justified.","src":32},{"t":"The Moscow Times wrote in February 2013 that a majority stake was held by companies controlled by an associate of a businessman and that the government held 49%, and that Putin personally ordered the reopening of the mill.","src":25},{"t":"In June 2024 the Limnological Institute SB RAS and the Baikal Interregional Environmental Prosecutor's Office took bottom-sediment cores at the mill's effluent outfall to analyse organochlorine compounds.","src":14},{"t":"The first stage of demolition (17 objects) finished on 12 January 2026; the second stage (150 objects) started in the first quarter of 2026 and is due by the end of 2027, and demolition of all emergency buildings is planned by 2030.","src":21},{"t":"Reconstruction of the mudflow-protection structure at the industrial-waste landfill began in May 2026, covers two drainage channels over 2.2 km, was 21% complete in August 2026 and is due by the end of 2026; the contractor is not named.","src":49},{"t":"The Supreme Court (case GKPI10-321, 17 June 2010) dismissed the applications of an individual and Greenpeace Russia against Government Decree No. 1 of 13 January 2010; the Cassation Board upheld the ruling on 12 August 2010.","src":0},{"t":"The Accounts Chamber's analytical report on federal budget execution for the first half of 2019 recorded that the 2018 subsidies to Irkutsk Oblast for the clean-up were cut in full (RUB 1,111.9 million) because the design and cost documentation needed revision, and that nothing was spent in 2018 or the first half of 2019 on the RUB 395.0 million subsidy to Rosgeologia.","src":1},{"t":"The Accounts Chamber also noted the absence of approved design and cost documentation and of positive state expertise conclusions (2019).","src":1},{"t":"The government's own order describes the mill site as seismically active and exposed to mudflows from the Bolshaya and Malaya Osinovka basins.","src":3},{"t":"The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences wrote in 2021 that Rosatom was the fourth contractor since 2013 and that proposed technologies had not passed state ecological expertise before 2020.","src":13},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor won its case against the Baikalsk municipal treatment enterprise; the ruling took effect on 11 December 2020.","src":44},{"t":"Government Order No. 4344-r (29 December 2022) names an International Water Resources Centre on the mill site, initiated by En+ Group, with a water-bottling line of 1 billion litres a year financed off-budget.","src":3},{"t":"Order No. 4344-r also calls for considering removal of existing restrictions on development of the territory in central-ecological-zone legislation.","src":3},{"t":"Decree No. 1348 (1 September 2025) set new rules for subsidising clean-up in the central ecological zone under the federal project \"General Clean-up\"; Rosprirodnadzor is to verify results.","src":4},{"t":"In July 2026 Patrushev said more than RUB 46 billion had been allocated from the federal budget for Baikal environmental measures in total, not specific to the mill.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Clean-up funding in the 2022–2024 federal budget plan, through 2025","amount":17530,"window":"2022–2025","note":"RUB 3,829m in 2022, 9,850m in 2023, 3,855m in 2024; from the explanatory note to the draft budget, as reported by Interfax."},{"label":"Clean-up funding allocated by August 2025","amount":11000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"to 2025","note":"Statement by Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev; more than RUB 15bn planned in total."},{"label":"Rosgeologia contract (storage ponds only)","amount":5900,"window":"2017–2019","note":"Contract value as reported by Interfax; the contract was terminated in 2019."},{"label":"Mudflow-protection reconstruction","amount":340,"qualifier":"almost","window":"2026"},{"label":"Federal reserve fund, April 2021","amount":363,"window":"2021"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"VEB purchase of the mill's debt","amount":1750,"qualifier":"nearly","window":"2013"},{"label":"VEB loan for refinancing, running costs and wages of 800 workers","amount":3600,"window":"2013"},{"label":"Alfa Bank claim recognised by the Irkutsk court","amount":577,"window":"2010"},{"label":"Rosprirodnadzor damages awarded for water pollution","amount":19,"window":"2009","note":"Claimed RUB 4,000m, recalculated to RUB 419m."},{"label":"State allocations for wages and social upkeep, October 2008 to July 2009","amount":530,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2008–2009","note":"Payer not named."},{"label":"Mill loss, 2008","amount":680,"window":"2008"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Polluted bottom sediment","v":"7.9–17.8 km²","d":"Area polluted by carbohydrates and lignin-humus complex, 1995 to 1998; Irkutsk Oblast state reports cited in a 2008 paper"},{"k":"Over-sludge water reaching Baikal","v":"400 × limit","d":"Rosprirodnadzor finding, December 2020: harmful substances at 400 times the maximum permissible concentration"},{"k":"Clean-up funding allocated","v":"> RUB 11bn","d":"By August 2025, per Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev"},{"k":"Last pulp batch","v":"13 Sep 2013","d":"Production ended; waste remained in storage ponds"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Irkutsk Oblast state environment reports and Roshydromet monitoring as cited in academic papers, a Rosprirodnadzor finding reported by BFM, and Limnological Institute research.","report":[{"t":"Bottom sediment at my southern shore was polluted by hard-to-hydrolyse carbohydrates and the lignin-humus complex over 7.9 km² in 1995 and 17.8 km² in 1998, according to Irkutsk Oblast state reports cited in a 2008 paper.","src":16},{"t":"Sulphate sulphur polluted my sediment over 2.6 km² in 1997 and 15.2 km² in 2003, according to the same reports.","src":16},{"t":"At the mill's outfall, maximum permissible concentrations were exceeded for suspended solids, chlorides, sulphates, phenols and oil products; the 1995 maxima were 3.8 times for oil products and up to 4.4 times for suspended solids, according to the State Report on the Environment of Irkutsk Oblast for 1995.","src":16},{"t":"In 2013 the zone of sediment pollution measured by bacterial counts was 3.1 km², with heterotrophic bacteria at 21 thousand cells per gram, 3.5 times background, and the area was classed as weakly polluted, according to Roshydromet data cited in a 2015 conference abstract.","src":17},{"t":"Interstitial water on my beach reached 25 °C in June 2013 and had lower oxygen and higher sulphur, sodium and chlorine than lake water; black deposits on stones matched the mill's sludge-lignin in infrared spectrum, according to a 2022 Limnological Institute study of 2013–2016 data.","src":15},{"t":"In December 2020 Rosprirodnadzor found over-sludge water from the storage ponds reaching me with harmful substances at 400 times the maximum permissible concentration, according to BFM.","src":44},{"t":"A 2011 state report found sulphate and chloride levels near the mill that The Moscow Times described as dangerously high.","src":26}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the quantity of waste is given as more than 6.2 million tonnes in 14 ponds (SB RAS), about 6.5 million tonnes (Kommersant), 4.948 million m³ of solids and 729 thousand m³ of water (Rosgeologia surveys via Interfax) and more than 6 million m³ (Patrushev, 2025).","Figures differ: before 2008 the mill discharged \"tens of millions of m³\" of treated wastewater a year (2008 university paper) or about 100,000 m³ directly into the lake (Greenpeace figures cited by Lenta.ru).","Unclear: the signing date of Decree No. 1. The court text dates it 13 January 2010; Lenta.ru says it was signed on 18 January.","Unclear: whether pumping and treatment at the Babkhinsky and treatment-plant sites began in 2026. In July 2026 the first treatment runs were described as planned for \"this year\".","Not disclosed: the value of the 2020 designation of GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (not stated by Interfax).","Not disclosed: how the nature-like technology for the Solzansky landfill works and what the pilot work costs (stated by NIA Ekologiya on the October 2026 order).","Not disclosed: the contractor and cost of the demolition works (Interfax), the price of the 2021 VEB.RF purchase of the property complex (Oblastnaya Gazeta) and the contractor for the 2026 mudflow-protection works (Atomic-Energy.ru).","Not disclosed: the amount of the credit line approved by VEB.RF on 5 July 2013 and the amount paid to SB RAS for expert review under FEO contract No. Ц-ГД/ИФ04-4/2020ЕИ-6/21.","Not disclosed: results of the June 2024 organochlorine sampling of bottom sediment at the outfall; the Limnological Institute's expedition page gives none.","Not measured: sediment near the mill between the 1980s and 2011, when Roshydromet resumed monitoring.","Disputed: the amount spent on the clean-up before 2018 — more than RUB 1.3 billion since 2013 (Nikolaev) or about RUB 4 billion allocated with 90% returned to the budget (Accounts Chamber auditor Kaulbars).","None on record: the outcome of the 2010 charges against the bankruptcy manager and the chief accountant, and the court, case number and outcome of Rosgeologia's RUB 230 million claim against Irkutsk Oblast."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Production ended on 13 September 2013, when the last batch of pulp was produced. The accumulated waste remained in storage ponds; pumping and treatment were planned to start in 2026 and the full set of works to finish in 2027.","whoPaid":"Wage support and credit lines in 2009–2013 came from the federal government and Vnesheconombank (VEB). Clean-up funding since 2013 has come from the federal budget, including money which, according to Interfax, derives from the payment made by Norilsk-Taimyr Energy Company for the 2020 Norilsk fuel spill.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: mudflow-protection reconstruction under way, demolition of the site in progress, pumping and treatment at two sites planned, and pilot tests at the Solzansky landfill ordered to run until 1 June 2028; no technology adopted for Solzansky as of July 2026.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Vnesheconombank (VEB)","says":"Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev said in 2013 that refinancing of loans must depend on there being a state programme. VEB-Engineering's chief executive said in December 2012 that state funds received from VEB must go first of all to social needs.","when":"2012–2013","src":43},{"actor":"Rosatom / Federal Environmental Operator (FEO)","says":"Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said the full set of works was planned to finish in 2027 and that threats to Baikal would be forgotten in 2028.","when":"2025","src":9},{"actor":"Government of Irkutsk Oblast","says":"Announced termination of the Rosgeologia contract in August 2019, citing missed deadlines.","when":"2019","src":22},{"actor":"Rosgeologia","says":"Said it financed surveys, equipment and pond works from its own funds and claimed RUB 230 million back from Irkutsk Oblast.","when":"2020","src":47},{"actor":"Government of Russia","says":"Its representative told the Supreme Court in 2010 that the restart was needed for the town's development and for waste processing.","when":"2010","src":40},{"actor":"Greenpeace Russia","says":"Wrote to the President that the decision \"was taken to suit the short-term interests of the mill's owners\".","when":"January 2010","src":29},{"actor":"Government of Baikalsk","says":"The head of Baikalsk said the city treatment facilities work properly and that no discharges were occurring at the time of the ruling.","when":"December 2020","src":44}],"actors":[{"id":"bppm","role":"Mill operator; subject of bankruptcy and liquidation"},{"id":"vnesheconombank","role":"State bank; credit lines and debt purchase; VEB.RF subsidiary bought the property complex"},{"id":"rosatom","role":"Parent of the clean-up contractor FEO"},{"id":"feo","role":"Sole clean-up contractor since 2020"},{"id":"rosgeologia","role":"Clean-up contractor 2017–2019"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Regulator; claimant in damages and discharge cases"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Decree No. 1; funded wages and clean-up; named contractors"},{"id":"russian-supreme-court","role":"Dismissed challenges to Decree No. 1"},{"id":"russia-accounts-chamber","role":"Audited clean-up budget execution"},{"id":"sb-ras","role":"Expert review of clean-up technologies"},{"id":"irkutsk-regional-government","role":"Regional government; terminated Rosgeologia contract"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Co-applicant against Decree No. 1 (Greenpeace Russia)"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Decisions 35 COM 7B.23 and 37 COM 7B.22"},{"id":"nornickel","role":"Subsidiary NTEK paid the 2020 Norilsk spill payment that funds the clean-up"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Harm to Lake Baikal while the mill operated","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Vladimir Putin, then Prime Minister (2009)","says":"Said that, citing Academician Nigmatulin, no significant harm was done over the decades.","src":38},{"voice":"company","holder":"Insolvency administrator (2013)","says":"Said the outgoing water was cleaner than what went in from the lake.","src":26},{"voice":"research","holder":"State reports cited by Irkutsk State University authors","says":"Maximum permissible concentrations were exceeded at the outfall and polluted bottom sediment covered 7.9 km² (1995) to 17.8 km² (1998).","src":16},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2011)","says":"Continued operation without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value.","src":6}]},{"point":"Volume of wastewater discharged into Lake Baikal before 2008","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Erbaeva and Safronov (2008), citing Irkutsk Oblast state reports","says":"Tens of millions of m³ of industrially treated wastewater a year.","src":16},{"voice":"press","holder":"Lenta.ru, citing Greenpeace figures","says":"About 100,000 m³ of wastewater a year discharged directly into the lake before the 2008 switch.","src":28}]},{"point":"Quantity of waste in storage","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"SB RAS (2021)","says":"More than 6.2 million tonnes of sludge-lignin in 14 storage ponds.","src":13},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Moscow Times (2013)","says":"13 sludge reservoirs holding roughly 6.2 million tons of toxic waste.","src":26},{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax, citing Rosgeologia surveys (2021)","says":"4.948 million m³ of solids (sludge-lignin and ash) and 729 thousand m³ of water.","src":18},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (2022)","says":"About 6.5 million tonnes of hazardous waste.","src":27},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev (2025)","says":"More than 6 million m³ of production waste.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosatom (2025)","says":"At the treatment-plant site about 290 thousand m³ of black-liquor effluent less than 500 m from the shore, and at the Babkhinsky landfill more than 2.4 million m³.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosatom (2024)","says":"288 thousand m³ at the treatment-plant site.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Maxim Pogodin, FEO, via Interfax (2023)","says":"More than 2.2 million m³ at the Babkhinsky landfill.","src":19}]},{"point":"Clean-up spending to 2018","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Nikolai Nikolaev, State Duma (September 2018)","says":"More than RUB 1.3 billion spent since 2013; RUB 1.4 billion allocated that year not spent by the region.","src":45},{"voice":"government","holder":"Alexey Kaulbars, Accounts Chamber (December 2018)","says":"About RUB 4 billion allocated, 90% returned to the budget.","src":46}]},{"point":"Clean-up cost estimates","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosgeologia contract (2017), via Interfax","says":"RUB 5.9 billion, covering the storage ponds but not the industrial site.","src":18},{"voice":"government","holder":"Draft 2022–2024 federal budget note (September 2021), via Interfax","says":"RUB 17.53 billion planned through 2025.","src":18},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev (August 2025)","says":"More than RUB 11 billion allocated and more than RUB 15 billion planned in total.","src":9}]},{"point":"Completion date for the clean-up","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government resolution designating GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (March 2020)","says":"Final deadline 31 January 2024 for the GazEnergoStroy designation.","src":22},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev (2025)","says":"Full set of works to be completed in 2027; threats to Lake Baikal forgotten in 2028.","src":20},{"voice":"government","holder":"Order of October 2026 (NIA Ekologiya)","says":"Pilot-test contracts at the Solzansky landfill end by 1 June 2028.","src":50},{"voice":"research","holder":"Maxim Timofeev, Irkutsk State University (July 2026)","says":"No active work at the Solzansky landfill, where a technological solution had not yet been adopted.","src":51}]},{"point":"Why Rosgeologia left the clean-up contract","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Irkutsk Oblast","says":"Terminated the contract unilaterally in August 2019 for missed deadlines.","src":22},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosgeologia","says":"Said it spent its own funds on surveys, equipment and pond works and alleged that the regional ministry failed to act; claimed RUB 230 million.","src":47}]},{"point":"Expert review of the clean-up technologies","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Valentin Parmon, SB RAS (2021)","says":"Rosatom moved the expert review from SB RAS to the Russian Academy of Sciences as a whole because SB RAS's review seemed too \"harsh\".","src":13},{"voice":"research","holder":"SB RAS expert note (2021)","says":"At FEO's insistent request, requirements about urgent measures under unfulfilled presidential instructions were removed from its April 2021 analytical note; the state contract required a positive SB RAS conclusion on the chosen technologies.","src":12}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor v. Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill (water pollution)","forum":"Arbitration court; Fourth Arbitration Appeal Court on appeal","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor","defendant":"Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill","filed":2007,"decided":2009,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":19,"currency":"RUB","label":"awarded"},"summary":"Claim filed in December 2007 for RUB 4 billion, recalculated to RUB 419 million. RUB 19 million was awarded and the Fourth Arbitration Appeal Court upheld it (reported 21 May 2009). Oleg Mitvol, a former deputy head of Rosprirodnadzor, attributed the rejected RUB 400 million to a retroactive discharge permit that a former Rostekhnadzor official did not revoke; that is his attributed claim.","src":34},{"title":"Bankruptcy proceedings against Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill","forum":"Arbitration Court of Irkutsk Oblast","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Sibstroiles","defendant":"Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill","filed":2009,"decided":2024,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Supervision was introduced on 28 October 2009 and an arbitration manager appointed. Liquidation proceedings began in December 2012; the court declared the company legally liquidated in October 2024.","src":30},{"title":"Former workers' wage claims","forum":"Slyudyansky District Court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Former mill workers","defendant":"Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill","filed":2009,"decided":2009,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The court upheld the wage claims of 8 former workers on 3 April 2009; about 500 claims were filed.","src":31},{"title":"Challenge to Government Decree No. 1 of 13 January 2010 (case ГКПИ10-321)","forum":"Supreme Court of the Russian Federation; Cassation Board (КАС10-358)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"An individual and Greenpeace Russia","defendant":"Government of the Russian Federation","filed":2010,"decided":2010,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 17 June 2010 the Supreme Court dismissed the applications. It held that government decrees are not objects of state ecological expertise under Law 174-FZ. The Cassation Board upheld the ruling on 12 August 2010.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal case against the mill's bankruptcy manager","forum":"Investigative Committee","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee","defendant":"Sergei Reshetnikov, bankruptcy manager","filed":2010,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Charged under Article 303(1) of the Criminal Code (falsification of evidence) over documents about his previous employment that he submitted to courts, according to the Investigative Committee press service on 26 August 2010. The outcome is not on record.","src":41},{"title":"Criminal case against the mill's chief accountant","forum":"Russian court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"The mill's chief accountant (not named)","filed":2010,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Charged with attempted theft of RUB 3 million from the wage fund; the case was sent to court in September 2010, according to the Interior Ministry press centre. The outcome is not on record.","src":42},{"title":"Rosgeologia v. Government of Irkutsk Oblast","forum":"Court not named","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosgeologia","defendant":"Government of Irkutsk Oblast","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":230,"currency":"RUB","label":"claimed"},"summary":"Rosgeologia claimed RUB 230 million spent on preparatory work, saying it financed surveys, equipment and pond works from its own funds. The court, case number and outcome are not on record.","src":47},{"title":"Rosprirodnadzor v. municipal treatment enterprise MUP KOS \"BMO\"","forum":"Court not named","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rosprirodnadzor","defendant":"MUP KOS \"BMO\" (Baikalsk municipal treatment enterprise)","filed":2020,"decided":2020,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Claim filed on 18 September 2020 to ban discharges of over-sludge water, which Rosprirodnadzor said reached Baikal with harmful substances at 400 times the maximum permissible concentration. Rosprirodnadzor won; the ruling took effect on 11 December 2020.","src":44},{"title":"World Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.23 (Lake Baikal)","forum":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"international","claimant":"World Heritage Committee","defendant":"Russia (State Party)","filed":2011,"decided":2011,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Committee stated that continued operation of the mill without adequate measures would represent a clear ascertained danger to the property's Outstanding Universal Value, and requested closure if closed-loop investment was not secured by December 2012.","src":6},{"title":"World Heritage Committee Decision 37 COM 7B.22 (Lake Baikal)","forum":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"international","claimant":"World Heritage Committee","defendant":"Russia (State Party)","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Committee welcomed the shutdown, noted that the mill continued to produce heat, and requested an environmental impact assessment on future use of the site.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":4000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2007,"note":"Rosprirodnadzor environmental damage claim, filed December 2007; recalculated to RUB 419m."},{"key":"claim","value":419,"unit":"RUB m","year":2007,"note":"Recalculated claim (as reported by Pravo.ru, citing Oleg Mitvol)."},{"key":"damages_awarded","value":19,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"note":"Awarded to Rosprirodnadzor; upheld on appeal (reported 21 May 2009)."},{"key":"area_polluted_km2","value":17.8,"unit":"km²","year":1998,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Bottom sediment polluted by hard-to-hydrolyse carbohydrates and lignin-humus complex; 7.9 km² in 1995."},{"key":"area_polluted_km2","value":15.2,"unit":"km²","year":2003,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Bottom sediment polluted by sulphate sulphur; 2.6 km² in 1997."},{"key":"area_polluted_km2","value":3.1,"unit":"km²","year":2013,"note":"Sediment pollution zone by bacterial counts after closure (Roshydromet data)."},{"key":"times_over_limit","value":400,"unit":"x maximum permissible concentration","year":2020,"note":"Harmful substances in over-sludge water reaching Baikal, per Rosprirodnadzor."},{"key":"subsidy","value":43.7,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"note":"Federal allocation to help former mill workers (Shuvalov)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":87.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"note":"Allocated for wage arrears and compensation; total arrears RUB 100m."},{"key":"subsidy","value":530,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Allocated to the mill's social upkeep from 6 October 2008 to July 2009; payer not named."},{"key":"loss","value":680,"unit":"RUB m","year":2008,"note":"Mill loss; credit debt RUB 1,200m in April 2009."},{"key":"debt","value":1700,"unit":"RUB m","year":2010,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Total creditor claims, April 2010; Alfa Bank claim of RUB 577m recognised by the court."},{"key":"debt","value":2800,"unit":"RUB m","year":2012,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Debt by September 2012 (RUB 1,700m in December 2010)."},{"key":"debt_bought","value":1750,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"VEB purchase of the mill's debt, February 2013; total debt RUB 2,860m at December 2012."},{"key":"loan","value":3600,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"note":"VEB loan to refinance debt, cover running costs and pay the 800 remaining workers."},{"key":"clean_up_estimate","value":42000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Estimates ranged from RUB 8,000m to 42,000m; Medvedev said closure and clean-up would cost RUB 40,000m, of which RUB 26,000m federal."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1111.9,"unit":"RUB m","year":2018,"note":"Subsidies to Irkutsk Oblast for the clean-up cut in full by Federal Law No. 459-FZ."},{"key":"subsidy","value":395,"unit":"RUB m","year":2018,"note":"Budgeted subsidy to Rosgeologia; nothing spent in 2018 or the first half of 2019."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1412.6,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"Agreement No. 051-08-2019-001 with Irkutsk Oblast, 14 February 2019."},{"key":"contract_value","value":5900,"unit":"RUB m","year":2017,"note":"Rosgeologia contract value; covered the storage ponds but not the industrial site."},{"key":"claim","value":230,"unit":"RUB m","year":2020,"note":"Rosgeologia claim against Irkutsk Oblast for preparatory work."},{"key":"subsidy","value":363,"unit":"RUB m","year":2021,"note":"From the federal reserve fund; plus more than RUB 61m to Irkutsk Oblast for clearing river channels near the mill."},{"key":"budget_planned","value":17530,"unit":"RUB m","year":2025,"note":"Planned through 2025 in the draft 2022–2024 federal budget note: 3,829 (2022), 9,850 (2023), 3,855 (2024)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":11000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Allocated by August 2025 per Patrushev; more than RUB 15,000m planned in total."},{"key":"subsidy","value":340,"unit":"RUB m","year":2026,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Mudflow-protection reconstruction (two drainage channels over 2.2 km); 21% complete in August 2026."},{"key":"subsidy","value":46000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Federal allocations for Baikal environmental measures in total per Patrushev (July 2026); not specific to the mill."},{"key":"objects_demolished","value":17,"unit":"objects","year":2026,"note":"First stage of demolition; second stage covers 150 objects, due by end of 2027."},{"key":"employees","value":2000,"unit":"people","year":2013,"qualifier":"over","note":"Employment at the mill's peak (The Moscow Times); 800 workers remained at closure."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal, operated from 1966, stopped production in October 2008, resumed open-cycle production in June 2010 after Government Decree No. 1, and ceased on 13 September 2013. Millions of tonnes of pulp-production waste remained in storage ponds, and the federal government has funded and contracted its clean-up since 2013.","src":26},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Creditors of the mill","what":"VEB bought the mill's debt for nearly RUB 1.75bn in February 2013 (Vedomosti, via BFM)","src":43},{"who":"Rosgeologia","what":"Named sole contractor in 2017 for a contract valued at RUB 5.9bn; the Irkutsk government terminated it in August 2019; Rosgeologia claimed RUB 230m back","src":18},{"who":"Federal Environmental Operator (FEO, Rosatom)","what":"Sole contractor since 30 October 2020; the contract value is not disclosed","src":12},{"who":"A VEB.RF subsidiary","what":"Bought the mill's property complex in 2021; the price is not stated","src":48},{"who":"En+ Group","what":"Named as initiator of the proposed International Water Resources Centre (1 billion litres a year of water bottling) on the mill site in Order No. 4344-r","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Mill workers","what":"800 workers remained at the 2013 closure; wage arrears were RUB 100m in 2009","src":26},{"who":"Federal budget","what":"More than RUB 11bn allocated for the clean-up by August 2025, with more than RUB 15bn planned","src":9}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Baikal bottom sediment near the mill","what":"Polluted over 7.9 km² (1995) to 17.8 km² (1998)","src":16},{"who":"Lake Baikal coastal zone at the mill site","what":"Interstitial water at 25 °C and black deposits matching the mill's sludge-lignin, 2013–2016","src":15}]},"where":{"t":"Baikalsk, Slyudyansky District, Irkutsk Oblast, on the southern shore of Lake Baikal; the Solzansky landfill lies west of the town and the Babkhinsky landfill near the Babkha river.","src":23},"when":{"t":"Commissioned 1966; stopped 6 October 2008 (per Pravo.ru); Decree No. 1 on 13 January 2010; closed 13 September 2013; clean-up contractors from 2017; FEO from 2020; works planned to 2027–2028.","src":26},"why":{"t":"The Irkutsk regional government said the 2013 stoppage was decided by creditors; The Moscow Times wrote that the official grounds were financial, not ecological. Management said in October 2008 that the mill was in financial and economic default and was unable to continue under a closed water cycle.","src":26},"how":{"t":"The government removed the closed-cycle requirement for pulp production in the central ecological zone by Decree No. 1 (13 January 2010); the Supreme Court dismissed challenges. After closure, clean-up was assigned by government order to Rosgeologia (2017), GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (2020) and FEO (2020), funded from the federal budget.","src":0}},"related":["norilsk-diesel-spill","espo-pipeline-baikal-reroute-2006","baikal-omul-commercial-fishing-ban-2017","baikal-natural-territory-expertise-exemptions"],"sources":[{"t":"Decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 17.06.2010 No. ГКПИ10-321 (via pravo.ppt.ru)","p":"Supreme Court of the Russian Federation","d":"2010-06-17","type":"court","u":"https://pravo.ppt.ru/resheniye/23178"},{"t":"Analytical report on federal budget execution, first half of 2019","p":"Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation","d":"2019","type":"official","u":"https://ach.gov.ru/promo/analytical-report-federal-budget-2019-2/index.html"},{"t":"On eliminating the negative impact of waste accumulated by OAO BPPM (government order)","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2017-08-24","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/orders/selection/404/28952/"},{"t":"Order of 29.12.2022 No. 4344-р (Baikalsk development programme to 2040)","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2022-12-29","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/docs/all/145594/?page=6"},{"t":"The government approved subsidy rules for clean-up in the central ecological zone (Decree No. 1348)","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2025-09-02","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/docs/56099/"},{"t":"Dmitry Patrushev: systematic work will continue","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2026-07-01","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/59191/"},{"t":"Decision 35 COM 7B.23, Lake Baikal (reproduced by InforMEA)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN)","d":"2011","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.informea.org/en/decision/lake-baikal-russian-federation-n-754-3"},{"t":"Decision 37 COM 7B.22, Lake Baikal (reproduced by InforMEA)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee via InforMEA (UN)","d":"2013","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.informea.org/en/decision/lake-baikal-russian-federation-n-754-4"},{"t":"Press review of 29.12.2012 (reprinting the Irkutsk governor's press service)","p":"VEB","d":"2012-12-29","type":"company","u":"https://veb.ru/common/upload/files/veb/news/review/op20121229.pdf"},{"t":"Rosatom presented to the Deputy Prime Minister the progress of works at BPPM","p":"Rosatom (Atommedia)","d":"2025-08-27","type":"company","u":"https://atommedia.online/upload/iblock/032/gy39oisbt55vdk742ljmyywyae1nlc5k/likvidatsiya-ekologicheskogo-vreda-27_08.docx"},{"t":"FEO began installing process equipment at BPPM","p":"Rosatom (Atommedia)","d":"2024-11-12","type":"company","u":"https://atommedia.online/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/cbk-12-11.docx"},{"t":"Rosatom presented to Viktoria Abramchenko the results of works at BPPM","p":"Rosatom (Atommedia)","d":"2024-04-23","type":"company","u":"https://atommedia.online/upload/iblock/a2b/qtl9wf5m2th7yjhbuos88y3m66r4e9ae/rezultaty_rabot_bcbk.docx"},{"t":"Explanatory note: BPPM landfill (Solzansky expert note)","p":"Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sbras.ru/files/news/docs/poyasneniya_k_otchetu_poligon_btsbk_dop.pdf"},{"t":"\"Ecological disaster\" sites: RAS leadership and experts assessed reclamation prospects","p":"Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sbras.ru/files/news/docs/btsbk_2021.pdf"},{"t":"Joint complex expedition of LIN SB RAS with the Baikal Interregional Environmental Prosecutor's Office, 21-25 June 2024","p":"Limnological Institute SB RAS","d":"2024-06-27","type":"academic","u":"https://srv01.lin.irk.ru/en/expeditions-main/1931-joint-complex-expedition-of-lin-sb-ras-with-the-baikal-interregional-environmental-prosecutor-s-office-in-the-south-baikal-water-area-on-june-21-25-2024"},{"t":"Industrial site of out-of-operation Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill as a potential source of pollution in Lake Baikal coastal zone","p":"Limnology and Freshwater Biology (Zvereva et al.)","d":"2022-11-11","type":"academic","u":"https://limnolfwbiol.com/index.php/LFWB/article/view/928"},{"t":"Chironomids of the stony littoral Utulik-Murino in the BPPM impact zone, 1964-1996","p":"Izvestiya ISU, Biology. Ecology (Erbaeva, Safronov)","d":"2008","type":"academic","u":"https://izvestiabio.isu.ru/en/article/file?id=409"},{"t":"State of Lake Baikal bottom sediments near the former BPPM","p":"Lomonosov-2015 conference (Bogush)","d":"2015","type":"academic","u":"https://confhub.ru/archive/Lomonosov_2015/data/7211/uid85826_report.pdf"},{"t":"Costs of the BPPM waste-liquidation project almost tripled","p":"Interfax","d":"2021-09-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/business/792734"},{"t":"Liquidation of BPPM waste has begun","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/904833"},{"t":"Environmental threats to Baikal from the BPPM site expected to be eliminated in 2028","p":"Interfax","d":"2025-05-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1027239"},{"t":"First stage of BPPM demolition completed","p":"Interfax","d":"2026-01-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1067182"},{"t":"Volga chemical-dump liquidator to handle BPPM waste","p":"Interfax","d":"2020-03-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/700452"},{"t":"Rosatom may start liquidating BPPM's low-hazard waste in 2023","p":"Interfax","d":"2022-10-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/868316"},{"t":"Fate of Baikal Pulp & Paper Mill must be decided in next 2 months - Dvorkovich","p":"Interfax","d":"2012-09-14","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/54363/"},{"t":"Dvorkovich: Baikalsk Mill to Be Closed","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2013-02-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2013/02/27/dvorkovich-baikalsk-mill-to-be-closed-a21941"},{"t":"Polluting Baikal Paper Mill Finally Shuts Down","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2013-10-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2013/10/13/polluting-baikal-paper-mill-finally-shuts-down-a28543"},{"t":"Baikal promised not to be \"soaped up\"","p":"Kommersant","d":"2022-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5644889"},{"t":"Dirty business: the decree signed by Putin threatens Baikal's purity","p":"Lenta.ru","d":"2010-01-19","type":"press","u":"https://lenta.ru/articles/2010/01/19/baikal/"},{"t":"Greenpeace asks to cancel the decree allowing BPPM's restart","p":"RIA Novosti","d":"2010-01-19","type":"press","u":"https://ria.ru/20100119/205330250.html"},{"t":"BPPM entered bankruptcy","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2009-10-29","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2009/10/29/bcbk.html"},{"t":"BPPM wage claims (Slyudyansky District Court)","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/9830/"},{"t":"BPPM: statement by the Irkutsk governor","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/10328/"},{"t":"BPPM 2008 loss and credit debt","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/10818/"},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor claim against BPPM and 19 million ruble award","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/11725/"},{"t":"BPPM wage arrears: 87.6 million rubles allocated","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/12514/"},{"t":"Shuvalov on aid to BPPM workers and the mill's board","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/12752/"},{"t":"BPPM: allocations since the October 2008 stoppage","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/15035/"},{"t":"Putin on BPPM and the owners","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2009","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/15116/"},{"t":"BPPM: Alfa Bank claim recognised; management statement","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2010","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/28909/"},{"t":"Supreme Court cassation on the Baikal decree","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2010-08-12","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/35899/"},{"t":"Charges against the BPPM bankruptcy manager (Investigative Committee press service)","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2010-08-26","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/36782/"},{"t":"Charges against the BPPM chief accountant (Interior Ministry press centre)","p":"Pravo.ru","d":"2010","type":"press","u":"https://pravo.ru/news/view/38731/"},{"t":"VEB bought BPPM's debt for 1.75 bn","p":"BFM.ru","d":"2013-02-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.bfm.ru/news/209076"},{"t":"Waste from the former mill got into Baikal","p":"BFM.ru","d":"2020-12-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.bfm.ru/news/460328"},{"t":"Nikolaev said when the BPPM audit results will be known","p":"Parlamentskaya Gazeta","d":"2018-09-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.pnp.ru/social/nikolaev-rasskazal-kogda-stanut-izvestny-rezultaty-proverki-po-baykalskomu-cbk.html"},{"t":"Accounts Chamber criticised the \"Protection of Lake Baikal\" programme","p":"Parlamentskaya Gazeta","d":"2018-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.pnp.ru/politics/v-schyotnoy-palate-raskritikovali-ispolnenie-nacprogrammy-okhrana-ozera-baykal.html"},{"t":"Rosgeologia demands 230 mln back from Irkutsk Oblast","p":"EastRussia","d":"2020-02-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/byulleten-eastrussia-rosgeologiya-trebuet-ot-priangarya-vernut-230-mln/"},{"t":"Legal liquidation of BPPM completed","p":"Oblastnaya Gazeta (Irkutsk)","d":"2024-10-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogirk.ru/2024/10/10/juridicheskaja-likvidacija-bajkalskogo-celljulozno-bumazhnogo-kombinata-zavershena-gorod-bajkalsk-poluchaet-novye-vozmozhnosti-razvitija/"},{"t":"Mudflow-protection structure being rebuilt in Baikalsk","p":"Atomic-Energy.ru (republishing NIA)","d":"2026-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.atomic-energy.ru/news/2026/08/31/168163"},{"t":"MSU and FEO to test a BPPM waste-neutralisation technology","p":"NIA Ekologiya","d":"2026-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://nia.eco/2026/10/12/145255/"},{"t":"How the elimination of environmental harm at the former BPPM is going (column by Maxim Timofeev)","p":"Glagol38","d":"2026-07-02","type":"press","u":"https://glagol38.ru/text/02-07-2026/003"},{"t":"Toxic waste may reach Baikal: authorities declare emergency regime","p":"Snob","d":"2021-04-14","type":"press","u":"https://snob.ru/news/v-bajkal-mogut-popast-toksichnye-othody-s-cellyuloznogo-kombinata-vlasti-vveli-rezhim-chs/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to Lake Baikal while the mill operated","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume of wastewater discharged into Lake Baikal before 2008","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Quantity of waste in storage","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Expert review of the clean-up technologies","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Clean-up spending to 2018","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Clean-up cost estimates","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Completion date for the clean-up","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why Rosgeologia left the clean-up contract","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bankruptcy proceedings against Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal case against the mill's bankruptcy manager: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal case against the mill's chief accountant: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rosgeologia v. Government of Irkutsk Oblast: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"World Heritage Committee Decision 35 COM 7B.23 (Lake Baikal): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"World Heritage Committee Decision 37 COM 7B.22 (Lake Baikal): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the quantity of waste is given as more than 6.2 million tonnes in 14 ponds (SB RAS), about 6.5 million tonnes (Kommersant), 4.948 million m³ of solids and 729 thousand m³ of water (Rosgeologia surveys via Interfax) and more than 6 million m³ (Patrushev, 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: before 2008 the mill discharged \"tens of millions of m³\" of treated wastewater a year (2008 university paper) or about 100,000 m³ directly into the lake (Greenpeace figures cited by Lenta.ru).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the signing date of Decree No. 1. The court text dates it 13 January 2010; Lenta.ru says it was signed on 18 January.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether pumping and treatment at the Babkhinsky and treatment-plant sites began in 2026. In July 2026 the first treatment runs were described as planned for \"this year\".","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the value of the 2020 designation of GazEnergoStroy–Ecological Technologies (not stated by Interfax).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: how the nature-like technology for the Solzansky landfill works and what the pilot work costs (stated by NIA Ekologiya on the October 2026 order).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the contractor and cost of the demolition works (Interfax), the price of the 2021 VEB.RF purchase of the property complex (Oblastnaya Gazeta) and the contractor for the 2026 mudflow-protection works (Atomic-Energy.ru).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the credit line approved by VEB.RF on 5 July 2013 and the amount paid to SB RAS for expert review under FEO contract No. Ц-ГД/ИФ04-4/2020ЕИ-6/21.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: results of the June 2024 organochlorine sampling of bottom sediment at the outfall; the Limnological Institute's expedition page gives none.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: sediment near the mill between the 1980s and 2011, when Roshydromet resumed monitoring.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the amount spent on the clean-up before 2018 — more than RUB 1.3 billion since 2013 (Nikolaev) or about RUB 4 billion allocated with 90% returned to the budget (Accounts Chamber auditor Kaulbars).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the 2010 charges against the bankruptcy manager and the chief accountant, and the court, case number and outcome of Rosgeologia's RUB 230 million claim against Irkutsk Oblast.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"espo-pipeline-baikal-reroute-2006","title":"ESPO oil pipeline rerouted away from the Baikal shore (2006)","dek":"On 26 April 2006 President Vladimir Putin ordered Transneft to move the East Siberia–Pacific Ocean (ESPO) oil pipeline north of the Lake Baikal catchment, after a route about 800 m from the northern shore had received a positive state ecological expertise conclusion. Putin later put the extra cost at an additional $1 billion.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":55.6,"lon":109.3,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Northern Lake Baikal (Severobaikalsk area)","lat":55.6,"lon":109.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Tomsk","role":"decision"}],"start":2005,"end":2008,"eventDate":"2006-04-26","instrument":"pipeline","types":["pipeline","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Extra cost of the reroute, as stated by the President","value":"$1 billion","note":"Statement by President Putin on 25 October 2006; the first-stage cost is reported in different units and amounts by different sources."},"happened":["The pipeline route originally approved ran along the northern shore of Lake Baikal, about 800 m from the water (Kremlin transcript; Lenta.ru). On 11 November 2005 the Ministry of Natural Resources objected that the route ran 800 m from the shore, while the previously approved route lay outside the catchment. The state ecological expertise commission issued a negative conclusion on 24 January 2006; in early March the commission was enlarged by 34 experts and voted 58 for and 26 against, and on 3 March 2006 Rostekhnadzor head Konstantin Pulikovsky signed the positive conclusion (Kommersant). On 9 March 2006 the Supreme Court upheld the government's resolution of 31 December 2004 on the pipeline.","At a meeting in Tomsk on 26 April 2006, Transneft head Semyon Vainshtok said the Baikal water-protection zone was 500 metres and the pipeline could be moved a further 300 metres, to 800 metres from the lake. He said modelling put the maximum oil reaching the central ecological zone at no more than 170 kilograms \"if something improbable happens\", and that Transneft's solutions fully ruled out oil entering the lake. Russian Academy of Sciences vice-president Nikolai Laverov proposed routing the pipeline along the watersheds, and Putin asked whether a northern route was technically possible. Putin then ordered that the pipeline pass north of the Baikal catchment line. Construction started on 28 April 2006.","On 25 October 2006, in a televised Hot Line, Putin said the change in route would cost an additional $1 billion. On the day of the decision Vainshtok had said he was unable to say how many kilometres the pipeline would lengthen or how much more it would cost. Kommersant reported in 2008 that the first-stage cost rose from $6.65 billion to $11.2 billion and the route became about 500 km longer, without attributing the whole increase to the reroute.","The final first-stage route ran Taishet–Ust-Kut–Lensk–Aldan–Skovorodino and was approved by Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov in February 2008. Transneft set up a subsidiary, the ESPO Project Management Centre, in Angarsk; Krasnodarstroitransgaz and China Petroleum Pipeline Bureau also worked on the project. Kommersant (2008) reported a hepatitis A outbreak among 24 workers on the final route, an emergency regime in the Neryungri district and a criminal case."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Ministry of Natural Resources objected to the route 800 m from the shore (11 Nov)","src":4},{"y":2006,"t":"Negative expertise conclusion (24 Jan); enlarged commission voted 58–26; positive conclusion signed (3 Mar); Supreme Court upheld the 2004 government resolution (9 Mar); Putin ordered the reroute at Tomsk (26 Apr); construction started (28 Apr); Putin stated the extra cost (25 Oct)","src":2},{"y":2008,"t":"Route approved by Prime Minister Zubkov (February); Kommersant reported first-stage cost of $11.2bn","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The Baikal water-protection zone is now 500 metres. We have moved as far as possible, another 300 metres. So we can be 800 metres from Baikal","who":"Semyon Vainshtok, head of Transneft","when":"26 April 2006","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Our solutions fully rule out oil entering Lake Baikal","who":"Semyon Vainshtok, head of Transneft","when":"26 April 2006","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The pipeline system… must pass beyond the catchment line, north of Lake Baikal's catchment line","who":"Vladimir Putin, President","when":"26 April 2006","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"If there is even a tiny share… of danger of polluting Baikal, then we… must do everything not to minimise that danger but to exclude it","who":"Vladimir Putin, President","when":"26 April 2006","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the change in the pipeline route will cost us an additional $1 billion… the oil companies will thus be able to save on auxiliary routes. Overall, the costs are not so huge, and we will preserve Lake Baikal","who":"Vladimir Putin, President","when":"25 October 2006","src":1},{"q":"I cannot say by how many kilometers the pipeline will be lengthened and how much more it will cost","who":"Semyon Vainshtok, head of Transneft","when":"26 April 2006","src":7},{"q":"We were totally convinced that the route we proposed, which was much shorter, was totally safe.","who":"Semyon Vainshtok, head of Transneft","when":"26 April 2006","src":7},{"q":"Transneft's reaction is extremely positive, as this finally means a line has been drawn under the issue.","who":"Sergey Grigoryev, Transneft vice-president","when":"26 April 2006","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"Transneft told the meeting that modelling put the maximum oil reaching the central ecological zone at no more than 170 kilograms and that its solutions fully ruled out oil entering the lake.","who":"Transneft (Semyon Vainshtok), 26 April 2006","src":0},{"t":"The extra cost was \"not so huge\" and Lake Baikal would be preserved.","who":"President Putin, 25 October 2006","src":1},{"t":"Rail transport near Baikal was riskier than the pipeline.","who":"Russian Railways (Vladimir Yakunin), Tomsk meeting","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"PortNews reported the 25 October 2006 statement under the headline \"Pacific oil pipeline project to cost extra $1 billion – Putin\".","src":8},{"t":"The decision was taken by the President at a regional meeting in Tomsk on 26 April 2006; the route was later approved by the Prime Minister in February 2008.","src":0},{"t":"The state ecological expertise moved from a negative conclusion (24 January 2006) to a positive one (3 March 2006) after the commission was enlarged by 34 experts; Kommersant reported that four votes were missing to block approval.","src":2},{"t":"Greenpeace Russia, IFAW Russia and WWF Russia prepared a report on the pipeline's harm for Transneft's potential lenders.","src":5},{"t":"The day before the decision, Transneft said it had secured a construction loan from Sberbank; no amount was given.","src":5},{"t":"The state environmental watchdog had endorsed the plan to lay the pipe less than a kilometre from the lake shore shortly before the decision (RFE/RL).","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Extra cost of the reroute, as stated by the President","amount":1000,"qualifier":"additional","window":"2006","note":"Statement of 25 October 2006."},{"label":"First-stage cost before and after (Kommersant, 2008)","amount":11200,"window":"2008","note":"Up from $6,650m; the increase is not wholly attributed to the reroute."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Original route distance from the shore","v":"≈ 800 m","d":"Northern Baikal shore, per the Kremlin transcript"},{"k":"Maximum oil reaching the central zone","v":"≤ 170 kg","d":"Transneft's own modelling, presented at Tomsk"},{"k":"Extra cost stated by the President","v":"$1 billion","d":"25 October 2006"},{"k":"Reroute decision","v":"North of the catchment","d":"26 April 2006"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the share of the first-stage cost increase attributable to the reroute. The President stated an additional $1 billion; Kommersant (2008) reported the first-stage cost rising from $6.65 billion to $11.2 billion without attributing all of it to the reroute.","Figures differ: Vainshtok gave the first-stage cost at Tomsk as 6,650 million rubles in second-quarter 2004 prices (Kremlin transcript); press reports gave $6.6 billion for the first stage and $11.5 billion in total (Lenta.ru).","Figures differ: the distance the route was moved is given as more than 40 km (Oil & Gas Journal, RFE/RL), \"maybe 200 km north\" (Putin, via Lenta.ru) and about 500 km longer in total (Kommersant, 2008).","Not measured: harm to the Baikal catchment from the pipeline; the route was not built there. The 170 kg figure is Transneft's own modelling estimate."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Putin ordered the pipeline moved north of the Baikal catchment on 26 April 2006, and construction started on 28 April 2006; the route was approved in February 2008.","whoPaid":"Transneft, a state-owned company, carried the project cost; the President stated the reroute would cost an additional $1 billion.","statusLine":"As of 2008 (latest source): the first-stage route Taishet–Ust-Kut–Lensk–Aldan–Skovorodino was approved by the Prime Minister in February 2008, with the first-stage cost reported at $11.2bn.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Transneft","says":"Vice-president Sergey Grigoryev said Transneft's reaction was extremely positive, as a line had finally been drawn under the issue; Vainshtok said Transneft had been totally convinced its shorter route was safe.","when":"26 April 2006","src":7},{"actor":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Press secretary Rinat Gizatulin said in 2005 that the ministry would not obstruct the fastest approval.","when":"2005","src":4},{"actor":"Russian Railways","says":"Vladimir Yakunin argued at the Tomsk meeting that rail transport near Baikal is riskier than the pipeline.","when":"26 April 2006","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"transneft","role":"State pipeline operator; builder of ESPO"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"President ordered the reroute; Prime Minister approved the route"},{"id":"rostekhnadzor","role":"Signed the positive state ecological expertise conclusion on 3 March 2006"},{"id":"russian-supreme-court","role":"Upheld the 2004 government resolution on 9 March 2006"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Co-authored a report on the pipeline's harm (Greenpeace Russia)"},{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Co-authored a report on the pipeline's harm"},{"id":"russian-railways","role":"Argued at Tomsk that rail transport near Baikal is riskier than the pipeline"}],"disputes":[{"point":"State ecological expertise of the pipeline route","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources (November 2005)","says":"Objected that the route ran 800 m from the shore, while the previously approved route lay outside the catchment.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"State ecological expertise commission (Kommersant)","says":"Negative conclusion on 24 January 2006; after enlargement by 34 experts it voted 58 for and 26 against, and Rostekhnadzor signed the positive conclusion on 3 March 2006.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"RFE/RL","says":"The state environmental watchdog had endorsed the plan to lay the pipe less than a kilometre from the shore shortly before the decision.","src":6}]},{"point":"Risk of oil reaching Lake Baikal","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Transneft (Vainshtok, 26 April 2006)","says":"Modelling put the maximum oil reaching the central ecological zone at no more than 170 kg; the solutions fully ruled out oil entering the lake.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Putin (26 April 2006)","says":"Even a tiny share of danger of polluting Baikal had to be excluded, not minimised.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Russia, IFAW Russia and WWF Russia","says":"Prepared a study of the pipeline's harm for Transneft's potential lenders; its content is not on record.","src":5}]},{"point":"First-stage cost of the pipeline","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Transneft head Vainshtok at Tomsk (Kremlin transcript)","says":"First stage, in second-quarter 2004 prices: 6,650 million rubles.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Lenta.ru (2006)","says":"$6.6 billion for the first stage and $11.5 billion in total.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (2008)","says":"First-stage cost rose from $6.65 billion to $11.2 billion and the route became about 500 km longer.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Putin (25 October 2006)","says":"The change in route would cost an additional $1 billion.","src":1}]},{"point":"Distance the route was moved","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Oil & Gas Journal and RFE/RL","says":"More than 40 km.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"Lenta.ru, quoting Putin","says":"Maybe 200 km north.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant (2008)","says":"About 500 km longer in total.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"State ecological expertise of the ESPO feasibility study","forum":"Rostekhnadzor, state ecological expertise commission","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Transneft (project applicant)","defendant":"Rostekhnadzor expertise commission","filed":2006,"decided":2006,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Negative conclusion on 24 January 2006; after the commission was enlarged by 34 experts it voted 58 for and 26 against, and the positive conclusion was signed on 3 March 2006.","src":2},{"title":"Supreme Court review of the government resolution of 31 December 2004 authorising ESPO","forum":"Supreme Court of the Russian Federation","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Applicant not named","defendant":"Government of the Russian Federation","filed":null,"decided":2006,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 9 March 2006 the Supreme Court found the government resolution lawful.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"distance_from_shore_m","value":800,"unit":"m","year":2006,"note":"Original route distance from the northern Baikal shore; the water-protection zone is 500 m."},{"key":"oil_reaching_zone_kg","value":170,"unit":"kg","year":2006,"qualifier":"no more than","est":true,"note":"Transneft modelling: maximum oil reaching the central ecological zone."},{"key":"extra_cost","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"qualifier":"additional","note":"Stated by President Putin on 25 October 2006."},{"key":"expert_votes_for","value":58,"unit":"votes","year":2006,"note":"Enlarged expertise commission; 26 against."},{"key":"experts_added","value":34,"unit":"experts","year":2006,"note":"Added to the expertise commission in early March 2006."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 26 April 2006 President Putin ordered Transneft's ESPO oil pipeline moved north of the Lake Baikal catchment, away from a route about 800 m from the northern shore that had received a positive state ecological expertise conclusion on 3 March 2006.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Oil companies","what":"According to Putin, they could save on auxiliary routes as a result of the new route","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Transneft","what":"Carried the additional cost of the reroute, put by President Putin at $1 billion","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Northern shore of Lake Baikal (original route), later Taishet–Ust-Kut–Lensk–Aldan–Skovorodino.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Objection 11 November 2005; expertise 24 January and 3 March 2006; decision 26 April 2006; construction start 28 April 2006; cost statement 25 October 2006; route approval February 2008.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Putin said that even a tiny share of danger of polluting Baikal had to be excluded. Transneft had said its solutions fully ruled out oil entering the lake.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The President decided at a regional meeting in Tomsk after the Russian Academy of Sciences vice-president proposed routing along the watersheds; the Prime Minister approved the final route in February 2008.","src":0}},"related":["baikalsk-pulp-and-paper-mill-closure-and-waste-clean-up","baikal-omul-commercial-fishing-ban-2017","baikal-natural-territory-expertise-exemptions"],"sources":[{"t":"Transcript of the meeting on the Siberian Federal District, Tomsk","p":"Kremlin","d":"2006-04-26","type":"official","u":"http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/23556"},{"t":"Transcript of the Hot Line with President of Russia Vladimir Putin","p":"Kremlin","d":"2006-10-25","type":"official","u":"http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/23864/print"},{"t":"For protection of the surrounding pipe","p":"Kommersant Vlast","d":"2006-04-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/664955"},{"t":"Empty pipe","p":"Kommersant","d":"2008-03-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/870350"},{"t":"The eastern pipeline will run near Baikal","p":"Lenta.ru","d":"2005-11-11","type":"press","u":"https://lenta.ru/news/2005/11/11/vt/"},{"t":"Putin ordered the pipeline moved away from Baikal","p":"Lenta.ru","d":"2006-04-26","type":"press","u":"https://lenta.ru/news/2006/04/26/pipe/"},{"t":"Putin Reroutes Pipeline Away From Baikal","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2006-04-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1067963.html"},{"t":"Putin changes Siberia-Pacific oil line route","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2006-04-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/pipelines-transportation/article/17281784/putin-changes-siberia-pacific-oil-line-route"},{"t":"Pacific oil pipeline project to cost extra $1 billion – Putin","p":"PortNews","d":"2006-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://en.portnews.ru/news/734"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A pipeline route about 800 m from my Baikal shore was ordered north of my catchment on 26 April 2006; Transneft's modelling put oil reaching my central zone at no more than 170 kg.","src":[0,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"State ecological expertise of the pipeline route","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Risk of oil reaching Lake Baikal","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"First-stage cost of the pipeline","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Distance the route was moved","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the share of the first-stage cost increase attributable to the reroute. The President stated an additional $1 billion; Kommersant (2008) reported the first-stage cost rising from $6.65 billion to $11.2 billion without attributing all of it to the reroute.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Vainshtok gave the first-stage cost at Tomsk as 6,650 million rubles in second-quarter 2004 prices (Kremlin transcript); press reports gave $6.6 billion for the first stage and $11.5 billion in total (Lenta.ru).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the distance the route was moved is given as more than 40 km (Oil & Gas Journal, RFE/RL), \"maybe 200 km north\" (Putin, via Lenta.ru) and about 500 km longer in total (Kommersant, 2008).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: harm to the Baikal catchment from the pipeline; the route was not built there. The 170 kg figure is Transneft's own modelling estimate.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"baikal-omul-commercial-fishing-ban-2017","title":"Baikal omul industrial fishing ban (from 2017)","dek":"Russia banned industrial fishing of Baikal omul by Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017, in force from 1 October 2017, citing a decline in the population. The ban remained in force in October 2026 with no reopening date set.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":53.5,"lon":108,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Lake Baikal (Buryatia and Irkutsk Oblast)","lat":53.5,"lon":108,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Selenga delta","lat":52.3,"lon":106.4,"role":"affected"}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2017-10-01","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Ban status, October 2026","value":"In force; no reopening date","note":"Rosrybolovstvo expected the ban to be lifted no earlier than 2027–2029 (November 2025)."},"happened":["Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017 amended the Baikal fishing rules to ban industrial fishing of Baikal omul in the lake and its tributaries; it was registered with the Ministry of Justice on 18 September 2017 (No. 48234) and the ban took effect on 1 October 2017. EastRussia reported that an order to ban industrial omul fishing was issued by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ilya Shestakov on 30 November 2016. A July 2016 presidential instruction was titled \"On preventing the loss of the omul population on Baikal\". Rosrybolovstvo cited a \"catastrophic decline\" of the population (via Fontanka, 2025) and VNIRO a \"rapid decline in stocks\".","In 2016 the Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosrybolovstvo named poaching as the main cause; an Irkutsk fisheries inspector also blamed cormorants and seals and omul no longer entering the Selenga and Barguzin rivers to spawn. VNIRO wrote that licensed amateur net fishing in 1991–2005 put a high load on the spawning stock, that official licensed catches exceeded 200 tonnes a year by 2001 and that real catches may have been at least twice that. Catch cuts began in 2004 (Interfax). Gosrybcenter specialists put the stock at 23–25 thousand tonnes in 1985–2004 and 14–15 thousand tonnes in 2016.","VNIRO scientist Oleg Bulatov said that from 2019 to 2023 the spawning stock barely grew and stayed at a historic minimum, with first signs of recovery in 2024. A 2024 hydroacoustic survey counted 37 million fish (Interfax). Different sources gave different stock totals for overlapping years (see disputes). VNIRO wrote that minimal recruitment of the 2016–2018 year classes affected the current spawning stock and that the pelagic group recovers more slowly. In 2022 summer amateur fishing for omul was re-allowed with limits, and on 10 December 2024 the Supreme Court Appeals Board (ruling АПЛ24-400) invalidated the ban on nets for amateur fishing in the whole Baikal basin.","On the money side, no compensation amount to fishers or enterprises was stated; in 2016 Rosrybolovstvo did not rule out state support and subsidies to help fishing companies change profile. In 2017 the Buryatia agriculture ministry offered retraining and start-up support programmes that were \"almost unused\". Larvae releases were 455 million in 2019, 520 million in 2020 and 800 million in 2021 (Shestakov via Interfax), about 3 billion in total in 2019–2023 and 415 million in 2024, with 1 billion a year planned for 2025–2026 (Glavrybvod via Interfax). The Bolsherechensky hatchery was reconstructed to produce a billion fish a year in future, and the government gave almost RUB 500 million for the research vessel \"Vikenty Zaitsev\".","The reopening date moved repeatedly: Rosrybolovstvo suggested 2023–2024 in 2020 and 2025 in 2022; in November 2025 its deputy head Vasily Sokolov expected lifting no earlier than 2027–2029, when the strong 2019–2020 year classes enter the fishery; VNIRO scientists considered an experimental fishery by 2030 (February 2025). On 1 July 2026 Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said VNIRO assessed the main commercial stocks as \"relatively stable\" and that the ban had \"significantly improved the situation\". In October 2026 Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that the ban remained."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Catch cuts began","src":6},{"y":2016,"t":"Presidential instruction on preventing the loss of the omul population (July); order to ban industrial omul fishing reported (30 Nov)","src":3},{"y":2017,"t":"Order No. 450 (29 Aug); registered with the Ministry of Justice (18 Sep); ban in force (1 Oct); Buryatia retraining and start-up programmes offered","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Larvae releases of 455 million; stock reported as stabilised in 2018–2020 (VNIRO Baikal branch)","src":8},{"y":2022,"t":"Summer amateur fishing for omul re-allowed with limits","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Hydroacoustic survey (37 million fish); Supreme Court Appeals Board invalidated the net ban for amateur fishing (10 Dec)","src":6},{"y":2025,"t":"Rosrybolovstvo expected lifting no earlier than 2027–2029 (November)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"Patrushev statement (1 Jul); ban remained in force (October)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"Omul trade is often illegal now; we cannot check the legality of every trader's fish","who":"Rosrybolovstvo","when":"2016","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The new measures are ineffective: poaching remains, fishing collectives are idle","who":"Sergey Palubis, head of the Buryatia Fishing Industry Association","when":"2017","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"But what are fishers supposed to do in the meantime?","who":"Sergey Palubis, head of the Buryatia Fishing Industry Association","when":"2017","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"From 2019 to 2023 the spawning stock barely grew and stayed at a historic minimum","who":"Oleg Bulatov, VNIRO","when":"2024","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"additional research is needed, and the decision should follow from its results","who":"Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo","when":"2024","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"we cannot yet guarantee private investment","who":"Viktoria Abramchenko, Deputy Prime Minister","when":"2023","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The industrial fishing ban is not a punishment but a condition for the population's recovery","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources","when":"2026","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Omul is recovering, but slowly","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources","when":"2026","src":10,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The ban had significantly improved the situation, and VNIRO assessed the main commercial stocks as relatively stable.","who":"Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev (1 July 2026)","src":1},{"t":"The ban was a condition for the population's recovery.","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources (2026)","src":10}],"recorded":[{"t":"Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017 (Ministry of Justice registration No. 48234 of 18 September 2017) added the ban on industrial fishing of Baikal omul to the Baikal fishing rules.","src":0},{"t":"The current Baikal fishing rules are Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 226 of 24 April 2020, according to VNIRO.","src":2},{"t":"Quotas before the ban: Irkutsk Oblast's industrial quota was 300–350 tonnes a year, about 60% used; draft 2017 allowances were 160 tonnes for reproduction and 25 tonnes for research.","src":3},{"t":"Amateur catch was about 110 tonnes a year in 2023–2024 (VNIRO: 116 trips, 550 anglers surveyed) and 185 tonnes in 2025 (Ministry of Natural Resources, via Rossiyskaya Gazeta).","src":10},{"t":"Poaching cases in 2026: a charge was filed over the purchase of 1,374 omul worth more than RUB 5 million; 34 fish (about 22 kg) were seized with damage estimated at RUB 246 thousand.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Research vessel \"Vikenty Zaitsev\"","amount":500,"qualifier":"almost","window":"to 2026","note":"From the government, per the Deputy Prime Minister's office."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Poaching case: purchase of 1,374 omul","amount":5,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2026","note":"Value of the purchase named in the charge."},{"label":"Poaching case: 34 fish seized, estimated damage","amount":0.246,"window":"2026"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Stock, 1985–2004 and 2016","v":"23–25 → 14–15 thousand t","d":"Gosrybcenter specialists, via EastRussia"},{"k":"Fish counted, 2024 survey","v":"37 million","d":"Hydroacoustic survey, via Interfax"},{"k":"Larvae released, 2019–2023","v":"≈ 3 billion","d":"Glavrybvod, via Interfax"},{"k":"Reopening date","v":"None set","d":"Not earlier than 2027–2029 per Rosrybolovstvo (November 2025)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Stock assessments by Gosrybcenter, VNIRO and Rosrybolovstvo as reported in the press and a VNIRO paper.","report":[{"t":"My omul stock stood at 23–25 thousand tonnes in 1985–2004 and at 14–15 thousand tonnes in 2016, a fall of 10 thousand tonnes over 20 years, according to Gosrybcenter specialists.","src":3},{"t":"My spawning stock stayed at a historic minimum from 2019 to 2023, with first signs of recovery in 2024, according to VNIRO.","src":6},{"t":"A 2024 hydroacoustic survey counted 37 million omul in me, according to Rosrybolovstvo and VNIRO figures reported by Interfax.","src":6},{"t":"The 2016–2018 year classes recruited at a minimum, which affected my current spawning stock, according to VNIRO.","src":2},{"t":"Omul stopped entering the Selenga and Barguzin rivers to spawn, according to an Irkutsk fisheries inspector in 2016.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the omul stock is given as 7,500 tonnes in 2017 (Rosrybolovstvo) and 7.7 thousand tonnes in 2018–2020 (VNIRO Baikal branch); about 8.6 thousand tonnes (Interfax, October 2024) and about 7,000 tonnes (Interfax, February 2025) for the 2024 survey; and about 11,000 tonnes (Rosrybolovstvo, December 2025) and 6.4 thousand tonnes (Ministry of Natural Resources, 2026).","Disputed: the cause of the decline. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosrybolovstvo named poaching; an Irkutsk fisheries inspector named cormorants, seals and failure to spawn; VNIRO pointed to amateur net fishing.","Disputed: the order that introduced the ban. A legal database lists Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017; a VNIRO paper cites Order No. 226 of 2017 for the ban and Order No. 226 of 24 April 2020 for the current rules.","None on record: compensation amounts paid to fishers or fishing enterprises.","Not disclosed: the reconstruction cost of the Bolsherechensky hatchery.","Unclear: real amateur catch volumes in 1991–2005; statistics relied only on licence reports (VNIRO).","Unclear: the date the ban will be lifted — 2023–24, then 2025, then 2027–29, then 2030 in successive statements; none set as of October 2026."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Industrial fishing of omul has been banned since 1 October 2017; amateur fishing was re-allowed with limits in 2022 and the net ban for amateur fishing was invalidated in December 2024. The ban remained in force in October 2026.","whoPaid":"Fishing enterprises bore the loss of the commercial catch; no compensation amount is on record. The government funded larvae releases, hatchery reconstruction and a research vessel (almost RUB 500 million).","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the industrial fishing ban remained in force; Rosrybolovstvo expected lifting no earlier than 2027–2029 and the Ministry of Natural Resources reported a stock of 6.4 thousand tonnes.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Rosrybolovstvo","says":"Said in 2024 that additional research was needed and that the decision should follow from its results; in November 2025 expected lifting no earlier than 2027–2029.","when":"2024–2025","src":6},{"actor":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Said in 2026 that the ban is a condition of the population's recovery and that omul is recovering slowly.","when":"2026","src":10},{"actor":"Buryatia Fishing Industry Association","says":"Its head said in 2017 that the new measures were ineffective, that poaching remained and fishing collectives were idle.","when":"2017","src":4},{"actor":"Government of Russia","says":"Deputy Prime Minister Abramchenko said in 2023 that resumption would follow only after releases exceed 1 billion larvae a year.","when":"2023","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"russia-ministry-of-agriculture","role":"Issued Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017"},{"id":"rosrybolovstvo","role":"Federal Agency for Fisheries; stock figures and reopening forecasts"},{"id":"vniro","role":"Fisheries research institute; stock surveys"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Funded releases, hatchery and research vessel"},{"id":"russian-supreme-court","role":"Appeals Board invalidated the amateur net ban on 10 December 2024"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Size of the omul stock","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo (December 2025)","says":"7,500 tonnes in 2017 and about 11,000 tonnes in late 2025.","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"VNIRO Baikal branch","says":"Stabilised at 7.7 thousand tonnes in 2018–2020.","src":8},{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax (October 2024)","says":"2024 hydroacoustic survey: 37 million fish, about 8.6 thousand tonnes.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy head Vasily Sokolov, Rosrybolovstvo (reported February 2025)","says":"About 7,000 tonnes against a 10,000-tonne target.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources (2026)","says":"6.4 thousand tonnes, up from 5.8 thousand tonnes a year earlier.","src":10}]},{"point":"Cause of the decline in omul","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosrybolovstvo (2016)","says":"Poaching was the main cause.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Irkutsk fisheries inspector (2016)","says":"Cormorants and seals were also to blame, and omul no longer entered the Selenga and Barguzin to spawn.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"VNIRO (2025)","says":"Licensed amateur net fishing in 1991–2005 put a high load on the spawning stock.","src":2}]},{"point":"Date for reopening industrial fishing","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo (2020 and 2022)","says":"Suggested lifting the ban in 2023–2024, and later in 2025; neither date was met.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo (November 2025)","says":"No earlier than 2027–2029.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"VNIRO scientists (February 2025)","says":"Considered opening an experimental fishery by 2030.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Appeal against the net ban for amateur fishing in the Baikal basin (ruling АПЛ24-400)","forum":"Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, Appeals Board","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Not named","defendant":"Not named","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 10 December 2024 the Appeals Board invalidated the third paragraph of subparagraph 33.1 of the Baikal fishing rules, lifting the ban on nets in amateur fishing across the whole Baikal basin.","src":2},{"title":"Selenginsk omul purchase case","forum":"Court not named","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not named","defendant":"A purchaser of 1,374 omul (not named)","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"A charge was filed in 2026 over the purchase of 1,374 omul worth more than RUB 5 million. The court and outcome are not on record.","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"stock_kt","value":25000,"unit":"t","year":2004,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Stable period 1985–2004: 23–25 thousand t (Gosrybcenter, via EastRussia)."},{"key":"stock_kt","value":15000,"unit":"t","year":2016,"qualifier":"up to","note":"14–15 thousand t in 2016 (Gosrybcenter, via EastRussia)."},{"key":"fish_counted","value":37000000,"unit":"fish","year":2024,"note":"Hydroacoustic survey, as reported by Interfax."},{"key":"quota_t","value":350,"unit":"t","year":2016,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Irkutsk Oblast industrial quota 300–350 t a year, about 60% used; draft 2017 allowances 160 t for reproduction and 25 t for research."},{"key":"amateur_catch_t","value":110,"unit":"t","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Per year in 2023–2024 (VNIRO observations); 185 t in 2025 (Ministry of Natural Resources, via Rossiyskaya Gazeta)."},{"key":"larvae_released","value":455,"unit":"million","year":2019,"note":"520 million in 2020 and 800 million in 2021 (Shestakov via Interfax)."},{"key":"larvae_released","value":3000,"unit":"million","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total for 2019–2023, about 835 million in 2023; 415 million in 2024; 1 billion a year planned for 2025–2026 (Glavrybvod via Interfax)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":500,"unit":"RUB m","year":2026,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Government funds for the research vessel \"Vikenty Zaitsev\"."},{"key":"poaching_damage","value":246,"unit":"RUB thousand","year":2026,"note":"34 fish (about 22 kg) seized; estimated damage."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Industrial fishing of Baikal omul in the lake and its tributaries was banned by Ministry of Agriculture Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017, in force from 1 October 2017, and remained banned in October 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hatchery and research programmes","what":"Government funds including almost RUB 500 million for the research vessel and larvae releases of about 3 billion in 2019–2023","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Fishing enterprises and fishers of Buryatia and Irkutsk Oblast","what":"Loss of the industrial catch; no compensation amount is on record","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Baikal omul","what":"Stock fell from 23–25 thousand t (1985–2004) to 14–15 thousand t (2016), per Gosrybcenter; spawning stock at a historic minimum in 2019–2023, per VNIRO","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Baikal and its spawning tributaries (Selenga, Barguzin, Verkhnyaya Angara, Kichera), in Buryatia and Irkutsk Oblast.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Presidential instruction July 2016; Order No. 450 on 29 August 2017; ban in force from 1 October 2017; amateur net ban invalidated 10 December 2024; ban still in force October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Rosrybolovstvo cited a catastrophic decline of the population; in 2016 the Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosrybolovstvo named poaching as the main cause.","src":9},"how":{"t":"The Ministry of Agriculture amended the Baikal fishing rules by Order No. 450; support measures offered to fishers were described in 2017 as almost unused, and larvae releases and hatchery reconstruction were funded by the state.","src":0}},"related":["baikalsk-pulp-and-paper-mill-closure-and-waste-clean-up","espo-pipeline-baikal-reroute-2006","baikal-natural-territory-expertise-exemptions"],"sources":[{"t":"Order of 29.08.2017 No. 450 amending the Baikal fishing rules (via pravo.ppt.ru)","p":"Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation","d":"2017-08-29","type":"official","u":"https://pravo.ppt.ru/prikaz/minselkhoz/n-450-185468"},{"t":"Dmitry Patrushev: systematic work will continue","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2026-07-01","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/59191/"},{"t":"On amateur fishing of Baikal omul in 2023–2024 (Bulatov et al.)","p":"Voprosy Rybolovstva / VNIRO","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://vr.vniro.ru/jour/article/download/411/408"},{"t":"Baikal omul falls under Rosrybolovstvo bans","p":"EastRussia","d":"2016-11-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.eastrussia.ru/news/baykalskiy-omul-popadaet-pod-zaprety-rosrybolovstva/"},{"t":"Baikal deputies ask the government to help omul and its fishers","p":"Parlamentskaya Gazeta","d":"2017-04-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.pnp.ru/politics/2017/04/20/baykalskie-deputaty-prosyat-pravitelstvo-pomoch-omulyu-i-ego-dobytchikam.html"},{"t":"Rosrybolovstvo expects the omul ban to be lifted no earlier than 2027–2029","p":"Interfax","d":"2025-11-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1059190"},{"t":"Decision on resuming omul fishing to follow additional research","p":"Interfax","d":"2024-10-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/988180"},{"t":"Scientists forecast omul fishing to start by 2030","p":"Interfax","d":"2025-02-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/1010182"},{"t":"Abramchenko named the condition for resuming industrial omul fishing","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-03-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/889379"},{"t":"Rosrybolovstvo says the omul ban may soon be lifted","p":"Fontanka","d":"2025-12-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.fontanka.ru/2025/12/12/76169340/"},{"t":"The industrial omul ban will not be lifted in the coming years","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2026-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2026/10/12/reg-sibfo/rybe-nuzhna-peredyshka.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the omul stock","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the decline in omul","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date for reopening industrial fishing","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the omul stock is given as 7,500 tonnes in 2017 (Rosrybolovstvo) and 7.7 thousand tonnes in 2018–2020 (VNIRO Baikal branch); about 8.6 thousand tonnes (Interfax, October 2024) and about 7,000 tonnes (Interfax, February 2025) for the 2024 survey; and about 11,000 tonnes (Rosrybolovstvo, December 2025) and 6.4 thousand tonnes (Ministry of Natural Resources, 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the decline. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosrybolovstvo named poaching; an Irkutsk fisheries inspector named cormorants, seals and failure to spawn; VNIRO pointed to amateur net fishing.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the order that introduced the ban. A legal database lists Order No. 450 of 29 August 2017; a VNIRO paper cites Order No. 226 of 2017 for the ban and Order No. 226 of 24 April 2020 for the current rules.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation amounts paid to fishers or fishing enterprises.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the reconstruction cost of the Bolsherechensky hatchery.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: real amateur catch volumes in 1991–2005; statistics relied only on licence reports (VNIRO).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the date the ban will be lifted — 2023–24, then 2025, then 2027–29, then 2030 in successive statements; none set as of October 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"baikal-natural-territory-expertise-exemptions","title":"Baikal Natural Territory: expertise exemptions and clear-cutting rules","dek":"Federal Law 254-FZ of 31 July 2020 added Article 25.1 to the Law on Lake Baikal, allowing railway-capacity works with clear-cutting in the central ecological zone until 31 December 2033. Amendments signed on 16 December 2025 widened clear-cutting rules from 1 March 2026.","country":"Russia","region":"Asia","lat":53.5,"lon":108,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Baikal Natural Territory (central ecological zone)","lat":53.5,"lon":108,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2020-07-31","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Period of the railway-capacity regime (Article 25.1)","value":"Until 31 Dec 2033","note":"Law No. 94-FZ on Lake Baikal as amended 8 August 2024."},"happened":["Federal Law No. 254-FZ of 31 July 2020, passed by the Duma in third reading on 15 July 2020, amended the Law on Lake Baikal (No. 94-FZ) by adding Article 25.1. As amended by Laws No. 124-FZ (1 May 2022) and No. 261-FZ (8 August 2024), Article 25.1(1) provides that \"until 31 December 2033\" activities needed to increase the capacity of the Baikal-Amur and Trans-Siberian railway mainlines are allowed in the central ecological zone. Article 25.1(2) allows construction on forest-fund land \"with clear-cutting and transfer of these lands to other land categories\", and Article 25.1(3) has the government set the list of objects, excluding housing and recreation objects. The same law states that new economic facilities may not be built in the Baikal Natural Territory without a positive conclusion of state ecological expertise.","A legal-database review of Law 254-FZ states that until 31 December 2024 the environmental assessment of design documentation for infrastructure in specially protected natural areas is carried out within the general state expertise of design documentation under the Urban Planning Code, which replaces the separate state ecological expertise, and removes regional authorities' power to conduct state ecological expertise for objects in regional and local protected areas. Novaya Gazeta wrote in 2020 that until 31 December 2024 state ecological expertise was not required for objects tied to modernising transport infrastructure, and The Moscow Times wrote that the law cancelled the mandatory environmental impact assessment before building or upgrading transport routes and allowed felling in protected areas until 2024.","State Duma committee chair Nikolai Nikolaev said in 2020: \"To expand the BAM, a strip of forest has to be removed\". Russian Railways said it did not plan new railways along the shore and that the law allowed clearing a 10–15 m strip next to existing tracks for technical facilities; Novaya Gazeta wrote that the bill set no limit on strip width. Greenpeace Russia's Mikhail Kreindlin said the law would affect all protected areas and national parks in the country.","On 16 December 2025 the President signed amendments to the Law on Lake Baikal on clear-cuts, in force from 1 March 2026. According to Meduza, they allow clear-cuts in the central zone on land that is not forest fund or protected area; allow forest-fund land to lose status for infrastructure such as roads, power lines, mudflow protection and cemeteries; allow forest-fund land inside settlements to be registered as settlement land until 2030; set up a special commission including the Duma, Federation Council, presidential administration, government, the FSB and the two regional heads; require a positive position of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a state ecological expertise conclusion for removing forest land from protection; and affect at least 4,000 ha. Mediazona reported that the first reading in 2023 approved clearing 553 ha next to the Sobolinaya Gora resort. In June 2026 The Insider reported that 400 ha of forest in the central zone had begun to be cleared for a five-star tourist complex.","The Insider reported that the draft decision at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in July 2026 proposed in-danger listing of the property. According to the NGO Rivers without Boundaries, the Committee voted by majority, on Kazakhstan's proposal, to defer the decision to 2027, pending a joint UNESCO/IUCN reactive monitoring mission in August 2026. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said in July 2026 that legislation was being systematically improved to balance the ecosystem and regional development."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Duma passed the bill in third reading (15 Jul); Federal Law 254-FZ (31 Jul) added Article 25.1 to the Law on Lake Baikal","src":4},{"y":2022,"t":"Amendment to Article 25.1 by Law No. 124-FZ (1 May); Order No. 4344-r projected Sobolinaya Gora investment at over RUB 6bn (29 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"First reading approved clearing 553 ha next to the Sobolinaya Gora resort (Mediazona)","src":7},{"y":2024,"t":"Amendment to Article 25.1 by Law No. 261-FZ (8 Aug); regime runs to 31 December 2033","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"President signed amendments on clear-cuts (16 Dec)","src":6},{"y":2026,"t":"Amendments in force (1 Mar); clearing of 400 ha began (June); World Heritage Committee session in Busan (July), deferral per Rivers without Boundaries","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"To expand the BAM, a strip of forest has to be removed","who":"Nikolai Nikolaev, State Duma","when":"2020","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"This will affect not only Baikal but all protected areas and national parks across the country","who":"Mikhail Kreindlin, Greenpeace Russia","when":"2020","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"makes the nature-protection regime in Baikal's central ecological zone weaker","who":"Nikolai Buduev, United Russia deputy, on the 2025 bill","when":"2025","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The adopted law encourages crooks to set fire to the forest around Baikal","who":"Viktor Danilov-Danilyan, scientist","when":"2025","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"is being systematically improved","who":"Dmitry Patrushev, Deputy Prime Minister, on legislation balancing the ecosystem and regional development","when":"2026","src":2,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The expansion of the BAM required removing a strip of forest.","who":"State Duma (Nikolai Nikolaev), 2020","src":4},{"t":"No new railways were planned along the shore; the law allowed a 10–15 m strip next to existing tracks for technical facilities.","who":"Russian Railways, 2020","src":5},{"t":"Bacterial disease had left too much dead wood and selective cuts no longer worked.","who":"Lawmakers supporting the 2025 amendments (reported by Meduza)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Insider reported in July 2026 that the draft decision at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee proposed in-danger listing of Lake Baikal.","src":8},{"t":"Article 25.1 of Law No. 94-FZ, as amended through 8 August 2024, runs \"until 31 December 2033\".","src":0},{"t":"Three of five relevant Russian Academy of Sciences scientific councils opposed the 2025 bill, according to Meduza.","src":6},{"t":"Governor of Buryatia Aleksei Tsydenov supported the 2025 bill, according to Meduza.","src":6},{"t":"Order No. 4344-r (2022) projects investment at Sobolinaya Gora at more than RUB 6 billion.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"RUB","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sobolinaya Gora investment projected in Order No. 4344-r","amount":6000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2022"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest land affected by the 2025 amendments","v":"≥ 4,000 ha","d":"Meduza"},{"k":"Forest clearing begun for a tourist complex","v":"400 ha","d":"The Insider, June 2026"},{"k":"Clearing approved at first reading, 2023","v":"553 ha","d":"Next to the Sobolinaya Gora resort, per Mediazona"},{"k":"Railway-capacity regime runs to","v":"31 Dec 2033","d":"Article 25.1, Law No. 94-FZ"}]},"unknown":["Unclear: whether the exemption from separate state ecological expertise was extended together with the Article 25.1 railway-capacity regime to 2033. A legal-database review and Novaya Gazeta dated the expertise exemption to 31 December 2024.","Disputed: the width of the strip cleared next to railways. Russian Railways said 10–15 m; Novaya Gazeta wrote that the bill set no limit.","Self-reported only: the Committee's July 2026 deferral to 2027 is described by Rivers without Boundaries; The Insider reported that the draft decision proposed in-danger listing."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The railway-capacity regime in Article 25.1 runs until 31 December 2033, and the clear-cutting amendments took effect on 1 March 2026; clearing of 400 ha for a tourist complex had begun by June 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record: a budget figure attached to the exemption itself.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the 2025 clear-cutting amendments were in force; the World Heritage Committee reportedly deferred the in-danger listing decision to 2027, according to Rivers without Boundaries.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Russian Railways (RZD)","says":"Said in 2020 that it did not plan new railways along the shore and that the law allowed clearing a 10–15 m strip next to existing tracks.","when":"2020","src":5},{"actor":"State Duma","says":"Nikolai Nikolaev said in 2020 that a strip of forest had to be removed to expand the BAM.","when":"2020","src":4},{"actor":"Government of Russia","says":"Deputy Prime Minister Patrushev said in July 2026 that legislation was being systematically improved to balance the ecosystem and regional development.","when":"2026","src":2},{"actor":"Government of Buryatia","says":"Governor Aleksei Tsydenov supported the 2025 bill.","when":"2025","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Sets the list of objects under Article 25.1(3); Deputy Prime Minister statements"},{"id":"russian-railways","role":"Operator of the BAM and Trans-Siberian railways; beneficiary of the Article 25.1 regime"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Criticised the 2020 law (Greenpeace Russia)"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"48th session, July 2026; draft decision proposed in-danger listing"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Joint reactive monitoring mission with UNESCO planned for August 2026"}],"disputes":[{"point":"End date of the exemption from separate state ecological expertise","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Novaya Gazeta (2020)","says":"Until 31 December 2024 state ecological expertise was not required for objects tied to modernising transport infrastructure.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Legal-database review of Law 254-FZ, reprinted by Stroyinf","says":"Until 31 December 2024 the assessment is carried out within the general state expertise of design documentation.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Law No. 94-FZ, Article 25.1 as amended 8 August 2024","says":"The railway-capacity regime runs until 31 December 2033.","src":0}]},{"point":"Width of the strip cleared next to railways","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Russian Railways (2020)","says":"The law allows clearing a 10–15 m strip next to existing tracks for technical facilities.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Novaya Gazeta (2020)","says":"The bill sets no limit on strip width.","src":4}]},{"point":"Effect of the 2025 clear-cutting amendments on Baikal forests","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Lawmakers supporting the bill and Governor Aleksei Tsydenov (reported by Meduza)","says":"Bacterial disease left too much dead wood and selective cuts no longer work.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Nikolai Buduev, United Russia deputy","says":"The bill makes the nature-protection regime in Baikal's central ecological zone weaker.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Viktor Danilov-Danilyan","says":"The adopted law encourages crooks to set fire to the forest around Baikal.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Russian Academy of Sciences scientific councils","says":"Three of five relevant councils opposed the bill.","src":6}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":4000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Area affected by the 2025 amendments, per Meduza."},{"key":"forest_cleared_ha","value":400,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"Forest in the central zone that began to be cleared for a five-star tourist complex (June 2026, The Insider)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":553,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Clearing approved at first reading next to the Sobolinaya Gora resort, per Mediazona."},{"key":"investment","value":6000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Sobolinaya Gora investment projected in Order No. 4344-r."},{"key":"strip_width_m","value":15,"unit":"m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"10–15 m strip next to existing tracks, per Russian Railways; Novaya Gazeta wrote the bill set no limit."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Federal Law 254-FZ (31 July 2020) added Article 25.1 to the Law on Lake Baikal, allowing railway-capacity works with clear-cutting in the central ecological zone until 31 December 2033, and amendments signed on 16 December 2025 widened clear-cutting rules from 1 March 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Russian Railways (RZD)","what":"Works to increase the capacity of the Baikal-Amur and Trans-Siberian mainlines allowed in the central ecological zone until 31 December 2033","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest of the central ecological zone","what":"At least 4,000 ha affected by the 2025 amendments; clearing of 400 ha for a tourist complex began in June 2026","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"Central ecological zone of the Baikal Natural Territory, including the railways along the southern (Trans-Siberian) and northern (BAM) shores.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law 254-FZ of 31 July 2020; amendments of 1 May 2022 and 8 August 2024; clear-cutting amendments signed 16 December 2025, in force from 1 March 2026; World Heritage Committee session in July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Nikolai Nikolaev said in 2020 that a strip of forest had to be removed to expand the BAM; lawmakers supporting the 2025 amendments argued that bacterial disease left too much dead wood and selective cuts no longer worked.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Article 25.1 allows works to increase railway capacity and construction on forest-fund land with clear-cutting; the legal-database review of 254-FZ describes replacement of the separate state ecological expertise by the general state expertise of design documentation.","src":0}},"related":["baikalsk-pulp-and-paper-mill-closure-and-waste-clean-up","espo-pipeline-baikal-reroute-2006","baikal-omul-commercial-fishing-ban-2017"],"sources":[{"t":"Federal Law No. 94-FZ of 01.05.1999 on the Protection of Lake Baikal (as amended 08.08.2024)","p":"Rosprirodnadzor (hosted file)","d":"2024","type":"official","u":"https://rpn.gov.ru/upload/iblock/4e5/39ghdd214efloe24oj098n4fcd952ooj/Federalnyy-zakon-ot-01.05.1999-N-94_FZ-_red.-ot-08.08.2024_.docx"},{"t":"Order of 29.12.2022 No. 4344-р (Baikalsk development programme to 2040)","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2022-12-29","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/docs/all/145594/?page=6"},{"t":"Dmitry Patrushev: systematic work will continue","p":"Government of the Russian Federation","d":"2026-07-01","type":"official","u":"http://government.ru/news/59191/"},{"t":"Review of Federal Law 254-FZ (reprint of a legal-database review)","p":"Stroyinf","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://files.stroyinf.ru/Data2/1/4293719/4293719220.htm"},{"t":"Who sold Baikal","p":"Novaya Gazeta","d":"2020-07-22","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2020/07/21/86351-kto-prodal-baykal"},{"t":"Russia sparked backlash by allowing logging around Baikal","p":"The Moscow Times (Russian edition)","d":"2020-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2020/08/04/rossiya-sprovotsirovala-negativnuyu-reaktsiyu-razreshiv-virubku-lesov-vokrug-baikala-a358"},{"t":"2026 will be fatal for Baikal: clear-cuts will be allowed around it from 1 March","p":"Meduza","d":"2026-01-08","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/feature/2026/01/08/2026-god-stanet-fatalnym-dlya-baykala-s-1-marta-vokrug-nego-razreshat-sploshnye-rubki-lesa"},{"t":"Putin signed the law on logging at Baikal","p":"Mediazona","d":"2025-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://zona.media/news/2025/12/15/baikal"},{"t":"Russia could get its first endangered World Heritage site","p":"The Insider","d":"2026-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://theins.press/en/news/295214"},{"t":"At the 48th World Heritage Committee Session: Defending Civil Society and Lake Baikal","p":"Rivers without Boundaries","d":"2026-07-27","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.transrivers.org/2026/4138/"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Amendments signed on 16 December 2025 affect at least 4,000 hectares around my Lake Baikal, Meduza reported; in June 2026 The Insider reported 400 hectares of forest in the central zone had begun to be cleared.","src":[6,8]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Width of the strip cleared next to railways","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Effect of the 2025 clear-cutting amendments on Baikal forests","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"End date of the exemption from separate state ecological expertise","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the exemption from separate state ecological expertise was extended together with the Article 25.1 railway-capacity regime to 2033. A legal-database review and Novaya Gazeta dated the expertise exemption to 31 December 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the width of the strip cleared next to railways. Russian Railways said 10–15 m; Novaya Gazeta wrote that the bill set no limit.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the Committee's July 2026 deferral to 2027 is described by Rivers without Boundaries; The Insider reported that the draft decision proposed in-danger listing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sochi-2014-olympics-environmental-pledges","title":"Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics: environmental pledges and the Mzymta valley","dek":"The 2014 Winter Games were built partly inside Sochi National Park and along the Mzymta river, with a UNEP advisory role and a 2011 declaration of commitments. Peer-reviewed studies recorded the loss of Black Sea trout spawning grounds along 57 km of the river, and an environmental defender from the group that documented the damage was imprisoned and later released.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":43.4,"lon":39.95,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Sochi, Krasnodar Krai (Imereti lowland, Mzymta valley)","lat":43.4,"lon":39.95,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Akhshtyr, Sochi","lat":43.54,"lon":40,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai","lat":44.1,"lon":39.08,"role":"court"}],"start":2007,"end":2018,"eventDate":"2014-02-07","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","water","defenders","influence"],"headline":{"label":"Black Sea trout spawning and nursery grounds destroyed along the Mzymta","value":"57 km","note":"Journal of Ichthyology, January 2018, measured from the river mouth; natural reproduction of the migratory form discontinued."},"happened":["The IOC Evaluation Commission report of June 2007 recorded that seven competition and non-competition venues would be built within Sochi National Park, “directly impacting on approximately 800 hectares (0.5% of the total area of the park)”. Two of them, the Krasnaya Polyana Olympic Village and the sliding venue, would sit in the buffer zone of the Caucasus State Biosphere Reserve. The Commission noted that a recent rezoning of the park permitted tourism and recreation infrastructure and that legal action against the government over the Federal Target Programme and the park developments was still pending. It stated an organising committee budget of USD 1.517 billion, non-organising-committee capital investment of USD 8.8 billion (USD 3.6 billion of it incremental to the Games), and a programme funded 60% from public sources and 40% from private investment. Of the environmental fees charged to developers, USD 7.1 million was to go to an environmental education centre and USD 8.3 million to construction-related compensation measures in Sochi National Park.","In June 2008 Caucasian Knot reported that UNEP had backed appeals by WWF and Greenpeace Russia to move the sliding complex and the Olympic Village off the Grushevy ridge; the Ministry of Natural Resources replied that the appeals had been misinterpreted and that it had no plans to relocate any objects. On 3 July 2008 Prime Minister Putin said the sledge-bobsleigh track, the mountain village and the water intake would be relocated in coordination with the IOC. In 2010 the UNESCO World Heritage Committee commended the decision to relocate the venues away from the Grushevy ridge and upper Mzymta valley and requested a comprehensive monitoring programme for wildlife population trends. A UNEP expert mission of 28–30 January 2010, which reviewed the combined Adler–Krasnaya Polyana road and railway, found that the assessments had been conducted mostly on available literature and had not taken cumulative effects into account, and recommended third-party monitoring and a landscape restoration plan for the Mzymta valley.","On 23 March 2011 Olympstroy, Russian Railways, Roza Khutor, Krasnaya Polyana, Gazprom, FGC UES and the Krasnodar Region Administration signed a UNEP-facilitated declaration of commitments to develop and implement a comprehensive restoration plan for the Mzymta basin ecosystem. UNEP submitted 17 environmental projects to the organising committee in the same period and, in July 2012, proposed close to 90 projects to limit the impact of infrastructure around Sochi National Park. The IOC's 2015 facts sheet listed organiser claims including that 97% of construction waste was used in Olympic facilities, more than 850 animals were relocated and every felled tree was replaced with two to five saplings.","In October and November 2013 the Associated Press reported on a dump for construction waste and tunnel soil that Russian Railways ran in a former limestone quarry at Akhshtyr, inside a water protection zone. According to AP, authorities confirmed that the company operated it without a licence, moisture seeped through karst rock into springs feeding the Mzymta, and village wells dried up when construction began. Russian Railways paid a USD 3,000 fine in August 2013 and blamed a subcontractor; Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said only tunnel soil had been dumped. A claim by the public movement “Law and Order” to restore the quarry and remove the waste was dismissed by the Adler District Court of Sochi on 4 September 2014. Bellona reported in November 2014 that promised closure of the quarry, gas, deeper wells and a road had not been delivered.","Peer-reviewed studies of the Mzymta recorded that spawning and nursery grounds of the Black Sea trout were destroyed along 57 km from the river mouth and that zoobenthos biomass declined along about 40 km below the construction zone. President Putin put the total cost of the Olympics at 214 billion rubles on 19 January 2014; Interfax reported in April 2015 that the Accounts Chamber gave 324.9 billion rubles. Yevgeniy Vitishko of Environmental Watch on North Caucasus (EWNC) was convicted in Tuapse in June 2012 over damage to a fence in a protected forest, was ordered to serve the three-year sentence in a prison colony on 20 December 2013, and was released on 22 December 2015; Amnesty International called him a prisoner of conscience."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"IOC Evaluation Commission report (June); IOC awards the Games (July)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"UNEP backs appeals to move venues off the Grushevy ridge (reported 2 Jun); Putin announces relocation in coordination with the IOC (3 Jul)","src":17},{"y":2010,"t":"UNEP second expert mission (28–30 Jan; report released 16 Mar); UNESCO decision 34 COM 7B.24","src":2},{"y":2011,"t":"Declaration of commitments for the Mzymta basin signed (23 Mar)","src":4},{"y":2012,"t":"Vitishko convicted in Tuapse (June); UNEP and partners propose close to 90 projects (July)","src":23},{"y":2013,"t":"Supreme Court notes failings in lower courts in the Gazaryan challenge (21 Oct); AP reports on the Akhshtyr dump (31 Oct–1 Nov); Vitishko’s sentence converted to prison colony (20 Dec)","src":23},{"y":2014,"t":"Vitishko detained 15 days (3 Feb) and appeal rejected (12 Feb); Games held 7–23 Feb; Akhshtyr claim dismissed (4 Sep)","src":24},{"y":2015,"t":"Accounts Chamber cost figures reported by Interfax (10 Apr); Vitishko released (22 Dec)","src":12},{"y":2018,"t":"Journal of Ichthyology study on Black Sea trout in the Mzymta (January)","src":22}],"said":[{"q":"The overall cost of the Olympics has been announced; it is 214 billion rubles.","who":"Vladimir Putin, President of Russia","when":"19 January 2014","src":10},{"q":"the air pollution is half its 2007 level","who":"Vladimir Putin, President of Russia","when":"19 January 2014","src":10},{"q":"did not take into account the cumulative and synergetic effects of the various projects on the ecosystems of the Sochi region and its population","who":"UNEP 2nd Expert Mission report, on the environmental assessments","when":"March 2010","src":2},{"q":"a comprehensive programme to monitor the impacts of all Olympic facilities and tourism facilities on wildlife population trends","who":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Decision 34 COM 7B.24 (requested)","when":"2010","src":9},{"q":"Our role is not a role of judgment, but of facilitating dialogue.","who":"Christophe Bouvier, UNEP regional director for Europe","when":"January 2011","src":15},{"q":"we do not want to be part of a green PR for the Olympic projects","who":"Pyotr Gorbenko, managing director, WWF Russia","when":"January 2011","src":15},{"q":"Authorities are telling us that this quarry is illegal and that it has been closed, but you can see that it's still here.","who":"Alexander Koropov, village chief of Akhshtyr","when":"November 2013","src":14},{"q":"we have paid to the budget about 2 million roubles of fines for violations","who":"Russian Railways representative in court","when":"September 2014","src":18},{"q":"the most expensive and destructive Olympic project","who":"Environmental Watch on North Caucasus, on the Adler–Krasnaya Polyana road","when":"March 2014","src":20},{"q":"Amnesty International believes that Yevgeniy Vitishko is a prisoner of conscience, and that he should be immediately and unconditionally released.","who":"Amnesty International","when":"14 February 2014","src":23}],"shown":[{"t":"Listed “Harmony with nature” among Sochi 2014’s sustainability objectives.","who":"IOC, environment factsheet","src":11},{"t":"Four action-plan themes: “Zero Waste Games”, “Climate Neutral Games”, “Games in Harmony with Nature” and “Enlightenment Games”.","who":"UNEP, Sochi 2014 microsite","src":3},{"t":"“97% of construction waste was directly used in the construction of Olympic facilities”; “Every felled tree was replaced with two to five saplings, and more than 168,000 trees and shrubs were planted in Sochi”; “Protected natural areas were expanded”.","who":"IOC, Sochi 2014 Facts & Figures","src":1},{"t":"“Sochi 2014 fully mitigated its direct Games carbon footprint before the Games through the ‘Sustainable Future’ program”, run by Dow as Official Carbon Partner; no tonnage or price stated.","who":"IOC, Sochi 2014 Facts & Figures","src":1},{"t":"Air pollution at half its 2007 level, credited to cleaner fuel in power generation, new gas pipelines and substations, and the clean-up of two dumps; no measuring body or dataset named.","who":"President Putin, 19 January 2014","src":10},{"t":"“Olympic Park will exclude uncontrolled development of the territory. No long-term negative impact is expected.”","who":"Sochi bid book, as quoted by EWNC","src":20}],"recorded":[{"t":"UNEP, January 2010: environmental assessments conducted mostly on available literature; cumulative effects not taken into account; decisions on mitigation and compensation, including enlarging Sochi National Park, “taking too long”.","src":2},{"t":"Mzymta benthos, four years of Olympic construction: pebble-boulder bed covered by clay sediments and finely dispersed mineral particles; zoobenthos biomass declined and food for juvenile Black Sea salmon dropped along about 40 km between the construction zone and the sea.","src":21},{"t":"Black Sea trout: spawning and nursery grounds destroyed along 57 km from the river mouth; total grounds in the Mzymta basin 572,800 m2, 49% of it above the Krasnopolyanskaya Power Plant dam; natural reproduction of the migratory form discontinued; a 2.4 km stretch below the Pslukh inflow in the process of natural restoration.","src":22},{"t":"Russian Railways fines: USD 3,000 from the regional environmental agency for unauthorised dumping of construction waste and excavation soil (paid August 2013); about RUB 2 million in fines in total, per its representative in court (September 2014).","src":13},{"t":"Akhshtyr claim against Russian Railways and public institutions dismissed by the Adler District Court of Sochi on 4 September 2014.","src":18},{"t":"Imereti ornithological park approved 1 October 2012: 14 land lots, 298 hectares, of which 100 hectares in 9 lots on the lowland itself; scientists had proposed about 800 hectares (EWNC).","src":20},{"t":"Forest loss and transplanting (EWNC, citing Russian Railways’ compensation programme and Rosprirodnadzor): at least 194 ha of Sochi National Park forest land lost to the combined road; 53,125 of 242,561 permitted Red Book plants transplanted; 28,817 of 55,133 transplanted rare plants found dead in 2012.","src":20},{"t":"Yevgeniy Vitishko: convicted in Tuapse (June 2012), sentence converted to prison colony (20 December 2013), appeal rejected (12 February 2014), released 22 December 2015.","src":23}],"ledger":{"currency":"Mixed — see each line","window":"2007–2015, as stated by each source","nature":[{"label":"Bid: environmental fees to an environmental education centre (USD)","amount":7.1,"window":"2007"},{"label":"Bid: construction-related compensation environmental measures in Sochi National Park (USD)","amount":8.3,"window":"2007"},{"label":"Organising Committee: sustainable development projects (RUB)","amount":16200,"qualifier":"more than","window":"during Olympic construction","note":"No breakdown given in the IOC facts sheet."},{"label":"Imereti ornithological park administration, trails and buildings (RUB)","amount":600,"window":"2013","note":"EWNC states USD 20 million."},{"label":"Russian Railways fine, unauthorised dumping (USD)","amount":0.003,"window":"2013"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Putin: overall cost of the Olympics (RUB)","amount":214000,"window":"stated 19 January 2014"},{"label":"Accounts Chamber, via Interfax: costs of preparing and holding the Games (RUB)","amount":324900,"window":"reported 10 April 2015","note":"RUB 221,000m private investment; RUB 103,300m federal budget; RUB 600m Krasnodar region and Sochi budgets."},{"label":"Organising committee revenues (RUB)","amount":85400,"window":"reported 10 April 2015"},{"label":"Bid: organising committee budget (USD)","amount":1517,"window":"2006 cost estimates"},{"label":"Bid: non-organising-committee capital investment (USD)","amount":8800,"window":"2007","note":"USD 3,600m of it incremental to the Games."},{"label":"AP: Russia’s Olympic budget (USD)","amount":51000,"window":"2013"},{"label":"AP: Adler–Krasnaya Polyana road and rail link, 48 km (RUB)","amount":270000,"window":"2013","note":"AP gives USD 8.5 billion; Bellona gives USD 8.7 billion."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Trout spawning grounds destroyed","v":"57 km","d":"Mzymta main channel from the mouth; 2018 study"},{"k":"Environmental measures in the bid","v":"USD 8.3m","d":"Compensation measures in Sochi National Park, 2007"},{"k":"Games cost, Accounts Chamber via Interfax","v":"RUB 324.9bn","d":"Putin stated RUB 214bn"},{"k":"Prison colony sentence, environmental defender","v":"3 years","d":"Vitishko; released 22 December 2015"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Peer-reviewed Mzymta studies (2017, 2018), EWNC report (2014) and AP reporting (2013)","report":[{"t":"My Mzymta river lost the spawning and nursery grounds of the Black Sea trout along 57 km from its mouth, according to a study published in January 2018. Natural reproduction of the migratory form discontinued.","src":22},{"t":"During four years of Olympic construction the pebble-boulder bed of my Mzymta was covered by clay sediments and finely dispersed mineral particles. Along about 40 km between the construction zone and the sea, zoobenthos biomass declined and food for juvenile Black Sea salmon dropped, according to a 2017 study.","src":21},{"t":"At least 194 hectares of my Sochi National Park forest land were lost to the combined Adler–Krasnaya Polyana road, according to EWNC citing Russian Railways’ compensation programme.","src":20},{"t":"In 2012 Rosprirodnadzor found 28,817 of 55,133 transplanted rare plants dead at two planting areas of 2009, according to EWNC.","src":20},{"t":"Independent tests ordered by WWF Russia in April 2010 found arsenic at 3 times the maximum permissible concentration in some areas of my waters, oil products at 35 times and phenol at 60 times, according to EWNC.","src":20},{"t":"According to AP, moisture from the Akhshtyr construction-waste dump seeps through karst rock into the springs that feed my Mzymta, and wells in the village dried up when construction began.","src":13}]},"unknown":["None on record: a UNEP assessment published after the Games.","None on record: a report from the third-party monitoring programme that UNEP recommended in 2010 and UNESCO requested in 2010.","None on record: a published comprehensive restoration plan for the Mzymta basin ecosystem under the 2011 declaration.","None on record: a court ruling attributing environmental damage to the Games organisers or to Russian Railways.","Insufficient: UNEP found in 2010 that field data on hydro-ecology were insufficient and that the assessments did not account for cumulative effects.","Not measured: the effect of the Akhshtyr dump on the Mzymta springs; a geologist quoted by AP said it could not be judged without a chemical analysis and geological survey, and none is reported.","Not disclosed: a breakdown of the RUB 16.2 billion sustainability spend and a total cost of the Games in the IOC facts sheet.","Not disclosed: where the Akhshtyr waste ended up; Bellona reported there was no documentary proof.","Unclear: how many trees and bushes were planted; EWNC wrote in 2014 that this was “still not clear”.","Unclear: the exact amount of construction waste buried on the territory of Sochi, which EWNC described as unknown.","Unclear: whether Sochi National Park was enlarged as UNEP recommended in 2010; the IOC states only that protected natural areas were expanded.","Unclear: the outcome of the appeal announced after the Akhshtyr claim was dismissed in 2014, and the current state of the quarry.","Unclear: the outcome of the litigation over the Sochi National Park rezoning that the IOC described as pending in 2007.","Figures differ: cost of the Games — Putin gives RUB 214 billion; the Accounts Chamber, as reported by Interfax, gives RUB 324.9 billion; AP gives USD 51 billion for the Olympic budget. The sources do not reconcile the figures.","Figures differ: Adler–Krasnaya Polyana link — AP gives RUB 270 billion (USD 8.5 billion); Bellona gives USD 8.7 billion.","Self-reported only: the organisers’ figures on waste reuse (97%), animals relocated (more than 850), plants replanted (more than 2,000) and trees planted (more than 168,000) come from the IOC facts sheet."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped on record: a January 2018 study found natural reproduction of the migratory Black Sea trout in the Mzymta discontinued, with a 2.4 km stretch below the Pslukh inflow in the process of natural restoration.","whoPaid":"The Accounts Chamber, as reported by Interfax, put the cost of preparing and holding the Games at RUB 324.9 billion: RUB 221 billion private investment, RUB 103.3 billion federal budget and RUB 0.6 billion regional and Sochi budgets. Russian Railways paid a USD 3,000 fine for the Akhshtyr dump. No compensation for the loss of Mzymta spawning grounds is on record.","statusLine":"Latest dated sources: a 2018 peer-reviewed study of the Mzymta trout; no UNEP assessment after the Games on record; Akhshtyr claim dismissed in September 2014; Vitishko released on 22 December 2015.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister (as quoted by AP)","says":"Admitted “certain violations” at Akhshtyr but said only tunnel soil was dumped, which “only improves the landscape of the Sochi National Park”; his spokesman said the situation was under control.","when":"November 2013","src":14},{"actor":"Russian Railways","says":"Said it paid the fine and blamed a subcontractor; in court a representative said the quarry operations “were not subjected to the state ecological expertise” and that the company was carrying out a government task under deadline pressure.","when":"2013–2014","src":18},{"actor":"Olympstroy","says":"A spokeswoman, not named by AP, said the state corporation had no legal mechanisms to address complaints and that law enforcement and federal authorities should handle them.","when":"October 2013","src":13},{"actor":"IOC","says":"Told AP that Sochi 2014 assured it of its commitment to Games-time waste management and placed responsibility for pre-Games waste with Olympstroy.","when":"October 2013","src":13},{"actor":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Said UNEP’s appeals on the Grushevy ridge had been misinterpreted and that it had no plans to relocate any objects; the position changed on 3 July 2008 when Putin announced relocation.","when":"June 2008","src":16},{"actor":"UNEP","says":"Its 2010 mission called for third-party monitoring and said the level of reluctance to engage with or listen to each other called for action from both sides.","when":"March 2010","src":2},{"actor":"WWF Russia and Greenpeace Russia","says":"Resigned as advisers to Olympstroy in February 2010 and boycotted the January 2011 UNEP visit.","when":"January 2011","src":15}],"actors":[{"id":"ioc","role":"Awarded the Games; Evaluation Commission report; facts sheets"},{"id":"unep","role":"Expert missions, declaration of commitments, advisory role"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Decision 34 COM 7B.24 on the Western Caucasus"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Host government; Putin and Kozak statements"},{"id":"russian-railways","role":"Built the Adler–Krasnaya Polyana link; operated the Akhshtyr dump; paid fines"},{"id":"olympstroy","role":"State corporation building Olympic venues"},{"id":"ewnc","role":"NGO documenting the damage; Vitishko’s organisation"},{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Resigned as Olympstroy adviser in 2010"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Resigned as Olympstroy adviser in 2010 (Greenpeace Russia)"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"Called Vitishko a prisoner of conscience"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Reported on detention of EWNC activists"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What was dumped at Akhshtyr and whether it was removed","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister","says":"Only tunnel soil was dumped, which “only improves the landscape of the Sochi National Park”.","src":14},{"voice":"press","holder":"Associated Press","says":"Observed and reported spray cans, tyres, foam sheets and concrete slabs at the site.","src":13},{"voice":"government","holder":"Local officials","says":"300 tons of waste were removed; AP saw dumping continue.","src":13},{"voice":"company","holder":"Russian Railways","says":"Paid the fine and blamed a subcontractor.","src":13}]},{"point":"Waste handling during Olympic construction","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOC","says":"“97% of construction waste was directly used in the construction of Olympic facilities.”","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Associated Press","says":"The Olympic budget had “no provisions for treating construction waste” and recycling facilities were removed from the plan.","src":13},{"voice":"civil","holder":"EWNC","says":"Called the programme “Zero Waste: Zero Successes”.","src":20}]},{"point":"Sochi air quality after construction","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President Putin","says":"Air pollution was half its 2007 level; no measuring body or dataset given.","src":10},{"voice":"civil","holder":"EWNC","says":"Its report has a chapter titled “The Myth of ‘Clean’ Air”.","src":20}]},{"point":"Protected areas in the Imereti lowland","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOC","says":"“Protected natural areas were expanded.”","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"EWNC","says":"The ornithological park is “8 times smaller than the area that was scientifically proven” and fragmented: 298 hectares in 14 lots, 100 hectares of them on the lowland itself.","src":20}]},{"point":"Compensation planting of Red Book plants","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Russian Railways","says":"Gave varying planting figures: 74,000 in 2011 plus 163,000 from 2012; 70,000 for 2009–2012; 55,000.","src":20},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor (as cited by EWNC)","says":"Permission covered 242,561 Red Book plants and 53,125 were transplanted (March 2010 report); in 2012, 28,817 of 55,133 transplanted rare plants at two 2009 planting areas were dead.","src":20}]},{"point":"Cost of the Games","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President Putin","says":"RUB 214 billion.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounts Chamber (as reported by Interfax)","says":"RUB 324.9 billion for preparing and holding the Games.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"Associated Press","says":"USD 51 billion Olympic budget.","src":13}]},{"point":"The fence in the case against Vitishko and Gazaryan","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"A fence erected in a protected forest, owned by ZAO Agrokompleks; the defence expert put the damage at under USD 30.","src":23},{"voice":"press","holder":"Meduza","says":"Described slogans painted on the fence of the dacha of the then governor of Krasnodar region.","src":27}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of Yevgeniy Vitishko and Suren Gazaryan (damage to a fence)","forum":"Court in Tuapse","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Yevgeniy Vitishko (EWNC activist); Suren Gazaryan","filed":2012,"decided":2012,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Convicted in June 2012 under Article 167 part 2 of the Criminal Code (damage to property motivated by hooliganism) over damage on 13 November 2011 to a fence in a protected forest in Krasnodar region; sentenced to three years of prison colony conditionally with a two-year probation period. Amnesty states the defence expert put the damage under USD 30 and that the verdict used a prosecution figure almost 138 times higher.","src":23},{"title":"Gazaryan challenge before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation","forum":"Supreme Court of the Russian Federation","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Suren Gazaryan","defendant":"Prosecution","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"On 21 October 2013 the Supreme Court noted failings in the lower courts and held that the legality of the fence and the identity of its legal owner should have been considered. Amnesty states that Gazaryan left the country and received asylum abroad.","src":23},{"title":"Conversion of Vitishko’s conditional sentence","forum":"Court in Krasnodar region (not named)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Yevgeniy Vitishko","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 20 December 2013 a court ruled that he had broken the travel restrictions of his conditional sentence and must serve the three years in a prison colony.","src":24},{"title":"Vitishko: 15 days’ detention and rejected appeal","forum":"Court in Krasnodar region; Krasnodar regional court (appeal)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Yevgeniy Vitishko","filed":null,"decided":2014,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 3 February 2014 he was found guilty of petty hooliganism (alleged swearing at a bus stop) the day of his arrest and sentenced to 15 days’ detention. On 12 February 2014 the Krasnodar regional court rejected his appeal against the conversion of his sentence; he took part by video link.","src":24},{"title":"Vitishko: replacement of the sentence and release","forum":"Russian court (not named)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Yevgeniy Vitishko","filed":2015,"decided":2015,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":null,"summary":"The sentence was replaced with restriction of liberty in November 2015 and the prosecution appealed; a court confirmed his release on 22 December 2015.","src":27},{"title":"“Law and Order” v. Russian Railways and public institutions (Akhshtyr quarry)","forum":"Adler District Court of Sochi","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Public movement “Law and Order”","defendant":"Russian Railways and public institutions","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Filed in March 2014 to restore the quarry and remove the waste; dismissed on 4 September 2014. The claimants said they would appeal.","src":18},{"title":"Fine for dumping at Akhshtyr","forum":"Regional environmental agency","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Regional environmental agency","defendant":"Russian Railways","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.003,"currency":"USD","label":"fine, paid August 2013"},"summary":"A USD 3,000 fine for unauthorised dumping of construction waste and soil from excavation works, paid in August 2013; the company blamed a subcontractor.","src":13},{"title":"Rezoning of Sochi National Park (action against the government)","forum":"Russian court (not named)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Government of Russia","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The IOC Evaluation Commission recorded in June 2007 that legal action against the government over the Federal Target Programme and developments in Sochi National Park was still pending.","src":0},{"title":"Gravel-taking sentences, Mzymta river","forum":"Russian courts (not named)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Various defendants","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"EWNC reported that from 2010 to 2013 at least 26 criminal sentences were passed for taking gravel from the Mzymta, and that at least 1.5 million tons were taken from the river in 2007–2010.","src":20},{"title":"Criminal libel case against EWNC coordinator Andrey Rudomakha","forum":"Russian court (not named)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Andrey Rudomakha, EWNC coordinator","filed":2012,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"A criminal libel case opened in December 2012. Human Rights Watch reported that authorities detained three EWNC activists from late October 2013 (Rudomakha, deputy coordinator Dmitry Shevchenko and Vitishko) and that all three were released.","src":25}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":800,"unit":"ha","year":2007,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Sochi National Park area directly impacted by seven venues (0.5% of the park), IOC Evaluation Commission."},{"key":"river_km_spawning_grounds","value":57,"unit":"km","year":2018,"note":"Mzymta main channel: spawning and nursery grounds of the Black Sea trout destroyed from the river mouth."},{"key":"river_km_zoobenthos_decline","value":40,"unit":"km","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Zoobenthos biomass declined between the construction zone and the sea."},{"key":"spawning_ground_area_m2","value":572800,"unit":"m2","year":2018,"note":"Total spawning and nursery grounds in the Mzymta basin; 49% above the Krasnopolyanskaya Power Plant dam."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":194,"unit":"ha","year":2014,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Sochi National Park forest land lost to the combined road (EWNC, citing Russian Railways' compensation programme)."},{"key":"plants_transplanted","value":53125,"unit":"Red Book plants","year":2010,"note":"Of 242,561 permitted (Rosprirodnadzor report of 4 March 2010, as cited by EWNC)."},{"key":"plants_died","value":28817,"unit":"transplanted rare plants","year":2012,"note":"Of 55,133 transplanted at two 2009 planting areas (Rosprirodnadzor, as cited by EWNC)."},{"key":"gravel_taken_tonnes","value":1500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2010,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Taken from the Mzymta in 2007–2010 (EWNC)."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":168000,"unit":"trees and shrubs","year":2015,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Organisers' figure, IOC facts sheet."},{"key":"animals_relocated","value":850,"unit":"animals","year":2015,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Organisers' figure, IOC facts sheet."},{"key":"ornithological_park_ha","value":298,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"note":"14 land lots approved 1 October 2012; 100 ha on the Imereti lowland itself; scientists proposed about 800 ha."},{"key":"bird_species","value":200,"unit":"species","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"Imereti lowland inventories 1997–2006 by the Russian Bird Conservation Union (EWNC); 26 in the Krasnodar Red Book, 22 in the Red Book of Russia."},{"key":"fine","value":3000,"unit":"USD","year":2013,"note":"Russian Railways, unauthorised dumping at Akhshtyr."},{"key":"fine","value":2,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total fines paid by Russian Railways, per its representative in court."},{"key":"games_cost","value":214000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"note":"Stated by President Putin on 19 January 2014."},{"key":"games_cost","value":324900,"unit":"RUB m","year":2015,"note":"Accounts Chamber, as reported by Interfax: RUB 221,000m private, RUB 103,300m federal, RUB 600m regional."},{"key":"revenue","value":85400,"unit":"RUB m","year":2015,"note":"Organising committee revenues (Accounts Chamber via Interfax)."},{"key":"sustainability_spend","value":16200,"unit":"RUB m","year":2015,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Organising Committee, sustainable development projects (IOC facts sheet)."},{"key":"contribution_to_unep","value":1.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"Russia's contribution to the UNEP Environment Fund in 2013 and 2014."},{"key":"waste_anticipated_tonnes","value":217000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2014,"note":"Olympstroy order anticipated 217 million tons of waste from Olympic construction in 2013 and 2014 (EWNC)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Olympic venues and the Adler–Krasnaya Polyana road and railway were built in Sochi National Park, the Mzymta valley and the Imereti lowland under environmental commitments from the bid, UNEP and a 2011 declaration. Peer-reviewed studies recorded destroyed trout spawning grounds along 57 km of the Mzymta; a waste dump at Akhshtyr and the imprisonment of an environmental defender were reported.","src":22},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Federal budget","what":"Olympstroy returned RUB 43.5 billion to the federal budget and the organising committee returned RUB 1.6 billion of unused federal subsidies (Accounts Chamber via Interfax).","src":12},{"who":"Organising committee","what":"Revenues of RUB 85.4 billion (Accounts Chamber via Interfax).","src":12}],"lost":[{"who":"Russian Railways","what":"Paid a USD 3,000 fine in August 2013; its representative said in court that about RUB 2 million in fines had been paid.","src":18},{"who":"Yevgeniy Vitishko, EWNC","what":"Sentenced to three years in a prison colony (converted from a conditional sentence on 20 December 2013); released on 22 December 2015.","src":23}],"harmed":[{"who":"Mzymta river","what":"Spawning and nursery grounds of the Black Sea trout destroyed along 57 km from the mouth; zoobenthos biomass declined along about 40 km.","src":22},{"who":"Residents of Akhshtyr","what":"Village wells dried up when construction began (AP).","src":13},{"who":"Sochi National Park and Imereti lowland","what":"At least 194 ha of forest land lost to the combined road; the ornithological park covers 100 ha on the lowland itself against about 800 ha proposed by scientists (EWNC).","src":20}]},"where":{"t":"Imereti lowland and Olympic Park in Adler; the Mzymta valley from Adler to Krasnaya Polyana and Roza Khutor; the Grushevy ridge in Sochi National Park next to the Caucasus State Biosphere Reserve; the Akhshtyr quarry on the Mzymta; Tuapse, where the defender’s case was heard.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bid and IOC report 2007; UNEP missions 2008 and 2010; declaration 23 March 2011; Games 7–23 February 2014; Akhshtyr dismissal 4 September 2014; Vitishko released 22 December 2015; trout study January 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Games and the Sochi development programme required venues, roads and rail in a protected-area region. Russian Railways’ representative said in court that the Akhshtyr quarry operations were a government task carried out under deadline pressure. UNEP said in 2010 that the assessments did not account for cumulative effects.","src":18},"how":{"t":"Venues were built inside Sochi National Park after a rezoning that permitted tourism infrastructure; UNEP facilitated a declaration of commitments in 2011; the IOC and UNEP promoted zero-waste, climate-neutral and harmony-with-nature themes; EWNC reported that the integrated monitoring UNEP recommended in 2010 was never established.","src":20}},"sources":[{"t":"IOC 2014 Evaluation Commission Report, XXII Olympic Winter Games in 2014","p":"International Olympic Committee","d":"2007-06","type":"official","u":"https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/Olympic_Games/Olympic_Games_Candidature_Process/Past_Candidature_Processes/2014_Host_City_Election/EN_2014_Evaluation_Commission_report.pdf"},{"t":"Factsheet: Sochi 2014 Facts & Figures","p":"International Olympic Committee","d":"2015-02-01","type":"official","u":"https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/Games/Winter-Games/Games-Sochi-2014-Winter-Olympic-Games/Facts-and-Figures/Factsheet-Facts-and-Figures-Sochi-2014.pdf"},{"t":"Sochi 2014: Report of the UNEP 2nd Expert Mission, 28–30 January 2010 (archived copy)","p":"UNEP","d":"2010-03","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"http://web.archive.org/web/20120131133303/http://www.unep.org/PDF/PressReleases/REPORTOFTHEUNEP_2ndEXPERT_MISSION.pdf"},{"t":"UNEP and the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics (microsite, archived)","p":"UNEP","d":"2011","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"http://web.archive.org/web/20110907161853/http://www.unep.org:80/sport_env/sochi2014/"},{"t":"Declaration of Commitments for the Restoration of the River Mzymta Basin Ecosystem (microsite page, archived)","p":"UNEP","d":"2011-03-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"http://web.archive.org/web/20111105185447/http://unep.org/sport_env/sochi2014/commitments.aspx"},{"t":"Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics turn green, adopting UN-backed plans","p":"UN News","d":"2011-03-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/03/369992-sochis-2014-winter-olympics-turn-green-adopting-un-backed-plans"},{"t":"Russia needs a greener plan for 2014 Winter Olympics, UN report states","p":"UN News","d":"2010-03-16","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://news.un.org/en/story/2010/03/332632"},{"t":"Russia and UNEP sign agreement to strengthen partnership","p":"UNEP","d":"2013-04-16","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/russia-and-unep-sign-agreement-strengthen-partnership"},{"t":"Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Green Economy in focus during UNEP meeting with Government of Russia","p":"UNEP","d":"2012-12-14","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-and-green-economy-focus-during-unep"},{"t":"Decision 34 COM 7B.24, Western Caucasus (Russian Federation)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","d":"2010","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4132"},{"t":"Interview to Russian and foreign media","p":"President of Russia","d":"2014-01-19","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/20080"},{"t":"Factsheet: The Environment and Sustainable Development (update January 2014)","p":"International Olympic Committee","d":"2014-01","type":"official","u":"https://stillmed.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Environment_and_substainable_developement.pdf"},{"t":"Счетная палата назвала доходы от Игр в Сочи (Accounts Chamber names revenues from the Sochi Games)","p":"Interfax","d":"2015-04-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/435561"},{"t":"Sochi Landfill Waste Threatens Drinking Water (AP)","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2013-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/archive/sochi-landfill-waste-threatens-drinking-water"},{"t":"Russia Breaks ‘Zero Waste’ Olympic Pledge (AP, N. Vasilyeva)","p":"Construction Equipment Guide","d":"2013-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/russia-breaks-zero-waste-olympic-pledge/21475"},{"t":"UN Accused of Greenwashing Sochi","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2011-01-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/archive/un-accused-of-greenwashing-sochi"},{"t":"UN ecologists call on Russia to revise location of Sochi Olympiad sites","p":"Caucasian Knot","d":"2008-06-02","type":"press","u":"https://eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/7653"},{"t":"Russian government to move some Sochi Olympic sites to other places","p":"Caucasian Knot","d":"2008-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://amp.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/7849"},{"t":"Court dismisses claim against Russian Railways over Akhshtyr quarry","p":"Caucasian Knot","d":"2014-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.caucasianknot.org/articles/29255"},{"t":"Promises to bring water to Olympic stricken village remain a pipe dream","p":"Bellona","d":"2014-11-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://bellona.org/?p=1973"},{"t":"Sochi-2014: independent environmental report","p":"Environmental Watch on North Caucasus (hosted by CEE Bankwatch)","d":"2014-03-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://bankwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Sochi-EnvironmentalReport-EWNC-Mar2014.pdf"},{"t":"Benthic Disturbance-Recovery Dynamics after Construction Impact in Mountain River Mzymta (Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 17(6))","p":"Baryshev, Veselov, Efremov, Ruch'ev, Pavlov","d":"2017","type":"academic","u":"https://trjfas.org/abstract.php?id=1138"},{"t":"Current State of Conditions for Reproduction of the Black Sea Trout Salmo trutta labrax in the Mzymta River (Journal of Ichthyology)","p":"Pavlov, Veselov, Kostin, Efremov, Ruchiev, Tuniev","d":"2018-01","type":"academic","u":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S0032945218010101"},{"t":"Russia: Activist sent to prison for three years for environmental activism (EUR 46/012/2014)","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2014-02-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/ar/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/eur460122014en.pdf"},{"t":"Urgent Action: Environmental activist loses appeal: Yevgeniy Vitishko (EUR 46/013/2014)","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2014-02-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/eur460132014en.pdf"},{"t":"Russia: Stop Harassing Environmental Activists","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2013-11-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/11/21/russia-stop-harassing-environmental-activists"},{"t":"Dispatches: Down the Russian Rabbit Hole of Injustice (with update)","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2015-12-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/21/dispatches-down-russian-rabbit-hole-injustice"},{"t":"Эколог Евгений Витишко вышел из колонии (Ecologist Yevgeny Vitishko released from colony)","p":"Meduza","d":"2015-12-22","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/news/2015/12/22/ekolog-evgeniy-vitishko-vyshel-iz-kolonii"}],"related":["russia-bans-wwf-and-greenpeace","wwf-russia-declared-foreign-agent-and-undesirable"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What was dumped at Akhshtyr and whether it was removed","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Waste handling during Olympic construction","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Sochi air quality after construction","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Protected areas in the Imereti lowland","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Compensation planting of Red Book plants","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cost of the Games","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The fence in the case against Vitishko and Gazaryan","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Gazaryan challenge before the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rezoning of Sochi National Park (action against the government): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal libel case against EWNC coordinator Andrey Rudomakha: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a UNEP assessment published after the Games.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a report from the third-party monitoring programme that UNEP recommended in 2010 and UNESCO requested in 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published comprehensive restoration plan for the Mzymta basin ecosystem under the 2011 declaration.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling attributing environmental damage to the Games organisers or to Russian Railways.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: UNEP found in 2010 that field data on hydro-ecology were insufficient and that the assessments did not account for cumulative effects.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the effect of the Akhshtyr dump on the Mzymta springs; a geologist quoted by AP said it could not be judged without a chemical analysis and geological survey, and none is reported.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a breakdown of the RUB 16.2 billion sustainability spend and a total cost of the Games in the IOC facts sheet.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: where the Akhshtyr waste ended up; Bellona reported there was no documentary proof.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: how many trees and bushes were planted; EWNC wrote in 2014 that this was “still not clear”.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the exact amount of construction waste buried on the territory of Sochi, which EWNC described as unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Sochi National Park was enlarged as UNEP recommended in 2010; the IOC states only that protected natural areas were expanded.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the outcome of the appeal announced after the Akhshtyr claim was dismissed in 2014, and the current state of the quarry.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the outcome of the litigation over the Sochi National Park rezoning that the IOC described as pending in 2007.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: cost of the Games — Putin gives RUB 214 billion; the Accounts Chamber, as reported by Interfax, gives RUB 324.9 billion; AP gives USD 51 billion for the Olympic budget. The sources do not reconcile the figures.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Adler–Krasnaya Polyana link — AP gives RUB 270 billion (USD 8.5 billion); Bellona gives USD 8.7 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the organisers’ figures on waste reuse (97%), animals relocated (more than 850), plants replanted (more than 2,000) and trees planted (more than 168,000) come from the IOC facts sheet.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"khimki-forest-m11-toll-motorway","title":"Khimki forest and the M11 Moscow–St Petersburg toll motorway (km 15–58)","dek":"A 43 km toll-motorway section built under a state concession with Vinci crossed the Khimki forest park near Moscow after the Supreme Court upheld the transfer of about 150 hectares of forest land in 2010. Compensation planting was promised in several amounts; the journalist Mikhail Beketov was attacked in 2008 and no suspects have been identified.","country":"Russia","region":"Europe","lat":55.93,"lon":37.4,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Khimki forest park, Moscow region (M11, km 15–58)","lat":55.93,"lon":37.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Moscow","lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"role":"court"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris and Nanterre (French inquiries)","lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"role":"company-home"}],"start":2007,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2009-11-05","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","defenders","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Forest-fund land transferred to transport use for the M11 section","value":"144.8821 ha","note":"Government order of 5 November 2009; the Supreme Court ruled the transfer lawful on 1 March 2010."},"happened":["A concession tender for the Moscow–St Petersburg motorway section at km 15–58 was announced under a government order of 24 September 2007 and, in 2008, OOO North-West Concession Company (NWCC) was named the winner. The concession agreement was signed on 27 July 2009 at the Ministry of Transport; Vinci described NWCC as a consortium of VINCI Concessions, as leader, and Russian partners, with a 30-year term and a possible five-year extension for the design, financing, construction and operation of a 43 km section. The Ministry of Transport gave the total cost as about 60 billion rubles, of which 23 billion rubles was allocated by the government; Vinci gave approximately EUR 1 billion.","A government order of 5 November 2009 transferred 144.8821 hectares of forest-fund land to the transport land category for the road. The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ruled the transfer of about 150 hectares of the Khimki forest park lawful on 1 March 2010 and rejected the environmentalists’ claim; the cassation appeal was rejected and the decision entered into force on 27 April 2010. On 26 August 2010 President Medvedev ordered a halt and a public discussion. On 14 December 2010 a commission chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov recommended the original route. An independent environmental examination by an NGO coalition, handed to the president on 1 February 2011, considered 11 alternative routings and concluded that the forest route meant the destruction of the Khimki forest ecosystem, mainly through fragmentation.","Compensation planting was promised in several amounts. Ivanov promised 500 hectares of trees for the 100 hectares felled (December 2010). Medvedev said on 24 December 2010 that a decision had been taken to plant five new trees for every tree felled. The Ministry of Natural Resources said in April 2011 that 700 hectares would be planted, fully compensating the 100 hectares of felling. In the same month Kommersant, via altapress, reported that Rosleskhoz could not find a site for 500 hectares and had proposed scattered plots instead. Reported funding included 1 billion rubles added to the project cost for compensation (Kommersant via altapress), a draft federal subsidy of 100 million rubles for forest reproduction (Interfax, August 2011) and 300 million rubles set aside by the Moscow region for work in Losiny Ostrov National Park.","Mikhail Beketov, editor of Khimkinskaya Pravda, who opposed the forest route and criticised the Khimki mayor, was beaten in November 2008 and fractured his skull and legs; he lost a leg and fingers and the ability to speak and died on 8 April 2013. A Khimki court convicted him of criminal slander of the mayor on 10 November 2010; a higher court later overturned the verdict. CPJ reported that no one had been named or arrested for the 2008 attack. In November 2010 the Kommersant reporter Oleg Kashin and the forest defender Konstantin Fetisov were beaten in attacks that the Moscow Times described as unsolved. After a protest attack on Khimki city hall on 28 July 2010, a Khimki court acquitted Alexei Gaskarov and gave Maxim Solopov a two-year suspended sentence in June 2011.","Vinci signed a memorandum with the EIB, the EBRD and Vnesheconombank on financing in November 2009; by October 2010 Bankwatch reported that both banks had stopped preparing participation, the EBRD saying it would not finance the section. In 2013 and 2016 Sherpa, Bankwatch and others filed complaints in France concerning the award of the section; Vinci rejected the allegations and no outcome is on record. The first 43 km section was inaugurated on 23 December 2014. In February 2025 Fontanka, citing RBC, reported that Vinci had left NWCC, its stake going to the Natsproektstroy group."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Concession tender announced (24 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"NWCC named winner; Mikhail Beketov beaten (November)","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"Concession signed (27 Jul); Vinci memorandum with EIB, EBRD and Vnesheconombank (30 Nov); government order transfers forest land (5 Nov)","src":3},{"y":2010,"t":"Supreme Court rules transfer lawful (1 Mar; in force 27 Apr); Khimki city hall attacked (28 Jul); Medvedev halts work (26 Aug); Beketov convicted of slander (10 Nov); commission recommends original route (14 Dec); Medvedev five-for-one statement (24 Dec)","src":5},{"y":2011,"t":"Independent environmental examination handed to Medvedev (1 Feb); compensation planting figures given (April); Khimki city hall verdicts (June)","src":16},{"y":2013,"t":"Beketov dies (8 Apr); Sherpa and others file complaint in France (24 Jun); Paris prosecutor opens preliminary inquiry (3 Oct)","src":18},{"y":2014,"t":"First 43 km section inaugurated (23 Dec)","src":2},{"y":2016,"t":"Complaint with civil-party status filed in Nanterre (May)","src":17},{"y":2023,"t":"ECtHR judgment in Varzhabetyan and Others v. Russia (5 Oct)","src":24},{"y":2024,"t":"Russian criminal case opened against Yevgenia Chirikova (16 Jul)","src":25},{"y":2025,"t":"Vinci’s exit from NWCC reported (25 Feb)","src":26}],"said":[{"q":"a decision has been taken to plant five new trees for every tree felled","who":"Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia","when":"24 December 2010","src":9,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Our people, including representatives of the political parties. say that additional analysis is needed.","who":"Dmitry Medvedev, President of Russia, ordering the suspension","when":"26 August 2010","src":5},{"q":"completely justified","who":"Sergei Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister, on the route from a legal point of view","when":"14 December 2010","src":6},{"q":"700 hectares of forest will be planted, which fully compensates for the felling in Khimki forest (100 hectares)","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources (translated)","when":"April 2011","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"meets the most exacting European standards in terms of technical requirements, environmental integration, land take optimisation","who":"Vinci, on the motorway","when":"23 December 2014","src":2},{"q":"The project and its route were defined 40 years ago","who":"Vinci, response to NGOs","when":"26 August 2011","src":20},{"q":"We firmly condemn all forms of violence and harassment against individuals","who":"Vinci","when":"26 August 2011","src":20},{"q":"is not involved in financing the first stage","who":"EBRD spokesman, on the section","when":"May 2011","src":14},{"q":"There is no identifiable need for the motorway routing through the centre of the Khimki Forest","who":"Independent environmental examination by an NGO coalition","when":"1 February 2011","src":16},{"q":"there is no body in Russia that would protect citizens' rights","who":"Yevgenia Chirikova, Movement to Defend Khimki Forest (translated)","when":"March 2010","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the very fact that [Medvedev] stopped deforestation is a great victory","who":"Yevgenia Chirikova, Movement to Defend Khimki Forest","when":"August 2010","src":5},{"q":"The extra trees will simply never be planted.","who":"Alexei Yablokov, head of the Yabloko environmental faction","when":"December 2010","src":6},{"q":"I regret that he did not live to see his attackers brought to justice.","who":"Dunja Mijatovic, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, on Beketov","when":"April 2013","src":23}],"shown":[{"t":"The road would relieve the M10 through Khimki, serve Sheremetyevo and cut toxic emissions on the existing road 2–3 times; air monitoring (6 posts and a mobile laboratory) and compensation greening promised.","who":"Ministry of Transport, 27 July 2009","src":0},{"t":"Planting of 500 hectares for the 100 hectares felled, no gas stations on the forest section and sound barriers.","who":"Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, 14 December 2010","src":6},{"t":"A decision to plant five new trees for every tree felled; the outcome “quite balanced”.","who":"President Medvedev, 24 December 2010 (translated)","src":9},{"t":"700 hectares of forest to be planted: more than 300 ha in Moscow’s Northern district (Molzhaninovo, Levoberezhny, Khovrino) in 2011–2013, more than 300 ha added to Losiny Ostrov and about 50 ha of roadside strips.","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources, 5 April 2011","src":10},{"t":"“Land take optimisation (30% reduction in surface area required compared to the initial project)”.","who":"Vinci, 23 December 2014","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Government order of 5 November 2009 transferred 144.8821 ha of forest-fund land to transport land; the Supreme Court ruled the transfer of about 150 ha lawful on 1 March 2010 (in force 27 April 2010).","src":3},{"t":"Independent examination: habitat for more than 30 plant and animal species registered in the Moscow and Moscow Region Red Books; predicted that the elk, boar, badger, fox and weasel living there would disappear completely; considered successful replanting of old oaks from the oak grove impossible.","src":16},{"t":"Compensation planting: 500 ha (Ivanov, December 2010), 700 ha (Ministry of Natural Resources, April 2011), five trees per tree felled (Medvedev, December 2010); in April 2011 Rosleskhoz could not find a site for 500 ha and proposed 235.8 ha within Khimki, 10 ha in Krasnogorsk, 129 ha in Chekhov or restoring 310 ha of burnt plantations in Orekhovo-Zuyevo.","src":11},{"t":"Financing in Vinci’s 2014 release: shareholder investment RUB 9.2 billion (VINCI Concessions 50%, Mostotrest 50%), a ruble bond issue of RUB 10 billion, a bank loan of RUB 29 billion and a state subsidy of RUB 23 million.","src":2},{"t":"EBRD stopped preparing participation and the EIB put its involvement on hold (Bankwatch, October 2010).","src":15},{"t":"Beketov attack of November 2008: investigation suspended for lack of suspects (September 2010); no suspects identified, per an April 2023 report cited by CPJ.","src":21},{"t":"Concession signed 27 July 2009; 30-year term; section opened to traffic from 23 December 2014; NWCC revenue rose from RUB 5.5 to 11.5 billion and net profit from RUB 2.1 to 4.6 billion between 2019 and 2023 (Fontanka citing SPARK).","src":26}],"ledger":{"currency":"Mixed — see each line","window":"2009–2023, as stated by each source","nature":[{"label":"Compensation planting: increase of project cost for ecological damage (RUB)","amount":1000,"window":"reported April 2011","note":"Kommersant via altapress."},{"label":"Draft federal subsidy for forest reproduction (RUB)","amount":100,"window":"reported August 2011","note":"Draft resolution of the Ministry of Natural Resources, via Interfax."},{"label":"Moscow region: forestation work in Losiny Ostrov National Park (RUB)","amount":300,"window":"reported August 2011"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Total project cost, Ministry of Transport (RUB)","amount":60000,"qualifier":"about","window":"27 July 2009"},{"label":"Government allocation, Ministry of Transport (RUB)","amount":23000,"window":"27 July 2009","note":"Vinci’s 2014 release gives a state subsidy of RUB 23 million."},{"label":"Total construction cost, Vinci (EUR)","amount":1000,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"27 July 2009"},{"label":"Shareholder investment (RUB)","amount":9200,"window":"Vinci, 23 December 2014"},{"label":"Ruble bond issue (RUB)","amount":10000,"window":"Vinci, 23 December 2014"},{"label":"Bank loan (RUB)","amount":29000,"window":"Vinci, 23 December 2014"},{"label":"NWCC revenue, 2019 (RUB)","amount":5500,"window":"2019"},{"label":"NWCC revenue, 2023 (RUB)","amount":11500,"window":"2023"},{"label":"NWCC net profit, 2019 (RUB)","amount":2100,"window":"2019"},{"label":"NWCC net profit, 2023 (RUB)","amount":4600,"window":"2023"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest land transferred","v":"144.8821 ha","d":"Government order of 5 November 2009"},{"k":"Compensation planting promised","v":"500–700 ha","d":"Ivanov (Dec 2010): 500 ha; Ministry of Natural Resources (Apr 2011): 700 ha"},{"k":"Compensation funds reported","v":"RUB 100m–1bn","d":"Draft subsidy RUB 100m (Interfax); RUB 1bn added to project cost (Kommersant via altapress)"},{"k":"Suspects identified in the 2008 Beketov attack","v":"0","d":"CPJ, citing an April 2023 report"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Government land-transfer order, 2010 ministers’ comparison and the independent environmental examination of 2011","report":[{"t":"A government order of 5 November 2009 moved 144.8821 hectares of my forest-fund land into the transport land category for the motorway.","src":3},{"t":"In December 2010 ministers compared routes and put the clearing on the forest route at 100 hectares, against 90 hectares by another route that would have required demolishing 50 houses.","src":6},{"t":"According to an independent environmental examination of 2011, my forest is habitat for more than 30 species of plants and animals registered as endangered in the Moscow and Moscow Region Red Books. The examination predicted that the elk, boar, badger, fox and weasel living there would disappear completely.","src":16},{"t":"The same examination concluded that the forest route meant the destruction of my ecosystem, mainly through fragmentation, and that successful replanting of old oaks from my oak grove was impossible.","src":16}]},"unknown":["None on record: planting of the promised compensation hectares; Rosleskhoz said in April 2011 that it could not find a site for 500 ha and no later official report confirms hectares planted.","None on record: published results of the environmental monitoring promised at signing in 2009 (air-quality control at 6 posts and a mobile laboratory).","None on record: a post-construction measurement of wildlife, fragmentation or forest condition in the Khimki forest.","Not disclosed: the lender of the RUB 29 billion bank loan in Vinci’s 2014 financing description.","Figures differ: the felled or transferred area — 144.8821 ha (government order), about 150 ha (Supreme Court report), 100 ha (government comparison, 2010–2011) and 175 ha (Kommersant via altapress); no final surveyed cleared area is stated.","Figures differ: the government contribution — the Ministry of Transport gave 23 billion rubles in 2009; Vinci’s 2014 release gives a state subsidy of RUB 23 million. Neither source explains the difference.","Figures differ: the cost of the section — about RUB 60 billion (Ministry of Transport, 2009), about EUR 1 billion (Vinci, 2009), RUB 51 billion (Transport Minister Levitin, December 2010), EUR 1.5 billion (Bankwatch) and EUR 1.63 billion (Bankwatch and Sherpa, for the award to NWCC in 2009).","Unclear: the dates of the beatings of Beketov, Kashin and Fetisov — Emerging Markets (2011) writes 2009; CPJ gives November 2008 for Beketov and the Moscow Times gives November 2010 for Kashin and Fetisov.","Unclear: the venue of the 2013 French proceedings — Bankwatch describes the complaint as lodged with the Nanterre prosecutor and Le Monde reports a preliminary inquiry opened by the Paris prosecutor.","None on record: an outcome of the French proceedings (indictment, dismissal or trial) or an official French judicial statement.","None on record: an EBRD or EIB project page or board decision on the section.","Not disclosed: Vnesheconombank’s role in the debt of km 15–58.","None on record: a court finding on the 2008 attack on Beketov; no body has established who ordered it.","None on record: a European Court of Human Rights judgment on the forest land transfer itself."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The first 43 km section opened to traffic from 23 December 2014; no post-construction measurement of the forest is on record.","whoPaid":"Vinci’s 2014 release lists shareholder investment of RUB 9.2 billion, a RUB 10 billion bond issue, a RUB 29 billion bank loan and a state subsidy of RUB 23 million; the Ministry of Transport gave the government allocation as 23 billion rubles in 2009. Compensation planting funding reported ranged from a draft federal subsidy of RUB 100 million to RUB 1 billion added to the project cost. No source records the forest’s loss being paid for.","statusLine":"As of February 2025: the section is in operation; Vinci’s exit from NWCC was reported by Fontanka; the French proceedings have no outcome on record; the 2008 Beketov attack remains without identified suspects.","updated":"2026-10-18","responses":[{"actor":"Vinci","says":"Rejects the allegations about its activities in Russia and is at the disposal of the courts (2013); condemns all forms of violence and harassment against individuals and said it advised AVTODOR to take all necessary measures to prevent violence (2011).","when":"2011 and 2013","src":18},{"actor":"Ministry of Transport","says":"Said the road would relieve the M10, serve Sheremetyevo and cut toxic emissions on the existing road 2–3 times, with air monitoring and compensation greening.","when":"27 July 2009","src":0},{"actor":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"700 hectares of forest to be planted, fully compensating the 100 hectares felled in the Khimki forest.","when":"April 2011","src":10},{"actor":"Rosleskhoz","says":"Could not find a site for 500 ha of compensation planting; proposed scattered plots of 235.8 ha in Khimki, 10 ha in Krasnogorsk and 129 ha in Chekhov, or restoring 310 ha of burnt plantations in Orekhovo-Zuyevo (per Kommersant via altapress).","when":"April 2011","src":11},{"actor":"Moscow region governor Boris Gromov","says":"Called the December 2010 decision “extremely positive”.","when":"December 2010","src":6},{"actor":"Rosavtodor","says":"Said it was delighted by the December 2010 decision (Moscow Times, citing Interfax).","when":"December 2010","src":6},{"actor":"EBRD","says":"A spokesman said the bank was not involved in financing the first stage, that its interest in future stages was undiminished, and that it opposed the use of violence and expressed concern at excessive force against demonstrators.","when":"May 2011","src":14},{"actor":"European Commission","says":"In a letter to an MEP, a Commission official wrote that the EIB and the EBRD review financing only on condition that the final project corresponds to their standards and requirements.","when":"2010","src":19}],"actors":[{"id":"vinci","role":"Leader of the NWCC consortium; concession operator"},{"id":"nwcc","role":"Concessionaire for km 15–58; receives the tolls"},{"id":"mostotrest","role":"50% shareholder in NWCC investment; transferred stake in 2021"},{"id":"ministry-of-transport-russia","role":"Signed the concession agreement; gave cost and government allocation"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Land-transfer order; Medvedev and Ivanov statements"},{"id":"russian-supreme-court","role":"Ruled the land transfer lawful on 1 March 2010"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Memorandum signatory 2009; stated it was not financing the first stage"},{"id":"eib","role":"Memorandum signatory 2009; involvement on hold per Bankwatch"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Letter to an MEP on EIB and EBRD financing conditions"},{"id":"vneshekonombank","role":"Memorandum signatory 2009; co-founder of Natsproektstroy"},{"id":"natsproektstroy","role":"Buyer of Vinci’s NWCC stake, per Fontanka"},{"id":"cee-bankwatch","role":"Complainant in France; hosts the independent examination summary"},{"id":"sherpa","role":"Complainant in France (2013, 2016)"},{"id":"movement-to-defend-khimki-forest","role":"Citizens’ movement led by Yevgenia Chirikova"},{"id":"cpj","role":"Documented the Beketov attack and trial"},{"id":"echr","role":"Varzhabetyan and Others v. Russia (2023)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"The 2009 government contribution to the section","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Transport","says":"Total cost about 60 billion rubles, of which 23 billion rubles was allocated by the government.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vinci","says":"Financing in 2014 included “a state subsidy of RUB 23 million”.","src":2}]},{"point":"Cost of the section","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Transport (2009)","says":"About 60 billion rubles.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vinci (2009)","says":"Approximately EUR 1 billion.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Transport Minister Igor Levitin (December 2010)","says":"RUB 51 billion for the current plan against 48.5 billion for the alternative.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CEE Bankwatch","says":"EUR 1.5 billion.","src":15},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CEE Bankwatch and Sherpa","says":"The section was awarded directly to NWCC for EUR 1.63 billion in 2009.","src":17}]},{"point":"Whether the road had to pass through the forest","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government commission chaired by Sergei Ivanov","says":"The route was completely justified from a legal point of view; ministers put the forest route at 100 hectares felled against 90 hectares via Vashutino with 50 houses demolished; Levitin said the forest section would be ready by 2013 and the alternative not before 2017.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Independent environmental examination (NGO coalition)","says":"“There is no identifiable need for the motorway routing through the centre of the Khimki Forest”; 11 alternative routings considered.","src":16},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vinci","says":"“The project and its route were defined 40 years ago.”","src":20}]},{"point":"Area of forest felled or transferred","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government order of 5 November 2009","says":"144.8821 hectares of forest-fund land transferred to transport land.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government commission and Ministry of Natural Resources (2010–2011)","says":"100 hectares to be cleared.","src":6},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kommersant via altapress","says":"175 hectares felled.","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vinci","says":"A 30% reduction in surface area required compared to the initial project.","src":2}]},{"point":"Amount of compensation planting","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Sergei Ivanov, Deputy Prime Minister","says":"500 hectares for the 100 hectares felled (December 2010).","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Medvedev","says":"Five new trees for every tree felled (December 2010).","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"700 hectares, fully compensating the felling (April 2011).","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosleskhoz via Kommersant","says":"Could not find a site for 500 ha (April 2011).","src":11},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Alexei Yablokov, Yabloko environmental faction","says":"“The extra trees will simply never be planted.”","src":6}]},{"point":"The award of the concession","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sherpa, CEE Bankwatch, Yevgenia Chirikova and Mikhail Matveev","says":"Filed a complaint in May 2016 with civil-party status before the chief investigating judge in Nanterre, alleging an offence in the award of the km 15–58 section.","src":17},{"voice":"company","holder":"Vinci","says":"Rejected the allegations about its activities in Russia and said it was at the disposal of the courts (2013).","src":18}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Environmentalists v. Government of Russia (transfer of Khimki forest land)","forum":"Supreme Court of the Russian Federation","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmentalists, including plaintiff Andrey Margulev, coordinator of the Union of Environmental Public Organisations","defendant":"Government of Russia","filed":2010,"decided":2010,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 1 March 2010 the Supreme Court ruled lawful the transfer of about 150 hectares of the Khimki forest park under the order of 5 November 2009 and rejected the claim to annul it. The cassation appeal was rejected and the decision entered into force on 27 April 2010. Margulev said the government’s materials included a letter from the technical customer asking Rosleskhoz not to consider other route options.","src":4},{"title":"Slander case against journalist Mikhail Beketov","forum":"Khimki court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Vladimir Strelchenko, mayor of Khimki","defendant":"Mikhail Beketov, editor of Khimkinskaya Pravda","filed":null,"decided":2010,"status":"overturned","amount":{"value":0.005,"currency":"RUB","label":"fine; payment suspended under the statute of limitations"},"summary":"On 10 November 2010 Judge Arkady Khalatov convicted Beketov of criminally slandering the mayor and ordered him to pay 5,000 rubles; payment was suspended under the statute of limitations. A higher court later overturned the verdict (date not given).","src":22},{"title":"Investigation of the 2008 attack on Mikhail Beketov","forum":"Investigative Committee","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative authorities","defendant":"Unknown persons","filed":2008,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"In September 2010 the Investigative Committee said the probe was suspended for lack of suspects. CPJ reported that investigators failed to name or arrest anyone; an April 2023 report said no suspects had been identified.","src":21},{"title":"Khimki city hall attack, 28 July 2010: Alexei Gaskarov","forum":"Khimki court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Alexei Gaskarov","filed":null,"decided":2011,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Verdict reported 24–26 June 2011: acquitted, after about 90 people attacked the city hall building in protest against the highway.","src":7},{"title":"Khimki city hall attack, 28 July 2010: Maxim Solopov","forum":"Khimki court","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Maxim Solopov","filed":null,"decided":2011,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Verdict reported 24–26 June 2011: two-year suspended sentence.","src":7},{"title":"Varzhabetyan and Others v. Russia (nos. 60851/12 and others)","forum":"European Court of Human Rights","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"Applicants, including one whose complaints covered a gathering for the protection of the Khimki Forest in Moscow on 17 May 2012","defendant":"Russia","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Judgment of 5 October 2023. The gathering of 17 May 2012 was punished with an administrative fine of RUB 500 (Presnenskiy District Court, 12 July 2012). The Court found violations including of Article 11.","src":24},{"title":"Criminal cases against Yevgenia Chirikova","forum":"Investigative Committee of Russia; a Russian court (arrest in absentia, April 2024)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee","defendant":"Yevgenia Chirikova, leader of the Movement to Defend Khimki Forest (moved to Estonia in 2015)","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 16 July 2024 the Investigative Committee opened a case against her over military “fakes” (Article 207.3 part 1). Earlier cases concern participation in a terrorist community, calls to terrorism and financing terrorism; she was put on the wanted list and a court arrested her in absentia in April 2024. She is accused; no conviction is reported.","src":25},{"title":"Complaint against Vinci Concessions Russie and persons unknown (June 2013)","forum":"French prosecutors (Paris prosecutor announced a preliminary inquiry on 3 October 2013)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Sherpa, Russie-Libertés, CEE Bankwatch and MOBO Princip","defendant":"Vinci Concessions Russie and persons unknown","filed":2013,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Filed on 24 June 2013; the complainants alleged offences under French criminal law concerning foreign public officials and influence peddling. Vinci rejected the allegations.","src":18},{"title":"Complaint with civil-party status, Nanterre (May 2016)","forum":"Chief investigating judge, Nanterre","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Sherpa, CEE Bankwatch, Yevgenia Chirikova and Mikhail Matveev","defendant":"Not stated","filed":2016,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Filed in May 2016 concerning the award of the km 15–58 section.","src":17}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":144.8821,"unit":"ha","year":2009,"note":"Forest-fund land transferred to transport land by the government order of 5 November 2009."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":100,"unit":"ha","year":2010,"note":"Hectares to be cleared, per the government comparison (Moscow Times, December 2010)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":175,"unit":"ha","year":2011,"note":"Felled area per Kommersant via altapress."},{"key":"planting_promised_ha","value":500,"unit":"ha","year":2010,"note":"Sergei Ivanov, December 2010."},{"key":"planting_promised_ha","value":700,"unit":"ha","year":2011,"note":"Ministry of Natural Resources, April 2011."},{"key":"road_length_km","value":43.108,"unit":"km","year":2009,"note":"M11 head section km 15–58, stated as 43 km 108 m."},{"key":"project_cost","value":60000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ministry of Transport, 27 July 2009."},{"key":"subsidy","value":23000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2009,"note":"Government allocation per the Ministry of Transport; Vinci’s 2014 release gives RUB 23 million."},{"key":"subsidy","value":23,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"note":"State subsidy as stated in Vinci’s 23 December 2014 release."},{"key":"project_cost","value":1000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2009,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Vinci, 27 July 2009."},{"key":"shareholder_investment","value":9200,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"note":"VINCI Concessions 50%, Mostotrest 50%."},{"key":"bond_issue","value":10000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014},{"key":"bank_loan","value":29000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2014,"note":"Lender not named."},{"key":"revenue","value":5500,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"NWCC, Fontanka citing SPARK."},{"key":"revenue","value":11500,"unit":"RUB m","year":2023,"note":"NWCC, Fontanka citing SPARK."},{"key":"profit","value":2100,"unit":"RUB m","year":2019,"note":"NWCC net profit."},{"key":"profit","value":4600,"unit":"RUB m","year":2023,"note":"NWCC net profit."},{"key":"planting_funds","value":1000,"unit":"RUB m","year":2011,"note":"Added to the project cost to compensate ecological damage (Kommersant via altapress)."},{"key":"planting_funds","value":100,"unit":"RUB m","year":2011,"note":"Draft federal subsidy for forest reproduction (Interfax)."},{"key":"planting_funds","value":300,"unit":"RUB m","year":2011,"note":"Moscow region, forestation in Losiny Ostrov National Park (Interfax)."},{"key":"species_red_book","value":30,"unit":"species","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Plants and animals in Moscow and Moscow Region Red Books recorded in the forest (independent examination)."},{"key":"tariff","value":3.6,"unit":"RUB per km","year":2009,"note":"Weighted average tariff of the winning bid."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 43 km toll-motorway section (M11, km 15–58) was built under a 30-year state concession with NWCC, a Vinci-led consortium, through the Khimki forest park after the Supreme Court upheld the transfer of about 150 hectares of forest land. Compensation planting was promised in several amounts, and a journalist who opposed the route was attacked in 2008.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"NWCC (concessionaire)","what":"Collects tolls under the 30-year concession; revenue rose from RUB 5.5 to 11.5 billion and net profit from RUB 2.1 to 4.6 billion between 2019 and 2023 (Fontanka citing SPARK).","src":26},{"who":"Natsproektstroy group","what":"Named by Fontanka as buyer of Vinci’s NWCC stake in February 2025.","src":26}],"lost":[{"who":"Mikhail Beketov","what":"Beaten in November 2008; lost a leg, fingers and the ability to speak; died on 8 April 2013.","src":21}],"harmed":[{"who":"Khimki forest park","what":"144.8821 ha transferred to transport land; habitat for more than 30 Red Book species; an independent examination predicted fragmentation and the disappearance of elk, boar, badger, fox and weasel.","src":16}]},"where":{"t":"Khimki forest park, Moscow region, between Khimki and Sheremetyevo airport; M11 head section km 15–58 from the Businovskaya interchange on the MKAD north-west past Khimki, Molzhaninovo and Sheremetyevo.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Tender 24 September 2007; concession signed 27 July 2009; land-transfer order 5 November 2009; Supreme Court 1 March 2010 (in force 27 April 2010); construction suspended 26 August 2010 and route confirmed 14 December 2010; inauguration 23 December 2014; Vinci exit reported 25 February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Ministry of Transport said the road would relieve the M10 through Khimki, serve Sheremetyevo and cut toxic emissions on the existing road 2–3 times; the commission of December 2010 judged the forest route legally justified. An independent examination found no identifiable need for routing through the centre of the forest.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A state concession with a state contribution, shareholder investment, a ruble bond and a bank loan; planned financing by the EIB and EBRD did not go ahead; compensation planting was promised from budgets.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"В Министерстве транспорта РФ состоялось подписание концессионного соглашения на участке 15-58 км (Concession agreement signed at the Ministry of Transport for the km 15–58 section)","p":"Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation","d":"2009-07-27","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://mintrans.gov.ru/press-center/news/3816"},{"t":"VINCI, concession operator of Moscow-St Petersburg motorway","p":"Vinci","d":"2009-07-27","type":"company","u":"https://www.vinci.com/sites/default/files/medias/imported/communiques/file/7BC0C8E5D3680750C125760000604583/vinci-moscow-petersburg-en.pdf"},{"t":"Inauguration of the first section of the M11 Moscow-Saint Petersburg motorway in Russia (AMF filing)","p":"Vinci","d":"2014-12-23","type":"company","u":"https://echanges.dila.gouv.fr/OPENDATA/AMF/BWR/2014/12/FCBWR082383_20141223.pdf"},{"t":"Экологи продолжат борьбу за Химкинский лес в Страсбургском суде (Environmentalists will continue the fight for Khimki forest at the Strasbourg court)","p":"RIA Novosti via RAPSI","d":"2010-03-01","type":"press","u":"https://rapsinews.ru/news/20100301/211568312.html"},{"t":"Верховный суд не согласился с аргументами защитников Химкинского леса (Supreme Court rejected the arguments of the Khimki forest defenders)","p":"Radio Svoboda (RFE/RL)","d":"2010-04-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/2026095.html"},{"t":"Medvedev Freezes Khimki Highway","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2010-08-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2010/08/26/medvedev-freezes-khimki-highway-a953"},{"t":"Medvedev Backs Khimki Road","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2010-12-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2010/12/14/medvedev-backs-khimki-road-a3738"},{"t":"Khimki Forest Trial Ends","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2011-06-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2011/06/26/khimki-forest-trial-ends-a7853"},{"t":"Prominent Russian Environmental Activist Flees to Estonia","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2015-04-19","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/news/prominent-russian-environmental-activist-flees-to-estonia-45892"},{"t":"Итоги года с Президентом России (The year in review with the President of Russia)","p":"President of Russia","d":"2010-12-24","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"http://kremlin.ru/events/president/news/9888"},{"t":"В качестве компенсации за вырубки в Химкинском лесу будет высажено 700 гектаров леса (700 hectares of forest to be planted as compensation for felling in Khimki forest; quoting the Ministry of Natural Resources)","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2011-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2011/04/05/les-anons.html"},{"t":"Правительство не может выполнить обещания по Химкинскому лесу (Government cannot keep its promises on Khimki forest; citing Kommersant)","p":"altapress.ru","d":"2011-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://altapress.ru/story/pravitelstvo-ne-mozhet-vipolnit-obeshchaniya-po-himkinskomu-lesu-65220"},{"t":"Govt to earmark 100 mln rubles in compensation for felled Khimki forest","p":"Interfax","d":"2011-08-08","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/59545/"},{"t":"Moscow memorandum","p":"KHL Group","d":"2009-11-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.khl.com/news/moscow-memorandum/1049787.article"},{"t":"EBRD confirms Moscow road financing as battle rages (Emerging Markets)","p":"CEE Bankwatch","d":"2011-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://bankwatch.org/?p=101604"},{"t":"Moscow – St.Petersburg motorway PPP, Russian Federation (project page)","p":"CEE Bankwatch","d":"2010","type":"ngo","u":"https://bankwatch.org/?p=102131"},{"t":"Summary of independent environmental examination of the Moscow-St.Petersburg motorway project, section 15-58 km","p":"NGO coalition, hosted by CEE Bankwatch","d":"2011-02-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://bankwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/EnvironmentalAssessment_Khimki_Summary.pdf"},{"t":"NGOs file a complaint against Vinci Russia in Khimki Forest motorway case","p":"CEE Bankwatch and Sherpa","d":"2016-05-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://bankwatch.org/press-release/ngos-file-a-complaint-against-vinci-russia-for-corruption-of-foreign-public-officials-in-khimki-forest-motorway-case"},{"t":"Enquête ouverte contre une filiale russe de Vinci (Investigation opened into a Russian subsidiary of Vinci; Le Monde)","p":"CEE Bankwatch","d":"2013-10-07","type":"press","u":"https://bankwatch.org/?p=101877"},{"t":"European Commission confirms cessation in funding for highway through Moscow's Khimki Forest (quoting a Commission letter)","p":"Werner Schulz MEP","d":"2010-11-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.werner-schulz-europa.eu/englisch/302-european-commission-confirms-cessation-in-funding-for-highway-through-moscows-khimki-forest.html"},{"t":"Vinci response re Moscow-Saint Petersburg motorway project, Russia","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (hosting a Vinci statement)","d":"2011-08-26","type":"ngo","voice":"company","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/vinci-response-re-moscow-saint-petersburg-motorway-project-russia/"},{"t":"Mikhail Beketov (profile, including April 2023 update)","p":"Committee to Protect Journalists","d":"2023-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://cpj.org/data/people/mikhail-beketov/"},{"t":"Beketov convicted of defamation, his assailants still at large","p":"Committee to Protect Journalists","d":"2010-11-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://cpj.org/2010/11/beketov-convicted-of-defamation-his-assailants-sti/"},{"t":"Russian journalist Beketov dies","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2013-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/journalist-dies-beketov-victim-khimki/24951515.html"},{"t":"Varzhabetyan and Others v. Russia, nos. 60851/12 and others","p":"European Court of Human Rights","d":"2023-10-05","type":"court","u":"https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-227723"},{"t":"СК России возбудил против активистки Евгении Чириковой уголовное дело о военных «фейках» (Investigative Committee opens criminal case against activist Yevgenia Chirikova over military ‘fakes’)","p":"Current Time (RFE/RL)","d":"2024-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/33038617.html"},{"t":"Один из крупнейших операторов платных дорог в Европе Vinci ушел из России (Vinci, one of Europe's largest toll-road operators, has left Russia; citing RBC)","p":"Fontanka.ru","d":"2025-02-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.fontanka.ru/2025/02/25/75150380/"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the road had to pass through the forest","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Area of forest felled or transferred","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Amount of compensation planting","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The 2009 government contribution to the section","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cost of the section","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The award of the concession","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Complaint against Vinci Concessions Russie and persons unknown (June 2013): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Complaint with civil-party status, Nanterre (May 2016): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: planting of the promised compensation hectares; Rosleskhoz said in April 2011 that it could not find a site for 500 ha and no later official report confirms hectares planted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: published results of the environmental monitoring promised at signing in 2009 (air-quality control at 6 posts and a mobile laboratory).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a post-construction measurement of wildlife, fragmentation or forest condition in the Khimki forest.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the lender of the RUB 29 billion bank loan in Vinci’s 2014 financing description.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the felled or transferred area — 144.8821 ha (government order), about 150 ha (Supreme Court report), 100 ha (government comparison, 2010–2011) and 175 ha (Kommersant via altapress); no final surveyed cleared area is stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the government contribution — the Ministry of Transport gave 23 billion rubles in 2009; Vinci’s 2014 release gives a state subsidy of RUB 23 million. Neither source explains the difference.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the cost of the section — about RUB 60 billion (Ministry of Transport, 2009), about EUR 1 billion (Vinci, 2009), RUB 51 billion (Transport Minister Levitin, December 2010), EUR 1.5 billion (Bankwatch) and EUR 1.63 billion (Bankwatch and Sherpa, for the award to NWCC in 2009).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the dates of the beatings of Beketov, Kashin and Fetisov — Emerging Markets (2011) writes 2009; CPJ gives November 2008 for Beketov and the Moscow Times gives November 2010 for Kashin and Fetisov.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the venue of the 2013 French proceedings — Bankwatch describes the complaint as lodged with the Nanterre prosecutor and Le Monde reports a preliminary inquiry opened by the Paris prosecutor.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an outcome of the French proceedings (indictment, dismissal or trial) or an official French judicial statement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an EBRD or EIB project page or board decision on the section.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Vnesheconombank’s role in the debt of km 15–58.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court finding on the 2008 attack on Beketov; no body has established who ordered it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a European Court of Human Rights judgment on the forest land transfer itself.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"turkmenistan-methane-super-emitters","title":"Methane super-emitters in Turkmenistan's oil and gas fields","dek":"Satellite studies between 2022 and 2026 recorded repeated large methane plumes over Turkmenistan's oil and gas fields. Turkmenistan joined the Global Methane Pledge in December 2023, and in August 2026 UNEP confirmed 8 stopped leaks.","country":"Turkmenistan","region":"Asia","lat":39.3,"lon":53.75,"places":[{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Balkan province (Caspian coast)","lat":39.3,"lon":53.75,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Esenguly district, Balkan province","lat":37.5,"lon":54,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Galkynysh / Dauletabad area (Mary and Lebap provinces)","lat":37.4,"lon":62.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","role":"company-home"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"headline":{"label":"Methane from Turkmen energy facilities, 2024 (IEA)","value":"5.5 Mt","note":"IEA Global Methane Tracker 2025, via The Chemical Engineer: fifth highest globally; intensity 1.03 kg/GJ, second only to Venezuela at 1.14."},"happened":["A peer-reviewed study in Environmental Science & Technology (1 February 2022; Irakulis-Loitxate, Guanter, Maasakkers, Zavala-Araiza and Aben) analysed satellite data over the South Caspian Basin in western Turkmenistan. It found 29 emitters with emission rates above 1,800 kg/h active in 2017–2020, 24 of them inactive flares venting gas, and 944 Sentinel-2 plumes between January 2017 and November 2020. The emitting fields were managed by 'two large state companies', which the paper does not name; pipelines were controlled by Türkmengaz, and no emissions were found from the five foreign operators in the area. The authors wrote that the emissions were 'mainly due to the venting of gas from oil fields' and read the more frequent emitters as conflicting with Turkmenistan's Rules for the Development of Hydrocarbon Fields, which ban continuous gas flaring and venting.","The analytics company Kayrros estimated in January 2022 that Turkmen onshore oil and gas released about 5 million tons of methane in 2021, which it equated to 423 million tons of CO2e (GWP20). In a Guardian article of 9 May 2023, republished by Grist and relying on Kayrros data, the western field on the Caspian coast leaked 2.6 million tons of methane in 2022 and the eastern field 1.8 million tons; the article equated the combined amount to 366 million tons of CO2, 'more than the UK's annual emissions'. Satellites detected 840 super-emitting events since early 2019, the most of any nation, and at North Bugdayly such events nearly doubled to almost 60 between 2021 and 2022. Kayrros said most of the leaking facilities belonged to Turkmenoil (Türkmennebit).","The IEA Global Methane Tracker 2025 put methane from Turkmen energy facilities at 5.5 million tonnes in 2024, the fifth highest globally, with an emissions intensity of 1.03 kg/GJ. The 2026 edition placed Turkmenistan and Venezuela highest for upstream methane intensity among major producers and reported that super-emitter emissions across Turkmenistan rose by more than 15% a year on average in 2020–2023. A UCLA analysis of 2025 data, reported on 17–20 March 2026, found that 15 of the 25 most intense oil and gas methane plumes worldwide were in the Balkan region, including the top two; plumes near Esenguly averaged 10.5 t/hr in 2025 and reached 18 t/hr in December. UCLA said all 15 sites were almost certainly operated by Türkmengaz or Türkmennebit; Eni said it operated none of them. In a separate item, the outlet Turkmen.news reported, citing anonymous sources, that up to 90,000 m³ of gas in 24 hours was emitted 'pretty much every month' at the Petronas onshore terminal flare at Kiyanly (15 November 2021); inspectors from the Caspian Ecological Control Center and Türkmengaz began an inspection after the article appeared.","Turkmenistan's president announced on 1 December 2023 at COP28 that the country was joining the Global Methane Pledge. Türkmengaz joined UNEP's Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) in March 2024, and a draft Roadmap and Comprehensive Plan of Measures was presented on 1 October 2024 with partners named as the UNFCCC, UN agencies, the World Bank, the ADB and the Islamic Development Bank. Türkmengaz said in April 2025 that monitoring from June 2024 to February 2025 'recorded zero emissions in several production departments', and a Turkmen consulate item said methane emissions 'fell 11% by the end of 2024'. UNEP said Turkmenistan received 192 MARS alerts in the last year and responded to about 20% of them; it held 3 of the 6 worst leaks detected by MARS in the last six months and 9 of the top 50. UNEP confirmed 8 stopped leaks: the first in November 2024, two at Dauletabad in February 2026 and the latest in March 2026 in Lebap province.","On money, a US official said in June 2023 that the United States had offered technical assistance and public and private investment to detect and fix large leaks, without an amount, and put the share of annual Turkmen gas production lost to venting, flaring or leakage at about 7%. Türkmengaz and ADNOC signed a memorandum on 4–5 January 2024 to explore cooperation on reducing methane emissions, with a separate memorandum covering Galkynysh phase III; no amounts were given. Dragon Oil's chief executive said at a conference on 25–27 October 2023 that the company aimed for zero gas flaring in Turkmenistan by 2027. According to the Times of Central Asia, EU methane import rules apply to gas contracts signed or renewed after 4 August 2024 from 1 January 2027, and a UCLA researcher described Turkmenistan as seeking to enter the European gas market; most Turkmen gas goes to China and the Trans-Caspian pipeline is unbuilt."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Start of the study period for western oil and gas fields (2017–2020): 29 emitters above 1,800 kg/h","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"COP26: then deputy cabinet chair Serdar Berdimuhamedov says Turkmenistan is reducing emissions with 'special attention' to methane; Kiyanly terminal flare reported (15 Nov)","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"Kayrros estimate of about 5 Mt of methane for 2021 (28 Jan); peer-reviewed study published (1 Feb)","src":9},{"y":2023,"t":"Guardian/Kayrros article (9 May); US–Turkmenistan talks reported (June); Dragon Oil zero-flaring target (Oct); Global Methane Pledge joined at COP28 (1 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"Türkmengaz–ADNOC memorandum (5–6 Jan); MARS participation starts (March); draft Roadmap presented (1 Oct); first leak repair confirmed (Nov)","src":4},{"y":2025,"t":"Türkmengaz statement at TEIF, Kuala Lumpur (23–24 Apr); Esenguly plumes average 10.5 t/hr","src":7},{"y":2026,"t":"UCLA analysis of 2025 plumes (17 Mar); UNEP confirms 8 stopped leaks (31 Aug)","src":13}],"said":[{"q":"Today, from this high rostrum, Turkmenistan officially declares it is joining the Global Methane Pledge","who":"President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, COP28 (via Interfax, citing the state news agency)","when":"1 December 2023","src":3},{"q":"This is a breakthrough in terms of having real documented mitigation action.","who":"Meghan Demeter, MARS programme manager, UNEP","when":"August 2026","src":13},{"q":"But it is not yet a breakthrough in the overall magnitude of emissions.","who":"Meghan Demeter, MARS programme manager, UNEP","when":"August 2026","src":13},{"q":"Currently, we use 70 percent of the gas we produce, but in three years we hope to reach 100 percent","who":"Ali Rashid Al-Jarwan, chief executive, Dragon Oil","when":"25–27 October 2023","src":5},{"q":"recorded zero emissions in several production departments","who":"Myrad Archayev, deputy chairman, Türkmengaz, on monitoring from June 2024 to February 2025","when":"23–24 April 2025","src":7},{"q":"It's just a waste of money for the country; it's a disaster from a climate perspective.","who":"Kayrros's founder, Antoine Rostand","when":"June 2023","src":2},{"q":"This points to the risks of penalizing flaring without effective measures to control venting.","who":"Irakulis-Loitxate et al., Environmental Science & Technology","when":"1 February 2022","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Turkmenistan officially joined the Global Methane Pledge","who":"President Serdar Berdimuhamedov at COP28","src":3},{"t":"Methane emissions fell 11% by the end of 2024, exceeding the plan's target; no measurement method stated","who":"Turkmen consulate in Frankfurt (official item dated 25 April, year not given)","src":8},{"t":"Total methane emissions down 10% since 2020 while production rose, citing Kayrros","who":"Türkmengaz, April 2025","src":7},{"t":"Zero emissions recorded in several production departments between June 2024 and February 2025","who":"Türkmengaz deputy chairman Myrad Archayev","src":7},{"t":"Zero gas flaring in Turkmenistan by 2027","who":"Dragon Oil chief executive, October 2023","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"29 emitters above 1,800 kg/h active in 2017–2020, 24 of them inactive flares venting gas; 944 Sentinel-2 plumes between January 2017 and November 2020","src":0},{"t":"About 5 million tons of methane from onshore oil and gas in 2021 (Kayrros); 2.6 million tons (west) and 1.8 million tons (east) in 2022 (Guardian/Kayrros)","src":9},{"t":"5.5 Mt of methane from energy facilities in 2024, fifth highest globally; intensity 1.03 kg/GJ (IEA, via The Chemical Engineer)","src":10},{"t":"Super-emitter emissions up more than 15% a year on average in 2020–2023 (IEA Global Methane Tracker 2026, via the Times of Central Asia)","src":12},{"t":"15 of the 25 most intense oil and gas methane plumes worldwide in 2025 were in the Balkan region (UCLA)","src":10},{"t":"192 MARS alerts in the last year; about 20% answered; 8 stopped leaks confirmed (UNEP, 2026)","src":13},{"t":"The draft Roadmap gives no budget, baseline or quantitative target","src":6},{"t":"The US offer of technical assistance and investment carried no disclosed amount","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Methane, 2024","v":"5.5 Mt","d":"Turkmen energy facilities; fifth highest globally (IEA, via The Chemical Engineer)"},{"k":"Emitters above 1,800 kg/h","v":"29","d":"Active in 2017–2020 on the west coast (peer-reviewed study, 2022)"},{"k":"Share of gas lost","v":"about 7%","d":"Venting, flaring or leakage, as a share of annual production (US official, 2023)"},{"k":"Leaks stopped","v":"8","d":"Confirmed by UNEP against 192 MARS alerts in the last year (2026)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Satellite measurements by academic teams, Kayrros, the IEA, UCLA and UNEP's MARS programme between 2017 and 2026 record repeated large methane releases from Turkmen oil and gas fields.","report":[{"t":"Over my western oil and gas fields on the Caspian coast, a 2022 peer-reviewed study found 29 emitters releasing more than 1,800 kg/h of methane in 2017–2020; 24 of them were inactive flares venting gas.","src":0},{"t":"Satellites detected 944 methane plumes over my western fields between January 2017 and November 2020; the largest hyperspectral plumes reached 19,600 ± 8,000 kg/h.","src":0},{"t":"Kayrros estimated that about 5 million tons of methane left my onshore oil and gas fields in 2021.","src":9},{"t":"According to the Guardian and Kayrros, 2.6 million tons of methane leaked from my western field and 1.8 million tons from my eastern field in 2022.","src":1},{"t":"The IEA put methane from my energy facilities at 5.5 million tonnes in 2024, the fifth highest globally.","src":10},{"t":"Of the 25 most intense oil and gas methane plumes worldwide in 2025, 15 rose from my Balkan region, according to UCLA; the plumes near Esenguly averaged 10.5 t/hr and reached 18 t/hr in December.","src":10}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the amount of any US funding for methane work in Turkmenistan; a US official said it was unclear how much the United States would spend.","Not disclosed: a budget, baseline or numeric target in the draft Roadmap presented on 1 October 2024.","Not disclosed: how the Turkmen consulate item measured the 11% reduction by the end of 2024.","Self-reported only: Türkmengaz's finding of zero emissions in several production departments (June 2024 to February 2025), and its statement that total emissions fell 10% since 2020, citing Kayrros.","Disputed: the direction of Turkmenistan's methane emissions. The Turkmen figures (−11% by end-2024; −10% since 2020) and the satellite figures (IEA: super-emitter emissions up more than 15% a year in 2020–2023; UCLA: first place for 2025 plumes) cover different periods and metrics and are not directly comparable.","Disputed: UNEP's response rate to MARS alerts. About 20% (Guardian, August 2026) and 21% for 2025 (The Chemical Engineer, May 2026); the scope of each figure may differ.","None on record: an enforcement action, fine or court case in Turkmenistan over the emissions, including under the Rules for the Development of Hydrocarbon Fields.","None on record: insurance cover or insurance claims linked to the emissions.","None on record: a USAID or UNDP methane project budget for Turkmenistan.","None on record: a methane-specific spending disclosure by CNPC or Petronas for Turkmen operations.","None on record: a Petronas comment in the Turkmen.news item on the Kiyanly terminal flare.","Unclear: whether the methane commission that Turkmenistan said in June 2023 it would create was formally established, and its membership."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Partly. UNEP confirmed 8 stopped leaks between November 2024 and March 2026; UNEP's MARS programme manager said in August 2026 that the action was 'not yet a breakthrough in the overall magnitude of emissions'.","whoPaid":"The atmosphere, in the form of methane emissions. A US official put the share of annual Turkmen gas production lost to venting, flaring or leakage at about 7%; no currency value and no payment for the emissions is on record.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: UNEP confirmed 8 stopped leaks; no enforcement action or court case is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"turkmenistan-gov","says":"President Serdar Berdimuhamedov announced at COP28 that Turkmenistan was joining the Global Methane Pledge; a consulate item said methane emissions fell 11% by the end of 2024.","when":"1 December 2023; 2025","src":3},{"actor":"turkmengaz","says":"Deputy chairman Myrad Archayev said monitoring recorded zero emissions in several production departments between June 2024 and February 2025, and described natural gas as 'a low-carbon fuel that can replace more polluting energy sources such as coal and oil'.","when":"23–24 April 2025","src":7},{"actor":"turkmengaz","says":"Did not respond to the Guardian in 2023 and August 2026, or to The Chemical Engineer in March 2026.","when":"2023–2026","src":13},{"actor":"turkmennebit","says":"Did not respond to the Guardian in 2023 or to The Chemical Engineer in March 2026.","when":"2023–2026","src":10},{"actor":"dragon-oil","says":"The company aimed for zero gas flaring in Turkmenistan by 2027 and used 70% of the gas it produced in October 2023.","when":"October 2023","src":5},{"actor":"adnoc","says":"Signed a memorandum with Türkmengaz to explore cooperation on reducing methane emissions; a separate memorandum covers Galkynysh phase III.","when":"January 2024","src":4},{"actor":"eni","says":"Said it operated none of the 15 sites behind the most intense 2025 plumes.","when":"March 2026","src":10},{"actor":"petronas","says":"No comment appears in the Turkmen.news item on the Kiyanly terminal flare.","when":"December 2021","src":14}],"actors":[{"id":"turkmengaz","role":"State gas concern; controls pipelines; signed memorandum with ADNOC"},{"id":"turkmennebit","role":"State oil company (Turkmenoil); named by Kayrros and UCLA as operator of leaking facilities"},{"id":"turkmenistan-gov","role":"Joined the Global Methane Pledge; published the draft Roadmap"},{"id":"kayrros","role":"Satellite analytics company; estimates of Turkmen methane"},{"id":"dragon-oil","role":"Operator in Turkmenistan; zero-flaring target for 2027"},{"id":"adnoc","role":"Signed methane cooperation memorandum with Türkmengaz"},{"id":"petronas","role":"Operator of the Kiyanly onshore terminal"},{"id":"eni","role":"Said it operated none of the top 2025 plume sites"},{"id":"unep","role":"MARS alerts; confirmed 8 stopped leaks"},{"id":"iea","role":"Global Methane Tracker estimates"},{"id":"us-government","role":"Offered technical assistance and investment in 2023"},{"id":"eu","role":"Methane import rules apply to gas contracts from 2027"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Direction of Turkmenistan's methane emissions (the figures cover different periods and metrics)","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkmen consulate in Frankfurt","says":"Methane emissions fell 11% by the end of 2024; no measurement method is stated.","src":8},{"voice":"company","holder":"Türkmengaz","says":"Total methane emissions in Turkmenistan down 10% since 2020 while production rose, citing Kayrros.","src":7},{"voice":"international","holder":"IEA","says":"Super-emitter emissions across Turkmenistan rose by more than 15% a year on average in 2020–2023.","src":12},{"voice":"research","holder":"UCLA","says":"15 of the 25 most intense oil and gas methane plumes worldwide in 2025 were in the Balkan region, including the top two.","src":10}]},{"point":"Share of MARS alerts that Turkmenistan answered","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Guardian (via Irish Examiner), citing UNEP","says":"About 20% of 192 alerts in the last year.","src":13},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Chemical Engineer","says":"21% for 2025.","src":11}]},{"point":"Who operates the leaking facilities","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Irakulis-Loitxate et al. (2022)","says":"The emitting fields are managed by two large state companies, not named; no emissions were found from the five foreign operators in the area.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kayrros","says":"Most of the leaking facilities belong to Turkmenoil (Türkmennebit).","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"UCLA","says":"All 15 sites behind the most intense 2025 plumes were almost certainly operated by Türkmengaz or Türkmennebit.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Eni","says":"It operated none of the 15 sites.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Türkmengaz and Türkmennebit","says":"Did not respond to The Chemical Engineer in March 2026.","src":10,"silent":true},{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkmen foreign ministry and embassy in the UK","says":"Did not respond to the Guardian in 2023.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"super_emitters","value":29,"unit":"emitters above 1,800 kg/h","year":2020,"note":"Active in 2017–2020, west coast; 24 inactive flares venting gas (peer-reviewed study)."},{"key":"plumes_detected","value":944,"unit":"Sentinel-2 plumes","year":2020,"note":"January 2017 to November 2020."},{"key":"plume_rate_max","value":19600,"unit":"kg/h (± 8,000)","year":2020,"note":"Largest hyperspectral plume; the smallest was 1,400 ± 400 kg/h."},{"key":"methane_emitted_mt","value":5,"unit":"Mt CH4","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kayrros estimate for onshore oil and gas; equated by Kayrros to 423 million tons CO2e (GWP20)."},{"key":"methane_emitted_mt","value":2.6,"unit":"Mt CH4","year":2022,"note":"Western field, Caspian coast (Guardian/Kayrros)."},{"key":"methane_emitted_mt","value":1.8,"unit":"Mt CH4","year":2022,"note":"Eastern field (Guardian/Kayrros). The article equates the combined amount to 366 million tons of CO2."},{"key":"super_emitting_events","value":840,"unit":"events","year":2023,"note":"Detected since early 2019, the most of any nation (Guardian/Kayrros)."},{"key":"methane_emitted_mt","value":5.5,"unit":"Mt CH4","year":2024,"note":"Energy facilities; fifth highest globally (IEA Global Methane Tracker 2025)."},{"key":"emission_intensity","value":1.03,"unit":"kg/GJ","year":2024,"note":"Second only to Venezuela at 1.14 (IEA)."},{"key":"plume_rate_avg","value":10.5,"unit":"t/hr","year":2025,"note":"Plumes near Esenguly; reached 18 t/hr in December (UCLA)."},{"key":"top_plumes_in_balkan","value":15,"unit":"of the 25 most intense plumes worldwide","year":2025,"note":"UCLA analysis using Carbon Mapper, Planet Labs' Tanager-1 and NASA's EMIT data."},{"key":"mars_alerts","value":192,"unit":"alerts","year":2026,"note":"In the last year; about 20% answered (UNEP)."},{"key":"leaks_stopped","value":8,"unit":"leaks","year":2026,"note":"Confirmed by UNEP; first in November 2024, latest in March 2026."},{"key":"gas_lost_share_pct","value":7,"unit":"% of annual gas production","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lost to venting, flaring or leakage, according to a US official."},{"key":"reported_reduction_pct","value":11,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Turkmen consulate item; method not stated. Self-reported."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Satellite studies recorded repeated large methane plumes over Turkmenistan's oil and gas fields between 2017 and 2025, mostly on the Caspian coast. Turkmenistan joined the Global Methane Pledge in December 2023, and UNEP confirmed 8 stopped leaks by August 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ADNOC","what":"Signed a memorandum with Türkmengaz in January 2024 to explore cooperation on methane reduction, and a separate memorandum on Galkynysh phase III; no amounts were given","src":4},{"who":"Dragon Oil","what":"Operator in Turkmenistan; its chief executive said in October 2023 that it used 70% of the gas it produced and aimed for zero flaring by 2027","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Turkmenistan","what":"About 7% of annual gas production lost to venting, flaring or leakage, according to a US official in 2023; no currency value given","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere","what":"5.5 Mt of methane from energy facilities in 2024, the fifth highest globally (IEA)","src":10},{"who":"South Caspian Basin oil and gas fields, Balkan province","what":"29 emitters above 1,800 kg/h in 2017–2020 and 944 plumes detected by Sentinel-2","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The Balkan province on the Caspian coast (Goturdepe, Barsa-Gelmez, Gogerendag, Korpeje, Gamyshlja Gunorta, Keymir and Akpatlavuk fields); the Esenguly district; and the Galkynysh / Dauletabad area in Mary and Lebap provinces.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study period 2017–2020; Kayrros estimates for 2021 and 2022; IEA data for 2020–2024; UCLA analysis of 2025 plumes reported in March 2026; Global Methane Pledge on 1 December 2023; UNEP confirmation of stopped leaks on 31 August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The 2022 study's authors attributed the emissions mainly to venting of gas from oil fields. UCLA's Cara Horowitz said the most intense 2025 plumes were likely due to poor maintenance and that operators who 'did good housekeeping' could solve an important part of the problem.","src":10},"how":{"t":"Emissions were detected with Sentinel-2, TROPOMI/Sentinel-5P, PRISMA, ZY1 AHSI and Landsat 5/8 (2022 study), and with Carbon Mapper, Planet Labs' Tanager-1 and NASA's EMIT (UCLA 2025 analysis). UNEP's MARS programme sends alerts to governments, and Türkmengaz has repaired some leaks after alerts.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Satellites Detect Abatable Super-Emissions in One of the World's Largest Methane Hotspot Regions","p":"Environmental Science & Technology (Irakulis-Loitxate, Guanter, Maasakkers, Zavala-Araiza, Aben)","d":"2022-02-01","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9940854/"},{"t":"Turkmenistan's 'mind-boggling' methane emissions revealed by satellite data (Guardian article by Damian Carrington, republished)","p":"Grist","d":"2023-05-09","type":"press","u":"https://grist.org/energy/turkmenistans-mind-boggling-methane-emissions-revealed-by-satellite-data/"},{"t":"'Super emitter': U.S. in talks to reduce methane bursts in Turkmenistan","p":"E&E News","d":"2023-06-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/super-emitter-u-s-in-talks-to-reduce-methane-bursts-in-turkmenistan/"},{"t":"Turkmenistan joining Global Methane Pledge - president","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-12-01","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/97171/"},{"t":"State Concern «Turkmengas» and ADNOC signed memorandums of cooperation in the fuel and energy sector","p":"Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)","d":"2024-01-06","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://oilgas.gov.tm/en/posts/news/9576/state-concern-turkmengas-and-adnoc-signed-memorandums-of-cooperation-in-the-fuel-and-energy-sector"},{"t":"Dragon Oil will switch to zero gas flaring in Turkmenistan by 2027","p":"Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm), reporting a company statement","d":"2023-11-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.oilgas.gov.tm/en/posts/news/9089/dragon-oil-will-switch-to-zero-gas-flaring-in-turkmenistan-by-2027"},{"t":"Draft Roadmap for Reducing Methane Emissions Has Been Prepared","p":"Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)","d":"2024-11-05","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://oilgas.gov.tm/en/posts/news/12275/draft-roadmap-for-reducing-methane-emissions-has-been-prepared"},{"t":"Turkmengas: Turkmenistan successfully reduces methane emissions","p":"Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)","d":"2025-04-25","type":"official","voice":"company","u":"https://oilgas.gov.tm/en/posts/news/13862/turkmengas-turkmenistan-successfully-reduces-methane-emissions"},{"t":"Implementation of the Program for Reducing Methane Emissions into the Environment in Turkmenistan","p":"Consulate General of Turkmenistan, Frankfurt","d":"25 April (year not given)","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://frankfurt.tmconsulate.gov.tm/news/146016"},{"t":"Closing the \"Gates of Hell\"","p":"Kayrros","d":"2022-01-28","type":"company","u":"https://www.kayrros.com/closing-the-gates-of-hell/"},{"t":"Turkmenistan remains 'hotspot' for methane emissions, according to satellite data","p":"The Chemical Engineer","d":"2026-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/turkmenistan-remains-hotspot-for-methane-emissions-according-to-satellite-data/"},{"t":"UN satellite programme curbs more than 40 methane 'super-emitters' since 2023","p":"The Chemical Engineer","d":"2026-05-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/un-satellite-programme-curbs-more-than-40-methane-super-emitters-since-2023/"},{"t":"Turkmenistan Methane Emissions Under Scrutiny After 192 UN Alerts","p":"The Times of Central Asia","d":"2026-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/turkmenistan-methane-emissions-un-alerts-eu-rules/"},{"t":"'Breakthrough' as Turkmenistan starts fixing 'mindboggling' methane mega-leaks (Guardian article by Damian Carrington, republished)","p":"Irish Examiner","d":"2026-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.irishexaminer.com/world/arid-41904757.html"},{"t":"Petronas flare, Kiyanly onshore gas terminal","p":"Turkmen.news","d":"2021-12-13","type":"press","u":"https://en.turkmen.news/news/petronas-flare-turkmenistan/"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Direction of Turkmenistan's methane emissions (the figures cover different periods and metrics)","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Share of MARS alerts that Turkmenistan answered","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who operates the leaking facilities","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Türkmengaz and Türkmennebit: Did not respond to The Chemical Engineer in March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Turkmen foreign ministry and embassy in the UK: Did not respond to the Guardian in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Reported reduction pct: Turkmen consulate item; method not stated. Self-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of any US funding for methane work in Turkmenistan; a US official said it was unclear how much the United States would spend.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a budget, baseline or numeric target in the draft Roadmap presented on 1 October 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: how the Turkmen consulate item measured the 11% reduction by the end of 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Türkmengaz's finding of zero emissions in several production departments (June 2024 to February 2025), and its statement that total emissions fell 10% since 2020, citing Kayrros.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the direction of Turkmenistan's methane emissions. The Turkmen figures (−11% by end-2024; −10% since 2020) and the satellite figures (IEA: super-emitter emissions up more than 15% a year in 2020–2023; UCLA: first place for 2025 plumes) cover different periods and metrics and are not directly comparable.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: UNEP's response rate to MARS alerts. About 20% (Guardian, August 2026) and 21% for 2025 (The Chemical Engineer, May 2026); the scope of each figure may differ.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an enforcement action, fine or court case in Turkmenistan over the emissions, including under the Rules for the Development of Hydrocarbon Fields.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or insurance claims linked to the emissions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a USAID or UNDP methane project budget for Turkmenistan.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a methane-specific spending disclosure by CNPC or Petronas for Turkmen operations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Petronas comment in the Turkmen.news item on the Kiyanly terminal flare.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the methane commission that Turkmenistan said in June 2023 it would create was formally established, and its membership.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"darvaza-gas-crater","title":"Darvaza gas crater: orders to extinguish the fire, wells drilled, methane measured","dek":"The Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert has burned since late 1987 or early 1988, according to a satellite preprint. Turkmenistan's president ordered the fire extinguished in January 2022, Türkmengaz reported combustion falling after wells were drilled in 2024, and a preprint measured continuing methane release.","country":"Turkmenistan","region":"Asia","lat":40.25,"lon":58.44,"places":[{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Ahal province, Karakum desert","lat":40.25,"lon":58.44,"role":"event"}],"start":1971,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"headline":{"label":"Methane from the crater, 2020–2025 (preprint)","value":"71 ± 21 kt","note":"Five-year total CH4 from 44 plumes at 1,000–3,000 kg/h; a preprint, not peer-reviewed."},"happened":["The Darvaza crater lies on the Chaljulba structure of the Zeagli-Darvaza group of gas fields in the Central Karakum, Ahal province, about 270 km north of Ashgabat. AFP gave its size as 70 m wide and 20 m deep. AFP said it formed in a Soviet drilling collapse in 1971, and RFE/RL put the formation in the '1960s or 1970s'; a satellite preprint dated the start of combustion to late 1987 or early 1988 using Landsat.","Turkmenistan's president first ordered experts to find a way to put out the fire in 2010. In a televised order on 8 January 2022 he said the fire 'negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby' and told officials to 'find a solution to extinguish the fire'; he also said 'We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits' (AFP).","Türkmengaz deputy chairman Myrad Archayev said in April 2025 that observation well No. 11 gave 'an industrial inflow of low-pressure gas from 200 meters' in July 2024, that exploratory well No. 12 gave slightly gasified formation water, and that well No. 4, completed in December 2024, had a gas inflow of about 600,000 m³ per day; he added that 'Satellite data show combustion intensity in the crater fell by more than half.' A Turkmen consulate item said new production wells near the crater at the Chaljulba field had halved emissions. In late December 2025 and January 2026, Türkmengaz's Scientific Research Institute of Natural Gas set out a plan to drill an operational and appraisal well at Chaljulba to draw gas away from the crater; the gas-bearing layers lie at 200–950 m, and earlier attempts failed because gas leaked from multiple outlets. A Türkmengaz representative told RFE/RL that the fire reduction was 'nearly threefold' and that mothballed wells had been reopened.","The analytics company Kayrros estimated emissions from the burning at 50,500 tons of CO2 in 2018 and 37,600 tons in 2021, 'most likely due to depleting levels or changing flows of the burning natural gas', and said this was less than 1% of the oil and gas sector's direct emissions. A preprint from the Universitat Politècnica de València and UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory (first posted 20 June 2025, version 3 on 2 July 2026, not peer-reviewed) recorded 44 methane plumes in 2020–2025 at 1,000–3,000 kg/h, a five-year total of 71 ± 21 kt of methane, and an extrapolated total since formation of more than 900 ± 300 kt. It found that flaring declined gradually 'with no apparent correlation to methane release' and called the crater 'a rare and persistent emitter'. Carbon Mapper data cited by the New York Times (via Newser, May 2026) showed an average of about 1,300 kg/h of methane in 2022–2025, with a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.","According to the New York Times (4 May 2026, via Newser), infrared data from Capterio showed the crater's heat falling by more than 75% in three years, with the dimming starting before the 2024 wells, and a smaller flame did not automatically benefit the climate because the fire turns methane into CO2. Tour operators told RFE/RL that the flames had been falling for years. Türkmengaz and the government gave no cost for the wells; Batman University scientist Sukru Merey estimated a secondary well at 'millions of dollars', and RFE/RL cited an estimate of about USD 300 million as the market value of decades of gas leakage, without naming who made it."],"timeline":[{"y":1971,"t":"Formation of the crater, said by AFP to be a Soviet drilling collapse in 1971 (RFE/RL: '1960s or 1970s')","src":0},{"y":1987,"t":"Start of combustion in late 1987 or early 1988, according to a Landsat-based preprint","src":7},{"y":2010,"t":"President first orders experts to find a way to extinguish the fire","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Televised order to extinguish the fire (8 Jan)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Observation well No. 11 yields gas (July); well No. 4 completed (December)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Türkmengaz statement on halved combustion (April); preprint first posted (20 June); plan for a further well (28 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2026,"t":"Newser/NYT: heat down more than 75% in three years (4 May); preprint version 3 (2 July)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"negatively affects both the environment and the health of the people living nearby","who":"Turkmenistan's president, as reported by AFP, on the burning crater","when":"8 January 2022","src":0},{"q":"We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits","who":"Turkmenistan's president, as reported by AFP","when":"January 2022","src":0},{"q":"Satellite data show combustion intensity in the crater fell by more than half.","who":"Myrad Archayev, deputy chairman, Türkmengaz","when":"April 2025","src":1},{"q":"Even after drilling [a new well], it may not be possible to completely eliminate gas leakage to the crater.","who":"Sukru Merey, Batman University, to RFE/RL","when":"31 December 2025","src":4},{"q":"did not appear to track changes in methane release","who":"Valverde et al., preprint, on the decline in flaring","when":"2 July 2026 (version 3)","src":7},{"q":"in particular last year, the flames were at a significantly lower level","who":"Dylan Harris, Lupine Travel, to RFE/RL","when":"31 December 2025","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The fire harms the environment and the health of nearby residents and wastes valuable natural resources","who":"Turkmenistan's president, January 2022","src":0},{"t":"Combustion intensity in the crater fell by more than half after wells were drilled in 2024","who":"Türkmengaz, April 2025","src":1},{"t":"Emissions from the crater were halved after new production wells were drilled at Chaljulba","who":"Turkmen consulate item (year not given, probably 2025)","src":2},{"t":"The fire reduction is 'nearly threefold'","who":"A Türkmengaz representative, to RFE/RL, December 2025","src":4},{"t":"A new well will 'completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere'","who":"Türkmengaz, December 2025, as reported by RFE/RL","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"44 methane plumes in 2020–2025 at 1,000–3,000 kg/h; five-year total 71 ± 21 kt CH4 (preprint, not peer-reviewed)","src":7},{"t":"More than 20 detections at 1,000–3,000 kg/h (EGU 2025 abstract by the same team)","src":8},{"t":"Flaring declined gradually with no apparent correlation to methane release (preprint)","src":7},{"t":"About 1,300 kg/h of methane on average in 2022–2025, with a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025 (Carbon Mapper, via Newser/NYT)","src":5},{"t":"CO2 from the burning: 50,500 tons in 2018 and 37,600 tons in 2021 (Kayrros)","src":6},{"t":"Heat fell by more than 75% in three years, with dimming starting before the 2024 wells (Capterio, via Newser/NYT)","src":5},{"t":"Well No. 4 completed in December 2024 with a gas inflow of about 600,000 m³ per day (Türkmengaz)","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Not stated","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated market value of decades of gas leakage (RFE/RL does not name who made the estimate)","amount":300,"qualifier":"about","window":"decades"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Methane, 2020–2025","v":"71 ± 21 kt","d":"Five-year total from 44 plumes (preprint, not peer-reviewed)"},{"k":"Methane since formation","v":"> 900 ± 300 kt","d":"Extrapolated total (preprint)"},{"k":"Heat drop in three years","v":"> 75%","d":"Capterio infrared data, via Newser/NYT, May 2026"},{"k":"Wells' cost","v":"Not disclosed","d":"Türkmengaz and the government state no cost"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A satellite preprint and Kayrros recorded methane and CO2 releases from the crater, and Capterio recorded the heat falling; the preprint found no correlation between the flame decline and methane release.","report":[{"t":"In 2020–2025 satellites detected 44 methane plumes from my Darvaza crater at 1,000–3,000 kg/h, a five-year total of 71 ± 21 kt, according to a preprint that is not peer-reviewed.","src":7},{"t":"The same preprint extrapolates more than 900 ± 300 kt of methane since my crater formed.","src":7},{"t":"Burning at my crater released 50,500 tons of CO2 in 2018 and 37,600 tons in 2021, according to Kayrros.","src":6},{"t":"My flame has dimmed, but the preprint found no apparent correlation between the decline in flaring and methane release, and Carbon Mapper recorded a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the cost or budget of the wells drilled in 2024–2025; Türkmengaz and the government state none.","Not disclosed: how the Turkmen consulate item measured the halving of emissions, or how the drilling was funded.","Not disclosed: who made the estimate of about USD 300 million as the market value of decades of gas leakage; RFE/RL does not name the source.","Not measured: methane release in the RFE/RL article, which gives no methane measurement of its own.","Disputed: why the flame declined and by how much. Türkmengaz attributes the decline to the 2024 wells and gives 'more than half' and, through a representative, 'nearly threefold'; Capterio data show a heat drop of more than 75% in three years, with dimming that began before the 2024 wells.","Disputed: the date of formation. The preprint states assumptions of 1963 or 1971; AFP gives 1971; RFE/RL gives the '1960s or 1970s'; Landsat data put the start of burning in late 1987 or early 1988.","Unclear: Kayrros's units, which are inconsistent in its post ('37,600 k/tons' appears once).","Unclear: whether the well announced for the crater in December 2025 was drilled and what effect it had.","None on record: legal proceedings. The orders of 2010 and 2022 are executive instructions.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Partly. Türkmengaz and Capterio recorded the flame falling; the preprint found no apparent correlation with methane release, and Carbon Mapper recorded a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.","whoPaid":"Not disclosed: the cost of the 2024–2025 wells. The Turkmen government and Türkmengaz state none; the gas lost over decades has an estimated market value of about USD 300 million (RFE/RL, estimator not named).","statusLine":"As of July 2026: a preprint reports continuing methane release; no cost for the wells is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"turkmenistan-gov","says":"The president said in January 2022 that the fire harmed the environment and residents' health and that valuable natural resources were being lost; a consulate item said emissions from the crater were halved after new wells.","when":"January 2022; 2025","src":0},{"actor":"turkmengaz","says":"Deputy chairman Myrad Archayev said combustion intensity fell by more than half after well No. 4 (about 600,000 m³ per day) and observation well No. 11; a representative later said the reduction was nearly threefold and that a new well would completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions.","when":"April 2025; December 2025","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"turkmenistan-gov","role":"President ordered the fire extinguished; consulate item on halved emissions"},{"id":"turkmengaz","role":"State gas concern; drilled the wells and reported the decline"},{"id":"kayrros","role":"Estimated CO2 from the burning for 2018 and 2021"},{"id":"universitat-politecnica-de-valencia","role":"Preprint authors (with UNEP's methane observatory)"},{"id":"unep","role":"International Methane Emissions Observatory, co-affiliation of the preprint authors"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why the flame declined and by how much","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Türkmengaz (Myrad Archayev)","says":"Combustion intensity fell by more than half after the 2024 wells.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"A Türkmengaz representative, to RFE/RL","says":"The fire reduction is nearly threefold; mothballed wells were reopened.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Capterio, via Newser/NYT","says":"Heat fell by more than 75% in three years, with dimming that began before the 2024 wells.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kayrros","says":"The fall in CO2 from 50,500 tons (2018) to 37,600 tons (2021) was most likely due to depleting levels or changing flows of the burning gas.","src":6}]},{"point":"Whether methane release fell with the flame","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Valverde et al. (preprint)","says":"Flaring declined gradually with no apparent correlation to methane release; the crater is a rare and persistent emitter.","src":7},{"voice":"research","holder":"Carbon Mapper, via Newser/NYT","says":"Average of about 1,300 kg/h in 2022–2025, with a spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Türkmengaz, via RFE/RL","says":"A new well will completely eliminate uncontrolled gas emissions into the atmosphere.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Sukru Merey, Batman University","says":"Even after drilling a new well, it may not be possible to completely eliminate gas leakage to the crater.","src":4}]},{"point":"Date the crater formed","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP","says":"A Soviet drilling collapse in 1971.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"RFE/RL","says":"The 1960s or 1970s.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Valverde et al. (preprint)","says":"Assumed 1963 or 1971 for formation; Landsat data put the start of combustion in late 1987 or early 1988.","src":7}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"methane_plumes","value":44,"unit":"plumes","year":2025,"note":"2020–2025, from EnMAP, PRISMA, EMIT, GF-5A and ZY-1E; 1,000–3,000 kg/h (preprint, not peer-reviewed)."},{"key":"methane_emitted_kt","value":71,"unit":"kt CH4 (± 21)","year":2025,"note":"Five-year total (preprint)."},{"key":"methane_emitted_kt","value":900,"unit":"kt CH4 (± 300)","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Extrapolated total since formation (preprint)."},{"key":"methane_rate_avg","value":1300,"unit":"kg/h","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Average in 2022–2025; spike to 1,960 kg/h in late 2025 (Carbon Mapper, via Newser/NYT)."},{"key":"co2_tonnes","value":50500,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2018,"note":"Kayrros Carbon Watch estimate (Sentinel/VIIRS data)."},{"key":"co2_tonnes","value":37600,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2021,"note":"Kayrros; less than 1% of the oil and gas sector's direct emissions, according to Kayrros."},{"key":"heat_drop_pct","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Heat reduction in three years (Capterio, via Newser/NYT)."},{"key":"well_gas_inflow","value":600000,"unit":"m³ per day","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Well No. 4, completed December 2024 (Türkmengaz)."},{"key":"gas_leakage_value","value":300,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Estimated market value of decades of gas leakage, as cited by RFE/RL; estimator not named."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan's Karakum desert has burned for decades. The president ordered the fire extinguished in 2022, Türkmengaz drilled wells in 2024 to divert gas, and a preprint measured continuing methane release from the crater.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Turkmenistan","what":"Gas diverted by the new wells; the president cited valuable natural resources and significant profits in January 2022","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Turkmenistan","what":"Decades of gas leakage with an estimated market value of about USD 300 million (RFE/RL; estimator not named)","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere","what":"71 ± 21 kt of methane in 2020–2025 (preprint, not peer-reviewed)","src":7},{"who":"Atmosphere","what":"50,500 tons of CO2 from the burning in 2018 and 37,600 tons in 2021 (Kayrros)","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"The Chaljulba structure of the Zeagli-Darvaza group of gas fields in the Central Karakum, Ahal province, about 270 km north of Ashgabat.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Formation dated to 1971 (AFP) or the 1960s or 1970s (RFE/RL); combustion from late 1987 or early 1988 (preprint); presidential orders in 2010 and on 8 January 2022; wells in July and December 2024; plan for a further well in December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Earlier attempts to extinguish the fire failed because gas leaked from multiple outlets, according to the plan of Türkmengaz's Scientific Research Institute of Natural Gas, as reported by the Times of Central Asia.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Türkmengaz drilled wells at the Chaljulba field to draw gas away from the crater; methane was measured by satellites (EnMAP, PRISMA, EMIT, GF-5A, ZY-1E) and the heat by infrared imagery.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Turkmenistan 'Gateway to Hell' to close (AFP)","p":"Kuwait Times","d":"2022-01-08","type":"press","u":"https://kuwaittimes.com/turkmenistan-gateway-to-hell-to-close/"},{"t":"Turkmengas: Turkmenistan successfully reduces methane emissions","p":"Nebitgaz (oilgas.gov.tm)","d":"2025-04-25","type":"official","voice":"company","u":"https://oilgas.gov.tm/en/posts/news/13862/turkmengas-turkmenistan-successfully-reduces-methane-emissions"},{"t":"Implementation of the Program for Reducing Methane Emissions into the Environment in Turkmenistan","p":"Consulate General of Turkmenistan, Frankfurt","d":"25 April (year not given)","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://frankfurt.tmconsulate.gov.tm/news/146016"},{"t":"Turkmen Scientists Develop Plan to Extinguish the Darvaza Gas Crater","p":"The Times of Central Asia","d":"2026-01-07","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/turkmen-scientists-develop-plan-to-extinguish-the-darvaza-gas-crater/"},{"t":"Closing The 'Gates Of Hell': Turkmenistan's Fiery Gas Crater Is Being Snuffed Out","p":"RFE/RL (Amos Chapple)","d":"2025-12-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/amp/turkmenistan-gas-crater-extinguish-darvaza-fire/33637002.html"},{"t":"'Gates to Hell' Not Looking So Fearsome (relying on the New York Times, Jenny Gross)","p":"Newser","d":"2026-05-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.newser.com/story/388475/gates-to-hell-not-looking-so-fearsome.html"},{"t":"Closing the \"Gates of Hell\"","p":"Kayrros","d":"2022-01-28","type":"company","u":"https://www.kayrros.com/closing-the-gates-of-hell/"},{"t":"Satellite-based assessment of methane emissions from the Darvaza gas crater (preprint, not peer-reviewed)","p":"EarthArXiv (Valverde, Irakulis-Loitxate, Gorroño, Pei, Guanter)","d":"2026-07-02","type":"academic","u":"https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/9468/"},{"t":"Analysis of Methane Emissions from the Darvaza Gas Crater (EGU25-11171, conference abstract)","p":"EGU General Assembly 2025","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/EGU25-11171.html"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why the flame declined and by how much","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether methane release fell with the flame","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date the crater formed","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cost or budget of the wells drilled in 2024–2025; Türkmengaz and the government state none.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: how the Turkmen consulate item measured the halving of emissions, or how the drilling was funded.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: who made the estimate of about USD 300 million as the market value of decades of gas leakage; RFE/RL does not name the source.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: methane release in the RFE/RL article, which gives no methane measurement of its own.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: why the flame declined and by how much. Türkmengaz attributes the decline to the 2024 wells and gives 'more than half' and, through a representative, 'nearly threefold'; Capterio data show a heat drop of more than 75% in three years, with dimming that began before the 2024 wells.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the date of formation. The preprint states assumptions of 1963 or 1971; AFP gives 1971; RFE/RL gives the '1960s or 1970s'; Landsat data put the start of burning in late 1987 or early 1988.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Kayrros's units, which are inconsistent in its post ('37,600 k/tons' appears once).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the well announced for the crater in December 2025 was drilled and what effect it had.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings. The orders of 2010 and 2022 are executive instructions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"altyn-asyr-turkmen-lake","title":"Altyn Asyr (Golden Age) Turkmen Lake: a drainage-water reservoir in the Karakum","dek":"Turkmenistan built a system of collectors to channel saline drainage water into a reservoir in the Karashor depression in the Karakum desert. Reported costs range from USD 4 billion to USD 6.5 billion, and the government has not published a precise figure.","country":"Turkmenistan","region":"Asia","lat":40.8,"lon":57,"places":[{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Karashor (Garashor) depression, Ahal and Dashoguz provinces","lat":40.8,"lon":57,"role":"event"}],"start":2000,"end":2019,"eventDate":"2009-07-15","instrument":"water","types":["water","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Reported construction cost range","value":"USD 4bn–6.5bn","note":"IWPR, 2009: USD 4 billion cited in 2002, later USD 6.5 billion. AP and Circle of Blue, 2009: up to or about USD 4.5 billion."},"happened":["A presidential decision of 2000 under Saparmurat Niyazov started construction of a lake in the Karashor (Garashor) depression, in the central and northern Karakum on the border of Ahal and Dashoguz provinces, 350 km north of Ashgabat, according to FAO. The first stage was opened by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on 15 July 2009. According to FAO's AQUASTAT profile (2012 version), the lake is to be filled through the Great Turkmen Collector from the south and the Dashoguz Collector from the north, 'with a combined length of over 1 000 km'; its capacity is 'foreseen to be 150 km3, with a surface area of 3 500 km2 and a depth of 130 m'; and 'Starting in 2009, the collectors have been diverting up to 10 km3 of saline drainage water to the lake annually'. The project aims to stop drainage discharge into the Amu Darya.","AP reported on 16 July 2009 a planned area of 770 square miles, a depth of around 230 feet, a volume of more than 4,600 billion cubic feet, 1,650 miles of tributary canals, a cost of 'up to $4.5 billion' and about 15 years to fill. Çakır (2016), drawing on work as an Islamic Development Bank expert, gave a design capacity of 132 km³ with an annual average flow of 11 km³, a Dashoguz branch carrying 210 m³/s over 383.8 km and a 720 km main drainage canal across the Karakum. A Turkmen embassy news item (dated 30 May, year not given) said the Academy of Sciences' Institute of Chemistry had completed hydrochemical studies and produced salinity maps, that the system had 2,859 km of drainage collectors and 1,553 km of canals, and that water was diverted 'to ecologically safe place – the Garashor Hollow', without giving salinity values.","Çakır (2016) reported drainage water salinity measured in laboratories of the Turkmen ministry and the Turkmensuvylymtaslama Institute, from data of the 1990s–2000s: an average of 2.31–4.22 g/l in the Dashoguz collectors, 6.15–15.0 g/l in the Mary region collectors ('unusable for the purposes of irrigation') and 2.0–20.0 g/l in the Ahal collectors, with total national drainage water of 5.6–6.0 km³ a year. FAO (2012), citing Stanchin and Lerman (2006), recorded that foreign experts 'claim that the lake water will simply disappear through evaporation under the fierce desert sun, leaving salt sediments that will poison the entire area', and that at the existing drainage-fed Sarykamysh lake of about 8 km³ there is 'permanent accumulation of pollutant salt. which leads to the degradation of flora and fauna'. Evaporation from water surfaces is 1000–2300 mm a year against rainfall of 76–380 mm (Çakır 2016), a national figure.","Local water experts, as recorded by FAO, argued that the lake would 'reclaim 450 000 ha of waterlogged land, dramatically reduce salinization in the Amu Darya' and allow recycling after partial desalination. In 2009 critics in Turkmenistan, whose names IWPR withheld for security reasons, said the damage would exceed the benefit; one Ashgabat analyst said, 'The benefits of constructing the Turkmen lake are like ankle-high water, whereas the damage will be knee-high.' A Karakalpakstan environmentalist asked IWPR how a desert lake could be 'more important than the lives of millions of people'. Berdimuhamedov said at the opening: 'We have brought new life to these once-lifeless sands.'","On cost, IWPR reported on 31 July 2009 that USD 4 billion was cited in 2002 and later rose to USD 6.5 billion, and that the government had been 'reticent' about precise spending. AP gave 'up to $4.5 billion' and Circle of Blue 'about $4.5 billion of investment', both in July 2009. A Turkmen embassy item (dated 7 January, year not given) said the depression 'currently holds about 580 million cubic meters' and that the president ordered the lake's water volume and quality to be studied. The Islamic Development Bank provided 'technical and financial support' for Çakır's expert stay, with no amount given. The last state-organised conference and excursion at the lake on record took place on 8 May 2019."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Presidential decision and start of construction under Saparmurat Niyazov","src":0},{"y":2002,"t":"Cost of USD 4 billion cited (IWPR)","src":4},{"y":2009,"t":"First stage opened by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov (15 Jul); collectors begin diverting saline drainage water, up to 10 km³ a year (FAO)","src":1},{"y":2012,"t":"FAO AQUASTAT profile records the design and the experts' warnings","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Çakır publishes drainage-water salinity data from the 1990s–2000s","src":3},{"y":2019,"t":"State-organised conference and excursion at the lake (8 May)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"We have brought new life to these once-lifeless sands. I am convinced that our great deeds will be recalled with glory","who":"President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, at the opening","when":"15 July 2009","src":1},{"q":"The benefits of constructing the Turkmen lake are like ankle-high water, whereas the damage will be knee-high.","who":"An Ashgabat analyst (name withheld for security), to IWPR","when":"July 2009","src":4},{"q":"Imagine a children's sandpit, and a huge tanker truck begins pouring water into it.","who":"A Dashoguz water engineer (name withheld for security), to IWPR","when":"July 2009","src":4},{"q":"is related with the deficiency of water in the world","who":"Chary Kuliyev, laboratory head, Institute of Chemistry, on the hydrochemical studies","when":"30 May (year not given)","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"A lake that brings 'new life' to 'once-lifeless sands'","who":"President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, 15 July 2009","src":1},{"t":"A lake that will reclaim 450,000 ha of waterlogged land, dramatically reduce salinization in the Amu Darya and allow recycling of water after partial desalination","who":"Local water experts, as recorded by FAO (2012)","src":0},{"t":"Drainage water diverted 'to ecologically safe place – the Garashor Hollow'","who":"Turkmen embassy news item on the Institute of Chemistry studies","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Drainage water salinity averages 2.31–4.22 g/l in the Dashoguz collectors and 6.15–15.0 g/l in the Mary collectors (1990s–2000s data, Çakır 2016)","src":3},{"t":"Collectors 'diverting up to 10 km3 of saline drainage water to the lake annually' since 2009 (FAO 2012)","src":0},{"t":"A depression holding about 580 million m³ (Turkmen embassy item, year not given)","src":7},{"t":"2,859 km of drainage collectors and 1,553 km of canals (Turkmen embassy item, year not given)","src":6},{"t":"Costs reported between USD 4 billion and USD 6.5 billion; no precise government figure","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Construction cost cited in 2002 (IWPR)","amount":4000,"window":"2002"},{"label":"Construction cost, later figure (IWPR; year not stated)","amount":6500},{"label":"Planned cost, up to (AP)","amount":4500,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2009"},{"label":"Investment, about (Circle of Blue)","amount":4500,"qualifier":"about","window":"2009"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Capacity foreseen","v":"150 km³","d":"3,500 km² surface and 130 m depth (FAO 2012)"},{"k":"Saline drainage water diverted","v":"up to 10 km³ a year","d":"Since 2009 (FAO 2012)"},{"k":"Water held","v":"about 580 million m³","d":"Turkmen embassy item, year not given"},{"k":"Cost","v":"USD 4bn–6.5bn","d":"Reported; the government has published no precise figure"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"FAO (2012) and Çakır (2016) record the salinity of the drainage water and experts' warnings about salt accumulation; FAO also records permanent salt accumulation at the existing drainage-fed Sarykamysh lake.","report":[{"t":"The drainage water channelled toward my Karashor depression averaged 2.31–4.22 g/l of salt in the Dashoguz collectors and 6.15–15.0 g/l in the Mary region collectors, according to Çakır (2016), who called the Mary water 'unusable for the purposes of irrigation'.","src":3},{"t":"Foreign experts quoted by FAO claim that my lake water will disappear through evaporation, leaving salt sediments that will poison the entire area.","src":0},{"t":"At Sarykamysh, my drainage-fed lake of about 8 km³, FAO records permanent accumulation of pollutant salt, which leads to the degradation of flora and fauna.","src":0},{"t":"The water in my rivers and drainage networks contains high concentrations of salts and pesticides, according to FAO.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the government has published no precise spending figure for the lake; IWPR described it as 'reticent' about costs in 2009.","Not disclosed: numeric salinity values in the Turkmen embassy item on the Institute of Chemistry's hydrochemical studies.","Not disclosed: the amount of the Islamic Development Bank's 'technical and financial support' for the expert stay.","Not measured: a peer-reviewed, lake-specific evaporation or water-balance study; the 1000–2300 mm a year evaporation figure is a regional one.","Disputed: the design of the lake. FAO gives 150 km³, 3,500 km² and 130 m; Çakır gives 132 km³; AP gives 770 square miles and more than 4,600 billion cubic feet; Circle of Blue gives about 2,000 km².","Disputed: how much water the lake receives. FAO says the collectors have been diverting up to 10 km³ a year since 2009; a Turkmen embassy item (year not given) says the depression currently holds about 580 million m³.","Unclear: which river water might supplement the lake. AP mentions the Syr Darya; Circle of Blue says the design 'does not envision' pumping from the Amu Darya.","Insufficient: monitoring data newer than about 2019; the latest state-organised event on record was on 8 May 2019.","None on record: legal proceedings.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record: no source states that drainage discharge into the Amu Darya has stopped. The project aims to stop it (FAO, 2012).","whoPaid":"Not disclosed: the government has published no precise cost. IWPR reported USD 4 billion cited in 2002, later rising to USD 6.5 billion.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated official event, 8 May 2019: a state-organised conference and excursion were held at the lake; the government has published no precise cost.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"turkmenistan-gov","says":"President Berdimuhamedov said at the opening in 2009 that the lake brought new life to once-lifeless sands; local water experts argued that it would reclaim 450,000 ha of waterlogged land and reduce salinization in the Amu Darya (as recorded by FAO).","when":"2009; 2012","src":1},{"actor":"turkmenistan-gov","says":"An embassy item reported that the Institute of Chemistry had completed hydrochemical studies and that the president ordered the water volume and quality to be studied.","when":"year not given","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"turkmenistan-gov","role":"Built and opened the lake; has published no precise cost"},{"id":"fao","role":"AQUASTAT country profile with design figures and experts' warnings"},{"id":"islamic-development-bank","role":"Provided technical and financial support for an expert stay (Çakır 2016); no amount given"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Design and size of the lake","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2012)","says":"Capacity foreseen at 150 km³, surface area 3,500 km², depth 130 m.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Çakır (2016)","says":"Design capacity of 132 km³ with an annual average flow of 11 km³.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"AP (2009)","says":"Planned area of 770 square miles, depth around 230 feet and volume of more than 4,600 billion cubic feet.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Circle of Blue (2009)","says":"A surface of about 2,000 km².","src":5}]},{"point":"How much water the lake receives and holds","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2012)","says":"Since 2009 the collectors have been diverting up to 10 km³ of saline drainage water to the lake annually.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkmen embassy item (year not given)","says":"The depression currently holds about 580 million m³.","src":7}]},{"point":"Whether the lake benefits or harms the environment","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Local water experts, as recorded by FAO","says":"The lake will reclaim 450,000 ha of waterlogged land and dramatically reduce salinization in the Amu Darya.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Foreign experts, as recorded by FAO","says":"The lake water will disappear through evaporation, leaving salt sediments that will poison the entire area.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Critics in Turkmenistan and Karakalpakstan (names withheld), to IWPR","says":"The damage will exceed the benefit.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"design_capacity_km3","value":150,"unit":"km³","year":2012,"note":"Foreseen capacity; surface 3,500 km², depth 130 m (FAO). Çakır (2016) gives 132 km³."},{"key":"drainage_diverted_km3","value":10,"unit":"km³ a year","year":2012,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Saline drainage water diverted since 2009 (FAO)."},{"key":"water_held_m3","value":580000000,"unit":"m³","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"Turkmen embassy item; year not given."},{"key":"collector_length_km","value":1000,"unit":"km","year":2012,"qualifier":"over","note":"Combined length of the Great Turkmen Collector and the Dashoguz Collector (FAO)."},{"key":"drainage_collectors_km","value":2859,"unit":"km","year":null,"note":"Drainage collectors in the system; canals 1,553 km (Turkmen embassy item, year not given)."},{"key":"drain_salinity_g_l","value":2.31,"unit":"g/l (average, lower end)","year":null,"note":"Dashoguz collectors, 2.31–4.22 g/l; 1990s–2000s data (Çakır 2016)."},{"key":"drain_salinity_g_l","value":6.15,"unit":"g/l (lower end)","year":null,"note":"Mary region collectors, 6.15–15.0 g/l; 'unusable for the purposes of irrigation' (Çakır 2016)."},{"key":"waterlogged_land_to_reclaim_ha","value":450000,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"note":"Claimed by local water experts (FAO)."},{"key":"cost_reported","value":4000,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"Cited in 2002 (IWPR)."},{"key":"cost_reported","value":6500,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"Later figure (IWPR, 31 July 2009)."},{"key":"cost_reported","value":4500,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"qualifier":"up to","note":"AP; Circle of Blue gives about USD 4.5 billion."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Turkmenistan built a system of collectors to channel saline drainage water into the Karashor depression in the Karakum, creating the Altyn Asyr (Golden Age) lake. The state presented it as an environmental improvement; reported costs range from USD 4 billion to USD 6.5 billion.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Turkmen state","what":"Opened the first stage on 15 July 2009 and presented the lake as bringing new life to the desert","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Turkmen state budget","what":"A cost reported at USD 4 billion to USD 6.5 billion; the government has published no precise figure","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Karashor depression","what":"Receives saline drainage water, up to 10 km³ a year since 2009 according to FAO; foreign experts quoted by FAO expect salt sediments after evaporation","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The Karashor (Garashor) depression in the central and northern Karakum, on the border of Ahal and Dashoguz provinces, 350 km north of Ashgabat.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Construction began in 2000; the first stage opened on 15 July 2009; the latest dated official event on record was a conference and excursion on 8 May 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The project aims to stop drainage discharge into the Amu Darya, and local water experts argued it would reclaim 450,000 ha of waterlogged land and reduce salinization in the Amu Darya (FAO 2012).","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Great Turkmen Collector from the south and the Dashoguz Collector from the north, with a combined length of over 1,000 km, carry drainage water to the depression.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AQUASTAT Country Profile – Turkmenistan (version 2012)","p":"FAO","d":"2012","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.fao.org/3/ca0371en/CA0371EN.pdf"},{"t":"Huge lake being filled in Turkmenistan desert (AP)","p":"NBC News","d":"2009-07-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna31945853"},{"t":"Altyn Asyr Lake – New Opportunities for the Region","p":"Consulate of Turkmenistan, Mazar-i-Sharif","d":"2019-05-08","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://mazari.tmconsulate.gov.tm/news/35493"},{"t":"Evaluation of tail and drainage waters acceptability for reuse in agriculture in dry regions (Çakır)","p":"Scientific Papers Series E, Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. V","d":"2016","type":"academic","u":"https://www.landreclamationjournal.usamv.ro/pdf/2016/Art13.pdf"},{"t":"Turkmen Golden Lake May Prove Green Disaster","p":"IWPR","d":"2009-07-31","type":"ngo","voice":"press","u":"https://iwpr.net/2p3z1hkc"},{"t":"Turkmenistan Vows to Water its Desert, Write New Tale of Glory","p":"Circle of Blue (Nadya Ivanova)","d":"2009-07-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.circleofblue.org/2009/world/turkmenistan-vows-to-water-its-desert-write-new-tale-of-glory/"},{"t":"News item on Institute of Chemistry hydrochemical studies","p":"Embassy of Turkmenistan in Afghanistan","d":"30 May (year not given)","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://afghanistan.tmembassy.gov.tm/en/news/36795"},{"t":"News item on Altyn Asyr water volume","p":"Embassy of Turkmenistan in Afghanistan","d":"7 January (year not given)","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://afghanistan.tmembassy.gov.tm/en/news/27423"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much water the lake receives and holds","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the lake benefits or harms the environment","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Design and size of the lake","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the government has published no precise spending figure for the lake; IWPR described it as 'reticent' about costs in 2009.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: numeric salinity values in the Turkmen embassy item on the Institute of Chemistry's hydrochemical studies.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the Islamic Development Bank's 'technical and financial support' for the expert stay.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: a peer-reviewed, lake-specific evaporation or water-balance study; the 1000–2300 mm a year evaporation figure is a regional one.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the design of the lake. FAO gives 150 km³, 3,500 km² and 130 m; Çakır gives 132 km³; AP gives 770 square miles and more than 4,600 billion cubic feet; Circle of Blue gives about 2,000 km².","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: how much water the lake receives. FAO says the collectors have been diverting up to 10 km³ a year since 2009; a Turkmen embassy item (year not given) says the depression currently holds about 580 million m³.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: which river water might supplement the lake. AP mentions the Syr Darya; Circle of Blue says the design 'does not envision' pumping from the Amu Darya.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: monitoring data newer than about 2019; the latest state-organised event on record was on 8 May 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"garagum-canal-amu-darya-water-losses","title":"Garagum Canal and Amu Darya: conveyance losses, salinisation and the money around them","dek":"The Garagum (Karakum) Canal takes 10–12 km³ a year from the Amu Darya, and FAO recorded conveyance losses of more than 30% of intake since 2000. FAO gave the direct economic loss from salinised land at USD 142 million for 2001; a South Korean builder signed a memorandum on modernising a 250 km section in September 2026.","country":"Turkmenistan","region":"Asia","lat":37.6,"lon":65.3,"places":[{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Garagum Canal intake on the Amu Darya (Lebap province)","lat":37.6,"lon":65.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","role":"affected"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","role":"affected"},{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","role":"company-home"}],"start":1954,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"water","types":["water","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Conveyance loss, share of canal intake (FAO)","value":"> 30%","note":"Since 2000; about 31% in 2004 and about 20% in the 1970s and 1980s."},"happened":["The Garagum (Karakum) Canal has its intake on the Amu Darya just after the river enters Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan and runs about 1,400 km west through the Murghab and Tedzhen basins to the Kopetdag foothills and on towards the Caspian, according to FAO; the Korea Herald gave about 1,100 km. Construction started in 1954 and the main 840 km section was completed in 1967. FAO (2012) wrote: 'Each year the canal takes 10–12 km3 from the Amu Darya river.'","FAO (2012) wrote: 'Since 1970, water withdrawal from the Amu Darya and other rivers has nearly doubled. At the same time the loss rate has increased alarmingly, from 20 percent of the intake in the 1970s and the 1980s, to more than 30 percent since 2000. In 2004, the loss rate was around 31 percent. The main reasons for conveyance loss in the system are evaporation and filtration (Stanchin and Lerman, 2006).' It added that on-farm systems are almost all earthen canals and 'almost half of the diverted water is lost as a result of seepage', and that inter-farm canals are about 94% earthen. A paper from Kyoto University's Disaster Prevention Research Institute (Khujanazarov, Touge and Tanaka, 2024) cited FAO (2007) for losses of 'approximately from 18% up to 30% of the total flow, resulting in extensive waterlogging and salinization'.","FAO (2012) recorded 1,353,744 ha of salinised land in 2001, waterlogging from irrigation on about 756,500 ha in 2002, and a direct economic loss of USD 142 million from land with different degrees of salinisation in 2001. In the Turkmen Aral Sea zone 'around 90–95 percent of irrigated land. is saline (Berdiyev, 2006)'. FAO attributed 'catastrophic soil salinity' to unlined canals, a drainage network that is too short, irrational irrigation norms and poor construction, and said the diversion into the canal 'has contributed to the Aral Sea disaster, adversely affecting large parts of the population in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan'. Amu Darya salinity rose from 0.3 g/l before 1962 to 0.8 g/l in 1967 and 1.5–1.6 g/l in the 1990s, at times up to 2 g/l; about 4 km³ of drainage water at 6.5–8.5 g/l is discharged into the river annually from Uzbekistan. Of an average 5.4 km³ a year of Turkmen drainage water in 1990–1994, 44% returned to rivers, 55% went to natural depressions, mainly Sarykamysh, and 1% was reused. Under the interstate framework summarised by FAO, the Amu Darya flow at Kerki is split 50/50 and parties should stop disposing of drainage water into the river.","Journalists of the outlet Meteojurnal used satellite images to estimate that at least 100 million m³ of water was lost into the sand after ice jams on 17–20 January 2023 (AKIpress). Spill channels reached more than 35 km into the desert and a dam was finished by 11 February. AKIpress reported that the authorities did not report the incident; on 23 January the president ordered the governors of Mary and Lebap to ensure normal river flow.","On 15 September 2026 Daewoo E&C signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkmenistan's State Committee for Water Management on possible participation in modernising a 250 km lower-canal section; no monetary value was stated. Daewoo E&C said the memorandum 'lays the foundation for Daewoo E&C's entry into Turkmenistan's water resources and environmental infrastructure market'. The national plan cited by FAO aims to raise 'the efficiency factor of the irrigation systems from 0.58 to 0.75 by canal lining and modernizing', with no budget given."],"timeline":[{"y":1954,"t":"Construction of the canal starts","src":0},{"y":1967,"t":"Main 840 km section completed","src":0},{"y":1980,"t":"Loss rate about 20% of intake in the 1970s and 1980s (FAO)","src":0},{"y":2001,"t":"Salinised land 1,353,744 ha; direct economic loss of USD 142 million (FAO)","src":0},{"y":2004,"t":"Loss rate around 31% (FAO); RFE/RL quotes UNICEF on drainage-water discharge (28 Apr)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Canal breach after ice jams (17–20 Jan); at least 100 million m³ lost into the sand (Meteojurnal estimate via AKIpress)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Daewoo E&C memorandum on a 250 km lower-canal section (15 Sep)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"Each year the canal takes 10–12 km3 from the Amu Darya river.","who":"FAO, AQUASTAT profile (2012)","when":"2012","src":0},{"q":"Yet benefits for some people have brought adversity to others","who":"FAO, on the canal described locally as the 'river of life'","when":"2012","src":0},{"q":"The root cause of [the salinization of the Amudarya] is the discharge of drainage water","who":"Arslan Berdiyev, UNICEF, to RFE/RL, on drainage from Turkmen and Uzbek territories","when":"28 April 2004","src":4},{"q":"lays the foundation for Daewoo E&C's entry into Turkmenistan's water resources and environmental infrastructure market","who":"Daewoo E&C, on the memorandum","when":"15 September 2026","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The canal as a 'river of life' locally, with benefits for some people that brought adversity to others","who":"FAO, AQUASTAT profile (2012)","src":0},{"t":"A national plan to raise the efficiency factor of irrigation systems from 0.58 to 0.75 by canal lining and modernising","who":"National plan, as cited by FAO (2012)","src":0},{"t":"A memorandum for possible participation in modernising a 250 km lower-canal section","who":"Daewoo E&C and Turkmenistan's State Committee for Water Management, 15 September 2026","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Loss rate rose from 20% of intake in the 1970s and 1980s to more than 30% since 2000 and around 31% in 2004 (FAO 2012, citing Stanchin and Lerman 2006)","src":0},{"t":"Losses of approximately 18% up to 30% of total flow (Kyoto University DPRI paper, citing FAO 2007)","src":1},{"t":"1,353,744 ha salinised in 2001; waterlogging on about 756,500 ha in 2002 (FAO)","src":0},{"t":"Direct economic loss of USD 142 million in 2001 from land with different degrees of salinisation (FAO)","src":0},{"t":"At least 100 million m³ lost into the sand in January 2023 (Meteojurnal estimate from satellite images, via AKIpress)","src":2},{"t":"No monetary value stated for the Daewoo E&C memorandum","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2001","nature":[{"label":"Direct economic loss of land with different degrees of salinisation (FAO, citing national sources)","amount":142,"window":"2001"}],"natureTotal":142,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Conveyance loss","v":"> 30%","d":"Of canal intake since 2000; about 31% in 2004 (FAO 2012)"},{"k":"Salinised land, 2001","v":"1,353,744 ha","d":"FAO 2012"},{"k":"Direct economic loss, 2001","v":"USD 142m","d":"From land with different degrees of salinisation (FAO)"},{"k":"Water lost in the January 2023 breach","v":"≥ 100 million m³","d":"Meteojurnal estimate from satellite images"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"FAO (2012) records conveyance losses, salinised and waterlogged land and rising Amu Darya salinity; a satellite-based estimate records the January 2023 breach.","report":[{"t":"Of the water taken into the Garagum Canal from my Amu Darya, about 20% was lost in the 1970s and 1980s and more than 30% since 2000, according to FAO (2012).","src":0},{"t":"In 2001, 1,353,744 ha of my irrigated soil was salinised, and irrigation caused waterlogging on about 756,500 ha in 2002, according to FAO.","src":0},{"t":"In my Turkmen Aral Sea zone around 90–95% of irrigated land is saline, according to Berdiyev (2006), cited by FAO.","src":0},{"t":"My Amu Darya's salinity rose from 0.3 g/l before 1962 to 0.8 g/l in 1967 and 1.5–1.6 g/l in the 1990s, at times up to 2 g/l, according to FAO.","src":0},{"t":"In January 2023 at least 100 million m³ of canal water ran into my sand, with spill channels reaching more than 35 km, according to a Meteojurnal estimate from satellite images.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: a monetary value for the Daewoo E&C modernisation memorandum.","Not disclosed: a budget for the national plan to raise irrigation efficiency from 0.58 to 0.75.","Not disclosed: the funding source for the canal modernisation.","None on record: a public report by Turkmen authorities on the January 2023 breach.","None on record: a World Bank, ADB or Islamic Development Bank loan for the canal.","None on record: dispute proceedings under the Amu Darya water-sharing agreements.","Disputed: the loss rate. FAO (2007), cited by a Kyoto University paper, gives approximately 18% up to 30% of total flow; FAO (2012) gives more than 30% since 2000 and around 31% in 2004.","Disputed: the length of the canal. FAO gives about 1,400 km and the Korea Herald about 1,100 km; the difference may reflect different section definitions.","Insufficient: loss-rate data after 2004.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record: FAO (2012) recorded the loss rate rising from 20% to more than 30% of intake; no source states that losses have fallen since.","whoPaid":"FAO gave the direct economic loss from salinised land at USD 142 million in 2001. Not disclosed: who funds the canal modernisation; no value is stated for the Daewoo E&C memorandum.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: Daewoo E&C signed a memorandum on a 250 km lower-canal section; no monetary value or funding source is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"daewoo-ec","says":"The memorandum lays the foundation for Daewoo E&C's entry into Turkmenistan's water resources and environmental infrastructure market.","when":"15 September 2026","src":3},{"actor":"turkmenistan-gov","says":"The authorities did not report the January 2023 breach; on 23 January the president ordered the governors of Mary and Lebap to ensure normal river flow.","when":"January 2023","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"turkmenistan-gov","role":"Operator of the canal; State Committee for Water Management signed the memorandum"},{"id":"daewoo-ec","role":"South Korean builder; memorandum on a 250 km lower-canal section"},{"id":"fao","role":"AQUASTAT profile with loss, salinity and cost figures"},{"id":"unicef","role":"Arslan Berdiyev quoted on drainage-water discharge (2004)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Share of canal intake lost in conveyance","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2007), cited by Kyoto University DPRI paper (2024)","says":"Approximately 18% up to 30% of the total flow, resulting in extensive waterlogging and salinisation.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2012)","says":"More than 30% since 2000 and around 31% in 2004, up from 20% in the 1970s and 1980s.","src":0}]},{"point":"Length of the canal","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2012)","says":"About 1,400 km.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Korea Herald (2026)","says":"About 1,100 km.","src":3}]},{"point":"Public reporting of the January 2023 breach","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Meteojurnal, via AKIpress","says":"At least 100 million m³ lost into the sand on 17–20 January 2023; spill channels reached more than 35 km.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkmen authorities","says":"Did not report the incident.","src":2,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"canal_intake_km3","value":10,"unit":"km³ a year (10–12)","year":2012,"note":"Taken from the Amu Darya each year (FAO)."},{"key":"conveyance_loss_pct","value":20,"unit":"% of intake","year":1980,"qualifier":"about","note":"1970s and 1980s (FAO 2012)."},{"key":"conveyance_loss_pct","value":30,"unit":"% of intake","year":2000,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Since 2000 (FAO 2012)."},{"key":"conveyance_loss_pct","value":31,"unit":"% of intake","year":2004,"qualifier":"around","note":"FAO 2012, citing Stanchin and Lerman (2006)."},{"key":"conveyance_loss_pct","value":18,"unit":"% of total flow (18–30)","year":2007,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"FAO (2007) as cited by a Kyoto University DPRI paper (2024)."},{"key":"salinised_area_ha","value":1353744,"unit":"ha","year":2001,"note":"FAO 2012."},{"key":"waterlogged_area_ha","value":756500,"unit":"ha","year":2002,"qualifier":"about","note":"Waterlogging caused by irrigation (FAO)."},{"key":"salinisation_loss","value":142,"unit":"USD m","year":2001,"note":"Direct economic loss of land with different degrees of salinisation (FAO)."},{"key":"amu_darya_salinity_g_l","value":1.5,"unit":"g/l (1.5–1.6)","year":1990,"note":"1990s; 0.3 g/l before 1962; up to 2 g/l at times (FAO, citing Berdiyev 2006)."},{"key":"drainage_to_amu_darya_km3","value":4,"unit":"km³ a year at 6.5–8.5 g/l","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Discharged into the river annually from Uzbekistan (FAO)."},{"key":"canal_breach_water_m3","value":100000000,"unit":"m³","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Meteojurnal estimate from satellite images, via AKIpress."},{"key":"canal_length_km","value":1400,"unit":"km","year":2012,"note":"FAO; the Korea Herald gives about 1,100 km."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Garagum Canal takes 10–12 km³ a year from the Amu Darya; FAO recorded conveyance losses rising from 20% of intake in the 1970s and 1980s to more than 30% since 2000, with salinisation and waterlogging of irrigated land.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Turkmen irrigated agriculture","what":"Water for irrigation along the canal, described locally as the 'river of life' (FAO)","src":0},{"who":"Daewoo E&C","what":"Memorandum of 15 September 2026 on possible participation in modernising a 250 km lower-canal section; no value stated","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Turkmenistan","what":"USD 142 million direct economic loss from salinised land in 2001 (FAO)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Irrigated land in Turkmenistan","what":"1,353,744 ha salinised in 2001 and about 756,500 ha waterlogged in 2002","src":0},{"who":"Aral Sea population in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan","what":"Adversely affected by the diversion, according to FAO","src":0},{"who":"Amu Darya","what":"Salinity rose from 0.3 g/l before 1962 to 1.5–1.6 g/l in the 1990s","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The canal runs from an intake on the Amu Darya, just after the river enters Turkmenistan from Uzbekistan, about 1,400 km west through the Murghab and Tedzhen basins to the Kopetdag foothills and on towards the Caspian.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Construction started in 1954 and the main 840 km section was completed in 1967; a breach occurred on 17–20 January 2023; a modernisation memorandum was signed on 15 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"FAO attributed conveyance loss mainly to evaporation and filtration (Stanchin and Lerman 2006) and 'catastrophic soil salinity' to unlined canals, a drainage network that is too short, irrational irrigation norms and poor construction.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The canal diverts Amu Darya water through earthen canals; on-farm systems are almost all earthen and inter-farm canals about 94% earthen, and almost half of the diverted water is lost to seepage on farms (FAO, citing MWE 1993 and 1998).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AQUASTAT Country Profile – Turkmenistan (version 2012)","p":"FAO","d":"2012","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.fao.org/3/ca0371en/CA0371EN.pdf"},{"t":"Impact of the Qosh-Tepa canal in Afghanistan to the Downstream of the Amu Darya River Basin (Khujanazarov, Touge, Tanaka)","p":"Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://www.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/hapyo/24/pdf/P41.pdf"},{"t":"100 million cubic meters of water leak into sand in Turkmenistan due to breakthrough of Karakum Canal (relying on Meteojurnal)","p":"AKIpress","d":"2023-04-25","type":"press","u":"https://m.akipress.com/news:704794:100_million_cubic_meters_of_water_leak_into_sand_in_Turkmenistan_due_to_breakthrough_of_Karakum_Canal/"},{"t":"Korean builder signs MOU for potential role in modernizing key waterway stretching 250 kilometers","p":"Korea Herald","d":"2026-09-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10875661"},{"t":"Turkmenistan: In The North, Residents Thirst For Clean Drinking Water (Antoine Blua)","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2004-04-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1052524.html"}],"related":["aral-basin-cotton-water-allocation","qosh-tepa-canal"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Share of canal intake lost in conveyance","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Public reporting of the January 2023 breach","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Length of the canal","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Turkmen authorities: Did not report the incident.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a monetary value for the Daewoo E&C modernisation memorandum.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a budget for the national plan to raise irrigation efficiency from 0.58 to 0.75.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the funding source for the canal modernisation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a public report by Turkmen authorities on the January 2023 breach.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a World Bank, ADB or Islamic Development Bank loan for the canal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: dispute proceedings under the Amu Darya water-sharing agreements.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the loss rate. FAO (2007), cited by a Kyoto University paper, gives approximately 18% up to 30% of total flow; FAO (2012) gives more than 30% since 2000 and around 31% in 2004.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the length of the canal. FAO gives about 1,400 km and the Korea Herald about 1,100 km; the difference may reflect different section definitions.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: loss-rate data after 2004.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tengizchevroil-sulphur-storage-claims-and-emission-fines","title":"Tengizchevroil sulphur storage claims and emission fines (Kazakhstan)","dek":"Kazakh authorities pursued Tengizchevroil over open-air sulphur storage at the Tengiz field in 2007–2009 and over air emissions above permitted limits between 2011 and 2026. A damage claim of KZT 74.4 billion in 2007 was cut to KZT 37 billion by a regional economic court; administrative fines of KZT 2.8 billion (2023), KZT 639.6 million (2025) and KZT 53.7 million (2026) followed.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46.15,"lon":53.38,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Atyrau region (Zhylyoi district), Tengiz field","lat":46.15,"lon":53.38,"role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","chemical-pollution"],"related":["kashagan-sulphur-environmental-fine","karachaganak-sulphur-fine-and-consortium-arbitration","kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award","embamunaigas-prorva-sour-gas-flaring"],"headline":{"label":"Damage claim for open-air sulphur storage, July 2007","value":"KZT 74.4bn","note":"Cut to KZT 37bn by the Atyrau regional economic court in October 2007; Tengizchevroil appealed. Oil & Gas Journal gave the claim as US$609 million."},"happened":["Tengiz crude is sour, and the sulphur separated from it is stored in open-air blocks at the field. In July 2007 the Atyrau regional environment protection department claimed KZT 74.4 billion from Tengizchevroil LLP (TCO), saying the company had stored 2.8 million tonnes of bulk sulphur from 2003 to 2006 without official permission. In November 2007 Kursiv reported about 8.5 million tonnes of sulphur stored openly, exposed to rain and wind, and said company specialists had told it that no alternative disposal method existed for that volume. In 2002 reporting, sulphur had been said to accumulate at about 4,500 tonnes a day (per DPA).","In October 2007 the Atyrau regional economic court cut the claim to KZT 37 billion, scheduled to be levied on 29 October; TCO said it would appeal, and Kursiv reported on 8 November 2007 that the ruling was not yet in force because TCO had used its right of appeal. In April 2008 TCO said it would challenge a fine reported as US$307 million. In May 2009 the Atyrau environmental prosecutor said an administrative fine of “over 37 billion tenge” for sulphur stored without permits in 2006 had stood after appeal and was being collected; Caravan described this as separate from the earlier court-ordered damages for the same storage.","On 23 September 2011 the Prosecutor General's Office announced that TCO had paid KZT 1.7 billion for unauthorised gas flaring; the source excerpt does not state the flaring period. On 27 July 2023 the Zhylyoi District Court imposed fines totalling KZT 2.8 billion for unauthorised emissions, exceeding permissible emission standards and land pollution under articles 328 and 337 of the Code of Administrative Offences. TCO said the penalty was connected with limited time to provide data on environmental impact and that the emissions were not caused by exceedances or environmental incidents.","In July 2025 a court fined TCO KZT 639.6 million for 49.3 tonnes of pollutants emitted above permitted norms between the third quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024, of which 4.9 tonnes were emitted without a permit; the case was opened by a decree of the specialised environmental prosecutor's office and the decision entered into legal force. On 20 April 2026 the Zhylyoi District Court found TCO administratively liable and fined it KZT 53.7 million for excess emissions.","TCO's owners were reported in 2007 and 2025 as Chevron (50%), ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures (25%), KazMunayGas (20%) and LukArco/Lukoil (5%). TCO sold 1.5 million tonnes of sulphur in 2006 and reported sulphur sales up 28% as of 30 June 2007, with buyers including China, Russia and Uzbekistan."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Supreme Court upholds an earlier sulphur penalty of US$72 million; in 2002 the ministry classed stored sulphur as industrial waste and TCO argued it was a raw material (reported 29 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2007,"t":"Atyrau regional environment protection department claims KZT 74.4bn for sulphur storage (Jul); Atyrau regional economic court cuts it to KZT 37bn, TCO appeals (Oct)","src":2},{"y":2008,"t":"TCO says it will challenge a fine reported as US$307 million (Apr)","src":4},{"y":2009,"t":"Atyrau environmental prosecutor says an administrative fine of over KZT 37bn for 2006 storage stands after appeal and is being collected (May)","src":5},{"y":2011,"t":"Prosecutor General's Office announces TCO paid KZT 1.7bn for unauthorised gas flaring (23 Sep)","src":6},{"y":2023,"t":"Zhylyoi District Court fines TCO KZT 2.8bn in total for emissions and land pollution (27 Jul)","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"Court fines TCO KZT 639.6m for excess emissions; decision in legal force (Jul)","src":9},{"y":2026,"t":"Zhylyoi District Court fines TCO KZT 53.7m for excess emissions (20 Apr)","src":12}],"said":[{"q":"operated and managed its sulfur storage in an environmentally safe manner","who":"Tengizchevroil, as reported by Oil & Gas Journal","when":"October 2007","src":1},{"q":"We categorically disagree with the original demands of the ecologists","who":"Tengizchevroil head of government and public relations, as reported by Kursiv (translated)","when":"November 2007","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"is causing colossal damage to the environment and all people in Kazakhstan's western region by its actions","who":"Nurlan Iskakov, Environment Protection Minister, on the company, as reported by Oil & Gas Journal","when":"2007","src":1},{"q":"Questions are not solved just by handing in fines.","who":"Karim Masimov, Prime Minister","when":"12 October 2007","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The ministry grants an annual permit for a set volume of stored sulphur, and the company held permits for the disputed volumes.","who":"Tengizchevroil, as reported by Kursiv, November 2007","src":3},{"t":"The court ruling was a major achievement in enforcing environmental compliance.","who":"Prosecutor General's Office, 2007 (paraphrased by Kursiv)","src":3},{"t":"A “project on storing and utilizing sulfur” offered to President Nazarbayev.","who":"Chevron chief executive, April 2008, as reported by Oil & Gas Journal","src":4},{"t":"The 2023 penalty was “connected with limited time to provide data on environmental impact”; the emissions “were not caused by exceedances or environmental incidents”.","who":"Tengizchevroil, August 2023 (reported speech, translated)","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"Claim of KZT 74.4 billion by the Atyrau regional environment protection department (July 2007), cut to KZT 37 billion by the Atyrau regional economic court (October 2007); TCO appealed.","src":2},{"t":"An administrative fine of over KZT 37 billion for sulphur stored without permits in 2006 was upheld on appeal and was being collected, according to the Atyrau environmental prosecutor (May 2009).","src":5},{"t":"KZT 1.7 billion paid for unauthorised gas flaring, announced by the Prosecutor General's Office on 23 September 2011.","src":6},{"t":"Fines totalling KZT 2.8 billion (Zhylyoi District Court, 27 July 2023); KZT 639.6 million (2025, in legal force); KZT 53.7 million (Zhylyoi District Court, 20 April 2026).","src":8},{"t":"Company-reported spending in 2007: US$63 million on “sulphur projects” in 2002–2005, US$1.2 billion on environmental measures over the previous eight years, and US$60 million invested in 2006 in flaking, granulation and packaging equipment.","src":3},{"t":"The Tax Code sets a payment rate of 3.77 MRP per tonne for open-air placement of sulphur on “sulphur maps” (article 576 para 7, as amended by Law No. 402-VI of 2 January 2021).","src":13},{"t":"Emission payment rates per tonne from stationary sources (Tax Code article 576 para 2, in force from 1 January 2022): sulphur oxides 20 MRP, nitrogen oxides 20 MRP, hydrogen sulphide 124 MRP, methane 0.02 MRP; halved rates applied until 1 January 2025; flaring within an integrated environmental permit carries a coefficient of 0.","src":13}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2007–2026 (mixed — see each line)","nature":[{"label":"Remediation or restoration funded by the claims and fines","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Administrative fine for open-air sulphur storage in 2006 (collection under way, May 2009)","amount":37000,"qualifier":"over","window":"2009","note":"Whether this is the same proceeding as the October 2007 court reduction to KZT 37 billion is unclear."},{"label":"Paid for unauthorised gas flaring","amount":1700,"window":"2011"},{"label":"Administrative fines, Zhylyoi District Court","amount":2800,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Court fine for excess emissions (decision in legal force)","amount":639.6,"window":"2025","note":"Bizmedia reported in April 2026 that TCO had paid it the previous summer."},{"label":"Administrative fine for excess emissions","amount":53.7,"window":"2026"},{"label":"Company-reported spending on sulphur projects 2002–2005","amount":null,"note":"US$63 million (company figure, 2007)."},{"label":"Company-reported spending on environmental measures over eight years to 2007","amount":null,"note":"US$1.2 billion (company figure)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Sulphur stored without permission","v":"2.8 million t","d":"2003–2006, according to the Atyrau regional environment protection department"},{"k":"Emissions above norms","v":"49.3 t","d":"Third quarter 2023 to second quarter 2024; 4.9 t emitted without a permit"},{"k":"Damage claim, 2007","v":"KZT 74.4bn → 37bn","d":"Cut by the regional economic court; appealed"},{"k":"Fines 2023–2026","v":"KZT 2.8bn, 639.6m, 53.7m","d":"Zhylyoi District Court and a court in 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements of the Atyrau regional environment protection department (2007), a press report of stored volumes (2007) and an inspection by the specialised environmental prosecutor's office (2023–2024). Measured data on sulphur dust, soil or groundwater are not on record.","report":[{"t":"Sulphur from Tengiz crude was stored on me in open-air blocks; the Atyrau regional environment protection department said in 2007 that 2.8 million tonnes were stored there in 2003–2006 without official permission.","src":2},{"t":"Kursiv reported in November 2007 that about 8.5 million tonnes of sulphur lay openly on me, exposed to rain and wind.","src":3},{"t":"My land was named as polluted in the Zhylyoi District Court ruling of 27 July 2023; no quantities were given.","src":7},{"t":"Between the third quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024 my air received 49.3 tonnes of pollutants above permitted norms from the Tengiz field, 4.9 tonnes of them without a permit, according to an inspection by the specialised environmental prosecutor's office.","src":9}]},"unknown":["None on record: the final appeal outcome and the payment of the KZT 37 billion damages ordered by the Atyrau regional economic court in October 2007.","Unclear: whether the administrative fine of over KZT 37 billion described by the Atyrau environmental prosecutor in May 2009 and the October 2007 court reduction to KZT 37 billion are one proceeding or two; Caravan describes them as two.","Not measured: sulphur dust, soil or groundwater around the Tengiz sulphur blocks; no measured data accompany the 2023, 2025 and 2026 fines.","Not disclosed: the period of the gas flaring covered by the KZT 1.7 billion paid in 2011.","None on record: insurance cover or insurance payments for any of the claims or fines."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record; emission fines were imposed again in July 2023, July 2025 and April 2026.","whoPaid":"TCO, through fines of KZT 2.8 billion (2023), KZT 639.6 million (2025) and KZT 53.7 million (2026) and KZT 1.7 billion paid in 2011; the payment status of the 2007 damages is not on record. Use of the money for nature is not on record.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: the Zhylyoi District Court fined TCO KZT 53.7 million for excess emissions; the appeal outcome of the 2007 sulphur-storage damages is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Tengizchevroil","says":"Operated and managed its sulphur storage in an environmentally safe manner.","when":"October 2007","src":1},{"actor":"Tengizchevroil","says":"Disagreed categorically with the original demands of the ecologists; the industry ministry grants an annual permit for a set volume of stored sulphur and TCO held permits for the disputed volumes.","when":"November 2007","src":3},{"actor":"Tengizchevroil","says":"The 2023 penalty was connected with limited time to provide data on environmental impact; the emissions were not caused by exceedances or environmental incidents, and 2021 impact corresponded to limits set by the authorities.","when":"August 2023","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"tengizchevroil","role":"Operator of the Tengiz field; defendant"},{"id":"chevron","role":"50% owner of TCO (2007/2025)"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"25% owner of TCO through ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures"},{"id":"kazmunaygas","role":"20% owner of TCO"},{"id":"lukoil","role":"5% owner of TCO through LukArco"},{"id":"atyrau-environment-department","role":"Claimant in 2007; imposed fines from 2023"},{"id":"atyrau-economic-court","role":"Cut the 2007 claim from KZT 74.4bn to KZT 37bn"},{"id":"zhylyoi-district-court","role":"Imposed fines in 2023 and 2026"},{"id":"kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office","role":"Announced the 2011 payment"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the stored sulphur was handled safely","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Tengizchevroil","says":"It operated and managed its sulphur storage in an environmentally safe manner (October 2007).","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Protection Minister","says":"The company is causing colossal damage to the environment and all people in Kazakhstan's western region by its actions (2007).","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether stored sulphur is waste or a product","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment ministry (2002)","says":"Classed stored sulphur as industrial waste.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tengizchevroil (2002)","says":"Argued that sulphur is a raw material or product.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court (2002)","says":"Disagreed with TCO and upheld the sulphur penalty of that year.","src":0}]},{"point":"Size of the 2007 sulphur-storage claim","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Oil & Gas Journal, 15 October 2007","says":"Gave the fine as US$609 million.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Oil & Gas Journal, 18 October 2007","says":"Reported the department's claim of KZT 74.4 billion cut to KZT 37 billion by the Atyrau regional economic court.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Oil & Gas Journal, 18 April 2008","says":"Reported TCO's plan to challenge a fine of US$307 million.","src":4}]},{"point":"Emissions and land pollution found in 2023","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Zhylyoi District Court","says":"Imposed fines totalling KZT 2.8 billion under articles 328 and 337 of the Code of Administrative Offences for unauthorised emissions, exceeding permissible emission standards and land pollution.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tengizchevroil","says":"The emissions were not caused by exceedances or environmental incidents; impact in 2021 corresponded to limits set by the authorities.","src":8}]},{"point":"Response to the 2025 and 2026 emission fines","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Court (2025) and Zhylyoi District Court (2026)","says":"Fined TCO KZT 639.6 million and KZT 53.7 million for excess emissions.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tengizchevroil","says":"No public response on record.","silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Atyrau regional environment protection department v. TCO (sulphur storage damages)","forum":"Atyrau regional (specialised interdistrict) economic court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Atyrau regional environment protection department","defendant":"Tengizchevroil LLP","filed":2007,"decided":2007,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":37000,"currency":"KZT","label":"after court reduction from KZT 74.4bn; appealed"},"summary":"Claim of KZT 74.4 billion filed in July 2007 for sulphur stored without permission in 2003–2006; cut to KZT 37 billion in October 2007; TCO appealed and Kursiv reported on 8 November 2007 that the ruling was not yet in force. The final outcome is not on record.","src":3},{"title":"Administrative proceeding over sulphur stored in the open in 2006","forum":"Court not named; opened by the Atyrau environmental prosecutor's office","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Atyrau environmental prosecutor's office","defendant":"Tengizchevroil LLP","filed":null,"decided":2009,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":37000,"currency":"KZT","label":"over; fine upheld on appeal, being collected (May 2009)"},"summary":"The prosecutor said in May 2009 that an administrative fine of over KZT 37 billion for open-air storage of sulphur without permits in 2006 had stood after appeal and was being forcibly collected into state revenue.","src":5},{"title":"Atyrau Region Department of Ecology v. TCO (emissions and land pollution)","forum":"Zhylyoi District Court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Atyrau Region Department of Ecology (on a notice from the specialised environmental prosecutor)","defendant":"Tengizchevroil LLP","filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":2800,"currency":"KZT","label":"fines in total"},"summary":"On 27 July 2023 the court imposed fines totalling KZT 2.8 billion under articles 328 and 337 of the Code of Administrative Offences for unauthorised emissions, exceeding permissible emission standards and land pollution.","src":7},{"title":"Specialised environmental prosecutor's office v. TCO (excess emissions, 2023–2024)","forum":"Court not named","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Specialised environmental prosecutor's office","defendant":"Tengizchevroil LLP","filed":null,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":639.6,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine; decision in legal force"},"summary":"A court fined TCO KZT 639.6 million for 49.3 tonnes of pollutants emitted above permitted norms between the third quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2024, of which 4.9 tonnes were emitted without a permit; the case was opened by a decree of the prosecutor's office.","src":9},{"title":"Department of Ecology v. TCO (excess emissions)","forum":"Zhylyoi District Court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Atyrau Region Department of Ecology","defendant":"Tengizchevroil LLP","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":53.7,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine"},"summary":"The ruling of 20 April 2026 found TCO administratively liable for excess emissions and fined it KZT 53.7 million.","src":12}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":74400,"unit":"KZT m","year":2007,"note":"Atyrau regional environment protection department, July 2007; reported by Oil & Gas Journal as US$609 million."},{"key":"claim","value":37000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2007,"note":"After the Atyrau regional economic court's reduction, October 2007; reported in April 2008 as US$307 million."},{"key":"fine","value":37000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2009,"qualifier":"over","note":"Administrative fine for 2006 storage, per the Atyrau environmental prosecutor."},{"key":"fine","value":1700,"unit":"KZT m","year":2011,"note":"Paid for unauthorised gas flaring; announced 23 September 2011."},{"key":"fine","value":2800,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"note":"Zhylyoi District Court, 27 July 2023."},{"key":"fine","value":639.6,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Decision in legal force; fine for excess emissions."},{"key":"fine","value":53.7,"unit":"KZT m","year":2026,"note":"Zhylyoi District Court, 20 April 2026."},{"key":"emissions_above_norm_tonnes","value":49.3,"unit":"t","year":2024,"note":"Third quarter 2023 to second quarter 2024; 4.9 t of it emitted without a permit."},{"key":"sulphur_stored_tonnes","value":2800000,"unit":"t","year":2006,"note":"Bulk sulphur stored in 2003–2006 without official permission, per the Atyrau regional environment protection department."},{"key":"sulphur_stored_tonnes","value":8500000,"unit":"t","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported by Kursiv as stored openly."},{"key":"sulphur_sold_tonnes","value":1500000,"unit":"t","year":2006,"note":"Sold by TCO in 2006, per Kursiv."},{"key":"company_spending","value":63,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Company-reported spending on “sulphur projects” 2002–2005."},{"key":"company_spending","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"note":"Company-reported spending on environmental measures over the previous eight years."},{"key":"company_spending","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"note":"Invested in flaking, granulation and packaging equipment."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kazakh authorities claimed damages and imposed fines on Tengizchevroil for open-air sulphur storage at the Tengiz field (2003–2006, claimed in 2007) and for air emissions above permitted limits, unauthorised emissions and land pollution (2011–2026).","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakh state budget","what":"Fines and payments: KZT 1.7 billion in 2011, an administrative fine of over KZT 37 billion under collection in 2009, and KZT 2.8 billion, KZT 639.6 million and KZT 53.7 million in fines in 2023, 2025 and 2026","src":5},{"who":"Tengizchevroil and its owners (Chevron 50%, ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures 25%, KazMunayGas 20%, LukArco 5%)","what":"Sulphur sales of 1.5 million tonnes in 2006 to buyers including China, Russia and Uzbekistan","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Tengizchevroil","what":"Fines and payments listed above; the company contested the 2007 claim","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land and air around the Tengiz field","what":"Sulphur stored in open-air blocks (2.8 million tonnes without permission in 2003–2006, per the Atyrau department); 49.3 tonnes of pollutants above norms in 2023–2024","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"Tengiz field, Zhylyoi district, Atyrau region, Kazakhstan, on the north-east Caspian coast.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Claim July 2007; reduction October 2007; prosecutor's statement May 2009; payment announced September 2011; fines July 2023, July 2025 and April 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The Atyrau regional environment protection department said the sulphur was stored without official permission; TCO said it held annual permits for the volumes and that no alternative disposal method existed for the stored volume. The 2023–2026 fines concerned emissions above permitted limits.","src":3},"how":{"t":"A civil damages claim by the regional environment department in 2007, an administrative fine opened by the environmental prosecutor, and court fines on notices from the specialised environmental prosecutor in 2023–2026.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Kazakhstan: Supreme Court upholds Tengizchevroil sulphur penalty","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2002-03-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1099253.html"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil fined for Tengiz field sulfur storage","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2007-10-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/article/17228378/tengizchevroil-fined-for-tengiz-field-sulfur-storage"},{"t":"Kazakhstan lowers Tengizchevroil environment fine","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2007-10-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/article/17287143/kazakhstan-lowers-tengizchevroil-environment-fine"},{"t":"Sulphur problems of Tengiz (in Russian)","p":"Kursiv","d":"2007-11-08","type":"press","u":"https://kz.kursiv.media/?p=71"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil to challenge latest environmental fine","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"2008-04-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/drilling-production/article/17269555/tengizchevroil-to-challenge-latest-environmental-fine"},{"t":"And another 37 billion on top (in Russian)","p":"Caravan","d":"2009-05-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.caravan.kz/?p=368243"},{"t":"TCO pays fine for unauthorised flaring (excerpt)","p":"MEES","d":"2011-10-03","type":"press","u":"https://archives.mees.com/issues/13/articles/429"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil fined almost 3 bn tenge (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2023-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/pocti-na-3-mlrd-tenge-ostrafovali-tengizsevroil"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil comments on the 2.8 bn tenge fine (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2023-08-16","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2023-08-16-v-tengizshevrojle-vyskazalis-o-nalozhennom-na-kompaniyu-shtrafe-na-28-mlrd-tenge/"},{"t":"Company in Kazakhstan fined 639 million tenge (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2025-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/kompaniyu-v-kazahstane-oshtrafovali-na-639-millionov-tenge-576683/"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil fined almost 640 m tenge for excess emissions (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2025-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/amp/tengizshevroyl-oshtrafovan-pochti-na-640-mln-tenge-za-previshenie-vibrosov-9fdedb/"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil punished again for exceeding emission norms (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2026-04-28","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2026-04-28-tengizshevrojl-snova-nakazan-za-prevyshenie-norm-vybrosov/"},{"t":"Tengizchevroil Fined Over Excess Emissions in Atyrau Region","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2026-04-30","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/tengizchevroil-fined-over-excess-emissions-in-atyrau-region-10260/"},{"t":"Law No. 402-VI of 2 January 2021 amending the Tax Code (via zakon.uchet.kz, in Russian)","p":"Republic of Kazakhstan (legal database reproduction)","d":"2021-01-02","type":"official","u":"https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/Z2100000402"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the stored sulphur was handled safely","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Emissions and land pollution found in 2023","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation or restoration funded by the claims and fines — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Company-reported spending on sulphur projects 2002–2005 — US$63 million (company figure, 2007).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Company-reported spending on environmental measures over eight years to 2007 — US$1.2 billion (company figure).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether stored sulphur is waste or a product","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Size of the 2007 sulphur-storage claim","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Response to the 2025 and 2026 emission fines","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Tengizchevroil: No public response on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Atyrau regional environment protection department v. TCO (sulphur storage damages): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the final appeal outcome and the payment of the KZT 37 billion damages ordered by the Atyrau regional economic court in October 2007.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the administrative fine of over KZT 37 billion described by the Atyrau environmental prosecutor in May 2009 and the October 2007 court reduction to KZT 37 billion are one proceeding or two; Caravan describes them as two.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: sulphur dust, soil or groundwater around the Tengiz sulphur blocks; no measured data accompany the 2023, 2025 and 2026 fines.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the period of the gas flaring covered by the KZT 1.7 billion paid in 2011.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or insurance payments for any of the claims or fines.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"karaturun-well-blowout-methane-2023","title":"Karaturun well blowout and methane release (Mangystau, 2023)","dek":"A gas-water blowout at well No. 303 at the Karaturun field on 9 June 2023 ignited and burned for about 200 days. A study (preprint) estimated 128 ± 36 kt of methane released; Buzachi Neft paid environmental fines and was ordered by an Almaty court to pay KZT 2.27 billion for the burned gas.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":45.2,"lon":51.6,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Mangystau region (north-west Buzachi peninsula), Karaturun field","lat":45.2,"lon":51.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Almaty (specialised interdistrict economic court)","role":"court"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-06-09","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"related":["buzachi-operating-gas-losses-and-flaring-2025","kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award","embamunaigas-prorva-sour-gas-flaring","mangistaumunaigas-wastewater-injection-fine-2024"],"headline":{"label":"Court award for burned gas, Almaty economic court, September 2024","value":"KZT 2.27bn","note":"KZT 2,269,347,033 plus KZT 68,080,411 state duty. The company argued for KZT 219 million at domestic gas prices."},"happened":["On 9 June 2023 a gas-water mixture blew out while a drilling tool was being lifted at well No. 303 on the Karaturun field in the north-west of the Buzachi peninsula; the well ignited and a crater hindered firefighting (Interfax). The study authors and Interfax call the field Karaturun East; Kazakh press and the court call it Karaturun Yuzhny (South). The Mangystau ecology department said drilling began in May 2023 although permits allowed it no earlier than 2024, and that the fire lasted 200 days and was extinguished by 25 December 2023. The Universitat Politècnica de València described a 10-metre-high fire and a 15-metre-wide crater, with thousands of tonnes of water injected before the flow was stopped on 25 December 2023 with drilling mud.","A study (preprint) by Guanter and co-authors, posted on 13 March 2024 and later published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, estimated that 128 ± 36 kt of methane was released over 205 days, from 48 high-quality plume observations by satellites including TROPOMI, GHGSat, PRISMA, EnMAP and EMIT, plus Sentinel-2 and Landsat. The authors said total emissions exceeded those of all previously documented accidents of this kind. Kayrros estimated an emission rate of 35 to 107 tonnes per hour in 2023, and SRON placed the release in the “ultra-emitter” class above 25 tonnes per hour. Prosecutors said about 60,000 cubic metres of gas burned per day.","The Mangystau ecology department reported methane in the air at 480 times the established limit and oil products in soil at 168.13 mg/kg, with no norm given. After a control inspection it drew up four administrative protocols in February 2024 and gave a preliminary fine estimate of over KZT 350 million; the plaintiff in the later gas-loss case said the company had paid an environmental damage assessment of KZT 361 million together with an administrative fine. On 12 March 2024 Deputy Minister of Ecology Zhomart Aliyev said the penalties exceeded KZT 500 million.","On 12 April 2024 the Western Interregional Department of the State Inspectorate in the Oil and Gas Complex of the Ministry of Energy sued Buzachi Neft LLP over the burned gas. In September 2024 the Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Almaty granted the claim: KZT 2,269,347,033 for lost raw gas plus KZT 68,080,411 in state duty, payable to state revenue, citing articles 123(3) and 125(2) of the Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use. The gas was valued at average exchange prices for the period, specifically Dutch gas hub quotes; the company put the value at KZT 219 million at domestic prices. BES.media reported that the award was payable in instalments and that a first instalment of KZT 270 million was paid in January 2025.","The company said satellite images likely showed hot vapour with minimal greenhouse gases and that the burning mixture was mainly water with insignificant methane. Deputy Minister Aliyev said the gas was flared following safety protocols and that it would not be accurate to say pure methane was released. Buzachi Neft periodically blamed its exploration drilling contractor, named in Vlast.kz as Zaman Energo."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Drilling begins (May); blowout and ignition at well No. 303 (9 Jun); first clear TROPOMI detection (21 Jun); gas flow stopped with drilling mud (25 Dec); prosecutor's representation on eliminating violations (27 Dec)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Four administrative protocols (Feb); preprint on the methane release (13 Mar); Ministry of Energy inspectorate files gas-loss claim (12 Apr); peer-reviewed study published (Jul); Almaty court grants the claim (Sep)","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"First instalment of KZT 270 million paid (Jan), as reported by BES.media","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"There was an accident at the field","who":"Zhomart Aliyev, Deputy Minister of Ecology","when":"12 March 2024","src":0},{"q":"When the accident happened, the gas was flared following safety protocols","who":"Zhomart Aliyev, Deputy Minister of Ecology","when":"12 March 2024","src":0},{"q":"no release of methane into the atmosphere","who":"Zhomart Aliyev, Deputy Minister of Ecology, as quoted by Vlast.kz","when":"2024","src":5},{"q":"the release of gas from the emergency well decreased significantly","who":"Buzachi Neft","when":"16 October 2023","src":1},{"q":"We are ready to pay 219 million, even if we are not obliged, because of the stability regime","who":"Buzachi Neft representative in court (translated)","when":"August 2024","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"there is no universal solution to eliminate similar accidents","who":"Askhat Khasenov, vice-minister of Energy","when":"2023","src":1},{"q":"We have continued to observe methane leaks from this asset regularly","who":"Kayrros","when":"October 2023","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"Satellite images likely showed hot vapour with minimal greenhouse gases; the burning mixture was mainly water with insignificant methane.","who":"Buzachi Neft, 2023, as reported by Interfax","src":0},{"t":"No burning charge ignited the cloud, which would be impossible if methane were present in significant concentration.","who":"Buzachi Neft deputy general director, August 2023, as reported by Vlast.kz","src":5},{"t":"It would not be accurate to say that pure methane was released.","who":"Zhomart Aliyev, Deputy Minister of Ecology, 12 March 2024","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Methane released: 128 ± 36 kt over 205 days, from 48 high-quality plume observations (study, preprint of 13 March 2024).","src":3},{"t":"Methane in air 480 times the established limit and oil products in soil at 168.13 mg/kg (Mangystau ecology department); methane concentrations on 9 June 2023 exceeded the permissible level of 2,540 mg/m3 (Mangystau ecology department, October 2023).","src":2},{"t":"Court award of KZT 2,269,347,033 plus KZT 68,080,411 state duty for lost raw gas (Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Almaty, September 2024).","src":8},{"t":"Environmental damage assessment of KZT 361 million paid together with an administrative fine (plaintiff's statement, August 2024); KZT 362 million fine proposed by local inspectors in February 2024 (Vlast.kz).","src":6},{"t":"The Tax Code sets a methane payment rate of 0.02 MRP per tonne from stationary sources (article 576 para 2, as amended by Law No. 402-VI of 2 January 2021); a halved rate of 0.01 MRP applied until 1 January 2025.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2024–2025 (mixed — see each line)","nature":[{"label":"Remediation or restoration","amount":null,"note":"The Mangystau ecology department ordered the company to prepare and implement a remediation plan (February 2024); no source gives remediation spending."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Environmental damage assessment, paid with an administrative fine","amount":361,"window":"2024","note":"Stated by the plaintiff in the gas-loss case, August 2024."},{"label":"Damages for lost (burned) raw gas, payable to state revenue","amount":2269.347,"window":"2024","note":"Plus KZT 68.08 million state duty. Valued at Dutch gas hub quotes."},{"label":"State duty","amount":68.08,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Company's counter-figure for the gas at domestic prices","amount":219,"qualifier":"company position","window":"2024"},{"label":"First instalment toward the award","amount":270,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Methane released","v":"128 ± 36 kt","d":"Over 205 days, according to a study (preprint) using satellite data"},{"k":"Duration of the fire","v":"About 200 days","d":"Extinguished by 25 December 2023, per the Mangystau ecology department"},{"k":"Award for burned gas","v":"KZT 2.27bn","d":"Almaty economic court, September 2024; payable in instalments"},{"k":"Environmental damage assessment","v":"KZT 361m","d":"Paid with an administrative fine"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A study (preprint) using satellite data, an emissions-rate estimate by Kayrros, measurements reported by the Mangystau ecology department and a prosecutors' figure for gas burned per day.","report":[{"t":"A study (preprint) estimated that 128 ± 36 kt of methane left my well site at Karaturun over 205 days in 2023, from 48 high-quality plume observations by satellites; its authors said the total exceeded all previously documented accidents of this kind.","src":3},{"t":"Kayrros estimated that methane left me at 35 to 107 tonnes per hour in 2023.","src":0},{"t":"The Mangystau ecology department reported methane in my air at 480 times the established limit and oil products in my soil at 168.13 mg/kg; no norm was given for the soil figure.","src":2},{"t":"Prosecutors said about 60,000 cubic metres of gas burned above me each day.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Not measured: a monetary figure for the climate effect of the methane; the court award values the burned gas at commodity prices and the fines relate to limit exceedances.","Not disclosed: the total volume of gas burned; the court stated only the daily rate.","None on record: a court case behind the fines reported by Interfax in March 2024.","None on record: insurance cover or insurance payments."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The gas flow was stopped on 25 December 2023 by injecting drilling mud, about 200 days after the blowout on 9 June 2023.","whoPaid":"Buzachi Neft paid an environmental damage assessment and fine of about KZT 361–362 million and was ordered to pay KZT 2.27 billion for the burned gas to state revenue, in instalments from January 2025. The award is calculated on the value of the gas.","statusLine":"As of March 2025: the September 2024 ruling stood without a reported appeal, and a first instalment of KZT 270 million was reported paid in January 2025.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Buzachi Neft","says":"Satellite images likely showed hot vapour with minimal greenhouse gases; the burning mixture was mainly water with insignificant methane.","when":"2023","src":0},{"actor":"Buzachi Neft","says":"In court it argued a 2001 contract stability clause, domestic gas prices (export banned) and design-institute opinions finding a formation anomaly and no design violations; it was ready to pay KZT 219 million.","when":"August 2024","src":6},{"actor":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"The Minister said he had “not heard” about the fire, and later that the ministry “periodically” monitors Karaturun.","when":"September–October 2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"buzachi-neft","role":"Operator; defendant in the gas-loss claim"},{"id":"kazakhstan-oil-gas-inspectorate","role":"Claimant in the gas-loss case"},{"id":"almaty-economic-court","role":"Granted the KZT 2.27bn claim"},{"id":"mangystau-ecology-department","role":"Inspection, four protocols, fines"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Ministries of Ecology and Energy"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether methane was released","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Buzachi Neft","says":"Satellite images likely showed hot vapour with minimal greenhouse gases; the burning mixture was mainly water with insignificant methane.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy Minister of Ecology","says":"The gas was flared following safety protocols; it would not be accurate to say pure methane was released. Vlast.kz quotes him as saying there was “no release of methane into the atmosphere”.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Kayrros and the satellite study","says":"Kayrros estimated 35 to 107 tonnes of methane per hour; the study (preprint) estimated 128 ± 36 kt over 205 days.","src":3}]},{"point":"Size of the methane release","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Preprint abstract (13 March 2024)","says":"128 ± 36 kt over 205 days.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Universitat Politècnica de València press release (July 2024)","says":"131,000 tonnes (printed “131.00”).","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Vlast.kz (July 2024)","says":"134,000 tons over six and a half months, 4.5% of Kazakhstan's 2023 energy-sector emissions and at least 30% larger than Aliso Canyon (2015).","src":5}]},{"point":"Value of the burned gas","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Energy inspectorate","says":"Lost gas valued at average exchange prices for the period, specifically Dutch gas hub quotes: KZT 2.27 billion.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"Buzachi Neft","says":"KZT 219 million at domestic prices; ready to pay it because of the contract stability regime.","src":6},{"voice":"court","holder":"Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Almaty","says":"Granted KZT 2,269,347,033 plus KZT 68,080,411 state duty.","src":8}]},{"point":"Amount of the environmental fines","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mangystau ecology department (February 2024)","says":"Preliminary fine estimate of over KZT 350 million after four protocols.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Gas-loss plaintiff (August 2024) and Vlast.kz","says":"KZT 361 million environmental damage assessment paid with an administrative fine; KZT 362 million proposed by local inspectors.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy Minister of Ecology (12 March 2024)","says":"Penalties exceed KZT 500 million (about US$1.1 million, per Interfax).","src":0}]},{"point":"Cause of the blowout and responsibility","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Buzachi Neft","says":"Design-institute opinions found a formation anomaly and no design violations; the company periodically blamed its exploration drilling contractor, named in Vlast.kz as Zaman Energo.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Energy inspectorate","says":"The claim rests on articles 123(3) and 125(2) of the Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use: production must be carried out by methods excluding hydrocarbon losses not provided for by the basic project document. The environmental fine covered the accident itself; the claim covers burned gas that could have supplied Mangystau residents.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ministry of Energy inspectorate v. Buzachi Neft (lost raw gas)","forum":"Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Almaty","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Western Interregional Department of the State Inspectorate in the Oil and Gas Complex, Ministry of Energy","defendant":"Buzachi Neft LLP","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":2269.347,"currency":"KZT","label":"damages for lost raw gas, plus KZT 68.08m state duty"},"summary":"Claim filed 12 April 2024 and granted in September 2024: KZT 2,269,347,033 for lost (burned) raw gas plus KZT 68,080,411 state duty, payable to state revenue, under articles 123(3) and 125(2) of the Code on Subsoil and Subsoil Use. The sources give no case number and mention no appeal; payment in instalments was reported from January 2025.","src":8},{"title":"Mangystau Department of Ecology inspection of Buzachi Neft","forum":"Mangystau Region Department of Ecology (administrative protocols)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Mangystau Region Department of Ecology","defendant":"Buzachi Neft LLP","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":361,"currency":"KZT","label":"environmental damage assessment, paid with an administrative fine"},"summary":"A control inspection ended in February 2024 with four administrative protocols and an order to prepare and implement a remediation plan; the preliminary fine estimate was over KZT 350 million.","src":2},{"title":"Specialised environmental prosecutor's representation to Buzachi Neft","forum":"Specialised environmental prosecutor's office","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Specialised environmental prosecutor's office","defendant":"Buzachi Neft LLP","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"A representation on eliminating violations was issued on 27 December 2023.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"methane_released_kt","value":128,"unit":"kt","year":2023,"qualifier":"±36","note":"Study (preprint) of 13 March 2024; 205 days; 48 plume observations."},{"key":"fire_duration_days","value":200,"unit":"days","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mangystau ecology department; extinguished by 25 December 2023."},{"key":"methane_rate_t_per_h","value":107,"unit":"t/h","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Kayrros range 35 to 107 tonnes per hour."},{"key":"gas_burned_m3_per_day","value":60000,"unit":"m³/day","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Prosecutors' figure."},{"key":"methane_vs_limit","value":480,"unit":"times the limit","year":2023,"note":"Mangystau ecology department."},{"key":"soil_oil_products_mg_kg","value":168.13,"unit":"mg/kg","year":2023,"note":"No norm given."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":361,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Environmental damage assessment paid with an administrative fine."},{"key":"compensation","value":2269.347,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Court award for lost raw gas; plus KZT 68.08m state duty."},{"key":"company_estimate","value":219,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Company's value of the gas at domestic prices."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":270,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"First instalment toward the award, January 2025 (BES.media)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A gas-water blowout at well No. 303 at the Karaturun field on 9 June 2023 ignited and burned for about 200 days; a study (preprint) estimated 128 ± 36 kt of methane released. The operator paid environmental fines and was ordered to pay KZT 2.27 billion for the burned gas.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakh state revenue","what":"KZT 2.27 billion award for lost gas plus KZT 68.08 million state duty, payable in instalments; environmental damage assessment of KZT 361 million","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Buzachi Neft","what":"Environmental damage assessment and fine of about KZT 361–362 million; the award of KZT 2.27 billion","src":8}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air and soil at the Karaturun field","what":"128 ± 36 kt of methane over 205 days (study, preprint); methane 480 times the limit and oil products in soil at 168.13 mg/kg (ecology department)","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Karaturun field, north-west Buzachi peninsula, Mangystau region, Kazakhstan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Blowout 9 June 2023; flow stopped 25 December 2023; claim 12 April 2024; ruling September 2024; first instalment January 2025.","src":8},"why":{"t":"A gas-water mixture blew out while a drilling tool was being lifted. The company cited a formation anomaly and no design violations; the claimant cited hydrocarbon losses not provided for in the basic project document.","src":6},"how":{"t":"Satellite detections from June 2023, an ecology department inspection with four protocols in February 2024, and a Ministry of Energy inspectorate claim for burned gas granted in September 2024.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"Kazakh oil producer Buzachi Neft fined $1.1 mln for pollution at Karaturun East field","p":"Interfax","d":"2024-03-12","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/100301/"},{"t":"A methane leak continues unbridled in western Kazakhstan","p":"Vlast.kz","d":"2023-10-19","type":"press","u":"https://vlast.kz/english/57230-a-methane-leak-continues-unbridled-in-western-kazakhstan.html"},{"t":"350 million tenge fine imposed on Buzachi Neft for the field fire (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2024-02-19","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2024-02-19-shtraf-v-350-mln-tenge-nalozhili-na-buzachi-neft-za-pozhar-na-mestorozhdenii/"},{"t":"Multi-satellite data depicts record-breaking methane leak from a well blowout (preprint record)","p":"Guanter et al., EarthArXiv via UNESCO Open Science","d":"2024-03-13","type":"academic","u":"https://open-science.unesco.org/records/0071n-ah914"},{"t":"Nature Research Highlight (press release on the study)","p":"Universitat Politècnica de València","d":"2024-07-16","type":"academic","u":"https://www.upv.es/noticias-upv/noticia-14745-nature-researc-en.html"},{"t":"Methane leak in Kazakhstan last year smashed all negative records","p":"Vlast.kz","d":"2024-07-04","type":"press","u":"https://vlast.kz/english/60875-methane-leak-in-kazakhstan-last-year-smashed-all-negative-records.html"},{"t":"Large methane leak at Karaturun: 2.2 bn tenge sought from Buzachi Neft for gas burning (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2024-08-02","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/masshtabnaya-utechka-metana-na-mestorozhdenii-karaturun-v-mangistau-s-buzuchi-neft-trebuyut-vziskat-22-mlrd-tenge-za-szhiganie-gaza/"},{"t":"Karaturun methane leak: Buzachi Neft ordered to pay 2.2 bn tenge (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2024-09-21","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/utechka-metana-na-mestorozhdenii-karaturun-v-mangistau-buzuchi-neft-oshtrafovali-na-22-mlrd-tenge/"},{"t":"Oil company in Mangystau penalised over the Karaturun Yuzhny accident (citing KazTAG, in Russian)","p":"Lada.kz","d":"2024-09-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.lada.kz/aktau_news/society/128558-iz-za-avarii-na-mestorozhdenii-karaturun-iuzhnyi-oshtrafovali-neftianuiu-kompaniiu-v-mangistau.html"},{"t":"Buzachi Operating fined 8.4 bn tenge, about what it paid in taxes over six years (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2025-03-17","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/dobivayushuyu-buzachi-operating-ltd-oshtrafovali-na-84-mlrd-tenge-pochti-stolko-zhe-nalogov-ona-viplatila-za-poslednie-shest-let/"},{"t":"Law No. 402-VI of 2 January 2021 amending the Tax Code (via zakon.uchet.kz, in Russian)","p":"Republic of Kazakhstan (legal database reproduction)","d":"2021-01-02","type":"official","u":"https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/Z2100000402"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether methane was released","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the methane release","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation or restoration — The Mangystau ecology department ordered the company to prepare and implement a remediation plan (February 2024); no source gives remediation spending.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Value of the burned gas","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount of the environmental fines","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cause of the blowout and responsibility","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Specialised environmental prosecutor's representation to Buzachi Neft: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: a monetary figure for the climate effect of the methane; the court award values the burned gas at commodity prices and the fines relate to limit exceedances.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the total volume of gas burned; the court stated only the daily rate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case behind the fines reported by Interfax in March 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or insurance payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award","title":"Kashagan gas flaring: KZT 134.2 billion damage order (2014) and KZT 3.6 billion award (2025)","dek":"After pipeline leaks in September–October 2013, the Atyrau Department of Ecology ordered the Kashagan operator and Agip KCO to pay KZT 134.2 billion for gas flaring; three court levels upheld the order in 2014, and a confidential December 2014 agreement followed. A separate 2024 flaring claim was awarded in January 2025 and paid in July 2025.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46.3,"lon":52,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Atyrau region (Kashagan field, D Island, and Bolashak processing plant)","lat":46.3,"lon":52,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Atyrau and Astana (courts)","role":"court"}],"start":2013,"end":2025,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"related":["kashagan-sulphur-environmental-fine","karachaganak-sulphur-fine-and-consortium-arbitration","tengizchevroil-sulphur-storage-claims-and-emission-fines","embamunaigas-prorva-sour-gas-flaring","buzachi-operating-gas-losses-and-flaring-2025","karaturun-well-blowout-methane-2023"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental damage order for flaring, Atyrau Department of Ecology, March 2014","value":"KZT 134.2bn","note":"Reported by Reuters as US$737 million. Upheld by three court levels in 2014; Zakon.kz reported in February 2015, citing unnamed sources, that it was no longer in effect under a December 2014 agreement."},"happened":["Kashagan production started on 11 September 2013 after 13 years of development and about US$50 billion of spending. On 24 September 2013 a gas pipeline ruptured near the Bolashak plant, releasing hydrogen sulphide; residual sour gas was flared, wells reopened on 6 October and a new leak occurred on 9 October 2013, and output halted. The direct cause of the pipeline failure was cracking caused by sulphide compounds (Lada.kz). In March 2014 the Atyrau Department of Ecology ordered NCOC and Agip KCO to pay KZT 134.2 billion for environmental damage from flaring.","On 29 April 2014 the Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Atyrau Region rejected the companies' challenge; the appeals board of the Atyrau regional court upheld the ruling on 6 June 2014, and the cassation board dismissed the companies' complaint on 23 July 2014, after the Department had filed a claim to collect the amount in early July. In court the companies argued that the damage was “astronomical” and that the audit used a sulphur dioxide limit of 0.05 mg/m³ instead of 0.125. The department head said 0.05 was an error in a 2012 Health Ministry resolution and that the department used the correct figure.","On 13 December 2014 the Minister of Energy and the NCOC/NCPSA companies signed a confidential agreement in Astana; NCOC said its terms were confidential. Zakon.kz reported on 17 February 2015, citing unnamed sources, that the KZT 134.2 billion claim was no longer in effect, that administrative fines of KZT 10.287 billion already paid were credited as full compensation for flaring and related emissions from 11 December 2012 to 28 January 2014, and that NCOC would contribute US$50 million in 2015 to Astana EXPO-2017. Ak Zhaik, citing unnamed sources, also reported EXPO support under the agreement, without an amount. Zakon.kz noted that it found no official denial and no direct official confirmation of the write-off.","In December 2024 the Western Interregional Department of the State Inspectorate in the Oil and Gas Complex of the Ministry of Energy sued NCOC N.V. (Astana branch) for more than KZT 3.5 billion for flaring crude gas without authorisation. In January 2025 the economic court of Astana granted the claim, awarding KZT 726,998,611 and KZT 2,823,549,395 in damages plus KZT 73,840,000 in state duty, and rejected NCOC's argument that clause 38.1 of the production sharing agreement (UNCITRAL arbitration) applied. On 25 July 2025 the Atyrau prosecutor's office confirmed that KZT 3.6 billion in environmental damage had been paid in full to the budget.","Kazakh law bans flaring of raw gas except in emergencies threatening life, health or the environment (Reuters) or where technologically unavoidable (Ministry of Energy). For national context, World Bank data put Kazakhstan's flared volume at 6.07 billion cubic metres in 2013 and 0.71 billion in 2025, and the World Bank said on 23 June 2026 that Kazakhstan had reduced flaring by 87% since 2012."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Production starts (11 Sep); gas pipeline rupture near Bolashak, hydrogen sulphide leak, residual gas flared (24 Sep); wells reopened (6 Oct); new leak (9 Oct)","src":1},{"y":2014,"t":"Department of Ecology order of KZT 134.2bn (Mar); economic court rejects the challenge (29 Apr); appeals board upholds (6 Jun); collection claim filed (early Jul); cassation board dismisses complaint (23 Jul); confidential agreement signed (13 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2015,"t":"Zakon.kz reports, citing unnamed sources, that the claim is no longer in effect (17 Feb)","src":5},{"y":2024,"t":"Ministry of Energy inspectorate sues NCOC for more than KZT 3.5bn for unauthorised flaring (Dec)","src":6},{"y":2025,"t":"Astana economic court grants the claim (Jan); prosecutors confirm full payment of KZT 3.6bn (25 Jul)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"Whether we appeal also at national level will be decided at a later stage.","who":"NCOC, via Reuters","when":"March 2014","src":0},{"q":"The amount of damage is astronomical, it is highly overestimated","who":"NCOC and Agip KCO in court, as reported by Ak Zhaik","when":"June 2014","src":2},{"q":"The court ruling is a great distress to us.","who":"NCOC, as reported by Ak Zhaik","when":"June 2014","src":2},{"q":"The terms of agreement are confidential.","who":"NCOC press release","when":"December 2014","src":4},{"q":"are fined twice and even three times for the same violation","who":"Uzakbai Karabalin, First Deputy Energy Minister, on subsoil users, as reported by Zakon.kz (translated)","when":"2015","src":5,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"In world practice there is, of course, no such thing.","who":"Uzakbai Karabalin, First Deputy Energy Minister, as reported by Zakon.kz (translated)","when":"2015","src":5,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Headline: “Kazakhstan effectively 'wrote off' NCOC's multi-billion environmental fine”.","who":"Zakon.kz, 17 February 2015","src":5},{"t":"The parties resolved production, financial and environmental issues.","who":"NCOC press release, December 2014, as reported by Ak Zhaik","src":4},{"t":"The Kashagan dispute belongs in international arbitration under clause 38.1 of the production sharing agreement; NCOC acts only as representative of the subsoil user.","who":"NCOC in the 2024 case, as reported by BES.media","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Order of KZT 134.2 billion (US$737 million) by the Atyrau Department of Ecology against NCOC and Agip KCO, March 2014; upheld by the specialised interdistrict economic court (29 April 2014), the appeals board (6 June 2014) and the cassation board (23 July 2014).","src":0},{"t":"KZT 222 million paid earlier for gas released during the 24 September 2013 pipeline accident; more than KZT 10 billion (KZT 10.287 billion) in administrative fines previously paid, credited under the December 2014 agreement according to Zakon.kz's unnamed sources.","src":5},{"t":"Zakon.kz and Ak Zhaik reported, citing unnamed sources, support for Astana EXPO-2017 under the December 2014 agreement; Zakon.kz gave the amount as US$50 million in 2015. Zakon.kz also listed VAT refunds by 30 June 2015, consultation on future flaring and emissions legislation, and continued social-infrastructure funding in Atyrau and Mangystau.","src":5},{"t":"2025 award: KZT 726,998,611 plus KZT 2,823,549,395 in damages plus KZT 73,840,000 state duty; KZT 3.6 billion in environmental damage confirmed paid in full to the budget by the Atyrau prosecutor's office on 25 July 2025.","src":7},{"t":"World Bank flare-volume estimates for Kazakhstan, in billion cubic metres: 2012 5.52; 2013 6.07; 2014 6.14; 2015 5.67; 2016 3.22; 2017 2.68; 2018 2.38; 2019 1.66; 2020 1.44; 2021 1.49; 2022 0.85; 2023 0.81; 2024 0.85; 2025 0.71. Flaring intensity in cubic metres per barrel: 2012 9.98; 2016 5.53; 2020 2.24; 2023 1.19; 2024 1.29; 2025 0.95. These are national figures, not for the Kashagan project.","src":9},{"t":"World Bank, 23 June 2026: “Kazakhstan has reduced flaring by 87% since 2012, including a further 16% reduction in 2025 alone.” The 2026 flaring tracker attributes it to sustained regulatory pressure, government commitment and targeted infrastructure investment.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2013–2025 (mixed — see each line)","nature":[{"label":"Remediation or restoration funded by the order or the award","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Environmental damage order, Atyrau Department of Ecology (March 2014)","amount":134200,"window":"2014","note":"Reported as US$737 million. Payment of any part of it is not on record."},{"label":"Paid for gas released in the 24 September 2013 accident","amount":222,"window":"2013"},{"label":"Administrative fines previously paid, credited under the December 2014 agreement (Zakon.kz, unnamed sources)","amount":10287,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Contribution to Astana EXPO-2017 under the agreement (Zakon.kz, unnamed sources)","amount":null,"window":"2015","note":"US$50 million; payment and legal form not stated."},{"label":"Environmental damage paid in full to the budget (Atyrau prosecutor's office)","amount":3600,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damage order for flaring, 2014","v":"KZT 134.2bn","d":"Upheld by three court levels; later reported, citing unnamed sources, as no longer in effect"},{"k":"Pollutant named","v":"Sulphur dioxide","d":"From flaring in September–October 2013, per the Atyrau Department of Ecology"},{"k":"Environmental damage paid, 2025","v":"KZT 3.6bn","d":"Confirmed by the Atyrau prosecutor's office on 25 July 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements of the Atyrau Department of Ecology and the Environment Protection Ministry reported in 2014. Flared volumes are reported with differing figures and are not stated here.","report":[{"t":"In September–October 2013 residual sour gas from Kashagan was flared at the processing plants on my land after pipeline leaks, according to the Environment Protection Ministry as reported by Reuters.","src":0},{"t":"The Atyrau Department of Ecology named sulphur dioxide from flaring as the pollutant at issue in my air, and said soot is expected when such volumes are flared.","src":2},{"t":"A gas pipeline ruptured near Bolashak on 24 September 2013 and released hydrogen sulphide.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: Reuters (via Rogtec) gave the 2013 flared volume above legal limits as 2.8 million cubic metres; Ak Zhaik gave about 3 million cubic metres of sour gas; Lada.kz, citing the inspection act, gave “2,795,149 thousand cubic metres”.","Not disclosed: the terms of the December 2014 agreement; NCOC said they are confidential.","None on record: an official confirmation or denial of the write-off of the KZT 134.2 billion claim; Zakon.kz noted neither.","None on record: payment of any part of the KZT 134.2 billion order.","Not disclosed: the volumes and period of the flaring covered by the 2024 claim."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Output halted in October 2013 after the leaks; no source states when the flaring ended.","whoPaid":"The companies paid KZT 222 million for gas released in the September 2013 accident and administrative fines of more than KZT 10 billion, which Zakon.kz's unnamed sources said were credited as full compensation; NCOC paid KZT 3.6 billion in 2025 for later flaring. Payment of any part of the KZT 134.2 billion order is not on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: the KZT 3.6 billion award for unauthorised flaring was paid in full; the KZT 134.2 billion order of 2014 was reported in February 2015, citing unnamed sources, as no longer in effect.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"NCOC","says":"Appealed the ecological fines; whether to appeal at national level would be decided later.","when":"March 2014","src":0},{"actor":"NCOC","says":"The amount of damage is highly overestimated; the audit used a sulphur dioxide limit of 0.05 mg/m³ instead of 0.125.","when":"June 2014","src":2},{"actor":"NCOC","says":"The terms of the December 2014 agreement are confidential.","when":"December 2014","src":4},{"actor":"NCOC","says":"In the 2024 case the dispute belongs in international arbitration under clause 38.1 of the production sharing agreement; NCOC acts only as representative of the subsoil user.","when":"December 2024","src":6},{"actor":"NCOC","says":"Did not immediately respond to Reuters on a possible appeal.","when":"January 2025","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"ncoc","role":"Operator of Kashagan; defendant in 2014 and 2024–2025"},{"id":"atyrau-environment-department","role":"Issued the KZT 134.2bn order"},{"id":"atyrau-economic-court","role":"Rejected the companies' challenge, 29 April 2014"},{"id":"kazakhstan-oil-gas-inspectorate","role":"Claimant in the 2024 case"},{"id":"astana-economic-court","role":"Granted the 2024 claim in January 2025"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Party to the confidential December 2014 agreement (Minister of Energy)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Volume of gas flared in 2013","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters via Rogtec (March 2014)","says":"2.8 million cubic metres above legal limits in September–October 2013.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Ak Zhaik (June 2014)","says":"About 3 million cubic metres of sour gas.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Lada.kz citing the inspection act (April 2014)","says":"“2,795,149 thousand cubic metres” of acid gas above the permitted limit.","src":1}]},{"point":"Sulphur dioxide limit used in the damage calculation","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"NCOC and Agip KCO","says":"The audit used a maximum permissible concentration of 0.05 mg/m³ instead of 0.125 mg/m³, overestimating the damage.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Head of the Atyrau Ecology Department","says":"0.05 was an error in a 2012 Health Ministry resolution; the department used the correct figure.","src":2}]},{"point":"Whether and how the KZT 134.2 billion order was written off","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Zakon.kz (17 February 2015)","says":"Citing unnamed sources, the claim is no longer in effect under the December 2014 agreement; fines of KZT 10.287 billion already paid were credited.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"NCOC","says":"Parties resolved production, financial and environmental issues; the terms are confidential.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Energy","says":"No official confirmation or denial on record.","silent":true}]},{"point":"Amount of the 2025 award","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Astana economic court (Reuters, January 2025)","says":"KZT 726,998,611 plus KZT 2,823,549,395 in damages plus KZT 73,840,000 state duty, about KZT 3.5 billion.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Atyrau prosecutor's office (25 July 2025)","says":"KZT 3.6 billion in environmental damage paid in full.","src":8}]},{"point":"Forum for the 2024 claim","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"NCOC","says":"Clause 38.1 of the production sharing agreement sends the dispute to international arbitration.","src":6},{"voice":"court","holder":"Astana economic court","says":"Rejected the argument and granted the claim.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"NCOC and Agip KCO v. Atyrau Department of Ecology (challenge to the KZT 134.2bn order)","forum":"Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Atyrau Region","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"NCOC and Agip KCO","defendant":"Atyrau Department of Ecology","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":134200,"currency":"KZT","label":"environmental damage order upheld"},"summary":"On 29 April 2014 the court dismissed the challenge and held the order lawful.","src":1},{"title":"Appeal of NCOC and Agip KCO against the KZT 134.2bn order","forum":"Board of Appeals, Atyrau Oblast Court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"appeal","claimant":"NCOC and Agip KCO","defendant":"Atyrau Department of Ecology","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":134200,"currency":"KZT","label":"order upheld"},"summary":"The appeals board upheld the ruling on 6 June 2014.","src":2},{"title":"Cassation complaint of NCOC and Agip KCO","forum":"Cassation board, Atyrau regional court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"appeal","claimant":"NCOC and Agip KCO","defendant":"Atyrau Department of Ecology","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The cassation board dismissed the companies' complaint on 23 July 2014.","src":3},{"title":"Department of Ecology collection claim for KZT 134.2bn","forum":"Court not named","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Atyrau Department of Ecology","defendant":"NCOC and Agip KCO","filed":2014,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":134200,"currency":"KZT","label":"amount claimed"},"summary":"Filed in early July 2014. Zakon.kz reported in February 2015, citing unnamed sources, that the claim was no longer in effect under the December 2014 agreement; no official confirmation of the write-off is on record.","src":5},{"title":"Ministry of Energy inspectorate v. NCOC N.V. (flaring of crude gas without authorisation)","forum":"Economic court of Astana","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Western Interregional Department of the State Inspectorate in the Oil and Gas Complex, Ministry of Energy","defendant":"NCOC N.V. (Astana branch)","filed":2024,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":3600,"currency":"KZT","label":"environmental damage paid in full (Atyrau prosecutor's office, July 2025)"},"summary":"The January 2025 award was KZT 726,998,611 plus KZT 2,823,549,395 in damages plus KZT 73,840,000 state duty; the court rejected NCOC's argument that clause 38.1 of the production sharing agreement applied. The Atyrau prosecutor's office confirmed full payment on 25 July 2025.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":134200,"unit":"KZT m","year":2014,"note":"Atyrau Department of Ecology order, March 2014; reported by Reuters as US$737 million."},{"key":"claim","value":737,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Reuters' figure for the same order."},{"key":"fine","value":222,"unit":"KZT m","year":2013,"note":"Paid for gas released in the 24 September 2013 accident (Zakon.kz)."},{"key":"fine","value":10287,"unit":"KZT m","year":2014,"qualifier":"over","note":"Administrative fines previously paid; credited under the December 2014 agreement per Zakon.kz's unnamed sources."},{"key":"contribution","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Astana EXPO-2017 contribution under the agreement, per Zakon.kz's unnamed sources; payment not confirmed."},{"key":"compensation","value":726.998611,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Damages, Astana economic court."},{"key":"compensation","value":2823.549395,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Damages, Astana economic court."},{"key":"state_duty","value":73.84,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Astana economic court."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":3600,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Confirmed paid in full by the Atyrau prosecutor's office, 25 July 2025."},{"key":"project_spending","value":50000,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Spending on Kashagan over 13 years before start-up, per the Environment Protection Ministry via Reuters."},{"key":"so2_limit_mg_m3","value":0.05,"unit":"mg/m³","year":2014,"note":"Limit used in the audit according to the companies; the department said 0.125 mg/m³ is correct."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Atyrau Department of Ecology ordered the Kashagan operator and Agip KCO to pay KZT 134.2 billion for gas flaring after the 2013 pipeline leaks; courts upheld it in 2014 and a confidential agreement followed in December 2014. A 2024 claim for unauthorised flaring ended with an award in January 2025 and payment of KZT 3.6 billion by July 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakh state budget","what":"KZT 3.6 billion in environmental damage paid in 2025; KZT 222 million and administrative fines of more than KZT 10 billion paid earlier","src":8},{"who":"Astana EXPO-2017","what":"US$50 million contribution in 2015 under the agreement, per Zakon.kz's unnamed sources; payment not confirmed","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"NCOC and Agip KCO","what":"Ordered to pay KZT 134.2 billion in 2014 (payment of any part is not on record); NCOC paid KZT 3.6 billion in 2025","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air around the Kashagan processing plants","what":"Sulphur dioxide from flaring of residual sour gas in September–October 2013 (Atyrau Department of Ecology)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Kashagan field (D Island, offshore North Caspian) and the Bolashak onshore processing plant, Atyrau region, Kazakhstan.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Leaks 24 September and 9 October 2013; order March 2014; court rulings 29 April, 6 June and 23 July 2014; agreement 13 December 2014; claim December 2024; award January 2025; payment confirmed 25 July 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Pipeline cracking caused by sulphide compounds led to leaks, and residual sour gas was flared; the 2024 claim concerned flaring of crude gas without the authorisation of the competent authority.","src":1},"how":{"t":"An administrative damage order upheld through three court levels in 2014, then a confidential government–consortium agreement; the 2024 claim was a civil claim by the Ministry of Energy inspectorate.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"NCOC appeals $737 mln ecological flaring fine on Kashagan (Reuters)","p":"Rogtec","d":"2014-03-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.rogtecmagazine.com/ncoc-appeals-737-mln-ecological-flaring-fine-on-kashagan/"},{"t":"NCOC and Agip fail to overturn Kashagan accident penalty (citing Interfax-Kazakhstan, in Russian)","p":"Lada.kz","d":"2014-04-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.lada.kz/another_news/17920-ncoc-i-agip-ne-udalos-osporit-shtraf-za-avariyu-na-kashagane.html"},{"t":"Court upheld a ruling about 134bn environmental fine for Agip and NCOC","p":"Ak Zhaik","d":"2014-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://azh.kz/en/news/view/4020"},{"t":"In anticipation of billions in environmental fines-2","p":"Ak Zhaik","d":"2014-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://azh.kz/en/news/view/4381"},{"t":"Kazakh Government and North Caspian Consortium signed confidential agreement","p":"Ak Zhaik","d":"2014-12-18","type":"press","u":"https://azh.kz/en/news/view/5185"},{"t":"Kazakhstan effectively “wrote off” NCOC's multi-billion environmental fine (in Russian)","p":"Zakon.kz","d":"2015-02-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.zakon.kz/finansy/4690344-kazakhstan-fakticheski-spisal-ncoc.html"},{"t":"Kashagan operator sued for 3.5 bn tenge over gas flaring (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2024-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/na-operatora-kashagana-podali-v-sud-s-ncoc-trebuyut-vziskat-35-mlrd-tenge-za-szhiganie-gaza/"},{"t":"Kashagan operator to pay 3.5 bn tenge for flaring (Reuters, Russian service, in Russian)","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2025-01-10","type":"press","u":"https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/10/update-1-operator-kashagana-vyplatit-vlastyam-kazakhstana-35-mlrd-tenge-za-szhiganie-gaza-na-fakelakh-a151997"},{"t":"Kashagan Operator Pays Kazakhstan 3.6 Billion Tenge for Environmental Violations","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2025-07-25","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/kashagan-operator-pays-kazakhstan-36-billion-tenge-for-environmental-violations-7529"},{"t":"Flare volume and intensity estimates 2012–2025 (spreadsheet)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/b34e0c054bb3fe3695e70154c28eef3f-0400072026/related/Flare-volume-and-intensity-estimates-2012-2025.xlsx"},{"t":"Global gas flaring rises (press release)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/06/23/global-gas-flaring-rises-energy-security"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume of gas flared in 2013","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Sulphur dioxide limit used in the damage calculation","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation or restoration funded by the order or the award — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Contribution to Astana EXPO-2017 under the agreement (Zakon.kz, unnamed sources) — US$50 million; payment and legal form not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether and how the KZT 134.2 billion order was written off","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount of the 2025 award","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Forum for the 2024 claim","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Ministry of Energy: No official confirmation or denial on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Department of Ecology collection claim for KZT 134.2bn: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Reuters (via Rogtec) gave the 2013 flared volume above legal limits as 2.8 million cubic metres; Ak Zhaik gave about 3 million cubic metres of sour gas; Lada.kz, citing the inspection act, gave “2,795,149 thousand cubic metres”.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the terms of the December 2014 agreement; NCOC said they are confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an official confirmation or denial of the write-off of the KZT 134.2 billion claim; Zakon.kz noted neither.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of any part of the KZT 134.2 billion order.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volumes and period of the flaring covered by the 2024 claim.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"embamunaigas-prorva-sour-gas-flaring","title":"Embamunaigas sour-gas flaring at the Prorva fields (Atyrau, 2014 and 2018)","dek":"The Atyrau environmental department ordered Embamunaigas and RD KMG to pay KZT 37.2 billion in 2014 for flaring sour associated gas at the Prorva fields; after appeals the order was reduced to KZT 1.9 billion. In 2018 a fine of KZT 8.9 billion was cut by a court to KZT 6.68 billion and collected.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":45.9,"lon":53.2,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Atyrau region (Zhylyoi district), Prorva group of fields","lat":45.9,"lon":53.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2018,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"related":["kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award","tengizchevroil-sulphur-storage-claims-and-emission-fines","buzachi-operating-gas-losses-and-flaring-2025","karaturun-well-blowout-methane-2023","ozenmunaigas-environmental-claims-annulled-2013-2014"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental damage order for gas flaring at Prorva, 2014","value":"KZT 37.2bn → 1.9bn","note":"Reduced after the company's appeals to the Prosecutor General's Office and a specialised economic court; Forbes.kz reported the reduced amount paid by RD KMG on 31 July 2014."},"happened":["In June 2013 inspectors filmed gas venting at three Embamunaigas fields other than Prorva (Vostochny Makat, Novobogatinsk Yugo-Vostochny and Vostochny Zhanatalap); the company paid a fine of KZT 55,000 for those. After a regional prosecutor's inspection, the Atyrau regional environmental department ordered RD KMG and Embamunaigas JSC, a subsidiary of KazMunayGas Exploration Production, to pay KZT 37.2 billion for damage from flaring sour associated gas without permits at the Prorva group of fields. After the company appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office and a specialised economic court, the department issued a new order for KZT 1.9 billion, which Forbes.kz reported on 31 July 2014 as paid by RD KMG.","RD KMG's deputy head of public relations said at the time that, following the appeal, the department had issued a new order with a reduced amount, and that as of 2014 associated gas was not vented. The company's gas-utilisation measures included an associated-gas processing plant at Vostochny Makat (40 million cubic metres a year, end of 2013) and a gas unit at S. Balgimbaev (20 million cubic metres a year).","In 2018 Kursiv reported that Embamunaigas had flared sour associated gas at Prorva without an environmental permit between 1 November 2017 and 12 June 2018. Inspections ran from April to June 2018 and from 12 June to 10 October 2018. The first 2018 fine was KZT 8.908 billion, which a court reduced to KZT 6.681 billion and which was collected; an environmental damage order of KZT 7.835 billion was unpaid at the time of publication in December 2018; a second fine of KZT 6.862 billion and an assessed damage of KZT 6.032 billion were also reported.","In late November 2018 a court ordered a halt to sour gas flaring; Kursiv reported that the ruling was not yet in force. Associated gas output from January to October 2018 was 135.96 million cubic metres, 1.38 million above plan; the volume flared is not stated."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Inspectors film gas venting at three other Embamunaigas fields; KZT 55,000 fine (Jun)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Atyrau department orders KZT 37.2bn for flaring at Prorva; after appeals a new order of KZT 1.9bn; reported paid by RD KMG (31 Jul)","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"Emissions without permit 1 Nov 2017–12 Jun 2018; inspections Apr–Oct; fine of KZT 8.908bn reduced by a court to KZT 6.681bn; court orders a halt to sour gas flaring, not yet in force (late Nov)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"Following the appeal, the department of ecology issued a new order with a reduced amount – 1.9 billion tenge","who":"RD KMG deputy head of public relations (translated)","when":"2014","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"As of today, associated gas is not vented.","who":"RD KMG deputy head of public relations (translated)","when":"2014","src":0,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Headline: “RD KMG paid 1.9 bn tenge for environmental damage”.","who":"Forbes.kz, citing Ak Zhaik, 31 July 2014","src":0},{"t":"The 2018 fines and orders were reported with the Atyrau regional environment department and RD KMG's nine-month 2018 interim report cited as sources.","who":"Kursiv, 6 December 2018","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Order of KZT 37.2 billion (2014), replaced after appeals by an order of KZT 1.9 billion.","src":0},{"t":"2018 fines and damage orders: KZT 8.908 billion fine reduced by a court to KZT 6.681 billion and collected; KZT 7.835 billion damage order unpaid at publication; KZT 6.862 billion second fine; KZT 6.032 billion assessed damage.","src":1},{"t":"A court ordered a halt to sour gas flaring in late November 2018; the ruling was not yet in force.","src":1},{"t":"Associated gas output January–October 2018: 135.96 million cubic metres, 1.38 million above plan.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2013–2018 (mixed — see each line)","nature":[{"label":"Remediation or restoration funded by the orders and fines","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Fine for venting at three other fields (2013)","amount":0.055,"window":"2013","note":"KZT 55,000."},{"label":"Environmental damage order, 2014 (original)","amount":37200,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Reduced order, reported paid by RD KMG (July 2014)","amount":1900,"window":"2014"},{"label":"First 2018 fine after court reduction (collected)","amount":6681,"window":"2018","note":"Original fine KZT 8.908 billion."},{"label":"Environmental damage order, 2018 (unpaid at publication)","amount":7835,"window":"2018"},{"label":"Second 2018 fine","amount":6862,"window":"2018"},{"label":"Assessed damage tied to the second fine","amount":6032,"window":"2018"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damage order for flaring at Prorva, 2014","v":"KZT 37.2bn → 1.9bn","d":"Reduced after appeals"},{"k":"2018 fine after court reduction","v":"KZT 6.681bn","d":"From KZT 8.908bn; collected"},{"k":"Period of emissions without permit, 2018","v":"1 Nov 2017–12 Jun 2018","d":"Per Kursiv; volumes flared not stated"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the volume of gas flared at Prorva in 2018; the source gives only associated gas output of 135.96 million cubic metres for January–October 2018.","None on record: payment of the KZT 7.835 billion damage order; Kursiv reported it unpaid as of December 2018.","Figures differ: Kursiv describes the court's reduction of the first 2018 fine as 25% in one passage and 30% in another.","None on record: measured environmental data, and insurance cover or payments."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"RD KMG said in 2014 that associated gas was no longer vented; Kursiv reported flaring without a permit again from 1 November 2017 to 12 June 2018, and a court order to halt it in late November 2018, not yet in force.","whoPaid":"RD KMG paid the reduced KZT 1.9 billion order in 2014, and Embamunaigas had paid a court-reduced fine of KZT 6.681 billion by December 2018; the KZT 7.835 billion damage order was unpaid at that date. Use of the money for nature is not on record.","statusLine":"As of December 2018: a court had ordered a halt to sour gas flaring at Prorva (not yet in force); the KZT 7.835 billion damage order was unpaid; later outcomes are not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"RD KMG","says":"Following the appeal the department of ecology issued a new order with a reduced amount of KZT 1.9 billion; as of 2014 associated gas was not vented.","when":"2014","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"embamunaigas","role":"Operator of the Prorva fields; defendant"},{"id":"kmg-ep","role":"Parent (KazMunayGas Exploration Production, RD KMG); co-addressee of the 2014 order"},{"id":"atyrau-environment-department","role":"Issued the 2014 order and the 2018 fines"},{"id":"kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office","role":"Appeal instance for the 2014 order"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Size of the court's reduction of the first 2018 fine","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kursiv (6 December 2018), one passage","says":"The court reduced the KZT 8.908 billion fine by 25% to KZT 6.681 billion.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kursiv (6 December 2018), another passage","says":"The reduction was 30%.","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether associated gas was still being flared after 2014","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"RD KMG (2014)","says":"As of today, associated gas is not vented.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kursiv (2018), citing the Atyrau regional environment department","says":"Embamunaigas flared sour associated gas at Prorva without an environmental permit from 1 November 2017 to 12 June 2018.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Appeal by RD KMG and Embamunaigas against the KZT 37.2bn damage order","forum":"Specialised economic court and Prosecutor General's Office (company appeals)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"appeal","claimant":"RD KMG and Embamunaigas","defendant":"Atyrau regional environmental department","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":1900,"currency":"KZT","label":"reduced order, reported paid by RD KMG"},"summary":"After a regional prosecutor's inspection the department ordered KZT 37.2 billion for flaring sour associated gas at Prorva; following the company's appeals the department issued a new order for KZT 1.9 billion.","src":0},{"title":"Atyrau regional environment department v. Embamunaigas (fine for gas flaring without permit, 2017–2018)","forum":"Court not named","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Atyrau regional environment department","defendant":"Embamunaigas JSC","filed":2018,"decided":2018,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":6681,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine after court reduction from KZT 8.908bn; collected"},"summary":"The court reduced the first 2018 fine by 25% (the article also says 30%) to KZT 6.681 billion, which was collected; a damage order of KZT 7.835 billion was unpaid at the time of publication.","src":1},{"title":"Court order to halt sour gas flaring at Prorva","forum":"Court not named","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not stated in the source","defendant":"Embamunaigas JSC","filed":2018,"decided":2018,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"A court ordered a halt to sour gas flaring in late November 2018; the ruling was not yet in force when Kursiv published on 6 December 2018.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":37200,"unit":"KZT m","year":2014,"note":"Original damage order for flaring at Prorva."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":1900,"unit":"KZT m","year":2014,"note":"Reduced order, reported paid by RD KMG on 31 July 2014."},{"key":"fine","value":0.055,"unit":"KZT m","year":2013,"note":"KZT 55,000 for venting at three other fields."},{"key":"fine","value":8908,"unit":"KZT m","year":2018,"note":"First 2018 fine before court reduction."},{"key":"fine","value":6681,"unit":"KZT m","year":2018,"note":"After court reduction; collected."},{"key":"claim","value":7835,"unit":"KZT m","year":2018,"note":"Environmental damage order; unpaid at publication."},{"key":"fine","value":6862,"unit":"KZT m","year":2018,"note":"Second 2018 fine."},{"key":"claim","value":6032,"unit":"KZT m","year":2018,"note":"Assessed damage."},{"key":"associated_gas_output_m3","value":135960000,"unit":"m³","year":2018,"note":"Associated gas output January–October 2018, 1.38 million above plan; volume flared not stated."},{"key":"gas_plant_capacity_m3_per_year","value":40000000,"unit":"m³/year","year":2013,"note":"Associated-gas processing plant at Vostochny Makat (company side)."},{"key":"gas_plant_capacity_m3_per_year","value":20000000,"unit":"m³/year","year":2014,"note":"Gas unit at S. Balgimbaev (company side)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"State orders and fines against Embamunaigas and RD KMG for flaring sour associated gas without permits at the Prorva fields: a KZT 37.2 billion order in 2014 reduced to KZT 1.9 billion, and fines and damage orders in 2018 including a KZT 6.681 billion fine collected after a court reduction.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakh state budget","what":"KZT 1.9 billion (2014) and a court-reduced fine of KZT 6.681 billion (2018)","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Embamunaigas and RD KMG","what":"Paid the reduced 2014 order and the 2018 fine; a KZT 7.835 billion damage order was unpaid at publication","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air at the Prorva fields","what":"Sour associated gas flared without permits in 2013–2014 and from November 2017 to June 2018; volumes not stated","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Prorva group of fields, Zhylyoi district, Atyrau region, Kazakhstan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Order in early 2014, reduced order reported paid 31 July 2014; emissions without permit 1 November 2017 to 12 June 2018; Kursiv report 6 December 2018.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Flaring of sour associated gas without permits; RD KMG pointed to associated-gas processing capacity added at Vostochny Makat and S. Balgimbaev.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Orders and fines by the Atyrau regional environment department after prosecutors' inspections, reduced after appeals to the Prosecutor General's Office, a specialised economic court and, in 2018, a court.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"RD KMG paid 1.9 bn tenge for environmental damage (citing Ak Zhaik, in Russian)","p":"Forbes.kz","d":"2014-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://forbes.kz/articles/rd_kmg_vyiplatila_za_ekologicheskiy_uscherb_shtraf_v_19_mlrd_tenge"},{"t":"RD KMG subsidiary fined over sour gas flaring (in Russian)","p":"Kursiv","d":"2018-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://kz.kursiv.media/?p=19481"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Embamunaigas flared sour gas into my air at Prorva without an environmental permit from 1 November 2017 to 12 June 2018, Kursiv reported; the volume flared is not stated.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether associated gas was still being flared after 2014","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation or restoration funded by the orders and fines — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Size of the court's reduction of the first 2018 fine","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volume of gas flared at Prorva in 2018; the source gives only associated gas output of 135.96 million cubic metres for January–October 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of the KZT 7.835 billion damage order; Kursiv reported it unpaid as of December 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Kursiv describes the court's reduction of the first 2018 fine as 25% in one passage and 30% in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured environmental data, and insurance cover or payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"buzachi-operating-gas-losses-and-flaring-2025","title":"Buzachi Operating: KZT 8.4 billion for gas losses and unauthorised flaring (Mangystau, 2025)","dek":"Courts ordered Buzachi Operating Ltd, the operator of the North Buzachi field, to pay KZT 8.4 billion to the state for six years of oil and gas losses and flaring of raw gas without permission; the sum was paid in full in March 2025. In May 2026 the company was fined KZT 474 million for exceeding the hazardous-waste accumulation limit by 513.2 tonnes during drilling.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":45.5,"lon":51.3,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Mangystau region (Tupkaragan district, North Buzachi field, about 250 km from Aktau)","lat":45.5,"lon":51.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Owners CNPC and Sinopec (50% each)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning","waste"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"related":["karaturun-well-blowout-methane-2023","mangistaumunaigas-wastewater-injection-fine-2024","embamunaigas-prorva-sour-gas-flaring","kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award"],"headline":{"label":"Compensation paid for oil and gas losses and flaring, March 2025","value":"KZT 8.4bn","note":"BES.media compared it with KZT 8.5bn in taxes the company paid to the state budget in 2019–2024."},"happened":["A comprehensive inspection by the Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office found that over six years Buzachi Operating Ltd conducted subsoil operations at the Severnye (North) Buzachi field with oil and gas losses and flared raw gas without the permission of the authorised hydrocarbon body. First-instance and appellate courts ordered compensation of KZT 8.4 billion; the decisions entered into legal force and the company paid in full in early March 2025, as announced on 17 March 2025. The courts are not named and gas volumes are not stated. BES.media compared the sum with taxes of KZT 8.5 billion the company paid to the state budget in 2019–2024.","In May 2026 the company was fined KZT 474 million under article 328 part 6 of the Code of Administrative Offences, on a prosecutor's act, because a branch exceeded the hazardous-waste accumulation limit by 513.2 tonnes during drilling.","Buzachi Operating is owned 50% by CNPC and 50% by Sinopec. Kapital.kz noted that the KZT 8.4 billion case is separate from the KZT 14 billion that the Ministry of Energy said was collected nationwide in the first nine months of 2025 for irrational use of oil and gas, together with 80 administrative fines totalling KZT 110 million and KZT 2.4 billion in pending damages; companies were not named."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Start of the six-year period covered by the prosecutor's inspection (2019–2024)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Compensation of KZT 8.4bn paid in full (early Mar); announced (17 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Fine of KZT 474m for exceeding the hazardous-waste accumulation limit by 513.2 t (May)","src":2}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Headline: the company “paid 8.4 bn tenge for violations of environmental norms”.","who":"Kapital.kz, 17 March 2025","src":0},{"t":"Headline: the company was “fined 8.4 bn tenge – about as much as the taxes it paid over the last six years”.","who":"BES.media, 17 March 2025","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Compensation of KZT 8.4 billion ordered by courts (first instance, upheld on appeal) and paid in full in early March 2025.","src":0},{"t":"Taxes paid to the state budget in 2019–2024: KZT 8.5 billion (BES.media comparison).","src":1},{"t":"Administrative fine of KZT 474 million under article 328 part 6 of the Code of Administrative Offences, on a prosecutor's act, May 2026; hazardous-waste accumulation limit exceeded by 513.2 tonnes during drilling.","src":2},{"t":"National figures from the Ministry of Energy for the first nine months of 2025: over KZT 14 billion in damages collected for irrational use of oil and gas, 80 administrative fines totalling KZT 110 million, KZT 2.4 billion in pending damages.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2019–2026 (mixed — see each line)","nature":[{"label":"Remediation or restoration funded by the compensation","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Compensation for oil and gas losses and flaring, paid in full (early March 2025)","amount":8400,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Taxes paid to the state budget, 2019–2024 (BES.media)","amount":8500,"window":"2019–2024"},{"label":"Administrative fine, hazardous-waste accumulation (May 2026)","amount":474,"window":"2026"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Compensation for gas losses and flaring","v":"KZT 8.4bn","d":"Six-year period; paid in full in March 2025"},{"k":"Hazardous drilling waste above the limit","v":"513.2 t","d":"2026 case; fine of KZT 474 million"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A prosecutor's act reported by Bizmedia.kz in May 2026; volumes of gas lost or flared are not stated.","report":[{"t":"Drilling by a Buzachi Operating branch left hazardous waste 513.2 tonnes above the accumulation limit, according to the May 2026 fine.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the volumes of oil and gas lost or flared, and the names of the first-instance and appellate courts.","None on record: a public statement by the company on the 2025 compensation or the 2026 fine.","Unclear: the relationship between Buzachi Operating (North Buzachi) and Buzachi Neft (Karaturun), which the coverage treats as different companies; Kapital.kz says its article does not explain how they relate.","None on record: insurance cover or payments."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Buzachi Operating paid KZT 8.4 billion to the state in early March 2025. Use of the money for nature is not on record.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: the KZT 8.4 billion compensation was paid in full in March 2025; Buzachi Operating was fined KZT 474 million for hazardous drilling waste above the accumulation limit.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"buzachi-operating","role":"Operator of the North Buzachi field; defendant"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"50% owner"},{"id":"sinopec","role":"50% owner"},{"id":"mangystau-prosecutors-office","role":"Inspection and claim; act behind the 2026 fine"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Company account of the 2025 compensation and the 2026 fine","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office","says":"Over six years the company conducted subsoil operations with oil and gas losses and flared raw gas without the permission of the authorised hydrocarbon body.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Buzachi Operating","says":"No public response on record.","silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mangystau Prosecutor's Office v. Buzachi Operating (oil and gas losses and flaring, 2019–2024)","forum":"First-instance and appellate courts (names not given)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office (for the state)","defendant":"Buzachi Operating Ltd","filed":null,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":8400,"currency":"KZT","label":"compensation, paid in full in early March 2025"},"summary":"The first-instance court ordered compensation, the appellate court upheld it, and the decisions entered into legal force.","src":0},{"title":"Administrative fine for exceeding the hazardous-waste accumulation limit","forum":"Court not named","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Prosecutor's office (act)","defendant":"Buzachi Operating Ltd","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":474,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine under article 328 part 6"},"summary":"A branch exceeded the hazardous-waste accumulation limit by 513.2 tonnes during drilling; fine reported in May 2026.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_paid","value":8400,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Ordered by courts; paid in full in early March 2025."},{"key":"taxes_paid","value":8500,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Taxes paid to the state budget 2019–2024 (BES.media comparison)."},{"key":"fine","value":474,"unit":"KZT m","year":2026,"note":"Administrative fine, article 328 part 6, May 2026."},{"key":"hazardous_waste_above_limit_tonnes","value":513.2,"unit":"t","year":2026,"note":"Hazardous-waste accumulation above the limit during drilling."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Courts ordered Buzachi Operating to pay KZT 8.4 billion for six years of oil and gas losses and flaring of raw gas without permission; paid in March 2025. A separate 2026 fine of KZT 474 million concerned hazardous drilling waste above the accumulation limit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakh state","what":"KZT 8.4 billion in compensation (March 2025) and a KZT 474 million fine (2026)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Buzachi Operating (CNPC 50%, Sinopec 50%)","what":"Paid KZT 8.4 billion; fined KZT 474 million","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Drilling sites of a Buzachi Operating branch","what":"Hazardous drilling waste 513.2 tonnes above the accumulation limit (2026)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Severnye (North) Buzachi field, Tupkaragan district, about 250 km from Aktau, Mangystau region, Kazakhstan.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Violations period of six years (2019–2024); payment early March 2025, announced 17 March 2025; fine May 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The prosecutor's inspection found oil and gas losses and flaring of raw gas without the permission of the authorised hydrocarbon body; the 2026 fine concerned drilling waste above the limit.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A comprehensive inspection by the Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office, followed by court decisions in two instances; the 2026 fine was imposed on a prosecutor's act.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"BES.media compared the KZT 8.4 billion with KZT 8.5 billion in taxes paid by the company in 2019–2024.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Buzachi Operating Ltd paid 8.4 bn tenge for violations of environmental norms (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2025-03-17","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/business/135288/buzachi-operating-ltd-vyplatila-8-4-mlrd-tenge-za-narusheniya-ekologicheskikh-norm.html"},{"t":"Buzachi Operating fined 8.4 bn tenge, about what it paid in taxes over six years (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2025-03-17","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/dobivayushuyu-buzachi-operating-ltd-oshtrafovali-na-84-mlrd-tenge-pochti-stolko-zhe-nalogov-ona-viplatila-za-poslednie-shest-let/"},{"t":"Buzachi Operating in Mangystau fined almost half a billion tenge (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2026-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2026-05-20-pochti-na-polmilliarda-tenge-oshtrafovana-buzachi-operating-v-mangistau/"},{"t":"14 bn tenge collected in Kazakhstan for irrational use of oil and gas (citing the Ministry of Energy, in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2025-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/economic/141068/v-kazahstane-za-neracionalnoe-ispolzovanie-nefti-i-gaza-vzyskano-14-mlrd-tenge.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation or restoration funded by the compensation — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Company account of the 2025 compensation and the 2026 fine","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Buzachi Operating: No public response on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volumes of oil and gas lost or flared, and the names of the first-instance and appellate courts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a public statement by the company on the 2025 compensation or the 2026 fine.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the relationship between Buzachi Operating (North Buzachi) and Buzachi Neft (Karaturun), which the coverage treats as different companies; Kapital.kz says its article does not explain how they relate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mangistaumunaigas-wastewater-injection-fine-2024","title":"Mangistaumunaigas fines for wastewater injection, drilling waste and furnace emissions (Mangystau, 2024)","dek":"On 4 December 2024 the Karakiya District Court fined the KazMunayGas–CNPC joint venture Mangistaumunaigas KZT 31 billion after prosecutors said it had discharged wastewater into subsoil layers and accumulated drilling waste without established limits; a further KZT 1.2 billion fine for furnace emissions followed on 11 December. The company said it would challenge both.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":43.6,"lon":52.1,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Mangystau region (Karakiya district)","lat":43.6,"lon":52.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Owner CNPC (50%)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","waste","water"],"related":["ozenmunaigas-environmental-claims-annulled-2013-2014","buzachi-operating-gas-losses-and-flaring-2025","karaturun-well-blowout-methane-2023","kashagan-sulphur-environmental-fine"],"headline":{"label":"Administrative fines on Mangistaumunaigas, December 2024","value":"KZT 32.2bn","note":"KZT 31bn (Karakiya District Court, 4 December 2024) plus KZT 1.2bn (11 December 2024); total as stated by the prosecutor."},"happened":["The Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office said Mangistaumunaigas JSC (MMG), a 50/50 joint venture of KazMunayGas and CNPC, discharged wastewater into subsoil layers and accumulated drilling waste without established limits, and separately emitted excess pollutants from oil-heating furnaces. On 4 December 2024 the Karakiya District Court fined the company KZT 31 billion under article 328 of the Code of Administrative Offences (violation of permissible anthropogenic impact norms). On 11 December 2024 a first-instance court fined it KZT 1.2 billion for the furnace emissions. The prosecutor announced the fines on 13 January 2025, with a total of about KZT 32.2 billion.","On 14 January 2025 the company said it would seek review and annulment of the 4 December ruling by the Supreme Court, and an appeal against the KZT 1.2 billion fine was filed with the Mangystau Regional Court. The company's statement focused on procedure. The court that imposed the KZT 1.2 billion fine, the period of the violations and the volumes of wastewater injected or waste accumulated are not stated."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Karakiya District Court fines MMG KZT 31bn (4 Dec); first-instance court fines it KZT 1.2bn for furnace emissions (11 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Prosecutor announces fines totalling about KZT 32.2bn (13 Jan); company says it will seek Supreme Court review and has appealed the KZT 1.2bn fine (14 Jan)","src":1}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Headline: “Mangistaumunaigas fined 32 bn tenge”.","who":"BES.media, 13 January 2025","src":0},{"t":"Headline: “Mangistaumunaigas will seek annulment of billion-tenge fines in the courts”.","who":"BES.media, 14 January 2025","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"KZT 31 billion fine under article 328 of the Code of Administrative Offences, Karakiya District Court, 4 December 2024.","src":1},{"t":"KZT 1.2 billion fine for furnace emissions, first-instance court, 11 December 2024.","src":1},{"t":"Total of about KZT 32.2 billion, as stated by the prosecutor; ownership 50/50 KazMunayGas and CNPC.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"December 2024","nature":[{"label":"Remediation or restoration funded by the fines","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Fine, Karakiya District Court (4 December 2024)","amount":31000},{"label":"Fine for furnace emissions (11 December 2024)","amount":1200}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fine for exceeding permissible impact norms","v":"KZT 31bn","d":"Karakiya District Court, 4 December 2024; wastewater injected into subsoil and drilling waste accumulated without limits"},{"k":"Fine for furnace emissions","v":"KZT 1.2bn","d":"11 December 2024"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: volumes of wastewater injected or drilling waste accumulated.","Not disclosed: the court that imposed the KZT 1.2 billion fine, and the period of the violations.","None on record: insurance cover or payments."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Payment status of the KZT 31 billion and KZT 1.2 billion fines is not on record; the company said in January 2025 that it would challenge them.","statusLine":"As of January 2025: the company said it would seek Supreme Court review of the KZT 31 billion fine and had appealed the KZT 1.2 billion fine; later outcomes are not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Mangistaumunaigas","says":"Will seek review and annulment of the 4 December ruling by the Supreme Court and has appealed the 11 December ruling; the statement focused on procedure.","when":"14 January 2025","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"mangistaumunaigas","role":"Operator and defendant"},{"id":"kazmunaygas","role":"50% owner"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"50% owner"},{"id":"mangystau-prosecutors-office","role":"Brought the fines; announced them on 13 January 2025"},{"id":"karakiya-district-court","role":"Imposed the KZT 31bn fine"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the fines stand","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Karakiya District Court and a first-instance court","says":"Fined MMG KZT 31 billion (4 December 2024) and KZT 1.2 billion (11 December 2024).","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Mangistaumunaigas","says":"Will seek review and annulment of the 4 December ruling by the Supreme Court; appealed the 11 December ruling.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mangystau Prosecutor's Office v. Mangistaumunaigas (wastewater injection and drilling waste)","forum":"Karakiya District Court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Mangistaumunaigas JSC","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":31000,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine, article 328 Code of Administrative Offences"},"summary":"Ruling of 4 December 2024; the company said it was preparing a petition to the Supreme Court for review.","src":1},{"title":"Mangystau Prosecutor's Office v. Mangistaumunaigas (furnace emissions)","forum":"First-instance court (not named); appeal to Mangystau Regional Court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Mangystau Region Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Mangistaumunaigas JSC","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1200,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine, 11 December 2024; under appeal"},"summary":"Fine for excess pollutant emissions from oil-heating furnaces; an appeal to the Mangystau Regional Court was filed.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":31000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Karakiya District Court, 4 December 2024."},{"key":"fine","value":1200,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"First-instance court, 11 December 2024; furnace emissions."},{"key":"fine","value":32200,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total as stated by the prosecutor, 13 January 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Courts fined Mangistaumunaigas KZT 31 billion for discharging wastewater into subsoil layers and accumulating drilling waste without established limits, and KZT 1.2 billion for excess furnace emissions, on the initiative of prosecutors.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakh state","what":"Fines totalling about KZT 32.2 billion, subject to the company's challenges","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Mangistaumunaigas (KazMunayGas 50%, CNPC 50%)","what":"Fined KZT 31 billion and KZT 1.2 billion in December 2024","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Subsoil layers and air in the Karakiya district","what":"Wastewater discharged into subsoil layers, drilling waste accumulated without limits and furnace emissions in excess of limits, according to the prosecutor's office; volumes not stated","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"MMG fields, Karakiya district, Mangystau region, Kazakhstan.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Rulings of 4 and 11 December 2024; prosecutor's announcement 13 January 2025; company statement 14 January 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The prosecutor's office said MMG exceeded permitted environmental impact limits by discharging wastewater into subsoil layers, accumulating drilling waste without established limits and emitting excess pollutants from furnaces.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Administrative fines imposed by courts on the prosecutors' initiative; the company is seeking review by the Supreme Court and has appealed the second fine.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Mangistaumunaigas fined 32 bn tenge (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2025-01-13","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/mangistaumunaygaz-oshtrafovan-na-32-mlrd-tenge-3773a5/"},{"t":"Mangistaumunaigas will seek annulment of billion-tenge fines in the courts (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2025-01-14","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/amp/mangistaumunaygaz-budet-dobivatsya-otmeni-milliardnih-shtrafov-v-sudah-3abdb3/"},{"t":"KMG and CNPC Joint Venture Fined 32 billion","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2025-01-13","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/kmg-and-cnpc-joint-venture-fined-32-billion-4527/"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The Mangystau prosecutor said Mangistaumunaigas discharged wastewater into my subsoil and accumulated drilling waste without limits; the Karakiya District Court fined it KZT 31 billion on 4 December 2024; volumes are not stated.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation or restoration funded by the fines — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the fines stand","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: volumes of wastewater injected or drilling waste accumulated.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the court that imposed the KZT 1.2 billion fine, and the period of the violations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ozenmunaigas-environmental-claims-annulled-2013-2014","title":"Ozenmunaigas environmental claims of KZT 59.3, 212.6 and 327.9 billion annulled by courts (2013–2014)","dek":"The Mangystau ecology department brought successive claims and a fine against Ozenmunaigas, the Uzen field operator and a KMG EP subsidiary, over disposal of oil-contaminated soil. A KZT 59.3 billion claim was successfully appealed in 2013, a KZT 212.6 billion fine was dismissed in February–March 2014, and on 19 March 2014 a court declared the inspection act and the KZT 327.9 billion claim illegal.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":43.35,"lon":52.85,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Mangystau region (Uzen field near Zhanaozen)","lat":43.35,"lon":52.85,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2014,"eventDate":"2014-03-19","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel"],"related":["mangistaumunaigas-wastewater-injection-fine-2024","embamunaigas-prorva-sour-gas-flaring"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental damage claim against Ozenmunaigas, annulled at first instance, 19 March 2014","value":"KZT 327.9bn","note":"Reported as US$1.8 billion; Tengrinews put it at 2.3 times KMG EP's 2013 net profit of US$777 million."},"happened":["The Mangystau ecology department alleged environmental damage from the disposal of oil-contaminated soil by Ozenmunaigas JSC (OMG), operator of the Uzen field near Zhanaozen and a subsidiary of KMG EP. Three amounts were claimed in succession: KZT 59.3 billion, which KMG EP reported as successfully appealed in 2013; an administrative fine of KZT 212.6 billion; and an environmental damage claim of KZT 327.9 billion (about US$1.8 billion), which KMG EP disclosed in late February 2014.","In February–March 2014 the Specialised Administrative Court in Aktau dismissed the KZT 212.6 billion fine; KMG EP said the case had been dismissed and there was no avenue for appeal, although the prosecutor could theoretically revisit it. On 19 March 2014 the Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court of Mangystau region declared the inspection act and the KZT 327.9 billion claim illegal; the decision could be appealed by the parties and protested by the prosecutor.","OMG and KMG EP said the contamination came from past activities on the site, which Lada.kz described as Soviet-era, and not from OMG or KMG EP. No ecology department statement and no measured contamination data are on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"KZT 59.3bn claim successfully appealed","src":1},{"y":2014,"t":"KMG EP discloses the KZT 327.9bn claim (late Feb); Aktau Specialised Administrative Court dismisses the KZT 212.6bn fine (Feb/Mar); Mangystau economic court declares the inspection act and the claim illegal (19 Mar)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The first-instance court decision may be appealed by the parties and protested by the prosecutor.","who":"KMG EP press service (translated)","when":"March 2014","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the case has been dismissed and there is no avenue for appeal","who":"KMG EP, on the KZT 212.6 billion fine","when":"March 2014","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Headline: “Subsidiary fined by twice the amount of KMG E&P's profit”.","who":"Tengrinews, 5 March 2014","src":0},{"t":"Headline: “KMG EP's Ozenmunaigas hit with environmental damage charge”.","who":"Rogtec, from a KMG EP release, 27 February 2014","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Claim of KZT 59.3 billion successfully appealed (2013); administrative fine of KZT 212.6 billion dismissed (February–March 2014); damage claim of KZT 327.9 billion annulled at first instance (19 March 2014).","src":2},{"t":"Tengrinews: the KZT 327.9 billion claim was 2.3 times KMG EP's 2013 net profit of US$777 million.","src":0},{"t":"The KMG EP release describes the KZT 212.6 billion fine as dismissed with no avenue for appeal.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2013–2014","nature":[{"label":"Remediation of the oil-contaminated soil","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Claim of the Mangystau ecology department, annulled at first instance (March 2014)","amount":327900,"window":"2014","note":"Reported as US$1.8 billion."},{"label":"Administrative fine, dismissed (February–March 2014)","amount":212600,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Claim successfully appealed (2013)","amount":59300,"window":"2013"},{"label":"KMG EP net profit, 2013","amount":null,"window":"2013","note":"US$777 million (Tengrinews)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Largest claim, annulled at first instance","v":"KZT 327.9bn","d":"19 March 2014; about US$1.8 billion as reported"},{"k":"Fine dismissed","v":"KZT 212.6bn","d":"Aktau Specialised Administrative Court, early 2014"},{"k":"Earlier claim appealed successfully","v":"KZT 59.3bn","d":"2013"}]},"unknown":["None on record: measured contamination data (volume, area or contaminants of the oil-contaminated soil) in the coverage of the claims.","None on record: payment of any of the three amounts; all three were dismissed, annulled or successfully appealed.","None on record: insurance cover or payments."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record: payment of any of the three amounts, or funding of remediation of the contaminated soil.","statusLine":"As of March 2014: the KZT 212.6 billion fine was dismissed and the KZT 327.9 billion claim was annulled at first instance; the outcome of any appeal is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"KMG EP","says":"The contamination resulted from past activities on the site, not from OMG or KMG EP; the first-instance decision may be appealed by the parties and protested by the prosecutor.","when":"February–March 2014","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"ozenmunaigas","role":"Operator of the Uzen field; defendant"},{"id":"kmg-ep","role":"Parent company (KMG EP)"},{"id":"mangystau-ecology-department","role":"Brought the claims and fine"},{"id":"aktau-administrative-court","role":"Dismissed the KZT 212.6bn fine"},{"id":"mangystau-economic-court","role":"Declared the inspection act and the KZT 327.9bn claim illegal"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who caused the oil-contaminated soil","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mangystau ecology department","says":"Alleged environmental damage from the disposal of oil-contaminated soil by Ozenmunaigas; no public statement from the department on the dismissals is on record.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Ozenmunaigas and KMG EP","says":"The contamination resulted from past activities on the site (Soviet-era, per Lada.kz), not from OMG or KMG EP.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court, Mangystau region","says":"Declared the inspection act and the KZT 327.9 billion claim illegal on 19 March 2014.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Mangystau ecology department v. Ozenmunaigas (KZT 59.3bn claim)","forum":"Court not named","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Mangystau ecology department","defendant":"Ozenmunaigas JSC","filed":2013,"decided":2013,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":59300,"currency":"KZT","label":"claim, successfully appealed by the company"},"summary":"KMG EP reported that the KZT 59.3 billion environmental damage claim was successfully appealed in 2013.","src":1},{"title":"Mangystau ecology department v. Ozenmunaigas (administrative fine)","forum":"Specialised Administrative Court, Aktau","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Mangystau ecology department","defendant":"Ozenmunaigas JSC","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":212600,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine dismissed"},"summary":"KMG EP said the case had been dismissed and there was no avenue for appeal, although the prosecutor could theoretically revisit it.","src":2},{"title":"Mangystau ecology department claim of KZT 327.9bn against Ozenmunaigas","forum":"Specialised Interdistrict Economic Court, Mangystau region","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"Mangystau ecology department","defendant":"Ozenmunaigas JSC","filed":2014,"decided":2014,"status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":327900,"currency":"KZT","label":"claim annulled at first instance; reported as US$1.8bn"},"summary":"On 19 March 2014 the court declared the inspection act and the claim illegal; the decision could be appealed by the parties and protested by the prosecutor.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":59300,"unit":"KZT m","year":2013,"note":"Successfully appealed."},{"key":"fine","value":212600,"unit":"KZT m","year":2014,"note":"Administrative fine, dismissed."},{"key":"claim","value":327900,"unit":"KZT m","year":2014,"note":"Annulled at first instance, 19 March 2014."},{"key":"claim","value":1800,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Tengrinews and Lada.kz figure for the KZT 327.9bn claim."},{"key":"profit","value":777,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"KMG EP net profit, 2013 (Tengrinews); the claim was 2.3 times this."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Successive environmental claims against Ozenmunaigas for disposal of oil-contaminated soil — KZT 59.3 billion, a KZT 212.6 billion fine and a KZT 327.9 billion damage claim — were successfully appealed, dismissed or annulled by courts in 2013–2014.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ozenmunaigas and KMG EP","what":"Avoided payment of KZT 59.3 billion, KZT 212.6 billion and KZT 327.9 billion in claims and fines","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Mangystau ecology department","what":"Claims and fine annulled or dismissed by courts","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil at the Uzen field","what":"Oil-contaminated soil; volume, area and contaminants not stated","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Uzen (Ozen) field near Zhanaozen, Mangystau region, Kazakhstan.","src":3},"when":{"t":"2013 for the first claim; KMG EP disclosed the KZT 327.9 billion claim in late February 2014; the fine was dismissed in February–March 2014; the economic court ruled on 19 March 2014.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The ecology department alleged damage from disposal of oil-contaminated soil; OMG and KMG EP said the contamination came from past activities on the site.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A damage claim and an administrative fine were pursued by the ecology department and annulled or dismissed by an economic court and an administrative court.","src":2},"ratio":{"t":"Tengrinews reported the KZT 327.9 billion claim (about US$1.8 billion) as 2.3 times KMG EP's 2013 net profit of US$777 million.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Subsidiary fined by twice the amount of KMG E&P's profit","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2014-03-05","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/26481"},{"t":"KMG EP's Ozenmunaigas hit with environmental damage charge (KMG EP release)","p":"Rogtec","d":"2014-02-27","type":"company","u":"https://www.rogtecmagazine.com/kmg-ep-s-ozenmunaigas-hit-with-envirnomental-damage-charge"},{"t":"Ozenmunaigas administrative fine of 212.6 billion tenge dismissed by court (KMG EP release)","p":"Rogtec","d":"2014-03-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.rogtecmagazine.com/ozenmunaigas-administrative-fine-of-212-6-billion-tenge-dismissed-by-court"},{"t":"Environmental claim against Ozenmunaigas annulled by court (in Russian)","p":"Lada.kz","d":"2014-03-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.lada.kz/aktau_news/ecology/16636-ekologicheskaya-pretenziya-k-omg-v-razmere-3279-mlrd-tenge-otmenena-resheniem-suda.html"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A KZT 327.9 billion damage claim over oil-contaminated soil on my Uzen field was annulled at first instance on 19 March 2014; no measured contamination data are on record.","src":[3,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who caused the oil-contaminated soil","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Remediation of the oil-contaminated soil — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"KMG EP net profit, 2013 — US$777 million (Tengrinews).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured contamination data (volume, area or contaminants of the oil-contaminated soil) in the coverage of the claims.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of any of the three amounts; all three were dismissed, annulled or successfully appealed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"semipalatinsk-test-site-compensation-law","title":"Semipalatinsk test site: state compensation to residents under Kazakhstan’s 1992 law","dek":"A 1992 Kazakh law sets one-time payments, wage and pension supplements and extra leave for people who lived in zones affected by fallout from Soviet nuclear tests. The payments come from Kazakhstan’s own budgets; the Ministry of Labour reported KZT 16.4bn paid to more than 1.1 million people in 1996–2020.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":50.43,"lon":77.83,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Semipalatinsk Test Site; Abay, East Kazakhstan, Pavlodar and Karaganda regions","lat":50.43,"lon":77.83,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":1949,"end":2025,"eventDate":"1949-08-29","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","law-policy"],"subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"headline":{"label":"Compensation paid to residents under the 1992 law, 1996–2020","value":"KZT 16.4bn","note":"More than 1.1 million recipients, as reported by Kazinform on 27 August 2021 citing the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection."},"happened":["The Soviet Union carried out about 456 nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site between 29 August 1949 and 1989, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): 116 above ground and 340 underground. The site was officially closed on 29 August 1991, according to Interfax.","On 18 December 1992 Kazakhstan adopted Law No. 1787-XII on the social protection of citizens affected by the nuclear tests. Its preamble states that 40 years of testing “caused irreparable damage to people’s health and the natural environment”, and it declares the whole of Semipalatinsk oblast and the adjacent districts of Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan and Karaganda oblasts a zone of ecological disaster. The zones are defined by the effective equivalent dose over the whole testing period: extreme radiation risk (above 100 rem), maximum (35–100 rem), increased (7–35 rem), minimum (0.1–7 rem), and a territory with privileged socio-economic status (below 0.1 rem, with a psycho-emotional burden).","One-time compensation (Article 12, as rewritten by Law No. 180-V of 31 March 2014) is paid per year of residence in monthly calculation indices (MRP), valued at the MRP in force on the day of payment. For years lived in 1949–1965 the rate is 5.23 MRP in the extreme zone, 2.62 in the maximum zone, 1.57 in the increased zone and 1.05 in the minimum zone; for 1966–1990 it is 1.05, 1.05, 0.79 and 0.52 MRP; the privileged-status territory receives 0.26 MRP per year lived in 1949–1990. Pensioners have priority. Article 13 adds a pension supplement for extreme and maximum zone residents who retired before 1 January 1998 (2.09 and 1.83 MRP), additional pay for work (2 MRP in the extreme zone down to 1 MRP in the privileged territory) and extra paid annual leave of 14, 12, 10, 7 and 5 calendar days by zone.","Article 19 names the funding sources: republican and local budgets, organisations’ funds, donations, charity and international funds. Article 17 provides for health facilities in the affected territories to receive per-capita funding 1.5 times the national average. Kazinform, citing the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, reported on 27 August 2021 that from 1996 to 2020 more than 1.1 million people received the compensation, totalling 16.4 billion tenge. The same release gave 2021 special state allowances: 6.19 MRP (18,057 tenge) a month for direct participants in the tests and 7.55 MRP (22,024 tenge) where illness or disability is causally linked to the tests, plus a state disability benefit of 2.81, 2.40 and 2.01 subsistence minimums for groups I, II and III where a causal link is established. Local top-ups vary: Astana pays a one-off 2.5 MRP (9,830 tenge in 2025) on memorial dates.","The payments have been amended and challenged over time. Presidential Decree No. 1612 of 20 March 1994 suspended the one-time payments until 1 April 1997, and Law No. 119 of 12 July 1994 restored the first six paragraphs of Article 12. On 25 September 2023 the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan (Normative Resolution No. 30-НП) found Article 13 consistent with the Constitution. In 2023 a member of parliament said of an interagency working group set up in 2021 that “we do not see results of the work”."],"timeline":[{"y":1949,"t":"First test at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (29 Aug)","src":1},{"y":1989,"t":"Last explosion","src":1},{"y":1991,"t":"Site officially closed (29 Aug)","src":5},{"y":1992,"t":"Law No. 1787-XII adopted (18 Dec); five radiation-risk zones defined","src":0},{"y":1994,"t":"Decree No. 1612 suspends one-time payments (20 Mar); Law No. 119 restores first six paragraphs of Article 12 (12 Jul)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Article 12 rewritten by Law No. 180-V (31 Mar), in force 1 Apr","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Kazinform reports KZT 16.4bn paid to more than 1.1 million people in 1996–2020 (27 Aug)","src":2},{"y":2023,"t":"Constitutional Court finds Article 13 consistent with the Constitution (25 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Law text last amended 19 May; Astana pays 2.5 MRP (9,830 tenge) on memorial dates","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"caused irreparable damage to people’s health and the natural environment","who":"Preamble of Law No. 1787-XII (translated)","when":"18 December 1992","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"we do not see results of the work","who":"Nurlan Auesbayev, member of parliament (OSDP faction), on the 2021 interagency working group (translated)","when":"24 May 2023","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"over most of the test site there is little or no residual radioactivity","who":"IAEA, Radiological Conditions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site","when":"1998","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The tests “caused irreparable damage to people’s health and the natural environment”; the whole of Semipalatinsk oblast and adjacent districts declared a zone of ecological disaster","who":"Law No. 1787-XII, preamble (translated)","src":0},{"t":"More than 1.1 million people received compensation totalling KZT 16.4bn in 1996–2020","who":"Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, via Kazinform","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Five radiation-risk zones defined by effective equivalent dose over the testing period, from above 100 rem to below 0.1 rem","src":0},{"t":"One-time compensation is per year lived in a zone, in MRP, paid at the MRP of the payment day; pensioners have priority","src":0},{"t":"Payments are funded from republican and local budgets, organisational funds, donations and international funds (Art. 19)","src":0},{"t":"Payments were suspended by presidential decree from 20 March 1994 to 1 April 1997","src":0},{"t":"The Constitutional Court found Article 13 consistent with the Constitution on 25 September 2023","src":0},{"t":"Former energy minister Bolat Akchulakov was reported by Tengrinews in 2023 as saying that heavily contaminated land was not being rehabilitated","src":4},{"t":"Astana had 3,539 registered holders of test-site certificates on 30 April 2025; Almaty issued 5,363 certificates from 2020","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"1996–2020 (payments); 2021 and 2025 (allowance levels)","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Compensation paid to more than 1.1 million people under the 1992 law","amount":16400,"window":"1996–2020","note":"Ministry of Labour and Social Protection figure reported by Kazinform on 27 August 2021."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tests","v":"about 456","d":"116 above ground and 340 underground, 1949–1989 (IAEA)"},{"k":"Radiation-risk zones","v":"5","d":"Defined by dose over the testing period, from above 100 rem to below 0.1 rem"},{"k":"Paid to residents","v":"KZT 16.4bn","d":"More than 1.1 million people, 1996–2020"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The preamble of Kazakhstan’s 1992 law states that the tests caused irreparable damage to the natural environment and declares the whole of Semipalatinsk oblast and adjacent districts a zone of ecological disaster.","report":[{"t":"According to the preamble of Kazakhstan’s 1992 law, 40 years of nuclear tests caused irreparable damage to my environment.","src":0},{"t":"My land in Semipalatinsk oblast and the adjacent districts of Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan and Karaganda oblasts was declared a zone of ecological disaster in 1992.","src":0},{"t":"About 456 nuclear tests took place on my ground between 1949 and 1989: 116 above ground and 340 underground, according to the IAEA.","src":1}]},"unknown":["None on record: any payment by Russia, as the successor state of the USSR, to Kazakhstan or to the affected residents.","None on record: insurance cover or insurer payments connected with the tests or the compensation scheme.","Insufficient: official data on the exact number of affected people; Tengrinews (2023) reported that estimates vary and that some exceed 1.5 million.","Not disclosed: a national total of test-site certificate holders; the Ministry of Labour did not give one because the district administrations (akimats) issue the certificates.","Not measured: radiation doses received in the past; the IAEA’s 1998 report states that it does not address their assessment.","Figures differ: the IAEA (1998) gives about 456 tests; Tengrinews (2023) gives about 468."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The last explosion was in 1989 and the site was officially closed on 29 August 1991.","whoPaid":"Kazakhstan’s republican and local budgets fund the payments to residents (Art. 19 of the 1992 law). None on record: any payment by Russia as the successor state of the USSR.","statusLine":"As of the law’s revision of 19 May 2025: the 1992 law remains in force; the Ministry of Labour reported KZT 16.4bn paid to more than 1.1 million people for 1996–2020.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"kazakhstan-government","says":"The preamble of the 1992 law states that the tests caused irreparable damage to people’s health and the natural environment.","when":"18 December 1992","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Legislator and payer of compensation under the 1992 law"},{"id":"kazakhstan-labour-ministry","role":"Reported the totals paid"},{"id":"kazakhstan-constitutional-court","role":"Found Article 13 consistent with the Constitution (2023)"},{"id":"iaea","role":"1998 assessment of radiological conditions at the site"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Number of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA (1998)","says":"About 456 tests (116 above ground, 340 underground).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Tengrinews (2023)","says":"About 468 tests.","src":4}]},{"point":"Number of people affected by the tests","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Tengrinews (2023)","says":"Estimates vary, with some above 1.5 million, and official data on the exact number are lacking.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Labour and Social Protection (via Kazinform, 2021)","says":"More than 1.1 million people received the one-time compensation in 1996–2020.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Constitutional review of Article 13 of the 1992 law (Normative Resolution No. 30-НП)","forum":"Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Petitioner not stated in the law text","defendant":"Article 13 of Law No. 1787-XII","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"On 25 September 2023 the Constitutional Court found Article 13 (pension supplements, additional pay and extra leave) consistent with the Constitution.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tests_total","value":456,"unit":"tests","year":1998,"qualifier":"about","note":"IAEA: 116 above ground and 340 underground, 1949–1989."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":16400,"unit":"KZT m","year":2020,"note":"Paid to more than 1.1 million people in 1996–2020; Ministry of Labour via Kazinform."},{"key":"people_affected","value":1100000,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Recipients of the one-time compensation, 1996–2020."},{"key":"day_of_closure_recipients","value":5200,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"People due to receive one-time help for the Day of Closure of the test site; amounts set by each region’s maslikhat."},{"key":"test_site_certificates_astana","value":3539,"unit":"certificates","year":2025,"note":"Registered holders in Astana on 30 April 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kazakhstan’s 1992 law sets one-time payments, wage and pension supplements and extra leave for people who lived in zones affected by fallout from Soviet nuclear tests at Semipalatinsk. The Ministry of Labour reported KZT 16.4bn paid to more than 1.1 million people in 1996–2020.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Residents of the defined radiation-risk zones","what":"One-time compensation, wage and pension supplements and extra leave; more than 1.1 million people received compensation in 1996–2020","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Kazakhstan’s republican and local budgets","what":"Fund the payments (Art. 19); KZT 16.4bn paid in 1996–2020","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Semipalatinsk oblast and adjacent districts","what":"Irreparable damage to health, according to the law’s preamble","src":0},{"who":"The natural environment of the same area","what":"Irreparable damage according to the preamble; declared a zone of ecological disaster","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The former Semipalatinsk Test Site and surrounding districts: the former Semipalatinsk oblast (now Abay and East Kazakhstan regions) and parts of Pavlodar and Karaganda regions.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Tests from 29 August 1949 to 1989; site closed 29 August 1991; law adopted 18 December 1992; Article 12 rewritten 31 March 2014; Constitutional Court resolution 25 September 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The law’s preamble states that 40 years of testing caused irreparable damage to people’s health and the natural environment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Residents receive payments per year lived in one of five dose-defined zones, in monthly calculation indices, funded from republican and local budgets.","src":0}},"related":["semipalatinsk-contamination-land-and-nuclear-safety-zone","degelen-mountain-plutonium-security-operation","marshall-islands-nuclear-testing-compensation","moruroa-nuclear-tests-exposure"],"sources":[{"t":"Law No. 1787-XII on social protection of citizens affected by nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site (revision of 19 May 2025; Adilet text via zakon.uchet.kz)","p":"Republic of Kazakhstan","d":"1992-12-18","type":"official","u":"https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/Z920003600_"},{"t":"Radiological Conditions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan: Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations for Further Study (STI/PUB/1063)","p":"IAEA","d":"1998","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1063_web.pdf"},{"t":"More than 5,000 Kazakhstanis to receive payments for the Day of Closure of the Semipalatinsk test site","p":"Kazinform (citing the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection)","d":"2021-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.inform.kz/ru/bolee-5-tys-kazahstancev-poluchat-vyplaty-ko-dnyu-zakrytiya-semipalatinskogo-poligona_a3829067"},{"t":"What benefits are due to people affected by the Semipalatinsk tests","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2025-05-16","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/kakie-lgotyi-polojenyi-postradavshim-ispyitaniy-570160/"},{"t":"Nuclear tests: how much victims receive in Japan and Kazakhstan","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2023-05-24","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/yadernyie-ispyitaniya-skolko-poluchayut-postradavshie-499964/amp/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan adopts law creating the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-07-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/world/910265"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk Test Site","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of people affected by the tests","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Constitutional review of Article 13 of the 1992 law (Normative Resolution No. 30-НП): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any payment by Russia, as the successor state of the USSR, to Kazakhstan or to the affected residents.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or insurer payments connected with the tests or the compensation scheme.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: official data on the exact number of affected people; Tengrinews (2023) reported that estimates vary and that some exceed 1.5 million.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a national total of test-site certificate holders; the Ministry of Labour did not give one because the district administrations (akimats) issue the certificates.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: radiation doses received in the past; the IAEA’s 1998 report states that it does not address their assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the IAEA (1998) gives about 456 tests; Tengrinews (2023) gives about 468.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"semipalatinsk-contamination-land-and-nuclear-safety-zone","title":"Semipalatinsk test site: measured contamination, land reallocation and the Nuclear Safety Zone","dek":"Surveys of the former Soviet test site found 429 km² of the 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli radioactively contaminated. Since 2013 Kazakhstan has moved former test-site land back into use and, from 2023, has been setting up a Nuclear Safety Zone funded by KZT 3.596bn through 2027.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":49.77,"lon":77.98,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Semipalatinsk Test Site (Abay, Pavlodar and Karaganda regions)","lat":49.77,"lon":77.98,"role":"event"}],"start":1949,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-07-05","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","protected-area"],"subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"headline":{"label":"Area of Degelen and Aktan-Berli found radioactively contaminated","value":"429 of 1,200 km²","note":"“just under 36% of the total area” observed; National Nuclear Center surveys reported in Kazakhstan’s national environment report 2018–2019."},"happened":["The Semipalatinsk Test Site spans Abay (formerly East Kazakhstan), Pavlodar and Karaganda regions. The IAEA (1998) gave its area as “approximately 19 000 km2”; Astana Times, citing the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology (IRSE), gave roughly 18,500 km² in 2013, and Interfax reported in 2023 that it exceeded 1.8 million hectares. IAEA missions in November 1993 and July 1994 found that over most of the test site there was little or no residual radioactivity, while Ground Zero and Lake Balapan were “heavily contaminated”. Daily visitors to those two places would receive annual exposures in the region of 10 mSv; permanent inhabitation would mean about 100 mSv a year, “above the action level”, and the IAEA recommended restricting access. Outside the site the dose from residual radioactivity was at most 0.1 mSv a year. Five early surface tests “were not successful and resulted in the dispersion of plutonium in the environment”; the missions “could not corroborate” reported evidence of actinide contamination from failed tests. Access to the site was “currently unrestricted” and “limited reoccupation of the site has begun”.","Kazakhstan’s National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019, citing National Nuclear Center (NNC) surveys, recorded that of 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli nearly 429 km² were radioactively contaminated. Tritium in Bytles Creek exceeded permissible norms by a factor of five; two areas require removal and secure disposal of 10 centimetres of topsoil; the Shagan River showed excess tritium at the 5 km and 14 km markers in 2019; in all samples from Lake Kishkensor tritium and strontium isotope levels exceeded safe levels; background radiation at Opytnoe Pole was 2–3 times allowable limits in the central and southern sectors; five radioactively contaminated objects were found at site “4a”. Caesium in saiga muscle was 111 times lower than permissible levels. No tritium or strontium contamination was identified in the adjacent territory. A peer-reviewed study in PLoS One (4 April 2024) measured tritium in Degelen stream water up to 57,000±5,000 Bq/kg and in the Shagan up to 61,500±6,000 Bq/kg, and in Degelen air up to 56±11 Bq/m³ HTO; it also found tritium in soils of the “background” area.","Land has been moved back toward economic use. In 2013 the IRSE director said about 4,900 km² around the site could be used for business activities without limitations. In 2023 Senator Olga Bulavkina put the uncontaminated land that could go into agricultural use at about 1 million hectares. President Tokayev signed the Law on the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone and a companion amending law on 5 July 2023; zone land and infrastructure are state property and not subject to alienation. The preliminary zone covers about 6,000 km² in East Kazakhstan, 2,600 km² in Pavlodar and 800 km² in Karaganda region. Setting up the zone was put at KZT 3.596bn from the republican budget through 2027 at a Senate session on 29 June 2023.","On 27 March 2025 a government resolution moved 71.37 ha of test-site reserve land in Abay Region to the industry category; Altyn Group Qazaqstan received temporary land-use rights to 31 December 2028 for a rare-earth deposit and is required to compensate the national budget for agricultural production losses (no amount given). A resolution in force from 14 April 2026 moved 832,900 ha into reserve lands to be included in the nuclear safety zone in the future: 505,400 ha in Abay (Zhanasemey district), 285,900 ha in Pavlodar (Maysky district) and 41,600 ha in Karaganda region (Karkaraly district).","The parties describe the situation differently. The NNC (2022) said radioactive contamination is of a local nature and not concentrated throughout the entire test-site territory, and named problems: the land sits in reserve under local executive bodies, contaminated areas are freely accessible and remediation is minimal. The IRSE director said in 2013 that food grown on most of the territory is safe for humans according to radiation parameters; Prof. Leonid Rikhvanov of Tomsk University argued the land should stay off-limits because plutonium could enter the food chain; activist Karipbek Kuyukov said in 2023 that the land is still dangerous and unmarked."],"timeline":[{"y":1993,"t":"IAEA mission (Nov); second mission July 1994","src":0},{"y":1998,"t":"IAEA report STI/PUB/1063 published","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"IRSE says about 4,900 km² can be used without limitations","src":4},{"y":2019,"t":"NNC survey of Degelen and Aktan-Berli; excess tritium in Shagan River and Lake Kishkensor","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"NNC publishes draft law on the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone (2 Jun)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"Senate session puts zone set-up at KZT 3.596bn (29 Jun); President signs the Nuclear Safety Zone law (5 Jul)","src":7},{"y":2024,"t":"PLoS One study of tritium distribution published (4 Apr)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"71.37 ha moved to industrial land for a rare-earth deposit (27 Mar)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"832,900 ha moved into reserve lands for future inclusion in the zone (in force 14 Apr)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"over most of the test site there is little or no residual radioactivity","who":"IAEA, Radiological Conditions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site","when":"1998","src":0},{"q":"radioactive contamination is of a local nature and not concentrated throughout the entire STS territory","who":"National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan","when":"2 June 2022","src":3},{"q":"safe for humans, according to radiation parameters","who":"Sergey Lukashenko, director of the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology, on food grown on most of the territory","when":"November 2013","src":4},{"q":"No fences at all","who":"Karipbek Kuyukov, anti-nuclear activist (translated)","when":"29 June 2023","src":9,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"About 4,900 km² around the site usable “for business activities, without limitations”","who":"IRSE director Sergey Lukashenko, 2013","src":4},{"t":"About 1 million hectares of uncontaminated land could go into agricultural use","who":"Senator Olga Bulavkina, 2023","src":9},{"t":"Radioactive contamination is of a local nature","who":"National Nuclear Center, 2022","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"429 km² of 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli radioactively contaminated (just under 36%)","src":1},{"t":"Bytles Creek tritium five times the permissible norm; 10 cm of topsoil to be removed from two areas","src":1},{"t":"Lake Kishkensor: all samples exceeded safe tritium and strontium isotope levels; Shagan River excess tritium at 5 km and 14 km","src":1},{"t":"Degelen stream water up to 57,000±5,000 Bq/kg tritium; Shagan up to 61,500±6,000 Bq/kg","src":2},{"t":"IAEA: Ground Zero and Lake Balapan “heavily contaminated”; access “currently unrestricted”","src":0},{"t":"Zone land cannot be the subject of land-use transactions; 832,900 ha moved to reserve lands for future inclusion in the zone","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"Through 2027 (zone set-up)","nature":[{"label":"Nuclear Safety Zone set-up from the republican budget","amount":3596,"window":"2023–2027","note":"Stated by Senator Olga Bulavkina at the Senate session of 29 June 2023; Informburo’s headline gives 3.5bn tenge."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Contaminated at Degelen and Aktan-Berli","v":"429 of 1,200 km²","d":"Just under 36% of the area observed (national report 2018–2019)"},{"k":"Tritium in Bytles Creek","v":"5× norm","d":"Exceeded permissible norms by a factor of five"},{"k":"Land moved to reserve for the zone","v":"832,900 ha","d":"Government resolution in force from 14 April 2026"},{"k":"Zone set-up budget","v":"KZT 3.596bn","d":"Republican budget through 2027"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The IAEA (1998), the national environment report 2018–2019 and a 2024 peer-reviewed study record radioactive contamination of ground, water and air at the test site.","report":[{"t":"My ground at Ground Zero and Lake Balapan was described as heavily contaminated by an IAEA assessment in 1998.","src":0},{"t":"Five early surface tests dispersed plutonium in my environment, according to the IAEA.","src":0},{"t":"Of 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli, nearly 429 km², just under 36%, was radioactively contaminated, according to National Nuclear Center surveys reported in 2018–2019.","src":1},{"t":"My Bytles Creek carried tritium at five times the permissible norm; in Lake Kishkensor all samples exceeded safe tritium and strontium isotope levels.","src":1},{"t":"At Opytnoe Pole my background radiation was 2–3 times allowable limits in the central and southern sectors.","src":1},{"t":"Stream water at Degelen held tritium up to 57,000±5,000 Bq/kg and the Shagan up to 61,500±6,000 Bq/kg, according to a 2024 peer-reviewed study.","src":2},{"t":"Caesium in the muscle of my saiga was 111 times lower than permissible levels.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the site’s total area is given as about 19,000 km² (IAEA, 1998), roughly 18,500 km² (IRSE via Astana Times, 2013), over 1.8 million hectares (Interfax, 2023) and almost 2 million hectares (inbusiness.kz, 2023).","Not disclosed: the amounts of the state programmes “Ensuring the Security of the former test site at Semipalatinsk” and “Ensuring Radiation Security on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, which fund National Nuclear Center monitoring and surveys; the national environment report names them without amounts.","Not disclosed: the compensation payable to the national budget for agricultural production losses on the 71.37 ha rare-earth plot.","Not disclosed: the number of the April 2026 government resolution moving 832,900 ha into reserve lands.","Insufficient: air monitoring; the national environment report states that the existing system is not equipped for long-term forecasting and that the number of monitoring posts is insufficient to provide reliable data on atmospheric radioactive contamination.","Not disclosed: the sampling year of the 2024 PLoS One tritium study (summer sampling).","Unclear: how much former test-site land has been released to farmers, in hectares and by date.","None on record: insurance cover connected with the contamination."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The last explosion was in 1989; the site was closed on 29 August 1991. The 2018–2019 national report records tritium and background radiation above limits at several locations, and the Nuclear Safety Zone is being set up.","whoPaid":"Kazakhstan’s republican budget funds the Nuclear Safety Zone (KZT 3.596bn through 2027) and the National Nuclear Center’s monitoring programmes. The rare-earth plot user is required to compensate the budget for agricultural production losses; no amount is disclosed.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: a government resolution moved 832,900 ha into reserve lands for future inclusion in the Nuclear Safety Zone; zone set-up funding runs through 2027.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"nnc-kazakhstan","says":"Radioactive contamination is of a local nature and not concentrated throughout the entire test-site territory; the land sits in reserve under local executive bodies, contaminated areas are freely accessible and remediation is minimal.","when":"2 June 2022","src":3},{"actor":"irse-kazakhstan","says":"About 4,900 km² around the site can be used for business activities without limitations; food grown on most of the territory is safe for humans according to radiation parameters.","when":"November 2013","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Reallocates test-site land; funds the Nuclear Safety Zone"},{"id":"nnc-kazakhstan","role":"Surveys and monitors the site"},{"id":"irse-kazakhstan","role":"Research institute of the NNC; 2013 land-use statement"},{"id":"kazakhstan-ecology-ministry","role":"Publisher of the National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019"},{"id":"altyn-group-qazaqstan","role":"Received temporary land-use rights for a rare-earth deposit"},{"id":"iaea","role":"1998 assessment of radiological conditions"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Total area of the Semipalatinsk Test Site","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA (1998)","says":"Approximately 19,000 km².","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"IRSE, via Astana Times (2013)","says":"Roughly 18,500 km².","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax (2023)","says":"The total area exceeds 1.8 million hectares.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"inbusiness.kz (2023)","says":"Almost 2 million hectares.","src":9}]},{"point":"Whether former test-site land can safely be returned to agriculture","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"IRSE director Sergey Lukashenko (2013)","says":"About 4,900 km² can be used for business activities without limitations and food grown on most of the territory is safe according to radiation parameters; tested areas will have to be monitored for a long time.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Nuclear Center (2022)","says":"Contamination is local; contaminated areas are freely accessible and remediation is minimal.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Prof. Leonid Rikhvanov, Tomsk University (2013)","says":"The land should stay off-limits because plutonium could enter the food chain.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Karipbek Kuyukov, anti-nuclear activist (2023)","says":"The land is still dangerous and there are no fences.","src":9}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_contaminated_km2","value":429,"unit":"km²","year":2019,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Of 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli; just under 36% of the area (national report 2018–2019)."},{"key":"site_area_km2","value":19000,"unit":"km²","year":1998,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"IAEA 1998; other sources give different figures (see disputes)."},{"key":"tritium_bytles_creek_x_norm","value":5,"unit":"× permissible norm","year":2019,"note":"National report 2018–2019."},{"key":"topsoil_removal_cm","value":10,"unit":"cm","year":2019,"note":"Two areas require removal and secure disposal of 10 cm of topsoil."},{"key":"tritium_degelen_stream_bq_kg","value":57000,"unit":"Bq/kg","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"±5,000; PLoS One 19(4): e0297017."},{"key":"tritium_shagan_bq_kg","value":61500,"unit":"Bq/kg","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"±6,000; PLoS One 19(4): e0297017."},{"key":"tritium_degelen_air_bq_m3","value":56,"unit":"Bq/m³ HTO","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"±11."},{"key":"background_radiation_x_limit","value":3,"unit":"× allowable limit","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Opytnoe Pole central and southern sectors: 2–3 times allowable limits."},{"key":"caesium_saiga_x_below_limit","value":111,"unit":"× lower than permissible","year":2019,"note":"Caesium in saiga muscle."},{"key":"nuclear_safety_zone_budget","value":3596,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"note":"Republican budget through 2027."},{"key":"land_reallocated_ha","value":71.37,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Moved to industrial land for a rare-earth deposit; user to compensate the budget for agricultural losses (amount not disclosed)."},{"key":"reserve_land_for_zone_ha","value":832900,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"Abay 505,400; Pavlodar 285,900; Karaganda 41,600."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Surveys of the former Soviet nuclear test site recorded radioactive contamination, including 429 km² of 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli. Kazakhstan has moved former test-site land into reserve for a Nuclear Safety Zone and, in places, back into economic use.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Altyn Group Qazaqstan","what":"Temporary land-use rights to 31 December 2028 on 71.37 ha for a rare-earth deposit, with compensation owed to the budget for agricultural losses (amount not disclosed)","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Kazakhstan’s republican budget","what":"KZT 3.596bn for the Nuclear Safety Zone through 2027, plus state programmes funding NNC monitoring (amounts not disclosed)","src":8}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ground, water and air at the test site","what":"429 km² of 1,200 km² observed at Degelen and Aktan-Berli contaminated; tritium above norms in creeks, river and lake","src":1},{"who":"Wildlife","what":"Caesium in saiga muscle measured at 111 times below permissible levels","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Abay (formerly East Kazakhstan), Pavlodar and Karaganda regions; Degelen massif at about 49°46′N 77°59′E and Balapan/Lake Chagan at about 49°56′N 78°29′E.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Surveys by the IAEA in 1993–1994 and by the NNC in 2019; Nuclear Safety Zone law signed 5 July 2023; land resolutions of 27 March 2025 and 14 April 2026.","src":6},"why":{"t":"Kazakhstan’s 2023 law and later resolutions set up a Nuclear Safety Zone on former test-site land and release other parts for economic use; the NNC named reserve-land management, free access and minimal remediation as problems.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Government resolutions move land between reserve, zone and industrial categories; zone land and infrastructure are state property and not subject to alienation.","src":7}},"related":["semipalatinsk-test-site-compensation-law","degelen-mountain-plutonium-security-operation","bikini-and-enewetak-nuclear-tests-and-coral-recovery"],"sources":[{"t":"Radiological Conditions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan: Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations for Further Study (STI/PUB/1063)","p":"IAEA","d":"1998","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1063_web.pdf"},{"t":"National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019: Semipalatinsk Test Site","p":"Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan (with EC, UNEP, Zoï)","d":"2020","type":"official","u":"https://newecodoklad.ecogosfond.kz/2018_2019/regions/19/?lang=en"},{"t":"Tritium distribution in the ‘water-soil-air’ system in the Semipalatinsk Test Site (PLoS One 19(4): e0297017)","p":"Timonova L., Larionova N., Aidarkhanova A. et al.","d":"2024-04-04","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10994305/"},{"t":"Draft law about “Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone”","p":"National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan","d":"2022-06-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.nnc.kz/en/news/show/372"},{"t":"Farming is possible around former Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, say experts","p":"Astana Times","d":"2013-11-04","type":"press","u":"https://astanatimes.com/2013/11/farming-possible-around-former-semipalatinsk-nuclear-test-site-say-experts/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan reallocates more than 70 hectares of former nuclear test site for industrial use","p":"Astana Times","d":"2025-04-02","type":"press","u":"https://astanatimes.com/2025/04/kazakhstan-reallocates-more-than-70-hectares-of-former-nuclear-test-site-for-industrial-use/"},{"t":"Government decides fate of hundreds of thousands of hectares of former Semipalatinsk test site","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2026-04-15","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/government-decides-fate-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of-hectares-of-former-semipalatinsk-test-site-10119/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan adopts law creating the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Safety Zone","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-07-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/world/910265"},{"t":"Creating the nuclear safety zone at the Semipalatinsk test site will require 3.5 bn tenge","p":"Informburo","d":"2023-06-29","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/na-sozdanie-zony-yadernoi-bezopasnosti-na-semipalatinskom-poligone-potrebuetsya-35-mlrd-tenge"},{"t":"The area of the Semipalatinsk test site may shrink significantly","p":"Inbusiness.kz","d":"2023-06-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.inbusiness.kz/ru/last/ploshad-semipalatinskogo-yadernogo-poligona-mozhet-znachitelno-sokratitsya"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether former test-site land can safely be returned to agriculture","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Total area of the Semipalatinsk Test Site","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the site’s total area is given as about 19,000 km² (IAEA, 1998), roughly 18,500 km² (IRSE via Astana Times, 2013), over 1.8 million hectares (Interfax, 2023) and almost 2 million hectares (inbusiness.kz, 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of the state programmes “Ensuring the Security of the former test site at Semipalatinsk” and “Ensuring Radiation Security on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, which fund National Nuclear Center monitoring and surveys; the national environment report names them without amounts.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the compensation payable to the national budget for agricultural production losses on the 71.37 ha rare-earth plot.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the number of the April 2026 government resolution moving 832,900 ha into reserve lands.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: air monitoring; the national environment report states that the existing system is not equipped for long-term forecasting and that the number of monitoring posts is insufficient to provide reliable data on atmospheric radioactive contamination.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the sampling year of the 2024 PLoS One tritium study (summer sampling).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: how much former test-site land has been released to farmers, in hectares and by date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover connected with the contamination.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"degelen-mountain-plutonium-security-operation","title":"Degelen Mountain plutonium security operation (United States–Kazakhstan–Russia)","dek":"A US-managed, three-country operation secured plutonium left in test tunnels and boreholes at the Degelen massif of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site. The White House put the estimated cost at $150 million over eight years; a Belfer Center report describes a 17-year, $150 million operation.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":49.77,"lon":77.98,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Degelen massif, Semipalatinsk Test Site","lat":49.77,"lon":77.98,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":1996,"end":2012,"eventDate":"2012-03-26","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","finance"],"subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated total cost of the trilateral operation (White House, 2012)","value":"$150 M","note":"“over eight years” per the White House fact sheet; the Belfer Center describes “a 17-year, $150 million operation”."},"happened":["The operation focused on plutonium left in test tunnels and boreholes at the Degelen massif of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site. According to a White House fact sheet of 26 March 2012, over “a dozen weapons’ worth” of nuclear material likely remained at the site and more than 40 tunnels posed enough risk to be included in the work plan.","Under the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) programme, the US Department of Defense sealed 181 test tunnels and 13 test shafts in 1997–2000 and ran three smaller projects in other areas of the site in 2002–2005. A trilateral project with Kazakhstan and Russia was initiated in 2005 and, after an April 2009 US initiative, was completed “almost two years ahead of the original schedule”, according to the fact sheet. The fact sheet states that the Department of Defense’s CTR Program “managed the project for the United States, with technical support from LANL” (Los Alamos National Laboratory), and that the US also gave equipment and training to Kazakhstani security forces. The three presidents announced completion at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit on 26–27 March 2012.","A report by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harrell and Hoffman, 15 August 2013) says the work was “based almost entirely on ad-hoc agreements struck at a lower level”, was paused around 9/11, and that Russia revealed only in 2005 that as much as 100 kg of additional plutonium was still unsecured. The Belfer Center paper states that the three governments decided not to involve the IAEA. A monument carries the inscription “1996-2012. The world has become safer.”","The fact sheet gives the “estimated total cost of $150 M over eight years” and says the project was completed within budget. It describes the project as “by far the most extensive nuclear security project at STS”. The Belfer authors called the outcome a “very close call”. The two sources frame the $150 million over different periods: eight years in the White House account, 17 years (1996–2012) in the Belfer title."],"timeline":[{"y":1996,"t":"Start of the 1996–2012 period named on the monument inscription","src":1},{"y":2000,"t":"181 test tunnels and 13 test shafts sealed under CTR (1997–2000)","src":0},{"y":2005,"t":"Trilateral project initiated; Russia reveals as much as 100 kg of additional unsecured plutonium","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"April US initiative; project later completed almost two years ahead of schedule","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"Three presidents announce completion at the Seoul Nuclear Security Summit (26–27 Mar); White House fact sheet (26 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Belfer Center report “Plutonium Mountain” published (15 Aug)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"estimated total cost of $150 M over eight years","who":"White House fact sheet on the history of trilateral threat reduction cooperation at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site","when":"26 March 2012","src":0},{"q":"by far the most extensive nuclear security project at STS","who":"White House fact sheet","when":"26 March 2012","src":0},{"q":"based almost entirely on ad-hoc agreements struck at a lower level","who":"Belfer Center report (Harrell and Hoffman)","when":"15 August 2013","src":1},{"q":"very close call","who":"Belfer Center authors, on the outcome","when":"August 2013","src":2},{"q":"1996-2012. The world has become safer.","who":"Monument inscription at the site, as reported by the Belfer Center","when":"2013","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"“by far the most extensive nuclear security project at STS”; completed within budget and almost two years ahead of schedule","who":"White House fact sheet, 2012","src":0},{"t":"Monument inscription “1996-2012. The world has become safer.”","who":"Monument at the site, as reported by the Belfer Center","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"181 test tunnels and 13 test shafts sealed under CTR in 1997–2000","src":0},{"t":"More than 40 tunnels posed enough risk to be included in the work plan; over a dozen weapons’ worth of nuclear material likely remained","src":0},{"t":"The CTR Program managed the project for the United States, with technical support from LANL","src":0},{"t":"Russia revealed in 2005 that as much as 100 kg of additional plutonium was unsecured (Belfer)","src":1},{"t":"The three governments decided not to involve the IAEA (Belfer)","src":1},{"t":"The work rested on ad-hoc agreements rather than a formal treaty (Belfer)","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Over eight years (White House); 1996–2012 (Belfer)","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated total cost of the operation, as stated by the White House; the fact sheet states that the Department of Defense’s CTR Program managed the project for the United States","amount":150,"qualifier":"estimated","window":"over eight years (White House); 17 years (Belfer)"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tunnels sealed","v":"181","d":"Plus 13 test shafts, 1997–2000 (CTR)"},{"k":"Estimated cost","v":"$150 M","d":"“over eight years” (White House); 17 years (Belfer)"},{"k":"Plutonium revealed in 2005","v":"up to 100 kg","d":"Additional plutonium Russia said was still unsecured (Belfer)"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: a breakdown of the $150 million, and any Russian or Kazakh cost share.","Disputed: the period of the $150 million — “over eight years” (White House fact sheet) against a “17-year, $150 million operation” (Belfer Center).","None on record: court or arbitration proceedings; the work rested on ad-hoc agreements rather than a formal treaty.","None on record: insurance connected with the operation.","Not measured: environmental effects of the operation; its purpose was security, and environmental data for Degelen are recorded in the contamination case."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Sealing of 181 test tunnels and 13 test shafts was completed by 2000; completion of the trilateral project was announced by the three presidents on 26–27 March 2012.","whoPaid":"The White House fact sheet gives an estimated total cost of $150 million over eight years and states that the Department of Defense’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program managed the project for the United States. Not disclosed: Russian and Kazakh cost shares.","statusLine":"As of March 2012: the three governments announced completion of the Degelen nonproliferation work; the Belfer Center published its account in August 2013.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"us-department-of-defense","says":"Its Cooperative Threat Reduction Program managed the project for the United States, with technical support from Los Alamos National Laboratory.","when":"26 March 2012","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"us-department-of-defense","role":"Managed the project through its Cooperative Threat Reduction Program"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Host state; fieldwork and security forces"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Provided information on the site, including the 2005 disclosure"},{"id":"lanl","role":"Technical support"},{"id":"belfer-center","role":"Published the 2013 account of the operation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Period over which the $150 million was spent","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"White House fact sheet (2012)","says":"“estimated total cost of $150 M over eight years”.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Belfer Center (2013)","says":"“a 17-year, $150 million operation” (1996–2012).","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tunnels_sealed","value":181,"unit":"tunnels","year":2000,"note":"Sealed under CTR in 1997–2000, with 13 test shafts."},{"key":"shafts_sealed","value":13,"unit":"shafts","year":2000},{"key":"tunnels_in_workplan","value":40,"unit":"tunnels","year":2012,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Posed enough risk to be included in the work plan."},{"key":"cost_estimated","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"“over eight years” (White House); 17 years (Belfer)."},{"key":"plutonium_unsecured_kg","value":100,"unit":"kg","year":2005,"qualifier":"as much as","note":"Additional plutonium Russia revealed in 2005 (Belfer)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A US-managed, three-country operation secured plutonium left in test tunnels and boreholes at the Degelen massif of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakhstan’s security forces","what":"Received equipment and training from the United States","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"United States (Department of Defense CTR Program)","what":"Managed the project for the US; estimated total cost $150 million","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Degelen massif, Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan, at about 49°46′N 77°59′E.","src":3},"when":{"t":"1996–2012 (monument inscription and Belfer framing); sealing of tunnels 1997–2000; trilateral project from 2005; completion announced 26–27 March 2012.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The fact sheet states that over a dozen weapons’ worth of nuclear material likely remained at the site.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Department of Defense’s CTR Program managed the work with technical support from LANL; the Belfer report says it rested on ad-hoc agreements struck at a lower level.","src":0}},"related":["semipalatinsk-test-site-compensation-law","semipalatinsk-contamination-land-and-nuclear-safety-zone"],"sources":[{"t":"Fact Sheet: History of Trilateral Threat Reduction Cooperation at the Former Semipalatinsk Test Site","p":"The White House (Obama administration archive)","d":"2012-03-26","type":"official","u":"https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/26/fact-sheet-history-trilateral-threat-reduction-cooperation-former-semipa"},{"t":"Plutonium Mountain: Inside the 17-Year Mission to Secure a Legacy of Soviet Nuclear Testing","p":"Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harrell, Hoffman)","d":"2013-08-15","type":"academic","u":"https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/plutonium-mountain-inside-17-year-mission-secure-legacy-soviet-nuclear-testing"},{"t":"New report reveals details of US-Russian-Kazakh collaboration","p":"Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs","d":"2013-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.belfercenter.org/publication/new-report-reveals-details-us-russian-kazakh-collaboration"},{"t":"Radiological Conditions at the Semipalatinsk Test Site, Kazakhstan (STI/PUB/1063)","p":"IAEA","d":"1998","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1063_web.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"On me at the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, 181 test tunnels and 13 test shafts were sealed in 1997–2000; in 2005 Russia revealed up to 100 kg more plutonium unsecured, the Belfer Center reports.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Period over which the $150 million was spent","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a breakdown of the $150 million, and any Russian or Kazakh cost share.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the period of the $150 million — “over eight years” (White House fact sheet) against a “17-year, $150 million operation” (Belfer Center).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court or arbitration proceedings; the work rested on ad-hoc agreements rather than a formal treaty.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance connected with the operation.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: environmental effects of the operation; its purpose was security, and environmental data for Degelen are recorded in the contamination case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"proton-m-crash-2013-kazakhstan-claim","title":"Proton-M crash at Baikonur, 2 July 2013: Kazakhstan’s KZT 13.69bn damage claim against Russia","dek":"A Proton-M rocket crashed seconds after launch from Baikonur on 2 July 2013 and spilled roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene. Kazakhstan claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge from Roscosmos; in February 2016 a Kazakh vice-minister said the talks had ended without any sum being determined.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46,"lon":63,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kyzylorda region","lat":46,"lon":63,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":2013,"end":2016,"eventDate":"2013-07-02","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris","chemical-pollution","burning"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Kazakhstan’s damage claim against Roscosmos","value":"KZT 13.69bn","note":"13,690,747,305 tenge, stated as $89.5 million by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Environment and Water Resources; no sum was determined when talks ended (Feb 2016)."},"happened":["A Proton-M rocket carrying three GLONASS-M satellites crashed and exploded in the first minute of flight after liftoff from Site 81/24 at Baikonur on 2 July 2013. Astana Times reported that the rocket spilled “roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene”; Informburo (2023) also gave over 600 tonnes of fuel components.","At a government commission meeting on 11 July 2013 Russian and Kazakh soil measurements were compared. Yerkin Shaimagambetov, deputy chairman of the National Space Agency, presented them: Russian samples at the crater centre surface measured 123 mg/kg, stated as 1,230 times the maximum permissible concentration (MPC), and 8,040 times MPC on the eastern side; Kazakh samples gave 527 times MPC at the centre, 395 times on the eastern side (about 10 m from the Russian sampling point), 3,039 times at 10–20 cm depth and 1,093 times at 20–30 cm. About 500 m² of the crater centre was treated, and the full crash site covered about 140 ha.","Roscosmos finished the clean-up in late September 2013, relying on Kazakhstan’s soil-recultivation technology using hydrogen peroxide; the cost is undisclosed. In October 2013 Kazakhstan sent a claim to Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel; on 26 November 2013 the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources announced 13,690,747,305 tenge (stated as $89.5 million), calculated under the “Rules of Economic Assessment of Damage Caused by Environmental Pollution” and overseen by a special commission led by Minister Nurlan Kapparov. On 14 March 2014 First Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev said compensation was “taking way too long”. On 1 February 2016 Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Bozhko said the negotiations had ended without any sum being determined; he said Russia had asked for proof of damage outside the cosmodrome zone.","A peer-reviewed study (Koroleva et al., Environmental Pollution 268, 2021) reported that the day after the accident UDMH (heptyl) in crash-site soils exceeded the maximum permissible concentration by 8,900 times and nitrate by 85 times. After remediation with 10% hydrogen peroxide and 1% iron complexonate solution, excavation and ploughing, UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg and nitrate at or below 3.9 g/kg in April 2015; soils still had lower pH and organic carbon than background, and microbial communities were “the most vulnerable component”. A Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (MOAP) report of October 2018 said 13 weeks of sampling in Toretam, Akai and Baikonur after the crash did not reveal heptyl, and that no heptyl was found in the soil of the recultivated plot in 2018.","The public group “Antiheptyl” held protests in Astana, Almaty and other cities demanding an end to heptyl-fuelled launches, as reported by Informburo."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Crash (2 Jul); commission compares Russian and Kazakh soil samples (11 Jul); Roscosmos finishes clean-up (late Sep); claim sent (Oct); KZT 13,690,747,305 announced (26 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"First Deputy PM says compensation is “taking way too long” (14 Mar)","src":2},{"y":2015,"t":"April: last soil measurement reported in the peer-reviewed study","src":5},{"y":2016,"t":"Vice-Minister says talks ended without any sum determined (1 Feb)","src":4},{"y":2018,"t":"MOAP report: no heptyl found in recultivated plot (Oct)","src":6},{"y":2021,"t":"Peer-reviewed study on rocket accidents in Kazakhstan 1999–2018 published","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"We are claiming 13,690,747,305 tenge ($89.5 million) from Russia in damages.","who":"Nurlan Kapparov, Minister of Environment and Water Resources","when":"March 2014","src":2},{"q":"Our Russian partners are now discussing the bill, estimating whether our calculation of damages is acceptable for them.","who":"Bektas Mukhamedzhanov, Vice-Minister","when":"November 2013","src":0},{"q":"The heptyl rate in the soil doesn't exceed the permissible exposure limit.","who":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, as reported by Tengrinews","when":"26 November 2013","src":0},{"q":"Our negotiations ended without any sum being determined","who":"Vladimir Bozhko, Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs (translated)","when":"1 February 2016","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"we were somehow unable to determine damage outside the cosmodrome zone","who":"Vladimir Bozhko, Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs (translated)","when":"1 February 2016","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"all the heptyl burns and turns into harmless compounds","who":"Vladimir Bozhko, Vice-Minister of Internal Affairs (translated)","when":"1 February 2016","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the severest environmental impact in the modern Russian space industry","who":"Koroleva et al., Environmental Pollution","when":"2021","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"Soil heptyl below the permissible exposure limit after detoxification","who":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, November 2013","src":0},{"t":"No concerns raised by the situation after the crash; monitoring to continue","who":"Kyzylorda akim Krymbek Kusherbayev, as reported by Astana Times","src":3},{"t":"No heptyl found in the soil of the recultivated plot","who":"Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry report, October 2018","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Kazakhstan claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge (stated as $89.5 million) from Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel","src":0},{"t":"Russian samples: 1,230 and 8,040 times MPC at the crater centre surface and eastern side; Kazakh samples: 527 and 395 times MPC","src":1},{"t":"Day-after soil: UDMH 8,900 times MPC and nitrate 85 times MPC (peer-reviewed study)","src":5},{"t":"April 2015: UDMH and NDMA below 0.05 mg/kg; soils still showed lower pH and organic carbon than background","src":5},{"t":"Talks ended without any sum being determined, according to Vice-Minister Bozhko (February 2016)","src":4},{"t":"Public protests by the “Antiheptyl” group in Astana, Almaty and other cities","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2013–2016","nature":[{"label":"Kazakhstan’s damage claim against Roscosmos (stated as $89.5 million)","amount":13690.747305,"qualifier":"claimed","window":"2013","note":"No sum was determined when talks ended (February 2016)."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fuel components spilled","v":"about 600 t","d":"Heptyl, amyl and kerosene (Astana Times)"},{"k":"UDMH in soil, day after","v":"8,900× MPC","d":"Peer-reviewed study, Environmental Pollution 2021"},{"k":"Crash site","v":"about 140 ha","d":"Government commission, July 2013"},{"k":"Claim","v":"KZT 13.69bn","d":"No sum determined when talks ended in 2016"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A government commission (2013) and a peer-reviewed study (2021) recorded soil contamination at the crash site above the maximum permissible concentration.","report":[{"t":"Roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene spilled onto my steppe at the Proton-M crash site on 2 July 2013, according to Astana Times.","src":3},{"t":"The day after the accident, UDMH in my crash-site soil exceeded the maximum permissible concentration 8,900 times and nitrate 85 times, according to a 2021 peer-reviewed study.","src":5},{"t":"The crash site covered about 140 ha, according to the government commission of July 2013.","src":1},{"t":"In April 2015, UDMH and NDMA in my soil were below 0.05 mg/kg after remediation.","src":5},{"t":"My soils still had lower pH and organic carbon than background, and my microbial communities were the most vulnerable component, with very low cellulase activity, the study found.","src":5}]},"unknown":["None on record: payment of the claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge, or any sum, by Roscosmos or the Russian side.","Not disclosed: the cost of the clean-up carried out by Roscosmos.","None on record: insurance cover or payout for the 2013 crash.","None on record: court or arbitration proceedings over the 2013 crash; the dispute went through intergovernmental channels.","Figures differ: two copies of the abstract of Koroleva et al. (2021) give the day-after NDMA exceedance as 6,100 and 16,000 times the maximum permissible concentration.","Unclear: whether Kazakhstan’s Ecology Code applies to Baikonur; First Deputy PM Sagintayev said in March 2014 that the decision on the Code’s jurisdiction had not yet been made."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The rocket spilled its fuel in a single crash on 2 July 2013; Roscosmos finished the clean-up in late September 2013 and soil was remediated by April 2015, when UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg.","whoPaid":"None on record: payment of the claim. Roscosmos carried out the clean-up at an undisclosed cost; Kazakhstan’s claim of 13,690,747,305 tenge ended without any sum determined (Vice-Minister Bozhko, February 2016).","statusLine":"As of February 2016: Kazakhstan’s vice-minister said negotiations ended without any sum being determined; no later payment is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"roscosmos","says":"Russia would carry out its own on-site review of the damage and of Kazakhstan’s calculations (spokesman Sergei Gorbunov, via Izvestia, as reported by Astana Times).","when":"27 November 2013","src":3},{"actor":"roscosmos","says":"Roscosmos said it was ready to negotiate financial compensation, according to the Kazakh ministry as reported by Tengrinews.","when":"26 November 2013","src":0},{"actor":"kazakhstan-environment-ministry","says":"Detoxification was complete and the heptyl rate in the soil did not exceed the permissible exposure limit; the claim was sent to Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel.","when":"26 November 2013","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"roscosmos","role":"Launch provider; carried out the clean-up; recipient of the claim"},{"id":"kazakhstan-environment-ministry","role":"Calculated and presented the claim"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Pursued the claim through intergovernmental channels"},{"id":"kazakhstan-moap","role":"2018 report on contamination after accidents at Baikonur"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Russian side in the compensation talks"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Soil contamination at the crash site: Russian and Kazakh samples","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian samples (government commission, 11 July 2013)","says":"Crater centre surface 123 mg/kg, stated as 1,230 times MPC; eastern side 8,040 times MPC.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakh samples (government commission, 11 July 2013)","says":"Centre 527 times MPC; eastern side, about 10 m from the Russian sampling point, 395 times MPC; 3,039 times at 10–20 cm depth; 1,093 times at 20–30 cm.","src":1}]},{"point":"Heptyl contamination after the crash","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (November 2013)","says":"After detoxification the heptyl rate in the soil does not exceed the permissible exposure limit.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vice-Minister Vladimir Bozhko (February 2016)","says":"All the heptyl burns and turns into harmless compounds.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (October 2018)","says":"Thirteen weeks of analyses did not reveal heptyl; no heptyl was found in the recultivated plot in 2018.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Koroleva et al., Environmental Pollution (2021)","says":"The day after the accident UDMH exceeded the maximum permissible concentration 8,900 times; in April 2015 UDMH and NDMA were below 0.05 mg/kg.","src":5}]},{"point":"Basis for compensation","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Minister Nurlan Kapparov (March 2014)","says":"Kazakhstan claims 13,690,747,305 tenge ($89.5 million) in damages.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian side, as relayed by Vice-Minister Bozhko (2016)","says":"Russia asked for proof of damage outside the cosmodrome zone; Kazakhstan was unable to determine damage outside the zone.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Roscosmos (via Izvestia, November 2013)","says":"Russia would do its own on-site review of the damage and of Kazakhstan’s calculations.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Kazakhstan’s damage claim for the 2013 Proton-M crash (intergovernmental negotiations)","forum":"Intergovernmental negotiations (diplomatic channel)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"international","claimant":"Ministry of Environment and Water Resources of Kazakhstan","defendant":"Roscosmos","filed":2013,"decided":2016,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":13690.747305,"currency":"KZT","label":"claimed (stated as $89.5 million)"},"summary":"Claim sent to Roscosmos in October 2013 and announced on 26 November 2013; on 1 February 2016 Vice-Minister Bozhko said the negotiations ended without any sum being determined.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":13690.747305,"unit":"KZT m","year":2013,"note":"13,690,747,305 tenge."},{"key":"claim_usd_stated","value":89.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"Dollar figure as stated with the tenge claim."},{"key":"fuel_spilled_tonnes","value":600,"unit":"tonnes (heptyl, amyl and kerosene)","year":2013,"qualifier":"roughly"},{"key":"crash_site_area_ha","value":140,"unit":"ha","year":2013,"qualifier":"about"},{"key":"crater_treated_m2","value":500,"unit":"m²","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Crater centre."},{"key":"udmh_mpc_x","value":8900,"unit":"× MPC","year":2013,"note":"Day after the accident (Koroleva et al., 2021)."},{"key":"nitrate_mpc_x","value":85,"unit":"× MPC","year":2013,"note":"Day after the accident (Koroleva et al., 2021)."},{"key":"soil_mpc_x_russian_surface","value":1230,"unit":"× MPC","year":2013,"note":"Russian sample, crater centre surface, 123 mg/kg."},{"key":"soil_mpc_x_kazakh_centre","value":527,"unit":"× MPC","year":2013,"note":"Kazakh sample, crater centre."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Proton-M rocket crashed seconds after launch from Baikonur on 2 July 2013 and spilled roughly 600 tons of heptyl, amyl and kerosene. Kazakhstan claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge from Roscosmos; talks ended without any sum being determined, according to a Kazakh vice-minister in 2016.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Roscosmos","what":"Carried out the clean-up at a cost not disclosed","src":3},{"who":"Kazakhstan","what":"Claimed KZT 13.69bn; no sum determined by February 2016","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil at the crash site","what":"UDMH 8,900 times the maximum permissible concentration the day after the accident; about 140 ha crash site","src":5},{"who":"Soil microbial communities","what":"Described by the study authors as the most vulnerable component, with very low cellulase activity","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kyzylorda region, Kazakhstan; crash from Site 81/24.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Crash on 2 July 2013; commission on 11 July 2013; clean-up finished late September 2013; claim announced 26 November 2013; talks reported ended 1 February 2016.","src":4},"why":{"t":"Unclear: the cause of the crash. The dispute concerned compensation under Kazakhstan’s rules for assessing environmental damage.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The claim was calculated under Kazakhstan’s Rules of Economic Assessment of Damage Caused by Environmental Pollution and sent to Roscosmos through a diplomatic channel.","src":0}},"related":["baikonur-launch-accidents-1999-2007-compensation","baikonur-drop-zones-fuel-monitoring-and-lease","cosmos-954-crash-in-canada"],"sources":[{"t":"Russia invoiced $90 million for Proton-M crash in Kazakhstan","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2013-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/24219/"},{"t":"Results of Russian and Kazakhstan tests for heptyl contamination at Baikonur differ","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2013-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/20934/"},{"t":"Compensation of Proton-M crash damage taking way too long: Kazakhstan","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2014-03-14","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/25820"},{"t":"Kazakhstan bills Russia for Baikonur cleanup","p":"Astana Times","d":"2013-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://astanatimes.com/2013/12/kazakhstan-bills-russia-baikonur-cleanup/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan will not receive compensation from Russia for the 2013 Proton-M accident","p":"Informburo","d":"2016-02-01","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/kazahstan-ne-poluchit-ot-rossii-kompensaciyu-za-avariyu-protona-m-v-2013-godu-.html"},{"t":"Ecological consequences of space rocket accidents in Kazakhstan between 1999 and 2018 (Environmental Pollution 268: 115711; abstract)","p":"Koroleva T.V., Semenkov I.N., Sharapova A.V., Krechetov P.P., Lednev S.A.","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://agris.fao.org/search/en/records/65dfd1a963b8185d9caf34fe"},{"t":"MOAP RK presented a report on environmental pollution after accidents at Baikonur","p":"Informburo","d":"2018-10-11","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/moap-rk-predstavil-otchyot-o-zagryaznenii-ekologii-posle-avariy-na-baykonure.html"},{"t":"Russia wants to continue Proton launches from Baikonur after 2025. Will Kazakhstan agree?","p":"Informburo","d":"2023-06-08","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/stati/rossiya-xocet-prodolzit-zapusk-protonov-s-baikonura-posle-2025-goda-soglasitsya-li-kazaxstan"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Soil contamination at the crash site: Russian and Kazakh samples","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Heptyl contamination after the crash","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Basis for compensation","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Kazakhstan’s damage claim for the 2013 Proton-M crash (intergovernmental negotiations): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of the claimed 13,690,747,305 tenge, or any sum, by Roscosmos or the Russian side.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cost of the clean-up carried out by Roscosmos.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payout for the 2013 crash.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court or arbitration proceedings over the 2013 crash; the dispute went through intergovernmental channels.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: two copies of the abstract of Koroleva et al. (2021) give the day-after NDMA exceedance as 6,100 and 16,000 times the maximum permissible concentration.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Kazakhstan’s Ecology Code applies to Baikonur; First Deputy PM Sagintayev said in March 2014 that the decision on the Code’s jurisdiction had not yet been made.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"baikonur-launch-accidents-1999-2007-compensation","title":"Baikonur launch accidents 1999–2007: Kazakh claims and the compensation agreed","dek":"Russian launch accidents on Kazakh territory in 1999, 2006 and 2007 ended in settlements far below Kazakhstan’s first figures: $60.7 million demanded and $2.5 million agreed for the 2007 Proton-M crash, and $340 million first estimated against $1.1 million for the 2006 Dnepr crash.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":45.96,"lon":63.31,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Karaganda and Kyzylorda regions; Baikonur Cosmodrome","lat":45.96,"lon":63.31,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":1999,"end":2007,"eventDate":"2007-09-06","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"2007 Proton-M crash: demanded against agreed","value":"$60.7M vs $2.5M","note":"Kazakhstan initially demanded $60.7 million (7.327 billion tenge); the agreed compensation was $2.5 million, of which $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center (Kommersant, 19 December 2007)."},"happened":["July 1999: a Proton-K carrying debris fell in Karaganda region. A 200-kg fragment fell into the yard of a resident of Gorbushevka (the village’s name is spelled differently between sources); she asked for $1,000 and Russia paid that amount, while other villagers objected (Kommersant, 15 July 1999). Kazakhstan lifted its launch moratorium for all rockets except Proton. Environmental damage from the July crash was put at about $270,000 (RIA Novosti, as cited by Lenta.ru); earlier reports cited about $83,000. In October 1999 a second Proton crash occurred near Atasu in Karaganda region. Then-Prime Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said compensation should be much larger than the July demand, and Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov said there was no ecological catastrophe and that the debris fell in an uninhabited zone. The Express-A satellite was insured by Ingosstrakh for $24.4 million. RFE/RL reported in October 2007 that total compensation for Kazakhstan for the two 1999 crashes amounted to some $400,000.","26–27 July 2006: a Dnepr (RS-20) rocket crashed about 150 km from Baikonur in Kyzylorda region. Kyzylorda authorities first estimated damage at $340 million; Kazakh authorities later put ecological and economic damage at $1.1 million. The prime minister’s office said the final compensation claim had been agreed with the Russian side and that the accident posed no threat to the health of local residents (RFE/RL, 3 November 2006).","6 September 2007: Proton-M (JCSat-11) debris fell 40–50 km south-west of Zhezkazgan. Kazakhstan initially demanded $60.7 million (7.327 billion tenge); the agreed compensation was $2.5 million: $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center. A Russian negotiator said the negotiations were very tough and that “we proved some things, not others”. RFE/RL reported in October 2007 that Astana wanted between $60 and $70 million and that Roskosmos was working to reduce Kazakhstan’s demand; Prime Minister Karim Masimov said the situation had gone beyond all acceptable limits. Astana, dissatisfied with the outcome, sought to cut Proton launches in 2008.","For context, in June 2017 spent Soyuz stages fell as planned in Ulytau district near Zhezkazgan; a steppe fire burned about 10,000 ha and one truck driver died. Talgat Zhusip, chairman of the trade union of space-industry workers, said there would be no compensation for the Kazakh side because the drop zone had been agreed in advance. Officials said the fragments contained no heptyl, as Soyuz runs on kerosene; no test results were given (zakon.kz, 19 June 2017)."],"timeline":[{"y":1999,"t":"Proton-K debris in Karaganda region (July); $1,000 paid to a resident; second Proton crash near Atasu (October); total compensation about $400,000","src":0},{"y":2006,"t":"Dnepr crash about 150 km from Baikonur (26–27 Jul); claim reported as agreed (3 Nov)","src":3},{"y":2007,"t":"Proton-M (JCSat-11) debris near Zhezkazgan (6 Sep); Kazakhstan demands $60.7M; $2.5M agreed (Kommersant, 19 Dec)","src":4},{"y":2008,"t":"Astana seeks to cut Proton launches","src":4},{"y":2017,"t":"Soyuz stages fall in Ulytau district; steppe fire of about 10,000 ha (June)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"total compensation for Kazakhstan amounted to some $400,000","who":"RFE/RL, on the two 1999 crashes","when":"11 October 2007","src":2},{"q":"the final compensation claim has been agreed with the Russian side","who":"Kazakh prime minister’s office, as reported by RFE/RL","when":"3 November 2006","src":3},{"q":"The negotiations were very tough; we proved some things, not others","who":"Russian negotiator (translated)","when":"December 2007","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"has gone beyond all acceptable limits","who":"Karim Masimov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan","when":"October 2007","src":2},{"q":"turning into a regular event","who":"NGO Nation’s Future, on six Russian rocket crashes in Kazakhstan","when":"October 2007","src":2},{"q":"There will be no compensation for the Kazakh side","who":"Talgat Zhusip, chairman of the trade union of space-industry workers (translated)","when":"19 June 2017","src":5,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"No ecological catastrophe; debris fell in an uninhabited zone","who":"Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov, 1999","src":1},{"t":"The 2006 accident posed no threat to the health of local residents","who":"Kazakh prime minister’s office, 2006","src":3},{"t":"Fragments of the 2017 Soyuz stages contained no heptyl","who":"Officials, as reported by zakon.kz (no test results given)","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"1999: Russia paid $1,000 to one resident for a 200-kg fragment in her yard","src":0},{"t":"1999: total compensation for Kazakhstan for the two crashes about $400,000","src":2},{"t":"2006: first estimate $340 million; later Kazakh figure $1.1 million; claim reported as agreed","src":3},{"t":"2007: $60.7 million demanded; $2.5 million agreed ($0.8 million insurers, $1.7 million Khrunichev)","src":4},{"t":"Express-A satellite insured by Ingosstrakh for $24.4 million (property)","src":1},{"t":"2017: no compensation for the Kazakh side because the drop zone was agreed in advance (Zhusip)","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1999–2007","nature":[{"label":"Agreed compensation, 2007 Proton-M crash","amount":2.5,"window":"2007","note":"$0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center."},{"label":"Kazakh authorities’ later damage figure, 2006 Dnepr crash","amount":1.1,"window":"2006"},{"label":"Total compensation for Kazakhstan, two 1999 crashes","amount":0.4,"qualifier":"some","window":"1999"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Kazakhstan’s initial demand, 2007 Proton-M crash","amount":60.7,"qualifier":"demanded","window":"2007","note":"7.327 billion tenge."},{"label":"Kyzylorda authorities’ first estimate, 2006 Dnepr crash","amount":340,"qualifier":"estimated","window":"2006"},{"label":"Sum insured, Express-A satellite (property)","amount":24.4,"window":"1999"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"2007 demand against agreed","v":"$60.7M vs $2.5M","d":"Proton-M debris near Zhezkazgan"},{"k":"2006 first estimate against later figure","v":"$340M vs $1.1M","d":"Dnepr crash near Baikonur"},{"k":"1999 total compensation","v":"some $400,000","d":"Two Proton crashes in Karaganda region (RFE/RL)"}]},"unknown":["None on record: confirmation that the agreed amounts were transferred.","Insufficient: published measurements for the 1999, 2006 and 2007 crash sites; a 2021 peer-reviewed study covers six accidents from 1999 to 2018 but gives figures in its abstract only for 2013.","Not disclosed: test results for the fragments of the 2017 Soyuz stages.","Figures differ: environmental damage from the July 1999 crash is given as about $270,000 (RIA Novosti via Lenta.ru) and, in earlier reports, about $83,000.","None on record: court proceedings; all cases were settled through intergovernmental commissions."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Kazakhstan lifted its launch moratorium for all rockets except Proton in July 1999 and sought to cut Proton launches in 2008.","whoPaid":"Russia paid $1,000 to one resident in 1999. For 2007 the agreed $2.5 million comprised $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from the Khrunichev State Space Center. None on record: confirmation that the agreed amounts were transferred.","statusLine":"As of December 2007: Kazakhstan and Russia had agreed $2.5 million for the 2007 Proton-M crash. None on record: transfer of the agreed amounts.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov said there was no ecological catastrophe and that the debris fell in an uninhabited zone.","when":"October 1999","src":1},{"actor":"roscosmos","says":"Roskosmos was working to reduce Kazakhstan’s demand, according to RFE/RL.","when":"October 2007","src":2},{"actor":"kazakhstan-government","says":"The final compensation claim for the 2006 accident had been agreed with the Russian side, and the accident posed no threat to the health of local residents.","when":"3 November 2006","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Claimant; negotiated the settlements"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Respondent in the intergovernmental talks"},{"id":"roscosmos","role":"Russian space agency; worked to reduce the 2007 demand"},{"id":"khrunichev","role":"Paid $1.7 million of the agreed 2007 compensation"},{"id":"ingosstrakh","role":"Insured the Express-A satellite (1999)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Kazakh claims against the sums agreed","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakhstan, 2007","says":"Demanded $60.7 million (7.327 billion tenge); Astana wanted between $60 and $70 million.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Russian side, 2007","says":"Agreed $2.5 million ($0.8 million insurers, $1.7 million Khrunichev); Roskosmos was working to reduce the demand.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kyzylorda authorities, 2006","says":"First estimated damage at $340 million.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakh authorities, 2006","says":"Later put ecological and economic damage at $1.1 million.","src":3}]},{"point":"Scale of the harm from the 1999 Proton crashes","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian Vice-Premier Ilya Klebanov (1999)","says":"No ecological catastrophe; the debris fell in an uninhabited zone.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Then-Prime Minister Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (1999)","says":"Compensation should be much larger than the July demand.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"RIA Novosti via Lenta.ru (1999)","says":"Environmental damage from the July crash about $270,000; earlier reports cited about $83,000.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Settlement of the two 1999 Proton crashes","forum":"Kazakh–Russian intergovernmental negotiations","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Kazakhstan","defendant":"Russian side","filed":1999,"decided":1999,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":0.4,"currency":"USD","label":"total compensation for Kazakhstan, some $400,000 (RFE/RL, 2007)"},"summary":"Russia paid a resident $1,000 in July 1999; RFE/RL reported total compensation for Kazakhstan of some $400,000 for the two crashes.","src":2},{"title":"Settlement of the 2006 Dnepr crash","forum":"Kazakh–Russian intergovernmental commission","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Kazakhstan","defendant":"Russian side","filed":2006,"decided":2006,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":1.1,"currency":"USD","label":"ecological and economic damage put by Kazakh authorities"},"summary":"The prime minister’s office said on 3 November 2006 that the final compensation claim had been agreed with the Russian side; first estimates had been $340 million.","src":3},{"title":"Settlement of the 2007 Proton-M crash","forum":"Kazakh–Russian intergovernmental negotiations","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Kazakhstan","defendant":"Russian side; Khrunichev State Space Center; insurers","filed":2007,"decided":2007,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":2.5,"currency":"USD","label":"agreed compensation"},"summary":"Kazakhstan demanded $60.7 million; $2.5 million was agreed, $0.8 million from insurers and $1.7 million from Khrunichev (Kommersant, 19 December 2007).","src":4}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Ingosstrakh","insured":"Express-A satellite (owner not stated in the source)","status":"unknown","year":1999,"amount":{"value":24.4,"currency":"USD","label":"sum insured (satellite)"},"reason":"Cover for the satellite (property)","summary":"The Express-A satellite lost in the October 1999 Proton crash was insured by Ingosstrakh for $24.4 million.","src":1},{"insurer":"Insurers (not named)","insured":"Not stated","status":"unknown","year":2007,"amount":{"value":0.8,"currency":"USD","label":"share of the agreed compensation"},"reason":"Part of the $2.5 million agreed for the 2007 Proton-M crash","summary":"The agreed compensation of $2.5 million included $0.8 million from insurers. None on record: transfer of the amount.","src":4}],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":60.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"note":"Initial Kazakh demand; 7.327 billion tenge."},{"key":"compensation_agreed","value":2.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"note":"$0.8 million insurers; $1.7 million Khrunichev State Space Center."},{"key":"claim","value":340,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"qualifier":"first estimate","note":"Kyzylorda authorities, Dnepr crash."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":1.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2006,"note":"Ecological and economic damage later put by Kazakh authorities."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":0.001,"unit":"USD m","year":1999,"note":"$1,000 paid to one resident in July 1999."},{"key":"compensation_agreed","value":0.4,"unit":"USD m","year":1999,"qualifier":"some","note":"Total for Kazakhstan for the two 1999 crashes (RFE/RL)."},{"key":"insurance_sum_insured","value":24.4,"unit":"USD m","year":1999,"note":"Express-A satellite, Ingosstrakh."},{"key":"steppe_fire_area_ha","value":10000,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fire after Soyuz stages fell in Ulytau district."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"A truck driver died in the 2017 steppe fire."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russian launch accidents on Kazakh territory in 1999, 2006 and 2007 ended in compensation agreements well below Kazakhstan’s first figures: $2.5 million agreed against $60.7 million demanded in 2007, and $1.1 million against a first estimate of $340 million in 2006.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"A resident of Gorbushevka","what":"$1,000 paid by Russia in July 1999","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Khrunichev State Space Center","what":"$1.7 million of the agreed 2007 compensation","src":4},{"who":"Insurers (not named)","what":"$0.8 million of the agreed 2007 compensation","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land in Karaganda and Kyzylorda regions","what":"Debris from the 1999, 2006 and 2007 crashes; 2017 steppe fire of about 10,000 ha after Soyuz stages fell","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Karaganda region (1999, 2007 near Zhezkazgan), Kyzylorda region about 150 km from Baikonur (2006).","src":3},"when":{"t":"July and October 1999; 26–27 July 2006; 6 September 2007; settlements reported in 1999, November 2006 and December 2007.","src":4},"why":{"t":"Unclear: the causes of the accidents. Kazakhstan sought compensation for debris and environmental damage from Russian launches.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Settlements were reached through intergovernmental commissions; amounts were negotiated down from Kazakhstan’s first figures.","src":4}},"related":["proton-m-crash-2013-kazakhstan-claim","baikonur-drop-zones-fuel-monitoring-and-lease","cosmos-954-crash-in-canada"],"sources":[{"t":"Soon we’ll fly. Kazakhs have already been given $1,000","p":"Kommersant","d":"1999-07-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/221942"},{"t":"Klebanov “does not dramatise” the second Proton crash","p":"Lenta.ru","d":"1999-10-29","type":"press","u":"https://lenta.ru/news/1999/10/29/proton/"},{"t":"Kazakhstan: Rocket ban still in place ahead of scheduled Russian launch","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2007-10-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1078928.html"},{"t":"Kazakhstan weighs damage from Russian rocket crash","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2006-11-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/amp/1072503.html"},{"t":"Kazakhstan won’t give Russia a launch","p":"Kommersant","d":"2007-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/837704"},{"t":"Rocket fall near Zhezkazgan: Russia will not pay compensation to Kazakhstan","p":"Zakon.kz","d":"2017-06-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.zakon.kz/proisshestviia/4864705-padenie-rakety-bliz-zhezkazgana-rossiya.html"},{"t":"Ecological consequences of space rocket accidents in Kazakhstan between 1999 and 2018 (Environmental Pollution 268: 115711; abstract)","p":"Koroleva T.V. et al.","d":"2021","type":"academic","u":"https://agris.fao.org/search/en/records/65dfd1a963b8185d9caf34fe"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Proton-M debris fell on me 40–50 km south-west of Zhezkazgan on 6 September 2007; Kazakhstan demanded $60.7 million and $2.5 million was agreed.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Scale of the harm from the 1999 Proton crashes","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Kazakh claims against the sums agreed","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Ingosstrakh: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Insurers (not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: confirmation that the agreed amounts were transferred.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: published measurements for the 1999, 2006 and 2007 crash sites; a 2021 peer-reviewed study covers six accidents from 1999 to 2018 but gives figures in its abstract only for 2013.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: test results for the fragments of the 2017 Soyuz stages.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: environmental damage from the July 1999 crash is given as about $270,000 (RIA Novosti via Lenta.ru) and, in earlier reports, about $83,000.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings; all cases were settled through intergovernmental commissions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"baikonur-drop-zones-fuel-monitoring-and-lease","title":"Baikonur lease, rocket-stage drop zones and fuel monitoring; Proton phase-out and Baiterek","dek":"Russia leases Baikonur for $115 million a year, extended to 2050 at the same rent, and its launches drop spent stages on Kazakh land. Kazakhstan’s 2018–2019 national report recorded petroleum by-products in drop-zone soils and stated that a lack of funding in 2019 prevented an environmental impact study of areas affected by fallen stages and debris.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":45.96,"lon":63.31,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kyzylorda region; Ulytau district drop zone near Zhezkazgan","lat":45.96,"lon":63.31,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":1994,"end":2026,"eventDate":"1994-12-10","instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris","chemical-pollution","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Annual Baikonur lease payment","value":"$115M a year","note":"Extended to 2050 “at the same rent of 115 million dollars a year” (Kazinform, 10 December 2024)."},"happened":["The Baikonur lease was signed on 10 December 1994 and extended to 2050 (signed January 2004), according to Kazinform. The rent is $115 million a year. Kommersant reported in 1999 that Russia was to pay $50 million by November and deliver $65 million in goods and food by year-end. The leased “Baikonur complex” includes the fields where separating parts of launch vehicles fall. In 2011 Serik Temirbulatov (Nur Otan) told parliament that “$115 million is not an adequate amount for the damage inflicted”; Tengrinews reported total 2011 rent of $116.9 million, plus $25 million for military testing sites and $50 million a year for infrastructure upkeep.","Kazakhstan’s National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019 states that monitoring is carried out by the state enterprise Gharysh-Ecology Research Center on behalf of the Aerospace Committee, and that “a lack of funding in 2019 did not allow for an environmental impact study of areas affected by fallen spacecraft stages and debris”. At the cosmodrome in 2018–2019 no exceedances were found in air, soil or snow; however, substance exceedances were detected in 65 air samples and 7 snow samples taken from the area of the fall of the first stage of the Proton-M rocket in 2019 (the substances are not named). At Soyuz stage fall sites petroleum by-products reached up to 28,375 mg/kg in soil, and in 2019 6 of 35 soil samples at seven old Soyuz fall sites exceeded the oil-field benchmark of 100 mg/kg. In Baikonur town, Akai and Toretam 73 of 228 air measurements exceeded safe hydrocarbon levels; at Zhezkazgan and Talap, 68 soil analyses ranged from 5.6 to 3,612 mg/kg petroleum by-products with only two samples not exceeding the benchmark.","Proton launches use heptyl. In November 2014 Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko said the phase-out of Proton launches had been “absolutely agreed upon and laid out in a protocol”, and Deputy Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev called it “a sensitive question for society”; no timetable figures were published. The Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (MOAP) said in 2018 that Proton-M reduction was planned by 2025 and that Cyclone-2 launches stopped in 2008, RS-20 in 2011 and RS-18 in 2014. In June 2023 Vice-Minister Aset Turysov said continuing after 2025 needs detailed working-through of all issues, and in April 2024 Khrunichev CEO Alexey Varochko said Khrunichev and Roscosmos had proposed that Kazakhstan continue Proton launches from Baikonur after 2025, with ten Proton-M rockets in various stages of readiness.","Kazakhstan began the Baiterek project in 2004 “to create its own launch complex with an environmentally clean rocket” (Kazinform); sites 42, 43 and 45 were withdrawn from the lease in 2018. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said in summer 2024 that 14.7 billion tenge was allocated that year, with the remainder of funding to be worked out; Talgat Musabayev said in 2012 that Baiterek’s cost had risen from $223 million to $1.64 billion (as cited by Informburo, 2023). The first Soyuz-5 test launch from Site 45 took place on 30 April 2026 on a suborbital trajectory; Roscosmos said the first and second stages performed normally, and Orda.kz described the fuel as kerosene and liquid oxygen, less toxic than earlier fuel types.","MOAP said in 2018 that no heptyl contamination of the territory under the flight path occurs in normal launches and that more significant pollution occurs in accidents; it also called information about dangerous pollution untrue and said that declaring the cosmodrome an ecological disaster zone is not needed. Infracos, a subsidiary of Kazkosmos, handles ecological work at the cosmodrome and drop zones and has patented bacterial methods for neutralising heptyl in soil. Expert Oleg Balitsky estimated, as quoted by Informburo in 2023, that with improved combustion about 10 kg of heptyl now falls with a stage in a normal launch, against about a tonne previously."],"timeline":[{"y":1994,"t":"Baikonur lease signed (10 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2004,"t":"Lease extended to 2050 (signed January); Baiterek project begins","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Parliament member says $115 million is not adequate for the damage inflicted (Sept)","src":2},{"y":2014,"t":"Protocol to phase out Proton launches (Nov)","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"Baiterek sites 42, 43, 45 withdrawn from the lease; MOAP report on pollution (Oct)","src":4},{"y":2019,"t":"Exceedances found at the Proton-M first-stage fall area; no funding for an environmental impact study of fall areas","src":8},{"y":2024,"t":"Russia proposes continuing Proton after 2025 (24 Apr); lease extension to 2050 reviewed by Kazinform (10 Dec)","src":6},{"y":2026,"t":"First Soyuz-5 (Baiterek) test launch (30 Apr)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"$115 million is not an adequate amount for the damage inflicted","who":"Serik Temirbulatov, Nur Otan, member of Kazakhstan’s parliament","when":"September 2011","src":2},{"q":"The question has been absolutely agreed upon and laid out in a protocol","who":"Oleg Ostapenko, head of Roscosmos, on the Proton phase-out","when":"November 2014","src":3},{"q":"It is a sensitive question for society.","who":"Bakytzhan Sagintayev, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan","when":"November 2014","src":3},{"q":"a lack of funding in 2019 did not allow for an environmental impact study of areas affected by fallen spacecraft stages and debris","who":"National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019","when":"2020","src":8},{"q":"The first and second stages of Soyuz-5 performed normally","who":"Roscosmos","when":"30 April 2026","src":7},{"q":"no heptyl contamination of the territory under the flight path occurs","who":"Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry, on normal launches (translated)","when":"October 2018","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"does not correspond to reality","who":"Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry, on information about dangerous pollution (translated)","when":"October 2018","src":4,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Baiterek as a launch complex “with an environmentally clean rocket”","who":"Kazinform, 2024","src":0},{"t":"Heptyl contamination of the territory under the flight path does not occur in normal launches","who":"Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry, 2018","src":4},{"t":"Soyuz-5 fuel (kerosene and liquid oxygen) less toxic than earlier fuel types","who":"Orda.kz, 2026","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"Lease signed 10 December 1994; extended to 2050 at $115 million a year","src":0},{"t":"2011 total rent $116.9 million, plus $25 million for military testing sites and $50 million a year for infrastructure upkeep (Tengrinews)","src":2},{"t":"Exceedances in 65 air and 7 snow samples at the 2019 Proton-M first-stage fall area","src":8},{"t":"Petroleum by-products up to 28,375 mg/kg at Soyuz stage fall sites; allowable concentrations of petroleum products in soil yet to be established","src":8},{"t":"Baiterek: 14.7 billion tenge allocated in 2024; cost cited as risen from $223 million to $1.64 billion","src":0},{"t":"First Soyuz-5 test launch from Site 45 on 30 April 2026","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Annual; 2011 and 2024 figures","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Annual Baikonur lease payment","amount":115,"window":"per year, unchanged to 2050","note":"Kazinform, 10 December 2024."},{"label":"Total 2011 rent (Tengrinews)","amount":116.9,"window":"2011","note":"Plus $25 million for military testing sites and $50 million a year for infrastructure upkeep."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Annual lease","v":"$115M","d":"Extended to 2050 at the same rent"},{"k":"Petroleum by-products at Soyuz fall sites","v":"up to 28,375 mg/kg","d":"Soil, 2018–2019; benchmark 100 mg/kg"},{"k":"Proton-M fall area 2019","v":"65 air, 7 snow samples","d":"Exceedances detected"},{"k":"Baiterek 2024 allocation","v":"KZT 14.7bn","d":"Prime Minister Bektenov"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Kazakhstan’s National Report 2018–2019 records petroleum by-products above the benchmark at Soyuz fall sites and exceedances at the 2019 Proton-M first-stage fall area, and states that funding was lacking for an impact study of fall areas.","report":[{"t":"In 2019, exceedances were detected in 65 air samples and 7 snow samples from the area where the first stage of a Proton-M rocket fell on my land.","src":8},{"t":"At Soyuz stage fall sites my soil held petroleum by-products up to 28,375 mg/kg in 2018–2019; 6 of 35 samples at seven old fall sites exceeded 100 mg/kg in 2019.","src":8},{"t":"Around Zhezkazgan and Talap, 68 soil analyses of petroleum by-products ranged from 5.6 to 3,612 mg/kg, with only two samples not exceeding the 100 mg/kg benchmark.","src":8},{"t":"In 2019 there was no funding for an environmental impact study of the areas where spacecraft stages and debris have fallen on me.","src":8}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the environmental impact of fallen spacecraft stages and debris in 2019; funding for the study was lacking (national report).","Unclear: which substances exceeded limits in 2019 samples from the Proton-M first-stage fall area; the national report does not name them.","Not measured: allowable concentrations of petroleum products in soil have yet to be established (national report).","Unclear: whether the 1994 lease treaty and the 2050 extension protocol contain environmental-liability clauses.","None on record: a published Kazakh decision on Proton launches after 2025.","None on record: insurance cover for environmental damage at the drop zones.","Unclear: monitoring data for 2020–2026."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Proton launches continue; a 2014 protocol set a phase-out and MOAP said in 2018 that reduction was planned by 2025. Not disclosed: a Kazakh decision on Proton launches after 2025.","whoPaid":"Russia pays $115 million a year in rent, unchanged to 2050 (Kazinform). Kazakhstan funds the Baiterek project (KZT 14.7bn allocated in 2024) and national monitoring; the national report states that funding in 2019 was lacking for an impact study of fall areas.","statusLine":"As of 30 April 2026: first Soyuz-5 (Baiterek) test launch held from Site 45; no published Kazakh decision on Proton launches after 2025 is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"kazakhstan-moap","says":"Heptyl contamination of the territory under the flight path does not occur in normal launches; information about dangerous pollution does not correspond to reality and declaring the cosmodrome an ecological disaster zone is not needed.","when":"October 2018","src":4},{"actor":"kazakhstan-aerospace-committee","says":"Thirty years of the lease were a time of trial, errors and new decisions; Kazakhstan intends to develop the cosmodrome further (chair Baubek Oralmagambetov).","when":"10 December 2024","src":0},{"actor":"khrunichev","says":"Khrunichev and Roscosmos proposed that Kazakhstan continue Proton launches from Baikonur after 2025 (CEO Alexey Varochko via RIA Novosti).","when":"24 April 2024","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Lessor of Baikonur"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Lessee of Baikonur; pays $115 million a year"},{"id":"roscosmos","role":"Operator of Proton and Soyuz launches"},{"id":"khrunichev","role":"Proton manufacturer; proposed continuing launches after 2025"},{"id":"kazakhstan-moap","role":"2018 report on pollution after accidents"},{"id":"kazakhstan-aerospace-committee","role":"Commissions environmental monitoring"},{"id":"kazakhstan-ecology-ministry","role":"Publisher of the National Report 2018–2019"},{"id":"infracos","role":"Ecological work at the cosmodrome and drop zones"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Heptyl contamination under the flight path and at drop zones","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Defence and Aerospace Industry (2018)","says":"No heptyl contamination of the territory under the flight path occurs in normal launches.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019","says":"Exceedances were detected in 65 air and 7 snow samples at the 2019 Proton-M first-stage fall area; the substances are not named.","src":8}]},{"point":"Whether Proton launches continue after 2025","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Khrunichev CEO Alexey Varochko (April 2024)","says":"Khrunichev and Roscosmos proposed that Kazakhstan continue Proton launches after 2025.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vice-Minister Aset Turysov (June 2023)","says":"Continuing after 2025 needs detailed working-through of all issues, taking existing circumstances and risks into account.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko (November 2014)","says":"The phase-out is absolutely agreed upon and laid out in a protocol.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"lease_payment","value":115,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2024,"note":"Extended to 2050 at the same rent (Kazinform)."},{"key":"rent_total_2011","value":116.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"Tengrinews; plus $25 million for military testing sites and $50 million a year for infrastructure upkeep."},{"key":"baiterek_allocation","value":14700,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Prime Minister Bektenov: allocated for that year."},{"key":"baiterek_cost_2012","value":1640,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Cited by Informburo (2023) from Talgat Musabayev: risen from $223 million."},{"key":"petroleum_byproducts_soyuz_mg_kg","value":28375,"unit":"mg/kg","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Soil at Soyuz stage fall sites; benchmark 100 mg/kg."},{"key":"proton_m_air_exceedances","value":65,"unit":"samples","year":2019,"note":"Air samples with substance exceedances at the first-stage fall area."},{"key":"proton_m_snow_exceedances","value":7,"unit":"samples","year":2019,"note":"Snow samples with substance exceedances."},{"key":"soyuz_soil_samples_exceeding","value":6,"unit":"of 35 samples","year":2019,"note":"Seven old Soyuz fall sites, benchmark 100 mg/kg."},{"key":"air_measurements_exceeding","value":73,"unit":"of 228 measurements","year":2019,"note":"Baikonur town, Akai and Toretam."},{"key":"heptyl_per_stage_kg","value":10,"unit":"kg","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Expert estimate quoted by Informburo for a normal launch with improved combustion; about a tonne previously."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia leases Baikonur for $115 million a year, extended to 2050, and its launches drop spent stages on Kazakh land. Kazakhstan’s national report recorded petroleum by-products in drop-zone soils and stated that funding was lacking in 2019 for an impact study of fall areas.","src":8},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakhstan","what":"$115 million a year in rent, unchanged to 2050","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Kazakhstan’s budget","what":"Baiterek: KZT 14.7bn allocated in 2024; environmental monitoring with funding shortfall in 2019","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil and air at drop zones and around Baikonur","what":"Petroleum by-products up to 28,375 mg/kg at Soyuz fall sites; exceedances at the 2019 Proton-M fall area","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"Baikonur Cosmodrome and town, Kyzylorda region; Proton first-stage drop zone in Ulytau district near Zhezkazgan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lease signed 10 December 1994, extended to 2050; Proton phase-out protocol November 2014; monitoring 2018–2019; first Soyuz-5 test launch 30 April 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The lease covers the cosmodrome and the fields where separating rocket parts fall; Proton launches use heptyl, and Kazakhstan began Baiterek in 2004 to build its own launch complex with a rocket it describes as environmentally cleaner.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Annual rent of $115 million; monitoring by the state enterprise Gharysh-Ecology Research Center for the Aerospace Committee; Infracos handles ecological work, including heptyl neutralisation in soil.","src":8}},"related":["proton-m-crash-2013-kazakhstan-claim","baikonur-launch-accidents-1999-2007-compensation","sary-shagan-test-range-lease","cosmos-954-crash-in-canada"],"sources":[{"t":"30 years of the Baikonur lease: what Kazakhstan owns today","p":"Kazinform","d":"2024-12-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.inform.kz/ru/30-let-arendi-baykonura-chem-vladeet-kazahstan-segodnya-4947eb"},{"t":"Soon we’ll fly. Kazakhs have already been given $1,000","p":"Kommersant","d":"1999-07-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/221942"},{"t":"Kazakhstan’s Parliament calls for greater Baikonur rent payments","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2011-09-20","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/4569/"},{"t":"Russia and Kazakhstan to begin phasing out Proton rocket launches","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2014-11-24","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/2014/11/24/russia-and-kazakhstan-to-begin-phasing-out-proton-rocket-launches-a41650"},{"t":"MOAP RK presented a report on environmental pollution after accidents at Baikonur","p":"Informburo","d":"2018-10-11","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/moap-rk-predstavil-otchyot-o-zagryaznenii-ekologii-posle-avariy-na-baykonure.html"},{"t":"Russia wants to continue Proton launches from Baikonur after 2025. Will Kazakhstan agree?","p":"Informburo","d":"2023-06-08","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/stati/rossiya-xocet-prodolzit-zapusk-protonov-s-baikonura-posle-2025-goda-soglasitsya-li-kazaxstan"},{"t":"Russia proposed that Kazakhstan continue Proton launches from Baikonur","p":"BES.media (citing RIA Novosti)","d":"2024-04-24","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/rossiya-predlozhila-kazahstanu-prodolzhit-puski-raket-proton-s-baykonura/"},{"t":"Soyuz-5 makes first test launch under the Baiterek project","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2026-05-01","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/soyuz-5-makes-first-test-launch-under-the-baiterek-project-10280/"},{"t":"National Report on the State of the Environment 2018–2019: Baikonur Cosmodrome","p":"Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan (with EC, UNEP, Zoï)","d":"2020","type":"official","u":"https://newecodoklad.ecogosfond.kz/2018_2019/regions/18/?lang=en"},{"t":"Compensation of Proton-M crash damage taking way too long: Kazakhstan","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2014-03-14","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/25820"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Heptyl contamination under the flight path and at drop zones","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Proton launches continue after 2025","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the environmental impact of fallen spacecraft stages and debris in 2019; funding for the study was lacking (national report).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: which substances exceeded limits in 2019 samples from the Proton-M first-stage fall area; the national report does not name them.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: allowable concentrations of petroleum products in soil have yet to be established (national report).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the 1994 lease treaty and the 2050 extension protocol contain environmental-liability clauses.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published Kazakh decision on Proton launches after 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover for environmental damage at the drop zones.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: monitoring data for 2020–2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sary-shagan-test-range-lease","title":"Sary-Shagan test range lease to Russia: rent, a 1992–1996 compensation clause and an ecological commission","dek":"Russia leases the Sary-Shagan military test range in Kazakhstan under 1995 and 1996 treaties. Annual rent has been $16.276 million since 1 January 2016; the 1996 treaty fixes compensation of $99.85 million for 1992–1996 property losses and expenses and provides for a joint commission on the range’s ecological consequences, to be remedied at the lessee’s expense.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46.03,"lon":73.7,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Karaganda and Zhambyl regions; Priozersk, west and north-west of Lake Balkhash","lat":46.03,"lon":73.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":1992,"end":2016,"eventDate":"1996-10-18","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","law-policy"],"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"headline":{"label":"Annual rent for the Sary-Shagan range from 1 January 2016","value":"$16.276M a year","note":"“an amount equivalent to 16.276 million US dollars” (Art. 4 of the lease treaty, as amended in 2016), paid in two equal instalments a year."},"happened":["Russia uses the Sary-Shagan military test range west and north-west of Lake Balkhash in the Betpak-Dala desert, Karaganda and Zhambyl regions, near the town of Priozersk, under an Agreement on conditions of use and lease dated 20 January 1995 (ratified by Law No. 74 of 5 July 2000) and a Lease Treaty dated 18 October 1996 (ratified by Law No. 73-II of 5 July 2000, in force 7 May 2003). A 2007 protocol and a 2016 amendment (Law No. 463-V of 29 February 2016) changed the rent. Protocols of 16 April 2015, ratified by the Senate on 18 February 2016, returned over 16,000 km² to Kazakhstan.","The treaty sets the rent at $2.33 per hectare per year (Art. 3, as amended in 2007) and, from 1 January 2016, at an amount equivalent to $16.276 million a year, paid in dollars in two equal instalments (Arts. 4–5). Trend.az reported on 20 February 2015 that the previous rent was about $18.932 million a year (2005–2015) and that rent for the ranges of Russia’s 929th State Flight Test Centre was $4.454 million in 2015, with $3.081 million proposed from 2016. Russian Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov said the combined lease for the ranges would fall from $23,486,000 to $19,357,000 a year (Tengrinews, 20 April 2015). Kazakh Deputy Defence Minister Okas Saparov told the Senate in 2016 that withdrawing more than 1 million hectares reduces the rent by more than $2.5 million; the released plots include 711,290 ha for air routes A-113 and A-73 and Zhamanaibat for non-ferrous metal mining.","Article 6 of the treaty provides that “compensation for property losses and expenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan connected with operating the range in 1992–1996, in an amount equivalent to 99.85 million US dollars, is made under a separate agreement which the Parties will conclude during 1997” (translated). Article 9 provides that within two months of the treaty’s entry into force the parties create a joint commission to determine the extent of possible negative ecological consequences of the range’s activity since 1992 and, if they are found, methods and timelines for eliminating them at the lessee’s expense. If targets, test vehicles, rockets or their parts fall outside the range by the lessee’s fault, the lessee compensates the lessor for the actual damage caused.","The 1995 Agreement states that when ecological damage is caused by the range’s activity, elimination of the consequences is carried out by the Russian Federation, with the procedure and amount of damage set by a specially created interstate commission, and that Russia undertakes through long-term nature-protection programmes the improvement of the ecological situation within the range. Russia bears no responsibility for damage, including to ecology and nature use, from Kazakhstan’s own use of range land with third countries.","Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in April 2015: “We took into account the interests of Kazakhstan when returning the land from lease”, adding that the new boundaries are “sufficient for testing of new arms and military equipment”."],"timeline":[{"y":1992,"t":"Start of the period for which the 1996 treaty provides $99.85 million compensation (1992–1996)","src":0},{"y":1995,"t":"Agreement on conditions of use and lease (20 Jan); ratified by Law No. 74 on 5 Jul 2000","src":1},{"y":1996,"t":"Lease Treaty signed (18 Oct); ratified by Law No. 73-II on 5 Jul 2000; in force 7 May 2003","src":0},{"y":2007,"t":"Protocol (Law of 21 July 2007 No. 284) amends the rent rate","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Protocols return over 16,000 km² (16 Apr)","src":4},{"y":2016,"t":"Senate ratification (18 Feb); rent of $16.276 million a year from 1 Jan under Law No. 463-V (29 Feb)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"We took into account the interests of Kazakhstan when returning the land from lease","who":"Sergei Shoigu, Russian Defence Minister","when":"April 2015","src":4},{"q":"sufficient for testing of new arms and military equipment","who":"Sergei Shoigu, Russian Defence Minister, on the new boundaries","when":"April 2015","src":4},{"q":"by more than 2.5 million US dollars","who":"Okas Saparov, Kazakh Deputy Defence Minister, on the rent reduction (translated)","when":"February 2016","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"compensates the Lessor for the actual damage caused","who":"Lease Treaty, Art. 9 (translated)","when":"18 October 1996","src":0,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The interests of Kazakhstan were taken into account when land was returned from lease","who":"Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, April 2015","src":4},{"t":"The lessee is to fund the elimination of the range’s ecological consequences if a joint commission finds any","who":"Lease Treaty, Art. 9","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rent $2.33 per hectare per year; $16.276 million a year from 1 January 2016, paid in two equal instalments","src":0},{"t":"Previous rent about $18.932 million a year (2005–2015)","src":3},{"t":"Treaty provides $99.85 million compensation for Kazakhstan’s property losses and expenses of 1992–1996, under a separate agreement to be concluded in 1997","src":0},{"t":"Treaty provides for a joint ecological commission and elimination of consequences at the lessee’s expense","src":0},{"t":"Over 16,000 km² returned to Kazakhstan under 2015 protocols","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2005–2016 and 1992–1996","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Annual rent for the Sary-Shagan range from 1 January 2016 (Art. 4)","amount":16.276,"window":"per year from 2016"},{"label":"Previous annual rent, Sary-Shagan range","amount":18.932,"qualifier":"about","window":"2005–2015"},{"label":"Compensation clause: Kazakhstan’s property losses and expenses, 1992–1996 (Art. 6)","amount":99.85,"window":"1992–1996","note":"To be made under a separate agreement to be concluded in 1997."},{"label":"Combined lease for the ranges after the 2015 returns (Antonov)","amount":19.357,"window":"per year","note":"Falls from $23.486 million a year."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Annual rent from 2016","v":"$16.276M","d":"Paid in two equal instalments a year"},{"k":"Compensation clause, 1992–1996","v":"$99.85M","d":"Property losses and expenses; separate agreement due in 1997"},{"k":"Land returned in 2015","v":"over 16,000 km²","d":"Protocols of 16 April 2015"}]},"unknown":["None on record: whether the joint ecological commission under Article 9 was formed, what it found, or any Russian clean-up spending.","None on record: confirmation that the separate agreement for the $99.85 million was concluded or that the amount was paid.","None on record: measured contamination data for the Sary-Shagan range.","None on record: court proceedings.","None on record: insurance cover.","Unclear: the current (2026) rent and any debris-fall incidents with damage paid."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record: any Article 9 ecological commission finding or clean-up; over 16,000 km² of the leased area was returned to Kazakhstan under 2015 protocols.","whoPaid":"Russia pays the annual rent (about $18.932 million a year in 2005–2015, $16.276 million from 2016). Under the treaty, elimination of ecological consequences is at the lessee’s expense. None on record: any such payment or the $99.85 million compensation.","statusLine":"As of the 2016 amendment (Law No. 463-V, 29 February 2016): rent of $16.276 million a year from 1 January 2016; no later figures are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"Russia took Kazakhstan’s interests into account when returning land from lease; the new boundaries are sufficient for testing new arms and military equipment (Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu).","when":"April 2015","src":4},{"actor":"kazakhstan-government","says":"Withdrawing more than 1 million hectares reduces the rent by more than $2.5 million (Deputy Defence Minister Okas Saparov).","when":"February 2016","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Lessor"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Lessee; treaty obligations on rent, compensation and ecological consequences"},{"id":"russia-ministry-defence","role":"Operator of the range (929th State Flight Test Centre ranges nearby)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Sary-Shagan Lease Treaty: compensation clause (Art. 6) and ecological commission (Art. 9)","forum":"Bilateral treaty between Kazakhstan and Russia (ratified by Law No. 73-II)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"international","claimant":"Republic of Kazakhstan (lessor)","defendant":"Russian Federation (lessee)","filed":1996,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":99.85,"currency":"USD","label":"treaty compensation clause for 1992–1996 property losses and expenses"},"summary":"Art. 6 provides $99.85 million for Kazakhstan’s property losses and expenses of 1992–1996 under a separate agreement due in 1997; Art. 9 provides for a joint commission on ecological consequences since 1992 and for their elimination at the lessee’s expense. None on record: conclusion of the separate agreement or payment.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"rent_annual","value":16.276,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2016,"note":"Art. 4, from 1 January 2016."},{"key":"rent_per_hectare","value":2.33,"unit":"USD per ha per year","year":2007,"note":"Art. 3, as amended in 2007."},{"key":"rent_annual","value":18.932,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Previous rent, 2005–2015 (Trend.az)."},{"key":"compensation_clause","value":99.85,"unit":"USD m","year":1996,"note":"Art. 6, 1992–1996 property losses and expenses."},{"key":"land_returned_km2","value":16000,"unit":"km²","year":2015,"qualifier":"over","note":"Protocols of 16 April 2015."},{"key":"rent_reduction","value":2.5,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reduction from withdrawing more than 1 million ha (Saparov)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia leases the Sary-Shagan military test range in Kazakhstan under 1995 and 1996 treaties, with annual rent of $16.276 million from 2016, a $99.85 million compensation clause for 1992–1996 and an ecological commission clause.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kazakhstan","what":"Annual rent of $16.276 million from 2016; return of over 16,000 km² in 2015","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Russia (lessee)","what":"Pays rent; treaty obligations to compensate for 1992–1996 losses ($99.85 million) and to eliminate ecological consequences at its expense","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"West and north-west of Lake Balkhash, Betpak-Dala desert, Karaganda and Zhambyl regions; town of Priozersk.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Agreement of 20 January 1995; Lease Treaty of 18 October 1996, in force 7 May 2003; rent amended in 2007 and 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The range serves Russian military testing; Shoigu said the returned land left boundaries sufficient for testing new arms and military equipment.","src":4},"how":{"t":"A treaty-fixed rent in dollars, a compensation clause under a separate agreement, and a joint commission on ecological consequences with elimination at the lessee’s expense.","src":0}},"related":["baikonur-drop-zones-fuel-monitoring-and-lease","semipalatinsk-test-site-compensation-law"],"sources":[{"t":"Law No. 73-II ratifying the Sary-Shagan lease treaty (treaty of 18 October 1996, revision of 29 February 2016; Adilet text via zakon.uchet.kz)","p":"Republic of Kazakhstan","d":"2000-07-05","type":"official","u":"https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/Z000000073_"},{"t":"Law No. 74 ratifying the Agreement on conditions of use and lease of Sary-Shagan (agreement of 20 January 1995; Adilet text via zakon.uchet.kz)","p":"Republic of Kazakhstan","d":"2000-07-05","type":"official","u":"https://zakon.uchet.kz/rus/docs/Z000000074_"},{"t":"Senate ratified amendments to the Sary-Shagan lease agreement with Russia","p":"Zakon.kz","d":"2016-02-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.zakon.kz/redaktsiia-zakonkz/4775756-senat-ratificiroval-popravki-v.html"},{"t":"Kazakhstan plans to decrease rent price for Russian military objects","p":"Trend.az","d":"2015-02-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.trend.az/casia/kazakhstan/2366617.html"},{"t":"Russia returns land the size of Montenegro to Kazakhstan","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2015-04-20","type":"press","u":"https://en.tengrinews.kz/news/259899/"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Over 16,000 km² of my Sary-Shagan range land were returned to Kazakhstan under protocols of 16 April 2015; the 1996 lease treaty provides a joint commission to determine ecological consequences since 1992.","src":[4,2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Sary-Shagan Lease Treaty: compensation clause (Art. 6) and ecological commission (Art. 9): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the joint ecological commission under Article 9 was formed, what it found, or any Russian clean-up spending.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: confirmation that the separate agreement for the $99.85 million was concluded or that the amount was paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured contamination data for the Sary-Shagan range.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the current (2026) rent and any debris-fall incidents with damage paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"semey-ormany-forest-fire-2023","title":"Semey Ormany forest fire, Kazakhstan","dek":"A fire burned part of the Semey Ormany pine reserve in Abai region, Kazakhstan, from 8 June to 13 July 2023; 14 employees of the reserve died. Courts convicted four people in 2024, and the Ministry of Ecology valued the damage at more than KZT 165 billion.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":50.5,"lon":81.3,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Abai region (formerly East Kazakhstan)","lat":50.5,"lon":81.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-06-08","instrument":"wildfire","types":["wildfire","protected-area","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Damage valued by the Ministry of Ecology","value":"> KZT 165 bn","note":"About KZT 30 bn of direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss or reduction of the forest's useful properties (Ministry briefing, 16 October 2023). The reserve's own valuation is KZT 161,555,125,335."},"happened":["A fire started on 8 June 2023 in the Batpaevskoe forestry of the Novoshulbinsk branch of the state forest natural reserve “Semey Ormany” in Abai region (formerly East Kazakhstan) and spread into the Kamyshenka and Uspenka forestries. It was localised in the Kamyshenka forest district on 10 June, and the President declared a national day of mourning on 12 June. The fire was declared fully extinguished on 13 July 2023; more than 1,500 people took part. Fourteen employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch died while fighting the fire. The government's list of supported families also covers a tractor driver who took part in the firefighting.","On 10 November 2023 the Prosecutor General's Office gave the cause as “ignition of the ground cover when a lightning discharge hit the trunk of a coniferous tree” during a dry thunderstorm (translated from Russian), and said expert opinions, photos, videos and witness statements support this version. The area burned is given as more than 60,000 ha (Prosecutor General's Office, January 2025), 63,333 ha (the reserve) and about 66,000 ha, described as about one-tenth of the reserve (government, July 2024).","The reserve valued the material damage at KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha. On 16 October 2023 the Ministry of Ecology announced a valuation of more than KZT 165 bn made with the Ministry of Emergency Situations; Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev divided it into about KZT 30 bn of direct damage (burned timber, destroyed equipment) and about KZT 130 bn for loss or reduction of the forest's useful properties (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover). Families of the dead received KZT 7 mln each plus KZT 2 mln per minor child from the fund “Qazaqstan Halqyna” (KZT 127 mln in total as of 15 June 2023), loan write-offs totalling KZT 36.2 mln, KZT 3 mln per family from Halyk Bank, and furnished apartments in Semey. National and local budgets funded KZT 15.9 bn of forestry machinery and equipment in 2023 and KZT 52 bn in 2024.","On 13 May 2024 the Borodulikha District Court sentenced the acting director general of the reserve and the director of the Novoshulbinsk branch to seven years' imprisonment each under Article 292 part 3 of the Criminal Code (violation of fire-safety requirements causing by negligence the death of two or more persons). It found that they had failed to organise firefighting, misjudged the situation and did not ensure safety, which led to 14 deaths. The Abai Region Court left the verdict unchanged on 26 August 2024. In October 2024 two further officials were convicted of negligence under Article 371 part 2: the head of the reserve's IT and communications department (two years' imprisonment and a three-year ban from public-service posts, upheld on appeal on 6 December 2024; the court set the damage from a lightning-detection system that did not function properly from 2020 to 2023 at KZT 26,023,070) and the acting director general of the state enterprise “Kazakh base for aviation protection of forests and forestry services” (two years' imprisonment and a two-year ban). On 22 January 2025 the Prosecutor General's Office said all criminal cases on the fire were concluded; disciplinary measures were applied to 10 officials of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and to employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.","On 9 July 2024 the Interior Ministry detained a branch director of the reserve and associates on suspicion of timber theft, abuse of office, taking bribes, embezzlement and forgery; no outcome is on record. On 22 April 2025 the Interior Ministry reported detentions over the theft of 260,000 pine seedlings meant for restoration, worth more than KZT 500 mln; the group suspected of the theft was described as local residents and former reserve employees. Restoration is funded by the state, by the Halyk Charitable Fund (KZT 1 bn committed over five years across three sites) and by a nursery programme; by September 2026 more than one million seedlings had been planted on 400 ha in Semey Ormany under the Halyk programme."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Fire starts (8 Jun); localised in the Kamyshenka forest district (10 Jun); day of mourning (12 Jun); declared extinguished (13 Jul); Ministry of Ecology announces its damage valuation (16 Oct); Prosecutor General's Office names the cause and the case against the reserve's leaders goes to court (10 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Borodulikha District Court sentences two reserve leaders to seven years each (13 May); branch director detained on suspicion of timber theft (9 Jul); appeal rejected (26 Aug); two further officials convicted of negligence (Oct); IT department head's conviction upheld (6 Dec)","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"Prosecutor General's Office says all criminal cases on the fire are concluded (22 Jan); Interior Ministry reports detentions over the theft of 260,000 restoration seedlings (22 Apr)","src":7},{"y":2026,"t":"Halyk programme reports more than one million seedlings planted on 400 ha since autumn 2025 (3 Sep)","src":15}],"said":[{"q":"ignition of the ground cover when a lightning discharge hit the trunk of a coniferous tree","who":"Prosecutor General's Office, on the cause of the fire","when":"10 November 2023","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Last year there was a very serious fire - 66 thousand hectares we lost.","who":"Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister, at the reserve","when":"26 July 2024","src":13},{"q":"We must not allow the tragedy to repeat itself.","who":"Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister, at the reserve","when":"26 July 2024","src":13},{"q":"Unfortunately, it took a tragedy for the money to appear and for all of this to be bought","who":"Gani Alpyschalov, deputy head of the reserve","when":"30 May 2024","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"on a residual principle","who":"An ecologist quoted by Informburo, on how forestry was financed","when":"June 2023","src":12,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The cause was presented as lightning striking a conifer during a dry thunderstorm, with expert opinions, photos, videos and witness statements cited in support.","who":"Prosecutor General's Office","src":0},{"t":"The KZT 52 bn spent on forestry firefighting equipment in 2024 was presented as being “for the first time in the history of the country's forestry sector”.","who":"Government of Kazakhstan","src":14},{"t":"The damage to the forest was presented as a total of more than KZT 165 bn, of which about KZT 130 bn is a valuation of lost ecosystem functions.","who":"Ministry of Ecology","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The reserve valued the material damage at KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha.","src":2},{"t":"The Ministry of Ecology valued the damage at more than KZT 165 bn: about KZT 30 bn direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss or reduction of the forest's useful properties.","src":1},{"t":"Before the fire, foresters earned under KZT 100,000 a month and firefighters about KZT 200,000; an ecologist quoted by Informburo said forestry was financed “on a residual principle”.","src":12},{"t":"After the fire, 12,876 state forest guard employees received a 100% salary rise in 2023, and KZT 8.4 bn from the national budget was allocated for 2024–2027 pay rises in forestry and nature protection.","src":13},{"t":"Video surveillance covered about 26–27% of the reserve in May 2024.","src":2},{"t":"Four fire trucks donated by the public association “Ak Ertis” stood idle because, the reserve said, Euro-3 vehicles cannot be registered.","src":2},{"t":"Firms buy burned wood at electronic auctions for KZT 10,300 per cubic metre; more than KZT 7,000 of that goes to the state as the standing-timber fee, and the reserve said the rest covers wages and fuel.","src":2},{"t":"The convicted reserve leaders asked for acquittal on appeal; the Abai Region Court left the verdict unchanged.","src":3},{"t":"The pre-trial case against officials of the Ministry of Ecology and the Ministry of Emergency Situations ended with disciplinary measures.","src":7},{"t":"Earlier fires in the reserve: 260 ha and KZT 78 mln of damage in 2018; 3,948 ha in 2020.","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2023–2026; mixed, see each line","nature":[{"label":"Halyk Charitable Fund programme “Halyk Ormany”: committed over five years for 9 million trees across Semey Ormany, Ile-Alatau and the Astana green belt","amount":1000,"qualifier":"committed","window":"five years","note":"Not all for Semey Ormany."},{"label":"Irrigation in Semey Ormany (Halyk fund)","amount":146,"window":"2026"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Damage valuation by the reserve (63,333 ha)","amount":161555.125335,"window":"2023–2024","note":"Valuation, not spending."},{"label":"Damage valuation by the Ministry of Ecology (about 30 bn direct, about 130 bn lost forest functions)","amount":165000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2023","note":"Valuation, not spending."},{"label":"Fund “Qazaqstan Halqyna” payments to families of the dead (as of 15 June 2023)","amount":127,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Loans of the dead and their families written off (as of 15 June 2023)","amount":36.2,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Damage set by the court for the non-functioning lightning-detection system","amount":26.02307,"window":"2021–2023","note":"KZT 26,023,070."},{"label":"Forestry machinery and equipment funded from national and local budgets","amount":15900,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Forestry firefighting equipment (of which KZT 40 bn through leasing)","amount":52000,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Early-detection system at Semey Ormany (planned)","amount":3100,"qualifier":"planned","window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area burned","v":"63,333 ha","d":"Reserve's figure; the government cites about 66,000 ha, about one-tenth of the reserve"},{"k":"Damage valued","v":"> KZT 165 bn","d":"Ministry of Ecology; about KZT 130 bn is the valuation of lost forest functions"},{"k":"Recovery time","v":"20+ years","d":"A forest pathologist's estimate for a burned plot to become forest again"},{"k":"Seedling survival, Halyk trial","v":"97% vs 25%","d":"Locally grown stock vs non-local stock"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The reserve valued the fire area at 63,333 ha, the government at about 66,000 ha; a forest pathologist estimates at least 20 years for a burned plot to become forest again.","report":[{"t":"My Semey Ormany pine forest lost 63,333 hectares to a fire in June 2023, according to the reserve; the government gives about 66,000 hectares, about one-tenth of the reserve.","src":2},{"t":"The Ministry of Ecology valued the loss or reduction of my useful properties (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover) at about KZT 130 billion.","src":1},{"t":"A forest pathologist estimates that a burned plot needs at least 20 years to become forest again; in some areas replanting must wait 3–4 years because the fire destroyed soil minerals.","src":2},{"t":"A fire in 1997 burned 80,000 hectares of my pine belt; about 40,000 hectares have been restored since, according to Tengrinews.","src":2},{"t":"In a Halyk fund trial, seedlings from local stock survived at 97% and non-local stock at 25%.","src":15}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the Ministry of Ecology briefing as reported gives about KZT 30 bn of direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss of forest functions, and the same article also cites “direct damage of 160 billion tenge”.","None on record: a civil-claim amount for the deaths in the Article 292 case (Abai Region Court, 26 August 2024).","None on record: criminal charges against officials of the Ministry of Ecology or the Ministry of Emergency Situations; the pre-trial case ended with disciplinary measures.","Not disclosed: the amounts of the employer's monthly payments and one-off help to the families under the collective agreement.","None on record: hectares replanted or a restoration budget in the Tengrinews report of 30 May 2024.","None on record: an outcome of the 2024 timber-theft case and the 2025 seedling-theft case; both are at suspicion stage."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The fire was declared fully extinguished on 13 July 2023.","whoPaid":"The reserve's pine forest and the 14 employees who died. Families received payments from the fund “Qazaqstan Halqyna”, Halyk Bank, the employer and the state; no payment against the KZT 165 bn damage valuation is on record.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: all criminal cases on the fire concluded (Prosecutor General's Office, January 2025); restoration planting under way; the 2024 timber-theft and 2025 seedling-theft cases at suspicion stage, no outcome on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office","says":"Gave lightning on a conifer in a dry thunderstorm as the cause, and said the leaders of the reserve and the branch had not fulfilled duties to organise firefighting, had misjudged the situation and had not ensured safety.","when":"10 November 2023","src":0},{"actor":"kz-ministry-of-ecology","says":"Announced a damage valuation of more than KZT 165 bn, split into about KZT 30 bn direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss of forest functions.","when":"16 October 2023","src":1},{"actor":"semey-ormany-reserve","says":"Valued the damage at KZT 161,555,125,335; said it bought 10 trucks, 14 small firefighting units and fire-resistant gear after the fire.","when":"30 May 2024","src":2},{"actor":"kazakhstan-government","says":"Prime Minister said KZT 52 bn was allocated in 2024 for forestry firefighting equipment and that the tragedy must not repeat.","when":"26 July 2024; 8 October 2024","src":13}],"actors":[{"id":"semey-ormany-reserve","role":"Reserve where the fire burned; employer of the 14 who died"},{"id":"kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office","role":"Named the cause; prosecuted the reserve's officials"},{"id":"kz-ministry-of-ecology","role":"Responsible ministry; announced the damage valuation"},{"id":"borodulikha-district-court","role":"Sentenced the two reserve leaders (13 May 2024)"},{"id":"abai-region-court","role":"Rejected the appeal (26 August 2024); upheld the IT head's conviction"},{"id":"kz-interior-ministry","role":"Reported the 2024 timber-theft and 2025 seedling-theft detentions"},{"id":"halyk-charitable-fund","role":"Funds seedlings and irrigation"},{"id":"qazaqstan-halqyna","role":"Paid support to the families"},{"id":"halyk-bank","role":"Paid KZT 3 mln per family"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Funded firefighting equipment and pay rises"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Value of the damage to the forest","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Semey Ormany reserve","says":"Total material damage of KZT 161,555,125,335 over a final fire area of 63,333 ha.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"More than KZT 165 bn, of which about KZT 130 bn is a valuation of lost ecosystem functions (CO2 absorption, oxygen release, pastures, grass cover) rather than cash spent.","src":1}]},{"point":"Area burned","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General's Office","says":"More than 60 thousand hectares of the forest fund.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Semey Ormany reserve","says":"63,333 ha.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prime Minister's office","says":"About 66,000 hectares, described as about one-tenth of the reserve.","src":13}]},{"point":"Number of dead","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Borodulikha District Court","says":"14 deaths.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Orda.kz","says":"Gives “15 lives”.","src":8},{"voice":"press","holder":"Sputnik Kazakhstan","says":"Reports that the body of one more employee was found later.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against the reserve's acting director general and the Novoshulbinsk branch director","forum":"Borodulikha District Court, Abai region","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Acting director general of the Semey Ormany reserve; director of the Novoshulbinsk branch","filed":2023,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 13 May 2024 the court convicted both under Criminal Code Article 292 part 3 (violation of fire-safety requirements causing by negligence the death of two or more persons; 5–10 years) and sentenced each to seven years' imprisonment; minor children were a mitigating factor. It found they had failed to organise firefighting, misjudged the situation and did not ensure safety, which led to 14 deaths.","src":5},{"title":"Appeal in the Article 292 case","forum":"Abai Region Court","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Acting director general of the Semey Ormany reserve; director of the Novoshulbinsk branch","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 26 August 2024 the court left the verdict unchanged and did not satisfy the appeals; the convicted had asked for acquittal.","src":3},{"title":"Criminal case against the head of the reserve's IT and communications department","forum":"Semey City Court No. 2; Abai Region Court on appeal","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Head of the reserve's IT and communications department","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":26.02307,"currency":"KZT","label":"damage set by the court (KZT 26,023,070)"},"summary":"Convicted in October 2024 under Article 371 part 2 (negligence): two years' imprisonment and a three-year ban from public-service posts; upheld on appeal in December 2024. Payments to service companies for lightning-detection maintenance were made in 2021–2023 and experts concluded the system did not function properly from 2020 to 2023. The convicted admitted guilt, disputed the amount and asked for the civil claim to be heard separately.","src":4},{"title":"Criminal case against the acting director general of the forest aviation protection base","forum":"Borodulikha District Court, Abai region","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Acting director general of the state enterprise “Kazakh base for aviation protection of forests and forestry services”","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Convicted in October 2024 under Article 371 part 2: two years' imprisonment and a two-year ban from public-service posts (as relayed from the Prosecutor General's Office).","src":7},{"title":"Timber-theft investigation at a branch of the reserve","forum":"Interior Ministry investigation","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Interior Ministry","defendant":"A branch director of the reserve and associates (suspects; not named)","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 9 July 2024 the Interior Ministry detained a branch director of the reserve and associates; more than 20 people were taken to police. The suspected offences are theft of timber, abuse of office, taking bribes, embezzlement and forgery. Tens of cubic metres of commercial timber and cash (amount not stated) were seized. The investigation was ongoing; no outcome is on record.","src":11},{"title":"Restoration-seedling theft investigation","forum":"Interior Ministry investigation","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Interior Ministry","defendant":"An alleged organised group of local residents and former reserve employees (suspects; not named)","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 22 April 2025 the Interior Ministry reported that the alleged leader and several accomplices were detained on suspicion of stealing 260,000 pine seedlings meant for restoration, worth more than KZT 500 mln. The case is at suspicion stage; no conviction.","src":9}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":14,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch; Orda.kz gives 15."},{"key":"convictions","value":4,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Two reserve leaders, the IT department head and the acting director general of the forest aviation base."},{"key":"area_ha","value":63333,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Reserve's figure for the final fire area."},{"key":"area_ha","value":66000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Government figure, described as about one-tenth of the reserve."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":161555.125335,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Reserve's valuation of material damage (KZT 161,555,125,335)."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":165000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ministry of Ecology valuation; about 30 bn direct, about 130 bn lost forest functions."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":127,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"note":"Fund “Qazaqstan Halqyna” payments to families as of 15 June 2023."},{"key":"damage_found_by_court","value":26.02307,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Lightning-detection system damage set by the court (KZT 26,023,070)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":15900,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"note":"Forestry machinery and equipment, national and local budgets."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":52000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"Forestry firefighting equipment; KZT 40 bn through leasing."},{"key":"restoration_committed","value":1000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Halyk Charitable Fund over five years for 9 million trees across three sites."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":1000000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"On 400 ha in Semey Ormany since autumn 2025 under the Halyk programme; 1,600 ha to follow."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":97,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Locally grown stock in a Halyk fund trial; non-local stock 25%; 70–90% expected across the programme."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fire burned part of the Semey Ormany pine reserve in Abai region from 8 June to 13 July 2023; 14 employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch died. Four people were convicted in 2024, and the Ministry of Ecology valued the damage at more than KZT 165 bn.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"State budget","what":"More than KZT 7,000 of the KZT 10,300 per cubic metre that firms pay for burned wood at electronic auctions goes to the state as the standing-timber fee","src":2},{"who":"Firms buying burned timber","what":"Burned wood sold at KZT 10,300 per cubic metre at electronic auctions","src":2},{"who":"Forestry service","what":"KZT 15.9 bn (2023) and KZT 52 bn (2024) for firefighting machinery and equipment; 12,876 forest guard employees received a 100% salary rise in 2023","src":14}],"lost":[{"who":"Families of the 14 employees who died","what":"Received payments from a fund, Halyk Bank, the employer and the state; the dead were the reserve's employees","src":10},{"who":"Acting director general of the reserve and the Novoshulbinsk branch director","what":"Seven years' imprisonment each (13 May 2024)","src":5},{"who":"Head of the IT and communications department; acting director general of the forest aviation base","what":"Two years' imprisonment each, with bans from public-service posts","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Semey Ormany pine forest","what":"63,333 ha burned according to the reserve; about 66,000 ha according to the government","src":2},{"who":"14 employees of the Novoshulbinsk branch","what":"Died while fighting the fire","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"State forest natural reserve “Semey Ormany”, Abai region (formerly East Kazakhstan); the fire started in the Batpaevskoe forestry of the Novoshulbinsk branch and spread into the Kamyshenka and Uspenka forestries.","src":7},"when":{"t":"Fire from 8 June to 13 July 2023; Ministry of Ecology valuation on 16 October 2023; cause named on 10 November 2023; verdict on 13 May 2024; Prosecutor General's Office closing statement on 22 January 2025.","src":7},"why":{"t":"The Prosecutor General's Office gave lightning striking a conifer in a dry thunderstorm as the cause. The Borodulikha District Court found the reserve's leaders failed to organise firefighting, misjudged the situation and did not ensure safety; a lightning-detection system did not function properly from 2020 to 2023.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Ground cover ignited and the fire spread across three forestries; more than 1,500 people took part in fighting it until it was declared extinguished.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"Cause of the large forest fire in Abai region named (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2023-11-10","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/nazvana-prichina-masshtabnogo-lesnogo-pojara-v-oblasti-abay-516483/"},{"t":"Damage from fires in Abai region calculated (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2023-10-16","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/podschitan-uscherb-ot-pojarov-v-oblasti-abay-513654/"},{"t":"Abai fire: what is happening at the site a year later (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2024-05-30","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/article/pozar-oblasti-abai-proisxodit-meste-tragedii-god-spustia-2460/"},{"t":"Appeal court heard the case of deaths in the large Abai forest fire (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2024-08-26","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/apellyatsiya-rassmotrela-delo-gibeli-lyudey-krupnom-lesnom-545969/"},{"t":"Large forest fire case: ex-department head of the Semey Ormany reserve convicted (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2024-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/delo-krupnom-lesnom-pojare-osujden-eks-nachalnik-otdela-556188/"},{"t":"Semey Ormany fire and death of 14 foresters: those responsible sentenced (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2024-05-13","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/pozhar-v-semey-ormani-i-gibel-14-lesnichih-vinovnie-poluchili-sroki/"},{"t":"14 dead in the Semey Ormany fire: court delivers verdict (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2024-05-13","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2024-05-13-14-pogibshih-pri-pozhare-v-semeej-ormany-sud-vynes-prigovor/"},{"t":"Prosecutor General's Office closes the Semey Ormany fire cases (in Russian)","p":"Sputnik Kazakhstan","d":"2025-01-22","type":"press","u":"https://ru.sputnik.kz/20250122/genprokuratura-kazakhstana-postavila-okonchatelnuyu-tochku-po-delam-o-pozhare-v-semey-ormany-50182691.html"},{"t":"Officials from Ministry of Ecology and the Ministry of Emergency Situations Punished for 2023 Semey Ormany Fire","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2025-01-22","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/officials-from-ministry-of-ecology-and-the-ministry-of-emergency-situations-punished-for-2023-semey-ormany-fire-4691"},{"t":"Group Accused of Stealing Seedlings Meant for Reforestation in Semey Ormany Reserve","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2025-04-22","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/group-accused-of-stealing-seedlings-meant-for-reforestation-in-semey-ormany-reserve-6073/"},{"t":"What help is given to families of those killed in the Abai fire (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2023-06-15","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/116615/kakaya-pomoshch-okazyvayet-sya-sem-yam-pogibshikh-pri-pozhare-v-oblasti-abay.html"},{"t":"Director of a Semey Ormany branch detained (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2024-07-11","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/127556/zaderzhan-direktor-filiala-semey-ormany.html"},{"t":"How many billions the state spends on fighting forest fires each year (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2023-06-13","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/stati/skolko-milliardov-tratit-gosudarstvo-na-borbu-s-lesnymi-pozarami-ezegodno"},{"t":"Olzhas Bektenov inspects restoration of Semey Ormany burned pine forest","p":"Prime Minister of Kazakhstan","d":"2024-07-26","type":"official","u":"https://primeminister.kz/en/news/olzhas-bektenov-inspects-restoration-of-semey-ormany-burned-pine-forest-and-instructs-to-strengthen-fight-against-illegal-logging-28843"},{"t":"52 billion tenge allocated this year for forestry firefighting equipment acquisition","p":"Prime Minister of Kazakhstan","d":"2024-10-08","type":"official","u":"https://primeminister.kz/en/news/52-billion-tenge-allocated-this-year-for-forestry-firefighting-equipment-acquisition-29162"},{"t":"Kazakhstan reforestation: 9 million trees after the Semey fires","p":"Times of Central Asia","d":"2026-09-03","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/kazakhstan-reforestation-9-million-trees-semey-fires/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Value of the damage to the forest","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Area burned","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of dead","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Ministry of Ecology briefing as reported gives about KZT 30 bn of direct damage and about KZT 130 bn for loss of forest functions, and the same article also cites “direct damage of 160 billion tenge”.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a civil-claim amount for the deaths in the Article 292 case (Abai Region Court, 26 August 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: criminal charges against officials of the Ministry of Ecology or the Ministry of Emergency Situations; the pre-trial case ended with disciplinary measures.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of the employer's monthly payments and one-off help to the families under the collective agreement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: hectares replanted or a restoration budget in the Tengrinews report of 30 May 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an outcome of the 2024 timber-theft case and the 2025 seedling-theft case; both are at suspicion stage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kazakhstan-smelter-emissions-fines-and-pledges","title":"Smelter emissions in Kazakhstan: fines and investment pledges at Kazzinc, Kazakhmys and ERG","dek":"Regulators fined metallurgical plants of Kazzinc, Kazakhmys and the ERG group in East Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Pavlodar regions between 2020 and 2026, while the operators announced environmental investment programmes, including more than KZT 108 billion at Kazzinc and KZT 128 billion for ERG's transition to best available techniques.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":49.95,"lon":82.62,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"East Kazakhstan region (Ust-Kamenogorsk, Ridder)","lat":49.95,"lon":82.62,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Karaganda region (Balkhash)","lat":46.85,"lon":74.98,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Pavlodar region (Aksu)","lat":52.04,"lon":76.92,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution","burning"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Kazzinc: pledged investment and the 2026 fine","value":"> KZT 108 bn: KZT 60.55 mln","note":"Pledge: more than KZT 108 bn for best available techniques at key facilities (government release, 25 June 2025). Fine: KZT 60,550,000 announced in July 2026 for the 5 May 2026 release of zinc dust."},"happened":["Kazzinc operates the Ust-Kamenogorsk metallurgical complex and the Ridder mining and processing complex in East Kazakhstan region; Glencore holds 69.61% and Samruk-Kazyna 29.8% (Inbusiness.kz, June 2024). In 2020 the Department of Ecology of East Kazakhstan reported 78 orders to compensate environmental damage totalling more than KZT 2 bn across all polluters in the region; more than KZT 136 mln was collected on 56 orders and KZT 1.9 bn on 22 orders was not collected. It reported that Kazzinc's metallurgical complex exceeded limits for sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, that at water outlets of the Altai and Ridder complexes sulphates, zinc, manganese and other substances exceeded limits (zinc by 215 times at one outlet), and that Kazzinc violated a memorandum on cutting emissions during adverse weather in December 2020. The 2020 figures cover all polluters together.","A NewTimes.kz chronology lists further Kazzinc incidents: a 2021 discharge into the Bukhtarma river (fine KZT 291 thousand; damage assessed at KZT 8.2 mln; heavy metals “tens of times” above limits); a 2021 hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide episode that caused chemical burns on plants (fine KZT 326 thousand; damage compensation KZT 3.5 mln); in 2022, the Ulba river and unauthorised emissions (fine KZT 45.32 mln); in 2023, a sludge leak into the Filippovka river, the “milky river” (almost KZT 50 mln; pollutants up to 140 times the norm); the November 2024 smog in Ust-Kamenogorsk, when more than 50,000 schoolchildren moved to distance learning; and a spring 2026 inspection by the Department of Ecology (fine KZT 20 mln; sulphur dioxide 3.5 times, carbon monoxide 2 times and nitrogen oxides 1.5 times the permitted levels). An inspection of the metallurgical complex over the smog was reported as started after a senator's appeal.","On 5 May 2026 an explosion in a dust-collection unit (bag filters) at Kazzinc's zinc plant killed two workers that day and a third on 12 May. Zinc dust was released at 2.8 tonnes per hour according to the official account. The deputy head of the Department of Ecology of East Kazakhstan, Aset Suleimenov, announced a fine of KZT 60,550,000 for the unauthorised release of pollutants, as well as four unplanned inspections in the first half of 2026 and environmental payments of KZT 190,666,315. A criminal case was opened under Article 156 part 4 (labour-safety violations causing the deaths of two or more persons); no trial had taken place by 10 May 2026.","At the Kazakhmys Smelting copper smelter in Balkhash (Karaganda region), the company said in August 2020 that smoke during converting “is permitted as a result of the technological process” and that emissions do not exceed limits in the residential zone; it said full modernisation would require about USD 1.8 bn and could not be done at once. The Karaganda ecology department had found excess dust, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the aspiration gases of the converter area. In 2023 Kazakhmys Smelting was fined KZT 4.5 mln (three fines, paid in full) for exceeding sulphur dioxide limits and inefficient gas capture; the plant accounts for 12% of the region's emissions and was ordered to upgrade all treatment facilities by the end of the year.","At ERG's plants, the Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control reported on 7 December 2022 nine inspections of ERG companies in two years, with findings of emissions without a permit, excess pollutants, excess inorganic dust, mixing of hazardous waste and inaccurate reports, and fines of about KZT 60 mln. ERG accounts for 43% of air pollution in Pavlodar region, and its transition programme to best available techniques, agreed to 2030 in its integrated environmental permit, costs KZT 128 bn and plans a 67 thousand tonne emissions cut over ten years. In the first quarter of 2025 the boiler house of the Aksu ferroalloy plant (TNK Kazchrome) emitted 663.67 tonnes above norms; the Department of Ecology of Pavlodar region fined it KZT 855 mln under Article 328 part 1 of the Administrative Code, and the amount was collected into state revenue. On 13 December 2021 ERG, Aluminium of Kazakhstan and Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions signed a contract worth more than KZT 19 bn (about USD 44 mln) to replace four electrostatic filters at the Pavlodar aluminium smelter, with a stage due by the end of 2024.","On 25 June 2025 a government release on a Green Economy Council meeting said Kazzinc plans best available techniques at key facilities (sulphur dioxide capture, rebuilt particulate filters) with total investment of more than KZT 108 bn, and that emissions at the Ust-Kamenogorsk site fell from 69,000 tons in 2001 to about 15,000 tons. The same release says Kazakhmys upgraded water cooling at Balkhash, cutting fresh water use by 35%, and cut Zhezkazgan smelter emissions by 16% through gasification."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Department of Ecology of East Kazakhstan reports exceedances at Kazzinc and orders to compensate damage across the region (reported 17 Mar 2021); Kazakhmys says smoke at Balkhash is permitted in the process (27 Aug)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Bukhtarma river discharge; hydrogen sulphide episode; ERG, Aluminium of Kazakhstan and Thyssenkrupp sign a contract of more than KZT 19 bn for filters (13 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"Kazzinc fined KZT 45.32 mln (Ulba river and unauthorised emissions); Committee for Environmental Regulation and Control reports nine inspections of ERG companies (7 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"Kazakhmys Smelting fined KZT 4.5 mln (April); sludge leak into the Filippovka river","src":7},{"y":2024,"t":"Smog in Ust-Kamenogorsk (November): more than 50,000 schoolchildren move to distance learning","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Aksu ferroalloy plant fined KZT 855 mln for the first quarter (reported 13 Jun); Green Economy Council meeting presents emission cuts and Kazzinc's KZT 108 bn plan (25 Jun)","src":10},{"y":2026,"t":"Explosion at Kazzinc's zinc plant (5 May); Kazzinc fined KZT 60,550,000 for the release of zinc dust (reported 3 Jul)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"is permitted. as a result of conducting the technological process","who":"Kazakhmys, on smoke from converting at the Balkhash smelter","when":"27 August 2020","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"do not exceed maximum permissible concentrations. in the residential zone","who":"Kazakhmys, on emissions at the Balkhash smelter","when":"27 August 2020","src":6,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Kazzinc reached high rates of dust cleaning, but this did not make the air cleaner","who":"An ecologist quoted by NewTimes.kz","when":"15 January 2025","src":3,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The fall in emissions at Kazzinc's Ust-Kamenogorsk site from 69,000 tons in 2001 to about 15,000 tons was presented as progress.","who":"Government of Kazakhstan, Green Economy Council meeting","src":4},{"t":"Kazakhmys described smoke during converting at Balkhash as permitted in the technological process.","who":"Kazakhmys","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"In East Kazakhstan in 2020, KZT 1.9 bn of more than KZT 2 bn in damage orders was not collected; 176 fines worth more than KZT 7.5 mln were issued and 102 fines worth KZT 7.1 mln were collected.","src":0},{"t":"Kazzinc accounts for 44% of Ust-Kamenogorsk's industrial emissions (Ministry of Ecology).","src":3},{"t":"The Aksu ferroalloy plant's KZT 855 mln fine was imposed by the Department of Ecology of Pavlodar region together with the environmental prosecutor's office and was collected into state revenue.","src":10},{"t":"Kazakhmys Smelting paid its three fines of 2023, KZT 4.5 mln in total, in full.","src":7},{"t":"Vostoktsvetmet was held administratively liable by court decision for not fixing violations (2020).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2020–2026; mixed, see each line","nature":[{"label":"Kazzinc best-available-techniques investment pledge","amount":108000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"announced 2025"},{"label":"ERG best-available-techniques programme to 2030","amount":128000,"window":"to 2030"},{"label":"ERG contract for four electrostatic filters at the Pavlodar aluminium smelter","amount":19000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"signed 2021","note":"About USD 44 mln."},{"label":"Kazakhmys full modernisation at Balkhash (company estimate)","amount":null,"window":"2020","note":"The company said it would require about USD 1.8 bn."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Kazzinc fine for the release of zinc dust on 5 May 2026","amount":60.55,"window":"2026"},{"label":"Kazzinc fine, Ulba river and unauthorised emissions","amount":45.32,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Kazakhmys Smelting fines for sulphur dioxide limits and gas capture (three fines, paid)","amount":4.5,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Aksu ferroalloy plant fine (Article 328 part 1), collected","amount":855,"window":"first quarter 2025"},{"label":"Damage orders in East Kazakhstan, all polluters (KZT 136 mln collected)","amount":2000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2020","note":"Only KZT 136 mln collected on 56 orders; KZT 1.9 bn on 22 orders not collected."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Zinc at one Altai/Ridder outlet","v":"215 × limit","d":"East Kazakhstan Department of Ecology, 2020"},{"k":"Aksu plant, one quarter","v":"663.67 t","d":"Emitted above norms, first quarter of 2025; fined KZT 855 mln"},{"k":"Kazzinc share of Ust-Kamenogorsk industrial emissions","v":"44%","d":"Ministry of Ecology"},{"k":"Damage orders collected, East Kazakhstan 2020","v":"KZT 136 mln of more than 2 bn","d":"All polluters; KZT 1.9 bn not collected"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Regulators recorded exceedances of limits in air and water around Kazzinc's and ERG's plants, including zinc at 215 times the limit at one outlet (2020) and 663.67 tonnes of emissions above norms at the Aksu plant in the first quarter of 2025.","report":[{"t":"In 2020, zinc in the discharge from one water outlet of the Altai and Ridder mining complexes was 215 times the limit, according to the East Kazakhstan Department of Ecology.","src":0},{"t":"My Filippovka river carried pollutants up to 140 times the norm after a sludge leak in 2023, according to NewTimes.kz.","src":1},{"t":"My Bukhtarma river received a discharge in 2021 with heavy metals “tens of times” above limits, according to NewTimes.kz.","src":1},{"t":"In a spring 2026 inspection, emissions from Kazzinc's complex exceeded permitted levels for sulphur dioxide 3.5 times, carbon monoxide 2 times and nitrogen oxides 1.5 times, according to NewTimes.kz.","src":1},{"t":"Kazzinc accounts for 44% of the industrial emissions in my air over Ust-Kamenogorsk, according to the Ministry of Ecology.","src":3},{"t":"In the first quarter of 2025, the boiler house of the Aksu ferroalloy plant put 663.67 tonnes of pollutants above norms into my air in Pavlodar region.","src":10}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the release of zinc dust on 5 May 2026 is given as 2.8 tonnes per hour in the official account and as 2,800 tonnes in the lead of the Informburo article of 3 July 2026.","Figures differ: NewTimes.kz gives the Aksu plant's fine as KZT 855 mln; another outlet gives KZT 854 mln.","None on record: a published result of the Prosecutor General's Office inspection of Kazzinc after the November 2024 smog (as of 10 May 2026).","Not disclosed: investment amounts and deadlines for Kazzinc's earlier pledges (NewTimes.kz chronology, 10 May 2026).","Not disclosed: per-company damage amounts in the East Kazakhstan Department of Ecology's 2020 figures.","None on record: measured results of ERG's KZT 128 bn programme, or whether the KZT 19 bn filter stage finished by the end of 2024.","Self-reported only: Kazzinc's emission fall at Ust-Kamenogorsk from 69,000 tons in 2001 to about 15,000 tons is given in a government press release.","Unclear: whether the “almost KZT 50 mln” listed for the 2023 Filippovka river sludge leak is a fine or damage."],"evidence":["deaths"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Operators paid administrative fines: Kazakhmys Smelting paid KZT 4.5 mln in full (2023) and the Aksu plant's KZT 855 mln fine was collected (2025). In East Kazakhstan in 2020, KZT 1.9 bn of more than KZT 2 bn in damage orders was not collected.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Kazzinc fined KZT 60,550,000 for the 5 May 2026 release; criminal case on the explosion under Article 156 part 4 open; no published result of the Prosecutor General's Office inspection.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"kazakhmys-smelting","says":"Said smoke during converting is permitted as a result of the technological process, that emissions do not exceed limits in the residential zone, and that full modernisation would require about USD 1.8 bn.","when":"27 August 2020","src":6},{"actor":"kazzinc","says":"Denied that its plants caused the 2017 pollution after a fire and blamed transport and fuel-handling businesses.","when":"Date not stated (2017 episode)","src":1},{"actor":"kazakhstan-government","says":"Presented the fall in Kazzinc's Ust-Kamenogorsk emissions from 69,000 tons to about 15,000 tons as progress and reported Kazakhmys water and emission cuts.","when":"25 June 2025","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"kazzinc","role":"Operator of the Ust-Kamenogorsk and Ridder complexes; fined"},{"id":"glencore","role":"Holds 69.61% of Kazzinc"},{"id":"samruk-kazyna","role":"Holds 29.8% of Kazzinc"},{"id":"kazakhmys-smelting","role":"Operator of the Balkhash copper smelter; fined KZT 4.5 mln"},{"id":"erg","role":"Parent of Kazchrome and Aluminium of Kazakhstan"},{"id":"tnk-kazchrome","role":"Operator of the Aksu ferroalloy plant; fined KZT 855 mln"},{"id":"east-kazakhstan-ecology-department","role":"Regulator; reported exceedances and announced the 2026 fine"},{"id":"pavlodar-ecology-department","role":"Regulator; imposed the Aksu fine"},{"id":"kz-ministry-of-ecology","role":"Gave Kazzinc's share of Ust-Kamenogorsk emissions"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Presented emission cuts and investment pledges"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for Ust-Kamenogorsk air pollution","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"Kazzinc accounts for 44% of the city's industrial emissions.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Kazzinc","says":"Denied that its plants caused the 2017 pollution after a fire and blamed transport and fuel-handling businesses.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Kazakhstan","says":"Presented the fall in Kazzinc's site emissions from 69,000 tons (2001) to about 15,000 tons as progress.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"An ecologist quoted by NewTimes.kz","says":"“Kazzinc reached high rates of dust cleaning, but this did not make the air cleaner.”","src":3}]},{"point":"Smoke from converting at the Balkhash copper smelter (2020)","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Kazakhmys","says":"Smoke is permitted as a result of the technological process; emissions do not exceed limits in the residential zone.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Karaganda ecology department","says":"Found excess dust, nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the aspiration gases of the converter area.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Administrative fine for the release of zinc dust, Kazzinc zinc plant","forum":"Department of Ecology of East Kazakhstan region","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Department of Ecology, East Kazakhstan region","defendant":"Kazzinc","filed":2026,"decided":2026,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":60.55,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine (KZT 60,550,000)"},"summary":"Fine for the unauthorised release of pollutants after the explosion of 5 May 2026, announced by the deputy head of the Department of Ecology, Aset Suleimenov; four unplanned inspections in the first half of 2026 and environmental payments of KZT 190,666,315.","src":2},{"title":"Criminal case on the Kazzinc zinc plant explosion","forum":"Criminal investigation, Article 156 part 4","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Not named","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Case opened under Article 156 part 4 (labour-safety violations causing the deaths of two or more persons) after the explosion that killed two workers on 5 May 2026 and a third on 12 May; no trial as of 10 May 2026.","src":1},{"title":"Kazzinc, Bukhtarma river discharge (2021)","forum":"Environmental regulator","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmental regulator","defendant":"Kazzinc","filed":null,"decided":2021,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.291,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine (KZT 291 thousand)"},"summary":"Fine of KZT 291 thousand; damage assessed at KZT 8.2 mln; heavy metals “tens of times” above limits (NewTimes.kz chronology).","src":1},{"title":"Kazzinc, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide episode (2021)","forum":"Environmental regulator","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmental regulator","defendant":"Kazzinc","filed":null,"decided":2021,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.326,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine (KZT 326 thousand)"},"summary":"Fine of KZT 326 thousand and damage compensation of KZT 3.5 mln for an episode that caused chemical burns on plants (NewTimes.kz chronology).","src":1},{"title":"Kazzinc, Ulba river and unauthorised emissions (2022)","forum":"Environmental regulator","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmental regulator","defendant":"Kazzinc","filed":null,"decided":2022,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":45.32,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine"},"summary":"Fine of KZT 45.32 mln (NewTimes.kz chronology).","src":1},{"title":"Kazzinc, sludge leak into the Filippovka river (2023)","forum":"Environmental regulator","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Environmental regulator","defendant":"Kazzinc","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The chronology lists “almost KZT 50 mln” for the leak, with pollutants up to 140 times the norm; it does not say whether the sum is a fine or damage.","src":1},{"title":"Kazakhmys Smelting fines for sulphur dioxide limits","forum":"Department of Ecology, Karaganda region","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Department of Ecology, Karaganda region","defendant":"Kazakhmys Smelting","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":4.5,"currency":"KZT","label":"three fines, paid in full"},"summary":"Three fines totalling KZT 4.5 mln for exceeding sulphur dioxide limits and inefficient gas capture at the Balkhash smelter; the plant, which accounts for 12% of the region's emissions, was ordered to upgrade all treatment facilities by the end of 2023 (acting head of the department, Darkhan Iszhanov).","src":7},{"title":"Aksu ferroalloy plant fine for excess emissions","forum":"Department of Ecology, Pavlodar region, with the environmental prosecutor's office","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Department of Ecology, Pavlodar region","defendant":"Aksu ferroalloy plant (TNK Kazchrome, ERG)","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":855,"currency":"KZT","label":"fine, collected"},"summary":"Fine under Article 328 part 1 of the Administrative Code for 663.67 tonnes of emissions above norms from the boiler house in the first quarter of 2025; the amount was collected into state revenue.","src":10},{"title":"Vostoktsvetmet administrative liability (2020)","forum":"Court decision (court not named)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Department of Ecology, East Kazakhstan region","defendant":"Vostoktsvetmet","filed":null,"decided":2020,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Held administratively liable by court decision for not fixing violations.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":60.55,"unit":"KZT m","year":2026,"note":"Kazzinc, release of zinc dust on 5 May 2026 (KZT 60,550,000)."},{"key":"fine","value":45.32,"unit":"KZT m","year":2022,"note":"Kazzinc, Ulba river and unauthorised emissions."},{"key":"fine","value":4.5,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"note":"Kazakhmys Smelting, three fines, paid in full."},{"key":"fine","value":855,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Aksu ferroalloy plant, collected into state revenue."},{"key":"compensation_ordered","value":2000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"78 orders in East Kazakhstan, all polluters; KZT 136 mln collected on 56 orders."},{"key":"investment","value":108000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Kazzinc best-available-techniques plan (government release)."},{"key":"investment","value":128000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2022,"note":"ERG best-available-techniques programme in its integrated environmental permit, agreed to 2030."},{"key":"investment","value":19000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"ERG filter-replacement contract at the Pavlodar aluminium smelter (about USD 44 mln)."},{"key":"emissions_total","value":69000,"unit":"tons","year":2001,"note":"Kazzinc Ust-Kamenogorsk site (government release)."},{"key":"emissions_total","value":15000,"unit":"tons","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kazzinc Ust-Kamenogorsk site, latest figure in the 25 June 2025 release."},{"key":"emissions_share_pct","value":44,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Kazzinc share of Ust-Kamenogorsk industrial emissions (Ministry of Ecology)."},{"key":"limit_exceedance","value":215,"unit":"× limit (zinc)","year":2020,"note":"At one outlet of the Altai and Ridder mining complexes."},{"key":"excess_emissions_t","value":663.67,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Aksu ferroalloy plant boiler house, first quarter, above norms."},{"key":"deaths","value":3,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Workers who died after the explosion at the Kazzinc zinc plant: two on 5 May, one on 12 May."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Regulators in East Kazakhstan, Karaganda and Pavlodar regions fined Kazzinc, Kazakhmys Smelting and the Aksu ferroalloy plant for emissions and discharges between 2020 and 2026, while the operators announced investment programmes of more than KZT 108 bn (Kazzinc) and KZT 128 bn (ERG).","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"State budget","what":"Collected the Aksu plant's KZT 855 mln fine and Kazakhmys Smelting's KZT 4.5 mln in fines","src":10}],"lost":[{"who":"Kazzinc","what":"Fined KZT 60,550,000 for the release of zinc dust after the 5 May 2026 explosion; three workers died","src":2},{"who":"TNK Kazchrome (ERG)","what":"Fined KZT 855 mln for excess emissions at the Aksu ferroalloy plant","src":10},{"who":"Kazakhmys Smelting","what":"Fined KZT 4.5 mln in 2023","src":7}],"harmed":[{"who":"Rivers near Kazzinc sites","what":"Zinc at 215 times the limit at one outlet (2020); pollutants up to 140 times the norm in the Filippovka river (2023)","src":0},{"who":"Air over Ust-Kamenogorsk, Balkhash and Aksu","what":"Sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide exceedances; 663.67 tonnes above norms at Aksu in the first quarter of 2025","src":10}]},"where":{"t":"Kazzinc's Ust-Kamenogorsk and Ridder complexes (East Kazakhstan region), the Kazakhmys Smelting copper smelter in Balkhash (Karaganda region), and the Aksu ferroalloy plant and Pavlodar aluminium smelter (Pavlodar region).","src":null},"when":{"t":"2020–2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Regulators recorded exceedances of permitted limits and unauthorised releases; the companies pointed to technological processes (Kazakhmys) or denied responsibility for a 2017 episode (Kazzinc).","src":1},"how":{"t":"Administrative fines and damage orders by regional departments of ecology, set against formal investment programmes for best available techniques under integrated environmental permits.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"Polluters in East Kazakhstan caused more than 2 bn tenge in damage to nature (in Russian)","p":"Inbusiness.kz","d":"2021-03-17","type":"press","u":"https://inbusiness.kz/ru/last/usherb-prirode-v-bolee-2-mlrd-tenge-nanesli-predpriyatiya-zagryazniteli-vostochnogo-kazahstana"},{"t":"Explosion, black smog and the “milky river”: a chronology of incidents around Kazzinc (in Russian)","p":"NewTimes.kz","d":"2026-05-10","type":"press","u":"https://newtimes.kz/eksklyuziv/219107-vzryv-chernyi-smog-i-molochnaia-reka-khronika-skandalov-vokrug-kaztsinka"},{"t":"Explosion at Kazzinc: company fined 60.5 mln tenge (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2026-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/vzryv-na-kazcinke-predpriiatie-ostrafovali-na-605-mln-tenge"},{"t":"Ecological crisis in Ust-Kamenogorsk: is Kazzinc to blame and what to do? (in Russian)","p":"NewTimes.kz","d":"2025-01-15","type":"press","u":"https://newtimes.kz/obshchestvo/200627-ekologicheskii-krizis-v-ust-kamenogorske-vinovat-li-kaztsink-i-chto-delat"},{"t":"Olzhas Bektenov chairs council meeting on transition to green economy, focus on emission reduction by major industrial enterprises","p":"Prime Minister of Kazakhstan","d":"2025-06-25","type":"official","u":"https://primeminister.kz/en/news/olzhas-bektenov-chairs-council-meeting-on-transition-to-green-economy-focus-on-emission-reduction-by-major-industrial-enterprises-30193"},{"t":"Kazzinc to be 70% owned by Chinese investors (in Russian)","p":"Inbusiness.kz","d":"2024-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.inbusiness.kz/ru/news/kazcink-budet-prinadlezhat-na-70-investoram-iz-kitaya"},{"t":"Kazakhmys on harmful emissions at the Balkhash plant: smoke is permitted during work (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2020-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/kazahmys-o-vrednyh-vybrosah-na-zavode-v-balhashe-pri-vypolnenii-rabot-dopuskaetsya-poyavlenie-zadymlyonnosti.html"},{"t":"Kazakhmys Smelting fined 4.5 mln tenge for environmental violations in Karaganda region (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2023-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2023-04-05-kompaniya-kazakhmys-smelting-oshtrafovana-na-45-mln-tenge-za-ekologicheskie-narusheniya-v-karagandinskoj-oblasti/"},{"t":"Zholdasov: 9 inspections of ERG companies in two years (in Russian)","p":"Forbes.kz","d":"2022-12-07","type":"press","u":"https://forbes.kz/news/newsid_290429"},{"t":"ERG invests 19 bn tenge in Pavlodar's environmental protection (in Russian)","p":"Forbes.kz","d":"2021-12-14","type":"press","u":"https://forbes.kz/articles/erg_investiruet_19_mlrd_tenge_v_ohranu_okrujayuschey_sredyi_pavlodara"},{"t":"Aksu ferroalloy plant fined 855 mln tenge for excess emissions (in Russian)","p":"NewTimes.kz","d":"2025-06-13","type":"press","u":"https://newtimes.kz/obshchestvo/206974-aksuskii-zavod-ferrosplavov-oshtrafovan-na-855-mln-tenge-za-prevyshenie-vybrosov-v-atmosferu"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Responsibility for Ust-Kamenogorsk air pollution","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Smoke from converting at the Balkhash copper smelter (2020)","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Kazakhmys full modernisation at Balkhash (company estimate) — The company said it would require about USD 1.8 bn.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Kazzinc, sludge leak into the Filippovka river (2023): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the release of zinc dust on 5 May 2026 is given as 2.8 tonnes per hour in the official account and as 2,800 tonnes in the lead of the Informburo article of 3 July 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: NewTimes.kz gives the Aksu plant's fine as KZT 855 mln; another outlet gives KZT 854 mln.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published result of the Prosecutor General's Office inspection of Kazzinc after the November 2024 smog (as of 10 May 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: investment amounts and deadlines for Kazzinc's earlier pledges (NewTimes.kz chronology, 10 May 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: per-company damage amounts in the East Kazakhstan Department of Ecology's 2020 figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured results of ERG's KZT 128 bn programme, or whether the KZT 19 bn filter stage finished by the end of 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Kazzinc's emission fall at Ust-Kamenogorsk from 69,000 tons in 2001 to about 15,000 tons is given in a government press release.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the “almost KZT 50 mln” listed for the 2023 Filippovka river sludge leak is a fine or damage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"almaty-chp2-coal-to-gas-conversion","title":"Almaty CHP-2 coal-to-gas conversion, Kazakhstan","dek":"Almaty's coal-fired combined heat and power plant CHP-2 is being converted to gas with loans from the EBRD and the Asian Development Bank; the cost estimate rose from KZT 98 billion to KZT 388 billion. The state hydrometeorological service and independent monitors report different air-quality trends for the city.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":43.26,"lon":76.78,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Almaty","lat":43.26,"lon":76.78,"role":"event"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","finance","burning"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Cost estimate for the conversion","value":"KZT 98 bn → 388 bn","note":"An early estimate of KZT 98 bn (EUR 200 mln); the state expertise of 27 September 2024 set the cost at KZT 388 bn."},"happened":["CHP-2 (510 MWe), which burns coal from the Ekibastuz basin, is the main heat source for Almaty. The project, run by Almaty Power Plants (AlES), a subsidiary of the state company Samruk-Energy, builds a combined-cycle gas unit of up to 557 MW according to Kapital.kz; Samruk-Energy gave “up to 600 MW”. Talks on conversion began in 2017 after a presidential decree, the year CHP-1 was converted to gas. On 26 May 2021, after a meeting with President Tokayev, a new gas-turbine unit was chosen instead of modernising the old plant.","The EBRD signed a facility agreement on 25 November 2022 for up to KZT 130 bn (EUR 260 mln), a 15-year loan to Almaty Power Plants that it called its largest transaction in Kazakhstan that year. The Asian Development Bank signed a loan agreement on 9 June 2023 for KZT 98 bn (about USD 219.2 mln), with a Samruk-Kazyna guarantee. The Development Bank of Kazakhstan signed an agreement of intent; its amount is not disclosed. Commissioning was set for December 2026.","The cost estimate rose from an early KZT 98 bn (EUR 200 mln) to KZT 315 bn (EUR 648 mln) according to Bankwatch citing Orda.kz; to KZT 324 bn in summer 2022 according to former Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov; and to KZT 388 bn in the state expertise of 27 September 2024, as Energy Minister Almasadam Satkaliyev said on 24 December 2024. In 2023 Samruk-Energy's chairman warned of a possible 16% cost increase by 2026, adding to utility-tariff pressure (Bankwatch citing Press.kz).","The government expects harmful emissions from CHP-2 to fall from 37.3 to 2.7 thousand tonnes a year. The EBRD expects nitrogen oxides down by more than 86% and annual CO2 down by 55%, with particulate matter and sulphur oxides eliminated, and says the plant is responsible for about one third of hazardous emissions in Almaty; Samruk-Energy gives a 93% cut in harmful substances. Bankwatch says gas still emits nitrogen oxides and that the EBRD's own summary says the project brings Almaty in line with dust and sulphur dioxide standards but not nitrogen oxides.","On 30 March 2026 the Ministry of Energy reported that the first start-up complex had been installed and that the combined-cycle block was targeted for September 2026. On 31 March 2026 Kazhydromet reported that Almaty's annual pollution index fell 31% in 2025 compared with 2024, while the Almaty Air Initiative said independent monitoring shows different dynamics."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Talks on conversion begin after a presidential decree; CHP-1 converted to gas","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Meeting with President Tokayev; new gas-turbine unit chosen instead of modernising the old plant (26 May)","src":4},{"y":2022,"t":"EBRD facility agreement signed (25 Nov); Development Bank of Kazakhstan agreement of intent","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"Asian Development Bank loan agreement signed (9 Jun)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"State expertise sets the cost at KZT 388 bn (27 Sep); Bankwatch paper (May); minister gives the figure (24 Dec)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"First start-up complex installed (30 Mar); Kazhydromet reports a 31% fall in Almaty's pollution index for 2025 (31 Mar); combined-cycle block targeted for September; commissioning deadline December 2026","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"This is a perfect example of a green project, which will improve quality of air in Almaty","who":"Alain Pilloux, EBRD Vice President","when":"25 November 2022","src":1},{"q":"Gas is often incorrectly described as a better and healthier alternative to coal-based plants","who":"CEE Bankwatch Network","when":"May 2024","src":0},{"q":"no official recognition of the effects that air pollution is having on people","who":"CEE Bankwatch Network","when":"May 2024","src":0},{"q":"Properly tracking air pollution in Almaty is problematic due to limited access to air sensors and limited data on levels of coal consumption","who":"CEE Bankwatch Network","when":"May 2024","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The conversion was presented as “a perfect example of a green project, which will improve quality of air in Almaty”.","who":"EBRD","src":1},{"t":"The conversion was presented as cutting harmful emissions from CHP-2 from 37.3 to 2.7 thousand tonnes a year.","who":"Government of Kazakhstan, as reported by Kapital.kz","src":4},{"t":"Almaty's annual pollution index was presented as 31% lower in 2025 than in 2024, at 4 (“low”).","who":"Kazhydromet","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"EBRD loan: up to KZT 130 bn (EUR 260 mln), 15 years, to Almaty Power Plants.","src":1},{"t":"ADB loan: KZT 98 bn (about USD 219.2 mln), with a Samruk-Kazyna guarantee.","src":3},{"t":"Measured PM2.5 in Almaty averaged 35.3 µg/m³ over 2018–2021 (US Embassy BAM-1020 monitor), against a WHO annual limit of 5 µg/m³ (Bankwatch chart).","src":0},{"t":"A study by Mukhtarov et al. (Urban Climate, May 2023), cited by Bankwatch, attributes 1,786–2,342 premature deaths in Almaty in 2022 to PM2.5.","src":0},{"t":"Kazhydromet reported that mean PM2.5 fell 35.9% and ozone exceedance cases fell from 8,036 to 77 in 2025 compared with 2024; the Almaty Air Initiative said PM2.5 readings at some stations differ from state posts by up to 27 times.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2022–2026; mixed, see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"EBRD loan to Almaty Power Plants (EUR 260 mln)","amount":130000,"qualifier":"up to","window":"agreement 25 Nov 2022"},{"label":"ADB loan to Almaty Power Plants (about USD 219.2 mln), Samruk-Kazyna guarantee","amount":98000,"window":"agreement 9 Jun 2023"},{"label":"Early cost estimate (EUR 200 mln)","amount":98000,"window":"before 2022"},{"label":"Cost estimate cited by Bankwatch (EUR 648 mln)","amount":315000,"window":"by 2024"},{"label":"Cost estimate cited by the former Energy Minister","amount":324000,"window":"summer 2022"},{"label":"Cost per the state expertise","amount":388000,"window":"27 Sep 2024"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Almaty PM2.5, annual mean 2018–2021","v":"35.3 µg/m³","d":"US Embassy monitor; WHO annual limit 5 µg/m³"},{"k":"Expected cut in CHP-2 emissions","v":"37.3 → 2.7 thousand t/yr","d":"Government figure; not yet commissioned"},{"k":"Premature deaths attributed to PM2.5, Almaty 2022","v":"1,786–2,342","d":"Mukhtarov et al., cited by Bankwatch"},{"k":"Pollution index 2025 vs 2024","v":"−31%","d":"Kazhydromet; independent monitors report different dynamics"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Monitoring in Almaty recorded annual mean PM2.5 of 35.3 µg/m³ in 2018–2021 against a WHO annual limit of 5 µg/m³; CHP-2 is responsible for about one third of hazardous emissions in the city according to the EBRD.","report":[{"t":"My air in Almaty averaged 35.3 µg/m³ of PM2.5 over 2018–2021 at the US Embassy monitor, against a WHO annual limit of 5 µg/m³, according to a Bankwatch chart.","src":0},{"t":"The CHP-2 plant is responsible for about one third of the hazardous emissions released into my air over Almaty, according to the EBRD.","src":1},{"t":"Particles in my air were linked to 1,786–2,342 premature deaths in Almaty in 2022 in a study (Mukhtarov et al., Urban Climate, May 2023) cited by Bankwatch.","src":0},{"t":"Kazhydromet reports that my annual pollution index over Almaty fell 31% in 2025, to 4 (“low”), and mean PM2.5 fell 35.9%.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the EBRD gives its loan as up to KZT 130 bn (EUR 260 mln); Bankwatch gives EUR 252 mln.","Figures differ: the new unit's capacity is given as up to 557 MW (Kapital.kz) and up to 600 MW (Samruk-Energy).","Not disclosed: the amount of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan's participation (agreement of intent).","Insufficient: tracking of air pollution in Almaty; Bankwatch cites limited access to air sensors and limited data on levels of coal consumption.","Unclear: whether the combined-cycle block started in September 2026; the latest source is dated March 2026."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Loans from the EBRD (up to KZT 130 bn) and the ADB (KZT 98 bn) to Almaty Power Plants, a subsidiary of the state company Samruk-Energy; the ADB loan carries a Samruk-Kazyna guarantee. Tariff effects are cited in Bankwatch's paper (a possible 16% cost increase by 2026 adding to tariff pressure).","statusLine":"As of March 2026: first start-up complex installed; combined-cycle block targeted for September 2026; commissioning deadline December 2026.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"ebrd","says":"Described the project as a perfect example of a green project that will improve air quality in Almaty, and expects nitrogen oxides down by more than 86% and CO2 down by 55%.","when":"25 November 2022","src":1},{"actor":"samruk-energy","says":"Gave the new unit as up to 600 MW and a 93% cut in harmful substances; commissioning deadline December 2026.","when":"25 November 2022","src":2},{"actor":"kz-ministry-of-energy","says":"Reported the first start-up complex installed and the combined-cycle block targeted for September 2026.","when":"30 March 2026","src":5},{"actor":"kazhydromet","says":"Reported Almaty's annual pollution index down 31% in 2025 and mean PM2.5 down 35.9%.","when":"31 March 2026","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"almaty-power-plants","role":"Operator of CHP-2; borrower"},{"id":"samruk-energy","role":"Parent state company of Almaty Power Plants"},{"id":"samruk-kazyna","role":"Guarantor of the ADB loan"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender, up to KZT 130 bn"},{"id":"adb","role":"Lender, KZT 98 bn"},{"id":"development-bank-of-kazakhstan","role":"Signed an agreement of intent"},{"id":"cee-bankwatch","role":"NGO; published the issue paper on the project"},{"id":"kazhydromet","role":"State hydrometeorological service; air-quality figures"},{"id":"almaty-air-initiative","role":"Independent air monitoring"},{"id":"kz-ministry-of-energy","role":"Reports project progress"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Share of Almaty's air pollution that comes from the combined heat and power plants","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Bauyrzhan Baybek, former akim of Almaty","says":"CHP contributes 11% and vehicles 70–80% (Bankwatch citing Orda.kz and Vlast).","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Magzum Mirzagaliyev, former Minister of Ecology","says":"CHP-2 and CHP-3 together made up 48% in 2020 (Bankwatch citing Orda.kz and Vlast).","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"EBRD","says":"The plant is responsible for about one third of hazardous emissions in Almaty.","src":1}]},{"point":"Trend in Almaty's measured air quality","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazhydromet","says":"Almaty's annual pollution index fell 31% in 2025 to 4 (“low”); mean PM2.5 fell 35.9%; ozone exceedance cases fell from 8,036 to 77.","src":6},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Almaty Air Initiative","says":"Independent monitoring shows different dynamics; PM2.5 readings at some stations differ from state posts by up to 27 times.","src":6}]},{"point":"Whether conversion to gas is a green project","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"EBRD","says":"“A perfect example of a green project, which will improve quality of air in Almaty.”","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CEE Bankwatch Network","says":"Gas still emits nitrogen oxides; the EBRD's own summary says the project brings Almaty in line with dust and sulphur dioxide standards but not nitrogen oxides. It asked the EBRD to freeze loan disbursement and assess heat pumps.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loan_ebrd","value":130000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"EUR 260 mln; 15-year loan; Bankwatch gives EUR 252 mln."},{"key":"loan_adb","value":98000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2023,"note":"About USD 219.2 mln; Samruk-Kazyna guarantee."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":98000,"unit":"KZT m","year":null,"note":"Early estimate (EUR 200 mln)."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":324000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2022,"note":"Former Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov, summer 2022."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":388000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"note":"State expertise of 27 September 2024."},{"key":"pm25_annual_mean","value":35.3,"unit":"µg/m³","year":2021,"note":"Almaty annual mean over 2018–2021, US Embassy BAM-1020 monitor; WHO annual limit 5 µg/m³."},{"key":"pm25_attributed_deaths_low","value":1786,"unit":"premature deaths","year":2022,"note":"Mukhtarov et al., Urban Climate, May 2023, cited by Bankwatch."},{"key":"pm25_attributed_deaths_high","value":2342,"unit":"premature deaths","year":2022,"note":"Mukhtarov et al., Urban Climate, May 2023, cited by Bankwatch."},{"key":"pollution_index_change_pct","value":-31,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Almaty annual pollution index, 2025 vs 2024 (Kazhydromet)."},{"key":"emissions_expected_change","value":2700,"unit":"t/yr","year":null,"note":"Expected CHP-2 harmful emissions after conversion, from 37.3 (government figure)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Almaty's coal-fired CHP-2 is being converted to gas with EBRD, ADB and Development Bank of Kazakhstan financing; the cost estimate rose from KZT 98 bn to KZT 388 bn, and the state service and independent monitors report different air-quality trends.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Almaty Power Plants (Samruk-Energy)","what":"Borrower of up to KZT 130 bn (EBRD) and KZT 98 bn (ADB)","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Utility customers","what":"Samruk-Energy's chairman warned of a possible 16% cost increase by 2026, adding to tariff pressure (Bankwatch citing Press.kz)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air over Almaty","what":"Annual mean PM2.5 of 35.3 µg/m³ in 2018–2021 against a WHO annual limit of 5 µg/m³","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"CHP-2 (TETs-2), western Almaty, Kazakhstan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Talks from 2017; EBRD agreement 25 November 2022; ADB agreement 9 June 2023; state expertise 27 September 2024; commissioning deadline December 2026.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The plant is responsible for about one third of hazardous emissions in Almaty according to the EBRD; the project was presented as a green project for the city's air.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A combined-cycle gas unit is built to replace coal firing, financed by EBRD, ADB and Development Bank of Kazakhstan loans to Almaty Power Plants.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Delays in Almaty CHP-2 gas project open new opportunities for a rethink (issue paper)","p":"CEE Bankwatch Network","d":"2024-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://bankwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_05_Delays-in-Almaty-CHP-2-gas-project-open-new-opportunities-for-a-rethink-.pdf"},{"t":"EBRD channels €260 million to modernise Almaty CHP-2","p":"EBRD","d":"2022-11-25","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2022/ebrd-channels-260-million-to-modernise-almaty-chp-2.html"},{"t":"A syndicate of banks will finance Almaty CHP-2 transfer to gas","p":"Samruk-Energy","d":"2022-11-25","type":"company","u":"https://samruk-energy.kz/en/press-center/news/1206-a-syndicate-of-banks-will-finance-almaty-chp-2-transfer-to-gas"},{"t":"Asian Development Bank and Almaty Electric Stations Ink Loan Agreement to Facilitate Green Energy","p":"The Astana Times","d":"2023-06-12","type":"press","u":"https://astanatimes.com/2023/06/asian-development-bank-and-almaty-electric-stations-ink-loan-agreement-to-facilitate-green-energy/"},{"t":"Converting Almaty CHP-2 to gas will cost 388 bn tenge (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2024-12-24","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/economic/132813/perevod-almatinskoy-t-ets-2-na-gaz-oboydet-sya-v-388-mlrd-tenge.html"},{"t":"Almaty's switch to gas: what work is under way at CHP-2 (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2026-03-30","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/economic/146350/perevod-almaty-na-gaz-kakie-raboty-vedutsya-na-tec-2.html"},{"t":"Officially Almaty air is 31% cleaner, but ecologists see discrepancies (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2026-03-31","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/news/almaty-air-initiative-prizval-sochetat-gosudarstvennie-i-nezavisimie-sistemi-nablyudeniya-za-vozduhom/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Share of Almaty's air pollution that comes from the combined heat and power plants","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Trend in Almaty's measured air quality","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether conversion to gas is a green project","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the EBRD gives its loan as up to KZT 130 bn (EUR 260 mln); Bankwatch gives EUR 252 mln.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the new unit's capacity is given as up to 557 MW (Kapital.kz) and up to 600 MW (Samruk-Energy).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the Development Bank of Kazakhstan's participation (agreement of intent).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: tracking of air pollution in Almaty; Bankwatch cites limited access to air sensors and limited data on levels of coal consumption.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the combined-cycle block started in September 2026; the latest source is dated March 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ili-river-lake-balkhash-water","title":"Ili River and Lake Balkhash: inflow from China, Kapshagay releases and a French-funded master plan","dek":"Kazakhstan receives much of Lake Balkhash's water through the Ili River, which enters from China, and manages releases from the Kapshagay reservoir to keep the lake's level up. A water-allocation agreement with China is in draft, and a EUR 1.35 million French grant funds a master plan for the lake.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":46.5,"lon":74.5,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Ili River, Kapshagay reservoir, Ili delta and Lake Balkhash","lat":46.5,"lon":74.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Xinjiang (upstream on the Ili)","role":"affected"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Lake Balkhash level, first half of 2025","value":"341.55 m → 341.87 m","note":"A rise of 32 cm in the Baltic system, according to the Ministry of Water Resources as reported by Kapital.kz on 17 July 2025."},"happened":["The Ili River supplies about 80% of Lake Balkhash's water according to Times of Central Asia. It enters Kazakhstan from China, which has diverted the river for about 50 years for hydropower and irrigation; research by the Jamestown Foundation, cited by Times of Central Asia, says China was blocking 40% of the river's inflow as of 2021. Times of Central Asia writes that Balkhash has been gradually drying up in recent years, partly because the Ili's flow has declined.","On 19 August 2024 the Ministry of Water Resources said it was drafting a water-allocation agreement with China and had sent more than 12 billion cubic metres of water to the lake since the start of the year. The Kapshagay reservoir was filled to 100% in 2024 for the first time in 10 years, and again in 2025. In the first half of 2025, 8.52 bn m³ was released to Balkhash (8 bn m³ in the first half of 2024), against a plan of 12 bn m³ for 2025.","The lake's level rose from 341.55 m to 341.87 m in the first half of 2025, a rise of 32 cm. As of July 2025 there was no signed Kazakhstan–China water-allocation agreement; a draft intergovernmental agreement was being developed.","In December 2024, at the One Water Summit in Riyadh, a grant agreement was signed under which the French Development Agency (AFD) gives EUR 1.35 mln to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation for the preservation of Lake Balkhash; the agreement was signed for Kazakhstan by First Vice-Minister Bolat Bekniyaz, and BRGM of France is the technical partner. On 11 June 2026 the master-plan working group met in Astana; the plan is due to be completed by the end of 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Ministry of Water Resources says it is drafting the allocation agreement and has sent more than 12 bn m³ to the lake since January (19 Aug); Kapshagay reservoir filled to 100% for the first time in 10 years; AFD grant agreement signed (December)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Kapshagay reservoir filled again; lake level up 32 cm in the first half of the year (17 Jul); no signed allocation agreement with China","src":1},{"y":2026,"t":"Master-plan working group meets in Astana (11 Jun); completion due by the end of 2026","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"Since the beginning of this year, more than 12 billion cubic meters of water have been sent to the lake.","who":"Moldir Abdualieva, Ministry of Water Resources spokesperson","when":"19 August 2024","src":0},{"q":"optimisation of the Kapshagay reservoir's operating regime to stabilise the level of Lake Balkhash","who":"Aim of the AFD grant, as reported by Kapital.kz","when":"4 December 2024","src":2,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"More than 12 bn m³ of water was reported sent to the lake since the start of 2024, with an allocation agreement with China being drafted.","who":"Ministry of Water Resources","src":0},{"t":"A lake-level rise of 32 cm in the first half of 2025 was reported.","who":"Ministry of Water Resources, as reported by Kapital.kz","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Lake level (Baltic system) rose from 341.55 m to 341.87 m in the first half of 2025.","src":1},{"t":"The Kapshagay reservoir was filled to 100% in 2024 for the first time in 10 years and again in 2025.","src":1},{"t":"Releases to Balkhash: 8.52 bn m³ in the first half of 2025 and 8 bn m³ in the first half of 2024; plan for 2025: 12 bn m³.","src":1},{"t":"The AFD grant is EUR 1.35 mln to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, signed by First Vice-Minister Bolat Bekniyaz; BRGM (France) is the technical partner.","src":2},{"t":"No signed Kazakhstan–China water-allocation agreement as of July 2025; a draft intergovernmental agreement is being developed.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2024–2026","nature":[{"label":"AFD grant to the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation for the Balkhash master plan","amount":1.35,"window":"agreement December 2024"}],"natureTotal":1.35,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Lake level, first half of 2025","v":"+32 cm","d":"341.55 m → 341.87 m (Baltic system)"},{"k":"Ili share of Balkhash's water","v":"about 80%","d":"Times of Central Asia"},{"k":"Upstream inflow blocked, 2021","v":"40%","d":"Jamestown Foundation estimate, cited by Times of Central Asia"},{"k":"Releases from Kapshagay, first half of 2025","v":"8.52 bn m³","d":"Plan for 2025: 12 bn m³"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Times of Central Asia reports that Balkhash has been gradually drying up in recent years, partly because the Ili's flow has declined; the Ministry of Water Resources reports a 32 cm rise in the first half of 2025.","report":[{"t":"I have been gradually drying up in recent years, partly because the Ili's flow has declined, according to Times of Central Asia.","src":0},{"t":"The Ili supplies about 80% of my water, according to Times of Central Asia.","src":0},{"t":"My level rose from 341.55 m to 341.87 m in the first half of 2025, a rise of 32 cm, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.","src":1},{"t":"Research by the Jamestown Foundation says China was blocking 40% of my river's inflow as of 2021, as cited by Times of Central Asia.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: Times of Central Asia gives the Ili's share of Balkhash's water as about 80%; other reports give about 70%.","Unclear: the 40% upstream-blocking figure is a think-tank estimate (Jamestown Foundation, cited by Times of Central Asia); no government figure is cited alongside it.","None on record: a master-plan budget beyond the EUR 1.35 mln AFD grant.","None on record: a binding Kazakhstan–China water-allocation treaty.","None on record: funding amounts in the Bizmedia.kz report of 11 June 2026 on the master plan."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The master plan is funded by a EUR 1.35 mln AFD grant. None on record: who bears the cost of the Kapshagay releases.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: master-plan working group met in Astana, completion due by end-2026; no signed water-allocation agreement with China (as of July 2025).","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"kz-ministry-of-water-resources","says":"Said it was drafting a water-allocation agreement with China and had sent more than 12 bn m³ of water to the lake since the start of 2024.","when":"19 August 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"kz-ministry-of-water-resources","role":"Manages Kapshagay releases; drafts the allocation agreement; grant recipient"},{"id":"afd","role":"Funds the Balkhash master plan with a EUR 1.35 mln grant"},{"id":"brgm","role":"French technical partner"},{"id":"china-gov","role":"Upstream state on the Ili; counterpart in the draft agreement"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"grant","value":1.35,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"AFD grant for the Balkhash master plan."},{"key":"lake_level_m","value":341.55,"unit":"m (Baltic system)","year":2025,"note":"Start of the first half of 2025."},{"key":"lake_level_m","value":341.87,"unit":"m (Baltic system)","year":2025,"note":"End of the first half of 2025."},{"key":"water_released_bn_m3","value":8.52,"unit":"bn m³","year":2025,"note":"Released from Kapshagay to Balkhash in the first half of 2025; plan for 2025: 12 bn m³."},{"key":"water_released_bn_m3","value":8,"unit":"bn m³","year":2024,"note":"First half of 2024."},{"key":"water_released_bn_m3","value":12,"unit":"bn m³","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Sent to the lake from the start of 2024 to 19 August 2024 (Ministry of Water Resources)."},{"key":"ili_share_of_balkhash_water_pct","value":80,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Times of Central Asia."},{"key":"upstream_inflow_blocked_pct","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Jamestown Foundation estimate cited by Times of Central Asia."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kazakhstan relies on the Ili River from China for much of Lake Balkhash's water, manages Kapshagay releases to keep the lake up, and is drafting a water-allocation agreement with China; a EUR 1.35 mln AFD grant funds a master plan.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation","what":"Receives the EUR 1.35 mln AFD grant for the master plan","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Balkhash","what":"Gradually drying up in recent years, partly because the Ili's flow has declined; level up 32 cm in the first half of 2025","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ili River (entering from Xinjiang, China), Kapshagay reservoir, the Ili delta and Lake Balkhash in Kazakhstan, about 280 km northwest of Almaty.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Upstream diversion for about 50 years; releases and level data for 2024–2025; AFD grant signed December 2024; working group 11 June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Upstream China has diverted the Ili for about 50 years for hydropower and irrigation, according to Times of Central Asia.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Kapshagay reservoir releases are managed to keep the lake's level up while a water-allocation agreement is drafted.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Kazakhstan and China in Talks on Feeding Lake Balkhash","p":"Times of Central Asia","d":"2024-08-20","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/kazakhstan-and-china-in-talks-on-feeding-lake-balkhash/"},{"t":"Balkhash level up 32 cm since the start of the year (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2025-07-17","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/138896/uroven-balhasha-s-nachala-goda-vyros-na-32-sm.html"},{"t":"France to grant EUR 1.35 mln to preserve Balkhash (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2024-12-04","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/gosudarstvo/132212/frantsiya-vydelit-grant-na-1-35-mln-yevro-dlya-sokhraneniya-balkhasha.html"},{"t":"France helps develop a plan to save Lake Balkhash (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2026-06-11","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2026-06-11-vo-franczii-pomogayut-razrabotat-plan-po-spaseniyu-ozera-balhash/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Times of Central Asia gives the Ili's share of Balkhash's water as about 80%; other reports give about 70%.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the 40% upstream-blocking figure is a think-tank estimate (Jamestown Foundation, cited by Times of Central Asia); no government figure is cited alongside it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a master-plan budget beyond the EUR 1.35 mln AFD grant.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a binding Kazakhstan–China water-allocation treaty.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: funding amounts in the Bizmedia.kz report of 11 June 2026 on the master plan.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kazakhstan-two-billion-trees-programme","title":"Kazakhstan's two-billion-tree programme","dek":"A 2020 presidential instruction set a target of planting at least 2 billion trees on forest-fund land by 2025; the programme was extended to 2027. Ministry figures put annual tree survival between 31.2% and 50.5% in 2021–2024, against a launch target of 65%, and a Mazhilis deputy said in 2025 that millions of trees reported as planted in some regions could not be found.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":45.5,"lon":60.5,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Nationwide; a large share on the dried Aral Sea bed (Kyzylorda region)","lat":45.5,"lon":60.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Survival of planted trees by planting year (Ministry of Ecology)","value":"31.2%–50.5%","note":"2021: 45.3%; 2022: 35.1%; 2023: 31.2%; 2024: 50.5%. The target at launch was 65%."},"happened":["In 2020 President Tokayev instructed the government to plant at least 2 billion trees on forest-fund land by 2025. The original estimate was KZT 82 bn, of which KZT 60 bn was to come from akimats (regional administrations) and KZT 22 bn from the national budget; the Ministry of Ecology says more than KZT 36 bn was allocated for forest crops in 2021–2025. In July 2025 the programme was extended to 2027. For 2021, Vice-Minister Aliya Shalabekova reported spending of KZT 12 bn (KZT 7.2 bn from local budgets and KZT 4.6 bn from the national budget) and 130 million trees planted on 62,000 ha.","On 8 October 2024 Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov criticised the results, saying he did not yet see quality; he gave about 970 million seedlings planted since 2021, said survival over three years in Akmola and Zhetysu regions was no more than 60% and seedling supply was below 90% of need, said survival is not taken into account in reporting, and said padded figures and false reporting must be stopped and punished. In 2025 the Ministry of Ecology gave 1.36 billion trees planted (743 million seedlings plus 640 million seeds).","On 4 February 2025 Mazhilis deputy Bakytzhan Bazarbek said that millions of trees reported as planted could not be found and that money for planting had gone missing, citing Mangistau in 2022 (target 167,000, 21,000 planted) and East Kazakhstan in 2021 (127,000 against 85,000), and said no criminal case had been opened and no one had been held responsible. The same day Vice-Minister Zhomart Aliev said the Ministry's analysis was finding discrepancies with statistics in some regions and that work on them was being carried out.","On 28 May 2026 Mazhilis deputy Bolatbek Nazhmetdinuly said state plantings lose up to 70% and that a bill on greening effectively legalises the death of up to 70% of seedlings. On 13 October 2026 the Supreme Audit Chamber (VAP) published a conclusion on the 2025 budget execution report with data for West Kazakhstan region: for settlements the plan was 999.8 thousand trees and 680.3 thousand were planted (a shortfall of 319.5 thousand); in the forest fund 39.03 million were planted against a plan of 38.3 million; forest-crop survival in the region was 54%, against a national norm of 63.5%. For plantings in settlements, survival norms were not set at all."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Presidential instruction to plant at least 2 billion trees by 2025","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"KZT 12 bn spent; 130 million trees on 62,000 ha reported (7 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"Prime Minister criticises results; about 970 million seedlings planted since 2021 (8 Oct)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Deputy Bazarbek's statement on planting figures (4 Feb); programme extended to 2027 (14 Jul)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Mazhilis debate on survival norms (28 May); Supreme Audit Chamber conclusion on West Kazakhstan (13 Oct)","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"Not a single criminal case has been opened on these facts; no one has been held responsible","who":"Bakytzhan Bazarbek, Mazhilis deputy","when":"4 February 2025","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We can fulfil this provided there is sufficient funding","who":"Yerlan Nysanbayev, Minister of Ecology","when":"2025","src":0,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"effectively legalises the death of up to 70% of seedlings","who":"Bolatbek Nazhmetdinuly, Mazhilis deputy (AMANAT), on a greening bill","when":"28 May 2026","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"For plantings in settlements, survival norms were not set at all","who":"Supreme Audit Chamber conclusion, as relayed by BES.media","when":"13 October 2026","src":5,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The programme was presented as 1.36 billion trees planted by mid-2025 (743 million seedlings plus 640 million seeds).","who":"Ministry of Ecology","src":0},{"t":"About 970 million seedlings were reported planted since 2021.","who":"Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Survival by planting year, as reported by the Ministry of Ecology: 2021, 45.3%; 2022, 35.1%; 2023, 31.2%; 2024, 50.5%. The target at launch was 65%.","src":0},{"t":"On the dried Aral Sea bed, 20–25% survival was expected.","src":1},{"t":"Regional akimats allocated more than KZT 1 bn for nursery reconstruction since 2024.","src":6},{"t":"In West Kazakhstan region, 2021–2025: settlement plantings 680.3 thousand against a plan of 999.8 thousand; forest-fund plantings 39.03 million against 38.3 million; forest-crop survival 54% against a national norm of 63.5%. Nationally, figures of about 16 million against an 18 million plan were given alongside.","src":5},{"t":"Survival is not taken into account in reporting, according to the Prime Minister (8 October 2024).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2021–2025; mixed, see each line","nature":[{"label":"Original estimate for the programme (KZT 60 bn akimats, KZT 22 bn national budget)","amount":82000,"qualifier":"estimate","window":"2021–2025"},{"label":"Allocated for forest crops (Ministry of Ecology)","amount":36000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2021–2025"},{"label":"Spent on tree planting in 2021 (KZT 7.2 bn local, KZT 4.6 bn national)","amount":12000,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Regional akimats: nursery reconstruction","amount":1000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"since 2024"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Survival by planting year","v":"45.3% / 35.1% / 31.2% / 50.5%","d":"2021 / 2022 / 2023 / 2024, Ministry of Ecology; launch target 65%"},{"k":"Trees planted, as reported","v":"970 million → 1.36 billion","d":"Prime Minister, October 2024; Ministry, 2025 (743 million seedlings plus 640 million seeds)"},{"k":"Dried Aral Sea bed","v":"20–25%","d":"Survival expected"},{"k":"West Kazakhstan forest-crop survival","v":"54%","d":"National norm 63.5% (Supreme Audit Chamber)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Ministry of Ecology figures show that between 31.2% and 50.5% of the trees planted each year in 2021–2024 survived.","report":[{"t":"Of the trees planted for me, 45.3% of the 2021 planting survived, 35.1% of 2022, 31.2% of 2023 and 50.5% of 2024, according to the Ministry of Ecology.","src":0},{"t":"On my dried Aral Sea bed, survival of 20–25% was expected.","src":1},{"t":"In Akmola and Zhetysu regions, survival over three years was no more than 60%, according to the Prime Minister.","src":2},{"t":"In West Kazakhstan, 54% of forest crops survived, against a national norm of 63.5%, according to the Supreme Audit Chamber.","src":5}]},"unknown":["None on record: a criminal case on tree-planting reporting; Deputy Bazarbek said on 4 February 2025 that none had been opened.","None on record: survival norms for plantings in settlements (Supreme Audit Chamber, as relayed by BES.media).","Not measured: survival is not taken into account in reporting, according to the Prime Minister (8 October 2024).","None on record: spending amounts in the BES.media summary of the Supreme Audit Chamber conclusion of 13 October 2026."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Akimats and the national budget fund the planting: the Ministry of Ecology reports more than KZT 36 bn allocated for forest crops in 2021–2025, against an original estimate of KZT 82 bn.","statusLine":"As of 13 October 2026: programme extended to 2027; Supreme Audit Chamber conclusion on West Kazakhstan published; no criminal case on planting reports on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"kz-ministry-of-ecology","says":"Vice-Minister Zhomart Aliev said the Ministry's analysis was finding discrepancies with statistics in some regions and that work was being carried out; Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev said the target can be fulfilled provided funding is sufficient.","when":"4 February 2025; 2025","src":3},{"actor":"kazakhstan-government","says":"Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov said he did not yet see quality, that survival is not taken into account in reporting, and that padded figures and false reporting must be stopped and punished.","when":"8 October 2024","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"kz-ministry-of-ecology","role":"Runs the programme; reports planting and survival figures"},{"id":"kz-supreme-audit-chamber","role":"Audited planting in West Kazakhstan region"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Prime Minister's criticism; funding"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Number of trees planted","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov","says":"About 970 million seedlings planted since 2021 (8 October 2024).","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"1.36 billion trees planted by 2025: 743 million seedlings plus 640 million seeds, with seeds counted as trees.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether reported plantings match what was planted","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Bakytzhan Bazarbek, Mazhilis deputy","says":"Millions of trees reported as planted could not be found and money for planting had gone missing; cites Mangistau 2022 (target 167,000, 21,000 planted) and East Kazakhstan 2021 (127,000 against 85,000); no criminal case opened.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Zhomart Aliev, Vice-Minister of Ecology","says":"The analysis is finding discrepancies with statistics in some regions; the work is being carried out.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov","says":"Padded figures and false reporting must be stopped and punished.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":970000000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Since 2021, Prime Minister, 8 October 2024."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":1360000000,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"Ministry of Ecology: 743 million seedlings plus 640 million seeds; seeds counted as trees."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":45.3,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Ministry of Ecology; target at launch 65%."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":35.1,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Ministry of Ecology."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":31.2,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Ministry of Ecology."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":50.5,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Ministry of Ecology."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":54,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Forest crops in West Kazakhstan region; national norm 63.5% (Supreme Audit Chamber)."},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":82000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2020,"note":"Original estimate: KZT 60 bn akimats, KZT 22 bn national budget."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":36000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Allocated for forest crops in 2021–2025 (Ministry of Ecology)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":12000,"unit":"KZT m","year":2021,"note":"KZT 7.2 bn local budgets, KZT 4.6 bn national budget."},{"key":"area_planted_ha","value":62000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"130 million trees reported by Vice-Minister Aliya Shalabekova."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A programme to plant at least 2 billion trees by 2025, extended to 2027, has reported annual survival of 31.2%–50.5% in 2021–2024 against a launch target of 65%; a Mazhilis deputy said millions of trees reported as planted could not be found.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Regional akimats and nurseries","what":"More than KZT 1 bn for nursery reconstruction since 2024","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"State budget","what":"More than KZT 36 bn allocated for forest crops in 2021–2025 (Ministry of Ecology)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Planted trees","what":"Survival between 31.2% and 50.5% a year in 2021–2024; 20–25% expected on the dried Aral Sea bed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide, with a large share on the dried Aral Sea bed in Kyzylorda region; the Supreme Audit Chamber's 2026 conclusion covers West Kazakhstan region.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Instruction in 2020; programme years 2021–2025, extended to 2027; deputy's statement on 4 February 2025; audit conclusion on 13 October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Survival is not taken into account in reporting and seedling supply was below 90% of need, according to the Prime Minister; the Supreme Audit Chamber found survival norms were not set for settlement plantings.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Akimats and the national budget fund planting on forest-fund land and in settlements; the Ministry of Ecology reports planted numbers and survival by year.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Programme to plant 2 bn trees in Kazakhstan extended to 2027 (in Russian)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2025-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2025-07-14-programmu-po-vysadke-2-mlrd-derevev-v-kazahstane-prodlili-do-2027-goda/"},{"t":"12 bn tenge spent on tree planting in 2021 (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2021-12-07","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/v-2021-godu-na-posadku-derevev-potratili-12-mlrd-tenge"},{"t":"“I don't see quality yet”: Prime Minister criticises greening work (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2024-10-08","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/poka-ne-vizu-kacestva-premer-raskritikoval-rabotu-po-ozeleneniyu-v-kazaxstane"},{"t":"“I'm shocked”: deputy says millions of trees reported as planted were not found (in Russian)","p":"NUR.KZ","d":"2025-02-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.nur.kz/politics/kazakhstan/2217929-ya-v-shoke-deputat-ne-nashel-neskolko-millionov-derevev-kotorye-posadili-na-bumage/"},{"t":"Death of up to 70% of seedlings legalised: MP demands tighter control of greening (in Russian)","p":"Azattyq Ruhy","d":"2026-05-28","type":"press","u":"https://rus.azattyq-ruhy.kz/society/109182-legalizuiut-gibel-do-70-sazhentsev-mazhilismen-potreboval-uzhestochit-kontrol-za-ozeleneniem"},{"t":"West Kazakhstan akimat missed greening plan by almost 320,000 trees: Supreme Audit Chamber (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2026-10-13","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/amp/akimat-zko-ne-vypolnil-plan-po-ozeleneniyu-pochti-na-320-tysyach-derevev-zaklyuchenie-vap/"},{"t":"52 billion tenge allocated this year for forestry firefighting equipment acquisition","p":"Prime Minister of Kazakhstan","d":"2024-10-08","type":"official","u":"https://primeminister.kz/en/news/52-billion-tenge-allocated-this-year-for-forestry-firefighting-equipment-acquisition-29162"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether reported plantings match what was planted","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of trees planted","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a criminal case on tree-planting reporting; Deputy Bazarbek said on 4 February 2025 that none had been opened.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: survival norms for plantings in settlements (Supreme Audit Chamber, as relayed by BES.media).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: survival is not taken into account in reporting, according to the Prime Minister (8 October 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: spending amounts in the BES.media summary of the Supreme Audit Chamber conclusion of 13 October 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"burabay-national-park-land-plots","title":"Burabay National Park land plots, Kazakhstan","dek":"Protected land of Burabay National Park in Akmola region was transferred into settlements and private hands; the state is now taking it back through a prosecutor's protest and lawsuits, 29 of which had been filed by December 2024. One owner says he invested KZT 400 million, and owners say their plots predate the documents the prosecutor relies on.","country":"Kazakhstan","region":"Asia","lat":53.08,"lon":70.3,"places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Akmola region (Burabay and Svetly settlements, Shchuchinsk/Borovoe area)","lat":53.08,"lon":70.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Lawsuits over park land, December 2024","value":"29","note":"Akim of Akmola region, 3 December 2024: “Today, 29 lawsuits concern only those lands” (translated)."},"happened":["In 2013 the Burabay special economic zone was allocated 370 ha of park land, according to deputy Ivan Klimenko; in 2020 Vice-Minister Yerlan Nysanbayev said 260 ha had been developed and 110 ha were to be returned. A decision cancelling a 2012 akimat resolution on the boundaries of Shchuchinsk appeared on the “Open NPA” portal on 3 September 2024.","On 3 December 2024 the akim of Akmola region, Marat Akhmetzhanov, said 29 lawsuits concerned those lands and that the prosecutor's protest had been satisfied; he said owners whose land was granted before the park was created keep ownership and that seizure is possible only by court decision. On 12 September 2025 owners received claims from the regional land department, which seeks cancellation of land transactions over the past 20 years. A lawyer said about 1,800 landowners may be affected and that compensation would need “billions of tenge” from the budget; an entrepreneur said he invested KZT 400 mln and built 24 houses.","Owners say their plots predate the documents the prosecutor relies on, citing allocations of 1997, 2001 and 2006. The prosecutor's office, the land department and the district akimat declined to comment on camera. On 12 January 2026 Prosecutor General Berik Asylov reported on X that 800 thousand ha of land had been returned to state ownership in 2025 across all regions and that KZT 25 bn of environmental damage had been compensated; Burabay was among the places named, with no hectare figure given for it."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"370 ha of park land allocated to the Burabay special economic zone","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Vice-Minister says 260 ha developed and 110 ha to be returned (3 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Decision cancelling a 2012 akimat resolution on Shchuchinsk boundaries appears on the Open NPA portal (3 Sep); akim says 29 lawsuits filed (3 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Owners receive claims from the regional land department (12 Sep)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Prosecutor General reports 800 thousand ha returned in 2025, naming Burabay among the places (12 Jan)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"Today, 29 lawsuits concern only those lands","who":"Marat Akhmetzhanov, akim of Akmola region","when":"3 December 2024","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The prosecutor's protest has been satisfied","who":"Marat Akhmetzhanov, akim of Akmola region","when":"3 December 2024","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Did they really not see that there was already another landowner, the GNPP?","who":"A lawyer for landowners","when":"12 September 2025","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We will go to court","who":"A Burabay resident","when":"12 September 2025","src":2,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"800 thousand ha of land was reported returned to state ownership in 2025 across all regions, with Burabay named among the places.","who":"Prosecutor General Berik Asylov","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Owners whose land was granted before the park was created keep ownership; seizure is possible only by court decision.","src":1},{"t":"The regional land department seeks cancellation of land transactions over the past 20 years; a lawyer estimates about 1,800 landowners may be affected.","src":2},{"t":"National totals for 2025 (all regions), per the Prosecutor General: 800 thousand ha of land returned and KZT 25 bn of environmental damage compensated.","src":3},{"t":"The prosecutor's office, the land department and the district akimat declined to comment on camera.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Investment claimed by one entrepreneur (24 houses built)","amount":400,"window":"to 2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Lawsuits over park land","v":"29","d":"As of 3 December 2024"},{"k":"Special economic zone land","v":"370 ha","d":"Allocated in 2013; 260 ha developed, 110 ha to be returned (2020)"},{"k":"Landowners who may be affected","v":"about 1,800","d":"Lawyer's estimate"},{"k":"Investment claimed by one owner","v":"KZT 400 mln","d":"24 houses built"}]},"unknown":["None on record: court outcomes of the 29 lawsuits filed by December 2024.","None on record: a compensation figure in the akim's statement of 3 December 2024; a lawyer estimates “billions of tenge” from the budget.","None on record: a hectare figure for Burabay within the 800 thousand ha national total (Prosecutor General, 12 January 2026).","None on record: measured ecological data on the built-up park land."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: 29 lawsuits filed by December 2024 and claims issued to owners in September 2025; no court outcome on record; the Prosecutor General named Burabay among places where land was returned in 2025.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"akmola-akimat","says":"The akim said 29 lawsuits concern those lands, the prosecutor's protest was satisfied, owners whose land was granted before the park was created keep ownership, and seizure is only by court decision.","when":"3 December 2024","src":1},{"actor":"akmola-prosecutor-office","says":"Declined to comment on camera.","when":"12 September 2025","src":2},{"actor":"kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office","says":"Reported 800 thousand ha of land returned to state ownership in 2025 across all regions, naming Burabay among the places.","when":"12 January 2026","src":3},{"actor":"akmola-land-department","says":"Declined to comment on camera.","when":"12 September 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"burabay-national-park","role":"Protected area whose land was transferred"},{"id":"akmola-akimat","role":"Regional administration; the akim commented on the lawsuits"},{"id":"akmola-land-department","role":"Seeks cancellation of land transactions"},{"id":"akmola-prosecutor-office","role":"Prosecutor's protest on Shchuchinsk boundaries"},{"id":"kazakhstan-prosecutor-generals-office","role":"Reported 2025 land returns, naming Burabay"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether plots transferred out of the park can be taken back","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Akim of Akmola region","says":"Owners whose land was granted before the park was created keep ownership; seizure only by court decision; the prosecutor's protest has been satisfied.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Akmola regional land department","says":"Seeks cancellation of land transactions over the past 20 years.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Landowners","says":"Their plots predate the documents the prosecutor relies on (allocations of 1997, 2001 and 2006).","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor's office, land department, district akimat","says":"Declined to comment on camera.","src":2,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecutor's protest on Shchuchinsk boundaries","forum":"Akmola region (decision published on the Open NPA portal)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Akmola prosecutor's office","defendant":"Akimat resolution of 2012 on Shchuchinsk boundaries","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"A decision cancelling a 2012 akimat resolution on Shchuchinsk boundaries appeared on the Open NPA portal on 3 September 2024; on 3 December 2024 the akim said the prosecutor's protest had been satisfied.","src":1},{"title":"Lawsuits over Burabay National Park land","forum":"Courts in Akmola region (not named)","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"State bodies (regional land department)","defendant":"Landowners in Burabay and neighbouring settlements","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The akim said 29 lawsuits concerned those lands on 3 December 2024. In September 2025 owners received claims from the regional land department seeking cancellation of land transactions over the past 20 years.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"lawsuits_filed","value":29,"unit":"lawsuits","year":2024,"note":"As stated by the akim of Akmola region on 3 December 2024."},{"key":"area_transferred_ha","value":370,"unit":"ha","year":2013,"note":"Park land allocated to the Burabay special economic zone."},{"key":"area_ha","value":260,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Developed part of the special economic zone land (Vice-Minister Nysanbayev)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":110,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Part of the special economic zone land to be returned (Vice-Minister Nysanbayev)."},{"key":"owners_affected","value":1800,"unit":"landowners","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Lawyer's estimate."},{"key":"investment","value":400,"unit":"KZT m","year":2025,"note":"Claimed by one entrepreneur; 24 houses built."},{"key":"land_returned_ha","value":800000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"All regions, per the Prosecutor General; no figure for Burabay."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Protected land of Burabay National Park was transferred into settlements and private hands; the state is taking it back through a prosecutor's protest and lawsuits, 29 of which had been filed by December 2024.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Landowners and businesses on former park land","what":"Hold plots in Burabay and neighbouring settlements; one entrepreneur says he invested KZT 400 mln and built 24 houses","src":2},{"who":"Burabay special economic zone","what":"370 ha of park land allocated in 2013","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Landowners facing claims","what":"About 1,800 landowners may be affected (lawyer's estimate); compensation would need “billions of tenge” from the budget","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Burabay National Park","what":"Land transferred out of the protected area; ecological effect not measured","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"State national natural park “Burabay”, Akmola region: Burabay and Svetly settlements, Shchuchinsk/Borovoe area.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Allocations in 1997, 2001, 2006 (owners' account) and 2013 (special economic zone); lawsuits by 3 December 2024; claims in September 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The prosecutor's protest and the land department's claims rest on documents showing the plots lie on national park land; owners say their plots predate those documents.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The prosecutor's protest was satisfied; the state seeks cancellation of land transactions over the past 20 years through lawsuits, and seizure is possible only by court decision.","src":1}},"related":["almaty-national-park-ski-resort-plan"],"sources":[{"t":"Kok-Zhailau to regain special status (in Russian)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2020-06-03","type":"press","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/kok-jaylau-vernut-osobyiy-status-404253/"},{"t":"Akmola akim comments on possible land seizure from Burabay residents (in Russian)","p":"BES.media","d":"2024-12-03","type":"press","u":"https://bes.media/amp/akim-akmolinskoy-oblasti-prokommentiroval-vozmozhnoe-izyatie-zemel-u-zhiteley-burabaya-08d817/"},{"t":"National park land in Burabay was given to private hands, now the state wants it back: residents and businessmen disagree (in Russian)","p":"Informburo","d":"2025-09-12","type":"press","u":"https://informburo.kz/novosti/zemli-nacparka-v-burabae-vydavali-v-castnye-ruki-a-teper-xotiat-vernut-ziteli-i-biznesmeny-ne-soglasny"},{"t":"800,000 ha of oligopoly land returned to the state in 2025 (in Russian)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2026-01-12","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/economic/143992/v-2025-godu-v-gossobstvennost-vernuli-800-tysyach-ga-zemel-oligopolij.html"}],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"370 hectares of my Burabay National Park land were allocated to the special economic zone in 2013; in 2020 the Vice-Minister said 260 hectares had been developed and 110 were to be returned.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether plots transferred out of the park can be taken back","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Prosecutor's office, land department, district akimat: Declined to comment on camera.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court outcomes of the 29 lawsuits filed by December 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a compensation figure in the akim's statement of 3 December 2024; a lawyer estimates “billions of tenge” from the budget.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a hectare figure for Burabay within the 800 thousand ha national total (Prosecutor General, 12 January 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured ecological data on the built-up park land.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Burabay National Park"]},{"id":"aral-seabed-afforestation-uzbekistan","title":"Afforestation of the dried Aral Sea bed in Uzbekistan","dek":"The Government of Uzbekistan states that protective plantings were set up on about 2 million hectares of the dried Aral Sea bed in 2018–2025 to hold down sand, salt and dust. The government releases state no budget and no survival rate; a forestry scientist put sapling survival at 50–70% in wetter years and about 30% in low-rainfall years.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":44.5,"lon":59.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Karakalpakstan (Muynak district)","lat":43.77,"lon":59.02,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","water","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Area the government reports planted on the dried seabed, 2018–2025","value":"2 million ha","note":"Government of Uzbekistan, 6 March 2026. The release states no budget and no survival rate."},"happened":["On 6 March 2026 the Government of Uzbekistan stated that \"protective forest plantations\" (\"green cover\") had been set up on about 2 million hectares of the dried bed of the Aral Sea in 2018–2025, on the president's direct initiative. The release also stated that 7,800 tons of desert plant seeds had been collected, that up to 1,000 machines, 4 aircraft and 2 motorised hang gliders were used each year, that more than 2,000 residents, workers and machine operators took part, and that saxaul nurseries of at least 100 ha were set up each year. It gave no budget and no survival rate.","Earlier official figures were smaller and by year. In February 2023 the head of the Biodiversity Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources gave 107,000 ha for 2022 and a target of 100,000 ha for 2023, and said 25,000 ha of new artificial forest were created each year. In May 2024 Mongabay reported about 1.7 million ha planted over five years and 150,000–200,000 ha planned for 2024. In May 2025 the government reported 126.2 thousand ha of green cover created on the dried seabed and in the region (71.9 thousand ha in Karakalpakstan, 23.3 thousand in Bukhara, 16 thousand in Navoi, 15 thousand in Khorezm), with 115 thousand ha more planned; in December 2025 it reported 145.2 thousand ha in the Aral Sea region in 2025, of which 90.5 thousand ha in Muynak district.","On money, Podrobno.uz reported in February 2019 that a government resolution would allocate 100 billion soums in stages during 2019 for forest plantations on 500,000 ha of the dried seabed. A Cabinet of Ministers order set 25 billion soums for the green cover in 2023, according to ministry official A. Sodikov. In October 2024 the president referred to a \"$50 million grant for rehabilitating degraded deserts in 2025\"; the article did not name the donor. The 21 May 2025, 25 December 2025 and 6 March 2026 government releases state no total budget.","On survival, Turaxon Ziyotov of the Forest Research Institute in Tashkent told Mongabay in May 2024 that survival was 50–70% in years with more rainfall and about 30% in low-rainfall years. Mongabay, citing forestry specialist Dildora Aralova, reported that Karakalpakstan received about 10 mm of rain in the five years since 2020. At a presidential meeting on 21 September 2026 the problems listed were species unsuited to local climate and soil, planting where there is no water, weak pest and disease control, and \"problems maintaining forests on the dried-up Aral Sea bed and protecting them\"; the president ordered that results be judged by survival after one, three and five years. No figures were given.","A donor report for the World Bank, held in the CGIAR/ICARDA repository (31 August 2021), modelled wind erosion and the economic value of soil retention under several restoration scenarios, to help the government allocate limited resources. Kun.uz, reporting on the study in February 2022, gave yearly economic damage in Karakalpakstan of \"more than $44 million (about 2% of the region's GDP)\" and a possible yearly gain from restoration of \"about $39 million per year (1.9% of Karakalpakstan's GDP)\". Separately, a UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan (fund code ARL00) had received US$ 16,248,943 in deposits from seven contributors by 31 December 2023, with US$ 12,440,872 reported as expenditure."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Large-scale state programme starts (government: 2018–2025)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Government resolution reported: 100 bn soums for 2019 plantings on 500,000 ha (16 Feb)","src":3},{"y":2021,"t":"World Bank/ICARDA report on the value of restoration (31 Aug)","src":6},{"y":2022,"t":"107,000 ha planted, per a ministry official (reported Feb 2023)","src":4},{"y":2023,"t":"25 bn soums for the green cover (Cabinet order); UN trust fund deposits reach US$ 16,248,943 (31 Dec)","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"Mongabay reports about 1.7 million ha over five years (29 May); president refers to a US$ 50 million desert grant for 2025 (Oct)","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"Government reports 126.2 thousand ha (May) and 145.2 thousand ha (Dec)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Government states 2 million ha planted in 2018–2025 (6 Mar); presidential meeting orders survival checks at one, three and five years (21 Sep)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"Unfortunately, the Aral Sea can no longer be restored to its original state.","who":"A. Sodikov, Ministry of Natural Resources","when":"1 February 2023","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Given this, planting artificial forests is essential to keep wind from blowing sand and salt off the exposed seabed.","who":"A. Sodikov, Ministry of Natural Resources","when":"1 February 2023","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"contributes to improving the environmental situation in our country","who":"A. Abduhakimov, Adviser to the President on environmental issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, on the planting work","when":"6 March 2026","src":0},{"q":"Based on the amount of rain received in a year, the survival of saplings is determined.","who":"Turaxon Ziyotov, Forest Research Institute (Tashkent), to Mongabay","when":"29 May 2024","src":5},{"q":"Proper consultation and involvement of local communities are essential to address their needs and concerns","who":"Dildora Aralova, forestry specialist, to Mongabay","when":"29 May 2024","src":5},{"q":"Saxaul is planted on cold days and the work is quite difficult in the winter","who":"Gulzira, local resident, to Mongabay","when":"29 May 2024","src":5},{"q":"The alternatives that derive from nature are somewhat more easily accessible and close to local people","who":"Daniel Tsegai, UNCCD programme officer, to Mongabay","when":"29 May 2024","src":5},{"q":"problems maintaining forests on the dried-up Aral Sea bed and protecting them","who":"Presidential meeting, as reported by Dunyo.info","when":"21 September 2026","src":10}],"shown":[{"t":"Protective forest plantations (\"green cover\") on about 2 million ha of the dried seabed, 2018–2025","who":"Government of Uzbekistan, 6 March 2026","src":0},{"t":"Planting artificial forests is essential to keep wind from blowing sand and salt off the exposed seabed","who":"A. Sodikov, Ministry of Natural Resources, February 2023","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"The dried bed added about 7% more dust over Central Asia in the 2000s–2010s than in the 1980s–1990s (Banks et al., 2022, as summarised by Eos).","src":8},{"t":"Survival of planted saplings: 50–70% in years with more rainfall and about 30% in low-rainfall years (Forest Research Institute scientist, via Mongabay, 29 May 2024).","src":5},{"t":"The president ordered results to be judged by survival after one, three and five years (21 September 2026).","src":10},{"t":"Kun.uz, reporting on the World Bank/ICARDA study, gave yearly economic damage in Karakalpakstan of more than $44 million and a cost of inaction over 20 years of more than $840 million.","src":7},{"t":"UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan: US$ 16,248,943 deposited by seven contributors to 31 December 2023; US$ 12,440,872 reported as expenditure.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"UZS","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"State allocation for forest plantations on the dried seabed, 2019 (to be allocated in stages)","amount":100000,"window":"2019","note":"100 billion soums, under a government resolution reported by Podrobno.uz."},{"label":"Allocation for the green cover, 2023","amount":25000,"window":"2023","note":"25 billion soums, under a Cabinet of Ministers order, per ministry official A. Sodikov."},{"label":"Grant for rehabilitating degraded deserts, 2025","amount":null,"window":"2025","note":"US$ 50 million, referred to by the president in October 2024; donor not named in the article."},{"label":"UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region: deposits to 31 December 2023","amount":null,"window":"to 2023","note":"US$ 16,248,943 deposited; US$ 14,132,726 net funded to eight UN organisations; US$ 12,440,872 reported as expenditure."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area reported planted","v":"2 million ha","d":"Government, 2018–2025; no survival rate stated"},{"k":"Sapling survival","v":"30–70%","d":"About 30% in low-rainfall years, 50–70% in wetter years (Forest Research Institute scientist, via Mongabay)"},{"k":"Extra dust over Central Asia","v":"≈ 7%","d":"2000s–2010s against 1980s–1990s (Banks et al., via Eos)"},{"k":"Budget 2018–2025","v":"Not disclosed","d":"Allocations of 100 bn soums (2019) and 25 bn soums (2023) are reported"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded in published studies and press accounts of dust, rainfall and sapling survival rather than in a measured series for the planted area.","report":[{"t":"My dried bed added about 7% more dust over Central Asia in the 2000s–2010s than in the 1980s–1990s, according to a 2022 study summarised by Eos.","src":8},{"t":"Dust from my bed hit Tashkent and Ashgabat hardest in spring 2015 to spring 2016, with dust above WHO recommendations on 2–3 days a year.","src":8},{"t":"Storms over my bed carry from 15 to 75 million tons of sand, dust and salt a year, according to the World Bank figure reported by Kun.uz; the Aralkum area is about 60,000 km².","src":7},{"t":"Saplings set on my bed survived at 50–70% in years with more rain and at about 30% in low-rainfall years, according to a Forest Research Institute scientist.","src":5},{"t":"Karakalpakstan received about 10 mm of rain in the five years since 2020, according to Mongabay citing a forestry specialist.","src":5},{"t":"In September 2026 the president listed species unsuited to my climate and soil, planting where there is no water, and weak pest and disease control among the problems.","src":10}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the total budget for 2018–2025. The government releases of 21 May 2025, 25 December 2025 and 6 March 2026 state no budget and no survival rate.","Not disclosed: the donor of the US$ 50 million grant for rehabilitating degraded deserts in 2025 that the president referred to in October 2024.","Unclear: how the yearly figures (107,000 ha in 2022; 126.2 thousand ha in spring 2025; 145.2 thousand ha in 2025) relate to the cumulative totals of about 1.7 million ha by 2024 and 2 million ha by 2025; no published figure gives a year-by-year table that adds up to them.","Not disclosed: costs, budgets and funders in the Mongabay report of 29 May 2024, which also has no satellite check of the plantings.","None on record: a court or prosecutor proceeding about the seabed plantings.","None on record: an Accounts Chamber audit dealing specifically with the seabed plantings; the 2026 Yashil Makon audit sampled Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The dried bed remains. A ministry official said in February 2023 that the Aral Sea can no longer be restored to its original state; plantings continued in 2025 and 2026.","whoPaid":"The state budget funded the plantings (100 bn soums in 2019, 25 bn soums in 2023; total not disclosed). A UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region had received US$ 16,248,943 in deposits by 31 December 2023.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the government reports about 2 million ha planted in 2018–2025; the president has ordered results to be judged by survival after one, three and five years; the government releases state no survival rate and no total budget.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"uzbekistan-gov","says":"The planting work contributes to improving the environmental situation in the country (A. Abduhakimov).","when":"2026-03-06","src":0},{"actor":"uzbekistan-natural-resources-ministry","says":"The Aral Sea can no longer be restored to its original state, so planting artificial forests is essential to keep wind from blowing sand and salt off the exposed seabed (A. Sodikov).","when":"2023-02-01","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"Runs the state planting programme; reports the area planted"},{"id":"uzbekistan-natural-resources-ministry","role":"Ministry official gave 2022 area and 2023 allocation"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Donor of the restoration-value study"},{"id":"icarda","role":"Repository holding the study on the value of landscape restoration"},{"id":"unccd","role":"Programme officer quoted by Mongabay"},{"id":"undp","role":"Publisher of the trust fund's financial report (UNDP MPTF Office)"},{"id":"un-mphstf-aral","role":"UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much of the reported planting survives","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Uzbekistan","says":"About 2 million ha of protective plantations set up in 2018–2025; the release states no survival rate.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Turaxon Ziyotov, Forest Research Institute","says":"Survival is 50–70% in years with more rainfall and about 30% in low-rainfall years.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"President of Uzbekistan (21 September 2026)","says":"Problems with maintaining and protecting forests on the dried seabed were listed; results are to be judged by survival after one, three and five years.","src":10}]},{"point":"Area planted per year and in total","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Natural Resources (February 2023)","says":"107,000 ha in 2022; target of 100,000 ha for 2023; 25,000 ha of new artificial forest each year.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Uzbekistan (May 2025)","says":"126.2 thousand ha of green cover created on the dried seabed and in the region.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Uzbekistan (December 2025)","says":"145.2 thousand ha in the Aral Sea region in 2025.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay (May 2024)","says":"About 1.7 million ha planted over five years; 150,000–200,000 ha planned for 2024.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Uzbekistan (March 2026)","says":"About 2 million ha planted in 2018–2025.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":2000000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cumulative area of protective plantations on the dried seabed, 2018–2025 (government, 6 March 2026)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1700000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cumulative over five years (Mongabay, May 2024)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":107000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Planted in 2022 (ministry official, February 2023)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":126200,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Green cover on the dried seabed and in the region as of May 2025 (government)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":145200,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Aral Sea region, 2025; 90,500 ha of it in Muynak district (government, December 2025)."},{"key":"seed_collected_tonnes","value":7800,"unit":"tons (desert plant seeds)","year":2025,"note":"Government release of 6 March 2026."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":70,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Years with more rainfall: 50–70% (Forest Research Institute scientist, via Mongabay)."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Low-rainfall years (Forest Research Institute scientist, via Mongabay)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":100000,"unit":"UZS m","year":2019,"note":"100 billion soums to be allocated in stages for plantations on 500,000 ha (Podrobno.uz)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":25000,"unit":"UZS m","year":2023,"note":"25 billion soums for the green cover (ministry official)."},{"key":"grant","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Grant for rehabilitating degraded deserts, referred to by the president in October 2024; donor not named."},{"key":"economic_damage_per_year","value":44,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Karakalpakstan, about 2% of regional GDP; Kun.uz reporting on the World Bank/ICARDA study."},{"key":"cost_of_inaction_20_years","value":840,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Kun.uz reporting on the World Bank/ICARDA study."},{"key":"restoration_gain_per_year","value":39,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"1.9% of Karakalpakstan's GDP; Kun.uz reporting on the World Bank/ICARDA study."},{"key":"fund_deposits","value":16248943,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Seven contributors to the UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region, to 31 December 2023."},{"key":"fund_expenditure","value":12440872,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Reported expenditure to 31 December 2023 (delivery rate 88.03%)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Government of Uzbekistan states that protective plantations of desert plants were set up on about 2 million hectares of the dried Aral Sea bed in 2018–2025; a forestry scientist put sapling survival at 50–70% in wetter years and about 30% in low-rainfall years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Residents, workers and machine operators","what":"More than 2,000 took part in the planting, per the government release","src":0},{"who":"Eight UN organisations","what":"US$ 14,132,726 net funded from the UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region to 31 December 2023","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"State budget","what":"100 billion soums planned for plantings in 2019 and 25 billion soums for the green cover in 2023","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Dried Aral Sea bed and Central Asia","what":"About 7% more dust over Central Asia in the 2000s–2010s than in the 1980s–1990s","src":8},{"who":"Karakalpakstan","what":"Yearly economic damage of more than $44 million (Kun.uz on the World Bank/ICARDA study)","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Dried seabed of the Aral Sea (Aralkum), Karakalpakstan, mainly Muynak district; also the wider Aral region (Bukhara, Navoi, Khorezm).","src":2},"when":{"t":"2018–2026; the government states the programme ran 2018–2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"A ministry official said planting artificial forests is essential to keep wind from blowing sand and salt off the exposed seabed.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Seeds sown and seedlings planted using machines, aircraft and hang gliders, with saxaul nurseries of at least 100 ha set up each year.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Planting of desert plants has begun on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Forestry Agency)","d":"2026-03-06","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/urmon/news/view/140001"},{"t":"Forest Area in Uzbekistan Reaches 4.7 Million Hectares","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Ecology)","d":"2025-12-25","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/eco/news/view/114135"},{"t":"The goal is to bring the level of greenery in the republic to 30 percent by 2030","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Forestry Agency)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/urmon/news/view/97541"},{"t":"Uzbekistan to allocate 100 bn soums for forest plantations on the dried Aral seabed (in Russian)","p":"Podrobno.uz","d":"2019-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://podrobno.uz/cat/obchestvo/v-uzbekistane-napravyat-10/"},{"t":"25 bn soums needed for green cover on the dried Aral seabed (in Russian)","p":"Yuz.uz / UzA","d":"2023-02-01","type":"press","u":"https://yuz.uz/ru/news/dlya-sozdaniya-zelenogo-pokrova-na-vsoxshem-dne-aralskogo-morya-potrebuetsya-25-mlrd-sumov"},{"t":"Uzbekistan plants a forest where a sea once lay","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-05-29","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/uzbekistan-plants-a-forest-where-a-sea-once-lay/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928055951/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/uzbekistan-plants-a-forest-where-a-sea-once-lay/"},{"t":"The Value of Landscape Restoration in Uzbekistan to Reduce Sand and Dust Storms from the Aral Seabed","p":"CGIAR/ICARDA repository (World Bank donor report)","d":"2021-08-31","type":"academic","voice":"international","u":"https://repo.mel.cgiar.org/items/df8f7b5e-1dfb-4a2d-af4c-0a232fabe3ea/full"},{"t":"Sand and dust storms of Aralkum yearly carry out up to 75 million tons of sand, dust and salt (Kun.uz article)","p":"UNCCD Library","d":"2022-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.unccd.int/index%2Ephp/resources/unccd-library/sand-and-dust-storms-aralkum-yearly-carry-out-75-million-tons-sand-dust-and"},{"t":"When the Aral Sea dried up, Central Asia became dustier (on Banks et al. 2022, JGR Atmospheres)","p":"Eos (AGU)","d":"2022-11-30","type":"academic","u":"https://eos.org/research-spotlights/when-the-aral-sea-dried-up-central-asia-became-dustier"},{"t":"Consolidated Annual Financial Report 2023, UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan","p":"UNDP MPTF Office","d":"2024-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://mptf.undp.org/sites/default/files/documents/2024-05/2023_un_mphstf_for_aral_sea_annual_financial_report_x.pdf"},{"t":"Tree care and survival rates to become priorities under the \"Yashil Makon\" project","p":"Dunyo.info / UzA","d":"2026-09-21","type":"press","u":"https://dunyo.info/en/prezident/prioritetom-v-realizacii-proekta-yashil-makon-stanet-uhod-za-derevyami-i"},{"t":"Yashil Makon (presidential meeting)","p":"Gazeta.uz","d":"2024-10-24","type":"press","u":"https://gazeta.uz/en/2024/10/24/yashil-makon"}],"related":["north-aral-sea-restoration-via-kokaral-dam","aral-basin-cotton-water-allocation"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of the reported planting survives","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Grant for rehabilitating degraded deserts, 2025 — US$ 50 million, referred to by the president in October 2024; donor not named in the article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"UN trust fund for the Aral Sea region: deposits to 31 December 2023 — US$ 16,248,943 deposited; US$ 14,132,726 net funded to eight UN organisations; US$ 12,440,872 reported as expenditure.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Area planted per year and in total","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the total budget for 2018–2025. The government releases of 21 May 2025, 25 December 2025 and 6 March 2026 state no budget and no survival rate.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the donor of the US$ 50 million grant for rehabilitating degraded deserts in 2025 that the president referred to in October 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: how the yearly figures (107,000 ha in 2022; 126.2 thousand ha in spring 2025; 145.2 thousand ha in 2025) relate to the cumulative totals of about 1.7 million ha by 2024 and 2 million ha by 2025; no published figure gives a year-by-year table that adds up to them.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: costs, budgets and funders in the Mongabay report of 29 May 2024, which also has no satellite check of the plantings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court or prosecutor proceeding about the seabed plantings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an Accounts Chamber audit dealing specifically with the seabed plantings; the 2026 Yashil Makon audit sampled Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"yashil-makon-tree-planting-programme","title":"Yashil Makon tree-planting programme in Uzbekistan","dek":"The government reported 872 million seedlings planted over four years under Yashil Makon, against an annual plan of 200 million. Prosecutor inspections in 2023, statements by the president in 2024 and 2026 and an Accounts Chamber audit in 2026 recorded seedlings entered in reports but not planted, planted without irrigation, or dried out.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Nationwide","lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","urban-greening"],"headline":{"label":"Seedlings the government reports planted over four years","value":"872 million","note":"Government press conference, 21 May 2025; the annual plan is 200 million. Prosecutors reported 333.1 thousand seedlings dead in Karakalpakstan and 136,100 entered in reports but never planted (2023)."},"happened":["At a press conference on 21 May 2025 the government reported that 872 million tree and shrub seedlings had been planted over the previous four years against an annual plan of 200 million. For spring 2025 the plan was 125 million seedlings (Cabinet Decree No. 145-F of 11 March 2025) and the reported actual was 136.9 million, of which 8.3 million on forest fund land; the autumn 2025 plan was 75.0 million. The forest cover target is to rise from 8% to 15% (6.1 million ha) by 2030. The release headline says \"30 percent by 2030\" while its text gives a different greenery figure.","The Prosecutor General's Office reported inspection findings on 6 August 2023 (as reported by Anhor.uz, translated from Russian). In Karakalpakstan, 333.1 thousand seedlings died after being planted on plots without irrigation, and 136,100 seedlings were entered in reports \"that were actually never planted\". In Akhangaran district of Tashkent region, 127.5 thousand seedlings were reported as planted in public places, of which about 90% were still cuttings in nurseries, and 30% of seedlings on central streets dried out for lack of watering. In Syrdarya 1,355 seedlings died, and in Tuprakkala district of Khorezm more than half of 3,500 seedlings died \"due to neglect\". In Uchkuduk district of Navoi, 2,435 seedlings were recorded but not planted, and \"the funds allocated from the budget were spent by workers in the landscaping system\" (wording as translated; no charge was stated). The same account said the question of liability for 29 heads of local state authorities and agencies was being decided.","At a presidential meeting on 21 October 2024 the president said over 1 million trees had been planted on non-irrigated land or falsely reported, and asked \"Why is the deputy attorney general sitting silently? What are the 75 employees doing? Where is the oversight?\". He announced 100 billion soums of extra funding for 2025 and said the investment programme now covers three years of tree maintenance. UzDaily, reporting the Prosecutor General's Office in June 2024, gave 580,000 seedlings planted where there was no irrigation and more than 19,000 that died because they were not planted on time.","The Accounts Chamber published an effectiveness audit of Yashil Makon and the forest management system (period 2023–2024 and the first nine months of 2025; audited body: the Agency for Forestry, Green Areas and Combating Desertification; sample regions Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya) on 23 March and 1 June 2026. It found that the yearly requirement to build at least 50 forest ranger houses and observation towers was not met, that forest guards lacked vehicles, drones, radios and uniforms, that forest fund land withdrawn for projects was used for other purposes, that lease rules were not fully followed and that the pest and disease service was underdeveloped. Presidential Decree PF-47 of 25 March 2026 reflected the audit's proposals and a pest and disease service was set up.","At a presidential meeting on 21 September 2026 the president said \"Some of the saplings planted last spring have dried out\" and named unsuitable species, planting without water supply and weak pest control as causes. New measures included mahalla green maps, a mahalla \"green rating\" that includes survival rate, the \"3-30-300\" rule and a \"Yashil AI\" tool to flag die-off and water shortage. In November 2021 Kun.uz had reported that staff at several Tashkent schools were told to buy two saplings each at their own expense, at market prices of 40,000–50,000 soums per sapling; the Ministry of Public Education said no such order had been given."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"First autumn campaign; Kun.uz reports school staff told to buy saplings (Nov)","src":7},{"y":2023,"t":"Prosecutor General's Office inspection findings reported (6 Aug); liability of 29 local heads \"being decided\"","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"Prosecutor General's Office figures on non-irrigated plantings (10 Jun); presidential meeting (21 Oct)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"Government reports 872 million seedlings over four years (21 May)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Accounts Chamber audit published (23 Mar, 1 Jun); Decree PF-47 (25 Mar); presidential meeting on survival checks (21 Sep)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"Currently, the question of liability for 29 heads of local state authorities and agencies is being decided.","who":"Prosecutor General's Office, as reported by Anhor.uz","when":"6 August 2023","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Why is the deputy attorney general sitting silently? What are the 75 employees doing? Where is the oversight?","who":"President of Uzbekistan","when":"21 October 2024","src":2},{"q":"Some of the saplings planted last spring have dried out","who":"President of Uzbekistan, as reported by Dunyo.info","when":"21 September 2026","src":6},{"q":"no order was given in any region or school to bring tree saplings on a mandatory basis","who":"Laylo Rustamova, press secretary, Ministry of Public Education","when":"13 November 2021","src":7,"translated":"Uzbek"},{"q":"Of course, anyone who wishes may bring one.","who":"Laylo Rustamova, press secretary, Ministry of Public Education","when":"13 November 2021","src":7,"translated":"Uzbek"}],"shown":[{"t":"872 million tree and shrub seedlings planted over four years","who":"Government of Uzbekistan press conference, 21 May 2025","src":0},{"t":"No order was given in any region or school to bring saplings on a mandatory basis","who":"Ministry of Public Education press secretary, November 2021","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"Prosecutors reported 333.1 thousand seedlings dead after planting without irrigation in Karakalpakstan, and 136,100 seedlings entered in reports that were never planted (2023).","src":1},{"t":"In Akhangaran district, about 90% of 127.5 thousand seedlings reported as planted in public places were still cuttings in nurseries; 30% of seedlings on central streets dried out for lack of watering (2023).","src":1},{"t":"The president said over 1 million trees had been planted on non-irrigated land or falsely reported (21 October 2024).","src":2},{"t":"The Accounts Chamber audit found the requirement for 50 ranger houses and towers a year unmet, forest guards short of vehicles, drones, radios and uniforms, and forest fund land used for other purposes.","src":5},{"t":"The president said some saplings planted last spring have dried out; survival is to be measured after one, three and five years (21 September 2026).","src":6},{"t":"School staff at several Tashkent schools were told to buy two saplings each at their own expense, according to Kun.uz (November 2021).","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"UZS","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Extra state funding for Yashil Makon, 2025","amount":100000,"window":"2025","note":"100 billion soums, announced by the president on 21 October 2024."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Saplings bought by school staff at their own expense (two each)","amount":null,"window":"2021","note":"Market prices of 40,000–50,000 soums per sapling, about 15,000 soums for the smallest (Kun.uz)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Seedlings reported planted","v":"872 million","d":"Four years to May 2025; annual plan 200 million (government)"},{"k":"Seedlings dead, Karakalpakstan","v":"333.1 thousand","d":"Planted on plots without irrigation (Prosecutor General's Office, 2023)"},{"k":"Entered in reports, never planted","v":"136,100","d":"Karakalpakstan (Prosecutor General's Office, 2023)"},{"k":"Dried out on central streets, Akhangaran","v":"30%","d":"Lack of watering (Prosecutor General's Office, 2023)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Seedling deaths are recorded in prosecutor findings and presidential statements as counts and shares for particular districts; no national survival rate is published.","report":[{"t":"In Karakalpakstan 333.1 thousand seedlings died on plots without irrigation, according to the Prosecutor General's Office in 2023.","src":1},{"t":"In Akhangaran district near Tashkent, 30% of seedlings on central streets dried out for lack of watering, according to prosecutors in 2023.","src":1},{"t":"In Syrdarya 1,355 seedlings died, and in Tuprakkala district of Khorezm more than half of 3,500 seedlings died, according to prosecutors in 2023.","src":1},{"t":"In 2024, 580,000 seedlings stood on my land where there was no irrigation and more than 19,000 died because they were not planted on time, according to the Prosecutor General's Office as reported by UzDaily.","src":3},{"t":"Some of the saplings planted last spring have dried out, the president said on 21 September 2026.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the total programme budget for 2021–2026. The Accounts Chamber news pages and the 21 May 2025 release give no budget totals, loss amounts or survival rates.","None on record: a published national survival rate for the planted seedlings.","Not disclosed: the amount of budget funds allocated for the 2,435 seedlings recorded but not planted in Uchkuduk district.","Not disclosed: the number of dried saplings and any budget figures in Dunyo.info's account of the 21 September 2026 meeting; Gazeta.uz's account of the 21 October 2024 meeting gives no survival data and no sanctions.","Unclear: the outcome for the 29 heads of local authorities whose liability was being decided in August 2023; no charges were reported.","Unclear: the 21 May 2025 release headline gives a greenery target of 30 percent by 2030, while its text gives a forest cover target of 15% (6.1 million ha) by 2030."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","review"],"harmStopped":"Not stated. In September 2026 the president said part of the spring planting had dried out and ordered survival to be measured after one, three and five years.","whoPaid":"The state budget (100 billion soums of extra funding for 2025 announced in October 2024). School staff in Tashkent bought saplings at their own expense in 2021, according to Kun.uz.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the president said part of the spring planting had dried out and ordered survival to be measured after one, three and five years; the Accounts Chamber audit is published; the outcome for the 29 officials named in 2023 is not reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"uzbekistan-gov","says":"872 million seedlings planted over four years; spring 2025 reported actual 136.9 million against a plan of 125 million.","when":"2025-05-21","src":0},{"actor":"uzbekistan-education-ministry","says":"No order was given in any region or school to bring saplings on a mandatory basis (press secretary Laylo Rustamova).","when":"2021-11-13","src":7},{"actor":"uzbekistan-accounts-chamber","says":"Problems were discussed with responsible officials, who were given instructions; no referral to prosecutors is mentioned.","when":"2026-06-01","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"Runs the programme; reports planting totals"},{"id":"uzbekistan-forestry-agency","role":"Audited body (Agency for Forestry, Green Areas and Combating Desertification)"},{"id":"uzbekistan-prosecutor-general","role":"Inspected plantings in 2023 and 2024"},{"id":"uzbekistan-accounts-chamber","role":"Published the 2026 effectiveness audit"},{"id":"uzbekistan-education-ministry","role":"Denied an order for school staff to bring saplings"},{"id":"kun-uz","role":"Reported school staff buying saplings"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Do the planting totals match what was planted and survived?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Uzbekistan (21 May 2025)","says":"872 million seedlings planted over four years; reported actual of 136.9 million in spring 2025 against a plan of 125 million.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General's Office (August 2023)","says":"Seedlings died on plots without irrigation, others were entered in reports but never planted, and about 90% of seedlings reported as planted in Akhangaran were still cuttings in nurseries.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"President of Uzbekistan (21 October 2024)","says":"Over 1 million trees were planted on non-irrigated land or falsely reported.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"President of Uzbekistan (21 September 2026)","says":"Some of the saplings planted last spring have dried out.","src":6}]},{"point":"Were school staff made to buy saplings in November 2021?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Kun.uz, citing teachers and parents","says":"Staff at several Tashkent schools were told to buy two saplings each at their own expense; each teacher was assigned two saplings and pupils collected money in class.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Public Education","says":"No order was given in any region or school to bring saplings on a mandatory basis; anyone who wishes may bring one.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecutor General's Office inspection of Yashil Makon plantings","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office","defendant":"29 heads of local state authorities and agencies (not named)","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Reported on 6 August 2023: the question of liability for 29 heads of local state authorities and agencies was being decided. Formal charges were not reported and no outcome has been reported.","src":1},{"title":"Accounts Chamber effectiveness audit of Yashil Makon and the forest management system","forum":"Chamber of Accounts of Uzbekistan","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Chamber of Accounts","defendant":"Agency for Forestry, Green Areas and Combating Desertification","filed":2026,"decided":2026,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Audit of 2023–2024 and the first nine months of 2025, published 23 March and 1 June 2026. The shortcomings found were discussed with responsible officials, who were given instructions; no referral to prosecutors is mentioned.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":872000000,"unit":"seedlings (trees and shrubs)","year":2025,"note":"Cumulative over the previous four years, as claimed by the government on 21 May 2025."},{"key":"seedlings_planned","value":200000000,"unit":"seedlings per year","year":2025,"note":"Annual plan."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":136900000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2025,"note":"Reported actual for spring 2025 against a plan of 125 million (Cabinet Decree No. 145-F); 8.3 million of it on forest fund land."},{"key":"forest_cover_target","value":15,"unit":"% (6.1 million ha)","year":2030,"note":"Target, from 8%."},{"key":"trees_died","value":333100,"unit":"seedlings","year":2023,"note":"Karakalpakstan, planted on plots without irrigation (Prosecutor General's Office)."},{"key":"seedlings_not_planted","value":136100,"unit":"seedlings","year":2023,"note":"Karakalpakstan, entered in reports (Prosecutor General's Office)."},{"key":"seedlings_not_planted","value":2435,"unit":"seedlings","year":2023,"note":"Uchkuduk district, Navoi; recorded but not planted."},{"key":"trees_died","value":1355,"unit":"seedlings","year":2023,"note":"Syrdarya."},{"key":"seedlings_without_irrigation","value":580000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2024,"note":"Planted where there was no irrigation (Prosecutor General's Office, via UzDaily)."},{"key":"trees_died","value":19000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Died because not planted on time (Prosecutor General's Office, via UzDaily)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":100000,"unit":"UZS m","year":2025,"note":"Extra funding announced 21 October 2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The government reported 872 million seedlings planted over four years under Yashil Makon; prosecutors, the president and the Accounts Chamber recorded seedlings entered in reports but not planted, planted without irrigation, or dried out.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"State budget","what":"100 billion soums of extra funding for 2025; 215 green parks in 2024 funded from the state budget (amount not stated)","src":2},{"who":"School staff in Tashkent","what":"Told to buy two saplings each at their own expense, per Kun.uz","src":7}],"harmed":[{"who":"Seedlings in Karakalpakstan, Syrdarya, Khorezm and Akhangaran","what":"333.1 thousand dead in Karakalpakstan; 1,355 in Syrdarya; more than half of 3,500 in Tuprakkala; 30% of seedlings on central streets in Akhangaran","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide; inspection findings from Karakalpakstan, Tashkent region (Akhangaran), Syrdarya, Khorezm (Tuprakkala), Navoi (Uchkuduk); audit sample regions Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2021–2026: first autumn campaign November 2021; inspections 2023; audit published March and June 2026.","src":5},"why":{"t":"A national tree-planting target of 200 million seedlings a year; forest cover target from 8% to 15% by 2030.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Planting by state bodies, mahallas and public-sector workers; monitoring measures announced in 2026 include mahalla green maps, a green rating including survival rate and a \"Yashil AI\" tool.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"The goal is to bring the level of greenery in the republic to 30 percent by 2030","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Forestry Agency)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/urmon/news/view/97541"},{"t":"29 officials responsible for Yashil Makon to be held liable (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2023-08-06","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/yashilmakon/"},{"t":"Yashil Makon (presidential meeting)","p":"Gazeta.uz","d":"2024-10-24","type":"press","u":"https://gazeta.uz/en/2024/10/24/yashil-makon"},{"t":"Over 1 million seedlings were planted in Uzbekistan on paper alone","p":"UzDaily","d":"2024-06-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.uzdaily.uz/en/over-1-million-seedlings-were-planted-in-uzbekistan-on-paper-alone/"},{"t":"Audit of the \"Yashil Makon\" project and forest management system","p":"Chamber of Accounts of Uzbekistan","d":"2026-03-23","type":"official","u":"https://ach.gov.uz/en/events-nav/news/detail/69c22afdb9b9e42c597554ef"},{"t":"Audit of the effectiveness of activities under the \"Yashil Makon\" project and the forest management system","p":"Chamber of Accounts of Uzbekistan","d":"2026-06-01","type":"official","u":"https://ach.gov.uz/en/events-nav/news/detail/6a1d5ba6b9b9e42c59790d5f"},{"t":"Tree care and survival rates to become priorities under the \"Yashil Makon\" project","p":"Dunyo.info / UzA","d":"2026-09-21","type":"press","u":"https://dunyo.info/en/prezident/prioritetom-v-realizacii-proekta-yashil-makon-stanet-uhod-za-derevyami-i"},{"t":"40-day tree-planting campaign: teachers are being forced to bring saplings (in Uzbek)","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2021-11-13","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/news/2021/11/13/daraxt-ekish-40-kunligi-oqituvchilar-kochat-olib-kelishga-majburlanmoqda"}],"related":["uzbekistan-unplanted-seedlings-reported-planted","aral-seabed-afforestation-uzbekistan","tashkent-tree-felling-moratorium"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do the planting totals match what was planted and survived?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Saplings bought by school staff at their own expense (two each) — Market prices of 40,000–50,000 soums per sapling, about 15,000 soums for the smallest (Kun.uz).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were school staff made to buy saplings in November 2021?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecutor General's Office inspection of Yashil Makon plantings: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Accounts Chamber effectiveness audit of Yashil Makon and the forest management system: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the total programme budget for 2021–2026. The Accounts Chamber news pages and the 21 May 2025 release give no budget totals, loss amounts or survival rates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published national survival rate for the planted seedlings.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of budget funds allocated for the 2,435 seedlings recorded but not planted in Uchkuduk district.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the number of dried saplings and any budget figures in Dunyo.info's account of the 21 September 2026 meeting; Gazeta.uz's account of the 21 October 2024 meeting gives no survival data and no sanctions.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the outcome for the 29 heads of local authorities whose liability was being decided in August 2023; no charges were reported.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the 21 May 2025 release headline gives a greenery target of 30 percent by 2030, while its text gives a forest cover target of 15% (6.1 million ha) by 2030.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"almalyk-mmc-copper-expansion-financing","title":"Almalyk MMC copper expansion: export-credit and bank financing, and a 48 billion soum environmental compensation demand","dek":"Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex is expanding its Yoshlik I copper project with foreign bank financing, including a US$ 2.55 billion KfW IPEX-Bank mandate and a UK Export Finance guarantee. In April 2026 the environmental regulator demanded 48 billion soums in compensation after an Ecopolice raid in which it named hazardous waste stored in the open and wastewater discharged into the Angren River.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":40.85,"lon":69.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Almalyk, Tashkent region","lat":40.85,"lon":69.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Angren ore-management plant, Angren River","lat":41,"lon":70.1,"role":"affected"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental compensation demanded by the regulator, April 2026","value":"48 bn soums","note":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, after an Ecopolice raid; payment status not reported. Separate financing: US$ 2.55 billion KfW IPEX-Bank mandate (2023)."},"happened":["On 7 November 2023 the Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex (AMMC) and KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of KfW, agreed to work together on raising US$ 2.55 billion for the \"Development of 'Yoshlik I' deposit\" project, described as expanding the copper smelting complex. The AMMC page names no export credit agency and makes no environmental statements.","On 2 October 2024 UK Export Finance guaranteed a €12.6 million loan from an unnamed international bank to AMMC, to refinance automated machinery bought from Weir (UK). It was UKEF's first deal in Uzbekistan. The release gives no environmental or social classification.","On 16 January 2025 the presidential press secretary, Sherzod Asadov, said AMMC should issue US$ 1 billion in Eurobonds in 2025, out of US$ 2.1 billion planned across leading mining and metallurgy companies (Interfax); whether the bond was issued was not confirmed. An earlier project, Yoshlik II, was approved on 17 August 2017 at a cost of US$ 420 million, including a US$ 350 million loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan (Trend).","Spot.uz reported on 9 April 2026 that, after an Ecopolice raid, the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change demanded \"additional compensation in the amount of 48 billion soums\" and issued 20 mandatory orders. The violations named were hazardous waste \"stored on open sites\", which the article says harms soil and groundwater, and, at the Angren ore-management plant, worn treatment equipment so that \"wastewater effectively turns into waste and is discharged into the Angren River\" (translated from Russian). The article gives no volumes or concentrations, and no AMMC response is reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Yoshlik II approved at US$ 420 million, including a US$ 350 million state fund loan (17 Aug)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"AMMC and KfW IPEX-Bank agree to work on raising US$ 2.55 billion for Yoshlik I (7 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"UKEF guarantees a €12.6 million loan to AMMC (2 Oct)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Presidential press secretary: AMMC should issue US$ 1 billion in Eurobonds (16 Jan)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change demands 48 bn soums and issues 20 mandatory orders (reported 9 Apr)","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"UK businesses are more interested than ever in bringing their goods and services to this vibrant economy","who":"Tim Reid, chief executive, UK Export Finance","when":"2 October 2024","src":1},{"q":"additional compensation in the amount of 48 billion soums","who":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, as reported by Spot.uz","when":"9 April 2026","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"wastewater effectively turns into waste and is discharged into the Angren River","who":"Spot.uz, on the Angren ore-management plant","when":"9 April 2026","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"should issue $1 billion in Eurobonds","who":"Presidential press secretary Sherzod Asadov, at a presidential meeting, on AMMC","when":"16 January 2025","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"A US$ 2.55 billion financing mandate for expanding the copper smelting complex, with no environmental statement","who":"AMMC, 9 November 2023","src":0},{"t":"UKEF's first deal in Uzbekistan, a €12.6 million guarantee, with no environmental classification stated","who":"UK Export Finance, 2 October 2024","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change demanded 48 billion soums in compensation and issued 20 mandatory orders after an Ecopolice raid (April 2026).","src":4},{"t":"Hazardous waste was stored on open sites; wastewater from the Angren ore-management plant was discharged into the Angren River (regulator findings reported by Spot.uz).","src":4},{"t":"The AMMC release on the KfW IPEX-Bank mandate contains no environmental statements; the UKEF release gives no environmental or social classification.","src":0},{"t":"Yoshlik II (2017): US$ 420 million, including a US$ 350 million loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Environmental compensation demanded by the regulator, April 2026","amount":null,"window":"2026","note":"48 billion soums; whether it was paid is not reported."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"KfW IPEX-Bank mandate for Yoshlik I and the smelter (to raise)","amount":2550,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Eurobond issue AMMC should make in 2025 (plan)","amount":1000,"window":"2025","note":"Out of US$ 2.1 billion planned across leading mining and metallurgy companies; issue not confirmed."},{"label":"Yoshlik II project cost, including a US$ 350 million state fund loan","amount":420,"window":"2017"},{"label":"UKEF-guaranteed loan to AMMC","amount":null,"window":"2024","note":"€12.6 million."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Compensation demanded","v":"48 bn soums","d":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, April 2026"},{"k":"Mandatory orders","v":"20","d":"Issued with the demand"},{"k":"KfW IPEX-Bank mandate","v":"US$ 2.55 bn","d":"To raise financing for Yoshlik I (2023)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded as regulator findings reported by the press, without volumes or concentrations.","report":[{"t":"Hazardous waste lay on open sites on my soil at Almalyk; Spot.uz reported in April 2026 that this harms soil and groundwater.","src":4},{"t":"At the Angren ore-management plant, worn treatment equipment meant that wastewater, in the article's words, \"effectively turns into waste and is discharged into the Angren River\".","src":4}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the legal basis of the 48 billion soum demand, emission figures for AMMC and AMMC's response; Spot.uz states none of them.","Not disclosed: payment status of the 48 billion soum compensation.","Not disclosed: environmental or social classification of the UKEF-guaranteed deal; the KfW IPEX-Bank release names no export credit agency.","Not disclosed: whether the 2025 Eurobond issue took place.","Not disclosed: volumes or concentrations of the hazardous waste and wastewater."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not stated. The regulator issued 20 mandatory orders in April 2026.","whoPaid":"Not stated. Whether AMMC paid the 48 billion soum compensation is not reported.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change demanded 48 billion soums in compensation and issued 20 mandatory orders; payment status and AMMC's response are not reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"uk-export-finance","says":"UK businesses are more interested than ever in bringing their goods and services to this vibrant economy (chief executive Tim Reid).","when":"2024-10-02","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"ammc","role":"Operator of the Almalyk copper complex; borrower and target of the compensation demand"},{"id":"kfw-ipex","role":"Mandated to work with AMMC on raising US$ 2.55 billion"},{"id":"uk-export-finance","role":"Guaranteed a €12.6 million loan to AMMC"},{"id":"uzbekistan-ecology-committee","role":"Demanded 48 billion soums and issued 20 mandatory orders"},{"id":"uzbekistan-fund-reconstruction-development","role":"Lent US$ 350 million for Yoshlik II"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Compensation demand and mandatory orders against AMMC","forum":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change (Ecopolice)","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change","defendant":"Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Complex (AMMC)","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":48000,"currency":"UZS","label":"compensation demanded"},"summary":"After an Ecopolice raid, reported 9 April 2026, the Committee demanded 48 billion soums in additional compensation and issued 20 mandatory orders over hazardous waste stored on open sites and wastewater discharged into the Angren River. No court involvement is reported.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"financing_mandate","value":2550,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"KfW IPEX-Bank mandate for the Yoshlik I project."},{"key":"guarantee","value":12.6,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"UKEF-guaranteed loan from an unnamed international bank to AMMC."},{"key":"eurobond_plan","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"AMMC should issue US$ 1 billion in Eurobonds, out of US$ 2.1 billion planned across leading mining and metallurgy companies; issue not confirmed."},{"key":"project_cost","value":420,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Yoshlik II, including a US$ 350 million loan from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan."},{"key":"compensation_demanded","value":48000,"unit":"UZS m","year":2026,"note":"48 billion soums; National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change."},{"key":"mandatory_orders","value":20,"unit":"orders","year":2026,"note":"Issued with the compensation demand."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"AMMC is expanding its Yoshlik I copper project with foreign bank financing; in April 2026 the environmental regulator demanded 48 billion soums in compensation after an Ecopolice raid in which it named hazardous waste stored on open sites and wastewater discharged into the Angren River.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"KfW IPEX-Bank","what":"Mandated to work with AMMC on raising US$ 2.55 billion","src":0},{"who":"Weir (UK)","what":"Supplier of the automated machinery whose purchase the UKEF-guaranteed loan refinanced","src":1},{"who":"Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan","what":"Lender of US$ 350 million for Yoshlik II","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"AMMC","what":"Faces a demand for 48 billion soums and 20 mandatory orders","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil and groundwater at Almalyk","what":"Hazardous waste stored on open sites","src":4},{"who":"Angren River","what":"Wastewater discharged from the Angren ore-management plant","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Almalyk, Tashkent region; Angren ore-management plant on the Angren River; Kalmakyr and Yoshlik I deposits.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Financing 2017–2025; regulator demand reported 9 April 2026.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The financing is for expanding the copper smelting complex at the Yoshlik I deposit.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A bank mandate (KfW IPEX-Bank), an export credit guarantee (UKEF) and planned Eurobonds; the regulator acted after an Ecopolice raid.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH and AMMC","p":"AMMC","d":"2023-11-09","type":"company","u":"https://agmk.uz/en/news/kfw-ipex-bank-gmbh-banki-okmkda"},{"t":"UKEF enters Uzbekistan markets with €12.6 million deal","p":"UK Government (UK Export Finance)","d":"2024-10-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukef-enters-uzbekistan-markets-with-126-million-deal"},{"t":"AMMC should issue $1 bn in Eurobonds in 2025","p":"Interfax","d":"2025-01-16","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/109203/"},{"t":"AMMC Yoshlik II project","p":"Trend","d":"2017-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.trend.az/business/economy/2787363.html"},{"t":"AMMC: environmental violations, 48 bn soum compensation (in Russian)","p":"Spot.uz","d":"2026-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.spot.uz/ru/2026/04/09/ammc-ecology/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental compensation demanded by the regulator, April 2026 — 48 billion soums; whether it was paid is not reported.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"UKEF-guaranteed loan to AMMC — €12.6 million.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the legal basis of the 48 billion soum demand, emission figures for AMMC and AMMC's response; Spot.uz states none of them.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: payment status of the 48 billion soum compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: environmental or social classification of the UKEF-guaranteed deal; the KfW IPEX-Bank release names no export credit agency.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whether the 2025 Eurobond issue took place.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: volumes or concentrations of the hazardous waste and wastewater.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"navoi-toxic-smog-2025","title":"Navoi city smog of July–August 2025: plant suspensions, court rulings and 10.348 billion soums in compensation payments","dek":"After repeated smog episodes in Navoi in July 2025, the Ministry of Ecology measured pollutant levels above limits, suspended more than 20 enterprises and took claims to the economic courts. A special commission reported compensation payments of 10.348 billion soums; Navoiyazot denied it was the source.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":40.1,"lon":65.38,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Navoi city and Karmana district, Navoi region","lat":40.1,"lon":65.38,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-07-13","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Compensation payments reported by the Special Commission, 27 November 2025","value":"10.348 bn soums","note":"Navoiyazot 2.5 bn; Sogda Kimyo Zavod 7 bn; other enterprises 0.5 bn (Anhor.uz, citing the commission)."},"happened":["Smog episodes were recorded in Navoi on 13, 19, 21 and 22 July 2025. Air samples taken on 19 July at 11 locations showed sulphur dioxide at 1.86 times the legal limit and ammonia at 1.43 times, according to Kun.uz. At Navoiyazot, ammonia in the urea workshop was 1.08 times the limit on 29 July; at 23:43 on 29 July on the east side ammonia was 1.5 times and hydrogen sulphide 36 times the limit, and at 00:16 on 30 July on the west side ammonia was 6.6 times, hydrogen sulphide 1.4 times and sulphur trioxide 1.2 times. For Zarafshon Industrial Technology LLC the article gave hydrogen sulphide at 25 times (and elsewhere 40 times), nitrogen oxides 12 times, ammonia 7 times and sulphur dioxide 2.6 times.","The Ministry of Ecology suspended more than 20 enterprises in a first phase (brick, slate, concrete and lime plants, a chemical storage, a dairy and phosphorus fertiliser producers), then examined 168 enterprises: 42 were inspected, 22 were ordered to suspend, and legal action was taken against 19 that did not comply, with 10 days allowed to fix violations. Sogda Kimyo Zavod damage was estimated at UZS 7.38 billion. Twenty-four people were fined UZS 18 million each over lime production (raid of 24 July, Karmana district).","Claims to suspend 22 enterprises and workshops were filed with the economic courts. According to the ministry's release of 24 September 2025, the Karmana Interdistrict Economic Court reviewed 20 and upheld 19; on 23 September 2025 the Judicial Board for Economic Affairs of the Navoi Regional Court, on appeal, ruled \"to temporarily suspend the operations of the 23rd (ammonia) workshop of JSC 'Navoiyazot'\"; three workshops of Sogda Kimyo Zavod LLC were suspended by the Karmana court; 25 officials were held administratively liable; and 92 lime kilns were dismantled.","On 27 November 2025 Anhor.uz, citing the ecoinfouz Telegram channel, reported the Special Commission's totals (translated from Russian): 168 enterprises inspected; \"the court suspended the activity of 20 enterprises and workshops operating without a positive environmental expertise\"; \"the total amount of compensation payments came to 10.348 billion soums\", of which Navoiyazot 2.5 billion (two workshops suspended), Sogda Kimyo Zavod 7 billion and other enterprises 0.5 billion; 127 lime kilns demolished; more than 220 mandatory orders; and 37 administrative protocols against officials.","Navoiyazot repeatedly denied responsibility, citing camera footage which it said showed the smoke came from businesses on the former electrochemical plant site. The regional ecology department said finding the source is difficult without automatic monitoring stations, which were not yet installed; they become mandatory for Category I plants by 1 January 2026 and Category II by 1 July 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Smog episodes (13, 19, 21, 22 Jul); air samples at 11 locations (19 Jul); three inspection groups formed (31 Jul); 20th day of smog (4 Aug); appeal ruling suspends Navoiyazot workshop No. 23 (23 Sep); Special Commission totals (27 Nov)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"Multiple enterprises in Navoi have been temporarily shut down for releasing harmful emissions beyond permissible levels","who":"Ministry of Ecology, as reported by Kun.uz","when":"1 August 2025","src":0},{"q":"If they fail to comply, lawsuits will be filed to permanently shut them down.","who":"Ministry of Ecology, as reported by Kun.uz","when":"1 August 2025","src":0},{"q":"to temporarily suspend the operations of the 23rd (ammonia) workshop of JSC 'Navoiyazot'","who":"Judicial Board for Economic Affairs, Navoi Regional Court, on appeal","when":"23 September 2025","src":2},{"q":"the total amount of compensation payments came to 10.348 billion soums","who":"Special Commission, as reported by Anhor.uz","when":"27 November 2025","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Authorities are trying to convince us everything is fine, but allergic diseases are rising among the population.","who":"Resident, quoted by Kun.uz","when":"5 August 2025","src":1},{"q":"This toxic smog is severely affecting the health of young children and the elderly","who":"Resident, quoted by Kun.uz","when":"5 August 2025","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"Multiple enterprises temporarily shut down for releasing harmful emissions beyond permissible levels","who":"Ministry of Ecology, 1 August 2025","src":0},{"t":"Smoke came from businesses on the former electrochemical plant site, shown by camera footage","who":"Navoiyazot, as reported by Kun.uz","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Court rulings: Karmana Interdistrict Economic Court upheld 19 of 20 claims; on 23 September 2025 the appeal court suspended Navoiyazot workshop No. 23; three Sogda Kimyo Zavod workshops were suspended.","src":2},{"t":"Compensation payments reported at 10.348 billion soums; Navoiyazot 2.5 billion, Sogda Kimyo Zavod 7 billion, other enterprises 0.5 billion.","src":3},{"t":"25 officials were held administratively liable; the Special Commission reported 37 administrative protocols against officials.","src":2},{"t":"No automatic emission monitoring was in place; Navoi has 71 Category I and 218 Category II enterprises, 122 of them around the city.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"UZS","window":"2025","nature":[{"label":"Compensation payments directed to restoring air quality","amount":null,"window":"2025","note":"The recipient account of the payments is not stated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Compensation payments, total reported by the Special Commission","amount":10348,"window":"2025","note":"Components given: Navoiyazot 2,500; Sogda Kimyo Zavod 7,000; other enterprises 500."},{"label":"Damage estimate, Sogda Kimyo Zavod","amount":7380,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ammonia at Navoiyazot, west side","v":"6.6 × limit","d":"00:16 on 30 July 2025 (ministry and joint measurements)"},{"k":"Hydrogen sulphide at Navoiyazot, east side","v":"36 × limit","d":"23:43 on 29 July 2025"},{"k":"Enterprises suspended by court","v":"20","d":"Special Commission, 27 November 2025"},{"k":"Compensation payments","v":"10.348 bn soums","d":"Recipient not stated"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Air quality is recorded as multiples of legal limits measured in July 2025 by the ministry and joint teams.","report":[{"t":"On 19 July 2025 my air at 11 locations in Navoi carried sulphur dioxide at 1.86 times the legal limit and ammonia at 1.43 times, according to Kun.uz.","src":0},{"t":"Near Navoiyazot on the night of 29–30 July my air carried hydrogen sulphide at 36 times the limit on the east side, and ammonia at 6.6 times on the west side.","src":0},{"t":"At Zarafshon Industrial Technology LLC my air carried nitrogen oxides at 12 times the limit, ammonia at 7 times and sulphur dioxide at 2.6 times.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: Kun.uz gives hydrogen sulphide at Zarafshon Industrial Technology LLC as 25 times the limit and, in the same article, as 40 times.","Disputed: the source of the smog. The ministry measured exceedances at Navoiyazot; Navoiyazot says the smoke came from businesses on the former electrochemical plant site.","None on record: official health statistics, an official link between the smog and one enterprise, and automatic monitoring data; air-quality data for 4 August 2025 is also absent.","Not disclosed: the recipient of the compensation payments (state budget or an environmental fund).","Unclear: the components given (2.5, 7 and 0.5 billion soums) add to 10 billion soums, so about 0.348 billion soums of the 10.348 billion total are not attributed in Anhor.uz's account (calculation).","Not disclosed: a fine amount for Navoiyazot in the Kun.uz report of 1 August 2025; the ministry release of 24 September 2025 does not mention compensation.","Unclear: whether Navoiyazot workshop No. 23 has resumed operating."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Partly. Courts suspended Navoiyazot workshop No. 23 (appeal ruling of 23 September 2025) and three Sogda Kimyo Zavod workshops; 92 lime kilns were dismantled by September 2025 and 127 by November 2025, according to the ministry and the Special Commission.","whoPaid":"The plants paid compensation payments totalling 10.348 billion soums (Navoiyazot 2.5 billion, Sogda Kimyo Zavod 7 billion, others 0.5 billion); the recipient is not stated.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: the Special Commission reported 10.348 billion soums in compensation payments and 20 court-suspended enterprises and workshops; whether Navoiyazot workshop No. 23 has resumed is not reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"navoiyazot","says":"Denied responsibility, citing camera footage it said showed the smoke came from businesses on the former electrochemical plant site.","when":"2025-08-01","src":0},{"actor":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","says":"Multiple enterprises were temporarily shut down for emissions beyond permissible levels; lawsuits would follow for those that did not comply.","when":"2025-08-01","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","role":"Measured pollutant levels, suspended enterprises and filed claims"},{"id":"navoiyazot","role":"Chemical plant; one workshop suspended on appeal; denied being the source"},{"id":"sogda-kimyo-zavod","role":"Three workshops suspended; compensation payment of 7 billion soums reported"},{"id":"karmana-economic-court","role":"Upheld 19 of 20 suspension claims"},{"id":"navoi-regional-court","role":"Appeal ruling suspending Navoiyazot workshop No. 23"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Source of the smog","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"Measured pollutant levels above limits at Navoiyazot and suspended its workshops; temporarily shut down enterprises for emissions beyond permissible levels.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Navoiyazot","says":"Repeatedly denied responsibility, citing camera footage which it said showed the smoke came from businesses on the former electrochemical plant site.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Regional ecology department","says":"Finding the source is difficult without automatic monitoring stations.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ministry of Ecology claims to suspend 22 enterprises and workshops","forum":"Karmana Interdistrict Economic Court","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Ecology","defendant":"22 enterprises and workshops in Navoi, including Sogda Kimyo Zavod LLC","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Claims to suspend 22 enterprises and workshops were filed with the economic courts. The Karmana Interdistrict Economic Court reviewed 20 and upheld 19; three workshops of Sogda Kimyo Zavod LLC were suspended by the Karmana court.","src":2},{"title":"Appeal on suspension of Navoiyazot workshop No. 23","forum":"Judicial Board for Economic Affairs, Navoi Regional Court","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Ministry of Ecology","defendant":"JSC Navoiyazot","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 23 September 2025 the court, on appeal, ruled to temporarily suspend the operations of the 23rd (ammonia) workshop of JSC Navoiyazot. The Special Commission later reported two Navoiyazot workshops suspended.","src":2},{"title":"Administrative liability of officials","forum":"Administrative proceedings, Navoi region","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Ecology","defendant":"Officials (not named)","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The ministry's release of 24 September 2025 states 25 officials were held administratively liable; the Special Commission reported 37 administrative protocols against officials as of 27 November 2025.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"so2_limit_multiple","value":1.86,"unit":"× legal limit","year":2025,"note":"Air samples at 11 locations in Navoi, 19 July 2025."},{"key":"nh3_limit_multiple","value":1.43,"unit":"× legal limit","year":2025,"note":"Air samples at 11 locations in Navoi, 19 July 2025."},{"key":"h2s_limit_multiple","value":36,"unit":"× limit","year":2025,"note":"Navoiyazot, east side, 23:43 on 29 July 2025."},{"key":"nh3_limit_multiple","value":6.6,"unit":"× limit","year":2025,"note":"Navoiyazot, west side, 00:16 on 30 July 2025."},{"key":"enterprises_inspected","value":168,"unit":"enterprises","year":2025,"note":"Special Commission, 27 November 2025."},{"key":"enterprises_suspended_by_court","value":20,"unit":"enterprises and workshops","year":2025,"note":"Special Commission, 27 November 2025."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":10348,"unit":"UZS m","year":2025,"note":"Total compensation payments reported by the Special Commission."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":2500,"unit":"UZS m","year":2025,"note":"Navoiyazot."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":7000,"unit":"UZS m","year":2025,"note":"Sogda Kimyo Zavod."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":7380,"unit":"UZS m","year":2025,"note":"Sogda Kimyo Zavod (Kun.uz, 1 August 2025)."},{"key":"fine","value":18,"unit":"UZS m per person","year":2025,"note":"24 people fined over lime production; raid of 24 July 2025, Karmana district."},{"key":"lime_kilns_removed","value":127,"unit":"kilns","year":2025,"note":"Demolished, per the Special Commission (27 November 2025); the ministry release of 24 September 2025 gave 92."},{"key":"officials_liable","value":25,"unit":"officials","year":2025,"note":"Held administratively liable (ministry release)."},{"key":"administrative_protocols","value":37,"unit":"protocols","year":2025,"note":"Against officials (Special Commission)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"After repeated smog episodes in Navoi in July 2025, the Ministry of Ecology measured pollutant levels above limits, suspended enterprises and took claims to the economic courts; compensation payments of 10.348 billion soums were reported.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Navoiyazot","what":"Compensation payment of 2.5 billion soums and two workshops suspended","src":3},{"who":"Sogda Kimyo Zavod","what":"Compensation payment of 7 billion soums; three workshops suspended","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Navoi air and residents","what":"Sulphur dioxide, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, nitrogen oxides and sulphur trioxide above limits in July 2025; residents quoted by Kun.uz described rising allergic diseases","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Navoi city and Karmana district, Navoi region.","src":2},"when":{"t":"July–November 2025: smog episodes 13–22 July; appeal ruling 23 September; commission totals 27 November.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Not established. The ministry measured exceedances at Navoiyazot; Navoiyazot says the smoke came from elsewhere.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Ministry inspections of 168 enterprises, suspension claims in the economic courts, compensation payments and administrative protocols.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Several factories shut down in Navoi for violating pollution standards, Navoiyazot and others face penalties","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2025-08-01","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/en/news/2025/08/01/several-factories-shut-down-in-navoi-for-violating-pollution-standards-navoiyazot-and-others-face-penalties"},{"t":"Toxic smog chokes Navoi as Ecology Ministry struggles to act","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2025-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/en/news/2025/08/05/toxic-smog-chokes-navoi-as-ecology-ministry-struggles-to-act"},{"t":"Operations of \"Navoiyazot\" and \"Sogda Kimyo Zavod\" Workshops Temporarily Suspended by Court Decision","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Ecology)","d":"2025-09-24","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/eco/news/view/88231"},{"t":"Navoi enterprises fined over 10 bn soums for air pollution (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2025-11-27","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/v-navoi-predprijatija-oshtrafovany-za-zagrjaznenie-vozduha/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Source of the smog","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation payments directed to restoring air quality — The recipient account of the payments is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Kun.uz gives hydrogen sulphide at Zarafshon Industrial Technology LLC as 25 times the limit and, in the same article, as 40 times.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the source of the smog. The ministry measured exceedances at Navoiyazot; Navoiyazot says the smoke came from businesses on the former electrochemical plant site.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: official health statistics, an official link between the smog and one enterprise, and automatic monitoring data; air-quality data for 4 August 2025 is also absent.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the recipient of the compensation payments (state budget or an environmental fund).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the components given (2.5, 7 and 0.5 billion soums) add to 10 billion soums, so about 0.348 billion soums of the 10.348 billion total are not attributed in Anhor.uz's account (calculation).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a fine amount for Navoiyazot in the Kun.uz report of 1 August 2025; the ministry release of 24 September 2025 does not mention compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Navoiyazot workshop No. 23 has resumed operating.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tashkent-tree-felling-moratorium","title":"Tree felling under the Tashkent moratorium: damage assessments, prosecutor cases and ministry counts","dek":"Uzbekistan's moratorium on felling valuable trees outside the state forest fund was made indefinite in 2022, with five-fold fines and doubled damage compensation. In Tashkent the ministry assessed damage of 1.46 billion soums for the Babur Street felling of October 2025, and prosecutors opened or brought cases under the Criminal Code over earlier fellings in 2020, 2022 and 2023.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":41.31,"lon":69.28,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Tashkent (Yakkasaray, Chilanzar and Yunusabad districts)","lat":41.29,"lon":69.27,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-10-25","instrument":"urban-greening","types":["urban-greening","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Damage assessed for the October 2025 Babur Street felling","value":"1.46 bn soums","note":"Ministry's State Environmental Supervision Inspectorate; 174 trees and shrubs counted. An earlier preliminary figure was 620,472,000 soums for 144 junipers."},"happened":["A presidential decree \"On measures to accelerate greening work and further effective organisation of tree protection in the republic\" (reported by Kun.uz on 3 January 2022; the decree number was not given) extended the moratorium on felling valuable trees and shrubs outside the state forest fund indefinitely. Fines were raised five-fold and damage compensation doubled; contractors who break the rules drop one level in the \"Transparent Construction\" rating; new buildings over 12 m or 500 sq m must keep at least 25% of the plot green; and government and hokim orders to fell valuable trees are banned. In July 2023 informants were to receive 1 BCU (330 thousand soums) for each confirmed violation, paid from the offender's money.","The Ministry of Ecology reported for 2024 that 634,271 trees were \"saved\" (142,135 valuable and 492,136 less valuable) and that 1,098 cases of illegal felling of valuable species were recorded, using the ministry's own category wording; the summary gives no figures for fines, compensation collected or criminal cases. In December 2023 the ministry limited the powers of the Tashkent city ecology department until 1 February 2024 because \"the moratorium requirements are not being fully observed in the capital\" and permits \"have repeatedly been issued without observing the law\" (translated from Russian); the department head was suspended and permits issued in 2021–2023 were reviewed. The Tashkent prosecutor opened a criminal case under Criminal Code Art. 198 part 2 and Art. 229 over an oak moved from Yunusabad by the company Max Processing.","Earlier cases, as reported by Anhor.uz: in February 2020, 81 trees were cut on Yunus Rajabi street in Yakkasaray, 70 of them authorised by the district hokimiyat. The Tashkent prosecutor charged deputy district hokim A. Sattarov under Art. 205 part 2 \"a\" (abuse of power causing especially large damage) and the head of Building And Supplies LLC, A. Kodirov, under Art. 198 part 2; together they paid 1.8913 billion soums in damage during the investigation, with bail set at 53 million and 55.7 million soums, and no verdict was reported. In 2022, according to Anhor.uz, the company Dream House Stroy LLC cut 58 trees on a 0.20 ha plot it owned in Chilanzar, after inspectors had inventoried them and the company had promised in writing not to cut them; damage was put at about 797.7 million soums and the Chilanzar district prosecutor opened a criminal case under Art. 198 part 3.","On the night of 25 October 2025, trees and shrubs were cut along Nukus and Babur streets in Yakkasaray. The ministry's State Environmental Supervision Inspectorate counted 174 trees and shrubs, put the damage at 1 billion 460 million 952 thousand soums, drew up protocols and sent all materials to the prosecutor's office; an earlier preliminary figure was 144 junipers and 620,472,000 soums. The Tashkent city hokimiyat called the removal part of landscaping work, said about 145 junipers on the site were sick and drying out and that \"Originally, they were to be transplanted, but responsible persons violated the established rules\" (translated from Russian), and opened an internal review; replanting of 83 pyramidal elms and over 62,000 ornamental shrubs was planned. Witnesses quoted by Zamin.uz said the felling was ordered by a district deputy khokim; Zamin.uz noted this is not confirmed.","Ministry of Ecology adviser Rasul Kusherbaev said on 26 October 2025 (translated from Russian): \"They cut down living trees, then money is allocated from the budget for new plantings.\" and \"Today, the main enemy of ecology is the authorities themselves.\" As linked context, a World Bank assessment of Tashkent's air quality (9 October 2024) found annual average PM2.5 over six times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³ and put the health cost of PM2.5 at 0.7% of Uzbekistan's GDP."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"81 trees cut on Yunus Rajabi street, Yakkasaray; criminal case, damage of 1.8913 bn soums repaid during the investigation (Feb)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Moratorium made indefinite (reported 3 Jan); 58 trees cut in Chilanzar, criminal case opened (7 Sep)","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"Five-fold fines and informant reward (31 Jul); Tashkent city ecology department's powers limited, criminal case over an oak moved by Max Processing (Dec)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"Ministry records 634,271 trees \"saved\" and 1,098 cases of what it calls illegal felling of valuable species (figures published 4 Mar 2025); World Bank Tashkent air quality assessment (9 Oct)","src":7},{"y":2025,"t":"174 trees and shrubs cut on Nukus and Babur streets (night of 25 Oct); damage put at 1.46 bn soums; materials sent to the prosecutor's office","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"They cut down living trees, then money is allocated from the budget for new plantings.","who":"Rasul Kusherbaev, adviser, Ministry of Ecology","when":"26 October 2025","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Today, the main enemy of ecology is the authorities themselves.","who":"Rasul Kusherbaev, adviser, Ministry of Ecology","when":"26 October 2025","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The public must know that the moratorium on tree felling is being systematically violated.","who":"Rasul Kusherbaev, adviser, Ministry of Ecology","when":"26 October 2025","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"If the authorities themselves violate the law, it loses trust in society","who":"Rasul Kusherbaev, adviser, Ministry of Ecology, as quoted by Zamin.uz","when":"26 October 2025","src":11},{"q":"Originally, they were to be transplanted, but responsible persons violated the established rules","who":"Tashkent city hokimiyat, on the junipers at Babur Street","when":"27 October 2025","src":9,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the moratorium requirements are not being fully observed in the capital","who":"Ministry of Ecology, limiting the powers of the Tashkent city ecology department","when":"December 2023","src":4,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The removal at Babur Street was part of landscaping work","who":"Tashkent city hokimiyat, 27 October 2025","src":9},{"t":"634,271 trees saved in 2024","who":"Ministry of Ecology, 4 March 2025","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"The ministry's inspectorate counted 174 trees and shrubs cut on Nukus and Babur streets and put the damage at 1,460,952,000 soums (October 2025).","src":10},{"t":"Criminal cases: Yunus Rajabi street 2020 (two people charged; no verdict reported), Chilanzar 2022 (opened), Max Processing oak 2023 (opened), Babur Street 2025 (materials sent to the prosecutor; no charge reported).","src":0},{"t":"The ministry's 2024 summary gives no fines, compensation collected or criminal-case figures.","src":7},{"t":"World Bank: annual average PM2.5 in Tashkent over six times the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³; source shares heating 28%, transport 16%, industry 13% and windblown dust 36%.","src":5},{"t":"Kun.uz reported the same World Bank study as $488.4 million a year in health costs and about 3,000 premature deaths a year.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"UZS","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Damage assessed, Babur Street felling","amount":1460.952,"window":"2025","note":"Ministry's final figure; the preliminary figure was 620.472 million soums."},{"label":"Damage assessed, Chilanzar felling","amount":797.7,"qualifier":"about","window":"2022"},{"label":"Damage repaid during the investigation, Yunus Rajabi street","amount":1891.3,"window":"2020","note":"1.8913 billion soums paid by the two people charged."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Informant reward per confirmed violation","amount":0.33,"window":"2023","note":"1 BCU, 330 thousand soums, paid from the offender's money."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Trees and shrubs cut, Babur Street","v":"174","d":"Ministry inspectorate count, night of 25 October 2025"},{"k":"Damage assessed, Babur Street","v":"1.46 bn soums","d":"Ministry inspectorate; preliminary figure 620,472,000 soums"},{"k":"Trees cut, Chilanzar 2022","v":"58","d":"Damage about 797.7 million soums"},{"k":"Recorded fellings of valuable species, 2024","v":"1,098","d":"Ministry's own category wording"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Felled trees are recorded as counts in ministry findings and press reports; no city-wide inventory of trees exists in the sources.","report":[{"t":"On the night of 25 October 2025, 174 of my trees and shrubs were cut along Nukus and Babur streets in Yakkasaray, according to the ministry's inspectorate.","src":10},{"t":"In 2022, 58 trees were cut on a 0.20 ha plot in Chilanzar after inspectors had inventoried them.","src":2},{"t":"In February 2020, 81 trees were cut on Yunus Rajabi street, 70 of them authorised by the district hokimiyat.","src":0},{"t":"In 2024 the ministry recorded 1,098 cases of what it classes as illegal felling of valuable species and counted 634,271 trees as saved.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the Babur Street felling. The ministry counted 174 trees and shrubs and assessed damage of 1,460,952,000 soums, an earlier figure was 144 junipers and 620,472,000 soums, and the hokimiyat called it landscaping and said about 145 junipers were sick and drying out.","Unclear: who ordered the Babur Street felling; witnesses quoted by Zamin.uz named a district deputy khokim, and Zamin.uz noted this is not confirmed.","Not disclosed: fines, compensation collected and criminal-case figures in the ministry's 2024 summary, and fine figures in the Anhor.uz article of 26 October 2025.","None on record: a national or Tashkent total of trees (full inventory).","Not disclosed: the number of the January 2022 decree in the Kun.uz article.","Unclear: the outcome of the Yunus Rajabi street, Chilanzar, Max Processing and Babur Street cases; no verdict or charge is reported for the last three.","Insufficient: the World Bank page gives no absolute PM2.5 value or death count; those figures come from press reports of the full report."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not stated. The moratorium is in force; the Tashkent city ecology department's powers were limited from 30 December 2023 to 1 February 2024.","whoPaid":"Damage assessments are claims against those who cut: 1.8913 billion soums was repaid during the Yunus Rajabi investigation; Babur Street damage of 1,460,952,000 soums was assessed by the ministry; payment is not reported. Replanting is funded from the budget, according to a ministry adviser.","statusLine":"As of October 2025: the ministry's inspectorate assessed damage of 1.46 billion soums for the Babur Street felling and sent materials to the prosecutor's office; no charge is reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"tashkent-hokimiyat","says":"The removal was part of landscaping work; about 145 junipers were sick and drying out; responsible persons violated the rules for transplanting; an internal review was opened.","when":"2025-10-27","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","role":"Counts fellings, assesses damage and limits the Tashkent city ecology department's powers"},{"id":"tashkent-hokimiyat","role":"City administration; explained the Babur Street removal as landscaping"},{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"Presidential decree extending the moratorium indefinitely"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Tashkent air quality assessment (context)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"The Babur Street felling of October 2025","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology, State Environmental Supervision Inspectorate","says":"174 trees and shrubs were cut along Nukus and Babur streets; damage 1,460,952,000 soums; protocols drawn up and materials sent to the prosecutor's office. An earlier preliminary figure was 144 junipers and 620,472,000 soums.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Tashkent city hokimiyat","says":"The removal was landscaping work; about 145 junipers were sick and drying out and were to have been transplanted, but responsible persons violated the established rules.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rasul Kusherbaev, adviser, Ministry of Ecology","says":"The moratorium on tree felling is being systematically violated; living trees are cut and money is then allocated from the budget for new plantings.","src":8},{"voice":"press","holder":"Zamin.uz, citing witnesses","says":"The felling was ordered by a district deputy khokim; Zamin.uz noted this is not confirmed.","src":11}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Yunus Rajabi street felling, Yakkasaray","forum":"Tashkent prosecutor's office","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tashkent prosecutor","defendant":"A. Sattarov, deputy district hokim (charged under Art. 205 part 2 \"a\"); A. Kodirov, head of Building And Supplies LLC (charged under Art. 198 part 2)","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":1891.3,"currency":"UZS","label":"damage repaid during the investigation"},"summary":"Eighty-one trees were cut in February 2020, 70 of them authorised by the district hokimiyat. The two people charged together paid 1.8913 billion soums in damage during the investigation; bail was 53 million and 55.7 million soums. No verdict was reported.","src":0},{"title":"Chilanzar felling, 2022","forum":"Chilanzar district prosecutor's office","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Chilanzar district prosecutor","defendant":"Dream House Stroy LLC (criminal case opened under Criminal Code Art. 198 part 3; no charge reported)","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":797.7,"currency":"UZS","label":"damage, about"},"summary":"Fifty-eight trees were cut on a 0.20 ha plot the company owned, after inspectors had inventoried them and the company had promised in writing not to cut them. Administrative protocols were drawn up under Arts. 197-6 and 198 of the Code of Administrative Responsibility.","src":2},{"title":"Oak moved from Yunusabad by Max Processing","forum":"Tashkent prosecutor's office","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tashkent prosecutor","defendant":"Not stated; the case concerns an oak moved from Yunusabad by the company Max Processing","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Criminal case opened under Criminal Code Art. 198 part 2 and Art. 229, reported in December 2023 alongside the limiting of the Tashkent city ecology department's powers.","src":4},{"title":"Babur Street felling, 2025","forum":"State Environmental Supervision Inspectorate; Tashkent prosecutor's office","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"State Environmental Supervision Inspectorate, Ministry of Ecology","defendant":"Not stated","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1460.952,"currency":"UZS","label":"damage assessed"},"summary":"Protocols were drawn up and all materials sent to the prosecutor's office; no charge is reported.","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_felled","value":174,"unit":"trees and shrubs","year":2025,"note":"Babur and Nukus streets, night of 25 October 2025 (ministry inspectorate count)."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":58,"unit":"trees","year":2022,"note":"Chilanzar."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":81,"unit":"trees","year":2020,"note":"Yunus Rajabi street; 70 authorised by the district hokimiyat."},{"key":"felling_cases_recorded","value":1098,"unit":"cases (valuable species)","year":2024,"note":"Ministry's own category wording; nationwide."},{"key":"trees_saved","value":634271,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"note":"142,135 valuable and 492,136 less valuable (ministry)."},{"key":"damage_assessed","value":1460.952,"unit":"UZS m","year":2025,"note":"Babur Street, ministry final figure; preliminary 620.472 UZS m."},{"key":"damage_assessed","value":797.7,"unit":"UZS m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Chilanzar."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":1891.3,"unit":"UZS m","year":2020,"note":"Damage repaid during the Yunus Rajabi investigation."},{"key":"informant_reward","value":330,"unit":"UZS thousand (1 BCU)","year":2023,"note":"Per confirmed violation, paid from the offender's money."},{"key":"pm25_who_multiple","value":6,"unit":"× WHO guideline (5 µg/m³)","year":2024,"qualifier":"over","note":"Annual average PM2.5 in Tashkent (World Bank)."},{"key":"pm25_health_cost_gdp","value":0.7,"unit":"% of GDP","year":2024,"note":"Health costs of PM2.5 in Tashkent (World Bank)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Uzbekistan's moratorium bans felling valuable trees outside the state forest fund; in Tashkent the ministry assessed damage of 1.46 billion soums for the Babur Street felling of October 2025, and prosecutors opened or brought criminal cases over earlier fellings.","src":10},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Informants","what":"1 BCU (330 thousand soums) per confirmed violation, paid from the offender's money","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Two people charged in the Yunus Rajabi case","what":"Paid 1.8913 billion soums in damage during the investigation","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Trees in Tashkent","what":"174 trees and shrubs on Babur and Nukus streets (2025); 58 in Chilanzar (2022); 81 on Yunus Rajabi street (2020)","src":10}]},"where":{"t":"Tashkent: Yakkasaray district (Babur, Nukus and Yunus Rajabi streets), Chilanzar and Yunusabad districts.","src":10},"when":{"t":"2020–2025; moratorium made indefinite in January 2022; Babur Street felling on the night of 25 October 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The hokimiyat gave landscaping and sick trees; the ministry adviser said the moratorium is being systematically violated.","src":9},"how":{"t":"Trees were cut or removed on site; inspectors counted them, drew up protocols and assessed damage; materials were sent to prosecutors.","src":10}},"sources":[{"t":"Criminal case against those who cut down a grove; damage repaid (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2020-02-23","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/na-virubivshih-roshu-zaveli-ugolovnoe-delo-im-grozil-srok-no-oni-viplatili-materialyniy-usherb"},{"t":"Tree-felling moratorium becomes indefinite (in Russian)","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2022-01-03","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/ru/news/2022/01/03/v-uzbekistane-moratoriy-na-vyrubku-derevev-stal-bessrochnym"},{"t":"58 trees cut in Tashkent: damage almost 800 m soums (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2022-09-07","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/tashkent-trees/"},{"t":"Administrative fine for illegal logging to rise by 5 times","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2023-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/en/news/2023/07/31/administrative-fine-for-illegal-logging-to-rise-by-5-times"},{"t":"Ministry limits powers of Tashkent city ecology department over tree felling (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2024-01-03","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/trees-and-prohibition/"},{"t":"Air Quality Assessment for Tashkent","p":"World Bank","d":"2024-10-09","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/uzbekistan/publication/air-quality-assessment-for-tashkent"},{"t":"World Bank report: 83% of Tashkent residents live in high air pollution zones","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2024-10-09","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/en/news/2024/10/09/world-bank-report-83-of-tashkent-residents-live-in-high-air-pollution-zones"},{"t":"In 2024 felling of more than 600 thousand trees was prevented (in Russian)","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Ecology)","d":"2025-03-04","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/ru/eco/news/view/38873"},{"t":"144 trees cut in Tashkent; ecology minister's adviser calls hokims nature's main enemies (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2025-10-26","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/trees-13/"},{"t":"Tashkent hokimiyat explains felling of 144 trees as \"greening\" (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2025-10-27","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/trees-14/"},{"t":"Number of trees cut in Yakkasaray district of Tashkent is 174, ministry says (in Russian)","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2025-10-27","type":"press","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/174/"},{"t":"An investigation has begun into the mass felling of trees in the capital","p":"Zamin.uz","d":"2025-10-26","type":"press","u":"https://zamin.uz/en/society/164996-an-investigation-has-begun-into-the-mass-felling-of-trees-in-the-capital.html"}],"related":["yashil-makon-tree-planting-programme","uzbekistan-unplanted-seedlings-reported-planted"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"The Babur Street felling of October 2025","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Yunus Rajabi street felling, Yakkasaray: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the Babur Street felling. The ministry counted 174 trees and shrubs and assessed damage of 1,460,952,000 soums, an earlier figure was 144 junipers and 620,472,000 soums, and the hokimiyat called it landscaping and said about 145 junipers were sick and drying out.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: who ordered the Babur Street felling; witnesses quoted by Zamin.uz named a district deputy khokim, and Zamin.uz noted this is not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: fines, compensation collected and criminal-case figures in the ministry's 2024 summary, and fine figures in the Anhor.uz article of 26 October 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a national or Tashkent total of trees (full inventory).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the number of the January 2022 decree in the Kun.uz article.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the outcome of the Yunus Rajabi street, Chilanzar, Max Processing and Babur Street cases; no verdict or charge is reported for the last three.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the World Bank page gives no absolute PM2.5 value or death count; those figures come from press reports of the full report.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"surkhandarya-markhor-trophy-hunting","title":"Paid markhor hunt in Surkhandarya, Uzbekistan","dek":"The Ministry of Ecology said that hunting in Surkhandarya in 2024 was carried out under an official permit and that a fee of USD 100,000 was collected, with the money going to nature conservation. A video reported by Kun.uz showed a Russian hunter killing two markhors and a wolf; Kun.uz gave the legal rate for foreign hunters as $25,000 per markhor.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":37.9,"lon":67.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Surkhandarya region","lat":37.9,"lon":67.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":null,"role":"buyer"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"trophy-hunting","types":["trophy-hunting","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Fee collected for the 2024 markhor permit","value":"USD 100,000","note":"Ministry of Ecology statement, 31 July 2025. Kun.uz reported the legal rate for foreign hunters as $25,000 per markhor."},"happened":["Kun.uz reported on 30 July 2025 that a video, filmed about a year earlier and posted on a hunter's YouTube channel, showed a Russian hunter killing two markhors and one wolf in the mountains of Surkhandarya region. The video was removed three days after it was uploaded and later reposted. The markhor is in Uzbekistan's Red Book, on the IUCN Red List and in CITES Appendix I.","On 31 July 2025 the Ministry of Ecology stated that hunting in Surkhandarya in 2024 was carried out in line with national law, under an official permit and after payment of the fee, and that \"a fee of USD 100,000 was collected\". It said permits are limited to the oldest males past reproductive age, that quotas are set under the Law \"On Hunting and Hunting Economy\" on the basis of expert conclusions, and that the money goes to nature conservation, including anti-poaching work. The statement gives no breakdown of how the fee was spent, no quota number and no Uzbek population figures. For comparison the ministry cited Namibia (licensed hunting earns more than USD 3 million a year), Tajikistan (10–16 markhor and 100–115 Kyzylkum argali permits a year) and Mongolia.","Kun.uz reported that foreign individuals and legal entities must pay $25,000 per markhor, and that ministry data released in 2024 counted over 800 tagged markhors in the Surkhan State Nature Reserve. Kun.uz also recalled earlier cases: in 2021 a foreign hunter shot a brown bear in Bostanlyk district and his second permit was revoked after public backlash; in April 2023 a foreign hunter's video showed an Asian ibex (Red Book) and a wild sheep shot in Surkhandarya, and the Ministry of Natural Resources told Kun.uz the hunter \"hunted prey with a hunting weapon based on the specified permit\" and that \"the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences was obtained\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Foreign hunter shoots a brown bear in Bostanlyk district; second permit revoked after public backlash","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"Video of an Asian ibex and a wild sheep shot in Surkhandarya (reported 25 Apr)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Markhor hunt under permit; USD 100,000 fee collected","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Video reported (30 Jul); Ministry of Ecology statement (31 Jul)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"a fee of USD 100,000 was collected","who":"Ministry of Ecology, official statement","when":"31 July 2025","src":0},{"q":"One should not jump to the simple conclusion that he shot and killed a wild animal.","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources official, to Kun.uz, on the April 2023 case","when":"April 2023","src":2},{"q":"The main goal is to create an opportunity for the reproduction of wild and rare animals","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources official, to Kun.uz, on the April 2023 case","when":"April 2023","src":2},{"q":"the conclusion of the Academy of Sciences was obtained","who":"Ministry of Natural Resources, to Kun.uz, on the April 2023 case","when":"April 2023","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Hunting in 2024 was carried out in line with national law, under an official permit and after payment of the fee; the money goes to nature conservation, including anti-poaching","who":"Ministry of Ecology, 31 July 2025","src":0},{"t":"A video of a Russian hunter killing two markhors and a wolf in Surkhandarya","who":"Hunter's YouTube channel, as reported by Kun.uz, 30 July 2025","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The ministry statement gives no breakdown of how the USD 100,000 fee was spent, no quota number for markhor and no Uzbek population figures.","src":0},{"t":"Kun.uz reported the legal rate for foreign individuals and legal entities as $25,000 per markhor.","src":1},{"t":"Ministry data released in 2024 counted over 800 tagged markhors in the Surkhan State Nature Reserve, as cited by Kun.uz.","src":1},{"t":"The organiser of the hunt and the exact location are not stated in Kun.uz's article.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[{"label":"Fee collected for the 2024 markhor permit (to nature conservation, per the ministry)","amount":0.1,"window":"2024","note":"USD 100,000; how it was spent is not itemised."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fee collected","v":"USD 100,000","d":"Ministry of Ecology, 2024 permit"},{"k":"Markhors and wolf killed in the video","v":"2 + 1","d":"Surkhandarya, 2024 (Kun.uz)"},{"k":"Tagged markhors, Surkhan reserve","v":"over 800","d":"Ministry data released in 2024, cited by Kun.uz"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded as animals killed in a video and a reserve count; no Uzbek population figures are in the ministry statement.","report":[{"t":"Two markhors and one wolf were killed in my Surkhandarya mountains in 2024, according to a video reported by Kun.uz.","src":1},{"t":"Over 800 tagged markhors lived in the Surkhan State Nature Reserve, according to ministry data released in 2024 and cited by Kun.uz.","src":1},{"t":"My markhor population fell sharply in 1950–1970, according to Kun.uz.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Unclear: the difference between the USD 100,000 collected and the $25,000 per markhor that Kun.uz reported as the legal rate; neither source explains it.","Not disclosed: a breakdown of the use of the fee, a quota number for markhor and Uzbek population figures in the ministry statement.","Not disclosed: the organiser of the hunt and the exact location.","Not disclosed: a reply to Kun.uz's official inquiry; none was reported at the time of publication.","None on record: a court or prosecutor proceeding; the ministry states the hunt was carried out under permit."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not stated.","whoPaid":"The state collected a fee of USD 100,000 for the permit, according to the ministry, which says the money goes to nature conservation, including anti-poaching.","statusLine":"As of 31 July 2025: the Ministry of Ecology states the 2024 hunt was carried out under permit with a USD 100,000 fee; no proceeding is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","says":"Hunting in Surkhandarya in 2024 was carried out in line with national law, under an official permit and after payment of the fee; the money goes to nature conservation, including anti-poaching.","when":"2025-07-31","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","role":"Issued the permit and collected the fee; published the statement"},{"id":"uzbekistan-natural-resources-ministry","role":"Explained the April 2023 hunt as permitted"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Lists the markhor on the IUCN Red List"},{"id":"kun-uz","role":"Reported the video and the fee rate"}],"disputes":[{"point":"The fee for the 2024 markhor permit","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"A fee of USD 100,000 was collected.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kun.uz","says":"Foreign individuals and legal entities must pay $25,000 per markhor (legal rate as reported).","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fee","value":100000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Collected for the markhor permit (ministry statement)."},{"key":"fee_legal_rate_reported","value":25000,"unit":"USD per markhor","year":2025,"note":"For foreign individuals and legal entities (Kun.uz)."},{"key":"markhor_killed","value":2,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"note":"Shown in the video (Kun.uz)."},{"key":"wolf_killed","value":1,"unit":"animal","year":2024,"note":"Shown in the video (Kun.uz)."},{"key":"tagged_markhor","value":800,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"qualifier":"over","note":"Surkhan State Nature Reserve, ministry data cited by Kun.uz."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Ministry of Ecology says hunting in Surkhandarya in 2024 was carried out under an official permit and that a fee of USD 100,000 was collected; the markhor is in Uzbekistan's Red Book and CITES Appendix I.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The state","what":"USD 100,000 fee collected; the ministry says it goes to nature conservation, including anti-poaching","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Permit holder (not named in the ministry statement)","what":"Fee of USD 100,000 collected for the 2024 hunting permit","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Markhor and a wolf in Surkhandarya","what":"Two markhors and one wolf killed in a video from 2024","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Mountains of Surkhandarya region; the exact location is not stated.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Hunt in 2024; video reported 30 July 2025; ministry statement 31 July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The ministry says permits are sold under quotas set on expert conclusions and the money funds conservation, including anti-poaching.","src":0},"how":{"t":"An official permit limited to the oldest males past reproductive age, with the fee paid before the hunt.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Official Statement (markhor hunting in Surkhandarya)","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Ecology)","d":"2025-07-31","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/eco/news/view/74374"},{"t":"Russian hunter kills endangered markhors in Uzbekistan's Surkhandarya region","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2025-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/en/news/2025/07/30/russian-hunter-kills-endangered-markhors-in-uzbekistans-surkhandarya-region"},{"t":"Russian hunter hunts an animal included in Red Book in Surkhandarya","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2023-04-25","type":"press","u":"https://kun.uz/en/news/2023/04/25/russian-hunter-hunts-an-animal-included-in-red-book-in-surkhandarya"}],"related":["tajikistan-markhor-trophy-hunting"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The fee for the 2024 markhor permit","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the difference between the USD 100,000 collected and the $25,000 per markhor that Kun.uz reported as the legal rate; neither source explains it.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a breakdown of the use of the fee, a quota number for markhor and Uzbek population figures in the ministry statement.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the organiser of the hunt and the exact location.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a reply to Kun.uz's official inquiry; none was reported at the time of publication.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court or prosecutor proceeding; the ministry states the hunt was carried out under permit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"charvak-sea-breeze-resort","title":"Sea Breeze resort on the Charvak reservoir, Uzbekistan","dek":"A resort of about US$ 5 billion on 577 ha of the eastern shore of the Charvak reservoir was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 1 August 2025 and promoted as the most environmentally friendly project in any country. In August 2026 the state environmental review had passed only its first stage, while shoreline preparation had begun.","country":"Uzbekistan","region":"Asia","lat":41.63,"lon":70.03,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Bostanlyk district, Tashkent region","lat":41.63,"lon":70.03,"role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-08-01","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","water"],"headline":{"label":"Planned investment in the Sea Breeze Uzbekistan resort","value":"US$ 5 billion","note":"Times of Central Asia; 577 ha allocated. State environmental review at stage 1 of 2 as of August 2026."},"happened":["In July 2025 the Bostanlyk district governor said about 100 ha were under consideration for the first phase of a 500–700 ha complex on the Charvak reservoir; most of the site is public reserve land, with some farmland and forestry plots, and \"nothing official has been submitted yet\". The Ecology Minister said at a press conference near Charvak on 23 July 2025: \"Frankly speaking, we've only heard about the project informally\", and proposed a moratorium on construction in protected zones and a master plan separating recreation from conservation areas (Times of Central Asia). The Times of Central Asia reported that the investor owned no land in Uzbekistan at that point and that no project had been approved.","The Ministry of Ecology reported on 15 July 2025, after a press tour of the Sea Breeze resort in Azerbaijan on 8–9 July for Uzbek officials, that the construction line would be 400–500 m from the shore against a legal minimum of 50 m, that trees would be inventoried and moved and new trees planted, that an international environmental council with independent experts would be set up, and that the investor proposed a shared ring collector to treat wastewater along the whole Charvak shoreline. The release quoted the investor, the founder and owner of Sea Breeze, as wanting it to become \"the most environmentally friendly project in any country\". The release states no investment figure.","The Cabinet of Ministers approved the investment project on 1 August 2025, through Sea Breeze Uzbekistan LLC, a joint venture with Agalarov Development. Public hearings were held in Bostanlyk on 23 January 2026. By 10–11 August 2026 the state environmental review had passed only stage 1 (land selection and allocation); technical documents for the environmental impact assessment had not been submitted more than six months after the hearings, seasonal flora and fauna studies by the Institutes of Botany and Zoology were to run through autumn, winter and spring, and detailed preparation could take about two more years. The current work was shoreline reinforcement, land preparation and tree planting; the main buildings had not been started. Once documents are submitted, the State Centre for Environmental Expertise has 25 working days to review them. A #SaveChorvoq campaign calls for information and open consultation."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Project presented by the investor (late 2024)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Press tour of the Sea Breeze resort in Azerbaijan (8–9 Jul); ministry release (15 Jul); Ecology Minister's press conference (23 Jul); Cabinet approves the investment project (1 Aug)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Public hearings in Bostanlyk (23 Jan); state environmental review still at stage 1, preparatory shoreline work under way (10–11 Aug)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"the most environmentally friendly project in any country","who":"The investor, founder and owner of Sea Breeze, as quoted in the Ministry of Ecology release","when":"15 July 2025","src":0},{"q":"Special attention is given to the protection of water resources","who":"Aziz Abdukhakimov, Ecology Minister","when":"15 July 2025","src":0},{"q":"will ensure transparency and accountability at every stage","who":"Head of EcoSphere, on foreign specialists, as quoted in the Ministry of Ecology release","when":"15 July 2025","src":0},{"q":"nothing official has been submitted yet","who":"Bostanlyk district governor, as reported by the Times of Central Asia","when":"July 2025","src":1},{"q":"Frankly speaking, we've only heard about the project informally","who":"Ecology Minister, as reported by the Times of Central Asia","when":"23 July 2025","src":1},{"q":"only the first stage of the procedure","who":"Gayrat Mukhamedov, Director, State Center for Environmental Expertise, as reported via Gazeta.uz and the Times of Central Asia","when":"August 2026","src":2},{"q":"we have still not received documents specifying what the treatment facilities will be like","who":"Gayrat Mukhamedov, Director, State Center for Environmental Expertise, as reported via Gazeta.uz and the Times of Central Asia","when":"August 2026","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The most environmentally friendly project in any country","who":"The investor, as quoted by the Ministry of Ecology, 15 July 2025","src":0},{"t":"Construction line 400–500 m from the shore, against a legal minimum of 50 m","who":"Ministry of Ecology, 15 July 2025","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Cabinet of Ministers approved the investment project on 1 August 2025; the state environmental review had passed stage 1 (land selection and allocation) by August 2026.","src":2},{"t":"Preparatory work on the shore (shoreline reinforcement, land preparation, tree planting) had started before stage 2 of the review.","src":2},{"t":"Documents specifying the design of the treatment facilities had not been received by the State Center for Environmental Expertise.","src":2},{"t":"In July 2025 most of the site considered for the first phase was public reserve land, per the district governor.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Project","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Planned investment (Times of Central Asia)","amount":5000,"window":"Project","note":"Reported figure; the Ministry of Ecology release states no investment figure."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Land allocated","v":"577 ha","d":"Eastern shore of the Charvak reservoir"},{"k":"Planned construction line from the shore","v":"400–500 m","d":"Legal minimum 50 m (Ministry of Ecology)"},{"k":"State environmental review","v":"Stage 1 of 2","d":"As of August 2026"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: land price, lease terms and state incentives; none is stated in the sources.","Not measured: environmental impact on the reservoir; preparatory shoreline work began before stage 2 of the state environmental review.","Not disclosed: design documents for the treatment facilities, which the State Center for Environmental Expertise had not received by August 2026."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","review"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. The planned US$ 5 billion investment is reported by the Times of Central Asia; no source states who pays for the shoreline works.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the state environmental review had passed stage 1 of 2; preparatory shoreline work had begun; the environmental impact assessment documents had not been submitted.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","says":"Uzbekistan will support projects that meet ecological standards; the construction line will be 400–500 m from the shore; an international environmental council with independent experts will be set up.","when":"2025-07-15","src":0},{"actor":"state-environmental-expertise-centre","says":"The review is at the first stage only; documents specifying the treatment facilities have not been received.","when":"2026-08-11","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"sea-breeze-uzbekistan","role":"Project company, a joint venture with Agalarov Development"},{"id":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","role":"Published the project plan and environmental commitments"},{"id":"state-environmental-expertise-centre","role":"Runs the state environmental review"},{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"Cabinet of Ministers approved the investment project on 1 August 2025"}],"disputes":[{"point":"An environmentally friendly project against an incomplete environmental review","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"The investor (founder and owner of Sea Breeze), as quoted by the Ministry of Ecology","says":"Wants Sea Breeze to become the most environmentally friendly project in any country.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Ecology","says":"The construction line will be 400–500 m from the shore against a legal minimum of 50 m; trees will be inventoried and moved; an international environmental council will be set up.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Center for Environmental Expertise","says":"Only the first stage of the procedure is complete; documents specifying the treatment facilities have not been received.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"#SaveChorvoq campaign","says":"Calls for information and open consultation.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"State environmental review of the Sea Breeze resort","forum":"State Centre for Environmental Expertise","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Sea Breeze Uzbekistan LLC (applicant)","defendant":"State Centre for Environmental Expertise (reviewer)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Stage 1 (land selection and allocation) was complete and stage 2 pending as of August 2026. Once documents are submitted, the centre has 25 working days to review them. No court case is reported.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"investment","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Planned investment (Times of Central Asia)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":577,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Allocated on the eastern shore of the Charvak reservoir."},{"key":"first_phase_area_ha","value":100,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Under consideration for the first phase of a 500–700 ha complex (district governor, July 2025)."},{"key":"shore_setback_m","value":450,"unit":"m (400–500 m)","year":2025,"note":"Planned construction line from the shore; legal minimum 50 m (Ministry of Ecology)."},{"key":"review_period_working_days","value":25,"unit":"working days","year":2026,"note":"Time the State Centre for Environmental Expertise has once documents are submitted."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A resort of about US$ 5 billion on 577 ha of the eastern shore of the Charvak reservoir was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 1 August 2025; by August 2026 the state environmental review had passed only its first stage and shoreline preparation had begun.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sea Breeze Uzbekistan LLC and Agalarov Development","what":"Cabinet approval of the investment project and allocation of 577 ha","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Eastern shore of the Charvak reservoir","what":"Shoreline reinforcement, land preparation and tree planting started before stage 2 of the environmental review","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Eastern shore of the Charvak reservoir, Bostanlyk district, Tashkent region, about 80 km from Tashkent.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Presented late 2024; approved 1 August 2025; review at stage 1 in August 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"A tourism and resort investment promoted as environmentally friendly.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through Sea Breeze Uzbekistan LLC, a joint venture with Agalarov Development, under a Cabinet of Ministers decision and a two-stage state environmental review.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"An environmental approach is planned for the implementation of the Sea Breeze project in Uzbekistan","p":"Government of Uzbekistan (Ecology)","d":"2025-07-15","type":"official","u":"https://gov.uz/en/eco/news/view/68262"},{"t":"Charvak resort plan sparks public outcry in Uzbekistan","p":"The Times of Central Asia","d":"2025-07-25","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/charvak-resort-plan-sparks-public-outcry-in-uzbekistan/"},{"t":"Sea Breeze Uzbekistan environmental review","p":"The Times of Central Asia","d":"2026-08-11","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/sea-breeze-uzbekistan-environmental-review/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"577 hectares of my Charvak reservoir shore were allocated to the Sea Breeze resort; as of August 2026 the state environmental review had passed stage 1 of 2.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"An environmentally friendly project against an incomplete environmental review","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: land price, lease terms and state incentives; none is stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: environmental impact on the reservoir; preparatory shoreline work began before stage 2 of the state environmental review.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: design documents for the treatment facilities, which the State Center for Environmental Expertise had not received by August 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"oyu-tolgoi-river-diversion","title":"Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine: Gobi water, Undai River diversion, herder complaints and project finance","dek":"Oyu Tolgoi, a copper-gold mine in Mongolia's South Gobi, draws groundwater from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer and rerouted the ephemeral Undai River around its open pit. Herders complained to the IFC/MIGA accountability office and to the EBRD, and a US$4.4 billion project finance package was signed on 15 December 2015.","country":"Mongolia","region":"Asia","lat":43,"lon":106.9,"places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","admin":"Khanbogd soum, Umnugovi (South Gobi) aimag","lat":43,"lon":106.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"company-home"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Southern District of New York","role":"court"}],"start":2004,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","water","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Initial senior loans signed for Oyu Tolgoi, 15 December 2015","value":"US$4.4 billion","note":"Per Rio Tinto. Herder compensation reported by the CAO as of December 2018: MNT 2,363,600,000 (approximately US$955,000) to 114 eligible claimants."},"happened":["Oyu Tolgoi LLC operates a copper-gold mine in Khanbogd soum, Umnugovi (South Gobi) aimag, Mongolia. In its May 2020 conclusion report the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) described the company as 66% owned by Turquoise Hill Resources, whose largest shareholder was Rio Tinto, and 34% owned by the state-owned Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi LLC, with a “total investment of US$12 billion”. Since 16 December 2022 Rio Tinto has held “a 66% direct interest in the Oyu Tolgoi project”, the remaining 34% being owned by the Government of Mongolia through Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi.","The mine draws water from the Gunii Hooloi (Gunii Khooloi) aquifer. The IFC, which classified the project as environmental category A (“Significant”), stated that Oyu Tolgoi had been permitted to draw approximately 810 L/s from the aquifer, with projected average demand of 696 L/s in early operation. The IFC also recorded that the Undai, “the main ephemeral watercourse”, was rerouted around the open pit and the waste rock dump. A 2026 paper by Oyu Tolgoi LLC staff reported that 123,219,539 cubic metres of process water were used in the concentrator in 2025, of which 86.73% was recovered and reused, and that 17 million cubic metres were abstracted from Gunii Khooloi “as replenishment”.","Herders lodged two complaints with the CAO: in October 2012 (37 herders, supported by OT Watch and Gobi Soil) on land and water use, the 2004 resettlement and the 2011 compensation, and in February 2013 (7 herders) on the Undai diversion, which they feared would dry up “several water systems”, lower pasture yields, reduce water to forests and affect a river they regard as sacred. In July 2013 14 herders and two civil society groups complained to the EBRD Project Complaint Mechanism about Oyu Tolgoi and the Energy Resources (Ukhaa Khudag) coal project. The CAO facilitated mediation from 2013 to 2017 and, with the Khanbogd Tripartite Council (herders, company and soum government, created in June 2015), a joint fact-finding by independent experts whose report was issued in January 2017. In May 2017 the parties signed two agreements with more than 60 action items; the company “acknowledged the inadequacy of the 2004 resettlement process”. The CAO monitored for 12 months and closed the case with a conclusion report in May 2020.","The independent experts recorded disturbance or loss of 200 km2 of pastureland to Oyu Tolgoi infrastructure, the mine licence area and roads; 476 boreholes drilled on behalf of the company, with a possible connection between shallow and deep aquifers described as a “potentially very significant issue”; a Haliv-Dugat river that had been “ditched, filled and blocked in several areas”; and documented seepage from the tailings storage facility. They also found that the principal impacts on pasture and herder water came from sources other than Oyu Tolgoi, such as climate, herd growth and other infrastructure, and that without baseline data it was not possible to conclude whether, or to what extent, the mine had damaged herder water resources.","On 15 December 2015 Oyu Tolgoi signed project finance with initial senior loans of US$4.4 billion from EDC, the EBRD, the IFC, US Exim and Efic and a group of commercial banks, backed by a MIGA guarantee of up to US$1 billion for the commercial banks. On 25 January 2022 the Rio Tinto, Turquoise Hill and Government of Mongolia partners signed a comprehensive agreement under which a US$2.4 billion carry account loan was to be waived and underground mining approved; Rio Tinto completed the acquisition of Turquoise Hill on 16 December 2022. In October 2025 a US court gave final approval to a US$138.75 million settlement of a securities class action over Turquoise Hill disclosures on the mine's cost overruns and delays."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"First herder resettlement by the then operator, Ivanhoe Mines Mongolia Inc. (IMMI)","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Economic displacement compensation process for herders","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"First CAO complaint, 37 herders (October)","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Second CAO complaint on the Undai diversion, 7 herders (11 February); IFC board approval (28 February); EBRD complaint by 14 herders and two civil society groups (July)","src":1},{"y":2015,"t":"Tripartite Council created (June); US$4.4 billion project finance signed (15 December)","src":4},{"y":2016,"t":"IFC investment date (24 May)","src":3},{"y":2017,"t":"Independent experts' joint fact-finding report (January); EBRD compliance review reports; two CAO-facilitated agreements signed (May)","src":2},{"y":2019,"t":"Closure meeting in Khanbogd (March); Parliament Resolution 92 on Oyu Tolgoi (December)","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"CAO conclusion report; case closed (May)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Comprehensive agreement and approval of underground mining (25 January); Rio Tinto completes acquisition of Turquoise Hill (16 December)","src":6},{"y":2023,"t":"Underground mining infrastructure started (company-authored paper)","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"Final approval of the US$138.75 million investor settlement (23 October)","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"We are capable of negotiating any issues based on consensus","who":"L. Battsengel, herder representative (Gaviluud Bagh), quoted in the CAO conclusion report","when":"2020","src":0},{"q":"due to the absence of baseline data, it is impossible to reach a definite conclusion on whether, and to what extent, OT has damaged herder water resources","who":"Independent experts (joint fact-finding report)","when":"January 2017","src":2},{"q":"the failure of OT (especially the initial operator IMMI) to undertake or record comprehensive baseline data. means that it is not possible to disprove herder allegations. But nor is it possible to prove impacts","who":"Independent experts (joint fact-finding report)","when":"January 2017","src":2},{"q":"some conclusions of the report are not fully accepted by the parties of TPC","who":"Khanbogd Tripartite Council, disclaimer on the experts' report","when":"January 2017","src":2},{"q":"it is particularly challenging to assess whether variations in water and pasture availability are attributable to project impacts or to natural variability","who":"IFC lesson recorded in the CAO conclusion report","when":"2020","src":0},{"q":"the adoption of best practices in all aspects of the development of this project","who":"EBRD, on the Oyu Tolgoi loan","when":"15 December 2015","src":5},{"q":"This agreement represents a reset of our relationship and resolves historical issues between the OT project partners.","who":"Jakob Stausholm, Rio Tinto chief executive","when":"25 January 2022","src":6},{"q":"demonstrates to the world that Mongolia can work together","who":"L. Oyun-Erdene, Prime Minister of Mongolia, on the start of underground mining","when":"25 January 2022","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"EBRD praised “the adoption of best practices in all aspects of the development of this project” when it arranged its syndicated loan.","who":"EBRD (15 December 2015)","src":5},{"t":"Shallow groundwater near herder wells was “primarily controlled by natural climatic conditions”.","who":"Oyu Tolgoi LLC staff paper (IMWA 2026)","src":8},{"t":"1.3 million trees planted directly, and forestry investment counted as equivalent to 19.2 million trees, a total of 20.5 million under the One Billion Trees campaign.","who":"Oyu Tolgoi company figures reported by ikon.mn (8 April 2025)","src":11}],"recorded":[{"t":"CAO case closed in May 2020 after two agreements in May 2017 and 12 months of monitoring.","src":0},{"t":"Herder compensation through the Tripartite Council as of December 2018: 174 claims reviewed, 114 eligible, MNT 2,363,600,000 (approximately US$955,000) being paid.","src":0},{"t":"Independent experts, January 2017: disturbance or loss of 200 km2 of pastureland; 476 boreholes; 9 cascading boreholes identified and being addressed by the company.","src":2},{"t":"No Resettlement Action Plan existed for the 2004 resettlement; the 2011 compensation lacked an explicit and trackable Livelihood Restoration Plan and included confidentiality conditions.","src":2},{"t":"EBRD compliance review reports (2017) found both Oyu Tolgoi and Energy Resources in compliance with EBRD standards.","src":10},{"t":"Initial senior loans of US$4.4 billion (15 December 2015); EBRD syndicated loan of US$1.221 billion; MIGA guarantee of up to US$1 billion.","src":4},{"t":"Investor class action settled for US$138,750,000 (final approval 23 October 2025).","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation paid to 114 eligible herder claimants through the Tripartite Council (as of December 2018)","amount":0.955,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2018","note":"MNT 2,363,600,000; US$ figure as given by the CAO."},{"label":"Scholarships for 20 students (as of December 2018)","amount":0.032187,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2018","note":"MNT 79,583,485; US$ figure as given by the CAO."},{"label":"Ten wells with solar pumps (as of December 2018)","amount":0.060668,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2018","note":"MNT 150 million; US$ figure as given by the CAO."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Initial senior loans signed 15 December 2015","amount":4400,"window":"2015"},{"label":"EBRD syndicated loan (US$400 million on its own account)","amount":1221,"window":"2015"},{"label":"IFC A loan (up to)","amount":400,"window":"2015"},{"label":"IFC B loan from commercial banks (up to)","amount":820.625,"window":"2015"},{"label":"MIGA guarantee for commercial banks (up to)","amount":1000,"window":"2015"},{"label":"Carry account loan to be waived (Rio Tinto figure)","amount":2400,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Turquoise Hill minority buyout, consideration","amount":3100,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2022"},{"label":"Spent in-country since 2010, including taxes, fees and other payments to the state budget of US$3.6 billion (Rio Tinto)","amount":13400,"window":"2010–2022"},{"label":"Investor class-action settlement","amount":138.75,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Pastureland disturbed or lost","v":"200 km2","d":"To Oyu Tolgoi infrastructure, the mine licence area and roads (independent experts, January 2017)"},{"k":"Boreholes drilled for the mine","v":"476","d":"Possible shallow-deep aquifer connection; 9 cascading boreholes identified (January 2017)"},{"k":"Permitted draw from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer","v":"approximately 810 L/s","d":"IFC disclosure; projected average early-operation demand 696 L/s"},{"k":"Herder compensation paid","v":"MNT 2,363,600,000","d":"To 114 eligible claimants, as of December 2018 (CAO)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Independent experts' joint fact-finding report (January 2017) and the IFC disclosure.","report":[{"t":"My Gobi pastureland was disturbed or lost on 200 km2 to Oyu Tolgoi infrastructure, the mine licence area and roads, according to independent experts in January 2017.","src":2},{"t":"My Haliv-Dugat river was ditched, filled and blocked in several areas by mine and road infrastructure, which changed my surface and groundwater flow; the experts could not quantify the change because of insufficient pre-project monitoring.","src":2},{"t":"476 boreholes were drilled on behalf of Oyu Tolgoi into my aquifers; the experts identified 9 cascading boreholes and described a possible connection between my shallow and deep aquifers as a potentially very significant issue.","src":2},{"t":"Seepage from the tailings storage facility was documented on my ground in January 2017; monitoring data were intermittent and the seepage appeared to be contained within the mine licence area.","src":2},{"t":"My Undai, the main ephemeral watercourse, was rerouted around the open pit and the waste rock dump, according to the IFC.","src":3},{"t":"The IFC disclosure lists residual impacts on my wildlife of indirect habitat loss, “more illegal hunting” and bird collisions with power lines, addressed by a biodiversity offset programme across a landscape of about 50,000 km2.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: pre-project baseline data on herder wells and alluvial aquifers; the independent experts recorded that it was not possible to disprove herder allegations or to prove impacts.","None on record: a Resettlement Action Plan for the 2004 resettlement (independent experts, January 2017).","Not disclosed: individual export credit agency and commercial bank loan amounts; the 15 December 2015 release lists lenders and totals only.","Self-reported only: the 2025 water-use figures and the herder-well monitoring results come from a paper by Oyu Tolgoi LLC staff. Five herder wells showed statistically significant relationships between abstraction and well level with low explanatory power (R2 = 0.03 to 0.09), and one well (Khundlun) showed a significant decreasing trend.","Figures differ: the CAO conclusion report gives the IFC B loan as up to US$820.625 million; the CAO case page gives “up to US$1 billion” and total proposed debt of US$4.5 billion (appraisal-stage figures).","Figures differ: the IFC gives the permitted draw from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer as approximately 810 L/s; company interviews give 870 L/s.","Figures differ: Rio Tinto gives the waived carry account loan as US$2.4 billion; a press report gives US$2.3 billion.","None on record: outcome of the “outstanding OT LLC tax arbitration” listed as open in Rio Tinto's 25 January 2022 release.","Not disclosed: survival rate of the company's tree planting (ikon.mn, 8 April 2025)."],"evidence":["displacement","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The mine remained in operation; underground mining infrastructure started in 2023.","whoPaid":"Herders received MNT 2,363,600,000 in compensation through the Tripartite Council as of December 2018. Payment for harm to pasture or water as such: None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: CAO case closed (May 2020); US$138.75 million investor settlement approved on 23 October 2025; outcome of a tax arbitration listed as outstanding in January 2022: None on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"oyu-tolgoi-llc","says":"A senior manager, G. Sugar, said in the CAO conclusion report that Oyu Tolgoi “aspired to collaborate with local stakeholders”; the company acknowledged the inadequacy of the 2004 resettlement process in the May 2017 agreements.","when":"2017-2020","src":0},{"actor":"rio-tinto","says":"Chief executive Jakob Stausholm said the January 2022 agreement “resolves historical issues between the OT project partners”.","when":"25 January 2022","src":6},{"actor":"ebrd","says":"Its Project Complaint Mechanism compliance reviews (2017) found Oyu Tolgoi and Energy Resources in compliance with EBRD standards.","when":"2017","src":10},{"actor":"ifc","says":"Recorded the lesson that in arid environments it is particularly challenging to assess whether variations in water and pasture availability are attributable to project impacts or to natural variability.","when":"2020","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"oyu-tolgoi-llc","role":"Mine operator"},{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Majority owner; project finance sponsor"},{"id":"turquoise-hill","role":"Former majority owner; acquired by Rio Tinto 16 December 2022"},{"id":"erdenes-oyu-tolgoi","role":"State-owned 34% shareholder"},{"id":"mongolia-gov","role":"Shareholder via Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi; party to 2022 agreement"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Lender; environmental category A"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Lender and arranger; Project Complaint Mechanism"},{"id":"miga","role":"Guarantor for commercial bank lenders"},{"id":"cao-ombudsman","role":"Mediated herder complaints, 2013-2020"},{"id":"accountability-counsel","role":"Commented on the EBRD complaint review"},{"id":"standard-chartered","role":"Commercial lender (2015 release)"},{"id":"hsbc","role":"Commercial lender (2015 release)"},{"id":"mufg","role":"Commercial lender (2015 release)"},{"id":"ing","role":"Commercial lender (2015 release)"},{"id":"credit-agricole","role":"Commercial lender (2015 release)"},{"id":"kfw","role":"Commercial lender (KfW IPEX-Bank, 2015 release)"},{"id":"fmo","role":"Commercial lender (2015 release)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Oyu Tolgoi cause the decline in herder water and pasture?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Herders (CAO complaints of 2012 and 2013)","says":"The diversion “jeopardized their traditional nomadic lifestyle and livelihood”; the complainants feared several water systems drying up and lower pasture yields.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent experts (January 2017)","says":"The principal impacts on pasture and herder water came from sources other than Oyu Tolgoi (climate, herd growth, other infrastructure), with concern about aquifer connectivity and monitoring; without baseline data it was impossible to reach a definite conclusion.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Oyu Tolgoi LLC staff paper (2026)","says":"Shallow groundwater was “primarily controlled by natural climatic conditions”.","src":8},{"voice":"international","holder":"Khanbogd Tripartite Council","says":"“some conclusions of the report are not fully accepted by the parties of TPC”.","src":2}]},{"point":"Did the EBRD's complaint review address the harm reported by herders?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"EBRD Project Complaint Mechanism","says":"Its 2017 compliance review reports found both projects in compliance with EBRD standards.","src":10},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Accountability Counsel (complainants' advocates)","says":"The reports “entirely failed to address the serious harm reported by complainants”.","src":10}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Herder complaints to the CAO: Oyu Tolgoi-01 and Oyu Tolgoi-02/Khanbogd","forum":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA accountability office)","country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","kind":"international","claimant":"37 herders (October 2012, supported by OT Watch and Gobi Soil) and 7 herders (February 2013)","defendant":"Oyu Tolgoi LLC (IFC- and MIGA-supported project)","filed":2012,"decided":2020,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Dispute resolution produced two agreements in May 2017 with more than 60 action items, including collective compensation for all Khanbogd herder households, cancellation of confidentiality clauses in the 2004 and 2011 compensation agreements, new deep wells and a pasture management plan. The CAO monitored for 12 months and issued its conclusion report in May 2020; status closed.","src":0},{"title":"Complaint to the EBRD Project Complaint Mechanism on Oyu Tolgoi and Energy Resources","forum":"EBRD Project Complaint Mechanism","country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","kind":"international","claimant":"14 herders and two civil society groups","defendant":"EBRD (as lender to Oyu Tolgoi and Energy Resources)","filed":2013,"decided":2017,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Compliance review reports released in 2017 found both projects in compliance with EBRD standards. The complainants' advocates said the reports “entirely failed to address the serious harm reported by complainants”.","src":10},{"title":"In re Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. Securities Litigation","forum":"U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (No. 1:20-cv-08585-LJL)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Plaintiff class of investors (class period 17 July 2018 to 31 July 2019)","defendant":"Defendants in In re Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. Securities Litigation","filed":null,"decided":2025,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":138.75,"currency":"USD","label":"settlement"},"summary":"Plaintiffs' counsel described claims over disclosures of cost overruns and delays at Oyu Tolgoi (27 February 2019 and July 2019). The court gave preliminary approval on 26 June 2025 and final approval and judgment on 23 October 2025 for a settlement of US$138,750,000 in cash; distribution was set for March 2026.","src":9}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"MIGA (World Bank Group)","insured":"Commercial banks lending to Oyu Tolgoi LLC","status":"unknown","year":2015,"amount":{"value":1000,"currency":"USD","label":"guarantee limit (up to)"},"reason":"Political risk guarantee for breach of contract, expropriation, transfer restriction and war and civil disturbance","summary":"MIGA issued a guarantee of up to US$1 billion for the commercial bank lenders.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"pasture_disturbed_km2","value":200,"unit":"km2","year":2017,"note":"Disturbance or loss of pastureland to Oyu Tolgoi infrastructure, the mine licence area and roads (independent experts)."},{"key":"boreholes_drilled","value":476,"unit":"boreholes","year":2017,"note":"Drilled on behalf of Oyu Tolgoi; 9 cascading boreholes identified."},{"key":"water_permitted_ls","value":810,"unit":"L/s","year":2013,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Permitted draw from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer (IFC); projected average early-operation demand 696 L/s."},{"key":"process_water_used_m3","value":123219539,"unit":"m3","year":2025,"note":"Concentrator process water; 86.73% recovered and reused (company paper)."},{"key":"water_abstracted_replenishment_m3","value":17000000,"unit":"m3","year":2025,"note":"Abstracted from Gunii Khooloi as replenishment (company paper)."},{"key":"complainants_herders","value":37,"unit":"herders","year":2012,"note":"First CAO complaint; the second (February 2013) had 7 herders."},{"key":"claims_reviewed","value":174,"unit":"claims","year":2018,"note":"Tripartite Council; 114 eligible."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":2363.6,"unit":"MNT m","year":2018,"note":"Being paid to 114 eligible claimants; approximately US$955,000 per the CAO."},{"key":"project_finance","value":4400,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Initial senior loans."},{"key":"ebrd_loan","value":1221,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Syndicated loan; US$400 million on its own account."},{"key":"miga_guarantee","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"up to"},{"key":"carry_loan_waived","value":2400,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Rio Tinto figure."},{"key":"settlement","value":138.75,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Securities class action, S.D.N.Y."},{"key":"trees_planted","value":1300000,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"Planted directly under the One Billion Trees campaign, company figure; forestry investment counted as equivalent to a further 19.2 million."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oyu Tolgoi LLC operates a copper-gold mine in Mongolia's South Gobi that draws groundwater from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer and rerouted the Undai River. Herders complained to the CAO (2012, 2013) and the EBRD (2013), and a US$4.4 billion project finance package was signed on 15 December 2015.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Oyu Tolgoi LLC and its lenders","what":"Initial senior loans of US$4.4 billion (15 December 2015) from EDC, the EBRD, the IFC, US Exim, Efic and commercial banks; a MIGA guarantee of up to US$1 billion covers the commercial banks","src":4},{"who":"Government of Mongolia","what":"34% of the project through Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi; Rio Tinto stated that Oyu Tolgoi spent US$13.4 billion in-country since 2010, including US$3.6 billion in taxes, fees and other payments to the state budget","src":6},{"who":"Rio Tinto","what":"A 66% direct interest in the project since 16 December 2022, after buying the Turquoise Hill minority for approximately US$3.1 billion","src":7},{"who":"114 eligible herder claimants","what":"MNT 2,363,600,000 (approximately US$955,000) being paid as of December 2018","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Turquoise Hill Resources","what":"To waive the US$2.4 billion carry account loan plus accrued interest under the January 2022 agreement","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Pastureland in Khanbogd soum","what":"200 km2 disturbed or lost to Oyu Tolgoi infrastructure, the mine licence area and roads (independent experts, January 2017)","src":2},{"who":"Haliv-Dugat river","what":"Ditched, filled and blocked in several areas by mine and road infrastructure, changing surface and groundwater flow","src":2},{"who":"Undai River","what":"Rerouted around the open pit and waste rock dump","src":3},{"who":"Khanbogd herders","what":"The 2012 and 2013 complainants reported lost grazing land, drying water systems and cultural impact; the independent experts could not confirm or exclude project impact for lack of baseline data","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Khanbogd soum, Umnugovi (South Gobi) aimag, Mongolia (about 43.0 N, 106.9 E); water from the Gunii Hooloi deep aquifer outside the mine licence area; the Undai and Haliv-Dugat rivers.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Resettlement 2004; compensation 2011; CAO complaints October 2012 and February 2013; EBRD complaint July 2013; project finance 15 December 2015; expert report January 2017; agreements May 2017; CAO case closed May 2020; comprehensive agreement 25 January 2022; Rio Tinto acquisition of Turquoise Hill 16 December 2022; investor settlement approved 23 October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Herders attributed lost water and pasture to the mine; the independent experts attributed the principal impacts to other sources and noted that the absence of baseline data prevented a definite conclusion. The company acknowledged the inadequacy of the 2004 resettlement process.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The mine was financed through a package led by public development banks and export credit agencies, with a MIGA guarantee; herder complaints went through CAO mediation and joint fact-finding (2013-2017), producing agreements on compensation, wells and monitoring.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Dispute Resolution Conclusion Report, Oyu Tolgoi 01 & 02/Southern Gobi","p":"CAO (Compliance Advisor Ombudsman)","d":"2020-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/sites/default/files/downloads/CAOMongolia_Conclusion_Rpt_2020-05-ENG.pdf"},{"t":"Mongolia: Oyu Tolgoi-02/Khanbogd (case page)","p":"CAO (Compliance Advisor Ombudsman)","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://cao-ombudsman.org/cases/mongolia-oyu-tolgoi-02khanbodg"},{"t":"Summary Report and annexes, joint fact-finding for the Khanbogd Tripartite Council","p":"JSL Consulting / MDT & IEP","d":"2017-01","type":"academic","voice":"research","u":"https://cao-ombudsman.org/sites/default/files/downloads/MDTIEP_FINALREPORT_ENG_January292017_000.pdf"},{"t":"Environmental and Social Review Summary: Oyu Tolgoi LLC (29007)","p":"IFC","d":"2013-02-28","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://disclosures.ifc.org/project-detail/ESRS/29007/oyu-tolgoi-llc"},{"t":"Oyu Tolgoi signs Project Finance agreement","p":"Rio Tinto","d":"2015-12-15","type":"company","u":"https://www.riotinto.com/en/mn/news/releases/oyu-tolgoi-signs-project-finance-agreement"},{"t":"EBRD arranges US$1.2 billion syndicated loan for Oyu Tolgoi mine","p":"EBRD","d":"2015-12-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/news/2015/ebrd-arranges-us-12-billion-syndicated-loan-for-oyu-tolgoi-mine.html"},{"t":"Oyu Tolgoi partners reach comprehensive agreement and approve commencement of underground mining operations","p":"Rio Tinto","d":"2022-01-25","type":"company","u":"https://www.riotinto.com/en/mn/news/releases/2022/oyu-tolgoi-partners-reach-comprehensive-agreement-and-approve-commencement-of-underground-mining-operations"},{"t":"Rio Tinto completes acquisition of Turquoise Hill (Form 6-K)","p":"Rio Tinto (SEC filing)","d":"2022-12-16","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/863064/000162828023000075/ex06d16completeacqturqhill.htm"},{"t":"Water Management Sustainable Implementation at a Remote Water-Scarce Mine Site of Mongolia (IMWA 2026; authors affiliated with Oyu Tolgoi LLC)","p":"Bazardorj et al.","d":"2026","type":"academic","voice":"company","u":"https://www.imwa.info/docs/imwa_2026/IMWA2026_Bazardorj_41.pdf"},{"t":"In re Turquoise Hill Resources Ltd. Securities Litigation (plaintiffs' counsel summary)","p":"Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann","d":"2026","type":"court","voice":"civil","u":"https://www.blbglaw.com/cases-investigations/turquoise-hill"},{"t":"Investigations into Two Mongolian Mines Reveal Weakness in PCM Compliance Practices","p":"Accountability Counsel","d":"2017-06-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.accountabilitycounsel.org/blog/investigations-into-two-mongolian-mines-reveal-weakness-in-pcm-compliance-practices"},{"t":"Oyu Tolgoi company will leave a legacy of 100 million trees (Mongolian title: “Оюу толгой” компани 100 сая мод өвлүүлэн үлдээнэ)","p":"ikon.mn","d":"2025-04-08","type":"press","u":"https://ikon.mn/n/3do0"}],"related":["mongolia-one-billion-trees-movement"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did Oyu Tolgoi cause the decline in herder water and pasture?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the EBRD's complaint review address the harm reported by herders?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"MIGA (World Bank Group): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: pre-project baseline data on herder wells and alluvial aquifers; the independent experts recorded that it was not possible to disprove herder allegations or to prove impacts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Resettlement Action Plan for the 2004 resettlement (independent experts, January 2017).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: individual export credit agency and commercial bank loan amounts; the 15 December 2015 release lists lenders and totals only.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the 2025 water-use figures and the herder-well monitoring results come from a paper by Oyu Tolgoi LLC staff. Five herder wells showed statistically significant relationships between abstraction and well level with low explanatory power (R2 = 0.03 to 0.09), and one well (Khundlun) showed a significant decreasing trend.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the CAO conclusion report gives the IFC B loan as up to US$820.625 million; the CAO case page gives “up to US$1 billion” and total proposed debt of US$4.5 billion (appraisal-stage figures).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the IFC gives the permitted draw from the Gunii Hooloi aquifer as approximately 810 L/s; company interviews give 870 L/s.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Rio Tinto gives the waived carry account loan as US$2.4 billion; a press report gives US$2.3 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: outcome of the “outstanding OT LLC tax arbitration” listed as open in Rio Tinto's 25 January 2022 release.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: survival rate of the company's tree planting (ikon.mn, 8 April 2025).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ulaanbaatar-air-pollution-stoves-and-coal-ban","title":"Ulaanbaatar winter air pollution: stove programmes, the 2019 raw-coal ban and subsidised briquettes","dek":"Donor and state programmes in Ulaanbaatar's ger districts since 2008 paid for stove subsidies, loans and, from May 2019, a household raw-coal ban with subsidised briquettes made by a state-owned producer. The Auditor General sent findings on the producer's financing to prosecutors in April 2024.","country":"Mongolia","region":"Asia","lat":47.92,"lon":106.92,"places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","admin":"Ulaanbaatar (ger districts)","lat":47.92,"lon":106.92,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2024,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","finance","burning"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Fall in average winter PM2.5, 2019–2020 vs 2016–2017","value":"51%","note":"ADB figure for average winter ambient PM2.5. The World Bank's completion report gives an average decrease in PM emissions of 3.6 percent from 2012 to 2019 (different period and measure)."},"happened":["The World Bank reported that coal-burning stoves in “approximately 175,000 households” in Ulaanbaatar contributed “around 62 percent of PM10 and 65 percent of PM2.5 concentrations”. The World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) recorded worst levels of more than 10 times the PM10 standard and 25 times the PM2.5 standard.","Several programmes followed. The US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Mongolia Compact (US$268.9 million, 2008 to 2013) subsidised energy-efficient stoves from 2011 to 2013. The World Bank approved the Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project (UBCAP) on 3 April 2012 and closed it on 31 December 2023: 40,813 households received clean stoves in 2013 to 2015 against a target of 36,000, and 1,500 kindergartens received HEPA filters, while the target for electric thermal storage heaters was cut from 5,000 to 340 households. In 2015 the government replaced the subsidised clean-stove model with a commercial one. The ADB made policy-based loans of US$130 million (March 2018) and US$160 million (5 December 2019). A National Program for Reducing Air and Environmental Pollution set a target of an 80% reduction by 2025 (March 2017).","On 15 May 2019 Ulaanbaatar banned raw coal for households and small businesses and introduced refined briquettes. The Ministry of Energy procured 80,000 tons of semi-coke briquettes for ger households. According to the IEG, the briquettes “were not compatible with the clean stoves developed by the Project, and which had high caloric value, thus shortening the lifespan of the stoves”. On 13 December 2020 the government covered household utility bills until 1 July 2021 and raised the refined coal discount from 50% to 75%; the IEG found that this discount created “disincentives to use clean stoves”.","The briquette producer, Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC, is state-owned. The National Audit Office's 2023 financial audit of Erdenes-Tavantolgoi JSC recorded receivables of MNT 2.8 trillion, of which 38.4% related to MNT 1.1 trillion of repayable financing given to Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC in 2019 to 2023 for air-pollution reduction and briquette quality. On 3 April 2024 the Auditor General sent three issues on Tavantolgoi Tulsh “with supporting evidence” to the General Prosecutor's Office in letter No. 907.","In 2016 AKIpress, citing Bloomberg Quint, reported that the Clean Air Fund, financed by charges on car owners and coal users, was being used to fill the budget deficit. Measured outcomes differ by source: the ADB reported winter PM2.5 in 2019–2020 51% below 2016–2017, while the World Bank's completion report gave an average decrease in PM emissions of 3.6 percent from 2012 to 2019."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"MCC Mongolia Compact begins (to 2013); stove subsidies 2011-2013","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"World Bank approves Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project (3 April)","src":2},{"y":2015,"t":"Government replaces the subsidised clean-stove model with a commercial one","src":2},{"y":2016,"t":"Reported use of the Clean Air Fund for the budget deficit (29 November)","src":6},{"y":2017,"t":"National Program for Reducing Air and Environmental Pollution (March)","src":4},{"y":2018,"t":"ADB phase 1 policy-based loan, US$130 million (March)","src":4},{"y":2019,"t":"Raw coal ban for households and small businesses (15 May); ADB phase 2 loan, US$160 million (5 December)","src":3},{"y":2020,"t":"Government covers utility bills and raises the refined coal discount from 50% to 75% (13 December)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"UBCAP closes (31 December); 2019-2023 financing of Tavantolgoi Tulsh totals MNT 1.1 trillion","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Auditor General's letter No. 907 to the General Prosecutor's Office (3 April)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"Every year 30 billion togrog ($12 million) is collected from car owners, coal users and others","who":"Oyunkhorol Dulamsuren, Mongolia's environment minister (AKIpress citing Bloomberg Quint)","when":"29 November 2016","src":6},{"q":"exceeding project targets by over 100% does not necessarily signify optimal performance","who":"World Bank Implementation Completion and Results Report, lesson","when":"18 June 2024","src":3},{"q":"Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar has improved significantly","who":"Pavit Ramachandran, ADB Country Director","when":"5 December 2019","src":5},{"q":"fueled less often, but with more coal per fueling, resulting in no impacts on overall fuel usage","who":"MCC evaluation, on households with energy-efficient stoves","when":"August 2014","src":1},{"q":"thus making clean stoves unaffordable for many households","who":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group, on the 2015 end of subsidies","when":"13 November 2024","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar “has improved significantly”.","who":"ADB Country Director (5 December 2019)","src":5},{"t":"Winter PM2.5 in 2019–2020 was 51% lower than in 2016–2017.","who":"ADB results page","src":4},{"t":"Outcome rated “Satisfactory” in the project's own completion report.","who":"World Bank ICR self-rating (the IEG rated it “Moderately Satisfactory”)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Stoves in about 175,000 households contributed around 62 percent of PM10 and 65 percent of PM2.5 concentrations.","src":3},{"t":"MCC evaluation: subsidised stoves emitted 65% less PM2.5 and 16% less CO than traditional stoves; only 4 percent of owners of energy-efficient stoves fuelled consistently with the requirements.","src":1},{"t":"UBCAP: 40,813 households received clean stoves against a target of 36,000; the planned borrower contribution of US$6.9 million was not made.","src":2},{"t":"Briquettes were not compatible with the project's clean stoves; the refined coal discount rose from 50% to 75% in December 2020.","src":2},{"t":"MNT 1.1 trillion of repayable financing to Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC in 2019–2023; the Auditor General referred three issues to prosecutors on 3 April 2024.","src":7},{"t":"2019 UNDP study cited by the ADB: welfare costs of US$486 million a year and lost productivity of US$58 million, together 5.6% of GDP.","src":4},{"t":"UNICEF Mongolia's representative wrote on 29 December 2023 that flu and pneumonia among children under 5 rise with daily PM2.5 and PM10, and cited a decade-old study attributing about one in 10 deaths in Ulaanbaatar to air pollution.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"MCC Mongolia Compact","amount":268.9,"window":"2008–2013"},{"label":"MCC Energy and Environment Project, at inception (US$40,420,819 disbursed)","amount":47.2,"window":"2008–2013"},{"label":"World Bank UBCAP credit (disbursed US$14.1 million)","amount":15,"window":"2012"},{"label":"World Bank UBCAP additional financing (disbursed US$11.7 million)","amount":12,"window":"2019"},{"label":"ADB policy-based loan, phase 1","amount":130,"window":"2018"},{"label":"ADB policy-based loan, phase 2","amount":160,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Clean Air Fund annual collection (30 billion togrog, per the environment minister)","amount":12,"window":"2016","note":"As stated in the article; the 2017 allocation was lowered to 5 billion togrog."},{"label":"Repayable financing from Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi to Tavantolgoi Tulsh (MNT 1.1 trillion)","amount":null,"window":"2019–2023","note":"Not converted; repayment date unknown."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Winter PM2.5, 2019–2020 vs 2016–2017","v":"−51%","d":"Average winter ambient PM2.5 (ADB); 46% below 2017–2018 and 40% below 2018–2019"},{"k":"PM emissions, 2012 to 2019","v":"−3.6%","d":"Average decrease (World Bank completion report)"},{"k":"Share from household coal stoves","v":"62% PM10, 65% PM2.5","d":"About 175,000 households (World Bank)"},{"k":"Worst recorded levels","v":"10× PM10, 25× PM2.5","d":"Multiples of the standard (IEG)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"World Bank, IEG, ADB and MCC measurements of Ulaanbaatar's winter air.","report":[{"t":"My winter air in Ulaanbaatar carried around 62 percent of its PM10 and 65 percent of its PM2.5 from coal-burning stoves in approximately 175,000 households, according to the World Bank.","src":3},{"t":"At my worst recorded levels PM10 was more than 10 times the standard and PM2.5 was 25 times the standard, according to the IEG.","src":2},{"t":"My average winter PM2.5 in 2019–2020 was 51% lower than in 2016–2017, 46% lower than in 2017–2018 and 40% lower than in 2018–2019, according to the ADB.","src":4},{"t":"The World Bank's completion report gives an average decrease of 3.6 percent in my PM emissions from 2012 to 2019.","src":3},{"t":"Subsidised stoves emitted 65% less PM2.5 and 16% less CO than traditional stoves; ambient sampling ran from 22 January to 22 April 2013, and the MCC modelled 30% lower ambient PM2.5 than a counterfactual of all-traditional stoves.","src":1}]},"unknown":["None on record: charges after the Auditor General's April 2024 referral to the General Prosecutor's Office.","Not measured: health effects of the MCC-subsidised stoves; the MCC evaluation states they “were not directly measured” and were modelled only.","None on record: a borrower contribution to UBCAP; US$6.9 million was planned and the IEG states “there was no Borrower contribution”.","Not disclosed: repayment date of the MNT 1.1 trillion financing to Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC (National Audit Office 2023 audit: unknown).","Figures differ: the ADB reports a 40–51% reduction in average winter PM2.5 (2019–2020 against earlier winters); the World Bank completion report gives a 3.6 percent average decrease in PM emissions for 2012 to 2019."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The ADB reported lower average winter PM2.5 in 2019–2020 than in the three preceding winters; no later monitoring series is on record.","whoPaid":"Donors and the state paid for stoves, loans and briquette discounts: MCC US$268.9 million, World Bank credits US$27.0 million, ADB loans US$290 million, and MNT 1.1 trillion of repayable state-miner financing to the briquette producer.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: the Auditor General referred three issues on Tavantolgoi Tulsh to prosecutors; charges: None on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"mongolia-national-audit-office","says":"Auditor General D. Zagjav said in an interview that the audit report contains no conclusion that the decision of the then Prime Minister, now President, was wrong; the referral concerned lower-level management (paraphrase from ikon.mn).","when":"30 August 2024","src":7},{"actor":"adb","says":"Country Director Pavit Ramachandran said air pollution in Ulaanbaatar had improved significantly.","when":"5 December 2019","src":5},{"actor":"world-bank","says":"Rated the project outcome Satisfactory in its completion report; the IEG rated it Moderately Satisfactory.","when":"2024","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"mcc","role":"Funded stove subsidies (Mongolia Compact)"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project"},{"id":"adb","role":"Policy-based loans, 2018 and 2019"},{"id":"mongolia-gov","role":"Raw coal ban; briquette discounts"},{"id":"tavantolgoi-tulsh","role":"State-owned briquette producer"},{"id":"erdenes-tavan-tolgoi","role":"Provided MNT 1.1 trillion of repayable financing"},{"id":"mongolia-national-audit-office","role":"Audited Erdenes-Tavantolgoi; referred issues to prosecutors"},{"id":"mongolia-general-prosecutors-office","role":"Received the Auditor General's referral"},{"id":"unicef","role":"Context on child health"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much did Ulaanbaatar's air improve?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"ADB","says":"Average winter ambient PM2.5 in 2019–2020 was 51% lower than 2016–2017, 46% lower than 2017–2018 and 40% lower than 2018–2019.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Implementation Completion and Results Report","says":"PM emissions exhibited an average decrease of 3.6 percent from 2012 to 2019 (cited for the stove component).","src":3}]},{"point":"How well did the World Bank's clean air project perform?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank (completion report self-rating)","says":"Outcome rated Satisfactory.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","says":"Outcome rated Moderately Satisfactory; the 2015 end of subsidies made clean stoves unaffordable for many households and the December 2020 coal discount created disincentives to use clean stoves.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Auditor General referral on Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC financing","forum":"General Prosecutor's Office of Mongolia","country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Auditor General (National Audit Office)","defendant":"Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC (management)","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"In letter No. 907 of 3 April 2024 the Auditor General sent three issues on Tavantolgoi Tulsh “with supporting evidence” to the General Prosecutor's Office. The 2023 audit findings included about MNT 4.17 billion spent on a building for a purpose other than intended and a MNT 6.6 billion contract with Hong Kong Hengde for which delivery could not be confirmed. None on record: charges after the referral.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"households_with_coal_stoves","value":175000,"unit":"households","year":2024,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Contributed around 62 percent of PM10 and 65 percent of PM2.5 concentrations (World Bank)."},{"key":"clean_stoves_households","value":40813,"unit":"households","year":2015,"note":"UBCAP 2013–2015; target 36,000."},{"key":"briquettes_procured_tons","value":80000,"unit":"tons","year":2019,"note":"Semi-coke briquettes procured by the Ministry of Energy for ger households (ADB)."},{"key":"pm25_winter_change_pct","value":-51,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Average winter ambient PM2.5, 2019–2020 vs 2016–2017 (ADB); −46% vs 2017–2018, −40% vs 2018–2019."},{"key":"pm_emissions_change_pct","value":-3.6,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Average decrease, 2012 to 2019 (World Bank ICR)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":75,"unit":"% discount","year":2020,"note":"Refined coal discount raised from 50% in December 2020."},{"key":"financing_tavantolgoi_tulsh","value":1100000,"unit":"MNT m","year":2023,"note":"Repayable financing 2019–2023 from Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi (MNT 1.1 trillion)."},{"key":"mcc_compact","value":268.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2013},{"key":"world_bank_credits","value":15,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Plus US$12.0 million additional financing in December 2019."},{"key":"adb_loans","value":130,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Phase 2: US$160 million (5 December 2019)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Donor and state programmes in Ulaanbaatar paid for stove subsidies, policy loans, a 2019 household raw-coal ban and subsidised briquettes; the briquette producer was financed with MNT 1.1 trillion from a state miner and the Auditor General referred issues to prosecutors in April 2024.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"40,813 households","what":"Received clean stoves under UBCAP in 2013 to 2015","src":2},{"who":"Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC","what":"MNT 1.1 trillion of repayable financing in 2019 to 2023 for air-pollution reduction and briquette quality","src":7},{"who":"Mongolia's government budget","what":"The Clean Air Fund collected 30 billion togrog a year and was reported to be used to fill the budget deficit","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Households using the refined briquettes","what":"The IEG found the briquettes incompatible with clean stoves and shortening stove lifespan","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ulaanbaatar's winter air","what":"Coal stoves contributed around 62 percent of PM10 and 65 percent of PM2.5; worst recorded levels were over 10 times the PM10 standard and 25 times the PM2.5 standard","src":3},{"who":"Residents' health","what":"ADB cited a 2019 UNDP study of US$486 million a year welfare costs and US$58 million lost productivity, together 5.6% of GDP","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Ulaanbaatar, especially the ger districts (about 47.92 N, 106.92 E); briquette plant of Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC in Ulaanbaatar.","src":3},"when":{"t":"MCC compact 2008–2013; UBCAP 3 April 2012 to 31 December 2023; ADB loans March 2018 and 5 December 2019; raw coal ban 15 May 2019; discount rise 13 December 2020; Auditor General's letter 3 April 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Household coal burning for heating in the ger districts; the 2019 ban replaced raw coal with refined briquettes whose subsidised price was meant to encourage the switch.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Stove subsidies and loans from donors, a government ban and discount, and repayable financing from state-owned Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi to the briquette producer.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Closed Compact Report: Mongolia Compact","p":"Millennium Challenge Corporation","d":"2015-10-17","type":"official","u":"https://assets.mcc.gov/content/uploads/closed-compact-report-mongolia.pdf"},{"t":"Evaluation Brief: Better Air Quality with Energy Efficiency in Mongolia","p":"Millennium Challenge Corporation","d":"2014-08","type":"official","u":"https://assets.mcc.gov/content/uploads/evalbrief-20190022304-mng-stoves.pdf"},{"t":"ICR Review ICRR0024171: MN-Ulaanbaatar Clean Air (P122320)","p":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","d":"2024-11-13","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099111324151526648/pdf/P1223201a850ea0c21be101b8eb68c45aad.pdf"},{"t":"Implementation Completion and Results Report, Ulaanbaatar Clean Air Project","p":"World Bank","d":"2024-06-18","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099062024100569664/pdf/BOSIB14333ddfe0cc1a34e1f863a3c3db67.pdf"},{"t":"Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar breathes easier after cleanup of air quality (results page)","p":"ADB","d":"2021","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.adb.org/results/mongolias-ulaanbaatar-breathes-easier-after-cleanup-air-quality"},{"t":"ADB loan continues support to improve Ulaanbaatar's air quality, public health","p":"ADB","d":"2019-12-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.adb.org/news/adb-loan-continues-support-improve-ulaanbaatars-air-quality-public-health"},{"t":"Mongolia vows to fight smog even as funds diverted to budget gap (citing Bloomberg Quint)","p":"AKIpress","d":"2016-11-29","type":"press","u":"https://akipress.com/news:585837/"},{"t":"D. Zagjav: Our audit report contains no conclusion that the decision of the then Prime Minister, now President, was wrong (interview; Mongolian title: Д.Загджав: Тухайн үеийн Ерөнхий сайд, одоогийн Ерөнхийлөгчийн шийдвэрийг алдаатай гэсэн дүгнэлт манай аудитын тайланд байхгүй)","p":"ikon.mn","d":"2024-08-30","type":"press","u":"https://ikon.mn/n/384a"},{"t":"We must fight air pollution every day","p":"UNICEF Mongolia","d":"2023-12-29","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.unicef.org/mongolia/stories/we-must-fight-air-pollution-every-day"}],"related":["mongolia-state-coal-company-smuggling","mongolia-one-billion-trees-movement"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much did Ulaanbaatar's air improve?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Repayable financing from Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi to Tavantolgoi Tulsh (MNT 1.1 trillion) — Not converted; repayment date unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How well did the World Bank's clean air project perform?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Auditor General referral on Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC financing: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: charges after the Auditor General's April 2024 referral to the General Prosecutor's Office.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: health effects of the MCC-subsidised stoves; the MCC evaluation states they “were not directly measured” and were modelled only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a borrower contribution to UBCAP; US$6.9 million was planned and the IEG states “there was no Borrower contribution”.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: repayment date of the MNT 1.1 trillion financing to Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC (National Audit Office 2023 audit: unknown).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the ADB reports a 40–51% reduction in average winter PM2.5 (2019–2020 against earlier winters); the World Bank completion report gives a 3.6 percent average decrease in PM emissions for 2012 to 2019.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mongolia-one-billion-trees-movement","title":"Mongolia's One Billion Trees movement: pledges, offset trees and reported survival rates","dek":"A presidential decree presented on 4 October 2021 launched a national campaign to plant one billion trees by 2030. Reported totals mix trees planted directly with “offset” trees counted from investment, and reported survival rates differ by source.","country":"Mongolia","region":"Asia","lat":47,"lon":104,"places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","admin":"Nationwide (examples: Selenge, Tuv, Umnugovi)","lat":50.3,"lon":106.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Trees reported by the National Forest Agency, May 2025","value":"83.9 million","note":"61,011,353 planted and 22,962,042 offset trees, against a target of one billion by 2030."},"happened":["On 4 October 2021 a presidential decree was presented that aimed at a legal framework for “at least one percent of Mongolia's GDP to be spent annually on combating climate change and desertification”, in support of a campaign to plant one billion trees. According to the AFoCO country forestry brief (February 2026), the target is one billion trees by 2030 and forest cover of 9% of national territory, with phases of 2021–2024 (preparatory), 2024–2026 (intensification) and 2027–2030 (sustainable implementation).","On 13 May 2025 the National Forest Agency's Director General, Dr. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, reported that 83.9 million trees had been planted “either directly or through offset programs”: 61,011,353 planted and 22,962,042 offset. The presentation listed commitments from Oyu Tolgoi (10.2 million trees) and Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi (investment equivalent to 12.7 million trees), 3.0 million trees planted or offset by the bank and finance sector, and 4.4 million by government organisations. In October 2024 the Forest Agency head said 84 million trees had been planted since the start, that aimags and the capital had pledged 680 million and planted 38.4 million, and that 22 mining companies had planted 33 million (Erdenet 4.1 million).","Other totals appear in other documents. AFoCO gave about 84 million trees in 2021 to 2024 and a cumulative approximately 114.6 million as of October 2025; a National Forest Agency lecture slide of 28 July 2025 gave “2024 year 107,4 million planted trees”. Oyu Tolgoi said in April 2025 that it had planted 1.3 million trees directly and counted forestry investment as equivalent to 19.2 million trees, a total of 20.5 million, and had handed about MNT 1.5 billion of forestry equipment to the Forest Agency.","Survival rates are reported differently. At the iKon.mn “Data Freedom” exhibition (11 December 2025) the survival of trees planted by state-owned companies was given as 41.5% and of the private sector as 74.7%, without a cited primary dataset. AFoCO wrote that “Reported survival rates in monitored areas exceed 90%”. The forest cover baseline was 7.9% in 2019, with targets of 8.6% for 2024, 8.7% for 2025 and 9.0% for 2030 (National Forest Agency lecture slide)."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Presidential decree presented on a legal framework for at least 1% of GDP a year for climate and desertification (4 October)","src":6},{"y":2024,"t":"Forest Agency head: 84 million trees since the start (October)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"National Forest Agency reports 83.9 million trees, 61,011,353 planted and 22,962,042 offset (13 May); Oyu Tolgoi reports 20.5 million (8 April); iKon.mn survival figures (11 December)","src":1},{"y":2026,"t":"AFoCO brief: cumulative approximately 114.6 million trees as of October 2025 (February)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"a total of 83.9 million trees have been planted either directly or through offset programs","who":"Dr. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, Director General, National Forest Agency (presentation)","when":"13 May 2025","src":1},{"q":"at least one percent of Mongolia's GDP to be spent annually on combating climate change and desertification","who":"Presidential decree as presented (AKIpress)","when":"4 October 2021","src":6},{"q":"Reported survival rates in monitored areas exceed 90%","who":"AFoCO country forestry brief","when":"February 2026","src":0},{"q":"depends on ecosystem-based restoration, strengthened governance, and a focus on survival and ecological impact rather than planting targets alone","who":"AFoCO country forestry brief, on the movement's success","when":"February 2026","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"83.9 million trees planted “either directly or through offset programs”.","who":"National Forest Agency (13 May 2025)","src":1},{"t":"1.3 million trees planted directly and forestry investment counted as 19.2 million trees, a total of 20.5 million.","who":"Oyu Tolgoi, as reported by ikon.mn (8 April 2025)","src":5},{"t":"Survival rates in monitored areas exceed 90%.","who":"AFoCO (February 2026)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Offset trees: 22,962,042 of the 83.9 million reported in May 2025.","src":1},{"t":"Reported totals differ by document and date: 83.9 million (May 2025), 84 million (October 2024), 107.4 million for 2024 (lecture slide), approximately 114.6 million cumulative as of October 2025.","src":2},{"t":"Survival of trees planted by state-owned companies 41.5% and by private companies 74.7%, per iKon.mn; the article cites no primary dataset.","src":4},{"t":"Forest cover baseline 7.9% (2019); target 9.0% by 2030.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Government pledge: at least 1% of GDP a year on climate change and desertification","amount":null,"window":"from 2021","note":"Share of GDP, no amount stated; spending against the pledge: None on record."},{"label":"Oyu Tolgoi forestry equipment handed to the Forest Agency (MNT 1.5 billion)","amount":null,"window":"2025","note":"Not converted."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Trees reported (May 2025)","v":"83.9 million","d":"61,011,353 planted plus 22,962,042 offset"},{"k":"Survival, state-owned companies","v":"41.5%","d":"iKon.mn, 11 December 2025; private sector 74.7%"},{"k":"Survival in monitored areas","v":"over 90%","d":"AFoCO, February 2026"},{"k":"Forest cover","v":"7.9% (2019)","d":"Target 9.0% by 2030"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the dataset behind the iKon.mn survival figures; the article cites no primary dataset.","Not disclosed: survival rate of Oyu Tolgoi's tree planting; the ikon.mn article gives none.","Figures differ: the National Forest Agency gave 83.9 million trees in May 2025 and 84 million in October 2024; a lecture slide gave 107.4 million planted in 2024; AFoCO gave approximately 114.6 million cumulative as of October 2025.","Figures differ: the National Forest Agency lists Oyu Tolgoi as committed to 10.2 million trees; Oyu Tolgoi reports 20.5 million (1.3 million planted and 19.2 million equivalent)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Planting was continuing; the campaign runs to 2030.","whoPaid":"Pledges came from mining companies, banks and state bodies, with an offset mechanism converting investment into trees; total state spending: None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the National Forest Agency reported 83.9 million trees in May 2025 and AFoCO approximately 114.6 million cumulative as of October 2025; survival figures differ by source.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"mongolia-national-forest-agency","says":"Reported 83.9 million trees planted directly or through offset programs and 5.45% implementation against plan.","when":"13 May 2025","src":1},{"actor":"oyu-tolgoi-llc","says":"Reported 1.3 million trees planted directly and forestry investment equivalent to 19.2 million trees, a total of 20.5 million.","when":"8 April 2025","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"mongolia-national-forest-agency","role":"Reports the national totals"},{"id":"mongolia-gov","role":"Presidential campaign; 1% of GDP pledge"},{"id":"oyu-tolgoi-llc","role":"Pledged 10.2 million trees; reports 20.5 million"},{"id":"erdenes-tavan-tolgoi","role":"Committed investment equivalent to 12.7 million trees"},{"id":"afoco","role":"Published the country forestry brief"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many trees have been planted under the campaign?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"National Forest Agency (13 May 2025)","says":"83.9 million trees: 61,011,353 planted and 22,962,042 offset.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Forest Agency lecture slide (28 July 2025)","says":"“2024 year 107,4 million planted trees”.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"AFoCO (February 2026)","says":"About 84 million trees in 2021 to 2024; cumulative approximately 114.6 million as of October 2025.","src":0}]},{"point":"What share of planted trees survive?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"iKon.mn “Data Freedom” exhibition (11 December 2025)","says":"Survival of trees planted by state-owned companies 41.5%, private sector 74.7%; no primary dataset cited.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"AFoCO (February 2026)","says":"“Reported survival rates in monitored areas exceed 90%”.","src":0}]},{"point":"How many trees does Oyu Tolgoi contribute?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"National Forest Agency (13 May 2025)","says":"Oyu Tolgoi JSC committed 10.2 million trees.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Oyu Tolgoi (8 April 2025, via ikon.mn)","says":"1.3 million trees planted directly plus investment counted as equivalent to 19.2 million; total 20.5 million.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"trees_planted","value":61011353,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"Planted directly, National Forest Agency, 13 May 2025."},{"key":"trees_offset","value":22962042,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"Offset trees (counted from programmes and investment), 13 May 2025."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":41.5,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Trees planted by state-owned companies (iKon.mn, 11 December 2025); no primary dataset cited."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":74.7,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Trees planted by the private sector (iKon.mn, 11 December 2025); no primary dataset cited."},{"key":"survival_rate","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"Reported in monitored areas (AFoCO, February 2026)."},{"key":"forest_cover_pct","value":7.9,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Baseline; targets 8.6% (2024), 8.7% (2025), 9.0% (2030)."},{"key":"trees_target","value":1000000000,"unit":"trees","year":2030}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A national campaign to plant one billion trees by 2030, with reported totals that include offset trees counted from investment and survival rates that differ by source.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Oyu Tolgoi and Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi","what":"Their commitments (10.2 million trees and investment equivalent to 12.7 million trees) are counted towards the national total","src":1},{"who":"National Forest Agency","what":"Received about MNT 1.5 billion of forestry equipment from Oyu Tolgoi (company figure)","src":5}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Planted trees","what":"Survival of 41.5% for state-owned companies' plantings and 74.7% for the private sector, per iKon.mn","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide; examples in Selenge aimag (Altanbulag soum), Tuv and Umnugovi.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Decree presented 4 October 2021; phases 2021–2024, 2024–2026, 2027–2030; target year 2030.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The campaign was framed as combating desertification and climate change.","src":6},"how":{"t":"Direct planting and offset programmes, with commitments from mining companies, banks and state bodies.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Country Forestry Trend CFT-MN001: Mongolia's “One Billion Trees” National Movement","p":"AFoCO","d":"2026-02","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://media.afocosec.org/2026/03/yLLtSjkU-4.-Mongolia-CFT-1_Revised.pdf"},{"t":"“Billion Trees” National Movement: cooperation with private sector and international organizations (presentation by Dr. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren)","p":"National Forest Agency of Mongolia","d":"2025-05-13","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://media.afocosec.org/2025/05/3_MONGOLIA_Dr.-Oyunsanaa-NFA-Billion-trees.pdf"},{"t":"NDC and Billion Trees National Movement in Mongolia (lecture by Chultem Bold)","p":"National Forest Agency of Mongolia","d":"2025-07-28","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://media.afocosec.org/2025/10/Lecture-1.-Chultem-Bold_EN.pdf"},{"t":"Ö. Zolbayar: National parks named after the “Billion Trees” programme to be established in 21 aimags (Mongolian title: Ө.Золбаяр: 21 аймагт “Тэрбум мод” хөтөлбөрийн нэрэмжит Үндэсний цэцэрлэгт хүрээлэн байгуулна)","p":"ikon.mn","d":"2024-10-09","type":"press","u":"https://ikon.mn/n/397c"},{"t":"Data Freedom exhibition: survival rate of trees planted by SOEs 41.5%, private sector 74.7% (Mongolian title: Дата эрх чөлөө үзэсгэлэн: ТӨК-ийн тарьсан модны амьдрах чадвар 41.5%, хувийн хэвшлийнх 74.7%)","p":"ikon.mn","d":"2025-12-11","type":"press","u":"https://ikon.mn/n/3k06"},{"t":"Oyu Tolgoi company will leave a legacy of 100 million trees (Mongolian title: “Оюу толгой” компани 100 сая мод өвлүүлэн үлдээнэ)","p":"ikon.mn","d":"2025-04-08","type":"press","u":"https://ikon.mn/n/3do0"},{"t":"Mongolia to spend at least 1% of its GDP to plant one billion trees","p":"AKIpress","d":"2021-10-04","type":"press","u":"https://akipress.com/news:663126:Mongolia_to_spend_at_least_1__of_its_GDP_to_plant_one_billion_trees/"}],"related":["oyu-tolgoi-river-diversion","ulaanbaatar-air-pollution-stoves-and-coal-ban"],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The National Forest Agency reported 83.9 million trees planted on me, directly or through offsets, by May 2025: 61,011,353 planted and 22,962,042 offset, against a target of one billion by 2030.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many trees have been planted under the campaign?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What share of planted trees survive?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Government pledge: at least 1% of GDP a year on climate change and desertification — Share of GDP, no amount stated; spending against the pledge: None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Oyu Tolgoi forestry equipment handed to the Forest Agency (MNT 1.5 billion) — Not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many trees does Oyu Tolgoi contribute?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the dataset behind the iKon.mn survival figures; the article cites no primary dataset.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: survival rate of Oyu Tolgoi's tree planting; the ikon.mn article gives none.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the National Forest Agency gave 83.9 million trees in May 2025 and 84 million in October 2024; a lecture slide gave 107.4 million planted in 2024; AFoCO gave approximately 114.6 million cumulative as of October 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the National Forest Agency lists Oyu Tolgoi as committed to 10.2 million trees; Oyu Tolgoi reports 20.5 million (1.3 million planted and 19.2 million equivalent).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mongolia-2009-river-and-forest-mining-ban","title":"Mongolia's 2009 ban on mining at river headwaters and in forests: licence cancellations, compensation duty, 2015 amendment and artisanal gold-mining programmes","dek":"A law adopted on 16 July 2009 banned mineral exploration and mining at river headwaters, in water protection zones and in forests, and made the government pay compensation to holders whose licences were cancelled. An amendment in February 2015 let existing holders inside the zones apply to continue.","country":"Mongolia","region":"Asia","lat":47,"lon":104,"places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","admin":"Nationwide","lat":47,"lon":104,"role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2009-07-16","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","law-policy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Licence cancellations after the ban, November 2010","value":"1,782","note":"Resource Capital research cited by Oxford Business Group; other counts exist."},"happened":["On 16 July 2009 the State Great Khural adopted the Law on Prohibiting Mineral Exploration and Mining at River Headwaters, Water Protection Zones and Forest Areas (the “Law with the Long Name”), together with an implementing law and Parliament Resolution No. 55. Under Article 4.6 (as translated from Mongolian) the government “shall pay compensation” to a holder whose licence is cancelled under Article 56.1.3 of the Minerals Law, by a procedure the government sets. Article 5.1 states that cancellation does not release the holder from the duty to rehabilitate the environment, and Article 5.2 requires rehabilitation within up to two years under local and public oversight.","Resolution No. 55 ordered the government, led by Prime Minister S. Bayar, to set and publish the zone boundaries within three months and to inspect licence holders operating inside them and report to Parliament. The implementing law as amended sets the water protection zone at 200 m from water bodies and requires procedures and contract templates under which licence holders deposit 100% of environmental protection and rehabilitation costs in advance; the costs of unrehabilitated sites are to be recovered in line with income earned.","Oxford Business Group (2012), citing Resource Capital research, reported 1,782 licence cancellations in November 2010, and wrote that the authorities offered a compensation programme whose cost media put at “$5bn”, after which the law was suspended and delayed payouts led to miner protests. In October 2011 the Supreme Court of Mongolia, on an appeal by Ts. Munkhbayar and the United Movement of Mongolian Rivers and Lakes, ordered the government to enforce the ban, according to Rivers without Boundaries. The same source reported that the government said it could not afford compensation for closing mines.","Oxford Business Group (2014) reported that 106 exploration licences were revoked in connection with the January 2013 conviction of former Mineral Resources Authority officials, and that compensation was “still pending a civil class action suit by previous licence holders”. On 18 February 2015 an amendment allowed licence holders inside the zones to apply within three months to continue.","Donor programmes addressed artisanal gold mining: the Swiss SDC Sustainable Artisanal Mining project, phase 4 (1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019), had a budget of CHF 6,342,889 and disbursed CHF 5,704,688, and reported that “over 7,000 miners have directly benefited”. The planetGOLD Mongolia project (GEF/UNEP, six years, concluded in May 2025) established two mercury-free processing facilities preventing about 58 kg of mercury use a year; 158 of 398 supported miners were formalised."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Law, implementing law and Parliament Resolution No. 55 adopted (16 July)","src":0},{"y":2010,"t":"1,782 licence cancellations (November, Resource Capital via Oxford Business Group)","src":3},{"y":2011,"t":"Supreme Court orders the government to enforce the ban (October)","src":5},{"y":2013,"t":"Former Mineral Resources Authority officials convicted (January, as reported by Oxford Business Group)","src":4},{"y":2015,"t":"Amendment lets existing holders inside the zones apply to continue (18 February); SDC artisanal mining phase 4 begins (1 January)","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"SDC artisanal mining phase 4 ends (31 December)","src":7},{"y":2025,"t":"planetGOLD Mongolia concludes (May)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"shall pay compensation","who":"Law Article 4.6, as translated from Mongolian","when":"16 July 2009","src":0,"translated":"Mongolian"},{"q":"far outweighed the compensation costs","who":"Bayarsaikhan Garidkhuu, member of parliament, on ecological damage (repost on Rivers without Boundaries; original source not named)","when":"2011","src":5},{"q":"is hesitant to develop a just compensation scheme for license owners","who":"Rivers without Boundaries, on the government","when":"2013","src":6},{"q":"an economically sustainable, environmentally responsible and human rights based ASM sector in Mongolia","who":"SDC, goal of the Sustainable Artisanal Mining project","when":"2015","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"Over 7,000 miners have directly benefited from the Sustainable Artisanal Mining project, phase 4.","who":"SDC project page","src":7},{"t":"Two mercury-free processing facilities prevent about 58 kg of mercury use a year; 158 of 398 supported miners formalised.","who":"planetGOLD (20 May 2025)","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"Compensation to cancelled licence holders is a statutory duty (Article 4.6).","src":0},{"t":"OBG 2014: compensation “still pending a civil class action suit by previous licence holders”.","src":4},{"t":"Supreme Court (October 2011) ordered the government to enforce the ban, according to Rivers without Boundaries.","src":5},{"t":"Cancellation does not release the holder from the duty to rehabilitate; rehabilitation within up to 2 years.","src":0},{"t":"Water protection zone: 200 m from water bodies; 100% of rehabilitation costs to be deposited in advance.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Cost of the compensation programme, as put by media (OBG 2012)","amount":5000,"qualifier":"media estimate","window":"2010–2012"},{"label":"SDC Sustainable Artisanal Mining phase 4 budget (CHF 6,342,889; disbursed CHF 5,704,688)","amount":null,"window":"2015–2019","note":"Swiss francs, not converted."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Licences cancelled, November 2010","v":"1,782","d":"Resource Capital via Oxford Business Group"},{"k":"Water protection zone","v":"200 m","d":"From water bodies, implementing law as amended"},{"k":"Compensation status","v":"pending","d":"Civil class action by previous licence holders (OBG, 2014)"},{"k":"Mercury use prevented","v":"about 58 kg a year","d":"Two mercury-free facilities (planetGOLD, concluded May 2025)"}]},"unknown":["None on record: compensation actually paid to holders of cancelled licences; Oxford Business Group (2014) described it as still pending.","Insufficient: the court and details of the January 2013 conviction of former Mineral Resources Authority officials, as mentioned by Oxford Business Group.","Unclear: the status of the class action by previous licence holders on compensation.","Figures differ: Oxford Business Group (citing Resource Capital) gives 1,782 licence cancellations in November 2010; other reports give “over 200” and 117 placer licences cancelled out of 1,783.","Not disclosed: the Mongolia budget of the planetGOLD project; the project page does not state it."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Compensation to cancelled licence holders: pending as reported in 2014; payment to nature: None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2015 amendment lets existing holders apply to continue; compensation paid: None on record; planetGOLD Mongolia concluded in May 2025.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"mongolia-gov","says":"Said in 2011 that it could not afford compensation for closing mines (as reported by Rivers without Boundaries).","when":"2011","src":5},{"actor":"sdc","says":"States the goal of an economically sustainable, environmentally responsible and human rights based artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Mongolia.","when":"2015–2019","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"mongolia-gov","role":"Duty to compensate licence holders; 2015 amendment"},{"id":"mongolia-supreme-court","role":"Ordered the government to enforce the ban (October 2011)"},{"id":"rivers-without-boundaries","role":"Reported the court ruling and the compensation dispute"},{"id":"sdc","role":"Funded the Sustainable Artisanal Mining project"},{"id":"gef","role":"planetGOLD Mongolia"},{"id":"unep","role":"planetGOLD Mongolia"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should the state pay compensation for cancelled licences?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Mongolia (2011, as reported)","says":"It could not afford compensation for closing mines.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Rivers without Boundaries","says":"The government “is hesitant to develop a just compensation scheme for license owners”.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Bayarsaikhan Garidkhuu, MP (repost, original source not named)","says":"Ecological damage “far outweighed the compensation costs”.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Appeal by Ts. Munkhbayar and the United Movement of Mongolian Rivers and Lakes on enforcement of the 2009 law","forum":"Supreme Court of Mongolia","country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Ts. Munkhbayar and the United Movement of Mongolian Rivers and Lakes","defendant":"Government of Mongolia","filed":null,"decided":2011,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"In October 2011 the court ordered the government to enforce the ban and, according to Rivers without Boundaries, blamed the government for failing to implement the 2009 law.","src":5},{"title":"Civil class action by previous licence holders on compensation","forum":"Not stated","country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Previous licence holders","defendant":"Government of Mongolia","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Oxford Business Group reported in 2014 that compensation was still pending the class action.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"licences_cancelled","value":1782,"unit":"licences","year":2010,"note":"Resource Capital research cited by Oxford Business Group."},{"key":"exploration_licences_revoked","value":106,"unit":"licences","year":2014,"note":"In connection with the January 2013 conviction of former Mineral Resources Authority officials (OBG)."},{"key":"water_protection_zone_m","value":200,"unit":"m","year":2015,"note":"From water bodies, implementing law as amended."},{"key":"compensation_programme_cost","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"qualifier":"media estimate","note":"\"$5bn\", cost of the compensation programme as put by media (OBG)."},{"key":"sdc_budget_chf","value":6.342889,"unit":"CHF m","year":2019,"note":"SDC Sustainable Artisanal Mining phase 4 budget; disbursed CHF 5.704688 million."},{"key":"miners_benefited","value":7000,"unit":"miners","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Directly benefited (SDC)."},{"key":"mercury_use_prevented_kg","value":58,"unit":"kg a year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Two mercury-free processing facilities (planetGOLD)."},{"key":"miners_formalised","value":158,"unit":"miners","year":2025,"note":"Of 398 supported (planetGOLD)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2009 law banned mining and exploration at river headwaters, in water protection zones and in forests and required the government to compensate cancelled licence holders; an amendment in 2015 let existing holders continue.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Licence holders inside the zones","what":"The 18 February 2015 amendment let them apply within three months to continue","src":1},{"who":"Artisanal miners","what":"Over 7,000 directly benefited from the SDC project; 158 of 398 planetGOLD miners were formalised","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"Holders of cancelled licences","what":"1,782 cancellations in November 2010 (OBG citing Resource Capital); compensation pending in 2014","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"River headwaters, water protection zones and forests","what":"Protected by the ban; the Supreme Court ordered enforcement in October 2011 after reported failure to implement the law","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law adopted 16 July 2009; cancellations November 2010; Supreme Court October 2011; amendment 18 February 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To protect river headwaters, water protection zones and forests from mining.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A statutory ban with licence cancellation, a government duty to compensate, and rehabilitation duties of 100% of costs deposited in advance.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Law of Mongolia on Prohibiting Mineral Exploration and Mining at River Headwaters, Water Protection Zones and Forest Areas (Mongolian text, translated; Гол, мөрний урсац бүрэлдэх эх, усны сан бүхий газрын хамгаалалтын бүс, ойн сан бүхий газарт ашигт малтмал хайх, ашиглахыг хориглох тухай)","p":"Legalinfo.mn","d":"2009-07-16","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://legalinfo.mn/mn/detail?lawId=223"},{"t":"Law on the procedure for implementing the 2009 ban, as amended 18 February 2015 (Mongolian text, translated)","p":"Legalinfo.mn","d":"2015-02-18","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://legalinfo.mn/mn/detail?lawId=224"},{"t":"State Great Khural Resolution No. 55 (Mongolian text, translated)","p":"Legalinfo.mn","d":"2009-07-16","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://legalinfo.mn/mn/detail?lawId=5914"},{"t":"Make it official: the government is working to update the licensing system","p":"Oxford Business Group","d":"2012","type":"press","u":"https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/mongolia/2012-report/economy/make-it-official-the-government-is-working-to-update-the-licensing-system"},{"t":"A welcome revision: the industry's legal framework is evolving","p":"Oxford Business Group","d":"2014","type":"press","u":"https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/mongolia/2014-report/economy/a-welcome-revision-the-industrys-legal-framework-is-evolving"},{"t":"Mongolian court orders govt to enforce mining ban","p":"Rivers without Boundaries","d":"2011-10-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.transrivers.org/2011/73/"},{"t":"The short history of the Law with Long Name","p":"Rivers without Boundaries","d":"2013","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.transrivers.org/documents/rivers-and-mining/the-short-history-of-the-law-with-long-name/"},{"t":"Sustainable Artisanal Mining, phase 4 (7F04344)","p":"SDC (Swiss development cooperation)","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.fdfa.admin.ch/dezaprojects/SDC/en/2005/7F04344/phase4.html"},{"t":"planetGOLD Mongolia project concludes","p":"planetGOLD","d":"2025-05-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.planetgold.org/planetgold-mongolia-project-concludes-driving-transformational-change-artisanal-gold-mining-sector"}],"related":["oyu-tolgoi-river-diversion"],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Oxford Business Group, citing Resource Capital research, reported 1,782 mining licences cancelled in November 2010 under the 2009 ban on mining at my river headwaters and in my forests.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"SDC Sustainable Artisanal Mining phase 4 budget (CHF 6,342,889; disbursed CHF 5,704,688) — Swiss francs, not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the state pay compensation for cancelled licences?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation actually paid to holders of cancelled licences; Oxford Business Group (2014) described it as still pending.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the court and details of the January 2013 conviction of former Mineral Resources Authority officials, as mentioned by Oxford Business Group.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the status of the class action by previous licence holders on compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Oxford Business Group (citing Resource Capital) gives 1,782 licence cancellations in November 2010; other reports give “over 200” and 117 placer licences cancelled out of 1,783.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the Mongolia budget of the planetGOLD project; the project page does not state it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mongolia-dzud-emergency-funding-and-pasture-degradation","title":"Mongolia's dzud winters and degraded pasture: emergency funding for herders","dek":"Severe winters (dzud) killed millions of livestock in Mongolia in 2009–2010 and 2023–2024, in rangelands where most monitored sites are altered from reference condition. UN, Red Cross and state funds paid for cash transfers and carcass removal.","country":"Mongolia","region":"Asia","lat":47,"lon":104,"places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","admin":"Nationwide (2023–24 worst in eastern and central provinces)","lat":47,"lon":104,"role":"affected"}],"start":2010,"end":2024,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Livestock deaths, winter 2023–2024 (UN)","value":"more than 7.19 million","note":"UN, 29 April 2024. The IFRC gave 8.1% (5.2 million) of national livestock on 19 March 2024."},"happened":["The winter of 2009–2010 was a dzud; the UN reported a Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocation of “$3.7 million” on 29 March 2010. In the same article, UNDP announced US$1.5 million for carcass removal and income generation for 120,000 people who had lost at least 50% of their livestock, UNICEF US$1.5 million, FAO about US$600,000, WHO US$227,000 and UNFPA US$227,000.","The winter of 2023–2024 was a dzud again. The IFRC opened a Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) allocation on 2 February 2024 (CHF 499,480, later a DREF total of CHF 1 million) and an emergency appeal on 15 March 2024 for CHF 4.5 million (Federation-wide CHF 5.2 million), with a cash grant of MNT 550,000 per household to 5,862 households and food vouchers of MNT 100,000 to 10,000 families. On 29 April 2024 the UN CERF allocated USD 1.55 million (FAO $700,000, UNFPA $350,000, UNICEF $500,000) for 12,050 people, with 2,000 herder households to receive cash. According to the IFRC the government provided MNT 17.9 billion from the National DRR and State Reserve Fund to 21 provinces, a national donation campaign raised MNT 3.3 billion in cash and MNT 801 million in kind, and bank loan repayments for herders were extended by six months.","The UN reported that “more than 7.19 million livestock” died in 2023–2024. The IFRC (19 March 2024) gave mortality of 8.1% (5.2 million) of national livestock, with 2,758 herder families losing over 70% of their herds and more than five million carcasses to dispose of; burial was prioritised near rivers because of expected “yellow floods”. The IFRC stated that herders' mortality had “escalated since 2010 due to climate change” and that damages reached up to MNT 70 billion annually.","The 2018 National Report on the Rangeland Health of Mongolia (second assessment, 2016 data) found 42.4% of monitoring sites non-degraded, 13.5% slightly degraded, 21.1% moderately, 12.8% heavily and 10.3% fully degraded; the heavily and fully degraded shares rose 5.9 and 4.3 points from 2014, and “57 percent of monitoring sites are altered”. The assessment found that 79% of the rangeland was recoverable within 10 years with reduced stocking, and 70% of herders and local specialists consulted said livestock numbers exceed carrying capacity."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"CERF allocation reported (29 March) after the 2009–2010 dzud","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"National Report on the Rangeland Health of Mongolia, second assessment (2016 data)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"IFRC DREF (2 February); IFRC appeal (15 March); CERF allocation USD 1.55 million (29 April)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"there is a lack of comprehensive livelihood support tailored to the needs of those who have suffered significant livestock losses","who":"IFRC emergency appeal operational strategy","when":"March 2024","src":2},{"q":"Rangeland health is in decline in many areas","who":"National Report on the Rangeland Health of Mongolia (as quoted in its summary)","when":"2018","src":3},{"q":"more than 7.19 million livestock","who":"UN in Mongolia, on 2023–24 livestock deaths","when":"29 April 2024","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"Herders' mortality has escalated since 2010 due to climate change.","who":"IFRC (March 2024)","src":2},{"t":"Livestock deaths of more than 7.19 million in 2023–2024.","who":"UN in Mongolia (29 April 2024)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"2010 CERF allocation of $3.7 million; 2024 CERF allocation of USD 1.55 million for 12,050 people.","src":0},{"t":"2024 IFRC appeal of CHF 4.5 million; state MNT 17.9 billion from the National DRR and State Reserve Fund to 21 provinces.","src":2},{"t":"Rangeland health, 2016 data: 57 percent of monitoring sites altered; heavily and fully degraded shares up 5.9 and 4.3 points from 2014.","src":3},{"t":"UN Humanitarian Country Team plan revised to USD 15.3 million with a USD 9.7 million gap (IFRC, March 2024).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"CERF allocation, 2010 dzud","amount":3.7,"window":"2010"},{"label":"CERF allocation, 2023–24 dzud (FAO 0.7, UNFPA 0.35, UNICEF 0.5)","amount":1.55,"window":"2024"},{"label":"IFRC emergency appeal (CHF 4.5 million; DREF CHF 499,480)","amount":null,"window":"2024","note":"Swiss francs, not converted."},{"label":"Government: National DRR and State Reserve Fund to 21 provinces (MNT 17.9 billion)","amount":null,"window":"2024","note":"Tugrik, not converted."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Livestock deaths, 2023–2024","v":"more than 7.19 million","d":"UN, 29 April 2024; IFRC gave 8.1% (5.2 million) on 19 March 2024"},{"k":"Rangeland sites altered","v":"57%","d":"Monitoring sites, 2016 data (2018 national report)"},{"k":"Heavily and fully degraded sites","v":"12.8% and 10.3%","d":"Up 5.9 and 4.3 points from 2014"},{"k":"Carcasses to dispose of","v":"more than 5 million","d":"IFRC, March 2024"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"National Report on the Rangeland Health of Mongolia (2018) and the IFRC emergency appeal (2024).","report":[{"t":"In the 2018 national assessment, 57 percent of my monitoring sites were altered; only 42.4% were non-degraded, and the heavily and fully degraded shares rose 5.9 and 4.3 points from 2014.","src":3},{"t":"The assessment found that 79% of my rangeland was recoverable within 10 years with reduced stocking.","src":3},{"t":"More than 7.19 million livestock died on my pastures in winter 2023–2024, according to the UN.","src":1},{"t":"More than five million carcasses had to be disposed of on my land; the IFRC said burial was prioritised near my rivers because of expected “yellow floods”.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Unclear: which agency amounts in the March 2010 UN article came from CERF; the article lists amounts for UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WHO and UNFPA alongside the US$3.7 million CERF figure.","Not disclosed: per-household cash amounts and appeal funding total in the UN's April 2024 page.","Figures differ: the UN gives more than 7.19 million livestock deaths for 2023–2024 (29 April 2024); the IFRC gave 8.1% (5.2 million) of national livestock (19 March 2024).","Disputed: a 2018 study in Ecological Applications reported very severe degradation as rare (1–18% of land), against the national report's monitoring-site shares."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"UN CERF, the IFRC and the state paid for emergency cash, vouchers and carcass removal; herders lost livestock: IFRC reported 2,758 families losing over 70% of their herds in 2023–2024.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: CERF allocated USD 1.55 million and the IFRC appealed for CHF 4.5 million after the 2023–2024 dzud; the IFRC reported a lack of comprehensive livelihood support for herders with large losses.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"ifrc","says":"Opened a DREF allocation on 2 February 2024 and an emergency appeal on 15 March 2024; stated that herders' mortality had escalated since 2010 due to climate change.","when":"March 2024","src":2},{"actor":"un-cerf","says":"Allocated USD 1.55 million to dzud-affected herders.","when":"29 April 2024","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"ifrc","role":"Emergency appeal MDRMN020"},{"id":"un-cerf","role":"Emergency allocations, 2010 and 2024"},{"id":"fao","role":"CERF recipient agency"},{"id":"unicef","role":"CERF recipient agency"},{"id":"unfpa","role":"CERF recipient agency"},{"id":"undp","role":"Carcass removal and income generation, 2010"},{"id":"who","role":"2010 allocation"},{"id":"mongolia-gov","role":"National DRR and State Reserve Fund; donation campaign"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many livestock died in the 2023–2024 dzud?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN in Mongolia (29 April 2024)","says":"More than 7.19 million livestock died.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"IFRC (19 March 2024)","says":"Mortality of 8.1% (5.2 million) of national livestock.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"livestock_deaths","value":7190000,"unit":"livestock","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"UN in Mongolia, 29 April 2024."},{"key":"livestock_deaths","value":5200000,"unit":"livestock","year":2024,"note":"8.1% of national livestock (IFRC, 19 March 2024)."},{"key":"families_lost_over_70pct","value":2758,"unit":"herder families","year":2024,"note":"IFRC."},{"key":"carcasses","value":5000000,"unit":"carcasses","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"To dispose of (IFRC)."},{"key":"rangeland_altered_pct","value":57,"unit":"% of monitoring sites","year":2016,"note":"National Report on the Rangeland Health of Mongolia, 2018."},{"key":"cerf_allocation","value":3.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2010},{"key":"cerf_allocation","value":1.55,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"For 12,050 people; 2,000 herder households to receive cash."},{"key":"ifrc_appeal_chf","value":4.5,"unit":"CHF m","year":2024,"note":"Federation-wide CHF 5.2 million."},{"key":"state_funds_mnt","value":17900,"unit":"MNT m","year":2024,"note":"From the National DRR and State Reserve Fund to 21 provinces (per IFRC)."},{"key":"damages_annual_mnt","value":70000,"unit":"MNT m","year":2024,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Annual damages (IFRC)."},{"key":"people_affected","value":120000,"unit":"people","year":2010,"note":"People who lost at least 50% of their livestock (UNDP)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dzud winters in 2009–2010 and 2023–2024 killed millions of livestock in rangelands where 57 percent of monitoring sites are altered, and the UN, the IFRC and the state paid emergency cash, vouchers and carcass removal.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"5,862 herder households","what":"Cash grant of MNT 550,000 per household and, for 10,000 families, food vouchers of MNT 100,000 (IFRC appeal)","src":2},{"who":"2,000 herder households","what":"To receive cash under the 2024 CERF allocation","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"2,758 herder families","what":"Lost over 70% of their herds in 2023–2024 (IFRC)","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Rangeland","what":"57 percent of monitoring sites altered; 12.8% heavily and 10.3% fully degraded (2016 data)","src":3},{"who":"Rivers","what":"Burial of more than five million carcasses prioritised near rivers because of expected “yellow floods”","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide; 2023–24 worst in eastern and central provinces.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Dzud winter 2009–2010 (CERF reported 29 March 2010); dzud winter 2023–2024 (DREF 2 February, appeal 15 March, CERF 29 April 2024).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The IFRC attributed the escalation in herders' mortality since 2010 to climate change; the rangeland report found 70% of consulted herders and local specialists said livestock numbers exceed carrying capacity.","src":3},"how":{"t":"UN CERF allocations, an IFRC appeal, state reserve funds and a national donation campaign paid for cash transfers, vouchers and carcass removal.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Mongolia: UN provides more funds as severe winter continues to bite","p":"UN News","d":"2010-03-29","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://news.un.org/en/node/334002"},{"t":"The UN's Central Emergency Response Fund Provides Humanitarian Assistance of USD 1.55 Million to Dzud-Affected Herders in Mongolia","p":"UN in Mongolia","d":"2024-04-29","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://mongolia.un.org/en/node/267301"},{"t":"Emergency Appeal Operational Strategy MDRMN020: Mongolia Dzud Cold Wave","p":"IFRC","d":"2024-03","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://go-api.ifrc.org/api/DownloadFile/87478/MDRMN020OS"},{"t":"National Report on the Rangeland Health of Mongolia: Second Assessment","p":"Green Gold–Animal Health Project / SDC / ALAMGAC / IRIMHE","d":"2018","type":"official","voice":"research","u":"https://jornada.nmsu.edu/files/National%20Report%20of%20Rangeland%20Health%20of%20Mongolia_2018.pdf"}],"related":["mongolia-index-livestock-insurance"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"IFRC emergency appeal (CHF 4.5 million; DREF CHF 499,480) — Swiss francs, not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Government: National DRR and State Reserve Fund to 21 provinces (MNT 17.9 billion) — Tugrik, not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many livestock died in the 2023–2024 dzud?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: which agency amounts in the March 2010 UN article came from CERF; the article lists amounts for UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, WHO and UNFPA alongside the US$3.7 million CERF figure.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: per-household cash amounts and appeal funding total in the UN's April 2024 page.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the UN gives more than 7.19 million livestock deaths for 2023–2024 (29 April 2024); the IFRC gave 8.1% (5.2 million) of national livestock (19 March 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: a 2018 study in Ecological Applications reported very severe degradation as rare (1–18% of land), against the national report's monitoring-site shares.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"caspian-sturgeon-caviar-trade-and-fishing-bans","title":"Caspian sturgeon and caviar: trade suspensions, fishing bans and the move to farmed caviar","dek":"Legal Caspian sturgeon catch fell from about 22,000 tonnes in the late 1970s to about 1,100 tonnes in the late 1990s, according to TRAFFIC. CITES published wild-caviar export quotas for the last time for 2010–11, the five Caspian states have renewed a commercial fishing ban each year since 2017 (covering 2026), and farms now supply the legal caviar.","country":"Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran)","region":"Asia","lat":46.35,"lon":48.03,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Astrakhan region (Volga delta); Dagestan","lat":46.35,"lon":48.03,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Atyrau (Ural/Zhaiyk river mouth)","lat":47.1,"lon":51.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Azerbaijan","iso2":"AZ","role":"event"},{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","role":"affected"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","role":"affected"}],"start":1998,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","finance","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Legal Caspian sturgeon catch, late 1970s vs late 1990s","value":"≈ 22,000 t → ≈ 1,100 t","note":"TRAFFIC figures reported by the UNDP/GEF Caspian Environment Programme and RFE/RL in 2001. Rosrybolovstvo gives a different late-1970s peak catch of 27.4 thousand t."},"happened":["Sources cite Caspian catches of 39.4 thousand tonnes in the early 20th century and 27.4 thousand tonnes in the late 1970s (Rosrybolovstvo), with a sharp decline from 1991. TRAFFIC put the legal sturgeon catch at about 22,000 tonnes in the late 1970s and about 1,100 tonnes in the late 1990s. IUCN named over-harvest for caviar (legal and illegal), habitat loss, dams and pollution as drivers of sturgeon decline, and listed beluga as Critically Endangered for the first time on 18 March 2010, together with Russian, stellate, Persian and ship sturgeon.","All sturgeon and paddlefish species were listed under CITES on 1 April 1998. In December 2000 the CITES Animals Committee recommended banning all exports until governments reported on reforms. At the CITES Standing Committee in Paris on 19–22 June 2001, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan agreed to stop sturgeon catches for the rest of 2001; Turkmenistan was absent and expected to approve, and Iran was not included because its management was considered effective. The committee did not adopt the full export ban its scientific body had recommended. Trade resumed in 2002 under CITES-published quotas. CITES said Caspian states set export quotas every year from 2002 except 2006 and 2009. In January 2006 CITES withheld the 2006 quotas until exporters showed their catch and export quotas were sustainable. The last published quotas covered 1 March 2010 to 28 February 2011 and totalled nearly 81 tonnes, 5 tonnes less than in 2008. According to TRAFFIC/WWF, no national export quotas for wild sturgeon have been reported to CITES since 2011, apart from live specimens from Uzbekistan in 2017.","National bans came first. Sources give different start dates for Russia's ban on commercial sturgeon fishing (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 or 2009; see disputes). Azerbaijan imposed its own ban in 2006 after CITES refused export quotas. On 27 December 2013 the five Caspian states agreed to stop industrial sturgeon fishing in 2014, which Rosrybolovstvo called the first such joint decision. The Astrakhan agreement on conservation of Caspian aquatic biological resources was signed in September 2014 and ratified in spring 2016; its commission held its first session in Baku in late November 2017 and its decisions are binding. At that session the states agreed the ban for 2018. Russia proposed a 10-year ban; all states except Iran supported it, and it failed for lack of consensus. The commission extended the ban for 2025 in December 2024 and for 2026 in November 2025. Catch is allowed only for scientific research and artificial reproduction.","Money moved across the legal, restocking and farming sides. In 2001 legal exports and domestic sales were reportedly about USD 100 million a year. The four governments (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan; Iran excluded) estimated the illegal caviar trade at no less than 10 times the legal trade, and TRAFFIC estimated the illegal catch in the four former Soviet republics at 10 to 12 times the legal take in the late 1990s. In February 2011 The Moscow Times reported that, under the export ban, poaching had grown the illegal market to about USD 1 billion. Hatcheries released juveniles: about 100 million in the Caspian basin in 1999, 59 million by Russia in 2017 (37.7 million for the Caspian), and in 2023 Russia 34.5 million, Kazakhstan 1.9 million and Azerbaijan 618.7 thousand into the Caspian. LUKOIL announced in July 2020 the release of more than 1 million Russian sturgeon juveniles into the Volga and its channels.","Farmed caviar became the legal supply. TRAFFIC/WWF reported 2016 global sturgeon aquaculture of 127,780 tonnes of meat and caviar, 86% of it in China, with caviar production of about 340 tonnes; China produced about 75 tonnes (23% of global legal caviar) and Russia about 45 tonnes (14%). Finmarket reported on 25 June 2026 that Russian sturgeon caviar production was 89 tonnes in 2025 (up 9% on 2024) and 35 tonnes in January–May 2026 (up 2%), and that all black caviar on the Russian market came from aquaculture."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"All sturgeon and paddlefish species listed under CITES (1 April)","src":4},{"y":2000,"t":"CITES Animals Committee recommends banning all exports until governments report on reforms (December); Russia bans commercial beluga fishing in the Volga-Caspian basin, per Rosrybolovstvo","src":1},{"y":2001,"t":"Geneva meeting (12–13 June); CITES Standing Committee in Paris (19–22 June) does not adopt a full export ban; Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan agree to stop catches for the rest of 2001","src":2},{"y":2002,"t":"Trade resumes under CITES-published quotas; Russia's commercial fishing ban dated 2002 by some sources","src":8},{"y":2006,"t":"CITES withholds 2006 quotas (January); Azerbaijan imposes its own sturgeon fishing ban","src":6},{"y":2009,"t":"No Caspian quota agreed","src":8},{"y":2010,"t":"IUCN lists beluga Critically Endangered (18 March); last wild Caspian export quotas published, nearly 81 tonnes for 1 March 2010 – 28 February 2011","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Technical moratorium on sturgeon fishing in Russia, per Rosrybolovstvo; Russia allows farmed caviar exports to the EU after nine years (February)","src":10},{"y":2013,"t":"Five Caspian states agree to stop industrial sturgeon fishing in 2014 (27 December)","src":12},{"y":2014,"t":"Astrakhan agreement on Caspian aquatic biological resources signed (September); in force after ratification in 2016","src":15},{"y":2017,"t":"Commission's first session in Baku agrees the ban for 2018; proposal for a 10-year ban fails for lack of consensus","src":13},{"y":2022,"t":"IUCN reassessment: all 26 remaining sturgeon and paddlefish species threatened (21 July)","src":21},{"y":2024,"t":"Ban extended for 2025; no caviar export quotas for 2025 (December)","src":15},{"y":2025,"t":"Ban extended for 2026 (November)","src":16}],"said":[{"q":"there is not enough confidence in the information given by Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan","who":"Michael Williams, UNEP spokesman","when":"June 2001","src":5},{"q":"It is true that the main argument for having legal trade is to bring money in.","who":"Michael Williams, UNEP spokesman","when":"June 2001","src":5},{"q":"largely symbolic","who":"Lisa Speer, NRDC, on the 2001 fishing stop, noting that 70–80% of the year's catch was already taken","when":"June 2001","src":2},{"q":"must demonstrate that their proposed catch and export quotas reflect current population trends and are sustainable","who":"Willem Wijnstekers, CITES Secretary-General, on exporters","when":"January 2006","src":6},{"q":"something drastic had to be done to stop the rampant trade in illegal caviar","who":"Susan Lieberman, WWF","when":"January 2006","src":6},{"q":"It's time to seriously consider ending fishing in the Caspian Sea region","who":"Phaedra Doukakis, IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group","when":"March 2010","src":0},{"q":"They are not huge differences, but the trend is going down.","who":"Juan-Carlos Vasquez, CITES spokesman, on the 2010 quotas","when":"July 2010","src":8},{"q":"is never going to be cheap","who":"Alexander Savelyev, Rosrybolovstvo spokesman, on black caviar","when":"February 2011","src":9},{"q":"In five years, and I say this very cautiously, we could possibly resume industrial fishing for sturgeon.","who":"Andrei Krainy, head of the Federal Fisheries Agency","when":"July 2012","src":11},{"q":"for scientific research and artificial reproduction","who":"Rosrybolovstvo, on the only catch allowed under the ban for 2025 (translated)","when":"December 2024","src":15,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The world's failure to safeguard sturgeon species is an indictment of governments across the globe","who":"Arne Ludwig, chair of the IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group","when":"July 2022","src":21}],"shown":[{"t":"The December 2013 agreement of the five Caspian states was described as the first such joint decision.","who":"Rosrybolovstvo","src":12},{"t":"The late-2010 situation was described as \"A technical moratorium on sturgeon fishing was introduced\".","who":"Rosrybolovstvo, via Interfax","src":10},{"t":"A possible resumption of industrial sturgeon fishing in five years was raised.","who":"Federal Fisheries Agency head, 2012","src":11},{"t":"More than 1 million Russian sturgeon juveniles were announced for release into the Volga and its channels in Astrakhan region in 2020.","who":"LUKOIL press release, 2 July 2020","src":20}],"recorded":[{"t":"Last published wild Caspian export quotas: 1 March 2010 – 28 February 2011, nearly 81 tonnes in total (beluga 3 t, sevruga 17 t, osetra 27 t).","src":8},{"t":"No national export quotas for wild sturgeon reported to CITES since 2011 (except Uzbekistan, 2017, live specimens), according to TRAFFIC/WWF.","src":4},{"t":"The commercial fishing ban is renewed yearly by the Caspian commission; it covers 2026.","src":16},{"t":"Seizures in Russia, June 2015 – February 2018: at least 38 media-reported incidents, totalling about 1,500 sturgeons, 28 t of caviar and 24 t of meat (TRAFFIC/WWF).","src":4},{"t":"Moscow surveys 1996–2000: in 80% of sites surveyed, certificates for caviar in shops were \"obviously\" forged (TRAFFIC surveys).","src":3},{"t":"TRAFFIC/WWF: one illegal catch can earn RUB 170,000 (USD 5,000), equal to a year's salary in some rural regions (citing Nellemann et al. 2014).","src":4},{"t":"Russia 1998: estimated legal caviar production 101,220 kg, of which 78,450 kg available for trade; export quota 83,000 kg, 6% above that (TRAFFIC's own calculation from State Committee for Fisheries data). In 2000 the catch quota of 783 t gave an estimated 45,500 kg of caviar for trade while the export quota was about 85,000 kg, 46% higher.","src":3},{"t":"Russia: all black caviar on the market comes from aquaculture; output 89 t in 2025 and 35 t in January–May 2026 (Finmarket, from Fish Union and Rosstat data).","src":16},{"t":"LUKOIL's 2020 release gives a total restocking spend across all regions of \"about RUB 300 million\".","src":20}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Federal Fisheries Agency support to fisheries in Astrakhan and Rostov regions for sturgeon populations (2013)","amount":7.68,"qualifier":"to give","window":"2013","note":"Source gives RUB 250 million (USD 7.68 million)."},{"label":"LUKOIL 2020 restocking, total across all regions","amount":null,"window":"2020","note":"\"About RUB 300 million\" per the company release; the release does not state how much was spent on sturgeon."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Legal caviar exports and domestic sales, per year","amount":100,"qualifier":"about","window":"2001","note":"Reportedly (RFE/RL)."},{"label":"Illegal caviar market under the export ban (The Moscow Times estimate)","amount":1000,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2011","note":"The Moscow Times, February 2011."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Legal catch","v":"≈ 22,000 t → ≈ 1,100 t","d":"Late 1970s to late 1990s (TRAFFIC)"},{"k":"IUCN status","v":"Critically Endangered","d":"Beluga, Russian, stellate, Persian and ship sturgeon (2010)"},{"k":"Wild export quotas","v":"None since 2011","d":"Last published for 2010–11: nearly 81 t"},{"k":"Commercial fishing ban","v":"Renewed yearly","d":"Five Caspian states; covers 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Catch records, IUCN assessments and statements by specialists cited by Rosrybolovstvo.","report":[{"t":"The legal catch of my sturgeon fell from about 22,000 tonnes in the late 1970s to about 1,100 tonnes in the late 1990s, according to TRAFFIC.","src":1},{"t":"IUCN listed my beluga as Critically Endangered in March 2010, with my Russian, stellate, Persian and ship sturgeon.","src":0},{"t":"In 2010 IUCN found 85% of sturgeon at risk of extinction; the drivers it named were over-harvest for caviar, habitat loss, dams and pollution.","src":0},{"t":"Almost no natural spawning grounds remain in my Caspian Sea, according to specialists cited by a Rosrybolovstvo spokesman in 2013.","src":12},{"t":"My ship sturgeon populations in the Caspian and Azov seas plummeted, according to IUCN's 2022 reassessment as summarised by WWF.","src":21},{"t":"My stellate sturgeon need at least 13 years to recover under the most optimistic modelled scenario, according to a Caspian commission meeting in Baku reported by World Fishing.","src":14}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: TRAFFIC gives a legal Caspian sturgeon catch of about 22,000 t in the late 1970s; Rosrybolovstvo gives a peak catch of 27.4 thousand t in the late 1970s.","Disputed: the start date of Russia's commercial sturgeon fishing ban (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 or 2009, depending on the source).","Disputed: whether Russia banned black caviar exports in 2002; the CITES quota record lists Russian export quotas for 2002–2010.","Not disclosed: Kazakhstan's hatchery and release budgets (Ministry of Agriculture material reported by Times of Central Asia, June 2026).","Not disclosed: whether LUKOIL's 2020 juvenile release was compensation required by law; the company release does not say.","Insufficient: Russia's 1998 and 2000 export quotas were set as though no domestic market existed, though caviar was openly sold in Moscow (TRAFFIC 2002).","Insufficient: range states showed no clear sign of systems to record sturgeon bycatch (TRAFFIC 2002).","Insufficient: enforcement and monitoring of illegal trade in Russia; officials did not respond or gave conflicting information when asked (Sellar 2014, cited by TRAFFIC/WWF 2018).","Insufficient: CITES labelling for caviar was found lacking in key range and consumer countries (TRAFFIC/WWF 2018)."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Wild-caviar export quotas have not been published since 2010–11, and the five-state commercial fishing ban has been renewed each year since 2017, covering 2026; catch continues for research and artificial reproduction. IUCN's 2022 reassessment listed all 26 remaining sturgeon and paddlefish species as threatened.","whoPaid":"Sturgeon populations bore the fall in catch and numbers. Juvenile releases were run by state agencies and, in Astrakhan in 2020, LUKOIL; Kazakhstan's hatchery budget is not disclosed, and LUKOIL's release gives a total restocking spend of about RUB 300 million across all regions.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: the Caspian commission's commercial sturgeon fishing ban was extended for 2026; no wild-caviar export quotas have been published since 2010–11, and Russian black caviar on the market comes from aquaculture.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Rosrybolovstvo (Federal Agency for Fisheries)","says":"The parties agreed to extend the commercial ban for 2025; catch only \"for scientific research and artificial reproduction\" (translated).","when":"December 2024","src":15},{"actor":"Azerbaijan, bio-resources regulation department (Gahraman Zahidli)","says":"Disputed CITES's justification for refusing export quotas and said the government was fighting poaching.","when":"2006","src":7},{"actor":"LUKOIL","says":"Announced restocking of the Volga with more than 1 million Russian sturgeon juveniles in 2020, and restocking under the Caspian Oil Company project (joint venture of LUKOIL, Rosneft and Gazprom).","when":"2 July 2020","src":20}],"actors":[{"id":"cites","role":"Treaty body; set conditions and published export quotas for Caspian sturgeon"},{"id":"traffic","role":"Wildlife-trade monitor; authored the 2002 and 2018 studies cited"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Red List assessments of sturgeon"},{"id":"rosrybolovstvo","role":"Russian fisheries agency; announced national bans and juvenile releases"},{"id":"caspian-commission","role":"Renews the commercial fishing ban yearly"},{"id":"unep","role":"Took part in the 2001 Geneva meeting; spokesman quoted"},{"id":"natural-resources-defense-council","role":"Commented on the 2001 fishing stop"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Commented on the 2006 quota freeze; co-authored the 2018 TRAFFIC/WWF report"},{"id":"lukoil","role":"Announced juvenile releases into the Volga in 2020"},{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Ministry of Agriculture; Atyrau Sturgeon Hatchery"}],"sources":[{"t":"Sturgeon more critically endangered than any other group of species","p":"IUCN","d":"2010-03-18","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iucn.org/content/sturgeon-more-critically-endangered-any-other-group-species"},{"t":"Caviar news page (CITES June 2001, TRAFFIC figures)","p":"UNDP/GEF Caspian Environment Programme (archive)","d":"2001","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://archive.iwlearn.net/caspianenvironment.org/news_cav.htm"},{"t":"E-bulletin 6 (BBC 22 June 2001; Paris wire 21 June 2001)","p":"UNDP/GEF Caspian Environment Programme (archive)","d":"2001","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://archive.iwlearn.net/caspianenvironment.org/ebulletin6.htm"},{"t":"Study on the social and economic aspects of illegal fishing in the Caspian Sea","p":"TRAFFIC Europe (C. Raymakers), for UNDP Project RER/98/G32","d":"2002-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/9427/study-on-the-social-and-economic-aspects-of-illegal-fishing-in-the-caspian-sea.pdf"},{"t":"Understanding the global caviar market","p":"TRAFFIC/WWF (Harris & Shiraishi)","d":"2018-09-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.traffic.org/site/assets/files/9805/global_caviar_market-1.pdf"},{"t":"Caspian: caviar exporters face CITES restrictions","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2001-06-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/1096704.html"},{"t":"Caviar exports from key producers blocked","p":"AP via NBC News","d":"2006-01-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna10695402"},{"t":"Azeri Sturgeon Fishermen Defy Ban","p":"IWPR","d":"2006-07-06","type":"press","u":"https://iwpr.net/0jq5b7dm"},{"t":"Beluga Back on Market as Export Quotas Set","p":"Reuters via The Moscow Times","d":"2010-07-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/archive/beluga-back-on-market-as-export-quotas-set"},{"t":"Caviar Exports Resume After 9 Years","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2011-02-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2011/02/06/caviar-exports-resume-after-9-years-a4771"},{"t":"Rosrybolovstvo on Amur and Caspian sturgeon","p":"Interfax","d":"2011-02-28","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/61379/"},{"t":"Russia May Resume Sturgeon Fishing","p":"The Moscow Times","d":"2012-07-06","type":"press","u":"https://themoscowtimes.com/archive/russia-may-resume-sturgeon-fishing"},{"t":"Caspian states stop industrial sturgeon fishing in 2014 (Russian: «Прикаспийские государства в 2014 г. прекращают промышленный лов осетровых»)","p":"Interfax","d":"2013-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/world/349309"},{"t":"Rosrybolovstvo considers a 10-year ban on commercial sturgeon catch in the Caspian necessary (Russian: «Росрыболовство считает необходимым 10-летний запрет на коммерческий вылов осетровых в Каспийском море»)","p":"inbusiness.kz","d":"2018-03-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.inbusiness.kz/ru/last/rosrybolovstvo-schitaet-neobhodimym-10-letnij-zapret-na-kom"},{"t":"Caspian countries extend sturgeon moratorium","p":"World Fishing","d":"c. 2019","type":"press","u":"https://www.worldfishing.net/caspian-countries-extend-sturgeon-moratorium/1102455.article"},{"t":"Caspian states extend commercial sturgeon ban for 2025 (Russian: «Прикаспийские страны продлили на 2025 год запрет на коммерческий вылов осетровых»)","p":"Interfax","d":"2024-12-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/999789"},{"t":"Russian black caviar output up 2% in five months (Russian: «За 5 месяцев производство черной икры в РФ выросло на 2%»)","p":"Finmarket","d":"2026-06-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.finmarket.ru/news/6650702"},{"t":"Astrakhan black caviar exports tripled in 2025 (Russian: «Экспорт астраханской черной икры вырос втрое в 2025 году»)","p":"TASS via Mail.ru","d":"2025-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://finance.mail.ru/article/eksport-astrahanskoy-chernoy-ikry-vyros-vtroe-v-2025-godu-68556055/"},{"t":"Red and black caviar up almost a quarter in Kazakhstan (Russian: «Почти на четверть подорожала красная и черная икра в Казахстане»)","p":"Kapital.kz","d":"2026-04-07","type":"press","u":"https://kapital.kz/economic/146651/pochti-na-chetvert-podorozhala-krasnaya-i-chernaya-ikra-v-kazahstane.html"},{"t":"Kazakhstan restores valuable fish species in the Caspian Sea basin","p":"Times of Central Asia","d":"2026-06-23","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/kazakhstan-restores-valuable-fish-species-in-the-caspian-sea-basin/"},{"t":"LUKOIL restores biological resources of Russian water bodies (Russian: «ЛУКОЙЛ восстанавливает биоресурсы российских водоемов»)","p":"LUKOIL","d":"2020-07-02","type":"company","u":"https://lukoil.ru/api/presscenter/exportpressrelease?id=470180"},{"t":"Sturgeon slipping towards extinction","p":"WWF Central and Eastern Europe","d":"2022-07-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://wwfcee.org/news/sturgeon-slipping-towards-extinction-chances-of-survival-dimming-for-worlds-most-threatened-group-of-species"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"CITES listing of sturgeon and paddlefish and conditions on Caspian trade","forum":"Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Animals Committee and Standing Committee","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"CITES Parties","defendant":"Caspian range states (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan)","filed":1998,"decided":2001,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"All sturgeon and paddlefish species were listed on 1 April 1998. The Animals Committee recommended in December 2000 banning all exports until governments reported on reforms; quotas were cut afterwards, in most cases by 80%. At the Standing Committee in Paris (19–22 June 2001) Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan agreed to stop catches for the rest of 2001; the full export ban was not adopted and states were given until year-end to survey stocks and agree on management.","src":2},{"title":"CITES 2006 withholding of Caspian export quotas","forum":"CITES Secretariat","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"regulatory","claimant":"CITES Secretariat","defendant":"Caspian exporting states","filed":2006,"decided":2006,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"In January 2006 CITES withheld 2006 Caspian quotas until exporters showed their catch and export quotas were sustainable; exports could not legally resume until quotas were approved. Resolution Conf. 12.7 allows shared-stock sturgeon products to be exported only in the year of harvest. Azerbaijan imposed its own sturgeon fishing ban in 2006.","src":6},{"title":"Astrakhan agreement on conservation and rational use of Caspian aquatic biological resources","forum":"Commission under the agreement of the five Caspian states","country":"Caspian states","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Parties to the agreement","defendant":"Parties to the agreement","filed":2014,"decided":2016,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Signed in Astrakhan in September 2014 and ratified in spring 2016; the commission's first session was in Baku in late November 2017 and its decisions are binding. Commercial sturgeon fishing bans have been renewed yearly (for 2018, 2025 and 2026 among others); catch is allowed only for research and artificial reproduction.","src":15}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"legal_catch_tonnes","value":22000,"unit":"tonnes","year":"late 1970s","qualifier":"about","note":"Legal Caspian sturgeon catch (TRAFFIC)."},{"key":"legal_catch_tonnes","value":1100,"unit":"tonnes","year":"late 1990s","qualifier":"about","note":"Legal Caspian sturgeon catch (TRAFFIC)."},{"key":"peak_catch_tonnes","value":39400,"unit":"tonnes","year":"early 20th century","note":"Peak Caspian catch per Rosrybolovstvo."},{"key":"peak_catch_tonnes","value":27400,"unit":"tonnes","year":"late 1970s","note":"Peak Caspian catch per Rosrybolovstvo; sharp decline from 1991."},{"key":"caviar_production_tonnes","value":2000,"unit":"tonnes","year":"USSR era","qualifier":"up to","note":"Russia's annual caviar production; Russia supplied 90% of internationally traded caviar (TRAFFIC/WWF)."},{"key":"caspian_share_world_caviar","value":90,"unit":"% (more than)","year":1998,"note":"Russia 121 t (44%), Iran 42%, Kazakhstan 9% (CITES Parties' reports, via TRAFFIC 2002)."},{"key":"iran_caviar_tonnes","value":99,"unit":"tonnes","year":1999,"note":"Iran 49% of the Caspian basin total; Russia 26%, Kazakhstan 13%."},{"key":"export_quota_requested_kg","value":790,"unit":"kg","year":2001,"note":"Azerbaijan."},{"key":"export_quota_requested_kg","value":32210,"unit":"kg","year":2001,"note":"Kazakhstan."},{"key":"export_quota_requested_kg","value":62040,"unit":"kg","year":2001,"note":"Russia."},{"key":"export_quota_requested_kg","value":82810,"unit":"kg","year":2001,"note":"Iran."},{"key":"export_quota_tonnes","value":81,"unit":"tonnes","year":"2010–11","qualifier":"nearly","note":"Last published Caspian wild-caviar quota, 5 tonnes less than 2008: beluga 3 t, sevruga 17 t, osetra 27 t (Reuters, 2010)."},{"key":"price_usd_per_kg","value":380,"unit":"USD/kg","year":"1997–2001","qualifier":"about","note":"Wild caviar average in producing countries (Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia); USD 2,320/kg in duty-free shops in Germany, Switzerland and the UK (TRAFFIC 2002)."},{"key":"price_usd_per_kg","value":10000,"unit":"USD/kg","year":2010,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Beluga caviar (IUCN)."},{"key":"price_usd_per_kg","value":1600,"unit":"USD/kg","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Black caviar on Moscow markets, about USD 5,000 on some European websites (The Moscow Times)."},{"key":"revenue","value":100,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2001,"qualifier":"about","note":"Legal exports and domestic sales, reportedly (RFE/RL)."},{"key":"revenue","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","note":"Size of the illegal market under the export ban per The Moscow Times."},{"key":"retail_trade_eur_m","value":"300–450","unit":"EUR m per year","year":2006,"note":"CITES estimate of legal wild-caviar retail trade (IWPR)."},{"key":"seizure_incidents","value":38,"unit":"incidents","year":"June 2015 – Feb 2018","qualifier":"at least","note":"Media-reported incidents in Russia: about 1,500 sturgeons, 28 t of caviar, 24 t of meat (TRAFFIC/WWF)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":250,"unit":"RUB m","year":2013,"note":"Federal Fisheries Agency support to Astrakhan and Rostov fisheries for sturgeon populations (USD 7.68 million per The Moscow Times)."},{"key":"juveniles_released","value":100,"unit":"million","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"Caspian basin (Caspian states' data)."},{"key":"juveniles_released","value":59,"unit":"million","year":2017,"note":"Russia; 37.7 million for the Caspian (Rosrybolovstvo deputy head Vasily Sokolov)."},{"key":"juveniles_released","value":34.5,"unit":"million","year":2023,"note":"Russia into the Caspian; Kazakhstan 1.9 million, Azerbaijan 618.7 thousand (Rosrybolovstvo)."},{"key":"juveniles_released","value":180,"unit":"million","year":"30 years","qualifier":"about","note":"Atyrau Sturgeon Hatchery, Kazakhstan; capacity being raised from 5 million to 7.4 million a year (Ministry of Agriculture)."},{"key":"aquaculture_output_tonnes","value":127780,"unit":"tonnes","year":2016,"note":"Global sturgeon meat and caviar, 86% in China (Bronzi et al. 2017, via TRAFFIC/WWF)."},{"key":"caviar_production_tonnes","value":340,"unit":"tonnes","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Global caviar production; China about 75 t (23%), Russia about 45 t (14%)."},{"key":"caviar_production_tonnes","value":89,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Russia, up 9% on 2024; 35 t in January–May 2026, up 2% (Finmarket, Fish Union and Rosstat data)."},{"key":"caviar_production_tonnes","value":25,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Astrakhan region black caviar in the previous year (+5%); farms 70 in 2025 (regional ministry via TASS)."},{"key":"price_change_pct","value":23.8,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Kazakhstan caviar prices (red and black together), March 2026 vs March 2025; no tonnage given (Kapital.kz)."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Start date of Russia's ban on commercial sturgeon fishing","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo, via Interfax (2011, 2018, 2024)","says":"Beluga banned in 2000; Russian and stellate sturgeon banned in 2005.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Moscow Times (2012) and Interfax (2013, citing Rosrybolovstvo)","says":"All commercial sturgeon fishing banned in 2002, with an exemption for research.","src":11},{"voice":"standard","holder":"TRAFFIC/WWF (2018)","says":"A complete ban on commercial fishing of wild sourced sturgeon in 2007.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vasily Sokolov, Rosrybolovstvo deputy head (2018)","says":"A unilateral ban in 2009, de facto earlier.","src":13}]},{"point":"Whether Russia banned black caviar exports in 2002","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"The Moscow Times (2011)","says":"Russia banned black caviar exports in 2002 and resumed farmed-caviar exports to the EU after nine years.","src":9},{"voice":"standard","holder":"TRAFFIC/WWF (2018), Table 20","says":"Lists Russian export quotas for 2002–2010.","src":4}]},{"point":"What CITES decided on Caspian trade in 2001","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AP via NBC News (2006)","says":"CITES halted most Caspian caviar trade for one year.","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"BBC and a Paris wire of June 2001, via the Caspian Environment Programme","says":"CITES did not adopt the export ban; Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan agreed to stop sturgeon catches for the rest of 2001.","src":2}]},{"point":"Start of the joint five-state ban","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax (27 December 2013)","says":"The five states agreed to stop industrial sturgeon fishing in 2014.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"Finmarket (2026)","says":"The ban has run since 2013.","src":16}]},{"point":"Whether 2010 export quotas were published","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"standard","holder":"TRAFFIC/WWF (2018), text","says":"Shared-stock quotas have been set to zero since 2010.","src":4},{"voice":"standard","holder":"TRAFFIC/WWF (2018), Table 20","says":"Lists 2010 quotas.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters via The Moscow Times (2010)","says":"2010 quotas published for 1 March 2010 – 28 February 2011, nearly 81 tonnes in total.","src":8}]},{"point":"Whether the 2001 fishing stop protected the stocks","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan","says":"Agreed to stop sturgeon catches for the rest of 2001.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Lisa Speer, NRDC","says":"The stop was \"largely symbolic\" because 70–80% of the year's catch was already taken.","src":2}]},{"point":"Whether CITES's 2006 refusal of Azerbaijan's export quotas was justified","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"Willem Wijnstekers, CITES Secretary-General","says":"Exporters must demonstrate that their proposed catch and export quotas reflect current population trends and are sustainable.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Gahraman Zahidli, Azerbaijan bio-resources regulation department","says":"Disputed CITES's justification and said the government was fighting poaching.","src":7},{"voice":"research","holder":"Telman Zeinalov, Centre for National Ecological Forecasting (Azerbaijan)","says":"Supported the ban and blamed poaching and industrial pollution.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Susan Lieberman, WWF","says":"Something drastic had to be done to stop the rampant trade in illegal caviar.","src":6}]},{"point":"How long the commercial fishing ban should last","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Phaedra Doukakis, IUCN Sturgeon Specialist Group (2010)","says":"It is time to seriously consider ending fishing in the Caspian Sea region.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Andrei Krainy, Federal Fisheries Agency (2012)","says":"Industrial fishing for sturgeon could possibly resume in five years.","src":11},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo (2018)","says":"10 years is the minimum; stocks cannot be restored faster. It proposed a 10-year ban, which all states except Iran supported; it failed for lack of consensus.","src":13}]},{"point":"Estimates of the illegal caviar trade relative to the legal trade","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan (2001)","says":"The illegal caviar trade in the basin, excluding Iran, was at least 10 times the legal trade.","src":5},{"voice":"standard","holder":"TRAFFIC (late 1990s)","says":"The illegal catch in the four former Soviet republics was 10 to 12 times the legal take.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Nellemann et al. 2014 and van Uhm and Siegel 2016, via TRAFFIC/WWF","says":"On the Russian domestic market, illegal caviar was 4 to 10 times legal production.","src":4}]}],"related":["caspian-seal-mass-deaths-2020-2025"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Legal Caspian sturgeon catch fell from about 22,000 tonnes in the late 1970s to about 1,100 tonnes in the late 1990s (TRAFFIC). CITES conditioned and then suspended wild-caviar exports, the last quotas were published for 2010–11, and the five Caspian states have renewed a commercial fishing ban yearly, covering 2026; farms supply the legal caviar.","src":16},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wild-caviar exporting states (Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan; Turkmenistan via Kazakhstan)","what":"Export quotas published by CITES from 2002 to 2010–11; nearly 81 tonnes in total for the last year","src":8},{"who":"Farmed-caviar producers","what":"China about 75 tonnes (23% of global legal caviar) in 2016; Russia 89 tonnes in 2025","src":4},{"who":"Persons catching sturgeon illegally (TRAFFIC/WWF finding)","what":"One illegal catch can earn RUB 170,000 (USD 5,000), equal to a year's salary in some rural regions","src":4},{"who":"LUKOIL, Rosneft, Gazprom (Caspian Oil Company)","what":"Announced juvenile releases in the Volga in 2020; total restocking spend across all regions about RUB 300 million","src":20}],"lost":[{"who":"Exporters of wild Caspian caviar","what":"No national export quotas for wild sturgeon reported to CITES since 2011","src":4},{"who":"Azerbaijan","what":"Refused export quotas by CITES in 2006 and imposed its own fishing ban","src":7}],"harmed":[{"who":"Caspian sturgeon populations","what":"Legal catch from about 22,000 t to about 1,100 t; beluga, Russian, stellate, Persian and ship sturgeon Critically Endangered","src":0},{"who":"Natural spawning grounds","what":"Almost none remain, according to specialists cited by Rosrybolovstvo","src":12},{"who":"Ship sturgeon in the Caspian and Azov seas","what":"Populations plummeted (IUCN 2022, via WWF)","src":21}]},"where":{"t":"Caspian Sea basin: Russia (Volga delta, Astrakhan region, Dagestan), Kazakhstan (Ural/Zhaiyk river, Atyrau), Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran.","src":1},"when":{"t":"CITES listing 1 April 1998; Standing Committee June 2001; last published quotas for 2010–11; five-state agreement 27 December 2013; ban renewed yearly from 2017, covering 2026.","src":16},"why":{"t":"IUCN named over-harvest for caviar (legal and illegal), habitat loss, dams and pollution as drivers of sturgeon decline. Officials and NGOs in the sources link the post-1991 collapse of the fishery to poaching and illegal trade.","src":0},"how":{"t":"CITES listed the species, conditioned trade in 2001, published shrinking annual quotas from 2002, withheld them in 2006 and 2009 and published them for the last time for 2010–11. Russia's national bans were followed by the Astrakhan agreement of 2014, whose commission renews a binding commercial fishing ban yearly. Hatcheries and farms supplied juveniles and legal caviar.","src":15},"ratio":{"t":"The four governments put the illegal caviar trade at no less than 10 times the legal trade (2001); TRAFFIC put the illegal catch at 10 to 12 times the legal take (late 1990s); studies cited by TRAFFIC/WWF put illegal caviar on the Russian domestic market at 4 to 10 times legal production.","src":5}},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the 2001 fishing stop protected the stocks","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether CITES's 2006 refusal of Azerbaijan's export quotas was justified","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How long the commercial fishing ban should last","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"LUKOIL 2020 restocking, total across all regions — \"About RUB 300 million\" per the company release; the release does not state how much was spent on sturgeon.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Start date of Russia's ban on commercial sturgeon fishing","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Russia banned black caviar exports in 2002","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What CITES decided on Caspian trade in 2001","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Start of the joint five-state ban","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether 2010 export quotas were published","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Estimates of the illegal caviar trade relative to the legal trade","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"CITES listing of sturgeon and paddlefish and conditions on Caspian trade: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"CITES 2006 withholding of Caspian export quotas: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: TRAFFIC gives a legal Caspian sturgeon catch of about 22,000 t in the late 1970s; Rosrybolovstvo gives a peak catch of 27.4 thousand t in the late 1970s.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the start date of Russia's commercial sturgeon fishing ban (2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 or 2009, depending on the source).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether Russia banned black caviar exports in 2002; the CITES quota record lists Russian export quotas for 2002–2010.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Kazakhstan's hatchery and release budgets (Ministry of Agriculture material reported by Times of Central Asia, June 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whether LUKOIL's 2020 juvenile release was compensation required by law; the company release does not say.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Russia's 1998 and 2000 export quotas were set as though no domestic market existed, though caviar was openly sold in Moscow (TRAFFIC 2002).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: range states showed no clear sign of systems to record sturgeon bycatch (TRAFFIC 2002).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: enforcement and monitoring of illegal trade in Russia; officials did not respond or gave conflicting information when asked (Sellar 2014, cited by TRAFFIC/WWF 2018).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: CITES labelling for caviar was found lacking in key range and consumer countries (TRAFFIC/WWF 2018).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"caspian-seal-mass-deaths-2020-2025","title":"Caspian seal mass deaths, 2020–2025","dek":"Repeated mass strandings of the Endangered Caspian seal were recorded in Dagestan (Russia), Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan between 2020 and 2025. Official explanations differ by country and year, and NCOC, operator of Kazakhstan's Kashagan field, funded seal research programmes.","country":"Caspian Sea (Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan)","region":"Asia","lat":43.1,"lon":47.5,"places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Dagestan","lat":43.1,"lon":47.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Mangystau region","lat":44.55,"lon":50.25,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkmenistan","iso2":"TM","admin":"Turkmenbashi; Cheleken peninsula","lat":39.4,"lon":53.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Azerbaijan","iso2":"AZ","admin":"Khachmaz","role":"affected"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Gilan; Mazandaran","role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water","fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Dead Caspian seals, Dagestan coast, December 2020 (scientific estimate)","value":"2,515 ± 443","note":"Estimate. 313 carcasses counted on 12 sites covering 49.2 km (12.27 ± 2.16 per km), reported in Trudy VNIRO 2022."},"happened":["Dagestan, November–December 2020. Dagestan's Rosrybolovstvo department counted 272 dead seals on 6–10 December 2020. An expedition of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution (IEE RAS) found over 300 carcasses on about 30 km of coast and extrapolated about 2,000 for the 160 km Dagestan coastline. A peer-reviewed paper (Rozhnov, Bizikov, Magomedov et al., Trudy VNIRO 2022) counted 313 carcasses on 12 sites totalling 49.2 km and estimated 2,515 ± 443 dead seals in December 2020, mostly adult females, mostly pregnant. The paper excluded infection, helminths, intoxication, bycatch and an underwater shock wave, and named acute asphyxia from a local natural gas release as the most likely cause. Hundreds of seals and thousands of fish were also reported dead near Turkmenbashi on the Turkmen coast between December 2020 and February 2021 (Radio Azatlyk, via Novastan).","Dagestan, May 2021. About 170 dead seals, all young animals, were reported in early May (Current Time); Rossiyskaya Gazeta put the number at about 200, some without skins, and gave trawls as the ministry's main version for that group. Russia's Minister of Natural Resources named illegal fishing as the main version. In June 2021 Rosrybolovstvo deputy head Vasily Sokolov said about 90% of the seals found in recent months had died of asphyxia from seabed gas and about 10% had been killed by poachers.","Kazakhstan, November 2022, and Dagestan, December 2022. A count of 172 dead seals in Tupkaragan district, Kazakhstan, was followed by the Ministry of Ecology's explanation of virus-associated acute pneumonia after mixed influenza and morbillivirus infection, with immunotoxic pollutants making the animals more susceptible. A separate event in Dagestan: 650–700 carcasses on 3 December 2022 between the Neftebaza and the Sulak mouth, then about 2,500 by 5 December according to the Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources, over 320 km of coast surveyed. This December 2022 count is the ministry's; the December 2020 figure of 2,515 ± 443 is a scientific estimate for a different event.","2023–2025. Dozens of dead seals were reported on the Turkmen coast in December 2023 (Radio Azatlyk). In Mangystau, Kazakhstan, 27 dead seals were reported in April 2024, 289 in five days to 29 October 2024, 1,034 from 24 October to 13 November and 1,989 by 20 November 2024. Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology said in November 2024 that it was too early for conclusions; the Research Center of Microbiology and Virology reported a viral neuroinfection in brain and lung tissue. In October–December 2025 the counts were Russia 566 (484 on 2 December rising to 566 by 19 December), Kazakhstan 183, Iran 36 and Azerbaijan 10; no official count was available for Turkmenistan.","Money and accountability. NCOC N.V., operator of Kazakhstan's Kashagan field, funded the December 2020 IEE RAS expedition together with the Kazakhstan Agency of Applied Ecology, a five-year Caspian seal study programme with Kazakh and Russian institutes, and the 2022 scientific justification for a seal reserve; no amounts were disclosed. Kazakhstan's damage rate is 193 MRP per seal, KZT 712,556 (Ministry of Agriculture order, 2017); expert Adilbek Kozybakov estimated damage from about 2,000 dead seals in 2024 at more than KZT 1.42 billion. No fine, damage claim or court ruling on the seal deaths was reported in Kazakhstan, and results of Russia's criminal cases opened in December 2020 were not made public."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"IUCN lists the Caspian seal as Endangered","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Added to Russia's Red Data Book (March); Dagestan strandings, 272 counted 6–10 December, 2,515 ± 443 estimated for December","src":1},{"y":2021,"t":"Hundreds of dead seals reported on the Turkmen coast (December 2020 – February 2021); 170 more young seals in Dagestan (early May); Rosrybolovstvo says about 10% were killed by poachers (June)","src":10},{"y":2022,"t":"172 dead seals in Tupkaragan, Kazakhstan (November); Dagestan ministry reports about 2,500 by 5 December","src":13},{"y":2023,"t":"Dozens of dead seals on the Turkmen coast (December)","src":27},{"y":2024,"t":"Mangystau: 1,989 carcasses between 24 October and 20 November; viral neuroinfection reported (January 2025)","src":21},{"y":2025,"t":"Russia 566, Kazakhstan 183, Iran 36, Azerbaijan 10 in October–December; Kazakhstan police open a pre-trial investigation (November)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"The key theories of the Caspian seals' death are related to natural factors.","who":"Vyacheslav Bizikov, deputy director of VNIRO","when":"December 2020","src":9},{"q":"The data received by now is not sufficient to form a hypothesis.","who":"IEE RAS expedition","when":"22 December 2020","src":3},{"q":"outrageous situation; the population of rare animals is under threat","who":"Alexander Kozlov, Russian Minister of Natural Resources (translated)","when":"May 2021","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"this is pure poaching","who":"Vasily Sokolov, Rosrybolovstvo deputy head, on seals with signs of sturgeon gear or skinned (translated)","when":"June 2021","src":12,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We have video showing seals getting tangled in nets","who":"Zaur Gapizov, Caspian Environmental Protection Center (translated)","when":"2021","src":11,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"will provide foundational information","who":"NCOC, on the seal research programme it funds (translated)","when":"March 2021","src":25,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"very high rates of seal mortality in fishing gear set for sturgeon poaching","who":"Simon Goodman, University of Leeds, IUCN pinniped group","when":"December 2021","src":0},{"q":"We don't yet see environmental contamination in the form of heavy fractions in the water","who":"Svetlana Radionova, head of Rosprirodnadzor (translated)","when":"5 December 2022","src":13,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Some say it's the consequences of pollution","who":"Yerlan Nyssanbayev, Kazakhstan Minister of Ecology (translated)","when":"27 November 2024","src":21,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Some say there were underwater earthquakes and a release of natural gas","who":"Yerlan Nyssanbayev, Kazakhstan Minister of Ecology (translated)","when":"27 November 2024","src":21,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"There was a virus in all the samples","who":"Aidyn Kydyrmanov, Research Center of Microbiology and Virology","when":"January 2025","src":22},{"q":"a sad but annual natural phenomenon across the whole Caspian","who":"Dagestan ministry (translated)","when":"December 2025","src":15,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"our superiors require us to stay silent","who":"A Turkmen border guard, to Radio Azatlyk (translated)","when":"February 2021","src":26,"translated":"Turkmen"}],"shown":[{"t":"Natural environmental factors were presented as the main version for the December 2022 deaths in Dagestan.","who":"Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources","src":14},{"t":"The 2025 die-off was described as a sad but annual natural phenomenon across the whole Caspian.","who":"Dagestan ministry","src":15},{"t":"Seabed gas release after underwater earthquakes was named as a natural phenomenon behind the 2024–2025 deaths in Kazakhstan.","who":"Kazakhstan Fisheries Committee","src":19},{"t":"Seal research was presented as funded and commissioned by NCOC, with reports published in 2025.","who":"Kaspika, reporting NCOC-commissioned reports","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Dagestan, December 2020: Rosrybolovstvo department count 272 (6–10 December); IEE RAS over 300 carcasses on about 30 km; peer-reviewed estimate 2,515 ± 443.","src":1},{"t":"Dagestan, December 2022: 650–700 carcasses on 3 December, about 2,500 by 5 December (Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources count).","src":13},{"t":"Kazakhstan, 2024: 289 carcasses in five days to 29 October; 1,034 from 24 October to 13 November; 1,989 by 20 November.","src":21},{"t":"Kazakhstan damage rate: 193 MRP per seal, KZT 712,556 (Ministry of Agriculture order, 2017). Expert Adilbek Kozybakov's calculation for about 2,000 dead seals (2024): more than KZT 1.42 billion (headline about KZT 1.5 billion).","src":20},{"t":"Russia, December 2020: criminal cases opened by Rosrybolovstvo and Dagestan's Interior Ministry; results not reported publicly.","src":10},{"t":"Russia: Rospotrebnadzor found systematic discharge of sewage from Makhachkala's sewer system into the Caspian; the city administration did not contest this in court.","src":15},{"t":"Azerbaijani scientist Tariel Eybatov claimed 10–15 thousand seals are killed a year and a pelt sells for up to USD 2,000.","src":11},{"t":"Radio Svoboda/Kavkaz.Realii wrote in 2025 that the situation worsened after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the Caspian became a missile-launch site and training ground, and that scientists recorded autumn mass deaths for the first time after that; no official body has confirmed a link.","src":15},{"t":"No NCOC funding amount is disclosed for its seal research programmes.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"KZT","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Kazakhstan damage rate per seal (Ministry of Agriculture order, 2017): 193 MRP","amount":0.712556,"window":"2017","note":"KZT 712,556 per seal."},{"label":"Expert estimate of damage from about 2,000 dead seals","amount":1420,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"window":"2024","note":"Calculation by Adilbek Kozybakov (member of the Ministry of Ecology's public council); headline figure about KZT 1.5 billion. No claim or fine was reported."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"NCOC funding of Caspian seal research programmes","amount":null,"window":"2019–2024","note":"Amounts not disclosed."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Dagestan, December 2020","v":"2,515 ± 443","d":"Scientific estimate of dead seals (Trudy VNIRO 2022)"},{"k":"Dagestan, December 2022","v":"about 2,500","d":"Dagestan ministry count by 5 December 2022"},{"k":"Mangystau, 2024","v":"1,989","d":"Carcasses counted by 20 November 2024"},{"k":"Damage rate per seal","v":"KZT 712,556","d":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture order, 2017"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Carcass counts and a peer-reviewed estimate; IUCN assessment; pathology and testing results from Russia and Kazakhstan.","report":[{"t":"My population declined by more than 70% in the 20th century, mainly from hunting, according to IUCN; IUCN listed me as Endangered in 2008.","src":0},{"t":"In December 2020 about 2,515 (± 443) of my seals died on the Dagestan coast, most of them adult females and most of those pregnant, according to a peer-reviewed estimate.","src":1},{"t":"In December 2022 the Dagestan ministry counted about 2,500 of my seals dead by 5 December; tissue changes showed oxygen starvation.","src":13},{"t":"In 2024 1,989 of my seals were counted dead on the Mangystau coast by 20 November, more than half of the females pregnant, according to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology.","src":21},{"t":"In October–December 2025 566 of my seals were counted dead in Russia, 183 in Kazakhstan, 36 in Iran and 10 in Azerbaijan.","src":7},{"t":"At least 1,215 of my seals were caught as bycatch in the 2008–2009 season in an interview sample, 93% of them in sturgeon fisheries the study's authors called illegal, according to a 2013 study.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the cause of the mass deaths; official explanations differ by country and year (see disputes).","Disputed: the number of seals that died in Dagestan in December 2020 (272, over 300, about 2,000 or 2,515 ± 443, depending on method and source).","Figures differ: Caspian seal population, 311,381 (lower limit, winter 2022, NCOC-funded survey) vs about 70,000 (RFE/RL, 2024) vs about 60,000 (Current Time, 2021).","Figures differ: the 2000 die-off, \"about 10,000 died, cause chronic toxicosis\" (Orda, 2024) vs \"viral infection killed more than 10,000\" (Novastan, 2021).","Not disclosed: NCOC funding amounts for its seal research programmes (Kaspika 2025; inbusiness.kz 2021).","Not disclosed: Kazakhstan's 2025 programme-targeted funding for the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology (Lada.kz, November 2025).","Not disclosed: official data on the number of stranded animals in Turkmenistan (Kaspika 2026); the ministry did not comment in 2021 and no study results were published in 2023.","None on record: the outcome of Russia's criminal cases opened in December 2020; results were not publicly reported and the cause of death was not named (Current Time, 2021).","None on record: a cause for the 2016 Dagestan die-off of about 300 animals (VNIRO via TASS).","None on record: any claim, fine or compensation for the 2024 deaths in Kazakhstan; the damage figure is an expert's calculation (Bizmedia.kz, 24 November 2024).","Insufficient: Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology said in November 2024 that it was too early for conclusions, and final results were expected after 3–4 months (Orda, 14 November 2024).","Insufficient: the bycatch study's authors judged fleet-wide extrapolation \"inappropriate\" for lack of data on total fishing effort (PLoS ONE, 2013).","Unclear: whether the draft government decree on a State Nature Reserve for the Caspian seal in Mangystau and Atyrau (109,558.04 ha) was adopted; reports differ on its funding source."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No limit or measure ended the die-offs; mass strandings were recorded in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.","whoPaid":"The seals. NCOC funded research on them with undisclosed amounts; no fine, damage claim or compensation for the seal deaths is on record.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: mass strandings continued in October–December 2025 (Russia 566, Kazakhstan 183, Iran 36, Azerbaijan 10; no official count for Turkmenistan), causes remained contested, and no fine, claim or ruling had been reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"NCOC N.V.","says":"The seal research programme it funds \"will provide foundational information\" (translated).","when":"March 2021","src":25},{"actor":"Rosprirodnadzor","says":"Suffocation from a gas release was \"for now the main version\"; scientists were \"not recording any acute poisoning\" (translated).","when":"5 December 2022","src":13},{"actor":"Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources","says":"Natural environmental factors were the main version; tests reportedly found no bacteria, viruses, heavy metals or pesticides.","when":"December 2022","src":14},{"actor":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Ecology","says":"Virus-associated acute pneumonia with immunotoxic pollutants (2022); first 2024 samples negative for pasteurellosis, cholera and plague; too early for conclusions (November 2024).","when":"2022–2024","src":17},{"actor":"Turkmenistan Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection","says":"Did not comment.","when":"February 2021","src":26,"silent":true}],"actors":[{"id":"ncoc","role":"Kashagan field operator; funded seal research and the 2020 Dagestan expedition"},{"id":"iee-ras","role":"Ran the December 2020 Dagestan expedition; co-author of seal research"},{"id":"vniro","role":"Co-authored the 2022 paper on the Dagestan deaths; NCOC-funded surveys"},{"id":"rosprirodnadzor","role":"Russian regulator; named suffocation as the main version in 2022"},{"id":"rosrybolovstvo","role":"Counted carcasses in 2020; opened criminal cases; deputy head gave the 90%/10% split"},{"id":"dagestan-natural-resources-ministry","role":"Reported about 2,500 dead seals in December 2022"},{"id":"uzbekistan-ecology-ministry","role":"Gave virus-based explanations for 2022 and 2024"},{"id":"kazakhstan-fisheries-committee","role":"Named natural gas release and poaching nets in 2024–2025"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Endangered listing since 2008"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Pre-investigation checks in Dagestan, May 2021"}],"sources":[{"t":"Endangered Caspian seal habitat awarded Important Marine Mammal Area status","p":"IUCN","d":"2021-12-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iucn.org/news/marine-and-polar/202112/endangered-caspian-seal-habitat-awarded-important-marine-mammal-area-status"},{"t":"Death of the Caspian seals on the Dagestan coast of the Caspian Sea in the autumn of 2020 and its possible reasons (Trudy VNIRO, vol. 187, pp. 87–109, doi 10.36038/2307-3497-2022-187-87-109)","p":"Rozhnov V.V., Bizikov V.A., Magomedov M.-R.D. et al.","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://trudy.vniro.ru/jour/article/download/265/263"},{"t":"Assessment of Caspian Seal By-Catch in an Illegal Fishery Using an Interview-Based Approach (PLoS ONE 8(6): e67074)","p":"Dmitrieva L. et al.","d":"2013","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3694144/"},{"t":"IPEE RAS expedition returned from Dagestan","p":"Kaspika (Caspian Seal Conservation Agency, IEE RAS)","d":"2020-12-22","type":"ngo","u":"https://kaspika.org/en/2020/12/22/ipee-ras-expedition-returned-from-dagestan-2/"},{"t":"Joint Research on the Caspian seal in Kazakhstan","p":"Kaspika","d":"2022-10-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://kaspika.org/en/2022/10/18/joint-research-on-caspian-seal-2/"},{"t":"News about Caspian Seal Nature Reserve","p":"Kaspika","d":"2024-09-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://kaspika.org/en/2024/09/20/news-about-caspian-seal-nature-reserve-2/"},{"t":"Results of Caspian Seal Research in 2020–2024","p":"Kaspika","d":"2025-01-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://kaspika.org/en/2025/01/14/results-of-caspian-seal-research-in-2020-2024-2/"},{"t":"On the death of Caspian seals at the end of 2025","p":"Kaspika","d":"2026-01-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://kaspika.org/en/2026/01/05/on-death-of-caspian-seals-at-end-of-2025/"},{"t":"Over 270 endangered seals wash up dead on Russian beach in four days","p":"TASS","d":"2020-12-11","type":"press","u":"https://tass.com/society/1233973"},{"t":"Scientists explain mass deaths of endangered seals in Dagestan by natural causes","p":"TASS","d":"2020-12-22","type":"press","u":"https://tass.com/society/1238165"},{"t":"Dagestan seal deaths, May 2021","p":"Current Time","d":"2021-05-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/russia-dagestan-seals/31254944.html"},{"t":"Dagestan investigates mass seal deaths on the Caspian (Russian: «В Дагестане занялись расследованием массовой гибели нерп на Каспии»)","p":"Rossiyskaya Gazeta","d":"2021-05-18","type":"press","u":"https://rg.ru/2021/05/18/reg-skfo/v-dagestane-zanialis-rassledovaniem-massovoj-gibeli-nerp-na-kaspii.html"},{"t":"Gas release the main cause of the Dagestan seal deaths (Russian: «Основной причиной массовой гибели тюленей, найденных в Дагестане, стал выброс газов»)","p":"Kommersant","d":"2021-06-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4838205"},{"t":"Rosprirodnadzor names suffocation as main version of the mass seal deaths in Dagestan (Russian: «В Росприроднадзоре назвали удушье основной версией массовой гибели тюленей в Дагестане»)","p":"Interfax","d":"2022-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.ru/russia/875395"},{"t":"Authorities again attribute the deaths of 2,500 seals in Dagestan to suffocation from a natural gas release (Russian: «Гибель 2500 тюленей в Дагестане власти вновь объяснили удушьем из-за выброса природного газа»)","p":"Radio Svoboda","d":"2022-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/gibelj-2500-tyuleney-v-dagestane-vlasti-vnovj-obyasnili-udushjem-iz-za-vybrosa-prirodnogo-gaza/32162419.html"},{"t":"Almost 500 dead seals found on Dagestan's Caspian coast (Russian: «В Дагестане на побережье Каспийского моря найдены мертвыми почти 500 тюленей»)","p":"Radio Svoboda / Kavkaz.Realii","d":"2025-12-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.svoboda.org/a/v-dagestane-na-poberezhje-kaspiyskogo-morya-naydeny-mertvymi-pochti-500-tyuleney/33611688.html"},{"t":"484 dead seals found on Dagestan coast","p":"Caucasian Knot","d":"2025-12-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/70019"},{"t":"Cause of 2022 seal deaths in Mangistau announced (Russian: «Стала известна причина гибели тюленей в 2022 году в Мангистауской области»)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2023-02-08","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2023-02-08-stala-izvestna-prichina-gibeli-tyulenej-v-2022-godu-v-mangistauskoj-oblasti/"},{"t":"Kazakh experts investigate mass death of Caspian seals","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2024-10-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-experts-mass-death-caspian-seals-ecology/33179680.html"},{"t":"Caspian Coast: Investigations into Seals' Mass Deaths Ongoing","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2024-11-14","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/caspian-coast-investigations-into-seals-mass-deaths-ongoing-3745"},{"t":"Expert estimates damage from mass seal deaths on the Caspian at KZT 1.5 bn (Russian: «Эксперт оценивает ущерб от массовой гибели тюленей на Каспии в 1,5 млрд тенге»)","p":"Bizmedia.kz","d":"2024-11-24","type":"press","u":"https://bizmedia.kz/2024-11-24-ekspert-oczenivaet-ushherb-ot-massovoj-gibeli-tyulenej-na-kaspii-v-15-mlrd-tenge/"},{"t":"\"Some say it's the consequences of pollution\": ecology minister on the causes of seal deaths in Mangystau (Russian: «Кто-то говорит, что это последствия загрязнений»)","p":"Azattyq Ruhy","d":"2024-11-27","type":"press","u":"https://rus.azattyq-ruhy.kz/news/77276-kto-to-govorit-chto-eto-posledstviia-zagriaznenii-glava-minekologii-o-prichinakh-gibeli-tiulenei-v-mangistau/amp"},{"t":"Neuroinfection caused mass die-off of Caspian seals – experts","p":"Kazinform","d":"2025-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://qazinform.com/news/neuroinfection-caused-mass-die-off-of-caspian-seals-experts-2f1879"},{"t":"Experts Identify Possible Cause of Caspian Seal Deaths in Mangystau","p":"Orda.kz","d":"2025-11-05","type":"press","u":"https://en.orda.kz/experts-identify-possible-cause-of-caspian-seal-deaths-in-mangystau-9126/"},{"t":"Possible cause of mass seal deaths in Mangystau named (Russian: «Названа возможная причина массовой гибели тюленей в Мангистау»)","p":"Lada.kz","d":"2025-11-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.lada.kz/aktau_news/ecology/145452-nazvana-vozmozhnaia-prichina-massovoi-gibeli-tiulenei-v-mangistau.html"},{"t":"NCOC N.V. initiates comprehensive Caspian seal population research (Russian: «Компания NCOC N.V. инициировала проведение комплексных исследований популяции каспийского тюленя»)","p":"inbusiness.kz","d":"2021-03-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.inbusiness.kz/ru/news/kompaniya-ncoc-n-v-iniciirovala-provedenie-kompleksnyh-issledovanij-populyacii-kaspijskogo-tyulenya"},{"t":"Hundreds of lifeless Caspian seals washed ashore in Turkmenistan","p":"Novastan (citing Radio Azatlyk)","d":"2021-03-17","type":"press","u":"https://novastan.org/en/turkmenistan/hundreds-of-lifeless-caspian-seals-washed-ashore-in-turkmenistan/"},{"t":"Mass Die-Out of Seals on the Turkmen Coast of the Caspian Sea","p":"Times of Central Asia (citing Radio Azatlyk)","d":"2023-12","type":"press","u":"https://timesca.com/?p=12543"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal cases over the December 2020 seal deaths in Dagestan","forum":"Russian criminal investigation (Rosrybolovstvo; Dagestan Interior Ministry)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Rosrybolovstvo; Dagestan Ministry of Internal Affairs","defendant":"Not named","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Criminal cases were opened in December 2020; Current Time reported in May 2021 that the results of the investigations were not publicly reported and that the cause of death was not named. Article number and charges were not given.","src":10},{"title":"Pre-investigation checks into the May 2021 seal deaths in Dagestan","forum":"Investigative Committee (Dagestan) and prosecutor's office","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Investigative Committee; prosecutor's office","defendant":"Not named","filed":2021,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Checks were opened in May 2021; materials were sent to the environmental prosecutor and Rosprirodnadzor.","src":11},{"title":"Rospotrebnadzor finding on Makhachkala sewage discharge","forum":"Rospotrebnadzor; court proceedings not described","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Rospotrebnadzor","defendant":"Makhachkala city administration","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Rospotrebnadzor found systematic discharge of sewage from Makhachkala's sewer system into the Caspian; the city administration did not contest this in court. No case number was given.","src":15},{"title":"Pre-trial investigation into seal deaths, Tupkaragan district","forum":"Tupkaragan district police, Kazakhstan","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tupkaragan district police","defendant":"Not named","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Police registered the deaths and opened a pre-trial investigation in November 2025. The outcome was not reported.","src":23}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"seals_dead","value":2515,"unit":"seals","year":2020,"qualifier":"± 443","est":true,"note":"Dagestan, December 2020; 313 carcasses on 12 sites totalling 49.2 km (Trudy VNIRO 2022)."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":272,"unit":"seals","year":2020,"note":"Dagestan, 6–10 December 2020; Rosrybolovstvo department count (TASS)."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":300,"unit":"seals","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"IEE RAS expedition, about 30 km of coast; extrapolated about 2,000 for the 160 km Dagestan coastline."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":170,"unit":"seals","year":2021,"note":"Dagestan, early May 2021, all young animals (Current Time); Rossiyskaya Gazeta gave about 200."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":172,"unit":"seals","year":2022,"note":"Tupkaragan district, Kazakhstan, November 2022."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":2500,"unit":"seals","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Dagestan, by 5 December 2022 (Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources count); 650–700 on 3 December."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":27,"unit":"seals","year":2024,"note":"Mangystau, Kazakhstan, April 2024."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":289,"unit":"seals","year":2024,"note":"Mangystau, five days to 29 October 2024."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":1034,"unit":"seals","year":2024,"note":"Mangystau, 24 October to 13 November 2024."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":1989,"unit":"seals","year":2024,"note":"Mangystau, carcasses by 20 November 2024."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":566,"unit":"seals","year":2025,"note":"Russia, Oct–Dec 2025 (484 on 2 December)."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":183,"unit":"seals","year":2025,"note":"Kazakhstan, Oct–Dec 2025 (112 on 3 November plus 71 on Kulaly Island)."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":36,"unit":"seals","year":2025,"note":"Iran, Oct–Dec 2025."},{"key":"seals_dead","value":10,"unit":"seals","year":2025,"note":"Azerbaijan, Oct–Dec 2025; no official count for Turkmenistan."},{"key":"seals_bycatch","value":1215,"unit":"seals","year":"2008–2009","qualifier":"at least","note":"Adjusted estimate from the interview sample (853 unadjusted); 93% in sturgeon fisheries the study called illegal; may equal 5–19% of annual pup production (Dmitrieva et al. 2013)."},{"key":"seal_population","value":311381,"unit":"animals","year":2022,"qualifier":"lower limit","note":"Winter 2022, NCOC-funded VNIRO/KAAE survey; 260,000 in 2012; pups up 25.7% on 2012."},{"key":"seal_population","value":104000,"unit":"animals","year":2005,"note":"Down from 1.2 million in the early 20th century (Harkonen et al. 2012, cited by NCOC)."},{"key":"damage_rate_per_seal","value":712556,"unit":"KZT","year":2017,"note":"193 MRP per seal, Ministry of Agriculture order."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":1420,"unit":"KZT m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Expert Adilbek Kozybakov's calculation for about 2,000 dead seals; headline about KZT 1.5 billion. No claim or fine reported."},{"key":"area_ha","value":109558.04,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Draft State Nature Reserve for the Caspian seal in Mangystau and Atyrau (protected zone 69,839.62 ha); adoption not confirmed."},{"key":"seals_examined","value":51,"unit":"carcasses","year":2025,"note":"Kazakhstan, 8 pregnant females; 3–9% of Caspian seals die from external mechanical causes (IHE director Mirgaliy Baimukanov)."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Cause of the mass deaths","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor and the Dagestan Ministry of Natural Resources (2022, 2025)","says":"Asphyxia from a natural gas release; natural environmental factors.","src":13},{"voice":"research","holder":"VNIRO / IEE RAS paper (Trudy VNIRO 2022), for December 2020","says":"Acute asphyxia from a local natural gas release was the most likely cause; infection, helminths, intoxication, bycatch and an underwater shock wave were excluded.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo deputy head Vasily Sokolov (June 2021)","says":"About 90% died of asphyxia from seabed gas and about 10% were killed by poachers.","src":12},{"voice":"government","holder":"Alexander Kozlov, Russian Minister of Natural Resources (May 2021)","says":"Main version was illegal fishing, in particular kilka on migration routes.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Ecology (2022)","says":"Virus-associated acute pneumonia after mixed influenza and morbillivirus infection, with immunotoxic pollutants making the animals more susceptible.","src":17},{"voice":"research","holder":"Aidyn Kydyrmanov, Research Center of Microbiology and Virology (2024)","says":"Viral neuroinfection found in brain and lung tissue: \"There was a virus in all the samples\".","src":22},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakhstan Fisheries Committee (2024–2025)","says":"A natural phenomenon such as gas released from the seabed after underwater earthquakes; the fisheries inspection also named poaching nets.","src":19},{"voice":"research","holder":"Kazakhstan Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology (2025)","says":"Weakened immunity and reduced resistance; chronic organ pathologies linked to poor habitat.","src":24},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Turkmen oceanologists, unnamed, via Radio Azatlyk (December 2023)","says":"Ecological damage, emissions from oil and gas enterprises, regular naval exercises and more coastal factories.","src":27},{"voice":"government","holder":"Turkmenistan Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection","says":"Did not comment (2021).","src":26,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Whether infection was present","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal Animal Health Center, Russia (December 2025)","says":"Tested for 21 diseases; all negative.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kazakhstan Ministry of Ecology (November 2024)","says":"First samples negative for pasteurellosis, cholera and plague; water tests showed no abnormal deviations.","src":21},{"voice":"research","holder":"Research Center of Microbiology and Virology, Kazakhstan (January 2025)","says":"Molecular-genetic analysis found a viral neuroinfection in brain and lung tissue.","src":22}]},{"point":"Number of seals dead in Dagestan in December 2020","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosrybolovstvo Dagestan department (6–10 December 2020)","says":"272 counted.","src":8},{"voice":"research","holder":"IEE RAS expedition (22 December 2020)","says":"Over 300 carcasses on about 30 km, extrapolated to about 2,000 for the 160 km coast.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Rozhnov, Bizikov, Magomedov et al., Trudy VNIRO 2022","says":"2,515 ± 443 estimated from 313 carcasses on 12 sites of 49.2 km.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rosprirodnadzor (2022)","says":"Described 2020 as about 2,000 in Dagestan and Azerbaijan.","src":13}]},{"point":"Size of the Caspian seal population","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"VNIRO / KAAE survey funded by NCOC (winter 2022)","says":"Lower limit about 311,381 animals vs 260,000 in 2012.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"RFE/RL (2024)","says":"About 70,000.","src":18},{"voice":"press","holder":"Current Time (2021)","says":"About 60,000.","src":10}]},{"point":"The 2000 die-off","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Orda (2024)","says":"About 10,000 died; cause chronic toxicosis.","src":19},{"voice":"press","holder":"Novastan (2021)","says":"A viral infection killed more than 10,000.","src":26}]},{"point":"Whether military activity is linked to the die-offs","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Radio Svoboda / Kavkaz.Realii (2025)","says":"The situation worsened after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when the Caspian became a missile-launch site and training ground; scientists recorded autumn mass deaths for the first time after that. No official body has confirmed a link.","src":15},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Turkmen oceanologists, via Radio Azatlyk (2023)","says":"Named regular naval exercises among the causes.","src":27},{"voice":"government","holder":"Dagestan ministry (December 2025)","says":"A sad but annual natural phenomenon across the whole Caspian.","src":15}]}],"related":["kashagan-sulphur-environmental-fine","caspian-sturgeon-caviar-trade-and-fishing-bans"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mass strandings of the Endangered Caspian seal were recorded in Dagestan (2020, 2021, 2022, 2025), Kazakhstan (2022, 2024, 2025), Turkmenistan (2020–21, 2023, 2025), Azerbaijan and Iran (2025). Official causes differ by country and year; NCOC funded much of the seal research, and no fine or compensation is on record.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Research institutions funded by NCOC (VNIRO, IEE RAS, KAAE)","what":"Funding for seal abundance, reproduction and impact monitoring programmes 2019–2024; amounts not disclosed","src":4},{"who":"Sellers of seal skins (claim by Tariel Eybatov as reported)","what":"A pelt sells for up to USD 2,000","src":11}],"lost":[{"who":"NCOC N.V.","what":"Funded the December 2020 Dagestan expedition and a five-year seal research programme; amounts not disclosed","src":25}],"harmed":[{"who":"Caspian seals, Dagestan, December 2020","what":"2,515 ± 443 dead (estimate), mostly pregnant adult females","src":1},{"who":"Caspian seals, Dagestan, December 2022","what":"About 2,500 dead by 5 December (ministry count)","src":13},{"who":"Caspian seals, Mangystau, 2024","what":"1,989 carcasses by 20 November 2024","src":21},{"who":"Caspian seals, October–December 2025","what":"Russia 566, Kazakhstan 183, Iran 36, Azerbaijan 10","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Dagestan coast (Terek mouth to Derbent, about 205 km); Tupkaragan peninsula and Kulaly Island, Mangystau region, Kazakhstan; Turkmen coast near Turkmenbashi and the Cheleken peninsula; Khachmaz, Azerbaijan; Gilan and Mazandaran, Iran.","src":7},"when":{"t":"December 2020 (Dagestan); December 2020 – February 2021 (Turkmenistan); May 2021; November–December 2022; December 2023; 24 October – 20 November 2024; October–December 2025.","src":7},"why":{"t":"Causes stated in the sources include asphyxia from a natural gas release, virus-associated pneumonia with immunotoxic pollutants, viral neuroinfection, poaching nets and trawls, and, per Turkmen oceanologists, oil and gas emissions and naval exercises; the official explanation differs by country and year.","src":13},"how":{"t":"Carcasses were counted and sampled by Rosrybolovstvo, IEE RAS, VNIRO, Russian and Kazakh ministries and institutes. NCOC funded expeditions and research programmes. Kazakhstan's damage rate is 193 MRP per seal; the damage estimate for 2024 is an expert's calculation.","src":20}},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the mass deaths","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether infection was present","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Number of seals dead in Dagestan in December 2020","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the Caspian seal population","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"The 2000 die-off","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether military activity is linked to the die-offs","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Money","text":"NCOC funding of Caspian seal research programmes — Amounts not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Turkmenistan Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection: Did not comment (2021).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Criminal cases over the December 2020 seal deaths in Dagestan: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rospotrebnadzor finding on Makhachkala sewage discharge: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the mass deaths; official explanations differ by country and year (see disputes).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the number of seals that died in Dagestan in December 2020 (272, over 300, about 2,000 or 2,515 ± 443, depending on method and source).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Caspian seal population, 311,381 (lower limit, winter 2022, NCOC-funded survey) vs about 70,000 (RFE/RL, 2024) vs about 60,000 (Current Time, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the 2000 die-off, \"about 10,000 died, cause chronic toxicosis\" (Orda, 2024) vs \"viral infection killed more than 10,000\" (Novastan, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: NCOC funding amounts for its seal research programmes (Kaspika 2025; inbusiness.kz 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Kazakhstan's 2025 programme-targeted funding for the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology (Lada.kz, November 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: official data on the number of stranded animals in Turkmenistan (Kaspika 2026); the ministry did not comment in 2021 and no study results were published in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of Russia's criminal cases opened in December 2020; results were not publicly reported and the cause of death was not named (Current Time, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a cause for the 2016 Dagestan die-off of about 300 animals (VNIRO via TASS).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any claim, fine or compensation for the 2024 deaths in Kazakhstan; the damage figure is an expert's calculation (Bizmedia.kz, 24 November 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Kazakhstan's Ministry of Ecology said in November 2024 that it was too early for conclusions, and final results were expected after 3–4 months (Orda, 14 November 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the bycatch study's authors judged fleet-wide extrapolation \"inappropriate\" for lack of data on total fishing effort (PLoS ONE, 2013).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the draft government decree on a State Nature Reserve for the Caspian seal in Mangystau and Atyrau (109,558.04 ha) was adopted; reports differ on its funding source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-land-subsidence-tehran-and-plains","title":"Land subsidence on the Tehran plain and across Iran","dek":"Satellite radar studies measured about 56,000 km² of Iran, 3.5% of the country, sinking between 2014 and 2020, with the Tehran plain, Rafsanjan and Kerman among the fastest-sinking areas. In August 2025 the National Cartographic Center said its national subsidence atlas had been supplied to agencies in confidential reports.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":35.62,"lon":51.25,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran plain (southwest Tehran, Shahriar, Districts 18–19)","lat":35.62,"lon":51.25,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Imam Khomeini International Airport","lat":35.42,"lon":51.15,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Nationwide: 265 of 429 counties affected","role":"affected"}],"start":1968,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Land area subsiding in Iran, 2014–2020","value":"≈ 56,000 km²","note":"Estimate from Sentinel-1 satellite radar: 3.5% of Iran, of which over 3,000 km² sank faster than 10 cm per year (Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh, Science Advances, 2024)."},"happened":["Researchers at the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (Mahdi Motagh and Mahmud Haghshenas Haghighi) measured three areas of the Tehran region sinking \"in some places by more than 25 cm per year\" between 2003 and 2017, with several metres of total subsidence, using nine data sets from the Envisat ASAR, ALOS PALSAR, TerraSAR-X and Sentinel-1 satellites. The study appeared in Remote Sensing of Environment (DOI 10.1016/j.rse.2018.11.003). GFZ's release of 6 December 2018 stated that some groundwater basins were \"irreversibly damaged and can no longer store as much water\", and gave the number of wells in the Tehran region as rising from just under 4,000 in 1968 to more than 32,000 in 2012, with the Tehran groundwater level falling 12 m between 1984 and 2011.","Haghshenas Haghighi and Motagh published a national study in Science Advances on 10 May 2024, using more than 6,000 Sentinel-1 images from 2014 to 2020 at 100 m resolution. It found about 56,000 km² (3.5% of Iran) subsiding, over 3,000 km² of it at more than 10 cm per year, with a median rate of 1.8 cm per year. It estimated annual groundwater depletion from confined and semi-confined aquifers at 1,737 MCM (1.7 BCM), \"comparable to the maximum capacity of the five dams supplying Tehran\", of which 101 MCM per year in Tehran province. About 14 million people lived in directly affected areas and 0.9 million in high-risk areas, about 350,000 of them in Tehran province and 290,000 in Alborz.","The same study counted infrastructure in subsidence zones: about 1,380 km (15%) of roughly 9,500 km of railway lines, including segments of the Tehran–Garmsar and Garmsar–Mashhad lines; 4 of 7 Tehran metro lines and the only Isfahan metro line; 580 km of 5,100 km of motorways (11%); and 8 of 61 large and medium airports, \"including the Tehran International Airport, with more than 8 million annual passengers\" (the paper's wording), plus the Isfahan and Urmia international airports. It noted that Tehran province accounts for \"more than 20% of Iran's GDP\" while agriculture contributes 2% of the province's gross value added, \"at the cost of major subsidence risk to the population and infrastructure\". A second national study, by Payne et al. in JGR Solid Earth (published online 27 August 2025), identified 106 basin-scale subsidence areas, 31,400 km² (1.9% of the country) sinking faster than 10 mm per year, a maximum of about 340 mm per year in Rafsanjan, 77% of subsidence above 10 mm per year associated with agriculture, about 650,200 people at medium or higher risk, and an inelastic (irreversible) share of at least 60%.","In January 2019 the Associated Press reported that German scientists estimated the land under Imam Khomeini International Airport sinking about 5 cm per year, and that subsidence near Tehran reached up to 22 cm per year according to Iran's cartography department. Ali Beitollahi, an official of the Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Center of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, told the AP that Tehran's oil refinery, a key highway, automobile plants and railroads sit on sinking ground, with about 2 million people living in the affected area. In May 2019 he told the newspaper Taadol that the airport subsided about 4–6 cm per year, \"not critical for now\", southern Tehran about 25 cm per year, and the Isfahan and Kerman airports at \"very high\" rates without figures. Phase 1 of an airport subsidence monitoring programme had been completed and phase 2 had started; about 60 active airports needed studies.","In April 2025 Mehdi Pirhadi, chair of the Health, Environment and Urban Services Commission of the Tehran City Council, said a national surveying organisation report put subsidence in some parts of Tehran at 31 cm, and that the president had cited 36 cm near deep wells. On 31 August 2025 Radio Farda reported that Eskandar Seydaei, head of the National Cartographic Center, said an atlas of Iran's subsidence had been compiled and supplied to agencies in confidential reports, correspondence and files; he gave the highest rate as 31 cm in the Bahraman plain (Kerman), about 30 cm in one Tehran area and about 20 cm in District 18. Mohammad Aghamiri of the Tehran City Council's urban-development committee said Tehran's subsidence statistics were confidential."],"timeline":[{"y":1968,"t":"Wells in the Tehran region number just under 4,000; more than 32,000 by 2012","src":0},{"y":1984,"t":"Start of the 1984–2011 period in which the Tehran groundwater level fell 12 m","src":0},{"y":2003,"t":"Start of the GFZ multi-sensor radar study of the Tehran region (2003–2017)","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"Iran Railways says no subsidence within the railway right-of-way (15 Oct)","src":6},{"y":2018,"t":"GFZ release on Tehran subsidence (6 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"AP reports on subsidence under Imam Khomeini airport (24 Jan); airport subsidence monitoring programme in phase 2 (28 May)","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"Science Advances national subsidence study (10 May)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Tehran City Council member cites 31 cm (7 Apr); Payne et al. national study (27 Aug); Cartographic Center describes subsidence atlas as confidential (31 Aug)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"Rates (for subsidence) are very high and in many instances it's happening in densely populated areas,","who":"Masoud Shafiee, then head of Iran's cartography department","when":"January 2019","src":4},{"q":"In European countries, even 4 millimeters (0.15 inches) of yearly subsidence is considered a crisis,","who":"Mohammad Darvish, environmental activist","when":"January 2019","src":4},{"q":"The loss in volume is permanent and a consequential damage of unrestrained groundwater exploitation.","who":"Mahdi Motagh, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences","when":"February 2017 (release on Rafsanjan)","src":9},{"q":"not critical for now","who":"Ali Beitollahi, head of the seismology department, Road, Housing and Urban Development Research Center (on conditions at Imam Khomeini International Airport)","when":"28 May 2019","src":5,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"we have not seen any cracks or subsidence within the country's railway right-of-way","who":"Maziar Yazdani, technical deputy of Iran Railways","when":"15 October 2017","src":6,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"Tehran's subsidence statistics are confidential and I cannot state them","who":"Mohammad Aghamiri, head of the urban-development committee, Tehran City Council","when":"31 August 2025","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"subsidence has no instant solution; the only lasting solution is stopping excessive water extraction","who":"Eskandar Seydaei, head of the National Cartographic Center","when":"31 August 2025","src":8,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Iran Railways' technical deputy reported no cracks or subsidence within the railway right-of-way, with a 100 m buffer monitored 24 hours a day; a deputy minister reported one subsidence case intersecting a line.","who":"Iran Railways (Taadol, 15 October 2017)","src":6},{"t":"Conditions at Imam Khomeini International Airport were described as not critical for now, with a monitoring programme under way.","who":"Ali Beitollahi, Ministry of Roads and Urban Development research centre (Taadol, 28 May 2019)","src":5},{"t":"The national subsidence atlas was described as supplied to agencies in confidential reports, correspondence and files.","who":"National Cartographic Center (Radio Farda, 31 August 2025)","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 56,000 km² of Iran (3.5%) subsiding in 2014–2020; over 3,000 km² at more than 10 cm per year; median 1.8 cm per year.","src":1},{"t":"Inelastic (irreversible) share of subsidence of at least 60%, from 2015–2023 data.","src":2},{"t":"77% of subsidence faster than 10 mm per year associated with agriculture; maximum about 340 mm per year in Rafsanjan.","src":2},{"t":"About 5 cm per year at Imam Khomeini International Airport (German scientists via AP, 2019) and 4–6 cm per year (Ali Beitollahi, 2019).","src":4},{"t":"Of about 9,500 km of railway, about 1,380 km (15%) lies in subsidence zones; 8 of 61 large and medium airports lie in subsidence zones.","src":1},{"t":"Tehran province: more than 20% of Iran's GDP; agriculture 2% of the province's gross value added.","src":1},{"t":"Cumulative nonrenewable groundwater depletion of about 133 km³ by 2019; average water-table decline of 49 cm per year; 16 of 30 subbasins at \"very high salinity hazard\".","src":3},{"t":"In 2019 an official said the government should allocate a budget line for subsidence monitoring; no amount was stated.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[{"label":"Budget for subsidence remediation or infrastructure protection","amount":null,"note":"None on record. In 2019 an official said a budget line for subsidence monitoring should be allocated; no amount was stated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area subsiding","v":"≈ 56,000 km²","d":"3.5% of Iran, 2014–2020; over 3,000 km² at more than 10 cm per year"},{"k":"Irreversible share","v":"≥ 60%","d":"Inelastic share of subsidence, 2015–2023 data"},{"k":"Aquifer depletion","v":"1.737 BCM/yr","d":"Confined and semi-confined aquifers, 2014–2020"},{"k":"Tehran groundwater level","v":"−12 m","d":"Fall between 1984 and 2011"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Peer-reviewed satellite-radar studies (2019, 2024, 2025), a national groundwater study (2021) and a GFZ release (2018).","report":[{"t":"Between 1984 and 2011 my groundwater under the Tehran region fell 12 m, while the wells drawing on it rose from just under 4,000 in 1968 to more than 32,000 in 2012, according to GFZ.","src":0},{"t":"Between 2003 and 2017 three areas of my Tehran region sank in some places by more than 25 cm per year, according to GFZ; some of my groundwater basins were \"irreversibly damaged and can no longer store as much water\".","src":0},{"t":"About 56,000 km² of my surface, 3.5% of Iran, subsided between 2014 and 2020, over 3,000 km² of it at more than 10 cm per year, according to Haghshenas Haghighi and Motagh (2024).","src":1},{"t":"At least 60% of the subsidence measured across my aquifers between 2015 and 2023 is inelastic, meaning the compaction is irreversible, according to Payne et al. (2025).","src":2},{"t":"About 133 km³ of my nonrenewable groundwater had been depleted by 2019, and 16 of 30 subbasins had a \"very high salinity hazard\", according to Noori et al. (2021).","src":3}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the National Cartographic Center's national subsidence atlas, which its head said was supplied to agencies in \"confidential reports, correspondence and files\" (August 2025); a Tehran City Council committee head also described Tehran's subsidence statistics as confidential.","None on record: a budget for subsidence remediation or infrastructure protection; an official said in 2019 that a budget line for monitoring should be allocated.","Unclear: whether the 31 cm of subsidence cited for parts of Tehran in April 2025 is an annual rate or a cumulative depth; the article does not say.","Unclear: the time unit of the figures of about 30 cm (one Tehran area) and about 20 cm (District 18) given by the National Cartographic Center's head in August 2025.","None on record: legal proceedings over subsidence damage.","None on record: insurance for subsidence damage."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The latest satellite data cited cover 2015–2023, and the head of the National Cartographic Center said in August 2025 that the only lasting solution is stopping excessive water extraction.","whoPaid":"The aquifers and land surface of the Tehran plain and of 265 of Iran's 429 counties, where the loss is recorded as largely permanent. Owners and users of the railways, metro lines and airports in subsidence zones carry the exposure; no remediation budget or payer is on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: the National Cartographic Center described its national subsidence atlas as confidential; the latest published studies cover satellite data to 2023, and no remediation budget or court case is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Iran Railways","says":"Its technical deputy said no cracks or subsidence had been seen within the railway right-of-way, monitored 24 hours a day over a 100 m buffer.","when":"15 October 2017","src":6},{"actor":"National Cartographic Center of Iran","says":"Its head said the subsidence atlas was compiled and supplied to agencies in confidential reports, correspondence and files.","when":"31 August 2025","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Government; ministries and the Cartographic Center report subsidence data"},{"id":"iran-ncc","role":"Compiled the national subsidence atlas; holds it as confidential"},{"id":"gfz-potsdam","role":"Research institution that measured subsidence by satellite radar"},{"id":"iran-railways","role":"Operator of rail lines crossing subsidence zones"},{"id":"tehran-city-council","role":"Council members cited subsidence figures in 2025"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether railway lines are affected by subsidence (the statements use different definitions: railway right-of-way versus subsidence zone)","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Iran Railways, technical deputy (15 October 2017)","says":"No cracks or subsidence within the railway right-of-way; one subsidence case intersecting a line reported by a deputy minister.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh, Science Advances (2024)","says":"About 1,380 km (15%) of about 9,500 km of railway lies in subsidence zones, including segments of the Tehran–Garmsar and Garmsar–Mashhad lines; 54 of 310 railway stations are in subsidence zones.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"subsiding_area_km2","value":56000,"unit":"km²","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sentinel-1, 2014–2020; 3.5% of Iran."},{"key":"subsiding_area_over_10cm_km2","value":3000,"unit":"km²","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"Sinking faster than 10 cm per year, 2014–2020."},{"key":"median_subsidence_rate","value":1.8,"unit":"cm/yr","year":2020,"note":"National median, 2014–2020."},{"key":"aquifer_depletion_mcm","value":1737,"unit":"MCM/yr","year":2020,"note":"Confined and semi-confined aquifers nationally, 2014–2020."},{"key":"aquifer_depletion_mcm","value":101,"unit":"MCM/yr","year":2020,"note":"Tehran province, 2014–2020."},{"key":"people_affected","value":14000000,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Living in directly affected areas."},{"key":"people_high_risk","value":900000,"unit":"people","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Living in high-risk areas; about 350,000 in Tehran province and 290,000 in Alborz."},{"key":"railway_in_subsidence_km","value":1380,"unit":"km","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Of about 9,500 km of railway lines (15%)."},{"key":"motorway_in_subsidence_km","value":580,"unit":"km","year":2020,"note":"Of 5,100 km of motorways (11%)."},{"key":"airports_in_subsidence","value":8,"unit":"airports","year":2020,"note":"Of 61 large and medium airports."},{"key":"subsiding_area_km2","value":31400,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"note":"Faster than 10 mm per year, 2015–2023; 1.9% of Iran (Payne et al.)."},{"key":"max_subsidence_rate","value":340,"unit":"mm/yr","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Maximum, Rafsanjan (Payne et al.)."},{"key":"people_at_risk","value":650200,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"At medium or higher risk (Payne et al.)."},{"key":"inelastic_share","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Irreversible share of subsidence (Payne et al.)."},{"key":"wells_tehran_region","value":32000,"unit":"wells","year":2012,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Up from just under 4,000 in 1968 (GFZ)."},{"key":"groundwater_level_fall_tehran","value":12,"unit":"m","year":2011,"note":"Fall between 1984 and 2011 (GFZ)."},{"key":"cumulative_depletion_km3","value":133,"unit":"km³","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Nonrenewable groundwater, national (Noori et al., PNAS)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Groundwater pumping has been followed by land subsidence over about 56,000 km² of Iran, including the Tehran plain, where some areas sank more than 25 cm per year between 2003 and 2017; a large share of the compaction is irreversible.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Agriculture in Tehran province","what":"2% of the province's gross value added; the study describes this as being at the cost of major subsidence risk to the population and infrastructure","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of subsidence zones","what":"About 14 million people live in directly affected areas and 0.9 million in high-risk areas","src":1},{"who":"Operators and users of rail, metro and airports","what":"About 1,380 km of railway, 4 of 7 Tehran metro lines and 8 of 61 large and medium airports lie in subsidence zones","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Aquifers of the Tehran region and of 265 of 429 counties","what":"Irreversible loss of storage; inelastic share of subsidence at least 60%","src":2},{"who":"Land surface","what":"About 56,000 km² subsiding, 2014–2020","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Tehran plain (southwest Tehran, Shahriar, Districts 18–19), Imam Khomeini International Airport, Rafsanjan and Kerman, and 265 of Iran's 429 counties.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Wells in the Tehran region grew from just under 4,000 in 1968 to more than 32,000 in 2012; satellite studies cover 2003–2017, 2014–2020 and 2015–2023; official statements from 2017 to August 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The studies attribute subsidence to groundwater withdrawal; 77% of subsidence faster than 10 mm per year is associated with agriculture (Payne et al., 2025).","src":2},"how":{"t":"Radar interferometry (InSAR) from Envisat, ALOS, TerraSAR-X and Sentinel-1 satellites measured ground movement; the Cartographic Center's national atlas of the results is held in confidential reports.","src":8},"ratio":{"t":"Tehran province accounts for more than 20% of Iran's GDP, and agriculture 2% of its gross value added.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Tehran sinking (release on Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh, Remote Sensing of Environment)","p":"GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences (via idw)","d":"2018-12-06","type":"academic","u":"https://idw-online.de/de/news707459"},{"t":"Uncovering the impacts of depleting aquifers: A remote sensing analysis of land subsidence in Iran","p":"Science Advances 10, eadk3039 (Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh)","d":"2024-05-10","type":"academic","u":"https://gfzpublic.gfz.de/rest/items/item_5027340_3/component/file_5027393/content"},{"t":"Widespread Extent of Irrecoverable Aquifer Depletion Revealed by Country-Wide Analysis of Land Surface Subsidence Hazard in Iran","p":"JGR Solid Earth 130(9) (Payne et al.)","d":"2025-08-27","type":"academic","u":"https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/232403"},{"t":"Anthropogenic depletion of Iran's aquifers","p":"PNAS 118(25) (Noori et al.)","d":"2021-06-14","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8237601/"},{"t":"In Iran, parched lands hollowed by water pumping now sinking","p":"Associated Press (via VOA)","d":"2019-01-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.voanews.com/a/in-iran-parched-lands-hollowed-by-water-pumping-now-sinking/4757236.html"},{"t":"Monitoring of land subsidence at the country's airports begins","p":"Taadol","d":"2019-05-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.taadolnewspaper.ir/fa/news/145424/پایش-فرونشست-زمین-در-فرودگاه-های-کشور-کلید-خورد"},{"t":"There is no subsidence in railway right-of-way","p":"Taadol","d":"2017-10-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.taadolnewspaper.ir/fa/news/109076/هیچ-فرونشستی-در-حریم-خطوط-راه-آهن-وجود-ندارد"},{"t":"Land subsidence in Tehran reached 31 cm","p":"Aftab News (citing ISNA)","d":"2025-04-07","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/980576/فرونشست-زمین-در-تهران-به-31-سانتی-متر-رسید"},{"t":"Confidential subsidence atlas of Iran","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2025-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/33517797.html"},{"t":"Land subsidence caused by unrestrained groundwater exploitation is a risk for pistachio production in Iran","p":"GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences","d":"2017-02-02","type":"academic","u":"https://www.gfz.de/en/press/news/details/land-subsidence-caused-by-unrestrained-groundwater-exploitation-is-a-risk-for-pistachio-production-in-iran"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-groundwater-restoration-plan-wells","rafsanjan-pistachio-aquifer-decline","iran-capital-move-to-makran","jakarta-groundwater-extraction-subsidence-and-water-privatis","konya-closed-basin-sinkholes-and-illegal-wells"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Budget for subsidence remediation or infrastructure protection — None on record. In 2019 an official said a budget line for subsidence monitoring should be allocated; no amount was stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether railway lines are affected by subsidence (the statements use different definitions: railway right-of-way versus subsidence zone)","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the National Cartographic Center's national subsidence atlas, which its head said was supplied to agencies in \"confidential reports, correspondence and files\" (August 2025); a Tehran City Council committee head also described Tehran's subsidence statistics as confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a budget for subsidence remediation or infrastructure protection; an official said in 2019 that a budget line for monitoring should be allocated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the 31 cm of subsidence cited for parts of Tehran in April 2025 is an annual rate or a cumulative depth; the article does not say.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the time unit of the figures of about 30 cm (one Tehran area) and about 20 cm (District 18) given by the National Cartographic Center's head in August 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings over subsidence damage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance for subsidence damage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-groundwater-restoration-plan-wells","title":"Iran's Groundwater Restoration and Balancing Plan: unlicensed wells, sealing, meters and budgets","dek":"A state programme run through the Ministry of Energy and the Supreme Water Council set out to seal unlicensed wells and meter licensed ones. The Majlis Research Center said in 2018 that over 50,000 billion rials were needed and about 24,000 billion rials had been allocated; national counts of unlicensed wells ranged from 220,000 to 380,000.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Nationwide (609 study areas)","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Hamedan, Isfahan, Fars, Kerman, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan","role":"affected"}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","types":["water","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Unlicensed wells sealed, 2015 to first half of 2018","value":"44,572","note":"Ministry of Energy figure, with a combined extraction volume of 2.257 billion m³. National counts of unlicensed wells range from about 220,000 to 380,000 depending on the source."},"happened":["The Ministry of Energy drafted a first groundwater plan in Iranian year 1384 (2005/06), according to Taadol (2018) and Eghtesadnews (2019). Aftab News reported in November 2017 that the national plan was reviewed in 1393 (2014) and approved by the Supreme Water Council in 1394 (2015), when implementation began; Taadol gave the plan's end date as 1400 (2021/22). On 19 September 2014 Energy Minister Chitchian said a water market would be implemented in 609 plains and that groundwater management would receive a large share of ministry funding. The Sixth Development Plan set a target of 11 billion m³ less withdrawn from aquifers.","A Majlis Research Center report summarised by Taadol on 5 April 2018 stated that drilling was banned in 353 of 609 study areas; that the annual aquifer storage deficit was 6 billion m³ and the cumulative deficit over 48 years 126.5 billion m³; that groundwater supplied about 55% of national water; and that before the plan over 98% of water-sector funds had gone to surface water. It put the cost of the remaining plan activities at more than 50,000 billion rials against about 24,000 billion rials allocated from the Ministry of Energy capital budget, so that at best about half of the targets were achievable; in Iranian year 1396 (2017/18), 1,730 billion rials had been allocated of 4,000 billion rials approved. Of the 50,000 billion rials, smart meters on licensed agricultural wells accounted for about 49%, sealing unlicensed wells 15%, patrol and inspection 12% and the monitoring network 9%.","Officials gave differing well counts. In January 2019 Eghtesadnews quoted Mohsen Rafati of the Ministry of Agriculture's Agricultural Planning, Economics and Rural Development Research Institute: \"we have 763,000 wells in the country, 380,000 of them unlicensed\". Abdollah Fazeli, plan secretary at the Iran Water Resources Management Company, said about 42 billion m³ was drawn from aquifers yearly, over 4.7 billion m³ of it from unlicensed wells; Javad Meybodi, a Ministry of Energy director general, said 44,572 unlicensed wells had been sealed between Iranian year 1394 and the first half of 1397 (to about September 2018), with a combined volume of 2.257 billion m³. In November 2018 Deputy Energy Minister Qasem Taghizadeh Khamesi said unlicensed wells had risen from about 100,000 twelve years earlier to more than 300,000 and extraction from them had doubled to about 8.5 billion m³. Ministry of Energy figures cited by EghtesadOnline in 2019 and 2021 were about 500,000 licensed and 320,000 unlicensed wells. In North Khorasan the regional water company's managing director, Aghil Mortazavi, said in 2021 that 3,400 authorized wells extracted about 450 mcm per year and over 4,000 unlicensed wells 35 mcm, calling it regrettable that overdraft from authorized wells exceeded that from unlicensed ones.","Aftab News reported in November 2017 that plan credits rose 14% in 1394 and that in 1395 \"only 10% of credits were allocated\"; it credited the plan with 1.5 billion m³ saved over two years, without naming a source. On 17 May 2026 the water-industry spokesman, Eisa Bozorgzadeh, said about 28,000 unlicensed wells had been sealed from the previous year to the time of the statement, mostly in Isfahan, Fars, Kerman, Khorasan Razavi and Tehran, and that about 200,000 wells monitored water and energy together, accounting for roughly 70–80% of well output; he gave no national total of unlicensed wells. The 1405 budget bill, submitted around 23 December 2025, set groundwater fees per m³ at 10 qeran for licensed wells with smart meters following the cropping pattern (3 in 1404) and 25 qeran without smart meters (4 in 1404), an average fine of 754 qeran for licensed wells above their permit (580 in 1404) and a fine of 250 qeran for unlicensed wells following the cropping pattern (80 in 1404), as reported by SNN; enactment is not stated.","The Supreme Audit Court's plenary, chaired by its head Ahmadreza Dastgheib, approved the final report on liquidation of the 1403 budget on about 5 December 2025 (Ecoiran), including sections on water and electricity resources and meters. Dastgheib said installing precise consumption meters was vital and that violators would face serious action and heavy fines; no figures were given."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"First plan drafted by the Ministry of Energy (Iranian year 1384)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"National plan reviewed (1393); Energy Minister announces a water market in 609 plains (19 Sep)","src":8},{"y":2015,"t":"Supreme Water Council approval and start of implementation (1394)","src":6},{"y":2017,"t":"Aftab News: only 10% of plan credits allocated in 1395; plan credited with 1.5 billion m³ saved (2 Nov)","src":6},{"y":2018,"t":"Majlis Research Center figures on needs and allocations reported by Taadol (5 Apr); deputy energy minister cites over 300,000 unlicensed wells (11 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Ministry of Agriculture institute cites 380,000 unlicensed wells of 763,000 (6 Jan)","src":1},{"y":2021,"t":"Plan end date stated as 1400 (2021/22); North Khorasan well figures reported (6 Mar)","src":4},{"y":2025,"t":"1405 budget bill sets groundwater fees and fines (23 Dec); Supreme Audit Court plenary approves 1403 budget-liquidation report (5 Dec)","src":7},{"y":2026,"t":"Water-industry spokesman: about 28,000 unlicensed wells sealed since the previous year (17 May)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"we have 763,000 wells in the country, 380,000 of them unlicensed","who":"Mohsen Rafati, head of the Agricultural Planning, Economics and Rural Development Research Institute, Ministry of Agriculture","when":"January 2019","src":1,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"about 28,000 unlicensed wells have been sealed","who":"Eisa Bozorgzadeh, water-industry spokesman","when":"17 May 2026","src":5,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"only 10% of credits were allocated","who":"Aftab News, on plan credits in Iranian year 1395","when":"2 November 2017","src":6,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The plan was credited with 1.5 billion m³ of groundwater saved over two years; no source is named for the figure.","who":"Aftab News (2 November 2017)","src":6},{"t":"A water market was to be implemented in 609 plains and groundwater management was to receive a large share of ministry funding.","who":"Energy Minister Chitchian (19 September 2014)","src":8},{"t":"About 28,000 unlicensed wells sealed from the previous year to May 2026, and about 200,000 wells monitoring water and energy together.","who":"Water-industry spokesman Eisa Bozorgzadeh (17 May 2026)","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Drilling banned in 353 of 609 study areas; annual aquifer storage deficit of 6 billion m³; cumulative deficit of 126.5 billion m³ over 48 years.","src":0},{"t":"Over 98% of water-sector funds went to surface water before the plan.","src":0},{"t":"More than 50,000 billion rials needed to complete the plan; about 24,000 billion rials allocated; 1,730 billion rials allocated of 4,000 billion rials approved in Iranian year 1396.","src":0},{"t":"44,572 unlicensed wells sealed from 1394 to the first half of 1397, with a combined volume of 2.257 billion m³.","src":1},{"t":"Unlicensed wells rose from about 100,000 to over 300,000 in twelve years; extraction from them doubled to about 8.5 billion m³ (Deputy Energy Minister, November 2018).","src":2},{"t":"North Khorasan: 3,400 authorized wells extracting about 450 mcm per year; over 4,000 unlicensed wells extracting 35 mcm (2021).","src":4},{"t":"Cumulative nonrenewable groundwater depletion of about 133 km³ by 2019.","src":11},{"t":"Supreme Audit Court plenary approved report sections on water and electricity resources and meters on about 5 December 2025; no amounts, volumes or fine figures were published in the account.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"IRR","window":"Iranian years 1396–1397 (2017–2018), per the Majlis Research Center via Taadol","nature":[{"label":"Estimated need to complete remaining plan activities","amount":50000000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"to 2018","note":"More than 50,000 billion rials: smart meters on licensed agricultural wells about 49%, sealing unlicensed wells 15%, patrol and inspection 12%, monitoring network 9%."},{"label":"Ministry of Energy capital budget allocated to remaining plan activities","amount":24000000,"qualifier":"about","window":"to 2018","note":"About 24,000 billion rials; at best about half of the targets achievable."},{"label":"Plan allocation, Iranian year 1396 (2017/18)","amount":1730000,"window":"1396","note":"1,730 billion rials allocated of 4,000 billion rials approved."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Annual storage deficit","v":"6 billion m³","d":"Majlis Research Center via Taadol, April 2018"},{"k":"Cumulative deficit","v":"126.5 billion m³","d":"Over 48 years (same source)"},{"k":"Unlicensed wells sealed","v":"44,572","d":"2015 to first half of 2018; combined volume 2.257 billion m³"},{"k":"Funds allocated vs needed","v":"≈ 24,000 vs over 50,000 billion rials","d":"At best about half of the targets achievable"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Majlis Research Center figures relayed by a newspaper, statements by ministry officials and a peer-reviewed national groundwater study.","report":[{"t":"My aquifers ran a storage deficit of 6 billion m³ a year, and 126.5 billion m³ cumulatively over 48 years, according to the Majlis Research Center in 2018.","src":0},{"t":"About 42 billion m³ was drawn from me each year, over 4.7 billion m³ of it from unlicensed wells, according to the plan secretary in January 2019.","src":1},{"t":"Extraction from unlicensed wells doubled to about 8.5 billion m³ over twelve years, according to the deputy energy minister in November 2018.","src":2},{"t":"By 2019 about 133 km³ of my nonrenewable groundwater had been depleted, according to Noori et al. (2021).","src":11}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: national unlicensed-well counts of about 220,000 (2017, unnamed officials via Global Voices), more than 300,000 (deputy energy minister, November 2018), 320,000 (Ministry of Energy, 2019–2021) and 380,000 (Ministry of Agriculture institute, January 2019).","Unclear: whether the fees and fines in the 1405 budget bill, as reported by SNN, were enacted as submitted.","Unclear: the basis of the 1.5 billion m³ saving credited to the plan by Aftab News in 2017, for which no source is named.","None on record: a national total of unlicensed wells in the May 2026 statement of the water-industry spokesman.","None on record: amounts, volumes or fine figures in the published account of the Supreme Audit Court plenary of December 2025.","None on record: an audit figure quantifying wasted water budgets.","None on record: court proceedings over the plan.","None on record: insurance relating to the plan."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The water-industry spokesman reported about 28,000 further unlicensed wells sealed in the year to May 2026, and no national total of unlicensed wells was given.","whoPaid":"The aquifers, which carried an annual deficit of 6 billion m³ in 2018. The plan was funded from the Ministry of Energy capital budget, with about 24,000 billion rials allocated against a stated need of over 50,000 billion rials.","statusLine":"As of May 2026: about 28,000 unlicensed wells reported sealed in the preceding year; the Supreme Audit Court approved the 1403 budget-liquidation report in December 2025; no national total of unlicensed wells and no court proceedings are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Ministry of Energy","says":"Reported 44,572 unlicensed wells sealed from 1394 to the first half of 1397 and cited about 500,000 licensed and 320,000 unlicensed wells.","when":"2018–2021","src":1},{"actor":"Supreme Audit Court","says":"Its head said installing precise consumption meters was vital and violators would face serious action and heavy fines.","when":"5 December 2025","src":10},{"actor":"Majlis Research Center","says":"Its report, as summarised by Taadol, put the remaining plan cost at over 50,000 billion rials against about 24,000 billion rials allocated.","when":"April 2018","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Government; plan and budget bills"},{"id":"iran-ministry-of-energy","role":"Runs the plan; capital budget source; sealing and metering"},{"id":"majlis-research-center","role":"Parliamentary research body; stated plan needs and allocations"},{"id":"iran-supreme-audit-court","role":"Approved the 1403 budget-liquidation report incl. water and meters"},{"id":"iran-ministry-of-agriculture","role":"Research institute head cited 380,000 unlicensed wells"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Number of unlicensed wells in Iran","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Unnamed officials via Global Voices (2017)","says":"About 220,000 unlicensed wells.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Deputy Energy Minister Qasem Taghizadeh Khamesi (11 November 2018)","says":"More than 300,000 unlicensed wells, up from about 100,000 twelve years earlier.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Energy (cited October 2019 and March 2021)","says":"About 320,000 unlicensed wells and about 500,000 licensed.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Mohsen Rafati, Ministry of Agriculture research institute (6 January 2019)","says":"380,000 unlicensed wells out of 763,000.","src":1}]},{"point":"Total number of wells in Iran","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mohsen Rafati, Ministry of Agriculture research institute (6 January 2019)","says":"763,000 wells, of which 380,000 unlicensed.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Energy (cited October 2019 and March 2021)","says":"About 500,000 licensed and 320,000 unlicensed wells.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"wells_sealed","value":44572,"unit":"wells","year":2018,"note":"Unlicensed wells sealed from Iranian year 1394 to the first half of 1397 (Ministry of Energy); combined volume 2.257 billion m³."},{"key":"wells_sealed","value":28000,"unit":"wells","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Unlicensed wells sealed from the previous year to 17 May 2026 (water-industry spokesman)."},{"key":"unlicensed_wells","value":380000,"unit":"wells","year":2019,"note":"Ministry of Agriculture research institute, of 763,000 wells."},{"key":"unlicensed_wells","value":320000,"unit":"wells","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ministry of Energy, also cited 2021."},{"key":"unlicensed_wells","value":300000,"unit":"wells","year":2018,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Deputy Energy Minister, up from about 100,000 twelve years earlier."},{"key":"unlicensed_well_extraction_bcm","value":8500000000,"unit":"m³/yr","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Doubled over twelve years (deputy energy minister)."},{"key":"unlicensed_well_extraction_bcm","value":4700000000,"unit":"m³/yr","year":2019,"qualifier":"over","note":"Of about 42 billion m³ drawn yearly from aquifers (plan secretary)."},{"key":"aquifer_deficit_bcm","value":6000000000,"unit":"m³/yr","year":2018,"note":"Annual storage deficit (Majlis Research Center via Taadol)."},{"key":"aquifer_deficit_bcm","value":126500000000,"unit":"m³","year":2018,"note":"Cumulative deficit over 48 years (same source)."},{"key":"drilling_ban_areas","value":353,"unit":"areas","year":2018,"note":"Of 609 study areas."},{"key":"plan_cost_need","value":50000000000000,"unit":"rials","year":2018,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Remaining plan activities."},{"key":"plan_allocation","value":24000000000000,"unit":"rials","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ministry of Energy capital budget."},{"key":"plan_allocation","value":1730000000000,"unit":"rials","year":2017,"note":"Allocated in Iranian year 1396 of 4,000 billion rials approved."},{"key":"authorized_well_extraction_mcm","value":450,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"North Khorasan, 3,400 authorized wells."},{"key":"unlicensed_well_extraction_mcm","value":35,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2021,"note":"North Khorasan, over 4,000 unlicensed wells."},{"key":"groundwater_fee_per_m3","value":10,"unit":"qeran/m³","year":2025,"note":"1405 budget bill, licensed wells with smart meters following the cropping pattern (3 in 1404)."},{"key":"groundwater_fine_per_m3","value":250,"unit":"qeran/m³","year":2025,"note":"1405 budget bill, unlicensed wells following the cropping pattern (80 in 1404)."},{"key":"cumulative_depletion_km3","value":133,"unit":"km³","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Nonrenewable groundwater, national (Noori et al., PNAS)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A state programme to seal unlicensed wells, meter licensed ones and balance 609 aquifer study areas was funded below its stated need: about 24,000 billion rials allocated against over 50,000 billion rials needed, according to the Majlis Research Center in 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ministry of Energy","what":"Capital budget allocation of about 24,000 billion rials for the remaining plan activities","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Operators of sealed wells","what":"44,572 unlicensed wells sealed from 1394 to the first half of 1397","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Iran's aquifers","what":"Annual storage deficit of 6 billion m³ and a cumulative deficit of 126.5 billion m³ over 48 years, per the Majlis Research Center (2018)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide, across 609 study areas; sealing figures include Tehran, Isfahan, Fars, Kerman, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, West Azerbaijan and Hamedan.","src":5},"when":{"t":"Plan drafted in Iranian year 1384 (2005/06), implemented from 1394 (2015), end date stated as 1400 (2021/22); latest figures May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Groundwater supplied about 55% of national water, and over 98% of water-sector funds had gone to surface water before the plan.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sealing of unlicensed wells, smart meters on licensed agricultural wells, patrol and inspection, a monitoring network, a water market in 609 plains, and fees and fines on extraction in the budget law.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Funds allocated were about 24,000 billion rials against a stated need of over 50,000 billion rials.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Groundwater's urgent need for funding (summary of a Majlis Research Center report)","p":"Taadol (relaying the Majlis Research Center)","d":"2018-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.taadolnewspaper.ir/fa/news/119320/نیاز-فوری-آب-های-زیرزمینی-به-اعتبارات"},{"t":"How many unlicensed wells do we have?","p":"Eghtesadnews","d":"2019-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadnews.com/بخش-اقتصاد-در-رسانه-ها-67/260749-چه-تعداد-چاه-غیرمجاز-در-کشور-داریم"},{"t":"300,000 unlicensed wells in the country","p":"Asr Iran (IRNA)","d":"2018-11-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/653412/300-هزار-چاه-غیرمجاز-در-کشور"},{"t":"Electrification of Agro-Wells Gains Momentum","p":"EghtesadOnline","d":"2019-10-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/748619/electrification-of-agro-wells-gains-momentum"},{"t":"Smart Water Use Remains a Priority","p":"EghtesadOnline","d":"2021-03-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/786192/smart-water-use-remains-a-priority"},{"t":"28,000 unlicensed wells sealed in the country","p":"Asr Iran (ISNA)","d":"2026-05-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/1163568/انسداد-28-هزار-چاه-غیرمجاز-در-کشور"},{"t":"The 12th government's plan to save groundwater","p":"Aftab News","d":"2017-11-02","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/486738/تدبیر-دولت-دوازدهم-برای-نجات-آب-های-زیرزمینی"},{"t":"Fees and fines for water extraction from licensed and unlicensed wells set","p":"SNN","d":"2025-12-23","type":"press","u":"https://snn.ir/fa/news/1347617/عوارض-و-جریمه-برداشت-آب-از-چاه-های-مجاز-و-غیرمجاز-تعیین-شد"},{"t":"Energy minister: water market to be implemented in 609 plains","p":"Asr Iran","d":"2014-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/356268/وزیر-نیرو-بازار-آب-در-609-دشت-کشور-اجرا-می-شود"},{"t":"Is Iran's water crisis fueled by military-backed illegal wells?","p":"Global Voices","d":"2025-07-28","type":"press","u":"https://globalvoices.org/2025/07/28/is-irans-water-crisis-fueled-by-military-backed-illegal-wells/"},{"t":"Supreme Audit Court plenary on the 1403 budget-liquidation report","p":"Ecoiran","d":"2025-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://ecoiran.com/fa/tiny/news-113780"},{"t":"Anthropogenic depletion of Iran's aquifers","p":"PNAS 118(25) (Noori et al.)","d":"2021-06-14","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8237601/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-land-subsidence-tehran-and-plains","iran-groundwater-pumping-energy-subsidies","rafsanjan-pistachio-aquifer-decline","persian-gulf-water-transfer-to-central-iran","saudi-wheat-programme-and-aquifer-depletion"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Number of unlicensed wells in Iran","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Total number of wells in Iran","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: national unlicensed-well counts of about 220,000 (2017, unnamed officials via Global Voices), more than 300,000 (deputy energy minister, November 2018), 320,000 (Ministry of Energy, 2019–2021) and 380,000 (Ministry of Agriculture institute, January 2019).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the fees and fines in the 1405 budget bill, as reported by SNN, were enacted as submitted.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the basis of the 1.5 billion m³ saving credited to the plan by Aftab News in 2017, for which no source is named.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a national total of unlicensed wells in the May 2026 statement of the water-industry spokesman.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: amounts, volumes or fine figures in the published account of the Supreme Audit Court plenary of December 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an audit figure quantifying wasted water budgets.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings over the plan.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the plan.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-groundwater-pumping-energy-subsidies","title":"Electricity and diesel for groundwater pumping in Iran: subsidies and payments","dek":"The IMF estimated Iran's explicit energy subsidies at US$58.7 billion in 2019, almost 10% of GDP, according to the World Bank. Programmes to electrify diesel-powered agricultural wells were estimated at US$1.2 billion in 2019, and in 2024 the state utility Tavanir began paying farmers to cut pumping at peak hours.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Nationwide agricultural wells","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2024,"instrument":"water","types":["water","finance","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Explicit energy subsidies in Iran, 2019 (IMF estimate via World Bank)","value":"US$58.7bn","note":"Almost 10% of GDP. No figure for the share attributable to groundwater pumping is on record."},"happened":["The World Bank's Iran poverty diagnostic (Poverty Global Practice, Middle East and North Africa, November 2023) stated: \"The IMF estimated that explicit energy subsidies amounted to US$58.7 billion in 2019, almost 10 percent of GDP.\" It reported that irrigation accounts for \"as much as 92 percent of water withdrawals\" and that \"Half of these withdrawals come from groundwater, leading to overexploitation and depletion\". It cited Taheripour et al. (2020) for the finding that a 20% cut in water supply could reduce GDP by up to 7.2% against 2016.","EghtesadOnline, citing International Energy Agency data on 5 October 2019, reported that Iran paid about US$45 billion in energy subsidies in 2017, of which US$12.3 billion for electricity and US$16.5 billion for oil products. Noori et al. (PNAS, 2021) stated that \"heavily subsidized energy and water\" keep agricultural use high.","In October 2019 Tavanir and the Iran Fuel Conservation Company agreed to electrify 75,000 diesel-powered farming wells at an estimated cost of US$1.2 billion, with a claimed saving of 750 million litres of diesel a year; Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Haeri said the saved diesel could be exported at 30 cents per litre. The article reported smart meters on 100,000 agricultural wells by 2018. In March 2021 EghtesadOnline reported that the Majlis had ordered the Central Bank to provide US$80 million, via commercial banks, to Tavanir for electrifying agricultural wells.","In June 2024 Tavanir's chief executive, Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, described a scheme under which farmers who cut power during five summer peak hours receive free electricity for the other 19 hours, and Tavanir buys the saved electricity at about 2,500 toman per kWh, described as four times the supply cost; each typical well could receive about 8–10 million toman. Wells with 80% solar supply were exempt from load management (Ecoiran, 17 June 2024)."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Smart metering phase 1 on agricultural wells begins","src":null},{"y":2017,"t":"Iran pays about US$45 billion in energy subsidies, per IEA data cited in 2019","src":1},{"y":2018,"t":"Smart meters reported on 100,000 agricultural wells","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"IMF estimate of US$58.7 billion explicit energy subsidies; Tavanir–Iran Fuel Conservation Company agreement to electrify 75,000 diesel wells (Oct)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Majlis orders the Central Bank to provide US$80 million to Tavanir for electrifying agricultural wells (6 Mar)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Tavanir scheme paying farmers to cut pumping at peak hours (17 Jun)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The IMF estimated that explicit energy subsidies amounted to US$58.7 billion in 2019, almost 10 percent of GDP.","who":"World Bank, Iran poverty diagnostic","when":"November 2023","src":0},{"q":"Half of these withdrawals come from groundwater, leading to overexploitation and depletion.","who":"World Bank, Iran poverty diagnostic","when":"November 2023","src":0},{"q":"heavily subsidized energy and water","who":"Noori et al., PNAS","when":"June 2021","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"Electrifying 75,000 diesel wells was presented as saving 750 million litres of diesel a year, which could be exported at 30 cents per litre.","who":"Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Haeri (EghtesadOnline, 5 October 2019)","src":1},{"t":"The peak-hour payment scheme was presented as load management, with saved electricity bought at about four times the supply cost.","who":"Tavanir CEO Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi (Ecoiran, 17 June 2024)","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Explicit energy subsidies of US$58.7 billion in 2019, almost 10% of GDP (IMF estimate via World Bank).","src":0},{"t":"Irrigation accounts for as much as 92% of water withdrawals, half of them from groundwater.","src":0},{"t":"About US$45 billion in energy subsidies in 2017: US$12.3 billion for electricity and US$16.5 billion for oil products (IEA data via EghtesadOnline).","src":1},{"t":"Agreement to electrify 75,000 diesel farming wells at an estimated US$1.2 billion; US$80 million ordered from the Central Bank to Tavanir in 2021.","src":2},{"t":"Tavanir buys saved electricity at about 2,500 toman per kWh; about 8–10 million toman per typical well.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Subsidy attributable to groundwater pumping","amount":null,"note":"Not measured: no World Bank or IMF estimate of the subsidy attributable to groundwater pumping in Iran."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Explicit energy subsidies, 2019 (IMF estimate via World Bank)","amount":58700,"window":"2019","note":"Almost 10% of GDP."},{"label":"Energy subsidies, 2017 (IEA data via EghtesadOnline)","amount":45000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2017","note":"Of which US$12.3 billion for electricity and US$16.5 billion for oil products."},{"label":"Estimated cost of electrifying 75,000 diesel farming wells","amount":1200,"window":"2019","note":"Tavanir–Iran Fuel Conservation Company agreement, October 2019."},{"label":"Central Bank funding ordered for Tavanir to electrify agricultural wells","amount":80,"window":"2021","note":"Provided via commercial banks."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Explicit energy subsidies, 2019","v":"US$58.7bn","d":"Almost 10% of GDP (IMF via World Bank)"},{"k":"Irrigation share of withdrawals","v":"up to 92%","d":"Half of them from groundwater"},{"k":"Diesel wells to electrify","v":"75,000","d":"Estimated cost US$1.2 billion"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"World Bank diagnostic and a peer-reviewed national groundwater study link subsidised energy to groundwater use; the extra water pumped because of the subsidy is not quantified.","report":[{"t":"Half of the water withdrawn for irrigation comes from me, leading to overexploitation and depletion, according to the World Bank (2023).","src":0},{"t":"Heavily subsidized energy and water keep agricultural use of my aquifers high, according to Noori et al. (2021).","src":4}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the extra groundwater pumped because of subsidised electricity and diesel; sources link subsidised pumping to over-extraction without quantifying it.","None on record: an official figure for the cost price versus the tariff of agricultural electricity, or for the total pumping subsidy in rials.","Not disclosed: the domestic diesel price or subsidy figure in the 2019 Tavanir–Iran Fuel Conservation Company agreement.","None on record: a World Bank or IMF estimate of the subsidy attributable to groundwater pumping in Iran.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance relating to the pumping subsidies."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The most recent measure on record is the June 2024 Tavanir scheme paying farmers to cut power at peak hours.","whoPaid":"Public budgets and utilities carry the subsidies; the aquifers carry the over-extraction that the World Bank and Noori et al. link to them. No figure splits the subsidy between groundwater pumping and other uses.","statusLine":"As of June 2024: Tavanir was paying farmers about 2,500 toman per kWh saved at peak hours; no quantified subsidy for groundwater pumping, court case or insurance is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Tavanir","says":"Its chief executive presented the peak-hour payment scheme as load management.","when":"17 June 2024","src":3},{"actor":"Ministry of Energy","says":"Deputy Energy Minister Homayoun Haeri presented electrification of diesel wells as a diesel saving that could be exported at 30 cents per litre.","when":"October 2019","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Sets energy prices; Majlis ordered the Central Bank funding"},{"id":"tavanir","role":"State electricity utility; electrification programme and peak-hour payments"},{"id":"iran-fuel-conservation-company","role":"Party to the 2019 agreement to electrify diesel wells"},{"id":"iran-ministry-of-energy","role":"Deputy minister presented the diesel-saving claim"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Published the 2023 diagnostic citing the IMF subsidy estimate"},{"id":"imf","role":"Source of the US$58.7 billion explicit subsidy estimate"},{"id":"iea","role":"Source of the 2017 subsidy figures"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"subsidy","value":58700,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Explicit energy subsidies (IMF estimate via World Bank); almost 10% of GDP."},{"key":"subsidy","value":45000,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Energy subsidies per IEA data cited by EghtesadOnline."},{"key":"subsidy","value":12300,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Electricity portion."},{"key":"subsidy","value":16500,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Oil products portion."},{"key":"irrigation_share_of_withdrawals","value":92,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"as much as","note":"World Bank; half of withdrawals from groundwater."},{"key":"wells_to_electrify","value":75000,"unit":"wells","year":2019,"note":"Diesel farming wells under the Tavanir–Iran Fuel Conservation Company agreement."},{"key":"electrification_cost","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Estimated cost."},{"key":"diesel_saving","value":750000000,"unit":"litres/yr","year":2019,"note":"Claimed saving."},{"key":"central_bank_funding","value":80,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Ordered by the Majlis for Tavanir."},{"key":"smart_metered_wells","value":100000,"unit":"wells","year":2018,"note":"Agricultural wells with smart meters, as reported in 2019."},{"key":"peak_payment_per_kwh","value":2500,"unit":"toman/kWh","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tavanir purchase price, described as four times the supply cost."},{"key":"payment_per_well","value":9000000,"unit":"toman","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"8–10 million toman per typical well."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Iran subsidised electricity and diesel for agricultural wells and, from 2019, funded programmes to electrify diesel wells and later to pay farmers to cut peak-hour pumping; the World Bank and a peer-reviewed study link subsidised energy to groundwater over-extraction.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers operating agricultural wells","what":"Subsidised electricity and diesel; payments of about 8–10 million toman per typical well under the 2024 scheme","src":3},{"who":"Iran Fuel Conservation Company and Tavanir","what":"Parties to the October 2019 agreement to electrify 75,000 diesel wells at an estimated US$1.2 billion","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Public budget and utilities","what":"Explicit energy subsidies of US$58.7 billion in 2019, almost 10% of GDP","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Iran's aquifers","what":"Half of irrigation withdrawals come from groundwater, leading to overexploitation and depletion (World Bank, 2023)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Agricultural wells nationwide.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Smart metering from 2014; subsidy figures for 2017 and 2019; electrification agreement October 2019; Majlis funding order 2021; peak-hour payments June 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Subsidised energy and water keep agricultural use high (Noori et al., 2021); the electrification programme was justified as a diesel saving and the 2024 scheme as load management.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Underpriced electricity and diesel, electrification of diesel wells, smart meters, and payments of about 2,500 toman per kWh saved at peak hours.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Iran poverty diagnostic, Poverty Global Practice, Middle East and North Africa","p":"World Bank","d":"2023-11","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099110623175541902/pdf/P1777150fa1dcd02108b55086af5f3268f5.pdf"},{"t":"Electrification of Agro-Wells Gains Momentum","p":"EghtesadOnline","d":"2019-10-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/748619/electrification-of-agro-wells-gains-momentum"},{"t":"Smart Water Use Remains a Priority","p":"EghtesadOnline","d":"2021-03-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/786192/smart-water-use-remains-a-priority"},{"t":"Farmers' electricity becomes free","p":"Ecoiran","d":"2024-06-17","type":"press","u":"https://ecoiran.com/fa/tiny/news-65690"},{"t":"Anthropogenic depletion of Iran's aquifers","p":"PNAS 118(25) (Noori et al.)","d":"2021-06-14","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8237601/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-groundwater-restoration-plan-wells","rafsanjan-pistachio-aquifer-decline","iran-land-subsidence-tehran-and-plains","saudi-wheat-programme-and-aquifer-depletion"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Subsidy attributable to groundwater pumping — Not measured: no World Bank or IMF estimate of the subsidy attributable to groundwater pumping in Iran.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the extra groundwater pumped because of subsidised electricity and diesel; sources link subsidised pumping to over-extraction without quantifying it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an official figure for the cost price versus the tariff of agricultural electricity, or for the total pumping subsidy in rials.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the domestic diesel price or subsidy figure in the 2019 Tavanir–Iran Fuel Conservation Company agreement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a World Bank or IMF estimate of the subsidy attributable to groundwater pumping in Iran.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance relating to the pumping subsidies.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rafsanjan-pistachio-aquifer-decline","title":"Rafsanjan pistachio plain: aquifer decline, subsidence and export revenue","dek":"The water table of the Rafsanjan plain in Kerman Province fell about 17 m between 1983 and 2017, and satellite studies measured subsidence of 30 cm per year or more. Iran reported pistachio exports of US$614 million in the first seven Iranian months of 2024.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":30.4,"lon":55.99,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Rafsanjan plain, Kerman Province","lat":30.4,"lon":55.99,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Bahraman plain and Anar plain, Kerman Province","role":"affected"}],"start":1960,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Water-table fall on the Rafsanjan plain, 1983–2017","value":"≈ 17 m","note":"GFZ, 2017: about 1,000 km² subsiding faster than 5 cm per year, locally more than 30 cm per year (2004–2016); Science Advances (2024) gives 37 cm per year for Rafsanjan county."},"happened":["GFZ's release of 2 February 2017, on a study by Motagh et al. in Engineering Geology (DOI 10.1016/j.enggeo.2017.01.011), stated that the water table in the Rafsanjan plain had dropped about 17 m between 1983 and 2017; that about 1,000 km² were subsiding faster than 5 cm per year, locally more than 30 cm per year (2004–2016); that groundwater volume was lost at about 300 million m³ per year; that the agricultural area had expanded 50% over 30 years; and that pistachio covered more than 90% of agricultural land in the plain.","The Science Advances study of 10 May 2024 stated that Rafsanjan county, \"known for being Iran's center of pistachio production, experiences the highest subsidence rate at an astonishing 37 cm/year\", with Arzuiyeh at 34 cm per year, and that Kerman, Rafsanjan and Sirjan each had more than 1,000 km² subsiding. Kerman province depleted about 325 MCM per year and accounted for 19% of national groundwater depletion while producing about 6% of agricultural output. Payne et al. (2025) gave a maximum vertical subsidence of about 340 mm per year in Rafsanjan, and the National Cartographic Center's head said in August 2025 that the Bahraman plain (Kerman) had the highest rate, 31 cm.","Hamid Molanouri, governor of Rafsanjan, said in February 2016 (ISNA via Tabnak) that 570 million m³ of groundwater was extracted yearly, 95% of it for agriculture, and that the Ministry of Energy called Rafsanjan the country's most critical plain. Reza Shahbazi, director general of the Hazards Office of the Geological Survey of Iran, said in February 2025 (Tejarat News) that Rafsanjan had had subsidence for more than 50 years, that the Survey dated its start to the 1340s (1960s), and recommended immediately halting excessive withdrawals and considering water markets; he gave no measured figures.","Iran's pistachio exports were US$614 million in the first seven Iranian months of 2024 (20 March–21 October), according to customs (IRICA) data reported by Tehran Times on 15 November 2024. An official of the Ministry of Agriculture's Non-Tropical Fruit Department, Dariush Salempour, gave over 175,000 tons of pistachio products worth US$1.7 billion for 2024 and about 100,000 tons worth about US$730 million for 21 March to 22 December 2025. In September 2014 Energy Minister Chitchian valued Kerman's pistachio production at 5,200 billion toman and announced a Supreme Water Council-approved water market for 609 plains. Line 1 of the Persian Gulf desalinated water transfer allocated 40 mcm per year to the Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine in Rafsanjan County."],"timeline":[{"y":1960,"t":"Subsidence begins in the Rafsanjan area, according to the Geological Survey of Iran (1340s)","src":5},{"y":1983,"t":"Start of the 1983–2017 period in which the water table fell about 17 m","src":0},{"y":2004,"t":"Start of the 2004–2016 radar period with locally more than 30 cm per year","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Energy Minister announces a water market for 609 plains and values Kerman's pistachio output (19 Sep)","src":8},{"y":2016,"t":"Rafsanjan governor cites 570 million m³ extracted yearly (11 Feb)","src":4},{"y":2017,"t":"GFZ release on Rafsanjan subsidence and pistachio production (2 Feb)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Science Advances study (10 May); pistachio exports of US$614 million in seven months reported (15 Nov)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Geological Survey of Iran calls for halting excessive withdrawals (5 Feb); Cartographic Center gives 31 cm for Bahraman (31 Aug)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"Even if in the future the recharge of water surpasses the extraction, the reservoir is not able to load more water.","who":"Mahdi Motagh, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences","when":"February 2017","src":0},{"q":"known for being Iran's center of pistachio production, experiences the highest subsidence rate at an astonishing 37 cm/year","who":"Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh, Science Advances (on Rafsanjan county)","when":"May 2024","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The Ministry of Energy called Rafsanjan the country's most critical plain; 570 million m³ of groundwater extracted yearly, 95% for agriculture.","who":"Rafsanjan governor Hamid Molanouri (Tabnak, 11 February 2016)","src":4},{"t":"Rafsanjan has had subsidence for more than 50 years; excessive withdrawals should be halted immediately and water markets considered.","who":"Reza Shahbazi, Geological Survey of Iran (Tejarat News, 5 February 2025)","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Water table down about 17 m in 1983–2017; about 300 million m³ of groundwater volume lost per year; about 1,000 km² subsiding faster than 5 cm per year.","src":0},{"t":"Pistachio covers more than 90% of agricultural land in the plain; the agricultural area expanded 50% over 30 years.","src":0},{"t":"Kerman province: about 325 MCM per year depleted, 19% of national groundwater depletion, about 6% of agricultural output.","src":1},{"t":"Subsidence of 37 cm per year in Rafsanjan county (2014–2020); about 340 mm per year maximum (Payne et al.); 31 cm in the Bahraman plain (Cartographic Center, 2025).","src":1},{"t":"Pistachio exports of US$614 million in the first seven Iranian months of 2024; over 175,000 tons worth US$1.7 billion for 2024.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Spending on aquifer restoration or well buy-outs in Rafsanjan","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Iran pistachio exports, first seven Iranian months of 2024 (20 March–21 October)","amount":614,"window":"2024","note":"IRICA data via Tehran Times; national figure."},{"label":"Iran pistachio exports, 2024 (over 175,000 tons)","amount":1700,"window":"2024","note":"Ministry of Agriculture official, via Qazinform/TV BRICS on the TCCIM English site; page undated."},{"label":"Iran pistachio exports, 21 March–22 December 2025 (about 100,000 tons)","amount":730,"qualifier":"about","window":"2025","note":"Same source."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Water table","v":"−17 m","d":"Rafsanjan plain, 1983–2017 (GFZ)"},{"k":"Subsidence rate","v":"37 cm/yr","d":"Rafsanjan county, 2014–2020 (Science Advances)"},{"k":"Groundwater volume lost","v":"≈ 300 million m³/yr","d":"GFZ, 2017"},{"k":"Share of national depletion","v":"19%","d":"Kerman province, producing about 6% of agricultural output"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"GFZ release on a peer-reviewed study (2017), the Science Advances national study (2024) and Payne et al. (2025).","report":[{"t":"My Rafsanjan water table dropped about 17 m between 1983 and 2017, according to GFZ.","src":0},{"t":"I lost about 300 million m³ of groundwater volume per year, and about 1,000 km² of my plain sank faster than 5 cm per year, locally more than 30 cm, according to GFZ.","src":0},{"t":"Even if recharge later surpasses extraction, my reservoir cannot take up more water, according to GFZ's Mahdi Motagh.","src":0},{"t":"Rafsanjan county sank 37 cm per year between 2014 and 2020, the highest rate in Iran, according to the Science Advances study.","src":1},{"t":"At least 60% of the subsidence measured across Iran's aquifers between 2015 and 2023 is inelastic, according to Payne et al. (2025).","src":2}]},"unknown":["Figures differ by period and method: more than 30 cm per year locally (GFZ, 2004–2016); 37 cm per year for Rafsanjan county (Science Advances, 2014–2020); a maximum of about 340 mm per year (Payne et al., 2015–2023); 31 cm in the Bahraman plain (Cartographic Center, August 2025, time unit not stated).","Figures differ: the Rafsanjan governor gave 570 million m³ extracted yearly (2016); GFZ gave about 300 million m³ of groundwater volume lost per year (2017).","None on record: a well count or pistachio production and export figures for Rafsanjan in the GFZ 2017 release.","None on record: measured subsidence figures in the 2025 Geological Survey of Iran statement.","None on record: a functioning water market or water prices in Rafsanjan following the 2014 announcement.","None on record: a statement by the Iran Pistachio Association or by pistachio growers.","None on record: Rafsanjan-specific pistachio export share and orchard area from an official source.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance relating to the Rafsanjan aquifer."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Subsidence on the plain was measured through 2023, and the Geological Survey of Iran recommended halting excessive withdrawals in February 2025.","whoPaid":"The Rafsanjan aquifer, whose volume loss GFZ described as permanent. Pistachio exports brought Iran US$614 million in seven months of 2024; no payer for aquifer restoration is on record.","statusLine":"As of February 2025: the Geological Survey of Iran recommended immediately halting excessive withdrawals and suggested water markets; no restoration spending or functioning water market is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Governor of Rafsanjan","says":"570 million m³ of groundwater extracted yearly, 95% for agriculture; the Ministry of Energy calls Rafsanjan the country's most critical plain.","when":"11 February 2016","src":4},{"actor":"Geological Survey of Iran","says":"Excessive withdrawals should be halted immediately and water markets considered.","when":"5 February 2025","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Government; ministries cited on pistachio exports and water markets"},{"id":"gfz-potsdam","role":"Research institution that measured Rafsanjan subsidence"},{"id":"geological-survey-of-iran","role":"Recommended halting excessive withdrawals in 2025"},{"id":"iran-ministry-of-energy","role":"Called Rafsanjan the most critical plain; announced the water market"},{"id":"iran-ncc","role":"Gave 31 cm for the Bahraman plain in 2025"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"water_table_fall","value":17,"unit":"m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rafsanjan plain, 1983–2017 (GFZ)."},{"key":"subsiding_area_km2","value":1000,"unit":"km²","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Subsiding faster than 5 cm per year, 2004–2016 (GFZ)."},{"key":"max_subsidence_rate","value":30,"unit":"cm/yr","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Locally, 2004–2016 (GFZ)."},{"key":"groundwater_volume_loss_mcm","value":300000000,"unit":"m³/yr","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"GFZ."},{"key":"agricultural_area_growth","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"Over 30 years (GFZ)."},{"key":"pistachio_share_of_land","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Of agricultural land in the plain (GFZ)."},{"key":"max_subsidence_rate","value":37,"unit":"cm/yr","year":2020,"note":"Rafsanjan county, 2014–2020 (Science Advances); Arzuiyeh 34 cm per year."},{"key":"max_subsidence_rate","value":340,"unit":"mm/yr","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rafsanjan, maximum (Payne et al.)."},{"key":"aquifer_depletion_mcm","value":325,"unit":"MCM/yr","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kerman province; 19% of national groundwater depletion, about 6% of agricultural output."},{"key":"groundwater_extraction_mcm","value":570000000,"unit":"m³/yr","year":2016,"note":"Rafsanjan governor; 95% for agriculture."},{"key":"revenue","value":614,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Iran pistachio exports, 20 March–21 October 2024 (IRICA via Tehran Times)."},{"key":"revenue","value":1700,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Iran pistachio exports for 2024, over 175,000 tons."},{"key":"revenue","value":730,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Iran pistachio exports, 21 March–22 December 2025, about 100,000 tons."},{"key":"production_value","value":5200000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2014,"note":"Kerman pistachio production, valued by the Energy Minister."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Rafsanjan plain recorded a fall in the water table of about 17 m, a loss of about 300 million m³ of groundwater volume per year and subsidence of 30–37 cm per year, which GFZ attributed to unrestrained groundwater exploitation and described as permanent.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Iran's pistachio sector","what":"Exports of US$614 million in the first seven Iranian months of 2024 and US$1.7 billion for 2024 (national figures)","src":6},{"who":"Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine, Rafsanjan County","what":"40 mcm per year of desalinated Persian Gulf water allocated under Line 1","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"Land of the Rafsanjan plain","what":"Subsidence of up to 37 cm per year in Rafsanjan county, 2014–2020","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Rafsanjan aquifer","what":"Water table down about 17 m and volume loss about 300 million m³ per year, described by GFZ as permanent","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Rafsanjan plain, Kerman Province, with the Bahraman plain (Rafsanjan County) and the Anar plain nearby.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Subsidence began in the 1960s according to the Geological Survey of Iran; satellite periods 2004–2016, 2014–2020 and 2015–2023; statements to August 2025.","src":5},"why":{"t":"GFZ attributed the loss to unrestrained groundwater exploitation; agricultural area expanded 50% over 30 years and pistachio covers more than 90% of it; the Rafsanjan governor gave 95% of extraction as agricultural.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Pumping from the aquifer for orchard irrigation, measured by Envisat, ALOS and Sentinel-1 radar and by water-table records; the Geological Survey proposed halting excessive withdrawals and water markets.","src":5}},"sources":[{"t":"Land subsidence caused by unrestrained groundwater exploitation is a risk for pistachio production in Iran","p":"GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences","d":"2017-02-02","type":"academic","u":"https://www.gfz.de/en/press/news/details/land-subsidence-caused-by-unrestrained-groundwater-exploitation-is-a-risk-for-pistachio-production-in-iran"},{"t":"Uncovering the impacts of depleting aquifers: A remote sensing analysis of land subsidence in Iran","p":"Science Advances 10, eadk3039 (Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh)","d":"2024-05-10","type":"academic","u":"https://gfzpublic.gfz.de/rest/items/item_5027340_3/component/file_5027393/content"},{"t":"Widespread Extent of Irrecoverable Aquifer Depletion Revealed by Country-Wide Analysis of Land Surface Subsidence Hazard in Iran","p":"JGR Solid Earth 130(9) (Payne et al.)","d":"2025-08-27","type":"academic","u":"https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/232403"},{"t":"Confidential subsidence atlas of Iran","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2025-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/33517797.html"},{"t":"Rafsanjan governor on the Rafsanjan plain","p":"Tabnak (ISNA)","d":"2016-02-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/567208/"},{"t":"Last breaths of aquifers from Kerman to Fars","p":"Tejarat News","d":"2025-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://tejaratnews.com/بخش-استان-ها-63/966162-نفس-های-آخر-آبخوان-ها-از-کرمان-تا-فارس"},{"t":"Pistachio export stands at $614m in 7 months","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2024-11-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/506277/"},{"t":"Iran pistachio exports 2025 (Qazinform/TV BRICS)","p":"TCCIM English (undated page)","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://en.tccim.ir/story?nid=2307"},{"t":"Energy minister: water market to be implemented in 609 plains","p":"Asr Iran","d":"2014-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/356268/وزیر-نیرو-بازار-آب-در-609-دشت-کشور-اجرا-می-شود"},{"t":"850-km Pipeline to Divert Water From Persian Gulf to Kerman, Yazd","p":"EghtesadOnline (IRNA)","d":"2021-03-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/786289/850-km-pipeline-to-divert-water-from-persian-gulf-to-kerman-yazd"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-land-subsidence-tehran-and-plains","iran-groundwater-restoration-plan-wells","iran-groundwater-pumping-energy-subsidies","persian-gulf-water-transfer-to-central-iran"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Spending on aquifer restoration or well buy-outs in Rafsanjan — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ by period and method: more than 30 cm per year locally (GFZ, 2004–2016); 37 cm per year for Rafsanjan county (Science Advances, 2014–2020); a maximum of about 340 mm per year (Payne et al., 2015–2023); 31 cm in the Bahraman plain (Cartographic Center, August 2025, time unit not stated).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Rafsanjan governor gave 570 million m³ extracted yearly (2016); GFZ gave about 300 million m³ of groundwater volume lost per year (2017).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a well count or pistachio production and export figures for Rafsanjan in the GFZ 2017 release.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured subsidence figures in the 2025 Geological Survey of Iran statement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a functioning water market or water prices in Rafsanjan following the 2014 announcement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement by the Iran Pistachio Association or by pistachio growers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Rafsanjan-specific pistachio export share and orchard area from an official source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance relating to the Rafsanjan aquifer.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-capital-move-to-makran","title":"Plans to move Iran's capital to the Makran coast, 2024–2025","dek":"Iranian officials proposed moving the capital to the Makran coast, citing Tehran's water shortage and land subsidence. The then-interior minister put the cost at around US$100 billion in April 2024; AFP reported in February 2025 that there was no official budget estimate.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":25.29,"lon":60.64,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Makran coast, Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan (Chabahar)","lat":25.29,"lon":60.64,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"role":"affected"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Relocation cost stated by then-interior minister Ahmad Vahidi, April 2024","value":"≈ US$100bn","note":"Cost stated by the minister, as reported by AFP via Gulf News. AFP reported in February 2025 that no official estimate of the budget required existed."},"happened":["In April 2024 the then-interior minister, Ahmad Vahidi, said relocating the capital could cost \"around $100 billion\" (AFP via Gulf News, citing Hamshahri). Radio Farda quoted him as saying that with this cost a decision could not be made immediately. In September 2024 President Pezeshkian said \"we have no choice but to move the economic and political centre of the country to the south and near the sea\". In January 2025 government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said \"The Makran region is being seriously considered\", without a timeline. On 14 January 2025 Radio Farda quoted First Vice President Mohammadreza Aref that the government \"will not hesitate to move the capital\", with Makran a serious option, and Mohajerani that the new capital would \"definitely\" be a southern city. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the \"lost paradise\" of Makran \"must be transformed into the future economic hub of Iran and the region\" (AFP).","On 22 July 2025, at the Environment Protection Organization, Pezeshkian said that scientifically and from an expert standpoint Tehran could not continue as the capital, that had conditions allowed he would already have moved the government to Makran, and that no permit should be issued for development programmes on Iran's central plateau (Radio Farda). The same report put the Tehran dams at about 14% of capacity on 26 Tir 1404 (July 2025).","In Qazvin on about 20 November 2025, Pezeshkian said moving the capital was \"no longer a choice, it is a national necessity\", that \"we did not even have sufficient budget for it\" and that \"we cannot load more population and construction onto this area\", citing subsidence in various provinces (Ecoiran). No budget figure was given.","Critics gave differing assessments. Former Tehran mayor Pirouz Hanachi told AFP that the problems \"can be solved\" by investment; Radio Farda also quoted a description of the idea as heading down a wrong path, and economist Mohammad Tabibian called it an \"illusion\"; urban planning professor Ali Khaksar Rafsanjani said Makran was \"very vulnerable\"; lawmaker Ali Khazaei said any new city must respect Iran's \"rich culture\"; ecologist Hossein Moradi warned that climate change, water scarcity and declining rainfall limit development in Makran. In a Foreign Policy opinion piece on 26 November 2025, Nik Kowsar and Alireza Nader called relocation \"a fantasy, not a solution\", wrote that relocation sub-projects would channel contracts to Khatam al-Anbiya and affiliates, without amounts, and cited seismologists on the Makran subduction zone."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Interior minister Vahidi cites a cost of around US$100 billion (April); Pezeshkian says there is no choice but to move south (September)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Spokeswoman and first vice president say Makran is under serious consideration (January); AFP reports no official budget estimate (18 Feb); Pezeshkian at the Environment Protection Organization (22 Jul); Pezeshkian in Qazvin (about 20 Nov); Foreign Policy opinion (26 Nov)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"we have no choice but to move the economic and political centre of the country to the south and near the sea.","who":"President Masoud Pezeshkian","when":"September 2024","src":0},{"q":"The Makran region is being seriously considered.","who":"Fatemeh Mohajerani, government spokeswoman","when":"January 2025","src":0},{"q":"must be transformed into the future economic hub of Iran and the region","who":"Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on the \"lost paradise\" of Makran","when":"2025","src":0},{"q":"the government will not hesitate to move the capital","who":"Mohammadreza Aref, first vice president","when":"14 January 2025","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"scientifically and from an expert standpoint, Tehran cannot continue as the capital","who":"President Masoud Pezeshkian","when":"22 July 2025","src":3,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"had conditions allowed, I would already have moved the government to Makran","who":"President Masoud Pezeshkian","when":"22 July 2025","src":3,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"moving the capital is no longer a choice, it is a national necessity","who":"President Masoud Pezeshkian, in Qazvin","when":"about 20 November 2025","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"we did not even have sufficient budget for it","who":"President Masoud Pezeshkian, in Qazvin","when":"about 20 November 2025","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"a fantasy, not a solution","who":"Nik Kowsar and Alireza Nader, Foreign Policy opinion piece","when":"26 November 2025","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"Relocation to the south was presented as necessary because Tehran could not continue as capital and further population and construction could not be loaded onto the area.","who":"President Pezeshkian (Radio Farda, 22 July 2025; Ecoiran, November 2025)","src":4},{"t":"Makran was presented as a future economic hub of Iran and the region.","who":"Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (AFP, February 2025)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Cost of around US$100 billion stated by then-interior minister Ahmad Vahidi in April 2024.","src":0},{"t":"No official estimate of the budget required existed in February 2025 (AFP).","src":1},{"t":"In November 2025 the president said there was not sufficient budget; no budget figure was given.","src":4},{"t":"Tehran dams at about 14% of capacity on 26 Tir 1404 (July 2025).","src":3},{"t":"An ecologist warned that climate change, water scarcity and declining rainfall limit development in Makran.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024","nature":[{"label":"Environmental assessment or budget for impacts on Makran","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Relocation cost stated by then-interior minister Ahmad Vahidi","amount":100000,"qualifier":"around","window":"April 2024","note":"Cost stated by the minister, as reported by AFP via Gulf News, citing Hamshahri."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Relocation cost stated","v":"≈ US$100bn","d":"Then-interior minister, April 2024"},{"k":"Tehran dams","v":"≈ 14%","d":"Of capacity, 26 Tir 1404 (July 2025)"},{"k":"Official budget estimate","v":"none","d":"AFP, February 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements by the president and an ecologist cited by AFP and Radio Farda; no environmental assessment of a Makran capital is on record.","report":[{"t":"My Tehran dams stood at about 14% of capacity on 26 Tir 1404 (July 2025), according to Radio Farda.","src":3},{"t":"Subsidence in various provinces was cited by the president in November 2025 as a reason not to load more population and construction onto Tehran's area.","src":4},{"t":"Climate change, water scarcity and declining rainfall limit development on my Makran coast, according to ecologist Hossein Moradi, cited by AFP.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: an official budget estimate for the relocation; AFP reported on 18 February 2025 that \"There was no official estimate for the budget required to tackle Tehran's urban challenges\", and the president said in November 2025 that sufficient budget did not exist.","None on record: a timeline for the relocation (government spokeswoman, January 2025).","Unclear: the final site; Makran was described as being seriously considered.","None on record: an environmental assessment of a Makran capital.","Unclear: the announcement date of the government spokeswoman's January 2025 statement, reported as 7 or 8 January.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance relating to the relocation plan."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The relocation had not been carried out as of the statements of November 2025.","whoPaid":"Not on record. No budget exists for the relocation, according to AFP in February 2025 and to the president in November 2025.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: President Pezeshkian called relocation a national necessity and said sufficient budget did not exist; no budget figure, timeline or confirmed site is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"Makran is being seriously considered; the president described relocation as a national necessity and said sufficient budget did not exist.","when":"January–November 2025","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Proposed the relocation; president, vice president, spokeswoman and foreign minister made statements"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether moving the capital is a workable response to Tehran's water and subsidence problems","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President Pezeshkian (22 July and November 2025)","says":"Tehran cannot continue as the capital; relocation is a national necessity.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Pirouz Hanachi, former Tehran mayor (AFP, February 2025)","says":"The problems can be solved by investment.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Mohammad Tabibian, economist (Radio Farda, January 2025)","says":"The idea is an \"illusion\".","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ali Khaksar Rafsanjani, urban planning professor (AFP, February 2025)","says":"Makran is \"very vulnerable\".","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Nik Kowsar and Alireza Nader, Foreign Policy opinion (26 November 2025)","says":"Relocation is \"a fantasy, not a solution\"; sub-projects would channel contracts to Khatam al-Anbiya and affiliates (opinion, no amounts); seismologists cite Makran subduction-zone risk.","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"relocation_cost_estimate","value":100000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"around","note":"Stated by then-interior minister Ahmad Vahidi, April 2024."},{"key":"tehran_dam_capacity","value":14,"unit":"% of capacity","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"26 Tir 1404 (July 2025), Radio Farda."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Officials proposed moving Iran's capital to the Makran coast, citing Tehran's water shortage and land subsidence; the then-interior minister put the cost at around US$100 billion and no official budget estimate exists.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Tehran's water supply and land","what":"Dams at about 14% of capacity in July 2025; subsidence cited by the president in November 2025","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"The Makran coast (Sistan-Baluchestan and Hormozgan, Gulf of Oman) as the proposed site; Tehran as the capital to be left.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Cost statement April 2024; presidential statement September 2024; announcements January 2025; statements July and November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Officials cited Tehran's water shortage, subsidence and inability to support more population and construction.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Statements by the president, vice president, spokeswoman and ministers; no budget line, timeline or final site on record.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Iran mulls moving capital to 'lost paradise' on southern coast","p":"AFP via Gulf News","d":"2025-02-18","type":"press","u":"https://gulfnews.com/amp/story/world%2Fmena%2Firan-mulls-moving-capital-to-lost-paradise-on-southern-coast-1.500039528"},{"t":"Iran mulls moving capital to 'lost paradise' on southern coast","p":"Al-Monitor (AFP)","d":"2025-02-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/02/iran-mulls-moving-capital-lost-paradise-southern-coast"},{"t":"Makran coast, new candidate for Iran's capital","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2025-01-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/makran-coast-new-candidate-capital-iran/33271332.html"},{"t":"Pezeshkian on Tehran and central plateau permits","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2025-07-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/pezeshkian-iran-water-electricity-supplies-crisis/33480962.html"},{"t":"Pezeshkian in Qazvin on capital relocation","p":"Ecoiran","d":"2025-11-20","type":"press","u":"https://ecoiran.com/fa/tiny/news-112198"},{"t":"Iran Can't Run Away From Tehran's Disasters (opinion)","p":"Foreign Policy (Kowsar & Nader)","d":"2025-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/26/tehran-iran-water-quakes/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-land-subsidence-tehran-and-plains","persian-gulf-water-transfer-to-central-iran","rafsanjan-pistachio-aquifer-decline"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental assessment or budget for impacts on Makran — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether moving the capital is a workable response to Tehran's water and subsidence problems","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an official budget estimate for the relocation; AFP reported on 18 February 2025 that \"There was no official estimate for the budget required to tackle Tehran's urban challenges\", and the president said in November 2025 that sufficient budget did not exist.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a timeline for the relocation (government spokeswoman, January 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the final site; Makran was described as being seriously considered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an environmental assessment of a Makran capital.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the announcement date of the government spokeswoman's January 2025 statement, reported as 7 or 8 January.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance relating to the relocation plan.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"persian-gulf-water-transfer-to-central-iran","title":"Persian Gulf and Oman Sea desalinated water transfer to Kerman, Yazd and Isfahan","dek":"A pipeline and desalination programme carries seawater from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea to mines and steel plants in Kerman, Yazd and Isfahan, financed by the National Development Fund, Iranian banks and the mining and steel companies that receive most of the water. The first 850 km line was reported at US$1 billion for 180 mcm per year.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":27.18,"lon":56.27,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan (intake and desalination, line 1)","lat":27.18,"lon":56.27,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Sirik / Oman Sea (Isfahan line)","role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Gol-Gohar (Sirjan), Sarcheshmeh (Rafsanjan County), Chadormalu (Ardakan, Yazd), Mobarakeh Steel (Isfahan)","lat":32.35,"lon":51.47,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hamburg (Iranian-European Bank)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2016,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water","finance","mining"],"headline":{"label":"Reported cost of the first 850 km line to Kerman and Yazd","value":"US$1bn","note":"180 mcm per year; about US$585 million from Chadormalu, Gol-Gohar and National Iranian Copper Industries (EghtesadOnline citing IRNA, March 2021)."},"happened":["EghtesadOnline, citing IRNA on 16 March 2021, reported an 850 km line carrying 180 mcm per year at a total cost of US$1 billion: about US$360 million borrowed from the National Development Fund and the Hamburg-based Iranian-European Bank (EIH, affiliated with the Bank of Industry and Mine), without a split; US$55 million invested by nine banks including Melli, Parsian, Tejarat and Sepah; and the remaining US$585 million from Chadormalu, Gol-Gohar and National Iranian Copper Industries. Water was allocated 45 mcm to Gol-Gohar, 40 mcm to the Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine and 30 mcm to Chadormalu, with the remainder for drinking water. Three further pipelines were estimated at US$6.5 billion for 550 mcm per year. The Persian Gulf Water Supply and Transmission Company began work in 2016, phase 1 to Gol-Gohar came online in November 2020, and the line to Sarcheshmeh and Chadormalu in March 2021, when President Rouhani ordered the start of line 2.","Entekhab (Eghtesad News), on 14 March 2021, described four lines across seven provinces with stated investments of 23,000 billion toman (line 1), 47,000 (line 2), 35,000 (line 3, Isfahan) and 39,000 (line 4, Chabahar–Zabol) and a stated total of 140,000 billion toman. The National Development Fund allocated US$400 million in Iranian year 1396 (2017) to start, of which US$280 million had been used, according to Minister Alireza Razm-Hosseini. Financiers of line 2 were named as Mobarakeh Steel, Gol-Gohar, Chadormalu, National Iranian Copper Industries, Sangan, Opal Parsian and Khorasan Steel, and of line 3 Mobarakeh Steel, Esfahan Steel (Zob Ahan) and the Isfahan Refinery. No construction contractors were named.","Donya-e-Eqtesad (23 May 2023) reported the Oman Sea–Isfahan line's phase 1 at 25,000 billion toman and phase 2 at 50,000 billion toman, and Mobarakeh Steel's chief executive, Tayebnia, as saying Mobarakeh had put in the most capital, partly in steel sheets, with six contractors. Fararu (30 September 2023) put phase 2 at 113,000 billion toman over a 980 km route, with a phase 1 target of 70 mcm per year and later 400 mcm per year, most of it for industry according to Energy Minister Mehrabian; costs were to be covered by large Isfahan industries, and 14 contractors worked at 24 sites, none named. President Raisi launched phase 2 of the Isfahan line around 29 September 2023.","On about 6 December 2025 President Pezeshkian ordered the Sirjan–Isfahan line into operation (Hamshahri citing IRNA and the Presidential Office; Nabz-e Bourse; Etemad): investment of 35,000 billion toman, with \"major participation\" of the Mobarakeh Steel Group, 800 km, built over two years. Minister Seyed Mohammad Atabak said the line brings Mobarakeh Steel's use of Zayandeh Rud water to zero; Isfahan governor Mehdi Jamalinejad said phase 1 could cut annual groundwater withdrawal in the Zayandeh Rud basin by 10–15%, and by over 40% in later phases, and help revive the Gavkhouni wetland.","The Science Advances study (May 2024) described water transfer from the Persian Gulf basin as a temporary solution that does \"not resolve downstream water scarcity issues and may exacerbate conflicts between local communities\". Mobarakeh Steel's chief executive said the transfer was economically justified because the plant cannot be moved; unnamed experts quoted by Donya-e-Eqtesad in 2023 called it the fastest fix but the \"worst option\" because of high operating and renewal costs; EghtesadOnline wrote in 2021 that \"Environmentalists and independent economists are skeptical of the project\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Persian Gulf Water Supply and Transmission Company starts work","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"National Development Fund allocates US$400 million to start the lines (Iranian year 1396)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"Phase 1 to Gol-Gohar online (November)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Line to Sarcheshmeh and Chadormalu online; President Rouhani orders start of line 2 (March)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Donya-e-Eqtesad gives phase costs (23 May); President Raisi launches phase 2 of the Isfahan line (about 29 Sep)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"President Pezeshkian orders the Sirjan–Isfahan line into operation (about 6 Dec)","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"major participation of Mobarakeh Steel Group","who":"Hamshahri, citing IRNA and the Presidential Office, on the Sirjan–Isfahan line","when":"6 December 2025","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"not resolve downstream water scarcity issues and may exacerbate conflicts between local communities","who":"Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh, Science Advances (on water transfer from the Persian Gulf basin)","when":"May 2024","src":7},{"q":"Environmentalists and independent economists are skeptical of the project.","who":"EghtesadOnline","when":"16 March 2021","src":0},{"q":"worst option","who":"Unnamed experts quoted by Donya-e-Eqtesad","when":"23 May 2023","src":3,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The Sirjan–Isfahan line brings Mobarakeh Steel's use of Zayandeh Rud water to zero.","who":"Minister Seyed Mohammad Atabak (6 December 2025)","src":4},{"t":"Phase 1 could cut annual groundwater withdrawal in the Zayandeh Rud basin by 10–15%, over 40% in later phases, and help revive the Gavkhouni wetland.","who":"Isfahan governor Mehdi Jamalinejad (6 December 2025), a projection","src":4},{"t":"The transfer is economically justified because the plant cannot be moved.","who":"Mobarakeh Steel chief executive Tayebnia (23 May 2023)","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"First line: 850 km, 180 mcm per year, US$1 billion; US$585 million from Chadormalu, Gol-Gohar and National Iranian Copper Industries; about US$360 million from the National Development Fund and the Iranian-European Bank; US$55 million from nine banks.","src":0},{"t":"Water allocation on line 1: Gol-Gohar 45 mcm, Sarcheshmeh 40 mcm, Chadormalu 30 mcm, the remainder drinking water.","src":0},{"t":"Fararu: most water on the Isfahan line to industry (Energy Minister Mehrabian); costs to be covered by large Isfahan industries.","src":2},{"t":"National Development Fund: US$400 million allocated in 1396 (2017), US$280 million used by March 2021.","src":1},{"t":"Sirjan–Isfahan line: 800 km, 35,000 billion toman, built over two years, major participation of Mobarakeh Steel Group.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Line 1, reported March 2021","nature":[{"label":"Measured spending on brine discharge or energy use","amount":null,"note":"Not measured: no figures on brine discharge into the Persian Gulf or Oman Sea or on energy use per m³."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Total cost of the 850 km line to Kerman and Yazd","amount":1000,"window":"2021","note":"180 mcm per year."},{"label":"Borrowed from the National Development Fund and the Iranian-European Bank (EIH)","amount":360,"qualifier":"about","window":"2021","note":"Split between the two not given."},{"label":"Invested by nine banks (including Melli, Parsian, Tejarat, Sepah)","amount":55,"window":"2021"},{"label":"Invested by Chadormalu, Gol-Gohar and National Iranian Copper Industries","amount":585,"window":"2021"},{"label":"National Development Fund allocation, Iranian year 1396 (2017)","amount":400,"window":"2017","note":"US$280 million used by March 2021 (Minister Alireza Razm-Hosseini)."},{"label":"Three further pipelines (estimate, 550 mcm per year)","amount":6500,"window":"2021","note":"Estimate."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Line 1","v":"850 km, 180 mcm/yr","d":"Reported cost US$1 billion (March 2021)"},{"k":"Allocation on line 1","v":"45 / 40 / 30 mcm/yr","d":"Gol-Gohar, Sarcheshmeh and Chadormalu; the remainder for drinking water"},{"k":"Groundwater cut projected","v":"10–15%","d":"Zayandeh Rud basin, phase 1 (Isfahan governor; projection)"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the split between the National Development Fund and the Iranian-European Bank (EIH) of the about US$360 million borrowed for line 1.","Not measured: brine discharge into the Persian Gulf or Oman Sea, and energy use per m³ of transferred water; the December 2025 inauguration report does not mention either.","Figures differ: Entekhab gave a total of 140,000 billion toman for four lines while its per-line figures were 23,000, 47,000, 35,000 and 39,000 billion toman.","Figures differ: phase 1 of the Isfahan line was given as 25,000 billion toman (Donya-e-Eqtesad, May 2023) and, in a form that may be a misprint, as 5/25 thousand billion toman (Fararu, September 2023); phase 2 as 50,000 billion toman (Donya-e-Eqtesad) and 113,000 billion toman (Fararu); the Sirjan–Isfahan line as 35,000 billion toman (December 2025).","None on record: construction contractors named in any official-sourced article; Fararu gave 14 contractors at 24 sites and Donya-e-Eqtesad six contractors, none named.","None on record: capacity and cost in the December 2025 inauguration report of Etemad.","None on record: a drinking-water share for the Isfahan line.","None on record: delivered volumes after December 2025.","None on record: repayment terms of the National Development Fund loan.","None on record: insurance relating to the project."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The Sirjan–Isfahan line was ordered into operation on about 6 December 2025, and no measurements of brine discharge or energy use are on record.","whoPaid":"Mining and steel companies funded about US$585 million of the first US$1 billion line, with the National Development Fund, the Iranian-European Bank and nine banks funding the rest; for the Isfahan line the sources name Mobarakeh Steel, Esfahan Steel (Zob Ahan) and the Isfahan Refinery as financiers. The receiving environment of the intake and discharge is unmeasured.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: the Sirjan–Isfahan line was ordered into operation (about 6 December 2025); delivered volumes, brine and energy-use data are not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Mobarakeh Steel","says":"Its chief executive said the transfer was economically justified because the plant cannot be moved and that Mobarakeh had put in the most capital, partly in steel sheets.","when":"23 May 2023","src":3},{"actor":"Ministry of Industry","says":"Minister Alireza Razm-Hosseini said the region faced huge challenges in meeting demand.","when":"March 2021","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Ordered the lines into operation; ministers made statements"},{"id":"iran-national-development-fund","role":"Lender; allocated US$400 million in 2017"},{"id":"iranian-european-bank","role":"Hamburg-based lender to the first line"},{"id":"mobarakeh-steel","role":"Financier and recipient of Isfahan-line water"},{"id":"gol-gohar","role":"Financier and recipient of 45 mcm per year on line 1"},{"id":"nicico","role":"Financier; Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine receives 40 mcm per year"},{"id":"chadormalu","role":"Financier and recipient of 30 mcm per year on line 1"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the transfer helps or harms water scarcity in the receiving regions","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Isfahan governor Mehdi Jamalinejad (6 December 2025)","says":"Phase 1 could cut annual groundwater withdrawal in the Zayandeh Rud basin by 10–15%, over 40% in later phases, and help revive the Gavkhouni wetland (projection).","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Minister Seyed Mohammad Atabak (6 December 2025)","says":"The line brings Mobarakeh Steel's use of Zayandeh Rud water to zero.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh, Science Advances (2024)","says":"Water transfer from the Persian Gulf basin is a temporary solution that does not resolve downstream water scarcity issues and may exacerbate conflicts between local communities.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"Unnamed experts quoted by Donya-e-Eqtesad (23 May 2023)","says":"The fastest fix but the \"worst option\" because of high operating and renewal costs; some prefer relocating industry to Makran.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"EghtesadOnline (16 March 2021)","says":"Environmentalists and independent economists are skeptical of the project.","src":0}]},{"point":"Cost of the Isfahan line","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Donya-e-Eqtesad (23 May 2023)","says":"Phase 1 at 25,000 billion toman; phase 2 at 50,000 billion toman.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Fararu (30 September 2023)","says":"Phase 2 at 113,000 billion toman over a 980 km route; phase 1 figure printed as 5/25 thousand billion toman.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Entekhab (14 March 2021)","says":"Line 3 (Isfahan) at 35,000 billion toman.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Hamshahri, Nabz-e Bourse and Etemad (6 December 2025)","says":"The 800 km Sirjan–Isfahan line at 35,000 billion toman, built over two years.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"line_length","value":850,"unit":"km","year":2021,"note":"Line 1 to Kerman and Yazd."},{"key":"capacity","value":180,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2021,"note":"Line 1."},{"key":"project_cost","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Line 1."},{"key":"financing","value":360,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"National Development Fund and Iranian-European Bank."},{"key":"financing","value":55,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Nine banks."},{"key":"financing","value":585,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Chadormalu, Gol-Gohar and National Iranian Copper Industries."},{"key":"allocation","value":45,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2021,"note":"Gol-Gohar."},{"key":"allocation","value":40,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2021,"note":"Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine."},{"key":"allocation","value":30,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2021,"note":"Chadormalu."},{"key":"further_pipelines_cost","value":6500,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Three more pipelines, 550 mcm per year (estimate)."},{"key":"ndf_allocation","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"National Development Fund, Iranian year 1396; US$280 million used by March 2021."},{"key":"project_cost","value":35000000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2025,"note":"Sirjan–Isfahan line, 800 km."},{"key":"project_cost","value":140000000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2021,"note":"Stated total of four lines (Entekhab)."},{"key":"capacity","value":400,"unit":"mcm/yr","year":2023,"note":"Isfahan line later target (Fararu); phase 1 target 70 mcm per year."},{"key":"groundwater_cut_projected","value":15,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Phase 1, Zayandeh Rud basin, 10–15% (Isfahan governor; projection)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A pipeline and desalination programme carries seawater from the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea to mines and steel plants in Kerman, Yazd and Isfahan, with mining and steel companies financing much of the first line and receiving most of its water.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gol-Gohar, Sarcheshmeh Copper Mine and Chadormalu","what":"45, 40 and 30 mcm per year of the 180 mcm per year on line 1","src":0},{"who":"Mobarakeh Steel","what":"Use of Zayandeh Rud water brought to zero by the Sirjan–Isfahan line, according to Minister Atabak","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Chadormalu, Gol-Gohar and National Iranian Copper Industries","what":"Funded about US$585 million of the first US$1 billion line","src":0},{"who":"National Development Fund and Iranian-European Bank","what":"Lent about US$360 million; National Development Fund allocated US$400 million in 2017","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Aquifers of the Zayandeh Rud basin","what":"Groundwater withdrawal that the Isfahan governor projected phase 1 would cut by 10–15%","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Intake and desalination at Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan (line 1) and on the Oman Sea (Isfahan line); destinations at Gol-Gohar (Sirjan), Sarcheshmeh (Rafsanjan County), Chadormalu (Ardakan, Yazd) and Mobarakeh Steel (Isfahan).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Work began in 2016; line 1 online November 2020 and March 2021; phase 2 of the Isfahan line launched about 29 September 2023; Sirjan–Isfahan line ordered into operation about 6 December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Depletion of central-plateau water; Minister Razm-Hosseini said the region faced huge challenges meeting demand, and Mobarakeh Steel said it could not move its plant.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Desalination plus 850 km and 800 km pipelines, financed by the National Development Fund, the Iranian-European Bank, nine banks and the mining and steel companies that receive the water.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"850-km Pipeline to Divert Water From Persian Gulf to Kerman, Yazd","p":"EghtesadOnline (IRNA)","d":"2021-03-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/786289/850-km-pipeline-to-divert-water-from-persian-gulf-to-kerman-yazd"},{"t":"Start of operations on the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea water transfer lines","p":"Entekhab (Eghtesad News)","d":"2021-03-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.entekhab.ir/fa/news/607374/"},{"t":"Oman water reaches Isfahan","p":"Fararu","d":"2023-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://fararu.com/fa/news/669044/"},{"t":"Is the end of the drought near?","p":"Donya-e-Eqtesad","d":"2023-05-23","type":"press","u":"https://donya-e-eqtesad.com/fa/tiny/news-3970010"},{"t":"Pezeshkian orders Oman Sea water transfer","p":"Hamshahri Online (IRNA)","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/1000095/"},{"t":"Inauguration of the Oman Sea–central plateau line","p":"Nabz-e Bourse","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://nabzebourse.com/fa/news/118937/"},{"t":"Sea water reaches Isfahan","p":"Etemad","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.etemadonline.com/بخش-اجتماعی-23/750814-آب-دریا-اصفهان"},{"t":"Uncovering the impacts of depleting aquifers: A remote sensing analysis of land subsidence in Iran","p":"Science Advances 10, eadk3039 (Haghshenas Haghighi & Motagh)","d":"2024-05-10","type":"academic","u":"https://gfzpublic.gfz.de/rest/items/item_5027340_3/component/file_5027393/content"}],"episodes":[],"related":["rafsanjan-pistachio-aquifer-decline","iran-capital-move-to-makran","iran-land-subsidence-tehran-and-plains","iran-groundwater-restoration-plan-wells"],"natureLead":{"t":"An 850 km line was reported in March 2021 to carry 180 million cubic metres of my desalinated Persian Gulf water a year; 45, 40 and 30 million were allocated to Gol-Gohar, Sarcheshmeh and Chadormalu.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the transfer helps or harms water scarcity in the receiving regions","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Measured spending on brine discharge or energy use — Not measured: no figures on brine discharge into the Persian Gulf or Oman Sea or on energy use per m³.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cost of the Isfahan line","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the split between the National Development Fund and the Iranian-European Bank (EIH) of the about US$360 million borrowed for line 1.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: brine discharge into the Persian Gulf or Oman Sea, and energy use per m³ of transferred water; the December 2025 inauguration report does not mention either.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Entekhab gave a total of 140,000 billion toman for four lines while its per-line figures were 23,000, 47,000, 35,000 and 39,000 billion toman.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: phase 1 of the Isfahan line was given as 25,000 billion toman (Donya-e-Eqtesad, May 2023) and, in a form that may be a misprint, as 5/25 thousand billion toman (Fararu, September 2023); phase 2 as 50,000 billion toman (Donya-e-Eqtesad) and 113,000 billion toman (Fararu); the Sirjan–Isfahan line as 35,000 billion toman (December 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: construction contractors named in any official-sourced article; Fararu gave 14 contractors at 24 sites and Donya-e-Eqtesad six contractors, none named.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: capacity and cost in the December 2025 inauguration report of Etemad.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a drinking-water share for the Isfahan line.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: delivered volumes after December 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: repayment terms of the National Development Fund loan.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the project.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"asiatic-cheetah-conservation-project-iran","title":"Asiatic cheetah conservation project in Iran: 25 years of funding and a count of 26 animals","dek":"The Global Environment Facility, UNDP and Iran's Department of Environment funded the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project from 2001, and the Department took it over alone in December 2017. In August 2025 and August 2026 the Department counted 26 Asiatic cheetahs, 20 in the wild and 6 in captivity.","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","region":"Middle East","lat":35.8,"lon":56,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Semnan Province (Touran Biosphere Reserve)","lat":35.8,"lon":56,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Semnan Province (Shahroud–Sabzevar highway)","lat":36.4,"lon":56,"role":"affected"}],"start":2000,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2000-09-12","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Asiatic cheetahs counted by the Department of Environment, August 2025","value":"26","note":"20 wild and 6 captive. Other counts: 43 (Nature, December 2017), 12 (Department of Environment, January 2022), 17 (Department head, March 2025)."},"happened":["The Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project (CACP) began with a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant of US$725,000 approved on 12 September 2000, with the Department of Environment (DoE) as executing partner under the UNDP/GEF project IRA/00/G35. The Wildlife Conservation Society, the Cheetah Conservation Fund and the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group were among its partners; Panthera later replaced the Wildlife Conservation Society. Phase I ran from 2001 to 2008. Its terminal evaluation, written in 2009, recorded disbursements of US$724,300.00 from UNDP/GEF and US$858,405.89 from the DoE (US$1,582,405.89 in total) and listed 32 new game guards, protected areas created or upgraded, and grazing and access rights bought in Majerad (Touran), Ab Nar Oasis (Naybandan) and Miandasht.","Phase II started in 2009. A 2013 article by the freelance journalist Sam Khosravifard gave its budget as “$4 million funded by national and international organizations”, without a breakdown. In November 2017 UNDP announced that it would not extend the project; the Tehran Times reported its stated reasons as its own funding challenges and its view that Iran could run the project independently. UNDP support ended in December 2017. A DoE budget proposal of 15 billion rials (“nearly $375,000”) was agreed between the DoE chief, Isa Kalantari, and the head of the Budget and Planning Organization, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, and 10 billion rials were reallocated from other DoE projects to cover the cheetah project's deficit. Hamid Zohrabi of the DoE said the department had to support the project “with tight DOE budget”.","On 18 August 2018 the DoE and UNDP announced a drafted five-year Phase III covering migration corridors outside protected areas, ranger training, captive breeding and alternative livelihoods. Zohrabi said “the phase's finances will be assessed once the agreement is finalized”. In 2022 a captive pair at the Touran breeding centre produced three cubs by Caesarean section; one died on 4 May 2022, the second about two weeks later, and the third, Pirouz, on 28 February 2023 of acute kidney failure. The DoE reported no births at the centre in the 2026 breeding season and revised the national cheetah programme in August 2026 to include livestock and camel control, waterhole monitoring, anti-poaching, road safety, camera traps and community initiatives.","Counts of the animal differ by source and year. The Phase I final report, quoted in the 2009 evaluation, gave 50–100 animals in 2000 and 71–122 as a “very rough” total in 2008, which the evaluators called speculative. A Nature letter of 7 December 2017 put the total at 43; the DoE head, Shina Ansari, gave 17 in March 2025; the DoE gave 26 in August 2025 and August 2026. The DoE said about 85 cheetahs had died from human-related factors since 2001. Road accidents accounted for 52% of cheetah deaths, according to Iran International in March 2025."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"GEF approves the Asiatic cheetah project, ID 865, with US$725,000 (12 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Phase I ends; disbursements of US$1,582,405.89 recorded by the terminal evaluation (Sep)","src":1},{"y":2009,"t":"Phase II starts; terminal evaluation of Phase I published","src":9},{"y":2013,"t":"Phase II extension finalised for November 2013–December 2016 (3 Nov)","src":10},{"y":2017,"t":"Nature letter puts the population at 43 (7 Dec); UNDP support ends; DoE budget proposal of 15 billion rials","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"DoE and UNDP announce a drafted five-year Phase III (18 Aug)","src":6},{"y":2022,"t":"Three captive-born cubs, two die within weeks (30 Apr/1 May; 4 May)","src":14},{"y":2023,"t":"Last surviving cub, Pirouz, dies (28 Feb); a pregnant female is killed on a road in Semnan (March)","src":13},{"y":2025,"t":"DoE head gives 17 cheetahs (March); DoE gives 26 (30–31 Aug)","src":11},{"y":2026,"t":"No births at the breeding centre; programme revised (31 Aug)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"We urge Iran's government not to give up on cheetah conservation.","who":"J. Parchizadeh and S.T. Williams, Nature letter","when":"7 December 2017","src":3},{"q":"There can be no doubt that the CACP has successfully propagated cheetah conservation in Iran","who":"Terminal evaluators Breitenmoser, Alizadeh and Breitenmoser-Würsten","when":"2009","src":1},{"q":"it is impossible to judge whether these figures represent a significant decrease","who":"Terminal evaluators, on the claimed fall in human-caused cheetah deaths from 1.5 to 0.5 a year","when":"2009","src":1},{"q":"has prevented total extinction","who":"Hamid Zohrabi, Department of Environment, on the project","when":"December 2017","src":5},{"q":"the conservation efforts over the past decade. have been insufficient or ineffective","who":"Iranian Cheetah Society monitoring team, report hosted by IUCN","when":"January 2025","src":2},{"q":"I apologise to the people on behalf of myself and all my colleagues because we couldn't keep Pirouz alive.","who":"Amir Moradi, head of the Central Veterinary Hospital","when":"February 2023","src":13}],"shown":[{"t":"The project “has prevented total extinction”.","who":"Hamid Zohrabi, Department of Environment","src":5},{"t":"The primary approach is “to conserve cheetahs in their natural habitats”.","who":"Hamid Zohrabi, Department of Environment","src":8},{"t":"UNDP's withdrawal was explained by its own funding challenges and its view that Iran could run the project independently.","who":"Tehran Times, reporting UNDP's stated reasons","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Phase I disbursements: US$724,300.00 UNDP/GEF and US$858,405.89 Department of Environment, 2001–September 2008.","src":1},{"t":"Population estimates range from 200–300 (1970s) to 50–100 (2000), 43 (December 2017), 12 (January 2022), 17 (March 2025) and 26 (August 2025 and 2026), each by a different counter.","src":1},{"t":"About 85 cheetahs died from human-related factors from 2001 to August 2026, according to the Department of Environment.","src":8},{"t":"Southern habitats have had no breeding records or female sightings since 2010; Kavir National Park “has completely lost its cheetah population”.","src":2},{"t":"No budget figure was published with the 2018 Phase III draft or the August 2026 revised programme.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2000–2017, by line","nature":[{"label":"GEF grant, Phase I (approved 2000)","amount":0.725,"window":"2000","note":"US$725,000; co-financing at approval US$690,000."},{"label":"UNDP/GEF funds disbursed, Phase I","amount":0.7243,"window":"2001–Sep 2008"},{"label":"Department of Environment funds disbursed, Phase I","amount":0.85840589,"window":"2004–Sep 2008","note":"Converted from rials by the evaluators at 100 IRR = 0.0104678 US$."},{"label":"Phase I total disbursed","amount":1.58240589,"window":"2001–2008"},{"label":"Phase II budget","amount":4,"qualifier":"about","window":"2009–","note":"“$4 million funded by national and international organizations”; no breakdown (Sam Khosravifard, 2013)."},{"label":"Department of Environment budget proposal after UNDP exit","amount":0.375,"qualifier":"nearly","window":"December 2017","note":"15 billion rials; dollar figure as given by the Tehran Times."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Population estimates by successive counters show a fall from 200–300 animals in the 1970s to 26 counted by the Department of Environment in 2025, with about 85 human-related deaths since 2001 and road accidents at 52% of deaths recorded.","report":[{"t":"My Asiatic cheetahs numbered 200–300 in 44 sites over 120,000 km² in the 1970s, according to the project's final report quoted in a 2009 evaluation.","src":1},{"t":"A Nature letter in December 2017 put my cheetahs at 43 individuals in Iran.","src":3},{"t":"The Department of Environment counted 26 of my cheetahs in August 2025, 20 in the wild and 6 in captivity.","src":7},{"t":"About 85 of my cheetahs have died from human-related factors since 2001, according to the Department of Environment.","src":8},{"t":"Road accidents account for 52% of my cheetah deaths, according to Iran International in March 2025.","src":11},{"t":"My southern habitats have had no breeding records or female sightings since 2010, and Kavir National Park has lost its cheetahs, according to a 2025 monitoring report.","src":2},{"t":"One to two of my Asiatic cheetahs are killed by vehicles on Iran's roads each year, with a cluster of collisions on the Shahroud–Sabzevar highway, according to a 2018 study in Current Biology.","src":4},{"t":"My wild sheep, wild goat and jebeer gazelle prey fell by almost 50% within a decade to 2008, according to the Phase I terminal evaluation.","src":1}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Counted, Aug 2025","v":"26","d":"20 wild, 6 captive (Department of Environment)"},{"k":"1970s estimate","v":"200–300","d":"44 sites over 120,000 km² (Phase I final report)"},{"k":"Human-related deaths since 2001","v":"about 85","d":"Department of Environment, August 2026"},{"k":"Phase I funds disbursed","v":"US$1,582,405.89","d":"UNDP/GEF and Department of Environment, 2001–2008"}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: the Phase I terminal evaluation states that “neither the initial baseline information nor the newest population estimates are reliable enough” to assess whether the population increased, and that official or informal data on poaching were not available.","Disputed: counts of 12 (Department of Environment, January 2022), 17 (Department head, March 2025) and 26 (Department, August 2025 and 2026) cover the same period.","Not disclosed: the budget of the drafted Phase III (18 August 2018) and of the programme revised in August 2026; the Tehran Times articles give no figure.","None on record: a livestock-depredation compensation system after the 2004 mention; the evaluators state there is “no further evidence for the establishment of such a system”.","Insufficient: the evaluators state they have no information allowing a proper attribution of actual Phase I expenditures to activities, that the Mentoring Team “was never constituted” and that the Steering Committee “was dysfunctional”.","Unclear: the end of Phase II. Trend.az gives an extension to December 2016; the Tehran Times reports UNDP support ending in December 2017.","Unclear: the birth date of the three cubs, 30 April 2022 (Al Jazeera) or 1 May 2022 (Department release cited by CNN).","Not disclosed: the cost of building and running the Touran captive-breeding centre."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Human-related cheetah deaths continued: the Department of Environment reported about 85 from 2001 to August 2026, and it revised the national programme in August 2026 to include road safety, anti-poaching and livestock and camel control.","whoPaid":"Phase I: the GEF/UNDP (US$724,300.00) and the Department of Environment (US$858,405.89). Phase II: US$4 million “funded by national and international organizations”, without a breakdown. After UNDP support ended in December 2017: the Department of Environment, with 15 billion rials proposed in the budget.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the Department of Environment counts 26 Asiatic cheetahs (20 wild, 6 captive), the national programme has been revised, and no budget figure has been published for the revision.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Said the project had prevented total extinction and that the Department had to support it financially from its tight budget.","when":"December 2017","src":5},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"“The primary approach is to conserve cheetahs in their natural habitats”; the 2026 breeding season produced no births, which the Department partly attributed to the young age of the females.","when":"August 2026","src":8},{"actor":"undp","says":"Announced in November 2017 that it would not extend the project; Tehran Times reported its reasons as its own funding challenges and its view that Iran can run the project independently.","when":"November 2017","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"gef","role":"Approved the US$725,000 Phase I grant"},{"id":"undp","role":"GEF agency for Phase I; led Phase II; support ended December 2017"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Executing agency; funded the project alone from December 2017"},{"id":"wcs","role":"Phase I partner; contributed US$410,000"},{"id":"panthera","role":"Partner that later replaced the Wildlife Conservation Society"},{"id":"iranian-cheetah-society","role":"Authors of the 2021–2023 monitoring report"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Executing partner in the GEF database; hosts the 2025 monitoring report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many Asiatic cheetahs remain in Iran","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Phase I final report (2008), as quoted by the terminal evaluators","says":"39–52 animals in the five project sites; 71–122 as a “very rough” total. The evaluators called the figures “speculative”.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"J. Parchizadeh and S.T. Williams, Nature","says":"“just 43 individuals left in Iran” (7 December 2017).","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Hamid Zohrabi, Department of Environment","says":"“Almost 50” (December 2017); the earlier figures of 70–120 were unreliable.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment","says":"12 animals, 9 males and 3 females (January 2022, as reported).","src":12},{"voice":"government","holder":"Shina Ansari, head of the Department of Environment","says":"17 (March 2025).","src":11},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment","says":"26 in total, 20 wild and 6 captive (30 August 2025 and 31 August 2026).","src":7}]},{"point":"Whether protection under the project reduced human-caused cheetah deaths","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Phase I project (as quoted by the evaluators)","says":"Human-caused mortality fell from an average of 1.5 cheetahs a year to around 0.5.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"Terminal evaluators","says":"“It is impossible to judge whether these figures represent a significant decrease.”","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether conservation efforts have been effective","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Hamid Zohrabi, Department of Environment","says":"The project has prevented total extinction (December 2017).","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Iranian Cheetah Society monitoring team","says":"Conservation efforts over the past decade have been insufficient or ineffective, and the loss of a few key breeding adults could remove the cheetah from Iran (January 2025).","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"grant","value":725000,"unit":"USD","year":2000,"note":"GEF grant for Phase I; co-financing at approval US$690,000."},{"key":"disbursed_undp_gef","value":724300,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"Phase I, 2001–September 2008."},{"key":"disbursed_doe","value":858405.89,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"Phase I, 2004–September 2008; converted from rials by the evaluators."},{"key":"disbursed_total","value":1582405.89,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"Phase I, UNDP/GEF and Department of Environment."},{"key":"phase_2_budget","value":4,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"“$4 million funded by national and international organizations”; no breakdown."},{"key":"doe_budget_proposal","value":15000,"unit":"IRR m","year":2017,"qualifier":"nearly US$375,000","note":"Agreed between the DoE chief and the head of the Budget and Planning Organization."},{"key":"road_allocation","value":2000000,"unit":"IRR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about US$2 million","note":"Two trillion rials allocated for road-mortality reduction; the Department was following up (Tehran Times, 30 August 2025)."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":"200–300","unit":"cheetahs","year":1970,"note":"44 sites, 120,000 km²; CACP final report cited in the 2009 evaluation."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":"50–100","unit":"cheetahs","year":2000,"note":"Range of about 38,000 km²; CACP final report."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":"71–122","unit":"cheetahs","year":2008,"note":"“Very rough” total in the CACP final report; 39–52 in the five project sites; called speculative by the evaluators."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":43,"unit":"cheetahs","year":2017,"note":"J. Parchizadeh and S.T. Williams, Nature, 7 December 2017."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":"almost 50","unit":"cheetahs","year":2017,"note":"Hamid Zohrabi, Department of Environment."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":12,"unit":"cheetahs","year":2022,"note":"9 males, 3 females; Department of Environment, as reported."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":17,"unit":"cheetahs","year":2025,"note":"Shina Ansari, head of the Department of Environment, March 2025."},{"key":"population_estimate","value":26,"unit":"cheetahs","year":2025,"note":"20 wild, 6 captive; Department of Environment, August 2025 and August 2026."},{"key":"deaths_human_related","value":85,"unit":"cheetahs","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Since 2001, according to the Department of Environment."},{"key":"road_share_of_deaths","value":52,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Road accidents, as reported by Iran International."},{"key":"road_deaths_annual","value":"1–2","unit":"cheetahs per year","year":2018,"note":"Killed by vehicles on Iran's roads; Parchizadeh et al., Current Biology 28(19)."},{"key":"doe_in_kind_contribution","value":235525,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"Phase I."},{"key":"doe_cash_cofunding_budgeted","value":210000,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"Guards' salaries and other costs; estimated to be $975,500 by the end of the project."},{"key":"wcs_contribution","value":410000,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"Phase I; in-kind staff time may not be fully included."},{"key":"gef_small_grants","value":208000,"unit":"USD","year":2008,"note":"GEF Small Grants Programme, parallel funding in Phase I."},{"key":"game_guards_hired","value":32,"unit":"people","year":2008,"note":"Phase I."},{"key":"camera_trap_photos","value":797,"unit":"photos","year":2023,"note":"From 208 camera traps in Touran, 2021–2023: 6 females, 4 males, 17 cubs; none at Miandasht."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Over 25 years the GEF, UNDP and Iran's Department of Environment funded the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project and its successors, and the Department of Environment counted 26 Asiatic cheetahs in August 2025, 20 in the wild and 6 in captivity.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Iran's Department of Environment","what":"US$724,300.00 of UNDP/GEF funds disbursed in Phase I, 2001–September 2008","src":1},{"who":"Game guards","what":"32 new guards hired in Phase I; salaries paid from the GEF budget until September 2004 and by the Department from October 2004","src":1},{"who":"Herders at Majerad, Ab Nar Oasis and Miandasht","what":"Access and grazing rights bought by the Department of Environment in Phase I","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Herders","what":"According to the draft co-management strategy quoted by the evaluators, herders “have become convinced that cheetah conservation is synonymous with repression and alienation of herders from the resources they depend upon”","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Asiatic cheetah","what":"From 200–300 animals in the 1970s to 26 counted in August 2025; about 85 human-related deaths since 2001","src":8},{"who":"Wild sheep, wild goat and jebeer gazelle","what":"Fell by almost 50% within a decade to 2008, according to the Phase I evaluation","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Central Iranian plateau, mainly the Touran Biosphere Reserve in Semnan Province, with Miandasht (North Khorasan), Kavir National Park and Naybandan, Bafq and Dare-Anjir sites; road deaths cluster on the Shahroud–Sabzevar highway.","src":2},"when":{"t":"GEF approval 12 September 2000; Phase I 2001–2008; Phase II from 2009; UNDP support ended December 2017; Phase III drafted 18 August 2018; counts of 26 in August 2025 and August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The project document aimed to “secure the conservation of the Asiatic cheetah” with the support of local communities; the 2009 evaluators found all four outcomes “fulfilled partially” and the outcomes “too ambitious and unrealistic”.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through GEF/UNDP grants, Department of Environment budgets, game guards, bought grazing and access rights, protected-area upgrades and, from 2022, captive breeding.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah, its Natural Habitat and Associated Biota (GEF ID 865)","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/865"},{"t":"Terminal Evaluation Report, Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project, IRA/00/G35","p":"UNDP/GEF (Breitenmoser, Alizadeh, Breitenmoser-Würsten)","d":"2009","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://erc.undp.org/evaluation/documents/download/2697"},{"t":"Asiatic Cheetah Population Monitoring in Northern Habitats","p":"Iranian Cheetah Society team (Taktehrani et al.), hosted by IUCN","d":"2025-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://engage.iucn.org/system/files/2025-01/Asiatic%20Cheetah%20Population%20Monitoring%20in%20Northern%20Habitats.pdf"},{"t":"Save Iran's cheetah from extinction","p":"Nature (Parchizadeh and Williams)","d":"2017-12-07","type":"academic","u":"https://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-017-08188-3/d41586-017-08188-3.pdf"},{"t":"Roads threaten Asiatic cheetahs in Iran","p":"Current Biology (Parchizadeh et al.)","d":"2018-10-08","type":"academic","u":"https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/roads-threaten-asiatic-cheetahs-in-iran/"},{"t":"DOE proposes $375,000 budget for cheetah conservation","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2017-12-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/419111/DOE-proposes-375-000-budget-for-cheetah-conservation"},{"t":"Iran, UNDP prepare draft for Conservation of Asiatic Cheetah","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2018-08-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/426638/Iran-UNDP-prepare-draft-for-Conservation-of-Asiatic-Cheetah"},{"t":"Iran to commemorate National Cheetah Day","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2025-08-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/517356/Iran-to-commemorate-National-Cheetah-Day"},{"t":"Cheetah conservation plan revised with focus on reducing human threats","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2026-08-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/529543/"},{"t":"How Many Asiatic Cheetahs Roam across Iran?","p":"Scientific American blog (Sam Khosravifard)","d":"2013-03-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/guest-blog/how-many-asiatic-cheetahs-roam-across-iran/"},{"t":"CACP Phase II extension","p":"Trend","d":"2013-11-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.trend.az/iran/2209595.html"},{"t":"Only 17 Asiatic cheetahs remain in Iran, environmental chief warns","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://iranintl.com/en/202503039459"},{"t":"Another Rare Asiatic Cheetah Killed In Car Accident In Iran","p":"Iran International","d":"2023-03-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202303264594"},{"t":"Iran's Asiatic cheetah cub, Pirouz, dies of kidney failure","p":"Al Jazeera (AFP)","d":"2023-02-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/28/irans-only-endangered-cheetah-cub-pirouz-dies-of-kidney-failure"},{"t":"Rare triplet Asiatic cheetah cubs mark an important first for the species","p":"CNN via KTVZ","d":"2022-05-11","type":"press","u":"https://ktvz.com/?p=869766"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many Asiatic cheetahs remain in Iran","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether protection under the project reduced human-caused cheetah deaths","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether conservation efforts have been effective","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the Phase I terminal evaluation states that “neither the initial baseline information nor the newest population estimates are reliable enough” to assess whether the population increased, and that official or informal data on poaching were not available.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: counts of 12 (Department of Environment, January 2022), 17 (Department head, March 2025) and 26 (Department, August 2025 and 2026) cover the same period.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the budget of the drafted Phase III (18 August 2018) and of the programme revised in August 2026; the Tehran Times articles give no figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a livestock-depredation compensation system after the 2004 mention; the evaluators state there is “no further evidence for the establishment of such a system”.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the evaluators state they have no information allowing a proper attribution of actual Phase I expenditures to activities, that the Mentoring Team “was never constituted” and that the Steering Committee “was dysfunctional”.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the end of Phase II. Trend.az gives an extension to December 2016; the Tehran Times reports UNDP support ending in December 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the birth date of the three cubs, 30 April 2022 (Al Jazeera) or 1 May 2022 (Department release cited by CNN).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cost of building and running the Touran captive-breeding centre.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"persian-wildlife-heritage-foundation-arrests","title":"Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation conservationists: arrests, a death in custody and prison sentences, 2018–2024","dek":"Revolutionary Guards arrested staff of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation in January 2018 after they used camera traps to monitor Asiatic cheetahs. The founder died in custody, and on 20 November 2019 a Tehran Revolutionary Court branch convicted eight others of collaborating with the United States and sentenced them to 4–10 years; all those sentenced had been freed by April 2024.","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","region":"Middle East","lat":35.8,"lon":51.39,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran (PWHF office; Evin Prison)","lat":35.8,"lon":51.39,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran (Revolutionary Court, Branch 15)","role":"court"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Semnan Province (Touran cheetah habitat)","role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2018-01-24","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Prison terms imposed by Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, 20 November 2019","value":"4–10 years","note":"Eight defendants: seven received 6–10 years and one received 4 years. Niloufar Bayani was also ordered to return US$360,000. The foundation's founder, Kavous Seyed-Emami, died in custody on 9 February 2018, before trial."},"happened":["On 24–25 January 2018 Revolutionary Guards officials entered the office of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation (PWHF) in Tehran, went through it and the staff's homes and arrested staff. Amnesty International described the eight as being among nine scientists arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in January 2018 and held incommunicado in Section 2-A of Evin Prison without access to a lawyer. The foundation had bought 45 camera traps from Panthera in early 2017 and used camera traps to monitor Asiatic cheetahs. On 14 February 2018 the Tehran prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, said, as reported by Mehr, that a network had installed cameras ostensibly for environmental monitoring in strategic areas that in fact watched missile activities, acting under CIA and Mossad officers. Science, as reported by Mongabay, said the Revolutionary Guards alleged the team used camera traps to collect information on Iran's missile programme.","The foundation's managing director and founder, the Iranian-Canadian professor Kavous Seyed-Emami, died in Evin Prison; Iranian authorities told his wife it happened on 9 February 2018 and informed the family on 10 February. The Tehran prosecutor told ILNA that he had committed suicide in prison. His son, Raam Seyed-Emami, said the family could not believe it and the family asked for an independent autopsy. Amnesty reported that authorities refused to release the body unless the family agreed to an immediate burial without an independent autopsy and that no independent investigation had been carried out. Human Rights Watch reported that his wife's travel ban lasted until October 2019. On 23 February 2018 four UN experts called it hard to fathom how work to preserve Iranian flora and fauna could be linked to espionage and called Seyed-Emami's death “extremely disturbing”.","In May 2018 a government committee of the ministers of intelligence, interior and justice and the president's legal deputy concluded that there was no evidence to suggest the detainees were spies, according to Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. On 22 May 2018 the head of the Department of Environment, Isa Kalantari, reported this. In March 2019 Amnesty reported pre-trial charges: efsad fil arz, a charge that can carry the death penalty, against Houman Jowkar, Niloufar Bayani, Morad Tahbaz and Taher Ghadirian; espionage against Amirhossein Khaleghi, Sepideh Kashani and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh; and, for Sam Rajabi, offences including cooperating with hostile states against the Islamic Republic. The trial took place in January and February 2019 at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. Bayani told the court that she had “confessed” only after being “broken” by torture and later retracted.","On 20 November 2019 the Revolutionary Court convicted the eight of “collaborating with the enemy state of the United States”: Morad Tahbaz to 10 years; Niloufar Bayani to 10 years and an order to return US$360,000 in “illicit funds”, calculated by multiplying her latest annual UNEP salary by her six years there; Houman Jowkar and Taher Ghadirian to 8 years each; Amirhossein Khaleghi, Sepideh Kashani and Sam Rajabi to 6 years each; and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh to 4 years on a lesser charge. A Tehran appeals court upheld the sentences on 18 February 2020. The judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili, had said on 14 October 2019 that the charge had been changed to cooperating with the United States and Israel.","Kouhpayeh, Khaleghi and Rajabi were released after serving their sentences. Tahbaz was freed on 18 September 2023 in a US–Iran exchange that followed the release of “nearly $6 billion” in frozen Iranian assets from South Korea to Qatar. Bayani and Jowkar were freed on 8 April 2024 and Kashani and Ghadirian on 9 April 2024; Iran International reported that they were pardoned. The monitoring of the Asiatic cheetah had been largely camera-trap work: the chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission said in 2018 that practically the only information on the species comes from camera traps."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Revolutionary Guards arrest PWHF staff (24–25 Jan); Kavous Seyed-Emami dies in Evin Prison (9 Feb); UN experts' statement (23 Feb); government committee finds no evidence of spying (May)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Trial at Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court (Jan–Feb); Amnesty urgent action (11 Mar); verdicts communicated (20 Nov)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"Appeals court upholds the sentences (18 Feb)","src":8},{"y":2023,"t":"Morad Tahbaz freed in a US–Iran exchange (18 Sep)","src":9},{"y":2024,"t":"Niloufar Bayani and Houman Jowkar freed (8 Apr); Sepideh Kashani and Taher Ghadirian freed (9 Apr)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"he committed suicide in prison since he knew that many had made confessions against him.","who":"Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi, Tehran prosecutor, to ILNA","when":"February 2018","src":3,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"They said he committed suicide. I still can't believe this.","who":"Raam Seyed-Emami, son of Kavous Seyed-Emami","when":"February 2018","src":3},{"q":"It is hard to fathom how working to preserve the Iranian flora and fauna can possibly be linked to conducting espionage","who":"UN experts John Knox, David Kaye, Michel Forst and José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez","when":"23 February 2018","src":2},{"q":"Mr Emami's death is extremely disturbing.","who":"UN experts John Knox, David Kaye, Michel Forst and José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez","when":"23 February 2018","src":2},{"q":"merely a fishing rod","who":"Payam Derafshan, lawyer for the defendants, on the object state TV described as a spying device","when":"May 2018","src":5,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"practically the only information we have on the Asiatic cheetah comes from camera traps.","who":"Jon Paul Rodríguez, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission","when":"2018","src":7},{"q":"an unbelievable fictional scenario about espionage under the guise of protecting the environment","who":"Niloufar Bayani, in letters, describing the confession demanded of her","when":"2020","src":8},{"q":"There is no evidence that the imprisoned individuals committed any crimes.","who":"David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur","when":"2020","src":8},{"q":"We at UNEP call for clemency.","who":"Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director","when":"2020","src":8},{"q":"Such unjust sentences would be yet another hallmark of the abusive nature of Iran's revolutionary courts.","who":"Michael Page, Human Rights Watch","when":"November 2019","src":1},{"q":"This is a very bizarre charge to bring against environmental activists.","who":"Tara Sepehri Far, Human Rights Watch","when":"2018","src":7},{"q":"I am shocked.","who":"Bärbel Kofler, German human rights commissioner","when":"November 2019","src":4},{"q":"It is not easy to explain why they are being freed at this particular time.","who":"Kaveh Madani, former deputy head of the Department of Environment","when":"April 2024","src":10}],"shown":[{"t":"The cameras were installed ostensibly for environmental monitoring but in fact watched missile activities, under CIA and Mossad officers.","who":"Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, via Mehr","src":6},{"t":"An “antenna” said to be a spying device belonging to Seyed-Emami was aired on state television.","who":"State television, as described by Radio Farda","src":5},{"t":"The charge was changed to collaborating with the United States and Israel “to spy for the CIA and Mossad”.","who":"Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili, as reported by Human Rights Watch","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court convicted eight defendants on 20 November 2019 of collaborating with the enemy state of the United States, with sentences of 4–10 years.","src":1},{"t":"Niloufar Bayani was ordered to return US$360,000 in “illicit funds”, calculated from her UNEP salary over six years.","src":1},{"t":"A Tehran appeals court upheld the sentences on 18 February 2020.","src":8},{"t":"A government committee concluded in May 2018 that there was no evidence the detainees were spies.","src":0},{"t":"Kavous Seyed-Emami died in custody on 9 February 2018; authorities gave suicide as the cause; no independent autopsy or investigation took place.","src":0},{"t":"Amnesty recorded at least 63 conservationists, environmental scientists and activists arrested in Iran in 2018.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019 order","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Amount Niloufar Bayani was ordered to return as “illicit funds”","amount":0.36,"window":"20 November 2019","note":"Annual UNEP salary multiplied by six years (Human Rights Watch)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The arrested group included cheetah field researchers, and the chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission said camera traps provide practically the only information on the Asiatic cheetah.","report":[{"t":"Two of the people arrested for monitoring me were key cheetah field researchers; Houman Jowkar was national director of the Conservation of the Asiatic Cheetah Project in 2012.","src":11},{"t":"The IUCN Species Survival Commission chair said in 2018 that practically the only information about me, the Asiatic cheetah, comes from camera traps.","src":7},{"t":"In 2018, at least 63 conservationists, environmental scientists and activists were arrested in Iran, according to Amnesty International.","src":0}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Prison terms, 2019","v":"4–10 years","d":"Eight convictions at Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court"},{"k":"Order to return funds","v":"US$360,000","d":"Niloufar Bayani, calculated from six years of UNEP salary"},{"k":"Environmental activists arrested in Iran, 2018","v":"at least 63","d":"Amnesty International"},{"k":"Death in custody","v":"1","d":"Kavous Seyed-Emami, 9 February 2018"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the effect of the arrests on cheetah monitoring in Iran.","None on record: an independent investigation into the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami; Amnesty (2019), Human Rights Watch (2019) and the family (2020) state that none was allowed.","Not disclosed: the written judgments. Human Rights Watch reports that the defendants were not allowed to read the full indictment or evidence file; Amnesty reports they had no lawyer of their own choosing at any stage.","Not disclosed: the amount of the “illicit income” Morad Tahbaz was ordered to repay.","Unclear: the exact release dates of Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, Amirhossein Khaleghi and Sam Rajabi.","Unclear: whether the “illicit funds” orders were enforced or ended with the 2024 pardons.","Unclear: the arrest date: 24 January 2018 in most sources; one Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty article body gives “February 24”."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not on record. The eight convicted were released between 2020 and April 2024 and the founder died in custody in February 2018; no source describes the state of cheetah monitoring afterwards.","whoPaid":"The defendants served prison terms of up to 10 years, Niloufar Bayani was ordered to return US$360,000, and Kavous Seyed-Emami died in custody. Whether the order was enforced is not on record.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: all eight convicted conservationists had been released; the convictions of 20 November 2019 stand in the court record and the 2024 releases were described as pardons; no independent investigation of Seyed-Emami's death has been allowed.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-judiciary","says":"Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili confirmed the Branch 15 verdicts and said the charge had been changed to cooperating with the United States and Israel; on 18 February 2020 he said seven were convicted of cooperating with the hostile state of the US, with 6–10 years, and one with 4 years.","when":"October 2019 – February 2020","src":1},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"The Department head, Isa Kalantari, said on 22 May 2018 that a government committee had found no evidence they were spies.","when":"22 May 2018","src":1},{"actor":"panthera","says":"Said its last material interaction with the foundation was in early 2017, when the foundation purchased 45 camera traps from Panthera, and that unnamed authorities, presumably American, had asked it not to comment during the trial.","when":"December 2019","src":8},{"actor":"unep","says":"UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen called for clemency.","when":"2020","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"persian-wildlife-heritage-foundation","role":"Conservation NGO whose staff were arrested"},{"id":"iran-irgc","role":"Arrested the staff; alleged the camera traps collected missile information"},{"id":"iran-revolutionary-court","role":"Branch 15 convicted eight defendants on 20 November 2019"},{"id":"iran-judiciary","role":"Spokesman confirmed verdicts and the changed charge"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Its head reported the government committee's finding"},{"id":"panthera","role":"Sold 45 camera traps to the foundation in early 2017"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"Documented the arrests, detention and trial"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Documented the verdicts and sentences"},{"id":"un-human-rights-experts","role":"Called for release and an impartial investigation"},{"id":"unep","role":"Employer of Niloufar Bayani as a consultant; called for clemency"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the camera-trap monitoring was espionage","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi (via Mehr, 14 February 2018)","says":"The cameras installed for environmental monitoring in strategic areas in fact watched missile activities, under CIA and Mossad guidance.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Revolutionary Guards (per Science, as reported by Mongabay, October 2018)","says":"The team used camera traps to collect information on Iran's missile programme.","src":7},{"voice":"court","holder":"Branch 15, Tehran Revolutionary Court (20 November 2019)","says":"Convicted eight defendants of collaborating with the enemy state of the United States.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Isa Kalantari, head of the Department of Environment (22 May 2018)","says":"A government committee of the intelligence, interior and justice ministers and the president's legal deputy found no evidence they were spies.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi (as reported by Radio Farda, May 2018)","says":"These individuals are not spies.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Niloufar Bayani","says":"She told the court she “confessed” only after being “broken” by torture and later retracted; her letters describe at least 1,200 hours of interrogation.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Payam Derafshan, lawyer for the defendants","says":"The object described as a spy antenna was “merely a fishing rod”.","src":5},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN experts (23 February 2018)","says":"It is hard to fathom how work to preserve Iranian flora and fauna can be linked to espionage; they called for release and an impartial investigation.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"David R. Boyd, UN Special Rapporteur (2020)","says":"There is no evidence against the imprisoned individuals.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International (March 2019)","says":"A “grossly unfair trial” that “relied almost entirely on ‘confessions’ allegedly made under torture”; it called the defendants prisoners of conscience.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch (November 2019)","says":"Called the sentences unjust and said they reflected the abusive nature of Iran's revolutionary courts.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Panthera","says":"Its last material interaction with the foundation was the 2017 sale of 45 camera traps.","src":8}]},{"point":"How Kavous Seyed-Emami died","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi, to ILNA","says":"He committed suicide in prison.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Raam Seyed-Emami and the family","says":"The family could not believe the suicide account and asked for an independent autopsy.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International (2019)","says":"Authorities refused to release his body unless the family agreed to an immediate burial without an independent autopsy; no independent investigation was held.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch (2019)","says":"The family described the circumstances as suspicious and authorities had not conducted an impartial investigation.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN experts (23 February 2018)","says":"His death was “extremely disturbing”; they called for an impartial investigation.","src":2}]},{"point":"Fairness of the 2019 trial and sentences","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili","says":"Confirmed the verdicts of Branch 15 and, on 18 February 2020, the upholding of the sentences on appeal.","src":8},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"Defendants were not allowed to read the full indictment or the evidence file.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"The defendants had no lawyer of their own choosing at any stage.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Bärbel Kofler, German human rights commissioner","says":"“I am shocked.” She urged the release of the conservationists.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of PWHF conservationists for collaborating with the United States","forum":"Branch 15, Revolutionary Court, Tehran","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tehran prosecutors","defendant":"Morad Tahbaz, Niloufar Bayani, Houman Jowkar, Taher Ghadirian, Amirhossein Khaleghi, Sepideh Kashani, Sam Rajabi, Abdolreza Kouhpayeh","filed":2018,"decided":2019,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.36,"currency":"USD","label":"ordered returned by Niloufar Bayani as “illicit funds”"},"summary":"Trial in January–February 2019. On 20 November 2019 the court convicted the eight of “collaborating with the enemy state of the United States” and sentenced Morad Tahbaz to 10 years; Niloufar Bayani to 10 years and the return of US$360,000; Houman Jowkar and Taher Ghadirian to 8 years; Amirhossein Khaleghi, Sepideh Kashani and Sam Rajabi to 6 years; and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh to 4 years on a lesser charge (“collusion”, per Mongabay). Pre-trial charges reported by Amnesty in March 2019 were efsad fil arz (which can carry the death penalty), espionage, and cooperating with hostile states. Morad Tahbaz was also ordered to repay “illicit income”; the amount was not reported.","src":1},{"title":"Appeal by the PWHF defendants","forum":"Court of appeal, Tehran","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"appeal","claimant":"The defendants (appellants)","defendant":"State prosecution","filed":2019,"decided":2020,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 18 February 2020 the appeals court upheld the sentences. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili said seven were convicted of cooperating with the hostile state of the United States and sentenced to 6–10 years, and Abdolreza Kouhpayeh to 4 years.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"arrested_pwhf","value":9,"unit":"scientists","year":2018,"note":"Eight of the defendants are described by Amnesty as among nine scientists arrested by the Revolutionary Guards in January 2018."},{"key":"arrested_iran_2018","value":63,"unit":"conservationists, scientists and activists","year":2018,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Amnesty International, March 2019."},{"key":"camera_traps_bought","value":45,"unit":"camera traps","year":2017,"note":"Bought by the foundation from Panthera in early 2017; price not stated."},{"key":"restitution_ordered","value":360000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"note":"Niloufar Bayani, “illicit funds”: latest annual UNEP salary multiplied by six years."},{"key":"interrogation_hours","value":1200,"unit":"hours","year":2018,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Niloufar Bayani's account in letters, as reported by Mongabay."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":10,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Morad Tahbaz."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":10,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Niloufar Bayani."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":8,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Houman Jowkar."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":8,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Taher Ghadirian."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":6,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Amirhossein Khaleghi."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":6,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Sepideh Kashani."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":6,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Sam Rajabi."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":4,"unit":"years","year":2019,"note":"Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, lesser charge."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"Kavous Seyed-Emami, in Evin Prison, 9 February 2018 (authorities' date)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Staff of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation, who monitored Asiatic cheetahs with camera traps, were arrested in January 2018; the founder died in custody, and on 20 November 2019 a Tehran Revolutionary Court branch convicted eight of collaborating with the United States and sentenced them to 4–10 years.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Eight convicted PWHF conservationists","what":"Prison terms of 4–10 years; all had been released by April 2024","src":1},{"who":"Niloufar Bayani","what":"Ordered to return US$360,000 in “illicit funds”","src":1},{"who":"Kavous Seyed-Emami and his family","what":"He died in custody on 9 February 2018; his wife was banned from leaving the country until October 2019","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Asiatic cheetah monitoring","what":"Two of the defendants were key cheetah field researchers, and camera traps provide practically the only information on the species, according to the IUCN Species Survival Commission chair","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Tehran: the foundation's office, Evin Prison Section 2-A under Revolutionary Guards control, and Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court; field work in cheetah habitats including Touran, Semnan Province.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Arrests on 24–25 January 2018; Seyed-Emami's death on 9 February 2018; trial in January–February 2019; verdicts on 20 November 2019; appeal decided on 18 February 2020; releases from September 2023 to April 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Tehran prosecutor and the Revolutionary Guards said the camera traps gathered information on missile activities; the defendants, a government committee, UN experts, Amnesty and Human Rights Watch said there was no evidence of spying. The court convicted the eight of collaborating with the United States.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Revolutionary Guards officers arrested staff, held them incommunicado in Evin Prison, and Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court tried them in 2019; Amnesty reported that the trial relied almost entirely on “confessions” allegedly made under torture.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Urgent Action UA 33/19: Tortured conservationists face death penalty (MDE 13/9978/2019)","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2019-03-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/MDE1399782019ENGLISH.pdf"},{"t":"Iran: Environmentalists Sentenced","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2019-11-22","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/11/22/iran-environmentalists-sentenced"},{"t":"UN Experts: Iran's Spying Charges Against Wildlife Activists “Hard to Fathom”","p":"Center for Human Rights in Iran (reproducing the UN experts' statement)","d":"2018-02-23","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iranhumanrights.org/?p=28899"},{"t":"Iranian-Canadian Activist Dies In Tehran Prison, Family Told","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2018-02-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-canada-activist-emami-dies-in-prison-update/29032930.html"},{"t":"German rights commissioner urges release of Iranian conservationists","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2019-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/german-rights-commissioner-urges-release-of-iranian-conservationists/30287322.html"},{"t":"Environmental activists' lawyer: Seyed-Emami's alleged spying device was a fishing rod (Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2018-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/f4_seyyed_emami_spying_device/29238637.html"},{"t":"New details on how environmental activists spied / target: missile programme (Persian; prosecutor's allegations via Mehr)","p":"Eghtesad News (Mehr)","d":"2018-02-14","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://www.eghtesadnews.com/بخش-سایر-رسانه-ها-61/201621-جزئیات-جدید-از-نحوه-جاسوسی-فعالان-محیط-زیست-هدف-برنامه-موشکی"},{"t":"Four wildlife conservationists held by Iran could face the death penalty","p":"Mongabay","d":"2018-11-27","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2018/11/four-wildlife-conservationists-held-by-iran-could-face-the-death-penalty/"},{"t":"Iran upholds heavy sentences for conservationists convicted of spying","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-02-21","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/02/iran-upholds-heavy-sentences-for-conservationists-convicted-of-spying/"},{"t":"US-Iran prisoner swap: Morad Tahbaz","p":"WBUR / Connecticut Public","d":"2023-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.wbur.org/news/2023/09/19/us-iran-prisoner-swap-connecticut-morad-tahbaz"},{"t":"PWHF conservationists freed","p":"Iran International","d":"2024-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202404093869"},{"t":"How Many Asiatic Cheetahs Roam across Iran?","p":"Scientific American blog (Sam Khosravifard)","d":"2013-03-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/guest-blog/how-many-asiatic-cheetahs-roam-across-iran/"}],"related":["asiatic-cheetah-conservation-project-iran"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the camera-trap monitoring was espionage","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How Kavous Seyed-Emami died","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Fairness of the 2019 trial and sentences","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the effect of the arrests on cheetah monitoring in Iran.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an independent investigation into the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami; Amnesty (2019), Human Rights Watch (2019) and the family (2020) state that none was allowed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the written judgments. Human Rights Watch reports that the defendants were not allowed to read the full indictment or evidence file; Amnesty reports they had no lawyer of their own choosing at any stage.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the “illicit income” Morad Tahbaz was ordered to repay.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the exact release dates of Abdolreza Kouhpayeh, Amirhossein Khaleghi and Sam Rajabi.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the “illicit funds” orders were enforced or ended with the 2024 pardons.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the arrest date: 24 January 2018 in most sources; one Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty article body gives “February 24”.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hyrcanian-forests-logging-moratorium","title":"Hyrcanian forests logging moratorium: announced budgets, partial allocation and the 2025 Elit fire","dek":"Iran halted commercial logging in its northern Hyrcanian forests from late 2016 and wrote the ban into the Sixth Development Plan in January 2017. Officials announced budgets and a compensation credit; the amounts actually paid to forestry-plan operators are not on record, and a wildfire in November 2025 drew a CHF 500,000 IFRC allocation.","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","region":"Middle East","lat":36.45,"lon":51.35,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces (Hyrcanian forests)","lat":36.45,"lon":51.35,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Mazandaran (Elit fire, between Chalus and Marzanabad)","lat":36.45,"lon":51.35,"role":"affected"}],"start":2015,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2016-11-01","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","finance","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the 800 billion rial forest-protection budget allocated by June 2017","value":"about 20%","note":"Eghtesad Online, 16 June 2017, on the budget for implementing the Forest Protection Law."},"happened":["On 15 December 2015 Khodakaram Jalali, then head of the Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization (FRWO), said a plan to halt logging in the northern forests was ready pending funds of 200–250 billion toman a year. In Aban 1395 (October–November 2016) the Agriculture Minister's directive halted commercial logging and a “forest rest” plan began in Gilan. On 13 November 2016 Jalali, by then a deputy minister, put the credit needed at 300 billion toman over five years, or two to three if funded on time, and said the Planning and Budget Organization had agreed to include it in the 1396 (2017) budget. On 6 December 2016 the Parliament Speaker, Ali Larijani, proposed a 10-year ban with cancellation of contracts and payment of damages.","The ban was approved in law in January 2017 under Article 38(F) of the Sixth Development Plan (2017–2022). In a letter to UNESCO dated 5 February 2019, the head of the FRWO high council, Kamran Pourmoghadam, wrote that “all kind of wood cutting and harvesting of the Hyrcanian Forests is prohibited. Now, these forests are only under care and protection measures”. UNESCO inscribed the Hyrcanian Forests on 5 July 2019 and stated that logging, grazing, hunting and most other uses are “strictly prohibited within all component parts”. Jalali said harvests had been about 2 million cubic metres a year for two decades against about 500,000 in 2016, with 40 of 110 logging plans halted in 2016 and the rest within five years.","Funding was announced in several amounts. In December 2016 funds of 3 trillion rials (“about $74 million”) were reported for the bill's measures, which FRWO deputy Nasser Moqaddasi called insufficient. For implementing the Forest Protection Law, 800 billion rials (“about $23.2 million”) were budgeted, and about 20% had been allocated by June 2017, according to Eghtesad Online. For compensation of damages from the rest plan, “a credit of 80 billion toman has been forecast” for 1396 (2017–18), according to MP Ali Mohammad Shaari, who said the ministry wanted a one-year phase-out but unemployment among forest companies' workers led to three years, and called the directive “contrary to the Sixth Development Plan law”. Contracts with forestry-plan operators were due to end at the close of 1396 (March 2018). Environmental officials said in December 2020 that the necessary budget was not allocated, leaving the plan half-implemented.","Accounts of the plan's effect differ. In 2016 Jalali said damage to the forest would “reach zero”. In 2019 the researcher Khosrow Saghib Talebi said timber smuggling had increased instead of decreasing, and FRWO deputy Mohammadali Fakhari said the replacement plan, which allowed harvest only in planted forests and of fallen trees, was not designed to produce timber. In December 2020 officials said about 42% of the Hyrcanian forests were being destroyed and the forest-guard association said millions of trees had died over five to six years from excessive and unlawful exploitation.","A fire started near Elit, between Chalus and Marzanabad in Mazandaran, burned intermittently for weeks from 31 October 2025 and re-ignited in mid-November; Turkish aircraft and Revolutionary Guards water bombers were deployed. The Mazandaran governor, Mahdi Younesi, gave the burned area as about 8 hectares; the IFRC, citing media, wrote of at least 10–15 hectares in the Elit sector alone. The FRWO head, Reza Aflatouni, declined to give the extent. The IFRC allocated CHF 500,000 from its Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) to the Iranian Red Crescent on 7 December 2025 for the 2025 forest wildfires, which also hit eastern Golestan."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"FRWO head says a plan to halt northern logging is ready pending funds of 200–250 billion toman a year (15 Dec)","src":2},{"y":2016,"t":"Agriculture Minister's directive halts commercial logging; forest rest plan starts in Gilan (Oct–Nov); Larijani proposes a 10-year ban with damages (6 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2017,"t":"Ban approved in law (January); 800 billion rials budgeted, about 20% allocated by June","src":6},{"y":2018,"t":"Contracts with forestry-plan operators due to end (March)","src":7},{"y":2019,"t":"UNESCO inscribes the Hyrcanian Forests (5 Jul); FRWO replacement plan allows harvest only in planted forests and of fallen trees","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Officials say the plan is half-implemented and about 42% of the forests are being destroyed (December)","src":9},{"y":2025,"t":"Elit fire from 31 October; international help requested 21–22 November; IFRC DREF of CHF 500,000 (7 Dec)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"all kind of wood cutting and harvesting of the Hyrcanian Forests is prohibited. Now, these forests are only under care and protection measures","who":"Kamran Pourmoghadam, head of the FRWO high council, letter to UNESCO","when":"5 February 2019","src":1},{"q":"Damage to the forest will reach zero","who":"Khodakaram Jalali, FRWO","when":"13 November 2016","src":3,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"We need to stop looking at these forests as timber showrooms.","who":"Hadi Kiadaliri, head of the Forestry Association","when":"December 2016","src":5},{"q":"timber smuggling increased instead of decreasing","who":"Khosrow Saghib Talebi, researcher","when":"September 2019","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"The initial idea. was good, but its incomplete implementation made it ineffective","who":"Khosrow Saghib Talebi, researcher","when":"September 2019","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"was not prepared with the aim of producing timber","who":"Mohammadali Fakhari, FRWO deputy, on the replacement plan","when":"September 2019","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"the necessary budget was not allocated","who":"Environmental officials","when":"December 2020","src":9,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"State TV should not make the sweetness of such management bitter for people's taste.","who":"Reza Aflatouni, FRWO head, on state television","when":"November 2025","src":11},{"q":"contrary to the Sixth Development Plan law","who":"Ali Mohammad Shaari, MP for Behshahr, Neka and Galugah, on the one-year directive","when":"January 2018","src":7,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"After approval of the Sixth Development Plan all wood cutting and harvesting in the Hyrcanian Forests is prohibited and the forests are under care and protection only.","who":"Iran's supplementary information to UNESCO, 2019","src":1},{"t":"Damage to the forest will reach zero.","who":"FRWO's Khodakaram Jalali, 2016","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"The ban has statutory basis in Article 38(F) of the Sixth Development Plan.","src":1},{"t":"About 20% of the 800 billion rial Forest Protection Law budget was allocated by June 2017.","src":6},{"t":"A credit of 80 billion toman was forecast for compensation in 1396 (2017–18); the amount paid to operators is not on record.","src":7},{"t":"The IFRC allocated CHF 500,000 to the Iranian Red Crescent for the 2025 forest wildfires.","src":10},{"t":"The Elit fire burned about 8 hectares according to the Mazandaran governor and at least 10–15 hectares in the Elit sector according to the IFRC, citing media.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Officials and press reported forest loss to logging and wildfires, continued smuggling and a fire in the UNESCO-listed property in 2025; the extent of the 2025 burned area is disputed.","report":[{"t":"In recent years 7.1% of my northern woodland was lost to logging and wildfires, as reported in December 2016.","src":5},{"t":"In December 2020 officials said about 42% of my Hyrcanian forests were being destroyed.","src":9},{"t":"The forest-guard association said in 2020 that millions of my trees died over five to six years from excessive and unlawful exploitation.","src":9},{"t":"A researcher said in 2019 that timber smuggling from me had increased instead of decreasing after the ban.","src":8},{"t":"My Elit forest burned from 31 October 2025; the Mazandaran governor gave about 8 hectares and the IFRC cited media reports of at least 10–15 hectares in the Elit sector alone.","src":11}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Harvest, 2016 vs previous two decades","v":"500,000 vs 2 million m³ a year","d":"FRWO head Jalali's figures"},{"k":"Forest-protection budget allocated by June 2017","v":"about 20%","d":"Of 800 billion rials"},{"k":"Lost to logging and wildfires, as reported Dec 2016","v":"7.1%","d":"Northern woodland"},{"k":"IFRC allocation for the 2025 fires","v":"CHF 500,000","d":"To the Iranian Red Crescent, 7 December 2025"}]},"unknown":["None on record: the amount paid to forestry-plan operators as compensation; the sources give a forecast credit of 80 billion toman for 1396 (2017–18), a 3 trillion rial and an 800 billion rial budget, and no payments.","Not disclosed: the extent of the 2025 fires. The FRWO head declined to state the burned area, and no official final total is given.","Disputed: the 2025 Elit burned area, about 8 hectares (Mazandaran governor) against at least 10–15 hectares in the Elit sector alone (IFRC, citing media).","Disputed: whether the ban reduced harm to the forest. The FRWO said damage would reach zero; researchers and officials quoted in 2019–2020 reported rising smuggling and a return to logging.","Not measured: the volume of unlawful logging since 2017; no official series is given in the sources."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not on record. Officials said in December 2020 that about 42% of the forests were being destroyed and that operators had returned to logging, and a fire burned in the UNESCO-listed forest in November 2025.","whoPaid":"None on record for compensation to forestry-plan operators. The IFRC allocated CHF 500,000 to the Iranian Red Crescent for the 2025 wildfires.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: the logging ban remains in law; no compensation payments to forestry-plan operators are on record; the IFRC operation for the 2025 wildfires runs to 30 September 2026.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-frwo","says":"Damage to the forest would “reach zero” under the forest rest plan.","when":"13 November 2016","src":3},{"actor":"iran-frwo","says":"Head Reza Aflatouni declined to give the burned area of the 2025 fires and said state television should not make “the sweetness of such management bitter”.","when":"November 2025","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-frwo","role":"Forest authority; announced the plan and budgets"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Enacted the ban and set the budgets"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Inscribed the Hyrcanian Forests on 5 July 2019"},{"id":"ifrc","role":"Allocated CHF 500,000 for the 2025 wildfires"},{"id":"iranian-red-crescent","role":"Recipient and implementer of the IFRC allocation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the logging ban reduced harm to the forest","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Khodakaram Jalali, FRWO (2016)","says":"Damage to the forest will reach zero.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Khosrow Saghib Talebi, researcher (2019)","says":"Timber smuggling increased; the initial idea was good but its incomplete implementation made it ineffective.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environmental officials (2020)","says":"Poor management, unready structures and non-allocation of the budget left the plan half-implemented, and operating companies turned back to logging.","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"Haidari and Karamdoost Maryan, Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research (Shafarood study, 2016/2017)","says":"73% of respondents favoured sustainable utilization and 27% forest rest; the plan should be either ceased or revised.","src":12},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Forest-guard association (2020)","says":"Millions of trees died over five to six years from excessive and unlawful exploitation.","src":9}]},{"point":"How much forest burned in the 2025 Elit fire","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mahdi Younesi, Mazandaran governor","says":"About 8 hectares.","src":11},{"voice":"international","holder":"IFRC (citing media)","says":"At least 10–15 hectares in the Elit sector alone.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"Reza Aflatouni, FRWO head","says":"Declined to give the extent.","src":11,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":145004.74,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"UNESCO serial property Hyrcanian Forests (Iran and Azerbaijan); buffer zone 219,431.41 ha."},{"key":"harvest_m3_per_year","value":500000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Against about 2 million m3 a year over the previous two decades (FRWO head Jalali)."},{"key":"logging_plans_halted","value":40,"unit":"of 110 plans","year":2016,"note":"The rest to be halted within five years; 1 million ha under logging plans (Jalali)."},{"key":"budget_needed_per_year","value":"200–250","unit":"toman bn","year":2015,"note":"To halt northern-forest logging (FRWO head Jalali, 15 December 2015)."},{"key":"budget_needed_rest_plan","value":300,"unit":"toman bn over 5 years","year":2016,"note":"Two to three years' worth if funded on time; Planning and Budget Organization agreed to include it in the 1396 (2017) budget."},{"key":"bill_funds","value":3000000,"unit":"IRR m","year":2016,"qualifier":"about US$74 million","note":"3 trillion rials, called insufficient by FRWO deputy Nasser Moqaddasi."},{"key":"protection_law_budget","value":800000,"unit":"IRR m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about US$23.2 million","note":"About 20% allocated by June 2017."},{"key":"protection_law_budget_allocated_share","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"By June 2017."},{"key":"compensation_forecast","value":80,"unit":"toman bn","year":2017,"note":"Credit forecast for damages from the rest plan, 1396 (2017–18); amount paid not on record."},{"key":"forest_lost_share","value":7.1,"unit":"%","year":2016,"note":"Of northern woodland lost in recent years to logging and wildfires, as reported in December 2016."},{"key":"forest_destroyed_share","value":42,"unit":"%","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Of Hyrcanian forests being destroyed, according to officials in December 2020."},{"key":"area_ha","value":8,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Elit fire burned area per Mazandaran governor Mahdi Younesi; IFRC cited media for at least 10–15 ha in the Elit sector alone."},{"key":"emergency_funding","value":500000,"unit":"CHF","year":2025,"note":"IFRC DREF for the 2025 forest wildfires (CHF 480,167 + CHF 19,833); operation 7 December 2025–30 September 2026."},{"key":"people_affected","value":50000,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"IFRC DREF; 6,510 people targeted."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Iran halted commercial logging in the Hyrcanian forests from late 2016 and legislated the ban in January 2017; budgets and a compensation credit were announced, compensation payments are not on record, and a 2025 fire burned in the UNESCO-listed forest.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Forests, Range and Watershed Management Organization","what":"800 billion rials budgeted for the Forest Protection Law, about 20% allocated by June 2017","src":6},{"who":"Iranian Red Crescent","what":"CHF 500,000 IFRC allocation for the 2025 wildfires","src":10}],"lost":[{"who":"Forestry-plan operators and forest companies' workers","what":"Logging contracts ended by March 2018; unemployment led to a three-year phase-out, according to MP Shaari","src":7}],"harmed":[{"who":"Hyrcanian forests","what":"7.1% of northern woodland lost to logging and wildfires (reported December 2016); about 42% reported as being destroyed (officials, December 2020); fire near Elit from 31 October 2025","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"Caspian slopes of the Alborz in Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan, Iran; the UNESCO property covers 145,004.74 ha; the Elit fire was between Chalus and Marzanabad, Mazandaran.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Logging halted in late 2016; law approved in January 2017; contracts to end in March 2018; UNESCO inscription on 5 July 2019; Elit fire from 31 October 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Iran's 2019 letter to UNESCO cites Article 38(F) of the Sixth Development Plan, which prohibits all wood cutting and harvesting in the Hyrcanian forests; UNESCO's World Heritage listing relies on the ban.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A ministerial directive stopped commercial logging with a “forest rest” plan, followed by statute; compensation for operators and protection costs were to come from announced credits, of which about 20% of the 800 billion rial budget was allocated by June 2017.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"Hyrcanian Forests (1584bis)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Centre","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1584"},{"t":"Hyrcanian Forests: additional information to IUCN, with letter of 5 February 2019","p":"Islamic Republic of Iran / ICHHTO","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/document/172809"},{"t":"Plan to halt logging in northern forests prepared (Persian)","p":"Jame Jam Online","d":"2015-12-15","type":"press","u":"https://jamejamonline.ir/fa/news/864187/"},{"t":"Forest rest plan will start in Gilan (Persian)","p":"Hamshahri Online","d":"2016-11-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/352343"},{"t":"Forest's breath tied to the Clean Air Bill (Persian)","p":"Hamshahri Online","d":"2016-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/354593"},{"t":"Protection bill crucial to northern forests' survival","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2016-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/772687/protection-bill-crucial-to-northern-forests-survival"},{"t":"Govt urged to disburse forest protection fund","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2017-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/en/news/777008/govt-urged-to-disburse-forest-protection-fund"},{"t":"Desertification costs the country 1,000 billion toman a year (Persian; citing Qanun and MP Shaari to ISNA)","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2018-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/fa/news/242690/"},{"t":"“Rest” failed to deliver (Persian)","p":"Taadol newspaper","d":"2019-09-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.taadolnewspaper.ir/fa/news/152206/"},{"t":"Hyrcanian forests continue to die (Persian)","p":"Asr Iran","d":"2020-12-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/amp/news/761638"},{"t":"DREF Operation MDRIR016: Iran Forest Wildfires 2025","p":"IFRC","d":"2025-12-09","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://go-api.ifrc.org/api/downloadfile/93894/MDRIR016do"},{"t":"Elit wildfire, Hyrcanian forests","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-11-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202511252246"},{"t":"The study and policy cessation of forest utilization, Shafarood forests (abstract)","p":"Iranian Journal of Forest and Poplar Research (Haidari and Karamdoost Maryan)","d":"2017","type":"academic","u":"https://ijfpr.areeo.ac.ir/article_109450.html?lang=en"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the logging ban reduced harm to the forest","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much forest burned in the 2025 Elit fire","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Reza Aflatouni, FRWO head: Declined to give the extent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amount paid to forestry-plan operators as compensation; the sources give a forecast credit of 80 billion toman for 1396 (2017–18), a 3 trillion rial and an 800 billion rial budget, and no payments.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the extent of the 2025 fires. The FRWO head declined to state the burned area, and no official final total is given.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the 2025 Elit burned area, about 8 hectares (Mazandaran governor) against at least 10–15 hectares in the Elit sector alone (IFRC, citing media).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether the ban reduced harm to the forest. The FRWO said damage would reach zero; researchers and officials quoted in 2019–2020 reported rising smuggling and a return to logging.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the volume of unlawful logging since 2017; no official series is given in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zagros-oak-forests-undp-gef-project-and-fires","title":"Zagros oak forests: the UNDP/GEF Central Zagros project, its evaluation and the fires of 2024–2026","dek":"A UNDP/GEF biodiversity project in Iran's Central Zagros ran from 2005 to 2016 with US$3.69 million of GEF funds; its terminal evaluation found that the goal and objective were not achieved. Fires in the Zagros oak forests continued, with Iran International reporting a fall in the forest organisation's dollar budget between 2021 and 2026.","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","region":"Middle East","lat":31.5,"lon":50.5,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Central Zagros (Isfahan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad)","lat":31.5,"lon":50.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Khayiz/Khaeez protected area, Behbahan, Khuzestan / Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad","lat":30.6,"lon":50.4,"role":"affected"}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2005-06-28","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","finance","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"GEF funds allocated to the Central Zagros project, 2006–2016","value":"US$3,687,803","note":"97% of the planned US$3.8 million. The December 2016 terminal evaluation found “the project goal and objective were not achieved”."},"happened":["The UNDP/GEF project “Conservation of Biodiversity in the Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone” (PIMS 2278, GEF ID 1322) ran from 28 June 2005 to September or October 2016 in Isfahan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, with pilot areas including Bazoft and Dena. Its terminal evaluation, by Navajas and Farahani Rad in December 2016, stated: “The project goal and objective were not achieved, and there are no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators”. It took ten years, twice the time initially allocated. The GEF budget was planned at 3,800,000 and 3,687,803 (97%) was allocated; the national budget was planned at 5,190,000 and 13,193,669 (254%) was allocated; actual co-financing totalled 15,624,649 against 5,730,000 planned. The evaluators wrote that until 2014 financial reports were not produced on a regular basis and planned expenditures were not based on realistic projections. Under its green grants, income from handicrafts was used to plant thousands of oak seedlings.","Zagros oak woodlands cover almost six million hectares, about 40% of Iran's forest area, according to Iran International in July 2026. The Khaeez protected area, established in 1998 and covering more than 33,000 hectares, burned in July 2024; the Kohgiluyeh district governor, Hamzeh Mohaqeqzadeh, said large areas of farms, grasslands and plant life were consumed. An activist quoted by Tasnim, Mohammad Yazdanpour, alleged that a Zagros fire of 24 June 2024 was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards. The activist Azam Bahrami said there was “no proper planning” in Iran to deal with such fires and called a disaster budget of 6,000–7,000 billion rials (“approximately 10 to 11.5 million USD”) insufficient.","In July 2026 fires broke out in Khayiz (Badil Mountain), Mongasht, Lorestan, Fars and Kordestan, and a local resident died in the Khayiz fire. Iran International reported that burned forest was about 21,000 hectares in the Iranian year from March 2021 and about 27,000 hectares in the year from March 2024, and, citing Iranian media, about 46,000 hectares of national land, forests and rangelands from more than 2,300 fires by November 2025. It reported that the dollar value of the budget of NRWMO, the national forest and rangeland organisation, fell from about $94 million in the year from March 2021 to about $41 million in the year from March 2026, more than 60% below the year from March 2016, on the newspaper's own conversion at market rates. It also cited Iranian media that 27 people had died fighting Zagros fires since 2020, most untrained and without protective clothing."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"UNDP/GEF Central Zagros project starts (28 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Project ends (Sep/Oct); terminal evaluation (December) finds the goal and objective not achieved","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Khaeez protected area burns (July)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"More than 2,300 fires and about 46,000 ha burned nationally by November, per Iranian media as reported","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Fires in Khayiz, Mongasht and other Zagros areas; a local resident dies (July)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"The project goal and objective were not achieved, and there are no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators","who":"Terminal evaluators Navajas and Farahani Rad","when":"December 2016","src":0},{"q":"There is no proper planning in place in Iran to deal with such fires.","who":"Azam Bahrami, activist","when":"July 2024","src":1},{"q":"One of the reasons for the prolonged firefighting efforts in forests is the lack of new equipment.","who":"Reza Dadmehr, retired forestry professor, to IRNA","when":"December 2023","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"Income from handicrafts under the project's green grants was used to plant thousands of oak tree seedlings.","who":"Terminal evaluation","src":0},{"t":"A Zagros fire was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards (allegation).","who":"Mohammad Yazdanpour, activist quoted by Tasnim","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The terminal evaluation found the project goal and objective were not achieved and no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators in the project document.","src":0},{"t":"GEF funds allocated were 97% of plan; national budget allocated was 254% of plan.","src":0},{"t":"Burned forest was about 21,000 ha in the Iranian year from March 2021 and about 27,000 ha in the year from March 2024.","src":2},{"t":"NRWMO's budget fell from about $94 million to about $41 million between the years from March 2021 and March 2026, on Iran International's conversion.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2006–2016","nature":[{"label":"GEF funds allocated, Central Zagros project","amount":3.687803,"window":"2006–2016","note":"Planned 3.8 million; 97% allocated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Iran International reported burned-forest hectares and fire counts for the Zagros; the project evaluation found no indications of impact on biodiversity indicators.","report":[{"t":"My Zagros oak woodlands cover almost six million hectares, about 40% of Iran's forest area.","src":2},{"t":"About 21,000 hectares of my forest burned in the Iranian year from March 2021 and about 27,000 hectares in the year from March 2024, as reported in July 2026.","src":2},{"t":"More than 13,000 fire events occurred in my southern Zagros from 2000 to 2023, according to a study cited in July 2026.","src":2},{"t":"My Khaeez protected area, established in 1998 and covering more than 33,000 hectares, burned in July 2024.","src":1},{"t":"A decade-long project in my Central Zagros found no indications of impact on the biodiversity indicators in its project document, according to its 2016 terminal evaluation.","src":0}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"GEF funds allocated","v":"US$3,687,803","d":"97% of the US$3.8 million planned, 2006–2016"},{"k":"Terminal evaluation, Dec 2016","v":"Goal not achieved","d":"No indications of impact on biodiversity indicators"},{"k":"Forest burned, year from March 2024","v":"about 27,000 ha","d":"As reported by Iran International, July 2026"},{"k":"Deaths fighting Zagros fires since 2020","v":"27","d":"Iranian media, as reported"}]},"unknown":["None on record: biodiversity impact of the Central Zagros project; the evaluation states there are no indications of impact on the indicators listed in the project document.","Insufficient: until 2014 the project's financial reports were not produced regularly and planned expenditures were not based on realistic projections (terminal evaluation).","Self-reported only: the national burned-area figures of 21,000, 27,000 and 46,000 hectares are Iranian media figures as reported by Iran International.","Not measured: a rate of oak-belt shrinkage in Iran; the July 2026 article gives none.","Unclear: the cause of the 24 June 2024 fire; an activist quoted by Tasnim alleged it was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Fires continued: about 27,000 hectares of forest burned in the Iranian year from March 2024, and fires were reported again in July 2026, when a local resident died.","whoPaid":"GEF US$3,687,803 and the Government of Iran 13,193,669 (as allocated) for the 2006–2016 project; NRWMO's dollar-equivalent budget fell from about $94 million to about $41 million between 2021 and 2026.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Zagros fires were reported in Khayiz, Mongasht, Lorestan, Fars and Kordestan; the 2016 terminal evaluation of the Central Zagros project remains the project's last evaluation on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"undp","role":"Implementing agency of the Central Zagros project"},{"id":"gef","role":"Funded the project with US$3,687,803"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Allocated 13,193,669 to the project"},{"id":"iran-nrwmo","role":"National forest and rangeland organisation; budget fell in dollar terms"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"gef_funds_allocated","value":3687803,"unit":"USD","year":2016,"note":"Planned 3,800,000 (97% allocated), 2006–2016."},{"key":"government_budget_allocated","value":13.193669,"unit":"m (evaluation budget table)","year":2016,"note":"Planned 5,190,000 (254% allocated); currency not restated in the sources."},{"key":"cofinancing_actual","value":15.624649,"unit":"m (evaluation budget table)","year":2016,"note":"Grants 13,449,124 and in-kind 2,175,525, against 5,730,000 planned; UNDP 49,122 and NGOs 206,333 among contributors."},{"key":"project_cost_at_approval","value":9.661,"unit":"m (evaluation budget table)","year":2005,"note":"Including Block B preparation."},{"key":"forest_burned_ha","value":21000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Iranian year from March 2021, as reported by Iran International."},{"key":"forest_burned_ha","value":27000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Iranian year from March 2024."},{"key":"area_burned_ha","value":46000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"National land, forests and rangelands from more than 2,300 fires by November 2025 (Iranian media, as reported)."},{"key":"fire_events","value":13000,"unit":"events","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Southern Zagros, 2000–2023, from a study cited by Iran International."},{"key":"deaths","value":27,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Died fighting Zagros fires since 2020, most untrained and without protective clothing (Iranian media, as reported)."},{"key":"nrwmo_budget","value":94,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Dollar equivalent for the year from March 2021, Iran International's conversion at market rates."},{"key":"nrwmo_budget","value":41,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Year from March 2026; more than 60% below the year from March 2016."},{"key":"disaster_budget","value":"6,000–7,000","unit":"IRR bn","year":2024,"note":"“Approximately 10 to 11.5 million USD”, called insufficient by activist Azam Bahrami."},{"key":"oak_forest_area","value":6000000,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"almost","note":"About 40% of Iran's forest area."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A UNDP/GEF biodiversity project in the Central Zagros spent US$3.69 million of GEF funds and was evaluated in 2016 as not achieving its goal, while fires continued to burn the Zagros oak forests.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Central Zagros project","what":"US$3,687,803 of GEF funds and 13,193,669 of national budget allocated, 2006–2016","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Firefighters and a local resident","what":"27 people died fighting Zagros fires since 2020 (Iranian media, as reported); a local resident died in the Khayiz fire in July 2026","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Zagros oak forests","what":"About 27,000 ha burned in the year from March 2024; more than 13,000 fire events in the southern Zagros 2000–2023","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Zagros range, western and south-western Iran; the Central Zagros project provinces were Isfahan, Fars, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad; the Khayiz/Khaeez protected area is near Behbahan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Project from 28 June 2005 to September/October 2016; terminal evaluation in December 2016; Khaeez fire in July 2024; Zagros fires in July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The terminal evaluation attributes the shortfall to a ten-year implementation, twice the time initially allocated, and to financial reporting that was not regular until 2014; for the fires, an activist cited a lack of planning and a professor a lack of new equipment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"GEF, government and NGO funds financed pilot areas and green grants; the forest organisation's dollar budget fell between 2021 and 2026 as Iran International reported.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Terminal Evaluation: Conservation of Biodiversity in the Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone (PIMS 2278)","p":"UNDP/GEF (Navajas and Farahani Rad)","d":"2016-12","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://erc.undp.org/evaluation/documents/download/10185"},{"t":"Fires in Iran's protected wildlife area expose governance failures","p":"Iran International","d":"2024-07-12","type":"press","u":"https://iranintl.com/en/202407110417"},{"t":"Zagros fires, Khayiz (Saman Rahmatian)","p":"Iran International","d":"2026-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202607031516"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: biodiversity impact of the Central Zagros project; the evaluation states there are no indications of impact on the indicators listed in the project document.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: until 2014 the project's financial reports were not produced regularly and planned expenditures were not based on realistic projections (terminal evaluation).","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the national burned-area figures of 21,000, 27,000 and 46,000 hectares are Iranian media figures as reported by Iran International.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: a rate of oak-belt shrinkage in Iran; the July 2026 article gives none.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the cause of the 24 June 2024 fire; an activist quoted by Tasnim alleged it was set to convert forest into vineyards and fig orchards.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-wild-sheep-and-goat-trophy-hunting-permits","title":"Iran hunting permits for wild sheep and wild goat: Department of Environment prices for foreign hunters, 2018–2025","dek":"Iran's Department of Environment issues quotas for urial, mouflon and wild goat in private reserves. In 2018 its hunting office head described permits sold to foreign hunters by the National Environment Fund at 50–70 million toman against a government price of 900,000 toman, and in 2025 a Larestan ram permit was reported at up to €40,000.","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","region":"Middle East","lat":31.9,"lon":54.4,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Yazd Province (Rubaz, Chehelgazi and Dorbid private reserves)","lat":31.9,"lon":54.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Kerman Province (Mansurabad reserve)","role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"General Board, Administrative Justice Court","role":"court"}],"start":2013,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2018-06-11","instrument":"trophy-hunting","types":["trophy-hunting","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Permit price to foreign hunters vs government price, per permit, 2018","value":"50–70 million toman vs 900,000 toman","note":"Price set by the National Environment Fund against the Department of Environment's price, as described by the Department's hunting office head."},"happened":["On 11 June 2018 the head of the Department of Environment's (DoE) hunting office, Ali Teimouri, described the system for hunting permits. The DoE issued permits for 105 head to the National Environment Fund; 20% of annual permits went to local communities at low government prices and 80% to domestic and foreign hunters; the Fund sold permits to hunters, and 80% of sale proceeds “should go toward services in the same hunting area”. He said about 8 foreign hunters had hunted and 10–15 head had been issued so far. The Fund set prices for foreign hunters at 50–70 million toman per permit, against a government price of 900,000 toman; the Fund paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits.","A directive of the First Vice President (no. 242962/48313, 8 Esfand 1391, about 27 February 2013) raised hunting and fishing fees. On 14 November 2017 the General Board of Iran's Administrative Justice Court rejected a petition to annul the increase; Ekhtebar's account of the ruling quotes the Board's reasoning that permits for foreign hunters are “not justified” because foreigners rarely come to hunt, because of conflict with protection of endangered species, because revenue was less than the budget of one DoE unit, and because of past violations of permit limits.","For the 2020–21 season, 93 permits were set for four private reserves (60 wild goat, 33 urial) under a quota reported as far below the 6% ceiling in the hunting and fishing law. Tour organiser Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh said none was sold to foreigners because hunting-tourist visas were not issued; he put a foreign licence at $15,000–$30,000 and potential hunting-tourism income at “$5 billion in foreign currency annually”. A 2015 BBC report, via the India Environment Portal, put licences to foreign visitors for rare and protected breeds at about 500 a year, at about $15,000 for a Transcaspian urial and up to $20,000 for a Laristan mouflon.","On 26 January 2025 Fararu (Mehr) reported that a Larestan ram permit could cost up to €40,000. The critic Farzad Alizadeh described the official tariff ceiling as US$3,000 per head for Larestan, Kerman and Shiraz rams with horns of at least 50 cm, said the €40,000 was “only the price of hunting one animal species” and said the DoE was “spreading the forbidden act” under labels such as managed hunting."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"First Vice President's directive raises hunting and fishing fees (8 Esfand 1391, about 27 Feb)","src":3},{"y":2017,"t":"Administrative Justice Court General Board rejects a petition to annul the fee increase (14 Nov)","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"DoE hunting office head describes permit sales through the National Environment Fund (11 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Tour organiser says no permits were sold to foreigners in the 2020–21 season because visas were not issued (5 Apr)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Larestan ram permit reported at up to €40,000 (26 Jan)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"only the price of hunting one animal species","who":"Farzad Alizadeh, critic, on the €40,000 permit","when":"26 January 2025","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"spreading the forbidden act","who":"Farzad Alizadeh, critic, on the DoE's use of labels such as managed hunting","when":"26 January 2025","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"$5 billion in foreign currency annually","who":"Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh, tour organiser, on potential hunting-tourism income","when":"5 April 2021","src":1,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"a worrying lack of accountability in how the proceeds from trophy hunting are being spent","who":"Environmentalists, as quoted by the BBC","when":"2015","src":4},{"q":"should go toward services in the same hunting area","who":"Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head, on 80% of sale proceeds","when":"11 June 2018","src":0,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Prices differ for domestic and foreign hunters, and 80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.","who":"Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head","src":0},{"t":"Foreign hunting tourism could earn $5 billion in foreign currency annually.","who":"Tour organiser Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The DoE's price was 900,000 toman per permit and the Fund's price to foreign hunters 50–70 million toman, in 2018.","src":0},{"t":"The Administrative Justice Court General Board rejected the petition to annul the fee increase on 14 November 2017.","src":3},{"t":"No permits were sold to foreigners in the 2020–21 season because tourist hunting visas were not issued.","src":1},{"t":"BBC (2015) and Fararu (2025) report no breakdown of how proceeds are spent.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Permits issued to the Fund, 2018","v":"105 head","d":"Fund paid the DoE 100 million toman"},{"k":"Government price per permit, 2018","v":"900,000 toman","d":"DoE hunting office head"},{"k":"Fund price to foreign hunters, 2018","v":"50–70 million toman","d":"Per permit"},{"k":"Larestan ram permit, 2025","v":"up to €40,000","d":"Reported by Fararu (Mehr)"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: how the proceeds from the permits are spent; the BBC (2015) and Fararu (2025) report no breakdown.","Not measured: population data for the hunted species; the sources give a 2020–21 quota reported as far below the 6% ceiling but no population figures.","Insufficient: the number of foreign hunts; the DoE hunting office head said in 2018 that about 8 foreign hunters had hunted, and a tour organiser said none were sold in 2020–21."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not on record. The sources give no population data for the hunted species.","whoPaid":"Foreign hunters paid the Fund 50–70 million toman per permit in 2018; the Fund paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits. The sources report no breakdown of how proceeds are spent.","statusLine":"As of January 2025: a Larestan ram permit was reported at up to €40,000; the Administrative Justice Court General Board's November 2017 ruling leaves the fee increase in place.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Prices differ for domestic and foreign hunters; 20% of annual permits go to local communities at low government prices and 80% to domestic and foreign hunters; 80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.","when":"11 June 2018","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Issues the hunting quotas and permits"},{"id":"iran-national-environment-fund","role":"Sells permits to hunters; paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits"},{"id":"iran-administrative-justice-court","role":"General Board rejected the petition to annul the fee increase on 14 November 2017"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether permits for foreign hunters are justified","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"General Board, Administrative Justice Court (as reported by Ekhtebar, translated)","says":"Permits for foreign hunters are “not justified”: foreigners rarely come to hunt, there is conflict with protection of endangered species, revenue is less than the budget of one DoE unit, and permit limits have been violated in the past.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head (2018)","says":"Prices differ for domestic and foreign hunters, and 80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh, tour organiser (2021)","says":"Foreign hunting tourism could earn $5 billion in foreign currency annually.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Farzad Alizadeh, critic (2025)","says":"The DoE is “spreading the forbidden act” under labels such as managed hunting.","src":2}]},{"point":"How proceeds from trophy hunting are spent","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ali Teimouri, DoE hunting office head (2018)","says":"80% of sale proceeds should go toward services in the same hunting area.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmentalists (BBC, 2015)","says":"There is a worrying lack of accountability in how the proceeds from trophy hunting are being spent.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Petition to annul the First Vice President's hunting and fishing fee increase (directive no. 242962/48313)","forum":"General Board, Administrative Justice Court","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Petitioner(s) (not named in the source)","defendant":"Government (First Vice President's directive)","filed":null,"decided":2017,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 23 Aban 1396 (14 November 2017) the General Board rejected the petition and the directive stood. Ekhtebar's account of the ruling gives the Board's reasoning that permits for foreign hunters are “not justified”: foreigners rarely come to hunt, there is a conflict with protection of endangered species, revenue is less than the budget of one DoE unit, and permit limits were violated in the past (translated).","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"permit_price_government","value":900000,"unit":"toman per permit","year":2018,"note":"DoE price."},{"key":"permit_price_foreign","value":"50–70","unit":"toman m per permit","year":2018,"note":"Set by the National Environment Fund for foreign hunters."},{"key":"fund_payment_to_doe","value":100,"unit":"toman m","year":2018,"note":"For 105 permits."},{"key":"permits_issued_to_fund","value":105,"unit":"head","year":2018,"note":"Issued by the DoE to the National Environment Fund."},{"key":"foreign_hunters","value":8,"unit":"hunters","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Had hunted; 10–15 head issued so far (DoE hunting office head)."},{"key":"permits_set","value":93,"unit":"permits","year":2021,"note":"2020–21 season, four private reserves: 60 wild goat and 33 urial; none sold to foreigners."},{"key":"foreign_licences_per_year","value":500,"unit":"licences","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"BBC (2015) via India Environment Portal."},{"key":"foreign_licence_value","value":"15,000–30,000","unit":"USD per licence","year":2021,"note":"Per tour organiser Esrafil Shafiee-zadeh."},{"key":"bbc_price_urial","value":15000,"unit":"USD","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Transcaspian urial; up to $20,000 for a Laristan mouflon."},{"key":"tariff_ceiling","value":3000,"unit":"USD per head","year":2025,"note":"Larestan, Kerman and Shiraz rams with horns of at least 50 cm; minimum US$15 (rabbit); as described by critic Farzad Alizadeh."},{"key":"festival_permit_price","value":40000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Larestan ram permit, reported by Fararu (Mehr)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Department of Environment issues quotas for urial, mouflon and wild goat in private reserves and the National Environment Fund sells permits to hunters, including foreign hunters, at prices far above the government's per-permit price.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"National Environment Fund","what":"Sells permits to hunters at 50–70 million toman for foreign hunters; paid the DoE 100 million toman for 105 permits","src":0},{"who":"Local communities","what":"20% of annual permits at low government prices","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Private reserves Rubaz, Chehelgazi and Dorbid in Yazd Province and Mansurabad in Kerman Province; species range also covers Fars (Larestan), Kerman and Khorasan.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Fee directive of about 27 February 2013; Administrative Justice Court ruling 14 November 2017; DoE description 11 June 2018; foreign hunting halted 2019–2021; Larestan ram permit reported 26 January 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The DoE says permit revenue should fund services in the hunting area; critics and the Administrative Justice Court General Board, as reported, question the justification for permits for foreign hunters.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The DoE issues permits to the National Environment Fund, which sells them to hunters; 20% of annual permits go to local communities and 80% to domestic and foreign hunters.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"DoE: hunting permits sold to foreign hunters for 50–70 million (Persian; ILNA)","p":"Asr Iran","d":"2018-06-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/614088/"},{"t":"Foreigners do not have hunting licences (Persian)","p":"Hamshahri Online","d":"2021-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/593051/"},{"t":"Hunting permits up to €40,000: return of royal hunting grounds? (Persian; Mehr)","p":"Fararu","d":"2025-01-26","type":"press","u":"https://fararu.com/fa/news/824971/"},{"t":"Administrative Justice Court opposes reducing the cost of wildlife hunting by foreigners (Persian)","p":"Ekhtebar","d":"2017-11-14","type":"press","voice":"court","u":"https://www.ekhtebar.ir/%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%AA-%D8%AF%DB%8C%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B4-%D9%87%D8%B2%DB%8C%D9%86%D9%87/amp/"},{"t":"The big business of trophy hunting in Iran (BBC, 2015)","p":"India Environment Portal","d":"2015-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/news-clippings/the-big-business-of-trophy-hunting-in-iran"}],"related":["tajikistan-markhor-trophy-hunting","surkhandarya-markhor-trophy-hunting"],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2018 the Department of Environment gave the National Environment Fund permits for 105 head of my wild sheep and goats for 100 million toman; the Fund priced each at 50–70 million toman for foreign hunters.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether permits for foreign hunters are justified","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How proceeds from trophy hunting are spent","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: how the proceeds from the permits are spent; the BBC (2015) and Fararu (2025) report no breakdown.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: population data for the hunted species; the sources give a 2020–21 quota reported as far below the 6% ceiling but no population figures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the number of foreign hunts; the DoE hunting office head said in 2018 that about 8 foreign hunters had hunted, and a tour organiser said none were sold in 2020–21.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"uncc-f4-environmental-claims-iran","title":"UN Compensation Commission \"F4\" environmental claims by Iran for the 1990–91 Gulf War","dek":"Iran filed environmental claims with the UN Compensation Commission for smoke, oil and refugee-related damage it said reached its south and south-west from the 1990–91 Gulf War. The F4 Panel recommended awards in four instalments; most of the long-term remediation claims received no award.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":28.97,"lon":50.84,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Bushehr, Fars, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Kerman, Kohgiloyeh","lat":28.97,"lon":50.84,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Kuwait","iso2":"KW","role":"event"},{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","role":"payer"}],"start":1990,"end":2013,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","finance"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Fifth instalment (2005): amount recommended against amount claimed","value":"USD 27,780,752 vs USD 11,090,762,249","note":"Figures as stated in report S/AC.26/2005/10 (Table 7) and Governing Council Decision 248; the other instalments are listed in the metrics."},"happened":["Iran filed claims with the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) in its \"F4\" environmental category for damage and loss of natural resources that it said reached its territory and coast from the 1991 Kuwait oil-well fires, the oil released into the Persian Gulf and refugees who arrived with livestock. The damage period claimed ran from 2 August 1990 to 2 March 1991 for the refugee arrivals, together with the 1991 oil fires and spills. The claims named the \"Southern Provinces\" of Bushehr, Fars, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Kerman and Kohgiloyeh, the central Bushehr coast and the Nayband Bay mangrove forest. Iraq was the respondent.","In the F4 Panel's summary, Iran said that Iraq's detonation of Kuwait's oil wells released \"more than 760,000 tons of smoke\", that \"over 280,000 tons of highly toxic pollutants were dispersed by air and deposited on Iranian territory\" and that \"over 15 million people inhaled the toxic smoke for more than 250 days\". In later instalments Iran said its territory \"was exposed to wet deposition from approximately 350,000 tonnes of soot\" and cited \"black rain\" samples. Iraq, as the Panel summarised its position, said Iran \"has failed to show that it has suffered any direct damage\", that the smoke plume \"rarely reached Iranian territory\", that no sampling was done in Iran in 1991, and that \"the only source of oil pollution along the Iranian shores was the traffic to the Iranian ports\". The Panel found \"ample evidence that pollutants from the oil fires in Kuwait reached some parts of Iran and that the territory of Iran was exposed to the oil spill in the Persian Gulf\".","First instalment (Governing Council Decision 132, 21 June 2001): Iran filed 40 claims for monitoring and assessment studies; the Panel recommended USD 17,007,070. Second instalment (report S/AC.26/2002/26, 3 October 2002; Decision 171): Iran filed four claims totalling USD 64,315,474 and the Panel recommended USD 67,587, for two dredgers of the Ports and Shipping Organization used against oil spills in May–June 1991. No award was made for airport cleaning (USD 13,271,375), the electricity sector (USD 41,372,625) or the Iranian Fishery Company's replacement of 160,000 fishing nets (USD 9,481,481); the Panel found the evidentiary requirements were not met. The third instalment contained no Iranian claim.","Fourth instalment, part one (report S/AC.26/2004/16, 9 December 2004; Decision 234): claim 5000456 (remediation) had an asserted value of USD 2,484,623,669 and the Panel recommended USD 188,760, for rangeland restoration in refugee areas. Forests damaged by refugees, revegetation of rangeland and forest said to be damaged by oil-fire pollution (USD 209,808,831 claimed), groundwater remediation (USD 527,904,400) and marine and coral reef remediation (USD 373,590,708) received no award. For the marine claim the Panel cited other possible major causes of contamination on the central Bushehr coast, including \"the 1983 Nowruz oil spill and other events during the Iran-Iraq war\", and found that the evidence did not allow it to separate the share caused by the 1990–91 conflict. Fifth instalment (report S/AC.26/2005/10 and Decision 248, 30 June 2005): Iran filed five claims totalling USD 11,090,762,249; USD 27,780,752 was recommended and approved. Of that, USD 24,034,892 was for reduced crop yields in 1991 (claimed: USD 441,895,991); the fisheries claim (USD 161,000,000, including USD 23,000,000 for an estimated 35 per cent decrease in mangrove cover in Nayband Bay) and the terrestrial, cultural-heritage and marine parts of the \"other resources\" claim received nothing.","On 8 December 2005 Decision 258 set up the Follow-up Programme for Environmental Awards. It directed the UNCC to withhold 15 per cent of the F4 awards within the programme's scope until projects were completed satisfactorily. Iran's two projects were rangeland remediation (claim 5000456, USD 188,760, 220 hectares) and cancer-incidence monitoring (claim 5000394, USD 332,200 in the Decision), which set up a death registry for all provinces and a cancer registry for the provinces most affected by pollution. The UNCC page states that the four participating governments (Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia) together received about US$4.3 billion in remediation and restoration awards and that Iran \"had only two small projects\". On 2 May 2013 Decision 270 stated that Iran \"has completed the implementation of its two environmental projects\", declared the Programme closed for Iran and authorised release of the withheld funds \"along with any accrued interest\"."],"timeline":[{"y":1990,"t":"Damage period claimed for refugee arrivals begins (2 Aug)","src":4},{"y":1991,"t":"Kuwait oil fires and Gulf oil releases; damage period claimed ends (2 Mar)","src":4},{"y":2001,"t":"Decision 132 approves the first F4 instalment (21 Jun)","src":1},{"y":2002,"t":"Second-instalment report S/AC.26/2002/26 (3 Oct); Decision 171","src":2},{"y":2004,"t":"Fourth-instalment report, part one, S/AC.26/2004/16 (9 Dec); Decision 234","src":4},{"y":2005,"t":"Decision 248 approves the fifth instalment (30 Jun); Decision 258 sets up the Follow-up Programme (8 Dec)","src":6},{"y":2013,"t":"Decision 270: Iran's two projects completed; Programme closed for Iran (2 May)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"ample evidence that pollutants from the oil fires in Kuwait reached some parts of Iran and that the territory of Iran was exposed to the oil spill in the Persian Gulf","who":"F4 Panel, report S/AC.26/2001/16, para. 61","when":"2001","src":0},{"q":"has failed to show that it has suffered any direct damage","who":"Iraq, as summarised by the F4 Panel (S/AC.26/2001/16, para. 59)","when":"2001","src":0},{"q":"over 15 million people inhaled the toxic smoke for more than 250 days","who":"Iran, as summarised by the F4 Panel (S/AC.26/2001/16, para. 57)","when":"2001","src":0},{"q":"the only source of oil pollution along the Iranian shores was the traffic to the Iranian ports","who":"Iraq, as summarised by the F4 Panel (S/AC.26/2002/26, para. 67)","when":"2002","src":2},{"q":"has completed the implementation of its two environmental projects","who":"UNCC Governing Council, Decision 270","when":"2 May 2013","src":8},{"q":"had only two small projects","who":"UNCC Follow-up Programme overview page, on Iran","when":"undated","src":9}],"shown":[{"t":"Iran told the Panel that Iraq's detonation of Kuwait's oil wells released \"more than 760,000 tons of smoke\" and that \"millions of barrels of crude oil were deliberately released into the Persian Gulf by Iraq's forces\".","who":"Government of Iran, as summarised by the F4 Panel","src":0},{"t":"Iran said its territory \"was exposed to wet deposition from approximately 350,000 tonnes of soot\" and submitted \"black rain\" samples.","who":"Government of Iran, as summarised in S/AC.26/2005/10 para. 100","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Panel recommended USD 17,007,070 for Iran's first-instalment studies, USD 67,587 in the second instalment, USD 188,760 in the fourth instalment (part one) and USD 27,780,752 in the fifth instalment.","src":0},{"t":"The Panel accepted that crop yields in the Southern Provinces fell in 1991 and that the fall was \"at least in part, a direct result\" of the invasion and occupation.","src":5},{"t":"The fourth-instalment groundwater (USD 527,904,400), marine and coral reef (USD 373,590,708) and revegetation (USD 209,808,831) claims received no award.","src":4},{"t":"Iran's Follow-up Programme projects totalled USD 520,960 in Decision 258; Decision 270 closed the Programme for Iran on 2 May 2013.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1990–2013 (UNCC instalments 2001–2005)","nature":[{"label":"First instalment: monitoring and assessment studies (recommended)","amount":17.00707,"window":"2001","note":"Decision 132."},{"label":"Second instalment: two dredgers used against oil spills (recommended)","amount":0.067587,"window":"2002"},{"label":"Fourth instalment, part one: rangeland restoration in refugee areas (recommended)","amount":0.18876,"window":"2004"},{"label":"Fifth instalment: all recommended awards","amount":27.780752,"window":"2005","note":"Of which USD 24,034,892 for reduced 1991 crop yields."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Fifth instalment: amount claimed","amount":11090.762249,"window":"2005"},{"label":"Fourth instalment, claim 5000456: asserted value","amount":2484.623669,"window":"2004"},{"label":"Second instalment: amount claimed","amount":64.315474,"window":"2002"},{"label":"First instalment: amount claimed (Panel Tables 2 and 3)","amount":42.951383,"window":"2001","note":"Decision 132 gives USD 40,838,883."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Findings of the UNCC F4 Panel on exposure, crop yields and the evidence for lasting damage.","report":[{"t":"Pollutants from the 1991 Kuwait oil fires reached some parts of my Iranian territory, and my Persian Gulf waters were exposed to the oil spill, the F4 Panel found in 2001.","src":0},{"t":"My crop yields in the Southern Provinces fell in 1991; the Panel accepted that the fall was at least in part a direct result of the invasion and occupation.","src":5},{"t":"The Panel did not accept the evidence submitted of lasting damage to my forests, rangeland soils, groundwater or coastal and coral systems attributable to the conflict.","src":4},{"t":"Rangeland on 220 hectares of mine was remediated under a UNCC follow-up project.","src":10}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Recommended, fifth instalment","v":"USD 27,780,752","d":"Against USD 11,090,762,249 claimed (S/AC.26/2005/10)"},{"k":"Fourth instalment, claim 5000456","v":"USD 188,760","d":"Recommended against USD 2,484,623,669 asserted; groundwater, marine and revegetation sub-claims received no award"},{"k":"Rangeland remediated under the follow-up project","v":"220 ha","d":"UNCC follow-up page; project value USD 188,760"}]},"unknown":["None on record: the date and amount of each payment to Iran from the UNCC Compensation Fund.","Self-reported only: Iran's figures for mangrove loss (166.3 ha at Nayband Bay) and coral are Iran's claims; the Panel made no finding confirming them.","Not measured: Iraq argued, and the Panel recorded, that no sampling was conducted in Iran in 1991.","Insufficient: the Panel's report states that Iran \"has not submitted evidence, such as ground-level monitoring data on SO2, ozone, and soot levels\".","Insufficient: for long-term marine damage the data did not allow the Panel to determine \"what proportion of the damage can reasonably be attributed\" to the conflict.","None on record: project dates for Iran's two Follow-up Programme projects on the UNCC page.","None on record: whether Iran published its own reports on the first-instalment studies, for example the cancer-registry results.","Figures differ: Iran's first-instalment claim is USD 42,951,383 in the Panel's report and USD 40,838,883 in Decision 132; claim 5000394 is USD 332,200 in Decision 258 and USD 332,300 in report S/AC.26/2005/10.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["review"],"harmStopped":"The claims concern events of 1990–91. The Panel did not accept evidence of lasting damage attributable to the conflict for forests, rangeland soils, groundwater or coastal and coral systems.","whoPaid":"Awards were paid from the UNCC Compensation Fund, financed by a share of Iraq's oil-export revenue under UN Security Council resolutions. The date and amount of each payment to Iran are not on record.","statusLine":"As of 2 May 2013 (Decision 270): Iran's two follow-up projects were completed and the Follow-up Programme was closed for Iran.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"Said the damage \"will continue to have adverse impacts on its marine environment, fisheries, water resources, terrestrial environment, agricultural lands, rangelands and forests, cultural heritage sites and public health\" (as summarised by the F4 Panel).","when":"2001","src":0},{"actor":"Government of Iraq","says":"Said Iran failed to show direct damage, that the plume rarely reached Iranian territory, and that reduced rainfall, late rains, frost and disease could explain the 1991 crop losses (as summarised by the Panel).","when":"2001–2005","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"iraq-government","role":"Respondent; liable under the UNCC process"},{"id":"uncc","role":"Commission whose F4 Panel and Governing Council decided the claims"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether, and how much, smoke and oil from Kuwait reached Iran","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iran","says":"Said over 280,000 tons of toxic pollutants were deposited on Iranian territory and millions of barrels of crude oil were released into the Gulf (as summarised by the Panel).","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iraq","says":"Said Iran failed to show direct damage, that the plume rarely reached Iranian territory, that the Kuwait slick did not reach the Iranian coast and that no sampling was done in Iran in 1991 (as summarised by the Panel).","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCC F4 Panel","says":"Found ample evidence that pollutants from the Kuwait oil fires reached some parts of Iran and that Iran's territory was exposed to the Gulf oil spill, and did not accept most of the claimed damage.","src":0}]},{"point":"Cause of the 1991 crop losses and the price basis for valuing them","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iraq","says":"Said reduced rainfall, late rains, frost and disease could explain the 1991 crop losses and that local producer prices should be used instead of market prices.","src":5},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCC F4 Panel","says":"Accepted that crop yields fell in 1991 \"at least in part, a direct result\" of the invasion and occupation, and recalculated the loss using FAO 1991 local producer prices and a productivity variable.","src":5}]},{"point":"Attribution of marine and coastal contamination on the central Bushehr coast","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iran","says":"Claimed USD 373,590,708 for marine and coral reef remediation.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCC F4 Panel","says":"Awarded nothing, citing other possible major causes including the 1983 Nowruz oil spill, oil platforms, terminals, processing facilities and natural seeps.","src":4}]},{"point":"Amount of Iran's first-instalment claim","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"F4 Panel report S/AC.26/2001/16 (Tables 2 and 3)","says":"Iran's 40 claims totalled USD 42,951,383; recommended USD 17,007,070.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Governing Council Decision 132","says":"Amount claimed USD 40,838,883; amount recommended USD 17,007,070.","src":1}]},{"point":"Amount of claim 5000394 (cancer-incidence monitoring)","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"Governing Council Decision 258 (corrected Annex I)","says":"USD 332,200.","src":7},{"voice":"international","holder":"F4 Panel report S/AC.26/2005/10","says":"USD 332,300 claimed and awarded.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Iran's F4 claims, first instalment (Decision 132)","forum":"UN Compensation Commission, F4 Panel of Commissioners and Governing Council","country":"United Nations","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Iran","defendant":"Government of Iraq","filed":null,"decided":2001,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":17.00707,"currency":"USD","label":"recommended (millions)"},"summary":"Iran filed 40 claims for monitoring and assessment studies; the Panel recommended USD 17,007,070 and the Governing Council approved on 21 June 2001.","src":1},{"title":"Iran's F4 claims, second instalment (Decision 171)","forum":"UN Compensation Commission, F4 Panel of Commissioners and Governing Council","country":"United Nations","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Iran","defendant":"Government of Iraq","filed":null,"decided":2002,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.067587,"currency":"USD","label":"recommended (millions)"},"summary":"Four claims totalling USD 64,315,474; USD 67,587 recommended for two dredgers used against oil spills. Airport cleaning, electricity-sector and fishing-net claims received no award for lack of evidence.","src":2},{"title":"Iran's F4 claims, fourth instalment part one (Decision 234)","forum":"UN Compensation Commission, F4 Panel of Commissioners and Governing Council","country":"United Nations","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Iran","defendant":"Government of Iraq","filed":null,"decided":2004,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.18876,"currency":"USD","label":"recommended (millions)"},"summary":"Claim 5000456 (asserted value USD 2,484,623,669): USD 188,760 recommended for rangeland restoration in refugee areas; forest, revegetation, groundwater and marine sub-claims received no award.","src":4},{"title":"Iran's F4 claims, fifth instalment (Decision 248)","forum":"UN Compensation Commission, F4 Panel of Commissioners and Governing Council","country":"United Nations","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Iran","defendant":"Government of Iraq","filed":null,"decided":2005,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":27.780752,"currency":"USD","label":"recommended and approved (millions)"},"summary":"Five claims totalling USD 11,090,762,249; USD 27,780,752 recommended and approved on 30 June 2005, including USD 24,034,892 for reduced 1991 crop yields. The fisheries claim (USD 161,000,000) received nothing.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":42.951383,"unit":"USD m","year":2001,"note":"First instalment, 40 claims (Panel Tables 2 and 3); Decision 132 gives USD 40,838,883."},{"key":"award","value":17.00707,"unit":"USD m","year":2001,"qualifier":"recommended","note":"First instalment."},{"key":"claim","value":64.315474,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"Second instalment, four claims."},{"key":"award","value":0.067587,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"qualifier":"recommended","note":"Second instalment; two dredgers used against oil spills in May–June 1991."},{"key":"claim","value":2484.623669,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"note":"Fourth instalment part one, claim 5000456 (asserted value)."},{"key":"award","value":0.18876,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"qualifier":"recommended","note":"Rangeland restoration in refugee areas."},{"key":"claim","value":527.9044,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"note":"Groundwater remediation sub-claim; no award."},{"key":"claim","value":373.590708,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"note":"Marine and coral reef remediation sub-claim; no award."},{"key":"claim","value":209.808831,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"note":"Revegetation of rangeland and forest sub-claim; no award."},{"key":"claim","value":11090.762249,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Fifth instalment, five claims."},{"key":"award","value":27.780752,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"qualifier":"recommended","note":"Fifth instalment, approved in Decision 248."},{"key":"claim","value":441.895991,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000286, agricultural resources."},{"key":"award","value":24.034892,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000286; entirely for reduced crop yields in 1991."},{"key":"claim","value":161,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000301, fisheries; includes USD 100m for long-term marine damage. No award."},{"key":"claim","value":7916.024475,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000288, other resources."},{"key":"award","value":0.046596,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000288; rangeland loss caused by refugees."},{"key":"claim","value":2571.509483,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000287, public health."},{"key":"award","value":3.366964,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000287; medical treatment and public-health facilities for refugees."},{"key":"award","value":0.3323,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Claim 5000394, cancer-incidence monitoring; claimed and awarded USD 332,300 (Decision 258 gives USD 332,200)."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":0.52096,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Iran's two Follow-up Programme projects in Decision 258 (corrected Annex I)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":220,"unit":"ha","year":2013,"note":"Rangeland remediated under claim 5000456 (UNCC Iran page)."},{"key":"withheld_share","value":15,"unit":"per cent","year":2005,"note":"Share of F4 awards within the programme's scope withheld until projects were completed (Decision 258)."},{"key":"smoke_claimed","value":760000,"unit":"tons","year":2001,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Smoke released by the Kuwait well fires, as Iran told the Panel."},{"key":"soot_deposition_claimed","value":350000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2005,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Soot deposited on Iran, as Iran told the Panel."},{"key":"mangrove_loss_claimed","value":166.3,"unit":"ha","year":2005,"note":"Nayband Bay, Iran's claim; the Panel made no confirming finding."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Iran claimed compensation from the UNCC for environmental damage it attributed to the 1991 Kuwait oil fires, Gulf oil releases and refugees; the Panel recommended USD 17,007,070, USD 67,587, USD 188,760 and USD 27,780,752 in four instalments and made no award on most remediation claims.","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Iran","what":"Recommended awards in four instalments, including USD 27,780,752 in the fifth","src":6},{"who":"Iranian Ports and Shipping Organization","what":"USD 67,587 for two dredgers used against oil spills","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Iraq","what":"Respondent to the claims; awards were paid from the Compensation Fund financed by a share of Iraq's oil-export revenue","src":9},{"who":"Government of Iran","what":"Claims for groundwater (USD 527,904,400), marine (USD 373,590,708), revegetation (USD 209,808,831) and fisheries (USD 161,000,000) received no award","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Crops of the Southern Provinces","what":"Yields fell in 1991, accepted by the Panel as at least in part a direct result of the invasion and occupation","src":5},{"who":"Iranian territory and coast","what":"Exposed to pollutants from the Kuwait oil fires and to the Gulf oil spill, according to the Panel","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Bushehr, Fars, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Kerman and Kohgiloyeh provinces, the central Bushehr coast and the Nayband Bay mangrove forest in Iran; the oil fires originated in Kuwait.","src":5},"when":{"t":"Damage period 2 August 1990 – 2 March 1991 and the 1991 fires and spills; instalments decided 2001–2005; Programme closed for Iran on 2 May 2013.","src":8},"why":{"t":"Iran attributed the damage to Iraq's detonation of Kuwait's oil wells, the oil released into the Gulf and the arrival of refugees with livestock; the UNCC process held Iraq liable for losses from the invasion and occupation.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The F4 Panel examined Iran's claims instalment by instalment; the Governing Council approved the recommendations; the Follow-up Programme withheld 15 per cent of the awards in its scope until Iran's two projects were completed.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Report and recommendations made by the Panel of Commissioners concerning the first instalment of \"F4\" claims, S/AC.26/2001/16","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2001-06-22","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/r2001-16.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Governing Council Decision 132: first instalment of \"F4\" claims","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2001-06-21","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/s-ac.26-dec_132_2001.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Report and recommendations concerning the second instalment of \"F4\" claims, S/AC.26/2002/26","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2002-10-03","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/r2002-26.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Report and recommendations concerning the third instalment of \"F4\" claims, S/AC.26/2003/31","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2003-12-18","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/r2003-31.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Report and recommendations concerning the fourth instalment of \"F4\" claims, part one, S/AC.26/2004/16","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2004-12-09","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/r2004-16.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Report and recommendations concerning the fifth instalment of \"F4\" claims, S/AC.26/2005/10","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2005-06-30","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/r2005-10.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Governing Council Decision 248: fifth instalment of \"F4\" claims","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2005-06-30","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/s-ac.26-dec_248_2005.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Governing Council Decision 258: Follow-up Programme for Environmental Claims Awards (corrected annex)","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2005-12-08","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/dec_258_with_corrected_annex.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Governing Council Decision 270: fulfilment of the Follow-up Programme mandate for Iran and Saudi Arabia","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2013-05-02","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/dec._270_2013.pdf","voice":"international"},{"t":"Follow-up Programme for Environmental Awards (overview)","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/follow-programme-environmental-awards-0","voice":"international"},{"t":"Follow-up Programme: Islamic Republic of Iran","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/en/what-we-did/follow-up-programme-environmental-awards/islamic-republic-iran","voice":"international"},{"t":"Decisions of the Governing Council (index)","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/en/documents/decisions-governing-council","voice":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["gulf-war-compensation-and-kuwait-oil-damage-remediation","iran-iraq-war-environmental-damage-un-1991","nowruz-oil-field-spill-1983"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether, and how much, smoke and oil from Kuwait reached Iran","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the 1991 crop losses and the price basis for valuing them","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Attribution of marine and coastal contamination on the central Bushehr coast","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount of Iran's first-instalment claim","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount of claim 5000394 (cancer-incidence monitoring)","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the date and amount of each payment to Iran from the UNCC Compensation Fund.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Iran's figures for mangrove loss (166.3 ha at Nayband Bay) and coral are Iran's claims; the Panel made no finding confirming them.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: Iraq argued, and the Panel recorded, that no sampling was conducted in Iran in 1991.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the Panel's report states that Iran \"has not submitted evidence, such as ground-level monitoring data on SO2, ozone, and soot levels\".","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: for long-term marine damage the data did not allow the Panel to determine \"what proportion of the damage can reasonably be attributed\" to the conflict.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: project dates for Iran's two Follow-up Programme projects on the UNCC page.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether Iran published its own reports on the first-instalment studies, for example the cancer-registry results.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Iran's first-instalment claim is USD 42,951,383 in the Panel's report and USD 40,838,883 in Decision 132; claim 5000394 is USD 332,200 in Decision 258 and USD 332,300 in report S/AC.26/2005/10.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-iraq-war-environmental-damage-un-1991","title":"Iran–Iraq war (1980–88): environmental damage recorded by the UN expert team in 1991 and Iran's damage estimate","dek":"A UN expert team sent under Security Council resolution 598 recorded Iran's account of war damage in 1991, including tar on more than 250 km of beaches and an Iranian government assessment of USD 97,248 million in non-military damage. No compensation mechanism for the war is on record; Iranian lawmakers later raised reparations demands.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":30.4,"lon":48.2,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Khuzestan (Karun River, Shatt al-Arab, Abadan, Khorramshahr) and the Gulf coast","lat":30.4,"lon":48.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","role":"payer"}],"start":1980,"end":1991,"eventDate":"1991-12-24","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","finance"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction","war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Iran's government assessment of non-military war damage, at 1988 replacement costs","value":"USD 97,248 million","note":"As recorded in UN document S/23322 (24 December 1991); the covering note rounds it to USD 97,200 million. Armed forces equipment is excluded and indirect losses are not discussed."},"happened":["Under UN Security Council resolution 598 (1987), paragraph 7, the UN Secretary-General sent a team of experts to study Iran's reconstruction needs after the 1980–88 war. The team made an exploratory visit in May/June 1991 (first report S/22863) and a second and final visit from 7 November to 1 December 1991, led by Abdulrahim A. Farah, a former Under-Secretary-General. Its report was transmitted on 24 December 1991 as document S/23322.","The team recorded that along the Karun River \"overall economic activities have been severely constrained owing to pollution and contamination\" and that farmlands \"were reported to contain dangerous substances resulting from many years of war activities\". It recorded \"more than 250 kilometres of beaches covered with tar or asphalt\" between Abadan and the Strait of Hormuz, attributed to leaking oil tankers attacked during the conflict, with mangroves and seagrass destroyed and the prawn fishery threatened. Sunken ships and wrecks in the Shatt al-Arab were described as \"another serious environmental hazard\", with \"no records. available on the nature of cargo carried by the ships\".","On land, S/23322 recorded minefields and unexploded ordnance in border areas; the Ministry of Health claimed \"at least 10 persons are either killed, maimed or wounded daily\". In agriculture, \"more than 3 million date palms and 5,000 ha of orchards were destroyed\", of which about 15 to 20 per cent had been replanted. The team could not ascertain progress on rehabilitating \"some 130,000 ha of natural forests and 753,000 ha of pasture lands in the war zone\" \"owing to unavailability of data\". It recorded loss of soil fertility from topsoil removal, compaction and flooding, waterlogging and salinity, and, as reported by the Government, \"soil and water contamination. from the toxic materials emanating from chemical and biological weapons\".","Iran's government assessment of non-military war damage at 1988 replacement costs was Rls 12,994,040 million for items of domestic origin, converted at Rls 237 per dollar to USD 54,827 million, plus USD 42,421 million for imported items, a total of USD 97,248 million. Iran's Environmental Protection Organization asked for international help to fund studies on debris clearance in devastated cities, clearance of tar-polluted beaches, monitoring of Karun River pollution, effects on Gulf islands, conservation of seagrass and mangrove forests and water quality in the war-affected provinces; no amount was given.","Reparations demands followed later. On 18 August 2018 Anadolu Agency reported that Iranian MP Mahmoud Sadeghi said Iraq owed Iran \"$1.1 trillion\" for the 1980–88 and 1990–91 wars, and that Hishmatullah Fallah Bisha, head of parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told ISNA \"War compensation cannot be ignored in relations between the two countries\". The article mentions no environmental harm and reports no direct Iraqi response."],"timeline":[{"y":1980,"t":"War begins; fighting continues to 1988","src":0},{"y":1987,"t":"Security Council resolution 598, paragraph 7, provides for the study of Iran's reconstruction needs","src":0},{"y":1991,"t":"UN expert team visits (May/June and 7 Nov – 1 Dec); report S/23322 transmitted 24 December","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"MP Mahmoud Sadeghi says Iraq owes Iran \"$1.1 trillion\" for two wars (Anadolu, 18 Aug)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"overall economic activities have been severely constrained owing to pollution and contamination","who":"UN team of experts, report S/23322, para. 70 (on the Karun River)","when":"1991-12-24","src":0},{"q":"more than 250 kilometres of beaches covered with tar or asphalt","who":"UN team of experts, report S/23322, para. 71","when":"1991-12-24","src":0},{"q":"has so far been unable to carry out any conclusive surveys or studies because of the high cost involved","who":"UN team of experts on Iran's Environmental Protection Organization, S/23322, para. 75","when":"1991-12-24","src":0},{"q":"War compensation cannot be ignored in relations between the two countries","who":"Hishmatullah Fallah Bisha, head of Iran's parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, to ISNA","when":"August 2018","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"Iran's government gave the UN team a damage assessment of USD 97,248 million for non-military items at 1988 replacement costs.","who":"Government of Iran, as recorded in S/23322","src":0},{"t":"Iraq owes Iran \"$1.1 trillion\" for the 1980–88 and 1990–91 wars.","who":"Mahmoud Sadeghi, Iranian MP, as reported by Anadolu Agency","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The figures in S/23322 come from the Government of Iran as relayed to the UN team.","src":0},{"t":"S/23322 \"does not discuss the question of indirect losses\".","src":0},{"t":"The Ministry of Health claimed at least 10 persons were killed, maimed or wounded daily by mines and unexploded ordnance in the border areas.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1988 replacement costs","nature":[{"label":"Environmental studies requested by Iran's Environmental Protection Organization","amount":null,"note":"No amount was given in S/23322."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Domestic items (Rls 12,994,040 million at Rls 237 per dollar)","amount":54827,"window":"1988 replacement costs"},{"label":"Imported items","amount":42421,"window":"1988 replacement costs"}],"otherTotal":97248,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Iran's account to the UN expert team, recorded in S/23322 (1991).","report":[{"t":"More than 250 kilometres of my beaches between Abadan and the Strait of Hormuz were covered with tar or asphalt, the UN team recorded in 1991; my mangroves and seagrass were destroyed.","src":0},{"t":"More than 3 million of my date palms and 5,000 ha of orchards were destroyed; about 15 to 20 per cent had been replanted by 1991.","src":0},{"t":"Along my Karun River, economic activity was constrained by pollution and contamination, the UN team recorded in 1991.","src":0}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Beaches covered with tar or asphalt","v":"More than 250 km","d":"Between Abadan and the Strait of Hormuz (S/23322, 1991)"},{"k":"Date palms destroyed","v":"More than 3 million","d":"Plus 5,000 ha of orchards; about 15 to 20 per cent replanted (S/23322)"},{"k":"Iran's government damage assessment","v":"USD 97,248 million","d":"Non-military, 1988 replacement costs"}]},"unknown":["Self-reported only: the figures in S/23322 come from the Government of Iran as relayed to the UN team, which states that Iran's Environmental Protection Organization had been unable to carry out conclusive surveys because of the high cost.","Insufficient: progress on rehabilitating about 130,000 ha of natural forests and 753,000 ha of pasture lands in the war zone could not be ascertained owing to unavailability of data.","None on record: the cargo of the sunken ships in the Shatt al-Arab (S/23322, para. 73).","None on record: a claims tribunal or compensation mechanism for 1980–88 damage.","None on record: a response from the Government of Iraq to the environmental figures in S/23322.","Not measured: chemical-weapons residues in soil beyond the Government of Iran's statement in S/23322, para. 134.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The 1991 report records damage and contamination continuing from the war years, including mines, wrecks and contaminated farmland.","whoPaid":"None on record. No compensation mechanism for the 1980–88 war is on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2018 (latest dated source): Iranian lawmakers had demanded reparations from Iraq for the 1980–88 and 1990–91 wars; no payment or claims body is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"Gave the UN team its damage assessment of USD 97,248 million and asked for international help with environmental studies.","when":"1991","src":0},{"actor":"Government of Iraq","says":"No response to these figures is on record.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Source of the damage figures; later reparations demands"},{"id":"iraq-government","role":"Party against which reparations were demanded"},{"id":"united-nations","role":"Sent the expert team under resolution 598"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Reparations for the 1980–88 and 1990–91 wars","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Iranian MP Mahmoud Sadeghi","says":"Said Iraq owes Iran \"$1.1 trillion\" for the two wars.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Hishmatullah Fallah Bisha, Iranian parliament committee head","says":"Said \"War compensation cannot be ignored in relations between the two countries\".","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iraq","says":"No response is on record in the article.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_assessment","value":97248,"unit":"USD m","year":1988,"note":"Iran's government assessment of non-military war damage at 1988 replacement costs; covering note rounds to USD 97,200 million."},{"key":"damage_assessment_domestic","value":54827,"unit":"USD m","year":1988,"note":"Rls 12,994,040 million at Rls 237 per dollar."},{"key":"damage_assessment_imported","value":42421,"unit":"USD m","year":1988},{"key":"coast_km","value":250,"unit":"km","year":1991,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Beaches covered with tar or asphalt between Abadan and the Strait of Hormuz."},{"key":"date_palms_destroyed","value":3000000,"unit":"trees","year":1991,"qualifier":"more than"},{"key":"area_ha","value":5000,"unit":"ha","year":1991,"note":"Orchards destroyed."},{"key":"replanted_share","value":20,"unit":"per cent","year":1991,"qualifier":"up to","note":"About 15 to 20 per cent of destroyed palms and orchards had been replanted."},{"key":"forest_area_ha","value":130000,"unit":"ha","year":1991,"qualifier":"some","note":"Natural forests in the war zone; rehabilitation progress could not be ascertained."},{"key":"pasture_area_ha","value":753000,"unit":"ha","year":1991,"qualifier":"some","note":"Pasture lands in the war zone; rehabilitation progress could not be ascertained."},{"key":"casualties_daily","value":10,"unit":"persons per day","year":1991,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Killed, maimed or wounded by mines and unexploded ordnance, as claimed by the Ministry of Health."},{"key":"claim","value":1100000,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"\"$1.1 trillion\" said to be owed by Iraq for the 1980–88 and 1990–91 wars, per MP Mahmoud Sadeghi."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A UN expert team recorded Iran's account of environmental damage from the 1980–88 war, together with a government damage assessment of USD 97,248 million for non-military items.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Iran","what":"Damage assessed at USD 97,248 million (non-military, 1988 replacement costs)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Beaches between Abadan and the Strait of Hormuz","what":"More than 250 km covered with tar or asphalt; mangroves and seagrass destroyed","src":0},{"who":"Date palms and orchards","what":"More than 3 million date palms and 5,000 ha of orchards destroyed","src":0},{"who":"Karun River and farmland","what":"Pollution and contamination constrained economic activity; farmlands reported to contain dangerous substances","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"South-western Iran, especially Khuzestan: the Karun River, the Shatt al-Arab, Abadan and Khorramshahr; the coast between Abadan and the Strait of Hormuz; border areas of five western provinces.","src":0},"when":{"t":"War 1980–1988; UN expert team visits May/June and 7 November – 1 December 1991; report transmitted 24 December 1991.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The team was sent under Security Council resolution 598 (1987), paragraph 7, to study Iran's reconstruction needs.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Iran's government supplied the damage figures and environmental accounts; the team recorded them and stated that Iran's Environmental Protection Organization had not carried out conclusive surveys.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Letter from the Secretary-General with the second and final report of the UN team of experts (resolution 598, para. 7), S/23322","p":"United Nations Security Council","d":"1991-12-24","type":"official","u":"https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/23322&l=en","voice":"international"},{"t":"Iranian MP urges Iraq to pay war compensations","p":"Anadolu Agency","d":"2018-08-18","type":"press","u":"https://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iranian-mp-urges-iraq-to-pay-war-compensations/1235121"}],"episodes":[],"related":["uncc-f4-environmental-claims-iran","nowruz-oil-field-spill-1983","iran-landmines-western-provinces"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental studies requested by Iran's Environmental Protection Organization — No amount was given in S/23322.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Reparations for the 1980–88 and 1990–91 wars","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Iraq: No response is on record in the article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the figures in S/23322 come from the Government of Iran as relayed to the UN team, which states that Iran's Environmental Protection Organization had been unable to carry out conclusive surveys because of the high cost.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: progress on rehabilitating about 130,000 ha of natural forests and 753,000 ha of pasture lands in the war zone could not be ascertained owing to unavailability of data.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the cargo of the sunken ships in the Shatt al-Arab (S/23322, para. 73).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a claims tribunal or compensation mechanism for 1980–88 damage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a response from the Government of Iraq to the environmental figures in S/23322.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: chemical-weapons residues in soil beyond the Government of Iran's statement in S/23322, para. 134.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nowruz-oil-field-spill-1983","title":"Nowruz oil-field spill, 1983–1985","dek":"An offshore oil release in Iran's Nowruz field in 1983 was prolonged by wartime attacks, and capping was delayed because the field lay in the Iran–Iraq war zone. NOAA and CEDRE give different start dates and volumes; no cost or compensation figure is on record.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":29.53,"lon":49.58,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Nowruz oil field, northern Gulf","lat":29.53,"lon":49.58,"role":"event"}],"start":1983,"end":1985,"instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","war-military"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Oil released: NOAA and CEDRE differ","value":"733,000 barrels (NOAA) / 260,000 tonnes (CEDRE)","note":"NOAA gives approximately 733,000 barrels; CEDRE gives 260,000 tonnes for 1983–1985. The two also differ on the start date."},"happened":["According to NOAA, on 10 February 1983 a tanker collided with a platform in the Nowruz oil field, in Iranian waters of the northern Gulf. Iraqi aircraft struck the platform in March 1983 and the slick ignited; a nearby platform was hit by Iraqi helicopter rockets in March 1983. The first well was capped on 18 September 1983 and the second was plugged in May 1985. NOAA gives approximately 733,000 barrels of oil spilled into the sea and states that the well \"was not capped because the field was in the middle of the Iran/Iraq war zone\". Eleven people died capping the first well and nine in the 1985 operation.","CEDRE, the French spill-response centre, gives a different account: an initial collision on 24 January 1983, \"a supply ship collided with a rig\", and a second spill in April 1983 after \"A nearby rig was attacked by Iraqi bombers\". It gives a total of 260,000 tonnes spilled in 1983–1985. The oil formed an emulsion of 80 per cent water and 20 per cent oil, dispersants were ineffective, and only \"a small fraction of the spill was recovered\". South-westerly winds drove slicks toward the Saudi coast in the first three months, and tarballs were reported in June 1983.","In 2004 the UNCC F4 Panel cited \"the 1983 Nowruz oil spill and other events during the Iran-Iraq war\", together with oil platforms, terminals, processing facilities and natural seeps, as other possible major causes of contamination on the central Bushehr coast when it made no award on Iran's USD 373,590,708 marine remediation claim for the 1990–91 Gulf War. NOAA and CEDRE give no cost, compensation or insurance figure."],"timeline":[{"y":1983,"t":"Collision at the platform (NOAA: 10 Feb; CEDRE: 24 Jan); Iraqi attacks on platforms (NOAA: March; CEDRE: April); first well capped (18 Sep, NOAA)","src":0},{"y":1985,"t":"Second well plugged (May, NOAA)","src":0},{"y":2004,"t":"UNCC F4 Panel names the Nowruz spill among other possible causes of coastal contamination (9 Dec report)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"was not capped because the field was in the middle of the Iran/Iraq war zone","who":"NOAA IncidentNews (on the well)","when":"undated","src":0},{"q":"A nearby rig was attacked by Iraqi bombers","who":"CEDRE accident report","when":"undated","src":1},{"q":"a small fraction of the spill was recovered","who":"CEDRE accident report","when":"undated","src":1},{"q":"the 1983 Nowruz oil spill and other events during the Iran-Iraq war","who":"UNCC F4 Panel, S/AC.26/2004/16, para. 99","when":"2004-12-09","src":2}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NOAA records approximately 733,000 barrels of oil spilled into the sea; CEDRE records 260,000 tonnes spilled in 1983–1985.","src":0},{"t":"Eleven people died capping the first well and nine in the 1985 operation (NOAA).","src":0},{"t":"Dispersants were ineffective and only a small fraction of the spill was recovered (CEDRE).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1983–1985","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"CEDRE accident report on the movement of the slicks.","report":[{"t":"In the first three months of 1983, south-westerly winds drove the slicks from my Nowruz field toward the Saudi coast, CEDRE recorded; tarballs were reported in June 1983.","src":1},{"t":"My oil emulsified to 80 per cent water and 20 per cent oil, and dispersants were ineffective; only a small fraction of the spill was recovered.","src":1}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil spilled (NOAA)","v":"Approximately 733,000 barrels","d":"Prolonged by the war; first well capped 18 Sep 1983, second plugged May 1985"},{"k":"Oil spilled (CEDRE)","v":"260,000 tonnes","d":"1983–1985; only a small fraction recovered"},{"k":"People who died capping the wells","v":"11 and 9","d":"In 1983 and 1985 operations (NOAA)"}]},"unknown":["Disputed: NOAA gives 10 February 1983 as the date of the collision and CEDRE gives 24 January 1983.","Figures differ: NOAA gives approximately 733,000 barrels spilled; CEDRE gives 260,000 tonnes for 1983–1985.","Disputed: NOAA places the attack on the nearby platform in March 1983 (helicopter rockets); CEDRE places it in April 1983 (bombers).","Not disclosed: any cost, compensation or insurance figure in the NOAA and CEDRE accounts.","Not measured: an ecological survey of Iran's coast specific to the Nowruz spill is not on record; CEDRE describes no specific coastal damage."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The first well was capped on 18 September 1983 and the second plugged in May 1985, according to NOAA.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the NOAA and CEDRE accounts: both wells were closed by May 1985; no compensation or cost figure is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"noaa","role":"Source of one account of the spill (IncidentNews)"},{"id":"cedre","role":"Source of the other account of the spill"},{"id":"uncc","role":"F4 Panel cited the spill as a parallel cause of contamination"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Start date of the spill","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA (US government)","says":"A tanker collided with a platform on 10 February 1983.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"CEDRE (French spill-response centre)","says":"A supply ship collided with a rig on 24 January 1983.","src":1}]},{"point":"Volume of oil spilled","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA (US government)","says":"Approximately 733,000 barrels spilled into the sea.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"CEDRE (French spill-response centre)","says":"260,000 tonnes spilled in 1983–1985.","src":1}]},{"point":"Timing of the attack on the nearby platform","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NOAA (US government)","says":"A nearby platform was hit by Iraqi helicopter rockets in March 1983.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"CEDRE (French spill-response centre)","says":"A second spill followed in April 1983 after a nearby rig was attacked by Iraqi bombers.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":733000,"unit":"barrels","year":1983,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"NOAA IncidentNews."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":260000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1985,"note":"CEDRE; total spilled 1983–1985."},{"key":"deaths","value":11,"unit":"people","year":1983,"note":"Died capping the first well (NOAA)."},{"key":"deaths","value":9,"unit":"people","year":1985,"note":"Died in the 1985 operation (NOAA)."},{"key":"emulsion_water_share","value":80,"unit":"per cent","year":1983,"note":"Emulsion of 80% water and 20% oil (CEDRE)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An offshore oil release in Iran's Nowruz field, prolonged by wartime attacks and by the delay in capping the wells.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"People who capped the wells","what":"Eleven died capping the first well and nine in the 1985 operation (NOAA)","src":0},{"who":"Government of Iran","what":"Marine remediation claim of USD 373,590,708 for 1990–91 received no award; the Panel cited the Nowruz spill among other possible causes","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Northern Gulf waters","what":"Slicks driven toward the Saudi coast; tarballs reported in June 1983 (CEDRE)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Nowruz oil field, northern Gulf, Iranian waters (approximately 29°32′ N, 49°35′ E per NOAA).","src":0},"when":{"t":"From a collision in January or February 1983 (sources differ) until the second well was plugged in May 1985.","src":0},"why":{"t":"A collision with a platform released the oil; wartime attacks on platforms in 1983 prolonged the release, and the field's location in the war zone delayed capping.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A tanker or supply ship collided with a platform, Iraqi aircraft or helicopters attacked platforms, and the wells were capped on 18 September 1983 and in May 1985.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Nowruz Oil Field, Persian Gulf, Iran (IncidentNews)","p":"NOAA Office of Response and Restoration","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6262"},{"t":"Nowruz accident report","p":"CEDRE","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://cedre.fr/resources/accident-reports/nowruz"},{"t":"Report and recommendations concerning the fourth instalment of \"F4\" claims, part one, S/AC.26/2004/16","p":"United Nations Compensation Commission","d":"2004-12-09","type":"official","u":"https://uncc.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/r2004-16.pdf","voice":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["uncc-f4-environmental-claims-iran","iran-iraq-war-environmental-damage-un-1991"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume of oil spilled","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Start date of the spill","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Timing of the attack on the nearby platform","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: NOAA gives 10 February 1983 as the date of the collision and CEDRE gives 24 January 1983.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: NOAA gives approximately 733,000 barrels spilled; CEDRE gives 260,000 tonnes for 1983–1985.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: NOAA places the attack on the nearby platform in March 1983 (helicopter rockets); CEDRE places it in April 1983 (bombers).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: any cost, compensation or insurance figure in the NOAA and CEDRE accounts.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: an ecological survey of Iran's coast specific to the Nowruz spill is not on record; CEDRE describes no specific coastal damage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-landmines-western-provinces","title":"Landmines and explosive remnants of the Iran–Iraq war in Iran's western provinces","dek":"Mined and contaminated land left by the 1980–88 war in five provinces bordering Iraq is being cleared by a state programme and by commercial operators in oil and gas areas. Official contamination figures differ widely between years, and Iran's mine action centre declined to provide data in 2025.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":33.6,"lon":46.4,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Ilam, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan","lat":33.6,"lon":46.4,"role":"event"}],"start":1980,"end":2025,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Agricultural land whose rehabilitation unidentified minefields may delay (UN expert team, 1991)","value":"Some 20 per cent","note":"Report S/23322, para. 134. Later official contamination figures differ between sources and are listed under disputes."},"happened":["The 1980–88 war left mined and contaminated land in five western provinces bordering Iraq: Ilam, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan. In 1991 a UN expert team recorded that unidentified minefields \"may delay the rehabilitation of some 20 per cent of the affected agricultural land\".","Mine Action Review (Norwegian People's Aid) reported that, according to the Iran Mine Action Center (IRMAC), the \"initial estimation of undefined 'contamination'\" was 42,000 km², of which Ilam held 17,000, Khuzestan 15,000, Kermanshah 7,000, Kurdistan 1,500 and West Azerbaijan 1,500, and that by February 2020 this \"had reportedly been reduced by '90%'\". Mine Action Review 2017 recorded other figures: Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said in 2014 that 4,500 km² of contamination in the five western provinces \"had been reduced to 280km2\"; the Ministry of Defence headline of 8 April 2014 read \"In Iran 28,000 hectares of land are landmine-contaminated\"; Iran's mine action authorities \"have consistently reported that the war left 4,200km2\"; and IRMAC gave remaining contamination of 250 km² in February 2014.","Some remaining contamination was said to lie in \"impassable mountainous areas\" or in marshes. Kermanshah was declared \"free from landmines\" in 2012, but casualties followed days later. In 2020 IRMAC listed flooding that displaces munitions, mines sinking \"up to six metres below the surface\", degradation of mines and vegetation as clearance challenges. PEDEC, the development arm of the National Iranian Oil Company, \"contracts and monitors commercial operators conducting clearance of Iran's oil and gas producing areas\"; no amounts are given.","Mine Action Review also recorded reports and allegations that Iran has laid new anti-personnel mines for border security, which Iran's government reportedly describes as \"defence tools\". It recorded that Iran is not a party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and so has no Article 5 clearance deadline. President Hassan Rouhani said in May 2017, as reported in Iran Daily, that countries that supplied Iraq with mines did not give Iran technology to clear them; the Defence Minister said in April 2023 that \"Iran has acquired the knowledge to produce demining equipment\"."],"timeline":[{"y":1991,"t":"UN expert team records that unidentified minefields may delay rehabilitation of some 20 per cent of affected agricultural land","src":2},{"y":2012,"t":"Kermanshah declared \"free from landmines\"; casualties followed days later","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Defence Minister: contamination in five western provinces reduced from 4,500 km² to 280 km²; IRMAC gives 250 km² (February); Ministry of Defence headline of 28,000 hectares (8 April)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"IRMAC presentations: initial 42,000 km² estimate reportedly reduced by 90% (February)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"IRMAC declined to provide information to Mine Action Review (May)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"may delay the rehabilitation of some 20 per cent of the affected agricultural land","who":"UN team of experts, report S/23322, para. 134 (on unidentified minefields)","when":"1991-12-24","src":2},{"q":"Iran has acquired the knowledge to produce demining equipment","who":"Iran's Defence Minister, as reported by Mine Action Review 2025","when":"April 2023","src":0},{"q":"In May 2025, Mine Action Review made renewed inquiries to IRMAC. IRMAC declined to provide information","who":"Mine Action Review 2025","when":"2025","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"In Iran 28,000 hectares of land are landmine-contaminated.","who":"Iran's Ministry of Defence, headline of 8 April 2014, as reported by Mine Action Review 2017","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"IRMAC's initial estimate of undefined contamination was 42,000 km², reportedly reduced by 90% by February 2020 (Mine Action Review 2025).","src":0},{"t":"Iran is not a party to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.","src":0},{"t":"PEDEC contracts and monitors commercial operators clearing Iran's oil and gas producing areas.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Agricultural land whose rehabilitation unidentified minefields may delay","v":"Some 20 per cent","d":"UN expert team, 1991"},{"k":"Provinces affected","v":"5","d":"Ilam, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan"}]},"unknown":["Disputed: official contamination figures differ between sources: IRMAC's initial estimate of 42,000 km² reportedly reduced by 90% by 2020; the Defence Minister's 4,500 km² reduced to 280 km² (2014); the Ministry of Defence's 28,000 hectares (2014); 4,200 km² as consistently reported by the mine action authorities; and IRMAC's 250 km² (February 2014).","Not disclosed: IRMAC declined to provide information in response to Mine Action Review's renewed inquiries of May 2025.","Not disclosed: release, clearance and survey figures for 2023 and 2024 are recorded as \"Not reported\", as is anti-personnel mine contamination.","Not disclosed: Iran has not reported publicly on its release of mined areas in 2016 or on demining in the three previous years (Mine Action Review 2017).","None on record: a national demining budget in any source consulted; the sums paid to commercial operators in oil and gas areas are not given.","Unclear: whether Iran has a national mine action standard on environmental management; Iran's environment ministry reportedly regulates environmental practices in mine action to some extent.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["undisclosed","deaths"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped: contamination remained in 2020 and some of it was said to lie in impassable mountainous areas and marshes; no 2023 or 2024 clearance figures were reported.","whoPaid":"None on record. PEDEC, the National Iranian Oil Company's development arm, contracts commercial clearance in oil and gas areas; no amounts are given.","statusLine":"As of May 2025: IRMAC declined to provide information to Mine Action Review; clearance and survey figures for 2023 and 2024 were not reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Iran Mine Action Center (IRMAC)","says":"Declined to provide information in response to Mine Action Review's renewed inquiries.","when":"May 2025","src":0},{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"President Rouhani said countries that supplied Iraq with mines did not give Iran technology to clear them; the Defence Minister said Iran had acquired the knowledge to produce demining equipment.","when":"May 2017; April 2023","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Runs the state demining programme"},{"id":"irmac","role":"Iran Mine Action Center; source of contamination figures; declined data in 2025"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Size of the remaining mine and ordnance contamination in the western provinces","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"IRMAC (Iran Mine Action Center)","says":"Initial estimate of undefined contamination 42,000 km², reportedly reduced by 90% by February 2020.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"IRMAC (Iran Mine Action Center), February 2014","says":"Remaining contamination of 250 km².","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan","says":"In 2014 said 4,500 km² of contamination in the five western provinces had been reduced to 280 km².","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Iran's Ministry of Defence","says":"Headline of 8 April 2014: \"In Iran 28,000 hectares of land are landmine-contaminated\".","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Iran's mine action authorities","says":"Have consistently reported that the war left 4,200 km².","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether Iran has laid new anti-personnel mines for border security","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Mine Action Review (Norwegian People's Aid)","says":"Recorded reports and allegations that Iran has laid new anti-personnel mines for border security.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iran","says":"Reportedly describes them as \"defence tools\".","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"agricultural_land_share_delayed","value":20,"unit":"per cent","year":1991,"qualifier":"some","note":"Share of affected agricultural land whose rehabilitation unidentified minefields may delay (UN expert team)."},{"key":"provinces","value":5,"unit":"provinces","year":2025,"note":"Ilam, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan."},{"key":"mine_depth_m","value":6,"unit":"m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Mines sinking below the surface (IRMAC list of challenges)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mined and contaminated land from the 1980–88 war in five western provinces, a state demining programme and commercial clearance in oil and gas areas.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Agricultural land in the western provinces","what":"Some 20 per cent of affected land may see rehabilitation delayed by unidentified minefields (UN team, 1991)","src":2},{"who":"People in border areas","what":"At least 10 persons killed, maimed or wounded daily, as claimed by the Ministry of Health in 1991","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Ilam, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Kurdistan and West Azerbaijan provinces along the Iraqi border.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From the 1980–88 war to 2025; Kermanshah declared free from landmines in 2012; latest report May 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Mines and explosive remnants were left by the 1980–88 war; some contamination lies in mountains and marshes.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The state programme and PEDEC-contracted commercial operators clear contamination; flooding, mine degradation and vegetation hinder clearance.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Iran: Clearing the Mines 2025","p":"Mine Action Review (Norwegian People's Aid)","d":"2025","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.mineactionreview.org/assets/downloads/Iran_Clearing_the_Mines_2025.pdf"},{"t":"Iran: Clearing the Mines 2017","p":"Mine Action Review (Norwegian People's Aid)","d":"2017","type":"ngo","u":"https://mineactionreview.org/assets/downloads/Iran_Clearing_the_Mines_2017.pdf"},{"t":"Letter from the Secretary-General with the second and final report of the UN team of experts (resolution 598, para. 7), S/23322","p":"United Nations Security Council","d":"1991-12-24","type":"official","u":"https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=S/23322&l=en","voice":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-iraq-war-environmental-damage-un-1991","ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund"],"natureLead":{"t":"Mine Action Review reports that Iran's initial estimate of 42,000 km² of contamination from the 1980–88 war in my five western provinces had reportedly been reduced by 90% by February 2020.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the remaining mine and ordnance contamination in the western provinces","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Iran has laid new anti-personnel mines for border security","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: official contamination figures differ between sources: IRMAC's initial estimate of 42,000 km² reportedly reduced by 90% by 2020; the Defence Minister's 4,500 km² reduced to 280 km² (2014); the Ministry of Defence's 28,000 hectares (2014); 4,200 km² as consistently reported by the mine action authorities; and IRMAC's 250 km² (February 2014).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: IRMAC declined to provide information in response to Mine Action Review's renewed inquiries of May 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: release, clearance and survey figures for 2023 and 2024 are recorded as \"Not reported\", as is anti-personnel mine contamination.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Iran has not reported publicly on its release of mined areas in 2016 or on demining in the three previous years (Mine Action Review 2017).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a national demining budget in any source consulted; the sums paid to commercial operators in oil and gas areas are not given.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Iran has a national mine action standard on environmental management; Iran's environment ministry reportedly regulates environmental practices in mine action to some extent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-oil-and-gas-facility-strikes-2025-2026","title":"Strikes on Iranian oil and gas facilities, June 2025 and March 2026, and damage at Qatar's Ras Laffan","dek":"CEOBS described fires and damage at the Tehran refinery, South Pars Phase 14 and the Fajr Jam gas plant in June 2025. On 18 March 2026 Iranian state media reported strikes on South Pars gas plants at Asaluyeh, and QatarEnergy later estimated a roughly USD 20bn annual revenue loss from damage at Ras Laffan.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":27.48,"lon":52.61,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Bushehr province (Asaluyeh/Kangan, South Pars; Fajr Jam) and Tehran (Shahr-e Rey refinery)","lat":27.48,"lon":52.61,"role":"event"},{"country":"Qatar","iso2":"QA","admin":"Ras Laffan Industrial City","lat":25.9,"lon":51.55,"role":"affected"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-06-14","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","war:conflict-economy","burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"QatarEnergy's estimate of annual revenue loss after the March 2026 damage at Ras Laffan","value":"Roughly USD 20bn per year","note":"QatarEnergy's estimate (QR72.8bn), reported by Offshore Technology on 20 March 2026; it said repairs would take three to five years."},"happened":["In an overview dated 20 June 2025, the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) described the environmental consequences of the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran, based only on remote analysis and the existing literature. It wrote that the Tehran (Shahr-e Rey) refinery, with \"a refining capacity of 225,000 barrels per day\", was attacked on 14 June and that fire was visible on 15 June, and it listed the pollutants typical of major oil fires: \"particulate matter, NOx, nitrous acid, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, VOCs such as formaldehyde, and potentially dioxins, furans, hydrocarbons and PAHs\". That list is generic and does not report measurements.","At South Pars Phase 14, hit on 14 June, Iranian state media told Reuters that a fire broke out \"in one of the four units of Phase 14 of South Pars\", halting production of \"12 million m3 of gas\". CEOBS satellite analysis suggested damage to a processing centre and that two wells to the north \"no longer appear to be operational or flaring\". At the Fajr Jam gas plant CEOBS saw \"scorched vegetation on a nearby hillside and damage to some of the processing infrastructure\". On 17 June two tankers collided in the Gulf; the ADALYNN fire and spill \"generated an 8 km oil slick\", and CEOBS wrote that \"It is thought that GPS spoofing linked to electromagnetic warfare may have contributed\". Argus Media reported on 18 March 2026 that Phase 14 operations resumed \"within two weeks\".","On 18 March 2026 Iranian state media said US and Israeli drones struck gas treatment plants in Asaluyeh that process sour gas from phases 3, 4, 5 and 6, damaging four facilities; Asaluyeh governor Eskandar Pasalar said the facilities had \"been taken offline\" to control and prevent the spread of fire. Maritime Executive reported that Israel struck Asaluyeh, that a US defence official told Axios the strike was approved in advance by the White House, and that President Trump denied prior knowledge. Qatar's foreign ministry called the South Pars attacks \"dangerous and irresponsible\".","On 18–19 March 2026 Maritime Executive, under the headline \"Iran Damages Ras Laffan LNG Terminal\", reported damage at Qatar's Ras Laffan complex: QatarEnergy said the complex sustained \"significant damage\"; the outlet wrote that Pearl GTL was hit and that several LNG facilities suffered \"extensive\" damage; fires were put out and Qatar's interior ministry said teams were clearing unexploded munitions. QatarEnergy and its chief executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said LNG Trains 4 and 6 (12.8 mtpa) were damaged and export capacity fell by about 17%, estimated the revenue loss at \"roughly $20bn (QR72.8bn) per year\", said the damage \"will take between three to five years to repair\" and declared force majeure \"for up to five years on some long-term LNG contracts\". Train 4 is owned 66% by QatarEnergy and 34% by ExxonMobil; Train 6 is owned 70% by QatarEnergy and 30% by ExxonMobil.","In August 2026 Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, quoted by The National on 11 August, said Iran lost \"about 95 million cubic metres of natural gas output\" because of the war, that four damaged refineries were being rebuilt and that \"Debris removal, the first stage of the work, has been completed\". The article does not say whether the gas figure is per day or a total, and no cost was given."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Tehran refinery attacked (14 Jun); South Pars Phase 14 hit (14 Jun); tanker collision and ADALYNN spill (17 Jun); CEOBS overview (20 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Iranian state media report strikes on Asaluyeh gas plants (18 Mar); QatarEnergy reports damage at Ras Laffan (18–19 Mar) and estimates annual revenue loss (20 Mar); Oil Minister Paknejad on lost gas output (11 Aug)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"At present little information is available on releases from the damaged facilities","who":"CEOBS, overview of the Israel–Iran war","when":"2025-06-20","src":0},{"q":"taking precautions to avoid triggering a nuclear disaster","who":"Israel, as quoted by CEOBS","when":"2025-06","src":0},{"q":"been taken offline","who":"Eskandar Pasalar, governor of Asaluyeh, on the gas treatment facilities","when":"2026-03-18","src":1},{"q":"dangerous and irresponsible","who":"Qatar's foreign ministry, on the South Pars attacks","when":"2026-03-18","src":1},{"q":"roughly $20bn (QR72.8bn) per year","who":"QatarEnergy, estimated revenue loss from the Ras Laffan damage","when":"2026-03-20","src":3},{"q":"The damage sustained by the LNG facilities will take between three to five years to repair","who":"QatarEnergy","when":"2026-03-20","src":3},{"q":"Debris removal, the first stage of the work, has been completed","who":"Mohsen Paknejad, Iran's Oil Minister, as quoted by The National","when":"2026-08-11","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"A fire broke out in one of the four units of Phase 14 of South Pars, halting production of 12 million m3 of gas.","who":"Iranian state media, via Reuters, as cited by CEOBS","src":0},{"t":"US and Israeli drones struck gas treatment plants in Asaluyeh, damaging four facilities.","who":"Iranian state media, as reported by Argus Media","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"CEOBS: the overview is \"an initial scoping exercise based only on remote analysis and the existing literature\".","src":0},{"t":"QatarEnergy estimated the revenue loss at roughly USD 20bn (QR72.8bn) per year; LNG Trains 4 and 6 (12.8 mtpa) were damaged and export capacity fell by about 17%.","src":3},{"t":"Argus Media reported that Phase 14 operations resumed within two weeks.","src":1},{"t":"Iran's Oil Minister said four damaged refineries were being rebuilt and debris removal had been completed.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"per year","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"QatarEnergy's estimated annual revenue loss after the Ras Laffan damage","amount":20000,"qualifier":"roughly","est":true,"window":"per year","note":"QR72.8bn as stated by QatarEnergy."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"CEOBS remote analysis of June 2025 (satellite imagery) and its report on the Gulf tanker collision.","report":[{"t":"A hillside near the Fajr Jam gas plant lay scorched in the satellite imagery CEOBS analysed in June 2025.","src":0},{"t":"After two tankers collided on 17 June 2025, the ADALYNN fire and spill put an 8 km oil slick on my Gulf waters, CEOBS wrote.","src":0}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil slick after the ADALYNN collision, 17 June 2025","v":"8 km","d":"CEOBS, 20 June 2025"},{"k":"Gas production halted at South Pars Phase 14","v":"12 million m3","d":"Iranian state media via Reuters, June 2025"},{"k":"QatarEnergy's annual revenue-loss estimate","v":"Roughly USD 20bn","d":"March 2026; repair expected to take three to five years"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: no measured emissions data from the June 2025 fires; open-source analysis was \"hampered by. disinformation, AI generated content and miscaptioned footage\" (CEOBS).","Not measured: no emissions, flaring or spill data from either side for March 2026; Maritime Executive cites NASA FIRMS infrared detections without giving values.","Not disclosed: \"Iranian authorities have not disclosed how much production was lost\" at Asaluyeh (Argus Media, 18 March 2026).","Not disclosed: environmental statements by QatarEnergy.","Unclear: whether the 95 million cubic metres of lost gas output given by Iran's Oil Minister is per day or a total.","Disputed: Iranian state media attributed the 18 March strike on Asaluyeh to US and Israeli drones; Maritime Executive reported that Israel struck; the US defence official's account and President Trump's denial of prior knowledge differ.","None on record: volumes of fuel burned at the Tehran refinery and a Department of Environment assessment for June 2025.","None on record: insurance; QatarEnergy declared force majeure on some long-term LNG contracts."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Fires at the Asaluyeh facilities were being controlled on 18 March 2026 and Qatar's fires were put out by 19 March; Phase 14 operations resumed within two weeks of June 2025, according to Argus Media. No emissions data are on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. QatarEnergy estimated its own revenue loss; Iran's Oil Minister gave no cost for rebuilding four refineries.","statusLine":"As of 11 August 2026: Iran's Oil Minister said four damaged refineries were being rebuilt; QatarEnergy's repair estimate is three to five years.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"QatarEnergy","says":"Said Ras Laffan sustained significant damage, estimated a roughly USD 20bn annual revenue loss and declared force majeure on some long-term LNG contracts.","when":"2026-03-20","src":3},{"actor":"Government of Qatar","says":"Foreign ministry called the South Pars attacks \"dangerous and irresponsible\".","when":"2026-03-18","src":1},{"actor":"Government of Israel","says":"As quoted by CEOBS in June 2025: \"taking precautions to avoid triggering a nuclear disaster\".","when":"2025-06","src":0},{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"State media reported a fire at South Pars Phase 14 in June 2025 and drone strikes on Asaluyeh gas plants on 18 March 2026; the Oil Minister said four refineries were being rebuilt.","when":"2025–2026","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Owner of the struck facilities; source of the state-media accounts"},{"id":"qatarenergy","role":"Operator of Ras Laffan; estimated revenue loss and declared force majeure"},{"id":"government-of-qatar","role":"Foreign ministry condemned the South Pars attacks"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Minority owner of LNG Train 4 (34%) and Train 6 (30%)"},{"id":"government-of-israel","role":"Quoted by CEOBS on precautions in June 2025"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Published the June 2025 overview"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who struck Asaluyeh on 18 March 2026, and who approved it","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Iranian state media","says":"US and Israeli drones struck gas treatment plants in Asaluyeh.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Maritime Executive, citing a US defence official via Axios","says":"Israel struck Asaluyeh and the White House approved the strike in advance.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Trump","says":"Denied prior knowledge, according to Maritime Executive.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"revenue_loss","value":20000,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2026,"qualifier":"roughly","est":true,"note":"QatarEnergy's estimate (QR72.8bn)."},{"key":"lng_capacity_damaged","value":12.8,"unit":"mtpa","year":2026,"note":"LNG Trains 4 and 6."},{"key":"export_capacity_loss_share","value":17,"unit":"per cent","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"QatarEnergy."},{"key":"repair_time","value":5,"unit":"years","year":2026,"qualifier":"three to five","note":"QatarEnergy estimate for repair of the LNG facilities."},{"key":"force_majeure_period","value":5,"unit":"years","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"On some long-term LNG contracts."},{"key":"oil_slick_km","value":8,"unit":"km","year":2025,"note":"ADALYNN collision, 17 June 2025 (CEOBS)."},{"key":"gas_output_halted","value":12000000,"unit":"m3","year":2025,"note":"South Pars Phase 14, per Iranian state media via Reuters."},{"key":"gas_output_lost","value":95000000,"unit":"m3 (period not stated)","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Iran's Oil Minister, The National, 11 August 2026."},{"key":"refining_capacity","value":225000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":2025,"note":"Tehran (Shahr-e Rey) refinery (CEOBS)."},{"key":"facilities_damaged","value":4,"unit":"facilities","year":2026,"note":"Asaluyeh gas treatment facilities, per Iranian state media."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Strikes and fires at Iranian oil and gas facilities in June 2025 and on 18 March 2026, and damage to Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG complex, with QatarEnergy estimating a roughly USD 20bn annual revenue loss.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"QatarEnergy","what":"Estimated revenue loss of roughly USD 20bn per year; force majeure on some contracts","src":3},{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Owner of 34% of LNG Train 4 and 30% of Train 6, both damaged","src":3},{"who":"Iran's gas sector","what":"Phase 14 production of 12 million m3 halted in June 2025; about 95 million cubic metres of output lost by August 2026, period not stated","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Hillside at the Fajr Jam gas plant","what":"Scorched vegetation seen in satellite analysis","src":0},{"who":"Gulf waters near the ADALYNN","what":"An 8 km oil slick after the 17 June 2025 tanker collision","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Tehran (Shahr-e Rey) refinery; South Pars Phase 14, Fajr Jam and the Asaluyeh gas treatment plants in Bushehr province, Iran; Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.","src":0},"when":{"t":"13–24 June 2025 (strikes of 14 June, tanker collision of 17 June); 18–19 March 2026 (Asaluyeh and Ras Laffan); QatarEnergy estimate 20 March 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The facilities were struck in the June 2025 war between Israel and Iran and in the war that began on 28 February 2026; parties' accounts of who struck and approved differ.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Strikes caused fires and damage at gas and refining units; production was halted or taken offline; QatarEnergy declared force majeure and estimated repair at three to five years.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"The emerging environmental consequences of the Israel-Iran war","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-06-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/the-emerging-environmental-consequences-of-the-israel-iran-war/"},{"t":"Iran says US, Israel hit South Pars gas facilities","p":"Argus Media","d":"2026-03-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2802634-iran-says-us-israel-hit-south-pars-gas-facilities"},{"t":"Iran Damages Ras Laffan LNG Terminal","p":"Maritime Executive","d":"2026-03-18","type":"press","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/iran-hits-ras-laffan-home-of-the-world-s-largest-lng-terminal"},{"t":"QatarEnergy estimates $20bn annual loss after Ras Laffan attack","p":"Offshore Technology","d":"2026-03-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/qatarenergy-20bn-annual-loss-ras-laffan-attack/"},{"t":"Iran lost 95 million cubic metres of natural gas output due to war","p":"The National","d":"2026-08-11","type":"press","u":"https://thenationalnews.com/business/energy/2026/08/11/iran-lost-95-million-cubic-metres-of-natural-gas-output-due-to-war"}],"episodes":[],"related":["tehran-fuel-depot-attack-and-2026-iran-war-environmental-ris","gulf-desalination-plants-strikes-2026","iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026","iran-nuclear-site-strikes-iaea-statements"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who struck Asaluyeh on 18 March 2026, and who approved it","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: no measured emissions data from the June 2025 fires; open-source analysis was \"hampered by. disinformation, AI generated content and miscaptioned footage\" (CEOBS).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: no emissions, flaring or spill data from either side for March 2026; Maritime Executive cites NASA FIRMS infrared detections without giving values.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: \"Iranian authorities have not disclosed how much production was lost\" at Asaluyeh (Argus Media, 18 March 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: environmental statements by QatarEnergy.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the 95 million cubic metres of lost gas output given by Iran's Oil Minister is per day or a total.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Iranian state media attributed the 18 March strike on Asaluyeh to US and Israeli drones; Maritime Executive reported that Israel struck; the US defence official's account and President Trump's denial of prior knowledge differ.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: volumes of fuel burned at the Tehran refinery and a Department of Environment assessment for June 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance; QatarEnergy declared force majeure on some long-term LNG contracts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-nuclear-site-strikes-iaea-statements","title":"Strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, 2025 and 2026: IAEA statements on contamination and the Bushehr reactor","dek":"The IAEA's Director General said in June 2025 that radioactivity outside Natanz was at normal levels while radiological and chemical contamination inside the facility was possible. In March and April 2026 statements by the IAEA, Rosatom, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization and Iran's foreign minister addressed a projectile hit and strikes near the Bushehr power station.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":28.83,"lon":50.89,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan, Arak/Khondab, Bushehr","lat":28.83,"lon":50.89,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-06-13","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","chemical-pollution"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"IAEA Director General on radioactivity outside Natanz, 16 June 2025","value":"Unchanged, at normal levels","note":"As reported by AP; contamination inside the facility was described as possible. The IAEA had no staff in Iran in March 2026."},"happened":["Natanz was hit on 13 June 2025. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said on 16 June, as reported by AP, that \"The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels\", that radiological and chemical contamination inside the facility was possible, and that the risk could be managed with protective equipment such as respirators. CEOBS summarised IAEA statements of 20 June 2025: damage to the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant and potential damage to the underground plant at Natanz; the IAEA \"believes that there is radioactive and chemical contamination at both sites\"; at Isfahan on 13 June four buildings were damaged, including a uranium conversion plant, with off-site radiation \"unchanged\"; at Arak on 18 June \"no nuclear material was onsite\".","After strikes on 22 June 2025, UN News reported on 23 June that Grossi said \"Craters are now visible at the Fordow site\" and that \"no one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow\"; Iran reported no increase in radiation outside Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz; on Bushehr, Grossi said \"the risk is real\".","In the war that began on 28 February 2026, the IAEA said on 3 March that it could \"now confirm some recent damage to entrance buildings of Iran's underground Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant\" with \"No radiological consequence expected and no additional impact detected at FEP itself\". The same Reuters report said the IAEA had no staff in Iran and relied on satellite imagery, and that Rosatom had halted construction of new Bushehr units, leaving 639 Russian personnel on site.","On 17 March 2026 the IAEA said Iran informed it that \"a projectile hit the premises\" of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, with no damage or injuries reported. Grossi said: \"This is the reddest line of all that you have in nuclear safety\" and \"The possibility of dispersion in the atmosphere of radioactivity is very high if you get to the core of the reactor\". Rosatom said \"The radiation situation at the site is normal\", and Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) said \"no financial, technical, or human damage occurred\" (NucNet, 19 March). On 4 April, according to the AEOI, missiles hit close to Bushehr, killing one security guard and damaging a side building. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Bushehr had been \"bombed\" four times since 28 February and wrote \"Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran\"; AEOI head Mohammad Eslami wrote to Grossi asking the IAEA to condemn the attacks (Al Jazeera, 5 April). CEOBS wrote on 27 March of Israeli strikes on Natanz and \"repeated strikes in proximity to the Bushehr reactor\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Natanz hit (13 Jun); Grossi on radioactivity outside Natanz (16 Jun); Arak (18 Jun); strikes of 22 Jun and Grossi's statement on Fordow and Bushehr (reported 23 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"War begins (28 Feb); IAEA confirms damage to Natanz entrance buildings (3 Mar); projectile hits Bushehr premises (17 Mar); CEOBS overview (27 Mar); missiles hit near Bushehr per AEOI (4 Apr)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, as reported by AP","when":"2025-06-16","src":0},{"q":"no one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, as reported by UN News","when":"2025-06-23","src":2},{"q":"This is the reddest line of all that you have in nuclear safety","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, on the Bushehr incident","when":"2026-03-19","src":4},{"q":"The possibility of dispersion in the atmosphere of radioactivity is very high if you get to the core of the reactor","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General","when":"2026-03-19","src":4},{"q":"The radiation situation at the site is normal","who":"Rosatom, on Bushehr","when":"2026-03-19","src":4},{"q":"no financial, technical, or human damage occurred","who":"Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, on the 17 March incident","when":"2026-03-19","src":4},{"q":"Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran","who":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister","when":"2026-04-05","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"Bushehr had been \"bombed\" four times since 28 February 2026.","who":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, as reported by Al Jazeera","src":5},{"t":"Missiles hit close to Bushehr, killing one security guard and damaging a side building.","who":"Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as reported by Al Jazeera","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Grossi: radiological and chemical contamination inside the Natanz facility was possible while radioactivity outside was at normal levels (16 June 2025).","src":0},{"t":"The IAEA confirmed damage to entrance buildings of the underground Natanz plant on 3 March 2026 and expected no radiological consequence.","src":3},{"t":"The IAEA said Iran informed it that a projectile hit the premises of the Bushehr plant on 17 March 2026.","src":4},{"t":"Neither Iran nor Russia published images of the Bushehr damage, according to NucNet.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"IAEA statements as relayed by AP, UN News and Reuters; Iran's regulator was the main data source for off-site levels.","report":[{"t":"The radioactivity outside my Natanz site remained unchanged and at normal levels on 16 June 2025, the IAEA Director General said; inside the facility, radiological and chemical contamination was possible.","src":0},{"t":"After the 22 June 2025 strikes, Iran reported no increase in radiation outside Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz, UN News relayed.","src":2},{"t":"No radiological consequence was expected from the damage to the entrance buildings of the Natanz plant, the IAEA said on 3 March 2026.","src":3}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Radioactivity outside Natanz, 16 June 2025","v":"Unchanged, normal levels","d":"IAEA Director General, via AP"},{"k":"Buildings damaged at Isfahan, 13 June 2025","v":"4","d":"Including a uranium conversion plant; off-site radiation unchanged (CEOBS summary of IAEA)"},{"k":"Russian personnel at Bushehr, March 2026","v":"639","d":"After Rosatom halted construction of new units (Reuters)"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: independent off-site sampling; the IAEA statements reported give contamination as confined inside the facilities, with Iran's regulator as the main data source for off-site levels.","Insufficient: \"no one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow\" (Grossi, June 2025).","Insufficient: the IAEA had no inspectors in Iran in March 2026 and relied on satellite imagery (Reuters).","Not disclosed: neither Iran nor Russia published images of the damage at Bushehr (NucNet).","Disputed: after the 17 March 2026 incident Rosatom described the radiation situation at Bushehr as normal and the AEOI reported no damage, while Grossi said dispersion would be very likely if the reactor core were reached and Araghchi wrote that fallout would end life in GCC capitals.","None on record: legal proceedings and insurance concerning the nuclear sites."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Statements through April 2026 describe repeated strikes near Bushehr; no end-state is reported.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 5 April 2026 (latest dated source): the AEOI reported missiles hitting close to Bushehr; the IAEA had no staff in Iran.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"International Atomic Energy Agency","says":"Said off-site radioactivity at Natanz was at normal levels in June 2025 and that Iran informed it of a projectile hit at Bushehr on 17 March 2026.","when":"2025–2026","src":4},{"actor":"Rosatom","says":"Said the radiation situation at the Bushehr site was normal.","when":"2026-03-19","src":4},{"actor":"Atomic Energy Organization of Iran","says":"Said no financial, technical or human damage occurred on 17 March; reported a security guard killed in the 4 April strikes near Bushehr; its head asked the IAEA to condemn the attacks.","when":"2026-03 to 2026-04","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"iaea","role":"Source of statements on contamination and risk"},{"id":"rosatom","role":"Operator side at Bushehr; halted construction of new units"},{"id":"aeoi","role":"Iran's Atomic Energy Organization; reported damage and casualties"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Foreign minister's statements on Bushehr"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Summarised IAEA statements and reported on strikes near Bushehr"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Radiological risk at the Bushehr power station after the March–April 2026 strikes","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA (Rafael Grossi)","says":"\"The possibility of dispersion in the atmosphere of radioactivity is very high if you get to the core of the reactor.\"","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosatom","says":"\"The radiation situation at the site is normal.\"","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Atomic Energy Organization of Iran","says":"\"no financial, technical, or human damage occurred\" on 17 March; on 4 April reported one security guard killed and a side building damaged.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister","says":"Said Bushehr had been \"bombed\" four times since 28 February and \"Radioactive fallout will end life in GCC capitals, not Tehran\".","src":5}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"person","year":2026,"note":"Security guard killed near Bushehr on 4 April 2026, per the AEOI."},{"key":"personnel_remaining","value":639,"unit":"Russian personnel","year":2026,"note":"At Bushehr after Rosatom halted construction of new units (Reuters, 3 March 2026)."},{"key":"buildings_damaged","value":4,"unit":"buildings","year":2025,"note":"Isfahan, 13 June 2025, including a uranium conversion plant (CEOBS summary of IAEA)."},{"key":"strikes_claimed","value":4,"unit":"strikes","year":2026,"note":"Bushehr \"bombed\" four times since 28 February, per Foreign Minister Araghchi."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"IAEA and other statements on radiological and chemical contamination after strikes on Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan and Arak in June 2025 and on the risk at Bushehr in March–April 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Atomic Energy Organization of Iran","what":"One security guard killed and a side building damaged near Bushehr, 4 April 2026 (AEOI)","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Natanz facility interior","what":"Radiological and chemical contamination possible inside, according to the IAEA Director General","src":0},{"who":"Persian Gulf region","what":"Risk of atmospheric dispersion if the Bushehr reactor core were reached (Grossi, conditional)","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Natanz, Fordow, Isfahan, Arak/Khondab and the Bushehr nuclear power plant, Iran.","src":2},"when":{"t":"13–22 June 2025 and from 28 February 2026; statements dated 16 June 2025, 3 March, 17–19 March and 4–5 April 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The sites were struck in the 2025 and 2026 wars; parties' accounts of the strikes and their consequences differ.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Strikes damaged enrichment and conversion facilities and landed near or on the Bushehr premises; the IAEA relied on information from Iran and on satellite imagery.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"IAEA head warns of radiological, chemical contamination inside Iran's main nuclear site","p":"Naharnet (AP)","d":"2025-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/313559-iaea-head-warns-of-radiological-chemical-contamination-inside-iran-s-main-nuclear-site"},{"t":"The emerging environmental consequences of the Israel-Iran war","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-06-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/the-emerging-environmental-consequences-of-the-israel-iran-war/"},{"t":"IAEA/Grossi on Fordow, Natanz, Isfahan and Bushehr risk","p":"UN News","d":"2025-06-23","type":"official","u":"https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164766","voice":"international"},{"t":"IAEA confirms damage to Iran's Natanz plant; Bushehr work halted","p":"Kuwait Times (Reuters)","d":"2026-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://kuwaittimes.com/article/40523/world/america/iaea-confirms-damage-to-irans-natanz-plant-bushehr-work-halted/"},{"t":"Projectile has hit premises of Bushehr nuclear power station in Iran, IAEA says","p":"NucNet","d":"2026-03-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.nucnet.org/news/projectile-has-hit-premises-of-bushehr-nuclear-power-station-in-iran-iaea-says-3-4-2026"},{"t":"Why an attack on Bushehr nuclear plant would be catastrophic for the Gulf","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/5/why-an-attack-on-bushehr-nuclear-plant-would-be-catastrophic-for-the-gulf"},{"t":"Iran War: Environmental risk overview as of 27th March","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2026-03-27","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/iran-war-environmental-risk-overview-as-of-27th-march/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["gulf-desalination-plants-strikes-2026","iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026","iran-oil-and-gas-facility-strikes-2025-2026"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Radiological risk at the Bushehr power station after the March–April 2026 strikes","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: independent off-site sampling; the IAEA statements reported give contamination as confined inside the facilities, with Iran's regulator as the main data source for off-site levels.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: \"no one including the IAEA, is in a position to have fully assessed the underground damage at Fordow\" (Grossi, June 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the IAEA had no inspectors in Iran in March 2026 and relied on satellite imagery (Reuters).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: neither Iran nor Russia published images of the damage at Bushehr (NucNet).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: after the 17 March 2026 incident Rosatom described the radiation situation at Bushehr as normal and the AEOI reported no damage, while Grossi said dispersion would be very likely if the reactor core were reached and Araghchi wrote that fallout would end life in GCC capitals.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings and insurance concerning the nuclear sites.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gulf-desalination-plants-strikes-2026","title":"Desalination plants hit in the 2026 war: Qeshm Island and Bahrain","dek":"Iran's foreign minister said a strike hit a desalination plant on Qeshm Island on 7 March 2026 and cut freshwater to 30 villages; Bahraini officials said an Iranian drone damaged a Bahraini plant on 8 March. CEOBS described the environmental risks of damage to the Gulf's roughly 450 desalination plants.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":26.8,"lon":55.9,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Qeshm Island, Strait of Hormuz","lat":26.8,"lon":55.9,"role":"event"}],"start":2026,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-03-07","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","water"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Villages whose freshwater supply was cut after the Qeshm plant was hit, per Iran's Foreign Minister","value":"30 villages","note":"Statement by Abbas Araghchi, 7 March 2026, as reported by The Chemical Engineer."},"happened":["On 7 March 2026 Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a US strike hit a desalination plant on Qeshm Island, in the Strait of Hormuz, and cut freshwater supply to 30 villages (The Chemical Engineer, 16 March 2026). On 8 March Bahraini officials said an Iranian drone damaged one of Bahrain's desalination plants and that \"water supplies were not affected\". The article names neither plant and gives no capacity.","CEOBS wrote on 10 March 2026 that around 450 desalination plants supply roughly 100 million people in the Gulf, that \"The plants routinely discharge hypersaline water into the Gulf\" and that \"Damage to desalination plants has the potential to cause environmental harm\"; the plants use chemicals including sodium hypochlorite, ferric chloride and sulfuric acid. On 27 March it wrote that \"The region's hundreds of desalination plants are at risk from direct attacks in the event of a serious escalation\", with indirect risk from \"major oil spill events\".","On a possible release at the Bushehr nuclear plant, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in a March 2025 interview that a Qatari simulation found the sea would be \"entirely contaminated\" and Qatar would \"run out of water in three days\" (The New Arab, 8 March 2025). Al Jazeera noted on 5 April 2026 that desalination plants are not built to filter radioactive material. Iran's government spokeswoman said on 14 April 2026 that damage to \"water desalination plants\" was still being assessed as part of Iran's war-damage claim. No plant-level cost is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Qatar's Prime Minister describes a simulation in which a Bushehr release would contaminate the sea (March interview, reported 8 Mar)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Araghchi says a strike hit a Qeshm desalination plant (7 Mar); Bahraini officials report a drone hit on a plant (8 Mar); CEOBS risk notes (10 and 27 Mar); Al Jazeera on Bushehr and desalination (5 Apr)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"water supplies were not affected","who":"Bahraini officials, on the damaged desalination plant","when":"2026-03-08","src":0},{"q":"The plants routinely discharge hypersaline water into the Gulf","who":"CEOBS","when":"2026-03-10","src":1},{"q":"Damage to desalination plants has the potential to cause environmental harm","who":"CEOBS","when":"2026-03-10","src":1},{"q":"The region's hundreds of desalination plants are at risk from direct attacks in the event of a serious escalation","who":"CEOBS","when":"2026-03-27","src":2},{"q":"entirely contaminated","who":"Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's Prime Minister, describing a Qatari simulation of a Bushehr release","when":"2025-03","src":3},{"q":"could be a war crime","who":"Kaveh Madani, UN University Institute for Water, on attacks on desalination plants (an expert opinion citing the Geneva Conventions)","when":"2026-03-16","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"A US strike hit a desalination plant on Qeshm Island and cut freshwater supply to 30 villages.","who":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, as reported by The Chemical Engineer","src":0},{"t":"An Iranian drone damaged one of Bahrain's desalination plants.","who":"Bahraini officials, as reported by The Chemical Engineer","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"CEOBS: around 450 plants supply roughly 100 million people in the Gulf.","src":1},{"t":"CEOBS: the plants use sodium hypochlorite, ferric chloride and sulfuric acid.","src":1},{"t":"Al Jazeera: desalination plants are not built to filter radioactive material.","src":4},{"t":"Iran's government spokeswoman said damage to desalination plants was still being assessed (14 April 2026).","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Villages cut off from freshwater, per Iran's Foreign Minister","v":"30","d":"Qeshm Island, 7 March 2026"},{"k":"Desalination plants supplying the Gulf","v":"About 450","d":"Roughly 100 million people (CEOBS, 10 March 2026)"},{"k":"Qatari simulation of a Bushehr release","v":"3 days","d":"Time before Qatar would run out of water, per its Prime Minister (March 2025)"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: brine, chemical or oil releases from the damaged plants are not on record.","Unclear: who carried out the strike on Qeshm; Araghchi's statement of a US strike is the only account on record and no independent confirmation is available.","Not disclosed: neither plant is named and no capacity is given (The Chemical Engineer).","None on record: Iran's response to the Bahraini statement of 8 March.","None on record: plant-level repair cost, legal proceedings and insurance."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Bahraini officials said water supplies were not affected; the Qeshm supply cut to 30 villages has no later report on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 5 April 2026: no measurements of releases from the damaged plants were published; Iran's war-damage claim listed desalination plants as still under assessment.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"Foreign Minister Araghchi said a US strike hit the Qeshm plant and cut supply to 30 villages.","when":"2026-03-07","src":0},{"actor":"Government of Bahrain","says":"Officials said an Iranian drone damaged one desalination plant and that water supplies were not affected.","when":"2026-03-08","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Foreign minister's statement on Qeshm"},{"id":"government-of-bahrain","role":"Officials' statement on the Bahraini plant"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Described the environmental risks of damage to desalination plants"},{"id":"government-of-qatar","role":"Prime Minister described a contamination simulation"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"villages_affected","value":30,"unit":"villages","year":2026,"note":"Freshwater supply cut after the Qeshm plant was hit, per Iran's Foreign Minister."},{"key":"plants_in_region","value":450,"unit":"plants","year":2026,"qualifier":"around","note":"Gulf desalination plants (CEOBS)."},{"key":"people_supplied","value":100000000,"unit":"people","year":2026,"qualifier":"roughly","note":"Supplied by Gulf desalination plants (CEOBS)."},{"key":"plants_damaged_bahrain","value":1,"unit":"plant","year":2026,"note":"Per Bahraini officials."},{"key":"water_reserve_days","value":3,"unit":"days","year":2025,"note":"Qatar would run out of water in three days in the simulation described by its Prime Minister."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Reported strikes on desalination plants on Qeshm Island and in Bahrain in March 2026, and CEOBS's assessment of the environmental risks of damage to Gulf desalination plants.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"30 villages on Qeshm Island","what":"Freshwater supply cut, per Iran's Foreign Minister","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Gulf waters","what":"Receive hypersaline discharge from desalination plants; damage could cause environmental harm (CEOBS)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Qeshm Island, Strait of Hormuz, Iran; an unnamed plant in Bahrain; the Gulf coastline.","src":0},"when":{"t":"7 March 2026 (Qeshm, per Araghchi); 8 March 2026 (Bahrain); CEOBS notes of 10 and 27 March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The plants were reported hit during the war that began on 28 February 2026; the sources give the parties' accounts of who struck.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A strike on Qeshm and a drone strike on a Bahraini plant, according to Iranian and Bahraini officials respectively.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Water desalination plants damaged in Iran and Bahrain","p":"The Chemical Engineer (IChemE)","d":"2026-03-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/water-desalination-plants-damaged-in-iran-and-bahrain/"},{"t":"Operation Epic Fury: emerging environmental harm and risks in Iran and the region","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2026-03-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/operation-epic-fury-emerging-environmental-harm-and-risks-in-iran-and-the-region/"},{"t":"Iran War: Environmental risk overview as of 27th March","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2026-03-27","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/iran-war-environmental-risk-overview-as-of-27th-march/"},{"t":"Attack on Iran nuclear plant would leave Gulf without water, Qatar PM warns","p":"The New Arab","d":"2025-03-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.newarab.com/news/attack-iran-disastrous-gulf-qatar-pm-tucker-carlson"},{"t":"Why an attack on Bushehr nuclear plant would be catastrophic for the Gulf","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/5/why-an-attack-on-bushehr-nuclear-plant-would-be-catastrophic-for-the-gulf"},{"t":"Iran says $270bn war loss must be compensated, as fresh talks with US loom","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-04-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/15/iran-says-270bn-war-loss-must-be-compensated-as-fresh-talks-with-us-loom"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-nuclear-site-strikes-iaea-statements","iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026","iran-oil-and-gas-facility-strikes-2025-2026"],"natureLead":{"t":"Around 450 desalination plants routinely discharge hypersaline water into my Gulf, CEOBS wrote on 10 March 2026; on 7 March Iran's Foreign Minister said a US strike hit the plant on Qeshm Island.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: brine, chemical or oil releases from the damaged plants are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: who carried out the strike on Qeshm; Araghchi's statement of a US strike is the only account on record and no independent confirmation is available.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: neither plant is named and no capacity is given (The Chemical Engineer).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Iran's response to the Bahraini statement of 8 March.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: plant-level repair cost, legal proceedings and insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026","title":"Iran's 2026 war-damage estimate of about USD 270bn and its calls for compensation and environmental accountability","dek":"Iran's government put direct and indirect damage from the war that began on 28 February 2026 at about USD 270bn, an early estimate with no breakdown. In October 2026 its foreign minister called for \"responsibility and compensation\" for wartime environmental damage.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"role":"event"}],"start":2026,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-04-14","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","finance"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Iran's government estimate of direct and indirect war damage since 28 February 2026","value":"About USD 270bn","note":"Given on 14 April 2026 as \"an early estimate\" with no breakdown, as relayed by Al Jazeera."},"happened":["On 14 April 2026 Iran's government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told RIA Novosti that direct and indirect damage since 28 February was about USD 270bn, \"an early estimate\" given with no breakdown. Damage to oil and gas facilities, petrochemical plants, power plants and \"water desalination plants\" was still being assessed, and compensation \"will be raised in any potential future talks with the US and mediators\". Mohajerani also said \"existing economic realities\" meant the government could not repay civilians whose homes were damaged. The same day Iran's UN envoy said five regional countries must pay compensation (Al Jazeera, 15 April 2026).","On 11 October 2026 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke at a conference on ecocide at Iran's Department of Environment in Tehran (Jamaran, 12 October 2026). He referred to the black rain that fell on Iranians, called for environmental protection to include \"responsibility and compensation\" without naming sums, and named COP31 as a venue to raise the issue. He said UNEP \"confirmed\" that the Tehran oil fires released compounds that could contaminate soil, water and the food chain.","UNEP's statement of 13 March 2026, as quoted by Human Rights Watch, said: \"Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, is now being directly inhaled by people in Iran\". No environmental sub-total of the USD 270bn has been published."],"timeline":[{"y":2026,"t":"UNEP statement on smoke from burning oil (13 Mar); Mohajerani gives the USD 270bn early estimate and Iran's UN envoy says five countries must pay (14 Apr); Araghchi calls for responsibility and compensation at a conference on ecocide (11 Oct)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"an early estimate","who":"Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran's government spokeswoman, on the USD 270bn figure, to RIA Novosti","when":"2026-04-14","src":0},{"q":"existing economic realities","who":"Fatemeh Mohajerani, on why the government could not repay civilians whose homes were damaged","when":"2026-04-14","src":0},{"q":"We all remember the black rain that fell upon our people","who":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, at a conference on ecocide in Tehran","when":"2026-10-11","src":1},{"q":"responsibility and compensation","who":"Abbas Araghchi, on what environmental protection should include","when":"2026-10-11","src":1},{"q":"Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, is now being directly inhaled by people in Iran","who":"UNEP, as quoted by Human Rights Watch","when":"2026-03-13","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"UNEP confirmed that the Tehran oil fires released compounds that could contaminate soil, water and the food chain.","who":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, 11 October 2026","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The USD 270bn estimate came with no breakdown.","src":0},{"t":"Damage to oil and gas facilities, petrochemical plants, power plants and desalination plants was still being assessed on 14 April 2026.","src":0},{"t":"Araghchi named no sums when calling for responsibility and compensation.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2026","nature":[{"label":"Environmental damage","amount":null,"note":"No environmental sub-total has been published."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Iran's government estimate of direct and indirect war damage since 28 February 2026","amount":270000,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"2026","note":"An early estimate with no breakdown."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Iran's government estimate of war damage","v":"About USD 270bn","d":"14 April 2026; early estimate, no breakdown"},{"k":"Environmental sub-total","v":"None published","d":"As of the latest source, 12 October 2026"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the USD 270bn estimate came with no breakdown, and no environmental sub-total has been published.","Unclear: the UNEP text relayed by Human Rights Watch refers to smoke being inhaled; Araghchi's statement says UNEP confirmed that compounds could contaminate soil, water and the food chain.","None on record: a response from the five regional countries named by Iran's UN envoy.","None on record: payment of reparations by any party, a claims body, or an environmental damage assessment of Iran by a UN body.","None on record: legal proceedings and insurance."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. No reparations have been paid by any party.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026: Iran's foreign minister called for responsibility and compensation for wartime environmental damage; no reparations body or environmental assessment by a UN body is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"Said damage is about USD 270bn, an early estimate, and that compensation would be raised in talks with the US and mediators.","when":"2026-04-14","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Source of the damage estimate and the compensation demands"},{"id":"unep","role":"Statement of 13 March 2026 on smoke from burning oil"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Source of the quoted UNEP statement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What UNEP said about contamination from the Tehran oil fires","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister","says":"Said UNEP \"confirmed\" that the Tehran oil fires released compounds that could contaminate soil, water and the food chain.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP, 13 March 2026, as quoted by Human Rights Watch","says":"\"Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, is now being directly inhaled by people in Iran\".","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_estimate","value":270000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Direct and indirect damage since 28 February 2026; early estimate, no breakdown (Al Jazeera, 15 April 2026)."},{"key":"countries_named_for_compensation","value":5,"unit":"countries","year":2026,"note":"Regional countries that Iran's UN envoy said must pay compensation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Iran's government put war damage since 28 February 2026 at about USD 270bn and its foreign minister called for responsibility and compensation for wartime environmental damage.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Iran","what":"Estimated direct and indirect damage of about USD 270bn; said it could not repay civilians whose homes were damaged","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil, water and food chain around Tehran","what":"Araghchi said UNEP confirmed fire compounds could contaminate them; the UNEP text quoted by HRW refers to inhaled smoke and pollution that may enter soil and water","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Iran; statements made in Tehran.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Estimate of 14 April 2026; Araghchi's statements of 11 October 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Iran said compensation would be raised in future talks with the US and mediators and called for international accountability for wartime environmental damage.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A government spokeswoman gave the estimate to RIA Novosti; the foreign minister spoke at a conference at the Department of Environment and named COP31 as a venue.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Iran says $270bn war loss must be compensated, as fresh talks with US loom","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-04-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/15/iran-says-270bn-war-loss-must-be-compensated-as-fresh-talks-with-us-loom"},{"t":"Iran FM calls for international accountability over wartime environmental destruction","p":"Jamaran News","d":"2026-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.jamaran.news/Section-news-2/1731281-iran-fm-calls-for-international-accountability-over-wartime-environmental-destruction"},{"t":"Iran: Israel's oil depot strikes endanger environment, health","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2026-04-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/04/14/iran-israels-oil-depot-strikes-endanger-environment-health"}],"episodes":[],"related":["tehran-fuel-depot-attack-and-2026-iran-war-environmental-ris","iran-oil-and-gas-facility-strikes-2025-2026","gulf-desalination-plants-strikes-2026","iran-nuclear-site-strikes-iaea-statements"],"natureLead":{"t":"Iran's government put war damage since 28 February 2026 at about USD 270bn; no sub-total for damage to me had been published by 12 October 2026.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What UNEP said about contamination from the Tehran oil fires","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental damage — No environmental sub-total has been published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the USD 270bn estimate came with no breakdown, and no environmental sub-total has been published.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the UNEP text relayed by Human Rights Watch refers to smoke being inhaled; Araghchi's statement says UNEP confirmed that compounds could contaminate soil, water and the food chain.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a response from the five regional countries named by Iran's UN envoy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of reparations by any party, a claims body, or an environmental damage assessment of Iran by a UN body.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings and insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tehran-fuel-depot-attack-and-2026-iran-war-environmental-ris","title":"Strikes on Tehran fuel depots, March 2026: smoke, black rain and Iran's \"ecocide\" claim","dek":"Four fuel depots in and near Tehran were attacked on 7 March 2026; Israel's military said it targeted fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC. Satellite imagery showed plumes and destroyed tanks, UNEP and WHO warned of inhaled smoke and black, acidic rain, and Iran called the strikes \"ecocide\".","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","region":"Middle East","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran (Shahr-e Rey, Shahran, Aghdasieh) and Karaj, Alborz (Fardis)","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-03-07","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Fuel storage sites attacked on 7 March 2026","value":"4","note":"Shahr-e Rey, Shahran, Aghdasieh and Fardis, according to Human Rights Watch; Iran's state oil distribution company also reported four sites. Shahr-e Rey and Shahran had also been struck in June 2025."},"happened":["On 7 March 2026 four fuel depots were attacked, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW): Shahr-e Rey (south Tehran, east of the refinery), Shahran (northwest Tehran), Aghdasieh (northeast Tehran) and Fardis (Karaj, Alborz). Shahr-e Rey and Shahran had also been struck in June 2025. Iran's state oil distribution company said on 8 March that \"four sites used for storing and distribution of petroleum products\" were attacked. Israel's military said on 8 March, on X, that it targeted \"several fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC\"; Israeli authorities said on 30 March that the attacks \"were conducted in accordance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions\".","HRW's record of satellite and remote-sensing imagery: Planet Labs images of 9 and 11 March show plumes at three sites and destroyed tanks at Fardis; Copernicus Sentinel-3 shows the Shahr-e Rey plume on 11 March; \"dozens of tanks\" were damaged or destroyed by 17 March. CEOBS wrote on 20 June 2025 that Shahran has \"a capacity of 260 million litres across 11 storage tanks\" and that imagery of 18 June 2025 showed four tanks destroyed, with oil residues \"likely contained by a berm\". CEOBS wrote on 9 March 2026 that Israel \"reportedly attacked more than 30 oil facilities\" across Iran, that Tehran's baseline PM2.5 exceeds WHO guidelines \"by up to 4.5 times\" and that \"No direct observations are available due to the black-out\"; reports of Shahran fuel entering storm drains came from social media, which CEOBS did not confirm.","UNEP said on 13 March: \"Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, is now being directly inhaled by people in Iran\". WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said on 10 March that the black and acidic rain \"is indeed a danger for the population\"; WHO had no access to national pollutant measurements. Stop Ecocide International reported that Iran described the attack on fuel depots in Tehran as \"ecocide\" and that black rain fell; its page attributes the attack to Israel, while the \"ecocide\" characterisation is Iran's government statement. The same page summarised CEOBS's 27 March risk overview, based on social media monitoring: dozens of oil facilities in the Gulf damaged, desalination plants at risk, and a 2026 gas price shock leading some countries to switch back to coal in the short term.","On 9 March 2026 Iran's UN Ambassador Amir-Saeid Iravani wrote to Secretary-General Guterres, copying UNEP's Inger Andersen and the heads of UNFCCC, UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF, and attached a letter of the same date from Vice-President and Department of Environment head Shina Ansari (Tasnim, 10 March). The letter characterised the strikes in the words quoted below and asked the UN to pursue \"accountability for those responsible\". On 11 October 2026 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi referred to the black rain that fell on Iranians at a conference in Tehran.","HRW wrote to the Israeli and Iranian authorities on 26 March 2026. Iran did not respond and Israel's reply was general. No volumes of fuel burned have been published, and HRW states that no health data exist for the June 2025 Shahran attack."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Shahr-e Rey and Shahran also struck (June); CEOBS imagery of 18 June shows four Shahran tanks destroyed","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"Four depots attacked (7 Mar); Iran's oil distribution company and Israel's military statements (8 Mar); Iravani letter to the UN (9 Mar); WHO (10 Mar); UNEP (13 Mar); HRW letters (26 Mar); CEOBS overview (27 Mar); Israeli authorities' statement (30 Mar); HRW report (14 Apr); Araghchi (11 Oct)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"ecocide","who":"Government of Iran, as reported by Stop Ecocide International","when":"2026-03","src":0},{"q":"several fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC","who":"Israel's military, on X","when":"2026-03-08","src":1},{"q":"were conducted in accordance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions","who":"Israeli authorities, on the attacks","when":"2026-03-30","src":1},{"q":"four sites used for storing and distribution of petroleum products","who":"Iran's state oil distribution company, on the sites attacked","when":"2026-03-08","src":1},{"q":"Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, is now being directly inhaled by people in Iran","who":"UNEP, as quoted by HRW","when":"2026-03-13","src":1},{"q":"is indeed a danger for the population","who":"Christian Lindmeier, WHO spokesperson, on the black and acidic rain","when":"2026-03-10","src":1},{"q":"manifest environmental crime","who":"Iran's letter to the UN Secretary-General, 9 March 2026, as reported by Tasnim","when":"2026-03-09","src":5},{"q":"No direct observations are available due to the black-out","who":"CEOBS","when":"2026-03-09","src":2},{"q":"We all remember the black rain that fell upon our people","who":"Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister","when":"2026-10-11","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"The attack on fuel depots in Tehran is \"ecocide\", and black rain fell.","who":"Government of Iran, as reported by Stop Ecocide International","src":0},{"t":"The attacks were conducted in accordance with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions.","who":"Israeli authorities, 30 March 2026, as reported by HRW","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Planet Labs imagery of 9 and 11 March shows plumes at three sites and destroyed tanks at Fardis; Sentinel-3 shows the Shahr-e Rey plume on 11 March; dozens of tanks were damaged or destroyed by 17 March (HRW).","src":1},{"t":"Shahran has a capacity of 260 million litres across 11 storage tanks; four tanks were destroyed by 18 June 2025 (CEOBS).","src":4},{"t":"WHO had no access to national pollutant measurements (HRW).","src":1},{"t":"HRW wrote to the Israeli and Iranian authorities on 26 March 2026; Iran did not respond and Israel's reply was general.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"HRW's account of satellite imagery, and statements by UNEP and WHO.","report":[{"t":"Planet Labs imagery of 9 and 11 March 2026 showed plumes rising over my air at three of the four depot sites.","src":1},{"t":"Heavy smoke from burning oil, which includes hazardous compounds, was being directly inhaled by people in Iran, UNEP said on 13 March 2026.","src":1},{"t":"The black and acidic rain that fell on me \"is indeed a danger for the population\", WHO's spokesperson said on 10 March 2026.","src":1}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Depots attacked on 7 March 2026","v":"4","d":"HRW; Iran's state oil distribution company also reported four sites"},{"k":"Tanks damaged or destroyed by 17 March","v":"Dozens","d":"HRW, from Planet Labs imagery"},{"k":"Shahran storage capacity","v":"260 million litres","d":"11 tanks; four destroyed by 18 June 2025 (CEOBS)"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: volumes of fuel burned have not been published (HRW).","Not measured: no direct observations were available because of the black-out (CEOBS, 9 March 2026); WHO had no access to national pollutant measurements.","None on record: health data for the June 2025 Shahran attack (HRW).","Unclear: social-media reports that fuel from the Shahran depot entered storm drains were cited by CEOBS without confirmation.","Self-reported only: the CEOBS risk overview of 27 March 2026 relies on social media monitoring and gives no damage or emissions totals.","Disputed: Iran's state oil distribution company described the sites as storage and distribution of petroleum products; Israel's military described them as fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC.","Not disclosed: HRW wrote to the Israeli and Iranian authorities on 26 March 2026; Iran did not respond and Israel's reply was general.","None on record: legal proceedings and insurance."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record. HRW's 14 April 2026 report records damaged and destroyed tanks and no published fuel volumes.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026 (latest dated source): Iran's foreign minister referred to the black rain; no measurements of the depot fires have been published.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Iran","says":"Described the attack as \"ecocide\" and wrote to the UN Secretary-General on 9 March 2026 asking for accountability for those responsible. Did not respond to HRW's letter of 26 March.","when":"2026-03","src":5},{"actor":"Government of Israel","says":"Israel's military said it targeted several fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC; authorities said the attacks were conducted in accordance with distinction, proportionality and precautions. Its reply to HRW was general.","when":"2026-03-08 to 2026-03-30","src":1},{"actor":"United Nations Environment Programme","says":"Said on 13 March that heavy smoke from burning oil was being directly inhaled by people in Iran.","when":"2026-03-13","src":1},{"actor":"World Health Organization","says":"Spokesperson said on 10 March that the black and acidic rain was a danger for the population.","when":"2026-03-10","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Characterised the attack as ecocide; wrote to the UN"},{"id":"government-of-israel","role":"Military statement on targets; authorities' statement on legal principles"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Published risk summaries and imagery analysis"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Satellite record and letters to both governments"},{"id":"unep","role":"Statement of 13 March 2026 on inhaled smoke"},{"id":"who","role":"Spokesperson on black and acidic rain"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What the attacked sites were","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Iran's state oil distribution company","says":"\"four sites used for storing and distribution of petroleum products\" were attacked.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Israel's military","says":"Targeted \"several fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC\".","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether the attacks were \"ecocide\"","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Iran","says":"Called the attack on Tehran's fuel depots \"ecocide\".","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Israeli authorities","says":"Said on 30 March 2026 the attacks \"were conducted in accordance with the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions\".","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"facilities_struck","value":4,"unit":"fuel depots","year":2026,"note":"Shahr-e Rey, Shahran, Aghdasieh, Fardis (HRW)."},{"key":"storage_capacity_litres","value":260000000,"unit":"litres","year":2025,"note":"Shahran, across 11 storage tanks (CEOBS)."},{"key":"tanks_destroyed","value":4,"unit":"tanks","year":2025,"note":"Shahran, by 18 June 2025 (CEOBS imagery)."},{"key":"oil_facilities_attacked","value":30,"unit":"facilities","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Reportedly attacked across Iran (CEOBS, 9 March 2026)."},{"key":"pm25_baseline_ratio","value":4.5,"unit":"times WHO guidelines","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Tehran's baseline PM2.5 (CEOBS)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Four fuel depots in and near Tehran were attacked on 7 March 2026, producing plumes and black rain; Iran called the attack \"ecocide\" and wrote to the UN.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Iran's state oil distribution company","what":"Four storage and distribution sites attacked; dozens of tanks damaged or destroyed by 17 March","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air over Tehran and Karaj","what":"Plumes at three sites; heavy smoke inhaled by people in Iran (UNEP)","src":1},{"who":"People and surfaces exposed to black and acidic rain","what":"WHO spokesperson: a danger for the population","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Shahr-e Rey (south Tehran), Shahran (northwest Tehran), Aghdasieh (northeast Tehran) and Fardis (Karaj, Alborz), Iran.","src":1},"when":{"t":"7 March 2026 (Shahr-e Rey and Shahran also struck in June 2025); statements 8 March to 30 March 2026; HRW report 14 April 2026; Araghchi 11 October 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Israel's military said it targeted fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC; Iran's state oil distribution company described the sites as storage and distribution of petroleum products.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Strikes on storage tanks set fuel alight; HRW's satellite record shows plumes and destroyed tanks.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Iran says Israel's attack on fuel depots in Tehran is 'ecocide'","p":"Stop Ecocide International","d":"2026-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.stopecocide.earth/media-articles/iran-says-israels-attack-on-fuel-depots-in-tehran-is-ecocide","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018162029/https://www.stopecocide.earth/media"},{"t":"Iran: Israel's oil depot strikes endanger environment, health","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2026-04-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/04/14/iran-israels-oil-depot-strikes-endanger-environment-health"},{"t":"Black rain: the health and environmental risks from Tehran's oil fires","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2026-03-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/black-rain-the-health-and-environmental-risks-from-tehrans-oil-fires/"},{"t":"Iran War: Environmental risk overview as of 27th March","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2026-03-27","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/iran-war-environmental-risk-overview-as-of-27th-march/"},{"t":"The emerging environmental consequences of the Israel-Iran war","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-06-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/the-emerging-environmental-consequences-of-the-israel-iran-war/"},{"t":"Iran appeals to UN over environmental crisis amid US-Israeli strikes","p":"Tasnim News Agency","d":"2026-03-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.tasnimnews.ir/en/news/2026/03/10/3536978/iran-appeals-to-un-over-environmental-crisis-amid-us-israeli-strikes/amp"},{"t":"Iran FM calls for international accountability over wartime environmental destruction","p":"Jamaran News","d":"2026-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.jamaran.news/Section-news-2/1731281-iran-fm-calls-for-international-accountability-over-wartime-environmental-destruction"}],"episodes":[],"related":["iran-oil-and-gas-facility-strikes-2025-2026","iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026","gulf-desalination-plants-strikes-2026","iran-nuclear-site-strikes-iaea-statements"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What the attacked sites were","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the attacks were \"ecocide\"","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: volumes of fuel burned have not been published (HRW).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: no direct observations were available because of the black-out (CEOBS, 9 March 2026); WHO had no access to national pollutant measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: health data for the June 2025 Shahran attack (HRW).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: social-media reports that fuel from the Shahran depot entered storm drains were cited by CEOBS without confirmation.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the CEOBS risk overview of 27 March 2026 relies on social media monitoring and gives no damage or emissions totals.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Iran's state oil distribution company described the sites as storage and distribution of petroleum products; Israel's military described them as fuel storage complexes belonging to the IRGC.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: HRW wrote to the Israeli and Iranian authorities on 26 March 2026; Iran did not respond and Israel's reply was general.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings and insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-associated-gas-flaring-and-recovery-contracts","title":"Iran associated-gas flaring and flare-gas recovery contracts","dek":"The World Bank's satellite-based estimate of gas flared in Iran was 29.93 billion cubic metres in 2025, against 13.85 billion in 2012. Iran's Ministry of Petroleum has signed several rounds of flare-gas recovery contracts and set a target of ending flaring by 2028; Iran's Supreme Audit Court, as reported, put the annual value of flared gas at more than US$6 billion.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":31.3,"lon":49,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Khuzestan oil fields (Ahvaz, Marun, Karun, Aghajari, Gachsaran), Ilam (Dehloran), Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad","lat":31.3,"lon":49,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Bushehr province (South Pars gas refineries, Assaluyeh and Kangan)","lat":27.5,"lon":52.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"headline":{"label":"World Bank estimate of gas flared in Iran, 2025 (2026 edition)","value":"29.93 bcm","note":"Estimate from satellite data. The 2025 edition gave 22.81 bcm for 2024; the 2026 edition, on a revised methodology, gives 28.51 bcm for 2024."},"happened":["The World Bank estimates flare volumes from satellite observations. Its 2026 edition, which uses a revised methodology, gives Iran's flaring as 13.85 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2012, 21.79 bcm in 2016, 16.05 bcm in 2020, 26.01 bcm in 2023, 28.51 bcm in 2024 and 29.93 bcm in 2025. Flaring intensity, in cubic metres of gas per barrel of oil, was 11.21 in 2012, 16.45 in 2020 and 19.55 in 2025. The 2025 edition, on the earlier methodology, had given 20.42 bcm for 2023 and 22.81 bcm for 2024. For 2025 the 2026 file lists Russia at 30.28 bcm and Iraq at 24.12 bcm.","The Bank explained the difference between the editions in its Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report of June 2026: under the new methodology, 'Iran and Iraq, which have large flares, have higher estimates of flaring volumes', and readers should take 'care not to misread methodological revisions as actual changes in flaring activity.' For 2025 the tracker report said Iran's flaring grew by 5 percent (1.4 bcm) while oil production grew 2 percent, so flaring intensity grew 3 percent, and that Iran had announced new investment in associated-gas recovery but 'target timelines appear to have been pushed back', citing information from Iran's Supreme Audit Court. In a press release of 23 June 2026 the Bank put global flaring at 167 bcm in 2025 and said nine countries, Iran among them, accounted for more than four-fifths of it.","Iranian officials gave their own figures. Oil Minister Javad Owji said on 3 March 2022 that 'about 40 million cubic meters' of gas was being flared, mainly in Khuzestan. Iran's Supreme Audit Court, as reported on 26 February 2026 by the Iran Oil and Gas Network citing Mehr News Agency, found associated-gas flaring averaged about 56.2 million cubic metres a day in the first six months of the Iranian year 1404 (21 March to 22 September 2025), a rising trend, and urged faster progress toward the Seventh Plan target of collecting 43.8 million cubic metres a day. The Ministry of Petroleum said on 5 January 2026 that gas collection rose 460% in 2024, the first year of the Seventh Plan, with a target of 1.5 bcm against 1.1 bcm in 2023 and an actual 3.3 bcm, and set a goal of 16 bcm a year by 2028. Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Iran 'expects to fully eliminate gas flaring nationwide' once projects finish by the end of 2028.","The ministry has signed recovery contracts in rounds. On 3 March 2022 the Bidboland Persian Gulf Refining Company signed eight associated-gas collection agreements worth EUR 470 million for the West Karun fields, with a target of about 500 million cubic feet a day within one to two years. On 1 November 2025 the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) signed 12 flare-gas contracts with private investors covering about 300 million cubic feet a day, 32 flare stacks and 12 production units in Khuzestan, including three large flares near Ahvaz; contracts finalised in total reached 520 million cubic feet a day. Two more contracts followed on 28 January 2026 and four (about 110 million cubic feet a day) were reported on 26 February 2026. Values and contractor names were not published for these rounds. In August 2025 the ministry said flare gas was being offered at 'a base price of zero' in a short-term auction model."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"World Bank series begins: Iran 13.85 bcm (2026 edition)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Eight associated-gas collection agreements worth EUR 470 million signed for West Karun fields (3 Mar)","src":8},{"y":2024,"t":"Ministry of Petroleum reports gas collection up 460% in the first year of the Seventh Plan; World Bank 2026 edition estimates 28.51 bcm flared","src":6},{"y":2025,"t":"Eliminate-flaring-by-2028 target restated (16 Aug); 12 NISOC contracts signed with private investors (1 Nov); World Bank 2026 edition estimates 29.93 bcm flared","src":9},{"y":2026,"t":"Ministry status report (5 Jan); two further contracts (28 Jan); Supreme Audit Court warning reported (26 Feb); four further contracts reported (26 Feb); World Bank tracker report and press release (23 Jun)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"Unfortunately, about 40 million cubic meters","who":"Javad Owji, Oil Minister, on gas flared, mainly in Khuzestan","when":"3 March 2022","src":8},{"q":"to eliminate gas flaring entirely by 2028","who":"Mohsen Paknejad, Oil Minister, as reported by Shana","when":"16 August 2025","src":7},{"q":"expects to fully eliminate gas flaring nationwide","who":"Mohsen Paknejad, Oil Minister, once projects finish by the end of 2028, as reported by Shana","when":"5 January 2026","src":6},{"q":"nearly 90% of flare gas will be collected nationwide by the end of 2027","who":"Hamid Bovard, Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company","when":"1 November 2025","src":9},{"q":"among the oil industry's most important and valuable initiatives to boost efficiency","who":"Ramin Hatami, CEO of NISOC, on flare-gas collection","when":"28 January 2026","src":10},{"q":"detailed reports on the volume and quality of the recovered gas will be released soon","who":"Ramin Hatami, CEO of NISOC","when":"28 January 2026","src":10},{"q":"Iran and Iraq, which have large flares, have higher estimates of flaring volumes","who":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, on the new methodology","when":"June 2026","src":2},{"q":"care not to misread methodological revisions as actual changes in flaring activity","who":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report","when":"June 2026","src":2},{"q":"target timelines appear to have been pushed back","who":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, on Iran's recovery targets","when":"June 2026","src":2},{"q":"needs only five billion dollars of investment to prevent flaring","who":"Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, former Oil Minister, as quoted by Radio Farda","when":"Reported 26 June 2024","src":12,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Gas collection up 460% in 2024, the first year of the Seventh Plan","who":"Ministry of Petroleum (Shana), 5 January 2026","src":6},{"t":"Flaring recovery as 'a symbol of national self-reliance, maximum use of local capacity'","who":"Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, as reported by Shana, 16 August 2025","src":7},{"t":"Eight flare stacks shut at the NGL 3100 plant in Dehloran, with 'associated gas worth more than $700 million per year' no longer burned","who":"Ministry of Petroleum (Shana), 16 August 2025","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"World Bank flare-volume estimates for Iran (2026 edition, bcm): 2012 13.85; 2013 13.61; 2014 14.55; 2015 14.43; 2016 21.79; 2017 24.83; 2018 23.74; 2019 18.80; 2020 16.05; 2021 20.02; 2022 21.10; 2023 26.01; 2024 28.51; 2025 29.93.","src":0},{"t":"World Bank flaring intensity for Iran (cubic metres per barrel of oil): 2012 11.21; 2016 14.38; 2020 16.45; 2023 19.45; 2024 18.98; 2025 19.55.","src":0},{"t":"The 2025 edition of the World Bank file, on the earlier methodology, gave Iran 20.42 bcm for 2023 and 22.81 bcm for 2024, and Russia 28.8 bcm.","src":1},{"t":"The Supreme Audit Court's annual value of flared gas was 'more than $6 billion' (as reported).","src":4},{"t":"An earlier Supreme Audit Court report, as reported by Tejarat News on 20 November 2024, put the gas imbalance in the Iranian year 1402 (March 2023 to March 2024) at 63.9 billion cubic metres, with about 18 billion cubic metres lost as flare gas.","src":5},{"t":"Ministry of Petroleum, 16 August 2025: recovery capacity was about 330 million cubic feet a day when the current administration took office, with 280 million cubic feet a day added in a year.","src":7},{"t":"Ministry of Petroleum, 5 January 2026: contracts signed and under implementation 3.9 million cubic metres a day; in auction 7.7 million; call for bids 1.5 million; seven short-term projects operating, about 1.7 million cubic metres a day.","src":6},{"t":"Investment in the NGL 3100 plant (Dehloran, Ilam) was given as about US$1.6 billion in August 2025 and as over US$1.4 billion, with more than 97% progress, in January 2026.","src":7},{"t":"South Pars: the engineering director of the South Pars Gas Complex said flaring of about 6 million cubic metres a day should fall to 3 million by the end of the Iranian year 1405 (as reported by Asr Iran, 14 January 2026).","src":13},{"t":"Radio Farda (26 June 2024), citing BP data, reported that greenhouse-gas emissions from Iranian flaring rose 19% year on year to above 43 million tonnes (2023).","src":12},{"t":"Global gas flared in 2025 was worth an estimated US$54 billion (World Bank); global flaring in 2025 caused 429 MMtCO2e of emissions, including 50 MMtCO2e of unburned methane.","src":2},{"t":"NASA's SO2 catalogue lists oil-field flaring-type point sources at Dehloran (221.2 kt SO2 in 2025) and Ahvaz (47.6 kt).","src":14}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022–2026","nature":[{"label":"Priced damage to nature from flaring","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Annual economic value of flared gas, Supreme Audit Court (as reported)","amount":6000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"annual"},{"label":"Investment needed to prevent flaring, per former Oil Minister Zanganeh (as quoted)","amount":5000,"window":"reported 2024"},{"label":"NGL 3100 plant investment, Shana August 2025","amount":1600,"qualifier":"about","window":"2025"},{"label":"NGL 3100 plant investment, Shana January 2026","amount":1400,"qualifier":"over","window":"2026"},{"label":"West Karun associated-gas collection agreements, eight contracts (stated in EUR)","amount":null,"window":"2022","note":"EUR 470 million."},{"label":"Global value of gas flared in 2025, World Bank","amount":54000,"qualifier":"estimated","window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gas flared, 2025","v":"29.93 bcm","d":"World Bank estimate, 2026 edition; 13.85 bcm in 2012"},{"k":"Flaring intensity, 2025","v":"19.55 m³ per barrel","d":"11.21 m³ per barrel in 2012 (World Bank)"},{"k":"Value of flared gas","v":"More than US$6 bn a year","d":"Supreme Audit Court, as reported"},{"k":"Target to end flaring","v":"2028","d":"Ministry of Petroleum; the World Bank says timelines appear to have been pushed back"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The World Bank estimates volumes of gas burned at Iran's oil fields from satellite data; a press report cites BP data on the resulting greenhouse-gas emissions.","report":[{"t":"My air received the smoke of an estimated 29.93 bcm of gas flared in Iran in 2025, up from 13.85 bcm in 2012, according to the World Bank (2026 edition).","src":0},{"t":"Flaring intensity in Iran rose from 11.21 cubic metres of gas per barrel of oil in 2012 to 19.55 in 2025, according to the World Bank.","src":0},{"t":"Greenhouse-gas emissions from Iranian flaring rose 19% year on year to above 43 million tonnes in 2023, according to Radio Farda citing BP data.","src":12},{"t":"NASA's SO2 catalogue lists flaring-type sources at Dehloran at 221.2 kt SO2 in 2025 and at Ahvaz at 47.6 kt.","src":14}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: contract values and contractor names for the November 2025, January 2026 and February 2026 recovery rounds (Shana).","Not disclosed: volume and quality reports on gas recovered under the NISOC contracts; the NISOC chief executive said in January 2026 that they 'will be released soon'.","Self-reported only: the ministry's gas-collection figures (3.3 bcm in 2024) and the 460% rise; the World Bank files show flare volumes rising in 2023, 2024 and 2025.","Not measured: site-level flaring volumes in public form; the World Bank states its figures 'are estimates and do not reflect site measurements, which. are not typically public'.","Not disclosed: an Iran-specific CO2-equivalent figure in the World Bank tracker report; its 2025 figures are global (429 MMtCO2e).","Figures differ: the Supreme Audit Court, as reported, gave about 18 billion cubic metres lost as flare gas in the Iranian year 1402; the World Bank gives 26.01 bcm (2026 edition) and 20.42 bcm (2025 edition) for calendar 2023.","Figures differ: Shana gave the NGL 3100 investment as about US$1.6 billion in August 2025 and over US$1.4 billion in January 2026.","None on record: a published detailed plan or progress reports on the South Pars flare-collection promises, according to Asr Iran (14 January 2026).","None on record: a court case on flaring in Iran; the Supreme Audit Court's reports are audit findings.","Not disclosed: results of the flare-gas contracts signed in 2016, 2022 and 2023, which a private investor described on 26 February 2026 without monetary values."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Flaring continued: the World Bank estimate rose from 26.01 bcm in 2023 to 28.51 bcm in 2024 and 29.93 bcm in 2025. The Ministry of Petroleum's target is to end flaring by 2028.","whoPaid":"None on record for the flaring itself. The Supreme Audit Court, as reported, valued the annual loss of gas at more than US$6 billion; contract values for the 2025–2026 recovery rounds were not published.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: the World Bank estimated 29.93 bcm flared in 2025; recovery contracts had been signed in rounds from March 2022 to February 2026, and the ministry's target for ending flaring was 2028.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","says":"Described flaring recovery as 'a symbol of national self-reliance, maximum use of local capacity' and reported gas collection up 460% in 2024.","when":"August 2025; January 2026","src":7},{"actor":"nisoc","says":"Its CEO called flare-gas collection 'among the oil industry's most important and valuable initiatives to boost efficiency' and said detailed reports on recovered gas would be released soon.","when":"28 January 2026","src":10},{"actor":"iran-supreme-audit-court","says":"As reported, framed recovery as protecting public assets and preventing the loss of intergenerational resources, and urged faster action toward the Seventh Plan target.","when":"February 2026","src":4},{"actor":"world-bank","says":"Said new-methodology estimates for Iran and Iraq are higher, that methodological revisions should not be read as actual changes, and that Iran's target timelines appear to have been pushed back.","when":"June 2026","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","role":"Signs recovery contracts; sets the 2028 target"},{"id":"nisoc","role":"Signed 12 flare-gas contracts with private investors on 1 November 2025"},{"id":"nioc","role":"Parent of NISOC; managing director stated a 2027 collection goal"},{"id":"iran-supreme-audit-court","role":"Audit findings on flaring volumes and value"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Publishes the satellite-based flare estimates and tracker report"},{"id":"nasa","role":"SO2 point-source catalogue"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Gas collected versus gas flared","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Petroleum (Shana, 5 January 2026)","says":"Collection rose 460% in 2024, with 3.3 bcm collected against a target of 1.5 bcm.","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank (2026 edition)","says":"Estimated flaring in Iran at 26.01 bcm in 2023, 28.51 bcm in 2024 and 29.93 bcm in 2025.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Radio Farda (26 June 2024)","says":"Reported that Owji's claim of 11.5 million cubic metres a day collected and falling flaring was contradicted by the new World Bank data.","src":12}]},{"point":"Date by which flaring is to end","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad (Shana, 16 August 2025 and 5 January 2026)","says":"Flaring to be eliminated entirely by 2028 or by the end of 2028.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"National Iranian Oil Company managing director Hamid Bovard (Shana, 1 November 2025)","says":"Nearly 90% of flare gas to be collected nationwide by the end of 2027; the Shana headline gives 'mid-March 2028'.","src":9},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank (June 2026)","says":"Target timelines 'appear to have been pushed back', based on information from Iran's Supreme Audit Court.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":13.85,"unit":"bcm","year":2012,"note":"World Bank, 2026 edition (satellite-based estimate)."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":26.01,"unit":"bcm","year":2023,"note":"World Bank, 2026 edition; the 2025 edition gave 20.42 bcm."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":28.51,"unit":"bcm","year":2024,"note":"World Bank, 2026 edition; the 2025 edition gave 22.81 bcm."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":29.93,"unit":"bcm","year":2025,"note":"World Bank, 2026 edition; Iran's flaring grew 5% (1.4 bcm) on 2024."},{"key":"flaring_intensity","value":19.55,"unit":"m³ per barrel of oil","year":2025,"note":"World Bank, 2026 edition; 11.21 in 2012."},{"key":"flare_mcm_per_day","value":56200000,"unit":"m³ per day","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Supreme Audit Court, as reported; average of the first six months of the Iranian year 1404."},{"key":"target_mcm_per_day","value":43800000,"unit":"m³ per day","year":2028,"note":"Seventh Plan collection target, as cited by the Supreme Audit Court."},{"key":"gas_collected_bcm","value":3.3,"unit":"bcm","year":2024,"note":"Ministry of Petroleum; target 1.5 bcm."},{"key":"gas_lost_bcm","value":18,"unit":"bcm","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Supreme Audit Court, as reported, Iranian year 1402 (March 2023 to March 2024)."},{"key":"greenhouse_gas_mt","value":43000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"qualifier":"above","note":"Radio Farda citing BP data; up 19% on the previous year."},{"key":"value_of_flared_gas","value":6000,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Supreme Audit Court, as reported."},{"key":"contracts_signed","value":12,"unit":"contracts","year":2025,"note":"NISOC with private investors, 1 November 2025; about 300 million cubic feet a day."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":221.2,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue source at Dehloran."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":47.6,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue source at Ahvaz."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gas burned at Iran's oil fields was estimated by the World Bank at 29.93 bcm in 2025, against 13.85 bcm in 2012; the Ministry of Petroleum has signed rounds of flare-gas recovery contracts with a stated target of ending flaring by 2028.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Private investors and contractors","what":"Twelve NISOC flare-gas contracts signed on 1 November 2025; values and contractor names not published","src":9},{"who":"Bidboland Persian Gulf Refining Company","what":"Eight associated-gas collection agreements worth EUR 470 million signed on 3 March 2022","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Iran (state)","what":"Annual economic value of flared gas of more than US$6 billion, according to the Supreme Audit Court as reported","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air over the Khuzestan oil fields and South Pars","what":"Estimated 29.93 bcm of gas flared in 2025","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Oil fields of Khuzestan (Ahvaz, Marun, Karun, Aghajari, Gachsaran), Ilam (Dehloran), Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and Bushehr, and the South Pars gas refineries at Assaluyeh and Kangan.","src":9},"when":{"t":"World Bank series 2012–2025; recovery contracts signed 3 March 2022, 1 November 2025, January and February 2026; stated target of ending flaring by 2028.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Associated gas produced with oil is burned where it is not collected. The Supreme Audit Court, as reported, urged faster action on recovery; the World Bank said Iran's recovery target timelines appear to have been pushed back.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The Ministry of Petroleum signs long-term contracts with private investors and offers flare gas in short-term auctions at 'a base price of zero'; the World Bank estimates volumes from satellite data.","src":7}},"related":["rumaila-gas-flaring-non-reporting"],"sources":[{"t":"Flare volume and intensity estimates 2012–2025 (2026 edition)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/b34e0c054bb3fe3695e70154c28eef3f-0400072026/related/Flare-volume-and-intensity-estimates-2012-2025.xlsx"},{"t":"Flare volume and intensity estimates 2012–2024 (2025 edition)","p":"World Bank","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/bd2432bbb0e514986f382f61b14b2608-0400072025/related/Flare-volume-and-intensity-estimates-2012-2024.xlsx"},{"t":"Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.developmentaid.org/api/frontend/cms/file/2026/08/Global-Gas-FlaringTracker-June-23-2026.pdf"},{"t":"Global gas flaring rises (press release)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/06/23/global-gas-flaring-rises-energy-security"},{"t":"Iran's Supreme Audit Court warns on rising flare gas","p":"Iran Oil and Gas Network (citing Mehr News Agency)","d":"2026-02-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranoilgas.com/news/details.aspx?id=28575&title=Iran%E2%80%99s+Supreme+Audit+Court+warns+on+rising+flare+gas"},{"t":"Toman lost in the gas industry! Government still pressing consumers (Supreme Audit Court gas report; in Persian)","p":"Tejarat News","d":"2024-11-20","type":"press","u":"https://tejaratnews.com/بخش-سوخت-انرژی-7/949392-میلیارد-تومان-در-صنعت-گاز-گم-شد-دولت-همچنان-به-دنبال-فشار-بر-مصرف-کننده"},{"t":"Oil Ministry steps up drive to end gas flaring","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2026-01-05","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/1325424/Shana"},{"t":"Iran expands gas recovery to cut flaring, protect national assets","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2025-08-16","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/662775/Shana"},{"t":"Iran Eyes 500 mcf APG Collection in 2 Years","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2022-03-03","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/454224/Shana"},{"t":"Iran to capture 90% of gas flares by mid-March 2028","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2025-11-01","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/681909/Shana"},{"t":"Flaring gas recovery a strategic priority for oil industry","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2026-01-28","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/1425931/Shana"},{"t":"Private sector steps up gas flaring collection efforts","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2026-02-26","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/1748763/Shana"},{"t":"Iran's gas wasted in flares reaches the equivalent of 40% of Turkey's gas consumption (in Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2024-06-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/iran-gas-flare-equal-turkey-loss/33010972.html"},{"t":"Where have the flare-collection promises got to? (in Persian)","p":"Asr Iran (citing Tejarat News)","d":"2026-01-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/1132343/وعده‌های-جمع‌آوری-فلر-به-کجا-رسید"},{"t":"SO2 V2 catalogue of large anthropogenic and volcanic point sources (Catalogue_SO2_2025), 2005–2025","p":"NASA Goddard Space Flight Center","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://so2.gsfc.nasa.gov/kml/Catalogue_SO2_2025.xls"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Gas collected versus gas flared","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Priced damage to nature from flaring — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"West Karun associated-gas collection agreements, eight contracts (stated in EUR) — EUR 470 million.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date by which flaring is to end","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: contract values and contractor names for the November 2025, January 2026 and February 2026 recovery rounds (Shana).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: volume and quality reports on gas recovered under the NISOC contracts; the NISOC chief executive said in January 2026 that they 'will be released soon'.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the ministry's gas-collection figures (3.3 bcm in 2024) and the 460% rise; the World Bank files show flare volumes rising in 2023, 2024 and 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: site-level flaring volumes in public form; the World Bank states its figures 'are estimates and do not reflect site measurements, which. are not typically public'.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an Iran-specific CO2-equivalent figure in the World Bank tracker report; its 2025 figures are global (429 MMtCO2e).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Supreme Audit Court, as reported, gave about 18 billion cubic metres lost as flare gas in the Iranian year 1402; the World Bank gives 26.01 bcm (2026 edition) and 20.42 bcm (2025 edition) for calendar 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Shana gave the NGL 3100 investment as about US$1.6 billion in August 2025 and over US$1.4 billion in January 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published detailed plan or progress reports on the South Pars flare-collection promises, according to Asr Iran (14 January 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case on flaring in Iran; the Supreme Audit Court's reports are audit findings.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: results of the flare-gas contracts signed in 2016, 2022 and 2023, which a private investor described on 26 February 2026 without monetary values.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"south-pars-assaluyeh-sulphur-dioxide-and-pollution-levy","title":"South Pars and Assaluyeh: sulphur dioxide emissions and the pollution levy","dek":"NASA's satellite catalogue lists two sources in the Assaluyeh area at 1,284.4 and 919.6 kt of SO2 in 2025. Industry pays a pollution levy of one percent of sales that municipalities spend; Iran's Department of Environment has filed court cases against refineries and costed a US$1.2 billion improvement document.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":27.48,"lon":52.61,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Assaluyeh, Bushehr province (South Pars gas complex)","lat":27.48,"lon":52.61,"role":"event"}],"start":2005,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","chemical-pollution","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"headline":{"label":"SO2 from the 'Tonbak' source near Assaluyeh, 2025 (NASA catalogue)","value":"1,284.4 kt","note":"Satellite estimate; 144.0 kt in 2005. A second source, 'Zagroz', is listed at 919.6 kt for 2025."},"happened":["The South Pars gas complex at Assaluyeh and Kangan, Bushehr province, is covered by a special economic zone established in 1377 (1998), according to Eghtesad Online. NASA's MEaSUREs SO2 point-source catalogue (OMI, OMPS and TROPOMI satellite retrievals, 2005–2025) lists a source named 'Tonbak' (type Oil and Gas) at 27.72 N, 52.18 E and a source named 'Zagroz' (type Petrochemical complex) at 27.55 N, 52.56 E. Tonbak is listed at 144.0 kt SO2 a year in 2005, 91.9 kt in 2010, 512.6 kt in 2015, 740.1 kt in 2018, 908.3 kt in 2020, 1,014.1 kt in 2021, 1,006.1 kt in 2022, 1,184.1 kt in 2023, 1,334.8 kt in 2024 and 1,284.4 kt in 2025. Zagroz is listed at 175.4 kt in 2005, 404.8 kt in 2015, 595.7 kt in 2020, 876.3 kt in 2023, 1,015.9 kt in 2024 and 919.6 kt in 2025.","NASA's README gives a statistical uncertainty of about 4–5 kt a year (1-sigma) after 2018 and retrieval-algorithm uncertainties 'estimated at 50–60%', with comparisons to bottom-up inventories 'typically' agreeing 'to better than 30%'. The catalogue assigns emissions to these locations and does not name the individual facilities behind 'Tonbak'.","Mehdi Ziyarati, head of the South Pars environment office, said in January 2020 that refineries caused 92% and petrochemical plants 8% of air pollution in the zone, that each refinery phase produced about 200 tons of sulfur a day, that the office had sued eight refineries over open-air sulfur storage, and that Bidkhoon was the most affected settlement. In July 2022 the Bushehr provincial Department of Environment director-general, Farhad Gholinejad, said all refineries in the region were listed as polluters and had been warned over flaring and SO3 emissions, that the department had filed more than 30 court cases against polluting industries and for the first time estimated environmental damages under Article 12 of the Clean Air Law.","The money side has three parts. Ziyarati put the cost of repairing Assaluyeh's environmental damage at US$1.2 billion under an 'Assaluyeh Environmental Improvement Document' that the cabinet approved in Farvardin 1398 (March–April 2019) and that awaited budget approval in January 2020. A pollution levy of one percent of sales is paid by polluting industries; the Department of Environment said in July 2022 that it is not authorised to collect it (the Tax Organization does), that levy money was spent on municipal projects without the department's oversight, and that Asaluyeh and Kangan received the most levy yet neither has an urban wastewater treatment plant. A cabinet decision of 7 Aban 1399 (28 October 2020) directed pollution-levy revenue and National Iranian Oil Company social-responsibility funds toward a 110-bed hospital in Asaluyeh within two years."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"NASA catalogue lists Tonbak at 144.0 kt and Zagroz at 175.4 kt SO2","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"Department of Environment deputy says emissions, excessive flaring and sulfur release keep air pollution high; Oil Ministry blames sanctions for delays to treatment plants (13 May)","src":7},{"y":2019,"t":"Cabinet approves the Assaluyeh Environmental Improvement Document (Farvardin 1398, March–April)","src":2},{"y":2020,"t":"South Pars environment office puts the cost at US$1.2 billion and reports suits against eight refineries (25 Jan); cabinet decision on a 110-bed hospital and levy use (28 Oct)","src":2},{"y":2022,"t":"Bushehr Department of Environment reports more than 30 court cases and first damage estimates (30 Jul)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"NASA catalogue lists Tonbak at 1,284.4 kt and Zagroz at 919.6 kt SO2","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Parsian county (Hormozgan) pursues a share of South Pars pollution levies (27 Jul)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"We do not have official statistics indicating that the health of Assaluyeh residents is alarming","who":"Mehdi Ziyarati, head of the South Pars environment office","when":"January 2020","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"In Assaluyeh, gas emissions, excessive flaring and sulfur release have kept air pollution at a high level","who":"Deputy head for the human environment, Department of Environment, as quoted by Radio Farda","when":"13 May 2009","src":7,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"Polluting industries are obliged to pay one percent of their sales into the environment fund","who":"An industry consultant quoted by Eghtesad Online","when":"25 January 2020","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"responsible development, not opposition to industry","who":"Governor of Parsian county, on its pursuit of pollution-levy shares","when":"27 July 2026","src":5,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Assaluyeh air pollution '100 times' Tehran's, with pollutants said to damage coastline, farmland and mangrove forest; the claim cited unnamed experts and organisations","who":"A Bushehr city-council member, reported by Asr Iran, 13 September 2018","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Air-quality days in Assaluyeh reported by the South Pars environment office: unhealthy-for-all / very unhealthy / hazardous days were 31 / 60 / 3 in the Iranian year 1396 (2017/18), 22 / 28 / 3 in 1397 and 19 / 13 / 1 in 1398 up to Aban (October–November 2019).","src":2},{"t":"Cost estimates in the improvement document: gas-refinery wastewater plant about US$90 million; Damavand petrochemical wastewater plant about US$65 million.","src":2},{"t":"Cabinet decision of 7 Aban 1399 (28 October 2020): the Ministry of Petroleum to fund pollution-reduction projects from its subsidiaries; levy revenue and National Iranian Oil Company social-responsibility funds to help build a 110-bed hospital in Asaluyeh within two years, with a ward for pollution-related and respiratory diseases; the Health Ministry to monitor about 6,000 exposed people a year; the Department of Environment to submit a levy-distribution bill within three months.","src":4},{"t":"Department of Environment, July 2022: a new circular gives the department oversight of 50% of levies for pollution-reduction projects; night patrols identify flaring and damages are being estimated under Article 12 of the Clean Air Law.","src":3},{"t":"Kangan soil contamination from waste management led to legal action (Mehr, 30 July 2022).","src":3},{"t":"In July 2026 Parsian county in Hormozgan was pursuing a share of South Pars pollution levies, in a meeting reported by Mehr.","src":5},{"t":"NASA catalogue, Tonbak (kt SO2 a year): 2005 144.0; 2010 91.9; 2015 512.6; 2018 740.1; 2020 908.3; 2021 1,014.1; 2022 1,006.1; 2023 1,184.1; 2024 1,334.8; 2025 1,284.4. Zagroz: 2005 175.4; 2015 404.8; 2020 595.7; 2023 876.3; 2024 1,015.9; 2025 919.6.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019–2020","nature":[{"label":"Priced damage to nature from SO2 and flaring at Assaluyeh","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Stated cost of the Assaluyeh Environmental Improvement Document (Ziyarati, January 2020)","amount":1200,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Gas-refinery wastewater plant under the document","amount":90,"qualifier":"about","window":"2020"},{"label":"Damavand petrochemical wastewater plant under the document","amount":65,"qualifier":"about","window":"2020"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"SO2, 'Tonbak' source, 2025","v":"1,284.4 kt","d":"NASA catalogue; 144.0 kt in 2005 and 1,334.8 kt in 2024"},{"k":"SO2, 'Zagroz' source, 2025","v":"919.6 kt","d":"NASA catalogue; 175.4 kt in 2005"},{"k":"Improvement document","v":"US$1.2 bn","d":"Cost put forward by the South Pars environment office in January 2020; budget approval awaited"},{"k":"Pollution levy","v":"1% of sales","d":"Paid into the environment fund; spent largely by municipalities"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NASA's satellite catalogue records SO2 emissions from two sources near Assaluyeh; the South Pars environment office reported air-quality days; the Department of Environment named flaring and SO3 emissions.","report":[{"t":"My air near Assaluyeh carried an estimated 1,284.4 kt of SO2 from the 'Tonbak' source and 919.6 kt from the 'Zagroz' source in 2025, according to NASA's catalogue; the 2005 figures were 144.0 kt and 175.4 kt.","src":0},{"t":"In the Iranian year 1396 my Assaluyeh air had 31 unhealthy-for-all days, 60 very unhealthy days and 3 hazardous days, according to the South Pars environment office.","src":2},{"t":"The Department of Environment's Bushehr office listed all refineries in my region as polluters in July 2022 and warned them over flaring and SO3 emissions.","src":3},{"t":"A Bushehr city-council member said in 2018 that industrial pollutants damaged my coastline, farmland and mangrove forest, citing unnamed experts and organisations.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: NASA's catalogue assigns emissions to location clusters and does not name the facilities behind 'Tonbak'; its README gives retrieval uncertainties of 50–60%.","None on record: official statistics indicating that the health of Assaluyeh residents is alarming, according to the South Pars environment office (January 2020).","None on record: outcomes of the suits against eight refineries over sulfur storage (reported January 2020) and of the more than 30 court cases reported in July 2022.","None on record: whether the 110-bed hospital due within two years of the October 2020 cabinet decision was completed.","Not disclosed: the total pollution levy paid each year by South Pars companies.","Unclear: whether the US$1.2 billion improvement document was funded after January 2020, when it awaited budget approval."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"SO2 from the two listed sources rose from 2005 to 2024 and stood at 1,284.4 kt and 919.6 kt in 2025; NASA's catalogue, which runs to 2025, records no end to the emissions.","whoPaid":"Pollution levy of one percent of sales is paid by industry and spent largely by municipalities; the US$1.2 billion improvement document awaited budget approval in January 2020.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: NASA's catalogue listed 1,284.4 kt and 919.6 kt SO2 for 2025; outcomes of the Department of Environment's court cases were not reported, and Parsian county was pursuing a share of the levies.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Its South Pars environment office said it had sued eight refineries over open-air sulfur storage and that it had no official statistics indicating residents' health was alarming; its Bushehr office said it had filed more than 30 court cases and was not authorised to collect levies.","when":"January 2020; July 2022","src":3},{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","says":"In 2009 the Oil Ministry blamed sanctions for delays in building the Assaluyeh wastewater treatment plant, according to Radio Farda.","when":"13 May 2009","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"nasa","role":"Satellite SO2 point-source catalogue"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Regulator; filed court cases and costed damages"},{"id":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","role":"Owner of the South Pars complex; directed to fund pollution-reduction projects"},{"id":"iran-health-ministry","role":"Directed to monitor about 6,000 exposed people a year"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Cabinet approved the improvement document and the 2020 decision"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Severity of air pollution and health effects at Assaluyeh","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"South Pars environment office (January 2020)","says":"Refineries cause 92% of air pollution; there are no official statistics indicating residents' health is alarming.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A Bushehr city-council member (Asr Iran, 13 September 2018)","says":"Assaluyeh air pollution is 100 times Tehran's, citing unnamed experts and organisations.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment deputy (2009)","says":"Gas emissions, excessive flaring and sulfur release have kept air pollution at a high level.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"South Pars environment office suits over open-air sulfur storage","forum":"Iranian courts","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"civil","claimant":"South Pars environment office (Department of Environment)","defendant":"Eight refineries (not named in the source)","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"As of January 2020 the office had sued eight refineries over open-air sulfur storage; no outcome is reported.","src":2},{"title":"Bushehr Department of Environment cases against polluting industries","forum":"Iranian courts","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Department of Environment, Bushehr province","defendant":"Polluting industries in the region (not named in the source)","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"As of July 2022 the department reported more than 30 court cases and, for the first time, estimates of environmental damages under Article 12 of the Clean Air Law; no outcomes are reported.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":144,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2005,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak' (Oil and Gas)."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":91.9,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2010,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":512.6,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2015,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":740.1,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2018,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":908.3,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2020,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":1014.1,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2021,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":1006.1,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2022,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":1184.1,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2023,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":1334.8,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2024,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":1284.4,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Tonbak'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":175.4,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2005,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Zagroz' (Petrochemical complex)."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":404.8,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2015,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Zagroz'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":595.7,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2020,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Zagroz'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":876.3,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2023,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Zagroz'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":1015.9,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2024,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Zagroz'."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":919.6,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, 'Zagroz'."},{"key":"sulfur_tons_per_day","value":200,"unit":"tons per refinery phase per day","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"South Pars environment office."},{"key":"court_cases","value":30,"unit":"cases","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Bushehr Department of Environment."},{"key":"improvement_cost","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Assaluyeh Environmental Improvement Document, as stated by the South Pars environment office."},{"key":"hospital_beds","value":110,"unit":"beds","year":2020,"note":"Planned for Asaluyeh under the cabinet decision of 28 October 2020."},{"key":"people_monitored","value":6000,"unit":"people per year","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Health Ministry monitoring of exposed people under the cabinet decision."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"NASA's satellite catalogue lists two SO2 sources in the Assaluyeh area at 1,284.4 kt and 919.6 kt in 2025; the Department of Environment has filed court cases against refineries, and industry pays a pollution levy of one percent of sales that is spent largely by municipalities.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Municipalities of Asaluyeh and Kangan","what":"Received the most pollution-levy revenue, which the Department of Environment said was spent without its oversight","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Polluting industries","what":"Obliged to pay one percent of sales into the environment fund, according to an industry consultant","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air and sea around Assaluyeh","what":"SO2 listed at 1,284.4 kt and 919.6 kt in 2025 for two sources; the improvement document costed at US$1.2 billion","src":0},{"who":"Residents of Bidkhoon","what":"Named by the South Pars environment office as the most affected settlement","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Assaluyeh, Bushehr province, about 27.48 N, 52.61 E; NASA sources 'Tonbak' at 27.72 N, 52.18 E and 'Zagroz' at 27.55 N, 52.56 E.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Satellite record 2005–2025; zone established 1377 (1998); cabinet decisions in Farvardin 1398 (March–April 2019) and on 7 Aban 1399 (28 October 2020); Department of Environment statements in January 2020 and July 2022.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The South Pars office attributed 92% of the zone's air pollution to refineries and 8% to petrochemical plants; the Department of Environment named flaring and SO3 emissions.","src":2},"how":{"t":"A levy of one percent of sales goes into an environment fund; the Department of Environment said it is not authorised to collect it, that the Tax Organization does, and that the money was spent on municipal projects.","src":3}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"SO2 V2 catalogue of large anthropogenic and volcanic point sources (Catalogue_SO2_2025), 2005–2025","p":"NASA Goddard Space Flight Center","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://so2.gsfc.nasa.gov/kml/Catalogue_SO2_2025.xls"},{"t":"README for the MEaSUREs SO2 point-source catalogue (MSAQSO2L4 V2)","p":"NASA GES DISC","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://docserver.gesdisc.eosdis.nasa.gov/public/project/MEaSUREs/Krotkov/README.MSAQSO2L4.V2.pdf"},{"t":"US$1.2 billion for clean skies and sea in Assaluyeh (in Persian)","p":"Eghtesad Online (citing ISNA)","d":"2020-01-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/بخش-انرژی-9/412254-یک-میلیارد-دلار-تا-آسمان-دریای-پاک-در-عسلویه"},{"t":"Concentration of pollution in South Pars (in Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2022-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/5550310/تجمع-آلایندگی-در-پارس-جنوبی"},{"t":"Government decision to remove environmental pollution in the Pars Special Economic Zone (in Persian)","p":"SNN","d":"2020-10-28","type":"press","u":"https://snn.ir/fa/news/885919/تصمیم-دولت-برای-رفع-آلودگی-های-محیط-زیستی-در-منطقه-ویژه-اقتصادی-پارس"},{"t":"Parsian residents' rights over industrial pollution to be pursued until a result is reached (in Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2026-07-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/6900858/"},{"t":"Assaluyeh air pollution 100 times Tehran (in Persian)","p":"Asr Iran","d":"2018-09-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.asriran.com/fa/news/631291/آلودگی-هوای-عسلویه-100-برابر-تهران"},{"t":"Sanctions an obstacle to building a treatment plant in Assaluyeh (in Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2009-05-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/1730858.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Severity of air pollution and health effects at Assaluyeh","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Priced damage to nature from SO2 and flaring at Assaluyeh — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"South Pars environment office suits over open-air sulfur storage: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bushehr Department of Environment cases against polluting industries: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: NASA's catalogue assigns emissions to location clusters and does not name the facilities behind 'Tonbak'; its README gives retrieval uncertainties of 50–60%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: official statistics indicating that the health of Assaluyeh residents is alarming, according to the South Pars environment office (January 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: outcomes of the suits against eight refineries over sulfur storage (reported January 2020) and of the more than 30 court cases reported in July 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the 110-bed hospital due within two years of the October 2020 cabinet decision was completed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the total pollution levy paid each year by South Pars companies.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the US$1.2 billion improvement document was funded after January 2020, when it awaited budget approval.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-mazut-burning-in-power-plants","title":"Mazut burning in Iranian power plants, 2020–2025","dek":"When gas runs short in winter, Iranian power plants burn mazut, a high-sulfur heavy fuel oil. The Ministry of Petroleum reported 4.941 billion litres delivered to power plants between 22 October 2024 and 31 January 2025, up 53% on the year before; the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary said five former managers were convicted over non-enforcement of the Clean Air Law.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":34,"lon":49.49,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Power plants at Arak (Shazand), Karaj, Isfahan, Neka, Hamedan, Bandar Abbas and Tehran","lat":34,"lon":49.49,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning","chemical-pollution"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Mazut delivered to power plants, 22 Oct 2024 to 31 Jan 2025","value":"4.941 billion litres","note":"Up 53% (1.718 billion litres) on the same period a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Petroleum (Shana, 4 February 2025)."},"happened":["Mazut is residual fuel oil that Iranian power plants burn when gas supply runs short. In January 2021 the head of the Department of Environment, Eisa Kalantari, said a directive from a deputy prosecutor-general had told provinces not to block mazut burning on security grounds, and gave the sulfur content of Iranian mazut as about 30,000 ppm (3%); the prosecutor-general's deputy for public rights denied issuing such a directive. Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said he did not want mazut to be used but had no choice but to deliver it to power plants. The head of the Tehran City Council said SO2 in Tehran had doubled in a week because of mazut.","In the winter of 2022/23, Oil Ministry reports cited by RFE/RL showed mazut use rising to 38.5 million litres a day in December 2022 (up 22%) and 42 million litres a day in January 2023, with mazut of 3.5% sulfur, 'up to seven times' the Clean Air Act limit. A report of the parliamentary Article 90 Commission presented on 27 June 2023 said the Ministry of Petroleum had not enforced standards for mazut use in power plants, and that the Ministry of Energy reported rising use, with 14 of 16 power plants reportedly burning it.","On 4 February 2025 the Ministry of Petroleum said 4.941 billion litres of mazut had been delivered to power plants from 22 October 2024 to 31 January 2025, up 53% on the year before, and that the 30 days to 19 January 2025 averaged 53.9 million litres a day against 40.9 million a year earlier. On 20 January 2025 President Masoud Pezeshkian said on state television that mazut was not supposed to be burned at all, that this had been announced, that the government 'got stuck', and that without mazut gas supplies to households would have had to be cut. In February 2025 Somayeh Rafiei, spokesperson of the parliamentary agriculture committee, said all thermal plants had shifted to mazut. On 14 November 2025 power plants burned more than 21 million litres of mazut, according to Fars, with Hamedan, Neka and Arak the biggest consumers; Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said the ministry did not want to burn mazut because it damages plants and is an expensive commodity, but was forced to use it when gas was scarce.","On 15 February 2026 the head of the Department of Environment, Shina Ansari, said 420 million litres of low-sulfur mazut had been allocated that year to four power plants in residential areas, and that after low-sulfur mazut was used at Shazand unhealthy SO2 days fell 'from 27 days in 1402 to five days in 1403'. NASA's SO2 catalogue lists power-plant sources including Shahid Rajaee, Shahid Mofateh, Bandar Abbas, Neka, Arak, Isfahan and Tehran (Besat); the figures below are totals per plant and the catalogue assigns no fuel type.","On the legal side, Ali Alghasi-Mehr, head of the Tehran Province Judiciary, said on 3 December 2023 and again on 12 January 2025 that five former managers had been convicted of dereliction of duty under the Clean Air Law; sentences were not disclosed. RFE/RL reported in May 2023 that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office had charged five unidentified officials with failing to enforce Clean Air Act standards on vehicle emissions, gasoline quality and mazut-fuelled plants. In December 2025, Iran International reported that the judiciary had opened a case against the ecologist Esmail Kahrom, with charges reported as 'false statements' and acts 'against national security', after he criticised mazut use and spending priorities."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Department of Environment head says a prosecutor-general's deputy directed provinces not to block mazut; the deputy for public rights denies it (3 Jan); Oil Minister says plants must be supplied","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Oil Ministry reports mazut use at 38.5 million litres a day in December 2022 and 42 million in January 2023; prosecutor charges five officials (RFE/RL, May); Article 90 Commission report (27 Jun); Tehran judiciary announces five managers convicted (3 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Ministry of Petroleum reports 4.941 billion litres delivered 22 Oct 2024–31 Jan 2025 (4 Feb); President says the government 'got stuck' (20 Jan); judiciary head repeats that five managers were convicted (12 Jan); mazut burned at more than 21 million litres in a day (14 Nov); ecologist Esmail Kahrom interviewed (30 Nov); judiciary case against him reported (Dec)","src":6},{"y":2026,"t":"Department of Environment head reports 420 million litres of low-sulfur mazut allocated to four plants in residential areas (15 Feb)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"We do not want mazut to be used, but we have no choice but to deliver it to power plants","who":"Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, Oil Minister, as reported by Radio Farda","when":"January 2021","src":0,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"producing poison","who":"Fatemeh Mohajerani, government spokeswoman, on scheduled outages as the alternative","when":"November 2024","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"We were not supposed to burn mazut at all, and we announced this. But then we got stuck.","who":"Masoud Pezeshkian, President, on state television","when":"20 January 2025","src":3,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"If we hadn't used it, we would have had to cut off gas supplies to households.","who":"Masoud Pezeshkian, President, on state television","when":"20 January 2025","src":3,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"We do not want to burn mazut because it damages plants and is an expensive commodity. But when gas is scarce, we are forced to use it.","who":"Abbas Aliabadi, Energy Minister","when":"November 2025","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"420 million liters of low-sulfur mazut were allocated this year to four power plants located in residential areas","who":"Shina Ansari, head of the Department of Environment","when":"15 February 2026","src":7},{"q":"seven times the global standard","who":"Esmail Kahrom, ecologist, on the sulfur content of mazut, as reported by Iran International","when":"30 November 2025","src":5,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Scheduled outages described as replacing 'producing poison'","who":"Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, November 2024, as reported by Al Jazeera and Iran International","src":2},{"t":"Mazut-burning power plants described as low priority because liquid fuel is valuable and kept as a last resort","who":"Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi, as reported by Al Jazeera, November 2025","src":2},{"t":"A low-sulfur mazut programme with the Oil Ministry, with unhealthy SO2 days at Shazand falling from 27 to five","who":"Department of Environment head Shina Ansari, 15 February 2026","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ministry of Petroleum: 4.941 billion litres of mazut delivered to power plants from 22 October 2024 to 31 January 2025, up 53% (1.718 billion litres) on the year before; the 30 days to 19 January 2025 averaged 53.9 million litres a day against 40.9 million.","src":6},{"t":"Oil Ministry reports cited by RFE/RL: mazut use 38.5 million litres a day in December 2022 (up 22%) and 42 million in January 2023; mazut with 3.5% sulfur, 'up to seven times' the Clean Air Act limit.","src":1},{"t":"Article 90 Commission (27 June 2023): the Ministry of Petroleum had not enforced standards for mazut use in power plants; the Ministry of Energy reported rising use, with 14 of 16 power plants reportedly using it.","src":8},{"t":"Since the Iranian year 1402, the social-affairs office of the Tehran judiciary sent 94 letters and warnings to agencies including the Energy Ministry on mazut use.","src":9},{"t":"Iran International reported that a decree in November 2024 raising household gas tariffs authorised provinces to use mazut in all power plants and industries.","src":3},{"t":"NASA catalogue, selected power-plant sources (kt SO2 a year, 2019 / 2024 / 2025): Shahid Rajaee ('Oil Power Plant') 0.8 / 38.4 / 34.3; Shahid Mofateh 16.2 / 28.6 / 27.0; Bandar Abbas ('Thermal Oil power plant') 141.0 / 106.8 / 86.2; Neka 50.3 / 82.3 / 68.6; Arak refinery and power plant 44.3 / 61.9 / 53.0; Isfahan refinery and power plant 23.3 / 32.9 / 43.2; Tehran (Besat, oil) 15.7 / 14.8 / 16.6.","src":11},{"t":"Ecologist Esmail Kahrom said in a 30 November 2025 interview that each missile costs roughly US$2 million and that the cost of 10 missiles could fund an upgrade of fuel standards; state-affiliated media (YJC) described national security as 'nonnegotiable'.","src":5},{"t":"UN Special Rapporteur David Boyd called on Iran in 2023 to stop burning mazut, describing it as a human-rights violation, in a post on X reported by Iran International.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2024–2025","nature":[{"label":"Priced damage to nature from mazut burning","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Economic loss from air-pollution deaths in the Iranian year 1403, Health Ministry (all sources, not mazut-specific)","amount":17200,"qualifier":"about","window":"1403"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mazut delivered to power plants","v":"4.941 bn litres","d":"22 Oct 2024–31 Jan 2025; up 53% on the year before (Ministry of Petroleum)"},{"k":"Sulfur in mazut","v":"3% to 3.5%","d":"About 30,000 ppm (Department of Environment head, 2021); 3.5% (Oil Ministry reports via RFE/RL, 2023)"},{"k":"Unhealthy SO2 days at Shazand","v":"27 to 5","d":"Iranian years 1402 to 1403, after low-sulfur mazut (Department of Environment)"},{"k":"Convictions announced","v":"5 former managers","d":"Dereliction of duty under the Clean Air Law, per the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary; sentences undisclosed"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Government reports and NASA's satellite catalogue record SO2 from mazut-using power plants; the Department of Environment reported unhealthy SO2 days at Shazand.","report":[{"t":"My air in Tehran had SO2 that doubled in a week because of mazut, according to the head of the Tehran City Council (January 2021).","src":0},{"t":"Power plants burned mazut of 3.5% sulfur, up to seven times the Clean Air Act limit, in the winter of 2022/23, according to Oil Ministry reports cited by RFE/RL.","src":1},{"t":"My air at Shazand had 27 unhealthy SO2 days in the Iranian year 1402 and five in 1403 after low-sulfur mazut was used, according to the Department of Environment.","src":7},{"t":"NASA's catalogue lists the Neka power plant at 68.6 kt of SO2 and the Bandar Abbas oil power plant at 86.2 kt in 2025.","src":11}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the share of the power-plant SO2 in NASA's catalogue that comes from mazut; the catalogue gives totals per plant without assigning a fuel.","Figures differ: the sulfur content of Iranian mazut was given as about 3% (30,000 ppm) by the Department of Environment head in January 2021 and as 3.5% in Oil Ministry reports cited by RFE/RL in 2023.","Not disclosed: the identities of the five managers convicted under the Clean Air Law and their sentences.","Insufficient: no published government estimate of the health cost specific to mazut.","None on record: official mazut volumes for the winter of 2025/26 beyond a single daily figure (more than 21 million litres on 14 November 2025, Fars).","None on record: a verdict in the case against Esmail Kahrom reported in December 2025."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Mazut burning continued through the winters of 2024/25 and 2025/26 according to the Ministry of Petroleum and Fars; the Department of Environment reported a low-sulfur mazut programme at four plants in February 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record for the air pollution. The Health Ministry's cost of air-pollution deaths in 1403 (about US$17.2 billion) is not specific to mazut; five former managers were reported convicted, with sentences undisclosed.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: the Department of Environment said 420 million litres of low-sulfur mazut were allocated to four plants; five former managers were reported convicted over Clean Air Law non-enforcement, and the case against ecologist Esmail Kahrom had no verdict on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"government-of-iran","says":"President Masoud Pezeshkian said the government had been forced to burn mazut to avoid cutting gas to households; Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said mazut-burning plants are low priority and liquid fuel is kept as a last resort.","when":"January 2025; November 2025","src":3},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Its head Shina Ansari described a low-sulfur mazut programme with the Oil Ministry and reported unhealthy SO2 days at Shazand falling from 27 to five.","when":"15 February 2026","src":7},{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","says":"Reported mazut deliveries to power plants of 4.941 billion litres in the winter of 2024/25.","when":"4 February 2025","src":6},{"actor":"iran-judiciary","says":"Its Tehran Province head said five former managers were convicted of dereliction of duty under the Clean Air Law; state-affiliated media described national security as 'nonnegotiable' in the Kahrom case.","when":"December 2023; January 2025; December 2025","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","role":"Supplies mazut to power plants; reports delivery volumes"},{"id":"iran-energy-ministry","role":"Power plant operator; reports rising mazut use"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Environmental regulator; low-sulfur mazut programme"},{"id":"iran-judiciary","role":"Tehran Province Judiciary announced convictions; case against Esmail Kahrom"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Presidency; decisions on mazut use"},{"id":"nasa","role":"Satellite SO2 point-source catalogue"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether a directive allowed mazut burning on security grounds (January 2021)","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Eisa Kalantari, head of the Department of Environment","says":"A deputy prosecutor-general's directive told provinces not to block mazut burning on security grounds.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor-general's deputy for public rights","says":"Denied issuing such a directive.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether mazut use was halted or expanded in the winter of 2024/25","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President Masoud Pezeshkian (20 January 2025)","says":"Mazut was not supposed to be burned at all and this had been announced, but the government got stuck; without it gas to households would have been cut.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Somayeh Rafiei, spokesperson of the parliamentary agriculture committee (February 2025)","says":"All thermal plants had shifted to mazut.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Petroleum (4 February 2025)","says":"Mazut deliveries to power plants were up 53% year on year.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Tehran prosecution of five former managers over Clean Air Law non-enforcement","forum":"Tehran courts (as stated by the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary)","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tehran Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Five former managers (not named in the sources)","filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"RFE/RL reported in May 2023 that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office had charged five unidentified officials with failing to enforce Clean Air Act standards on vehicle emissions, gasoline quality and mazut-fuelled plants. Ali Alghasi-Mehr, head of the Tehran Province Judiciary, said on 3 December 2023 and 12 January 2025 that five former managers had been indicted for abuse of position and convicted of dereliction of duty; sentences were not disclosed.","src":9},{"title":"Judiciary case against ecologist Esmail Kahrom","forum":"Iranian judiciary (as reported by Iran International)","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Iranian judiciary and prosecutors","defendant":"Esmail Kahrom, ecologist","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Iran International reported on 8 December 2025 that the judiciary had opened a case against Kahrom after a 30 November 2025 interview in which he criticised mazut use and spending on missiles, with charges reported as 'false statements' and acts 'against national security'; prosecutors also acted against the editor of Jamaran. No verdict is on record.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"mazut_delivered_litres_bn","value":4941000000,"unit":"litres","year":2025,"note":"22 October 2024 to 31 January 2025; up 53% (1.718 billion litres). Ministry of Petroleum."},{"key":"mazut_litres_per_day_m","value":53900000,"unit":"litres per day","year":2025,"note":"Average of the 30 days to 19 January 2025; 40.9 a year earlier."},{"key":"mazut_litres_per_day_m","value":38500000,"unit":"litres per day","year":2022,"note":"December 2022, up 22%; 42 million in January 2023 (Oil Ministry via RFE/RL)."},{"key":"mazut_litres_m","value":21000000,"unit":"litres","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Burned by power plants on 14 November 2025 (Fars)."},{"key":"low_sulfur_mazut_litres_m","value":420000000,"unit":"litres","year":2026,"note":"Allocated to four power plants in residential areas (Department of Environment)."},{"key":"unhealthy_so2_days","value":27,"unit":"days","year":2024,"note":"Shazand, Iranian year 1402 (March 2023 to March 2024)."},{"key":"unhealthy_so2_days","value":5,"unit":"days","year":2025,"note":"Shazand, Iranian year 1403, after low-sulfur mazut."},{"key":"mazut_sulfur_pct","value":3.5,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Oil Ministry reports via RFE/RL; about 3% (30,000 ppm) given by the Department of Environment head in 2021."},{"key":"power_plants_using_mazut","value":14,"unit":"of 16 plants","year":2023,"note":"Reported by the Ministry of Energy to the Article 90 Commission."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":34.3,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Shahid Rajaee (Oil Power Plant)."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":27,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Shahid Mofateh."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":86.2,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Bandar Abbas (Thermal Oil power plant)."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":68.6,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Neka."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":53,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Arak refinery and power plant."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":43.2,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Isfahan refinery and power plant."},{"key":"so2_kt_per_year","value":16.6,"unit":"kt SO2","year":2025,"note":"NASA catalogue, Tehran (Besat, oil)."},{"key":"managers_convicted","value":5,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Former managers, as stated by the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary; sentences not disclosed."},{"key":"judiciary_warnings","value":94,"unit":"letters and warnings","year":2025,"note":"Sent by the Tehran judiciary's social-affairs office to agencies since the Iranian year 1402."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Iranian power plants burn mazut, a high-sulfur heavy fuel oil, when gas is short; the Ministry of Petroleum reported 4.941 billion litres delivered in the winter of 2024/25, up 53% on the year before, and five former managers were reported convicted over Clean Air Law non-enforcement.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Households","what":"Kept gas supply in winter 2024/25, according to President Pezeshkian","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Five former managers","what":"Convicted of dereliction of duty under the Clean Air Law, as stated by the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary; sentences not disclosed","src":9}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air in Tehran, Arak, Isfahan, Neka and other plant cities","what":"SO2 doubled in a week in Tehran in January 2021; NASA lists power-plant sources at 16.6 to 86.2 kt SO2 in 2025","src":11},{"who":"Residents near power plants","what":"Four plants in residential areas were allocated 420 million litres of low-sulfur mazut in 2026","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Power plants named by officials and press at Shazand (Arak), Karaj, Isfahan, Neka, Hamedan, Tous, Sahand Bonab, Montazer Ghaem and Bandar Abbas.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Winters of 2020/21, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25 and 2025/26.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Gas shortages in winter; President Pezeshkian said that without mazut gas supply to households would have been cut, and the Energy Minister said plants are forced to burn it when gas is scarce.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Mazut is delivered to power plants by the Ministry of Petroleum at government-set conditions; the Department of Environment and the Oil Ministry began a low-sulfur mazut programme.","src":7}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Air pollution: Iran's prosecutor's office denies issuing directive for mazut use in power plants (in Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2021-01-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/tehran-air-pollution-iran/31031727.html"},{"t":"Iran environmental standards, pollution, smog","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2023-05-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-environmental-standards-pollution-smog/32385813.html"},{"t":"Tehran shrouded in thick smog as Iran burns dirty fuel amid energy crisis","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-11-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/24/tehran-shrouded-in-thick-smog-as-iran-burns-dirty-fuel-amid-energy-crisis"},{"t":"Iran forced to continue use of harmful fuel oil, President says","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-01-20","type":"press","u":"https://iranintl.com/en/202501204829"},{"t":"Iran turns to heavy mazut fuel despite worsening air pollution","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-11-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202511235001"},{"t":"Iran judiciary targets environmentalist over missile comments","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-12-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202512086021"},{"t":"Fuel deliveries to power stations up over 50% during cold days","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2025-02-04","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/653866/Shana"},{"t":"420m liters of low-sulfur mazut supplied to several power plants","p":"Shana (Ministry of Petroleum)","d":"2026-02-15","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://en.shana.ir/news/1655266/Shana"},{"t":"Report of the Article 90 Commission on air pollution (in Persian)","p":"Mizan (Judiciary news agency)","d":"2023-06-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.mizanonline.ir/fa/news/4720229/گزارش-کمیسیون-اصل-۹۰-درخصوص-موضوع-آلودگی-هوا"},{"t":"Alghasi-Mehr: 5 managers convicted for dereliction under the Clean Air Law (in Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2025-01-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/6344421/"},{"t":"Five managers convicted for dereliction of duty (in Persian)","p":"Tabnak","d":"2023-12-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/1207996/محکومیت-۵-نفر-از-مدیران-به-دلیل-ترک-فعل"},{"t":"SO2 V2 catalogue of large anthropogenic and volcanic point sources (Catalogue_SO2_2025), 2005–2025","p":"NASA Goddard Space Flight Center","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://so2.gsfc.nasa.gov/kml/Catalogue_SO2_2025.xls"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether mazut use was halted or expanded in the winter of 2024/25","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Priced damage to nature from mazut burning — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether a directive allowed mazut burning on security grounds (January 2021)","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the share of the power-plant SO2 in NASA's catalogue that comes from mazut; the catalogue gives totals per plant without assigning a fuel.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the sulfur content of Iranian mazut was given as about 3% (30,000 ppm) by the Department of Environment head in January 2021 and as 3.5% in Oil Ministry reports cited by RFE/RL in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the identities of the five managers convicted under the Clean Air Law and their sentences.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: no published government estimate of the health cost specific to mazut.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: official mazut volumes for the winter of 2025/26 beyond a single daily figure (more than 21 million litres on 14 November 2025, Fars).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a verdict in the case against Esmail Kahrom reported in December 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"iran-clean-air-law-and-urban-air-pollution","title":"Iran's Clean Air Law and urban air pollution in Tehran and Ahvaz","dek":"A parliamentary commission found 22 of the 2017 Clean Air Law's 57 articles weakly implemented in 2023. The Health Ministry attributed 58,975 deaths among people over 30 to PM2.5 in the Iranian year 1403 and put the economic loss at about US$17.2 billion; the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary said five former managers were convicted of dereliction of duty under the law.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Tehran","lat":35.69,"lon":51.39,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Ahvaz, Khuzestan","lat":31.32,"lon":48.67,"role":"affected"}],"start":2017,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2017-07-16","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","law-policy","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Deaths attributed to PM2.5, Iranian year 1403 (March 2024 to March 2025), Health Ministry","value":"58,975","note":"People over 30, about 161 a day, with an economic loss of about US$17.2 billion (US$47 million a day). Report released 10 November 2025."},"happened":["Iran's Clean Air Law was approved on 25 Tir 1396 (16 July 2017). In August 2023 the Majlis Research Center reviewed the law and its technical regulation: of 56 articles, 22 were weakly implemented, 17 moderately and 17 well; it recommended revising 17 of 34 articles and adding at least 10, and listed 11 structural defects including no funding provisions. The parliamentary Article 90 Commission, in a report presented on 27 June 2023, counted 57 articles, of which 22 were weak, 17 moderate and 18 well implemented. It said the Department of Environment was responsible for 60 provisions and fewer than 10% had been realised, that the Plan and Budget Organization had added a 320 billion rial line late and it was reportedly not used, that the Standards Organization had issued no directive blocking non-standard fuel imports, and that municipalities collected green levies and retained Article 38 VAT revenues but often spent them elsewhere.","The Health Ministry's national air-pollution report for the Iranian year 1403, released on 10 November 2025, attributed about 58,975 deaths among people over 30 to PM2.5, about 161 a day: 23% from ischemic heart disease, 21% lung cancer, 17% COPD, 15% stroke and 13% lower respiratory infections. Annual mean PM2.5 was 42 micrograms per cubic metre in Ahvaz, 34 in Isfahan, 32.9 in Tehran, 32 in Arak, 31 in Karaj and 29 in Mashhad, against 9 in Sanandaj and 11 in Rasht. Days above the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic metre numbered 362 in Ahvaz, 351 in Arak, 350 in Tehran, 348 in Isfahan, 345 in Karaj, 335 in Mashhad, 268 in Qom, 193 in Kermanshah, 189 in Tabriz and 163 in Yazd.","The funding on record is small against the costs stated. RFE/RL and Al-Monitor reported that implementation funding in the budget for the year from March 2023 was cut from US$8 million to US$4 million. The Majlis Research Center said the 1401 budget allocated 288 billion toman for the law, that at least US$1–2 billion a year was needed for four years, and that bus-fleet renewal alone would cost about 500,000 billion toman. The Article 90 Commission put the minimum need at 206,000 billion toman nationwide, with a government share of 41,000 billion toman a year for nine metropolises, about 2.5% of the 1401 general budget. Mohsen Pirhadi, head of the Majlis urban-management faction, put the cost of one day of Tehran shutdown due to pollution at about 100 billion toman on 26 January 2024; the basis was not described.","Ali Alghasi-Mehr, head of the Tehran Province Judiciary, said on 3 December 2023 and 12 January 2025 that five former managers had been convicted of dereliction of duty under the Clean Air Law; sentences were not disclosed. He also said the Department of Environment lacked the authority, staffing and structure to enforce the law, that pollution was not a national priority, and that agencies interpreted the law in their own ways. In November 2025 primary and lower-secondary schools in Khuzestan closed to in-person classes and primary classes in Tehran moved online."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"Clean Air Law approved (16 Jul)","src":9},{"y":2023,"t":"RFE/RL and Al-Monitor report implementation funding cut from US$8 million to US$4 million; Article 90 Commission report (27 Jun); Majlis Research Center review (14 Aug); Tehran judiciary announces five managers convicted (3 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"Cost of a Tehran shutdown day put at about 100 billion toman (26 Jan)","src":6},{"y":2025,"t":"Judiciary head repeats that five managers were convicted (12 Jan); Health Ministry releases the 1403 report on 58,975 deaths (10 Nov); school closures in Khuzestan and Tehran (Nov)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"its enforcement requires the necessary budget","who":"Masoumeh Ebtekar, former head of the Department of Environment","when":"January 2023","src":5,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"We are denying the people a breath","who":"Mohammad Reza Sabaghian, member of parliament","when":"2023","src":4,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The law described as 'gathering dust for years', with about 21,000 deaths in 1400 (headline wording)","who":"Ecoiran, 14 August 2023, reporting the Majlis Research Center","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Majlis Research Center (14 August 2023): of 56 articles in the law and its technical regulation, 22 weakly implemented, 17 moderately and 17 well; 17 of 34 articles to be revised and at least 10 added; 11 structural defects including no funding provisions.","src":2},{"t":"Article 90 Commission (27 June 2023): of 57 articles, 22 weak, 17 moderate, 18 well implemented; Department of Environment responsible for 60 provisions with 'fewer than 10%' realised; Tehran unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups days rose from 89 (1399) to 115 (1401).","src":3},{"t":"The Article 90 Commission stated that violations under Article 234 of the Majlis bylaws were still being pursued with the judicial authority (2023).","src":3},{"t":"Tehran judiciary: Tehran had 114 polluted days in the Iranian year 1400 and 170 in 1401.","src":7},{"t":"Health Ministry, national report for 1403: economic loss from pollution deaths about US$17.2 billion, US$47 million a day, about 1,394 thousand billion toman at the NIMA rate.","src":0},{"t":"Article 90 Commission: about 20,837 attributable deaths in 1400 in the studied cities; economic cost about US$3.11 billion nationally in 1400 and about US$3.4 billion in Tehran (as printed).","src":3},{"t":"RFE/RL (May 2023): the Tehran Prosecutor's Office charged five unidentified officials with failing to enforce Clean Air Act standards on vehicle emissions, gasoline quality and mazut-fuelled plants.","src":4},{"t":"The Tehran judiciary's social-affairs office sent 94 letters and warnings to agencies including the Energy Ministry on mazut use since the Iranian year 1402.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1400–1403","nature":[{"label":"Priced damage to ecosystems from urban air pollution","amount":null,"note":"The figures on record are health and closure costs."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Economic loss from air-pollution deaths, Iranian year 1403, Health Ministry","amount":17200,"qualifier":"about","window":"1403"},{"label":"Economic cost nationally, Iranian year 1400, Article 90 Commission","amount":3110,"qualifier":"about","window":"1400"},{"label":"Economic cost in Tehran, Iranian year 1400, Article 90 Commission (as printed)","amount":3400,"qualifier":"about","window":"1400"},{"label":"Clean Air Law implementation funding before the cut in the budget from March 2023","amount":8,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Clean Air Law implementation funding after the cut","amount":4,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Majlis Research Center: yearly need for four years","amount":1000,"qualifier":"at least","window":"annual","note":"At least US$1–2 billion a year."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Deaths attributed to PM2.5","v":"58,975","d":"People over 30, Iranian year 1403, Health Ministry; about 161 a day"},{"k":"Annual mean PM2.5, Ahvaz","v":"42 µg/m³","d":"Highest of the provincial capitals listed; Tehran 32.9; Sanandaj 9"},{"k":"Days above the WHO 24-hour guideline","v":"362 in Ahvaz","d":"350 in Tehran, 351 in Arak, 348 in Isfahan"},{"k":"Articles weakly implemented","v":"22 of 57","d":"Article 90 Commission, June 2023"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Health Ministry reported PM2.5 concentrations and exceedance days by provincial capital for the Iranian year 1403; parliamentary and judiciary sources recorded polluted days in Tehran.","report":[{"t":"My air in Ahvaz averaged 42 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre in the Iranian year 1403 and exceeded the WHO 24-hour guideline of 15 on 362 days, according to the Health Ministry.","src":0},{"t":"My air in Tehran averaged 32.9 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre in 1403 and exceeded the guideline on 350 days, according to the Health Ministry.","src":0},{"t":"Tehran had 114 polluted days in 1400 and 170 in 1401, according to the Tehran judiciary.","src":7},{"t":"The Article 90 Commission recorded unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups days in Tehran rising from 89 in 1399 to 115 in 1401.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: deaths attributed to air pollution were 20,837 in 1400 in the studied cities (Article 90 Commission) and 58,975 in 1403 nationally for people over 30 (Health Ministry); the periods and populations differ.","Figures differ: the Article 90 Commission gave 115 unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups days in Tehran for 1401; the Tehran judiciary gave 170 polluted days.","Unclear: the Article 90 Commission's economic cost for Tehran (US$3.4 billion) is printed higher than its national figure (US$3.11 billion).","Insufficient: the Health Ministry's national report for 1403 is available through press coverage; the text of the 1403 national report is not published online.","Not disclosed: the calculation method behind the cost of closure days; Pirhadi's basis for 100 billion toman a day was not described.","Not disclosed: the names and sentences of the five managers convicted under the Clean Air Law."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"PM2.5 exceeded the WHO 24-hour guideline on 350 days in Tehran and 362 in Ahvaz in the Iranian year 1403 according to the Health Ministry; the sources record no end to the exceedances.","whoPaid":"The Health Ministry's economic loss from pollution deaths in 1403 was about US$17.2 billion; implementation funding in the budget from March 2023 was cut from US$8 million to US$4 million; five former managers were reported convicted, with sentences undisclosed.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: the Health Ministry's 1403 report attributed 58,975 deaths to PM2.5; five former managers had been reported convicted under the Clean Air Law, with sentences undisclosed.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-judiciary","says":"The head of the Tehran Province Judiciary said the Department of Environment lacks the authority, staffing and structure to enforce the law, that pollution is not a national priority and that agencies interpret the law in their own way.","when":"12 January 2025","src":7},{"actor":"iran-health-ministry","says":"Its deputy minister Alireza Raeisi presented the national report attributing about 58,975 deaths to PM2.5 in 1403.","when":"10 November 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-health-ministry","role":"Published the 1403 deaths and economic-loss estimates"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Responsible for 60 provisions of the law"},{"id":"majlis-research-center","role":"August 2023 review of the law's implementation"},{"id":"majlis-article-90-commission","role":"June 2023 report on implementation and costs"},{"id":"iran-judiciary","role":"Tehran Province Judiciary announced convictions of five managers"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Budget allocations for the law"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Number of deaths attributable to air pollution","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Article 90 Commission (27 June 2023)","says":"About 20,837 attributable deaths in 1400 in the studied cities.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Health Ministry (10 November 2025)","says":"About 58,975 deaths among people over 30 attributed to PM2.5 in 1403.","src":0}]},{"point":"Number of polluted days in Tehran in 1401","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Article 90 Commission","says":"115 unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups days in 1401, up from 89 in 1399.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"Tehran Province Judiciary","says":"114 polluted days in 1400 and 170 in 1401.","src":7}]},{"point":"How much of the law has been implemented","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Majlis Research Center (August 2023)","says":"Of 56 articles, 22 weakly, 17 moderately and 17 well implemented.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Article 90 Commission (June 2023)","says":"Of 57 articles, 22 weak, 17 moderate and 18 well implemented.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Tehran prosecution of five former managers over Clean Air Law non-enforcement","forum":"Tehran courts (as stated by the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary)","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Tehran Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Five former managers (not named in the sources)","filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"RFE/RL reported in May 2023 that the Tehran Prosecutor's Office had charged five unidentified officials. Ali Alghasi-Mehr, head of the Tehran Province Judiciary, said on 3 December 2023 and 12 January 2025 that five former managers had been indicted for abuse of position and convicted of dereliction of duty; sentences were not disclosed.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":58975,"unit":"deaths among people over 30","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Attributed to PM2.5, Iranian year 1403 (March 2024 to March 2025), Health Ministry; about 161 a day."},{"key":"deaths","value":20837,"unit":"attributable deaths","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Iranian year 1400, studied cities, Article 90 Commission."},{"key":"economic_loss","value":17200,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Health Ministry, Iranian year 1403; US$47 million a day."},{"key":"pm25_annual_mean","value":42,"unit":"µg/m³","year":2024,"note":"Ahvaz, Health Ministry; WHO 24-hour guideline is 15."},{"key":"pm25_annual_mean","value":32.9,"unit":"µg/m³","year":2024,"note":"Tehran, Health Ministry."},{"key":"pm25_annual_mean","value":34,"unit":"µg/m³","year":2024,"note":"Isfahan, Health Ministry."},{"key":"pm25_annual_mean","value":9,"unit":"µg/m³","year":2024,"note":"Sanandaj, the lowest of the capitals listed."},{"key":"days_above_who_24h","value":362,"unit":"days","year":2024,"note":"Ahvaz, WHO 24-hour PM2.5 guideline of 15 µg/m³."},{"key":"days_above_who_24h","value":350,"unit":"days","year":2024,"note":"Tehran."},{"key":"days_above_who_24h","value":351,"unit":"days","year":2024,"note":"Arak."},{"key":"days_above_who_24h","value":348,"unit":"days","year":2024,"note":"Isfahan."},{"key":"polluted_days","value":170,"unit":"days","year":2022,"note":"Tehran, Iranian year 1401, Tehran judiciary; 114 in 1400."},{"key":"articles_weakly_implemented","value":22,"unit":"of 57 articles","year":2023,"note":"Article 90 Commission; Majlis Research Center counted 22 of 56."},{"key":"funding_cut","value":4,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Implementation funding after the cut from US$8 million (RFE/RL; Al-Monitor)."},{"key":"closure_day_cost","value":100000000000,"unit":"toman per day","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tehran shutdown day, Mohsen Pirhadi; basis not described."},{"key":"managers_convicted","value":5,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"As stated by the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary; sentences not disclosed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Parliament assessed 22 of the 2017 Clean Air Law's 57 articles as weakly implemented; the Health Ministry attributed 58,975 deaths among people over 30 to PM2.5 in the Iranian year 1403.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Municipalities","what":"Collected green levies and retained Article 38 VAT revenues, often spent elsewhere, according to the Article 90 Commission","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Five former managers","what":"Convicted of dereliction of duty under the Clean Air Law, as stated by the head of the Tehran Province Judiciary","src":7},{"who":"Iran (economy)","what":"Economic loss from pollution deaths of about US$17.2 billion in 1403, per the Health Ministry","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"People and air in Ahvaz and Tehran","what":"PM2.5 above the WHO 24-hour guideline on 362 days in Ahvaz and 350 in Tehran in 1403","src":0},{"who":"Schoolchildren in Khuzestan and Tehran","what":"In-person classes closed in Khuzestan and moved online in Tehran in November 2025","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"National, with focus on Tehran (35.69 N, 51.39 E) and Ahvaz (31.32 N, 48.67 E).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law approved 16 July 2017; audits in 2023; Health Ministry report for the Iranian year 1403 released 10 November 2025.","src":9},"why":{"t":"The Tehran judiciary head said the Department of Environment lacks the authority, staffing and structure to enforce the law, and that pollution is not a national priority; the Majlis Research Center listed 11 structural defects including no funding provisions.","src":7},"how":{"t":"Funding is allocated in the annual budget (288 billion toman in 1401; US$4 million after a cut in the budget from March 2023); the Article 90 Commission put the minimum need at 206,000 billion toman.","src":3}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Health Ministry: air pollution caused 59,000 Iranian deaths in 1403; 161 per day (in Persian)","p":"Zoomit","d":"2025-11-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.zoomit.ir/tech-iran/451670-iran-air-pollution-crisis-deaths-closures-1403-report/"},{"t":"Tehran shrouded in thick smog as Iran burns dirty fuel amid energy crisis","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-11-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/24/tehran-shrouded-in-thick-smog-as-iran-burns-dirty-fuel-amid-energy-crisis"},{"t":"This law has been gathering dust for years / cause of about 21,000 deaths in 1400 (Majlis Research Center; in Persian)","p":"Ecoiran","d":"2023-08-14","type":"press","u":"https://ecoiran.com/fa/tiny/news-42567"},{"t":"Report of the Article 90 Commission on air pollution (in Persian)","p":"Mizan (Judiciary news agency)","d":"2023-06-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.mizanonline.ir/fa/news/4720229/گزارش-کمیسیون-اصل-۹۰-درخصوص-موضوع-آلودگی-هوا"},{"t":"Iran environmental standards, pollution, smog","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2023-05-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-environmental-standards-pollution-smog/32385813.html"},{"t":"Clean air funding halved in Iran's budget as pollution chokes much of the country","p":"Al-Monitor","d":"2023-01","type":"press","u":"https://al-monitor.com/originals/2023/01/clean-air-funding-halved-irans-budget-pollution-chokes-much-country"},{"t":"How much does each day of Tehran's closure cost? (in Persian)","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2024-01-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/fa/news/821404/هزینه-هر-روز-تعطیلی-تهران-چقدر-است"},{"t":"Alghasi-Mehr: 5 managers convicted for dereliction under the Clean Air Law (in Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2025-01-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/6344421/"},{"t":"Five managers convicted for dereliction of duty (in Persian)","p":"Tabnak","d":"2023-12-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/1207996/محکومیت-۵-نفر-از-مدیران-به-دلیل-ترک-فعل"},{"t":"Clean Air Law, text approved 25 Tir 1396 (in Persian)","p":"Ekhtebar","d":"n.d.","type":"registry","u":"https://www.ekhtebar.ir/قانون-هوای-پاک/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Number of deaths attributable to air pollution","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Number of polluted days in Tehran in 1401","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Priced damage to ecosystems from urban air pollution — The figures on record are health and closure costs.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much of the law has been implemented","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: deaths attributed to air pollution were 20,837 in 1400 in the studied cities (Article 90 Commission) and 58,975 in 1403 nationally for people over 30 (Health Ministry); the periods and populations differ.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Article 90 Commission gave 115 unhealthy-for-sensitive-groups days in Tehran for 1401; the Tehran judiciary gave 170 polluted days.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the Article 90 Commission's economic cost for Tehran (US$3.4 billion) is printed higher than its national figure (US$3.11 billion).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the Health Ministry's national report for 1403 is available through press coverage; the text of the 1403 national report is not published online.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the calculation method behind the cost of closure days; Pirhadi's basis for 100 billion toman a day was not described.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the names and sentences of the five managers convicted under the Clean Air Law.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"khuzestan-crude-pipeline-river-spills","title":"Crude-oil pipeline spills into Khuzestan rivers: Karkheh 2009 and Marun 2025","dek":"A pipeline rupture in February 2009 contaminated about 90 to more than 100 km of the Karkheh River and cut drinking-water supply to several towns; the Department of Environment said the Oil Ministry would not be fined. In May 2025 a crude line crossing the Marun River ruptured, and the Khuzestan Department of Environment demanded repairs and compensation from the National Iranian South Oil Company.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":32.2,"lon":48.25,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Karkheh River near Shush, Khuzestan (approximate)","lat":32.2,"lon":48.25,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Marun River near Omidiyeh (Jaizan), Khuzestan (approximate)","lat":30.75,"lon":49.7,"role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2009-02-19","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline","water"],"headline":{"label":"River length contaminated, Karkheh, February 2009","value":"90 to more than 100 km","note":"Two Radio Farda reports; the head of the Department of Environment gave roughly 10,000 barrels spilled."},"happened":["On 1 Esfand 1387 (19 February 2009) the Cheshmeh Khosh–Ahvaz pipeline ruptured at the Karkheh River near Shush in Khuzestan. Radio Farda reported on 3 March 2009 that about 90 km of the river was heavily contaminated, that the head of the Department of Environment, Fatemeh Vaez Javadi, gave the spill as roughly 10,000 barrels, and that water supply to Shush, Dasht-e Azadegan, Hamidiyeh and Hoveyzeh was cut. A second report on 15 March 2009 gave more than 100 km of river contaminated and printed an estimate attributed to Mohsen Rezaei as '6000 thousand barrels'.","Vaez Javadi said the Ministry of Oil would not be fined because the oil entered the river unintentionally, and the Khuzestan governorate said the National Iranian Oil Company would compensate people harmed. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Expediency Council, said 'Carelessness was the cause of the oil spill in the Karkheh' and called for the ministry to be fined. The Prosecutor-General issued a warning to the Oil Ministry over the pollution and warned the Khuzestan prosecutor over delay in filing complaints; the Department of Environment said it would not sue because it considered the spill an 'accident'. No court outcome is on record.","In about the week of 25 May 2025 a line of the Aghajari Oil and Gas Production Company crossing the Marun River near Omidiyeh ruptured. Aftab News reported on 27 May 2025 that a local environmental association said thousands of litres of crude had leaked, that the Behbahan Department of Environment office attributed it to a corroded valve, and that activists said leaks had recurred at that point for about a year. The Behbahan office described the slick as 'patchy', said cleanup took hours and soil was moved to the company's bio-farm, and said legal action to compensate damage to water, forest ecosystem and wildlife would begin after cleanup; no amount was given.","On 29 May 2025 the Khuzestan Department of Environment warned the National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC) about rising flaring and oil and gas leaks near Ahvaz and Omidiyeh, including the Marun pipeline. It required a flaring-reduction plan within 10 working days, pipeline repairs, sharing of emissions data and 'immediate measures to compensate' for damage, and warned of judicial action otherwise."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Cheshmeh Khosh–Ahvaz pipeline ruptures at the Karkheh (19 Feb); Radio Farda report with DoE figures (3 Mar); Prosecutor-General's warning to the Oil Ministry reported (15 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Marun pipeline rupture (about 25 May); Aftab News report (27 May); Khuzestan DoE demands on NISOC (29 May)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"Carelessness was the cause of the oil spill in the Karkheh","who":"Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Expediency Council, as quoted by Radio Farda","when":"March 2009","src":0,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"immediate measures to compensate","who":"Khuzestan Department of Environment, in its warning to NISOC, as reported by Mehr","when":"29 May 2025","src":3,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The Ministry of Oil 'would not be fined' because the oil entered the river unintentionally; the spill was under control","who":"Department of Environment head Fatemeh Vaez Javadi, March 2009","src":0},{"t":"A 'patchy' slick cleaned within hours, with soil moved to the company's bio-farm","who":"Behbahan Department of Environment office, May 2025","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Karkheh, 3 March 2009: about 90 km of river heavily contaminated; roughly 10,000 barrels (DoE head); water supply to Shush, Dasht-e Azadegan, Hamidiyeh and Hoveyzeh cut.","src":0},{"t":"Karkheh, 15 March 2009: more than 100 km contaminated; the Prosecutor-General issued a warning to the Oil Ministry and warned the Khuzestan prosecutor over delay in filing complaints.","src":1},{"t":"Marun, 27 May 2025: plants, wildlife, birds and fish were affected and the contamination reached kilometres downstream; no measurement was published.","src":2},{"t":"Khuzestan DoE, 29 May 2025: a flaring-reduction plan due within 10 working days, pipeline repairs, emissions-data sharing and compensation measures, with judicial action warned.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2009–2025","nature":[{"label":"Compensation or fine for damage to rivers, Karkheh 2009 or Marun 2025","amount":null,"note":"None on record; no amount was given for either spill."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Karkheh contaminated, 2009","v":"90 to 100+ km","d":"Radio Farda, 3 and 15 March 2009"},{"k":"Karkheh spill volume","v":"About 10,000 barrels","d":"Department of Environment head, March 2009"},{"k":"Fine for the 2009 spill","v":"None","d":"The DoE head said the Ministry of Oil would not be fined"},{"k":"Marun spill volume, 2025","v":"Thousands of litres","d":"Local environmental association; no official volume published"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Radio Farda reported contaminated river lengths for the Karkheh; Aftab News reported effects on plants, wildlife, birds and fish at the Marun.","report":[{"t":"My Karkheh River was contaminated over about 90 km in February 2009, and the water supply of four towns was cut, according to Radio Farda; a second report gave more than 100 km.","src":0},{"t":"My Marun River carried crude from a ruptured line in May 2025; plants, wildlife, birds and fish were affected for kilometres downstream, according to Aftab News.","src":2},{"t":"Activists said leaks had recurred at the same point on my Marun for about a year, according to Aftab News.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the head of the Department of Environment gave roughly 10,000 barrels for the Karkheh spill; Radio Farda (15 March 2009) printed an estimate attributed to Mohsen Rezaei as '6000 thousand barrels'.","Figures differ: the Karkheh contamination was given as about 90 km on 3 March 2009 and as more than 100 km on 15 March 2009.","None on record: a precise damage estimate for the Karkheh spill; the head of the Department of Environment said none had been made (March 2009).","Not disclosed: an official Marun spill volume as of 27 May 2025.","None on record: insurance cover or payments for either spill.","None on record: a court outcome for the Karkheh spill or for the 2025 demands on NISOC."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"In March 2009 the Department of Environment head said the Karkheh spill was under control. In May 2025 the Behbahan office said the Marun cleanup took hours, while activists said leaks had recurred at the same point for about a year.","whoPaid":"None on record. For the Karkheh the Department of Environment head said the Ministry of Oil would not be fined and the Khuzestan governorate said the National Iranian Oil Company would compensate people harmed; for the Marun no amount was given.","statusLine":"As of 29 May 2025: the Khuzestan Department of Environment had demanded repairs, a flaring-reduction plan and compensation from NISOC and warned of judicial action; no court outcome was on record for either spill.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"In 2009 its head said the Ministry of Oil would not be fined and the spill was under control; in 2025 its Behbahan office said the slick was patchy and cleanup took hours, and its Khuzestan office warned NISOC of judicial action.","when":"March 2009; May 2025","src":3},{"actor":"nioc","says":"The Khuzestan governorate said in 2009 that the National Iranian Oil Company would compensate people harmed.","when":"March 2009","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"nioc","role":"Operator of the Karkheh pipeline; to compensate people harmed, per the governorate"},{"id":"nisoc","role":"Addressee of the 2025 Department of Environment demands"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Regulator; decided not to fine in 2009; demanded repairs in 2025"},{"id":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","role":"Oil Ministry warned by the Prosecutor-General in 2009"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Volume spilled into the Karkheh","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Fatemeh Vaez Javadi, head of the Department of Environment (3 March 2009)","says":"Roughly 10,000 barrels.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Radio Farda (15 March 2009)","says":"Printed an estimate attributed to Mohsen Rezaei as '6000 thousand barrels'.","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether the 2009 Karkheh spill warranted a fine or a lawsuit","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment (2009)","says":"The Ministry of Oil would not be fined because the oil entered the river unintentionally; the spill was an 'accident' and the department would not sue.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Mohsen Rezaei, Expediency Council (March 2009)","says":"Carelessness was the cause; the ministry should be fined.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor-General (March 2009)","says":"Issued a warning to the Oil Ministry and warned the Khuzestan prosecutor over delay in filing complaints.","src":1}]},{"point":"Condition of the Marun line before the May 2025 rupture","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"A local environmental association and activists","says":"The company made only temporary repairs despite repeated warnings; leaks had recurred at that point for about a year.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Behbahan Department of Environment office","says":"The rupture was due to a corroded valve; the slick was patchy and cleanup took hours.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecutor-General's warning to the Oil Ministry over the Karkheh spill","forum":"Office of the Prosecutor-General","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Prosecutor-General of Iran","defendant":"Ministry of Oil","filed":2009,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Radio Farda reported on 15 March 2009 that the Prosecutor-General warned the Oil Ministry over the pollution and warned the Khuzestan prosecutor over delay in filing complaints; the Department of Environment said it would not sue. No court outcome is reported.","src":1},{"title":"Khuzestan Department of Environment demands on NISOC after the Marun spill","forum":"Department of Environment, Khuzestan","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Department of Environment, Khuzestan","defendant":"National Iranian South Oil Company (NISOC)","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 29 May 2025 the department required a flaring-reduction plan within 10 working days, pipeline repairs, emissions-data sharing and immediate measures to compensate for damage, and warned of judicial action. The Behbahan office said legal action for compensation would begin after cleanup. No amount or outcome is reported.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"river_km","value":90,"unit":"km","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","note":"Karkheh heavily contaminated (Radio Farda, 3 March 2009); more than 100 km in a second report of 15 March 2009."},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":10000,"unit":"barrels","year":2009,"qualifier":"roughly","note":"Head of the Department of Environment, Karkheh."},{"key":"people_affected","value":4,"unit":"towns with water supply cut","year":2009,"note":"Shush, Dasht-e Azadegan, Hamidiyeh and Hoveyzeh."},{"key":"deadline_working_days","value":10,"unit":"working days","year":2025,"note":"Deadline for NISOC's flaring-reduction plan, set by the Khuzestan Department of Environment."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pipelines of state oil companies ruptured at the Karkheh River in February 2009 and the Marun River in May 2025, contaminating rivers used for drinking water; the Department of Environment said no fine would be imposed for the Karkheh spill.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ministry of Oil","what":"Not to be fined for the Karkheh spill, according to the head of the Department of Environment","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"National Iranian Oil Company","what":"To compensate people harmed by the Karkheh spill, according to the Khuzestan governorate","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Karkheh River","what":"About 90 to more than 100 km contaminated","src":1},{"who":"Residents of Shush, Dasht-e Azadegan, Hamidiyeh and Hoveyzeh","what":"Water supply cut in 2009","src":0},{"who":"Marun River wildlife and plants","what":"Plants, wildlife, birds and fish affected in 2025","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Karkheh River near Shush (about 32.2 N, 48.25 E) and Marun River near Omidiyeh (Jaizan; about 30.75 N, 49.7 E), Khuzestan.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Karkheh rupture on 19 February 2009; Marun rupture about 25 May 2025; Department of Environment warning to NISOC on 29 May 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The Behbahan office attributed the Marun rupture to a corroded valve; a local association said the company made only temporary repairs despite repeated warnings.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The Department of Environment can require plans, repairs and compensation and warn of judicial action; for the Karkheh the Prosecutor-General issued a warning and the department said it would not sue.","src":3}},"related":[],"sources":[{"t":"Ahmadinejad's order to clean up the Karkheh (in Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2009-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/1503151.html"},{"t":"Prosecutor-General's warning to the Oil Ministry over Karkheh pollution (in Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2009-03-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/F8_KARHEH_NOTICE/1510243.html"},{"t":"Marun River becomes oily (in Persian)","p":"Aftab News","d":"2025-05-27","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/991408/رودخانه-مارون-نفتی-شد-عکس"},{"t":"Flaring and oil leaks have intensified Khuzestan's environmental pollution (in Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2025-05-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/6483004/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume spilled into the Karkheh","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation or fine for damage to rivers, Karkheh 2009 or Marun 2025 — None on record; no amount was given for either spill.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the 2009 Karkheh spill warranted a fine or a lawsuit","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Condition of the Marun line before the May 2025 rupture","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecutor-General's warning to the Oil Ministry over the Karkheh spill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the head of the Department of Environment gave roughly 10,000 barrels for the Karkheh spill; Radio Farda (15 March 2009) printed an estimate attributed to Mohsen Rezaei as '6000 thousand barrels'.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Karkheh contamination was given as about 90 km on 3 March 2009 and as more than 100 km on 15 March 2009.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a precise damage estimate for the Karkheh spill; the head of the Department of Environment said none had been made (March 2009).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an official Marun spill volume as of 27 May 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payments for either spill.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court outcome for the Karkheh spill or for the 2025 demands on NISOC.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sanchi-tanker-collision-2018","title":"Sanchi tanker collision and condensate spill, East China Sea, 2018","dek":"On 6 January 2018 the Panama-flagged tanker Sanchi, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate loaded at Assaluyeh, collided with the Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier CF Crystal in the East China Sea, burned and sank on 14 January; three crew died and 29 were missing. The spokesperson of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) said in January 2019 that insurers had paid US$50 million of US$256 million in claims.","country":"Iran","region":"Asia","lat":30.85,"lon":124.96,"places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"East China Sea, about 300 km off Shanghai","lat":30.85,"lon":124.96,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC); cargo loaded at Assaluyeh","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","admin":"Flag state of Sanchi","role":"flag"}],"start":2018,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2018-01-06","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-fund","burning"],"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Paid by insurers against claims for pollution, diving and team recovery (NITC spokesperson, 6 January 2019)","value":"US$50 million of US$256 million","note":"As stated by NITC's spokesperson; the remainder was under review. NITC paid crew families from its own resources after the P&I club had not paid because of sanctions-related problems."},"happened":["The Panama-flagged tanker Sanchi, loaded with condensate at Assaluyeh for Daesan in South Korea, collided at about 1950 local time on 6 January 2018 with the Hong Kong-registered bulk carrier CF Crystal at about 30°51.1′N, 124°57.6′E, some 300 km off Shanghai. The cargo tanks were breached; fire and explosions followed, and Sanchi sank on 14 January 2018 in about 115 m of water near the Ryukyu Islands. The joint investigation report of China's Maritime Safety Administration with Iran, Panama and Hong Kong, dated 10 May 2018, recorded that three crew died and 29 were missing and that 'resulting pollution occurred'; it states that its purpose is not to determine liability or apportion blame.","Cedre recorded a cargo of 136,000 tonnes of condensate and bunkers of 1,000 to 2,000 tonnes of IFO 380. A sheen of up to about 330 km² was reported on 21 January 2018 by the State Oceanic Administration (SOA); tarballs reached Japanese islands from 2 February 2018, and by 23 February 16 Japanese islands were affected and 90 tonnes of waste had been collected. Cedre wrote that the pollution 'affected the atmosphere more than the marine environment', that the shares burned and spread could not be quantified, and that fishing impacts 'could be high'.","The National Iranian Oil Company estimated the financial damage at about US$110 million: US$60 million for the cargo and US$50 million for the ship. On 9 January 2018 the president of Central Insurance of Iran, Abdolnasser Hemmati, gave the hull insurance shares as a Norwegian insurer 70%, Alborz 20% and Mellat 10%. In December 2018 Business Insurance, citing the Iranian Insurers Syndicate, reported that foreign insurers had settled claims, with total claims expected near US$200 million, cargo worth US$60 million and hull insured for US$32 million; Skuld was the lead hull insurer, with 11 foreign insurers covering 70%.","On 6 January 2019 NITC's spokesperson, Capt. Mohsen Bahrami, said claims for pollution, diving and team recovery were 'two hundred and fifty-six million dollars', of which US$50 million had been approved and paid by insurers and the rest was under review; he said the foreign hull insurers had met their obligations and about one-third was outstanding from Iranian insurers. Eghtesad Online reported in September 2018 that the P&I club had not paid crew families because of sanctions-related problems and that the NITC board had approved paying them from its own resources, in US dollars, in equal amounts for all crew; by January 2019 half the families had received cheques. Bahrami said sanctions had 'made the process harder' but had not stopped payments, and that compensation from CF Crystal depended on the court ruling on fault and could take several years.","Xing and Zhu (Ocean and Coastal Management, 2022) recorded that the owner of CF Crystal, Changhong Group (HK), set up limitation funds at the Shanghai Maritime Court, with maritime claims limits of about 11 million SDR for Sanchi and about 6.4 million SDR for CF Crystal, and that claims in case (2018) SH72-117 'far exceeded the limit'. Of ten claims in China Judgement Online by the end of 2021 only two concerned oil-pollution damage: one by the East China Sea Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources (monitoring, assessment, ecological damage) and one by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (fishery damage), both small relative to the other claims."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Collision (6 Jan); insurance shares stated (9 Jan); Sanchi sinks (14 Jan); sheen up to about 330 km² (21 Jan); tarballs reach Japanese islands (from 2 Feb); 16 Japanese islands affected (23 Feb); investigation report (10 May); NITC board approves paying crew families (Sep); foreign insurers settle claims (reported 4 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"NITC spokesperson gives claims of US$256 million, of which US$50 million paid by insurers (6 Jan)","src":4},{"y":2021,"t":"Ten claims in China Judgement Online by the end of the year, two concerning oil-pollution damage","src":6},{"y":2022,"t":"Xing and Zhu publish their assessment of the incident's impact on Chinese law","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"resulting pollution occurred","who":"Joint investigation report of China MSA, Iran, Panama and Hong Kong","when":"10 May 2018","src":0},{"q":"affected the atmosphere more than the marine environment","who":"Cedre, on the pollution","when":"2018","src":1},{"q":"could be high","who":"Cedre, on fishing impacts","when":"2018","src":1},{"q":"two hundred and fifty-six million dollars","who":"Capt. Mohsen Bahrami, NITC spokesperson, on claims for pollution, diving and team recovery","when":"6 January 2019","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"made the process harder","who":"Capt. Mohsen Bahrami, NITC spokesperson, on sanctions and payments","when":"6 January 2019","src":4,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Foreign hull insurers met their obligations; about one-third was outstanding from Iranian insurers","who":"NITC spokesperson Capt. Mohsen Bahrami, 6 January 2019","src":4},{"t":"The NITC board paid crew families from its own resources, in US dollars, in equal amounts for all crew","who":"Eghtesad Online, 4 September 2018","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Collision about 1950 local time on 6 January 2018 at about 30°51.1′N, 124°57.6′E; Sanchi sank on 14 January 2018 in about 115 m of water near the Ryukyu Islands.","src":0},{"t":"Cargo 136,000 tonnes of condensate; bunkers 1,000–2,000 tonnes of IFO 380; sheen up to about 330 km² (21 January 2018); 16 Japanese islands affected and 90 tonnes of waste collected by 23 February 2018.","src":1},{"t":"The investigation report states that its purpose is not to determine liability or apportion blame.","src":0},{"t":"NIOC estimate of financial damage about US$110 million (US$60 million cargo, US$50 million ship).","src":1},{"t":"Hull insurance shares (Hemmati, 9 January 2018): a Norwegian insurer 70%, Alborz 20%, Mellat 10%. Skuld was lead hull insurer, with 11 foreign insurers covering 70% (Business Insurance, 4 December 2018).","src":2},{"t":"Claims for pollution, diving and team recovery of US$256 million, of which US$50 million was approved and paid by insurers (NITC spokesperson, 6 January 2019).","src":4},{"t":"Xing and Zhu (2022) record that the 1992 Civil Liability Convention and IOPC Funds regime did not apply because condensate is a non-persistent oil, that limitation under China's Maritime Law (1992) applied, and that mainland China had not ratified LLMC 76/96.","src":6},{"t":"Cedre: the shares of cargo burned and spread could not be quantified.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2019","nature":[{"label":"Ecological and fishery damage claims by two Chinese state bodies","amount":null,"note":"Amounts not given; both were small relative to the other claims (Xing and Zhu, 2022)."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Claims for pollution, diving and team recovery (NITC spokesperson, January 2019)","amount":256,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Paid by insurers of the claims above","amount":50,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Total claims expected (Iranian Insurers Syndicate via Business Insurance, December 2018)","amount":200,"qualifier":"near","window":"2018"},{"label":"NIOC estimate of financial damage: cargo","amount":60,"window":"2018"},{"label":"NIOC estimate of financial damage: ship","amount":50,"window":"2018"},{"label":"Hull insured for","amount":32,"window":"2018"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Condensate cargo","v":"136,000 t","d":"Cedre; bunkers 1,000–2,000 t of IFO 380"},{"k":"Sheen","v":"Up to about 330 km²","d":"SOA, 21 January 2018"},{"k":"Japanese islands affected","v":"16","d":"By 23 February 2018; 90 t of waste collected (Cedre)"},{"k":"Claims paid by insurers","v":"US$50 m of US$256 m","d":"NITC spokesperson, 6 January 2019"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Cedre and the State Oceanic Administration recorded the sheen, tarballs on Japanese islands and the share of pollution that affected the atmosphere; Xing and Zhu recorded the state ecological and fishery claims.","report":[{"t":"My East China Sea carried a sheen of up to about 330 km² on 21 January 2018, according to the SOA as cited by Cedre.","src":1},{"t":"Tarballs reached 16 of my Japanese islands by 23 February 2018, and 90 tonnes of waste were collected, according to Cedre.","src":1},{"t":"The pollution affected my atmosphere more than my marine environment, according to Cedre; the shares burned and spread could not be quantified, and impacts on fishing could be high.","src":1},{"t":"Two Chinese state claims for oil-pollution damage to me, for monitoring, assessment, ecological damage and fishery damage, were small relative to the other claims, according to Xing and Zhu (2022).","src":6}]},"unknown":["None on record: a final settlement or court ruling on fault between the two vessels as of October 2026; the Shanghai Maritime Court case on the limitation funds had no apportionment judgment on record.","Not disclosed: the final amounts paid to the Chinese state ecological claimants.","Not measured: the shares of the condensate that burned and that spread, which Cedre said could not be quantified.","Figures differ: total claims were expected near US$200 million in December 2018 (Business Insurance) and were given as US$256 million in January 2019 (NITC spokesperson).","Figures differ: Cedre gives a cargo of 136,000 tonnes of condensate; some other reports give 111,000 or 113,000 tonnes.","Not disclosed: the name of the P&I club that had not paid crew families because of sanctions-related problems, according to Eghtesad Online (September 2018)."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The tanker burned and sank on 14 January 2018; tarballs reached Japanese islands from 2 February and 16 islands were affected by 23 February 2018.","whoPaid":"Insurers had paid US$50 million of US$256 million in claims by January 2019, according to NITC's spokesperson; NITC paid crew families from its own resources after the P&I club had not paid because of sanctions-related problems; claims against the CF Crystal side were subject to limitation funds in Shanghai.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources (Xing and Zhu, 2022): claims against the limitation funds at the Shanghai Maritime Court far exceeded the limits; no apportionment judgment or final settlement was on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"nitc","says":"Its spokesperson said claims were US$256 million, of which US$50 million had been paid by insurers, that sanctions made the process harder but did not stop payments, and that closing the case could take several years.","when":"6 January 2019","src":4},{"actor":"nitc","says":"Its board approved paying crew families from its own resources, in US dollars, equal for all crew.","when":"September 2018","src":5},{"actor":"china-msa","says":"The joint investigation report recorded that pollution occurred and stated that its purpose is not to determine liability or apportion blame.","when":"10 May 2018","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"nitc","role":"Manager of Sanchi; paid crew families from its own resources"},{"id":"nioc","role":"Estimated the financial damage at about US$110 million"},{"id":"skuld","role":"Lead hull insurer, with 11 foreign insurers covering 70%"},{"id":"alborz-insurance","role":"Iranian hull insurer, 20%"},{"id":"mellat-insurance","role":"Iranian hull insurer, 10%"},{"id":"central-insurance-of-iran","role":"Its president stated the insurance shares"},{"id":"changhong-group","role":"Owner of CF Crystal; set up limitation funds in Shanghai"},{"id":"shanghai-maritime-court","role":"Court of the limitation funds"},{"id":"china-msa","role":"Led the joint investigation report"},{"id":"cedre","role":"Technical incident sheet on the pollution"},{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Compensation regime that did not apply to condensate"},{"id":"panama-government","role":"Flag state of Sanchi; party to the investigation"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Effect of sanctions on payments to crew families","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Eghtesad Online (4 September 2018)","says":"The P&I club had not paid because of sanctions-related problems, and the NITC board approved paying families from its own resources.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"NITC spokesperson Capt. Mohsen Bahrami (6 January 2019)","says":"Sanctions made the process harder but did not stop payments.","src":4}]},{"point":"Total claims arising from the collision","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Business Insurance, citing the Iranian Insurers Syndicate (4 December 2018)","says":"Total claims were expected near US$200 million.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"NITC spokesperson (6 January 2019)","says":"Claims for pollution, diving and team recovery were US$256 million.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Limitation funds and claims at the Shanghai Maritime Court","forum":"Shanghai Maritime Court","country":"China","iso2":"CN","kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants including the East China Sea Bureau of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs","defendant":"Changhong Group (HK) Ltd, owner of CF Crystal","filed":2018,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Changhong Group (HK) set up limitation funds, with limits of about 11 million SDR (Sanchi) and about 6.4 million SDR (CF Crystal); claims in case (2018) SH72-117 'far exceeded the limit'. Of ten claims in China Judgement Online by the end of 2021, two concerned oil-pollution damage. No apportionment judgment is on record.","src":6}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Skuld (lead) and 11 foreign insurers, hull cover 70%","insured":"NITC / owner of Sanchi","status":"paid","year":2018,"amount":{"value":32,"currency":"USD","label":"hull insured for (million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"Business Insurance reported on 4 December 2018, citing the Iranian Insurers Syndicate, that foreign insurers had settled claims; NITC's spokesperson said in January 2019 that the foreign hull insurers had met their obligations.","src":3},{"insurer":"Alborz Insurance (20%) and Mellat Insurance (10%), hull cover","insured":"NITC / owner of Sanchi","status":"unknown","year":2019,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"Central Insurance of Iran's president gave the shares on 9 January 2018; NITC's spokesperson said in January 2019 that about one-third was outstanding from Iranian insurers.","src":2},{"insurer":"Insurers (not named) for pollution, diving and team-recovery claims","insured":"NITC","status":"partial","year":2019,"amount":{"value":50,"currency":"USD","label":"paid by insurers of US$256 million in claims (million)"},"reason":null,"summary":"NITC's spokesperson said US$50 million had been approved and paid by insurers and the remainder was under review.","src":4},{"insurer":"P&I club (not named)","insured":"NITC / crew families","status":"unknown","year":2018,"amount":null,"reason":"Sanctions-related problems (Eghtesad Online)","summary":"The P&I club had not paid crew families by September 2018; the NITC board approved paying them from its own resources, and by January 2019 half the families had received cheques.","src":5},{"insurer":"NITC (own resources)","insured":"Crew families","status":"self-insured","year":2018,"amount":null,"reason":null,"summary":"NITC paid equal amounts in US dollars to all crew families from its own resources.","src":5}],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":3,"unit":"crew","year":2018,"note":"Joint investigation report; 29 more were missing."},{"key":"missing","value":29,"unit":"crew","year":2018,"note":"Joint investigation report."},{"key":"cargo_tonnes","value":136000,"unit":"tonnes (condensate)","year":2018,"note":"Cedre; bunkers 1,000–2,000 tonnes of IFO 380."},{"key":"sheen_km2","value":330,"unit":"km²","year":2018,"qualifier":"up to about","note":"SOA, 21 January 2018, as cited by Cedre."},{"key":"islands_affected","value":16,"unit":"Japanese islands","year":2018,"note":"By 23 February 2018; 90 tonnes of waste collected (Cedre)."},{"key":"claim","value":256,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Claims for pollution, diving and team recovery (NITC spokesperson)."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Paid by insurers (NITC spokesperson)."},{"key":"financial_damage_estimate","value":110,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"NIOC: US$60 million cargo, US$50 million ship."},{"key":"hull_insured","value":32,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Business Insurance, 4 December 2018."},{"key":"claims_expected","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"near","note":"Total claims expected, Iranian Insurers Syndicate via Business Insurance."},{"key":"limitation_fund_sdr","value":11000000,"unit":"SDR","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Limit for Sanchi; about 6.4 million SDR for CF Crystal (Xing and Zhu, 2022)."},{"key":"claims_in_database","value":10,"unit":"claims","year":2021,"note":"China Judgement Online by the end of 2021; two concerned oil-pollution damage."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Panama-flagged tanker Sanchi collided with the Hong Kong-registered CF Crystal in the East China Sea on 6 January 2018, burned and sank on 14 January with 136,000 tonnes of condensate; three crew died and 29 were missing.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers","what":"Foreign hull insurers settled claims; US$50 million of US$256 million in pollution, diving and recovery claims had been paid by January 2019","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"NITC","what":"Paid crew families from its own resources after the P&I club had not paid because of sanctions-related problems","src":5},{"who":"NIOC","what":"Estimated the financial damage at about US$110 million (cargo US$60 million, ship US$50 million)","src":1},{"who":"Changhong Group (HK)","what":"Set up limitation funds at the Shanghai Maritime Court; claims far exceeded the limits","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"East China Sea","what":"Sheen of up to about 330 km² on 21 January 2018","src":1},{"who":"Japanese islands","what":"Tarballs on 16 islands by 23 February 2018; 90 tonnes of waste collected","src":1},{"who":"Crew","what":"Three died and 29 were missing","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"About 30°51.1′N, 124°57.6′E in the East China Sea, some 300 km off Shanghai; Sanchi sank in about 115 m of water near the Ryukyu Islands.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Collision at about 1950 local time on 6 January 2018; sinking on 14 January 2018; tarballs on Japanese islands from 2 February 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The joint investigation report states that its purpose is not to determine liability or apportion blame.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The tanker's cargo tanks were breached, fire and explosions followed, and the ship sank; compensation was subject to limitation under China's Maritime Law, and the CLC and IOPC Funds regime did not apply to condensate.","src":6}},"related":["volgoneft-212-239-spill","kerch-strait-storm-2007-volgoneft-139"],"sources":[{"t":"Report on the Investigation of the Collision between SANCHI and CF CRYSTAL (China MSA, Iran, Panama, Hong Kong)","p":"China Maritime Safety Administration (hosted by the Hong Kong Marine Department)","d":"2018-05-10","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://mardep.gov.hk/filemanager/en/share/msnote/pdf/msin1817anx1.pdf"},{"t":"MT Sanchi incident sheet","p":"Cedre","d":"2018","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://cedre.fr/en/resources/incident-information-sheets/mt-sanchi"},{"t":"Iranian, Norwegian insurers to cover oil tanker collision loss","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2018-01-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/iranian-norwegian-insurers-to-cover-oil-tanker-collision-loss/"},{"t":"Insurers settle nearly $200 million in tanker collision claims","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2018-12-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/insurers-settle-nearly-200-million-in-tanker-collision-claims/"},{"t":"Half of the Sanchi insurance compensation has been paid (in Persian)","p":"Tejarat News (citing ILNA)","d":"2019-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://tejaratnews.com/%d9%be%d8%b1%d8%af%d8%a7%d8%ae%d8%aa-%d9%86%db%8c%d9%85%db%8c-%d8%a7%d8%b2-%d8%ae%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%b1%d8%aa-%d8%a8%db%8c%d9%85%d9%87-%d8%b4%d9%87%d8%af%d8%a7%db%8c-%d8%b3%d8%a7%d9%86%da%86%db%8c"},{"t":"International insurance compensation paid to Sanchi families (in Persian)","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2018-09-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/fa/news/297978/پرداخت-غرامت-بیمه-بین-المللی-به-خانواده-های-سانچی"},{"t":"Assessing the impacts of Sanchi incident on Chinese law concerning ship-source oil pollution","p":"Xing and Zhu, Ocean and Coastal Management 225:106227","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106227"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Ecological and fishery damage claims by two Chinese state bodies — Amounts not given; both were small relative to the other claims (Xing and Zhu, 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Effect of sanctions on payments to crew families","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Total claims arising from the collision","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Limitation funds and claims at the Shanghai Maritime Court: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Alborz Insurance (20%) and Mellat Insurance (10%), hull cover: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"P&I club (not named): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a final settlement or court ruling on fault between the two vessels as of October 2026; the Shanghai Maritime Court case on the limitation funds had no apportionment judgment on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the final amounts paid to the Chinese state ecological claimants.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the shares of the condensate that burned and that spread, which Cedre said could not be quantified.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: total claims were expected near US$200 million in December 2018 (Business Insurance) and were given as US$256 million in January 2019 (NITC spokesperson).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Cedre gives a cargo of 136,000 tonnes of condensate; some other reports give 111,000 or 113,000 tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the name of the P&I club that had not paid crew families because of sanctions-related problems, according to Eghtesad Online (September 2018).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"lake-urmia-decline-and-restoration-programme","title":"Lake Urmia decline and the Urmia Lake Restoration Program","dek":"Lake Urmia in north-west Iran lost about 90% of its area in the two decades after 1995, according to NASA. A state restoration programme set up in 2013 is reported with differing spending totals, and a Majlis investigation report on it was sent to the judiciary in May 2024.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":37.7,"lon":45.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces (Lake Urmia)","lat":37.7,"lon":45.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Little Zab catchment near Piranshahr (Kani Sib dam and tunnel)","lat":36.6,"lon":45.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","admin":"Kurdistan Region (Qaladze, Little Zab)","role":"affected"}],"start":1995,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","types":["water","protected-area","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Area lost after 1995 (NASA Earth Observatory)","value":"≈ 90%","note":"NASA reported a level drop of more than 7 m and a loss of about 90% of the lake's area over the two decades after 1995. The West Azerbaijan Department of Environment reported a lowest recorded volume of 240 million m³ in November 2025, against 36 billion m³ in June 1995."},"happened":["Lake Urmia is a hypersaline lake in north-west Iran, between West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces. NASA Earth Observatory reported that over the two decades after its 1995 high the level dropped by more than 7 m and the lake lost about 90 percent of its area. AghaKouchak and co-authors (2015) used a satellite composite to estimate about 88% shrinkage, against earlier estimates of 25–50%. NASA compared Landsat images of 6 and 8 September 2020, when the basin was mostly full, with one of 7 September 2023, when it was mostly a dry salt flat; it said above-average precipitation had refilled the basin and drier conditions then lowered it again.","In 2013 the government set up the Urmia Lake Restoration Program (ULRP; in Persian, the Lake Urmia Revival Headquarters). Its funding came from the National Development Fund, the annual budget and crisis-management credits, with grants from Japan through UNDP. NASA stated that the 10-year programme produced some recovery but that strong rains fell in the same period, and that some research concluded climate was primarily responsible for the recovery. Construction of the Kani Sib–Lake Urmia water-transfer tunnel, about 36 km long, began in 2015; the Tehran Times reported its first phase (300 million m³ a year) on stream in February 2023, with a second phase planned to raise the transfer to 600 million m³ a year.","Sources give differing totals for the money allocated and spent. The ULRP planning office director said 4.6 trillion rials had been spent from October 2013 to May 2020 (the Tehran Times stated this as more than US$1 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials; Eghtesad Online gave the same official figure as 4,600 billion toman). A provincial ULRP director gave total allocations to the basin of 2,226 billion toman by March 2018, and the ULRP planning office gave 15,000 billion toman as actually spent in August 2021. The Majlis investigation report of May 2024 put total project funding at about 51,977 billion rials, of which the National Development Fund provided 55%, crisis-management credits 35% and the annual national budget 10%.","On 16 June 2022 Supreme Audit Court prosecutor Ali Kamyar said at a press conference in Urmia that the previous government had promoted the revival more than it had worked on it, and that in some sectors actual spending was one quarter of the amounts claimed. The Majlis approved an investigation into the ULRP on 12 July 2022. On 21 May 2024 the chamber voted to send the final investigation report to the judiciary \"to address violations\". The investigation report of the Majlis Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Environment Committee said programme indicators had reached less than 25% of the main goal; that many projects lacked technical and economic evaluation; that the sewage-to-lake transfer was not completed and some of its funds were spent elsewhere or returned to the treasury; that many contracts were awarded without tender; and that credits to the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute were used outside legal rules. These are the committee's allegations; no court proceeding, charge or outcome has been reported.","Lake levels fell again after the 2016–2020 recovery. Iran International's summary reported the lake fully dry in September 2024; Iran International reported the lake at 1,269.74 m, 581 km² and about 0.5 billion m³ on 1 August 2025. The West Azerbaijan Department of Environment reported a record low of 1,269.44 m, 456 km² and 240 million m³ in November 2025, and by June 2026 a volume of 4.28 billion m³ at 1,271.13 m. In October 2026 the East Azerbaijan Regional Water Company reported a level about 110 cm above the same time a year earlier, at about 1,270.58 m, an area of about 1,946 km² and a volume of about 2.52 billion m³."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Highest recorded level, 1,278.40 m, area about 6,900 km² and volume 36 billion m³ (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment, June 2026)","src":16},{"y":2013,"t":"Urmia Lake Restoration Program set up","src":4},{"y":2015,"t":"Construction of the Kani Sib–Lake Urmia tunnel begins","src":6},{"y":2016,"t":"Partial recovery in a run of wet years (to 2020)","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"ULRP planning office reports 4.6 trillion rials spent since October 2013 (3 May: volume over 5 billion m³)","src":4},{"y":2021,"t":"Department of Environment head reports \"98 percent\" restoration progress (July); ULRP planning office gives 15,000 billion toman as spent (August)","src":5},{"y":2022,"t":"Supreme Audit Court prosecutor's statement (16 June); Majlis approves an investigation into the ULRP (12 July)","src":12},{"y":2023,"t":"First phase of the Kani Sib–Lake Urmia water transfer on stream (February); lake mostly a dry salt flat on 7 September, per NASA","src":6},{"y":2024,"t":"Majlis votes to send the investigation report to the judiciary (21 May)","src":10},{"y":2025,"t":"Lowest recorded volume, 240 million m³, in November","src":16},{"y":2026,"t":"Volume about 2.52 billion m³ on 11 October (East Azerbaijan Regional Water Company)","src":17}],"said":[{"q":"a sharp and unprecedented decline from last year","who":"Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh, Department of Environment deputy, to Tasnim (as reported by Iran International)","when":"10 August 2025","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"the lake's condition is currently being stabilized","who":"Masoud Tajrishi, ULRP planning office director (via IRNA, reported by the Tehran Times)","when":"May 2020","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"very promising","who":"Hojjat Jabbari, West Azerbaijan Department of Environment director","when":"June 2026","src":16,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The lake's condition was being stabilized; volume over 5 billion m³ on 3 May 2020, with 9.5 billion m³ still needed to reach the ecological level of 1,274.10 m","who":"ULRP planning office, via IRNA","src":4},{"t":"\"98 percent\" restoration progress, with the ecological level expected by March 2022; area 2,917 km² and level 1,271 m","who":"Issa Kalantari, head of the Department of Environment","src":5},{"t":"Earlier phases of the Japan–UNDP partnership trained 12,000 farmers and community members, reduced water use by 25%, raised irrigation efficiency by almost 42% and gave 750 women green jobs through a micro-credit fund","who":"UN Iran, reporting results of the Japan–UNDP partnership","src":1},{"t":"Drought was one of the main factors; the lake would dry fully by the end of summer if conditions continued","who":"Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh, Department of Environment deputy","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"Level fell by more than 7 m and area by about 90% in the two decades after 1995 (NASA Earth Observatory, October 2023)","src":0},{"t":"Volume 36 billion m³ in June 1995; lowest recorded 240 million m³ in November 2025 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)","src":16},{"t":"Wells in West Azerbaijan rose by about 20,000 to 144,572 and irrigated farmland grew by 18,000 ha during the restoration period (Majlis investigation report)","src":10},{"t":"No Lake Urmia budget line in the 1397 (2018/19) Iranian budget (ULRP provincial director Farhad Sarkhosh)","src":14},{"t":"Of 800 billion toman allocated for 1395 (2016/17), about half had been paid by the end of 1396 (March 2018); of 13 water-treatment and transfer projects only two were under construction (Masoud Tajrishi, September 2018)","src":15},{"t":"Majlis investigation report: programme indicators reached less than 25% of the main goal; use of international funding unclear; many projects lacked technical and economic evaluation","src":10},{"t":"Japan's seventh contribution to UNDP Iran was US$1 million (UN Iran, 22 April 2020)","src":1},{"t":"Eghtesad Online (October 2021) said the multi-million-dollar Japanese donations \"could not be traced\"","src":13},{"t":"Rudaw reported in 2018 water shortages in Qaladze, in Iraq's Kurdistan Region, after Iran restricted Little Zab flow on 2 June; no named Iraqi official was quoted","src":18}],"ledger":{"currency":"toman","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Total allocations to the Lake Urmia basin to March 2018 (provincial ULRP director)","amount":2226000,"window":"to March 2018","note":"2,226 billion toman, of which 1,024 billion from the National Development Fund and 1,200 billion from budget Articles 10 and 12."},{"label":"Spent per ULRP planning office (August 2021)","amount":15000000,"window":"2013–2021","note":"15,000 billion toman; stated as actually spent. Other sources give 11,000 billion toman over seven years and 6,000 billion toman spent by December 2020."},{"label":"Allocated and paid in the year to November 2023 (MP Mohammadreza Mirtajodini)","amount":2000000,"window":"2023","note":"2,000 billion toman; the same MP said the previous government allocated about 8,000 billion toman."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area lost after 1995","v":"≈ 90%","d":"NASA Earth Observatory, over the two decades after 1995"},{"k":"Lowest recorded volume","v":"240 million m³","d":"November 2025, against 36 billion m³ in June 1995 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)"},{"k":"Spending figures","v":"2,226 – 15,000 billion toman","d":"Allocations to March 2018 and amount stated as spent by August 2021; sources do not reconcile them"},{"k":"Programme indicators","v":"< 25% of main goal","d":"Majlis investigation report, May 2024"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NASA Earth Observatory (October 2023), AghaKouchak et al. (2015) and West Azerbaijan Department of Environment figures.","report":[{"t":"My level fell by more than 7 m and I lost about 90 percent of my area in the two decades after 1995, according to NASA Earth Observatory.","src":0},{"t":"My higher salinity stresses brine shrimp and other food sources, and I lost habitat for flamingos, white pelicans and white-headed ducks, according to NASA.","src":0},{"t":"Dust from my exposed lakebed has been linked to health effects, according to NASA, which cites Feizizadeh and co-authors (2023).","src":0},{"t":"In November 2025 I held 240 million m³ of water, against 36 billion m³ in June 1995, according to the West Azerbaijan Department of Environment.","src":16}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the Tehran Times reported the ULRP planning office's May 2020 spending as 4.6 trillion rials, stated as more than US$1 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials; Eghtesad Online (October 2021) gave the same official figure as 4,600 billion toman.","Figures differ: SNN gives the Majlis investigation's total project funding as 51,977 billion rials; Iran International (Persian) gives \"about 51 billion rials\".","Figures differ: the Tehran Times (February 2023) gives the Kani Sib tunnel cost as 35 trillion rials, stated as about US$77 million; other outlets have given about US$200 million (Iran Times) and US$340 million (Trend).","Unclear: how the Japanese grants were used. Eghtesad Online (October 2021) said the donations could not be traced; the Majlis investigation report said the use of international funding was unclear.","None on record: charges or a court outcome after the May 2024 referral.","Disputed: the cause of the decline and of the 2016–2020 recovery (see disputes)."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The decline continued after the programme began: the lake reached its lowest recorded volume in November 2025, and the East Azerbaijan Regional Water Company reported about 2.52 billion m³ in October 2026.","whoPaid":"The lake and the dust-exposed communities around it bore the loss. State funds (National Development Fund, annual budget, crisis-management credits) and Japanese grants through UNDP paid for the programme; sources give differing totals.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: level about 1,270.58 m; the Majlis investigation report was referred to the judiciary in May 2024, with no charge or court outcome on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"ulrp","says":"The lake's condition was being stabilized; volume over 5 billion m³ on 3 May 2020.","when":"May 2020","src":4},{"actor":"ulrp","says":"The headquarters fell behind its plans for lack of funds, completed stabilisation with two years of funding, and prioritised lower-cost projects.","when":"September 2018","src":15},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Reported \"98 percent\" restoration progress and expected the ecological level by March 2022.","when":"July 2021","src":5},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Drought was one of the main factors; the lake would dry fully by the end of summer if conditions continued.","when":"August 2025","src":8},{"actor":"iran-supreme-audit-court","says":"Its prosecutor said the previous government promoted the revival more than it worked on it, and that in some sectors actual spending was one quarter of the amounts claimed.","when":"16 June 2022","src":12}],"actors":[{"id":"ulrp","role":"Restoration programme (set up 2013)"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Secretary of the ULRP; reports lake levels and progress"},{"id":"iran-majlis","role":"Investigated the ULRP; voted to refer its investigation to the judiciary"},{"id":"iran-supreme-audit-court","role":"Prosecutor's 2022 statement on spending"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Funded the programme"},{"id":"japan-government","role":"Grants through UNDP"},{"id":"undp","role":"Implemented the Japanese-funded phases"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Satellite assessment of the lake"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much was allocated and spent on the Lake Urmia restoration","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"ULRP provincial office (Farhad Sarkhosh), March 2018","says":"Total allocations to the basin of 2,226 billion toman, of which 1,024 billion toman came from the National Development Fund and 1,200 billion toman from budget Articles 10 and 12.","src":14},{"voice":"press","holder":"Tehran Times, May 2020 (ULRP planning office via IRNA)","says":"4.6 trillion rials spent from October 2013 to May 2020, stated as more than US$1 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Eghtesad Online, October 2021","says":"The same official figure as 4,600 billion toman; 15,000 billion toman stated as actually spent by the ULRP planning office (August 2021); 11,000 billion toman over seven years attributed to Issa Kalantari; 6,000 billion toman spent by December 2020 (provincial office director).","src":13},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment head Issa Kalantari, July 2021","says":"150 trillion rials earmarked over seven years.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"MP Mohammadreza Mirtajodini, November 2023","says":"2,000 billion toman allocated and paid in the year; the previous government allocated about 8,000 billion toman; the Raisi government over 5,000 billion toman including that year.","src":11},{"voice":"government","holder":"Majlis investigation report, May 2024","says":"Total project funding of about 51,977 billion rials.","src":10}]},{"point":"What caused the decline of the lake","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Schulz et al. (2020), Scientific Reports","says":"Water-level variations over the analysed period \"were mainly triggered by climatic changes\"; under the current climate agricultural withdrawals are large relative to remaining inflow, so changing them could stabilise the lake or lead to collapse.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"AghaKouchak et al. (2015), Journal of Great Lakes Research","says":"The decline was mainly due to water-resources development, agriculture and upstream competition for water; drought alone does not explain it.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Energy study, as cited in the Majlis investigation report","says":"69% of the decline was due to water-resource management; the Majlis report said ULRP reports played down human factors.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"Tehran Times, February 2023","says":"Gave two splits without reconciling them: 18% climate and 82% water mismanagement, and 31% natural and 69% human.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"NASA Earth Observatory, October 2023","says":"The relative effects of climate, water use and dams are debated.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether the 2016–2020 recovery was due to the programme or to rain","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"NASA Earth Observatory, October 2023","says":"The 10-year programme began in 2013 and produced some recovery, but strong rains fell in the same period; some research concluded that climate was primarily responsible.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment head Issa Kalantari, July 2021","says":"Reported \"98 percent\" restoration progress.","src":5}]},{"point":"How far the programme reached its goals","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Majlis investigation report, May 2024; Somayeh Rafiei, head of the Majlis Environment Faction","says":"Programme indicators reached less than 25% of the main goal; shortcomings in implementation, oversight and goal-setting.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment head Issa Kalantari, July 2021","says":"\"98 percent\" restoration progress.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"West Azerbaijan Department of Environment director Hojjat Jabbari, June 2026","says":"Described the lake's condition as \"very promising\", with volume 18 times the November 2025 low.","src":16}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Majlis investigation into the Urmia Lake Restoration Program","forum":"Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis), Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Environment Committee; report referred to the judiciary","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Majlis Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources and Environment Committee","defendant":"Urmia Lake Restoration Program (positions referred to: the First Vice President as head and the Department of Environment head as secretary)","filed":2022,"decided":2024,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Majlis approved the investigation on 12 July 2022. On 21 May 2024 the chamber voted to send the final report to the judiciary \"to address violations\". The committee's allegations were: programme indicators below 25% of the main goal; many projects without technical and economic evaluation; the sewage-to-lake transfer not completed and some of its funds spent elsewhere or returned to the treasury; many contracts awarded without tender; credits to the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute (32,066 million rials) used outside legal rules; and spending on staff trips, a bus and conference equipment lacking transparency. No charge or court proceeding has been reported.","src":10},{"title":"Supreme Audit Court prosecutor's statement on ULRP-era spending","forum":"Supreme Audit Court (press conference in Urmia, 16 June 2022)","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Supreme Audit Court prosecutor Ali Kamyar","defendant":"Previous government's restoration spending","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The prosecutor said the previous government promoted the revival more than it worked on it and that in some sectors actual spending was one quarter of the amounts claimed. The statement was made at a press conference.","src":12}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_lost_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of lake area lost in the two decades after 1995 (NASA Earth Observatory)."},{"key":"level_drop_m","value":7,"unit":"m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Fall in water level over the two decades after 1995 (NASA)."},{"key":"area_shrinkage_pct","value":88,"unit":"%","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Satellite composite (AghaKouchak et al.); earlier estimates were 25–50%."},{"key":"level_m","value":1278.4,"unit":"m","year":1995,"note":"Highest recorded level, June 1995 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)."},{"key":"volume_billion_m3","value":36000000000,"unit":"m³","year":1995,"note":"June 1995 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)."},{"key":"area_km2","value":6900,"unit":"km²","year":1995,"qualifier":"about","note":"June 1995 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)."},{"key":"level_m","value":1269.44,"unit":"m","year":2025,"note":"Lowest recorded level, November 2025 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)."},{"key":"area_km2","value":456,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"note":"November 2025 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment)."},{"key":"volume_million_m3","value":240000000,"unit":"m³","year":2025,"note":"Lowest recorded volume, November 2025."},{"key":"level_m","value":1270.58,"unit":"m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"11 October 2026 (East Azerbaijan Regional Water Company)."},{"key":"area_km2","value":1946,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"11 October 2026."},{"key":"volume_billion_m3","value":2520000000,"unit":"m³","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"11 October 2026."},{"key":"volume_billion_m3","value":4280000000.0000005,"unit":"m³","year":2026,"note":"June 2026 (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment), 18 times the November 2025 low."},{"key":"ecological_level_m","value":1274.1,"unit":"m","year":2026,"note":"Target ecological level; target area 4,635 km² (West Azerbaijan Department of Environment, June 2026)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":2226000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2018,"note":"Total allocations to the basin to March 2018 (provincial ULRP director)."},{"key":"spent_reported","value":15000000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2021,"note":"ULRP planning office, August 2021; stated as actually spent."},{"key":"spent_reported","value":4.6,"unit":"trillion rials","year":2020,"note":"ULRP planning office, October 2013 to May 2020, as reported by the Tehran Times."},{"key":"project_funding","value":51977000000000,"unit":"rials","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Majlis investigation report: National Development Fund 55%, crisis-management credits 35%, annual national budget 10%."},{"key":"tunnel_length_km","value":36,"unit":"km","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kani Sib–Lake Urmia tunnel; cost stated as 35 trillion rials."},{"key":"transfer_capacity_million_m3","value":300000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2023,"note":"First phase; second phase planned at 600 million m³ a year."},{"key":"grant","value":1,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Japan's seventh contribution to UNDP Iran for Lake Urmia (UN Iran, 22 April 2020)."},{"key":"wells","value":144572,"unit":"wells","year":2024,"note":"West Azerbaijan, up about 20,000 during the restoration period (Majlis investigation report)."},{"key":"irrigated_farmland_increase_ha","value":18000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"West Azerbaijan, during the restoration period (Majlis investigation report)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lake Urmia lost about 90% of its area in the two decades after 1995 (NASA). A restoration programme set up in 2013 was funded from the National Development Fund, the annual budget, crisis-management credits and Japanese grants; sources give differing spending totals, and a Majlis investigation report on the programme was referred to the judiciary in May 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute","what":"Received 32,066 million rials of programme credits, which the Majlis investigation report said were used outside legal rules (allegation)","src":10},{"who":"Farmers and community members in the Japan–UNDP phases","what":"12,000 trained, water use reduced by 25%, and 750 women given green jobs through a micro-credit fund, according to UN Iran","src":1},{"who":"Irrigated agriculture in the basin","what":"Irrigated farmland in West Azerbaijan grew by 18,000 ha and wells rose by about 20,000 during the restoration period (Majlis investigation report)","src":10}],"lost":[{"who":"State funding sources","what":"National Development Fund (55%), crisis-management credits (35%) and annual national budget (10%) of about 51,977 billion rials in total project funding (Majlis investigation report)","src":10}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Urmia","what":"Area down about 90% and level down more than 7 m in the two decades after 1995 (NASA)","src":0},{"who":"Brine shrimp, flamingos, white pelicans and white-headed ducks","what":"Higher salinity stressed brine shrimp and other food sources; habitat lost for the three bird species (NASA)","src":0},{"who":"Communities exposed to dust from the lakebed","what":"Health effects linked to dust, citing Feizizadeh et al. (2023) (NASA)","src":0},{"who":"Little Zab users in Iraq's Kurdistan Region","what":"Water shortages in Qaladze after Iran restricted Little Zab flow on 2 June (Rudaw, 2018)","src":18}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Urmia, between West Azerbaijan and East Azerbaijan provinces in north-west Iran; the Kani Sib dam and the tunnel to the lake lie in the Little Zab catchment near Piranshahr, south of the lake.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Highest recorded level in 1995; programme set up in 2013; tunnel construction from 2015; first transfer phase on stream in February 2023; lowest recorded volume in November 2025; Majlis referral to the judiciary on 21 May 2024.","src":16},"why":{"t":"Sources attribute the decline to different mixes of climate and human water use: Schulz et al. (2020) mainly climatic changes; AghaKouchak et al. (2015) mainly water-resources development and agriculture; a Ministry of Energy study, as cited by the Majlis, 69% to water-resource management; NASA says the relative effects are debated.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The state programme financed environmental projects, dust control and a water-transfer tunnel from the Kani Sib dam; the Majlis committee alleged that indicators reached less than 25% of the main goal and that funds were used outside legal rules, and the Department of Environment head reported \"98 percent\" progress in July 2021.","src":10}},"related":["hamoun-wetlands-helmand-water","zayandeh-rud-gavkhouni-wetland","hoor-al-azim-wetland-oil-fields","gotvand-dam-karun-salinity","persian-gulf-water-transfer-to-central-iran"],"sources":[{"t":"Lake Urmia Shrivels Again","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2023-10-10","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/lake-urmia-shrivels-again-151913"},{"t":"Government of Japan–UNDP partnership on Lake Urmia restoration enters 7th phase","p":"United Nations Iran","d":"2020-04-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iran.un.org/en/node/45429"},{"t":"Aral Sea syndrome desiccates Lake Urmia: Call for action","p":"AghaKouchak et al., Journal of Great Lakes Research","d":"2015-03","type":"academic","u":"https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/6709"},{"t":"Climate change or irrigated agriculture: what drives the water level decline of Lake Urmia","p":"Schulz et al., Scientific Reports (Europe PMC record)","d":"2020-01-14","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-57150-y&resultType=core&format=json"},{"t":"Over $1b spent so far to revitalize Lake Urmia","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2020-05-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/447528/Over-1b-spent-so-far-to-revitalize-Lake-Urmia"},{"t":"Some $3.5b spent on Lake Urmia revitalization","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2021-07-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/print/463465/Some-3-5b-spent-on-Lake-Urmia-revitalization"},{"t":"Lake Urmia water transfer project inaugurated","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2023-02-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/482255/Lake-Urmia-water-transfer-project-inaugurated"},{"t":"Lake Urmia's level 23cm above lowest recorded ever","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2025-05-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/513600/"},{"t":"Lake Urmia (interview summary with Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh)","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/202508101060"},{"t":"Majlis investigation report on the ULRP sent to the judiciary (Persian)","p":"Iran International","d":"2024-05-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/202405218012"},{"t":"Investigation into the ULRP's performance sent to the judiciary (Persian)","p":"SNN (Student News Network)","d":"2024-05-21","type":"press","u":"https://snn.ir/fa/news/1147819/"},{"t":"Northwest MPs' letter to the Leader and President on Lake Urmia (Persian)","p":"Hamshahri Online","d":"2023-11-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/811809"},{"t":"The Rouhani government's spending in some sectors was only a quarter of what it claimed (Persian)","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2022-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/fa/news/645003/"},{"t":"Lake Urmia will vanish from the map by the end of autumn / What happened to the 15,000 billion toman restoration budget? (Persian)","p":"Eghtesad Online","d":"2021-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.eghtesadonline.com/fa/news/574576/"},{"t":"Obstacle to the revival of Lake Urmia (Persian)","p":"Donya-e-Eqtesad","d":"2018-03-11","type":"press","u":"https://donya-e-eqtesad.com/fa/tiny/news-3364406"},{"t":"Lake Urmia revival falls behind for lack of funds (Persian; citing ISNA)","p":"Taadol newspaper","d":"2018-09-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.taadolnewspaper.ir/fa/news/129634/"},{"t":"Lake Urmia's volume rose 18-fold (Persian)","p":"Aftab News","d":"2026-06-09","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/1051479/"},{"t":"110 cm rise in Lake Urmia's level (Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2026-10-11","type":"press","u":"https://mehrnews.com/news/6974755/"},{"t":"Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya and the Little Zab tunnel","p":"Rudaw","d":"2018","type":"press","u":"https://rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iran/110620181"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What caused the decline of the lake","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the 2016–2020 recovery was due to the programme or to rain","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much was allocated and spent on the Lake Urmia restoration","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How far the programme reached its goals","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Majlis investigation into the Urmia Lake Restoration Program: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Supreme Audit Court prosecutor's statement on ULRP-era spending: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Tehran Times reported the ULRP planning office's May 2020 spending as 4.6 trillion rials, stated as more than US$1 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials; Eghtesad Online (October 2021) gave the same official figure as 4,600 billion toman.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: SNN gives the Majlis investigation's total project funding as 51,977 billion rials; Iran International (Persian) gives \"about 51 billion rials\".","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Tehran Times (February 2023) gives the Kani Sib tunnel cost as 35 trillion rials, stated as about US$77 million; other outlets have given about US$200 million (Iran Times) and US$340 million (Trend).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: how the Japanese grants were used. Eghtesad Online (October 2021) said the donations could not be traced; the Majlis investigation report said the use of international funding was unclear.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: charges or a court outcome after the May 2024 referral.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the decline and of the 2016–2020 recovery (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hoor-al-azim-wetland-oil-fields","title":"Hoor al-Azim wetland, oil-field development and dikes in Khuzestan","dek":"Parts of the Iranian side of the transboundary Hawizeh marshes in Khuzestan were enclosed by dikes and roads around the Azadegan and Yadavaran oil fields. Reuters quoted Iran's oil minister in 2025 as saying \"We are the ones who dried up the wetland\"; no compensation or restoration budget specific to the wetland is on record.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":31.5,"lon":47.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Khuzestan province (Hoor al-Azim, west of Hoveyzeh and Susangerd)","lat":31.5,"lon":47.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","admin":"Hawizeh marsh, Iraqi part","role":"affected"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"CNPC and Sinopec (oil-field contractors)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","types":["water","fossil-fuel","protected-area","burning"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Wetland area, early 1970s to 2025 (Shahid Beheshti University data, via Reuters)","value":"124,000 → 60,650 ha","note":"Hoor al-Azim, the Iranian part of the Hawizeh marshes, as reported by Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation on 21 May 2025."},"happened":["Hoor al-Azim is the Iranian part of the transboundary Hawizeh marshes in Khuzestan province, on the Iran–Iraq border, fed mainly by the Karkheh river and the Tigris. SNN reported in March 2022 that the wetland was split into seven parts: five reservoirs in Iran, one zone between the Iranian and Iraqi border dikes, and one Iraqi part. From the mid-2000s Iran built oil facilities in its part, and reservoirs 1, 3, 4 and 5 contain platforms ringed by embankments and roads. Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation reported a 65 km Iranian dike along the border since 2009; an Iraqi ecologist (Nature Iraq, 2018) reported a 90 km soil embankment on the Iranian side in 2011.","The oil development rested on contracts with Chinese state companies. Sinopec signed the Yadavaran contract in Tehran on 9 December 2007, with an initial cost estimate of about US$2 billion according to Oil Minister Gholam Hossein Nozari (AFP). CNPC signed a US$2.5 billion South Azadegan contract in late 2009; seven of 185 first-phase wells had been drilled when the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) terminated it on 29 April 2014, citing \"non-compliance\" (AFP via Gulf News).","In July 2021 ecologist Ismail Kahrom told Mehr: \"The Ministry of Petroleum has drained parts of the Hur al-Azim wetland to drill test wells.\" Former Department of Environment (DoE) head Masoumeh Ebtekar backed statements that the Supreme National Security Council had ordered the drying in 2010 over the DoE's objection. DoE deputy Ahmad-Reza Lahijanzadeh said the decision was tied to Chinese contractors unwilling to use costlier technology, and that the technology Japanese firms had used at Azadegan and Yadavaran did not require drying. Deputy welfare minister Ahmad Midari said officials at the time thought drying would create jobs. No published document of the 2010 decision is on record.","In February 2025 Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said in Ahvaz, in Reuters' English rendering of his Persian remarks: \"We are the ones who dried up the wetland, and we are the ones who hurt the people of Khuzestan.\" Former Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh had said on Earth Day 2015 that he opposed a Karun-fields project that would have dried the wetland, calling it \"a betrayal of future generations\"; in 2022 SNN summarised the Oil Ministry's position as denying that it wanted the wetland dry. Floods refilled the wetland in 2019. In 2024–2025 it dried and caught fire; in early May 2025 thousands of hectares burned, local media reported. A late-winter and spring refill in 2025–2026 was followed by a fall in summer, the DoE said in September 2026.","A 2025 study in Scientific Reports of wetland shrinkage and dust in Khuzestan (2010–2022) found a correlation of −0.85 between wetland area and dust-event frequency. Reuters reported about 1,000 people a day hospitalised in Khuzestan in May 2025 with heart and respiratory illness linked to sand and dust storms. No court case, fine or compensation award concerning the drying has been reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Sinopec–Iran Yadavaran contract signed in Tehran (9 December); estimated cost about US$2 billion","src":5},{"y":2009,"t":"CNPC South Azadegan contract signed (late 2009); 65 km Iranian border dike dividing the marsh since 2009 (Reuters)","src":6},{"y":2010,"t":"According to officials, the Supreme National Security Council ordered the drying","src":2},{"y":2014,"t":"NIOC terminates the CNPC South Azadegan contract (29 April)","src":6},{"y":2015,"t":"Former Oil Minister Zanganeh says he opposes drying the wetland for oil (Earth Day, 21 April)","src":7},{"y":2019,"t":"Floods refill the wetland","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Kahrom, Ebtekar and Lahijanzadeh statements on the drying (July–August)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Oil Minister Paknejad's statement in Ahvaz (February); fire burns thousands of hectares (early May)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"DoE: partly refilled in late winter and spring, then fell again in summer (September)","src":12}],"said":[{"q":"We are the ones who dried up the wetland, and we are the ones who hurt the people of Khuzestan","who":"Mohsen Paknejad, Oil Minister, in Ahvaz (English rendering by Reuters)","when":"February 2025","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"The Ministry of Petroleum has drained parts of the Hur al-Azim wetland to drill test wells","who":"Ismail Kahrom, ecologist, to Mehr","when":"July 2021","src":1,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"In fact, they sacrificed water for oil.","who":"Ismail Kahrom, ecologist, to Mehr","when":"July 2021","src":1,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"a betrayal of future generations","who":"Bijan Zanganeh, then Oil Minister, on a Karun-fields project that would have dried the wetland","when":"21 April 2015","src":7,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"We would never accept harm to people to produce a few thousand more barrels","who":"Bijan Zanganeh, Oil Minister, during the floods","when":"April 2019","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"These marshes once acted as natural barriers, trapping fine sediments and maintaining soil moisture","who":"Hossein Hashemi, Lund University, to Reuters","when":"May 2025","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The Ministry would treat the area like an offshore field and build platforms if it were reflooded; it denied wanting the wetland dry","who":"Oil Ministry position, as summarised by SNN","src":0},{"t":"Opposed drying Hoor al-Azim for oil extraction","who":"Bijan Zanganeh, then Oil Minister, Earth Day 2015","src":7},{"t":"Constant inflow, delivery of water rights and transboundary cooperation are key to stop the wetland becoming \"a dust hotspot and fuel for wildfire\"","who":"Department of Environment (Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh), September 2026","src":12}],"recorded":[{"t":"Wetland area about 124,000 ha in the early 1970s and 60,650 ha in 2025 (Shahid Beheshti University data, via Reuters)","src":4},{"t":"Seven parts: five reservoirs in Iran, one zone between the border dikes and one Iraqi part; platforms ringed by embankments and roads in reservoirs 1, 3, 4 and 5","src":0},{"t":"Border dike: 65 km along the border since 2009 (Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation); 90 km soil embankment on the Iranian side in 2011 (Nature Iraq, 2018)","src":3},{"t":"CNPC South Azadegan: seven of 185 first-phase wells drilled when NIOC terminated the US$2.5 billion contract on 29 April 2014","src":6},{"t":"Flood damage to oil facilities in 2019 estimated at about 1,000 billion toman by Oil Minister Zanganeh","src":8},{"t":"About 1,000 people a day hospitalised in Khuzestan in May 2025 with heart and respiratory illness linked to sand and dust storms (Reuters)","src":3},{"t":"About 90% of indigenous residents of Hoor al-Azim had left (activist estimate, 2017)","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sinopec Yadavaran contract, initial cost estimate","amount":2000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2007","note":"Target 185,000 barrels a day in two phases (Oil Minister Nozari, AFP)."},{"label":"CNPC South Azadegan contract","amount":2500,"window":"2009–2014","note":"Terminated by NIOC on 29 April 2014; seven of 185 first-phase wells drilled."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wetland area","v":"124,000 → 60,650 ha","d":"Early 1970s to 2025 (Shahid Beheshti University data, via Reuters)"},{"k":"Border dike","v":"65 km","d":"Iranian dike along the border since 2009 (Reuters); 90 km reported by Nature Iraq for 2011"},{"k":"Dust-event correlation","v":"−0.85","d":"Wetland area against dust-event frequency, 2010–2022 (Scientific Reports, 2025)"},{"k":"Wetland-specific restoration budget","v":"None on record","d":"No compensation scheme or oil-company payment on record either"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation (21 May 2025), a 2025 Scientific Reports study of Khuzestan wetlands and Iran's Department of Environment (September 2026).","report":[{"t":"My area fell from about 124,000 ha in the early 1970s to 60,650 ha, according to Shahid Beheshti University data reported by Reuters.","src":4},{"t":"I was split into seven parts, and platforms ringed by embankments and roads stand in four of my Iranian reservoirs, according to SNN.","src":0},{"t":"When wetland area in Khuzestan fell below about 60 km², dust events rose to 20–35, a 2025 study of 2010–2022 found; each 1 km² lost was associated with about 0.03 more PM10 polluted days and 0.05 more PM2.5 polluted days.","src":9},{"t":"In 2024–2025 I dried and caught fire, and in early May 2025 thousands of hectares burned, according to local media reported by Reuters.","src":3},{"t":"In 2025–2026 I was partly refilled in late winter and spring, and the water fell again in summer, according to the Department of Environment.","src":12}]},"unknown":["None on record: a court case, fine or compensation award concerning the drying of Hoor al-Azim.","None on record: a wetland-specific restoration budget, compensation scheme or payment by an oil company.","None on record: a published document of the 2010 Supreme National Security Council decision; the claim rests on officials' statements.","Figures differ: the border dike is 65 km long since 2009 (Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation) and a 90 km embankment in 2011 (Nature Iraq).","Not disclosed: which body counted the roughly 1,000 daily hospitalisations in Khuzestan in May 2025.","Disputed: the oil sector's share of the loss (see disputes)."],"evidence":["no-court","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The wetland dried and caught fire in 2024–2025; the Department of Environment said in September 2026 that it had partly refilled in late winter and spring and then fallen again in summer.","whoPaid":"The wetland, and the people of Khuzestan exposed to dust. No wetland-specific restoration budget, compensation scheme or oil-company payment is on record.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the Department of Environment reported the wetland partly refilled and then falling again; no court case or compensation on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","says":"Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad: \"We are the ones who dried up the wetland, and we are the ones who hurt the people of Khuzestan.\"","when":"February 2025","src":4},{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","says":"Denied wanting the wetland dry; would treat the area like an offshore field and build platforms if it were reflooded.","when":"2022","src":0},{"actor":"nioc","says":"Terminated the CNPC South Azadegan contract for \"non-compliance\" (managing director Rokneddin Javadi).","when":"29 April 2014","src":6},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Constant inflow, delivery of water rights and transboundary cooperation are key to stop the wetland becoming \"a dust hotspot and fuel for wildfire\".","when":"September 2026","src":12}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-ministry-of-petroleum","role":"Oil Minister quoted accepting responsibility (2025)"},{"id":"nioc","role":"State oil company; terminated the South Azadegan contract in 2014"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"South Azadegan contractor (US$2.5 billion)"},{"id":"sinopec","role":"Yadavaran contractor (about US$2 billion)"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Environment regulator; officials' 2021 accounts"},{"id":"iran-supreme-national-security-council","role":"Said by officials to have ordered the drying in 2010"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Government of Iran"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether and how far oil development dried the wetland","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad (Ahvaz, February 2025)","says":"\"We are the ones who dried up the wetland, and we are the ones who hurt the people of Khuzestan\" (English rendering by Reuters).","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ismail Kahrom, ecologist (to Mehr, July 2021)","says":"The Ministry of Petroleum drained parts of the wetland to drill test wells; \"they sacrificed water for oil\".","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Former Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh (2015, 2019)","says":"Opposed drying Hoor al-Azim for oil extraction, calling a Karun-fields project that would have dried it \"a betrayal of future generations\"; in 2019 said the ministry would never accept harm to people to produce a few thousand more barrels.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Oil Ministry position as summarised by SNN (2022)","says":"Denied wanting the wetland dry; would treat the area like an offshore field and build platforms if it were reflooded.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Hossein Hashemi (Lund University) and Kaveh Madani (UNU-INWEH) to Reuters, 2025","says":"Hashemi: \"These marshes once acted as natural barriers, trapping fine sediments and maintaining soil moisture\"; Madani: \"Sand and dust storms and wildfires are examples of the complex problems that are going to require complex solutions\".","src":4}]},{"point":"Whether the Supreme National Security Council ordered the drying in 2010","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Masoumeh Ebtekar, former head of the Department of Environment (July 2021)","says":"Backed statements that the Supreme National Security Council ordered the drying in 2010 over the DoE's objection.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ahmad-Reza Lahijanzadeh, Department of Environment deputy (2021)","says":"The decision was tied to Chinese contractors unwilling to use costlier technology; the technology Japanese firms had used at Azadegan and Yadavaran did not require drying.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ahmad Midari, deputy welfare minister (2021)","says":"Officials at the time thought drying would create jobs.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Oil Ministry (as summarised by SNN, 2022)","says":"Denied wanting the wetland dry.","src":0}]},{"point":"Length of the border dike on the Iranian side","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation (May 2025)","says":"A 65 km Iranian dike along the border since 2009 divides the marsh.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Iraqi ecologist (Nature Iraq, 2018)","says":"A 90 km soil embankment on the Iranian side in 2011 blocked water from that side.","src":10}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":124000,"unit":"ha","year":1972,"qualifier":"about","note":"Hoor al-Azim, early 1970s (Shahid Beheshti University data, via Reuters)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":60650,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Hoor al-Azim (Shahid Beheshti University data, via Reuters)."},{"key":"wetland_dust_correlation","value":-0.85,"unit":"correlation","year":2022,"note":"Wetland area against dust-event frequency, 2010–2022 (Yousefi-Kebriya et al., Scientific Reports 15:13626)."},{"key":"dust_events","value":35,"unit":"events","year":2022,"qualifier":"20–35","note":"Dust events rose to 20–35 when wetland area fell below about 60 km² (same study)."},{"key":"pm10_polluted_days_per_km2","value":0.03,"unit":"days per km² lost","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Additional PM10 polluted days associated with each 1 km² of wetland lost (same study)."},{"key":"pm25_polluted_days_per_km2","value":0.05,"unit":"days per km² lost","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Additional PM2.5 polluted days per 1 km² lost (same study)."},{"key":"hospitalised_per_day","value":1000,"unit":"people per day","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Khuzestan, May 2025, heart and respiratory illness linked to sand and dust storms (Reuters)."},{"key":"dike_km","value":65,"unit":"km","year":2009,"note":"Iranian dike along the border (Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation)."},{"key":"dike_km","value":90,"unit":"km","year":2011,"note":"Soil embankment on the Iranian side (Nature Iraq, 2018)."},{"key":"contract_value","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"Sinopec Yadavaran, initial cost estimate; target 185,000 barrels a day."},{"key":"contract_value","value":2500,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"CNPC South Azadegan; seven of 185 first-phase wells drilled at termination in 2014."},{"key":"flood_damage_oil_facilities","value":1000000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Estimate by Oil Minister Zanganeh for the 2019 floods."},{"key":"residents_left_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of indigenous residents who left Hoor al-Azim (activist estimate)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Parts of the Iranian side of the Hawizeh marshes were enclosed by dikes and roads around the Azadegan and Yadavaran oil fields. The wetland shrank from about 124,000 ha in the early 1970s to 60,650 ha, and Iran's oil minister was quoted in 2025 as saying \"We are the ones who dried up the wetland\".","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CNPC and Sinopec","what":"Oil development contracts worth about US$2.5 billion (South Azadegan, terminated in 2014) and about US$2 billion (Yadavaran, initial estimate)","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"NIOC / Iran","what":"Terminated the South Azadegan contract in 2014 with seven of 185 first-phase wells drilled","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Hoor al-Azim wetland","what":"Area down from about 124,000 ha to 60,650 ha; dried and burned in 2024–2025","src":4},{"who":"People of Khuzestan","what":"About 1,000 a day hospitalised in May 2025 with heart and respiratory illness linked to sand and dust storms (Reuters)","src":3},{"who":"Indigenous residents","what":"About 90% had left, an activist estimated in 2017","src":11}]},"where":{"t":"Khuzestan province, Iran–Iraq border, west of Hoveyzeh and Susangerd; fed mainly by the Karkheh river and the Tigris.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Iranian border dike built c. 1999–2003 (SNN) and a 65 km dike since 2009 (Reuters); oil contracts 2007–2014; 2010 order claimed by officials; floods in 2019; drying and fire in 2024–2025; minister's statement in February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Officials attributed the drying to a 2010 Supreme National Security Council order tied to Chinese contractors unwilling to use costlier technology (Ebtekar, Lahijanzadeh); the Oil Ministry denied wanting the wetland dry; the Department of Environment (2026) points to inflow, water rights and transboundary cooperation.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Embankments, roads and platforms ringed oil facilities in four Iranian reservoirs; a 65 km border dike divided the marsh (Reuters).","src":0}},"related":["hamoun-wetlands-helmand-water","lake-urmia-decline-and-restoration-programme","gotvand-dam-karun-salinity","rumaila-gas-flaring-non-reporting"],"sources":[{"t":"Why did Hoor al-Azim dry up? Are China or the Oil Ministry involved? (Persian)","p":"SNN (Student News Network)","d":"2022-03-26","type":"press","u":"https://snn.ir/fa/news/1000822"},{"t":"Ismail Kahrom: Ministry of Oil dries up parts of Hur al-Azim wetland for drilling","p":"Iran International","d":"2021-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/en/20210723467385e"},{"t":"Iran's ex-environment chief says Khuzestan wetlands dried for oil","p":"Iran International","d":"2021-08-01","type":"press","u":"https://old.iranintl.com/en/iran/irans-ex-environment-chief-says-khuzestan-wetlands-dried-oil"},{"t":"How dried-out wetlands on the Iran-Iraq border threaten the region","p":"Context (Thomson Reuters Foundation)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.context.news/climate-risks/how-dried-out-wetlands-on-the-iran-iraq-border-threaten-the-region"},{"t":"Degradation of wetlands on the Iran/Iraq border a recipe for disaster","p":"Business Day (Reuters)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2025-05-21-degradation-of-wetlands-on-the-iraniraq-border-a-recipe-for-disaster/"},{"t":"Iran, China finalise two billion dollar oil contract","p":"Energy Daily (AFP)","d":"2007-12-09","type":"press","u":"https://energy-daily.com/iran-china-finalise-two-billion-dollar-oil-contract-999/"},{"t":"Iran oil ministry cancels $2.5b Chinese contract","p":"Gulf News (AFP)","d":"2014","type":"press","u":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/iran-oil-ministry-cancels-25b-chinese-contract-1.1326484"},{"t":"Zanganeh: I oppose drying Hoor al-Azim for oil extraction (Persian)","p":"SNN (Student News Network)","d":"2015-04-21","type":"press","u":"https://snn.ir/fa/news/404122/"},{"t":"What is the truth about Hoor al-Azim? (Persian; via Mardomsalari)","p":"Aftab News","d":"2019-04-14","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/584580/"},{"t":"Wetland shrinking and dust pollution in Khuzestan Iran","p":"Yousefi-Kebriya et al., Scientific Reports (NASA MODIS abstract)","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/sci_team/pubs/abstract_new.php?id=70058"},{"t":"Iraq and Iran's Hawizeh Marshes: Threats and Opportunities (Laith Ali Al-Obeidi, Nature Iraq)","p":"Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative","d":"2018-08-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/archives/9076"},{"t":"The Border Wetlands of Iran-Iraq (Toon Bijnens, Save the Tigris)","p":"Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative","d":"2017-07-02","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.iraqicivilsociety.org/archives/7330"},{"t":"Upcoming precipitation expected to help revive Hour al-Azim wetland","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2026-09-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/530164/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether and how far oil development dried the wetland","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the Supreme National Security Council ordered the drying in 2010","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Length of the border dike on the Iranian side","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case, fine or compensation award concerning the drying of Hoor al-Azim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a wetland-specific restoration budget, compensation scheme or payment by an oil company.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published document of the 2010 Supreme National Security Council decision; the claim rests on officials' statements.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the border dike is 65 km long since 2009 (Reuters / Thomson Reuters Foundation) and a 90 km embankment in 2011 (Nature Iraq).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: which body counted the roughly 1,000 daily hospitalisations in Khuzestan in May 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the oil sector's share of the loss (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zayandeh-rud-gavkhouni-wetland","title":"Zayandeh Rud and the Gavkhouni wetland: water transfers and farmers' protests in Isfahan","dek":"The Zayandeh Rud, which runs through Isfahan to the Gavkhouni wetland, has been dry in its lower reach for long periods since about 2000. The wetland's legal water right of 176 million m³ a year was approved by the Supreme Water Council and never implemented, according to Mehr.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":32.64,"lon":51.67,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Isfahan province (Zayandeh Rud riverbed at Isfahan)","lat":32.64,"lon":51.67,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Gavkhouni wetland, Isfahan province","lat":32.2,"lon":52.8,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Varzaneh, east Isfahan (farmers)","lat":32.42,"lon":52.65,"role":"affected"}],"start":1953,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Gavkhouni wetland's legal water right, approved by the Supreme Water Council","value":"176 million m³/yr","note":"Mehr reported in February 2022 that the right was never implemented, that the wetland's share from the Zayandeh Rud had been zero for about a year and a half, and that it was not specified in the Ministry of Energy's 1400–1401 water plan."},"happened":["The Zayandeh Rud runs through Isfahan to the Gavkhouni wetland, and inter-basin transfers were added over decades. According to Fanack, the first Kuhrang tunnel in 1953 added about 340 million m³ a year (MCM/yr) to a natural runoff of about 900 MCM/yr; the Chadegan reservoir (1,500 MCM) was completed in 1970; Kuhrang 2 (about 250 MCM/yr) followed in 1986, and in 2010 Kuhrang 3 (260 MCM/yr) and the Lenjan tunnel (200 MCM/yr from the upper Dez). Transfers also leave the basin, to Yazd, Rafsanjan and Kashan; IRIB, cited by Radio Farda in March 2018, put the amount sent to Yazd at about 90 million m³. AFP reported in November 2021 that the river had been dry apart from brief periods since about 2000.","The Supreme Water Council approved a nine-point revival resolution in 1392 (2013), which Al Jazeera described as never fully implemented. Farmers protested in 2012, November 2017, February–April 2018 and November 2021. In March 2018 protesters brought down power towers and cut the transfer to Yazd on 9 March; Isfahan MP Hamidreza Fooladgar said the second pipeline to Yazd would be removed from the next year's budget, and IRNA reported four or five farmers injured in clashes with police in Varzaneh. From 9 to 26 November 2021 thousands gathered in the dry riverbed, farmers set up a tent city, and tear gas was used on 26 November (Fars: about 500 people). Farmers blamed diversion to Yazd; officials cited drought.","The money to farmers is documented in fragments. Jam-e Jam reported in July 2014, citing Hossein Mohammadrezaei of the Association for Supporting Farmers of Isfahan County, that of 70 billion toman of livelihood aid received in Farvardin, 35 billion toman had been paid; that 210 billion toman had been approved for Zayandeh Rud farmers for not cultivating, which existed \"mostly on paper\"; and that he estimated actual multi-year drought losses at about 6,000 billion toman. Radio Farda reported in March 2018 that officials in Tehran promised partial payment of non-cultivation damages from 23 Esfand 1396 (14 March 2018), with no amounts given. The National reported that farmers ended the November 2021 protest after authorities promised compensation for drought losses, with no amounts or payer named.","The Gavkhouni wetland, about 47,000 ha of salt marsh, has a legal water right of about 176 MCM/yr that Mehr reported as never implemented; its share from the Zayandeh Rud was zero for about a year and a half. The Isfahan Department of Environment deputy told IRNA in May 2019 that flamingos had been absent for two years before the 2019 rains briefly revived the wetland. In September 2025 the Zayandeh Rud dam reservoir held 236 million m³, about 19% of capacity and 29% lower than a year earlier (ISNA, via Iran International).","A desalinated sea-water pipeline to Isfahan, financed mainly by Mobarakeh Steel according to the Presidential Office, delivered its first water on 9 July 2025 and was ordered opened by President Pezeshkian on 6 December 2025 (see the related case on the Persian Gulf water transfer). No court case or compensation ruling over the drying of the river has been reported."],"timeline":[{"y":1953,"t":"First Kuhrang tunnel adds about 340 MCM/yr to a natural runoff of about 900 MCM/yr","src":0},{"y":1970,"t":"Chadegan reservoir (1,500 MCM) completed","src":0},{"y":1986,"t":"Kuhrang tunnel 2 (about 250 MCM/yr)","src":0},{"y":2000,"t":"River dry apart from brief periods from about 2000 (AFP, November 2021)","src":1},{"y":2010,"t":"Kuhrang 3 (260 MCM/yr) and Lenjan tunnel (200 MCM/yr from the upper Dez)","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Supreme Water Council approves a nine-point revival resolution (1392)","src":2},{"y":2014,"t":"Livelihood aid: 35 of 70 billion toman paid to Isfahan farmers; 210 billion toman non-cultivation payments approved (Jam-e Jam, July)","src":6},{"y":2018,"t":"Farmers cut the Yazd transfer and bring down power towers (9 March); Radio Farda reports promised non-cultivation payments","src":4},{"y":2019,"t":"Flamingos return to Gavkhouni after two years (May)","src":8},{"y":2021,"t":"Largest protest wave, 9–26 November; tear gas on 26 November","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"Reservoir at about 19% of capacity (September)","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"We hope to fill these gaps in the coming months.","who":"Ali Akbar Mehrabian, Energy Minister, on state TV (as reported by AFP)","when":"November 2021","src":1},{"q":"Give Isfahan its breath, give our Zayandeh Rud back.","who":"Protesters' chant, Isfahan","when":"November 2021","src":2,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"The water rights are theirs.","who":"Hassan Kamran-Dastjerdi, MP, on Varzaneh farmers","when":"2018","src":5,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"normalising the critical drought of the Zayandeh Rud","who":"Council of Isfahan environmental NGOs, on a recreational event in the dry riverbed","when":"5 September 2025","src":9,"translated":"Persian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The administration was following up \"seriously\" and had ordered the agriculture and energy ministers to resolve the matter","who":"Mohammad Mokhber, First Vice President","src":2},{"t":"The energy ministry had \"plundered\" Varzaneh farmers' water by diverting it to steel factories and refineries","who":"Hassan Kamran-Dastjerdi, MP, 2018","src":5},{"t":"Full river revival needs demand control and projects such as Mandegan and Kuhrang 3","who":"Mehdi Jamalinejad, Isfahan governor, July 2025","src":10}],"recorded":[{"t":"Gavkhouni's legal water right of 176 MCM/yr approved by the Supreme Water Council was never implemented; the wetland's share from the Zayandeh Rud was zero for about a year and a half; the right was not specified in the Ministry of Energy's 1400–1401 water plan (Mehr, February 2022)","src":7},{"t":"88.1% of the basin was in long-term drought (Mehr, 13 Bahman 1400 / 2 February 2022)","src":7},{"t":"Of 70 billion toman of livelihood aid received in Farvardin 1393 (2014), 35 billion toman was paid; the 210 billion toman approved for not cultivating existed \"mostly on paper\" (Association for Supporting Farmers of Isfahan County)","src":6},{"t":"Isfahan Farmers' House secretary Mohammad Sadeghi said in 2018 that farmers' rights had been violated for years and that no water rights or compensation had been paid","src":4},{"t":"Wetland expert Ali Arvahi warned in 2022 that Gavkhouni could be placed on the Ramsar Montreux Record; Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari had not approved the management plan","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"toman","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Livelihood aid received for Zayandeh Rud farmers, Farvardin 1393 (2014)","amount":70000,"window":"2014","note":"70 billion toman received; 35 billion toman paid (Jam-e Jam)."},{"label":"Non-cultivation payments approved for Zayandeh Rud farmers","amount":210000,"window":"2014","note":"210 billion toman; described as existing \"mostly on paper\" by the farmers' association head."},{"label":"Multi-year drought losses estimated by the farmers' association head","amount":6000000,"qualifier":"about","window":"multi-year to 2014","note":"6,000 billion toman; his estimate."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gavkhouni legal water right","v":"176 million m³/yr","d":"Approved by the Supreme Water Council; reported as never implemented (Mehr, 2022)"},{"k":"Basin in long-term drought","v":"88.1%","d":"Mehr, February 2022"},{"k":"Zayandeh Rud reservoir","v":"≈ 19% of capacity","d":"236 million m³ in September 2025, 29% lower than a year earlier"},{"k":"Livelihood aid paid to farmers","v":"35 of 70 billion toman","d":"Jam-e Jam, July 2014"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Mehr (February 2022), IRNA via Tehran Times (May 2019), Tabnak / IRNA (July 2025) and ISNA via Iran International (September 2025).","report":[{"t":"My Gavkhouni wetland has a legal water right of 176 million m³ a year, approved by the Supreme Water Council and never implemented; my share from the Zayandeh Rud was zero for about a year and a half, according to Mehr in February 2022.","src":7},{"t":"I am about 47,000 ha of salt marsh; flamingos were absent for two years before the 2019 rains, according to the Isfahan Department of Environment deputy.","src":8},{"t":"My Zayandeh Rud, once over 400 km long, became seasonal and dry downstream, according to Tabnak citing IRNA.","src":10},{"t":"In September 2025 my dam reservoir held 236 million m³, about 19% of capacity and 29% lower than a year earlier, according to ISNA.","src":9},{"t":"88.1% of my basin was in long-term drought in February 2022, according to Mehr.","src":7}]},"unknown":["None on record: payment of the compensation promised to farmers in November 2021.","None on record: a court case or compensation ruling over the drying of the river.","Not disclosed: the amounts of the partial non-cultivation payments promised in March 2018 and of the compensation promised in November 2021.","Disputed: the cause of the river's decline, drought or diversion (see disputes)."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The river remained dry for long periods: the Zayandeh Rud reservoir held about 19% of capacity in September 2025, and the Gavkhouni wetland's legal water right has not been implemented according to Mehr (2022).","whoPaid":"The river and the Gavkhouni wetland, and the farmers downstream. Of 70 billion toman of livelihood aid received for farmers in 2014, 35 billion toman was paid, according to Jam-e Jam.","statusLine":"As of September 2025: the Zayandeh Rud reservoir was at about 19% of capacity (September 2025); no court case or compensation ruling on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-energy","says":"Energy Minister Ali Akbar Mehrabian: \"We hope to fill these gaps in the coming months.\"","when":"November 2021","src":1},{"actor":"government-of-iran","says":"First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber said the administration was following up \"seriously\" and had ordered the agriculture and energy ministers to resolve the matter.","when":"November 2021","src":2},{"actor":"government-of-iran","says":"Isfahan governor Mehdi Jamalinejad said full river revival needs demand control and projects such as Mandegan and Kuhrang 3.","when":"July 2025","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-ministry-of-energy","role":"Water transfers and the Gavkhouni water right; accused by an MP of diverting farmers' water"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Promised farmers' aid and compensation"},{"id":"mobarakeh-steel","role":"Main financier of the sea-water pipeline to Isfahan (Presidential Office)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What dried the Zayandeh Rud","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Farmers in Isfahan (November 2021)","says":"Blamed diversion of water to Yazd.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Officials (November 2021)","says":"Cited drought.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Hassan Kamran-Dastjerdi, MP (2018)","says":"The energy ministry \"plundered\" Varzaneh farmers' water by diverting it to steel factories and refineries.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Mehdi Jamalinejad, Isfahan governor (July 2025)","says":"Full river revival needs demand control and projects such as Mandegan and Kuhrang 3.","src":10}]},{"point":"Whether farmers were compensated","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Mohammad Sadeghi, secretary of Isfahan Farmers' House (2018)","says":"Farmers' rights had been violated for years; no water rights or compensation had been paid.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Hossein Mohammadrezaei, Association for Supporting Farmers of Isfahan County (July 2014)","says":"Of 70 billion toman of livelihood aid, 35 billion toman had been paid; the 210 billion toman approved for not cultivating existed \"mostly on paper\"; the amounts were livelihood aid, not compensation.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Officials in Tehran (March 2018)","says":"Promised partial payment of non-cultivation damages from 23 Esfand 1396 (14 March 2018); no amounts given.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"water_right_million_m3","value":176000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2022,"note":"Gavkhouni wetland's legal water right approved by the Supreme Water Council; reported as never implemented (Mehr)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":47000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Gavkhouni salt marsh (Isfahan Department of Environment deputy via IRNA)."},{"key":"basin_in_drought_pct","value":88.1,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Share of the basin in long-term drought (Mehr)."},{"key":"reservoir_volume_million_m3","value":236000000,"unit":"m³","year":2025,"note":"Zayandeh Rud dam reservoir, September 2025; about 19% of capacity, 29% lower than a year earlier (ISNA via Iran International)."},{"key":"transfer_million_m3","value":340000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":1953,"qualifier":"about","note":"First Kuhrang tunnel, added to natural runoff of about 900 MCM a year (Fanack)."},{"key":"transfer_million_m3","value":250000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":1986,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kuhrang tunnel 2 (Fanack)."},{"key":"transfer_million_m3","value":260000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2010,"note":"Kuhrang tunnel 3 (Fanack)."},{"key":"transfer_million_m3","value":200000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2010,"note":"Lenjan tunnel from the upper Dez (Fanack)."},{"key":"transfer_to_yazd_million_m3","value":90000000,"unit":"m³","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Zayandeh Rud water sent to Yazd (IRIB, cited by Radio Farda)."},{"key":"livelihood_aid_received","value":70000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2014,"note":"Received in Farvardin 1393; 35 billion toman paid (Jam-e Jam)."},{"key":"non_cultivation_payments_approved","value":210000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2014,"note":"Approved for Zayandeh Rud farmers; described as existing \"mostly on paper\"."},{"key":"drought_losses_estimate","value":6000000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Multi-year estimate by the farmers' association head."},{"key":"protesters_tear_gas","value":500,"unit":"people","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fars figure for 26 November 2021."},{"key":"injured","value":5,"unit":"farmers","year":2018,"qualifier":"four or five","note":"Injured in clashes with police in Varzaneh, March 2018 (IRNA)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Zayandeh Rud has been dry in its lower reach for long periods since about 2000 while transfers entered and left the basin; the Gavkhouni wetland's legal water right of 176 million m³ a year was never implemented according to Mehr, and farmers protested repeatedly, including in November 2021.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Yazd","what":"About 90 million m³ of Zayandeh Rud water sent to Yazd (IRIB, cited by Radio Farda, March 2018)","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers of Isfahan and Varzaneh","what":"35 of 70 billion toman livelihood aid paid in 2014; 210 billion toman non-cultivation payments existed \"mostly on paper\"; drought losses estimated by their association head at about 6,000 billion toman","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Gavkhouni wetland","what":"Legal water right of 176 million m³ a year not implemented; share from the river zero for about a year and a half (Mehr)","src":7},{"who":"Flamingos at Gavkhouni","what":"Absent for two years before the 2019 rains (Isfahan Department of Environment deputy)","src":8},{"who":"Zayandeh Rud","what":"Once over 400 km long; seasonal and dry downstream (Tabnak / IRNA)","src":10}]},"where":{"t":"Isfahan province, central Iran; the Zayandeh Rud through Isfahan to the Gavkhouni wetland; Varzaneh in east Isfahan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Transfers from 1953; river largely dry since about 2000; protests in 2012, 2017, 2018 and November 2021.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Farmers pointed to diversion to Yazd and industry; officials pointed to drought.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Inter-basin tunnels added water to the basin while transfers to Yazd, Rafsanjan and Kashan removed it, and the wetland's legal water right was not delivered.","src":0}},"related":["persian-gulf-water-transfer-to-central-iran","lake-urmia-decline-and-restoration-programme","hamoun-wetlands-helmand-water","gotvand-dam-karun-salinity"],"sources":[{"t":"Zayandehroud River in Iran","p":"Fanack Water","d":"2017-07-12","type":"press","u":"https://water.fanack.com/publications/zayandehroud-river-iran/"},{"t":"Thousands protest dried-up river in Iran's Isfahan","p":"The Daily Star (AFP)","d":"2021-11-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.thedailystar.net/middle-east/news/thousands-protest-dried-river-irans-isfahan-2234136"},{"t":"Thousands protest in Iran's Isfahan to demand revival of river","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2021-11-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/19/thousands-protest-in-irans-isfahan-to-demand-revival-of-river"},{"t":"Iran drought protesters hit with tear gas","p":"The National","d":"2021-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/2021/11/26/iran-drought-protesters-hit-with-tear-gas/"},{"t":"East Isfahan farmers to receive non-cultivation compensation (Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2018-03-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/Isfahan-farmers-to-receive-compensation-after-recent-protests/29091531.html"},{"t":"Iran farmers protest water rights, Isfahan","p":"Radio Farda (English)","d":"2018-04-08","type":"press","u":"https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-farmers-protest-water-rights-isfahan/29152431.html"},{"t":"Livelihood aid paid to Isfahan farmers (Persian)","p":"Jam-e Jam Online","d":"2014-07-13","type":"press","u":"https://jamejamonline.ir/fa/news/695478/"},{"t":"Deadlock over reviving Gavkhouni: plans with no enforcement guarantee (Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2022-02-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/5414867"},{"t":"Flamingos return to Gavkhuni wetland after 2 years","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2019-05-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/435765/Flamingos-return-to-Gavkhuni-wetland-after-2-years"},{"t":"Isfahan NGOs condemn event in the Zayandeh Rud bed (Persian)","p":"Iran International","d":"2025-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.iranintl.com/202509057227"},{"t":"Oman Sea water reaches Isfahan (Persian; via IRNA)","p":"Tabnak","d":"2025-07-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.tabnak.ir/fa/news/1316040/"},{"t":"Pezeshkian orders the Oman Sea water transfer (Persian; via IRNA / Presidential Office)","p":"Hamshahri Online","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/1000095/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What dried the Zayandeh Rud","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether farmers were compensated","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of the compensation promised to farmers in November 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case or compensation ruling over the drying of the river.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of the partial non-cultivation payments promised in March 2018 and of the compensation promised in November 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the river's decline, drought or diversion (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hamoun-wetlands-helmand-water","title":"Hamoun wetlands, Helmand water and the EU/UNDP restoration project","dek":"The Hamoun lakes on the Iran–Afghanistan border, fed by the Helmand river, were nearly gone by 2001, according to NASA. A 1973 treaty sets Iran's share of Helmand water, and sources give different volumes for it; an EU-funded, UNDP-implemented project of €10 million has run from 2020.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":31,"lon":61.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Sistan and Baluchestan province (Zabol, Zehak, Hamoun, Hirmand, Nimruz counties)","lat":31,"lon":61.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Afghanistan","iso2":"AF","admin":"Nimroz province (Kamal Khan dam) and the upper Helmand","lat":30.2,"lon":61.9,"role":"upstream"}],"start":1973,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","types":["water","protected-area","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Wetland area at spring flood before the drought (NASA, citing UNEP)","value":"2,000–4,000 km²","note":"NASA Earth Observatory (December 2003): nearly all of it was gone by 2001; lower Helmand flow fell 98% and precipitation fell 78% in 2001."},"happened":["The Hamoun lakes lie on the Iran–Afghanistan border in Sistan and are fed by the Helmand (Hirmand) river. NASA Earth Observatory reported on 13 December 2003, citing UNEP's Hassan Partow, that the wetlands covered 2,000–4,000 km² at spring flood and were nearly all gone by 2001; that about 70% of the water that normally reached the Hamoun had been diverted before the drought; that precipitation fell 78% in 2001 and lower Helmand flow fell 98%; that dust \"submerged\" up to 100 towns; and that hundreds of thousands of livestock were lost and every fishery closed. Partow said: \"It is difficult to single out with certainty a specific factor responsible for the sharp drop in water levels.\"","The Helmand River Water Treaty was signed in March 1973. Sources differ on what it grants Iran: 22 m³/s in a normal water year under Article V (Iran International), 24 m³/s (Mashregh, citing Tasnim), 850 million m³ a year (AP via Arab News; a Massey University opinion piece by Hassan Partow and Dadpour) or 820 million m³ a year (the Department of Environment via Taadol; Iranian officials via Radio Farda). A Massey University opinion piece of June 2023 said the treaty's Joint Technical Committee had not been established. The Department of Environment said in 2021 that Iran's 820 million m³ appeared to be allocated only to drinking water and agriculture, not to the wetland.","On 24 March 2021 Afghan President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the Kamal Khan dam. Tasnim, via Mashregh, reported a reservoir of 52 million m³, irrigation of over 80,000 ha (other sources give 174,000–180,000 ha) and over 9 MW, and that when the dam overflowed in January 2022 the water was diverted to Gowd-e Zereh behind an earthen dike. In September 2024 Iranian MP Abolfazl Zohrehvand said the spillover had cut the floodwater that used to reach Iran, and that the Taliban had announced a new large dam in Zabul and said the Pashdan dam in Herat was nearing completion. Iranian officials said Hamoun inflow was zero in September 2024. Taliban officials said dam building harmed no country and that the water was only enough for Afghan needs.","The Department of Environment (DoE) and UNDP sought EU funding on 18 September 2019. A DoE–UNDP memorandum of 4 April 2020 set up a project funded by the EU with €10 million over five years, implemented by UNDP with the DoE as national executing agency. According to DoE Director General for Wetlands Masoud Bagherzadeh Karimi (Taadol, 1 March 2021), its components are water and soil management (dust control, dredging), reorganising livelihoods so residents depend less on basin water, and ecological work. Taadol also reported that the Hamoun reservoir's capacity is 6–7 billion m³, that 1–2 billion m³ a year of inflow would keep it alive, and that after about 20 years of drought the reservoir is empty, with inflows filling one-third to one-quarter of the area.","Aftab, citing Tasnim, reported on 8 June 2025 remarks by Zabol University of Medical Sciences president Hossein Shahdadi: a sharp fall in births and population, only 3–5 households remaining in some villages, official statistics showing over 50% of Sistan's farmland out of production, and over 1,500 people treated in a few days for eye, respiratory and heart symptoms. No arbitration or court case over the Helmand water has been reported."],"timeline":[{"y":1973,"t":"Helmand River Water Treaty signed (March)","src":4},{"y":2001,"t":"Lower Helmand runs dry at the border; precipitation down 78% and lower Helmand flow down 98%","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"DoE and UNDP seek EU funding (18 September)","src":2},{"y":2020,"t":"DoE–UNDP memorandum for the €10 million EU-funded project (4 April)","src":1},{"y":2021,"t":"Ghani inaugurates the Kamal Khan dam (24 March)","src":4},{"y":2022,"t":"Kamal Khan dam overflows; water diverted to Gowd-e Zereh (January)","src":7},{"y":2023,"t":"Border exchange of gunfire between Iranian and Taliban forces (27 May)","src":5},{"y":2024,"t":"Hamoun dry; Iranian officials say inflow zero (September)","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"Zabol University of Medical Sciences president describes depopulation and illness in Sistan (June)","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"It is difficult to single out with certainty a specific factor responsible for the sharp drop in water levels.","who":"Hassan Partow, UNEP, cited by NASA Earth Observatory","when":"December 2003","src":0},{"q":"If you give us oil you can then ask for [more] water, or give us something in return.","who":"Ashraf Ghani, Afghan President, at the Kamal Khan dam inauguration (as reported by Iran International)","when":"24 March 2021","src":4},{"q":"The implementation of the project requires the coordination and participation of all stakeholders and departments.","who":"Ahmadreza Lahijanzadeh, Department of Environment deputy","when":"April 2020","src":1},{"q":"Until now we have not paid due attention to these issues","who":"Abolfazl Zohrehvand, Iranian MP","when":"September 2024","src":8,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"it's unfair to compare or give a rank","who":"Maria Neira, World Health Organization, on the city ranking by PM2.5","when":"May 2016","src":10}],"shown":[{"t":"Afghanistan remains committed to the treaty; \"anything beyond the stipulated quota\" needs discussion","who":"Ashraf Ghani, Afghan President, 2021","src":4},{"t":"Dam building is a priority and harms no country; the water is only enough for Afghan needs","who":"Taliban deputy prime minister and Taliban officials, 2024","src":8},{"t":"The project covers dust control and dredging, reorganised livelihoods and ecological work","who":"Masoud Bagherzadeh Karimi, DoE Director General for Wetlands, March 2021","src":3},{"t":"Dialogue is the reasonable way","who":"Enayatullah Khawarazmi, Taliban Defence Ministry spokesman, after the 27 May 2023 clash","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Wetlands covered 2,000–4,000 km² at spring flood and were nearly all gone by 2001; about 70% of the water normally reaching the Hamoun was diverted before the drought (NASA, citing UNEP)","src":0},{"t":"NASA stated that Sistan hosted an estimated 320,000 Afghan refugees, which makes it hard to separate environmental from war displacement","src":0},{"t":"Zabol had the highest annual PM2.5 (217) in the World Health Organization's May 2016 survey of about 3,000 cities","src":10},{"t":"Over 50% of Sistan's farmland out of production (official statistics, per Hossein Shahdadi); unofficial local figures: six of ten households in one village have left","src":9},{"t":"No wetland water allocation within Iran's share of the Helmand water; Iran's 820 million m³ appears allocated only to drinking water and agriculture (DoE via Taadol, 2021)","src":3},{"t":"The treaty's Joint Technical Committee has not been established (Massey University opinion, June 2023)","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2020–2025","nature":[{"label":"EU funding for the Hamoun restoration project (implemented by UNDP with the Department of Environment)","amount":10,"window":"five years from 2020","note":"Allocated amount; disbursement is not on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wetland area at spring flood","v":"2,000–4,000 km²","d":"Nearly all gone by 2001 (NASA, citing UNEP)"},{"k":"Lower Helmand flow, 2001","v":"−98%","d":"Precipitation fell 78% in the same year"},{"k":"EU / UNDP project","v":"€10 million","d":"Five years from 2020; results report not on record"},{"k":"Sistan farmland out of production","v":"over 50%","d":"Official statistics cited by Zabol University of Medical Sciences president, June 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NASA Earth Observatory (2003, citing UNEP), Taadol (2021) and the World Health Organization city survey (2016).","report":[{"t":"My wetlands covered 2,000–4,000 km² at spring flood and were nearly all gone by 2001, according to NASA citing UNEP.","src":0},{"t":"About 70% of the water that normally reached me was diverted before the drought, and the lower Helmand's flow fell 98% in 2001, according to NASA citing UNEP.","src":0},{"t":"My reservoir capacity is 6–7 billion m³ and 1–2 billion m³ a year of inflow would keep me alive; after about 20 years of drought the reservoir is empty, and inflows fill one-third to one-quarter of the area, according to Taadol in 2021.","src":3},{"t":"Dust from my dry bed submerged up to 100 towns, according to NASA; Zabol had the highest annual PM2.5 (217) in the WHO's May 2016 survey of about 3,000 cities.","src":0},{"t":"Hundreds of thousands of livestock were lost and every fishery around me closed, according to NASA.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: arbitration or a court case over the Helmand water.","None on record: an evaluation or results report of the EU / UNDP project.","None on record: a published cost figure for the Kamal Khan dam.","Figures differ: Iran's treaty entitlement is given as 22 m³/s (Iran International), 24 m³/s (Mashregh), 850 million m³ a year (AP, Massey University) and 820 million m³ a year (Department of Environment, Radio Farda).","Figures differ: the Kamal Khan dam irrigates over 80,000 ha (Tasnim via Mashregh) or 174,000–180,000 ha (other sources).","Figures differ: sources date the cut in Helmand flow from the Kajaki dam to 1998 and to 1999.","Disputed: the cause of the drying (see disputes)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The wetlands were dry in September 2024, with Iranian officials reporting zero inflow; the EU / UNDP project had run from 2020 and no results report is on record.","whoPaid":"The wetlands and the people of Sistan, who face dust, lost farmland and depopulation. The EU funded a €10 million restoration project; the cost of the upstream Kamal Khan dam is not on record.","statusLine":"As of June 2025: Zabol University of Medical Sciences reported depopulation and illness in Sistan; no arbitration or court case and no EU / UNDP results report on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Iran's 820 million m³ of Helmand water appears allocated only to drinking water and agriculture, not to the wetland.","when":"2021","src":3},{"actor":"taliban-government","says":"Dam building is a priority and harms no country; the water is only enough for Afghan needs (deputy prime minister and officials).","when":"2024","src":8},{"actor":"taliban-government","says":"Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said Iran fired first and two people were killed, one from each country; Defence Ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khawarazmi said dialogue is the reasonable way.","when":"27 May 2023","src":5},{"actor":"government-of-iran","says":"Police chief Gen. Ahmadreza Radan said border forces \"will decisively respond\" to aggression; IRNA reported two border guards killed.","when":"27 May 2023","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Funder of the €10 million restoration project"},{"id":"undp","role":"Implementer of the EU-funded project"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"National executing agency of the project"},{"id":"taliban-government","role":"Taliban authorities; statements on Afghan dams (2023–2024)"},{"id":"government-of-iran","role":"Party to the 1973 Helmand treaty"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much Helmand water the 1973 treaty gives Iran","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Iran International (2021)","says":"Article V entitles Iran to 22 m³/s in a normal water year.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mashregh, citing Tasnim (January 2022)","says":"24 m³/s.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"AP via Arab News (May 2023) and Massey University opinion (June 2023)","says":"850 million m³ a year.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment via Taadol (2021); Iranian officials via Radio Farda (2024)","says":"820 million m³ a year.","src":3}]},{"point":"What dried the Hamoun wetlands","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Hassan Partow, UNEP, cited by NASA (2003)","says":"About 70% of the water normally reaching the Hamoun was diverted before the drought; precipitation fell 78% in 2001; \"It is difficult to single out with certainty a specific factor\".","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Abolfazl Zohrehvand, Iranian MP (September 2024)","says":"After the Kamal Khan dam, spillover went to Gowd-e Zereh, cutting the floodwater that used to reach Iran; the Taliban announced a new large dam in Zabul.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Taliban deputy prime minister and officials (2024)","says":"Dam building is a priority and harms no country; the water is only enough for Afghan needs.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Department of Environment via Taadol (2021)","says":"Iran's own 820 million m³ appears allocated only to drinking water and agriculture, not to the wetland.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":4000,"unit":"km²","year":2001,"qualifier":"2,000–4,000","note":"Wetland area at spring flood before the drought (NASA, citing UNEP)."},{"key":"diverted_share_pct","value":70,"unit":"%","year":2001,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of water normally reaching the Hamoun that was diverted before the drought (NASA)."},{"key":"precipitation_change_pct","value":-78,"unit":"%","year":2001,"note":"Precipitation (NASA)."},{"key":"river_flow_change_pct","value":-98,"unit":"%","year":2001,"note":"Lower Helmand flow (NASA)."},{"key":"towns_affected_by_dust","value":100,"unit":"towns","year":2003,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Dust \"submerged\" up to 100 towns (NASA)."},{"key":"pm25_annual","value":217,"unit":"µg/m³","year":2016,"note":"Zabol, highest annual PM2.5 in WHO's May 2016 survey of about 3,000 cities."},{"key":"refugees_hosted","value":320000,"unit":"people","year":2003,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"Afghan refugees in Sistan (NASA)."},{"key":"treaty_entitlement_m3s","value":22,"unit":"m³/s","year":1973,"note":"Article V, normal water year (Iran International); other sources give 24 m³/s."},{"key":"treaty_entitlement_million_m3","value":820000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":1973,"note":"DoE via Taadol and Iranian officials via Radio Farda; AP and Massey University give 850 million m³."},{"key":"eu_funding","value":10,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"note":"Five-year project implemented by UNDP with the Department of Environment."},{"key":"reservoir_capacity_billion_m3","value":7000000000,"unit":"m³","year":2021,"qualifier":"6–7","note":"Hamoun reservoir capacity (Taadol)."},{"key":"inflow_needed_billion_m3","value":2000000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2021,"qualifier":"1–2","note":"Inflow that would keep the Hamoun alive (Taadol)."},{"key":"kamal_khan_reservoir_million_m3","value":52000000,"unit":"m³","year":2022,"note":"Reservoir of the Kamal Khan dam (Tasnim via Mashregh); over 9 MW."},{"key":"kamal_khan_irrigated_ha","value":80000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"over","note":"Other sources give 174,000–180,000 ha."},{"key":"farmland_out_of_production_pct","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Sistan, official statistics cited by Hossein Shahdadi."},{"key":"treated_for_symptoms","value":1500,"unit":"people","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Treated in a few days for eye, respiratory and heart symptoms (Shahdadi)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Hamoun wetlands, fed by the Helmand river on the Iran–Afghanistan border, were nearly gone by 2001; a 1973 treaty sets Iran's Helmand share at volumes the sources give differently, an Afghan dam on the river was inaugurated in 2021, and an EU-funded €10 million restoration project has run since 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Afghan irrigation (Kamal Khan dam)","what":"Reservoir of 52 million m³ and irrigation of over 80,000 ha (Tasnim via Mashregh)","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"EU","what":"€10 million allocated to the restoration project","src":1},{"who":"Residents of Sistan","what":"Over 50% of farmland out of production; only 3–5 households left in some villages (Shahdadi)","src":9}],"harmed":[{"who":"Hamoun wetlands","what":"2,000–4,000 km² at spring flood nearly all gone by 2001 (NASA)","src":0},{"who":"Livestock and fisheries","what":"Hundreds of thousands of livestock lost and every fishery closed (NASA)","src":0},{"who":"Zabol residents","what":"Highest annual PM2.5 (217) in WHO's 2016 survey; over 1,500 treated in a few days in 2025 for eye, respiratory and heart symptoms","src":10}]},"where":{"t":"Sistan, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran, and Nimroz province, Afghanistan; the Kamal Khan dam lies upstream in Afghanistan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Treaty in March 1973; drying by 2001; EU project from 4 April 2020; Kamal Khan dam inaugurated 24 March 2021; wetland dry in September 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"NASA, citing UNEP, reported that about 70% of the water normally reaching the Hamoun was diverted before the drought and that precipitation fell 78% in 2001; Iranian officials point to Afghan dams; the Department of Environment says Iran's own share is allocated to drinking water and agriculture.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Upstream diversion and drought cut the Helmand's flow to the Hamoun; the EU / UNDP project funds dust control, dredging, livelihood changes and ecological work.","src":3}},"related":["qosh-tepa-canal","zayandeh-rud-gavkhouni-wetland","lake-urmia-decline-and-restoration-programme","hoor-al-azim-wetland-oil-fields"],"sources":[{"t":"From Wetland to Wasteland: The Destruction of the Hamoun Oasis","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2003-12-13","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/from-wetland-to-wasteland-the-destruction-of-the-hamoun-oasis/"},{"t":"EU, UNDP allocate €10m to revive Iran's Hamoun wetland","p":"Tehran Times","d":"2020-04-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/447000/EU-UNDP-allocate-10m-to-revive-Iran-s-Hamoun-wetland"},{"t":"Restoring Hamoun with EU funds (Persian)","p":"Hamshahri Online","d":"2019-09-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/455310/"},{"t":"Will the €10 million credit save Hamoun? (Persian)","p":"Taadol newspaper","d":"2021-03-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.taadolnewspaper.ir/fa/news/176505/"},{"t":"Afghan President suggests Iran exchanges oil for Helmand water","p":"Iran International","d":"2021-03-25","type":"press","u":"https://old.iranintl.com/en/world/afghan-president-suggests-iran-exchanges-oil-helmand-water"},{"t":"Iran exchanges heavy gunfire with Taliban on Afghan border","p":"Arab News (AP)","d":"2023-05-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.arabnews.com/node/2311256/amp"},{"t":"Opinion: Discord between Iran and Afghanistan over the Helmand River","p":"Massey University (Partow, Dadpour)","d":"2023-06-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/opinion-discord-between-iran-and-afghanistan-over-the-helmand-river/"},{"t":"Hamoun water right depends on talks with the Taliban (Persian; via Tasnim)","p":"Mashregh News","d":"2022-01-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1324861"},{"t":"Security committee member: the Taliban plan to block floodwater too (Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2024-09-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/afghanistan-iran-the-construction-of-a-dam-by-the-taliban-government/33117564.html"},{"t":"Demographic collapse in Sistan (Persian; via Tasnim)","p":"Aftab News","d":"2025-06-08","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/994036/"},{"t":"World's most polluted cities announced by WHO","p":"Climate Action","d":"2016-05-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.climateaction.org/news/worlds_most_polluted_cities_announced_by_who"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What dried the Hamoun wetlands","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much Helmand water the 1973 treaty gives Iran","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: arbitration or a court case over the Helmand water.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an evaluation or results report of the EU / UNDP project.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published cost figure for the Kamal Khan dam.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Iran's treaty entitlement is given as 22 m³/s (Iran International), 24 m³/s (Mashregh), 850 million m³ a year (AP, Massey University) and 820 million m³ a year (Department of Environment, Radio Farda).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Kamal Khan dam irrigates over 80,000 ha (Tasnim via Mashregh) or 174,000–180,000 ha (other sources).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: sources date the cut in Helmand flow from the Kajaki dam to 1998 and to 1999.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the drying (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gotvand-dam-karun-salinity","title":"Gotvand dam on the Karun: a reservoir on a salt formation","dek":"The Gotvand dam on the Karun river in Khuzestan was impounded in July 2011 with a reservoir touching the Gachsaran salt formation. Aftab reported about 7.7 million tonnes of salt in the reservoir by the end of 1391 (March 2013), and sources differ on how much of the Karun's salinity the dam causes.","country":"Iran","region":"Middle East","lat":32.27,"lon":48.94,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Karun river upstream of Gotvand, Khuzestan province","lat":32.27,"lon":48.94,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","admin":"Khuzestan plains downstream (irrigated farmland)","role":"affected"}],"start":1996,"end":2021,"instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Salt in the Gotvand reservoir water at the end of 1391 (March 2013), per Aftab","value":"≈ 7.7 million tonnes","note":"Aftab (2 February 2015) gave about 3.5 million tonnes at the end of 1390. Mehr (2014) cited about 7 million tonnes; Digiato (2021) cited about 17 million tonnes entering the Karun since the dam was built."},"happened":["Habibollah Bitaraf, nominated for energy minister in August 2017, said groundbreaking at Gotvand was in 1375 (1996); Entekhab dated the site choice to 1368 (1989). The dam was impounded on 28 July 2011 (6 Mordad 1390) with President Ahmadinejad attending, according to Aftab. The reservoir has a capacity of 4.67 billion m³ at 230 m. Gachsaran formation salt outcrops lie about 4.5 km from the reservoir's east shore; a 15 m clay blanket built to slow dissolution is now submerged. Dam deputy director Mohammad Hossein Manavifar said in March 2014 that about 12% of the formation's surface was in contact with water, and Mehr reported about 2.2 km of cracks near the reservoir along the formation.","Bitaraf, nominated for energy minister in August 2017, said impoundment before the salt dome was isolated and before the clay blanket was finished had been a \"political decision\" and that water seeped through and dissolved salt. Aftab reported about 3.5 million tonnes of salt in the reservoir water at the end of 1390 and about 7.7 million tonnes at the end of 1391. Mehr (2014) cited about 7 million tonnes (Dr Ghomeshi) and lower layers of up to about 150,000 µS/cm, while the dam's deputy director gave the outflow as 1,200–1,400 µS/cm. Digiato (2021) said about 17 million tonnes of salt had entered the Karun since the dam was built; the source of that figure is unclear. Naderkhanloo, Mazaheri and Samani (2017) modelled salt accumulation of 875 kg/s at a dissolution rate of 0.5 cm/h.","General Inspection Organization head Mostafa Pourmohammadi said on 24 December 2012 (4 Dey 1391) that the Organization had concluded the dam \"cannot continue operating under current conditions\" and had decided on draining the reservoir and a change of land use (Fararu, citing the Organization's website). In March 2014 the reservoir still held about 3 billion m³ at 135 m. A later Inspection Organization head, Seraj, said the reports were confidential until court proceedings, Aftab reported in 2015. Former Khuzestan Department of Environment director Tooraj Hemmati said the dam's environmental impact study was never submitted to the Department; deputy Ali Mohammad Shaeri said a second impoundment stage would be blocked if downstream quality changed.","Construction cost was given as 2,000 billion toman spent (Pourmohammadi, December 2012), about 2,500 billion toman (geologist Mohammad Javad Abdollahi, 2021) and about 7,000 billion toman (Digiato, 2021). Deputy Energy Minister for Water Rahim Meidani gave two remediation options in August 2015: a Ministry of Energy plan to pipe saline water to the Persian Gulf for 850 billion toman, and a University of Tehran Water Institute plan with evaporation ponds for about 350 billion toman. Deputy governor Ahmad Sayahi spoke of a 220 km line to the Persian Gulf within five years.","The dam's share of the Karun's salinity is disputed. Bitaraf said over 90% of the Karun's salinity comes from untreated sewage, industry and sugarcane, and about 10% from the dam. The head of the University of Tehran Water Institute, M. A. Banihashemi, said in July 2021 that without the dam Karun water at the dam site would be about 25% better, that this is not a 25% share of total Karun salinity, and that some Ministry of Energy experts reject the figure; he said salt input from the formation had been nearly zero after 1395 (2016). No court case has been reported."],"timeline":[{"y":1989,"t":"Site chosen (1368)","src":0},{"y":1996,"t":"Groundbreaking (1375), according to Bitaraf","src":1},{"y":2011,"t":"Impoundment attended by President Ahmadinejad (28 July)","src":2},{"y":2012,"t":"General Inspection Organization head says the dam cannot continue operating as it is and calls for draining the reservoir (24 December)","src":4},{"y":2014,"t":"Dam deputy director says about 12% of the formation's surface is in contact with water (16 March)","src":3},{"y":2015,"t":"Aftab reports about 7.7 million tonnes of salt in the reservoir (2 February); Deputy Energy Minister gives remediation costs (August)","src":5},{"y":2016,"t":"Salt input from the formation described as nearly zero afterwards by the University of Tehran Water Institute","src":6},{"y":2017,"t":"Bitaraf calls the impoundment a \"political decision\" (August)","src":1},{"y":2021,"t":"Banihashemi on the dam's share of salinity (July); Digiato reports about 17 million tonnes of salt entering the Karun (August)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"political decision","who":"Habibollah Bitaraf, Energy Minister nominee, on impounding the reservoir before isolating the salt dome","when":"August 2017","src":1,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"cannot continue operating under current conditions","who":"Mostafa Pourmohammadi, head of the General Inspection Organization, on the dam (reported by Fararu citing the Organization's website)","when":"24 December 2012","src":4,"translated":"Persian"},{"q":"Without having access to the complete data, it is hard to hold governmental and local institutions accountable.","who":"Small Media, on Iran's dam database (as reported by Radio Farda)","when":"31 October 2017","src":9}],"shown":[{"t":"Over 90% of the Karun's salinity comes from untreated sewage, industry and sugarcane; about 10% from the dam","who":"Habibollah Bitaraf, Energy Minister nominee, August 2017","src":1},{"t":"Salt entering the Karun is below the river's tolerance; the salt mass is expected to dissolve within one to two years","who":"Mohammad Hossein Manavifar, dam deputy director, March 2014","src":3},{"t":"The clay blanket was not designed to last; the salinity of the discharge never exceeded permitted limits","who":"M. A. Banihashemi, head of the University of Tehran Water Institute, July 2021","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 3.5 million tonnes of salt in the reservoir water at the end of 1390 and about 7.7 million tonnes at the end of 1391 (Aftab, 2 February 2015)","src":2},{"t":"Over 420,000 ha of irrigated farmland threatened by saline water (Keikhosro Changalvaei, head of Khuzestan Agriculture Jihad)","src":2},{"t":"General Inspection Organization head Pourmohammadi: repeated irrigation with saline water is turning land into salt marsh; 600,000 (unit not stated) of cultivated land at risk","src":4},{"t":"The dam's environmental impact study was never submitted to the Department of Environment (former Khuzestan director Tooraj Hemmati)","src":2},{"t":"Supreme Water Council: a partial resolution on remedies, largely ignored according to Banihashemi","src":6},{"t":"Iran built about 600 dams over three decades; the Energy Ministry's online database lists more than 1,000 dams but only about 100 have complete information (Small Media research, via Radio Farda, 2017); Khatam al-Anbiya (IRGC) is described as the major stakeholder in dam building","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"toman","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Remediation option: pipe saline water to the Persian Gulf (Ministry of Energy plan)","amount":850000,"window":"August 2015","note":"850 billion toman; costed option; whether it was funded is not on record."},{"label":"Remediation option: evaporation ponds (University of Tehran Water Institute plan)","amount":350000,"qualifier":"about","window":"August 2015","note":"About 350 billion toman; costed option; whether it was funded is not on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Salt in the reservoir water","v":"≈ 7.7 million tonnes","d":"End of 1391 (March 2013), per Aftab; other sources give about 7 and about 17 million tonnes"},{"k":"Irrigated farmland threatened","v":"over 420,000 ha","d":"Head of Khuzestan Agriculture Jihad, cited by Aftab (2015)"},{"k":"Dam's share of Karun salinity","v":"about 10%","d":"Energy Minister nominee Bitaraf (2017); the University of Tehran Water Institute says Karun water at the dam site would be about 25% better without the dam"},{"k":"Remediation options costed","v":"350–850 billion toman","d":"August 2015; whether any was funded is not on record"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Aftab (2015), Mehr (2014), the General Inspection Organization head (2012), the University of Tehran Water Institute (2021) and Naderkhanloo et al. (2017).","report":[{"t":"About 3.5 million tonnes of salt dissolved in my reservoir water by the end of 1390 and about 7.7 million tonnes by the end of 1391, according to Aftab.","src":2},{"t":"At a dissolution rate of 0.5 cm/h, salt accumulation in my reservoir would be 875 kg/s, according to a 2017 modelling study by Naderkhanloo, Mazaheri and Samani.","src":8},{"t":"Farmland irrigated with my water was threatened by saline water on over 420,000 ha, according to the head of Khuzestan Agriculture Jihad.","src":2},{"t":"Without the dam, my water at the dam site would be about 25% better, according to the University of Tehran Water Institute; the Institute said this is not a 25% share of my total salinity.","src":6},{"t":"Lower layers of my reservoir reached up to about 150,000 µS/cm in 2014, while the dam's deputy director gave the outflow as 1,200–1,400 µS/cm.","src":3}]},"unknown":["None on record: a court case over the Gotvand dam; the Inspection Organization head said in 2015 that its reports were confidential until court proceedings.","None on record: a total construction cost published by the Ministry of Energy.","None on record: submission of the dam's environmental impact study to the Department of Environment, according to its former Khuzestan director.","Figures differ: salt mass of about 7.7 million tonnes (Aftab, end of 1391), about 7 million tonnes (Mehr, 2014) and about 17 million tonnes entering the Karun (Digiato, 2021).","Figures differ: construction cost of 2,000 billion toman (Pourmohammadi, 2012), about 2,500 billion toman (Abdollahi, 2021) and about 7,000 billion toman (Digiato, 2021).","Disputed: the dam's share of the Karun's salinity (see disputes)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Sources do not agree on whether the salt input stopped: the University of Tehran Water Institute said salt input from the formation was nearly zero after 1395 (2016), while Digiato (2021) said salinity had hit the Khuzestan plains.","whoPaid":"The Karun and the farmland irrigated with its water. Remediation options costed at 350–850 billion toman in 2015 are not recorded as funded.","statusLine":"As of August 2021: the dam's share of Karun salinity remained disputed; remediation options costed in 2015 are not recorded as funded and no court case is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-energy","says":"Energy Minister nominee Bitaraf: over 90% of Karun salinity comes from untreated sewage, industry and sugarcane and about 10% from the dam.","when":"August 2017","src":1},{"actor":"iran-ministry-of-energy","says":"Dam deputy director Manavifar: salt entering the Karun is below the river's tolerance and the salt mass should dissolve within one to two years.","when":"March 2014","src":3},{"actor":"university-of-tehran-water-institute","says":"The clay blanket was not designed to last and discharge salinity never exceeded permitted limits; without the dam Karun water at the dam site would be about 25% better.","when":"July 2021","src":6},{"actor":"iran-doe","says":"Former Khuzestan director Hemmati: the dam's environmental impact study was never submitted to the Department; deputy Shaeri: a second impoundment stage would be blocked if downstream quality changed.","when":"2015","src":2},{"actor":"general-inspection-organization-iran","says":"Head Pourmohammadi: the dam cannot continue operating under current conditions; decided on draining the reservoir and a change of land use.","when":"24 December 2012","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"iran-ministry-of-energy","role":"Dam owner side; remediation plan to pipe saline water to the Persian Gulf"},{"id":"general-inspection-organization-iran","role":"Concluded in 2012 that the dam could not continue operating as it was"},{"id":"university-of-tehran-water-institute","role":"Alternative remediation plan; salinity analysis"},{"id":"iran-doe","role":"Said the environmental impact study was never submitted"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much of the Karun's salinity the dam causes","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Habibollah Bitaraf, Energy Minister nominee (August 2017)","says":"Over 90% of Karun salinity comes from untreated sewage, industry and sugarcane; about 10% from the dam.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"University of Tehran Water Institute (M. A. Banihashemi, July 2021)","says":"Without the dam Karun water at the dam site would be about 25% better; this is not a 25% share of total Karun salinity; some Ministry of Energy experts reject the figure.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Dam deputy director Mohammad Hossein Manavifar (March 2014)","says":"Salt entering the Karun is below the river's tolerance; the salt mass should dissolve within one to two years.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Mohammad Javad Abdollahi, retired dean of geology at Chamran University (2021)","says":"He warned in 2001–2002 that the salt is up to 93 m thick and said the clay blanket broke within days.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Digiato (August 2021), citing researcher Mohammad Darvish via Eghtesad Online","says":"Salinity has hit the Khuzestan plains.","src":7}]},{"point":"Why the reservoir was filled before the salt was isolated","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Habibollah Bitaraf, Energy Minister nominee (August 2017)","says":"Impoundment before isolating the salt dome and finishing the clay blanket was a \"political decision\"; water seeped through and dissolved salt.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"University of Tehran Water Institute (July 2021)","says":"The clay blanket was not designed to last; the Supreme Water Council's partial resolution on remedies was largely ignored.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Tooraj Hemmati, former Khuzestan Department of Environment director (2015)","says":"The dam's environmental impact study was never submitted to the Department.","src":2}]},{"point":"How much salt has entered the water","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Aftab (February 2015)","says":"About 3.5 million tonnes in the reservoir water at the end of 1390 and about 7.7 million tonnes at the end of 1391.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mehr (March 2014), citing Dr Ghomeshi","says":"About 7 million tonnes of salt.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"Digiato (August 2021)","says":"About 17 million tonnes of salt had entered the Karun since the dam was built; attribution unclear.","src":7}]},{"point":"What the dam cost","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Mostafa Pourmohammadi, General Inspection Organization head (December 2012)","says":"2,000 billion toman spent.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Mohammad Javad Abdollahi, geologist (2021)","says":"About 2,500 billion toman.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Digiato (August 2021)","says":"About 7,000 billion toman.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"General Inspection Organization finding on the Gotvand dam","forum":"General Inspection Organization of Iran","country":"Iran","iso2":"IR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"General Inspection Organization","defendant":"Gotvand dam operation (Ministry of Energy)","filed":2012,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"On 24 December 2012 (4 Dey 1391) the Organization's head, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, said it had concluded the dam could not continue operating under current conditions and had decided on draining the reservoir and a change of land use. In March 2014 the reservoir still held about 3 billion m³ at 135 m. A later head, Seraj, said the reports were confidential until court proceedings.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"salt_in_reservoir_tonnes","value":3500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"End of 1390 (March 2012), reservoir water (Aftab, 2015)."},{"key":"salt_in_reservoir_tonnes","value":7700000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"End of 1391 (March 2013), reservoir water (Aftab, 2015)."},{"key":"salt_in_reservoir_tonnes","value":7000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Dr Ghomeshi, cited by Mehr."},{"key":"salt_entered_karun_tonnes","value":17000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Since the dam was built (Digiato; attribution unclear)."},{"key":"salt_accumulation_kg_s","value":875,"unit":"kg/s","year":2017,"note":"Modelled at a dissolution rate of 0.5 cm/h (Naderkhanloo, Mazaheri and Samani, Journal of Environmental Studies 43(2))."},{"key":"reservoir_capacity_billion_m3","value":4670000000,"unit":"m³","year":2014,"note":"At 230 m."},{"key":"reservoir_volume_billion_m3","value":3000000000,"unit":"m³","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Held at 135 m in March 2014 (Mehr)."},{"key":"clay_blanket_m","value":15,"unit":"m","year":2014,"note":"Built to slow dissolution; now submerged."},{"key":"formation_in_contact_pct","value":12,"unit":"%","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of the formation's surface in contact with water (Manavifar)."},{"key":"salinity_microsiemens","value":150000,"unit":"µS/cm","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to about","note":"Lower layers of the reservoir (Mehr)."},{"key":"outflow_salinity_microsiemens","value":1400,"unit":"µS/cm","year":2014,"qualifier":"1,200–1,400","note":"Outflow salinity given by the dam's deputy director."},{"key":"farmland_threatened_ha","value":420000,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"qualifier":"over","note":"Irrigated farmland threatened by saline water (head of Khuzestan Agriculture Jihad)."},{"key":"karun_water_quality_gain_pct","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"How much better Karun water at the dam site would be without the dam; not a 25% share of total salinity (University of Tehran Water Institute)."},{"key":"dam_share_of_salinity_pct","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Energy Minister nominee Bitaraf; over 90% attributed to sewage, industry and sugarcane."},{"key":"construction_cost","value":2000000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2012,"note":"Spent, per Pourmohammadi; other sources give about 2,500 and about 7,000 billion toman."},{"key":"remediation_cost","value":850000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2015,"note":"Ministry of Energy plan to pipe saline water to the Persian Gulf."},{"key":"remediation_cost","value":350000000000,"unit":"toman","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"University of Tehran Water Institute plan with evaporation ponds."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Gotvand dam on the Karun was impounded in July 2011 with a reservoir touching the Gachsaran salt formation; salt dissolved into the reservoir and the Karun, about 7.7 million tonnes by the end of 1391 according to Aftab, and over 420,000 ha of irrigated farmland was threatened by saline water.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ministry of Energy / dam owner","what":"Completed and impounded the dam in 2011 at a cost the Inspection Organization head gave as 2,000 billion toman","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"State","what":"Remediation options costed at 350–850 billion toman in 2015; the Inspection Organization concluded in 2012 the dam could not continue operating as it was","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Karun river","what":"Salt dissolved from the Gachsaran formation into the reservoir and the river","src":2},{"who":"Irrigated farmland in Khuzestan","what":"Over 420,000 ha threatened by saline water","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"The Karun river upstream of Gotvand, Khuzestan province, south-west Iran.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Site chosen 1368 (1989); groundbreaking 1375 (1996); impounded 28 July 2011; Inspection Organization conclusion 24 December 2012; remediation costs August 2015.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Bitaraf said impoundment before isolating the salt dome and finishing the clay blanket was a \"political decision\"; the Water Institute said the clay blanket was not designed to last; the dam's environmental impact study was never submitted to the Department of Environment, according to its former Khuzestan director.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Water seeped through the clay blanket and dissolved salt from the Gachsaran formation, about 12% of whose surface was in contact with water in 2014.","src":3}},"related":["hoor-al-azim-wetland-oil-fields","lake-urmia-decline-and-restoration-programme","zayandeh-rud-gavkhouni-wetland","hamoun-wetlands-helmand-water"],"sources":[{"t":"Siting Gotvand on salt domes as a cause of Khuzestan's water crisis? (Persian)","p":"Entekhab","d":"2021-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.entekhab.ir/fa/news/629282/"},{"t":"Energy Minister nominee: Gotvand was filled by a \"political decision\" (Persian)","p":"Radio Farda","d":"2017-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiofarda.com/a/iran_bitaraf_dam_gatvand/28677921.html"},{"t":"The nightmare of the 2011 opening in Khuzestan: millions of tonnes of salt in Gotvand dam water (Persian)","p":"Aftab News","d":"2015-02-02","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/282337/"},{"t":"Working group on land subsidence at Gotvand dam (Persian)","p":"Mehr News Agency","d":"2014-03-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.mehrnews.com/news/2257085/"},{"t":"Pourmohammadi: Gotvand dam's water must be drained (Persian; citing the General Inspection Organization website)","p":"Fararu","d":"2012-12-24","type":"press","u":"https://fararu.com/fa/news/136426/"},{"t":"The end of Gotvand with a loss of at least 350 billion toman (Persian; via Eghtesad News)","p":"Aftab News","d":"2015-08-27","type":"press","u":"https://aftabnews.ir/fa/news/315940/"},{"t":"Clarification by the head of the University of Tehran Water Institute on Gotvand (Persian)","p":"Mashregh News","d":"2021-07-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.mashreghnews.ir/news/1249349"},{"t":"How Gotvand's guillotine fell on the Karun (Persian)","p":"Digiato","d":"2021-08-03","type":"press","u":"https://digiato.com/article/2021/08/03/سد-گتوند-کارون-آب-خوزستان"},{"t":"Investigating and Modeling of Gotvand-Olya Dam Challenge and Management Solutions","p":"Naderkhanloo, Mazaheri and Samani, Journal of Environmental Studies","d":"2017","type":"academic","u":"https://jes.ut.ac.ir/article_63077_en.html"},{"t":"Iran's dams \"disappeared\" (Small Media data)","p":"Radio Farda (English)","d":"2017-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-dams-disappeared/28825889.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of the Karun's salinity the dam causes","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why the reservoir was filled before the salt was isolated","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much salt has entered the water","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What the dam cost","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"General Inspection Organization finding on the Gotvand dam: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case over the Gotvand dam; the Inspection Organization head said in 2015 that its reports were confidential until court proceedings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a total construction cost published by the Ministry of Energy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: submission of the dam's environmental impact study to the Department of Environment, according to its former Khuzestan director.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: salt mass of about 7.7 million tonnes (Aftab, end of 1391), about 7 million tonnes (Mehr, 2014) and about 17 million tonnes entering the Karun (Digiato, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: construction cost of 2,000 billion toman (Pourmohammadi, 2012), about 2,500 billion toman (Abdollahi, 2021) and about 7,000 billion toman (Digiato, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the dam's share of the Karun's salinity (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chad-cameroon-pipeline-doba-world-bank","title":"Chad–Cameroon pipeline and Doba oil fields: World Bank conditions, revenue law, Inspection Panel and 2023 nationalisation","dek":"The World Bank Group helped finance the Doba oil fields and the Chad–Cameroon export pipeline on conditions covering environmental safeguards and the use of oil revenue. Chad repaid its World Bank balances early in 2008, and in 2023 nationalised the assets ExxonMobil had agreed to sell to Savannah Energy for US$407 million.","country":"Chad","region":"Africa","lat":8.5,"lon":16.7,"places":[{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","admin":"Logone Oriental (Doba basin)","lat":8.5,"lon":16.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","admin":"Export pipeline to the Kribi offshore loading facility","role":"affected"}],"start":1999,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"pipeline","types":["pipeline","fossil-fuel","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Government oil revenue in 2003–08 (World Bank IEG)","value":"almost US$4.4 billion","note":"IEG stated this was 17 times the projection of about US$250 million in direct revenue for 2005–08."},"happened":["The Doba basin oil fields in Logone Oriental, southern Chad, and an export pipeline of more than 1,000 km through Cameroon to an offshore loading facility near Kribi were financed mostly by private industry (ExxonMobil, Petronas, Chevron). The World Bank Group also lent and set two conditions: environmental and social safeguards, and a Petroleum Revenue Management Law (PRML, 1999) that tied oil revenue to poverty spending. The World Bank Board approved the project in June 2000 and the European Investment Bank (EIB) its financing in July 2000. Oil exports began in October 2003.","On 22 March 2001 a Request for Inspection was submitted to the World Bank Inspection Panel on behalf of Ngarlejy Yorongar, a member of parliament, and more than 100 residents. The Panel's Investigation Report of 17 July 2002 found non-compliance with the environmental assessment policy (OD 4.01), the economic evaluation policy (OP 10.04) and the poverty reduction policy (OD 4.15), and compliance with several others. On 12 September 2002 the Board approved Management's action plan. The Panel's site visit recorded a main water source contaminated with sediment from road-construction runoff.","On 29 December 2005 Chad amended the PRML, abolishing the Future Generations Fund (which held US$36 million) and adding justice, territorial administration and security to the priority sectors. The World Bank suspended disbursements about a week later and froze withdrawals from the escrow account. A July 2006 Memorandum of Understanding set at least 70% of budget resources for priority sectors; about 58% was spent on them in 2007. On 5 September 2008 Chad repaid its outstanding World Bank balances, which the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) put at US$65.7 million and Chad's Ministry of Economy and Planning at US$67.5 million.","IEG's 2009 assessment recorded government oil revenue of almost US$4.4 billion in 2003–08, an expansion from three to six fields, and infill drilling that could take the total from 300 to about 700–800 wells, up to 400 more than the original Environmental Impact Assessment foresaw. It also recorded one oil spill of 34 barrels, and that environmental regulations and oil spill response plans for the fields and pipeline had not been approved. A complaint to the IFC's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) in 2011 led to a mediated agreement with the operator on 16 January 2017.","On 13 December 2021 ExxonMobil agreed to sell its Chad and Cameroon upstream and pipeline portfolio to Savannah Energy for US$407 million; Savannah declared the deal closed on 9 December 2022. On 23 March 2023 a presidential decree nationalised the assets of Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc. and Esso Pipeline Investments Ltd. Savannah's subsidiaries began arbitration. As of 25 August 2026 Savannah's subsidiaries claim in excess of US$775 million for the nationalisation, Chad has counterclaimed approximately US$699.1 million, and Savannah expects the main proceedings to conclude in the second half of 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":1999,"t":"Petroleum Revenue Management Law passed; escrow account for oil revenue set up in London","src":2},{"y":2000,"t":"World Bank Board approves the project (June); EIB approves its financing (July); consortium pays Chad a US$25 million bonus (August)","src":2},{"y":2001,"t":"Request for Inspection submitted (22 Mar)","src":1},{"y":2002,"t":"Inspection Panel report to the Board (17 Jul); Board approves Management's action plan (12 Sep)","src":1},{"y":2003,"t":"Oil exports begin (October)","src":2},{"y":2005,"t":"Chad amends the revenue law (29 Dec); World Bank suspends disbursements about a week later","src":2},{"y":2006,"t":"Memorandum of Understanding between Chad and the World Bank (July)","src":2},{"y":2008,"t":"Chad repays its World Bank balances (5 Sep)","src":2},{"y":2011,"t":"Complaint filed with the IFC's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (October)","src":5},{"y":2012,"t":"IFC exits the project after its loan is repaid","src":5},{"y":2017,"t":"Mediated agreement between the operator and the complainant organisations (16 Jan)","src":5},{"y":2020,"t":"CAO case closes (May)","src":5},{"y":2021,"t":"ExxonMobil signs the sale of its Chad and Cameroon assets to Savannah Energy (13 Dec)","src":8},{"y":2022,"t":"Savannah declares the US$407 million acquisition closed (9 Dec)","src":8},{"y":2023,"t":"Presidential decree nationalises the assets (23 Mar); minister defends the law before the National Transition Council (29 Mar); Savannah's subsidiaries start arbitration","src":9},{"y":2026,"t":"Savannah expects the main arbitration proceedings to conclude in H2 2026 (update of 25 Aug)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"The Bank therefore concluded that it could not continue to support this project under these circumstances.","who":"World Bank statement, republished by climate-diplomacy.org","when":"September 2008","src":3},{"q":"the principal reason for its overall disappointing outcome was the lack of government ownership.","who":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","when":"16 September 2009","src":2},{"q":"the revenue lockbox turned out to be made of tissue paper","who":"An interlocutor quoted by the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","when":"2009","src":2},{"q":"The rigidity of the oil revenue management mechanism and the World Bank's lack of flexibility … became a straight jacket","who":"Government of Chad, Ministry of Economy and Planning, borrower comments annexed to the IEG assessment","when":"2009","src":2},{"q":"without respect for the laws of the Republic","who":"Djerassem Le Bémadjiel, Minister of Hydrocarbons, on the transfer of Esso's assets to Savannah, before the National Transition Council","when":"29 March 2023","src":11,"translated":"French"},{"q":"direct breach of the Conventions","who":"Savannah Energy, on Chad's actions","when":"March 2023","src":10}],"shown":["World Bank (September 2008): the arrangements behind its involvement \"were not working\".","Government of Chad (2009): the World Bank took a \"unilateral decision to disengage from the project\".","Government of Chad (March 2023): the transfer to Savannah was made without respect for the laws of the Republic and Savannah lacked the technical and financial capacity to run the pipeline.","Savannah Energy (August 2026): it \"remains ready and willing to discuss with the Government of the Republic of Chad an amicable solution\" and calls Chad's counterclaims \"baseless and without merit\"."],"recorded":[{"t":"IEG recorded one oil spill, of 34 barrels, contained within a few hours.","src":2},{"t":"IEG recorded that environmental regulations for the oil fields and pipeline, and the oil spill response plans in both countries, had not been approved, and that there was no government presence in the oil fields for monitoring or reporting.","src":2},{"t":"About 900 households lost access to more than 20% of their land; 509 of 549 well pads had been restored to the dimensions committed to in the Environmental Management Plan (Barclay-Koppert report, cited by IEG).","src":2},{"t":"Compensation paid in the oil-field area by 2002 was CFAF 248 million (approximately US$350,000), of which 22% was paid in kind.","src":0},{"t":"Government oil revenue in 2003–08 was almost US$4.4 billion against a projection of about US$250 million in direct revenue for 2005–08.","src":2},{"t":"The 2017 agreement between the operator and the complainant organisations lists compensation, a hydrological study, removal of left-over materials and rehabilitation of wells and rural tracks, with no amounts published.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Restoration of well pads","amount":null,"note":"509 of 549 well pads restored to committed dimensions; no cost stated."},{"label":"Compensation for land and trees in the oil-field area, to 2002","amount":0.35,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"to 2002","note":"CFAF 248 million, Management's figure as reported by the Inspection Panel; 22% paid in kind."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"World Bank (IBRD) loan, 2002","amount":39.5,"window":"2002"},{"label":"IFC loan, 2002","amount":100,"window":"2002"},{"label":"Initial bonus from the consortium to Chad","amount":25,"window":"2000"},{"label":"Government oil revenue, 2003–08","amount":4400,"qualifier":"almost","window":"2003–08","note":"IEG figure."},{"label":"Early repayment of World Bank balances","amount":65.7,"window":"2008","note":"IEG figure; Chad's Ministry of Economy and Planning gives US$67.5 million."},{"label":"Sale price, ExxonMobil to Savannah Energy","amount":407,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Savannah subsidiaries' claim for the nationalisation","amount":775,"qualifier":"in excess of","window":"as of Aug 2026","note":"Plus interest estimated at in excess of US$215 million, and costs."},{"label":"Chad's counterclaims","amount":699.1,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"as of Aug 2026","note":"Without interest and costs."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil spill recorded by IEG","v":"34 barrels","d":"One spill, contained within a few hours (IEG, 2009)"},{"k":"Households losing land access","v":"about 900","d":"More than 20% of their land each (Barclay-Koppert report, cited by IEG)"},{"k":"Well pads restored","v":"509 of 549","d":"To the dimensions committed to in the Environmental Management Plan"},{"k":"Infill wells beyond the original assessment","v":"up to 400","d":"Not foreseen in the original Environmental Impact Assessment (IEG)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"World Bank Inspection Panel investigation (2002), World Bank IEG assessment (2009) and the CAO conclusion report (2020).","report":[{"t":"My oil-field land in the Doba basin received one recorded oil spill of 34 barrels, contained within a few hours, according to the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (2009).","src":2},{"t":"In August 2006 the project's environmental management team raised a Level 1 non-compliance for excessive flaring above my fields.","src":2},{"t":"A study cited by IEG concluded the project failed to achieve its objective of minimizing its impact on land; about 900 households lost access to more than 20% of their land, and 509 of 549 well pads had been restored to the dimensions committed to.","src":2},{"t":"In 2002 the Inspection Panel found that a main water source of mine had been contaminated with sediment from road-construction runoff.","src":0},{"t":"Infill drilling of up to 400 more wells, not foreseen in the original Environmental Impact Assessment, enlarges the footprint on my land.","src":2},{"t":"In 2011 complainants to the IFC's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman listed pollution of soils and waters among their complaints.","src":6}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: compensation amounts and the number of beneficiaries under the 2017 agreement between the operator and the complainant organisations (CAO conclusion report, January 2020).","Unclear: the Nya river bridge hydrological study was still being planned, and removal of left-over materials and sharing of water studies were in progress, at the time of the CAO conclusion report (January 2020).","None on record: approved environmental regulations for the oil fields and pipeline, and approved oil spill response plans in both countries (IEG, 2009); IEG also states there is no government presence in the oil fields for monitoring or reporting purposes and that TOTCO is self-regulating.","None on record: an environmental liability figure, a sale price or a compensation amount in the Minister of Hydrocarbons' address of 29 March 2023, as reported by tchadinfos.","Self-reported only: Savannah states that, as of 25 August 2026, no compensation has been paid by the Government of Chad, although the government has acknowledged the right of Savannah's subsidiaries to compensation.","Figures differ: IEG gives Chad's 5 September 2008 repayment as US$65.7 million; Chad's Ministry of Economy and Planning gives US$67.5 million.","None on record: insurance covering environmental damage at the Doba fields."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Production at Doba continued after the nationalisation, at about 28,000 barrels per day from seven producing fields (March 2023).","whoPaid":"Households in the oil-field area received compensation of CFAF 248 million by 2002; no payment for harm to nature is on record.","statusLine":"As of 25 August 2026: arbitration between Savannah's subsidiaries and the Republic of Chad pending before ICC tribunals; Savannah expects the main proceedings to conclude in H2 2026.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"world-bank","says":"The arrangements behind its involvement \"were not working\"; the Bank \"could not continue to support this project under these circumstances\".","when":"September 2008","src":3},{"actor":"chad-government","says":"Described the World Bank's \"unilateral decision to disengage from the project\"; said the 2005 amendment was not unilateral because it was made at the behest of civil society groups and by the Assembly.","when":"2009","src":2},{"actor":"chad-government","says":"The transfer of Esso's assets to Savannah was made without respect for the laws of the Republic; Savannah lacks the technical and financial capacity to run the pipeline.","when":"29 March 2023","src":11},{"actor":"savannah-energy","says":"Chad's actions are a \"direct breach of the Conventions\"; remains ready and willing to discuss an amicable solution; calls Chad's counterclaims \"baseless and without merit\".","when":"March 2023 and August 2026","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Lender; set the revenue-law and safeguard conditions; withdrew in 2008"},{"id":"world-bank-inspection-panel","role":"Investigated the Request for Inspection (Case 22)"},{"id":"world-bank-ieg","role":"Evaluated the programme in 2009"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Lender; exited in 2012"},{"id":"cao","role":"Handled the 2011 complaint; mediated agreement 2017"},{"id":"eib","role":"Lender"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Consortium member; sold its assets to Savannah"},{"id":"petronas","role":"Consortium member"},{"id":"chevron","role":"Consortium member"},{"id":"chad-government","role":"Host government; nationalised the assets in 2023"},{"id":"savannah-energy","role":"Buyer of ExxonMobil's assets; claimant in arbitration"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Amount Chad repaid to the World Bank on 5 September 2008","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","says":"US$65.7 million.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Chad, Ministry of Economy and Planning","says":"US$ 67,5 millions.","src":2}]},{"point":"Whether the 2005 amendment of the Petroleum Revenue Management Law was unilateral","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","says":"The amendment was unilateral; the Government's position is \"not supported by the timing and tone of the letters sent to the Bank (and the IMF) in 2005\".","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Chad","says":"The amendment was not unilateral: it was made at the behest of civil society groups opposed to the Fund, and by the Assembly.","src":2}]},{"point":"When infill drilling began","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IFC","says":"2005.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"EEPCI (the operator)","says":"Mid-2008; the wells drilled in 2003–08 were development wells within the original spacing pattern.","src":2}]},{"point":"Whether the sale to Savannah and the nationalisation complied with the conventions","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Chad","says":"The sale ignored Chad's objections and right of first refusal and breached Article 30(1), which requires the State's prior approval of any transfer of petroleum assets.","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"Savannah Energy","says":"Chad's actions are a direct breach of the Conventions; the claims and counterclaims are pending before ICC tribunals.","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Inspection Panel Case 22: Request for Inspection on the Chad Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project","forum":"World Bank Inspection Panel","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Ngarlejy Yorongar (member of parliament) and more than 100 residents","defendant":"World Bank Management","filed":2001,"decided":2002,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Investigation Report No. 23999 of 17 July 2002 found non-compliance with OD 4.01 (Environmental Assessment: spatial context, regional and cumulative assessment, baseline data, environmental costs and benefits of alternatives, institutional capacity), OP 10.04 (Economic Evaluation) and OD 4.15 (Poverty Reduction), and compliance on EA categorisation, Natural Habitats, Forests, Involuntary Resettlement (OD 4.30) and Pest Management; OD 4.20 (Indigenous Peoples) was found not applicable. The Board approved Management's action plan, including a Regional Development Plan and closer supervision, on 12 September 2002.","src":0},{"title":"IFC CAO case Chad: Chad-Cameroon Pipeline-03/Doba","forum":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"GRAMPTC, CPPN, CPPL, ROSOC, RESAP-MC, EPOZOP and ADICAM","defendant":"The operator (EEPCI), IFC client","filed":2011,"decided":2020,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Complaint filed 20 October 2011 (letter dated 10 October 2011). A mediated agreement with EEPCI was signed on 16 January 2017, covering compensation for farmers near facilities and for families affected by erosion, a hydrological study of the Nya river bridge, removal of left-over materials, rehabilitation of wells and rural tracks, and school equipment. Dispute resolution closed in January 2020; a compliance appraisal in May 2020 found no investigation merited. The CAO left security and oil-revenue management out of the mediation because they needed the government's participation.","src":5},{"title":"SCI v. Republic of Chad (Doba rights; nationalisation)","forum":"ICC arbitration","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"SCI and SMIL, subsidiaries of Savannah Energy","defendant":"Republic of Chad","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":775,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed, in excess of; plus interest estimated at in excess of 215, and costs"},"summary":"Chad's counterclaims are approximately US$699.1 million without interest and costs. Savannah expects the SCI and SMIL cases to conclude in H2 2026. JPT reported in March 2023 that ICC arbiters had ruled for Savannah in a first round on 7 January.","src":7},{"title":"SMIL arbitration over COTCo (Cameroon pipeline company)","forum":"ICC arbitration","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"arbitration","claimant":"SMIL, subsidiary of Savannah Energy","defendant":"Republic of Chad","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":330,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed, approximately; plus interest in excess of 67, and costs"},"summary":"Counterclaims by the Republic of Chad, SHT Overseas Petroleum (Cameroon), COTCo and others in the COTCo case are approximately US$58.7 million.","src":7},{"title":"Designates of SHT v. SCI (Doba joint operating agreement)","forum":"ICC arbitration","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Designates of SHT","defendant":"SCI (Savannah Energy subsidiary)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":136.9,"currency":"USD","label":"upper end of the claimed range of 110.9 to 136.9, for alleged breaches of the Doba joint operating agreement"},"summary":"Expected to conclude in H1 2027, according to Savannah's update of 25 August 2026.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":34,"unit":"barrels","year":2009,"note":"The one spill recorded by IEG; contained within a few hours."},{"key":"households_lost_land_access","value":900,"unit":"households","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lost access to more than 20% of their land (Barclay-Koppert report, cited by IEG)."},{"key":"well_pads_restored","value":509,"unit":"of 549 well pads","year":2009,"note":"Restored to the dimensions committed to in the Environmental Management Plan."},{"key":"wells_planned","value":300,"unit":"wells","year":2002,"note":"Original plan in three Doba fields; infill drilling could mean about 700–800 wells (ECMG, 2009)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":248,"unit":"CFAF m","year":2002,"note":"About US$350,000; 22% (CFAF 54 million) paid in kind as 472 items."},{"key":"area_ha","value":828,"unit":"ha","year":2002,"note":"Land acquired from 588 project-affected persons in 618 acquisitions; 561 ha (68%) treated as unoccupied bush land."},{"key":"loan_ibrd","value":39.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2002},{"key":"loan_ifc","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2002,"note":"CAO also lists a US$100 million B loan syndicated to more than 15 commercial banks."},{"key":"loan_eib","value":144,"unit":"EUR m","year":2000,"note":"EUR 20.3 million to Chad, EUR 35.7 million to Cameroon (risk capital) and EUR 88 million own resources to the consortium; EIB gives total project cost as EUR 4 billion."},{"key":"bonus_paid","value":25,"unit":"USD m","year":2000,"note":"Initial bonus from the consortium to Chad."},{"key":"fund_balance","value":36,"unit":"USD m","year":2005,"note":"Future Generations Fund balance used to finance the deficit when the fund was abolished."},{"key":"repayment","value":65.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"note":"IEG figure; Chad's Ministry of Economy and Planning gives US$67.5 million."},{"key":"revenue","value":4400,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Government oil revenue 2003–08 (IEG)."},{"key":"priority_sector_share","value":58,"unit":"%","year":2007,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of resources spent on priority sectors, against the 70% set in the 2006 MOU; IEG attributes the shortfall mainly to higher military spending."},{"key":"sale_price","value":407,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"ExxonMobil to Savannah Energy; includes a 40% interest in the Doba project and a 40% indirect interest in the export pipeline system."},{"key":"oil_production_barrels_per_day","value":28000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Seven producing fields at Doba combined."},{"key":"claim","value":775,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"in excess of","note":"SCI and SMIL claim for the nationalisation; interest estimated at in excess of US$215 million."},{"key":"claim","value":330,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"SMIL claim over COTCo; interest in excess of US$67 million."},{"key":"counterclaim","value":699.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Chad's counterclaims, without interest and costs."},{"key":"counterclaim","value":58.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Counterclaims in the COTCo case."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Bank Group and the EIB helped finance the Doba oil fields and the Chad–Cameroon pipeline on environmental and revenue-use conditions; Chad changed the revenue law in 2005 and repaid the World Bank early in 2008, and in 2023 nationalised the assets ExxonMobil had sold to Savannah Energy, which brought arbitration.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Chad","what":"Oil revenue of almost US$4.4 billion in 2003–08, 17 times the World Bank's projection for direct revenue (IEG)","src":2},{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"US$407 million sale price for its Chad and Cameroon portfolio, closed 9 December 2022","src":8},{"who":"Operator and complainant organisations","what":"Compensation, studies and rehabilitation under the 2017 agreement; no amounts published","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Savannah Energy","what":"Assets nationalised on 23 March 2023; claims in excess of US$775 million; states no compensation paid as of 25 August 2026","src":7},{"who":"Government of Chad","what":"Faces Savannah's claims and has counterclaimed approximately US$699.1 million","src":7}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 900 households in the oil-field area","what":"Lost access to more than 20% of their land","src":2},{"who":"Community water source in the oil-field area","what":"A main water source contaminated with sediment from road-construction runoff (2002)","src":0},{"who":"Land of the Doba fields","what":"One recorded oil spill of 34 barrels; infill drilling of up to 400 more wells beyond the original assessment","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Doba basin oil fields in Logone Oriental, southern Chad, and an export pipeline of more than 1,000 km through Cameroon to an offshore loading facility near Kribi.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Revenue law 1999; World Bank approval June 2000; exports from October 2003; revenue law amended 29 December 2005; early repayment 5 September 2008; sale agreed 13 December 2021; nationalisation 23 March 2023; arbitration pending as of 25 August 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The World Bank said the arrangements behind its involvement were not working; IEG gave the lack of government ownership as the principal reason for the disappointing outcome; the Government of Chad cited the rigidity of the revenue mechanism and rebel attacks in April 2006 and February 2008 as the reason for higher defence spending. Chad said the 2023 nationalisation followed a sale made without respect for its laws.","src":2},"how":{"t":"An escrow account in London held oil export revenue under the 1999 law; the 2005 amendment abolished the Future Generations Fund and widened the priority sectors; the World Bank suspended disbursements, a 2006 Memorandum of Understanding followed, and Chad repaid its balances in 2008. In 2023 a presidential decree nationalised the Esso entities' assets.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Investigation Report No. 23999: Chad: Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project, Management of the Petroleum Economy Project, Petroleum Sector Management Capacity Building Project","p":"World Bank Inspection Panel","d":"2002-07-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.inspectionpanel.org/sites/default/files/ip/PanelCases/22-Investigation%20Report%20%28English%29.pdf"},{"t":"Chad-Cameroon Pipeline Project: Outcome of Inspection Panel's investigation","p":"World Bank Inspection Panel","d":"2002-09-12","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://inspectionpanel.org/news/chad-cameroon-pipeline-project-outcome-inspection-panels-investigation"},{"t":"Program Performance Assessment Report No. 50315: The World Bank Group Program of Support for the Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Construction (with Government of Chad borrower comments)","p":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","d":"2009-09-16","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/565481468224677215/pdf/503150PPAR0P05101Official0use0only1.pdf"},{"t":"World Bank cancels oil deal with Chad (republishes the World Bank statement of 9 September 2008)","p":"climate-diplomacy.org (adelphi)","d":"2008-09-09","type":"press","u":"https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/environment/world-bank-cancels-oil-deal-chad"},{"t":"Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline (topical brief)","p":"European Investment Bank","d":"2009","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.eib.org/en/press/topical-briefs/all/chad-cameroon-oil-pipeline"},{"t":"Chad: Chad-Cameroon Pipeline-03/Doba (case page)","p":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","d":"2020","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/cases/chad-chad-cameroon-pipeline-03doba"},{"t":"Rapport de conclusion, résolution des différends, Tchad (Conclusion report, dispute resolution, Chad)","p":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC/MIGA)","d":"2020-01","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/sites/default/files/downloads/CAODRConclusionReport-Chad_Jan2020-French.pdf"},{"t":"7M Operational and Financial Update","p":"Savannah Energy PLC","d":"2026-08-25","type":"company","u":"https://www.savannah-energy.com/application/files/8317/8764/1293/2026_08_25_7M_Operational_and_Financial_Update.pdf"},{"t":"Savannah Energy completes $407 million Exxon Mobil acquisition and re-admission","p":"Perivan","d":"2022-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.perivan.com/resources/news/savannah-energy-completes-407-million-exxon-mobil-acquisition-and-re-admission/"},{"t":"Chad Nationalizes Doba Project, Derails Exxon's Asset Sale to Savannah Energy","p":"Journal of Petroleum Technology (SPE)","d":"2023-03-28","type":"press","u":"https://jpt.spe.org/chad-nationalizes-doba-project-derails-exxons-asset-sale-to-savannah-energy"},{"t":"Chad says it has nationalised all assets owned by Exxon Mobil","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2023-03-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/24/chad-says-it-has-nationalized-all-assets-owned-by-exxon-mobil"},{"t":"Djerassem Le Bémadjiel s'explique devant les conseillers nationaux au sujet de la nationalisation des actifs et droits d'Esso Tchad (Le Bémadjiel explains himself to the national councillors on the nationalisation of Esso Chad's assets and rights)","p":"Tchadinfos","d":"2023-03-29","type":"press","u":"https://tchadinfos.com/2023/03/29/djerassem-le-bemadjiel-sexplique-devant-les-conseillers-nationaux-au-sujet-de-la-nationalisation-des-actifs-et-droits-desso-tchad/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["cnpc-bongor-basin-crude-dumping-fine","glencore-badila-produced-water-spill-2018"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"When infill drilling began","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Restoration of well pads — 509 of 549 well pads restored to committed dimensions; no cost stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Amount Chad repaid to the World Bank on 5 September 2008","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the 2005 amendment of the Petroleum Revenue Management Law was unilateral","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the sale to Savannah and the nationalisation complied with the conventions","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Inspection Panel Case 22: Request for Inspection on the Chad Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: compensation amounts and the number of beneficiaries under the 2017 agreement between the operator and the complainant organisations (CAO conclusion report, January 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the Nya river bridge hydrological study was still being planned, and removal of left-over materials and sharing of water studies were in progress, at the time of the CAO conclusion report (January 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: approved environmental regulations for the oil fields and pipeline, and approved oil spill response plans in both countries (IEG, 2009); IEG also states there is no government presence in the oil fields for monitoring or reporting purposes and that TOTCO is self-regulating.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an environmental liability figure, a sale price or a compensation amount in the Minister of Hydrocarbons' address of 29 March 2023, as reported by tchadinfos.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Savannah states that, as of 25 August 2026, no compensation has been paid by the Government of Chad, although the government has acknowledged the right of Savannah's subsidiaries to compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: IEG gives Chad's 5 September 2008 repayment as US$65.7 million; Chad's Ministry of Economy and Planning gives US$67.5 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance covering environmental damage at the Doba fields.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 4 has no attribution"]},{"id":"cnpc-bongor-basin-crude-dumping-fine","title":"CNPC crude dumping in the Bongor basin: US$1.2 billion fine and US$400 million settlement","dek":"Chad suspended the operations of a CNPC unit in 2013 after crude oil was found dumped in pits at Koudalwa, fined it US$1.2 billion in March 2014 and withdrew five exploration permits. A settlement of US$400 million was signed in October 2014; no court ruled on liability.","country":"Chad","region":"Africa","lat":10.4,"lon":15.9,"places":[{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","admin":"Koudalwa area, Bongor basin (Permit H)","lat":10.4,"lon":15.9,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2015,"eventDate":"2013-07","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Government fine of March 2014 vs settlement of October 2014","value":"US$1.2bn vs US$400m","note":"The fine was imposed by Chad's Environment Minister and contested by CNPC; the settlement was negotiated. No court ruled on liability."},"happened":["In July 2013 crude oil was found dumped in pits at Koudalwa, in the Bongor basin of southern Chad, about 200 km south of N'Djamena, where a unit of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) operated Permit H. On 13 August 2013 Chad suspended all operations of the CNPC unit. Oil Minister Djerassem Le Bemadjiel told AFP: \"they intentionally let it spill in order to cut costs\", and said the company lacked clean-up equipment and had local workers remove the oil without protective gear. The suspension was lifted in October 2013.","In March 2014 the Environment Minister fined CNPC International Chad (CNPCIC) US$1.2 billion. A May 2014 letter, as reported by AFP, cited \"a serious violation of regulations on the protection of the environment\" and said several dozen sites \"have been subjected to dumping harmful to the environment\". On 21 May 2014 all CNPC exploration and drilling was suspended. A decree of early August 2014 withdrew five exploration permits, and on 8 August 2014 a complaint was filed at the N'Djamena Court of First Instance.","CNPC denied breaking environmental rules, asked for cancellation of the decision and said the government had not provided a breakdown of damages. It described the leaked oil as a small amount and said its own analysis showed no penetration into groundwater. On 24 October 2014 a settlement protocol was signed: CNPC paid US$400 million, the state took a 10% stake in all producing fields, the five permits were returned on new terms with Chad as a shareholder, and the ICC Paris proceedings and the N'Djamena complaint were withdrawn. A production sharing contract for Permit H followed on 7 November 2014, and CNPC exports through the Chad–Cameroon pipeline began in January 2015.","The EITI Chad 2014 report records that CNPCI described the US$400 million as a signature bonus of US$350 million plus US$50 million for a social fund, while the Treasury declared it as an environmental penalty. The EITI scoping study states the sum was paid by Cliveden, CNPC's partner in Permit H, and that it, with US$100 million from settling Chevron's tax liabilities, made up 25% of oil-sector receipts in 2014."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Crude found dumped in pits at Koudalwa (July); operations of CNPC's local unit suspended (13 Aug); suspension lifted (October)","src":3},{"y":2014,"t":"US$1.2 billion fine (March); exploration and drilling suspended (21 May); five permits withdrawn by decree (early August); complaint filed in N'Djamena (8 Aug); settlement protocol signed (24 Oct); production sharing contract for Permit H (7 Nov)","src":10},{"y":2015,"t":"CNPC exports through the Chad–Cameroon pipeline begin (January)","src":1},{"y":2018,"t":"Five-party MOU of 7 January records the government's outstanding debt at US$259.5 million","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"they intentionally let it spill in order to cut costs","who":"Djerassem Le Bemadjiel, Oil Minister, to AFP","when":"August 2013","src":3},{"q":"We found flagrant violations of environmental standards by the company","who":"Djerassem Le Bemadjiel, Oil Minister, on state radio (Reuters)","when":"August 2013","src":4},{"q":"Amicable negotiations are no longer possible.","who":"Abdoulaye Sabre, Government Secretary-General","when":"August 2014","src":8},{"q":"cancellation of this decision and an ongoing effort to resolve this negotiation amicably","who":"CNPC, as quoted by Reuters","when":"August 2014","src":7},{"q":"In addition to the 400 million dollars, the Chadian State will take a 10% stake","who":"Oil Minister, after the settlement, as reported by Jeune Afrique","when":"October 2014","src":10,"translated":"French"}],"shown":["Chad's Oil Minister (August 2013): the company intentionally let the oil spill to cut costs and its behaviour was unacceptable.","Chad's government (May 2014 letter, as reported by AFP): several dozen sites subjected to dumping harmful to the environment; polluted sites filled without prior treatment.","CNPC (August 2014): a small amount of oil leaked, its own analysis showed no penetration into groundwater, and it had not broken environmental rules.","Chad's Oil Minister (October 2014): the state would take a 10% stake in addition to the US$400 million."],"recorded":[{"t":"Chad's government fined CNPC International Chad US$1.2 billion in March 2014; CNPC contested it.","src":5},{"t":"A settlement of US$400 million was signed on 24 October 2014; the N'Djamena complaint was withdrawn and the ICC Paris proceedings ended without an award.","src":10},{"t":"The company recorded the US$400 million as a US$350 million signature bonus and US$50 million for a social fund; the Treasury recorded it as an environmental penalty.","src":0},{"t":"Extraordinary receipts, the US$400 million and US$100 million from settling Chevron's tax liabilities, were 25% of oil-sector receipts in 2014.","src":1},{"t":"No court ruled on liability.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2014","nature":[{"label":"Spending on remediation of the dumping sites","amount":null,"note":"None on record; the EITI 2014 report records the payment without a remediation allocation."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Fine imposed by the Environment Minister, March 2014","amount":1200,"window":"2014","note":"Contested by CNPC."},{"label":"Settlement payment, October 2014","amount":400,"window":"2014","note":"Company: US$350 million signature bonus plus US$50 million social fund; Treasury: environmental penalty."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fine imposed","v":"US$1.2bn","d":"March 2014; contested by CNPC"},{"k":"Settlement paid","v":"US$400m","d":"October 2014; classified differently by the company and the Treasury"},{"k":"Sites with dumping","v":"several dozen","d":"According to Chad's government; CNPC described a small amount of leaked oil"},{"k":"State stake in producing fields","v":"10%","d":"Under the October 2014 settlement"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements by Chad's government and by CNPC, 2013–2014.","report":[{"t":"In July 2013 crude oil was found dumped in pits at Koudalwa in my Bongor basin.","src":1},{"t":"Chad's government reported in May 2014 that several dozen of my sites had been subjected to dumping harmful to the environment, and that polluted sites had been filled without prior treatment.","src":6},{"t":"CNPC said in August 2014 that the leaked oil was a small amount and that its own analysis showed no penetration into my groundwater.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the scale of the dumping. Chad's government reported dumping at several dozen sites; CNPC described a small amount of leaked oil with no penetration into groundwater.","Figures differ: AFP gives the March 2014 fine as US$1.2 billion (EUR 880 million); Financial Afrik gives it as EUR 800 million.","Disputed: CNPC stated that the government had not provided a breakdown of damages to justify the claim.","None on record: a court ruling on liability. The N'Djamena complaint was withdrawn and the ICC Paris proceedings ended in the settlement without an award.","None on record: independent measurement of the volume spilled, the area affected, soil or groundwater contamination, or the clean-up result.","None on record: spending of any part of the US$400 million on remediation; the EITI 2014 report records the discrepancy in how the payment was classified and does not say any of it went to remediation.","None on record: insurance covering the dumping."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The operations of CNPC's local unit were suspended from 13 August to October 2013, and exploration and drilling from 21 May 2014. CNPC exports through the Chad–Cameroon pipeline began in January 2015.","whoPaid":"Cliveden, CNPC's partner in Permit H, paid the US$400 million settlement according to the EITI scoping study; the Treasury recorded it as an environmental penalty. How much, if any, went to the affected sites is not on record.","statusLine":"As of the 7 January 2018 MOU recorded by AidData: the October 2014 settlement in force; no court ruled on liability.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"cnpc","says":"Denied breaking environmental rules, called the leaked oil a small amount with no penetration into groundwater, asked for cancellation of the decision and an amicable resolution, and said the government had not provided a breakdown of damages.","when":"August 2014","src":7},{"actor":"chad-government","says":"Oil Minister: the company intentionally let the oil spill to cut costs; its behaviour was unacceptable. The permit withdrawal was to avoid further environmental degradation, not to make place for other companies.","when":"August 2013 and August 2014","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"cnpc","role":"Parent of the operating unit CNPC International Chad"},{"id":"chad-government","role":"Suspended operations, imposed the fine, withdrew permits, signed the settlement"},{"id":"cliveden-petroleum","role":"CNPC's partner in Permit H; paid the US$400 million according to the EITI scoping study"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether CNPC broke environmental rules","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Chad's Oil Minister","says":"\"We found flagrant violations of environmental standards by the company\"; the company intentionally let the oil spill to cut costs.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"CNPC","says":"Denied breaking environmental rules and asked for cancellation of the decision.","src":7}]},{"point":"Scale of the dumping","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Chad's government","says":"Dumping at several dozen sites.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"CNPC","says":"A small amount of leaked oil; its own analysis showed no penetration into groundwater.","src":7}]},{"point":"What the US$400 million payment was","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"CNPCI","says":"A signature bonus of US$350 million and US$50 million for a social fund.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Chad's Treasury","says":"An environmental penalty.","src":0}]},{"point":"Size and form of the state's stake","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Jeune Afrique; EITI","says":"A 10% stake in producing fields.","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"EITI scoping study","says":"A 25% production-sharing share in fields in the exploration phase; AidData describes the 25% as a back-in option.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Administrative sanctions against CNPC International Chad","forum":"Ministry of Petroleum; Ministry of Environment, Chad","country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Government of Chad","defendant":"CNPC International Chad (CNPCIC)","filed":2013,"decided":2014,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":1200,"currency":"USD","label":"fine imposed, March 2014"},"summary":"Suspension of all operations, August to October 2013; fine of US$1.2 billion, March 2014; suspension of exploration and drilling, 21 May 2014; withdrawal of five permits by decree, August 2014. The sanctions were resolved by the October 2014 settlement protocol.","src":5},{"title":"Complaint at the N'Djamena Court of First Instance","forum":"N'Djamena Court of First Instance","country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","kind":"civil","claimant":"Chad's petroleum ministry","defendant":"CNPC International Chad","filed":2014,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Complaint filed on 8 August 2014 for \"dégradation de l'environnement et mise en danger de la vie d'autrui\" (environmental degradation and endangering the lives of others); withdrawn under the October 2014 settlement. No judgment.","src":9},{"title":"ICC arbitration over the unpaid fine","forum":"ICC International Court of Arbitration, Paris","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Government of Chad","defendant":"CNPC","filed":null,"decided":2014,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Chad's claim over the unpaid fine ended with the October 2014 settlement. No award.","src":10}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Imposed by the Environment Minister in March 2014; contested by CNPC."},{"key":"settlement","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Signed 24 October 2014; paid, according to the EITI scoping study, by Cliveden."},{"key":"signature_bonus","value":350,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"As recorded by the company in the EITI 2014 report."},{"key":"social_fund","value":50,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Endowment of a social development fund under the production sharing contract (EITI 2014 report)."},{"key":"state_stake_producing_fields","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2014,"note":"Taken by the state in all producing fields under the settlement."},{"key":"oil_sector_receipts_share","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2014,"note":"Share of oil-sector receipts from extraordinary items: the US$400 million and US$100 million from settling Chevron's tax liabilities."},{"key":"debt_outstanding","value":259.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Government debt recorded in the five-party MOU of 7 January 2018 relating to cash advances to SHT."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chad suspended a CNPC unit after crude oil was found dumped in pits at Koudalwa, fined it US$1.2 billion and withdrew its exploration permits, then settled for US$400 million and stakes in the fields; the company and the Treasury recorded the payment under different headings.","src":10},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Chad","what":"US$400 million settlement payment and a 10% stake in all producing fields; extraordinary receipts were 25% of oil-sector receipts in 2014","src":1},{"who":"SHT","what":"10% of the CNPCI production permit","src":1},{"who":"CNPC","what":"The five cancelled permits returned on new terms and the right to export crude from seven fields through the Chad–Cameroon pipeline","src":10}],"lost":[{"who":"CNPC and Cliveden","what":"US$400 million paid under the settlement","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sites at Koudalwa and other locations in the Bongor basin","what":"Crude oil dumped in pits; several dozen sites according to Chad's government","src":6},{"who":"Local workers","what":"According to Chad's Oil Minister, they removed oil without protective gear","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Koudalwa area, Bongor basin (Permit H), southern Chad, about 200 km south of N'Djamena; fields named include Rônier, Mimosa and Baobab.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Dumping found July 2013; suspension 13 August 2013; fine March 2014; permits withdrawn August 2014; settlement protocol 24 October 2014.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Chad's Oil Minister said the company intentionally let the oil spill to cut costs and lacked clean-up equipment. CNPC denied breaking environmental rules.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Chad imposed administrative sanctions, filed a complaint in N'Djamena and pursued ICC arbitration; a settlement protocol ended the proceedings with a US$400 million payment and state stakes.","src":10}},"sources":[{"t":"Rapport ITIE Tchad – Année 2014 (EITI Chad Report – Year 2014)","p":"ITIE Tchad / Moore Stephens","d":"2016-12","type":"official","u":"https://api.eiti.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2014_report.pdf"},{"t":"Étude de cadrage ITIE, exercice fiscal 2014, rapport final (EITI scoping study, fiscal year 2014)","p":"ITIE Tchad","d":"2016","type":"official","u":"https://api.eiti.org/sites/default/files/attachments/tchad-rapport_etude_de_cadrage_2014_v3_jt2.pdf"},{"t":"Project 104629: CNPC cash advances to Government of Chad (compiles EITI Chad and contract documents)","p":"AidData (William & Mary)","d":"2018","type":"academic","u":"https://china.aiddata.org/projects/104629"},{"t":"Chad suspends Chinese oil company for environmental violations (AFP)","p":"Fox News","d":"2013-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.foxnews.com/world/chad-suspends-chinese-oil-company-for-environmental-violations"},{"t":"Chad suspends China's CNPC for environmental violations (Reuters)","p":"Stabroek News","d":"2013-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.stabroeknews.com/?p=254481"},{"t":"Chad suspends CNPC exploration and drilling","p":"BusinessDay (Nigeria)","d":"2014-05-23","type":"press","u":"https://businessday.ng/?p=48490"},{"t":"Chad suspends work by Chinese oil company CNPC (AFP)","p":"Energy Daily","d":"2014-05-23","type":"press","u":"https://energy-daily.com/chad-suspends-work-by-chinese-oil-company-cnpc-999/"},{"t":"CNPC asks Chad to drop $1.2 bln claim over oil dumping (Reuters)","p":"BizNews","d":"2014-08-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.biznews.com/africa/cnpc-asks-chad-drop-1-2-bln-claim-oil-dumping"},{"t":"Chad withdraws Chinese exploration permits","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2014-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2014/8/10/chad-withdraws-chinese-exploration-permits"},{"t":"Tchad: le bras de fer avec la chinoise CNPC se durcit (Chad: the standoff with China's CNPC hardens)","p":"Financial Afrik","d":"2014-08-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.financialafrik.com/2014/08/10/tchad-le-bras-de-fer-avec-la-chinoise-cnpc-se-durcit/"},{"t":"Le Tchad a conclu un accord de 400 millions de dollars avec la compagnie pétrolière chinoise CNPC (Chad has concluded a 400 million dollar agreement with the Chinese oil company CNPC) (Jeune Afrique)","p":"Alwihda Info","d":"2014-10-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.alwihdainfo.com/le-tchad-a-conclu-un-accord-de-400-millions-de-dollars-avec-la-compagnie-petroliere-chinoise-cnpc-a13308/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chad-cameroon-pipeline-doba-world-bank","glencore-badila-produced-water-spill-2018"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether CNPC broke environmental rules","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Scale of the dumping","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Spending on remediation of the dumping sites — None on record; the EITI 2014 report records the payment without a remediation allocation.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What the US$400 million payment was","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Size and form of the state's stake","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the scale of the dumping. Chad's government reported dumping at several dozen sites; CNPC described a small amount of leaked oil with no penetration into groundwater.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: AFP gives the March 2014 fine as US$1.2 billion (EUR 880 million); Financial Afrik gives it as EUR 800 million.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: CNPC stated that the government had not provided a breakdown of damages to justify the claim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling on liability. The N'Djamena complaint was withdrawn and the ICC Paris proceedings ended in the settlement without an award.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: independent measurement of the volume spilled, the area affected, soil or groundwater contamination, or the clean-up result.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: spending of any part of the US$400 million on remediation; the EITI 2014 report records the discrepancy in how the payment was classified and does not say any of it went to remediation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance covering the dumping.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 4 has no attribution"]},{"id":"glencore-badila-produced-water-spill-2018","title":"Badila produced-water spill into the Nya Pendé river (2018) and the UK National Contact Point's Glencore statement","dek":"The earth bank of a produced-water basin at the Badila oilfield in southern Chad collapsed in September 2018 and released water into the Nya Pendé river. In November 2024 the UK National Contact Point found that Glencore UK Ltd did not comply with two OECD Guidelines due-diligence provisions and did not find it directly responsible for the spill.","country":"Chad","region":"Africa","lat":8.4,"lon":16.2,"places":[{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","admin":"Badila oilfield, Doba basin, Logone Oriental","lat":8.4,"lon":16.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines","role":"court"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2018-09-10","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","water"],"headline":{"label":"Wastewater released (RAID figure)","value":"85 million litres","note":"Figure from RAID. The UK National Contact Point gives no volume and states the extent of contamination is unknown."},"happened":["On 10 September 2018 the earth bank (berm) of a produced-water basin at the Badila oilfield, operated by PetroChad (Mangara) (PCM) in the Doba basin of Logone Oriental, southern Chad, collapsed and water was released into the Nya Pendé river. Around 26 September 2018 residents alleged a crude oil leak from a feeder pipeline. The respondent, Glencore UK Ltd, attributed the collapse to heavy rainfall that brought the basin close to capacity and said PCM had asked residents and the government for a controlled release, which both refused. RAID stated that 85 million litres of wastewater flooded farmland and entered the river.","The UK National Contact Point (NCP) for the OECD Guidelines stated that the berm should not have collapsed in the first instance and that there was no explanation of how the system got to the point where release was the only option. Its expert found a design fault in the wetland and end-basin system. The NCP also recorded that PCM tested daily against IFC indicative values for sanitary sewage, which its expert said was the wrong standard: the IFC Onshore Oil and Gas discharge criteria are more relevant, and only 3 of their 8 components were tested. PCM's test results were not provided to the NCP.","The complainants said at least 50 of 106 residents interviewed reported injuries and that livestock and fish died. Glencore said that of the complaints received about the water release, none related to injuries, and told the NCP it \"categorically refutes\" health impacts. The NCP's expert said the injuries were unlikely given the hydrocarbon results and that other causes could not be excluded; the NCP said it was too late to determine the cause of the health impacts.","AJTZP, RAID and PILC filed the complaint with the NCP on 10 September 2020, on behalf of about 18,000 residents. The NCP accepted the 2018 spill and the alleged leak in its Initial Assessment of 22 January 2021; the respondent declined mediation in March 2022. Glencore plc sold PCM to Perenco in June 2022. The Final Statement of 21 November 2024 found that Glencore UK Ltd did not comply with two OECD Guidelines provisions on due diligence, did not find it directly responsible for the spill, and made four recommendations; no remedy for Badila was recommended. The complainants state that no compensation has been paid.","Separately, Glencore was Chad's main commercial creditor. Reuters reported in 2014 that Glencore and banks lent Chad's state oil firm about US$1.45 billion, repayable in crude oil cargoes, a debt that \"has absorbed nearly all of Chad's oil profits\". A February 2018 deal extended maturity and gave a two-year grace period on principal, after which the IMF disbursed about US$51 million."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Glencore and banks lend Chad's state oil firm about US$1.45 billion, repayable in crude oil cargoes","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"Berm of a produced-water basin collapses and water enters the Nya Pendé (10 Sep); alleged crude leak from a feeder pipeline (about 26 Sep); Glencore receives a single verbal report (13 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"RAID publishes its report (16 Mar); AJTZP, RAID and PILC file the complaint with the UK NCP (10 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"NCP Initial Assessment accepts the 2018 spill and the alleged leak (22 Jan)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Respondent declines mediation (March); Glencore plc sells PCM to Perenco (June); NCP expert opinion received (1 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"NCP Final Statement published (21 Nov)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"the UK NCP does not find the Respondent directly responsible for the spill","who":"UK National Contact Point, Final Statement","when":"21 November 2024","src":0},{"q":"it is now too late to determine the cause of these health impacts","who":"UK National Contact Point, Final Statement","when":"21 November 2024","src":0},{"q":"Of the complaints received relating to the water release, none related to injuries.","who":"Glencore, as given in RAID's 2020 report","when":"2018–2020","src":2},{"q":"Glencore UK should own up to its actions and provide full compensation to those affected.","who":"Aristote Benainou Ngarkaya, president of AJTZP","when":"November 2024","src":1},{"q":"it is troubling that the company is not being held accountable for remedying the damage caused.","who":"Anneke Van Woudenberg, RAID","when":"November 2024","src":1}],"shown":["Glencore (respondent before the NCP): heavy rainfall brought the basin close to capacity; PCM had asked residents and the government for a controlled release and both refused.","Glencore (respondent before the NCP): it \"categorically refutes\" health impacts from the spill.","RAID (November 2024): the UK government found Glencore UK breached the OECD Guidelines over the Chad spill.","AJTZP (November 2024): \"The NCP's recommendations are insufficient.\""],"recorded":[{"t":"The NCP found Glencore UK Ltd did not comply with Chapter II para A10 (risk-based due diligence) and Chapter IV para 5 (human rights due diligence) of the OECD Guidelines, and complied with the other provisions examined because it did not directly contribute to the impacts.","src":0},{"t":"No remedy for Badila was recommended.","src":1},{"t":"The NCP's expert found a design fault in the wetland and end-basin system, and that only 3 of the 8 components of the relevant discharge criteria were tested.","src":0},{"t":"The NCP is a non-judicial mechanism and states it has no power to require any party to provide information to it.","src":0},{"t":"The Final Statement gives July 2025 for follow-up in its recommendations and 21 November 2025 in Annex 1.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation or remedy for the spill","amount":null,"note":"The NCP Final Statement gives no amounts or number of people compensated; the complainants state none has been paid."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Loan to Chad's state oil firm from Glencore and banks (context)","amount":1450,"qualifier":"about","window":"2014","note":"Reuters via Africanews; repayable in crude oil cargoes."},{"label":"Rescheduled Glencore debt service (context)","amount":400,"window":"2015","note":"EITI scoping study; 57% of debt service in 2015."},{"label":"IMF disbursement after the February 2018 debt deal (context)","amount":51,"qualifier":"about","window":"2018"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wastewater released","v":"85 million litres","d":"RAID's figure; the UK NCP gives no volume"},{"k":"Residents interviewed reporting injuries","v":"at least 50 of 106","d":"According to the complainants; the NCP stated the cause cannot now be determined"},{"k":"Discharge criteria components tested","v":"3 of 8","d":"Per the NCP's expert, on the IFC Onshore Oil and Gas criteria"},{"k":"Compensation recorded","v":"none","d":"The complainants state none has been paid; the NCP gives no amounts"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"UK National Contact Point Final Statement (21 November 2024), RAID (2020, 2024) and complainants' accounts.","report":[{"t":"On 10 September 2018 the earth bank of a produced-water basin at Badila collapsed and water entered my Nya Pendé river.","src":0},{"t":"RAID states that 85 million litres of wastewater flooded farmland and entered my river; the UK National Contact Point gives no volume and states the extent of the contamination of my water is unknown.","src":0},{"t":"The operator tested my water daily against standards for sanitary sewage; the NCP's expert said the oil and gas discharge criteria were the relevant ones and only 3 of their 8 components were tested.","src":0},{"t":"The complainants state that livestock and fish died; the NCP stated it cannot be concluded that the produced water would impact livestock, and that it is too late to determine the cause of the health impacts.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the extent of water contamination and the volume of water released (UK NCP Final Statement).","Insufficient: the NCP did not establish how long the water took to drain, the cause of the reported health impacts, any effect on livestock, or any crude oil leak around 26 September 2018.","Not disclosed: PCM's water test results were not provided to the NCP, and the respondent shared no evidence of due diligence on PCM.","None on record: compensation amounts or the number of people compensated in the NCP Final Statement; the complainants state no compensation or remedy has been provided.","Disputed: the cause of the collapse, the health and livestock impacts, the alleged crude leak and the volume released (see disputes).","None on record: a Chadian court case, fine or sanction over the 2018 spill; the NCP statement mentions none.","None on record: insurance relating to the spill.","Unclear: the date of follow-up; the Final Statement gives July 2025 in its recommendations and 21 November 2025 in Annex 1."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The berm collapse and water release were reported on 10 September 2018; the NCP did not establish how long the water took to drain.","whoPaid":"The complainants state no compensation or remedy has been provided; the NCP Final Statement gives no amounts and recommended no remedy for Badila.","statusLine":"As of the Final Statement of 21 November 2024: the NCP follow-up date is given as July 2025 and as 21 November 2025; the complainants state no compensation has been paid.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"glencore","says":"Categorically refutes health impacts from the spill; attributes the berm collapse to heavy rainfall; says PCM asked residents and the government for a controlled release and both refused; says the flood damage to farmland was remediated and a grievance register provided.","when":"Before the NCP, 2020–2024","src":0},{"actor":"glencore","says":"Of the complaints received relating to the water release, none related to injuries, so it did not investigate any complaints of this nature.","when":"2018–2020, as given in RAID's 2020 report","src":2},{"actor":"chad-government","says":"The NCP records only that the government refused a controlled release and commissioned the Ecofilae report.","when":"2018","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"glencore","role":"Owner of the operator until June 2022; respondent (Glencore UK Ltd)"},{"id":"petrochad-mangara","role":"Operator of the Badila oilfield"},{"id":"perenco","role":"Bought PCM from Glencore plc in June 2022"},{"id":"uk-ncp","role":"Handled the OECD complaint; Final Statement 21 November 2024"},{"id":"raid","role":"Complainant; published the 2020 report"},{"id":"ajtzp","role":"Complainant on behalf of about 18,000 residents"},{"id":"chad-government","role":"Refused a controlled release; commissioned the Ecofilae report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Cause of the berm collapse","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Glencore UK Ltd (respondent)","says":"Heavy rainfall brought the basin close to capacity; residents and the government refused a controlled release.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK NCP and its expert","says":"The berm should not have collapsed in the first instance; the expert found a design fault in the wetland and end-basin system, and there was no explanation of how the system got to the point where release was the only option.","src":0}]},{"point":"Health and livestock harm","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"AJTZP, RAID and PILC","says":"At least 50 of 106 residents interviewed reported injuries, and livestock and fish died.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Glencore UK Ltd (respondent)","says":"Categorically refutes health impacts from the spill.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK NCP","says":"The expert said the injuries were unlikely given the hydrocarbon results and other causes could not be excluded; it is now too late to determine the cause.","src":0}]},{"point":"Alleged crude oil leak from a feeder pipeline around 26 September 2018","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Residents","says":"A crude oil leak occurred.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Glencore UK Ltd (respondent)","says":"Contests the allegation.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK NCP's expert","says":"Found no conclusive evidence of a leak.","src":0}]},{"point":"Volume of wastewater released","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"RAID","says":"85 million litres of wastewater.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"UK NCP","says":"Gives no volume; the extent of contamination is unknown.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"AJTZP, RAID and PILC complaint about Glencore UK Ltd under the OECD Guidelines","forum":"UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines (Department for Business and Trade)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"international","claimant":"AJTZP, RAID and PILC","defendant":"Glencore UK Ltd","filed":2020,"decided":2024,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Final Statement of 21 November 2024. Not complied with: Chapter II para A10 (risk-based due diligence) and Chapter IV para 5 (human rights due diligence). Complied with: Chapter II paras A1, 2, 6 and 14; Chapter III paras 1–4; Chapter VI paras 2a, 2b, 3, 4 and 5, because the respondent did not directly contribute to the impacts. The NCP stated it does not find the respondent directly responsible for the spill, made four recommendations on due diligence and grievance access, and recommended no remedy for Badila. The NCP is a non-judicial mechanism with no power to require any party to provide information to it.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"wastewater_litres","value":85000000,"unit":"litres","year":2018,"note":"RAID's figure for wastewater that flooded farmland and entered the river; the UK NCP gives no volume."},{"key":"people_affected","value":18000,"unit":"residents","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Residents on whose behalf the OECD complaint was filed."},{"key":"residents_interviewed","value":106,"unit":"residents","year":2020,"note":"Complainants: at least 50 of the 106 residents interviewed reported injuries."},{"key":"injured","value":50,"unit":"residents","year":2020,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Reported by the complainants; the NCP stated the cause cannot now be determined."},{"key":"discharge_components_tested","value":3,"unit":"of 8 components","year":2018,"note":"Per the NCP's expert, on the IFC Onshore Oil and Gas discharge criteria."},{"key":"loan","value":1450,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Glencore and banks to Chad's state oil firm, repayable in crude oil cargoes (context)."},{"key":"debt_rescheduled","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"Glencore debts consolidated in October 2015; 57% of debt service in 2015 (EITI scoping study; context)."},{"key":"imf_disbursement","value":51,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"After the February 2018 Glencore debt deal (context)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The earth bank of a produced-water basin at the Badila oilfield collapsed on 10 September 2018 and released water into the Nya Pendé river in southern Chad; the UK National Contact Point found in November 2024 that Glencore UK Ltd did not comply with two OECD Guidelines due-diligence provisions and did not find it directly responsible for the spill.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Glencore plc","what":"Sold PetroChad (Mangara) to Perenco in June 2022","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of the Nya Pendé area","what":"Farmland flooded; the complainants state no compensation has been paid","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Nya Pendé river and farmland","what":"Flooded with produced water; RAID states 85 million litres; the NCP gives no volume","src":2},{"who":"Residents, livestock and fish","what":"At least 50 of 106 residents interviewed reported injuries and livestock and fish died, according to the complainants; the NCP stated the cause cannot now be determined","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Badila oilfield, operated by PetroChad (Mangara), Doba basin, Logone Oriental, southern Chad; the Nya Pendé river.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Berm collapse 10 September 2018; complaint filed 10 September 2020; Initial Assessment 22 January 2021; PCM sold June 2022; Final Statement 21 November 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Glencore attributed the collapse to heavy rainfall; the NCP said the berm should not have collapsed and its expert found a design fault in the wetland and end-basin system.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Residents and NGOs complained to the UK NCP under the OECD Guidelines; the respondent declined mediation, the NCP commissioned an expert opinion and published a Final Statement with four recommendations.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Final statement: AJTZP, RAID, PILC complaint to the UK NCP about Glencore UK Ltd","p":"UK National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines","d":"2024-11-21","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ajtzp-raid-pilc-complaint-to-the-uk-ncp-about-glencore-uk-ltd/final-statement-ajtzp-raid-pilc-complaint-to-the-uk-ncp-about-glencore-uk-ltd"},{"t":"UK government finds Glencore UK breached OECD Guidelines over Chad spill","p":"RAID","d":"2024-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://raid-uk.org/?p=3650"},{"t":"Glencore's oil operations in Chad: local residents injured and ignored","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre / RAID","d":"2020-03-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/glencores-oil-operations-in-chad-local-residents-injured-and-ignored"},{"t":"IMF resumes lending to Chad following Glencore debt deal (Reuters)","p":"Africanews","d":"2018-04-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.africanews.com/2018/04/15/imf-resumes-lending-to-chad-following-glencore-debt-deal/"},{"t":"Étude de cadrage ITIE, exercice fiscal 2014, rapport final (EITI scoping study, fiscal year 2014)","p":"ITIE Tchad","d":"2016","type":"official","u":"https://api.eiti.org/sites/default/files/attachments/tchad-rapport_etude_de_cadrage_2014_v3_jt2.pdf"},{"t":"World Bank urges private creditors to deliver on their commitment to debt relief for Chad","p":"World Bank","d":"2021-09-28","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/statement/2021/09/28/world-bank-urges-private-creditors-to-deliver-on-their-commitment-to-debt-relief-for-chad"},{"t":"Press Release No. 22/379: IMF Managing Director welcomes debt treatment for Chad","p":"International Monetary Fund","d":"2022-11-13","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.imf.org/en/news/articles/2022/11/13/pr-22379-chad-imf-managing-director-welcomes-debt-treatment"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chad-cameroon-pipeline-doba-world-bank","cnpc-bongor-basin-crude-dumping-fine"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the berm collapse","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Health and livestock harm","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Alleged crude oil leak from a feeder pipeline around 26 September 2018","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume of wastewater released","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation or remedy for the spill — The NCP Final Statement gives no amounts or number of people compensated; the complainants state none has been paid.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"AJTZP, RAID and PILC complaint about Glencore UK Ltd under the OECD Guidelines: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the extent of water contamination and the volume of water released (UK NCP Final Statement).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the NCP did not establish how long the water took to drain, the cause of the reported health impacts, any effect on livestock, or any crude oil leak around 26 September 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: PCM's water test results were not provided to the NCP, and the respondent shared no evidence of due diligence on PCM.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation amounts or the number of people compensated in the NCP Final Statement; the complainants state no compensation or remedy has been provided.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the collapse, the health and livestock impacts, the alleged crude leak and the volume released (see disputes).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Chadian court case, fine or sanction over the 2018 spill; the NCP statement mentions none.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the spill.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the date of follow-up; the Final Statement gives July 2025 in its recommendations and 21 November 2025 in Annex 1.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 4 has no attribution"]},{"id":"arlit-akokan-uranium-waste-and-cominak-remediation","title":"Arlit and Akokan uranium waste: Cominak closure, remediation provision and radioactivity measurements","dek":"The Cominak underground uranium mine in northern Niger stopped production on 31 March 2021 and left about 20 million tonnes of waste beside the towns of Arlit and Akokan. Remediation was reported at €150 million, Orano kept a €70 million provision after losing control in December 2024, and the works were suspended.","country":"Niger","region":"Africa","lat":18.74,"lon":7.39,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Agadez region (Arlit and Akokan)","lat":18.74,"lon":7.39,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Orano, parent company","role":"company-home"}],"start":1974,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2021-03-31","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution","liability-shift","water"],"headline":{"label":"Cominak remediation cost reported by AFP (2023)","value":"€150 million","note":"About 10 years of works plus at least 5 years of monitoring. After deconsolidating Cominak, Orano kept a €70 million provision for the site (AFP, February 2025)."},"happened":["Cominak was created in 1974 and began production in 1978. Its board decided on 23 October 2019 to stop mining because the deposit was exhausted, and production stopped on 31 March 2021 after more than 40 years and 75,000 tonnes of uranium extracted, according to Orano's press release of that date. From late February 2021 Orano Mining held 59% of Cominak after buying out the Japanese shareholder OURD; SOPAMIN of Niger held 31% and ENUSA of Spain 10%. OURD contributed 25% of the dismantling and transition estimate when it sold.","Orano's release said remediation of the site should take less than about ten years, followed by environmental monitoring of at least five years, financed in part by a fund built up over several years by Cominak and its shareholders; it gave no amount for the fund. It also described a social component of 5 to 10 years, including the transfer of Cominak-run infrastructure to the State of Niger. A Global Partnership Agreement signed by Niger and Orano on 4 May 2023 covers the remediation of Cominak.","AFP described the remediation design in March 2023: about 20 million tonnes of rock waste and ore residues on 120 hectares, up to 35 metres high, to be reshaped and covered with 2 metres of material described as impermeable (argillite and sandstone), at a cost of €150 million. Orano reported a maximum dose on site of 8.6 mSv per year in 2022; Niger's regulatory limit for miners was cited as 20 mSv per year.","On 1 December 2024 Orano deconsolidated Cominak, Somaïr and Imouraren after losing operational control, and Cominak's rehabilitation work was suspended, according to AFP's report of Orano's statements. Orano kept a €70 million provision that Cominak had carried for rehabilitating the site; its chief executive Nicolas Maes said on 19 February 2025 that Orano keeps the obligation. On 19 June 2025 Niger's Council of Ministers said Orano had abandoned rehabilitation work at Cominak (Wakat Séra, citing APA). In May 2026 Niger created TSUMCO (Teloua Safeguarding Uranium Mining Company), named after the aquifer beneath the former Cominak mine.","Radioactivity around Arlit and Akokan has been measured by non-governmental groups and by Niger's mining ministry. CRIIRAD's note of 20 April 2005, prepared with Aghir In'Man and Sherpa, reported gross alpha activity in drinking water sampled in December 2003 of 1.0 Bq/l (urban-zone network) and 11 Bq/l (industrial-zone network), which CRIIRAD put at 10 and 110 times the WHO screening value of 0.1 Bq/l. Greenpeace's 'Left in the Dust' (May 2010), based on sampling in November 2009 with CRIIRAD and the Nigerien network ROTAB, found uranium above WHO limits in four of five water samples. More than 200,000 litres of radioactive sludge leaked from three cracked waste pools at the Somaïr mine from 11 December 2010, according to Greenpeace. In December 2025 Niger's Mining Ministry inspectors reported about 400 barrels of radioactive core material at Madaouela near Arlit, with readings up to 10 µSv/h against a normal 0.5 µSv/h. Orano told Reuters it does not hold an operating licence for Madaouela and has conducted no operations there."],"timeline":[{"y":1974,"t":"Cominak created; production starts in 1978","src":9},{"y":2003,"t":"CRIIRAD and Sherpa mission (December); drinking-water and scrap-metal samples taken in Arlit","src":9},{"y":2005,"t":"CRIIRAD note 0517 published (20 April)","src":9},{"y":2010,"t":"Greenpeace 'Left in the Dust' (May), based on sampling of November 2009; leak of more than 200,000 litres of radioactive sludge at Somaïr from 11 December","src":11},{"y":2019,"t":"Cominak board decides to stop mining (23 October)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Production stops (31 March); Orano Mining holds 59% from late February","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"AFP describes the remediation design and the €150 million cost (15 March); Global Partnership Agreement covers Cominak remediation (4 May)","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"Orano deconsolidates Cominak; rehabilitation work suspended (1 December)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Orano says it keeps the €70 million provision (19 February); Niger says Orano abandoned rehabilitation (19 June); Niger reports barrels at Madaouela (December)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"Niger's Justice Minister announces proceedings against Orano (January); TSUMCO created (May)","src":15}],"said":[{"q":"A new era is opening for the COMINAK mine, which Orano is supporting to ensure a lasting social, societal and environmental transition","who":"Philippe Knoche, Orano chief executive","when":"31 March 2021","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"a safe, healthy and non-polluting site, in line with national standards and international recommendations","who":"Mahaman Sani Abdoulaye, Cominak director general, on the goal of the remediation","when":"2023","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"natural radiation doses here are lower than in some other regions","who":"Hélène Sciorella Djibo, Cominak remediation head","when":"2023","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"there is no proven case of radioactivity-related illness","who":"Gilles Récoché, Orano, on the Arlit region","when":"2023","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"the biggest negative legacy uranium mining has left us","who":"Rhamar Ilatoufegh, NGO Aghir In'man, on the waste","when":"2023","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"a sword of Damocles for the drinking-water supply","who":"CRIIRAD, on the waste","when":"2023","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"Orano should have sealed it off on a secure site, but this was not done","who":"Bruno Chareyron, CRIIRAD","when":"2023","src":8},{"q":"There is distrust, doubt and fear about radioactivity in our town; that is normal","who":"Abdourahmane Maouli, mayor of Arlit","when":"2023","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"we keep the obligation","who":"Nicolas Maes, Orano chief executive, on the €70 million rehabilitation provision","when":"19 February 2025","src":2,"translated":"French"},{"q":"This illegal dump illustrates Orano's persistent disregard for Niger and its people since the beginning of uranium mining","who":"Alio Daouda, Niger's Justice Minister, as reported by Nuclear Engineering International","when":"December 2025","src":12},{"q":"does not hold an operating license for the Madaouela site and has conducted no operations there","who":"Orano, to Reuters, as reported by Nuclear Engineering International","when":"December 2025","src":12},{"q":"the bad practices at the AREVA uranium mines in Niger continue to threaten the health and safety of people","who":"Rianne Teule, Greenpeace","when":"2010","src":11}],"shown":[{"t":"Periodic analyses 'show no contamination'","who":"Cogema statement of 23 December 2003, as quoted in the CRIIRAD note","src":9},{"t":"Free access for the Greenpeace delegation in a 'full transparency' process","who":"Areva, February 2011, in its publication 'AREVA and Niger: a sustainable partnership'","src":16},{"t":"A remediation to leave 'a safe, healthy and non-polluting site'","who":"Cominak director general, 2023","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 20 million tonnes of rock waste and ore residues on 120 hectares, up to 35 metres high, accumulated over more than 40 years (AFP, 2023).","src":1},{"t":"Orano's 2021 release states that the works are financed in part by a fund built up by Cominak and its shareholders; no amount is given.","src":0},{"t":"After deconsolidation Orano kept a €70 million provision for rehabilitating the Cominak site.","src":2},{"t":"Orano's 2025 Annual Activity Report (Note 34, Niger) gives no Niger-specific provision and no Cominak remediation figure.","src":4},{"t":"Gross alpha in drinking water, December 2003: 1.0 Bq/l (urban zone) and 11 Bq/l (industrial zone), against a WHO screening value of 0.1 Bq/l (CRIIRAD).","src":9},{"t":"Greenpeace found uranium above WHO limits in four of five water samples taken in November 2009.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2021–2025","nature":[{"label":"Cominak remediation cost reported by AFP (about 10 years of works plus at least 5 years of monitoring)","amount":150,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Provision kept by Orano for rehabilitating the Cominak site","amount":70,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Cominak remediation fund built up by Cominak and its shareholders","amount":null,"note":"No amount given in Orano's 2021 release."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Orano group-wide provisions for mining site remediation (not broken down by site)","amount":44,"window":"2024"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Waste left on site","v":"About 20 million t","d":"On 120 ha, up to 35 m high (AFP, 2023)"},{"k":"Remediation cost reported","v":"€150 million","d":"About 10 years of works plus at least 5 years of monitoring (AFP, 2023)"},{"k":"Provision kept by Orano","v":"€70 million","d":"After deconsolidation in December 2024 (AFP, 2025)"},{"k":"Gross alpha in drinking water","v":"Up to 11 Bq/l","d":"Industrial-zone network, December 2003; WHO screening value 0.1 Bq/l (CRIIRAD)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"AFP, CRIIRAD, Greenpeace and Niger's Mining Ministry recorded waste volumes, water and metal measurements, a sludge leak and barrels of radioactive material around Arlit and Akokan.","report":[{"t":"About 20 million tonnes of rock waste and ore residues lie on 120 hectares of me beside Arlit and Akokan, up to 35 metres high, after more than 40 years of mining, according to AFP (2023).","src":1},{"t":"CRIIRAD said in 2023 that radioactive waste had contaminated my groundwater and threatened drinking-water sources in the Arlit area for more than 100,000 people.","src":8},{"t":"Drinking water drawn from me in December 2003 had gross alpha activity of 1.0 Bq/l (urban-zone network) and 11 Bq/l (industrial-zone network); CRIIRAD put these at 10 and 110 times the WHO screening value of 0.1 Bq/l.","src":9},{"t":"Areva stated in 2003, as quoted by CRIIRAD, that 270 million cubic metres had been pumped from my fossil aquifer since mining began, against reserves estimated in 1968 at 1,300 million cubic metres.","src":9},{"t":"Greenpeace reported in May 2010 that uranium exceeded WHO limits in four of five water samples taken in November 2009.","src":10},{"t":"From 11 December 2010 more than 200,000 litres of radioactive sludge leaked from three cracked waste pools at the Somaïr mine; Aghir In'Man said two hectares were contaminated.","src":11},{"t":"Niger's Mining Ministry inspectors reported in December 2025 about 400 barrels of radioactive core material at Madaouela near Arlit, with readings up to 10 µSv/h against a normal 0.5 µSv/h.","src":12}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the amount in the Cominak remediation fund, and the amount OURD contributed (25% of the dismantling and transition estimate); Orano's 2021 release gives neither.","None on record: a Cominak-specific provision or progress figure in Orano's 2025 Annual Activity Report (Note 34, Niger).","Figures differ: AFP (March 2023) gives a remediation cost of €150 million over about 10 years; Afrik21 (March 2021) attributed 95 billion CFA francs (about €145 million) over 15 years to the Cominak director; Africanews (March 2023) gives about $160 million over 10 years.","Figures differ: Orano's 2021 release gives Orano Mining 59% of Cominak; AFP (2025) gives 69%.","Self-reported only: the maximum on-site dose of 8.6 mSv per year in 2022 is Orano's own figure.","Insufficient: CRIIRAD described its 2004–2005 sampling as preliminary work needing deeper study, and Greenpeace called for a full independent study, which it said had not been done.","None on record: a full measurement report from Niger for the December 2025 inspection at Madaouela.","Not disclosed: the amount of Niger's compensation claim against Orano; the Justice Minister said Niger would seek compensation 'for all losses' (Ecofin) without an amount.","None on record: a filed case, court or case number for the proceedings Niger announced against Orano in January 2026, or the Nigerien court rulings on waste removal that the Justice Minister said Orano refused to comply with (Ecofin).","Disputed: who completes and pays for the Cominak remediation after December 2024; Orano says it keeps the obligation and the provision, Niger says Orano abandoned the work."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Mining ended on 31 March 2021. The waste remains on site, and Cominak's rehabilitation work was suspended after December 2024, according to AFP's report of Orano's statements.","whoPaid":"The remediation is financed in part by a fund built up by Cominak and its shareholders, in an amount not disclosed. Orano kept a €70 million provision for the site after deconsolidation. Niger said in June 2025 that Orano had abandoned the work.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: remediation works suspended since the end of 2024; Niger announced legal proceedings against Orano in January 2026; no filed case reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"orano","says":"The Cominak closure opens a new era that Orano is supporting to ensure a lasting social, societal and environmental transition; remediation should take less than about ten years followed by at least five years of monitoring.","when":"31 March 2021","src":0},{"actor":"orano","says":"Orano's Gilles Récoché said there is no proven case of radioactivity-related illness in the Arlit region.","when":"2023","src":1},{"actor":"orano","says":"After deconsolidation Orano keeps the obligation to rehabilitate Cominak and the €70 million provision.","when":"19 February 2025","src":2},{"actor":"orano","says":"Told Reuters that it does not hold an operating licence for the Madaouela site and has conducted no operations there.","when":"December 2025","src":12},{"actor":"cominak","says":"The director general said the aim is a safe, healthy and non-polluting site in line with national standards and international recommendations.","when":"2023","src":1},{"actor":"niger-government","says":"Orano abandoned rehabilitation work at Cominak.","when":"19 June 2025","src":5},{"actor":"niger-government","says":"Niger decided to start legal proceedings against Orano before national and foreign courts and set up an expert committee to document and quantify the alleged harm to health, environment and economy.","when":"January 2026","src":15},{"actor":"greenpeace","says":"Called for a full independent study, which it said had not been done.","when":"2010","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"orano","role":"Majority shareholder of Cominak (59% in 2021); kept the €70 million rehabilitation provision"},{"id":"cominak","role":"Mine operator; remediation under way until the 2024 suspension"},{"id":"sopamin","role":"Niger's state mining company; 31% shareholder in 2021"},{"id":"niger-government","role":"Said Orano abandoned the rehabilitation; announced proceedings"},{"id":"criirad","role":"Independent laboratory; water and metal measurements"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Water sampling in 2009; report 'Left in the Dust' (2010)"},{"id":"sherpa","role":"Co-author of the CRIIRAD mission; paid the February 2005 water analyses"},{"id":"aghir-in-man","role":"Nigerien NGO; co-author of the CRIIRAD note"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who completes and pays for the Cominak remediation after December 2024","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Orano","says":"Keeps the obligation and the €70 million provision (chief executive Nicolas Maes, 19 February 2025).","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Niger's Council of Ministers","says":"Orano abandoned rehabilitation work at Cominak (19 June 2025, as reported by Wakat Séra citing APA).","src":5}]},{"point":"Whether the Arlit drinking water was contaminated","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Cogema, 23 December 2003","says":"Periodic analyses show no contamination (quoted in the CRIIRAD note).","src":9},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CRIIRAD, 2005","says":"Gross alpha of 1.0 and 11 Bq/l in the two networks sampled in December 2003, 10 and 110 times the WHO screening value of 0.1 Bq/l.","src":9}]},{"point":"Whether the planned cover will contain the waste for as long as needed","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Cominak director general, 2023","says":"The remediation is to leave a safe, healthy and non-polluting site.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CRIIRAD (Bruno Chareyron)","says":"Orano should have sealed the waste off on a secure site; he doubts the planned cover will last as long as needed.","src":8}]},{"point":"Radiation-related illness in the Arlit area","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Orano (Gilles Récoché)","says":"There is no proven case of radioactivity-related illness in the Arlit region.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"OSRA, the Agadez regional health observatory","says":"Out of 2,000 consultations, about ten occupational diseases attributable to radiation were detected; six were recognised by its medical committee.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A former Cominak worker (Hassan Souley)","says":"People live 7 km from the pits and some are ill.","src":1}]},{"point":"Origin of the barrels of radioactive material at Madaouela","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Niger's Justice Minister, December 2025","says":"Attributed the barrels to Orano and said Orano would face proceedings.","src":12},{"voice":"company","holder":"Orano","says":"It does not hold an operating licence for Madaouela and has conducted no operations there.","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"World Nuclear News, August 2026","says":"Madaouela was a GoviEx permit until 2024.","src":7}]},{"point":"Date of Niger's announcement of the barrel measurements","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Ecofin (5 December 2025) and Nuclear Engineering International (10 December 2025)","says":"Reported the announcement in December 2025.","src":13},{"voice":"press","holder":"La Nouvelle Tribune","says":"Reported the same measurements (7–10 µSv/h; bismuth-207) from a press conference on 4 February 2026.","src":14}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Niger's announced proceedings against Orano (health, environment, economy)","forum":"National and foreign courts (not specified)","country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Government of Niger","defendant":"Orano","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"In early January 2026 Justice Minister Alio Daouda set up an expert committee to document and quantify allegations against Orano on health, environment and economy, and said Niger had decided to start legal proceedings before national and foreign courts. Ecofin (5 December 2025) reported him saying Orano refused to comply with Nigerien court rulings ordering the removal of 'several million tons' of radioactive waste; the rulings were not identified. No filed case, court or case number has been reported.","src":15}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"waste_tonnes","value":20000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Rock waste and ore residues (AFP)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":120,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Waste area, up to 35 m high."},{"key":"uranium_extracted_t","value":75000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Over more than 40 years of production."},{"key":"remediation_cost","value":150,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"About 10 years of works plus at least 5 years of monitoring (AFP)."},{"key":"provision","value":70,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Kept by Orano for rehabilitating the Cominak site."},{"key":"dose_msv_per_year","value":8.6,"unit":"mSv/year","year":2022,"qualifier":"maximum","note":"Reported by Orano; Niger's regulatory limit for miners cited as 20 mSv/year."},{"key":"water_gross_alpha","value":11,"unit":"Bq/l","year":2003,"note":"Industrial-zone network; urban-zone network 1.0 Bq/l; WHO screening value 0.1 Bq/l (CRIIRAD)."},{"key":"water_use","value":270000000,"unit":"m³","year":2003,"note":"Pumped from the fossil aquifer since mining began, per Areva's 2003 statement quoted by CRIIRAD; reserves estimated in 1968 at 1,300 million m³."},{"key":"sludge_litres","value":200000,"unit":"litres","year":2010,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Leaked from three cracked waste pools at Somaïr from 11 December 2010 (Greenpeace)."},{"key":"barrels","value":400,"unit":"barrels","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Radioactive core material at Madaouela, readings up to 10 µSv/h."},{"key":"people_affected","value":100000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Drinking-water sources said by CRIIRAD to be threatened in the Arlit area."}],"related":["somair-nationalisation-and-orano-arbitration"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Cominak underground uranium mine near Arlit and Akokan in northern Niger stopped production on 31 March 2021 and left about 20 million tonnes of waste on site. Remediation was reported at €150 million, Orano kept a €70 million provision after losing control in December 2024, and the works were suspended.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cominak shareholders: Orano Mining 59%, SOPAMIN 31%, ENUSA 10% (2021)","what":"More than 40 years of production and 75,000 tonnes of uranium extracted","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Orano","what":"Kept a €70 million provision for rehabilitating the Cominak site after deconsolidation","src":2},{"who":"OURD (Japan)","what":"Contributed 25% of the dismantling and transition estimate when it sold its shares in 2021","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land at Arlit and Akokan","what":"About 20 million tonnes of waste on 120 ha, up to 35 m high","src":1},{"who":"Groundwater and drinking water in the Arlit area","what":"Said by CRIIRAD to be contaminated, with sources for more than 100,000 people threatened","src":8},{"who":"The fossil aquifer","what":"270 million m³ pumped since mining began, against reserves estimated in 1968 at 1,300 million m³","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"Arlit and Akokan, Agadez region, northern Niger: the former Cominak underground mine beside the towns, and the Somaïr open pits about 7 km north-west of Arlit.","src":9},"when":{"t":"Cominak was created in 1974, began production in 1978 and stopped on 31 March 2021. Water was sampled in December 2003 and 2004–2005, in November 2009 and after a leak in December 2010; rehabilitation work was suspended after 1 December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Cominak's board decided on 23 October 2019 to stop mining because the deposit was exhausted; the waste from more than 40 years of mining remains on site.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The waste is to be reshaped and covered with 2 metres of material described as impermeable, financed in part by a fund built up by Cominak and its shareholders. Orano says it keeps the obligation and the €70 million provision; Niger says Orano abandoned the work.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Une nouvelle étape débute pour la mine de COMINAK au Niger (press release)","p":"Orano","d":"2021-03-31","type":"company","u":"https://echanges.dila.gouv.fr/OPENDATA/AMF/BWR/2021/03/FCBWR132766_20210331.pdf"},{"t":"Au Niger, les millions de tonnes de déchets d'une mine d'uranium font peur malgré les travaux de réaménagement","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2023-03-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/au-niger-les-millions-de-tonnes-de-dechets-dune-mine-duranium-font-peur-malgre-les-travaux-de-reamenagement-230315"},{"t":"Orano sceptique sur un redémarrage rapide de sa production d'uranium au Niger","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2025-02-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/orano-sceptique-sur-un-redemarrage-rapide-de-sa-production-duranium-au-niger-250219"},{"t":"Orano signs a general partnership agreement with the government of Niger","p":"Orano","d":"2023-05-04","type":"company","u":"https://orano.group/en/news/news-group/2023/may/orano-signs-a-general-partnership-agreement-with-the-government-of-niger"},{"t":"Annual Activity Report 2025, Note 34 (Niger)","p":"Orano","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/finance-raa/2025/en/380/"},{"t":"Niger: la société des mines SOMAIR nationalisée","p":"Wakat Séra (citing APA)","d":"2025-06-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.wakatsera.com/niger-la-societe-des-mines-somair-nationalisee/"},{"t":"Niger escalates dispute with Orano by revoking historic uranium license","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2026-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/1905-55734-niger-escalates-dispute-with-orano-by-revoking-historic-uranium-license"},{"t":"Niger awards Arlit uranium mining permit to state-owned company","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2026-08","type":"press","u":"https://wnn.world-nuclear.org/articles/niger-awards-arlit-uranium-mining-permit-to-state-owned-company"},{"t":"Uranium mining waste threatens Niger's water supply","p":"Nuclear Engineering International","d":"2023-01-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.neimagazine.com/news/uranium-mining-waste-threatens-nigers-water-supply-10548127/"},{"t":"Impact de l'exploitation de l'uranium par les filiales de COGEMA-AREVA au NIGER, note 0517","p":"CRIIRAD","d":"2005-04-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://controverses.sciences-po.fr/archive/nucleaire/pdf/notecriiradarlit.pdf"},{"t":"Report: Left in the Dust (media archive entry)","p":"Greenpeace","d":"2010-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://media.greenpeace.org/archive/Report--Left-in-the-Dust-27MZIFIXELWO.html"},{"t":"Radioactive spill at AREVA uranium mine in Niger (archived blog)","p":"Greenpeace","d":"2010-12-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://wayback.archive-it.org/9650/20200417013545/http://p3-raw.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/radioactive-spill-at-areva-uranium-mine-in-ni/blog/31955/"},{"t":"Niger targets Orano over radwaste","p":"Nuclear Engineering International","d":"2025-12-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.neimagazine.com/news/niger-targets-orano-over-radwaste/"},{"t":"Niger-Orano dispute escalates: company now accused of radioactive waste mismanagement","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2025-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/0512-51165-niger-orano-dispute-escalates-company-now-accused-of-radioactive-waste-mismanagement"},{"t":"Uranium au Niger: Niamey traîne Orano en justice pour « désastre écologique »","p":"La Nouvelle Tribune","d":"2026-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://lanouvelletribune.info/2026/02/uranium-au-niger-niamey-traine-orano-en-justice-pour-desastre-ecologique/"},{"t":"Uranium: « Nous n'avons hérité que de déchets toxiques », à Niamey la bataille juridique contre Orano","p":"Le360 Afrique","d":"2026-02-13","type":"press","u":"https://afrique.le360.ma/economie/uranium-nous-navons-herite-que-de-dechets-toxiques-a-niamey-la-bataille-juridique-contre-orano_2WFMDJQUZNEEFNJYAFILUQGHXM/"},{"t":"New publication: AREVA and Niger: a sustainable partnership","p":"AREVA","d":"2011-02-22","type":"company","u":"https://www.sa.areva.com/news-new-publication-areva-and-niger-a-sustainable-partnership"},{"t":"Annual Activity Report 2024, p. 342 (Note 5)","p":"Orano","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/finance-raa2024/en/342/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who completes and pays for the Cominak remediation after December 2024","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the Arlit drinking water was contaminated","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the planned cover will contain the waste for as long as needed","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Origin of the barrels of radioactive material at Madaouela","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Cominak remediation fund built up by Cominak and its shareholders — No amount given in Orano's 2021 release.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Radiation-related illness in the Arlit area","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date of Niger's announcement of the barrel measurements","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Niger's announced proceedings against Orano (health, environment, economy): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount in the Cominak remediation fund, and the amount OURD contributed (25% of the dismantling and transition estimate); Orano's 2021 release gives neither.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Cominak-specific provision or progress figure in Orano's 2025 Annual Activity Report (Note 34, Niger).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: AFP (March 2023) gives a remediation cost of €150 million over about 10 years; Afrik21 (March 2021) attributed 95 billion CFA francs (about €145 million) over 15 years to the Cominak director; Africanews (March 2023) gives about $160 million over 10 years.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Orano's 2021 release gives Orano Mining 59% of Cominak; AFP (2025) gives 69%.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the maximum on-site dose of 8.6 mSv per year in 2022 is Orano's own figure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: CRIIRAD described its 2004–2005 sampling as preliminary work needing deeper study, and Greenpeace called for a full independent study, which it said had not been done.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a full measurement report from Niger for the December 2025 inspection at Madaouela.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of Niger's compensation claim against Orano; the Justice Minister said Niger would seek compensation 'for all losses' (Ecofin) without an amount.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a filed case, court or case number for the proceedings Niger announced against Orano in January 2026, or the Nigerien court rulings on waste removal that the Justice Minister said Orano refused to comply with (Ecofin).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: who completes and pays for the Cominak remediation after December 2024; Orano says it keeps the obligation and the provision, Niger says Orano abandoned the work.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"somair-nationalisation-and-orano-arbitration","title":"Somaïr nationalisation, Orano's ICSID arbitration and the Niger uranium stock","dek":"Niger's military government took over the Somaïr uranium mine at Arlit in June 2025, and Orano is pursuing ICSID arbitration case ARB/25/8, in which a tribunal ordered Niger on 23 September 2025 not to sell Somaïr uranium. Orano put the uranium stock at nearly $310 million in December 2025.","country":"Niger","region":"Africa","lat":18.79,"lon":7.33,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Arlit (Somaïr) and Niamey (Air Base 101)","lat":18.79,"lon":7.33,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Orano, parent company; Paris prosecutor's investigation","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-06-19","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Value of the Somaïr uranium concentrate stock given by Orano (nearly 1,600 tonnes, AFP, December 2025)","value":"Nearly $310 million","note":"Orano's figures at other dates: about €250 million (February 2025), about $270 million (October 2025), €300 million (January 2026)."},"happened":["Somaïr was founded in 1968 and has produced uranium since 1971; before nationalisation Orano held 63.4% and SOPAMIN of Niger 36.6%. On 26 May 2014 Niger and Areva signed a strategic partnership agreement renewing the Somaïr and Cominak mining agreements under Niger's 2006 mining law, with Areva commitments of €90 million for the Tahoua–Arlit road, €10 million for a building for the mining companies and €17 million for development of the Irhazer valley. On 4 May 2023 a Global Partnership Agreement provided €40 million in social projects by 2030 and €85 million to test in-situ recovery at Imouraren; in its 2023 accounts Orano booked a €30 million provision for the societal commitment and €60 million of provisions for country risk.","After the coup of 26 July 2023 Somaïr could not export uranium from Arlit. On 4 December 2024 Orano recognised the loss of operational control of Somaïr, and on 21 January 2025 it announced a second arbitration procedure against Niger, later registered as ICSID case ARB/25/8. Orano deconsolidated Somaïr, Cominak and Imouraren from 1 December 2024; its chief executive described Somaïr (about 780 employees) in February 2025 as 'virtually bankrupt'. An Orano representative was detained in Niger from May 2025, and the Niamey Court of Appeal issued a decision in July 2025 calling for his release.","On 19 June 2025 Niger's Council of Ministers adopted a draft ordinance nationalising Somaïr: its shares and assets were to be transferred in full ownership to the State of Niger, the board dissolved and the former shareholders compensated taking account of all their legal obligations. Orano's 2025 report gives 19 June 2025 as the date of an expropriation that took place 'outside of any legal proceedings and without any compensation'. In the same statement Niger said that of 80,518 tonnes of uranium sold since 1971, Orano took 86.3% and SOPAMIN 9.2%, although the agreements provide for sharing by shareholding.","On 23 September 2025 the ICSID tribunal in ARB/25/8 ordered Niger 'not to sell, transfer, or even facilitate the transfer to third parties of uranium produced by SOMAIR' (Orano's quotation of the order), asked Niger to proceed with the release of the Orano representative, and rejected Niger's challenge to Orano's appointed arbitrator. About 1,000 tonnes left Arlit in late November 2025; Orano said on 27 November it was 'not the initiator of this shipment' and had no official information on its quantity, destination or transport conditions. Thirty-four trucks reached Niamey airport between 3 and 5 December 2025 (AFP satellite imagery). In April 2026 more than 1,000 tonnes of yellowcake were at Air Base 101 in Niamey on trucks that had not moved for weeks, and a Russian bulk carrier that waited off Lomé left empty (FPRI analysis). On 19 December 2025 the Paris prosecutor confirmed an investigation for organised-gang theft to serve the interests of a foreign power; no suspect or charge has been reported.","In February 2026 General Abdourahamane Tiani said that France is entitled to 63.4% of the 156.231 tons produced and that everything produced since then belongs to Niger, which would pay for transport; Niger also said it had invested several tens of billions of CFA francs of public funds after July 2023 and extracted about 2,000 tonnes under Nigerien control. On 18 May 2026 a decree cancelled the 1968 Arlit concession (about 360 km², granted for 75 years) for unpaid surface fees, and Niger created TSUMCO; its Council of Ministers accused Orano of 'dramatic impacts' on soil, water resources and biodiversity and said Orano remained liable for its tax and environmental obligations. On 21 August 2026 a draft decree awarded the Arlit large mining permit (the 'In Azaoua' project) to TSUMCO SA. Orano's finance director said on 31 July 2026 that no conciliation was possible without a channel of discussion.","The Imouraren permit, about 80 km south of Arlit, was granted in 2009 to Imouraren SA (Orano Expansion 66.65%, State of Niger 33.35%; reserves above 200,000 tU) and its development was suspended in 2015. The permit was withdrawn in June 2024 'despite the resumption of activities at the Imouraren site', Orano said, ending the €85 million test budget agreed in 2023; Orano filed a request for arbitration on 20 December 2024 and recorded a €69 million impairment of Imouraren intangible mining assets in 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":1968,"t":"Somaïr founded; production since 1971","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Strategic partnership agreement renews the Somaïr and Cominak mining agreements (26 May)","src":2},{"y":2023,"t":"Global Partnership Agreement (4 May); coup in Niger (26 July)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"Imouraren permit withdrawn (June); Orano recognises loss of operational control of Somaïr (4 December); Imouraren arbitration request (20 December)","src":7},{"y":2025,"t":"ICSID arbitration announced (21 January); expropriation (19 June); ICSID order (23 September); shipment leaves Arlit (late November); trucks reach Niamey (3–5 December); Paris investigation (19 December)","src":8},{"y":2026,"t":"Tiani's offer on France's share (February); Arlit concession cancelled and TSUMCO created (18 May); draft decree awards the Arlit permit to TSUMCO (21 August)","src":22}],"said":[{"q":"not to sell, transfer, or even facilitate the transfer to third parties of uranium produced by SOMAIR","who":"ICSID tribunal in ARB/25/8, as quoted by Orano","when":"23 September 2025","src":8},{"q":"Orano strongly condemns this systematic campaign to dispossess the group of its mining assets","who":"Orano","when":"20 June 2025","src":10},{"q":"not the initiator of this shipment and strongly condemns it","who":"Orano, on the uranium shipment from Somaïr","when":"27 November 2025","src":9},{"q":"irresponsible, illegal and disloyal conduct","who":"Government of Niger, on Orano's conduct, as reported by Wakat Séra","when":"19 June 2025","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"legitimate right to dispose of its natural riches","who":"General Abdourahamane Tiani, as reported by World Nuclear News","when":"December 2025","src":17},{"q":"France is entitled to 63.4% of the 156.231 tons","who":"General Abdourahamane Tiani, as reported by Ecofin","when":"February 2026","src":21},{"q":"near-judicial harassment","who":"Col. Ousmane Abarchi, Niger's Mines Minister, on the proceedings against Niger","when":"4 May 2026","src":23,"translated":"French"},{"q":"no conciliation was possible without a current channel of discussion","who":"David Claverie, Orano finance director, per AFP","when":"July 2026","src":16,"translated":"French"},{"q":"virtually bankrupt","who":"Nicolas Maes, Orano chief executive, on Somaïr","when":"February 2025","src":12,"translated":"French"}],"shown":[{"t":"Orano took 86.3% and SOPAMIN 9.2% of the 80,518 tonnes of uranium sold since 1971, although the agreements provide for sharing by shareholding","who":"Niger's Council of Ministers, 19 June 2025, as reported by Wakat Séra","src":0},{"t":"Societal investment by Somaïr and Cominak of 'over 14 billion FCFA in 16 years' and a Niger stake of 'more than 30%' in the three mining companies","who":"Orano, August 2023","src":25},{"t":"Nigerien control of production: about 2,000 tonnes extracted after July 2023 and several tens of billions of CFA francs of public funds invested","who":"Niger, as reported by Ecofin, February 2026","src":21}],"recorded":[{"t":"ICSID tribunal order of 23 September 2025 in ARB/25/8 (Orano's quotation): Niger not to sell, transfer or facilitate the transfer of Somaïr uranium to third parties; no final award is on record.","src":8},{"t":"Orano's 2025 report states that Niger expropriated Orano on 19 June 2025 outside any legal proceedings and without compensation.","src":4},{"t":"Orano Mining Niger's 2024 payments to governments, in XOF: taxes 35,227,232; fees 782,797,389; infrastructure 14,208,935; other payments 597,359,458; total 1,429,593,014. Somaïr and Cominak, deconsolidated from 1 December 2024, do not appear in the table.","src":11},{"t":"Orano recorded a €69 million impairment of Imouraren intangible mining assets in 2024, and about €193 million of impairments and provisions for Imouraren and Somaïr in the first half of 2024 (AFP).","src":5},{"t":"The Paris prosecutor confirmed an investigation on 19 December 2025; no suspect or charge has been reported.","src":13},{"t":"Niger's Council of Ministers cancelled the 1968 Arlit concession on 18 May 2026 and a draft decree of 21 August 2026 awards the permit to TSUMCO SA.","src":22}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2014–2026","nature":[{"label":"Environmental remediation of the Somaïr pits and waste piles","amount":null,"note":"No amount on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Areva commitment in 2014: Tahoua–Arlit road","amount":90,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Areva commitment in 2014: building for the mining companies, to be owned by Niger","amount":10,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Areva commitment in 2014: development of the Irhazer valley","amount":17,"window":"2014"},{"label":"2023 agreement: social projects by 2030","amount":40,"window":"2023"},{"label":"2023 agreement: test of in-situ recovery at Imouraren","amount":85,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Orano provision for the societal commitment in the 2023 agreement","amount":30,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Orano provisions for country risk","amount":60,"window":"2023"},{"label":"Orano impairment of Imouraren intangible mining assets","amount":69,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Orano impairments and provisions for Imouraren and Somaïr, first half (AFP)","amount":193,"qualifier":"about","window":"2024"},{"label":"Orano line combining provision charges and income on deconsolidation related to the situation in Niger","amount":124,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Value of the uranium concentrate stock (about 1,300 t), Orano via AFP","amount":250,"qualifier":"about","window":"February 2025"},{"label":"Value of the uranium concentrate stock, Orano board chair Claude Imauven via AFP","amount":300,"window":"January 2026"},{"label":"Payments to Niger's government by Orano Mining Niger, 2024","amount":null,"note":"XOF 1,429,593,014 in total; no conversion."},{"label":"Value of the stock in US dollars: about $270 million (October 2025, over 1,500 t), nearly $310 million (December 2025, nearly 1,600 t)","amount":null,"note":"Dollar figures; no conversion."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Uranium stock at issue","v":"Nearly 1,600 t","d":"Nearly $310 million at market value, per Orano (AFP, December 2025)"},{"k":"Revenue share stated by Niger","v":"86.3% / 9.2%","d":"Orano / SOPAMIN, of 80,518 t sold since 1971, against a 63.4% / 36.6% shareholding"},{"k":"Imouraren impairment","v":"€69 million","d":"Orano, 2024"},{"k":"Charges in Paris","v":"None reported","d":"Investigation opened 19 December 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Niger's Council of Ministers described impacts on soil, water and biodiversity in May 2026, and Greenpeace recorded a leak at Somaïr in December 2010; the measurements around Arlit are in the Arlit and Akokan case.","report":[{"t":"Niger's Council of Ministers said in May 2026 that Orano's activity had 'dramatic impacts' on my soil, water resources and biodiversity around the mining zone, and that Orano remained liable for its environmental obligations after the revocation of the concession.","src":22},{"t":"From 11 December 2010 more than 200,000 litres of radioactive sludge leaked from three cracked waste pools at the Somaïr mine, according to Greenpeace.","src":26}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: Orano's value for the uranium stock rose from about €250 million (about 1,300 t, AFP, February 2025) to about $270 million (over 1,500 t, NEI, October 2025), nearly $310 million (nearly 1,600 t, AFP, December 2025) and €300 million (Orano board chair, AFP, January 2026); La Nouvelle Tribune (May 2026) gives over 1,800 t and about $380 million without attributing it to Orano.","Figures differ: Niger's statement of 19 June 2025 (via Wakat Séra) gives 80,518 tonnes of uranium sold since 1971; Nuclear Engineering International gives 81,861 tU for 1971–2024 with the same percentages.","Figures differ: AFP (February 2026) describes the share Tiani offered France as about a hundred tonnes; La Nouvelle Tribune (May 2026) gives about 95 tonnes.","Not disclosed: the amount of surface fees Niger said Orano Mining owed on the unleased part of the Arlit concession.","Not disclosed: the text of the ICSID order of 23 September 2025; the quotation comes from Orano's statement, and the next ICSID hearing date has not been published by either party.","Not disclosed: the forum, case number and status of the Imouraren arbitration.","Not disclosed: the forums and number of Orano's proceedings against Niger; Orano's 2024 report refers to four proceedings before international courts and its 2025 report to several proceedings before the competent international arbitral courts.","None on record: Orano-specific provisions or amounts for Niger in Note 34 of Orano's 2025 Annual Activity Report.","None on record: Orano's quantity, destination or transport conditions for the shipment from Somaïr; Orano said it had no official information.","Unclear: whether the detained Orano representative has been released after the July 2025 Niamey Court of Appeal decision calling for his release.","Unclear: who holds the remediation liability for the Somaïr pits and waste piles after the award of the permit to TSUMCO.","Disputed: ownership of the stock; Orano claims offtake rights over production, while Niger says only the pre-takeover share belongs to France."],"evidence":["court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Orano states that it received no compensation for the expropriation of 19 June 2025. Niger states that former shareholders are to be compensated taking account of their legal obligations, which Wakat Séra says include the cost of rehabilitating mining sites.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: ICSID case ARB/25/8 pending after the 23 September 2025 provisional-measures order; Arlit concession cancelled on 18 May 2026 and a draft decree of 21 August 2026 awards the permit to TSUMCO; Paris investigation open, no charges reported; no sale of the stock reported.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"orano","says":"Strongly condemns this systematic campaign to dispossess the group of its mining assets.","when":"20 June 2025","src":10},{"actor":"orano","says":"Niger expropriated Orano outside any legal proceedings and without any compensation.","when":"2026 (Annual Activity Report 2025)","src":4},{"actor":"orano","says":"Not the initiator of the shipment from the Somaïr site, which it strongly condemns; no official information on the transport.","when":"27 November 2025","src":9},{"actor":"orano","says":"Chief executive Nicolas Maes favours a negotiated solution.","when":"February 2026","src":15},{"actor":"orano","says":"Finance director David Claverie said no conciliation was possible without a current channel of discussion.","when":"31 July 2026","src":16},{"actor":"niger-government","says":"Former shareholders are to be compensated taking account of all their legal obligations.","when":"19 June 2025","src":0},{"actor":"niger-government","says":"General Tiani said France is entitled to 63.4% of the 156.231 tons and that everything produced since belongs to Niger.","when":"February 2026","src":21},{"actor":"niger-government","says":"Mines Minister Ousmane Abarchi called the proceedings 'near-judicial harassment' and said talks with serious buyers continue.","when":"4 May 2026","src":23}],"actors":[{"id":"orano","role":"Majority shareholder of Somaïr (63.4%); claimant in ICSID ARB/25/8"},{"id":"somair","role":"Uranium mine and plant at Arlit; nationalised on 19 June 2025"},{"id":"sopamin","role":"Niger's state mining company; 36.6% shareholder in Somaïr"},{"id":"niger-government","role":"Nationalised Somaïr; cancelled the Arlit concession"},{"id":"tsumco","role":"State company created in May 2026; draft award of the Arlit permit"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Tribunal in ARB/25/8; order of 23 September 2025"},{"id":"paris-prosecutors-office","role":"Investigation opened on 19 December 2025"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who may dispose of the uranium produced by Somaïr","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Orano","says":"Claims offtake rights over production and condemns the shipment as one it did not initiate.","src":9},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID tribunal, ARB/25/8","says":"Ordered Niger on 23 September 2025 not to sell, transfer or facilitate the transfer of Somaïr uranium to third parties (Orano's quotation).","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"General Abdourahamane Tiani","says":"France is entitled to 63.4% of the 156.231 tons; everything produced since then belongs to Niger.","src":21}]},{"point":"Tonnage and value of the uranium stock","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP, February 2025","says":"About 1,300 tonnes of concentrate, about €250 million (Orano).","src":12},{"voice":"press","holder":"Nuclear Engineering International, October 2025","says":"More than 1,500 tonnes, about $270 million (Orano).","src":20},{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP, December 2025","says":"Nearly 1,600 tonnes, nearly $310 million at market value (Orano).","src":13},{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP, January 2026","says":"€300 million (Orano board chair Claude Imauven).","src":14},{"voice":"press","holder":"La Nouvelle Tribune, May 2026","says":"Over 1,800 tonnes, about $380 million; not attributed to Orano.","src":23}]},{"point":"Share of revenue from Somaïr uranium, 1971–2024","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Niger's Council of Ministers, 19 June 2025","says":"Of 80,518 tonnes sold since 1971, Orano took 86.3% and SOPAMIN 9.2%, although the agreements provide for sharing by shareholding (63.4% / 36.6%).","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"La Nouvelle Tribune, May 2026","says":"From 1971 to 2024 Orano received 86% of operating revenues against 9.2% for Niger; this wording differs from 'uranium sold'.","src":23}]},{"point":"Compensation for the nationalisation","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Orano","says":"Niger expropriated Orano outside any legal proceedings and without any compensation (Annual Activity Report 2025).","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Niger's Council of Ministers","says":"Former shareholders are to be compensated, taking account of all their legal obligations.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Orano v. Republic of Niger (Somaïr), ICSID case ARB/25/8","forum":"International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Orano","defendant":"Republic of Niger","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Orano announced the arbitration on 21 January 2025. On 23 September 2025 the tribunal ordered Niger 'not to sell, transfer, or even facilitate the transfer to third parties of uranium produced by SOMAIR' (Orano's quotation), asked Niger to proceed with the release of the Orano representative in line with a July 2025 Niamey Court of Appeal decision, and rejected Niger's challenge to Orano's appointed arbitrator. Nuclear Engineering International reports that the status of uranium produced after the takeover remains unresolved by the order. No final award is on record.","src":8},{"title":"Orano request for arbitration over the Imouraren permit","forum":"Arbitral forum not named by Orano or World Nuclear News","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Orano","defendant":"State of Niger","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Orano filed a request for arbitration on 20 December 2024 after the Imouraren permit was withdrawn in June 2024. No outcome is on record.","src":7},{"title":"Paris investigation into the disappearance of Somaïr uranium","forum":"Paris prosecutor's office","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Paris prosecutor","defendant":"No suspect named","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 19 December 2025 the Paris prosecutor confirmed an investigation for organised-gang theft to serve the interests of a foreign power. No suspect or charge has been reported. FPRI says Orano filed a criminal complaint in France.","src":13},{"title":"Detention of an Orano representative in Niamey","forum":"Niamey Court of Appeal","country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Orano representative","defendant":"State of Niger","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The representative was detained in May 2025. A July 2025 decision of the Niamey Court of Appeal called for his release, and the ICSID tribunal asked Niger on 23 September 2025 to proceed with it. Whether he has been released is not on record.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"orano_share_pct","value":63.4,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Shareholding in Somaïr before nationalisation; SOPAMIN 36.6%."},{"key":"uranium_sold_t","value":80518,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Sold since 1971, per Niger's Council of Ministers; Orano 86.3%, SOPAMIN 9.2%."},{"key":"uranium_stock_t","value":1600,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"AFP, December 2025; about 1,300 t in February 2025; more than 1,500 t in October 2025; over 1,800 t in May 2026 (La Nouvelle Tribune)."},{"key":"stock_value","value":310,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Orano, AFP, December 2025; about $270 million in October 2025."},{"key":"stock_value","value":300,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Orano board chair, January 2026; about €250 million in February 2025."},{"key":"tons_produced","value":156.231,"unit":"tons (as quoted)","year":2026,"note":"Figure in General Tiani's offer; France entitled to 63.4%."},{"key":"shipment_t","value":1000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Left Arlit in late November 2025 (Wamaps via AFP)."},{"key":"trucks","value":34,"unit":"trucks","year":2025,"note":"Reached Niamey airport 3–5 December 2025 (AFP satellite imagery)."},{"key":"employees","value":780,"unit":"people","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Somaïr, February 2025."},{"key":"impairment","value":69,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Imouraren intangible mining assets."},{"key":"impairment","value":193,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Impairments and provisions for Imouraren and Somaïr, first half (AFP)."},{"key":"payments_to_governments","value":1429593014,"unit":"XOF","year":2024,"note":"Orano Mining Niger, total of taxes, fees, infrastructure and other payments."},{"key":"concession_area_km2","value":360,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Arlit concession granted in 1968 for 75 years."}],"related":["arlit-akokan-uranium-waste-and-cominak-remediation"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Niger's military government nationalised the Somaïr uranium mine at Arlit on 19 June 2025 after Orano lost operational control; Orano is pursuing ICSID arbitration ARB/25/8, in which a tribunal ordered Niger on 23 September 2025 not to sell Somaïr uranium, while a stock of nearly 1,600 tonnes was moved to Niamey.","src":8},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"State of Niger","what":"Took full ownership of Somaïr's shares and assets by the ordinance of 19 June 2025 and, by the decree of 18 May 2026, the Arlit concession; a draft decree of 21 August 2026 awards the permit to TSUMCO SA","src":22},{"who":"Orano","what":"Received 86.3% of the 80,518 tonnes sold since 1971, according to Niger's statement","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Orano","what":"Reports expropriation without compensation; impairments of €69 million for Imouraren in 2024","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil, water and biodiversity around the Arlit mining zone","what":"Described by Niger's Council of Ministers in May 2026 as suffering 'dramatic impacts'","src":22}]},"where":{"t":"Somaïr open pits and plant at Arlit, Agadez region; the stock was moved to Air Base 101 at Niamey airport.","src":24},"when":{"t":"Coup 26 July 2023; loss of control 4 December 2024; nationalisation 19 June 2025; ICSID order 23 September 2025; shipment from 27 November 2025; Paris investigation 19 December 2025; concession cancelled 18 May 2026.","src":8},"why":{"t":"A dispute over uranium output, revenue shares, fees and environmental liabilities that followed the 2023 coup; Niger cited unpaid surface fees for the concession cancellation, and Orano calls the measures a campaign to dispossess it.","src":22},"how":{"t":"Orano deconsolidated its Niger mines, filed ICSID claims and obtained a provisional-measures order; Niger adopted a nationalisation ordinance, moved the stock to Niamey and created TSUMCO to take over the Arlit permit.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"Niger: la société des mines SOMAIR nationalisée","p":"Wakat Séra (citing APA)","d":"2025-06-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.wakatsera.com/niger-la-societe-des-mines-somair-nationalisee/"},{"t":"Tribunal decision supports Orano in Somaïr dispute","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2025-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://wnn.world-nuclear.org/articles/tribunal-decision-supports-orano-in-somair-dispute"},{"t":"Signature of a strategic partnership agreement between the State of Niger and AREVA","p":"AREVA","d":"2014-05-26","type":"company","u":"https://www.sa.areva.com/news-signature-of-a-strategic-partnership-agreement-between-the-state-of-niger-and-areva"},{"t":"Orano signs a general partnership agreement with the government of Niger","p":"Orano","d":"2023-05-04","type":"company","u":"https://orano.group/en/news/news-group/2023/may/orano-signs-a-general-partnership-agreement-with-the-government-of-niger"},{"t":"Annual Activity Report 2025, Note 34 (Niger)","p":"Orano","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/finance-raa/2025/en/380/"},{"t":"Annual Activity Report 2024, p. 342 (Note 5)","p":"Orano","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/finance-raa2024/en/342/"},{"t":"Annual Activity Report 2024, p. 380 (Note 34)","p":"Orano","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/finance-raa2024/en/380/"},{"t":"Orano initiates a second arbitration procedure vis-à-vis the State of Niger following the loss of operational control over SOMAÏR","p":"Orano","d":"2025-01-21","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/en/news/news-group/2025/january/orano-initiates-a-second-arbitration-procedure-vis-vis-the-state-of-niger-following-the-loss-of-operational-control-over-somaIr"},{"t":"The ICSID Arbitral Tribunal opposes the sale by the State of Niger of uranium produced by SOMAÏR","p":"Orano","d":"2025-09-26","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/en/news/news-group/2025/september/the-icsid-arbitral-tribunal-opposes-the-sale-by-the-state-of-niger-of-uranium-produced-by-somair"},{"t":"Orano condemns illegal shipment of uranium stored at the SOMAIR site","p":"Orano","d":"2025-11-27","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/en/news/news-group/2025/november/orano-condemns-illegal-shipment-of-uranium-stored-at-the-somair-site"},{"t":"Orano opposes nationalization plans of SOMAÏR in Niger","p":"Orano","d":"2025-06-20","type":"company","u":"https://www.orano.group/en/news/news-group/2025/june/orano-opposes-nationalization-plans-of-somair-in-niger"},{"t":"Report on payments made to governments for the 2024 financial year","p":"Orano","d":"2025","type":"company","u":"https://cdn.orano.group/orano/docs/default-source/orano-doc/expertises/producteur-uranium/fiches-rse-2024/rapport-sur-les-paiements-2024_eng.pdf"},{"t":"Orano sceptique sur un redémarrage rapide de sa production d'uranium au Niger","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2025-02-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/orano-sceptique-sur-un-redemarrage-rapide-de-sa-production-duranium-au-niger-250219"},{"t":"Disparition d'uranium au Niger: enquête ouverte à Paris pour vol en bande organisée","p":"AFP via DH","d":"2025-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.dhnet.be/dernieres-depeches/2025/12/19/disparition-duranium-au-niger-enquete-ouverte-a-paris-pour-vol-en-bande-organisee-5EPTY64FBJA3VF6MQCD4UNTQRA/"},{"t":"Orano promet d'agir en justice contre quiconque voudrait mettre la main sur son uranium au Niger","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2026-01-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/orano-promet-dagir-en-justice-contre-quiconque-voudrait-mettre-la-main-sur-son-uranium-au-niger-260121"},{"t":"Uranium: Orano se dit favorable à une solution négociée avec la junte militaire au Niger","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/uranium-orano-se-dit-favorable-une-solution-negociee-avec-la-junte-militaire-au-niger-260220"},{"t":"Orano pénalisé par plusieurs arrêts de production, maintient ses objectifs 2026","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2026-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/orano-penalise-par-plusieurs-arrets-de-production-maintient-ses-objectifs-2026-260731"},{"t":"Niger reveals plans to sell Somaïr uranium","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2025-12-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/niger-reveals-plans-to-sell-somair-uranium"},{"t":"Orano seeks arbitration over Niger mining licence","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/orano-seeks-arbitration-over-niger-mining-licence"},{"t":"Niger awards Arlit uranium mining permit to state-owned company","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2026-08","type":"press","u":"https://wnn.world-nuclear.org/articles/niger-awards-arlit-uranium-mining-permit-to-state-owned-company"},{"t":"Niger targets Orano over radwaste","p":"Nuclear Engineering International","d":"2025-12-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.neimagazine.com/news/niger-targets-orano-over-radwaste/"},{"t":"Niger sets uranium share terms in dispute with France's Orano","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2026-02-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecofinagency.com/news/1702-52956-niger-sets-uranium-share-terms-in-dispute-with-france-s-orano"},{"t":"Niger escalates dispute with Orano by revoking historic uranium license","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2026-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/1905-55734-niger-escalates-dispute-with-orano-by-revoking-historic-uranium-license"},{"t":"Uranium du Niger: Niamey a gagné la bataille politique, Paris tient le verrou judiciaire","p":"La Nouvelle Tribune","d":"2026-05-31","type":"press","u":"https://lanouvelletribune.info/2026/05/uranium-du-niger-niamey-a-gagne-la-bataille-politique-paris-tient-le-verrou-judiciaire/"},{"t":"Why Niger Can Seize Uranium but Cannot Sell It","p":"Foreign Policy Research Institute","d":"2026-04-24","type":"academic","u":"https://www.fpri.org/article/2026/04/why-niger-can-seize-uranium-but-cannot-sell-it/"},{"t":"Orano in Niger: let's talk economics","p":"Orano","d":"2023-08-03","type":"company","u":"https://orano.group/en/news/news-group/2023/august/orano-in-niger-let-s-talk-economics"},{"t":"Radioactive spill at AREVA uranium mine in Niger (archived blog)","p":"Greenpeace","d":"2010-12-18","type":"ngo","u":"https://wayback.archive-it.org/9650/20200417013545/http://p3-raw.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/nuclear-reaction/radioactive-spill-at-areva-uranium-mine-in-ni/blog/31955/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental remediation of the Somaïr pits and waste piles — No amount on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Payments to Niger's government by Orano Mining Niger, 2024 — XOF 1,429,593,014 in total; no conversion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Value of the stock in US dollars: about $270 million (October 2025, over 1,500 t), nearly $310 million (December 2025, nearly 1,600 t) — Dollar figures; no conversion.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who may dispose of the uranium produced by Somaïr","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Tonnage and value of the uranium stock","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Share of revenue from Somaïr uranium, 1971–2024","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Compensation for the nationalisation","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Detention of an Orano representative in Niamey: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Orano's value for the uranium stock rose from about €250 million (about 1,300 t, AFP, February 2025) to about $270 million (over 1,500 t, NEI, October 2025), nearly $310 million (nearly 1,600 t, AFP, December 2025) and €300 million (Orano board chair, AFP, January 2026); La Nouvelle Tribune (May 2026) gives over 1,800 t and about $380 million without attributing it to Orano.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Niger's statement of 19 June 2025 (via Wakat Séra) gives 80,518 tonnes of uranium sold since 1971; Nuclear Engineering International gives 81,861 tU for 1971–2024 with the same percentages.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: AFP (February 2026) describes the share Tiani offered France as about a hundred tonnes; La Nouvelle Tribune (May 2026) gives about 95 tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of surface fees Niger said Orano Mining owed on the unleased part of the Arlit concession.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the text of the ICSID order of 23 September 2025; the quotation comes from Orano's statement, and the next ICSID hearing date has not been published by either party.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the forum, case number and status of the Imouraren arbitration.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the forums and number of Orano's proceedings against Niger; Orano's 2024 report refers to four proceedings before international courts and its 2025 report to several proceedings before the competent international arbitral courts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Orano-specific provisions or amounts for Niger in Note 34 of Orano's 2025 Annual Activity Report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Orano's quantity, destination or transport conditions for the shipment from Somaïr; Orano said it had no official information.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the detained Orano representative has been released after the July 2025 Niamey Court of Appeal decision calling for his release.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: who holds the remediation liability for the Somaïr pits and waste piles after the award of the permit to TSUMCO.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: ownership of the stock; Orano claims offtake rights over production, while Niger says only the pre-takeover share belongs to France.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"agadem-goumeri-w8-well-blowout-2026","title":"Goumeri W-8 well eruption at the Agadem oil block, Niger (2026)","dek":"An eruption of crude and gas began on 25 September 2026 at the CNPC-operated Goumeri W-8 well in the Agadem block, Diffa region. Niger's Ministry of Petroleum called it an environmental incident of exceptional gravity; on 14 October it was continuing at lower intensity and no volume had been published.","country":"Niger","region":"Africa","lat":16,"lon":13,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Agadem oil block, Diffa region (exact well position not published)","lat":16,"lon":13,"role":"event"}],"start":2026,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-09-25","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Height reached by sprayed crude and gas (state television images, AFP, 13 October 2026)","value":"More than 10 m","note":"Crude flowed over several hundred metres. No volume of crude or gas released and no contaminated area has been published."},"happened":["On 25 September 2026 an eruption of crude and gas began at the Goumeri W-8 well in the Agadem oil block of the Diffa region, about 1,700 km from Niamey. The operator is CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A. Crude and gas sprayed more than 10 metres high and crude flowed over several hundred metres, according to images on state television reported by AFP. The platform shared with wells W-3 and W-4 was described as badly damaged, and the integrity of those two neighbouring wells was said to be compromised. Two employees were hospitalised; no deaths were reported.","A communiqué of Niger's Ministry of Petroleum, read on 12 October 2026 by Secretary General Abdoulkarim Mohamed Ali, called the event an 'environmental incident of exceptional gravity' and said the eruption was 'partially contained, but not fully under control'. Containment relied on dikes, trenches and basins, and recovered oil was taken to the Goumeri treatment station. On 14 October Petroleum Minister Hamadou Tinni and Environment Minister Col. Abdoulaye Maizama visited the site with the Diffa governor and specialists from Sonatrach; the eruption was continuing at lower intensity and no end date had been announced.","The ministry said 'all responsibilities will be established and borne' and that damages would be covered under the laws in force, without giving an amount or mechanism. It announced an independent investigation into the causes and responsibilities with Algerian (Sonatrach) expertise, ruled out a criminal or terrorist cause, and, as reported by Nigerdiaspora, took precautionary and control measures against the operator. Scoop Afrique reported 17 days of official silence before the 12 October communiqué.","The well is part of Agadem phase II, launched on 1 November 2023, which planned 20,000 barrels a day for the Zinder refinery and 90,000 barrels a day for export. A Nigerien extractive-industries think tank, which AFP did not name, warned of risks to herds, pastures, soils and water, and Scoop Afrique named herders in Diffa as affected."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Agadem phase II launched (1 November)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Eruption begins at Goumeri W-8 (25 September); ministry communiqué (12 October); ministers visit the site; eruption continuing at lower intensity (14 October)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"environmental incident of exceptional gravity","who":"Niger's Ministry of Petroleum","when":"12 October 2026","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"partially contained, but not fully under control","who":"Niger's Ministry of Petroleum communiqué, read by Secretary General Abdoulkarim Mohamed Ali","when":"12 October 2026","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"All responsibilities will be established and borne","who":"Niger's Ministry of Petroleum","when":"12 October 2026","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"badly damaged","who":"Niger's Ministry of Petroleum, on the platform shared with wells W-3 and W-4","when":"12 October 2026","src":0,"translated":"French"}],"shown":[{"t":"Images of crude and gas spraying more than 10 metres high and crude flowing over several hundred metres","who":"Niger's state television, as reported by AFP","src":0},{"t":"Containment with dikes, trenches and basins, and delivery of recovered oil to the Goumeri treatment station","who":"Niger's Ministry of Petroleum, as reported by Nigerdiaspora","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"No published volume of crude or gas released and no contaminated area figure (AFP, 13 October 2026).","src":0},{"t":"Two employees hospitalised; no deaths (AFP).","src":0},{"t":"Status on 12 October 2026: partially contained, but not fully under control; on 14 October the eruption was continuing at lower intensity with no end date announced.","src":2},{"t":"An independent investigation into causes and responsibilities was announced, with Algerian (Sonatrach) expertise; the ministry rules out a criminal or terrorist cause.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2026","nature":[{"label":"Compensation or clean-up spending for the Goumeri W-8 eruption","amount":null,"note":"No amount or mechanism published; the ministry said damages will be covered under the laws in force."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Spray height of crude and gas","v":"More than 10 m","d":"State television images (AFP, 13 October 2026)"},{"k":"Crude flow on the ground","v":"Several hundred metres","d":"State television images (AFP)"},{"k":"Volume released","v":"Not published","d":"AFP, 13 October 2026"},{"k":"Days of eruption by 14 October 2026","v":"Since 25 September","d":"Continuing at lower intensity; no end date announced"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"AFP, Nigerdiaspora and Scoop Afrique recorded a crude and gas eruption, crude flowing over the ground and warnings about herds, pastures, soils and water; no volume or contaminated area has been published.","report":[{"t":"Crude and gas sprayed more than 10 metres above my ground at the Goumeri W-8 well from 25 September 2026, and crude flowed over several hundred metres, according to state television images reported by AFP.","src":0},{"t":"A Nigerien extractive-industries think tank warned of risks to herds and to my pastures, soils and water.","src":0},{"t":"Herders in the Diffa region were named as affected by the eruption (Scoop Afrique).","src":3}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the volume of crude and gas released, the area contaminated and the compensation amount (AFP, 13 October 2026).","None on record: a statement from CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A. on the eruption.","None on record: a direct statement from herders or communities in the affected area.","Unclear: the wording of the government's commitment on compensation; Nigerdiaspora quotes the ministry as saying damages will be covered 'under the laws in force', while Scoop Afrique reports a promise of 'full compensation'.","Unclear: the exact position of the Goumeri W-8 well; it has not been published."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped as of 14 October 2026: the eruption was continuing at lower intensity and no end date was announced.","whoPaid":"No amount or mechanism published. The ministry said damages will be covered under the laws in force and that responsibilities will be established.","statusLine":"As of 14 October 2026: eruption continuing at lower intensity; independent investigation announced; no volume, contaminated area or compensation amount published.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"niger-government","says":"The Ministry of Petroleum called the eruption an environmental incident of exceptional gravity, said responsibilities will be established and damages covered under the laws in force, and announced an independent investigation.","when":"12 October 2026","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"cnpc-niger-petroleum","role":"Operator of the Goumeri W-8 well"},{"id":"niger-government","role":"Ministry of Petroleum; announced the investigation and precautionary measures"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Independent investigation into the causes of the Goumeri W-8 eruption","forum":"Niger's Ministry of Petroleum (with Algerian Sonatrach expertise)","country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Petroleum","defendant":"CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A. (operator)","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The ministry announced an independent investigation into the causes and responsibilities and ruled out a criminal or terrorist cause. Nigerdiaspora reported precautionary and control measures taken against the operator.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"spray_height_m","value":10,"unit":"m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Crude and gas, state television images (AFP)."},{"key":"flow_distance_m","value":100,"unit":"m","year":2026,"qualifier":"several hundred","note":"Crude flowed over several hundred metres."},{"key":"injured","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Two employees hospitalised."},{"key":"deaths","value":0,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"No deaths reported."},{"key":"wells_compromised","value":2,"unit":"wells","year":2026,"note":"Integrity of neighbouring wells W-3 and W-4 said to be compromised."},{"key":"planned_output_export","value":90000,"unit":"barrels/day","year":2023,"note":"Agadem phase II: 90,000 b/d for export and 20,000 b/d for the Zinder refinery."}],"related":["niger-benin-oil-pipeline-wapco","termit-tin-toumma-reserve-boundary-redrawn-for-oil"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An eruption of crude and gas began on 25 September 2026 at the Goumeri W-8 well in Niger's Agadem oil block; crude sprayed more than 10 m high and flowed over several hundred metres, and the eruption was continuing at lower intensity on 14 October.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Niger and the operator, CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A.","what":"Agadem phase II, launched on 1 November 2023, planned 20,000 b/d for the Zinder refinery and 90,000 b/d for export","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A.","what":"Precautionary and control measures taken against the operator, as reported; damages to be covered under the laws in force","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Two employees","what":"Hospitalised","src":0},{"who":"Herds, pastures, soils and water in Diffa","what":"Risks warned of by a Nigerien think tank; herders in Diffa named as affected","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Goumeri W-8 well, Agadem oil block, Diffa region, about 1,700 km from Niamey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Eruption from 25 September 2026; ministry communiqué 12 October; ministers on site 14 October 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cause has not been established; an independent investigation was announced and the ministry ruled out a criminal or terrorist cause.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Containment with dikes, trenches and basins; recovered oil taken to the Goumeri treatment station; Sonatrach specialists on site.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Niger: éruption « exceptionnelle » d'or noir sur un site pétrolier dans le nord-est","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2026-10-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/niger-eruption-exceptionnelle-dor-noir-sur-un-site-petrolier-dans-le-nord-est-261013"},{"t":"Niger: l'éruption du puits Goumeri W-8 « partiellement contenue, mais pas totalement maîtrisée »","p":"Nigerdiaspora","d":"2026-10","type":"press","u":"https://nigerdiaspora.net/environnement-niger/niger-leruption-du-puits-goumeri-w-8-partiellement-contenue-mais-pas-totalement-maitrisee"},{"t":"Niger: les ministres sur le terrain après l'éruption à Agadem","p":"Journal du Niger","d":"2026-10-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.journalduniger.com/niger-ministres-experts-algeriens-puits-goumeri-w8-agadem/"},{"t":"Niger: le puits Goumeri W-8 crache du pétrole depuis trois semaines","p":"Scoop Afrique","d":"2026-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.scoop-afrique.com/articles/niger-a-agadem-le-puits-qui-crache-du-petrole-depuis-trois-semaines"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation or clean-up spending for the Goumeri W-8 eruption — No amount or mechanism published; the ministry said damages will be covered under the laws in force.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volume of crude and gas released, the area contaminated and the compensation amount (AFP, 13 October 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement from CNPC Niger Petroleum S.A. on the eruption.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a direct statement from herders or communities in the affected area.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the wording of the government's commitment on compensation; Nigerdiaspora quotes the ministry as saying damages will be covered 'under the laws in force', while Scoop Afrique reports a promise of 'full compensation'.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the exact position of the Goumeri W-8 well; it has not been published.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"niger-benin-oil-pipeline-wapco","title":"Niger–Benin crude export pipeline (WAPCO): financing, land compensation and the June 2024 sabotage spill","dek":"The WAPCO pipeline carries Niger's crude from the Agadem block to Benin's coast, financed by CNPC's finance arm. Niger's impact study identified forest and wetland impacts, Benin paid land compensation under a 2020 law, and a sabotage in June 2024 left a crude slick over more than 370 metres in Zinder region.","country":"Niger","region":"Africa","lat":15.1,"lon":10.7,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Pipeline route from Agadem (Diffa) to the Benin border; spill site in Tesker department, Zinder region","lat":15.1,"lon":10.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Benin","iso2":"BJ","admin":"Route through 5 departments to the Sèmè-Kpodji terminal","lat":6.37,"lon":2.61,"role":"affected"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"CNPC and CNPC Finance (HK), lender","role":"company-home"}],"start":2018,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2024-06-16","instrument":"pipeline","types":["pipeline","fossil-fuel","oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Total cost given on AidData's project page for the Niger section","value":"$1.3 bn","note":"Financed 80:20 debt to equity. Benin's section cost 608 billion FCFA, according to the Benin government."},"happened":["On 20 September 2018 the Government of Niger and CNODC/CNPC signed a framework agreement, followed by a Niger–Benin bilateral agreement on 23 January 2019. WAPCo-Niger was incorporated on 26 April 2019 and construction started in Niger in September 2019. Works were launched in Benin on 20 May 2021; the pipeline became operational in November 2023, and the first cargo of about 1 million barrels left Benin's waters in May 2024, according to the Benin government as reported by AFP.","Niger's environmental and social impact assessment, presented by the Bureau National d'Évaluation Environnementale (BNEE) in March 2023, covers 1,293 km in Niger across 16 departments (Diffa 150 km, Zinder 421, Maradi 231, Tahoua 211, Dosso 280), with 6 pumping stations and 37 valve stations. Its stated negative impacts include loss of farmland and pasture, loss of rural livelihoods, occupation of forest zones (the Foga Béri forest) and disruption of the surface flows of the Niger River, described as a wetland. Horizontal directional drilling is planned for river crossings, and a convention lets BNEE monitor impacts. The study's stated target is 'zero accidents/incidents, zero pollution'. In Benin the route crosses 5 departments, 17 communes and 141 villages.","AidData records a loan from CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd to WAPCo-Niger (CNPC 85%, Niger 15%) of about $1.04 bn, an estimate whose face value is unknown, at an estimated rate of 8.05% and collateralised by crude sale proceeds. For Benin, the government said works costing 608 billion FCFA were funded by WAPCO-Bénin; AidData estimates a CNPC Finance (HK) loan of about $840 m. On 20 November 2023 Benin's energy minister said expropriation compensation had been paid under law no. 2020-04 of 8 May 2020, and that some expropriated people at Ifangni, Avrankou and Adjarra still occupied the land despite their commitment to vacate it on receiving payment.","On 16–17 June 2024 a section of the pipeline was sabotaged in Tesker department, Zinder region. The armed group FPL claimed the attack in a statement signed by Mahamoud Sallah, calling it a 'first warning to the Niamey junta' and demanding the cancellation of an advance agreed with CNPC, and Niger's authorities confirmed the sabotage. Télé Sahel showed a crude slick over more than 370 metres in the bush, with many dead birds and vegetation covered in crude. Zinder prosecutor Ousmane Baydo opened an inquiry, and the governor, Col. Issoufou Labo, said everyone who contributed would be arrested and tried for their 'terrorist act'. In Benin, three Nigerien nationals arrested at Sèmè-Kpodji in June 2024 received 18-month suspended sentences for impersonation and use of falsified computer data."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Framework agreement between the Government of Niger and CNODC/CNPC (20 September)","src":2},{"y":2019,"t":"Niger–Benin bilateral agreement (23 January); WAPCo-Niger incorporated (26 April); construction starts in Niger (September)","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"Works launched in Benin (20 May)","src":4},{"y":2023,"t":"Niger's impact assessment presented by BNEE (March); Benin communiqué on compensation (20 November); pipeline operational (November)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"First cargo of about 1 million barrels (May); sabotage in Tesker (16–17 June); arrests and suspended sentences in Benin (June)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"first warning to the Niamey junta","who":"FPL statement signed by Mahamoud Sallah, claiming the June 2024 attack","when":"18 June 2024","src":6,"translated":"French"},{"q":"everyone who contributed will be arrested and tried for their terrorist act","who":"Col. Issoufou Labo, governor of Zinder","when":"June 2024","src":7,"translated":"French"},{"q":"the largest investment ever made in Benin's history since independence","who":"Government of Benin, on the Benin section","when":"20 May 2021","src":4,"translated":"French"},{"q":"their commitment to vacate the land on receiving their expropriation payments","who":"Benin's energy minister's communiqué, on expropriated people who still occupied the land","when":"20 November 2023","src":5,"translated":"French"},{"q":"zero accidents/incidents, zero pollution","who":"Niger's impact assessment, presented by BNEE","when":"March 2023","src":0,"translated":"French"}],"shown":[{"t":"A crude slick over more than 370 metres in the bush, with many dead birds","who":"Télé Sahel, as reported by AFP via Le360","src":7},{"t":"A pipeline with a stated target of zero accidents and zero pollution","who":"BNEE impact-assessment presentation, March 2023","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Niger's impact assessment lists loss of farmland and pasture, loss of rural livelihoods, occupation of forest zones (Foga Béri forest) and disruption of the surface flows of the Niger River as negative impacts.","src":0},{"t":"Niger section: loan of about $1.04 bn from CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd to WAPCo-Niger (CNPC 85%, Niger 15%) at an estimated rate of 8.05%, collateralised by crude sale proceeds (AidData estimates).","src":2},{"t":"Benin section: 608 billion FCFA funded by WAPCO-Bénin; AidData estimates a CNPC Finance (HK) loan of about $840 m and expected Benin revenue of $884.6 m in transit fees and $109 m in taxes.","src":3},{"t":"Benin's expropriation compensation was paid under law no. 2020-04 of 8 May 2020.","src":5},{"t":"June 2024 sabotage in Tesker: a crude slick over more than 370 metres, dead birds and vegetation covered in crude.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2024","nature":[{"label":"Clean-up of the June 2024 Tesker spill","amount":null,"note":"No amount on record."},{"label":"Mitigation costs listed as a component of Niger's environmental and social management plan","amount":null,"note":"The presentation lists the component without figures."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"CNPC Finance (HK) loan for the Niger section (AidData estimate)","amount":1040,"qualifier":"about","note":"Face value unknown."},{"label":"CNPC Finance (HK) loan for the Benin section (AidData estimate)","amount":840,"qualifier":"about"},{"label":"Total cost given on AidData's page for the Niger section","amount":1300},{"label":"Niger's 15% stake in WAPCo-Niger, valued in a World Bank publication of April 2022 (via AidData)","amount":372,"qualifier":"about","window":"2022"},{"label":"Expected Benin revenue from transit fees (AidData; period not stated)","amount":884.6},{"label":"Expected Benin revenue from taxes (AidData; period not stated)","amount":109},{"label":"Benin section, as stated by the Benin government: 608 billion FCFA","amount":null,"note":"FCFA figure; no conversion."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Pipeline length in Niger","v":"1,293 km","d":"16 departments; Niger's impact assessment (BNEE, 2023)"},{"k":"June 2024 slick","v":"Over 370 m","d":"Tesker, Zinder region, with many dead birds (AFP via Le360)"},{"k":"Niger section loan","v":"About $1.04 bn","d":"CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd; AidData estimate"},{"k":"Benin section","v":"608 billion FCFA","d":"Funded by WAPCO-Bénin, per the Benin government"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Niger's impact assessment records forest, farmland, pasture and wetland impacts of the route, and AFP recorded a crude slick and dead birds after the June 2024 sabotage.","report":[{"t":"Niger's impact assessment (March 2023) lists the occupation of my forest zones, including the Foga Béri forest, among the negative impacts of the pipeline route.","src":0},{"t":"The same assessment says the pipeline disrupts the surface flows of the Niger River, which it describes as a wetland.","src":0},{"t":"In June 2024 a crude slick covered more than 370 metres of my bush in Tesker department, with many dead birds and vegetation covered in crude, according to images shown on Télé Sahel and reported by AFP.","src":7}]},"unknown":["None on record: a volume, clean-up cost or compensation figure for the June 2024 Tesker spill.","None on record: the outcome of the Zinder prosecutor's inquiry into the June 2024 sabotage.","None on record: a statement from WAPCO or CNPC on spills.","Not disclosed: the cost of the mitigation measures in Niger's environmental and social management plan; the BNEE presentation lists them as a component without figures.","None on record: environmental impact assessment information on AidData's project pages for the pipeline.","None on record: any mention of compensation or environmental impacts in the Benin government's 2021 launch article.","Not disclosed: the face value of the CNPC Finance (HK) loan for the Niger section; $1.04 bn is AidData's estimate.","Not disclosed: the total compensation paid in Niger and Benin, and the number of affected people."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The pipeline is financed by loans from CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd to WAPCo-Niger and WAPCO-Bénin, collateralised in Niger by crude sale proceeds. No source states who paid for the June 2024 clean-up.","statusLine":"As of the latest reports on the June 2024 sabotage: Zinder prosecutor's inquiry opened, outcome not reported; no spill volume, clean-up cost or compensation published.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"niger-government","says":"The governor of Zinder said everyone who contributed to the sabotage would be arrested and tried for their terrorist act; the Zinder prosecutor opened an inquiry.","when":"June 2024","src":7},{"actor":"benin-government","says":"The energy minister said expropriation compensation had been paid under law no. 2020-04 of 8 May 2020.","when":"20 November 2023","src":5},{"actor":"benin-government","says":"Described the Benin section as the largest investment in Benin's history since independence.","when":"20 May 2021","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"wapco","role":"Pipeline company (WAPCo-Niger: CNPC 85%, Niger 15%; WAPCO-Bénin)"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"Majority owner and, through CNPC Finance (HK), lender"},{"id":"niger-government","role":"15% owner of WAPCo-Niger; environmental assessment through BNEE; inquiry into the sabotage"},{"id":"benin-government","role":"Paid expropriation compensation under the 2020 law; launched works in 2021"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Zinder prosecutor's inquiry into the June 2024 sabotage","forum":"Zinder prosecutor's office","country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Zinder prosecutor Ousmane Baydo","defendant":"No defendant named","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"The prosecutor opened an inquiry after the 16–17 June 2024 sabotage at Tesker. The governor said all who contributed would be arrested and tried. No outcome is on record.","src":7},{"title":"Sentences in Benin of three Nigerien nationals arrested at Sèmè-Kpodji","forum":"Court in Benin (not named)","country":"Benin","iso2":"BJ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Three Nigerien nationals","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"In June 2024 three Nigerien nationals arrested at Sèmè-Kpodji received 18-month suspended sentences for impersonation and use of falsified computer data (AFP).","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"pipeline_km_niger","value":1293,"unit":"km","year":2023,"note":"Across 16 departments (BNEE impact assessment)."},{"key":"pumping_stations","value":6,"unit":"stations","year":2023,"note":"Plus 37 valve stations in Niger."},{"key":"benin_villages_crossed","value":141,"unit":"villages","year":2021,"note":"5 departments and 17 communes in Benin."},{"key":"slick_length_m","value":370,"unit":"m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Crude slick in the bush at Tesker (Télé Sahel via AFP)."},{"key":"loan","value":1040,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd to WAPCo-Niger; AidData estimate, face value unknown."},{"key":"loan","value":840,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"CNPC Finance (HK) Ltd to WAPCO Bénin; AidData estimate."},{"key":"interest_rate","value":8.05,"unit":"%","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"AidData estimate: midpoint of a feasibility-study range."},{"key":"benin_section_cost","value":608,"unit":"FCFA bn","year":2021,"note":"Benin government."},{"key":"first_cargo_barrels","value":1000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"May 2024, per the Benin government as reported by AFP."}],"related":["agadem-goumeri-w8-well-blowout-2026","termit-tin-toumma-reserve-boundary-redrawn-for-oil"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A crude export pipeline from Niger's Agadem block to Benin's coast, financed by CNPC's finance arm, with forest and wetland impacts identified in Niger's impact assessment, land compensation paid in Benin under a 2020 law and a sabotage spill over more than 370 metres in June 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CNPC and Niger (WAPCo-Niger 85% / 15%)","what":"Owners of the Niger section; collateral is crude sale proceeds","src":2},{"who":"Benin","what":"Expected revenue of $884.6 m in transit fees and $109 m in taxes (AidData; period not stated)","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Expropriated landholders in Benin","what":"Compensated under law no. 2020-04; some still occupied the land in November 2023","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest, farmland, pasture and the Niger River wetland along the route","what":"Negative impacts listed in Niger's impact assessment, including the Foga Béri forest","src":0},{"who":"Bush and birds at Tesker","what":"Crude slick over more than 370 m, many dead birds and vegetation covered, June 2024","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"From the Agadem block (Diffa) through Zinder, Maradi, Tahoua and Dosso to the Benin border, then through 5 departments of Benin to Sèmè-Kpodji; spill site in Tesker department, Zinder region.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Framework agreement 20 September 2018; construction from September 2019; operational November 2023; first cargo May 2024; sabotage 16–17 June 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The FPL claimed the June 2024 attack as a 'first warning to the Niamey junta'; Niger's authorities confirmed the sabotage.","src":6},"how":{"t":"Financed by CNPC Finance (HK) loans to WAPCo-Niger and WAPCO-Bénin; Niger's authorities confirmed sabotage of a pipeline section at Tesker in June 2024.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Étude d'impact environnemental et social du projet de construction et d'exploitation d'un pipeline, du bloc Agadem à la frontière nigéro-béninoise (SIFEE presentation)","p":"Bureau National d'Évaluation Environnementale (Niger)","d":"2023-03","type":"official","u":"https://www.sifee.org/client_file/upload/Colloques%20documentation/2023%20Montréal/1_Cisse_Presentation_EIES_WAPCO_SIFEE_2023.pdf"},{"t":"Niger: éruption « exceptionnelle » d'or noir sur un site pétrolier dans le nord-est (first cargo of about 1 million barrels, May 2024)","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2026-10-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/niger-eruption-exceptionnelle-dor-noir-sur-un-site-petrolier-dans-le-nord-est-261013"},{"t":"CPFHK loan for Niger section of Niger-Benin Oil Pipeline (Project 58435)","p":"AidData","d":"2026-10-19","type":"academic","u":"https://china.aiddata.org/projects/58435"},{"t":"CPFHK loan for Benin section of Niger-Benin Oil Pipeline (Project 96034)","p":"AidData","d":"2026-10-19","type":"academic","u":"https://china.aiddata.org/projects/96034"},{"t":"Construction pipeline export Niger-Bénin: travaux officiellement lancés","p":"Gouvernement du Bénin","d":"2021-05-20","type":"official","u":"https://www.gouv.bj/actualite/1290/construction-pipeline-export-niger-benin-travaux-officiellement-lances/"},{"t":"Construction du pipeline Niger-Bénin: ce que la partie béninoise demande aux occupants de l'emprise du projet","p":"AllAfrica (from acotonou.com)","d":"2023-11-20","type":"press","u":"https://fr.allafrica.com/stories/202311200494.html"},{"t":"Niger: un mouvement rebelle annonce avoir mis « hors d'usage » une partie d'un oléoduc","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2024-06-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/niger-un-mouvement-rebelle-annonce-avoir-mis-hors-dusage-une-partie-dun-oleoduc-240618"},{"t":"Niger: les autorités confirment « le sabotage » d'un oléoduc par un groupe rebelle","p":"AFP via Le360 Afrique","d":"2024-06-22","type":"press","u":"https://afrique.le360.ma/politique/niger-les-autorites-confirment-le-sabotage-dun-oleoduc-par-un-groupe-rebelle_QVKQSILOEVECNKP7A57S654XVY/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Clean-up of the June 2024 Tesker spill — No amount on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Mitigation costs listed as a component of Niger's environmental and social management plan — The presentation lists the component without figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Benin section, as stated by the Benin government: 608 billion FCFA — FCFA figure; no conversion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a volume, clean-up cost or compensation figure for the June 2024 Tesker spill.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the Zinder prosecutor's inquiry into the June 2024 sabotage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement from WAPCO or CNPC on spills.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cost of the mitigation measures in Niger's environmental and social management plan; the BNEE presentation lists them as a component without figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: environmental impact assessment information on AidData's project pages for the pipeline.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any mention of compensation or environmental impacts in the Benin government's 2021 launch article.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the face value of the CNPC Finance (HK) loan for the Niger section; $1.04 bn is AidData's estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the total compensation paid in Niger and Benin, and the number of affected people.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"termit-tin-toumma-reserve-boundary-redrawn-for-oil","title":"Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve: 2019 boundary change around CNPC oil blocks","dek":"In June 2019 Niger's government redrew the boundaries of the Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve, excluding an area in the east that overlapped CNPC oil blocks and adding land in the west. The addax habitat in the Tin Toumma desert ended up outside the reserve.","country":"Niger","region":"Africa","lat":16,"lon":11.3,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Agadez and Zinder regions (Termit massif and Tin Toumma desert)","lat":16,"lon":11.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2019-06-26","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Area excluded from the reserve in 2019, as given by members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2022)","value":"About 50,000 km²","note":"Figures differ: Mongabay (2019) gives nearly 45,000 km² removed out of nearly 100,000 km²; the EU delegation (2023) gives a reserve area of 86,215 km²."},"happened":["The Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve was created in 2012, and a management agreement with the NGO Noé was signed on 5 November 2018, according to Mongabay. On 26 June 2019 Niger's Council of Ministers announced a boundary change. About 50,000 km² in the east was excluded 'to remove overlap with oil concession blocks' and the reserve was extended westward, according to members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group writing on 22 February 2022, who added that 'the addax zone in the Tin Toumma desert now lies outside the protected area'. Mongabay (2 August 2019) reported nearly 45,000 km² removed out of nearly 100,000 km², with CNPC holding exploration rights in part of the reserve and investing about $5 billion in wells, a 20,000 barrel-a-day refinery and an export pipeline.","The Saharan addax antelope was estimated at about 200 animals in 2010. An aerial survey in March 2016, covering 3,200 km of transects, and a 700 km ground survey found 3 animals, IUCN reported. In 2022 members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group wrote that fewer than 100 remained in the wild, possibly less than half that, against about 200–300 in 2007. IUCN named disturbance from CNPC oil installations and heavy-vehicle traffic, and poaching by soldiers assigned to guard the oil industry, as causes in 2016. Noé estimated a decline of nearly 20% in vegetation cover in the southern part of the reserve, according to the EU delegation to Niger in April 2023.","Mongabay reported that the EU funded reserve management with 'millions' and gave no figure. The EU delegation's April 2023 note cites the EU's PAPBIO programme and future NaturAfrica support for the reserve without an amount, and gives the reserve area as 86,215 km². An IUCN mission in January 2020, at the government's invitation, was funded by an IUCN SOS Rapid Action Grant to Marwell Wildlife, co-funded by the EU; no amount is stated."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Reserve created","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Aerial and ground survey finds 3 addax (March)","src":1},{"y":2018,"t":"Management agreement with Noé signed (5 November)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Council of Ministers announces the boundary change (26 June); Mongabay report (2 August)","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"IUCN mission at the government's invitation (January)","src":2},{"y":2022,"t":"IUCN Antelope Specialist Group members: addax zone lies outside the protected area (22 February)","src":2},{"y":2023,"t":"EU delegation note: reserve area 86,215 km² (April)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"We are witnessing in real time the extinction of this iconic and once plentiful species","who":"Jean-Christophe Vié, IUCN","when":"2016","src":1},{"q":"Those with commercial interests in the desert could make important contributions to the protection of the addax","who":"Thomas Rabeil, Sahara Conservation Fund","when":"2016","src":1},{"q":"human pressures are increasing faster than we can adapt given the current level of resource support for the Addax","who":"Arnaud Greth, chairman of Noé","when":"2016","src":1},{"q":"We were shocked to learn this","who":"Sébastien Pinchon, Noé","when":"2019","src":0},{"q":"It's not the drilling, but poaching by Niger's military units protecting the CNPC camps","who":"John Newby, Sahara Conservation Fund","when":"2019","src":0},{"q":"The proposed land swap isn't the solution.","who":"John Newby, Sahara Conservation Fund","when":"2019","src":0},{"q":"The addax zone in the Tin Toumma desert now lies outside the protected area","who":"Members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group","when":"22 February 2022","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"A boundary change 'to remove overlap with oil concession blocks', with land added in the west","who":"Niger's Council of Ministers, 26 June 2019, as described by IUCN Antelope Specialist Group members","src":2},{"t":"Land added in the west, described by Noé as having little ecological value","who":"Noé (Sébastien Pinchon), 2019","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"March 2016 survey: 3 addax found over 3,200 km of aerial transects and a 700 km ground survey; about 200 estimated in 2010.","src":1},{"t":"Fewer than 100 addax remained in the wild in 2022, possibly less than half that, against about 200–300 in 2007 (IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group members).","src":2},{"t":"IUCN (2016) named disturbance from CNPC oil installations and heavy-vehicle traffic, and poaching by soldiers assigned to guard the oil industry, as causes of the decline.","src":1},{"t":"Noé estimated a decline of nearly 20% in vegetation cover in the southern part of the reserve (EU delegation, 2023).","src":3},{"t":"The EU delegation's note gives no EU funding figure for the reserve.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2019","nature":[{"label":"EU funding for reserve management ('millions' per Mongabay)","amount":null,"note":"No figure given by Mongabay or the EU delegation's note."},{"label":"IUCN SOS Rapid Action Grant to Marwell Wildlife for the January 2020 mission, EU co-funded","amount":null,"note":"No amount stated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"CNPC investment in wells, a 20,000 b/d refinery and an export pipeline (Mongabay)","amount":5000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2019"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area excluded in 2019","v":"About 50,000 km²","d":"IUCN SSC ASG members, 2022; Mongabay gives nearly 45,000 km²"},{"k":"Addax found in March 2016","v":"3","d":"Aerial survey of 3,200 km of transects and a 700 km ground survey (IUCN)"},{"k":"Addax remaining in the wild, 2022","v":"Fewer than 100","d":"Possibly less than half that; about 200–300 in 2007"},{"k":"Vegetation cover, southern reserve","v":"Nearly –20%","d":"Noé estimate, EU delegation note, 2023"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"IUCN and members of its Antelope Specialist Group recorded the decline of the addax and its habitat falling outside the reserve; Noé estimated a decline in vegetation cover.","report":[{"t":"A March 2016 survey over 3,200 km of aerial transects and a 700 km ground survey found 3 addax in me; about 200 had been estimated in 2010, according to IUCN.","src":1},{"t":"Fewer than 100 addax remained in me in 2022, possibly less than half that, against about 200–300 in 2007, according to members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group.","src":2},{"t":"IUCN named disturbance from CNPC oil installations and heavy-vehicle traffic, and poaching by soldiers assigned to guard the oil industry, as causes of the addax decline (2016).","src":1},{"t":"Since the 2019 boundary change the addax zone in my Tin Toumma desert lies outside the protected area, according to members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group.","src":2},{"t":"Noé estimated a decline of nearly 20% in my vegetation cover in the southern part of the reserve.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2022) give about 50,000 km² excluded; Mongabay (2019) gives nearly 45,000 km² excluded from nearly 100,000 km², attributed to Noé; the EU delegation (April 2023) gives a reserve area of 86,215 km².","Not disclosed: the decree number and date of the 2019 boundary change; only the Council of Ministers' announcement of 26 June 2019, as reported by Mongabay, is on record.","Not disclosed: the amount of EU funding for the reserve; Mongabay says 'millions' and the EU delegation's note gives no figure.","Not disclosed: the amount of the IUCN SOS Rapid Action Grant to Marwell Wildlife.","None on record: a statement from the Government of Niger or CNPC on the boundary change.","None on record: a court case about the boundary change.","None on record: an addax census after 2022."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of April 2023 (EU delegation note): the reserve is recorded at 86,215 km², the addax zone lies outside it, and no addax census after 2022 is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"noe","says":"Noé's Sébastien Pinchon said the organisation was shocked to learn of the change and that the land added in the west has little ecological value.","when":"2019","src":0},{"actor":"sahara-conservation-fund","says":"John Newby said the problem is poaching by military units protecting the CNPC camps rather than drilling, and that the proposed land swap is not the solution.","when":"2019","src":0},{"actor":"iucn","says":"Jean-Christophe Vié said IUCN was witnessing the extinction of the addax in real time.","when":"2016","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"niger-government","role":"Announced the boundary change on 26 June 2019"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"Holds exploration rights in part of the reserve; investment of about $5 billion"},{"id":"noe","role":"NGO managing the reserve under a November 2018 agreement"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Survey of 2016; mission of January 2020"},{"id":"eu","role":"Funds reserve management (PAPBIO programme)"},{"id":"sahara-conservation-fund","role":"Conservation NGO; commented on poaching and the land swap"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Area removed from the reserve and total reserve area","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"Members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group, 2022","says":"About 50,000 km² excluded in the east.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay, 2 August 2019","says":"Nearly 45,000 km² removed out of nearly 100,000 km².","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"EU delegation to Niger, April 2023","says":"Reserve area of 86,215 km².","src":3}]},{"point":"What drives the decline of the addax","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IUCN, 2016","says":"Disturbance from CNPC oil installations and heavy-vehicle traffic, and poaching by soldiers assigned to guard the oil industry.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"John Newby, Sahara Conservation Fund, 2019","says":"It is not the drilling but poaching by Niger's military units protecting the CNPC camps.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether the land added in the west compensates for the area removed","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Noé (Sébastien Pinchon), 2019","says":"The land added in the west has little ecological value.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sahara Conservation Fund (John Newby), 2019","says":"The proposed land swap is not the solution.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":50000,"unit":"km²","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Excluded in the east (IUCN SSC ASG members, 2022); Mongabay gives nearly 45,000 km²."},{"key":"area_km2","value":45000,"unit":"km²","year":2019,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Removed out of nearly 100,000 km² (Mongabay)."},{"key":"area_km2","value":86215,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"note":"Reserve area given by the EU delegation to Niger."},{"key":"addax_count","value":3,"unit":"animals","year":2016,"note":"Found in a March 2016 survey; about 200 estimated in 2010."},{"key":"addax_count","value":100,"unit":"animals","year":2022,"qualifier":"fewer than","note":"Possibly less than half that; about 200–300 in 2007."},{"key":"vegetation_decline_pct","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Southern part of the reserve; Noé estimate."},{"key":"cnpc_investment","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Wells, a 20,000 b/d refinery and an export pipeline (Mongabay)."}],"related":["niger-benin-oil-pipeline-wapco","agadem-goumeri-w8-well-blowout-2026","air-and-tenere-world-heritage-in-danger"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"In June 2019 Niger redrew the boundaries of the Termit and Tin Toumma National Nature Reserve, excluding about 50,000 km² in the east that overlapped oil concession blocks and adding land in the west; the addax habitat in the Tin Toumma desert ended up outside the reserve.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CNPC","what":"Overlap with its oil concession blocks removed; investment of about $5 billion in wells, a 20,000 b/d refinery and an export pipeline","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"The reserve","what":"About 50,000 km² in the east (IUCN SSC ASG members); nearly 45,000 km² per Mongabay","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Saharan addax","what":"3 animals found in March 2016; fewer than 100 in the wild in 2022","src":2},{"who":"Vegetation of the southern reserve","what":"Decline of nearly 20% in cover, per a Noé estimate","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Agadez and Zinder regions, east-central Niger; the Termit massif and the Tin Toumma desert.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reserve created in 2012; management agreement 5 November 2018; boundary change announced 26 June 2019; IUCN mission January 2020; EU delegation note April 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The government reclassified the boundaries 'to remove overlap with oil concession blocks', according to IUCN Antelope Specialist Group members.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The Council of Ministers announced the change; the east was excluded and land was added in the west, leaving the Tin Toumma addax zone outside the protected area.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Africa's largest reserve may lose half its area to oil development","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-08-02","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/africas-largest-reserve-may-lose-half-its-area-to-oil-development/"},{"t":"Saharan Addax antelope faces imminent extinction","p":"IUCN","d":"2016-05-06","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iucn.org/content/saharan-addax-antelope-faces-imminent-extinction-0"},{"t":"To save the addax antelope, the oil sector and government must work together (IUCN Crossroads blog, SSC Antelope Specialist Group members)","p":"IUCN","d":"2022-02-22","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://iucn.org/crossroads-blog/202202/save-addax-antelope-oil-sector-and-government-must-work-together"},{"t":"Protéger la plus grande réserve terrestre d'Afrique","p":"EU Delegation to Niger (EEAS)","d":"2023-04-18","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/niger/prot%C3%A9ger-la-plus-grande-r%C3%A9serve-terrestre-d%E2%80%99afrique-pour-faire-face-aux-enjeux-de_en"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What drives the decline of the addax","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the land added in the west compensates for the area removed","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"EU funding for reserve management ('millions' per Mongabay) — No figure given by Mongabay or the EU delegation's note.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"IUCN SOS Rapid Action Grant to Marwell Wildlife for the January 2020 mission, EU co-funded — No amount stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Area removed from the reserve and total reserve area","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: members of the IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group (2022) give about 50,000 km² excluded; Mongabay (2019) gives nearly 45,000 km² excluded from nearly 100,000 km², attributed to Noé; the EU delegation (April 2023) gives a reserve area of 86,215 km².","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the decree number and date of the 2019 boundary change; only the Council of Ministers' announcement of 26 June 2019, as reported by Mongabay, is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of EU funding for the reserve; Mongabay says 'millions' and the EU delegation's note gives no figure.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the IUCN SOS Rapid Action Grant to Marwell Wildlife.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement from the Government of Niger or CNPC on the boundary change.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case about the boundary change.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an addax census after 2022.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"air-and-tenere-world-heritage-in-danger","title":"Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves, World Heritage in Danger: mining permits, gold panning and the funding gap","dek":"UNESCO's World Heritage Committee kept the Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves in Niger on the Danger List in 2025 and 2026. Its 2025 decision recorded no current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary; its 2026 decision noted steps to revoke three permits there.","country":"Niger","region":"Africa","lat":18.5,"lon":9.5,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Agadez region (Aïr massif and Ténéré desert)","lat":18.5,"lon":9.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","mining"],"headline":{"label":"Mining permits on the south-eastern boundary: steps to revoke (decision 48 COM 7A.53, 2026)","value":"3","note":"Decision 47 COM 7A.15 (2025) recorded no current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary but a risk of future allocation."},"happened":["In decision 47 COM 7A.15 (2025) the World Heritage Committee recorded that there were no current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary of the property but a risk of future allocation, that no poaching cases had been reported since 2022, that gold panning and logging persisted, and that the management plan expired in 2024. The property remained on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also recorded concern for species central to the property's value, among them the dama gazelle and the red-necked ostrich.","In decision 48 COM 7A.53 (2026, Busan) the Committee noted steps to revoke three mining permits on the south-eastern boundary and urged their cancellation, expressed renewed concern about gold panning, kept the property on the Danger List and asked for a report by 1 February 2027. The south-eastern boundary has no buffer zone. The decision does not name the type or the holders of the three permits.","On funding, the 2026 decision records Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property through the partner Wild Africa Conservation, without an amount, a persistent shortage of financial resources at the management unit, and no funding for the Dama Gazelle Conservation Action Plan. It appeals to the international community for support."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Decision 47 COM 7A.15: no current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary; management plan expired in 2024; property stays on the Danger List","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Decision 48 COM 7A.53 (Busan): steps to revoke three mining permits noted; property stays on the Danger List; report due 1 February 2027","src":1}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"2025: no current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary but a risk of future allocation; no poaching cases since 2022; gold panning and logging persist; the management plan expired in 2024.","src":0},{"t":"2026: the Committee notes steps to revoke three mining permits on the south-eastern boundary, urges their cancellation and expresses renewed concern about gold panning.","src":1},{"t":"2026: Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property through Wild Africa Conservation; a persistent shortage of financial resources at the management unit; no funding for the Dama Gazelle Conservation Action Plan.","src":1},{"t":"The south-eastern boundary has no buffer zone.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[{"label":"Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property, through Wild Africa Conservation","amount":null,"note":"No amount stated on the decision page."},{"label":"Funding for the Dama Gazelle Conservation Action Plan","amount":null,"note":"The Committee records that none is available."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mining permits on the south-eastern boundary","v":"3 to be revoked","d":"Decision 48 COM 7A.53, 2026; none current per decision 47 COM 7A.15, 2025"},{"k":"Poaching cases reported","v":"None since 2022","d":"Decision 47 COM 7A.15, 2025"},{"k":"Management plan","v":"Expired in 2024","d":"Decision 47 COM 7A.15, 2025"},{"k":"Dama Gazelle Conservation Action Plan","v":"Unfunded","d":"Decision 48 COM 7A.53, 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The World Heritage Committee's decisions of 2025 and 2026 record gold panning and logging, concern for the dama gazelle and the red-necked ostrich, and mining permits on the south-eastern boundary; no quantitative data appear on the decision pages.","report":[{"t":"The World Heritage Committee recorded in 2025 that gold panning and logging persist in me.","src":0},{"t":"The Committee recorded concern for the dama gazelle and the red-necked ostrich, species central to my value as a World Heritage property (2025).","src":0},{"t":"No poaching cases had been reported in me since 2022, according to the Committee (2025).","src":0},{"t":"The Committee noted in 2026 steps to revoke three mining permits on my south-eastern boundary, which has no buffer zone, and expressed renewed concern about gold panning.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Disputed: mining permits on the south-eastern boundary; decision 47 COM 7A.15 (2025) records no current permits there, while decision 48 COM 7A.53 (2026) notes steps to revoke three.","Not disclosed: the type and the holders of the three mining permits (gold, uranium or other).","Not disclosed: the amount of the Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property.","Not measured: quantitative data on harm to the dama gazelle, the red-necked ostrich or the habitat; the decision pages give none."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property is recorded without an amount; the Committee records a persistent shortage of financial resources at the management unit.","statusLine":"As of 2026 (decision 48 COM 7A.53): steps to revoke three mining permits noted, property kept on the Danger List, report due 1 February 2027.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"World Heritage Committee; decisions 47 COM 7A.15 and 48 COM 7A.53"},{"id":"niger-government","role":"State Party; steps to revoke three mining permits"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Mining permits on the south-eastern boundary of the property","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee, decision 47 COM 7A.15 (2025)","says":"No current mining permits on the south-eastern boundary, with a risk of future allocation.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee, decision 48 COM 7A.53 (2026)","says":"Notes steps to revoke three mining permits on the south-eastern boundary and urges their cancellation; the type and holders are not named.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"mining_permits_to_revoke","value":3,"unit":"permits","year":2026,"note":"South-eastern boundary; steps to revoke noted by the Committee."},{"key":"mining_permits_current","value":0,"unit":"permits","year":2025,"note":"Recorded by the Committee in 2025 on the south-eastern boundary."},{"key":"poaching_cases_since_2022","value":0,"unit":"cases","year":2025,"note":"No poaching cases reported since 2022."}],"related":["termit-tin-toumma-reserve-boundary-redrawn-for-oil"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"UNESCO's World Heritage Committee kept the Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves on the Danger List in 2025 and 2026, recording gold panning, logging, a funding shortage and, in 2026, steps to revoke three mining permits on the south-eastern boundary.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"The property's management unit","what":"A persistent shortage of financial resources; no funding for the Dama Gazelle Conservation Action Plan","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Dama gazelle and red-necked ostrich","what":"Concern recorded by the Committee for species central to the property's value","src":0},{"who":"Habitat of the property","what":"Gold panning and logging persist; mining permits on the south-eastern boundary","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Aïr massif and Ténéré desert, Agadez region, Niger; the south-eastern boundary has no buffer zone.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Decision 47 COM 7A.15 in 2025; decision 48 COM 7A.53 in 2026 (Busan); report due 1 February 2027.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Committee keeps the property on the Danger List because of the threats it records, including gold panning, logging and mining permits.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The Committee notes steps to revoke three mining permits, urges their cancellation and appeals to the international community for support; Norway funds UNESCO for the property through Wild Africa Conservation.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Decision 47 COM 7A.15: Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/8682"},{"t":"Decision 48 COM 7A.53: Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/9039"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Mining permits on the south-eastern boundary of the property","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property, through Wild Africa Conservation — No amount stated on the decision page.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Funding for the Dama Gazelle Conservation Action Plan — The Committee records that none is available.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: mining permits on the south-eastern boundary; decision 47 COM 7A.15 (2025) records no current permits there, while decision 48 COM 7A.53 (2026) notes steps to revoke three.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the type and the holders of the three mining permits (gold, uranium or other).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the Norwegian Government funding of UNESCO for the property.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: quantitative data on harm to the dama gazelle, the red-necked ostrich or the habitat; the decision pages give none.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"great-green-wall-core-area","title":"Great Green Wall: USD 19bn tracked, USD 2.5bn disbursed by March 2023, and a restored area reported at between 1.66 and almost 18 million hectares","dek":"The African Union's Great Green Wall initiative has 2030 targets of 100 million hectares restored, 250 MtC sequestered and 10 million green jobs. The UNCCD's Independent Review reported USD 19bn pledged and USD 2.5bn disbursed in March 2023; its 2026 review reported 1.66 million hectares under restoration at 31 December 2025.","country":"Sahel (11 countries)","iso2":null,"region":"Africa","lat":15.98,"lon":-15.32,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","admin":"Louga region (Widou Thiengoly, Linguère department)","lat":15.98,"lon":-15.32,"role":"event"},{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","role":"affected"},{"country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","role":"affected"},{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","role":"affected"},{"country":"Mauritania","iso2":"MR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","role":"affected"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"instrument":"tree-planting","types":["tree-planting","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Disbursed against pledged, March 2023","value":"USD 2.5bn of USD 19bn","note":"Independent Review of the Great Green Wall Accelerator, published 27 March 2023; USD 17.5bn was expected by the end of 2025. No later aggregate disbursement figure is on record."},"happened":["The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel was endorsed by the African Union in 2007 (Declaration 137/VIII, 8th ordinary session, Ethiopia). Its intervention zone lies between the 100 mm and 400 mm rainfall isohyets, at least 7,000 km from Dakar to Djibouti, across 11 founding countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan. The 2030 targets are 100 million hectares of degraded land restored, 250 MtC sequestered and 10 million green jobs. The initiative is coordinated by the Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall; finance is tracked by the UNCCD-hosted Great Green Wall Accelerator.","The UNCCD's first status report on the Great Green Wall, published in September 2020, put the core area at about 4 million hectares. The status report gives this as about 4% of the initiative's 100 million hectare target. Its executive summary states that about 4 million hectares had been restored in intervention areas according to the Pan-African Agency's 2011-2017 achievements report, 2.3 million of them in Ethiopia, and cites 'other sources' for almost 17.8 million hectares in the wider Great Green Wall region. The UNCCD press release accompanying the status report said close to 20 million hectares had been restored in 2007-2018, with 4% of restoration inside the demarcated zone and 16% elsewhere in the countries, over 350,000 jobs and around USD 90 million in revenues. To reach 100 million hectares by 2030 the pace would have to rise to 8.2 million hectares a year, estimated at USD 3.6bn-4.3bn a year and USD 36bn-43bn in total.","At the One Planet Summit in Paris on 11 January 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron announced at least USD 14.326bn in new funding for the Great Green Wall, and the Accelerator was launched; the UNCCD said it covered about 30% of the USD 33bn needed for 2030, for an initial contribution period of 2021-2025. At COP26 on 1 November 2021 the World Bank said it had committed USD 5.6bn through ongoing and new projects in the 11 countries, and the UNCCD stated that the African Development Bank had pledged to mobilise USD 6.5bn by 2025. The Independent Review of the Accelerator, published on 27 March 2023, reported USD 19bn pledged, 80% of pledges programmed across the 11 countries, USD 2.5bn disbursed, 150 projects funded and the remaining USD 17.5bn expected by the end of 2025. The UNCCD's 2026 five-year review says that since the 2021 summit, where USD 14.3bn was pledged, the Accelerator helped track additional commitments totalling USD 19bn.","As of 31 December 2025 the 2026 review reports 1.66 million hectares 'under restoration' against the 100 million hectare target, 24 million tons of CO2eq sequestered against 250 million, 4.6 million jobs against 10 million, and 46 million beneficiaries. The figures are compiled from fewer than 90 of the 389 projects reported in the Great Green Wall Observatory, which are the only ones with relevant data reported under the harmonised indicators; Member States still have to validate them through their National Coalitions. By country, hectares under restoration were: Ethiopia 416,962; Niger 367,618; Sudan 285,729; Burkina Faso 217,222; Djibouti 199,320; Nigeria 67,541; Mali 32,573; Chad 29,306; Mauritania 10,275; Senegal 8,770; Eritrea 2,830; regional projects 22,145.","Transparency International's June 2023 governance assessment, citing the 2021-2030 Decennial Priority Investment Plan, stated that 90% of the resources received by Great Green Wall structures at regional or national level in 2011-2020 came from Member States' budgets. Le Soleil reported on 7 July 2025, in a series with Cellule Norbert Zongo (CENOZO), that only Mauritania was up to date with its annual dues of 100 million FCFA to the Pan-African Agency as of 1 July 2024, and, from Widou Thiengoly in Senegal, that a Great Green Wall agent said there had been no large-scale reforestation since 2022. A Land Use Policy study published in 2025 found that of 36 plots examined in northern Senegal, 2 showed notable greening, as reported by Mongabay."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"African Union endorses the Great Green Wall initiative (Declaration 137/VIII)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"UNCCD first status report: about 4 million hectares restored in intervention areas (7 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"One Planet Summit: at least USD 14.326bn announced and the Accelerator launched (11 Jan); World Bank and AfDB restate commitments at COP26 (1 Nov)","src":2},{"y":2023,"t":"Independent Review published: USD 19bn pledged, USD 2.5bn disbursed (27 Mar); Transparency International governance assessment (June)","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"Accelerator launches the Great Green Wall Observatory","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"Le Soleil series on Senegal (7 Jul); Yale e360 (8 Oct) and Mongabay (28 Oct) report the Land Use Policy study","src":13},{"y":2026,"t":"UNCCD five-year review: 1.66 million hectares under restoration at 31 December 2025","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"intensify their support","who":"Ibrahim Thiaw, UNCCD Executive Secretary, calling on governments and partners","when":"27 March 2023","src":4},{"q":"The Great Green Wall is not a wall that divides. It is a wall that unites","who":"Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank","when":"COP26, 1 November 2021","src":6},{"q":"committed $5.6 billion through ongoing and new projects in the 11 countries of the Great Green Wall","who":"David Malpass, President of the World Bank Group","when":"COP26, 1 November 2021","src":7},{"q":"So, where is this $19 billion?","who":"Abakar Mahamat Zougoulou, Pan-African Agency of the Great Green Wall, as quoted by Mongabay","when":"October 2025","src":9},{"q":"A lot of money was raised in the name of the Great Green Wall, but little went to the project.","who":"Oumar Abdoulaye Diallo, former Director General of Senegal's national Great Green Wall agency (ASERGMV, 2022-2024)","when":"July 2025","src":14,"translated":"French"},{"q":"severely limited","who":"Transparency International, on transparency in Great Green Wall governance","when":"June 2023","src":8}],"shown":["UNCCD press release, 7 September 2020: close to 20 million hectares restored in 2007-2018, over 350,000 jobs and around USD 90 million in revenues.","UNCCD Great Green Wall Accelerator web page: almost 18 million hectares restored and 350,000 jobs.","One Planet Summit, 11 January 2021: at least USD 14.326bn in new funding announced by French President Emmanuel Macron."],"recorded":["2026 review: 1.66 million hectares under restoration at 31 December 2025, compiled from fewer than 90 of 389 projects; Member States had yet to validate the figures.","Independent Review, 27 March 2023: USD 2.5bn disbursed of USD 19bn pledged.","Land restoration lines in donor commitments (2026 review): EIB USD 216 million, GEF USD 236 million (19%), European Commission USD 208 million (13%), AfDB USD 55 million (2% of its commitment).","Transparency International (2023): 90% of resources received by Great Green Wall structures at regional or national level in 2011-2020 came from Member States' budgets.","Annual dues to the Pan-African Agency: 100 million FCFA per state; as of 1 July 2024 only Mauritania was up to date (table attributed to the agency); for Eritrea and Djibouti the contribution was never budgeted or paid."],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed - see each line","nature":[{"label":"EIB land restoration commitment (2026 review, by pillar)","amount":216,"note":"Of EIB pillar totals of USD 309m value chains, 294m renewable energies, 17m governance and 874m capacity building."},{"label":"GEF land restoration commitment (2026 review, by pillar)","amount":236,"note":"Stated as 19% of the GEF's listed pillars."},{"label":"European Commission land restoration commitment (2026 review, by pillar)","amount":208,"note":"Stated as 13% of the Commission's listed pillars."},{"label":"AfDB land restoration commitment (2026 review, by pillar)","amount":55,"note":"Stated as 2% of the Bank's USD 3.32bn commitment since 2021."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"New funding announced at the One Planet Summit","amount":14326,"qualifier":"at least","window":"11 Jan 2021"},{"label":"Pledges, Independent Review","amount":19000,"window":"March 2023"},{"label":"Disbursed, Independent Review","amount":2500,"window":"March 2023"},{"label":"World Bank committed in the 11 countries","amount":5600,"window":"COP26, 1 Nov 2021"},{"label":"AfDB pledge to mobilise by 2025","amount":6500,"window":"to 2025"},{"label":"Member State contributions, 2011-2019 (2020 status report)","amount":54,"qualifier":"around","window":"2011-2019"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Pledged and disbursed","v":"USD 19bn / USD 2.5bn","d":"Independent Review, March 2023"},{"k":"Area under restoration","v":"1.66 million ha","d":"Of a 100 million ha target, 31 Dec 2025, from fewer than 90 of 389 projects"},{"k":"Plots greening","v":"2 of 36","d":"Northern Senegal, Land Use Policy study 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Measured studies of plantations and plots in Senegal, and a 2021 FAO figure reported by a Senegalese newspaper.","report":[{"t":"In northern Senegal, of 36 plots examined for a 2025 Land Use Policy study, 2 showed notable greening and 1 exceeded what rainfall and other factors would explain.","src":9},{"t":"In a study of 42 plantations in Senegal, tree density gained 5.7 ± 5.8 trees per hectare on Great Green Wall plantations against 61.16 ± 42.12 on corporate plantations; above-ground biomass gained 0.46 ± 0.67 t per hectare against 3.36 ± 3.29 t (Fassinou et al., 2024).","src":11},{"t":"In a fenced trial in the Ferlo, 3 of 10 indigenous species planted showed moderate survival over two years (Wade et al., 2018).","src":12},{"t":"According to a 2021 FAO report cited by Le Soleil, my Sahel zone held 1.2 billion trees, about 5 per hectare on average: about 15 per hectare in Senegal and under 2 in Chad. Plantation mortality was up to 70-80% depending on species and zone.","src":13},{"t":"Researchers named dry spells and trampling and grazing by cattle in unfenced areas as causes of seedling losses.","src":10}]},"metrics":[{"key":"target_area","value":100000000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Initiative target for 2030, as stated"},{"key":"core_area","value":4000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Core area, stated as about 4 million hectares"},{"key":"core_share_of_target","value":4,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Stated as about 4% of the target"},{"key":"area_ha","value":1660000,"unit":"hectares under restoration","year":2025,"note":"2026 review, data to 31 December 2025, from fewer than 90 of 389 projects; not yet validated by Member States"},{"key":"area_ha","value":17800000,"unit":"hectares","year":2020,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Wider Great Green Wall region, 'other sources' cited in the 2020 executive summary"},{"key":"area_ha","value":20000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2018,"qualifier":"close to","note":"2007-2018, UNCCD press release of September 2020"},{"key":"carbon_sequestered","value":24000000,"unit":"tons CO2eq","year":2025,"note":"Against a 250 million target; 2026 review"},{"key":"jobs","value":4.6,"unit":"million","year":2025,"note":"Against a 10 million target; 2026 review. Earlier: 335,000 (2020 executive summary), over 350,000 (2020 press release)."},{"key":"people_affected","value":46000000,"unit":"beneficiaries","year":2025,"note":"2026 review"},{"key":"pledged","value":14326,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"at least","note":"New funding announced at the One Planet Summit, 11 January 2021"},{"key":"pledged","value":19000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Independent Review, March 2023; the 2026 review gives USD 19bn tracked and also refers to a USD 19.6bn pledge"},{"key":"disbursed","value":2500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Independent Review, March 2023; USD 17.5bn expected by end-2025"},{"key":"finance_needed","value":33000,"unit":"USD m","year":2030,"note":"Needed for 2030 as stated by the UNCCD; the Accelerator covers about 30%"},{"key":"world_bank_committed","value":5600,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Stated at COP26; projects over USD 4bn already being implemented"},{"key":"afdb_pledge","value":6500,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"To be mobilised by 2025, as stated by the UNCCD at COP26"},{"key":"afdb_committed","value":3320,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Through 83 national and 29 multinational projects since 2021; 2026 review"},{"key":"afd_committed","value":704,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Great Green Wall-eligible amount 2020-2025; 2026 review"},{"key":"funds_received","value":870,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"International projects at transboundary level, 2011-2019 (2020 status report)"},{"key":"funds_received","value":149,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"External funding countries reported receiving at national level, 2011-2019 (2020 status report)"},{"key":"member_state_dues","value":100000000,"unit":"FCFA per state per year","year":2024,"note":"Only Mauritania up to date as of 1 July 2024"},{"key":"plots_greening","value":2,"unit":"of 36 plots","year":2025,"note":"Northern Senegal, Land Use Policy 2025"},{"key":"tree_density_gain","value":5.7,"unit":"trees per hectare","year":2024,"note":"Great Green Wall plantations in Senegal (± 5.8) against 61.16 (± 42.12) for corporate plantations"},{"key":"plantation_mortality","value":80,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"70-80% depending on species and zone; FAO 2021 as cited by Le Soleil"}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Great Green Wall initiative tracked USD 19bn in pledges and commitments, with USD 2.5bn disbursed by March 2023, while the restored area was reported at between 1.66 million hectares under restoration (end-2025) and almost 18 million hectares (UNCCD web page).","src":5},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Programme beneficiaries as counted by the UNCCD","what":"The 2026 review reports 46 million beneficiaries and 4.6 million jobs; Member States had yet to validate the figures.","src":5}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sahel, Africa: the intervention zone between the 100 mm and 400 mm rainfall isohyets, at least 7,000 km from Dakar to Djibouti, across 11 countries.","src":1},"when":{"t":"From 2007; pledges from January 2021; figures to 31 December 2025.","src":5},"why":{"t":"Targets for 2030: 100 million hectares of degraded land restored, 250 MtC sequestered and 10 million green jobs.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Development banks, donors and states pledge funds, which the Great Green Wall Accelerator tracks; restoration is reported as hectares under restoration from projects registered in the Great Green Wall Observatory.","src":5}},"disputes":[{"point":"How many hectares have been restored?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2020 executive summary","says":"About 4 million hectares restored in intervention areas (2011-2017), 2.3 million of them in Ethiopia; almost 17.8 million hectares in the wider Great Green Wall region according to other sources.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD press release, September 2020","says":"Close to 20 million hectares restored in 2007-2018; 4% of restoration inside the demarcated zone and 16% elsewhere in the countries.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD Accelerator web page","says":"Almost 18 million hectares restored.","src":3},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2026 five-year review","says":"1.66 million hectares under restoration at 31 December 2025, from fewer than 90 of 389 projects; the measures differ in zone (intervention zone or wider region), in 'restored' against 'under restoration', and in reporting coverage.","src":5}]},{"point":"How many jobs have been created?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2020 executive summary","says":"335,000 jobs.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD press release, September 2020","says":"Over 350,000 jobs.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2026 five-year review","says":"4.6 million jobs; the World Food Programme alone reports 2.75 million, mostly seasonal or short-term.","src":5}]},{"point":"What is the pledge base?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD press release, January 2021","says":"At least USD 14.326bn in new funding at the One Planet Summit.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD item on the AfDB at COP26","says":"USD 14.5bn pledged at the summit.","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD Independent Review, March 2023","says":"USD 19bn pledged.","src":4},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2026 five-year review","says":"USD 14.3bn pledged at the summit and additional commitments totalling USD 19bn tracked; the review also refers to a USD 19.6bn pledge and states that before 2021 it was unclear what portions were new, reprogrammed or not yet allocated.","src":5}]},{"point":"What counts as Great Green Wall money?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2026 five-year review","says":"Donor pillars include solar plants, geothermal power, rural electrification, railway modernisation, urban transport and road upgrades (EIB) and the Desert-to-Power programme (AfDB).","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Transparency International, citing Niger's Great Green Wall representative","says":"Part of the funds pledged went to projects not thematically related to the Great Green Wall.","src":8}]},{"point":"What did the USD 149 million figure represent?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD, 2020 executive summary","says":"USD 149 million was external funding countries reported receiving at national level in 2011-2019.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay, on the 2025 Land Use Policy study","says":"Donors pledged USD 870 million in 2011-2019 and beneficiaries received USD 149 million; more than 80% of disbursed funds are not found in national project records.","src":9}]},{"point":"What explains the lack of visible results in Senegal?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Zhu (Wageningen) and Ndiaye (Université Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow), as quoted by Yale e360","says":"Results should be visible after nearly two decades even allowing for unpaid pledges; success should be measured by satellite-observed greening rather than tree counts.","src":10},{"voice":"international","holder":"Gilles Amadou Ouédraogo, UNCCD Global Mechanism, as quoted by Mongabay","says":"National agencies are often disconnected from, and excluded from, technical implementation.","src":9},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Women's federation secretary-general, Widou (Le Soleil)","says":"Links the decline in tree cover to climate change.","src":13},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Senegal","says":"No response to the 2025 study's findings appears in the Mongabay article.","src":9,"silent":true}]}],"responses":[{"actor":"unccd","says":"The 2026 review says the next frontier is translating commitments into timely disbursements, and that without private capital Great Green Wall financing remains donor-dependent; it refers to a USD 30 billion private investment potential not yet unlocked.","when":"2026","src":5},{"actor":"asergmv","says":"The agency's current Director General, Sékouna Diatta, said an audit had revealed shortcomings; a former Director General, Ali Haidar (2019-2022), described politically driven recruitment.","when":"July 2025","src":14},{"actor":"senegal-gov","says":"No Senegalese government official responded to the 2025 study's findings in the Mongabay article.","when":"October 2025","src":9}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"unknown":["None on record: an aggregate disbursed amount after the USD 2.5bn of March 2023. The 2026 review states that committed and disbursed funds were mapped and presented to Great Green Wall country stakeholders, and its text gives no aggregate.","Not disclosed: an itemised list of donors behind the USD 14.326bn announced in January 2021; the UNCCD's English release does not itemise them.","Insufficient: the data behind the 2026 figures. Fewer than 90 of the 389 Observatory projects have relevant data under the harmonised indicators, and Member States have not yet validated the figures.","Insufficient: the 2020 status report states that COVID-19 prevented proper data collection, that it does not include the most recent data, that monitoring, reporting and verification is a major bottleneck and that monitoring and evaluation expertise is missing.","None on record: a Great Green Wall-wide tree survival rate published by the UNCCD or the Pan-African Agency.","Not disclosed: Transparency International (2023) found no public reporting on Great Green Wall operations since 2010 other than a 2021 accounting audit that is not public, no manual of financial procedures, no information on the allocation and use of Member State resources and only one quarterly technical brief.","None on record: disbursed amounts, a share delivered or a project count on the UNCCD Accelerator web page.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims linked to the programme.","Unclear: how much of the USD 1.3bn that Transparency International says was committed to Niger went to projects related to the Great Green Wall."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Restoration is ongoing: 1.66 million hectares were under restoration at 31 December 2025 against the 100 million hectare target.","whoPaid":"Donors and development banks pledged and committed the funds (USD 19bn tracked; USD 2.5bn disbursed by March 2023). Transparency International, citing the Decennial Priority Investment Plan, stated that 90% of resources received by Great Green Wall structures at regional or national level in 2011-2020 came from Member States' budgets.","statusLine":"As of 31 December 2025 (UNCCD review published 2026): 1.66 million hectares under restoration; no aggregate disbursement figure after USD 2.5bn in March 2023.","updated":"2026-10-19","actors":[{"id":"unccd","role":"Hosts the Accelerator; published the status report, the Independent Review and the 2026 review"},{"id":"great-green-wall-initiative","role":"African Union programme with the 100 million hectare target"},{"id":"paggw","role":"Coordinates the initiative; receives Member State dues"},{"id":"afdb","role":"Pledged USD 6.5bn to 2025; USD 3.32bn committed since 2021"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Committed USD 5.6bn in the 11 countries"},{"id":"eib","role":"Donor; land restoration pillar USD 216 million"},{"id":"gef","role":"Donor; land restoration pillar USD 236 million"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Donor; land restoration pillar USD 208 million"},{"id":"afd","role":"Donor; EUR 704 million GGW-eligible 2020-2025"},{"id":"wfp","role":"Pledged close to USD 300 million; reports 325,350+ ha rehabilitated 2021-2025"},{"id":"gcf","role":"Approved USD 150 million of the AfDB's Desert-to-Power programme"},{"id":"transparency-international","role":"Governance assessment, June 2023"},{"id":"asergmv","role":"Senegal's national Great Green Wall agency"},{"id":"senegal-gov","role":"Government of the country where the field reporting took place"}],"sources":[{"t":"Ministers release first status report and share next steps for the Great Green Wall","p":"UNCCD","d":"2020-09","u":"https://www.unccd.int/news-events/ministers-release-first-status-report-and-share-next-steps-great-green-wall","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220102124944/https://www.unccd.int/news-events/ministers-release-first-status-report-and-share-next-steps-great-green-wall"},{"t":"The Great Green Wall Implementation Status and Way Ahead to 2030: Executive Summary","p":"UNCCD","d":"2020-09","u":"https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/library/1551_GGW_Executive_Summary_040920.pdf","type":"international"},{"t":"Over 14 billion USD raised for Great Green Wall to regreen the Sahel","p":"UNCCD","d":"2021-01-11","u":"https://www.unccd.int/index%2Ephp/news-stories/press-releases/over-14-billion-usd-raised-great-green-wall-regreen-sahel","type":"international"},{"t":"Great Green Wall Accelerator","p":"UNCCD","d":"n.d. (accessed 2026-10-19)","u":"https://www.unccd.int/our-work/ggwi/great-green-wall-accelerator","type":"international"},{"t":"Progress accelerated but targeted action needed to realize Africa's Great Green Wall ambition","p":"UNCCD","d":"2023-03-27","u":"https://www.unccd.int/index%2Ephp/news-stories/stories/progress-accelerated-targeted-action-needed-realize-africas-great-green-wall","type":"international"},{"t":"Five Years of the GGW Accelerator: A Journey Of Restoration, Resilience, And Regional Collaboration","p":"UNCCD","d":"2026","u":"https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/2026-08/GGWA_5_year_review.pdf","type":"international"},{"t":"Great Green Wall will turn the Sahel green, says African Development Bank chief","p":"UNCCD","d":"2021-11-01","u":"https://www.unccd.int/index%2Ephp/resources/unccd-library/great-green-wall-will-turn-sahel-green-says-african-development-bank-chief","type":"international"},{"t":"Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass at COP26 on the Great Green Wall Initiative","p":"World Bank","d":"2021-11-01","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/speech/2021/11/01/remarks-by-world-bank-group-president-david-malpass-at-cop26-on-the-great-green-wall-ggw-initiative","type":"international"},{"t":"Governance Mapping and Assessment of the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative","p":"Transparency International / Robert Bosch Stiftung","d":"2023-06","u":"https://www.bosch-stiftung.de/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/2023-06/GGW_Report_final-TI.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Senegal's Great Green Wall progress falters amid unfulfilled pledges: Study","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-10-28","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/senegals-great-green-wall-progress-falters-amid-unfulfilled-pledges-study/","type":"press"},{"t":"Progress on Africa's 'Great Green Wall' Stalls as Seedlings Die Off","p":"Yale Environment 360","d":"2025-10-08","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/digest/great-green-wall-stalls","type":"press"},{"t":"Quantifying the impact of Great Green Wall and Corporate plantations on tree density and biomass in Sahelian Senegal","p":"Fassinou et al., Trees, Forests and People 16:100569","d":"2024","u":"https://researchprofiles.ku.dk/da/publications/quantifying-the-impact-of-great-green-wall-and-corporate-plantati/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Biodiversity field trials to inform reforestation and natural resource management strategies along the African Great Green Wall in Senegal","p":"Wade et al., New Forests","d":"2018","u":"https://stockholmresilience.org/publications/publications/2018-07-02-biodiversity-field-trials-to-inform-reforestation-and-natural-resource-management-strategies-along-the-african-great-green-wall-in-senegal.html","type":"academic"},{"t":"[1/4] Grande muraille verte: Les causes d'un échec (Great Green Wall: the causes of a failure)","p":"Le Soleil","d":"2025-07-07","u":"https://lesoleil.sn/actualites/environnement/1-4grande-muraille-verte-enquete-sur-un-echec/","type":"press"},{"t":"[2/4] Grande muraille verte - Gouvernance, financement, ressources humaines, les fonds du problème (Governance, financing, human resources: the root of the problem)","p":"Le Soleil","d":"2025-07-07","u":"https://lesoleil.sn/actualites/environnement/2-4gouvernance-financement-ressources-humaines-les-fonds-du-probleme/","type":"press"},{"t":"[3/4] Grande muraille verte: Cotisations annuelles: Seule la Mauritanie est à jour (Annual contributions: only Mauritania is up to date)","p":"Le Soleil","d":"2025-07-07","u":"https://lesoleil.sn/actualites/environnement/cotisations-annuelles-seule-la-mauritanie-est-a-jour/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["farmer-managed-natural-regeneration-in-niger","ethiopia-353-million-seedlings","burkina-faso-forest-investment-program","sahel-restoration-carbon-finance-afr100","lake-chad-shrinkage-transaqua-and-lake-chad-fund"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How many hectares have been restored?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What explains the lack of visible results in Senegal?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many jobs have been created?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What is the pledge base?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What counts as Great Green Wall money?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What did the USD 149 million figure represent?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Senegal: No response to the 2025 study's findings appears in the Mongabay article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an aggregate disbursed amount after the USD 2.5bn of March 2023. The 2026 review states that committed and disbursed funds were mapped and presented to Great Green Wall country stakeholders, and its text gives no aggregate.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an itemised list of donors behind the USD 14.326bn announced in January 2021; the UNCCD's English release does not itemise them.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the data behind the 2026 figures. Fewer than 90 of the 389 Observatory projects have relevant data under the harmonised indicators, and Member States have not yet validated the figures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the 2020 status report states that COVID-19 prevented proper data collection, that it does not include the most recent data, that monitoring, reporting and verification is a major bottleneck and that monitoring and evaluation expertise is missing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Great Green Wall-wide tree survival rate published by the UNCCD or the Pan-African Agency.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Transparency International (2023) found no public reporting on Great Green Wall operations since 2010 other than a 2021 accounting audit that is not public, no manual of financial procedures, no information on the allocation and use of Member State resources and only one quarterly technical brief.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: disbursed amounts, a share delivered or a project count on the UNCCD Accelerator web page.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims linked to the programme.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: how much of the USD 1.3bn that Transparency International says was committed to Niger went to projects related to the Great Green Wall.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"lake-chad-shrinkage-transaqua-and-lake-chad-fund","title":"Lake Chad: the 90% shrinkage figure, the Transaqua water-transfer plan and a proposed USD 50bn Lake Chad Fund","dek":"The FAO reported in 2009 that Lake Chad had shrunk by about 90% since 1963; a 2020 satellite study found its extent stable over the previous two decades, with the large loss falling between the 1960s and the 1980s. A transfer of water from the Congo/Ubangi basin and a Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn were proposed in the lake's name.","country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","region":"Africa","lat":13,"lon":14.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","admin":"Lake Chad","lat":13,"lon":14.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","role":"affected"},{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","role":"affected"}],"start":1960,"end":2021,"instrument":"water","types":["water","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Lake Chad open-water area","value":"About 25,000 km2 (1960s) to under 2,000 km2 (1980s)","note":"Pham-Duc et al., Scientific Reports, 2020; the same study found the extent stable over the two decades to 2018. The FAO in 2009 gave under 1,500 km2 in 2001."},"happened":["Lake Chad is shared by Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. Pham-Duc et al. (Scientific Reports, March 2020) put its open-water area at about 25,000 km2 in the 1960s and under 2,000 km2 in the 1980s, a decrease of more than 90% that they describe as drought-driven. Using a multi-satellite approach they found that the lake's extent 'has remained stable during the last two decades, despite a slight decrease of its northern pool'. Surface water extent was at its maximum in 2001-2002 (about 5,800 km2) and its minimum in 2010 (about 1,800 km2), and then slowly increased; groundwater, about 70% of the annual water storage change, has been increasing since the 2000s.","On 15 October 2009 the FAO stated that the lake had shrunk by about 90%, from about 25,000 km2 in 1963 to under 1,500 km2 in 2001, and cited NASA climate forecasts that it could disappear in about twenty years. It named climatic variability, climate change, population pressure, over-use of water and land, and reduced Chari-Logone inflow as causes, and reported that fish production was down 60% and pastureland degraded, without giving a period. Pham-Duc et al. wrote that recent studies showed water extraction in the 1980s-1990s was probably overestimated, and that water abstracted for human activities was negligible compared with the change in lake volume.","The Transaqua scheme, an inter-basin transfer from the Congo/Ubangi (Oubangui) basin to Lake Chad, was first conceived in 1982 by the Italian firm Bonifica, according to The Conversation. A feasibility study commissioned by the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) from CIMA International proposed transferring 3.4 km3 of water from the Ubangi for USD 6.7bn, as summarised from a 2013 seminar by Géraud Magrin (CIRAD). PowerChina and the LCBC were reported to have signed an agreement on feasibility studies on 13 December 2016, and in 2017 PowerChina agreed to work with Bonifica. Nagabhatla and Sayan put the cost of Transaqua at around USD 50bn and wrote on 22 June 2021 that the project was still 'in the planning and feasibility study stage'.","At the International Conference on Lake Chad in Abuja, held by the LCBC and UNESCO on 26-28 February 2018, the Abuja Declaration stated that Congo Basin heads of state 'endorsed the Inter Basin Water Transfer (IBWT) as a win-win project', that LCBC and CICOS states committed to realising it for energy, roads, navigation and irrigation, and that the African Union endorsed it as a Pan-African project. It also stated: 'The African Development Bank to facilitate the creation of the Lake Chad Fund of about $50 billion' to fund Lake Chad and other Pan-African engineering projects. The signature blocks in the declaration text are for Niger, Nigeria, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Cameroon, Angola, Libya and the African Union Commission; the DR Congo does not appear and the signing date line is blank. The Conversation reports that the DR Congo opposes the project and says it was given no real role in discussions.","At the Berlin High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region on 3-4 September 2018, according to UN News, about USD 2.17bn in support and about USD 467 million in concessional loans were announced for Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. The article names climate change as one driver of the crisis; the outcomes it lists include no lake restoration measure."],"timeline":[{"y":1960,"t":"Open-water area about 25,000 km2 (1960s); under 2,000 km2 by the 1980s","src":0},{"y":1982,"t":"Transaqua first conceived by Bonifica (as reported)","src":3},{"y":2001,"t":"Surface water extent at its maximum, about 5,800 km2 (2001-2002), according to Pham-Duc et al.; the FAO gave under 1,500 km2 for 2001","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"FAO release on the 'tragic disappearance' of Lake Chad (15 Oct)","src":1},{"y":2010,"t":"Surface water extent at its minimum, about 1,800 km2","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Magrin seminar summarising the CIMA study: 3.4 km3 for USD 6.7bn (26 Nov)","src":4},{"y":2016,"t":"PowerChina and LCBC agreement on feasibility studies (13 Dec, as reported)","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"Abuja Declaration proposes a Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn (26-28 Feb); Berlin conference (3-4 Sep)","src":2},{"y":2020,"t":"Pham-Duc et al. publish: extent stable over two decades (26 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Transaqua described as in the planning and feasibility study stage (22 Jun)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The tragic disappearance of Lake Chad has to be stopped","who":"FAO","when":"15 October 2009","src":1},{"q":"over the last two decades, Lake Chad is not shrinking","who":"Pham-Duc et al., Scientific Reports","when":"26 March 2020","src":0},{"q":"endorsed the Inter Basin Water Transfer (IBWT) as a win-win project","who":"Abuja Declaration, on Congo Basin heads of state","when":"February 2018","src":2},{"q":"The African Development Bank to facilitate the creation of the Lake Chad Fund of about $50 billion","who":"Abuja Declaration","when":"February 2018","src":2},{"q":"in the planning and feasibility study stage","who":"Nagabhatla and Sayan, The Conversation, on Transaqua","when":"22 June 2021","src":3}],"shown":["FAO, 15 October 2009: the lake shrank by about 90% from 1963 to 2001 and could disappear in about twenty years.","Abuja Declaration, February 2018: the Inter Basin Water Transfer described as a 'win-win project' and a Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn.","Berlin conference, September 2018: about USD 2.17bn in support announced for Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria."],"recorded":["Pham-Duc et al. (2020): extent stable over the last two decades; the 90% decrease falls between the 1960s and the 1980s.","FAO (2009): fish production down 60%; pastureland degraded (no period given).","Cost estimates for the transfer: USD 6.7bn for 3.4 km3 (CIMA, via Magrin's 2013 seminar); around USD 50bn for Transaqua (Nagabhatla and Sayan, 2021).","Transaqua remained at planning and feasibility stage in June 2021 (Nagabhatla and Sayan).","The outcomes UN News lists for the Berlin conference include no lake restoration measure."],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed - see each line","nature":[{"label":"Lake Chad Fund proposed in the Abuja Declaration (to be facilitated by the AfDB)","amount":50000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Proposed, 2018; to fund Lake Chad and other Pan-African engineering projects."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"CIMA scheme: transfer of 3.4 km3 from the Ubangi","amount":6700,"note":"As summarised from a 2013 seminar by Géraud Magrin."},{"label":"Transaqua cost estimate (Nagabhatla and Sayan, 2021)","amount":50000,"qualifier":"around","window":"2021"},{"label":"Berlin conference, September 2018: support announced for Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria","amount":2170,"qualifier":"about","window":"2018"},{"label":"Berlin conference, September 2018: concessional loans","amount":467,"qualifier":"about","window":"2018"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Open-water area","v":"25,000 km2 to under 2,000 km2","d":"1960s to 1980s (Pham-Duc et al., 2020)"},{"k":"Extent since 2000","v":"Stable","d":"Two decades to 2018, with a decline in the northern pool; groundwater rising"},{"k":"Proposed Lake Chad Fund","v":"About USD 50bn","d":"Abuja Declaration, 2018"},{"k":"Proposed transfer","v":"3.4 km3 for USD 6.7bn","d":"CIMA study, via Magrin's 2013 seminar"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A 2020 multi-satellite study, an FAO release of 2009 and a warning on the proposed transfer reported by The Conversation.","report":[{"t":"My open-water area was about 25,000 km2 in the 1960s and under 2,000 km2 in the 1980s, according to Pham-Duc et al. (2020).","src":0},{"t":"Between 2001 and 2018 my extent was stable overall, with a decline in my northern pool; my surface water extent was about 5,800 km2 at its maximum in 2001-2002 and about 1,800 km2 at its minimum in 2010, and my groundwater has been increasing since the 2000s.","src":0},{"t":"According to the FAO (2009), fish production around me was down 60% and pastureland was degraded, with no period given.","src":1},{"t":"French scientists warn that a transfer could cause irreversible environmental damage in both basins, and cite a lack of reliable data.","src":3}]},"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":25000,"unit":"km2","year":1963,"qualifier":"about","note":"Open-water area; FAO 2009 (1963) and Pham-Duc et al. 2020 (1960s)"},{"key":"area_km2","value":1500,"unit":"km2","year":2001,"qualifier":"under","note":"FAO 2009 figure for 2001; Pham-Duc et al. give about 5,800 km2 as the maximum in 2001-2002"},{"key":"area_km2","value":2000,"unit":"km2","year":1980,"qualifier":"under","note":"1980s, Pham-Duc et al. 2020"},{"key":"area_km2","value":5800,"unit":"km2","year":2001,"qualifier":"about","note":"Maximum surface water extent, 2001-2002, Pham-Duc et al. 2020"},{"key":"area_km2","value":1800,"unit":"km2","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Minimum surface water extent, Pham-Duc et al. 2020"},{"key":"groundwater_share","value":70,"unit":"percent of annual water storage change","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Groundwater, increasing since the 2000s; Pham-Duc et al."},{"key":"fish_production_change","value":-60,"unit":"percent","year":2009,"note":"FAO 2009, no period given"},{"key":"transfer_volume","value":3.4,"unit":"km3","year":2013,"note":"CIMA scheme, as summarised from a 2013 seminar"},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":6700,"unit":"USD m","year":2013,"note":"CIMA scheme for 3.4 km3"},{"key":"cost_estimate","value":50000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"around","note":"Transaqua, Nagabhatla and Sayan"},{"key":"proposed_fund","value":50000,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lake Chad Fund proposed in the Abuja Declaration"},{"key":"pledged","value":2170,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Support announced at the Berlin conference for Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria"},{"key":"pledged_loans","value":467,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Concessional loans announced at the Berlin conference"}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The FAO reported a shrinkage of about 90% in Lake Chad in 2009; a 2020 satellite study found the lake's extent stable since about 2000 and placed the large loss between the 1960s and the 1980s. A water transfer from the Ubangi basin (Transaqua and variants) and a Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn were proposed in the lake's name.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fishing and pastoral livelihoods around the lake","what":"The FAO reported fish production down 60% and degraded pastureland, with no period given.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Chad, shared by Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria; the proposed transfer would draw water from the Ubangi basin of the Congo system.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Decline between the 1960s and 1980s; FAO release in 2009; Abuja Declaration in February 2018; project at planning and feasibility stage in June 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The transfer was proposed to restore the lake's water supply; the Abuja Declaration also lists energy, roads, navigation and irrigation as purposes.","src":2},"how":{"t":"A transfer of water from the Ubangi to Lake Chad (Transaqua and variants), with a Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn to be facilitated by the African Development Bank.","src":2}},"disputes":[{"point":"Did Lake Chad shrink by 90%, and is it still shrinking?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2009)","says":"The lake shrank by about 90%, from about 25,000 km2 in 1963 to under 1,500 km2 in 2001, and could disappear in about twenty years.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Pham-Duc et al. (2020)","says":"The 90% decrease falls between the 1960s (25,000 km2) and the 1980s (under 2,000 km2); the extent has been stable over the last two decades, with a maximum of about 5,800 km2 in 2001-2002 and a minimum of about 1,800 km2 in 2010.","src":0}]},{"point":"How much did human water use contribute to the decline?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (2009)","says":"Named climatic variability, climate change, population pressure, over-use of water and land, and reduced Chari-Logone inflow as causes.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Pham-Duc et al. (2020)","says":"Extraction in the 1980s-1990s was probably overestimated; water abstracted for human activities was negligible compared with the change in lake volume; the large loss was drought-driven.","src":0}]},{"point":"Should water be transferred from the Ubangi basin?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Congo Basin heads of state and LCBC and CICOS states (Abuja Declaration, 2018)","says":"Endorsed the Inter Basin Water Transfer as a 'win-win project' and committed to realising it for energy, roads, navigation and irrigation.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"DR Congo","says":"Opposes the project and says it was given no real role in discussions, as reported by The Conversation.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"French scientists, as reported by The Conversation","says":"Warn of possible irreversible environmental damage in both basins and cite a lack of reliable data.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Horace Campbell, University of Ghana, as reported by The Conversation","says":"Argues that community resilience depends on replenishing the lake.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Géraud Magrin (CIRAD), 2013 seminar","says":"Put forward the hypothesis that the disappearance narrative serves heterogeneous interests, legitimises a transfer project and allows the capture of a new 'environmental rent' from climate-compensation finance; described Western donors (World Bank, EU, France, GEF) as against the transfer and the AfDB and FAO as more favourable; observed that LCBC planning documents do not mention the transfer while institutional meetings do.","src":4}]},{"point":"What would the transfer cost?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"CIMA International study for the LCBC, as summarised by Magrin","says":"USD 6.7bn for 3.4 km3 from the Ubangi.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Nagabhatla and Sayan, The Conversation (2021)","says":"Around USD 50bn for Transaqua.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Abuja Declaration (2018)","says":"A Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn, to fund Lake Chad and other Pan-African engineering projects.","src":2}]}],"responses":[{"actor":"drc-government","says":"Opposes the transfer and says it was given no real role in discussions, according to The Conversation.","when":"2021","src":3}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"unknown":["Figures differ: the cost of the transfer is given as USD 6.7bn for 3.4 km3 (CIMA study) and as around USD 50bn (The Conversation, 2021); an earlier Bonifica estimate of nearly USD 14bn has also been reported.","Figures differ: a 2018 message attributed to the UN Secretary-General gives a fall from 22,000 to 1,350 km2, against about 25,000 km2 in the 1960s in Pham-Duc et al.","None on record: establishment of the Lake Chad Fund after its proposal in the 2018 Abuja Declaration.","Unclear: whether a reported EUR 1.5 million Italian grant for the Transaqua feasibility study (memorandum reported for 16 October 2018) was paid, or whether the feasibility study was started or completed.","Not disclosed: the value of the PowerChina agreement with the LCBC.","None on record: a lake restoration measure among the outcomes UN News lists for the Berlin conference of September 2018.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The decline fell between the 1960s and the 1980s; Pham-Duc et al. found the lake's extent stable from about 2000 to 2018, with a decline in its northern pool.","whoPaid":"None on record: no transfer works or fund disbursements are recorded; Transaqua was at planning and feasibility stage in June 2021.","statusLine":"As of June 2021: Transaqua described as at planning and feasibility stage; no record of the Lake Chad Fund being established.","updated":"2026-10-19","actors":[{"id":"fao","role":"Reported the 90% shrinkage in 2009"},{"id":"lcbc","role":"Commissioned the CIMA study; signed the Abuja Declaration process"},{"id":"afdb","role":"Named in the Abuja Declaration to facilitate a Lake Chad Fund of about USD 50bn"},{"id":"bonifica","role":"Italian firm that first conceived Transaqua in 1982"},{"id":"powerchina","role":"Reported to have signed a feasibility-study agreement with the LCBC in December 2016"},{"id":"drc-government","role":"Opposes the transfer"},{"id":"italy-gov","role":"Reported to have agreed a feasibility grant for Transaqua"}],"sources":[{"t":"The Lake Chad hydrology under current climate change","p":"Pham-Duc et al., Scientific Reports 10","d":"2020-03-26","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-62417-w","type":"academic"},{"t":"Shrinking water resources are threatening people and livelihoods (Lake Chad)","p":"FAO","d":"2009-10-15","u":"https://www.fao.org/newsroom/detail/Lake-Chad-facing-humanitarian-disaster/en","type":"international"},{"t":"International Conference on Lake Chad: Abuja Declaration (copy hosted by policyvault.africa)","p":"LCBC / UNESCO and heads of state","d":"2018-02","u":"https://www.policyvault.africa/wp-content/uploads/policy/NGA1454.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"How the private sector is shaping the future of Lake Chad and the Congo Basin","p":"The Conversation (Nagabhatla, Sayan)","d":"2021-06-22","u":"https://theconversation.com/how-the-private-sector-is-shaping-the-future-of-lake-chad-and-the-congo-basin-162532","type":"academic"},{"t":"La disparition du lac Tchad: où mène la Political ecology ? (The disappearance of Lake Chad: where does political ecology lead?), seminar summary","p":"Université Paris Nanterre, Séminaire Hydrosystèmes et Hydropolitiques (Géraud Magrin)","d":"2013-11-26","u":"https://reseaux.parisnanterre.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CR-Geraud-Magrin.pdf","type":"academic"},{"t":"Africa's Lake Chad Basin: Over $2.1 billion pledged","p":"UN News","d":"2018-09-04","u":"https://news.un.org/en/node/1018382","type":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["great-green-wall-core-area","sahel-restoration-carbon-finance-afr100"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did Lake Chad shrink by 90%, and is it still shrinking?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much did human water use contribute to the decline?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should water be transferred from the Ubangi basin?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What would the transfer cost?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the cost of the transfer is given as USD 6.7bn for 3.4 km3 (CIMA study) and as around USD 50bn (The Conversation, 2021); an earlier Bonifica estimate of nearly USD 14bn has also been reported.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: a 2018 message attributed to the UN Secretary-General gives a fall from 22,000 to 1,350 km2, against about 25,000 km2 in the 1960s in Pham-Duc et al.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: establishment of the Lake Chad Fund after its proposal in the 2018 Abuja Declaration.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether a reported EUR 1.5 million Italian grant for the Transaqua feasibility study (memorandum reported for 16 October 2018) was paid, or whether the feasibility study was started or completed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the value of the PowerChina agreement with the LCBC.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a lake restoration measure among the outcomes UN News lists for the Berlin conference of September 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"burkina-faso-mine-rehabilitation-fund-arrears","title":"Burkina Faso mine rehabilitation fund collected 29.59% of expected contributions in 2023 and 49.55% in 2024","dek":"Industrial mines, semi-mechanised mines and industrial quarries in Burkina Faso pay into the FRFM, a fund for rehabilitating land affected by extraction. The fund collected CFA 7.22bn of CFA 24.39bn expected in 2023 and CFA 13.73bn of CFA 27.71bn in 2024; the government announced firmness toward non-paying operators.","country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","region":"Africa","lat":12.3,"lon":-1.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","admin":"Nationwide","lat":12.3,"lon":-1.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","admin":"Yako commune, Passoré province (SOPAMIB Bouboulou permit)","lat":12.96,"lon":-2.26,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","liability-shift","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Collected against expected contributions","value":"29.59% (2023); 49.55% (2024)","note":"CFA 7.22bn of 24.39bn expected in 2023; CFA 13.73bn of 27.71bn in 2024 (L'Economiste du Faso)."},"happened":["The Fonds de rehabilitation et de fermeture des mines (FRFM, the Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Fund) receives contributions from industrial mines, semi-mechanised mines and industrial quarries to finance rehabilitation of land affected by extraction. On 13 October 2021 the Cour des comptes (Court of Audit) presented a performance audit of environmental monitoring and rehabilitation of mining sites for 2015-2019. It found that the Ministry of Environment lacked functional mechanisms for environmental feasibility opinions; that state bodies lacked capacity for inspections, environmental audits and monitoring of environmental and social management plans; that reports were unavailable or unpublished; that none of the five communes covered included rehabilitation monitoring in its development plan; and that the lack of rehabilitation funds was linked to the absence of bodies to validate rehabilitation plans. The sites covered included Poura (a closed former SOREMIB mine), Wahgnion, Youga, SOMISA (Sanbrado) and Orezone Bomboré, in the communes of Niankorodougou, Poura, Zabré, Boudry and Mogtédo.","A report of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries, received by the Council of Ministers on 14 February 2024, stated that as of 31 December 2022 six industrial mines had not paid their FRFM contributions and 49 industrial quarries were also behind; the government did not name them. FRFM resources stood at CFA 57.13bn at December 2022, and the unpaid amount for the six mines was CFA 7.53bn (about USD 12.26 million, as converted by Ecofin).","On 20 November 2025 the Council of Ministers reviewed the joint annual FRFM reports for 2023 and 2024, presented by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation. In 2023 the fund expected 24,390,112,439 FCFA and collected 7,218,359,131 FCFA (29.59%) from three industrial mines; 14 semi-mechanised mines and 31 industrial quarry companies paid nothing. In 2024 it expected 27,708,991,244 FCFA and collected 13,731,554,442 FCFA (49.55%) from seven mining companies; 17 semi-mechanised mines and 34 industrial quarry companies paid nothing. The government announced firmness toward non-paying mining companies and industrial quarry operators and an obligation to submit rehabilitation and closure plans, and sought unpaid contributions of more than CFA 31bn for 2023-2024 (USD 54.8 million, as converted by Ecofin).","In the week before 12 October 2026 an interministerial report on the fund's 2025 contributions was validated in Ouagadougou. More than 14bn FCFA were collected in 2025; of 17 industrial mines subject to the fund, 10 paid, as did 4 of 11 semi-mechanised mines and 3 of 44 industrial quarries, according to the Direction générale des mines et de la géologie. A new Mining Code was adopted in July 2024.","On 9 July 2026 the Council of Ministers granted the SOPAMIB Bouboulou industrial gold mine permit in Yako commune, Passoré province. Its report lists an expected direct contribution of 34,510,513,827 FCFA to the state budget, 4,418,183,589 FCFA to the mining development fund and a forecast rehabilitation and closure contribution of 965,569,966 FCFA, with 7.27 t of gold over 15 years and 1,272 jobs."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Period covered by the Court of Audit's performance audit begins (2015-2019)","src":4},{"y":2021,"t":"Court of Audit presents its performance audit on monitoring and rehabilitation of mining sites (13 Oct)","src":4},{"y":2022,"t":"Six industrial mines and 49 industrial quarries behind on contributions at 31 December","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Council of Ministers receives the report on unpaid contributions (14 Feb); new Mining Code (July)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Council of Ministers reviews the 2023 and 2024 FRFM reports (20 Nov)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"SOPAMIB Bouboulou permit granted (9 Jul); interministerial report on 2025 contributions validated (week before 12 Oct)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"We really must be able to impose sanctions and bring those who have not paid to comply.","who":"Doulaye Sanou, Secretary General, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries","when":"October 2026","src":3,"translated":"French"}],"shown":["Government (Council of Ministers communiqué, as reported): resource mobilisation 'insufficient'; firmness to be applied to all mining companies and industrial quarry operators.","Interministerial report validated in Ouagadougou, October 2026: more than 14bn FCFA collected in 2025."],"recorded":["2023: 29.59% of expected contributions collected, from three industrial mines.","2024: 49.55% of expected contributions collected, from seven mining companies.","2025: 10 of 17 industrial mines, 4 of 11 semi-mechanised mines and 3 of 44 industrial quarries paid.","Court of Audit (2015-2019): monitoring reports unavailable or unpublished; communes lacked data for citizen oversight."],"ledger":{"currency":"CFA francs","window":"Mixed - see each line","nature":[{"label":"FRFM contributions collected, 2023","amount":7218.359131,"window":"2023"},{"label":"FRFM contributions collected, 2024","amount":13731.554442,"window":"2024"},{"label":"FRFM contributions collected, 2025","amount":14000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2025"},{"label":"Forecast rehabilitation and closure contribution, SOPAMIB Bouboulou","amount":965.569966,"window":"9 Jul 2026 permit","note":"Forecast, over the mine's life."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"FRFM contributions expected, 2023","amount":24390.112439,"window":"2023"},{"label":"FRFM contributions expected, 2024","amount":27708.991244,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Unpaid at 31 December 2022, six industrial mines","amount":7530,"window":"2022"},{"label":"Unpaid 2023-2024 sought by the government","amount":31000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2023-2024"},{"label":"FRFM resources","amount":57130,"window":"December 2022"},{"label":"Expected direct contribution to the state budget, SOPAMIB Bouboulou","amount":34510.513827,"window":"9 Jul 2026 permit"},{"label":"Contribution to the mining development fund, SOPAMIB Bouboulou","amount":4418.183589,"window":"9 Jul 2026 permit"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Collected, 2023","v":"CFA 7.22bn of 24.39bn","d":"29.59% of expected contributions"},{"k":"Collected, 2024","v":"CFA 13.73bn of 27.71bn","d":"49.55% of expected contributions"},{"k":"Paid, 2025","v":"10 of 17","d":"Industrial mines subject to the fund"}]},"metrics":[{"key":"frfm_resources","value":57130,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2022,"note":"FRFM resources at December 2022 (CFA 57.13bn)"},{"key":"unpaid","value":7530,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2022,"note":"Six industrial mines, 31 December 2022; about USD 12.26 million as converted by Ecofin"},{"key":"contributions_expected","value":24390.112439,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2023,"note":"24,390,112,439 FCFA"},{"key":"contributions_collected","value":7218.359131,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2023,"note":"7,218,359,131 FCFA, 29.59% of expected, from three industrial mines"},{"key":"contributions_expected","value":27708.991244,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2024,"note":"27,708,991,244 FCFA"},{"key":"contributions_collected","value":13731.554442,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2024,"note":"13,731,554,442 FCFA, 49.55% of expected, from seven mining companies"},{"key":"contributions_collected","value":14000,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"More than 14bn FCFA"},{"key":"unpaid","value":31000,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"2023-2024 unpaid contributions sought by the government; USD 54.8 million as converted by Ecofin"},{"key":"mines_paid","value":10,"unit":"of 17 industrial mines","year":2025,"note":"Also 4 of 11 semi-mechanised mines and 3 of 44 industrial quarries"},{"key":"non_payers","value":49,"unit":"industrial quarries","year":2022,"note":"Behind on contributions at 31 December 2022, with six industrial mines; not named"},{"key":"contribution_state_budget","value":34510.513827,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2026,"note":"SOPAMIB Bouboulou, expected direct contribution (34,510,513,827 FCFA)"},{"key":"contribution_mining_fund","value":4418.183589,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2026,"note":"SOPAMIB Bouboulou, mining development fund (4,418,183,589 FCFA)"},{"key":"contribution_rehabilitation","value":965.569966,"unit":"CFA francs m","year":2026,"note":"SOPAMIB Bouboulou, forecast rehabilitation and closure contribution (965,569,966 FCFA)"},{"key":"gold_output","value":7.27,"unit":"tonnes over 15 years","year":2026,"note":"SOPAMIB Bouboulou, forecast"},{"key":"jobs","value":1272,"unit":"jobs","year":2026,"note":"SOPAMIB Bouboulou, forecast"}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The FRFM collected 29.59% of expected contributions in 2023 and 49.55% in 2024; six industrial mines and 49 industrial quarries were behind at 31 December 2022.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Burkina Faso, nationwide: industrial gold mines, semi-mechanised mines and industrial quarries; new permit at Bouboulou, Yako commune, Passoré province.","src":5},"when":{"t":"Audit period 2015-2019; arrears at 31 December 2022; annual reports for 2023 and 2024 reviewed on 20 November 2025; 2025 contributions reported in October 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The fund is meant to finance rehabilitation of land affected by extraction during and after operations.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Operators pay contributions into the FRFM; the government reports amounts expected and collected by year and has announced firmness and an obligation to submit rehabilitation and closure plans.","src":2}},"disputes":[{"point":"How many companies paid in 2023-2024?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"L'Economiste du Faso, summary","says":"10 companies paid over 20bn FCFA in 2023-2024.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"L'Economiste du Faso, body of the article","says":"Three industrial mines paid in 2023 and seven mining companies in 2024; the article does not reconcile the two.","src":2}]}],"responses":[{"actor":"burkina-faso-gov","says":"The Council of Ministers described resource mobilisation as insufficient and announced firmness toward non-paying mining companies and industrial quarry operators and an obligation to submit rehabilitation and closure plans.","when":"2025-11-20","src":1},{"actor":"burkina-mines-ministry","says":"Its Secretary General, Doulaye Sanou, said sanctions must be possible to bring non-payers to comply.","when":"2026-10","src":3},{"actor":"burkina-cour-des-comptes","says":"Recommended resources for monitoring, independent accreditation of environmental assessors and an operational interministerial committee for rehabilitation plans (Jean Baptiste Bouda, acting first vice-president; Ahmadé Nour Guenda presented).","when":"2021-10-13","src":4}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"unknown":["Not disclosed: the names of the mines and quarries in arrears and the reasons they did not comply; the government named none.","None on record: a response from any company in arrears.","Not disclosed: the measures the government will adopt to compel payment; their nature was not specified.","Not disclosed: monitoring reports on rehabilitation, which the Court of Audit found unavailable or unpublished for 2015-2019; communes lacked data for citizen oversight.","None on record: a measured area of mining-damaged land, hectares rehabilitated or pollution data in the audit and government reports.","Disputed: L'Economiste du Faso gives 10 companies paying over 20bn FCFA in 2023-2024 in its summary and three (2023) and seven (2024) in its body."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Contributions of CFA 7.53bn (end-2022) and more than CFA 31bn (2023-2024) were reported unpaid; the government has said it will pursue payment.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: 2025 contributions of more than 14bn FCFA collected; interministerial report on the fund validated; operators in arrears not named.","updated":"2026-10-19","actors":[{"id":"frfm","role":"Fund receiving mine and quarry contributions for rehabilitation"},{"id":"burkina-faso-gov","role":"Council of Ministers reviewed the reports and granted the Bouboulou permit"},{"id":"burkina-mines-ministry","role":"Reported on unpaid contributions; Secretary General quoted"},{"id":"burkina-cour-des-comptes","role":"Performance audit on monitoring and rehabilitation, 2021"},{"id":"sopamib","role":"Holder of the Bouboulou industrial gold mine permit, July 2026"}],"sources":[{"t":"Burkina Faso: Six gold mines fail to meet environmental fund obligations, govt seeks solutions","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2024-02-27","u":"http://www.ecofinagency.com/mining/2702-45222-burkina-faso-six-gold-mines-fail-to-meet-environmental-fund-obligations-govt-seeks-solutions","type":"press"},{"t":"Burkina Faso pursues $55 million in unpaid mine rehabilitation fees","p":"Ecofin Agency","d":"2025-11-21","u":"https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-industry/2111-50712-burkina-faso-pursues-55-million-in-unpaid-mine-rehabilitation-fees","type":"press"},{"t":"Fonds de réhabilitation et de fermeture de la mine (FRFM): application stricte de la loi en 2026 (Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Fund: strict application of the law in 2026)","p":"L'Economiste du Faso","d":"2025-12-08","u":"https://leconomistedufaso.com/2025/12/08/fonds-de-rehabilitation-et-de-fermeture-de-la-mine-frfm-application-stricte-de-la-loi-en-2026/","type":"press"},{"t":"Burkina: 14 milliards FCFA pour la réhabilitation minière (Burkina: 14 billion FCFA for mining rehabilitation)","p":"APA News","d":"2026-10-12","u":"https://fr.apanews.net/business/burkina-14-milliards-fcfa-pour-la-rehabilitation-miniere/","type":"press"},{"t":"Surveillance et réhabilitation environnementales des sites miniers: la Cour des comptes égrène les failles des structures étatiques (Environmental monitoring and rehabilitation of mining sites: the Court of Audit lists the failings of state bodies)","p":"Sidwaya","d":"2021-10-13","u":"https://www.sidwaya.info/surveillance-et-rehabilitation-environnementales-des-sites-miniers-la-cour-des-comptes-egrene-les-failles-des-structures-etatiques/","type":"press"},{"t":"Compte rendu du Conseil des ministres (PP-G N°023-2026) (Council of Ministers report)","p":"Primature du Burkina Faso, Porte-parole du gouvernement (hosted by Burkina24)","d":"2026-07-09","u":"https://burkina24.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/CONSEIL-DES-MINISTRES-N%C2%B023-DU-09-JUILLET-2026.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["burkina-faso-forest-investment-program","great-green-wall-core-area"],"natureLead":{"t":"The fund to rehabilitate my mined land in Burkina Faso collected 29.59% of expected contributions in 2023 and 49.55% in 2024.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many companies paid in 2023-2024?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the names of the mines and quarries in arrears and the reasons they did not comply; the government named none.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a response from any company in arrears.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the measures the government will adopt to compel payment; their nature was not specified.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: monitoring reports on rehabilitation, which the Court of Audit found unavailable or unpublished for 2015-2019; communes lacked data for citizen oversight.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a measured area of mining-damaged land, hectares rehabilitated or pollution data in the audit and government reports.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: L'Economiste du Faso gives 10 companies paying over 20bn FCFA in 2023-2024 in its summary and three (2023) and seven (2024) in its body.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"burkina-faso-forest-investment-program","title":"Burkina Faso Forest Investment Program project: 3.78 million tCO2eq in emission reductions estimated with an ex-ante tool","dek":"A World Bank-administered Forest Investment Program project spent USD 23.7 million in grants across 32 communes in Burkina Faso between 2014 and 2021. The 3.78 million tCO2eq in emission reductions it reported was estimated with an ex-ante tool because the monitoring, reporting and verification system was not completed.","country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","region":"Africa","lat":12.3,"lon":-1.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","admin":"32 communes, mostly rural (nationwide reference point)","lat":12.3,"lon":-1.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2021,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","finance","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Emission reductions estimated against target","value":"3.78 vs 3.52 million tCO2eq","note":"Estimate: calculated with FAO's Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool; the monitoring, reporting and verification system was not completed."},"happened":["Project P143993, 'Burkina Faso - FIP - Forest Mgmt.' (the Decentralized Forest and Woodland Management Project), was financed by the Strategic Climate Fund's Forest Investment Program and an EU Trust Fund grant, and administered by the World Bank. It was approved on 23 January 2014, had an original closing date of 31 December 2019 and closed on 30 June 2021 after four restructurings, the last on 22 December 2020. It covered 32 mostly rural communes. At appraisal, deforestation was stated at 105,000 to 250,000 hectares a year.","The Implementation Completion Report, as reviewed by the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group (ICR Review ICRR0022868), reported these outputs: reforestation of 1,400 ha; avoided deforestation on about 2,500 ha; reduced forest degradation on 6,000 ha; 72 conservation spaces on 30,000 ha; over 600,000 plants planted, with an average survival rate of 70% at closing; and 25 Payment for Environmental Services contracts signed with communities. A Forest Reference Level was set and submitted to the UNFCCC for assessment in the context of results-based payments.","The review states that 3.78 million tCO2eq were 'estimated to be reduced', exceeding the 3.52 million target. The monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system that was expected to set the 2012 reference level and verify carbon impact 'was not completed' under the complementary project executed by the African Development Bank; carbon impact was estimated instead with FAO's Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool.","Total project cost was USD 26.26 million at appraisal and USD 25.54 million at completion; grants spent were USD 23,712,205.29. Financing came from a USD 16.50 million Strategic Climate Fund grant (TF015339), of which USD 16.48 million was disbursed, and an EU Trust Fund grant of EUR 7.30 million amended to EUR 6.5 million (approximately USD 7.27 million), of which USD 7.24 million was disbursed. Spending on the REDD+ mainstreaming component was USD 3.83 million against an estimate of USD 6.10 million (62%); on the component addressing drivers of deforestation, USD 14.81 million against 17.07 million (86%); and on coordination and knowledge, USD 6.90 million against 3.10 million (222%). The review states that income from forests in the 32 communes was approximately USD 60 million.","A 2019 World Bank financial management review identified USD 0.9 million of ineligible expenditure, which the Government refunded in full in 2020; external auditors gave qualified opinions on the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 financial statements. The World Bank's completion report rated the outcome and Bank performance Satisfactory; the Independent Evaluation Group rated outcome Satisfactory, Bank performance Moderately Satisfactory and monitoring and evaluation quality Modest."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Project approved (23 Jan)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Original closing date (31 Dec); World Bank financial management review identifies USD 0.9 million of ineligible expenditure","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Government refunds the ineligible expenditure in full; last restructuring (22 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Project closes (30 Jun)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"estimated to be reduced","who":"World Bank Implementation Completion Report as reviewed by the Independent Evaluation Group, on 3.78 million tCO2eq","when":"c. 2022","src":0},{"q":"was not completed","who":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group review, on the MRV system","when":"c. 2022","src":0}],"shown":["Completion report: 3.78 million tCO2eq 'estimated to be reduced', against a target of 3.52 million.","Completion report: average survival rate of 70% for over 600,000 plants at closing."],"recorded":["Emission reductions were estimated with FAO's Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool; the MRV system was not completed.","Coordination and knowledge spending reached 222% of its estimate; REDD+ mainstreaming spending reached 62%.","USD 0.9 million of ineligible expenditure refunded by the Government in 2020; qualified audit opinions for 2017-2020.","At COP26 on 1 November 2021 the World Bank President cited a Burkina Faso project aiming at about 10 million certified carbon credits."],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2014-2021","nature":[{"label":"Component 1: REDD+ mainstreaming (actual)","amount":3.83,"window":"2014-2021","note":"Appraisal estimate USD 6.10 million (62%)."},{"label":"Component 2: drivers of deforestation (actual)","amount":14.81,"window":"2014-2021","note":"Appraisal estimate USD 17.07 million (86%)."},{"label":"Component 3: coordination and knowledge (actual)","amount":6.9,"window":"2014-2021","note":"Appraisal estimate USD 3.10 million (222%)."}],"natureTotal":25.54,"other":[{"label":"Ineligible expenditure refunded by the Government (2019 review; refund 2020)","amount":0.9},{"label":"Income from forests in the 32 communes","amount":60,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"As stated in the review."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Emission reductions","v":"3.78 million tCO2eq (estimate)","d":"Against a 3.52 million target; ex-ante tool, no completed MRV system"},{"k":"Survival rate","v":"70%","d":"Average, of over 600,000 plants at closing"},{"k":"Area protected or restored","v":"1,400 ha reforested; 6,000 ha degradation reduced","d":"Reported outputs at closing"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Appraisal-stage deforestation figure and project outputs reported at closing; emission figures are estimates.","report":[{"t":"At appraisal my forests and woodlands were being deforested at 105,000 to 250,000 hectares a year.","src":0},{"t":"By closing the project reported 1,400 ha reforested, avoided deforestation on about 2,500 ha and reduced degradation on 6,000 ha across 32 communes.","src":0},{"t":"Of over 600,000 plants set in my soil, an average of 70% had survived at closing.","src":0}]},"metrics":[{"key":"emission_reduction","value":3780000,"unit":"tCO2eq","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Estimated with FAO's Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool; target 3.52 million"},{"key":"reforested_ha","value":1400,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Reforestation"},{"key":"avoided_deforestation_ha","value":2500,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Avoided deforestation"},{"key":"degradation_reduced_ha","value":6000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Reduced forest degradation"},{"key":"conservation_area_ha","value":30000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"72 conservation spaces"},{"key":"trees_planted","value":600000,"unit":"plants","year":2021,"qualifier":"over","note":"Average survival rate 70% at closing"},{"key":"survival_rate","value":70,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"note":"Average, at closing"},{"key":"pes_contracts","value":25,"unit":"contracts","year":2021,"note":"Payment for Environmental Services contracts signed with communities"},{"key":"deforestation_rate","value":250000,"unit":"ha per year","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to","note":"105,000 to 250,000 ha per year at appraisal"},{"key":"project_cost","value":26.26,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"At appraisal"},{"key":"project_cost","value":25.54,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Actual (ICR); grants actual USD 23,712,205.29"},{"key":"grant_disbursed","value":16.48,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Strategic Climate Fund grant TF015339 of USD 16.50 million"},{"key":"grant_disbursed","value":7.24,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"EU Trust Fund grant, EUR 7.30 million amended to EUR 6.5 million (approximately USD 7.27 million)"},{"key":"ineligible_expenditure","value":0.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"Identified in a 2019 financial management review; refunded in full in 2020"},{"key":"forest_income","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Income from forests in the 32 communes, as stated in the review"}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Forest Investment Program project in Burkina Faso reported 3.78 million tCO2eq in emission reductions, calculated with an ex-ante tool, on a cost of USD 25.54 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Communities in 32 communes","what":"25 Payment for Environmental Services contracts were signed with communities; income from forests in the communes was approximately USD 60 million, as stated in the review.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"32 mostly rural communes across Burkina Faso.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Approved 23 January 2014; closed 30 June 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To reduce emissions from deforestation and woodland degradation, in the name of REDD+.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Grants from the Strategic Climate Fund and an EU Trust Fund, administered by the World Bank, financed forest management, conservation spaces, reforestation and payments to communities; carbon results were calculated with an ex-ante tool.","src":0}},"disputes":[],"responses":[{"actor":"world-bank","says":"The Implementation Completion Report rated the outcome Satisfactory and Bank performance Satisfactory; the Independent Evaluation Group rated outcome Satisfactory, Bank performance Moderately Satisfactory and monitoring and evaluation quality Modest.","when":"c. 2022","src":0}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"unknown":["Not measured: verified emission reductions. The MRV system expected to verify carbon impact was not completed, and carbon impact was estimated with FAO's Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool.","Insufficient: social monitoring. The review states that no baseline household surveys were carried out at the outset, that yearly monitoring of social dynamics was not carried out and that data transmission was delayed.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims.","Unclear: whether any results-based REDD+ payment followed the Forest Reference Level submission to the UNFCCC."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"Strategic Climate Fund and EU Trust Fund grants totalling USD 23.7 million, administered by the World Bank; the Government refunded USD 0.9 million of ineligible expenditure in 2020.","statusLine":"As of the project's closing on 30 June 2021: emission reductions estimated at 3.78 million tCO2eq; MRV system not completed.","updated":"2026-10-19","actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Administered the grants; completion report and rating"},{"id":"climate-investment-funds","role":"Strategic Climate Fund / Forest Investment Program grant of USD 16.50 million"},{"id":"eu","role":"EU Trust Fund grant of EUR 7.30 million, amended to EUR 6.5 million"},{"id":"afdb","role":"Executed the complementary project (PGFC/REDD+) under which the MRV system was not completed"},{"id":"fao","role":"Source of the Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool used for the estimate"},{"id":"burkina-faso-gov","role":"Refunded USD 0.9 million of ineligible expenditure in 2020"}],"sources":[{"t":"ICR Review ICRR0022868: Burkina Faso - FIP - Forest Mgmt. (P143993)","p":"World Bank Independent Evaluation Group","d":"c. 2022","u":"https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099325006292220157/text/P1439930090a210850bfb50cbf9264b9b60.txt","type":"international"},{"t":"Remarks by World Bank Group President David Malpass at COP26 on the Great Green Wall Initiative","p":"World Bank","d":"2021-11-01","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/speech/2021/11/01/remarks-by-world-bank-group-president-david-malpass-at-cop26-on-the-great-green-wall-ggw-initiative","type":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["great-green-wall-core-area","burkina-faso-mine-rehabilitation-fund-arrears","sahel-restoration-carbon-finance-afr100"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: verified emission reductions. The MRV system expected to verify carbon impact was not completed, and carbon impact was estimated with FAO's Ex-Ante Carbon-balance Tool.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: social monitoring. The review states that no baseline household surveys were carried out at the outset, that yearly monitoring of social dynamics was not carried out and that data transmission was delayed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether any results-based REDD+ payment followed the Forest Reference Level submission to the UNFCCC.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution"]},{"id":"sahel-restoration-carbon-finance-afr100","title":"Sahel restoration carbon finance: AFR100 pledges, a projected USD 28bn carbon asset value and 11 registered projects in Great Green Wall countries","dek":"AFR100 stated that 33 African countries had committed to restore 129.27 million hectares, with USD 1bn in development finance and USD 481 million in private commitments. A December 2024 WEF and Tree Aid paper projected carbon asset value of up to USD 28bn in Great Green Wall countries, where 11 of Africa's 74 registered nature-based voluntary carbon projects were located.","country":"Sahel","iso2":null,"region":"Africa","lat":14.5,"lon":2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Sahel (approximate centre line)","lat":14.5,"lon":2,"role":"event"},{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","role":"affected"},{"country":"Mauritania","iso2":"MR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","role":"affected"},{"country":"Burkina Faso","iso2":"BF","role":"affected"},{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","role":"affected"},{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","tree-planting","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Projected carbon asset value, Great Green Wall countries","value":"Up to USD 28bn","note":"Projection: 1.8 billion tCO2e of untapped potential at 2023 prices (WEF and Tree Aid, December 2024). No issued-credit total for Sahel tree-planting projects is on record."},"happened":["The AFR100 two-pager (file dated July 2023) states that '33 countries have committed to restore 129.27 million hectares', with '$1B in development finance' and a '$481M private sector commitment'. The figures cover Africa as a whole.","On 5 September 2023 the Bezos Earth Fund announced USD 22.8 million in new grants to AFR100 for locally led restoration in Africa, in addition to USD 42.2 million previously granted. The landscapes named are the Greater Rift Valley (Kenya) and the Lake Kivu/Rusizi basin (DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi).","A December 2024 white paper from the World Economic Forum with Tree Aid, 'The Untapped Potential of Great Green Wall Voluntary Carbon Market Projects', counted 1,395 registered voluntary carbon market projects in Africa, of which only 74 were nature-based, 'with just 11 of these in GGW countries' (afforestation, reforestation and revegetation). It estimated untapped potential at 1.8 billion tCO2e, with a carbon asset value of up to USD 28bn at 2023 prices. These are projections of potential value, not issued or sold credits.","The white paper describes an illustrative Tree Aid project under development, using the Verra VM0047 methodology (marked 'TBC'): 14,000 ha of savannah restoration plus 1,500 ha of agroforestry, 8 million trees, 4.5 million tCO2e expected, USD 26.1 million of investment over seven years and a 19.1% investor internal rate of return. It assigns 55% of credits to investors at USD 10.50 a credit and 45% to communities, with USD 90-120 million projected.","The UNCCD's 2020 status report on the Great Green Wall stated that greenhouse gas offsetting projects in land use often face governance issues over the control of land and a risk of false expectations about carbon revenues, and that many restoration projects are not profitable."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"UNCCD status report on offsetting governance risks and carbon revenue expectations (September)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"AFR100 two-pager (July); Bezos Earth Fund announces USD 22.8 million for locally led restoration in Africa (5 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"WEF and Tree Aid white paper on Great Green Wall voluntary carbon market projects (December)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"with just 11 of these in GGW countries","who":"WEF and Tree Aid white paper, on nature-based registered voluntary carbon market projects","when":"December 2024","src":2},{"q":"33 countries have committed to restore 129.27 million hectares","who":"AFR100","when":"July 2023","src":0}],"shown":["AFR100: '$1B in development finance' and '$481M private sector commitment'.","WEF and Tree Aid: carbon asset value of up to USD 28bn at 2023 prices for Great Green Wall countries.","Illustrative Tree Aid project: 8 million trees, 4.5 million tCO2e expected and a 19.1% investor internal rate of return."],"recorded":["1,395 registered voluntary carbon market projects in Africa, 74 nature-based, 11 of them in Great Green Wall countries (white paper, December 2024).","The Tree Aid model project's methodology is marked 'TBC' and its credits are not yet issued.","The Bezos Earth Fund announcement names no Sahel country among its landscapes.","All carbon amounts in the white paper are projections."],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed - see each line","nature":[{"label":"AFR100 development finance (Africa-wide)","amount":1000,"note":"Stated by AFR100 as '$1B in development finance'."},{"label":"AFR100 private sector commitment (Africa-wide)","amount":481,"note":"Stated as '$481M private sector commitment'."},{"label":"Bezos Earth Fund: new grants to AFR100","amount":22.8,"window":"5 Sep 2023","note":"Landscapes named are in Kenya, DR Congo, Rwanda and Burundi."},{"label":"Bezos Earth Fund: previously granted to AFR100","amount":42.2}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Projected carbon asset value in Great Green Wall countries (untapped potential, 2023 prices)","amount":28000,"qualifier":"up to","est":true,"note":"Projection of 1.8 billion tCO2e of potential, not issued credits."},{"label":"Illustrative Tree Aid project: investment over seven years","amount":26.1,"est":true,"note":"Under development; credits not yet issued."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Restoration pledged by 33 countries","v":"129.27 million ha","d":"AFR100, Africa-wide"},{"k":"Nature-based registered projects in Great Green Wall countries","v":"11 of 74","d":"Africa's registered voluntary carbon market projects, December 2024"},{"k":"Projected carbon asset value","v":"Up to USD 28bn","d":"1.8 billion tCO2e at 2023 prices; a projection"}]},"metrics":[{"key":"pledged_area","value":129270000.00000001,"unit":"hectares","year":2023,"note":"33 countries, Africa-wide, AFR100"},{"key":"development_finance","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"AFR100, Africa-wide"},{"key":"private_commitment","value":481,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"AFR100, Africa-wide"},{"key":"grant","value":22.8,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Bezos Earth Fund, new grants to AFR100 announced 5 September 2023"},{"key":"grant","value":42.2,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Bezos Earth Fund, previously granted to AFR100"},{"key":"vcm_projects_africa","value":1395,"unit":"registered projects","year":2024,"note":"Voluntary carbon market, WEF and Tree Aid"},{"key":"vcm_projects_nature_based","value":74,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"Nature-based, of the 1,395"},{"key":"vcm_projects_ggw","value":11,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"Afforestation, reforestation and revegetation projects in Great Green Wall countries"},{"key":"carbon_potential","value":1800000000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Estimated untapped potential"},{"key":"carbon_asset_value","value":28000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","est":true,"note":"At 2023 prices; projection"},{"key":"model_project_area","value":14000,"unit":"ha savannah restoration","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Illustrative Tree Aid project, plus 1,500 ha agroforestry; methodology Verra VM0047 marked 'TBC'"},{"key":"model_project_trees","value":8000000,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Illustrative Tree Aid project"},{"key":"model_project_credits","value":4500000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Expected"},{"key":"model_project_investment","value":26.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Over seven years; investor internal rate of return 19.1%"},{"key":"model_project_credit_price","value":10.5,"unit":"USD per credit","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"55% of credits to investors at this price; 45% to communities (USD 90-120 million projected)"}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hectare pledges and projected carbon revenues were presented as finance for Sahel restoration: AFR100 stated USD 1bn in development finance and USD 481 million in private commitments Africa-wide, and a December 2024 WEF and Tree Aid paper projected carbon asset value of up to USD 28bn in Great Green Wall countries.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Investors and communities in the illustrative Tree Aid project","what":"Projected: 55% of credits to investors at USD 10.50 a credit with a 19.1% investor internal rate of return, and 45% to communities (USD 90-120 million projected).","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Africa-wide for AFR100 with pledges by Sahel countries; Great Green Wall countries for the carbon projects.","src":0},"when":{"t":"AFR100 two-pager of July 2023; Bezos Earth Fund announcement of 5 September 2023; WEF and Tree Aid white paper of December 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Restoration pledges and voluntary carbon credits were presented as a way to finance Sahel land restoration; the UNCCD noted that many restoration projects are not profitable.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Hectare pledges by countries, development finance and private commitments through AFR100, and voluntary carbon market projects registered under methodologies such as Verra VM0047.","src":2}},"disputes":[{"point":"Can voluntary carbon credits finance Sahel restoration?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"WEF and Tree Aid","says":"Present Great Green Wall voluntary carbon market projects as an investment opportunity while acknowledging scepticism of offsetting, land-conversion risk, disputed tenure and the risk of excluding local communities (section headings).","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNCCD (2020 status report)","says":"Offsetting projects in land use often face governance issues over land control and a risk of false expectations about carbon revenues; many restoration projects are not profitable.","src":3}]}],"responses":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"unknown":["None on record: issued-credit totals for Sahel tree-planting projects; the Tree Aid model project's methodology is marked 'TBC' and its credits are not yet issued.","None on record: a Sahel country among the landscapes named in the Bezos Earth Fund announcement of 5 September 2023.","None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record: AFR100's development finance and private commitments are stated as Africa-wide commitments, and all carbon amounts in the white paper are projections.","statusLine":"As of December 2024: carbon asset value projected at up to USD 28bn; 11 nature-based registered projects in Great Green Wall countries; no issued-credit totals for Sahel tree-planting projects on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","actors":[{"id":"afr100","role":"Restoration initiative: 33 countries, 129.27 million hectares, USD 1bn development finance, USD 481 million private commitment"},{"id":"bezos-earth-fund","role":"Announced USD 22.8 million in new grants to AFR100 on 5 September 2023"},{"id":"wef","role":"Published the December 2024 white paper with Tree Aid"},{"id":"tree-aid","role":"Co-author of the white paper; illustrative carbon project under development"},{"id":"verra","role":"Methodology VM0047 named for the illustrative project"},{"id":"unccd","role":"2020 status report on offsetting governance risks"},{"id":"great-green-wall-initiative","role":"Programme whose countries' carbon potential the white paper values"}],"sources":[{"t":"AFR100 two-pager","p":"AFR100","d":"2023-07","u":"https://afr100.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/22_AFR100_2pager.pdf","type":"international"},{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund Announces $22.8 Million for Locally Led Restoration in Africa","p":"Bezos Earth Fund","d":"2023-09-05","u":"https://www.bezosearthfund.org/news-and-insights/bezos-earth-fund-announces-22-million-locally-led-restoration-africa","type":"ngo"},{"t":"The Untapped Potential of Great Green Wall Voluntary Carbon Market Projects","p":"World Economic Forum with Tree Aid","d":"2024-12","u":"https://treeaid.org/media/5zudcs52/report_realising_voluntary_carbon_market_sahelian.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"The Great Green Wall Implementation Status and Way Ahead to 2030: Executive Summary","p":"UNCCD","d":"2020-09","u":"https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/library/1551_GGW_Executive_Summary_040920.pdf","type":"international"}],"episodes":[],"related":["great-green-wall-core-area","burkina-faso-forest-investment-program","farmer-managed-natural-regeneration-in-niger"],"natureLead":{"t":"33 countries have committed to restore 129.27 million hectares of my African land, AFR100 states; a December 2024 white paper counted 11 registered nature-based carbon projects in Great Green Wall countries.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can voluntary carbon credits finance Sahel restoration?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: issued-credit totals for Sahel tree-planting projects; the Tree Aid model project's methodology is marked 'TBC' and its credits are not yet issued.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Sahel country among the landscapes named in the Bezos Earth Fund announcement of 5 September 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings or insurance claims.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Shown item 1 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 2 has no attribution","No source link — Shown item 3 has no attribution"]},{"id":"sudan-gold-mercury-cyanide-and-war-money","title":"Sudan gold: mercury and cyanide in mining, and the wartime gold trade","dek":"Artisanal gold mining and tailings processing in Sudan use mercury and cyanide; sampling at the Abu Hamad mining market in January 2023 measured mercury in soil up to 34.8 mg/kg. After the war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began in 2023, the US Treasury designated gold-linked companies and said that gold had become a source of revenue for the RSF.","country":"Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":19.5,"lon":33.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","admin":"River Nile State (Abu Hamad, Al-Ebeidiya), Northern State, Red Sea State (Durdeib), North Darfur (Jebel Amer), South Darfur (Songo)","lat":19.5,"lon":33.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","role":"buyer"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US Department of the Treasury (designating authority)","role":"legal-forum"}],"start":2008,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","war-military","chemical-pollution"],"subtags":["war:conflict-economy"],"headline":{"label":"Mercury in soil at the Abu Hamad mining market, January 2023 (highest of 12 samples)","value":"34.8 mg/kg","note":"Sampled near amalgam-burning shops; the background reference used in the 2024 study was 0.04 mg/kg, and all 12 soil samples exceeded it."},"happened":["Artisanal gold miners in Sudan grind ore, add liquid mercury and burn the amalgam with blowtorches; the tailings are then washed in sodium cyanide to recover the remaining gold, according to Yale Environment 360. The Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker (STPT) stated that artisanal miners \"extract about 30% of the gold\" with mercury and that processing companies using cyanide \"can extract up to 95% of the 70% of gold remaining\". Citing a 2021 study by Sudan's Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources and UNIDO, Yale Environment 360 reported mercury in use at more than 50,000 artisanal mines and small refining mills in 14 of Sudan's 18 states.","In January 2023 researchers sampled 12 soil samples and 7 water samples at the Abu Hamad mining market in River Nile State. Total mercury in soil ranged from 0.06 to 34.8 mg/kg, against a background reference of 0.04 mg/kg used in the paper; the highest value was near amalgam-burning shops. Mercury in water ranged from 0.27 µg/L in an irrigation canal to 3.26 µg/L at the centre of the mining area, which the authors stated exceeded the WHO, Sudanese, Japanese and USEPA drinking-water thresholds. The hazard index for children from soil was 33.98 at the highest-reading site (33.4 in the paper's abstract).","Declared gold production rose from 10 tons in 2008 to 32 tons in 2010 and peaked at 107.3 tons in 2017, according to STPT. SMRC reported output of 64 tonnes in 2024, and central bank figures put legal export revenue at USD 1.57 billion, AFP reported on 27 March 2025. SMRC director Mohammed Taher told AFP that \"nearly half of the state's production is smuggled across borders\". The UN Panel of Experts wrote in January 2024 that reports indicated \"more than 50 per cent of the gold mined in the Sudan was not traded through the formal channels\".","On 1 June 2023 the US Treasury designated Al Junaid Multi Activities Co Ltd, which it said was controlled by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Abdul Rahim Dagalo, and said that \"gold mining and export has become a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RSF\". On 31 January 2024 it designated Al-Fakher Advanced Works Co. Ltd, which it said was established by RSF senior leadership to hold the RSF's gold export business, and on 7 January 2025 it designated Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and seven UAE-based entities. The UAE government told AFP that it \"firmly rejects any groundless allegations regarding the smuggling and profiting of gold from Sudan\".","STPT stated that Sudamin, which it described as 70% owned by the Ministry of Finance, 15% by the Ministry of Minerals and 15% by the Central Bank, holds a state monopoly on importing mercury and cyanide, and that official records show licences approved after the October 2021 coup for more than 4,000 tons of mercury, of which some 400 tons were actually imported. Chatham House reported that the war first disrupted imports of mercury, cyanide and fuel, and that trucks returning from Egypt now carry cyanide, carbon, thiourea and other inputs reaching about 160 tonnes per month."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Gold rush begins; declared production rises from 10 tons (2008) to 32 tons (2010)","src":8},{"y":2012,"t":"Sudamin's monopoly on importing mercury begins, according to sources quoted by STPT","src":8},{"y":2014,"t":"Sudan signs the Minamata Convention on Mercury (24 Sep); the UN Treaty Collection lists no ratification","src":6},{"y":2017,"t":"Declared production peaks at 107.3 tons; the RSF takes the Jebel Amer mine, described by the US Treasury as its \"expropriation of the Jebel Amer gold mine in 2017\"","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Oct: transitional cabinet decree banning mercury and cyanide in mining; STPT said it was not implemented","src":8},{"y":2020,"t":"US Treasury designates M Invest and its subsidiary Meroe Gold (15 Jul)","src":3},{"y":2022,"t":"Aug: flash floods north of Atbara carry tailings into the Nile, according to STPT","src":8},{"y":2023,"t":"Jan: sampling at Abu Hamad; 1 Jun: US Treasury designates Al Junaid and Tradive General Trading","src":7},{"y":2024,"t":"31 Jan: US Treasury designates Al-Fakher Advanced Works; SMRC reports 64 tonnes of production","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"7 Jan: US Treasury designates Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and seven UAE-based entities; 4 Apr: UAE Ministry of Justice says the designated companies do not operate in the country","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"28 Apr: veterinary report on a dead camel in Durdeib, Red Sea State, reported by Radio Dabanga on 8 May","src":14}],"said":[{"q":"gold mining and export has become a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RSF","who":"US Department of the Treasury, on the designation of Al Junaid","when":"2023-06-01","src":0},{"q":"RSF leaders have generated millions of dollars through gold exports, which they have used to purchase weapons","who":"US Department of the Treasury, on the designation of Al-Fakher Advanced Works","when":"2024-01-31","src":1},{"q":"has purchased gold from Sudan, presumably for the benefit of the RSF","who":"US Department of the Treasury, on the UAE-based AZ Gold","when":"2025-01-07","src":2},{"q":"the UAE firmly rejects any groundless allegations regarding the smuggling and profiting of gold from Sudan","who":"Government of the United Arab Emirates, to AFP","when":"2025-03","src":10},{"q":"do not have valid commercial licences and do not operate in the country","who":"UAE Ministry of Justice (via WAM), on the seven companies designated by the US","when":"2025-04-04","src":15},{"q":"nearly half of the state's production is smuggled across borders","who":"Mohammed Taher, SMRC director, to AFP","when":"2025-03","src":10},{"q":"The supplier of weapons to the Rapid Support Forces is well known. Unfortunately, it is the United Arab Emirates.","who":"Hassan Hamid, envoy of the Government of Sudan, in Geneva (reported by swissinfo)","when":"2025-11-05","src":11},{"q":"cannot guarantee with certainty the origin of gold imported into Switzerland.","who":"Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), via swissinfo","when":"2025-11-05","src":11},{"q":"even more toxic than either of other two substances","who":"STPT, on mercuric cyanide formed when mercury-laden tailings are processed with cyanide","when":"2022-10","src":8},{"q":"stockpiled on farms and even within residential properties, subjecting the local population to direct exposure.","who":"Koji Arizono, Kumamoto University, on mining tailings (quoted by Yale Environment 360)","when":"2025-03-26","src":12},{"q":"of up to €50,000","who":"SMRC director general, on fines for violations (reported by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, translated from Arabic)","when":"2024-09-16","src":13,"translated":"Arabic"},{"q":"Gold mining must not come at the expense of human life, livestock, and the environment.","who":"Dr Jaafar Ohag, environmental expert (quoted by Radio Dabanga)","when":"2026-05-08","src":14}],"shown":[{"t":"Port Sudan authorities claimed to have exported 27.96 tonnes of gold in 2024, generating nearly USD 1.6 billion.","who":"Port Sudan authorities, as reported by Chatham House","src":9},{"t":"The UAE rejects the allegations of smuggling and profiting from Sudanese gold and said it takes the regulation of its gold sector very seriously.","who":"Government of the United Arab Emirates, to AFP, March 2025","src":10},{"t":"The seven companies designated by the US do not have valid commercial licences and do not operate in the UAE.","who":"UAE Ministry of Justice, via WAM, 4 April 2025","src":15},{"t":"The SAF sought to transfer gold to Egypt to prevent it from being sent directly to the UAE, which the SAF accuses of supporting the RSF.","who":"Chatham House, describing the SAF","src":9}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sudan signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury on 24 September 2014; the UN Treaty Collection lists no ratification.","src":6},{"t":"A transitional cabinet decree of October 2019 banned mercury and cyanide in mining; STPT said it was not implemented.","src":8},{"t":"STPT stated that environmental impact assessments are \"lacking in most mining operations in Sudan, especially artisanal ones\" and that government controls over cyanide and mercuric cyanide are \"loose to non-existent\".","src":8},{"t":"STPT stated that the Environmental Protection Act 2001 (amended 2020) requires environmental impact assessments, and that the Ministry of Minerals adopted a mercury bill in 2011 with \"no evidence of consistency in enforcing\" it.","src":8},{"t":"A Sudamin letter of 26 April 2022, according to STPT, asked the Ministry of Finance to approve direct contracts with five private companies to import \"80 tons of mercury, 600 tons of cyanide, and 400 tons of carbon\".","src":8},{"t":"Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that an August 2022 inspection found violations at 3 of 11 companies and that SMRC's director general cited possible closure for violations (translated from Arabic).","src":13},{"t":"The UN Panel of Experts wrote that a Sudanese gold trader associated with the RSF received 50 kg of gold in Dubai in May 2023, and, in a footnote, that in 2018 the RSF, \"whose mainstay company was Al Junaid, exported gold worth $30 million in a period of four weeks\".","src":4},{"t":"The UN Panel of Experts wrote that at the Kidineer (Kidingir) mine in East Jebel Marra output was 2–3 kg of gold per day and that SLA/AW sold gold to the RSF and RSF-affiliated traders at an average mine price of USD 72,000 per kg, against USD 85,204.34 per kg on formal markets in June–October 2024.","src":5},{"t":"Swissaid, using UN Comtrade data, said the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold from Sudan in 2024 and 17 tonnes in 2023, with routed flows via Egypt (27 t), Chad (18 t) and Libya (9 t); swissinfo, citing Sudan central bank data, wrote that the UAE took about 90% of official gold exports in the first half of 2025.","src":11},{"t":"Chatham House wrote that most gold from artisanal and small-scale mining ends up in the UAE, \"either directly or indirectly via neighbouring countries including Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and South Sudan\".","src":9},{"t":"Chatham House reported unofficial exports to Egypt of \"about 60 per cent of the production from Northern, River Nile and Red Sea states\", and that the Central Bank of Sudan recorded only USD 16 million of gold exports to Egypt in 2024, \"just 1 per cent of total gold exports\".","src":9},{"t":"Chatham House reported that Port Sudan authorities charge 28 per cent in taxes on gold (later reduced to 20 per cent), that intermediaries charge around 10 per cent in fees, and that Egypt exempted gold imports from customs duties in May 2023.","src":9},{"t":"Chatham House described Jebel Amer as covering about 26 km² with an estimated annual production of 15 tonnes at its peak, falling to between 14 kg and 17 kg a year in 2017–2018; it reported that the Songo mines in South Darfur \"have become the most important production area for the RSF\".","src":9},{"t":"Chatham House reported that during the 2019–2021 transition the RSF gave up its Jebel Amer concession \"in return for $250 million in government payments and exemptions from royalties and taxes for other RSF operations\".","src":9},{"t":"AFP reported that three former Al Junaid engineers estimated the RSF's wartime gold earnings at \"at least $1 billion per year\".","src":10},{"t":"Yale Environment 360 reported that armed groups took USD 150 million in gold bars from the national refinery in Khartoum.","src":12},{"t":"CEOBS wrote that sediment from the 2024 Arba'at Dam collapse flood, \"possibly contaminated by artisanal gold mining chemicals\", smothered reefs north of Port Sudan.","src":16},{"t":"STPT estimated, from a ratio of 10 g of mercury per g of gold and 438.4 tons of official gold (2014–2020), that \"an average of 626.2 tons of mercury per year, or 4,384 tons over the seven-year period, may have leached into the environment and atmosphere\".","src":8},{"t":"STPT stated that official mercury imports averaged 36 tons a year in 2014–2020 and that the World Bank estimated 346 tons imported in 2008–2015.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Legal gold export revenue, central bank figures (via AFP)","amount":1570,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Gold exports to Egypt recorded by the Central Bank of Sudan (Chatham House)","amount":16,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Gold exports by Al Junaid in four weeks (UN Panel of Experts, footnote)","amount":30,"window":"2018"},{"label":"RSF wartime gold earnings estimated by three former Al Junaid engineers (AFP)","amount":1000,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"window":"per year"},{"label":"Government payments reported for giving up the RSF Jebel Amer concession (Chatham House)","amount":250,"window":"2019–2021"},{"label":"Gold bars taken from the national refinery in Khartoum (Yale Environment 360)","amount":150}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mercury in soil, Abu Hamad mining market (12 samples)","v":"0.06–34.8 mg/kg","d":"January 2023; background reference used in the study: 0.04 mg/kg"},{"k":"Mercury in water, Abu Hamad mining market (7 samples)","v":"0.27–3.26 µg/L","d":"January 2023; highest at the centre of the mining area"},{"k":"Tailings heaps between Atbara and El-Ebeidiya","v":"About 700","d":"Estimated at around 450,000 tons (2021 study, via Yale Environment 360)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A peer-reviewed sampling study at Abu Hamad (January 2023), a Yale Environment 360 report on tailings heaps, and press reports from the Nile and Red Sea State.","report":[{"t":"My soil at the Abu Hamad mining market held mercury at 0.06 to 34.8 mg/kg in January 2023; the highest value was taken near amalgam-burning shops, according to a 2024 study.","src":7},{"t":"My water there held mercury at 0.27 to 3.26 µg/L; the study's authors stated that the highest value exceeds the WHO, Sudanese, Japanese and USEPA drinking-water thresholds.","src":7},{"t":"On a 40-mile stretch of my Nile valley between Atbara and El-Ebeidiya, a 2021 study counted about 700 heaps of mining tailings, estimated at around 450,000 tons, most within about 150 feet of homes, Yale Environment 360 reported.","src":12},{"t":"In August 2022 flash floods north of Atbara swept \"thousands of metric tons of mercury-contaminated mining residues into the Nile\", STPT wrote.","src":8},{"t":"In April 2026 a veterinary nurse's official report said a dead camel in Durdeib, Red Sea State, had likely drunk from open ponds of gold-processing waste, Radio Dabanga reported.","src":14}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: Sudan's gold production in 2022 is given as 41.8 tonnes (SMRC, via AFP), 87 tonnes (Chatham House, as the last pre-war annual figure) and 34.5 tonnes (CEOBS); for 2024, SMRC gave 64 tonnes, Chatham House 64.36 tonnes, and CEOBS and Yale Environment 360 65 tons (53 artisanal).","Figures differ: the share of gold traded outside formal channels is given as nearly half of production (SMRC director, to AFP), more than 50 per cent (UN Panel of Experts, January 2024) and about 60 per cent of production from Northern, River Nile and Red Sea states going unofficially to Egypt (Chatham House).","Disputed: Chatham House wrote that a UN panel of experts report suggested around 10 tonnes of gold with a value of USD 860 million was extracted from RSF-controlled areas in 2024, and described that figure itself as \"heavily disputed\".","Insufficient: Chatham House wrote that \"There are no accurate data on how much gold from Sudan is reaching Egypt.\"","Insufficient: Swissaid's UAE import figures rest on UN Comtrade data for 2024, which Comtrade said were \"being double-checked due to out of trends data in 2024\".","Self-reported only: STPT's figures on mercury import licences rest on documents it said it reviewed, which were not published.","Not measured: the quantity of mining residues carried into the Nile by the August 2022 floods; STPT's mercury-release figures (626.2 tons a year; 672 kg a day at Al-Ebeidiya) are extrapolations from assumed ratios, not measurements.","Not measured: contamination of the sediment smothering reefs north of Port Sudan after the 2024 Arba'at Dam collapse (CEOBS).","Not measured: laboratory test of the camel that died in Durdeib; Radio Dabanga reported that decomposition prevented a definitive conclusion.","Insufficient: Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (16 September 2024) compiled reported values from university studies — drinking water near tailings averaging 0.64 \"ppm\" with a maximum of 6.4 \"ppm\" (Banat village), and tailings averaging 4,210 \"ppm\" with a maximum of 47,440 \"ppm\" — without naming the laboratories.","None on record: ratification of the Minamata Convention by Sudan; the UN Treaty Collection lists the signature of 24 September 2014 only.","None on record: a measured contamination study for the Jebel Amer or Songo mining areas; published cyanide concentration data for Sudanese waters.","Not disclosed: the armed group that took USD 150 million in gold bars from the national refinery in Khartoum is not named in the Yale Environment 360 article.","None on record: court proceedings on the contamination, apart from camel owners in Durdeib who \"have started legal proceedings\" (Radio Dabanga) without a court or case being named; insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Chatham House reported that inputs including cyanide were arriving by truck from Egypt at about 160 tonnes per month during the war.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of May 2026 (latest dated source): a veterinary report in Red Sea State linked a camel death to gold-processing waste; the latest US Treasury designation involving gold in the sources is dated 7 January 2025; no court ruling on the contamination is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of the United Arab Emirates","says":"Rejected \"any groundless allegations regarding the smuggling and profiting of gold from Sudan\" and said it takes the regulation of its gold sector very seriously.","when":"2025-03","src":10},{"actor":"UAE Ministry of Justice","says":"Said the seven US-designated companies \"do not have valid commercial licences and do not operate in the country\".","when":"2025-04-04","src":15},{"actor":"SMRC (Sudan)","says":"Its director said \"nearly half of the state's production is smuggled across borders\" and that 90 percent of legal exports go to the UAE.","when":"2025-03","src":10},{"actor":"Government of Sudan","says":"Its envoy in Geneva said the supplier of weapons to the RSF is the United Arab Emirates.","when":"2025-11-05","src":11},{"actor":"Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)","says":"Said it cannot guarantee with certainty the origin of gold imported into Switzerland.","when":"2025-11-05","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"rapid-support-forces","role":"Party to the war; designated gold-linked companies are described by the US Treasury as RSF-affiliated"},{"id":"sudanese-armed-forces","role":"Party to the war; Zadna described by the US Treasury as SAF-affiliated"},{"id":"us-treasury","role":"Designating authority"},{"id":"al-junaid","role":"Designated by the US Treasury, 1 June 2023"},{"id":"smrc-sudan","role":"Reports Sudan production figures"},{"id":"sudamin","role":"State importer of mercury and cyanide, per STPT"},{"id":"government-of-uae","role":"Buyer country; rejects the allegations"},{"id":"un-panel-of-experts-sudan","role":"Reports on gold trade"},{"id":"stpt","role":"Briefing paper on mercury in Sudan"},{"id":"chatham-house","role":"Report on gold and the war"},{"id":"swissaid","role":"Analysis of UAE gold imports"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Environmental analysis of the war"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Value of gold extracted from RSF-controlled areas in 2024","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Chatham House","says":"Wrote that a UN panel of experts report suggested around 10 tonnes of gold with a value of USD 860 million was extracted from RSF-controlled areas in 2024, and described the figure as \"heavily disputed\".","src":9}]},{"point":"The UAE as destination of Sudanese gold and the operations of designated companies","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of the United Arab Emirates","says":"Rejects \"any groundless allegations regarding the smuggling and profiting of gold from Sudan\".","src":10},{"voice":"government","holder":"UAE Ministry of Justice","says":"Said the seven US-designated companies \"do not have valid commercial licences and do not operate in the country\".","src":15},{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of the Treasury","says":"Said that AZ Gold, a UAE-based entity, \"has purchased gold from Sudan, presumably for the benefit of the RSF\".","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Sudan (envoy Hassan Hamid)","says":"Said the supplier of weapons to the RSF is the United Arab Emirates.","src":11},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Swissaid","says":"Reported, from UN Comtrade data, that the UAE imported 29 tonnes of gold from Sudan in 2024 against 17 tonnes in 2023, and said the UAE does not carry out all the necessary controls.","src":11},{"voice":"research","holder":"Chatham House","says":"Wrote that most artisanal gold ends up in the UAE, directly or via Chad, Egypt, Eritrea and South Sudan.","src":9}]}],"legal":[{"title":"US Treasury designations of 1 June 2023 (Al Junaid, Tradive General Trading and others)","forum":"US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"Al Junaid Multi Activities Co Ltd and Tradive General Trading L.L.C. (RSF-linked); Defense Industries System and Sudan Master Technology (SAF-linked)","filed":2023,"decided":2023,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Designation under Executive Order 14098 on 1 June 2023. The Treasury said Al Junaid is controlled by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Abdul Rahim Dagalo and has 11 subsidiaries, and said that \"gold mining and export has become a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RSF\". It described Tradive General Trading as UAE-based and RSF-linked.","src":0},{"title":"US Treasury designations of 31 January 2024 (Al-Fakher Advanced Works and others)","forum":"US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"Al-Fakher Advanced Works Co. Ltd (RSF); Zadna International Co for Development Ltd (SAF); Alkhaleej Bank","filed":2024,"decided":2024,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Treasury said Al-Fakher \"was established by RSF senior leadership to be a holding company for conducting RSF's gold export business\" and that \"RSF leaders have generated millions of dollars through gold exports, which they have used to purchase weapons\". It described Zadna as part of the SAF's \"commercial empire\".","src":1},{"title":"US Treasury designations of 7 January 2025 (Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and seven UAE-based entities)","forum":"US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti); seven UAE-based entities including Capital Tap Holding and AZ Gold (Al Zumoroud and Al Yaqoot Gold & Jewellers)","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Treasury said AZ Gold \"has purchased gold from Sudan, presumably for the benefit of the RSF\". The UAE Ministry of Justice said on 4 April 2025 that the seven companies \"do not have valid commercial licences and do not operate in the country\".","src":2},{"title":"US Treasury designation of M Invest and Meroe Gold, 15 July 2020","forum":"US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"M Invest and its subsidiary Meroe Gold (described by the Treasury as linked to Yevgeniy Prigozhin)","filed":2020,"decided":2020,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Designation under Executive Orders 13848, 13694 as amended and 13661. The Treasury said that \"M Invest was awarded concession agreements to explore gold mining sites in Sudan\" in 2017.","src":3},{"title":"Camel owners in Durdeib, Red Sea State","forum":"Court not named in the source","country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","kind":"civil","claimant":"Camel owners in Durdeib","defendant":"Not named in the source","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Radio Dabanga reported on 8 May 2026 that the owners \"have started legal proceedings\" after camels died near open ponds of gold-processing waste; no court or case is named.","src":14}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"gold_production_declared","value":10,"unit":"tons","year":2008,"note":"Declared production (STPT)."},{"key":"gold_production_declared","value":32,"unit":"tons","year":2010,"note":"Declared production (STPT)."},{"key":"gold_production_declared","value":107.3,"unit":"tons","year":2017,"note":"Peak declared production (STPT)."},{"key":"gold_production_declared","value":64,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"SMRC figure reported by AFP; Chatham House gives 64.36 tonnes; CEOBS and Yale Environment 360 give 65 tons, 53 of them artisanal."},{"key":"gold_production_declared","value":41.8,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"SMRC figure via AFP; Chatham House gives 87 tonnes and CEOBS 34.5 tonnes."},{"key":"revenue","value":1570,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Legal gold export revenue, central bank figures via AFP."},{"key":"gold_exports_claimed","value":27.96,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Claimed by Port Sudan authorities, generating nearly USD 1.6 billion (Chatham House)."},{"key":"artisanal_mines_and_mills","value":50000,"unit":"sites","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Mines and small refining mills using mercury in 14 of 18 states (2021 HCENR and UNIDO study, via Yale Environment 360)."},{"key":"soil_mercury_max","value":34.8,"unit":"mg/kg","year":2023,"note":"Abu Hamad mining market, 12 samples ranging from 0.06 mg/kg; background reference 0.04 mg/kg."},{"key":"water_mercury_max","value":3.26,"unit":"µg/L","year":2023,"note":"Abu Hamad mining market, 7 samples ranging from 0.27 µg/L."},{"key":"child_hazard_index_soil","value":33.98,"unit":"index","year":2023,"note":"Highest-reading soil site; 33.4 in the paper's abstract."},{"key":"tailings_heaps","value":700,"unit":"heaps","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Atbara to El-Ebeidiya stretch of about 40 miles (via Yale Environment 360)."},{"key":"tailings_tons","value":450000,"unit":"tons","year":2021,"qualifier":"around","est":true,"note":"Estimate by geologist Salih Ali Salih for the same stretch (via Yale Environment 360)."},{"key":"open_tailings_tons","value":5000000,"unit":"tons","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"note":"STPT estimated 5–10 million tons of tailings in open heaps."},{"key":"mercury_released_estimate","value":4384,"unit":"tons","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"STPT estimate for 2014–2020 (an average of 626.2 tons a year), based on 10 g of mercury per g of gold."},{"key":"mercury_licensed","value":4000,"unit":"tons","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Licences approved after the October 2021 coup; STPT said about 400 tons were actually imported."},{"key":"mercury_imports_official","value":36,"unit":"tons per year","year":2020,"note":"Average 2014–2020 (STPT)."},{"key":"cyanide_inputs_via_egypt","value":160,"unit":"tonnes per month","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cyanide, carbon, thiourea and other inputs arriving from Egypt (Chatham House)."},{"key":"gold_imports_uae_from_sudan","value":29,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Swissaid from UN Comtrade; 17 tonnes in 2023; Comtrade flagged the 2024 data as being double-checked."},{"key":"gold_exports_egypt_recorded","value":16,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Central Bank of Sudan record, 1 per cent of total gold exports (Chatham House)."},{"key":"jebel_amer_annual_production","value":15,"unit":"tonnes","year":2017,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"At its peak; 14–17 kg a year in 2017–2018 (Chatham House)."},{"key":"kidineer_price_per_kg","value":72000,"unit":"USD per kg","year":2024,"note":"Average mine price; formal markets USD 85,204.34 per kg, June–October 2024 (UN Panel of Experts)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mercury and cyanide are used in artisanal gold mining and tailings processing in Sudan, and gold has been tied to the finances of the parties in the war that began in 2023; between 2020 and 2025 the US Treasury designated companies linked to Sudanese gold.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RSF and the Dagalo family","what":"According to the US Treasury (1 June 2023), gold mining and export \"has become a vital source of revenue for the Dagalo family and the RSF\"","src":0},{"who":"Government of Sudan (Port Sudan authorities)","what":"Legal gold export revenue of USD 1.57 billion in 2024, per central bank figures reported by AFP","src":10},{"who":"Sudamin","what":"Holds a state monopoly on importing mercury, cyanide and other inputs, according to STPT","src":8},{"who":"Intermediaries in the unofficial trade to Egypt","what":"Fees of around 10 per cent, according to Chatham House","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"Camel owners in Durdeib, Red Sea State","what":"A dead camel was reported near open ponds of gold-processing waste; the owners \"have started legal proceedings\", Radio Dabanga reported","src":14}],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil at the Abu Hamad mining market","what":"Mercury up to 34.8 mg/kg in January 2023","src":7},{"who":"Water at the Abu Hamad mining market","what":"Mercury up to 3.26 µg/L in January 2023","src":7},{"who":"The Nile north of Atbara","what":"Flash floods in August 2022 carried mining residues into the river, according to STPT","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"Mining areas in River Nile State (Abu Hamad, Al-Ebeidiya), Northern State (Sawarda area), Red Sea State (Durdeib), North Darfur (Jebel Amer) and South Darfur (Songo), Sudan; gold goes mainly to the UAE, directly or via Egypt, Chad, Eritrea and South Sudan, according to Chatham House.","src":9},"when":{"t":"Gold rush from 2008; sampling at Abu Hamad in January 2023; war between the SAF and the RSF from 2023; US designations on 15 July 2020, 1 June 2023, 31 January 2024 and 7 January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"STPT stated that mercury and cyanide imports run through a state monopoly, that a 2019 ban was not implemented and that environmental impact assessments are lacking in most artisanal mining. The US Treasury said RSF leaders \"have generated millions of dollars through gold exports, which they have used to purchase weapons\".","src":8},"how":{"t":"Artisanal miners amalgamate gold with mercury and companies then leach tailings with cyanide; gold leaves Sudan officially, mostly to the UAE, and unofficially to Egypt, according to Chatham House and the UN Panel of Experts.","src":9}},"sources":[{"t":"Treasury Sanctions Businesses Affiliated with Sudan's SAF and RSF","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2023-06-01","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1514"},{"t":"Treasury designation of Al-Fakher Advanced Works, Zadna and Alkhaleej Bank","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2024-01-31","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2066"},{"t":"Treasury sanctions on Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and seven UAE-based entities","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2025-01-07","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2772"},{"t":"Treasury designation of M Invest and Meroe Gold","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2020-07-15","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1058"},{"t":"Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan, S/2024/65","p":"UN Security Council","d":"2024-01-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n24/005/64/pdf/n2400564.pdf"},{"t":"Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan, S/2025/239","p":"UN Security Council","d":"2025-04-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2124824/n2442101.pdf"},{"t":"Minamata Convention on Mercury, status of ratification (XXVII-17), accessed 19 October 2026","p":"UN Treaty Collection","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVII-17&chapter=27&clang=_en"},{"t":"Human Health Risk Assessment from Mercury-Contaminated Soil and Water in Abu Hamad Mining Market, Sudan (Elwaleed et al.)","p":"Toxics 12(2):112","d":"2024-01-29","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10892728"},{"t":"Sudan's Gold Curse, Briefing Paper No. 1: How Mercury is Poisoning a Nation","p":"Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker (STPT)","d":"2022-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://sudantransparency.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/MercuryBrief_FINAL.pdf"},{"t":"Gold and the war in Sudan, chapter 3: Gold production and trade during the war","p":"Chatham House","d":"2025-03-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/03/gold-and-war-sudan/03-gold-production-and-trade-during-war"},{"t":"Sudan's booming wartime gold trade flows through the UAE","p":"AFP via Al-Monitor","d":"2025-03-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/03/sudans-booming-wartime-gold-trade-flows-through-uae"},{"t":"As Sudan's agony deepens, scrutiny sharpens on UAE and gold","p":"SWI swissinfo.ch","d":"2025-11-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/international-geneva/sudan-war-uae-gold-trade-geneva/90284839"},{"t":"In War-Torn Sudan, a Gold Mining Boom Takes a Human Toll","p":"Yale Environment 360","d":"2025-03-26","type":"press","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/features/sudan-war-gold-mining"},{"t":"Poisons in the Nile. high concentrations of mercury in the river's water (Arabic; title translated)","p":"Al-Araby Al-Jadeed","d":"2024-09-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.alaraby.co.uk/investigations/%D8%B3%D9%85%D9%88%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%83%D9%8A%D8%B2-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D8%A6%D8%A8%D9%82-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%B1"},{"t":"Toxic gold mining waste kills camels in Sudan's Red Sea state","p":"Radio Dabanga","d":"2026-05-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.dabangasudan.org/en?p=20132121"},{"t":"UAE confirms 7 firms under US sanctions 'do not operate in country'","p":"Khaleej Times (citing WAM)","d":"2025-04-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-7-companies-us-sanctions"},{"t":"The environmental costs of the war in Sudan","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=11498"}],"episodes":[],"related":["al-jaili-refinery-fires-khartoum","gezira-scheme-collapse-war","sudan-gum-arabic-belt-war-losses","marange-diamonds-and-kimberley-process"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Value of gold extracted from RSF-controlled areas in 2024","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The UAE as destination of Sudanese gold and the operations of designated companies","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"US Treasury designations of 1 June 2023 (Al Junaid, Tradive General Trading and others): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"US Treasury designations of 31 January 2024 (Al-Fakher Advanced Works and others): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"US Treasury designations of 7 January 2025 (Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and seven UAE-based entities): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"US Treasury designation of M Invest and Meroe Gold, 15 July 2020: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Sudan's gold production in 2022 is given as 41.8 tonnes (SMRC, via AFP), 87 tonnes (Chatham House, as the last pre-war annual figure) and 34.5 tonnes (CEOBS); for 2024, SMRC gave 64 tonnes, Chatham House 64.36 tonnes, and CEOBS and Yale Environment 360 65 tons (53 artisanal).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the share of gold traded outside formal channels is given as nearly half of production (SMRC director, to AFP), more than 50 per cent (UN Panel of Experts, January 2024) and about 60 per cent of production from Northern, River Nile and Red Sea states going unofficially to Egypt (Chatham House).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Chatham House wrote that a UN panel of experts report suggested around 10 tonnes of gold with a value of USD 860 million was extracted from RSF-controlled areas in 2024, and described that figure itself as \"heavily disputed\".","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Chatham House wrote that \"There are no accurate data on how much gold from Sudan is reaching Egypt.\"","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Swissaid's UAE import figures rest on UN Comtrade data for 2024, which Comtrade said were \"being double-checked due to out of trends data in 2024\".","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: STPT's figures on mercury import licences rest on documents it said it reviewed, which were not published.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the quantity of mining residues carried into the Nile by the August 2022 floods; STPT's mercury-release figures (626.2 tons a year; 672 kg a day at Al-Ebeidiya) are extrapolations from assumed ratios, not measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: contamination of the sediment smothering reefs north of Port Sudan after the 2024 Arba'at Dam collapse (CEOBS).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: laboratory test of the camel that died in Durdeib; Radio Dabanga reported that decomposition prevented a definitive conclusion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (16 September 2024) compiled reported values from university studies — drinking water near tailings averaging 0.64 \"ppm\" with a maximum of 6.4 \"ppm\" (Banat village), and tailings averaging 4,210 \"ppm\" with a maximum of 47,440 \"ppm\" — without naming the laboratories.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: ratification of the Minamata Convention by Sudan; the UN Treaty Collection lists the signature of 24 September 2014 only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a measured contamination study for the Jebel Amer or Songo mining areas; published cyanide concentration data for Sudanese waters.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the armed group that took USD 150 million in gold bars from the national refinery in Khartoum is not named in the Yale Environment 360 article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court proceedings on the contamination, apart from camel owners in Durdeib who \"have started legal proceedings\" (Radio Dabanga) without a court or case being named; insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"al-jaili-refinery-fires-khartoum","title":"Al-Jaili refinery fires and wartime damage in Khartoum, 2023–2025","dek":"Repeated fires and strikes damaged the Al-Jaili refinery north of Khartoum, Sudan's largest, jointly owned by the Sudanese government and CNPC. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) each attributed the January 2025 fire to the other; AP wrote that neither side offered evidence.","country":"Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":16,"lon":32.6,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","admin":"Al-Jaili (El Jeili) refinery north of Khartoum Bahri; Khartoum industrial zones","lat":16,"lon":32.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"CNPC, co-owner of the refinery","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-01-23","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Smoke plume from the 23 January 2025 refinery fire","value":"Over 300 km","note":"Reported by CEOBS from satellite observation. The refinery has a capacity of 100,000 barrels a day (AP)."},"happened":["The Al-Jaili refinery, north of Khartoum Bahri, began operating in 2000 and is owned jointly by the Sudanese government and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), according to Radio Dabanga. Its capacity is 100,000 barrels a day (AP). Refinery board member Kamal El Tayeb said before the war it supplied about 60% of Sudan's petrol, 48% of its diesel and 50% of its cooking gas needs. Sources place the site about 45 km (CEOBS), about 60 km (AP) and 70 km (Dabanga) north of Khartoum.","Radio Dabanga reported that the RSF had controlled the site since April 2023. On 21 May 2024 the refinery was struck; the RSF accused the SAF of bombing it, and Dabanga reported no SAF response. Dabanga wrote that it was unclear whether the whole site or only two large fuel tanks were destroyed.","In January 2025 fires spread across the complex. AP reported that NASA fire-tracking satellites detected fires starting on the Thursday before 25 January, and that Planet Labs images showed burned oil tanks \"covered in soot\" and thick black smoke drifting toward Khartoum. The SAF said in a statement that the RSF \"deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in al-Jaili this morning\"; the RSF said military aircraft dropped \"barrel bombs\" on the facility, \"completely destroying it\". AP wrote that \"neither side offered evidence\". The SAF later said its forces had taken control of the refinery.","CEOBS wrote that \"Recurring periods of fighting and occupation of the strategically important site have seen repeated large fires\", and reported a smoke plume of over 300 km on 23 January 2025 from satellite observation. It identified 401 incidents across Khartoum's main industrial zones between April 2023 and January 2024, and debris of at least 100,000 tonnes in one 57 km² area, possibly containing asbestos and unexploded ordnance. By March 2024 only one of 13 water treatment plants in Khartoum State was working, CEOBS reported.","Economic analyst Kamal Karrar, speaking to Radio Dabanga, cited Ministry of Petroleum estimates of USD 5 billion in oil-sector losses in the first year of the war and calculated about USD 4 billion more in losses from the refinery bombings. The UN Secretary-General's office warned of \"serious economic and environmental implications\" of escalation, AP reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Refinery begins operating","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Apr: the RSF controls the site, according to Radio Dabanga","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"21 May: strike on the site; the RSF accuses the SAF. Apr 2023 – Jan 2024: CEOBS identifies 401 incidents in Khartoum's industrial zones","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"23 Jan: major fire, with a smoke plume of over 300 km (CEOBS); late Jan: the SAF says it has taken control of the refinery","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in al-Jaili this morning","who":"SAF statement, on the RSF (via AP)","when":"2025-01","src":1},{"q":"completely destroying it","who":"RSF statement, saying military aircraft dropped \"barrel bombs\" on the facility (via AP)","when":"2025-01","src":1},{"q":"neither side offered evidence","who":"AP, on the SAF and RSF statements","when":"2025-01-25","src":1},{"q":"serious economic and environmental implications","who":"Office of the UN Secretary-General, on escalation (via AP)","when":"2025-01","src":1},{"q":"Recurring periods of fighting and occupation of the strategically important site have seen repeated large fires.","who":"CEOBS","when":"2025-05-21","src":2},{"q":"Emissions like sulphur dioxide from the bombardment can cause long term, cumulative problems in living beings.","who":"Khaled El Ananze, former UNMIS environmental engineer","when":"2024-05-25","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The RSF deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in al-Jaili.","who":"SAF statement, January 2025, via AP","src":1},{"t":"Military aircraft dropped barrel bombs on the facility, completely destroying it.","who":"RSF, January 2025, via AP","src":1},{"t":"The SAF bombed the refinery again.","who":"RSF, May 2024, via Radio Dabanga","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"NASA fire-tracking satellites detected fires across the complex starting on the Thursday before 25 January 2025; Planet Labs images showed burned oil tanks \"covered in soot\" (AP).","src":1},{"t":"Before the war the refinery supplied about 60% of petrol, 48% of diesel and 50% of cooking gas needs (refinery board member Kamal El Tayeb, via Radio Dabanga); CEOBS gives 60% of gasoline.","src":0},{"t":"CEOBS identified 401 incidents across Khartoum's main industrial zones between April 2023 and January 2024.","src":2},{"t":"CEOBS reported debris of at least 100,000 tonnes in one 57 km² area, possibly containing asbestos and unexploded ordnance, and that by March 2024 only one of 13 water treatment plants in Khartoum State was working.","src":2},{"t":"Khaled El Ananze warned of acid rain and groundwater pollution and called for a rapid environmental impact assessment.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Oil-sector losses in the first year of the war, Ministry of Petroleum estimates cited by analyst Kamal Karrar (via Radio Dabanga)","amount":5000,"est":true,"window":"first year of the war"},{"label":"Further losses from the refinery bombings, the analyst's own calculation (via Radio Dabanga)","amount":4000,"qualifier":"about","est":true}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Smoke plume from the 23 January 2025 fire","v":"Over 300 km","d":"CEOBS, from satellite observation"},{"k":"Incidents in Khartoum industrial zones, April 2023 – January 2024","v":"401","d":"CEOBS"},{"k":"Debris in one 57 km² area","v":"At least 100,000 tonnes","d":"Possibly containing asbestos and unexploded ordnance (CEOBS)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Satellite observation reported by CEOBS and AP; no air, soil or water measurements from the site.","report":[{"t":"On 23 January 2025 smoke from the burning refinery spread over more than 300 km of my air, CEOBS reported from satellite observation.","src":2},{"t":"Planet Labs images showed burned oil tanks \"covered in soot\" and thick black smoke drifting toward Khartoum, AP reported.","src":1},{"t":"CEOBS identified 401 incidents across Khartoum's main industrial zones between April 2023 and January 2024, and at least 100,000 tonnes of debris, possibly containing asbestos and unexploded ordnance, in one 57 km² area.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Disputed: responsibility for the January 2025 fires — the SAF attributed them to the RSF and the RSF attributed the destruction to SAF aircraft; AP wrote that neither side offered evidence.","Figures differ: the refinery is placed about 45 km (CEOBS), about 60 km (AP) and 70 km (Radio Dabanga) north of Khartoum.","Self-reported only: the USD 4 billion loss from the refinery bombings is the analyst's own calculation (Radio Dabanga).","Unclear: whether the whole refinery site or only two large fuel tanks were destroyed in May 2024 (Radio Dabanga).","None on record: an environmental impact assessment of the refinery damage; measured air, soil or water data from the site.","None on record: legal proceedings; insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. CEOBS wrote that repeated fires followed recurring periods of fighting and occupation of the site.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 25 January 2025 (latest dated source on the fire): the SAF said it had taken control of the refinery; no environmental assessment of the damage is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)","says":"Said the RSF \"deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in al-Jaili this morning\"; its spokesman Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdallah later said its forces had taken control of the refinery.","when":"2025-01","src":1},{"actor":"Rapid Support Forces (RSF)","says":"Said military aircraft dropped \"barrel bombs\" on the facility, \"completely destroying it\"; in May 2024 accused the SAF of bombing the refinery.","when":"2025-01","src":1},{"actor":"Office of the UN Secretary-General","says":"Warned of \"serious economic and environmental implications\" of escalation.","when":"2025-01","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"sudanese-armed-forces","role":"Party to the war; attributes the January 2025 fire to the RSF"},{"id":"rapid-support-forces","role":"Party to the war; controlled the site from April 2023 per Radio Dabanga; attributes the destruction to SAF aircraft"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"Co-owner of the refinery"},{"id":"government-of-sudan","role":"Co-owner of the refinery"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Satellite and incident analysis"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for the January 2025 fire at the refinery","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Sudanese Armed Forces","says":"Said the RSF \"deliberately set fire to the Khartoum refinery in al-Jaili this morning\".","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rapid Support Forces","says":"Said military aircraft dropped \"barrel bombs\" on the facility, \"completely destroying it\".","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"AP","says":"Wrote that \"neither side offered evidence\" for its claims.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"CEOBS","says":"Wrote that \"Recurring periods of fighting and occupation of the strategically important site have seen repeated large fires.\"","src":2}]},{"point":"The May 2024 strike on the refinery","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Rapid Support Forces","says":"Accused the SAF of bombing the refinery again.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Sudanese Armed Forces","says":"No response reported by Radio Dabanga.","src":0,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"refinery_capacity","value":100000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":2025,"note":"AP."},{"key":"smoke_plume_km","value":300,"unit":"km","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Smoke plume on 23 January 2025 from satellite observation (CEOBS)."},{"key":"incidents","value":401,"unit":"incidents","year":2024,"note":"Across Khartoum's main industrial zones, April 2023 – January 2024 (CEOBS)."},{"key":"debris_tonnes","value":100000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"In one 57 km² area, possibly containing asbestos and unexploded ordnance (CEOBS)."},{"key":"water_treatment_plants_working","value":1,"unit":"of 13","year":2024,"note":"Khartoum State, March 2024 (CEOBS)."},{"key":"petrol_supply_share_prewar","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Share of Sudan's petrol needs supplied before the war; diesel 48%, cooking gas 50% (refinery board member via Radio Dabanga)."},{"key":"claim","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Oil-sector losses in the first year of war, Ministry of Petroleum estimates cited by an analyst (Radio Dabanga)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Repeated fires and strikes damaged the Al-Jaili refinery north of Khartoum between 2023 and January 2025; the SAF and the RSF each attributed the January 2025 fire to the other.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"The refinery owners, the Sudanese government and CNPC","what":"Damage to a refinery with a capacity of 100,000 barrels a day; an analyst cited estimates of USD 5 billion in oil-sector losses in the first year of the war and calculated about USD 4 billion more from the refinery bombings","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air over Khartoum Bahri and beyond","what":"A smoke plume of over 300 km on 23 January 2025 (CEOBS)","src":2},{"who":"Khartoum State water treatment","what":"Only one of 13 plants working by March 2024 (CEOBS)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Al-Jaili (El Jeili) refinery, north of Khartoum Bahri, Sudan, and the Khartoum industrial zones.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Refinery operating since 2000; RSF control from April 2023 (Radio Dabanga); strike on 21 May 2024; major fire on 23 January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The SAF said the RSF deliberately set fire to the refinery; the RSF said military aircraft dropped barrel bombs on it. AP wrote that neither side offered evidence.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Fires spread across the complex and burned oil tanks, as seen in NASA and Planet Labs satellite imagery reported by AP.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Destruction of El Jeili Oil Refinery in Sudan 'may lead to acid rain'","p":"Radio Dabanga","d":"2024-05-25","type":"press","u":"https://dabangasudan.org/en?p=20086625"},{"t":"Fighting in Sudan's civil war sets ablaze the country's largest oil refinery","p":"AP via Boston Globe","d":"2025-01-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/01/25/business/sudan-civil-war-fire-oil-refinery/"},{"t":"The environmental costs of the war in Sudan","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=11498"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sudan-gold-mercury-cyanide-and-war-money","gezira-scheme-collapse-war","sudan-gum-arabic-belt-war-losses","iran-oil-and-gas-facility-strikes-2025-2026"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Responsibility for the January 2025 fire at the refinery","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The May 2024 strike on the refinery","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Sudanese Armed Forces: No response reported by Radio Dabanga.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: responsibility for the January 2025 fires — the SAF attributed them to the RSF and the RSF attributed the destruction to SAF aircraft; AP wrote that neither side offered evidence.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the refinery is placed about 45 km (CEOBS), about 60 km (AP) and 70 km (Radio Dabanga) north of Khartoum.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the USD 4 billion loss from the refinery bombings is the analyst's own calculation (Radio Dabanga).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the whole refinery site or only two large fuel tanks were destroyed in May 2024 (Radio Dabanga).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an environmental impact assessment of the refinery damage; measured air, soil or water data from the site.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings; insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gezira-scheme-collapse-war","title":"Gezira irrigation scheme: wartime losses in Al Gezira State","dek":"Satellite analysis and agency figures record a fall in crop health, diverted and flooded canals, a 58% fall in wheat production and at least 6,126 ha of natural vegetation lost in Al Gezira State after fighting reached Sudan's largest irrigation scheme in 2023.","country":"Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":14.4,"lon":33.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","admin":"Gezira Scheme, Al Gezira State (centre near Wad Madani); the Rahad and Suki schemes","lat":14.4,"lon":33.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","agriculture"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the Gezira scheme's agricultural land lost, 2019/20 to 2023/24","value":"9%","note":"CEOBS. The scheme covers about 924,000 ha with more than 8,000 km of canals (Al Jazeera, 4 May 2026)."},"happened":["The Gezira Scheme, between the Blue and White Niles, covers about 924,000 ha with more than 8,000 km of canals and historically produced half of Sudan's wheat, according to Al Jazeera's 4 May 2026 analysis of Sentinel-2 vegetation-index and Planet Labs satellite imagery. The Rahad and Suki schemes lie in the same area.","Al Jazeera reported that the RSF captured Wad Madani in December 2023, and that the SAF retook Singa in November 2024, Wad Madani in January 2025 and most of Gezira and Sennar by March 2025. CEOBS recorded 733 security incidents in the scheme between April 2023 and August 2024. Al Jazeera's analysis showed improved crop health in December 2025, still well below pre-war levels.","Citing the EUAA, Al Jazeera reported that RSF fighters diverted irrigation channels, flooded fields and used harvested crop bags as bridges, and that farmers flooded their own canals to stop RSF vehicles. Al Jazeera wrote: \"The collapse was not caused by climate anomalies.\"","CEOBS reported that 9% of the scheme's agricultural land was lost between 2019/20 and 2023/24 and that \"Fighting in the region has displaced farming communities\". It reported that at least 6,126 ha of natural vegetation were lost in Al Gezira State, with the drivers given as \"the stationing of military forces in forested areas\" and fuelwood and charcoal cutting during gas shortages. CEOBS also reported that pesticide stores were damaged and looted and that banned pesticides such as DDT were reportedly still in use.","The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), cited by Al Jazeera, put the fall in Gezira wheat production at 58% in the 2023–2024 season. A 50 kg bag of fertiliser rose from 20,000 to 120,000 Sudanese pounds (stated as USD 33 to USD 200) and tractor rental prices tripled. Minister of Industry Mahasin Ali Yagoub, cited by Al Jazeera, said 126 large and 3,131 small factories had been damaged in Gezira."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Dec: the RSF captures Wad Madani; Apr 2023 – Aug 2024: CEOBS records 733 security incidents in the scheme","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Nov: the SAF retakes Singa; 2023–2024 season: FAO figure shows Gezira wheat production down 58%","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Jan: the SAF retakes Wad Madani; by Mar: most of Gezira and Sennar retaken; Dec: vegetation index shows improved crop health, still well below pre-war levels","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"4 May: Al Jazeera publishes its satellite analysis of the scheme","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"The collapse was not caused by climate anomalies.","who":"Al Jazeera, in its satellite analysis","when":"2026-05-04","src":0},{"q":"Fighting in the region has displaced farming communities","who":"CEOBS","when":"2025-05-21","src":1},{"q":"the stationing of military forces in forested areas","who":"CEOBS, naming a driver of natural vegetation loss in Al Gezira State","when":"2025-05-21","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"RSF fighters diverted irrigation channels, flooded fields and used harvested crop bags as bridges; farmers flooded their own canals to stop RSF vehicles.","who":"EUAA, as cited by Al Jazeera","src":0},{"t":"126 large and 3,131 small factories were damaged in Gezira.","who":"Minister of Industry Mahasin Ali Yagoub, as cited by Al Jazeera","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"CEOBS recorded 733 security incidents in the scheme between April 2023 and August 2024.","src":1},{"t":"9% of the scheme's agricultural land was lost between 2019/20 and 2023/24 (CEOBS).","src":1},{"t":"At least 6,126 ha of natural vegetation were lost in Al Gezira State (CEOBS satellite analysis).","src":1},{"t":"CEOBS reported that pesticide stores were damaged and looted and that banned pesticides such as DDT were reportedly still in use.","src":1},{"t":"FAO figure cited by Al Jazeera: Gezira wheat production fell 58% in the 2023–2024 season.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Natural vegetation lost in Al Gezira State","v":"At least 6,126 ha","d":"CEOBS satellite analysis"},{"k":"Share of the scheme's agricultural land lost, 2019/20 to 2023/24","v":"9%","d":"CEOBS"},{"k":"Gezira wheat production, 2023–2024 season","v":"−58%","d":"FAO, cited by Al Jazeera"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"CEOBS satellite analysis of land and vegetation loss and Al Jazeera analysis of Sentinel-2 and Planet Labs imagery.","report":[{"t":"At least 6,126 ha of my natural vegetation in Al Gezira State were lost, according to CEOBS satellite analysis, which named the stationing of military forces in forested areas and fuelwood and charcoal cutting during gas shortages as drivers.","src":1},{"t":"About 9% of the Gezira scheme's agricultural land was lost between 2019/20 and 2023/24, CEOBS reported.","src":1},{"t":"Irrigation channels on my land were diverted and fields flooded, according to the EUAA as cited by Al Jazeera.","src":0},{"t":"Al Jazeera's satellite analysis showed improved crop health on my land in December 2025, still well below pre-war levels.","src":0},{"t":"Pesticide stores in the scheme were damaged and looted, and banned pesticides such as DDT were reportedly still in use, CEOBS reported.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: the Al Jazeera analysis does not give cultivated area by year.","None on record: quotations from the RSF or the SAF in the Al Jazeera analysis.","None on record: legal proceedings; insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Al Jazeera's analysis showed improved crop health in December 2025, still well below pre-war levels.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 4 May 2026 (latest dated source): satellite analysis showed crop health improved in December 2025 but remained well below pre-war levels; no legal proceedings are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Sudan (Ministry of Industry)","says":"Minister Mahasin Ali Yagoub said 126 large and 3,131 small factories had been damaged in Gezira.","when":"2026-05","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"rapid-support-forces","role":"Party to the war; described by the EUAA, as cited by Al Jazeera, as diverting canals and flooding fields"},{"id":"sudanese-armed-forces","role":"Party to the war; retook Wad Madani in January 2025"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Satellite analysis of land and vegetation loss"},{"id":"fao","role":"Source of the wheat production figure"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":924000,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Size of the Gezira scheme (Al Jazeera)."},{"key":"canals_km","value":8000,"unit":"km","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Canal length (Al Jazeera)."},{"key":"security_incidents","value":733,"unit":"incidents","year":2024,"note":"April 2023 – August 2024 (CEOBS)."},{"key":"agricultural_land_lost","value":9,"unit":"% of the scheme","year":2024,"note":"2019/20 to 2023/24 (CEOBS)."},{"key":"natural_vegetation_lost_ha","value":6126,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Al Gezira State (CEOBS)."},{"key":"wheat_production_change","value":-58,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Gezira wheat production in the 2023–2024 season (FAO, cited by Al Jazeera)."},{"key":"fertiliser_bag_price","value":120000,"unit":"Sudanese pounds per 50 kg","year":2026,"note":"Up from 20,000 Sudanese pounds; stated as USD 33 rising to USD 200 (Al Jazeera)."},{"key":"factories_damaged","value":3257,"unit":"factories","year":2026,"note":"126 large and 3,131 small factories damaged in Gezira, per the Minister of Industry (via Al Jazeera)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fighting in 2023–2025 in Sudan's Gezira irrigation scheme was followed by a fall in crop health, diverted and flooded canals, lost agricultural land, at least 6,126 ha of natural vegetation lost in Al Gezira State and a 58% fall in wheat production, according to CEOBS, Al Jazeera and FAO.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers in the scheme","what":"A 50 kg bag of fertiliser rose from 20,000 to 120,000 Sudanese pounds and tractor rental prices tripled, per Al Jazeera","src":0},{"who":"Factories in Gezira","what":"126 large and 3,131 small factories damaged, per the Minister of Industry","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Natural vegetation in Al Gezira State","what":"At least 6,126 ha lost (CEOBS)","src":1},{"who":"The scheme's agricultural land","what":"9% lost between 2019/20 and 2023/24 (CEOBS)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Gezira Scheme between the Blue and White Niles, Al Gezira State, Sudan, with its centre near Wad Madani; the Rahad and Suki schemes.","src":0},"when":{"t":"RSF capture of Wad Madani in December 2023; SAF retook Singa in November 2024, Wad Madani in January 2025 and most of Gezira and Sennar by March 2025; analysis published 4 May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Al Jazeera, citing the EUAA, reported that RSF fighters diverted irrigation channels and flooded fields; CEOBS named the stationing of military forces in forested areas and fuelwood and charcoal cutting during gas shortages as drivers of vegetation loss.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Diverted and flooded canals, displaced farming communities and tree cutting, according to Al Jazeera and CEOBS, which also reported pesticide stores damaged and looted.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Satellite imagery reveals how Sudan's war scorched its 'breadbasket'","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-05-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/5/4/satellite-imagery-reveals-how-sudans-war-scorched-its-breadbasket"},{"t":"The environmental costs of the war in Sudan","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=11498"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sudan-gold-mercury-cyanide-and-war-money","al-jaili-refinery-fires-khartoum","sudan-gum-arabic-belt-war-losses"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the Al Jazeera analysis does not give cultivated area by year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: quotations from the RSF or the SAF in the Al Jazeera analysis.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings; insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sudan-gum-arabic-belt-war-losses","title":"Sudan gum arabic belt: wartime production losses and EU and GCF funding","dek":"Sudan's annual gum arabic production fell from 150,000 tons to 60,000 tons because of the conflict, according to the UN Panel of Experts, which also reported traders' accounts of about 3,700 tons \"looted\" in Darfur in the first half of 2024 and attributed it to the RSF, allied militias and SLA/MM. The EU and the Green Climate Fund had committed money to the gum belt, including a USD 9,975,000 GCF grant.","country":"Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":13.2,"lon":30.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","admin":"Gum arabic belt (Acacia senegal, Hashab): Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Sennar and Gedaref; El Obeid shown","lat":13.2,"lon":30.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2028,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","agriculture","finance"],"subtags":["war:conflict-economy"],"headline":{"label":"Annual gum arabic production in Sudan, before and after the conflict (UN Panel of Experts)","value":"150,000 → 60,000 tons","note":"S/2025/239, submitted 23 December 2024 and published 17 April 2025; the Panel wrote that Sudanese gum makes up \"nearly 80 per cent of the global gum Arabic market\"."},"happened":["The French Development Agency (AFD) funded a gum arabic pilot in North Kordofan in 2013, according to the EEAS Delegation to Sudan. Radio Dabanga reported on 6 January 2021 a EUR 10 million EU grant through AFD to the Forests National Corporation for a second phase in 2021–2024 covering North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Sennar and El Gedaref. An EU and AFD press release of 21 June 2021 said the programme, implemented by the Forests National Corporation, aimed at \"strengthening the resilience of the gum Arabic belt\" and \"ecosystem restoration and rehabilitation\"; it gave no amount.","The Green Climate Fund (GCF) approved the \"Gums for Adaptation and Mitigation in Sudan\" (GAMS) project on 13 November 2020. Its page lists a GCF grant of USD 9,975,000 within a total project value of USD 10.0 million, with the FAO as accredited entity working with the Forests National Corporation and the Higher Council for Environment and Natural Resources. The funded activity agreement became effective on 25 November 2021 and estimated completion is 25 November 2028. The page lists USD 1,972,090 disbursed on 15 December 2021 (20%) and targets of 9.23 million tCO2e reduced from land use, 1.58 million beneficiaries, 500 gum arabic producer associations and 275,000 ha of rangeland restored.","The UN Panel of Experts wrote in S/2025/239: \"Annual production in the Sudan declined from 150,000 tons to 60,000 tons due to the conflict.\" It wrote that local traders from East Darfur and Nyala \"confirmed that around 3,700 tons, with an average value of $14,578,000, had been looted from January to June 2024\", and that looting took place in Zalingei, Al Mujald and El Geneina \"by RSF and allied militias and SLA/MM\". It added: \"RSF commanders in Nyala acknowledged widespread looting by both commanders and soldiers\", and that the looting \"was condoned by commanders as it was seen as compensation\".","Using a loss of about 90,000 tons a year and a low price of USD 2,200 per quintal, the Panel gave an estimated revenue loss of \"nearly $198 million per annum\". It reported that the price per quintal of Hashab gum rose from SDG 75,000 (USD 124.69) to SDG 400,000 (USD 665.00) in production areas, and internationally from USD 2,200 to USD 4,000. CEOBS wrote that gum arabic \"has become a funding source for both conflict parties\" and that about six million people, 15% of the population, depend on it; it gave the global gum arabic market as USD 526 million in 2024.","On 26 September 2024 the EU said, according to Radio Tamazuj, that the project continued during the war, with impact \"visible through the capacity generated in the participants\", and called gum arabic \"one of the few Sudanese exports that has been sustained throughout the devastating conflict\". An EEAS page of 18 February 2025, \"Sustaining Sudan's golden sap\", gave no amount, implementing agencies or duration."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"AFD-funded gum arabic pilot in North Kordofan","src":2},{"y":2020,"t":"13 Nov: the GCF approves the GAMS project","src":6},{"y":2021,"t":"6 Jan: EUR 10 million EU grant reported; 21 Jun: EU and AFD press release; 25 Nov: GAMS agreement becomes effective; 15 Dec: USD 1,972,090 disbursed","src":6},{"y":2024,"t":"Jan–Jun: traders tell the UN Panel of Experts that about 3,700 tons were looted in Darfur; 26 Sep: the EU says the project continues during the war","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"18 Feb: EEAS page \"Sustaining Sudan's golden sap\"; 17 Apr: Panel report S/2025/239 published","src":3},{"y":2028,"t":"25 Nov: estimated completion of the GAMS project","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"Annual production in the Sudan declined from 150,000 tons to 60,000 tons due to the conflict.","who":"UN Panel of Experts on the Sudan, S/2025/239","when":"2025-04-17","src":0},{"q":"confirmed that around 3,700 tons, with an average value of $14,578,000, had been looted from January to June 2024","who":"UN Panel of Experts, on accounts by local traders from East Darfur and Nyala","when":"2025-04-17","src":0},{"q":"RSF commanders in Nyala acknowledged widespread looting by both commanders and soldiers.","who":"UN Panel of Experts","when":"2025-04-17","src":0},{"q":"was condoned by commanders as it was seen as compensation","who":"UN Panel of Experts, on the looting","when":"2025-04-17","src":0},{"q":"has become a funding source for both conflict parties","who":"CEOBS, on gum arabic","when":"2025-05-21","src":1},{"q":"visible through the capacity generated in the participants","who":"EU, on the impact of the gum arabic project (via Radio Tamazuj)","when":"2024-09-26","src":5},{"q":"one of the few Sudanese exports that has been sustained throughout the devastating conflict","who":"EU, on gum arabic (via Radio Tamazuj)","when":"2024-09-26","src":5},{"q":"strengthening the resilience of the gum Arabic belt","who":"EU and AFD press release, on the programme","when":"2021-06-21","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The project continues during the war and gum arabic is one of the few Sudanese exports sustained throughout the conflict.","who":"EU, 26 September 2024, via Radio Tamazuj","src":5},{"t":"RSF and allied militias and SLA/MM looted gum arabic in Zalingei, Al Mujald and El Geneina.","who":"UN Panel of Experts, S/2025/239","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"GCF grant for GAMS of USD 9,975,000 (total project value USD 10.0 million); USD 1,972,090 disbursed on 15 December 2021 (20%).","src":6},{"t":"GAMS targets: 9.23 million tCO2e reduced from land use, 1.58 million beneficiaries, 500 gum arabic producer associations and 275,000 ha of rangeland restored.","src":6},{"t":"EUR 10 million EU grant through AFD to the Forests National Corporation for the gum arabic sector, second phase 2021–2024 (Radio Dabanga).","src":4},{"t":"The UN Panel of Experts gave an estimated revenue loss of \"nearly $198 million per annum\" using a low price of USD 2,200 per quintal and a loss of about 90,000 tons a year.","src":0},{"t":"Price per quintal of Hashab gum rose from SDG 75,000 (USD 124.69) to SDG 400,000 (USD 665.00) in production areas, and internationally from USD 2,200 to USD 4,000 (UN Panel of Experts).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"GCF grant for the Gums for Adaptation and Mitigation in Sudan project (GAMS)","amount":9.975,"window":"2021–2028"},{"label":"GAMS amount disbursed on 15 December 2021 (20%)","amount":1.97209,"window":"2021"},{"label":"EU grant through AFD for the gum arabic sector, second phase (amount in euro)","amount":10,"qualifier":"EUR","window":"2021–2024","note":"Amount stated in euro: EUR 10 million (Radio Dabanga)."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated annual revenue loss at a low price of USD 2,200 per quintal (UN Panel of Experts)","amount":198,"qualifier":"nearly","est":true,"window":"per year"},{"label":"Average value of gum arabic reported looted in Darfur, January–June 2024 (traders to the UN Panel of Experts)","amount":14.578,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Global gum arabic market (CEOBS)","amount":526,"window":"2024"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Annual gum arabic production","v":"150,000 → 60,000 tons","d":"UN Panel of Experts, \"due to the conflict\""},{"k":"Gum arabic reported looted in Darfur, January–June 2024","v":"About 3,700 tons","d":"Traders' accounts to the UN Panel of Experts; average value USD 14,578,000"},{"k":"GCF GAMS target: rangeland restored","v":"275,000 ha","d":"Target stated on the GCF page; USD 1,972,090 of USD 9,975,000 disbursed by 15 December 2021"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the GCF page lists one disbursement (15 December 2021, 20%) and no later disbursement.","Not disclosed: the EEAS page of 18 February 2025 gives no amount, implementing agencies or duration.","Not disclosed: how much of the EUR 10 million EU grant was spent before or after April 2023.","None on record: measured loss of acacia tree cover in the gum belt during the war; GAMS carbon results or credits issued (the GCF page states targets, not results).","None on record: legal proceedings; insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The UN Panel of Experts reported looting from January to June 2024 and production of 60,000 tons a year.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of 17 April 2025 (latest dated report on production and looting): the UN Panel of Experts reported production at 60,000 tons a year; the GCF project is listed with estimated completion on 25 November 2028.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"European Union","says":"Said on 26 September 2024 that the project continued during the war, with impact \"visible through the capacity generated in the participants\".","when":"2024-09-26","src":5},{"actor":"Rapid Support Forces (RSF)","says":"According to the UN Panel of Experts, RSF commanders in Nyala acknowledged widespread looting by both commanders and soldiers, and the Panel reported that it was condoned by commanders as compensation.","when":"2025-04-17","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Funder of the gum arabic programme"},{"id":"afd","role":"Implementing partner of the EU grant"},{"id":"forests-national-corporation","role":"Implementer of the EU and GCF projects"},{"id":"gcf","role":"Funder of GAMS"},{"id":"fao","role":"Accredited entity for GAMS"},{"id":"un-panel-of-experts-sudan","role":"Reports production decline and looting"},{"id":"rapid-support-forces","role":"Named by the Panel as responsible for looting with allied militias"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Analysis of gum arabic as a funding source for both parties"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"production_before","value":150000,"unit":"tons per year","year":2024,"note":"Annual production before the conflict (UN Panel of Experts)."},{"key":"production_after","value":60000,"unit":"tons per year","year":2024,"note":"Annual production after the conflict, \"due to the conflict\" (UN Panel of Experts)."},{"key":"gum_reported_looted","value":3700,"unit":"tons","year":2024,"qualifier":"around","note":"January–June 2024, from traders in East Darfur and Nyala; average value USD 14,578,000 (UN Panel of Experts)."},{"key":"revenue_loss_estimate","value":198,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"nearly","est":true,"note":"At a low of USD 2,200 per quintal (UN Panel of Experts)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":10,"unit":"EUR m","year":2021,"note":"EU grant through AFD, second phase 2021–2024 (Radio Dabanga)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":9.975,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"GCF grant for GAMS (GCF)."},{"key":"gcf_disbursed","value":1.97209,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"15 December 2021, 20% of the grant (GCF)."},{"key":"gams_target_emissions_reduced","value":9230000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2028,"note":"Target from land use (GCF page)."},{"key":"gams_target_rangeland_ha","value":275000,"unit":"ha","year":2028,"note":"Rangeland to be restored; target, not result (GCF page)."},{"key":"gams_target_beneficiaries","value":1580000,"unit":"people","year":2028,"note":"Target (GCF page)."},{"key":"people_dependent","value":6000000,"unit":"people","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"15% of the population depends on gum arabic (CEOBS)."},{"key":"global_market","value":526,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Global gum arabic market (CEOBS)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sudan's gum arabic production fell from 150,000 tons to 60,000 tons a year because of the conflict, according to the UN Panel of Experts, which also reported looting in Darfur; EU and GCF funding for the gum belt had been committed in 2020–2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Both conflict parties","what":"CEOBS wrote that gum arabic \"has become a funding source for both conflict parties\"","src":1},{"who":"Forests National Corporation","what":"Implementer of the EU and AFD programme and, with the FAO, of GAMS","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Gum arabic producers and traders","what":"An estimated revenue loss of nearly USD 198 million a year at a low price of USD 2,200 per quintal (UN Panel of Experts)","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The gum arabic belt (Acacia senegal, Hashab), mainly Kordofan, Darfur, Blue Nile, Sennar and Gedaref, Sudan; GAMS covers the Kordofan states; looting reported in Zalingei, Al Mujald and El Geneina.","src":0},"when":{"t":"EU and GCF funding from 2020–2021; production decline and looting reported for 2024; GAMS estimated completion 25 November 2028.","src":6},"why":{"t":"The UN Panel of Experts attributed the production decline to the conflict and the looting to the RSF, allied militias and SLA/MM; it reported that RSF commanders in Nyala acknowledged widespread looting.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Gum arabic was reported looted from Darfur towns, and the Panel wrote that the looting was condoned by commanders as compensation; the EU said its project continued during the war.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Final report of the Panel of Experts on the Sudan, S/2025/239","p":"UN Security Council","d":"2025-04-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2124824/n2442101.pdf"},{"t":"The environmental costs of the war in Sudan","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=11498"},{"t":"EU and AFD support Sudan to foster and improve the Gum Arabic industry","p":"EEAS Delegation to Sudan","d":"2021-06-21","type":"official","u":"https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sudan/eu-and-afd-support-sudan-foster-and-improve-gum-arabic-industry_en"},{"t":"Sustaining Sudan's golden sap EU/AFD","p":"EEAS Delegation to Sudan","d":"2025-02-18","type":"official","u":"https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/sudan/sustaining-sudans-golden-sap-euafd-0_en"},{"t":"European grant to restructure Sudan's gum Arabic sector","p":"Radio Dabanga","d":"2021-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.dabangasudan.org/en?p=171850"},{"t":"EU supports the continuation of the production of gum Arabic in Sudan","p":"Radio Tamazuj","d":"2024-09-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/eu-supports-the-continuation-of-the-production-of-gum-arabic-in-sudan"},{"t":"SAP019: Gums for Adaptation and Mitigation in Sudan (GAMS), accessed 19 October 2026","p":"Green Climate Fund","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.greenclimate.fund/project/sap019"}],"episodes":[],"related":["sudan-gold-mercury-cyanide-and-war-money","al-jaili-refinery-fires-khartoum","gezira-scheme-collapse-war"],"natureLead":{"t":"Annual gum arabic production from my gum belt in Sudan fell from 150,000 tons to 60,000 tons because of the conflict, the UN Panel of Experts reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the GCF page lists one disbursement (15 December 2021, 20%) and no later disbursement.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the EEAS page of 18 February 2025 gives no amount, implementing agencies or duration.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: how much of the EUR 10 million EU grant was spent before or after April 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured loss of acacia tree cover in the gum belt during the war; GAMS carbon results or credits issued (the GCF page states targets, not results).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings; insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"merowe-dam-displacement-and-financing","title":"Merowe Dam: financing, displacement and environmental assessments","dek":"The Merowe Dam on the Nile in Sudan, financed by a USD 608 million China Eximbank loan and Arab funds, flooded the homelands of the Manasir, Amri and Hamadab communities; estimates of the number displaced range from over 50,000 to about 70,000. A German criminal investigation into two managers of Lahmeyer International was closed in April 2016 without charges.","country":"Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":18.67,"lon":32.05,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","admin":"Merowe Dam, Northern State, 4th Cataract of the Nile; reservoir lands of the Manasir, Amri and Hamadab communities","lat":18.67,"lon":32.05,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"China Eximbank (lender)","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Lahmeyer International (company); Frankfurt am Main public prosecutor","role":"company-home"}],"start":2002,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2008-07-26","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"China Eximbank loan for the Merowe Hydroelectric Power Plant Project, committed 23 December 2003","value":"USD 608 million","note":"Fixed interest of 3.5%, 20-year maturity and 6.5-year grace period (AidData). Sources give different totals for the project cost."},"happened":["The Merowe Dam on the Nile at the 4th Cataract, in Northern State, was financed by a China Eximbank loan of USD 608 million committed on 23 December 2003, according to AidData. AidData lists co-financiers: the Arab Fund (USD 250 million), the Kuwait Fund (USD 150 million), the Abu Dhabi Fund (USD 150 million), the Saudi Fund (USD 200 million), Qatar (USD 15 million), Oman (USD 106 million) and the Government of Sudan (USD 575 million). A University of East Anglia (UEA) manuscript, citing the Sudanese Dams Implementation Unit (DIU), gives Chinese funding of USD 608 million and Sudanese government funding of close to USD 1.1 billion, with a total of about USD 3 billion that \"may be closer to $5 billion\". AidData names the contractors CWE, Sinohydro, Harbin and Alstom; The Corner House names Lahmeyer (Germany), Alstom (France) and ABB (Switzerland) for equipment and management.","Lahmeyer International carried out the environmental impact assessment in April 2002. An independent review by EAWAG, published on 22 March 2006, stated that key issues \"were not addressed adequately\". As summarised by International Rivers, the review described daily downstream water-level swings of 4–5 m, a reservoir surface varying between 350 and 800 km² a year, up to 130 million tons of sediment deposited a year, storage capacity reduced by 34% within 50 years, and fish migration blocked and spawning areas destroyed. AidData reported that the dam had lost 1.7% of its holding capacity by 2020 because of silt and debris.","The Hamdab and Amri communities were displaced from the construction site in 2003. The floodgates were closed on 26 July 2008, and at least 30 villages were submerged within about a month, according to the UEA manuscript, which says the flooded area was home to \"over 60,000 people from Manasir communities, and to 10-15,000 people from Amri and Hamdab communities\". It reports that residents estimate \"over 50,000 people were displaced by the dam\", about 20,000 of whom live in resettlement villages, and that roughly two-thirds of the Manasir resisted resettlement and live along the reservoir shoreline. The Corner House gives \"some 70,000 people, mainly from the Manasir ethnic group\", and ECCHR gives 4,700 families. AidData reported that five people from a displaced community were killed in a confrontation with authorities in April 2006.","According to the UEA manuscript, the compensation package was based on a DIU census of 1999: \"Each productive palm tree, for example, was valued at 50,000 Sudanese Dinars (roughly US$90 in 2014).\" The DIU promised a house per house owner, 6 feddans per family, 3 feddans per feddan lost and two years of free services; houses built between the 1999 census and the filling of the reservoir \"were not eligible for compensation\". Of the Manasir who chose the \"local option\", \"only a minority were provided monetary compensation (for the loss of their trees), and none were provided new homes, services\". In January 2015 a court decision \"to deny any compensation to the affected\" (court not named) was followed by protests, and at least seven protesters were arrested, Radio Tamazuj reported. No source gives a total compensation amount.","A criminal complaint was filed in May 2010, with ECCHR support, with the public prosecutor in Frankfurt am Main against two Lahmeyer International managers over the flooding of more than 30 villages and the displacement of 4,700 families. An investigation opened in April 2011 and was closed in late April 2016 because, in ECCHR's account, \"no intent could be established on the part of the suspects\"; the prosecutor found that the company had no legal duty to confirm resettlement before flooding, and no charges were brought. Lahmeyer said, according to ECCHR, that \"it was the Sudanese government's job to organize the resettlement\". On 13 January 2025 the dam and its power station were hit by drones; the Sudanese army said the dam was hit by \"a number of suicide drones\" as part of a \"systematic campaign\" and attributed it to paramilitaries."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Apr: Lahmeyer International environmental impact assessment","src":0},{"y":2003,"t":"23 Dec: China Eximbank loan committed; Hamdab and Amri communities displaced from the construction site","src":0},{"y":2006,"t":"22 Mar: EAWAG review of the assessment published; Apr: five people from a displaced community killed in a confrontation with authorities (AidData)","src":3},{"y":2008,"t":"Apr: power plant operational; 26 Jul: floodgates closed, at least 30 villages submerged within about a month","src":1},{"y":2009,"t":"Completion, according to The Corner House","src":2},{"y":2010,"t":"May: criminal complaint filed in Germany with ECCHR support","src":4},{"y":2011,"t":"Apr: Frankfurt investigation opened","src":4},{"y":2013,"t":"Complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights by LOHAP and EIPR","src":1},{"y":2015,"t":"Jan: court decision denying compensation; protesters arrested","src":6},{"y":2016,"t":"Late Apr: Frankfurt investigation closed; no charges","src":4},{"y":2025,"t":"13 Jan: drone strike on the dam and power station","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"it was the Sudanese government's job to organize the resettlement.","who":"Lahmeyer International, as recorded by ECCHR","src":4},{"q":"no intent could be established on the part of the suspects","who":"Frankfurt am Main public prosecutor, on closing the investigation (as recorded by ECCHR)","when":"2016-04","src":4},{"q":"were not addressed adequately","who":"EAWAG review of the Merowe Dam environmental assessment, on key issues (via International Rivers)","when":"2006-03-22","src":3},{"q":"The companies that are developing the project should suspend construction","who":"International Rivers","when":"2006-03-22","src":3},{"q":"Each productive palm tree, for example, was valued at 50,000 Sudanese Dinars (roughly US$90 in 2014).","who":"UEA manuscript, on the DIU compensation package","src":1},{"q":"without such pressure, the government will continue to ignore our demands","who":"Displaced resident, quoted by Radio Dabanga","when":"2015-02-05","src":5},{"q":"a number of suicide drones","who":"Sudanese army statement on the dam, via AFP","when":"2025-01-13","src":7},{"q":"Some losses were incurred, which will be repaired.","who":"Sudanese army statement on the dam and power station, via AFP","when":"2025-01-13","src":7},{"q":"In January 2025, the RSF attacked a transformer station at the Merowe Dam","who":"CEOBS","when":"2025-05-21","src":8}],"shown":[{"t":"It was the Sudanese government's job to organize the resettlement.","who":"Lahmeyer International, as recorded by ECCHR","src":4},{"t":"The package, committees and participation of the displaced were described on DIU web pages (2007), summarised by the UEA authors, who state that no government authorities were interviewed.","who":"Dams Implementation Unit, via the UEA manuscript","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"AidData lists a China Eximbank loan of USD 608 million, committed 23 December 2003, and co-financiers: Arab Fund USD 250 million (\"possibly an additional $211 million\"), Kuwait Fund USD 150 million (\"possibly an additional $50 million\"), Abu Dhabi Fund USD 150 million, Saudi Fund USD 200 million, Qatar USD 15 million, Oman USD 106 million and the Government of Sudan USD 575 million.","src":0},{"t":"AidData staff notes list Chinese-funded resettlement agriculture schemes of USD 37.7 million (Kehaila East and El Makabra) and USD 110.7 million (New Amri).","src":0},{"t":"The UEA manuscript states that the DIU was created under presidential mandate and was exempt from routine civil-service, accountability and fiscal laws until 2014.","src":1},{"t":"Compensation package (UEA manuscript): a house per house owner, 6 feddans per family, 3 feddans per feddan lost, two years of free services; houses built between the 1999 census and the filling of the reservoir not eligible.","src":1},{"t":"In 2015 Radio Dabanga reported \"a government committee's decision to deny compensation\" for losses from about seven years earlier.","src":5},{"t":"The UEA manuscript records a lawsuit by the Manasir Executive Committee after seven members were arrested in 2007; they were released without charge.","src":1},{"t":"The Frankfurt investigation was opened in April 2011 and closed in late April 2016; no charges were brought.","src":4},{"t":"AidData: the dam lost 1.7% of its holding capacity by 2020 because of silt and debris.","src":0},{"t":"International Rivers calculated, separately from the EAWAG review, that the project would emit roughly the same greenhouse gases as a gas plant of equal output.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"China Eximbank loan (3.5% fixed, 20-year maturity), committed 23 December 2003 (AidData)","amount":608,"window":"2003"},{"label":"Arab Fund (AidData; \"possibly an additional $211 million\")","amount":250},{"label":"Kuwait Fund (AidData; \"possibly an additional $50 million\")","amount":150},{"label":"Abu Dhabi Fund (AidData)","amount":150},{"label":"Saudi Fund (AidData)","amount":200},{"label":"Qatar (AidData)","amount":15},{"label":"Oman (AidData)","amount":106},{"label":"Government of Sudan (AidData)","amount":575},{"label":"Sudanese government funding, citing the DIU (UEA manuscript)","amount":1100,"qualifier":"close to"},{"label":"Chinese-funded resettlement agriculture schemes: Kehaila East and El Makabra (AidData)","amount":37.7},{"label":"Chinese-funded resettlement agriculture scheme: New Amri (AidData)","amount":110.7}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Daily downstream water-level swings (EAWAG review, 2006)","v":"4–5 m","d":"As summarised by International Rivers"},{"k":"Sediment deposited a year (EAWAG review, 2006)","v":"Up to 130 million tons","d":"Storage capacity reduced by 34% within 50 years"},{"k":"Holding capacity lost to silt and debris by 2020","v":"1.7%","d":"AidData"},{"k":"Villages submerged within about a month of the floodgates closing on 26 July 2008","v":"At least 30","d":"UEA manuscript"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The EAWAG review of the dam's environmental assessment (2006), as summarised by International Rivers; AidData; a UEA manuscript.","report":[{"t":"The EAWAG review of the dam's environmental assessment, published on 22 March 2006, described daily water-level swings of 4–5 m downstream on my river and a reservoir surface varying between 350 and 800 km² a year, as summarised by International Rivers.","src":3},{"t":"The same review described up to 130 million tons of sediment deposited a year and storage capacity reduced by 34% within 50 years; by 2020 the dam had lost 1.7% of its holding capacity to silt and debris, according to AidData.","src":3},{"t":"Fish migration on my river was blocked and spawning areas destroyed, the review stated.","src":3},{"t":"The review wrote that stagnant water and exposure of a large area of my river bed \"can create perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes\".","src":3},{"t":"At least 30 villages along my banks were submerged within about a month after the floodgates closed on 26 July 2008, according to a University of East Anglia manuscript.","src":1},{"t":"A typical Manasir family farm on my banks of 9.5 feddans held 26 mature palms producing about 900 kg a year, the same manuscript stated, citing a 1999 study.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: displaced people are given as over 50,000 (residents' estimate in the UEA manuscript; Radio Dabanga; Radio Tamazuj), 60,000 (AidData), about 70,000 (The Corner House) and 4,700 families (ECCHR).","Figures differ: Sudanese government funding is given as USD 575 million (AidData) and close to USD 1.1 billion (UEA manuscript, citing the DIU), and the total cost as about USD 3 billion that \"may be closer to $5 billion\" (UEA manuscript).","None on record: a total compensation amount paid; no compensation totals appear in the sources.","Insufficient: the position of the DIU and the Government of Sudan is known only through a UEA summary of DIU web pages from 2007; the UEA authors state that \"no government authorities were interviewed\".","None on record: the outcome of the 2013 complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.","None on record: measured post-2009 river ecology data on fish or sediment downstream of the dam.","Insufficient: the EAWAG review stated that key issues \"were not addressed adequately\" in the environmental assessment.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement","deaths","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. No total compensation amount is given in any source.","statusLine":"As of January 2025 (latest dated source): the Sudanese army reported a drone strike on the dam and power station; the German investigation was closed in April 2016 without charges; no total compensation amount is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Lahmeyer International","says":"Said, according to ECCHR, that it was the Sudanese government's job to organize the resettlement.","src":4},{"actor":"Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)","says":"Said the dam and its power station were hit by \"a number of suicide drones\" as part of a \"systematic campaign\", that \"Some losses were incurred, which will be repaired\", and attributed it to paramilitaries.","when":"2025-01-13","src":7},{"actor":"Rapid Support Forces (RSF)","says":"Did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.","when":"2025-01-13","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"china-eximbank","role":"Lender: USD 608 million"},{"id":"arab-fund","role":"Co-financier"},{"id":"government-of-sudan","role":"Co-financier and dam owner"},{"id":"dams-implementation-unit","role":"Agency that ran the project and the compensation package"},{"id":"lahmeyer-international","role":"Author of the environmental impact assessment; subject of the German complaint"},{"id":"sinohydro","role":"Contractor (AidData)"},{"id":"frankfurt-public-prosecutor","role":"Closed the investigation in April 2016 without charges"},{"id":"ecchr","role":"Supported the criminal complaint"},{"id":"sudanese-armed-forces","role":"Reported the January 2025 drone strike"},{"id":"rapid-support-forces","role":"Named by CEOBS as attacking a transformer station at the dam in January 2025"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for the resettlement of the displaced communities","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Lahmeyer International","says":"Said, according to ECCHR, that \"it was the Sudanese government's job to organize the resettlement\".","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Frankfurt am Main public prosecutor","says":"Found that the company had no legal duty to confirm resettlement before flooding, and closed the investigation in April 2016 because \"no intent could be established on the part of the suspects\".","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"ECCHR and the complainants","says":"Filed a complaint in May 2010 over the flooding of more than 30 villages and the displacement of 4,700 families.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"The Corner House","says":"Described the project's implementation as marked by human rights abuses and forced resettlement.","src":2}]},{"point":"Compensation for the displaced","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"A Sudanese court (not named in the source)","says":"A January 2015 decision \"to deny any compensation to the affected\", according to Radio Tamazuj.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government committee","says":"Decided to deny compensation for losses from about seven years earlier, according to Radio Dabanga in 2015.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Dams Implementation Unit (via the UEA summary of its 2007 web pages)","says":"Described a package of a house per house owner, 6 feddans per family and 3 feddans per feddan lost, and the participation of committees.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Displaced residents","says":"Said \"without such pressure, the government will continue to ignore our demands\" and that protests will continue until their demands for justice are fulfilled.","src":5}]},{"point":"The January 2025 drone strike on the dam","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Sudanese army","says":"Said the dam and power station were hit by \"a number of suicide drones\" and attributed it to paramilitaries.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rapid Support Forces","says":"Did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.","src":7,"silent":true},{"voice":"research","holder":"CEOBS","says":"Wrote: \"In January 2025, the RSF attacked a transformer station at the Merowe Dam\".","src":8}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal complaint against two Lahmeyer International managers (displacement at the Merowe Dam)","forum":"Public prosecutor, Frankfurt am Main","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Complainants supported by ECCHR","defendant":"Two Lahmeyer International managers (not named in the source)","filed":2010,"decided":2016,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Complaint filed in May 2010 over the flooding of more than 30 villages and the displacement of 4,700 families. Investigation opened in April 2011 and closed in late April 2016 because \"no intent could be established on the part of the suspects\"; the prosecutor found that the company had no legal duty to confirm resettlement before flooding. No charges were brought.","src":4},{"title":"Complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","forum":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"LOHAP with EIPR, for the displaced communities","defendant":"Not named in the source","filed":2013,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Complaint filed in 2013 by LOHAP with EIPR; the UEA manuscript does not give an outcome.","src":1},{"title":"Decision denying compensation to those affected by the dam","forum":"Sudanese court (not named in the source)","country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","kind":"civil","claimant":"Displaced residents","defendant":"Not named in the source","filed":null,"decided":2015,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"In January 2015 a court decision \"to deny any compensation to the affected\" was followed by protests; at least seven protesters were arrested, and nine alleged leaders were arrested the following night (Radio Tamazuj).","src":6},{"title":"Lawsuit by the Manasir Executive Committee","forum":"Sudanese court (not named in the source)","country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","kind":"civil","claimant":"Manasir Executive Committee","defendant":"Not named in the source","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The UEA manuscript records a lawsuit by the Committee after seven of its members were arrested in 2007; they were released without charge.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loan","value":608,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"note":"China Eximbank, committed 23 December 2003; 3.5% fixed interest, 20-year maturity, 6.5-year grace period (AidData)."},{"key":"government_of_sudan_funding","value":575,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"note":"AidData; the UEA manuscript, citing the DIU, gives close to USD 1.1 billion."},{"key":"total_cost_estimate","value":3000,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"UEA manuscript, citing the DIU; \"may be closer to $5 billion USD (Verhoeven 2012)\"."},{"key":"displaced","value":50000,"unit":"people","year":2008,"qualifier":"over","note":"Residents' estimate in the UEA manuscript; about 20,000 live in resettlement villages."},{"key":"displaced","value":60000,"unit":"people","year":2008,"note":"AidData figure."},{"key":"displaced","value":70000,"unit":"people","year":2008,"qualifier":"some","note":"The Corner House, mainly Manasir."},{"key":"displaced_families","value":4700,"unit":"families","year":2008,"note":"ECCHR, in the criminal complaint."},{"key":"villages_submerged","value":30,"unit":"villages","year":2008,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Within about a month of the floodgates closing on 26 July 2008 (UEA manuscript)."},{"key":"compensation_per_palm","value":50000,"unit":"Sudanese Dinars per productive palm","year":2014,"note":"Roughly US$90 in 2014 (UEA manuscript)."},{"key":"downstream_level_swing","value":5,"unit":"m per day","year":2006,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Described as 4–5 m daily in the EAWAG review (via International Rivers)."},{"key":"sediment_deposited","value":130000000,"unit":"tons per year","year":2006,"qualifier":"up to","note":"EAWAG review (via International Rivers)."},{"key":"storage_capacity_loss_projected","value":34,"unit":"% within 50 years","year":2006,"note":"EAWAG review (via International Rivers)."},{"key":"capacity_lost_to_silt","value":1.7,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"AidData."},{"key":"resettlement_scheme_funding","value":37.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Chinese-funded resettlement agriculture schemes at Kehaila East and El Makabra (AidData staff notes)."},{"key":"resettlement_scheme_funding","value":110.7,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Chinese-funded resettlement agriculture scheme at New Amri (AidData staff notes)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Merowe Dam on the Nile was financed by a USD 608 million China Eximbank loan and Arab funds; the reservoir flooded the Manasir, Amri and Hamadab homelands, with displacement estimates from over 50,000 to about 70,000 people, and a German criminal investigation of two Lahmeyer International managers was closed in 2016 without charges.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Contractors and equipment suppliers","what":"Named by AidData as CWE, Sinohydro, Harbin and Alstom, and by The Corner House as Lahmeyer, Alstom and ABB","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Manasir, Amri and Hamadab communities","what":"Displaced by the reservoir; a minority of the Manasir who chose the \"local option\" received monetary compensation for trees and none received new homes or services (UEA manuscript)","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Nile at the 4th Cataract","what":"Daily downstream water-level swings of 4–5 m, blocked fish migration and sediment deposition (EAWAG review via International Rivers)","src":3},{"who":"Riverside date-palm agriculture","what":"At least 30 villages submerged within about a month of the floodgates closing","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Merowe Dam, Northern State, Sudan, at the 4th Cataract of the Nile; the reservoir runs upstream along Manasir lands in River Nile State.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Environmental assessment April 2002; loan committed 23 December 2003; floodgates closed 26 July 2008; German complaint May 2010, closed April 2016; drone strike 13 January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The dam was built for hydroelectric power with Chinese and Arab financing; Lahmeyer International said it was the Sudanese government's job to organize the resettlement, and the Frankfurt prosecutor found the company had no legal duty to confirm resettlement before flooding.","src":4},"how":{"t":"The floodgates closed on 26 July 2008 and at least 30 villages were submerged within about a month; compensation was based on a 1999 census, with each productive palm valued at 50,000 Sudanese Dinars.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"China Eximbank provides $608 million loan for Merowe Hydroelectric Power Plant Project (ID 178), accessed 19 October 2026","p":"AidData","d":"2026-10-19","type":"academic","u":"https://china.aiddata.org/projects/178"},{"t":"A 'justice' reading of the trans-national struggle of the people displaced by the Merowe Dam (accepted manuscript, Local Environment)","p":"University of East Anglia","d":"2017-03-20","type":"academic","u":"https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/64843/1/Accepted_manuscript.pdf"},{"t":"Merowe Dam, Sudan","p":"The Corner House","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/background/merowe-dam-sudan"},{"t":"Independent Review Reveals Serious Flaws in Sudan's Merowe Dam (via River Resource Hub)","p":"International Rivers","d":"2006-03-22","type":"ngo","u":"https://riverresourcehub.org/resources/independent-review-reveals-serious-flaws-in-sudans-merowe-dam-3907/"},{"t":"Reckless development: forced displacement due to Lahmeyer dam construction","p":"ECCHR","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.ecchr.eu/en/case/reckless-development-forced-displacement-due-to-lahmeyer-dam-construction/"},{"t":"Sudanese displaced by Merowe Dam demand compensation","p":"Radio Dabanga","d":"2015-02-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/sudanese-displaced-by-merowe-dam-demand-compensation"},{"t":"Sudan: court ruling angers those displaced by River Nile dam","p":"Radio Tamazuj","d":"2015-01-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/sudan-court-ruling-angers-those-displaced-by-river-nile-dam"},{"t":"Power outages in Sudan after drone attack on major dam (AFP)","p":"The Defense Post","d":"2025-01-13","type":"press","u":"https://thedefensepost.com/2025/01/13/power-outages-sudan/amp/"},{"t":"The environmental costs of the war in Sudan","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=11498"}],"episodes":[],"related":["world-bank-financed-dam-resettlements","sudan-gold-mercury-cyanide-and-war-money"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for the resettlement of the displaced communities","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Compensation for the displaced","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The January 2025 drone strike on the dam","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Rapid Support Forces: Did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Lawsuit by the Manasir Executive Committee: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: displaced people are given as over 50,000 (residents' estimate in the UEA manuscript; Radio Dabanga; Radio Tamazuj), 60,000 (AidData), about 70,000 (The Corner House) and 4,700 families (ECCHR).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Sudanese government funding is given as USD 575 million (AidData) and close to USD 1.1 billion (UEA manuscript, citing the DIU), and the total cost as about USD 3 billion that \"may be closer to $5 billion\" (UEA manuscript).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a total compensation amount paid; no compensation totals appear in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the position of the DIU and the Government of Sudan is known only through a UEA summary of DIU web pages from 2007; the UEA authors state that \"no government authorities were interviewed\".","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the 2013 complaint to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured post-2009 river ecology data on fish or sediment downstream of the dam.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the EAWAG review stated that key issues \"were not addressed adequately\" in the environmental assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"south-sudan-oil-pollution-unity-upper-nile","title":"South Sudan oil fields: pollution in Unity and Upper Nile","dek":"Studies and a 2017 German government answer to the Bundestag recorded contaminated groundwater near the Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields in South Sudan, while the operator rejected the allegations. A government environmental audit contracted in September 2022 had not been released as of 23 January 2025.","country":"South Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":8.6,"lon":30.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"South Sudan","iso2":"SS","admin":"Unity State / Ruweng: Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields (Block 5A and Blocks 1, 2, 4)","lat":8.6,"lon":30.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"South Sudan","iso2":"SS","admin":"Upper Nile: Paloch / Melut, Blocks 3 and 7","lat":10.4,"lon":32.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"South Sudan","iso2":"SS","admin":"Sudd wetland, Ramsar Site no. 1622 (centred 07°34'N 30°39'E)","role":"affected"}],"start":1999,"end":2025,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","oil-spill","water"],"headline":{"label":"Waste pits documented in the November 2018 Dar Petroleum study (via AP)","value":"650","note":"The study analysed 146 samples and recommended a five-year cleanup costing about USD 58 million; AP reported that the four studies it obtained had not been released publicly."},"happened":["A study by researchers from AfricaWater, Sign of Hope and Juba University, \"Effect of oil exploration and production on the salinity of a marginally permeable aquifer system in the Thar Jath-, Mala- and Unity Oilfields, Southern Sudan\", drew on Sign of Hope sampling in 2008–2013 and was published in Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie in November 2014. Radio Tamazuj summarised it: over 100 water samples were taken from mud pits, wells, oil facilities and swamps; \"over 30 shallow wells\" were found dangerously contaminated; some well water had four times the safe salinity and some mud pits more than forty times the safe amount of salt; lead was \"sometimes five times the safe amount\"; groundwater is used by 180,000 people. In March 2016 Sign of Hope reported hair samples from 96 volunteers near the Thar Jath plant, saying they showed people \"highly intoxicated with pollutants such as lead and barium\".","In a written answer to the Bundestag (Drucksache 18/11881, dated 4 April 2017) the German government stated that laboratory tests \"show high, health-endangering contamination of the upper aquifer\". It stated that a causal link \"could not yet be clearly proven for lack of verifying on-site investigations\", and that the substances found match those used in crude production, especially drilling, so that the contamination \"could be attributable\" to the oil industry. The operator then known as WNPOC, now SPOC, \"rejected all allegations at the time\", citing its own water tests showing lower values and reviews by Norway's Directorate for Nature Management, Norconsult and the Juba Ministry of Energy and Mines.","On 14 February 2020 AP reported on four unreleased reports: a 2013 government survey, a 2016 study of soldiers' samples, a July 2018 EnviroCare study and a November 2018 Dar Petroleum study. The Dar Petroleum study analysed 146 samples, found \"extremely high\" hydrocarbon levels and documented 650 waste pits with water contaminated with arsenic and lead; it recommended a five-year cleanup costing about USD 58 million. The 2016 study found mercury in water about 7 times the US EPA limit and manganese about 10 times. AP reported that insiders said Dar Petroleum never acted on the oil ministry's December 2018 cleanup order, and noted \"no definitive proof\" that the pollution caused the health problems.","AFP reported in February 2020 that the government put a 2019 pipeline leak near Rubkona at 2,000 barrels, while Sign of Hope estimated 12,500 barrels and reported a second leak of 25,000 barrels 6.5 km away, using satellite images. PAX, with Utrecht University, counted 533 flooded well locations in 2021 using remote sensing and a hydrological model, and wrote that it is \"unknown\" whether pollution resulted. CEOBS identified dumping in May and July 2021, produced-water ponds expanding by nearly 5 km² in 2021 and about 200 wells at Paloch reported submerged.","Ruweng residents petitioned the Supreme Court in February 2020 against GPOC, the Ministry of Petroleum and Nilepet, claiming USD 500 million \"for the time being\". The Ministry of Petroleum contracted three groups on 17 September 2022 for a 90-day environmental audit. In May 2024 the Environment Minister told parliament the audit was \"almost complete\" and that the contractors had withheld findings over unpaid dues; on 22–23 January 2025 the Deputy Speaker raised the delayed audit with President Salva Kiir. In August 2024 Nilepet took control of Petronas's assets, about USD 1.25 billion, after a government letter of 5 August accused Petronas of failing to conduct an environmental audit and to pay damages; Petronas launched arbitration."],"timeline":[{"y":1999,"t":"Start of the period (1999–2020) for which Eye Radio attributes to a Sign of Hope study releases of salt, drilling fluids and crude into the soil","src":5},{"y":2008,"t":"Sign of Hope sampling period begins (2008–2013)","src":1},{"y":2014,"t":"Nov: study published in Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Mar: Sign of Hope reports hair-sample results from 96 volunteers near the Thar Jath plant","src":2},{"y":2017,"t":"German government answer to the Bundestag (Drucksache 18/11881)","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"Jul: EnviroCare study; Nov: Dar Petroleum study; Dec: oil ministry cleanup order (AP)","src":3},{"y":2019,"t":"Two pipeline leaks near Rubkona","src":7},{"y":2020,"t":"Feb: Ruweng petition to the Supreme Court; 14 Feb: AP reports on four unreleased studies","src":6},{"y":2021,"t":"PAX counts 533 flooded well locations; CEOBS identifies dumping in May and July","src":8},{"y":2022,"t":"17 Sep: audit contracts awarded, 90-day term","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"May: Environment Minister says the audit is \"almost complete\"; Aug: Nilepet takes control of Petronas assets and Petronas launches arbitration","src":11},{"y":2025,"t":"22–23 Jan: Deputy Speaker raises the delayed audit with President Kiir; audit not released","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"show high, health-endangering contamination of the upper aquifer","who":"German federal government, answer to the Bundestag, on laboratory tests in the oil-producing areas (translated)","when":"2017-04-04","src":0,"translated":"German"},{"q":"could not yet be clearly proven for lack of verifying on-site investigations","who":"German federal government, on the causal link to the oil industry (translated)","when":"2017-04-04","src":0,"translated":"German"},{"q":"rejected all allegations at the time","who":"German federal government, on the response of WNPOC, now SPOC (translated)","when":"2017-04-04","src":0,"translated":"German"},{"q":"There is a direct link between the oil exploration and production in the northern part of Unity State","who":"Klaus Stieglitz, Sign of Hope","when":"2015-02-28","src":1},{"q":"Only speculations are being made until scientific evidences are out.","who":"Awow Daniel Chuang, Petroleum Minister of South Sudan (via AP)","when":"2020-02-14","src":3},{"q":"The pollution is a public health and environmental emergency.","who":"Rick Steiner, scientist and adviser (quoted by AP)","when":"2020-02-14","src":3},{"q":"must be ethical and must not compromise with the lives of our people","who":"Puot Kang Chol, Minister of Petroleum, on the audit companies","when":"2022-09-17","src":4},{"q":"the Joint Operating Companies already contributed money for the audit","who":"Mary Ayen, Deputy Speaker, to parliament","when":"2025-01-23","src":5},{"q":"We are claiming compensation on behalf of the people of Ruweng state","who":"A Ruweng petitioner quoted by VOA","when":"2020-02-27","src":6},{"q":"to be described as deficient","who":"German federal government, on implementation of the environmental norms of the Petroleum Act 2012 (translated)","when":"2017-04-04","src":0,"translated":"German"},{"q":"unresolved to this day","who":"German federal government, on liability and remediation of the environmental damage caused (translated)","when":"2017-04-04","src":0,"translated":"German"}],"shown":[{"t":"The 2013, 2016 and 2018 studies were never released to the public.","who":"AP, 14 February 2020","src":3},{"t":"The petition would be addressed through the ongoing environmental audit.","who":"Akol Nyok Akol, executive secretary of the Petroleum Ministry, paraphrased by VOA, 2020","src":6},{"t":"The contractors withheld findings over unpaid dues.","who":"Josephine Napwon, Environment Minister, May 2024, as reported by Eye Radio","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Dar Petroleum 2018 study (via AP): 650 waste pits, arsenic and lead in pit water, \"extremely high\" hydrocarbons, compromised pit liners.","src":3},{"t":"The German government stated that it had no information on whether SPOC carried out the social, environmental and strategic impact assessments required by the Petroleum Act 2012.","src":0},{"t":"Eye Radio attributed to a Sign of Hope study for 1999–2020 the release into the soil of 8.3 million tons of salt, 7.9 billion litres of well-drilling fluids and 6 million litres of crude.","src":5},{"t":"PAX counted 533 flooded well locations in 2021: Block 2, 159 (41%); Block 5b, 74 (74%); Block 7/3, 300 (35%); for Block 5A it reported that \"out of the 486 oil extraction points, flood water overflowed 233 wells\".","src":8},{"t":"German BMZ funding of Sign of Hope deep-well projects: EUR 75,531 (2009–2010); EUR 200,000 (2011–2012); EUR 400,000 (2012–2013), ended early with EUR 139,000 repaid; EUR 425,100 (2013–2014) planned but not implemented, with no funds spent. Wells were built at nine sites and later damaged or destroyed in the civil war.","src":0},{"t":"The Sudd is Ramsar Site no. 1622, 5,700,000 ha, designated on 5 June 2006.","src":10},{"t":"CEOBS cited the Nile Basin Initiative's estimate of the total economic value of Sudd ecosystem services at USD 3.3 billion.","src":9},{"t":"Audit contracts of 17 September 2022: COWI SA / Norway Bridge Consult / Environ Care for DPOC; Envag Associates Kenya Company Limited for GPOC; Panloy & SGS Company Limited for SPOC.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Five-year cleanup proposed in the November 2018 Dar Petroleum study (via AP)","amount":58,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"5 years","note":"No payment on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Expected oil revenue in the national budget, per month (AP)","amount":99,"window":"July 2019 – June 2020"},{"label":"Compensation sought in the Ruweng petition to the Supreme Court","amount":500,"qualifier":"for the time being","window":"2020"},{"label":"Petronas assets taken over by Nilepet (RM5.43 billion)","amount":1250,"qualifier":"about","window":"2024"},{"label":"Total economic value of Sudd ecosystem services, Nile Basin Initiative estimate (CEOBS)","amount":3300,"est":true}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Waste pits documented, Dar Petroleum study of November 2018","v":"650","d":"Via AP; arsenic and lead in pit water"},{"k":"Flooded well locations, 2021","v":"533","d":"PAX, from remote sensing and a hydrological model"},{"k":"People using the groundwater studied in the Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields","v":"180,000","d":"Radio Tamazuj summary of the 2014 study"},{"k":"Cleanup proposed over five years","v":"About USD 58 million","d":"Dar Petroleum study of November 2018 (via AP); no payment on record"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A 2014 groundwater study summarised by Radio Tamazuj, the German government's 2017 answer to the Bundestag, four studies reported by AP, and PAX and CEOBS remote analysis.","report":[{"t":"In my Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields some well water had four times the safe salinity and some mud pits more than forty times the safe amount of salt, according to a 2014 study summarised by Radio Tamazuj.","src":1},{"t":"The German government stated in 2017 that laboratory tests showed high, health-endangering contamination of my upper aquifer.","src":0},{"t":"A November 2018 Dar Petroleum study, reported by AP, documented 650 waste pits whose water contained arsenic and lead.","src":3},{"t":"A 2016 study, AP reported, found mercury in my water at about 7 times the US EPA limit and manganese at about 10 times.","src":3},{"t":"PAX counted 533 flooded well locations across my oil blocks in 2021.","src":8},{"t":"CEOBS recorded produced-water ponds expanding by nearly 5 km² in 2021 and about 200 wells at Paloch reported submerged.","src":9}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the environmental audit contracted in September 2022 had not been released as of 23 January 2025 (Eye Radio); the contract value was not stated.","Not disclosed: the 2013 government survey, the 2016 study of soldiers' samples, the July 2018 EnviroCare study and the November 2018 Dar Petroleum study were never publicly released (AP, 14 February 2020).","Disputed: whether oil operations caused the groundwater contamination — Sign of Hope states a direct link, WNPOC (now SPOC) rejected the allegations, and the German government wrote that a causal link was not yet clearly proven but that the contamination could be attributable to the oil industry.","Unclear: AP noted \"no definitive proof\" that the pollution caused the health problems it described.","Unclear: PAX wrote that it is \"unknown\" whether pollution resulted from the flooded wells.","Self-reported only: Sign of Hope hair samples from 96 volunteers; the article gives no values.","None on record: payment toward the USD 58 million cleanup proposed in 2018.","None on record: information from the German government on whether SPOC carried out the impact assessments required by the Petroleum Act 2012; the government described implementation of the Act's environmental norms as \"deficient\" and the question of liability and remediation as \"unresolved to this day\" (translated).","None on record: the outcome of the Ruweng petition at the Supreme Court and of the Petronas arbitration; insurance."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The government audit contracted in September 2022 had not been released as of 23 January 2025.","whoPaid":"None on record. No payment toward the USD 58 million cleanup proposed in 2018 is on record.","statusLine":"As of 23 January 2025 (latest dated source on the audit): the 2022 environmental audit had not been released; no outcome is on record for the Ruweng petition, the Petronas arbitration or the cleanup.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"WNPOC (now SPOC)","says":"According to the German government, rejected all allegations at the time, citing its own water tests showing lower values and reviews by Norway's Directorate for Nature Management, Norconsult and the Juba Ministry of Energy and Mines.","when":"2017-04-04","src":0},{"actor":"Government of South Sudan","says":"Petroleum Minister Awow Daniel Chuang said \"Only speculations are being made until scientific evidences are out\"; President Salva Kiir acknowledged a pollution problem in a January 2020 statement (AP).","when":"2020-02-14","src":3},{"actor":"Ministry of Petroleum (South Sudan)","says":"Executive secretary Akol Nyok Akol said, as paraphrased by VOA, that the Ruweng petition would be addressed through the ongoing environmental audit; the ministry could not be reached by AFP on the 2019 pipeline leaks.","when":"2020-02","src":6},{"actor":"GPOC, Dar Petroleum, CNPC, Sinopec and Petronas","says":"Did not respond to AP.","when":"2020-02-14","src":3},{"actor":"Petronas","says":"Launched arbitration after the takeover of its assets by Nilepet in August 2024.","when":"2024-08-28","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"spoc","role":"Operator formerly WNPOC, Petronas-majority; rejected the allegations"},{"id":"gpoc","role":"Operator; respondent in the Ruweng petition"},{"id":"dar-petroleum","role":"Author of the November 2018 study; ordered by the oil ministry to clean up, per AP insiders"},{"id":"petronas","role":"Majority shareholder in SPOC; assets taken over by Nilepet in August 2024"},{"id":"cnpc","role":"Named by AP among companies that did not respond"},{"id":"nilepet","role":"State oil company; took control of Petronas assets; respondent in the Ruweng petition"},{"id":"government-of-south-sudan","role":"Contracted the 2022 audit; respondent via the Ministry of Petroleum"},{"id":"sign-of-hope","role":"Sampling and studies in Unity State"},{"id":"pax","role":"Analysis of flooded wells"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Analysis of the Sudd and oil-field dumping"},{"id":"germany-bmz","role":"Funded Sign of Hope deep-well projects"},{"id":"supreme-court-of-south-sudan","role":"Forum of the Ruweng petition"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether oil operations caused the groundwater contamination in the Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sign of Hope","says":"Klaus Stieglitz said: \"There is a direct link between the oil exploration and production in the northern part of Unity State\".","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"WNPOC (now SPOC)","says":"Rejected all allegations at the time, citing its own water tests showing lower values and reviews by Norway's Directorate for Nature Management, Norconsult and the Juba Ministry of Energy and Mines, according to the German government.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"German federal government","says":"Wrote that a causal link could not yet be clearly proven for lack of verifying on-site investigations, and that the contamination could be attributable to the oil industry.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of South Sudan (Petroleum Minister Awow Daniel Chuang)","says":"\"Only speculations are being made until scientific evidences are out.\"","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"GPOC, Dar Petroleum, CNPC, Sinopec and Petronas","says":"Did not respond to AP.","src":3,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Size of the 2019 pipeline leak near Rubkona","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of South Sudan","says":"Put the first leak near Rubkona at 2,000 barrels.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Sign of Hope","says":"Estimated 12,500 barrels (\"two million litres\") and reported a second leak of 25,000 barrels, 6.5 km away, using satellite images.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Petroleum","says":"Could not be reached by AFP.","src":7,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Payment for the environmental audit","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Josephine Napwon, Environment Minister","says":"Said in May 2024 that the contractors withheld findings over unpaid dues.","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Mary Ayen, Deputy Speaker","says":"Said \"the Joint Operating Companies already contributed money for the audit\" and asked parliament to question the ministry about \"the whereabouts of the money\"; no amount was given.","src":5}]},{"point":"Petronas's exit and the takeover of its assets in August 2024","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of South Sudan","says":"A letter of 5 August 2024 accused Petronas of failing to conduct an environmental audit and to pay damages.","src":11},{"voice":"company","holder":"Petronas","says":"Launched arbitration and described the government's actions as arbitrary and unreasonable, according to Radio Tamazuj.","src":11}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ruweng residents v. GPOC, Ministry of Petroleum and Nilepet (compensation for oil spills)","forum":"Supreme Court of South Sudan","country":"South Sudan","iso2":"SS","kind":"civil","claimant":"Ruweng residents","defendant":"GPOC; Ministry of Petroleum; Nilepet","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":500,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed \"for the time being\""},"summary":"Petition filed in February 2020. The Ministry of Petroleum's executive secretary said, as paraphrased by VOA, that it would be addressed through the ongoing environmental audit. No outcome is reported.","src":6},{"title":"Petronas v. South Sudan (takeover of Petronas oil assets)","forum":"Arbitration (forum not named in the article)","country":"South Sudan","iso2":"SS","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Petronas","defendant":"Government of South Sudan","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Petronas launched arbitration in August 2024 after Nilepet took control of assets of about USD 1.25 billion (RM5.43 billion); a government letter of 5 August 2024 had accused Petronas of failing to conduct an environmental audit and to pay damages.","src":11}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"waste_pits","value":650,"unit":"pits","year":2018,"note":"Dar Petroleum study, November 2018 (via AP); 146 samples analysed."},{"key":"cleanup_proposed","value":58,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Five-year cleanup proposed in the Dar Petroleum study (via AP)."},{"key":"groundwater_users","value":180000,"unit":"people","year":2014,"note":"Groundwater use in the studied oilfields (Radio Tamazuj summary of the 2014 study)."},{"key":"shallow_wells_contaminated","value":30,"unit":"wells","year":2014,"qualifier":"over","note":"Found dangerously contaminated among over 100 water samples (Radio Tamazuj summary)."},{"key":"mercury_vs_limit","value":7,"unit":"times the US EPA limit","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"2016 study of soldiers' samples (via AP); manganese about 10 times."},{"key":"hair_samples","value":96,"unit":"volunteers","year":2016,"note":"Sign of Hope; no values given in the article."},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":2000,"unit":"barrels","year":2019,"note":"Government figure for the first leak near Rubkona."},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":12500,"unit":"barrels","year":2019,"note":"Sign of Hope estimate for the first leak (\"two million litres\"); a second leak of 25,000 barrels, 6.5 km away."},{"key":"flooded_wells","value":533,"unit":"well locations","year":2021,"note":"PAX: Block 2, 159 (41%); Block 5b, 74 (74%); Block 7/3, 300 (35%)."},{"key":"produced_water_ponds_growth","value":5,"unit":"km²","year":2021,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Expansion in 2021 (CEOBS)."},{"key":"wells_submerged","value":200,"unit":"wells","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported submerged at Paloch (CEOBS)."},{"key":"claim","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Ruweng petition, \"for the time being\"."},{"key":"asset_value","value":1250,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Petronas assets taken over by Nilepet (RM5.43 billion)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":400000,"unit":"EUR","year":2012,"note":"German BMZ funding for a Sign of Hope deep-well project (2012–2013), ended early; EUR 139,000 repaid."},{"key":"area_ha","value":5700000,"unit":"ha","year":2006,"note":"Sudd, Ramsar Site no. 1622, designated 5 June 2006."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Studies and a 2017 German government answer recorded contaminated groundwater near the Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields in South Sudan, the operator rejected the allegations, and a government environmental audit contracted in 2022 had not been released as of January 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of South Sudan","what":"Expected oil revenue of USD 99 million per month in the national budget, July 2019 – June 2020 (AP)","src":3},{"who":"Nilepet","what":"Took control of Petronas assets in August 2024","src":11}],"lost":[{"who":"Ruweng residents","what":"Claimed USD 500 million in compensation in a petition to the Supreme Court in February 2020","src":6},{"who":"Petronas","what":"Assets of about USD 1.25 billion taken over by Nilepet in August 2024; launched arbitration","src":11}],"harmed":[{"who":"Groundwater and wells in the Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields","what":"Over 30 shallow wells found dangerously contaminated; groundwater used by 180,000 people (Radio Tamazuj summary)","src":1},{"who":"Land around waste pits","what":"650 waste pits documented in the November 2018 Dar Petroleum study (via AP)","src":3},{"who":"The Sudd wetland and oil wells in flood zones","what":"533 flooded well locations in 2021 (PAX)","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields (Block 5A and Blocks 1, 2, 4) in Unity State / Ruweng; Paloch / Melut (Blocks 3 and 7) in Upper Nile; the Sudd wetland (Ramsar Site no. 1622), South Sudan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sampling 2008–2013; study published November 2014; German government answer April 2017; AP report February 2020; audit contracted September 2022; Petronas exit August 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Sign of Hope states a direct link to oil exploration and production; the operator rejected the allegations; the German government wrote that the substances found match those used in crude production but that a causal link was not yet clearly proven.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Contaminated mud pits, produced water, waste pits and pipeline leaks, and flooding of wells, according to Sign of Hope, AP, PAX and CEOBS.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Drucksache 18/11881, Answer of the Federal Government: Environmental and human rights situation in South Sudan's oil-producing regions (German; title translated)","p":"Deutscher Bundestag","d":"2017-04-04","type":"official","u":"https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/18/118/1811881.pdf"},{"t":"Study: 'Direct link' between oil exploration and water pollution in Unity","p":"Radio Tamazuj","d":"2015-02-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/study-direct-link-between-oil-exploration-and-water-pollution-in-unity"},{"t":"South Sudan oil pollution threatens thousands","p":"Radio Tamazuj","d":"2016-03-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/south-sudan-oil-pollution-threatens-thousands"},{"t":"South Sudan ignores reports on oil pollution and birth defects","p":"AP via PBS NewsHour","d":"2020-02-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/south-sudan-ignores-reports-on-oil-pollution-and-birth-defects"},{"t":"Petroleum ministry contracts 3 companies to carry out environmental audit in oilfields","p":"Radio Tamazuj","d":"2022-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/petroleum-ministry-contracts-3-companies-to-carry-out-environmental-audit-in-oilfields"},{"t":"Lawmaker Ayen raises concern about delayed environmental audit report","p":"Eye Radio","d":"2025-01-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.eyeradio.org/lawmaker-ayen-raises-concern-about-delayed-environmental-audit-report/"},{"t":"South Sudan's Ruweng community demands compensation for oil spills","p":"VOA","d":"2020-02-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.voaafrica.com/a/africa_south-sudan-focus_south-sudans-ruweng-community-demands-compensation-oil-spills/6184930.html"},{"t":"South Sudan: an NGO calls on the authorities to close a 'dilapidated' pipeline responsible for pollution (French; title translated)","p":"AFP via Connaissance des Énergies","d":"2020-02-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.connaissancedesenergies.org/afp/soudan-du-sud-une-ong-appelle-les-autorites-fermer-un-oleoduc-delabre-responsable-de-pollutions-200225"},{"t":"Toxic Floods? Climate, Natural Hazards and Risks to South Sudan's Oil Infrastructure","p":"PAX","d":"2023-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://paxforpeace.nl/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/import/2023-05/PAX_Toxic%20Floods.pdf"},{"t":"Is South Sudan's Sudd wetland at a fork in the road?","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2021-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/report-is-south-sudans-sudd-wetland-at-a-fork-in-the-road"},{"t":"Sudd, Ramsar Site no. 1622, accessed 19 October 2026","p":"Ramsar Sites Information Service","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/1622"},{"t":"Petronas launches arbitration over South Sudan's takeover of its oil assets","p":"Radio Tamazuj","d":"2024-08-28","type":"press","u":"https://radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/petronas-launches-arbitration-over-south-sudans-takeover-of-its-oil-assets"}],"episodes":[],"related":["niger-delta-oil-spills-and-sabotage-attribution"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether oil operations caused the groundwater contamination in the Thar Jath, Mala and Unity oilfields","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the 2019 pipeline leak near Rubkona","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Payment for the environmental audit","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Petronas's exit and the takeover of its assets in August 2024","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"GPOC, Dar Petroleum, CNPC, Sinopec and Petronas: Did not respond to AP.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Ministry of Petroleum: Could not be reached by AFP.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ruweng residents v. GPOC, Ministry of Petroleum and Nilepet (compensation for oil spills): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Petronas v. South Sudan (takeover of Petronas oil assets): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the environmental audit contracted in September 2022 had not been released as of 23 January 2025 (Eye Radio); the contract value was not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the 2013 government survey, the 2016 study of soldiers' samples, the July 2018 EnviroCare study and the November 2018 Dar Petroleum study were never publicly released (AP, 14 February 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether oil operations caused the groundwater contamination — Sign of Hope states a direct link, WNPOC (now SPOC) rejected the allegations, and the German government wrote that a causal link was not yet clearly proven but that the contamination could be attributable to the oil industry.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: AP noted \"no definitive proof\" that the pollution caused the health problems it described.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: PAX wrote that it is \"unknown\" whether pollution resulted from the flooded wells.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Sign of Hope hair samples from 96 volunteers; the article gives no values.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment toward the USD 58 million cleanup proposed in 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: information from the German government on whether SPOC carried out the impact assessments required by the Petroleum Act 2012; the government described implementation of the Act's environmental norms as \"deficient\" and the question of liability and remediation as \"unresolved to this day\" (translated).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the Ruweng petition at the Supreme Court and of the Petronas arbitration; insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"wadi-el-ku-catchment-project-darfur","title":"Wadi El Ku catchment project, North Darfur","dek":"In August 2013 UNEP launched an EU-funded catchment management project of EUR 6.45 million in Wadi El Ku, North Darfur, where it said more than 700,000 people depend on the wadi for water and livelihoods. A second phase began in 2018.","country":"Sudan","region":"Africa","lat":13.6,"lon":25.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Sudan","iso2":"SD","admin":"Wadi El Ku near El Fasher, North Darfur","lat":13.6,"lon":25.3,"role":"event"}],"start":2013,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2013-08-25","instrument":"water","types":["water","agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"EU funding for phase 1 of the Wadi El Ku catchment project (UNEP)","value":"EUR 6.45 million","note":"Launched on 25 August 2013 for a three-year period; the amount for the second phase from 2018 is not stated."},"happened":["UNEP launched the project on 25 August 2013 for a three-year period, implemented with Practical Action. It said that \"well over 700,000 people depend on the Wadi for their water supply and livelihoods (agriculture and livestock)\", resulting in \"widespread deforestation, falling groundwater levels, and increasing environmental degradation\". The EU contributed EUR 6.45 million to the first phase.","UNEP's Sudan page lists a second phase from 2018. The page lists projects up to 2024, including the Blue Nile project funded by the Peacebuilding Fund (2022–2024) and the FCDO's ADAPT! programme, and lists no assessment of the environmental impact of the war that began in 2023.","CEOBS described El Fasher as under siege by the RSF since the early stages of the war that began in 2023."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"25 Aug: UNEP launches the project for a three-year period","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"Second phase begins","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"El Fasher comes under RSF siege in the early stages of the war, according to CEOBS","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"The aim is to make a real contribution to the region's recovery from conflict","who":"UNEP Sudan's Senior Advisor","when":"2013-08-25","src":0},{"q":"strategic project for the state","who":"Governor of North Darfur","when":"2013-08-25","src":0},{"q":"well over 700,000 people depend on the Wadi for their water supply and livelihoods (agriculture and livestock)","who":"UNEP","when":"2013-08-25","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The project would improve livelihoods of conflict-affected people in Wadi El Ku.","who":"UNEP, 25 August 2013","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"EU funding of EUR 6.45 million for phase 1 (UNEP).","src":0},{"t":"UNEP lists a second phase from 2018.","src":1},{"t":"UNEP's Sudan page lists projects up to 2024 and no assessment of the environmental impact of the war that began in 2023.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Phase 1, from 2013","nature":[{"label":"EU funding of the Wadi El Ku catchment project, phase 1 (UNEP)","amount":6.45,"window":"2013"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People who depend on Wadi El Ku for water and livelihoods","v":"Well over 700,000","d":"UNEP, 2013"},{"k":"EU funding, phase 1","v":"EUR 6.45 million","d":"Launched 25 August 2013, three-year period"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"UNEP description of the Wadi El Ku catchment at the project launch in August 2013.","report":[{"t":"More than 700,000 people depended on my Wadi El Ku catchment near El Fasher for water and livelihoods in 2013, and UNEP described the result as \"widespread deforestation, falling groundwater levels, and increasing environmental degradation\".","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: results of the project on groundwater levels or tree cover.","None on record: the status of the project after April 2023, and in El Fasher after the RSF siege.","Not disclosed: the amount of EU funding for the second phase from 2018, and the total EU spend.","None on record: an assessment of the environmental impact of the war that began in 2023 on UNEP's Sudan page, which lists projects up to 2024.","None on record: legal proceedings; insurance."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The EU funded phase 1 with EUR 6.45 million; the second-phase amount is not disclosed.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026 (UNEP page consulted): a second phase is listed from 2018; no results or post-April 2023 status are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"UNEP","says":"Its Senior Advisor for Sudan said the aim was to make a real contribution to the region's recovery from conflict.","when":"2013-08-25","src":0},{"actor":"Government of North Darfur","says":"The Governor called it a \"strategic project for the state\".","when":"2013-08-25","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"unep","role":"Implementer"},{"id":"eu","role":"Funder, EUR 6.45 million for phase 1"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"subsidy","value":6.45,"unit":"EUR m","year":2013,"note":"EU funding for phase 1 (UNEP)."},{"key":"people_affected","value":700000,"unit":"people","year":2013,"qualifier":"well over","note":"People who depend on Wadi El Ku for water supply and livelihoods (UNEP)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"UNEP launched an EU-funded catchment management project of EUR 6.45 million in Wadi El Ku, North Darfur, in August 2013, with a second phase from 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Wadi El Ku catchment","what":"Widespread deforestation, falling groundwater levels and increasing environmental degradation, according to UNEP (2013)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Wadi El Ku near El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Launched on 25 August 2013 for three years; second phase from 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"UNEP said more than 700,000 people depend on the wadi for water supply and livelihoods, resulting in deforestation, falling groundwater levels and environmental degradation.","src":0},"how":{"t":"EU funding of EUR 6.45 million for phase 1, implemented by UNEP with Practical Action.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Sudan: UNEP Launches Project to Improve Livelihoods of Conflict-Affected People","p":"UNEP","d":"2013-08-25","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/sudan-unep-launches-project-improve-livelihoods-conflict-affected-people"},{"t":"What we do: Sudan, accessed 19 October 2026","p":"UNEP","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.unep.org/en/what-we-do/sudan"},{"t":"The environmental costs of the war in Sudan","p":"Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)","d":"2025-05-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=11498"}],"episodes":[],"related":["gezira-scheme-collapse-war"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: results of the project on groundwater levels or tree cover.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the status of the project after April 2023, and in El Fasher after the RSF siege.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of EU funding for the second phase from 2018, and the total EU spend.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an assessment of the environmental impact of the war that began in 2023 on UNEP's Sudan page, which lists projects up to 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings; insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"french-nuclear-tests-algeria-waste-and-compensation","title":"French nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara: buried waste, maps and compensation","dek":"France states it carried out 17 nuclear tests in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966. Of 4,455 claims registered by France's compensation committee CIVEN in 2010–2025, 73 came from residents of Algeria, and one of the 1,206 claims CIVEN accepted by decision was from a resident of Algeria.","country":"Algeria","region":"Africa","lat":26.31,"lon":-0.06,"places":[{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","admin":"Reggane (Adrar wilaya) and In Ekker (Tamanrasset wilaya)","lat":26.31,"lon":-0.06,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"testing-state"}],"start":1960,"end":2026,"eventDate":"1960-02-13","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","liability-shift"],"subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"headline":{"label":"CIVEN claims from residents of Algeria, 2010–2025","value":"73 of 4,455","note":"CIVEN accepted 1 claim from a resident of Algeria among the 1,206 it accepted by decision (730 from French Polynesia, 475 from metropolitan France)."},"happened":["A French Ministry of the Armed Forces answer of 8 September 2026 states that France carried out 17 nuclear tests at Reggane and In Ekker in the Algerian Sahara between 1960 and 1966, of which 4 were atmospheric and 13 underground, and that the installations were dismantled and the sites handed back to Algeria under the Evian accords. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the first test, Gerboise Bleue, took place on 13 February 1960 and the 13 tunnel tests at Taourirt Tan Afella ran from 7 November 1961 to 16 February 1966. The IAEA also lists plutonium-dispersal experiments at Reggane in April–May 1961 and at Adrar Tikertine from May 1964.","In November 1999 an IAEA fact-finding mission, requested by Algeria and made up of five international experts supported by seven experts of the Algerian Commissariat à l'énergie atomique, assessed the sites; its report was published in 2005. The IAEA recorded that at the E2 gallery (Béryl test, 1 May 1962) 'an accidental release of fission products mixed with molten rock took place and formed a large bed of hardened lava'. It put the total energy released by the 13 underground tests at about 270 kt, of which nine tests were fully contained. It concluded that environmental remediation of the test areas was not required to bring doses below established safety standards, but that intervention at Gerboise Bleue, Gerboise Blanche and E2 should be reconsidered if a more permanent human presence occurred.","On buried waste, French deputies' written questions of 2020 quoted a 1997 report of the parliamentary office OPECST (Christian Bataille) stating that 'there is no precise data', and cited a July/August 2020 study by ICAN France and the Observatoire des armements as the first inventory. In answers of 22 December 2020 the Ministry of the Armed Forces restated the history and the IAEA mission without publishing burial zones; on 28 February 2023 it said the Sahara test waste was not declared in the French national inventory because it is not on French territory. In a written question published on 3 March 2026, Deputy Sabrina Sebaihi stated that hundreds of tonnes of radioactively contaminated waste had been buried by French military authorities between 1960 and 1967. In its answer of 8 September 2026 the ministry said that during his visit to Algeria on 25–27 August 2022 the French President handed President Tebboune a dossier of all the maps and information France holds on buried waste and radiologically marked zones. The Algerian Ministry of National Defence said in February 2026 that the absence of French maps and archives complicated its teams' work.","On 14 February 2026 the Algerian Ministry of National Defence announced the start of decontamination at Taourirt Tan Afella near In Ekker (the Béryl site). It said a decontamination camp had been set up, waste was being collected and stored in concrete containers, and the work was done under the supervision of Algerian experts with national capacities. No volumes, container numbers, areas or costs were given. In 2021 an Algerian army combat-engineering officer had described two companies created at Reggane and In Ekker to secure the sites through boundary marking, aerial surveillance, periodic water testing, closure of wells near polluted zones and radioactivity monitoring.","France's Law no. 2010-2 of 5 January 2010 created a compensation scheme run by CIVEN. In its 2025 report CIVEN recorded 4,455 claims registered in 2010–2025: 73 from residents of Algeria, 2,784 from French Polynesia and 1,598 from metropolitan France. It accepted 1,206 claims by decision (1 Algeria, 730 French Polynesia, 475 metropolitan France) and paid EUR 102,408,063 for 1,492 compensations over the period; the table gives no breakdown of amounts by residence. Algeria's parliament passed a law on the criminalisation of French colonisation, which lists the nuclear tests among the acts covered, in its lower house in December 2025 (AFP); an amended version was approved in March 2026 with the clause seeking compensation for victims of the nuclear tests unchanged and no amount stated (The New Arab)."],"timeline":[{"y":1960,"t":"First test, Gerboise Bleue, at Reggane (13 Feb); Gerboise Blanche (1 Apr); Gerboise Rouge (27 Dec)","src":0},{"y":1961,"t":"Gerboise Verte (25 Apr); plutonium experiments at Reggane (Apr–May); first tunnel test at Taourirt Tan Afella (7 Nov)","src":0},{"y":1962,"t":"Béryl test at gallery E2 with accidental release of fission products mixed with molten rock (1 May)","src":0},{"y":1966,"t":"Last tunnel test (16 Feb); French radiological survey of the sites in 1966–1967","src":0},{"y":1999,"t":"IAEA fact-finding mission at Algeria's request (November)","src":0},{"y":2005,"t":"IAEA report published","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Franco-Algerian expert working group on the tests created (French ministry account)","src":1},{"y":2010,"t":"Law no. 2010-2 creates the compensation scheme (5 Jan)","src":4},{"y":2016,"t":"Conseil d'État opinion that the scheme is 'national solidarity', not a liability regime (17 Oct)","src":4},{"y":2021,"t":"Conseil constitutionnel decision no. 2021-955 QPC (10 Dec); Algerian army describes two engineering companies securing the sites (February)","src":4},{"y":2022,"t":"Presidential visit to Algeria (25–27 Aug); French ministry later says a dossier of maps was handed over","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"President Tebboune: 'come and clean the nuclear test sites' (October)","src":6},{"y":2025,"t":"Lower house of Algeria's parliament passes law on French colonisation (about 24 Dec)","src":9},{"y":2026,"t":"Algeria starts decontamination at Taourirt Tan Afella (14 Feb); written question 13342 published (3 Mar); amended law approved (March); French ministry answer (8 Sep)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"During his visit of 25–27 August 2022 the President handed President Tebboune a dossier with all the maps and information France holds on buried waste and radiologically marked zones.","who":"French Ministry of the Armed Forces, answer to written question no. 13342","when":"8 September 2026","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"are not declared in the national inventory because they are not on French territory","who":"French Ministry of the Armed Forces, answer to written question no. 3511, on Sahara test waste","when":"28 February 2023","src":2,"translated":"French"},{"q":"there is no precise data","who":"OPECST report (1997), quoted in French deputies' written question no. 31962, on waste from the Sahara campaigns","when":"2020","src":3,"translated":"French"},{"q":"environmental remediation of any of the test areas is not required in order to reduce doses below established safety standards","who":"IAEA, Radiological Conditions at the Former French Nuclear Test Sites in Algeria","when":"2005","src":0},{"q":"The mission was able to achieve more than expected as a consequence of the detailed information provided by France.","who":"IAEA","when":"2005","src":0},{"q":"The number of Algerians filing claims remains very low: 73 over the whole period, 1.5%.","who":"CIVEN, activity report 2025","when":"2026","src":4,"translated":"French"},{"q":"You want us to be friends, come and clean the nuclear test sites","who":"President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (reported by TSA)","when":"October 2024","src":6,"translated":"French"},{"q":"Come and clean, we have no use for your money","who":"President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, address to parliament (reported by TSA)","when":"late December 2024","src":6,"translated":"French"},{"q":"The arguments by which France tries to justify its position are flimsy and not based on any political logic.","who":"Mohsen Guitouni, historian, University of Exeter (quoted by Echorouk)","when":"2 March 2026","src":8}],"shown":[{"t":"The installations were dismantled and the sites handed back to Algeria under the Evian accords.","who":"French Ministry of the Armed Forces, answer of 8 September 2026","src":1},{"t":"France transmitted to the IAEA a synthesis on test locations and techniques and a radiological survey of 1966–1967 with its extrapolation to 1999.","who":"French Ministry of the Armed Forces, answer of 8 September 2026","src":1},{"t":"Waste is collected and stored in concrete containers under the supervision of Algerian experts; the In Ekker region is still affected by caesium-137 and plutonium.","who":"Algerian Ministry of National Defence, documentary 'Les Algériens au cœur des défis' (reported by TSA)","src":6},{"t":"Requests from Algeria to CIVEN remain at a limited level; CIVEN held exchanges with the veterans' service in Algeria.","who":"CIVEN director, activity report 2025","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"IAEA mission of November 1999: external dose rate measured at 76 locations and 25 environmental samples (sand, fused sand, solidified lava, vegetation, well water) analysed; the IAEA called the number of samples 'somewhat small, in view of the size of the areas'.","src":0},{"t":"IAEA: most areas have little residual radioactive material except the ground zero localities of Gerboise Blanche and Gerboise Bleue at Reggane and the area at Taourirt Tan Afella near the E2 tunnel; lower residual activity at the E3 tunnel and Adrar Tikertine.","src":0},{"t":"IAEA dose estimates: nomadic herders near E2/E3 less than about 50 µSv a year; residents of Reggane town from dust much less than 1 mSv a year; metal scavengers near E2 lava up to about 0.5 mSv in 8 hours; all below the generic intervention level of 10 mSv a year.","src":0},{"t":"CIVEN payments to victims (all residences, including legal interest): EUR 102,408,063 for 1,492 compensations in 2010–2025; average EUR 69,490 per compensation; maximum single award in 2025 EUR 316,178.","src":4},{"t":"2025: 794 new claims at CIVEN (728 French Polynesia, 64 metropolitan France, 2 Algeria) and 600 decisions. 2024: 815 new claims (747, 66, 2), 575 decisions, 169 recognitions; offers went to 113 people in French Polynesia, 37 in metropolitan France and one Algerian who was a civilian at the time of the tests.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2010–2025","nature":[{"label":"Environmental remediation of the Sahara test sites","amount":null,"note":"No amount is on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"CIVEN payments to victims, all residences (1,492 compensations, including legal interest)","amount":102.408063,"window":"2010–2025","note":"No breakdown by place of residence is given."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tests","v":"17","d":"4 atmospheric and 13 underground, 1960–1966 (French Ministry of the Armed Forces)"},{"k":"Caesium-137 in E2 lava","v":"up to 2 MBq/kg","d":"IAEA mission of November 1999; about 3.5 × 10^5 t of lava buried in the mountain"},{"k":"Claims accepted by CIVEN decision","v":"1 of 1,206","d":"From a resident of Algeria, 2010–2025"},{"k":"Cost of Algeria's decontamination","v":"Not disclosed","d":"Operation announced 14 February 2026; no cost, volume or completion date published"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded in the IAEA's radiological measurements of 1999, which assessed doses to people at the test sites.","report":[{"t":"Between 1960 and 1966 France tested 4 atmospheric and 13 underground nuclear devices on my Saharan ground at Reggane and In Ekker, according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.","src":1},{"t":"In 1999 the IAEA measured the external dose rate at 76 locations on me and analysed 25 samples of my sand, fused sand, solidified lava, vegetation and well water.","src":0},{"t":"The IAEA found little residual radioactive material on most of my test areas, except at the ground zero localities of Gerboise Blanche and Gerboise Bleue at Reggane and at Taourirt Tan Afella near the E2 tunnel.","src":0},{"t":"At E2 the IAEA recorded caesium-137 in lava at concentrations up to 2 MBq/kg and about 3.5 × 10^5 tonnes of lava buried in my mountain; it wrote that current external exposure rates were less than one tenth of those in 1966.","src":0},{"t":"The IAEA wrote that fused sand ground into respirable dust and inhaled without protection could present an inhalation hazard.","src":0},{"t":"In February 2026 the Algerian Ministry of National Defence said that the In Ekker region is still affected by caesium-137 and plutonium.","src":6}]},"unknown":["None on record: any court ruling on environmental damage at the Sahara test sites.","Not measured: effects on wildlife, vegetation and soil organisms; the IAEA assessment covered doses to people.","Insufficient: the IAEA described its 25 samples as 'somewhat small, in view of the size of the areas', its plutonium samples at Adrar Tikertine as 'not sufficient to be representative', and its data as inadequate for a radioecological study or inventory; it wrote that the lifestyles of nomadic people 'are not thoroughly documented', so likely doses are 'highly uncertain'.","None on record: precise data on waste from the Sahara campaigns; an OPECST report of 1997, quoted by French deputies, stated that none existed, and the French ministry said in 2023 that the waste is not declared in the national inventory.","Not disclosed: the cost, the volume of waste removed and the completion date of Algeria's decontamination operation announced on 14 February 2026.","Not disclosed: a breakdown of CIVEN payments by place of residence.","Figures differ: CIVEN's 2024 report gives cumulative court-ordered acceptances of 194 metropolitan, 1 Algeria and 35 French Polynesia (230 in total); its 2025 report gives 314, 1 and 21 for 2010–2024 and a total of 339 including 2025. The figure for Algeria (1) is the same in both.","None on record: insurance cover or payments."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The last test took place on 16 February 1966. In 1999 the IAEA recorded residual radioactive material at the Gerboise Bleue and Gerboise Blanche ground zero areas and near the E2 tunnel. Algeria began decontamination at Taourirt Tan Afella on 14 February 2026; no volume or completion date is on record.","whoPaid":"France paid EUR 102,408,063 to victims through CIVEN in 2010–2025; the share going to residents of Algeria is not broken out, and one claim by a resident of Algeria was accepted by decision. No payment for environmental remediation is on record. Algeria's decontamination was announced as carried out with national capacities, with no cost published.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the French ministry's answer of 8 September 2026 states that maps were handed over in 2022; Algeria has been decontaminating at Taourirt Tan Afella since February 2026; no cost or completion date is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"french-armed-forces-ministry","says":"Stated that France transmitted a synthesis and a 1966–1967 radiological survey to the IAEA and that the President handed over a dossier of all maps and information on buried waste and radiologically marked zones in August 2022.","when":"8 September 2026","src":1},{"actor":"algeria-mdn","says":"Stated that the absence of French maps and archives complicated its teams' work and made identification of radioactive zones difficult; announced the start of decontamination at In Ekker.","when":"February 2026","src":6},{"actor":"civen","says":"Stated that requests from Algeria remain at a limited level and that it held exchanges with the veterans' service in Algeria.","when":"2026","src":4},{"actor":"iaea","says":"Stated that remediation was not required to bring doses below established safety standards, with intervention at three locations to be reconsidered if economic conditions change and a more permanent human presence occurs.","when":"2005","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"french-armed-forces-ministry","role":"Ministry answering parliamentary questions on the tests and waste"},{"id":"civen","role":"Compensation committee for victims of the tests"},{"id":"algeria-mdn","role":"Announced decontamination at In Ekker (February 2026)"},{"id":"algeria-gov","role":"Government of Algeria; President Tebboune's statements"},{"id":"iaea","role":"1999 fact-finding mission; 2005 report"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether Algeria holds French maps of buried waste and marked zones","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"French Ministry of the Armed Forces","says":"In its answer of 8 September 2026 stated that the French President handed President Tebboune a dossier of all maps and information France holds on buried waste and radiologically marked zones during the visit of 25–27 August 2022.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Algerian Ministry of National Defence","says":"In February 2026 stated that the absence of French maps and archives on the operations complicated the teams' work and made identification of radioactive zones difficult.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Algerian army combat-engineering head, Gen. Bouzid Boufrioua","says":"In February 2021 spoke of the absence of technical information on the nature of the nuclear explosions and the buried polluted material, and asked France to decontaminate the sites and compensate people with test-related illnesses, citing the polluter-pays principle.","src":7}]},{"point":"Yield of the failed underground test at In Ekker","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA","says":"Gave the yield class for Béryl (1 May 1962) as 10 < W < 40 kt.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Algerian Ministry of National Defence (documentary reported by TSA)","says":"Described the failed In Ekker explosion as equivalent to 150,000 tonnes of TNT.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Compensation scheme under Law no. 2010-2 (CIVEN)","forum":"CIVEN (French compensation committee for victims of nuclear tests), with administrative courts","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"People claiming illness linked to the tests","defendant":"CIVEN","filed":2010,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":102.408063,"currency":"EUR","label":"paid by CIVEN in 2010–2025, all claimants"},"summary":"Law no. 2010-2 of 5 January 2010 set up the scheme. A Conseil d'État opinion of 17 October 2016 held that it is 'national solidarity', not a liability regime. By 2025 CIVEN had registered 4,455 claims (73 from residents of Algeria) and accepted 1,206 by decision (1 from a resident of Algeria), plus 339 on court decision (1 from a resident of Algeria).","src":4},{"title":"Conseil constitutionnel decision no. 2021-955 QPC","forum":"Conseil constitutionnel","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"administrative","claimant":null,"defendant":null,"filed":null,"decided":2021,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Decision of 10 December 2021, cited by CIVEN as affecting court-ordered payments, a large number of cases having been settled by administrative courts.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tests_total","value":17,"unit":"tests","year":1966,"note":"4 atmospheric and 13 underground, 1960–1966 (French Ministry of the Armed Forces)."},{"key":"underground_yield_total","value":270,"unit":"kt","year":1966,"qualifier":"about","note":"Total energy released by the 13 underground tests (IAEA)."},{"key":"cs137_lava_e2","value":2,"unit":"MBq/kg","year":1999,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Caesium-137 in lava at E2 (IAEA)."},{"key":"lava_mass_e2","value":350000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1999,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lava buried in the mountain (IAEA: about 3.5 × 10^5 t)."},{"key":"dose_rate_locations","value":76,"unit":"locations","year":1999,"note":"External dose rate measured by the IAEA mission."},{"key":"samples","value":25,"unit":"samples","year":1999,"note":"Environmental samples analysed by the IAEA mission."},{"key":"claims_registered","value":4455,"unit":"claims","year":2025,"note":"CIVEN, cumulative 2010–2025: 73 residents of Algeria, 2,784 French Polynesia, 1,598 metropolitan France."},{"key":"claims_registered_algeria","value":73,"unit":"claims","year":2025,"note":"CIVEN states 1.5% of the total, cumulative 2010–2025."},{"key":"claims_accepted_by_decision","value":1206,"unit":"claims","year":2025,"note":"CIVEN, cumulative 2010–2025: 1 Algeria, 730 French Polynesia, 475 metropolitan France."},{"key":"claims_accepted_by_court","value":339,"unit":"claims","year":2025,"note":"CIVEN 2025 report table: 1 Algeria, 317 metropolitan, 21 French Polynesia."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":102.408063,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"CIVEN, 1,492 compensations in 2010–2025, including legal interest; no breakdown by residence."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":11.60978,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"CIVEN payments in 2025."},{"key":"compensation_average","value":0.06949,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Average per compensation over 2010–2025 (CIVEN: EUR 69,490)."},{"key":"compensation_max","value":0.316178,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Maximum single award in 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"France carried out 17 nuclear tests (4 atmospheric, 13 underground) at Reggane and In Ekker in the Algerian Sahara in 1960–1966. The IAEA found residual radioactive material at three locations in 1999; France and Algeria give differing accounts of whether maps of buried waste were handed over; Algeria began decontamination at Taourirt Tan Afella in February 2026.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Claimants accepted by CIVEN","what":"EUR 102,408,063 paid for 1,492 compensations in 2010–2025 (all residences); 1 of 1,206 claims accepted by decision came from a resident of Algeria","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"CIVEN / French compensation scheme","what":"Paid EUR 102,408,063 in 2010–2025, including legal interest","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Reggane test site (Gerboise Bleue and Gerboise Blanche ground zero areas)","what":"Residual radioactive material recorded by the IAEA in 1999","src":0},{"who":"Taourirt Tan Afella near the E2 tunnel","what":"Caesium-137 in lava up to 2 MBq/kg and about 3.5 × 10^5 t of lava buried in the mountain (IAEA, 1999)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Reggane atmospheric test site, about 50 km south of the Reggane oasis (Adrar wilaya); In Ekker underground test site in the Taourirt Tan Afella massif, about 140 km north of Tamanrasset (Tamanrasset wilaya); Adrar Tikertine, about 30 km west of Taourirt Tan Afella.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Tests from 13 February 1960 to 16 February 1966; French radiological survey 1966–1967; IAEA mission November 1999; Law no. 2010-2 of 5 January 2010; Algerian decontamination announced 14 February 2026; French ministry answer 8 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Law no. 2010-2 of 5 January 2010 created CIVEN, which decides claims by people who were present in the test areas and have listed diseases. Waste and map questions have been handled through parliamentary questions in France and a Franco-Algerian working group created in 2008; Algeria's army reported securing the sites from 2021 and began decontamination in 2026.","src":4},"ratio":{"t":"Of 4,455 claims registered by CIVEN in 2010–2025, 73 (1.5%, CIVEN's figure) came from residents of Algeria; of the 1,206 accepted by decision, 1 did.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Radiological Conditions at the Former French Nuclear Test Sites in Algeria: Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations (STI/PUB/1215)","p":"IAEA","d":"2005","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub1215_web_new.pdf"},{"t":"Written question no. 13342, 'Consequences of the 17 nuclear explosions conducted by France in Algeria' (answer in the Journal officiel, 8 September 2026)","p":"Assemblée nationale","d":"2026-09-08","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/questions/QANR5L17QE13342.pdf"},{"t":"Written question no. 3511, 'Transparency on military nuclear waste' (answer 28 February 2023)","p":"Assemblée nationale","d":"2023-02-28","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/16/questions/QANR5L16QE3511.pdf"},{"t":"Written questions nos. 31962, 32123, 32125, 32496, 'Waste from France's nuclear tests in Algeria' (answers 22 December 2020)","p":"Assemblée nationale","d":"2020-12-22","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://questions.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/15/questions/QANR5L15QE31962.pdf"},{"t":"Activity report 2025 (Rapport d'activité 2025)","p":"CIVEN","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.civen.fr/sites/civen/files/documents/rapport-d-activite-2025-mn_1.pdf"},{"t":"Activity report 2024 (Rapport d'activité 2024)","p":"CIVEN","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.civen.fr/sites/civen/files/documents/rapport-d-activite-2024_0.pdf"},{"t":"Algeria begins decontaminating French nuclear explosion sites (L'Algérie entame la décontamination des sites des explosions nucléaires françaises)","p":"TSA Algérie","d":"2026-02-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.tsa-algerie.com/lalgerie-entame-la-decontamination-des-sites-des-explosions-nucleaires-francaises/"},{"t":"The ANP asks France to decontaminate the nuclear test sites in Algeria (L'ANP demande à la France de décontaminer les sites des essais nucléaires en Algérie)","p":"TSA Algérie","d":"2021-02-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.tsa-algerie.com/lanp-demande-a-la-france-de-decontaminer-les-sites-des-essais-nucleaires-en-algerie/"},{"t":"Proposal To Declassify Maps And Data Of Colonial Nuclear Explosions In Algeria","p":"Echorouk Online","d":"2026-03-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.echoroukonline.com/proposal-to-declassify-maps-and-data-of-colonial-nuclear-explosions-in-algeria"},{"t":"Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a crime","p":"The Local (AFP)","d":"2025-12-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.thelocal.fr/20251225/algeria-passes-law-declaring-french-colonisation-a-crime"},{"t":"Algeria approves amended law criminalising French rule","p":"The New Arab","d":"2026-03-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.newarab.com/news/algeria-approves-amended-law-criminalising-french-rule?amp=1"}],"episodes":[],"related":["moruroa-nuclear-tests-exposure","semipalatinsk-test-site-compensation-law"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Yield of the failed underground test at In Ekker","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental remediation of the Sahara test sites — No amount is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Algeria holds French maps of buried waste and marked zones","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Conseil constitutionnel decision no. 2021-955 QPC: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any court ruling on environmental damage at the Sahara test sites.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: effects on wildlife, vegetation and soil organisms; the IAEA assessment covered doses to people.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the IAEA described its 25 samples as 'somewhat small, in view of the size of the areas', its plutonium samples at Adrar Tikertine as 'not sufficient to be representative', and its data as inadequate for a radioecological study or inventory; it wrote that the lifestyles of nomadic people 'are not thoroughly documented', so likely doses are 'highly uncertain'.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: precise data on waste from the Sahara campaigns; an OPECST report of 1997, quoted by French deputies, stated that none existed, and the French ministry said in 2023 that the waste is not declared in the national inventory.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cost, the volume of waste removed and the completion date of Algeria's decontamination operation announced on 14 February 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a breakdown of CIVEN payments by place of residence.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: CIVEN's 2024 report gives cumulative court-ordered acceptances of 194 metropolitan, 1 Algeria and 35 French Polynesia (230 in total); its 2025 report gives 314, 1 and 21 for 2010–2024 and a total of 339 including 2025. The figure for Algeria (1) is the same in both.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"in-salah-co2-storage-krechba","title":"In Salah CO2 storage at Krechba (Sonatrach, BP, Statoil)","dek":"A Sonatrach, BP and Statoil joint venture injected 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 at the Krechba gas field in the Algerian Sahara between 2004 and 2011. Injection was halted in June 2011; US Department of Energy laboratory work in 2012 reported that pressure may have migrated into the lower caprock.","country":"Algeria","region":"Africa","lat":29.1,"lon":2.2,"places":[{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","admin":"Krechba gas field, In Salah Gas project","lat":29.1,"lon":2.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"BP","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":"Statoil (now Equinor)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2004,"end":2011,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","types":["climate-tech","fossil-fuel","carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"CO2 injected at Krechba, 2004–2011, against about 17 Mt planned over the project life","value":"3.8 Mt","note":"The planned figure comes from a BP presentation; injection was halted in June 2011."},"happened":["The In Salah Gas project was a joint venture of Sonatrach, BP and Statoil at the Krechba field in the central Algerian Sahara. According to a BP presentation, the reservoir gas contained 5–10% CO2; only the separated CO2 was to be re-injected, about 1 million tonnes a year (60 mmscf/d), with about 17 million tonnes to be stored over the project life, while CO2 from combustion sources would be vented. Full production and injection began in September 2004, into Carboniferous sandstone at about 1,880 m depth and about 20 m thick, through three horizontal injectors (KB-501, KB-502, KB-503). A 2022 study put the CO2 injected in 2004–2011 at 3.8 million tonnes.","A joint industry project (JIP) on storage assurance ran for five years, 2004–2009, at a total cost of US$30 million. Its stated purpose was to 'set precedents for the regulation and verification of the geological storage of CO2, allowing eligibility for GHG credits'. Laboratory research by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) was performed under the auspices of the US Department of Energy, with data and co-funding from the JIP; the amounts are not stated.","In June 2011 'injection operations were halted at the site to allow the operator to re-evaluate the injection strategy', according to the LLNL/DOE review. The MIT carbon capture database stated that injection was halted over 'concerns about the integrity of the seal', that 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 were 'successfully stored in the Krechba Formation', and that 'No leakage of CO2 was reported during the lifetime of the project.'","In 2012 LLNL reported from satellite radar (InSAR) monitoring an 'anomalous double lobe feature' that 'suggests pressure may have migrated into lower caprock', that hydrofrac pressure was exceeded, a best estimate of 200 m for the vertical fracture extent, and a low probability that the feature had grown beyond the lower caprock interval. A 2022 study citing Ringrose et al. (2020) gave surface uplift of 14 to 21 mm near the injection wells in 2010. The overburden includes the Pan-Saharan aquifer, with a water table at about 150 m, and one research question posed in the review was whether a leak to the shallow groundwater aquifer would be detectable."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Full production and injection begin (September); storage-assurance JIP starts (2004–2009)","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"Storage-assurance JIP ends","src":0},{"y":2010,"t":"Surface uplift of 14–21 mm recorded near the injection wells (InSAR)","src":3},{"y":2011,"t":"Injection halted to re-evaluate the injection strategy (June); 3.8 Mt injected 2004–2011","src":2},{"y":2012,"t":"LLNL/DOE review reports a double-lobe deformation feature and a best-estimate vertical fracture extent of 200 m","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"Demonstrate to stakeholders that industrial-scale geological storage of CO2 is a viable GHG mitigation option.","who":"BP and joint venture goal, CSLF presentation by P. Sharman","when":"c. 2004–2005","src":0},{"q":"Set precedents for the regulation and verification of the geological storage of CO2, allowing eligibility for GHG credits.","who":"Stated purpose of the storage-assurance JIP, CSLF presentation by P. Sharman","when":"c. 2004–2005","src":0},{"q":"injection operations were halted at the site to allow the operator to re-evaluate the injection strategy","who":"LLNL review for the US Department of Energy","when":"2013","src":2},{"q":"Anomalous double lobe feature suggests pressure may have migrated into lower caprock","who":"LLNL (J.A. White et al.), US DOE Carbon Storage R&D review","when":"August 2012","src":1},{"q":"concerns about the integrity of the seal","who":"MIT CCS Technologies project database, on why injection was halted","when":"archived 2016","src":4},{"q":"No leakage of CO2 was reported during the lifetime of the project.","who":"MIT CCS Technologies project database","when":"archived 2016","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"Industrial-scale geological storage of CO2 presented as a viable GHG mitigation option; only separated CO2 to be re-injected, about 1 million tonnes a year.","who":"BP and joint venture, CSLF presentation (c. 2004–2005)","src":0},{"t":"3.8 MT of CO2 successfully stored in the Krechba Formation; no leakage reported.","who":"MIT CCS Technologies project database","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"3.8 Mt of CO2 injected in 2004–2011 through three horizontal injectors, against about 17 Mt planned over the project life.","src":3},{"t":"CO2 from combustion sources at the facility was to be vented, not stored.","src":0},{"t":"Surface uplift of 14 to 21 mm near the injection wells in 2010, measured by InSAR.","src":3},{"t":"LLNL: 'Hydrofrac pressure was exceeded'; 'Best estimate of vertical fracture extent is 200 meters'; 'Low probability that feature has grown beyond lower caprock interval.'","src":1},{"t":"Storage-assurance JIP total cost US$30 million (2004–2009); MIT database: total project estimated to cost US$2.7 billion, injection cost about US$6 per tonne.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2004–2009 (JIP); project total undated","nature":[{"label":"Carbon credits issued for In Salah","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Storage-assurance JIP, total cost","amount":30,"window":"2004–2009"},{"label":"Total project cost estimate (MIT database; scope not stated)","amount":2700,"qualifier":"estimated"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"CO2 injected","v":"3.8 Mt","d":"2004–2011; about 17 Mt planned over the project life"},{"k":"Estimated vertical fracture extent","v":"200 m","d":"LLNL best estimate, lower caprock, 2012"},{"k":"Surface uplift near the wells","v":"14–21 mm","d":"InSAR, 2010"},{"k":"Carbon credits issued","v":"None on record","d":"The JIP's stated aim was eligibility for GHG credits"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded in monitoring data (InSAR surface deformation and caprock pressure modelling) rather than in a reported leak.","report":[{"t":"Near the injection wells my surface rose by 14 to 21 mm in 2010, measured by satellite radar (InSAR), according to a 2022 study citing Ringrose et al. (2020).","src":3},{"t":"In 2012 the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory reported that pressure may have migrated into my lower caprock and that the hydrofrac pressure had been exceeded; its best estimate of the vertical fracture extent was 200 metres.","src":1},{"t":"Above the reservoir my overburden includes the Pan-Saharan aquifer, with a water table at about 150 m.","src":1},{"t":"MIT's project database states that no leakage of CO2 from me was reported during the lifetime of the project.","src":4},{"t":"CO2 from combustion sources at the facility was vented into my air rather than stored, according to a BP presentation.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: LLNL noted 'significant uncertainties' on whether linear features extend beyond the lower storage unit.","Unclear: the scope of the US$2.7 billion total project cost estimate in the MIT database, whether the whole gas project or the CO2 storage component.","Not disclosed: the amounts of US Department of Energy and other co-funding for the research programme.","None on record: carbon credits issued for In Salah.","None on record: a separate statement from Sonatrach or the Algerian government.","None on record: legal proceedings, insurance cover or payments."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Injection was halted in June 2011 after 3.8 Mt had been injected since 2004. The 2012 LLNL review recorded a best-estimate fracture extent of 200 m in the lower caprock.","whoPaid":"The storage-assurance JIP cost US$30 million in 2004–2009. None on record: who paid for any remedial work on the caprock; no carbon credits are on record.","statusLine":"Injection has been halted since June 2011 (latest source: US DOE/LLNL review, 2013).","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"bp","says":"A joint venture presentation stated the goal of demonstrating to stakeholders that industrial-scale geological storage of CO2 is a viable GHG mitigation option.","when":"c. 2004–2005","src":0},{"actor":"us-department-of-energy","says":"The LLNL review prepared under its auspices recorded the June 2011 halt of injection to allow the operator to re-evaluate the injection strategy.","when":"2013","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"sonatrach","role":"Joint venture partner and operator of the Krechba field"},{"id":"bp","role":"Joint venture partner"},{"id":"equinor","role":"Joint venture partner (then Statoil)"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"Laboratory research on the site (LLNL)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Reason given for halting injection in June 2011","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of Energy / LLNL review","says":"Injection was halted 'to allow the operator to re-evaluate the injection strategy'.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"MIT CCS Technologies database","says":"Injection was halted over 'concerns about the integrity of the seal'; no leakage of CO2 was reported during the lifetime of the project.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"co2_injected","value":3.8,"unit":"Mt","year":2011,"note":"Cumulative 2004–2011 (Lee et al. 2022; MIT database)."},{"key":"co2_planned_storage","value":17,"unit":"Mt","year":2004,"qualifier":"about","note":"Planned over the project life (BP presentation)."},{"key":"co2_injection_rate_planned","value":1,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2004,"qualifier":"about","note":"60 mmscf/d re-injected (BP presentation)."},{"key":"injection_wells","value":3,"unit":"wells","year":2011,"note":"Horizontal injectors KB-501, KB-502, KB-503."},{"key":"reservoir_depth","value":1880,"unit":"m","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Carboniferous sandstone about 20 m thick."},{"key":"surface_uplift","value":"14–21","unit":"mm","year":2010,"note":"InSAR near the injection wells (Lee et al. 2022, citing Ringrose et al. 2020)."},{"key":"fracture_extent_vertical","value":200,"unit":"m","year":2012,"note":"LLNL best estimate, lower caprock."},{"key":"water_table_depth","value":150,"unit":"m","year":2012,"qualifier":"about","note":"Overburden includes the Pan-Saharan aquifer."},{"key":"jip_cost","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"Storage-assurance JIP total cost, 2004–2009."},{"key":"project_cost_estimate","value":2700,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"MIT database; scope not stated."},{"key":"injection_cost","value":6,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"MIT database."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Sonatrach, BP and Statoil joint venture injected 3.8 Mt of CO2 at the Krechba gas field in 2004–2011. Injection was halted in June 2011; a 2012 LLNL review reported that pressure may have migrated into the lower caprock.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sonatrach, BP and Statoil (joint venture)","what":"Operated the project; the JIP's stated aim was eligibility of geological storage for GHG credits; no credits are on record","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Storage-assurance JIP","what":"Total cost of US$30 million over 2004–2009","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lower caprock above the injectors at Krechba","what":"Fracture/damage zone with a best-estimate vertical extent of 200 m (LLNL, 2012)","src":1},{"who":"Surface near the injection wells","what":"Uplift of 14–21 mm recorded in 2010","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Krechba gas field, In Salah Gas project, central Algerian Sahara; reservoir of Carboniferous sandstone at about 1,880 m depth.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Full production and injection from September 2004; JIP 2004–2009; injection halted in June 2011; LLNL review August 2012.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Carbon capture and storage was presented as a greenhouse-gas mitigation demonstration, with a research programme intended to set precedents for eligibility for GHG credits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Separated CO2 from the gas stream was re-injected through three horizontal injectors into the reservoir; CO2 from combustion sources was vented.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Proposed CSLF Project: The In Salah Gas CO2 Storage Assurance Project (P. Sharman, BP)","p":"CSLF / US DOE archive","d":"c. 2004–2005","type":"company","u":"https://fossil.energy.gov/archives/cslf/sites/default/files/documents/Melbourne/Sharman_Philip_Wed_Pal_AB_1100.pdf"},{"t":"InSalah CO2 Storage Project, Carbon Storage R&D Project Review (J.A. White et al., LLNL)","p":"US DOE NETL","d":"2012-08","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.netl.doe.gov/sites/default/files/event-proceedings/2012/Carbon%20Storage%20RD%20Project%20Review%20Meeting/1-35-White-Insalah-carbon-storage.pdf"},{"t":"InSalah review (J.A. White, LLNL), Carbon Storage review meeting","p":"US DOE NETL","d":"2013","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://netl.doe.gov/sites/default/files/event-proceedings/2013/carbon%20storage/1-35-jawhite-insalah-review.pdf"},{"t":"Geomechanical modeling of surface deformation induced by CO2 injection at the In Salah site (Lee et al.)","p":"KIGAM / SENSE project, NGI","d":"2022","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ngi.no/globalassets/bilder/eksterne-prosjektsider/sense/publications/wp2/lee-et-al.-2022-kigam_-geomechanical-modeling-of-surface-deformation-induced-by-co2-injection-at-the-in-salah-site.pdf"},{"t":"In Salah Fact Sheet: Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Project","p":"MIT CCS Technologies (archived; programme closed 2016)","d":"2016","type":"academic","u":"https://sequestration.mit.edu/tools/projects/in_salah.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Reason given for halting injection in June 2011","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Carbon credits issued for In Salah — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: LLNL noted 'significant uncertainties' on whether linear features extend beyond the lower storage unit.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the scope of the US$2.7 billion total project cost estimate in the MIT database, whether the whole gas project or the CO2 storage component.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of US Department of Energy and other co-funding for the research programme.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: carbon credits issued for In Salah.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a separate statement from Sonatrach or the Algerian government.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings, insurance cover or payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"in-salah-shale-gas-protests-2015","title":"In Salah shale gas pilot wells and protests, 2014–2015","dek":"Sonatrach announced the completion of the first shale-gas pilot wells near In Salah on 27 December 2014 and a programme of at least US$70 billion over 20 years. Protests that began on 1 January 2015 included clashes on 28 February – 1 March 2015.","country":"Algeria","region":"Africa","lat":27.2,"lon":2.5,"places":[{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","admin":"In Salah (Ain Salah), Ahnet basin, Tamanrasset wilaya","lat":27.2,"lon":2.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2014-12-27","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Sonatrach's announced shale-gas programme over 20 years","value":"at least US$70 billion","note":"CEO Said Sahnoun on state radio, January 2015, via AFP: about 20 bcm a year from 200 drill sites."},"happened":["According to an activist, drilling began in June 2014 without public notice. On 27 December 2014 three ministers, including the energy minister, announced that Sonatrach had finished the first shale-gas pilot wells; Sonatrach, with Halliburton, had tested shale potential near In Salah, in the Ahnet basin about 1,200 km south of Algiers.","Protests and a sit-in on Somoud square in In Salah began on 1 January 2015. The first violent clashes took place on 28 February – 1 March 2015: the Algerian interior ministry said about 40 policemen were injured in two days of riots, two seriously. The head of the 6th military region met representatives of the movement and promised an investigation into alleged excessive police force, and a defence ministry communiqué demanded that protesters leave the square. President Bouteflika vowed to continue exploration, calling shale gas a 'gift from God'.","In January 2015 Sonatrach CEO Said Sahnoun told state radio, as reported by AFP, that the company planned to invest at least US$70 billion over 20 years in shale gas, about 20 bcm a year from 200 drill sites, and that the pilot well in In Salah was producing clean gas and its waste water was being managed. He also said the company had perhaps not communicated enough about the issue. In May 2015 Al Jazeera reported that Sonatrach did not respond to requests for comment.","In May 2024 Sonatrach and ExxonMobil signed a memorandum of understanding on the Ahnet and Gourara areas, and preliminary agreements were reported with ExxonMobil and Chevron in 2024. In August 2025 Bloomberg reported that commercial terms were still under negotiation; Alnaft chairman Samir Bekhti said that 'The technical aspects have more or less been agreed upon.' Bloomberg also reported that shale efforts had been shelved in 2016 after resident protests."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Drilling begins in June according to an activist; three ministers announce the first pilot wells finished (27 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Protests and sit-in on Somoud square from 1 Jan; first violent clashes 28 Feb – 1 Mar; Sonatrach announces at least US$70 billion programme (January); Al Jazeera reports Sonatrach did not respond to requests for comment (May)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Sonatrach–ExxonMobil memorandum of understanding on Ahnet and Gourara (May); preliminary agreements with ExxonMobil and Chevron","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"Commercial terms still under negotiation (August)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"The pilot well in In Salah is producing clean gas. The waste water is being managed.","who":"Said Sahnoun, Sonatrach CEO, state radio via AFP","when":"January 2015","src":2},{"q":"Perhaps we haven't communicated enough about the issue.","who":"Said Sahnoun, Sonatrach CEO","when":"January 2015","src":2},{"q":"ecological catastrophe","who":"Abdelkader Bouhafs, Sonatrach engineer and activist of the Shems association, on what the movement aims to avoid","when":"March 2015","src":0},{"q":"gift from God","who":"President Bouteflika, on shale gas","when":"2015","src":1},{"q":"The technical aspects have more or less been agreed upon.","who":"Samir Bekhti, Alnaft chairman","when":"August 2025","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The first shale-gas pilot wells were finished.","who":"Three ministers including the energy minister, announcement of 27 December 2014","src":0},{"t":"The pilot well in In Salah is producing clean gas and the waste water is being managed.","who":"Sonatrach CEO Said Sahnoun, January 2015","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 40 policemen injured in two days of riots, two seriously (Algerian interior ministry statement, 28 February – 1 March 2015).","src":0},{"t":"Sonatrach plan of at least US$70 billion over 20 years, about 20 bcm a year from 200 drill sites.","src":2},{"t":"Bloomberg (August 2025): no dollar figure for the ExxonMobil and Chevron agreements; shale efforts shelved in 2016 after resident protests.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"20 years from 2015 (announced)","nature":[{"label":"Compensation to residents or environmental monitoring budget","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Sonatrach's announced shale-gas investment programme","amount":70000,"qualifier":"at least","window":"20 years"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Announced investment","v":"at least US$70 billion","d":"Over 20 years, about 20 bcm a year from 200 drill sites (Sonatrach, January 2015)"},{"k":"Police injured","v":"about 40","d":"Algerian interior ministry statement on the clashes of 28 February – 1 March 2015"},{"k":"Distance of pilot wells from town","v":"150 km vs 35 km","d":"Officials vs activist Abdelkader Bouhafs"},{"k":"Measured water, flowback, contamination or seismicity data","v":"None on record","d":"For the In Salah pilot wells"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: water use, flowback, contamination or seismicity at the In Salah pilot wells.","None on record: compensation to residents or an environmental monitoring budget.","None on record: court records on the protests or the wells.","None on record: a statement from Halliburton.","Not disclosed: investment, reserve or water figures in Al Jazeera's reporting of the protests.","Unclear: when the shale effort was shelved; Bloomberg (August 2025) reported 2016, while Al Jazeera reported protests in January–May 2015.","Not disclosed: the signature status of ExxonMobil and Chevron shale contracts after August 2025."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The pilot wells were announced finished on 27 December 2014; Bloomberg reported in August 2025 that shale efforts had been shelved in 2016 after resident protests.","whoPaid":"None on record. No compensation to residents and no environmental monitoring budget is on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2025: commercial terms with ExxonMobil and Chevron for the Ahnet basin were under negotiation, according to Bloomberg; no measured environmental data from the 2014 pilot wells is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"sonatrach","says":"CEO said the pilot well was producing clean gas, the waste water was being managed and the company perhaps had not communicated enough about the issue.","when":"January 2015","src":2},{"actor":"sonatrach","says":"Did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment.","when":"May 2015","src":1,"silent":true}],"actors":[{"id":"sonatrach","role":"Operator of the pilot wells; announced the US$70 billion programme"},{"id":"halliburton","role":"Named by Al Jazeera as testing shale potential with Sonatrach"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"2024 memorandum of understanding on Ahnet and Gourara"},{"id":"chevron","role":"2024 preliminary agreement"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Distance of the pilot wells from In Salah","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Officials","says":"Put the pilot wells about 150 km from the town.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Abdelkader Bouhafs, Sonatrach engineer and Shems association activist","says":"Said the drilling was about 35 km north of the town, not 150 km; Al Jazeera also located a Halliburton base camp about 10 km north of In Salah.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Sonatrach","says":"Did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment in May 2015.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"investment_announced","value":70000,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Over 20 years; about 20 bcm a year from 200 drill sites (Sonatrach CEO via AFP)."},{"key":"police_injured","value":40,"unit":"people","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Two days of riots, two seriously (interior ministry statement)."},{"key":"pilot_well_distance_official","value":150,"unit":"km","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Official figure; the activist figure is 35 km."},{"key":"pilot_well_distance_activist","value":35,"unit":"km","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Abdelkader Bouhafs; north of the town."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sonatrach, with Halliburton, drilled shale-gas pilot wells near In Salah in the Ahnet basin; the first were announced finished on 27 December 2014, and protests followed from 1 January 2015, including clashes on 28 February – 1 March 2015.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sonatrach","what":"Announced a programme of at least US$70 billion over 20 years; 2024 preliminary agreements with ExxonMobil and Chevron for the same basin","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"About 40 policemen","what":"Injured in the clashes of 28 February – 1 March 2015, two seriously (interior ministry statement)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ahnet basin near In Salah","what":"No measured data on water use, flowback, contamination or seismicity is on record","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Ahnet basin near In Salah (Ain Salah), about 1,200 km south of Algiers; pilot wells reported at about 150 km (officials) or about 35 km (activist) from the town.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Drilling from June 2014 (activist claim); pilot wells announced 27 December 2014; protests from 1 January 2015; clashes 28 February – 1 March 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Sonatrach tested the shale-gas potential of the Ahnet basin; President Bouteflika called shale gas a 'gift from God'.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Hydraulic-fracturing pilot wells over the Saharan aquifer system were drilled by Sonatrach with Halliburton; protesters demanded a halt to drilling and a national debate on energy transition (movement leader Hacina Zegzeg).","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Q&A: 'We want to avoid an ecological disaster'","p":"Al Jazeera English","d":"2015-03-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2015/3/11/qa-we-want-to-avoid-an-ecological-disaster"},{"t":"Algeria's opposition flares up amid fracking plans","p":"Al Jazeera English","d":"2015-05-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/5/7/algerias-opposition-flares-up-amid-fracking-plans"},{"t":"Algeria looks to invest $70b in shale gas over 20 years","p":"Gulf News (AFP)","d":"2015-01","type":"press","u":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/algeria-looks-to-invest-70b-in-shale-gas-over-20-years-1.1439717"},{"t":"Algeria nears deals with Exxon, Chevron in shale gas push","p":"World Oil (Bloomberg)","d":"2025-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://worldoil.com/news/2025/8/15/algeria-nears-deals-with-exxon-chevron-in-shale-gas-push/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Sonatrach announced at least US$70 billion for shale gas from 200 drill sites on me over 20 years; no measured water, contamination or seismicity data are on record for the In Salah pilot wells.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Distance of the pilot wells from In Salah","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation to residents or environmental monitoring budget — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Sonatrach: Did not respond to Al Jazeera's requests for comment in May 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: water use, flowback, contamination or seismicity at the In Salah pilot wells.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation to residents or an environmental monitoring budget.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court records on the protests or the wells.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement from Halliburton.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: investment, reserve or water figures in Al Jazeera's reporting of the protests.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: when the shale effort was shelved; Bloomberg (August 2025) reported 2016, while Al Jazeera reported protests in January–May 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the signature status of ExxonMobil and Chevron shale contracts after August 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Ahnet basin near In Salah"]},{"id":"algeria-landfill-methane-super-emitters","title":"Methane from Algerian landfills: Magtaa Kheira and Hassi Bounif","dek":"Carbon Mapper's satellite data, published in June 2025, showed methane emissions from the Magtaa Kheira landfill near Algiers almost two orders of magnitude larger than modelled emissions. A 2026 press article and a UCLA page differ on the rank of the Algiers landfill among the world's largest plumes of 2025.","country":"Algeria","region":"Africa","lat":36.68,"lon":2.86,"places":[{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","admin":"Magtaa Kheira landfill, Mahelma municipality, about 20 km southwest of Algiers","lat":36.68,"lon":2.86,"role":"event"},{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","admin":"Hassi Bounif landfill, Oran","lat":35.68,"lon":-0.452,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"waste","types":["waste"],"headline":{"label":"Magtaa Kheira landfill's share of waste super-emitter emissions in Algeria (Carbon Mapper)","value":"88%","note":"Carbon Mapper wrote that this is equivalent to one-third of Algeria's reported national solid waste methane emissions; survey period August 2022 – May 2025."},"happened":["Carbon Mapper's brief 'Methane Waste Super-emitters: An Opportunity for Global Action in the Waste Sector', published on 25 June 2025, used NASA EMIT and Planet Tanager-1 satellite data from August 2022 to May 2025. On the Magtaa Kheira landfill in Mahelma municipality, about 20 km southwest of Algiers (listed by Carbon Mapper under 'Blida, Algeria'), it wrote that its satellite data show emissions 'almost two orders of magnitude larger than modelled emissions', referring to the EDGAR and Climate TRACE inventories. It wrote that the landfill 'can account for 88% of waste super-emitter emissions in Algeria', 'equivalent to one-third of Algeria's reported national solid waste methane emissions', and called it an 'especially egregious emitter'.","For the Hassi Bounif landfill in Oran, Carbon Mapper gave an average source emission rate of 1,300 kg/h and recorded a plume on 25 October 2024. An Algiers-area plume was recorded by Tanager-1 on 2 January 2025.","In March 2026 Impakter reported that the top-polluting landfill was located in Algiers, at 7.4 t/h between 2 January and 18 September 2025, attributing the figure to the UCLA Stop Methane project. The UCLA/Stop Methane page of 20 April 2026 names a landfill near Buenos Aires as number 1 at 7.6 t/h and lists 'Algeria (1)' among the top 25 plumes without further detail."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Start of the satellite survey period (August)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Hassi Bounif plume recorded (25 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Algiers-area plume recorded by Tanager-1 (2 Jan); survey period ends (May); Carbon Mapper brief published (25 June)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Impakter article (20 Mar) and UCLA/Stop Methane top-25 page (20 Apr) give differing accounts of the Algiers landfill's rank","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"Our satellite data show emissions that are almost two orders of magnitude larger than modelled emissions","who":"Carbon Mapper, on the Magtaa Kheira landfill (EDGAR and Climate TRACE)","when":"25 June 2025","src":0},{"q":"The landfill can account for 88% of waste super-emitter emissions in Algeria","who":"Carbon Mapper","when":"25 June 2025","src":0},{"q":"equivalent to one-third of Algeria's reported national solid waste methane emissions","who":"Carbon Mapper","when":"25 June 2025","src":0},{"q":"especially egregious emitter","who":"Carbon Mapper, on the Magtaa Kheira landfill","when":"25 June 2025","src":0},{"q":"The top-polluting landfill is located in Algiers, Algeria","who":"Impakter (secondary report attributing the figure to the UCLA Stop Methane project)","when":"20 March 2026","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The Magtaa Kheira landfill accounts for 88% of waste super-emitter emissions in Algeria.","who":"Carbon Mapper, brief of 25 June 2025","src":0},{"t":"The top-polluting landfill is in Algiers at 7.4 t/h between 2 January and 18 September 2025.","who":"Impakter, 20 March 2026, attributing the figure to UCLA Stop Methane","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Carbon Mapper: Magtaa Kheira emissions almost two orders of magnitude larger than modelled emissions; 88% of waste super-emitter emissions in Algeria.","src":0},{"t":"Carbon Mapper: Hassi Bounif average source emission rate 1,300 kg/h, plume of 25 October 2024.","src":0},{"t":"UCLA/Stop Methane (20 April 2026): landfill near Buenos Aires No. 1 at 7.6 t/h; 'Algeria (1)' among the top 25 without detail.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[{"label":"Fine, public budget or climate-finance project linked to the two landfills","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Magtaa Kheira vs modelled emissions","v":"almost two orders of magnitude","d":"Satellite data vs EDGAR and Climate TRACE (Carbon Mapper)"},{"k":"Share of Algeria's waste super-emitter emissions","v":"88%","d":"Magtaa Kheira landfill (Carbon Mapper)"},{"k":"Hassi Bounif average source emission rate","v":"1,300 kg/h","d":"Carbon Mapper; plume of 25 October 2024"},{"k":"Fine, budget or project linked to the sites","v":"None on record","d":""}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm to the atmosphere is recorded in satellite-measured methane emission rates compared with modelled inventory values.","report":[{"t":"Between August 2022 and May 2025 satellites measured methane leaving my Magtaa Kheira landfill at almost two orders of magnitude above the modelled emissions in the EDGAR and Climate TRACE inventories, according to Carbon Mapper.","src":0},{"t":"Carbon Mapper wrote that this one landfill can account for 88% of the methane from waste super-emitters in Algeria, equivalent to one-third of Algeria's reported national solid waste methane emissions.","src":0},{"t":"Carbon Mapper gave an average source emission rate of 1,300 kg/h for the Hassi Bounif landfill in Oran; a plume from the site was recorded on 25 October 2024.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: a fine, public budget or climate-finance project linked to Magtaa Kheira or Hassi Bounif.","None on record: a response from the Algerian Ministry of Environment, the National Waste Agency or the wilayas of Algiers and Blida.","Not disclosed: Carbon Mapper gives no kg/h figure for Magtaa Kheira and no count of Algerian super-emitting sites.","Unclear: the location of the 'Algeria (1)' entry in the UCLA top-25 list, which gives no detail.","None on record: legal proceedings or insurance."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record. No fine, budget or climate-finance project is linked to the two landfills.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: satellite measurements are published by Carbon Mapper (June 2025); the UCLA page and Impakter differ on the Algiers landfill's 2025 rank; no response from Algerian authorities is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"carbon-mapper","says":"Named the Magtaa Kheira landfill an 'especially egregious emitter' and wrote that its emissions are almost two orders of magnitude larger than modelled.","when":"25 June 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"carbon-mapper","role":"Published the satellite measurements"},{"id":"ucla-institute-of-the-environment-and-sustainability","role":"UCLA Stop Methane top-25 plume ranking (April 2026)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Rank and emission rate of the Algiers landfill among 2025 methane plumes","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Impakter","says":"Reported on 20 March 2026 that the top-polluting landfill is located in Algiers, at 7.4 t/h between 2 January and 18 September 2025, attributing the figure to the UCLA Stop Methane project.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"UCLA / Stop Methane","says":"Its page of 20 April 2026 names a landfill near Buenos Aires as number 1 at 7.6 t/h and lists 'Algeria (1)' among the top 25 without detail.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"methane_emission_rate","value":1300,"unit":"kg/h","year":2024,"qualifier":"average","note":"Hassi Bounif landfill, Oran; plume of 25 October 2024 (Carbon Mapper)."},{"key":"share_of_waste_super_emitters","value":88,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Magtaa Kheira landfill's share of waste super-emitter emissions in Algeria (Carbon Mapper)."},{"key":"methane_emission_rate_reported_by_impakter","value":7.4,"unit":"t/h","year":2025,"note":"Algiers landfill, 2 January – 18 September 2025, as reported by Impakter attributing UCLA Stop Methane; UCLA's page lists No. 1 at 7.6 t/h near Buenos Aires."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Carbon Mapper's satellite data showed methane emissions from the Magtaa Kheira landfill near Algiers almost two orders of magnitude above modelled emissions, and an average source emission rate of 1,300 kg/h at the Hassi Bounif landfill in Oran.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere above Magtaa Kheira landfill (Mahelma, Algiers)","what":"Methane emissions almost two orders of magnitude above modelled values; 88% of Algeria's waste super-emitter emissions (Carbon Mapper)","src":0},{"who":"Atmosphere above Hassi Bounif landfill (Oran)","what":"Average source emission rate of 1,300 kg/h (Carbon Mapper)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Magtaa Kheira landfill, Mahelma municipality, about 20 km southwest of Algiers (Carbon Mapper lists it under 'Blida, Algeria'); Hassi Bounif landfill, Oran (35.680 N, 0.452 W).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Survey period August 2022 – May 2025; Hassi Bounif plume 25 October 2024; Algiers-area plume 2 January 2025; brief published 25 June 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Emissions were measured from space by NASA EMIT and Planet Tanager-1 and compared with the EDGAR and Climate TRACE inventories.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Methane Waste Super-emitters: An Opportunity for Global Action in the Waste Sector","p":"Carbon Mapper","d":"2025-06-25","type":"ngo","u":"https://carbonmapper.org/articles/global-methane-waste-insight-brief"},{"t":"Spotlight on the Top 25 Methane Plumes in 2025: Landfills","p":"UCLA Emmett Institute / Stop Methane","d":"2026-04-20","type":"academic","u":"https://stopmethane.substack.com/p/spotlight-on-the-top-25-methane-plumes-894"},{"t":"Methane Leaks: Mega Problem, Easy Fix","p":"Impakter","d":"2026-03-20","type":"press","u":"https://impakter.com/methane-leaks-mega-problem-easy-fix/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Rank and emission rate of the Algiers landfill among 2025 methane plumes","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Fine, public budget or climate-finance project linked to the two landfills — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a fine, public budget or climate-finance project linked to Magtaa Kheira or Hassi Bounif.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a response from the Algerian Ministry of Environment, the National Waste Agency or the wilayas of Algiers and Blida.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Carbon Mapper gives no kg/h figure for Magtaa Kheira and no count of Algerian super-emitting sites.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the location of the 'Algeria (1)' entry in the UCLA top-25 list, which gives no detail.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings or insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"boumerdes-coastal-sand-extraction","title":"Coastal sand extraction on the Boumerdès beaches (Cap Djinet, Zemmouri)","dek":"Algerian law bans extraction of sand from beaches and adjacent zones that contribute to their balance, with a fine of DA 200,000 to 2,000,000. Press reports from 2008 to 2020 describe sand removal and seizures on the Boumerdès coast; no court judgment with a fine for Cap Djinet is on record.","country":"Algeria","region":"Africa","lat":36.88,"lon":3.72,"places":[{"country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","admin":"Cap Djinet and Zemmouri, Boumerdès wilaya","lat":36.88,"lon":3.72,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2020,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Statutory fine for violating the extraction rules, Law 02-02 Art. 40","value":"DA 200,000–2,000,000","note":"With 6 months to 2 years' prison, or one of the two penalties; doubled on repeat offence; tools and equipment may be confiscated."},"happened":["Law 02-02 of 5 February 2002 on the coast requires an environmental impact study for extraction of materials on the shore and, in its Article 20, bans extraction in zones adjacent to beaches when they contribute to their equilibrium (except port dredging). Article 40 sets, for violations of Article 20, 6 months to 2 years' prison and a fine of DA 200,000 to 2,000,000, or one of the two, doubled on repeat offence; the court may confiscate tools, equipment and machinery. Law 03-02 of 17 February 2003 on beaches forbids beach concessionaires from extracting sand, gravel and stones (Article 32) and applies Article 40 of Law 02-02 (Article 50).","On 17 June 2008 Boumerdès prosecutor-general Boumediene Bacha announced severe measures: judges were instructed to act firmly and trucks and tools were to be seized on the spot. He linked sand trafficking to armed groups (GSPC) in the region, which was his claim.","On 28 May 2018 Algérie360 reported that the Thénia gendarmerie arrested a suspect and an associate at Zemmouri and seized two trucks of marine sand; both were placed in pre-trial detention and a trial was expected at the Bordj-Menaïel court. The outcome was not reported. The article listed Cap Djinet among the affected localities.","On 29 April 2020 Echorouk reported that sand removal at Cap Djinet beach had increased during the COVID-19 confinement as patrols were reduced; trucks carried plates from Tizi Ouzou, Algiers, Bouira and Tipaza, local young men loaded sand for a fee, and the sand was stored on farmland or sold to quarry operators. Residents linked the traffic to fatal road accidents on the RN24 and appealed to the wali. Echorouk mentioned no arrests or court cases.","Algérie360 reported in 2013, at national level, that concessions were obtained for DA 50,000, sand sold at over DA 10,000 per three-tonne truck, profits reached up to DA 1 million a month, and environmental associations estimated over 370,000 m3 removed each year. For comparison, in Jijel wilaya in 2019, 2,467 m3 of sand worth 'more than 6 billion centimes' (DA 60 million) were seized in 34 cases, with 12 people arrested and 7 jailed (Liberté, via Coastal Care)."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Law 02-02 on the coast (5 Feb); Law 03-02 on beaches follows on 17 Feb 2003","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Boumerdès prosecutor-general announces severe measures against sand extraction (17 Jun)","src":3},{"y":2013,"t":"Algérie360 reports fishermen's committee claim of 35 km of beach lost since 2000 (national)","src":5},{"y":2018,"t":"Arrest at Zemmouri; two trucks of marine sand seized (reported 28 May)","src":4},{"y":2019,"t":"Jijel wilaya: 2,467 m3 of sand seized (comparison)","src":6},{"y":2020,"t":"Residents of Cap Djinet appeal to the wali (29 Apr)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"Since 2000, we have lost 35 km of beach to coastal sand theft","who":"President of the national committee of seafarers and fishermen (Comité national des marins pêcheurs), national figure","when":"2013","src":5,"translated":"French"},{"q":"catastrophic","who":"Residents of Cap Djinet, on the situation of the beach (Echorouk)","when":"29 April 2020","src":2,"translated":"Arabic"}],"shown":[{"t":"Trucks and tools to be seized on the spot; judges instructed to act firmly.","who":"Boumerdès prosecutor-general Boumediene Bacha, 17 June 2008","src":3},{"t":"Algérie360 headlined its report 'Zemmouri: un important baron du pillage de sable capturé' (a major sand-looting 'baron' captured at Zemmouri).","who":"Algérie360, 28 May 2018","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"Law 02-02 Art. 40: 6 months to 2 years' prison and a fine of DA 200,000 to 2,000,000, or one of the two; doubled on repeat; confiscation of tools and equipment.","src":0},{"t":"Two suspects in pre-trial detention and two trucks of marine sand seized at Zemmouri (May 2018); trial expected at Bordj-Menaïel; outcome not reported.","src":4},{"t":"Echorouk (29 April 2020) reports no arrests or court cases for Cap Djinet.","src":2},{"t":"Jijel wilaya 2019 (comparison): 2,467 m3 seized, valued at more than DA 60 million, 34 cases, 12 arrested, 7 jailed.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"DZD","window":"mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Restoration of Boumerdès beaches","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Maximum statutory fine, Law 02-02 Art. 40 (per offence)","amount":2,"qualifier":"up to"},{"label":"Sand sold per three-tonne truck (Algérie360, 2013, national level)","amount":0.01,"qualifier":"over","window":"2013"},{"label":"Value of sand seized in Jijel wilaya (comparison)","amount":60,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2019"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Statutory fine","v":"DA 200,000–2,000,000","d":"Law 02-02 Art. 40, with 6 months to 2 years' prison or one of the two"},{"k":"Beach lost since 2000","v":"35 km","d":"Claim by a fishermen's committee president in 2013; national figure, no survey named"},{"k":"Sand removed each year","v":"over 370,000 m3","d":"Environmental associations' estimate reported in 2013, national level"},{"k":"Court judgment with a fine for Cap Djinet","v":"None on record","d":""}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded as statements by residents and a fishermen's committee, not as measurements.","report":[{"t":"According to the president of the national fishermen's committee in 2013, I lost 35 km of beach nationwide between 2000 and 2013 through the removal of coastal sand; no survey is named.","src":5},{"t":"Residents of Cap Djinet described the situation of my beach as catastrophic in April 2020.","src":2},{"t":"Environmental associations estimated in 2013 that over 370,000 m3 of sand were removed from Algeria's coast each year.","src":5}]},"unknown":["None on record: a court judgment with a fine amount for Cap Djinet.","None on record: the outcome of the Bordj-Menaïel court case following the May 2018 Zemmouri arrest.","None on record: gendarmerie or wilaya sand-seizure figures for Boumerdès.","None on record: court cases or fines in the Echorouk (2020) and Algérie360 (2013) reports.","Insufficient: the 35 km figure is national, attributed to a fishermen's committee, and no survey is named.","Not measured: sand volumes removed at Cap Djinet and Zemmouri."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record. Echorouk reported in April 2020 that sand removal at Cap Djinet had increased during COVID-19 confinement.","whoPaid":"None on record. No fine, judgment or compensation for Cap Djinet is on record.","statusLine":"As of April 2020 (latest report): residents of Cap Djinet appealed to the wali; no arrests or court cases were reported; the outcome of the 2018 Zemmouri case is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"algeria-boumerdes-prosecutor","says":"Prosecutor-general stated that judges were instructed to act firmly and that trucks and tools would be seized on the spot.","when":"17 June 2008","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"algeria-boumerdes-prosecutor","role":"Prosecutor-general at the Boumerdès court (2008 statement)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution following the May 2018 Zemmouri arrest","forum":"Bordj-Menaïel court","country":"Algeria","iso2":"DZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors","defendant":"Two suspects arrested by the Thénia gendarmerie (not named)","filed":2018,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Algérie360 reported on 28 May 2018 that both suspects were in pre-trial detention and that a trial was expected at the Bordj-Menaïel court; two trucks of marine sand were seized. The outcome was not reported.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine_min","value":0.2,"unit":"DZD m","year":2002,"note":"Law 02-02 Art. 40 (DA 200,000)."},{"key":"fine_max","value":2,"unit":"DZD m","year":2002,"note":"Law 02-02 Art. 40 (DA 2,000,000)."},{"key":"beach_lost_km","value":35,"unit":"km","year":2013,"note":"Claim by a fishermen's committee president; national figure since 2000; no survey named."},{"key":"sand_removed_per_year","value":370000,"unit":"m3","year":2013,"qualifier":"over","note":"Environmental associations' estimate, reported by Algérie360; national level."},{"key":"trucks_seized","value":2,"unit":"trucks","year":2018,"note":"Marine sand, Zemmouri arrest."},{"key":"sand_seized_jijel","value":2467,"unit":"m3","year":2019,"note":"Jijel wilaya (comparison): 34 cases, 12 arrested, 7 jailed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sand extraction on the beaches and sea margin of the Boumerdès coast (Cap Djinet, Zemmouri) is covered by the penalties of Law 02-02; press reports record seizures in 2018 and removal by trucks at Cap Djinet in 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sand sellers","what":"Sand sold at over DA 10,000 per three-tonne truck and profits of up to DA 1 million a month (Algérie360, 2013, national level)","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Suspects at Zemmouri","what":"Two trucks of marine sand seized and pre-trial detention (May 2018)","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Cap Djinet beach","what":"Residents described the situation as catastrophic and linked the traffic to fatal road accidents on the RN24 (Echorouk, 2020)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Cap Djinet (Bordj Menaïel district) and Zemmouri, Boumerdès wilaya, east of Algiers.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Prosecutor-general's announcement 17 June 2008; arrest at Zemmouri reported 28 May 2018; Cap Djinet residents' appeal 29 April 2020.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Sand is extracted for construction; Echorouk and Algérie360 report sales to quarry operators and by the truckload.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Trucks load sand on the beach with local young men paid a fee; sand is stored on farmland or sold to quarry operators (Echorouk, 2020).","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Law no. 02-02 of 5 February 2002 on the protection and enhancement of the coast (Loi relative à la protection et à la valorisation du littoral)","p":"Journal officiel (reproduced by Univ. Oum El Bouaghi)","d":"2002-02-05","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.univ-oeb.dz/SDG/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/6.-Algerian-Littoral-law.pdf"},{"t":"Law no. 03-02 of 17 February 2003 setting the general rules for tourist use and exploitation of beaches","p":"Journal officiel no. 11 (FAOLEX)","d":"2003-02-17","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/alg53267.pdf"},{"t":"ناهبو الرمال يهددون شاطئ كاب جنات ببومرداس والسكان يستنجدون","p":"Echorouk Online","d":"2020-04-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.echoroukonline.com/ناهبو-الرمال-يهددون-شاطئ-كاب-جنات-ببوم"},{"t":"Le procureur général près de la cour de Boumerdès: des mesures sévères contre les pilleurs de sable","p":"Echorouk Online","d":"2008-06-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.echoroukonline.com/le-procureur-general-pres-de-la-cour-de-boumerdes-des-mesures-severes-contre-les-pilleurs-de-sable/amp"},{"t":"Zemmouri: un important baron du pillage de sable capturé","p":"Algérie360","d":"2018-05-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.algerie360.com/zemmouri-un-important-baron-du-pillage-de-sable-capture"},{"t":"En pillant le sable, ils nous ont fait perdre 35 km de plage depuis 2000","p":"Algérie360","d":"2013-02-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.algerie360.com/en-pillant-le-sable-ils-nous-ont-fait-perdre-35-km-de-plage-depuis-2000les-brigands-des-temps-modernes/"},{"t":"470,000 US dollars worth of illegally mined sand seized in 2019, Algeria (citing Liberté)","p":"Coastal Care","d":"2020-05-17","type":"ngo","u":"https://coastalcare.org/2020/05/470000-us-dollars-worth-of-illegally-mined-sand-seized-in-2019-algeria/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Restoration of Boumerdès beaches — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Prosecution following the May 2018 Zemmouri arrest: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court judgment with a fine amount for Cap Djinet.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the Bordj-Menaïel court case following the May 2018 Zemmouri arrest.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: gendarmerie or wilaya sand-seizure figures for Boumerdès.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court cases or fines in the Echorouk (2020) and Algérie360 (2013) reports.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the 35 km figure is national, attributed to a fishermen's committee, and no survey is named.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: sand volumes removed at Cap Djinet and Zemmouri.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"great-man-made-river-libya","title":"Great Man-Made River Project (Libya) and the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer","dek":"Libya's Great Man-Made River draws non-renewable fossil groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System through pipelines to the coast. A NATO strike near the Brega pipe plant in July 2011 and damage to wells in 2018–2019 affected the system, which about 1.5 million people relied on in 2019, according to the UN.","country":"Libya","region":"Africa","lat":30.4,"lon":19.6,"places":[{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","admin":"Great Man-Made River: wellfields at Sarir, Tazerbo, Kufra and Jabal al-Hasawna; pipe plant near Brega","lat":30.4,"lon":19.6,"role":"event"}],"start":1983,"end":2019,"eventDate":"2011-07-22","instrument":"water","types":["water","war-military"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Wells out of service, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, 20 May 2019","value":"96 of 366","note":"The UN statement said about 1.5 million people rely on the Great Man-Made River as their main freshwater source, including some 600,000 children."},"happened":["The Great Man-Made River (GMR) project started in 1983 and delivers water from wellfields at Sarir, Tazerbo and Kufra in the Kufra basin (south-east Libya) and from Jabal al-Hasawna in the Murzuq basin (south-west) through pipelines to Benghazi, Sirt and Tripoli. Phase 1 and 2 were built by Dong-Ah Construction. According to the IAEA, the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) is 'the largest fossil water aquifer system in the world', with water that is 'ancient and practically non-renewable'. FAO data to 1995 describe a design transfer of about 2 km3 a year for at least 50 years.","Airwars lists an incident on 22 July 2011 involving a NATO air strike near Brega, at the GMR pipe factory. The NATO strike report logged '1 Military Storage Facility, 4 Armed Vehicles' near Brega on that date. Reuters quoted a Libyan official as saying that six guards were killed at a pipeline factory, and a director of the Libyan river company called the strike 'a major setback for future projects'. Airwars wrote that NATO has not assessed civilian harm.","On 20 May 2019 the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, Maria Ribeiro, said that the shutdown of the Jabal al-Hasawna control station on 19 May, which she described as deliberate, deprived 'hundreds of thousands of already embattled Libyans of safe drinking water'. She also commented on the legal status of attacks on civilian infrastructure (quoted below), and said that about 1.5 million people rely on the GMR as their main freshwater source, including some 600,000 children, that 96 of 366 wells were out of service, and that well sabotage had risen sharply since early 2018.","On 2 July 2019 Reuters quoted Abdullah El-Sunni, head of the Tripoli water authority, as saying that 101 of 479 wells on the western system had been dismantled and that western flow had fallen from 'the normal flow of 1.2 million cubic metres per day' to about 800,000 m3 a day. A draft UNICEF report cited by Reuters said: 'If not addressed properly and immediately, these threats and damages could lead to the complete failure of the MMRP.' El-Sunni said water infrastructure needed 2 billion dinars; the authority received 60 million dinars the previous year and nothing yet in 2019. National Centre for Disease Control head Badr al-Din al-Najjar said 'All water is contaminated.' Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj of the Government of National Accord said development and services funding had been diverted to equip troops and treat the wounded."],"timeline":[{"y":1983,"t":"Project start; Phases 1 and 2 built by Dong-Ah Construction","src":4},{"y":2001,"t":"Libya seeks US$1.3 billion from Korea Express as guarantor for Dong-Ah over delays (February); negotiated down to US$80 million","src":4},{"y":2004,"t":"Korea Express agrees to repair 20,000 of 250,000 phase-1 pipes (reported 27 Dec)","src":4},{"y":2011,"t":"NATO air strike near Brega on the pipe factory (22 Jul)","src":6},{"y":2019,"t":"Jabal al-Hasawna control station shut down (19 May); UN statement (20 May); Reuters report on wells and funding (2 Jul)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"may be considered war crimes","who":"Maria Ribeiro, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, on attacks on civilian infrastructure","when":"20 May 2019","src":2},{"q":"hundreds of thousands of already embattled Libyans of safe drinking water","who":"Maria Ribeiro, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, on the shutdown of the Jabal al-Hasawna control station","when":"20 May 2019","src":2},{"q":"the normal flow of 1.2 million cubic metres per day","who":"Abdullah El-Sunni, head of the Tripoli water authority (Reuters)","when":"2 July 2019","src":3},{"q":"If not addressed properly and immediately, these threats and damages could lead to the complete failure of the MMRP.","who":"Draft UNICEF report (via Reuters)","when":"2 July 2019","src":3},{"q":"All water is contaminated.","who":"Badr al-Din al-Najjar, head of the National Centre for Disease Control (Reuters)","when":"2 July 2019","src":3},{"q":"a major setback for future projects","who":"Director of the Libyan river company, on the Brega strike (via Airwars)","when":"July 2011","src":6},{"q":"the largest 'fossil water' aquifer system in the world. Its water is ancient and practically non-renewable","who":"IAEA, on the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System","when":"2010–2012","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Target logged as '1 Military Storage Facility, 4 Armed Vehicles' near Brega on 22 July 2011.","who":"NATO strike report, as listed by Airwars","src":6},{"t":"The shutdown of the Jabal al-Hasawna control station was described as deliberate.","who":"UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya, statement of 20 May 2019","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"UN, 20 May 2019: 96 of 366 wells out of service; well sabotage up sharply since early 2018; about 1.5 million people rely on the GMR as main freshwater source.","src":2},{"t":"Reuters, 2 July 2019: 101 of 479 wells on the western system dismantled; western flow down from 1.2 million m3 a day to about 800,000 m3 a day.","src":3},{"t":"Funding gap (2019): 2 billion dinars needed; 60 million dinars received the previous year; nothing yet in 2019 (El-Sunni).","src":3},{"t":"FAO: total withdrawal 4.6 km3 in 1994, 'almost eight times' annual renewable resources of 0.6 km3; seawater intrusion advancing 100–250 m a year.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation for the 2011 Brega strike; restoration of the aquifer","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Original budget, five phases (Korea JoongAng Daily, 2004)","amount":14000,"window":"2004 report"},{"label":"First two phases, cost (Korea JoongAng Daily, 2004)","amount":10200,"window":"2004 report"},{"label":"Last three phases, value (Al Nahr Co. joint venture; Korea JoongAng Daily, 2004)","amount":6100,"window":"2004 report"},{"label":"Libya's claim on Korea Express as guarantor for Dong-Ah, sought","amount":1300,"window":"2001"},{"label":"Libya's claim on Korea Express, after negotiation","amount":80,"window":"2001"},{"label":"GMR project (MEED, 2005)","amount":20000,"window":"2005 report"},{"label":"Phase 1 (MEED, 2005)","amount":4000,"window":"2005 report"},{"label":"Contracts awarded in 2005, about (MEED)","amount":2000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2005 report"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wells out of service","v":"96 of 366","d":"UN Humanitarian Coordinator, 20 May 2019; Reuters gave 101 of 479 wells on the western system dismantled"},{"k":"Withdrawal vs renewable resources","v":"almost 8 times","d":"FAO: 4.6 km3 withdrawn in 1994 against 0.6 km3 a year renewable"},{"k":"Seawater intrusion","v":"100–250 m a year","d":"FAO data to 1995"},{"k":"Compensation for the 2011 Brega strike","v":"None on record","d":""}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm to the aquifer is recorded in IAEA and FAO assessments of non-renewable groundwater and withdrawal; official measured drawdown series are not on record.","report":[{"t":"The IAEA described me, the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, as the largest fossil water aquifer system in the world, with water that is ancient and practically non-renewable.","src":0},{"t":"The IAEA wrote that fossil water is not replenished, risking over-abstraction and eventual depletion.","src":0},{"t":"FAO data to 1995 put the total water withdrawal in Libya at 4.6 km3 in 1994, almost eight times annual renewable resources of 0.6 km3.","src":1},{"t":"FAO recorded seawater intrusion advancing at 100 to 250 m a year.","src":1},{"t":"FAO described a design transfer of about 2 km3 a year from me for at least 50 years, with 700 million m3 a year for Phase 1 from Sarir and Tazerbo and 800 million m3 a year for Phase 2.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the cost of the project is given as an original budget of US$14 billion in five phases, with US$10.2 billion for the first two phases and US$6.1 billion for the last three (Korea JoongAng Daily, 2004), and as US$20,000 million (MEED, 2005).","Figures differ: wells out of service are given as 96 of 366 (UN, May 2019) and as 101 of 479 on the western system (Reuters, July 2019); the denominators differ.","None on record: compensation for the 2011 Brega strike.","None on record: a total war-damage cost estimate.","None on record: an official measured aquifer drawdown series; the IAEA wrote that 'gaps in understanding how the NSAS works still remain'.","None on record: court cases or insurance."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record. In July 2019 Reuters reported that 101 of 479 wells on the western system had been dismantled and that flow had fallen from 1.2 million to about 800,000 m3 a day.","whoPaid":"None on record. No compensation for the 2011 Brega strike and no total war-damage cost estimate is on record; in 2019 the Tripoli water authority said it received 60 million dinars against 2 billion dinars needed.","statusLine":"As of July 2019 (latest reports): wells and the control station at Jabal al-Hasawna were out of service or dismantled and funding was short, according to the UN and the Tripoli water authority; no later measurements are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"unicef","says":"A draft report said that if the threats and damages were not addressed properly and immediately they could lead to the complete failure of the project.","when":"2 July 2019","src":3},{"actor":"united-nations","says":"The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya said the shutdown of the Jabal al-Hasawna control station deprived hundreds of thousands of people of safe drinking water.","when":"20 May 2019","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"united-nations","role":"UN Humanitarian Coordinator's statement of 20 May 2019"},{"id":"unicef","role":"Draft report on threats to the system (2019)"},{"id":"nato","role":"Air strike near Brega on 22 July 2011"},{"id":"iaea","role":"Assessment of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System"},{"id":"fao","role":"Irrigation and withdrawal data"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What was struck near Brega on 22 July 2011","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"NATO (strike report as listed by Airwars)","says":"Logged '1 Military Storage Facility, 4 Armed Vehicles' near Brega on 22 July 2011.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"A Libyan official quoted by Reuters (via Airwars)","says":"Said six guards were killed at a pipeline factory.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"Director of the Libyan river company (via Airwars)","says":"Called the strike 'a major setback for future projects'.","src":6}]},{"point":"Number of wells out of service in 2019","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya","says":"On 20 May 2019, 96 of 366 wells were out of service.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Abdullah El-Sunni, head of the Tripoli water authority (Reuters)","says":"On 2 July 2019, 101 of 479 wells on the western system had been dismantled.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Libya's claim on Korea Express as guarantor for Dong-Ah Construction","forum":"Negotiation (no forum named)","country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","kind":"civil","claimant":"Libya (Great Man-Made River project)","defendant":"Korea Express (guarantor for Dong-Ah Construction)","filed":2001,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":80,"currency":"USD","label":"after negotiation from US$1.3 billion sought"},"summary":"In February 2001 Libya sought US$1.3 billion from Korea Express as guarantor for Dong-Ah over delays, negotiated down to US$80 million; Korea Express agreed to repair 20,000 of 250,000 phase-1 pipes (Korea JoongAng Daily, 27 December 2004).","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"wells_out_of_service","value":96,"unit":"wells (of 366)","year":2019,"note":"UN Humanitarian Coordinator, 20 May 2019."},{"key":"wells_dismantled","value":101,"unit":"wells (of 479, western system)","year":2019,"note":"Abdullah El-Sunni via Reuters, 2 July 2019."},{"key":"people_affected","value":1500000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"People relying on the GMR as main freshwater source, including some 600,000 children (UN)."},{"key":"western_flow_normal","value":1200000,"unit":"m3 per day","year":2019,"note":"El-Sunni: 'the normal flow'."},{"key":"western_flow_reported","value":800000,"unit":"m3 per day","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported western flow in July 2019."},{"key":"design_transfer","value":2,"unit":"km3 per year","year":1995,"qualifier":"about","note":"For at least 50 years (FAO)."},{"key":"water_withdrawal_total","value":4.6,"unit":"km3","year":1994,"note":"FAO total withdrawal; annual renewable resources 0.6 km3."},{"key":"seawater_intrusion","value":"100–250","unit":"m per year","year":1995,"note":"FAO."},{"key":"funding_needed","value":2000,"unit":"LYD m","year":2019,"note":"Water infrastructure needs (El-Sunni): 2 billion dinars."},{"key":"funding_received","value":60,"unit":"LYD m","year":2018,"note":"Received by the water authority the previous year; nothing yet in 2019."},{"key":"project_cost_budget_original","value":14000,"unit":"USD m","year":2004,"note":"Five phases (Korea JoongAng Daily); MEED 2005 gives US$20,000 million for the project."},{"key":"settlement","value":80,"unit":"USD m","year":2001,"note":"Korea Express, after US$1.3 billion was sought."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Libya's Great Man-Made River draws fossil groundwater from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System and carries it to the coast; a NATO strike near the Brega pipe plant on 22 July 2011 and damage to wells in 2018–2019 affected the system.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Dong-Ah Construction, Al Nahr Co., SNC-Lavalin, Tekfen, Oztas/NGCC","what":"Contracts for phases and pipe plants (MEED 2005: SNC-Lavalin about US$1,100 million for the Sarir pipe plant; Tekfen US$660–700 million for the phase 3 pipeline; Oztas/NGCC US$130–140 million)","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Korea Express","what":"Negotiated a Libyan claim of US$1.3 billion down to US$80 million as guarantor for Dong-Ah","src":4},{"who":"Guards at a pipeline factory near Brega","what":"Six killed on 22 July 2011, according to a Libyan official quoted by Reuters","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System","what":"Non-renewable fossil water withdrawn; total withdrawal in 1994 almost eight times annual renewable resources (FAO)","src":1},{"who":"About 1.5 million people relying on the GMR","what":"96 of 366 wells out of service and the Jabal al-Hasawna control station shut down (UN, May 2019)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Wellfields at Sarir, Tazerbo and Kufra (Kufra basin, south-east Libya) and Jabal al-Hasawna (Murzuq basin, south-west); pipelines to Benghazi, Sirt and Tripoli; pipe plant near Brega.","src":5},"when":{"t":"Project start 1983; NATO strike 22 July 2011; control station shutdown 19 May 2019; UN statement 20 May 2019; Reuters report 2 July 2019.","src":6},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water is pumped from wellfields in the south through pipelines to coastal cities; the system was damaged by a NATO strike on 22 July 2011 (Airwars) and by well sabotage and dismantling in 2018–2019 (UN, Reuters).","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Supporting the cooperative management of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (RAF8041 flyer)","p":"IAEA","d":"2010–2012","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/documents/tc/RAF8041.pdf"},{"t":"Irrigation in the Near East region in figures: Libya","p":"FAO","d":"c. 1997","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.fao.org/4/W4356E/w4356e0j.htm"},{"t":"Statement on the blockage of the Great Man-Made River, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Libya","p":"UNSMIL","d":"2019-05-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://unsmil.unmissions.org/en/node/55539"},{"t":"In battle for Libya's oil, water becomes a casualty","p":"Euronews (Reuters)","d":"2019-07-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/02/in-battle-for-libyas-oil-water-becomes-a-casualty"},{"t":"Korea Express to take over huge Libyan project","p":"Korea JoongAng Daily","d":"2004-12-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/business/korea-express-to-take-over-huge-libyan-project/10364994"},{"t":"Tripoli steps up GMR pace","p":"MEED","d":"2005-08-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.meed.com/tripoli-steps-up-gmr-pace/"},{"t":"Incident LIB2011-128, Brega, 22 July 2011","p":"Airwars","d":"2026-08-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://airwars.org/incidents/lib2011-128-july-22-2011"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation for the 2011 Brega strike; restoration of the aquifer — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was struck near Brega on 22 July 2011","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of wells out of service in 2019","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the cost of the project is given as an original budget of US$14 billion in five phases, with US$10.2 billion for the first two phases and US$6.1 billion for the last three (Korea JoongAng Daily, 2004), and as US$20,000 million (MEED, 2005).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: wells out of service are given as 96 of 366 (UN, May 2019) and as 101 of 479 on the western system (Reuters, July 2019); the denominators differ.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation for the 2011 Brega strike.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a total war-damage cost estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an official measured aquifer drawdown series; the IAEA wrote that 'gaps in understanding how the NSAS works still remain'.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court cases or insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"libya-oil-facility-fires-and-leaks-conflict","title":"Oil-facility fires and leaks in Libya's conflict: Es Sider, Ras Lanuf, Zawiya","dek":"Libya's National Oil Corporation and Reuters reported fires at oil storage tanks at Es Sider and Ras Lanuf in 2014–2018 and gunfire damage, a pipeline leak and drone-attack fires at Zawiya in 2024–2026. A 2026 study of Zawiya refinery sampling reported hydrocarbon concentrations of up to 43 mg/L offshore.","country":"Libya","region":"Africa","lat":30.63,"lon":18.35,"places":[{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","admin":"Es Sider terminal","lat":30.63,"lon":18.35,"role":"event"},{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","admin":"Ras Lanuf","lat":30.5,"lon":18.57,"role":"event"},{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","admin":"Zawiya refinery, 40 km west of Tripoli","lat":32.77,"lon":12.73,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":2026,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","fossil-fuel","oil-spill","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Es Sider storage fire, December 2014: total damage including lost oil","value":"US$213 million","note":"Estimate by Al-Mabrook al-Buseif, top oil official of the recognised government, to Reuters; the fire destroyed up to 1.8 million barrels of crude."},"happened":["In late December 2014 a fire at the Es Sider terminal's storage tanks, reported after a rocket hit, destroyed 'up to 1.8 million barrels of crude', according to Al-Mabrook al-Buseif, the top oil official of the recognised government, who told Reuters that 'Total damage, including lost oil, is estimated at $213 million'. The fire was extinguished by 2 January 2015 (MarineLink, citing Reuters).","In January 2016 Reuters reported attacks on Es Sider and Ras Lanuf. National Oil Corporation (NOC) spokesman Mohamed al-Harari said that Islamic State militants set four tanks on fire at Ras Lanuf on 21 January 2016. About two weeks earlier, clashes with Petroleum Facilities Guards had left seven tanks fire-damaged and at least 18 guards dead; at least 1.3 million barrels were lost earlier, with up to 3 million barrels at risk, according to Reuters. The NOC described the smoke and fires as an 'environmental catastrophe' and blamed the guards' 'intransigence' for blocking a tanker loading. An Islamic State fighter named Es Sider and Ras Lanuf as targets in a Telegram video.","Between 14 and 17 June 2018 tanks 12 and 2 at Ras Lanuf were on fire during an attack announced by Ibrahim Jathran. The NOC said storage capacity fell from 950,000 to 550,000 barrels and called on Jathran to withdraw; it put the immediate production loss at 240,000 barrels a day, possibly 400,000 bpd, and said Jathran's earlier blockades had cost Libya tens of billions of dollars in export revenue. The Libyan National Army (LNA) accused the Benghazi Defence Brigades of taking part, the head of the Government of National Accord condemned the attack, and Jathran said he would hand the ports to the Government of National Accord and the NOC.","On 15 December 2024 the NOC stated that it 'regretfully declares a force majeure and level three (the highest) emergency' after clashes near the Zawiya refinery, where several tanks were 'significantly damaged' by gunfire from light and medium weapons; fires and gas leaks were brought under control. It said the situation put workers and the surrounding population at 'considerable and unpredictable risk', urged keeping oil facilities out of conflict and called on the Government of National Unity to intervene. The statement gave no tank counts or quantities.","On 24 May 2025 a pipeline leak south of Zawiya shut the pipeline feeding the refinery. The NOC posted a picture of 'a stream of leaked oil in the desert', flow from the Hamada fields was halted, and the NOC said arrangements were under way 'to recover the leaked oil and address any resulting environmental pollution'; cause and volume were not stated. On 9–11 August 2026 drone attacks hit the Zawiya oil complex; a tank holding about 4.5 million litres of gasoline collapsed after a fire. No group claimed the attacks, and Prime Minister Dbeibah said the strikes 'will not go unanswered' (Reuters via Al-Monitor)."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Es Sider storage fire after a rocket hit (late December)","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Es Sider fire extinguished (by 2 Jan)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Clashes at Ras Lanuf leave seven tanks fire-damaged (early January); four tanks set on fire (21 Jan)","src":1},{"y":2018,"t":"Ras Lanuf tanks on fire during an attack (14–17 Jun)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Zawiya refinery tanks damaged by gunfire; NOC declares force majeure (15 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"Pipeline leak south of Zawiya (24 May)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"Drone attacks on the Zawiya oil complex (9–11 Aug)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"Total damage, including lost oil, is estimated at $213 million","who":"Al-Mabrook al-Buseif, top oil official of the recognised government, to Reuters","when":"December 2014","src":0},{"q":"environmental catastrophe","who":"National Oil Corporation, on smoke and fires at Ras Lanuf (Reuters)","when":"January 2016","src":1},{"q":"regretfully declares a force majeure and level three (the highest) emergency","who":"National Oil Corporation, statement on clashes near Zawiya refinery","when":"15 December 2024","src":3},{"q":"considerable and unpredictable risk","who":"National Oil Corporation, on workers and the surrounding population at Zawiya","when":"15 December 2024","src":3},{"q":"a stream of leaked oil in the desert","who":"National Oil Corporation picture caption, reported by Reuters","when":"May 2025","src":4},{"q":"will not go unanswered","who":"Prime Minister Dbeibah, on the drone strikes (Reuters)","when":"August 2026","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"Fire destroyed up to 1.8 million barrels of crude at Es Sider; total damage including lost oil estimated at US$213 million.","who":"Al-Mabrook al-Buseif, top oil official of the recognised government, to Reuters, December 2014","src":0},{"t":"Islamic State militants set four tanks on fire at Ras Lanuf.","who":"NOC spokesman Mohamed al-Harari, 21 January 2016","src":1},{"t":"Storage capacity at Ras Lanuf fell from 950,000 to 550,000 barrels.","who":"National Oil Corporation, June 2018","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Zawiya study (AJBAS, 2026): offshore stations AS7 and AS8 had the highest TPH concentrations, up to 43 mg/L; groundwater wells AG2 and AG6 had elevated TPH with oxygen depletion.","src":6},{"t":"NOC (15 December 2024): several Zawiya tanks significantly damaged by gunfire; fires and gas leaks under control; force majeure declared.","src":3},{"t":"Reuters (11 August 2026): a Zawiya tank holding about 4.5 million litres of gasoline collapsed after a fire following drone attacks; no group claimed them.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Cleanup cost, fine or compensation for pollution","amount":null,"note":"None on record for any of these events."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Es Sider storage fire, total damage including lost oil (December 2014 estimate)","amount":213,"window":"2014"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Crude destroyed at Es Sider","v":"up to 1.8 million barrels","d":"December 2014, according to the recognised government's top oil official"},{"k":"Highest hydrocarbon concentration offshore of Zawiya refinery","v":"up to 43 mg/L","d":"TPH at stations AS7 and AS8, 2026 study; sampling date not stated"},{"k":"Gasoline tank collapsed after fire","v":"about 4.5 million litres","d":"Zawiya, August 2026 (Reuters)"},{"k":"Cleanup cost, fine or compensation","v":"None on record","d":""}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded in a 2026 study of contamination near the Zawiya refinery and in the National Oil Corporation's descriptions of the fires.","report":[{"t":"Of 20 samples taken from my offshore waters, shoreline and groundwater near the Zawiya refinery, offshore stations AS7 and AS8 showed the highest total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentrations, up to 43 mg/L, according to a 2026 study in AJBAS by Rtemi et al.","src":6},{"t":"Two of my groundwater wells, AG2 and AG6, showed elevated TPH with oxygen depletion in that study.","src":6},{"t":"The authors wrote that nickel and vanadium enrichment 'supports refinery-related sources' and that contamination disperses horizontally offshore and migrates vertically into the shallow aquifer.","src":6},{"t":"In January 2016 the National Oil Corporation described the smoke and fires at Ras Lanuf as an 'environmental catastrophe'.","src":1},{"t":"In May 2025 a stream of leaked oil ran into my desert south of Zawiya, and the NOC said it was arranging to recover the oil and address any resulting pollution.","src":4}]},"unknown":["Not measured: air, soil or marine data for the Ras Lanuf and Es Sider fires.","Not disclosed: the sampling date of the Zawiya refinery study, and whether it relates to the 2024–2026 incidents.","Not disclosed: the cause and volume of the May 2025 pipeline leak south of Zawiya, and tank counts or quantities in the NOC's December 2024 statement.","Unclear: the party responsible for the December 2014 Es Sider fire.","None on record: a cleanup cost, fine or compensation for pollution for any of these events.","None on record: court cases or formal charges tied to the fires.","None on record: insurance."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The Es Sider fire was extinguished by 2 January 2015 and the Zawiya fires and gas leaks were brought under control on 15 December 2024 (NOC); further incidents followed in May 2025 and August 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record. No cleanup cost, fine or compensation for pollution is on record for these events. Damage including lost oil at Es Sider in December 2014 was estimated at US$213 million by the recognised government's top oil official.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: drone attacks on the Zawiya oil complex on 9–11 August 2026 caused a gasoline tank to collapse after a fire; no group claimed responsibility.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"noc-libya","says":"Declared force majeure and a level three emergency at Zawiya, called the risk to workers and the population considerable and unpredictable, urged keeping oil facilities out of conflict and called on the Government of National Unity to intervene.","when":"15 December 2024","src":3},{"actor":"noc-libya","says":"Posted a picture of leaked oil in the desert south of Zawiya and said arrangements were under way to recover the oil and address any resulting pollution.","when":"May 2025","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"noc-libya","role":"State oil company; operator of the terminals and the Zawiya refinery; issued statements on the fires and the leak"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Parties named in connection with the June 2018 attack on the Ras Lanuf area","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"National Oil Corporation","says":"Called on Ibrahim Jathran, who had announced the attack, to withdraw; put storage capacity at 550,000 barrels after the fires, down from 950,000.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Libyan National Army (LNA)","says":"Accused the Benghazi Defence Brigades of taking part.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Head of the Government of National Accord","says":"Condemned the attack.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ibrahim Jathran","says":"Said he would hand the ports to the Government of National Accord and the NOC.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_burned_barrels","value":1800000,"unit":"barrels","year":2014,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Crude destroyed in the Es Sider fire, according to the recognised government's top oil official."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":213,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Es Sider, total damage including lost oil (al-Buseif to Reuters)."},{"key":"oil_lost_barrels","value":1300000,"unit":"barrels","year":2016,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Ras Lanuf, lost earlier; up to 3 million barrels at risk (Reuters)."},{"key":"tanks_damaged","value":7,"unit":"tanks","year":2016,"note":"Ras Lanuf, fire-damaged in clashes about two weeks before 21 January 2016."},{"key":"tanks_set_on_fire","value":4,"unit":"tanks","year":2016,"note":"Ras Lanuf, 21 January 2016 (NOC spokesman)."},{"key":"guards_killed","value":18,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Petroleum Facilities Guards, Ras Lanuf clashes of early January 2016 (Reuters)."},{"key":"storage_capacity_after","value":550000,"unit":"barrels","year":2018,"note":"Ras Lanuf, down from 950,000 (NOC)."},{"key":"production_loss","value":240000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":2018,"note":"Immediate loss, possibly 400,000 bpd (NOC)."},{"key":"tph_offshore","value":43,"unit":"mg/L","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Zawiya refinery study, stations AS7 and AS8; sampling date not stated."},{"key":"samples","value":20,"unit":"samples","year":2026,"note":"Offshore, shoreline and groundwater samples (Rtemi et al.)."},{"key":"gasoline_tank_volume","value":4500000,"unit":"litres","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tank that collapsed after a fire at Zawiya, August 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oil storage tanks burned at Es Sider (2014) and Ras Lanuf (2016, 2018), Zawiya refinery tanks were damaged by gunfire (2024), a pipeline south of Zawiya leaked (2025) and drone attacks caused a fire at the Zawiya oil complex (2026), in each case as attributed by the sources.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Libya's oil sector","what":"Es Sider damage including lost oil estimated at US$213 million (2014); Ras Lanuf storage capacity down from 950,000 to 550,000 barrels (2018)","src":0},{"who":"Petroleum Facilities Guards","what":"At least 18 dead in clashes at Ras Lanuf in early January 2016 (Reuters)","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Offshore waters and groundwater near the Zawiya refinery","what":"TPH up to 43 mg/L offshore and elevated TPH in two groundwater wells (2026 study)","src":6},{"who":"Desert south of Zawiya","what":"A stream of leaked oil, May 2025 (NOC)","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Es Sider terminal and Ras Lanuf on the Gulf of Sirte coast; Zawiya refinery, 40 km west of Tripoli, and the pipeline south of Zawiya.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Late December 2014; January 2016; 14–17 June 2018; 15 December 2024; 24 May 2025; 9–11 August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The fires and damage occurred during armed conflict; each source names the party it attributes them to, and the cause of the May 2025 leak was not stated.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Fires followed a rocket hit (Es Sider 2014), militant attacks (Ras Lanuf 2016, 2018), gunfire from clashes (Zawiya 2024) and drone attacks (Zawiya 2026), as reported by Reuters and the NOC.","src":5}},"sources":[{"t":"Libyan Port Fire Destroys 1.8m Barrels of Crude","p":"MarineLink (Reuters)","d":"2014-12-30","type":"press","u":"https://marinelink.com/news/destroys-barrels-libyan383064"},{"t":"Islamic State attack sets storage tanks ablaze at Libyan oil terminal","p":"Yahoo News (Reuters)","d":"2016-01-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/militants-attack-near-libyas-ras-lanuf-oil-terminal-082734228.html"},{"t":"Second fire shrinks storage capacity amid fighting at Libyan oil ports","p":"Africanews (Reuters)","d":"2018-06-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.africanews.com/2018/06/18/second-fire-shrinks-storage-capacity-amid-fighting-at-libyan-oil-ports/"},{"t":"Statement of NOC on clashes near Zawiya refinery","p":"National Oil Corporation (Libya)","d":"2024-12-15","type":"company","voice":"company","u":"https://noc.ly/en/statement-of-noc-on-clashes-near-zawiya-refinery/"},{"t":"Oil leak shuts pipeline feeding Libya's largest refinery","p":"Pipeline & Gas Journal (Reuters)","d":"2025-05-31","type":"press","u":"https://pgjonline.com/news/2025/may/oil-leak-shuts-pipeline-feeding-libya-s-largest-refinery"},{"t":"Firefighters battle Zawiya refinery blaze after drone attacks","p":"Al-Monitor (Reuters)","d":"2026-08-11","type":"press","u":"https://al-monitor.com/originals/2026/08/firefighters-battle-zawiya-refinery-blaze-after-drone-attacks"},{"t":"Environmental Assessment of Refinery-Derived Hydrocarbon and Trace Metal Contamination in Coastal and Groundwater Systems: A Case Study from Zawia, Libya (Rtemi et al.), AJBAS 8(1)","p":"AJBAS (Academy)","d":"2026","type":"academic","u":"https://ojs.academy.edu.ly/index.php/AJBAS/article/view/711"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Cleanup cost, fine or compensation for pollution — None on record for any of these events.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Parties named in connection with the June 2018 attack on the Ras Lanuf area","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: air, soil or marine data for the Ras Lanuf and Es Sider fires.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the sampling date of the Zawiya refinery study, and whether it relates to the 2024–2026 incidents.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cause and volume of the May 2025 pipeline leak south of Zawiya, and tank counts or quantities in the NOC's December 2024 statement.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the party responsible for the December 2014 Es Sider fire.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a cleanup cost, fine or compensation for pollution for any of these events.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: court cases or formal charges tied to the fires.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mauritania-fishmeal-sardinella-and-fishing-agreements","title":"Mauritania fishmeal industry, sardinella stocks and foreign fishing agreements","dek":"Mauritania's fishmeal plants grew from fewer than three in 2008 to 44 authorised plants in 2021, while a 2024 FAO/CECAF assessment placed round and flat sardinella in a critical, heavily overexploited state. The country received EUR 60.8 million a year from the EU under its 2021–2026 fisheries protocol and signed a 25-year fishing agreement with a Chinese company.","country":"Mauritania","region":"Africa","lat":20.94,"lon":-17.04,"places":[{"country":"Mauritania","iso2":"MR","admin":"Nouadhibou and Nouakchott (Mauritanian EEZ)","lat":20.94,"lon":-17.04,"role":"event"}],"start":2008,"end":2026,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Small pelagic stocks assessed as overexploited (FAO/CECAF, 2024)","value":"5 of 9","note":"Preliminary results of the working group, not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee. The five include round and flat sardinella, which Mauritania has banned from fishmeal use."},"happened":["Mauritania had fewer than three fishmeal factories in 2008 and 41 licensed, functional factories (33 in Nouadhibou, 8 in Nouakchott) according to a 2023 study by Dème and colleagues. Mongabay counted 35 authorised plants in 2015 and 44 in 2021, which it described as the second-highest number in the world after Peru, and reported that no new fishmeal licences had been granted since 2021. Small pelagic production rose from about 64,000 t in 2009 to more than 590,000 t in 2018, and investment in fishmeal rose from USD 90 million in 2013 to USD 349 million in 2018, per IMROP 2019 as cited by Dème et al.","Fishmeal production was 111,866 t in 2017, 124,961 t in 2018, 128,789 t in 2020 (the peak) and 59,158 t in 2024 (Mongabay). More than 50% of the pelagic catch went to fishmeal in 2021, at about 5 kg of raw fish per 1 kg of fishmeal. The plants were supplied in part by Senegalese migrant purse seiners: over 200 units at Nouadhibou catching about 135,000 t a year, all sold to fishmeal factories, and about 400 purse seiners at Nouakchott catching about 150,000 t, which the study put at \"roughly three times\" the 50,000 t set in the agreement, with over 40% (60,000 t) going to the factories. Turkish-flagged purse seiners first arrived in 2016; the fleet fell from 59 in 2022 to 40 in 2023 and 32 in 2024.","Mongabay described the regulation as follows. A 2016 circular set a 10,000 t raw-fish quota per plant, cut by 15% a year until 2019. Decree 643-2021 (May 2021) required freezing on vessels and at plants and banned round sardinella, horse mackerel, chub mackerel and yellow mullet for fishmeal; in 2022 the ban was extended to flat sardinella and bonga shad. A small pelagics management plan adopted as law in November 2022 limited vessels over 40 m to waters deeper than 30 m, vessels over 26 m to waters 20 m deep or more, and banned fishing for fishmeal within 12 nautical miles of the coast. On 19 August 2021 the fisheries ministry gave a 40 m Turkish purse seiner a \"special derogation\" to fish in Zone A, adjacent to Banc d'Arguin National Park; it ended the derogation on 5 November 2021, citing the \"inconclusive results of the experimentation\" (CFFA). Mongabay's January 2026 report describes the fall in active plants as the result of the 2021–2022 measures together with ministry licence withdrawals. Its September 2025 survey counted 30 plants in Nouadhibou (6 licences withdrawn, 7 abandoned, 8 operational, 9 in care and maintenance) and 14 at PK28 and Port Tanit (5 lost licences, 2 abandoned, 7 in care and maintenance, none operational), with 8 active in total.","The EU's current Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement protocol (provisional application from 16 November 2021, expiring on 14 November 2026) provides a total EU contribution of EUR 60.8 million a year: EUR 57.5 million a year for access and sectoral support of about EUR 3.3 million a year. EUR 7.5 million of the contribution is conditional on adoption of a new small pelagics management plan. Category 6 (pelagic freezer trawlers) allows 225,000 t for 19 vessels, at EUR 75/t for sardines and sardinellas. The EU's average uptake of the fishing opportunities was 55%. The earlier 2008–2012 protocol carried a total contribution of EUR 86 million in year 1 falling to EUR 70 million in year 4, including EUR 1 million a year for Banc d'Arguin National Park. Separately, the Chinese company Poly-Hondone Pelagic Fishery Co. agreed a USD 100 million investment in a fish-processing plant at Nouadhibou in exchange for fishing licences, in force from 2010 for 25 years.","A preliminary summary of the FAO Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish off Northwest Africa (meeting 25 June–2 July 2024, chaired by Cheikh-Baye Braham of IMROP) found 5 of 9 stocks overexploited, including round and flat sardinella across the whole subregion. It reported the 2023 round sardinella biomass as the lowest in the historical series and recommended that Mauritania's ban on use in fishmeal be maintained and extended to the entire subregion. IMROP data cited by Mongabay show flat sardinella made up 17% of fishmeal input in 2023 and 15% in 2024, although it has been banned for fishmeal since 2022."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Fewer than 3 fishmeal factories in Mauritania","src":1},{"y":2008,"t":"EU–Mauritania protocol 2008–2012 begins, including EUR 1 million a year for Banc d'Arguin National Park","src":5},{"y":2010,"t":"Poly-Hondone fishing agreement with China enters into force for 25 years","src":7},{"y":2015,"t":"35 fishmeal plants authorised","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Circular sets a 10,000 t raw-fish quota per plant; Turkish-flagged purse seiners first arrive","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Fishmeal production peaks at 128,789 t","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Decree 643-2021 (May); 44 plants authorised; Zone A derogation granted 19 August and ended 5 November; current EU protocol applies provisionally from 16 November","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Fishmeal ban extended to flat sardinella and bonga shad; small pelagics management plan adopted as law (November)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"FAO/CECAF working group meets in Dakar (25 June–2 July) and assesses sardinella as overexploited; fishmeal production 59,158 t","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"September survey by Mongabay: 8 plants active","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Mongabay reports the end of the fishmeal expansion (January); current EU protocol expires 14 November","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"Both stocks are in a critical situation, heavily overexploited and with very low biomass levels.","who":"FAO/CECAF working group on small pelagic fish off Northwest Africa, on round and flat sardinella (preliminary summary)","when":"2024","src":2},{"q":"The biomass in 2023 is the lowest in the entire historical series.","who":"FAO/CECAF working group, on round sardinella (preliminary summary)","when":"2024","src":2},{"q":"is destruction","who":"Mohamed Ould M'Bareck, Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, speaking to Mongabay about fishmeal","when":"January 2026","src":0},{"q":"opens the way to plundering fish resources","who":"Parliamentary commission of inquiry on the governance of former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (2008–2019), on the Poly-Hondone agreement, as reported by Financial Afrik","when":"2020","src":7,"translated":"French"},{"q":"This is big business stripping life from our oceans","who":"Dr Aliou Ba, Greenpeace Africa","when":"7 October 2021","src":9},{"q":"the implementation of sectoral support lacks transparency","who":"European Commission evaluation of the EU–Mauritania agreement, as summarised by AGRINFO","when":"2026","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"Fishmeal \"is destruction\" rather than value creation, and the policy aims to phase it out.","who":"Mohamed Ould M'Bareck, Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy, to Mongabay, January 2026","src":0},{"t":"The Poly-Hondone agreement was publicly defended and praised.","who":"Chinese embassy in Nouakchott, as reported by Financial Afrik, 2020","src":7},{"t":"About 450 jobs were created for Mauritanian seafarers under the EU agreement.","who":"European Commission evaluation, as summarised by AGRINFO","src":6},{"t":"Mauritania had the second-highest number of authorised fishmeal plants in the world after Peru in 2021.","who":"Mongabay, January 2026","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Fishmeal production fell from 128,789 t in 2020 to 59,158 t in 2024; 8 plants were active in September 2025.","src":0},{"t":"The FAO/CECAF working group assessed 5 of 9 small pelagic stocks as overexploited in 2024, including round and flat sardinella (preliminary results).","src":2},{"t":"Flat sardinella made up 17% (2023) and 15% (2024) of fishmeal input although banned for fishmeal since 2022 (IMROP data cited by Mongabay).","src":0},{"t":"EUR 7.5 million of the EU contribution is conditional on adoption of a new small pelagics management plan.","src":4},{"t":"The on-board scientific observation programme under the EU protocol was not implemented, according to the EU evaluation summarised by AGRINFO.","src":6},{"t":"The EU evaluation found some fish stocks overexploited.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Spending directed at recovery of the overexploited sardinella stocks","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"EU financial contribution per year, 2021–2026 protocol","amount":60.8,"window":"2021–2026","note":"EUR 57.5 million a year for access plus sectoral support of about EUR 3.3 million a year."},{"label":"Part of the EU contribution conditional on a new small pelagics management plan","amount":7.5,"window":"2021–2026"},{"label":"EU total contribution, year 1 of the 2008–2012 protocol","amount":86,"window":"2008–2012"},{"label":"EU total contribution, year 4 of the 2008–2012 protocol","amount":70,"window":"2008–2012"},{"label":"Chinese investment in a processing plant (Poly-Hondone)","amount":null,"note":"USD 100 million, stated in USD; in exchange for fishing licences, 25 years from 2010."},{"label":"Investment in the fishmeal industry","amount":null,"note":"USD 90 million (2013) to USD 349 million (2018), per IMROP 2019 as cited by Dème et al."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Small pelagic stocks overexploited","v":"5 of 9","d":"FAO/CECAF working group, 2024 (preliminary)"},{"k":"Round sardinella biomass, 2023","v":"Lowest","d":"In the entire historical series"},{"k":"Fishmeal production","v":"128,789 t → 59,158 t","d":"2020 peak to 2024"},{"k":"Plants active, September 2025","v":"8","d":"44 plants were authorised in 2021"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Preliminary summary of the FAO/CECAF working group on small pelagic fish off Northwest Africa (2024), not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee; IMROP data cited by Mongabay (2026).","report":[{"t":"My round sardinella and flat sardinella stocks were assessed in 2024 as in \"a critical situation, heavily overexploited and with very low biomass levels\". The assessment was preliminary and had not yet been validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee.","src":2},{"t":"The biomass of my round sardinella in 2023 was \"the lowest in the entire historical series\", and the stock has been in a very critical situation since 2016, according to the working group.","src":2},{"t":"Of nine small pelagic stocks off north-west Africa, five were assessed as overexploited in 2024.","src":2},{"t":"For my round sardinella the group recommended \"a substantial and immediate reduction in fishing effort and mortality (60 percent of the current mortality on this stock)\".","src":2},{"t":"My flat sardinella made up 17% of fishmeal input in 2023 and 15% in 2024, according to IMROP data cited by Mongabay, although its use for fishmeal has been banned since 2022.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: Mauritania's fishmeal export revenue. Mongabay does not report it, and Dème et al. give only a regional share of about 15% of fishery export value.","Unclear: how far operating plants comply with the fishmeal rules; Mongabay describes the degree of compliance as unclear.","Unclear: whether any decree after 2022 contributed to the 2025 fall in active plants; Mongabay's January 2026 report describes the 2021–2022 measures and ministry licence withdrawals.","Insufficient: the 2024 CECAF stock assessment is preliminary and not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee.","Not measured: the on-board scientific observation programme under the EU protocol was not implemented, according to the EU evaluation summarised by AGRINFO.","Not disclosed: the amounts of the fines imposed on plants; the director of the SFHP plant told Mongabay that plants were fined and suspended for processing \"good fish\".","Unclear: the status of the EU–Mauritania protocol after its expiry on 14 November 2026, and the status of the Poly-Hondone convention in 2026."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The 2024 assessment still classed round and flat sardinella as overexploited, and flat sardinella appeared in fishmeal input in 2023 and 2024 after its 2022 ban.","whoPaid":"The sardinella stocks, with round sardinella biomass in 2023 at the lowest in the historical series. No spending on stock recovery is on record; the EU paid EUR 60.8 million a year for access and sectoral support under the 2021–2026 protocol.","statusLine":"As of January 2026 (Mongabay): 8 plants were active in September 2025 and no new fishmeal licences had been issued since 2021; the current EU protocol expires on 14 November 2026.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"mauritania-gov","says":"Mohamed Ould M'Bareck of the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy told Mongabay that fishmeal is destruction rather than value creation and that the policy aims to phase it out.","when":"January 2026","src":0},{"actor":"china-gov","says":"The Chinese embassy in Nouakchott publicly defended Poly-Hondone and praised the agreement.","when":"2020","src":7},{"actor":"european-commission","says":"Its evaluation, as summarised by AGRINFO, found that the implementation of sectoral support lacks transparency, raised concerns about expenditure discrepancies and missing supporting documents in Mauritania's past use of funds, and reported about 450 jobs created for Mauritanian seafarers.","when":null,"src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"mauritania-gov","role":"Fisheries ministry; licensing and regulation of fishmeal plants"},{"id":"eu","role":"Party to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and protocol"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Negotiator and evaluator of the SFPA; publishes the protocol terms"},{"id":"poly-hondone","role":"Chinese company; 25-year fishing agreement from 2010"},{"id":"china-gov","role":"Embassy in Nouakchott defended the Poly-Hondone agreement"},{"id":"fao","role":"FAO/CECAF working group assessing small pelagic stocks"},{"id":"greenpeace-africa","role":"NGO; intercepted a fish-oil tanker in 2021"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Annual fishing opportunities under the EU protocol","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"European Commission (DG MARE page)","says":"280,050 t a year.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Parliament Legislative Observatory","says":"Up to 290,000 t a year.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"AGRINFO","says":"287,050 t a year.","src":6}]},{"point":"Number of fishmeal plants","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Dème et al., Frontiers in Marine Science (2023)","says":"41 licensed, functional factories (33 in Nouadhibou, 8 in Nouakchott).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"44 plants authorised in 2021; 8 active in September 2025.","src":0}]},{"point":"Jobs in the fishmeal industry","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"1,972 jobs in 2019.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"IMROP, as cited by Dème et al.","says":"About 1,200 jobs.","src":1}]},{"point":"Why fishmeal plants stopped operating","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy (Mohamed Ould M'Bareck)","says":"Fishmeal is destruction rather than value creation; the policy aims to phase it out.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Mohamed Lemine Areira, Bountiya plant owners' association","says":"The purse seiners supplying Nouadhibou have almost disappeared.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Hamady, Sinorim","says":"There are not enough fish in waters open to industrial vessels.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Levent Gülkaya, Mahelturk","says":"Companies are shifting from fishmeal to freezing.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Harouna Lebaye, Artisanal Fishing Free Federation","says":"The sector runs in parallel to the economy and excludes Mauritanian artisanal fishermen.","src":0}]},{"point":"The Poly-Hondone fishing agreement with China","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Parliamentary commission of inquiry on the governance of former president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz (2008–2019)","says":"Found the agreement behind schedule and said it opens the way to plundering fish resources (a parliamentary finding, not a court ruling). As of November 2020 the government kept the agreement in force and was negotiating renewal of its five-yearly memorandum.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Chinese embassy in Nouakchott","says":"Publicly defended Poly-Hondone and praised the agreement.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oumy Sène, Greenpeace Afrique","says":"The convention must be denounced without delay.","src":8}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ministry licence withdrawals and sanctions against fishmeal plants","forum":"Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy","country":"Mauritania","iso2":"MR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy","defendant":"Fishmeal plant operators","filed":null,"decided":2025,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"By September 2025 the ministry had withdrawn 6 licences in Nouadhibou and plants at PK28 and Port Tanit had lost 5 (Mongabay). The SFHP director said plants were fined and suspended for processing \"good fish\"; no amounts are on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fishmeal_plants_authorised","value":35,"unit":"plants","year":2015,"note":"Mongabay."},{"key":"fishmeal_plants_authorised","value":44,"unit":"plants","year":2021,"note":"Mongabay; second-highest number worldwide after Peru."},{"key":"fishmeal_plants_active","value":8,"unit":"plants","year":2025,"note":"Mongabay survey, September 2025."},{"key":"fishmeal_production_tonnes","value":128789,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"Peak."},{"key":"fishmeal_production_tonnes","value":59158,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024},{"key":"pelagic_catch_to_fishmeal","value":50,"unit":"% of pelagic catch","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"About 5 kg of raw fish per 1 kg of fishmeal."},{"key":"stocks_overexploited","value":5,"unit":"of 9 stocks","year":2024,"note":"FAO/CECAF working group, preliminary."},{"key":"eu_contribution_per_year","value":60.8,"unit":"EUR m","year":2021,"note":"2021–2026 protocol; EUR 57.5 million access plus about EUR 3.3 million sectoral support."},{"key":"eu_contribution_conditional","value":7.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2021,"note":"Conditional on a new small pelagics management plan."},{"key":"eu_fee_sardines_sardinellas","value":75,"unit":"EUR per tonne","year":2021,"note":"Category 6, pelagic freezer trawlers: 225,000 t, 19 vessels."},{"key":"eu_uptake_of_opportunities","value":55,"unit":"%","year":2021,"qualifier":"average","note":"AGRINFO."},{"key":"chinese_investment","value":100,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Poly-Hondone; fishing licences for 25 years."},{"key":"fishmeal_investment","value":349,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Up from USD 90 million in 2013 (IMROP 2019 via Dème et al.)."},{"key":"fishmeal_jobs","value":1972,"unit":"jobs","year":2019,"note":"Mongabay; IMROP via Dème et al. gives about 1,200."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mauritania's fishmeal industry expanded from fewer than three plants in 2008 to 44 authorised plants in 2021 while foreign fleets fished under EU and Chinese agreements; a 2024 FAO/CECAF assessment found round and flat sardinella heavily overexploited.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Fishmeal plant owners (including Chinese- and Turkish-linked operators)","what":"Plants authorised and operating; fishmeal production reached 128,789 t in 2020","src":0},{"who":"Government of Mauritania","what":"EUR 60.8 million a year from the EU under the 2021–2026 protocol; fishing licences exchanged for a USD 100 million Chinese investment","src":3},{"who":"Poly-Hondone Pelagic Fishery Co.","what":"Fishing licences in exchange for a USD 100 million processing plant, 25 years from 2010","src":7}],"lost":[{"who":"Mauritanian artisanal fishermen","what":"The president of the Artisanal Fishing Free Federation said the fishmeal sector excludes them","src":0},{"who":"Imraguen fishers","what":"A fisherman told Global Voices that octopus and yellow mullet had disappeared since the China deal","src":8}],"harmed":[{"who":"Round sardinella","what":"Biomass in 2023 the lowest in the historical series; stock in a very critical situation since 2016","src":2},{"who":"Flat sardinella","what":"Heavily overexploited with very low biomass; still 15–17% of fishmeal input in 2023–2024 despite the 2022 ban","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Nouadhibou (Bountiya industrial strip) and Nouakchott (PK28 and Port Tanit), and the Mauritanian exclusive economic zone; the stocks are shared across the CECAF northern subregion, from southern Senegal to the northern Atlantic border of Morocco.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Plant numbers rose from fewer than 3 (2008) to 44 (2021); decree 643-2021 in May 2021; management plan in November 2022; FAO/CECAF assessment 25 June–2 July 2024; current EU protocol 16 November 2021 to 14 November 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Dème et al. (2023) describe the emergence of the fishmeal industry as supported by small-scale migrant fishing, with Senegalese purse seiners supplying the plants; the EU and Chinese agreements gave foreign fleets access to the same waters.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Plants were licensed and supplied by purse seiners; from 2016 the state set raw-fish quotas, from 2021 banned named species for fishmeal and in 2022 adopted a management plan; by September 2025 the ministry had withdrawn licences from plants in both Nouadhibou and Nouakchott.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Mauritania's fishmeal fever ends as government tightens regulation","p":"Mongabay (J. Skrdlik, O. Dunn)","d":"2026-01-13","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/01/mauritanias-fishmeal-fever-ends-as-government-tightens-regulation/"},{"t":"Contribution of small-scale migrant fishing to the emergence of the fishmeal industry in West Africa","p":"Dème E.B. et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 10","d":"2023-03-29","type":"academic","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.871911/full"},{"t":"Summary Report, FAO Working Group on the Assessment of Small Pelagic Fish off Northwest Africa 2024 (preliminary)","p":"FAO/CECAF","d":"2024-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://fisheryprogress.org/sites/default/files/documents_actions/summary_NPWG_2024_0.pdf"},{"t":"Mauritania: Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement","p":"European Commission DG MARE","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","u":"https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/fisheries/international-agreements/sustainable-fisheries-partnership-agreements-sfpas/mauritania_en"},{"t":"EU/Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Implementing Protocol, 2021/0300(NLE)","p":"European Parliament Legislative Observatory","d":"2022-06-08","type":"official","u":"https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/document-summary?id=1706765"},{"t":"EC/Mauritania Fisheries Partnership Agreement protocol 2008–2012, 2008/0093(CNS)","p":"European Parliament Legislative Observatory","d":"2008-05-13","type":"official","u":"https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/document-summary?id=1036490"},{"t":"EU and Mauritania fisheries partnership agreement","p":"AGRINFO","d":"2026-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://agrinfo.eu/book-of-reports/eu-and-mauritania-fisheries-partnership-agreement"},{"t":"Nouakchott maintient une convention de pêche jugée illégale (Nouakchott keeps a fishing agreement deemed illegal)","p":"Financial Afrik (Samba Camara)","d":"2020-11-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.financialafrik.com/2020/11/17/nouakchott-maintient-une-convention-de-peche-jugee-illegale/"},{"t":"What has become of Mauritania's fishermen fifteen years after the agreement with China?","p":"Global Voices","d":"2025-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://globalvoices.org/2025/08/04/what-has-become-of-mauritanias-fishermen-fifteen-years-after-the-authorities-signed-an-agreement-with-china/"},{"t":"Greenpeace intercepts fish oil tanker as dramatic industry expansion threatens livelihoods in West Africa","p":"Greenpeace Africa","d":"2021-10-07","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/49255/greenpeace-intercepts-fish-oil-tanker-as-dramatic-industry-expansion-threatens-livelihoods-in-west-africa/"},{"t":"Mauritania: A 40-metre seiner authorised to fish at the gates of the Banc d'Arguin","p":"CFFA (B. Gorez)","d":"2021-09-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://cffacape.org/publications-blog/mauritania-a-40-metre-seiner-authorised-to-fish-at-the-gates-of-the-banc-darguin"}],"episodes":[],"related":["banc-darguin-bacomab-trust-fund"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why fishmeal plants stopped operating","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Spending directed at recovery of the overexploited sardinella stocks — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Chinese investment in a processing plant (Poly-Hondone) — USD 100 million, stated in USD; in exchange for fishing licences, 25 years from 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Investment in the fishmeal industry — USD 90 million (2013) to USD 349 million (2018), per IMROP 2019 as cited by Dème et al.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Annual fishing opportunities under the EU protocol","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of fishmeal plants","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Jobs in the fishmeal industry","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The Poly-Hondone fishing agreement with China","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ministry licence withdrawals and sanctions against fishmeal plants: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Mauritania's fishmeal export revenue. Mongabay does not report it, and Dème et al. give only a regional share of about 15% of fishery export value.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: how far operating plants comply with the fishmeal rules; Mongabay describes the degree of compliance as unclear.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether any decree after 2022 contributed to the 2025 fall in active plants; Mongabay's January 2026 report describes the 2021–2022 measures and ministry licence withdrawals.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the 2024 CECAF stock assessment is preliminary and not yet validated by the CECAF Scientific Sub-Committee.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the on-board scientific observation programme under the EU protocol was not implemented, according to the EU evaluation summarised by AGRINFO.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of the fines imposed on plants; the director of the SFHP plant told Mongabay that plants were fined and suspended for processing \"good fish\".","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the status of the EU–Mauritania protocol after its expiry on 14 November 2026, and the status of the Poly-Hondone convention in 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"greater-tortue-ahmeyim-lng-coral-reef","title":"Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project, the deep-water coral reef and BP's reef mitigation","dek":"BP operates the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project on the Mauritania–Senegal maritime border, where the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment found in 2018 that the environmental assessment was incomplete and that the seabed holds live reef-building Lophelia corals. A gas leak at one of four wells was found in February 2025, and a 3.2 billion FCFA artificial reef was announced as mitigation by Senegal's fisheries ministry.","country":"Mauritania","region":"Africa","lat":16.2,"lon":-17.6,"places":[{"country":"Mauritania","iso2":"MR","admin":"Offshore, Mauritania–Senegal maritime border (off N'Diago)","lat":16.2,"lon":-17.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","admin":"Offshore Saint-Louis","lat":16.03,"lon":-16.55,"role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-02-19","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Artificial reef off Saint-Louis, funded by BP, Kosmos Energy and Petrosen","value":"3.2 bn FCFA","note":"Described by Senegal's fisheries ministry as part of the project's mitigation measures. Mongabay (2023) gave the Phase 1 cost as USD 4.5 billion."},"happened":["The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) project is an offshore LNG development operated by BP with Kosmos Energy, Petrosen (Senegal) and SMH (Mauritania) on the Mauritania–Senegal maritime border. Mongabay gave the Phase 1 cost as USD 4.5 billion and the capacity as 2.5 million tonnes of LNG a year for about 20 years; Reuters (2025) gave 2.3 million tonnes a year. First gas reached the floating production unit on 31 December 2024 (Offshore Technology).","A 4,400-page environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) was submitted to both governments in 2018. On 1 September 2018, at the request of Senegal's Direction de l'Environnement et des Établissements Classés (DEEC), the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) began a review. Ten marine scientists sent an open letter on 12 November 2018. The NCEA's advisory of 6 December 2018 stated that the ESIA's environmental information is incomplete and/or has not been sufficiently used, and recommended requiring the developers to update the ESIA before deciding on authorisation of the project. Days later both governments approved drilling without changes to the ESIA (Mongabay).","On biodiversity the NCEA stated (translated from French) that the pipeline crosses habitats critical for fisheries resources and that the floating production unit also sits in this vulnerable environment. It described the habitat as made up of reef-building corals (Lophelia), extremely vulnerable to any physical disturbance of the seabed, and stated that seabed photographs from the ESIA baseline had been misinterpreted: they show reef-building Lophelia, not solitary or fossil corals as the ESIA states. It cited four scientific cruises by Ramos et al. (2017) that described live coral in the area, found the micro-contaminant baseline methods obsolete and not in line with OSPAR criteria, and stated that the zone likely holds \"the only black corals of the slope\" and had been identified as a candidate marine protected area. It also recommended a study of alternatives to discharging production water at sea, notably reinjection.","Senegal's national technical validation committee validated the ESIA on condition that its recommendations were taken into account. According to Mongabay (February 2023), BP agreed to review the ESIA after four years of petitioning by scientists; hazard modelling was awaiting funding, the original ESIA remained the official document, and the scientists' recommendations (reinjecting produced water, covering the pipeline with rock instead of trenching, a PAH baseline in Senegal) had not been adopted at the time of publication.","A gas leak was found on 19 February 2025 at one of four wells. BP and Mauritania's environment ministry announced it on 5 March 2025; BP said it had discovered low-rate subsea gas bubbles and expected the impact to be negligible. A sealing device was installed on 12 March 2025, after which the bubbles stopped visually, and BP said further tests, monitoring and visual inspections would continue. Greenpeace Africa asked BP to publish independent data on the leak. Separately, an artificial reef of 3.2 billion FCFA, funded by BP, Kosmos Energy and Petrosen, was shown at the Port of Dakar on 21–22 October 2025; BP announced on 17 December 2025 that it had been immersed about 4 km off Saint-Louis."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"4,400-page ESIA submitted to both governments; NCEA review starts 1 Sep at Senegal's DEEC request; ten marine scientists send an open letter 12 Nov; NCEA advisory 6 Dec; drilling approved days later without changes to the ESIA","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"February: BP agrees to review the ESIA after four years of petitioning by scientists; original ESIA still the official document","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"31 Dec: first gas to the floating production unit","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"19 Feb: gas leak found at one of four wells; 5 Mar: BP and Mauritania's environment ministry announce it; 12 Mar: sealing device installed; 21–22 Oct: reef modules shown at the Port of Dakar; 17 Dec: BP announces the reef is immersed","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"are incomplete and/or have not been sufficiently used","who":"NCEA advisory of 6 December 2018, on the environmental information in the ESIA","when":"6 December 2018","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"before deciding on authorisation","who":"NCEA advisory, on updating the ESIA","when":"6 December 2018","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"the only black corals of the slope","who":"NCEA advisory, on the zone likely to hold them","when":"6 December 2018","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"We aim to contribute towards the conservation of the marine ecosystem in Mauritania and Senegal","who":"Marie Diop Toguyeni, BP head of communications for Mauritania and Senegal","when":"February 2023","src":2},{"q":"we discovered low-rate subsea gas bubbles","who":"BP, on the 2025 leak","when":"5 March 2025","src":3},{"q":"conducting in-depth investigations to effectively manage the situation and prevent any environmental impact.","who":"Mauritania's environment ministry, on the 2025 leak","when":"5 March 2025","src":3},{"q":"incidents of this kind often occur at the start of production","who":"Ahmed Vall Ould Mohameden, adviser at Mauritania's oil ministry","when":"5 March 2025","src":3},{"q":"BP is once again demonstrating its utter disregard for marine life and coastal communities","who":"Dr Aliou Ba, Greenpeace Africa","when":"6 March 2025","src":5},{"q":"these reefs will boost regeneration of fish stocks and preserve marine biodiversity","who":"Dr Fatou Diouf, Senegal's fisheries minister, on the artificial reef","when":"October 2025","src":6,"translated":"French"}],"shown":[{"t":"The project \"was approved in 2018 by the governments and regulators of both Mauritania and Senegal, following a thorough review process\".","who":"BP, quoted by Mongabay, February 2023","src":2},{"t":"The artificial reef is part of the GTA project's mitigation measures.","who":"Senegal's fisheries ministry, as reported by Le Soleil, October 2025","src":6},{"t":"The artificial reef falls under the GTA \"social investment\" programme, funded to the tune of several million dollars; ten modular sets of cubes and pyramids designed for 99 years.","who":"BP communiqué, as reported by Ndarinfo, December 2025","src":7},{"t":"The impact of the 2025 leak was expected to be negligible.","who":"BP, as reported by Reuters via CNBC Africa, March 2025","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"The NCEA's reading of the ESIA baseline photographs shows live reef-building Lophelia along the future pipeline zone; the ESIA had described them as solitary or fossil corals.","src":0},{"t":"As of February 2023 the original ESIA remained the official document and hazard modelling was awaiting funding.","src":2},{"t":"A leak found on 19 February 2025 at one of four wells; bubbles stopped visually after sealing on 12 March 2025; BP said further tests, monitoring and visual inspections would continue.","src":4},{"t":"Greenpeace Africa asked BP to publish independent data on the leak.","src":5},{"t":"The exact amount of the GTA social investment programme is not given in BP's communiqué.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Artificial reef off Saint-Louis (BP, Kosmos Energy, Petrosen)","amount":null,"note":"3.2 billion FCFA (Le Soleil). BP's communiqué says the programme is funded to the tune of several million dollars and gives no exact amount."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Phase 1 project cost","amount":4500,"qualifier":"reported","window":"Phase 1","note":"Mongabay, 2023."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Habitat on the pipeline route","v":"Lophelia","d":"Live reef-building corals, per the NCEA's reading of the ESIA photographs"},{"k":"Bottom-dwelling species on the reef","v":"At least 150","d":"Scientists cited by Mongabay"},{"k":"2025 leak","v":"19 Feb–12 Mar","d":"One of four wells; BP expected the impact to be negligible"},{"k":"Reef mitigation","v":"3.2 bn FCFA","d":"Artificial reef off Saint-Louis"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NCEA advisory of 6 December 2018; scientists cited by Mongabay (2023); BP and Mauritania's environment ministry statements on the 2025 leak.","report":[{"t":"On my seabed along the future pipeline zone, the NCEA found live reef-building Lophelia corals in the ESIA's own baseline photographs; the ESIA had described them as solitary or fossil corals.","src":0},{"t":"The NCEA described these corals as extremely vulnerable to any physical disturbance of my seabed, and cited four scientific cruises (Ramos et al., 2017) that described live coral in the area.","src":0},{"t":"My zone likely holds \"the only black corals of the slope\", according to the NCEA, and had been identified as a candidate marine protected area.","src":0},{"t":"At least 150 bottom-dwelling species live on my reef, according to scientists cited by Mongabay.","src":2},{"t":"Between 19 February and 12 March 2025, gas bubbles leaked from one of four wells before a sealing device was installed. BP assessed the impact as expected to be negligible.","src":4}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the volume of gas released in the February–March 2025 leak; no independent measurement is on record, and BP's own assessment is that the impact was expected to be negligible.","Not disclosed: the exact amount of BP's GTA social investment programme; the communiqué says several million dollars.","Insufficient: no revised ESIA had been published as of February 2023, and hazard modelling was awaiting funding.","None on record: a biodiversity fund or offset for the cold-water reef itself; Mongabay (2023) mentions none.","None on record: a court case or regulatory penalty.","Figures differ: Mongabay (2023) gives a Phase 1 cost of USD 4.5 billion, Offshore Technology gives USD 4.8 billion; Mongabay gives the reef system's length as 600 km, other press reports give 580 km.","Unclear: whether a revised ESIA or new hazard modelling was published between 2023 and 2026, and the status of Phase 2."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The leak was visually stopped on 12 March 2025 after a sealing device was installed; BP said monitoring and inspections would continue. The NCEA's 2018 findings on the coral habitat are not recorded as resolved.","whoPaid":"The coral habitat and its species along the pipeline route; no biodiversity offset for the reef is on record. BP, Kosmos Energy and Petrosen funded the 3.2 billion FCFA artificial reef off Saint-Louis.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: the artificial reef was immersed off Saint-Louis (BP, 17 December 2025); no revised ESIA is on record, and the 2025 leak was sealed on 12 March 2025.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"bp","says":"Marie Diop Toguyeni said BP aims to contribute to conservation of the marine ecosystem in Mauritania and Senegal and that the project was approved in 2018 by both governments and regulators following a thorough review process. On the 2025 leak BP said it discovered low-rate subsea gas bubbles, expected the impact to be negligible and had a plan to stop the bubbles.","when":"February 2023; March 2025","src":3},{"actor":"mauritania-gov","says":"The environment ministry said it was conducting in-depth investigations to manage the situation and prevent any environmental impact; an oil ministry adviser said incidents of this kind often occur at the start of production.","when":"5 March 2025","src":3},{"actor":"senegal-gov","says":"Fisheries minister Dr Fatou Diouf said the artificial reefs will boost regeneration of fish stocks and preserve marine biodiversity.","when":"October 2025","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"Operator of the GTA project"},{"id":"kosmos-energy","role":"Partner; co-funder of the artificial reef"},{"id":"petrosen","role":"Senegalese partner; co-funder of the artificial reef"},{"id":"mauritania-gov","role":"Approved the ESIA in 2018; environment and oil ministries commented on the leak"},{"id":"senegal-gov","role":"Approved the ESIA in 2018; fisheries ministry presented the artificial reef"},{"id":"ncea","role":"Reviewed the ESIA; advisory of 6 December 2018"},{"id":"greenpeace-africa","role":"Asked BP to publish independent data on the 2025 leak"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Phase 1 LNG capacity","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"2.5 million tonnes of LNG a year for about 20 years.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters via CNBC Africa","says":"2.3 million tonnes a year.","src":3}]},{"point":"Whether the artificial reef is mitigation or social investment","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Senegal's fisheries ministry, as reported by Le Soleil","says":"The reef is part of the GTA gas project's mitigation measures.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"BP communiqué, as reported by Ndarinfo","says":"The reef falls under the GTA social investment programme.","src":7}]},{"point":"Adequacy of the biodiversity assessment in the ESIA","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BP","says":"The project was approved in 2018 by both governments and regulators following a thorough review process.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"NCEA advisory (6 December 2018)","says":"The ESIA's environmental information is incomplete and/or has not been sufficiently used; baseline photographs show reef-building Lophelia, not solitary or fossil corals.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Sandra Kloff, marine biologist and NCEA panel member","says":"The biodiversity analysis was poorly done, with deep-sea species misidentified and currents not identified.","src":2}]},{"point":"Environmental impact of the 2025 gas leak","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"BP","says":"Low-rate subsea gas bubbles; the impact was expected to be negligible.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Mauritania's environment ministry","says":"Conducting in-depth investigations to prevent any environmental impact.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Africa (Dr Aliou Ba)","says":"BP showed utter disregard for marine life and coastal communities; BP should publish independent data on the leak.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A Saint-Louis artisanal fishers' association","says":"Feared insidious pollution with possibly irreversible effects.","src":4}]},{"point":"Chair of the NCEA review panel","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"NCEA advisory (PDF)","says":"Names Tanya van Gool as chair.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"NCEA project page","says":"Lists Dano Roelvink as chair and van Gool as technical secretary.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"project_cost","value":4500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Phase 1 (Mongabay)."},{"key":"lng_capacity_mtpa","value":2500000,"unit":"tonnes a year","year":2023,"note":"Mongabay; Reuters (2025) gives 2.3."},{"key":"esia_pages","value":4400,"unit":"pages","year":2018},{"key":"wells_total","value":4,"unit":"wells","year":2025,"note":"The leak was found at one of four wells."},{"key":"reef_cost","value":3200,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2025,"note":"Artificial reef off Saint-Louis; BP, Kosmos Energy and Petrosen."},{"key":"reef_modules","value":10,"unit":"modular sets","year":2025,"note":"Cubes and pyramids designed for 99 years (BP communiqué via Ndarinfo)."},{"key":"bottom_dwelling_species","value":150,"unit":"species","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"On the reef, per scientists cited by Mongabay."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"BP's Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project was approved in 2018 after an NCEA review found the ESIA's environmental information incomplete and seabed photographs showing live reef-building Lophelia corals; a gas leak was found in February 2025 and an artificial reef was installed off Saint-Louis in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BP, Kosmos Energy, Petrosen and SMH","what":"Project partners; Kosmos and partners begin recognising revenue at the first cargo lifting","src":8}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Reef-building Lophelia coral habitat along the pipeline route","what":"Live corals identified by the NCEA's reading of the ESIA baseline photographs","src":0},{"who":"Bottom-dwelling species on the reef","what":"At least 150 species, per scientists cited by Mongabay","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Offshore on the Mauritania–Senegal maritime border: the gas field about 125 km from the coast and a nearshore hub 10–11 km off N'Diago (Mauritania) and Saint-Louis (Senegal); the coral reef system runs about 600 km from Cape Timiris to the Senegalese border (Mongabay); the artificial reef is about 4 km off Saint-Louis.","src":2},"when":{"t":"ESIA 2018; NCEA advisory 6 December 2018; first gas 31 December 2024; leak found 19 February 2025 and sealed 12 March 2025; artificial reef immersed, announced 17 December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The NCEA recommended requiring the developers to update the ESIA before the authorisation decision; both governments approved drilling days later without changes to the ESIA (Mongabay). Senegal's fisheries ministry presented the artificial reef as part of the project's mitigation measures.","src":2},"how":{"t":"The pipeline and floating production unit sit in a habitat of reef-building cold-water corals; the NCEA recommended studying reinjection of produced water; the leak came from a subsea well and was sealed with a device installed on 12 March 2025.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Examen de l'EIES du Projet de production de gaz – Grand Tortue Ahmeyim – Phase 1 – Sénégal (NCEA advisory, ref. 7300)","p":"Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA)","d":"2018-12-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.eia.nl/docs/os/i73/i7300/avis_final_grand_tortue_ahmeyim__6-12-2018.pdf"},{"t":"NCEA project 7300 page","p":"Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA)","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://eia.nl/en/projects/7300"},{"t":"Win for science as BP pressured into cleaning up offshore gas plans","p":"Mongabay (E. Toto)","d":"2023-02-09","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/02/win-for-science-as-bp-pressured-into-cleaning-up-offshore-gas-plans/"},{"t":"BP and Mauritania say leak detected at gas project off West Africa","p":"Reuters via CNBC Africa","d":"2025-03-05","type":"press","u":"https://cnbcafrica.com/2025/bp-and-mauritania-say-leak-detected-at-gas-project-off-west-africa"},{"t":"Gas leak off Senegal and Mauritania has ended, BP says","p":"Le360 Afrique / AFP","d":"2025-03-14","type":"press","u":"https://afrique.le360.ma/economie/fin-dune-fuite-de-gaz-au-large-du-senegal-et-de-la-mauritanie-dit-bp_R5UXW7FXRFB6NEYMHEW2E2YP5A/"},{"t":"GTA project gas leak: BP oil company in the dock","p":"Greenpeace Africa","d":"2025-03-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/57171/gta-project-gas-leak-bp-oil-company-in-the-dock/"},{"t":"3.2 billion FCFA to bring Saint-Louis's fish back to life","p":"Le Soleil (Cheikh Gora Diop)","d":"2025-10-22","type":"press","u":"https://lesoleil.sn/actualites/economie/32-milliards-fcfa-pour-redonner-vie-aux-poissons-de-saint-louis/"},{"t":"BP announces it has immersed an artificial reef off Saint-Louis","p":"Ndarinfo","d":"2025-12-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.ndarinfo.com/BP-annonce-avoir-immerge-un-recif-artificiel-au-large-de-Saint-Louis_a42157.html"},{"t":"First LNG at Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project","p":"Offshore Technology","d":"2025-02-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.offshore-technology.com/news/first-lng-at-greater-tortue-ahmeyim-project"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the artificial reef is mitigation or social investment","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Adequacy of the biodiversity assessment in the ESIA","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Environmental impact of the 2025 gas leak","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Artificial reef off Saint-Louis (BP, Kosmos Energy, Petrosen) — 3.2 billion FCFA (Le Soleil). BP's communiqué says the programme is funded to the tune of several million dollars and gives no exact amount.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Phase 1 LNG capacity","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Chair of the NCEA review panel","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the volume of gas released in the February–March 2025 leak; no independent measurement is on record, and BP's own assessment is that the impact was expected to be negligible.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the exact amount of BP's GTA social investment programme; the communiqué says several million dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: no revised ESIA had been published as of February 2023, and hazard modelling was awaiting funding.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a biodiversity fund or offset for the cold-water reef itself; Mongabay (2023) mentions none.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case or regulatory penalty.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Mongabay (2023) gives a Phase 1 cost of USD 4.5 billion, Offshore Technology gives USD 4.8 billion; Mongabay gives the reef system's length as 600 km, other press reports give 580 km.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether a revised ESIA or new hazard modelling was published between 2023 and 2026, and the status of Phase 2.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"banc-darguin-bacomab-trust-fund","title":"Banc d'Arguin National Park, the BACoMaB trust fund and fishing pressure","dek":"The BACoMaB conservation trust fund, capitalised by KfW, AFD/FFEM, MAVA and the EU through fisheries-agreement sectoral support, finances part of the running costs of Banc d'Arguin National Park in Mauritania. The park's 2024 dashboard records rising landings of threatened sharks and rays by its resident fishers, and a 2023 study found bony fish stocks inside the park overfished.","country":"Mauritania","region":"Africa","lat":20.2,"lon":-16.4,"places":[{"country":"Mauritania","iso2":"MR","admin":"Banc d'Arguin National Park (between Nouadhibou and Nouakchott)","lat":20.2,"lon":-16.4,"role":"event"}],"start":2002,"end":2025,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","finance","fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"BACoMaB payouts to the park's and Diawling park's running costs, 2014–2020","value":"≈ EUR 2.3m","note":"Cumulative; about 30% of the two protected areas' operating costs over the period (AFD evaluation, March 2021). The fund's capital was EUR 40 million at end-2023 (AFD, December 2025)."},"happened":["BACoMaB, a conservation trust fund, finances the recurrent costs and surveillance of Banc d'Arguin National Park (PNBA) and Diawling National Park (PND). Its beneficiaries are the PNBA, the PND, the Cap Blanc satellite reserve and the Côte des Phoques reserve. The idea of a conservation trust fund was raised by FIBA in 2002. An AFD evaluation (BRLi, March 2021) described the fund's position in the EU–Mauritania fisheries agreements as a mechanism recognised as a payment for ecosystem services linking international industrial fishing with the renewal of fish stocks through marine protected areas. The EU's 2008–2012 protocol earmarked EUR 1 million a year for the PNBA.","The 2021 evaluation gave BACoMaB's capital as nearly EUR 31.5 million in 2019, and also as EUR 32 million, with shares of KfW 47%, AFD and FFEM 25%, MAVA 18% and EU-RIM 9.5%. AFD's December 2025 factsheet gives total capital of EUR 40 million at end-2023 and more than EUR 40 million at end-2024, of which EUR 8.3 million came from AFD. AFD says it has committed EUR 18 million since 2013 to marine and coastal biodiversity in Mauritania, and that a further EUR 3.5 million is planned for an amortisation fund and a PNBA-specific window open to private contributions. AFD and FFEM supported BACoMaB with EUR 8.7 million between 2011 and 2019 (AFD EUR 7.5 million, FFEM EUR 1.2 million), 98% disbursed.","According to the evaluation, BACoMaB financed PNBA and PND recurrent costs for a cumulative total of about EUR 2.3 million between 2014 and 2020, about 30% of the protected areas' operating costs over the period. In 2024, AFD states, EUR 530,000 funded 538 PNBA patrols and 2,571 hours at sea, intercepting 238 boats, while EUR 190,000 supported the PND. The PNBA's own dashboard counts 528 outings in 2024 (468 in 2023), 107 days and 2,571 hours at sea in 2024 (80 days and 1,875 hours in 2023), and boardings of 213 pirogues, 40 purse seiners (80 pirogues) and 20 lanches.","Lemrabott et al. (Aquatic Conservation, 2023) reported from twenty years of monitoring that mullet and meagre in the park were overfished early on, while resident species (tilapias, catfishes) became a growing share of catches; they recommended closures during breeding and reference points. The PNBA's 2024 dashboard records that landings of five elasmobranch species by the park's lanches totalled 408 t in 2024, against 114 t in 2023, about 98% of selachian catches, and that the selachian share of total lanche landings rose from 4.29% to 10%. Guitarfish (Glaucostegus cemiculus) rose from 96 t to 183 t (+91%), Rhinoptera marginata from 24 t to 161 t (+571%), Rhizoprionodon acutus from 13 t to 61 t (+369%), and scalloped hammerhead by 75% (to about 2 t). The PNBA notes these species are on the IUCN Red List. Lanches landed no less than 4,368 t of fish in 2024.","The PNBA Scientific Council (CSBA, 17–19 July 2024) asked the park to make a real effort backed by a reliable information system on selachian fishing. The PNBA recommends more sea patrols of lanches, gear checks at embarkation and landing, and a calendar to limit catches of the five species, and states that its current budget does not allow the four planned monitoring missions. In 2021 a 40 m Turkish purse seiner was authorised to fish in Zone A, adjacent to the park, from 19 August to 5 November (CFFA)."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Idea of a conservation trust fund raised by FIBA","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"EC–Mauritania protocol 2008–2012 earmarks EUR 1 million a year for the PNBA","src":4},{"y":2011,"t":"AFD/FFEM support to BACoMaB begins (to 2019; EUR 8.7 million)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"BACoMaB grants to the PNBA and PND begin (to 2020; about EUR 2.3 million cumulative)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"AFD evaluation of BACoMaB (March); Zone A seiner derogation 19 Aug–5 Nov","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Lemrabott et al. publish twenty years of monitoring showing overfishing of bony fish stocks in the park","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"PNBA records 408 t of five elasmobranch species landed by lanches, against 114 t in 2023; Scientific Council session 17–19 July","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"PNBA 2024 dashboard final version (August); AFD factsheet (December)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"a payment for ecosystem services linking international industrial fishing with renewal of fish stocks through marine protected areas","who":"AFD evaluation of BACoMaB (BRLi), on the fund's position in the EU–Mauritania fisheries agreements","when":"March 2021","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"operational, with stable and transparent governance","who":"AFD evaluation of BACoMaB (BRLi)","when":"March 2021","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"grant amounts are not necessarily maximised, with strong attention to preserving the endowment","who":"AFD evaluation of BACoMaB (BRLi)","when":"March 2021","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"to make a real effort accompanied by a reliable information system","who":"PNBA Scientific Council (CSBA), on selachian fishing","when":"17–19 July 2024","src":2,"translated":"French"},{"q":"the open door to incursions into the Banc d'Arguin","who":"Maimouna Saleck, BiodiverCités, on the 2021 Zone A derogation for a Turkish purse seiner","when":"2021","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"The fund is a mechanism recognised as a payment for ecosystem services linking international industrial fishing to the renewal of fish stocks through marine protected areas.","who":"AFD evaluation (BRLi), March 2021","src":0},{"t":"EUR 530,000 funded 538 PNBA patrols and 2,571 hours at sea, intercepting 238 boats; EUR 190,000 supported the PND.","who":"AFD factsheet, December 2025","src":1},{"t":"The park's budget does not allow the four planned monitoring missions.","who":"PNBA management dashboard 2024","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Selachian landings by lanches: 408 t of five species in 2024 against 114 t in 2023; selachian share of total lanche landings from 4.29% to 10%.","src":2},{"t":"Twenty years of monitoring found mullet and meagre overfished early on, with resident species a growing share of catches (Lemrabott et al., 2023).","src":3},{"t":"BACoMaB capital: nearly EUR 31.5 million (2019), EUR 32 million (current capital in the 2021 evaluation), EUR 40 million (end-2023) and more than EUR 40 million (end-2024).","src":1},{"t":"The \"Financement durable\" indicator in the PNBA 2024 dashboard was not filled in for 2024.","src":2},{"t":"No earmark for the PNBA or BACoMaB appears in the summary of the EU's 2021–2026 protocol.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"BACoMaB grants to PNBA and PND running costs, cumulative","amount":2.3,"qualifier":"about","window":"2014–2020","note":"About 30% of the protected areas' operating costs over the period."},{"label":"BACoMaB 2024 grant to the PNBA","amount":0.53,"window":"2024","note":"538 patrols, 2,571 hours at sea, 238 boats intercepted."},{"label":"BACoMaB 2024 grant to the PND","amount":0.19,"window":"2024"},{"label":"AFD/FFEM support to BACoMaB","amount":8.7,"window":"2011–2019","note":"AFD EUR 7.5 million, FFEM EUR 1.2 million; 98% disbursed."},{"label":"BACoMaB capital","amount":40,"window":"end-2023","note":"EUR 31.5–32 million in the 2019–2021 evaluation; more than EUR 40 million at end-2024, of which EUR 8.3 million from AFD."},{"label":"EU earmark for the PNBA in the 2008–2012 protocol, per year","amount":1,"window":"2008–2012"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Fisheries-sector turnover in the park's area, 2024","amount":null,"note":"91.7 million MRU (98.51 million MRU in 2023); fish trading is 91% (PNBA dashboard)."},{"label":"Tourism turnover in the park's area, 2024","amount":null,"note":"463,880 MRU (PNBA dashboard)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Elasmobranchs landed by lanches","v":"408 t","d":"2024, against 114 t in 2023; five species"},{"k":"Guitarfish landings","v":"96 → 183 t","d":"+91%, 2023 to 2024; IUCN Red List species"},{"k":"Bony fish stocks","v":"Overfished","d":"Mullet and meagre, twenty years of monitoring (2023 study)"},{"k":"Surveillance, 2024","v":"538 patrols","d":"EUR 530,000 from BACoMaB (AFD)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Lemrabott et al. (Aquatic Conservation, 2023) and the PNBA management dashboard 2024.","report":[{"t":"Mullet and meagre in my waters were overfished early on, and resident species such as tilapias and catfishes became a growing share of catches, according to twenty years of monitoring published in 2023.","src":3},{"t":"In 2024 five of my elasmobranch species were landed by the park's lanches at 408 t, against 114 t in 2023, according to the park's dashboard.","src":2},{"t":"Guitarfish landings rose from 96 t to 183 t, Rhinoptera marginata from 24 t to 161 t and Rhizoprionodon acutus from 13 t to 61 t; the park notes these species are on the IUCN Red List.","src":2},{"t":"Selachians were 4.29% of the lanches' total landings and then 10%, according to the dashboard.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the amount of the 2024 BACoMaB grant to the PNBA does not appear in the PNBA dashboard text; the 2024 grant and the 2025 request were reviewed at PNBA–BACoMaB meetings on 29 September 2024 and 11 December 2024.","Not disclosed: the \"Financement durable\" (sustainable financing) indicator in the PNBA 2024 dashboard was not filled in.","None on record: a court case; the PNBA cites the 2003 Ten Alloul workshop decisions and national law (the PNBA law and the fisheries code) against targeting guitarfish.","None on record: an earmark for the PNBA or BACoMaB in the summary of the EU's 2021–2026 protocol.","Unclear: whether any 2021–2026 EU sectoral support goes to BACoMaB, and how much."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The PNBA's 2024 dashboard records selachian landings rising from 114 t in 2023 to 408 t in 2024, and the park states its budget does not allow the four planned monitoring missions.","whoPaid":"The park's fish stocks, with bony fish overfished and selachian landings rising. BACoMaB paid about EUR 2.3 million toward running costs in 2014–2020 and EUR 530,000 for PNBA surveillance in 2024.","statusLine":"As of December 2025 (AFD factsheet): BACoMaB was capitalised at more than EUR 40 million; the PNBA's 2024 dashboard (final version August 2025) recorded 408 t of five elasmobranch species landed.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"pnba","says":"The park recommends more sea patrols of lanches, gear checks at embarkation and landing, and a calendar to limit catches of the five species; it states that the current budget does not allow the four planned monitoring missions.","when":"2025","src":2},{"actor":"afd","says":"Its evaluator described BACoMaB as operational, with stable and transparent governance, while noting that grant amounts are not necessarily maximised, with strong attention to preserving the endowment.","when":"March 2021","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"bacomab","role":"Trust fund financing the park's running costs and surveillance"},{"id":"pnba","role":"Park authority; records catches by resident lanches"},{"id":"afd","role":"Funder (EUR 18 million committed since 2013); commissioned the 2021 evaluation"},{"id":"kfw","role":"Funder; 47% of BACoMaB capital in the 2021 evaluation"},{"id":"eu","role":"Fisheries-agreement sectoral support, including EUR 1 million a year for the PNBA in 2008–2012"}],"disputes":[{"point":"BACoMaB capital","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"AFD evaluation (March 2021)","says":"Nearly EUR 31.5 million in 2019 and EUR 32 million current capital.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"AFD factsheet (December 2025)","says":"EUR 40 million at end-2023; more than EUR 40 million at end-2024; EUR 18 million is AFD's commitment since 2013.","src":1}]},{"point":"2024 surveillance activity","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"PNBA management dashboard 2024","says":"528 outings, 2,571 hours at sea.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"AFD factsheet (December 2025)","says":"538 patrols, 2,571 hours at sea, 238 boats intercepted.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"park_area_km2","value":12000,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"qualifier":"about"},{"key":"bacomab_capital","value":31.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2019,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"2021 evaluation also gives EUR 32 million current capital."},{"key":"bacomab_capital","value":40,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023},{"key":"bacomab_capital","value":40,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Of which EUR 8.3 million from AFD."},{"key":"afd_commitment","value":18,"unit":"EUR m","year":2013,"note":"Committed since 2013 to marine and coastal biodiversity in Mauritania."},{"key":"bacomab_grants_cumulative","value":2.3,"unit":"EUR m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"2014–2020; about 30% of operating costs."},{"key":"bacomab_grant_pnba","value":0.53,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024},{"key":"bacomab_grant_pnd","value":0.19,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024},{"key":"eu_earmark_pnba","value":1,"unit":"EUR m per year","year":2008,"note":"2008–2012 protocol."},{"key":"patrols","value":538,"unit":"patrols","year":2024,"note":"AFD; PNBA dashboard counts 528 outings."},{"key":"hours_at_sea","value":2571,"unit":"hours","year":2024},{"key":"boats_intercepted","value":238,"unit":"boats","year":2024},{"key":"elasmobranch_landings_tonnes","value":408,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Five species, about 98% of selachian catches."},{"key":"elasmobranch_landings_tonnes","value":114,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023},{"key":"lanche_landings_tonnes","value":4368,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least"}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The BACoMaB trust fund, capitalised with EU fisheries-agreement sectoral support and donor funds, finances part of the running costs of Banc d'Arguin National Park, where bony fish stocks were found overfished and landings of threatened sharks and rays by resident lanches rose in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Banc d'Arguin National Park (PNBA) and Diawling National Park (PND)","what":"About EUR 2.3 million of running costs covered in 2014–2020; EUR 530,000 (PNBA) and EUR 190,000 (PND) in 2024","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Imraguen fishers","what":"A fisherman told Global Voices that octopus and yellow mullet had disappeared since the China deal","src":5}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bony fish stocks inside the park (mullet, meagre)","what":"Overfished, according to twenty years of monitoring","src":3},{"who":"Guitarfish, Rhinoptera marginata, Rhizoprionodon acutus and other elasmobranchs","what":"Landings of five species rose from 114 t to 408 t between 2023 and 2024; the PNBA notes they are on the IUCN Red List","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Parc National du Banc d'Arguin, about 12,000 km² between Nouadhibou and Nouakchott in Mauritania; a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Trust fund idea 2002; EU earmark 2008–2012; AFD/FFEM support 2011–2019; grants 2014–2020; AFD evaluation March 2021; PNBA dashboard 2024 (final version August 2025); AFD factsheet December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The EU–Mauritania fisheries agreements channelled sectoral support to the park through BACoMaB; the AFD evaluation described this as a payment for ecosystem services linking international industrial fishing with renewal of fish stocks through marine protected areas.","src":0},"how":{"t":"BACoMaB's endowment finances recurrent costs and surveillance of the parks; the evaluator noted attention to preserving the endowment rather than maximising grants. The park's resident lanches fish inside the park and landings of selachians are recorded in the dashboard.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Résumé d'évaluation – Fonds Fiduciaire du Banc d'Arguin et de la Biodiversité Côtière et Marine (BACoMaB)","p":"AFD (BRLi, B. Landreau)","d":"2021-03","type":"official","u":"https://afd.fr/sites/default/files/2022-08-10-56-58/resume-evaluation-fonds-fiduciaire-banc-arquin-biodiversite-bacomab-CMR1164-CMR1213.pdf"},{"t":"L'AFD et la biodiversité marine et côtière en Mauritanie","p":"AFD","d":"2025-12","type":"official","u":"https://www.afd.fr/sites/default/files/2025-12/l-afd-et-la-biodiversite-marine-et-cotiere-en-mauritanie.pdf"},{"t":"Tableau de bord d'efficacité de gestion du PNBA – Résultat des indicateurs 2024","p":"Parc National du Banc d'Arguin","d":"2025-08","type":"official","u":"https://pnba.mr/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Rapport-TDB-VF-2024.pdf"},{"t":"Twenty years of monitoring reveal overfishing of bony fish stocks in the coastal national park Banc d'Arguin (Aquatic Conservation 33(8): 833–844)","p":"Lemrabott S.Y.C. et al.","d":"2023","type":"academic","u":"https://marineinfo.org/doc/publication/365766"},{"t":"EC/Mauritania Fisheries Partnership Agreement protocol 2008–2012, 2008/0093(CNS)","p":"European Parliament Legislative Observatory","d":"2008-05-13","type":"official","u":"https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/document-summary?id=1036490"},{"t":"What has become of Mauritania's fishermen fifteen years after the agreement with China?","p":"Global Voices","d":"2025-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://globalvoices.org/2025/08/04/what-has-become-of-mauritanias-fishermen-fifteen-years-after-the-authorities-signed-an-agreement-with-china/"},{"t":"Mauritania: A 40-metre seiner authorised to fish at the gates of the Banc d'Arguin","p":"CFFA (B. Gorez)","d":"2021-09-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://cffacape.org/publications-blog/mauritania-a-40-metre-seiner-authorised-to-fish-at-the-gates-of-the-banc-darguin"},{"t":"EU/Mauritania Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement and Implementing Protocol, 2021/0300(NLE)","p":"European Parliament Legislative Observatory","d":"2022-06-08","type":"official","u":"https://oeil.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/en/document-summary?id=1706765"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mauritania-fishmeal-sardinella-and-fishing-agreements"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Fisheries-sector turnover in the park's area, 2024 — 91.7 million MRU (98.51 million MRU in 2023); fish trading is 91% (PNBA dashboard).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Tourism turnover in the park's area, 2024 — 463,880 MRU (PNBA dashboard).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"BACoMaB capital","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"2024 surveillance activity","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of the 2024 BACoMaB grant to the PNBA does not appear in the PNBA dashboard text; the 2024 grant and the 2025 request were reviewed at PNBA–BACoMaB meetings on 29 September 2024 and 11 December 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the \"Financement durable\" (sustainable financing) indicator in the PNBA 2024 dashboard was not filled in.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case; the PNBA cites the 2003 Ten Alloul workshop decisions and national law (the PNBA law and the fisheries code) against targeting guitarfish.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an earmark for the PNBA or BACoMaB in the summary of the EU's 2021–2026 protocol.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether any 2021–2026 EU sectoral support goes to BACoMaB, and how much.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"loulo-gounkoto-barrick-mali-dispute","title":"Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex: Barrick–Mali dispute, provisional administration and settlement","dek":"Mali and Barrick, which owns 80% of the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex, disputed taxes, dividends and the mining code from 2023; gold was seized, operations suspended in January 2025 and a provisional administrator ran the complex from June to December 2025. A settlement announced on 24 November 2025 included a payment of about FCFA 143 billion. Barrick's disclosures for the complex's tailings facility and cyanide plant record an \"Extreme\" consequence classification and cyanide limit exceedances.","country":"Mali","region":"Africa","lat":13,"lon":-11.6,"places":[{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","admin":"Kéniéba area, Kayes region (Loulo-Gounkoto complex)","lat":13,"lon":-11.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance","mining-tailings","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Cash payment at settlement, 28 November 2025","value":"≈ FCFA 143 bn","note":"USD 253 million, \"part of the global settlement amount\" (Barrick FY2025 financial statements). Bloomberg reported, citing sources, a total of FCFA 244 billion (about USD 430 million); neither party confirmed it."},"happened":["The Loulo-Gounkoto complex lies in the Kéniéba area of the Kayes region in western Mali, adjacent to the Falémé River on the Senegal border. The Malian state owns 20% and Barrick 80%. In 2023, according to Barrick's FY2025 financial statements, the Government of Mali demanded that the mines become subject to the 2023 Mining Code, which Barrick said was \"in direct violation of the stability rights contained in the Conventions\"; fiscal and customs proceedings began. Reuters reported in October 2024 that Mali sought \"at least 300 billion CFA (US$512 million) in outstanding taxes and dividends\". In October 2024 the Ministries of Mines and Finance alleged that Barrick had not respected its commitments, as summarised in Barrick's reply.","In early October 2024 Barrick paid FCFA 50 billion (USD 84 million in the filing, USD 85 million in Barrick's 24 October 2024 communiqué, which said the payment was made as part of ongoing negotiations although Barrick admitted no liability). Gold exports were restricted in November 2024. Barrick said the government initiated criminal proceedings alleging violations of exchange control regulations; four employees were incarcerated on 25 November 2024. Somilo and Gounkoto filed for ICSID arbitration on 18 December 2024. On 2 January 2025 the Senior Investigating Judges of the Pôle National Économique et Financier issued an interim attachment order against the gold stock, which was moved to a custodial bank on 11 January; operations were suspended on 14 January 2025.","On 16 June 2025 the Bamako Commercial Tribunal ordered six months of provisional administration at the government's request; the administrator took over on 23 June 2025. Zoumana Makadji, a former health minister, was named administrator. AFP reported in July 2025 that the authorities put part of the seized gold stock up for sale to pay wages. Barrick said on 16 June 2025 that the ICSID tribunal \"has been constituted\" and that it had requested provisional measures.","Barrick announced an agreement on 24 November 2025. According to its filing, the terms were the termination of the provisional administration, \"the dropping of all charges against Barrick, its affiliates and employees and the release of the four detained employees\", \"the renewal of the Somilo Exploitation Permit for a 10 year period\" and withdrawal of the ICSID claims. Barrick paid about FCFA 143 billion (USD 253 million) on 28 November 2025 and agreed to pay out all historical retained earnings of Somilo and Gounkoto by 31 December 2030, recognised as an \"other liability to Loulo-Gounkoto NCI for $240 million\". The parties sought withdrawal of the ICSID claims on 15 December 2025, the provisional administration ended on 16 December and the seized gold, with a carrying value of USD 92 million at removal, was returned on 18 December 2025. As of the filing (MD&A dated 4 February 2026) the 10-year permit renewal remained to be completed.","Barrick's GISTM disclosure for the Loulo tailings storage facility (5 August 2026) records partial conformance and a consequence classification of \"Extreme (GISTM)\". Barrick lost access to the mine and the facility during the provisional administration (June–December 2025). The disclosed risk driver is flow liquefaction of tailings, with existing controls listed as \"None\"; buttress construction was underway following a stoppage due to loss of site access. A credible failure would contaminate wetlands and water in a sub-catchment of the Gara River, part of the Falémé River basin. An ICMI Cyanide Code audit (audit 3–8 October 2025, report signed 22 June 2026) found \"substantial compliance\", with compliance issues in the previous three-year cycle, and recorded exceedances of the 50 mg/L WAD cyanide limit at the facility's compliance point: 7 in 2023 (up to 113.8 mg/L), 6 in 2024 (up to 64.7 mg/L) and 10 in 2025 (up to 134.4 mg/L on 10 July 2025). The auditor wrote that there was little evidence that the exceedances were reviewed with a view to identifying the causes. Digby Wells assessed the total closure plan cost at USD 51,815,308; the Malian government now requires closure funding to be lodged in a separate financial instrument with a Malian bank, and the mechanism on file is an unapproved 2021 Letter of Financial Strength."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Mali demands the mines become subject to the 2023 Mining Code; fiscal and customs proceedings begin","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Oct: Barrick pays FCFA 50 billion; Nov: gold exports restricted; 25 Nov: four employees incarcerated; 18 Dec: Somilo and Gounkoto file for ICSID arbitration","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"2 Jan: interim attachment order on gold stock; 14 Jan: operations suspended; 16 Jun: Bamako Commercial Tribunal orders provisional administration (administrator from 23 Jun); 24 Nov: agreement announced; 28 Nov: payment of about FCFA 143 billion; 15 Dec: withdrawal of ICSID claims sought; 16 Dec: provisional administration ends; 18 Dec: seized gold returned","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"4 Feb: MD&A notes the 10-year Somilo permit renewal remains to be completed; 22 Jun: cyanide audit report signed; 5 Aug: GISTM disclosure for the Loulo tailings facility","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"in direct violation of the stability rights contained in the Conventions","who":"Barrick, FY2025 financial statements, on the demand that the mines become subject to the 2023 Mining Code","when":"2026","src":0},{"q":"initiated meritless criminal proceedings … alleging violations of exchange control regulations","who":"Barrick, FY2025 financial statements, on the Government of Mali","when":"2026","src":0},{"q":"unjustly imprisoned","who":"Barrick, on its four employees","when":"16 June 2025","src":1},{"q":"as part of ongoing negotiations… Although Barrick admits no liability","who":"Barrick communiqué on the October 2024 payment","when":"24 October 2024","src":2,"translated":"French"},{"q":"This will pave the way for a constructive path forward","who":"Barrick, on the settlement","when":"26 November 2025","src":7},{"q":"Barrick is aiming to restart operations by 1 January 2026","who":"Mamadou Samake, Barrick West Africa director","when":"November 2025","src":6},{"q":"the provisional administrator is seeking the funds to restart","who":"An anonymous source cited by AFP, on the provisional administration","when":"July 2025","src":10,"translated":"French"},{"q":"there was little evidence that the exceedances were reviewed with a view to identifying the causes","who":"Eagle Environmental, ICMI Cyanide Code audit of the Loulo gold plant","when":"Report signed 22 June 2026","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The government's actions to block exports and seize gold were \"unjustified\".","who":"Barrick, 16 June 2025","src":1},{"t":"Barrick will soon be allowed to resume normal operations.","who":"Mali's Ministry of Mines, statement via Reuters, November 2025","src":6},{"t":"Barrick had not respected its commitments.","who":"Mali's Ministries of Mines and Finance, as summarised in Barrick's reply of 24 October 2024","src":2},{"t":"The settlement total was FCFA 244 billion (about USD 430 million): 144 billion within six days of signing, 50 billion through VAT-credit offsets and 50 billion already paid the year before.","who":"Bloomberg, citing sources; reported by Reuters via Kitco, 25 November 2025","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Criminal proceedings alleging exchange-control violations against Barrick's Malian companies and employees were to be dropped under the settlement; no conviction is recorded.","src":0},{"t":"Tailings facility: consequence classification \"Extreme (GISTM)\", status partial conformance; existing controls for flow liquefaction listed as \"None\".","src":3},{"t":"WAD cyanide exceedances of the 50 mg/L limit at the facility's compliance point: 7 in 2023, 6 in 2024, 10 in 2025.","src":4},{"t":"Closure plan cost USD 51,815,308 (Digby Wells, September 2024 update); the financial mechanism on file is an unapproved 2021 Letter of Financial Strength.","src":4},{"t":"Modern Mining reported that the resolution contained \"no environmental matters\".","src":7},{"t":"The 10-year Somilo permit renewal remained to be completed as of the MD&A dated 4 February 2026.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Closure plan cost, Loulo (Digby Wells third-party assessment, September 2024 update)","amount":51.815308,"note":"Includes third-party cyanide decommissioning. Mali requires the funding in a separate instrument with a Malian bank; the mechanism on file is an unapproved 2021 Letter of Financial Strength."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Mali's claim for outstanding taxes and dividends (Reuters)","amount":512,"qualifier":"at least","window":"2024","note":"At least 300 billion CFA."},{"label":"Barrick payment, October 2024","amount":84,"window":"2024","note":"FCFA 50 billion. The filing gives USD 84 million; Barrick's communiqué gives USD 85 million."},{"label":"Barrick payment, 28 November 2025","amount":253,"window":"2025","note":"About FCFA 143 billion, part of the global settlement amount."},{"label":"Retained earnings of Somilo and Gounkoto to be paid out by 31 December 2030","amount":240,"window":"to 2030","note":"Recognised as an other liability to Loulo-Gounkoto non-controlling interests."},{"label":"Settlement total reported by Bloomberg, citing sources","amount":430,"qualifier":"about","window":"2025","note":"FCFA 244 billion; neither party confirmed it."},{"label":"Carrying value of the seized doré gold at removal","amount":92,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Revenue of the complex from 16 December 2025","amount":505,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Net income of the complex from 16 December 2025","amount":16,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Tailings facility consequence class","v":"Extreme","d":"GISTM classification in Barrick's August 2026 disclosure"},{"k":"Cyanide limit exceedances (WAD, 50 mg/L)","v":"7 · 6 · 10","d":"2023 · 2024 · 2025; maximum 134.4 mg/L on 10 July 2025"},{"k":"Closure plan cost","v":"USD 51.8m","d":"No Malian-approved financial guarantee yet"},{"k":"Months without Barrick access to the facility","v":"6","d":"June–December 2025, during provisional administration"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Barrick's GISTM disclosure for the Loulo tailings storage facility (5 August 2026) and the ICMI Cyanide Code audit summary (report signed 22 June 2026).","report":[{"t":"The tailings storage facility on my land at Loulo is classified \"Extreme (GISTM)\" for consequence of failure, with flow liquefaction of tailings as the risk driver and existing controls listed as \"None\", according to Barrick's disclosure.","src":3},{"t":"A credible failure would contaminate wetlands and water in a sub-catchment of my Gara River, part of the Falémé River basin, \"being the most important source of water in the area\", according to Barrick.","src":3},{"t":"At the facility's compliance point, weak-acid-dissociable cyanide exceeded the 50 mg/L limit 7 times in 2023 (up to 113.8 mg/L), 6 times in 2024 (up to 64.7 mg/L) and 10 times in 2025 (up to 134.4 mg/L on 10 July 2025), according to the cyanide audit.","src":4}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: a downstream impacts assessment and emergency response plans are still to be updated for full GISTM conformance, due \"by 2027\" according to Barrick's disclosure.","None on record: an approved closure financial instrument; Mali now requires closure funding in a separate instrument with a Malian bank, and the only mechanism is an unapproved 2021 Letter of Financial Strength.","None on record: an environmental clause in the settlement; Modern Mining reported \"no environmental matters\".","Not disclosed: the composition of \"Provisions\" of USD 47 million in the provisional purchase-price allocation.","Unclear: whether the gold put up for sale by the provisional administration in July 2025 and the stock returned to Barrick on 18 December 2025 are the same portion of the seized gold.","Unclear: whether a final ICSID discontinuance order has been issued; the parties sought withdrawal on 15 December 2025.","Self-reported only: the tailings facility's consequence classification and risk controls come from Barrick's own GISTM disclosure; no independent measurement of downstream water quality is on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The plant did not operate from 15 January 2025 and restarted with slurry to the tailings facility from 12 August 2025; cyanide exceedances were recorded in 2025, including 134.4 mg/L on 10 July 2025.","whoPaid":"The money side was settled between Barrick and Mali (about FCFA 143 billion paid on 28 November 2025, plus a USD 240 million liability for retained earnings). For the tailings facility and Gara River catchment, no closure guarantee approved by Mali is on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the November 2025 settlement had been implemented; the 10-year Somilo permit renewal was still to be completed (MD&A of 4 February 2026) and Barrick's GISTM disclosure of 5 August 2026 recorded partial conformance.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"barrick","says":"Barrick said the government's actions to block exports and seize gold were unjustified and that its employees were unjustly imprisoned, that it held firm through ICSID arbitration, and, on the settlement, that it \"will pave the way for a constructive path forward\".","when":"16 June 2025; 26 November 2025","src":1},{"actor":"mali-gov","says":"Mali's Ministry of Mines said Barrick would soon be allowed to resume normal operations. In October 2024 the Ministries of Mines and Finance alleged Barrick had not respected its commitments, as summarised in Barrick's reply.","when":"October 2024; November 2025","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"barrick","role":"80% owner of the Loulo-Gounkoto complex; party to the settlement"},{"id":"mali-gov","role":"20% owner; claimant in tax and mining-code dispute; party to the settlement"},{"id":"bamako-commercial-tribunal","role":"Ordered provisional administration on 16 June 2025"},{"id":"pole-national-economique-et-financier","role":"Senior Investigating Judges issued the interim attachment order of 2 January 2025"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Arbitration filed by Somilo and Gounkoto against Mali"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Barrick's October 2024 payment in US dollars","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Barrick FY2025 financial statements","says":"USD 84 million (FCFA 50 billion).","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Barrick communiqué of 24 October 2024","says":"USD 85 million.","src":2}]},{"point":"Total value of the settlement","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Bloomberg, citing sources (reported by Reuters via Kitco)","says":"FCFA 244 billion (about USD 430 million): 144 billion within six days of signing, 50 billion through VAT-credit offsets and 50 billion already paid the year before. Neither party confirmed the figure.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Barrick FY2025 financial statements","says":"A payment of about FCFA 143 billion (USD 253 million) on 28 November 2025 as part of the global settlement amount, and a USD 240 million liability for retained earnings; no global figure is given.","src":0}]},{"point":"The grounds for the state's measures against the complex","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Barrick","says":"The demand to apply the 2023 Mining Code violated stability rights; the criminal proceedings were meritless; the measures were unjustified.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Mali's Ministries of Mines and Finance, as summarised in Barrick's reply","says":"Barrick had not respected its commitments.","src":2}]},{"point":"Sale and return of the seized gold","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"AFP via Dakaractu (July 2025)","says":"The authorities put part of the seized gold stock up for sale to pay wages.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Barrick FY2025 financial statements","says":"The attached gold stock was returned on 18 December 2025 and sold before the end of 2025.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal proceedings against Barrick's Malian companies and employees (exchange-control regulations)","forum":"Pôle National Économique et Financier, Bamako (Senior Investigating Judges)","country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Government of Mali (per Barrick); Senior Investigating Judges","defendant":"Barrick's Malian subsidiaries Somilo and Gounkoto, and employees","filed":2024,"decided":2025,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Barrick said the government initiated proceedings alleging violations of exchange control regulations. Four employees were incarcerated on 25 November 2024, and on 2 January 2025 the judges issued an interim attachment order on the gold stock. Under the November 2025 settlement all charges were to be dropped and the four detained employees released. No conviction is recorded.","src":0},{"title":"Provisional administration of the Loulo-Gounkoto complex","forum":"Bamako Commercial Tribunal","country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","kind":"civil","claimant":"Government of Mali","defendant":"Barrick's Malian subsidiaries (Loulo-Gounkoto complex)","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 16 June 2025 the tribunal ordered six months of provisional administration at the government's request; the administrator took over on 23 June 2025. Barrick said it would appeal. The administration ended on 16 December 2025 under the settlement.","src":0},{"title":"Somilo and Gounkoto v. Republic of Mali (ICSID arbitration)","forum":"International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes","country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Somilo and Gounkoto (Barrick subsidiaries)","defendant":"Republic of Mali","filed":2024,"decided":2025,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"Filed on 18 December 2024. Barrick said on 16 June 2025 that the tribunal had been constituted and that it had requested provisional measures. The parties sought withdrawal of the claims on 15 December 2025 under the settlement.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":300000,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Mali's claim for outstanding taxes and dividends (Reuters); USD 512 million."},{"key":"payment_to_state","value":50000,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2024,"note":"USD 84 million per the filing; USD 85 million per Barrick's communiqué."},{"key":"settlement","value":143000,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paid 28 November 2025; USD 253 million."},{"key":"settlement","value":244000,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2025,"qualifier":"reported","unverified":true,"note":"Bloomberg, citing sources; about USD 430 million; not confirmed by either party."},{"key":"retained_earnings_liability","value":240,"unit":"USD m","year":2030,"note":"Payable by 31 December 2030."},{"key":"gold_seized_carrying_value","value":92,"unit":"USD m","year":2025},{"key":"gold_seized_tonnes","value":3,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mining Technology/Reuters."},{"key":"employees_incarcerated","value":4,"unit":"people","year":2024},{"key":"provisional_administration_months","value":6,"unit":"months","year":2025},{"key":"fair_value_of_complex","value":3220,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"100% of Loulo-Gounkoto at regained control."},{"key":"revenue","value":505,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"From 16 December 2025."},{"key":"profit","value":16,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Net income from 16 December 2025."},{"key":"tailings_design_capacity_mt","value":74,"unit":"Mt","year":2026,"note":"Planned raise to about 120 Mt and 56 m height by 2037."},{"key":"cyanide_exceedances","value":7,"unit":"events above 50 mg/L WAD","year":2023,"note":"Maximum 113.8 mg/L."},{"key":"cyanide_exceedances","value":6,"unit":"events above 50 mg/L WAD","year":2024,"note":"Maximum 64.7 mg/L."},{"key":"cyanide_exceedances","value":10,"unit":"events above 50 mg/L WAD","year":2025,"note":"Maximum 134.4 mg/L on 10 July 2025."},{"key":"closure_cost","value":51.815308,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Digby Wells, September 2024 update; total Close Plan Cost including third-party cyanide decommissioning."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mali and Barrick disputed taxes, dividends and the mining code at the Loulo-Gounkoto gold complex from 2023; gold was seized, operations suspended and a provisional administrator appointed before a November 2025 settlement, while Barrick's disclosures record an \"Extreme\" consequence classification for the tailings facility and cyanide limit exceedances.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Mali","what":"A payment of about FCFA 143 billion (USD 253 million) on 28 November 2025 and, per Barrick's filing, a USD 240 million liability for retained earnings payable by 2030","src":0},{"who":"Barrick","what":"Regained control of the complex; it contributed USD 505 million of revenue and USD 16 million of net income from 16 December 2025; permit renewal for 10 years was part of the terms","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Barrick","what":"Paid FCFA 50 billion in October 2024 and about FCFA 143 billion in November 2025; lost access to the mine for six months","src":0},{"who":"Four Barrick employees","what":"Incarcerated from 25 November 2024 until the settlement","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Gara River sub-catchment (Falémé River basin)","what":"Exposed to a tailings facility classified 'Extreme (GISTM)' for consequence of failure; WAD cyanide exceeded the 50 mg/L limit at the compliance point in 2023, 2024 and 2025","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Loulo-Gounkoto complex, Kéniéba area, Kayes region, western Mali, adjacent to the Falémé River on the Senegal border.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Dispute from 2023; payment October 2024; employees incarcerated 25 November 2024; operations suspended 14 January 2025; provisional administration 16 June–16 December 2025; settlement announced 24 November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Barrick said Mali demanded the mines become subject to the 2023 Mining Code in violation of stability rights; Mali's ministries alleged Barrick had not respected its commitments; Reuters reported a state claim of at least 300 billion CFA in taxes and dividends.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Gold exports were restricted, criminal proceedings brought, the gold stock attached, operations suspended and a provisional administrator appointed; the parties settled with a payment, withdrawal of charges and ICSID claims, and a 10-year permit renewal.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Form 40-F FY2025, Exhibit 99.3: audited financial statements (Notes 4 and 35)","p":"Barrick Mining Corp.","d":"2026","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/756894/000119312526079253/d833573dex993.htm"},{"t":"Barrick holding firm through ICSID arbitration amid Malian court ruling","p":"Barrick","d":"2025-06-16","type":"company","u":"https://www.barrick.com/English/news/news-details/2025/barrick-holding-firm-through-ICSID-arbitration-amid-malian-court-ruling/default.aspx"},{"t":"Barrick répond aux allégations du Gouvernement malien de manquements à ses engagements","p":"Barrick","d":"2024-10-24","type":"company","u":"https://s25.q4cdn.com/322814910/files/doc_news/2024/10/Barrick-R%C3%A9pond-aux-All%C3%A9gations-du-Gouvernement-Malien-de-Manquement-%C3%A0-ses-Obligations.pdf"},{"t":"GISTM Principle 15 Public Disclosure, Loulo TSF","p":"Barrick","d":"2026-08-05","type":"company","u":"https://s25.q4cdn.com/322814910/files/doc_downloads/gistm/2026/Loulo_LouloTSF_GISTM_Principle15_2026_Final.pdf"},{"t":"Cyanide Code Compliance Summary Audit Report, Barrick Loulo Gold Plant (audit October 2025)","p":"Eagle Environmental for the International Cyanide Management Institute","d":"2026-06-22","type":"registry","voice":"standard","u":"https://cyanidecode.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/BarrickLouloSAR2026.pdf"},{"t":"Canada's Barrick to pay $430 million to settle Mali gold mine dispute, Bloomberg News reports","p":"Reuters via Kitco","d":"2025-11-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2025-11-25/canadas-barrick-pay-430-million-settle-mali-gold-mine-dispute"},{"t":"Barrick, Mali strike deal to resolve mining disputes","p":"Mining Technology","d":"2025-11-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.mining-technology.com/news/barrick-mali-deal-resolve-mining-disputes/"},{"t":"Barrick announces resolution of its disputes with Mali","p":"Modern Mining (Crown Publications)","d":"2025-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.crown.co.za/latest-news/modern-mining-latest-news/34913-barrick-announces-resolution-of-its-disputes-with-mali"},{"t":"Barrick Gold signs new agreement with Mali to end dispute","p":"Miningmx","d":"2025-02-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningmx.com/news/gold/60120-barrick-gold-signs-new-agreement-with-mali-to-end-dispute/"},{"t":"Mali seeks US$500M from Barrick for past taxes, dividends: Reuters","p":"Northern Miner / Reuters","d":"2024-10","type":"press","u":"https://northernminer.com/news/mali-seeks-us500m-from-barrick-for-past-taxes-dividends-reuters/1003872117"},{"t":"Mali: the authorities put part of the gold stock seized from Barrick up for sale","p":"Dakaractu / AFP","d":"2025-07-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.dakaractu.com/Mali-la-junte-met-en-vente-une-partie-du-stock-d-or-saisi-aupres-de-Barrick_a263295.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":["mali-gold-mine-closures-yatela-morila-sadiola","mali-artisanal-gold-mercury"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Barrick's October 2024 payment in US dollars","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Total value of the settlement","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The grounds for the state's measures against the complex","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Sale and return of the seized gold","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Settlements: Bloomberg, citing sources; about USD 430 million; not confirmed by either party.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: a downstream impacts assessment and emergency response plans are still to be updated for full GISTM conformance, due \"by 2027\" according to Barrick's disclosure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an approved closure financial instrument; Mali now requires closure funding in a separate instrument with a Malian bank, and the only mechanism is an unapproved 2021 Letter of Financial Strength.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an environmental clause in the settlement; Modern Mining reported \"no environmental matters\".","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the composition of \"Provisions\" of USD 47 million in the provisional purchase-price allocation.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the gold put up for sale by the provisional administration in July 2025 and the stock returned to Barrick on 18 December 2025 are the same portion of the seized gold.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether a final ICSID discontinuance order has been issued; the parties sought withdrawal on 15 December 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the tailings facility's consequence classification and risk controls come from Barrick's own GISTM disclosure; no independent measurement of downstream water quality is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mali-gold-mine-closures-yatela-morila-sadiola","title":"Mali gold mine closures handed to the state: Yatela, Morila and Sadiola closure money","dek":"In 2019 SADEX (AngloGold Ashanti/IAMGOLD) agreed to sell its 80% of the Yatela gold mine in Mali for USD 1, with a one-time payment of approximately USD 18.5 million to a state agency and release from rehabilitation and closure obligations; in 2025 Mali's government completed the takeover of Yatela and Morila, citing significant environmental and financial liabilities. At Sadiola, a 2023 technical report estimates closure costs of about USD 88–90 million and records arsenic in waste rock.","country":"Mali","region":"Africa","lat":14.1,"lon":-11.7,"places":[{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","admin":"Kayes region (Yatela, Sadiola) and Sikasso region (Morila)","lat":14.1,"lon":-11.7,"role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"One-time Yatela closure payment to the state agency, 2019","value":"≈ USD 18.5m","note":"Payable to a state agency alongside the sale of SADEX's 80% for USD 1; SADEX and affiliates were to be released of all obligations relating to the mine, including rehabilitation and closure (IAMGOLD Q1 2019 release)."},"happened":["On 14 February 2019 SADEX (AngloGold Ashanti/IAMGOLD) agreed to sell its 80% of Société d'Exploitation des Mines d'Or de Yatela \"for a consideration of $1\", according to IAMGOLD's Q1 2019 results release. Conditions included two laws changing Yatela's status and \"the creation of a dedicated state agency, notably in charge of mine rehabilitation and closure\". On completion, \"SADEX and its affiliated companies will be released of all obligations relating to the Yatela mine including those relating to rehabilitation, mine closure and the financing of social programs\". A one-time payment of \"approximately $18.5 million\" went to the state agency, \"corresponding to the estimated costs of completing the rehabilitation and closure… and also financing certain outstanding social programs\".","On 6 January 2021 Mali's Council of Ministers adopted texts creating the \"Fonds de réhabilitation et de fermeture de la mine d'or de Yatela\" (Yatela gold mine rehabilitation and closure fund) and a special allocation account in the Treasury; no amount was stated (Financial Afrik). The handback (\"rétrocession\") of Yatela was signed on 17 October 2024 at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the mine was integrated into SOREM-Mali SA (Benin Web TV).","The takeover of Yatela and Morila was completed between 27 June and 1 July 2025. The government cited \"significant environmental and financial liabilities\" linked to abandonment of the mines and did not disclose operational and financial plans (Mining Technology/GlobalData, reporting Reuters, 1 July 2025). Firefinch left Morila in 2022. The economy minister said mining would restart while taking account of environmental and social requirements tied to future closure (a paraphrase reported by Benin Web TV).","At the still-operating Sadiola mine (SEMOS), a NI 43-101 technical report dated 12 June 2023 gave closure costs at 31 December 2022, excluding retrenchment, as \"$89.6 million\" in the summary and \"$87.6 million\" (table total 87.56) in Section 20.6; the table lists tailings storage facilities at 8.81, waste rock dumps at 24.25, social closure at 9.04 and contingency at 11.55 (USD million), among other items. Allied Gold \"voluntarily committed to the 0.25% royalty for community development and environmental escrow for mine closure at $0.67/t ore\" and to a bank guarantee at $0.67/t of mill feed after the expansion plant is commissioned.","The same report records that arsenic exceeded release guideline concentrations in 38% of waste rock samples at Sadiola, that the tailings show arsenic and antimony as highly enriched, and that some water may require storage onsite and re-use because of elevated arsenic, fluoride and molybdenum. The Yatela heap-leach pads were still being irrigated in 2023, with loaded carbon toll-treated at Sadiola."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"14 Feb: share purchase agreement for SADEX's 80% of Yatela for USD 1, with a one-time payment of approximately USD 18.5 million to a state agency","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"6 Jan: Council of Ministers creates the Yatela rehabilitation and closure fund; no amount stated","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"Firefinch leaves Morila","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"12 Jun: NI 43-101 technical report on Sadiola gives closure costs and arsenic data","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"17 Oct: Yatela handback signed; mine integrated into SOREM-Mali SA","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"27 Jun–1 Jul: takeover of Yatela and Morila completed; government cites significant environmental and financial liabilities","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"for a consideration of $1","who":"IAMGOLD Q1 2019 results release, on the sale of SADEX's 80% of Yatela","when":"6 May 2019","src":0},{"q":"SADEX and its affiliated companies will be released of all obligations relating to the Yatela mine including those relating to rehabilitation, mine closure and the financing of social programs","who":"IAMGOLD Q1 2019 results release","when":"6 May 2019","src":0},{"q":"the creation of a dedicated state agency, notably in charge of mine rehabilitation and closure","who":"IAMGOLD Q1 2019 results release, on a condition of the sale","when":"6 May 2019","src":0},{"q":"significant environmental and financial liabilities","who":"Government of Mali, on the abandoned Yatela and Morila mines, as reported by Mining Technology/GlobalData from Reuters","when":"1 July 2025","src":3},{"q":"voluntarily committed to the 0.25% royalty for community development and environmental escrow for mine closure at $0.67/t ore","who":"Allied Gold, NI 43-101 technical report on Sadiola","when":"12 June 2023","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The USD 18.5 million payment corresponds to the estimated costs of completing rehabilitation and closure and financing certain outstanding social programs.","who":"IAMGOLD Q1 2019 results release","src":0},{"t":"The takeover of Yatela and Morila was linked to significant environmental and financial liabilities from abandonment of the mines.","who":"Government of Mali, via Reuters, 1 July 2025","src":3},{"t":"Mining would restart while taking account of environmental and social requirements tied to future closure.","who":"Mali's economy minister (paraphrase), via Benin Web TV, October 2024","src":2},{"t":"A rehabilitation and closure fund was created for Yatela.","who":"Mali's Council of Ministers, 6 January 2021","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"SADEX sold its 80% of Yatela for USD 1 and, on completion, was to be released of all obligations relating to rehabilitation, mine closure and social programs.","src":0},{"t":"Sadiola closure costs at 31 December 2022, excluding retrenchment: USD 89.6 million in the summary and USD 87.6 million in Section 20.6.","src":4},{"t":"Arsenic exceeded release guideline concentrations in 38% of Sadiola waste rock samples.","src":4},{"t":"No amount was stated for the Yatela fund in the 2021 government decision.","src":1},{"t":"No operational or financial plans were disclosed for the revived Yatela and Morila mines.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"One-time Yatela rehabilitation and closure payment to the state agency","amount":18.5,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2019","note":"IAMGOLD's Q1 2019 release. Figures from other reports differ (see unknown)."},{"label":"Sadiola closure costs at 31 December 2022, excluding retrenchment","amount":87.6,"window":"2022","note":"The technical report's summary gives USD 89.6 million; Section 20.6 gives USD 87.6 million (table total 87.56)."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Consideration for SADEX's 80% of Yatela","amount":null,"note":"USD 1."},{"label":"Yatela contribution to the national and local economy to 31 December 2018","amount":null,"note":"383.445 billion FCFA (Financial Afrik)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Yatela closure payment","v":"≈ USD 18.5m","d":"Paid to a state agency in 2019; sale price of the 80% was USD 1"},{"k":"Sadiola closure cost estimate","v":"USD 89.6m / 87.6m","d":"Summary and Section 20.6 of the same 2023 report"},{"k":"Arsenic in Sadiola waste rock","v":"38% of samples","d":"Above release guideline concentrations"},{"k":"Yatela heap-leach pads","v":"Still irrigated","d":"As of 2023"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NI 43-101 technical report on the Sadiola Gold Project (12 June 2023).","report":[{"t":"Arsenic exceeded release guideline concentrations in 38% of the samples of waste rock on my land at Sadiola, according to the 2023 technical report.","src":4},{"t":"The tailings at Sadiola show arsenic and antimony as \"highly enriched\", according to the same report.","src":4},{"t":"The report states: \"Some water may require storage onsite and re-use due to elevated concentrations of arsenic, fluoride and molybdenum.\"","src":4},{"t":"At Yatela, the heap-leach pads on my land were still being irrigated in 2023, with loaded carbon toll-treated at Sadiola.","src":4}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: an amount for the Yatela rehabilitation and closure fund; the January 2021 government decision states none.","Not disclosed: operational and financial plans for the revived Yatela and Morila mines.","None on record: a closure or rehabilitation fund amount for Morila.","Not measured: post-closure environmental conditions at Yatela and Morila.","Figures differ: IAMGOLD's 2019 release gives approximately USD 18.5 million for the Yatela closure payment; other reports give about USD 37.0 million and USD 36 million. The release does not say whether its figure covers IAMGOLD's share only.","Unclear: whether the Yatela closure payment was received by the state agency and how it was spent."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The Yatela heap-leach pads were still irrigated in 2023, and no post-closure environmental data for Yatela or Morila are on record.","whoPaid":"The Malian state took over the mines in 2024–2025 citing significant environmental and financial liabilities; a one-time payment of approximately USD 18.5 million for Yatela's rehabilitation and closure went to a state agency, while the sale price of the 80% was USD 1.","statusLine":"As of July 2025: the takeover of Yatela and Morila by Mali's government was completed between 27 June and 1 July 2025; no financing plan for the revived mines had been disclosed.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iamgold","says":"IAMGOLD's Q1 2019 release stated that the approximately USD 18.5 million payment corresponds to the estimated costs of completing rehabilitation and closure and financing certain outstanding social programs, and that SADEX and its affiliates would be released of all obligations relating to the mine on completion.","when":"6 May 2019","src":0},{"actor":"mali-gov","says":"The government cited significant environmental and financial liabilities linked to abandonment of the mines; the economy minister said mining would restart while taking account of environmental and social requirements tied to future closure.","when":"October 2024; July 2025","src":3},{"actor":"allied-gold","says":"Its technical report records a voluntary commitment to a 0.25% royalty for community development and an environmental escrow for mine closure at $0.67 per tonne of ore, and a bank guarantee at $0.67 per tonne of mill feed after the expansion plant is commissioned.","when":"12 June 2023","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"anglogold-ashanti","role":"Part of SADEX, seller of 80% of Yatela"},{"id":"iamgold","role":"Part of SADEX, seller of 80% of Yatela"},{"id":"mali-gov","role":"Buyer of Yatela; created the closure fund; took over Yatela and Morila"},{"id":"allied-gold","role":"Operator of Sadiola (SEMOS); closure commitments"},{"id":"firefinch","role":"Left Morila in 2022"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Sadiola closure costs at 31 December 2022","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Technical report for Allied Gold, summary","says":"USD 89.6 million, excluding retrenchment.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Technical report for Allied Gold, Section 20.6","says":"USD 87.6 million (table total 87.56), excluding retrenchment.","src":4}]},{"point":"Closure obligations and liabilities at Yatela after the sale","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"IAMGOLD (Q1 2019 release)","says":"On completion SADEX and affiliates would be released of all obligations relating to the mine, including rehabilitation and mine closure, after a payment of approximately USD 18.5 million.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Mali (2025, via Reuters)","says":"The takeover of Yatela and Morila was linked to significant environmental and financial liabilities from abandonment of the mines.","src":3}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"sale_consideration","value":1,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"note":"For SADEX's 80% of Yatela."},{"key":"closure_payment","value":18.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"One-time payment to the state agency."},{"key":"yatela_economic_contribution","value":383445,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2018,"note":"To the national and local economy up to 31 December 2018."},{"key":"closure_cost","value":89.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Sadiola, summary figure, excluding retrenchment."},{"key":"closure_cost","value":87.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Sadiola, Section 20.6 figure (table total 87.56)."},{"key":"closure_cost_tailings","value":8.81,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Tailings storage facilities."},{"key":"closure_cost_waste_rock","value":24.25,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"Waste rock dumps."},{"key":"closure_cost_social","value":9.04,"unit":"USD m","year":2022},{"key":"closure_cost_contingency","value":11.55,"unit":"USD m","year":2022},{"key":"escrow_rate","value":0.67,"unit":"USD per tonne of ore","year":2023,"note":"Environmental escrow for mine closure, plus a 0.25% royalty for community development."},{"key":"arsenic_exceedance_samples","value":38,"unit":"% of waste rock samples","year":2023,"note":"Above release guideline concentrations."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SADEX sold its 80% of the Yatela gold mine to Mali for USD 1 with a one-time payment of approximately USD 18.5 million for rehabilitation and closure; the state took over Yatela and Morila in 2024–2025 citing significant environmental and financial liabilities; Sadiola closure costs were estimated at about USD 88–90 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SADEX (AngloGold Ashanti/IAMGOLD)","what":"Release from all obligations relating to Yatela, including rehabilitation and closure, on completion of the sale","src":0},{"who":"Malian state agency for mine rehabilitation and closure","what":"A one-time payment of approximately USD 18.5 million","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Mali","what":"Took over Yatela and Morila with the environmental and financial liabilities it described; no financing plan disclosed","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land and water at Sadiola","what":"Arsenic above release guideline concentrations in 38% of waste rock samples; tailings highly enriched in arsenic and antimony","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Yatela, about 25 km north of Sadiola, and Sadiola, Kayes region; Morila, Sikasso region, Mali.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Sale agreement 14 February 2019; closure fund created 6 January 2021; Yatela handback signed 17 October 2024; takeover of Yatela and Morila completed 27 June–1 July 2025; Sadiola technical report 12 June 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Per IAMGOLD, the sale was conditioned on laws changing Yatela's status and the creation of a state agency for mine rehabilitation and closure; Mali's government in 2025 linked the takeover to environmental and financial liabilities from abandonment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"SADEX sold its 80% for USD 1 and paid approximately USD 18.5 million for closure; the handback was signed on 17 October 2024 and the mine was integrated into SOREM-Mali SA.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Q1 2019 results release, Yatela sale (Exhibit 99.1)","p":"IAMGOLD","d":"2019-05-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1203464/000106299319002008/exhibit99-1.htm"},{"t":"Mali: towards the final closure of the Yatela gold mine","p":"Financial Afrik (D.B. Koné)","d":"2021-01-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.financialafrik.com/2021/01/08/mali-vers-la-fermeture-definitive-de-la-mine-dor-de-yatela/"},{"t":"Mali takes back full control of the Yatela gold mine","p":"Benin Web TV (K. Aka)","d":"2024-10-19","type":"press","u":"https://beninwebtv.bj/le-mali-reprend-le-controle-total-de-la-mine-dor-de-yatela/"},{"t":"Mali government takes over abandoned Yatela and Morila gold mines","p":"Mining Technology/GlobalData via Yahoo Finance","d":"2025-07-01","type":"press","u":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mali-government-takes-over-abandoned-092612623.html"},{"t":"NI 43-101 Technical Report, Sadiola Gold Project","p":"Datamine (Snowden Optiro) for Allied Gold","d":"2023-06-12","type":"company","u":"https://s203.q4cdn.com/846800919/files/doc_downloads/DA18199_Allied_Gold_Sadiola_Gold_Project_NI_43-101_Final.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":["loulo-gounkoto-barrick-mali-dispute","mali-artisanal-gold-mercury"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Closure obligations and liabilities at Yatela after the sale","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Consideration for SADEX's 80% of Yatela — USD 1.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Yatela contribution to the national and local economy to 31 December 2018 — 383.445 billion FCFA (Financial Afrik).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Sadiola closure costs at 31 December 2022","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an amount for the Yatela rehabilitation and closure fund; the January 2021 government decision states none.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: operational and financial plans for the revived Yatela and Morila mines.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a closure or rehabilitation fund amount for Morila.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: post-closure environmental conditions at Yatela and Morila.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: IAMGOLD's 2019 release gives approximately USD 18.5 million for the Yatela closure payment; other reports give about USD 37.0 million and USD 36 million. The release does not say whether its figure covers IAMGOLD's share only.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the Yatela closure payment was received by the state agency and how it was spent.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mali-artisanal-gold-mercury","title":"Artisanal gold in Mali: mercury use and its money (Minamata National Action Plan)","dek":"Mali's 2020 National Action Plan under the Minamata Convention records about 33.3 tonnes of mercury used a year in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a sector that earns about 729 billion FCFA a year, with mercury sold in 10 g balls at 1,500–2,000 FCFA.","country":"Mali","region":"Africa","lat":12.8,"lon":-11.2,"places":[{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","admin":"Kayes region (Kéniéba, Falémé valley), Sikasso and Koulikoro","lat":12.8,"lon":-11.2,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2020,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Mercury used in Mali's artisanal and small-scale gold mining","value":"33.3 t a year","note":"Kayes about 28 t, Sikasso 3.2 t, Koulikoro 2.1 t; National Action Plan, March 2020 (based on a 2018/2019 baseline study)."},"happened":["Mali's Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development published a National Action Plan for artisanal and small-scale gold mining in March 2020 under Article 7 of the Minamata Convention. The plan was funded by the Global Environment Facility and executed by UN Environment and the Artisanal Gold Council. It carries a preface by Minister Housseyni Amion Guindo and rests on a baseline study from 2018/2019.","The plan states that the sector earns about 729 billion FCFA a year, or USD 1.23 billion. Average miner income is USD 5,167 a year (range USD 618–9,904). The number of artisanal miners was revised from 200,000 to 512,605. Artisanal gold production is about 26 t a year, of which 23 t is produced by amalgamation. Licence fees are 2,500–10,000 FCFA for artisanal permits and 1,000,000 FCFA for mechanised artisanal exploitation rights.","The plan states that 33.3 t of mercury a year are used in the sector: Kayes about 28 t, Sikasso 3.2 t and Koulikoro 2.1 t, at an average mercury-to-gold ratio of 1.44:1. Mercury is sold on sites in 10 g balls at 1,500–2,000 FCFA (USD 2.50–3.40). According to the plan it comes from Ghana via Burkina Faso, and mercury imports are banned in Mali; the plan describes the supply chain in the words quoted below."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Baseline study for the National Action Plan (2018/2019)","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"March: National Action Plan for artisanal and small-scale gold mining published; implementation budget covers 2020–2029","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"earns about 729 billion FCFA a year, i.e. USD 1.23 billion","who":"Mali's National Action Plan for artisanal and small-scale gold mining, on the sector","when":"March 2020","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"33.3 t/yr of mercury used in the sector","who":"Mali's National Action Plan","when":"March 2020","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"since importing mercury is banned, the supply chain is entirely illegal","who":"Mali's National Action Plan, on the mercury supply chain (the plan's wording)","when":"March 2020","src":0,"translated":"French"}],"shown":[{"t":"The artisanal gold sector earns about 729 billion FCFA a year (USD 1.23 billion).","who":"Mali's National Action Plan, March 2020","src":0},{"t":"Mercury imports are banned and the plan sets out actions under Article 7 of the Minamata Convention.","who":"Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"33.3 t of mercury a year are used in the sector (Kayes about 28 t, Sikasso 3.2 t, Koulikoro 2.1 t); average mercury-to-gold ratio 1.44:1.","src":0},{"t":"Artisanal gold production is about 26 t a year, of which 23 t is produced by amalgamation.","src":0},{"t":"The number of artisanal miners was revised from 200,000 to 512,605.","src":0},{"t":"Mercury is sold in 10 g balls at 1,500–2,000 FCFA (USD 2.50–3.40), from Ghana via Burkina Faso.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Implementation budget of the National Action Plan, 2020–2029","amount":null,"note":"The total in Annex C appears to be USD 2,274,800."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Annual earnings of artisanal and small-scale gold mining","amount":1230,"window":"per year","note":"About 729 billion FCFA a year (National Action Plan)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mercury used a year","v":"33.3 t","d":"Kayes about 28 t, Sikasso 3.2 t, Koulikoro 2.1 t"},{"k":"Mercury-to-gold ratio","v":"1.44:1","d":"Average"},{"k":"Artisanal gold produced","v":"About 26 t a year","d":"Of which 23 t by amalgamation"},{"k":"Artisanal miners","v":"512,605","d":"Revised from 200,000"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Mali's National Action Plan for artisanal and small-scale gold mining (March 2020), based on a 2018/2019 baseline study.","report":[{"t":"About 33.3 t of mercury a year are used in the artisanal gold sector on my land, according to Mali's 2020 National Action Plan: Kayes about 28 t, Sikasso 3.2 t and Koulikoro 2.1 t.","src":0},{"t":"The average ratio of mercury to gold is 1.44:1, according to the plan.","src":0},{"t":"Of about 26 t of gold produced a year in the sector, 23 t comes from amalgamation, according to the plan.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Insufficient: the mercury figures date from the 2018/2019 baseline study; the plan's implementation budget total for 2020–2029 appears in Annex C as USD 2,274,800.","None on record: prosecutions under the mercury import ban."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The plan records 33.3 t of mercury used a year as of its 2018/2019 baseline; no later figures are on record.","whoPaid":"Land and water in the Kayes, Sikasso and Koulikoro regions, where about 33.3 t of mercury a year are used. The plan's implementation budget appears in Annex C as USD 2,274,800 for 2020–2029.","statusLine":"As of March 2020: Mali's National Action Plan under the Minamata Convention was published; the figures are from the 2018/2019 baseline study.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"mali-gov","says":"The Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development published the plan under Article 7 of the Minamata Convention; it carries a preface by Minister Housseyni Amion Guindo.","when":"March 2020","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"mali-gov","role":"Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development published the plan"},{"id":"gef","role":"Funded the plan"},{"id":"unep","role":"Executing agency (UN Environment)"},{"id":"artisanal-gold-council","role":"Executing agency"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"mercury_used_tonnes","value":33.3,"unit":"tonnes a year","year":2019,"note":"Kayes about 28 t, Sikasso 3.2 t, Koulikoro 2.1 t; 2018/2019 baseline study."},{"key":"mercury_to_gold_ratio","value":1.44,"unit":"ratio (Hg:Au)","year":2019,"qualifier":"average"},{"key":"gold_produced_tonnes","value":26,"unit":"tonnes a year","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Of which 23 t via amalgamation."},{"key":"artisanal_miners","value":512605,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Revised from 200,000."},{"key":"sector_earnings","value":729000,"unit":"FCFA m a year","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"USD 1.23 billion."},{"key":"miner_income","value":5167,"unit":"USD a year","year":2019,"qualifier":"average","note":"Range USD 618–9,904."},{"key":"mercury_price_per_10g_ball","value":2000,"unit":"FCFA","year":2019,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Range 1,500–2,000 FCFA (USD 2.50–3.40)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mali's 2020 National Action Plan records about 33.3 t of mercury used a year in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a sector earning about 729 billion FCFA a year.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Artisanal and small-scale gold miners","what":"Average income of USD 5,167 a year; the sector earns about 729 billion FCFA a year","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Land and water in Kayes, Sikasso and Koulikoro","what":"About 33.3 t of mercury used a year in the sector","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kayes region (Kéniéba, Falémé valley), Sikasso and Koulikoro, Mali.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Baseline study 2018/2019; National Action Plan dated March 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The plan was published under Article 7 of the Minamata Convention, with GEF funding, executed by UN Environment and the Artisanal Gold Council.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Mercury enters the sector in 10 g balls sold on mining sites; it is used in amalgamation, which produces 23 t of the sector's about 26 t of gold a year.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Plan d'Action National pour l'Extraction Minière Artisanale et à Petite Échelle d'Or au Mali","p":"Republic of Mali, Ministry of Environment, Sanitation and Sustainable Development","d":"2020-03","type":"official","u":"https://www.planetgold.org/sites/default/files/Mali-ASGM-NAP-Mar2020-FR.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":["loulo-gounkoto-barrick-mali-dispute","mali-gold-mine-closures-yatela-morila-sadiola"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Implementation budget of the National Action Plan, 2020–2029 — The total in Annex C appears to be USD 2,274,800.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the mercury figures date from the 2018/2019 baseline study; the plan's implementation budget total for 2020–2029 appears in Annex C as USD 2,274,800.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: prosecutions under the mercury import ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"malibya-office-du-niger-concession","title":"Malibya concession in the Office du Niger and the Inner Niger Delta water balance","dek":"A 2008 convention between Mali and Libya granted 100,000 ha in the Office du Niger area to a Libyan state company for 50 years, with Macina canal water \"without restriction\" from June to December. Land Matrix records the project as abandoned. A 2016 Wetlands International study projected reduced inflow to the Inner Niger Delta from Office du Niger expansion generally, not from Malibya specifically.","country":"Mali","region":"Africa","lat":14,"lon":-5.9,"places":[{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","admin":"Office du Niger, Ségou region (west of Macina); Inner Niger Delta downstream","lat":14,"lon":-5.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","role":"company-home"}],"start":2008,"end":2019,"instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture","water"],"headline":{"label":"Land granted to a Libyan state company, 50 years renewable","value":"100,000 ha net","note":"Convention of 9 May 2008 between Mali and Libya; Macina canal water without restriction from June to December."},"happened":["On 9 May 2008 the Republic of Mali (Agriculture Minister Prof. Tiémoko Sangaré) and Libya (Dr Aboubaker al Mansoury) signed an agricultural investment convention in Bamako. Article 3 provides a net area of 100,000 ha for agriculture in the Ségou region, in the Niger River delta. Article 5 provides that the land is free of any legal encumbrance or individual or collective ownership. Article 6 sets a term of 50 years, renewable. Article 8 provides that Mali grants all permits to use water from the Macina canal and groundwater, allowing the company to use the water needed, without restriction, from June to December; in January–May the project grows lower-water crops and Mali undertakes to supply the water needed. Article 23 provides for amicable settlement, then a three-member arbitration committee.","Water fees under the convention are 2,470 FCFA/ha for annual sprinkler irrigation and 67,000 FCFA/ha by gravity, revisable annually. Canal and road infrastructure (a 40 km canal and a 40 km paved road) was estimated at 25 billion FCFA; a study for 25,000 ha was put at more than 900 million FCFA (Bamada.net, translated by GRAIN via farmlandgrab). Land Matrix records the land as granted free of charge.","Canal and road works ran in 2008–2010. In June 2014 the Office du Niger granted a 25,000 ha lease \"with conditions on the use of land and water\"; by 2018 there had been no concrete achievements since 2012 (Bamada.net). Talks to revive the project took place on 17 September 2018, and the Malian minister confirmed interest in the 100,000 ha project. Land Matrix records the project as abandoned: \"Work has ceased following Gaddafi's death\", and communities were calling for access to the land and facilities as of July 2019.","Wetlands International reported on 21 September 2016 on research it commissioned into planned Office du Niger expansion, which depends on the Fomi dam in Guinea (the figures given are 125,000 ha and 330,000 ha). The research projected a 23% cut in the average water volume flowing into the Inner Niger Delta by 2045, with falls of 31% in fish trade, 28% in pasture area and 37% in floating rice; about 1.5 million people depend directly on the delta. These are projections for the Office du Niger expansion as a whole, published in 2016, and are not specific to Malibya."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"9 May: investment convention signed in Bamako; canal and road works follow (2008–2010)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"June: Office du Niger grants a 25,000 ha lease with conditions on the use of land and water","src":1},{"y":2016,"t":"21 Sep: Wetlands International reports projected cuts in water reaching the Inner Niger Delta from Office du Niger expansion","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"17 Sep: talks to revive the project; Malian minister confirms interest in the 100,000 ha project","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"July: Land Matrix records the project as abandoned; communities call for access to the land and facilities","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"a net area of 100,000 ha for agriculture… in the Ségou region, in the Niger River delta","who":"Malibya investment convention, Article 3","when":"9 May 2008","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"free of any legal encumbrance or individual or collective ownership","who":"Malibya investment convention, Article 5, on the land","when":"9 May 2008","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"to use the water needed, without restriction, from June to December","who":"Malibya investment convention, Article 8, on Macina canal water","when":"9 May 2008","src":0,"translated":"French"},{"q":"with conditions on the use of land and water","who":"Bamada.net, translated by GRAIN, on the June 2014 lease of 25,000 ha","when":"2018","src":1},{"q":"Work has ceased following Gaddafi's death","who":"Land Matrix, on the Malibya project","when":"2019","src":2},{"q":"Less water flowing into the Delta means a lower flood level and a smaller flood extent","who":"Karounga Keïta, Wetlands International","when":"21 September 2016","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Mali confirmed interest in the 100,000 ha project.","who":"Malian minister, as reported by Bamada.net, 2018","src":1},{"t":"Works on the Malibya site were to resume.","who":"Bamada.net, translated by GRAIN via farmlandgrab, September 2018","src":1},{"t":"The Malibya project is abandoned.","who":"Land Matrix, July 2019","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"The convention grants 100,000 ha net for 50 years, renewable, with water from the Macina canal without restriction from June to December.","src":0},{"t":"Water fees: 2,470 FCFA/ha (sprinkler) and 67,000 FCFA/ha (gravity), revisable annually.","src":0},{"t":"Land Matrix records the land as granted free of charge and the project as abandoned.","src":2},{"t":"Wetlands International's commissioned research projects a 23% cut in average inflow to the Inner Niger Delta by 2045 from Office du Niger expansion generally.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"FCFA","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Spending on the Inner Niger Delta water balance","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Canal and road works (40 km canal, 40 km paved road), estimated cost","amount":25000,"qualifier":"estimated","window":"2008–2010"},{"label":"Study for 25,000 ha","amount":900,"qualifier":"more than"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Projected cut in average inflow to the Inner Niger Delta by 2045","v":"23%","d":"2016 Wetlands International projection for Office du Niger expansion, not specific to Malibya"},{"k":"Projected fall in fish trade","v":"31%","d":"Same projection"},{"k":"Projected fall in pasture area","v":"28%","d":"Same projection"},{"k":"Projected fall in floating rice","v":"37%","d":"Same projection"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Wetlands International (21 September 2016), reporting research it commissioned; projections for the Office du Niger expansion as a whole, not specific to Malibya.","report":[{"t":"A 2016 study commissioned by Wetlands International projected that planned Office du Niger expansion would cut the average volume of water flowing into my Inner Niger Delta by 23% by 2045. The projection concerns the expansion as a whole and is not specific to the Malibya concession.","src":3},{"t":"The same study projected falls of 31% in the fish trade, 28% in pasture area and 37% in floating rice in my delta.","src":3},{"t":"About 1.5 million people depend directly on me, according to Wetlands International.","src":3},{"t":"Less water flowing into me means a lower flood level and a smaller flood extent, according to Karounga Keïta of Wetlands International.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Not measured: harm to the Inner Niger Delta attributable to the Malibya concession; the figures on record are 2016 projections for the Office du Niger expansion as a whole.","None on record: displacement data (Land Matrix).","None on record: a statement from Malibya.","None on record: proceedings under the convention's arbitration clause (Article 23).","Unclear: the 2025–2026 status of the concession."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established. Land Matrix records the project as abandoned, with work ceased; the 2016 projections concern Office du Niger expansion generally.","whoPaid":"Not measured: harm attributable to Malibya. The convention granted the company land free of charge, per Land Matrix, and set water fees of 2,470 FCFA/ha (sprinkler) and 67,000 FCFA/ha (gravity).","statusLine":"As of July 2019 (Land Matrix): the Malibya project was recorded as abandoned and communities were calling for access to the land and facilities.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"mali-gov","says":"A Malian minister confirmed interest in the 100,000 ha project in 2018; the Office du Niger had granted a 25,000 ha lease in June 2014 with conditions on the use of land and water.","when":"2018","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"mali-gov","role":"Party to the 2008 convention; granted the land and water rights"},{"id":"malibya","role":"Libyan state company; holder of the concession"},{"id":"office-du-niger","role":"Granted the 25,000 ha lease in June 2014"},{"id":"wetlands-international","role":"Commissioned the 2016 research on inflow to the Inner Niger Delta"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":100000,"unit":"ha (net)","year":2008,"note":"Convention Article 3."},{"key":"area_ha","value":25000,"unit":"ha","year":2014,"note":"Lease granted by the Office du Niger in June 2014."},{"key":"concession_term_years","value":50,"unit":"years","year":2008,"note":"Renewable."},{"key":"water_fee_sprinkler","value":2470,"unit":"FCFA per ha per year","year":2008,"note":"Revisable annually."},{"key":"water_fee_gravity","value":67000,"unit":"FCFA per ha per year","year":2008,"note":"Revisable annually."},{"key":"canal_and_road_cost","value":25000,"unit":"FCFA m","year":2008,"qualifier":"estimated","note":"40 km canal and 40 km paved road."},{"key":"inflow_decline_projected","value":23,"unit":"% of average inflow by 2045","year":2016,"est":true,"note":"Wetlands International-commissioned research; Office du Niger expansion as a whole, not specific to Malibya."},{"key":"fish_trade_decline_projected","value":31,"unit":"%","year":2016,"est":true,"note":"Same projection."},{"key":"pasture_decline_projected","value":28,"unit":"%","year":2016,"est":true,"note":"Same projection."},{"key":"floating_rice_decline_projected","value":37,"unit":"%","year":2016,"est":true,"note":"Same projection."},{"key":"people_dependent_on_delta","value":1500000,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Depend directly on the Inner Niger Delta."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2008 convention granted a Libyan state company 100,000 ha in the Office du Niger area for 50 years with water from the Macina canal without restriction from June to December; the project is recorded as abandoned, and a 2016 study projected reduced inflow to the Inner Niger Delta from Office du Niger expansion generally.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Malibya (Libyan state company)","what":"100,000 ha net for 50 years, renewable, land granted free of charge according to Land Matrix, with water without restriction from June to December","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Local communities","what":"Land Matrix records that communities were calling for access to the land and facilities as of July 2019","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Inner Niger Delta","what":"Projected 23% cut in average inflow by 2045 from Office du Niger expansion as a whole (2016 projection, not specific to Malibya)","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Office du Niger, Ségou region, west of Macina, Mali; the Inner Niger Delta lies downstream.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Convention signed 9 May 2008; works 2008–2010; 25,000 ha lease June 2014; revival talks 17 September 2018; project recorded as abandoned by July 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The convention is a state-to-state agricultural investment agreement between Mali and Libya.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The convention granted land free of encumbrances and water from the Macina canal and groundwater at set fees; canal and road works were estimated at 25 billion FCFA.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Convention d'investissement dans le domaine agricole (Malibya)","p":"Republic of Mali / Libyan Jamahiriya (via Open Land Contracts)","d":"2008-05-09","type":"official","u":"https://openlandcontracts.org/contract/ocds-591adf-3711703286/download/pdf"},{"t":"Office du Niger: towards the resumption of works at the Malibya project site","p":"Bamada.net, translated by GRAIN via farmlandgrab","d":"2018-09","type":"press","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/28467-office-du-niger-towards-the-resumption-of-works-at-the-malibya-project-site"},{"t":"Land Matrix, deal #1474 Malibya","p":"Land Matrix","d":"2026-10-19","type":"ngo","u":"https://landmatrix.org/deal/1474/compare/92836/93866"},{"t":"New irrigation plans threaten food production Inner Niger Delta","p":"Wetlands International","d":"2016-09-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wetlands.org/new-irrigation-plans-threaten-food-production-inner-niger-delta/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Spending on the Inner Niger Delta water balance — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: harm to the Inner Niger Delta attributable to the Malibya concession; the figures on record are 2016 projections for the Office du Niger expansion as a whole.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: displacement data (Land Matrix).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement from Malibya.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: proceedings under the convention's arbitration clause (Article 23).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the 2025–2026 status of the concession.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"orinoco-mining-arc","title":"Orinoco Mining Arc: decree, state gold business and measured harm","dek":"A February 2016 presidential decree opened a 111,843.70 km² zone south of the Orinoco to state-led mining of gold, diamonds, coltan, iron and bauxite. UN bodies reported an expansion of mining outside authorisation, mercury exposure among downstream Indigenous communities and no published environmental budget.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":7,"lon":-64,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Bolívar, with parts of Amazonas and Delta Amacuro","lat":7,"lon":-64,"role":"event"}],"start":2011,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2016-02-24","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area","chemical-pollution","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Area opened to state-led mining by Decree 2.248 (February 2016)","value":"111,843.70 km²","note":"Figure given by OHCHR; IPEN gives 111,846 km². The UN Fact-Finding Mission adds 1,754 km² for the Ikabarú area."},"happened":["On 24 February 2016 Decree No. 2.248 (Official Gazette 40.855) created the \"Zona de Desarrollo Estratégico Nacional Arco Minero del Orinoco\". OHCHR summarised its stated objectives as organising mining in Amazonas, Bolívar and Delta Amacuro, diversifying state resources and regulating the exploitation of gold, diamonds, coltan, iron and bauxite through miners, small mining companies and larger public, private and mixed companies, \"under the principles of defence of national sovereignty, respect for indigenous peoples, transparency and sustainability\". According to the UN Fact-Finding Mission, article 13 of the decree gave the armed forces (FANB) power to \"safeguard, protect, and maintain the harmonious continuity of the operations and activities of the Strategic Industries\".","The decree followed Decree No. 8.413 of 23 August 2011, which nationalised gold mining, and Decree-Law No. 2.165 of 30 December 2015, which required all mined gold to be sold or delivered to the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV). The military-owned company CAMIMPEG was created on 10 February 2016. Corporación Venezolana de Minería (CVM) became the parent of eight state companies and 23 mining areas; between 2016 and 2018 it took part in at least five mixed companies and close to 70 strategic alliances for processing plants, and by November 2018 more than 500 strategic alliances with small-scale miners existed. In October 2018 the state company Minerven formed a joint venture, MIBITURVEN, with a company that the UN Mission said was controlled by Alex Nain Saab Morán.","In 2016 President Maduro announced investment and operating agreements with foreign companies with an estimated value of US$5.5 billion; the UN Mission wrote that \"only a limited number of contracts eventually materialised\". The opposition-led National Assembly adopted a resolution annulling the decree in June 2016, which the executive disregarded. A constitutional nullity petition filed at the Supreme Court in 2016 remained unanswered as of September 2022. In April 2020 Resolution No. 0010 of the mining ministry authorised dredge mining for gold and diamonds in six rivers (Auro, Caura, Caroní, Cuchutero, Cuyuní and Yuruari).","OHCHR (A/HRC/44/54, July 2020) reported that chemical mercury was widely used despite a 2016 nationwide ban and that high levels of mercury had been detected in Indigenous communities living downstream. MAAP, using University of Maryland data, reported that the Venezuelan Amazon lost over 140,000 hectares of primary forest in the four years to 2020, with most hotspots inside the Arc. The UN Fact-Finding Mission wrote in 2022 that the Arc, officially intended to streamline extraction and control illegal mining, \"actually resulted in an expansion of illegal mining both within and beyond the formal perimeters\".","On the money side, OHCHR reported that miners paid about 10–20% of ore mined to criminal or armed groups and about 15–30% to mill owners, and that gold was bought at about 25% below international prices. Officials claimed rising output: in May 2026 Minister Héctor Silva was reported as giving 9.5 tonnes of gold for 2025 and a projection of about 12 tonnes for 2026. In 2026 a new Ley de Minas (131 articles) was approved by the National Assembly on 9 April, giving the BCV a preferential right to buy gold, and a decree of 4 February 2026 reorganised the mining ministry. No environmental budget, impact study or remediation fund for the Arc is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Decree 8.413 nationalises gold mining (23 Aug); gold regions declared security zones","src":1},{"y":2015,"t":"Decree-Law 2.165 requires all mined gold to be sold to the BCV (30 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2016,"t":"CAMIMPEG created (10 Feb); Decree 2.248 creates the Arc (24 Feb); National Assembly resolution annulling it ignored (Jun); nationwide mercury ban (5 Aug)","src":1},{"y":2017,"t":"Decree 3.188 identifies 23 mining zones, all in Bolívar (5 Dec); constitutional law gives the BCV an exclusive role in buying Arc gold (29 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2018,"t":"MIBITURVEN joint venture formed (Oct); BCV reports buying 9.2 t of gold domestically","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Resolution 0010 opens six rivers to dredge mining (7/8 Apr); OHCHR report A/HRC/44/54 presented (15 Jul)","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"MAAP #155 on forest loss (14 Jun); UN Fact-Finding Mission publishes A/HRC/51/CRP.2 (20 Sep)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"Mining ministry reorganised by Decree 5.239 (4 Feb); new Ley de Minas approved (9 Apr); official production claim for 2025 and projection for 2026 (May)","src":11}],"said":[{"q":"actually resulted in an expansion of illegal mining both within and beyond the formal perimeters","who":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","when":"2022-09-20","src":1},{"q":"Authorities should take immediate steps to end labour and sexual exploitation, child labour and human trafficking","who":"Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights","when":"2020-07-15","src":2},{"q":"everyone in Guayana knows that a miner will be a miner all his life. Before, we tried to pull them out of mining areas to engage them in other activities, but it didn't work.","who":"Mining ministry official, quoted by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","when":"2018","src":1},{"q":"have benefited and continue to benefit financially from gold mining-related activities in the Arco Minero","who":"UN Fact-Finding Mission, on members of the military and political elite","when":"2022","src":3},{"q":"destroying mother earth without any mercy","who":"Indigenous leader, in a statement to OHCHR","when":"2020","src":0},{"q":"degrade Venezuela's infrastructure and natural environment through economic mismanagement and confiscatory mining and industrial practices","who":"US Executive Order 13850 (preamble)","when":"2018-11-01","src":14}],"shown":[{"t":"In 2011 President Chávez described the area as \"one of the world's biggest [gold] reserves\" worth an estimated US$12–13 billion.","who":"President Hugo Chávez, as cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":1},{"t":"In 2016 Mining/Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino estimated the country's gold reserves at US$280 billion.","who":"Eulogio del Pino, as cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":1},{"t":"Maduro said 150 mining companies from 35 countries had expressed interest in the Arc (24 February 2016) and announced foreign investment agreements estimated at US$5.5 billion (26 August 2016).","who":"President Nicolás Maduro, as cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":1},{"t":"Cyanidation plants were presented as a \"more efficient and less polluting alternative\" to mercury.","who":"Venezuelan government, as paraphrased by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":1},{"t":"Production of 9.5 tonnes of gold in 2025, \"the highest since 2008\", attributed to operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.","who":"Minister Héctor Silva, via Últimas Noticias","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"Primary forest loss in the Venezuelan Amazon was over 140,000 hectares in the four years to 2020; protected areas (43% of the region) accounted for about 30% of it, and most hotspots lay within the Arc.","src":4},{"t":"In 2017–2020 river-based mining in the Arc caused a loss of more than 1,800 hectares; Caura, Canaima and Yapacana national parks lost more than 22,000 hectares combined from all causes.","src":4},{"t":"In the Caura River baseline study (sampling in 2011), 92% of 152 hair samples from women in five Ye'kwana and Sanema communities exceeded the WHO (1990) reference of 2 mg/kg; the maximum was 45.41 mg/kg, and contamination was found more than 200 km from mine discharge points.","src":5},{"t":"In El Callao (IPEN, June 2021), 13 of 35 women sampled (37.1%) had hair mercury above 1 ppm; the highest was 5.5 ppm.","src":6},{"t":"Seven cyanidation plants were operative, 13% of the 54 originally planned.","src":1},{"t":"The BCV reported acquiring 9.2 tons of gold in 2018 in the domestic market without specifying the origin of the gold.","src":0},{"t":"CAMIMPEG, 100% owned by the Ministry of Defence, recorded a net profit of 175,979,443.69 bolívares at the end of 2020; the UN Mission gave an approximate conversion of US$30.9 million.","src":1},{"t":"Five budget-credit transfers for the Ecological Mining Development ministry, from current to capital spending, were published in Gazette 43.214 on 16 September 2025: Bs. 319.940,00; 1.152.169,00; 4.815.947,00; 11.138.101,92 and 3.882.512,08. No purpose was stated.","src":9},{"t":"The 2026 mining law provides royalties of up to 13% on gross production, a mining tax of up to 6%, 30-year concessions extendable twice by up to 10 years, and 10 to 15 years' prison for mining in environmentally protected zones.","src":11},{"t":"Operation \"Manos de Metal\" (June 2018) against gold trafficking: 426 bank accounts blocked, 29 properties seized, 22 individuals accused and 11 charged, two detained (Attorney General's Office, as reported to OHCHR).","src":0},{"t":"RAISG concluded in 2018 that 82% of the \"illegal mining\" sites mapped in the Amazon were in Venezuela (as cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission).","src":1},{"t":"Mining Minister Víctor Cano said in July 2018 that the central bank had bought 17.6 tons of gold from small miners and that BCV reserves stood at 150 tons per BCV data (Reuters report republished by Hürriyet Daily News).","src":7},{"t":"Decree 5.239 (Gazette 43.310) of 4 February 2026 reorganised the mining ministry as the \"Ministerio del Poder Popular de Desarrollo Minero Ecológico e Industrias Básicas\".","src":12},{"t":"Transparencia Venezuela said in May 2026 that even deputies did not have the text of the national budget law.","src":13},{"t":"The BCV page on domestic gold purchases displayed only average gold prices for 2017–2026 on 19 October 2026.","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Environmental budget or remediation fund for the Arc","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Foreign investment and operating agreements announced by President Maduro","amount":5500,"qualifier":"announced","window":"2016","note":"Only a limited number of contracts materialised, according to the UN Fact-Finding Mission."},{"label":"Estimate of the country's gold reserves, Minister del Pino","amount":280000,"qualifier":"estimate","est":true,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Estimated value of the reserves in the area, President Chávez","amount":null,"window":"2011","note":"US$12–13 billion."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Primary forest lost","v":"over 140,000 ha","d":"Venezuelan Amazon, four years to 2020; most hotspots in the Arc (MAAP)"},{"k":"Hair mercury, Caura River","v":"92% above 2 mg/kg","d":"152 women, five Ye'kwana and Sanema communities, 2011 sampling"},{"k":"Rivers opened to dredging","v":"6","d":"Resolution 0010, April 2020"},{"k":"Environmental budget","v":"None on record","d":"National budget law not published since 2017, per Transparencia Venezuela and Acceso a la Justicia"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded as forest-loss estimates (University of Maryland data analysed by MAAP), hair and fish mercury sampling, and UN findings.","report":[{"t":"Over 140,000 hectares of my Venezuelan Amazon primary forest were lost in the four years to 2020; most of the hotspots lie within the Orinoco Mining Arc, according to MAAP.","src":4},{"t":"River-based mining in the Arc took more than 1,800 hectares of my forest between 2017 and 2020, according to MAAP.","src":4},{"t":"In 2011 sampling on my Caura River, 92% of 152 hair samples from women in five communities exceeded the WHO reference of 2 mg/kg; piscivorous fish carried up to 1.80 mg/kg in a 2010 study.","src":5},{"t":"OHCHR reported in 2020 that high levels of mercury had been detected in Indigenous communities living downstream of mines on my rivers.","src":0},{"t":"Since April 2020 six of my rivers, five of them major Orinoco tributaries, have been open to dredge mining by ministerial resolution, according to the UN Fact-Finding Mission.","src":1}]},"unknown":["None on record: a budget allocation, environmental impact study or remediation fund for environmental harm in the Arc. Transparencia Venezuela and Acceso a la Justicia state that the national budget law has not been published since 2017; in May 2026 Transparencia Venezuela said even deputies did not have its text.","Not disclosed: environmental and sociocultural impact studies, the number and names of partner companies, and the number of registered miners (OHCHR, 2020).","Not disclosed: BCV data on gold received from Minerven, exports, destinations and foreign currency received (OHCHR, 2020). The BCV page on domestic gold purchases displayed only average gold prices for 2017–2026 on 19 October 2026.","Not disclosed: BCV gold reserve data after 2019 (UN Fact-Finding Mission, 2022).","Not measured: the number of people mining in the Arc (OHCHR: no official information). Without official monitoring, the scope of unauthorised mining is impossible to ascertain (UN Fact-Finding Mission).","Insufficient: the share of Arc gold from unregulated mines. GIATOC and Transparencia Internacional put it at a minimum of 70% in a conservative estimate; the UN Mission said it had no means to determine the accuracy.","Not disclosed: the budget of the February 2023 FANB reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana, where 400 rubber and cashew plants and 1,000 seeds were reported for Yapacana (EFE).","Not disclosed: area, target or budget of the reforestation plans that sector representatives ratified in May 2026.","Unclear: Venezuela had signed but not ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury as of the UN Mission's 2022 findings.","Insufficient: Acceso a la Justicia's summary of Decree 5.239 (4 February 2026) lists no environmental protection or monitoring duties for the reorganised ministry; \"Ecológico\" appears only in its name.","Disputed: the government's homicide, consultation and revenue accounts differ from those of independent observers (see disputes)."],"evidence":["undisclosed","court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"No end of harm is recorded. The UN Fact-Finding Mission reported in 2022 an expansion of \"illegal mining\" within and beyond the formal perimeters; Resolution 0010 of April 2020 opened six rivers to dredge mining.","whoPaid":"None on record: no budget or fund for environmental remediation. Downstream Indigenous communities carry the mercury exposure documented by OHCHR and the 2012 Caura study.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: a new Ley de Minas was approved in April 2026; the 2016 nullity petition at the Supreme Court had not been answered as of September 2022; no environmental budget on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Told OHCHR on 2 June 2020 that the homicide rate in Bolívar fell from 76 per 100,000 (2016) to 36 (2019), that a special Arc security brigade and a 2020 special security plan had been created, and that the Ministry for Indigenous Peoples held about 90 consultation meetings.","when":"2020-06-02","src":0},{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Minister Héctor Silva attributed the rise in gold production to operational efficiency and environmental sustainability.","when":"2026-05","src":8},{"actor":"fanb","says":"Launched a reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana with the Ecosocialism and Water ministries; no budget stated.","when":"2023-02","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Issued Decree 2.248; mining ministry and state companies"},{"id":"bcv","role":"Sole legal buyer of Arc gold"},{"id":"minerven","role":"State gold company; MIBITURVEN joint venture"},{"id":"fanb","role":"Armed forces with powers under the decree; military-owned companies"},{"id":"venezuela-supreme-court","role":"Nullity petition against Decree 2.248 pending"},{"id":"un-human-rights-office","role":"A/HRC/44/54 report"},{"id":"un-fact-finding-mission-venezuela","role":"A/HRC/51/CRP.2 findings"},{"id":"maap-amazon-conservation","role":"Forest-loss analysis"},{"id":"ipen","role":"El Callao hair mercury study"},{"id":"wcs","role":"Co-author of the Caura mercury study"},{"id":"sos-orinoco","role":"NGO monitoring mining in the south"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Surface area of the Orinoco Mining Arc","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"OHCHR","says":"111,843.70 km².","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"IPEN","says":"111,846 km².","src":6},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"Adds 1,754 km² for the Ikabarú area (a total of 12.4% of the national territory); a Spanish NGO dossier gives 11.843,70 km², which the Mission treats as a likely typing error.","src":1}]},{"point":"Decree number of the 5 August 2016 mercury ban","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"OHCHR","says":"Cites Decree No. 2,412 of 5 August 2016.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"Cites Presidential Decree No. 1412, Official Gazette No. 40,960, of 5 August 2016.","src":1}]},{"point":"Homicide rate in Bolívar, 2019","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela","says":"36 per 100,000 in Bolívar; 94 in El Callao.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Observatorio Venezolano de Violencia","says":"84 per 100,000 in Bolívar; 368 in El Callao.","src":0}]},{"point":"Consultation of Indigenous peoples","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela","says":"About 90 consultation meetings reported.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Most Indigenous peoples and experts","says":"Reported no consultation meeting national or international standards, and none before the April 2020 rivers resolution; Mapoyo representatives were satisfied.","src":0}]},{"point":"Effect of the Arc on mining outside authorisation and on the environment","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Decree 2.248 (as summarised by OHCHR)","says":"Stated objectives include mining regulated under principles of sustainability and respect for Indigenous peoples.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela (via Prensa Minera, 27 November 2018)","says":"Cyanidation plants described as a more efficient and less polluting alternative to mercury.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"The Arc resulted in \"an expansion of illegal mining\" within and beyond the formal perimeters; chemical mercury was widely used despite the ban.","src":1}]},{"point":"Foreign investment in the Arc","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"President Nicolás Maduro","says":"Announced agreements with foreign companies estimated at US$5.5 billion (August 2016).","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"Only a limited number of contracts eventually materialised.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Nullity petition against Decree 2.248","forum":"Supreme Court of Venezuela (TSJ)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"A citizens' platform","defendant":"Decree 2.248 (Executive of Venezuela)","filed":2016,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The constitutional nullity petition was filed in 2016 and admitted; the UN Fact-Finding Mission wrote that it remained unanswered as of September 2022. The National Assembly's resolutions annulling the decree (June 2016) and Resolution 0010 on rivers (Gazette 6.526, 8 April 2020) were disregarded by the executive.","src":1},{"title":"Rusoro Mining Ltd. v. Venezuela (award linked to the earlier gold nationalisation)","forum":"ICSID (Additional Facility)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Rusoro Mining Ltd.","defendant":"Venezuela","filed":null,"decided":2016,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/12/5, award of 22 August 2016, cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission as an example of compensation payments after the nationalisation; the amount is not stated there.","src":1},{"title":"Operation \"Manos de Metal\" against gold trafficking","forum":"Attorney General's Office of Venezuela","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Attorney General's Office","defendant":"22 individuals accused, 11 of them charged (names not given)","filed":2018,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"In June 2018: 426 bank accounts blocked, 29 properties seized, 22 individuals accused and 11 charged, two detained, as reported to OHCHR. No outcome is given.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_km2","value":111843.7,"unit":"km²","year":2016,"note":"Area of the zone created by Decree 2.248 (OHCHR)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":140000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"Primary forest loss in the Venezuelan Amazon in the four years to 2020 (University of Maryland data, MAAP #155)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":1800,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"River-based mining in the Arc, 2017–2020 (MAAP #155)."},{"key":"people_screened","value":152,"unit":"women (hair samples)","year":2011,"note":"Caura River, five Ye'kwana and Sanema communities; 92% above 2 mg/kg."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":9.2,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Gold the BCV reported acquiring in the domestic market, origin not specified (OHCHR)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":9.5,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Official 2025 production claim, public sector extraction up 81% year on year (Minister Silva, via Últimas Noticias)."},{"key":"investment","value":5500,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"announced","note":"Foreign investment and operating agreements announced by President Maduro; only a limited number materialised (UN Fact-Finding Mission)."},{"key":"people_charged","value":11,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"Charged in Operation \"Manos de Metal\"; 22 accused, two detained."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A February 2016 decree opened a 111,843.70 km² zone south of the Orinoco to state-led mining of gold, diamonds, coltan, iron and bauxite. UN bodies reported an expansion of mining outside authorisation, mercury exposure in downstream Indigenous communities and no published environmental budget.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Venezuelan state and the BCV","what":"Sole legal buyer of Arc gold; the BCV reported acquiring 9.2 tons domestically in 2018","src":0},{"who":"Military-owned companies","what":"CAMIMPEG recorded a net profit of Bs. 175,979,443.69 at the end of 2020","src":1},{"who":"Members of the military and political elite","what":"According to the UN Fact-Finding Mission, they benefited and continue to benefit financially from gold mining-related activities in the Arco Minero","src":3},{"who":"Criminal or armed groups and mill owners","what":"Miners paid about 10–20% of ore to criminal or armed groups and about 15–30% to mill owners (OHCHR)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Miners","what":"Gold was bought at about 25% below international prices (OHCHR)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Indigenous communities downstream","what":"High mercury levels detected; 92% of 152 women sampled in the Caura baseline study above the WHO reference","src":5},{"who":"Venezuelan Amazon forest","what":"Over 140,000 hectares of primary forest lost in the four years to 2020","src":4},{"who":"Six rivers opened to dredge mining","what":"Auro, Caura, Caroní, Cuchutero, Cuyuní and Yuruari (Resolution 0010, April 2020)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Four areas along the south bank of the Orinoco in northern Bolívar state, with small parts in Amazonas and Delta Amacuro; an Ikabarú area near Brazil was announced but, per the UN Mission, never legally declared.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Decree 2.248 of 24 February 2016; preceded by the 2011 nationalisation and followed by the April 2020 rivers resolution and the April 2026 mining law.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The decree's stated aim was to generate state revenue and diversify resources after the collapse of oil revenue, organising mining under principles of sovereignty, respect for Indigenous peoples, transparency and sustainability (OHCHR summary).","src":0},"how":{"t":"State joint ventures and strategic alliances, military-owned companies and the BCV as sole legal gold buyer, with the armed forces empowered to safeguard operations.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Independence of the justice system. and situation of human rights in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region (A/HRC/44/54)","p":"UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR)","d":"2020-07-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=A/HRC/44/54&l=en&t=pdf"},{"t":"The human rights situation in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region and other areas of the Bolívar state (A/HRC/51/CRP.2, advance unedited version, mirror copy)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","d":"2022-09-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://diarioconstitucional.cl/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FFMV-CRP-2-English-1.pdf"},{"t":"Venezuela: UN report highlights criminal control of mining area","p":"UN News","d":"2020-07-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://news.un.org/en/node/1068391"},{"t":"A/HRC/51/43 (report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (via ecoi.net)","d":"2022-11-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2079457/G2259203.pdf"},{"t":"MAAP #155: Deforestation Hotspots in the Venezuelan Amazon","p":"MAAP / Amazon Conservation","d":"2022-06-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://maapprogram.org/?p=20891"},{"t":"Evaluación del riesgo de exposición al metil-mercurio en poblaciones indígenas ribereñas del Río Caura (Assessment of methylmercury exposure risk in riverside Indigenous populations of the Caura River)","p":"Fundación La Salle / WCS / Universidad de Oriente","d":"2012-06-15","type":"academic","u":"https://mineriailegal.amazoniasocioambiental.org/Informe_riesgo_exp_metilmercurio_Caura-33d3e628542d2a8d85f6683d7df19de0.pdf"},{"t":"Mercury Exposure of Women in Four Latin American Gold Mining Countries","p":"IPEN / Biodiversity Research Institute","d":"2021-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://ipen.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ipen-lac-hg-hair-sampling-four-countries-v1_9bw-en.pdf"},{"t":"Venezuela exported $779 mln in gold to Turkey in 2018: Data","p":"Hürriyet Daily News (Reuters)","d":"2018-07-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/venezuela-exported-779-mln-in-gold-to-turkey-in-2018-data-134798"},{"t":"Producción de oro en el Arco Minero podría aumentar 30% en 2026 (Gold production in the Mining Arc could rise 30% in 2026)","p":"Finanzas Digital (citing Últimas Noticias)","d":"2026-05-18","type":"press","u":"https://finanzasdigital.com/produccion-oro-arco-minero-2026/"},{"t":"Gaceta Oficial 43.214 (Official Gazette 43.214 summary)","p":"Finanzas Digital","d":"2025-09-16","type":"press","u":"https://finanzasdigital.com/gaceta-oficial-43214/"},{"t":"Venezuela empieza plan de reforestación en zonas afectadas por minería ilegal (Venezuela starts reforestation plan in areas affected by illegal mining)","p":"Swissinfo (EFE)","d":"2023-02-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/venezuela-empieza-plan-de-reforestaci%c3%b3n-en-zonas-afectadas-por-miner%c3%ada-ilegal/48259678"},{"t":"Asamblea Nacional aprobó nueva Ley de Minas para atraer inversión extranjera al sector (National Assembly approved new Mining Law to attract foreign investment)","p":"El Diario","d":"2026-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2026/04/09/venezuela-aprueba-ley-de-minas-inversion-extranjera-oro/"},{"t":"Creación del Ministerio Minero Ecológico e Industrias Básicas (Creation of the Ecological Mining and Basic Industries Ministry)","p":"Acceso a la Justicia","d":"2026-02-19","type":"ngo","u":"https://accesoalajusticia.org/creacion-del-ministerio-minero-ecologico-e-industrias-basicas/"},{"t":"La ONG Transparencia Venezuela acusa al gobierno de Delcy Rodríguez de ocultar información clave sobre fondos públicos (Transparencia Venezuela accuses Rodríguez government of hiding key public-funds information)","p":"Infobae","d":"2026-05-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2026/05/05/la-ong-transparencia-venezuela-acusa-al-gobierno-de-delcy-rodriguez-de-ocultar-informacion-clave-sobre-fondos-publicos/"},{"t":"Executive Order 13850","p":"Federal Register (GovInfo)","d":"2018-11-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2018-11-02/pdf/2018-24254.pdf"},{"t":"Minerales estratégicos / Oro / Estadísticas (Strategic minerals / Gold / Statistics)","p":"Banco Central de Venezuela","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","u":"https://www.bcv.org.ve/minerales-estrategicos/oro/compras-de-oro-en-el-mercado-interno"}],"related":["canaima-national-park-gold-mining","yapacana-national-park-mining-and-evictions","venezuela-gold-exports-and-us-sanctions","tumeremo-massacre-and-armed-control-of-gold-mines","crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Effect of the Arc on mining outside authorisation and on the environment","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental budget or remediation fund for the Arc — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Estimated value of the reserves in the area, President Chávez — US$12–13 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Surface area of the Orinoco Mining Arc","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Decree number of the 5 August 2016 mercury ban","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Homicide rate in Bolívar, 2019","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Consultation of Indigenous peoples","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Foreign investment in the Arc","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rusoro Mining Ltd. v. Venezuela (award linked to the earlier gold nationalisation): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a budget allocation, environmental impact study or remediation fund for environmental harm in the Arc. Transparencia Venezuela and Acceso a la Justicia state that the national budget law has not been published since 2017; in May 2026 Transparencia Venezuela said even deputies did not have its text.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: environmental and sociocultural impact studies, the number and names of partner companies, and the number of registered miners (OHCHR, 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: BCV data on gold received from Minerven, exports, destinations and foreign currency received (OHCHR, 2020). The BCV page on domestic gold purchases displayed only average gold prices for 2017–2026 on 19 October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: BCV gold reserve data after 2019 (UN Fact-Finding Mission, 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the number of people mining in the Arc (OHCHR: no official information). Without official monitoring, the scope of unauthorised mining is impossible to ascertain (UN Fact-Finding Mission).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the share of Arc gold from unregulated mines. GIATOC and Transparencia Internacional put it at a minimum of 70% in a conservative estimate; the UN Mission said it had no means to determine the accuracy.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the budget of the February 2023 FANB reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana, where 400 rubber and cashew plants and 1,000 seeds were reported for Yapacana (EFE).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: area, target or budget of the reforestation plans that sector representatives ratified in May 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Venezuela had signed but not ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury as of the UN Mission's 2022 findings.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Acceso a la Justicia's summary of Decree 5.239 (4 February 2026) lists no environmental protection or monitoring duties for the reorganised ministry; \"Ecológico\" appears only in its name.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the government's homicide, consultation and revenue accounts differ from those of independent observers (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"canaima-national-park-gold-mining","title":"Gold mining inside Canaima National Park","dek":"Mining has expanded inside Canaima National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Bolívar state where mining is prohibited. NGO estimates of the area affected rose from 1,033 hectares (2020) to 1,852 hectares (2026).","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":5.5,"lon":-62.5,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Bolívar (Gran Sabana municipality)","lat":5.5,"lon":-62.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2018-12-08","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Area directly affected by mining in Canaima National Park, SOS Orinoco estimate (Planet Labs imagery)","value":"1,852 ha","note":"NGO estimate reported in July 2026. The NGO estimate cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission for 2020 was 1,033 ha."},"happened":["Canaima National Park (about 3,000,000 hectares, Gran Sabana municipality, Bolívar state, Pemon territory) was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela wrote in 2022 that since 2016 mining \"has extended into protected areas, including. Canaima and Caura national parks, with devastating environmental and sociocultural impacts\". The park lies outside the formal Orinoco Mining Arc.","SOS Orinoco reported to UNESCO and IUCN on 16 July 2018 and updated its account on 14 March 2020, stating that mining \"continues to expand inside Canaima National Park\". On 8 December 2018 agents of the military counter-intelligence directorate (DGCIM) opened fire on Indigenous artisanal miners inside the park; one Pemon man died and two were injured. The UN Mission found reasonable grounds to believe the attack was directed against unarmed Indigenous miners; official statements had said the agents were acting against illegal mining and were attacked.","Area estimates are by NGOs: 1,033 hectares affected as of 2020 (cited by the UN Mission); more than 1,500 hectares (SOS Orinoco and World Heritage Watch, January 2026); and 1,852 hectares directly affected, from Planet Labs imagery, with 300 hectares of natural cover lost in 2024–2025, 72 of them at the foot of Chimantá tepui, and more than 49 active dredging rafts on the Caroní River inside the park (SOS Orinoco, July 2026). SOS Orinoco put the rise in mining since 2016 at 1,300%. MAAP reported mining deforestation expanding in Canaima in 2017–2020 without giving a hectare total.","In February 2023 the armed forces announced a reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana with the Ecosocialism and Water ministries; no budget was stated. SOS Orinoco and World Heritage Watch said in January 2026 that a UNESCO reactive monitoring mission had not been able to enter since September 2022. The World Heritage Watch Report 2026 was published on 24 June 2026, and SOS Orinoco spoke at the 48th World Heritage Committee session in Busan on 21 July 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":1994,"t":"Canaima listed as a World Heritage Site","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"SOS Orinoco report to UNESCO and IUCN (16 Jul); DGCIM agents fire on Indigenous artisanal miners inside the park, one Pemon man dies (8 Dec)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"SOS Orinoco update (14 Mar): mining continues to expand inside the park","src":2},{"y":2022,"t":"UN Fact-Finding Mission findings published (20 Sep); UNESCO reactive monitoring mission unable to enter since September, per SOS Orinoco","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Armed forces announce reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana (Feb)","src":6},{"y":2026,"t":"World Heritage Watch Report 2026 (24 Jun); SOS Orinoco statement at the 48th World Heritage Committee (21 Jul)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"has extended into protected areas, including. Canaima and Caura national parks, with devastating environmental and sociocultural impacts","who":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","when":"2022","src":0},{"q":"continues to expand inside Canaima National Park","who":"SOS Orinoco","when":"2020-03-14","src":2},{"q":"rather than diminish, continues to accelerate","who":"SOS Orinoco, on the mining situation","when":"2020-03-14","src":2},{"q":"the Maduro regime has no political interest in banning these mining operations","who":"SOS Orinoco","when":"2020-03-14","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The government described the impact in the park as insignificant, as reported by SOS Orinoco; no direct official statement is quoted.","who":"Government of Venezuela, as reported by SOS Orinoco via El Diario","src":4},{"t":"Official statements on the 8 December 2018 incident said agents were combating illegal mining and were attacked.","who":"Venezuelan authorities, as summarised by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"SOS Orinoco (Planet Labs imagery, 2026): 1,852 hectares directly affected by mining; 300 hectares of natural cover lost in 2024–2025, 72 hectares at the foot of Chimantá tepui; more than 49 active dredging rafts on the Caroní inside the park; mining up 1,300% since 2016.","src":4},{"t":"SOS Orinoco and World Heritage Watch (January 2026): more than 1,500 hectares affected.","src":5},{"t":"An NGO estimate cited by the UN Mission put the area affected at 1,033 hectares as of 2020.","src":0},{"t":"On 8 December 2018 DGCIM agents opened fire on Indigenous artisanal miners inside the park; one Pemon man died and two were injured.","src":1},{"t":"MAAP #155 reported mining deforestation expanding in Canaima in 2017–2020, and a combined loss of more than 22,000 hectares from all causes in the Caura, Canaima and Yapacana national parks.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area affected","v":"1,852 ha","d":"SOS Orinoco estimate, 2026 (1,033 ha cited by the UN Mission for 2020)"},{"k":"Dredging rafts","v":"more than 49","d":"Active on the Caroní inside the park, per SOS Orinoco, 2026"},{"k":"Natural cover lost","v":"300 ha","d":"2024–2025, per SOS Orinoco"},{"k":"Reforestation budget","v":"None on record","d":"February 2023 armed forces campaign"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded as NGO area estimates from satellite imagery and a UN finding.","report":[{"t":"SOS Orinoco estimated in 2026 that mining directly affected 1,852 hectares of my Canaima National Park, using Planet Labs imagery.","src":4},{"t":"I lost 300 hectares of natural cover in 2024–2025, 72 of them at the foot of Chimantá tepui, according to SOS Orinoco.","src":4},{"t":"More than 49 dredging rafts were active on my Caroní River inside the park in 2026, according to SOS Orinoco.","src":4},{"t":"The UN Fact-Finding Mission wrote in 2022 that mining in my park has \"devastating environmental and sociocultural impacts\".","src":0}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the area affected, 1,033 hectares (NGO estimate cited for 2020), more than 1,500 hectares (January 2026) and 1,852 hectares (July 2026); all are NGO estimates and differ by method and date.","None on record: a court case on the environmental damage in Canaima National Park.","Not disclosed: the budget of the February 2023 armed forces reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana.","Self-reported only: SOS Orinoco and World Heritage Watch said a UNESCO reactive monitoring mission had been unable to enter the park since September 2022 and attributed the blockage to Delcy Rodríguez."],"evidence":["no-court","deaths"],"harmStopped":"No end of harm is recorded. SOS Orinoco reported in July 2026 that mining kept expanding in the park.","whoPaid":"None on record: no remediation payment or fund for the park.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: SOS Orinoco reported 1,852 hectares affected (July 2026); no court case or remediation budget on record; UNESCO monitoring mission blocked since September 2022 per SOS Orinoco.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Official statements on the 8 December 2018 incident said agents were combating illegal mining and were attacked (summary by the UN Fact-Finding Mission).","when":"2018-12","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"sos-orinoco","role":"NGO reporting the extent of mining"},{"id":"un-fact-finding-mission-venezuela","role":"Findings on the 8 December 2018 attack"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"World Heritage listing and monitoring"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Recipient of the 2018 SOS Orinoco report"},{"id":"maap-amazon-conservation","role":"Forest-loss analysis"},{"id":"fanb","role":"Announced reforestation campaign"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Park authority and responsible state"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How much of Canaima National Park mining has affected","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"NGO estimate cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"1,033 hectares affected as of 2020.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"SOS Orinoco / World Heritage Watch (January 2026)","says":"More than 1,500 hectares affected.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"SOS Orinoco (July 2026)","says":"1,852 hectares directly affected, from Planet Labs imagery.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela (as reported by SOS Orinoco)","says":"Described the impact as insignificant.","src":4}]},{"point":"The 8 December 2018 shooting of Indigenous artisanal miners inside the park","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuelan authorities","says":"The agents were combating illegal mining and were attacked.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"Found reasonable grounds to believe the attack was directed against unarmed Indigenous miners.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"UN Fact-Finding Mission finding on the 8 December 2018 DGCIM attack","forum":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"international","claimant":"UN Fact-Finding Mission (finding)","defendant":"DGCIM agents (names not given)","filed":2022,"decided":2022,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Mission found reasonable grounds to believe the attack was directed against unarmed Indigenous miners. No court proceeding is reported.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":1852,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"NGO estimate","est":true,"note":"Directly affected by mining, SOS Orinoco from Planet Labs imagery (via El Diario)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1500,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"SOS Orinoco / World Heritage Watch, January 2026 (via Mongabay Latam)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1033,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"NGO estimate cited by the UN Fact-Finding Mission."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":300,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"Natural cover lost 2024–2025, including 72 ha at the foot of Chimantá tepui (SOS Orinoco)."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"A Pemon man died in the 8 December 2018 shooting; two were injured."},{"key":"injured","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"8 December 2018 shooting."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mining has expanded inside Canaima National Park, a World Heritage Site in Bolívar state, with NGO estimates of the area affected rising from 1,033 hectares (2020) to 1,852 hectares (2026).","src":4},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Canaima National Park","what":"1,852 hectares directly affected by mining (SOS Orinoco estimate, 2026)","src":4},{"who":"Pemon community","what":"One Pemon man died and two people were injured when DGCIM agents opened fire on Indigenous artisanal miners on 8 December 2018","src":1},{"who":"Caroní River inside the park","what":"More than 49 active dredging rafts (SOS Orinoco, 2026)","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Canaima National Park, Gran Sabana municipality, Bolívar state; about 3,000,000 hectares of Pemon territory in the Caroní and Kukenán basins.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Mining expanding since 2016; park listed in 1994; shooting on 8 December 2018; latest NGO estimate in July 2026.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The UN Mission linked the spread of mining into protected areas to the post-2016 mining expansion; SOS Orinoco said in 2020 that the Maduro government had no political interest in banning the operations.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Dredging rafts on the Caroní and mining sites inside the park, mapped by satellite imagery.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"The human rights situation in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region and other areas of the Bolívar state (A/HRC/51/CRP.2, advance unedited version, mirror copy)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","d":"2022-09-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://diarioconstitucional.cl/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FFMV-CRP-2-English-1.pdf"},{"t":"A/HRC/51/43 (report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (via ecoi.net)","d":"2022-11-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2079457/G2259203.pdf"},{"t":"Update: Current Gold Mining Situation in 2020 at Canaima National Park","p":"SOS Orinoco","d":"2020-03-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://sosorinoco.org/en/?p=831"},{"t":"World Heritage Watch Report 2026 (Full Report)","p":"SOS Orinoco","d":"2026-06-24","type":"ngo","u":"https://sosorinoco.org/en/reports/world-heritage-watch-report-2026-full-report/"},{"t":"SOS Orinoco denunció que la minería ilegal se sigue expandiendo en el Parque Nacional Canaima (SOS Orinoco says illegal mining keeps expanding in Canaima National Park)","p":"El Diario","d":"2026-07-21","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2026/07/21/mineria-ilegal-canaima/"},{"t":"Informe alerta sobre rol de Delcy Rodríguez con los impactos de la minería de oro en Venezuela (Report warns of Delcy Rodríguez's role in gold-mining impacts in Venezuela)","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2026-01-16","type":"press","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/01/informe-alerta-delcy-rodriguez-impactos-mineria-venezuela/"},{"t":"Venezuela empieza plan de reforestación en zonas afectadas por minería ilegal (Venezuela starts reforestation plan in areas affected by illegal mining)","p":"Swissinfo (EFE)","d":"2023-02-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/venezuela-empieza-plan-de-reforestaci%c3%b3n-en-zonas-afectadas-por-miner%c3%ada-ilegal/48259678"},{"t":"MAAP #155: Deforestation Hotspots in the Venezuelan Amazon","p":"MAAP / Amazon Conservation","d":"2022-06-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://maapprogram.org/?p=20891"}],"related":["orinoco-mining-arc","yapacana-national-park-mining-and-evictions","venezuela-gold-exports-and-us-sanctions","tumeremo-massacre-and-armed-control-of-gold-mines","crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale","canaima-national-park-fires-and-mining"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of Canaima National Park mining has affected","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The 8 December 2018 shooting of Indigenous artisanal miners inside the park","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"UN Fact-Finding Mission finding on the 8 December 2018 DGCIM attack: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the area affected, 1,033 hectares (NGO estimate cited for 2020), more than 1,500 hectares (January 2026) and 1,852 hectares (July 2026); all are NGO estimates and differ by method and date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case on the environmental damage in Canaima National Park.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the budget of the February 2023 armed forces reforestation campaign in Canaima and Yapacana.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: SOS Orinoco and World Heritage Watch said a UNESCO reactive monitoring mission had been unable to enter the park since September 2022 and attributed the blockage to Delcy Rodríguez.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"yapacana-national-park-mining-and-evictions","title":"Gold mining in Yapacana National Park and the 2023 military evictions","dek":"Mining in Yapacana National Park, Amazonas state, covered 2,240 hectares by October 2025 according to MAAP. A military operation in September 2023 dismantled structures and detained 51 people; MAAP recorded renewed mining on the tepui in 2025.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":3.8,"lon":-66.8,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Amazonas (Atabapo municipality)","lat":3.8,"lon":-66.8,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2023-09-13","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Cumulative mining deforestation in Yapacana National Park (MAAP)","value":"2,240 ha","note":"MAAP #234, 14 October 2025; a graph discussion in the same analysis gives 2,250 ha."},"happened":["Yapacana National Park lies in the Atabapo municipality of Amazonas state and includes Yapacana tepui (1,345 m). Mining has been banned there since Decree 269 of 1989, and the park lies outside the formal Orinoco Mining Arc. MAAP, using Planet/NICFI imagery with SOS Orinoco, recorded more than 400 hectares of new mining deforestation in each of 2021 and 2022, and a cumulative 2,240 hectares by October 2025.","A military operation against mining on the tepui took place in December 2022. In September 2023 the armed forces (FANB) carried out \"Operación Autana 2023\"; a clash on 13 September 2023 in the Cacique del Cerro Yapacana sector left two dead and six injured, according to the Ministry of Defence. The ministry said 400 troops evicted people and dismantled and destroyed more than 500 structures. FANB reported 51 people detained (37 Colombians, 9 Venezuelans, 2 Brazilians, 2 Ecuadorians and 1 Peruvian); outcomes are not on record.","A Venezuelan court authorised FANB to dismantle camps and structures, according to FANB commander Domingo Hernández Lárez, and a criminal investigation for mining and ecocide was reported on 18 September 2023; the court was not named.","MAAP #234 recorded 37 hectares of new deforestation in 2024, mining resuming on top of the tepui in 2025 (0.09 hectares) and 22.4 hectares of new mining north of the tepui between March 2024 and August 2025. MAAP wrote that renewed activity \"raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement and the real capacity of the state\", and noted a permanent National Guard post at the park entrance."],"timeline":[{"y":1989,"t":"Mining banned in the area by Decree 269","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"More than 400 ha of new mining deforestation (each of 2021 and 2022)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Military operation against mining on the tepui (Dec); 2,190 ha cumulative at the intervention","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"\"Operación Autana 2023\"; clash on 13 Sep; criminal investigation for mining and ecocide reported (18 Sep); 51 detained (21 Sep)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"37 ha of new mining deforestation","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Mining resumes on top of the tepui; MAAP #234 published (14 Oct)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement and the real capacity of the state","who":"MAAP / Amazon Conservation, on renewed mining activity","when":"2025-10-14","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The Ministry of Defence presented the operation as the eviction, dismantling and destruction of more than 500 clandestine structures by 400 troops, with two dead and six injured in the 13 September clash.","who":"Ministry of Defence of Venezuela","src":2},{"t":"FANB commander Domingo Hernández Lárez said a court had authorised FANB to dismantle camps and structures.","who":"FANB commander Domingo Hernández Lárez, via El Diario","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Cumulative mining deforestation in the park was 2,240 hectares; 2,190 hectares at the time of the late-2022 intervention.","src":0},{"t":"Mining resumed on top of Yapacana tepui in 2025 (0.09 hectares); cumulative deforestation on the tepui summit was 9.3 hectares.","src":0},{"t":"22.4 hectares of new mining deforestation north of the tepui between March 2024 and August 2025; 37 hectares in 2024.","src":0},{"t":"FANB detained 51 people: 37 Colombians, 9 Venezuelans, 2 Brazilians, 2 Ecuadorians and 1 Peruvian.","src":2},{"t":"Fuel for the mining is officially distributed by PDVSA under military supervision; MAAP notes fuel may also come from Colombia.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mining deforestation, cumulative","v":"2,240 ha","d":"MAAP #234, October 2025"},{"k":"After the 2023 operation","v":"37 ha in 2024","d":"Plus mining resumed on the tepui in 2025 (MAAP)"},{"k":"Detained","v":"51","d":"FANB, September 2023"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded as satellite-imagery deforestation estimates by MAAP.","report":[{"t":"Mining has cleared a cumulative 2,240 hectares of my Yapacana National Park, according to MAAP #234 (October 2025).","src":0},{"t":"More than 400 hectares were cleared in each of 2021 and 2022, according to MAAP.","src":0},{"t":"Mining resumed on top of my Yapacana tepui in 2025, and 22.4 hectares were cleared north of it between March 2024 and August 2025, according to MAAP.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the Ministry of Defence gave two dead and six injured in the 13 September 2023 clash; other reports give up to 10 dead. Reports of the number of people evicted range from 8,980 to more than 14,000.","Not disclosed: the outcome of proceedings against the 51 people detained in September 2023.","Not disclosed: the name of the court that authorised the dismantling of camps and structures.","Not disclosed: the number of items of equipment actually destroyed; only categories appear in the court order.","Not disclosed: any money figure for the mining or the operation; fuel is officially distributed by PDVSA under military supervision."],"evidence":["deaths","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not stopped: MAAP recorded 37 hectares of new deforestation in 2024 and mining resuming on top of the tepui in 2025, after the 2022 and 2023 operations.","whoPaid":"None on record: no restoration payment or fund. The armed forces announced a reforestation campaign in February 2023 with no budget stated.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: MAAP #234 (October 2025) recorded renewed mining; a criminal investigation for mining and ecocide was reported in September 2023; no outcome on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"fanb","says":"Said 400 troops evicted people and dismantled and destroyed more than 500 structures; reported 2 dead and 6 injured in the 13 September 2023 clash and 51 people detained.","when":"2023-09-21","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"maap-amazon-conservation","role":"Deforestation analysis (MAAP #234)"},{"id":"sos-orinoco","role":"Imagery partner"},{"id":"fanb","role":"Carried out the 2022 and 2023 operations"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Ministry of Defence statements; National Guard post at the park entrance"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the military operations ended mining in the park","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Defence of Venezuela","says":"400 troops evicted people and dismantled and destroyed more than 500 structures in September 2023.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"MAAP / Amazon Conservation","says":"Recorded 37 ha of new deforestation in 2024, mining resuming on top of the tepui in 2025 and 22.4 ha of new mining north of the tepui between March 2024 and August 2025.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal investigation for mining and ecocide, Yapacana","forum":"Venezuelan court (not named)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Venezuelan authorities","defendant":"Not named; 51 people detained in September 2023","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"A court authorised FANB to dismantle camps and structures, according to FANB commander Domingo Hernández Lárez; the investigation for mining and ecocide was reported on 18 September 2023. FANB reported 51 detained; outcomes are not on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":2240,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Cumulative mining deforestation in the park (MAAP #234; a graph discussion gives 2,250 ha)."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":400,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"New mining deforestation in each of 2021 and 2022."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":37,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"New mining deforestation in 2024."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":22.4,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"North of the tepui, March 2024–August 2025."},{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"per Ministry of Defence","note":"13 September 2023 clash."},{"key":"injured","value":6,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"per Ministry of Defence","note":"13 September 2023 clash."},{"key":"arrested","value":51,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Detained, per FANB."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mining in Yapacana National Park covered a cumulative 2,240 hectares by October 2025; a September 2023 military operation dismantled structures and detained 51 people, and MAAP recorded renewed mining in 2024–2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"People evicted and detained","what":"51 people detained (37 Colombians, 9 Venezuelans, 2 Brazilians, 2 Ecuadorians, 1 Peruvian); more than 500 structures dismantled or destroyed, per the Ministry of Defence","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Yapacana National Park","what":"2,240 hectares of cumulative mining deforestation","src":0},{"who":"People in the 13 September 2023 clash","what":"Two dead and six injured, per the Ministry of Defence","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Yapacana National Park, Atabapo municipality, Amazonas state; Yapacana tepui (1,345 m).","src":0},"when":{"t":"More than 400 ha a year cleared in 2021 and 2022; military operation December 2022 and September 2023; MAAP #234 on 14 October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Mining has been banned in the area since Decree 269 (1989); the park lies outside the formal Arc, and MAAP noted that fuel is officially distributed by PDVSA under military supervision.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Mining camps on the tepui and in the park, mapped with Planet/NICFI imagery; the armed forces evicted and dismantled structures under a court authorisation, per FANB.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"MAAP #234: Illegal gold mining in Yapacana National Park","p":"MAAP / Amazon Conservation","d":"2025-10-14","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.maapprogram.org/?p=26636"},{"t":"Iniciaron una investigación penal por minería y ecocidio en el Parque Nacional Yapacana (Criminal investigation opened for mining and ecocide in Yapacana)","p":"El Diario","d":"2023-09-18","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2023/09/18/investigacion-penal-por-mineria-y-ecocidio-en-yacapana/"},{"t":"FANB detuvo a 51 personas por practicar minería ilegal en la Amazonía (FANB detained 51 people for illegal mining in the Amazon)","p":"El Diario","d":"2023-09-21","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2023/09/21/detuvieron-personas-por-mineria-ilegal-amazonia/"}],"related":["orinoco-mining-arc","canaima-national-park-gold-mining","venezuela-gold-exports-and-us-sanctions","tumeremo-massacre-and-armed-control-of-gold-mines","crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the military operations ended mining in the park","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Ministry of Defence gave two dead and six injured in the 13 September 2023 clash; other reports give up to 10 dead. Reports of the number of people evicted range from 8,980 to more than 14,000.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the outcome of proceedings against the 51 people detained in September 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the name of the court that authorised the dismantling of camps and structures.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the number of items of equipment actually destroyed; only categories appear in the court order.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: any money figure for the mining or the operation; fuel is officially distributed by PDVSA under military supervision.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"venezuela-gold-exports-and-us-sanctions","title":"Venezuelan gold exports to Turkey and the UAE and US sanctions on Minerven and the Central Bank","dek":"The Central Bank of Venezuela sold tens of tonnes of gold to Turkish and Emirati buyers in 2018–2019. The US sanctioned the gold sector, Minerven and the bank in 2018–2019, and in March 2026 issued licences allowing Venezuelan gold into the United States.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":10.5,"lon":-66.9,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Caracas (BCV); El Callao (Minerven)","lat":10.5,"lon":-66.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Istanbul","role":"buyer"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Abu Dhabi","role":"buyer"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US Department of the Treasury (sanctioning authority)","role":"legal-forum"}],"start":2018,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2018-11-01","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Venezuelan gold exported to Turkey, January–May 2018 (TurkStat, via Reuters)","value":"US$779 million","note":"20.15 tonnes, against none in 2017. Other sources give different figures for 2018 (see disputes)."},"happened":["Turkish government statistics showed that Venezuela exported US$779 million of gold to Turkey in January–May 2018, 20.15 tonnes against none in 2017, all classed as non-standard unrefined gold; no equivalent gold was returned (Reuters, 20 July 2018). Venezuelan Mining Minister Víctor Cano said the gold went to Turkey rather than Switzerland over sanctions concerns and would return as BCV assets once refined and certified as monetary gold. Leaked BCV and customs documents published by Runrun.es and InSight Crime in March 2019 showed that the BCV sold 73.2 tons in 2018 to Noor Capital (UAE) 27.396 t, Sardes Kıymetli Madenler (Turkey) 23.994 t and Goetz Gold LLC (UAE-based) 21.886 t, in 33 shipments, about eight times the 8.65 t of internal production registered to May 2018; whether it came from reserves or from unreported Arc production is unknown.","Executive Order 13850 of 1 November 2018 authorised US sanctions on persons operating in the gold sector of the Venezuelan economy. On 19 March 2019 the US Treasury designated Minerven and its president, Adrián Antonio Perdomo Mata; on 17 April 2019 it designated the BCV and its director Iliana Josefa Ruzza Terán. Treasury said Minerven purchases gold from miners and melts it into bars, and that mining operations were encroaching on protected areas, causing deforestation and habitat loss, with mercury used in the process. After the sanctions the UN Fact-Finding Mission wrote that the BCV's role diminished, that available trade data showed no significant private gold exports since 2018, and that since September 2020 the BCV has allowed private exporters.","The UN Mission described Turkish joint ventures with entities it said were controlled by Alex Saab: MIBITURVEN (gold), CARBOTURVEN (coal) and MAVETUR (timber). Other claims about Venezuelan gold are attributed: Uganda police investigated a 7.4-ton import to the African Gold Refinery in March 2019 (Reuters, per InSight Crime); in 2020 opposition envoy Julio Borges alleged gold had been sent to Mali for refining and resold mainly in the UAE for at least €1 billion, which Reuters said it could not independently verify.","On 6 March 2026 OFAC issued General License 51, authorising transactions ordinarily incident and necessary to the exportation of Venezuelan-origin gold for importation into the United States and its refining there by an established US entity. On 27 March 2026 GL 51A extended this to all minerals including gold, and GL 54 authorised US goods and services for exploration, mining, extraction, processing, refining or production of minerals in Venezuela, excluding new joint ventures and payments in gold. GL 51 requires reports with supply chain due diligence plans to determine the chain of custody of the gold, and includes environmental due diligence and assessments among authorised activities."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Gold exports to Turkey (Jan–May: US$779m, 20.15 t); EO 13850 authorises sanctions on the gold sector (1 Nov)","src":6},{"y":2019,"t":"Noor Capital buys 3 t from the BCV (21–26 Jan); OFAC designates Minerven (19 Mar) and the BCV (17 Apr); Uganda import investigated (Mar)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"BCV allows private gold exporters (Sep); BCV seeks to sell gold worth US$1bn for UNDP COVID-19 response (reported 19 Jun); Borges alleges gold sent to Mali","src":10},{"y":2023,"t":"Alex Saab released to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange before trial (20 Dec)","src":12},{"y":2026,"t":"OFAC General License 51 (6 Mar); GL 51A and GL 54 (27 Mar)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"Mining operations are encroaching on protected areas, causing deforestation and habitat loss","who":"US Department of the Treasury","when":"2019-03-19","src":1},{"q":"There will be no doubt that 2019 will be the most productive year for relations between Turkey and Venezuela","who":"Tareck El Aissami, Venezuelan Vice-President, 2019","when":"2019-01","src":7},{"q":"transparent and conducted in accordance with national and international law","who":"Unnamed Turkish diplomatic source, on the gold trade","when":"2019-01","src":7},{"q":"international standards and laws in place","who":"Noor Capital, on its 2019 purchases","when":"2019","src":8},{"q":"Since 2016, Maduro has actively encouraged, supported, and facilitated the illegal mining","who":"US State Department, quoted by Reuters","when":"2021","src":8}],"shown":[{"t":"The gold was exported to Turkey rather than Switzerland over sanctions concerns and would return as BCV assets once refined and certified as monetary gold.","who":"Mining Minister Víctor Cano, July 2018","src":6},{"t":"The trade with Turkey was transparent and conducted in accordance with national and international law.","who":"Unnamed Turkish diplomatic source, via Al Jazeera","src":7},{"t":"Treasury described Minerven's practice of buying gold from miners and melting it into bars as having let the government convert its depreciating currency into gold and other foreign currencies.","who":"US Department of the Treasury","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"TurkStat: US$779 million and 20.15 tonnes of Venezuelan gold exported to Turkey in January–May 2018, none in 2017.","src":6},{"t":"Leaked BCV documents: 73.2 tons sold in 2018 in 33 shipments, 27 of them on Turkish Airlines; Noor Capital 27.396 t, Sardes 23.994 t, Goetz Gold 21.886 t.","src":9},{"t":"OFAC designated Minerven and its president on 19 March 2019 and the BCV and its director on 17 April 2019.","src":2},{"t":"GL 51 requires reports with supply chain due diligence plans on the chain of custody of the gold; payments to blocked persons go into the \"Foreign Government Deposit Funds\" (EO 14373 of 9 January 2026); excluded are Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and China-linked entities; GL 51 does not authorise mining in Venezuela.","src":3},{"t":"GL 54 authorises US goods and services for minerals operations in Venezuela, excluding new joint ventures and payments in gold.","src":5},{"t":"Executive Order 13850 of 1 November 2018 authorised sanctions on persons operating in the gold sector of the Venezuelan economy.","src":0},{"t":"OHCHR (2020): the BCV does not publish exports, destinations or the foreign currency received for its gold.","src":13},{"t":"Bank of England (context): 31 tonnes held, about a quarter of Venezuela's gold reserves; the BCV sought in 2020 to sell gold worth US$1 billion and transfer the proceeds to UNDP for COVID-19 response.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Measured environmental harm tied to the exported gold","amount":null,"note":"Not measured."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Gold exported to Turkey, January–May 2018 (TurkStat via Reuters)","amount":779,"window":"Jan–May 2018","note":"20.15 tonnes."},{"label":"Gold reaching Turkey in the first nine months of 2018 (Al Jazeera, no source named)","amount":900,"qualifier":"about","window":"Jan–Sep 2018"},{"label":"Gold the BCV sought to sell in 2020 for transfer to UNDP","amount":1000,"qualifier":"sought","window":"2020"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Gold to Turkey, Jan–May 2018","v":"20.15 t","d":"US$779m per TurkStat, via Reuters; none in 2017"},{"k":"BCV gold sales in 2018","v":"73.2 t","d":"Leaked BCV documents; Noor Capital, Sardes and Goetz Gold"},{"k":"US sanctions","v":"Minerven, then the BCV","d":"19 March and 17 April 2019"},{"k":"Measured harm tied to the exported gold","v":"Not measured","d":"Treasury cited deforestation and mercury in general terms"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded as a statement by the US Treasury, not as a measurement tied to the exported gold.","report":[{"t":"The US Treasury stated in March 2019 that mining operations were encroaching on my protected areas, causing deforestation and habitat loss.","src":1},{"t":"The US Treasury also stated that dangerous toxic elements, like mercury, are used in the mining process.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: BCV exports, destinations and foreign currency received (OHCHR, 2020); post-sanction gold flows rarely leave a paper trail and are difficult to trace (UN Fact-Finding Mission).","Unclear: whether the gold exported in 2018 came from BCV reserves or from unreported Arc production (InSight Crime, citing the leaked documents).","Not measured: harm to nature tied to the exported gold specifically.","Not disclosed: reports filed under GL 51 and GL 51A (quantities, prices, taxes paid to Venezuela).","Disputed: the value and tonnage of 2018 gold exports to Turkey (see disputes).","None on record: marine insurance or P&I policies for authorised shipments; GL 51, 51A and 54 authorise obtaining such cover.","Self-reported only: the Venezuelan government's explanation that the gold was sent to Turkey over sanctions concerns and would return as monetary gold.","Unclear: a ruling on the Bank of England's 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold after 2022."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable as a single event: trade figures cover 2018–2019 and US licences were issued in March 2026; no measurement of harm tied to the exported gold.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: OFAC General Licenses 51, 51A and 54 (March 2026) allow Venezuelan gold into the US under due-diligence reporting; the BCV and Minerven designations of 2019 are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"noor-capital","says":"Said its 2019 purchases complied with international standards and laws in place.","when":"2019","src":8},{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Mining Minister Víctor Cano said the gold went to Turkey over sanctions concerns and would return as BCV assets once refined and certified as monetary gold.","when":"2018-07","src":6},{"actor":"goetz-gold","says":"The company's president did not respond to Runrun.es requests for comment.","when":"2019-03","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"bcv","role":"Seller of the gold; sanctioned 17 April 2019"},{"id":"minerven","role":"State gold company; sanctioned 19 March 2019"},{"id":"us-treasury","role":"Sanctioning authority (OFAC)"},{"id":"noor-capital","role":"UAE buyer, 27.396 t in 2018"},{"id":"sardes-kiymetli-madenler","role":"Turkish buyer, 23.994 t in 2018"},{"id":"goetz-gold","role":"UAE-based buyer, 21.886 t in 2018"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecuted Alex Saab"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Exporting state"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Value and tonnage of Venezuelan gold exported to Turkey in 2018","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"TurkStat, via Reuters (Hürriyet Daily News)","says":"US$779 million and 20.15 tonnes in January–May 2018, none in 2017.","src":6},{"voice":"press","holder":"Al Jazeera","says":"About US$900 million of Venezuelan non-monetary gold reached Turkey in the first nine months of 2018 (no source named); bilateral trade US$892 million in January–May 2018 (TurkStat).","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"Runrun.es / InSight Crime (leaked BCV documents)","says":"21.3 tonnes to Turkey by May and about 24 tonnes in total for 2018 (Sardes 23.994 t); 73.2 tons sold by the BCV in 2018 across all buyers.","src":9}]},{"point":"Whether the gold trade conformed to law","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Unnamed Turkish diplomatic source","says":"The trade was transparent and conducted in accordance with national and international law.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Noor Capital","says":"Its purchases complied with international standards and laws in place.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"US Treasury","says":"Designated Minerven and the BCV under EO 13850 for operating in the gold sector.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Goetz Gold LLC","says":"President did not respond to requests for comment.","src":9,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Date of Alex Saab's extradition to the United States","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission (citing the US Department of Justice, 18 October 2021)","says":"October 2021.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"NBC Los Angeles (CNBC)","says":"October 2020.","src":12}]}],"legal":[{"title":"OFAC designation of Minerven and its president","forum":"US Department of the Treasury (OFAC)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"Minerven and its president Adrián Antonio Perdomo Mata","filed":2019,"decided":2019,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Designated on 19 March 2019 under EO 13850 as operating in the gold sector of the Venezuelan economy.","src":1},{"title":"OFAC designation of the Central Bank of Venezuela and its director","forum":"US Department of the Treasury (OFAC)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"Central Bank of Venezuela (EO 13850) and director Iliana Josefa Ruzza Terán (EO 13692)","filed":2019,"decided":2019,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Designated on 17 April 2019.","src":2},{"title":"OFAC General Licenses 51, 51A and 54 (2026)","forum":"US Department of the Treasury (OFAC)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Department of the Treasury","defendant":"Not applicable (licences)","filed":2026,"decided":2026,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"GL 51 (6 March 2026) authorised exportation of Venezuelan-origin gold to the United States and refining there by an established US entity; GL 51A (27 March 2026) extended it to all minerals including gold; GL 54 authorised US goods and services for minerals operations in Venezuela. Contracts must be under US law and reports must include supply chain due diligence plans.","src":4},{"title":"United States v. Alex Saab (money laundering)","forum":"United States federal prosecution (US Department of Justice)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"US Department of Justice","defendant":"Alex Saab","filed":2021,"decided":2023,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with an alleged US$350 million scheme involving the CLAP food programme, not gold; released to Venezuela on 20 December 2023 in a prisoner exchange before trial. The UN Mission wrote that entities it said Saab controlled were partners in MIBITURVEN.","src":12}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"gold_exports_value","value":779,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Venezuelan gold exported to Turkey, January–May 2018 (TurkStat, via Reuters)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":20.15,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Gold exported to Turkey, January–May 2018 (TurkStat, via Reuters)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":73.2,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"BCV gold sales in 2018 across three buyers in 33 shipments (leaked BCV documents)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":27.396,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Sold to Noor Capital (UAE)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":23.994,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Sold to Sardes Kıymetli Madenler (Turkey)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":21.886,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Sold to Goetz Gold LLC (UAE-based)."},{"key":"gold_tonnes","value":31,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"Venezuelan gold held at the Bank of England, about a quarter of reserves (Al Jazeera)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The BCV sold tens of tonnes of gold to Turkish and Emirati buyers in 2018–2019; the US sanctioned Minerven and the BCV in 2019 and in March 2026 issued licences allowing Venezuelan gold into the United States.","src":9},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Noor Capital, Sardes Kıymetli Madenler, Goetz Gold LLC","what":"Bought 27.396 t, 23.994 t and 21.886 t of BCV gold in 2018 (leaked BCV documents)","src":9},{"who":"Venezuelan state","what":"Minerven's purchasing from miners has allowed the government to convert its depreciating currency into gold and other foreign currencies, according to the US Treasury","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Minerven, the BCV and their directors","what":"Designated by OFAC on 19 March and 17 April 2019","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Protected areas and forests","what":"US Treasury: mining operations encroaching on protected areas, causing deforestation and habitat loss; mercury used","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Caracas (BCV), El Callao (Minerven), Istanbul (Turkey), the UAE, Uganda and Mali; US refiners from 2026.","src":9},"when":{"t":"First BCV-to-Turkey figures January–May 2018; EO 13850 on 1 November 2018; designations in March and April 2019; GL 51 on 6 March 2026 and GL 51A and 54 on 27 March 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The Venezuelan Mining Minister said the gold went to Turkey over sanctions concerns; the US Treasury said the gold sector helped the government convert its currency into gold and foreign currencies.","src":6},"how":{"t":"The BCV sold unrefined gold in shipments, 27 of 33 on Turkish Airlines; after the sanctions the BCV's role diminished and, since September 2020, private exporters are allowed.","src":9}},"sources":[{"t":"Executive Order 13850","p":"Federal Register (GovInfo)","d":"2018-11-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2018-11-02/pdf/2018-24254.pdf"},{"t":"Treasury Sanctions Venezuela's State Gold Mining Company and its President","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2019-03-19","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm631"},{"t":"Treasury Sanctions Central Bank of Venezuela and Director","p":"US Department of the Treasury","d":"2019-04-17","type":"official","u":"https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm661"},{"t":"Venezuela General License No. 51","p":"US Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)","d":"2026-03-06","type":"official","u":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/935091/download"},{"t":"Venezuela General License No. 51A","p":"US Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)","d":"2026-03-27","type":"official","u":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/935381/download"},{"t":"Venezuela General License No. 54","p":"US Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)","d":"2026-03-27","type":"official","u":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/935391/download"},{"t":"Venezuela exported $779 mln in gold to Turkey in 2018: Data","p":"Hürriyet Daily News (Reuters)","d":"2018-07-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/venezuela-exported-779-mln-in-gold-to-turkey-in-2018-data-134798"},{"t":"As gold trade booms, Venezuela eyes stronger Turkey ties","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2019-01-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2019/1/17/as-gold-trade-booms-venezuela-eyes-stronger-turkey-ties"},{"t":"Venezuela sent gold to Mali, UAE for cash, opposition claims","p":"Al Jazeera (Reuters)","d":"2021-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/3/3/venezuela-sent-gold-to-mali-uae-for-cash-opposition-claims"},{"t":"How Venezuela's Stolen Gold Ended Up in Turkey, Uganda and Beyond","p":"InSight Crime (Runrun.es)","d":"2019-03-21","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/venezuelas-stolen-gold-ended-turkey-uganda-beyond/"},{"t":"The human rights situation in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region and other areas of the Bolívar state (A/HRC/51/CRP.2, advance unedited version, mirror copy)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","d":"2022-09-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://diarioconstitucional.cl/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FFMV-CRP-2-English-1.pdf"},{"t":"Maduro, Guaido claim ownership of gold stored in London vault","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2020-06-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/ajimpact/maduro-guido-claim-ownership-gold-stored-london-vault-200619171411771.html"},{"t":"U.S. releases Maduro ally from jail to Venezuela in swap for American prisoners","p":"NBC Los Angeles (CNBC)","d":"2023-12-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/business/money-report/u-s-releases-maduro-ally-from-jail-to-venezuela-in-swap-for-american-prisoners-reports/3295093"},{"t":"Independence of the justice system. and situation of human rights in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region (A/HRC/44/54)","p":"UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR)","d":"2020-07-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=A/HRC/44/54&l=en&t=pdf"}],"related":["orinoco-mining-arc","canaima-national-park-gold-mining","yapacana-national-park-mining-and-evictions","tumeremo-massacre-and-armed-control-of-gold-mines","crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Measured environmental harm tied to the exported gold — Not measured.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Value and tonnage of Venezuelan gold exported to Turkey in 2018","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the gold trade conformed to law","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date of Alex Saab's extradition to the United States","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Goetz Gold LLC: President did not respond to requests for comment.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"United States v. Alex Saab (money laundering): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: BCV exports, destinations and foreign currency received (OHCHR, 2020); post-sanction gold flows rarely leave a paper trail and are difficult to trace (UN Fact-Finding Mission).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the gold exported in 2018 came from BCV reserves or from unreported Arc production (InSight Crime, citing the leaked documents).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: harm to nature tied to the exported gold specifically.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: reports filed under GL 51 and GL 51A (quantities, prices, taxes paid to Venezuela).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the value and tonnage of 2018 gold exports to Turkey (see disputes).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: marine insurance or P&I policies for authorised shipments; GL 51, 51A and 54 authorise obtaining such cover.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the Venezuelan government's explanation that the gold was sent to Turkey over sanctions concerns and would return as monetary gold.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: a ruling on the Bank of England's 31 tonnes of Venezuelan gold after 2022.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tumeremo-massacre-and-armed-control-of-gold-mines","title":"Tumeremo killings and armed control of gold mines in Bolívar","dek":"On 4 March 2016 at least 17 people were killed near the Bulla de Atenas gold mine in Bolívar state. Twelve alleged members of the El Topo sindicato were charged; no verdict is on record. UN bodies describe armed groups collecting a share of mined ore across the Orinoco Mining Arc.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":7.3,"lon":-61.5,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Bolívar (Sifontes municipality)","lat":7.3,"lon":-61.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2016-03-04","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","war-military"],"subtags":["war:conflict-economy"],"headline":{"label":"People killed near the Bulla de Atenas gold mine, 4 March 2016","value":"At least 17","note":"UN Fact-Finding Mission finding; the Public Prosecutor confirmed 17. Other officials gave 21 and 25; relatives reported 28 missing."},"happened":["The \"Bulla de Atenas\" gold deposit near the Atenas mine, about 45 minutes from Tumeremo in the Sifontes municipality of Bolívar state, was discovered in October 2015, and more than 2,000 people were working there by December 2015. The killings took place on 4 March 2016, ten days after Decree 2.248 created the Orinoco Mining Arc. The UN Fact-Finding Mission found reasonable grounds to believe that alleged members of the El Topo sindicato killed at least 17 people (15 men and 2 women); about 600 people were held at an improvised checkpoint during the day, and at least 14 of the victims died of a single gunshot to the head. Bodies were found on 14–16 March 2016, and a mass grave lay near the Hoja de Lata mine in Nuevo Callao.","The Public Prosecutor sought the arrest of the alleged leader of the sindicato, known as \"El Topo\", who was killed on 6 May 2016 in an operation by the SEBIN, National Guard and CICPC. By the end of 2016, 12 alleged sindicato members had been arrested and charged with murder, criminal association and aggravated robbery. In March 2016 the Tribunal 5º de Control de Puerto Ordaz ordered pretrial detention of one alleged lieutenant, according to Acceso a la Justicia. In September 2021 the Supreme Court (TSJ) transferred the case to the Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit. No verdict is on record. The UN Mission wrote that judicial files show no investigation of the alleged participation of state agents and that \"the State failed to comply with its obligation to investigate and punish\".","OHCHR reported 16 violent incidents between March 2016 and March 2020 in which 140 men and 9 women were reportedly killed in or around Arc mines, with state security forces reportedly involved in some killings in eight incidents. In one, on 22 November 2019 in Ikabarú, a criminal group opened fire in a Pemon mining community and eight people were killed. OHCHR also reported that miners paid about 10–20% of ore to criminal or armed groups and that security forces were allegedly paid by groups to maintain a presence. The UN Mission attributed to military units alleged revenue from security for mines, fuel and air transport control, cross-border mercury smuggling, checkpoint payments and gold smuggling to Brazil and Colombia; these allegations have not been adjudicated.","The UN Mission reported intermittent presence of the ELN in Bolívar mining areas since at least 2018 and cited a CSIS estimate that the ELN is at least 60 per cent financed by mining in Venezuela; the government officially denies an ELN presence. The Mission also linked the sindicato economy to mercury-based processing in mills. The government did not reply to OHCHR requests on the 16 incidents or to the Mission's four letters, and the Mission was never allowed into the country."],"timeline":[{"y":2015,"t":"Bulla de Atenas deposit discovered (Oct); more than 2,000 people working there by December","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Killings (4 Mar); bodies found (14–16 Mar); alleged sindicato leader killed in an operation (6 May); 12 alleged members arrested and charged by year end","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"Ikabarú: eight killed when a criminal group opens fire in a Pemon mining community (22 Nov)","src":2},{"y":2020,"t":"OHCHR reports 16 violent incidents since March 2016 (July)","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"Supreme Court transfers the case to the Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit (Sep)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"UN Fact-Finding Mission findings published (Sep–Nov)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"media campaign to terrorize the Venezuelan population","who":"Francisco Rangel Gómez, Governor of Bolívar, on reports of a massacre (March 2016), as quoted by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","when":"2016-03","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"the State failed to comply with its obligation to investigate and punish","who":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","when":"2022","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The official version was a struggle between two sindicatos for control of the deposit.","who":"Venezuelan authorities, as summarised by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":1},{"t":"Governor Rangel Gómez denied that a massacre had taken place.","who":"Governor of Bolívar, as quoted by the UN Fact-Finding Mission","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Public Prosecutor confirmed 17 victims; at least 14 died of a single gunshot to the head.","src":0},{"t":"By the end of 2016, 12 alleged sindicato members had been arrested and charged with murder, criminal association and aggravated robbery.","src":0},{"t":"In September 2021 the Supreme Court (TSJ) transferred the case to the Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit.","src":0},{"t":"OHCHR: 16 violent incidents between March 2016 and March 2020, with 140 men and 9 women reportedly killed in or around Arc mines; state security forces reportedly involved in some killings in eight incidents.","src":2},{"t":"In March 2016 the Tribunal 5º de Control de Puerto Ordaz ordered pretrial detention of one alleged lieutenant.","src":3},{"t":"A SENAMECF internal report found forensic irregularities and recommended dismissals.","src":0},{"t":"The government did not reply to OHCHR requests on the 16 incidents or to the Mission's four letters; the Mission was never allowed into the country.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Killed near Bulla de Atenas","v":"at least 17","d":"UN Fact-Finding Mission; Public Prosecutor confirmed 17"},{"k":"Charged","v":"12","d":"Alleged sindicato members, by end of 2016; no verdict on record"},{"k":"Share of ore to armed groups","v":"10–20%","d":"OHCHR, 2020"},{"k":"Harm to nature at the deposit","v":"Not measured","d":"UN Mission links the sindicato economy to mercury-based processing in mills"}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the death toll, 17 (Public Prosecutor), 21 bodies (then Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz in a TV interview of 14 March 2016), 25 (then Ombudsman Tarek William Saab) and 28 reported missing (relatives).","None on record: a conviction or sentence in the Tumeremo case as of 19 October 2026.","Not disclosed: the current stage of the case before the Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit.","Not measured: harm to nature at the Bulla de Atenas deposit; the UN Mission links the sindicato economy to mercury-based processing in mills.","None on record: an investigation of the alleged participation of state agents; judicial files show none (UN Fact-Finding Mission).","Not disclosed: government replies to OHCHR requests on the 16 incidents and to the Mission's four letters.","Insufficient: witnesses told the Mission that some attackers wore SEBIN and CICPC vests, but the Mission said the testimonies did not allow it to reliably conclude they were members."],"evidence":["deaths","court-pending","no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable as a single event; OHCHR reported 16 violent incidents between March 2016 and March 2020 and an eight-person killing at Ikabarú in November 2019.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: 12 alleged sindicato members charged in 2016; the case was moved to the Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit in September 2021; no verdict on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Governor Francisco Rangel Gómez denied that a massacre had taken place and described reports as a media campaign to terrorize the population; the official version was a struggle between two sindicatos for the deposit.","when":"2016-03","src":0},{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Did not reply to OHCHR requests on the 16 incidents or to four letters from the UN Fact-Finding Mission.","when":"2020","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Responsible state; Public Prosecutor, security forces"},{"id":"venezuela-public-prosecutor","role":"Confirmed 17 victims; charged 12 alleged members"},{"id":"venezuela-supreme-court","role":"Transferred the case to Caracas in September 2021"},{"id":"un-human-rights-office","role":"A/HRC/44/54 report on 16 incidents"},{"id":"un-fact-finding-mission-venezuela","role":"Findings on the 4 March 2016 killings"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Number of people killed near the Bulla de Atenas mine on 4 March 2016","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Public Prosecutor","says":"17 victims confirmed.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Then Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz (TV interview, 14 March 2016)","says":"21 bodies.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Then Ombudsman Tarek William Saab","says":"25.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Relatives","says":"28 reported missing.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"Reasonable grounds to believe at least 17 people (15 men and 2 women) were killed.","src":1}]},{"point":"Whether state agents took part in the killings","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuelan authorities","says":"A struggle between two sindicatos for the deposit; Governor Rangel Gómez denied a massacre.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Witnesses (to the UN Mission)","says":"Some attackers wore SEBIN and CICPC vests.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"The testimonies do not allow it to reliably conclude that they were members; judicial files show no investigation of alleged state participation.","src":1}]},{"point":"Presence of the ELN in Bolívar mining areas","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Fact-Finding Mission","says":"Intermittent presence since at least 2018; cites a CSIS estimate that the ELN is at least 60 per cent financed by mining in Venezuela.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela","says":"Officially denies an ELN presence.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case on the 4 March 2016 killings near Bulla de Atenas","forum":"Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit (case transferred by the Supreme Court in September 2021)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public Prosecutor","defendant":"12 alleged members of the El Topo sindicato (names not given), charged","filed":2016,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"By the end of 2016, 12 alleged sindicato members had been arrested and charged with murder, criminal association and aggravated robbery. The Tribunal 5º de Control de Puerto Ordaz ordered pretrial detention of one alleged lieutenant in March 2016. The alleged leader, sought by the Public Prosecutor, was killed on 6 May 2016 in an operation by the SEBIN, National Guard and CICPC. No verdict is on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":17,"unit":"people","year":2016,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Killed near the Bulla de Atenas mine on 4 March 2016 (UN Fact-Finding Mission; Public Prosecutor confirmed 17)."},{"key":"people_charged","value":12,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Alleged sindicato members arrested and charged by the end of 2016."},{"key":"deaths","value":140,"unit":"men","year":2020,"qualifier":"reportedly","note":"Killed in or around Arc mines in 16 violent incidents, March 2016–March 2020 (OHCHR); 9 women were also reportedly killed."},{"key":"deaths","value":9,"unit":"women","year":2020,"qualifier":"reportedly","note":"Killed in the same 16 incidents (OHCHR)."},{"key":"deaths","value":8,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Killed at Ikabarú on 22 November 2019 when a criminal group opened fire in a Pemon mining community."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"At least 17 people were killed near the Bulla de Atenas gold mine in Bolívar state on 4 March 2016; 12 alleged members of the El Topo sindicato were charged and no verdict is on record.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sindicatos and criminal or armed groups","what":"About 10–20% of ore mined (OHCHR)","src":2},{"who":"Military units (alleged)","what":"Alleged revenue from mine security, fuel and air transport control, cross-border mercury smuggling, checkpoint payments and gold smuggling; not adjudicated (UN Fact-Finding Mission)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Victims and their relatives","what":"At least 17 people killed on 4 March 2016; relatives reported 28 missing","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Miners in the Arc","what":"140 men and 9 women reportedly killed in or around Arc mines in 16 incidents, March 2016–March 2020 (OHCHR)","src":2},{"who":"Pemon community at Ikabarú","what":"Eight killed on 22 November 2019","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Bulla de Atenas deposit near the Atenas mine, about 45 minutes from Tumeremo, Sifontes municipality, Bolívar state; a mass grave near the Hoja de Lata mine, Nuevo Callao.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Deposit discovered in October 2015; killings on 4 March 2016; bodies found 14–16 March 2016; case moved to Caracas in September 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The official version was a struggle between two sindicatos for the deposit; the UN Mission linked sindicato control to a share of ore, military revenue streams and mill processing.","src":1},"how":{"t":"About 600 people were held at an improvised checkpoint during the day; at least 14 victims died of a single gunshot to the head (UN Mission).","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"The human rights situation in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region and other areas of the Bolívar state (A/HRC/51/CRP.2, advance unedited version, mirror copy)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela","d":"2022-09-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://diarioconstitucional.cl/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/FFMV-CRP-2-English-1.pdf"},{"t":"A/HRC/51/43 (report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela)","p":"UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela (via ecoi.net)","d":"2022-11-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ecoi.net/en/file/local/2079457/G2259203.pdf"},{"t":"Independence of the justice system. and situation of human rights in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region (A/HRC/44/54)","p":"UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR)","d":"2020-07-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?s=A/HRC/44/54&l=en&t=pdf"},{"t":"Caso Tumeremo (Tumeremo case)","p":"Acceso a la Justicia","d":"2016-04-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://accesoalajusticia.org/caso-tumeremo/"}],"related":["orinoco-mining-arc","canaima-national-park-gold-mining","yapacana-national-park-mining-and-evictions","venezuela-gold-exports-and-us-sanctions","crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Number of people killed near the Bulla de Atenas mine on 4 March 2016","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether state agents took part in the killings","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Presence of the ELN in Bolívar mining areas","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the death toll, 17 (Public Prosecutor), 21 bodies (then Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz in a TV interview of 14 March 2016), 25 (then Ombudsman Tarek William Saab) and 28 reported missing (relatives).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a conviction or sentence in the Tumeremo case as of 19 October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the current stage of the case before the Caracas Criminal Judicial Circuit.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: harm to nature at the Bulla de Atenas deposit; the UN Mission links the sindicato economy to mercury-based processing in mills.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an investigation of the alleged participation of state agents; judicial files show none (UN Fact-Finding Mission).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: government replies to OHCHR requests on the 16 incidents and to the Mission's four letters.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: witnesses told the Mission that some attackers wore SEBIN and CICPC vests, but the Mission said the testimonies did not allow it to reliably conclude they were members.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale","title":"Las Cristinas gold project: 2008 permit denial in the Imataca reserve, Crystallex ICSID award and court-ordered sale of CITGO's parent","dek":"Venezuela denied an environmental permit for the Las Cristinas gold mine in 2008, citing damage to the Imataca forest and global warming. An investment tribunal found the denial arbitrary and awarded Crystallex US$1,202 million plus interest, and a US court later approved a US$5.892 billion sale of CITGO's parent company to pay judgments.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":6.2,"lon":-61.5,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State","lat":6.2,"lon":-61.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","role":"court"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Ontario","role":"company-home"}],"start":2008,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2008-04-14","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance","law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Award to Crystallex over the 2008 permit denial","value":"US$1,202 million + interest","note":"ICSID award of 4 April 2016. On 29 November 2025 a US court approved a sale of CITGO's parent at a purchase price of US$5.892 billion; the appeal is pending."},"happened":["Las Cristinas consisted of four concessions (Cristina 4, 5, 6 and 7) in Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State, about 6 km west of the village of Las Claritas and 20 km from the Guyana border, beside the Cuyuní River. The award states that the site \"sits in the Imataca National Forest Reserve\". The first concession titles dated from 1964. On 16 May 2007 the Ministry of Environment (MinAmb) asked Crystallex for a bond to guarantee the measures in the environmental impact document, which it described as \"analyzed and approved by this Office\"; Crystallex posted the bond and paid the environmental taxes on 18 May 2007.","On 14 April 2008 MinAmb's Oficio 1427 denied the permit. The letter cited \"serious environmental deterioration in the rivers, soils, flora, fauna and biodiversity in general in the plot, caused by uncontrolled mining activity\", and \"irreversible damage to the environment, combined with the effects that on a worldwide level are causing global warming\". The tribunal recorded that the letter referred to environmental studies and technical inspection reports but attached none and did not identify their authors. The only internal report behind the denial was a September 2006 technical inspection report (the \"Romero Report\"), which Crystallex alleged had been fabricated after the fact; the tribunal said it \"need not decide\" that and found that report \"as deficient as the Permit denial letter\". Crystallex's reconsideration request was declared inadmissible on 28 May 2008; its hierarchical appeal of 17 June 2008 was never ruled on.","A wire report of 16 May 2008 quoted Environment Minister Yuviri Ortega as saying that Venezuela would not issue permits for any open-pit mines or allow companies to look for gold in the 3.8-million-hectare Imataca reserve. On 19 September 2008 and 13 January 2009 President Chávez said the state was \"taking back big mines\" and that it had taken over Las Cristinas, to be developed through VenRus, a joint venture with Rusoro Mining. A November 2008 Ministry of Mines press release announced the plan to take back Las Cristinas to increase international reserves and, the tribunal noted, made no mention of the environmental concerns in the denial letter. On 3 February 2011 the Corporación Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) rescinded the Mine Operation Contract, citing \"reasons of opportunity and convenience\" and \"cessation of activities for more than one (1) year\". Crystallex filed its ICSID request on 16 February 2011. In 2012 Venezuela signed a framework agreement with CITIC to develop the mine jointly. From 2016 the Cristinas area was merged with the adjacent Brisas area into the Siembra Minera mixed company.","The tribunal (Laurent Lévy, President; John Y. Gotanda; Laurence Boisson de Chazournes) issued its award on 4 April 2016. It found breaches of fair and equitable treatment and expropriation and ordered Venezuela to pay US$1,202 million in damages plus interest. On the permit denial it found that Venezuela had the right and the responsibility to raise environmental concerns, but that the way they were put forward in the denial letter presented \"significant elements of arbitrariness\"; it made no finding on whether the Ministry's environmental reasons were substantively valid. The US District Court for the District of Columbia confirmed the award on 25 March 2017, and the Third Circuit described the result as a US$1.4 billion federal judgment. According to Reuters, citing an Ontario court filing, Venezuela paid an initial US$425 million on 23 November 2018, mostly in liquid securities, with the balance due in instalments through early 2021.","To collect, Crystallex attached PDVSA's shares in PDV Holding (PDVH), the US parent of the CITGO refineries, in Delaware in August 2018; the Third Circuit affirmed the attachment on 29 July 2019. On 25 November 2025 Judge Leonard P. Stark adopted the Special Master's recommendation of a bid by Amber Energy, an Elliott affiliate, at a purchase price of US$5.892 billion, and signed the sale order on 29 November 2025, subject to a licence from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Venezuela, PDVSA, PDVH, CITGO Holding and Gold Reserve appealed. On 1 October 2026 Venezuela asked the Third Circuit to hold its appeal in abeyance; oral argument was set for 21 October 2026. No document read allocates any part of the award, the settlement payments or the sale proceeds to the Imataca reserve or to remediation of the site."],"timeline":[{"y":1964,"t":"First concession titles issued for the Las Cristinas area","src":0},{"y":2007,"t":"MinAmb requests a bond (16 May); Crystallex posts it and pays environmental taxes (18 May)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Oficio 1427 denies the environmental permit (14 Apr); reconsideration declared inadmissible (28 May); Environment Minister quoted on Imataca open-pit permits (16 May); hierarchical appeal filed (17 Jun); Ministry of Mines press release on retaking Las Cristinas (Nov)","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"Chávez announces state takeover of Las Cristinas (13 Jan)","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"CVG rescinds the Mine Operation Contract (3 Feb); Crystallex files ICSID request (16 Feb)","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"Venezuela–CITIC framework agreement (27 Feb); CITIC studies contract (1 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"ICSID award: US$1,202 million plus interest (4 Apr); Cristinas merged into the Siembra Minera area","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"D.D.C. confirms the award (25 Mar)","src":2},{"y":2018,"t":"Crystallex attaches PDVSA's PDVH shares in Delaware (Aug); Venezuela pays an initial US$425 million (23 Nov)","src":14},{"y":2019,"t":"Third Circuit affirms the attachment, 932 F.3d 126 (29 Jul)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"Judge Stark adopts the Amber bid, purchase price US$5.892 billion (25 Nov); sale order signed (29 Nov)","src":4},{"y":2025,"t":"Third Circuit holds the Venezuela parties' stay motion in abeyance (15 Dec)","src":7},{"y":2026,"t":"Venezuela moves to hold the appeal in abeyance (1 Oct); US Department of Justice states no views (13 Oct); motions to continue denied (15 Oct); oral argument set for 21 Oct","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"serious environmental deterioration in the rivers, soils, flora, fauna and biodiversity in general in the plot, caused by uncontrolled mining activity due to the high presence of miners","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Environment, Oficio 1427, as quoted in the award (para. 590)","when":"14 April 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"the exploitation of gold and copper in the Imataca Forestry Reserve by the representative company constitutes, according to the environmental studies carried out recently in the area, a considerable [e]ffect on the Forest which would generate irreversible damage to the environment, combined with the effects that on a worldwide level are causing global warming, a phenomenon that our country cannot escape","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Environment, Oficio 1427, as quoted in the award (para. 590)","when":"14 April 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"not to approve the Affectation of Natural Resources for the exploitation of gold in the Municipality of Sifontes in Bolivar State","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Environment, Oficio 1427, as quoted in the award (para. 590)","when":"14 April 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"to increase our international reserves","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mines press release, as quoted in the award","when":"November 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"taking back big mines","who":"President Chávez, as recorded in the award","when":"19 September 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"There is no question that Venezuela had the right (and the responsibility) to raise concerns relating to global warming, environmental issues in respect of the Imataca Reserve, biodiversity, and other related issues. The Tribunal, however, believes that the way they were put forward by Venezuela in the Permit denial letter presents significant elements of arbitrariness and evidences a lack of transparency and consistency.","who":"ICSID tribunal, award para. 591","when":"4 April 2016","src":0},{"q":"To raise this concern [global warming] for the first time in an attempt to justify the denial of the Permit is a clear example of arbitrary and unfair conduct.","who":"ICSID tribunal, award","when":"4 April 2016","src":0},{"q":"the Tribunal will refrain from making findings as to whether or not the concerns expressed by the Ministry were 'adequately' addressed by the Claimant, or whether the reasons put forward by the Respondent in denying the Permit were substantively valid","who":"ICSID tribunal, award","when":"4 April 2016","src":0},{"q":"are so fundamentally deficient that, to the eyes of a reasonable third person, they 'surprise a sense of juridical propriety'","who":"ICSID tribunal on the denial letter and the Romero Report, award","when":"4 April 2016","src":0},{"q":"the termination was not due to a bona fide dispute … It was devised to give effect to the Respondent's unconcealed political agenda … It thus constituted the final sovereign act which completed the expropriatory process.","who":"ICSID tribunal on the 2011 rescission, award","when":"4 April 2016","src":0},{"q":"Specifically going to Las Cristinas, no","who":"Ministry of Environment official on whether the file contained an analysis of global warming or carbon emissions, hearing evidence as recorded in the award","when":"Before April 2016","src":0},{"q":"from the early '80s a significant number of illegal miners began working the gold deposits using techniques that caused deforestation and pollution at Las Cristinas","who":"Crystallex's account, as recorded in the award","when":"Before April 2016","src":0},{"q":"a fragile rainforest with an extremely varied biodiversity and a significant indigenous population","who":"Venezuela's description of the Imataca reserve, as recorded in the award","when":"Before April 2016","src":0},{"q":"mostly in the form of 'liquid securities'","who":"Ontario Court of Justice filing, as reported by Reuters, on the initial US$425 million payment","when":"23 November 2018","src":14},{"q":"[a]ny outcome where Crystallex is not paid means that Venezuela has avoided its obligations","who":"US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 932 F.3d 126, as quoted in Crystallex's filing","when":"29 July 2019","src":9},{"q":"many of the judgment-creditors who have spent years and millions of dollars trying to recover … will finally obtain relief.","who":"Judge Leonard P. Stark, US District Court for the District of Delaware","when":"25 November 2025","src":4},{"q":"grossly undervalued","who":"Venezuela, motion to hold the appeal in abeyance","when":"1 October 2026","src":8},{"q":"chiefly Crystallex, which will take over $1 billion of the sale price","who":"Venezuela, motion to hold the appeal in abeyance","when":"1 October 2026","src":8},{"q":"the latest installment in a consistent pattern of gamesmanship","who":"Crystallex, opposition to the abeyance motion","when":"8 October 2026","src":9},{"q":"the United States has no views to express at this time concerning this litigation","who":"US Department of Justice, letter to the Third Circuit","when":"13 October 2026","src":10}],"shown":[{"t":"The permit was denied to protect the Imataca forest and its indigenous peoples; the letter cited irreversible damage to the environment and global warming.","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Environment, Oficio 1427 (14 April 2008)","src":0},{"t":"Mining was to be taken back by the state, announced as a way to increase international reserves; the press release did not mention the environmental concerns.","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mines press release (November 2008), as described in the award","src":0},{"t":"The sale of CITGO's parent was presented as paying the judgments of ten creditors.","who":"Judge Stark, opinion of 25 November 2025","src":4},{"t":"The sale was presented as a transfer to Amber at an undervalue, with Crystallex taking over US$1 billion of the price.","who":"Venezuela, motion of 1 October 2026","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"The tribunal found Venezuela's handling of the environmental reasons in the denial letter arbitrary and made no finding on whether those reasons were substantively valid.","src":0},{"t":"The Ministry's file contained no analysis of global warming or carbon emissions for Las Cristinas; a Ministry official confirmed this at the hearing.","src":0},{"t":"In document disclosure Venezuela confirmed that there were no technical inspection reports, environmental studies, research data or reports behind the denial other than the September 2006 report (Crystallex's account as recorded in the award).","src":0},{"t":"The Ministry of Mines press release of November 2008 gave the aim of increasing international reserves and made no mention of the environmental concerns in the denial letter.","src":0},{"t":"The Third Circuit recorded Crystallex's assertion, which PDVSA did not dispute, that Venezuela gave the mining rights at Las Cristinas to PDVSA for no consideration and that PDVSA sold 40% of its shares in the affiliate created to exercise those rights to the Venezuelan Central Bank.","src":3},{"t":"Purchase price of US$5.892 billion: US$3.853 billion in cash payable to Crystallex and the other attached-judgment creditors in the priority waterfall through to ConocoPhillips for its Corocoro judgment; a package discharging Rusoro's attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion; and non-cash consideration to Koch discharging approximately US$471 million.","src":4},{"t":"The court found the fair market value of the PDVH shares to be under US$10 billion and stated that adverse humanitarian and policy impacts of the sale process are for the executive branch to evaluate, not the court.","src":4},{"t":"The sale order approves the stock purchase agreement subject to issuance of an authorising licence by OFAC.","src":5},{"t":"OFAC FAQ 595 states that transfers of CITGO shares tied to the PdVSA 2020 bond remain prohibited without a specific licence; General License 5Z of 16 September 2026 delays the General License 5 authorisation until 5 November 2026.","src":12},{"t":"On 15 December 2025 the Third Circuit held the Venezuela parties' stay motion in abeyance at their request.","src":7},{"t":"Gold Reserve supports a limited six-month abeyance of the appeal \"subject to concurrent support from the United States\".","src":13},{"t":"From 2016 the Cristinas area was merged with the adjacent Brisas area into the Siembra Minera mixed company (state 55%, Gold Reserve 45%).","src":17},{"t":"No court, arbitral or company document read allocates any part of the award, settlement payments or sale proceeds to the Imataca reserve or to site remediation.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2008–2026 — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Award, settlement or sale proceeds allocated to the Imataca reserve or to site remediation","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Crystallex spending on Las Cristinas before the February 2011 rescission","amount":500,"qualifier":"over","window":"to 2011"},{"label":"Crystallex arbitration claim, as described in the 2012 Ontario judgment","amount":3400,"window":"2012"},{"label":"Tribunal award of damages, plus interest (4 April 2016)","amount":1202,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Claimant's legal costs as stated in the award","amount":30.493635,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Venezuela's legal costs as stated in the award","amount":14.322826,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Federal judgment described by the Third Circuit in 2019","amount":1400,"window":"2019"},{"label":"Initial payment by Venezuela (23 November 2018)","amount":425,"window":"2018"},{"label":"Amber purchase price approved for the PDVH shares","amount":5892,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Cash consideration in the priority waterfall (Crystallex, other attached-judgment creditors, through to ConocoPhillips)","amount":3853,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Rusoro attached judgment discharged within the purchase price","amount":1569,"qualifier":"about","window":"2025"},{"label":"Koch judgment discharged by non-cash consideration within the purchase price","amount":471,"qualifier":"about","window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Award to Crystallex","v":"US$1,202m + interest","d":"4 April 2016; the tribunal made no finding on whether the environmental reasons were valid"},{"k":"CITGO sale price approved","v":"US$5.892bn","d":"District court, 25 and 29 November 2025; appeal pending"},{"k":"Money allocated to the Imataca reserve","v":"None on record","d":"No document read allocates award, settlement or sale proceeds to the reserve or to remediation"},{"k":"Measured harm on the concession","v":"None on record","d":"Deforestation and contamination are described in words only"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is described in words in the Ministry of Environment's 2008 letter, in the parties' accounts recorded in the 2016 award and by an environmental organisation; no measured figure for the concession is on record.","report":[{"t":"My Imataca forest reserve showed, according to the Ministry of Environment's letter of 14 April 2008, serious deterioration of rivers, soils, flora, fauna and biodiversity in the Las Cristinas plot, which the letter attributed to uncontrolled mining activity.","src":0},{"t":"According to the Ministry's letter, gold and copper exploitation by Crystallex would have produced a considerable effect on my forest and irreversible damage, combined with global warming; the tribunal made no finding on whether those reasons were valid.","src":0},{"t":"According to Crystallex's account in the award, from the early 1980s a significant number of miners worked the Las Cristinas deposits using techniques that caused deforestation and pollution; no figures are given.","src":0},{"t":"My Cuyuní River shows sedimentation next to Las Claritas, and the surrounding region is severely contaminated by mercury, according to SOS Orinoco's reading of a satellite image of 11 February 2020.","src":16}]},"unknown":["None on record: allocation of any part of the award, the settlement payments or the sale proceeds to the Imataca reserve or to remediation of the site.","Not measured: deforestation or contamination specific to the Las Cristinas concession area, for any period; the award, the court opinions and the company documents describe harm in words only.","None on record: any analysis of global warming or carbon emissions for Las Cristinas in the Ministry's administrative file; a Ministry official confirmed this at the hearing.","Not disclosed: copies, authors and recommendations of the environmental studies and technical inspection reports cited in the denial letter.","Disputed: the authenticity of the September 2006 Romero Report (Exh. R-52); the tribunal found it deficient and did not decide the question.","Insufficient: the unpaid balance of Crystallex's judgment and its exact share of the US$3.853 billion cash waterfall; Venezuela's filing of 1 October 2026 states that Crystallex will take over US$1 billion of the price. The balance of the 2018 settlement, due in instalments through early 2021, is not on record.","Unclear: whether Tenor Special Situation Fund I's April 2012 entitlement to 35 per cent of the net proceeds of the arbitration still applies or was amended.","Unclear: whether OFAC has decided on a specific licence for the Amber sale; filings up to 8 October 2026 treat it as not yet granted.","None on record: a ruling on Venezuela's motion of 1 October 2026 to hold the appeal in abeyance, as of 19 October 2026, or the outcome of the oral argument set for 21 October 2026.","None on record: insurance relating to the permit denial, the award or the sale."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The Ministry of Environment denied the permit on 14 April 2008 and CVG rescinded the contract on 3 February 2011. No measured change in the condition of the Las Cristinas area after either date is on record.","whoPaid":"Venezuela was ordered to pay Crystallex US$1,202 million plus interest and paid an initial US$425 million on 23 November 2018, according to Reuters. If the sale closes, the purchase price of US$5.892 billion discharges judgments held by ten creditors. None on record: any payment to the Imataca reserve or for remediation.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: the Third Circuit appeals (Nos. 25-3347 et al.) against the sale are pending, Venezuela's motion of 1 October 2026 to hold them in abeyance has no ruling on the docket, and oral argument is set for 21 October 2026; OFAC licensing of the sale is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-ministry-of-environment","says":"Denied the permit citing serious environmental deterioration in the plot, irreversible damage to the environment from gold and copper exploitation in Imataca, and global warming.","when":"14 April 2008","src":0},{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Told the tribunal that the environmental and socio-cultural impact of the project could not be mitigated, that authorising it would have been a violation of its duty to protect the environment and population, and that Crystallex never held a mining title.","when":"ICSID proceedings, before April 2016","src":0},{"actor":"crystallex","says":"Told the tribunal that the concerns had never been raised during the four-year approval process, that the denial letter did not refer to a single page or paragraph of the 948-page environmental impact statement, and that Imataca had been designated for mining and forestry use in presidential decrees of 1997, 2002 and 2004.","when":"ICSID proceedings, before April 2016","src":0},{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Called the sale grossly undervalued and an unconscionable windfall for Amber, and asked the Third Circuit to hold the appeal in abeyance while it restructures its debt.","when":"1 October 2026","src":8},{"actor":"us-doj","says":"Wrote to the Third Circuit that the United States had no views to express at that time concerning the litigation.","when":"13 October 2026","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"crystallex","role":"Award holder; claimant"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Respondent; judgment debtor"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-of-environment","role":"Denied the permit (Oficio 1427)"},{"id":"cvg","role":"Rescinded the Mine Operation Contract"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Arbitral forum"},{"id":"pdvsa","role":"Owner of the attached PDVH shares"},{"id":"pdv-holding","role":"US parent of the CITGO refineries; shares sold"},{"id":"amber-energy","role":"Buyer of the PDVH shares (Elliott affiliate)"},{"id":"elliott-management","role":"Sponsor of the Amber bid"},{"id":"conocophillips","role":"Judgment creditor; paid through the waterfall"},{"id":"koch-industries","role":"Judgment creditor; non-cash consideration"},{"id":"rusoro-mining","role":"Judgment creditor; credit bidder"},{"id":"gold-reserve","role":"Judgment creditor; bidder and objector"},{"id":"us-district-court-delaware","role":"Approved the sale"},{"id":"us-third-circuit","role":"Hears the appeals"},{"id":"us-treasury","role":"OFAC licensing of the sale"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Stated no views on 13 October 2026"},{"id":"sos-orinoco","role":"Environmental organisation; reports on Las Claritas"}],"sources":[{"t":"Crystallex International Corporation v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/11/2, Award","p":"ICSID tribunal (via italaw)","d":"2016-04-04","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw7194.pdf"},{"t":"Crystallex (Re), 2012 ONCA 404","p":"Court of Appeal for Ontario (via italaw)","d":"2012-06-13","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw1090_0.pdf"},{"t":"Crystallex v. Venezuela, Memorandum Opinion confirming award","p":"US District Court, D.D.C. (via italaw)","d":"2017-03-25","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw8579.pdf"},{"t":"Crystallex v. Venezuela, 932 F.3d 126, Opinion","p":"US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (via italaw)","d":"2019-07-29","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw10704.pdf"},{"t":"Opinion adopting Special Master's Updated Final Recommendation (D.I. 2553, Misc. No. 17-151-LPS)","p":"US District Court, D. Del. (Judge Stark); copy hosted by Gold Reserve","d":"2025-11-25","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/Judge-Starks-Opinion.pdf"},{"t":"Order (I) Approving Stock Purchase Agreement, (II) Authorizing Sale of the PDVH Shares (D.I. 2556)","p":"US District Court, D. Del. (Judge Stark); copy hosted by Gold Reserve","d":"2025-11-29","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/2025-11-29-2556-Crystallex-International-Corporation-v-ORDER-I-APPROVING-STOCK-PURCHASE-AGREEMENT-II.pdf"},{"t":"Docket Nos. 25-3347 et al., Crystallex International Corp. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","p":"US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (via CourtListener)","d":"2026-10","type":"court","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71978977/crystallex-international-corp-v-bolivarian-republic-of-venezuela/"},{"t":"Order holding stay motion in abeyance (Doc. 111)","p":"US Court of Appeals, Third Circuit (via CourtListener)","d":"2025-12-15","type":"court","u":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562.111.0.pdf"},{"t":"Motion to Hold Appeal in Abeyance (Doc. 278-1)","p":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (filing in the Third Circuit, via CourtListener)","d":"2026-10-01","type":"court","u":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562.278.1.pdf"},{"t":"Opposition to Venezuela's Motion to Hold Appeal in Abeyance (Doc. 296)","p":"Crystallex et al. (filing in the Third Circuit, via CourtListener)","d":"2026-10-08","type":"court","u":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562.296.0.pdf"},{"t":"Letter to Third Circuit, no views (Doc. 303)","p":"US Department of Justice (via CourtListener)","d":"2026-10-13","type":"official","u":"https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562/gov.uscourts.ca3.126562.303.0_1.pdf"},{"t":"Petition for Writ of Mandamus, In re Gold Reserve Ltd., 3d Cir. No. 25-3091 (redacted)","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd. (filing)","d":"2025-10-28","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/2025-10-28-Gold-Reserve-Mandamus-Petition-redacted.pdf"},{"t":"FAQ 595 (General License 5 series; GL 5Z)","p":"US Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control","d":"2026-09-16","type":"official","u":"https://ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/595"},{"t":"Gold Reserve Files Response In CITGO Appeal, Supporting Venezuela's Request For Abeyance, Subject To Support Of The United States","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd.","d":"2026-10-08","type":"company","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/news/gold-reserve-files-response-in-citgo-appeal-supporting-venezuelas-request-for-abeyance-subject-to-support-of-the-united-states"},{"t":"Venezuela settles $1.2 billion creditor claim to protect Citgo","p":"Reuters (Tom Hals), via Investing.com","d":"2018-11-25","type":"press","u":"https://investing.com/news/commodities-news/venezuela-settles-12-billion-creditor-claim-to-protect-citgo-1699518"},{"t":"Venezuela cracks down on mining projects to protect resources","p":"Dialogue Earth (China Dialogue), wire item linking Planet Ark","d":"2008-05-16","type":"press","u":"https://dialogue.earth/en/uncategorized/2013-venezuela-cracks-down-on-mining-projects-to-protect-resources/"},{"t":"Las Claritas I","p":"SOS Orinoco","d":"2020","type":"ngo","u":"https://sosorinoco.org/en/gallery/videos/las-claritas-i/"},{"t":"Request for Arbitration v. Venezuela (Siembra Minera)","p":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc. (party pleading, via italaw)","d":"2025-03-05","type":"company","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw1827294.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Crystallex International Corporation v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Additional Facility, ARB(AF)/11/2)","forum":"ICSID Additional Facility tribunal (Laurent Lévy, President; John Y. Gotanda; Laurence Boisson de Chazournes)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Crystallex International Corporation","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","filed":"2011-02-16","decided":"2016-04-04","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1202,"currency":"USD","label":"damages awarded, plus interest (6-month USD LIBOR + 1%, compounded annually, from 13 April 2008)"},"summary":"The tribunal found breach of fair and equitable treatment (BIT Art. II(2)) and expropriation (Art. VII(1)). It found the way the environmental concerns were put forward in the denial letter arbitrary and lacking in transparency and consistency, and made no finding on whether the Ministry's reasons were substantively valid. Each party bears its own costs; the claimant's legal costs were stated as US$30,493,635 and Venezuela's as US$14,322,826.","src":0},{"title":"Confirmation of the award in the District of Columbia","forum":"US District Court for the District of Columbia; US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Crystallex International Corporation","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","filed":null,"decided":"2017-03-25","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1400,"currency":"USD","label":"federal judgment, as described by the Third Circuit in 2019"},"summary":"The district court confirmed the award on 25 March 2017 (244 F. Supp. 3d 100). The D.C. Circuit affirmed in 2019 (760 F. App'x 1); according to Crystallex's filing it sanctioned Venezuela for a \"misleading and meritless\" abeyance motion.","src":2},{"title":"Attachment of the PDVH shares in Delaware","forum":"US District Court for the District of Delaware (Misc. No. 17-151-LPS); US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Crystallex International Corporation","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; PDVSA; PDVH","filed":"2018-08","decided":"2019-07-29","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Crystallex attached PDVSA's shares in PDVH in August 2018. The Third Circuit affirmed the attachment on 29 July 2019 (932 F.3d 126).","src":3},{"title":"Court-ordered sale of the PDVH shares to Amber Energy","forum":"US District Court for the District of Delaware (Judge Leonard P. Stark)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Crystallex and other attached-judgment creditors","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; PDVSA; PDVH; CITGO Holding","filed":null,"decided":"2025-11-29","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":5892,"currency":"USD","label":"purchase price approved"},"summary":"On 25 November 2025 the court adopted the Special Master's Updated Final Recommendation and overruled the objections of Venezuela, PDVSA, PDVH, CITGO Holding and Gold Reserve; it signed the sale order on 29 November 2025, subject to an OFAC licence. Closing is stayed until at least 7 days after OFAC licenses the sale.","src":4},{"title":"Consolidated appeals against the sale (Third Circuit Nos. 25-3347 et al.)","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; PDVH; CITGO; PDVSA; Gold Reserve and others","defendant":"Crystallex; ConocoPhillips; Koch; Tidewater and others","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The court held Venezuela's stay motion in abeyance on 15 December 2025. On 1 October 2026 Venezuela moved to hold the appeal in abeyance with six-monthly restructuring updates; PDVSA joined and Gold Reserve supported a limited six-month abeyance subject to concurrent support from the United States, while Crystallex, ConocoPhillips, Koch, Tidewater and others opposed. On 15 October 2026 the court denied motions to continue the argument date. Oral argument was set for 21 October 2026.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damages_awarded","value":1202,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"ICSID award of 4 April 2016, plus interest."},{"key":"claim","value":3400,"unit":"USD m","year":2012,"note":"Arbitration claim described in the 2012 Ontario judgment as Crystallex's only asset of significance."},{"key":"investment","value":500,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"over","note":"Spent on developing Las Cristinas before the February 2011 rescission."},{"key":"judgment","value":1400,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"Federal judgment described by the Third Circuit in 2019."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":425,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Initial payment of 23 November 2018, mostly in liquid securities (Reuters, citing an Ontario filing)."},{"key":"sale_price","value":5892,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Amber purchase price approved by the District of Delaware."},{"key":"cash_waterfall","value":3853,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Cash payable to Crystallex and the other attached-judgment creditors through to ConocoPhillips."},{"key":"closing_consideration","value":5790.416426,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"US$5,790,416,426.24 plus accrued judgment interest from 29 August 2025."},{"key":"fair_market_value","value":10000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"under","note":"The court's finding for the PDVH shares."},{"key":"judgments_extinguished","value":5892,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Judgments of ten creditors extinguished, per the opinion."},{"key":"attached_judgments_total","value":20000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Creditors' attached judgments, per the opinion."},{"key":"area_ha","value":3800000,"unit":"ha","year":2008,"note":"Size of the Imataca reserve as given in a May 2008 wire report quoting the Environment Minister."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why the Las Cristinas permit was denied, and whether the reasons were valid","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuelan Ministry of Environment","says":"Cited serious environmental deterioration in the plot, irreversible damage to the Imataca forest from gold and copper exploitation, and global warming.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuela, in the arbitration","says":"The environmental and socio-cultural impact of the project could not be mitigated.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Crystallex","says":"The concerns were never raised in the four-year approval process, and the letter did not refer to a single page or paragraph of the 948-page environmental impact statement.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID tribunal","says":"Found the way the concerns were put forward arbitrary and made no finding on whether the Ministry's reasons were substantively valid.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether mining was permitted in the Imataca reserve","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Crystallex","says":"Imataca had been expressly designated for mining and forestry use in presidential decrees of 1997, 2002 and 2004.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"SOS Orinoco","says":"Mining at Las Claritas is \"of course prohibited by law\".","src":16},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Minister Yuviri Ortega, as quoted in a wire report","says":"Venezuela would not issue permits for open-pit mines or allow companies to look for gold in the 3.8-million-hectare Imataca reserve.","src":15}]},{"point":"Authenticity of the Romero Report (Exh. R-52), the only internal report behind the denial","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Crystallex","says":"Alleged the document was fabricated after the fact.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID tribunal","says":"Said it need not decide the question and found it as deficient as the denial letter.","src":0}]},{"point":"Value of the PDVH shares and of the Amber sale","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"District of Delaware (Judge Stark)","says":"Found the fair market value of the PDVH shares under US$10 billion and the Amber consideration fair, adequate and reasonable.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuela","says":"The sale was grossly undervalued, an unconscionable windfall for Amber.","src":8},{"voice":"company","holder":"Gold Reserve","says":"The recommended bid was priced US$2 billion below the highest-priced bid, its own Dalinar bid, and the advisors had conflicts of interest.","src":11}]},{"point":"Whether political changes in Venezuela justify suspending enforcement","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuela (government recognised by the United States on 5 March 2026, per its filing)","says":"Asked the Third Circuit to hold the appeal in abeyance while it restructures its debt.","src":8},{"voice":"company","holder":"Crystallex","says":"The request was the latest installment in a consistent pattern of gamesmanship.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of Justice","says":"The United States had no views to express at that time concerning the litigation.","src":10}]}],"related":["gold-reserve-brisas-award","siembra-minera-las-cristinas-brisas-mixed-company","rusoro-mining-award-el-callao"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Venezuela's Ministry of Environment denied an environmental permit for the Las Cristinas gold mine in the Imataca Forest Reserve on 14 April 2008. An ICSID tribunal found the denial arbitrary and awarded Crystallex US$1,202 million plus interest on 4 April 2016, and a US court approved a US$5.892 billion sale of CITGO's parent company on 29 November 2025 to pay attached judgments.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Crystallex","what":"Award of US$1,202 million plus interest; Venezuela's filing says it will take over US$1 billion of the sale price","src":8},{"who":"ConocoPhillips, Rusoro, Koch and other attached-judgment creditors","what":"US$3.853 billion in cash through the priority waterfall, and discharge of Rusoro's judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion and Koch's of approximately US$471 million","src":4},{"who":"Amber Energy (Elliott affiliate)","what":"Buyer of the PDVH shares at a purchase price of US$5.892 billion","src":4},{"who":"Tenor Special Situation Fund I","what":"Entitlement to 35 per cent of the net proceeds of the arbitration under the April 2012 loan terms","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Venezuela","what":"Ordered to pay US$1,202 million plus interest; the PDVH shares of its state oil company were sold under court order","src":0},{"who":"Gold Reserve","what":"Its judgment remains unsatisfied under the Amber sale","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Imataca Forest Reserve (rivers, soils, flora and fauna of the Las Cristinas plot)","what":"Described by the Ministry as seriously deteriorated through uncontrolled mining; no measured figure on record","src":0},{"who":"Cuyuní River at Las Claritas","what":"Sedimentation and mercury contamination, according to SOS Orinoco","src":16}]},"where":{"t":"Las Cristinas, four concessions in Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State, south-east Venezuela, about 6 km west of Las Claritas and 20 km from the Guyana border; the sale was ordered by the federal court in Delaware and is on appeal in the Third Circuit; Crystallex is in the Ontario creditor-protection process.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit denied 14 April 2008; concession contract rescinded 3 February 2011; ICSID request 16 February 2011; award 4 April 2016; sale approved 25 and 29 November 2025; Third Circuit argument set for 21 October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Ministry cited environmental deterioration, irreversible damage to the Imataca forest, indigenous peoples and global warming. The tribunal found the way these reasons were put forward arbitrary, and found the 2011 rescission to be the final act completing the expropriation, without ruling on the substantive validity of the environmental reasons.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Crystallex won the award, had it confirmed in the District of Columbia, and attached PDVSA's shares in PDVH in Delaware; the court ran a sale process and approved Amber's bid, with proceeds paid through a priority waterfall to judgment creditors.","src":4}},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why the Las Cristinas permit was denied, and whether the reasons were valid","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Authenticity of the Romero Report (Exh. R-52), the only internal report behind the denial","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Award, settlement or sale proceeds allocated to the Imataca reserve or to site remediation — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether mining was permitted in the Imataca reserve","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Value of the PDVH shares and of the Amber sale","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether political changes in Venezuela justify suspending enforcement","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: allocation of any part of the award, the settlement payments or the sale proceeds to the Imataca reserve or to remediation of the site.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: deforestation or contamination specific to the Las Cristinas concession area, for any period; the award, the court opinions and the company documents describe harm in words only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any analysis of global warming or carbon emissions for Las Cristinas in the Ministry's administrative file; a Ministry official confirmed this at the hearing.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: copies, authors and recommendations of the environmental studies and technical inspection reports cited in the denial letter.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the authenticity of the September 2006 Romero Report (Exh. R-52); the tribunal found it deficient and did not decide the question.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the unpaid balance of Crystallex's judgment and its exact share of the US$3.853 billion cash waterfall; Venezuela's filing of 1 October 2026 states that Crystallex will take over US$1 billion of the price. The balance of the 2018 settlement, due in instalments through early 2021, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Tenor Special Situation Fund I's April 2012 entitlement to 35 per cent of the net proceeds of the arbitration still applies or was amended.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether OFAC has decided on a specific licence for the Amber sale; filings up to 8 October 2026 treat it as not yet granted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a ruling on Venezuela's motion of 1 October 2026 to hold the appeal in abeyance, as of 19 October 2026, or the outcome of the oral argument set for 21 October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the permit denial, the award or the sale.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gold-reserve-brisas-award","title":"Brisas gold-copper project: 2008 revocation of the environmental permit in Imataca and Gold Reserve's ICSID award","dek":"Venezuela revoked the environmental construction permit for the Brisas project on 14 April 2008 for reasons of public order, citing protection of the environment and local populations in Imataca. An ICSID tribunal awarded Gold Reserve US$713,032,000 plus interest for breach of fair and equitable treatment in 2014.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":6.2,"lon":-61.5,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Km 88, Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State","lat":6.2,"lon":-61.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","role":"court"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2007,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2008-04-14","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"ICSID award to Gold Reserve over the Brisas permit revocation","value":"US$713,032,000 + interest","note":"Award of 22 September 2014; Gold Reserve's own judgment remains unsatisfied under the 2025 Amber sale of CITGO's parent."},"happened":["The Brisas del Cuyuní concession lies next to Las Cristinas in the Km 88 district of Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State. Venezuela described it as located \"in the environmentally fragile Imataca Forest Reserve\". On 27 March 2007 the Ministry of Environment (MinAmb) granted the Phase I construction permit, an authorisation to affect natural resources (AARN).","On 14 April 2008 MinAmb Administrative Order No. 625 (Ruling 088-08) declared the permit's \"absolute nullity\" and revoked it \"for reasons of public order\". The order invoked the State's duty to protect the environment and populations, the emergency declared in Imataca on 26 June 2006, and \"serious environmental deterioration of the rivers, soil, flora, fauna and biodiversity in general, caused by the uncontrolled mining activities performed by the large number of miners present in the area\". A Ministry of Mines inspection report of 11 March 2008, one month earlier, stated that \"no evidence of (exploration or exploitation) mining activities was found during the walk around\". On 25 May 2009 the Ministry of Mines denied the extension and terminated the Brisas concession, and in October 2009 the assets were seized and the site occupied.","In its award of 22 September 2014 (ICSID ARB(AF)/09/1; Pierre-Marie Dupuy, David A.R. Williams QC, Piero Bernardini, President) the tribunal found a breach of fair and equitable treatment because the revocation order was issued without allowing Gold Reserve to be heard, and inferred that MinAmb's conduct was determined by a change of State policy. It acknowledged that a State has a responsibility to preserve the environment but held that this does not exempt it from commitments to international investors, and noted that none of the concerns Venezuela later raised, including cumulative impacts with Las Cristinas and a pending Strategic Environmental Evaluation, was mentioned in the revocation order. It did not find expropriation, holding the concession terminations to be an exercise of regulatory powers because Gold Reserve had failed to exploit within the required time. It awarded US$713,032,000 with interest from 14 April 2008 and US$5 million in costs.","In 2016 Gold Reserve and Venezuela signed a settlement agreement and formed the Siembra Minera mixed company over the combined Brisas and Cristinas area. According to Gold Reserve, Venezuela's obligations under the 2016 agreement exceeded US$1 billion; it paid US$40 million on 15 June 2017 and then monthly instalments of US$29.5 million, \"in total … only circa $254 million\".","Gold Reserve became a judgment creditor, a bidder and an objector in the court-ordered sale of CITGO's parent. Its subsidiary Dalinar Energy bid US$7.382 billion and later US$7.902 billion. On 25 November 2025 the District of Delaware found the Dalinar bid no longer qualified or viable after the Southern District of New York ruled in favour of the PDVSA 2020 bondholders, adopted the Amber bid, and recorded that Gold Reserve's judgment would remain unsatisfied. A petition for a writ of mandamus by Gold Reserve to stay the sale was denied."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"MinAmb grants the Phase I construction permit (27 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"MIBAM inspection report finds no mining activity during the walk-around (11 Mar); MinAmb revokes the permit (14 Apr)","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"MIBAM denies the extension and terminates the concession (25 May); assets seized and site occupied (Oct)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"ICSID award: US$713,032,000 plus interest (22 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Settlement agreement and Siembra Minera mixed company","src":1},{"y":2017,"t":"First payment of US$40 million under the 2016 agreement (15 Jun)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Dalinar bid found no longer qualified or viable; Amber bid adopted; Gold Reserve's judgment to remain unsatisfied (25 Nov)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"serious environmental deterioration of the rivers, soil, flora, fauna and biodiversity in general, caused by the uncontrolled mining activities performed by the large number of miners present in the area","who":"MinAmb Administrative Order No. 625, as quoted in the award (paras 593–594)","when":"14 April 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"no evidence of (exploration or exploitation) mining activities was found during the walk around","who":"Ministry of Mines inspection report, as quoted in the award (para. 597)","when":"11 March 2008","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"save and appropriate what is ours","who":"Vice-Minister, quoted by AP and cited in the award (para. 599)","when":"21 June 2008","src":0},{"q":"The Tribunal acknowledges that a State has a responsibility to preserve the environment and protect local populations living in the area where mining activities are conducted. However, this responsibility does not exempt a State from complying with its commitments to international investors…","who":"ICSID tribunal, award para. 595","when":"22 September 2014","src":0},{"q":"The Tribunal does not underestimate MinAmb's concerns regarding environmental protection. It notes that none of the above grounds of concern was mentioned in the Revocation Order…","who":"ICSID tribunal, award para. 598","when":"22 September 2014","src":0},{"q":"Respondent issued the Revocation Order without allowing Claimant an opportunity to be heard. It is only reasonable to infer that MinAmb's conduct was determined by the change of State's policy inaugurated by President Chávez.","who":"ICSID tribunal, award para. 600","when":"22 September 2014","src":0},{"q":"in total … only circa $254 million","who":"Gold Reserve, request for arbitration, on Venezuela's payments under the 2016 agreement","when":"5 March 2025","src":1},{"q":"priced $2 billion below the highest-priced bid","who":"Gold Reserve, mandamus petition, on the recommended Amber bid","when":"28 October 2025","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The permit was revoked for reasons of public order to protect the environment and the populations of Imataca.","who":"MinAmb Administrative Order No. 625 (14 April 2008)","src":0},{"t":"The revocation rested on purported environmental grounds without legal basis and was motivated by the political agenda of the Chávez Administration.","who":"Gold Reserve, as recorded in the award","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The tribunal found a breach of fair and equitable treatment and awarded US$713,032,000 plus interest; it did not find expropriation.","src":0},{"t":"The revocation order did not mention the concerns Venezuela later raised, and MinAmb gave no warning that the environmental situation had significantly deteriorated since the permit was issued (para. 596).","src":0},{"t":"The Ministry of Mines inspection report of 11 March 2008 found no evidence of exploration or exploitation mining activities during the walk-around.","src":0},{"t":"Gold Reserve alleged that a 2008 Ministry of Mines presentation listed the suspension of the environmental permits granted to the companies Cristalex and Gold Reserve as an immediate action (claimant's account, para. 320).","src":0},{"t":"Gold Reserve's judgment will remain unsatisfied under the Amber sale.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2014–2025 — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Award or settlement money allocated to the Imataca environment","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Tribunal award, plus interest from 14 April 2008 (22 September 2014)","amount":713.032,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Costs to be reimbursed by Venezuela","amount":5,"window":"2014"},{"label":"Venezuela's obligations under the 2016 agreement (Gold Reserve's account)","amount":1000,"qualifier":"over","window":"2016"},{"label":"First payment under the 2016 agreement (15 June 2017)","amount":40,"window":"2017"},{"label":"Monthly instalments under the 2016 agreement","amount":29.5,"window":"2017"},{"label":"Total paid under the 2016 agreement (Gold Reserve's account)","amount":254,"qualifier":"circa","window":"2017–2025"},{"label":"Dalinar Energy bid selected in the Special Master's earlier Final Recommendation","amount":7382,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Dalinar Energy later bid","amount":7902,"window":"2025"},{"label":"Elliott offer to Gold Reserve, to discharge US$500 million of its judgment (not accepted)","amount":75,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Award to Gold Reserve","v":"US$713.0m + interest","d":"22 September 2014; breach of fair and equitable treatment, no expropriation found"},{"k":"Paid under the 2016 agreement","v":"circa US$254m","d":"Gold Reserve's account of Venezuela's payments"},{"k":"Measured environmental data in the award","v":"None on record","d":"The environmental grounds are recorded in words only"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: environmental condition of the Brisas concession in 2008; the award contains no measured environmental data.","Disputed: whether mining activity was present at Brisas in 2008; the revocation order cited uncontrolled mining by many miners, and a Ministry of Mines inspection of 11 March 2008 found no evidence of mining activity during the walk-around.","Insufficient: the current amount of Gold Reserve's attached judgment in Delaware.","Self-reported only: Venezuela's payments under the 2016 agreement and the total obligation of over US$1 billion are Gold Reserve's account.","None on record: insurance relating to the revocation or the award."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"MinAmb revoked the permit on 14 April 2008 and the Ministry of Mines terminated the concession on 25 May 2009. No measured change in the condition of the Brisas area after either date is on record.","whoPaid":"Venezuela was ordered to pay US$713,032,000 plus interest. According to Gold Reserve it paid circa US$254 million under the 2016 agreement. None on record: any payment to the Imataca environment.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: Gold Reserve's judgment remains unsatisfied under the court-approved Amber sale, which is on appeal; its claim over the successor Siembra Minera project is before an ICSID tribunal.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Told the tribunal the project raised critical environmental issues because it was located in the environmentally fragile Imataca Forest Reserve, and that revocation was lawful under articles 91 and 109 of the Organic Law on the Environment.","when":"ICSID proceedings, before September 2014","src":0},{"actor":"gold-reserve","says":"Told the tribunal that the revocation rested on purported environmental grounds that were without legal basis and was motivated by the political agenda of the Chávez Administration.","when":"ICSID proceedings, before September 2014","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"gold-reserve","role":"Award holder; claimant; bidder and objector in the CITGO sale"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Respondent"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-of-environment","role":"Revoked the permit (MinAmb)"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-of-mines","role":"Terminated the concession (MIBAM)"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Arbitral forum"},{"id":"us-district-court-delaware","role":"Court ordering the CITGO sale"},{"id":"elliott-management","role":"Sponsor of the Amber bid"},{"id":"amber-energy","role":"Buyer of the PDVH shares"}],"sources":[{"t":"Gold Reserve Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/09/1, Award","p":"ICSID tribunal (via italaw)","d":"2014-09-22","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw4009.pdf"},{"t":"Request for Arbitration v. Venezuela (Siembra Minera)","p":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc. (party pleading, via italaw)","d":"2025-03-05","type":"company","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw1827294.pdf"},{"t":"Opinion adopting Special Master's Updated Final Recommendation (D.I. 2553, Misc. No. 17-151-LPS)","p":"US District Court, D. Del. (Judge Stark); copy hosted by Gold Reserve","d":"2025-11-25","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/Judge-Starks-Opinion.pdf"},{"t":"Petition for Writ of Mandamus, In re Gold Reserve Ltd., 3d Cir. No. 25-3091 (redacted)","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd. (filing)","d":"2025-10-28","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/2025-10-28-Gold-Reserve-Mandamus-Petition-redacted.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Gold Reserve Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Additional Facility, ARB(AF)/09/1)","forum":"ICSID Additional Facility tribunal (Pierre-Marie Dupuy; David A.R. Williams QC; Piero Bernardini, President)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Gold Reserve Inc.","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","filed":null,"decided":"2014-09-22","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":713.032,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded, with interest from 14 April 2008 at the US Treasury Bill rate compounded annually; post-award interest at LIBOR + 2%"},"summary":"The tribunal found a breach of fair and equitable treatment because the revocation order was issued without allowing Gold Reserve to be heard. It did not find expropriation, holding the concession terminations to be an exercise of regulatory powers because the claimant had failed to exploit within the required time. Venezuela was to reimburse US$5 million of costs.","src":0},{"title":"2016 settlement agreement and Siembra Minera mixed company","forum":"Agreement between Gold Reserve and Venezuela","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Gold Reserve","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","filed":null,"decided":"2016","status":"settled","amount":{"value":1000,"currency":"USD","label":"Venezuela's obligations of over US$1 billion under the 2016 agreement (Gold Reserve's account)"},"summary":"According to Gold Reserve, Venezuela paid US$40 million on 15 June 2017 and then monthly instalments of US$29.5 million, in total only circa US$254 million.","src":1},{"title":"Gold Reserve's objections to the Amber sale and Dalinar bid (District of Delaware)","forum":"US District Court for the District of Delaware (Judge Leonard P. Stark)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Gold Reserve","defendant":"Special Master's recommendation; Amber Energy","filed":null,"decided":"2025-11-25","status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The court overruled Gold Reserve's objections, found the Dalinar bid no longer qualified or viable and recorded that Gold Reserve's judgment would remain unsatisfied; the sale is on appeal in the Third Circuit.","src":2},{"title":"In re Gold Reserve Ltd. (mandamus to stay the sale)","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, No. 25-3091","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Gold Reserve Ltd.","defendant":"District of Delaware sale process","filed":"2025-10-28","decided":"2025","status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Gold Reserve sought a writ of mandamus to stay the sale pending disqualification of the Special Master, his advisors and the judge; the petition was denied before 25 November 2025.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damages_awarded","value":713.032,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"ICSID award of 22 September 2014, plus interest."},{"key":"costs_awarded","value":5,"unit":"USD m","year":2014,"note":"Costs to be reimbursed by Venezuela."},{"key":"obligation","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"over","note":"Venezuela's obligations under the 2016 agreement, Gold Reserve's account."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":254,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"circa","note":"Total paid under the 2016 agreement, Gold Reserve's account."},{"key":"bid","value":7382,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Dalinar Energy bid selected in the Special Master's earlier Final Recommendation."},{"key":"bid","value":7902,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Dalinar Energy later bid."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Why the Brisas environmental permit was revoked","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuela","says":"The project was in the environmentally fragile Imataca Forest Reserve and the revocation was lawful under the Organic Law on the Environment.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Gold Reserve","says":"The revocation rested on purported environmental grounds without legal basis and was motivated by the political agenda of the Chávez Administration.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID tribunal","says":"Did not underestimate MinAmb's concerns; noted that none of them was mentioned in the revocation order; inferred that MinAmb's conduct was determined by a change of State policy.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether mining was under way at Brisas when the permit was revoked","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"MinAmb, revocation order","says":"Cited serious environmental deterioration caused by uncontrolled mining activities of a large number of miners present in the area.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Mines inspection report of 11 March 2008","says":"No evidence of exploration or exploitation mining activities was found during the walk-around.","src":0}]},{"point":"Value and priority of Gold Reserve's bid in the CITGO sale","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Gold Reserve","says":"The recommended Amber bid was priced US$2 billion below the highest-priced bid.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"District of Delaware","says":"The Dalinar bid was no longer qualified or viable after the Southern District of New York ruled in favour of the PDVSA 2020 bondholders.","src":2}]}],"related":["crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale","siembra-minera-las-cristinas-brisas-mixed-company","rusoro-mining-award-el-callao"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Ministry of Environment of Venezuela revoked the environmental construction permit for the Brisas gold-copper project on 14 April 2008 for reasons of public order. An ICSID tribunal awarded Gold Reserve US$713,032,000 plus interest on 22 September 2014 for breach of fair and equitable treatment.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gold Reserve","what":"Award of US$713,032,000 plus interest; circa US$254 million paid under the 2016 agreement, according to Gold Reserve","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Venezuela","what":"Ordered to pay US$713,032,000 plus interest and US$5 million in costs","src":0},{"who":"Gold Reserve","what":"Its judgment remains unsatisfied under the Amber sale; the permit and concession were revoked in 2008 and 2009","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Imataca Forest Reserve around Km 88","what":"Described in the revocation order as seriously deteriorated through uncontrolled mining; a Ministry of Mines inspection of 11 March 2008 found no evidence of mining during the walk-around; no measured data on record","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Brisas del Cuyuní concession, Km 88 district, Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State, adjacent to Las Cristinas, in the Imataca Forest Reserve.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit granted 27 March 2007; revoked 14 April 2008; concession terminated 25 May 2009; award 22 September 2014; settlement 2016; CITGO sale ruling 25 November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The revocation order cited protection of the environment and populations and uncontrolled mining in Imataca; the tribunal inferred that MinAmb's conduct was determined by a change of State policy and noted that the later-raised concerns were not mentioned in the order.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Venezuela revoked the permit without hearing Gold Reserve; Gold Reserve brought an ICSID Additional Facility arbitration and won damages, then settled in 2016 and later bid and objected in the court-ordered CITGO sale.","src":0}},"natureLead":{"t":"The environmental permit for the Brisas mine in my Imataca Forest Reserve was revoked on 14 April 2008; in 2014 an ICSID tribunal awarded Gold Reserve US$713,032,000, and the award records no measured environmental data.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Why the Brisas environmental permit was revoked","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether mining was under way at Brisas when the permit was revoked","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Award or settlement money allocated to the Imataca environment — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Value and priority of Gold Reserve's bid in the CITGO sale","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: environmental condition of the Brisas concession in 2008; the award contains no measured environmental data.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether mining activity was present at Brisas in 2008; the revocation order cited uncontrolled mining by many miners, and a Ministry of Mines inspection of 11 March 2008 found no evidence of mining activity during the walk-around.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the current amount of Gold Reserve's attached judgment in Delaware.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Venezuela's payments under the 2016 agreement and the total obligation of over US$1 billion are Gold Reserve's account.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the revocation or the award.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"siembra-minera-las-cristinas-brisas-mixed-company","title":"Siembra Minera: the merged Brisas–Cristinas area in the Orinoco Mining Arc, the 2022 revocation and Gold Reserve's new arbitration","dek":"The Imataca land on which permits were denied or revoked in 2008 in the name of the forest was placed in a state-majority mixed company in 2016, which obtained an environmental permit for early works. Its mining rights were revoked in 2022, and Gold Reserve claims over US$7 billion in an ICSID arbitration while negotiating a return under Venezuela's 2026 mining law.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":6.2,"lon":-61.5,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Km 88, Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State","lat":6.2,"lon":-61.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2016,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-03-07","instrument":"mining","types":["mining","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Gold Reserve claim over the revoked Siembra Minera rights","value":"Over US$7 billion","note":"Claim in the request for arbitration of 5 March 2025, plus moral damages; Venezuela's grounds are known through Gold Reserve's filing."},"happened":["In February 2016 President Maduro announced the venture as \"the resolution of a conflict that has had a happy ending\", as quoted in the request for arbitration. The mixed-company contract followed in August 2016, and in October 2016 Empresa Mixta Ecosocialista Siembra Minera, S.A. was formed, with Corporación Venezolana de Minería holding 55% and Gold Reserve 45%. The area of about 18,950 hectares in the Km 88 district of Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State, \"includes the historical Brisas and Cristinas areas\" and lies within the Orinoco Mining Arc (Decree No. 2.248 of 24 February 2016). Ministry of Mining Resolution 000030 delimited it on 31 October 2016.","According to Gold Reserve, Siembra Minera completed and obtained approval of a Venezuelan Environmental Impact Statement and then received the environmental permit to affect the area for the early works (the \"Permit to Affect\"); work under it, including an Environmental Supervision Plan, was completed in March 2019. Gold Reserve also stated that the forest inventory for the project area was validated with Empresa Nacional Forestal, a state-owned company affiliated with the Ministry of Environment, and that a census of small miners was carried out with Mission Piar with plans to relocate them north of the project.","On 25 October 2021 Ministry Resolution 0027 opened a procedure, and on 7 March 2022 Resolution No. 005 revoked Siembra Minera's mining rights. According to Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, the Ministry's grounds were that the company had not submitted studies or begun operations and that the site was abandoned and overrun by small mining operators and gangs that caused environmental harm. Venezuela's own pleadings on the revocation are not available; its position is known only through Gold Reserve's filing. Gold Reserve alleged that the state co-shareholder worked in 2022–2023 on developing mining in the area in alliance with local organizations (Gold Reserve's wording is quoted in the quotations on this page), and cited satellite imagery of mines and, in September 2024, of an apparent chemical leaching facility. These are allegations by a party; no charges or rulings are on record.","Gold Reserve challenged the revocation before the Venezuelan Supreme Court (filed 7 December 2022; decision on interim measures 9 February 2023; hearing set for 27 July 2023). On 5 March 2025 GR Mining (Barbados) Inc. filed a request for arbitration under the ICSID Additional Facility and the 1994 Barbados–Venezuela investment treaty, claiming in excess of US$7 billion plus moral damages. Gold Reserve reported in August 2026 that the arbitration is pending, with a tribunal constituted and a first procedural hearing expected before 12 September 2026.","On 5 March 2026 a US mining delegation visited Caracas with Gold Reserve representatives, and OFAC granted a 30-day licence to negotiate, according to Gold Reserve. On 16 April 2026 a new Organic Mining Law repealed the 2015 Gold Law's mandatory state majority, and Gold Reserve welcomed it. On 14 May 2026 Gold Reserve signed an earn-in term sheet under which Augusta Capital would fund US$200 million of project expenditure to earn 50% of Gold Reserve's interest."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Maduro announces the venture (Feb); mixed-company contract (Aug); Siembra Minera formed with CVM 55%, Gold Reserve 45% (Oct); Resolution 000030 delimits the area (31 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Work under the Permit to Affect, including the Environmental Supervision Plan, completed (Mar)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Ministry Resolution 0027 opens a procedure (25 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Resolution No. 005 revokes Siembra Minera's mining rights (7 Mar); annulment action filed before the Supreme Court (7 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Supreme Court decision on interim measures (9 Feb); hearing set for 27 July","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc. files its request for arbitration (5 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"US mining delegation visits Caracas with Gold Reserve representatives and OFAC grants a 30-day licence to negotiate (5 Mar)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"New Organic Mining Law repeals the mandatory state majority (16 Apr)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Augusta Capital earn-in term sheet (14 May)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"Tribunal constituted; first procedural hearing expected before 12 Sep","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"the resolution of a conflict that has had a happy ending","who":"President Maduro, as quoted in the request for arbitration","when":"February 2016","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"completed and obtained approval of a Venezuelan Environmental Impact Statement; subsequently received the environmental permit to affect the Area for the early works (the 'Permit to Affect')","who":"Gold Reserve","when":"2026","src":1},{"q":"validated, with the assistance of Empresa Nacional Forestal (a state owned company affiliated with the Ministry of Environment), the forest inventory for the Siembra Minera Project area","who":"Gold Reserve","when":"2026","src":1},{"q":"allegedly was abandoned and overrun with illegal small mining operators and gangs that caused environmental harm","who":"Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, summarising the Ministry's 2022 grounds","when":"5 March 2025","src":0},{"q":"in alliance with local criminal organizations","who":"Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, on the state co-shareholder's work in 2022–2023 (an allegation by a party)","when":"5 March 2025","src":0},{"q":"with apparent disregard of environmental regulations","who":"Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, describing satellite imagery of mines (an allegation by a party)","when":"5 March 2025","src":0},{"q":"what appears to be an active chemical leeching facility","who":"Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, describing a September 2024 satellite image (an allegation by a party)","when":"5 March 2025","src":0},{"q":"abruptly revoked the mixed company's mining rights … effectively expropriating Gold Reserve's investment","who":"Gold Reserve, request for arbitration","when":"5 March 2025","src":0},{"q":"create the conditions for the responsible development of Venezuela's world-class mineral resources","who":"Gold Reserve vice-chair, on the new mining law","when":"April 2026","src":3},{"q":"may challenge the Maduro administration's 2016 formation of Siembra Minera and Presidential Decree No. 2.248","who":"Gold Reserve, on the risk of an opposition-led government","when":"2026","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The venture was presented as the resolution of a conflict with a happy ending.","who":"President Maduro, February 2016","src":0},{"t":"The mixed company was presented as having completed the environmental impact statement, obtained the Permit to Affect and validated a forest inventory.","who":"Gold Reserve","src":1},{"t":"The 2022 revocation was presented as a response to an abandoned site overrun by small mining operators and gangs causing environmental harm.","who":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mining, as summarised in Gold Reserve's request for arbitration","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Gold Reserve states that the company received the environmental permit to affect the area for the early works and that the forest inventory was validated with Empresa Nacional Forestal; the inventory's results are not published in the sources read.","src":1},{"t":"Ministry Resolution No. 005 of 7 March 2022 revoked Siembra Minera's mining rights; reconsideration was rejected.","src":0},{"t":"Gold Reserve's own direct costs on Siembra Minera were about US$21.6 million to 30 June 2021.","src":1},{"t":"The 2018 preliminary economic assessment does not consider the impact of sanctions, deteriorated infrastructure and social instability, and Gold Reserve's annual information form states that no verifiable financing alternatives have been identified.","src":1},{"t":"The new Organic Mining Law (Gaceta Oficial 7.020 Extraordinario, 16 April 2026) repealed the 2015 Gold Law's mandatory state majority; OFAC General License 55 covers the minerals sector.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2016–2026 — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Measured environmental harm or remediation spending on the Siembra Minera area","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Gross value of the minerals in the 2016 project figures (Gold Reserve's request for arbitration)","amount":47000,"qualifier":"approximately","window":"2016"},{"label":"Venezuela's advance to the project under the fiscal terms (Gold Reserve's account)","amount":110.2,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Project capital expenditure (Gold Reserve's account)","amount":2000,"qualifier":"in excess of","window":"2016"},{"label":"Gold Reserve's direct costs on Siembra Minera to 30 June 2021","amount":21.6,"qualifier":"about","window":"to 2021"},{"label":"Gold Reserve's claim in the 2025 arbitration, plus moral damages","amount":7000,"qualifier":"in excess of","window":"2025"},{"label":"Augusta Capital project expenditure to earn 50% of Gold Reserve's interest","amount":200,"window":"2026"},{"label":"First Augusta tranche, due within one year and matched by Gold Reserve","amount":25,"window":"2026"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area of the mixed company","v":"About 18,950 ha","d":"Includes the historical Brisas and Cristinas areas in the Orinoco Mining Arc"},{"k":"Claim over the revoked rights","v":"Over US$7bn","d":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc., ICSID Additional Facility, filed 5 March 2025"},{"k":"Measured harm figure","v":"None on record","d":"Neither the Ministry's account nor Gold Reserve's gives hectares or mercury values"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is asserted in words by the Ministry (as summarised by Gold Reserve) and alleged by Gold Reserve from satellite imagery; neither account gives measured figures.","report":[{"t":"According to the Ministry's 2022 grounds as summarised in Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, my area at Siembra Minera was abandoned and overrun by small mining operators and gangs that caused environmental harm.","src":0},{"t":"According to Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, satellite imagery shows mines on my Siembra Minera area with apparent disregard of environmental regulations, and a September 2024 image shows what appears to be an active chemical leaching facility.","src":0},{"t":"A forest inventory of my project area was validated with Empresa Nacional Forestal, according to Gold Reserve; its results are not published in the sources read.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: Venezuela's own account of the 2022 revocation and any environmental inspection behind it; the Ministry's grounds are known through Gold Reserve's request for arbitration.","Not measured: hectares affected, mercury or other contamination in the Siembra Minera area; neither the Ministry's account nor Gold Reserve's gives measured figures.","Not disclosed: the results of the forest inventory validated with Empresa Nacional Forestal.","Unclear: the outcome of Gold Reserve's annulment action before the Venezuelan Supreme Court after the hearing set for 27 July 2023.","Unclear: whether a new concession or contract over the Brisas–Cristinas area has been signed under the 2026 mining law.","Disputed: who caused the condition of the site; the Ministry points to the inactive mixed company, while Gold Reserve says Venezuela, as majority shareholder and police authority, is responsible.","None on record: charges or rulings on Gold Reserve's allegations about mining and a leaching facility in the area."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The mixed company's mining rights were revoked on 7 March 2022; Gold Reserve alleges mining continued in the area through 2022–2024.","whoPaid":"None on record: no payment for the condition of the area. Gold Reserve reported direct costs of about US$21.6 million to 30 June 2021 and claims over US$7 billion from Venezuela.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: GR Mining (Barbados) Inc.'s ICSID Additional Facility arbitration against Venezuela is pending, and Gold Reserve is negotiating a return under the April 2026 mining law with an Augusta Capital earn-in.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-ministry-of-mining","says":"Revoked the mining rights on 7 March 2022 on grounds that, according to Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, were failure to submit studies or begin operations and an abandoned site overrun by small mining operators and gangs that caused environmental harm.","when":"7 March 2022","src":0},{"actor":"gold-reserve","says":"Stated that Venezuela abruptly revoked the mixed company's mining rights, effectively expropriating its investment, and that the state co-shareholder worked on mining in the area in alliance with local organizations, in the wording quoted above.","when":"5 March 2025","src":0},{"actor":"gold-reserve","says":"Welcomed the new mining law as creating the conditions for the responsible development of Venezuela's mineral resources.","when":"April 2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"siembra-minera","role":"Mixed company (CVM 55%, Gold Reserve 45%)"},{"id":"gold-reserve","role":"45% shareholder; claimant"},{"id":"gr-mining-barbados","role":"Claimant entity in the ICSID arbitration"},{"id":"corporacion-venezolana-de-mineria","role":"State shareholder (55%)"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-of-mining","role":"Revoked the mining rights"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Respondent"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Arbitral forum"},{"id":"augusta-capital","role":"Earn-in partner (2026)"},{"id":"us-treasury","role":"OFAC licences (negotiation licence; General License 55)"}],"sources":[{"t":"Request for Arbitration v. Venezuela (Siembra Minera)","p":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc. (party pleading, via italaw)","d":"2025-03-05","type":"company","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw1827294.pdf"},{"t":"Mixed Company","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd. (Empresa Mixta Ecosocialista Siembra Minera; AIF text)","d":"2026-10-19","type":"company","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/mixed-company"},{"t":"Gold Reserve Returns to Venezuela","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd.","d":"2026-03-05","type":"company","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/news/gold-reserve-returns-to-venezuela"},{"t":"Gold Reserve Welcomes Venezuela's New Mining Law","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd.","d":"2026-04-22","type":"company","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/news/gold-reserve-welcomes-venezuelas-new-mining-law"},{"t":"Gold Reserve Provides Update On Its Litigation And Arbitration Proceedings","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd.","d":"2026-08-14","type":"company","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/news/gold-reserve-provides-update-on-its-litigation-and-arbitration-proceedings"},{"t":"Gold Reserve Announces Signing of an Earn-In Agreement with Augusta Capital to Expedite Venezuela Mining and Schedules Update Conference Call","p":"Gold Reserve Ltd.","d":"2026-05-14","type":"company","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/news/gold-reserve-announces-signing-of-an-earn-in-agreement-with-augusta-capital-to-expedite-venezuela-mining-and-schedules-update-conference-call"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Revocation of Siembra Minera's mining rights (Ministry Resolutions 0027 and 005)","forum":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mining","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mining","defendant":"Empresa Mixta Ecosocialista Siembra Minera, S.A.","filed":"2021-10-25","decided":"2022-03-07","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Resolution 0027 opened a procedure on 25 October 2021 and Resolution No. 005 revoked the mining rights on 7 March 2022; reconsideration was rejected. The grounds are known through Gold Reserve's request for arbitration.","src":0},{"title":"Gold Reserve's annulment action before the Venezuelan Supreme Court (File 2022-0385)","forum":"Supreme Court of Venezuela","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Gold Reserve","defendant":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mining","filed":"2022-12-07","decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"A decision on interim measures was issued on 9 February 2023 and a hearing was set for 27 July 2023; the outcome is not on record.","src":0},{"title":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Additional Facility)","forum":"ICSID Additional Facility tribunal, Barbados–Venezuela investment treaty (1994)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"GR Mining (Barbados) Inc.","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","filed":"2025-03-05","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":7000,"currency":"USD","label":"claimed, in excess of, plus moral damages"},"summary":"The request for arbitration alleges that Venezuela abruptly revoked the mixed company's mining rights and effectively expropriated Gold Reserve's investment. By August 2026 the tribunal had been constituted and a first procedural hearing was expected before 12 September 2026.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":18950,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Mixed-company area in the Km 88 district, including the historical Brisas and Cristinas areas."},{"key":"gold_oz","value":32302000,"unit":"oz","year":2016,"note":"Project figure in the request for arbitration, over 27 years."},{"key":"copper_lb","value":2933000000,"unit":"lb","year":2016,"note":"Project figure in the request for arbitration, over 27 years."},{"key":"mineral_value","value":47000,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Gross value of the minerals put in the request for arbitration."},{"key":"claim","value":7000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"in excess of","note":"Gold Reserve's claim in the 2025 arbitration, plus moral damages."},{"key":"advance","value":110.2,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Venezuela's advance under the fiscal terms, Gold Reserve's account."},{"key":"capex","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"in excess of","note":"Capital expenditure, Gold Reserve's account."},{"key":"royalty_special_advantage","value":3,"unit":"% of gross sales","year":2016,"note":"Special advantage under the fiscal terms."},{"key":"royalty_nsr","value":5,"unit":"% (years 1–10)","year":2016,"note":"Net smelter return royalty; 6% in years 11–20."},{"key":"profit_split","value":55,"unit":"% state share up to US$1,600/oz","year":2016,"note":"Net-profit split 55/45 up to US$1,600 per ounce, 70/30 on the increment above."},{"key":"gold_reserve_costs","value":21.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Gold Reserve's direct costs on Siembra Minera to 30 June 2021."},{"key":"earn_in","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Augusta Capital project expenditure to earn 50% of Gold Reserve's interest; first US$25 million due within one year."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is responsible for the condition of the Siembra Minera area","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mining, as summarised by Gold Reserve","says":"The mixed company submitted no studies and began no operations, and the site was abandoned and overrun by small mining operators and gangs that caused environmental harm.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Gold Reserve","says":"Venezuela, as majority shareholder and police authority, is responsible; the state co-shareholder worked on mining in the area in alliance with local organizations, in Gold Reserve's wording quoted above.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether the 2022 revocation was lawful","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuelan Ministry of Mining, as summarised by Gold Reserve","says":"Revoked the rights for failure to advance the project.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Gold Reserve","says":"The rights were abruptly revoked, effectively expropriating its investment; the matter is before an ICSID tribunal.","src":0}]}],"related":["crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale","gold-reserve-brisas-award","rusoro-mining-award-el-callao"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The state-majority Siembra Minera mixed company, formed in 2016 over the combined Brisas and Cristinas area in the Orinoco Mining Arc, had its mining rights revoked on 7 March 2022. Gold Reserve claims over US$7 billion in an ICSID Additional Facility arbitration filed on 5 March 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Venezuelan state (Corporación Venezolana de Minería, 55%)","what":"Majority shareholder in the mixed company; rights revoked in 2022","src":1},{"who":"Augusta Capital","what":"Earn-in right to 50% of Gold Reserve's interest in return for US$200 million of project expenditure (2026 term sheet)","src":5}],"lost":[{"who":"Gold Reserve","what":"Revocation of the mixed company's mining rights; direct costs of about US$21.6 million to 30 June 2021","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest and rivers of the Siembra Minera area","what":"Environmental harm asserted by the Ministry from small-scale mining and by Gold Reserve from satellite imagery; no measured figures","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"About 18,950 hectares in the Km 88 district, Sifontes municipality, Bolívar State, including the historical Brisas and Cristinas areas, within the Orinoco Mining Arc.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Formed October 2016; Permit to Affect work completed March 2019; rights revoked 7 March 2022; arbitration filed 5 March 2025; new mining law 16 April 2026; Augusta earn-in term sheet 14 May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"According to Gold Reserve's request for arbitration, the Ministry revoked the rights because the company had not submitted studies or begun operations and the site was abandoned and overrun by small mining operators and gangs causing environmental harm; Gold Reserve says the revocation expropriated its investment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Ministry opened a procedure on 25 October 2021 and revoked the rights by Resolution No. 005 on 7 March 2022; Gold Reserve sought annulment in the Venezuelan Supreme Court and then filed an ICSID Additional Facility arbitration through GR Mining (Barbados) Inc.","src":0}},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Who is responsible for the condition of the Siembra Minera area","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Measured environmental harm or remediation spending on the Siembra Minera area — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the 2022 revocation was lawful","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Gold Reserve's annulment action before the Venezuelan Supreme Court (File 2022-0385): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Venezuela's own account of the 2022 revocation and any environmental inspection behind it; the Ministry's grounds are known through Gold Reserve's request for arbitration.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: hectares affected, mercury or other contamination in the Siembra Minera area; neither the Ministry's account nor Gold Reserve's gives measured figures.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the results of the forest inventory validated with Empresa Nacional Forestal.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the outcome of Gold Reserve's annulment action before the Venezuelan Supreme Court after the hearing set for 27 July 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether a new concession or contract over the Brisas–Cristinas area has been signed under the 2026 mining law.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: who caused the condition of the site; the Ministry points to the inactive mixed company, while Gold Reserve says Venezuela, as majority shareholder and police authority, is responsible.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: charges or rulings on Gold Reserve's allegations about mining and a leaching facility in the area.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rusoro-mining-award-el-callao","title":"Rusoro Mining award for the El Callao gold mines: Venezuela's unquantified natural-resource counterclaim and Rusoro's role in the CITGO sale","dek":"An ICSID tribunal awarded Rusoro Mining US$966.5 million for Venezuela's 2011 nationalisation of its gold mines and declared that it lacked jurisdiction over Venezuela's counterclaim for damage to natural resources, which Venezuela had not quantified. Rusoro's judgment of about US$1.569 billion is discharged inside the court-approved CITGO sale.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":7.3,"lon":-61.8,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"El Callao, El Dorado and Cuyuní districts, Bolívar State","lat":7.3,"lon":-61.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Delaware","role":"court"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"company-home"}],"start":2008,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","finance","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"ICSID award to Rusoro Mining for the 2011 nationalisation","value":"US$966,500,000 + interest","note":"Award of 22 August 2016. Venezuela's counterclaim for damage to natural resources was declared outside the tribunal's jurisdiction and was never quantified."},"happened":["On 4 July 2008 Rusoro Mining and the Venezuelan state formed the VenRus joint venture (Rusoro 50%, state 50%). According to the Crystallex award, the Ministry of Mines announced in November 2008 that VenRus would operate Las Cristinas. In 2011 Venezuela nationalised the gold sector, and Rusoro's mines, mainly in the El Callao, El Dorado and Cuyuní districts of Bolívar State, including the Choco 10 mine near El Callao, were affected.","On 22 August 2016 an ICSID Additional Facility tribunal seated in Paris (Juan Fernández-Armesto, President; Francisco Orrego Vicuña; Bruno Simma) found expropriation without compensation in breach of article VII of the investment treaty, and a breach of the Annex paragraph 6 through the 2010 BCV export resolution. It held the 2009 measures time-barred. It awarded US$966,500,000 as compensation for the expropriation plus US$1,277,002 in damages for gold-export restrictions, with interest at USD LIBOR 1-year + 4% (minimum 4%) compounded annually from 16 September 2011, and US$3,302,500 in costs.","Venezuela brought a counterclaim alleging that Rusoro \"caused damage to the natural resources of the Bolivarian Republic by adopting improper mining practices in the Choco 10 mine, contrary to its own mining plans\". Venezuela called the counterclaim \"purely declaratory, because it has been unable to quantify its claim\", and said Rusoro had refused to provide the information needed. The tribunal declared that it \"lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the counter-claim\". In its public-purpose defence of the nationalisation, Venezuela also said it responded to \"environmental harm and violation of rights of the workers\".","Rusoro became a judgment creditor in the court-ordered sale of CITGO's parent company. Under the Amber Energy bid approved by the District of Delaware on 25 and 29 November 2025, Rusoro receives a package of cash and non-cash consideration in exchange for discharging its attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion. Rusoro is a record holder in Amber's credit bid, with Koch, in a principal amount of US$2,009,272,932.70."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"VenRus joint venture formed, Rusoro 50% and the state 50% (4 Jul)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Ministry of Mines announces that VenRus will operate Las Cristinas (Nov), as recorded in the Crystallex award","src":1},{"y":2011,"t":"Gold-sector nationalisation; interest on the award runs from 16 September","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"ICSID award of US$966.5 million; counterclaim declared outside jurisdiction (22 Aug)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Rusoro's attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion discharged within the Amber purchase price (25 and 29 Nov)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"caused damage to the natural resources of the Bolivarian Republic by adopting improper mining practices in the Choco 10 mine, contrary to its own mining plans","who":"Venezuela's counterclaim, as recorded in the award","when":"Before August 2016","src":0},{"q":"purely declaratory, because it has been unable to quantify its claim","who":"Venezuela on its own counterclaim, as recorded in the award","when":"Before August 2016","src":0},{"q":"lacks jurisdiction to adjudicate the counter-claim","who":"ICSID tribunal, award","when":"22 August 2016","src":0},{"q":"environmental harm and violation of rights of the workers","who":"Venezuela's public-purpose defence of the nationalisation, as recorded in the award","when":"Before August 2016","src":0},{"q":"a package of cash and non-cash consideration","who":"Judge Leonard P. Stark, on Rusoro's treatment in the Amber bid","when":"25 November 2025","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The nationalisation was presented as responding to environmental harm and violation of workers' rights.","who":"Venezuela, as recorded in the award","src":0},{"t":"Rusoro was presented as having damaged natural resources through improper mining practices at the Choco 10 mine, contrary to its own mining plans.","who":"Venezuela's counterclaim, as recorded in the award","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Venezuela said it was unable to quantify its natural-resource damage claim and that Rusoro refused to provide the information needed.","src":0},{"t":"The tribunal declared that it lacked jurisdiction over the counterclaim.","src":0},{"t":"The tribunal found expropriation without compensation and a breach of the Annex paragraph 6 through the 2010 BCV export resolution; it held the 2009 measures time-barred.","src":0},{"t":"Rusoro's attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion is discharged within the Amber purchase price of US$5.892 billion.","src":2},{"t":"The sale order lists a credit bid for the Rusoro and Koch judgments with a principal of US$2,009,272,932.70.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2011–2025 — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Venezuela's natural-resource counterclaim against Rusoro","amount":null,"note":"Not quantified by Venezuela; declared outside the tribunal's jurisdiction."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Compensation for expropriation, plus interest (22 August 2016)","amount":966.5,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Damages for gold-export restrictions","amount":1.277002,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Costs awarded","amount":3.3025,"window":"2016"},{"label":"Rusoro attached judgment discharged within the Amber purchase price","amount":1569,"qualifier":"about","window":"2025"},{"label":"Credit bid principal for the Rusoro and Koch judgments","amount":2009.272932,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Award to Rusoro","v":"US$966.5m + interest","d":"22 August 2016; compensation for expropriation"},{"k":"Venezuela's natural-resource counterclaim","v":"Unquantified","d":"Declared outside the tribunal's jurisdiction"},{"k":"Rusoro judgment discharged in the CITGO sale","v":"About US$1.569bn","d":"Within the Amber purchase price, November 2025"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the natural-resource damage Venezuela alleged at the Choco 10 mine; Venezuela stated it was unable to quantify its claim.","None on record: a ruling on whether the alleged improper mining practices at Choco 10 occurred; the tribunal declared that it lacked jurisdiction over the counterclaim.","Insufficient: the current value of the Rusoro judgment beyond the court's figure of approximately US$1.569 billion.","Not disclosed: the information Venezuela said Rusoro refused to provide for quantifying the counterclaim.","None on record: insurance relating to the nationalisation or the award."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record. The 2011 nationalisation transferred Rusoro's mines to the state; no source states what changed in the mining practices at Choco 10.","whoPaid":"Venezuela was ordered to pay US$966.5 million plus interest. Within the CITGO sale, Rusoro's attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion is discharged by a package of cash and non-cash consideration. None on record: any payment for natural-resource damage.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: Rusoro's attached judgment is discharged under the Amber sale, which is on appeal in the Third Circuit (oral argument set for 21 October 2026); OFAC licensing of the sale is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Argued in its public-purpose defence that the nationalisation responded to environmental harm and violation of the rights of workers, and brought a counterclaim for damage to natural resources at the Choco 10 mine, which it said it was unable to quantify.","when":"ICSID proceedings, before August 2016","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"rusoro-mining","role":"Award holder; claimant; judgment creditor"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Respondent; counterclaimant"},{"id":"icsid","role":"Arbitral forum"},{"id":"koch-industries","role":"Co-holder in the credit bid"},{"id":"amber-energy","role":"Buyer of the PDVH shares"},{"id":"us-district-court-delaware","role":"Approved the sale"}],"sources":[{"t":"Rusoro Mining Ltd. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/12/5, Award","p":"ICSID tribunal (via italaw)","d":"2016-08-22","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw7507.pdf"},{"t":"Crystallex International Corporation v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, ICSID Case No. ARB(AF)/11/2, Award","p":"ICSID tribunal (via italaw)","d":"2016-04-04","type":"court","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-documents/italaw7194.pdf"},{"t":"Opinion adopting Special Master's Updated Final Recommendation (D.I. 2553, Misc. No. 17-151-LPS)","p":"US District Court, D. Del. (Judge Stark); copy hosted by Gold Reserve","d":"2025-11-25","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/Judge-Starks-Opinion.pdf"},{"t":"Order (I) Approving Stock Purchase Agreement, (II) Authorizing Sale of the PDVH Shares (D.I. 2556)","p":"US District Court, D. Del. (Judge Stark); copy hosted by Gold Reserve","d":"2025-11-29","type":"court","u":"https://www.goldreserveinc.com/s/2025-11-29-2556-Crystallex-International-Corporation-v-ORDER-I-APPROVING-STOCK-PURCHASE-AGREEMENT-II.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Rusoro Mining Ltd. v. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (ICSID Additional Facility, ARB(AF)/12/5)","forum":"ICSID Additional Facility tribunal, seat Paris (Juan Fernández-Armesto, President; Francisco Orrego Vicuña; Bruno Simma)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Rusoro Mining Ltd.","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","filed":null,"decided":"2016-08-22","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":966.5,"currency":"USD","label":"compensation for expropriation, plus US$1,277,002 for gold-export restrictions, interest at USD LIBOR 1-year + 4% (minimum 4%) from 16 September 2011, and US$3,302,500 costs"},"summary":"The tribunal found expropriation without compensation (BIT Art. VII) and a breach of Annex paragraph 6 through the 2010 BCV export resolution, and held the 2009 measures time-barred.","src":0},{"title":"Venezuela's counterclaim for damage to natural resources at the Choco 10 mine","forum":"ICSID Additional Facility tribunal","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela","defendant":"Rusoro Mining Ltd.","filed":null,"decided":"2016-08-22","status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"Venezuela alleged damage to its natural resources through improper mining practices at Choco 10, contrary to Rusoro's mining plans, and called the claim purely declaratory because it was unable to quantify it. The tribunal declared that it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the counterclaim.","src":0},{"title":"Rusoro's attached judgment within the court-ordered CITGO sale","forum":"US District Court for the District of Delaware (Judge Leonard P. Stark)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Rusoro Mining Ltd.","defendant":"Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela; PDVSA; PDVH","filed":null,"decided":"2025-11-25","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":1569,"currency":"USD","label":"attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion, discharged within the purchase price"},"summary":"Under the Amber bid approved on 25 and 29 November 2025, Rusoro receives a package of cash and non-cash consideration in exchange for discharging its attached judgment.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damages_awarded","value":966.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Compensation for expropriation, plus interest."},{"key":"damages_awarded","value":1.277002,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Damages for gold-export restrictions."},{"key":"costs_awarded","value":3.3025,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"Costs."},{"key":"judgment","value":1569,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"approximately","note":"Rusoro's attached judgment discharged within the Amber purchase price."},{"key":"credit_bid","value":2009.272932,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Principal of the credit bid for the Rusoro and Koch judgments."},{"key":"joint_venture_share","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2008,"note":"Rusoro's share of the VenRus joint venture (state 50%)."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether Rusoro damaged Venezuela's natural resources at the Choco 10 mine","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuela","says":"Rusoro caused damage to the natural resources of the Bolivarian Republic by adopting improper mining practices at Choco 10, contrary to its own mining plans; the claim was purely declaratory because Venezuela was unable to quantify it, and Rusoro refused to provide the information needed.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID tribunal","says":"Declared that it lacked jurisdiction to adjudicate the counterclaim.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether the nationalisation served a public purpose of environmental and workers' protection","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Venezuela","says":"The nationalisation responded to environmental harm and violation of the rights of workers.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"ICSID tribunal","says":"Found expropriation without compensation in breach of article VII of the investment treaty.","src":0}]}],"related":["crystallex-las-cristinas-award-and-citgo-sale","gold-reserve-brisas-award","siembra-minera-las-cristinas-brisas-mixed-company"],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An ICSID tribunal awarded Rusoro Mining US$966.5 million plus interest on 22 August 2016 for Venezuela's 2011 nationalisation of its gold mines, and declared that it lacked jurisdiction over Venezuela's unquantified counterclaim for damage to natural resources at the Choco 10 mine.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rusoro Mining","what":"Award of US$966.5 million plus interest; a package of cash and non-cash consideration in exchange for discharging its attached judgment of approximately US$1.569 billion","src":2},{"who":"Koch","what":"Co-holder with Rusoro in the credit bid of US$2,009,272,932.70 principal; non-cash consideration discharging approximately US$471 million","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Venezuela","what":"Ordered to pay US$966.5 million plus interest; its natural-resource counterclaim was declared outside the tribunal's jurisdiction","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Natural resources at the Choco 10 mine, El Callao","what":"Damage alleged by Venezuela through improper mining practices; not quantified and not adjudicated","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Mainly the El Callao, El Dorado and Cuyuní districts of Bolívar State, Venezuela; the Choco 10 mine is near El Callao.","src":0},"when":{"t":"VenRus joint venture 4 July 2008; nationalisation 2011; award 22 August 2016; CITGO sale approved 25 and 29 November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Venezuela defended the nationalisation as a response to environmental harm and violation of workers' rights; the tribunal found expropriation without compensation.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Rusoro obtained an ICSID Additional Facility award, attached judgment in the US, and receives consideration in the court-approved Amber purchase of the PDVH shares.","src":2}},"natureLead":{"t":"Venezuela said improper mining at the Choco 10 mine damaged my natural resources but could not quantify it; on 22 August 2016 the tribunal declined jurisdiction over that claim and awarded Rusoro US$966,500,000.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether Rusoro damaged Venezuela's natural resources at the Choco 10 mine","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the nationalisation served a public purpose of environmental and workers' protection","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Venezuela's natural-resource counterclaim against Rusoro — Not quantified by Venezuela; declared outside the tribunal's jurisdiction.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the natural-resource damage Venezuela alleged at the Choco 10 mine; Venezuela stated it was unable to quantify its claim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a ruling on whether the alleged improper mining practices at Choco 10 occurred; the tribunal declared that it lacked jurisdiction over the counterclaim.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the current value of the Rusoro judgment beyond the court's figure of approximately US$1.569 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the information Venezuela said Rusoro refused to provide for quantifying the counterclaim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance relating to the nationalisation or the award.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"lake-maracaibo-chronic-oil-leaks","title":"Lake Maracaibo chronic oil leaks","dek":"Oil leaks from ageing underwater pipelines and installations have been reported in Lake Maracaibo, Zulia state, for years, with new spills and gas leaks reported in September 2026. A clean-up plan announced in July 2023 came without a stated budget or timeline, and no compensation to fishers is on record.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":9.8,"lon":-71.6,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Lake Maracaibo, Zulia state","lat":9.8,"lon":-71.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2010,"end":2026,"instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","fossil-fuel","water"],"headline":{"label":"Published budget for the clean-up plan announced in July 2023","value":"None stated","note":"Reuters (17 August 2023) reported that the plan came with no stated investment or timeline."},"happened":["Lake Maracaibo, in Zulia state in north-western Venezuela, covers about 13,000 km2 and sits above one of the world's largest oil and gas reserves. According to NASA Earth Observatory (4 October 2021), thousands of wells have been drilled there since World War I, and the region produces about two-thirds of Venezuela's oil. Using MODIS, Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 images from September 2021, NASA reported that the region's oil infrastructure was seriously deteriorated and that slicks were a regular occurrence.","Eduardo Klein-Salas of Universidad Simón Bolívar told NASA that the lake has more than 10,000 oil-related installations and thousands of kilometres of underwater pipelines, mostly about 50 years old. Frank Muller-Karger of the University of South Florida said the oil comes from ageing, submerged pipelines that are not maintained and mostly not mapped. NASA cited reports estimating 40,000 to 50,000 oil leaks and spills across Venezuela, including the lake, between 2010 and 2016.","Mongabay Latam (24 January 2023) reported at least five spills and gas leaks in the lake at the start of 2023. Klein said a spill at Bachaquero had been leaking for more than five months, and ongoing spills at Barranquitas, on the western shore, covered more than 30 km2. Reuters reported on 17 August 2023 that the state oil company PDVSA had posted, then quickly removed, a report listing about 11,492 spills in 2017; its 2016 report, still online, counted more than 8,000 spills, four times the 1999 figure. The Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela (OEP) counted 73 spills in the country by 30 November 2021, 86 in 2022 (31 in Zulia) and 86 in 2023 (40 in Zulia).","In July 2023 President Maduro pledged to clean up western Lake Maracaibo; Reuters noted that no investment or timeline was stated. EFE reported on 25 August 2023 that 11 km of pipeline had been replaced so far (the article's lead gives 166 km), with a next phase of 66 km and 700 km planned. On 6 October 2023 PDVSA said it had replaced 220 km of a 700 km system. On 12 November 2023 the government declared 1,200 m of shoreline contaminated with oily waste clean (EFE, citing state broadcaster VTV).","On 28 September 2026 Fundación Azul Ambientalista reported spills and gas leaks in six eastern-shore municipalities of Zulia (Cabimas, Lagunillas, Miranda, Valmore Rodríguez, Baralt and San Francisco), including a spill 'of severe magnitude' at Playa Los Poquitos (Bachaquero) and dead marine species (El Diario, 29 September 2026). The group said it had seen no real action by the authorities or any report on the situation."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"Reports cited by NASA estimate 40,000 to 50,000 leaks and spills across Venezuela between 2010 and 2016","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"NASA Earth Observatory publishes 'Troubled Waters' on slicks in the lake (4 Oct); OEP counts 73 spills in the country by 30 Nov","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"OEP counts 86 spills in the country, 31 of them in Zulia","src":8},{"y":2023,"t":"Five spills and gas leaks reported at the start of the year (Jan); President Maduro announces a clean-up plan (Jul); EFE reports 11 km of pipe replaced (25 Aug); PDVSA says 220 km replaced (6 Oct); 1,200 m of shoreline declared clean (12 Nov); OEP counts 86 spills, 40 in Zulia","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Fundación Azul Ambientalista reports spills and gas leaks in six municipalities (28 Sep)","src":10}],"said":[{"q":"Maracaibo Lake has more than 10,000 oil-related installations.","who":"Eduardo Klein-Salas, Universidad Simón Bolívar, to NASA Earth Observatory","when":"October 2021","src":0},{"q":"aging, submerged pipelines that are not maintained, mostly not even mapped","who":"Frank Muller-Karger, University of South Florida, to NASA Earth Observatory","when":"October 2021","src":0},{"q":"are nothing to write home about because historically, they have always existed","who":"Josué Lorca, Minister of Ecosocialism, on spills (English translation as given by Mongabay)","when":"June 2021","src":7,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"The problem in Venezuela is that there is a total lack of official information about these events.","who":"Eduardo Klein, Universidad Simón Bolívar, to Mongabay","when":"October 2021","src":7,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"almost zero","who":"Pedro Tellechea, Oil Minister and PDVSA president, on spills in the lake in 2023, as reported by Reuters","when":"17 August 2023","src":2},{"q":"Living on the beach went from being a dream come true to a nightmare.","who":"A resident of the lake shore, to Reuters","when":"August 2023","src":2},{"q":"We have seen no real action by the authorities or any report on this situation.","who":"Fundación Azul Ambientalista (English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"28 September 2026","src":10,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"It was said five or six treatment plants would be reactivated, and today we see there are none.","who":"Fundación Azul Ambientalista (English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"28 September 2026","src":10,"translated":"Spanish"}],"shown":[{"t":"There were 'almost zero' spills in the lake in 2023; any oil seen came from earlier leaks","who":"Pedro Tellechea, Oil Minister and PDVSA president, to Reuters","src":2},{"t":"Any 'descomposición' (decomposition) in the lake was 'una cuestión visual' (a visual matter)","who":"Pedro Tellechea, as reported by Reuters (Spanish version, translated)","src":3},{"t":"The change to flexible pipe 'will prevent crude leaks and reduce environmental impact'","who":"Jannier Viloria, PDVSA manager, 6 October 2023 (translated)","src":5},{"t":"Some spills were caused by sabotage","who":"PDVSA, as reported by Mongabay Latam","src":1},{"t":"1,200 m of shoreline contaminated with oily waste declared clean","who":"Government, 12 November 2023, as reported by EFE citing VTV (translated)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"NASA Earth Observatory (2021) reported seriously deteriorated oil infrastructure and regular slicks; fishers often find nets and catch coated in crude.","src":0},{"t":"PDVSA's 2016 report counted more than 8,000 spills, four times the 1999 figure; a report listing about 11,492 spills in 2017 was posted and then quickly removed (Reuters, 17 August 2023).","src":2},{"t":"OEP spill counts for the whole country: 73 by 30 November 2021; 86 in 2022 (Zulia 31, Falcón 29, Anzoátegui 14); 86 in 2023 (Zulia 40, Falcón 32, Anzoátegui 8, Monagas 2, Carabobo 1).","src":8},{"t":"Pipeline replacement totals reported in 2023: 11 km (EFE, 25 August; the lead gives 166 km) and 220 km of a 700 km system (PDVSA, 6 October).","src":4},{"t":"Methane emissions of 1.2 (1.0–1.5) Tg a-1 were estimated for the Lake Maracaibo area in 2019 (Nathan et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2024).","src":12},{"t":"Fishing gear is damaged 'sin que exista reparación económica por parte de la empresa estatal PDVSA' (with no economic compensation from the state company PDVSA), according to the OEP 2022 report.","src":8},{"t":"A resident cited by Inside Climate News (May 2026): 'Apparently, they put in actions to protect and sanitize the lake, but I don't know if it's helped at all.'","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023–2026","nature":[{"label":"Stated budget for the clean-up plan announced July 2023","amount":null,"note":"No investment or timeline was stated (Reuters, 17 August 2023)."},{"label":"Compensation to fishers for damaged fishing gear","amount":null,"note":"OEP 2022 report: no economic compensation from PDVSA."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Analyst's estimate of the cost of repairing old pipes and installing gas capture","amount":3000,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"window":"2023","note":"Nelson Hernández, quoted by Reuters (17 August 2023)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Spills counted by the OEP, 2023","v":"86","d":"Whole country; 40 in Zulia"},{"k":"Stated clean-up budget","v":"None","d":"Plan announced July 2023 without investment or timeline (Reuters)"},{"k":"Compensation to fishers","v":"None recorded","d":"OEP 2022: gear damaged with no compensation from PDVSA"},{"k":"Methane, Lake Maracaibo area, 2019","v":"1.2 Tg a-1","d":"Range 1.0–1.5 (Nathan et al., 2024)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NASA Earth Observatory, researchers quoted by NASA and Mongabay, the OEP and a 2024 atmospheric study recorded slicks, methane emissions, algal blooms, declining species and fishers' losses in and around the lake.","report":[{"t":"Slicks appeared on my surface in satellite images in September 2021, according to NASA Earth Observatory; oil comes from ageing, submerged pipelines.","src":0},{"t":"Ongoing spills at Barranquitas on my western shore covered more than 30 km2 at the start of 2023, according to Mongabay Latam.","src":1},{"t":"Methane of 1.2 (1.0–1.5) Tg a-1 was estimated to rise from my area in 2019, according to Nathan et al. (2024).","src":12},{"t":"I am a permanently eutrophic lake, with green algae (Scenedesmus, Chlorella) and cyanobacteria blooms; a duckweed (Lemna obscura) bloom in 2004 lasted eight months, according to Eduardo Klein-Salas (NASA, 2021).","src":0},{"t":"High vanadium and lead levels in me were cited by a researcher quoted by Mongabay Latam (2023).","src":1},{"t":"My northern screamer (Chauna chavaria) and Zulia toad-headed turtle (Mesoclemmys zuliae) appear to be declining in the area, according to Mongabay (2021).","src":7},{"t":"Fishers once caught about 1 tonne of fish a week on my waters and now catch about 300 kg, according to a 2016 Mongabay report cited by Mongabay Latam (2023).","src":1},{"t":"Dead marine species and a spill 'of severe magnitude' at Playa Los Poquitos were reported on my eastern shore on 28 September 2026.","src":10}]},"unknown":["None on record: a published budget or timeline for the clean-up plan announced in July 2023 (Reuters, 17 August 2023).","None on record: compensation to fishers; the OEP 2022 report states that fishing gear is damaged with no economic compensation from PDVSA.","None on record: sanctions against PDVSA for spills in the lake; experts told Mongabay Latam (2023) that the government has not enforced existing norms or sanctioned the company.","None on record: a prosecution, fine or civil judgment over spills in Lake Maracaibo.","Not disclosed: barrels spilled, volumes and environmental impact; the OEP 2022 report states that the State provides no information on the real number of barrels spilled, their volume, or their socio-environmental impact.","Not disclosed: spill reports or data; Inside Climate News (2026) wrote that 'The country has not released oil spill reports or data in the last four years.'","Not disclosed: spill records and verified damage; according to Quero (Mongabay Latam, 2023), neither the government nor PDVSA keeps spill records or verifies damage, and, according to Essig, PDVSA's contingency plan has not been updated since 1995.","Figures differ: annual spill counts. PDVSA's own reports list more than 8,000 (2016) and about 11,492 (2017, posted then removed); Essig puts spills at more than 4,000 a year; Severeyn estimates about 300,000 barrels a year and says 'no precise estimate exists'; the OEP counted 86 in the country in 2023.","Figures differ: pipeline replaced. EFE gave 11 km (25 August 2023) and, in the lead of the same article, 166 km; PDVSA gave 220 km of a 700 km system (6 October 2023).","Figures differ: length of underwater pipelines. Essig cites about 28,000 km; Quero cites about 22,000 km of inactive crude and gas lines (Mongabay Latam, 2023).","Self-reported only: pipeline replacement totals (PDVSA and the presidential commission) and the 1,200 m shoreline clean-up (government, via VTV and EFE); an independent check is not on record.","Insufficient: the OEP 2022 report leaves out the liabilities of 13,510 oil pits that existed in 2016 according to PDVSA's own socio-environmental balance."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"No. Spills and gas leaks were reported in the lake again on 28 September 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record. No budget for the 2023 clean-up plan and no compensation to fishers are on record; the OEP reports fishing gear damaged with no economic compensation from PDVSA.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: spills and gas leaks were reported again in six eastern-shore municipalities; no clean-up budget, fine or court judgment is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"pdvsa","says":"Pedro Tellechea, Oil Minister and PDVSA president, said there were 'almost zero' spills in the lake in 2023 and attributed any oil to earlier leaks.","when":"17 August 2023","src":2},{"actor":"pdvsa","says":"PDVSA manager Jannier Viloria said the change to flexible pipe would prevent crude leaks and reduce environmental impact (translated).","when":"6 October 2023","src":5},{"actor":"venezuela-ministry-ecosocialism","says":"Minister Josué Lorca said spills 'are nothing to write home about because historically, they have always existed' (English translation as given by Mongabay).","when":"June 2021","src":7},{"actor":"chevron","says":"Declined to answer questions about its role in the country's environmental problems.","when":"27 May 2026","src":11}],"actors":[{"id":"pdvsa","role":"State oil company; operator of the lake's installations and pipelines"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Announced the July 2023 clean-up plan and pipeline replacement"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-ecosocialism","role":"Environment ministry; minister said spills had always existed"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Satellite imagery of slicks, 2021"},{"id":"oep-venezuela","role":"Counted spills nationwide, 2021–2023"},{"id":"fundacion-azul-ambientalista","role":"Reported spills in six municipalities, September 2026"},{"id":"chevron","role":"Operator in Venezuela; declined to answer questions on its environmental role"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether spills in the lake continued in 2023","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Pedro Tellechea, Oil Minister and PDVSA president","says":"There were 'almost zero' spills in the lake in 2023; any oil came from earlier leaks.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela (via Voz de América)","says":"Counted 86 spills in the country in 2023, 40 of them in Zulia.","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"Eduardo Klein, Universidad Simón Bolívar (Mongabay Latam)","says":"At least five spills and gas leaks at the start of 2023; a Bachaquero spill had been leaking for more than five months.","src":1}]},{"point":"Cause of the oil in the lake","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA (as reported by Mongabay Latam)","says":"Some spills were caused by sabotage.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Frank Muller-Karger, University of South Florida (NASA)","says":"The oil comes from ageing, submerged pipelines that are not maintained, mostly not mapped; the spills are cumulative and have worsened without a government response.","src":0}]},{"point":"Length of pipeline replaced","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"EFE via El Tiempo, 25 August 2023 (citing Néstor Reverol, head of the presidential commission)","says":"11 km replaced so far; the lead gives 166 km; next phase 66 km; 700 km planned.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA, via EFE, 6 October 2023","says":"Replaced 220 km of pipeline out of a 700 km system.","src":5}]},{"point":"Number of spills per year","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA reports (via Reuters)","says":"More than 8,000 spills in 2016 and about 11,492 in 2017; the 2017 report was removed soon after posting.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Essig and Severeyn (Mongabay Latam)","says":"Essig: more than 4,000 spills a year; Severeyn: about 300,000 barrels a year, with 'no precise estimate' possible.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela","says":"73 spills in the country by 30 November 2021; 86 in 2022; 86 in 2023.","src":8}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"lake_area_km2","value":13000,"unit":"km2","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"NASA Earth Observatory."},{"key":"oil_installations","value":10000,"unit":"installations","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Eduardo Klein-Salas, quoted by NASA."},{"key":"spill_count_estimate","value":50000,"unit":"leaks and spills","year":2016,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Reports cited by NASA estimate 40,000 to 50,000 across Venezuela, including the lake, between 2010 and 2016."},{"key":"spill_count","value":8000,"unit":"spills","year":2016,"qualifier":"more than","note":"PDVSA's own 2016 report, per Reuters; four times the 1999 figure."},{"key":"spill_count","value":11492,"unit":"spills","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Report posted then quickly removed by PDVSA, per Reuters."},{"key":"spill_count","value":73,"unit":"spills (whole country)","year":2021,"note":"OEP count by 30 November 2021."},{"key":"spill_count","value":86,"unit":"spills (whole country)","year":2022,"note":"OEP: Zulia 31, Falcón 29, Anzoátegui 14."},{"key":"spill_count","value":86,"unit":"spills (whole country)","year":2023,"note":"OEP: Zulia 40, Falcón 32, Anzoátegui 8, Monagas 2, Carabobo 1."},{"key":"spill_area_km2","value":30,"unit":"km2","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ongoing spills at Barranquitas, western shore (Mongabay Latam)."},{"key":"pipeline_replaced_km","value":220,"unit":"km","year":2023,"note":"PDVSA, 6 October 2023, of a 700 km system; EFE reported 11 km on 25 August 2023."},{"key":"shoreline_declared_clean_km","value":1.2,"unit":"km","year":2023,"note":"Shoreline declared clean by the government, 12 November 2023 (1,200 m)."},{"key":"repair_cost_estimate","value":3000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Analyst's estimate for repairing old pipes and installing gas capture (Reuters)."},{"key":"methane_emissions_tg_per_year","value":1.2,"unit":"Tg a-1","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"Lake Maracaibo area; range 1.0–1.5 (Nathan et al., 2024)."},{"key":"fish_catch_kg_per_week","value":300,"unit":"kg","year":2016,"note":"Fishers once caught about 1 tonne a week (per a 2016 Mongabay report cited by Mongabay Latam)."},{"key":"fishers","value":10000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Quero, quoted by Mongabay Latam."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oil leaks and gas releases from ageing underwater pipelines and installations in Lake Maracaibo, reported by NASA, scientists, NGOs and the press from 2021 to September 2026, and a government clean-up plan announced in July 2023 without a stated budget or timeline.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Fishers on the lake","what":"Nets and catch coated in crude (NASA, 2021); fishing gear damaged with no economic compensation from PDVSA (OEP, 2022)","src":8}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Maracaibo","what":"Slicks and methane emissions of 1.2 (1.0–1.5) Tg a-1 in 2019 (estimate); permanently eutrophic, with algal and cyanobacteria blooms","src":0},{"who":"Northern screamer and Zulia toad-headed turtle","what":"Appear to be declining in the area (Mongabay, 2021)","src":7},{"who":"Marine species on the eastern shore","what":"Dead species reported on 28 September 2026","src":10}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Maracaibo, Zulia state, north-western Venezuela (about 9.8 N, 71.6 W); eastern-shore municipalities Cabimas, Lagunillas, Miranda, Valmore Rodríguez, Baralt and San Francisco named in 2026.","src":10},"when":{"t":"Slicks recorded by NASA in September 2021; spills reported at the start of 2023; clean-up plan announced late July 2023; spills reported again in September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"NASA and researchers attribute the oil to ageing, submerged, poorly maintained pipelines; PDVSA has blamed some spills on sabotage.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The government announced a clean-up plan in July 2023, replaced sections of pipeline (11 km to 220 km, depending on the source) and declared 1,200 m of shoreline clean; no budget was stated and no compensation to fishers is on record.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Troubled Waters","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2021-10-04","type":"official","u":"https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-observatory/troubled-waters-148894"},{"t":"Venezuela: el 2023 inició con derrames petroleros en Lago de Maracaibo (Venezuela: 2023 began with oil spills in Lake Maracaibo)","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2023-01-24","type":"press","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2023/01/2023-inicio-con-derrames-petroleros-en-lago-de-maracaibo-en-venezuela/"},{"t":"Venezuela fails to curb oil leaks, gas flaring despite pledges","p":"Reuters (via Hydrocarbon Processing)","d":"2023-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2023/08/venezuela-fails-to-curb-oil-leaks-gas-flaring-despite-pledges/"},{"t":"Venezuela no logra frenar los derrames de petróleo y quema de gas (Venezuela fails to stop oil spills and gas flaring)","p":"Reuters (via LM Neuquén)","d":"2023-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://mase.lmneuquen.com/reuters/venezuela-no-logra-frenar-los-derrames-petroleo-y-quema-gas-n1049656"},{"t":"Venezuela sustituye kilómetros de tuberías para evitar derrames de crudo en Maracaibo (Venezuela replaces kilometres of pipeline to prevent crude spills in Maracaibo)","p":"EFE (via El Tiempo)","d":"2023-08-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/venezuela/venezuela-sustituye-kilometros-de-tuberias-para-evitar-derrames-de-crudo-en-maracaibo-799674"},{"t":"PDVSA busca poner fin a filtraciones de petróleo en el Lago de Maracaibo (PDVSA seeks to end oil leaks in Lake Maracaibo)","p":"EFE (via Finanzas Digital)","d":"2023-10-06","type":"press","u":"https://finanzasdigital.com/pdvsa-busca-poner-fin-a-filtraciones-de-petroleo-en-el-lago-de-maracaibo/"},{"t":"Gobierno declara saneados 1.200 metros de costa del Lago de Maracaibo (Government declares 1,200 metres of Lake Maracaibo shore clean)","p":"EFE (via Finanzas Digital)","d":"2023-11-13","type":"press","u":"https://finanzasdigital.com/gobierno-declara-saneados-1-200-metros-de-costa-del-lago-de-maracaibo/"},{"t":"Oil spills plague Venezuelan coast, but cleanup efforts are lacking: Report","p":"Mongabay","d":"2021-10-04","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/oil-spills-plague-venezuelan-coast-but-cleanup-efforts-are-lacking-report/"},{"t":"Situación socioambiental de Venezuela 2022 (Socio-environmental situation of Venezuela 2022)","p":"Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela","d":"2023-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://ecopoliticavenezuela.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Situacion-socioambiental-de-Venezuela-2022_OEP.pdf"},{"t":"Organización documentó 86 derrames petroleros en Venezuela en 2023 (Organisation documented 86 oil spills in Venezuela in 2023)","p":"Voz de América","d":"2024-01-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/organizacion-documento-86-derrames-petroleros-en-venezuela-en-2023/7435654.html"},{"t":"Fundación Azul Ambientalista denunció que derrames petroleros afectan a seis municipios del estado Zulia (Fundación Azul Ambientalista reports oil spills affecting six municipalities of Zulia state)","p":"El Diario","d":"2026-09-29","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2026/09/29/derrames-petroleros-zulia/"},{"t":"In Venezuela, Anxiety About Ramping Up Oil Production in the Heavily Polluted Lake Maracaibo Region","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2026-05-27","type":"press","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/27052026/venezuela-lake-maracaibo-oil-production-environmental-impacts/"},{"t":"Assessing methane emissions from collapsing Venezuelan oil production using TROPOMI","p":"Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 24, 6845–6863 (Nathan et al.)","d":"2024-06-13","type":"academic","u":"https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/6845/2024/"}],"related":["venezuela-gas-flaring-and-methane","el-palito-refinery-spill-morrocoy-2020","venezuela-coastal-oil-spills-coro-and-lecheria","plate-princess-spill-lake-maracaibo-1997","nissos-amorgos-spill-gulf-of-venezuela-1997"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether spills in the lake continued in 2023","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the oil in the lake","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Number of spills per year","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Stated budget for the clean-up plan announced July 2023 — No investment or timeline was stated (Reuters, 17 August 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation to fishers for damaged fishing gear — OEP 2022 report: no economic compensation from PDVSA.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Length of pipeline replaced","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published budget or timeline for the clean-up plan announced in July 2023 (Reuters, 17 August 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation to fishers; the OEP 2022 report states that fishing gear is damaged with no economic compensation from PDVSA.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: sanctions against PDVSA for spills in the lake; experts told Mongabay Latam (2023) that the government has not enforced existing norms or sanctioned the company.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a prosecution, fine or civil judgment over spills in Lake Maracaibo.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: barrels spilled, volumes and environmental impact; the OEP 2022 report states that the State provides no information on the real number of barrels spilled, their volume, or their socio-environmental impact.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: spill reports or data; Inside Climate News (2026) wrote that 'The country has not released oil spill reports or data in the last four years.'","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: spill records and verified damage; according to Quero (Mongabay Latam, 2023), neither the government nor PDVSA keeps spill records or verifies damage, and, according to Essig, PDVSA's contingency plan has not been updated since 1995.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: annual spill counts. PDVSA's own reports list more than 8,000 (2016) and about 11,492 (2017, posted then removed); Essig puts spills at more than 4,000 a year; Severeyn estimates about 300,000 barrels a year and says 'no precise estimate exists'; the OEP counted 86 in the country in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: pipeline replaced. EFE gave 11 km (25 August 2023) and, in the lead of the same article, 166 km; PDVSA gave 220 km of a 700 km system (6 October 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: length of underwater pipelines. Essig cites about 28,000 km; Quero cites about 22,000 km of inactive crude and gas lines (Mongabay Latam, 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: pipeline replacement totals (PDVSA and the presidential commission) and the 1,200 m shoreline clean-up (government, via VTV and EFE); an independent check is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the OEP 2022 report leaves out the liabilities of 13,510 oil pits that existed in 2016 according to PDVSA's own socio-environmental balance.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"el-palito-refinery-spill-morrocoy-2020","title":"El Palito refinery spill into Golfo Triste and Morrocoy National Park, 2020","dek":"A slick of oil visible on satellite images from 22 July 2020 reached the coast of Falcón state and Morrocoy National Park. Estimates of the volume ranged from about 20,000 to 26,730 barrels; scientists, NGOs and the National Assembly pointed to the El Palito refinery, while the official version cited a cargo ship. No cost, fine or compensation is on record.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":10.48,"lon":-68.11,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"El Palito refinery, Puerto Cabello, Carabobo state","lat":10.48,"lon":-68.11,"role":"event"},{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Morrocoy National Park and Golfo Triste, Falcón state","lat":10.87,"lon":-68.27,"role":"affected"}],"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Estimates of oil spilled, July 2020","value":"20,000–26,730 barrels","note":"Estimates: about 20,000 barrels (Eduardo Klein; Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología) and 26,730 barrels (Universidad Simón Bolívar report). PDVSA gave no figure."},"happened":["Satellite images showed an oil slick in Golfo Triste from 22 July 2020; Eduardo Klein of Universidad Simón Bolívar said it was absent on 19 July. He estimated about 20,000 barrels, possibly spreading over about 350 km2, and said the volume was 'more than double' that of the Mauritius spill (BBC News Mundo, 15 August 2020). A Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report, presented by María Gabriela Hernández, chair of the National Assembly environment commission, put the spill at 26,730 barrels between 19 and 22 July and found no sign that the spilled oil was contained (EFE, 19 August 2020). Velisa Morón of the Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología also estimated about 20,000 barrels.","Oil reached the coast of Falcón state and Morrocoy National Park. Fundación Azul Ambientalistas put the extent of the slick at about 260 km (EFE); BBC News Mundo reported that the oil travelled more than 80 km beyond Morrocoy. Hernández called it the third spill of the year, and VOA reported on 18 August 2020 that the type and quantity of hydrocarbon had not been disclosed.","Scientists, NGOs and the National Assembly attributed the spill to the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello. Klein disputed the official version that a ship that left La Guaira on 29 July was responsible, because the slick existed a week earlier. A February 2022 report by the Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales (25 pages) counted at least nine spills in 2020–2021 and cited a 26,730-barrel spill that reached Morrocoy; it gave two possible sources, the official account of a cargo ship that left a central port and the experts' and NGOs' attribution to El Palito. Reuters dated that spill to July 2021, whereas EFE in August 2020 gave 19–22 July 2020.","On 11 August 2020 vice-minister Josué Lorca said more than 15.2 km of coast had been cleaned, listing Punta Brava (2.7 km contaminated), Cayo Hat (1.5 km) and Mero Beach (943 m) (NTN24). He also said 90% of the oil had been removed in Morrocoy by 1,200 volunteers (EFE) and that 90% of the coasts of Morrocoy National Park and Golfo Triste had been cleaned (BBC News Mundo). Minister Oswaldo Barbera said on 10 August 2020 that a dive found no effect on the coral reefs and that the seabed was in perfect condition. The National Assembly environment commission opened an investigation in August 2020.","A later spill: Reuters reported on 17 August 2024 a new spill that appeared to come from El Palito, a refinery with a capacity of 146,000 barrels per day, contaminating Golfo Triste. Klein's satellite images showed about 225 km2 of slick, which he said completely covered Morrocoy. Hydrocarbons reached Boca de Aroa beaches and affected artisanal fishing boats. PDVSA and the oil ministry gave no immediate comment."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Slick visible on satellite images from 22 Jul; public reports from early Aug; Barbera says reefs unaffected (10 Aug); Lorca reports 15.2 km cleaned (11 Aug); BBC Mundo (15 Aug), VOA (18 Aug) and EFE (19 Aug) report estimates and the Assembly inquiry","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales report counts at least nine spills in 2020–2021 (Reuters, 16 Feb)","src":4},{"y":2024,"t":"New spill appearing to come from El Palito covers about 225 km2 and reaches Boca de Aroa (Reuters, 17 Aug)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"more than double that in Mauritius","who":"Eduardo Klein, Universidad Simón Bolívar, on the volume (BBC News Mundo; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"August 2020","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"no sign that the spilled oil was contained","who":"Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report, presented by María Gabriela Hernández (EFE; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"August 2020","src":1,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"The mangrove roots are completely oiled and the impact went far beyond what is visible.","who":"Gustavo Carrasquero, Fundación Azul Ambientalistas, on Los Juanes (VOA; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"August 2020","src":2,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"No technical or engineering explanation has been given; they have not really told us where it came from.","who":"Gustavo Carrasquero, Fundación Azul Ambientalistas (VOA; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"August 2020","src":2,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"the coral reefs were not affected and the seabed is in perfect condition","who":"Oswaldo Barbera, Minister of Ecosocialism, after a dive (VOA; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"10 August 2020","src":2,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"90% of the coasts of Morrocoy National Park and Golfo Triste had been cleaned","who":"Josué Lorca, vice-minister (BBC News Mundo; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"August 2020","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"both the government (in dispute) and the industry (state oil company) PDVSA have tried to cover up the ecological accident","who":"National Assembly environment commission, as reported by VOA (English rendering of the Spanish original); an allegation","when":"18 August 2020","src":2,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"I understand that many trained engineers have already left","who":"A former PDVSA engineer, on PDVSA's containment capacity (BBC News Mundo; English rendering of the Spanish original)","when":"August 2020","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"}],"shown":[{"t":"Dive found that the coral reefs were not affected and the seabed was in perfect condition; containment barriers and absorbent booms were deployed","who":"Oswaldo Barbera, Minister of Ecosocialism, 10 August 2020","src":2},{"t":"More than 15.2 km of coast cleaned; Punta Brava 2.7 km contaminated, Cayo Hat 1.5 km, Mero Beach 943 m","who":"Josué Lorca, vice-minister, 11 August 2020","src":3},{"t":"90% of the oil removed in Morrocoy by 1,200 volunteers","who":"Josué Lorca, vice-minister, as reported by EFE","src":1},{"t":"A cargo ship that left a central port was the source of the spill","who":"Official account, as described in the February 2022 Academy report (Reuters)","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"Satellite images show the slick from 22 July 2020 and not on 19 July (Klein, BBC News Mundo).","src":0},{"t":"A Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report put the spill at 26,730 barrels between 19 and 22 July 2020 and found no sign that the spilled oil was contained.","src":1},{"t":"The National Assembly environment commission opened an investigation in August 2020 and asked for the refinery maintenance schedule and the insurance held by the companies involved; no answer was reported.","src":2},{"t":"The Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales (February 2022) said PDVSA's 1986 contingency plan had not been applied efficiently in the last 20 years.","src":4},{"t":"A later spill in August 2024 appeared to come from El Palito and covered about 225 km2 according to Klein's satellite images.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020","nature":[{"label":"Clean-up cost","amount":null,"note":"No source states a cost."},{"label":"Fine or compensation","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Oil spilled (estimates)","v":"20,000–26,730 barrels","d":"Klein and the Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología about 20,000; Universidad Simón Bolívar report 26,730"},{"k":"Slick area (estimate)","v":"About 350 km2","d":"Klein, BBC News Mundo, August 2020; about 225 km2 in August 2024"},{"k":"Clean-up cost","v":"None stated","d":"No source gives a cost"},{"k":"Fine or compensation","v":"None on record","d":"No source records either"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Scientists and NGOs quoted by BBC News Mundo, EFE and VOA, and a Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report, described oiled mangroves, a risk to coral reefs and long-lasting effects in and around Morrocoy National Park.","report":[{"t":"The roots of my mangroves at Los Juanes were completely oiled, and the impact went far beyond what was visible, said Gustavo Carrasquero of Fundación Azul Ambientalistas (VOA, 18 August 2020).","src":2},{"t":"Effects on me could last up to 50 years or more, said Julia Álvarez of the Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología (EFE, 19 August 2020).","src":1},{"t":"Warnings were issued about my mangroves and corals during their reproductive season (EFE, 19 August 2020).","src":1},{"t":"If damage to my reefs is confirmed, the impact could be terrible because it would affect their future reproduction, said Eduardo Klein (BBC News Mundo, 15 August 2020).","src":0},{"t":"A Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report found no sign that the oil spilled on me in July 2020 was contained (EFE, 19 August 2020).","src":1},{"t":"In August 2024 a slick of about 225 km2 completely covered Morrocoy, according to Klein's satellite images, and hydrocarbons reached the beaches of Boca de Aroa (Reuters).","src":5}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the type and quantity of hydrocarbon spilled; PDVSA gave no official statement or explanation in August 2020 (VOA, 18 August 2020).","None on record: a clean-up cost; no source states one.","None on record: a fine, compensation or insurance payment for the 2020 spill.","None on record: an answer to the National Assembly commission's request for the insurance held by the companies involved (VOA, 18 August 2020).","None on record: a court case or charge over the 2020 spill.","Self-reported only: the official clean-up figures, more than 15.2 km cleaned and 90% of the oil removed by 1,200 volunteers, given by officials of the Ministry of Ecosocialism.","Disputed: the origin of the oil. Scientists, NGOs and the National Assembly pointed to the El Palito refinery; the official version cited a cargo ship.","Figures differ: volume. About 20,000 barrels (Klein, BBC News Mundo; Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología, VOA) against 26,730 barrels (Universidad Simón Bolívar report, EFE).","Figures differ: extent of the slick. About 350 km2 (Klein, BBC News Mundo); about 260 km (Fundación Azul Ambientalistas, EFE); more than 80 km beyond Morrocoy (BBC News Mundo).","Disputed: date of the 26,730-barrel spill. EFE (August 2020) gives 19–22 July 2020; Reuters (February 2022) gives July 2021."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded as stopped. A further spill appearing to come from the same refinery was reported on 17 August 2024.","whoPaid":"None on record. No clean-up cost, fine, compensation or insurance payment appears in the sources; clean-up was carried out by officials and volunteers.","statusLine":"As of the latest reports in the sources (August 2024): no cost, fine, compensation or court case is on record for the 2020 spill; a further spill appearing to come from El Palito was reported in August 2024.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"pdvsa","says":"No official statement or explanation of the spill was reported in August 2020; no immediate comment on the August 2024 spill.","when":"August 2020; August 2024","src":2},{"actor":"venezuela-ministry-ecosocialism","says":"Minister Oswaldo Barbera said a dive found no effect on the coral reefs and that the seabed was in perfect condition; vice-minister Josué Lorca said 90% of the coasts of Morrocoy National Park and Golfo Triste had been cleaned.","when":"August 2020","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"pdvsa","role":"State oil company; operator of the El Palito refinery"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-ecosocialism","role":"Environment ministry; reported clean-up progress"},{"id":"venezuela-national-assembly","role":"Environment commission opened an inquiry in August 2020"},{"id":"universidad-simon-bolivar","role":"Technical report on the volume; satellite estimates"},{"id":"fundacion-azul-ambientalista","role":"NGO documenting oiled mangroves"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Origin of the oil","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Eduardo Klein, Universidad Simón Bolívar (BBC News Mundo)","says":"Satellite images show the slick from 22 July and not on 19 July; he disputes the version of a ship that left La Guaira on 29 July, because the slick existed a week earlier.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Assembly environment commission (opposition-led)","says":"Asked for the refinery maintenance schedule and the insurance of the companies involved; scientists, NGOs and the Assembly attributed the spill to El Palito.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Official version, as described in the Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales report (Reuters)","says":"A cargo ship that left a central port was the source; the Academy gave this and the attribution to El Palito as the two possible sources.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA","says":"No official statement or explanation in August 2020.","src":2,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Volume spilled","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Eduardo Klein, Universidad Simón Bolívar (BBC News Mundo)","says":"About 20,000 barrels, possibly spreading over about 350 km2.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Velisa Morón, Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología (VOA)","says":"About 20,000 barrels.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report (EFE)","says":"26,730 barrels between 19 and 22 July 2020.","src":1}]},{"point":"Date of the 26,730-barrel spill","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"EFE via Diario Libre, 19 August 2020","says":"19–22 July 2020.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters, 16 February 2022","says":"July 2021.","src":4}]},{"point":"Condition of reefs and coast after the spill","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Oswaldo Barbera, Minister of Ecosocialism (VOA)","says":"A dive found that the coral reefs were not affected and the seabed was in perfect condition; containment barriers and absorbent booms were deployed.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Josué Lorca, vice-minister (BBC News Mundo; EFE)","says":"90% of the coasts of Morrocoy National Park and Golfo Triste had been cleaned; 90% of the oil removed in Morrocoy by 1,200 volunteers.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Gustavo Carrasquero, Fundación Azul Ambientalistas (VOA)","says":"The mangrove roots at Los Juanes are completely oiled and the impact went far beyond what is visible.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"An NGO representative quoted by EFE","says":"Crews cleaned with shovels and brooms, without barriers.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Eduardo Klein (BBC News Mundo)","says":"If reef damage is confirmed, the impact could be terrible because it would affect their future reproduction.","src":0}]},{"point":"Public explanation of the spill","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"National Assembly environment commission (VOA)","says":"Alleged that both the government (in dispute) and PDVSA have tried to cover up the ecological accident (translated).","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Gustavo Carrasquero, Fundación Azul Ambientalistas (VOA)","says":"No technical or engineering explanation has been given and no one has said where the oil came from (translated).","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA","says":"No official statement or explanation in August 2020.","src":2,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"National Assembly environment commission inquiry into the 2020 spill","forum":"National Assembly of Venezuela (opposition-led), environment commission","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"National Assembly environment commission","defendant":"None named","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The commission opened an investigation in August 2020 and asked for the refinery maintenance schedule and for the insurance held by the companies involved. No answer, finding or court proceeding was reported.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Not disclosed","insured":"The companies involved (not named in the request)","status":"unknown","year":2020,"amount":null,"reason":"No answer to the National Assembly commission's request was reported.","summary":"Deputy María Gabriela Hernández asked for the refinery maintenance schedule and for 'the insurance held by the companies involved'; VOA reported no reply on 18 August 2020.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":20000,"unit":"barrels","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Eduardo Klein (BBC News Mundo) and Velisa Morón, Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología (VOA)."},{"key":"oil_spilled_barrels","value":26730,"unit":"barrels","year":2020,"est":true,"note":"Universidad Simón Bolívar technical report, 19–22 July 2020 (EFE)."},{"key":"area_km2","value":350,"unit":"km2","year":2020,"qualifier":"possibly about","est":true,"note":"Slick extent, Klein (BBC News Mundo)."},{"key":"coast_declared_clean_km","value":15.2,"unit":"km","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Coast declared cleaned by vice-minister Lorca, 11 August 2020 (NTN24); self-reported."},{"key":"volunteers","value":1200,"unit":"people","year":2020,"note":"Volunteers said by Lorca to have removed 90% of the oil in Morrocoy (EFE)."},{"key":"spill_count","value":9,"unit":"spills","year":2021,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Spills in 2020–2021 counted by the Academia de Ciencias Físicas, Matemáticas y Naturales (Reuters, February 2022)."},{"key":"area_km2","value":225,"unit":"km2","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"August 2024 slick, Klein's satellite images (Reuters)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An oil slick visible on satellite images from 22 July 2020 reached the coast of Falcón state and Morrocoy National Park; estimates of the volume ranged from about 20,000 to 26,730 barrels.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Mangroves at Los Juanes, Morrocoy National Park","what":"Roots completely oiled, according to Fundación Azul Ambientalistas","src":2},{"who":"Coral reefs and mangroves of Morrocoy","what":"Warned to be at risk during their reproductive season; the Ministry of Ecosocialism said a dive found no effect on the reefs","src":1},{"who":"Artisanal fishers at Boca de Aroa (2024 spill)","what":"Fishing boats affected","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"El Palito refinery, Puerto Cabello, Carabobo (about 10.48 N, 68.11 W); oil reached the coast of Falcón state, Morrocoy National Park (about 10.87 N, 68.27 W) and the Cuare wildlife refuge area.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Spill dated 19–22 July 2020 on satellite evidence; public reports from early August 2020; a further spill reported on 17 August 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Scientists, NGOs and the National Assembly attributed the spill to the El Palito refinery; the official version cited a cargo ship that left La Guaira; PDVSA gave no explanation.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Clean-up was carried out by officials and about 1,200 volunteers according to vice-minister Lorca; no cost, fine, compensation or insurance payment is on record, and the National Assembly commission opened an inquiry.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"El devastador derrame en Venezuela (The devastating spill in Venezuela)","p":"BBC News Mundo (via Prensa Libre)","d":"2020-08-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.prensalibre.com/?p=6490458"},{"t":"Oposición venezolana denuncia pasividad del Gobierno ante vertido petrolero (Venezuelan opposition denounces government passivity over oil spill)","p":"EFE (via Diario Libre)","d":"2020-08-19","type":"press","u":"https://diariolibre.com/actualidad/internacional/oposicion-venezolana-denuncia-pasividad-del-gobierno-ante-vertido-petrolero-MC20888051"},{"t":"PDVSA no explica mientras se expande el derrame petrolero que impacta a costas venezolanas (PDVSA gives no explanation as oil spill hitting Venezuelan coasts spreads)","p":"Voz de América","d":"2020-08-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/venezuela_pdvsa-no-explica-derrame-petrolero-que-afecta-costas-venezolanas/6067166.html"},{"t":"Régimen emitió el primer reporte sobre los trabajos en Parque Nacional Morrocoy tras derrame de petróleo (Government issued first report on work in Morrocoy National Park after oil spill)","p":"NTN24","d":"2020-08-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.ntn24.com/noticias-actualidad/regimen-emitio-el-primer-reporte-sobre-los-trabajos-en-parque-nacional-morrocoy-tras-derrame-de-petroleo-124867"},{"t":"Científicos de Venezuela alertan por los derrames de petróleo de PDVSA (Venezuelan scientists warn about PDVSA oil spills)","p":"Reuters (via LM Neuquén)","d":"2022-02-16","type":"press","u":"https://mase.lmneuquen.com/pdvsa/cientificos-venezuela-alertan-los-derrames-petroleo-pdvsa-n886563"},{"t":"Oil spill reported off Venezuela's Caribbean coast","p":"Reuters (via Hydrocarbon Processing)","d":"2024-08-19","type":"press","u":"https://hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/08/oil-spill-reported-off-venezuelas-caribbean-coast/"}],"related":["lake-maracaibo-chronic-oil-leaks","venezuela-coastal-oil-spills-coro-and-lecheria","venezuela-gas-flaring-and-methane"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Volume spilled","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Condition of reefs and coast after the spill","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Clean-up cost — No source states a cost.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Fine or compensation — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Origin of the oil","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date of the 26,730-barrel spill","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Public explanation of the spill","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"PDVSA: No official statement or explanation in August 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"National Assembly environment commission inquiry into the 2020 spill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"Not disclosed: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Figures","text":"Coast declared clean km: Coast declared cleaned by vice-minister Lorca, 11 August 2020 (NTN24); self-reported.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the type and quantity of hydrocarbon spilled; PDVSA gave no official statement or explanation in August 2020 (VOA, 18 August 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a clean-up cost; no source states one.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a fine, compensation or insurance payment for the 2020 spill.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an answer to the National Assembly commission's request for the insurance held by the companies involved (VOA, 18 August 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case or charge over the 2020 spill.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the official clean-up figures, more than 15.2 km cleaned and 90% of the oil removed by 1,200 volunteers, given by officials of the Ministry of Ecosocialism.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the origin of the oil. Scientists, NGOs and the National Assembly pointed to the El Palito refinery; the official version cited a cargo ship.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: volume. About 20,000 barrels (Klein, BBC News Mundo; Sociedad Venezolana de Ecología, VOA) against 26,730 barrels (Universidad Simón Bolívar report, EFE).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: extent of the slick. About 350 km2 (Klein, BBC News Mundo); about 260 km (Fundación Azul Ambientalistas, EFE); more than 80 km beyond Morrocoy (BBC News Mundo).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: date of the 26,730-barrel spill. EFE (August 2020) gives 19–22 July 2020; Reuters (February 2022) gives July 2021.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"venezuela-coastal-oil-spills-coro-and-lecheria","title":"Venezuela coastal oil spills: Golfete de Coro (2020) and Lechería (2022)","dek":"PDVSA acknowledged a crude leak on the Ulé–Amuay pipeline near the Golfete de Coro in September 2020, and oil slicks closed several beaches at Lechería, Anzoátegui, in December 2022. No volume, cost or compensation is on record for either event.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":11.6,"lon":-70,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Golfete de Coro, Falcón state","lat":11.6,"lon":-70,"role":"event"},{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Lechería, Anzoátegui state","lat":10.19,"lon":-64.69,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2022,"instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Volume reported for either spill","value":"None","note":"PDVSA did not report a volume for the September 2020 leak (NTN24); AFP stated none for the December 2022 spill."},"happened":["On Saturday 12 September 2020 PDVSA said it was carrying out environmental clean-up in the area affected by a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay, the pipeline supplying the Paraguaná refining centre, near the Golfete de Coro in Falcón state. It said the leak had been confirmed by aerial inspection and that the clean-up was run with the Ministry of Ecosocialism after the leaks were corrected (NTN24, 13 September 2020). PDVSA did not report a volume, and no cost, investment or compensation was stated.","The Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela (OEP) 2022 report cited a press report that gas leaks and constant spills in Falcón had depleted the natural shrimp reservoir, and that Golfete de Coro fishers who once caught 40 kg of shrimp now catch almost none. Reuters (17 August 2023) reported crude seeping into the sea at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline, affecting marine life and fishermen.","In early December 2022 oil slicks were first seen at Lechería, Anzoátegui, on a Monday, and several beaches were closed the next day (AFP, 6 December 2022). Mayor Manuel Ferreira González confirmed that the coast was being affected by a hydrocarbon spill and said there were dead birds and small dead fish. Civil Protection director Gustavo Castillo said PDVSA staff at the site gave no information. Biologist Yurasi Briceño described pelicans coated when diving and a surface layer blocking light needed for photosynthesis. PDVSA did not reply to AFP, which noted that PDVSA rarely reports leaks. The volume was not stated."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"PDVSA reports a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay and clean-up near the Golfete de Coro (12 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Oil slicks close several beaches at Lechería, Anzoátegui (early Dec; AFP 6 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"Reuters reports crude seeping into the sea at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline (17 Aug)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"environmental clean-up in the area affected by the crude leak on line 1 Ulé-Amuay","who":"PDVSA statement (English rendering of the Spanish original, as reported by NTN24)","when":"12 September 2020","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"We confirm the unfortunate news that our coasts are being affected by a hydrocarbon spill","who":"Manuel Ferreira González, mayor (English rendering of the Spanish original, as reported by AFP)","when":"December 2022","src":3,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"There are dead birds, small dead fish.","who":"Manuel Ferreira González, mayor (English rendering of the Spanish original, as reported by AFP)","when":"December 2022","src":3,"translated":"Spanish"}],"shown":[{"t":"Crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay confirmed by aerial inspection; environmental clean-up under way with the Ministry of Ecosocialism after the leaks were corrected","who":"PDVSA, 12 September 2020","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"PDVSA reported a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay near the Golfete de Coro on 12 September 2020 and did not report a volume.","src":0},{"t":"The OEP 2022 report cited a press report that gas leaks and spills in Falcón had depleted the shrimp reservoir; Golfete de Coro fishers who caught 40 kg of shrimp now catch almost none.","src":1},{"t":"Reuters (2023) reported crude seeping into the sea at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline, affecting marine life and fishermen.","src":2},{"t":"In December 2022 several Lechería beaches were closed after oil slicks appeared; dead birds and small dead fish were reported by the mayor.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020–2022","nature":[{"label":"Clean-up cost or compensation, either spill","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Volume spilled","v":"Not stated","d":"PDVSA (2020) and AFP (2022) give none"},{"k":"Beaches closed at Lechería","v":"Several","d":"December 2022, the day after slicks were first seen"},{"k":"Shrimp catch, Golfete de Coro","v":"40 kg to almost none","d":"Fishers' account cited by the OEP 2022 report; period not stated"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"AFP, the OEP and Reuters recorded dead birds and fish, coated pelicans, depleted shrimp and effects on marine life.","report":[{"t":"Dead birds and small dead fish lay on my beaches at Lechería in December 2022, according to the mayor quoted by AFP.","src":3},{"t":"Pelicans diving into me came out coated in oil, and a layer on my surface blocked the light needed for photosynthesis, said biologist Yurasi Briceño (AFP, December 2022).","src":3},{"t":"My shrimp in the Golfete de Coro were depleted by gas leaks and constant spills in Falcón, according to a press report cited by the OEP in 2022; fishers who once caught 40 kg now catch almost none.","src":1},{"t":"Crude seeped into me at Amuay through cracks in an undersea pipeline, affecting marine life and fishermen, according to Reuters (2023).","src":2}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the volume of the September 2020 leak; PDVSA did not report it (NTN24, 13 September 2020).","Not disclosed: the volume of the December 2022 spill (AFP, 6 December 2022).","Not disclosed: PDVSA information on the December 2022 spill; staff at the site gave Civil Protection no information and PDVSA did not reply to AFP.","None on record: a cost, investment or compensation for the 2020 clean-up (NTN24).","None on record: a cost or compensation for the Lechería spill.","None on record: legal proceedings, a fine or an insurance payment for either spill.","Insufficient: the PDVSA statement as reported gives neither the exact location nor the extent of the Ulé–Amuay leak."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"PDVSA said the leaks on line 1 Ulé–Amuay had been corrected before the clean-up of September 2020. No end date is recorded for the December 2022 Lechería spill.","whoPaid":"None on record. No cost, investment or compensation is stated for either event.","statusLine":"As of the latest sources (August 2023 for Amuay; December 2022 for Lechería): no volume, cost, compensation or proceedings are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"pdvsa","says":"Said it was carrying out environmental clean-up after a crude leak on line 1 Ulé–Amuay, confirmed by aerial inspection (translated).","when":"12 September 2020","src":0},{"actor":"pdvsa","says":"Did not reply to AFP on the December 2022 Lechería spill.","when":"December 2022","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"pdvsa","role":"State oil company; reported the Ulé–Amuay leak; did not reply on Lechería"},{"id":"venezuela-ministry-ecosocialism","role":"Ran the 2020 clean-up with PDVSA"},{"id":"oep-venezuela","role":"Cited the shrimp depletion in Falcón"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Information on the December 2022 Lechería spill","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Gustavo Castillo, Civil Protection director (AFP)","says":"PDVSA staff at the site gave no information.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA","says":"No reply to AFP.","src":3,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"shrimp_catch_kg","value":40,"unit":"kg","year":2022,"note":"Quantity fishers of the Golfete de Coro once caught, now 'almost none'; period not stated (OEP 2022 report citing a press report)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A PDVSA-acknowledged crude leak on the Ulé–Amuay pipeline near the Golfete de Coro in September 2020, and oil slicks that closed several beaches at Lechería, Anzoátegui, in December 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Fishers of the Golfete de Coro","what":"Shrimp catch fell from 40 kg to almost none, according to a press report cited by the OEP","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Birds and fish at Lechería","what":"Dead birds and small dead fish; coated pelicans","src":3},{"who":"Marine life at Amuay","what":"Affected by crude seeping through cracks in an undersea pipeline (Reuters, 2023)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Line 1 Ulé–Amuay near the Golfete de Coro, Falcón state (about 11.6 N, 70.0 W); Lechería beaches, Anzoátegui (about 10.19 N, 64.69 W).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported by PDVSA on Saturday 12 September 2020; slicks at Lechería in early December 2022 (AFP, 6 December 2022).","src":0},"why":{"t":"PDVSA reported a crude leak on the pipeline; the cause is not stated. The source of the Lechería spill is not stated by AFP.","src":0},"how":{"t":"PDVSA ran clean-up with the Ministry of Ecosocialism after correcting the leaks (2020); at Lechería the mayor closed several beaches (2022).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"PDVSA asegura que realiza saneamiento ambiental tras derrame de hidrocarburos en costas de Venezuela (PDVSA says it is carrying out clean-up after hydrocarbon spill on Venezuelan coasts)","p":"NTN24","d":"2020-09-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.ntn24.com/noticias-economia/pdvsa-asegura-que-realiza-saneamiento-ambiental-tras-derrame-de-hidrocarburos-en-costas-de-venezuela-125871"},{"t":"Situación socioambiental de Venezuela 2022 (Socio-environmental situation of Venezuela 2022)","p":"Observatorio de Ecología Política de Venezuela","d":"2023-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://ecopoliticavenezuela.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Situacion-socioambiental-de-Venezuela-2022_OEP.pdf"},{"t":"Venezuela no logra frenar los derrames de petróleo y quema de gas (Venezuela fails to stop oil spills and gas flaring)","p":"Reuters (via LM Neuquén)","d":"2023-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://mase.lmneuquen.com/reuters/venezuela-no-logra-frenar-los-derrames-petroleo-y-quema-gas-n1049656"},{"t":"Derrame de petróleo en noreste de Venezuela afecta varias playas y animales marinos (Oil spill in north-east Venezuela affects several beaches and marine animals)","p":"AFP (via El Heraldo)","d":"2022-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.elheraldo.hn/mundo/derrame-petroleo-noreste-venezuela-afecta-varias-playas-animales-marinos-JK11289220"}],"related":["lake-maracaibo-chronic-oil-leaks","el-palito-refinery-spill-morrocoy-2020"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Clean-up cost or compensation, either spill — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Information on the December 2022 Lechería spill","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"PDVSA: No reply to AFP.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volume of the September 2020 leak; PDVSA did not report it (NTN24, 13 September 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the volume of the December 2022 spill (AFP, 6 December 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: PDVSA information on the December 2022 spill; staff at the site gave Civil Protection no information and PDVSA did not reply to AFP.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a cost, investment or compensation for the 2020 clean-up (NTN24).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a cost or compensation for the Lechería spill.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal proceedings, a fine or an insurance payment for either spill.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the PDVSA statement as reported gives neither the exact location nor the extent of the Ulé–Amuay leak.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"venezuela-gas-flaring-and-methane","title":"Venezuela gas flaring and methane from oil and gas","dek":"The World Bank, the IEA and satellite studies record high flaring intensity and methane emissions from Venezuelan oil and gas operations, mainly in Monagas and around Lake Maracaibo. The World Bank changed its method in June 2026, raising its flare-volume estimates; an NBER paper estimates the climate damage of flaring and venting at about US$11 billion a year.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":9.7,"lon":-63.62,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Monagas state (Punta de Mata, Santa Bárbara, Maturín area, Orinoco Belt)","lat":9.7,"lon":-63.62,"role":"event"},{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Lake Maracaibo, Zulia state","lat":9.8,"lon":-71.6,"role":"event"}],"start":2012,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated climate damage of flaring and venting, per year (Fioretti, FitzPatrick and Iaria, NBER, July 2026)","value":"≈ US$11 billion","note":"Estimate: about US$5 billion from flaring and US$6 billion from venting. A monetised damage estimate, not a payment."},"happened":["The World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Tracker series for Venezuela changed with the June 2026 edition. The 2026 Tracker uses a new method that, according to the Tracker, better represents the volume of very large flares. For 2024 the 2025 Tracker gave 8.31 billion cubic metres (bcm) and the 2026 Tracker gives 13.33 bcm; for 2020 the figures are 8.59 and 16.77 bcm, for 2012 8.15 and 13.83 bcm. The 2026 Tracker gives 13.46 bcm for 2025. Flaring intensity in the 2026 series was 87.20 cubic metres per barrel in 2020, 42.29 in 2024 and 38.07 in 2025; the 2025 series gave 44.65 for 2020 and 26.38 for 2024. The global flaring intensity was 5.4 m3 per barrel in 2025. In the same World Bank file oil production falls from 2,500 thousand barrels a day in 2012 to 527 in 2020, then rises to 968 in 2025.","The June 2026 Tracker states that Venezuela's flaring intensity dropped 10% in 2025, 'the fourth consecutive year of steep intensity decline', while flare volume rose by under 1%. It adds that Venezuela 'retains one of the highest flaring intensities in the world' because of outdated infrastructure, gas-processing bottlenecks and the outage of the Muscar–Soto line. In a press release of 23 June 2026 the World Bank put global flaring in 2025 at 167 bcm and named Venezuela among nine countries that account for more than four-fifths of it.","The IEA's Global Methane Tracker 2026 states that Venezuela's upstream oil and gas methane intensity is nearly six times the global average and its flaring intensity around 12 times higher, that about half of Central and South America's fossil-fuel methane (just under 8 Mt in 2025) came from Venezuelan oil and gas facilities, and that Venezuela is the only major regional producer that has not signed the Global Methane Pledge. Reuters (17 August 2023) cited the IEA ranking Venezuela the 17th largest emitter of methane from flaring and leaks in 2022; Global Witness cited the IEA's 2025 edition as six times and ten times the global average.","Satellite studies put the emissions higher than inventories. East et al. (Nature Communications, December 2025) estimated Venezuela's methane emissions at 9.0 (4.7–9.6) Tg a-1, a factor of 2.5 above its UNFCCC report, with the oil-gas sector 4.8 times larger than the UNFCCC prior. Nathan et al. (Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2024) estimated national emissions of 7.5 (5.7–9.3) Tg a-1 in 2019, with emissions from oil exploitation about 1.6 times bottom-up inventories. UNEP's International Methane Emissions Observatory showed an EnMAP detection at an oil and gas site in Punta de Mata on 9 March 2025. Global Witness reported that PDVSA's Santa Bárbara and Field 76 sites were among the top five flaring sites globally in 2024.","On money, Capterio estimated that about 13 billion m3 of gas is flared, vented or leaked each year, about US$1.4 billion in lost potential revenue (The News, 10 January 2026). Fioretti, FitzPatrick and Iaria (NBER Working Paper 35512, July 2026) estimated climate damage of about US$5 billion a year from flaring and about US$6 billion from venting, and attributed roughly US$7 billion a year of this to sanctions. They found that under the US licence that allowed Chevron to resume operations at its four Venezuelan joint ventures from November 2022 (OFAC General License 41), higher maintenance spending was associated with lower flaring."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Start of the World Bank flare-volume series used here (8.15 bcm in the 2025 Tracker; 13.83 bcm in the 2026 Tracker)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"Nathan et al. estimate national methane emissions of 7.5 (5.7–9.3) Tg a-1","src":6},{"y":2022,"t":"OFAC General License 41 allows Chevron to resume operations at its four joint ventures (Nov); Venezuela is the 17th largest emitter of methane from flaring and leaks (IEA via Reuters)","src":7},{"y":2023,"t":"Reuters reports that PDVSA and the environment ministry gave no response and that pledges state no investment or timeline (17 Aug)","src":10},{"y":2024,"t":"Santa Bárbara and Field 76 among the top five flaring sites globally (Global Witness)","src":9},{"y":2025,"t":"EnMAP detection at Punta de Mata (9 Mar); East et al. published (11 Dec)","src":8},{"y":2026,"t":"Global Witness warning (16 Jan); World Bank Tracker with new method (23 Jun); NBER Working Paper 35512 (Jul)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"about $5 billion (bn) of climate damage a year and the gas vented about $6 bn, some $11 bn in all, or forty dollars for every barrel Venezuela still produces","who":"Fioretti, FitzPatrick and Iaria, NBER Working Paper 35512, on the gas flared and vented (an estimate)","when":"July 2026","src":7},{"q":"the fourth consecutive year of steep intensity decline","who":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker, on Venezuela's flaring intensity in 2025","when":"June 2026","src":2},{"q":"retains one of the highest flaring intensities in the world","who":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker, on Venezuela","when":"June 2026","src":2},{"q":"nearly six times the global average","who":"IEA, Global Methane Tracker 2026, on Venezuela's upstream oil and gas methane intensity","when":"2026","src":4},{"q":"Venezuela's oil industry is among the most polluting and poorly maintained in the world.","who":"Patrick Galey, Global Witness","when":"16 January 2026","src":9},{"q":"Sometimes the flares expel burnt material, which falls on house roofs.","who":"A resident of Potrerito, Monagas, to Reuters","when":"August 2023","src":10},{"q":"a one-percent rise in per-barrel upkeep is associated with about 0.54 percent lower flaring volume","who":"Fioretti, FitzPatrick and Iaria, NBER Working Paper 35512, on Chevron's fields under General License 41","when":"July 2026","src":7}],"shown":[{"t":"Environmental efforts that, according to Reuters, do not address spills and flaring and state no investment or timeline","who":"PDVSA and the environment ministry, as reported by Reuters","src":10}],"recorded":[{"t":"World Bank flare volume for Venezuela in 2024: 8.31 bcm (2025 Tracker) and 13.33 bcm (2026 Tracker, new method); 2025: 13.46 bcm (2026 Tracker).","src":0},{"t":"World Bank flaring intensity for Venezuela in 2024: 26.38 m3 per barrel (2025 Tracker) and 42.29 (2026 Tracker); 38.07 in 2025 against a global 5.4.","src":2},{"t":"IEA: about half of Central and South America's fossil-fuel methane (just under 8 Mt in 2025) came from Venezuelan oil and gas facilities; the IEA's inventory gives about 3.6 Mt a year for oil and gas, as cited by the NBER paper.","src":4},{"t":"Global Witness: 2024 gas output of 3,895 million cubic feet a day, 46% flared and 8% vented (Energy Analytics Institute data); flaring and venting would rise from 76 Mt CO2 a year (at 1.4 million barrels a day) to 250 Mt CO2 a year (at 3 million) with no improvement in gas capture (an estimate).","src":9},{"t":"World Bank press release (23 June 2026): global flaring of 167 bcm in 2025, with Venezuela one of nine countries accounting for more than four-fifths of it; the release puts the value of wasted gas at about US$54 billion globally.","src":3},{"t":"Capterio estimated that about 13 billion m3 of gas is flared, vented or leaked in Venezuela each year, about US$1.4 billion in lost potential revenue (reported January 2026).","src":12},{"t":"Gas Energy Latin America estimated that PDVSA burns and vents about 1.7 billion cubic feet a day in Monagas, and that the Amuay refinery flares about 24 million cubic feet a day (Reuters, 2023).","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"per year","nature":[{"label":"Climate damage of gas flared (social-cost valuation)","amount":5000,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"per year","note":"Fioretti, FitzPatrick and Iaria (NBER, July 2026); based on about 13.7 bn m3 flared a year over 2022–2024 and the EPA social cost of carbon of US$190/t CO2."},{"label":"Climate damage of gas vented (social-cost valuation)","amount":6000,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"per year","note":"Same paper; based on the IEA inventory of about 3.6 Mt methane a year and the EPA social cost of methane of US$1,600/t."}],"natureTotal":11000,"other":[{"label":"Lost potential revenue from gas flared, vented or leaked (Capterio estimate)","amount":1400,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"window":"per year","note":"About 13 billion m3 a year, reported by The News (10 January 2026)."},{"label":"Analyst's estimate of the cost of repairing pipes and installing gas capture in Monagas","amount":3000,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"window":"2023","note":"Nelson Hernández, quoted by Reuters."},{"label":"Estimated cost of pipeline infrastructure alone","amount":8000,"qualifier":"an estimated","est":true,"note":"Berg (CSIS, 2021), cited by the NBER paper."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Flare volume, 2024","v":"8.31 or 13.33 bcm","d":"World Bank 2025 Tracker (earlier method) and 2026 Tracker (new method)"},{"k":"Methane, national","v":"9.0 (4.7–9.6) Tg a-1","d":"East et al. (2025), satellite inversion; a factor of 2.5 above the UNFCCC report"},{"k":"Flaring intensity, 2025","v":"38.07 m3 per barrel","d":"World Bank 2026 Tracker; global 5.4"},{"k":"Climate damage of flaring and venting","v":"≈ US$11 bn a year","d":"NBER estimate (July 2026)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The World Bank, the IEA, satellite studies and Global Witness recorded flare volumes, methane emissions and flaring intensity from Venezuelan oil and gas facilities.","report":[{"t":"My air received 13.33 bcm of flared gas from Venezuela in 2024 under the World Bank's 2026 method; the 2025 Tracker gave 8.31 bcm.","src":0},{"t":"My atmosphere received an estimated 9.0 (4.7–9.6) Tg a-1 of methane from Venezuela, a factor of 2.5 above its UNFCCC report, according to East et al. (2025).","src":5},{"t":"Venezuela's upstream oil and gas methane intensity was nearly six times the global average and its flaring intensity around 12 times higher, according to the IEA (2026).","src":4},{"t":"A plume was detected at an oil and gas site in Punta de Mata, Monagas, on 9 March 2025, by EnMAP; no emission rate or notification status was given (UNEP IMEO).","src":8},{"t":"Burnt material from flares falls on roofs at Potrerito, Monagas, according to a resident quoted by Reuters (2023).","src":10},{"t":"In 2024, 46% of Venezuela's gas output was flared and 8% vented, according to Energy Analytics Institute data cited by Global Witness.","src":9}]},"unknown":["None on record: a fine, charge or proceeding over flaring or venting in Venezuela.","None on record: a plan with stated investments or timelines; Reuters (2023) reported that pledges by PDVSA and the environment ministry do not address spills and flaring.","Figures differ: World Bank flare volume for Venezuela. The 2025 Tracker gives 8.31 bcm for 2024 and the 2026 Tracker 13.33 bcm, after the Bank changed its method.","Figures differ: methane totals. 7.5 Tg a-1 for 2019 (Nathan et al.), 9.0 Tg a-1 (East et al.) and about 3.6 Mt a-1 for oil and gas (IEA inventory, as cited by the NBER paper); the figures cover different scopes and years.","Self-reported only: the lost-revenue estimate of about US$1.4 billion comes from Capterio, as reported by The News (January 2026).","Insufficient: the EnMAP detection at Punta de Mata (9 March 2025) gives no emission rate or notification status.","Not disclosed: a response from PDVSA or the oil ministry to Reuters in 2023."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"No. The World Bank 2026 Tracker gives 13.46 bcm flared in 2025 and states that flare volume rose by under 1% that year.","whoPaid":"None on record. The NBER estimate of climate damage is a monetised valuation, not a payment; no fine or charge is on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the World Bank Tracker (June 2026) puts Venezuela's 2025 flare volume at 13.46 bcm under its new method; no fine, charge or proceeding over flaring is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"pdvsa","says":"PDVSA and the oil ministry did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.","when":"17 August 2023","src":10},{"actor":"world-bank","says":"The June 2026 Tracker states that Venezuela's flaring intensity dropped 10% in 2025 and that it retains one of the highest flaring intensities in the world.","when":"June 2026","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"pdvsa","role":"State oil company; operator of the flaring sites"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Publishes the Global Gas Flaring Tracker; changed its method in June 2026"},{"id":"iea","role":"Global Methane Tracker 2026"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"Reported flaring and venting shares and projections"},{"id":"chevron","role":"Operator of four joint ventures under OFAC General License 41"},{"id":"nber","role":"Published Working Paper 35512 on flaring and venting"}],"disputes":[{"point":"World Bank flare volume for Venezuela in 2024","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker 2025 (earlier method)","says":"8.31 bcm in 2024; 8.59 bcm in 2020.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Bank, Global Gas Flaring Tracker 2026 (new method)","says":"13.33 bcm in 2024 and 16.77 bcm in 2020; the new method gives higher estimates for Venezuela, 'better representing the volume of very large flares'.","src":2}]},{"point":"Venezuela's methane emissions","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Nathan et al., Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (2024)","says":"7.5 (5.7–9.3) Tg a-1 nationally in 2019; emissions from oil exploitation about 1.6 times bottom-up inventories.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"East et al., Nature Communications (2025)","says":"9.0 (4.7–9.6) Tg a-1, a factor of 2.5 above Venezuela's UNFCCC report; the oil-gas sector is 4.8 times larger than the UNFCCC prior.","src":5},{"voice":"international","holder":"IEA inventory, as cited by the NBER paper","says":"About 3.6 Mt a-1 of methane from oil and gas.","src":7}]},{"point":"Response to Reuters on spills and flaring","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"PDVSA and the oil ministry","says":"No response to Reuters in 2023.","src":10,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":8.31,"unit":"bcm","year":2024,"note":"World Bank 2025 Tracker (earlier method)."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":13.33,"unit":"bcm","year":2024,"note":"World Bank 2026 Tracker (new method)."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":8.59,"unit":"bcm","year":2020,"note":"World Bank 2025 Tracker (earlier method)."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":16.77,"unit":"bcm","year":2020,"note":"World Bank 2026 Tracker (new method)."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":8.15,"unit":"bcm","year":2012,"note":"World Bank 2025 Tracker (earlier method); the 2026 Tracker gives 13.83."},{"key":"flare_volume_bcm","value":13.46,"unit":"bcm","year":2025,"note":"World Bank 2026 Tracker; not covered by the 2025 Tracker."},{"key":"flaring_intensity_m3_per_bbl","value":44.65,"unit":"m3 per barrel","year":2020,"note":"2025 Tracker (earlier method); 87.20 in the 2026 Tracker."},{"key":"flaring_intensity_m3_per_bbl","value":26.38,"unit":"m3 per barrel","year":2024,"note":"2025 Tracker (earlier method); 42.29 in the 2026 Tracker."},{"key":"flaring_intensity_m3_per_bbl","value":38.07,"unit":"m3 per barrel","year":2025,"note":"2026 Tracker (new method); global intensity 5.4."},{"key":"oil_production_kbbl_per_day","value":527000,"unit":"barrels a day","year":2020,"note":"World Bank file: 2,500 in 2012, 968 in 2025."},{"key":"methane_emissions_tg_per_year","value":9,"unit":"Tg a-1","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"East et al., range 4.7–9.6; national, all sectors."},{"key":"methane_emissions_tg_per_year","value":7.5,"unit":"Tg a-1","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"Nathan et al., range 5.7–9.3; national."},{"key":"gas_flared_share","value":46,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Of 3,895 million cubic feet a day of gas output; 8% vented (Energy Analytics Institute data via Global Witness)."},{"key":"gas_flared_vented_lost","value":13000000000,"unit":"m3 a year","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Capterio estimate reported by The News; flared, vented or leaked."},{"key":"climate_damage_estimate","value":11000,"unit":"USD m a year","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Fioretti, FitzPatrick and Iaria (NBER): about 5,000 from flaring and 6,000 from venting; roughly 7,000 attributed by the authors to sanctions."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gas flaring, venting and leaks from Venezuelan oil and gas operations, recorded by the World Bank, the IEA and satellite studies, with a monetised climate-damage estimate of about US$11 billion a year from an NBER paper.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of Potrerito, Monagas","what":"Burnt material from flares falls on house roofs, according to a resident quoted by Reuters","src":10}],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere (climate)","what":"National methane emissions estimated at 7.5 to 9.0 Tg a-1; flare volume of 13.33 bcm in 2024 (World Bank 2026 Tracker)","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Mainly Monagas state (Punta de Mata, Santa Bárbara and Maturín area, Orinoco Belt; about 9.70 N, 63.62 W) and Lake Maracaibo (about 9.8 N, 71.6 W).","src":4},"when":{"t":"World Bank series 2012–2025; satellite detections 2018–2025; estimates published 2024–2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The World Bank cites outdated infrastructure, gas-processing bottlenecks and the outage of the Muscar–Soto line; the NBER paper links maintenance spending under the Chevron licence to lower flaring.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Gas is flared, vented or leaked at oil and gas facilities; the World Bank and IEA record volumes and intensities, satellite studies estimate methane, and the NBER paper values the damage at the EPA social costs of carbon and methane.","src":7}},"sources":[{"t":"Flare volume and intensity estimates 2012–2025 (xlsx)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/b34e0c054bb3fe3695e70154c28eef3f-0400072026/related/Flare-volume-and-intensity-estimates-2012-2025.xlsx"},{"t":"Flare volume and intensity estimates 2012–2024 (xlsx)","p":"World Bank","d":"2025-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/bd2432bbb0e514986f382f61b14b2608-0400072025/related/Flare-volume-and-intensity-estimates-2012-2024.xlsx"},{"t":"Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, June 2026 (copy hosted by DevelopmentAid)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.developmentaid.org/api/frontend/cms/file/2026/08/Global-Gas-FlaringTracker-June-23-2026.pdf"},{"t":"Global Flaring Rises Three Years in a Row, Undermining Energy Security","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-06-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/06/23/global-gas-flaring-rises-energy-security"},{"t":"Global Methane Tracker 2026: Regional insights","p":"International Energy Agency","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2026/regional-insights"},{"t":"Worldwide inference of national methane emissions by inversion of satellite observations with UNFCCC prior estimates","p":"Nature Communications (East, Jacob et al.)","d":"2025-12-11","type":"academic","u":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-67122-8"},{"t":"Assessing methane emissions from collapsing Venezuelan oil production using TROPOMI","p":"Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 24, 6845–6863 (Nathan et al.)","d":"2024-06-13","type":"academic","u":"https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/24/6845/2024/"},{"t":"The Environmental Costs of Sanctions: Flaring and Venting in Venezuela","p":"NBER Working Paper 35512 (Fioretti, FitzPatrick, Iaria)","d":"2026-07","type":"academic","u":"https://www.nber.org/papers/w35512"},{"t":"UNEP's IMEO Methane Alert and Response System: current status","p":"UNEP International Methane Emissions Observatory (Irakulis-Loitxate), IWGGMS-21","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.nies.go.jp/soc/doc/IWGGMS-21/oral/8.02_Irakulis-Loitxate_public.pdf"},{"t":"Ramping up Venezuela oil production could risk 'methane bomb', data shows","p":"Global Witness","d":"2026-01-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/ramping-up-venezuela-oil-production-could-risk-methane-bomb-data-shows/"},{"t":"Venezuela fails to curb oil leaks, gas flaring despite pledges","p":"Reuters (via Hydrocarbon Processing)","d":"2023-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2023/08/venezuela-fails-to-curb-oil-leaks-gas-flaring-despite-pledges/"},{"t":"Venezuela no logra frenar los derrames de petróleo y quema de gas (Venezuela fails to stop oil spills and gas flaring)","p":"Reuters (via LM Neuquén)","d":"2023-08-17","type":"press","u":"https://mase.lmneuquen.com/reuters/venezuela-no-logra-frenar-los-derrames-petroleo-y-quema-gas-n1049656"},{"t":"Venezuela's failing energy grid spewing giant plumes of methane","p":"The News (Pakistan)","d":"2026-01-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.thenews.pk/print/1392055-venezuela-s-failing-energy-grid-spewing-giant-plumes-of-methane"}],"related":["lake-maracaibo-chronic-oil-leaks","rumaila-gas-flaring-non-reporting","iran-associated-gas-flaring-and-recovery-contracts","kashagan-flaring-damage-claim-2013-and-2024-award"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"World Bank flare volume for Venezuela in 2024","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Venezuela's methane emissions","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Response to Reuters on spills and flaring","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"PDVSA and the oil ministry: No response to Reuters in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a fine, charge or proceeding over flaring or venting in Venezuela.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a plan with stated investments or timelines; Reuters (2023) reported that pledges by PDVSA and the environment ministry do not address spills and flaring.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: World Bank flare volume for Venezuela. The 2025 Tracker gives 8.31 bcm for 2024 and the 2026 Tracker 13.33 bcm, after the Bank changed its method.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: methane totals. 7.5 Tg a-1 for 2019 (Nathan et al.), 9.0 Tg a-1 (East et al.) and about 3.6 Mt a-1 for oil and gas (IEA inventory, as cited by the NBER paper); the figures cover different scopes and years.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the lost-revenue estimate of about US$1.4 billion comes from Capterio, as reported by The News (January 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the EnMAP detection at Punta de Mata (9 March 2025) gives no emission rate or notification status.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: a response from PDVSA or the oil ministry to Reuters in 2023.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"venezuela-unpaid-iopc-contributions","title":"Unpaid Venezuelan contributions to the IOPC Funds, 2019–2026","dek":"A contributor in Venezuela has not paid its levies to the 1992 Fund, which compensates victims of tanker oil spills worldwide, since May 2019. The IOPC Funds recorded £1,053,829 outstanding, plus £228,960 interest, on 1 September 2026; the contributor is not named.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":10.48,"lon":-66.9,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Member State of the 1992 Fund","role":"event"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund","oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Outstanding Venezuelan contributions to the 1992 Fund, 1 September 2026","value":"£1,053,829","note":"Plus £228,960 interest to 31 December 2025, still accruing (IOPC/OCT26/5/2). In October 2024 the figure was £976,135.69; the earliest outstanding invoices were due on 29 May 2019."},"happened":["The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds) compensate victims of tanker oil spills. They are financed by levies on entities that receive more than 150,000 tonnes of contributing oil a year in a Member State. Venezuela is a Member State of the 1992 Fund. The IOPC Secretariat's annual Report on Contributions records that a contributor in Venezuela has not paid its levies since May 2019; the earliest outstanding invoices were due on 29 May 2019.","The Venezuelan arrears recorded in successive reports were £658,359.48 in October 2020 (27.06% of all outstanding contributions; interest due £9,590.72 to 31 December 2019), the same amount in 2021 (54.26%) and 2022 (49.35%), £828,995.82 in October 2023 (51.63%), £976,135.69 in October 2024 (37.74%; interest £95,015.22 to 31 December 2023), £1,010,066 on 1 October 2025 (30.80%; interest £162,464 to 31 December 2024) and £1,053,829 on 1 September 2026 (about 26%; interest £228,960 to 31 December 2025, still accruing). The October 2026 report expects the amount to grow once the oil reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 are submitted.","According to Annex II of the October 2026 report, the amounts owed are General Fund levies for 2010–2019 and 2021–2023, plus levies to the Major Claims Funds for Alfa I, Agia Zoni II, Nesa R3, Bow Jubail, Princess Empress and an incident in Israel, which are funds created to pay compensation for specific spills elsewhere. The Annex shows 'Venezuela (2)' contributors in arrears for some items, while the narrative paragraph refers to 'a contributor in Venezuela'. Interest is charged at 2% above the London clearing bank base rate on 1 March, which gave 5.75% from 1 March 2026.","The October 2026 report marks 1992 Fund Assembly Resolution No12 (adopted in April 2016) as applicable to Venezuela; the measure is the deferral of compensation payments. The IOPC Director states: 'It is not the intention of the Director to take legal action in respect of outstanding contributions in these States at the present time.' The Director has reported efforts to engage with Venezuelan authorities over several years: working with the Venezuelan Ambassador in London in 2020–2021, attempting to engage with the Ambassador in 2022, being in communication with the Ambassador in 2023, being hopeful in 2024 that the matter would be resolved soon, and, in 2025–2026, having 'sought to engage with authorities in Venezuela on this matter over a number of years but has so far not been able to make progress.'"],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"Earliest outstanding invoices due (29 May)","src":6},{"y":2020,"t":"£658,359.48 outstanding (IOPC/NOV20/5/2, 23 Oct; data as at 25 Sept)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"£658,359.48 outstanding, 54.26% of all outstanding contributions (28 Sept)","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"£658,359.48 outstanding, 49.35% (6 Oct)","src":2},{"y":2023,"t":"£828,995.82 outstanding, 51.63% (5 Oct)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"£976,135.69 outstanding, 37.74% (7 Oct); IOPC Credentials Committee examines rival Venezuelan delegations (April)","src":4},{"y":2025,"t":"£1,010,066 outstanding, 30.80% (17 Oct)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"£1,053,829 outstanding, about 26%, plus £228,960 interest (IOPC/OCT26/5/2, 18 Sept)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"It is not the intention of the Director to take legal action in respect of outstanding contributions in these States at the present time.","who":"IOPC Director, Report on Contributions IOPC/OCT26/5/2","when":"18 September 2026","src":6},{"q":"has sought to engage with authorities in Venezuela on this matter over a number of years but has so far not been able to make progress.","who":"IOPC Secretariat note, Report on Contributions, on the Director","when":"2025–2026","src":6},{"q":"working closely with the Venezuelan Ambassador in London and is hopeful that","who":"IOPC Secretariat note, Report on Contributions, on the Director","when":"2020–2021","src":0},{"q":"hopeful that this matter will be resolved soon","who":"IOPC Secretariat note, Report on Contributions, on the Director","when":"2024","src":4}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Outstanding Venezuelan contributions to the 1992 Fund: £658,359.48 (October 2020, 2021 and 2022); £828,995.82 (2023); £976,135.69 (2024); £1,010,066 (2025); £1,053,829 (2026).","src":6},{"t":"Share of all outstanding contributions: 27.06% (2020), 54.26% (2021), 49.35% (2022), 51.63% (2023), 37.74% (2024), 30.80% (2025), about 26% (2026).","src":6},{"t":"Interest due: £9,590.72 (to 31 December 2019), £27,415.45 (2020), £41,932.73 (2021), £57,958.85 (2022), £95,015.22 (2023), £162,464 (2024), £228,960 (2025).","src":6},{"t":"The amounts owed cover General Fund levies for 2010–2019 and 2021–2023 and levies to the Major Claims Funds for Alfa I, Agia Zoni II, Nesa R3, Bow Jubail, Princess Empress and an incident in Israel.","src":6},{"t":"Resolution No12 of the 1992 Fund Assembly (April 2016), on the deferral of compensation payments, is marked as applicable to Venezuela in the October 2026 report.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2020–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Venezuelan contributions outstanding to the 1992 Fund, October 2020","amount":0.65835948,"window":"2020"},{"label":"Venezuelan contributions outstanding, October 2024","amount":0.97613569,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Venezuelan contributions outstanding, 1 September 2026","amount":1.053829,"window":"2026"},{"label":"Interest due to 31 December 2025, still accruing","amount":0.22896,"window":"2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Outstanding, September 2026","v":"£1,053,829","d":"Plus £228,960 interest to 31 December 2025"},{"k":"Outstanding, October 2024","v":"£976,135.69","d":"37.74% of all outstanding contributions"},{"k":"Outstanding, October 2020","v":"£658,359.48","d":"27.06% of all outstanding contributions"},{"k":"Unpaid since","v":"May 2019","d":"Earliest outstanding invoices due 29 May 2019"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the identity of the contributor; the IOPC documents refer only to 'a contributor in Venezuela'.","Unclear: the number of contributors in arrears. The 2026 Annex shows 'Venezuela (2)' for some items, while the narrative paragraph refers to 'a contributor in Venezuela'.","Insufficient: the oil reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 had not been fully submitted as at 1 September 2026, and the October 2026 report expects the arrears to grow once they are.","None on record: a statement from the contributor or from Venezuelan authorities on the arrears.","None on record: legal action by the IOPC Funds; the Director states it is not the intention to take legal action at present."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Arrears were still accruing interest at 1 September 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record. The outstanding contributions had not been paid as at 1 September 2026.","statusLine":"As of 18 September 2026: £1,053,829 in contributions plus £228,960 interest outstanding; the IOPC Director has not been able to make progress with Venezuelan authorities and does not intend to take legal action at present.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The Director was working closely with the Venezuelan Ambassador in London and hopeful that payment would follow.","when":"2020–2021","src":0},{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The Director would attempt to engage with the Venezuelan Ambassador (2022) and had been in communication with the Ambassador (2023).","when":"2022–2023","src":3},{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The Director was hopeful that the matter would be resolved soon.","when":"2024","src":4},{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The Director has sought to engage with authorities in Venezuela over a number of years but has so far not been able to make progress; legal action is not intended at present.","when":"2025–2026","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Administrator of the 1992 Fund; records the arrears"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Member State of the 1992 Fund; Ambassador in London approached by the Director"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Which delegation represented Venezuela at the April 2024 IOPC sessions","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Yvan Gil, Foreign Minister","says":"Accredited one Venezuelan delegation (IOPC Credentials Committee).","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Dinorah Figuera, as National Assembly president","says":"Accredited a rival Venezuelan delegation (IOPC Credentials Committee).","src":7}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Resolution No12 applied to Venezuela (deferral of compensation payments)","forum":"1992 Fund Assembly (IOPC Funds)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"international","claimant":"1992 Fund (IOPC Funds)","defendant":"A contributor in Venezuela (not named)","filed":2016,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1.053829,"currency":"GBP","label":"contributions outstanding as at 1 September 2026, plus £228,960 interest"},"summary":"Resolution No12, adopted in April 2016, is marked as applicable to Venezuela in the October 2026 report, with footnotes covering oil reports outstanding for two or more years and contributions outstanding for two or more years. The measure is the deferral of compensation payments to the State. The Director states that it is not the intention to take legal action over outstanding contributions at present.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":658359.48,"unit":"GBP","year":2020,"note":"IOPC/NOV20/5/2, 23 October 2020, data as at 25 September 2020; 27.06% of all outstanding; interest £9,590.72 to 31 December 2019."},{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":658359.48,"unit":"GBP","year":2021,"note":"IOPC/NOV21/5/2, 28 September 2021; 54.26% of all outstanding; interest £27,415.45 to 31 December 2020."},{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":658359.48,"unit":"GBP","year":2022,"note":"IOPC/OCT22/5/2, 6 October 2022; 49.35% of all outstanding; interest £41,932.73 to 31 December 2021."},{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":828995.82,"unit":"GBP","year":2023,"note":"IOPC/NOV23/5/2, 5 October 2023; 51.63% of all outstanding; interest £57,958.85 to 31 December 2022."},{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":976135.69,"unit":"GBP","year":2024,"note":"IOPC/NOV24/5/2, 7 October 2024; 37.74% of all outstanding; interest £95,015.22 to 31 December 2023."},{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":1010066,"unit":"GBP","year":2025,"note":"IOPC/NOV25/5/2/Rev.1, 17 October 2025, as at 1 October 2025; 30.80% of all outstanding; interest £162,464 to 31 December 2024."},{"key":"contributions_outstanding","value":1053829,"unit":"GBP","year":2026,"note":"IOPC/OCT26/5/2, 18 September 2026, as at 1 September 2026; about 26% of all outstanding; the amount is expected to grow."},{"key":"interest_due","value":228960,"unit":"GBP","year":2026,"note":"To 31 December 2025, still accruing; rate 5.75% from 1 March 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A contributor in Venezuela has not paid its levies to the 1992 Fund since May 2019; £1,053,829 plus £228,960 interest was outstanding on 1 September 2026.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"1992 Fund (IOPC Funds)","what":"£1,053,829 in contributions and £228,960 interest outstanding as at 1 September 2026, including levies to Major Claims Funds created to pay compensation for specific spills elsewhere","src":6}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Venezuela, a Member State of the 1992 Fund; the IOPC Secretariat is in London.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Invoices due from 29 May 2019; reports dated October 2020 to 18 September 2026.","src":6},"why":{"t":"Not disclosed: the reason for non-payment.","src":6},"how":{"t":"The levies fund compensation for tanker-spill victims; the Director has sought to engage Venezuelan authorities, interest accrues at 5.75% from 1 March 2026, and Resolution No12 on the deferral of compensation payments is marked as applicable to Venezuela.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/NOV20/5/2","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2020-10-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/10/IOPC-NOV20-5-2_e.pdf"},{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/NOV21/5/2","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2021-09-28","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/73080/en/IOPC-NOV21-5-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/OCT22/5/2","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2022-10-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/74828/en/IOPC-OCT22-5-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/NOV23/5/2","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2023-10-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/76682/en/IOPC-NOV23-5-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/NOV24/5/2","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2024-10-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/80436/en/IOPC-NOV24-5-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/NOV25/5/2/Rev.1","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2025-10-17","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/82964/en/IOPC-NOV25-5-2-REV-1_en.pdf"},{"t":"Report on Contributions, IOPC/OCT26/5/2","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2026-09-18","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/84713/en/IOPC-OCT26-5-2_en.pdf"},{"t":"Interim report of the Credentials Committee, IOPC/APR24/1/2/1","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2024-04-29","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/download/78979/en/IOPC-APR24-1-2-1_en.pdf"}],"related":["kerch-strait-storm-2007-volgoneft-139","princess-empress-oil-spill","torrey-canyon-spill-and-creation-of-iopc-funds"],"episodes":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The fund that compensates victims of tanker oil spills in my seas was owed £1,053,829 by a contributor in Venezuela on 1 September 2026; the earliest unpaid invoices were due on 29 May 2019.","src":[6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which delegation represented Venezuela at the April 2024 IOPC sessions","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the identity of the contributor; the IOPC documents refer only to 'a contributor in Venezuela'.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the number of contributors in arrears. The 2026 Annex shows 'Venezuela (2)' for some items, while the narrative paragraph refers to 'a contributor in Venezuela'.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the oil reports for 2023, 2024 and 2025 had not been fully submitted as at 1 September 2026, and the October 2026 report expects the arrears to grow once they are.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement from the contributor or from Venezuelan authorities on the arrears.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: legal action by the IOPC Funds; the Director states it is not the intention to take legal action at present.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nissos-amorgos-spill-gulf-of-venezuela-1997","title":"Nissos Amorgos tanker spill, Gulf of Venezuela, 1997, and the US$60 million environmental-damage judgment","dek":"The Greek tanker Nissos Amorgos ran aground in the Maracaibo Channel on 28 February 1997 and spilled an estimated 3,600 tonnes of crude oil. Venezuelan courts upheld a US$60 million environmental-damage claim by the State against the master, shipowner and Gard Club, while the 1971 Fund considered the claim inadmissible; payment to the State is not on record.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":10.95,"lon":-71.6,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Maracaibo Channel, Gulf of Venezuela, Zulia state","lat":10.95,"lon":-71.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"High Court, London","role":"court"}],"start":1997,"end":2014,"eventDate":"1997-02-28","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Awarded to the Venezuelan State for environmental damage by Venezuelan courts (final, May 2013)","value":"US$60 million","note":"Plus indexation, interest and costs, against the master, shipowner and Gard Club. Payment to the State: none on record."},"happened":["The Greek-flag tanker Nissos Amorgos (50,563 GRT), carrying about 75,000 tonnes of Venezuelan crude, ran aground in the Maracaibo Channel, Gulf of Venezuela, on 28 February 1997. An estimated 3,600 tonnes of crude oil was spilled. The P&I insurer was Assuranceföreningen Gard (Gard Club).","In June 1997 the Criminal Court of Cabimas set the shipowner's liability limit at 5.2 million SDR (Bs3,473,462,786 or US$7.3 million) and the limit under the Civil Liability Convention plus the Fund at 60 million SDR (Bs39,738,409,500 or US$83,221,800). Claims settled and paid between 1997 and 2002 totalled Bs288 million (£42,000) plus US$24,397,612 (£15 million), paid by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund; the settled claimants were PDVSA (clean-up and preventive measures), the Instituto para el Control y la Conservación de la Cuenca del Lago de Maracaibo (ICLAM; loss of income) and shrimp fishermen and processors (property damage and loss of income).","The Venezuelan State filed two duplicated claims for 'Environmental damage' of US$60,250,396 each, one in the Criminal Court and one in the Civil Court. The 1971 Fund considered them inadmissible, as not 'pollution damage' under the 1969 Civil Liability Convention and the 1971 Fund Convention, and time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund. Three fish processors claimed US$30,000,000 for loss of income; the Fund's position was 'No loss proven'.","In February 2010 the Maracaibo Criminal Court ordered the master, shipowner and Gard Club to pay the Venezuelan State US$60 million plus indexation, interest and costs, and denied limitation of liability. The Court of Appeal upheld the judgment in March 2011 and the Supreme Court in May 2013; the IOPC Secretariat noted that the Supreme Court judgment was final. The courts stated, in obiter dicta, that the shipowner and insurer could seek reimbursement from the 1971 Fund.","Separately, in the criminal proceedings against the master, the Criminal Court of Appeal held in February 2005 that it was proved that the master had incurred criminal liability due to negligence causing pollution damage to the environment, and declared the action time-barred under Venezuelan procedural law, without prejudice to civil liabilities. In March 2007 the Supreme Court (Constitutional Section) annulled that judgment and returned the file.","Gard Club argued that a 1997 agreement bound the Fund to reimburse it, and sued the 1971 Fund in the High Court in London (served 19 March 2014), seeking a freezing injunction of up to US$58 million. In 2013–2014 the 1971 Fund Administrative Council decided not to reimburse Gard and to discontinue its defence in the Venezuelan courts. The 1971 Fund offered Gard US$344,090 as its share of joint costs; Gard did not accept. The 1971 Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014; its Nissos Amorgos Major Claims Fund was estimated at about £975,000 at the end of 2014, with defence costs for the Gard litigation estimated at about £1 million for the last four months of 2014."],"timeline":[{"y":1997,"t":"Grounding in the Maracaibo Channel (28 Feb); Criminal Court of Cabimas sets liability limits (June)","src":0},{"y":2002,"t":"Claims settled and paid between 1997 and 2002: Bs288 million plus US$24,397,612","src":0},{"y":2005,"t":"Criminal Court of Appeal holds the master's criminal liability for negligence proved and the action time-barred (Feb)","src":2},{"y":2007,"t":"Supreme Court (Constitutional Section) annuls the 2005 judgment (March)","src":2},{"y":2010,"t":"Maracaibo Criminal Court orders the master, shipowner and Gard Club to pay the State US$60 million (Feb)","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Court of Appeal upholds the judgment (March)","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"Supreme Court upholds the judgment, final (May); 1971 Fund Council starts deciding not to reimburse Gard","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Gard sues the 1971 Fund in London, served 19 March; 1971 Fund dissolved 31 December","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"had incurred criminal liability due to negligence causing pollution damage to the environment","who":"Criminal Court of Appeal, Venezuela, on the master, as quoted by the 1971 Fund","when":"February 2005","src":2},{"q":"The judgement by the Supreme Court is now final.","who":"IOPC Secretariat note on the Nissos Amorgos","when":"April 2014","src":0},{"q":"No loss proven","who":"1971 Fund, on the fish processors' claim of US$30,000,000","when":"2007","src":2},{"q":"the 1971 Fund has met its obligations under the 1971 Fund Convention and that the pending litigation is in respect of claims which are inadmissible for compensation.","who":"IOPC Director, 1971 Fund financial position note","when":"2014","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The Venezuelan State's environmental-damage claims of US$60,250,396 were inadmissible as not 'pollution damage' and time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund","who":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","src":2},{"t":"A 1997 agreement bound the 1971 Fund to reimburse Gard Club","who":"Gard Club","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"An estimated 3,600 tonnes of crude oil was spilled when the tanker ran aground on 28 February 1997.","src":0},{"t":"Claims settled and paid between 1997 and 2002 totalled Bs288 million (£42,000) plus US$24,397,612 (£15 million), paid by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund to PDVSA, ICLAM and shrimp fishermen and processors.","src":0},{"t":"The Venezuelan courts ordered the master, shipowner and Gard Club to pay the State US$60 million plus indexation, interest and costs (Maracaibo Criminal Court, February 2010; Court of Appeal, March 2011; Supreme Court, May 2013).","src":0},{"t":"The 1971 Fund Administrative Council decided in 2013–2014 not to reimburse Gard and to discontinue the Fund's defence in the Venezuelan courts; the 1971 Fund was dissolved with effect from 31 December 2014.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1997–2014","nature":[{"label":"Venezuelan State's environmental-damage claim; awarded by Venezuelan courts plus indexation, interest and costs","amount":60,"qualifier":"awarded","window":"2010–2013","note":"Two duplicated claims of US$60,250,396 each. Payment to the State: none on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Claims settled and paid by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund, 1997–2002","amount":24.397612,"window":"1997–2002","note":"Plus Bs288 million (£42,000)."},{"label":"Fish processors' claim for loss of income","amount":30,"qualifier":"claimed","note":"1971 Fund position: no loss proven."},{"label":"1971 Fund share of joint costs offered to Gard","amount":0.34409,"note":"Gard did not accept."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Crude oil spilled","v":"About 3,600 tonnes","d":"Estimate in IOPC documents"},{"k":"Awarded to the State for environmental damage","v":"US$60 million","d":"Venezuelan courts, final May 2013; payment not on record"},{"k":"Settled and paid to claimants, 1997–2002","v":"US$24,397,612 plus Bs288 million","d":"Gard Club and the 1971 Fund"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"IOPC documents record the volume of crude oil spilled in the Maracaibo Channel and the Venezuelan State's claim for environmental damage.","report":[{"t":"About 3,600 tonnes of crude oil entered my waters in the Maracaibo Channel when the Nissos Amorgos ran aground on 28 February 1997, according to an IOPC estimate.","src":0},{"t":"The Venezuelan State claimed US$60,250,396 for environmental damage to me; Venezuelan courts awarded US$60 million in 2010–2013, plus indexation, interest and costs.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: payment of the US$60 million to the Venezuelan State; the IOPC documents say the Supreme Court judgment is final but do not say whether Gard paid.","None on record: how any award to the State was spent on the environment.","Insufficient: the IOPC documents give the volume spilled (an estimated 3,600 tonnes) but no ecological measurements.","Unclear: the split of the settled claims between PDVSA, ICLAM and the shrimp fishermen and processors.","Disputed: whether the State's environmental-damage claim is 'pollution damage' under the Conventions, and whether the shipowner could limit liability (see disputes)."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"A single grounding event on 28 February 1997.","whoPaid":"Claims settled between 1997 and 2002 (US$24,397,612 and Bs288 million) were paid by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund. Payment of the US$60 million awarded to the State: none on record.","statusLine":"As of the IOPC documents of 2014: the US$60 million judgment against the master, shipowner and Gard Club was final; Gard had sued the 1971 Fund in London; the Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014; payment to the State is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The IOPC Director said the 1971 Fund had met its obligations under the 1971 Fund Convention and that the pending litigation concerned claims inadmissible for compensation.","when":"2014","src":4},{"actor":"gard-club","says":"Argued that a 1997 agreement bound the 1971 Fund to reimburse it, and sued the Fund in the High Court in London.","when":"2014","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Administered the 1971 Fund; considered the State's claim inadmissible; paid share of settled claims"},{"id":"gard-club","role":"P&I insurer of the tanker; defendant in the Venezuelan judgment; sued the 1971 Fund in London"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Claimant State; awarded US$60 million"},{"id":"pdvsa","role":"Settled claimant for clean-up and preventive measures"},{"id":"venezuela-supreme-court","role":"Upheld the judgment in May 2013"},{"id":"english-high-court","role":"Court in which Gard sued the 1971 Fund"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the State's environmental-damage claim is 'pollution damage' under the Conventions","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","says":"The State's two claims of US$60,250,396 for environmental damage were not 'pollution damage' under the 1969 Civil Liability Convention and the 1971 Fund Convention, and were time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Maracaibo Criminal Court (February 2010), Court of Appeal (March 2011), Supreme Court (May 2013)","says":"Ordered the master, shipowner and Gard Club to pay the State US$60 million plus indexation, interest and costs; the courts stated in obiter dicta that the shipowner and insurer could seek reimbursement from the 1971 Fund.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Director (2014)","says":"The 1971 Fund has met its obligations under the 1971 Fund Convention and the pending litigation concerns claims inadmissible for compensation.","src":4}]},{"point":"Whether the shipowner could limit its liability","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Criminal Court of Cabimas (June 1997)","says":"Set the shipowner's limit at 5.2 million SDR (Bs3,473,462,786 or US$7.3 million) and the Convention plus Fund limit at 60 million SDR.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Maracaibo Criminal Court (February 2010) and Supreme Court (May 2013)","says":"Denied limitation and ordered payment of US$60 million to the State plus indexation, interest and costs.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether Gard Club is entitled to reimbursement from the 1971 Fund","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Gard Club","says":"A 1997 agreement bound the Fund to reimburse it; it sued the Fund in the High Court in London (served 19 March 2014).","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"1971 Fund Administrative Council (2013–2014)","says":"Decided not to reimburse Gard and to discontinue the Fund's defence in the Venezuelan courts.","src":3}]},{"point":"Fish processors' claim of US$30,000,000 for loss of income","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Three fish processors","says":"Claimed US$30,000,000 for loss of income.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","says":"No loss proven.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Venezuelan State v. master, shipowner and Gard Club (environmental damage)","forum":"Maracaibo Criminal Court of First Instance; Court of Appeal; Supreme Court","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Venezuelan State","defendant":"Master, shipowner and Gard Club","filed":null,"decided":2013,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":60,"currency":"USD","label":"awarded plus indexation, interest and costs"},"summary":"In February 2010 the Maracaibo Criminal Court ordered the master, shipowner and Gard Club to pay the State US$60 million plus indexation, interest and costs, and denied limitation of liability. The Court of Appeal upheld the judgment in March 2011 and the Supreme Court in May 2013; the IOPC Secretariat noted that the Supreme Court judgment was final.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal proceedings against the master","forum":"Criminal Court of Appeal; Supreme Court (Constitutional Section)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Venezuelan State (criminal proceedings)","defendant":"The master of the Nissos Amorgos","filed":null,"decided":2007,"status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"In February 2005 the Criminal Court of Appeal held it proved that the master had incurred criminal liability due to negligence causing pollution damage to the environment, and declared the action time-barred under Venezuelan procedural law, without prejudice to civil liabilities. In March 2007 the Supreme Court (Constitutional Section) annulled that judgment and returned the file.","src":2},{"title":"Gard Club v. 1971 Fund (reimbursement)","forum":"High Court, London","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Gard Club","defendant":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","filed":2014,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":58,"currency":"USD","label":"freezing injunction sought up to"},"summary":"Gard Club sued the 1971 Fund in the High Court in London (served 19 March 2014), arguing that a 1997 agreement bound the Fund to reimburse it, and sought a freezing injunction of up to US$58 million. In 2013–2014 the 1971 Fund Administrative Council had decided not to reimburse Gard and to discontinue its defence in the Venezuelan courts.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Assuranceföreningen Gard (Gard Club)","insured":"Owner of the Nissos Amorgos","status":"litigation","year":2014,"amount":{"value":60,"currency":"USD","label":"judgment against Gard Club and others, plus indexation, interest and costs"},"reason":"Gard argued that a 1997 agreement bound the 1971 Fund to reimburse it; the 1971 Fund Council decided not to reimburse.","summary":"Gard provided a bank guarantee for the limitation fund in 1997 and, with the 1971 Fund, paid claims settled between 1997 and 2002. It was a defendant in the US$60 million Venezuelan judgment and sued the 1971 Fund in London in 2014. Whether Gard paid the State is not on record.","src":0},{"insurer":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","insured":"Claimants for pollution damage from the Nissos Amorgos","status":"partial","year":2014,"amount":{"value":24.397612,"currency":"USD","label":"settled claims paid jointly with Gard Club, 1997–2002, plus Bs288 million"},"reason":"The State's environmental-damage claims were considered inadmissible and time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund.","summary":"The Fund paid its share of the settled claims of PDVSA, ICLAM and shrimp fishermen and processors, refused the State's two environmental-damage claims, and decided in 2013–2014 not to reimburse Gard. It was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":3600,"unit":"tonnes (crude oil)","year":1997,"qualifier":"estimated","est":true,"note":"IOPC documents; tanker carrying about 75,000 tonnes."},{"key":"claim","value":60250396,"unit":"USD","year":1997,"note":"Each of the State's two duplicated environmental-damage claims (Criminal and Civil Courts)."},{"key":"compensation_awarded","value":60000000,"unit":"USD","year":2013,"note":"Awarded to the State by Venezuelan courts, plus indexation, interest and costs; final May 2013; payment not on record."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":24397612,"unit":"USD","year":2002,"note":"Settled claims paid by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund, 1997–2002; plus Bs288 million (£42,000)."},{"key":"claim","value":30000000,"unit":"USD","year":2007,"note":"Three fish processors' claim for loss of income; 1971 Fund: no loss proven."},{"key":"liability_limit","value":5200000,"unit":"SDR","year":1997,"note":"Shipowner's limit set by the Criminal Court of Cabimas (Bs3,473,462,786 or US$7.3 million); Convention plus Fund limit 60 million SDR (US$83,221,800)."},{"key":"joint_costs_offered","value":344090,"unit":"USD","year":2014,"note":"1971 Fund share offered to Gard; not accepted."},{"key":"fund_balance","value":975000,"unit":"GBP","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Nissos Amorgos Major Claims Fund estimated at end-2014; defence costs for the Gard litigation about £1 million for the last four months of 2014."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The tanker Nissos Amorgos ran aground in the Maracaibo Channel on 28 February 1997 and spilled an estimated 3,600 tonnes of crude oil; Venezuelan courts upheld a US$60 million environmental-damage claim by the State against the master, shipowner and Gard Club.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"PDVSA, ICLAM, shrimp fishermen and processors","what":"Claims settled and paid by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund, 1997–2002 (US$24,397,612 and Bs288 million in total)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Gard Club","what":"Defendant in the US$60 million judgment; sought reimbursement from the 1971 Fund","src":0},{"who":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","what":"Paid its share of settled claims; incurred defence costs of about £1 million for the last four months of 2014 (estimate)","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Maracaibo Channel and Gulf of Venezuela","what":"An estimated 3,600 tonnes of crude oil spilled","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Maracaibo Channel, Gulf of Venezuela (about 10.95 N, 71.60 W); courts in Cabimas and Maracaibo, and the High Court in London.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Grounding on 28 February 1997; Venezuelan judgments February 2010 to May 2013; London action served 19 March 2014; 1971 Fund dissolved 31 December 2014.","src":5},"why":{"t":"The tanker ran aground in the Maracaibo Channel. Not disclosed: the cause of the grounding.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Claims were settled by Gard Club and the 1971 Fund; the State's environmental-damage claim was upheld by Venezuelan courts and considered inadmissible by the 1971 Fund, leading to Gard's London action.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Nissos Amorgos, IOPC/MAY14/3/10","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2014-04-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/en-320.pdf"},{"t":"Nissos Amorgos, 71FUND/A/ES.8/5","p":"IOPC Funds (1971 Fund)","d":"2001-06-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/01/71FUND_A_ES.8_5_en.pdf"},{"t":"Nissos Amorgos, 71FUND/AC.22/12/2","p":"IOPC Funds (1971 Fund)","d":"2007-09-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/71FUND_AC.22_12_2.pdf"},{"t":"1971 Fund matters, IOPC/MAY14/7/1","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2014-04-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/en-321.pdf"},{"t":"1971 Fund financial position, IOPC/OCT14/8/2/1","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2014-09-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/en-351.pdf"},{"t":"1971 Fund to be dissolved at the end of 2014","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2014-10-24","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/1971-fund-to-be-dissolved-at-the-end-of-2014/"}],"related":["plate-princess-spill-lake-maracaibo-1997","lake-maracaibo-chronic-oil-leaks","kerch-strait-storm-2007-volgoneft-139","torrey-canyon-spill-and-creation-of-iopc-funds"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the State's environmental-damage claim is 'pollution damage' under the Conventions","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the shipowner could limit its liability","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether Gard Club is entitled to reimbursement from the 1971 Fund","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Fish processors' claim of US$30,000,000 for loss of income","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Gard Club v. 1971 Fund (reimbursement): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment of the US$60 million to the Venezuelan State; the IOPC documents say the Supreme Court judgment is final but do not say whether Gard paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how any award to the State was spent on the environment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the IOPC documents give the volume spilled (an estimated 3,600 tonnes) but no ecological measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the split of the settled claims between PDVSA, ICLAM and the shrimp fishermen and processors.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether the State's environmental-damage claim is 'pollution damage' under the Conventions, and whether the shipowner could limit liability (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"plate-princess-spill-lake-maracaibo-1997","title":"Plate Princess spill, Puerto Miranda, Lake Maracaibo, 1997, and the fishermen's judgment","dek":"The tanker Plate Princess spilled some 3.2 tonnes of crude at the Puerto Miranda terminal on Lake Maracaibo in 1997. Venezuelan courts ordered the 1971 Fund, which was not a defendant, to pay about £57.2 million to two fishermen's unions; the IOPC recorded that no compensation was paid and the Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":10.77,"lon":-71.55,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Puerto Miranda oil terminal, Lake Maracaibo, Zulia state","lat":10.77,"lon":-71.55,"role":"event"},{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Maritime Court of First Instance and Maritime Court of Appeal; Supreme Tribunal","role":"court"}],"start":1997,"end":2014,"eventDate":"1997-05-27","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Ordered against the 1971 Fund by the Maritime Court of First Instance, March 2011","value":"£57.2 million","note":"BsF 400,628,022 plus costs, although the Fund was not a defendant. The IOPC recorded 'No compensation paid'; the spill was 3.2 tonnes."},"happened":["The Plate Princess (Malta flag, 30,423 GRT) leaked crude cargo into ballast during loading at the Puerto Miranda oil terminal on Lake Maracaibo on 27 May 1997, spilling some 3.2 tonnes. The IOPC Funds record: 'Area affected: Unknown.' The P&I insurer was The Standard Steamship Owners' P&I Association (Bermuda) (the Standard Club).","In June 1997 two fishermen's unions filed claims in the Civil Court of Caracas: FETRAPESCA for US$10 million and the Puerto Miranda Union for US$20 million. The Puerto Miranda Union's amended claim of BsF 53.5 million (£7.6 million) was accepted in April 2008. In May 2006 the 1971 Fund Administrative Council had decided that both claims were time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund. In November 2008 the Fund argued that 'the documentation provided by the claimants did not demonstrate the damage and was in many instances falsified'.","The Maritime Court of First Instance accepted the claims in February 2009 and the Maritime Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in September 2009. The Supreme Tribunal dismissed the appeal on liability in October 2010, and its Constitutional Section dismissed the Fund's appeal on 8 June 2011. Court experts in January and March 2011 put losses at BsF 769,892,085 (£110 million), the total available under the Civil Liability Convention and the Fund Convention at BsF 403,473,005 (£57.6 million), the shipowner's limit at BsF 2,884,983 (£400,000) in the January 2011 paragraph (the March 2011 order gives BsF 2,844,983) and the Fund's share at BsF 400,628,022 (£57.2 million).","In March 2011 the Maritime Court of First Instance ordered the shipowner to pay BsF 2,844,983 (£400,000) and the 1971 Fund, 'although not a defendant', to pay BsF 400,628,022 (£57.2 million) plus costs. The Maritime Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on quantum in July 2011. The IOPC Funds' September 2011 document records 'No compensation paid'.","In 2013–2014 the 1971 Fund Administrative Council instructed the Director not to pay, to oppose enforcement and to discontinue the defence, and found no loss proven for FETRAPESCA. The 1971 Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014."],"timeline":[{"y":1997,"t":"Spill at Puerto Miranda terminal (27 May); FETRAPESCA and the Puerto Miranda Union file claims in the Civil Court of Caracas (June)","src":0},{"y":2006,"t":"1971 Fund Administrative Council decides both claims are time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund (May)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Amended claim of BsF 53.5 million accepted (April); the Fund questions the claimants' documentation (November)","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"Maritime Court of First Instance accepts the claims (Feb); Maritime Court of Appeal dismisses the appeal (Sept)","src":0},{"y":2010,"t":"Supreme Tribunal dismisses the appeal on liability (Oct)","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Court order against the shipowner and the 1971 Fund (March); Constitutional Section dismisses the Fund's appeal (8 June); Maritime Court of Appeal dismisses the appeal on quantum (July)","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Council instructs the Director not to pay and to discontinue the defence (2013–2014); 1971 Fund dissolved (31 Dec)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"the documentation provided by the claimants did not demonstrate the damage and was in many instances falsified","who":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds), an allegation by the Fund","when":"November 2008","src":0},{"q":"although not a defendant","who":"IOPC Funds document, on the 1971 Fund and the Maritime Court of First Instance's March 2011 order","when":"2011","src":0},{"q":"No compensation paid","who":"IOPC Funds, Plate Princess note","when":"September 2011","src":0},{"q":"Area affected: Unknown.","who":"IOPC Funds, Plate Princess note","when":"2011","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Both claims were time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund","who":"1971 Fund Administrative Council, May 2006","src":0},{"t":"No loss was proven for FETRAPESCA","who":"1971 Fund Administrative Council, 2013–2014","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Some 3.2 tonnes of crude cargo were spilled at the Puerto Miranda terminal on 27 May 1997; the area affected is recorded as unknown.","src":0},{"t":"In June 1997 FETRAPESCA claimed US$10 million and the Puerto Miranda Union US$20 million in the Civil Court of Caracas.","src":1},{"t":"Court experts in January and March 2011 put losses at BsF 769,892,085 (£110 million) and the total available under the Conventions at BsF 403,473,005 (£57.6 million); the Fund's share was BsF 400,628,022 (£57.2 million).","src":0},{"t":"The Maritime Court of First Instance ordered the shipowner to pay BsF 2,844,983 (£400,000) and the 1971 Fund, although not a defendant, to pay BsF 400,628,022 (£57.2 million) plus costs (March 2011).","src":0},{"t":"The IOPC Funds recorded 'No compensation paid' (September 2011); the 1971 Fund Administrative Council instructed the Director in 2013–2014 not to pay; the Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"1997–2014","nature":[{"label":"Valuation of environmental harm","amount":null,"note":"Area affected: Unknown (IOPC Funds)."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Losses put by court experts (January and March 2011)","amount":110,"est":true,"window":"2011","note":"BsF 769,892,085."},{"label":"Total available under the Civil Liability Convention and the Fund Convention","amount":57.6,"window":"2011","note":"BsF 403,473,005."},{"label":"Ordered against the 1971 Fund (not a defendant), plus costs","amount":57.2,"window":"2011","note":"BsF 400,628,022. No compensation paid."},{"label":"Ordered against the shipowner","amount":0.4,"window":"2011","note":"BsF 2,844,983; the January 2011 paragraph gives BsF 2,884,983."},{"label":"Puerto Miranda Union's amended claim (accepted April 2008)","amount":7.6,"window":"2008","note":"BsF 53.5 million. The unions' original claims of June 1997 were US$10 million (FETRAPESCA) and US$20 million (Puerto Miranda Union)."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Crude oil spilled","v":"Some 3.2 tonnes","d":"Puerto Miranda terminal, 27 May 1997; area affected unknown"},{"k":"Ordered against the 1971 Fund","v":"£57.2 million","d":"BsF 400,628,022 plus costs, March 2011"},{"k":"Compensation paid","v":"None","d":"IOPC Funds, September 2011; Fund dissolved 31 December 2014"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"IOPC Funds documents record the volume of crude spilled at the Puerto Miranda terminal and that the area affected is unknown.","report":[{"t":"About 3.2 tonnes of crude cargo spilled into my waters at the Puerto Miranda terminal on 27 May 1997; the area affected is recorded as unknown, according to the IOPC Funds.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: payment to the unions by the 1971 Fund; the IOPC Funds recorded 'No compensation paid' (September 2011), and the Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","Unclear: whether the unions recovered anything from the shipowner or its insurer after 2014.","Not measured: the area affected; the IOPC Funds record 'Area affected: Unknown.'","None on record: ecological data on the spill in the IOPC documents.","None on record: a court finding on the 1971 Fund's statement that the claimants' documentation was falsified.","Figures differ: the shipowner's limit appears in the same 2011 IOPC document as BsF 2,884,983 and as BsF 2,844,983."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"A single spill during loading on 27 May 1997.","whoPaid":"None on record. The IOPC Funds recorded 'No compensation paid' in September 2011; the 1971 Fund Administrative Council instructed the Director in 2013–2014 not to pay, and the Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","statusLine":"As of 31 December 2014: the Venezuelan court order of about £57.2 million against the 1971 Fund stood unpaid; the Fund was dissolved.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"iopc-funds","says":"The 1971 Fund argued that the documentation provided by the claimants did not demonstrate the damage and was in many instances falsified; its Administrative Council decided in 2006 that both claims were time-barred and in 2013–2014 instructed the Director not to pay.","when":"2006–2014","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"Administered the 1971 Fund; ordered by Venezuelan courts to pay; refused"},{"id":"standard-club","role":"P&I insurer of the Plate Princess"},{"id":"fetrapesca","role":"Claimant union; US$10 million claim"},{"id":"puerto-miranda-union","role":"Claimant union; US$20 million claim, amended to BsF 53.5 million"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the 1971 Fund could be ordered to pay: time-bar, proof of loss and the Fund's status as a non-defendant","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"1971 Fund Administrative Council","says":"Both claims were time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund (May 2006); in 2013–2014 it instructed the Director not to pay, to oppose enforcement and to discontinue the defence, and found no loss proven for FETRAPESCA.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Venezuelan Maritime courts and Supreme Tribunal (2009–2011)","says":"Accepted the claims, dismissed the appeals on liability and quantum, and ordered the Fund, although not a defendant, to pay BsF 400,628,022 (£57.2 million) plus costs.","src":0}]},{"point":"Documentation of the claimed losses","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"1971 Fund (November 2008)","says":"The documentation provided by the claimants did not demonstrate the damage and was in many instances falsified.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Maritime Court of First Instance (February 2009)","says":"Accepted the claims.","src":0}]},{"point":"Shipowner's limit of liability in the 2011 order","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds, January 2011 paragraph","says":"BsF 2,884,983 (£400,000).","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC Funds, March 2011 order","says":"BsF 2,844,983 (£400,000).","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Fishermen's unions v. shipowner (1971 Fund ordered to pay)","forum":"Maritime Court of First Instance; Maritime Court of Appeal; Supreme Tribunal (Constitutional Section)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"civil","claimant":"FETRAPESCA and the Puerto Miranda Union","defendant":"Shipowner (the 1971 Fund, not a defendant, ordered to pay)","filed":1997,"decided":2011,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":57.2,"currency":"GBP","label":"ordered against the 1971 Fund (BsF 400,628,022) plus costs; no compensation paid"},"summary":"The Maritime Court of First Instance accepted the claims in February 2009; the Maritime Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in September 2009; the Supreme Tribunal dismissed the appeal on liability in October 2010 and its Constitutional Section dismissed the Fund's appeal on 8 June 2011; the Maritime Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal on quantum in July 2011. In March 2011 the court ordered the shipowner to pay BsF 2,844,983 (£400,000) and the 1971 Fund BsF 400,628,022 (£57.2 million) plus costs.","src":0},{"title":"1971 Fund Administrative Council decisions on the unions' claims","forum":"1971 Fund Administrative Council (IOPC Funds)","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"FETRAPESCA and the Puerto Miranda Union","defendant":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","filed":1997,"decided":2014,"status":"time-barred","amount":null,"summary":"In May 2006 the Council decided that both claims were time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund. In 2013–2014 it instructed the Director not to pay, to oppose enforcement and to discontinue the defence, and found no loss proven for FETRAPESCA. The 1971 Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","src":2}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"The Standard Steamship Owners' P&I Association (Bermuda)","insured":"Owner of the Plate Princess","status":"unknown","year":2011,"amount":{"value":0.4,"currency":"GBP","label":"Civil Liability Convention limit, 3.6 million SDR (BsF 2,844,983)"},"reason":null,"summary":"P&I insurer of the Plate Princess. The court ordered the shipowner to pay BsF 2,844,983 (£400,000) in March 2011; the IOPC Funds recorded 'No compensation paid' in September 2011.","src":0},{"insurer":"1971 Fund (IOPC Funds)","insured":"FETRAPESCA and the Puerto Miranda Union (claimants)","status":"refused","year":2014,"amount":{"value":57.2,"currency":"GBP","label":"ordered against the Fund by the Maritime Court of First Instance (BsF 400,628,022), not paid"},"reason":"Claims time-barred vis-à-vis the Fund (May 2006); no loss proven for FETRAPESCA (2013–2014).","summary":"The Administrative Council instructed the Director in 2013–2014 not to pay, to oppose enforcement and to discontinue the defence. The Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","src":2}],"metrics":[{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":3.2,"unit":"tonnes (crude)","year":1997,"qualifier":"some","note":"Spilled during loading at Puerto Miranda; area affected unknown."},{"key":"claim","value":10000000,"unit":"USD","year":1997,"note":"FETRAPESCA, Civil Court of Caracas, June 1997."},{"key":"claim","value":20000000,"unit":"USD","year":1997,"note":"Puerto Miranda Union, June 1997; amended to BsF 53.5 million (£7.6 million), accepted April 2008."},{"key":"losses_assessed","value":110,"unit":"GBP m","year":2011,"est":true,"note":"Court experts, January and March 2011 (BsF 769,892,085)."},{"key":"compensation_awarded","value":57.2,"unit":"GBP m","year":2011,"note":"Ordered against the 1971 Fund, which was not a defendant (BsF 400,628,022) plus costs."},{"key":"liability_limit","value":0.4,"unit":"GBP m","year":2011,"note":"Shipowner's limit, 3.6 million SDR (BsF 2,844,983; BsF 2,884,983 in the January 2011 paragraph)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":0,"unit":"GBP m","year":2011,"note":"'No compensation paid' (IOPC Funds, September 2011)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The tanker Plate Princess spilled some 3.2 tonnes of crude at the Puerto Miranda terminal on Lake Maracaibo in 1997; Venezuelan courts ordered the 1971 Fund, not a defendant, to pay about £57.2 million to two fishermen's unions, and the IOPC Funds recorded no compensation paid.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"FETRAPESCA and the Puerto Miranda Union","what":"Claimed US$10 million and US$20 million; awarded by the court but no compensation paid","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Maracaibo at Puerto Miranda","what":"Some 3.2 tonnes of crude cargo spilled; area affected unknown","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Puerto Miranda oil terminal, Lake Maracaibo (about 10.77 N, 71.55 W); Venezuelan Maritime courts.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Spill on 27 May 1997; judgments 2009–2011; Council decisions 2006 and 2013–2014; 1971 Fund dissolved 31 December 2014.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The vessel leaked crude cargo into ballast during loading.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The unions claimed in the Civil Court of Caracas; the Maritime courts ordered the shipowner and the 1971 Fund to pay; the Fund considered the claims time-barred and unproven, and the Council instructed the Director not to pay.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Plate Princess, IOPC/OCT11/3/4","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2011-09-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_OCT11_3_4.pdf"},{"t":"Plate Princess, IOPC/OCT10/3/3","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2010-09-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IOPC_OCT10_3_3.pdf"},{"t":"1971 Fund matters, IOPC/MAY14/7/1","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2014-04-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/06/en-321.pdf"},{"t":"1971 Fund to be dissolved at the end of 2014","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2014-10-24","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/1971-fund-to-be-dissolved-at-the-end-of-2014/"}],"related":["nissos-amorgos-spill-gulf-of-venezuela-1997","lake-maracaibo-chronic-oil-leaks","kerch-strait-storm-2007-volgoneft-139","torrey-canyon-spill-and-creation-of-iopc-funds"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Valuation of environmental harm — Area affected: Unknown (IOPC Funds).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the 1971 Fund could be ordered to pay: time-bar, proof of loss and the Fund's status as a non-defendant","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Documentation of the claimed losses","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Shipowner's limit of liability in the 2011 order","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"The Standard Steamship Owners' P&I Association (Bermuda): no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: payment to the unions by the 1971 Fund; the IOPC Funds recorded 'No compensation paid' (September 2011), and the Fund was dissolved on 31 December 2014.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the unions recovered anything from the shipowner or its insurer after 2014.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the area affected; the IOPC Funds record 'Area affected: Unknown.'","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: ecological data on the spill in the IOPC documents.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court finding on the 1971 Fund's statement that the claimants' documentation was falsified.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the shipowner's limit appears in the same 2011 IOPC document as BsF 2,884,983 and as BsF 2,844,983.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"canaima-national-park-fires-and-mining","title":"Canaima National Park: fire suppression for the Guri catchment, mining pressure and the UNESCO decisions","dek":"The state power utility has run a fire suppression programme in Canaima National Park to protect the forests that feed the Guri dam. A Landsat study measured 106,000 hectares burned in 2015–2016, the State Party reported 204 hectares for a later period, and the World Heritage Committee has recorded recurring fires and mining inside the park.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":5.5,"lon":-62,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Bolívar state (Canaima National Park, upper Caroní basin)","lat":5.5,"lon":-62,"role":"event"}],"start":1981,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","wildfire","burning","mining"],"subtags":["burning:land-fires"],"headline":{"label":"Burned area in Canaima National Park, October 2015 to August 2016 (Landsat-8)","value":"106,000 ha","note":"3.7% of the park. The State Party's 2026 report, as summarised by UNESCO, gives 39 fires and 204 hectares, without a period."},"happened":["Canaima National Park lies in Bolívar state, south-east Venezuela, on the border with Brazil and Guyana; its area is given as 30,000 km². It includes the Gran Sabana sector of the upper Caroní basin (18,000 km²), which feeds the Guri hydroelectric complex. The Vegetation Wildfire Control Program of the state power utility CORPOELEC-EDELCA (formerly EDELCA) has run for 'more than 35 years'; Pemón Indigenous brigade members carry out the work. Historically its policy has been to fight and suppress fire to protect the upper Caroní forests. The Guri complex is described as providing '70% of the country's energy demand'. Iokiñe Rodríguez wrote in 2006 that managers had used a costly fire control programme since 1981 to eliminate savanna burning by the Pemón.","Millán and Bilbao (2020) wrote that only 13% of the 2,500–3,000 fires that occur in the region each year are extinguished, despite constant and costly suppression efforts by the brigades. They wrote that the suppression policies were dictated by the senior management of CORPOELEC-EDELCA and had generated conflicts with Pemón communities. Fire ecologist Bibiana Bilbao recorded more than ten uses of fire by the Pemón, including shifting cultivation, hunting, collecting honey, cooking and ceremonies, and paid most attention to patch-mosaic burning of savanna near forests. She found that the most intense fires occurred on land unburned for the longest time, where grass had built up to about 30 cm. Workshop participants, including programme staff and Pemón brigades, agreed to a new model of integral fire management that includes Indigenous communities in participatory schemes.","A study of 252 Landsat-8 images (Rivera-Lombardi, Bilbao, Mistry, Berardi and Torres, 2020) measured 64,200 hectares burned in 2014–2015 (2.2% of the park) and 106,000 hectares in October 2015 to August 2016 (3.7% of the park). January 2016 alone accounted for 45,000 hectares, 43% of that year's burned area, with no rain recorded in the park that month during a 'very strong' ENSO episode. Fire incidence rose 64% between the two periods and forests were 'very affected' in 2015–2016. The State Party's 2026 report, as summarised by UNESCO, states that the property 'was affected by 39 fires that damaged a total area of 204 hectares, mainly in the savanna'; the summary gives no period. A fire at Auyantepuy near Kamarata on 11 March 2024 reportedly began as a burn to clear a small farm plot; INPARQUES staff reportedly fought it for 48 hours without air support.","The World Heritage Committee has addressed the property in decisions 44 COM 7B.199 (2021), 45 COM 7B.71 (2023), 47 COM 7B.41 (2025) and 48 COM 7B.87 (2026). In 2025 it recorded 'continued forest degradation and deforestation occurring within the property, and recurring fires', and the State Party confirmed 'some illegal mining activities within the property'. In 2026 the State Party repeated that the Orinoco Mining Arc polygon (ZDENAMO) does not overlap the property and lies 1–5 km from its boundary, with current mining rights 10–15 km away. The Committee regretted that the State Party continued to fail to clarify whether mining in ZDENAMO had been assessed for impacts on the property's Outstanding Universal Value, and noted with significant concern that the Reactive Monitoring mission continued not to be invited. It considered that it was not possible to fully assess the state of conservation of the property and referred to the in-danger criteria of Paragraph 180. SOS Orinoco, an NGO, reported mining over more than 1,500 hectares in a report cited in January 2026 and 'more than 1,800 hectares' with 49 active dredges on the Caroní inside the park in August 2026, and reported a new 5.8-hectare mine on 13 August 2026.","The sources record no budget figure for the fire programme. UNESCO international assistance to the property comprised two approved requests in 1999–2007 totalling USD 43,777, and UNESCO extrabudgetary funds were listed as none. GEF project 2103, for a participatory management model for Canaima, carried a GEF grant of USD 6,000,000 and co-financing of USD 18,520,000 and is listed as cancelled. In March 2026 the US Treasury issued a licence authorising certain activities by US companies to buy, transport and resell Venezuelan gold, including deals involving the Venezuelan government or Minerven; SOS Orinoco criticised the licence."],"timeline":[{"y":1981,"t":"Managers start a fire control programme to eliminate Pemón savanna burning","src":6},{"y":1994,"t":"Canaima inscribed as a World Heritage property","src":9},{"y":1999,"t":"Bibiana Bilbao starts fire-ecology research in Canaima","src":7},{"y":2016,"t":"Landsat-8 study measures 64,200 ha burned in 2014–2015 and 106,000 ha in 2015–2016, including 45,000 ha in January 2016; the Orinoco Mining Arc (111,843 km²) is created by decree","src":5},{"y":2021,"t":"World Heritage Committee decision 44 COM 7B.199","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"Reactive Monitoring mission postponed from September, then not invited again","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"Decision 45 COM 7B.71 notes an increase in firefighters and rangers and regrets that no new mission invitation was issued","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"Fire at Auyantepuy near Kamarata (11 Mar)","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"Decision 47 COM 7B.41 records 'multiple threats from cumulative impacts of mining, land use change and fire'","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"State Party submits its state of conservation report (15 Feb); decision 48 COM 7B.87 refers to Paragraph 180; SOS Orinoco reports a new 5.8 ha mine (13 Aug); updated report due 1 December 2027","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"Only 13% of the 2500-3000 fires that occur in the region each year are extinguished, despite constant and costly suppression efforts undertaken by these brigades.","who":"Millán and Bilbao, abstract","when":"2020","src":4},{"q":"since 1981 managers have employed a costly fire control program to eliminate savanna burning by the Pemon","who":"Iokiñe Rodríguez, Human Ecology","when":"2006","src":6},{"q":"Without this ancestral practice, we would increase the intensity and severity of fires in the protected area, putting the tropical forest and water sources at risk.","who":"Bibiana Bilbao, fire ecologist, Universidad Simón Bolívar, in Dialogue Earth","when":"2020","src":7},{"q":"was affected by 39 fires that damaged a total area of 204 hectares, mainly in the savanna","who":"State Party report, as summarised by UNESCO","when":"15 February 2026","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"continued forest degradation and deforestation occurring within the property, and recurring fires","who":"World Heritage Committee, decision 47 COM 7B.41","when":"2025","src":2},{"q":"Regrets that the State Party continues to fail to provide clarification","who":"World Heritage Committee, decision 48 COM 7B.87, on whether mining in ZDENAMO was assessed for impacts on the property's Outstanding Universal Value","when":"2026","src":0},{"q":"cannot be considered an adequate alternative","who":"World Heritage Centre and IUCN, on the State Party's proposed international meeting in place of the Reactive Monitoring mission","when":"2026","src":1,"translated":"French"},{"q":"disperses up to 100 kilometres downstream","who":"SOS Orinoco, on mercury from mining","when":"August 2026","src":9,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"threatens the useful life of the turbines of the Guri reservoir","who":"SOS Orinoco, on sedimentation from mining","when":"August 2026","src":9,"translated":"Spanish"}],"shown":[{"t":"The contribution of the park to forest loss is 'negligible' and its environmental and ecological integrity is '99.97%' preserved; the remaining 0.03% is recreation areas, Indigenous villages, access roads and management infrastructure","who":"State Party's 2026 report, as summarised by UNESCO (translated from French)","src":1},{"t":"Trained Indigenous brigades combining ancestral knowledge and modern techniques; restoration with native species and a native-plant nursery; a Roraima tepui visit regulation; 1,319 kg of waste collected","who":"State Party's 2026 report, as summarised by UNESCO","src":1},{"t":"The Orinoco Mining Arc polygon does not overlap the property and lies 1–5 km from its boundary; current mining rights are 10–15 km away, so the property is protected from mining","who":"State Party's 2026 report, as summarised by UNESCO","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Landsat-8 fire-scar interpretation: 64,200 ha burned in 2014–2015 and 106,000 ha in October 2015 to August 2016; 45,000 ha in January 2016","src":5},{"t":"State Party 2026 report: 39 fires, 204 ha, period not stated in the UNESCO summary","src":1},{"t":"World Heritage Committee 2025: continued forest degradation and deforestation, recurring fires, and confirmation by the State Party of some mining activities within the property","src":2},{"t":"World Heritage Committee 2026: the Reactive Monitoring mission requested since 2021 had not taken place and it was not possible to fully assess the state of conservation","src":0},{"t":"UNESCO international assistance: two approved requests in 1999–2007 totalling USD 43,777; extrabudgetary funds none","src":1},{"t":"GEF project 2103 (GEF grant USD 6,000,000; co-financing USD 18,520,000) listed as cancelled","src":11},{"t":"SOS Orinoco measurement of mining inside the park: more than 1,800 ha and 49 active dredges (August 2026)","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"UNESCO World Heritage international assistance to the property (2 approved requests)","amount":0.043777,"window":"1999–2007"},{"label":"GEF project 2103, participatory management model for Canaima (cancelled)","amount":6,"window":"GEF-3","note":"Co-financing of 18.52 million is listed; the project page does not state whether any money was disbursed."},{"label":"CORPOELEC-EDELCA wildfire control programme","amount":null,"note":"No budget figure is on record; academic sources describe the programme as costly."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Burned, Oct 2015–Aug 2016","v":"106,000 ha","d":"3.7% of the park; Landsat-8 study (2020)"},{"k":"Burned in January 2016 alone","v":"45,000 ha","d":"No rain recorded that month"},{"k":"Mining inside the park","v":"1,800+ ha","d":"SOS Orinoco, August 2026; 49 active dredges"},{"k":"Fires put out each year","v":"13%","d":"Of 2,500–3,000 fires a year, per Millán and Bilbao (2020)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A Landsat-8 study, the State Party's 2026 report, the World Heritage Committee and the NGO SOS Orinoco recorded burned savanna and forest, forest degradation and mining inside the park.","report":[{"t":"My savanna and forest burned over 64,200 hectares in 2014–2015 and 106,000 hectares in October 2015 to August 2016, according to a Landsat-8 study (2020).","src":5},{"t":"In January 2016 alone 45,000 hectares of me burned, with no rain recorded in the park that month during a very strong ENSO episode, according to the same study.","src":5},{"t":"My forests were 'very affected' by fire in 2015–2016, according to the same study.","src":5},{"t":"The State Party reported that 39 fires damaged 204 hectares of me, mainly in the savanna, in its 2026 report (period not stated).","src":1},{"t":"The World Heritage Committee recorded continued forest degradation and deforestation within me, and recurring fires, in 2025.","src":2},{"t":"SOS Orinoco measured mining over more than 1,800 hectares of me and 49 active dredges on the Caroní in August 2026.","src":9}]},"unknown":["None on record: a budget figure for the CORPOELEC-EDELCA Vegetation Wildfire Control Program; academic sources describe it only as costly.","None on record: an impact assessment of ZDENAMO mining against the property's Outstanding Universal Value; the Committee requested one in decisions of 2023, 2025 and 2026.","None on record: a Reactive Monitoring mission; it has been requested since 2021 and had not taken place by 2026.","None on record: a court case concerning the fire programme or mining inside Canaima.","None on record: UNESCO extrabudgetary funds for the property (listed as none).","Insufficient: the information on a fire prevention and management strategy supplied in 2026; UNESCO also noted no updated monitoring indicators, no visitor-impact assessments and no information on invasive species.","Not disclosed: whether any GEF money was disbursed to project 2103 before its cancellation, and the cancellation date.","Disputed: the burned area; a Landsat-8 study gives 64,200 and 106,000 hectares for 2014–2016, while the State Party gives 39 fires and 204 hectares for a period it does not state in the UNESCO summary.","Self-reported only: the State Party's statements that the park's forest loss is negligible and its integrity is 99.97% preserved.","Self-reported only: the NGO claims that mercury disperses up to 100 kilometres downstream and that sedimentation threatens the useful life of the Guri turbines; neither is measured in the sources."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"Fires recurred: the World Heritage Committee noted the recurrence of fires in 2026, and SOS Orinoco reported 49 active dredges and a new mine in August 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record for the harm itself. UNESCO international assistance to the property was USD 43,777 in 1999–2007, and GEF project 2103 (GEF grant USD 6,000,000) was cancelled; the fire programme budget is not on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: the World Heritage Committee's 2026 decision refers to the in-danger criteria of Paragraph 180, the Reactive Monitoring mission had not taken place, and an updated report is due on 1 December 2027.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"In its 2026 state of conservation report, as summarised by UNESCO, the State Party said Indigenous brigades combine ancestral knowledge and modern techniques, restoration with native species had been carried out, ZDENAMO lies 1–5 km from the boundary and does not overlap the property, and it proposed an international meeting in 2026 in place of the Reactive Monitoring mission.","when":"15 February 2026","src":1},{"actor":"unesco-whc","says":"The World Heritage Centre and IUCN said the information supplied does not address concerns about impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value, gives no details on the status, extent or location of existing and planned concessions, and that the proposed meeting cannot be considered an adequate alternative to the mission.","when":"2026","src":1},{"actor":"sos-orinoco","says":"Measured more than 1,800 hectares of mining and 49 active dredges inside the park and said a new mine is driven by Pemón leaders of Sector 2 of Canaima in coordination with politicians and military.","when":"13 August 2026","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"corpoelec","role":"State power utility; runs the Vegetation Wildfire Control Program"},{"id":"inparques","role":"National parks authority; staff fought the March 2024 fire; executing agency of GEF project 2103"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"State Party to the World Heritage Convention"},{"id":"unesco-whc","role":"Decisions 44 COM 7B.199 to 48 COM 7B.87"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Advisory body to the World Heritage Committee"},{"id":"sos-orinoco","role":"NGO measuring mining inside the park"},{"id":"gef","role":"Funder of cancelled project 2103"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Implementing agency of GEF project 2103"},{"id":"us-treasury","role":"Issued the March 2026 gold licence"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Area burned in Canaima National Park","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Rivera-Lombardi and co-authors (Landsat-8, 252 images)","says":"64,200 ha in 2014–2015 (2.2% of the park) and 106,000 ha in October 2015 to August 2016 (3.7% of the park).","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Party (2026 report, as summarised by UNESCO)","says":"39 fires damaging a total of 204 hectares, mainly in the savanna; the UNESCO summary gives no period.","src":1}]},{"point":"Mining in and next to the park","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State Party","says":"The Orinoco Mining Arc polygon (ZDENAMO) does not overlap the property and lies 1–5 km from its boundary; current mining rights are 10–15 km away; monitoring of mining inside the property continues.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee (2026)","says":"Regrets that the State Party continues to fail to clarify whether ZDENAMO mining was assessed for impacts on the property's Outstanding Universal Value, and notes with concern the continuation of mining activities within the property.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"SOS Orinoco","says":"Measured more than 1,800 hectares of mining and 49 active dredges inside the park by remote sensing and satellite imagery.","src":9}]},{"point":"Fire management policy","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"CORPOELEC-EDELCA (programme as described by Millán and Bilbao)","says":"A policy of fighting and suppressing fire to protect the upper Caroní forests that feed the Guri dam; the programme has run for more than 35 years.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Iokiñe Rodríguez (2006)","says":"Savanna burning by the Pemón plays a key role in preventing large catastrophic fires.","src":6},{"voice":"research","holder":"Bibiana Bilbao (2020)","says":"Without the ancestral practice, fires in the protected area would increase in intensity and severity, putting the tropical forest and water sources at risk.","src":7}]},{"point":"International meeting in place of the Reactive Monitoring mission","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State Party","says":"Proposed an international meeting in 2026 in place of the mission.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Centre and IUCN","says":"The proposed meeting cannot be considered an adequate alternative to the mission.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"World Heritage Committee decisions on Canaima National Park (48 COM 7B.87, 2026)","forum":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"international","claimant":"World Heritage Committee","defendant":"State Party (Venezuela)","filed":2021,"decided":2026,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Decision 48 COM 7B.87 (2026) noted with concern the recurrence of fires and again urged an integrated fire prevention and management strategy, regretted that the State Party continued to fail to clarify whether ZDENAMO mining had been assessed for impacts on the property's Outstanding Universal Value, noted with concern the continuation of mining activities within the property and with significant concern that the Reactive Monitoring mission continued not to be invited, considered that it was not possible to fully assess the state of conservation of the property, and referred to the in-danger criteria of Paragraph 180. Decision 47 COM 7B.41 (2025) recorded multiple threats from cumulative impacts of mining, land use change and fire. Decision 45 COM 7B.71 (2023) noted with appreciation the reported increase in the number of firefighters and rangers. The updated report is due on 1 December 2027.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_burned_ha","value":64200,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Period 2014–2015; 2.2% of the park and 5.62% of the eastern sector; Landsat-8/OLI fire-scar interpretation of 252 images (Rivera-Lombardi et al., 2020)."},{"key":"area_burned_ha","value":106000,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"Period October 2015 to August 2016; 3.7% of the park and 9.26% of the eastern sector (Rivera-Lombardi et al., 2020)."},{"key":"area_burned_ha","value":45000,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"January 2016 alone, 43% of that year's burned area; no rain recorded in the park that month (Rivera-Lombardi et al., 2020)."},{"key":"area_burned_ha","value":204,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"39 fires, mainly in the savanna; State Party report of 15 February 2026 as summarised by UNESCO; period not stated."},{"key":"fire_incidence_increase","value":64,"unit":"%","year":2016,"note":"Rise in fire incidence from the 2014–2015 period to the 2015–2016 period (Rivera-Lombardi et al., 2020)."},{"key":"fires_extinguished_share","value":13,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Of 2,500–3,000 fires a year in the region, per Millán and Bilbao (2020)."},{"key":"mining_area_ha","value":1500,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"SOS Orinoco report cited in January 2026; remote sensing and satellite imagery."},{"key":"mining_area_ha","value":1800,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"SOS Orinoco, August 2026, inside the park."},{"key":"active_dredges","value":49,"unit":"dredges","year":2026,"note":"On the Caroní inside the park (SOS Orinoco, August 2026)."},{"key":"new_mine_area_ha","value":5.8,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"New mine reported by SOS Orinoco on 13 August 2026."},{"key":"park_area_km2","value":30000,"unit":"km²","year":2020,"note":"Park area as given by Rivera-Lombardi et al.; the upper Caroní basin covers 18,000 km²."},{"key":"assistance","value":43777,"unit":"USD","year":2007,"note":"UNESCO World Heritage international assistance, two approved requests, 1999–2007."},{"key":"grant","value":6,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"note":"GEF project 2103 grant (GEF-3), cancelled; co-financing USD 18.52 million."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fire suppression programme run by the state power utility to protect the Guri catchment has operated in Canaima National Park for more than 35 years; a Landsat study measured 106,000 hectares burned in 2015–2016, and the World Heritage Committee recorded recurring fires and mining inside the park.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CORPOELEC-EDELCA","what":"Protection of the upper Caroní forests that feed the Guri dam complex, the stated purpose of its fire programme; Guri is described as providing 70% of the country's energy demand","src":4},{"who":"Companies licensed by the US Treasury","what":"Authorised in March 2026 to buy, transport and resell Venezuelan gold, including deals involving the Venezuelan government or Minerven","src":9}],"lost":[{"who":"Pemón communities","what":"Conflicts with the utility's suppression policies; conflicts between Pemón communities and the National Guard are listed as a factor in the 2026 state of conservation report","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Savanna and forest of Canaima National Park","what":"64,200 ha burned in 2014–2015 and 106,000 ha in October 2015 to August 2016 (Landsat-8)","src":5},{"who":"The Caroní inside the park","what":"More than 1,800 ha of mining and 49 active dredges (SOS Orinoco, August 2026)","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"Canaima National Park, Bolívar state, south-east Venezuela, on the border with Brazil and Guyana; the upper Caroní basin (18,000 km²) feeds the Guri dam.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Fire programme since 1981; Landsat-8 measurement of 2014–2016 burned area; UNESCO decisions in 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2026; new mine reported on 13 August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The utility's stated aim is to protect forests that feed the Guri dam; researchers attribute the fires in part to the suppression model and describe Pemón patch burning as preventing large fires; the Committee names small-scale agriculture and recurring droughts as drivers of forest degradation and lists 'illegal activities', mining and fires as factors.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Pemón brigades carry out suppression for the utility; only 13% of 2,500–3,000 fires a year are extinguished according to Millán and Bilbao; the State Party and the Committee disagree on whether mining impacts were assessed.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Decision 48 COM 7B.87, Canaima National Park","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Centre","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/9143"},{"t":"État de conservation 2026, Parc national de Canaima (State of conservation 2026, Canaima National Park)","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Centre","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/fr/soc/5044"},{"t":"Decision 47 COM 7B.41","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Centre","d":"2025","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/8765/"},{"t":"Decision 45 COM 7B.71","p":"UNESCO World Heritage Centre","d":"2023","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/8323"},{"t":"Indigenous firefighters: the important role of the Pemón indigenous brigades…","p":"Biodiversidade Brasileira 10(1) (Millán and Bilbao)","d":"2020-07-27","type":"academic","u":"https://revistaeletronica.icmbio.gov.br/BioBR/article/view/1529"},{"t":"Quantification of burnt areas… Canaima National Park","p":"Biodiversidade Brasileira 10(1):79 (Rivera-Lombardi, Bilbao, Mistry, Berardi, Torres)","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://revistaeletronica.icmbio.gov.br/BioBR/article/download/1566/1077/6515"},{"t":"Pemon Perspectives of Fire Management in Canaima National Park, Southeastern Venezuela","p":"Human Ecology 35:331-343 (Iokiñe Rodríguez)","d":"2006-12-13","type":"academic","u":"https://link.springer.com/doi/10.1007/s10745-006-9064-7"},{"t":"What Colombia is learning from Venezuela about fire management","p":"Dialogue Earth (Tatiana Pardo Ibarra)","d":"2020-08-20","type":"press","u":"https://dialogue.earth/en/forests/36931-what-colombia-is-learning-from-venezuela-about-fire-management/"},{"t":"Desplegaron bomberos forestales para combatir incendio en el Parque Nacional Canaima (Forest firefighters deployed to fight fire in Canaima National Park)","p":"El Diario (Yanuacelis Aure)","d":"2024-03-14","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2024/03/14/desplegaron-bomberos-incendio-en-el-parque-nacional-canaima/"},{"t":"SOS Orinoco denunció la presencia de una nueva mina ilegal dentro del Parque Nacional Canaima (SOS Orinoco reported a new illegal mine inside Canaima National Park)","p":"El Diario (EFE)","d":"2026-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2026/08/13/sos-orinoco-denuncia-nueva-mina-ilegal-parque-nacional-canaima/"},{"t":"Informe alerta sobre rol de Delcy Rodríguez con los impactos de la minería de oro en Venezuela (Report warns of Delcy Rodríguez's role in the impacts of gold mining in Venezuela)","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2026-01-16","type":"press","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/01/informe-alerta-delcy-rodriguez-impactos-mineria-venezuela/"},{"t":"Expanding Partnerships for the National Parks System (resubmission), project 2103","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/2103"}],"related":["guri-dam-drought-and-power-crises"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Area burned in Canaima National Park","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Mining in and next to the park","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Fire management policy","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"CORPOELEC-EDELCA wildfire control programme — No budget figure is on record; academic sources describe the programme as costly.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"International meeting in place of the Reactive Monitoring mission","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a budget figure for the CORPOELEC-EDELCA Vegetation Wildfire Control Program; academic sources describe it only as costly.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an impact assessment of ZDENAMO mining against the property's Outstanding Universal Value; the Committee requested one in decisions of 2023, 2025 and 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Reactive Monitoring mission; it has been requested since 2021 and had not taken place by 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court case concerning the fire programme or mining inside Canaima.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: UNESCO extrabudgetary funds for the property (listed as none).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the information on a fire prevention and management strategy supplied in 2026; UNESCO also noted no updated monitoring indicators, no visitor-impact assessments and no information on invasive species.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whether any GEF money was disbursed to project 2103 before its cancellation, and the cancellation date.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the burned area; a Landsat-8 study gives 64,200 and 106,000 hectares for 2014–2016, while the State Party gives 39 fires and 204 hectares for a period it does not state in the UNESCO summary.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the State Party's statements that the park's forest loss is negligible and its integrity is 99.97% preserved.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the NGO claims that mercury disperses up to 100 kilometres downstream and that sedimentation threatens the useful life of the Guri turbines; neither is measured in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"lake-valencia-rising-level-and-sewage","title":"Lake Valencia: rising level, sewage and compensation for flooded homes","dek":"Water imported for the Central Regional aqueduct has drained into Lake Valencia, which has no outlet; its level rose from about 401–402 m in the late 1970s to about 414 m, against a security level of 408 m. The Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela's Supreme Tribunal ordered compensation for flooded homes in 2006 and 2007, and in 2017 about half of the affected owners were still waiting.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":10.18,"lon":-67.73,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Aragua and Carabobo states (Lake Valencia basin, South Maracay)","lat":10.18,"lon":-67.73,"role":"event"}],"start":1976,"end":2023,"instrument":"water","types":["water","waste"],"headline":{"label":"Level of Lake Valencia in 2017, against a security level of 408 m","value":"414.10 m","note":"Armando.info citing engineers; engineers gave about 414 m in 2023, an unofficial figure."},"happened":["Lake Valencia is an endorheic basin shared by Aragua and Carabobo states in north-central Venezuela. Between 1975 and 1978 the Central Regional System I and II aqueduct was built; it imports water from other basins and its wastewater drains into the lake. NASA wrote in 2004: 'Since 1976 Lake Valencia water levels have risen due to diversion of water from neighboring watersheds.' In 1978 the Ministry of the Environment set the maximum security level at 408 m above sea level. The lake stood at about 401–402 m at the end of the 1970s, reached 408 m in 1999, 410 m in 2005, 413.43 m in 2012 and 414.10 m in 2017 according to Armando.info citing engineers; engineers gave about 414 m in September 2023, an unofficial figure. Nizar Richani of the Colegio de Ingenieros de Carabobo said the lake grew about 12.5 m in height and from 250 km² (1978) to about 400 km² between 1978 and 2023, an unofficial figure, and that the level-control works planned with the aqueduct were not executed.","In 1995 a technical study by Caltec-Otepi-CDM for the Ministry, supported by the IDB, led to the rejection on environmental grounds of a tunnel through Henri Pittier National Park to the Caribbean; the 'West Alternative' of 17 treatment plants was chosen. Only 3 of the 17 plants (Los Guayos, La Mariposa and Taiguaiguay) were built in 1995–1997. In 2005 a 'Project for Lake Valencia Clean Up and Level Control' was approved with a four-year schedule, due in 2009. Armando.info (17 September 2017) reported that the lake receives '360 million cubic meters of wastewater each year', that 8,000 families in seven South Maracay areas were at risk, that '14 cleaning works planned and financed' were 'not executed', and that only 93 km of collectors were built in 1999–2009, so that only 51% of sewage reached plants, citing a 2009 Carabobo Regional Comptroller audit. Los Guayos stopped working in 2016 and was dismantled after equipment theft; La Mariposa stopped in August 2017; Taiguaiguay was abandoned, according to Marino Azcárate of the Aragua engineers' association.","The La Punta embankment (1,200 m), built in 2005 at 412 m and raised by 2.40 m to 414.40 m, protects a pumping station that discharges sewage into the lake; it was extended by 1 m in August 2017. In 2005 Resolution 002 of the Housing Ministry (Gaceta Oficial 38,124, 10 February 2005) authorised SAVIR to compensate flooded families, and owners of 101 homes in La Punta and Mata Redonda were compensated. Residents of La Punta and Mata Redonda brought an amparo against the Ministry of the Environment before the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Exp. 00-1362). Ruling 1632 of 11 August 2006 ordered the residents' eviction 'prior restoration of the economic value of each of the homes' and urged all public bodies to continue the clean-up and level-control plans 'with the greatest priority and diligence possible'. Ruling 1752 of 13 August 2007 dealt with execution: it appointed Civil Protection to identify affected residents and value the damage, declared the non-transfer conditions in the compensation contracts void and ordered notification of the Ombudsman. In the execution record the economic value determined for 134 La Punta homes was Bs. 36,635,312,865.00 (bolívares before the 2008 redenomination); the value of 122 further La Punta homes and 730 Mata Redonda homes was still pending. A third ruling in 2015 ordered execution of the 2006 and 2007 rulings and payment of amounts pending from a 2011 settlement; in 2017, 512 of 1,043 La Punta and Mata Redonda owners were still awaiting compensation.","Since 2007 the state has pumped lake water to the Pao-Cachinche drinking-water reservoir (5,000 l/s capacity) and diverted the Cabriales river to it, without an environmental impact study, according to a 2011 submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review by a coalition of NGOs, which classed Pao-Cachinche as hypereutrophic on the basis of a 2004 Universidad Central de Venezuela study financed by HIDROCENTRO. Plans for a transfer to the Caribbean were under study by the Ministry in 2011. A 2009 decree prohibited sugarcane, a high-water-consumption crop, on 53,000 ha of the basin; the harvested area in Aragua fell from 11,000 to 3,000 hectares.","Public spending on plans, programmes and projects for the basin was Bs. 747,766,208.14 in 1999–2009 according to the 2009 Carabobo Regional Comptroller audit as reported by Armando.info, which converted the amount to US$ 343,337,829.36 and gave 'US$ 385 million' including amounts approved in 2009–2012. In April 2006 a basin authority official said cleaning the lake with an investment of US$ 70 million could take six years. In November 2022 homes in South Maracay had been flooded for months, according to Voice of America."],"timeline":[{"y":1976,"t":"NASA dates the start of the level rise to this year; the Central Regional aqueduct (built 1975–1978) imports water into the basin","src":2},{"y":1978,"t":"Ministry of the Environment sets the maximum security level at 408 m","src":0},{"y":1995,"t":"Caltec-Otepi-CDM study; Caribbean tunnel rejected; 17-plant West Alternative chosen; 3 plants built by 1997","src":0},{"y":1999,"t":"Lake reaches 408 m, first time since 1894 according to an engineer; La Punta and Mata Redonda owners sue (Nov)","src":0},{"y":2005,"t":"Lake reaches 410 m; Resolution 002 authorises compensation of flooded families (10 Feb); clean-up and level-control project approved for four years","src":1},{"y":2006,"t":"Constitutional Chamber ruling 1632 (11 Aug)","src":1},{"y":2007,"t":"Constitutional Chamber ruling 1752 (13 Aug); transfer of lake water to Pao-Cachinche begins","src":1},{"y":2012,"t":"Lake at 413.43 m; emergency housing area decree (13 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Third Supreme Tribunal ruling orders execution of the earlier rulings","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"Lake at 414.10 m; 512 of 1,043 owners still awaiting compensation; Los Guayos dismantled in 2016 and La Mariposa stopped in August","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"South Maracay homes flooded for months (Nov)","src":4},{"y":2023,"t":"Engineers give about 414 m, an unofficial figure (Sep)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"Since 1976 Lake Valencia water levels have risen due to diversion of water from neighboring watersheds.","who":"NASA Earth Observatory","when":"2004","src":2},{"q":"were not executed","who":"Nizar Richani, Colegio de Ingenieros de Carabobo, on the level-control works planned with the aqueduct","when":"September 2023","src":3,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"It is the most serious environmental and water problem in Venezuela.","who":"Nizar Richani, Colegio de Ingenieros de Carabobo","when":"September 2023","src":3,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"We already exhausted all legal resources.","who":"José Vicente Haro, lawyer for 65 families, in Armando.info","when":"2017","src":0},{"q":"with the greatest priority and diligence possible","who":"Constitutional Chamber, ruling 1632, on continuing the clean-up and level-control plans","when":"11 August 2006","src":1,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"Here one cannot live","who":"A South Maracay resident, in Voice of America","when":"November 2022","src":4,"translated":"Spanish"}],"shown":[{"t":"The works carried out 'are beginning to show results', the lake level 'has begun to descend' and levels below 410 m are expected 'with a probability of 90%'","who":"Ministry of the Environment, report to the Constitutional Chamber, as recorded in ruling 1752 (translated from Spanish)","src":1},{"t":"Level control through the transfer of lake water to the Pao-Cachinche reservoir","who":"Government, as described in the 2011 NGO submission to the UN","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"Lake level 408 m (1999), 410 m (2005), 413.43 m (2012), 414.10 m (2017), about 414 m (2023, unofficial); security level 408 m","src":0},{"t":"Constitutional Chamber rulings 1632 (11 August 2006) and 1752 (13 August 2007) on compensation of flooded owners; a third ruling in 2015","src":1},{"t":"Only 3 of 17 planned treatment plants were built; Los Guayos stopped in 2016 and La Mariposa in August 2017","src":0},{"t":"512 of 1,043 La Punta and Mata Redonda owners still awaiting compensation in 2017","src":0},{"t":"Spending of Bs. 747,766,208.14 in 1999–2009 on plans for the basin, per a 2009 Carabobo Regional Comptroller audit as reported by Armando.info","src":0},{"t":"Treatment plant effluents exceeded Decree 883 limits in 2010–2011, by up to 710% for some parameters (NGO submission citing official values)","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Plans, programmes and projects for the basin, 1999–2009 (Carabobo Regional Comptroller audit; US$ conversion by Armando.info of Bs. 747,766,208.14)","amount":343.337829,"window":"1999–2009"},{"label":"Same, including amounts approved in 2009–2012 (Armando.info)","amount":385,"note":"Not additional to the line above."},{"label":"Clean-up cost stated by a basin authority official in April 2006, over six years","amount":70,"window":"2006","note":"A planned figure."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Pao-Cachinche transfer and Caribbean transfer","amount":null,"note":"No cost figure is on record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Level rise","v":"About 12.5 m","d":"1978–2023, Colegio de Ingenieros de Carabobo; unofficial figure"},{"k":"Wastewater received","v":"360 million m³ a year","d":"Armando.info, 2017"},{"k":"Families at risk","v":"8,000","d":"Seven South Maracay areas, 2017"},{"k":"Treatment plants built","v":"3 of 17","d":"1995–1997; Los Guayos and La Mariposa later stopped"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NASA, Armando.info, engineers and an NGO submission recorded the rise in level, the wastewater load and effluent and water-quality exceedances.","report":[{"t":"My level rose from about 401–402 metres at the end of the 1970s to 413.43 metres in 2012 and 414.10 metres in 2017, against a security level of 408 metres, according to Armando.info citing engineers.","src":0},{"t":"NASA stated in 2004 that since 1976 my water levels have risen due to diversion of water from neighboring watersheds.","src":2},{"t":"Algal blooms in me result from a continual influx of untreated wastewater from urban, agricultural and industrial land uses, according to NASA (2004).","src":2},{"t":"I receive 360 million cubic metres of wastewater each year, according to Armando.info (2017).","src":0},{"t":"My area went from 250 km² in 1978 to about 400 km², according to Nizar Richani (2023), an unofficial figure.","src":3},{"t":"Effluents from treatment plants in my basin exceeded Decree 883 limits in 2010–2011, by up to 710% for some parameters, according to an NGO submission citing official values.","src":7},{"t":"The Pao-Cachinche reservoir, which receives water pumped from me, has been covered by Lemna and water hyacinth since January 2010, with cyanobacteria dominant beneath, according to the same submission.","src":7}]},"unknown":["None on record: an official current lake level; the 2023 figure of about 414 m was described as not official.","None on record: an environmental impact study for the 2007 transfers of lake water to Pao-Cachinche, according to an NGO submission.","None on record: execution of 14 of the 17 planned treatment plants and of the 2005 clean-up project due in 2009, according to Armando.info.","None on record: a prosecution or ruling following the 2011 NGO submission, which cited article 28 of the Ley Penal del Ambiente in connection with the 2007 transfers.","Disputed: the effect of the transfer to Pao-Cachinche; the government presented it as level control, the NGOs as contamination of a drinking-water source.","Figures differ: the transfer flow is given as 5,000 l/s capacity in the NGO submission and as 5,600 l/s for the La Mariposa design in Armando.info.","Figures differ: the Ministry expected levels below 410 m 'with a probability of 90%' in 2006, while recorded levels rose to 413.43 m in 2012 and about 414 m in 2017–2023.","Unclear: the cost and amount paid for the Paraparal wall built by PDVSA in 2013 and left unfinished; no amount is given."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The level kept rising: 408 m in 1999, 413.43 m in 2012, 414.10 m in 2017 and about 414 m (unofficial) in 2023, against a security level of 408 m.","whoPaid":"Public spending on clean-up and level control was Bs. 747,766,208.14 in 1999–2009. Owners of 101 homes were compensated in 2005; in 2017, 512 of 1,043 La Punta and Mata Redonda owners were still awaiting compensation.","statusLine":"As of September 2023: the lake was at about 414 m (unofficial figure); the 2006 and 2007 Constitutional Chamber rulings and a 2015 ruling remained unexecuted for part of the owners as of 2017.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"venezuela-environment-ministry","says":"In a November 2006 report to the Constitutional Chamber the Ministry said the works carried out 'are beginning to show results', the lake level 'has begun to descend' and levels below 410 m were expected 'with a probability of 90%', and proposed relocating the families of 256 La Punta homes and 786 Mata Redonda homes.","when":"November 2006","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"venezuela-tsj","role":"Constitutional Chamber; rulings 1632 (2006) and 1752 (2007)"},{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-environment","role":"Defendant in the amparo; responsible for the basin clean-up and level control"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Funded the clean-up programmes and the Pao-Cachinche transfer"},{"id":"nasa-earth-observatory","role":"Dated the level rise to 1976 and linked algal blooms to untreated wastewater"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Lake level compared with the 2006 expectation","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of the Environment (November 2006)","says":"The level has begun to descend and levels below 410 m are expected with a probability of 90%.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Armando.info (2017), citing engineers","says":"The lake reached 413.43 m in 2012 and 414.10 m in 2017.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Colegio de Ingenieros de Carabobo (2023)","says":"About 414 m, an unofficial figure, and 'the most serious environmental and water problem in Venezuela'.","src":3}]},{"point":"Transfer of lake water to the Pao-Cachinche reservoir","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government, as described in the 2011 NGO submission","says":"Presented as level control.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"NGO coalition (Movimiento por la Calidad del Agua and others), 2011","says":"Contamination of a drinking-water source, carried out without an environmental impact study since 2007; the Cabriales river was also diverted into the reservoir.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Fundación Vida Verde (2011)","says":"Demands solutions other than the transfer of the lake's water to the Pao-Cachinche reservoir.","src":5}]},{"point":"Flow of the water transfer","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"NGO submission (2011)","says":"5,000 l/s capacity.","src":7},{"voice":"press","holder":"Armando.info (2017)","says":"La Mariposa treated lake water for transfer of 5,600 l/s to Pao-Cachinche.","src":0}]},{"point":"Appraisal of flooded homes","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Residents of La Punta and Mata Redonda (May 2007 filings)","says":"Delays in compensation, 'abuses and irregularities' in appraisals and objections to depreciation deductions 'in the order of 65 and 120 million' (bolívares).","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Chamber (ruling 1752, 2007)","says":"Appointed Civil Protection to identify affected residents and value the damage, declared the non-transfer conditions in the compensation contracts void and ordered funding through the emergency/catastrophe mechanism.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Amparo by La Punta and Mata Redonda residents v. Ministry of the Environment (Exp. 00-1362)","forum":"Supreme Tribunal of Justice, Constitutional Chamber","country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Residents of La Punta and Mata Redonda","defendant":"Ministry of the Environment (Autoridad Única de Área para la Cuenca del Lago de Valencia)","filed":null,"decided":2007,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":36635.312865,"currency":"VEB","label":"economic value determined for 134 La Punta homes (bolívares before the 2008 redenomination)"},"summary":"Ruling 1632 of 11 August 2006 ordered the residents' eviction 'prior restoration of the economic value of each of the homes' so that all affected persons could obtain a standard of living and housing similar to before, and urged all public bodies to continue the clean-up and level-control plans with the greatest priority and diligence possible. Ruling 1752 of 13 August 2007 dealt with execution: it appointed Civil Protection to identify affected residents and value the damage, declared the non-transfer conditions in the compensation contracts void and ordered notification of the Ombudsman. The value of 122 further La Punta homes and 730 Mata Redonda homes was pending. A third ruling in 2015 ordered execution and payment of amounts pending from a 2011 settlement; execution sits with a Maracay court and owners were not compensated as of 2017.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"lake_level_m","value":408,"unit":"m","year":1999,"note":"Level reached for the first time since 1894, per engineer Germán Benedetti in Armando.info; the maximum security level set in 1978 is also 408 m."},{"key":"lake_level_m","value":410,"unit":"m","year":2005,"note":"Armando.info."},{"key":"lake_level_m","value":413.43,"unit":"m","year":2012,"note":"Armando.info citing engineers."},{"key":"lake_level_m","value":414.1,"unit":"m","year":2017,"note":"Armando.info citing engineers."},{"key":"lake_level_m","value":414,"unit":"m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Engineers; described as not official."},{"key":"lake_area_km2","value":250,"unit":"km²","year":1978,"note":"Nizar Richani, Colegio de Ingenieros de Carabobo."},{"key":"lake_area_km2","value":400,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Nizar Richani; unofficial figure; affects more than 15,000 ha not occupied in the 1970s."},{"key":"wastewater_m3","value":360000000,"unit":"m³ a year","year":2017,"note":"Armando.info."},{"key":"people_affected","value":8000,"unit":"families","year":2017,"note":"Seven South Maracay areas at risk; at least 12 residential areas described as drowned (Armando.info)."},{"key":"treatment_plants_built","value":3,"unit":"of 17 planned","year":1997,"note":"Los Guayos, La Mariposa and Taiguaiguay (Armando.info)."},{"key":"collectors_built_km","value":93,"unit":"km","year":2009,"note":"Built in 1999–2009; only 51% of sewage reached plants, citing the 2009 Carabobo Comptroller audit (Armando.info)."},{"key":"owners_awaiting_compensation","value":512,"unit":"of 1,043 owners","year":2017,"note":"La Punta and Mata Redonda (Armando.info)."},{"key":"homes_compensated","value":101,"unit":"homes","year":2005,"note":"La Punta and Mata Redonda, under Resolution 002 (Constitutional Chamber record)."},{"key":"spending","value":747766208.14,"unit":"Bs.","year":2009,"note":"Plans, programmes and projects for the basin, 1999–2009, per a Carabobo Regional Comptroller audit as reported by Armando.info."},{"key":"compensation_determined","value":36635312865,"unit":"Bs. (before the 2008 redenomination)","year":2007,"note":"Economic value determined for 134 La Punta homes in the execution of ruling 1752."},{"key":"effluent_exceedance","value":710,"unit":"%","year":2011,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Treatment plant effluents against Decree 883 limits in 2010–2011; NGO submission citing official values."},{"key":"sugarcane_ban_ha","value":53000,"unit":"ha","year":2009,"note":"Decree prohibiting sugarcane in the basin (Armando.info)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Water imported into the Lake Valencia basin since the 1970s drains into a lake with no outlet, raising its level from about 401–402 m to about 414 m against a security level of 408 m, flooding homes in South Maracay and loading the lake with wastewater; the Constitutional Chamber ordered compensation in 2006 and 2007.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Owners of 101 homes in La Punta and Mata Redonda","what":"Compensated in 2005 under Resolution 002","src":1},{"who":"Owners of 134 La Punta homes","what":"Economic value of Bs. 36,635,312,865.00 determined in the execution of ruling 1752","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"512 of 1,043 La Punta and Mata Redonda owners","what":"Still awaiting compensation in 2017","src":0},{"who":"About 8,000 families in seven South Maracay areas","what":"At risk from flooding, according to Armando.info (2017)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lake Valencia","what":"Level up from about 401–402 m to about 414 m; 360 million m³ of wastewater a year; algal blooms","src":0},{"who":"Pao-Cachinche reservoir","what":"Covered by Lemna and water hyacinth since January 2010, with cyanobacteria dominant beneath (NGO submission)","src":7}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Valencia, an endorheic basin shared by Aragua and Carabobo states, north-central Venezuela; South Maracay (La Punta, Mata Redonda, Paraparal, Aguacatal, Las Vegas, La Esmeralda) and Carabobo shores; Pao-Cachinche reservoir at 9°53'N, 68°08'W.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Level rise since 1976; rulings 1632 (11 August 2006) and 1752 (13 August 2007); lake at 414.10 m in 2017; about 414 m in 2023.","src":2},"why":{"t":"NASA attributed the rise to diversion of water from neighboring watersheds; Armando.info reported that imported aqueduct water and wastewater drain into the lake and that most planned treatment plants and level-control works were not built; ecologist Lenin Cardozo (2011) said sedimentation from deforestation and poorly managed settlement in the 3,150 km² watershed contributes.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Constitutional Chamber ordered eviction after restoration of each home's economic value and appointed Civil Protection to value damage; the state pumped lake water to Pao-Cachinche from 2007; the La Punta embankment was raised in 2011/2012 and extended in 2017.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"A Giant Septic Tank is Swallowing Maracay and Valencia","p":"Armando.info (Patricia Marcano)","d":"2017-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://armando.info/en/a-giant-septic-tank-is-swallowing-maracay-and-valencia/"},{"t":"Ruling no. 1752, Exp. 00-1362 (La Punta / Mata Redonda), quoting ruling 1632 of 11 August 2006","p":"Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, Sala Constitucional (via vLex Venezuela)","d":"2007-08-13","type":"court","u":"https://vlexvenezuela.com/vid/julia-adriana-montoya-283339767"},{"t":"Lake Valencia, Venezuela","p":"NASA Earth Observatory","d":"2004-11-22","type":"official","u":"https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/5001/lake-valencia-venezuela"},{"t":"Advierten que crecida del lago de Valencia afecta a tres estados de Venezuela (Warning that the rising Lake Valencia affects three Venezuelan states)","p":"El Diario","d":"2023-09-14","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2023/09/14/crecida-lago-de-valencia-afecta-a-tres-estados/"},{"t":"El barrio de Venezuela que vive con el lago en las casas (The Venezuelan neighbourhood living with the lake inside its houses)","p":"Voz de América","d":"2022-11-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/barrio-venezuela-vive-lago-casas/6826548.html"},{"t":"Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Overflowing Lake Valencia Poses Threat to Nearby Communities","p":"IPS / Tierramérica","d":"2011-12-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2011/12/ecobreves-venezuela-overflowing-lake-valencia-poses-threat-to-nearby-communities/"},{"t":"Ecobreves – Na Venezuela, resgate do Lago de Valencia (Ecobriefs – In Venezuela, rescue of Lake Valencia)","p":"IPS em português","d":"2006-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/portuguese/2006/04/ambiente/ecobreves-na-venezuela-resgate-do-lago-de-valencia/"},{"t":"Informe para la ONU, Examen Periódico Universal (Report to the UN, Universal Periodic Review), 12th session","p":"Movimiento por la Calidad del Agua and others (hosted by PROVEA)","d":"2011-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://archivo.provea.org/wp-content/uploads/EPU-Calidad-de-Agua.pdf"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Lake level compared with the 2006 expectation","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Transfer of lake water to the Pao-Cachinche reservoir","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Pao-Cachinche transfer and Caribbean transfer — No cost figure is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Flow of the water transfer","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Appraisal of flooded homes","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an official current lake level; the 2023 figure of about 414 m was described as not official.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an environmental impact study for the 2007 transfers of lake water to Pao-Cachinche, according to an NGO submission.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: execution of 14 of the 17 planned treatment plants and of the 2005 clean-up project due in 2009, according to Armando.info.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a prosecution or ruling following the 2011 NGO submission, which cited article 28 of the Ley Penal del Ambiente in connection with the 2007 transfers.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the effect of the transfer to Pao-Cachinche; the government presented it as level control, the NGOs as contamination of a drinking-water source.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the transfer flow is given as 5,000 l/s capacity in the NGO submission and as 5,600 l/s for the La Mariposa design in Armando.info.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Ministry expected levels below 410 m 'with a probability of 90%' in 2006, while recorded levels rose to 413.43 m in 2012 and about 414 m in 2017–2023.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the cost and amount paid for the Paraparal wall built by PDVSA in 2013 and left unfinished; no amount is given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"guri-dam-drought-and-power-crises","title":"Guri dam, drought and the 2010, 2016 and 2019 power crises: catchment, emergency contracts and prosecutions","dek":"The Guri reservoir on the Caroní, fed by a catchment that includes Canaima National Park, fell to low levels in drought years and was followed by emergency decrees, rationing and a 2019 national blackout. Contracts with Derwick Associates, Duro Felguera and Corpoelec suppliers are on record, including guilty pleas in a US court over 2016 Corpoelec contracts and a pending case in Spain over the Termocentro contract.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":7.76,"lon":-62.99,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Bolívar state (Guri dam and reservoir, lower Caroní)","lat":7.76,"lon":-62.99,"role":"event"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Audiencia Nacional","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US District Court, Southern District of Florida","role":"court"}],"start":2003,"end":2023,"eventDate":"2019-03-07","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Contracts awarded without tender to Derwick Associates in 14 months of 2009–2011 under the electric emergency (OCCRP)","value":"More than USD 5,000 million","note":"Transparencia Venezuela, as reported by OCCRP, put the final bill for 11 projects at USD 5,000 million against USD 2,100 million expected; Derwick denies overpricing."},"happened":["Guri (Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar), on the lower Caroní in Bolívar state, has a reservoir surface of more than 4,000 km². Its catchment includes Canaima National Park (see the linked record). Interfax reported in April 2016 that the 8.8 GW plant generates 60–70% of national electricity and had fallen to 244.55 m on 4 April 2016 according to Corpoelec statistics, with 240 m the minimum for generation; Interfax wrote that dry conditions were 'caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon'. Four-hour daily power cuts began on 25 April 2016, together with a two-day work week for civil workers that ended on 14 June. On 8 February 2010 President Chávez decreed an 'electric emergency' and said 'we are living the biggest drought Venezuela has had in almost 100 years'; Energy Minister Alí Rodríguez said USD 4,000 million of investment was needed to add about 4,000 MW that year.","Derwick Associates received 'more than 5,000 million dollars' in contracts with state companies in 14 months in 2009–2011, including 11 new power plant projects, 'awarded without tender' because of the emergency, according to OCCRP and El Pitazo (12 June 2019). Transparencia Venezuela's 2018 report, as reported by OCCRP, put the final bill for the 11 projects at USD 5,000 million against an expected USD 2,100 million (138% overprice), with the plants producing 827 MW of the 3,516 MW contracted; a National Assembly commission in 2017 said Derwick billed USD 1,500 million for projects costing USD 551 million (173%). Derwick said there were no overprices in its contracts. A civil suit filed in 2013 by Otto Reich, a former US ambassador, against Derwick was dismissed, and Venezuelan prosecutors took statements in 2013, according to OCCRP; no criminal conviction of Derwick over power contracts is on record. Transparencia Venezuela also reported, via Dialogue Earth, USD 14,658 million of overprice across 40 generation projects (17,513 MW), with 4,360.5 MW in operation, and the National Assembly estimated USD 26 thousand million in losses on unfinished or never-started works for 16,000 MW.","The USD 1,500 million Termocentro contract for Caracas electricity demand was won by Duro Felguera in May 2009. In July 2023, on the request of the Anticorruption Prosecutor, the judge of Central Examining Court no. 2 of the Audiencia Nacional in Spain moved to send Duro Felguera, UTE Termocentro, Terca, Ingespre and 12 individuals to trial, charged with international corruption, falsification of commercial documents and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that at least USD 105,627,600 was paid to former Energy Vice-Minister Nervis Villalobos through Terca and Ingespre in three payments. No verdict is on record. In the United States, Luis Alberto Chacin Haddad and Jesus Ramon Veroes pleaded guilty in June 2019 in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with bribes to Corpoelec officials; their 51-month sentences were reduced on 13 October 2020 for cooperation. Law360 described a scheme of about USD 60 million involving 2016 Corpoelec contracts to Search Trading LLC for forklifts (USD 6.4 million), transformers (USD 9.8 million) and generators (about USD 894,000), and two further contracts through Headline LLC for light bulbs worth a combined USD 41.5 million.","On 7 March 2019 a national blackout followed a fire on the high-voltage lines from Guri. The government attributed it to US sabotage, including a 'cyber attack'; Winston Cabas, president of the engineers' association, cited lack of maintenance and non-functioning thermal plants. Carlos Portillo-Quintero of Texas Tech analysed NASA satellite imagery, as cited by the Wall Street Journal via Dialogue Earth, and found several fires from 6 to 8 March near the 765 kV lines from Guri; Dialogue Earth attributed such fires to lack of pruning of vegetation around the lines.","Dialogue Earth reported on 15 January 2020 that unnamed 'scientists and environmentalists' attribute the low levels at Guri not to lack of rainfall but to deforestation in the watersheds caused by alluvial gold and diamond mining since 2011; no named study or measurement is given. The government explanation is drought caused by El Niño. Global Forest Watch recorded tree cover loss in Bolívar state of 32,024 ha in 2009, 19,330 ha in 2010, 16,457 ha in 2015, 34,039 ha in 2016, 36,042 ha in 2019 and 37,197 ha in 2020."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Termocentro contract won by Duro Felguera (May); Dialogue Earth dates the emergency decree to this year","src":6},{"y":2010,"t":"Chávez decrees an electric emergency over drought (8 Feb); USD 4,000 million of investment announced as needed","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Guri at 244.55 m (4 Apr); rationing from 25 Apr; two-day work week ends 14 Jun; Search Trading LLC receives three Corpoelec contracts","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"National blackout after a fire on the lines from Guri (7 Mar); guilty pleas in the US District Court, Southern District of Florida (Jun)","src":3},{"y":2020,"t":"Sentences of the two defendants reduced for cooperation (13 Oct); Dialogue Earth report on Guri (15 Jan)","src":5},{"y":2023,"t":"Spanish judge moves to send Duro Felguera and 12 individuals to trial (Jul)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"we are living the biggest drought Venezuela has had in almost 100 years","who":"President Hugo Chávez, as reported by EFE","when":"8 February 2010","src":0,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"If the level reaches 240 metres we will have to apply certain operative measures.","who":"Miguel Angel Romero, Corpoelec head of generation, to Reuters, as reported by Interfax","when":"April 2016","src":1},{"q":"There are no overprices in the contracts between Derwick and its clients","who":"Derwick Associates, email to OCCRP","when":"2019","src":3,"translated":"Spanish"},{"q":"We are already at the lower end of the emergency level range.","who":"Patricia Ventura, IPD Latin America","when":"2016","src":1},{"q":"The Venezuelan government has not released any power sector data since 2013 and only publishes statistics on water levels at Guri.","who":"Interfax Natural Gas Daily","when":"April 2016","src":1},{"q":"no administrative responsibilities were determined","who":"Transparencia Venezuela, on the Comptroller General's report of irregularities in equipment purchases, via Dialogue Earth","when":"2020","src":4,"translated":"Spanish"}],"shown":[{"t":"Drought caused by El Niño as the explanation for low Guri levels","who":"Government of Venezuela, as reported by EFE (2010) and Interfax (2016)","src":0},{"t":"US sabotage, including a 'cyber attack', as the cause of the March 2019 blackout","who":"Government of Venezuela, as reported by OCCRP and Dialogue Earth","src":3},{"t":"Derwick's plants were all delivered operational and its price per MW installed was among the cheapest in Venezuela","who":"Derwick Associates, email to OCCRP (translated from Spanish)","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Guri at 244.55 m on 4 April 2016; 240 m is the minimum for generation","src":1},{"t":"Contracts to Derwick Associates of more than USD 5,000 million in 14 months of 2009–2011, awarded without tender under the emergency","src":3},{"t":"Two defendants pleaded guilty in the US District Court, Southern District of Florida, in June 2019 to conspiracy to violate the FCPA; sentences of 51 months reduced on 13 October 2020","src":5},{"t":"Spanish judge moved in July 2023 to send Duro Felguera, UTE Termocentro, Terca, Ingespre and 12 individuals to trial on charges of international corruption, falsification of commercial documents and money laundering; no verdict on record","src":7},{"t":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state: 34,039 ha in 2016 and 37,197 ha in 2020 (Global Forest Watch, 30% canopy)","src":9},{"t":"Interfax: the government has released no power sector data since 2013 and publishes only statistics on water levels at Guri","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Value of harm to the Caroní catchment","amount":null,"note":"No monetary figure is on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Investment announced as needed to add about 4,000 MW (Energy Minister, 2010)","amount":4000,"window":"2010"},{"label":"Derwick Associates contracts without tender (OCCRP)","amount":5000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2009–2011"},{"label":"Duro Felguera Termocentro contract","amount":1500,"window":"May 2009"},{"label":"Alleged payments to a former vice-minister through Terca and Ingespre (Spanish prosecutors)","amount":105.6276,"qualifier":"at least","note":"A prosecution allegation; no verdict."},{"label":"US Corpoelec bribery scheme (Law360)","amount":60,"qualifier":"about","window":"2016"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Guri level, 4 April 2016","v":"244.55 m","d":"Minimum for generation is 240 m (Corpoelec statistics via Interfax)"},{"k":"Tree cover loss, Bolívar state","v":"37,197 ha","d":"2020; 34,039 ha in 2016 (Global Forest Watch, 30% canopy)"},{"k":"Fires near the 765 kV lines","v":"6–8 March 2019","d":"NASA imagery analysed by a Texas Tech researcher, as cited by the Wall Street Journal via Dialogue Earth"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Global Forest Watch recorded tree cover loss in Bolívar state, and NASA imagery analysed by a researcher showed fires near the Guri transmission lines in March 2019.","report":[{"t":"I lost 34,039 hectares of tree cover in Bolívar state in 2016 and 37,197 hectares in 2020, according to Global Forest Watch (30% canopy).","src":9},{"t":"Several fires burned near my 765 kV transmission lines from 6 to 8 March 2019, according to NASA imagery analysed by Carlos Portillo-Quintero and cited by the Wall Street Journal via Dialogue Earth.","src":4},{"t":"Unnamed scientists and environmentalists attribute low water levels at Guri to deforestation in my watersheds caused by alluvial gold and diamond mining since 2011, according to Dialogue Earth (2020); the article gives no named study or measurement.","src":4}]},"unknown":["None on record: a named study or measurement linking catchment deforestation or mining to the low levels at Guri; Dialogue Earth attributes the explanation to unnamed scientists and environmentalists.","None on record: administrative responsibilities or a criminal investigation following the Comptroller General's report of irregularities in equipment purchases, according to Transparencia Venezuela via Dialogue Earth.","None on record: a court proceeding linking catchment deforestation or mining to Guri's water levels.","None on record: a verdict in the Spanish case against Duro Felguera and the other defendants.","None on record: a criminal conviction of Derwick Associates over power contracts.","Not disclosed: Venezuelan power sector data since 2013; Interfax wrote that the government publishes only statistics on water levels at Guri, that water inflow data is not available, and that it \"is illegal in Venezuela to divulge information about the country's power sector without permission\".","Disputed: the cause of the low Guri levels, El Niño drought according to the government and catchment deforestation from mining according to unnamed scientists and environmentalists.","Disputed: whether Derwick's contracts were overpriced; Transparencia Venezuela and a National Assembly commission say they were, Derwick says they were not.","Figures differ: Law360 says the 51-month sentences were reduced 'by nearly two years' to 30 months, while the ruling text it quoted speaks of a '40 percent reduction'.","Figures differ: one Vozpópuli article gives the third alleged payment as 26.7 million euros and another as 26 million dollars.","Figures differ: Dialogue Earth dates the emergency decree to 2009 and EFE to 8 February 2010.","Unclear: Interfax (5 April 2016) gives 244.55 m both for the level on 4 April 2016 and as the 2003 low point, and 248.36 m for 2009.","Unclear: the date the 2016 rationing ended; the AP text republished by Fox News carries a December 2016 header while its content implies mid-2016."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The blackout of 7 March 2019 followed a fire on the lines from Guri; tree cover loss in Bolívar state was 37,197 ha in 2020, the latest year in the Global Forest Watch workbook.","whoPaid":"None on record for harm to the catchment. Two defendants pleaded guilty in the US in June 2019; the Spanish case against Duro Felguera and 12 individuals had no verdict on record as of July 2023.","statusLine":"As of July 2023: a Spanish judge moved to send Duro Felguera, UTE Termocentro, Terca, Ingespre and 12 individuals to trial; no verdict is on record. The two US defendants' sentences were reduced on 13 October 2020.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"derwick-associates","says":"There are no overprices in the contracts between Derwick and its clients; its price per MW installed is among the cheapest in Venezuela and all plants were delivered operational (email to OCCRP, translated from Spanish). A Derwick representative told Venezuelan prosecutors in 2013 that Derwick paid above-market prices because of immediate 'premium' purchases during the crisis.","when":"2019","src":3},{"actor":"venezuela-gov","says":"Attributed the low Guri levels to drought caused by El Niño (2010, 2016) and the March 2019 blackout to US sabotage, including a 'cyber attack'.","when":"2010–2019","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"corpoelec","role":"State power utility; operator of Guri; contracting party in the US and Spanish cases"},{"id":"venezuela-gov","role":"Decreed the electric emergency; attributed the 2019 blackout to sabotage"},{"id":"derwick-associates","role":"Contractor for 11 power plant projects awarded without tender"},{"id":"duro-felguera","role":"Contractor for the Termocentro project; defendant in the Spanish case"},{"id":"audiencia-nacional-es","role":"Spanish court; judge moved to send 12 individuals and four companies to trial"},{"id":"us-district-court-sd-florida","role":"Court of the 2019 guilty pleas and the 2020 sentence reductions"},{"id":"transparencia-venezuela","role":"NGO reporting overprice across generation projects"},{"id":"occrp","role":"Reported on Derwick contracts and the 2019 blackout"},{"id":"nasa","role":"Satellite imagery analysed for fires near the transmission lines"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Cause of the low water levels at Guri","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela (Chávez, 2010; Interfax, 2016)","says":"Drought caused by El Niño; 'the biggest drought Venezuela has had in almost 100 years'.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Dialogue Earth (2020), citing unnamed scientists and environmentalists","says":"Not lack of rainfall but deforestation in the watersheds caused by alluvial gold and diamond mining since 2011; no named study or measurement is given.","src":4}]},{"point":"Cause of the 7 March 2019 blackout","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Venezuela","says":"US sabotage, including a 'cyber attack'.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Winston Cabas, president of the engineers' association","says":"Lack of maintenance and deficient infrastructure; the thermal plants built to back up Guri were not working.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Carlos Portillo-Quintero, Texas Tech (via the Wall Street Journal and Dialogue Earth)","says":"NASA imagery showed several fires from 6 to 8 March near the 765 kV lines from Guri.","src":4}]},{"point":"Overpricing of Derwick Associates contracts","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Transparencia Venezuela (2018 report, via OCCRP)","says":"The 11 projects should have cost USD 2,100 million and the final bill was USD 5,000 million (138% overprice); the plants produce 827 MW of the 3,516 MW contracted.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Assembly commission (2017, via OCCRP)","says":"Derwick billed USD 1,500 million for projects costing USD 551 million (173%).","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Derwick Associates","says":"There are no overprices in the contracts; its price per MW installed is among the cheapest in Venezuela.","src":3}]},{"point":"Date of the electric emergency decree","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"EFE via El Mostrador","says":"8 February 2010.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Dialogue Earth","says":"2009.","src":4}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Corpoelec bribery case: guilty pleas of two businessmen","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of Florida","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Luis Alberto Chacin Haddad and Jesus Ramon Veroes","filed":null,"decided":2020,"status":"plea","amount":null,"summary":"Both pleaded guilty in June 2019 to one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with bribes to Corpoelec officials; this is a conviction by plea. Their 51-month sentences were reduced on 13 October 2020 for cooperation. Law360 described a scheme of about USD 60 million involving 2016 Corpoelec contracts to Search Trading LLC and two contracts through Headline LLC.","src":5},{"title":"Termocentro case: Duro Felguera and others","forum":"Audiencia Nacional, Central Examining Court no. 2","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Anticorruption Prosecutor","defendant":"Duro Felguera, UTE Termocentro, Terca, Ingespre and 12 individuals, including former chairman Juan Carlos Torre Inclán, former CEO Ángel Antonio Suárez del Valle and former Energy Vice-Minister Nervis Villalobos","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":105.6276,"currency":"USD","label":"at least, alleged payments by prosecutors"},"summary":"In July 2023, on the Anticorruption Prosecutor's request, Judge Ismael Moreno moved to send the defendants to trial, charged with international corruption, falsification of commercial documents and money laundering. Prosecutors allege that at least USD 105,627,600 was paid to Nervis Villalobos through Terca and Ingespre in three payments after the USD 1,500 million Termocentro contract was won in May 2009. No verdict is on record. Nervis Villalobos has always defended the legality of his work and the real provision of the services, according to Vozpópuli.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"guri_level_m","value":244.55,"unit":"m","year":2016,"note":"4 April 2016, Corpoelec statistics via Interfax; 240 m is the minimum for generation."},{"key":"guri_level_m","value":248.36,"unit":"m","year":2009,"note":"Low point given by Interfax."},{"key":"installed_capacity","value":8.8,"unit":"GW","year":2016,"note":"Guri plant; generates 60–70% of national electricity (Interfax)."},{"key":"reservoir_area_km2","value":4000,"unit":"km²","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Dialogue Earth."},{"key":"investment_needed","value":4000,"unit":"USD m","year":2010,"note":"Announced by Energy Minister Alí Rodríguez to add about 4,000 MW."},{"key":"contracts_awarded","value":5000,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Derwick Associates contracts, 2009–2011, awarded without tender (OCCRP)."},{"key":"overprice_claimed","value":138,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Transparencia Venezuela on 11 Derwick projects, via OCCRP; Derwick denies overpricing."},{"key":"overprice_claimed","value":173,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"National Assembly commission on Derwick billing, via OCCRP; Derwick denies overpricing."},{"key":"overprice_claimed","value":14658,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Transparencia Venezuela across 40 generation projects (17,513 MW), 4,360.5 MW in operation, via Dialogue Earth."},{"key":"contract_value","value":1500,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"Termocentro contract won by Duro Felguera in May 2009."},{"key":"alleged_payments","value":105.6276,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Prosecution allegation; payments to Nervis Villalobos through Terca and Ingespre."},{"key":"bribery_scheme","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Law360 description of the US Corpoelec case."},{"key":"sentence_months","value":51,"unit":"months","year":2019,"note":"Sentences of the two defendants before the reduction of 13 October 2020."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":32024,"unit":"ha","year":2009,"note":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":19330,"unit":"ha","year":2010,"note":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":16457,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":34039,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":36042,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":37197,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Tree cover loss in Bolívar state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Low water levels at the Guri reservoir in drought years led to emergency decrees, rationing and fast-track power contracts; contracts with Corpoelec suppliers led to guilty pleas in a US court and a pending case in Spain, and a fire on lines from Guri preceded the March 2019 national blackout.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Derwick Associates","what":"Contracts of more than USD 5,000 million in 14 months of 2009–2011, awarded without tender under the emergency (OCCRP)","src":3},{"who":"Duro Felguera","what":"The USD 1,500 million Termocentro contract, won in May 2009","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Luis Alberto Chacin Haddad and Jesus Ramon Veroes","what":"Convicted by plea in June 2019; 51-month sentences reduced on 13 October 2020","src":5},{"who":"Venezuelan electricity consumers","what":"Four-hour daily power cuts from 25 April 2016 and the national blackout of 7 March 2019","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Caroní catchment, Bolívar state","what":"Tree cover loss of 34,039 ha in 2016 and 37,197 ha in 2020 (Global Forest Watch); deforestation named by unnamed scientists as a cause of low levels at Guri","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Guri dam and reservoir, lower Caroní, Bolívar state, Venezuela; the 765 kV lines run about 2,300 km from Guri to the rest of the country; courts in Madrid (Audiencia Nacional) and the Southern District of Florida.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Droughts in 2003, 2009–2010 and 2016; emergency decree on 8 February 2010; rationing from 25 April 2016; blackout on 7 March 2019; US pleas in June 2019; Spanish judge's decision in July 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The government attributes the low levels to El Niño drought and the 2019 blackout to US sabotage; unnamed scientists attribute the low levels to catchment deforestation; engineers cite lack of maintenance; satellite analysis showed fires near the lines.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Derwick contracts were awarded without tender because of the emergency; two defendants pleaded guilty in a US court over bribes to Corpoelec officials, and Spanish prosecutors charged Duro Felguera and 12 individuals over alleged payments connected to the Termocentro contract.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Chávez decreta emergencia eléctrica nacional por severa sequía en Venezuela (Chávez decrees national electricity emergency over severe drought in Venezuela)","p":"El Mostrador (EFE)","d":"2010-02-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/mundo/2010/02/08/chavez-decreta-emergencia-electrica-nacional-por-severa-sequia-en-venezuela/"},{"t":"Gas cannot rescue desperate Venezuela","p":"Interfax Natural Gas Daily","d":"2016-04-05","type":"press","u":"https://interfaxenergy.com/gasdaily/article/19799/gas-cannot-rescue-desperate-venezuela"},{"t":"President Maduro of Venezuela says he's lifting power rationing","p":"Fox News (AP)","d":"2016","type":"press","u":"https://www.foxnews.com/world/president-maduro-of-venezuela-says-hes-lifting-power-rationing.print"},{"t":"Hundiendo a Venezuela en la oscuridad (Plunging Venezuela into the dark)","p":"OCCRP / El Pitazo","d":"2019-06-12","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.occrp.org/es/investigations/plunging-venezuela-into-the-dark"},{"t":"Guri / sector eléctrico de Venezuela (Guri / Venezuela's electricity sector), Spanish special report, part 1","p":"Dialogue Earth (Jeanfreddy Gutiérrez Torres)","d":"2020-01-15","type":"press","u":"https://dialogue.earth/es/?p=50032577"},{"t":"Venezuelans Get Sentences Reduced In $60M Bribery Scheme","p":"Law360 (Carolina Bolado)","d":"2020-10-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.law360.com/florida/articles/1319430/venezuelans-get-sentences-reduced-in-60m-bribery-scheme"},{"t":"Anticorrupción pide que se abra juicio oral contra Duro Felguera y 12 personas por corrupción y blanqueo (Anti-Corruption prosecutors ask for trial of Duro Felguera and 12 people for corruption and money laundering)","p":"Vozpópuli","d":"2023-07-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.vozpopuli.com/espana/anticorrupcion-juicio-duro-felguera-12-personas-corrupcion-blanqueo.html"},{"t":"El juez propone enviar al banquillo a Duro Felguera y 12 personas por corrupción y blanqueo (Judge proposes sending Duro Felguera and 12 people to trial for corruption and money laundering)","p":"Vozpópuli","d":"2023-07-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.vozpopuli.com/espana/juez-banquillo-duro-felguera-personas-corrupcion-blanqueo.html"},{"t":"Indigenous firefighters: the important role of the Pemón indigenous brigades…","p":"Biodiversidade Brasileira 10(1) (Millán and Bilbao)","d":"2020-07-27","type":"academic","u":"https://revistaeletronica.icmbio.gov.br/BioBR/article/view/1529"},{"t":"VEN.xlsx country tree cover loss and carbon statistics 2001-2020","p":"Global Forest Watch / WRI (UMD GLAD data)","d":"2021-07-16","type":"official","u":"https://gfw2-data.s3.amazonaws.com/country-pages/country_stats/download/VEN.xlsx"},{"t":"SOS Orinoco denunció la presencia de una nueva mina ilegal dentro del Parque Nacional Canaima (SOS Orinoco reported a new illegal mine inside Canaima National Park)","p":"El Diario (EFE)","d":"2026-08-13","type":"press","u":"https://eldiario.com/2026/08/13/sos-orinoco-denuncia-nueva-mina-ilegal-parque-nacional-canaima/"}],"related":["canaima-national-park-fires-and-mining"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the low water levels at Guri","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Value of harm to the Caroní catchment — No monetary figure is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cause of the 7 March 2019 blackout","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Overpricing of Derwick Associates contracts","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Date of the electric emergency decree","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a named study or measurement linking catchment deforestation or mining to the low levels at Guri; Dialogue Earth attributes the explanation to unnamed scientists and environmentalists.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: administrative responsibilities or a criminal investigation following the Comptroller General's report of irregularities in equipment purchases, according to Transparencia Venezuela via Dialogue Earth.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court proceeding linking catchment deforestation or mining to Guri's water levels.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a verdict in the Spanish case against Duro Felguera and the other defendants.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a criminal conviction of Derwick Associates over power contracts.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Venezuelan power sector data since 2013; Interfax wrote that the government publishes only statistics on water levels at Guri, that water inflow data is not available, and that it \"is illegal in Venezuela to divulge information about the country's power sector without permission\".","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the cause of the low Guri levels, El Niño drought according to the government and catchment deforestation from mining according to unnamed scientists and environmentalists.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether Derwick's contracts were overpriced; Transparencia Venezuela and a National Assembly commission say they were, Derwick says they were not.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Law360 says the 51-month sentences were reduced 'by nearly two years' to 30 months, while the ruling text it quoted speaks of a '40 percent reduction'.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: one Vozpópuli article gives the third alleged payment as 26.7 million euros and another as 26 million dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Dialogue Earth dates the emergency decree to 2009 and EFE to 8 February 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Interfax (5 April 2016) gives 244.55 m both for the level on 4 April 2016 and as the 2003 low point, and 248.36 m for 2009.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the date the 2016 rationing ended; the AP text republished by Fox News carries a December 2016 header while its content implies mid-2016.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"venezuela-tree-cover-loss-and-forest-finance","title":"Venezuela tree cover loss, 2001–2024, and international forest finance","dek":"Global Forest Watch recorded annual tree cover loss in Venezuela of between 61,436 and 207,336 hectares in 2001–2020, with a peak in 2016. Over the same period the Global Environment Facility approved grants for national parks and forest projects, and the Green Climate Fund approved USD 3.6 million of readiness support.","country":"Venezuela","region":"South America","lat":6.5,"lon":-63.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":"Bolívar and Amazonas states (Guiana Shield, south of the Orinoco)","lat":6.5,"lon":-63.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2001,"end":2024,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Tree cover loss in 2016, the peak year of the 2001–2020 Global Forest Watch workbook (30% canopy)","value":"207,336 ha","note":"Up from 61,436 ha in 2015. Global Forest Watch data reproduced by Our World in Data give 206,368 ha for 2016 and 144,477 ha for 2024."},"happened":["The Global Forest Watch country workbook for Venezuela (UMD/GLAD, Hansen et al.; file last modified 16 July 2021; 30% canopy threshold) gives tree cover extent in 2000 of 56,533,525 hectares and annual tree cover loss that ranged from 61,436 ha in 2015 to 207,336 ha in 2016. Loss was 123,881 ha in 2001, 142,406 ha in 2009, 64,520 ha in 2013, 166,982 ha in 2017, 140,807 ha in 2019 and 139,302 ha in 2020. The workbook states that 'loss' does not equate to deforestation, because it includes fire, harvesting, disease and storms, and that comparisons between 2011–2020 and 2001–2010 'should be performed with caution' because the methods were updated.","At subnational level the workbook records Amazonas state loss of 46,465 ha in 2016, against 3,773 ha in 2015, and a loss of 36,781 ha in 2016 in the Alto Orinoco municipality alone (from its 0% canopy row). Global Forest Watch data reproduced by Our World in Data (last updated 26 August 2025) give 63,825 ha for 2021, 55,371 ha for 2022, 76,351 ha for 2023 and 144,477 ha for 2024. The workbook's modelled gross emissions from forest loss were 28,141,423 Mg CO2e in 2015, 107,741,629 Mg CO2e in 2016 and 71,485,091 Mg CO2e in 2020, with average gross emissions of 49,324,161 Mg CO2e a year, average removals of 161,783,548 Mg CO2e a year and a net flux of −112,459,387 Mg CO2e a year, a modelled net sink.","Timothy J. Killeen wrote in Mongabay on 3 October 2025 that Venezuela has no coherent policy for combating deforestation, which he said the country's NDC filing to the UNFCCC explicitly recognises, and that most deforestation in Bolívar and Amazonas is linked to mining.","The GEF project database lists six Venezuelan projects. Project 2103 (Canaima management model; World Bank) had a GEF grant of USD 6,000,000 and co-financing of USD 18,520,000 and is cancelled. Project 3609 (financial sustainability and operational effectiveness of the national parks system; UNDP, with INPARQUES; approved in fiscal year 2009) had a grant of USD 7,175,866 and co-financing of USD 23,115,000 and is completed. Project 3865 (marine and coastal protected areas system; UNDP; fiscal year 2011) had a grant of USD 7,445,455 and co-financing of USD 16,000,000 and is completed. Project 5410 (sustainable forest lands management and conservation under an eco-social approach; FAO, executed by MPPA, Misión Árbol and Empresa Nacional Forestal; fiscal year 2015) had a grant of USD 8,249,316 and co-financing of USD 25,730,000 and is completed. Project 10678 (integrated management of multiple-use landscapes and high conservation value forest in the Venezuelan Andes; FAO and MINEC; fiscal year 2022, GEF-7) has a grant of USD 5,329,452 and co-financing of USD 45,681,355 and is approved. Project 11115 (aquatic invasive alien species; FAO and MINEC; fiscal year 2024, GEF-8) has a grant of USD 6,000,000 and co-financing of USD 35,940,000 and is approved.","The Green Climate Fund country page states 'Readiness support approved in USD $3.6 million'. Approved readiness proposals are the strengthening of the National Designated Authority (UNDP, 29 March 2023) and a National Adaptation Plan for agriculture, fisheries and water (FAO, 22 February 2024); the nomination letter of the National Designated Authority is dated 16 July 2026. The page lists no funded projects."],"timeline":[{"y":2001,"t":"Start of the satellite record: 123,881 ha of tree cover loss","src":0},{"y":2009,"t":"GEF project 3609 approved for the national parks system (fiscal year); 142,406 ha of loss","src":3},{"y":2011,"t":"GEF project 3865 for marine and coastal protected areas (fiscal year)","src":4},{"y":2015,"t":"GEF project 5410 for forest lands management (fiscal year); 61,436 ha of loss","src":5},{"y":2016,"t":"207,336 ha of loss; Amazonas state 46,465 ha","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"GEF project 10678 for Andean landscapes and high conservation value forest (fiscal year, GEF-7)","src":6},{"y":2023,"t":"Green Climate Fund approves readiness support to strengthen the National Designated Authority (UNDP, 29 Mar)","src":8},{"y":2024,"t":"GEF project 11115 on aquatic invasive species (fiscal year, GEF-8); National Adaptation Plan readiness proposal approved (FAO, 22 Feb); 144,477 ha of loss (Global Forest Watch via Our World in Data)","src":7},{"y":2025,"t":"Mongabay analysis: no coherent policy for combating deforestation (3 Oct)","src":9},{"y":2026,"t":"Nomination letter of the Green Climate Fund National Designated Authority (16 Jul)","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"Venezuela has no coherent policy for combating deforestation. This is explicitly recognized in the country's NDC filing to the UNFCCC.","who":"Timothy J. Killeen, in Mongabay","when":"3 October 2025","src":9},{"q":"Readiness support approved in USD $3.6 million","who":"Green Climate Fund, Venezuela country page","when":"2026","src":8},{"q":"'loss' does not equate to deforestation","who":"Global Forest Watch country workbook","when":"2021","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Tree cover loss of 61,436 ha in 2015 and 207,336 ha in 2016; 139,302 ha in 2020 (30% canopy)","src":0},{"t":"Tree cover loss of 63,825 ha in 2021, 55,371 ha in 2022, 76,351 ha in 2023 and 144,477 ha in 2024 (Global Forest Watch via Our World in Data)","src":1},{"t":"Six GEF projects with grants of USD 5.3 million to USD 8.2 million each; GEF project 2103 cancelled","src":2},{"t":"Green Climate Fund readiness support of USD 3.6 million approved; no funded projects listed","src":8},{"t":"Modelled net flux of −112,459,387 Mg CO2e a year, a net sink, in the workbook","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"GEF 2103, Canaima management model (World Bank; cancelled)","amount":6,"window":"GEF-3","note":"Co-financing 18.52 million."},{"label":"GEF 3609, national parks system financial sustainability (UNDP, INPARQUES)","amount":7.175866,"window":"FY2009","note":"Co-financing 23.115 million; completed."},{"label":"GEF 3865, marine and coastal protected areas system (UNDP)","amount":7.445455,"window":"FY2011","note":"Co-financing 16 million; completed."},{"label":"GEF 5410, sustainable forest lands management and conservation (FAO)","amount":8.249316,"window":"FY2015","note":"Co-financing 25.73 million; completed."},{"label":"GEF 10678, Venezuelan Andes landscapes and high conservation value forest (FAO, MINEC)","amount":5.329452,"window":"FY2022","note":"Co-financing 45.681355 million; project approved."},{"label":"GEF 11115, aquatic invasive alien species (FAO, MINEC)","amount":6,"window":"FY2024","note":"Co-financing 35.94 million; project approved."},{"label":"Green Climate Fund readiness support approved","amount":3.6,"window":"2023–2024"}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Peak annual tree cover loss","v":"207,336 ha","d":"2016; 61,436 ha in 2015 (Global Forest Watch, 30% canopy)"},{"k":"Tree cover loss in 2024","v":"144,477 ha","d":"Global Forest Watch via Our World in Data"},{"k":"Tree cover extent in 2000","v":"56,533,525 ha","d":"30% canopy threshold"},{"k":"Modelled net flux","v":"−112,459,387 Mg CO2e a year","d":"A net sink, per the workbook"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Global Forest Watch recorded annual tree cover loss in Venezuela, concentrated in Bolívar and Amazonas states as reported.","report":[{"t":"My tree cover was 56,533,525 hectares in 2000 at a 30% canopy threshold, according to Global Forest Watch.","src":0},{"t":"I lost 61,436 hectares of tree cover in 2015 and 207,336 hectares in 2016, according to Global Forest Watch (UMD/GLAD).","src":0},{"t":"Amazonas state lost 46,465 hectares of tree cover in 2016, against 3,773 hectares in 2015, according to the same workbook.","src":0},{"t":"Global Forest Watch data reproduced by Our World in Data give 144,477 hectares of tree cover loss in 2024.","src":1},{"t":"Modelled gross emissions from my forest loss were 107,741,629 Mg CO2e in 2016 and averaged 49,324,161 Mg CO2e a year, while modelled removals averaged 161,783,548 Mg CO2e a year, according to the workbook.","src":0},{"t":"Most deforestation in Bolívar and Amazonas is linked to mining, according to Timothy J. Killeen in Mongabay (2025).","src":9}]},"unknown":["None on record: GCF funded projects for Venezuela; the country page lists readiness support only.","Unclear: whether Venezuela has received REDD+ results-based payments or takes part in the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility or a UN-REDD national programme.","Figures differ: the 2021 workbook gives 207,336 ha for 2016, while Global Forest Watch data reproduced by Our World in Data give 206,368.23 ha, probably because of a newer data version.","Figures differ: the GEF project page gives co-financing of USD 23,115,000 for project 3609, while a terminal-evaluation reference gives a grant of USD 7.179 million and total co-financing of USD 16.78 million."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Tree cover loss continued: 139,302 ha in 2020 in the workbook and 144,477 ha in 2024 in the Global Forest Watch series reproduced by Our World in Data.","whoPaid":"None on record for the forest loss. The GEF approved grants of USD 5.3 million to USD 8.2 million for each of six Venezuelan projects, and the Green Climate Fund approved USD 3.6 million of readiness support.","statusLine":"As of 16 July 2026: the Green Climate Fund page shows readiness support only, with the National Designated Authority nomination letter dated 16 July 2026; GEF projects 10678 and 11115 are approved.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"gef","role":"Funder of six Venezuelan projects"},{"id":"gcf","role":"Approved USD 3.6 million of readiness support"},{"id":"gfw","role":"Source of the annual tree cover loss series"},{"id":"wri","role":"Operator of Global Forest Watch"},{"id":"undp","role":"Agency for GEF projects 3609 and 3865 and GCF readiness"},{"id":"fao","role":"Agency for GEF projects 5410, 10678 and 11115 and GCF readiness"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Agency for GEF project 2103"},{"id":"inparques","role":"Executing agency of GEF project 3609"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tree_cover_extent_ha","value":56533525,"unit":"ha","year":2000,"note":"Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy threshold."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":123881,"unit":"ha","year":2001,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":90372,"unit":"ha","year":2002,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":87229,"unit":"ha","year":2003,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":90987,"unit":"ha","year":2004,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":94967,"unit":"ha","year":2005,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":85491,"unit":"ha","year":2006,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":114347,"unit":"ha","year":2007,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":120575,"unit":"ha","year":2008,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":142406,"unit":"ha","year":2009,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":101286,"unit":"ha","year":2010,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":74441,"unit":"ha","year":2011,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":105963,"unit":"ha","year":2012,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":64520,"unit":"ha","year":2013,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":100975,"unit":"ha","year":2014,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":61436,"unit":"ha","year":2015,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":207336,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":166982,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":112107,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":140807,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":139302,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Tree cover loss, Global Forest Watch country workbook (UMD/GLAD), 30% canopy threshold; loss does not equate to deforestation."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":63825.09,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"Tree cover loss from all causes, Global Forest Watch (2025) with processing by Our World in Data; newer data version than the 2021 workbook."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":55370.613,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Tree cover loss from all causes, Global Forest Watch (2025) with processing by Our World in Data; newer data version than the 2021 workbook."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":76350.7,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Tree cover loss from all causes, Global Forest Watch (2025) with processing by Our World in Data; newer data version than the 2021 workbook."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":144477.02,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Tree cover loss from all causes, Global Forest Watch (2025) with processing by Our World in Data; newer data version than the 2021 workbook."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":46465,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"Amazonas state, Global Forest Watch workbook, 30% canopy; 3,773 ha in 2015."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":36781,"unit":"ha","year":2016,"note":"Alto Orinoco municipality alone, Global Forest Watch workbook, 0% canopy row."},{"key":"gross_emissions_forest_loss","value":107741629,"unit":"Mg CO2e","year":2016,"note":"Modelled (Harris et al. 2021), Global Forest Watch workbook; 28,141,423 in 2015 and 71,485,091 in 2020."},{"key":"average_gross_emissions","value":49324161,"unit":"Mg CO2e a year","year":2020,"note":"Modelled average in the Global Forest Watch workbook."},{"key":"average_removals","value":161783548,"unit":"Mg CO2e a year","year":2020,"note":"Modelled average in the Global Forest Watch workbook; net flux −112,459,387 Mg CO2e a year, a net sink."},{"key":"grant","value":6,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"note":"GEF 2103, cancelled; co-financing USD 18.52 million."},{"key":"grant","value":7.175866,"unit":"USD m","year":2009,"note":"GEF 3609, completed; co-financing USD 23.115 million."},{"key":"grant","value":7.445455,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"GEF 3865, completed; co-financing USD 16 million."},{"key":"grant","value":8.249316,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"note":"GEF 5410, completed; co-financing USD 25.73 million."},{"key":"grant","value":5.329452,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"note":"GEF 10678, project approved; co-financing USD 45.681355 million."},{"key":"grant","value":6,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"GEF 11115, project approved; co-financing USD 35.94 million."},{"key":"readiness_support","value":3.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Green Climate Fund readiness support approved (2023–2024 proposals)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Global Forest Watch recorded annual tree cover loss in Venezuela of 61,436 ha in 2015 and 207,336 ha in 2016, concentrated in Bolívar and Amazonas states, while the Global Environment Facility approved six national parks and forest projects and the Green Climate Fund approved USD 3.6 million of readiness support.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Venezuelan parks, forest and environment bodies (INPARQUES, MPPA, Misión Árbol, Empresa Nacional Forestal, MINEC)","what":"Executing roles in GEF-funded projects with grants of USD 5.3 million to USD 8.2 million each","src":5},{"who":"UNDP and FAO","what":"Agency roles for GEF projects and GCF readiness support","src":8}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests of Bolívar and Amazonas states","what":"Amazonas lost 46,465 ha of tree cover in 2016; most deforestation in the two states is linked to mining according to Mongabay (2025)","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"Venezuela as a whole; most loss in Bolívar and Amazonas states, in the Guiana Shield south of the Orinoco.","src":9},"when":{"t":"Satellite record 2001–2024; GEF projects approved in fiscal years 2009–2024; GCF readiness proposals approved on 29 March 2023 and 22 February 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The workbook counts all tree cover loss, including fire, harvesting, disease and storms; Mongabay (2025) links most deforestation in Bolívar and Amazonas to mining and says the country has no coherent policy against deforestation.","src":9},"how":{"t":"The GEF financed national parks, marine and coastal protected areas, forest lands management and invasive species projects through UNDP, FAO and the World Bank; the GCF financed readiness support for the National Designated Authority and an adaptation plan.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"VEN.xlsx country tree cover loss and carbon statistics 2001-2020","p":"Global Forest Watch / WRI (UMD GLAD data)","d":"2021-07-16","type":"official","u":"https://gfw2-data.s3.amazonaws.com/country-pages/country_stats/download/VEN.xlsx"},{"t":"Tree cover loss (Global Forest Watch 2025, processed by Our World in Data)","p":"Our World in Data","d":"2025-08-26","type":"academic","u":"https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/tree-cover-loss"},{"t":"Expanding Partnerships for the National Parks System (resubmission), project 2103","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/2103"},{"t":"Strengthening the Financial Sustainability and Operational Effectiveness of the Venezuelan National Parks System, project 3609","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/3609"},{"t":"Strengthening the Marine and Coastal Protected Areas System, project 3865","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/3865"},{"t":"Sustainable Forest Lands Management and Conservation under an Eco-social Approach, project 5410","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/5410"},{"t":"Integrated management of multiple use landscapes and high conservation value forest in the Venezuelan Andean Region, project 10678","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/10678"},{"t":"Aquatic Invasive Alien Species in Venezuela, project 11115","p":"Global Environment Facility","d":"n.d.","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.thegef.org/projects-operations/projects/11115"},{"t":"Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)","p":"Green Climate Fund","d":"2026-10-19","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.greenclimate.fund/countries/venezuela"},{"t":"In the Guyana Shield, the fight against deforestation is not ambitious enough","p":"Mongabay (Timothy J. Killeen)","d":"2025-10-03","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-the-guyana-shield-the-fight-against-deforestation-is-not-ambitious-enough/"}],"related":[],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: GCF funded projects for Venezuela; the country page lists readiness support only.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Venezuela has received REDD+ results-based payments or takes part in the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility or a UN-REDD national programme.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the 2021 workbook gives 207,336 ha for 2016, while Global Forest Watch data reproduced by Our World in Data give 206,368.23 ha, probably because of a newer data version.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the GEF project page gives co-financing of USD 23,115,000 for project 3609, while a terminal-evaluation reference gives a grant of USD 7.179 million and total co-financing of USD 16.78 million.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","title":"Ukraine’s official count of war damage to the environment","dek":"Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate calculates, and the environment ministry and the Ombudsman publish, a running money total for environmental damage the state attributes to Russia’s armed aggression. The ministry reported UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025 and more than UAH 7 trillion on 23 June 2026; no payment has been made against the figures.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":50.45,"lon":30.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Territory under Ukrainian government control; ministry in Kyiv","lat":50.45,"lon":30.52,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Ministry’s cumulative figure for war damage to the environment, June 2026","value":"More than UAH 7 trillion","note":"Estimate by the State Environmental Inspectorate, as stated by the ministry on 23 June 2026. A claim, not a payment; the calculation method is not disclosed."},"happened":["Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate (Derzhekoinspektsiia) calculates a money value for environmental damage that the state attributes to Russia’s armed aggression. The environment ministry publishes the totals and the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights (the Ombudsman) cites them. They are described as the evidence base for compensation claims against Russia, including the environmental category of the Register of Damage (see the related case on the Register). The figures are claims and estimates; no payment has been made against them.","The totals rose over time and appear in several currencies. On 20 June 2024 Minister Ruslan Strilets said more than 5,174 cases valued at more than EUR 57.3 billion had been registered. On 2 October 2024 the Ombudsman gave more than 4,700 “environmental crimes” and about USD 64 billion. The ministry later cited UAH 2.78 trillion for the end of 2024. On 12 July 2025 Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk gave EUR 108 billion and more than 9,000 recorded cases. On 6 November 2025 the Ombudsman gave about UAH 5.975 trillion and “over 10,000” facts documented through the EcoZagroza platform.","On 4 December 2025 the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reported UAH 6.01 trillion, calculated by the Inspectorate: soil UAH 1.29 trillion, atmospheric air UAH 967 billion, water UAH 117.8 billion and protected areas UAH 3.63 trillion. On 17 March 2026 it reported 10,885 cases worth about UAH 6.4 trillion as of 16 March 2026 (protected areas UAH 3.8 trillion, soil and land UAH 1.34 trillion, air UAH 1.15 trillion, water UAH 120 billion). On 5 June 2026 the Ombudsman gave UAH 6.9 trillion since 2022, of which almost UAH 4 trillion was protected areas and about UAH 2 trillion contaminated soil. On 23 June 2026 the ministry said confirmed damage had exceeded UAH 7 trillion; in the week of 12–19 June 2026 the total rose by UAH 51.919 billion, of which UAH 51.049 billion was air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning.","The ministry states that the figure covers only territory under Ukrainian government control and that the full extent will be known only after de-occupation and a complete study. None of the ministry or Ombudsman items read describes the calculation method. EcoZagroza, the ministry’s web resource and app for recording environmental threats and damage, receives reports from citizens, which the Inspectorate processes; a government resolution gave it official status in 2023, and from the June 2024 memorandum data from the Svidok.org platform are sent into it.","The state also describes harm in non-money terms: 20% of Ukraine’s protected areas affected, including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network; an oil depot fire at Kriachky in Kyiv region with over 41,000 t of toxic emissions; 76% of the Oskil Reservoir’s water volume lost; and, in the Ombudsman’s account, a Kakhovka dam breach that cost Ukraine over 35% of its freshwater reserve and flooded about 80,000 ha of protected areas."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"A government resolution gives EcoZagroza official status (reported 1 Aug)","src":10},{"y":2024,"t":"Ministry reports more than 5,174 cases worth more than EUR 57.3 billion; memorandum to send Svidok.org data into EcoZagroza (20 Jun)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"Ombudsman reports more than 4,700 “environmental crimes” and about USD 64 billion (2 Oct)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"Minister Hrynchuk gives EUR 108 billion and more than 9,000 cases (12 Jul)","src":9},{"y":2025,"t":"Ombudsman gives about UAH 5.975 trillion and over 10,000 facts (6 Nov)","src":4},{"y":2025,"t":"Ministry reports UAH 6.01 trillion (4 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Ministry reports 10,885 cases and about UAH 6.4 trillion as of 16 March (17 Mar)","src":1},{"y":2026,"t":"Ombudsman gives UAH 6.9 trillion (5 Jun)","src":5},{"y":2026,"t":"Ministry says confirmed damage exceeds UAH 7 trillion (23 Jun)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"Russian aggression has already caused more than UAH 6 trillion of environmental destruction in Ukraine","who":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, headline of 4 December 2025 (translated)","when":"4 December 2025","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The environmental damage caused by Russia is measured not only in trillions of hryvnias","who":"Ihor Zubovych, Deputy Minister (translated)","when":"4 December 2025","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"Consequences of Russia’s armed aggression: 10,885 cases of environmental damage worth UAH 6.4 trillion recorded in Ukraine","who":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, headline of 17 March 2026 (translated)","when":"17 March 2026","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The ministry presented UAH 6.01 trillion as the environmental destruction caused by Russian aggression, split into soil, air, water and protected areas.","who":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (4 December 2025)","src":0},{"t":"The ministry presented 10,885 recorded cases worth about UAH 6.4 trillion and said most were being investigated under Article 441 (ecocide) or added to existing cases.","who":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (17 March 2026)","src":1},{"t":"The Ombudsman presented UAH 6.9 trillion on World Environment Day, with almost UAH 4 trillion for protected areas and about UAH 2 trillion for contaminated soil.","who":"Ombudsman of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform (5 June 2026)","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ministry totals by date: EUR 57.3 billion (20 June 2024); UAH 2.78 trillion (end of 2024, cited in December 2025); EUR 108 billion (12 July 2025, Minister Hrynchuk); UAH 6.01 trillion (4 December 2025); about UAH 6.4 trillion and 10,885 cases (16 March 2026); more than UAH 7 trillion (23 June 2026). Ombudsman totals: about USD 64 billion (2 October 2024); about UAH 5.975 trillion (6 November 2025); UAH 6.9 trillion (5 June 2026).","src":0},{"t":"The ministry’s 4 December 2025 breakdown: soil UAH 1.29 trillion, atmospheric air UAH 967 billion, water (pollution and littering) UAH 117.8 billion, protected areas (nature reserve fund) UAH 3.63 trillion. Its 17 March 2026 breakdown: protected areas UAH 3.8 trillion, soil and land contamination from missile and bomb strikes UAH 1.34 trillion, air pollution from combustion products UAH 1.15 trillion, water pollution and unauthorised water use UAH 120 billion.","src":1},{"t":"In the week of 12–19 June 2026 the ministry’s total rose by UAH 51.919 billion: UAH 51.049 billion air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning, UAH 219.6 million burning of oil, petroleum products and gas, UAH 643.4 million soil (mostly littering), UAH 150,000 water.","src":7},{"t":"The ministry states that the figure covers only territory under Ukrainian government control and that the full extent will be known only after de-occupation and a complete study.","src":0},{"t":"The Ombudsman’s 5 June 2026 statement cited oil-product spills of up to 800 km² in the Black Sea after strikes on ports and a lubricant leak after an attack on the Dniester HPP that put drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine and Moldova at risk; these are not included in the UAH 6.9 trillion total.","src":5},{"t":"On 2 October 2024 the Ombudsman gave a potentially mined area of about 142,000 km²; in July 2025 Minister Hrynchuk said about 23% of Ukraine’s territory was still mined.","src":3},{"t":"The ministry said on 17 March 2026 that most recorded cases were being investigated in pre-trial proceedings under Article 441 (ecocide) or added to existing cases.","src":1},{"t":"The Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition) headline of June 2026 names the State Environmental Inspectorate as the source of the figure above UAH 7 trillion.","src":8},{"t":"UWEC Work Group, an NGO, wrote that the fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) aggregates environmental damage into broad categories and runs to about 63 pages instead of nearly 200.","src":11},{"t":"Since the 20 June 2024 memorandum, data from Svidok.org (operated by AI for Good, CEO James Hodson) are sent to EcoZagroza and processed by the Inspectorate.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Soil (ministry, 4 December 2025)","amount":1290000,"window":"2022–2025","note":"State-calculated damage claim; not paid."},{"label":"Atmospheric air (ministry, 4 December 2025)","amount":967000,"window":"2022–2025"},{"label":"Water: pollution and littering (ministry, 4 December 2025)","amount":117800,"window":"2022–2025"},{"label":"Protected areas, nature reserve fund (ministry, 4 December 2025)","amount":3630000,"window":"2022–2025"}],"natureTotal":6010000,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Ukrainian ministry and the Ombudsman recorded damage to protected areas, soil, air and water, with money values calculated by the State Environmental Inspectorate.","report":[{"t":"20% of my protected areas in Ukraine were affected, including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network, according to the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture (December 2025).","src":0},{"t":"Kinburn Spit, Oleshky Sands, the Kakhovka Reservoir and the Lower Dnipro were significantly damaged, according to the same ministry; Askania-Nova and the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve remained under occupation.","src":0},{"t":"After the Kriachky oil depot fire in Kyiv region, my soil was polluted 17 times above permissible levels and over 41,000 t of toxic emissions entered my air, according to the ministry.","src":0},{"t":"My Oskil Reservoir lost 76% of its water volume, according to the ministry.","src":0},{"t":"About 3 million t of harmful substances entered my atmosphere and spread to neighbouring countries, according to the ministry.","src":0},{"t":"The Kakhovka dam breach cost me over 35% of my freshwater reserve and flooded about 80,000 ha of my protected areas, according to the Ombudsman (November 2025).","src":4},{"t":"Oil-product spills of up to 800 km² lay on my Black Sea after strikes on ports, according to the Ombudsman (June 2026).","src":5}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ministry total, 4 December 2025","v":"UAH 6.01 trillion","d":"Calculated by the State Environmental Inspectorate; not paid"},{"k":"Cases recorded, 16 March 2026","v":"10,885","d":"Worth about UAH 6.4 trillion"},{"k":"Protected areas affected","v":"20%","d":"Including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network (ministry)"},{"k":"Ministry total, 23 June 2026","v":"More than UAH 7 trillion","d":"Government-controlled territory only"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the method used to calculate the totals. None of the ministry or Ombudsman items describes it; a June 2026 report says only that recording is ongoing.","Unclear: why the ministry’s total rose from UAH 2.78 trillion at the end of 2024 to UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025. The ministry page gives no reason such as a change of method or new categories.","Figures differ: for the Ombudsman’s statement of 5 June 2026, Ukrinform gives UAH 6.9 trillion in hryvnias only; Euromaidan Press gives about USD 156 billion, with nearly USD 90 billion for protected areas and approximately USD 45 billion for soils. The USD figures do not appear in the Ukrinform text.","Figures differ: the totals are stated in euros, US dollars and hryvnias, with different scopes and dates; no reconciliation has been published.","Figures differ: for loss of hydro-technical infrastructure, Fakty reports at least USD 746 billion with restoration of nearly USD 11 billion; another outlet reports USD 746 million.","Insufficient: the totals cover only territory under Ukrainian government control.","Insufficient: the fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) is about 63 pages instead of nearly 200 and aggregates environmental damage into broad categories, according to UWEC Work Group, an NGO, which attributes this at least in part to limited data access, closed registries and the suspension of environmental inspections.","None on record: independent verification of the totals.","None on record: a response from the Russian government to the damage totals."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"Recording continues: the ministry reported the total rising by UAH 51.919 billion in the week of 12–19 June 2026, mostly air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning.","whoPaid":"No payment has been made against the figures; they are claims and estimates calculated by the Ukrainian state.","statusLine":"As of 23 June 2026 the ministry reported confirmed damage of more than UAH 7 trillion; no payment against it is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Publisher of the damage figures"},{"id":"ukraine-ministry-of-economy","role":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture; publishes the totals"},{"id":"ukraine-state-environmental-inspectorate","role":"Calculates the damage figures; processes EcoZagroza reports"},{"id":"ukraine-ombudsman","role":"Cites and publishes the figures"},{"id":"uwec-work-group","role":"NGO critique of RDNA5 environmental coverage"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Which figure the Ombudsman gave on 5 June 2026","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Ukrinform","says":"UAH 6.9 trillion since 2022, of which almost UAH 4 trillion was destroyed and damaged protected areas and about UAH 2 trillion contaminated soil; no method given.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"Euromaidan Press","says":"About USD 156 billion, with nearly USD 90 billion for protected areas and approximately USD 45 billion for soils.","src":6}]},{"point":"How many recorded cases are under Article 441 (ecocide)","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (17 March 2026)","says":"Most of the 10,885 recorded cases are investigated in pre-trial proceedings under Article 441 or added to existing cases.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environment-People-Law (EPL), May 2026","says":"Regional prosecutors reported single-digit Article 441 registrations per region and, in most regions, no suspicion notices or indictments under that article.","src":12}]},{"point":"Responsibility for, and the amount of, the environmental damage","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukrainian government","says":"The damage was caused by Russian aggression and totals more than UAH 7 trillion (June 2026).","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Russia","says":"No response to the damage totals on record.","silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_estimate","value":57300,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ministry (Minister Strilets), 20 June 2024; more than 5,174 cases."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":64000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ombudsman, 2 October 2024; more than 4,700 cases described as environmental crimes."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":2780000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2024,"note":"End of 2024, as cited by the ministry in December 2025."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":108000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Minister Hrynchuk, 12 July 2025; more than 9,000 cases."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":5975000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ombudsman, 6 November 2025; over 10,000 facts."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":6010000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2025,"note":"Ministry, 4 December 2025; calculated by the State Environmental Inspectorate."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":6400000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ministry, 17 March 2026, as of 16 March 2026; 10,885 cases."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":6900000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"note":"Ombudsman, 5 June 2026, as reported by Ukrinform."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":7000000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ministry, 23 June 2026."},{"key":"damage_estimate_weekly_rise","value":51919,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"note":"Week of 12–19 June 2026; UAH 51,049 million of it air pollution from forest fires and vegetation burning."},{"key":"cases_recorded","value":5174,"unit":"cases","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ministry, 20 June 2024."},{"key":"cases_recorded","value":10885,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"Ministry, as of 16 March 2026."},{"key":"protected_areas_affected_pct","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Ministry; includes 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network."},{"key":"area_ha","value":80000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Protected areas flooded after the Kakhovka dam breach (Ombudsman, November 2025)."},{"key":"freshwater_reserve_lost_pct","value":35,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"over","note":"Ombudsman, November 2025, on the Kakhovka dam breach."},{"key":"oskil_reservoir_water_lost_pct","value":76,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Ministry, December 2025."},{"key":"toxic_emissions_tonnes","value":41000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Kriachky oil depot fire, Kyiv region (ministry)."},{"key":"harmful_substances_tonnes","value":3000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Released to the atmosphere (ministry)."},{"key":"mined_area_km2","value":142000,"unit":"km²","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Potentially mined area (Ombudsman, 2 October 2024)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ukraine’s State Environmental Inspectorate calculates a running money total for environmental damage the state attributes to Russia’s armed aggression; the ministry reported UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025 and more than UAH 7 trillion on 23 June 2026. No payment has been made.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Protected areas of Ukraine","what":"20% affected, including 2.9 million ha of the Emerald Network (ministry, December 2025)","src":0},{"who":"Kakhovka Reservoir and Ukraine’s freshwater reserve","what":"Over 35% of the freshwater reserve lost and about 80,000 ha of protected areas flooded (Ombudsman, November 2025)","src":4},{"who":"Oskil Reservoir","what":"76% of water volume lost (ministry)","src":0},{"who":"Soil, air and water","what":"Valued by the ministry at UAH 1.29 trillion, UAH 967 billion and UAH 117.8 billion (December 2025)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"All of Ukraine under government control; the ministry is in Kyiv. Askania-Nova and the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve were under occupation and outside the count.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Since 24 February 2022; totals published between June 2024 and June 2026.","src":7},"why":{"t":"The state describes the figures as the evidence base for compensation claims against Russia, including the Register of Damage environmental category.","src":4},"how":{"t":"The Inspectorate calculates the totals from cases recorded through EcoZagroza and other channels; the calculation method is not described in the items read.","src":2}},"related":["ukraine-war-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-claim","register-of-damage-and-claims-commission-ukraine","ukraine-ecocide-prosecutions","ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund","iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026"],"sources":[{"t":"Російська агресія вже спричинила екологічні руйнування в Україні більше 6 трлн гривень (Russian aggression has already caused more than UAH 6 trillion of environmental destruction in Ukraine)","p":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine","d":"2025-12-04","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Detail/6fab61dd-28e9-4b18-8b22-ef06f10498a2"},{"t":"Наслідки збройної агресії росії: в Україні зафіксовано 10 885 випадків шкоди довкіллю на суму 6,4 трлн грн (Consequences of Russia’s armed aggression: 10,885 cases of environmental damage worth UAH 6.4 trillion recorded in Ukraine)","p":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine","d":"2026-03-17","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Print/ddc09c85-a606-447e-b944-688f5c908f54?lang=uk-UA"},{"t":"Ministry of Environmental Protection: cooperation on EcoZagroza and the Svidok platform","p":"Government portal of Ukraine (kmu.gov.ua)","d":"2024-06-20","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/mindovkillia-posyliuiemo-spivpratsiu-v-napriamku-fiksatsii-ekolohichnykh-zlochyniv-okupantiv-za-dopomohoiu-dodatku-ekozahroza-ta-platformy-svidok"},{"t":"Russia committed over 4,700 environmental crimes in Ukraine worth $64 billion","p":"Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights","d":"2024-10-02","type":"official","u":"https://ombudsman.gov.ua/en/news_details/ombudsman-ukrayini-rosiya-skoyila-v-ukrayini-ponad-4700-ekologichnih-zlochiniv-na-64-mlrd-dolariv"},{"t":"International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War","p":"Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights","d":"2025-11-06","type":"official","u":"https://ombudsman.gov.ua/en/news_details/mizhnarodnij-den-zapobigannya-ekspluataciyi-dovkillya-pid-chas-vijni-ta-zbrojnih-konfliktiv-zahist-prirodi-ce-zahist-zhittya-i-gidnogo-majbutnogo-krayini"},{"t":"Росія завдала довкіллю України збитків на 6,9 трильйона гривень (Russia caused UAH 6.9 trillion in damage to Ukraine’s environment)","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2026-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://ukrinform.ua/rubric-economy/4130710-rosia-zavdala-dovkillu-ukraini-zbitkiv-na-69-triljona-griven.html"},{"t":"On World Environment Day, Ukraine counted $156 billion in environmental damage from Russia’s war","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2026-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/06/05/on-world-environment-day-ukraine-counted-156-billion-in-environmental-damage-from-russias-war/"},{"t":"The environmental damage caused to Ukraine by Russian aggression has exceeded 7 trillion hryvnias","p":"ThePublic","d":"2026-06-23","type":"press","u":"https://thepublic.info/en/news/the-environmental-damage-caused-to-ukraine-by-russian-aggression-has-exceeded-7-trillion-hryvnias"},{"t":"Збитки довкіллю України від війни перевищили 7 трлн грн – Держекоінспекція (Environmental damage exceeded UAH 7 trillion – State Environmental Inspectorate)","p":"Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition)","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.kyivpost.com/uk/amp/post/78759"},{"t":"Збитки довкіллю внаслідок війни в Україні перевищують €108 млрд – Гринчук (Environmental damage from the war exceeds €108 billion – Hrynchuk)","p":"Fakty","d":"2025-07-12","type":"press","u":"https://fakty.com.ua/ua/proisshestvija/20250712-zbytky-dovkillyu-vnaslidok-vijny-v-ukrayini-perevyshhuyut-e108-mlrd-grynchuk/amp/"},{"t":"Environmental resource EcoZagroza got an official status","p":"Asters (law firm legal alert)","d":"2023-08-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.asterslaw.com/press_center/legal_alerts/environmental_resource_ecozagroza_got_an_official_status/"},{"t":"RDNA5 report on Ukraine: a brief look at environmental gaps","p":"UWEC Work Group","d":"2026-03-23","type":"ngo","u":"https://uwecworkgroup.info/rdna5-report-on-ukraine-a-brief-look-at-environmental-gaps/"},{"t":"Кримінально-правова охорона довкілля в умовах війни: аналіз практики обласних прокуратур (Criminal-law protection of the environment in wartime: analysis of regional prosecutors’ practice)","p":"Environment-People-Law (EPL)","d":"2026-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://epl.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Analiz-vidpovidey-prokuratur-shhodo-rozsliduvan.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which figure the Ombudsman gave on 5 June 2026","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many recorded cases are under Article 441 (ecocide)","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for, and the amount of, the environmental damage","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Russia: No response to the damage totals on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the method used to calculate the totals. None of the ministry or Ombudsman items describes it; a June 2026 report says only that recording is ongoing.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: why the ministry’s total rose from UAH 2.78 trillion at the end of 2024 to UAH 6.01 trillion on 4 December 2025. The ministry page gives no reason such as a change of method or new categories.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: for the Ombudsman’s statement of 5 June 2026, Ukrinform gives UAH 6.9 trillion in hryvnias only; Euromaidan Press gives about USD 156 billion, with nearly USD 90 billion for protected areas and approximately USD 45 billion for soils. The USD figures do not appear in the Ukrinform text.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the totals are stated in euros, US dollars and hryvnias, with different scopes and dates; no reconciliation has been published.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: for loss of hydro-technical infrastructure, Fakty reports at least USD 746 billion with restoration of nearly USD 11 billion; another outlet reports USD 746 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the totals cover only territory under Ukrainian government control.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the fifth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA5) is about 63 pages instead of nearly 200 and aggregates environmental damage into broad categories, according to UWEC Work Group, an NGO, which attributes this at least in part to limited data access, closed registries and the suspension of environmental inspections.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: independent verification of the totals.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a response from the Russian government to the damage totals.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-war-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-claim","title":"War-related greenhouse-gas emissions and Ukraine’s planned climate damage claim","dek":"The Initiative on GHG Accounting of War (IGGAW) put war-related emissions at 311.4 MtCO2e for 24 February 2022 to 23 February 2026 and priced them at USD 185 per tonne. Ukraine’s ministry has said it will file a climate damage claim against Russia in the Register of Damage; no filing is on record.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":50.45,"lon":30.52,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Ukraine, with airspace and transport effects outside it","lat":50.45,"lon":30.52,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-02-24","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","burning"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction","burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"War-related emissions, 24 February 2022 – 23 February 2026 (IGGAW)","value":"311.4 MtCO2e","note":"Estimate. At USD 185 per tCO2e the climate damage claim exceeds USD 57 billion; the claim is planned and no filing is on record."},"happened":["IGGAW, working with the Ukrainian ministry and the NGO EcoAction, publishes periodic inventories of the greenhouse-gas emissions of the war. Its three-year assessment (24 February 2022 – 23 February 2025), published in October 2025, put the total at “nearly 237 million tons CO2e”, of which warfare was 34%, reconstruction 27% and landscape fires 21%. At a social cost of carbon of USD 185 per tCO2e, EcoAction reported climate damage “over $43 billion”. The lead author was Lennard de Klerk; the work was supported by the European Climate Foundation and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.","On 19 November 2025, at COP30 in Belém, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture announced that Ukraine would seek compensation from Russia for climate damage. It gave emissions of 236.8 million tonnes CO2e (IGGAW, October) and damages of USD 43.8 billion at the social cost of carbon. The ministry said the Register of Damage, “adopted in February 2025”, includes a form for environmental claims, and cited as legal basis the July 2025 International Court of Justice advisory opinion and a 2022 UN General Assembly resolution on Russia compensating Ukraine. No filing date was stated.","The four-year assessment (IGGAW, February 2026) put the total at 311.4 MtCO2e, with 75 MtCO2e added in the fourth year. By category: warfare 114.1 MtCO2e (37%), landscape fires 70.3 (23%), energy infrastructure 18.6 (6%), refugees 5.3 (2%), civil aviation 29.8 (9%) and reconstruction 73.3 (23%). Fossil-fuel use is 90% of warfare emissions and the warfare chart separates fuel use by Russian forces, Ukrainian forces and military aid. In the energy-infrastructure category the assessment counts at least 15 large attacks on gas production and storage (March–December 2025) and 19 further strikes (January–February 2026), attributed to Russian forces, and states that “Ukraine’s Defence Forces conducted over 140 attacks on Russian oil refineries and depots” in the fourth year, with the resulting emissions included.","For landscape fires, the assessment reports 1.39 million ha of natural-landscape fires in Ukraine in 2025 and attributes emissions to the war by comparing fire intensity in the war zone (Zone 2) with similar landscapes and weather in government-controlled areas (Zone 1), with a generic factor for indirect effects. It links two consecutive hot, dry summers (2024 and 2025) to greater fire spread, “likely exacerbated by climate change”. It states that the Ukrainian government “will file a claim under the Environmental Damage category of the Register of Damage for Ukraine” and that at USD 185 per tCO2e the total claim “exceeds 57 billion USD”.","The Register’s environmental category (B3.1) opened on 30 September 2026. No source records that the climate claim has been lodged as of 19 October 2026, and no Russian response to the claim is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Three-year IGGAW assessment: nearly 237 MtCO2e, climate damage over USD 43 billion (October)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Ministry announces at COP30 that Ukraine will seek compensation for climate damage; USD 43.8 billion for 236.8 MtCO2e (19 Nov)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Four-year IGGAW assessment: 311.4 MtCO2e, claim exceeding USD 57 billion (published 20 Feb)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"Register of Damage opens its environmental category B3.1 (30 Sep)","src":5}],"said":[{"q":"In many ways, russia is waging a dirty war – and our climate is also its victim.","who":"Pavlo Kartashov, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture","when":"19 November 2025","src":2},{"q":"The mechanism for this is established by international law","who":"Lennard de Klerk, IGGAW (translated)","when":"19 November 2025","src":3,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"Russian aggression is the cause of additional greenhouse gas emissions, which worsen the existing climate crisis.","who":"Vasylyna Belo, EcoAction","when":"October 2025","src":1},{"q":"The Ukrainian government will file a claim under the Environmental Damage category of the Register of Damage for Ukraine","who":"IGGAW, four-year assessment","when":"February 2026","src":0},{"q":"Ukraine’s Defence Forces conducted over 140 attacks on Russian oil refineries and depots","who":"IGGAW, four-year assessment, on the fourth year","when":"February 2026","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The ministry presented USD 43.8 billion of climate damage for 236.8 MtCO2e as the basis for a compensation claim against Russia.","who":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine (19 November 2025)","src":2},{"t":"IGGAW presented 311.4 MtCO2e of war-related emissions, comparable in its words to the annual emissions of France or half of Germany’s yearly emissions.","who":"IGGAW (February 2026)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Four-year total 311.4 MtCO2e; the fourth year added 75 MtCO2e. Table 1: warfare 114.1 (37%), landscape fires 70.3 (23%), energy infrastructure 18.6 (6%), refugees 5.3 (2%), civil aviation 29.8 (9%), reconstruction 73.3 (23%).","src":0},{"t":"Warfare emissions: fossil-fuel use (tanks, jets and similar) is 90%; ammunition production and replacement of destroyed hardware make up the remaining 10%. The warfare chart separates “Fossil fuel RU”, “Fossil fuel UA” and “Fossil fuel military aid”, so the category includes both armed forces.","src":0},{"t":"Energy infrastructure: at least 15 large attacks on gas production and storage (March–December 2025) and 19 further strikes (January–February 2026), attributed to Russian forces; emissions from Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and depots (over 140 in the fourth year) are also included in the category.","src":0},{"t":"Landscape fires: 1.39 million ha of natural-landscape fires in Ukraine in 2025; war attribution compares fire intensity in the war zone (Zone 2) with similar landscapes and weather in government-controlled areas (Zone 1).","src":0},{"t":"Refugees registered in Europe and beyond: 5,898,150 persons in the fourth year.","src":0},{"t":"Climate damage claim at a social cost of carbon of USD 185 per tCO2e: USD 43.8 billion for 236.8 MtCO2e (ministry, November 2025); more than USD 57 billion for 311.4 MtCO2e (IGGAW, February 2026). The assessment is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 and funded by the European Climate Foundation and Sida through the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.","src":0},{"t":"The ministry cited as legal basis the July 2025 ICJ advisory opinion (states whose unlawful acts cause significant climate harm can be held internationally liable) and a 2022 UN General Assembly resolution on Russia compensating Ukraine.","src":2},{"t":"In July 2025 Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk gave a figure of 180 million tonnes of additional CO2 from shelling and forest fires, without stating its source.","src":6},{"t":"The Register of Damage environmental category (B3.1) opened on 30 September 2026; it may be used by the State of Ukraine and its authorities and institutions.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Assessment periods 2022–2025 and 2022–2026","nature":[{"label":"Climate damage claim, three-year assessment, 236.8 MtCO2e at USD 185/tCO2e (ministry, 19 November 2025)","amount":43800,"est":true,"window":"24 Feb 2022 – 23 Feb 2025","note":"Planned claim; no filing on record."},{"label":"Climate damage claim, four-year assessment, 311.4 MtCO2e at USD 185/tCO2e (IGGAW, February 2026)","amount":57000,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"window":"24 Feb 2022 – 23 Feb 2026","note":"Planned claim; no filing on record. The four-year figure includes the three-year emissions."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"IGGAW’s four-year assessment estimated 311.4 MtCO2e of war-related emissions and recorded 1.39 million ha of natural-landscape fires in Ukraine in 2025.","report":[{"t":"Between 24 February 2022 and 23 February 2026 the war added 311.4 MtCO2e to my atmosphere, according to IGGAW (February 2026).","src":0},{"t":"1.39 million ha of my natural landscapes burned in Ukraine in 2025, according to IGGAW, which assigns 70.3 MtCO2e of its four-year total to war-related landscape fires.","src":0},{"t":"Two consecutive hot, dry summers, 2024 and 2025, increased the spread of fire on my land, “likely exacerbated by climate change”, according to IGGAW.","src":0}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"War-related emissions, four years","v":"311.4 MtCO2e","d":"IGGAW; 75 MtCO2e added in year four"},{"k":"Largest categories","v":"Warfare 37%, fires 23%, reconstruction 23%","d":"Table 1 of the four-year assessment"},{"k":"Climate damage claim, planned","v":"More than USD 57 billion","d":"At USD 185 per tCO2e; no filing on record"},{"k":"Landscape fires in Ukraine, 2025","v":"1.39 million ha","d":"IGGAW"}]},"unknown":["None on record: a filing of the climate claim under category B3.1 of the Register of Damage. The category opened on 30 September 2026; the ministry’s announcement of 19 November 2025 states no filing date.","None on record: a Russian government response to the climate claim.","Not disclosed: the amounts of funding from the European Climate Foundation and from Sida through the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.","Insufficient: the four-year assessment states that not all data sources were complete up to 23 February 2026 and that numbers will be updated once available.","Unclear: the source of the ministry’s July 2025 figure of 180 million tonnes of additional CO2 from shelling and forest fires, which differs from the IGGAW series."],"evidence":["undisclosed","no-court"],"harmStopped":"Emissions continued in the fourth year of the assessment (75 MtCO2e added); no end date is on record.","whoPaid":"No payment on record. Ukraine has said it will file a claim; no filing is on record.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: the claim is planned, the Register’s environmental category opened on 30 September 2026, and no filing is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"ukraine-ministry-of-economy","says":"Ukraine will seek compensation from Russia for climate damage; the Register of Damage includes a form for environmental claims.","when":"19 November 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"iggaw","role":"Publishes the war emissions inventory"},{"id":"ecoaction-ukraine","role":"NGO; partner in the assessment"},{"id":"ukraine-ministry-of-economy","role":"Announced the planned climate claim at COP30"},{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Intended claimant"},{"id":"register-of-damage-for-ukraine","role":"Register with the environmental claims category"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"No response on record"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for the assessed emissions and the climate claim","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine","says":"Russia’s war causes the climate damage and Ukraine will seek compensation from Russia.","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"IGGAW","says":"Warfare emissions include the fuel use of both Russian and Ukrainian forces, and energy-infrastructure emissions include Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and depots.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Russia","says":"No response to the climate claim on record.","silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":311.4,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"IGGAW, 24 February 2022 – 23 February 2026."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":236.8,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2025,"note":"IGGAW three-year assessment as cited by the ministry (EcoAction: nearly 237 million tons)."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":75,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Added in the fourth year."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":114.1,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Warfare (37%)."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":70.3,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Landscape fires (23%)."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":18.6,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Energy infrastructure (6%)."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":5.3,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Refugees (2%)."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":29.8,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Civil aviation (9%)."},{"key":"emissions_mt_co2e","value":73.3,"unit":"MtCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Reconstruction (23%)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1390000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Natural-landscape fires in Ukraine in 2025 (IGGAW)."},{"key":"social_cost_of_carbon","value":185,"unit":"USD per tCO2e","year":2026,"note":"Used by IGGAW and the ministry."},{"key":"claim","value":43800,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Planned climate damage claim, ministry, 19 November 2025."},{"key":"claim","value":57000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Planned climate damage claim, IGGAW, February 2026."},{"key":"refugees_registered","value":5898150,"unit":"persons","year":2026,"note":"Registered in Europe and beyond in the fourth year."},{"key":"attacks_on_russian_refineries_and_depots","value":140,"unit":"attacks","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"By Ukraine’s Defence Forces in the fourth year, per IGGAW."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"IGGAW estimated war-related emissions of 311.4 MtCO2e over four years and priced them at USD 185 per tCO2e, giving a planned climate damage claim of more than USD 57 billion that Ukraine has said it will file in the Register of Damage.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere and climate","what":"311.4 MtCO2e of war-related emissions over four years (IGGAW)","src":0},{"who":"Natural landscapes of Ukraine","what":"1.39 million ha burned in 2025","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ukraine, plus effects outside it from civil aviation rerouting and refugees.","src":0},"when":{"t":"24 February 2022 – 23 February 2026; announced at COP30 on 19 November 2025; the Register’s environmental category opened on 30 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The ministry cites the July 2025 ICJ advisory opinion and a 2022 UN General Assembly resolution as the basis for seeking compensation.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Emissions are inventoried by category and priced at a social cost of carbon of USD 185 per tCO2e; the Ukrainian government says it will file the result under the Environmental Damage category of the Register.","src":0}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","register-of-damage-and-claims-commission-ukraine","ukraine-ecocide-prosecutions","ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund"],"sources":[{"t":"Climate Damage Caused by Russia’s War in Ukraine, 24 February 2022 – 23 February 2026","p":"Initiative on GHG Accounting of War (IGGAW)","d":"2026-02","type":"academic","u":"https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Climate-Damage-Caused-by-War-48-months_ENs.pdf"},{"t":"The climate damage has exceeded $43 billion","p":"EcoAction","d":"2025-10-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/the-climate-damage-has-exceeded-43-billion.html"},{"t":"COP30: Ukraine to seek compensation from russia for climate damage","p":"Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine","d":"2025-11-19","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Print/141fe3db-faad-4a37-9f9c-0afc72e7c06c?lang=en-GB"},{"t":"COP30: Україна вимагатиме від росії компенсації за кліматичні збитки (COP30: Ukraine will demand compensation from Russia for climate damage)","p":"Government portal of Ukraine (kmu.gov.ua)","d":"2025-11-19","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/cop30-ukraina-vymahatyme-vid-rosii-kompensatsii-za-klimatychni-zbytky"},{"t":"Climate damage caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine","p":"Planetary Security Initiative","d":"2026-02-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.planetarysecurityinitiative.org/news/climate-damage-caused-russias-war-ukraine-2"},{"t":"Register of Damage for Ukraine has opened all claims categories for submission","p":"Register of Damage for Ukraine (Council of Europe)","d":"2026-09-30","type":"registry","voice":"international","u":"https://rd4u.coe.int/en/-/register-of-damage-for-ukraine-has-opened-all-claims-categories-for-submission"},{"t":"Збитки довкіллю внаслідок війни в Україні перевищують €108 млрд – Гринчук (Environmental damage from the war exceeds €108 billion – Hrynchuk)","p":"Fakty","d":"2025-07-12","type":"press","u":"https://fakty.com.ua/ua/proisshestvija/20250712-zbytky-dovkillyu-vnaslidok-vijny-v-ukrayini-perevyshhuyut-e108-mlrd-grynchuk/amp/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for the assessed emissions and the climate claim","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Russia: No response to the climate claim on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a filing of the climate claim under category B3.1 of the Register of Damage. The category opened on 30 September 2026; the ministry’s announcement of 19 November 2025 states no filing date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Russian government response to the climate claim.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of funding from the European Climate Foundation and from Sida through the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the four-year assessment states that not all data sources were complete up to 23 February 2026 and that numbers will be updated once available.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the source of the ministry’s July 2025 figure of 180 million tonnes of additional CO2 from shelling and forest fires, which differs from the IGGAW series.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"register-of-damage-and-claims-commission-ukraine","title":"Register of Damage for Ukraine, the Claims Commission convention and the money meant to pay claims","dek":"The Council of Europe’s Register of Damage for Ukraine opened all 43 claim categories, including B3.1 Environmental damage, on 30 September 2026. The Convention for an International Claims Commission was not in force, with 10 of 25 ratifications reported, and no compensation fund existed.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":48.38,"lon":31.17,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Claims concern damage in Ukraine","lat":48.38,"lon":31.17,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"The Hague","lat":52.08,"lon":4.31,"role":"court"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Position on the Register; central bank assets immobilised abroad","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"affected"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-09-30","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","law-policy"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Claims received by the Register, all categories, 30 September 2026","value":"About 195,000","note":"More than 65,000 recorded; none awarded or paid, because no Claims Commission or compensation fund exists. No count of B3.1 environmental claims has been published."},"happened":["The Register of Damage for Ukraine, set up under the Council of Europe, records claims for damage caused by Russia’s aggression; the International Claims Commission is meant to decide awards and a compensation fund is meant to pay them. Claim submission began on 2 April 2024. On 30 September 2026 the Register announced that it had opened all claims categories: 21 for individuals, 11 for legal entities and 11 for the State of Ukraine. The last three opened were B1.6, B3.1 (Environmental damage) and B3.2. The release says the categories “allow for documenting damage caused to the natural environment”, and that B3.1 may be used by the State of Ukraine, its central, regional and local authorities, and state and municipal institutions and organisations. About 195,000 claims had been received and more than 65,000 recorded across all categories by 30 September 2026; no count of environmental (B3.1) claims was published.","The Convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine was opened for signature on 16 December 2025 in The Hague at a diplomatic conference held by the Council of Europe and the Netherlands. Entry into force requires at least 25 ratifications and budget contributions sufficient to finance the Commission sustainably, according to Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Signatory and ratification counts differ by source and date: 34 countries and the EU at signing (Estonia, 11 March 2026); 32 states and 8 ratifications (Moldova’s Ministry of Justice, 23 July 2026); 40 signatory states and the EU with 10 ratifications and 25 needed (Interfax-Ukraine, 30 September 2026). The Riigikogu of Estonia ratified on 11 March 2026 with 68 votes in favour; Moldova’s Parliament held its second reading on 23 July 2026; Canada signed on 11 May 2026, the first non-member state to do so.","No compensation fund has been established. The Register said the next step was to “complete the establishment of the Claims Commission and the Compensation Fund”. Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called finding workable payment solutions “the next and at the same time the most difficult step”; the page names no funding source for awards.","Money tied to immobilised Russian central bank assets sits on the asset side. The G7’s Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) loans of 25 October 2024 provide about USD 50 billion (EUR 45 billion) to Ukraine, to be repaid from extraordinary revenues of the immobilised assets, which the G7 said “will remain immobilized until Russia ends its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine”; disbursement runs from 1 December 2024 to 31 December 2027. On 31 March 2026 the EU delivered EUR 1.4 billion of windfall revenues (fourth transfer, revenues of the second half of 2025): 95% through the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism and 5% through the European Peace Facility. At the 18–19 December 2025 European Council, leaders agreed a EUR 90 billion interest-free loan for 2026–2027 financed by EU borrowing (24 member states; the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia not taking part); a “reparations loan” using the immobilised assets was not agreed, and Belgium was its most vocal opponent. Kyiv Independent reported that Ukraine would repay the loan only once Russia paid reparations.","On 29 January 2025 the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation declared the Register an “undesirable” organisation and said its activity aimed at violating Russia’s territorial integrity and “undermining its economic foundations”, according to Mediazona, citing the Prosecutor General’s website and Telegram channel."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Claim submission starts (2 Apr)","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"G7 announces ERA loans of about USD 50 billion repaid from revenues of immobilised Russian assets (25 Oct)","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"Russian Prosecutor General declares the Register “undesirable” (29 Jan)","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"Convention for the International Claims Commission opened for signature in The Hague (16 Dec); European Council agrees EUR 90 billion loan (18–19 Dec)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"Estonia ratifies the Convention (11 Mar)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"EU delivers EUR 1.4 billion of windfall revenues to Ukraine (31 Mar)","src":6},{"y":2026,"t":"Canada signs the Convention (11 May); Moldova’s Parliament holds second reading (23 Jul)","src":1},{"y":2026,"t":"Register opens all 43 claim categories, including B3.1 Environmental damage (30 Sep)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"allow for documenting damage caused to the natural environment","who":"Register of Damage for Ukraine, on the new categories","when":"30 September 2026","src":0},{"q":"complete the establishment of the Claims Commission and the Compensation Fund","who":"Register of Damage for Ukraine, on the next step","when":"30 September 2026","src":0},{"q":"the next and at the same time the most difficult step","who":"Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s Foreign Minister, on finding payment solutions","when":"11 March 2026","src":3},{"q":"will remain immobilized until Russia ends its aggression and pays for the damage it has caused to Ukraine","who":"G7 Finance Ministers, on the immobilised Russian sovereign assets","when":"25 October 2024","src":5},{"q":"the interest on the cash balances does not belong to Russia","who":"European Commission","when":"1 April 2026","src":6},{"q":"an international administrative body established under the auspices of the Council of Europe","who":"Ministry of Justice of Moldova, on the Claims Commission","when":"23 July 2026","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"The Register presented the opening of all 43 categories as meaning that every type of damage within its mandate could now be documented.","who":"Register of Damage for Ukraine (30 September 2026)","src":0},{"t":"The Commission presented the EUR 1.4 billion transfer as revenue from immobilised Russian assets to be used to support Ukraine.","who":"European Commission (1 April 2026)","src":6}],"recorded":[{"t":"Register categories: 21 for individuals, 11 for legal entities and 11 for the State of Ukraine; the final three opened on 30 September 2026 were B1.6, B3.1 (Environmental damage) and B3.2. Interfax-Ukraine names the State categories as “Other Property Losses”, “Environmental Damage” and “Theft and/or Misappropriation of Natural Resources”.","src":0},{"t":"About 195,000 claims received and more than 65,000 recorded, all categories, as of 30 September 2026. No count of B3.1 claims is published.","src":0},{"t":"Convention: opened for signature 16 December 2025; entry into force needs at least 25 ratifications and sufficient budget contributions; status on 19 October 2026 was not in force, with 10 of 25 ratifications per Interfax-Ukraine (8 per Moldova’s Ministry of Justice on 23 July 2026).","src":2},{"t":"ERA loans: about USD 50 billion (EUR 45 billion), repaid from extraordinary revenues of immobilised Russian sovereign assets; disbursement 1 December 2024 to 31 December 2027.","src":5},{"t":"EUR 1.4 billion delivered on 31 March 2026 (95% through the Ukraine Loan Cooperation Mechanism, which helps Ukraine repay the EU macro-financial assistance loan and G7 bilateral loans; 5% through the European Peace Facility).","src":6},{"t":"European Council, 18–19 December 2025: EUR 90 billion interest-free loan for 2026–2027 financed by EU borrowing; the reparations loan was not agreed; Belgium feared liability of a third of its GDP if Russia sued to recover the assets, according to Kyiv Independent.","src":7},{"t":"On 29 January 2025 the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation declared the Register an “undesirable” organisation, according to Mediazona.","src":8},{"t":"The planned Ukrainian climate claim of more than USD 57 billion is for filing in the Register’s environmental category; no filing is on record (see the related case).","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Environmental claims filed in category B3.1","amount":null,"note":"No count or value of B3.1 claims has been published."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"G7 ERA loans repaid from revenues of immobilised Russian assets (about USD 50 billion)","amount":45000,"qualifier":"about","window":"Disbursement 1 Dec 2024 – 31 Dec 2027"},{"label":"Windfall revenues delivered by the EU, fourth transfer","amount":1400,"window":"31 Mar 2026"},{"label":"EU interest-free loan financed by EU borrowing, repayable once Russia pays reparations (Kyiv Independent)","amount":90000,"window":"2026–2027"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"unknown":["None on record: a published count or value of claims in category B3.1 (Environmental damage).","None on record: a funding source for awards from the compensation fund, which has not been established; neither the Register nor Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs names one.","Figures differ: for the Convention, Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives 34 countries and the EU at signing (11 March 2026), Moldova’s Ministry of Justice gives 32 states and 8 ratifications (23 July 2026), and Interfax-Ukraine gives 40 signatory states and the EU with 10 ratifications (30 September 2026).","None on record: a Russian government statement on the Claims Commission convention.","Not disclosed: the amounts of participant contributions that finance the Register and the Commission."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"No claim has been awarded or paid. The ERA loans and the EUR 1.4 billion transfer are serviced from revenues of immobilised Russian assets; the EUR 90 billion EU loan is financed by EU borrowing.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: all 43 Register categories open; the Claims Commission convention not in force (10 of 25 ratifications reported); no compensation fund.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"russian-prosecutor-general","says":"Declared the Register an “undesirable” organisation whose activity aims at violating Russia’s territorial integrity and “undermining its economic foundations” (translated).","when":"29 January 2025","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"register-of-damage-for-ukraine","role":"Records claims, including environmental claims"},{"id":"council-of-europe","role":"Sponsor of the Register and the Convention"},{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Claimant State; B3.1 filer"},{"id":"russian-prosecutor-general","role":"Declared the Register “undesirable”"},{"id":"eu","role":"Delivered windfall revenues; EUR 90 billion loan"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Reported the EUR 1.4 billion transfer"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Owner of immobilised central bank assets"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many states had signed or ratified the Claims Commission convention","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia (11 March 2026)","says":"34 countries and the EU at signing.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Justice of Moldova (23 July 2026)","says":"32 states and 8 ratifications.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax-Ukraine (30 September 2026)","says":"40 signatory states and the EU, 10 ratifications, 25 needed.","src":2}]},{"point":"The purpose of the Register of Damage","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation","says":"The Register’s activity aims at violating Russia’s territorial integrity and “undermining its economic foundations” (translated, as reported by Mediazona).","src":8},{"voice":"international","holder":"Register of Damage for Ukraine","says":"The categories allow for documenting damage caused to the natural environment and every type of damage within the Register’s mandate.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Interfax-Ukraine","says":"The Register is the first stage; the Claims Commission will decide awards.","src":2}]},{"point":"Use of immobilised Russian assets for a reparations loan","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Belgium, as reported by Kyiv Independent","says":"Feared liability of a third of its GDP if Russia sued to recover the assets; the most vocal opponent of the reparations loan.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"European Council (December 2025)","says":"Agreed a EUR 90 billion interest-free loan financed by EU borrowing; the reparations loan was not agreed.","src":7}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claims_received","value":195000,"unit":"claims","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"All categories, 30 September 2026."},{"key":"claims_recorded","value":65000,"unit":"claims","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"All categories, 30 September 2026."},{"key":"claim_categories","value":43,"unit":"categories","year":2026,"note":"21 individuals, 11 legal entities, 11 State."},{"key":"ratifications_required","value":25,"unit":"ratifications","year":2025,"note":"Plus sufficient budget contributions."},{"key":"ratifications","value":10,"unit":"ratifications","year":2026,"note":"Interfax-Ukraine, 30 September 2026."},{"key":"ratifications","value":8,"unit":"ratifications","year":2026,"note":"Moldova’s Ministry of Justice, 23 July 2026."},{"key":"signatories","value":34,"unit":"countries","year":2026,"note":"Plus the EU; Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 March 2026."},{"key":"signatories","value":40,"unit":"states","year":2026,"note":"Plus the EU; Interfax-Ukraine, 30 September 2026."},{"key":"era_loans","value":45000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"About USD 50 billion; G7 statement of 25 October 2024."},{"key":"windfall_transfer","value":1400,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"31 March 2026, fourth transfer."},{"key":"loan","value":90000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"EU interest-free loan for 2026–2027, European Council 18–19 December 2025."},{"key":"climate_claim_planned","value":57000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Planned for category B3.1; no filing on record."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Register of Damage for Ukraine opened all 43 claim categories on 30 September 2026, including B3.1 Environmental damage; the Claims Commission convention was not in force and no compensation fund existed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Claims cover damage in Ukraine; the Convention was opened for signature in The Hague.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Claim submission began 2 April 2024; Convention opened for signature 16 December 2025; all categories opened 30 September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Register is described as the first stage towards compensation decided by the International Claims Commission.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Claims are recorded by the Register; awards are to be decided by the Commission and paid from a compensation fund not yet created; immobilised Russian assets service the ERA loans and fund windfall transfers.","src":0}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-war-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-claim","ukraine-ecocide-prosecutions","ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund","gulf-war-compensation-and-kuwait-oil-damage-remediation","iran-war-damage-estimate-and-reparations-2026"],"sources":[{"t":"Register of Damage for Ukraine has opened all claims categories for submission","p":"Register of Damage for Ukraine (Council of Europe)","d":"2026-09-30","type":"registry","voice":"international","u":"https://rd4u.coe.int/en/-/register-of-damage-for-ukraine-has-opened-all-claims-categories-for-submission"},{"t":"Register of Damage for Ukraine: news","p":"Register of Damage for Ukraine (Council of Europe)","d":"2026","type":"registry","voice":"international","u":"https://rd4u.coe.int/en/news"},{"t":"Register of Damage opens all 43 categories","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2026-09-30","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1212513.html"},{"t":"Riigikogu ratifies convention establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine","p":"Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia","d":"2026-03-11","type":"official","u":"https://vm.ee/en/news/riigikogu-ratifies-convention-establishing-international-claims-commission-ukraine"},{"t":"Convention that will allow the establishment of the International Claims Commission for Ukraine, ratified","p":"Ministry of Justice of Moldova","d":"2026-07-23","type":"official","u":"https://www.justice.gov.md/en/content/convention-will-allow-establishment-international-complaints-commission-ukraine-ratified"},{"t":"G7 Finance Ministers’ Statement on Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) Loan Initiative","p":"Department of Finance Canada","d":"2024-10-25","type":"official","u":"https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2024/10/g7-finance-ministers-statement-on-extraordinary-revenue-acceleration-era-loan-initiative.html"},{"t":"EU to deliver €1.4 billion in revenue from immobilised Russian assets to be used for support to Ukraine","p":"European Commission (Representation in Luxembourg)","d":"2026-04-01","type":"official","u":"https://luxembourg.representation.ec.europa.eu/actualites-et-evenements/actualites/eu-deliver-eur14-billion-revenue-immobilised-russian-assets-be-used-support-ukraine-2026-04-01_en"},{"t":"EU leaders agree on $105 billion loan to secure Ukraine’s financing through 2027","p":"Kyiv Independent","d":"2025-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://kyivindependent.com/eu-leaders-agree-on-105-billion-loan-to-secure-ukraines-financing-through-2027/"},{"t":"Генпрокуратура объявила «нежелательным» созданный Советом Европы реестр ущерба… (Prosecutor General’s Office declared the Council of Europe’s Register of Damage “undesirable”)","p":"Mediazona","d":"2025-01-29","type":"press","u":"https://zona.media/news/2025/01/29/reestr_ushherba"},{"t":"Climate Damage Caused by Russia’s War in Ukraine, 24 February 2022 – 23 February 2026","p":"Initiative on GHG Accounting of War (IGGAW)","d":"2026-02","type":"academic","u":"https://en.ecoaction.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Climate-Damage-Caused-by-War-48-months_ENs.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"natureLead":{"t":"A category for damage to me, B3.1, opened in the Register of Damage for Ukraine on 30 September 2026; of about 195,000 claims in all categories, no count for damage to me was published.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental claims filed in category B3.1 — No count or value of B3.1 claims has been published.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many states had signed or ratified the Claims Commission convention","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The purpose of the Register of Damage","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Use of immobilised Russian assets for a reparations loan","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a published count or value of claims in category B3.1 (Environmental damage).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a funding source for awards from the compensation fund, which has not been established; neither the Register nor Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs names one.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: for the Convention, Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives 34 countries and the EU at signing (11 March 2026), Moldova’s Ministry of Justice gives 32 states and 8 ratifications (23 July 2026), and Interfax-Ukraine gives 40 signatory states and the EU with 10 ratifications (30 September 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Russian government statement on the Claims Commission convention.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amounts of participant contributions that finance the Register and the Commission.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-ecocide-prosecutions","title":"Ukraine’s criminal proceedings over wartime environmental harm","dek":"Ukrainian prosecutors have registered many proceedings over wartime environmental harm, mostly under Article 438, and few under Article 441 (ecocide). Five Russian officers were charged in absentia over the shelling of the Neutron Source facility in Kharkiv; one court conviction over the Askania-Nova reserve was under war-crime provisions.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":50.05,"lon":36.28,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kharkiv (Neutron Source); Kherson region (Askania-Nova)","lat":50.05,"lon":36.28,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-02-14","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","law-policy"],"subtags":["war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Neutron Source indictment: environmental harm stated, Kharkiv, October 2024","value":"Almost UAH 15 billion","note":"Figure from a forensic engineering-ecological and economic examination cited in the indictment; prosecutors said the figures were not final."},"happened":["Ukraine’s ministry reported on 17 March 2026 that most of the 10,885 recorded environmental-damage cases were being investigated under Article 441 (ecocide) or added to existing cases. A May 2026 analysis by the NGO Environment-People-Law (EPL), based on regional prosecutors’ replies for 2022 to early 2026, reported far fewer: Article 441 registrations of 3 in Rivne (2 potentially war-related) in 2022, 1 in Odesa in 2022 (mass deaths of cetaceans in the Black Sea), 1 each in Dnipropetrovsk in 2022 and 2023, 1 in Poltava in 2022, 1 in Kharkiv in 2022, 2 in 2023 and 1 in 2025, 2 in Zhytomyr in 2022 (one closed) and 1 in Sumy opened on 21 January 2026; most other regions reported none or no systematic data. Article 438 (violations of the laws and customs of war) was used far more often: for example 70 proceedings in Sumy, 20 in Kherson, 34 aggression-related proceedings with environmental harm in Kharkiv and 38, 7, 18, 18 and 1 in Vinnytsia for 2022 to January 2026.","On 14 February 2024 Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced the first ecocide suspicion notices, to a Russian colonel-general and four subordinates, over the shelling of the “Neutron Source” nuclear research facility of the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology, which prosecutors said was hit 74 times in 2022. On 25 October 2024 the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor sent an indictment to court charging violations of the laws and customs of war and ecocide “committed by a group by prior conspiracy”. The accused are the then commander of the Western Military District (a colonel-general), the commanders of the 6th Combined Arms Army and of the 6th Air Force and Air Defence Army, and the commanders of the 45th Artillery Brigade and the 79th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade. They are wanted, so the trial is to be held in absentia. The indictment puts environmental harm at almost UAH 15 billion and building restoration at over UAH 30 million, and prosecutors said the figures were not final. No verdict is on record.","On 9 April 2026, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General as reported by Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition), a court convicted the Russian-installed “director” of the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in Kherson region, sentencing the person to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on public posts. The case concerned the removal of animals (Chapman’s zebras, American bison, Père David’s deer, Przewalski’s horse) to the “Taigan” lion park in Crimea and to reserves in Russia, with damage of UAH 85.2 million. The prosecutors presented it as an environmental war crime, and the verdict was under war-crime provisions. No war-related conviction under Article 441 is on record.","EPL’s analysis found that in most regions there were no suspicion notices or indictments under Article 441 and, apart from one case in Zaporizhzhia, practically no in absentia investigations. In Sumy, 11 Russian servicemen were notified of suspicion in 2 proceedings under Article 438 and the investigation was suspended until they were located. In Kharkiv, 7 persons were notified of suspicion and cases against 5 were sent to court in related proceedings not under Article 441. In Zaporizhzhia, 3 indictments were sent to court, none under Article 441. EPL concluded that there is a “substantial gap” between the scale of damage and prosecution practice."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Neutron Source facility hit 74 times, according to prosecutors","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"First ecocide suspicion notices announced by Prosecutor General Kostin (14 Feb)","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"Indictment against five Russian officers sent to court, to be tried in absentia (25 Oct)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Ministry says most recorded cases are investigated under Article 441 or added to existing cases (17 Mar)","src":4},{"y":2026,"t":"Court convicts the Russian-installed “director” of Askania-Nova (9 Apr)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"EPL publishes its analysis of regional prosecutors’ practice (May)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"the world’s first case of criminal prosecution for the crime of ecocide","who":"Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine (translated)","when":"14 February 2024","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"These attacks were not accidental","who":"Ukrainian prosecutors (translated)","when":"14 February 2024","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"in the overwhelming majority of regions there are no suspicion notices or indictments sent to court under Art. 441","who":"Environment-People-Law (EPL), analysis of regional prosecutors’ practice (translated)","when":"May 2026","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"there are no comparable procedural results under Article 441","who":"Environment-People-Law (EPL), analysis of regional prosecutors’ practice (translated)","when":"May 2026","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"substantial gap","who":"Environment-People-Law (EPL), on the gap between the scale of damage and prosecution practice (translated)","when":"May 2026","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The Prosecutor General presented the Neutron Source notices as the first criminal prosecution for ecocide in the world.","who":"Prosecutor General of Ukraine (14 February 2024)","src":1},{"t":"The ministry presented most of its 10,885 recorded cases as being investigated under Article 441 or added to existing cases.","who":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (17 March 2026)","src":4},{"t":"The Office of the Prosecutor General presented the Askania-Nova conviction as a 15-year sentence with confiscation of property.","who":"Office of the Prosecutor General, via USI and Kyiv Post (9 April 2026)","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Article 441 registrations reported by regional prosecutors: Rivne 3 in 2022 (2 potentially war-related); Odesa 1 in 2022 (mass deaths of cetaceans in the Black Sea); Dnipropetrovsk 1 each in 2022 and 2023; Poltava 1 in 2022; Kharkiv 1 in 2022, 2 in 2023, 1 in 2025; Zhytomyr 2 in 2022 (one closed); Sumy 1 opened 21 January 2026; most other regions none or no systematic data.","src":0},{"t":"Article 438 proceedings: Vinnytsia 38 (2022), 7 (2023), 18 (2024), 18 (2025), 1 (January 2026); Sumy 70 (57 by the SBU, 13 by police); Kherson 20; Mykolaiv 6; Chernihiv 7 proceedings (6 under Article 438) covering 188 episodes; Kharkiv 34 aggression-related proceedings with environmental harm; Zaporizhzhia 10 registered (6 under Article 438, 4 under Article 240).","src":0},{"t":"Suspects and indictments: Kharkiv 7 persons notified of suspicion and cases against 5 sent to court, in related proceedings not under Article 441; Sumy 11 Russian servicemen notified of suspicion in 2 proceedings under Article 438, investigation suspended until they are located; Zaporizhzhia 3 indictments sent to court (Articles 249, 240, 364, 436-2, 255, 111-1, 111-2), none under Article 441.","src":0},{"t":"Neutron Source indictment of 25 October 2024: charges of violations of the laws and customs of war and ecocide against five Russian officers, wanted and to be tried in absentia; environmental harm almost UAH 15 billion (forensic engineering-ecological and economic examination); building restoration over UAH 30 million; figures not final.","src":2},{"t":"Askania-Nova, 9 April 2026: conviction of the Russian-installed “director”; 15 years in prison, confiscation of property, 15-year ban on public posts; damage UAH 85.2 million; animals removed to a lion park in Crimea and to reserves in Russia.","src":3},{"t":"Charged and convicted: Neutron Source, 5 Russian officers charged (indictment in court, in absentia), none convicted; Askania-Nova, 1 person convicted under war-crime provisions; no ecocide conviction is on record.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Environmental harm stated in the Neutron Source indictment, Kharkiv (October 2024)","amount":15000,"qualifier":"almost","window":"2022 shelling","note":"Forensic engineering-ecological and economic examination; figures not final."},{"label":"Damage stated in the Askania-Nova case (April 2026)","amount":85.2,"window":"2022–2026","note":"Removal of animals from the reserve; confiscation of property ordered in the verdict."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Building restoration stated in the Neutron Source indictment","amount":30,"qualifier":"over","window":"2022 shelling"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Neutron Source indictment cites an expert examination of environmental harm from shelling of a nuclear research facility; the Askania-Nova verdict concerns removal of rare animals from a protected reserve.","report":[{"t":"My air, soil and surroundings in Kharkiv carry environmental harm of almost UAH 15 billion from the shelling of the Neutron Source facility, according to a forensic examination cited in the Kharkiv indictment of October 2024.","src":2},{"t":"Chapman’s zebras, American bison, Père David’s deer and a Przewalski’s horse were taken from my Askania-Nova reserve to a lion park in Crimea and to reserves in Russia, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General (April 2026).","src":3}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Neutron Source indictment","v":"Almost UAH 15 billion","d":"Environmental harm; 5 Russian officers charged in absentia"},{"k":"Askania-Nova verdict","v":"15 years","d":"Sentence; UAH 85.2 million damage; war-crime provisions"},{"k":"Article 441 convictions, war-related","v":"0","d":"None on record"},{"k":"Article 441 registrations","v":"Single digits per region","d":"EPL, from regional prosecutors’ replies"}]},"unknown":["None on record: a war-related conviction under Article 441 (ecocide).","None on record: a verdict in the Neutron Source case.","None on record: a Russian response to the ecocide indictment or to the Askania-Nova verdict.","Figures differ: the ministry says most of the 10,885 recorded cases are investigated under Article 441 or added to existing cases; EPL’s regional data show single-digit Article 441 registrations per region.","Insufficient: EPL’s data come from regional prosecutors’ replies for 2022 to early 2026.","None on record: whether the confiscation of property ordered in the Askania-Nova verdict was enforced."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"No payment on record. The damage figures are the sums stated in the indictment and the verdict.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: Neutron Source indictment sent to court in October 2024 with no verdict on record; Askania-Nova conviction of 9 April 2026; no war-related Article 441 conviction.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Prosecuting state"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Charged the Neutron Source officers; reported the Askania-Nova conviction"},{"id":"ukraine-ministry-of-economy","role":"Reported that most cases are investigated under Article 441"},{"id":"environment-people-law","role":"NGO; analysis of regional prosecutors’ practice"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"No response on record"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How many recorded cases are investigated under Article 441 (ecocide)","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine (17 March 2026)","says":"Most of the 10,885 recorded cases are investigated in pre-trial proceedings under Article 441 or added to existing cases.","src":4},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environment-People-Law (EPL), May 2026","says":"Regional prosecutors reported single-digit Article 441 registrations per region and, in the overwhelming majority of regions, no suspicion notices or indictments under that article.","src":0}]},{"point":"Response to the Neutron Source indictment and the Askania-Nova verdict","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General of Ukraine","says":"The attacks on the Neutron Source were not accidental and five Russian officers are charged with violations of the laws and customs of war and ecocide.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Russia","says":"No response to the indictment or the verdict on record.","silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Neutron Source, Kharkiv: charges of violations of the laws and customs of war and ecocide","forum":"Ukrainian court (indictment sent by the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office of the Kharkiv regional prosecutor)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Specialized Environmental Prosecutor’s Office, Kharkiv regional prosecutor","defendant":"Five Russian officers charged in absentia: the then commander of the Western Military District (colonel-general); commanders of the 6th Combined Arms Army, the 6th Air Force and Air Defence Army, the 45th Artillery Brigade and the 79th Guards Rocket Artillery Brigade","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":15000,"currency":"UAH","label":"environmental harm stated in the indictment (almost); buildings over UAH 30 million"},"summary":"Suspicion notices announced on 14 February 2024; indictment sent to court on 25 October 2024. The accused are wanted, so the trial is in absentia. No verdict is on record.","src":2},{"title":"Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve: removal of animals","forum":"Ukrainian court (not named in the source)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","defendant":"The Russian-installed “director” of the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve","filed":null,"decided":2026,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":85.2,"currency":"UAH","label":"damage"},"summary":"Convicted on 9 April 2026 and sentenced to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on public posts; the case was presented as an environmental war crime and the verdict was under war-crime provisions.","src":3},{"title":"Sumy region: proceedings under Article 438 over environmental harm","forum":"Sumy regional prosecutors, the SBU and police","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Sumy regional prosecutors","defendant":"Eleven Russian servicemen notified of suspicion in 2 proceedings","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Investigation suspended until the suspects are located; 70 Article 438 proceedings were registered in Sumy region (57 by the SBU, 13 by police).","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_alleged","value":15000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2024,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Environmental harm in the Neutron Source indictment; figures not final."},{"key":"damage_alleged","value":30,"unit":"UAH m","year":2024,"qualifier":"over","note":"Building restoration in the Neutron Source indictment."},{"key":"damage_alleged","value":85.2,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"note":"Askania-Nova verdict."},{"key":"hits_on_facility","value":74,"unit":"hits","year":2022,"note":"Neutron Source facility, according to prosecutors."},{"key":"defendants_charged","value":5,"unit":"officers","year":2024,"note":"Neutron Source, in absentia."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":15,"unit":"years","year":2026,"note":"Askania-Nova verdict, with confiscation of property."},{"key":"convictions","value":1,"unit":"convictions","year":2026,"note":"Askania-Nova, under war-crime provisions."},{"key":"article_438_proceedings","value":70,"unit":"proceedings","year":2026,"note":"Sumy region (EPL)."},{"key":"article_438_proceedings","value":20,"unit":"proceedings","year":2026,"note":"Kherson region (EPL)."},{"key":"article_441_registrations","value":3,"unit":"proceedings","year":2022,"note":"Rivne region; 2 potentially war-related (EPL)."},{"key":"cases_recorded","value":10885,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"Ministry, as of 16 March 2026; most said to be under Article 441 or attached to existing cases."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ukrainian prosecutors registered proceedings over wartime environmental harm, mostly under Article 438 and few under Article 441 (ecocide); five Russian officers were charged in absentia over the Neutron Source facility in Kharkiv and one person was convicted over Askania-Nova.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Russian-installed “director” of Askania-Nova","what":"15 years in prison, confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on public posts (9 April 2026)","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Neutron Source site and surroundings, Kharkiv","what":"Environmental harm of almost UAH 15 billion stated in the indictment","src":2},{"who":"Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve","what":"Rare animals removed; damage of UAH 85.2 million stated","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Kharkiv (Neutron Source facility, Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology) and the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in Kherson region; regional prosecutors across Ukraine.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Facility hit 74 times in 2022; suspicion notices 14 February 2024; indictment 25 October 2024; Askania-Nova verdict 9 April 2026; EPL analysis May 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Prosecutors charged that the Neutron Source attacks were not accidental; the Askania-Nova case concerned removal of animals from a reserve to Crimea and Russia.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Prosecutors use Article 438 (violations of the laws and customs of war) far more than Article 441 (ecocide); suspects are mostly outside Ukraine, so cases proceed in absentia or are suspended until the suspects are located.","src":0}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-war-greenhouse-gas-emissions-climate-claim","register-of-damage-and-claims-commission-ukraine","ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund"],"sources":[{"t":"Кримінально-правова охорона довкілля в умовах війни: аналіз практики обласних прокуратур (Criminal-law protection of the environment in wartime: analysis of regional prosecutors’ practice)","p":"Environment-People-Law (EPL)","d":"2026-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://epl.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Analiz-vidpovidey-prokuratur-shhodo-rozsliduvan.pdf"},{"t":"Україна вперше оголосила росіянам підозру у вчиненні екоциду – Генпрокуратура (Ukraine for the first time notified Russians of suspicion of ecocide – Prosecutor General)","p":"Glavcom","d":"2024-02-14","type":"press","u":"https://glavcom.ua/country/criminal/ukrajina-vpershe-oholosila-rosijanam-pidozru-u-vchinenni-ekotsidu-henprokuratura-986007.html"},{"t":"OPG sends Kharkiv nuclear facility shelling case to court (Radio Svoboda report on the indictment)","p":"Radio Svoboda (RFE/RL Ukrainian)","d":"2024-10-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-ohp-kharkiv-yaderna-ustanovka-sud/33173051.html"},{"t":"Askania-Nova “director” sentenced to 15 years (Kyiv Post, Ukrainian edition, report on the verdict)","p":"Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition)","d":"2026-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.kyivpost.com/uk/post/73571"},{"t":"Наслідки збройної агресії росії: в Україні зафіксовано 10 885 випадків шкоди довкіллю на суму 6,4 трлн грн (Consequences of Russia’s armed aggression: 10,885 cases of environmental damage worth UAH 6.4 trillion recorded in Ukraine)","p":"Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine","d":"2026-03-17","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Print/ddc09c85-a606-447e-b944-688f5c908f54?lang=uk-UA"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many recorded cases are investigated under Article 441 (ecocide)","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Response to the Neutron Source indictment and the Askania-Nova verdict","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of Russia: No response to the indictment or the verdict on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a war-related conviction under Article 441 (ecocide).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a verdict in the Neutron Source case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Russian response to the ecocide indictment or to the Askania-Nova verdict.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the ministry says most of the 10,885 recorded cases are investigated under Article 441 or added to existing cases; EPL’s regional data show single-digit Article 441 registrations per region.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: EPL’s data come from regional prosecutors’ replies for 2022 to early 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the confiscation of property ordered in the Askania-Nova verdict was enforced.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-joint-implementation-and-kyoto-unit-sales","title":"Ukraine's Joint Implementation credits and Kyoto unit sales to Japan and Spain, 2008–2021","dek":"Ukraine hosted the largest number of Kyoto Joint Implementation projects, with 503.3 million emission reduction units issued, and sold surplus Kyoto allowances to Japan and Spain for money earmarked for emission-cutting and environmental projects. Criminal cases over the use of that money were brought; no verdict is on record.","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","region":"Europe","lat":50.45,"lon":30.52,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kyiv (State Environmental Investment Agency)","lat":50.45,"lon":30.52,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Luhansk and Donetsk regions (coal waste pile Joint Implementation projects)","lat":48,"lon":38,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","role":"buyer"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"buyer"}],"start":2008,"end":2021,"eventDate":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","law-policy","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Emission reduction units issued for Ukrainian Joint Implementation projects","value":"503.3 million","note":"278 registered projects, as of August 2014 (Stockholm Environment Institute). The state sold 47 million surplus allowance units to Japan and Spain, valued at €470 million in a 2015 press report and at about €320 million in a 2010 NGO report."},"happened":["Ukraine was the largest host of Kyoto Protocol Joint Implementation (JI) projects. The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) reported in August 2015 that Ukraine had 278 registered projects and 503.3 million emission reduction units (ERUs) issued, and that Ukraine and Russia together accounted for more than 90% of the almost 857 million ERUs issued. Three project types made up almost 89% of Ukrainian ERUs: coal waste pile fire prevention (219,288 thousand ERUs, 43.6%), energy efficiency in industry and power (143,668 thousand, 28.6%) and natural gas transport and distribution (82,705 thousand, 16.4%). SEI identified these types as having questionable or low environmental integrity. All registered coal waste pile projects were in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.","SEI found that almost all coal waste pile projects were registered in 2012 but implemented at least four years earlier, and that together they implicitly claimed to have produced around 30% of all coal in Ukraine, which SEI called a highly unrealistic scenario. The start dates of the 30 Ukrainian gas projects fell between 2003 and 2006, while most received their letters of endorsement only in 2012. SEI cited personal communications and a Forbes.ua investigation for a report that, at the end of the first Kyoto commitment period, project participants were required to transfer ERUs through selected intermediary companies, which sometimes kept up to 50% of the units or their value; SEI described these as reported allegations. An official of the State Environmental Investment Agency (SEIA) told SEI the agency did not make a big issue of additionality.","Separately, the state sold surplus Assigned Amount Units (AAUs) under a Green Investment Scheme (GIS). On 18 March 2009 Japan's NEDO signed a contract to buy 30 million tonnes of AAUs from Ukraine, and the GIS Guideline signed the same day required the payment to be pooled in an account of the National Environmental Investment Agency (NEIA) for emission-cutting and environmental projects. The ministry's April 2013 total was 47 million units, 44 million to Japan and 3 million to Spain. LB.ua put the value at €470 million in October 2015; CAN-International's ECO newsletter had reported about €320 million in June 2010.","On the use of the money, the State Control and Audit Service (KRU) said in October 2010 that the State Treasury converted €200 million into about UAH 2.3 billion and moved it to the Single Treasury Account under a Cabinet order of 9 September 2009 that changed the funds' designated purpose; KRU could not trace the money to the Pension Fund, and the Cabinet said the funds had been returned. In December 2010 the Prosecutor General's Office charged former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko over the use of Kyoto funds during her 2007–2010 premiership. By June 2014 about UAH 6 billion in green investment funds and 817 projects in 24 regions were reported, and the Finance Ministry had blocked project funding from March 2014. Between December 2015 and February 2016 Ukraine returned €5 million to Japan.","In January 2016 the government dismissed the acting Minister of Ecology and two other officials after an internal investigation into Kyoto money meant for LED lighting (UAH 550 million at stake), and the Prime Minister referred the case to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU). The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) set the case, in which several named people are accused of attempted embezzlement, for trial on the merits on 9 August 2021; no verdict is on record. In February 2018 the Prosecutor General's Office notified two people of suspicion over overpriced insulation works financed from Kyoto money."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Ukraine adopts its first Joint Implementation procedures (February); detailed project requirements published (August)","src":0},{"y":2008,"t":"Japan–Ukraine memorandum on JI/GIS cooperation (14 July)","src":2},{"y":2009,"t":"GIS Guideline signed in Kyiv and NEDO contract for 30 million t of AAUs (18 March); Cabinet order No. 1049 changes the designated purpose of the funds (9 September, per KRU)","src":2},{"y":2010,"t":"KRU reports on the use of the funds (October); former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko charged (December)","src":7},{"y":2011,"t":"First Deputy Prosecutor General says in parliament that the Kyoto money was spent but not exclusively on pensions (1 June); surge of JI registrations in 2011–2012","src":9},{"y":2013,"t":"Ministry reports 536 projects agreed with Japan and 47 million AAUs sold (April)","src":6},{"y":2014,"t":"Finance Ministry blocks project funding (from March); Ukraine announces closure of the SEIA (September); LB.ua reports 817 projects (24 June)","src":11},{"y":2015,"t":"Deadline for exchanging first-period credits into EU allowances (31 March); SEI study (August); Spain and Ukraine agree seven projects (22 October)","src":5},{"y":2016,"t":"€5 million returned to Japan (reported 3 February); acting Minister of Ecology and two officials dismissed and case referred to NABU (27 January)","src":13},{"y":2018,"t":"Prosecutor General's Office notifies two people of suspicion over insulation works (22 February)","src":16},{"y":2021,"t":"HACC sets the LED-lighting Kyoto-funds case for trial on the merits (9 August)","src":15}],"said":[{"q":"significant environmental integrity concerns for more than 80% of ERUs from Russia and Ukraine","who":"SEI Working Paper 2015-07","when":"August 2015","src":0},{"q":"in 2011–2012, numerous projects were registered in Ukraine and Russia which had started long before and were clearly not motivated by carbon credits. This was like printing money.","who":"Vladyslav Zhezherin, co-author, SEI","when":"14 August 2015","src":1},{"q":"I paid pensions to people, but this is not a crime under Ukrainian law.","who":"Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister, on the charge against her","when":"20 December 2010","src":8},{"q":"But I am telling you again: it is not true.","who":"Renat Kuzmin, First Deputy Prosecutor General, in parliament","when":"1 June 2011","src":9},{"q":"All the money provided for by the contracts is kept in special accounts at Ukreximbank","who":"State agency administering the funds, as reported by LB.ua","when":"24 June 2014","src":11,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"In total, Kyiv sold Spain and Japan 47 million units of emissions for €470 million","who":"LB.ua","when":"22 October 2015","src":12,"translated":"Ukrainian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Payments for the AAUs were to be pooled in an NEIA account and spent on eligible categories: energy conservation, fuel switching, coal bed methane, renewables, non-CO2 greenhouse gas cuts, pollution reduction and capacity building.","who":"Governments of Japan and Ukraine (GIS Guideline, 2009)","src":3},{"t":"536 projects agreed with Japan, valued at UAH 3.814 billion, with UAH 571 million sent for financing.","who":"Ukrainian ministry, April 2013 (via Interfax-Ukraine)","src":6},{"t":"The contracts with the six companies questioned by the tax ministry comply with law.","who":"State agency administering the funds, June 2014 (via LB.ua)","src":11}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ukraine: 278 registered JI projects and 503.3 million ERUs issued, against 98 projects and 266.2 million ERUs for Russia (SEI Table 17).","src":0},{"t":"Ukraine endorsed 440 JI projects; 304 were approved, 278 registered (SEIA, 2013) and 217 generated ERUs.","src":0},{"t":"SEI: Ukrainian JI procedures and institutions aimed to ensure environmental integrity, but compliance with the rules was very low, particularly at the end of the first commitment period; Ukraine presented JI project data in a transparent manner.","src":0},{"t":"SEI estimated an AAU surplus of more than 2.5 billion AAUs, almost 57% of Ukraine's total first-period assigned amount.","src":0},{"t":"KRU (October 2010): the Treasury converted €200 million into about UAH 2.3 billion and moved it to the Single Treasury Account; KRU said the change of purpose under Cabinet order No. 1049 was contrary to law (the audit body's finding; no court ruling on the point is on record).","src":7},{"t":"Ministry (April 2013): 47 million AAUs sold, 44 million to Japan and 3 million to Spain; 1,200 Toyota Prius hybrids for police contracted with Sumitomo Corporation.","src":6},{"t":"LB.ua (June 2014): 817 projects since 2009 in 24 regions, mostly insulation and lift replacement in social facilities; the Finance Ministry blocked project funding from March 2014.","src":11},{"t":"In 2015 NEDO used remaining funds to upgrade 348 Interior Ministry patrol police vehicles and modernise Kyiv Metro cars; Spain and Ukraine agreed seven projects worth UAH 270.7 million.","src":12},{"t":"Ukraine returned €5 million of AAU sale proceeds to Japan that it was obliged to invest in domestic emission reduction projects but had not spent (Carbon Pulse, 3 February 2016).","src":13},{"t":"Under the EU rules, first-period credits had to be exchanged for EU allowances by 31 March 2015; the EU does not envisage international credits after 2020.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2009–2016 (mixed; see each line)","nature":[{"label":"Spending on measured emission reductions or environmental outcomes from the AAU proceeds","amount":null,"note":"None on record: no evaluation of emission reductions from the GIS-financed projects. UAH amounts are in the notes and metrics."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"AAU sales to Japan and Spain, total value (LB.ua, October 2015)","amount":470,"window":"2009–2015"},{"label":"AAU sale proceeds, about (CAN-International ECO, June 2010)","amount":320,"qualifier":"about","window":"to 2010"},{"label":"Funds moved to the Single Treasury Account (KRU, October 2010)","amount":200,"window":"2009–2010"},{"label":"Returned to Japan","amount":5,"window":"2015–2016"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Desk estimates by the Stockholm Environment Institute (2015) from project documents and market data; no atmospheric or local measurement. The estimates cover all Joint Implementation host countries, not Ukraine alone.","report":[{"t":"According to a 2015 Stockholm Environment Institute estimate covering all Joint Implementation projects, my atmosphere may have received about 600 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent more than it would otherwise have.","src":0},{"t":"The same estimate put the undermining of the EU emissions trading target at about 400 million tonnes of CO2, with more than 560 million ERUs used in that system.","src":0},{"t":"An assessment of the project portfolios found significant integrity concerns for more than 80% of the ERUs from Russia and Ukraine.","src":0},{"t":"Local scavengers collected coal from my coal waste piles for many years, according to the same study.","src":0}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"ERUs issued","v":"503.3 million","d":"Ukrainian projects, as of August 2014 (SEI)"},{"k":"Surplus allowances sold","v":"47 million","d":"44 million to Japan, 3 million to Spain (ministry, 2013)"},{"k":"Integrity concerns","v":"> 80%","d":"Share of ERUs from Russia and Ukraine (SEI)"},{"k":"Returned to Japan","v":"€5 million","d":"Unspent proceeds, 2015–2016"}]},"unknown":["None on record: the unit price of the NEDO purchase. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment release does not state it, and the Japanese embassy described the quota sale agreement as confidential in 2010.","None on record: total revenue earned by project owners and intermediaries from ERU sales.","Not disclosed: the amount of unspent funds remaining after the €5 million return to Japan (Carbon Pulse, February 2016).","Unclear: where the money moved to the Single Treasury Account in 2009–2010 ultimately went; KRU could not trace it to the Pension Fund specifically.","None on record: outcome of the 2010 charge against Yulia Tymoshenko over the use of Kyoto funds.","None on record: a verdict in the High Anti-Corruption Court case over the LED-lighting project, which was set for trial on the merits on 9 August 2021, or in the 2018 case over overpriced insulation works.","Figures differ: the sum in the charge against Yulia Tymoshenko is given as €320 million by RFE/RL; other reports give €380 million or €200 million.","Figures differ: AAUs sold to Japan are 30 million in the Japanese Ministry of the Environment release on the NEDO contract and 44 million in the ministry's 2013 total; proceeds are about €320 million (CAN-International, 2010) and €470 million (LB.ua, 2015).","None on record: price and volumes of the AAU sales to the private Japanese companies named by LB.ua.","None on record: data on project rejections in Ukraine's JI pipeline (SEI).","None on record: measurement of the local land, water or air effects of the coal waste pile extraction projects.","None on record: evaluation of whether the GIS-financed projects (insulation, police cars, metro cars) produced measured emission reductions."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The first Kyoto commitment period ended in 2012. The European Commission set 31 March 2015 as the deadline for exchanging first-period credits for EU allowances and does not envisage international credits after 2020.","whoPaid":"The atmosphere, according to SEI's estimate for Joint Implementation worldwide. Ukraine returned €5 million of unspent proceeds to Japan; the amount still unspent was not disclosed.","statusLine":"As of August 2021: the High Anti-Corruption Court set the LED-lighting Kyoto-funds case for trial on the merits; no verdict on record. Outcome of the 2010 charge against Yulia Tymoshenko: none on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Yulia Tymoshenko","says":"Said she paid pensions with the money, that this was not a crime under Ukrainian law, and that the charge was a way of removing the main competitor of the President; she said the money was intact.","when":"20 December 2010","src":8},{"actor":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","says":"First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin told parliament the Kyoto money was spent but not exclusively on pensions and called Tymoshenko's account a deliberate lie.","when":"1 June 2011","src":9},{"actor":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","says":"Said the diverted funds had been returned.","when":"October 2010","src":7},{"actor":"Government of Japan (embassy)","says":"Planned to audit the funds and said the quota sale agreement was confidential.","when":"2010","src":7},{"actor":"State Environmental Investment Agency","says":"The contracts with the six companies questioned by the tax ministry comply with law; the companies paid UAH 10–30 million each in tender guarantees.","when":"June 2014","src":11},{"actor":"SEIA official (via SEI)","says":"Did not make a big issue of additionality.","when":"2015","src":0},{"actor":"Prime Minister of Ukraine","says":"Referred the attempted-theft case over Kyoto money meant for LED lighting to NABU.","when":"January 2016","src":14},{"actor":"Environmental groups","says":"Called for prosecution of officials over conduct in the carbon market under President Yanukovych.","when":"2016","src":13}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Seller of AAUs; host of the JI projects"},{"id":"ukraine-seia","role":"Administered JI approvals and GIS funds"},{"id":"ukraine-kru","role":"Audited the use of the funds (October 2010)"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Charged Yulia Tymoshenko (2010); notified suspicion in the insulation case (2018)"},{"id":"nabu","role":"Investigated the LED-lighting case"},{"id":"hacc","role":"Court hearing the LED-lighting case"},{"id":"agrotekhbud","role":"Won the LED tender on 70% prepayment"},{"id":"nedo","role":"Japanese buyer of 30 million t of AAUs"},{"id":"japan-ministry-environment","role":"Signed the GIS Guideline"},{"id":"japan-government","role":"Buyer of AAUs; planned an audit"},{"id":"spain-gov","role":"Buyer of AAUs"},{"id":"stockholm-environment-institute","role":"Researchers assessing JI integrity"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Set rules on use of international credits"},{"id":"can-international","role":"NGO network reporting on the AAU sales"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Where the Kyoto money moved in 2009–2010 went","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister","says":"The money was used to pay pensions and was intact.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General's Office (Renat Kuzmin)","says":"The money was spent but not exclusively on pensions.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Control and Audit Service (KRU)","says":"Could not trace the money to the Pension Fund specifically; the Cabinet said the funds had been returned.","src":7}]},{"point":"Total volume of AAUs sold to Japan","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Japanese Ministry of the Environment (NEDO contract)","says":"30 million tonnes of AAUs under the contract of 18 March 2009.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukrainian ministry (via Interfax-Ukraine, April 2013)","says":"44 million AAUs sold to Japan and 3 million to Spain, 47 million in total.","src":6},{"voice":"press","holder":"LB.ua","says":"The Japanese counterparties were NEDO plus three private Japanese energy companies, with talks under way with a fourth.","src":12}]},{"point":"Total proceeds of the AAU sales","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"CAN-International (ECO, June 2010)","says":"Ukraine received about €320 million for AAUs.","src":10},{"voice":"press","holder":"LB.ua (October 2015)","says":"Spain and Japan paid €470 million for 47 million units.","src":12}]},{"point":"Whether the GIS contracts with six companies complied with law","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Tax ministry","says":"Questioned the contracts with the six companies.","src":11},{"voice":"government","holder":"State agency administering the funds","says":"The contracts comply with law; the companies paid UAH 10–30 million each in tender guarantees.","src":11}]},{"point":"Whether Ukrainian JI credits reflected additional emission cuts","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Stockholm Environment Institute","says":"Coal waste pile projects implicitly claimed about 30% of all coal in Ukraine, which SEI called highly unrealistic; the three largest project types, almost 89% of ERUs, had questionable or low environmental integrity.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"SEIA official (via SEI)","says":"The agency did not make a big issue of additionality.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecutor General's Office v. Yulia Tymoshenko (use of Kyoto funds)","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (pre-trial)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister","filed":2010,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Charged in December 2010 with abuse of power over the use of Kyoto funds during her 2007–2010 premiership; RFE/RL reported the sum as 320 million euros. She denied wrongdoing, saying she paid pensions with the money. None on record: outcome of this charge.","src":8},{"title":"NABU/SAP case over the Kyoto-funded LED lamp replacement project","forum":"High Anti-Corruption Court","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"Vadym Levchenko (tried in absentia), Oleksiy Koval (former director of SE Ukrainian Environmental Investments), Oleksandr Prokopets, Dmytro Sokolov, Ihor Rakhimov, Oleksiy Altunin (director of Agrotekhbud LLC), Roman Kravchenko, Oksana Dobrylovska and one other","filed":2017,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":336,"currency":"UAH","label":"potential damage per forensic economic expertise"},"summary":"The accused are on trial for attempted embezzlement of Kyoto funds through an LED lamp replacement project. The tender was won by Agrotekhbud LLC on 70% prepayment, with UAH 480 million due to it; the forensic economic expertise put the potential damage at UAH 336 million. The court set the case for trial on the merits on 9 August 2021; part of the charges had been closed earlier because of decriminalisation. None on record: a verdict.","src":15},{"title":"Prosecutor General's Office: overpriced insulation works financed from Kyoto money","forum":"Pechersk District Court (preventive measure)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"A former acting director-general of Derzhinvestproekt and a former head of Intertekhenergo LLC","filed":2018,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":11,"currency":"UAH","label":"alleged overpricing"},"summary":"On 22 February 2018 the two were notified of suspicion over insulation works for schools and hospitals in 2012–2013, allegedly overpriced by UAH 11 million; the Pechersk District Court released them on personal recognisance. Intertekhenergo received UAH 634 million of orders from Derzhinvestproekt in 2013. The stage was suspicion; none on record: a verdict.","src":16}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"erus_issued","value":503300000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"note":"Ukrainian JI projects, as of August 2014 (SEI Table 17); 278 registered projects."},{"key":"projects_registered","value":278,"unit":"projects","year":2013,"note":"Of 440 endorsed and 304 approved; 217 generated ERUs (SEIA, 2013)."},{"key":"erus_coal_waste_piles","value":219288000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"note":"43.6% of Ukrainian ERUs, as printed in SEI Table 18."},{"key":"erus_energy_efficiency","value":143668000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"note":"28.6% of Ukrainian ERUs, as printed in SEI Table 18."},{"key":"erus_gas_transport","value":82705000,"unit":"ERUs","year":2014,"note":"16.4% of Ukrainian ERUs, as printed in SEI Table 18."},{"key":"aau_surplus","value":2500000000,"unit":"AAUs","year":2015,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"SEI estimate; almost 57% of Ukraine's total first-period assigned amount."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":30000000,"unit":"t AAUs","year":2009,"note":"NEDO contract of 18 March 2009; price not stated."},{"key":"credits_sold","value":47000000,"unit":"AAUs","year":2013,"note":"Ministry total: 44 million to Japan, 3 million to Spain."},{"key":"revenue","value":470,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"note":"LB.ua figure for the sale of 47 million units to Spain and Japan."},{"key":"revenue","value":320,"unit":"EUR m","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"CAN-International ECO figure for AAU proceeds."},{"key":"funds_moved_to_treasury","value":200,"unit":"EUR m","year":2010,"note":"About UAH 2.3 billion, per KRU."},{"key":"gis_projects","value":817,"unit":"projects","year":2014,"note":"Since 2009 in 24 regions (LB.ua, June 2014); about UAH 6 billion in funds plus about UAH 1 billion from exchange-rate differences."},{"key":"gis_projects_agreed_japan","value":536,"unit":"projects","year":2013,"note":"Valued at UAH 3.814 billion; UAH 571 million sent for financing (ministry)."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2016,"note":"Unspent AAU proceeds returned to Japan."},{"key":"claim","value":336,"unit":"UAH m","year":2021,"note":"Potential damage in the LED-lighting case per forensic economic expertise; UAH 480 million was due to Agrotekhbud and UAH 550 million was at stake in the January 2016 referral."},{"key":"global_emissions_enabled","value":600000000,"unit":"tCO2e","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"SEI estimate for all JI host countries, not Ukraine alone."},{"key":"eu_ets_target_undermined","value":400000000,"unit":"tCO2","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"SEI estimate; more than 560 million ERUs had been used in the EU ETS."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ukraine issued 503.3 million Joint Implementation ERUs from 278 registered projects and sold 47 million surplus AAUs to Japan and Spain under a Green Investment Scheme whose money was meant for emission-cutting and environmental projects. Funds were moved to the Treasury, €5 million was returned to Japan, and criminal cases over the use of Kyoto money were brought without a verdict on record.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ukrainian JI project owners and intermediaries","what":"503.3 million ERUs issued; SEI cites reports that intermediaries sometimes kept up to 50% of the units or their value. Revenue not stated.","src":0},{"who":"Ukrainian state","what":"AAU sale proceeds, valued at €470 million (LB.ua, 2015) or about €320 million (CAN-International, 2010)","src":12},{"who":"Sumitomo Corporation","what":"Contract for 1,200 Toyota Prius hybrids for police under the GIS","src":6},{"who":"Agrotekhbud LLC","what":"Won the LED tender on 70% prepayment, with UAH 480 million due to it; its director is among the accused","src":15}],"lost":[{"who":"EU emissions trading system","what":"Emission reduction target undermined by about 400 million tCO2, according to SEI's estimate for all JI","src":0},{"who":"Government of Japan","what":"Received €5 million back of unspent proceeds; the amount still unspent was not disclosed","src":13}],"harmed":[{"who":"Atmosphere","what":"Global emissions may be about 600 million tCO2e higher because of JI worldwide (SEI estimate)","src":0},{"who":"Coal waste pile sites, Luhansk and Donetsk regions","what":"Pile-extraction projects registered as fire prevention; no measurement of local effects on record","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Coal waste pile JI projects in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions (about 48.0 N, 38.0 E); administration by the State Environmental Investment Agency in Kyiv; GIS-funded projects in 24 regions; buyers in Japan and Spain.","src":0},"when":{"t":"JI procedures adopted in 2006; first Kyoto commitment period 2008–2012; GIS Guideline and NEDO contract on 18 March 2009; Tymoshenko charged December 2010; €5 million returned December 2015–February 2016; High Anti-Corruption Court trial set for 9 August 2021.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The Kyoto JI mechanism let host-country projects earn ERUs sold into the EU emissions trading system, and Ukraine's surplus AAUs were sold for money meant to fund domestic emission cuts. SEI wrote that many projects registered in 2011–2012 had started long before and were clearly not motivated by carbon credits.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Ukrainian projects were endorsed and registered by SEIA; SEI reported some projects received letters of endorsement, approval and ERUs within one to four months while others waited years. AAU payments were pooled in a NEIA account under the GIS Guideline; KRU reported a €200 million transfer to the Single Treasury Account after a September 2009 Cabinet order changed the funds' designated purpose.","src":7}},"related":["russia-joint-implementation-erus"],"sources":[{"t":"Has Joint Implementation reduced GHG emissions? Lessons learned for the design of carbon market mechanisms","p":"Stockholm Environment Institute (Kollmuss, Schneider, Zhezherin), Working Paper 2015-07","d":"2015-08","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-WP-2015-07-JI-lessons-for-carbon-mechs.pdf"},{"t":"Joint Implementation has undermined global climate ambition, study finds","p":"Stockholm Environment Institute","d":"2015-08-14","type":"academic","u":"https://www.sei.org/featured/joint-implementation-undermined-global-climate-ambition-study-finds/"},{"t":"ウクライナとのグリーン投資スキーム（GIS）実施に向けたガイドラインへの署名及び割当量購入契約の締結について (Signing of GIS guideline with Ukraine and conclusion of AAU purchase contract)","p":"Ministry of the Environment, Japan","d":"2009-03-18","type":"official","u":"https://www.env.go.jp/press/10934.html"},{"t":"Guideline for Implementing the Green Investment Scheme (GIS)","p":"Governments of Japan and Ukraine (Japan Ministry of the Environment)","d":"2009","type":"official","u":"https://www.env.go.jp/content/900519062.pdf"},{"t":"ウクライナとの割当量購入契約を締結 (AAU purchase contract with Ukraine concluded)","p":"NEDO (via Japan Ministry of the Environment)","d":"2009-03-18","type":"official","u":"https://www.env.go.jp/content/900519063.pdf"},{"t":"Use of international credits","p":"European Commission, DG CLIMA","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/carbon-markets/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets/use-international-credits_en"},{"t":"Ukraine, Japan agree on 536 projects worth UAH 3.8 b under Kyoto protocol, says ministry","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2013-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/148614.html"},{"t":"Японія запитує в України, куди пішли кошти від квот на викиди (Japan asks Ukraine where the emission quota money went)","p":"Radio Svoboda","d":"2010-12-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/2256420.html"},{"t":"Tymoshenko charged","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2010-12-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine_tymoshenko_charged/2254037.html"},{"t":"Prosecutors: Tymoshenko did not spend Kyoto money on pensions","p":"Kyiv Post","d":"2011-06-01","type":"press","u":"https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/prosecutors-tymoshenko-did-not-spend-kyoto-money-o-105771.html"},{"t":"Ukraine's AAU black hole","p":"CAN-International (ECO)","d":"2010-06-08","type":"ngo","u":"https://climatenetwork.org/2010/06/08/ukraines-aau-%E2%80%A8black-hole/"},{"t":"Що відбувається з грошима Кіотського протоколу? (What is happening with the Kyoto Protocol money?)","p":"LB.ua","d":"2014-06-24","type":"press","u":"https://lb.ua/economics/2014/06/24/270828_shcho_vidbuvaietsya_z_groshima_kiotskogo.html"},{"t":"Україна погодила з Іспанією і Японією освоєння \"кіотських\" грошей (Ukraine agreed with Spain and Japan on using the \"Kyoto\" money)","p":"LB.ua","d":"2015-10-22","type":"press","u":"https://lb.ua/economics/2015/10/22/319022_ukraina_soglasovala_ispaniey.html"},{"t":"Ukraine returns €5 mln in unspent AAU funds to Japan, deal sought for remaining cash","p":"Carbon Pulse","d":"2016-02-03","type":"press","u":"https://carbon-pulse.com/15064/"},{"t":"В.о. міністра екології звільнили за \"кіотські мільйони\" (Acting environment minister dismissed over \"Kyoto millions\")","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2016-01-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-politycs/1955211-vo-ministra-ekologii-zvilnili-za-kiotski-grosi.html"},{"t":"ВАКС призначив до розгляду по суті справу про кіотські гроші (HACC sets Kyoto money case for trial on the merits)","p":"Slovo i Dilo","d":"2021-08-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.slovoidilo.ua/2021/08/12/novyna/ekonomika/vaks-pryznachyv-rozhlyadu-po-suti-spravu-pro-kiotski-hroshi"},{"t":"Підозрюваних у розтраті кіотських грошей відпустили під особисте зобов'язання (Suspects in Kyoto money embezzlement released on personal recognisance)","p":"Slovo i Dilo","d":"2018-03-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.slovoidilo.ua/2018/03/03/novyna/suspilstvo/pidozryuvanyx-roztrati-kiotskyx-hroshej-vidpustyly-osobyste-zobovyazannya"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether Ukrainian JI credits reflected additional emission cuts","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Spending on measured emission reductions or environmental outcomes from the AAU proceeds — None on record: no evaluation of emission reductions from the GIS-financed projects. UAH amounts are in the notes and metrics.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Where the Kyoto money moved in 2009–2010 went","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Total volume of AAUs sold to Japan","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Total proceeds of the AAU sales","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the GIS contracts with six companies complied with law","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the unit price of the NEDO purchase. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment release does not state it, and the Japanese embassy described the quota sale agreement as confidential in 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: total revenue earned by project owners and intermediaries from ERU sales.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount of unspent funds remaining after the €5 million return to Japan (Carbon Pulse, February 2016).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: where the money moved to the Single Treasury Account in 2009–2010 ultimately went; KRU could not trace it to the Pension Fund specifically.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: outcome of the 2010 charge against Yulia Tymoshenko over the use of Kyoto funds.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a verdict in the High Anti-Corruption Court case over the LED-lighting project, which was set for trial on the merits on 9 August 2021, or in the 2018 case over overpriced insulation works.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the sum in the charge against Yulia Tymoshenko is given as €320 million by RFE/RL; other reports give €380 million or €200 million.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: AAUs sold to Japan are 30 million in the Japanese Ministry of the Environment release on the NEDO contract and 44 million in the ministry's 2013 total; proceeds are about €320 million (CAN-International, 2010) and €470 million (LB.ua, 2015).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: price and volumes of the AAU sales to the private Japanese companies named by LB.ua.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: data on project rejections in Ukraine's JI pipeline (SEI).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measurement of the local land, water or air effects of the coal waste pile extraction projects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: evaluation of whether the GIS-financed projects (insulation, police cars, metro cars) produced measured emission reductions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ikea-supplied-fsc-certified-ukrainian-beech","title":"Carpathian beech, IKEA's supply chain and FSC certification: Earthsight's 2020 findings and the responses","dek":"In June 2020 the NGO Earthsight reported that beech logged in Zakarpattia during a legal silence period reached FSC-certified IKEA products. IKEA, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Ukrainian processor VGSM gave differing accounts, and Ukrainian prosecutors later notified officials of suspicion in other Carpathian logging cases.","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","region":"Europe","lat":47.97,"lon":24,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Velykyi Bychkiv State Forestry Enterprise, Rakhiv district, Zakarpattia oblast","lat":47.97,"lon":24,"role":"event"},{"country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","admin":"Plimob (processing)","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park, Ivano-Frankivsk region","lat":48.3,"lon":25,"role":"affected"}],"start":2018,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2020-06-23","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","finance","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Logging sites identified by the State Ecological Inspectorate at one forestry enterprise, 2018","value":"109","note":"As reported by Earthsight; the processor VGSM was the logging contractor for 10 of them, covering almost a quarter of the beech harvested."},"happened":["On 23 June 2020 Earthsight, a UK NGO, published Flatpacked Forests, the result of an 18-month investigation using official files, on-the-ground reporting, satellite imagery and whistleblowers. It reported that beech logged in the Velykyi Bychkiv State Forestry Enterprise (SFE) in Zakarpattia oblast under sanitary-felling permits during the legal silence period was traced to FSC-certified IKEA products: the Terje folding chair, some models of the Ingolf dining chair and of the Norrnas, Ekedalen and Henriksdal seats, the Börje seat and Gerton beech tabletops. Earthsight cited a 2014 Wildlife Law ban on sanitary logging between April and 15 June; FSC Ukraine later described the silence period as running from 1 April to 15 June.","Earthsight reported that State Ecological Inspectorate inspectors identified 109 sites of unlawful logging at the enterprise in spring 2018, that VGSM was the logging contractor for 10 of them and that beech was 60% of the timber cut. A week after the 2018 silence period ended, 38 tonnes of Terje beech chair parts, which Earthsight said were enough for over 12,000 chairs, were shipped from VGSM to Plimob in Romania. According to Earthsight, VGSM buys 75% of the beech cut at the enterprise, 96% of its beech production goes to IKEA directly or via Plimob, Plimob sends IKEA two million chairs a year, and VGSM bought timber from 16 other SFEs in four years with evidence of illegalities in 14. Earthsight also said VGSM was given improperly issued licences to log during the silence periods of 2018 and 2020, and that logging continued in 2019 and during the April 2020 lockdown.","Responses followed. In mid-June 2020 inspectors and police raided the Velykyi Bychkiv SFE, and on 25 June Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced, according to Earthsight, a crackdown on illegal logging. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) published a 19-page FAQ in June 2020 saying the logging took place outside the area designated for the silence period and that the law is open to interpretation; Earthsight rebutted it on 22 July. VGSM rejected the claim of illegal logging. On 2 October 2020 IKEA said a third-party investigation with Legallis LLC and its own internal investigation did not reveal signs that illegally harvested timber entered its supply chain; Earthsight called the response a sham on 29 October.","On certification, Mongabay reported that VGSM and Plimob held FSC chain-of-custody certificates and that, after the 2018 findings, a visit by FSC-contracted auditors was not followed by withdrawal of certification. FSC said IKEA invested between €200,000 and €400,000 in FSC per year, about 0.5 to 1% of its annual budgets, and that it had terminated the certificates of 29 organisations in Ukraine. In January 2022 FSC Ukraine reported ten certificates suspended for silence-period breaches, without naming the holders.","Separate prosecutions concern other Carpathian logging. On 22 July 2025 the Prosecutor General's Office notified an official of the Lazeshchyna forestry (Zakarpattia) of suspicion over nearly 3,400 trees cut in 2023–2024, with damage of nearly UAH 55.8 million. On 17 September 2025 it notified nine officials in Ivano-Frankivsk region of suspicion over 13,194 trees cut in Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park, with damage of more than UAH 700 million."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Wildlife Law bans sanitary logging between April and 15 June (per Earthsight)","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"State Ecological Inspectorate identifies 109 sites of unlawful logging at Velykyi Bychkiv SFE (spring); 38 t of Terje chair parts shipped to Plimob a week after the silence period (per Earthsight)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"Logging continues in April (per Earthsight); Flatpacked Forests published (23 June); raid on Velykyi Bychkiv SFE (mid-June); Prime Minister announces a crackdown (25 June); FSC publishes FAQ (June); Earthsight rebuttal (22 July); IKEA announces audit results (2 October); Earthsight response (29 October)","src":2},{"y":2022,"t":"FSC Ukraine reports ten certificates suspended for silence-period breaches (22 January)","src":7},{"y":2025,"t":"Prosecutor General's Office notifies a Lazeshchyna forestry official of suspicion (22 July) and nine officials in Ivano-Frankivsk region (17 September)","src":11}],"said":[{"q":"As the world's largest wood buyer, Ikea has a unique power to help save forests worldwide.","who":"Sam Lawson, Earthsight","when":"23 June 2020","src":1},{"q":"FSC has fallen slave to commercial interests.","who":"Petro Testov, Environment-People-Law","when":"25 June 2020","src":2},{"q":"The logging carried out by Velyky Bychkiw was performed outside of the area designated for the silence period. Therefore, according to FSC standards, the company was not violating the law and was in compliance with FSC standards.","who":"Kim Carstensen, FSC, email to Mongabay","when":"June 2020","src":8},{"q":"This is complete speculation on the part of Earthsight. At no point, however, has IKEA put pressure on FSC to lower our standards","who":"FSC, FAQ on Flatpacked Forests","when":"June 2020","src":6},{"q":"we reject the claim of illegal logging in the forests","who":"Iryna Matsepura, director of VGSM, written reply to Kyiv Post","when":"June 2020","src":9},{"q":"The results of a third party investigation with the assistance of Legallis LLC, which included visits to forest sites, as well as our internal investigation. did not reveal any signs that illegally harvested timber got into our supply chain","who":"IKEA","when":"2 October 2020","src":10},{"q":"is set from 1 April to 15 June and applies to all forests, whether they are FSC certified or not.","who":"FSC Ukraine, on the silence period","when":"22 January 2022","src":7},{"q":"The manner in which the FSC has responded is frankly deplorable","who":"Simon Counsell, FSC co-founder","when":"22 July 2020","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"IKEA does not accept illegally logged wood in its products and, on finding wood that does not meet its requirements in its supply chain, takes immediate action including termination of supplier contracts.","who":"IKEA, email to Mongabay, June 2020","src":8},{"t":"The logging at Velykyi Bychkiv SFE was outside the area designated for the silence period and so complied with FSC standards.","who":"FSC (Kim Carstensen), June 2020","src":8},{"t":"Ukrainian law defines illegal logging as harvesting timber without a special permit or logging ticket.","who":"VGSM, written reply to Kyiv Post, June 2020","src":9}],"recorded":[{"t":"Earthsight named the Terje folding chair, Ingolf, Börje, Ekedalen, Norrnas and Henriksdal seats (only some models of Ingolf, Norrnas, Ekedalen and Henriksdal) and Gerton beech tabletops; it said all IKEA products it traced were made with FSC-certified wood.","src":1},{"t":"Earthsight: IKEA consumed 21 million m3 of wood in 2019, at least 60% of supply from Eastern Europe and Russia.","src":1},{"t":"State Ecological Inspectorate first deputy head Denis Kaplunov told Earthsight that criminal proceedings were active over improperly issued permits; inspectors found numerous violations in the mid-June 2020 raid, after being refused entry on 27 May 2020.","src":2},{"t":"FSC: IKEA invested between €200,000 and €400,000 a year in FSC, about 0.5 to 1% of its annual budgets, and provided additional funding for the Ukraine standard.","src":6},{"t":"FSC: it terminated the certificates of 29 organisations in Ukraine; ASI-triggered actions led it to terminate or suspend trademark licence agreements for 18 Ukrainian certificates (22 companies), and at least 17 more holders were suspended or terminated after transaction verification.","src":6},{"t":"FSC Ukraine (January 2022): ten certificates suspended for silence-period breaches; holders not named.","src":7},{"t":"IKEA did not publish its investigation reports, citing the integrity of the individuals and partners involved (per Earthsight).","src":4},{"t":"Yehor Hrynyk of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group told Mongabay inspectors could only fine silence-period violators a penalty of $20.","src":8},{"t":"Earthsight (2019): Viktor Sivets, former head of the State Forest Resources Agency, was booked with his wife under Art. 209 and Art. 368; prosecutors accused them in 2014 of netting UAH 795 million in kickbacks from four foreign firms, and the Kyiv Court of Appeal allowed a trial in absentia in May 2019.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Value of timber logged at the implicated sites","amount":null,"note":"None on record: no hectare, volume or value figure for the plots."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"IKEA funding of FSC per year, lower end (FSC statement)","amount":0.2,"window":"per year, for some years"},{"label":"IKEA funding of FSC per year, upper end (FSC statement)","amount":0.4,"window":"per year, for some years"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Findings by the State Ecological Inspectorate as reported by Earthsight; no hectare, volume or biodiversity measurements for the implicated plots.","report":[{"t":"According to Earthsight, the State Ecological Inspectorate identified 109 sites of unlawful logging in the Velykyi Bychkiv forest enterprise in my Carpathian forests in 2018.","src":1},{"t":"Beech was 60% of the timber cut at the enterprise, according to Earthsight.","src":1},{"t":"I am home to lynx and brown bear. The silence period runs, in FSC's words, \"from April to the middle of June each year when animals are breeding\".","src":6},{"t":"In 2022 an inspection of 195 ha in Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park found 13,194 trees cut under 59 logging tickets, according to the Prosecutor General's Office.","src":11}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Logging sites","v":"109","d":"Identified in 2018 at one forestry enterprise (as reported by Earthsight)"},{"k":"Chair parts shipped","v":"38 t","d":"A week after the 2018 silence period; Earthsight: enough for over 12,000 chairs"},{"k":"Other forestry enterprises","v":"14 of 16","d":"With evidence of illegalities, per Earthsight"},{"k":"Penalty for violations","v":"$20","d":"Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group"}]},"unknown":["None on record: charge, article or named suspect in the Ukrainian criminal proceedings over the Velykyi Bychkiv permits, reported as active in June 2020.","None on record: conviction of any official in the Velykyi Bychkiv case.","Not disclosed: IKEA's investigation reports.","Not disclosed: holders of the ten FSC certificates suspended in 2022; whether any belongs to Velykyi Bychkiv SFE or VGSM is not stated.","None on record: suspension of the FSC certificate of VGSM or Velykyi Bychkiv SFE over Earthsight's findings; withdrawal after the 2018 inspection findings (per Earthsight, via Mongabay).","None on record: hectares, volumes in m3 or biodiversity measurements for the implicated plots.","None on record: value in euros or hryvnia of the VGSM–IKEA trade.","Disputed: whether VGSM's logging was unlawful and whether Terje components came from the implicated wood; VGSM rejects both, Earthsight maintains them.","Unclear: Legallis LLC's role as certifier of Ukrainian timber firms and as IKEA's investigation partner; no comment from IKEA or Legallis on this point is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Logging continued in 2019 and April 2020, according to Earthsight; inspectors and police raided the enterprise in mid-June 2020. FSC Ukraine reported ten certificates suspended for silence-period breaches in January 2022.","whoPaid":"None on record: no fine, damages or restoration payment for the Velykyi Bychkiv logging. According to the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, silence-period violations could be fined $20.","statusLine":"As of September 2025 (latest prosecutor notice): Ukrainian criminal proceedings over the Velykyi Bychkiv permits were reported active in June 2020; no charge, verdict or certificate withdrawal for the enterprise or VGSM on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"IKEA","says":"Does not accept illegally logged wood; after a third-party investigation with Legallis LLC and an internal one, said no signs were found that illegally harvested timber entered its supply chain, pointing to a complex interpretation of the sanitary cuttings law during the quiet season; declined to publish the full reports.","when":"June and 2 October 2020","src":10},{"actor":"Forest Stewardship Council","says":"The logging was outside the area designated for the silence period and complied with FSC standards; the law is not specific and open to interpretation; IKEA did not pressure FSC to lower standards.","when":"June 2020","src":6},{"actor":"VGSM","says":"Rejects the claim of illegal logging; said it had not made Terje components in about ten years.","when":"June 2020","src":9},{"actor":"State Ecological Inspectorate","says":"Criminal proceedings are active over the permits; numerous violations found in the mid-June 2020 raid.","when":"25 June 2020","src":2},{"actor":"Prime Minister of Ukraine","says":"Announced a crackdown on illegal logging, according to Earthsight.","when":"25 June 2020","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"ikea","role":"Retailer named in Earthsight's findings; denies illegal timber in its supply chain"},{"id":"earthsight","role":"NGO that published the findings"},{"id":"fsc","role":"Certifier; disputes Earthsight's reading of the law"},{"id":"vgsm","role":"Ukrainian processor; logging contractor and supplier to IKEA"},{"id":"plimob","role":"Romanian chair maker supplying IKEA"},{"id":"velykyi-bychkiv-sfe","role":"State forestry enterprise where the logging took place"},{"id":"ukraine-state-ecological-inspectorate","role":"Identified 109 logging sites in 2018; raided the enterprise in 2020"},{"id":"legallis","role":"Assisted IKEA's investigation; certifier according to Earthsight"},{"id":"environment-people-law","role":"Ukrainian NGO quoted by Earthsight"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Notified officials of suspicion in 2025 logging cases"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the silence-period ban applies to all forests or only to designated areas","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State Ecological Inspectorate (Denis Kaplunov)","says":"Found numerous violations in the June 2020 raid; criminal proceedings are active over the permits.","src":2},{"voice":"standard","holder":"FSC International and accredited certifiers (2020)","says":"The law is not specific and open to interpretation; it applies only to areas designated by local authorities, and the logging was outside such an area.","src":6},{"voice":"standard","holder":"FSC Ukraine (January 2022)","says":"The silence period is set from 1 April to 15 June and applies to all forests, whether FSC certified or not.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"VGSM","says":"Ukrainian law defines illegal logging as harvesting timber without a special permit or logging ticket; it rejects the claim of illegal logging.","src":9}]},{"point":"Whether timber logged at the implicated sites entered IKEA's supply chain","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthsight","says":"Beech from implicated logging reached FSC-certified IKEA products via VGSM and Plimob.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"IKEA","says":"A third-party investigation and an internal one did not reveal signs that illegally harvested timber got into its supply chain.","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"VGSM","says":"Rejects the claim of illegal logging and said it had not made Terje components in about ten years.","src":9}]},{"point":"Independence of IKEA's audit","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Earthsight","says":"Legallis issues FSC certificates to Ukrainian timber firms, and IKEA relied on it for its audit.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"IKEA","says":"Its investigation was carried out with the assistance of Legallis LLC and visited forest sites.","src":10}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal proceedings over permits issued to Velykyi Bychkiv SFE","forum":"Ukrainian law enforcement (pre-trial)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Ukrainian law enforcement","defendant":"Not named","filed":2020,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"State Ecological Inspectorate first deputy head Denis Kaplunov told Earthsight criminal proceedings were active over the permits. None on record: a charge, article or named suspect.","src":2},{"title":"Prosecutor General's Office: nine officials, Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (pre-trial)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"Nine officials in Ivano-Frankivsk region","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":721,"currency":"UAH","label":"total damages stated (over UAH 700 million at the Kutske unit)"},"summary":"Notified of suspicion on 17 September 2025 under Art. 365 Part 3, Art. 246 Part 2, Art. 367 and Art. 364 over 13,194 trees cut in 2022 in Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park (59 logging tickets, 195 ha inspected). Damages were put at over UAH 700 million at the Kutske forest-hunting unit of SE Forests of Ukraine and over UAH 721 million in total. The investigation was ongoing.","src":11},{"title":"Prosecutor General's Office: Lazeshchyna forestry official, Zakarpattia","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (pre-trial); Rakhiv District Court (separate case)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"An official of Lazeshchyna forestry (Yasinia forest-hunting unit, SE Forests of Ukraine)","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":55.8,"currency":"UAH","label":"damage stated"},"summary":"Notified of suspicion on 22 July 2025 of official negligence (Art. 367 Part 2) over nearly 3,400 trees cut in 2023–2024. A separate organised-group case from October 2024 (Yasinia) had been indicted and was before Rakhiv District Court.","src":12},{"title":"Case against Viktor Sivets, former head of the State Forest Resources Agency","forum":"Kyiv Court of Appeal","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors of Ukraine","defendant":"Viktor Sivets and his wife","filed":2014,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":795,"currency":"UAH","label":"kickbacks alleged by prosecutors"},"summary":"Booked under Art. 209 (laundering) and Art. 368 (taking bribes); prosecutors accused them in 2014 of netting UAH 795 million (about US$30 million) in kickbacks from four foreign firms, and the Kyiv Court of Appeal allowed a trial in absentia in May 2019. Not convicted as of Earthsight's June 2019 article.","src":5},{"title":"Swedish EUTR authority v. Primpanel AB","forum":"Swedish court","country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Swedish EU Timber Regulation authority","defendant":"Primpanel AB (buyer of Klevansky timber)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The authority inspected Primpanel AB and said its due diligence obligations were not met; the case was in court in 2019.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"logging_sites_flagged","value":109,"unit":"sites","year":2018,"note":"Identified by the State Ecological Inspectorate at Velykyi Bychkiv SFE, as reported by Earthsight."},{"key":"logging_sites_vgsm_contractor","value":10,"unit":"sites","year":2018,"note":"Of the 109; almost a quarter of the beech harvested (Earthsight)."},{"key":"beech_share_of_timber_cut","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Earthsight."},{"key":"chair_parts_shipped","value":38,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Terje beech chair parts, VGSM to Plimob, a week after the silence period; Earthsight: enough for over 12,000 chairs."},{"key":"vgsm_share_of_beech_bought","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Share of beech cut at the SFE bought by VGSM (Earthsight)."},{"key":"vgsm_output_to_ikea","value":96,"unit":"%","year":2020,"note":"Share of VGSM beech production going to IKEA directly or via Plimob (Earthsight)."},{"key":"plimob_chairs_to_ikea","value":2000000,"unit":"chairs per year","year":2020,"note":"Half possibly from Ukrainian wood (Earthsight)."},{"key":"other_sfes_with_evidence","value":14,"unit":"of 16 SFEs","year":2020,"note":"Evidence of illegalities in 14 of 16 other SFEs VGSM bought from in four years (Earthsight)."},{"key":"ikea_wood_consumption","value":21000000,"unit":"m3","year":2019,"note":"At least 60% from Eastern Europe and Russia (Earthsight)."},{"key":"ikea_funding_fsc","value":200000,"unit":"EUR per year","year":2020,"qualifier":"between 200,000 and 400,000","note":"About 0.5 to 1% of FSC's annual budgets (FSC)."},{"key":"fsc_certificates_terminated","value":29,"unit":"organisations","year":2020,"note":"Certificates terminated in Ukraine (FSC)."},{"key":"fsc_certificates_suspended","value":10,"unit":"certificates","year":2022,"note":"Suspended for silence-period breaches."},{"key":"fine","value":20,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"Penalty for silence-period violations, per the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":13194,"unit":"trees","year":2022,"note":"Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park, 59 logging tickets, 195 ha inspected (Prosecutor General's Office)."},{"key":"trees_felled","value":3400,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Lazeshchyna forestry, 2023–2024 (Prosecutor General's Office)."},{"key":"claim","value":721,"unit":"UAH m","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Total damages stated in the Hutsulshchyna case; over UAH 700 million at the Kutske unit."},{"key":"claim","value":55.8,"unit":"UAH m","year":2025,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Damage stated in the Lazeshchyna case."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Earthsight reported in June 2020 that beech logged at Velykyi Bychkiv State Forestry Enterprise during the legal silence period reached FSC-certified IKEA products via VGSM and Plimob. IKEA, FSC and VGSM disputed the characterisation, and Ukrainian prosecutors later notified officials of suspicion in other Carpathian logging cases.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"VGSM","what":"Buys 75% of the beech cut at the SFE; 96% of its beech production goes to IKEA directly or via Plimob (Earthsight)","src":1},{"who":"Plimob","what":"Sends IKEA two million chairs a year, half possibly from Ukrainian wood (Earthsight)","src":1},{"who":"FSC","what":"Receives €200,000–400,000 a year from IKEA, about 0.5 to 1% of its annual budgets (FSC)","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Holders of FSC certificates in Ukraine","what":"29 organisations' certificates terminated; ten certificates suspended in January 2022","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Carpathian beech forest, Velykyi Bychkiv SFE","what":"109 sites of unlawful logging identified in 2018 (as reported by Earthsight)","src":1},{"who":"Hutsulshchyna National Nature Park","what":"13,194 trees cut in 2022 (Prosecutor General's Office)","src":11},{"who":"Lynx and brown bear breeding season","what":"The silence period from April to mid-June protects breeding animals (FSC)","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"Velykyi Bychkiv State Forestry Enterprise, Rakhiv district, Zakarpattia oblast, near the Romanian border (about 47.97 N, 24.00 E); processing by VGSM in Ukraine and Plimob in Romania.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Inspections in spring 2018; logging in 2019 and April 2020; report 23 June 2020; raid mid-June 2020; IKEA audit results 2 October 2020; FSC Ukraine suspensions reported 22 January 2022; prosecutor notices 22 July and 17 September 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Sanitary-felling permits were used during the silence period. The parties disagree on whether the ban applies to all forests or only designated areas, which FSC and IKEA attribute to conflicting legislation.","src":6},"how":{"t":"Earthsight traced beech from the SFE through VGSM, which supplied chair parts to Plimob in Romania, to FSC-certified IKEA products. FSC certificates for VGSM and Plimob were chain-of-custody certificates; Earthsight says FSC-contracted auditors did not withdraw certification after the 2018 findings.","src":8}},"related":["ukraine-raw-log-export-ban-eu-arbitration","fsc-russia-suspension-and-birch-plywood-sanctions-cases"],"sources":[{"t":"Flatpacked Forests","p":"Earthsight","d":"2020-06-23","u":"https://earthsight.org.uk/investigations/flatpacked-forests","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415190622/https://www.earthsight.org.uk/investigations/flatpacked-forests"},{"t":"Earthsight exposes Ikea's illegal logging links","p":"Earthsight","d":"2020-06-23","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/press-release/flatpacked-forests-ikea-ukraine-report","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Ukraine Prime Minister pledges crackdown on illegal logging after Earthsight exposé","p":"Earthsight","d":"2020-06-25","u":"https://earthsight.org.uk/news/press-release-ukraine-logging-crackdown-flatpacked-forests-ikea-report","type":"ngo"},{"t":"FSC digs heels in as pressure builds for it to act on Ikea illegal timber scandal","p":"Earthsight","d":"2020-07-22","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/blog-fsc-digs-heels-in-as-pressure-builds-for-it-to-act-on-ikea-illegal-timber-scandal-ukraine","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Ikea response to illegal timber scandal is a sham: here's why","p":"Earthsight","d":"2020-10-29","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/blog-ikea-response-illegal-timber-scandal-is-a-sham-heres-why","type":"ngo"},{"t":"EU firms buying timber from wanted suspect at centre of $30m Ukrainian bribery case","p":"Earthsight","d":"2019-06-03","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/timberleaks/eu-firms-buying-timber-wanted-suspect-30million-ukraine-bribery-case","type":"ngo"},{"t":"FAQ: Flatpacked Forests by Earthsight","p":"Forest Stewardship Council","d":"2020-06","u":"https://fsc.org/sites/default/files/2020-06/Ukraine%20Earthsight%20Final_1.pdf","type":"company","voice":"standard"},{"t":"Silence Has Been Broken – Harvesters Disturb the Wildlife Breeding Period in Ukraine","p":"FSC Ukraine","d":"2022-01-22","u":"https://fsc.org/fr/node/28585","type":"company","voice":"standard"},{"t":"Ikea using illegally sourced wood from Ukraine, campaigners say","p":"Mongabay (Ashoka Mukpo)","d":"2020-06-29","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2020/06/ikea-using-illegally-sourced-wood-from-ukraine-campaigners-say/","type":"press"},{"t":"Report alleges illegal timber from Ukraine used in popular IKEA products","p":"Kyiv Post (Bermet Talant)","d":"2020-06-24","u":"https://archive.kyivpost.com/business/report-alleges-illegal-timber-from-ukraine-used-in-popular-ikea-products.html","type":"press"},{"t":"IKEA founds no evidence of using illegally harvested timber from Ukraine","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2020-10-02","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/692389.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Losses over UAH 721 million due to illegal felling: in the Carpathian region nine officials were notified of suspicion","p":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","d":"2025-09-17","u":"https://gp.gov.ua/en/posts/zbitki-ponad-721-mln-grn-cerez-nezakonni-rubki-na-prikarpatti-devyatyom-posadovcyam-povidomleno-pro-pidozru","type":"official"},{"t":"Large-scale deforestation scheme in the Ukrainian Carpathians. official of SE \"Forests of Ukraine\" branch notified of suspicion","p":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","d":"2025-07-22","u":"https://gp.gov.ua/en/posts/unaslidok-masstabnoyi-sxemi-virubki-lisiv-v-ukrayinskix-karpatax-dovkillyu-zavdano-zbitkiv-na-558-mln-griven-posadovcyu-filiyi-dp-lisi-ukrayini-povidomleno-pro-pidozru","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether timber logged at the implicated sites entered IKEA's supply chain","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Value of timber logged at the implicated sites — None on record: no hectare, volume or value figure for the plots.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the silence-period ban applies to all forests or only to designated areas","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Independence of IKEA's audit","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: charge, article or named suspect in the Ukrainian criminal proceedings over the Velykyi Bychkiv permits, reported as active in June 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: conviction of any official in the Velykyi Bychkiv case.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: IKEA's investigation reports.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: holders of the ten FSC certificates suspended in 2022; whether any belongs to Velykyi Bychkiv SFE or VGSM is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: suspension of the FSC certificate of VGSM or Velykyi Bychkiv SFE over Earthsight's findings; withdrawal after the 2018 inspection findings (per Earthsight, via Mongabay).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: hectares, volumes in m3 or biodiversity measurements for the implicated plots.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: value in euros or hryvnia of the VGSM–IKEA trade.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether VGSM's logging was unlawful and whether Terje components came from the implicated wood; VGSM rejects both, Earthsight maintains them.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Legallis LLC's role as certifier of Ukrainian timber firms and as IKEA's investigation partner; no comment from IKEA or Legallis on this point is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-raw-log-export-ban-eu-arbitration","title":"Ukraine's ban on raw-log exports and the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement arbitration, 2015–2026","dek":"In 2015 Ukraine banned exports of unprocessed timber for ten years. An arbitration panel under the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement ruled on 11 December 2020 that the 2015 ban breached Article 35 of the Agreement; in 2025–2026 the Cabinet replaced the expiring ban with zero export quotas.","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","region":"Europe","lat":48.38,"lon":31.17,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Ukraine-wide","lat":48.38,"lon":31.17,"role":"event"}],"start":2015,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2020-12-11","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"2015 ban on unprocessed timber exports","value":"Ruled in breach of Art. 35 AA","note":"EU–Ukraine Association Agreement arbitration panel, final report of 11 December 2020; the 2005 ban on ten species was found justified. Ukraine's Cabinet set zero export quotas for 2025 and 2026."},"happened":["Ukraine banned exports of ten rare and valuable tree species in 2005 (Law No. 2860-IV) and, on 9 April 2015, adopted Law No. 325-VIII, a ten-year ban on exports of unprocessed timber (HS 4403): from 1 November 2015 for species other than pine and from 1 January 2017 for pine. Law No. 2531-VIII of 6 September 2018 concerned preventing illegal export of unprocessed timber. The ban was presented as forest protection and a measure against illegal export.","The European Union requested consultations on 15 January 2019; they were held on 7 February 2019 without resolving the matter, and the EU requested a panel on 20 June 2019. The arbitration was held under Article 307 of the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement (AA), in Lugano; it was the first EU trade dispute under a bilateral agreement. The panel was Christian Häberli (chair), Viktor Muraviov and Giorgio Sacerdoti. The EU said the case was not about whether Ukraine could adopt measures protecting its forests and argued that sawn wood exports rose in parallel with the 2015 ban, so the measure concerned supporting domestic wood processing. Ukraine said the measures were an exercise of its right to regulate its own level of environmental protection, that the panel lacked jurisdiction because this was a Chapter 13 case, and that Article 35 did not apply until the end of the ten-year transition at the end of 2025.","In its final report of 11 December 2020 the panel found that the 2005 ban was incompatible with Article 35 AA but justified under Article XX(b) of the GATT 1994 as necessary to protect plant life, and that the 2015 ban was incompatible with Article 35 and not justified under Article XX(g) of the GATT 1994. It recommended that Ukraine comply in good faith, taking into account AA Article 293 on forest law enforcement and governance and trade in legal and sustainable forest products. The EU Delegation said Ukraine was expected to terminate the export ban as soon as possible; Deputy Minister Taras Kachka said the panel recognised Ukraine's right to restrict wood exports under certain circumstances.","On 31 October 2025, as the statutory moratorium for non-pine species ended on 1 November 2025, the Cabinet set a zero export quota (licensing) for unprocessed timber until the end of 2025; on 31 December 2025 it extended zero quotas for unprocessed and fuel wood to the end of 2026. The Association of Woodworking Enterprises of Ukraine (ADPU) argued that resuming log exports could cause a mass outflow of raw material, sharp domestic price rises, plant shutdowns and job losses. Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said the ban was a necessary step to protect people in winter, preserve enterprises and reduce the burden on the environment, and that harvesting had fallen during the full-scale invasion."],"timeline":[{"y":2005,"t":"Law No. 2860-IV bans exports of ten rare and valuable species (8 September)","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Law No. 325-VIII bans exports of unprocessed timber for ten years (9 April); in force from 1 November 2015 for species other than pine","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"Ban applies to pine from 1 January","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"Law No. 2531-VIII on preventing illegal export of unprocessed timber (6 September)","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"EU requests consultations (15 January); consultations held (7 February); EU requests a panel (20 June)","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Panel notes exchanged (28 January) and organisational meeting (29 January); final report (11 December); EU Delegation statement (14 December)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Cabinet sets zero export quota to the end of 2025 as the moratorium for non-pine species ends (31 October); extends zero quotas to the end of 2026 (31 December)","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"not about whether Ukraine is entitled to adopt measures for protecting its forests","who":"European Union, as recorded in the panel report (paras 32–33)","when":"2019–2020","src":0},{"q":"confirming that the measure is essentially concerned with supporting Ukraine's domestic wood processing industry, rather than protecting Ukrainian forests","who":"European Union, as recorded in the panel report (paras 32–33)","when":"2019–2020","src":0},{"q":"a mere exercise of [Ukraine's] right to regulate its own level of environmental protection","who":"Ukraine, as recorded in the panel report (paras 79–84)","when":"2019–2020","src":0},{"q":"not justified under Article XX(g) of the GATT 1994. because that export ban is not 'relating to the conservation of exhaustible resources.made effective in conjunction with restrictions on domestic production or consumption.'","who":"Arbitration panel, on the 2015 export ban","when":"11 December 2020","src":0},{"q":"Ukraine is expected to terminate the export ban as soon as possible","who":"EU Delegation to Ukraine","when":"14 December 2020","src":3},{"q":"a necessary step to take care of people in winter, preserve the work of our enterprises and reduce the burden on the environment","who":"Yuliia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine, on the export ban","when":"31 October 2025","src":4,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The army needs wood for its needs","who":"Yuliia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine","when":"31 October 2025","src":4,"translated":"Ukrainian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The ban is a measure of forest protection and against illegal export; Ukraine's forests cover 10.4 million ha, 15.9% of the territory with 9.4 million ha stocked, against an optimal cover stated as 20%, and standing stock rises by an average of 35 million m3 a year.","who":"Ukraine, as recorded in the panel report","src":0},{"t":"Zero quotas let strategic raw materials stay in Ukraine for domestic processing.","who":"Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, 31 December 2025","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"The panel found the 2005 ban on ten species incompatible with Article 35 AA but justified under GATT Article XX(b) as necessary to protect plant life, so not in breach of Article 35.","src":0},{"t":"The panel found the 2015 temporary export ban incompatible with Article 35 AA and not justified under GATT Article XX(g).","src":0},{"t":"The panel recommended that Ukraine comply in good faith, taking into account AA Article 293.","src":0},{"t":"Forest figures recorded in the arbitration panel's final report: 10.4 million ha of forests, of which 9.4 million ha stocked (15.9% of territory); more than 44% of forested area certified.","src":0},{"t":"The statutory moratorium for non-pine species ended on 1 November 2025 and was replaced by Cabinet zero quotas to the end of 2026.","src":4},{"t":"ADPU argued that resuming log exports could cause a mass outflow of raw material, sharp domestic price rises, shortages for processors, plant shutdowns, job losses and lower export earnings from finished products and furniture.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ruling","v":"11 Dec 2020","d":"2015 ban in breach of Art. 35 AA; 2005 ban justified"},{"k":"Ban period","v":"10 years","d":"From 2015; non-pine species to 1 November 2025"},{"k":"Export quotas","v":"Zero","d":"Unprocessed and fuel wood to the end of 2026"}]},"unknown":["Not measured: logging volumes before and after the ban; the panel ruled on legal justification and did not assess the effect of the ban on forests.","None on record: value of the EU log imports affected; the panel report sections and the European Commission pages do not state it.","None on record: repeal of the 2015 ban by the Verkhovna Rada.","None on record: EU response to the 2025–2026 zero export quotas.","Unclear: final status of bills No. 13223 and No. 13227-d on the timber market in 2026.","Figures differ: the date of the panel request is 20 June 2019 in the panel report; European Commission pages give different dates.","None on record: compliance step by Ukraine listed on the European Commission dispute page."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The 2015 ban remained in effect after the December 2020 report; the statutory moratorium for non-pine species ended on 1 November 2025 and was replaced by Cabinet zero export quotas running to the end of 2026.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: Cabinet zero export quotas for unprocessed and fuel wood run to the end of 2026; no repeal of the 2015 ban by the Rada is on record and the EU response is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"European Commission (DG Trade)","says":"The ruling means Ukraine must end the export ban as soon as possible.","when":"12 December 2020","src":2},{"actor":"EU Delegation to Ukraine","says":"Ukraine is expected to terminate the export ban as soon as possible; first EU trade dispute under a bilateral agreement.","when":"14 December 2020","src":3},{"actor":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine (Deputy Minister Taras Kachka)","says":"The panel recognised Ukraine's right to restrict wood exports under certain circumstances.","when":"December 2020","src":3},{"actor":"Prime Minister of Ukraine (Yuliia Svyrydenko)","says":"The ban is a necessary step to care for people in winter, preserve enterprises and reduce the burden on the environment; zero quotas keep strategic raw materials in Ukraine for domestic processing.","when":"31 October and 31 December 2025","src":4},{"actor":"Association of Woodworking Enterprises of Ukraine","says":"Resuming log exports could cause a mass outflow of raw material, price rises, plant shutdowns and job losses.","when":"October 2025","src":6}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Imposed the export ban and the zero quotas; respondent"},{"id":"eu","role":"Complainant in the arbitration"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Brought the dispute and published the memo"},{"id":"eu-ukraine-arbitration-panel","role":"Issued the final report of 11 December 2020"},{"id":"adpu","role":"Association of Ukrainian wood processors arguing against resuming log exports"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Purpose of the 2015 ban on unprocessed timber exports","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"European Union","says":"The measure supports domestic wood processing rather than protecting forests; sawn wood exports rose in parallel with the ban.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine","says":"The measures exercise its right to regulate its own level of environmental protection and combat illegal export.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Arbitration panel","says":"The 2015 ban was not justified under GATT Article XX(g) because it was not made effective in conjunction with restrictions on domestic production or consumption.","src":0}]},{"point":"Whether the panel had jurisdiction and Article 35 applied","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine","says":"The case is plainly a Chapter 13 case, and Article 35 does not apply until the end of the ten-year transition, at the end of 2025.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Arbitration panel","says":"Found the 2015 ban incompatible with Article 35 AA.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"EU v. Ukraine: restrictions on exports of certain wood products to the European Union","forum":"Arbitration panel under Article 307 of the EU–Ukraine Association Agreement, Lugano","country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"European Union","defendant":"Ukraine","filed":2019,"decided":2020,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Final report of 11 December 2020: the 2005 export ban on ten species was incompatible with Article 35 AA but justified under GATT Article XX(b); the 2015 temporary export ban was incompatible with Article 35 and not justified under GATT Article XX(g). The panel recommended good-faith compliance, taking into account AA Article 293. None on record: repeal of the 2015 ban by the Verkhovna Rada.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_area_ha","value":10400000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"Ukraine's forests, of which 9.4 million ha stocked (15.9% of territory), as recorded in the panel report."},{"key":"optimal_forest_cover","value":20,"unit":"% of territory","year":2020,"note":"Optimal cover as stated in the panel report."},{"key":"standing_stock_increase","value":35000000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2020,"qualifier":"average","note":"Per the State Forest Agency, as recorded in the panel report."},{"key":"forest_certified","value":44,"unit":"% of forested area","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"As recorded in the panel report."},{"key":"species_banned_2005","value":10,"unit":"species","year":2005,"note":"Law No. 2860-IV."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ukraine's ten-year ban on exports of unprocessed timber, adopted in 2015, was found by an EU–Ukraine Association Agreement arbitration panel on 11 December 2020 to breach Article 35 of the Agreement, while the 2005 ban on ten species was found justified. In 2025–2026 the Cabinet replaced the expiring ban with zero export quotas.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ukrainian wood processors and furniture exporters","what":"Keep raw timber in the country; ADPU argued that resuming log exports would raise domestic prices and cause shutdowns and job losses","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"EU importers of logs","what":"Barred from importing Ukrainian unprocessed timber; trade value not stated","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ukraine-wide; the arbitration was held in Lugano, Switzerland, between the European Union and Ukraine.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Laws of 8 September 2005 and 9 April 2015; consultations 7 February 2019; panel request 20 June 2019; final report 11 December 2020; zero quotas from 31 October 2025, extended on 31 December 2025 to the end of 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Ukraine presented the ban as forest protection and a measure against illegal export; the EU argued it supported domestic processors and the panel found it not justified under GATT Article XX(g).","src":0},"how":{"t":"The EU requested consultations on 15 January 2019 and a panel on 20 June 2019 under Article 307 AA; the panel delivered its final report on 11 December 2020 and, after the statutory moratorium for non-pine species expired on 1 November 2025, the Cabinet set zero export quotas through licensing.","src":4}},"related":["ikea-supplied-fsc-certified-ukrainian-beech","fsc-russia-suspension-and-birch-plywood-sanctions-cases"],"sources":[{"t":"Restrictions applied by Ukraine on exports of certain wood products to the European Union: Final Report","p":"EU–Ukraine Association Agreement Arbitration Panel","d":"2020-12-11","type":"court","u":"https://circabc.europa.eu/rest/download/89749bde-3615-413c-8834-0110021e6522"},{"t":"Ukraine – wood export ban","p":"European Commission, DG Trade","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/enforcement-and-protection/dispute-settlement/bilateral-disputes/ukraine-wood-export-ban_en"},{"t":"The history of the EU-Ukraine dispute on wood export ban","p":"European Commission, DG Trade","d":"2020-12-12","type":"official","u":"https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/history-eu-ukraine-dispute-wood-export-ban-memo-2020-12-12_fr"},{"t":"Arbitration Panel finds Ukraine's wood export ban illegal, obliges to cancel it - EU Delegation","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2020-12-14","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/709785.html"},{"t":"Кабмін тимчасово продовжив заборону експорту необробленої деревини напередодні завершення мораторію (Cabinet temporarily extended the ban on unprocessed timber exports on the eve of the moratorium's end)","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2025-10-31","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1117223.html"},{"t":"Кабмін продовжив обмеження експорту лісу та металобрухту до кінця 2026р. (Cabinet extended restrictions on timber and scrap exports to end-2026)","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2025-12-31","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1132809.html"},{"t":"Moratorium end and zero-quota proposal (press release of the Association of Woodworking Enterprises of Ukraine)","p":"Interfax-Ukraine (press release, Association of Woodworking Enterprises of Ukraine)","d":"2025-10","type":"company","u":"https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-release/1115261.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Purpose of the 2015 ban on unprocessed timber exports","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the panel had jurisdiction and Article 35 applied","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: logging volumes before and after the ban; the panel ruled on legal justification and did not assess the effect of the ban on forests.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: value of the EU log imports affected; the panel report sections and the European Commission pages do not state it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: repeal of the 2015 ban by the Verkhovna Rada.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: EU response to the 2025–2026 zero export quotas.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: final status of bills No. 13223 and No. 13227-d on the timber market in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the date of the panel request is 20 June 2019 in the panel report; European Commission pages give different dates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compliance step by Ukraine listed on the European Commission dispute page.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund","title":"Ukraine's mine contamination, the farmland demining programme and mine-action money","dek":"Ukrainian authorities put the area potentially contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war at over 130,000 km² in April 2026, and the World Bank put the cost of explosive hazard management and debris clearance at almost USD 28 billion in February 2026. The state farmland programme had concluded 175 contracts covering almost 34,000 hectares by October 2026, and the US-Ukraine fund signed its first minerals deal on 2-3 October 2026.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":48.3794,"lon":31.1656,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Nationwide; highest contamination in Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Donetsk oblasts (Cabinet of Ministers)","lat":48.3794,"lon":31.1656,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kharkiv oblast (Izium district, first tenders for private land)","lat":49.2,"lon":37.3,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kherson oblast","lat":46.6,"lon":32.6,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Mykolaiv oblast","lat":47,"lon":32,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kirovohrad oblast (Dobra lithium deposit)","lat":48.3,"lon":31.5,"role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-02-24","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","agriculture","finance"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"World Bank estimate of the cost of explosive hazard management and debris clearance (RDNA5, 23 February 2026)","value":"almost USD 28 billion","note":"EUR 24 billion; includes debris clearance. RDNA4 (February 2025) gave USD 29.8 billion for demining. The state farmland programme had concluded 175 contracts costing UAH 2.46 billion by 12 October 2026."},"happened":["Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, and the official figures for the area potentially contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war have changed repeatedly. The Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) cited Ukrainian government figures of 300,000 km² (April 2022), 250,000 km² (December 2022), 200,000 km² (June 2023) and about 174,000 km² (late 2023, about 30% of the territory), and a World Bank figure of about 187,000 km² potentially mined, of which 9,180 km² needed clearance with technical means. OSW's author wrote on 22 November 2023: \"Most likely, these estimates are significantly exaggerated.\" The Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, in an audit approved on 26 August 2025, gave 174 thousand km² as affected by intense hostilities and 139 thousand km² (about 23% of Ukraine) as potentially mined, and stated that hazardous areas identified and entered in the IMSMA database as of 22 June 2025 covered 546.3 km², \"only 0.4 percent\". On 4 April 2026 the Cabinet of Ministers gave over 130,000 km² of potentially dangerous territory and 40,700 km² returned to productive use since the invasion; the State Emergency Service gave 133,300 km² on 2 April 2026. The Landmine Monitor stated in its Ukraine profile, updated on 26 April 2026, that no reliable estimate of the total mine contamination was available.","On farmland, the Accounting Chamber cited the KSE Centre for Food and Land Use Research for about 9,854.26 thousand hectares of inaccessible agricultural land in 10 regions, 48.15% of the 20,466.68 thousand hectares of pre-invasion agricultural land in those oblasts. It also cited a study by TBI and the Ministry of Economy that put GDP losses from mine contamination of farmland at over USD 11 billion a year, the fall in agricultural exports at USD 4.3 billion a year and the cost of idle land at up to USD 800 million a year; and the World Bank (RDNA4) for regional tax revenue losses of about USD 1.1 billion a year, 9.2% of 2021 regional tax revenue. Deputy Minister of Economy Ihor Bezkaravainyi said in an interview of 20 May 2026 (labelled advertorial) that 57,900 km² of agricultural land was affected, including about 475 km² of hazardous agricultural land in Kharkiv oblast, about 205 km² in Mykolaiv oblast and about 111 km² in Kherson oblast. FAO, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine on 9 April 2026, counted 765.13 km² of potentially contaminated farmland in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Chernihiv regions.","The Accounting Chamber's audit (Decision No. 21-2, 26 August 2025) set out the clearance results. In 2023 security and defence forces and certified operators surveyed 280.0 thousand hectares (60% of the 470.9 thousand planned) and demined 145.8 thousand hectares; in 2024 they surveyed 318.1 thousand hectares (62% of 512.1 thousand planned) and cleared 266.9 thousand hectares. Over 2023-2024 the security and defence forces surveyed 598.2 thousand hectares, of which 402.7 thousand hectares (67%) were back in use through operational demining, which, in the Chamber's words, does not provide for certification. In 2022-2024 certified mine action operators cleared 21 thousand hectares of confirmed hazardous areas, of which 5.3 thousand hectares (25%) were formally handed over with certificates. The Chamber found that the system was 'structurally not capable' of responding effectively to the scale of the mine threat and that, at the current pace, full clearance of contaminated farmland would take more than 80 years.","The state compensation programme for demining agricultural land (Cabinet Resolution No. 284) works through the Humanitarian Demining Centre (HDC) under the Cabinet Secretariat. A farmer applies through the State Agrarian Register, the HDC verifies the application and runs a Prozorro auction, the contract amount goes to a special (escrow) account of the farmer, and the operator is paid after the work is completed and confirmed. On 23 August 2024 the Cabinet raised the compensation from 80% to 100% of the cost and required at least two participants in each auction. The Accounting Chamber reported that for 2024 the planned UAH 3 billion produced 206 applications and 47 contracts, UAH 532.36 million transferred to escrow accounts and UAH 140.2 million paid to operators, that clearance under compensation contracts was 'in fact not carried out' in 2024, and that only 2.55 thousand hectares had been cleared by July 2025; budget appropriations were cut by UAH 700 million in 2025. The Ministry of Economy reported 96 contracts for 16.49 thousand hectares worth UAH 963.3 million on 6 November 2025, 133 contracts for 27,800 hectares costing UAH 1.78 billion on 7 January 2026, and on 12 October 2026 a total of 175 contracts covering almost 34,000 hectares costing UAH 2.46 billion, with over 20 thousand hectares cleared over two years and 40 contracts ongoing on about 8.3 thousand hectares. The Ministry's July 2026 release reported 43 contracts covering 11,700 hectares at UAH 966.2 million, an average of UAH 62,900 per hectare, funded by the EU's Ukraine Facility.","International money for mine action in Ukraine rose from USD 14.6 million in 2020 to USD 308.1 million in 2023 and was USD 252.7 million in 2024, according to the Landmine Monitor; the World Bank's RDNA5 put the need for explosive hazard management and debris clearance at almost USD 28 billion. On 13 May 2026 the HDC opened its first auctions for clearing private land, two in Izium district, Kharkiv oblast, after receiving over 100 applications covering over 25,000 hectares. On 5 October 2026 the government approved a procedure for an annual national humanitarian demining plan. The US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (URIF), created under the minerals agreement of 30 April 2025, signed its first critical minerals deal, reported on 2-3 October 2026: about USD 30 million into a joint investment platform with BGV Group for early-stage mining projects. Separately, on 12 January 2026 the Cabinet selected Dobra Lithium Holdings JV, shareholders TechMet and The Rock Holdings, under a production sharing agreement for the Dobra lithium deposit in Kirovohrad oblast, with a minimum capital investment of USD 179 million.","The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights stated on 2 October 2024 that about 142,000 km² were considered potentially mined and that 309 people had been killed by mines and explosive objects since 24 February 2022."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"Mine contamination in Donbas: about 16,000 km² mined since 2014, including 7,000 km² in Kyiv-controlled areas (OSW)","src":7},{"y":2022,"t":"Full-scale invasion (24 Feb); Ukrainian government figure of 300,000 km² of potentially mined area (April, as cited by OSW)","src":7},{"y":2023,"t":"RDNA2 (Mar): demining cost almost USD 38 billion (OSW); Zagreb mine action conference (11 Oct): 34 countries pledged EUR 500 million (OSW); third Article 5 extension under the Mine Ban Treaty (Nov), clearance deadline 1 December 2033","src":7},{"y":2024,"t":"National Mine Action Strategy to 2033 approved (28 Jun, CMU order No. 616-r); Cabinet raises farmland demining compensation from 80% to 100% (23 Aug); Rada press service: 174 thousand km² potentially mined (18 Jan)","src":11},{"y":2024,"t":"2 October: the Ombudsman gives about 142,000 km² as potentially mined and 309 people killed by mines and explosive objects since February 2022","src":32},{"y":2025,"t":"US foreign-assistance freeze (Jan); RDNA4 gives USD 29.8 billion for demining (27 Feb); US-Ukraine minerals agreement signed (30 Apr); Accounting Chamber audit approved (26 Aug); Tokyo mine action conference (Oct)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Dobra lithium PSA winner selected (12 Jan); RDNA5 (23 Feb); first tenders for private land (13 May); Demining Capability Coalition meeting in Lviv (20-21 Jun); URIF first minerals deal (2-3 Oct); annual demining plan procedure approved (5 Oct); Ministry of Economy September results (12 Oct)","src":19}],"said":[{"q":"Most likely, these estimates are significantly exaggerated.","who":"Krzysztof Nieczypor, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), on the official contamination estimates","when":"22 November 2023","src":7},{"q":"more than 144,000 square kilometres of Ukraine are considered potentially mined","who":"Bohdan Drapiatyi, Deputy Interior Minister","when":"1 July 2024","src":13},{"q":"In Ukraine, 133,300 square kilometers are potentially contaminated, including the temporarily occupied territories","who":"Serhiy Reva, director of the Mine Action Department, State Emergency Service","when":"2 April 2026","src":14},{"q":"no reliable estimate of the total mine contamination is available","who":"Landmine Monitor (ICBL-CMC), Ukraine profile","when":"26 April 2026","src":4},{"q":"The cost of explosives hazard management and debris clearance is almost $28 billion (€24 billion)","who":"World Bank, RDNA5 press release","when":"23 February 2026","src":1},{"q":"due to progress in surveying and clearing","who":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, on the USD 4.8 billion reduction in the demining need between RDNA3 and RDNA4","when":"27 February 2025","src":2,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"In 2024, demining/clearance of agricultural land under compensation contracts was in fact not carried out","who":"Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, audit report","when":"26 August 2025","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"We are losing a significant number of highly qualified and experienced sappers due to the suspension of funding","who":"Tymur Pistriuha, Association of Deminers of Ukraine","when":"14 February 2025","src":24},{"q":"Farmers can't use the land because they're worried there may be landmines there.","who":"Whatley, HALO Trust, at the CSIS debrief of the 2025 Ukraine Mine Action Conference","when":"28 October 2025","src":8},{"q":"we are changing our approaches to demining, reducing costs and involving Ukrainian robotic systems","who":"Yulia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine","when":"4 April 2026","src":9},{"q":"Demining is not really about metal detectors.","who":"Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy (interview labelled advertorial)","when":"20 May 2026","src":23},{"q":"We are writing the standards as we go.","who":"Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy (interview labelled advertorial)","when":"20 May 2026","src":23},{"q":"The deposit remains the property of the Ukrainian people.","who":"Yulia Svyrydenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine, on the Dobra lithium deposit","when":"12 January 2026","src":27},{"q":"They are all on the US critical minerals list, so it ties in very well.","who":"Conor Coleman, US International Development Finance Corporation, on the target minerals of the first URIF deal (as reported by Ukrainska Pravda)","when":"3 October 2026","src":28}],"shown":[{"t":"40,700 km² returned to productive use since the full-scale invasion; operators up from 74 to 134; almost another 10,000 hectares, primarily agricultural land, planned for return in 2026","who":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, 4 April 2026","src":9},{"t":"A reduction of the demining need 'by almost 5 billion dollars' between RDNA3 and RDNA4 showing 'enormous work'","who":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, February 2025","src":2},{"t":"17,000 km² returned to use in 2024, more than 285,000 hectares of agricultural land returned to farmers in 2024, and savings of more than 15%, or UAH 97 million, in 50 HDC auctions","who":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, 8 January 2025","src":10},{"t":"About 10 years to make a meaningful difference at current capacity; prices of farmland clearance about 30% higher than two years earlier; programme rules changed six times","who":"Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, 20 May 2026","src":23}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Accounting Chamber found overstated budget expenditure under paid contracts of about UAH 13.96 million (calculated by the Chamber), described as uneconomical use of funds; it also reported procurement procedure violations and duplication between the Ministry of Defence Mine Action Centre and the HDC.","src":0},{"t":"The Chamber reported that no compensation was paid for farmer-funded demining before 15 April 2024, and that UAH 1.13 billion of international grant funding was not included in state reporting.","src":0},{"t":"Ukraine Facility indicator 'Investments in demining': 2024 fulfilled at 13.2% of commitments (EUR 75 million); the target was cut to EUR 30 million on 4 August 2025, after which 2024 fulfilment was 30.4%; forecast fulfilment by the second quarter of 2026 was 51.4% (Accounting Chamber).","src":0},{"t":"Japan's JICA grant of UAH 2,008.64 million was used in 2023-2024 for demining machinery and equipment, with actual delivery at 35% as of 1 January 2025; UNITED24 received UAH 183.6 million as of 1 December 2024, of which UAH 133.9 million had been used (Accounting Chamber).","src":0},{"t":"International contributions to mine action in Ukraine (USD): 2020 14,600,000; 2021 21,200,000; 2022 162,325,960; 2023 308,127,335; 2024 252,659,026 (down 18%); total for 2020-2024 758,912,321; 22 donors in 2024. By sector in 2024: clearance USD 182.9 million (72%), capacity-building USD 45.3 million (18%), risk education and victim assistance USD 6.9 million (3%), not disaggregated USD 17.6 million (7%).","src":3},{"t":"2024 contributions by donor (USD): European Union 55,816,318; Switzerland 27,503,160; Germany 22,848,355; Norway 22,124,305; United States 19,747,976; Japan 18,638,887; Netherlands 15,148,000; Denmark 14,429,701; Canada 13,979,123; France 11,144,600.","src":3},{"t":"The Landmine Monitor recorded that the US contribution to Ukraine fell by USD 70.3 million from USD 90 million in 2023, that a 90-day freeze of US foreign assistance began in January 2025, and that not all mine action projects had been able to resume operations.","src":6},{"t":"The EEAS spokesperson said on 4 April 2026 that the European Union and its Member States had mobilised over EUR 360 million for demining since 2022.","src":25},{"t":"At the Tokyo mine action conference of October 2025, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden pledged over USD 80 million (Ministry of Economy).","src":16},{"t":"The Demining Capability Coalition meeting in Lviv, reported on 21 June 2026 citing Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, gave a EUR 95 million fund, EUR 205 million of equipment and machinery in 2026 and EUR 142 million planned for 2027.","src":26},{"t":"The Landmine Monitor recorded that Ukraine had not disclosed its contributions to the state institutions responsible for humanitarian demining.","src":3},{"t":"The Ministry of Economy's January 2026 release said the programme was financed within the framework of the Ukraine Facility Plan, with 133 contracts for 27,800 hectares and an average of UAH 56,800 per hectare; December 2025 payments to operators were UAH 171.4 million.","src":17},{"t":"The Cabinet's 3 September 2026 release gave an August average of UAH 70.5 thousand per hectare and 105 completed contracts returning 19,966 hectares at a cost of UAH 1.217 billion, with 42 ongoing contracts on about 8.63 thousand hectares.","src":18},{"t":"The Cabinet's announcement of the Dobra lithium selection does not mention URIF, environmental conditions or demining.","src":27},{"t":"Ihor Baranetskyi called in October 2025 for direct investment in local demining operators, including through the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (CSIS summary).","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"2024-2026","nature":[{"label":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment, soil pollution (24 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2024)","amount":20000,"qualifier":"almost","est":true,"window":"2022-2024","note":"State damage assessment cited by the Accounting Chamber, calculated under Ministry of Environment Order No. 167 of 4 April 2022."},{"label":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment, littering of land resources (24 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2024)","amount":1169000,"qualifier":"over","est":true,"window":"2022-2024","note":"Same methodology; cited by the Accounting Chamber."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Farmland demining programme: contracts concluded to September 2026 (175 contracts, almost 34,000 ha)","amount":2460,"window":"to 12 Oct 2026"},{"label":"Compensation contracts 2024: transferred to escrow accounts","amount":532.36,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Compensation contracts 2024: paid to operators","amount":140.2,"window":"2024"},{"label":"Paid to operators in August 2026","amount":251.2,"window":"Aug 2026"},{"label":"Allocation for the 2026 programme within the Ukraine Facility (as reported)","amount":2000,"window":"2026","note":"Reported by Deputy Minister Bezkaravainyi (20 May 2026) and, paraphrased, by Minister Oleksiy Sobolev (3 July 2026)."},{"label":"Reduction of 2025 budget appropriations","amount":700,"window":"2025","note":"Accounting Chamber."},{"label":"International grant funding not included in state reporting","amount":1130,"window":"to 2025","note":"Accounting Chamber."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Potentially contaminated area","v":"Over 130,000 km²","d":"Cabinet of Ministers, 4 April 2026; Accounting Chamber gave 139 thousand km² in 2025"},{"k":"Returned to use","v":"40,700 km²","d":"Cabinet of Ministers, since the full-scale invasion, to 4 April 2026"},{"k":"Inaccessible farmland","v":"9,854.26 thousand ha","d":"Accounting Chamber, citing KSE, 10 regions; 48.15% of pre-invasion farmland there"},{"k":"Craters in fields","v":"Over 1.09 million","d":"FAO satellite analysis, four northern oblasts, to 1 April 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Accounting Chamber, FAO and the State Ecological Inspectorate recorded inaccessible farmland, craters and damaged soil, and a deputy minister linked deprioritised forest clearance to forest losses.","report":[{"t":"About 9,854.26 thousand hectares of my farmland in 10 regions were inaccessible, 48.15% of the farmland there before the invasion, according to the Accounting Chamber citing the KSE Centre for Food and Land Use Research.","src":0},{"t":"FAO satellite analysis counted over 1.09 million craters in my fields and more than 10,000 hectares of damaged soil in four northern oblasts, to 1 April 2026.","src":15},{"t":"The State Ecological Inspectorate assessed damage to my soil at almost UAH 20 billion for pollution and over UAH 1,169 billion for littering of land resources between 24 February 2022 and 31 December 2024.","src":0},{"t":"The Deputy Minister of Economy said that the earlier deprioritisation of clearing my forests led to losses in forests and in firefighting capacity (20 May 2026).","src":23}]},"unknown":["None on record: environmental conditions or demining requirements in the Cabinet's announcement of 12 January 2026 selecting Dobra Lithium Holdings JV for the Dobra lithium deposit.","None on record: land, demining or environmental conditions in the reported first URIF critical minerals deal (about USD 30 million with BGV Group); Ukrainska Pravda names rare earths, uranium, beryllium and zirconium as target minerals and gives no deposit locations.","None on record: a compulsory insurance regime for deminers or mine action operators; a 2025 article in World of Finance (Horyn and Kyiko) treats liability insurance for mine action operators as a developing area and lists the lack of a statistical base, high policy costs, low willingness of communities and businesses to pay and reliance on reinsurance as barriers.","None on record: compensation for farmer-funded demining carried out before 15 April 2024 (Accounting Chamber).","Not disclosed: Ukraine's contributions to the state institutions responsible for humanitarian demining (Landmine Monitor).","Not disclosed: UAH 1.13 billion of international grant funding, which is not included in state reporting (Accounting Chamber).","Not measured: forest areas affected by mines and explosive remnants of war; the Deputy Minister's statement on forest losses gives no figures.","Insufficient: the identification of hazardous areas is not completed; areas entered in the IMSMA database covered 546.3 km² as of 22 June 2025, against 139 thousand km² potentially mined (Accounting Chamber).","Disputed: the size of the contaminated area; Ukrainian government figures, OSW and the Landmine Monitor differ.","Figures differ: RDNA2 demining cost is given as almost USD 38 billion by OSW citing the World Bank and as almost USD 40 billion for explosive hazard management by Intellinews.","Figures differ: RDNA5 is given as almost USD 28 billion for explosive hazard management and debris clearance in the World Bank press release of 23 February 2026, and as USD 27.6 billion for explosive hazards in a World Bank presentation reported by the KGGTF.","Unclear: the relation between the Accounting Chamber's figures of UAH 532.36 million transferred to escrow accounts in 2024 and UAH 434.46 million transferred to the escrow accounts of 23 producers for 7.9278 thousand hectares in 2024.","Unclear: whether the July 2026 figures of 43 contracts and 11,700 hectares are monthly or cumulative; the Ministry of Economy reported 175 contracts covering almost 34,000 hectares in total on 12 October 2026.","Unclear: the monthly Ministry releases give contracted area, completed area and payments on different bases; 27,800 hectares in January 2026 is contracted area, against 19,966 hectares returned under 105 completed contracts reported on 3 September 2026."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Clearance continues. The Cabinet of Ministers reported on 4 April 2026 that over 130,000 km² remained potentially dangerous, and the State Emergency Service said on 2 April 2026 that full clearance was not possible while the occupation and the proximity of the front continued.","whoPaid":"The Ministry of Economy reported that the farmland programme, UAH 2.46 billion in 175 contracts to 12 October 2026, was financed within the framework of the EU's Ukraine Facility Plan. The Landmine Monitor recorded international contributions to mine action in Ukraine of USD 758,912,321 in 2020-2024.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026: 175 contracts covering almost 34,000 hectares and costing UAH 2.46 billion had been concluded under the farmland demining programme, with 40 contracts ongoing; the Accounting Chamber's audit of 26 August 2025 remained the latest formal audit finding on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"government-of-ukraine","says":"Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the government was changing its approaches to demining, reducing costs and involving Ukrainian robotic systems, and planned to return almost another 10,000 hectares to use in 2026, primarily agricultural land.","when":"4 April 2026","src":9},{"actor":"ukraine-ministry-of-economy","says":"Said the USD 4.8 billion fall in the demining need in RDNA4 was due to progress in surveying and clearing and showed enormous work.","when":"27 February 2025","src":2},{"actor":"state-emergency-service-of-ukraine","says":"The director of its Mine Action Department said 133,300 km² were potentially contaminated and that full-scale clearance was not possible while the occupation and proximity of the front continued.","when":"2 April 2026","src":14},{"actor":"dfc","says":"Conor Coleman said the target minerals of the first URIF deal were all on the US critical minerals list.","when":"3 October 2026","src":28},{"actor":"halo-trust","says":"Whatley said that farmers could not use land because they worried there might be landmines, and that about 33,000 km² had been removed from suspected contamination since the end of 2022.","when":"28 October 2025","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Sets contamination figures; runs the demining strategy"},{"id":"ukraine-ministry-of-economy","role":"Publishes monthly demining results; manages the compensation programme"},{"id":"humanitarian-demining-centre-ukraine","role":"Runs Prozorro auctions and escrow payments for farmland clearance"},{"id":"accounting-chamber-of-ukraine","role":"Audited agricultural land demining (Decision No. 21-2, 26 August 2025)"},{"id":"state-emergency-service-of-ukraine","role":"Clears land; published a 133,300 km² figure"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"RDNA damage and needs assessments"},{"id":"eu-ukraine-facility","role":"Finances the farmland demining contracts"},{"id":"eu","role":"Mobilised over EUR 360 million for demining since 2022 (EEAS)"},{"id":"jica","role":"Grant of UAH 2,008.64 million for demining equipment"},{"id":"landmine-monitor","role":"Records contamination and funding"},{"id":"osw-centre-for-eastern-studies","role":"Analysis of the official contamination estimates"},{"id":"halo-trust","role":"Demining operator"},{"id":"fao","role":"Satellite analysis of war-affected farmland"},{"id":"us-ukraine-reconstruction-investment-fund","role":"Signed the first critical minerals deal"},{"id":"dfc","role":"US partner in URIF"},{"id":"bgv-group","role":"Partner in the first URIF deal"},{"id":"dobra-lithium-holdings","role":"Selected under the Dobra lithium production sharing agreement tender"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Size of the area contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukrainian government figures cited by OSW","says":"300,000 km² (April 2022), 250,000 km² (December 2022), 200,000 km² (June 2023), about 174,000 km² potentially mined by late 2023.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounting Chamber (26 August 2025)","says":"139 thousand km² potentially mined; hazardous areas entered in IMSMA covered 546.3 km² as of 22 June 2025.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Emergency Service (2 April 2026)","says":"133,300 km² potentially contaminated, including the temporarily occupied territories.","src":14},{"voice":"government","holder":"Cabinet of Ministers (4 April 2026)","says":"Potentially dangerous territory over 130,000 km².","src":9},{"voice":"research","holder":"OSW","says":"Most likely, the estimates are significantly exaggerated.","src":7},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Landmine Monitor","says":"No reliable estimate of the total mine contamination is available.","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"Euromaidan Press (5 October 2026)","says":"Ukraine continues to demine its 132,000 square kilometers of potentially hazardous territory.","src":22}]},{"point":"Time needed to clear the contamination","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Accounting Chamber","says":"At the current pace full clearance of contaminated farmland would take more than 80 years.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ihor Baranetskyi (CSIS debrief, October 2025)","says":"Roughly 80 years; the compensation programme still needs adjustment and funding.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy (20 May 2026)","says":"About 10 years to make a meaningful difference at current capacity; he rejected an earlier 700-year estimate.","src":23},{"voice":"government","holder":"Yulia Svyrydenko (2023, as cited by OSW)","says":"70 years.","src":7}]},{"point":"Cost of clearing a hectare","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"OSW (2023), citing experts","says":"Almost USD 30,000 per hectare for full clearance; a pilot tender for 3 hectares of forest in Zhytomyr priced at UAH 183,000 per hectare; black-market amateur clearance at UAH 5,000-15,000 per hectare.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economy (6 November 2025)","says":"Average UAH 58.8 thousand per hectare in October 2025.","src":16},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economy (7 January 2026)","says":"Average UAH 56,800 per hectare.","src":17},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Economy (3 September 2026)","says":"Average UAH 70.5 thousand per hectare in August 2026.","src":18},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy (20 May 2026)","says":"Average about UAH 60,000 per hectare (USD 1,360); prices about 30% higher than two years earlier.","src":23}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Accounting Chamber performance audit of agricultural land demining","forum":"Accounting Chamber of Ukraine (Decision No. 21-2 of 26 August 2025; responsible Deputy Chair Serhii Kliuchka)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Accounting Chamber of Ukraine","defendant":"Government bodies responsible for humanitarian demining","filed":2025,"decided":2025,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":13.96,"currency":"UAH","label":"overstated budget expenditure under paid contracts (about, calculated by the Chamber)"},"summary":"The audit found that the system was structurally not capable of responding effectively to the scale of the mine threat; that full clearance of contaminated farmland would take more than 80 years at the current pace; that budget expenditure under paid contracts was overstated by about UAH 13.96 million, described as uneconomical use of funds; that procurement procedure violations occurred; that the Ministry of Defence Mine Action Centre and the HDC duplicated functions; and that two advisory coordination bodies without executive powers existed contrary to IMAS. It is an audit finding, not a court ruling.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_potentially_mined_km2","value":139000,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"note":"Accounting Chamber (about 23% of Ukraine); 174 thousand km² affected by intense hostilities."},{"key":"area_potentially_dangerous_km2","value":130000,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"Cabinet of Ministers, 4 April 2026."},{"key":"hazardous_area_identified_km2","value":546.3,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"note":"Entered in IMSMA as of 22 June 2025 (Accounting Chamber)."},{"key":"area_returned_km2","value":40700,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"note":"Returned to productive use since the full-scale invasion, to 4 April 2026 (Cabinet of Ministers)."},{"key":"land_released_km2","value":146.85,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"note":"Mine-contaminated land released in 2025 (Landmine Monitor summary)."},{"key":"farmland_inaccessible_ha","value":9854260,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"10 regions, 48.15% of pre-invasion farmland there (Accounting Chamber citing KSE)."},{"key":"farmland_affected_km2","value":57900,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"note":"Deputy Minister Bezkaravainyi, 20 May 2026."},{"key":"farmland_gdp_loss_usd_bn","value":11,"unit":"USD billion per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"TBI and Ministry of Economy study cited by the Accounting Chamber."},{"key":"demining_need_usd_bn","value":29.8,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"RDNA4, 27 February 2025."},{"key":"demining_need_usd_bn","value":28,"unit":"USD billion","year":2026,"qualifier":"almost","note":"RDNA5, explosive hazard management and debris clearance (EUR 24 billion)."},{"key":"mine_action_funding_usd_m","value":308.127335,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"International contributions to mine action in Ukraine (Landmine Monitor)."},{"key":"mine_action_funding_usd_m","value":252.659026,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"Down 18% on 2023; 22 donors (Landmine Monitor)."},{"key":"mine_action_funding_usd_m","value":758.912321,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"Total for 2020-2024 (Landmine Monitor)."},{"key":"eu_demining_mobilised_eur_m","value":360,"unit":"EUR million","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"European Union and Member States since 2022 (EEAS, 4 April 2026)."},{"key":"equipment_pledge_eur_m","value":205,"unit":"EUR million","year":2026,"note":"Demining Capability Coalition equipment and machinery in 2026; EUR 142 million planned for 2027."},{"key":"farmland_programme_contracts","value":175,"unit":"contracts","year":2026,"note":"Total to 12 October 2026, almost 34,000 ha (Ministry of Economy)."},{"key":"farmland_programme_cost_uah_m","value":2460,"unit":"UAH million","year":2026,"note":"Cost of the 175 contracts."},{"key":"farmland_programme_completed_ha","value":19966,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"105 completed contracts at UAH 1.217 billion, to 3 September 2026."},{"key":"farmland_demining_contracts","value":43,"unit":"contracts","year":2026,"note":"July 2026 (Ministry of Economy)."},{"key":"farmland_demining_area_ha","value":11700,"unit":"hectares","year":2026,"note":"July 2026; average UAH 62,900 per hectare."},{"key":"farmland_demining_value_uah_m","value":966.2,"unit":"UAH million","year":2026,"note":"July 2026."},{"key":"compensation_escrow_transferred_uah_m","value":532.36,"unit":"UAH million","year":2024,"note":"Transferred to escrow accounts; UAH 140.2 million paid to operators (Accounting Chamber)."},{"key":"farmland_certified_returned_ha","value":5300,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Formally handed over with certificates out of 21 thousand ha cleared by certified operators in 2022-2024 (Accounting Chamber)."},{"key":"claim","value":1130,"unit":"UAH million","year":2025,"note":"International grant funding not in state reporting (Accounting Chamber)."},{"key":"craters_in_fields","value":1090000,"unit":"craters","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"FAO satellite analysis, four northern oblasts, to 1 April 2026."},{"key":"area_ha","value":10000,"unit":"ha of damaged soil","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"FAO, four northern oblasts."},{"key":"minerals_fund_first_deal_usd_m","value":30,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"First URIF critical minerals deal with BGV Group; portfolio about USD 70 million."},{"key":"dobra_minimum_investment_usd_m","value":179,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"note":"Minimum capital investment under the Dobra PSA: USD 12 million for exploration and reserve audit, USD 167 million for extraction and enrichment if industrial reserves are confirmed."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ukraine's land is contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war to an extent the government put at over 130,000 km² in April 2026; the state, donors and private operators are paying for clearance, and the US-Ukraine fund signed its first minerals deal in October 2026.","src":9},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Certified private and state operators","what":"Paid under the farmland programme (UAH 251.2 million in August 2026); operators numbered 134 in April 2026, up from 74","src":18},{"who":"Farmers","what":"Land returned to use; 15,100 hectares of agricultural land cleared under the programme by 4 April 2026","src":9},{"who":"Dobra Lithium Holdings JV (TechMet and The Rock Holdings)","what":"Selected on 12 January 2026 for the Dobra lithium deposit under a production sharing agreement","src":27}],"lost":[{"who":"Ukrainian farmers","what":"About 9,854.26 thousand hectares inaccessible in 10 regions; GDP losses over USD 11 billion a year according to a TBI and Ministry of Economy study","src":0},{"who":"Demining programmes funded by the US State Department","what":"Funding was approximately 50% of the humanitarian demining budget and was suspended in 2025, according to the Association of Deminers of Ukraine","src":24}],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmland and soil","what":"Over 1.09 million craters in fields and more than 10,000 hectares of damaged soil in four northern oblasts (FAO)","src":15},{"who":"Forests","what":"Losses in forests and firefighting capacity linked by the Deputy Minister to deprioritised clearance","src":23}]},"where":{"t":"Ukraine nationwide; the Cabinet named Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv and Donetsk oblasts as the most contaminated; the first tenders for private land were in Izium district, Kharkiv oblast.","src":9},"when":{"t":"From 24 February 2022; mine contamination in Donbas dates from 2014; programme results run to 12 October 2026.","src":19},"why":{"t":"The Accounting Chamber attributed the slow pace to a system 'structurally not capable' of responding to the scale of the threat, duplication between the Ministry of Defence Mine Action Centre and the HDC, and coordination bodies without executive powers; the State Emergency Service said the occupation and the proximity of the front prevented full clearance.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Security and defence forces carry out operational demining without certification; certified operators clear land under HDC Prozorro auctions, paid from an escrow account of the farmer with 100% compensation from the state since 23 August 2024; donors fund equipment and operators.","src":11},"ratio":{"t":"The World Bank's RDNA5 put the need for explosive hazard management and debris clearance at almost USD 28 billion; international contributions to mine action in Ukraine were USD 252,659,026 in 2024.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Звіт про результати аудиту «Гуманітарне розмінування земель сільськогосподарського призначення в Україні: відновлення безпеки та сільськогосподарського виробництва» (Audit report 'Humanitarian demining of agricultural land in Ukraine: restoring safety and agricultural production')","p":"Accounting Chamber of Ukraine","d":"2025-08-26","type":"official","u":"https://rp.gov.ua/upload-files/Activity/Collegium/2025/21-2_2025/Zvit_21-2_2025.pdf"},{"t":"Updated Ukraine Recovery and Reconstruction Needs Assessment Released (RDNA5)","p":"World Bank","d":"2026-02-23","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2026/02/23/updated-ukraine-recovery-and-reconstruction-needs-assessment-released"},{"t":"Потреби України у розмінуванні скоротилися на $5 млрд… – звіт RDNA4 (Ukraine's demining needs fell by $5 bn… - RDNA4)","p":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine","d":"2025-02-27","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Print/f9f18a5a-63c1-43d4-8fec-b4dcc721caba?lang=uk-UA"},{"t":"Ukraine: Funding for Mine Action","p":"Landmine Monitor (ICBL-CMC)","d":"2025-12-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://the-monitor.org/country-profile/ukraine/funding-for-mine-action"},{"t":"Ukraine: Contamination, Land Release & Risk Education","p":"Landmine Monitor (ICBL-CMC)","d":"2026-04-26","type":"ngo","u":"https://the-monitor.org/country-profile/ukraine/contamination-land-release-risk-education"},{"t":"Ukraine country profile summary","p":"Landmine Monitor (ICBL-CMC)","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://the-monitor.org/country-profile/ukraine"},{"t":"United States: Funding for Mine Action","p":"Landmine Monitor (ICBL-CMC)","d":"2025-11-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://the-monitor.org/country-profile/united-states/funding-for-mine-action"},{"t":"Ukraine: the world's biggest minefield","p":"Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), K. Nieczypor","d":"2023-11-22","type":"academic","u":"https://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/osw-commentary/2023-11-22/ukraine-worlds-biggest-minefield"},{"t":"Demining Ukraine: Outcomes from the 2025 Ukraine Mine Action Conference","p":"CSIS","d":"2025-10-28","type":"academic","u":"https://www.csis.org/analysis/demining-ukraine-outcomes-2025-ukraine-mine-action-conference"},{"t":"Yuliia Svyrydenko: 40,700 km² returned to use since the start of the full-scale invasion","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","d":"2026-04-04","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/yuliia-svyrydenko-z-pochatku-povnomasshtabnoho-vtorhnennia-ukraina-povernula-do-vykorystannia-40-700-km-iz-nykh-151-tys-ha-zemli-silskohospodarskoho-pryznachennia"},{"t":"Mine action results 2024: 17,000 km² returned to use","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","d":"2025-01-08","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/pidsumky-rozminuvannia-2024-sapery-povernuly-do-vykorystannia-17-tys-kv-km-zemel"},{"t":"Фермерам, які розміновуватимуть сільгоспземлі, уряд компенсуватиме 100% від вартості розмінування (Government to compensate 100% of demining cost for farmers)","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","d":"2024-09-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/fermeram-iaki-rozminovuvatymut-silhospzemli-uriad-kompensuvatyme-100-vid-vartosti-rozminuvannia"},{"t":"Agrarian committee on demining of agricultural land","p":"Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine press service","d":"2024-01-18","type":"official","u":"https://www.rada.gov.ua/en/news/News/245872.html"},{"t":"More than 144,000 sq km in Ukraine are considered potentially mined","p":"Espreso Global","d":"2024-07-01","type":"press","u":"https://global.espreso.tv/russia-ukraine-war-more-than-144000-sq-km-in-ukraine-are-considered-potentially-mined"},{"t":"20% of Ukraine's territory is mined","p":"Ukraine Media Center","d":"2026-04-02","type":"press","u":"https://mediacenter.org.ua/20-of-ukraine-s-territory-is-mined/"},{"t":"In northern Ukraine, more than 10,000 hectares of arable land damaged by war","p":"Interfax-Ukraine (citing FAO)","d":"2026-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1158093-amp.html"},{"t":"Гуманітарне розмінування: результати та події за жовтень (Humanitarian demining: October results)","p":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine","d":"2025-11-06","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Print/0d24126b-92ce-4e56-9858-77565a0726f9?lang=uk-UA"},{"t":"Results of humanitarian demining in December","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","d":"2026-01-07","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/minekonomiky-pidsumky-humanitarnoho-rozminuvannia-za-hruden"},{"t":"Підсумки гуманітарного розмінування за серпень (August demining results)","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","d":"2026-09-03","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/pidsumky-humanitarnoho-rozminuvannia-za-serpen-minekonomiky"},{"t":"Підсумки гуманітарного розмінування за вересень (September demining results)","p":"Ministry of Economy of Ukraine","d":"2026-10-12","type":"official","u":"https://me.gov.ua/News/Print/728ea3e8-d1ff-4bf1-afa3-3d84ccc580d7?lang=uk-UA"},{"t":"Ukraine clears 16,000 hectares","p":"LB.ua","d":"2026-07-03","type":"press","u":"https://en.lb.ua/news/2026/07/03/38502_ukraine_clears_16000_hectares.html"},{"t":"Auctions for the demining of private agricultural land announced for the first time","p":"UA.News","d":"2026-05-13","type":"press","u":"https://ua.news/en/ukraine/v-ukrayini-vpershe-ogolosili-auktsioni-na-rozminuvannia-privatnikh-silgospzemel"},{"t":"Ukraine demines over 1,300 hectares in September. Now, it has new plan to tackle 132,000 km²","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2026-10-05","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/?p=427360"},{"t":"Russian mines cost Ukraine $11 billion every year (interview with I. Bezkaravainyi, labelled advertorial)","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2026-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/05/20/ukraine-demining-bezkaravainyi-11-billion"},{"t":"Ukraine loses sappers due to suspension of funding by the US State Department - ASU","p":"UNN","d":"2025-02-14","type":"press","u":"https://unn.ua/en/news/ukraine-loses-sappers-due-to-suspension-of-funding-by-the-us-state-department-asu"},{"t":"Statement by the Spokesperson on the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action","p":"European External Action Service (EEAS)","d":"2026-04-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/statement-spokesperson-international-day-mine-awareness-and-assistance-mine-action_en"},{"t":"Demining Coalition to provide Ukraine with €205M worth of specialized equipment this year","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2026-06-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-society/4136006-demining-coalition-to-provide-ukraine-with-205m-worth-of-specialized-equipment-this-year.html"},{"t":"First winner of lithium deposit PSA tender selected (Dobra)","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine","d":"2026-01-12","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/upershe-v-ukraini-obrano-peremozhtsia-konkursu-na-rozrobku-rodovyshcha-z-litiiu-za-mekhanizmom-uhody-pro-rozpodil-produktsii-iuliia-svyrydenko"},{"t":"US-Ukraine reconstruction fund signs first critical minerals investment deal worth US$30 million","p":"Ukrainska Pravda (English)","d":"2026-10-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/10/03/8056248/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004141957/https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/10/03/8056248/"},{"t":"Liability insurance for mine action operators: conceptual principles and development challenges in Ukraine","p":"World of Finance No. 3(84), V. Horyn and V. Kyiko","d":"2025-10-25","type":"academic","u":"https://sf.wunu.edu.ua/index.php/wof/article/view/1847"},{"t":"Joint statement: Mine action and food security","p":"CEOBS (hosting joint statement)","d":"2024-04-29","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=10244"},{"t":"Ministry of Economy: Results of humanitarian demining in July","p":"Government of Ukraine","d":"2026-07","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/en/news/minekonomiky-pidsumky-humanitarnoho-rozminuvannia-za-lypen"},{"t":"Russia committed over 4,700 environmental crimes in Ukraine worth $64 billion","p":"Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights","d":"2024-10-02","u":"https://ombudsman.gov.ua/en/news_details/ombudsman-ukrayini-rosiya-skoyila-v-ukrayini-ponad-4700-ekologichnih-zlochiniv-na-64-mlrd-dolariv","type":"official"}],"related":["ukraine-farmland-demining-contracts-suspicion","ukraine-munition-soil-contamination","ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Size of the area contaminated with mines and explosive remnants of war","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Time needed to clear the contamination","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Cost of clearing a hectare","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Accounting Chamber performance audit of agricultural land demining: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: environmental conditions or demining requirements in the Cabinet's announcement of 12 January 2026 selecting Dobra Lithium Holdings JV for the Dobra lithium deposit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: land, demining or environmental conditions in the reported first URIF critical minerals deal (about USD 30 million with BGV Group); Ukrainska Pravda names rare earths, uranium, beryllium and zirconium as target minerals and gives no deposit locations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a compulsory insurance regime for deminers or mine action operators; a 2025 article in World of Finance (Horyn and Kyiko) treats liability insurance for mine action operators as a developing area and lists the lack of a statistical base, high policy costs, low willingness of communities and businesses to pay and reliance on reinsurance as barriers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation for farmer-funded demining carried out before 15 April 2024 (Accounting Chamber).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Ukraine's contributions to the state institutions responsible for humanitarian demining (Landmine Monitor).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: UAH 1.13 billion of international grant funding, which is not included in state reporting (Accounting Chamber).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: forest areas affected by mines and explosive remnants of war; the Deputy Minister's statement on forest losses gives no figures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the identification of hazardous areas is not completed; areas entered in the IMSMA database covered 546.3 km² as of 22 June 2025, against 139 thousand km² potentially mined (Accounting Chamber).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the size of the contaminated area; Ukrainian government figures, OSW and the Landmine Monitor differ.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: RDNA2 demining cost is given as almost USD 38 billion by OSW citing the World Bank and as almost USD 40 billion for explosive hazard management by Intellinews.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: RDNA5 is given as almost USD 28 billion for explosive hazard management and debris clearance in the World Bank press release of 23 February 2026, and as USD 27.6 billion for explosive hazards in a World Bank presentation reported by the KGGTF.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the relation between the Accounting Chamber's figures of UAH 532.36 million transferred to escrow accounts in 2024 and UAH 434.46 million transferred to the escrow accounts of 23 producers for 7.9278 thousand hectares in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the July 2026 figures of 43 contracts and 11,700 hectares are monthly or cumulative; the Ministry of Economy reported 175 contracts covering almost 34,000 hectares in total on 12 October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the monthly Ministry releases give contracted area, completed area and payments on different bases; 27,800 hectares in January 2026 is contracted area, against 19,966 hectares returned under 105 completed contracts reported on 3 September 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-farmland-demining-contracts-suspicion","title":"Suspicion notices over UAH 49.2 million in farmland demining contracts, Mykolaiv oblast","dek":"On 22 June 2026 Ukrainian investigators reported that six people had been notified of suspicion over humanitarian demining of agricultural land that, according to investigators, was not carried out. The damage to the state was stated as UAH 49.2 million; no court outcome is on record.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":47,"lon":32,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Mykolaiv oblast (the UAH 49.2 million episode)","lat":47,"lon":32,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kherson oblast","lat":46.6,"lon":32.6,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Chernihiv oblast","role":"affected"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kyiv (two private demining companies)","role":"company-home"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-06-22","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","finance","agriculture"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Damage to the state stated by investigators (budget money transferred for demining of farmland in Mykolaiv oblast)","value":"UAH 49.2 million","note":"Six people notified of suspicion on 22 June 2026; no court outcome on record."},"happened":["According to the Office of the Prosecutor General and the National Police, as reported by Finance.ua on 22 June 2026, contractors under agreements with the Humanitarian Demining Centre (HDC) were to clear agricultural fields in Kherson, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv oblasts. Investigators alleged that the work was in fact simulated and that false data were entered in documents. Finance.ua stated the total damage to the state as UAH 49.2 million, transferred from the budget for demining in Mykolaiv oblast.","Six people were notified of suspicion: the heads of two private demining companies based in Kyiv, three demining team leaders and the head of an agricultural enterprise who signed completion certificates. Under Ukrainian procedure a notice of suspicion is a formal step in a criminal proceeding and not a conviction. The company heads were notified under Part 5 of Article 191 (misappropriation, embezzlement or seizure of property through abuse of office), Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 366 (forgery in office) of the Criminal Code; the team leaders and the head of the agricultural enterprise were notified under Part 5 of Article 27 (aiding), Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 366.","The contracts date from 2024-2025. The Accounting Chamber's audit of August 2025 of agricultural land demining separately found no accounting violations under the Compensation Procedure and flagged risks to the reliability of records."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Contracts and tenders under agreements with the Humanitarian Demining Centre begin (2024-2025)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Accounting Chamber audit of agricultural land demining (26 Aug) finds no accounting violations under the Compensation Procedure and flags risks to the reliability of records","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Six people notified of suspicion (reported 22 Jun); damage to the state stated as UAH 49.2 million","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"the work was in fact simulated","who":"Investigators (Office of the Prosecutor General and National Police), as reported by Finance.ua","when":"22 June 2026","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"total damage to the state is 49.2 million hryvnias","who":"Investigators (Office of the Prosecutor General and National Police), as reported by Finance.ua","when":"22 June 2026","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"in fact no one checks the performance of the work","who":"Words recorded by investigators and attributed to the suspects, as reported by Finance.ua","when":"22 June 2026","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Law enforcement exposed fictitious demining of land worth almost 50 million hryvnias","who":"Finance.ua headline, reporting the Office of the Prosecutor General and the National Police","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Six people were notified of suspicion: two company heads, three demining team leaders and the head of an agricultural enterprise who signed completion certificates.","src":0},{"t":"The suspicion notices cite Part 5 of Article 191 and Part 2 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code, among other provisions.","src":0},{"t":"The Accounting Chamber's audit of August 2025 found no accounting violations under the Compensation Procedure and flagged risks to the reliability of records.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"2024-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Damage to the state stated by investigators (budget money transferred for demining in Mykolaiv oblast)","amount":49.2,"window":"2024-2026","note":"Stated by the Office of the Prosecutor General and the National Police, as reported by Finance.ua."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damage stated","v":"UAH 49.2 million","d":"Investigators, Mykolaiv oblast"},{"k":"People notified of suspicion","v":"6","d":"22 June 2026"},{"k":"Court outcome","v":"None on record","d":"As of 19 October 2026"}]},"unknown":["None on record: a court outcome; the six people were notified of suspicion and no trial or verdict is reported.","Not disclosed: the names of the two companies and of the six people.","None on record: a statement by the Humanitarian Demining Centre on the suspicion notices.","None on record: a statement by the suspects or the companies.","Not measured: the condition of the land named in the contracts; no survey result is reported.","Unclear: whether the Kherson and Chernihiv contracts carry amounts separate from the UAH 49.2 million stated for Mykolaiv oblast.","None on record: insurance cover or payment connected with the contracts."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"According to investigators, UAH 49.2 million was transferred from the state budget. None on record: recovery of the money.","statusLine":"As of 19 October 2026: six people had been notified of suspicion (22 June 2026); no court outcome is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Notified six people of suspicion"},{"id":"national-police-of-ukraine","role":"Investigated"},{"id":"humanitarian-demining-centre-ukraine","role":"Contracting body for the demining agreements"},{"id":"accounting-chamber-of-ukraine","role":"Audited agricultural land demining in 2025"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Pre-trial investigation into simulated demining of farmland","forum":"Office of the Prosecutor General and National Police (pre-trial investigation)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Office of the Prosecutor General","defendant":"Six people notified of suspicion: heads of two private demining companies, three demining team leaders and the head of an agricultural enterprise (not named)","filed":2026,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":49.2,"currency":"UAH","label":"damage to the state stated by investigators"},"summary":"On 22 June 2026 six people were notified of suspicion. The company heads were notified under Part 5 of Article 191 (misappropriation, embezzlement or seizure of property through abuse of office), Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 366 (forgery in office) of the Criminal Code; the team leaders and the head of the agricultural enterprise under Part 5 of Article 27 (aiding), Part 5 of Article 191, Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 366. The proceeding is at the pre-trial stage.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"alleged_damage_uah_m","value":49.2,"unit":"UAH million","year":2026,"note":"Damage to the state stated by investigators; Mykolaiv oblast."},{"key":"suspects_notified","value":6,"unit":"people","year":2026,"note":"Two company heads, three team leaders, one head of an agricultural enterprise; notified of suspicion, not convicted."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Six people were notified of suspicion over humanitarian demining of farmland that, according to investigators, was simulated, with UAH 49.2 million transferred from the budget.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Contractors under the HDC agreements","what":"According to investigators, received budget money for work that was in fact simulated","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"The state budget","what":"UAH 49.2 million stated as damage to the state","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Agricultural land in Kherson, Chernihiv and Mykolaiv oblasts; the UAH 49.2 million is stated for Mykolaiv oblast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Contracts and tenders in 2024-2025; suspicion notices reported on 22 June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"According to investigators, contractors under agreements with the Humanitarian Demining Centre were to clear fields, the work was in fact simulated, false data were entered in documents and the head of an agricultural enterprise signed completion certificates.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Правоохоронці викрили фіктивне розмінування земель на майже 50 мільйонів гривень (Law enforcement exposed fictitious demining of land worth almost 50 million hryvnias)","p":"Finance.ua","d":"2026-06-22","type":"press","u":"https://news.finance.ua/ua/pravoohoronci-vykryly-fiktyvne-rozminuvannya-zemel-na-mayzhe-50-mil-yoniv-hryven"},{"t":"Six company leaders charged for fake demining contracts","p":"MOST (Kherson)","d":"2026-06-22","type":"press","u":"https://most.ks.ua/en/news/url/pidprijemstva-jaki-mali-rozminovuvati-hersonschinu-potrapili-u-koruptsijnij-skandal-na-49-miljoniv-griven/"},{"t":"Звіт про результати аудиту «Гуманітарне розмінування земель сільськогосподарського призначення в Україні: відновлення безпеки та сільськогосподарського виробництва» (Audit report 'Humanitarian demining of agricultural land in Ukraine: restoring safety and agricultural production')","p":"Accounting Chamber of Ukraine","d":"2025-08-26","type":"official","u":"https://rp.gov.ua/upload-files/Activity/Collegium/2025/21-2_2025/Zvit_21-2_2025.pdf"}],"related":["ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund","ukraine-munition-soil-contamination","ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court outcome; the six people were notified of suspicion and no trial or verdict is reported.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the names of the two companies and of the six people.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement by the Humanitarian Demining Centre on the suspicion notices.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement by the suspects or the companies.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the condition of the land named in the contracts; no survey result is reported.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the Kherson and Chernihiv contracts carry amounts separate from the UAH 49.2 million stated for Mykolaiv oblast.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payment connected with the contracts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ukraine-munition-soil-contamination","title":"Munition residues and war damage in Ukrainian soils: measurements and state damage assessments","dek":"Peer-reviewed studies of soils in Kharkiv and Kirovohrad oblasts and a screening of frontline and urban areas measured heavy metals and explosive residues at impact sites, and Ukraine's State Ecological Inspectorate assessed soil damage at almost UAH 20 billion for pollution and over UAH 1,169 billion for littering of land resources.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":49.9,"lon":36.3,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kharkiv oblast (north-east)","lat":49.9,"lon":36.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kirovohrad oblast (Shahed-136 strike site)","role":"affected"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Frontline and urban areas (screening, 2022-2025)","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","chemical-pollution","agriculture"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment of damage for littering of land resources, 24 February 2022 - 31 December 2024","value":"over UAH 1,169 billion","note":"A further almost UAH 20 billion was assessed for soil pollution, under Ministry of Environment Order No. 167 of 4 April 2022; cited by the Accounting Chamber."},"happened":["Researchers from the NGO Ukrainian Researchers Society, the Institute of Geography of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute (Bonchkovskyi and colleagues) used WorldView and GeoEye imagery to identify 420,615 craters and 3,411 hectares of soils impacted by heavy military vehicles in the Kharkiv region, and 4,212 hectares of soil 'bombturbation'. Their paper in Science of the Total Environment (first published 23 January 2025) reported that all sampled craters showed enrichment in heavy metals, especially cadmium, copper, lead and zinc, but that concentrations were predominantly only 1.1-1.5 times the background value and almost did not exceed Ukrainian threshold limit values; helicopter-crash sites and fresh missile sites showed critical contamination with heavy metals. The paper stated that the environmental effect of landmines and unexploded ordnance remained unclear in Ukraine.","Kovrov and colleagues (Dnipro University of Technology, Lutsk National Technical University and the Czech Academy of Sciences) studied soil on agricultural land hit by a Shahed-136 drone in Kirovohrad (Kirovograd) region. Their paper in Sustainable Environment (18 January 2026) reported X-ray fluorescence readings in crater-bottom soils of lead exceeding 3%, cadmium reaching 0.1% and detectable thallium, bismuth, palladium and iridium, elevated chlorine and bromine in lateral soils consistent with explosive residues, and strong growth suppression in plant biotests with Lepidium sativum and Brassica napus.","Dziubii, Semerád, Chrzanowski and Cajthaml (Charles University, the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Poznań University of Technology) published a review and preliminary screening in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances (August 2026). Soil screening from frontline and urban areas of Ukraine in 2022-2025 revealed extreme spatial variability of TNT, RDX, HMX and aminodinitrotoluenes (ADNTs), with specific samples exceeding human-health risk-based screening levels; transformation products remained largely unmonitored.","FAO, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine on 9 April 2026, counted more than 10,000 hectares of damaged arable soil and over 1.09 million craters in fields in four northern oblasts, from analysis of 1.13 million cultivated plots; the soil study was to extend to seven regions. In a joint statement hosted by CEOBS on 29 April 2024, HALO Trust initial crater soil sampling in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv fields and FAO soil sampling on land cleared by FSD were mentioned, and no results were published.","The State Ecological Inspectorate assessed damage between 24 February 2022 and 31 December 2024 at almost UAH 20 billion for soil pollution and over UAH 1,169 billion for littering of land resources, calculated under Ministry of Environment Order No. 167 of 4 April 2022; the Accounting Chamber's key facts give UAH 1,189.6 billion of losses from littering and pollution of soils."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Sampling period begins; Ministry of Environment Order No. 167 on the damage calculation methodology (4 Apr)","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"CEOBS-hosted joint statement (29 Apr): no results published from HALO Trust crater sampling or FAO sampling on cleared land; State Ecological Inspectorate assessment period ends (31 Dec)","src":5},{"y":2025,"t":"Bonchkovskyi et al. published in Science of the Total Environment (23 Jan); Accounting Chamber audit cites the Inspectorate's assessments (26 Aug)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Kovrov et al. on a Shahed-136 strike site (18 Jan); FAO reports on damaged soil in four northern oblasts (9 Apr); Dziubii et al. review (Aug)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"all sampled craters showed enrichment in heavy metals, especially cadmium, copper, lead and zinc. However, their concentration is predominantly only 1.1-1.5 times more than background value and almost does not exceed threshold limit values in Ukraine","who":"Bonchkovskyi et al., Science of the Total Environment","when":"January 2025","src":0},{"q":"Pb exceeding 3%, Cd reaching 0.1% and detectable Tl, Bi, Pd, and Ir","who":"Kovrov et al., Sustainable Environment, on crater-bottom soils","when":"18 January 2026","src":1},{"q":"revealed extreme spatial variability of TNT, RDX, HMX, and ADNTs, with specific samples exceeding human-health risk-based screening levels","who":"Dziubii et al., Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances","when":"August 2026","src":2},{"q":"Such data helps us understand which areas require priority attention.","who":"FAO, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine","when":"9 April 2026","src":4}],"shown":[{"t":"Damage to soil assessed at almost UAH 20 billion for pollution and over UAH 1,169 billion for littering of land resources","who":"State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine, as cited by the Accounting Chamber","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Bonchkovskyi et al. reported that the environmental effect of landmines and unexploded ordnance remained unclear in Ukraine.","src":0},{"t":"Dziubii et al. reported that transformation products of explosives remained largely unmonitored and that mixture toxicity was not very well described.","src":2},{"t":"A draft national mine action standard on environment and mine action was awaiting formal adoption as of April 2024 (CEOBS-hosted statement).","src":5},{"t":"The Accounting Chamber cited the State Ecological Inspectorate's assessments for 24 February 2022 - 31 December 2024.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"24 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2024","nature":[{"label":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment, soil pollution","amount":20000,"qualifier":"almost","est":true,"window":"2022-2024","note":"Calculated under Ministry of Environment Order No. 167 of 4 April 2022."},{"label":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment, littering of land resources","amount":1169000,"qualifier":"over","est":true,"window":"2022-2024","note":"The Accounting Chamber's key facts give UAH 1,189.6 billion of losses from littering and pollution of soils."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Craters, Kharkiv region","v":"420,615","d":"Satellite imagery; 3,411 ha of soils impacted by heavy military vehicles (Bonchkovskyi et al., 2025)"},{"k":"Heavy metals in sampled craters","v":"1.1-1.5 times background","d":"Predominantly; cadmium, copper, lead and zinc; helicopter-crash and fresh missile sites critical"},{"k":"Damaged arable soil, four northern oblasts","v":"More than 10,000 ha","d":"FAO, to 1 April 2026; over 1.09 million craters in fields"},{"k":"Damage to soil assessed by the State","v":"Over UAH 1,169 billion","d":"Littering of land resources, 2022-2024"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Peer-reviewed studies and FAO recorded craters, heavy-metal enrichment and explosive residues in war-affected soils.","report":[{"t":"Imagery identified 420,615 craters and 3,411 hectares of soils impacted by heavy military vehicles in my Kharkiv region, and 4,212 hectares of 'bombturbation', according to Bonchkovskyi et al. (2025).","src":0},{"t":"All sampled craters in my Kharkiv soils showed enrichment in heavy metals, predominantly 1.1-1.5 times the background value; helicopter-crash and fresh missile sites showed critical contamination, according to Bonchkovskyi et al. (2025).","src":0},{"t":"At a Shahed-136 strike site on my agricultural land in Kirovohrad region, crater-bottom soils held lead exceeding 3% and cadmium reaching 0.1%, and plant growth was strongly suppressed in biotests, according to Kovrov et al. (2026).","src":1},{"t":"Screening of my frontline and urban soils in 2022-2025 found extreme spatial variability of TNT, RDX, HMX and ADNTs, with specific samples above human-health risk-based screening levels, according to Dziubii et al. (2026).","src":2},{"t":"FAO counted over 1.09 million craters in my fields and more than 10,000 hectares of damaged arable soil in four northern oblasts, to 1 April 2026.","src":4}]},"unknown":["None on record: a court ruling on soil contamination by munitions in Ukraine.","None on record: a remediation budget for munition-contaminated agricultural soils.","Not disclosed: results of HALO Trust crater soil sampling in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv fields and of FAO soil sampling on land cleared by FSD; the CEOBS-hosted joint statement of 29 April 2024 records that none had been published.","Insufficient: the environmental effect of landmines and unexploded ordnance remained unclear in Ukraine (Bonchkovskyi et al., 2025).","Insufficient: transformation products of military explosives remained largely unmonitored and mixture toxicity was not very well described (Dziubii et al., 2026).","Unclear: whether Ukraine's draft national mine action standard on environment and mine action, awaiting formal adoption in April 2024, has been adopted.","None on record: insurance cover or payment for munition-contaminated soils."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record: remediation funding. The State Ecological Inspectorate's figures are assessments of damage.","statusLine":"As of August 2026: three peer-reviewed papers (January 2025 - August 2026) and FAO measurements reported contamination at impact sites; no court ruling and no remediation budget are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"ukraine-state-environmental-inspectorate","role":"Assessed soil damage under Order No. 167"},{"id":"ukraine-environment-ministry","role":"Issued the damage calculation methodology (Order No. 167)"},{"id":"accounting-chamber-of-ukraine","role":"Cited the Inspectorate's assessments in its 2025 audit"},{"id":"fao","role":"Satellite and soil analysis of damaged arable land"},{"id":"halo-trust","role":"Initial crater soil sampling in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv fields"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Hosted the April 2024 joint statement on mine action and food security"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Extent of heavy-metal contamination at impact sites","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Bonchkovskyi et al. (Kharkiv region, 2025)","says":"All sampled craters were enriched in heavy metals, predominantly 1.1-1.5 times background and almost never above Ukrainian threshold limit values; helicopter-crash and fresh missile sites showed critical contamination.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Kovrov et al. (Kirovohrad region, 2026)","says":"Crater-bottom soils at a Shahed-136 strike site held lead exceeding 3% and cadmium reaching 0.1%.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Dziubii et al. (2026)","says":"Explosive residues showed extreme spatial variability, with specific samples exceeding human-health risk-based screening levels.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"craters","value":420615,"unit":"craters","year":2025,"note":"Kharkiv region, WorldView/GeoEye imagery (Bonchkovskyi et al.)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":3411,"unit":"ha of soils impacted by heavy military vehicles","year":2025,"note":"Kharkiv region (Bonchkovskyi et al.)."},{"key":"bombturbation_ha","value":4212,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Kharkiv region (Bonchkovskyi et al.)."},{"key":"heavy_metal_enrichment_ratio","value":1.5,"unit":"times background","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to, predominantly 1.1-1.5","note":"Cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in sampled craters (Bonchkovskyi et al.)."},{"key":"lead_in_crater_soil_pct","value":3,"unit":"%","year":2026,"qualifier":"exceeding","note":"X-ray fluorescence, crater-bottom soils at a Shahed-136 strike site; cadmium reaching 0.1% (Kovrov et al.)."},{"key":"craters_in_fields","value":1090000,"unit":"craters","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"FAO, four northern oblasts, to 1 April 2026."},{"key":"area_ha","value":10000,"unit":"ha of damaged arable soil","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"FAO, four northern oblasts."},{"key":"area_mapped_km2","value":54000,"unit":"km²","year":2026,"qualifier":"over","note":"War-affected area mapped as of 1 April 2026; 1.13 million cultivated plots analysed (FAO)."},{"key":"claim","value":20000,"unit":"UAH million","year":2024,"qualifier":"almost","note":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment, soil pollution, 24 Feb 2022 - 31 Dec 2024."},{"key":"claim","value":1169000,"unit":"UAH million","year":2024,"qualifier":"over","note":"State Ecological Inspectorate assessment, littering of land resources; Accounting Chamber key facts give UAH 1,189.6 billion for littering and pollution of soils."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Peer-reviewed studies and FAO measured heavy metals and explosive residues in craters and impact sites in war-affected Ukrainian soils, and the State Ecological Inspectorate assessed soil damage in hryvnias.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Agricultural land in Kharkiv and Kirovohrad oblasts","what":"Craters, heavy-metal enrichment and explosive residues; plant growth suppressed in biotests at the Shahed-136 site","src":1},{"who":"Arable soil in four northern oblasts","what":"More than 10,000 hectares damaged and over 1.09 million craters in fields (FAO)","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Kharkiv oblast (north-east), Kirovohrad oblast (Shahed-136 strike site), frontline and urban areas (screening), four northern oblasts (Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy and Chernihiv) for FAO.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sampling in 2022-2025; publications from January 2025 to August 2026; state assessment period 24 February 2022 - 31 December 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Impacts of munitions, military vehicles and a drone strike; heavy metals and explosive compounds entering soil at craters and impact sites.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"War-induced soil disturbances in north-eastern Ukraine (Kharkiv region)","p":"Science of the Total Environment, O. Bonchkovskyi et al.","d":"2025-01-23","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178594"},{"t":"Ecological assessment of soil quality affected by the Shahed-136 drone strike: Case study in Kirovograd region, Ukraine","p":"Sustainable Environment, O. Kovrov et al.","d":"2026-01-18","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2026.2615531"},{"t":"Soil contamination by military explosives: a review of environmental fate, toxicity, and preliminary findings from war-affected Ukraine","p":"Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, O. Dziubii et al.","d":"2026-08","type":"academic","u":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101472"},{"t":"Звіт про результати аудиту «Гуманітарне розмінування земель сільськогосподарського призначення в Україні: відновлення безпеки та сільськогосподарського виробництва» (Audit report 'Humanitarian demining of agricultural land in Ukraine: restoring safety and agricultural production')","p":"Accounting Chamber of Ukraine","d":"2025-08-26","type":"official","u":"https://rp.gov.ua/upload-files/Activity/Collegium/2025/21-2_2025/Zvit_21-2_2025.pdf"},{"t":"In northern Ukraine, more than 10,000 hectares of arable land damaged by war","p":"Interfax-Ukraine (citing FAO)","d":"2026-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1158093-amp.html"},{"t":"Joint statement: Mine action and food security","p":"CEOBS (hosting joint statement)","d":"2024-04-29","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=10244"}],"related":["ukraine-demining-market-and-us-ukraine-minerals-fund","ukraine-farmland-demining-contracts-suspicion","ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count"],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Extent of heavy-metal contamination at impact sites","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling on soil contamination by munitions in Ukraine.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a remediation budget for munition-contaminated agricultural soils.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: results of HALO Trust crater soil sampling in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv fields and of FAO soil sampling on land cleared by FSD; the CEOBS-hosted joint statement of 29 April 2024 records that none had been published.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the environmental effect of landmines and unexploded ordnance remained unclear in Ukraine (Bonchkovskyi et al., 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: transformation products of military explosives remained largely unmonitored and mixture toxicity was not very well described (Dziubii et al., 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether Ukraine's draft national mine action standard on environment and mine action, awaiting formal adoption in April 2024, has been adopted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance cover or payment for munition-contaminated soils.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"black-sea-cetacean-deaths-war","title":"Black Sea dolphin and porpoise deaths since 2022","dek":"Monitoring networks counted hundreds of dead dolphins and porpoises on Black Sea coasts in 2022, and published estimates of total deaths range from 37,500 to about 100,000, depending on the method. Ukrainian, Turkish, Bulgarian and Russian-side specialists give different causes.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":45.9,"lon":30.1,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Odesa Oblast (Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park)","lat":45.9,"lon":30.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","admin":"Danube Delta","role":"affected"},{"country":"Bulgaria","iso2":"BG","role":"affected"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Western Black Sea coast","role":"affected"},{"country":"Georgia","iso2":"GE","role":"affected"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":"Krasnodar Krai and Russian-controlled Crimea","role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","water"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated cetacean deaths, 27 Apr–31 Jul 2022 (peer-reviewed estimate)","value":"37,500–48,000","note":"Estimate. Biology Letters, April 2023; the authors call it a “rough and conservative estimation”. Carcasses counted on coasts in 2022: about 600 (ACCOBAMS) to 914 (CEOBS)."},"happened":["After the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, more dead dolphins and porpoises than usual washed ashore around the western and northern Black Sea. The Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TÜDAV) reported on 26 March 2022 more than 80 dead common dolphins on Türkiye's western Black Sea coast since the last week of February. Russian-side stranding centres reported high counts too: the “Bezmyatezhnoe More” centre in Sevastopol recorded 282 dead and 41 live-stranded animals from the start of 2022 to early June, and the “Delfa” centre in Sochi recorded more than 400 dead and 50 live in five months, against about 350 cases in all of 2021 (Meduza, 5 June 2022).","Counts of carcasses and estimates of total deaths differ by method. The ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee report of April 2023 gave “more than 600 deaths” observed in 2022 on the coasts of Bulgaria, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine. Karina Vishnyakova of the Ukrainian Scientific Centre of Ecology of the Sea told Mongabay (December 2022) of about 900 confirmed stranded marine mammals across the four countries, “surely an undercount”. CEOBS (December 2025) gave 914 deaths in the western Black Sea in February–December 2022, 125 of them on Ukraine's coast, and a mortality “2.2 times greater” than in 2019–2021. Extrapolations are far larger: Ivan Rusev of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park said in October 2022 that more than 50,000 dolphins had died, scaling the count of about 2,500 carcasses on the assumption that 5% of dead dolphins wash ashore; a Biology Letters paper (Węgrzyn, Rusev and colleagues, published 5 April 2023) estimated 37,500–48,000 deaths between 27 April and 31 July 2022; and the park said on 1 July 2026 that about 100,000 cetaceans of three species may have died in the Black and Azov Seas since the full-scale invasion, without stating a method.","Causes are proposed differently by each source. Rusev said the carcasses he examined were outwardly intact and without net marks and attributed the deaths to military sonar, mines and explosions. The Biology Letters authors discussed blast wounds, micro-lesions in the melon of some dolphins that they link to sonar exposure, starvation and hypothermia, morbillivirus confirmed by PCR in 2 of 6 dolphins, and decompression sickness, and ruled out fishing because, in their words, fishing “has completely ceased since the war started”. TÜDAV said the animals it examined had drowned in nets and listed military activity in the north among possible drivers. The ACCOBAMS report of 2023 stated that blast injury, displacement and stress, fisheries interaction, infection, habitat degradation or a combination “all remain at the level of hypotheses”. Russian-side specialists named an outbreak of morbillivirus (Irina Suvorova), an epizootic and fishing (Tatyana Beley), or said nothing abnormal was happening (Irina Logominova of the Karadag Station). CEOBS wrote in December 2025 that post-mortem results from European laboratories “have not been made public” and that “the dominant hypothesis is that marine warfare was to blame”.","The breach of the Kakhovka dam in June 2023 was named as a further pathway. Viktor Komorin of the Ukrainian Scientific Center for Marine Ecology reported copper and zinc well above typical levels, plus arsenic and chlorine compounds, in samples; Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said on 20 June 2023 that over 150 official cases of dolphin deaths had been recorded on the Bulgarian and Turkish coasts. CEOBS (2025) wrote that contaminants in grey mullet “significantly exceeded EU maximum permissible concentrations” after the floods, and listed other pressures: Danube Delta shipping traffic up 600% in 2023, Kerch Bridge fortifications and noise, bycatch in Turkish waters and drifting mines. CEOBS also stated that the December 2024 Kerch Strait spill from two fleet support vessels caused cetacean deaths.","Access for monitoring is restricted: Rusev said in July 2022 that only 3–5% of the coast could be monitored compared with before the war. The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office opened an inquiry into the deaths in July 2022 as possible ecocide under Ukrainian law, according to Mongabay; no charge or outcome is on record. In December 2022 the parties to ACCOBAMS adopted Resolutions 8.12 and 8.17, and in December 2024 the Scientific Committee recommended a post-war recovery plan. No sum has been assigned to the cetacean deaths."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Unusual strandings from late February; TÜDAV reports more than 80 deaths (26 Mar); Rusev says 3–5% of the coast can be monitored (July); Odesa prosecutors open an inquiry (July); Rusev's 50,000 estimate (21 Oct); ACCOBAMS MOP8 adopts Resolutions 8.12 and 8.17 (December); President Zelenskyy raises ecocide at CBD COP15 (7 Dec)","src":5},{"y":2023,"t":"Biology Letters estimate of 37,500–48,000 deaths (5 Apr); ACCOBAMS SC15 report (20 Apr); Kakhovka dam breach in June; Yermak cites over 150 dolphin deaths on Bulgarian and Turkish coasts (20 Jun); 31 dead dolphins found in Ukraine by 4 Sep against 110 at the same point in 2022","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee recommends a post-war recovery plan (December)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Tuzly Lagoons park records 56 dead dolphins in June and says about 100,000 cetaceans may have died since February 2022 (1 July)","src":7}],"said":[{"q":"It means that they died due to the influence of military sonars.","who":"Ivan Rusev, Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park, on carcasses without net marks","when":"October 2022","src":5},{"q":"Such a number of shellshocked animals in the history of the Black Sea cetaceans has not yet been recorded","who":"Ivan Rusev, Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park","when":"December 2022","src":4},{"q":"With a high degree of probability, we are observing an outbreak of morbillivirus","who":"Irina Suvorova, veterinarian, “Bezmyatezhnoe More” centre, Crimea","when":"27 June 2022","src":10,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"We cannot say this is some sort of acute, widespread infection","who":"Irina Logominova, Karadag Station","when":"June 2022","src":11,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"fishing in the Black Sea has completely ceased since the war started","who":"Biology Letters authors (Węgrzyn, Rusev and others)","when":"5 April 2023","src":1},{"q":"For now, blast injury, displacement and stress, interaction with fisheries, infection outbreak, habitat degradation due to military actions, or a combination of these factors all remain at the level of hypotheses.","who":"ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee, SC15 report","when":"20 April 2023","src":0},{"q":"intense ship noise and low-frequency sonar are a serious threat. especially to dolphins","who":"TÜDAV (Turkish Marine Research Foundation)","when":"13 April 2022","src":9,"translated":"Turkish"},{"q":"the dominant hypothesis is that marine warfare was to blame","who":"CEOBS (Conflict and Environment Observatory)","when":"December 2025","src":3},{"q":"Over 150 official cases have been recorded","who":"Andriy Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, on dolphin deaths on the Bulgarian and Turkish coasts after the Kakhovka dam breach","when":"20 June 2023","src":13},{"q":"Above all, Ukrainian and regional experts need the financial resources to support these activities","who":"CEOBS, on the proposed recovery-plan research","when":"December 2025","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"“Tens of thousands of dolphins died in the Black Sea waters as a result of war” (headline of the Mediacenter Ukraine report on Rusev's briefing)","who":"Mediacenter Ukraine, 21 October 2022","src":5},{"t":"“56 dead dolphins found in one month” (headline of the Korabelov.info report on the park's June 2026 count)","who":"Korabelov.info, 1 July 2026","src":7}],"recorded":[{"t":"All three Black Sea cetacean subspecies are affected: harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena relicta), short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis ponticus) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus ponticus). CEOBS put the 2022 mortality in the western Black Sea at 59% harbour porpoise, 26% common dolphin and 10% bottlenose dolphin.","src":3},{"t":"Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park recorded 44 carcasses from the start of hostilities to the end of July 2022, against 3 in the same period before the war.","src":5},{"t":"In the Biology Letters paper, Tuzly Lagoons recorded 32 dead or nearly dead animals over 44 km (0.7 per km) between 27 April and 31 July 2022, against a 2015–2021 May–July peacetime average of 0.05 per km, a 14-fold increase.","src":1},{"t":"The Biology Letters paper extrapolates from about 2,500 carcasses in online and social-media reports to about 3,000 beached carcasses on 5,800 km of coast, then divides by an assumed carcass recovery rate of 6.2–8%. It puts the estimate at “one-sixth to one-fifth” of a population of about 253,000 (ACCOBAMS 2021). The authors state that citizen-science data “may be not as precise as traditional scientific approaches”, that reports of “many” carcasses were counted as 10, and that the validation site covers only 44 km.","src":1},{"t":"The harbour porpoise population was estimated at 90,970 in 2019.","src":2},{"t":"Over 1,000 km of coast was inaccessible because of hostilities or occupation, according to Rubryka's report of July 2022.","src":6},{"t":"ACCOBAMS SC15 report: Bulgarian surveys (Green Balkans, OceanCare-supported) found the highest porpoise and bottlenose abundance in spring 2022, with a “working hypothesis” of displacement by the war and noise in the northern Black Sea; the Bulgarian turbot-fishery bycatch peaked in spring 2022; in Georgia about 20 of 25 strandings were bycatch; boat surveys were hindered by the danger of drifting mines.","src":0},{"t":"Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Romania): up to 30 dead dolphins on one Sulina beach on 9 May 2022 and more than 100 unreported strandings in the Romanian Danube Delta, as reported by Mongabay.","src":4},{"t":"Ukrainian monitoring (UkrSCES) found 31 dead dolphins in Ukraine as of 4 September 2023, against 110 at the same point in 2022.","src":12},{"t":"Pavel Gol'din of the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) performed necropsies, found haemorrhaging and tissue damage in echolocation organs and sent samples to European laboratories.","src":4},{"t":"After the Kakhovka breach, autopsies of two porpoises ruled out fishing gear, fungal infections, injuries and wounds; Gol'din said: “We don't yet understand the reason for this”.","src":12},{"t":"CEOBS stated that contaminants in grey mullet “significantly exceeded EU maximum permissible concentrations” after the Kakhovka floods, and that the December 2024 Kerch Strait spill from two fleet support vessels caused cetacean deaths.","src":3},{"t":"The State Environmental Inspectorate (South-Western District) put damage to the Odesa region's marine environment from the war at more than UAH 23 billion, without a breakdown or method.","src":14}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Not specific to cetaceans","nature":[{"label":"Damage to the Odesa region's marine environment from the war, all incidents (State Environmental Inspectorate, South-Western District, June 2026)","amount":23000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2022 to June 2026","note":"No breakdown and no method published; not a cetacean-specific figure. No sum is assigned to the cetacean deaths."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Counted on coasts, 2022","v":"~600–914","d":"ACCOBAMS (more than 600) and CEOBS (914)"},{"k":"Estimated deaths, Apr–Jul 2022","v":"37,500–48,000","d":"Biology Letters, April 2023"},{"k":"Mortality vs 2019–21","v":"2.2×","d":"Western Black Sea, February–December 2022 (CEOBS)"},{"k":"Post-mortem results","v":"Not public","d":"As of December 2025 (CEOBS)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Stranding counts by national networks, a peer-reviewed estimate and an NGO summary of 2022 mortality.","report":[{"t":"In 2022 more of my dolphins and porpoises washed ashore on my western and northern coasts than in 2019–2021: 914 deaths in the western Black Sea, 125 of them on Ukraine's coast, 2.2 times the earlier level, according to CEOBS.","src":3},{"t":"Between 27 April and 31 July 2022, 37,500–48,000 of my cetaceans were estimated to have died, according to a peer-reviewed paper; the authors call this a rough and conservative estimation.","src":1},{"t":"At Tuzly Lagoons my shore held 0.7 dead or nearly dead animals per km in spring and summer 2022, against 0.05 per km in the same months of 2015–2021, according to the paper.","src":1},{"t":"My harbour porpoise population was estimated at 90,970 in 2019.","src":2},{"t":"In June 2026 the Tuzly Lagoons park physically recorded 56 dead dolphins on my shore in one month.","src":7}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: Post-mortem results from the European laboratories that received samples from the necropsies had not been made public as of December 2025 (CEOBS).","Unclear: The cause of the 2022 deaths. The ACCOBAMS report of 2023 lists blast injury, displacement and stress, fisheries interaction, infection outbreak and habitat degradation as hypotheses.","Not disclosed: The method behind the park's July 2026 figure of about 100,000 cetacean deaths.","Figures differ: About 600 (ACCOBAMS) and 914 (CEOBS) deaths counted in 2022, against 37,500–48,000 (Biology Letters) and more than 50,000 (Rusev) estimated; the gap comes from the assumed share of dead animals that wash ashore (5% in Rusev's calculation; 6.2–8% in the paper).","Insufficient: The Mediacenter Ukraine report on the 50,000 estimate states that no data from the Russian side were available.","None on record: A charge or outcome from the Odesa prosecutors' inquiry.","None on record: A monetary valuation of the cetacean deaths."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Deaths were still being recorded in June 2026: Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park counted 56 dead dolphins that month.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the Tuzly Lagoons park reported 56 dead dolphins for June 2026; post-mortem results were not public as of December 2025 and no outcome of the Odesa prosecutors' inquiry is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office","says":"Did not respond to Mongabay's request about its inquiry.","when":"December 2022","src":4,"silent":true},{"actor":"Russia (delegate Rebrikov at CBD COP15)","says":"Said the allegations of ecocide were “outside the scope” of the meeting.","when":"7 December 2022","src":4},{"actor":"TÜDAV (Türkiye)","says":"The animals it examined had drowned in nets; why they gathered in the area and why entanglements rose was “not yet clear”, and it listed climate, unusual ship traffic, fish migration and intense underwater and surface military activity in the north among possible drivers.","when":"26 March 2022","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"ceobs","role":"Published 2022 mortality summary; states post-mortem results not public"},{"id":"accobams","role":"Regional report on cetacean deaths; Resolutions 8.12 and 8.17"},{"id":"tudav","role":"Reported strandings and drowning in nets on Türkiye's coast"},{"id":"tuzly-lagoons-np","role":"Monitoring site and source of the 50,000 and 100,000 estimates"},{"id":"odesa-regional-prosecutor","role":"Opened an inquiry into the deaths in July 2022"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Cause of the 2022 cetacean deaths","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivan Rusev, Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park","says":"Carcasses were outwardly intact and without net marks; he attributed the deaths to military sonar, mines and explosions, with infection killing weakened animals.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Biology Letters authors (Węgrzyn, Rusev and others)","says":"Discuss blast wounds, sonar-linked micro-lesions, starvation and hypothermia, morbillivirus (PCR-confirmed in 2 of 6 dolphins) and decompression sickness; rule out fishing because it had ceased and carcasses lacked net marks.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"TÜDAV (Türkiye)","says":"The animals examined on the western Black Sea coast drowned in nets; the reason for the entanglements was not yet clear, and intense military activity in the north was among possible drivers.","src":8},{"voice":"international","holder":"ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee","says":"Blast injury, displacement and stress, interaction with fisheries, infection outbreak, habitat degradation, or a combination, all remain at the level of hypotheses.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Irina Suvorova, “Bezmyatezhnoe More” centre, Crimea","says":"With a high degree of probability an outbreak of morbillivirus; she saw no signs of concussion and noted deaths also on the Krasnodar and Abkhazia coasts, where there was no fighting.","src":10},{"voice":"research","holder":"Tatyana Beley, “Delfa” centre, Sochi","says":"Named a probable epizootic and also fishing.","src":11},{"voice":"research","holder":"Irina Logominova, Karadag Station","says":"Nothing abnormal was happening; “We cannot say this is some sort of acute, widespread infection”.","src":11},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Green Balkans (Bulgaria), Dimitar Popov","says":"“Increased noise levels as a result of the war could have led to displacement of cetaceans to the south”.","src":4}]},{"point":"Scale of the 2022 deaths","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee","says":"More than 600 deaths observed in 2022 on the coasts of Bulgaria, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine, compiled from national reports and stranding networks.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CEOBS","says":"914 deaths in the western Black Sea in February–December 2022, 125 on Ukraine's coast.","src":3},{"voice":"research","holder":"Biology Letters authors","says":"37,500–48,000 deaths between 27 April and 31 July 2022, from social-media carcass reports and an assumed recovery rate of 6.2–8%.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivan Rusev, Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park","says":"More than 50,000 dolphins died in 2022, assuming 5% of dead dolphins wash ashore.","src":5},{"voice":"research","holder":"Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park","says":"About 100,000 cetaceans of three species may have died in the Black and Azov Seas since February 2022; no method stated.","src":7}]},{"point":"Fishing as a cause of death","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"TÜDAV (Türkiye)","says":"Animals examined on Türkiye's western Black Sea coast in March 2022 drowned in fishing nets.","src":8},{"voice":"research","holder":"Biology Letters authors","says":"Fishing in the Black Sea had completely ceased since the war started and carcasses lacked net marks.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"ACCOBAMS SC15 report","says":"In Georgia about 20 of 25 strandings were bycatch; Bulgarian turbot-fishery bycatch peaked in spring 2022.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office inquiry into cetacean deaths","forum":"Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office (pre-trial inquiry)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office","defendant":"None named","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Mongabay reported in December 2022 that the office had launched an inquiry in July 2022 into the deaths as possible ecocide under Ukrainian law, with the necropsies as part of it. The office did not respond to Mongabay. No charge or outcome is on record.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":80,"unit":"dolphins (common dolphin)","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"TÜDAV, western Black Sea coast of Türkiye, Ormanlı to Sinop, from late February to 26 March 2022; examined animals had drowned in nets."},{"key":"deaths","value":600,"unit":"cetaceans","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"ACCOBAMS SC15 report: observed on the coasts of Bulgaria, Romania, Türkiye and Ukraine."},{"key":"deaths","value":914,"unit":"cetaceans","year":2022,"note":"CEOBS: western Black Sea, February–December 2022; 125 on Ukraine's coast."},{"key":"deaths","value":282,"unit":"dead cetaceans","year":2022,"note":"“Bezmyatezhnoe More” centre, Sevastopol, January–May 2022, plus 41 live-stranded (Meduza)."},{"key":"deaths","value":400,"unit":"dead cetaceans","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"“Delfa” centre, Sochi, in five months of 2022, plus 50 live-stranded; about 350 cases in all of 2021 (Meduza)."},{"key":"deaths_estimated","value":37500,"unit":"cetaceans","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Low end of the Biology Letters range, 27 April–31 July 2022."},{"key":"deaths_estimated","value":48000,"unit":"cetaceans","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"High end of the Biology Letters range, 27 April–31 July 2022."},{"key":"deaths_estimated","value":50000,"unit":"dolphins","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Ivan Rusev, October 2022; assumes 5% of dead dolphins wash ashore."},{"key":"deaths_estimated","value":100000,"unit":"cetaceans","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Tuzly Lagoons park, July 2026, February 2022 to June 2026, Black and Azov Seas; no method stated."},{"key":"deaths","value":56,"unit":"dolphins","year":2026,"note":"Physically recorded in the Tuzly Lagoons park area in June 2026."},{"key":"deaths","value":44,"unit":"carcasses","year":2022,"note":"Tuzly Lagoons park, start of hostilities to end of July 2022; 3 in the same period before the war."},{"key":"deaths","value":31,"unit":"dead dolphins","year":2023,"note":"Found in Ukraine as of 4 September 2023, against 110 at the same point in 2022 (UkrSCES)."},{"key":"population_harbour_porpoise","value":90970,"unit":"animals","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"Estimate cited in the Biology Letters paper's university release."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":23000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Odesa region marine environment, all war-related incidents; not cetacean-specific."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dolphins and porpoises died in unusual numbers on Black Sea coasts from February 2022. Counted deaths in 2022 range from about 600 to 914; published estimates of total deaths range from 37,500–48,000 (peer-reviewed) to about 100,000 (park statement, no method).","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Harbour porpoise, common dolphin and bottlenose dolphin of the Black Sea","what":"Deaths in the thousands according to the estimates; 914 counted in the western Black Sea in 2022 (CEOBS)","src":3},{"who":"Danube Delta coast (Romania)","what":"Up to 30 dead dolphins on one Sulina beach on 9 May 2022","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Black Sea coasts of Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Türkiye and Georgia, and the Russian-controlled coasts of Crimea and Krasnodar Krai. The main Ukrainian monitoring site is Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park, Odesa Oblast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From late February 2022; peak in spring and summer 2022; counts continued to June 2026.","src":7},"why":{"t":"Not established. Sources propose military sonar, blasts and mines (Rusev; Biology Letters authors), net entanglement (TÜDAV), infection (Russian-side specialists), displacement by noise (Bulgarian surveys) and Kakhovka contamination (for 2023).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Counts come from national stranding networks and monitoring; totals come from extrapolation with assumed carcass-recovery rates. Necropsies were performed in Ukraine, with samples sent to European laboratories.","src":4}},"related":["volgoneft-212-239-spill","ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","odesa-port-strikes-vegetable-oil-spills-2025-2026"],"sources":[{"t":"SC15/2023/Doc10 Report on the conservation status of cetaceans and relevant activities in Black Sea","p":"ACCOBAMS Scientific Committee","d":"2023-04-20","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://accobams.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/SC15.Doc10_Report-on-the-conservation-status-of-cetaceans-and-relevant-activities-in-BS.pdf"},{"t":"The use of social media in assessing the impact of war on cetaceans","p":"Biology Letters 19(4):20220562 (Węgrzyn, Rusev, Tańska, Miedviedieva, Kagalo, Leniowski)","d":"2023-04-05","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10734683/"},{"t":"Black Sea dolphins may become extinct as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine","p":"University of Rzeszów","d":"2023-04-12","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ur.edu.pl/en/university/news/black-sea-dolphins-may-become-extinct-as-a-result-of-russian-aggression-against-ukraine"},{"t":"Evidencing a recovery plan for Black Sea dolphins and porpoises","p":"CEOBS (L. Svolkinas)","d":"2025-12","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/evidencing-a-recovery-plan-for-black-sea-dolphins-and-porpoises/"},{"t":"Black Sea dolphin deaths prompt ecocide allegations against Russia","p":"Mongabay (E. Fitt)","d":"2022-12-16","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/black-sea-dolphin-deaths-prompt-ecocide-allegations-against-russia/"},{"t":"Tens of thousands of dolphins died in the Black Sea waters as a result of war – PhD in ecology Ivan Rusev","p":"Mediacenter Ukraine","d":"2022-10-21","type":"press","u":"https://mediacenter.org.ua/tens-of-thousands-of-dolphins-died-in-the-black-sea-waters-as-a-result-of-war-phd-in-ecology-ivan-rusev/"},{"t":"Scientists say there are far more dead Black Sea dolphins than they can record","p":"Rubryka","d":"2022-07-27","type":"press","u":"https://rubryka.com/en/?p=428535"},{"t":"56 dead dolphins found in one month: what the war is doing to the Black Sea","p":"Korabelov.info","d":"2026-07-01","type":"press","u":"https://korabelov.info/en/?p=595970"},{"t":"TÜDAV: Batı Karadeniz kıyılarında boğulma sonucu 80 yunus öldü (TÜDAV: 80 dolphins died by drowning on western Black Sea coasts)","p":"CNN Türk","d":"2022-03-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/tudav-bati-karadeniz-kiyilarinda-bogulma-sonucu-80-yunus-oldu-1775531"},{"t":"TÜDAV: Savaş Karadeniz'de biyoçeşitlilik, gıda ve çevre güvenliğini tehdit ediyor (TÜDAV: War threatens biodiversity, food and environmental security in the Black Sea)","p":"DHA","d":"2022-04-13","type":"press","u":"https://www.dha.com.tr/gundem/tudav-savas-karadenizde-biyo-cesitlilik-gida-ve-cevre-guvenligini-tehdit-ediyor-2053875"},{"t":"Вирус или ослепление из-за военных гидролокаторов? В Черном море массово гибнут дельфины (Virus or blinding by military sonar? Dolphins are dying en masse in the Black Sea)","p":"Current Time","d":"2022-06-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/virus-ili-osleplenie-iz-za-voennyh-gidrolokatorov-v-chernom-more-massovo-gibnut-delfiny-rossiya-i-ukraina-sporyat-kto-v-etom-vinovat/31903252.html"},{"t":"В Черном море массово гибнут дельфины. Возможно, они тоже стали жертвами войны (Dolphins are dying en masse in the Black Sea; they may also be victims of the war)","p":"Meduza","d":"2022-06-05","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/feature/2022/06/05/v-chernom-more-massovo-gibnut-delfiny-vozmozhno-oni-tozhe-stali-zhertvami-voyny"},{"t":"Black Sea heals its wounds 4 months after the Kakhovka catastrophe","p":"UWEC Work Group (V. Hubareva)","d":"2023-11-22","type":"ngo","u":"https://uwecworkgroup.info/black-sea-heals-its-wounds-4-months-after-the-kakhovka-catastrophe/"},{"t":"Kakhovka HPP destruction: over 150 dead dolphins washed ashore in Bulgaria and Turkey","p":"Espreso Global","d":"2023-06-20","type":"press","u":"https://global.espreso.tv/kakhovka-hpp-destruction-over-150-dead-dolphins-washed-ashore-in-bulgaria-and-turkey"},{"t":"Damage to the marine environment of the Odesa region from the war exceeded UAH 23 billion","p":"USM","d":"2026-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://en.usm.media/damage-to-the-marine-environment-of-the-odesa-region-from-the-war-exceeded-uah-23-billion/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Cause of the 2022 cetacean deaths","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Scale of the 2022 deaths","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Fishing as a cause of death","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Post-mortem results from the European laboratories that received samples from the necropsies had not been made public as of December 2025 (CEOBS).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: The cause of the 2022 deaths. The ACCOBAMS report of 2023 lists blast injury, displacement and stress, fisheries interaction, infection outbreak and habitat degradation as hypotheses.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: The method behind the park's July 2026 figure of about 100,000 cetacean deaths.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: About 600 (ACCOBAMS) and 914 (CEOBS) deaths counted in 2022, against 37,500–48,000 (Biology Letters) and more than 50,000 (Rusev) estimated; the gap comes from the assumed share of dead animals that wash ashore (5% in Rusev's calculation; 6.2–8% in the paper).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: The Mediacenter Ukraine report on the 50,000 estimate states that no data from the Russian side were available.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A charge or outcome from the Odesa prosecutors' inquiry.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A monetary valuation of the cetacean deaths.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-chemical-plant-strikes-sumy-rubizhne","title":"Ammonia release at Sumykhimprom (Sumy) and nitric-acid explosions at Rubizhne, 2022","dek":"On 21 March 2022 an ammonia tank at the Sumykhimprom plant in Sumy released gas; in April 2022 explosions at a grain-elevator complex in Rubizhne sent nitrogen-oxide plumes into the air. Ukraine's Prosecutor General notified five Russian officers of suspicion over the Sumy release; Russia's Ministry of Defence gave a different account.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":50.88,"lon":34.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Sumy Oblast (Sumykhimprom plant, Sumy)","lat":50.88,"lon":34.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Luhansk Oblast (Golden Agro complex, Rubizhne)","lat":49,"lon":38.397,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2022-03-21","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","chemical-pollution"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Damage to the state stated by Ukraine's Prosecutor General (Sumy release)","value":"More than UAH 10 million","note":"As stated on 28 August 2024; 67 tonnes of ammonia evaporated into the air, according to the same office."},"happened":["At about 04:30 on 21 March 2022 an ammonia tank at the Sumykhimprom chemical plant in Sumy was damaged and gas was released. The head of Sumy Oblast, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, announced the leak and warned residents of Novoselytsia; he said the affected zone was 2.5 km and that the city of Sumy was not threatened because of the wind direction. On 28 August 2024 Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General said there had been “a leak with the evaporation of 67 tons of ammonia into the air” and “More than 10 million hryvnias were caused to the state”.","On 19 March 2022 Russia's Ministry of Defence had said Ukrainian “nationalists” had planted mines at the chemical plant. On 21 March the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov said they had “staged a pre-planned provocation” and that “The Russian army has not planned or delivered any strikes against Ukrainian facilities” that make or store poisonous chemicals. On 28 August 2024 the Prosecutor General's Office said two generals and three colonels of Russia's Western Military District had been notified of suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war, and said the Russian military had “purposefully” fired rocket artillery at the plant's ammonia department; it also said “There was no military facility near the enterprise”. The article cited does not give the Criminal Code article number, and no trial is on record.","At Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast, CEOBS recorded large explosions at the Golden Agro grain-elevator complex on about 5 and 9 April 2022 that produced “two high-altitude and reddish-brown plumes, characteristic of nitrogen oxides”, “most likely” from nitric acid stored in tanks on site. The complex, with 30,000 tonnes of grain storage capacity, was almost entirely destroyed, with a crater about 25 m wide. Fires were still visible in May–June 2022 and the site was smouldering on 14 November 2022. The owner of Golden Agro estimated his losses at USD 20 million in a Telegram post cited by CEOBS. CEOBS noted numerous nitrate-fertiliser explosions in the first 12 months of the invasion, and recorded no measurements of the harm at Rubizhne.","Responsibility for the Rubizhne explosions is disputed. CEOBS disputed a Russian-media account of Ukrainian shelling from Lysychansk, noting that the area was under Ukrainian control at the time. CEOBS wrote that the occupying authorities' long-term plan does not mention environmental recovery at the site."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Russian Ministry of Defence says the Sumykhimprom storage was mined (19 Mar); ammonia release at about 04:30 (21 Mar); explosions at Rubizhne on about 5 and 9 Apr; fires still visible in May–June; smouldering on 14 Nov","src":3},{"y":2024,"t":"Ukraine's Prosecutor General notifies two generals and three colonels of suspicion (28 Aug)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"More than 10 million hryvnias were caused to the state.","who":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","when":"28 August 2024","src":1},{"q":"there was a leak with the evaporation of 67 tons of ammonia into the air","who":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","when":"28 August 2024","src":1},{"q":"There was no military facility near the enterprise","who":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","when":"28 August 2024","src":1},{"q":"staged a pre-planned provocation","who":"Igor Konashenkov, spokesman of Russia's Ministry of Defence, on Ukrainian “nationalists” in Sumy","when":"21 March 2022","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The Russian army has not planned or delivered any strikes against Ukrainian facilities","who":"Igor Konashenkov, spokesman of Russia's Ministry of Defence (facilities that make or store poisonous chemicals)","when":"21 March 2022","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"two high-altitude and reddish-brown plumes, characteristic of nitrogen oxides","who":"CEOBS, on the Rubizhne explosions","when":"2022","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Ammonia leaked at a chemical plant in Sumy; the affected area was 2.5 kilometres (headline)","who":"Babel, 21 March 2022","src":0},{"t":"Shelling of a chemical plant in Sumy with an ammonia leak: five commanders of the Russian army were informed of the suspicion (headline)","who":"Babel, 28 August 2024","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Sumykhimprom: Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office stated 67 tonnes of ammonia evaporated into the air and damage to the state of more than UAH 10 million.","src":1},{"t":"Sumykhimprom: the regional head gave an affected zone of 2.5 km and said the city of Sumy was not threatened because of the wind direction.","src":0},{"t":"Rubizhne: CEOBS gave the Golden Agro complex as near-totally destroyed, with a crater about 25 m wide and 30,000 tonnes of grain storage capacity.","src":3},{"t":"Rubizhne: the owner of Golden Agro estimated losses at USD 20 million (archived Telegram post cited by CEOBS).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Damage caused to the state, Sumykhimprom ammonia release (Prosecutor General, 28 August 2024)","amount":10,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2022","note":"No method stated. No compensation paid is on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Golden Agro owner's estimated losses at Rubizhne (archived Telegram post cited by CEOBS)","amount":null,"window":"2022","note":"USD 20 million as the owner estimated it; not converted."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ammonia to air, Sumy","v":"67 t","d":"Prosecutor General's Office, 28 August 2024"},{"k":"Affected zone, Sumy","v":"2.5 km","d":"Sumy Oblast head, 21 March 2022"},{"k":"Plumes, Rubizhne","v":"2","d":"Reddish-brown, characteristic of nitrogen oxides (CEOBS)"},{"k":"Measurements at Rubizhne","v":"None","d":"CEOBS recorded no measurements"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A statement by Ukraine's Prosecutor General on the Sumy release and CEOBS satellite-based observations at Rubizhne.","report":[{"t":"On 21 March 2022 about 67 tonnes of ammonia evaporated into my air at Sumy, according to Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General.","src":1},{"t":"After explosions at Rubizhne on about 5 and 9 April 2022, two reddish-brown plumes characteristic of nitrogen oxides rose into my air, according to CEOBS.","src":3},{"t":"At Rubizhne fires were still visible in May–June 2022 and the site was smouldering on 14 November 2022, according to CEOBS.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Not measured: Soil or water contamination around Sumykhimprom; no measurement is on record.","Not measured: Air, soil or water contamination at the Golden Agro complex in Rubizhne; CEOBS recorded no measurements.","Disputed: Responsibility for the Sumy release. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office says the Russian military fired at the plant; Russia's Ministry of Defence says Ukrainian nationalists staged a provocation. No independent forensic finding is on record.","Disputed: Responsibility for the Rubizhne explosions.","None on record: Compensation paid for the Sumy release, or a trial of the five officers.","None on record: Environmental recovery planning at the Golden Agro site (CEOBS)."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2024: suspicion notified in absentia to five Russian officers over the Sumy release; no trial on record. Responsibility for the Rubizhne explosions is disputed.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Ministry of Defence of Russia","says":"Ukrainian “nationalists” in Sumy “staged a pre-planned provocation”; the ministry had warned on 19 March that they planted mines at the chemical plant; the Russian army had not planned or delivered any strikes against Ukrainian facilities that make or store poisonous chemicals.","when":"21 March 2022","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Notified suspicion to five Russian officers; stated the damage and ammonia figures"},{"id":"sumykhimprom","role":"Plant where the ammonia release occurred"},{"id":"russia-ministry-defence","role":"Gave an opposing account of the Sumy release"},{"id":"golden-agro","role":"Owner of the Rubizhne grain-elevator complex"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Recorded the Rubizhne explosions and plumes"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for the Sumykhimprom ammonia release","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","says":"The Russian military purposefully fired rocket artillery at the plant's ammonia department; there was no military facility near the enterprise. Two generals and three colonels of the Western Military District were notified of suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Defence of Russia (Igor Konashenkov)","says":"Ukrainian nationalists planted mines at the plant on 19 March and staged a provocation; the Russian army had not delivered strikes on Ukrainian facilities that make or store poisonous chemicals.","src":2}]},{"point":"Responsibility for the Rubizhne explosions","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Russian media (as described by CEOBS)","says":"Attributed the explosions to Ukrainian shelling from Lysychansk.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"CEOBS","says":"The Lysychansk area was under Ukrainian control at the time.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Suspicion notified to five Russian officers over the Sumykhimprom shelling","forum":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","defendant":"Two generals and three colonels of Russia's Western Military District (names not given in the article cited)","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 28 August 2024 the office said the five had been notified of suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war; suspicion notified in absentia. The article cited does not give the Criminal Code article. No trial is on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"ammonia_released_tonnes","value":67,"unit":"tonnes (to air)","year":2022,"note":"Prosecutor General's Office, 28 August 2024."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":10,"unit":"UAH m","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Damage caused to the state, Sumykhimprom release, as stated by the Prosecutor General's Office."},{"key":"affected_zone_km","value":2.5,"unit":"km","year":2022,"note":"Sumy Oblast head, 21 March 2022."},{"key":"economic_loss","value":20,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"est":true,"note":"Golden Agro owner's estimated losses at Rubizhne (archived Telegram post cited by CEOBS)."},{"key":"grain_storage_capacity_tonnes","value":30000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"Golden Agro complex, Rubizhne, per CEOBS."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An ammonia tank at the Sumykhimprom plant released gas on 21 March 2022, and nitric-acid tanks at the Golden Agro complex in Rubizhne exploded in April 2022, sending nitrogen-oxide plumes into the air.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Golden Agro owner","what":"Estimated losses of USD 20 million (owner's estimate cited by CEOBS)","src":3},{"who":"State of Ukraine","what":"More than UAH 10 million of damage from the Sumykhimprom release, as stated by the Prosecutor General's Office","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air around Sumy and Novoselytsia","what":"67 tonnes of ammonia, according to the Prosecutor General's Office","src":1},{"who":"Air over Rubizhne","what":"Two plumes characteristic of nitrogen oxides (CEOBS)","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Sumykhimprom plant, Sumy, Sumy Oblast (villages of Novoselytsia and Verkhnia Syrovatka nearby); Golden Agro grain-elevator complex, Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"21 March 2022 at about 04:30 (Sumy); about 5 and 9 April 2022 (Rubizhne); suspicion notified 28 August 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Disputed. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office says the Russian military fired at the Sumy plant; Russia's Ministry of Defence says Ukrainian nationalists staged a provocation. CEOBS says the Rubizhne plumes most likely came from nitric acid stored on site; responsibility for the explosions is disputed.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Rocket artillery fire at the plant's ammonia department (Prosecutor General's Office); nitric-acid tanks exploded at Rubizhne (CEOBS).","src":1}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-fuel-depot-fires-2022","azovstal-mariupol-azov-sea-pollution-risk"],"sources":[{"t":"Ammonia leaked at a chemical plant in Sumy. The affected area is 2.5 kilometers","p":"Babel","d":"2022-03-21","type":"press","u":"https://babel.ua/en/news/77275-ammonia-leaked-at-a-chemical-plant-in-sumy-the-affected-area-is-2-5-kilometers"},{"t":"Shelling of a chemical plant in Sumy with an ammonia leak: five commanders of the Russian army were informed of the suspicion","p":"Babel","d":"2024-08-28","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://babel.ua/en/news/110315-shelling-of-a-chemical-plant-in-sumy-with-an-ammonia-leak-five-commanders-of-the-russian-army-were-informed-of-the-suspicion"},{"t":"Russia cites previous warning as Ukrainian radicals in Sumy stage chemical false flag","p":"TASS","d":"2022-03-21","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://tass.com/world/1424951/amp"},{"t":"Golden Agro grain elevator complex, Rubizhne (damage map entry)","p":"CEOBS","d":"2022","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/?p=9966"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Golden Agro owner's estimated losses at Rubizhne (archived Telegram post cited by CEOBS) — USD 20 million as the owner estimated it; not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for the Sumykhimprom ammonia release","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for the Rubizhne explosions","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: Soil or water contamination around Sumykhimprom; no measurement is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: Air, soil or water contamination at the Golden Agro complex in Rubizhne; CEOBS recorded no measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Responsibility for the Sumy release. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office says the Russian military fired at the plant; Russia's Ministry of Defence says Ukrainian nationalists staged a provocation. No independent forensic finding is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Responsibility for the Rubizhne explosions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Compensation paid for the Sumy release, or a trial of the five officers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Environmental recovery planning at the Golden Agro site (CEOBS).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"azovstal-mariupol-azov-sea-pollution-risk","title":"Azovstal, Mariupol and the Sea of Azov, 2022–","dek":"The Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol was heavily damaged during the siege of April–May 2022. CEOBS cites pre-war studies that named its wastewater as the largest single pollution source into the Sea of Azov; no post-2022 water data is on record, and Metinvest's applications to the ECHR state no amounts.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":47.1,"lon":37.62,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast","lat":47.1,"lon":37.62,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2023,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","chemical-pollution","mining"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental damage figure for Azovstal or the Sea of Azov","value":"None on record","note":"Metinvest's ECHR applications (October 2022) state no amounts and mention no environmental component."},"happened":["The Azovstal Iron and Steel Works stands on the left bank of the Kalmius river at the Sea of Azov in Mariupol. CEOBS records first damage on satellite imagery on 9 March 2022 and a siege of the plant from 15 April to 17 May 2022. CEOBS counted 214 craters (UNOSAT, 25 April 2022, “an underestimate”), 52 satellite-detected fires, 87 instances of direct damage and at least 57% of built structures damaged (Sentinel-1). A landfill fire on the site was recorded on 12 June 2022.","CEOBS cites pre-war studies on the plant's pollution: wastewater of nearly one billion m³ per year with chlorides, sulphates, phenols, petroleum products and nitrates above permissible limits (2017 study); Azovstal's outflow as the largest single pollution source into the Sea of Azov (2019 study); wastewater lethally toxic to Ceriodaphnia (2014 study). Azovstal was Ukraine's seventh-largest single emitter, and satellite NO₂ data suggest average air quality improved during the siege. For the war period CEOBS lists likely releases of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and asbestos and says contamination was observed mixing with Sea of Azov water; it states that the occupation prevents an independent field assessment.","On 18 May 2022 the Mariupol City Council (Ukrainian, displaced) warned that bombardment could have damaged a structure holding back “tens of thousands of tonnes of concentrated hydrogen sulphide solution”. Mayor Vadym Boichenko demanded access for international experts and the UN. The city's adviser Petro Andriushchenko said the attacks “with a high degree of probability damaged the protective structures” of a “chemical lake”. No measurement of a release is on record.","On 25 October 2022 Metinvest Group announced that 16 of its companies, among them Azovstal and Ilyich Steel, had filed claims against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights under Article 1 of Protocol 1 (property), following a claim by co-owner Rinat Akhmetov filed on 23 June 2022. The release states no amounts and no environmental component. In October 2023, as reported on 27 October, Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-installed administration in Donetsk, said that Azovstal “in the form in which it worked will not be restored”, called it the “main polluter of the Sea of Azov” and said a technopark and an ecopark would be laid out on the site."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"First damage on satellite imagery (9 Mar); siege of the plant (15 Apr–17 May); Mariupol City Council hydrogen-sulphide warning (18 May); Akhmetov's ECHR claim (23 Jun); landfill fire on the site (12 Jun); Metinvest announces 16 companies' ECHR claims (25 Oct)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Pushilin says Azovstal will not be restored in its former form and that a technopark and ecopark will be laid out (reported 27 Oct)","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"tens of thousands of tonnes of concentrated hydrogen sulphide solution","who":"Mariupol City Council, warning of a structure possibly damaged by bombardment","when":"18 May 2022","src":2,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"with a high degree of probability damaged the protective structures","who":"Petro Andriushchenko, adviser to the Mariupol mayor, on a “chemical lake”","when":"18 May 2022","src":2,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"16 companies of Group have filed claims to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Russia","who":"Metinvest Group","when":"25 October 2022","src":1},{"q":"Azovstal in the form in which it worked will not be restored","who":"Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-installed administration in Donetsk, on RT","when":"27 October 2023","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"main polluter of the Sea of Azov","who":"Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-installed administration in Donetsk","when":"27 October 2023","src":3,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"a technopark and an ecopark will be laid out","who":"Denis Pushilin, head of the Russian-installed administration in Donetsk","when":"27 October 2023","src":3,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Mariupol mayor warned of threat of destruction of the Sea of Azov due to bombing of Azovstal (headline)","who":"LB.ua, 18 May 2022","src":2},{"t":"Pollutes the sea: Pushilin said an ecopark will be built on the Azovstal site (headline)","who":"Focus.ua, 27 October 2023","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"Pre-war: wastewater of nearly one billion m³ per year with chlorides, sulphates, phenols, petroleum products and nitrates above permissible limits (2017 study, as cited by CEOBS).","src":0},{"t":"Pre-war: Azovstal's outflow was the largest single pollution source into the Sea of Azov (2019 study, as cited by CEOBS); wastewater lethally toxic to Ceriodaphnia (2014 study); Azovstal was Ukraine's 7th-largest single emitter.","src":0},{"t":"War period: CEOBS records 214 craters, 52 satellite-detected fires, 87 instances of direct damage and at least 57% of built structures damaged, and lists likely releases of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and asbestos.","src":0},{"t":"Satellite NO₂ data suggest average air quality improved during the siege (CEOBS).","src":0},{"t":"Metinvest's ECHR applications state no amounts and mention no environmental component.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Not specified","nature":[{"label":"Environmental damage at Azovstal or in the Sea of Azov","amount":null,"note":"No figure on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Metinvest Group companies' property claims against Russia at the ECHR (16 companies)","amount":null,"window":"Filed 2022","note":"No amounts stated."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Craters on site","v":"214","d":"UNOSAT, 25 April 2022; “an underestimate” (CEOBS)"},{"k":"Structures damaged","v":"≥57%","d":"Sentinel-1 analysis cited by CEOBS"},{"k":"Pre-war wastewater","v":"~1 billion m³/yr","d":"2017 study cited by CEOBS"},{"k":"Post-2022 water data","v":"None","d":"Sea of Azov"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"CEOBS satellite analysis and pre-war studies cited by CEOBS; no field measurements after 2022.","report":[{"t":"Before the war, wastewater of nearly one billion m³ per year from Azovstal carried chlorides, sulphates, phenols, petroleum products and nitrates above permissible limits into my Sea of Azov, according to a 2017 study cited by CEOBS.","src":0},{"t":"A 2019 study cited by CEOBS found Azovstal's outflow was the largest single pollution source into my Sea of Azov.","src":0},{"t":"In the 2022 siege the plant took 214 craters and 52 satellite-detected fires, according to CEOBS; CEOBS lists likely releases of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and asbestos.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not measured: Sea of Azov water quality after 2022; no Russian or Ukrainian water data is on record, and CEOBS states that the occupation prevents an independent field assessment.","Unclear: Whether the structure holding hydrogen sulphide solution was damaged on the dates the Mariupol City Council gave; no measurement is on record.","None on record: An environmental damage figure for Azovstal or the Sea of Azov.","Not disclosed: Amounts claimed by the 16 Metinvest companies at the ECHR.","None on record: A judgment on the ECHR applications.","None on record: An environmental assessment accompanying the announced ecopark."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2023: no judgment on the ECHR applications and no post-2022 Sea of Azov water data is on record; the Russian-installed administration announced an ecopark for the site.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Mariupol City Council (Ukrainian, displaced)","says":"Warned on 18 May 2022 that bombardment could have damaged a structure holding hydrogen sulphide solution; Mayor Vadym Boichenko demanded access for international experts and the UN.","when":"18 May 2022","src":2},{"actor":"Russian-installed administration in Donetsk (Denis Pushilin)","says":"Azovstal will not be restored in its former form; it was the main polluter of the Sea of Azov; a technopark and an ecopark will be laid out on the site.","when":"27 October 2023","src":3},{"actor":"Metinvest Group","says":"16 Group companies, including Azovstal and Ilyich Steel, filed claims against Russia at the ECHR under Article 1 of Protocol 1.","when":"25 October 2022","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"azovstal","role":"Steelworks damaged in the 2022 siege"},{"id":"metinvest","role":"Owner group; filed ECHR claims against Russia"},{"id":"echr","role":"Forum of the Metinvest applications"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Satellite damage assessment and pre-war pollution summary"},{"id":"mariupol-city-council","role":"Warned of a possible hydrogen sulphide release"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Metinvest Group companies v. Russia (property claims)","forum":"European Court of Human Rights","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"16 Metinvest Group companies, including Azovstal and Ilyich Steel","defendant":"Russia","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Announced by Metinvest on 25 October 2022, under Article 1 of Protocol 1 (property); follows a claim by co-owner Rinat Akhmetov filed on 23 June 2022. No amounts are stated and the release mentions no environmental component. No judgment is on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"craters","value":214,"unit":"craters","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"UNOSAT, 25 April 2022; “an underestimate” (CEOBS)."},{"key":"fires_detected","value":52,"unit":"satellite-detected fires","year":2022,"note":"CEOBS."},{"key":"direct_damage_instances","value":87,"unit":"instances","year":2022,"note":"CEOBS."},{"key":"structures_damaged_pct","value":57,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Share of built structures damaged (Sentinel-1), per CEOBS."},{"key":"wastewater_m3_per_year","value":1000000000,"unit":"m³ per year","year":2017,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Pre-war study cited by CEOBS; chlorides, sulphates, phenols, petroleum products and nitrates above permissible limits."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Azovstal, a steelworks cited by pre-war studies as the largest single pollution source into the Sea of Azov, was heavily damaged during the 2022 siege of Mariupol. No post-2022 water data is on record.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Metinvest Group companies","what":"Property claims against Russia at the ECHR; no amounts stated","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea of Azov","what":"Contamination observed mixing with sea water, according to CEOBS; likely releases of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and asbestos","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, left bank of the Kalmius river on the Sea of Azov, Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Siege 15 April–17 May 2022; hydrogen-sulphide warning 18 May 2022; ECHR claims announced 25 October 2022; ecopark announcement reported 27 October 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Hostilities during the siege of the plant. Responsibility for particular strikes is not addressed in the sources.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Airstrikes and fires damaged the plant; CEOBS records craters, fires and damaged structures from satellite imagery.","src":0}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-chemical-plant-strikes-sumy-rubizhne","ukraine-fuel-depot-fires-2022"],"sources":[{"t":"Azovstal Iron and Steel Works (damage map entry)","p":"CEOBS","d":"2022","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/ukraine-damage-map-azovstal-iron-and-steel-works/"},{"t":"Metinvest Group files claims against Russia to the European Court of Human Rights","p":"Metinvest","d":"2022-10-25","type":"company","u":"https://metinvest.media/en/page/grupa-metnvest-podala-pozovi-proti-ros-do-vropeyskogo-sudu-z-prav-lyudini"},{"t":"Міський голова Маріуполя попередив про загрозу знищення Азовського моря через бомбардування Азовсталі (Mariupol mayor warned of threat of destruction of the Sea of Azov due to bombing of Azovstal)","p":"LB.ua","d":"2022-05-18","type":"press","u":"https://lb.ua/society/2022/05/18/517244_miskiy_golova_mariupolya_poperediv.html"},{"t":"Забруднює море: Пушилін заявив, що на місці Азовсталі збудують екопарк (Pollutes the sea: Pushilin said an ecopark will be built on the Azovstal site)","p":"Focus.ua","d":"2023-10-27","type":"press","u":"https://focus.ua/voennye-novosti/602110-zabrudnyuye-more-pushilin-zayaviv-shcho-na-misci-azovstali-zbuduyut-ekopark-roszmi"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental damage at Azovstal or in the Sea of Azov — No figure on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Metinvest Group companies' property claims against Russia at the ECHR (16 companies) — No amounts stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: Sea of Azov water quality after 2022; no Russian or Ukrainian water data is on record, and CEOBS states that the occupation prevents an independent field assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: Whether the structure holding hydrogen sulphide solution was damaged on the dates the Mariupol City Council gave; no measurement is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: An environmental damage figure for Azovstal or the Sea of Azov.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Amounts claimed by the 16 Metinvest companies at the ECHR.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A judgment on the ECHR applications.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: An environmental assessment accompanying the announced ecopark.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-fuel-depot-fires-2022","title":"Fuel-depot fires at Kalynivka, Kriachky and Lutsk, 2022","dek":"Fires at three Ukrainian fuel depots in February and March 2022 were measured by CEOBS, Zoï and UNEP and valued by the State Environmental Inspectorate; for the Kriachky depot the Inspectorate calculated damage of UAH 930 million.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":50.2,"lon":30.25,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kyiv Oblast (Kalynivka, about 30 km south-west of central Kyiv)","lat":50.2,"lon":30.25,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kyiv Oblast (Kriachky, Fastiv district)","lat":50.2,"lon":30.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Lutsk","lat":50.78316,"lon":25.3823,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2022-02-27","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","fossil-fuel","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:fuel-combustion"],"headline":{"label":"Environmental damage calculated by the State Environmental Inspectorate, Kriachky depot","value":"UAH 930 million","note":"Air UAH 888.383 million plus land UAH 41.981 million, published 24 June 2022."},"happened":["The fire at the depot in Kriachky village, Fastiv district, Kyiv Oblast (which LB.ua also links to the BRSM depot near Vasylkiv) began after a strike on 27 February 2022 and burned for “a full week”. The State Environmental Inspectorate's Capital District calculated damage to air of UAH 888.383 million and to land of UAH 41.981 million, a total of UAH 930 million. It counted 41,830 tonnes of pollutants released to air (41,694 t CO₂, 76 t CO, 17 t NO₂ and 6 t zinc oxide) and about 9,000 m² of land contaminated, with petroleum products at 17 times the maximum permissible concentration (LB.ua, 24 June 2022).","At Kalynivka, the KLO depot about 30 km south-west of central Kyiv was struck shortly before 18:00 on 24 March 2022 by a Kalibr cruise missile, according to CEOBS and the Zoï Environment Network (supported by UNEP, November 2022). Twelve petrol tanks, ten diesel tanks, nine tanker trucks and four semi-trailers burned, likely more than 10,000 tonnes of fuel and about 30,000 t CO₂e. CEOBS, citing samples of the State Agency for Water Resources and the Inspectorate, gave oil products at 12.3 mg/dm³ in the Riznytsia pond in July 2022 against a standard of 0.1–0.3 mg/dm³, and soil next to the depot at 16,500 mg/kg in April 2022 against a 1,000 mg/kg standard, with a background of 270 mg/kg at 500 m. PM2.5 peaks were recorded at the Khlepcha station 6 km away, and the plume was visible up to 35 km. CEOBS wrote that “No direct plume measurements were made”.","At Lutsk, the WOG depot on the city's outskirts was hit at 22:00 on 27 March 2022; two 500-tonne tanks were destroyed and the fire was extinguished 32 hours after it started. CEOBS wrote that the depot “was not protected by air defences”. Four city air stations detected no excess of pollutants associated with burning oil; CEOBS notes possible PFAS from firefighting foam, and that some sources speculated on an “economic war” motive or a military-fuel target.","On 9 March 2022 the Inspectorate had reported (via Interfax-Ukraine) that damage had been calculated for 5 cases, with soil-contamination damage of about USD 77 million, that a draft method for war-related air-pollution damage had been developed and that an operational headquarters had worked since 1 March 2022. No payments received are on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Kriachky/Vasylkiv depot fire begins and burns about a week (from 27 Feb); Inspectorate's first damage totals (9 Mar); Kalynivka struck shortly before 18:00 (24 Mar); Lutsk depot hit at 22:00 (27 Mar); Kriachky damage published (24 Jun); Riznytsia pond sampled (July)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"No direct plume measurements were made","who":"CEOBS, on Kalynivka","when":"November 2022","src":0},{"q":"was not protected by air defences","who":"CEOBS, on the Lutsk depot","when":"2022","src":2},{"q":"a full week","who":"State Environmental Inspectorate, Capital District, as reported by LB.ua, on how long the Kriachky depot burned","when":"24 June 2022","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"}],"shown":[{"t":"Oil depot burned by Russians in Kyiv region caused almost a billion hryvnias in environmental damage – State Environmental Inspectorate (headline)","who":"LB.ua, 24 June 2022","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Kalynivka: CEOBS and Zoï (supported by UNEP) give a Kalibr cruise missile strike on the KLO depot; 12 petrol tanks, 10 diesel tanks, 9 tanker trucks and 4 semi-trailers burned; likely more than 10,000 tonnes of fuel and about 30,000 t CO₂e.","src":0},{"t":"Lutsk: two 500-tonne tanks destroyed; fire extinguished after 32 hours; four city air stations detected no excess of pollutants associated with burning oil.","src":2},{"t":"Kriachky: damage to air UAH 888.383 million, to land UAH 41.981 million, total UAH 930 million (Inspectorate, Capital District).","src":1},{"t":"The Inspectorate reported on 9 March 2022 that damage had been calculated for 5 cases and that soil-contamination damage was about USD 77 million.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"2022","nature":[{"label":"Kriachky depot: damage to air (Inspectorate, Capital District)","amount":888.383,"window":"27 Feb 2022 fire"},{"label":"Kriachky depot: damage to land (Inspectorate, Capital District)","amount":41.981,"window":"27 Feb 2022 fire"},{"label":"Soil-contamination damage across 5 cases (Inspectorate, 9 March 2022)","amount":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"About USD 77 million as the Inspectorate stated it; not converted."}],"natureTotal":930,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Kriachky: damage calculated","v":"UAH 930m","d":"State Environmental Inspectorate, June 2022"},{"k":"Kriachky: pollutants to air","v":"41,830 t","d":"Mostly CO₂ (41,694 t)"},{"k":"Kalynivka: soil next to depot","v":"16,500 mg/kg","d":"April 2022, against a 1,000 mg/kg standard"},{"k":"Kalynivka: Riznytsia pond","v":"12.3 mg/dm³","d":"Oil products, July 2022, against 0.1–0.3"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Measurements and calculations by Ukraine's State Environmental Inspectorate and State Agency for Water Resources, summarised by CEOBS and LB.ua.","report":[{"t":"Near the Kalynivka depot my soil held 16,500 mg/kg of oil products in April 2022, against a standard of 1,000 mg/kg and a background of 270 mg/kg at 500 m.","src":0},{"t":"In July 2022 the Riznytsia pond held 12.3 mg/dm³ of oil products, against a standard of 0.1–0.3 mg/dm³.","src":0},{"t":"At Kriachky 41,830 tonnes of pollutants entered my air and about 9,000 m² of my land was contaminated, with petroleum products at 17 times the maximum permissible concentration, according to the State Environmental Inspectorate.","src":1},{"t":"At Lutsk four city air stations detected no excess of pollutants associated with burning oil, according to CEOBS.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Not measured: Direct plume measurements at Kalynivka and Lutsk (CEOBS).","Not disclosed: Inspectorate damage totals for all fuel depots hit in 2022.","Insufficient: Lutsk air data are from four city stations only; possible PFAS from firefighting foam is raised by CEOBS without measurement.","None on record: Payments received for the damage figures, or legal proceedings specific to these depots.","Unclear: The motive for the strike on the Lutsk depot; CEOBS notes that some sources speculated on an “economic war” motive or a military-fuel target."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The Kriachky fire burned for a week from 27 February 2022 and the Lutsk fire was extinguished after 32 hours.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of June 2022: the Inspectorate had published damage of UAH 930 million for Kriachky; no payments or proceedings are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine","says":"Calculated damage in hryvnias and dollars per site and in aggregate; operational headquarters working since 1 March 2022.","when":"9 March 2022","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"ukraine-state-environmental-inspectorate","role":"Calculated the environmental damage"},{"id":"ceobs","role":"Measurement summaries for Kalynivka and Lutsk"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_estimate","value":930,"unit":"UAH m","year":2022,"note":"Kriachky depot, Inspectorate Capital District: air 888.383 + land 41.981."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":77,"unit":"USD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Soil-contamination damage across 5 cases, Inspectorate, 9 March 2022."},{"key":"pollutants_to_air_tonnes","value":41830,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"Kriachky: 41,694 t CO₂, 76 t CO, 17 t NO₂, 6 t zinc oxide."},{"key":"area_ha","value":0.9,"unit":"ha (about 9,000 m² contaminated)","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Kriachky; petroleum products at 17 times the maximum permissible concentration."},{"key":"fuel_burned_tonnes","value":10000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Kalynivka, likely, per CEOBS/Zoï."},{"key":"co2e_tonnes","value":30000,"unit":"t CO₂e","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Kalynivka, per CEOBS/Zoï."},{"key":"soil_oil_products_mg_per_kg","value":16500,"unit":"mg/kg","year":2022,"note":"Next to Kalynivka depot, April 2022; standard 1,000 mg/kg; background 270 mg/kg at 500 m."},{"key":"water_oil_products_mg_per_dm3","value":12.3,"unit":"mg/dm³","year":2022,"note":"Riznytsia pond, July 2022; standard 0.1–0.3 mg/dm³."},{"key":"fire_duration_hours","value":32,"unit":"hours","year":2022,"note":"Lutsk depot fire, from 27 March 2022 at 22:00."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fires at fuel depots in Kriachky (Kyiv Oblast), Kalynivka (Kyiv Oblast) and Lutsk burned fuel and released pollutants to air, soil and water; the State Environmental Inspectorate calculated damage of UAH 930 million for Kriachky.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Soil and Riznytsia pond near Kalynivka","what":"Oil products at 16,500 mg/kg in soil and 12.3 mg/dm³ in the pond","src":0},{"who":"Air and land at Kriachky","what":"41,830 t of pollutants to air; about 9,000 m² of land contaminated","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"KLO depot, Kalynivka (about 30 km south-west of central Kyiv); depot in Kriachky village, Fastiv district, Kyiv Oblast; WOG depot, Lutsk.","src":0},"when":{"t":"27 February 2022 (Kriachky); 24 March 2022 (Kalynivka); 27 March 2022 (Lutsk); damage totals published 9 March and 24 June 2022.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Strikes on the depots; CEOBS and Zoï give a Kalibr cruise missile at Kalynivka. The intended target of the Lutsk strike is not stated in the sources cited.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Fuel tanks burned for hours to a week; the Inspectorate calculated damage per site from air, land and soil data.","src":1}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-chemical-plant-strikes-sumy-rubizhne","azovstal-mariupol-azov-sea-pollution-risk"],"sources":[{"t":"Ukraine conflict environmental briefing: Fossil fuel infrastructure","p":"CEOBS and Zoï Environment Network (supported by UNEP)","d":"2022-11-15","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/ukraine-conflict-environmental-briefing-fossil-fuel-infrastructure/"},{"t":"Спалена росіянами нафтобаза на Київщині завдала майже мільярд гривень збитків довкіллю, – Держекоінспекція (Oil depot burned by Russians in Kyiv region caused almost a billion hryvnias in environmental damage – State Environmental Inspectorate)","p":"LB.ua","d":"2022-06-24","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://lb.ua/society/2022/06/24/521180_spalena_rosiyanami_naftobaza.html"},{"t":"Lutsk oil depot (damage map entry)","p":"CEOBS","d":"2022","type":"ngo","u":"https://ceobs.org/ukraine-damage-map-lutsk-oil-depot/"},{"t":"State Environmental Inspectorate on damage calculated for 5 cases","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2022-03-09","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://interfax.com.ua/news/general/810299.html"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Soil-contamination damage across 5 cases (Inspectorate, 9 March 2022) — About USD 77 million as the Inspectorate stated it; not converted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: Direct plume measurements at Kalynivka and Lutsk (CEOBS).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Inspectorate damage totals for all fuel depots hit in 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Lutsk air data are from four city stations only; possible PFAS from firefighting foam is raised by CEOBS without measurement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: Payments received for the damage figures, or legal proceedings specific to these depots.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: The motive for the strike on the Lutsk depot; CEOBS notes that some sources speculated on an “economic war” motive or a military-fuel target.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ukraine-war-zone-wildfires-and-kinburn","title":"Wildfires in Ukraine's war zone and on the Kinburn Spit, 2022–2025","dek":"Satellite-based counts put the area burned in Ukraine at about 500,000 ha in 2022, 226,000 ha in 2023, 965,000 ha in 2024 and 660,000 ha in 2025, with fires concentrated along the front line. On the Kinburn Spit, under occupation, the Ministry of Environmental Protection reported over 5,000 ha of a national park affected by 131 fires by 11 May 2023.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":46.55,"lon":31.55,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Front-line areas of eastern and southern Ukraine","role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kinburn Peninsula, Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts","lat":46.55,"lon":31.55,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","wildfire","protected-area","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Area burned in Ukraine, 2024 (EU Joint Research Centre satellite data, as reported)","value":"965,000 ha","note":"8,753 fires, more than twice the EU's burnt area; about a third was farmland. Figures differ by method and year."},"happened":["The Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG), using NASA fire-detection data with a minimum 100 m fire radius, counted at least 37,867 fires between 24 February and 23 June 2022, covering 100,662.2339 ha (36,154 ha forest and 10,250 ha grass ecosystems), and found that “every third hectare of Ukraine destroyed by fire is a protected area”; the authors say the true area is larger. Counts from EFFIS satellite mapping of fires of 5 ha or more, reported by Slovo i Dilo (15 May 2026), were 6,309 fires and about 500,000 ha in 2022 (over three-quarters agricultural land), 2,185 fires and 226,000 ha in 2023 (the largest over 4,000 ha, in Kherson Oblast), and 9,116 fires and 660,000 ha in 2025 (the largest over 10,000 ha, in occupied Donetsk Oblast). EFFIS data for Ukraine also include urban and agricultural fires, so they are “not directly comparable” with other countries and not all fires are war-related.","For 2024 the figures are 8,753 fires and 965,000 ha, more than twice the EU's burnt area, according to EU Joint Research Centre satellite data as reported; about a third was farmland. Reuters (26 March 2025) reported that this was the worst year since at least 1990, per a cross-check with Ukraine's National University of Life and Environmental Sciences. The JRC wrote on 5 December 2025 that “Ukraine accounted for half of the total area burnt within EU Civil Protection Mechanism countries”, “with most wildfires seen across the combat frontlines”. Maksym Matsala of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences told Reuters that artillery and falling shells are the main ignition cause and that “If war is continuous, then sooner or later there will be a lot of inaccessible areas”. Ukraine's State Emergency Service links fires to weather, Russian strikes and human carelessness (via Slovo i Dilo, no figures).","The NGL.media investigation (8 April 2024, reported by Euromaidan Press) used satellite imagery to find over 60,000 ha of forest destroyed in occupied and front-line areas in two years, valued at direct timber value only at no less than UAH 14 billion (about USD 360 million): “It doesn't include the environmental consequences”.","On the Kinburn Peninsula, which holds Biloberezhzhia Sviatoslava National Nature Park, Kinburn Spit Regional Landscape Park and the Volyzhyn forest of the Black Sea Biosphere Reserve, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, citing the national park's Sentinel-2 monitoring (Ukrainska Pravda, 11 May 2023), reported 131 fires in 2023 so far, over 5,000 ha of the national park affected and up to 4 million trees affected. The Ministry said that “The majority of the fires had a recurring nature and affected the same area several times” and that “It will only be possible to calculate the exact damage caused by the fires after this territory is liberated”. In the same statement it cited a war-wide damage estimate of at least UAH 202 billion, which is not specific to Kinburn."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"UNCG counts at least 37,867 fires and 100,662 ha burned between 24 Feb and 23 Jun; EFFIS counts 6,309 fires and about 500,000 ha for the year","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"EFFIS: 2,185 fires and 226,000 ha; Kinburn Peninsula: 131 fires by 11 May, over 5,000 ha of the national park affected","src":5},{"y":2024,"t":"8,753 fires and 965,000 ha; NGL.media timber-value estimate of at least UAH 14 billion (8 Apr)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"EFFIS: 9,116 fires and 660,000 ha; JRC report (5 Dec)","src":4}],"said":[{"q":"every third hectare of Ukraine destroyed by fire is a protected area","who":"Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (NGO), on 24 February–23 June 2022","when":"30 June 2022","src":0},{"q":"Ukraine accounted for half of the total area burnt within EU Civil Protection Mechanism countries","who":"EU Joint Research Centre","when":"5 December 2025","src":4},{"q":"If war is continuous, then sooner or later there will be a lot of inaccessible areas","who":"Maksym Matsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, to Reuters","when":"26 March 2025","src":3},{"q":"It doesn't include the environmental consequences","who":"NGL.media, on its UAH 14 billion timber-value estimate","when":"8 April 2024","src":2},{"q":"The majority of the fires had a recurring nature and affected the same area several times","who":"Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, on the Kinburn Peninsula","when":"11 May 2023","src":5},{"q":"It will only be possible to calculate the exact damage caused by the fires after this territory is liberated","who":"Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine, on the Kinburn Peninsula","when":"11 May 2023","src":5}],"shown":[{"t":"War ignited record-breaking wildfires in Ukraine last year, scientists say (headline)","who":"Reuters, via Arab News, 26 March 2025","src":3},{"t":"Occupiers destroy Kinburn Peninsula: 4 million trees affected by fires (headline)","who":"Ukrainska Pravda, 11 May 2023","src":5}],"recorded":[{"t":"Forest-type shares of burnt area (EFFIS via Slovo i Dilo): mixed forest 0.5% in 2022, 19% in 2024, 14.5% in 2025; coniferous forest 45,000 ha (9%) in 2022 and 23,000 ha (3.5%) in 2025.","src":1},{"t":"Totals differ by method: NASA fire-detection hotspots (UNCG) against EFFIS burnt-area mapping, which includes urban and agricultural fires and is “not directly comparable” with other countries.","src":1},{"t":"The Ministry stated a war-wide damage estimate of at least UAH 202 billion in May 2023; it is not specific to Kinburn. No Kinburn-specific sum is on record.","src":5},{"t":"NGL.media: over 60,000 ha of forest destroyed in occupied and front-line areas over two years, valued at direct timber value of at least UAH 14 billion (about USD 360 million).","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Two years to April 2024 (timber value)","nature":[{"label":"Forest destroyed in occupied and front-line areas, direct timber value only (NGL.media, 8 April 2024)","amount":14000,"qualifier":"at least","window":"2022–2024","est":true,"note":"Reported as about USD 360 million; excludes environmental consequences."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Area burned, 2024","v":"965,000 ha","d":"8,753 fires; EU Joint Research Centre satellite data"},{"k":"Area burned, 2022","v":"~500,000 ha","d":"6,309 fires; EFFIS"},{"k":"Forest destroyed (front line and occupied)","v":">60,000 ha","d":"NGL.media, two years to April 2024"},{"k":"Kinburn national park affected","v":">5,000 ha","d":"131 fires by 11 May 2023; up to 4 million trees"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Satellite-based fire counts (NASA, EFFIS, EU Joint Research Centre), an NGL.media forest analysis and Ministry monitoring on the Kinburn Peninsula.","report":[{"t":"Between 24 February and 23 June 2022 at least 37,867 fires burned 100,662 ha of my land, including 36,154 ha of forest, according to the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group; every third hectare burned was a protected area.","src":0},{"t":"In 2024 8,753 fires burned 965,000 ha of my land, more than twice the burnt area of the European Union, according to EU Joint Research Centre satellite data as reported.","src":3},{"t":"Over 60,000 ha of my forest in occupied and front-line areas was destroyed in two years to April 2024, according to NGL.media's satellite analysis.","src":2},{"t":"On the Kinburn Peninsula 131 fires burned in 2023 by 11 May, and over 5,000 ha of my national park and up to 4 million trees were affected, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.","src":5}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: How many EFFIS-counted fires were caused by the war; EFFIS does not say.","Figures differ: UNCG counted at least 37,867 fires and 100,662 ha in four months of 2022 (NASA hotspots); EFFIS counted 6,309 fires and about 500,000 ha for the full year 2022 (fires of 5 ha or more, burnt-area mapping).","Not measured: The exact damage on the Kinburn Peninsula; the Ministry said it can be calculated only after the territory is liberated.","None on record: A 2026 area-burned figure.","None on record: A statement from the Russian-installed authorities on the Kinburn fires, or a Russian official statement on the extent of war-zone fires."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: fires continued along the front line in 2025 (660,000 ha by EFFIS); no 2026 figure and no Kinburn-specific damage sum is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"State Emergency Service of Ukraine","says":"Links fires to weather, Russian strikes and human carelessness (no figures given).","when":"2026","src":1},{"actor":"Ministry of Environmental Protection of Ukraine","says":"The exact damage on the Kinburn Peninsula can be calculated only after the territory is liberated.","when":"11 May 2023","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"ukrainian-nature-conservation-group","role":"NGO counting fires and burned area, February–June 2022"},{"id":"eu-joint-research-centre","role":"Satellite fire statistics and the 2025 fire-season report"},{"id":"ukraine-environment-ministry","role":"Kinburn monitoring statement, May 2023"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Area burned: totals differ by method","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group","says":"At least 37,867 fires and 100,662 ha between 24 February and 23 June 2022, from NASA fire-detection data with a minimum 100 m fire radius; the true area is larger.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Slovo i Dilo (EFFIS data)","says":"6,309 fires and about 500,000 ha in 2022, from burnt-area mapping of fires of 5 ha or more; EFFIS data for Ukraine include urban and agricultural fires and are “not directly comparable” with other countries.","src":1}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":100662,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"at least","note":"UNCG, 24 February–23 June 2022 (36,154 ha forest; 10,250 ha grass ecosystems); 37,867 fires."},{"key":"area_ha","value":500000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"EFFIS, full year; 6,309 fires; over three-quarters agricultural land."},{"key":"area_ha","value":226000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"EFFIS; 2,185 fires."},{"key":"area_ha","value":965000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"8,753 fires; EU Joint Research Centre satellite data as reported; about a third farmland."},{"key":"area_ha","value":660000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"EFFIS; 9,116 fires; the largest over 10,000 ha, in occupied Donetsk Oblast."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":60000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"over","note":"NGL.media: forest destroyed in occupied and front-line areas over two years; timber value at least UAH 14 billion."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":5000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"over","note":"Biloberezhzhia Sviatoslava National Nature Park affected by 131 fires by 11 May 2023 (Ministry)."},{"key":"trees_affected","value":4000000,"unit":"trees","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Kinburn Peninsula, Ministry of Environmental Protection, 11 May 2023."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":14000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2024,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"note":"Direct timber value only (NGL.media)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Wildfires burned hundreds of thousands of hectares a year in Ukraine in 2022–2025, concentrated along the front line, including over 5,000 ha of a national park on the occupied Kinburn Peninsula by May 2023.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests and grass ecosystems along the front line","what":"36,154 ha of forest and 10,250 ha of grass ecosystems burned in four months of 2022 (UNCG)","src":0},{"who":"Biloberezhzhia Sviatoslava National Nature Park (Kinburn Peninsula)","what":"Over 5,000 ha affected and up to 4 million trees by 11 May 2023","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Nationwide, concentrated along the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine; Kinburn Peninsula in Mykolaiv and Kherson oblasts.","src":4},"when":{"t":"2022–2025 fire seasons; Kinburn fires reported to 11 May 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Maksym Matsala (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) told Reuters that artillery and falling shells are the main ignition cause; the JRC wrote that most wildfires were seen across the combat frontlines.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Fire counts and areas come from satellite detection (NASA hotspots, EFFIS burnt-area mapping, EU Joint Research Centre); Kinburn figures come from the national park's Sentinel-2 monitoring.","src":1}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","sviati-hory-national-park-fires","askania-nova-reserve-under-occupation"],"sources":[{"t":"Fires in Ukraine 24 Feb–23 Jun 2022","p":"Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group","d":"2022-06-30","type":"ngo","u":"https://uncg.org.ua/en/?p=681"},{"t":"Які землі в Україні найбільше потерпають від пожеж під час великої війни (Which lands in Ukraine suffer most from fires during the full-scale war)","p":"Slovo i Dilo","d":"2026-05-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.slovoidilo.ua/2026/05/15/infografika/suspilstvo/yaki-zemli-ukrayini-najbilshe-poterpayut-pozhezh-velykoyi-vijny"},{"t":"Russia destroys over 60,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests worth over $360 mn – investigation","p":"Euromaidan Press / NGL.media","d":"2024-04-09","type":"investigative","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/04/09/russia-destroys-over-60000-hectares-of-ukrainian-forests-worth-over-360-mn-investigation/"},{"t":"War ignited record-breaking wildfires in Ukraine last year, scientists say","p":"Arab News / Reuters","d":"2025-03-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.arabnews.com/node/2594918/amp"},{"t":"Europe's fire season is expanding, new JRC report shows","p":"EU Joint Research Centre","d":"2025-12-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/europes-fire-season-expanding-new-jrc-report-shows-2025-12-05_en"},{"t":"Occupiers destroy Kinburn Peninsula: 4 million trees affected by fires","p":"Ukrainska Pravda","d":"2023-05-11","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/05/11/7401712/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Area burned: totals differ by method","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: How many EFFIS-counted fires were caused by the war; EFFIS does not say.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: UNCG counted at least 37,867 fires and 100,662 ha in four months of 2022 (NASA hotspots); EFFIS counted 6,309 fires and about 500,000 ha for the full year 2022 (fires of 5 ha or more, burnt-area mapping).","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: The exact damage on the Kinburn Peninsula; the Ministry said it can be calculated only after the territory is liberated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A 2026 area-burned figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A statement from the Russian-installed authorities on the Kinburn fires, or a Russian official statement on the extent of war-zone fires.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sviati-hory-national-park-fires","title":"Sviati Hory National Nature Park, Donetsk Oblast, 2022–","dek":"Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection stated on 2 August 2024 that the war had destroyed about 80% of the forest plantings of Sviati Hory National Nature Park, that about 9,500 ha of forest had been burned, and that its preliminary damage estimate was UAH 16 billion.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":49.03,"lon":37.57,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Donetsk Oblast (near Sviatohirsk, Siverskyi Donets)","lat":49.03,"lon":37.57,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2024,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","protected-area","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Preliminary environmental damage estimate, Sviati Hory National Nature Park (Ministry, 2 August 2024)","value":"UAH 16 billion","note":"The Ministry gives no method; in its wording the damage is attributed to “the occupiers”."},"happened":["The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine stated on 2 August 2024 (republished on the Cabinet of Ministers portal) that the war had destroyed about 80% of the forest plantings of Sviati Hory National Nature Park, near Sviatohirsk on the Siverskyi Donets in Donetsk Oblast. The Ministry gave no baseline for the percentage.","Deputy Minister Olena Kramarenko said: “About 9.5 thousand hectares of forest in the Sviati Hory national park have been burned by the fire of war” (translated from Ukrainian). The Ministry said 10,000 ha need survey and clearance of explosive objects, and that about 100 km of forest roads had been cleared by park staff. “The first and most important thing is demining”, it said.","The Ministry's preliminary estimate of the environmental damage was UAH 16 billion, attributed in the Ministry's wording to “the occupiers”. The release gives no method for the figure. Ivan Moisienko of Kherson State University said in an NGL.media investigation (Euromaidan Press, 9 April 2024): “Almost the entire forest was mined there”."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"Ministry of Environmental Protection states that the war destroyed about 80% of the park's forest plantings, about 9,500 ha burned, preliminary damage UAH 16 billion (2 Aug); Euromaidan Press report (5 Aug)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"About 9.5 thousand hectares of forest in the Sviati Hory national park have been burned by the fire of war","who":"Olena Kramarenko, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine","when":"2 August 2024","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The first and most important thing is demining","who":"Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine","when":"2 August 2024","src":0,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"Almost the entire forest was mined there","who":"Ivan Moisienko, Kherson State University, in the NGL.media investigation","when":"9 April 2024","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"Ministry of Environment: War destroyed about 80% of forest plantings of Sviati Hory national park (headline)","who":"Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, 2 August 2024","src":0},{"t":"Russia's war destroys 80% of Ukrainian “Holy Mountains” National Park (headline)","who":"Euromaidan Press, 5 August 2024","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Ministry's release gives no baseline for the 80% figure and no method for the UAH 16 billion estimate.","src":0},{"t":"10,000 ha need survey and clearance of explosive objects; about 100 km of forest roads cleared by park staff.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Preliminary estimate, 2 August 2024","nature":[{"label":"Preliminary environmental damage, Sviati Hory National Nature Park (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources)","amount":16000,"est":true,"window":"2022–2024","note":"Attributed in the Ministry's wording to “the occupiers”; no method stated."}],"natureTotal":16000,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Forest plantings destroyed","v":"~80%","d":"Ministry headline; no baseline given"},{"k":"Forest burned","v":"~9,500 ha","d":"Deputy Minister Kramarenko"},{"k":"Area needing demining survey","v":"10,000 ha","d":"Ministry, 2 August 2024"},{"k":"Damage estimate","v":"UAH 16bn","d":"Preliminary; no method stated"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A statement by Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of 2 August 2024.","report":[{"t":"About 9.5 thousand hectares of my Sviati Hory forest have been burned, according to Deputy Minister Olena Kramarenko on 2 August 2024.","src":0},{"t":"The Ministry's headline states that about 80% of my forest plantings in the park were destroyed; it gives no baseline.","src":0},{"t":"10,000 ha of my park need survey and clearance of explosive objects; park staff had cleared about 100 km of forest roads by 2 August 2024.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: The baseline behind the Ministry's 80% figure of forest plantings destroyed.","Not disclosed: The method behind the UAH 16 billion preliminary damage estimate.","None on record: A statement from the Russian-installed authorities on the park."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of August 2024: the Ministry's preliminary estimate stood at UAH 16 billion; demining survey of 10,000 ha pending.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine","says":"About 80% of the park's forest plantings destroyed; about 9,500 ha burned; preliminary damage UAH 16 billion; demining first.","when":"2 August 2024","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"ukraine-environment-ministry","role":"Issued the damage estimate and the forest-loss statement"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_lost_pct","value":80,"unit":"% of forest plantings","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ministry headline, 2 August 2024; no baseline given."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":9500,"unit":"ha burned","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Deputy Minister Olena Kramarenko."},{"key":"area_ha","value":10000,"unit":"ha needing survey and clearance of explosive objects","year":2024,"note":"Ministry, 2 August 2024."},{"key":"roads_cleared_km","value":100,"unit":"km of forest roads","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cleared by park staff."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":16000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Preliminary environmental damage; no method stated."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources stated that the war destroyed about 80% of the forest plantings of Sviati Hory National Nature Park, with about 9,500 ha burned, and gave a preliminary damage estimate of UAH 16 billion.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sviati Hory National Nature Park forest","what":"About 9,500 ha burned; about 80% of forest plantings destroyed (Ministry)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Sviati Hory National Nature Park, near Sviatohirsk on the Siverskyi Donets, Donetsk Oblast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022 onward; Ministry statement of 2 August 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Ministry attributes the damage to “the occupiers”; Ivan Moisienko said almost the entire forest was mined.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Fire and mines; 10,000 ha need survey and clearance of explosive objects.","src":0}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-war-zone-wildfires-and-kinburn","askania-nova-reserve-under-occupation"],"sources":[{"t":"Міндовкілля: Війна знищила близько 80% лісових насаджень нацпарку «Святі Гори» (Ministry of Environment: War destroyed about 80% of forest plantings of Sviati Hory national park)","p":"Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine / Ministry of Environmental Protection","d":"2024-08-02","type":"official","u":"https://www.kmu.gov.ua/news/mindovkillia-viina-znyshchyla-blyzko-80-lisovykh-nasadzhen-natsparku-sviati-hory"},{"t":"Russia's war destroys 80% of Ukrainian “Holy Mountains” National Park","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2024-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/08/05/russias-war-destroys-80-of-ukrainian-holy-mountains-national-park-in-donetsk-oblast"},{"t":"Russia destroys over 60,000 hectares of Ukrainian forests worth over $360 mn – investigation","p":"Euromaidan Press / NGL.media","d":"2024-04-09","type":"investigative","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2024/04/09/russia-destroys-over-60000-hectares-of-ukrainian-forests-worth-over-360-mn-investigation/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: The baseline behind the Ministry's 80% figure of forest plantings destroyed.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: The method behind the UAH 16 billion preliminary damage estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A statement from the Russian-installed authorities on the park.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"askania-nova-reserve-under-occupation","title":"Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve under occupation, 2022–","dek":"Ukrainian officials estimate damage of UAH 85.2 million for the removal of rare animals from the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in occupied Kherson Oblast. In February 2025 Ukrainian prosecutors sent to court an indictment charging the occupation-appointed head of the reserve.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":46.45,"lon":33.88,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kherson Oblast (occupied)","lat":46.45,"lon":33.88,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","protected-area"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Damage for the removal of rare animals (Ukrainian side, as reported)","value":"UAH 85.2 million","note":"The calculating body is not named in the article cited."},"happened":["The Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve in Kherson Oblast, with steppe, a zoo and a dendrological park, has been under occupation since 24 February 2022. According to Current Time and Radio Svoboda's Novyny Pryazovia (30 March 2025), Russia registered the reserve as a “state autonomous institution” on 7 March 2023 and took full control on 20 March 2023. The Ukrainian administration, led by Director Viktor Shapoval with 30 staff and 15 scientists, works from Kyiv under the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences.","Olha Filina of the Kherson regional military administration said animals had been removed: two each of Chapman's zebra, American bison, Przewalski's horse and Père David's deer. Thirty-three animal deaths were recorded; Ukrainian officials cited panic from low-flying Russian aircraft and insufficient care. Two large fires burned in August and September 2023; the August fire was caused by a fallen missile fragment, according to the Ukrainian side as reported, and reached the Bolshoy Chapelsky enclosure, and steppe was ploughed during the response to the fire of 1 September. No hectare figures are given. Ukrainian officials, including Andriy Sydorenko of the State Environmental Inspectorate, document possible logging, poaching and disruption of water regimes.","The Ukrainian side puts the damage for the removal of rare animals at UAH 85.2 million. The occupation administration does not provide the necessary funds, and salaries have been delayed repeatedly. The total damage from the occupation has not been calculated. In February 2025 Ukrainian prosecutors sent to court an indictment charging Dmitry Meshcheryakov, the occupation-appointed head of the reserve, in connection with the removal of animals, including to the “Taigan” park in Crimea. Current Time (March 2025) reported no verdict at that time. The article reports no official response from the Russian side; Bystryantsev, a former occupation official, claimed that the zoo animals were starving.","On 9 April 2026, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General as reported by Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition), a court convicted the Russian-installed “director” of the reserve over the removal of animals (Chapman’s zebras, American bison, Père David’s deer and Przewalski’s horses) to the “Taigan” park in Crimea and to reserves in Russia, and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on holding public posts. The damage in the case was UAH 85.2 million. The conviction was under war-crime provisions, not under the ecocide article."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Occupation begins (24 Feb)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Russian legal entity registered (7 Mar); full Russian control (20 Mar); large fires in August and September","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Indictment sent to court (February); Current Time report (30 Mar)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Court convicts the occupation-appointed director; 15 years and confiscation of property (9 Apr)","src":1}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"What is happening to the Askania-Nova reserve under Russian occupation (headline)","who":"Current Time, 30 March 2025","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Removed animals, per Olha Filina (Kherson regional military administration): two each of Chapman's zebra, American bison, Przewalski's horse and Père David's deer.","src":0},{"t":"33 animal deaths recorded; causes cited by Ukrainian officials: panic from low-flying Russian aircraft, insufficient care.","src":0},{"t":"Two large fires in 2023 (August and 1 September); the August fire was caused by a fallen missile fragment, per the Ukrainian side as reported.","src":0},{"t":"Damage for the removal of rare animals: UAH 85.2 million (Ukrainian side as reported; the calculating body is not named).","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Not specified","nature":[{"label":"Damage for the removal of rare animals (Ukrainian side as reported)","amount":85.2,"note":"The article does not name the calculating body. The total damage from the occupation has not been calculated."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Animals removed","v":"4 species","d":"Two each of four species, per Olha Filina"},{"k":"Animal deaths recorded","v":"33","d":"Current Time, March 2025"},{"k":"Large fires","v":"2","d":"August and September 2023; no hectare figures"},{"k":"Damage (removal of rare animals)","v":"UAH 85.2m","d":"Ukrainian side as reported"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements by Ukrainian officials as reported by Current Time and Radio Svoboda's Novyny Pryazovia.","report":[{"t":"Rare animals were removed from my steppe and zoo: two each of Chapman's zebra, American bison, Przewalski's horse and Père David's deer, according to Olha Filina of the Kherson regional military administration.","src":0},{"t":"33 animal deaths were recorded in my reserve; Ukrainian officials cited panic from low-flying Russian aircraft and insufficient care.","src":0},{"t":"Two large fires burned my steppe in August and September 2023; the August fire reached the Bolshoy Chapelsky enclosure.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: The body that calculated the UAH 85.2 million figure.","Not measured: The area burned or ploughed in the 2023 fires; no hectare figures are given.","Insufficient: The total damage from the occupation has not been calculated, and no budget figures for the reserve are given.","None on record: An official response from the Russian side in the article cited.","None on record: enforcement of the confiscation order, or a Russian response to the verdict.","Unclear: whether the April 2026 verdict concerns the same person named in the February 2025 indictment; the article on the verdict gives no name."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: a Ukrainian court convicted the occupation-appointed director on 9 April 2026 (15 years, confiscation of property); the reserve remains under occupation.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Russian side","says":"No official response is recorded in the article; a former occupation official, Bystryantsev, claimed that the zoo animals were starving.","when":"30 March 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"askania-nova-reserve","role":"Reserve under occupation"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Ukrainian prosecutors who sent the indictment to court"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Condition and care of the reserve's animals","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukrainian officials (Olha Filina; Andriy Sydorenko, State Environmental Inspectorate)","says":"33 animal deaths recorded from panic caused by low-flying Russian aircraft and insufficient care; animals removed; possible logging, poaching and disruption of water regimes documented.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Bystryantsev, a former occupation official","says":"Claimed the zoo animals were starving.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russian authorities","says":"No official response in the article cited.","src":0,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ukrainian prosecutors v. Dmitry Meshcheryakov (removal of animals from the Askania-Nova reserve)","forum":"Ukrainian court (indictment sent in February 2025)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Ukrainian prosecutors","defendant":"Dmitry Meshcheryakov, head of the reserve appointed by the occupation administration","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"In February 2025 prosecutors sent to court an indictment charging him in connection with the removal of animals, including to the “Taigan” park in Crimea (Current Time, March 2025).","src":0},{"title":"Verdict against the occupation-appointed director of Askania-Nova (removal of animals)","forum":"Ukrainian court","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Ukrainian prosecutors","defendant":"The Russian-installed director of the reserve (name not given in the article)","filed":null,"decided":"2026-04-09","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":85.2,"currency":"UAH","label":"damage in the case, UAH 85.2 million"},"summary":"On 9 April 2026 a court convicted the Russian-installed director of the reserve and sentenced him to 15 years in prison with confiscation of property and a 15-year ban on holding public posts, according to the Office of the Prosecutor General as reported by Kyiv Post. The conviction was under war-crime provisions, not the ecocide article.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"damage_estimate","value":85.2,"unit":"UAH m","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"For the removal of rare animals; Ukrainian side as reported; calculating body not named."},{"key":"deaths","value":33,"unit":"animals","year":2025,"note":"Animal deaths recorded, per Current Time (March 2025)."},{"key":"staff","value":30,"unit":"staff","year":2025,"note":"Ukrainian administration working from Kyiv, including 15 scientists."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rare animals were removed from the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve under occupation, animals died and the steppe burned in 2023. Ukrainian officials give damage of UAH 85.2 million for the removal of rare animals.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ukrainian administration of the reserve","what":"Control of the reserve since 20 March 2023; works from Kyiv with 30 staff","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Animals of the reserve","what":"Removal of two each of four species; 33 deaths recorded","src":0},{"who":"Steppe of the reserve","what":"Two large fires in August and September 2023; steppe ploughed during the 1 September fire response","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve, Kherson Oblast (occupied): steppe, zoo and dendrological park.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Occupation from 24 February 2022; full Russian control from 20 March 2023; fires in August and September 2023; indictment sent to court in February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Ukrainian officials cite panic from low-flying Russian aircraft and insufficient care for the animal deaths and a fallen missile fragment for the August 2023 fire. A former occupation official claimed the zoo animals were starving.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Animals were removed, including to the “Taigan” park in Crimea according to the prosecutors' indictment; the occupation administration does not provide the necessary funds.","src":0}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","ukraine-war-zone-wildfires-and-kinburn","sviati-hory-national-park-fires","ukraine-ecocide-prosecutions"],"sources":[{"t":"Что происходит с заповедником Аскания-Нова в российской оккупации (What is happening to Askania-Nova reserve under Russian occupation)","p":"Current Time","d":"2025-03-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/chto-proishodit-s-zapovednikom-askaniya-nova-v-rossiyskoy-okkupatsii/33357616.html"},{"t":"Kyiv Post (Ukrainian edition): Askania-Nova verdict report, citing the Office of the Prosecutor General via USI","p":"Kyiv Post","d":"2026-04-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.kyivpost.com/uk/post/73571"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Condition and care of the reserve's animals","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Russian authorities: No official response in the article cited.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ukrainian prosecutors v. Dmitry Meshcheryakov (removal of animals from the Askania-Nova reserve): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: The body that calculated the UAH 85.2 million figure.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: The area burned or ploughed in the 2023 fires; no hectare figures are given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: The total damage from the occupation has not been calculated, and no budget figures for the reserve are given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: An official response from the Russian side in the article cited.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: enforcement of the confiscation order, or a Russian response to the verdict.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: whether the April 2026 verdict concerns the same person named in the February 2025 indictment; the article on the verdict gives no name.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"odesa-port-strikes-vegetable-oil-spills-2025-2026","title":"Vegetable-oil and fuel spills after strikes on Odesa-region ports, December 2025–April 2026","dek":"Strikes on export ports at Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk in December 2025 and April 2026 released vegetable oil into the sea. The Tuzly Lagoons park estimated more than 1,000 dead birds; no case-specific damage sum is on record.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":46.62,"lon":31.02,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Odesa Oblast (Port of Pivdennyi, Great Adzhalyk Estuary outlet)","lat":46.62,"lon":31.02,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Odesa Oblast (Chornomorsk)","lat":46.3,"lon":30.66,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Gulf of Odesa and Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park shoreline, about 150 km away","role":"affected"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-12-20","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","water","agriculture"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Birds dead in the Odesa Bay after the Pivdennyi spill (Tuzly Lagoons park estimate)","value":"More than 1,000","note":"Estimate, 2 January 2026; mainly grebes. The total volume spilled at Pivdennyi is not stated."},"happened":["Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said (Kyiv Post, 25 December 2025) that Russian strikes had damaged sunflower-oil storage tanks at the port of Pivdennyi. A strike hit the port facilities on 20 December 2025 and the spill was detected on 24 December. Kiper said that “All specialized services were immediately deployed once the pollution was detected”, that the Pivdennyi channel was sealed with double boom barriers and that continuous shelling for the first two days limited the cleanup. The Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration said the substance was “vegetable oil, which is an organic substance subject to natural biological decomposition”.","Viktor Dovhan, a former deputy infrastructure minister, told Novaya Gazeta Europe that a batch of 40–50 thousand tonnes of vegetable oil burned in strikes on Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk on 30 December 2025, and that Allseeds tanks at Pivdennyi and a Kernel oil plant at Chornomorsk were hit.","On 26 April 2026 a storage tank containing 6,000 tonnes of sunflower oil was destroyed at Chornomorsk, according to the State Environmental Inspectorate's South-Western District (Ukrinform, 27 April 2026). The Inspectorate said “A slick approximately 400 by 200 meters has formed on the surface of the water”; booms were deployed, stormwater drains blocked and samples taken.","Ivan Rusev of Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park said on 2 January 2026: “According to our estimates, more than 1,000 birds of various species died in the Odesa Bay, mainly pirnikoz” (grebes). Pollution was found about 150 km from the site, and oil patches of up to 5,000 m² were seen at an inspection on 27 January. In June 2026 the Inspectorate's South-Western District put damage to the Odesa region's marine environment at more than UAH 23 billion, naming vegetable oil from destroyed port facilities as the most common pollutant; there is no per-incident breakdown."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Strike on Pivdennyi port facilities (20 Dec); spill detected (24 Dec); Kyiv Post report (25 Dec); strikes on Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk, according to Dovhan (30 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Rusev's estimate of over 1,000 dead birds (2 Jan); oil patches inspected (27 Jan); Chornomorsk tank with 6,000 t of sunflower oil destroyed (26 Apr); regional marine damage above UAH 23 billion (16 Jun)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"All specialized services were immediately deployed once the pollution was detected","who":"Oleh Kiper, Odesa Regional Governor","when":"25 December 2025","src":0},{"q":"vegetable oil, which is an organic substance subject to natural biological decomposition","who":"Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration","when":"25 December 2025","src":0},{"q":"According to our estimates, more than 1,000 birds of various species died in the Odesa Bay, mainly pirnikoz","who":"Ivan Rusev, Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park","when":"2 January 2026","src":2,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"a storage tank containing 6,000 tons of sunflower oil was destroyed","who":"State Environmental Inspectorate, South-Western District","when":"27 April 2026","src":3},{"q":"A slick approximately 400 by 200 meters has formed on the surface of the water","who":"State Environmental Inspectorate, South-Western District","when":"27 April 2026","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Ukraine's largest port reopens after Russian strikes trigger oil spill (headline)","who":"Kyiv Post, 25 December 2025","src":0},{"t":"Over 1,000 birds died in oil spill after Russian attack on Pivdennyi port (headline)","who":"USM, 2 January 2026","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Dovhan (former deputy infrastructure minister): a batch of 40–50 thousand tonnes of vegetable oil burned in strikes on Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk on 30 December 2025; Allseeds tanks and a Kernel oil plant were hit.","src":4},{"t":"Chornomorsk, 26 April 2026: a 6,000-tonne sunflower-oil tank destroyed; slick about 400 by 200 m; samples taken.","src":3},{"t":"Pollution found about 150 km from the Pivdennyi site; oil patches up to 5,000 m² at a 27 January 2026 inspection.","src":2},{"t":"Vegetable oil from destroyed port facilities is named as the most common pollutant in the Inspectorate's Odesa-region marine damage figure of more than UAH 23 billion, with no per-incident breakdown.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"UAH","window":"Regional, all war-related marine pollution to June 2026","nature":[{"label":"Damage to the Odesa region's marine environment, all incidents (State Environmental Inspectorate, South-Western District, June 2026)","amount":23000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"to June 2026","note":"Not broken down per incident; no method described. No case-specific sum is on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Birds dead, Odesa Bay","v":">1,000","d":"Tuzly Lagoons park estimate, 2 January 2026"},{"k":"Oil destroyed, Chornomorsk","v":"6,000 t","d":"Sunflower oil, 26 April 2026"},{"k":"Reach of pollution","v":"~150 km","d":"From the Pivdennyi site"},{"k":"Slick, Chornomorsk","v":"400 × 200 m","d":"State Environmental Inspectorate, April 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Statements by the Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park and the State Environmental Inspectorate.","report":[{"t":"After strikes on Pivdennyi port in December 2025, more than 1,000 birds of various species, mainly grebes, died in my Odesa Bay, according to Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park on 2 January 2026.","src":2},{"t":"Pollution reached my shore about 150 km from the Pivdennyi site, and oil patches of up to 5,000 m² were seen on 27 January 2026.","src":2},{"t":"On 26 April 2026 a slick of about 400 by 200 m formed on my water at Chornomorsk after a tank with 6,000 tonnes of sunflower oil was destroyed, according to the State Environmental Inspectorate.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: The total volume spilled at Pivdennyi (Kyiv Post).","Not disclosed: Results of the seawater samples taken at Chornomorsk in April 2026.","None on record: A damage sum specific to these incidents, or legal proceedings or insurance claims for them.","Insufficient: Inspectorate damage calculations for these incidents are not published."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of June 2026: a further tank was destroyed at Chornomorsk on 26 April 2026; no case-specific damage sum, proceedings or insurance payments are on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Odesa Regional Governor Oleh Kiper","says":"All specialized services were deployed once the pollution was detected; the Pivdennyi channel was sealed with double boom barriers; continuous shelling for the first two days limited cleanup.","when":"25 December 2025","src":0},{"actor":"Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration","says":"The substance was vegetable oil, an organic substance subject to natural biological decomposition.","when":"25 December 2025","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"ukrainian-sea-ports-administration","role":"Described the spilled substance"},{"id":"ukraine-state-environmental-inspectorate","role":"Documented the Chornomorsk spill and the regional marine damage"},{"id":"tuzly-lagoons-np","role":"Estimated bird deaths and observed pollution about 150 km away"},{"id":"allseeds","role":"Oil tanks at Pivdennyi reported hit"},{"id":"kernel","role":"Oil plant at Chornomorsk reported hit"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"birds_killed","value":1000,"unit":"birds","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Tuzly Lagoons park estimate, Odesa Bay, 2 January 2026; mainly grebes."},{"key":"pollution_reach_km","value":150,"unit":"km","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Pollution found about 150 km from the Pivdennyi site."},{"key":"oil_destroyed_tonnes","value":6000,"unit":"tonnes (sunflower oil)","year":2026,"note":"Chornomorsk tank destroyed on 26 April 2026."},{"key":"oil_burned_tonnes","value":40000,"unit":"tonnes (vegetable oil)","year":2025,"qualifier":"40,000–50,000","est":true,"note":"Dovhan: a batch burned in strikes on Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk on 30 December 2025."},{"key":"oil_patch_m2","value":5000,"unit":"m²","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Oil patches at the 27 January 2026 inspection."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":23000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Odesa region marine environment, all war-related incidents; not incident-specific."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russian strikes on ports in the Odesa region in December 2025 and April 2026 destroyed vegetable-oil storage, released oil into the sea and killed birds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Allseeds and Kernel","what":"Oil tanks and an oil plant reported hit, according to Dovhan; no loss figure on record","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Birds of the Odesa Bay","what":"More than 1,000 dead, mainly grebes (Tuzly Lagoons park estimate)","src":2},{"who":"Sea and shore of the Gulf of Odesa","what":"Oil patches of up to 5,000 m²; pollution found about 150 km from the Pivdennyi site","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Port of Pivdennyi (Yuzhne), Great Adzhalyk Estuary outlet; Chornomorsk; Gulf of Odesa and the Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park shoreline.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Strike on 20 December 2025; spill detected 24 December 2025; strikes on 30 December 2025 (per Dovhan); Chornomorsk tank destroyed 26 April 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Strikes on export ports; Ukrainian officials attribute them to Russian forces. None on record: a statement of Russia's position on these incidents.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Storage tanks of sunflower oil were damaged or destroyed and the oil reached the sea; booms were deployed and stormwater drains blocked.","src":3}},"related":["ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","black-sea-cetacean-deaths-war","volgoneft-212-239-spill"],"sources":[{"t":"Ukraine's largest port reopens after Russian strikes trigger oil spill","p":"Kyiv Post","d":"2025-12-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.kyivpost.com/post/66911"},{"t":"Damage to the marine environment of the Odesa region from the war exceeded UAH 23 billion","p":"USM","d":"2026-06-16","type":"press","u":"https://en.usm.media/damage-to-the-marine-environment-of-the-odesa-region-from-the-war-exceeded-uah-23-billion/"},{"t":"Over 1,000 birds died in oil spill after Russian attack on Pivdennyi port","p":"USM","d":"2026-01-02","type":"press","u":"https://en.usm.media/over-1000-birds-died-in-oil-spill-after-russian-attack-on-pivdennyi-port/"},{"t":"Russian attack triggers large oil spill in Odesa region port","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2026-04-27","type":"press","voice":"government","u":"https://ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/4117034-russian-attack-triggers-large-oil-spill-in-odesa-region-port.html"},{"t":"Черное море горит (The Black Sea is burning)","p":"Novaya Gazeta Europe","d":"2026-01-19","type":"press","u":"https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2026/01/19/chernoe-more-gorit"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: The total volume spilled at Pivdennyi (Kyiv Post).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: Results of the seawater samples taken at Chornomorsk in April 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: A damage sum specific to these incidents, or legal proceedings or insurance claims for them.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: Inspectorate damage calculations for these incidents are not published.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chornobyl-exclusion-zone-occupation-and-fires","title":"Chornobyl Exclusion Zone: Russian occupation of 2022 and fires, 2022–2026","dek":"Russian forces held the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone from 24 February 2022 until the end of March 2022. Ukrainian agencies reported looted laboratories and lost machinery, and a peer-reviewed satellite study found about 70 km² burned in March 2022; further fires followed in 2024 and 2026.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":51.39,"lon":30.1,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kyiv oblast (Chornobyl Exclusion Zone)","lat":51.39,"lon":30.1,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-02-24","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","protected-area","wildfire","burning"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","burning:wildfire"],"headline":{"label":"Burned area in the zone, March 2022 (satellite study)","value":"≈ 70 km²","note":"Estimate from satellite imagery (Hu et al., Scientific Reports, 2023). Ukraine's environment minister gave “almost 12,000 hectares” of the Chornobyl Reserve destroyed by fire on 19 May 2022."},"happened":["Russia's Ministry of Defence said on 25 February 2022 that units of the Russian Airborne Forces had taken full control of the area around the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on 24 February. The plant lost external power on 9 March; Ukraine's Ministry of Energy reported a reconnection on 13 March, the line was disconnected again on 14 March and reconnected on 15 March. According to the German regulator BASE's chronology, Russian troops withdrew from the zone on 31 March 2022, and on 1 April Ukraine said all Russian forces had left the zone and that Russia had confirmed this.","Radiation in the zone was reported differently by the parties. On 25 February 2022 Ukraine's nuclear agency (not named in the article) said gamma radiation had exceeded control levels and attributed it to heavy military vehicles disturbing topsoil; Russia's Ministry of Defence said radiation levels in the plant area were normal. On 4 March Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said that, according to the Automated Radiation Control System, indicators in the zone had risen 4.6 to 15.7 times compared with the annual average. The IAEA said on 7 April, according to BASE, that drone footage it cited indicated Russian troops had dug trenches in the contaminated area and that it could not confirm reports of high radiation doses among the troops; BASE recorded on 2 May that the IAEA assessed the rise in radiation from dust raised by military vehicles as low. On 26 April IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said, as reported by AFP, that the radiation level was normal and that levels had gone up at times because of heavy equipment moved by Russian forces. In July 2022 Greenpeace, with a team led by Greenpeace Germany and the cooperation of Ukraine's zone agency, published readings of 0.18–2.5 µSv/h near the Russian camp at Stantsiya Yanov and 7.7 µSv/h at a junction next to the Red Forest.","Ukraine's State Agency on Exclusion Zone Management (SAEZM) reported on 23 March 2022 that the Central Analytical Laboratory in Chornobyl, valued at EUR 6 million, had been looted and destroyed, and on 10 April that 133 sources of ionizing radiation with a total activity of about 7 million becquerels had been stolen and destroyed. Environment minister Ruslan Strilets said on 19 May 2022 that nearly 100 units of equipment at the laboratory were destroyed, that preliminary damage to the zone was UAH 2.5 billion and that only “several posts” of the radiation monitoring system had been reactivated. On 3 June he gave losses of UAH 2 billion so far. In August 2023 SAEZM's deputy head Maksym Shevchuk put the occupation damage at EUR 100 million, said more than 300 vehicles had been lost, about six hectares of trenches were visible on satellite imagery, and a 10-part recovery plan would cost EUR 200 million. The EBRD said that more than 90 per cent of the zone administration's specialised firefighting and forestry machinery was destroyed or displaced; donors approved a grant of up to EUR 1.1 million to the EBRD-managed International Chernobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA) on 14 November 2022 for fire-safety equipment.","A peer-reviewed satellite study (Hu et al., Scientific Reports, 31 March 2023) found about 0.4 km² burned in the zone in February 2022 and about 70 km² in March 2022; it cited a visual estimate of about 74 km² by Protsak et al. and did not measure radiation. Ukraine's parliament reported seven fires covering over 2 km² on 22 March 2022. Later fires followed. Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection said on 7 September 2024 that more than 2,600 hectares had been covered by fire and that the radiation background was normal. On 7–8 May 2026 a forest fire started in the Opachychi area “as a result of a drone crash”, according to the Chornobyl Reserve; Ukraine's State Emergency Service gave more than 1,100 ha and the IAEA, according to BASE, about 1,100 ha with no abnormal radiation. Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate reported caesium-137 in near-surface air of 680 µBq/m³ on 8 May 2026, 30–150 m from the active fire. A further fire from 14 May exceeded 412 ha by 20 May, and new fires on 25 June 2026 were attributed by the zone agency to crashed Russian drones.","A Science paper (Kudrenko et al., 2026), based on camera traps, found that red deer and red foxes reduced night-time activity during the 2022 occupation and that brown hares and red deer became more active at night in response to thermal anomalies, mainly conflict-related forest fires. On 4 March 2022 Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened proceedings that cite Article 441 (ecocide) of the Criminal Code over the seizure of the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia plants. On 7 February 2025 it notified a suspicion under Article 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war) to a Russian major general over the looting and destruction of property of Chornobyl enterprises between 24 February and 31 March 2022, with damage stated as over UAH 1.038 billion; no conviction is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Russian forces take control of the plant and zone (24 Feb); Ukraine's Prosecutor General opens proceedings (4 Mar); power lost (9 Mar); seven fires over 2 km² reported (22 Mar); laboratory looting reported (23 Mar); Russian troops withdraw (31 Mar); Greenpeace readings published (20 Jul); ICCA grant of up to EUR 1.1m approved for fire-safety equipment (14 Nov)","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"Satellite study of 2022 burned area published (31 Mar); zone agency puts occupation damage at EUR 100m (Aug)","src":13},{"y":2024,"t":"Fire covers more than 2,600 ha (7 Sep, Ministry of Environmental Protection)","src":20},{"y":2025,"t":"Suspicion notified to a Russian major general under Article 438 (7 Feb)","src":18},{"y":2026,"t":"Fire from 7 May, about 1,100 ha; caesium-137 in air measured 8 May; new fire 14 May, over 412 ha by 20 May; fires of 25 June; Chornobyl NPP puts looting losses at USD 135m (13 Apr); university release on the Science wildlife study (19 Jun)","src":21}],"said":[{"q":"units of the Russian Airborne Forces took full control of the area around the Chernobyl NPP","who":"Russia's Ministry of Defence (Igor Konashenkov), as reported by Interfax","when":"25 February 2022","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Radiation levels are normal in the NPP area.","who":"Russia's Ministry of Defence","when":"25 February 2022","src":2,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the indicators in the exclusion zone have increased from 4.6 to 15.7 times compared to the annual average.","who":"Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, citing the Automated Radiation Control System","when":"4 March 2022","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The enemy creates threats of an ecocatastrophe in Ukraine and Europe.","who":"Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office","when":"4 March 2022","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The radiation level, I would say, is normal","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General (via AFP, reported by Interfax)","when":"26 April 2022","src":3},{"q":"The Russian occupiers looted and destroyed the modern Central Analytical Laboratory in Chornobyl","who":"State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management","when":"23 March 2022","src":5,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The occupiers stole and destroyed 133 sources with a total activity of about 7 million becquerels","who":"State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management","when":"10 April 2022","src":7,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The Russian military occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site left a trail of devastation.","who":"Balthasar Lindauer, EBRD","when":"14 November 2022","src":10},{"q":"decided not to make an effort to fully investigate","who":"Jan Vande Putte, Greenpeace, on the IAEA","when":"20 July 2022","src":17},{"q":"Now, there is no access to 25-30% of the territory because mines are scattered there","who":"Maksym Shevchuk, deputy head of the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management","when":"August 2023","src":9,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"It was impossible to enter the forest to extinguish the center of this fire","who":"Denys Vishnevskyi, scientist at the Chornobyl Reserve","when":"August 2023","src":9,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"We are sure that Rosatom must be held accountable as must Russia as a whole.","who":"Serhii Tarakanov, Director General of Chornobyl NPP","when":"April 2026","src":12,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The radiation background in the area is normal.","who":"Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection, as reported by TASS","when":"7 September 2024","src":20,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The measured value exceeds the control levels established for these territories","who":"State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform","when":"9 May 2026","src":23,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"In some forest sectors, firefighting operations are temporarily suspended due to the threat of explosive objects.","who":"State Emergency Service of Ukraine, as reported by Kyiv Post","when":"May 2026","src":21,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"This doesn't mean radiation is good for wildlife.","who":"Jim Smith, co-author of the 2015 Chernobyl wildlife census","when":"5 October 2015","src":16}],"shown":[{"t":"Reports that Russian vehicles raised radiation levels in the zone, with figures of 4.6 to 15.7 times the annual average","who":"Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office","src":1},{"t":"A statement that radiation levels in the plant area were normal","who":"Russia's Ministry of Defence","src":2},{"t":"Reports of looted laboratories, 133 stolen radiation sources and more than 300 lost vehicles","who":"State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management","src":9},{"t":"Radiation readings near areas used by Russian troops, described as at least three times the IAEA's April 2022 estimates","who":"Greenpeace","src":17},{"t":"Attribution of the May and June 2026 fires to crashed Russian drones","who":"Ukrainian agencies (State Emergency Service, zone agency)","src":24}],"recorded":[{"t":"Satellite study: about 0.4 km² burned in the zone in February 2022 and about 70 km² in March 2022; the authors state that the majority of the burned area detected was burned in the course of the Russian invasion, and the study measured no radiation.","src":13},{"t":"The EBRD recorded that the April 2020 fires, before the war, destroyed about 50,000 ha, roughly 20% of the zone.","src":10},{"t":"The IAEA could not confirm reports of high radiation doses among Russian troops (7 April 2022, according to BASE).","src":0},{"t":"The IAEA assessed the rise in radiation levels from dust raised by military vehicles as low, and the power loss of 9 March 2022 as having no safety-relevant effects (BASE entry of 2 May 2022).","src":0},{"t":"Zone radiation monitoring: only “several posts” reactivated by 19 May 2022 (environment minister); IAEA safeguards remote data from Chornobyl were cut in March 2022 and fully restored on 11 May 2022 (BASE).","src":6},{"t":"Greenpeace reported soil caesium-137 from 45,000 Bq/kg to below 500 Bq/kg in areas used by troops, and said the trench material qualified as low-level nuclear waste.","src":17},{"t":"Pre-war census (Current Biology, 2015): no sign that radiation reduced mammal abundance; wolves about seven times more numerous than in nearby uncontaminated reserves; elk, roe deer and wild boar numbers rising in the decade after 1986.","src":16},{"t":"Camera-trap study (Science, 2026; 11 species, 2022 data 19 January–6 May against 19 January–21 March 2021): roe deer detections declined as daily conflict intensity rose, while red deer detections increased.","src":14},{"t":"Regulator, May 2026: caesium-137 in air 680 µBq/m³ (0.00068 Bq/m³) against a national limit of 0.8 Bq/m³; the redistribution “does not create additional risks that would require intervention measures”.","src":23},{"t":"Reserve, May 2026: background in the fire area 0.19–0.35 µSv/h.","src":21},{"t":"June 2026: the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute said the fires worsened air quality in Kyiv and Kyiv-region districts on 27–28 June; Sentinel-5P showed plumes up to 170 km with elevated carbon monoxide and particulate matter.","src":25}],"ledger":{"currency":"Mixed (see each line)","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Preliminary damage to the exclusion zone (UAH, Ukraine's environment minister)","amount":2500,"qualifier":"claimed","window":"19 May 2022","note":"UAH 2.5 billion; the same minister gave UAH 2 billion on 3 June 2022. Ukrainian official estimate; no reconciled total."},{"label":"Losses of Chornobyl NPP and the zone “so far” (UAH, Ukraine's environment minister)","amount":2000,"qualifier":"claimed","window":"3 June 2022","note":"UAH 2 billion; a “much higher” final figure expected."},{"label":"Occupation damage (EUR, deputy head of the zone agency)","amount":100,"qualifier":"estimate","window":"August 2023","note":"Estimate by the zone agency."},{"label":"Looting losses across zone enterprises (USD, Chornobyl NPP)","amount":135,"qualifier":"estimate","window":"April 2026","note":"Estimate by the state enterprise."},{"label":"Damage stated in the Prosecutor General's criminal case (UAH)","amount":1038,"qualifier":"over","window":"February 2025","note":"UAH 1.038 billion; prosecutors' figure at suspicion stage."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Central Analytical Laboratory, value stated by the zone agency (EUR)","amount":6,"window":"March 2022"},{"label":"ICCA grant approved for fire-safety equipment (EUR)","amount":1.1,"qualifier":"up to","window":"14 November 2022"},{"label":"Cost of the zone agency's 10-part recovery plan (EUR)","amount":200,"qualifier":"estimate","window":"August 2023"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Burned, March 2022","v":"≈ 70 km²","d":"Satellite study of the zone; minister gave almost 12,000 ha for the Reserve"},{"k":"Specialised machinery destroyed or displaced","v":"> 90%","d":"Zone administration's firefighting and forestry machinery (EBRD)"},{"k":"Radiation near Red Forest junction","v":"7.7 µSv/h","d":"Greenpeace reading, July 2022"},{"k":"Caesium-137 in air near fire","v":"680 µBq/m³","d":"8 May 2026; national limit 0.8 Bq/m³"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded as burned area, radiation readings and changes in animal behaviour; no source gives a total ecological loss for the zone.","report":[{"t":"About 70 km² of my forest burned in March 2022, according to a satellite study published in 2023.","src":13},{"t":"Greenpeace measured 7.7 µSv/h at a junction next to my Red Forest and soil caesium-137 from 45,000 Bq/kg to below 500 Bq/kg in areas used by troops in July 2022.","src":17},{"t":"My red deer and red foxes reduced their night-time activity during the 2022 occupation, and my brown hares and red deer became more active at night in response to forest fires, according to camera-trap data published in Science in 2026.","src":14},{"t":"More than 2,600 hectares of my forest were covered by fire in September 2024, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection.","src":20},{"t":"Caesium-137 in the air near an active fire in my Opachychi area measured 680 µBq/m³ on 8 May 2026, according to Ukraine's nuclear regulator.","src":23}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: Ukrainian officials gave UAH 2.5 billion (19 May 2022) and UAH 2 billion (3 June 2022) for losses at the zone; the zone agency's deputy head gave EUR 100 million (August 2023); Chornobyl NPP gave USD 135 million for looting losses across zone enterprises (April 2026); the Prosecutor General's case cites over UAH 1.038 billion. Scopes and dates differ, and no reconciled total is on record.","Figures differ: the 2022 satellite study gives about 70 km² burned in March 2022 (a visual estimate cited in it: about 74 km²); Ukraine's environment minister gave almost 12,000 hectares of the Chornobyl Reserve destroyed by fire (19 May 2022).","Figures differ: the occupation is dated as ending on 31 March 2022 (Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, BASE) or 1 April 2022 (Ukraine's statement that all forces had left); other sources give a later date.","Figures differ: the area of the May 2026 fire was given as more than 1,100 ha (State Emergency Service; IAEA via BASE), and other outlets gave 1,180 ha and 1,200 ha; the Chernihiv regional governor gave up to 40 km².","None on record: a burned-area figure for the zone for 2023 or 2025.","None on record: a cumulative burned-area figure for 2022–2026 from an official or satellite source.","None on record: a cost figure for firefighting operations in the zone in 2024–2026.","None on record: a court ruling in the proceedings Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened on 4 March 2022 citing Article 441, or a conviction in the Article 438 case.","None on record: a statement by Russia on the 2026 fires.","Not measured: radiation in the 2023 satellite burned-area study, which did not include radiation measurements.","Insufficient: the IAEA said it could not confirm reports of high radiation doses among Russian troops (7 April 2022, according to BASE).","Insufficient: the zone agency's deputy head said in 2023 that 25–30% of the zone was inaccessible because of mines.","Not disclosed: the cause of the September 2024 fire, which the ministry's statement did not give.","Not disclosed: whose drone started the fire of 7 May 2026; neither the Chornobyl Reserve's post nor Kyiv Post says.","Disputed: whether radiation levels in the zone during the occupation were significant. Russia's Ministry of Defence and the IAEA (via BASE and Interfax) described levels as normal or the rise as low; Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office cited increases of 4.6 to 15.7 times; Greenpeace measured readings at least three times the IAEA's April 2022 estimates. The instruments, places and dates differ."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Russian troops withdrew from the zone on 31 March 2022 (BASE chronology). Fires in the zone recurred in September 2024 and in May and June 2026.","whoPaid":"Donors, through the EBRD-managed ICCA, approved up to EUR 1.1 million for fire-safety equipment on 14 November 2022. None on record: compensation paid by a party held responsible.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: fires in the zone in May and June 2026 attributed by Ukrainian agencies to crashed Russian drones; a suspicion notice under Article 438 was issued on 7 February 2025; no court ruling on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"russia-ministry-defence","says":"“Radiation levels are normal in the NPP area.”","when":"25 February 2022","src":2},{"actor":"iaea","says":"Could not confirm reports of high radiation doses among Russian troops (7 April 2022, according to BASE); assessed the rise in radiation from dust raised by vehicles as low (BASE entry of 2 May 2022).","when":"April–May 2022","src":0},{"actor":"ebrd","says":"“The Russian military occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site left a trail of devastation.”","when":"14 November 2022","src":10},{"actor":"greenpeace-international","says":"The IAEA “decided not to make an effort to fully investigate”.","when":"20 July 2022","src":17}],"actors":[{"id":"saezm","role":"Ukrainian zone agency; reported looting, losses and recovery plan"},{"id":"chornobyl-npp","role":"State enterprise; reported looting losses of USD 135m"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Opened proceedings (2022) and notified a suspicion (2025)"},{"id":"russia-ministry-defence","role":"Reported taking control of the plant area; said radiation was normal"},{"id":"iaea","role":"Reported on radiation, trenches and fires, per BASE"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Manages the ICCA; fire-safety grant"},{"id":"greenpeace-international","role":"Published radiation readings, July 2022"},{"id":"snriu","role":"Ukrainian nuclear regulator; caesium-137 reading, May 2026"},{"id":"base-germany","role":"German regulator whose chronology records IAEA statements"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were radiation levels in the zone during the 2022 occupation significant?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia's Ministry of Defence","says":"“Radiation levels are normal in the NPP area.” (25 February 2022)","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office","says":"Indicators in the zone had increased 4.6 to 15.7 times compared with the annual average, per the Automated Radiation Control System (4 March 2022).","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA (Rafael Grossi, via AFP and Interfax; and via BASE)","says":"“The radiation level, I would say, is normal”, with levels having gone up at times because of heavy equipment (26 April 2022); the rise from vehicle dust was assessed as low (BASE entry of 2 May 2022).","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Its readings were at least three times the IAEA's April 2022 estimates; 7.7 µSv/h at a junction next to the Red Forest.","src":17}]},{"point":"What was the total damage from the occupation?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's environment minister (Ruslan Strilets)","says":"UAH 2.5 billion preliminary damage (19 May 2022); UAH 2 billion losses so far (3 June 2022).","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management","says":"Occupation damage of EUR 100 million; recovery plan of EUR 200 million (August 2023).","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Chornobyl NPP","says":"USD 135 million estimated looting losses across zone enterprises (April 2026).","src":12},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office","says":"Damage of over UAH 1.038 billion in the criminal case (7 February 2025).","src":18}]},{"point":"How much of the zone burned in 2022?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Hu et al., Scientific Reports (2023)","says":"About 70 km² burned in the zone in March 2022; a visual estimate by Protsak et al. of about 74 km².","src":13},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's environment minister (Ruslan Strilets)","says":"“Almost 12,000 hectares” of the Chornobyl Reserve destroyed by fire (19 May 2022).","src":6}]},{"point":"What started the 2026 fires?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's State Emergency Service (Kyiv region), as reported by Ukrinform","says":"The fire of 14 May 2026 was caused by the downing of Russian drones.","src":24},{"voice":"government","holder":"State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management, as reported by Meduza","says":"The fires of 25 June 2026 were started by crashed Russian drones.","src":25},{"voice":"government","holder":"Chornobyl Reserve","says":"The 7 May fire started “as a result of a drone crash”; the post does not name the drone's origin.","src":21},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia","says":"No statement on the fires on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ukraine Prosecutor General's proceedings over the seizure of the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia plants","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (pre-trial investigation)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"No defendant named","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"On 4 March 2022 the Prosecutor General's Office said it had opened proceedings over the seizure of the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia plants, citing Part 2 of Article 28, Article 441 (ecocide) and Part 2 of Article 258 (terrorist act) of Ukraine's Criminal Code. The status is investigation; no court ruling is on record.","src":1},{"title":"Suspicion notice to a Russian major general over property of Chornobyl enterprises","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"A Russian major general, deputy chief of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops (armament and research work)","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1038,"currency":"UAH","label":"damage stated by prosecutors (over)"},"summary":"On 7 February 2025 the Prosecutor General's Office notified a suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 (violation of the laws and customs of war) for participating in the looting and destruction of property of SSE Chornobyl NPP, the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, SSE Pivnichna Pushcha, SSE Ecocentre and SSE Central Enterprise for Radioactive Waste Management between 24 February and 31 March 2022, with damage of over UAH 1.038 billion. The status is a notified suspicion; no conviction is on record.","src":18}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"burned_area_km2","value":0.4,"unit":"km²","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"February 2022, zone, satellite (Hu et al.)."},{"key":"burned_area_km2","value":70,"unit":"km²","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"March 2022, zone, satellite (Hu et al.); a visual estimate cited in the study is about 74 km²."},{"key":"area_ha","value":12000,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Chornobyl Reserve destroyed by fire, environment minister, 19 May 2022."},{"key":"area_ha","value":2600,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Covered by fire as of 7 September 2024 (Ministry of Environmental Protection, via TASS); final figure to be set after extinguishing."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1100,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fire of 7 May 2026 (State Emergency Service: more than 1,100 ha; IAEA via BASE: about 1,100 ha)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":412,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Fire from 14 May 2026, as of 20 May (State Emergency Service, Kyiv region)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":6,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Trenches visible on satellite imagery (zone agency deputy head, 2023)."},{"key":"radiation_usv_h","value":7.7,"unit":"µSv/h","year":2022,"note":"Junction next to the Red Forest (Greenpeace, July 2022)."},{"key":"radiation_usv_h","value":2.5,"unit":"µSv/h","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Near the Russian camp at Stantsiya Yanov, 10 cm (range 0.18–2.5; Greenpeace)."},{"key":"cs137_air_ubq_m3","value":680,"unit":"µBq/m³","year":2026,"note":"Near-surface air, 8 May 2026, 30–150 m from active fire (State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate); national limit 0.8 Bq/m³."},{"key":"machinery_lost_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Zone administration's specialised firefighting and forestry machinery destroyed or displaced (EBRD)."},{"key":"vehicles_lost","value":300,"unit":"vehicles","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Zone agency, August 2023."},{"key":"radiation_sources_stolen","value":133,"unit":"sources","year":2022,"note":"Total activity about 7 million becquerels (zone agency, 10 April 2022)."},{"key":"damage_claimed","value":2500,"unit":"UAH m","year":2022,"note":"Environment minister, 19 May 2022."},{"key":"damage_claimed","value":2000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2022,"note":"Environment minister, 3 June 2022."},{"key":"damage_claimed","value":100,"unit":"EUR m","year":2023,"note":"Zone agency deputy head, August 2023."},{"key":"damage_claimed","value":135,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Chornobyl NPP, looting losses across zone enterprises."},{"key":"damage_claimed","value":1038,"unit":"UAH m","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Prosecutor General's case."},{"key":"grant_approved","value":1.1,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"qualifier":"up to","note":"ICCA grant for fire-safety equipment, 14 November 2022."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russian forces held the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone from 24 February 2022 to the end of March 2022. Ukrainian agencies reported looted laboratories, lost machinery and disputed radiation increases; about 70 km² burned in March 2022 according to a satellite study. Further fires followed in 2024 and 2026.","src":13},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management","what":"Central Analytical Laboratory (valued at EUR 6 million), more than 300 vehicles and, per the EBRD, more than 90 per cent of its specialised firefighting and forestry machinery","src":10},{"who":"Chornobyl NPP and zone enterprises","what":"Estimated looting losses of USD 135 million (company figure, April 2026)","src":12}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone","what":"About 70 km² burned in March 2022 (satellite study); more than 2,600 ha in September 2024; about 1,100 ha in May 2026","src":13},{"who":"Wildlife (red deer, red foxes, brown hares, roe deer)","what":"Changes in night-time activity and detections during the 2022 occupation and fires (camera-trap study)","src":14},{"who":"Radiation monitoring system","what":"Shut down during the occupation; only “several posts” reactivated by 19 May 2022","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, Kyiv oblast, Ukraine, including the Chornobyl NPP site, the Red Forest, the Chornobyl Reserve and the Opachychi area.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Occupation from 24 February 2022 until about 31 March 2022; fires in March 2022, September 2024 and May–June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Russian Airborne Forces took control of the area on 24 February 2022, according to Russia's Ministry of Defence. The satellite study's authors state that the majority of the burned area detected in northern Ukraine was burned in the course of the Russian invasion; Ukrainian agencies attribute the 2026 fires to crashed Russian drones.","src":13},"how":{"t":"Ukraine's agencies reported heavy military vehicles disturbing contaminated topsoil, trenches in the Red Forest, looting of laboratories and vehicles, and fires that could not be fully extinguished because of mines. The EBRD-managed ICCA funded replacement fire-safety equipment.","src":9}},"related":["chornobyl-new-safe-confinement-drone-strike-2025","zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-under-russian-control"],"sources":[{"t":"On the current situation in Ukraine","p":"BASE (Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, Germany)","d":"2022–2026 (running chronology)","type":"official","u":"https://www.base.bund.de/en/nuclear-safety/nuclear-accidents/information-current-situation.html"},{"t":"Prosecutor General: investigation into ecocide in connection with attack of Russian troops on Zaporizhia NPP launched","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2022-03-04","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/807113.html"},{"t":"Russian forces take control of Chernobyl NPP – Defense Ministry","p":"Interfax (Russia)","d":"2022-02-25","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/74220/"},{"t":"Grossi on Chernobyl radiation (AFP correction)","p":"Interfax (Russia)","d":"2022-04-26","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/78659/"},{"t":"Russia seizes Chernobyl, radiation levels rising","p":"Fortune","d":"2022-02-25","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2022/02/25/russia-seizes-chernobyl-radiation-levels-rising-ukraine"},{"t":"Russian troops looted modern laboratory located in Chornobyl","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2022-03-23","type":"press","u":"https://ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3437317-russian-troops-looted-modern-laboratory-located-in-chornobyl.html"},{"t":"Russian troops inflict over UAH 2.5B damage on Chornobyl zone","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2022-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3487062-russian-troops-inflict-over-25m-damage-on-chornobyl-zone.html"},{"t":"Russians robbed laboratories","p":"LB.ua","d":"2022-04-10","type":"press","u":"https://en.lb.ua/news/2022/04/10/12886_russians_robbed_laboratories.html"},{"t":"Damage caused to Ukraine's environment (Strelets)","p":"LB.ua","d":"2022-06-03","type":"press","u":"https://en.lb.ua/news/2022/06/03/15896_damage_caused_ukraines.html"},{"t":"Six hectares of trenches, stolen equipment, fires, and prisoners: how Chornobyl is recovering","p":"Rubryka","d":"2023-08-28","type":"press","u":"https://rubryka.com/en/?p=571085"},{"t":"The EBRD's ICCA steps up support for Chernobyl","p":"EBRD","d":"2022-11-14","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2022/the-ebrds-icca-steps-up-support-for-chernobyl.html"},{"t":"EU and UK make contributions to EBRD-managed Chornobyl ICCA fund","p":"EBRD","d":"2025-06-26","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2025/eu-and-uk-make-contributions-to-ebrd-managed-chornobyl-icca-fund.html"},{"t":"ChNPP Director General: the IAEA should punish Rosatom…","p":"Chornobyl NPP (state enterprise)","d":"2026-04-13","type":"company","u":"https://chnpp.gov.ua/en/infocenter/news/6547-chnpp-director-general-the-iaea-should-punish-rosatom-for-political-and-technical-cover-up-of-ukrainian-nuclear-power-plants-occupation"},{"t":"Application of a tuning-free burned area detection algorithm to the Chornobyl wildfires in 2022","p":"Scientific Reports 13:5236 (Hu et al.)","d":"2023-03-31","type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10066350/"},{"t":"Wildlife in Chornobyl is changing its behaviour during Russian invasion","p":"University of Freiburg (on Kudrenko et al., Science 392:1282–1286)","d":"2026-06-19","type":"academic","u":"https://uni-freiburg.de/en/wildlife-in-chornobyl-is-changing-its-behaviour-during-russian-invasion/"},{"t":"Long-term census data reveal abundant wildlife populations at Chernobyl","p":"University of Portsmouth research portal (Current Biology 25(19))","d":"2015-10-05","type":"academic","u":"https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/en/publications/long-term-census-data-reveal-abundant-wildlife-populations-at-che/"},{"t":"International research team finds thriving wildlife populations in Chernobyl","p":"University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory","d":"2015-10-05","type":"academic","u":"https://srel.uga.edu/international-research-team-finds-thriving-wildlife-populations-in-chernobyl-october-5-2015/"},{"t":"Greenpeace investigation challenges nuclear agency on Chornobyl radiation levels","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2022-07-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/54762/greenpeace-investigation-challenges-nuclear-agency-on-chornobyl-radiation-levels/"},{"t":"«Розграбовував майно Чорнобильської АЕС: повідомлено про підозру генерал-майору зс рф» (Looted Chornobyl NPP property: Russian Armed Forces major general notified of suspicion)","p":"ArmyInform (Ukraine Ministry of Defence news agency, relaying the Prosecutor General's Office)","d":"2025-02-07","type":"official","u":"https://armyinform.com.ua/2025/02/07/rozgrabovuvav-majno-chornobylskoyi-aes-povidomleno-pro-pidozru-general-majoru-zs-rf/"},{"t":"Russian general charged with looting Chornobyl NPP","p":"Ukrainska Pravda","d":"2025-02-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2025/02/07/7497174/"},{"t":"Fire area in Chernobyl exclusion zone exceeds 2,600 hectares","p":"TASS","d":"2024-09-08","type":"press","u":"https://tass.com/emergencies/1840169/amp"},{"t":"Chornobyl forest fire triggered by drone crash","p":"Kyiv Post","d":"2026-05-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.kyivpost.com/post/75708"},{"t":"Chornobyl Exclusion Zone wildfire spreads as land mines hamper crews","p":"Scripps News (10News)","d":"2026-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.10news.com/world/europe/chornobyl-exclusion-zone-wildfire-spreads-as-land-mines-hamper-crews"},{"t":"No expected exceedance of radionuclide levels due to fire in Chornobyl exclusion zone – regulator","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2026-05-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-emergencies/4121585-no-expected-exceedance-of-radionuclide-levels-due-to-fire-in-chornobyl-exclusion-zone-regulator.html"},{"t":"Fire continues in Chornobyl Exclusion Zone after Russian drone strike","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2026-05-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-emergencies/4125604-fire-continues-in-chornobyl-exclusion-zone-after-russian-drone-strike.html"},{"t":"Fires in Chornobyl exclusion zone send toxic smoke over Kyiv","p":"Meduza","d":"2026-06-29","type":"press","u":"https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/06/29/fires-in-chornobyl-exclusion-zone-send-toxic-smoke-over-kyiv-ukraine-says-crashed-russian-drones-started-them"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Were radiation levels in the zone during the 2022 occupation significant?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much of the zone burned in 2022?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What started the 2026 fires?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was the total damage from the occupation?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Russia: No statement on the fires on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Ukrainian officials gave UAH 2.5 billion (19 May 2022) and UAH 2 billion (3 June 2022) for losses at the zone; the zone agency's deputy head gave EUR 100 million (August 2023); Chornobyl NPP gave USD 135 million for looting losses across zone enterprises (April 2026); the Prosecutor General's case cites over UAH 1.038 billion. Scopes and dates differ, and no reconciled total is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the 2022 satellite study gives about 70 km² burned in March 2022 (a visual estimate cited in it: about 74 km²); Ukraine's environment minister gave almost 12,000 hectares of the Chornobyl Reserve destroyed by fire (19 May 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the occupation is dated as ending on 31 March 2022 (Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, BASE) or 1 April 2022 (Ukraine's statement that all forces had left); other sources give a later date.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the area of the May 2026 fire was given as more than 1,100 ha (State Emergency Service; IAEA via BASE), and other outlets gave 1,180 ha and 1,200 ha; the Chernihiv regional governor gave up to 40 km².","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a burned-area figure for the zone for 2023 or 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a cumulative burned-area figure for 2022–2026 from an official or satellite source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a cost figure for firefighting operations in the zone in 2024–2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling in the proceedings Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened on 4 March 2022 citing Article 441, or a conviction in the Article 438 case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a statement by Russia on the 2026 fires.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: radiation in the 2023 satellite burned-area study, which did not include radiation measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the IAEA said it could not confirm reports of high radiation doses among Russian troops (7 April 2022, according to BASE).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the zone agency's deputy head said in 2023 that 25–30% of the zone was inaccessible because of mines.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the cause of the September 2024 fire, which the ministry's statement did not give.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: whose drone started the fire of 7 May 2026; neither the Chornobyl Reserve's post nor Kyiv Post says.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: whether radiation levels in the zone during the occupation were significant. Russia's Ministry of Defence and the IAEA (via BASE and Interfax) described levels as normal or the rise as low; Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office cited increases of 4.6 to 15.7 times; Greenpeace measured readings at least three times the IAEA's April 2022 estimates. The instruments, places and dates differ.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chornobyl-new-safe-confinement-drone-strike-2025","title":"Drone strike on the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement, 14 February 2025, and the repair funding","dek":"A drone struck the New Safe Confinement over the destroyed Unit 4 of the Chornobyl plant on 14 February 2025. The IAEA reported, as relayed by NucNet, that the structure had lost its primary safety functions; the EBRD put the repair cost at no less than EUR 500 million and Ukraine's Energy Ministry at EUR 412 million.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":51.389,"lon":30.099,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Chornobyl NPP, Kyiv oblast","lat":51.389,"lon":30.099,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"company-home"}],"start":2025,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-02-14","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","finance"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Repair cost: EBRD vs Ukraine's Energy Ministry","value":"≥ EUR 500m vs EUR 412m","note":"Preliminary estimates. EBRD (April and October 2026): at least EUR 500 million. Ukraine's Energy Ministry (1 April 2026): EUR 412 million for the full repair of the Arch."},"happened":["At about 01:50 local time on 14 February 2025 a drone hit the New Safe Confinement (NSC), the EBRD-financed arch over the destroyed Unit 4 of the Chornobyl plant. The IAEA said, according to BASE, that the drone started a fire and made a hole of about 6 m in diameter through both layers of the structure, with no elevated radiation. The IAEA said on X, as reported by AP, that “Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable” and that the inner containment shell was not breached; it did not attribute blame. Fires in the cladding smouldered until 7 March 2025 (BASE).","Damage assessments followed. A Greenpeace Ukraine mission, with figures from a Chornobyl NPP lead engineer, reported on 20 March 2025 that about 50% of the north roof was damaged by burning, that the crane system was damaged and that snow and water could enter, risking corrosion; Greenpeace wrote that the structure “no longer functions as designed and licensed”. The IAEA's assessment, reported by NucNet on 8 December 2025, said the NSC had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability, with no permanent damage to load-bearing structures or monitoring systems. In March 2026 the plant said full restoration had to be complete by 2030 to prevent accelerated corrosion, and that dismantling of unstable 1986 Shelter structures could not resume until the repair was done. Temporary closure of the hole in the outer cladding was completed in October 2025.","Ukraine and Russia gave opposing accounts of the strike. President Zelensky said on 14 February 2025 that a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead had hit the structure; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that any claim of strikes on nuclear infrastructure was not true. Ukraine's Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said on 22 April 2026 that the attack was likely intentional, based on impact angle and a pre-determined route; the Prosecutor General's Office described the drone as Shahed-type. McKenzie Intelligence Services, commissioned by Greenpeace, said the drone was a Russian Geran-2. The IAEA did not attribute blame.","Repair cost estimates differ. In June 2025 the EBRD said emergency repairs could exceed EUR 100 million and that an exact estimate was not yet possible. On 1 April 2026 Ukraine's Energy Ministry said preliminary estimates indicated EUR 412 million for the full repair of the Arch; EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said in April 2026 that at least EUR 500 million was needed, preliminary and possibly rising, with work to start in 2028 and finish in 2030. Pledges to the EBRD-managed ICCA included EU and UK contributions in June 2025 (up to EUR 31.7 million, per the EBRD), a EUR 30 million reallocation from the ICCA administrative budget that, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, the donors' assembly was to make on 1 April 2026, EUR 50 million from Germany announced on 19 August 2026 and a G7 commitment of EUR 260 million announced on 15 October 2026. A donor conference in Paris was scheduled for 9 November 2026.","On 9 March 2026 Chornobyl NPP, the EBRD, Bouygues and Vinci, members of the Novarka consortium that built the NSC, met to discuss a renewed consortium, “NOVARKA-2”, and the two companies were assessing costs in their proposals. A separate drone strike on 7 June 2026 damaged a fuel reception building at the Central Spent Fuel Storage Facility, a few hundred metres from spent-fuel containers; the IAEA said, according to BASE, there was no elevated radiation."],"timeline":[{"y":2025,"t":"Drone hits the NSC (14 Feb); fires in the cladding extinguished (7 Mar); Greenpeace Ukraine reports roof damage (20 Mar); EU and UK contribute to the ICCA (June); outer-cladding hole closed temporarily (Oct); IAEA assessment reported (8 Dec)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Ukraine allocates EUR 31m (Feb); NSC contractors meet (9 Mar); donors' assembly to reallocate EUR 30m and Ministry estimates EUR 412m (1 Apr); Prosecutor General says attack likely intentional (22 Apr); restoration account opened (26 Apr); Germany pledges EUR 50m (19 Aug); G7 commits EUR 260m (15 Oct); donor conference scheduled in Paris (9 Nov)","src":9}],"said":[{"q":"Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable","who":"IAEA on X, as reported by AP","when":"14 February 2025","src":1},{"q":"Putin is certainly not preparing for negotiations.","who":"Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, on Telegram","when":"14 February 2025","src":1,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities, any such claim isn't true","who":"Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman","when":"14 February 2025","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"this targeted attack on an object containing dangerous forces is unequivocally a war crime","who":"Yuriy Belousov, war crimes department of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office, as quoted by Greenpeace Ukraine","when":"20 March 2025","src":3,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"Obviously, flights over nuclear facilities are carried out exclusively for intimidation and terror","who":"Ruslan Kravchenko, Prosecutor General of Ukraine","when":"22 April 2026","src":2,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"had lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability","who":"IAEA assessment, as reported by NucNet","when":"8 December 2025","src":4},{"q":"Limited temporary repairs have been carried out on the roof, but timely and comprehensive restoration remains essential","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, as reported by NucNet","when":"8 December 2025","src":4},{"q":"no one will be able to handle this task better than the companies that designed and built the Confinement.","who":"Serhii Tarakanov, Director General of Chornobyl NPP","when":"10 March 2026","src":5,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"Preliminary estimates indicate that EUR 412 million will be required for the full repair of the Arch","who":"Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine","when":"1 April 2026","src":10,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"We need a firm commitment of funding by the end of 2027","who":"Odile Renaud-Basso, EBRD President","when":"April 2026","src":11},{"q":"Initial preliminary estimates point to half a billion euros","who":"Matteo Patrone, EBRD Vice President","when":"Spring 2026","src":7},{"q":"A deal was signed today to open a restoration account for the New Safe Confinement and for the first tranche","who":"Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine's Energy Minister","when":"26 April 2026","src":14,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"The EBRD is grateful to the G7 nations for their continued leadership and commitment to nuclear safety at Chornobyl.","who":"Odile Renaud-Basso, EBRD President","when":"15 October 2026","src":9}],"shown":[{"t":"A claim that a Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the structure, and a statement that the strike showed that Russia was not preparing for negotiations","who":"President Zelensky of Ukraine","src":1},{"t":"A denial that any strike on nuclear infrastructure had taken place","who":"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov","src":1},{"t":"An assessment that the attack was likely intentional, from impact angle and a pre-determined route","who":"Prosecutor General of Ukraine","src":2},{"t":"An identification of the drone as a Russian Geran-2, almost certainly pre-programmed","who":"McKenzie Intelligence Services, commissioned by Greenpeace","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"No radiation increase was recorded after the strike (IAEA, per BASE; Chornobyl NPP sensor network as of 20 March 2025, per Greenpeace Ukraine).","src":0},{"t":"The IAEA recorded loss of the confinement function and a corrosion risk; no release was measured. It recommended humidity control, an updated corrosion-monitoring programme and upgraded integrated automated monitoring (NucNet).","src":4},{"t":"The strike broke the tightness of the outer cladding, disabled the anti-corrosion protection of metal structures and damaged critical systems, according to Chornobyl NPP (10 March 2026).","src":5},{"t":"The IAEA did not attribute the strike to any party (AP).","src":1},{"t":"Original structure: cost EUR 1.5 billion, funded by 45 donor countries and institutions, with a 2007 design-and-build contract of EUR 935 million (Nuclear Engineering International).","src":6},{"t":"Contributions to EBRD-managed Chornobyl programmes since 1995: about EUR 2 billion (EBRD, June 2025).","src":8},{"t":"Contributions to EBRD-managed Chornobyl programmes since 1995: over EUR 2.5 billion (EBRD, October 2026).","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation paid by a party held responsible","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"EBRD estimate of repair cost (preliminary)","amount":500,"qualifier":"at least","window":"April and October 2026"},{"label":"Ukraine's Ministry of Energy estimate for full repair of the Arch","amount":412,"window":"1 April 2026"},{"label":"G7 commitment for urgent repairs","amount":260,"window":"15 October 2026"},{"label":"Germany's allocation to the ICCA","amount":50,"window":"19 August 2026"},{"label":"EU contribution to the ICCA (EBRD release)","amount":25,"qualifier":"up to","window":"June 2025"},{"label":"UK contribution to the ICCA (EBRD release)","amount":6.7,"qualifier":"up to","window":"June 2025"},{"label":"ICCA reallocation from the administrative budget for engineering and advance procurement (as stated by Ukraine's Ministry of Energy)","amount":30,"window":"1 April 2026"},{"label":"Ukraine's allocation from the national budget (Nuclear Engineering International)","amount":31,"window":"February 2026","note":"Euromaidan Press reports UAH 1.6 billion allocated from the state budget after the strike."},{"label":"Original NSC cost (Nuclear Engineering International)","amount":1500,"window":"Construction","note":"Kyiv Post gives EUR 2.1 billion."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Hole through the structure","v":"≈ 6 m","d":"Diameter, through both layers (IAEA via BASE)"},{"k":"North roof damaged by burning","v":"≈ 50%","d":"Greenpeace Ukraine, per a Chornobyl NPP lead engineer, March 2025"},{"k":"Repair estimates","v":"EUR 412m – 500m+","d":"Ukraine's Energy Ministry and EBRD, 2026"},{"k":"G7 commitment","v":"EUR 260m","d":"15 October 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded as damage to the containment barrier and a corrosion risk; no source records a release of radioactive material.","report":[{"t":"A drone hit the arch over my Unit 4 on 14 February 2025 and made a hole of about 6 m through both layers, the IAEA said, according to BASE.","src":0},{"t":"Radiation levels inside and outside remained normal and stable after the strike, the IAEA said on X.","src":1},{"t":"My arch lost its primary safety functions, including the confinement capability, according to the IAEA assessment reported in December 2025.","src":4}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: the repair cost is given as EUR 412 million for the full repair of the Arch (Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, 1 April 2026) and at least EUR 500 million (EBRD, April and October 2026). Kyiv Independent attributes a EUR 500 million damage estimate to the IAEA.","Unclear: the scope of each repair estimate.","Figures differ: the original NSC cost is given as EUR 1.5 billion (Nuclear Engineering International) and EUR 2.1 billion (Kyiv Post).","Figures differ: the EBRD gave international contributions to its Chornobyl programmes of about EUR 2 billion (June 2025) and over EUR 2.5 billion (October 2026), and its own resources as more than EUR 800 million (June 2025) and more than EUR 700 million (October 2026).","Figures differ: June 2025 contributions to the ICCA are given as up to EUR 31.7 million (EU up to EUR 25 million, UK up to EUR 6.7 million; EBRD) and EUR 42.5 million including France (Nuclear Engineering International).","Figures differ: Ukraine's allocation after the strike is given as EUR 31 million (Nuclear Engineering International, February 2026) and UAH 1.6 billion (Euromaidan Press).","Figures differ: the date of the IAEA assessment mission is given as November 2025 (Chornobyl NPP) and reported in early December 2025 (NucNet).","None on record: a repair contractor award; Bouygues and Vinci were still assessing cost in March 2026.","None on record: charges against named persons in the criminal case over the strike.","None on record: deposit of the G7 commitment of EUR 260 million into the ICCA; the EBRD describes it as a commitment.","Not disclosed: an exact repair estimate in June 2025 (the EBRD said it was not yet possible); NucNet (December 2025) gave no repair cost figure; Chornobyl NPP (March 2026) gave no restoration cost figure.","Disputed: responsibility for the strike. Ukraine says a Russian drone hit the structure; Russia denies strikes on nuclear infrastructure; the IAEA did not attribute blame."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Fires in the cladding smouldered until 7 March 2025 (BASE). A temporary closure of the hole in the outer cladding was completed in October 2025; the EBRD president said in April 2026 that repair work would start in 2028 and finish in 2030.","whoPaid":"Donors through the EBRD-managed ICCA, the G7 (EUR 260 million committed), Germany (EUR 50 million) and Ukraine's national budget are funding repairs, as grants and pledges. None on record: payment by a party held responsible.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the G7 committed EUR 260 million on 15 October 2026; a donor conference was scheduled for 9 November 2026; no repair contractor is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"russia-gov","says":"“There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities, any such claim isn't true” (Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov).","when":"14 February 2025","src":1},{"actor":"iaea","says":"Did not attribute blame; “Radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable”.","when":"14 February 2025","src":1},{"actor":"ebrd","says":"“The EBRD is grateful to the G7 nations for their continued leadership and commitment to nuclear safety at Chornobyl.”","when":"15 October 2026","src":9},{"actor":"chornobyl-npp","says":"Full restoration must be complete by 2030; the companies that built the Confinement are best placed to handle the task.","when":"10 March 2026","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"chornobyl-npp","role":"Plant operator; reported damage and restoration plan"},{"id":"ebrd","role":"Manages the ICCA; financed the NSC; repair estimate"},{"id":"iaea","role":"Reported on damage and radiation, per BASE and NucNet"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Denied striking nuclear infrastructure"},{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Attributes the strike to a Russian drone; Energy Ministry estimate"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Criminal case over the strike"},{"id":"vinci","role":"Member of the Novarka consortium; discussed repair"},{"id":"bouygues","role":"Member of the Novarka consortium; discussed repair"},{"id":"greenpeace-ukraine","role":"Mission report on roof damage, March 2025"},{"id":"g7","role":"Committed EUR 260 million, 15 October 2026"},{"id":"base-germany","role":"German regulator whose chronology records IAEA statements"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who was responsible for the strike on the New Safe Confinement?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine (President Zelensky; Prosecutor General Kravchenko)","says":"A Russian drone with a high-explosive warhead hit the arch (14 February 2025); the attack was likely intentional, based on impact angle and a pre-determined route (22 April 2026).","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia (Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov)","says":"“There is no talk about strikes on nuclear infrastructure, nuclear energy facilities, any such claim isn't true” (14 February 2025).","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA","says":"Did not attribute blame (AP).","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace (McKenzie Intelligence Services)","says":"The drone was a Russian Geran-2, almost certainly pre-programmed (Greenpeace wording).","src":3}]},{"point":"How much will the repair of the New Safe Confinement cost?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's Ministry of Energy","says":"EUR 412 million for the full repair of the Arch (1 April 2026).","src":10},{"voice":"international","holder":"EBRD (Odile Renaud-Basso; Matteo Patrone)","says":"At least EUR 500 million, preliminary and possibly rising (April 2026); “Initial preliminary estimates point to half a billion euros”; at least EUR 500 million (15 October 2026).","src":9},{"voice":"press","holder":"Kyiv Independent","says":"Attributes a EUR 500 million damage estimate to the IAEA.","src":12}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ukraine's criminal case over the drone strike on the New Safe Confinement","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"No defendant named","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"Greenpeace Ukraine reported that the Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case. On 22 April 2026 Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the attack was likely intentional, based on impact angle and a pre-determined route. A department official, Yuriy Belousov, was quoted as describing the attack as “unequivocally a war crime”; no court has ruled and no charges against named persons are on record.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"hole_diameter_m","value":6,"unit":"m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Through both layers of the structure (IAEA via BASE)."},{"key":"roof_damage_pct","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"North roof damaged by burning, per a Chornobyl NPP lead engineer quoted by Greenpeace Ukraine."},{"key":"repair_cost_estimate","value":500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"EBRD, preliminary; may rise."},{"key":"repair_cost_estimate","value":412,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, full repair of the Arch, 1 April 2026."},{"key":"repair_cost_estimate","value":100,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"could exceed","note":"EBRD emergency repairs, June 2025."},{"key":"pledged","value":260,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"G7 commitment, 15 October 2026."},{"key":"pledged","value":50,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Germany, 19 August 2026."},{"key":"pledged","value":31.7,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"EU up to EUR 25 million and UK up to EUR 6.7 million (EBRD, June 2025)."},{"key":"pledged","value":31,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Ukraine's national budget (Nuclear Engineering International, February 2026)."},{"key":"reallocated","value":30,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"ICCA administrative budget to be reallocated for engineering solutions and advance procurement (Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, 1 April 2026)."},{"key":"original_cost","value":1500,"unit":"EUR m","year":null,"note":"NSC cost, 45 donors (Nuclear Engineering International); Kyiv Post gives EUR 2.1 billion."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A drone hit the New Safe Confinement over Chornobyl Unit 4 on 14 February 2025, making a hole of about 6 m through both layers. The IAEA reported that the structure lost its primary safety functions; repair is estimated at EUR 412 million (Ukraine's Energy Ministry) to at least EUR 500 million (EBRD).","src":4},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Chornobyl NPP / NSC operator","what":"The arch lost its primary safety functions; dismantling of unstable 1986 Shelter structures cannot resume until repaired (plant statement, March 2026)","src":5},{"who":"Donors to the ICCA","what":"Funding repairs with grants and pledges, including the G7's EUR 260 million, Germany's EUR 50 million and EU and UK contributions","src":9},{"who":"Ukraine's national budget","what":"EUR 31 million allocated, per Nuclear Engineering International","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Confinement of the destroyed Unit 4","what":"Outer cladding breached by a hole of about 6 m; about 50% of the north roof damaged by burning; corrosion risk","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"New Safe Confinement over Unit 4, Chornobyl nuclear power plant, Kyiv oblast, Ukraine.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Drone strike at about 01:50 local time on 14 February 2025; fires in the cladding until 7 March 2025; funding commitments through October 2026; donor conference scheduled for 9 November 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Ukraine says a Russian drone hit the arch and that the attack was likely intentional; Russia denies striking nuclear infrastructure; the IAEA did not attribute blame.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The EBRD-managed ICCA collects donor pledges; Chornobyl NPP, the EBRD, Bouygues and Vinci discussed a renewed Novarka consortium to carry out the repair on 9 March 2026.","src":5}},"related":["chornobyl-exclusion-zone-occupation-and-fires","zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-under-russian-control"],"sources":[{"t":"On the current situation in Ukraine","p":"BASE (Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, Germany)","d":"2022–2026 (running chronology)","type":"official","u":"https://www.base.bund.de/en/nuclear-safety/nuclear-accidents/information-current-situation.html"},{"t":"Russia denies striking Chernobyl reactor shell after Ukrainian claims","p":"AP (via Fox19)","d":"2025-02-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.fox19.com/2025/02/14/russia-denies-striking-chernobyl-reactor-shell-after-ukrainian-claims/"},{"t":"Russia attack on Chornobyl reactor confinement in 2025 intentional – prosecutor general","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2026-04-22","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1161348-amp.html"},{"t":"Fifty percent of north roof structure of Chornobyl New Safe Confinement shelter severely damaged","p":"Greenpeace Ukraine","d":"2025-03-20","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/ukraine/en/news/3504/fifty-percent-of-north-roof-structure-of-chornobyl-new-safe-confinement-shelter-severely-damaged/"},{"t":"IAEA says Chernobyl shelter lost primary safety functions following drone strike","p":"NucNet","d":"2025-12-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.nucnet.org/news/iaea-says-chernobyl-shelter-lost-primary-safety-functions-following-drone-strike-12-1-2025"},{"t":"On the eve of the ICCA Assembly, Chornobyl NPP, EBRD and Bouygues and Vinci discussed key tasks for restoring NSC functionality","p":"Chornobyl NPP (state enterprise)","d":"2026-03-10","type":"company","u":"https://chnpp.gov.ua/en/infocenter/news/6536-on-the-eve-of-the-assembly-of-the-international-chornobyl-cooperation-account-chornobyl-npp-ebrd-and-french-companies-bouygues-and-vinci-discussed-key-tasks-for-restoring-the-nsc-functionality"},{"t":"Chornobyl NSC restoration plan advances","p":"Nuclear Engineering International","d":"2026-03-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.neimagazine.com/news/chornobyl-nsc-restoration-plan-advances/"},{"t":"EBRD eyes $585M to repair Chornobyl shelter","p":"Kyiv Post","d":"2026-spring","type":"press","u":"https://www.kyivpost.com/amp/post/74602"},{"t":"EU and UK make contributions to EBRD-managed Chornobyl ICCA fund","p":"EBRD","d":"2025-06-26","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2025/eu-and-uk-make-contributions-to-ebrd-managed-chornobyl-icca-fund.html"},{"t":"EBRD welcomes G7 commitment to finance urgent repairs to Chornobyl","p":"EBRD","d":"2026-10-15","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.ebrd.com/home/news-and-events/news/2026/ebrd-welcomes-g7-commitment-to-finance-urgent-repairs-to-chornob.html"},{"t":"Donors allocate EUR 30 mln for initial restoration work on NSC","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2026-04-01","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1155901.html"},{"t":"Arch at ChNPP to be repaired no earlier than 2030","p":"Liga.net","d":"2026-04","type":"press","u":"https://biz.liga.net/en/energy/news/arch-at-chnpp-to-be-repaired-no-earlier-than-2030"},{"t":"Germany allocates 50 million euros to restore Chornobyl NPP","p":"Kyiv Independent","d":"2026-08-20","type":"press","u":"https://kyivindependent.com/germany-allocates-50-million-euros-to-restore-chornobyl-nuclear-power-plant-damaged-by-russian-drone/"},{"t":"Funding pledge and tributes paid at conference marking Chernobyl anniversary","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2026-04-27","type":"press","u":"https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/funding-pledge-and-tributes-paid-at-conference-marking-chernobyl-anniversary"},{"t":"Ukraine opens fund to restore Chornobyl shelter","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2026-04-26","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/04/26/ukraine-opens-fund-to-restore-chernobyl-shelter/"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation paid by a party held responsible — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who was responsible for the strike on the New Safe Confinement?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much will the repair of the New Safe Confinement cost?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the repair cost is given as EUR 412 million for the full repair of the Arch (Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, 1 April 2026) and at least EUR 500 million (EBRD, April and October 2026). Kyiv Independent attributes a EUR 500 million damage estimate to the IAEA.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the scope of each repair estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the original NSC cost is given as EUR 1.5 billion (Nuclear Engineering International) and EUR 2.1 billion (Kyiv Post).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the EBRD gave international contributions to its Chornobyl programmes of about EUR 2 billion (June 2025) and over EUR 2.5 billion (October 2026), and its own resources as more than EUR 800 million (June 2025) and more than EUR 700 million (October 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: June 2025 contributions to the ICCA are given as up to EUR 31.7 million (EU up to EUR 25 million, UK up to EUR 6.7 million; EBRD) and EUR 42.5 million including France (Nuclear Engineering International).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Ukraine's allocation after the strike is given as EUR 31 million (Nuclear Engineering International, February 2026) and UAH 1.6 billion (Euromaidan Press).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the date of the IAEA assessment mission is given as November 2025 (Chornobyl NPP) and reported in early December 2025 (NucNet).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a repair contractor award; Bouygues and Vinci were still assessing cost in March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: charges against named persons in the criminal case over the strike.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: deposit of the G7 commitment of EUR 260 million into the ICCA; the EBRD describes it as a commitment.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: an exact repair estimate in June 2025 (the EBRD said it was not yet possible); NucNet (December 2025) gave no repair cost figure; Chornobyl NPP (March 2026) gave no restoration cost figure.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: responsibility for the strike. Ukraine says a Russian drone hit the structure; Russia denies strikes on nuclear infrastructure; the IAEA did not attribute blame.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-under-russian-control","title":"Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under Russian control, 2022–2026","dek":"Russian forces have held the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, Europe's largest, since March 2022. The IAEA's reports, relayed by BASE, record repeated losses of off-site power and a falling cooling-pond level after the Kakhovka dam was destroyed; Energoatom reported losses of UAH 598.9 billion in lost revenue and delivered a USD 3 billion treaty dispute notice to Russia.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":47.51,"lon":34.59,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia oblast","lat":47.51,"lon":34.59,"role":"event"},{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","role":"company-home"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2022-03-04","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","water"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"headline":{"label":"Complete losses of off-site power, to 8 August 2026","value":"25","note":"Count in BASE's chronology of IAEA statements; a Ukrainian official called the outage reported on 29 August 2026 “the 27th blackout”. Counts differ."},"happened":["On 4 March 2022 a projectile hit a training centre at the Zaporizhzhia plant overnight and started a fire; Russia took military control of the site while Ukrainian staff kept operating it. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that the projectile “is coming from the Russian forces” and that the integrity of the reactors was not compromised; Russia's Defence Ministry blamed Ukrainian “saboteurs”, and Reuters could not independently verify either account. Energoatom and Rosatom confirmed on 13 March 2022 that Rosatom staff had arrived at the site. IAEA personnel have been present at the plant since 1 September 2022; the plant stopped generating electricity on 11 September 2022 and all six reactors were later in cold shutdown. On 5 October 2022 President Putin signed a decree creating the Operating Organisation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and taking the nuclear facilities into Russian federal ownership; Ukraine's Energoatom called the arrangement “worthless, absurd and inadequate”.","The destruction of the Kakhovka dam on 6 June 2023 lowered the reservoir that supplied cooling water. According to World Nuclear News, the reservoir stood at about 16.4 m that morning and water could no longer be pumped below 12.7 m; Grossi said the cooling pond would be sufficient for some months. By 30 September 2023, 11 new groundwater wells supplied about 250 m³/hour, estimated enough for all 12 sprinkler ponds (BASE). The IAEA said on 4 September 2025, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine, that the cooling-pond level had fallen by just over 3.2 m since June 2023, nearly 60 cm in the previous three months; an isolation dam had been built in the cooling-pond channel and all twelve sprinkler ponds were full. In February 2026 Rosatom's director general Alexei Likhachev said construction had started on a floating modular pumping station of up to 80,000 m³/hour.","Off-site power was repeatedly lost. The IAEA reported, according to BASE, a ninth complete outage on 4 July 2025 and 24 complete outages by 7 August 2026, 12 of them in four months. A 750 kV line was cut on 24 March 2026, leaving the plant on a single 330 kV line. The last line was cut again on 20 August 2026 at 00:44, cause undetermined, and the plant ran on seven diesel generators until the Ferosplavna-1 line was reconnected on the evening of 7 September 2026 after repairs under a local ceasefire brokered by Grossi, the seventh such ceasefire. The IAEA urged replenishment of depleted diesel reserves; Al Jazeera, citing AP, reported about 10 days of diesel on site on 29 August 2026. In August 2026 work began to raise water levels in the spent-fuel pools of all six units. A drone hit a turbine building on 30 May 2026; the IAEA reported damage to a wall and a hatch and drone debris, without attributing it. BASE's entries for 2025–2026 record no abnormal radiation.","Russia's regulator Rostekhnadzor issued a 10-year operating licence for Unit 1 on 23 December 2025 and for Unit 2 on 19 February 2026; licences for Units 3–5 were planned by the end of 2026 and an application for Unit 6 was pending. Rosatom said the licence confirmed that equipment, safety systems and personnel qualifications fully complied, and that restarts were conditional on there being no military threat. Likhachev said in May 2025 that a plan existed to bring the plant to full capacity, with four tasks: water supply, replacing power grids, rebuilding railway infrastructure and “American fuel”. Grossi said in June 2025 that there was a common view that a restart in the current military situation would be inadvisable. Zelensky's 20-point plan of 30 December 2025 gave Ukraine 50% of the plant's output (NucNet).","Energoatom reported losses by its own calculations: more than UAH 210 billion by 18 June 2024 (acting head Petro Kotin), and lost production of 155.02 million MWh and lost revenue of UAH 598.9 billion as of 27 February 2026. Its chairman, Pavlo Kovtoniuk, said Ukraine supplied 40–50 MW to the plant's own needs, a financial loss Energoatom bore. In March 2023 Energoatom delivered a notice of dispute to Russia under Article 9(1) of the 1998 Ukraine–Russia investment agreement over its investments in Zaporizhzhia region, including the plant, with Shearman & Sterling LLP; Global Arbitration Review reported the amount as USD 3 billion. The company said that, failing an amicable resolution, it intended to refer the dispute to international arbitration. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office opened proceedings on 4 March 2022 citing Article 441 (ecocide) and Article 258(2) (terrorist act) of the Criminal Code over the attack on the plant."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"Projectile hits training centre, Russia takes control (4 Mar); Prosecutor General opens proceedings (4 Mar); Rosatom staff arrive (13 Mar); IAEA personnel at the plant (1 Sep); generation stops (11 Sep); Putin decree on the operating organisation (5 Oct)","src":3},{"y":2023,"t":"Energoatom delivers treaty dispute notice to Russia (Mar); Kakhovka dam destroyed (6 Jun); 11 new wells supply about 250 m³/hour (by 30 Sep)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Energoatom reports losses of more than UAH 210bn (18 Jun)","src":12},{"y":2025,"t":"Ninth complete outage (4 Jul); cooling-pond level down just over 3.2 m since June 2023 (4 Sep); Rostekhnadzor licence for Unit 1 (23 Dec)","src":6},{"y":2026,"t":"Licence for Unit 2 (19 Feb); Energoatom lost revenue UAH 598.9bn (27 Feb); 750 kV line cut (24 Mar); drone hits turbine building (30 May); complete loss of off-site power 20 Aug–7 Sep; Ferosplavna-1 reconnected (7 Sep)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"this projectile is a projectile that is coming from the Russian forces","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General","when":"4 March 2022","src":3},{"q":"the integrity of the reactors in themselves was not compromised","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General","when":"4 March 2022","src":3},{"q":"designed to ensure the safe operation of the NPP and the professional activities of the existing plant personnel","who":"Rosatom, on the Russian decree of 5 October 2022","when":"October 2022","src":4,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"worthless, absurd and inadequate","who":"Energoatom, on the Russian decree","when":"October 2022","src":4,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"will be sufficient to provide water for cooling for some months","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, on the cooling pond","when":"6 June 2023","src":5},{"q":"reliable access to cooling water is essential for nuclear safety and security","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General","when":"4 September 2025","src":6},{"q":"The availability of diesel fuel is of paramount importance whenever a nuclear power plant loses off-site power","who":"Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director General, as reported by Al Jazeera (AP)","when":"29 August 2026","src":11},{"q":"the 27th blackout","who":"Gyunduz Mamedov, Ukrainian official, as reported by Al Jazeera (AP)","when":"29 August 2026","src":11,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"We have developed a plan for bringing Zaporizhia NPP to full capacity","who":"Alexei Likhachev, Rosatom director general, to the Federation Council","when":"May 2025","src":9,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"Our goal remains unchanged - to prepare all units for future generation","who":"Alexei Likhachev, Rosatom director general","when":"February 2026","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"confirms that the power unit's equipment, safety systems, and personnel qualifications fully comply","who":"Rosatom, on the Rostekhnadzor licence for Unit 2","when":"February 2026","src":8,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"This is exclusively a Ukrainian plant.","who":"Pavlo Kovtoniuk, Energoatom chairman, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine","when":"4 March 2026","src":13,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"Failing an amicable resolution of the dispute, the Company intends to refer this dispute to international arbitration.","who":"Energoatom press statement","when":"April 2023","src":14},{"q":"It is difficult to give an exact timeframe for the restoration process.","who":"Evgeniya Yashina, communications director of the plant under Russian control, to RIA Novosti","when":"June 2026","src":10,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"A claim that the projectile of 4 March 2022 came from Ukrainian saboteurs","who":"Russia's Ministry of Defence","src":3},{"t":"A claim that the Kakhovka dam damage was caused by Russian shelling","who":"Ukraine, as summarised by World Nuclear News","src":5},{"t":"A claim that Ukraine was responsible for the Kakhovka dam damage","who":"Russia, as summarised by World Nuclear News","src":5},{"t":"A licence that, in Rosatom's account, confirms the safety of the unit's equipment, systems and personnel","who":"Rosatom","src":8},{"t":"A statement that full nuclear and radiation safety is possible only after de-occupation","who":"Energoatom (paraphrase, September 2026)","src":15}],"recorded":[{"t":"BASE's chronology of IAEA statements records no abnormal radiation in any 2025–2026 entry.","src":0},{"t":"Six reactors in cold shutdown; seven diesel generators running at all times during the outage of 20 August–7 September 2026 (BASE).","src":0},{"t":"Cooling pond down just over 3.2 m from June 2023 to September 2025; groundwater wells and sprinkler ponds supplying cooling water (IAEA via Interfax-Ukraine; BASE).","src":6},{"t":"After reconnection the plant's own needs drew 11 MW (Energoatom, via Euromaidan Press).","src":15},{"t":"IAEA personnel have been present at the plant since 1 September 2022; as of 5 September 2026 the IAEA said both sides were cooperating with it (Bernama/Anadolu).","src":2},{"t":"Energoatom reported losses of more than UAH 210 billion (USD 5.2 billion as stated by the Kyiv Independent), including UAH 35 billion in the first week and about UAH 6 billion per month, to 18 June 2024 (acting head Petro Kotin).","src":12}],"ledger":{"currency":"Mixed (see each line)","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Compensation paid by a party held responsible","amount":null,"note":"None on record."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Energoatom losses (UAH, company calculation)","amount":210000,"qualifier":"more than","window":"to 18 June 2024","note":"UAH 210 billion; USD 5.2 billion as stated by the Kyiv Independent."},{"label":"Energoatom lost revenue (UAH, company calculation)","amount":598900,"window":"to 27 February 2026","note":"UAH 598.9 billion; lost production of 155.02 million MWh."},{"label":"Treaty dispute notice, amount reported (USD)","amount":3000,"window":"March 2023","note":"USD 3 billion per Global Arbitration Review."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cooling-pond level","v":"−3.2 m","d":"Fall of just over 3.2 m, June 2023 to September 2025 (IAEA via Interfax-Ukraine)"},{"k":"Complete losses of off-site power","v":"25","d":"To 8 August 2026 (BASE chronology of IAEA statements)"},{"k":"Abnormal radiation recorded","v":"None","d":"In any 2025–2026 BASE entry"},{"k":"Energoatom lost revenue","v":"UAH 598.9bn","d":"Company calculation, to 27 February 2026"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Harm is recorded as risk to the plant's cooling water and power supply; BASE's entries for 2025–2026 record no abnormal radiation.","report":[{"t":"The level of my cooling pond fell by just over 3.2 m between June 2023 and September 2025, the IAEA said, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.","src":6},{"t":"My plant lost off-site power completely 24 times by 7 August 2026, according to BASE's chronology of IAEA statements.","src":0},{"t":"No abnormal radiation was recorded in BASE's 2025–2026 entries.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Figures differ: BASE's chronology of IAEA statements counted 24 complete losses of off-site power by 7 August 2026 and a 25th on 8 August; Nuclear Engineering International numbered the event of 20 June 2026 as the 20th; a Ukrainian official called the outage reported on 29 August 2026 “the 27th blackout”.","Figures differ: Energoatom gave losses of more than UAH 210 billion (18 June 2024) and lost revenue of UAH 598.9 billion (27 February 2026); both are company calculations.","Figures differ: the Kakhovka dam collapse is dated 6 June 2023 by World Nuclear News and 5 or 6 June 2023 by BASE.","Self-reported only: Energoatom's loss figures are company calculations, and the Kyiv Independent article of 18 June 2024 does not say what they exclude or how they were calculated; Energoatom said the losses would be finally determined after de-occupation.","None on record: measured ecological data on the effects of the cooling-pond decline, the Kakhovka reservoir loss and groundwater draw-down on aquatic ecosystems in nuclear-specific sources.","None on record: a restart statement for 2025–2026 in BASE's chronology; Interfax (December 2025) and World Nuclear News (February 2026) gave no cost or investment figures for a restart.","None on record: a case number, tribunal or award in Energoatom's treaty dispute.","None on record: a Rosatom figure for spending on the plant, the new power line or the pumping station.","None on record: a settlement on the plant's status as of October 2026.","Disputed: ownership and legal status. Energoatom says the plant is exclusively Ukrainian and that Russian licences do not meet international standards; Russia treats it as federal property under the decree of 5 October 2022, with Rosatom as operator.","Disputed: responsibility for the projectile of 4 March 2022 and for the Kakhovka dam damage; Russia and Ukraine give opposing accounts (see disputes)."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Ongoing: the plant remained under Russian control as of the latest BASE entry of 11 September 2026, with six reactors in cold shutdown.","whoPaid":"Energoatom reported lost revenue of UAH 598.9 billion to 27 February 2026 and said Ukraine supplied 40–50 MW to the plant's own needs at its own cost (chairman, March 2026). None on record: compensation paid by Russia or Rosatom.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the plant was under Russian control with six reactors in cold shutdown; Ferosplavna-1 was reconnected on 7 September 2026 after almost three weeks without off-site power; Rostekhnadzor had licensed Units 1 and 2; no settlement or arbitration case is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"russia-ministry-defence","says":"Blamed Ukrainian “saboteurs” for the projectile of 4 March 2022.","when":"4 March 2022","src":3},{"actor":"rosatom","says":"The licence “confirms that the power unit's equipment, safety systems, and personnel qualifications fully comply”; restarts are conditional on no military threat.","when":"February 2026","src":8},{"actor":"energoatom","says":"The plant is “exclusively a Ukrainian plant”; Russian licences do not meet international standards (Interfax-Ukraine paraphrase).","when":"4 March 2026","src":13},{"actor":"iaea","says":"A restart in the current military situation would be inadvisable (Grossi, June 2025); both sides are cooperating with the IAEA (September 2026).","when":"June 2025 and September 2026","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"energoatom","role":"Ukrainian state nuclear operator; loss calculations and treaty dispute notice"},{"id":"rosatom","role":"Russian operator under the decree of 5 October 2022"},{"id":"rostekhnadzor","role":"Russian regulator; licences for Units 1 and 2"},{"id":"iaea","role":"Reported on power losses and cooling water, per BASE; staff at the plant since 1 September 2022"},{"id":"russia-ministry-defence","role":"Blamed Ukrainian saboteurs for the projectile of March 2022"},{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Disputes Russian ownership; Prosecutor General opened proceedings"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Opened proceedings on 4 March 2022"},{"id":"base-germany","role":"German regulator whose chronology records IAEA statements"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who owns the plant and who has the right to license it?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Energoatom (Pavlo Kovtoniuk)","says":"“This is exclusively a Ukrainian plant.” Russian licences do not meet international standards and are political (Interfax-Ukraine paraphrase, 4 March 2026).","src":13},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia (Putin decree of 5 October 2022; Rostekhnadzor)","says":"The nuclear facilities were taken into Russian federal ownership; Rostekhnadzor issued 10-year licences for Unit 1 (23 December 2025) and Unit 2 (19 February 2026).","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rosatom","says":"The licence “confirms that the power unit's equipment, safety systems, and personnel qualifications fully comply”.","src":8}]},{"point":"Who fired the projectile that hit the training centre on 4 March 2022?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA (Rafael Grossi)","says":"“this projectile is a projectile that is coming from the Russian forces”; reactor integrity was not compromised.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia's Ministry of Defence","says":"Blamed Ukrainian “saboteurs”.","src":3}]},{"point":"Who damaged the Kakhovka dam on 6 June 2023?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine","says":"Russian shelling caused the damage (World Nuclear News summary).","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia","says":"Blamed Ukraine (World Nuclear News summary).","src":5}]},{"point":"How many complete losses of off-site power has the plant had?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IAEA, via BASE's chronology","says":"24 complete losses by 7 August 2026 and a 25th on 8 August 2026.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Gyunduz Mamedov, Ukrainian official","says":"Called the outage reported on 29 August 2026 “the 27th blackout”.","src":11,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"voice":"press","holder":"Nuclear Engineering International","says":"Numbered the event of 20 June 2026 as the 20th.","src":10}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ukraine Prosecutor General's proceedings over the attack on the Zaporizhzhia plant","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (pre-trial investigation)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"No defendant named","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"On 4 March 2022 the Prosecutor General's Office said it had opened proceedings citing Part 2 of Article 28, Article 441 (ecocide) and Part 2 of Article 258 (terrorist act) of the Criminal Code over the attack on the Zaporizhzhia plant, in connection with the seizure of the Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhia plants. The status is investigation.","src":1},{"title":"Energoatom notice of dispute against Russia under the 1998 investment agreement","forum":"International arbitration (notice stage)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Energoatom (with Shearman & Sterling LLP)","defendant":"Russia","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":3000,"currency":"USD","label":"amount reported by Global Arbitration Review"},"summary":"In March 2023 Energoatom delivered a notice of dispute to Russia under Article 9(1) of the 1998 Ukraine–Russia investment agreement over its investments in Zaporizhzhia region, including the plant. Energoatom said that, failing an amicable resolution, it intended to refer the dispute to international arbitration. No tribunal or award is on record.","src":14},{"title":"Rostekhnadzor operating licences for Zaporizhzhia Units 1 and 2","forum":"Rostekhnadzor (Russia)","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Operating Organisation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP (Rosatom)","defendant":"Not applicable","filed":2025,"decided":2026,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Rostekhnadzor issued a 10-year licence for Unit 1 on 23 December 2025 and for Unit 2 on 19 February 2026; an application for Unit 6 was pending and licences for Units 3–5 were planned by the end of 2026. Ukraine's Energoatom says the licences do not meet international standards.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"complete_power_losses","value":24,"unit":"events","year":2026,"note":"Complete losses of off-site power by 7 August 2026 (IAEA via BASE); a 25th on 8 August 2026."},{"key":"cooling_pond_level_fall_m","value":3.2,"unit":"m","year":2025,"qualifier":"just over","note":"Cooling-pond level fall from June 2023 to September 2025 (IAEA via Interfax-Ukraine); nearly 60 cm in the prior three months."},{"key":"groundwater_supply_m3_h","value":250,"unit":"m³/hour","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Eleven new groundwater wells, by 30 September 2023 (BASE)."},{"key":"pumping_station_capacity_m3_h","value":80000,"unit":"m³/hour","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Floating modular pumping station under construction (Rosatom, February 2026)."},{"key":"diesel_generators","value":7,"unit":"generators","year":2026,"note":"Running at all times during the outage of 20 August–7 September 2026 (BASE)."},{"key":"claim","value":210000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Energoatom losses to 18 June 2024 (company calculation)."},{"key":"claim","value":598900,"unit":"UAH m","year":2026,"note":"Energoatom lost revenue to 27 February 2026 (company calculation)."},{"key":"claim","value":3000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Treaty dispute notice, amount reported by Global Arbitration Review."},{"key":"lost_production_mwh","value":155020000,"unit":"MWh","year":2026,"note":"Energoatom calculation to 27 February 2026."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russian forces have held Europe's largest nuclear plant since March 2022. The IAEA recorded 24 complete losses of off-site power by 7 August 2026 and a cooling-pond level down just over 3.2 m since the Kakhovka dam was destroyed; Energoatom reports lost revenue of UAH 598.9 billion.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Russia / Rosatom","what":"Control of the plant under the decree of 5 October 2022 and Rostekhnadzor licences for Units 1 and 2; restart plans stated by Rosatom","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Energoatom","what":"Lost revenue of UAH 598.9 billion to 27 February 2026 (company calculation); supplies 40–50 MW to the plant's own needs at its own cost","src":13}],"harmed":[{"who":"Cooling pond and Dnipro basin water supply to the plant","what":"Level down just over 3.2 m from June 2023 to September 2025; reliance on groundwater wells","src":6},{"who":"Plant safety systems","what":"Repeated complete losses of off-site power; diesel reserves depleted in August 2026","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia oblast, Ukraine, on the left bank of the Dnipro (former Kakhovka reservoir).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Held by Russian forces since March 2022; Kakhovka dam destroyed on 6 June 2023; licences December 2025 and February 2026; power losses through September 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Russian forces seized the plant on 4 March 2022 during the war; Russia's decree of 5 October 2022 took it into federal ownership; Ukraine disputes that status.","src":4},"how":{"t":"Rosatom operates the plant through the Operating Organisation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and holds Rostekhnadzor licences for Units 1 and 2; the IAEA brokered local ceasefires for line repairs; Energoatom delivered a treaty dispute notice to Russia.","src":8}},"related":["chornobyl-exclusion-zone-occupation-and-fires","chornobyl-new-safe-confinement-drone-strike-2025","kakhovka-dam-destruction-2023"],"sources":[{"t":"On the current situation in Ukraine","p":"BASE (Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Management, Germany)","d":"2022–2026 (running chronology, latest 11 September 2026)","type":"official","u":"https://www.base.bund.de/en/nuclear-safety/nuclear-accidents/information-current-situation.html"},{"t":"Prosecutor General: investigation into ecocide in connection with attack of Russian troops on Zaporizhia NPP launched","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2022-03-04","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/807113.html"},{"t":"IAEA-brokered ceasefire takes effect for power line repairs at Zaporizhzhia","p":"Bernama (Anadolu)","d":"2026-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.bernama.com/en/news.php/?id=2603419"},{"t":"No damage to reactors at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant: IAEA","p":"Reuters (via The Jakarta Post)","d":"2022-03-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/world/2022/03/04/no-damage-to-reactors-at-ukraines-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-iaea-"},{"t":"Ukraine, Russia and control of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2022-10-06","type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/ukraine-russia-and-control-of-zaporizhzhia-nuclear"},{"t":"IAEA: 'No immediate risk' to Zaporizhzhia from dam damage","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2023-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/iaea-no-immediate-risk-to-zaporizhzhia-from-dam-da"},{"t":"IAEA on ZNPP cooling pond level","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2025-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1102185.html"},{"t":"Russian oversight service licenses Zaporozhye NPP to operate 1st reactor unit","p":"Interfax (Russia)","d":"2025-12-23","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/115419/"},{"t":"Russian regulator issues operating licence for second Zaporizhzhia unit","p":"World Nuclear News","d":"2026-02-19","type":"press","u":"https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/russian-regulator-issues-operating-licence-for-second-zaporizhzhia-unit"},{"t":"Rosatom confirms long-term plans to restart Zaporizhia","p":"Nuclear Engineering International","d":"2025-05-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.neimagazine.com/news/rosatom-confirms-long-term-plans-to-restart-zaporizhia/"},{"t":"Ceasefire allows ZNPP repairs","p":"Nuclear Engineering International","d":"2026-06-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.neimagazine.com/?p=105465"},{"t":"Ukrainian nuclear power plant without external power for over a week","p":"Al Jazeera (AP)","d":"2026-08-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/29/ukrainian-nuclear-power-plant-without-external-power-for-over-a-week"},{"t":"Zaporizhzhia losses over $5 billion","p":"Kyiv Independent","d":"2024-06-18","type":"press","u":"https://kyivindependent.com/zaporizhzhia-losses-over-5-billion"},{"t":"Ukraine reliably powers Zaporizhia nuclear plant throughout Russian occupation – Energoatom chief","p":"Interfax-Ukraine","d":"2026-03-04","type":"press","u":"https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1149257.html"},{"t":"Energoatom Notifies Dispute Against Russia to Recover Damages – Press Statement","p":"Transnational Dispute Management","d":"2023-04","type":"company","u":"https://www.transnational-dispute-management.com/legal-and-regulatory-detail.asp?key=33128"},{"t":"Russian-occupied nuclear plant ran on diesel for almost three weeks…","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2026-09-08","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/08/russian-occupied-nuclear-plant-ran-on-diesel-for-almost-three-weeks-ukraine-ended-that-and-the-uns-nuclear-watchdog-calls-it-a-crucial-step-against-an-accident/"},{"t":"Ukrainian state nuclear company threatens claim against Russia","p":"Global Arbitration Review","d":"2023-04-17","type":"press","u":"https://globalarbitrationreview.com/article/ukrainian-state-nuclear-company-threatens-claim-against-russia"},{"t":"Zelenskyy puts forward alternative plan for future of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station","p":"NucNet","d":"2025-12-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.nucnet.org/news/zelenskyy-puts-forward-alternative-plan-for-future-of-zaporizhzhia-nuclear-power-station-12-2-2025"}],"episodes":[],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Compensation paid by a party held responsible — None on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who owns the plant and who has the right to license it?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who fired the projectile that hit the training centre on 4 March 2022?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who damaged the Kakhovka dam on 6 June 2023?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many complete losses of off-site power has the plant had?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Rostekhnadzor operating licences for Zaporizhzhia Units 1 and 2: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: BASE's chronology of IAEA statements counted 24 complete losses of off-site power by 7 August 2026 and a 25th on 8 August; Nuclear Engineering International numbered the event of 20 June 2026 as the 20th; a Ukrainian official called the outage reported on 29 August 2026 “the 27th blackout”.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: Energoatom gave losses of more than UAH 210 billion (18 June 2024) and lost revenue of UAH 598.9 billion (27 February 2026); both are company calculations.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures differ: the Kakhovka dam collapse is dated 6 June 2023 by World Nuclear News and 5 or 6 June 2023 by BASE.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: Energoatom's loss figures are company calculations, and the Kyiv Independent article of 18 June 2024 does not say what they exclude or how they were calculated; Energoatom said the losses would be finally determined after de-occupation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: measured ecological data on the effects of the cooling-pond decline, the Kakhovka reservoir loss and groundwater draw-down on aquatic ecosystems in nuclear-specific sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a restart statement for 2025–2026 in BASE's chronology; Interfax (December 2025) and World Nuclear News (February 2026) gave no cost or investment figures for a restart.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a case number, tribunal or award in Energoatom's treaty dispute.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a Rosatom figure for spending on the plant, the new power line or the pumping station.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a settlement on the plant's status as of October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: ownership and legal status. Energoatom says the plant is exclusively Ukrainian and that Russian licences do not meet international standards; Russia treats it as federal property under the decree of 5 October 2022, with Rosatom as operator.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: responsibility for the projectile of 4 March 2022 and for the Kakhovka dam damage; Russia and Ukraine give opposing accounts (see disputes).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kakhovka-dam-destruction-2023","title":"Destruction of the Kakhovka dam and drainage of the Kakhovka reservoir (June 2023)","dek":"The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant on the Dnipro was breached on 6 June 2023 and the reservoir drained within about two weeks. Ukraine and Russia each attribute the destruction to the other; UN and World Bank-led assessments put the ecosystem-service losses at US$6.4 billion to US$14.1 billion.","country":"Ukraine","region":"Europe","lat":46.78,"lon":33.37,"places":[{"country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","admin":"Kherson Oblast (Nova Kakhovka)","lat":46.78,"lon":33.37,"role":"event"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-06-06","instrument":"war-military","types":["war-military","water","protected-area","renewable-energy"],"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions","war:reparations-reconstruction"],"headline":{"label":"Ecosystem-service losses from the breach (RDNA4)","value":"US$14.1 billion","note":"Estimate by the World Bank, Government of Ukraine, EU and UN for February 2022 to December 2024. The PDNA (October 2023) gave US$6.4 billion of ecosystem-service losses and RDNA3 (February 2024) US$9.6 billion."},"happened":["The dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP) at Nova Kakhovka on the Dnipro, Kherson Oblast, was breached in the early hours of 6 June 2023, and the reservoir emptied through the breach. UNEP gives the full reservoir's size as 240 km long, up to 23 km wide, with a surface area of 2,155 km². About 18 km³ of water passed through the lower Dnipro over about 14 days, which UNEP says equals 30 to 50 percent of the river's usual annual flow there. By 13 June 2023, 14.4 km³, or 72.5% of the reservoir's water, had drained. UNOSAT counted about 620 km² flooded on 9 June 2023; by 3–5 July the flooded area had fallen to about 40 km².","Ukraine's delegation told the OSCE on 7 June 2023 that Russian forces blew up the dam from the inside. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 6 June 2023 that the Ukrainian side had carried out sabotage, and Russia's OSCE delegation called it a terrorist crime by Kyiv. NORSAR recorded two seismic signals at about 02:35 and 02:54 local time that it called consistent with an explosion, and made no statement on who caused it. A New York Times investigation, as relayed by Reuters, pointed to an explosive charge in a passageway through the dam's concrete base; Reuters said it could not independently verify the cause. A 2024 satellite-radar study found parts of the dam moving downward from June 2021 and did not attribute a cause.","UNEP's Rapid Environmental Assessment (October 2023) found that the drainage turned a mature aquatic ecosystem of about 70 years into a riverine ecosystem at an initial stage of development, and that much of the damage is highly likely to be irreversible. UNEP counted 59 nationally designated protected areas, ten Emerald Network sites, five Ramsar sites and one UNESCO-MAB biosphere reserve as directly affected. FAO counted 11,294 ha of forest flooded as of 7 June 2023. About 150 tons of machine oil from the plant entered the water, and the Government of Ukraine confirmed the loss of 11,388 tons of fish. A 2025 peer-reviewed study reported that the breach affected more than 50% of the north-western Black Sea, with chlorophyll-a and suspended sediment over 50 times ambient levels.","The Government of Ukraine and the UN put total damage and loss at US$13,798.10 million in the PDNA (October 2023), including US$6,402.5 million of ecosystem-service losses over 18 months. RDNA3 (February 2024) gave US$9.6 billion for lost ecosystem services from protected areas, and RDNA4 (February 2025) US$14.1 billion, or 51 percent of forest and environment losses. Ukrainian officials gave their own figures between US$1.5 billion (September 2023) and UAH 146 billion (October 2023). By 2 August 2023 UAH 4.3 billion had been allocated from the state budget for the consequences, and three new water mains of at least UAH 13.5 billion in total were 87% complete on 8 December 2023.","As of October 2026 the dam had not been rebuilt; President Zelensky put the cost at about EUR 2 billion on 24 December 2025. Ukraine's SBU and Prosecutor General's Office served notices of suspicion in absentia on two Russian generals, in June 2024 and October 2025; the ecocide forensic examination was still under way in June 2026. No court ruling on the destruction is on record. The Council of Europe's Register of Damage for Ukraine opened its environmental-damage category on 30 September 2026. On the former reservoir bed, studies recorded vegetation growing from 265.4 km² to 1,315.7 km² between August 2023 and August 2025, and at least 400 plant species by October 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Satellite radar analysis later shows parts of the dam moving downward from June 2021","src":17},{"y":2022,"t":"Ukrhydroenergo files a claim of almost UAH 17 billion for damage to the Kakhovka HPP and an unfinished wind plant (September)","src":34},{"y":2023,"t":"Dam breached (6 Jun); NORSAR records two explosion-consistent signals; 72.5% of the reservoir drained by 13 Jun; Ukraine and Russia state opposing accounts at the OSCE (7–8 Jun); Cabinet approves an experimental rebuild project (18 Jul); UNEP and PDNA assessments published (Oct)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"RDNA3 published (Feb); suspicion notice in absentia served on Colonel General Oleh Makarevych (6 Jun); Ukrhydroenergo begins an investment-arbitration procedure (Jun) and cancels its legal-services tender (15 Oct)","src":36},{"y":2025,"t":"RDNA4 published (Feb); UNEP sediment assessment completed (1 Mar); suspicion notice served on Major General Volodymyr Omelianovych (1 Oct); Zelensky puts rebuild cost at about EUR 2 billion (24 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2026,"t":"Prosecutors say the ecocide forensic examination is under way (6 Jun); Register of Damage opens its environmental-damage category (30 Sep)","src":6}],"said":[{"q":"an undeniable act of ecocide and an obvious war crime","who":"Ukraine's delegation at the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation","when":"7 June 2023","src":8},{"q":"this is a deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side","who":"Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, to RBC (as reported by Ukrainska Pravda)","when":"6 June 2023","src":18,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"the Kyiv regime committed yet another terrorist crime, blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant","who":"Maxim Buyakevich, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the OSCE (translated by OSCE Language Services)","when":"8 June 2023","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"media-hyped 'environmental disaster caused by the Russians' is sure to generate funds","who":"Maxim Buyakevich, Russia's OSCE delegation (translated by OSCE Language Services)","when":"8 June 2023","src":7,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"are consistent with an explosion and are not what would be expected for a dam collapse","who":"NORSAR, on the two seismic signals","when":"19 June 2023","src":5},{"q":"the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia.","who":"The New York Times investigation, as quoted by Reuters","when":"June 2023","src":19},{"q":"monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe","who":"António Guterres, UN Secretary-General","when":"6 June 2023","src":11},{"q":"Without reservation the assessment concludes that the Kakhovka dam breach is a far-reaching environmental disaster; the scale of which might not be clear for years or even decades to come","who":"UNEP, Rapid Environmental Assessment","when":"October 2023","src":0},{"q":"UAH 146 billion is only what we managed to count","who":"Ruslan Strilets, Ukraine’s Minister of Environmental Protection (translated)","when":"4 October 2023","src":22,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"almost 14 bn dollars of damage caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and the loss of these water resources","who":"Svitlana Hrinchuk, Ukraine’s Minister of Environmental Protection (translated)","when":"6 January 2025","src":24,"translated":"Ukrainian"},{"q":"the case of ecocide is much more difficult because it requires much more time to investigate","who":"Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine","when":"6 June 2024","src":35},{"q":"To rebuild it, about EUR 2 billion is needed, and someone has to invest this money.","who":"Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine","when":"24 December 2025","src":27},{"q":"External financial and technical support is urgent and indispensable","who":"UNEP, on remediation and restoration","when":"October 2023","src":0},{"q":"a risk of the North Crimean Canal becoming shallow","who":"Sergei Aksyonov, Russian-installed head of Crimea (translated)","when":"6 June 2023","src":21,"translated":"Russian"}],"shown":[{"t":"The destruction described as an act by Russia: Ukraine’s delegation to the OSCE called it \"an undeniable act of ecocide and an obvious war crime\".","who":"Ukraine's delegation to the OSCE","src":8},{"t":"The destruction described as an act by Ukraine: Russia’s delegation to the OSCE called it a \"terrorist crime\" and said an \"environmental disaster caused by the Russians\" would generate funds.","who":"Russia's delegation to the OSCE","src":7},{"t":"The event described as \"another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine\".","who":"UN Secretary-General António Guterres","src":11},{"t":"The new drinking-water mains reported as 87% complete by 8 December 2023, serving over one million people.","who":"Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine","src":30}],"recorded":[{"t":"UNEP records that the drainage turned a mature aquatic ecosystem into a riverine ecosystem at an initial stage of development, and that much of the damage is highly likely to be irreversible.","src":0},{"t":"PDNA: ecosystem-service losses of over US$6.4 billion, 58% of all losses; the damage column for the environment is blank and validating the damages on the ground was impossible.","src":1},{"t":"RDNA3: US$9.6 billion for lost ecosystem services from protected areas; RDNA4: US$14.1 billion, 51 percent of forest and environment losses.","src":3},{"t":"UNEP’s follow-up sediment assessment (28 April 2024 to 1 March 2025) reports that a human health risk model \"revealed exceedances of screening and remediation levels\".","src":4},{"t":"Ukraine's delegation to the OSCE (8 June 2023) gave 31 irrigation systems affected, which in 2021 irrigated 584,000 ha, and named Kryvyi Rih and all of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as at risk.","src":9},{"t":"By 2 August 2023 UAH 4.3 billion (about US$124 million) had been allocated from the state budget for the consequences: over UAH 2.8 billion from the fund for eliminating the consequences of armed aggression (UAH 1.5 billion of it for a pilot main-pipeline project) and over UAH 1.5 billion from the reserve fund (about UAH 966 million for drinking water), according to Roksolana Pidlasa, head of the parliamentary Budget Committee.","src":32},{"t":"The Inhulets–Kriazheve section of the new water mains opened on 21 August 2023, supplying a quarter of Kryvyi Rih residents.","src":31},{"t":"Tutova et al. (2025) surveyed 158 plots near Khortytsia in April 2025: the main colonisers of the former bed are Salix × rubens and Populus nigra, and carbon sequestration peaked at intermediate stand densities.","src":15},{"t":"The SBU gives 35 civilians dead and 24 missing, with 46 settlements in Kherson Oblast flooded.","src":37},{"t":"Two notices of suspicion in absentia served on Russian generals; no court ruling and no ecocide suspicion notice or indictment on record as of June 2026.","src":39},{"t":"Euromaidan Press (29 September 2026), citing Ukrainian commanders and an ISW assessment, reports that the former reservoir bed lies on the front line and that Russian infantry use the reed-covered dry bed for cover and supply.","src":42},{"t":"Vegetated surface on the bed grew from 265.4 km² (19 August 2023) to 1,315.7 km² (19 August 2025); residual water fell from 312.7 km² to 136.2 km².","src":16},{"t":"The Register of Damage for Ukraine opened its last claim categories on 30 September 2026, including damage to the country’s environment and natural resources.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"Mixed — see each line","nature":[{"label":"Ecosystem-service losses, 333,000 ha of protected areas and 11,290 ha of forest (PDNA, Government of Ukraine and UN)","amount":6402.5,"est":true,"window":"18 months","note":"Table 35: US$6,394.80 million for protected areas and US$7.65 million for forest."},{"label":"Lost ecosystem services from protected areas (RDNA3)","amount":9600,"est":true,"window":"Feb 2022–Dec 2023","note":"Part of US$26.5 billion forest and environment losses; \"36 percent of all losses originate in the damage to 333,041 ha in 12 Protected Areas\"."},{"label":"Kakhovka Dam breach losses in forest and environment (RDNA4)","amount":14100,"est":true,"window":"Feb 2022–Dec 2024","note":"51 percent of US$28 billion forest and environment losses."},{"label":"PDNA environment recovery needs (de-mining, clean-up, surveys, contaminated-site assessment)","amount":59.5,"est":true,"note":"Needs, not damage."},{"label":"Damage to the Kakhovka reservoir, State Environmental Inspectorate (5 September 2023)","amount":1500,"qualifier":"about","est":true},{"label":"Damage preliminarily estimated by Prosecutor General Kostin (June 2024)","amount":2000,"est":true},{"label":"Damage from the destruction and loss of water resources, Minister Hrinchuk (6 January 2025)","amount":14000,"qualifier":"almost","est":true},{"label":"Environmental damage stated by Minister Strilets (4 October 2023)","amount":null,"note":"UAH 146 billion; about 10% of all assessed war damage to the environment, per the minister."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"PDNA total damage, all sectors","amount":2795.43,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA total losses, all sectors","amount":11002.67,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA damage: destruction of the Kakhovka HPP (of US$1.26 billion energy damage)","amount":1200,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA losses: Ukrhydroenergo (including US$96 million revenue)","amount":182,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA losses: Energoatom (Zaporizhzhia NPP)","amount":3629,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA agriculture damage and loss (fishery and aquaculture US$31.5 million)","amount":406.6,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA water and sanitation damage","amount":65.92,"est":true},{"label":"PDNA water and sanitation losses","amount":82.82,"est":true},{"label":"RDNA3 irrigation damage, Kakhovka dam","amount":359.3,"est":true},{"label":"RDNA3 irrigation recovery needs (780,000 ha command area)","amount":1498,"est":true,"note":"Needs, not damage."},{"label":"PDNA total recovery needs (US$1.82 billion for 2023–24)","amount":5040,"est":true,"note":"Needs, not damage."},{"label":"Rebuild of the HPP, Ukrhydroenergo CEO (18 July 2023)","amount":null,"note":"US$1–1.2 billion and seven years."},{"label":"Rebuild of the dam, President Zelensky (24 December 2025)","amount":null,"note":"About EUR 2 billion."},{"label":"State-budget allocation for the consequences, by 2 August 2023","amount":null,"note":"UAH 4.3 billion (about US$124 million per the source)."},{"label":"Three new water mains, 145 km, Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development","amount":null,"note":"At least UAH 13.5 billion; 87% complete on 8 December 2023."},{"label":"UNEP sediment assessment funding: Czech Republic","amount":0.413968,"window":"28 Apr 2024–1 Mar 2025"},{"label":"UNEP sediment assessment co-finance: USA","amount":0.2,"window":"28 Apr 2024–1 Mar 2025"},{"label":"UNEP sediment assessment co-finance: Japan","amount":0.36135,"window":"28 Apr 2024–1 Mar 2025"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Reservoir drained","v":"14.4 km³ (72.5%)","d":"By 13 June 2023, per UNEP; about 18 km³ passed through the lower Dnipro over about 14 days"},{"k":"Flooded downstream","v":"620 km²","d":"On 9 June 2023, per UNOSAT, within an analysed area of 19,000 km²"},{"k":"Fish loss confirmed by the government","v":"11,388 tons","d":"Cited by UNEP; a 2025 paper gives around 20,000 tons"},{"k":"Ecosystem-service losses","v":"US$14.1 billion","d":"RDNA4 estimate, 51 percent of forest and environment losses"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"UNEP's Rapid Environmental Assessment (October 2023), the PDNA (October 2023), RDNA3 and RDNA4, and peer-reviewed papers (2025–2026)","report":[{"t":"My Kakhovka reservoir lost 14.4 km³ of water, 72.5% of its volume, by 13 June 2023, according to UNEP.","src":0},{"t":"My mature aquatic ecosystem, in place for about 70 years, became a riverine ecosystem at an initial stage of development, according to UNEP, which says much of the damage is highly likely to be irreversible.","src":0},{"t":"Velykyi Luh National Nature Park held 14,898 ha of reservoir water, almost 89% of its area; UNEP says the park was highly probable to have been entirely damaged.","src":0},{"t":"About 620 km² of my land lay under flood water on 9 June 2023, according to UNOSAT; FAO counted 11,294 ha of flooded forest on 7 June 2023, mostly pine.","src":0},{"t":"My Lower Dnipro National Nature Park, 80,177.8 ha, was inundated in its entirety according to the park administration, and the flood wave partly washed away soil, tree stands and other vegetation on Kozatsky Island.","src":0},{"t":"About 150 tons of machine oil from the plant entered my water, as confirmed by Ukrainian authorities, and the Ukrainian Government confirmed the loss of 11,388 tons of fish during the spawning season.","src":0},{"t":"My north-western Black Sea was affected over more than 50% of its area, with chlorophyll-a and suspended sediment over 50 times ambient levels; algal blooms began within a week and lasted about 20 more days, according to a 2025 study.","src":12},{"t":"Willow-poplar floodplain forest occupied about 30% of my drained bed, according to field trips between June 2023 and October 2024 reported in a 2025 peer-reviewed paper.","src":13},{"t":"My vascular plant taxa increased nearly 14 times during the year after the drainage, according to a 2025 peer-reviewed paper.","src":14},{"t":"At least 400 plant species had been recorded on my former bed by October 2026, according to the botanist Ivan Moysienko.","src":40},{"t":"RDNA4 states that 19 months after the breach my ecosystem services have still not been restored.","src":3}]},"unknown":["None on record: insurance policy or payout for the Kakhovka HPP, the dam or the environmental damage.","None on record: a court ruling on the destruction of the dam, as of October 2026.","None on record: a suspicion notice or indictment under the ecocide article, as of June 2026; prosecutors said a forensic examination by more than 20 specialists was under way.","None on record: a finding by the OSCE as an institution on responsibility; the OSCE documents on the event are statements by participating-state delegations, each carrying the notice \"The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document\".","Not measured: UNEP's rapid assessment does not cover the full impacts on irrigation, drinking water and industrial water, including for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, or the human-health impacts.","Insufficient: UNEP cites \"the lack of first-hand data and access to the territories affected\"; the grain size of the sediments \"was not known to the authors\" and the exact properties of the released oil are unknown.","Not measured: the PDNA states that validating the damages \"has been impossible\", that damage and losses on occupied territory \"remain unknown\", and that data on damage to fisheries assets \"was not available\".","Insufficient: of 12 Emerald Network sites, the PDNA says \"for the rest, no information is available on the scale and area of impacts\"; it values 7 of them and 5 Ramsar sites.","Not measured: RDNA3 states that water pollution from the breach \"was out of scope of this assignment\" and that irrigation losses from the dam destruction \"have not yet been assessed\".","Unclear: the RDNA4 environment needs table excludes \"Kakhovka Dam recovery estimates\".","Insufficient: the 2025 Black Sea study states that the war prohibited field investigations in the north-western Black Sea and that deeper-water and seabed effects are not observable by optical satellites.","Self-reported only: the Kakhovka Platform coalition states that the 2023 rebuild decision was made \"without public discussion\" and would proceed \"without an environmental impact assessment\".","Disputed: figures differ on fish loss (11,388 tons per the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food via UNEP; around 20,000 tons per a 2025 paper), on flooded forest (11,294 ha per FAO; over 64,000 ha per Suspilne, which names no source), and on the share of the reservoir drained (72.5% per UNEP; about 90% per the 2025 paper).","Disputed: figures differ on facilities affected. UNEP identified 54 pollution hotspots; the PDNA identified 192 hazardous facilities.","Disputed: figures differ on Emerald Network sites. UNEP counts ten as directly affected; the PDNA counts 12.","Unclear: the status of the Ukrhydroenergo arbitration procedure after 15 October 2024; the source gives no claimed amount."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The breach was a single event on 6 June 2023, and the reservoir drained over about 14 days. RDNA4 states that 19 months later the ecosystem services had still not been restored, and in October 2026 the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council chairman reported desertification, falling groundwater and dust storms in Nikopol district and Tomakivka.","whoPaid":"No compensation for the environmental damage is on record. The state budget of Ukraine allocated UAH 4.3 billion for the consequences by 2 August 2023 and the new water mains cost at least UAH 13.5 billion; Czech, US and Japanese contributions funded UNEP's sediment assessment. The Register of Damage for Ukraine opened its environmental-damage category on 30 September 2026.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the dam has not been rebuilt (President Zelensky put the cost at about EUR 2 billion in December 2025); notices of suspicion in absentia have been served on two Russian generals; the ecocide forensic examination was pending in June 2026; no court ruling is on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Russia (Kremlin)","says":"Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the destruction \"a deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side\", aimed at \"depriving Crimea of water\"; Russia's Investigative Committee opened a terrorism case, according to Russia's OSCE delegation.","when":"6–8 June 2023","src":18},{"actor":"Government of Ukraine (OSCE delegation)","says":"Said \"the Russian occupiers blew up the Dam\" around 2:30 a.m. on 6 June, that the explosion \"occurred from the inside\", and that the reservoir had been raised to a record 17.5 m with the gates closed beforehand.","when":"7 June 2023","src":8},{"actor":"Ukrhydroenergo","says":"Said the HPP is \"completely destroyed and cannot be restored\" and put a rebuild at US$1–1.2 billion and seven years; in October 2024 it said Russia \"will fully compensate for the damage\".","when":"18 July 2023; 15 October 2024","src":26},{"actor":"Russian-installed head of Crimea","says":"Said there was \"a risk of the North Crimean Canal becoming shallow\", that reservoirs earlier 15–20% full were now about 80% full, and that drinking water was more than sufficient.","when":"6 June 2023","src":21},{"actor":"Russia's delegation to the OSCE","says":"Said \"the damage to agriculture in the region and to the Dnieper estuary ecosystem has been colossal\".","when":"8 June 2023","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-ukraine","role":"Co-author of the PDNA and RDNA reports; prosecuting authorities; claimant of environmental damage"},{"id":"russia-gov","role":"Account of responsibility; named in the claims and suspicion notices"},{"id":"ukrhydroenergo","role":"Operator of the Kakhovka HPP; compensation claimant"},{"id":"unep","role":"Rapid Environmental Assessment and sediment assessment"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Co-author of RDNA3 and RDNA4"},{"id":"eu","role":"Co-author of RDNA3 and RDNA4; statement at the OSCE"},{"id":"norsar","role":"Recorded the seismic signals"},{"id":"ukraine-state-environmental-inspectorate","role":"Environmental damage estimates and sampling"},{"id":"ukraine-prosecutor-general","role":"Criminal proceedings; ICC data"},{"id":"sbu","role":"Served the notices of suspicion in absentia"},{"id":"investigative-committee-russia","role":"Terrorism case, as stated by Russia's delegation"},{"id":"fao","role":"Counted flooded forest"},{"id":"echr","role":"Forum of the Ukrhydroenergo claim"},{"id":"register-of-damage-for-ukraine","role":"Opened the environmental-damage claim category on 30 September 2026"},{"id":"kakhovka-platform","role":"Coalition of 42 organisations on the rebuild decision"}],"sources":[{"t":"Rapid Environmental Assessment of Kakhovka Dam Breach, Ukraine, 2023","p":"UNEP","d":"2023-10","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://ukraine.un.org/en/download/145970/250669"},{"t":"Post-Disaster Needs Assessment: 2023 Kakhovka Dam Disaster, Ukraine","p":"Government of Ukraine and United Nations","d":"2023-10","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://ukraine.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/PDNA%20Final%20and%20Cleared%20-%2016Oct.pdf"},{"t":"Ukraine Third Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA3)","p":"World Bank, Government of Ukraine, European Union, United Nations","d":"2024-02","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://ukraine.un.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/UA%20RDNA3%20report%20EN.pdf"},{"t":"Ukraine Fourth Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA4)","p":"World Bank, Government of Ukraine, European Union, United Nations","d":"2025-02","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://mva.gov.ua/media/1/Fourth_Rapid_Damage_and_Needs_Assessment__RDNA4_.pdf"},{"t":"Kakhovka Reservoir Sediments Assessment, Final Substantive Report","p":"UNEP / Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic","d":"2025-03","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://mzp.gov.cz/system/files/2025-08/Report%20projektu.pdf"},{"t":"Seismic signals recorded from an explosion at the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine June 6th, 2023","p":"NORSAR","d":"2023-06-19","type":"academic","u":"https://www.norsar.no/news/seismic-signals-recorded-from-an-explosion-at-the-kakhovka-dam-in-ukraine"},{"t":"Register of Damage for Ukraine now fully open for compensation claims","p":"Council of Europe","d":"2026-09-30","type":"registry","voice":"international","u":"https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/register-of-damage-for-ukraine-now-fully-open-for-compensation-claims-1"},{"t":"Statement by Maxim Buyakevich, PC.DEL/776/23","p":"OSCE (Delegation of the Russian Federation)","d":"2023-06-08","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://cdn.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/0/4/546953.pdf"},{"t":"Statement at 1048th FSC Plenary, FSC.DEL/239/23","p":"OSCE (Delegation of Ukraine)","d":"2023-06-07","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://cdn.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/8/9/547337.pdf"},{"t":"Statement by Ambassador Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, PC.DEL/786/23","p":"OSCE (Delegation of Ukraine)","d":"2023-06-08","type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://cdn.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/d/a/546938.pdf"},{"t":"EU Statement, PC 1429, PC.DEL/859/23","p":"OSCE (European Union)","d":"2023-06-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://cdn.osce.org/sites/default/files/f/documents/d/9/551008.pdf"},{"t":"Ukraine: Dam destruction 'monumental humanitarian, economic and ecological catastrophe': Guterres","p":"UN News","d":"2023-06-06","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2023/06/1137372"},{"t":"The biogeochemical response of the north-western Black Sea to the Kakhovka Dam breach","p":"Communications Earth & Environment (Jiang D. et al.)","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://storre.stir.ac.uk/retrieve/0fc70eb8-20cf-4c66-9996-0c3ef294f23b/s43247-025-02153-z.pdf"},{"t":"Початкові етапи формування заплавних лісів днища Каховського водосховища та прогноз їхнього розвитку (Initial stages of formation of floodplain forests of the bottom of the Kakhovka Reservoir and forecast of their development)","p":"NaUKMA Scientific Notes, Biology and Ecology, vol. 8 (Didukh Ya. et al.)","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/items/b1ec3b53-b003-4c76-bc23-c5127131f0b9/full"},{"t":"Initial stages of revegetation at the bottom of the drained Kakhovka Reservoir","p":"Ukrainian Botanical Journal 82(5) (Kuzemko A.A. et al.)","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://ukrbotj.co.ua/archive/82/5/488"},{"t":"The Future of the Kakhovka Reservoir After Ecocide: Afforestation and Ecosystem Service Recovery…","p":"Studia Biologica 19(3) (Tutova H. et al.)","d":"2025","type":"academic","u":"https://publications.lnu.edu.ua/journals/index.php/biology/article/view/7356"},{"t":"Post-Breach Landscape Transformation of the Former Kakhovka Reservoir Bed","p":"Journal of Landscape Ecology (Magas N.I.)","d":"2026-09-19","type":"academic","u":"https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/jlecol-2026-0039"},{"t":"Research reveals pre-collapse monitoring of Kakhovka dam, Ukraine","p":"ScienceDaily (University of Houston release)","d":"2024-04-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/04/240403130518.htm"},{"t":"Kremlin blames Kyiv for blowing up of Kakhovka dam","p":"Ukrainska Pravda","d":"2023-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/06/06/7405554/"},{"t":"Evidence suggests Russia blew Kakhovka dam in Ukraine — New York Times","p":"Arab News (Reuters)","d":"2023-06-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.arabnews.com/node/2323606/amp"},{"t":"Ukraine's military kept destroying Kakhovka HPP for over six months, says official","p":"TASS","d":"2023-06-08","type":"press","u":"https://tass.com/defense/1629507/amp"},{"t":"No threat of flooding in Crimea due to Kakhovka HPP incident, but water canal may grow shallow - Crimea head","p":"Interfax","d":"2023-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/91198/"},{"t":"Експерти UNEP на прикладі Каховської ГЕС уперше підрахували втрати екосистемних послуг в Україні - глава Міндовкілля (UNEP experts for the first time calculated ecosystem-service losses in Ukraine on the Kakhovka HPP example – Environment Minister)","p":"Interfax-Україна","d":"2023-10-04","type":"press","u":"https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/939032.html"},{"t":"Екологічні збитки від підриву росіянами Каховської ГЕС склали $1,5 млрд (Environmental damage from the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka HPP reaches $1.5 billion)","p":"ArmyInform","d":"2023-09-05","type":"press","u":"https://armyinform.com.ua/2023/09/05/ekologichni-zbytky-vid-pidryvu-rosiyanamy-kahovskoyi-ges-sklaly-15-mlrd/"},{"t":"Підрив Каховської ГЕС: У Міндовкілля назвали суму збитків (Kakhovka HPP destruction: Environment Ministry names damage sum)","p":"Суспільне","d":"2025-01-06","type":"press","u":"https://suspilne.media/919125-u-mindovkilla-nazvali-sumu-zbitkiv-cerez-pidriv-rosianami-kahovskoi-ges/"},{"t":"Річниця підриву Каховської ГЕС: які наслідки екоциду та чи варто відбудовувати (Anniversary of the Kakhovka HPP destruction: consequences and whether to rebuild)","p":"Факти ICTV","d":"2025-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://fakty.com.ua/ua/ukraine/20250606-richnyczya-pidryvu-kahovskoyi-ges-yaki-naslidky-ekoczydu-ta-chy-varto-vidbudovuvaty/"},{"t":"Government approves Kakhovka HPP reconstruction project","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2023-07-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/3737389-government-approves-kakhovka-hpp-reconstruction-project.html"},{"t":"Zelensky says restoration of Kakhovka Dam will cost EUR 2B","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2025-12-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/4072957-zelensky-says-restoration-of-kakhovka-dam-will-cost-eur-2b.html"},{"t":"Forest growing on site of Kakhovka Reservoir protected under Bern Convention, scientist says","p":"Ukrinform","d":"2026-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://ukrinform.net/rubric-society/4131235-forest-growing-on-site-of-kakhovka-reservoir-protected-under-bern-convention-scientist-says.html"},{"t":"\"Kakhovka Platform\" calls on the government to reconsider its intentions","p":"Environment People Law (EPL)","d":"2023-07-31","type":"ngo","u":"https://epl.org.ua/en/announces/vidbudova-kahovskoyi-ges-peredchasne-rishennya-kmu/"},{"t":"Blowing up of Kakhovka dam: almost 90% of water supply pipelines to affected cities laid","p":"Ukrainska Pravda","d":"2023-12-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/12/08/7432240/"},{"t":"First stretch of water mains built after Kakhovka Power Plant explosion now in use","p":"Ukrainska Pravda","d":"2023-08-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/21/7416469/"},{"t":"Blowing up of Kakhovka HPP: US$124 million allocated from state budget to overcome consequences","p":"Ukrainska Pravda (Ekonomichna Pravda)","d":"2023-08-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2023/08/02/7413939/"},{"t":"Hydropower generating company Ukrhydroenergo will not sue Russia over assets damage","p":"Ukrainska Pravda","d":"2024-10-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/10/15/7479817/"},{"t":"Ukrhydroenergo demands from Russia 17 billion UAH for damage to assets, in particular, for Kakhovska HPP","p":"Babel","d":"2022-09-16","type":"press","u":"https://babel.ua/en/news/84313-ukrhydroenergo-demands-from-russia-17-billion-uah-for-damage-to-assets-in-particular-for-kakhovska-hpp"},{"t":"Prosecutor General Kostin: Ukraine initiated a case of both ecocide and war crimes for undermining Kakhovka HPP","p":"Babel","d":"2024-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://babel.ua/en/news/107851-prosecutor-general-kostin-ukraine-initiated-a-case-of-both-ecocide-and-war-crimes-for-undermining-kakhovka-hpp"},{"t":"Генералу Макаревичу, який наказав підірвати Каховську ГЕС, оголошено підозру – СБУ (General Makarevych, who ordered the Kakhovka HPP blown up, served suspicion notice – SBU)","p":"LIGA.net","d":"2024-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://news.liga.net/ua/politics/news/heneralu-makarevychu-iakyi-nakazav-pidirvaty-kakhovsku-hes-oholosheno-pidozru--sbu"},{"t":"СБУ назвала ім'я російського генерала, підозрюваного в справі про руйнування Каховської дамби (SBU names Russian general suspected in Kakhovka dam destruction case)","p":"Радіо Свобода (RFE/RL)","d":"2025-10-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news-sbu-pidozra-rosiiskyi-heneral-kakhovska-damba/33546091.html"},{"t":"Ukraine's Prosecutor To Provide ICC With Data On Kakhovka Dam Destruction","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2023-06-07","type":"press","u":"https://rferl.org/amp/ukraine-prosecutor-icc-kakhovka/32449051.html"},{"t":"Suspects in the Kakhovka HPP explosion case may be named by the end of the year – Prosecutor General's Office","p":"UNN","d":"2026-06-06","type":"press","u":"https://unn.ua/en/news/suspects-in-the-kakhovka-hpp-explosion-case-may-be-named-by-the-end-of-the-year-prosecutor-generals-office"},{"t":"About 400 plant species have already been discovered at the bottom (of the Kakhovka reservoir)","p":"UA.NEWS","d":"2026-10-13","type":"press","u":"https://ua.news/en/ukraine/na-dni-kakhovskogo-vodoskhovishcha-viiavili-vzhe-blizko-400-vidiv-roslin"},{"t":"Without restoration of Kakhovka Reservoir southern Ukraine faces threat of desertification","p":"UA.NEWS","d":"2026-10-05","type":"press","u":"https://ua.news/en/ukraine/bez-vidnovlennia-kakhovskogo-vodoskhovishcha-pivdniu-ukrayini-zagrozhuie-opusteliuvannia"},{"t":"Russia drained the Kakhovka Reservoir. Now it hides in the dry bed to creep toward Zaporizhzhia","p":"Euromaidan Press","d":"2026-09-29","type":"press","u":"https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/29/russia-drained-the-kakhovka-reservoir-now-it-hides-in-the-dry-bed-to-creep-toward-zaporizhzhia/"}],"episodes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal proceedings opened by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine","forum":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine and SBU (pre-trial investigation)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"No defendant on record in the ecocide case","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said on 6 June 2024 that Ukraine had initiated a case of ecocide and a case of war crimes, and that the ecocide case \"requires much more time to investigate\". On 6 June 2026 Borys Indychenko, head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office, said a comprehensive forensic examination involving more than 20 specialists was under way to determine whether the event qualifies as an environmental disaster, and that he hoped to move to a suspicion notice or indictment \"by the end of this year\". No suspicion notice or indictment under the ecocide article was on record as of June 2026.","src":35},{"title":"Notice of suspicion in absentia: Colonel General Oleh Makarevych","forum":"SBU and Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"SBU and Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine","defendant":"Colonel General Oleh Makarevych, former commander of Russia's \"Dnipro\" grouping (notified of suspicion in absentia)","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 6 June 2024 the SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office served a notice of suspicion on Makarevych, alleging that he ordered the dam blown up on the night of 5–6 June 2023. The charge is violation of the laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder by a group by prior conspiracy, with a maximum of life imprisonment. Kostin said the notice concerns the sabotage (war crimes) case. This is a notice of suspicion, not a conviction.","src":36},{"title":"Notice of suspicion in absentia: Major General Volodymyr Omelianovych","forum":"SBU","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"SBU","defendant":"Major General Volodymyr Omelianovych, chief of staff and first deputy commander of the \"Dnipro\" grouping (notified of suspicion in absentia)","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 1 October 2025 the SBU served a notice of suspicion in absentia on Omelianovych, alleging that he coordinated the subordinates who blew up the dam. The SBU gives 35 civilians dead and 24 missing and 46 settlements in Kherson Oblast flooded.","src":37},{"title":"Data on the destruction provided to the ICC Prosecutor","forum":"International Criminal Court (Office of the Prosecutor)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Prosecutor General of Ukraine","defendant":"Not specified in the source","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"On 7 June 2023 Prosecutor General Kostin signed a decree to give the ICC Prosecutor data on the destruction and briefed ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.","src":38},{"title":"Russian criminal case for an act of terrorism","forum":"Investigative Committee of Russia","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Investigative Committee of Russia","defendant":"No charges against named individuals on record","filed":2023,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","amount":null,"summary":"Russia's delegation to the OSCE said on 8 June 2023 that the Investigative Committee had opened a terrorism case; Ukrainska Pravda reported the same on 6 June 2023.","src":7},{"title":"Ukrhydroenergo claim against Russia for damage to the Kakhovka HPP and an unfinished wind plant","forum":"European Court of Human Rights (as recorded by Babel)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Ukrhydroenergo","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":2022,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":17000,"currency":"UAH","label":"claimed (almost)"},"summary":"In September 2022, before the dam was destroyed, Ukrhydroenergo filed a claim of almost UAH 17 billion for damage to the Kakhovka HPP and an unfinished wind plant on Snake Island.","src":34},{"title":"Ukrhydroenergo investment-arbitration procedure over the destruction of the HPP","forum":"Investment arbitration (forum not named in the source)","country":"Ukraine","iso2":"UA","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Ukrhydroenergo","defendant":"Russian Federation","filed":2024,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"In June 2024 Ukrhydroenergo started an investment-arbitration procedure over the destruction of the HPP. On 15 October 2024 it cancelled the tender for legal services and said it would hold talks with the government, describing the decision as \"in line with Ukraine's broader national agenda\".","src":33},{"title":"Council of Europe Register of Damage for Ukraine: environmental-damage category","forum":"Register of Damage for Ukraine (Council of Europe)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Claimants registering damage (category covers damage to the country's environment and natural resources)","defendant":"Not specified in the source","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"On 30 September 2026 the Register opened its last claim categories, \"including damage to the country's environment and natural resources\", bringing the total to 43. It had received 195,000 claims, with some 65,000 recorded. The convention on an International Claims Commission had been signed by 39 states and the EU and ratified by nine states plus the EU.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"reservoir_surface_km2","value":2155,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"note":"Surface area of the full reservoir before the breach (UNEP)."},{"key":"water_lost_km3","value":14.4,"unit":"km³","year":2023,"note":"By 13 June 2023; 72.5% of the reservoir's water (UNEP)."},{"key":"water_released_km3","value":18,"unit":"km³","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Passed through the lower Dnipro over about 14 days; 30 to 50 percent of the river's usual annual flow there (UNEP)."},{"key":"area_flooded_km2","value":620,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"note":"9 June 2023, UNOSAT, within an analysed area of 19,000 km². The Ministry of Environmental Protection estimated over 630 km²."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":11294,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Forest flooded as of 7 June 2023 (FAO, via UNEP), mostly pine; experts consider the flooded area fully lost."},{"key":"sediment_fine_ha","value":31000,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"note":"Area over which fine sediments may have spread (UNEP satellite analysis); coarse sediments may have spread over 12,000 ha."},{"key":"disaster_waste_m3","value":2000000,"unit":"m³","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"UNEP: \"bound to reach at least two million m³\"."},{"key":"oil_spilled_tonnes","value":150,"unit":"tonnes (machine oil)","year":2023,"qualifier":"around","note":"About 170,000 litres, confirmed by Ukrainian authorities; a further 300 tons reported at the facility \"can be presumed to have been released\" (UNEP)."},{"key":"fertiliser_stored_tonnes","value":3500,"unit":"tonnes (liquid urea-ammonia fertiliser)","year":2023,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Stored at Pallada Shipyard, Kherson; the government reported that the tanks were damaged and released chemicals (UNEP)."},{"key":"pollution_hotspots","value":54,"unit":"facilities","year":2023,"note":"UNEP identified 54 pollution hotspots; the PDNA identified 192 hazardous facilities."},{"key":"estuary_contaminated_ha","value":3700,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Dnipro-Boh estuary, estimated petrochemical contamination in late June 2023 (Institute of Marine Biology, NAS of Ukraine, via UNEP); 14,000 ha of Black Sea coastal waters also estimated contaminated."},{"key":"fish_killed_tonnes","value":11388,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Loss confirmed by the Ukrainian Government (Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food), cited by UNEP."},{"key":"fish_loss_tonnes","value":20000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"qualifier":"around","note":"Loss of fish resources from the reservoir, from loss of spawning grounds, per a 2025 paper citing a secondary reference."},{"key":"protected_areas_affected","value":59,"unit":"nationally designated areas","year":2023,"note":"UNEP: also ten Emerald Network sites, five Ramsar sites and one UNESCO-MAB biosphere reserve directly affected."},{"key":"black_sea_area_affected_pct","value":50,"unit":"% of north-western Black Sea","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Chlorophyll-a and suspended sediment over 50 times ambient levels (Jiang et al., 2025)."},{"key":"sediment_plume_km2","value":4316,"unit":"km²","year":2023,"note":"Black Sea sediment plume on 23 June 2023; 2,456 km² on 15 June; last detectable on 2 July (1,413 km²)."},{"key":"cropland_rainfed_ha","value":306500,"unit":"ha","year":2023,"qualifier":"over","note":"PDNA: cropland switching to rainfed farming with yields 70% lower; in 2021 it produced 2 million tons of grain and oilseeds."},{"key":"irrigated_area_ha","value":584000,"unit":"ha","year":2021,"note":"31 irrigation systems affected (Ukraine's OSCE delegation, 8 June 2023)."},{"key":"people_affected","value":100000,"unit":"residents in 80 settlements","year":2023,"note":"PDNA: directly affected in four oblasts; up to one million people had drinking water and sanitation disrupted."},{"key":"deaths","value":35,"unit":"civilians","year":2023,"note":"SBU figure; 24 missing and 46 settlements in Kherson Oblast flooded."},{"key":"vegetated_area_km2","value":1315.7,"unit":"km²","year":2025,"note":"Vegetated surfaces on the former bed, 19 August 2025 (Magas, Sentinel-2 and Landsat); 265.4 km² on 19 August 2023."},{"key":"plant_species","value":400,"unit":"species","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Recorded on the former bed by October 2026; 343 in 2025."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":13798.1,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"PDNA, total damage US$2,795.43 million and losses US$11,002.67 million, all sectors."},{"key":"ecosystem_service_loss","value":6402.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"PDNA, 18 months, protected areas and forest."},{"key":"ecosystem_service_loss","value":9600,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"RDNA3, protected areas, Feb 2022–Dec 2023."},{"key":"ecosystem_service_loss","value":14100,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"est":true,"note":"RDNA4, Feb 2022–Dec 2024, 51 percent of forest and environment losses."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":146000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"Minister Strilets, 4 October 2023."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":1500,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"State Environmental Inspectorate, approximate, 5 September 2023."},{"key":"damage_estimate","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"est":true,"note":"Prosecutor General Kostin, preliminary, June 2024."},{"key":"recovery_needs","value":5040,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"est":true,"note":"PDNA total recovery needs, of which US$1.82 billion for 2023–24."},{"key":"rebuild_cost_estimate","value":2000,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"President Zelensky, 24 December 2025."},{"key":"rebuild_cost_estimate","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"from","est":true,"note":"Ukrhydroenergo CEO, 18 July 2023: US$1 billion to US$1.2 billion and seven years (lower bound)."},{"key":"rebuild_cost_estimate","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"up to","est":true,"note":"Ukrhydroenergo CEO, 18 July 2023: US$1 billion to US$1.2 billion and seven years (upper bound)."},{"key":"budget_allocated","value":4300,"unit":"UAH m","year":2023,"note":"State budget allocation for the consequences by 2 August 2023."},{"key":"water_mains_cost","value":13500,"unit":"UAH m","year":2023,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Three new main pipelines totalling 145 km; 87% complete on 8 December 2023."},{"key":"claim","value":17000,"unit":"UAH m","year":2022,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Ukrhydroenergo claim for damage to the Kakhovka HPP and an unfinished wind plant, September 2022."}],"disputes":[{"point":"Responsibility for the destruction of the dam","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's delegation to the OSCE","says":"Said \"the Russian occupiers blew up the Dam\" around 2:30 a.m. on 6 June 2023, that the explosion \"occurred from the inside\", and that there is evidence Russians mined the dam in 2022.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Operational Command South (Ukraine)","says":"Said on 6 June 2023 that Russian occupation forces blew up the HPP.","src":18},{"voice":"government","holder":"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov","says":"Said on 6 June 2023 that the Ukrainian side carried out \"a deliberate sabotage\" aimed at \"depriving Crimea of water\" and distracting from its \"faltering\" offensive.","src":18},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia's delegation to the OSCE","says":"Said on 8 June 2023 that \"the Kyiv regime committed yet another terrorist crime\", citing a Russian letter to the UN of 21 October 2022 warning of a Ukrainian strike.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Vladimir Leontyev, Russian-installed head of Nova Kakhovka","says":"Told TASS on 8 June 2023 that Ukrainian forces had been \"preparing and deliberately destroying the HPP for over six months\" with HIMARS strikes, and questioned why the water level rose by more than 1.5 m a day or two before.","src":20},{"voice":"research","holder":"NORSAR (Norwegian seismic institute)","says":"Recorded two signals on 6 June 2023 \"consistent with an explosion\" and \"not what would be expected for a dam collapse\"; located both within about 20–30 km of the dam; could not determine the device type; made no statement on who caused the explosion.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"The New York Times investigation, as relayed by Reuters","says":"Cited engineers and explosives experts as saying the evidence suggests an explosive charge detonated in a passageway through the dam's concrete base, set off \"by the side that controls it: Russia\". Reuters said it could not independently verify the cause; the engineers said only a full examination of the dam could establish the sequence.","src":19},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Legal experts assisting Ukraine's prosecutors","says":"Preliminary findings in June 2023 said it was \"highly likely\" that explosives planted by Russians caused the collapse.","src":19},{"voice":"research","holder":"InSAR study (Communications Earth & Environment, 2024)","says":"Satellite radar showed deformation hotspots in the dam before the war, with movement from June 2021. The authors say the analysis does not exclude the explosion hypothesis and does not attribute a cause; corresponding author Pietro Milillo pointed to neglected maintenance and operations after the war began as possible destabilising factors.","src":17},{"voice":"international","holder":"António Guterres, UN Secretary-General","says":"Called the event \"another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine\" on 6 June 2023.","src":11},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Union at the OSCE","says":"Described on 22 June 2023 \"the devastating humanitarian and environmental consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) dam\" and said Russia \"denied access to United Nations humanitarian workers\" on the left bank.","src":10}]},{"point":"Reservoir water level before the breach","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ukraine's delegation to the OSCE","says":"Said Russia raised the reservoir to a record 17.5 m with the gates closed beforehand.","src":8},{"voice":"government","holder":"Russia's delegation to the OSCE","says":"Said Kyiv \"deliberately raised the water level\" by opening the Dnipro HPP floodgates.","src":7}]},{"point":"Value of the environmental damage","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine","says":"About US$1.5 billion of damage to the Kakhovka reservoir, given as approximate by First Deputy Head Dmytro Zaruba on 5 September 2023.","src":23},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection","says":"UAH 146 billion on 4 October 2023, about 10% of all assessed war damage to the environment, to be presented to the aggressor \"as a separate account\".","src":22},{"voice":"international","holder":"PDNA (Government of Ukraine and UN, October 2023)","says":"Over US$6.4 billion in ecosystem-service losses over 18 months (58% of all losses), assuming 50% impairment of protected-area services valued at US$8.5 billion a year; the PDNA states that validating the damages was impossible.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"RDNA3 (World Bank, Government of Ukraine, EU, UN, February 2024)","says":"US$9.6 billion in lost ecosystem services from protected areas; water pollution from the breach was out of scope.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin","says":"Damage preliminarily estimated at US$2 billion, as reported by Babel in June 2024.","src":35},{"voice":"government","holder":"Svitlana Hrinchuk, Minister of Environmental Protection","says":"\"almost 14 bn dollars of damage caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and the loss of these water resources\" (6 January 2025).","src":24},{"voice":"international","holder":"RDNA4 (February 2025)","says":"US$14.1 billion, or 51 percent of forest and environment losses, dominated by the Kakhovka Dam breach.","src":3}]},{"point":"Fish lost in the breach","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine (cited by UNEP)","says":"\"The Ukrainian Government has confirmed the loss of 11,388 tons of fish\"; UNEP elsewhere gives \"11,000 tons of dead fish reported\".","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Jiang et al., Communications Earth & Environment (2025)","says":"Gives the loss of fish resources from the reservoir as \"around 20,000 tons\", from loss of spawning grounds, citing a secondary reference.","src":12}]},{"point":"Area of forest flooded or damaged","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"FAO (cited by UNEP)","says":"11,294 ha of forest flooded as of 7 June 2023, mostly pine.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Suspilne (January 2025)","says":"Writes that nearly a third of forests, over 64,000 ha, was damaged; no source is given. Minister Hrinchuk said about 30% of Kherson Oblast's nature-reserve fund was flooded and lost.","src":24}]},{"point":"Share of the reservoir that drained","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP","says":"14.4 km³, or 72.5% of the reservoir's water, had drained by 13 June 2023.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Jiang et al., Communications Earth & Environment (2025)","says":"About 90% of the reservoir drained.","src":12}]},{"point":"Scale of the effect on the north-western Black Sea","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP","says":"Assessed the effect on the Black Sea as temporary and \"unlikely to be consequential\" overall, with possible effects in the Dnipro delta and on coastal morphology.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Jiang et al., Communications Earth & Environment (2025)","says":"The breach affected more than 50% of the north-western Black Sea, with chlorophyll-a and suspended sediment over 50 times ambient levels and significant nitrate and phosphate increases off Odesa; algal blooms started within a week and lasted about 20 more days.","src":12}]},{"point":"Rebuild the dam and reservoir, or not","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Cabinet of Ministers and Ukrhydroenergo (July 2023)","says":"Approved an experimental two-year project (design and groundwork) to rebuild the HPP, with construction after \"de-occupation\"; Ukrhydroenergo said the plant \"cannot be restored\" as it was.","src":26},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Kakhovka Platform (42 organisations)","says":"Asked the government to reconsider Resolution No. 730; set out three options: abandon reconstruction and restore Velykyi Luh; full restoration; or a much smaller reservoir.","src":29},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP","says":"Recommends that \"approaches suggesting that a smaller reservoir may bring benefits to nature … should be considered\"; says a no-restoration scenario is \"unlikely\" to be seriously considered given agriculture, energy and drinking water.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Ivan Moysienko, Kherson State University","says":"Said on 6 June 2026 that the new forest is a habitat type protected under Bern Convention Resolution No. 4 and that a nature reserve would be the best option.","src":28},{"voice":"government","holder":"Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council","says":"Said on 5 October 2026 that Ukraine \"should restore the Kakhovka Dam and reservoir once the war ends\".","src":41},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survey of 400 Kherson residents by the community fund \"Zakhyst\" (31 May 2025)","says":"63% supported new, smaller hydraulic structures, 53% a national park or reserve on the former reservoir, and 80% said the state does not give enough information.","src":25}]}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The dam of the Kakhovka HPP on the Dnipro was breached on 6 June 2023 and the reservoir drained within about two weeks, flooding the lower Dnipro and leaving the former reservoir bed dry. Ukraine and Russia state opposing accounts of who caused the destruction.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Residents of Kryvyi Rih and other towns","what":"Three new water mains totalling 145 km, with a capacity of 550,000 m³ per day, serving over one million people; the Inhulets–Kriazheve section opened on 21 August 2023","src":30},{"who":"Vegetation on the former reservoir bed","what":"Vegetated surfaces grew from 265.4 km² (19 August 2023) to 1,315.7 km² (19 August 2025)","src":16}],"lost":[{"who":"Ukrhydroenergo","what":"The Kakhovka HPP destroyed; PDNA losses of US$182 million, including US$96 million revenue","src":1},{"who":"Energoatom (Zaporizhzhia NPP)","what":"PDNA losses of US$3,629 million; the reservoir was critical for cooling","src":1},{"who":"Farmers on irrigated land","what":"Over 306,500 ha switching to rainfed farming with yields 70% lower, per the PDNA","src":1},{"who":"ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih","what":"A 50% drop in steel production in a month, as recorded in the PDNA methodology note","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Kakhovka reservoir ecosystem","what":"14.4 km³ (72.5%) of water lost by 13 June 2023; a mature aquatic ecosystem turned into a riverine one at an initial stage","src":0},{"who":"Protected areas","what":"59 nationally designated protected areas, ten Emerald Network sites, five Ramsar sites and one UNESCO-MAB biosphere reserve directly affected","src":0},{"who":"Fish","what":"11,388 tons of fish loss confirmed by the Ukrainian Government (via UNEP); around 20,000 tons in a 2025 paper","src":0},{"who":"The Dnipro-Boh estuary and the north-western Black Sea","what":"Petrochemical pollution in the estuary and sediment and algal blooms over more than 50% of the north-western Black Sea","src":12}]},"where":{"t":"The Kakhovka HPP dam on the Dnipro at Nova Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast; the lower Dnipro, the Inhulets valley, the Dnipro-Boh estuary, the Kinburn peninsula and the north-western Black Sea downstream; the former reservoir in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts upstream. UNEP says the impacts reach five administrative regions.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Breach on 6 June 2023 at about 02:35 and 02:54 local time (NORSAR); 72.5% of the reservoir drained by 13 June 2023; assessments published October 2023 (PDNA, UNEP), February 2024 (RDNA3) and February 2025 (RDNA4); suspicion notices on 6 June 2024 and 1 October 2025; Register of Damage environmental category opened 30 September 2026.","src":5},"why":{"t":"Ukraine says Russian forces mined and blew up the dam from the inside; Russia says the Ukrainian side destroyed it by sabotage or strikes and by raising the water level. NORSAR detected an explosion without attributing it; the SBU and the Prosecutor General's Office have served notices of suspicion in absentia on two Russian generals. No court has ruled.","src":8},"how":{"t":"NORSAR recorded two signals \"consistent with an explosion\"; a New York Times investigation as relayed by Reuters pointed to a charge in a passageway through the dam's concrete base, and Reuters said it could not independently verify the cause. A 2024 satellite-radar study found pre-war deformation in the dam from June 2021 and did not attribute a cause.","src":5}},"related":["zaporizhzhia-nuclear-plant-under-russian-control","ukraine-official-war-environmental-damage-count","register-of-damage-and-claims-commission-ukraine","black-sea-cetacean-deaths-war"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Value of the environmental damage","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Fish lost in the breach","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Area of forest flooded or damaged","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Share of the reservoir that drained","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Scale of the effect on the north-western Black Sea","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Rebuild the dam and reservoir, or not","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Environmental damage stated by Minister Strilets (4 October 2023) — UAH 146 billion; about 10% of all assessed war damage to the environment, per the minister.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Rebuild of the HPP, Ukrhydroenergo CEO (18 July 2023) — US$1–1.2 billion and seven years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Rebuild of the dam, President Zelensky (24 December 2025) — About EUR 2 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"State-budget allocation for the consequences, by 2 August 2023 — UAH 4.3 billion (about US$124 million per the source).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Three new water mains, 145 km, Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development — At least UAH 13.5 billion; 87% complete on 8 December 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Responsibility for the destruction of the dam","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Reservoir water level before the breach","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Data on the destruction provided to the ICC Prosecutor: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ukrhydroenergo claim against Russia for damage to the Kakhovka HPP and an unfinished wind plant: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ukrhydroenergo investment-arbitration procedure over the destruction of the HPP: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: insurance policy or payout for the Kakhovka HPP, the dam or the environmental damage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a court ruling on the destruction of the dam, as of October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a suspicion notice or indictment under the ecocide article, as of June 2026; prosecutors said a forensic examination by more than 20 specialists was under way.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a finding by the OSCE as an institution on responsibility; the OSCE documents on the event are statements by participating-state delegations, each carrying the notice \"The OSCE Secretariat bears no responsibility for the content of this document\".","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: UNEP's rapid assessment does not cover the full impacts on irrigation, drinking water and industrial water, including for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, or the human-health impacts.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: UNEP cites \"the lack of first-hand data and access to the territories affected\"; the grain size of the sediments \"was not known to the authors\" and the exact properties of the released oil are unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the PDNA states that validating the damages \"has been impossible\", that damage and losses on occupied territory \"remain unknown\", and that data on damage to fisheries assets \"was not available\".","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: of 12 Emerald Network sites, the PDNA says \"for the rest, no information is available on the scale and area of impacts\"; it values 7 of them and 5 Ramsar sites.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: RDNA3 states that water pollution from the breach \"was out of scope of this assignment\" and that irrigation losses from the dam destruction \"have not yet been assessed\".","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the RDNA4 environment needs table excludes \"Kakhovka Dam recovery estimates\".","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: the 2025 Black Sea study states that the war prohibited field investigations in the north-western Black Sea and that deeper-water and seabed effects are not observable by optical satellites.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"Self-reported only: the Kakhovka Platform coalition states that the 2023 rebuild decision was made \"without public discussion\" and would proceed \"without an environmental impact assessment\".","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: figures differ on fish loss (11,388 tons per the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food via UNEP; around 20,000 tons per a 2025 paper), on flooded forest (11,294 ha per FAO; over 64,000 ha per Suspilne, which names no source), and on the share of the reservoir drained (72.5% per UNEP; about 90% per the 2025 paper).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: figures differ on facilities affected. UNEP identified 54 pollution hotspots; the PDNA identified 192 hazardous facilities.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: figures differ on Emerald Network sites. UNEP counts ten as directly affected; the PDNA counts 12.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the status of the Ukrhydroenergo arbitration procedure after 15 October 2024; the source gives no claimed amount.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kyparissia-bay-loggerhead-nesting-greece","title":"Kyparissia Bay (Thines Kyparissias), Greece: construction, roads and beach use at a loggerhead nesting site, CJEU C-504/14 (2016)","dek":"On 10 November 2016 the Court of Justice of the European Union found that Greece had breached Articles 6(2) and 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive at Kyparissia Bay, a Natura 2000 loggerhead nesting beach in Messinia. The Bern Convention file opened in 2010 remained open in October 2026.","country":"Greece","region":"Europe","lat":37.28,"lon":21.62,"places":[{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Messinia, Peloponnese (Kyparissia Bay; Natura 2000 GR2550005 \"Dunes of Kyparissia\")","lat":37.28,"lon":21.62,"role":"event"},{"country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","admin":"Court of Justice of the European Union","role":"court"}],"start":2010,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2016-11-10","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Loggerhead nests recorded in 2025 (ARCHELON)","value":"About 6,100","note":"5,200 in the 9.5 km core stretch and 900 north of Neda; ARCHELON states this is 74% above the previous 12-year average (22 October 2025)."},"happened":["In 2010 MEDASSET complained to the Bern Convention about Kyparissia Bay (Thines Kyparissias) in Messinia, in the Peloponnese. The bay is Natura 2000 site GR2550005, \"Dunes of Kyparissia\", and a loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nesting beach. The Bern Convention opened file 2010/5 on threats to marine turtles at the site and the Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 174 in 2014. The file was listed as open in October 2026. ARCHELON is also named as a complainant.","The European Commission wrote to Greece on 9 August and 19 November 2010, sent a letter of formal notice on 28 October 2011, visited the site on 17 July 2012, issued a reasoned opinion on 1 October 2012 and brought an action before the Court of Justice on 11 November 2014 (Case C-504/14).","On 10 November 2016 the Court (ECLI:EU:C:2016:847) found breaches of Article 6(2) and Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive. The findings covered: tolerated houses at Agiannaki; about 50 dwellings begun between Agiannaki and Elaia; three holiday houses authorised at Vounaki in 2012; five new roads to Agiannaki beach and the asphalting of existing roads; wild camping; beach bars; beach furniture and a platform near the Messina Mare Hotel; and light pollution. The Court rejected some of the Commission's claims, including one concerning a road at Kalo Nero and one concerning a permit for four houses at Elaia. It imposed no fine and each party bore its own costs. Greece told the Court (judgment, para. 34) that construction activity had \"in practice, ceased\" after the financial crisis.","Greece adopted a Presidential Decree of 17 September 2018 (Government Gazette D 391/3.10.2018) designating a Nature Protection Area. The Municipality of Zacharo applied to the Council of State to annul the decree; ARCHELON, MEDASSET Hellas and WWF Hellas intervened. Council of State decision 167/2021, decided on 18 June 2020 and published on 3 February 2021, rejected the application and imposed costs of EUR 460 (State) and EUR 640 (interveners) on the municipality. The Court's judgment in C-849/19 of 17 December 2020, which found that Greece had not set conservation objectives and measures for 239 Sites of Community Importance, is not specific to turtles; the Bern file pages list Thines Kyparissias among the sites concerned.","ARCHELON recorded about 6,100 nests in 2025, of which 5,200 were in the 9.5 km core stretch and 900 north of Neda, which it said was 74% above the previous 12-year average. ARCHELON, citing Casale et al. (2018), says Kyparissia and Laganas together hold over 57% of EU loggerhead nests; the Bern file puts the bay at over 10% of documented Mediterranean nests. ARCHELON states that it covers all Kyparissia monitoring \"exclusively with its own resources\". As of October 2026 the Bern file was open, the decree was in force and no second action before the Court of Justice had been found."],"timeline":[{"y":2010,"t":"MEDASSET complains to the Bern Convention (file 2010/5); the Commission writes to Greece on 9 August and 19 November","src":1},{"y":2011,"t":"Commission sends a letter of formal notice (28 October)","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"Commission visits the site (17 July) and issues a reasoned opinion (1 October); three holiday houses are authorised at Vounaki in 2012","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Bern Standing Committee adopts Recommendation No. 174; Commission brings the action in C-504/14 (11 November)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Court of Justice judgment in C-504/14 (10 November): breaches of Habitats Directive Articles 6(2) and 12(1)(b) and (d); no fine","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"Presidential Decree of 17 September designates a Nature Protection Area (Gazette D 391/3.10.2018)","src":1},{"y":2020,"t":"Council of State decides Municipality of Zacharo's annulment application (18 June); Court of Justice judgment in C-849/19 on 239 Greek Sites of Community Importance (17 December)","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"Council of State decision 167/2021 published (3 February); application rejected","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"ARCHELON records about 6,100 nests (22 October) and calls on the State to implement the National Action Plan for the loggerhead","src":3}],"said":[{"q":"in practice, ceased","who":"Greece, on construction activity after the financial crisis, as recorded in the judgment in C-504/14 (para. 34)","when":"10 November 2016","src":0},{"q":"exclusively with its own resources","who":"ARCHELON, on how it covers all Kyparissia monitoring","when":"22 October 2025","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Construction activity at the bay described as having \"in practice, ceased\" after the financial crisis.","who":"Greece, in its defence before the Court of Justice (judgment, para. 34)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Court of Justice found breaches of Article 6(2) and Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive at the site, covering tolerated houses, about 50 dwellings begun, three holiday houses authorised in 2012, five new roads and the asphalting of existing roads, wild camping, beach bars, beach furniture, a platform and light pollution; it rejected the Commission's claims on a road at Kalo Nero and a permit for four houses at Elaia.","src":0},{"t":"No fine was imposed in C-504/14 and each party bore its own costs.","src":0},{"t":"Bern Convention file 2010/5 (Recommendation No. 174, 2014) was open in October 2026.","src":1},{"t":"The Council of State (decision 167/2021) rejected the Municipality of Zacharo's application to annul the 2018 decree and imposed costs of EUR 460 (State) and EUR 640 (interveners) on the municipality.","src":2},{"t":"ARCHELON recorded about 6,100 nests in 2025: 5,200 in the 9.5 km core and 900 north of Neda, 74% above the previous 12-year average.","src":3},{"t":"Judgment C-849/19 (17 December 2020): Greece had not set conservation objectives and measures for 239 Sites of Community Importance; Greek legislation of 7 May 2020 was too late to count.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2016 to 2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Court of Justice C-504/14: fine","amount":null,"note":"No fine; each party bears its own costs."},{"label":"Council of State 167/2021: costs imposed on the Municipality of Zacharo, in favour of the State","amount":null,"note":"EUR 460."},{"label":"Council of State 167/2021: costs imposed on the Municipality of Zacharo, in favour of the interveners","amount":null,"note":"EUR 640."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nests recorded, 2025","v":"About 6,100","d":"5,200 in the 9.5 km core and 900 north of Neda; 74% above the previous 12-year average (ARCHELON, 22 October 2025)"},{"k":"Share of EU loggerhead nests (Kyparissia plus Laganas)","v":"Over 57%","d":"ARCHELON, citing Casale et al. (2018)"},{"k":"Share of documented Mediterranean nests","v":"Over 10%","d":"Bern Convention file 2010/5"},{"k":"Court findings","v":"Breaches of Habitats Directive Arts 6(2), 12(1)(b) and (d)","d":"Court of Justice, C-504/14, 10 November 2016"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The judgment of the Court of Justice in C-504/14 (10 November 2016), which records the activities found to breach the Habitats Directive; nest counts are in the outcomes","report":[{"t":"My Dunes of Kyparissia site is listed as Natura 2000 site GR2550005, and the Court of Justice found on 10 November 2016 that Greece breached Article 6(2) and Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive there.","src":0},{"t":"The Court's findings cover tolerated houses at Agiannaki, about 50 dwellings begun between Agiannaki and Elaia, three holiday houses authorised at Vounaki in 2012, five new roads to my Agiannaki beach and the asphalting of existing roads, wild camping, beach bars, beach furniture and a platform near the Messina Mare Hotel, and light pollution.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: a fine against Greece in C-504/14; the Court imposed none and each party bore its own costs.","Not on record: whether the Presidential Decree of 17 September 2018 is adequate to protect the site.","Unconfirmed: an NGO survey of houses built after 2018 at Agiannakis and Vounaki.","Not on record: whether the road network addressed in the judgment has been removed; a report on the point could not be verified.","Unconfirmed: a 2025 Council of State ruling rejecting a developer's request to reopen the question of the five roads, reported by Argophilia on 31 August 2025; the decision number was not found.","Unconfirmed: a developer plot of 25 ha with plans for nearly 50 building permits, reported by Argophilia.","Not named in the sources reviewed: the developer company that cut the roads.","None on record: a second action before the Court of Justice concerning the site, as of October 2026.","No source on record for: a Council of State opinion 32/2015 of 8 April 2015 concerning the site."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The Court recorded Greece's statement that construction activity had in practice ceased after the financial crisis. The 2018 decree designating a Nature Protection Area is in force; whether it is adequate and whether the roads addressed in the judgment were removed is not on record. The Bern file remained open in October 2026.","whoPaid":"The Court of Justice imposed no fine and each party bore its own costs (2016). The Council of State imposed costs of EUR 460 (State) and EUR 640 (interveners) on the Municipality of Zacharo (decision 167/2021). ARCHELON states that it covers all Kyparissia monitoring \"exclusively with its own resources\".","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Bern Convention file (2010/5) is open; the 2018 decree is in force; no second action before the Court of Justice has been found.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Greece (Hellenic Republic)","says":"Told the Court of Justice that construction activity at the bay had \"in practice, ceased\" after the financial crisis.","when":"Proceedings in C-504/14, judgment of 10 November 2016","src":0},{"actor":"ARCHELON","says":"Said it covers all Kyparissia monitoring \"exclusively with its own resources\" and called on the State to implement the National Action Plan for the loggerhead immediately.","when":"22 October 2025","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Brought the infringement action in C-504/14"},{"id":"greece-gov","role":"Defendant in C-504/14; adopted the Presidential Decree of 17 September 2018"},{"id":"court-of-justice-eu","role":"Judgment in C-504/14 (10 November 2016); judgment in C-849/19 (17 December 2020)"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Bern Convention complainant (2010); intervener before the Council of State (MEDASSET Hellas)"},{"id":"archelon","role":"Named as complainant; monitors nesting; intervener before the Council of State"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Intervener before the Council of State (WWF Hellas)"},{"id":"municipality-of-zacharo","role":"Applicant for annulment of the 2018 decree; lost before the Council of State"},{"id":"council-of-state-greece","role":"Decision 167/2021"},{"id":"council-of-europe","role":"Bern Convention file 2010/5 and Recommendation No. 174 (2014)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether construction activity at the bay continued","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Greece","says":"Told the Court that construction activity had \"in practice, ceased\" after the financial crisis.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Justice of the European Union","says":"Found breaches of Article 6(2) and Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive covering houses, dwellings, roads, wild camping, beach bars, beach furniture and light pollution.","src":0}]},{"point":"Which of the Commission's complaints were upheld","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"Brought claims that included a road at Kalo Nero and a permit for four houses at Elaia, among the other matters in the action.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Justice of the European Union","says":"Rejected the claims on the Kalo Nero road and the Elaia permit for four houses and upheld the others listed in its findings.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bern Convention file 2010/5 (Thines Kyparissias), Recommendation No. 174","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"MEDASSET (complainant); ARCHELON named as complainant","defendant":"Greece","filed":"2010","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"MEDASSET complained to the Bern Convention in 2010. The Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 174 in 2014. The file was open in October 2026.","src":1},{"title":"Commission v Hellenic Republic, Case C-504/14 (ECLI:EU:C:2016:847)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Hellenic Republic","filed":"2014-11-11","decided":"2016-11-10","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Commission sent letters on 9 August and 19 November 2010, a letter of formal notice on 28 October 2011, visited on 17 July 2012, issued a reasoned opinion on 1 October 2012 and sued on 11 November 2014. The Court found breaches of Article 6(2) and Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive and rejected some claims (a road at Kalo Nero; a permit for four houses at Elaia). No fine was imposed; each party bore its own costs.","src":0},{"title":"Municipality of Zacharo v the State: application to annul the Presidential Decree of 17 September 2018, Council of State decision 167/2021","forum":"Council of State of Greece","country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Municipality of Zacharo","defendant":"Greek State (ARCHELON, MEDASSET Hellas and WWF Hellas intervening)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-06-18","status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Council of State rejected the municipality's application to annul the decree designating a Nature Protection Area (Gazette D 391/3.10.2018). The decision, taken on 18 June 2020, was published on 3 February 2021. Costs of EUR 460 (State) and EUR 640 (interveners) were imposed on the municipality.","src":2},{"title":"Case C-849/19 (ECLI:EU:C:2020:1047): conservation objectives for 239 Greek Sites of Community Importance","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":null,"defendant":"Greece","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12-17","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Court found that Greece had not set conservation objectives and measures for 239 Sites of Community Importance (Habitats Directive Articles 4(4) and 6(1)); Greek legislation of 7 May 2020 was too late to count. The case is not specific to turtles; the Bern file pages list Thines Kyparissias among the sites.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nests","value":6100,"unit":"nests","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"ARCHELON count for the bay (22 October 2025)."},{"key":"nests_core_stretch","value":5200,"unit":"nests","year":2025,"note":"In the 9.5 km core stretch (ARCHELON)."},{"key":"nests_north_of_neda","value":900,"unit":"nests","year":2025,"note":"North of Neda (ARCHELON)."},{"key":"beach_km","value":9.5,"unit":"km","year":2025,"note":"Length of the core nesting stretch (ARCHELON)."},{"key":"nests_above_12yr_average","value":74,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"2025 nests stated as 74% above the previous 12-year average (ARCHELON)."},{"key":"eu_loggerhead_nest_share","value":57,"unit":"%","year":2018,"qualifier":"over","note":"Kyparissia plus Laganas, per ARCHELON citing Casale et al. (2018)."},{"key":"mediterranean_nest_share","value":10,"unit":"%","year":null,"qualifier":"over","note":"Share of documented Mediterranean nests, per Bern Convention file 2010/5."},{"key":"dwellings_begun","value":50,"unit":"dwellings","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Dwellings begun between Agiannaki and Elaia, among the matters the Court found in breach."},{"key":"holiday_houses_authorised","value":3,"unit":"houses","year":2012,"note":"Authorised at Vounaki in 2012, among the matters the Court found in breach."},{"key":"new_roads","value":5,"unit":"roads","year":2016,"note":"New roads to Agiannaki beach, among the matters the Court found in breach."},{"key":"fine","value":0,"unit":"EUR","year":2016,"note":"No fine imposed in C-504/14; each party bore its own costs."},{"key":"costs_imposed_state","value":460,"unit":"EUR","year":2021,"note":"Council of State 167/2021, imposed on the Municipality of Zacharo."},{"key":"costs_imposed_interveners","value":640,"unit":"EUR","year":2021,"note":"Council of State 167/2021, imposed on the Municipality of Zacharo."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Construction, roads, camping, beach bars, beach furniture and light pollution at a Natura 2000 loggerhead nesting beach led the Commission to take Greece to the Court of Justice, which on 10 November 2016 found breaches of Article 6(2) and Article 12(1)(b) and (d) of the Habitats Directive.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Municipality of Zacharo","what":"Lost its Council of State application against the 2018 decree and was ordered to pay costs of EUR 460 (State) and EUR 640 (interveners)","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nesting beach at Kyparissia Bay, Natura 2000 site GR2550005","what":"Subject of the Court's findings of breach; about 6,100 nests recorded in 2025","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kyparissia Bay (Thines Kyparissias), Messinia, Peloponnese, Greece; Natura 2000 site GR2550005 \"Dunes of Kyparissia\"; the Agiannaki, Elaia, Vounaki and Kalo Nero areas are named in the judgment.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2010 (Bern complaint) to 2025; judgment of the Court of Justice on 10 November 2016; Presidential Decree of 17 September 2018; Council of State decision 167/2021 (decided 18 June 2020, published 3 February 2021).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources reviewed give no reason for the construction beyond the Court's findings. Greece told the Court that construction activity had \"in practice, ceased\" after the financial crisis. The developer company that cut the roads is not named.","src":0},"how":{"t":"MEDASSET complained to the Bern Convention in 2010; the Commission sent letters, a formal notice and a reasoned opinion and sued on 11 November 2014; the Court found breaches; Greece designated a Nature Protection Area by decree in 2018, which the Council of State upheld against the Municipality of Zacharo.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Judgment of the Court of 10 November 2016, Case C-504/14, European Commission v Hellenic Republic (ECLI:EU:C:2016:847)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union (EUR-Lex)","d":"2016-11-10","type":"court","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62014CJ0504"},{"t":"Bern Convention file 2010/5, Greece: threats to marine turtles in Thines Kiparissias","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/-/2010-5-greece-threats-to-marine-turtles-in-thines-kiparissias"},{"t":"Council of State decision 167/2021 (published text on dsanet.gr)","p":"Council of State of Greece (via dsanet.gr)","d":"2021-02-03","type":"court","u":"https://dsanet.gr/Epikairothta/Nomologia/ste%20167_2021.htm"},{"t":"ARCHELON news item on the 2025 nesting season at Kyparissia Bay (about 6,100 nests) and the National Action Plan for the loggerhead","p":"ARCHELON","d":"2025-10-22","type":"ngo","u":"https://archelon.gr/en/news/kyparissia-bay-archelon-records-6-100-nests-and-calls-on-the-state-to-immediately-implement-the-national-action-plan-for-the-loggerhead"},{"t":"Judgment of the Court of 17 December 2020, Case C-849/19 (ECLI:EU:C:2020:1047)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union (EUR-Lex)","d":"2020-12-17","type":"court","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62019CJ0849"},{"t":"Argophilia article on sea turtles and Greek law (2025 Council of State ruling; 25 ha plot)","p":"Argophilia","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.argophilia.com/news/sea-turtle-greece-law/244706/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"On 10 November 2016 the Court of Justice found breaches of the Habitats Directive at my Kyparissia nesting beach, covering about 50 dwellings begun, five new roads, beach bars and light pollution.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether construction activity at the bay continued","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Court of Justice C-504/14: fine — No fine; each party bears its own costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Council of State 167/2021: costs imposed on the Municipality of Zacharo, in favour of the State — EUR 460.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Council of State 167/2021: costs imposed on the Municipality of Zacharo, in favour of the interveners — EUR 640.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which of the Commission's complaints were upheld","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a fine against Greece in C-504/14; the Court imposed none and each party bore its own costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: whether the Presidential Decree of 17 September 2018 is adequate to protect the site.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an NGO survey of houses built after 2018 at Agiannakis and Vounaki.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: whether the road network addressed in the judgment has been removed; a report on the point could not be verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2025 Council of State ruling rejecting a developer's request to reopen the question of the five roads, reported by Argophilia on 31 August 2025; the decision number was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a developer plot of 25 ha with plans for nearly 50 building permits, reported by Argophilia.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not named in the sources reviewed: the developer company that cut the roads.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a second action before the Court of Justice concerning the site, as of October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source on record for: a Council of State opinion 32/2015 of 8 April 2015 concerning the site.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"laganas-bay-zakynthos-marine-park-greece","title":"Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, Greece: National Marine Park, Bern file 1986/8 and CJEU C-103/00 (2002)","dek":"MEDASSET complained to the Bern Convention in 1986 about development at the loggerhead nesting beaches of Laganas Bay on Zakynthos. On 30 January 2002 the Court of Justice found that Greece had failed to fulfil its obligations to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on the island; the Bern file was reopened in 2020 and remained open in October 2026.","country":"Greece","region":"Europe","lat":37.72,"lon":20.95,"places":[{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Zakynthos (Laganas/Kalamaki, Sekania, Dafni, Gerakas, Marathonisi)","lat":37.72,"lon":20.95,"role":"event"},{"country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","admin":"Court of Justice of the European Union","role":"court"}],"start":1986,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2002-01-30","instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Loggerhead nests recorded in 2025 (ARCHELON)","value":"About 2,155","note":"ARCHELON's report on Laganas Bay also gives about 2,470 nests in 2024 and 2,033 in 2023 (1 December 2025)."},"happened":["In 1986 MEDASSET, supported by ARCHELON, filed a complaint with the Bern Convention about the loggerhead nesting beaches of Laganas Bay on Zakynthos. The Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 7 and Recommendation No. 9 in 1987, calling for legal protection of the nesting beaches and for no new tourist development there. Bern file 1986/8 was closed in December 1999, when the case went to the Court of Justice, and was reopened in 2020; it was listed as open in October 2026.","Commission visits on 16-17 July 1998 and 24-25 August 1999 found, as recorded in the judgment, no supervision or notices on the beaches, pedalos and boats in prohibited sea areas, umbrellas and deck-chairs over the permitted limits, buildings at Dafni that the Commission described as illegal, and mopeds on the sand. In 1999 a budget of GRD 30 million was approved for information, supervision, cleaning and protection of the Laganas beaches (judgment, para. 14). Presidential Decree 906/22.12.1999 created the National Marine Park of Zakynthos. The Commission sued on 17 March 2000.","In Case C-103/00 (ECLI:EU:C:2002:60) Greece argued (para. 20) that the 1999 decree \"instituted a system of strict protection\". On 30 January 2002 the Court found (para. 40) that Greece had \"failed to fulfil its obligations\" to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on Zakynthos, and ordered Greece to pay the costs.","In 2020 the Green Fund of the Greek Ministry of Environment gave EUR 45,000 for ARCHELON's nest monitoring, which ARCHELON described as the first co-financing; in 2025 ARCHELON says recording is \"largely funded by ARCHELON itself\". In its report on Laganas Bay of 1 December 2025 ARCHELON recorded about 2,155 nests in 2025, 2,470 in 2024 and 2,033 in 2023, and 28 strandings in 2025, of which 25 were dead and 14 were inside the Marine Park. ARCHELON states that \"human pressures on coastal and marine habitats continue\" and that the Marine Park management plan has not been finalised. The Marine Park is now managed by NECCA.","The Court's judgment in C-849/19 of 17 December 2020, which found that Greece had not set conservation objectives and measures for 239 Sites of Community Importance, is not specific to turtles; the Bern file pages list Laganas Bay among the sites concerned. As of October 2026 the Bern file was open. The Commission also brought separate actions (C-600/12 and C-368/24) about a landfill inside the Marine Park."],"timeline":[{"y":1986,"t":"MEDASSET, supported by ARCHELON, files the Bern Convention complaint (file 1986/8)","src":1},{"y":1987,"t":"Bern Recommendations No. 7 and No. 9: legal protection of the nesting beaches and no new tourist development there","src":1},{"y":1998,"t":"First Commission inspection visit to the nesting beaches (16-17 July)","src":0},{"y":1999,"t":"Second Commission visit (24-25 August); the two visits found no supervision or notices on the beaches and boats in prohibited sea areas (judgment); budget of GRD 30 million approved; Presidential Decree 906/22.12.1999 creates the National Marine Park of Zakynthos; Bern file closed in December as the case goes to the Court of Justice","src":0},{"y":2000,"t":"Commission sues Greece in C-103/00 (17 March)","src":0},{"y":2002,"t":"Court of Justice judgment in C-103/00 (30 January): Greece failed to fulfil its obligations; Greece pays costs","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Bern file 1986/8 reopened; Green Fund co-finances ARCHELON's nest monitoring with EUR 45,000, the first co-financing; Court of Justice judgment in C-849/19 (17 December)","src":3},{"y":2025,"t":"ARCHELON reports about 2,155 nests, 28 strandings and continuing human pressures (1 December)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"instituted a system of strict protection","who":"Greece, on Presidential Decree 906/1999, as recorded in the judgment in C-103/00 (para. 20)","when":"30 January 2002","src":0},{"q":"failed to fulfil its obligations","who":"Court of Justice of the European Union, judgment in C-103/00 (para. 40)","when":"30 January 2002","src":0},{"q":"largely funded by ARCHELON itself","who":"ARCHELON, on the recording of nests in 2025","when":"1 December 2025","src":2},{"q":"human pressures on coastal and marine habitats continue","who":"ARCHELON","when":"1 December 2025","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The 1999 decree described as having \"instituted a system of strict protection\".","who":"Greece, in its defence before the Court of Justice (judgment, para. 20)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Court of Justice, C-103/00, 30 January 2002: Greece failed to fulfil its obligations to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on Zakynthos; Greece to pay the costs.","src":0},{"t":"Commission visits in July 1998 and August 1999 found no supervision or notices on the beaches, pedalos and boats in prohibited sea areas, umbrellas and deck-chairs over the limits, buildings at Dafni described by the Commission as illegal, and mopeds on the sand.","src":0},{"t":"A budget of GRD 30 million was approved in 1999 for information, supervision, cleaning and protection of the Laganas beaches (judgment, para. 14).","src":0},{"t":"Bern Recommendations No. 7 and No. 9 (1987) called for legal protection of the nesting beaches and no new tourist development there; file 1986/8 was closed in December 1999, reopened in 2020 and was open in October 2026.","src":1},{"t":"ARCHELON: about 2,155 nests in 2025, 2,470 in 2024 and 2,033 in 2023; 28 strandings in 2025 (25 dead), 14 inside the Marine Park.","src":2},{"t":"The Green Fund of the Greek Ministry of Environment gave EUR 45,000 for ARCHELON's 2020 nest monitoring, the first co-financing.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"1999 to 2025","nature":[{"label":"Green Fund co-financing of ARCHELON's 2020 nest monitoring on Zakynthos","amount":0.045,"window":"2020","note":"The first co-financing, per ARCHELON."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Budget approved for information, supervision, cleaning and protection of the Laganas beaches (judgment, para. 14)","amount":null,"window":"1999","note":"GRD 30 million."},{"label":"Costs in C-103/00","amount":null,"note":"Greece ordered to pay the costs; amount not stated in the sources reviewed."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nests recorded, 2025","v":"About 2,155","d":"ARCHELON report on Laganas Bay, 1 December 2025; about 2,470 in 2024 and 2,033 in 2023"},{"k":"Strandings, 2025","v":"28 (25 dead)","d":"14 inside the Marine Park (ARCHELON, 1 December 2025)"},{"k":"Court finding","v":"Failure to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta","d":"Court of Justice, C-103/00, 30 January 2002"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Commission visits of 1998 and 1999 as recorded in the judgment in C-103/00, the Court's findings of 30 January 2002, and ARCHELON's report of 1 December 2025","report":[{"t":"The Commission's visits in July 1998 and August 1999 found pedalos and boats in prohibited sea areas, umbrellas and deck-chairs over the limits and mopeds on the sand of my nesting beaches, and buildings at Dafni that the Commission described as illegal.","src":0},{"t":"On 30 January 2002 the Court of Justice found that Greece had failed to fulfil its obligations to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on my island of Zakynthos.","src":0},{"t":"In 2025, 28 strandings of my turtles were recorded, of which 25 were dead and 14 were inside the Marine Park, according to ARCHELON.","src":2},{"t":"ARCHELON states that human pressures on my coastal and marine habitats continue.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Not on record: whether structures at Dafni and Gerakas that are the subject of demolition orders have been removed.","Reported by ARCHELON (1 December 2025): the Marine Park management plan has not been finalised.","Unconfirmed: nests on Dafni beach of about 150 a year in 1984-2002 against 94 a year in 2003-2023.","Not on record: the amount of the costs Greece was ordered to pay in C-103/00."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The Court found on 30 January 2002 that Greece had failed to establish strict protection, after the National Marine Park had been created by decree in December 1999. ARCHELON stated in December 2025 that human pressures on coastal and marine habitats continue and that the Marine Park management plan is not finalised. The Bern file was open in October 2026.","whoPaid":"Greece was ordered to pay the costs in C-103/00. A budget of GRD 30 million was approved in 1999 for information, supervision, cleaning and protection of the Laganas beaches. The Green Fund gave EUR 45,000 for ARCHELON's 2020 nest monitoring; in 2025 ARCHELON says recording is \"largely funded by ARCHELON itself\".","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Bern Convention file (1986/8) is open after being reopened in 2020; the Court of Justice judgment of 2002 stands; a 2026 Greek government report to the Bern Convention exists but was not reviewed.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Greece (Hellenic Republic)","says":"Told the Court of Justice that Presidential Decree 906/1999 \"instituted a system of strict protection\".","when":"Proceedings in C-103/00, judgment of 30 January 2002","src":0},{"actor":"ARCHELON","says":"Said nest recording in 2025 is \"largely funded by ARCHELON itself\" and that \"human pressures on coastal and marine habitats continue\".","when":"1 December 2025","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Brought the infringement action in C-103/00; inspected the beaches in 1998 and 1999"},{"id":"greece-gov","role":"Defendant in C-103/00; created the National Marine Park by Presidential Decree 906/1999"},{"id":"court-of-justice-eu","role":"Judgment in C-103/00 (30 January 2002); judgment in C-849/19 (17 December 2020)"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Bern Convention complainant (1986)"},{"id":"archelon","role":"Supported the Bern complaint; monitors nesting; reports on pressures"},{"id":"necca","role":"Manages the National Marine Park of Zakynthos"},{"id":"greek-green-fund","role":"Gave EUR 45,000 for ARCHELON's 2020 nest monitoring"},{"id":"council-of-europe","role":"Bern Convention file 1986/8; Recommendations No. 7 and No. 9 (1987)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the 1999 decree gave the nesting beaches strict protection","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Greece","says":"Said Presidential Decree 906/22.12.1999 \"instituted a system of strict protection\".","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"Its visits of July 1998 and August 1999 found no supervision or notices on the beaches, pedalos and boats in prohibited sea areas, umbrellas and deck-chairs over the limits, buildings at Dafni it described as illegal, and mopeds on the sand.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Court of Justice of the European Union","says":"Found (para. 40) that Greece \"failed to fulfil its obligations\" to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on Zakynthos.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bern Convention file 1986/8 (Laganas Bay, Zakynthos), Recommendations No. 7 and No. 9 (1987)","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"international","claimant":"MEDASSET, supported by ARCHELON","defendant":"Greece","filed":"1986","decided":"1987","status":"ongoing","summary":"Recommendations No. 7 and No. 9 (1987) called for legal protection of the nesting beaches and no new tourist development there. The file was closed in December 1999 when the case went to the Court of Justice, reopened in 2020 and was open in October 2026.","src":1},{"title":"Commission v Hellenic Republic, Case C-103/00 (ECLI:EU:C:2002:60)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Hellenic Republic","filed":"2000-03-17","decided":"2002-01-30","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Court found that Greece had failed to fulfil its obligations to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on Zakynthos and ordered Greece to pay the costs. Greece had argued that Presidential Decree 906/22.12.1999 instituted a system of strict protection.","src":0},{"title":"Case C-849/19 (ECLI:EU:C:2020:1047): conservation objectives for 239 Greek Sites of Community Importance","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":null,"defendant":"Greece","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12-17","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Court found that Greece had not set conservation objectives and measures for 239 Sites of Community Importance (Habitats Directive Articles 4(4) and 6(1)); Greek legislation of 7 May 2020 was too late to count. The case is not specific to turtles; the Bern file pages list Laganas Bay among the sites.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nests","value":2155,"unit":"nests","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"ARCHELON, Laganas Bay report (1 December 2025)."},{"key":"nests","value":2470,"unit":"nests","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"ARCHELON, Laganas Bay report."},{"key":"nests","value":2033,"unit":"nests","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"ARCHELON, Laganas Bay report."},{"key":"strandings","value":28,"unit":"turtles","year":2025,"note":"ARCHELON, of which 25 dead."},{"key":"strandings_dead","value":25,"unit":"turtles","year":2025,"note":"ARCHELON."},{"key":"strandings_inside_marine_park","value":14,"unit":"turtles","year":2025,"note":"ARCHELON, inside the National Marine Park."},{"key":"budget_approved","value":30000000,"unit":"GRD","year":1999,"note":"Approved for information, supervision, cleaning and protection of the Laganas beaches (judgment, para. 14)."},{"key":"green_fund_cofinancing","value":45000,"unit":"EUR","year":2020,"note":"Green Fund of the Greek Ministry of Environment for ARCHELON's nest monitoring; the first co-financing."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tourist development and beach use at the loggerhead nesting beaches of Laganas Bay led to a Bern Convention complaint (1986), a National Marine Park (1999) and a judgment of the Court of Justice (30 January 2002) that Greece had failed to establish strict protection for Caretta caretta on Zakynthos.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Greece (Hellenic Republic)","what":"Found by the Court of Justice in C-103/00 to have failed to fulfil its obligations; ordered to pay the costs","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nesting beaches of Laganas Bay and Zakynthos","what":"Subject of the Court's finding; 28 strandings in 2025, 25 dead, 14 inside the Marine Park (ARCHELON)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Zakynthos, Greece: Laganas/Kalamaki, Sekania, Dafni, Gerakas and Marathonisi; the National Marine Park of Zakynthos.","src":1},"when":{"t":"1986 (Bern complaint) to 2025; Recommendations of 1987; Commission visits 1998 and 1999; Presidential Decree of 22 December 1999; Commission action of 17 March 2000; judgment of 30 January 2002; Bern file reopened in 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources reviewed give no stated reason beyond the Commission's findings on supervision, boats, umbrellas, buildings and mopeds. Greece argued that its 1999 decree already instituted strict protection.","src":0},"how":{"t":"MEDASSET and ARCHELON complained to the Bern Convention; the Standing Committee recommended protection; Greece created the Marine Park by decree; the Commission sued and the Court found Greece in breach; ARCHELON's monitoring has since been co-financed once by the Green Fund and otherwise largely by ARCHELON.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Judgment of the Court of 30 January 2002, Case C-103/00, Commission v Hellenic Republic (ECLI:EU:C:2002:60)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union (EUR-Lex)","d":"2002-01-30","type":"court","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62000CJ0103"},{"t":"Bern Convention file 1986/8, Greece: Recommendation No. 9 (1987) on the protection of Caretta caretta in Laganas Bay, Zakynthos","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/-/1986-08-greece-recommendation-no-9-1987-on-the-protection-of-caretta-caretta-in-laganas-bay-zakynthos"},{"t":"ARCHELON news item: Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, successful Caretta reproduction and ongoing habitat problems","p":"ARCHELON","d":"2025-12-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://archelon.gr/en/news/laganas-bay-zakynthos-successful-caretta-reproduction-ongoing-habitat-problems"},{"t":"ARCHELON news item: the Green Fund co-financed the Zakynthos project for the first time","p":"ARCHELON","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://archelon.gr/en/news/the-green-fund-co-financed-the-zakynthos-project-for-the-first-time"},{"t":"Judgment of the Court of 17 December 2020, Case C-849/19 (ECLI:EU:C:2020:1047)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union (EUR-Lex)","d":"2020-12-17","type":"court","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62019CJ0849"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2025, 28 of my turtles stranded at Laganas Bay, 25 of them dead; in 2002 the Court of Justice found Greece had failed to fulfil its obligations to establish strict protection for them.","src":[2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the 1999 decree gave the nesting beaches strict protection","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Budget approved for information, supervision, cleaning and protection of the Laganas beaches (judgment, para. 14) — GRD 30 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Costs in C-103/00 — Greece ordered to pay the costs; amount not stated in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: whether structures at Dafni and Gerakas that are the subject of demolition orders have been removed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported by ARCHELON (1 December 2025): the Marine Park management plan has not been finalised.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: nests on Dafni beach of about 150 a year in 1984-2002 against 94 a year in 2003-2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: the amount of the costs Greece was ordered to pay in C-103/00.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zakynthos-landfill-marine-park-greece","title":"Zakynthos landfill inside the National Marine Park, Greece: CJEU C-600/12 (2014) and penalty judgment C-368/24 (2025)","dek":"The Commission said a landfill inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos had caused problems since 1999. The Court of Justice found Greece in breach on 17 July 2014 and, on 9 October 2025, ordered Greece to pay a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and a periodic penalty of EUR 12,500 per day until compliance.","country":"Greece","region":"Europe","lat":37.72,"lon":20.88,"places":[{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Zakynthos National Marine Park","lat":37.72,"lon":20.88,"role":"event"},{"country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","admin":"Court of Justice of the European Union","role":"court"}],"start":1999,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2025-10-09","instrument":"waste","types":["waste","law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Lump sum ordered against Greece (C-368/24)","value":"EUR 5,500,000","note":"Plus a periodic penalty of EUR 12,500 per day from 9 October 2025 until compliance (Court of Justice press release No 131/25)."},"happened":["The Commission said that a landfill inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos had caused problems since 1999: a saturated site, uncovered waste, leachate infiltrating toward the protected marine area of Laganas Bay, and an unauthorised extension. In Case C-600/12 (ECLI:EU:C:2014:2086) the Court of Justice found Greece in breach on 17 July 2014. The Court's press release of 9 October 2025 describes the park as \"the habitat of the 'Caretta caretta' sea turtle\".","Correspondence between the Commission and Greece followed from 2014 to 2023. The Commission sent a letter of formal notice in 2017 and brought a new action in 2024 (Case C-368/24). According to the Court's press release, by the reference date of 28 June 2017 Greece had neither drawn up a development plan for the landfill nor decommissioned it, and the landfill continued to receive waste until the end of 2017.","On 9 October 2025 the Court of Justice ordered Greece to pay a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and a periodic penalty payment of EUR 12,500 per day from 9 October 2025 until compliance. The Court based the amounts on the seriousness of the infringement (a significant risk to the environment and human health), the number of earlier judgments against Greece on waste, the duration of the infringement and Greece's ability to pay.","As of October 2026 the penalties had been ordered and compliance had not been confirmed in the sources reviewed. The judgments do not measure effects on the turtle population or the marine area."],"timeline":[{"y":1999,"t":"Problems at the landfill inside the Marine Park begin, according to the Commission","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Court of Justice finds Greece in breach in C-600/12 (17 July)","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"Commission sends a letter of formal notice; reference date 28 June: no development plan and landfill not decommissioned; landfill receives waste until the end of the year","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"Correspondence between the Commission and Greece, which began in 2014, continues to this year","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"Commission brings a new action (C-368/24)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"Court of Justice judgment in C-368/24 (9 October): lump sum EUR 5,500,000 and periodic penalty EUR 12,500 per day","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"the habitat of the 'Caretta caretta' sea turtle","who":"Court of Justice of the European Union, Press Release No 131/25, on the Zakynthos National Marine Park","when":"9 October 2025","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Commission said the landfill inside the Marine Park had caused problems since 1999: a saturated site, uncovered waste, leachate infiltrating toward the Laganas Bay protected marine area and an unauthorised extension.","src":0},{"t":"The Court of Justice found Greece in breach on 17 July 2014 (C-600/12).","src":0},{"t":"By the reference date of 28 June 2017 Greece had neither drawn up a development plan for the landfill nor decommissioned it; the landfill continued to receive waste until the end of 2017.","src":1},{"t":"On 9 October 2025 (C-368/24) the Court ordered a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and a periodic penalty of EUR 12,500 per day from 9 October 2025 until compliance, based on the seriousness of the infringement (a significant risk to the environment and human health), the number of earlier judgments against Greece on waste, the duration of the infringement and Greece's ability to pay.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"From 9 October 2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Lump sum ordered against Greece in C-368/24","amount":5.5,"window":"9 October 2025"},{"label":"Periodic penalty payment ordered against Greece in C-368/24","amount":null,"window":"From 9 October 2025 until compliance","note":"EUR 12,500 per day."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Landfill status at the reference date (28 June 2017)","v":"No development plan; not decommissioned","d":"Court of Justice press release No 131/25"},{"k":"Waste intake","v":"Until the end of 2017","d":"The landfill continued to receive waste (Court of Justice press release No 131/25)"},{"k":"Effect on the turtle population or marine area","v":"Not measured","d":"Not measured in the judgments"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The Commission's description of the landfill as recorded in C-600/12, and the Court's statement of the seriousness of the infringement in C-368/24; no measurement is on record","report":[{"t":"A landfill inside my National Marine Park of Zakynthos, the habitat of the Caretta caretta sea turtle, was saturated, had uncovered waste and an unauthorised extension, and had leachate infiltrating toward the protected marine area of Laganas Bay, according to the Commission.","src":0},{"t":"The Court of Justice stated on 9 October 2025 that the infringement presented a significant risk to the environment and human health.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Not measured: effects of the landfill on the turtle population or the protected marine area are not measured in the judgments.","Not on record: the current state of landfill rehabilitation.","Not on record: whether the daily penalty is accruing.","Not on record: confirmation that Greece has complied with the judgment of 9 October 2025."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"By 28 June 2017 Greece had neither drawn up a development plan nor decommissioned the landfill, which continued to receive waste until the end of 2017. As of October 2026 the sources reviewed do not confirm decommissioning, rehabilitation or compliance with the 2025 judgment.","whoPaid":"The Court of Justice ordered Greece to pay a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and a periodic penalty of EUR 12,500 per day from 9 October 2025 until compliance. Whether payments have been made is not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Court of Justice ordered a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and EUR 12,500 per day on 9 October 2025; compliance has not been confirmed.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Brought the actions in C-600/12 and C-368/24"},{"id":"greece-gov","role":"Defendant; ordered to pay a lump sum and a periodic penalty"},{"id":"court-of-justice-eu","role":"Judgments in C-600/12 (17 July 2014) and C-368/24 (9 October 2025)"},{"id":"necca","role":"Manages the National Marine Park of Zakynthos"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Commission v Hellenic Republic, Case C-600/12 (ECLI:EU:C:2014:2086): landfill in the Zakynthos National Marine Park","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Hellenic Republic","filed":null,"decided":"2014-07-17","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Commission said the landfill inside the Marine Park had caused problems since 1999 (saturated site, uncovered waste, leachate infiltrating toward the Laganas Bay protected marine area, an unauthorised extension). The Court found Greece in breach on 17 July 2014.","src":0},{"title":"Commission v Greece, Case C-368/24: penalty payments for failure to comply with C-600/12","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Luxembourg","iso2":"LU","kind":"international","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Greece","filed":"2024","decided":"2025-10-09","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":5.5,"currency":"EUR","label":"lump sum EUR 5,500,000, plus EUR 12,500 per day from 9 October 2025 until compliance"},"summary":"The Commission sent a letter of formal notice in 2017 and brought a new action in 2024. By the reference date of 28 June 2017 Greece had neither drawn up a development plan for the landfill nor decommissioned it, and the landfill continued to receive waste until the end of 2017. On 9 October 2025 the Court ordered a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and a periodic penalty of EUR 12,500 per day until compliance, based on the seriousness of the infringement, the number of earlier judgments against Greece on waste, the duration of the infringement and Greece's ability to pay.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":5500000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"Lump sum ordered against Greece in C-368/24 (9 October 2025)."},{"key":"periodic_penalty","value":12500,"unit":"EUR per day","year":2025,"note":"From 9 October 2025 until compliance (C-368/24)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A landfill inside the Zakynthos National Marine Park, the habitat of the Caretta caretta sea turtle, was found by the Court of Justice in 2014 to place Greece in breach; in 2025 the Court ordered a lump sum and a daily penalty for non-compliance.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Greece (Hellenic Republic)","what":"Ordered to pay a lump sum of EUR 5,500,000 and EUR 12,500 per day from 9 October 2025 until compliance","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Zakynthos National Marine Park and the protected marine area of Laganas Bay","what":"Leachate infiltrating toward the protected marine area, according to the Commission; effects not measured in the judgments","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Inside the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, Greece, toward the protected marine area of Laganas Bay.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Problems since 1999; judgment of 17 July 2014 (C-600/12); formal notice 2017; reference date 28 June 2017; new action 2024; judgment of 9 October 2025 (C-368/24).","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Court based the penalty on the seriousness of the infringement (a significant risk to the environment and human health), the number of earlier judgments against Greece on waste, the duration of the infringement and Greece's ability to pay. Greece's own account is not in the sources reviewed.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The site was saturated, with uncovered waste, leachate and an unauthorised extension (Commission). After the 2014 judgment Greece had neither drawn up a development plan nor decommissioned the landfill by 28 June 2017, and it received waste until the end of 2017; the Commission brought a second action and the Court imposed financial penalties.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Judgment of the Court of 17 July 2014, Case C-600/12 (ECLI:EU:C:2014:2086)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union (EUR-Lex)","d":"2014-07-17","type":"court","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:62012CJ0600"},{"t":"Press Release No 131/25: judgment in Case C-368/24, Commission v Greece (Zakynthos landfill)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union (Curia)","d":"2025-10-09","type":"court","u":"https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2025-10/cp250131en.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A landfill inside my Zakynthos Marine Park received waste until the end of 2017; on 9 October 2025 the Court of Justice ordered Greece to pay EUR 5,500,000 and EUR 12,500 a day until compliance.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Periodic penalty payment ordered against Greece in C-368/24 — EUR 12,500 per day.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: effects of the landfill on the turtle population or the protected marine area are not measured in the judgments.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: the current state of landfill rehabilitation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: whether the daily penalty is accruing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: confirmation that Greece has complied with the judgment of 9 October 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"limni-bay-polis-gialia-resort-cyprus","title":"Limni Bay / Polis-Gialia golf and villa resort, Cyprus: infringement procedure closed (2019), land sold (2025)","dek":"A golf, hotel and beachfront-property resort was planned at Limni Bay on the Akamas peninsula, in the Natura 2000 site Polis-Gialia, which has loggerhead nesting beaches. The European Commission closed its infringement procedure on 24 January 2019; the project was cancelled in 2021 and the land was split and sold in February 2025.","country":"Cyprus","region":"Europe","lat":35.03,"lon":32.41,"places":[{"country":"Cyprus","iso2":"CY","admin":"Polis Chrysochous (Limni Bay), Akamas peninsula","lat":35.03,"lon":32.41,"role":"event"}],"start":1995,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2019-01-24","instrument":"land-market","types":["land-market","protected-area","law-policy","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Planned investment in the resort (Cyprus Mail, 2015)","value":"EUR 1.5 billion","note":"Figure as reported by Cyprus Mail in 2015 for the planned project. The 2025 sale prices of the land are not on record."},"happened":["The project site is at Limni Bay, Polis Chrysochous, on the Akamas peninsula in Cyprus, within the Natura 2000 site Polis-Gialia. In 2006 the Shacolas Group set up Cyprus Limni Resorts and Golf Courses PLC to develop two 18-hole golf courses, a hotel and about 800 beachfront properties. The site covers more than 3.3 million m2. MEDASSET had complained to the Bern Convention about the Akamas peninsula in 1995 (file 1995/6), and the Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 63 in 1997.","The Environment Department first set a building-free distance of 475 m from the beach. After the company challenged this, guidelines issued in 2013 set 280 m, with one-storey houses nearest the beach. Different sources reviewed give the distance as 475 m, 280 m and 220 m. In April 2015 the European Commission sent Cyprus a reasoned opinion, reported as concerning permits that lacked a proper impact assessment. In May 2015 a public relations director of the Shacolas Group said the company \"plans to go ahead with the project\", and Environment Commissioner Ioanna Panayiotou said she had opposed the project from the start (Cyprus Mail, 2015). The same reporting gave a planned investment of EUR 1.5 billion.","In 2016 the Bern Convention Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 191, which addressed the Akamas peninsula as a national park or biosphere reserve, an appropriate assessment of the golf project, and a zero-lighting zone of at least 200 m. On 24 January 2019 the Commission closed the infringement procedure, stating that mitigation had improved the project. Friends of the Earth said in January 2019 that the Commission had ignored a 500 m no-build zone advised by scientists. No ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the project is on record.","A debt-to-asset swap of about EUR 93 million involving the Bank of Cyprus was made in 2018 (Cyprus Mail, 14 February 2025). The project was cancelled in 2021. In February 2025 the area was split and sold: the inland part to a Cyprus-based group planning a solar farm, and the coastal part to the provident fund of the Cyprus Union of Bank Employees (Etyk). The prices paid in 2025 are not on record. The Bern Convention's Akamas file remains open."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"MEDASSET lodges a Bern Convention complaint on the Akamas peninsula (file 1995/6)","src":3},{"y":1997,"t":"Bern Convention Standing Committee adopts Recommendation No. 63 on Akamas","src":3},{"y":2015,"t":"European Commission sends a reasoned opinion (April); a Shacolas Group public relations director says the company plans to go ahead (May)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"Bern Convention Standing Committee adopts Recommendation No. 191 (Akamas; appropriate assessment of the golf project; zero-lighting zone of at least 200 m)","src":3},{"y":2018,"t":"Debt-to-asset swap of about EUR 93 million involving the Bank of Cyprus","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"Commission closes the infringement procedure (24 January), stating that mitigation had improved the project; Friends of the Earth criticises the closure","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"Area split and sold in February: inland part to a Cyprus-based group planning a solar farm, coastal part to the Etyk provident fund","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"plans to go ahead with the project","who":"Public relations director, Shacolas Group (as reported by Cyprus Mail)","when":"May 2015","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"A resort of two 18-hole golf courses, a hotel and about 800 beachfront properties, with a planned investment of EUR 1.5 billion.","who":"Cyprus Limni Resorts and Golf Courses PLC / Shacolas Group, as reported by Cyprus Mail (2015)","src":0},{"t":"Mitigation had improved the project.","who":"European Commission, on closing the infringement procedure (24 January 2019)","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"European Commission reasoned opinion, April 2015; infringement procedure closed on 24 January 2019. The 45-page reasoned opinion is not public.","src":0},{"t":"Bern Convention file 1995/6 (Akamas peninsula): Recommendation No. 63 (1997) and No. 191 (2016); the file is open.","src":3},{"t":"Debt-to-asset swap of about EUR 93 million involving the Bank of Cyprus (2018).","src":1},{"t":"February 2025: land split and sold, inland to a Cyprus-based group planning a solar farm and coastal to the Etyk provident fund.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed - see each line","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Planned investment in the resort (Cyprus Mail, 2015)","amount":1500},{"label":"Debt-to-asset swap involving the Bank of Cyprus (2018)","amount":93,"qualifier":"about"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of Cyprus loggerhead nests at Limni","v":"A quarter","d":"Friends of the Earth, an advocacy figure; the source gives no nest count"}]},"unknown":["Disputed: the building-free distance from the beach is given as 475 m, 280 m and 220 m in different sources.","None on record: the text of the Commission's 45-page reasoned opinion, which is not public.","None on record: the prices paid in the February 2025 sales, and the plans of the coastal buyer.","Not stated: the sources reviewed give no nest counts for Limni before or after the project, and no measurement of harm to nesting.","Unconfirmed: about 1,000 loggerhead nests a year for Cyprus and 550 a year for Polis-Gialia, attributed to an undated Council of Europe presentation.","No source on record for: a statement in company public relations material (2015) that EUR 40 million had been spent restoring the former mine area."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The project was cancelled in 2021 and the land was sold in two parts in February 2025. The inland buyer plans a solar farm; the coastal buyer's plans are not on record. The sources reviewed do not say whether nesting at Limni changed during the project's life.","whoPaid":"No compensation or restoration payment for harm to nature is on record. A debt-to-asset swap of about EUR 93 million involving the Bank of Cyprus was made in 2018.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the resort project was cancelled in 2021; the land was split and sold in February 2025; the European Commission closed its infringement procedure on 24 January 2019; the Bern Convention's Akamas file (1995/6) remains open.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Shacolas Group","says":"A public relations director said the company \"plans to go ahead with the project\".","when":"May 2015","src":0},{"actor":"Government of Cyprus (Environment Commissioner Ioanna Panayiotou)","says":"Said she had opposed the project from the start.","when":"2015","src":0},{"actor":"European Commission","says":"Closed the infringement procedure on 24 January 2019, stating that mitigation had improved the project.","when":"24 January 2019","src":2},{"actor":"Friends of the Earth","says":"Said the Commission had ignored the 500 m no-build zone advised by scientists.","when":"January 2019","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"cyprus-limni-resorts","role":"Developer of the planned resort (Shacolas Group)"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Reasoned opinion (April 2015); closed the infringement procedure (24 January 2019)"},{"id":"cyprus-gov","role":"Environment Department building-free distance; Environment Commissioner's position"},{"id":"bank-of-cyprus","role":"Party to the 2018 debt-to-asset swap"},{"id":"etyk-provident-fund","role":"Buyer of the coastal part of the land (2025)"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Bern Convention complainant (1995)"},{"id":"friends-of-the-earth","role":"Criticised the closure of the infringement procedure (January 2019)"},{"id":"terra-cypria","role":"Environmental organisation named among the parties"},{"id":"bern-convention","role":"Akamas file 1995/6; Recommendations No. 63 (1997) and No. 191 (2016)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the project, as mitigated, could proceed","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"European Commission","says":"Closed the infringement procedure on 24 January 2019, stating that mitigation had improved the project.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Friends of the Earth","says":"Said the Commission ignored the 500 m no-build zone advised by scientists.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"Shacolas Group","says":"A public relations director said in May 2015 that the company \"plans to go ahead with the project\".","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Environment Commissioner Ioanna Panayiotou","says":"Said she had opposed the project from the start.","src":0},{"voice":"standard","holder":"Bern Convention Standing Committee","says":"Recommendation No. 191 (2016) called for an appropriate assessment of the golf project and a zero-lighting zone of at least 200 m; the Akamas file remains open.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"European Commission infringement procedure on the Limni Bay / Polis-Gialia permits","forum":"European Commission (infringement procedure)","country":"Cyprus","iso2":"CY","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"European Commission","defendant":"Republic of Cyprus","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The Commission sent a reasoned opinion in April 2015, reported as concerning permits that lacked a proper impact assessment. On 24 January 2019 it closed the procedure, stating that mitigation had improved the project. The procedure ended without a ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union.","src":2},{"title":"Bern Convention file 1995/6, Cyprus: Akamas peninsula","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"Cyprus","iso2":"CY","kind":"international","claimant":"MEDASSET (complainant)","defendant":"Republic of Cyprus","filed":1995,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The file produced Recommendation No. 63 (1997) and No. 191 (2016), which address Akamas as a national park or biosphere reserve, an appropriate assessment of the golf project, and a zero-lighting zone of at least 200 m. The file is open.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_m2","value":3300000,"unit":"m2","year":2025,"qualifier":"over","note":"Site area (Cyprus Mail, 14 February 2025)."},{"key":"beachfront_properties_planned","value":800,"unit":"properties","year":2006,"qualifier":"about","note":"Planned alongside two 18-hole golf courses and a hotel."},{"key":"building_free_distance_m","value":475,"unit":"m","year":null,"note":"First building-free distance set by the Environment Department; other sources give 280 m and 220 m."},{"key":"building_free_distance_m","value":280,"unit":"m","year":2013,"note":"2013 guidelines, with one-storey houses nearest the beach."},{"key":"zero_lighting_zone_m","value":200,"unit":"m","year":2016,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 191."},{"key":"planned_investment","value":1500,"unit":"EUR m","year":2015,"note":"As reported by Cyprus Mail."},{"key":"debt_to_asset_swap","value":93,"unit":"EUR m","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","note":"Involving the Bank of Cyprus (Cyprus Mail, 14 February 2025)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A golf, hotel and beachfront-property resort planned at Limni Bay on the Akamas peninsula was the subject of a European Commission infringement procedure (closed on 24 January 2019) and of the Bern Convention's Akamas file; the project was cancelled in 2021 and the land was sold in two parts in 2025.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bank of Cyprus","what":"Party to a debt-to-asset swap of about EUR 93 million (2018)","src":1},{"who":"Cyprus-based group (inland buyer)","what":"Bought the inland part of the land in February 2025; plans a solar farm","src":1},{"who":"Etyk provident fund","what":"Bought the coastal part of the land in February 2025","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Limni Bay / Polis-Gialia nesting area","what":"Reported by Friends of the Earth to hold a quarter of Cyprus's loggerhead nests; no measured harm to nesting is on record in the sources reviewed","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Limni Bay, Polis Chrysochous, on the Akamas peninsula, Cyprus, within the Natura 2000 site Polis-Gialia.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Bern complaint 1995; company formed 2006; guidelines 2013; reasoned opinion April 2015; Recommendation No. 191 in 2016; debt-to-asset swap 2018; infringement closed 24 January 2019; project cancelled 2021; land sold February 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The company planned two golf courses, a hotel and about 800 beachfront properties; the Commission's reasoned opinion was reported as concerning permits without a proper impact assessment, and Friends of the Earth and the Environment Commissioner opposed the scale or location of the project.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Environment Department set a 475 m building-free distance, which 2013 guidelines reduced to 280 m after the company's challenge; the Commission closed its procedure in 2019 after mitigation; Bern Convention recommendations (1997, 2016) remain open.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Cyprus Mail report on the Commission's action over the Limni Bay project (May 2015)","p":"Cyprus Mail","d":"2015-05-10","type":"press","u":"https://archive.cyprus-mail.com/2015/05/10/eu-takes-up-the-turtle-fight/"},{"t":"Cyprus Mail report on the Limni Bay land sale and the earlier debt-to-asset swap (14 February 2025)","p":"Cyprus Mail","d":"2025-02-14","type":"press","u":"https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/02/14/plans-to-develop-limni-bay-extremely-alarming"},{"t":"Friends of the Earth page on the Commission closing the Limni Bay infringement procedure (January 2019)","p":"Friends of the Earth","d":"2019-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://friendsoftheearth.eu/?p=32389"},{"t":"Bern Convention case file 1995/6, Cyprus: Akamas peninsula","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/-/1995-6-cyprus-akamas-peninsula"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"More than 3.3 million m2 of me at Limni Bay, in my Polis-Gialia Natura 2000 site, was split and sold in February 2025; the prices paid are not on record.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the project, as mitigated, could proceed","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the building-free distance from the beach is given as 475 m, 280 m and 220 m in different sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the text of the Commission's 45-page reasoned opinion, which is not public.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the prices paid in the February 2025 sales, and the plans of the coastal buyer.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the sources reviewed give no nest counts for Limni before or after the project, and no measurement of harm to nesting.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 1,000 loggerhead nests a year for Cyprus and 550 a year for Polis-Gialia, attributed to an undated Council of Europe presentation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source on record for: a statement in company public relations material (2015) that EUR 40 million had been spent restoring the former mine area.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fethiye-patara-nesting-beaches-bern-convention-turkiye","title":"Fethiye and Patara nesting beaches, Türkiye: Bern Convention files and recommendations, 1996-2025","dek":"The Bern Convention Standing Committee has dealt with the loggerhead nesting beaches of Patara and Fethiye since 1996 through case files and Recommendations No. 54 (1996), 66 (1998), 182 and 183 (2015). In 2025 the Patara file moved to stand-by and the Fethiye file stayed open.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Middle East","lat":36.45,"lon":29.2,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Muğla (Fethiye Special Protection Area)","lat":36.62,"lon":29.12,"role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Antalya (Patara Special Protection Area)","lat":36.27,"lon":29.31,"role":"event"}],"start":1996,"end":2025,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Bern Convention status of the two beaches, 2025","value":"Fethiye open; Patara stand-by","note":"Status after the 45th Standing Committee meeting in 2025. No money and no national court ruling are on record."},"happened":["A first Bern Convention file on Patara (1993/1) ran from 1996 to 2001, and Recommendation No. 54 (1996) concerned Caretta caretta at Patara. In Recommendation No. 66, adopted on 4 December 1998 on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, the Standing Committee asked Turkey, for Patara, to prohibit vehicles and horse riding on the beach and to \"take steps to abandon plans for the construction of the airport\". For Fethiye it asked Turkey to \"secure the remaining unbuilt beach plots against development\".","MEDASSET complained again in 2012 about summer houses, coastal roads, light pollution, dune and forest erosion and fishing at the two Special Protection Areas. An on-the-spot appraisal in 2015 found Patara's nesting habitat in \"very good\" condition and Fethiye's degraded from low to high levels depending on the stretch, through umbrellas, sunbeds, light pollution and night presence. An expert in the appraisal found that the legislative framework \"seems inadequate\" to protect the Special Protection Areas. The Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 182 (Patara) and No. 183 (Fethiye) in 2015.","In 2025, at its 45th meeting, the Standing Committee moved the Patara file to stand-by; the Fethiye file (2012/9(A)) stayed open. No national court ruling is on record and the sources reviewed record no money in the case."],"timeline":[{"y":1996,"t":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 54 on Caretta caretta at Patara; first Patara file (1993/1) runs until 2001","src":2},{"y":1998,"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (4 December) on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, covering Patara and Fethiye","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"MEDASSET lodges a new complaint on Fethiye and Patara (file 2012/9)","src":1},{"y":2015,"t":"On-the-spot appraisal; Recommendations No. 182 (Patara) and No. 183 (Fethiye)","src":1},{"y":2025,"t":"45th Standing Committee: Patara moved to stand-by; Fethiye stays open","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"take steps to abandon plans for the construction of the airport","who":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, Recommendation No. 66, on Patara","when":"4 December 1998","src":0},{"q":"secure the remaining unbuilt beach plots against development","who":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, Recommendation No. 66, on Fethiye","when":"4 December 1998","src":0},{"q":"seems inadequate","who":"Expert of the 2015 on-the-spot appraisal, on the legislative framework for the Special Protection Areas","when":"2015","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) asked Turkey, for Patara, to prohibit vehicles and horse riding on the beach and abandon the airport plans, and, for Fethiye, to secure the remaining unbuilt beach plots against development.","src":0},{"t":"2015 on-the-spot appraisal: Patara's nesting habitat \"very good\"; Fethiye's degraded from low to high levels by stretch (umbrellas, sunbeds, light pollution, night presence).","src":1},{"t":"2025: Patara moved to stand-by; Fethiye open (file 2012/9(A)).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Patara nesting habitat, 2015 appraisal","v":"\"Very good\"","d":"Bern Convention on-the-spot appraisal, qualitative finding"},{"k":"Fethiye nesting habitat, 2015 appraisal","v":"Degraded, low to high levels by stretch","d":"Umbrellas, sunbeds, light pollution and night presence; qualitative finding"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Bern Convention on-the-spot appraisal of 2015 (qualitative findings; no counts)","report":[{"t":"My Fethiye nesting beaches were found in 2015 to be degraded, from low to high levels depending on the stretch, through umbrellas, sunbeds, light pollution and night presence.","src":1},{"t":"My Patara nesting habitat was found in 2015 to be in \"very good\" condition.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Not measured: the pages reviewed give qualitative appraisal findings only, with no nest counts or other measurements.","None on record: money in the case, and a national court ruling.","Not stated: what the \"positive developments\" at Patara are, on which the move to stand-by in 2025 rests.","None on record: a named beneficiary of the activities recorded at Fethiye; the sources reviewed refer to local authorities and beach businesses without naming them."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The Bern Convention moved Patara to stand-by in 2025 and left Fethiye open. The sources reviewed do not say whether the degradation recorded at Fethiye in 2015 has stopped.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Bern Convention file on Fethiye (2012/9(A)) is open; the Patara file was moved to stand-by in 2025 at the 45th Standing Committee; no national court ruling is on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"bern-convention","role":"Files, appraisal and Recommendations No. 54, 66, 182 and 183"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Complainant (2012)"},{"id":"turkiye-gov","role":"Party to the Convention; reports to the Standing Committee"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Bern Convention file 1993/1, Türkiye: Patara","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"international","claimant":"Bern Convention Standing Committee","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":1996,"decided":2001,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The first Patara file ran from 1996 to 2001 and included Recommendation No. 54 (1996) on Caretta caretta at Patara. Recommendation No. 66 (1998) asked Turkey to prohibit vehicles and horse riding on the beach and to abandon plans for an airport.","src":2},{"title":"Bern Convention file 2012/9, Türkiye: presumed degradation of nesting beaches in Fethiye and Patara SPAs","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"international","claimant":"MEDASSET (complainant)","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":2012,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"After an on-the-spot appraisal in 2015 the Standing Committee adopted Recommendation No. 182 (Patara) and No. 183 (Fethiye). In 2025 Patara moved to stand-by; the Fethiye file (2012/9(A)) stays open. No national court ruling is on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Bern Convention Standing Committee has handled complaints and recommendations on the loggerhead nesting beaches of Patara and Fethiye since 1996; in 2025 Patara moved to stand-by and Fethiye stayed open.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fethiye nesting beaches","what":"Degraded from low to high levels by stretch in the 2015 appraisal (umbrellas, sunbeds, light pollution, night presence)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Fethiye Special Protection Area (Muğla) and Patara Special Protection Area (Antalya), Türkiye.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Recommendation No. 54 in 1996; No. 66 on 4 December 1998; MEDASSET complaint 2012; appraisal and Recommendations No. 182 and 183 in 2015; Patara stand-by in 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"MEDASSET complained in 2012 about summer houses, coastal roads, light pollution, dune and forest erosion and fishing; Recommendation No. 66 (1998) had earlier addressed vehicles, horse riding, airport plans and unbuilt beach plots.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through Bern Convention case files, an on-the-spot appraisal in 2015, and Standing Committee recommendations; the appraisal's expert found the legislative framework \"seems inadequate\".","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) of the Bern Convention Standing Committee on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, adopted 4 December 1998","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":"1998-12-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://rm.coe.int/168074661a"},{"t":"Bern Convention case file 2012/9, Türkiye: presumed degradation of nesting beaches in Fethiye and Patara SPAs","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/-/2012-9-turkey-presumed-degradation-of-nesting-beaches-in-fethiye-and-patara-spas"},{"t":"Bern Convention case file: presumed degradation of nesting beaches in Patara SPA","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/-/presumed-degradation-of-nesting-beaches-in-patara-spa"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bern Convention file 1993/1, Türkiye: Patara: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: the pages reviewed give qualitative appraisal findings only, with no nest counts or other measurements.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: money in the case, and a national court ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: what the \"positive developments\" at Patara are, on which the move to stand-by in 2025 rests.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a named beneficiary of the activities recorded at Fethiye; the sources reviewed refer to local authorities and beach businesses without naming them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"anamur-karaagac-beach-bern-file-2019-5","title":"Anamur (Karaagac) Beach, Mersin, Türkiye: Bern Convention file 2019/5 and Recommendation No. 226 (2024)","dek":"A 2019 complaint to the Bern Convention concerns construction of a public beach and picnic area at the Anamur (Karaagac) nesting beach in Mersin. The Standing Committee opened the case in 2022 and adopted Recommendation No. 226 in 2024; the file is open.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Middle East","lat":36.08,"lon":32.83,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Mersin (Anamur)","lat":36.08,"lon":32.83,"role":"event"}],"start":1998,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Bern Convention file 2019/5","value":"Open","note":"Recommendation No. 226 adopted in 2024 after an on-the-spot appraisal. No court ruling and no money are on record."},"happened":["In Recommendation No. 66 (1998) on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, the Bern Convention Standing Committee asked Turkey to prohibit sand extraction at Anamur and to secure the remaining unbuilt beach plots against development.","In 2019 MERCED (Mersin Environment and Nature Association) complained to the Bern Convention about construction of a public beach and picnic area at Anamur (Karaagac) Beach, grass and tree planting, water and soil run-off onto the beach, vehicle traffic, beach furniture, fireworks, light pollution and litter. MERCED said the municipality planned bicycle paths, sports parks and playgrounds. The beach is a nesting site for loggerhead, green and Nile soft-shelled turtles. The Standing Committee opened the case in 2022 and, after an on-the-spot appraisal (report T-PVS/Inf(2024)13), adopted Recommendation No. 226 in 2024. The file is open."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"Recommendation No. 66 asks Turkey to prohibit sand extraction at Anamur and secure remaining unbuilt beach plots","src":0},{"y":2019,"t":"MERCED lodges a Bern Convention complaint on the Anamur (Karaagac) public beach and picnic area (file 2019/5)","src":1},{"y":2022,"t":"Standing Committee opens the case","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"On-the-spot appraisal (T-PVS/Inf(2024)13); Recommendation No. 226 adopted","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"secure the remaining unbuilt beach plots against development","who":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, Recommendation No. 66 (also addressed to other Turkish beaches)","when":"4 December 1998","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Complaint of 2019 by MERCED: public beach and picnic area, grass and tree planting, run-off, vehicle traffic, beach furniture, fireworks, light pollution and litter at a beach used for nesting by loggerhead, green and Nile soft-shelled turtles.","src":1},{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) asked Turkey to prohibit sand extraction at Anamur.","src":0},{"t":"Recommendation No. 226 (2024) adopted after an on-the-spot appraisal; file 2019/5 open.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Turtle species nesting at the beach","v":"Loggerhead, green and Nile soft-shelled","d":"Bern Convention case file 2019/5; no nest counts in the sources reviewed"}]},"unknown":["Reported by the complainant only: the account of the works comes from the complaint; no government account is on record in the sources reviewed.","Not measured: no nest counts or other measurements of the beach are given in the sources reviewed.","None on record: money in the case, and a court ruling.","Unconfirmed: NGOs say in a 2026 report that Recommendation No. 226 has not been implemented."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The Bern Convention file is open and Recommendation No. 226 was adopted in 2024. The sources reviewed do not say whether the works or the pressures listed in the complaint have stopped.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Bern Convention file 2019/5 is open; Recommendation No. 226 was adopted in 2024; no court ruling is on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"merced","role":"Complainant (2019)"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Co-complainant"},{"id":"bern-convention","role":"File 2019/5; Recommendations No. 66 (1998) and No. 226 (2024)"},{"id":"turkiye-gov","role":"Party to the Convention; the Turkish Ministry is named among the parties"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Bern Convention file 2019/5, Türkiye: habitat destruction in Mersin, Anamur beach","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"international","claimant":"MERCED (complainant)","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":2019,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"The Standing Committee opened the case in 2022 and adopted Recommendation No. 226 in 2024 after an on-the-spot appraisal (T-PVS/Inf(2024)13). The file is open. No court ruling is on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2019 complaint to the Bern Convention about construction of a public beach and picnic area and related pressures at the Anamur (Karaagac) nesting beach led to Recommendation No. 226 in 2024; the file is open.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Anamur (Karaagac) nesting beach","what":"Nesting site for loggerhead, green and Nile soft-shelled turtles; the complaint lists run-off, vehicle traffic, beach furniture, fireworks, light pollution and litter","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Anamur (Karaagac) Beach, Mersin province, Türkiye.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 in 1998; complaint in 2019; case opened in 2022; Recommendation No. 226 in 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The complainant says a municipality planned a public beach and picnic area, bicycle paths, sports parks and playgrounds at the beach.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through a Bern Convention complaint, an on-the-spot appraisal and a Standing Committee recommendation.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) of the Bern Convention Standing Committee on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, adopted 4 December 1998","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":"1998-12-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://rm.coe.int/168074661a"},{"t":"Bern Convention case file 2019/5, Türkiye: habitat destruction in Mersin, Anamur beach","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.coe.int/en/web/bern-convention/-/2019-05-turkey-habitat-destruction-in-mersin-anamur-beach"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported by the complainant only: the account of the works comes from the complaint; no government account is on record in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: no nest counts or other measurements of the beach are given in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: money in the case, and a court ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: NGOs say in a 2026 report that Recommendation No. 226 has not been implemented.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"dalyan-iztuzu-kaunos-beach-hotel-1987","title":"Dalyan / Iztuzu Beach, Türkiye: Kaunos Beach Hotel project stopped (1987)","dek":"Construction of an 1,800-bed hotel complex, the Kaunos Beach Hotel, began at Dalyan in April 1987 and drew protests from IUCN, Greenpeace, WWF and others. The project stopped in September 1987.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Middle East","lat":36.8,"lon":28.62,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Muğla (Dalyan, Iztuzu Beach)","lat":36.8,"lon":28.62,"role":"event"}],"start":1987,"end":1987,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","finance","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Hotel capacity of the stopped project","value":"1,800 beds","note":"As given in secondary sources. Construction began in April 1987 and the project stopped in September 1987."},"happened":["According to secondary sources, construction of an 1,800-bed hotel complex, the Kaunos Beach Hotel, began at Dalyan in April 1987. IUCN, Greenpeace, WWF and others protested. Prince Philip, as WWF president, asked Prime Minister Turgut Ozal for a moratorium pending an environmental impact assessment. The German government barred the development bank DEG from investing development-aid money in the hotel.","The project stopped in September 1987. GRID-Arendal states that the project \"was temporarily stopped after Prince Philip called for a moratorium\". The Bern Convention Standing Committee had adopted Recommendation No. 8 (1987) \"on the protection of marine turtles in Dalyan and other important areas in Turkey\". No court case is on record. The sources reviewed do not give the exact sequence of the moratorium request, the German funding bar and the Turkish decision."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"Construction of the Kaunos Beach Hotel begins (April); protests by IUCN, Greenpeace, WWF and others; Prince Philip, as WWF president, asks Prime Minister Turgut Ozal for a moratorium; Bern Convention Recommendation No. 8; project stops (September)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"was temporarily stopped after Prince Philip called for a moratorium","who":"GRID-Arendal, on the Kaunos Beach Hotel project","when":null,"src":1},{"q":"on the protection of marine turtles in Dalyan and other important areas in Turkey","who":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, title of Recommendation No. 8 (1987), as listed in Recommendation No. 66","when":"1987","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 8 (1987) on the protection of marine turtles in Dalyan and other important areas in Turkey.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nesting at Dalyan / Iztuzu","v":"Not measured","d":"No nest counts or other measurements in the sources reviewed"}]},"unknown":["Not stated: the identity of the hotel developers in the sources reviewed.","Unclear: the exact sequence of the moratorium request, the German funding bar and the Turkish decision; only secondary sources describe it.","Not measured: no nest counts or other measurements of harm to nesting are given in the sources reviewed.","No source on record for: the designation of Koycegiz-Dalyan as a Special Environmental Protection Area in 1988."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The hotel project stopped in September 1987. The sources reviewed do not report later nesting data.","whoPaid":"No payment is on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Kaunos Beach Hotel project stopped in September 1987; no court case is on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"WWF","says":"Prince Philip, as WWF president, asked Prime Minister Turgut Ozal for a moratorium pending an environmental impact assessment.","when":"1987","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Protested; its president asked for a moratorium"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Protested"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Protested"},{"id":"deg","role":"German development bank barred from investing development-aid money in the hotel"},{"id":"turkiye-gov","role":"Prime Minister Turgut Ozal received the request for a moratorium"},{"id":"bern-convention","role":"Recommendation No. 8 (1987)"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 8 (1987) on the protection of marine turtles in Dalyan and other important areas in Turkey","forum":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (Council of Europe)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"international","claimant":"Bern Convention Standing Committee","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":1987,"decided":1987,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"A recommendation of the Standing Committee, not a court ruling; it is listed in Recommendation No. 66 (1998). No court case is on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"hotel_beds_planned","value":1800,"unit":"beds","year":1987,"note":"Kaunos Beach Hotel complex, as given in secondary sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Construction of the 1,800-bed Kaunos Beach Hotel began at Dalyan in April 1987, drew international protests, and stopped in September 1987.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Dalyan / Iztuzu nesting area","what":"Subject of Bern Convention Recommendation No. 8 (1987); no measured harm is on record in the sources reviewed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Dalyan and Iztuzu Beach, Muğla province, Türkiye.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Construction began in April 1987; the project stopped in September 1987.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Developers (not named) planned an 1,800-bed hotel complex on the beach; IUCN, Greenpeace, WWF and others protested.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through protests, a request for a moratorium by the WWF president to the Prime Minister, and a German bar on DEG development-aid investment, according to secondary sources.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) of the Bern Convention Standing Committee on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, adopted 4 December 1998","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention","d":"1998-12-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://rm.coe.int/168074661a"},{"t":"GRID-Arendal resource page on the Kaunos Beach Hotel project at Dalyan","p":"GRID-Arendal","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.grida.no/resources/4228"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 8 (1987) on the protection of marine turtles in Dalyan and other important areas in Turkey: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the identity of the hotel developers in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the exact sequence of the moratorium request, the German funding bar and the Turkish decision; only secondary sources describe it.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Not measured: no nest counts or other measurements of harm to nesting are given in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source on record for: the designation of Koycegiz-Dalyan as a Special Environmental Protection Area in 1988.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"belek-antalya-nesting-beach-cases","title":"Belek, Antalya: 1998 Bern marina recommendation, 2014 hotel-road annulment and 2021 hatchling deaths","dek":"Between 1998 and 2021 the Belek, Kadriye and Bogazkent coast in Antalya, Türkiye, appeared in a Bern Convention recommendation on a marina plan, an administrative court ruling that cancelled a hotel road permit, and fines on two hotels after hatchlings died under wooden walkways. EKAD said the 30 km beach had more than 3,000 nests in 2021.","country":"Türkiye","region":"Middle East","lat":36.86,"lon":31.05,"places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Antalya (Belek, Kadriye, Bogazkent; Kundu-Denizyaka beach)","lat":36.86,"lon":31.05,"role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Antalya 1st Administrative Court","role":"court"}],"start":1998,"end":2021,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Hatchlings that died under a wooden walkway at one Bogazkent hotel, August 2021","value":"About 62","note":"EKAD, as reported by Cumhuriyet. A further 71 hatchlings were rescued alive at a second hotel."},"happened":["In its Recommendation No. 66 of 4 December 1998 on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention asked Turkey to re-evaluate recent allocations on Belek and other beaches. For Belek it asked Turkey to \"abandon plans for the development of a marina at natural 'SIT' area as this would be incompatible with the nesting activities in this area of highest nesting density\", to prevent night use of the beaches, to secure the remaining unbuilt beach plots against development, to prohibit horse riding on the beach and to address light pollution from existing buildings.","On 11 September 2014 the Antalya 1st Administrative Court cancelled a 29-year permit for a 1,280 m road from the Titanic Delux Hotel Belek to the sea. The complaint was brought by Royal Belek Turizm A.S.; the parties named in the case also include Gunaylar Otel Isletmeleri (the Titanic hotels) and the General Directorate of Forestry. The road partly crossed the first 50 m of the coastal strip and 386 m of a first-degree natural site (Kumkoy). The court files were 2013/467 E., 2014/1031 K. and 2014/401 E., 2014/1032 K.","In August 2021 EKAD (the Ecological Research Society) found two nests under wooden walkways at two hotels in Bogazkent. About 62 hatchlings died at Port Nature Luxury Resort, and 71 were rescued alive at Orange County Resort. The Serik Chief Prosecutor opened proceedings under Animal Protection Law 5199, and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation filed a criminal complaint and fined the two hotels under Environment Law 2872. Cumhuriyet reported on 3 September 2021 that the administrative fines totalled TRY 482,790.","EKAD's president, Ali Fuat Canbolat, told Cumhuriyet that more than 3,000 nests were laid that year on the 30 km beach and that 95% of nests were in the first 35 m, and EKAD said the 35 m rule had not been followed. The Ministry said it would create a 40 to 60 m breeding band separated by wooden barriers on turtle beaches. The sources reviewed do not say whether the 1998 marina plan was dropped, and no appeal in the 2014 case and no outcome of the 2021 criminal complaint are on record."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 66 (4 Dec) asks Turkey to abandon the Belek marina plan and to secure unbuilt beach plots","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"Antalya 1st Administrative Court cancels the 29-year permit for the 1,280 m hotel road (11 Sep)","src":3},{"y":2021,"t":"EKAD finds two nests under hotel walkways in Bogazkent (Aug); the Serik Chief Prosecutor opens proceedings and the Ministry fines the two hotels (reported 3 Sep)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"abandon plans for the development of a marina at natural 'SIT' area as this would be incompatible with the nesting activities in this area of highest nesting density","who":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, Recommendation No. 66, on Belek","when":"4 December 1998","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"The Ministry said it would create a 40 to 60 m breeding band, separated by wooden barriers, on turtle beaches.","who":"Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (Türkiye), as reported by Cumhuriyet","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Bern Recommendation No. 66 (1998) asked Turkey to re-evaluate recent allocations on Belek and other beaches and, for Belek, to abandon the marina plan, prevent night use, secure unbuilt plots, prohibit horse riding and address light pollution.","src":0},{"t":"The Antalya 1st Administrative Court cancelled the 29-year permit for the 1,280 m road from the Titanic Delux Hotel Belek to the sea on 11 September 2014.","src":3},{"t":"EKAD found two nests under wooden walkways at two Bogazkent hotels in August 2021: about 62 hatchlings died at one and 71 were rescued alive at the other.","src":1},{"t":"The Serik Chief Prosecutor opened proceedings under Animal Protection Law 5199; the Ministry fined the two hotels a total of TRY 482,790 under Environment Law 2872 and filed a criminal complaint.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"TRY","window":"2021","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Administrative fines on the two hotels under Environment Law 2872 (Cumhuriyet, 3 Sep 2021)","amount":0.48279},{"label":"DKMP compensation reported as under discussion for the hotel with 62 dead hatchlings (Cumhuriyet, 28 Aug 2021)","amount":0.992,"qualifier":"about","note":"The same report gave TRY 16,000 per dead turtle."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Hatchlings dead under a hotel walkway","v":"About 62","d":"August 2021, Port Nature Luxury Resort, per EKAD"},{"k":"Hatchlings rescued alive","v":"71","d":"August 2021, Orange County Resort, per EKAD"},{"k":"Nests on the 30 km beach","v":"More than 3,000","d":"2021, per EKAD's president; 95% of nests in the first 35 m"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"EKAD findings of August 2021 as reported by Cumhuriyet","report":[{"t":"About 62 of my hatchlings died under a wooden walkway at Port Nature Luxury Resort in August 2021, according to EKAD.","src":1},{"t":"71 more of my hatchlings were rescued alive from a nest under a walkway at Orange County Resort, according to EKAD.","src":1},{"t":"More than 3,000 nests were laid on my 30 km beach in 2021, and 95% of them lay in the first 35 m, according to EKAD's president.","src":1}]},"unknown":["None on record: whether the 1998 marina plan was dropped; no Bern Convention case file naming Belek was found on the active dashboard.","None on record: an appeal against the 2014 Antalya 1st Administrative Court rulings, or a Council of State ruling.","None on record: the outcome of the 2021 criminal proceedings and the criminal complaint.","None on record: the final compensation paid for the dead hatchlings; the DKMP figures were reported as under discussion.","Silent: Port Nature Luxury Resort's officials declined to comment to Cumhuriyet.","Status as of October 2026 is not confirmed beyond the 2021 fines."],"evidence":["court-ruling","review"],"harmStopped":"The 2021 hatchling deaths were recorded in August 2021. The Ministry said it would create a 40 to 60 m breeding band on turtle beaches; the sources reviewed do not say whether this was done, and no later nest or hatchling data for the two hotels is on record.","whoPaid":"The two hotels were fined a total of TRY 482,790 under Environment Law 2872 (Cumhuriyet, 3 Sep 2021). Compensation of TRY 16,000 per dead turtle, about TRY 992,000 for the hotel with 62 deaths, was reported as under discussion on 28 August 2021; no final amount is on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2021 fines on two hotels are the latest outcome on record; no appeal in the 2014 case and no outcome of the criminal proceedings were found.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (Türkiye)","says":"Filed a criminal complaint and fined the two hotels under Environment Law 2872; said it would create a 40 to 60 m breeding band separated by wooden barriers on turtle beaches.","when":"August-September 2021","src":2},{"actor":"Port Nature Luxury Resort","says":"Its officials declined to comment to Cumhuriyet.","when":"2021","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"council-of-europe","role":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, Recommendation No. 66 (1998)"},{"id":"turkiye-gov","role":"Addressee of the recommendation; Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation fined the two hotels and filed a criminal complaint"},{"id":"ekad","role":"Found the nests under the walkways in August 2021"},{"id":"port-nature-luxury-resort","role":"Hotel at which about 62 hatchlings died; fined"},{"id":"orange-county-resort","role":"Hotel at which 71 hatchlings were rescued alive; fined"},{"id":"royal-belek-turizm","role":"Complainant in the 2014 road case"},{"id":"gunaylar-otel-isletmeleri","role":"Titanic hotels; party named in the 2014 road case"},{"id":"antalya-1st-administrative-court","role":"Cancelled the hotel road permit on 11 September 2014"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the 35 m rule for the beach was followed at the two hotels","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"EKAD","says":"Said the 35 m rule was not followed.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Port Nature Luxury Resort","says":"Its officials declined to comment.","src":1,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 66 (1998) on nesting beaches in Turkey, Belek paragraphs","forum":"Standing Committee of the Bern Convention","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"international","claimant":"Bern Convention Standing Committee (recommendation addressed to Türkiye)","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":null,"decided":"1998-12-04","status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The recommendation asked Turkey to re-evaluate recent allocations on Belek and other beaches and, for Belek, to abandon the marina plan, prevent night use of the beaches, secure the remaining unbuilt plots, prohibit horse riding and address light pollution. The sources reviewed do not say whether the marina plan was dropped.","src":0},{"title":"Royal Belek Turizm A.S. against the 29-year permit for the Titanic Delux Hotel Belek road","forum":"Antalya 1st Administrative Court (2013/467 E., 2014/1031 K.; 2014/401 E., 2014/1032 K.)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Royal Belek Turizm A.S.","defendant":"Not stated in the sources reviewed; the parties named are Gunaylar Otel Isletmeleri (Titanic hotels) and the General Directorate of Forestry","filed":null,"decided":"2014-09-11","status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The court cancelled a 29-year permit for a 1,280 m road from the Titanic Delux Hotel Belek to the sea. The road partly crossed the first 50 m of the coastal strip and 386 m of a first-degree natural site (Kumkoy). No appeal is on record.","src":3},{"title":"Administrative fines on two Bogazkent hotels under Environment Law 2872","forum":"Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation","defendant":"Port Nature Luxury Resort and Orange County Resort","filed":null,"decided":"2021-09-03","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":482790,"currency":"TRY","label":"Total administrative fine to the two hotels"},"summary":"Cumhuriyet reported on 3 September 2021 that the Ministry fined the two hotels a total of TRY 482,790 under Environment Law 2872 after nests were found under wooden walkways.","src":2},{"title":"Proceedings under Animal Protection Law 5199 and the Ministry's criminal complaint over the hatchling deaths","forum":"Serik Chief Prosecutor","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Serik Chief Prosecutor; Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation (criminal complaint)","defendant":"Not named in the sources reviewed","filed":"2021-08","decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The Serik Chief Prosecutor opened proceedings under Animal Protection Law 5199, and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanisation filed a criminal complaint. The outcome is not on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nests","value":3000,"unit":"nests","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"On the 30 km beach in 2021, per EKAD's president (Cumhuriyet)."},{"key":"beach_km","value":30,"unit":"km","year":2021,"note":"Length of the beach, per EKAD's president (Cumhuriyet)."},{"key":"nests_first_35m_pct","value":95,"unit":"%","year":2021,"note":"Share of nests in the first 35 m, per EKAD's president (Cumhuriyet)."},{"key":"hatchlings_died","value":62,"unit":"hatchlings","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Under a wooden walkway at Port Nature Luxury Resort, August 2021 (EKAD)."},{"key":"hatchlings_rescued","value":71,"unit":"hatchlings","year":2021,"note":"Rescued alive at Orange County Resort, August 2021 (EKAD)."},{"key":"road_length_m","value":1280,"unit":"m","year":2014,"note":"Road from the Titanic Delux Hotel Belek to the sea whose 29-year permit was cancelled."},{"key":"road_in_first_degree_natural_site_m","value":386,"unit":"m","year":2014,"note":"Section of the road crossing a first-degree natural site (Kumkoy)."},{"key":"fine","value":482790,"unit":"TRY","year":2021,"note":"Total administrative fine to the two hotels under Environment Law 2872 (Cumhuriyet, 3 Sep 2021)."},{"key":"compensation_per_dead_turtle","value":16000,"unit":"TRY","year":2021,"note":"DKMP figure reported by Cumhuriyet on 28 Aug 2021 as under discussion; about TRY 992,000 for the hotel with 62 deaths."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A marina plan, a hotel road and two hotel walkways affected the Belek-Kadriye-Bogazkent nesting beach in Antalya between 1998 and 2021: a Bern Convention recommendation (1998), an administrative court annulment of a road permit (2014) and about 62 dead hatchlings at one hotel (2021).","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Royal Belek Turizm A.S.","what":"Annulment of the 29-year permit for the Titanic Delux Hotel Belek road, on its complaint","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Port Nature Luxury Resort and Orange County Resort","what":"Administrative fines totalling TRY 482,790 under Environment Law 2872","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead hatchlings at Bogazkent","what":"About 62 died at Port Nature Luxury Resort; 71 were rescued alive at Orange County Resort","src":1},{"who":"The Belek nesting beach","what":"Bern Recommendation No. 66 (1998) called it the area of highest nesting density; EKAD counted more than 3,000 nests on the 30 km beach in 2021","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Türkiye, Antalya province: Belek, Kadriye and Bogazkent (Kundu-Denizyaka beach).","src":0},"when":{"t":"1998 (Bern recommendation), 11 September 2014 (court ruling), August-September 2021 (hatchling deaths and fines).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The matters arise from tourism infrastructure on a nesting beach: a planned marina, a hotel access road across the coastal strip and wooden walkways over nests at two hotels.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a Bern Convention recommendation, an administrative court annulment, proceedings opened by the Serik Chief Prosecutor under Animal Protection Law 5199, and fines under Environment Law 2872.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) of the Standing Committee on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention Standing Committee","d":"1998-12-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://rm.coe.int/168074661a"},{"t":"Cumhuriyet news report on the investigations into two Bogazkent hotels after hatchling deaths (Turkish)","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2021-08-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/caretta-katliaminda-iki-ayri-otel-hakkinda-adli-ve-idari-3-ayri-sorusturma-baslatildi-1864304"},{"t":"Cumhuriyet news report on the decision on the Antalya hatchling deaths (Turkish)","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2021-09-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/haber/antalyadaki-caretta-caretta-olumleri-icin-karar-verildi-1865907"},{"t":"Emlak Kulisi report on the removal of the road at the Titanic hotel, Belek (Turkish)","p":"Emlak Kulisi","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://emlakkulisi.com/belek-titanic-otelde-yol-kaldirilacak-mi/300701"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In August 2021 about 62 of my hatchlings died under a wooden walkway at a Bogazkent hotel, EKAD reported; the Ministry fined two hotels a total of TRY 482,790.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether the 35 m rule for the beach was followed at the two hotels","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Port Nature Luxury Resort: Its officials declined to comment.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 66 (1998) on nesting beaches in Turkey, Belek paragraphs: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Administrative fines on two Bogazkent hotels under Environment Law 2872: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Proceedings under Animal Protection Law 5199 and the Ministry's criminal complaint over the hatchling deaths: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the 1998 marina plan was dropped; no Bern Convention case file naming Belek was found on the active dashboard.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an appeal against the 2014 Antalya 1st Administrative Court rulings, or a Council of State ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the 2021 criminal proceedings and the criminal complaint.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the final compensation paid for the dead hatchlings; the DKMP figures were reported as under discussion.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Silent: Port Nature Luxury Resort's officials declined to comment to Cumhuriyet.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Status as of October 2026 is not confirmed beyond the 2021 fines.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mediterranean-fisheries-loggerhead-bycatch","title":"Mediterranean fisheries bycatch of sea turtles: GFCM rules of 2011 and 2021 and a Tunisian fisher study","dek":"A review cited in a 2019 paper gives more than 132,000 sea turtles caught per year in the Mediterranean, all species. The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean adopted a landing and release rule in 2011 and a mitigation recommendation in 2021, and a 2023 Tunisian study named ray nets, trawls and pelagic longlines as the main threats.","country":"Mediterranean (multiple)","region":"Europe","lat":35,"lon":18,"places":[{"country":"Tunisia","iso2":"TN","admin":"Gulf of Gabes; Gulf of Hammamet; 19 ports surveyed","role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Yumurtalik Bay","role":"affected"}],"start":2011,"end":2023,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Sea turtles caught per year in the Mediterranean, all species","value":"More than 132,000","note":"Casale (2011), as cited in a 2019 Frontiers in Marine Science article. The figure covers all sea turtle species, not loggerheads alone."},"happened":["Casale (2011, Fish and Fisheries) reviewed sea turtle bycatch in the Mediterranean. Papers citing it, including a 2019 article in Frontiers in Marine Science, give more than 132,000 sea turtles caught per year across all species.","The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) adopted Recommendation GFCM/35/2011/4, which prohibits landing turtles except to rescue them and requires their release. Recommendation GFCM/44/2021/14 asks members to improve reporting and to apply mitigation measures, including gear changes, time-area closures, turtle excluder devices and hook depths. A recital of the 2021 text says incidental catch \"may seriously affect sea turtle populations\".","A 2023 study in Animals, based on 483 fisher interviews at 19 Tunisian ports, named ray nets, trawls and pelagic longlines as the main threats to turtles. Earlier, Bern Convention Recommendation No. 66 (4 December 1998) had named \"fisheries by-catch\" as an increasing pressure in Turkey and asked Turkey to require turtle excluder devices on trawlers in Yumurtalik Bay. No litigation over the GFCM rules is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"Bern Recommendation No. 66 names fisheries by-catch as an increasing pressure in Turkey and asks for turtle excluder devices on trawlers in Yumurtalik Bay (4 Dec)","src":3},{"y":2011,"t":"Casale reviews Mediterranean sea turtle bycatch; GFCM adopts Recommendation GFCM/35/2011/4 on landing and release","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"Frontiers in Marine Science article cites more than 132,000 turtles caught per year","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"GFCM adopts Recommendation GFCM/44/2021/14 on reporting and mitigation","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"Animals study based on 483 fisher interviews at 19 Tunisian ports","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"may seriously affect sea turtle populations","who":"GFCM, recital of Recommendation GFCM/44/2021/14, on incidental catch","when":"2021","src":1},{"q":"fisheries by-catch","who":"Bern Convention Standing Committee, Recommendation No. 66, naming an increasing pressure in Turkey","when":"4 December 1998","src":3}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Papers citing Casale (2011), including a 2019 Frontiers in Marine Science article, give more than 132,000 sea turtles caught per year in the Mediterranean, all species.","src":0},{"t":"GFCM/35/2011/4 prohibits landing turtles except to rescue them and requires release; GFCM/44/2021/14 asks members to improve reporting and apply mitigation (gear changes, time-area closures, turtle excluder devices, hook depths).","src":1},{"t":"A 2023 study based on 483 fisher interviews at 19 Tunisian ports named ray nets, trawls and pelagic longlines as the main threats.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Sea turtles caught per year, Mediterranean","v":"More than 132,000","d":"All species; Casale (2011) as cited in Frontiers in Marine Science (2019)"},{"k":"Fisher interviews, Tunisia","v":"483 at 19 ports","d":"2023 study naming ray nets, trawls and pelagic longlines as the main threats"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Casale (2011) as cited in Frontiers in Marine Science (2019), the 2023 Tunisian interview study and the GFCM 2021 recital","report":[{"t":"More than 132,000 of my sea turtles, all species together, are caught each year in the Mediterranean, according to papers citing Casale (2011).","src":0},{"t":"Fishers at 19 Tunisian ports named ray nets, trawls and pelagic longlines as the main threats to me, in 483 interviews.","src":2},{"t":"The GFCM wrote in 2021 that incidental catch \"may seriously affect sea turtle populations\".","src":1}]},"unknown":["Conflicting: totals differ between sources.","None on record: compliance data for GFCM/35/2011/4 or GFCM/44/2021/14.","None on record: litigation over the GFCM rules.","Unconfirmed: about 44,000 deaths per year, cited secondarily to Casale (2011).","Unconfirmed: Tunisian figures of 69.4% gillnet mortality (n=25) and, for Zarzis, 92.06% mortality with about 3,756 turtles captured per year."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed give no compliance data and no trend after the 2011 and 2021 GFCM recommendations; the bycatch figures are not dated to a period after them.","whoPaid":"No fine, compensation or funding figure is on record for this case.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the 2011 and 2021 GFCM recommendations are in the sources reviewed; no compliance data and no litigation were found.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM)","says":"Recital of Recommendation GFCM/44/2021/14: incidental catch \"may seriously affect sea turtle populations\"; the recommendation asks members to improve reporting and apply mitigation.","when":"2021","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"gfcm","role":"Adopted Recommendations GFCM/35/2011/4 and GFCM/44/2021/14"},{"id":"council-of-europe","role":"Bern Convention Recommendation No. 66 (1998) naming fisheries by-catch in Turkey"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"GFCM Recommendation GFCM/35/2011/4 (landing prohibition and release of sea turtles)","forum":"General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean","country":"Mediterranean (multiple)","iso2":null,"kind":"regulatory","claimant":"GFCM","defendant":"GFCM members","filed":null,"decided":"2011","status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The recommendation prohibits landing turtles except to rescue them and requires release. No litigation and no compliance data are on record.","src":1},{"title":"GFCM Recommendation GFCM/44/2021/14 (reporting and mitigation of sea turtle bycatch)","forum":"General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean","country":"Mediterranean (multiple)","iso2":null,"kind":"regulatory","claimant":"GFCM","defendant":"GFCM members","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The recommendation asks members to improve reporting and apply mitigation: gear changes, time-area closures, turtle excluder devices and hook depths. No litigation and no compliance data are on record.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"turtles_caught_per_year","value":132000,"unit":"turtles per year","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"All sea turtle species in the Mediterranean; Casale (2011) as cited in Frontiers in Marine Science (2019)."},{"key":"fisher_interviews","value":483,"unit":"interviews","year":2023,"note":"Tunisian fishers interviewed at 19 ports (Animals study)."},{"key":"ports_surveyed","value":19,"unit":"ports","year":2023,"note":"Tunisian ports in the 2023 study."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sea turtles are caught incidentally by Mediterranean fisheries, with more than 132,000 captures per year across all species cited in a 2019 paper; the GFCM adopted a landing and release rule in 2011 and a reporting and mitigation recommendation in 2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea turtles in the Mediterranean","what":"More than 132,000 captured per year across all species (Casale 2011, via Frontiers 2019)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The Mediterranean, with the 2023 interview study at 19 Tunisian ports and the 1998 Bern recommendation covering Yumurtalik Bay, Türkiye.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2011 (GFCM rule and Casale review), 2019 (Frontiers article), 2021 (GFCM recommendation), 2023 (Tunisian study); the Bern recommendation dates from 1998.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Turtles are caught in fishing gear incidentally; the Tunisian study named ray nets, trawls and pelagic longlines as the main threats.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Through GFCM recommendations on landing, release, reporting and mitigation.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Frontiers in Marine Science article (2019) citing Casale (2011) on Mediterranean sea turtle bycatch","p":"Frontiers in Marine Science","d":"2019","type":"academic","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00365/full"},{"t":"GFCM recommendation text on sea turtle incidental catch (FAOLEX document)","p":"FAOLEX (FAO), General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/mul217149.pdf"},{"t":"Study based on 483 fisher interviews at 19 Tunisian ports (Animals, 2023)","p":"Animals, via PubMed Central","d":"2023","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10177481/"},{"t":"Recommendation No. 66 (1998) of the Standing Committee on nesting beaches for marine turtles in Turkey","p":"Council of Europe, Bern Convention Standing Committee","d":"1998-12-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://rm.coe.int/168074661a"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Casale (2011), as cited in a 2019 paper, gives more than 132,000 of my sea turtles, all species, caught each year in Mediterranean fisheries.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"GFCM Recommendation GFCM/35/2011/4 (landing prohibition and release of sea turtles): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"GFCM Recommendation GFCM/44/2021/14 (reporting and mitigation of sea turtle bycatch): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting: totals differ between sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compliance data for GFCM/35/2011/4 or GFCM/44/2021/14.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: litigation over the GFCM rules.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 44,000 deaths per year, cited secondarily to Casale (2011).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Tunisian figures of 69.4% gillnet mortality (n=25) and, for Zarzis, 92.06% mortality with about 3,756 turtles captured per year.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-life-loggerhead-conservation-funding","title":"EU LIFE funding for loggerhead conservation, 2002-2029","dek":"Four EU LIFE projects between 2002 and 2029 funded loggerhead conservation in Greece, the eastern and northern Mediterranean and the western Mediterranean. The results listed are the projects' own reports; no independent evaluation was found.","country":"European Union","region":"Europe","lat":38,"lon":21,"places":[{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","role":"event"},{"country":"Croatia","iso2":"HR","role":"event"},{"country":"Cyprus","iso2":"CY","role":"event"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","role":"event"},{"country":"Malta","iso2":"MT","role":"event"},{"country":"Slovenia","iso2":"SI","role":"event"},{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"event"}],"start":2002,"end":2029,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance"],"headline":{"label":"EU contribution to LIFE EUROTURTLES (2016-2021)","value":"EUR 3,793,167","note":"Total project cost EUR 5,116,167. Coordinator: Croatian Natural History Museum."},"happened":["LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500 (2002-2006), with ARCHELON as beneficiary, received an EU contribution of EUR 885,960. The project reports that its rescue centre received 163 wounded turtles, of which 46.6% were released, and that 25 memoranda were signed with fishers. The Commission's project page says it remained to be seen whether the authorities would adopt the Action Plan.","LIFE15 NAT/HR/000997 LIFE EUROTURTLES (2016-2021), coordinated by the Croatian Natural History Museum, had a total cost of EUR 5,116,167, of which the EU provided EUR 3,793,167. It reports new regulations for 39 nesting sites, nest protection at 56 sites with 4,419 more nests protected, and 141 boats in voluntary management. The project page says it \"has successfully reached its objectives\"; this is the project's self-report.","LIFE21 LIFE TURTLENEST (2023-2028), coordinated by Legambiente, has a total cost of EUR 6,442,002, of which the EU provides EUR 4,831,501. The project page records 13 nests in the western Mediterranean up to 2012, 79 in 2020 and 100 in 2021."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500 starts, ARCHELON beneficiary (2002-2006)","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"LIFE EUROTURTLES (LIFE15 NAT/HR/000997) starts (2016-2021)","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"LIFE TURTLENEST (LIFE21) starts (2023-2028)","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"has successfully reached its objectives","who":"LIFE EUROTURTLES project page, on the project (self-report)","when":"n.d.","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"LIFE EUROTURTLES described as having \"successfully reached its objectives\".","who":"LIFE EUROTURTLES project page (self-report)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500: EU contribution EUR 885,960; rescue centre received 163 wounded turtles, 46.6% released; 25 memoranda with fishers.","src":0},{"t":"LIFE EUROTURTLES: total EUR 5,116,167, EU EUR 3,793,167; new regulations for 39 nesting sites; nest protection at 56 sites with 4,419 more nests protected; 141 boats in voluntary management.","src":1},{"t":"LIFE TURTLENEST: total EUR 6,442,002, EU EUR 4,831,501; western Mediterranean nests 13 recorded up to 2012, 79 in 2020 and 100 in 2021.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"Mixed - see each line","nature":[{"label":"LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500, EU contribution (ARCHELON)","amount":0.88596,"window":"2002-2006"},{"label":"LIFE EUROTURTLES, EU contribution","amount":3.793167,"window":"2016-2021","note":"Total project cost EUR 5,116,167."},{"label":"LIFE TURTLENEST, EU contribution","amount":4.831501,"window":"2023-2028","note":"Total project cost EUR 6,442,002."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Wounded turtles received at the rescue centre","v":"163","d":"LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500; 46.6% released (project report)"},{"k":"Additional nests protected","v":"4,419","d":"Nest protection at 56 sites, LIFE EUROTURTLES (project report)"},{"k":"Western Mediterranean nests","v":"13 (to 2012), 79 (2020), 100 (2021)","d":"LIFE TURTLENEST project page"}]},"unknown":["None on record: an independent evaluation of the projects; the results listed are the projects' own reports.","Unclear: the Commission's page for LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500 says it remained to be seen whether the authorities would adopt the Action Plan.","Unconfirmed: LIFE MareNatura (2023-2029), about EUR 10.7 million with 75% EU funding, covering 44 Natura 2000 sites in Greece and Italy (MEDASSET page; not checked against the LIFE database)."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed record project results reported by the projects themselves; they contain no independent measure of mortality or nesting before and after.","whoPaid":"The EU contributed EUR 885,960 (LIFE02), EUR 3,793,167 (EUROTURTLES) and EUR 4,831,501 (TURTLENEST). The sources reviewed do not say who funded the remainder of the EUROTURTLES and TURTLENEST total costs, and give no total cost for LIFE02.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: LIFE02 and LIFE EUROTURTLES are complete; LIFE TURTLENEST runs to 2028; no independent evaluation was found.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"LIFE EUROTURTLES project","says":"The project page says the project \"has successfully reached its objectives\" (self-report).","when":"n.d.","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"Funder through the LIFE programme (CINEA)"},{"id":"archelon","role":"Beneficiary of LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500"},{"id":"croatian-natural-history-museum","role":"Coordinator of LIFE EUROTURTLES"},{"id":"legambiente","role":"Coordinator of LIFE TURTLENEST"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Source of the LIFE MareNatura figures"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"eu_contribution","value":885960,"unit":"EUR","year":2002,"note":"LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500 (2002-2006), beneficiary ARCHELON."},{"key":"project_budget_total","value":5116167,"unit":"EUR","year":2016,"note":"LIFE EUROTURTLES (2016-2021) total cost; EU contribution EUR 3,793,167."},{"key":"eu_contribution","value":3793167,"unit":"EUR","year":2016,"note":"LIFE EUROTURTLES (2016-2021)."},{"key":"project_budget_total","value":6442002,"unit":"EUR","year":2023,"note":"LIFE TURTLENEST (2023-2028) total cost; EU contribution EUR 4,831,501."},{"key":"eu_contribution","value":4831501,"unit":"EUR","year":2023,"note":"LIFE TURTLENEST (2023-2028)."},{"key":"wounded_turtles_received","value":163,"unit":"turtles","year":2006,"note":"Rescue centre, LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500; 46.6% released."},{"key":"memoranda_with_fishers","value":25,"unit":"memoranda","year":2006,"note":"LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500."},{"key":"nesting_sites_new_regulations","value":39,"unit":"sites","year":2021,"note":"LIFE EUROTURTLES."},{"key":"nests_additionally_protected","value":4419,"unit":"nests","year":2021,"note":"Nest protection at 56 sites, LIFE EUROTURTLES."},{"key":"boats_voluntary_management","value":141,"unit":"boats","year":2021,"note":"LIFE EUROTURTLES."},{"key":"western_med_nests","value":100,"unit":"nests","year":2021,"note":"LIFE TURTLENEST page: 13 recorded up to 2012 and 79 in 2020."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"EU LIFE projects co-funded loggerhead conservation: LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500 (ARCHELON, 2002-2006), LIFE EUROTURTLES (2016-2021) and LIFE TURTLENEST (2023-2028).","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ARCHELON","what":"Beneficiary of an EU contribution of EUR 885,960 (LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500)","src":0},{"who":"Croatian Natural History Museum","what":"Coordinator of LIFE EUROTURTLES, EU contribution EUR 3,793,167","src":1},{"who":"Legambiente","what":"Coordinator of LIFE TURTLENEST, EU contribution EUR 4,831,501","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Greece (LIFE02); Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Slovenia (EUROTURTLES); Italy, Spain and France (TURTLENEST).","src":1},"when":{"t":"2002-2006, 2016-2021 and 2023-2028 (MareNatura 2023-2029 is unconfirmed).","src":0},"why":{"t":"To reduce loggerhead mortality and protect nesting sites; TURTLENEST addresses nesting range expansion under climate warming in the western Mediterranean.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Through EU LIFE grants to NGOs, a museum and public bodies, with results reported by the projects.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"LIFE project page: LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500","p":"European Commission, LIFE public database","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE02-NAT-GR-008500/reduction-of-mortality-of-caretta-caretta-in-the-greek-seas"},{"t":"LIFE project page: LIFE15 NAT/HR/000997 (LIFE EUROTURTLES)","p":"European Commission, LIFE public database","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE15-NAT-HR-000997/collective-actions-for-improving-the-conservation-status-of-the-eu-sea-turtle-populations"},{"t":"LIFE project page: LIFE21 (LIFE TURTLENEST)","p":"European Commission, LIFE public database","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE21-NAT-IT-LIFE-TURTLENEST-101074584/life-turtlenest-caretta-caretta-nesting-range-expansion-under-climate-warming-urgent-actions-to-mitigate-threats-at-emerging-nesting-sites-in-the-western-mediterranean"},{"t":"MEDASSET page on LIFE MareNatura","p":"MEDASSET","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://medasset.org/?p=34092"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The EU gave EUR 3,793,167 in my name to LIFE EUROTURTLES (2016-2021); the project reports 4,419 more of my nests protected at 56 sites; no independent evaluation was found.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an independent evaluation of the projects; the results listed are the projects' own reports.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the Commission's page for LIFE02 NAT/GR/008500 says it remained to be seen whether the authorities would adopt the Action Plan.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: LIFE MareNatura (2023-2029), about EUR 10.7 million with 75% EU funding, covering 44 Natura 2000 sites in Greece and Italy (MEDASSET page; not checked against the LIFE database).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tui-care-foundation-archelon-crete-turtle-friendly","title":"TUI Care Foundation sponsorship of ARCHELON in Crete and the \"Turtle-Friendly\" hotel certificate","dek":"From 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026 the TUI Care Foundation funded ARCHELON's \"TUI Turtle Aid Greece\" project. Eight northern Crete hotels received a \"Turtle-Friendly\" certificate designed by the foundation; no independent audit of the certificate was found.","country":"Greece","region":"Europe","lat":35.4,"lon":24.5,"places":[{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Northern Crete (Chania, Rethymno)","lat":35.4,"lon":24.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Greece","iso2":"GR","admin":"Rhodes","role":"affected"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"finance","types":["finance"],"headline":{"label":"Nests protected in northern Crete over three years (ARCHELON report)","value":"1,728","note":"Self-reported by ARCHELON. ARCHELON also cites nest declines of 46% (Rethymno) and 49% (Chania) over two decades; baseline years are not given."},"happened":["The TUI Care Foundation, the foundation of a tour operator, funded ARCHELON's \"TUI Turtle Aid Greece\" project from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026. ARCHELON reports that over the three years 66,557 visitors were informed, 423 beach walks were held and 1,728 nests were protected in northern Crete, and that 48 nests were recorded in Rhodes.","Eight hotels in northern Crete received a \"Turtle-Friendly\" certificate designed by the TUI Care Foundation. The conditions listed are that sunbeds are removed at night and that lights are hidden or off. ECOCLUB is named among those involved.","ARCHELON cites nest declines of 46% in Rethymno and 49% in Chania over two decades and proposes permanent umbrella-, sunbed- and light-free beach sections. The funding amount and the budget have not been published, and no independent audit of the certificate or of the certified hotels' compliance was found."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"TUI Care Foundation funding of \"TUI Turtle Aid Greece\" starts (1 Jun)","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Project period ends (31 May)","src":0}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Eight hotels in northern Crete presented as Turtle-Friendly certified, with sunbeds removed at night and lights hidden or off.","who":"ARCHELON, on the TUI Care Foundation certificate","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"ARCHELON reports 66,557 visitors informed, 423 beach walks and 1,728 nests protected in northern Crete over three years, and 48 nests recorded in Rhodes.","src":0},{"t":"ARCHELON cites nest declines of 46% (Rethymno) and 49% (Chania) over two decades; baseline years are not given.","src":0},{"t":"Eight northern Crete hotels received the Turtle-Friendly certificate designed by the TUI Care Foundation.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"1 Jun 2023-31 May 2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"TUI Care Foundation funding of TUI Turtle Aid Greece","amount":null,"note":"Budget not published; no funding amount on record."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nests protected in northern Crete","v":"1,728","d":"Over three years, 1 Jun 2023-31 May 2026, ARCHELON report"},{"k":"Nests recorded in Rhodes","v":"48","d":"ARCHELON report"},{"k":"Nest decline, Rethymno / Chania","v":"46% / 49%","d":"Over two decades, per ARCHELON; baseline years not given"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"ARCHELON's reported nest declines for Rethymno and Chania","report":[{"t":"My nests in Rethymno declined by 46% and in Chania by 49% over two decades, according to ARCHELON; the baseline years are not given.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: the amount of the TUI Care Foundation's funding; the budget is not published.","None on record: compliance of the certified hotels with the certificate conditions.","None on record: an independent audit of the Turtle-Friendly certificate, which was designed by the sponsor.","Unclear: the baseline years for the 46% and 49% nest declines."],"evidence":["no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed give three-year project counts and the certification of eight hotels; they do not give a nest trend after the project or any inspection of the certified hotels.","whoPaid":"The TUI Care Foundation funded the project; the amount is not on record.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the three-year project ended on 31 May 2026; ARCHELON reported its results and eight hotels hold the certificate; no funding amount or independent audit is on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"ARCHELON","says":"Reported 66,557 visitors informed, 423 beach walks and 1,728 nests protected in northern Crete over three years, and proposed permanent umbrella-, sunbed- and light-free beach sections.","when":"2026","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"tui-care-foundation","role":"Funded TUI Turtle Aid Greece and designed the Turtle-Friendly certificate"},{"id":"archelon","role":"Ran the project; reports its results"},{"id":"ecoclub","role":"Named in the sources among those involved in the certificate"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"visitors_informed","value":66557,"unit":"visitors","year":2026,"note":"Over the three project years, per ARCHELON."},{"key":"beach_walks","value":423,"unit":"walks","year":2026,"note":"Over the three project years, per ARCHELON."},{"key":"nests_protected","value":1728,"unit":"nests","year":2026,"note":"Northern Crete, three project years, per ARCHELON."},{"key":"nests_recorded_rhodes","value":48,"unit":"nests","year":2026,"note":"Rhodes, per ARCHELON."},{"key":"hotels_certified","value":8,"unit":"hotels","year":2026,"note":"Northern Crete hotels with the Turtle-Friendly certificate."},{"key":"nest_decline_pct_rethymno","value":46,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Over two decades, per ARCHELON; baseline years not given."},{"key":"nest_decline_pct_chania","value":49,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Over two decades, per ARCHELON; baseline years not given."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The TUI Care Foundation funded ARCHELON's TUI Turtle Aid Greece project in Crete and Rhodes and designed a Turtle-Friendly certificate that eight northern Crete hotels received.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ARCHELON","what":"Funding from the TUI Care Foundation for the three-year project; amount not published","src":0},{"who":"Eight northern Crete hotels","what":"The Turtle-Friendly certificate designed by the TUI Care Foundation","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Nesting loggerheads in Rethymno and Chania","what":"Nest declines of 46% and 49% over two decades, per ARCHELON","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Greece: northern Crete (Chania, Rethymno) and Rhodes.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The project aims to protect nests and reduce beach pressures such as sunbeds and lights at tourist beaches.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Through sponsorship of ARCHELON's nest protection, visitor information and beach walks, and a certificate for hotels requiring sunbeds removed at night and lights hidden or off.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"ARCHELON news page on three years of the TUI Turtle Aid Greece project in Crete","p":"ARCHELON","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://archelon.gr/en/news/archelon-and-tui-turtle-aid-greece-3-successful-years-in-crete"},{"t":"ARCHELON news page on the Turtle-Friendly certification of eight northern Crete hotels by the TUI Care Foundation","p":"ARCHELON","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://archelon.gr/en/news/eight-hotels-in-northern-crete-receive-turtle-friendly-certification-from-the-tui-care-foundation"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"My nests fell 46% in Rethymno and 49% in Chania over two decades, ARCHELON says; the TUI Care Foundation's funding of ARCHELON's Crete project has not been published.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"TUI Care Foundation funding of TUI Turtle Aid Greece — Budget not published; no funding amount on record.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amount of the TUI Care Foundation's funding; the budget is not published.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compliance of the certified hotels with the certificate conditions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an independent audit of the Turtle-Friendly certificate, which was designed by the sponsor.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the baseline years for the 46% and 49% nest declines.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"israel-tar-spill-2021-iopc-compensation","title":"Israel tar spill, February 2021: unidentified tanker, IOPC Fund compensation and oiled turtles","dek":"Tar washed up along Israel's Mediterranean coast in February 2021. The 1992 IOPC Fund treated it as a spill of unidentified origin and authorised payment of admissible claims; the Michmoret rescue centre received 10 injured sea turtles in two days.","country":"Israel","region":"Middle East","lat":32.4,"lon":34.85,"places":[{"country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","admin":"Mediterranean coast; Michmoret rescue centre","lat":32.4,"lon":34.85,"role":"event"}],"start":2021,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2021-02","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","shipping","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated response cost","value":"ILS 55 million","note":"Estimate given to the IOPC Funds in July 2021. By March 2022, 27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million had been submitted."},"happened":["Tar washed up along Israel's coast in February 2021. Israel asked the 1992 International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPC Fund) for assistance on 19 February 2021. Samples showed crude oil from one source, consistent with an unknown tanker. Israel named one tanker as likely, but the evidence was circumstantial.","At its 76th session in July 2021 the IOPC 1992 Fund Executive Committee treated the incident as a \"mystery spill\", decided that the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions apply, and authorised payment of admissible claims. The estimated response cost was ILS 55 million (IOPC, July 2021); by March 2022, 27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million had been submitted.","The Michmoret rescue centre received 10 injured sea turtles in two days, five of them covered in tar, according to press reports. Press reports also said an Israeli court barred publication of details of the investigation. Final compensation, the identity of the tanker and the final count of dead turtles are not on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2021,"t":"Tar washes up along Israel's coast (Feb); Israel asks the 1992 IOPC Fund for assistance (19 Feb); the Executive Committee, 76th session, authorises payment of admissible claims (Jul)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million recorded by the IOPC Funds (Mar)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"mystery spill","who":"IOPC 1992 Fund Executive Committee, on the incident","when":"July 2021","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Israel asked the 1992 IOPC Fund for assistance on 19 February 2021; samples showed crude oil from one source, consistent with an unknown tanker; Israel named one tanker as likely but the evidence was circumstantial.","src":0},{"t":"The Executive Committee, 76th session (July 2021), decided that the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions apply and authorised payment of admissible claims.","src":0},{"t":"Estimated response cost ILS 55 million (July 2021); 27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million by March 2022.","src":1},{"t":"The Michmoret rescue centre received 10 injured sea turtles in two days, five covered in tar (press).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"ILS","window":"2021-2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated response cost (IOPC, July 2021)","amount":55,"est":true},{"label":"27 claims submitted by March 2022 (IOPC)","amount":8.5,"note":"Final amounts paid not found."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Injured sea turtles received at Michmoret","v":"10","d":"In two days, five covered in tar; press report"},{"k":"Turtle deaths and species split","v":"Not on record","d":"Totals incomplete in the sources reviewed"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Press reports on the Michmoret rescue centre","report":[{"t":"Tar washed up along my Mediterranean coast in Israel in February 2021.","src":0},{"t":"Ten injured sea turtles reached the Michmoret rescue centre in two days, five of them covered in tar, according to press reports.","src":3}]},"unknown":["None on record: which tanker caused the spill; an Israeli court barred publication of investigation details, according to press reports.","None on record: final compensation amounts paid.","Insufficient: turtle totals are incomplete (10 admitted in two days); the final dead count and species split are not on record.","Disputed: Israel named one tanker as likely; the evidence was circumstantial and the incident was treated as a mystery spill."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The spill occurred in February 2021 and the sources reviewed give no later count of oiled or dead turtles; the Environment Ministry later declared the oil spill emergency over (Times of Israel; date not given in the sources reviewed).","whoPaid":"The 1992 IOPC Fund authorised payment of admissible claims in July 2021 for a spill of unidentified origin; the final amounts paid are not on record.","statusLine":"As of March 2022 (latest IOPC document in the sources reviewed): 27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million submitted; the tanker was not identified and final compensation is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Government of Israel","says":"Asked the 1992 IOPC Fund for assistance on 19 February 2021 and named one tanker as likely; the IOPC Funds found the evidence circumstantial.","when":"2021","src":0},{"actor":"IOPC 1992 Fund Executive Committee","says":"Treated the incident as a \"mystery spill\", decided the 1992 Conventions apply and authorised payment of admissible claims.","when":"July 2021","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-israel","role":"Requested assistance from the IOPC Fund; claimant in the compensation process"},{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"1992 Fund Executive Committee authorised payment of admissible claims"},{"id":"israel-nature-and-parks-authority","role":"Named among those involved in the response"},{"id":"michmoret-rescue-centre","role":"Received 10 injured sea turtles in two days"}],"disputes":[{"point":"The source of the spill","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Israel","says":"Named one tanker as likely.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"IOPC 1992 Fund Executive Committee","says":"Found the evidence circumstantial and treated the incident as a \"mystery spill\".","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"IOPC 1992 Fund Executive Committee decision on the Israel incident of February 2021","forum":"IOPC 1992 Fund Executive Committee, 76th session","country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","kind":"international","claimant":"Government of Israel (request for assistance of 19 February 2021)","defendant":"1992 IOPC Fund; no tanker identified","filed":"2021-02-19","decided":"2021-07","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":55,"currency":"ILS","label":"Estimated response cost, millions (IOPC, July 2021)"},"summary":"The Executive Committee decided that the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions apply and authorised payment of admissible claims. By March 2022, 27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million had been submitted. Final amounts paid are not on record.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"IOPC 1992 Fund","insured":"Claimants in Israel (government and others)","status":"unknown","year":2021,"amount":null,"reason":"Spill of unidentified origin treated as a \"mystery spill\"","summary":"The Fund authorised payment of admissible claims in July 2021; 27 claims totalling ILS 8.5 million had been submitted by March 2022; final amounts paid are not on record.","src":1}],"metrics":[{"key":"response_cost_estimate","value":55,"unit":"ILS million","year":2021,"est":true,"note":"Estimated response cost given to the IOPC Funds in July 2021."},{"key":"claims_submitted","value":27,"unit":"claims","year":2022,"note":"By March 2022 (IOPC)."},{"key":"claims_total","value":8.5,"unit":"ILS million","year":2022,"note":"Total of the 27 claims by March 2022 (IOPC)."},{"key":"turtles_received","value":10,"unit":"sea turtles","year":2021,"note":"Injured turtles received at the Michmoret rescue centre in two days (press)."},{"key":"turtles_covered_in_tar","value":5,"unit":"sea turtles","year":2021,"note":"Of the 10 received at Michmoret (press)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tar of unidentified origin washed up along Israel's coast in February 2021, oiling sea turtles; the 1992 IOPC Fund authorised payment of admissible claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Israel","what":"Estimated response cost of ILS 55 million (IOPC, July 2021)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea turtles on Israel's coast","what":"10 injured turtles received at Michmoret in two days, five covered in tar; final dead count not on record","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Israel's Mediterranean coast; the Michmoret rescue centre received the injured turtles.","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2021 (spill and request of 19 February); July 2021 (76th Executive Committee session); March 2022 (claims status).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The source is not identified: samples showed crude oil from one source consistent with an unknown tanker.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Compensation under the 1992 Civil Liability and Fund Conventions, with the 1992 Fund authorising payment of admissible claims.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"IOPC Funds document, July 2021 session (Executive Committee, 76th session)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds)","d":"2021-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/JUL21-61_e.pdf"},{"t":"IOPC Funds document, March 2022 session (claims status for the Israel incident)","p":"International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds (IOPC Funds)","d":"2022-03","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/MAR22-63_e.pdf"},{"t":"Times of Israel report on the Environment Ministry declaring the oil spill emergency over","p":"The Times of Israel","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.timesofisrael.com/environment-ministry-declares-oil-spill-emergency-over/"},{"t":"Israel21c report on efforts to save animals hurt in the tar spill","p":"Israel21c","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://archive.israel21c.org/israel-scrambles-to-save-animals-hurt-in-massive-tar-spill/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In February 2021 tar of unidentified origin washed onto my coast; the Michmoret rescue centre received 10 injured sea turtles in two days, five covered in tar, press reports say.","src":[0,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"The source of the spill","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Insurers","text":"IOPC 1992 Fund: no decision on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: which tanker caused the spill; an Israeli court barred publication of investigation details, according to press reports.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: final compensation amounts paid.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Insufficient: turtle totals are incomplete (10 admitted in two days); the final dead count and species split are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: Israel named one tanker as likely; the evidence was circumstantial and the incident was treated as a mystery spill.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"libya-qubeiba-beach-power-plant-turtle-programme","title":"Libya: Qubeiba Beach nesting site demolished for a power plant near Sirte; turtle programme interrupted","dek":"In 2009 construction of a power plant near Sirte demolished Qubeiba Beach, which The National described in 2023 as one of Libya's most active nesting sites. A UN-funded turtle programme was interrupted by conflict, and volunteers continue without funding.","country":"Libya","region":"Africa","lat":31.2,"lon":16.6,"places":[{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","admin":"Near Sirte (Qubeiba Beach)","lat":31.2,"lon":16.6,"role":"event"}],"start":1995,"end":2023,"instrument":"protected-area","types":["protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Qubeiba Beach","value":"Demolished in 2009 for a power plant","note":"Described by The National (2023) as one of Libya's most active nesting sites."},"happened":["Surveys in 1995 found 342 crawl tracks and 176 nests between the Egyptian border and Sirte. The Libyan Sea Turtle Programme was launched in 2005. MEDASSET records 550 nests in 2006 and 841 in 2007 at 28 beaches, and 358 nests in 2009 at five beaches near Sirte.","In 2009 construction of a power plant near Sirte demolished Qubeiba Beach, described by The National in 2023 as one of Libya's most active nesting sites. The plant operator is not named in the sources reviewed.","A UN-funded turtle programme was interrupted by conflict, and volunteers continue without funding. The National reports 494 nests on one stretch in 2022 against 271 in 2011. A volunteer told The National: \"We are tackling a problem that the state has been unable to solve.\""],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Surveys find 342 crawl tracks and 176 nests between the Egyptian border and Sirte","src":1},{"y":2005,"t":"Libyan Sea Turtle Programme launched","src":1},{"y":2009,"t":"Construction of a power plant near Sirte demolishes Qubeiba Beach; 358 nests recorded at five beaches near Sirte (MEDASSET)","src":0},{"y":2022,"t":"494 nests on one stretch, against 271 in 2011 (The National)","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"We are tackling a problem that the state has been unable to solve.","who":"A volunteer working on the turtle programme, to The National","when":"April 2023","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Surveys in 1995 found 342 crawl tracks and 176 nests between the Egyptian border and Sirte.","src":1},{"t":"MEDASSET records 550 nests in 2006 and 841 in 2007 at 28 beaches, and 358 nests in 2009 at five beaches near Sirte.","src":1},{"t":"The National (April 2023): construction of a power plant near Sirte in 2009 demolished Qubeiba Beach, described as one of Libya's most active nesting sites.","src":0},{"t":"The National (April 2023): a UN-funded programme was interrupted by conflict; volunteers continue without funding.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nests, one stretch","v":"494 (2022) vs 271 (2011)","d":"The National"},{"k":"Nests at five beaches near Sirte","v":"358","d":"2009, MEDASSET"},{"k":"Nests at 28 beaches","v":"550 (2006); 841 (2007)","d":"MEDASSET"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"The National (April 2023) and MEDASSET survey figures","report":[{"t":"My Qubeiba Beach, described by The National as one of Libya's most active nesting sites, was demolished in 2009 during construction of a power plant near Sirte.","src":0},{"t":"358 nests were recorded at five beaches near Sirte in 2009, according to MEDASSET.","src":1}]},"unknown":["None on record: the area of Qubeiba Beach lost.","None on record: the owner of the power plant and the year it was commissioned.","Unclear: the nest counts are not directly comparable between years because the number of beaches surveyed differs (28 beaches in 2006 and 2007; five beaches near Sirte in 2009)."],"evidence":["no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Qubeiba Beach was demolished in 2009; the sources reviewed give nest counts for one stretch in 2011 and 2022 but do not say whether Qubeiba nesting resumed.","whoPaid":"No compensation, fine or funding figure is on record; the UN-funded programme was interrupted by conflict and volunteers continue without funding.","statusLine":"As of April 2023 (latest source): the UN-funded programme had been interrupted by conflict and volunteers were continuing without funding; the plant owner and the area of Qubeiba lost are not on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"environment-general-authority-libya","role":"Named among the bodies involved in the turtle programme"},{"id":"medasset","role":"Published nest counts from Libyan coast surveys"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"crawl_tracks","value":342,"unit":"tracks","year":1995,"note":"Egyptian border to Sirte."},{"key":"nests","value":176,"unit":"nests","year":1995,"note":"Egyptian border to Sirte."},{"key":"nests","value":550,"unit":"nests","year":2006,"note":"28 beaches (MEDASSET)."},{"key":"nests","value":841,"unit":"nests","year":2007,"note":"28 beaches (MEDASSET)."},{"key":"nests","value":358,"unit":"nests","year":2009,"note":"Five beaches near Sirte (MEDASSET)."},{"key":"nests","value":271,"unit":"nests","year":2011,"note":"One stretch (The National)."},{"key":"nests","value":494,"unit":"nests","year":2022,"note":"The same stretch as 2011 (The National)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Construction of a power plant near Sirte in 2009 demolished Qubeiba Beach, described as one of Libya's most active nesting sites; a UN-funded turtle programme was later interrupted by conflict.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead nesting at Qubeiba Beach","what":"The beach was demolished in 2009; 358 nests were recorded at five beaches near Sirte that year","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Libya, near Sirte.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1995 (first surveys), 2005 (programme launched), 2009 (beach demolished), 2023 (The National report).","src":0},"why":{"t":"A power plant was built on the beach; the plant operator is not named in the sources reviewed.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through construction of the plant, which demolished the beach.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"The National report on turtles finding refuge in war-torn Libya","p":"The National","d":"2023-04-20","type":"press","u":"https://thenationalnews.com/mena/2023/04/20/threatened-turtles-find-refuge-in-war-torn-libya"},{"t":"MEDASSET project page: marine turtle nesting assessment on Libyan coasts","p":"MEDASSET","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://www.medasset.org/our-projects/marine-turtle-nesting-assessment-on-libyan-coasts/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The National reports that in 2009 construction of a power plant near Sirte demolished my Qubeiba Beach, one of Libya's most active nesting sites.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the area of Qubeiba Beach lost.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the owner of the power plant and the year it was commissioned.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the nest counts are not directly comparable between years because the number of beaches surveyed differs (28 beaches in 2006 and 2007; five beaches near Sirte in 2009).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"wto-us-shrimp-turtle-import-ban-ds58","title":"US import ban on shrimp harvested without turtle protection: WTO dispute DS58 (US – Shrimp)","dek":"Section 609 of US Public Law 101-162 bars imports of shrimp harvested with technology that may harm sea turtles unless the exporting nation is certified. India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand challenged the ban at the WTO; the Appellate Body found in 1998 that it failed the Article XX chapeau as applied, and in 2001 that the revised measure was justified.","country":"United States","region":"Global","lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","role":"affected"},{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","role":"affected"},{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","role":"affected"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","role":"affected"}],"start":1989,"end":2001,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"WTO Appellate Body, Article 21.5 report of 22 October 2001","value":"Revised US measure found justified","note":"On condition of continued good-faith efforts toward a multilateral agreement; the report was adopted on 21 November 2001."},"happened":["Section 609 of US Public Law 101-162, dated 21 November 1989, bars imports of shrimp harvested with technology that may harm sea turtles unless the exporting nation is certified. US trawlers had been required to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs) since 1987, with five sea turtle species, including the loggerhead, named.","India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand requested WTO consultations with the United States on 8 October 1996. The panel report of 15 May 1998 (WT/DS58/R) found the ban inconsistent with GATT Article XI:1. The Appellate Body report of 12 October 1998 (WT/DS58/AB/R) found the measure provisionally justified under Article XX(g) but failing the Article XX chapeau in how it was applied; the report was adopted on 6 November 1998.","The United States revised its guidelines on 8 July 1999. A compliance panel (15 June 2001) and the Appellate Body (22 October 2001) found the revised measure justified, on condition of continued good-faith efforts toward a multilateral agreement. The Appellate Body report was adopted on 21 November 2001. Sixteen third parties took part in the dispute.","The United States argued that shrimp trawl nets are a major human cause of sea turtle deaths; the complainants called the ban unilateral discrimination. The sources reviewed do not record loggerhead mortality tied to the ban or the trade value affected."],"timeline":[{"y":1987,"t":"US trawlers required to use turtle excluder devices (TEDs); five sea turtle species, including the loggerhead, named","src":0},{"y":1989,"t":"Section 609 of US Public Law 101-162 enacted (21 November)","src":0},{"y":1996,"t":"India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand request WTO consultations (8 October)","src":0},{"y":1998,"t":"Panel finds the ban inconsistent with GATT Article XI:1 (15 May); Appellate Body finds it provisionally justified under Article XX(g) but failing the chapeau (12 October); report adopted (6 November)","src":1},{"y":1999,"t":"United States revises its guidelines (8 July)","src":0},{"y":2001,"t":"Compliance panel (15 June) and Appellate Body (22 October) find the revised measure justified; report adopted (21 November)","src":0}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The ban presented as a response to shrimp trawl nets, which the United States described as a major human cause of sea turtle deaths.","who":"United States","src":1},{"t":"The ban described as unilateral discrimination.","who":"India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Panel report (15 May 1998): the import ban is inconsistent with GATT Article XI:1.","src":0},{"t":"Appellate Body report (12 October 1998): the measure is provisionally justified under Article XX(g) but fails the Article XX chapeau in how it was applied; adopted 6 November 1998.","src":1},{"t":"Compliance panel (15 June 2001) and Appellate Body (22 October 2001): the revised measure is justified, on condition of continued good-faith efforts toward a multilateral agreement; adopted 21 November 2001.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["None on record: loggerhead mortality tied to the ban.","None on record: the trade value affected by the ban."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed record no measurement of sea turtle or loggerhead mortality tied to the import ban or to its revision.","whoPaid":"No amounts are on record.","statusLine":"As of November 2001: the Appellate Body report finding the revised US measure justified was adopted on 21 November 2001; no later step is recorded in the sources reviewed.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"United States","says":"Argued that shrimp trawl nets are a major human cause of sea turtle deaths.","when":null,"src":1},{"actor":"India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand","says":"Called the ban unilateral discrimination.","when":null,"src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"wto","role":"Dispute settlement forum (panel, Appellate Body, compliance proceedings)"},{"id":"us-government","role":"Respondent; Section 609 import ban"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Complainant (consultations requested 8 October 1996)"},{"id":"malaysia-government","role":"Complainant (consultations requested 8 October 1996)"},{"id":"pakistan-government","role":"Complainant (consultations requested 8 October 1996)"},{"id":"thailand-government","role":"Complainant (consultations requested 8 October 1996)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether the US import ban on shrimp harvested without turtle protection was consistent with WTO rules","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"United States","says":"Argued that shrimp trawl nets are a major human cause of sea turtle deaths.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand","says":"Called the ban unilateral discrimination.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"WTO panel (15 May 1998)","says":"Found the ban inconsistent with GATT Article XI:1.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"WTO Appellate Body (12 October 1998)","says":"Found the measure provisionally justified under Article XX(g) but failing the Article XX chapeau in how it was applied.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"WTO compliance panel and Appellate Body (2001)","says":"Found the revised measure justified, on condition of continued good-faith efforts toward a multilateral agreement.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"WTO dispute DS58, United States – import prohibition of shrimp and shrimp products (original proceeding)","forum":"World Trade Organization (panel and Appellate Body)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand","defendant":"United States","filed":1996,"decided":1998,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"Consultations were requested on 8 October 1996. The panel (15 May 1998) found the ban inconsistent with GATT Article XI:1. The Appellate Body (12 October 1998) found it provisionally justified under Article XX(g) but failing the Article XX chapeau in how it was applied; the report was adopted on 6 November 1998. Sixteen third parties took part.","src":1},{"title":"WTO dispute DS58, compliance proceeding after the US revised its guidelines (8 July 1999)","forum":"World Trade Organization (compliance panel and Appellate Body, Article 21.5)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Complainant in the compliance proceeding (not named in the sources reviewed)","defendant":"United States","filed":null,"decided":2001,"status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The compliance panel (15 June 2001) and the Appellate Body (22 October 2001) found the revised measure justified, on condition of continued good-faith efforts toward a multilateral agreement; the report was adopted on 21 November 2001.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"third_parties","value":16,"unit":"third parties","year":1998,"note":"Third parties in the WTO dispute."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The United States barred imports of shrimp harvested with technology that may harm sea turtles unless the exporting nation was certified (Section 609 of Public Law 101-162). Four exporting countries challenged the ban at the WTO.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"United States","what":"Revised measure found justified by the Appellate Body in 2001, on condition of continued good-faith efforts toward a multilateral agreement","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand","what":"Shrimp harvested with technology that may harm sea turtles barred from the US market unless the exporting nation was certified; the trade value affected is not on record","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea turtles, including the loggerhead","what":"The United States described shrimp trawl nets as a major human cause of sea turtle deaths; mortality tied to the ban is not on record","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"United States as respondent; India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand as complainants; the dispute was heard in the WTO dispute settlement system.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Section 609 dated 21 November 1989; consultations requested 8 October 1996; panel 15 May 1998; Appellate Body 12 October 1998 (adopted 6 November 1998); revised guidelines 8 July 1999; compliance panel 15 June 2001; Appellate Body 22 October 2001 (adopted 21 November 2001).","src":0},"why":{"t":"The United States said shrimp trawl nets are a major human cause of sea turtle deaths; the complainants called the ban unilateral discrimination.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Section 609 bars shrimp imports harvested with technology that may harm sea turtles unless the exporting nation is certified; US trawlers had been required to use TEDs since 1987.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"WTO dispute settlement case page: DS58, US – Shrimp","p":"World Trade Organization","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds58_e.htm"},{"t":"Appellate Body report, WT/DS58/AB/R","p":"World Trade Organization","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/58abr.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Whether the US import ban on shrimp harvested without turtle protection was consistent with WTO rules","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: loggerhead mortality tied to the ban.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the trade value affected by the ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hawaii-shallow-set-longline-loggerhead-limits-ninth-circuit","title":"Hawaii shallow-set longline swordfish fishery: loggerhead interaction limits, Ninth Circuit ruling and 2018 closure","dek":"The Hawaii-based shallow-set longline fishery was reauthorised in 2004 with a limit of 17 loggerhead interactions a year. In 2017 the Ninth Circuit held NMFS's 2012 no-jeopardy finding for loggerheads arbitrary and capricious; a May 2018 settlement closed the fishery for the rest of that year, and a 2019 opinion and 2020 rule set new limits.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":21.3,"lon":-157.9,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Hawaii / North Pacific","lat":21.3,"lon":-157.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals","role":"court"}],"start":2004,"end":2020,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Annual loggerhead interaction limit for the fishery","value":"17 (2004), 34 (2012 opinion), 36 (2019 opinion)","note":"A rule effective 17 September 2020 removed the fleet-wide cap of 17 and set a limit of 5 per trip."},"happened":["The Hawaii shallow-set longline swordfish fishery was reauthorised in 2004 with limits of 16 leatherback and 17 loggerhead interactions a year and 2,120 sets. A biological opinion of 30 January 2012 allowed 26 leatherback and 34 loggerhead interactions a year and removed the cap on sets (77 FR 60638).","Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Center for Biological Diversity sued the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and other federal agencies; the Hawaii Longline Association intervened. On 27 December 2017 the Ninth Circuit (No. 13-17123, 2–1) held the loggerhead no-jeopardy finding arbitrary and capricious.","A settlement of 4 May 2018, entered as a court order, vacated the loggerhead part of the challenged opinion and closed the fishery from 8 May to 31 December 2018 (83 FR 21939).","A new biological opinion of 26 June 2019 allowed 36 loggerhead interactions a year. A rule effective 17 September 2020 (85 FR 57988) removed the fleet-wide cap of 17 and set a limit of 5 per trip. NMFS (2020) gave the North Pacific loggerhead population as increasing about 2.3% a year, at about 340,000 turtles. Thirteen interactions were recorded in 2020 to 8 September; in 2018, 16% of trips accounted for 58% of interactions."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Fishery reauthorised with limits of 16 leatherback and 17 loggerhead interactions a year and 2,120 sets","src":0},{"y":2012,"t":"Biological opinion of 30 January allows 26 leatherback and 34 loggerhead interactions and removes the set cap (77 FR 60638)","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"Ninth Circuit holds the loggerhead no-jeopardy finding arbitrary and capricious (27 December, No. 13-17123, 2–1)","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"Settlement and court order of 4 May vacate the loggerhead part and close the fishery 8 May–31 December (83 FR 21939)","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"New biological opinion (26 June) allows 36 loggerheads a year","src":2},{"y":2020,"t":"Rule effective 17 September (85 FR 57988) removes the fleet-wide cap of 17 and sets a limit of 5 per trip","src":2}],"said":[{"q":"prepared to address the deficiencies","who":"Michael Tosatto, NMFS","when":null,"src":3},{"q":"A healthy ocean belongs to all of us.","who":"Todd Steiner, Turtle Island Restoration Network","when":null,"src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The 2012 biological opinion presented as finding no jeopardy to the loggerhead while allowing 34 interactions a year.","who":"NMFS","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ninth Circuit, No. 13-17123 (27 December 2017, 2–1): the loggerhead no-jeopardy finding was arbitrary and capricious.","src":0},{"t":"Court order of 4 May 2018: loggerhead part vacated; fishery closed 8 May to 31 December 2018.","src":1},{"t":"NMFS (2020): North Pacific loggerhead population increasing about 2.3% a year, about 340,000 turtles.","src":2},{"t":"Thirteen loggerhead interactions in 2020 to 8 September; in 2018, 16% of trips accounted for 58% of interactions.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loggerhead interactions allowed per year","v":"17, then 34, then 36","d":"2004 limit; 2012 biological opinion; 2019 biological opinion"},{"k":"Interactions recorded","v":"13","d":"In 2020 to 8 September"},{"k":"Trips and interactions in 2018","v":"16% of trips, 58% of interactions","d":"Share of trips accounting for share of interactions"},{"k":"North Pacific loggerhead population","v":"About 340,000, increasing about 2.3% a year","d":"NMFS, 2020"}]},"unknown":["None on record: the value of the fishery.","Unclear: the share of loggerhead mortality caused by the fishery compared with its effect on the population."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The fishery was closed from 8 May to 31 December 2018 under the May 2018 court order. A rule effective 17 September 2020 set a limit of 5 loggerhead interactions per trip and removed the fleet-wide cap of 17; 13 interactions were recorded in 2020 to 8 September.","whoPaid":"No amounts are on record.","statusLine":"As of September 2020: a rule effective 17 September 2020 removed the fleet-wide loggerhead cap of 17 and set a limit of 5 per trip; the 2019 opinion allows 36 loggerheads a year.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"National Marine Fisheries Service","says":"Michael Tosatto of NMFS said the agency was \"prepared to address the deficiencies\".","when":null,"src":3},{"actor":"Turtle Island Restoration Network","says":"Todd Steiner said: \"A healthy ocean belongs to all of us.\"","when":null,"src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"turtle-island-restoration-network","role":"Plaintiff"},{"id":"center-for-biological-diversity","role":"Plaintiff"},{"id":"earthjustice","role":"Named with the plaintiffs"},{"id":"nmfs","role":"Defendant; issued the 2012 and 2019 biological opinions"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Defendant agency (Interior)"},{"id":"hawaii-longline-association","role":"Intervenor"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether allowed loggerhead interactions in the fishery were consistent with a no-jeopardy finding","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"NMFS (2012 biological opinion)","says":"Allowed 34 loggerhead interactions a year and removed the cap on sets.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Turtle Island Restoration Network and Center for Biological Diversity","says":"Sued over the 2012 opinion; the Ninth Circuit ruled for them on the loggerhead finding.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Ninth Circuit (27 December 2017, 2–1)","says":"Held the loggerhead no-jeopardy finding arbitrary and capricious.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"NMFS (2019 opinion and 2020 rule)","says":"Allowed 36 loggerheads a year and set a limit of 5 per trip; gave the North Pacific loggerhead population as increasing about 2.3% a year, at about 340,000 turtles.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ninth Circuit, No. 13-17123: challenge to the 2012 biological opinion for the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Turtle Island Restoration Network and Center for Biological Diversity","defendant":"NMFS, Department of Commerce, Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior; Hawaii Longline Association intervened","filed":null,"decided":2017,"status":"claimant-won","amount":null,"summary":"On 27 December 2017 the Ninth Circuit, 2–1, held the loggerhead no-jeopardy finding arbitrary and capricious.","src":0},{"title":"Settlement and court order of 4 May 2018: vacatur of the loggerhead part and closure of the fishery","forum":"US federal court (order of 4 May 2018)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Turtle Island Restoration Network and Center for Biological Diversity","defendant":"NMFS and other federal defendants","filed":null,"decided":2018,"status":"settled","amount":null,"summary":"A settlement of 4 May 2018 vacated the loggerhead part and closed the fishery from 8 May to 31 December 2018 (83 FR 21939).","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loggerhead_interaction_limit","value":17,"unit":"interactions a year","year":2004,"note":"Limit on reauthorisation, with 16 leatherback interactions and 2,120 sets."},{"key":"loggerhead_interaction_limit","value":34,"unit":"interactions a year","year":2012,"note":"Biological opinion of 30 January 2012; 26 leatherback interactions; set cap removed."},{"key":"loggerhead_interaction_limit","value":36,"unit":"interactions a year","year":2019,"note":"Biological opinion of 26 June 2019."},{"key":"loggerhead_interaction_limit_per_trip","value":5,"unit":"interactions per trip","year":2020,"note":"Rule effective 17 September 2020 (85 FR 57988); the fleet-wide cap of 17 was removed."},{"key":"loggerhead_interactions","value":13,"unit":"interactions","year":2020,"note":"Recorded in 2020 to 8 September."},{"key":"trips_share_of_interactions","value":16,"unit":"% of trips","year":2018,"note":"16% of trips accounted for 58% of interactions in 2018."},{"key":"interactions_share_of_trips","value":58,"unit":"% of interactions","year":2018,"note":"Share of interactions accounted for by 16% of trips in 2018."},{"key":"loggerhead_population_growth_pct","value":2.3,"unit":"% a year","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"North Pacific loggerhead population increasing (NMFS 2020)."},{"key":"loggerhead_population","value":340000,"unit":"turtles","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"North Pacific loggerhead population (NMFS 2020)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"NMFS authorised the Hawaii shallow-set longline swordfish fishery with limits on loggerhead and leatherback interactions. The Ninth Circuit held the 2012 loggerhead no-jeopardy finding arbitrary and capricious; the fishery was closed for the rest of 2018 and later authorised with new limits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery operators","what":"Loggerhead interaction limit of 34 a year under the 2012 opinion and 36 under the 2019 opinion; the fleet-wide cap of 17 removed in the 2020 rule","src":2},{"who":"Turtle Island Restoration Network and Center for Biological Diversity","what":"Ninth Circuit ruling of 27 December 2017 in their favour on the loggerhead finding; closure of the fishery from 8 May to 31 December 2018","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery operators","what":"Fishery closed from 8 May to 31 December 2018; the value of the fishery is not on record","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"North Pacific loggerhead turtles","what":"Interactions with the fishery allowed at up to 17, 34 and 36 a year under successive limits; 13 interactions in 2020 to 8 September; NMFS gave the population as increasing about 2.3% a year","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Hawaii and the North Pacific; the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reauthorised 2004; biological opinion 30 January 2012; Ninth Circuit ruling 27 December 2017; settlement and closure 4 May 2018 (closure 8 May–31 December 2018); biological opinion 26 June 2019; rule effective 17 September 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Turtle Island Restoration Network and the Center for Biological Diversity sued over the 2012 opinion's loggerhead no-jeopardy finding; NMFS said it was \"prepared to address the deficiencies\".","src":3},"how":{"t":"Biological opinions set annual limits on loggerhead and leatherback interactions; the Ninth Circuit ruling led to a settlement that vacated the loggerhead part and closed the fishery, and a 2020 rule replaced the fleet-wide cap with a per-trip limit.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Ninth Circuit opinion, No. 13-17123","p":"US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit","d":"2017-12-27","type":"court","u":"https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2017/12/27/13-17123.pdf"},{"t":"Federal Register notice, 83 FR 21939 (11 May 2018): closure of the Hawaii shallow-set longline fishery","p":"Federal Register (govinfo.gov)","d":"2018-05-11","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2018-05-11/pdf/2018-10096.pdf"},{"t":"Federal Register rule, 85 FR 57988 (17 September 2020)","p":"Federal Register (govinfo.gov)","d":"2020-09-17","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-09-17/html/2020-20304.htm"},{"t":"Court orders closure of swordfish fishery to protect loggerhead turtles","p":"Environment Hawaii","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://environment-hawaii.org/court-orders-closure-of-swordfish-fishery-to-protect-loggerhead-turtles/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Interactions with my loggerheads allowed to the Hawaii swordfish fleet rose from 17 a year (2004) to 34 (2012) and 36 (2019); the Ninth Circuit held the 2012 no-jeopardy finding arbitrary and capricious.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether allowed loggerhead interactions in the fishery were consistent with a no-jeopardy finding","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the value of the fishery.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the share of loggerhead mortality caused by the fishery compared with its effect on the population.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"california-oregon-drift-gillnet-pacific-loggerhead-conservation-area","title":"California and Oregon drift gillnet fishery: Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area and the SB 1017 buyout","dek":"A 2000 biological opinion found the drift gillnet fishery likely to jeopardise loggerheads. NMFS closed an area to the fishery in June–August during El Niño conditions from 2004, and California's SB 1017 of 27 September 2018 phases out swordfish drift gillnets through a buyout.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":33.5,"lon":-118.5,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Southern California Bight","lat":33.5,"lon":-118.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2000,"end":2018,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Estimated gross revenue loss from the El Niño closure, per El Niño year (NMFS, 2003)","value":"$79,500","note":"Estimate; up to $4,970 per vessel."},"happened":["A biological opinion of 23 October 2000 found the drift gillnet fishery likely to jeopardise loggerheads. NMFS's final rule of 16 December 2003 (68 FR 69962), effective 15 January 2004, established the Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area and closed it to the fishery in June–August during El Niño conditions (50 CFR 660.713(c)(2)).","NMFS estimated the closure cost at $79,500 in gross revenue per El Niño year, up to $4,970 per vessel, for about 16 affected vessel owners. Its take statement was 1 observed loggerhead (2 estimated mortality) per El Niño year, and 32% mortality is stated for 1990–2000 data.","California SB 1017 (27 September 2018) phases out swordfish drift gillnets through a buyout of $10,000 per state permit plus $100,000 for active fishers who surrender nets, according to Oceana. Oceana's Susan Murray described the law as \"an enormous net benefit for endangered whales, sea turtles\".","A federal end to large-mesh drift gillnets by 2027 has been reported but was not verified."],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Biological opinion (23 October) finds the fishery likely to jeopardise loggerheads","src":0},{"y":2003,"t":"NMFS final rule (16 December, 68 FR 69962) establishes the Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area, closed June–August in El Niño conditions; effective 15 January 2004","src":0},{"y":2018,"t":"California SB 1017 signed (27 September): drift gillnet phase-out through a buyout","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"an enormous net benefit for endangered whales, sea turtles","who":"Susan Murray, Oceana","when":null,"src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"SB 1017 presented as ending the swordfish drift gillnet fishery, with \"an enormous net benefit for endangered whales, sea turtles\".","who":"Oceana","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"NMFS biological opinion of 23 October 2000: the fishery was likely to jeopardise loggerheads.","src":0},{"t":"NMFS final rule of 16 December 2003: the Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area is closed in June–August during El Niño conditions; closure cost estimated at $79,500 gross revenue per El Niño year, up to $4,970 per vessel.","src":0},{"t":"California SB 1017 (27 September 2018): swordfish drift gillnets phased out through a buyout of $10,000 per state permit plus $100,000 for active fishers surrendering nets.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Estimated gross revenue loss from the El Niño closure, per El Niño year (NMFS, 2003)","amount":0.0795,"est":true},{"label":"Estimated maximum loss per vessel, per El Niño year (NMFS, 2003)","amount":0.00497,"est":true,"qualifier":"up to"},{"label":"SB 1017 buyout: per state permit (Oceana)","amount":0.01},{"label":"SB 1017 buyout: additional for active fishers surrendering nets (Oceana)","amount":0.1}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Take statement under the 2003 rule","v":"1 observed loggerhead (2 estimated mortality) per El Niño year","d":"NMFS, 2003"},{"k":"Mortality in 1990–2000 data","v":"32%","d":"As stated in the 2003 rule"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NMFS biological opinion of 23 October 2000 and final rule of 16 December 2003","report":[{"t":"NMFS found in a biological opinion of 23 October 2000 that the drift gillnet fishery was likely to jeopardise my loggerheads.","src":0},{"t":"NMFS's 2003 rule gives a take statement of 1 observed loggerhead, with 2 estimated mortality, per El Niño year, and 32% mortality in 1990–2000 data.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a federal end to large-mesh drift gillnets by 2027."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area closes in June–August during El Niño conditions under the 2003 rule; SB 1017 phases out swordfish drift gillnets through a buyout. Whether the closure and buyout reduced loggerhead mortality is not measured in the sources reviewed.","whoPaid":"NMFS estimated the 2003 closure cost at $79,500 in gross revenue per El Niño year, up to $4,970 per vessel, borne by the affected vessel owners. The SB 1017 buyout pays $10,000 per state permit plus $100,000 for active fishers surrendering nets; the funder is not stated in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of September 2018: California SB 1017 (27 September 2018) phases out swordfish drift gillnets through a buyout; the 2003 El Niño closure rule remains the federal measure recorded in the sources reviewed.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Oceana","says":"Susan Murray described the law as \"an enormous net benefit for endangered whales, sea turtles\".","when":null,"src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"nmfs","role":"Issued the 2000 biological opinion and the 2003 final rule"},{"id":"california-legislature","role":"Enacted SB 1017 (27 September 2018)"},{"id":"oceana","role":"Advocate for the phase-out; source for the buyout amounts"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"closure_cost_per_el_nino_year","value":79500,"unit":"USD gross revenue","year":2003,"est":true,"note":"NMFS estimate per El Niño year (2003 final rule)."},{"key":"closure_cost_per_vessel_max","value":4970,"unit":"USD per vessel","year":2003,"qualifier":"up to","est":true,"note":"NMFS estimate per El Niño year (2003 final rule)."},{"key":"buyout_per_state_permit","value":10000,"unit":"USD","year":2018,"note":"SB 1017 buyout (Oceana)."},{"key":"buyout_active_fishers_nets","value":100000,"unit":"USD","year":2018,"note":"SB 1017: additional for active fishers surrendering nets (Oceana)."},{"key":"affected_vessel_owners","value":16,"unit":"vessel owners","year":2003,"qualifier":"about","note":"Affected by the closure."},{"key":"loggerhead_take_observed","value":1,"unit":"loggerhead per El Niño year","year":2003,"note":"Take statement; 2 estimated mortality."},{"key":"loggerhead_take_estimated_mortality","value":2,"unit":"loggerheads per El Niño year","year":2003,"est":true,"note":"Take statement."},{"key":"mortality_pct_1990_2000","value":32,"unit":"%","year":2000,"note":"Stated as '32% mortality in 1990–2000 data'."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"NMFS closed an area to the California/Oregon drift gillnet fishery in June–August during El Niño conditions to protect loggerheads, and California later enacted a buyout to phase out swordfish drift gillnets.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Active drift gillnet fishers surrendering nets","what":"$10,000 per state permit plus $100,000 for active fishers surrendering nets under SB 1017, according to Oceana","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"About 16 affected vessel owners","what":"Closure cost estimated by NMFS at $79,500 in gross revenue per El Niño year, up to $4,970 per vessel","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerheads","what":"A 2000 biological opinion found the fishery likely to jeopardise them; 32% mortality in 1990–2000 data","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The Southern California Bight, United States; the Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Biological opinion 23 October 2000; final rule 16 December 2003 (effective 15 January 2004); SB 1017 signed 27 September 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"NMFS's 2000 biological opinion found the fishery likely to jeopardise loggerheads.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A seasonal closure in El Niño conditions under 50 CFR 660.713(c)(2), followed by a state buyout phasing out swordfish drift gillnets.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Federal Register final rule, 68 FR 69962 (16 December 2003)","p":"Federal Register (govinfo.gov)","d":"2003-12-16","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2003-12-16/pdf/03-30919.pdf"},{"t":"Governor Brown signs bill to end destructive swordfish drift gillnet","p":"Oceana","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://oceana.org/press-releases/governor-brown-signs-bill-end-destructive-swordfish-drift-gillnet/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"NMFS found in 2000 that drift gillnets were likely to jeopardise my loggerheads; it put the cost of closing my Pacific Loggerhead Conservation Area at $79,500 in gross revenue per El Niño year.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a federal end to large-mesh drift gillnets by 2027.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"noaa-mexico-loggerhead-bycatch-certifications-gulf-of-ulloa","title":"NOAA certifications of Mexico for loggerhead bycatch in the Gulf of Ulloa","dek":"Under the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NOAA identified Mexico in 2013 for loggerhead bycatch, gave a negative certification in an addendum to its 2015 report, certified Mexico positively on 1 September 2016, and gave a negative certification again in its 2023 report. NOAA states that Mexican vessels in the Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries are barred from US ports.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":26,"lon":-113.5,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Baja California Sur (Gulf of Ulloa)","lat":26,"lon":-113.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"regulator"}],"start":2013,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"NOAA certification of Mexico for loggerhead bycatch, 2023 report","value":"Negative","note":"NOAA states all Mexican vessels in Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries are barred from US ports and port services; its page was updated on 26 June 2026."},"happened":["Under section 403 of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, NOAA identified Mexico in 2013 for loggerhead bycatch. An addendum to the 2015 report gave a negative certification. NOAA positively certified Mexico on 1 September 2016 after new rules covering gear, a turtle-death limit and a fish refuge.","NOAA's 2021 report identified Mexico again, and its 2023 report gave a negative certification. NOAA states that all Mexican vessels in Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries are barred from US ports and port services; the notice was still on the NOAA page, updated 26 June 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"NOAA identifies Mexico for loggerhead bycatch under Magnuson-Stevens Act section 403","src":0},{"y":2015,"t":"Addendum to the 2015 report gives Mexico a negative certification","src":1},{"y":2016,"t":"NOAA positively certifies Mexico (1 September) after new rules on gear, a turtle-death limit and a fish refuge","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"NOAA's 2021 report identifies Mexico again","src":0},{"y":2023,"t":"NOAA's 2023 report gives a negative certification","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Port-denial notice for Mexican Gulf of Ulloa gillnet vessels still on NOAA's page (updated 26 June)","src":0}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NOAA identified Mexico in 2013 for loggerhead bycatch; an addendum to the 2015 report gave a negative certification; NOAA positively certified Mexico on 1 September 2016; the 2023 report gave a negative certification.","src":0},{"t":"NOAA states all Mexican vessels in Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries are barred from US ports and port services.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Not stated: the date of the 2023 publication.","Not stated: any re-certification since the 2023 negative certification."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"NOAA's port-denial notice for Mexican vessels in the Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries was still on its page, updated 26 June 2026. The sources reviewed do not measure loggerhead bycatch after the 2016 rules.","whoPaid":"No amounts are on record.","statusLine":"As of 26 June 2026: NOAA's port-denial notice for Mexican Gulf of Ulloa gillnet vessels remained on its page; no re-certification is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"noaa","role":"Identified and certified Mexico under the Magnuson-Stevens Act; port-denial notice"},{"id":"nmfs","role":"NOAA Fisheries; issued the certification statements"},{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Identified and certified; new rules on gear, a turtle-death limit and a fish refuge"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"NOAA identification and certification of Mexico for loggerhead bycatch under Magnuson-Stevens Act section 403","forum":"NOAA Fisheries (administrative process)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"NOAA Fisheries","defendant":"Mexico (Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries)","filed":2013,"decided":2023,"status":"ongoing","amount":null,"summary":"NOAA identified Mexico in 2013; an addendum to the 2015 report gave a negative certification; Mexico was positively certified on 1 September 2016; the 2023 report gave a negative certification. All Mexican vessels in Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries are barred from US ports and port services.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"NOAA identified Mexico for loggerhead bycatch, certified it negatively in 2015 and 2023 and positively in 2016, and bars Mexican vessels in the Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries from US ports.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Mexican vessels in the Gulf of Ulloa gillnet fisheries","what":"Barred from US ports and port services, according to NOAA","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa","what":"NOAA identified Mexico in 2013 for loggerhead bycatch","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Gulf of Ulloa, Baja California Sur, Mexico; NOAA Fisheries, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Identified 2013; negative certification in an addendum to the 2015 report; positive certification 1 September 2016; 2021 report; negative certification in the 2023 report; NOAA page updated 26 June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"NOAA identified Mexico under the Magnuson-Stevens Act for loggerhead bycatch.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Magnuson-Stevens Act section 403 identification and certification; a negative certification leads to the denial of US port access for the vessels concerned.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Port denials under the Moratorium Protection Act","p":"NOAA Fisheries","d":"2026-06-26","type":"official","u":"https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/international-affairs/port-denials-under-moratorium-protection-act"},{"t":"NOAA Institutional Repository, record noaa/17219","p":"NOAA","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/17219"},{"t":"Statement by Eileen Sobeck on the positive certification of Mexico for regulations to reduce loggerhead bycatch","p":"NOAA Fisheries","d":"2016-09-01","type":"official","u":"https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/media-release/statement-eileen-sobeck-positive-certification-mexico-regulations-reduce-loggerhead"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the date of the 2023 publication.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: any re-certification since the 2023 negative certification.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"cec-factual-record-gulf-of-ulloa-loggerhead-sem-20-001","title":"CEC factual record on Mexico's enforcement for loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa (SEM-20-001, USMCA Chapter 24)","dek":"Cemda and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a submission on 17 December 2020. The CEC Council instructed a factual record on 3 April 2023 and the CEC published it on 22 April 2024, the first under USMCA Chapter 24.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":26,"lon":-113.5,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Baja California Sur (Gulf of Ulloa)","lat":26,"lon":-113.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Loggerhead deaths recorded in the Gulf of Ulloa in each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020","value":"More than 200 a year","note":"As stated in the CEC factual record."},"happened":["Cemda and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a submission (SEM-20-001) with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) on 17 December 2020, concerning Mexico's enforcement for loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa. The CEC Council instructed a factual record on 3 April 2023, and the CEC published it on 22 April 2024, the first factual record under USMCA Chapter 24.","The parties concerned include Mexico's Semarnat, Profepa and Conapesca, the CEC Secretariat, and about 1,228 fishers in 21 localities. Landings in the Gulf of Ulloa from 2006 to 2022 averaged 115,834 t a year; the value figure is inconsistent in the factual record, which gives \"$735 billion pesos\" in its text and a Table 1 total of 737,779,677 pesos.","The factual record records more than 200 loggerhead deaths in each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020, and nearly 1,000 stranded at San Lazaro beach in 2013. An on-board programme from 2015 to 2018 covered 24,313 trips, observed 908 turtles and recorded 27 killed as bycatch. A 2021 proposal to cut the mortality limit from 200 to 90 a year was removed in 2023.","The CEC stated that there is \"no single hypothesis or a combination of hypotheses explaining the mortality rate\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2020,"t":"Cemda and the Center for Biological Diversity file submission SEM-20-001 (17 December)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Proposal to cut the loggerhead mortality limit from 200 to 90 a year","src":1},{"y":2023,"t":"CEC Council instructs a factual record (3 April); the 2021 proposal on the mortality limit is removed","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Factual record published (22 April), the first under USMCA Chapter 24","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"no single hypothesis or a combination of hypotheses explaining the mortality rate","who":"Commission for Environmental Cooperation, factual record SEM-20-001","when":"2024-04-22","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"CEC factual record (22 April 2024): more than 200 loggerhead deaths in each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020; nearly 1,000 stranded at San Lazaro beach in 2013.","src":1},{"t":"On-board programme 2015–2018: 24,313 trips, 908 turtles observed, 27 killed as bycatch.","src":1},{"t":"A 2021 proposal to cut the mortality limit from 200 to 90 a year was removed in 2023.","src":1},{"t":"Gulf of Ulloa landings 2006–2022 averaged 115,834 t a year.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":"2006–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Gulf of Ulloa landings value, Table 1 total (pesos)","amount":null,"note":"737,779,677 pesos; the text of the factual record gives \"$735 billion pesos\"."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loggerhead deaths in 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020","v":"More than 200 in each year","d":"CEC factual record"},{"k":"Strandings at San Lazaro beach, 2013","v":"Nearly 1,000","d":"CEC factual record"},{"k":"On-board programme 2015–2018","v":"24,313 trips; 908 turtles observed; 27 killed as bycatch","d":"CEC factual record"},{"k":"Mortality limit","v":"200 a year; a 2021 proposal to cut it to 90 was removed in 2023","d":"CEC factual record"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"CEC factual record SEM-20-001 (22 April 2024)","report":[{"t":"More than 200 of my loggerheads died in each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020, according to the CEC factual record.","src":1},{"t":"Nearly 1,000 of my loggerheads were stranded at San Lazaro beach in 2013, according to the CEC factual record.","src":1},{"t":"Of the 908 of my turtles observed in the on-board programme from 2015 to 2018, 27 were killed as bycatch.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Conflicting figures: the value of Gulf of Ulloa landings is inconsistent in the factual record (text \"$735 billion pesos\"; Table 1 total 737,779,677 pesos).","Unexplained: the CEC states that there is \"no single hypothesis or a combination of hypotheses explaining the mortality rate\"."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"The factual record gives more than 200 loggerhead deaths in each of five years up to 2020 and states no single hypothesis explains the mortality rate. A 2021 proposal to cut the mortality limit from 200 to 90 a year was removed in 2023.","whoPaid":"No amounts are on record beyond the landings figures.","statusLine":"As of April 2024: the CEC published the factual record on 22 April 2024, the first under USMCA Chapter 24; no later step is recorded in the sources reviewed.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"cemda","role":"Submitter (17 December 2020)"},{"id":"center-for-biological-diversity","role":"Submitter (17 December 2020)"},{"id":"cec","role":"Council instructed the factual record; Secretariat published it"},{"id":"semarnat","role":"Mexican authority concerned"},{"id":"profepa","role":"Mexican authority concerned"},{"id":"conapesca","role":"Mexican authority concerned"},{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Party concerned in the submission"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"CEC submission SEM-20-001 under USMCA Chapter 24: Mexico's enforcement for loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa","forum":"Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Cemda and the Center for Biological Diversity","defendant":"Mexico","filed":2020,"decided":2024,"status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"The submission was filed on 17 December 2020. The CEC Council instructed a factual record on 3 April 2023 and the CEC published it on 22 April 2024, the first under USMCA Chapter 24. The sources reviewed do not record a determination on Mexico's compliance.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loggerhead_deaths","value":200,"unit":"turtles","year":2012,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Stated for each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020."},{"key":"loggerhead_deaths","value":200,"unit":"turtles","year":2013,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Stated for each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020."},{"key":"loggerhead_deaths","value":200,"unit":"turtles","year":2018,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Stated for each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020."},{"key":"loggerhead_deaths","value":200,"unit":"turtles","year":2019,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Stated for each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020."},{"key":"loggerhead_deaths","value":200,"unit":"turtles","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Stated for each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020."},{"key":"loggerhead_strandings","value":1000,"unit":"turtles","year":2013,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Stranded at San Lazaro beach."},{"key":"onboard_programme_trips","value":24313,"unit":"trips","year":2018,"note":"On-board programme 2015–2018."},{"key":"onboard_programme_turtles_observed","value":908,"unit":"turtles","year":2018,"note":"On-board programme 2015–2018."},{"key":"onboard_programme_bycatch_killed","value":27,"unit":"turtles","year":2018,"note":"Killed as bycatch, on-board programme 2015–2018."},{"key":"mortality_limit","value":200,"unit":"turtles a year","year":2023,"note":"A 2021 proposal to cut the limit to 90 a year was removed in 2023."},{"key":"landings_per_year","value":115834,"unit":"t a year","year":2022,"qualifier":"average","note":"Gulf of Ulloa landings, average for 2006–2022."},{"key":"landings_value","value":737779677,"unit":"pesos","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Table 1 total; the text of the factual record gives \"$735 billion pesos\"."},{"key":"fishers","value":1228,"unit":"fishers in 21 localities","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Concerned in the Gulf of Ulloa fisheries."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The CEC published a factual record on Mexico's enforcement for loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa after a submission by Cemda and the Center for Biological Diversity.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gulf of Ulloa fishers","what":"Landings averaged 115,834 t a year in 2006–2022; the value figure is inconsistent in the sources reviewed","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa","what":"More than 200 deaths in each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020; nearly 1,000 stranded at San Lazaro beach in 2013","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Gulf of Ulloa, Baja California Sur, Mexico.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Submission filed 17 December 2020; Council instruction 3 April 2023; factual record published 22 April 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Cemda and the Center for Biological Diversity filed a submission on Mexico's enforcement for loggerheads; the CEC states there is no single hypothesis explaining the mortality rate.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A submission under USMCA Chapter 24 led the CEC Council to instruct a factual record, which the CEC published; it records mortality and stranding figures and an on-board observer programme.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"CEC news: loggerhead turtle factual record","p":"Commission for Environmental Cooperation","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cec.org/news/loggerhead-turtle-factual-record/"},{"t":"Factual record, SEM-20-001 (Loggerhead Turtle)","p":"Commission for Environmental Cooperation","d":"2024-04-22","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cec.org/wp-content/uploads/wpallimport/files/20-1-ffr-en.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"More than 200 of my loggerheads died in the Gulf of Ulloa in each of 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2020, a CEC factual record states; nearly 1,000 stranded at San Lazaro beach in 2013.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Gulf of Ulloa landings value, Table 1 total (pesos) — 737,779,677 pesos; the text of the factual record gives \"$735 billion pesos\".","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"CEC submission SEM-20-001 under USMCA Chapter 24: Mexico's enforcement for loggerheads in the Gulf of Ulloa: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Landings value: Table 1 total; the text of the factual record gives \"$735 billion pesos\".","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: the value of Gulf of Ulloa landings is inconsistent in the factual record (text \"$735 billion pesos\"; Table 1 total 737,779,677 pesos).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Unexplained: the CEC states that there is \"no single hypothesis or a combination of hypotheses explaining the mortality rate\".","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fpl-st-lucie-cooling-water-intake-turtles","title":"FPL St. Lucie nuclear plant cooling-water intake and sea turtles, Hutchinson Island, Florida","dek":"The cooling-water intake canal of the Florida Power & Light St. Lucie nuclear plant has drawn in sea turtles since 1976. In 2006 the plant exceeded its incidental take limit, and in 2016 NMFS issued a new biological opinion and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission amended the plant's environmental protection plans.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":27.35,"lon":-80.25,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida (Hutchinson Island)","lat":27.35,"lon":-80.25,"role":"event"}],"start":1976,"end":2016,"instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Green and loggerhead turtles entrained at the intake in 2006","value":"662","note":"The plant exceeded its incidental take limit that year; 29 turtles were injured or killed, including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006."},"happened":["The cooling-water intake canal of the Florida Power & Light (FPL) St. Lucie nuclear plant on Hutchinson Island, Florida, has drawn in sea turtles since 1976. FPL runs a capture-and-release programme for the turtles. According to a 2007 document of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), 6,876 loggerheads were captured between 1976 and 2006.","In 2006 the plant exceeded its incidental take limit. A total of 662 green and loggerhead turtles were entrained and 29 were injured or killed, including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006.","The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a new biological opinion on 24 March 2016. In November 2016 the NRC amended the plant's environmental protection plans, with excluder devices on the velocity caps and an 8-inch barrier net. NRC staff attribute variation in captures mainly to natural variation in turtle occurrence."],"timeline":[{"y":1976,"t":"The intake canal begins drawing in sea turtles; captures are counted through 2006 (6,876 loggerheads captured, per the NRC in 2007)","src":0},{"y":2006,"t":"The plant exceeds its incidental take limit: 662 green and loggerhead turtles entrained and 29 injured or killed, including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"NMFS issues a new biological opinion (24 March); the NRC amends the plant's environmental protection plans (November), adding excluder devices on the velocity caps and an 8-inch barrier net","src":1}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NRC (2007): 6,876 loggerheads captured at the St. Lucie plant between 1976 and 2006.","src":0},{"t":"In 2006 the plant exceeded its incidental take limit: 662 green and loggerhead turtles entrained, 29 injured or killed, including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006.","src":0},{"t":"NMFS issued a new biological opinion on 24 March 2016; the NRC amended the plant's environmental protection plans in November 2016 (excluder devices on velocity caps, an 8-inch barrier net).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loggerheads captured at the intake, 1976–2006","v":"6,876","d":"NRC, 2007"},{"k":"Green and loggerhead turtles entrained in 2006","v":"662","d":"The plant exceeded its incidental take limit that year"},{"k":"Turtles injured or killed in 2006","v":"29","d":"Including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NRC document of 2007 on turtle captures at the St. Lucie plant","report":[{"t":"In 2006, 662 green and loggerhead turtles of mine were drawn into the plant's intake, and 29 were injured or killed, including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006.","src":0},{"t":"Between 1976 and 2006, 6,876 of my loggerheads were captured at the plant, according to the NRC in 2007.","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: a fine, compensation or any other money figure connected to the 2006 exceedance, in the sources reviewed."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed record turtle captures at the intake canal from 1976 to 2006, the 2006 exceedance of the incidental take limit, and the changes of 2016 (excluder devices on the velocity caps and an 8-inch barrier net). They give no turtle numbers after 2006.","whoPaid":"No fine, compensation or cost is on record in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of November 2016, the latest dated item on record: NMFS had issued a new biological opinion and the NRC had amended the plant's environmental protection plans; no later development is on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (staff)","says":"NRC staff attribute variation in the number of captures mainly to natural variation in turtle occurrence.","when":"2007","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"florida-power-and-light","role":"Operator of the St. Lucie nuclear plant and of the turtle capture-and-release programme"},{"id":"us-nuclear-regulatory-commission","role":"Regulator; amended the plant's environmental protection plans in November 2016"},{"id":"nmfs","role":"Issued a new biological opinion on 24 March 2016"},{"id":"florida-fwc","role":"Named among the agencies involved; role not described in the sources reviewed"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"turtles_captured","value":6876,"unit":"loggerheads","year":2006,"note":"Captured at the St. Lucie plant, 1976–2006 (NRC, 2007)."},{"key":"turtles_entrained","value":662,"unit":"green and loggerhead turtles","year":2006,"note":"The plant exceeded its incidental take limit that year."},{"key":"injured","value":29,"unit":"turtles injured or killed","year":2006,"note":"Including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006."},{"key":"loggerhead_hatchlings_injured_or_killed","value":21,"unit":"hatchlings","year":2006,"note":"25–26 October 2006."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The cooling-water intake canal of the St. Lucie nuclear plant has drawn in sea turtles since 1976. In 2006 the plant exceeded its incidental take limit; NMFS issued a new biological opinion in March 2016 and the NRC amended the plant's environmental protection plans in November 2016.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Green and loggerhead turtles","what":"662 entrained in 2006, of which 29 were injured or killed, including 21 loggerhead hatchlings on 25–26 October 2006; 6,876 loggerheads captured between 1976 and 2006","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The St. Lucie nuclear plant on Hutchinson Island, Florida, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1976 onward (captures counted to 2006); the take limit was exceeded in 2006; NMFS biological opinion on 24 March 2016; NRC amendment in November 2016.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The plant takes its cooling water through an intake canal that has drawn in turtles since 1976. NRC staff attribute variation in captures mainly to natural variation in turtle occurrence.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Turtles are drawn into the intake canal and captured and released under FPL's programme. The 2016 amendments added excluder devices on the velocity caps and an 8-inch barrier net.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"NRC document ML071700161 (2007) on turtle captures at the St. Lucie plant","p":"US Nuclear Regulatory Commission","d":"2007","type":"official","u":"https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0717/ML071700161.pdf"},{"t":"Federal Register notice 2016-27354 (14 November 2016) on the St. Lucie plant","p":"Federal Register (govinfo.gov)","d":"2016-11-14","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-11-14/html/2016-27354.htm"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"6,876 of my loggerheads were captured at the St. Lucie nuclear plant's cooling-water intake from 1976 to 2006, the NRC says; in 2006, 29 turtles there were injured or killed.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a fine, compensation or any other money figure connected to the 2006 exceedance, in the sources reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"florida-beach-nourishment-armoring-loggerhead-nesting","title":"Beach nourishment and armoring on Florida's loggerhead nesting beaches","dek":"A 2015 US Fish and Wildlife Service opinion on Army Corps of Engineers sand placement in Florida found no jeopardy for the Northwest Atlantic loggerhead population and stated that nesting success is about 10–34% lower on nourished beaches in the first year. A 2011 study found fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":27.66,"lon":-81.52,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","lat":27.66,"lon":-81.52,"role":"event"}],"start":2011,"end":2025,"instrument":"land-market","types":["land-market","finance"],"headline":{"label":"Nesting success on nourished beaches in the first year, relative to other beaches","value":"About 10–34% lower","note":"Stated in the US Fish and Wildlife Service Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion of 13 March 2015."},"happened":["The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion on 13 March 2015 for sand placement by the US Army Corps of Engineers in Florida. It found no jeopardy for the Northwest Atlantic distinct population segment (DPS) of the loggerhead. The opinion states that nesting success is about 10–34% lower on nourished beaches in the first year and that beachfront development has had \"the greatest impact on nesting sea turtles in Florida\".","Rizkalla and Savage (2011), in the Journal of Coastal Research, found fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches.","The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) received $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 (Laws of Florida ch. 2023-239 and ch. 2024-231), according to its January 2025 financial summary and accountability report."],"timeline":[{"y":2011,"t":"Rizkalla and Savage report fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches","src":2},{"y":2015,"t":"FWS Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion for Army Corps sand placement finds no jeopardy for the Northwest Atlantic DPS (13 March)","src":0},{"y":2025,"t":"Florida DEP's report records $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 (January)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"the greatest impact on nesting sea turtles in Florida","who":"US Fish and Wildlife Service, Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion, on the effect of beachfront development","when":"13 March 2015","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"FWS (13 March 2015): no jeopardy for the Northwest Atlantic DPS from Army Corps sand placement; nesting success about 10–34% lower on nourished beaches in the first year.","src":0},{"t":"Rizkalla and Savage (2011): fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches.","src":2},{"t":"Florida DEP received $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 (Laws of Florida ch. 2023-239, ch. 2024-231).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Funds received by Florida DEP for beach and inlet projects (Laws of Florida ch. 2023-239, ch. 2024-231)","amount":null,"window":"FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25","note":"$50,000,000, as stated in the Florida DEP report."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Nesting success on nourished beaches, first year","v":"About 10–34% lower","d":"FWS Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion, 13 March 2015"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"FWS Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion (2015) and Rizkalla and Savage (2011)","report":[{"t":"On beaches where sand has been placed, my nesting success is about 10–34% lower in the first year, according to the FWS opinion of 13 March 2015.","src":0},{"t":"On armored beaches, my loggerheads make fewer nesting attempts, according to Rizkalla and Savage (2011).","src":2}]},"unknown":["No source on record for: Florida nest counts of 52,374–98,602 a year in 2009–2013, and a 25% fall in Index Nesting Beach counts in 1998–2010."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed report lower first-year nesting success on nourished beaches and fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches, and the FWS opinion identifies beachfront development as having had the greatest impact on nesting sea turtles in Florida. They do not report that either pattern has ended.","whoPaid":"Florida DEP received $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25. No payment connected to the effects on nesting is on record in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of January 2025, the latest dated item on record: the FWS opinion of 13 March 2015 found no jeopardy for the Northwest Atlantic DPS, and Florida DEP reported $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects across FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"usfws","role":"Issued the Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion of 13 March 2015"},{"id":"us-army-corps-of-engineers","role":"Sand placement covered by the 2015 opinion"},{"id":"florida-dep","role":"Received $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nesting_success_lower_pct_low","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Lower end of the range stated for nourished beaches in the first year (FWS, 13 March 2015)."},{"key":"nesting_success_lower_pct_high","value":34,"unit":"%","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"Upper end of the range stated for nourished beaches in the first year (FWS, 13 March 2015)."},{"key":"beach_inlet_funding","value":50000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"Received by Florida DEP for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 (Laws of Florida ch. 2023-239, ch. 2024-231)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The FWS Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion of 13 March 2015 for Army Corps sand placement in Florida found no jeopardy for the Northwest Atlantic DPS and stated that nesting success is about 10–34% lower on nourished beaches in the first year. A 2011 study found fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Florida Department of Environmental Protection","what":"Received $50,000,000 for beach and inlet projects in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25 (Laws of Florida ch. 2023-239, ch. 2024-231)","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead nesting on nourished and armored beaches","what":"Nesting success about 10–34% lower on nourished beaches in the first year; fewer nesting attempts on armored beaches","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Florida, United States, statewide: beaches receiving Army Corps sand placement and beaches with armoring.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Rizkalla and Savage in 2011; FWS opinion on 13 March 2015; Florida DEP funding in FY 2023-24 and FY 2024-25.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The FWS opinion states that beachfront development has had \"the greatest impact on nesting sea turtles in Florida\".","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sand placement by the Army Corps of Engineers on nesting beaches (nourishment) and armoring of beaches, including seawalls.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Statewide Programmatic Biological Opinion for US Army Corps of Engineers sand placement in Florida (13 March 2015)","p":"US Fish and Wildlife Service","d":"2015-03-13","type":"official","u":"https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2015-FLES-Sand-Placement-Statewide-Biological-Opnion.pdf"},{"t":"FY2024-25 BMFA Financial Summary and Accountability Report (January 2025)","p":"Florida Department of Environmental Protection","d":"2025-01","type":"official","u":"https://floridadep.gov/sites/default/files/FY2024-25%20BMFA%20Financial%20Summary%20and%20Accountability%20Report%20%28Jan%2025%29.pdf"},{"t":"Rizkalla and Savage (2011), Impact of Seawalls on Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nesting","p":"Journal of Coastal Research 27(1)","d":"2011","type":"academic","u":"https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-coastal-research/volume-27/issue-1/JCOASTRES-D-10-00081.1/Impact-of-Seawalls-on-Loggerhead-Sea-Turtle-Caretta-caretta-Nesting/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-10-00081.1.full"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Nesting success on my nourished Florida beaches is about 10–34% lower in the first year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service stated in 2015.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Money","text":"Funds received by Florida DEP for beach and inlet projects (Laws of Florida ch. 2023-239, ch. 2024-231) — $50,000,000, as stated in the Florida DEP report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source on record for: Florida nest counts of 52,374–98,602 a year in 2009–2013, and a 25% fall in Index Nesting Beach counts in 1998–2010.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"volusia-county-beach-driving-lighting-esa-suit","title":"Volusia County, Florida: beach driving and lighting, Endangered Species Act suit with sea turtles as named plaintiffs","dek":"On 8 June 1995 plaintiffs including loggerhead and green sea turtles sued Volusia County under the Endangered Species Act over beach driving and beachfront lighting. The Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded on 3 August 1998.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":29.1,"lon":-81.05,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida (Volusia County)","lat":29.1,"lon":-81.05,"role":"event"}],"start":1995,"end":1998,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Eleventh Circuit decision (148 F.3d 1231)","value":"Reversed and remanded, 3 August 1998","note":"The appeal concerned the district court's dismissal of the suit over beach driving and beachfront lighting in Volusia County."},"happened":["On 8 June 1995 plaintiffs including loggerhead and green sea turtles sued Volusia County, Florida, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) over beach driving and beachfront lighting. The individual plaintiffs named in the sources reviewed are Shirley Reynolds and Rita Alexander.","The district court (896 F. Supp. 1170, 1 August 1995) enjoined driving on the beach but not the lighting, and later dismissed the suit. The Eleventh Circuit (148 F.3d 1231, 3 August 1998) reversed and remanded.","Volusia County's habitat conservation plan page reports that the county holds an incidental take permit; that report is not independently verified."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Plaintiffs including loggerhead and green sea turtles sue Volusia County under the ESA (8 June); the district court enjoins driving but not lighting (1 August, 896 F. Supp. 1170)","src":0},{"y":1998,"t":"The Eleventh Circuit reverses and remands (3 August, 148 F.3d 1231)","src":0}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"District court (896 F. Supp. 1170, 1 August 1995): driving on the beach enjoined, lighting not enjoined; the suit was later dismissed.","src":0},{"t":"Eleventh Circuit (148 F.3d 1231, 3 August 1998): reversed and remanded.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["None on record: money (damages, costs or fines) connected to the suit, in the sources reviewed.","Unconfirmed: Volusia County holds an incidental take permit (current permit TE811813-12, 2020–2030), per the county's habitat conservation plan page."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded in 1998. The sources reviewed do not report whether beach driving and beachfront lighting were later restricted, apart from the reported incidental take permit.","whoPaid":"No damages, costs or fines are on record in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of the latest dated item on record (3 August 1998), the Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded; the outcome after remand is not on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"volusia-county","role":"Defendant; reported holder of an incidental take permit"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Named among the parties; role not described in the sources reviewed"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Loggerhead Turtle v. County Council of Volusia County: district court proceedings","forum":"US district court (896 F. Supp. 1170)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Shirley Reynolds and Rita Alexander, with loggerhead and green sea turtles as named plaintiffs","defendant":"Volusia County","filed":"1995-06-08","decided":null,"status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The plaintiffs sued under the ESA over beach driving and beachfront lighting. On 1 August 1995 the district court enjoined driving, not lighting, and later dismissed the suit.","src":0},{"title":"Loggerhead Turtle v. County Council of Volusia County: Eleventh Circuit appeal","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (148 F.3d 1231)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Shirley Reynolds and Rita Alexander, with loggerhead and green sea turtles as named plaintiffs","defendant":"Volusia County","filed":null,"decided":"1998-08-03","status":"overturned","amount":null,"summary":"On 3 August 1998 the Eleventh Circuit reversed the district court and remanded. The sources reviewed do not give the outcome after remand.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Plaintiffs including loggerhead and green sea turtles sued Volusia County under the ESA over beach driving and beachfront lighting. The district court enjoined driving but not lighting and later dismissed; the Eleventh Circuit reversed and remanded.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Beaches of Volusia County, Florida, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Suit filed 8 June 1995; district court order 1 August 1995; Eleventh Circuit decision 3 August 1998.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The plaintiffs challenged beach driving and beachfront lighting under the ESA.","src":0},"how":{"t":"An ESA suit brought by named individuals together with loggerhead and green sea turtles as plaintiffs, followed by an appeal to the Eleventh Circuit.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Loggerhead Turtle v. County Council of Volusia County, US Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (148 F.3d 1231), PDF copy","p":"US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (copy on ecojurisprudence.org)","d":"1998-08-03","type":"court","u":"https://ecojurisprudence.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/US_Appeal-Loggerhead-Turtle-v.-County-Council-of-Volusia-County_5.pdf"},{"t":"Habitat conservation plan page, Sea Turtles, Natural Resources, Volusia County","p":"Volusia County","d":null,"type":"official","voice":"government","u":"https://www.volusia.org/services/growth-and-resource-management/environmental-management/natural-resources/sea-turtles/Habitat-conservation-plan.stml"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: money (damages, costs or fines) connected to the suit, in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Volusia County holds an incidental take permit (current permit TE811813-12, 2020–2030), per the county's habitat conservation plan page.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"petrobras-projeto-tamar-sponsorship-end","title":"Petrobras sponsorship of Projeto TAMAR, Brazil, 1982–2021","dek":"Petrobras sponsored the Fundação Pró-Tamar, which runs Brazil's sea turtle conservation project, from 1982 and announced the end of the partnership on 6 September 2021. Petrobras and the foundation give different accounts of who chose not to continue.","country":"Brazil","region":"Latin America","lat":-12.7,"lon":-38.32,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","lat":-12.7,"lon":-38.32,"role":"event"}],"start":1982,"end":2021,"eventDate":"2021-09-06","instrument":"finance","types":["finance","fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Years of Petrobras sponsorship of the Fundação Pró-Tamar","value":"1982–2021","note":"One source gives the start as 1984. Petrobras announced the end of the partnership on 6 September 2021. The amount paid to Tamar is not disclosed."},"happened":["Petrobras sponsored the Fundação Pró-Tamar, the foundation behind Projeto TAMAR, from 1982; one date in the sources is 1984. On 6 September 2021 Petrobras announced the end of the partnership. The amount Petrobras paid to Tamar is not disclosed.","The two sides gave different accounts. Petrobras said the foundation chose other models, and its director Roberto Ardenghy said the company closed the cycle with great pride. The foundation said it took the initiative not to renew the partnership.","Rosangela Buzanelli, a worker representative on Petrobras's board, said Petrobras had become Tamar's main income after Covid-19 closed its shops, and that three Tamar bases closed in 2020: Camaçari, Parnamirim and Pirambu.","Nesting data in the sources reviewed show more than 4,800 loggerhead nests in the 2003/04 season (Marcovaldi and Chaloupka, 2007) and nesting up about 2.5-fold, combined, in 2001–2019 (TAMAR, 2024). The authors credit the end of meat and egg poaching."],"timeline":[{"y":1982,"t":"Petrobras begins sponsoring the Fundação Pró-Tamar (one source gives 1984)","src":0},{"y":2003,"t":"More than 4,800 loggerhead nests in the 2003/04 season (Marcovaldi and Chaloupka, 2007)","src":3},{"y":2020,"t":"Three Tamar bases close (Camaçari, Parnamirim, Pirambu), per a worker representative on Petrobras's board","src":2},{"y":2021,"t":"Petrobras announces the end of the partnership (6 September)","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"TAMAR publication gives loggerhead nesting up about 2.5-fold, combined, for 2001–2019","src":4}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The end of the partnership announced on 6 September 2021, with the foundation described as having chosen other models.","who":"Petrobras","src":0},{"t":"The end of the partnership described as the foundation's own initiative not to renew.","who":"Fundação Pró-Tamar","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Petrobras announced the end of its partnership with Projeto TAMAR on 6 September 2021; the amount paid to Tamar is not disclosed.","src":0},{"t":"A worker representative on Petrobras's board said Petrobras had become Tamar's main income after Covid-19 closed its shops, and that three Tamar bases closed in 2020 (Camaçari, Parnamirim, Pirambu).","src":2},{"t":"More than 4,800 loggerhead nests in 2003/04 (Marcovaldi and Chaloupka, 2007).","src":3},{"t":"TAMAR (2024) gives loggerhead nesting up about 2.5-fold, combined, in 2001–2019; the authors credit the end of meat and egg poaching.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Petrobras sponsorship paid to the Fundação Pró-Tamar","amount":null,"note":"Amount not disclosed."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loggerhead nests in Brazil","v":"More than 4,800","d":"2003/04 season (Marcovaldi and Chaloupka, 2007)"},{"k":"Change in nesting, 2001–2019","v":"Up about 2.5-fold","d":"Combined figure, TAMAR (2024); the authors credit the end of meat and egg poaching"}]},"unknown":["Not disclosed: the amount Petrobras paid to Tamar.","Disputed: who ended the partnership. Petrobras says the foundation chose other models; the foundation says it took the initiative not to renew.","Disputed: the start year of the sponsorship. The sources give 1982, and one date is given as 1984.","Not on record: the funders that replaced Petrobras, in the sources reviewed.","No source on record for: R$73 million given by Petrobras in 2020 to 121 voluntary socio-environmental projects."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed give loggerhead nesting up about 2.5-fold, combined, in 2001–2019. They give no nesting data after the end of the sponsorship on 6 September 2021.","whoPaid":"Petrobras sponsored the Fundação Pró-Tamar from 1982 to 2021; the amount is not disclosed.","statusLine":"As of September 2021, the latest dated item on record: Petrobras announced the end of its sponsorship of the Fundação Pró-Tamar; the two sides differ on who chose not to continue, and replacement funders are not on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Petrobras","says":"Said the foundation chose other models; its director Roberto Ardenghy said the company closed the cycle with great pride.","when":"September 2021","src":0},{"actor":"Fundação Pró-Tamar","says":"Said it took the initiative not to renew the partnership.","when":"September 2021","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"petrobras","role":"Sponsor of the Fundação Pró-Tamar from 1982; announced the end of the partnership on 6 September 2021"},{"id":"fundacao-pro-tamar","role":"Sponsored organisation behind Projeto TAMAR"},{"id":"icmbio","role":"Named among the parties; role not described in the sources reviewed"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who ended the Petrobras–Tamar partnership","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Petrobras","says":"The foundation chose other models.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Fundação Pró-Tamar","says":"The foundation took the initiative not to renew the partnership.","src":0}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loggerhead_nests","value":4800,"unit":"nests","year":2003,"qualifier":"more than","note":"2003/04 season (Marcovaldi and Chaloupka, 2007)."},{"key":"nesting_increase_fold","value":2.5,"unit":"fold","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Combined figure for 2001–2019 (TAMAR, 2024)."},{"key":"tamar_bases_closed","value":3,"unit":"bases","year":2020,"note":"Camaçari, Parnamirim and Pirambu, per a worker representative on Petrobras's board."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Petrobras sponsored the Fundação Pró-Tamar from 1982 and announced the end of the partnership on 6 September 2021. The amount paid to Tamar is not disclosed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Fundação Pró-Tamar","what":"Petrobras sponsorship from 1982 (one date given as 1984) until 6 September 2021; amount not disclosed; per a worker representative on Petrobras's board, Petrobras had become Tamar's main income","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Fundação Pró-Tamar","what":"The Petrobras sponsorship ended on 6 September 2021; per a worker representative on Petrobras's board, three Tamar bases (Camaçari, Parnamirim, Pirambu) closed in 2020","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil; Tamar bases at Camaçari, Parnamirim and Pirambu are named as closed in 2020.","src":2},"when":{"t":"Sponsorship from 1982 (one date given as 1984); bases closed in 2020; end of the partnership announced on 6 September 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Petrobras says the foundation chose other models; the foundation says it took the initiative not to renew the partnership.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Petrobras announced the end of the sponsorship on 6 September 2021. The amount paid to Tamar is not disclosed.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Infonet news report on the end of the Petrobras and Projeto Tamar partnership","p":"Infonet","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://infonet.com.br/noticias/cidade/apos-40-anos-petrobras-e-projeto-tamar-encerram-parceria/"},{"t":"Janela news report on the end of the Petrobras and Tamar partnership","p":"Janela","d":"2021-09-22","type":"press","u":"https://janela.com.br/2021/09/22/petrobras-e-tamar-encerram-parceria-apos-40-anos/"},{"t":"FUP page on the end of Petrobras's sponsorship of Projeto Tamar","p":"FUP","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://fup.org.br/desmonte-da-petrobras-acaba-com-patrocinio-de-40-anos-do-premiado-projeto-tamar/"},{"t":"Marcovaldi and Chaloupka (2007), article on sea turtle nesting in Brazil (PDF copy)","p":"Marcovaldi and Chaloupka; copy hosted by WIDECAST","d":"2007","type":"academic","u":"https://www.widecast.org/What/Country/Brazil/Docs/Marcovaldi_and_Chaloupka_2007_ESR.pdf"},{"t":"Stahelin, Barata, Lara et al. (2024), TAMAR publication (PDF)","p":"Projeto TAMAR","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://www.tamar.org.br/publicacoes_html/pdf/2024/2024_Gustavo_Stahelin_Paulo_Barata_Paulo_Lara_et_al.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Money","text":"Petrobras sponsorship paid to the Fundação Pró-Tamar — Amount not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who ended the Petrobras–Tamar partnership","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Not disclosed: the amount Petrobras paid to Tamar.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: who ended the partnership. Petrobras says the foundation chose other models; the foundation says it took the initiative not to renew.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the start year of the sponsorship. The sources give 1982, and one date is given as 1984.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: the funders that replaced Petrobras, in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source on record for: R$73 million given by Petrobras in 2020 to 121 voluntary socio-environmental projects.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"boa-vista-cabo-verde-hotel-nesting-beach","title":"Boa Vista, Cabo Verde: hotel on a nesting beach and the rise in loggerhead nesting","dek":"The RIU Touareg hotel opened on Lacacao beach, Boa Vista, in May 2011, after the Turtle Foundation began protecting the beach in 2009. A 2026 paper reports an 80-fold rise in nesting on three Boa Vista beaches from 1998 to 2024.","country":"Cabo Verde","region":"Africa","lat":16.1,"lon":-22.8,"places":[{"country":"Cabo Verde","iso2":"CV","admin":"Boa Vista (Lacacao beach)","lat":16.1,"lon":-22.8,"role":"event"}],"start":2009,"end":2026,"instrument":"land-market","types":["land-market","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Rise in nesting on three Boa Vista beaches, 1998 to 2024","value":"80-fold","note":"Reported by a 2026 paper (Roch et al.), as relayed by Mongabay."},"happened":["Boa Vista holds about two-thirds of Cabo Verde's loggerhead nesting. The RIU Touareg hotel opened on Lacacao beach in May 2011. The Turtle Foundation said it began protecting the beach in 2009, citing construction impacts and poaching, with more than 500 workers on site. On its page about the opening of the hotel, the Turtle Foundation wrote that \"several dozens of turtles were slaughtered on this beach\".","A 2026 paper (Roch et al.), as relayed by Mongabay, reports an 80-fold rise in nesting on three beaches from 1998 to 2024, with key beaches above 22,000 nests per km in 2021."],"timeline":[{"y":1998,"t":"Start of the period over which a 2026 paper reports an 80-fold rise in nesting on three Boa Vista beaches","src":1},{"y":2009,"t":"The Turtle Foundation starts protection on the beach, citing construction impacts and poaching with over 500 workers on site","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"The RIU Touareg hotel opens on Lacacao beach (May)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"Key beaches above 22,000 nests per km","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"End of the period of the reported 80-fold rise; the paper is reported in June 2026","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"several dozens of turtles were slaughtered on this beach","who":"Turtle Foundation, on its page about the opening of the RIU Touareg hotel at Lacacao beach","when":"2011","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The RIU Touareg hotel opened on Lacacao beach in May 2011; the Turtle Foundation started protection there in 2009, citing construction impacts and poaching with over 500 workers on site.","src":0},{"t":"A 2026 paper (Roch et al.) reports an 80-fold rise in nesting on three beaches from 1998 to 2024, with key beaches above 22,000 nests per km in 2021.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Rise in nesting on three Boa Vista beaches","v":"80-fold","d":"1998 to 2024, Roch et al. (2026), via Mongabay"},{"k":"Nests per km on key beaches","v":"Above 22,000","d":"2021, Roch et al. (2026), via Mongabay"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Turtle Foundation page on the opening of the RIU Touareg hotel (2011)","report":[{"t":"According to the Turtle Foundation's 2011 page on the opening of the RIU Touareg hotel, several dozens of my turtles \"were slaughtered on this beach\".","src":0}]},"unknown":["None on record: money (hotel cost, revenue, fines or compensation) connected to the hotel or the beach, in the sources reviewed.","No source on record for: a report that more than 8,000 females were killed on unprotected beaches in 2007."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The sources reviewed give a rise in nesting on three beaches between 1998 and 2024 and nest densities above 22,000 per km on key beaches in 2021. They do not report whether killings or construction impacts continued after the Turtle Foundation began protection in 2009.","whoPaid":"No payment is on record in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of June 2026, the latest dated item on record: a 2026 paper reports an 80-fold rise in nesting on three Boa Vista beaches from 1998 to 2024, as relayed by Mongabay.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"riu","role":"Named with TUI in the sources reviewed; the RIU Touareg hotel opened on Lacacao beach in May 2011"},{"id":"tui","role":"Named alongside RIU in the sources reviewed"},{"id":"turtle-foundation","role":"Began protection on the beach in 2009; reported killings and construction impacts"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nesting_increase_fold","value":80,"unit":"fold","year":2024,"note":"Three Boa Vista beaches, 1998 to 2024 (Roch et al., 2026, via Mongabay)."},{"key":"nests_per_km","value":22000,"unit":"nests per km","year":2021,"qualifier":"above","note":"Key beaches (Roch et al., 2026, via Mongabay)."},{"key":"workers_on_site","value":500,"unit":"workers","year":2009,"qualifier":"over","note":"Construction workers on site when the Turtle Foundation started protection, per the Turtle Foundation."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The RIU Touareg hotel opened on Lacacao beach, Boa Vista, in May 2011, after the Turtle Foundation began protection there in 2009. A 2026 paper reports an 80-fold rise in nesting on three Boa Vista beaches from 1998 to 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerheads on Boa Vista","what":"\"Several dozens of turtles were slaughtered on this beach\", according to the Turtle Foundation (2011)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lacacao beach and other beaches of Boa Vista, Cabo Verde; Boa Vista holds about two-thirds of Cabo Verde's loggerhead nesting.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Turtle Foundation protection from 2009; the RIU Touareg hotel opened in May 2011; the nesting series runs from 1998 to 2024; the paper is reported in June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Turtle Foundation cited construction impacts and poaching, with more than 500 workers on site, as the reason it started protection on the beach in 2009.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The hotel was built on a nesting beach; the Turtle Foundation ran protection on the beach from 2009.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Turtle Foundation news page on the opening of the RIU Touareg hotel at Lacacao beach","p":"Turtle Foundation","d":"2011","type":"ngo","u":"https://turtle-foundation.org/new-hotel-riu-touareg-is-now-open-in-lacacao-beach/"},{"t":"Mongabay report on the 80-fold increase in nesting loggerheads on Boa Vista, Cabo Verde (Roch et al., 2026)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/teeming-with-turtles-cabo-verde-island-sees-80-fold-increase-in-nesting-loggerheads/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The RIU Touareg hotel opened on my Lacacao nesting beach in May 2011; nesting on three of my Boa Vista beaches rose 80-fold from 1998 to 2024, a 2026 paper reports.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: money (hotel cost, revenue, fines or compensation) connected to the hotel or the beach, in the sources reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source on record for: a report that more than 8,000 females were killed on unprotected beaches in 2007.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"masirah-island-oman-nesting-decline-tourism-project","title":"Masirah Island, Oman: loggerhead nesting decline and a tourism and commercial project","dek":"Loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section of Masirah Island fell 79% between 1985–1996 and 2008–2016, according to a 2020 study. On 12 October 2026 a foundation stone was laid for a RO5.775 million tourism and commercial project on the island.","country":"Oman","region":"Middle East","lat":20.4,"lon":58.8,"places":[{"country":"Oman","iso2":"OM","admin":"Masirah Island (South Sharqiyah)","lat":20.4,"lon":58.8,"role":"event"}],"start":1985,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-10-12","instrument":"land-market","types":["land-market"],"headline":{"label":"Fall in loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section, 1985–1996 to 2008–2016","value":"79%","note":"From 584 tracks (1985–1996) to 122 (2008–2016), Willson et al. (2020). Masirah holds over 90% of the Northwest Indian Ocean population."},"happened":["Willson et al. (2020), in Frontiers in Marine Science, found that loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section of Masirah Island fell 79%, from 584 (1985–1996) to 122 (2008–2016). Masirah holds over 90% of the Northwest Indian Ocean loggerhead population. The study gives 55,202 nests a year across 83 km of beach.","The study recorded 1,640–1,770 turtles caught a year in artisanal nets, and skiff storage on the index beaches rose from 32 (2013) to 482 (2017). The authors call bycatch \"most likely (but not the only)\" cause of the decline. Dr Thuraya Al Sariri of Oman's Environment Authority said in 2020 that \"The Authority recognizes the urgency of the situation\".","On 12 October 2026, according to Muscat Daily and Gulf News, a foundation stone was laid for a RO5.775 million project on Masirah with a 20-room lodge, more than 40 villas and chalets, a souq and 60,000 m². The two 2026 articles do not mention turtles."],"timeline":[{"y":1985,"t":"Start of the track-count series on the 9 km index section: 584 tracks over 1985–1996","src":0},{"y":2013,"t":"32 skiffs stored on the index beaches","src":0},{"y":2016,"t":"End of the 2008–2016 period with 122 tracks on the index section, 79% below 1985–1996","src":0},{"y":2017,"t":"482 skiffs stored on the index beaches","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"Willson et al. publish the study; the Environment Authority says it recognizes the urgency of the situation","src":0},{"y":2026,"t":"Foundation stone laid for a RO5.775 million tourism and commercial project (12 October)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"The Authority recognizes the urgency of the situation","who":"Dr Thuraya Al Sariri, Environment Authority of Oman","when":"2020","src":0},{"q":"most likely (but not the only)","who":"Willson et al., on bycatch as a cause of the decline","when":"2020","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"A tourism and commercial project on Masirah with a 20-room lodge, more than 40 villas and chalets, a souq and 60,000 m², valued at RO5.775 million.","who":"Muscat Daily and Gulf News","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section fell 79%, from 584 (1985–1996) to 122 (2008–2016); Masirah holds over 90% of the Northwest Indian Ocean population.","src":0},{"t":"55,202 nests a year across 83 km; 1,640–1,770 turtles caught a year in artisanal nets; skiff storage on the index beaches rose from 32 (2013) to 482 (2017).","src":0},{"t":"A foundation stone was laid on 12 October 2026 for a RO5.775 million project with a 20-room lodge, more than 40 villas and chalets, a souq and 60,000 m².","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"OMR","window":"2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Value of the tourism and commercial project launched on Masirah on 12 October 2026 (Muscat Daily, Gulf News)","amount":5.775,"window":"2026"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Fall in track counts on a 9 km index section","v":"79%","d":"584 tracks (1985–1996) to 122 (2008–2016), Willson et al. (2020)"},{"k":"Nests a year across 83 km","v":"55,202","d":"Willson et al. (2020)"},{"k":"Turtles caught a year in artisanal nets","v":"1,640–1,770","d":"Willson et al. (2020)"},{"k":"Skiffs stored on the index beaches","v":"32 to 482","d":"From 2013 to 2017, Willson et al. (2020)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Willson et al. (2020), Frontiers in Marine Science","report":[{"t":"Loggerhead track counts on my 9 km index section fell 79%, from 584 in 1985–1996 to 122 in 2008–2016, according to Willson et al. (2020).","src":0},{"t":"Between 1,640 and 1,770 of my turtles were caught a year in artisanal nets, according to Willson et al. (2020).","src":0},{"t":"The number of skiffs stored on my index beaches rose from 32 in 2013 to 482 in 2017, according to Willson et al. (2020).","src":0}]},"unknown":["Reported but not independently verified (AGBI): in June 2025 United Real Estate Company of Kuwait signed a 50-year contract with the South Sharqiyah governorate for a tourism complex at RO12,000 a year.","Not on record: the distance of the 12 October 2026 project from the nesting beaches.","Not on record: an environmental permit for the project.","Not on record: any mention of turtles in the 2026 Muscat Daily and Gulf News articles on the project.","Unclear: the cause of the decline. The authors call bycatch \"most likely (but not the only)\" cause."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Willson et al. (2020) record the decline in track counts to 2008–2016 and bycatch and skiff storage up to 2017. The sources reviewed do not report track or nest counts after 2016.","whoPaid":"No payment connected to the nesting decline is on record in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: a foundation stone was laid on 12 October 2026 for a RO5.775 million tourism and commercial project on Masirah; its distance from nesting beaches and its environmental permit are not on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Environment Authority of Oman","says":"Dr Thuraya Al Sariri said: \"The Authority recognizes the urgency of the situation\".","when":"2020","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"oman-environment-authority","role":"Public statement on the urgency of the decline in 2020"},{"id":"united-real-estate-company","role":"Reported, not independently verified, as signatory of a 50-year tourism contract in June 2025"},{"id":"south-sharqiyah-governorate","role":"Reported, not independently verified, as the other party to that contract"},{"id":"environment-society-of-oman","role":"Named among the parties; role not described in the sources reviewed"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"track_count_decline_pct","value":79,"unit":"%","year":2016,"note":"Fall in loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section, 1985–1996 to 2008–2016 (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"tracks_1985_1996","value":584,"unit":"tracks","year":1996,"note":"Loggerhead track count on the 9 km index section, 1985–1996."},{"key":"tracks_2008_2016","value":122,"unit":"tracks","year":2016,"note":"Loggerhead track count on the 9 km index section, 2008–2016."},{"key":"share_of_nw_indian_ocean_population_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2020,"qualifier":"over","note":"Masirah's share of the Northwest Indian Ocean loggerhead population (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"nests_per_year","value":55202,"unit":"nests","year":2020,"note":"Across 83 km of beach (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"bycatch_turtles_per_year_low","value":1640,"unit":"turtles","year":2020,"note":"Lower end of turtles caught a year in artisanal nets (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"bycatch_turtles_per_year_high","value":1770,"unit":"turtles","year":2020,"note":"Upper end of turtles caught a year in artisanal nets (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"skiffs_stored_2013","value":32,"unit":"skiffs","year":2013,"note":"Skiff storage on the index beaches (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"skiffs_stored_2017","value":482,"unit":"skiffs","year":2017,"note":"Skiff storage on the index beaches (Willson et al., 2020)."},{"key":"project_value_omr_million","value":5.775,"unit":"RO million","year":2026,"note":"Tourism and commercial project launched on 12 October 2026 (Muscat Daily, Gulf News)."},{"key":"project_area_m2","value":60000,"unit":"m²","year":2026,"note":"Project area, with a 20-room lodge and more than 40 villas and chalets."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section of Masirah Island fell 79% between 1985–1996 and 2008–2016 (Willson et al., 2020). On 12 October 2026 a foundation stone was laid for a RO5.775 million tourism and commercial project on the island.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerheads of Masirah Island","what":"Track counts on the 9 km index section fell 79% (584 to 122); 1,640–1,770 turtles caught a year in artisanal nets; skiff storage on index beaches rose from 32 (2013) to 482 (2017)","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Masirah Island, Oman: an 83 km nesting coast with a 9 km index section; the island holds over 90% of the Northwest Indian Ocean loggerhead population.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Track counts 1985–1996 and 2008–2016; skiff storage 2013 and 2017; Willson et al. in 2020; foundation stone laid 12 October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Willson et al. call bycatch \"most likely (but not the only)\" cause of the decline.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Turtles caught in artisanal nets and a rise in skiff storage on the index beaches (Willson et al., 2020); a tourism and commercial project with a 20-room lodge, more than 40 villas and chalets and a souq, launched in 2026.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Willson et al. (2020), article in Frontiers in Marine Science on loggerhead track counts at Masirah Island","p":"Frontiers in Marine Science","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00666/full"},{"t":"Muscat Daily report on the launch of a tourism and commercial project on Masirah (12 October 2026)","p":"Muscat Daily","d":"2026-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.muscatdaily.com/2026/10/12/ro5-8mn-tourism-commercial-project-launched-in-masirah/"},{"t":"Gulf News report on the launch of a tourism development on Masirah Island, Oman","p":"Gulf News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/oman/oman-launches-omr58-million-tourism-development-on-masirah-island-1.500708498"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Loggerhead track counts on a 9 km index section of my Masirah Island fell 79%, from 584 to 122, between 1985–1996 and 2008–2016, a 2020 study found.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Reported but not independently verified (AGBI): in June 2025 United Real Estate Company of Kuwait signed a 50-year contract with the South Sharqiyah governorate for a tourism complex at RO12,000 a year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: the distance of the 12 October 2026 project from the nesting beaches.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: an environmental permit for the project.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not on record: any mention of turtles in the 2026 Muscat Daily and Gulf News articles on the project.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unclear: the cause of the decline. The authors call bycatch \"most likely (but not the only)\" cause.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"queensland-loggerhead-teds-mon-repos","title":"Queensland, Australia: trawl turtle excluder devices and investment in the Mon Repos turtle centre","dek":"Turtle excluder devices became mandatory in Queensland and northern trawl fisheries in 2000-2002, and the Queensland government reports more than $10 million invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre. Dr Col Limpus said in 2021 that preliminary data supported a continued decline in turtle nesting numbers.","country":"Australia","region":"Oceania","lat":-24.81,"lon":152.44,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland (Mon Repos; Woongarra coast)","lat":-24.81,"lon":152.44,"role":"event"}],"start":2000,"end":2021,"instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Queensland government investment in the Mon Repos turtle centre","value":"More than $10 million","note":"As reported by the Queensland government; the currency is given as \"$\"."},"happened":["Turtle excluder devices (TEDs) became mandatory in Queensland and northern trawl fisheries in 2000-2002, according to the Queensland government's loggerhead turtle page.","The Queensland government reports that more than $10 million has been invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre.","On the Woongarra coast, about 365 loggerhead nests were recorded in 2020-21. Dr Col Limpus said in 2021: \"Preliminary data supports the continued decline of turtle nesting numbers.\""],"timeline":[{"y":2000,"t":"Turtle excluder devices become mandatory in Queensland and northern trawl fisheries (2000-2002)","src":0},{"y":2021,"t":"About 365 loggerhead nests recorded on the Woongarra coast in 2020-21; Dr Col Limpus says preliminary data supports the continued decline of turtle nesting numbers","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"Preliminary data supports the continued decline of turtle nesting numbers.","who":"Dr Col Limpus","when":"2021","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"More than $10 million reported as invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre.","who":"Queensland government","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Turtle excluder devices were mandatory in Queensland and northern trawl fisheries from 2000-2002.","src":0},{"t":"About 365 loggerhead nests were recorded on the Woongarra coast in 2020-21.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loggerhead nests, Woongarra coast","v":"About 365","d":"2020-21 season, as reported in the press"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"A 2021 statement by Dr Col Limpus, as reported in the press, and the nest count for 2020-21","report":[{"t":"About 365 of my loggerhead nests were recorded on the Woongarra coast in 2020-21.","src":1},{"t":"Dr Col Limpus said in 2021 that preliminary data supports the continued decline of my turtle nesting numbers.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the east-coast loggerhead population fell from about 3,500 females a year in the mid-1970s to about 500 by 2000, mainly from trawl bycatch (stated on the Queensland government's loggerhead page; not confirmed against a second source)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The TED mandate dates from 2000-2002. The sources reviewed give a 2020-21 nest count of about 365 on the Woongarra coast and a 2021 statement that preliminary data supports a continued decline in nesting numbers.","whoPaid":"The Queensland government reports more than $10 million invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre.","statusLine":"As of 2021 (latest dated source): TEDs mandatory since 2000-2002; Dr Col Limpus said preliminary data supports a continued decline in turtle nesting numbers.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Queensland government","says":"Reports that turtle excluder devices became mandatory in Queensland and northern trawl fisheries in 2000-2002 and that more than $10 million has been invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre.","when":null,"src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"queensland-government","role":"Reports the TED mandate and the Mon Repos turtle centre investment"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"nests","value":365,"unit":"loggerhead nests","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Woongarra coast, 2020-21 season."},{"key":"turtle_centre_investment","value":10,"unit":"$ million","year":null,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Mon Repos turtle centre; reported by the Queensland government."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Turtle excluder devices became mandatory in Queensland and northern trawl fisheries in 2000-2002; the Queensland government reports more than $10 million invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre; a researcher said in 2021 that preliminary data supports a continued decline in nesting numbers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Mon Repos turtle centre","what":"More than $10 million invested, as reported by the Queensland government","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead nesting on the Woongarra coast","what":"About 365 nests in 2020-21; Dr Col Limpus said preliminary data supports the continued decline of nesting numbers","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Queensland, Australia: Queensland and northern trawl fisheries; the Mon Repos turtle centre; the Woongarra coast.","src":0},"when":{"t":"TEDs mandatory 2000-2002; nest count for the 2020-21 season; Dr Col Limpus's statement in 2021.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The sources reviewed do not set out the government's stated reasons for the TED mandate in verified form. The Queensland government's page attributes the earlier decline of the east-coast population mainly to trawl bycatch (unconfirmed).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a mandate for turtle excluder devices in trawl fisheries and government investment in the Mon Repos turtle centre.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Loggerhead turtles (Queensland Government, featured threatened species projects)","p":"Queensland Government","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.qld.gov.au/environment/plants-animals/conservation/threatened-species/featured-projects/loggerhead-turtles"},{"t":"psnews.com.au report (article ID 58394), quoting Dr Col Limpus","p":"psnews.com.au","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://psnews.com.au/?p=58394"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"About 365 loggerhead nests were recorded on my Woongarra coast in 2020-21; the Queensland government reports more than $10 million invested in the Mon Repos turtle centre.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the east-coast loggerhead population fell from about 3,500 females a year in the mid-1970s to about 500 by 2000, mainly from trawl bycatch (stated on the Queensland government's loggerhead page; not confirmed against a second source).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-esa-loggerhead-listing-critical-habitat-2011-2014","title":"US Endangered Species Act listing of nine loggerhead population segments (2011) and marine critical habitat (2014)","dek":"A final rule of 22 September 2011 identified nine loggerhead distinct population segments, four threatened and five endangered. On 10 July 2014 the National Marine Fisheries Service designated 38 marine areas as critical habitat, with no exclusions.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":28,"lon":-80.5,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US waters (Federal Register rules)","lat":28,"lon":-80.5,"role":"event"}],"start":2007,"end":2014,"eventDate":"2011-09-22","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Marine areas designated as loggerhead critical habitat","value":"38","note":"NMFS final rule of 10 July 2014 (79 FR 39856); no areas were excluded."},"happened":["Petitions in 2007 led to a final rule of 22 September 2011 (76 FR 58868), which identified nine distinct population segments (DPSs) of the loggerhead sea turtle: four listed as threatened and five as endangered. The Northwest Atlantic DPS was listed as threatened.","On 10 July 2014 the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) designated 38 marine areas as critical habitat (79 FR 39856), with no exclusions. A request by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NC DOT) to exclude NC 12 was refused.","The 2014 rule quantified impacts of $950,000 over 10 years, stated as $110,000 a year."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"Petitions to list loggerhead sea turtles under the Endangered Species Act","src":0},{"y":2011,"t":"Final rule (22 Sep, 76 FR 58868): nine DPSs, four threatened and five endangered; Northwest Atlantic DPS threatened","src":0},{"y":2014,"t":"NMFS designates 38 marine areas as critical habitat (10 Jul, 79 FR 39856), with no exclusions; NC DOT's request to exclude NC 12 refused","src":1}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Final rule of 22 September 2011 (76 FR 58868): nine DPSs of the loggerhead, four threatened and five endangered; the Northwest Atlantic DPS is threatened.","src":0},{"t":"Final rule of 10 July 2014 (79 FR 39856): 38 marine areas designated as critical habitat, no exclusions; NC DOT's request to exclude NC 12 refused.","src":1},{"t":"Quantified impacts of $950,000 over 10 years ($110,000 a year).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"10 years","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Quantified impacts of the critical habitat designation (79 FR 39856)","amount":0.95,"window":"10 years","est":true,"note":"Stated as $950,000 over 10 years, or $110,000 a year."}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Loggerhead population segments listed","v":"9","d":"Four threatened and five endangered; Northwest Atlantic DPS threatened (final rule, 22 September 2011)"},{"k":"Marine areas designated as critical habitat","v":"38","d":"NMFS final rule, 10 July 2014; no exclusions"}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"The 2011 listing and the 2014 designation are regulatory actions; the sources reviewed describe no harm event.","whoPaid":"The 2014 rule quantified impacts of $950,000 over 10 years ($110,000 a year).","statusLine":"As of July 2014 (latest dated source): nine loggerhead DPSs listed (2011) and 38 marine areas designated as critical habitat with no exclusions (2014).","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"North Carolina Department of Transportation","says":"Requested that NC 12 be excluded from the critical habitat designation; NMFS refused the request.","when":"2014","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"nmfs","role":"Designated 38 marine areas as critical habitat on 10 July 2014"},{"id":"north-carolina-dot","role":"Requested exclusion of NC 12 from the designation; refused"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"dps_listed","value":9,"unit":"distinct population segments","year":2011,"note":"Final rule of 22 September 2011 (76 FR 58868)."},{"key":"dps_threatened","value":4,"unit":"distinct population segments","year":2011,"note":"Includes the Northwest Atlantic DPS."},{"key":"dps_endangered","value":5,"unit":"distinct population segments","year":2011,"note":"Final rule of 22 September 2011."},{"key":"critical_habitat_areas","value":38,"unit":"marine areas","year":2014,"note":"Designated 10 July 2014 (79 FR 39856); no exclusions."},{"key":"quantified_impacts","value":950000,"unit":"$","year":2014,"note":"Over 10 years; stated as $110,000 a year."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nine loggerhead distinct population segments were identified under the Endangered Species Act in 2011 (four threatened, five endangered), and 38 marine areas were designated as critical habitat in 2014 with no exclusions.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Loggerhead turtles in the 38 designated marine areas","what":"Designation as critical habitat with no exclusions (10 July 2014)","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"North Carolina Department of Transportation","what":"Its request to exclude NC 12 from the designation was refused","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Marine areas under US jurisdiction designated in the 2014 rule; the Northwest Atlantic DPS is among the segments listed.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Petitions in 2007; final listing rule 22 September 2011; critical habitat rule 10 July 2014.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The listing followed petitions filed in 2007, and the critical habitat designation followed the listing. The sources reviewed do not set out the reasons given for the status of each population segment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through two final rules published in the Federal Register: 76 FR 58868 (22 September 2011) and 79 FR 39856 (10 July 2014).","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Federal Register final rule of 22 September 2011 (76 FR 58868): listing of loggerhead sea turtle distinct population segments","p":"Federal Register (via govinfo.gov)","d":"2011-09-22","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2011-09-22/html/2011-23960.htm"},{"t":"Federal Register final rule of 10 July 2014 (79 FR 39856): loggerhead sea turtle critical habitat","p":"Federal Register (via govinfo.gov)","d":"2014-07-10","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2014-07-10/pdf/2014-15748.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-atlantic-pelagic-longline-northeast-distant-2001-2007","title":"US Atlantic pelagic longline fishery: loggerhead take limits, Northeast Distant area reopened to circle hooks (2004) and Oceana v. Gutierrez (2007)","dek":"NMFS learned in 2003 that its take statement for loggerheads may have been exceeded in 2002. A 6 July 2004 rule reopened the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks, and the D.C. Circuit affirmed for the government on 1 June 2007.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":42,"lon":-55,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Atlantic pelagic longline fishery (Northeast Distant area)","lat":42,"lon":-55,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit","role":"court"}],"start":2001,"end":2007,"eventDate":"2004-07-06","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Loggerhead takes allowed, 2004-2006","value":"1,869","note":"Allowed loggerhead takes for 2004-2006 under the 2004 rule; observed interactions were 273 in 2001 and 335 in 2002."},"happened":["NMFS learned in 2003 that its take statement may have been exceeded for loggerheads in 2002. Observed interactions were 273 in 2001 and 335 in 2002.","An opinion of 1 June 2004 found no jeopardy for loggerheads, and the allowed loggerhead takes were 1,869 for 2004-2006. A rule of 6 July 2004 reopened the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks.","In Oceana v. Gutierrez (488 F.3d 1020, 1 June 2007) the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed for the government."],"timeline":[{"y":2001,"t":"273 observed interactions","src":0},{"y":2002,"t":"335 observed interactions; the take statement for loggerheads may have been exceeded","src":0},{"y":2003,"t":"NMFS learns that its take statement may have been exceeded for loggerheads in 2002","src":0},{"y":2004,"t":"Opinion finding no jeopardy for loggerheads (1 Jun); rule reopening the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks (6 Jul); allowed loggerhead takes of 1,869 for 2004-2006","src":0},{"y":2007,"t":"Oceana v. Gutierrez: D.C. Circuit affirms for the government (1 Jun)","src":1}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"NMFS learned in 2003 that its take statement may have been exceeded for loggerheads in 2002.","src":0},{"t":"Allowed loggerhead takes of 1,869 for 2004-2006; observed interactions of 273 (2001) and 335 (2002).","src":0},{"t":"6 July 2004 rule reopened the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks.","src":0},{"t":"Oceana v. Gutierrez, 488 F.3d 1020 (D.C. Cir., 1 June 2007): affirmed for the government.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Observed interactions","v":"273 (2001); 335 (2002)","d":"Figures recorded with the loggerhead data of the 2004 rule"},{"k":"Allowed loggerhead takes, 2004-2006","v":"1,869","d":"As set for 2004-2006 under the 2004 opinion and rule"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NMFS's rule of 6 July 2004 (Federal Register)","report":[{"t":"My loggerheads had 273 observed interactions with the fishery in 2001 and 335 in 2002.","src":0},{"t":"NMFS learned in 2003 that the take statement for my loggerheads may have been exceeded in 2002.","src":0}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The 2004 opinion allowed loggerhead takes of 1,869 for 2004-2006 and the Northeast Distant area was reopened to vessels using circle hooks on 6 July 2004. The sources reviewed give observed interactions for 2001 and 2002 only.","whoPaid":"None on record: no fine, compensation or cost figure appears in the sources reviewed.","statusLine":"As of June 2007 (latest dated source): the D.C. Circuit affirmed for the government in Oceana v. Gutierrez.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"NMFS","says":"An opinion of 1 June 2004 found no jeopardy for loggerheads, and a rule of 6 July 2004 reopened the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks.","when":"2004","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"nmfs","role":"Take statement, opinion of 1 June 2004 and rule of 6 July 2004"},{"id":"oceana","role":"Named in the case caption Oceana v. Gutierrez"},{"id":"us-dc-circuit","role":"Affirmed for the government on 1 June 2007"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Oceana v. Gutierrez, 488 F.3d 1020","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Oceana","defendant":"Gutierrez (as named in the case caption)","filed":null,"decided":"2007-06-01","status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The D.C. Circuit affirmed for the government on 1 June 2007.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loggerhead_takes_allowed","value":1869,"unit":"loggerheads","year":2004,"note":"Allowed loggerhead takes for 2004-2006."},{"key":"loggerhead_interactions_observed","value":273,"unit":"interactions","year":2001,"note":"Observed interactions."},{"key":"loggerhead_interactions_observed","value":335,"unit":"interactions","year":2002,"note":"Observed interactions."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"NMFS learned in 2003 that its loggerhead take statement may have been exceeded in 2002; in 2004 an opinion found no jeopardy for loggerheads and a rule reopened the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks; the D.C. Circuit affirmed for the government in 2007.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Longline vessels using circle hooks","what":"The Northeast Distant area reopened to them by the rule of 6 July 2004","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Oceana","what":"Oceana v. Gutierrez: the D.C. Circuit affirmed for the government on 1 June 2007","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Loggerhead turtles","what":"Observed interactions of 273 (2001) and 335 (2002); allowed takes of 1,869 for 2004-2006","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The US Atlantic pelagic longline fishery, including the Northeast Distant area; the D.C. Circuit for the appeal.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Interactions observed 2001-2002; NMFS learned of the possible exceedance in 2003; opinion 1 June 2004; rule 6 July 2004; judgment 1 June 2007.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The 2004 opinion found no jeopardy for loggerheads after NMFS learned that its take statement may have been exceeded in 2002. Oceana's arguments in the appeal are not recorded here.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through an opinion finding no jeopardy, a rule reopening the Northeast Distant area to vessels using circle hooks, and allowed loggerhead takes for 2004-2006.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Federal Register rule of 6 July 2004 (Atlantic pelagic longline fishery, Northeast Distant area)","p":"Federal Register (via govinfo.gov)","d":"2004-07-06","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2004-07-06/pdf/04-15180.pdf"},{"t":"Oceana v. Gutierrez, 488 F.3d 1020 (D.C. Cir. 2007)","p":"law.resource.org (court reporter text)","d":"2007-06-01","type":"court","u":"https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/488/488.F3d.1020.05-5448.html"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"US Atlantic pelagic longliners had 273 observed interactions with my loggerheads in 2001 and 335 in 2002; 1,869 loggerhead takes were then allowed for 2004-2006.","src":[0]},"gaps":[],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-southeast-skimmer-trawl-ted-rule-2019-2026","title":"US Southeast shrimp skimmer-trawl turtle excluder device rule (2019) and the Louisiana Shrimp Association litigation","dek":"A final rule of 20 December 2019 requires turtle excluder devices on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer. The Louisiana Shrimp Association sued in January 2024; the district court dismissed on 27 June 2025 and the Fifth Circuit affirmed on 28 August 2026.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":30,"lon":-90,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Southeast United States (skimmer-trawl shrimp fisheries); Louisiana","lat":30,"lon":-90,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit","role":"court"}],"start":2019,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2019-12-20","instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban","law-policy"],"headline":{"label":"Turtle deaths expected to be avoided each year by the rule","value":"801-1,168","note":"Estimate in NMFS's final rule; all sea turtle species. Inshore fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 turtle deaths a year."},"happened":["NMFS's final rule of 20 December 2019 (84 FR 70048) requires turtle excluder devices (TEDs) on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer. The rule's estimates are that inshore fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 turtle deaths a year and that the rule is expected to save 801-1,168 a year, across all species.","The rule's first-year cost is given as $3.67 million, made up of $2.29 million in lost revenue and $1.38 million in TED costs, for 1,062 vessels. A TED costs $325-550.","The Louisiana Shrimp Association sued on 17 January 2024 (case name Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden). The plaintiffs argued there was \"minimal or no interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in inshore areas\".","The district court dismissed the case on 27 June 2025. The Fifth Circuit affirmed on 28 August 2026, according to an Earthjustice release of 1 September 2026."],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"NMFS final rule (20 Dec, 84 FR 70048) requires TEDs on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer","src":0},{"y":2024,"t":"Louisiana Shrimp Association sues (17 Jan)","src":2},{"y":2025,"t":"District court dismisses the case (27 Jun)","src":2},{"y":2026,"t":"Fifth Circuit affirms (28 Aug); Earthjustice release (1 Sep)","src":1}],"said":[{"q":"minimal or no interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in inshore areas","who":"Plaintiffs, Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden (argument as recorded)","when":"2024","src":2}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Final rule of 20 December 2019 (84 FR 70048): TEDs required on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer.","src":0},{"t":"Estimated 2,165-2,942 turtle deaths a year from inshore fleets; the rule is expected to save 801-1,168 a year (all species).","src":0},{"t":"First-year cost of $3.67 million ($2.29 million lost revenue plus $1.38 million TED costs) for 1,062 vessels; a TED costs $325-550.","src":0},{"t":"Louisiana Shrimp Association sued on 17 January 2024; the district court dismissed on 27 June 2025.","src":2},{"t":"The Fifth Circuit affirmed on 28 August 2026 (Earthjustice release, 1 September 2026).","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"First year","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Lost revenue, first year (1,062 vessels)","amount":2.29,"est":true,"window":"First year"},{"label":"TED costs, first year (1,062 vessels)","amount":1.38,"est":true,"window":"First year","note":"A TED costs $325-550."}],"otherTotal":3.67,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Turtle deaths a year that inshore fleets may cause","v":"2,165-2,942","d":"All species; estimate in the 2019 final rule"},{"k":"Deaths expected to be saved a year by the rule","v":"801-1,168","d":"All species; expected under the rule"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"NMFS's final rule of 20 December 2019 (84 FR 70048)","report":[{"t":"NMFS estimated that inshore shrimp fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 deaths of my sea turtles a year, across all species.","src":0},{"t":"NMFS expected its rule to save 801-1,168 of my sea turtles a year, across all species.","src":0}]},"unknown":[],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The rule has required TEDs on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer since the final rule of 20 December 2019, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of the suit on 28 August 2026. The sources reviewed give an expected reduction of 801-1,168 turtle deaths a year (all species), an estimate.","whoPaid":"The final rule estimates a first-year cost of $3.67 million ($2.29 million lost revenue plus $1.38 million TED costs) for 1,062 vessels; a TED costs $325-550.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: the Fifth Circuit affirmed on 28 August 2026 the district court's dismissal of Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden (Earthjustice release of 1 September 2026).","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"NMFS","says":"The final rule of 20 December 2019 requires TEDs on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer, and estimates 801-1,168 turtle deaths a year saved across all species.","when":"2019-12-20","src":0},{"actor":"Louisiana Shrimp Association","says":"Sued on 17 January 2024; the plaintiffs argued there was \"minimal or no interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in inshore areas\".","when":"2024-01-17","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"nmfs","role":"Issued the final rule of 20 December 2019"},{"id":"louisiana-shrimp-association","role":"Plaintiff in Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden"},{"id":"us-fifth-circuit","role":"Affirmed on 28 August 2026"},{"id":"earthjustice","role":"Published the release of 1 September 2026 on the Fifth Circuit ruling"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Whether sea turtles interact with shrimpers in inshore areas","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Louisiana Shrimp Association","says":"Argued there was \"minimal or no interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in inshore areas\".","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"NMFS","says":"Estimated in the final rule that inshore fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 turtle deaths a year and that the rule is expected to save 801-1,168 a year (all species).","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"District court and Fifth Circuit","says":"The district court dismissed the case on 27 June 2025 and the Fifth Circuit affirmed on 28 August 2026.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden (district court)","forum":"US district court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Louisiana Shrimp Association","defendant":"Federal defendants named in the case caption","filed":"2024-01-17","decided":"2025-06-27","status":"dismissed","amount":null,"summary":"The Louisiana Shrimp Association sued on 17 January 2024. The plaintiffs argued there was \"minimal or no interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in inshore areas\". The district court dismissed the case on 27 June 2025.","src":2},{"title":"Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden (appeal)","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Louisiana Shrimp Association","defendant":"Federal defendants named in the case caption","filed":null,"decided":"2026-08-28","status":"defendant-won","amount":null,"summary":"The Fifth Circuit affirmed on 28 August 2026, according to an Earthjustice release of 1 September 2026.","src":1}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"turtle_deaths_inshore_per_year","value":"2,165-2,942","unit":"turtles a year","year":2019,"qualifier":"may","est":true,"note":"Deaths that inshore fleets may cause, all species (final rule)."},{"key":"turtle_deaths_avoided_per_year","value":"801-1,168","unit":"turtles a year","year":2019,"qualifier":"expected","est":true,"note":"Expected to be saved by the rule, all species."},{"key":"vessels_affected","value":1062,"unit":"vessels","year":2019,"note":"Vessels covered by the first-year cost estimate."},{"key":"first_year_cost","value":3.67,"unit":"$ million","year":2019,"est":true,"note":"$2.29 million lost revenue plus $1.38 million TED costs."},{"key":"ted_unit_cost","value":"325-550","unit":"$ per TED","year":2019,"note":"Cost of one TED."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"NMFS's final rule of 20 December 2019 requires TEDs on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer. The Louisiana Shrimp Association sued in January 2024; the district court dismissed in June 2025 and the Fifth Circuit affirmed in August 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sea turtles (all species)","what":"The rule is expected to save 801-1,168 turtle deaths a year","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Shrimp vessel owners (1,062 vessels)","what":"First-year cost of $3.67 million: $2.29 million lost revenue plus $1.38 million TED costs","src":0},{"who":"Louisiana Shrimp Association","what":"Its suit was dismissed on 27 June 2025 and the dismissal affirmed on 28 August 2026","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sea turtles (all species)","what":"Inshore fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 turtle deaths a year","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The US Southeast skimmer-trawl shrimp fisheries covered by the rule, including inshore areas; the litigation was brought by a Louisiana association and decided in the Fifth Circuit.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Final rule 20 December 2019; suit filed 17 January 2024; dismissed 27 June 2025; affirmed 28 August 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The rule's estimates are that inshore fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 turtle deaths a year and that the rule is expected to save 801-1,168 a year. The plaintiffs argued there was minimal or no interaction between sea turtles and shrimpers in inshore areas.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through a final rule requiring TEDs on skimmer trawls of 40 ft and longer, followed by a lawsuit, dismissal in the district court and affirmance in the Fifth Circuit.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Federal Register final rule of 20 December 2019 (84 FR 70048): turtle excluder devices on skimmer trawls","p":"Federal Register (via govinfo.gov)","d":"2019-12-20","type":"official","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-12-20/pdf/2019-27398.pdf"},{"t":"Earthjustice press release of 1 September 2026 on the Fifth Circuit ruling","p":"Earthjustice","d":"2026-09-01","type":"ngo","u":"https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/u-s-appeals-court-rules-to-protect-imperiled-sea-turtles-from-drowning-in-fishing-nets"},{"t":"Case page: Louisiana Shrimp Association v. Biden (pelicanpolicy.org)","p":"pelicanpolicy.org","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://pelicanpolicy.org/cases/louisiana-shrimp-association-v-biden"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Inshore shrimp fleets may cause 2,165-2,942 deaths of my sea turtles a year, NMFS estimated in 2019; its TED rule is expected to save 801-1,168 a year.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Whether sea turtles interact with shrimpers in inshore areas","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"xcacel-xcacelito-la-calma-hotel-denied-2018","title":"Xcacel-Xcacelito turtle sanctuary, Tulum, Mexico: Semarnat refuses permits for the La Calma hotel (2018)","dek":"On 31 August 2018 Semarnat refused permits for La Calma, a 520-room hotel on 26 ha fronting Xcacel-Xcacelito bay. Semarnat said the project would place both land and marine ecosystems at risk.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":20.33,"lon":-87.35,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Tulum, Quintana Roo (Xcacel-Xcacelito bay)","lat":20.33,"lon":-87.35,"role":"event"}],"start":2018,"end":2018,"eventDate":"2018-08-31","instrument":"law-policy","types":["law-policy","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Hotel refused permits: La Calma","value":"520 rooms on 26 ha","note":"Semarnat decision of 31 August 2018; the agency had earlier refused a 75-room project."},"happened":["On 31 August 2018 Semarnat refused permits for La Calma, a 520-room hotel on 26 ha fronting Xcacel-Xcacelito bay in Tulum, Mexico. The developer was Palmares del Country.","Semarnat had earlier refused a 75-room project. It said the La Calma project would \"place both land and marine ecosystems at risk\"."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"Semarnat refuses permits for the 520-room La Calma hotel on 26 ha fronting Xcacel-Xcacelito bay (31 Aug); it had earlier refused a 75-room project","src":0}],"said":[{"q":"place both land and marine ecosystems at risk","who":"Semarnat, on the La Calma project","when":"2018","src":0}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Semarnat refused permits for La Calma, a 520-room hotel on 26 ha fronting Xcacel-Xcacelito bay, on 31 August 2018.","src":0},{"t":"Semarnat had earlier refused a 75-room project.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a federal ruling of 5 June 2025 annulled permits for the Maiim building in Bahia Soliman; a link between that building and the Xcacel-Xcacelito sanctuary was not confirmed (Riviera Maya News)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Semarnat refused the La Calma permits on 31 August 2018.","whoPaid":"None on record.","statusLine":"As of the sources reviewed: Semarnat refused permits for La Calma on 31 August 2018; no later decision on that project is on record.","updated":"2026-10-20","responses":[{"actor":"Semarnat","says":"Refused permits for La Calma and said the project would \"place both land and marine ecosystems at risk\".","when":"2018-08-31","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"semarnat","role":"Refused permits for La Calma on 31 August 2018"},{"id":"palmares-del-country","role":"Developer of the La Calma project"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"hotel_rooms_refused","value":520,"unit":"rooms","year":2018,"note":"La Calma hotel; permits refused 31 August 2018."},{"key":"area_ha","value":26,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"note":"Site of the La Calma project fronting Xcacel-Xcacelito bay."},{"key":"hotel_rooms_refused_earlier","value":75,"unit":"rooms","year":null,"note":"Earlier project refused by Semarnat."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Semarnat refused permits for La Calma, a 520-room hotel on 26 ha fronting Xcacel-Xcacelito bay; it had earlier refused a 75-room project.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Xcacel-Xcacelito bay and its turtle sanctuary","what":"Permits for a 520-room hotel on 26 ha fronting the bay were refused on 31 August 2018","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Palmares del Country (developer)","what":"Permits for the La Calma project refused","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Xcacel-Xcacelito bay, Tulum, Mexico.","src":0},"when":{"t":"31 August 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Semarnat said the project would \"place both land and marine ecosystems at risk\".","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through Semarnat's refusal of the permits for the project.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Mexico News Daily report on the refusal of permits for a 520-room hotel near Tulum","p":"Mexico News Daily","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/520-room-hotel-near-tulum-turned-down/"},{"t":"Riviera Maya News report (article ID 17626)","p":"Riviera Maya News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.rivieramayanews.mx/?p=17626"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a federal ruling of 5 June 2025 annulled permits for the Maiim building in Bahia Soliman; a link between that building and the Xcacel-Xcacelito sanctuary was not confirmed (Riviera Maya News).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chevron-lago-agrio-and-donziger","title":"Chevron, Texaco and the Lago Agrio judgment: the RICO ruling and the Donziger cases","dek":"A court in Ecuador gave judgment against Chevron, usually cited as $9.5 billion. A US federal court found in 2014 that the judgment had been obtained by corrupt means, an international arbitration tribunal ruled for Chevron, and the lawyer who won the judgment, Steven Donziger, was disbarred and sentenced for criminal contempt.","country":"Ecuador","region":"Latin America","lat":0.09,"lon":-76.89,"places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","admin":"Lago Agrio","lat":0.09,"lon":-76.89,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":40.71,"lon":-74,"role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"The Hague","role":"court"}],"start":1995,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2014-03-04","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill"],"headline":{"label":"Share of the Ecuadorian judgment reported paid","value":"0%","note":"As reported by Open Class Actions, 2025–26. The judgment is usually cited as $9.5bn; other figures circulate."},"happened":["Between 1995 and 1998 a cleanup in Ecuador was carried out under an agreement in which $40 million was spent and Texaco was released from further liability. Chevron's position, is that Texaco cleaned up and was released from liability. The communities were not parties to that agreement and nothing was paid to them under it.","In 2011 a court in Ecuador (Lago Agrio) ordered Chevron to pay $18 billion; Ecuador's National Court of Justice later reduced the amount to $9.5 billion (Open Class Actions). Figures of $8.6 billion and $9.2 billion also circulate. The facts on which the judgment was based are not stated in the sources.","On 4 March 2014 Judge Lewis Kaplan of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York issued a 485-page civil racketeering (RICO) ruling for Chevron against the lawyer Steven Donziger. He found that the Ecuadorian judgment had been obtained \"by corrupt means\", including ghostwriting and a promise of $500,000 to the judge. The Second Circuit affirmed the ruling in August 2016. The ABA Journal reported that the lawyer who won the judgment could not collect it.","In 2018 an arbitration tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled for Chevron against Ecuador; the $9.5 billion judgment is described as found to rest on fraud and bribery. An application to set the decision aside was rejected at The Hague in September 2020, and a compensation stage was noted as still open. On 17 November 2025 the Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal issued its damages award against Ecuador (the Track III award), corrected on 5 February 2026. On 17 July 2026 Chevron and Texaco Petroleum petitioned the US District Court for the District of Columbia to confirm it, claiming about $224.3 million including interest (Vistazo). Open Class Actions reported in August 2026 that the affected Amazon communities have not been paid.","Donziger was suspended from practice in New York in 2018 and disbarred by the New York Appellate Division in August 2020. He was charged with criminal contempt for refusing to hand over his devices, in a prosecution brought by a private law firm after the US prosecutor's office declined to bring it. He was held under pretrial house arrest from August 2019. On 1 October 2021 Judge Loretta Preska sentenced him to six months, the maximum.","He was released on 25 April 2022 after about 993 days of house arrest and 45 days in prison, according to one account; another gives more than 800 days of house arrest. The conviction was affirmed in June 2022 and the US Supreme Court declined review in March 2023. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (Opinion 24/2021) found that his deprivation of liberty was arbitrary."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"1995–98: $40 million spent on Texaco cleanup; Chevron’s position is that Texaco cleaned up and was released; communities not party to the agreement and paid nothing"},{"y":2014,"t":"4 March: Judge Kaplan’s 485-page RICO ruling for Chevron finds the Ecuadorian judgment was obtained by corrupt means"},{"y":2016,"t":"August: Second Circuit affirms the RICO ruling"},{"y":2018,"t":"Donziger suspended from practice in New York; Permanent Court of Arbitration rules for Chevron"},{"y":2019,"t":"August: pretrial house arrest begins"},{"y":2020,"t":"August: disbarred by the New York Appellate Division; September: application to set aside the arbitration decision rejected at The Hague"},{"y":2021,"t":"1 October: sentenced to six months for criminal contempt by Judge Preska; UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issues Opinion 24/2021"},{"y":2022,"t":"25 April: released after about 993 days of house arrest and 45 days in prison; June: conviction affirmed"},{"y":2023,"t":"March: US Supreme Court declines review of the conviction"},{"y":2026,"t":"17 July: Chevron asks the US District Court for the District of Columbia to confirm the tribunal's 17 November 2025 damages award against Ecuador, about $224.3 million with interest; none of the Ecuadorian judgment reported paid","src":8}],"said":[{"q":"by corrupt means","who":"Judge Lewis Kaplan, US District Court, Southern District of New York, on the Ecuadorian judgment (ruling of 4 March 2014, as reported by the ABA Journal)","when":"4 March 2014","src":0},{"q":"arbitrary","who":"UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Opinion 24/2021, on Steven Donziger’s deprivation of liberty","when":"2021","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Texaco cleaned up and was released from liability.","who":"Chevron's position (paraphrase; Chevron's own wording: none on record)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"$40 million was spent on cleanup in 1995–98 and a release was given; the communities were not party to the agreement and were paid nothing.","src":1},{"t":"A US federal court found the Ecuadorian judgment was obtained by corrupt means, including ghostwriting and a promise of $500,000 to the judge; the Second Circuit affirmed in August 2016.","src":0},{"t":"The ABA Journal reported that the lawyer who won the Ecuadorian judgment could not collect it.","src":0},{"t":"A Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal ruled for Chevron in 2018; a set-aside application was rejected at The Hague in September 2020.","src":1},{"t":"None of the Ecuadorian judgment was reported paid in 2025–26; an arbitration ordered Ecuador to pay Chevron more than $224 million.","src":2},{"t":"Donziger was suspended in 2018 and disbarred in August 2020, and was sentenced on 1 October 2021 to six months for criminal contempt; the contempt case was prosecuted by a private law firm after the US prosecutor's office declined to bring it.","src":4},{"t":"The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Donziger's deprivation of liberty arbitrary (Opinion 24/2021).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1995–2026","nature":[{"label":"Texaco cleanup spending recorded for 1995–98","amount":40,"window":"1995–98","note":"Chevron's position is that this settled the cleanup. The communities were not party to the agreement and were paid nothing."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":40,"note":"The only amount in the cited sources recorded as spent on the ground."},"other":[{"label":"Arbitration order for Ecuador to pay Chevron","amount":224,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Ordered, per Open Class Actions (2025–26). The cited sources do not say whether it was paid."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":224,"qualifier":"more than"},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of the Ecuadorian judgment reported paid","v":"0%","d":"Open Class Actions, 2025–26; the judgment is usually cited as $9.5bn"},{"k":"Cleanup spending recorded in 1995–98","v":"$40m","d":"Communities were not party to the agreement and were paid nothing"},{"k":"Judgment found obtained by corrupt means","v":"4 Mar 2014","d":"US federal court, Southern District of New York; affirmed in August 2016"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No survey of ecological damage appears in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["The amount of the Ecuadorian judgment is reported differently: it is usually cited as $9.5 billion, while $8.6 billion, $9.2 billion and more than $18 billion also circulate and are unconfirmed.","Accounts differ on the length of Donziger's house arrest: about 993 days (with 45 days in prison) in one account, more than 800 days in another.","The facts on which the original Lago Agrio judgment was based are not stated in the sources.","The 2018 arbitration decision is described as finding that the Lago Agrio judgment rested on fraud and bribery; the finding is not quoted in the sources. The tribunal issued its damages award on 17 November 2025.","Whether Ecuador has paid the November 2025 damages award is not stated in the sources; Chevron's petition to confirm it was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 17 July 2026.","Whether any money has been paid to the Ecuadorian plaintiffs or for remediation is not on record; nothing was reported paid from the judgment or to communities under the 1995–98 agreement."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no ecological outcome. They record that none of the Ecuadorian judgment was reported paid in 2025–26.","whoPaid":"Recorded: $40 million of Texaco cleanup spending in 1995–98 with no payment to communities under that agreement; no payment of the Ecuadorian judgment as of 2025–26; and an arbitration order for Ecuador to pay Chevron more than $224 million.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: US courts upheld the RICO ruling and the contempt conviction; none of the Ecuadorian judgment was reported paid; on 17 July 2026 Chevron asked a US federal court to confirm a November 2025 arbitration damages award against Ecuador of about $224.3 million with interest.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"chevron","says":"Texaco cleaned up and was released from liability (Chevron's position; its own wording is not reproduced).","when":"1995–98 arrangement","src":null},{"actor":"chevron","says":"Won the civil RICO case against Steven Donziger in the Southern District of New York; the ruling found the Ecuadorian judgment was obtained by corrupt means.","when":"4 March 2014","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"chevron","role":"Defendant in the Ecuadorian judgment; plaintiff in the US RICO case; claimant in the arbitration"},{"id":"ecuador-gov","role":"Respondent in the arbitration; ordered to pay Chevron more than $224 million"},{"id":"pca","role":"Arbitration tribunal (Permanent Court of Arbitration)"},{"id":"us-supreme-court","role":"Declined review of the contempt conviction (March 2023)"},{"id":"un-wgad","role":"Found the lawyer's deprivation of liberty arbitrary (Opinion 24/2021)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the Ecuadorian judgment obtained legitimately?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge Lewis Kaplan, US District Court (Southern District of New York)","says":"Found in a 485-page RICO ruling that the judgment was obtained “by corrupt means”, including ghostwriting and a promise of $500,000 to the judge. Affirmed by the Second Circuit in August 2016.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal","says":"Ruled for Chevron in 2018; the $9.5 billion judgment is described as found to rest on fraud and bribery. A set-aside application was rejected at The Hague in September 2020.","src":1}]},{"point":"Was the prosecution and detention of Steven Donziger justified?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge Loretta Preska","says":"Sentenced him on 1 October 2021 to six months for criminal contempt, the maximum; the conviction was affirmed in June 2022 and the US Supreme Court declined review in March 2023.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention","says":"Found in Opinion 24/2021 that his deprivation of liberty was arbitrary.","src":3}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Did the 1995–98 cleanup settle the damage?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Chevron","says":"Texaco cleaned up and was released from liability (Chevron's position).","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Record of the 1995–98 agreement","says":"$40 million was spent; the communities were not party to the agreement and were paid nothing.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Lago Agrio judgment against Chevron","forum":"Court in Lago Agrio, Ecuador; Ecuador's National Court of Justice","country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiffs represented by Steven Donziger (not otherwise named)","defendant":"Chevron","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":9500000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Usually cited; other figures circulate"},"summary":"A 2011 judgment in Ecuador ordered Chevron to pay $18 billion, reduced to $9.5 billion by Ecuador's National Court of Justice (Open Class Actions). A US federal court found it had been obtained by corrupt means. As of August 2026 none of it was reported paid.","src":2},{"title":"Chevron v. Donziger (civil RICO)","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of New York (Judge Lewis Kaplan); Second Circuit on appeal","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Chevron","defendant":"Steven Donziger","filed":null,"decided":"2014-03-04","status":"claimant-won","summary":"485-page ruling for Chevron finding the Ecuadorian judgment was obtained by corrupt means, including ghostwriting and a promise of $500,000 to the judge. Affirmed by the Second Circuit in August 2016.","src":0},{"title":"Criminal contempt prosecution of Steven Donziger","forum":"US District Court, Southern District of New York (Judge Loretta Preska)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States (prosecution brought by a private law firm after the US prosecutor's office declined to bring it)","defendant":"Steven Donziger","filed":null,"decided":"2021-10-01","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to hand over his devices. Pretrial house arrest from August 2019. Sentenced on 1 October 2021 to six months, the maximum. Released on 25 April 2022 after about 993 days of house arrest and 45 days in prison (another account gives more than 800 days of house arrest). Conviction affirmed in June 2022; the US Supreme Court declined review in March 2023.","src":5},{"title":"Disbarment of Steven Donziger","forum":"New York Appellate Division","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Attorney disciplinary authority","defendant":"Steven Donziger","filed":null,"decided":"2020-08","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Suspended in 2018 and disbarred in August 2020.","src":4},{"title":"Chevron v. Ecuador (investment arbitration)","forum":"Permanent Court of Arbitration; set-aside application at The Hague","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Chevron","defendant":"Government of Ecuador","filed":null,"decided":"2018","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":224000000,"currency":"USD","label":"More than; damages award of 17 November 2025 with interest, as claimed in Chevron's July 2026 petition"},"summary":"Tribunal ruled for Chevron in 2018, in a decision that referred to fraud and bribery in connection with the $9.5 billion judgment; a set-aside application was rejected in September 2020 and a compensation stage was noted as open. On 17 November 2025 the tribunal issued its damages award against Ecuador, corrected on 5 February 2026; on 17 July 2026 Chevron and Texaco Petroleum petitioned the US District Court for the District of Columbia to confirm it, claiming about $224.3 million including interest (Vistazo). Whether the amount was paid is not stated.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"judgment_amount","value":9500,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"usually cited","note":"Ecuadorian judgment against Chevron. Figures of $8.6bn, $9.2bn and $18bn+ also circulate and are unconfirmed."},{"key":"judgment_paid_share","value":0,"unit":"% of judgment","year":2026,"note":"Open Class Actions, 2025–26: none of the Ecuadorian judgment paid.","src":2},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":40,"unit":"USD m","year":1998,"note":"Texaco cleanup spending in 1995–98; communities not party to the agreement and paid nothing.","src":1},{"key":"arbitration_award_to_chevron","value":224,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Damages award of 17 November 2025 against Ecuador with interest, as claimed in Chevron's petition of 17 July 2026 (Vistazo); payment not stated.","src":2},{"key":"ruling_pages","value":485,"unit":"pages","year":2014,"note":"Length of Judge Kaplan’s RICO ruling."},{"key":"house_arrest_days","value":993,"unit":"days","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Pretrial house arrest from August 2019 to release on 25 April 2022, per one account; another gives more than 800 days."},{"key":"house_arrest_days","value":800,"unit":"days","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Second account of the length of house arrest."},{"key":"prison_days","value":45,"unit":"days","year":2022,"note":"Time served in prison before release on 25 April 2022."},{"key":"sentence_months","value":6,"unit":"months","year":2021,"note":"Sentence for criminal contempt, the maximum, 1 October 2021."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A judgment in Ecuador against Chevron, usually cited as $9.5 billion, was found by a US federal court to have been obtained by corrupt means and described as resting on fraud and bribery by an arbitration tribunal. The lawyer who won it was disbarred and convicted of criminal contempt.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chevron","what":"A federal RICO ruling that the Ecuadorian judgment was obtained by corrupt means, affirmed in August 2016","src":0},{"who":"Chevron","what":"No payment of the Ecuadorian judgment reported as of August 2026; a November 2025 arbitration damages award against Ecuador, claimed at about $224.3 million with interest","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Steven Donziger","what":"Disbarred in August 2020; sentenced to six months for criminal contempt; about 993 days of house arrest and 45 days in prison (another account: more than 800 days of house arrest)","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Affected communities","what":"Were not party to the 1995–98 cleanup agreement and were paid nothing under it","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Ecuador (Lago Agrio) for the original judgment; the Southern District of New York for the RICO ruling and the contempt proceedings; The Hague for the arbitration set-aside application.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Cleanup and release in 1995–98; RICO ruling on 4 March 2014; Second Circuit affirmance in August 2016; arbitration decision in 2018; contempt sentence on 1 October 2021; release on 25 April 2022; Supreme Court review declined in March 2023. The date of the Ecuadorian judgment is not given.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The federal court found the judgment was obtained through ghostwriting and a promise of $500,000 to the judge; Chevron's position is that Texaco cleaned up and was released.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Chevron brought a civil RICO case against the lawyer in New York; he was later disciplined and prosecuted for criminal contempt for refusing to hand over his devices; Chevron also prevailed in international arbitration against Ecuador.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Lawyer who won $9B Chevron judgment can't collect it; 2nd Circuit upholds RICO ruling","p":"ABA Journal","d":"2016-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_who_won_9b_chevron_judgment_cant_collect_it_2nd_circuit_upholds_rico","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712025514/https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_who_won_9b_chevron_judgment_cant_collect_it_2nd_circuit_upholds_rico"},{"t":"International tribunal rules for Chevron in ongoing Ecuador case","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"undated","type":"press","u":"https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/article/17296445/international-tribunal-rules-for-chevron-in-ongoing-ecuador-case","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260118142849/https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/companies/article/17296445/international-tribunal-rules-for-chevron-in-ongoing-ecuador-case"},{"t":"Chevron Ecuador Amazon $224 million enforcement","p":"Open Class Actions","d":"2026-08-12","type":"press","u":"https://openclassactions.com/news/chevron-ecuador-amazon-224-million-enforcement.php"},{"t":"Opinion 24/2021 concerning Steven Donziger","p":"UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention","d":"2021","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3959214/files/A_HRC_WGAD_2021_24-EN.pdf"},{"t":"Lawyer accused of obtaining fraudulent environmental verdict against Chevron is disbarred","p":"ABA Journal","d":"2020-08-14","u":"https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer-accused-of-obtaining-fraudulent-environmental-verdict-against-chevron-is-disbarred","type":"press"},{"t":"US lawyer who sued Chevron sentenced to 6 months in contempt case","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2021-10-01","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/1/us-lawyer-who-sued-chevron-sentenced-to-six-months-in-contempt-case","type":"press"},{"t":"When Feds Demur, Judge Charges Ecuador Crusader Himself","p":"Courthouse News Service","d":"2019-08-13","u":"https://www.courthousenews.com/when-feds-demur-judge-charges-ecuador-crusader-himself/","type":"press"},{"t":"Petition to Confirm Arbitration Award, Chevron Corporation and Texaco Petroleum Corporation v. Republic of Ecuador (PCA Case No. 2009-23)","p":"italaw (US District Court for the District of Columbia filing)","d":"2026-07-17","u":"https://www.italaw.com/cases/documents/14804","type":"court"},{"t":"Chevron demanda a Ecuador en EE.UU. para cobrar USD 224,3 millones, incluidos intereses","p":"Vistazo","d":"2026-07-22","u":"https://www.vistazo.com/actualidad/2026-07-22-chevron-demanda-ecuador-eeuu-millones-intereses-CD11124644","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"litigation","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"$40 million was spent on cleanup in my Ecuadorian Amazon in 1995–98; no survey of ecological damage appears in the cited sources.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the 1995–98 cleanup settle the damage?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Ecuadorian judgment obtained legitimately?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the prosecution and detention of Steven Donziger justified?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the Ecuadorian judgment is reported differently: it is usually cited as $9.5 billion, while $8.6 billion, $9.2 billion and more than $18 billion also circulate and are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Accounts differ on the length of Donziger's house arrest: about 993 days (with 45 days in prison) in one account, more than 800 days in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The facts on which the original Lago Agrio judgment was based are not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2018 arbitration decision is described as finding that the Lago Agrio judgment rested on fraud and bribery; the finding is not quoted in the sources. The tribunal issued its damages award on 17 November 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Ecuador has paid the November 2025 damages award is not stated in the sources; Chevron's petition to confirm it was filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 17 July 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any money has been paid to the Ecuadorian plaintiffs or for remediation is not on record; nothing was reported paid from the judgment or to communities under the 1995–98 agreement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Steven Donziger"]},{"id":"kaeng-krachan-karen-evictions-and-billy-disappearance","title":"Kaeng Krachan: Karen evictions and the disappearance of Billy","dek":"Park officials burned Karen homes at Bang Kloi inside Thailand's Kaeng Krachan National Park in 2011. Karen rights defender Porlajee \"Billy\" Rakchongcharoen disappeared in 2014 after detention by park officials, and the park was listed as a World Heritage site in 2021.","country":"Thailand","region":"Asia","lat":12.9,"lon":99.4,"places":[{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":"Phetchaburi","lat":12.9,"lon":99.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","role":"court"}],"start":1981,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2014-04-17","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Prison sentence for the former park chief, 28 Sep 2023 (acquitted of murder)","value":"3 years","note":"For failing to report the detention; an appeal in the criminal case was pending as of April 2025."},"happened":["Kaeng Krachan National Park, on Thailand's border with Myanmar, was established in 1981. S'gaw Karen people had lived on the land for generations before it and practised rotational farming, in which a field is cultivated for a few years and then left fallow for years so that forest can return. Karen villagers were forcibly removed from ancestral land in 1997 and 2011. In 2011 park officials burned Karen homes and rice barns at Bang Kloi, in an operation led by the then park chief, Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn. One source reports homes of more than 20 families burned; others report about 90 to 100 houses and rice barns.","In September 2016 an administrative court held the burning lawful and denied the villagers a return, awarding six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each (about US$287) against a claim of 100,000 baht, according to Forest Peoples Programme. In 2018 the Supreme Administrative Court reportedly held that officials had acted disproportionately and increased the compensation, but again did not allow return.","Porlajee \"Billy\" Rakchongcharoen, a Karen land-rights defender, had helped organise the villagers' case and was due to testify in May 2014. On 17 April 2014 he was detained at a park checkpoint for allegedly carrying wild honey. Officials said they released him; there is no record of a release, and the case files he carried were never found. On 3 September 2019 the Department of Special Investigation announced that bone fragments found in an oil barrel at the bottom of a reservoir in the park, in searches between April and August 2019, had DNA matching his mother's.","On 28 September 2023 a court acquitted Chaiwat of murder and sentenced him to three years in prison for misconduct (Section 157), for detaining Billy and failing to report the case or bring him to investigators. He was released on bail of 800,000 baht. Three subordinate officials were acquitted. An appeal in the criminal case was pending as of April 2025. The family filed a civil suit for 44 million baht in April 2024; it was suspended in February 2025 until the criminal appeal concludes.","In 2021 Karen villagers tried to return to ancestral land; more than 80 people were arrested and 28, including seven women and a child, were charged. On 23 July 2021 UN independent experts asked UNESCO to defer the park's World Heritage nomination, and IUCN had recommended against approval until the concerns were addressed. The World Heritage Committee listed the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex on 26 July 2021, after not approving earlier applications."],"timeline":[{"y":1981,"t":"Kaeng Krachan National Park established"},{"y":1997,"t":"Karen villagers forcibly removed from ancestral land"},{"y":2011,"t":"Park officials burn Karen homes and rice barns at Bang Kloi"},{"y":2014,"t":"17 Apr: Billy detained at a park checkpoint and not seen again"},{"y":2016,"t":"Sep: administrative court holds the burning lawful and denies return; 10,000 baht each to six plaintiffs"},{"y":2018,"t":"Supreme Administrative Court reportedly finds officials acted disproportionately; compensation increased; return denied"},{"y":2019,"t":"Sep: Department of Special Investigation announces bone fragments from an oil barrel in the park's reservoir match his mother's DNA"},{"y":2021,"t":"Karen villagers arrested after trying to return; 23 Jul UN experts ask UNESCO to defer; 26 Jul World Heritage listing"},{"y":2023,"t":"28 Sep: former park chief acquitted of murder, sentenced to three years for failing to report the detention"},{"y":2024,"t":"Apr: family files 44 million baht civil suit"},{"y":2025,"t":"Feb: civil suit suspended pending the criminal appeal"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list on 26 July 2021","who":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","src":6},{"t":"Rotational farming described as a cause of deforestation.","who":"Thai state discourse, as described in a secondary report","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"In 2011 park officials burned Karen homes and rice barns at Bang Kloi; one source counts more than 20 families' homes, others about 90 to 100 houses and barns.","src":0},{"t":"In September 2016 an administrative court held the burning lawful, denied return and awarded six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each.","src":1},{"t":"Billy was detained on 17 April 2014 at a park checkpoint. Officials said they released him; no record of the release exists.","src":2},{"t":"Burnt bones found in 2019 in an oil drum in the park's dam were confirmed by DNA to include one bone belonging to Billy.","src":2},{"t":"On 28 September 2023 the former park chief was acquitted of murder and sentenced to three years for failing to report the detention; he was released on bail of 800,000 baht.","src":3},{"t":"The family's 44 million baht civil suit, filed in April 2024, was suspended in February 2025 until the criminal appeal concludes.","src":4},{"t":"More than 80 Karen were arrested in 2021 after trying to return to ancestral land; 28 were charged.","src":5},{"t":"Supreme Administrative Court, 2018: reported to have held that officials acted disproportionately and to have raised the compensation (about 50,000 baht per claimant in one account); no return to the land.","src":8},{"t":"UN independent experts (23 July 2021) asked UNESCO to defer the nomination; IUCN had recommended that approval not be given until the concerns were addressed.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"THB","window":"2011–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Rotational farming and forest","v":"~80% regrown in 30 years","d":"Studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai, as reported in a secondary report; the state attributes deforestation to this farming"},{"k":"Homes burned in 2011","v":"20+ to ~100","d":"More than 20 families' homes in one source; about 90 to 100 houses and rice barns in others"},{"k":"Murder conviction","v":"None","d":"Former park chief acquitted of murder on 28 September 2023; three years for failing to report the detention"},{"k":"Karen families allowed to return to the land","v":"No","d":"Courts in 2016 and 2018 awarded compensation but no return"}]},"unknown":["The outcome of the appeal in the criminal case over Billy's disappearance: not found.","The compensation awarded in 2018: recorded as about 10,000 baht in some sources and about 50,000 baht in others.","The number of homes burned in 2011: more than 20 families' homes in one source, about 90 to 100 houses and barns in others.","The reasons given for acquitting the three subordinate officials: Radio Free Asia reported that they were following orders, and Manushya Foundation reported that the murder charge against the four officials was dismissed for insufficient evidence.","The nomination years for earlier World Heritage applications not approved: recorded as 2016 and 2019 in one source and 2017 and 2019 in another, described as rejected in one and deferred in the other.","The outcome of the family's 44 million baht civil claim: suspended in February 2025 pending the criminal appeal.","The wording of the 2018 Supreme Administrative Court ruling: one account says the officials acted disproportionately, another says the burning was held unlawful.","Unconfirmed: the community's spiritual leader, a claimant aged over 100, died on 5 October 2018 aged 107 without receiving compensation.","Unconfirmed: the World Heritage Committee decision of July 2021 was by a 12–9 vote.","Unconfirmed: the former park chief was named head of a newly created wildlife protection unit ('Tiger Unit') in May 2016 while a suspect in the case, as reported by a secondary report.","Unconfirmed: studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai found that the rotational fallow system stores carbon and preserves agrobiodiversity, covering 207 food plants, with about 80% of the forest regrowing in 30 years; a secondary report also says the UN recognises the practice as protected cultural heritage."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","displacement","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The courts did not allow the villagers to return to the land. In 2021, arrests of villagers who tried to return were reported, and the park was listed as a World Heritage site.","whoPaid":"Karen villagers of Bang Kloi, whose homes were burned in 2011 and who were not allowed to return, and a Karen rights defender who disappeared in 2014.","statusLine":"As of April 2025 (latest dated source): an appeal in the criminal case over Billy's disappearance was pending, and the family's 44 million baht civil suit was suspended pending that appeal.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Park officials detaining Billy (the then park chief and four officials)","says":"Said they released Billy after detaining him; no record of the release exists.","when":"2014","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"thailand-dnp","role":"National parks department, whose director when convicted in 2023 was the former Kaeng Krachan park chief"},{"id":"unesco","role":"World Heritage listing, July 2021"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Recommended against listing until Karen concerns were addressed"},{"id":"manushya-foundation","role":"NGO documenting the case"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What happened to Billy after his detention on 17 April 2014?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Park officials","says":"Said they released him; no record of the release exists.","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Thai court, 28 September 2023","says":"Acquitted the former park chief of murder; sentenced him to three years for failing to report the detention.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"Reported that burnt bones found in an oil drum in the park's dam in 2019 were confirmed by DNA to include one belonging to Billy.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Manushya Foundation","says":"Records no evidence of a release; he was not seen again.","src":0}]},{"point":"Was the 2011 burning of Karen homes lawful, and may the villagers return?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Administrative court, September 2016","says":"Held the burning lawful and denied return; awarded six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Karen plaintiffs and indigenous organisations","says":"Said they would appeal the ruling and called for effective redress.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Administrative Court, 2018","says":"Reported to have held that officials acted disproportionately and increased the compensation, without allowing return.","src":null}]},{"point":"Should Kaeng Krachan have been listed as a World Heritage site in July 2021?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"UN independent experts","says":"Asked UNESCO on 23 July 2021 to defer the nomination.","src":5},{"voice":"standard","holder":"IUCN","says":"Recommended against approval until concerns about the Karen communities were addressed.","src":5},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNESCO World Heritage Committee","says":"Listed the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex on 26 July 2021.","src":6}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is Karen rotational farming a cause of deforestation?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Thai state (as described in a secondary report)","says":"State discourse attributes deforestation to rotational farming.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai (as reported in a secondary report)","says":"Found the fallow system stores carbon and preserves agrobiodiversity, covering 207 food plants, with about 80% of the forest regrowing in 30 years.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Karen villagers v park officials over the 2011 burning at Bang Kloi (administrative court)","forum":"Administrative court","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Karen villagers of Bang Kloi (six plaintiffs received compensation)","defendant":"Park officials, including the then park chief","filed":null,"decided":"2016-09","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court held the burning lawful and denied return, but awarded six plaintiffs 10,000 baht each (about US$287) against a claim of 100,000 baht.","src":1},{"title":"Appeal in the Bang Kloi burning case (Supreme Administrative Court)","forum":"Supreme Administrative Court","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Karen villagers of Bang Kloi","defendant":"Park officials, including the then park chief","filed":null,"decided":"2018","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Reported to have held that officials acted disproportionately and to have increased the compensation, without allowing return. The judgment text was not reviewed; the compensation amount is recorded as about 10,000 baht in some sources and about 50,000 baht in others.","src":8},{"title":"Prosecution over the disappearance of Porlajee \"Billy\" Rakchongcharoen","forum":"Court for corruption cases, Bangkok","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecution","defendant":"Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn, former Kaeng Krachan park chief, and three subordinate officials","filed":null,"decided":"2023-09-28","status":"ongoing","summary":"The court acquitted the former park chief of murder and sentenced him to three years in prison for failing to report the detention and hand Billy to police (Section 157); he was released on bail of 800,000 baht. Three subordinates were acquitted. An appeal was pending as of April 2025. Accounts of the reasons differ: one reports that the three subordinates were cleared because they were following orders, another that the murder charge against the four officials was dismissed for insufficient evidence.","src":3},{"title":"Civil suit by Billy's family","forum":"Not stated in the sources","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","kind":"civil","claimant":"Billy's family","defendant":"Not stated in the sources","filed":"2024-04","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":44000000,"currency":"THB","label":"Compensation claimed"},"summary":"Filed in April 2024; suspended in February 2025 until the criminal appeal concludes.","src":4},{"title":"Charges against Karen villagers who tried to return to ancestral land (2021)","forum":"Not stated in the sources","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecution","defendant":"28 Karen villagers, including seven women and a child, charged with encroachment","filed":"2021","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"More than 80 people were arrested in 2021 and 28 were charged; the outcome was not found.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"houses_burned","value":20,"unit":"families' homes","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"One source's count of homes burned at Bang Kloi in 2011."},{"key":"houses_burned","value":90,"unit":"houses and rice barns","year":2011,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Other sources give about 90 to 100 houses and barns and about 140 people; unconfirmed."},{"key":"compensation","value":10000,"unit":"THB per plaintiff","year":2016,"note":"Awarded to six plaintiffs in September 2016 against a claim of 100,000 baht (about US$287 each)."},{"key":"claim","value":44000000,"unit":"THB","year":2024,"note":"Civil suit by Billy's family, filed April 2024; suspended February 2025."},{"key":"disappeared","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2014,"note":"Karen rights defender detained on 17 April 2014; bones found in 2019 with a DNA match."},{"key":"prison_sentence","value":3,"unit":"years","year":2023,"note":"Former park chief, for failing to report the detention; acquitted of murder."},{"key":"bail","value":800000,"unit":"THB","year":2023,"note":"Bail granted to the former park chief after sentencing."},{"key":"people_arrested","value":80,"unit":"people","year":2021,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Karen arrested in 2021 after trying to return to ancestral land."},{"key":"people_charged","value":28,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Including seven women and a child."},{"key":"compensation","value":50000,"unit":"THB per plaintiff","year":2018,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Supreme Administrative Court, in one account; other sources give about 10,000 baht."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Park officials burned Karen homes at Bang Kloi in 2011; the villagers were not allowed to return. A Karen rights defender who helped organise their case disappeared in 2014 after detention by park officials, and the park was listed as a World Heritage site in 2021.","src":6},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn","what":"Later director of a national park division; convicted in 2023 of misconduct for failing to report the detention; the murder charge was dropped.","src":3},{"who":"Thailand (state party to the listing)","what":"Inscription of the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex on the World Heritage list on 26 July 2021.","src":6}],"lost":[{"who":"Karen villagers of Bang Kloi","what":"Homes and rice barns burned in 2011; courts did not allow a return to the land.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Porlajee \"Billy\" Rakchongcharoen","what":"Detained on 17 April 2014 and not seen again; bone fragments found in 2019 had DNA matching his mother's.","src":2},{"who":"28 Karen villagers","what":"Charged in 2021 after attempting to return to their ancestral land.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Bang Kloi, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Phetchaburi province, Thailand.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Removals in 1997 and 2011; detention on 17 April 2014; bones found in 2019, announced 3 September 2019; verdict 28 September 2023; World Heritage listing 26 July 2021.","src":6},"why":{"t":"State discourse attributes deforestation to Karen rotational farming; studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai report that the fallow system stores carbon and the forest regrows. The sources do not state an official reason for the 2011 burning.","src":null},"how":{"t":"In 2011 park officials burned the homes and rice barns. In 2014 officials detained Billy at a checkpoint over wild honey; they said they released him, but no record exists.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"#SaveBangKloi: What happened to Porlajee \"Billy\" Rakchongcharoen","p":"Manushya Foundation","d":"undated","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/savebangkloi-what-happened-to-porlajee-billy-rakchongcharoen","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607202248/https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/savebangkloi-what-happened-to-porlajee-billy-rakchongcharoen"},{"t":"Thailand: Karens to appeal court verdict legalizing their forced evictions; indigenous organizations call for effective redress","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2016-09-13","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/publications-resources/news/article/thailand-karens-to-appeal-court-verdict-legalizing-their-forced-evictions-indigenous-organizations-call-for-effective-redress/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711021129/https://www.forestpeoples.org/publications-resources/news/article/thailand-karens-to-appeal-court-verdict-legalizing-their-forced-evictions-indigenous-organizations-call-for-effective-redress/"},{"t":"Thailand: Disappeared activist's remains found","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2019-09-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/04/thailand-disappeared-activists-remains-found","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618053154/https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/09/04/thailand-disappeared-activists-remains-found"},{"t":"Karen activist case verdict (Radio Free Asia report)","p":"Radio Free Asia","d":"2023-09-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/karen-activist-09282023130423.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250814023506/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/karen-activist-09282023130423.html"},{"t":"#SaveBangKloi: 11 years since Billy's disappearance","p":"Manushya Foundation","d":"2025-04-17","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/savebangkloi-11-years-since-billy-s-disappearance","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712182203/https://www.manushyafoundation.org/post/savebangkloi-11-years-since-billy-s-disappearance"},{"t":"Prachatai English report on UN experts' call to defer the Kaeng Krachan nomination and arrests of Karen villagers","p":"Prachatai English","d":"2021-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://prachataienglish.com/node/9360","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240717172950/https://prachataienglish.com/node/9360"},{"t":"Thai PBS World report on the Kaeng Krachan World Heritage listing","p":"Thai PBS World","d":"2021-08-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.thaipbsworld.com/world/537021"},{"t":"Senior Thai national park official, 3 others acquitted in 9-year-old case of missing activist","p":"Khaosod English","d":"2023-09-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2023/09/28/senior-thai-national-park-official-3-others-acquitted-in-9-year-old-case-of-missing-activist/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250524132815/https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2023/09/28/senior-thai-national-park-official-3-others-acquitted-in-9-year-old-case-of-missing-activist/"},{"t":"Supreme Court of Justice (Supreme Administrative Court) No. A. 4/2561 - Karen villagers v forest rangers (Kaeng Krachan, Bang Kloi burning)","p":"InforMEA (UN Environment Programme court decisions database)","d":"2018-05-31","u":"https://www.informea.org/en/court-decision/supreme-court-justice-no-42561","type":"court"}],"episodes":[],"approxCoords":true,"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is Karen rotational farming a cause of deforestation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What happened to Billy after his detention on 17 April 2014?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the 2011 burning of Karen homes lawful, and may the villagers return?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should Kaeng Krachan have been listed as a World Heritage site in July 2021?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Charges against Karen villagers who tried to return to ancestral land (2021): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Houses burned: Other sources give about 90 to 100 houses and barns and about 140 people; unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Compensation: Supreme Administrative Court, in one account; other sources give about 10,000 baht.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the appeal in the criminal case over Billy's disappearance: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The compensation awarded in 2018: recorded as about 10,000 baht in some sources and about 50,000 baht in others.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of homes burned in 2011: more than 20 families' homes in one source, about 90 to 100 houses and barns in others.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The reasons given for acquitting the three subordinate officials: Radio Free Asia reported that they were following orders, and Manushya Foundation reported that the murder charge against the four officials was dismissed for insufficient evidence.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The nomination years for earlier World Heritage applications not approved: recorded as 2016 and 2019 in one source and 2017 and 2019 in another, described as rejected in one and deferred in the other.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the family's 44 million baht civil claim: suspended in February 2025 pending the criminal appeal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The wording of the 2018 Supreme Administrative Court ruling: one account says the officials acted disproportionately, another says the burning was held unlawful.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the community's spiritual leader, a claimant aged over 100, died on 5 October 2018 aged 107 without receiving compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the World Heritage Committee decision of July 2021 was by a 12–9 vote.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the former park chief was named head of a newly created wildlife protection unit ('Tiger Unit') in May 2016 while a suspect in the case, as reported by a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: studies in the Karen village of Hin Lad Nai found that the rotational fallow system stores carbon and preserves agrobiodiversity, covering 207 food plants, with about 80% of the forest regrowing in 30 years; a secondary report also says the UN recognises the practice as protected cultural heritage.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"uk-packaging-recycling-notes-prn","title":"UK packaging recycling notes (PRN) system and fraud cases","dek":"The UK counts packaging recycling through tradable notes, which producers buy to meet recycling obligations and which exporters obtain for waste sent abroad. The National Audit Office found in 2018 that half of the recycling the notes subsidised was exported, with no check on what happened to the waste on arrival; later cases include a note-fraud conviction and arrests.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":54,"lon":-2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Adana","role":"affected"}],"start":2009,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","shipping","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Share of PRN-subsidised packaging recycling that was exported, 2017","value":"About half","note":"National Audit Office, July 2018."},"happened":["In the UK, packaging producers meet their recycling obligations by buying packaging recycling notes (PRNs); exporters obtain export notes (PERNs). In a report published on 23 July 2018 (HC 1386), the National Audit Office (NAO) found that exports accounted for half of the recycling subsidised by PRNs in 2017, and that packaging exports had risen sixfold since 2002.","The NAO found that a PERN does not cover what happens to waste on arrival abroad, and that recycling rates are not adjusted for fraud. It reported that the Environment Agency carried out 40% of its planned compliance visits in 2016–17 and three unannounced visits in 2017/18. A press report of the audit said that only one in four high-risk exporters had been inspected. A secondary report says the Environment Agency later found that exporters had claimed 35,135 t more plastic than HMRC recorded; this has not been independently verified.","Fraud cases followed. In a prosecution by the Environment Agency at Swansea Crown Court, Nationwide Recycling Ltd, a Neath glass reprocessor, was convicted in October 2012 of issuing PRNs for waste it had not received between January 2009 and October 2010, with an estimated gain of more than £2 million; its two directors, Paul and Andrew Thomas, pleaded guilty and were jailed for four years in July 2013 and disqualified as directors for 10 years, and two employees received 24-month suspended sentences for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation (letsrecycle.com; Resource). In 2024 the Environment Agency reported 17 arrests over PERN fraud and money laundering, £665,000 forfeited, and a quadrupled investigator team. In November 2025 Environment Agency officers with South Yorkshire Police arrested two men on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering over about £875,000 in PERNs; both were released on conditional bail (letsrecycle.com).","On the receiving side, Greenpeace reported in 2021 that it found UK plastic at all 10 dumping sites it checked in Adana, Türkiye. Human Rights Watch interviewed 64 people about plastic recycling in Turkey, including children, refugees and unregistered workers. Plastic imports from the EU to Turkey rose from 22,000 t to 447,000 t between 2016 and 2020. Turkey's polyethylene import ban took effect in July 2021 and was lifted about a week later. A 2020 study cited in the sources estimated that 59–80% of what the UK exported was recycled, and that 1–7% of Europe's exported polyethylene in 2017 went to the ocean.","The UK government told Parliament that it had not assessed the carbon emissions of waste exports; the emissions of exported waste burned abroad are recorded in the importing country's inventory. Average plastic PRN prices were about £273–290 per tonne in 2023, falling to about £120 in Q3 2023, and about £378 per tonne in 2026; the final 2025–26 plastic base fee under extended producer responsibility was £423 per tonne. In 2025 the UK was still exporting 1.48 Mt of refuse-derived fuel.","Biffa Waste Services was fined £350,000 at Wood Green Crown Court in September 2019, with £240,000 costs, after being convicted in June 2019 of exporting unsorted household waste described as waste paper to China in 2015; on 30 July 2021 the same court fined it £1.5 million, with £153,827.99 costs and a £38,388 proceeds of crime order, for four breaches of waste-shipment rules over poorly sorted household waste sent to India and Indonesia between October 2018 and April 2019 (Environment Agency)."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"Nationwide Recycling issues PRNs for waste it never received, 2009–10 (company convicted 2012; directors jailed for four years in 2013)"},{"y":2017,"t":"Exports are half of the recycling subsidised by PRNs"},{"y":2018,"t":"NAO report on the packaging recycling obligations (23 July)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Greenpeace finds UK plastic at 10 sites in Adana (May); Turkey's polyethylene ban takes effect and is lifted about a week later (July)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Human Rights Watch report on plastic recycling in Turkey (21 September)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Environment Agency: 17 arrests over PERN fraud and money laundering; £665,000 forfeited"},{"y":2025,"t":"Two arrests over about £875,000 in PERNs (November)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"UK packaging recycling reported at 64%, against a 55% target","who":"UK recycling statistics (Defra, Environment Agency)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Exports were half of the recycling subsidised by PRNs in 2017; packaging exports up sixfold since 2002","src":0},{"t":"The export note (PERN) does not cover what happens to waste on arrival; recycling rates are not adjusted for fraud","src":0},{"t":"Environment Agency did 40% of planned compliance visits in 2016–17 and 3 unannounced visits in 2017/18","src":0},{"t":"Only a quarter of high-risk exporters were inspected, according to the NAO as summarised","src":1},{"t":"Exporters claimed 35,135 t more plastic than HM Customs recorded, according to the Guardian's analysis of data passed to the Environment Agency","src":9},{"t":"Environment Agency 2024: 17 arrests, £665,000 forfeited","src":3},{"t":"Greenpeace found UK plastic at all 10 dumping sites it checked in Adana in 2021.","src":10}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"n/a","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of subsidised recycling exported","v":"About half","d":"NAO, 2017 data"},{"k":"Planned compliance visits carried out","v":"40%","d":"Environment Agency, 2016–17 (NAO)"},{"k":"UK plastic found at dumping sites checked in Adana","v":"10 of 10","d":"Greenpeace, 2021"},{"k":"UK exports recycled","v":"59–80%","d":"2020 estimate; 1–7% of Europe's exported polyethylene in 2017 estimated to have gone to the ocean"}]},"unknown":["The PERN is issued when waste leaves the port and does not cover what happens to it on arrival.","Recycling rates are not adjusted for fraud (NAO, 2018).","Unconfirmed: the 35,135 t discrepancy between exporter claims and HMRC records is described in a secondary report.","The UK government told Parliament it had not assessed the carbon emissions of waste exports; the emissions of exported waste burned abroad are recorded in the importing country's inventory.","The cited sources do not give Defra's or the Environment Agency's response to the NAO findings.","The charging outcome of the 2024 and November 2025 arrests is not on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","no-eval","review"],"harmStopped":"Not on record. The NAO documented the gap in 2018; arrests continued in 2024 and 2025.","whoPaid":"Not established in the cited sources; Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch recorded the effects at receiving sites in Adana.","statusLine":"As of November 2025: Environment Agency enforcement continues, with two further arrests over about £875,000 in PERNs.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"defra","says":"Told Parliament it did not assess the carbon emissions of waste exports.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"nao","role":"Auditor of the PRN/PERN system"},{"id":"environment-agency","role":"Regulator; investigator of PERN fraud"},{"id":"nationwide-recycling","role":"Convicted of PRN fraud"},{"id":"biffa","role":"Penalised over waste exports"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"NGO; found UK plastic at sites in Adana"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"NGO; interviewed workers in Turkey"},{"id":"defra","role":"UK government department responsible for the packaging system"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Does the reported recycling rate reflect plastic that was actually recycled?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"UK reporting system (Defra, Environment Agency)","says":"Reported packaging recycling of 64% against a 55% target.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"National Audit Office","says":"Exports were half of the recycling subsidised by PRNs; PERNs do not cover what happens on arrival; rates are not adjusted for fraud.","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Found UK plastic at all 10 dumping sites it checked in Adana (2021).","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"2020 study","says":"Estimated that 59–80% of what the UK exported was recycled, and 1–7% of Europe's exported polyethylene in 2017 went to the ocean.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Nationwide Recycling PRN fraud","forum":"Swansea Crown Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Environment Agency","defendant":"Nationwide Recycling Ltd; directors Paul and Andrew Thomas; two employees","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"PRNs issued for waste not received between January 2009 and October 2010, with an estimated gain of more than £2 million (reports give up to £2.8 million). The company was convicted in October 2012; directors Paul and Andrew Thomas pleaded guilty and were jailed for four years in July 2013 and disqualified as directors for 10 years; employees Beverley Bradford and Terrance Ainge received 24 months suspended for two years for conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation.","src":12},{"title":"Environment Agency PERN fraud investigation","forum":"Environment Agency investigation","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Environment Agency","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2024","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"17 arrests over PERN fraud and money laundering; £665,000 forfeited; the investigator team was quadrupled.","src":3},{"title":"Arrests over about £875,000 in PERNs, Yorkshire","forum":"Not stated","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Not stated","defendant":"Two men arrested and released on conditional bail; no charge stated in the sources","filed":"2025-11","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Two men arrested in November 2025 by the Environment Agency with South Yorkshire Police on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering over about £875,000 in PERNs, and released on conditional bail. Arrest is not a finding of guilt.","src":13}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fraudulent_prns","value":"£2–3m","unit":"GBP","year":2010,"qualifier":"about","note":"Nationwide Recycling, 2009–10."},{"key":"export_share_of_subsidised_recycling","value":"half","unit":"share","year":2017,"note":"NAO, 2018."},{"key":"compliance_visits_done","value":40,"unit":"% of planned","year":2017,"note":"Environment Agency, 2016–17."},{"key":"plastic_claimed_over_hmrc","value":35135,"unit":"t","year":null,"unverified":true,"note":"Exporters claimed more plastic than HMRC recorded; secondary report."},{"key":"arrests","value":17,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Environment Agency, PERN fraud and money laundering."},{"key":"forfeited","value":665000,"unit":"GBP","year":2024,"note":"Environment Agency."},{"key":"pern_fraud_value","value":875000,"unit":"GBP","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Two arrests, November 2025."},{"key":"epr_base_fee_plastic","value":423,"unit":"GBP per t","year":2025,"note":"Final 2025-26 plastic base fee."},{"key":"eu_plastic_exports_to_turkey","value":"22,000 t to 447,000 t","unit":"t","year":2020,"note":"2016 to 2020."},{"key":"packaging_exports_growth","value":"sixfold","unit":"since 2002","year":2017,"note":"NAO, 2018."},{"key":"prn_price_plastic","value":"273–290","unit":"GBP per tonne","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Average plastic PRN price 2023, falling to about £120 in Q3 2023."},{"key":"prn_price_plastic","value":378,"unit":"GBP per tonne","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"2026 average."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A tradable-note system used to count UK packaging recycling, in which exports account for half of the subsidised recycling and the export note does not cover what happens after arrival.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Packaging producers","what":"Closed their recycling obligations by buying notes.","src":0},{"who":"Exporters and sellers of notes","what":"Issued export notes when waste left the port; amounts not stated in the cited sources.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Workers and neighbours at receiving sites in Turkey, including children, refugees and unregistered workers (Human Rights Watch)","what":"Health and environmental harm recorded by Human Rights Watch","src":6},{"who":"Communities around the dumping sites in Adana","what":"UK plastic was found at all 10 sites checked by Greenpeace in 2021.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom (system); Adana, Turkey (dumping sites found by Greenpeace).","src":null},"when":{"t":"2009–2025; NAO report 23 July 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state intent. The NAO found that the system's controls did not cover waste after export.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Producers buy PRNs; exporters obtain PERNs when waste leaves the port; Nationwide Recycling was convicted of PRN fraud and the Environment Agency has investigated PERN fraud.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"The packaging recycling obligations (HC 1386)","p":"National Audit Office","d":"2018-07-23","type":"official","u":"https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-packaging-recycling-obligations.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260812062743/https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-packaging-recycling-obligations.pdf"},{"t":"The packaging recycling obligations (press release)","p":"National Audit Office","d":"2018-07-23","type":"official","u":"https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/the-packaging-recycling-obligations/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418073850/https://www.nao.org.uk/press-releases/the-packaging-recycling-obligations/"},{"t":"Flawed monitoring could lead to overestimation of UK packaging recycling, says NAO","p":"Resource","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.resourcemedia.eco/article/flawed-monitoring-could-lead-overestimation-uk-packaging-recycling-says-nao-12756"},{"t":"Environment Agency intensifies crackdown on waste export fraud","p":"Resource","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.resourcemedia.eco/article/environment-agency-intensifies-crackdown-waste-export-fraud"},{"t":"Nationwide Recycling convicted of PRN fraud","p":"letsrecycle.com","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/nationwide-recycling-convicted-of-prn-fraud/"},{"t":"Two arrested over £875k packaging recycling fraud","p":"Resource","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://resourcemedia.eco/article/two-arrested-875k-packaging-recycling-fraud-yorkshire","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260305132006/https://resourcemedia.eco/article/two-arrested-875k-packaging-recycling-fraud-yorkshire"},{"t":"Turkey: plastic recycling harms health, environment","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2022-09-21","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/21/turkey-plastic-recycling-harms-health-environment","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260906154004/https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/09/21/turkey-plastic-recycling-harms-health-environment"},{"t":"PRN prices 2023","p":"letsrecycle.com","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/prices/prns/prn-prices-2023/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250908224606/https://www.letsrecycle.com/prices/prns/prn-prices-2023/"},{"t":"Extended producer responsibility for packaging: 2025 base fees","p":"GOV.UK","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-2025-base-fees/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-2025-base-fees","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930103129/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-2025-base-fees/extended-producer-responsibility-for-packaging-2025-base-fees"},{"t":"UK plastics recycling industry under investigation for fraud and corruption","p":"The Guardian","d":"2018-10-18","u":"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/18/uk-recycling-industry-under-investigation-for-and-corruption","type":"press"},{"t":"Greenpeace report sparks plastic export concerns (on Greenpeace UK 'Trashed')","p":"letsrecycle.com","d":"2021-05-17","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/latest-news/greenpeace-report-sparks-plastic-export-concerns/","type":"press"},{"t":"Two sentenced for part in £2m PRN fraud","p":"letsrecycle.com","d":"2013-07-08","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/two-sentenced-for-part-in-2m-prn-fraud/","type":"press"},{"t":"Nationwide Recycling bosses jailed for four years","p":"Resource","d":"2013-07","u":"https://www.resourcemedia.eco/article/Waste_Law/Nationwide_Recycling_bosses_jailed_four_years-3381","type":"press"},{"t":"Yorkshire pair arrested over £875k PERN fraud","p":"letsrecycle.com","d":"2025-11-19","u":"https://www.letsrecycle.com/news/yorkshire-pair-arrested-over-875k-pern-fraud/","type":"press"},{"t":"Biffa fined £1.5 million for reckless export breach","p":"Environment Agency (GOV.UK)","d":"2021-07-30","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biffa-fined-15-million-for-reckless-export-breach","type":"regulator"},{"t":"Waste giant forced to pay over £500,000 for exporting banned waste","p":"Environment Agency (GOV.UK)","d":"2019-09-27","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/waste-giant-forced-to-pay-over-500-000-for-exporting-banned-waste","type":"regulator"}],"episodes":[],"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Greenpeace field finding of UK plastic at dumping sites in Adana, Türkiye, in 2021.","report":[{"t":"My roadsides at ten dumping sites near Adana held plastic that came from the UK, found in 2021.","src":10}]},"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the reported recycling rate reflect plastic that was actually recycled?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Plastic claimed over hmrc: Exporters claimed more plastic than HMRC recorded; secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The PERN is issued when waste leaves the port and does not cover what happens to it on arrival.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Recycling rates are not adjusted for fraud (NAO, 2018).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 35,135 t discrepancy between exporter claims and HMRC records is described in a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The UK government told Parliament it had not assessed the carbon emissions of waste exports; the emissions of exported waste burned abroad are recorded in the importing country's inventory.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give Defra's or the Environment Agency's response to the NAO findings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The charging outcome of the 2024 and November 2025 arrests is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who gained: Exporters and sellers of notes","No source link — Who harmed: Communities around the dumping sites in Adana"]},{"id":"england-and-wales-water-privatisation-and-thames-water","title":"England and Wales water privatisation and Thames Water: debt, dividends and the record Ofwat fine","dek":"Since privatisation in 1989 the water companies of England and Wales have paid out large dividends while their debt grew. In May 2025 the regulator Ofwat fined Thames Water £122.7 million, reported as a record, and customers are due to pay higher bills for a £104 billion investment programme.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe","lat":51.51,"lon":-0.13,"places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"England and Wales","role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London (River Thames)","lat":51.51,"lon":-0.13,"role":"affected"}],"start":1989,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-05","instrument":"water","types":["water"],"headline":{"label":"Ofwat fine on Thames Water, May 2025","value":"£122.7m","note":"Reported as a record fine; £18.2m of it related to a dividend paid in March 2024. Under Macquarie's control, 2007–2017, Thames Water paid more than £2.5bn in dividends while its debt rose from £3.6bn to £10.2bn (a different period)."},"happened":["Water supply and sewerage in England and Wales was privatised in 1989. The New Statesman reported in April 2024 that the ten large water companies had paid £72 billion in dividends and accumulated £60 billion of debt from the 1990s to 2024, and that bills had risen 363% since privatisation.","Thames Water was controlled by the Australian financial group Macquarie between 2007 and 2017 (one source dates the start to 2006). According to an article by K. Bayliss in The Conversation (13 August 2021), more than £2.5 billion in dividends was paid in that period and the company's debt rose from £3.6 billion to £10.2 billion; in 2021 about 20% of the average bill went to interest and dividends. Other sources give different figures for the same period (see Unknown). In August 2021 Macquarie announced that it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in Southern Water with capital of more than £1 billion.","On 6 August 2024 Ofwat proposed fines of £168 million on three companies: £104 million on Thames Water, £47 million on Yorkshire and £17 million on Northumbrian, and said the money could not be recovered from customers. In May 2025 Ofwat fined Thames Water £122.7 million, reported by Consultancy.uk as a record fine and by Envirotec as part of a crackdown on reported sewage spills. According to Consultancy.uk, £18.2 million of the total related to a £131.3 million dividend paid in March 2024, which it described as unearned. No record of any personal prosecution of Thames Water executives was found.","In December 2024 Ofwat approved £104 billion of spending for 2025 to 2030 in its PR24 price review. Average household bills for water and wastewater are due to be 36% higher in 2029–30 than in 2024–25; water-only bills 22% higher. Companies had asked for 44%, according to Pinsent Masons. Average bills were also recorded as rising 31% in April 2025 (source not identified). The Water (Special Measures) Act, reported by Farming UK on 25 February 2025, banned bonuses and introduced imprisonment for executives who obstruct investigations. A King's College London academic wrote in August 2024 that a £104 million sewage fine equalled about 5% of company revenue and might be reflected in bills. The Tideway tunnel, built to catch overflowing sewage and costing about £5 billion, was paid for by customers.","Ofwat's chief executive from 2013 to 2017, Cathryn Ross, joined Thames Water as strategy and regulatory affairs director in March 2021 and was named interim co-chief executive in 2023. On the river itself, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) reported in 2021, using 17 indicators, higher oxygen and lower phosphorus in the Thames, together with a slight long-term deterioration in fish, rising nitrate and the threat of storm sewage overflows. In March 2026 Water Magazine reported that Thames Water was considering a creditor-led recapitalisation proposal, with debt of about £20 billion."],"timeline":[{"y":1957,"t":"Parts of the Thames in London declared biologically dead (as recalled by the Zoological Society of London)"},{"y":1989,"t":"Water privatised"},{"y":2007,"t":"Macquarie controls Thames Water (to 2017): dividends above £2.5bn and debt rising from £3.6bn to £10.2bn (The Conversation)"},{"y":2013,"t":"Cathryn Ross becomes chief executive of Ofwat (to 2017)"},{"y":2021,"t":"March: Ross joins Thames Water; ZSL publishes State of the Thames; about 20% of the average bill goes to interest and dividends. August: Macquarie announces agreement to acquire a majority of Southern Water"},{"y":2023,"t":"Ross named interim co-chief executive of Thames Water"},{"y":2024,"t":"March: Thames Water pays a £131.3m dividend. 6 August: Ofwat proposes fines of £168m on three companies. December: Ofwat approves £104bn for 2025–30 (PR24)"},{"y":2025,"t":"25 February: Water (Special Measures) Act reported. May: Ofwat fines Thames Water £122.7m, of which £18.2m relates to the dividend"},{"y":2026,"t":"March: Water Magazine reports Thames Water considering a creditor-led recapitalisation; debt about £20bn"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Stretches of the Thames in London declared biologically dead in 1957 now host seals, seahorses and small sharks.","who":"Zoological Society of London (State of the Thames)","src":2},{"t":"The 2024 price review was presented as allowing £104bn of spending in 2025–30, against average bill increases of 36% for water and wastewater; it was reported under a headline saying it quadruples investment in the sector over five years.","who":"Environment Analyst (headline), reporting Ofwat's PR24 decision","src":15},{"t":"The May 2025 penalty was described as a record fine.","who":"Consultancy.uk (headline)","src":0},{"t":"Thames Water announced the appointment of a new strategy and regulatory affairs director in March 2021.","who":"Thames Water press release","src":10}],"recorded":[{"t":"May 2025: Ofwat fined Thames Water £122.7 million, reported as a record fine; £18.2 million of it related to a £131.3 million dividend paid in March 2024.","src":0},{"t":"6 August 2024: Ofwat proposed fines of £168 million on Thames Water (£104m), Yorkshire (£47m) and Northumbrian (£17m) and said they could not be recovered from customers.","src":4},{"t":"2007–2017, under Macquarie's control: Thames Water dividends above £2.5 billion; debt up from £3.6 billion to £10.2 billion; in 2021 about 20% of the average bill went to interest and dividends.","src":7},{"t":"The ten large water companies paid £72 billion in dividends and accumulated £60 billion of debt from the 1990s to 2024; bills rose 363% since privatisation.","src":8},{"t":"December 2024: Ofwat approved £104 billion of spending for 2025–30; average bills for water and wastewater to rise 36% by 2029–30 compared with 2024–25 (water only: 22%); companies had asked for 44%.","src":6},{"t":"The roughly £5bn Tideway tunnel to catch overflowing sewage was paid for by customers.","src":3},{"t":"Cathryn Ross, Ofwat's chief executive 2013–2017, became Thames Water's strategy and regulatory affairs director in March 2021 and was named interim co-chief executive in 2023.","src":10},{"t":"Zoological Society of London, 2021 (17 indicators): more oxygen and less phosphorus in the Thames; slight long-term deterioration in fish, more nitrate, and a threat from storm sewage overflows. The report does not attribute these changes to Thames Water.","src":2},{"t":"The Water (Special Measures) Act, reported 25 February 2025, banned bonuses and introduced imprisonment for executives who obstruct investigations.","src":5},{"t":"March 2026: Thames Water considering a creditor-led recapitalisation proposal; debt about £20 billion.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2007–2017","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Dividends paid while Macquarie controlled Thames Water","amount":2500,"qualifier":"more than","window":"2007–2017","note":"The Conversation, 2021. Another source gives £2.7bn for 2006–2017 (not independently verified)."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":2500,"qualifier":"more than"},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Ofwat fine on Thames Water","v":"£122.7m","d":"May 2025; £18.2m related to a dividend. No source reviewed records a fine payment reaching the river."},{"k":"Thames Water dividends under Macquarie, 2007–2017","v":"above £2.5bn","d":"Debt rose from £3.6bn to £10.2bn over the same period (The Conversation, 2021)"},{"k":"Oxygen and phosphorus in the Thames, 2021","v":"Oxygen up, phosphorus down","d":"ZSL State of the Thames, 17 indicators"},{"k":"Fish, nitrate and storm overflows, 2021","v":"Fish slightly down, nitrate up","d":"ZSL: slight long-term deterioration in fish, more nitrate, threat from storm sewage overflows. Unconfirmed: a 2026 ZSL report noting a slight decline in some fish."}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Zoological Society of London, State of the Thames (2021 report, 17 indicators). The report does not attribute the changes to Thames Water.","report":[{"t":"In 1957 my London stretches were declared biologically dead.","src":2},{"t":"Seals, seahorses and small sharks live in me today.","src":2},{"t":"In 2021 the Zoological Society of London assessed me with 17 indicators and found more oxygen in my water and less phosphorus.","src":2},{"t":"The same report recorded a slight long-term deterioration in my fish, more nitrate, and a threat from sewage overflowing into me in storms.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Conflicting figures: Macquarie-era Thames Water dividends are given as more than £2.5 billion for 2007–2017 (The Conversation) and as £2.7 billion for 2006–2017 (unconfirmed); debt is given as rising from £3.6 billion to £10.2 billion, from about £3 billion to £10 billion, from £3.4 billion to £10.8 billion, or to about £11 billion.","Conflicting figures: the March 2024 dividend is given as £131.3 million (Consultancy.uk) and as £158.3 million (Hargreaves Lansdown, unconfirmed).","Conflicting figures: sector-wide dividends and borrowing are given as £72 billion and £60 billion from the 1990s to 2024 (New Statesman) and, in a Financial Times analysis, as £78 billion of dividends and £64 billion of new borrowing over 1991–2023 (unconfirmed).","No record was found that Thames Water executives were prosecuted personally.","Unconfirmed: Southern Water was fined £90 million in July 2021 for deliberate sewage discharges in 2010–15 and for misleading the regulator (Defra blog; a court is not on record).","Unconfirmed: the split of the May 2025 fine into £104.5 million for sewage-related breaches and £18.2 million for the dividend, and a payment plan under which one fifth was due in September 2025 and the rest by 2030 or on restructuring.","Unconfirmed: 2024 recorded 450,398 sewage overflow spills lasting 3.61 million hours, an average of 31.8 hours per overflow (Environment Agency data).","Unconfirmed: the Independent Water Commission (Cunliffe) recommended in July 2025 that Ofwat be abolished and said bills would rise 30% over five years.","Unconfirmed: a 2026 Zoological Society of London report noting warming of about 0.2 degrees Celsius a year and a slight decline in some fish species.","Unconfirmed: that investment is added to the regulated asset base and earns a return for the company.","Who bore the fine in practice (company, shareholders or customers): no data. Ofwat said proposed fines could not be recovered from customers; a King's College London academic said a sewage fine might be reflected in bills."],"evidence":["no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not established. Ofwat fined Thames Water in May 2025 and a 2025 act banned bonuses for such companies; no source shows that sewage discharges or dividends stopped. The monitoring figures cover 2024.","whoPaid":"The Tideway tunnel, costing about £5 billion, was paid for by customers, and average bills are due to rise 36% by 2029–30. Ofwat said in August 2024 that its proposed fines could not be recovered from customers; who bore the fine in practice is not recorded. Investors received the dividends.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Ofwat's £122.7m fine on Thames Water (May 2025) stands; Water Magazine reported in March 2026 that Thames Water was considering a creditor-led recapitalisation with debt of about £20bn; no personal prosecution of executives was found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Ofwat","says":"Said, when proposing fines of £168 million on Thames Water, Yorkshire and Northumbrian, that the money could not be recovered from customers.","when":"2024-08-06","src":4},{"actor":"Thames Water","says":"Announced the appointment of Cathryn Ross as strategy and regulatory affairs director.","when":"2021-03","src":10},{"actor":"Cathryn Ross","says":"Told a parliamentary committee, as recorded, that she would not apologise for her role at Ofwat (date and committee not identified).","when":"date not given","src":null},{"actor":"Macquarie","says":"Announced in August 2021 an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Southern Water with capital of more than £1 billion. No Macquarie statement on Thames Water dividends or debt was found.","when":"2021-08","src":13}],"actors":[{"id":"thames-water","role":"Water and sewerage company; fined £122.7m by Ofwat (May 2025)"},{"id":"macquarie","role":"Controlling owner of Thames Water, 2007–2017"},{"id":"ofwat","role":"Economic regulator of the water sector; imposed the fine"},{"id":"zsl","role":"Publisher of the State of the Thames reports"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Can the cost of the fines be recovered from customers?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ofwat","says":"Said in August 2024 that the proposed fines of £168 million could not be recovered from customers.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"Academic at King's College London","says":"Wrote in August 2024 that a £104 million sewage fine equalled about 5% of company revenue (about £2,200 million) and might be reflected in bills; customers also paid for the roughly £5 billion Tideway tunnel.","src":3}]},{"point":"How much should household bills rise for 2025–30?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Water companies","says":"Asked for bill increases of 44%.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Ofwat","says":"Approved £104 billion of spending and average increases of 36% for water and wastewater by 2029–30 (22% for water only).","src":6}]},{"point":"How large was the dividend behind the £18.2m part of the fine?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Consultancy.uk","says":"£18.2m of the £122.7m related to a dividend of £131.3m paid in March 2024.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Hargreaves Lansdown","says":"Reported the dividend as £158.3m; unconfirmed.","src":16}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ofwat enforcement against Thames Water (sewage spills and dividend)","forum":"Ofwat (economic regulator)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Ofwat","defendant":"Thames Water","filed":"2024-08","decided":"2025-05","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":122.7,"currency":"GBP","label":"£122.7 million penalty (millions)"},"summary":"Ofwat proposed a £104 million fine on Thames Water in August 2024 and fined the company £122.7 million in May 2025, reported as a record (Envirotec described it as part of a crackdown on reported sewage spills). £18.2 million of the total related to a £131.3 million dividend paid in March 2024. No personal prosecution of executives was found.","src":0},{"title":"Ofwat proposed penalties on Yorkshire and Northumbrian","forum":"Ofwat (economic regulator)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Ofwat","defendant":"Yorkshire and Northumbrian (as named in the source)","filed":"2024-08","decided":"unknown","status":"unknown","amount":null,"summary":"Proposed in August 2024 together with the Thames Water proposal: £47 million on Yorkshire and £17 million on Northumbrian, £168 million in total for the three companies. The final outcome was not found.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":122.7,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Ofwat penalty on Thames Water, May 2025; reported as a record fine."},{"key":"fine_dividend_part","value":18.2,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Part of the penalty relating to a dividend paid in March 2024."},{"key":"fine_proposed","value":104,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"qualifier":"proposed","note":"Penalty proposed for Thames Water in August 2024."},{"key":"fines_proposed","value":168,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Ofwat proposals of 6 August 2024: Thames £104m, Yorkshire £47m, Northumbrian £17m."},{"key":"dividend_paid","value":131.3,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Thames Water dividend, March 2024 (Consultancy.uk); Hargreaves Lansdown gives £158.3 million (not independently verified)."},{"key":"dividends","value":2500,"unit":"GBP m","year":2017,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Thames Water dividends under Macquarie's control, 2007–2017 (The Conversation, 2021)."},{"key":"debt","value":3600,"unit":"GBP m","year":2007,"note":"Thames Water debt at the start of Macquarie's control (The Conversation, 2021); other sources give about £3bn or £3.4bn."},{"key":"debt","value":10200,"unit":"GBP m","year":2017,"note":"Thames Water debt at the end of the Macquarie period (The Conversation, 2021); other sources give about £10bn, £10.8bn or £11bn."},{"key":"debt","value":20000,"unit":"GBP m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Thames Water debt reported by Water Magazine, March 2026."},{"key":"revenue","value":2200,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Thames Water revenue cited by a King's College London academic."},{"key":"dividends","value":72000,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Dividends paid by ten large water companies from the 1990s to 2024 (New Statesman); the same companies accumulated £60 billion of debt."},{"key":"bill_increase_since_privatisation","value":363,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Rise in bills since privatisation (New Statesman)."},{"key":"government_debt_assumed","value":5000,"unit":"GBP m","year":1989,"qualifier":"about","note":""},{"key":"green_dowry","value":1500,"unit":"GBP m","year":1989,"note":""},{"key":"planned_investment","value":104000,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Spending approved by Ofwat for 2025–2030 (PR24)."},{"key":"bill_increase_planned","value":36,"unit":"%","year":2030,"note":"Average increase in water and wastewater bills in 2029–30 compared with 2024–25 (water only: 22%; companies asked for 44%)."},{"key":"tideway_cost","value":5000,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Tideway tunnel, paid for by customers."},{"key":"dividends","value":2700,"unit":"GBP m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: Thames Water dividends 2006–2017; conflicts with the figure above."},{"key":"fine","value":90,"unit":"GBP m","year":2021,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: Southern Water fine, July 2021 (Defra blog)."},{"key":"sewage_spill_hours","value":3610000,"unit":"hours","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: England, 2024 (Environment Agency data)."},{"key":"sewage_spills","value":450398,"unit":"spills","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: England, 2024 (Environment Agency data)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Debt, dividends and fines in the privatised water sector of England and Wales, centred on Thames Water, which Ofwat fined £122.7 million in May 2025, reported as a record; £18.2 million of the fine related to a dividend paid in March 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Thames Water investors (including Macquarie, 2007–2017)","what":"Received dividends above £2.5 billion in 2007–2017 while debt rose from £3.6 billion to £10.2 billion.","src":7},{"who":"Thames Water shareholders","what":"A £131.3 million dividend was paid in March 2024; £18.2 million of the later fine related to it.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Water customers","what":"Paid for the Tideway tunnel (about £5 billion) and face average bill rises of 36% by 2029–30.","src":3},{"who":"Thames Water","what":"Fined £122.7 million by Ofwat in May 2025.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"River Thames","what":"Zoological Society of London (2021): slight long-term fish deterioration, more nitrate, and a threat from storm sewage overflows, alongside more oxygen and less phosphorus. The report does not attribute these to Thames Water.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"England and Wales; Thames Water serves the River Thames area of London.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Privatisation in 1989; Macquarie control of Thames Water 2007–2017; dividend March 2024; fine proposed August 2024 and imposed May 2025; status reported March 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Ofwat fined Thames Water in what Envirotec described as a crackdown on reported sewage spills, with part of the sum relating to a dividend paid in March 2024; the sector's debt and dividend record is the context.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Ofwat proposed fines in August 2024 and imposed £122.7 million on Thames Water in May 2025; PR24 set bill increases for 2025–30. Ofwat said penalties could not be recovered from customers. A 2025 act banned bonuses and introduced prison for executives who obstruct investigations.","src":4},"ratio":{"t":"Like-for-like comparison: none on record. The fine (2025) and the Macquarie-period dividends (2007–2017) cover different years.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Thames Water stung with record fine by regulator","p":"Consultancy.uk","d":"2025-05-30","type":"press","u":"https://www.consultancy.uk/news/40262/thames-water-stung-with-record-fine-by-regulator","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250621013800/https://www.consultancy.uk/news/40262/thames-water-stung-with-record-fine-by-regulator"},{"t":"Thames Water receives £122.7m fine in reported sewage spills crackdown","p":"Envirotec","d":"2025-05-28","type":"press","u":"https://envirotecmagazine.com/2025/05/28/thames-water-receives-122-7m-fine-in-reported-sewage-spills-crackdown/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514163525/https://envirotecmagazine.com/2025/05/28/thames-water-receives-122-7m-fine-in-reported-sewage-spills-crackdown/"},{"t":"State of the Thames","p":"Zoological Society of London","d":"2021","type":"academic","voice":"research","u":"https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/state-of-the-thames","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260903111319/https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/state-of-the-thames"},{"t":"Water companies face big fines but approach to waste","p":"King's College London (The Conversation)","d":"2024-08-14","type":"academic","u":"https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/water-companies-face-big-fines-approach-to-waste","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417100505/https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/water-companies-face-big-fines-approach-to-waste"},{"t":"Three sewage dumping water companies to be fined £168m","p":"Construction Enquirer","d":"2024-08-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2024/08/06/three-sewage-dumping-water-companies-to-be-fined-168m/"},{"t":"Bonuses for polluting water bosses banned as landmark water reforms become law","p":"Farming UK","d":"2025-02-25","type":"press","u":"https://www.farming.co.uk/news/defra-bonuses-for-polluting-water-bosses-banned-as-landmark-water-reforms-become-law","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251217034327/https://farming.co.uk/news/defra-bonuses-for-polluting-water-bosses-banned-as-landmark-water-reforms-become-law"},{"t":"Price review to spur major investment in water infrastructure","p":"Pinsent Masons (Out-Law)","d":"2024-12-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.pinsentmasons.com/en-gb/out-law/news/price-review-spur-major-investment-water-infrastructure"},{"t":"Water companies are safe investments and too important to be driven by profit","p":"The Conversation (K. Bayliss)","d":"2021-08-13","type":"academic","u":"https://theconversation.com/water-companies-are-safe-investments-and-too-important-to-be-driven-by-profit-166043","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722051813/https://theconversation.com/water-companies-are-safe-investments-and-too-important-to-be-driven-by-profit-166043"},{"t":"Sold down the river","p":"New Statesman","d":"2024-04-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.newstatesman.com/new-statesman-view/2024/04/sold-down-the-river","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313224921/https://www.newstatesman.com/new-statesman-view/2024/04/sold-down-the-river"},{"t":"Privatised Water Companies (Commons debate, HC Deb vol 270 c786)","p":"UK Parliament, Hansard","d":"1996-01-30","u":"https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1996/jan/30/privatised-water-companies","type":"official"},{"t":"Thames Water appoints new strategy and regulatory affairs director","p":"Thames Water","d":"2021-03","type":"company","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240911110317/https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/2021/mar/thames-water-appoints-new-strategy-and-regulatory-affairs-director","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240911110317/https://www.thameswater.co.uk/news/2021/mar/thames-water-appoints-new-strategy-and-regulatory-affairs-director","dead":true},{"t":"Thames Water considers creditor-led recapitalisation proposal","p":"Water Magazine","d":"2026-03-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.watermagazine.co.uk/2026/03/20/thames-water-considers-creditor-led-recapitalisation-proposal/"},{"t":"Environment Agency storm overflow spill data for 2024 (figures from a summary of the page)","p":"GOV.UK","d":"2025-03-27","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/environment-agency-storm-overflow-spill-data-for-2024"},{"t":"Macquarie Asset Management agrees to acquire majority stake in Southern Water","p":"Macquarie","d":"2021-08","type":"company","u":"https://www.macquarie.com/au/en/about/news/2021/macquarie-asset-management-agrees-to-acquire-majority-stake-in-southern-water.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917211751/https://www.macquarie.com/au/en/about/news/2021/macquarie-asset-management-agrees-to-acquire-majority-stake-in-southern-water.html"},{"t":"Southern Water fined record £90m for dumping sewage (summary of the page only)","p":"Defra media blog","d":"2021-07-12","type":"official","u":"https://deframedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/07/12/southern-water-fined-record-90m-for-dumping-sewage/"},{"t":"Ofwat's 2024 price review quadruples investment in water sector over next five years","p":"Environment Analyst","d":"2024-12","type":"press","u":"https://environment-analyst.com/sustainabilitydeliveryhub/110735/ofwats-2024-price-review-quadruples-investment-in-water-sector-over-next-five-years"},{"t":"Thames Water agrees payment plan for Ofwat penalty bill (summary of the page only)","p":"Hargreaves Lansdown","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.hl.co.uk/shares/stock-market-news/company--news/thames-water-agrees-payment-plan-for-ofwat-penalty-bill","dead":true}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"privatisation","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can the cost of the fines be recovered from customers?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How much should household bills rise for 2025–30?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the dividend behind the £18.2m part of the fine?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Ofwat proposed penalties on Yorkshire and Northumbrian: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Dividends: Unconfirmed: Thames Water dividends 2006–2017; conflicts with the figure above.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fines: Unconfirmed: Southern Water fine, July 2021 (Defra blog).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Sewage spill hours: Unconfirmed: England, 2024 (Environment Agency data).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Sewage spills: Unconfirmed: England, 2024 (Environment Agency data).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: Macquarie-era Thames Water dividends are given as more than £2.5 billion for 2007–2017 (The Conversation) and as £2.7 billion for 2006–2017 (unconfirmed); debt is given as rising from £3.6 billion to £10.2 billion, from about £3 billion to £10 billion, from £3.4 billion to £10.8 billion, or to about £11 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: the March 2024 dividend is given as £131.3 million (Consultancy.uk) and as £158.3 million (Hargreaves Lansdown, unconfirmed).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting figures: sector-wide dividends and borrowing are given as £72 billion and £60 billion from the 1990s to 2024 (New Statesman) and, in a Financial Times analysis, as £78 billion of dividends and £64 billion of new borrowing over 1991–2023 (unconfirmed).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found that Thames Water executives were prosecuted personally.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Southern Water was fined £90 million in July 2021 for deliberate sewage discharges in 2010–15 and for misleading the regulator (Defra blog; a court is not on record).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the split of the May 2025 fine into £104.5 million for sewage-related breaches and £18.2 million for the dividend, and a payment plan under which one fifth was due in September 2025 and the rest by 2030 or on restructuring.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2024 recorded 450,398 sewage overflow spills lasting 3.61 million hours, an average of 31.8 hours per overflow (Environment Agency data).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Independent Water Commission (Cunliffe) recommended in July 2025 that Ofwat be abolished and said bills would rise 30% over five years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2026 Zoological Society of London report noting warming of about 0.2 degrees Celsius a year and a slight decline in some fish species.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that investment is added to the regulated asset base and earns a return for the company.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who bore the fine in practice (company, shareholders or customers): no data. Ofwat said proposed fines could not be recovered from customers; a King's College London academic said a sewage fine might be reflected in bills.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"colossal-biosciences-de-extinction","title":"Colossal Biosciences: de-extinction ventures, funding and the Burgum remark","dek":"Colossal Biosciences announced in April 2025 pups it presented as dire wolves; the IUCN Canid Specialist Group said they were not, and the company's chief scientist later described them as cloned grey wolves with 20 edits. The company announced a valuation of US$10.2 billion in January 2025, up from US$1.5 billion, and the US Interior Secretary cited the announcement while criticising the endangered species list.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":32.78,"lon":-96.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Dallas, Texas","lat":32.78,"lon":-96.8,"role":"company-home"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Dubai","lat":25.2,"lon":55.27,"role":"event"}],"start":2022,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-04-07","instrument":"biotech","types":["biotech","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Colossal's valuation announced with its Series C round (January 2025)","value":"US$10.2 billion","note":"Company-announced. Reported as US$10.32 billion in September 2025; talks at US$20–30 billion were reported in July 2026 and had not closed."},"happened":["Colossal Biosciences, a company based in Dallas, announced in April 2025 pups that it presented as dire wolves, a canid reported to have gone extinct about 12,000 years ago. Its chief scientist, Beth Shapiro, later told New Scientist that the animals were cloned grey wolves with 20 edits. The company has set a 2028 target for a mammoth.","On 18 April 2025 the IUCN Canid Specialist Group stated that the two species differ in thousands of genes and that the pups were not dire wolves. According to the group, the project does not meet IUCN's guideline on proxy species, does not contribute to conservation and could threaten the conservation status of the grey wolf.","In January 2025 Colossal closed a US$200 million Series C round led by TWG Global, the company of Mark Walter and Thomas Tull, at a US$10.2 billion valuation, bringing total funding to US$435 million. TechCrunch reported that the previous valuation was US$1.5 billion and that the company had no revenue. Investors named include Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, Paul Tudor Jones, Breyer Capital, Draper Associates and In-Q-Tel, the venture arm of the US Central Intelligence Agency. A further US$120 million was raised in September 2025 at a valuation of US$10.32 billion, bringing the total to more than US$555 million. In February 2026 a US$60 million investment from the United Arab Emirates accompanied the opening of a biological sample vault, the BioVault, in Dubai's Museum of the Future, bringing the total to US$615 million. In July 2026 Axios, as relayed by Dealroom, reported talks to raise at a valuation of US$20–30 billion. The company's chief executive, Ben Lamm, listed three sources of future revenue: spin-out companies, conservation technology sold to governments, and biodiversity credits to be sold when a species is released.","On 7 April 2025 the US Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, wrote on X that the endangered species list was like “Hotel California” and that the only thing he wanted to see go extinct was the need for such a list. On 25 June 2026 Colossal signed a memorandum of understanding with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on biobanking and conservation genomics. On 14 July 2026 the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service published a rule removing the definition of “harm” from Endangered Species Act regulations, citing the Supreme Court's 2024 Loper Bright decision; three lawsuits followed. The cited sources do not link the rule to Colossal, and no statement by Colossal about it is on record.","According to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a small number of journalists were given access to the April 2025 announcement under non-disclosure agreements and an embargo, and the first wave of coverage included no outside scientific criticism. In November 2025 Colossal acquired ViaGen Pets & Equine, an animal-cloning business; the price was not disclosed."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"In-Q-Tel invests in Colossal (reported October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Series C of US$200 million at a US$10.2 billion valuation (January); dire wolf announcement and Burgum post (7 April); IUCN Canid Specialist Group statement (18 April); chief scientist describes the animals as cloned grey wolves with 20 edits (May); a further US$120 million (September); acquisition of ViaGen Pets & Equine (November)"},{"y":2026,"t":"US$60 million from the UAE and BioVault in Dubai (February); memorandum of understanding with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (25 June); Endangered Species Act “harm” definition rescinded (published 14 July); Axios reports talks at a US$20–30 billion valuation (20 July)"}],"said":[{"q":"Hotel California","who":"Doug Burgum, US Secretary of the Interior, comparing the endangered species list to the song, on X","when":"7 April 2025","src":10}],"shown":[{"t":"Pups presented as dire wolves returned from extinction","who":"Colossal Biosciences, announcement of April 2025","src":8},{"t":"A mission to “put extinction in the past” and a target date of 2028 for a mammoth","who":"Colossal Biosciences","src":0},{"t":"A BioVault in Dubai presented as a “modern Noah's Ark”","who":"Ben Lamm, Colossal chief executive","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"The two species differ in thousands of genes; the pups are not dire wolves; the project does not meet IUCN's proxy-species guideline, does not contribute to conservation and could threaten the grey wolf's conservation status (IUCN Canid Specialist Group, 18 April 2025)","src":7},{"t":"Colossal's chief scientist described the animals as cloned grey wolves with 20 edits (New Scientist, May 2025)","src":14},{"t":"Selected journalists signed non-disclosure agreements and received embargoed access; the first wave of coverage included no outside scientific criticism","src":8},{"t":"Total funding rose from US$435 million (January 2025) to more than US$555 million (September 2025) and US$615 million (February 2026)","src":0},{"t":"Colossal had no revenue in January 2025; its previous valuation was US$1.5 billion","src":1},{"t":"A figure of more than 22 billion impressions comes from a 2023 promotional email of an investment fund and is not an independent measurement","src":9},{"t":"In 2022 In-Q-Tel said the investment was more about capability than about mammoths (as rendered in the Dallas Innovates report)","src":3},{"t":"The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service removed the Endangered Species Act regulatory definition of “harm”; the old definition covered significant habitat modification that actually kills or injures wildlife and had been upheld by the Supreme Court in 1995; three lawsuits were filed","src":11},{"t":"A 2017 study (Bennett and colleagues, Nature Ecology & Evolution) calculated that public funding to protect 11 extinct species in New Zealand would mean forgoing protection of 31 living species, and 5 versus 42 in New South Wales","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Series C (January 2025)","amount":200},{"label":"Further round (September 2025)","amount":120},{"label":"UAE investment (February 2026)","amount":60}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Valuation after Series C","v":"US$10.2bn","d":"January 2025, from US$1.5bn previously (TechCrunch)"},{"k":"Species identity of the animals","v":"Grey wolves, 20 edits","d":"Colossal's chief scientist, May 2025; the IUCN Canid Specialist Group said they are not dire wolves"},{"k":"Contribution to conservation","v":"None, per IUCN group","d":"IUCN Canid Specialist Group, 18 April 2025; no measurable conservation output on the company's page in the cited sources"},{"k":"Endangered Species Act “harm” definition","v":"Removed","d":"FWS and NMFS rule published 14 July 2026; habitat modification alone is no longer prohibited"}]},"unknown":["Colossal's actual revenue and the lead investor of the round under discussion in July 2026 have not been disclosed; the round had not closed.","The effective date of the Endangered Species Act harm rescission differs between sources (13 August, 12 September or 14 September 2026).","The purchase price of ViaGen Pets & Equine was not disclosed.","Unconfirmed: the number of pups, their names, the description of the animals as the first return from extinction, and the detail of 20 edits across 14 genes in grey wolf cells.","Unconfirmed: that Colossal was founded in 2021.","Unconfirmed: that Burgum told staff to pick a favourite species and call Colossal. The primary source was not found.","Reported in a secondary report only: a September 2026 order by President Trump asking for a decision within 90 days on removing the grey wolf and Mexican wolf from protection. No direct link to Colossal is on record.","A figure of 22 billion impressions appeared in a 2023 investment-fund email; it is not an independent measurement.","No response from Colossal to the IUCN statement or to the Burgum remark is on record."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources record no harm to nature caused directly by the funding rounds or by the pups; the announcement was cited in an argument against the endangered species list.","whoPaid":"Not established in the sources. A 2017 study calculated that public funding for 11 extinct species in New Zealand would mean forgoing protection of 31 living species.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: a round at a US$20–30 billion valuation was reported under discussion and not closed; the Endangered Species Act “harm” definition was rescinded in a rule published 14 July 2026 and challenged in three lawsuits.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Colossal Biosciences","says":"Its chief scientist, Beth Shapiro, described the animals as cloned grey wolves with 20 edits.","when":"May 2025","src":null},{"actor":"In-Q-Tel","says":"Said, as rendered in the Dallas Innovates report, that the investment was more about capability than about mammoths.","when":"October 2022","src":3},{"actor":"IUCN Canid Specialist Group","says":"Said the pups are not dire wolves and that the project does not contribute to conservation.","when":"18 April 2025","src":7}],"actors":[{"id":"colossal-biosciences","role":"Company announcing the dire wolf pups; de-extinction developer"},{"id":"twg-global","role":"Lead investor of the January 2025 Series C"},{"id":"in-q-tel","role":"Investor; venture arm of the US Central Intelligence Agency"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Its Canid Specialist Group stated the pups are not dire wolves"},{"id":"us-department-of-the-interior","role":"Interior Department; Secretary Doug Burgum commented on the endangered species list"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Signed a memorandum of understanding with Colossal; co-author of the July 2026 harm-definition rule"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Are the animals dire wolves?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Colossal Biosciences","says":"Presented the pups as dire wolves in April 2025; its chief scientist later described them as cloned grey wolves with 20 edits.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"IUCN Canid Specialist Group","says":"The two species differ in thousands of genes and the pups are not dire wolves (18 April 2025).","src":7},{"voice":"research","holder":"Jacquelyn Gill, palaeoecologist","says":"Said, quoted by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, that science is not done by press release without a paper.","src":8},{"voice":"press","holder":"Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists","says":"Reported that the announcement was managed with embargoed access for selected journalists and that early coverage lacked outside scientific criticism.","src":8}]},{"point":"Does the project contribute to conservation of living species?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IUCN Canid Specialist Group","says":"The project does not contribute to conservation and could threaten the grey wolf's conservation status.","src":7},{"voice":"government","holder":"Doug Burgum, US Secretary of the Interior","says":"Used the announcement to criticise the endangered species list, comparing it to “Hotel California”.","src":10},{"voice":"research","holder":"Bennett and colleagues (2017)","says":"Public funding for 11 extinct species in New Zealand would mean forgoing protection of 31 living species.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Lawsuits over the rescission of the Endangered Species Act “harm” definition","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2026","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Three lawsuits were filed after the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service rescinded the regulatory definition of “harm” on 14 July 2026. The cited sources record no link between these cases and Colossal.","src":11}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"valuation","value":10200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Announced with the Series C, January 2025."},{"key":"series_c_raised","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Round led by TWG Global."},{"key":"total_raised","value":435,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Total funding after the Series C."},{"key":"valuation_previous","value":1500,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Previous valuation reported by TechCrunch."},{"key":"additional_round","value":120,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"September 2025; total above US$555 million; valuation US$10.32 billion."},{"key":"uae_investment","value":60,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"February 2026; total reported as US$615 million."},{"key":"valuation_talks","value":30000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to (reported range US$20–30 billion)","unverified":true,"note":"Reported talks of July 2026, not closed; total funding reported as US$625 million."},{"key":"astromech_valuation","value":2000,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Spin-out Astromech valued at US$2 billion in March 2026."},{"key":"gene_edits","value":20,"unit":"edits","year":2025,"note":"Edits in the cloned grey wolves, per the company's chief scientist."},{"key":"impressions_claimed","value":22000000000,"unit":"impressions","year":2023,"unverified":true,"note":"From a promotional email of an investment fund; not an independent measurement."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Colossal Biosciences announced pups it presented as dire wolves, which the IUCN Canid Specialist Group said were not dire wolves, while raising funds at a valuation of US$10.2 billion; the US Interior Secretary cited the announcement against the endangered species list.","src":7},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TWG Global, In-Q-Tel, Draper Associates and other investors","what":"Hold stakes in a company whose valuation rose from US$1.5 billion to US$10.2 billion between the earlier round and January 2025.","src":1},{"who":"Colossal Biosciences","what":"Raised a total of US$435 million by January 2025 and reported further funding rounds through 2026, including US$60 million from the UAE.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Living species that would go unfunded in the scenarios modelled by Bennett and colleagues (2017)","what":"The study calculated that funding 11 extinct species in New Zealand would mean forgoing protection of 31 living species.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Colossal is based in Dallas, United States; the BioVault was opened in Dubai with funding from the United Arab Emirates.","src":4},"when":{"t":"The announcement was on 7 April 2025; funding rounds ran from October 2022 to July 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The company defines its mission as making extinction a thing of the past and has set a 2028 target for a mammoth; its chief executive lists spin-outs, conservation technology and biodiversity credits as revenue sources.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The pups are cloned grey wolves with 20 edits, per the company's chief scientist; the company raised funds from investors including TWG Global and In-Q-Tel, with an announcement managed through embargoed access for selected journalists.","src":8}},"sources":[{"t":"Colossal Biosciences raises $200 million Series C","p":"Colossal Biosciences","d":"2025-01","type":"company","u":"https://colossal.com/colossal-biosciences-raises-200-million-series-c/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260627064535/https://colossal.com/colossal-biosciences-raises-200-million-series-c/"},{"t":"Colossal Biosciences raises $200M at $10.2B valuation to bring back woolly mammoths","p":"TechCrunch","d":"2025-01-15","type":"press","u":"https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/15/colossal-biosciences-raises-200m-at-10-2b-valuation-to-bring-back-woolly-mammoths"},{"t":"Colossal raises another $120M, announces pigeon cell breakthrough to help de-extinct the dodo","p":"Dallas Innovates","d":"2025-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://dallasinnovates.com/colossal-raises-another-120m-announces-pigeon-cell-breakthrough-to-help-de%e2%80%91extinct-the-dodo/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251211031242/https://dallasinnovates.com/colossal-raises-another-120m-announces-pigeon-cell-breakthrough-to-help-de%E2%80%91extinct-the-dodo/"},{"t":"Mammoth interest: the CIA invests in Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences","p":"Dallas Innovates","d":"2022-10-11","type":"press","u":"https://dallasinnovates.com/mammoth-interest-the-cia-invests-in-dallas-based-colossal-biosciences/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260220075759/https://dallasinnovates.com/mammoth-interest-the-cia-invests-in-dallas-based-colossal-biosciences/"},{"t":"Colossal Biosciences announces world's first BioVault in new collaboration with UAE to combat extinction","p":"The Debrief","d":"2026-02-03","type":"press","u":"https://thedebrief.org/colossal-biosciences-announces-worlds-first-biovault-in-new-collaboration-with-uae-to-combat-extinction/"},{"t":"Colossal Biosciences in talks to raise at up to $30B, tripling its valuation (based on Axios)","p":"Dealroom","d":"2026-07-21","type":"press","u":"https://dealroom.co/news/140079-colossal-biosciences-in-talks-to-raise-at-up-to-30b-tripling-its-valuati/"},{"t":"Colossal in talks at a $20–30 billion valuation (citing Axios)","p":"XenoSpectrum","d":"2026-07-21","type":"press","u":"https://xenospectrum.com/en/colossal-20b-30b-valuation/"},{"t":"Conservation perspectives on gene editing in wild canids (IUCN Canid Specialist Group statement)","p":"International Wolf Center","d":"2025-04-18","type":"ngo","voice":"international","u":"https://wolf.org/headlines/conservation-perspectives-on-gene-editing-in-wild-canids/"},{"t":"Dire wolf or Colossal misrepresentation?","p":"Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists","d":"2025-04-10","type":"press","u":"https://thebulletin.org/2025/04/dire-wolf-or-colossal-misrepresentation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410164917/https://thebulletin.org/2025/04/dire-wolf-or-colossal-misrepresentation/"},{"t":"Webworm article on the dire wolf announcement","p":"Webworm","d":"2025-04-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.webworm.co/direwolf/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613153718/https://www.webworm.co/direwolf/"},{"t":"People report on the dire wolf announcement and the Interior Secretary's reaction (AOL copy)","p":"People via AOL","d":"2025-04-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.aol.com/dire-wolves-resurrected-trump-administration-000333771.html"},{"t":"Federal agencies remove longstanding definition of harm from Endangered Species Act regulations","p":"EPOnline","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://eponline.com/articles/2026/07/14/federal-agencies-remove-longstanding-definition-of-harm-from-endangered-species-act-regulations.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018142319/https://eponline.com/articles/2026/07/14/federal-agencies-remove-longstanding-definition-of-harm-from-endangered-species-act-regulations.aspx"},{"t":"FWS and NMFS rescind Endangered Species Act regulatory definition of harm","p":"Bracewell","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://bracewell.com/insights/fws-and-nmfs-rescind-endangered-species-act-regulatory-definition-of-harm/"},{"t":"FWS and NMFS finalize rescission of ESA harm definition","p":"Beveridge & Diamond","d":"2026-07-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/fws-and-nmfs-finalize-rescission-of-esa-harm-definition/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901191630/https://www.bdlaw.com/publications/fws-and-nmfs-finalize-rescission-of-esa-harm-definition/"},{"t":"Colossal's chief scientist Beth Shapiro: 'Our animals are grey wolves with 20 edits that are cloned' (reporting New Scientist, May 2025)","p":"Bioethics.com (citing New Scientist)","d":"2025-05-22","u":"https://bioethics.com/archives/97966","type":"press"},{"t":"Resurrecting extinct species might come at terrible cost","p":"University of Queensland","d":"2017-02-28","u":"https://news.uq.edu.au/2017-02-28-resurrecting-extinct-species-might-come-terrible-cost","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"The animals presented as dire wolves in April 2025 were cloned grey wolves with 20 edits, Colossal's chief scientist said; the IUCN Canid Specialist Group said the project could threaten my grey wolf's conservation status.","src":[14,7]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the project contribute to conservation of living species?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Are the animals dire wolves?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Valuation talks: Reported talks of July 2026, not closed; total funding reported as US$625 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Impressions claimed: From a promotional email of an investment fund; not an independent measurement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Colossal's actual revenue and the lead investor of the round under discussion in July 2026 have not been disclosed; the round had not closed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The effective date of the Endangered Species Act harm rescission differs between sources (13 August, 12 September or 14 September 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The purchase price of ViaGen Pets & Equine was not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the number of pups, their names, the description of the animals as the first return from extinction, and the detail of 20 edits across 14 genes in grey wolf cells.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Colossal was founded in 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Burgum told staff to pick a favourite species and call Colossal. The primary source was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported in a secondary report only: a September 2026 order by President Trump asking for a decision within 90 days on removing the grey wolf and Mexican wolf from protection. No direct link to Colossal is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A figure of 22 billion impressions appeared in a 2023 investment-fund email; it is not an independent measurement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No response from Colossal to the IUCN statement or to the Burgum remark is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Living species that would go unfunded in the scenarios modelled by Bennett and colleagues (2017)"]},{"id":"amazon-soy-moratorium","title":"Amazon Soy Moratorium","dek":"A voluntary pact among soy traders, in force from 2006 and measured to have cut deforestation in soy-suitable Amazon areas by 35% over 2006-2016, ended in January 2026 when the traders left it, after a Mato Grosso state law took effect that allows tax incentives to be withdrawn from firms applying environmental criteria beyond the legal requirement.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":-12.6,"lon":-55.4,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Mato Grosso","lat":-12.6,"lon":-55.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Amazon biome","role":"affected"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"court"}],"start":2006,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-01","instrument":"agriculture","types":["agriculture"],"headline":{"label":"Deforestation in soy-suitable Amazon areas compared with a counterfactual, 2006–2016","value":"35% lower","note":"Heilmayr et al., Nature Food, 2020: about 18,000 km² of forest not cleared. The traders left the moratorium in January 2026."},"happened":["The Amazon Soy Moratorium was a voluntary agreement among soy traders, in force from 2006, not to buy soy grown on newly cleared Amazon land. It was an agreement between companies, not a law. Abiove, a trade association whose members include ADM, Bunge, Cargill and LDC, was part of it. The traders had defended the pact at first; those who attacked it were the producers' lobby, the competition authority and a state tax law.","A 2020 study by Heilmayr and colleagues in Nature Food found that between 2006 and 2016 deforestation in soy-suitable Amazon areas was 35% lower than it would have been without the moratorium, with about 18,000 km² of forest not cleared. It found no significant leakage to the cattle sector or to the Cerrado savanna, though the Cerrado risk remained open. Amazon soy production rose from 4.9 million to 17.2 million tonnes over the same period.","In 2025 Brazil's competition authority CADE suspended the moratorium and opened proceedings against the traders, according to CNN Brasil. Aprosoja-MT, the Mato Grosso soy producers' association, sought compensation of R$1.1 billion, according to Canal Rural. A study cited by Reuters in July 2025, from the industry association that manages the moratorium, found that 98% of the farms the moratorium blocked had cleared land illegally. In September 2025 the retailers Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi wrote to the traders urging them to defend the moratorium.","A Mato Grosso state law took effect on 1 January 2026. It allows the state to cut tax incentives for firms that apply environmental criteria beyond the legal requirement. Abiove began negotiating its withdrawal on 5 January 2026 and the traders left the moratorium in January 2026. Greenpeace Brasil said the traders left to keep their tax incentives; Greenpeace Brasil gave the incentives in Mato Grosso for 2019–24 as R$4.7 billion. WWF-Brasil also said the aim was to protect tax subsidies.","A majority of Brazil's Supreme Court (Supremo) voted in August 2026 to validate the moratorium, but the court also upheld state laws that penalise its signatories, according to Agência Brasil. A study by Rausch and colleagues in Science, reported by Carbon Pulse in 2026, estimated that the end of the moratorium could cause at least 1.4 million hectares of additional deforestation over ten years; Mongabay, in February 2026, cited modelling with the same minimum figure and reported that deforestation may rise by up to 30% as major traders exit the pact."],"timeline":[{"y":2006,"t":"Amazon Soy Moratorium comes into force among soy traders; the Heilmayr study covers 2006-2016"},{"y":2016,"t":"Amazon soy production reaches 17.2 million tonnes, up from 4.9 million in 2006"},{"y":2020,"t":"Heilmayr et al. published in Nature Food"},{"y":2025,"t":"CADE suspends the moratorium and opens proceedings against the traders; Aprosoja-MT seeks R$1.1 billion; July: study cited by Reuters on the 98% of blocked farms; September: retailers write to the traders"},{"y":2026,"t":"1 January: Mato Grosso law takes effect; 5 January: Abiove begins negotiating withdrawal; traders leave the moratorium; February: Mongabay reports modelling of at least 1.4 million hectares of added loss over ten years; August: Supremo majority votes to validate the moratorium and upholds state laws penalising signatories"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A pact under which traders would not buy soy from newly cleared Amazon land","who":"Soy traders, through Abiove","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Between 2006 and 2016 deforestation in soy-suitable Amazon areas was 35% lower than the counterfactual, with about 18,000 km² of forest not cleared and no significant leakage to the cattle sector or the Cerrado.","src":0},{"t":"Abiove began negotiating its withdrawal from the moratorium on 5 January 2026.","src":3},{"t":"Greenpeace Brasil reacted to Abiove's exit from the moratorium after a law that removes tax benefits from firms with ambitious environmental commitments took effect.","src":2},{"t":"Modelling cited by Mongabay: the end of the pact could add at least 1.4 million hectares of deforestation in ten years.","src":5},{"t":"A majority of the Supremo voted to validate the moratorium and the court also upheld state laws penalising signatories.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"2019–2024","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Mato Grosso tax incentives for the traders, 2019–24, which Greenpeace Brasil says the traders left the moratorium to keep","amount":4700,"note":"R$4.7 billion; figure from Greenpeace Brasil, a party to the dispute."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":4700,"note":"Single figure; an incentive amount, not revenue."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Deforestation compared with counterfactual","v":"35% lower","d":"2006-2016, soy-suitable Amazon areas (Heilmayr et al., 2020)"},{"k":"Forest not cleared","v":"About 18,000 km2","d":"Same study and period"},{"k":"Projected additional loss if the moratorium ends","v":"at least 1.4 million ha","d":"Over ten years (Rausch et al., Science, via Carbon Pulse, 2026; modelling also cited by Mongabay, February 2026)"}]},"unknown":["For the Cerrado only companies' self-reports and 'potential link' data were found; there is no independent measurement of the moratorium's effect there.","The outcome of CADE's proceedings after 2026 is not known.","The traders' and Abiove's own reasons for leaving the moratorium are not on record.","Whether the Supremo judgment is final is not on record.","The origin of the R$4.7 billion Mato Grosso incentive figure is given differently: Greenpeace Brasil gives it for 2019-24; another account attributes it to an unidentified source dated July 2025, and no other source confirms it.","Unconfirmed: CADE's decision was dated August 2025, accused the traders of forming a cartel, targeted about 30 traders and Abiove, and set the suspension to take effect on 1 January 2026 (only a secondary report was available).","Unconfirmed: Aprosoja-MT called CADE's decision 'a turning point for free competition'.","Unconfirmed: within the Brazilian government the Environment Ministry and IBAMA defended the moratorium while the Agriculture Ministry opposed it.","Unconfirmed: a critique (Mongabay, March 2017) said that about 30% of soy expansion came with deforestation in the two years before the pact and about 1% after, but that much land had already been cleared by 2006, so soy could expand without felling forest; Gollnow and colleagues argue that leakage occurred through buyers that had made no commitment.","Unconfirmed: a 2015 measurement (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gibbs et al., Science) putting the share of soy expansion associated with deforestation at about 30% before the pact and about 1% after.","Unconfirmed: Greenpeace's figure of an 86% reduction in 76 municipalities, against a counterfactual estimate of 35%.","Unconfirmed: the moratorium was formed after a 2006 Greenpeace campaign; the precise clearing cut-off date it used is not in the cited sources.","No independent ecological evaluation of the period since the traders left was found; the forward-looking figure is a model estimate."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The traders left the moratorium in January 2026, twenty years after it began. Land cleared during the pact period is not reversed by its end.","whoPaid":"The Amazon forest, for which the projected additional loss is at least 1.4 million hectares over ten years; the traders kept the Mato Grosso tax incentives, according to Greenpeace Brasil.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the traders left the moratorium in January 2026; a Supremo majority voted in August 2026 to validate the moratorium while state laws penalising signatories were also upheld; CADE's proceedings are unresolved in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"abiove","says":"Began negotiating its withdrawal from the moratorium on 5 January 2026.","when":"2026-01-05","src":3},{"actor":"cade","says":"Suspended the moratorium and opened proceedings against the traders.","when":"2025","src":1},{"actor":"aprosoja-mt","says":"Sought compensation of R$1.1 billion.","when":"2025","src":4},{"actor":"greenpeace-brasil","says":"Issued a statement reacting to Abiove's exit from the moratorium after the law removing tax benefits from companies with ambitious environmental commitments came into force.","when":"2026-01","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"abiove","role":"Trade association of soy traders; party to the moratorium"},{"id":"adm","role":"Soy trader; member of Abiove"},{"id":"bunge","role":"Soy trader; member of Abiove"},{"id":"cargill","role":"Soy trader; member of Abiove"},{"id":"ldc","role":"Soy trader; member of Abiove"},{"id":"cade","role":"Competition authority"},{"id":"aprosoja-mt","role":"Mato Grosso soy producers' association"},{"id":"greenpeace-brasil","role":"NGO"},{"id":"wwf-brasil","role":"NGO"},{"id":"brazil-supremo","role":"Court"},{"id":"mato-grosso-state","role":"State government; tax-incentive law"},{"id":"tesco","role":"Retailer that wrote to the traders"},{"id":"sainsburys","role":"Retailer that wrote to the traders"},{"id":"lidl","role":"Retailer that wrote to the traders"},{"id":"aldi","role":"Retailer that wrote to the traders"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"What did the moratorium achieve for the forest, and what follows its end?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"Heilmayr et al., Nature Food","says":"Deforestation in soy-suitable Amazon areas was 35% lower than the counterfactual over 2006-2016, about 18,000 km2 of forest was not cleared, and there was no significant leakage to cattle or the Cerrado, which remained a risk.","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Rausch et al., Science (via Carbon Pulse)","says":"The end of the moratorium could cause at least 1.4 million hectares of additional deforestation over ten years.","src":6},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay (2026)","says":"Deforestation may rise by up to 30% as major traders exit the pact; modelling puts added loss at no less than 1.4 million hectares over ten years.","src":5}]},{"point":"Why did the traders leave the moratorium?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Brasil","says":"The traders left to keep Mato Grosso tax incentives, after a law took effect that removes tax benefits from firms with ambitious environmental commitments; it gave the incentives for 2019-24 as R$4.7 billion.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF-Brasil","says":"The aim of the Mato Grosso tax law was to protect tax subsidies.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"Abiove and the traders","says":"Abiove began negotiating its withdrawal on 5 January 2026; no statement of its reasons is on record.","src":3,"silent":true},{"voice":"company","holder":"Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi","says":"Wrote to the traders in September 2025 urging them to defend the moratorium.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the moratorium lawful, and did it harm producers?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Aprosoja-MT, Mato Grosso soy producers' association","says":"Sought compensation of R$1.1 billion for losses to soy producers.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"CADE, Brazil's competition authority","says":"Suspended the moratorium and opened proceedings against the traders.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supremo, Brazil's Supreme Court","says":"A majority voted to validate the moratorium, while also upholding state laws that penalise its signatories.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"The industry association that manages the moratorium","says":"A study by the industry association that manages the moratorium, cited by Reuters in July 2025, found that 98% of the farms it blocked had cleared land illegally.","src":8}]}],"legal":[{"title":"CADE proceedings against soy traders over the moratorium","forum":"CADE (Brazil's competition authority)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"CADE","defendant":"Soy traders","filed":"2025","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"CNN Brasil reported that CADE suspended the moratorium and opened proceedings against the traders. The outcome after 2026 is not known.","src":1},{"title":"Supremo review of the moratorium and Mato Grosso state laws","forum":"Supremo (Brazil's Supreme Court)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2026-08","status":"unknown","summary":"A majority of the court voted in August 2026 to validate the moratorium; the court also upheld state laws that penalise signatories. Whether the judgment is final is not stated.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deforestation_reduction_pct","value":35,"unit":"%","year":2016,"qualifier":"vs counterfactual","note":"Reduction in deforestation in soy-suitable Amazon areas over 2006–2016 (Heilmayr et al., 2020)."},{"key":"forest_not_cleared_km2","value":18000,"unit":"km2","year":2016,"qualifier":"about","note":"Forest not cleared over 2006-2016 (Heilmayr et al., 2020)."},{"key":"soy_production_start","value":4900000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2006,"note":"Amazon soy production at the start of the period."},{"key":"soy_production_end","value":17200000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2016,"note":"Amazon soy production at the end of the period."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":1400000,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"qualifier":"at least","est":true,"note":"Projected additional deforestation over ten years if the moratorium ends (Rausch et al., via Carbon Pulse; modelling also cited by Mongabay, February 2026). A projection, not an observed figure."},{"key":"subsidy","value":4700,"unit":"BRL m","year":2024,"note":"Mato Grosso tax incentives for the traders over 2019-24, per Greenpeace Brasil.","unverified":true},{"key":"claim","value":1100,"unit":"BRL m","year":2025,"note":"Compensation sought by Aprosoja-MT."},{"key":"blocked_farms_illegal_clearing_pct","value":98,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Share of farms blocked by the moratorium found to have cleared land illegally, in a study of the industry association that manages it (cited by Reuters, July 2025)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A voluntary pact among soy traders, measured to have reduced Amazon deforestation, was left by the traders in January 2026 after a Mato Grosso tax-incentive law took effect.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Soy traders (members of Abiove: ADM, Bunge, Cargill, LDC)","what":"According to Greenpeace Brasil, kept Mato Grosso tax incentives by leaving the moratorium.","src":2},{"who":"Aprosoja-MT","what":"Sought R$1.1 billion in compensation for soy producers.","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Amazon forest","what":"Projected additional loss of at least 1.4 million hectares over ten years if the moratorium ends.","src":6},{"who":"Companies and campaigners that relied on the pact as a market guarantee","what":"A 20-year commitment ended.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Brazilian Amazon soy-growing areas; Mato Grosso state law.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Pact from 2006; Mato Grosso law in force 1 January 2026; Abiove began negotiating withdrawal 5 January 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Greenpeace Brasil said the traders left to keep tax incentives; WWF-Brasil said the aim of the state law was to protect tax subsidies.","src":2},"how":{"t":"A Mato Grosso state law allows tax incentives to be cut for firms that apply environmental criteria beyond the legal requirement; Abiove began negotiating its withdrawal and the traders left the moratorium. CADE also moved to suspend the pact in 2025.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Decade-long Amazon soy moratorium in Brazil reduced deforestation","p":"UCSB Bren news (reporting Heilmayr et al., Nature Food)","d":"2020","type":"academic","u":"https://bren.ucsb.edu/news/decade-long-amazon-soy-moratorium-brazil-reduced-deforestation"},{"t":"Cade suspende moratória da soja e instaura processo contra tradings","p":"CNN Brasil","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/agro/cade-suspende-moratoria-da-soja-e-instaura-processo-contra-tradings/"},{"t":"Greenpeace Brasil reage à saída da Abiove da moratória da soja após lei que retira benefícios fiscais de empresas com compromissos ambientais ambiciosos entrar em vigor","p":"Greenpeace Brasil","d":"2026-01","type":"ngo","voice":"civil","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/brasil/imprensa/greenpeace-brasil-reage-a-saida-da-abiove-da-moratoria-da-soja-apos-lei-que-retira-beneficios-fiscais-de-empresas-com-compromissos-ambientais-ambiciosos-entrar-em-vigor/"},{"t":"Moratória da soja: tradings e Abiove abandonam pacto ambiental em 2026","p":"Band","d":"2026-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.band.com.br/agro/noticias/moratoria-da-soja-tradings-e-abiove-abandonam-pacto-ambiental-em-2026-202601051243","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260107015942/https://www.band.com.br/agro/noticias/moratoria-da-soja-tradings-e-abiove-abandonam-pacto-ambiental-em-2026-202601051243"},{"t":"Prejuízo aos sojicultores: Aprosoja-MT pede R$ 1,1 bilhão de indenização","p":"Canal Rural","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.canalrural.com.br/agricultura/projeto-soja-brasil/prejuizo-aos-sojicultores-aprosoja-mt-pede-r-11-bilhao-de-indenizacao/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206162412/https://www.canalrural.com.br/agricultura/projeto-soja-brasil/prejuizo-aos-sojicultores-aprosoja-mt-pede-r-11-bilhao-de-indenizacao/"},{"t":"Amazon deforestation may rise 30% as major traders exit historic soy pact","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amazon-deforestation-may-rise-30-as-major-traders-exit-historic-soy-pact/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260810204012/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/amazon-deforestation-may-rise-30-as-major-traders-exit-historic-soy-pact/"},{"t":"End of Amazon Soy Moratorium to cause 1.4 mln ha of deforestation (Rausch et al., Science)","p":"Carbon Pulse","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://carbon-pulse.com/532411/"},{"t":"Maioria do Supremo decide validar moratória da soja","p":"Agência Brasil","d":"2026-08","type":"press","u":"https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/justica/noticia/2026-08/maioria-do-supremo-decide-validar-moratoria-da-soja","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260822141052/https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/justica/noticia/2026-08/maioria-do-supremo-decide-validar-moratoria-da-soja"},{"t":"Brazil study links 98% of blocked soy farms to illegal clearing","p":"Reuters (via The Poultry Site)","d":"2025-07-31","type":"press","u":"https://www.thepoultrysite.com/news/2025/07/brazil-study-links-98-of-blocked-soy-farms-to-illegal-clearing"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"What did the moratorium achieve for the forest, and what follows its end?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Why did the traders leave the moratorium?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the moratorium lawful, and did it harm producers?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Abiove and the traders: Abiove began negotiating its withdrawal on 5 January 2026; no statement of its reasons is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Supremo review of the moratorium and Mato Grosso state laws: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Public grants / subsidies: Mato Grosso tax incentives for the traders over 2019-24, per Greenpeace Brasil.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"For the Cerrado only companies' self-reports and 'potential link' data were found; there is no independent measurement of the moratorium's effect there.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of CADE's proceedings after 2026 is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The traders' and Abiove's own reasons for leaving the moratorium are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Supremo judgment is final is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The origin of the R$4.7 billion Mato Grosso incentive figure is given differently: Greenpeace Brasil gives it for 2019-24; another account attributes it to an unidentified source dated July 2025, and no other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: CADE's decision was dated August 2025, accused the traders of forming a cartel, targeted about 30 traders and Abiove, and set the suspension to take effect on 1 January 2026 (only a secondary report was available).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Aprosoja-MT called CADE's decision 'a turning point for free competition'.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: within the Brazilian government the Environment Ministry and IBAMA defended the moratorium while the Agriculture Ministry opposed it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a critique (Mongabay, March 2017) said that about 30% of soy expansion came with deforestation in the two years before the pact and about 1% after, but that much land had already been cleared by 2006, so soy could expand without felling forest; Gollnow and colleagues argue that leakage occurred through buyers that had made no commitment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2015 measurement (University of Wisconsin-Madison, Gibbs et al., Science) putting the share of soy expansion associated with deforestation at about 30% before the pact and about 1% after.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace's figure of an 86% reduction in 76 municipalities, against a counterfactual estimate of 35%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the moratorium was formed after a 2006 Greenpeace campaign; the precise clearing cut-off date it used is not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent ecological evaluation of the period since the traders left was found; the forward-looking figure is a model estimate.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rio-sonora-copper-sulfate-spill","title":"Río Sonora copper sulphate spill and repair fund","dek":"In August 2014 about 40,000 cubic metres of acidic copper sulphate solution from a Grupo México mine entered the Sonora River in Mexico. A fund committed at 2,000 million pesos was closed in 2017 after about 1,000 million had been deposited; the Supreme Court later held the closure invalid, and in February 2026 the federal government said 500 of an agreed 1,500 million pesos had been deposited.","country":"Mexico","region":"Latin America","lat":30.3,"lon":-110.2,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Sonora","lat":30.3,"lon":-110.2,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Sonora","role":"event"},{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","role":"court"}],"start":2014,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2014-08-06","instrument":"finance","types":["finance","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Paid into the repair fund vs Semarnat damage estimate","value":"~1,000 vs 20,508","note":"Millions of pesos. Fund deposits by closure in 2017 (2,000 million committed); damage estimate in the 2023 environmental diagnostic report (Dictamen de Diagnóstico Ambiental) of the environment ministry, Semarnat."},"happened":["On 6 August 2014 the Buenavista del Cobre mine of Grupo México released about 40,000 cubic metres of acidic copper sulphate solution into the Sonora River, in the Mexican state of Sonora. AZCIR reported about 11 million gallons (42 million litres). About 22,000 people were reported affected along the river from Arizpe to Ures; later local reports give between 20,000 and 24,000.","The company and officials said the river was safe, AZCIR reported in 2015; a former official later acknowledged that they could not speak of a full clean-up. The environment enforcement agency Profepa fined the company almost 23 million pesos and presented the amount as the maximum under the law (Expansión, 2 March 2015); AZCIR reported a fine of about US$1.5 million for more than 50 violations. Partial closure orders on parts of the mine were lifted in 2015.","The company committed 2,000 million pesos to a repair fund (AZCIR reported it as US$150 million). The fund was closed on 7 February 2017, when about 1,000 million pesos had been paid in. The river basin committees (Comités de Cuenca Río Sonora) said that only 61% of the fund had been spent. Expansión Política reported on 10 May 2018 that civil organisations alleged irregularities: much of the drinking water and health services were bought from the group's own subsidiaries, a requested clinic was not built, and payments averaged about 15,000 pesos per person plus a water tank. Accountants quoted by the group PODER assessed that a quarter of the company's contribution to the fund could be deducted from tax. In September 2019 Zeta Tijuana reported the owner of Grupo México, Germán Larrea, saying the river was dirty rather than contaminated.","Mexico's Supreme Court held on 15 January 2020 that the closure of the fund was invalid (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre); Grupo Animal (January 2026) likewise reported that the court annulled the closure. In 2023 the environment ministry, Semarnat, said the spill was not an accident but negligence and that heavy metals were still present (Mongabay Latam); Grupo México said the findings had no causal link to the 2014 spill. Environment Secretary María Luisa Albores said in October 2023 that the government had filed a criminal complaint against the company in August 2023 (Vanguardia; N+).","In June 2025 El Imparcial reported that basin committees said there was still no plan, date or budget, with about 24,000 people affected. In February 2026 President Claudia Sheinbaum said the company had deposited 500 million of the 1,500 million pesos agreed and demanded the remaining 1,000 million.","On 20 April 2026 President Sheinbaum said the company was about to deposit the remaining 1,000 million pesos; the plan for works on the Sonora River totals 2,222 million pesos, including federal and state funds (El Imparcial)."],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"6 August: about 40,000 m³ of acidic copper sulphate solution enters the Sonora River; about 22,000 people reported affected"},{"y":2015,"t":"Profepa fines the company almost 23 million pesos, presented as the maximum; partial closure orders lifted (Expansión, 2 March)"},{"y":2017,"t":"7 February: repair fund closed with about 1,000 of 2,000 million pesos paid in"},{"y":2018,"t":"Civil organisations allege irregularities in the fund (Expansión Política, 10 May)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Owner Germán Larrea is reported saying the river is not contaminated but dirty (Zeta Tijuana, September)"},{"y":2020,"t":"15 January: Supreme Court holds the fund's closure invalid"},{"y":2023,"t":"Semarnat says the spill was not an accident; the government says it filed a criminal complaint against the company in August (Vanguardia and N+, 12 October; Mongabay Latam, October)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Basin committees say there is still no plan, date or budget (El Imparcial, 24 June)"},{"y":2026,"t":"President Sheinbaum says the company deposited 500 of 1,500 million pesos agreed (El Imparcial, 18 February)"},{"y":2026,"t":"20 April: President Sheinbaum says the company is about to deposit the remaining 1,000 million pesos (El Imparcial)","src":13}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The river was safe.","who":"Grupo México and officials, as reported by AZCIR (2015)","src":9},{"t":"The 23 million peso fine was the maximum under the law.","who":"Profepa, as reported by Expansión (2 March 2015)","src":0},{"t":"The repair fund had achieved its purpose.","who":"Profepa and Grupo México, as cited from Vanguardia reporting","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 40,000 m³ of acidic copper sulphate solution entered the river in August 2014; about 22,000 people affected.","src":0},{"t":"A former official acknowledged that they could not speak of a full clean-up.","src":9},{"t":"The fund closed on 7 February 2017 with about 1,000 of 2,000 million pesos paid in.","src":1},{"t":"Vanguardia: 61% of the fund had been spent when it closed.","src":2},{"t":"Most drinking-water and health services were bought from the group's own subsidiaries, the requested clinic was not built, and payments averaged about 15,000 pesos per person plus a water tank (allegations of organisations reported by Expansión Política).","src":1},{"t":"The Supreme Court held on 15 January 2020 that the closure of the fund was invalid.","src":10},{"t":"Semarnat found the spill was not an accident and that heavy metals persisted; it filed a criminal complaint.","src":3},{"t":"February 2026: 500 of 1,500 million pesos agreed had been deposited.","src":5}],"ledger":{"currency":"MXN","window":"2014–2017","nature":[{"label":"Paid into the Río Sonora fund by closure on 7 February 2017 (2,000 million committed)","amount":1000,"qualifier":"about","window":"2014–17","note":"The 500 million-peso deposit described in 2026 is not added: the cited sources do not say how it relates to this amount."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":1000,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fund deposits to closure. The 500 million deposited under the later 2026 agreement is not added."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Solution released","v":"40,000 m³","d":"Acidic copper sulphate, August 2014 (AZCIR: 11 million gallons)"},{"k":"Heavy metals in the river","v":"Persisting (2023)","d":"Semarnat finding reported by Mongabay Latam"},{"k":"Fund spent when closed","v":"61%","d":"Vanguardia"},{"k":"Fund deposited vs committed","v":"about 1,000 of 2,000 million pesos","d":"Fund closed 7 February 2017 (Expansión Política)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text rather than measured figures: Semarnat's 2023 finding, reported by Mongabay Latam, that heavy metals from the spill persisted; release volume from Expansión.","report":[{"t":"In August 2014 about 40,000 cubic metres of acidic copper sulphate solution from the Buenavista del Cobre mine entered my water.","src":0},{"t":"The company and officials said I was safe. A former official later acknowledged they could not speak of a full clean-up.","src":9},{"t":"In 2023 Mexico's environment ministry said the heavy metals were still in me.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Actual spending of the fund is not established: the river basin committees reported 61% spent, while Expansión Política figures list about 1,000 million pesos in the fund, 951.77 million pesos under \"beneficiaries\" and 141.5 million pesos without documentation.","The fund's size is reported in different currencies: 2,000 million pesos in Mexican sources and US$150 million by AZCIR.","Release volume and affected population differ by source: 40,000 m³ or 11 million gallons (42 million litres); 20,000 to 24,000 people.","The authority that received the criminal complaint filed in August 2023 and any outcome are not stated in the sources.","Unconfirmed: a quarter of the company's contribution to the fund was tax-deductible (accountants cited by the group PODER; PODER's own analysis was not reviewed).","Unconfirmed: that Semarnat treated the remediation as completed in 2017.","Unconfirmed: that the company closed the fund early and did not comply with the court's order to reopen it, and that it had not been reopened as of 2024.","Unconfirmed: the company first attributed the release to exceptional rainfall.","Unconfirmed: approval of the mine's new tailings dam by a preventive report in August 2013 and a 2018 Supreme Court order for a consultation.","Implementation of the 2026 agreement: ongoing, no result on record."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The fund closed in 2017 with about half the committed amount paid in, and the Supreme Court held the closure invalid. Semarnat said in 2023 that heavy metals were still present; basin committees said in June 2025 that there was still no plan, date or budget.","whoPaid":"The company paid a fine of almost 23 million pesos and deposited about 1,000 million pesos into a fund committed at 2,000 million; in February 2026 the federal government said it had deposited a further 500 million of 1,500 million agreed. Communities along the river (20,000 to 24,000 people in local reports) said in June 2025 that they had seen no justice or reparation. Semarnat's 2023 diagnostic report put the cost of the impacts at more than 20,508 million pesos.","statusLine":"As of April 2026: the Supreme Court held the fund's closure invalid in January 2020; President Sheinbaum said the company had deposited 500 of 1,500 million pesos agreed and was about to deposit the remaining 1,000 million; no outcome of the criminal complaint filed in August 2023 is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"grupo-mexico","says":"Said, with officials, that the river was safe; a former official acknowledged they could not speak of a full clean-up.","when":"2014–2015","src":9},{"actor":"grupo-mexico","says":"Owner Germán Larrea was reported by Zeta Tijuana as saying the Sonora River was not contaminated but dirty.","when":"September 2019","src":4},{"actor":"grupo-mexico","says":"Company sources said the company had fully met its part in supporting and cleaning up the rivers (El Financiero).","when":"August 2015","src":12},{"actor":"profepa","says":"Presented the fine of almost 23 million pesos as the maximum under the legislation.","when":"March 2015","src":0},{"actor":"semarnat","says":"The spill was not an accident but negligence; heavy metals continued; filed a criminal complaint against Grupo México.","when":"2023","src":2},{"actor":"mexico-gov","says":"President Sheinbaum said the company had deposited 500 million of the 1,500 million pesos agreed and demanded the remaining 1,000 million.","when":"18 February 2026","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"grupo-mexico","role":"Mining group; operator of the Buenavista del Cobre mine and fund contributor"},{"id":"profepa","role":"Environmental enforcement agency; fined the company in 2015"},{"id":"semarnat","role":"Environment ministry; said the spill was negligence and filed a criminal complaint"},{"id":"mexican-supreme-court","role":"Held the closure of the fund invalid (15 January 2020)"},{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"Federal government under President Sheinbaum; statement of February 2026"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Was the river safe and cleaned up?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Grupo México and officials (2014–15)","says":"Said the river was safe; a former official later acknowledged they could not speak of a full clean-up.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Germán Larrea, owner of Grupo México (2019)","says":"Was reported saying the river was dirty rather than contaminated.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Semarnat (2023)","says":"Said heavy metals continued.","src":3}]},{"point":"Was the spill an accident?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Semarnat (2023)","says":"Said it was not an accident but negligence, and filed a criminal complaint.","src":2}]},{"point":"Did the repair fund achieve its purpose, and was its closure justified?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Federal authorities (2017)","says":"Said, when the fund's closure became public in August 2017, that the remediation and compensation plans had been fully met (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre).","src":10},{"voice":"company","holder":"Grupo México","says":"Company sources told El Financiero in August 2015 that the company had fully met its part in supporting and cleaning up the rivers.","src":12},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Civil organisations (2018)","says":"Alleged irregularities: services bought from the group's own subsidiaries, a requested clinic not built, average payments of about 15,000 pesos per person.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Mexican Supreme Court (15 January 2020)","says":"Held that the closure of the fund was invalid.","src":10},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Basin committees (June 2025)","says":"Said there was still no plan, date or budget.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"President Sheinbaum (February 2026)","says":"Said the company had deposited 500 million of an agreed 1,500 million pesos.","src":5}]},{"point":"How large was the damage compared with the fund?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Fund as committed","says":"2,000 million pesos committed (AZCIR reported US$150 million); about 1,000 million pesos received by closure.","src":9},{"voice":"government","holder":"Semarnat, Dictamen de Diagnóstico Ambiental (2023)","says":"Put the cost of the impacts at more than 20,508 million pesos.","src":11}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Profepa fine for the 2014 spill","forum":"Profepa (Mexican environmental enforcement agency)","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Profepa","defendant":"Grupo México","filed":null,"decided":"2015-03","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":23,"currency":"MXN","label":"million pesos (almost), presented by Profepa as the maximum under the law"},"summary":"Profepa fined the company almost 23 million pesos (Expansión, 2 March 2015); AZCIR reported a fine of about US$1.5 million for more than 50 violations. Partial closure orders on parts of the mine were lifted in 2015.","src":0},{"title":"Closure of the Río Sonora fund","forum":"Supreme Court of Mexico","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Reported as Río Sonora communities (names: none on record)","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2020-01-15","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Supreme Court held on 15 January 2020 that the closure of the fund was invalid (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre); Grupo Animal (January 2026) reported that the court annulled the closure.","src":10},{"title":"Criminal complaint by Semarnat","forum":"Not stated in the sources (complaint filed by the federal government)","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Semarnat","defendant":"Grupo México","filed":"2023","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The environment ministry said the spill was not an accident and that heavy metals were still present. Environment Secretary María Luisa Albores said the government filed a criminal complaint against the company in August 2023 (Vanguardia and N+, 12 October 2023). The authority that received it and any outcome are not stated in the sources.","src":2},{"title":"2026 reparation agreement with the federal government","forum":"Federal government of Mexico","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Federal government","defendant":"Grupo México","filed":null,"decided":"2026","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":1500,"currency":"MXN","label":"million pesos agreed, of which 500 million deposited"},"summary":"President Sheinbaum said the company had deposited 500 million of the 1,500 million pesos agreed. How this relates to the 2017 fund and the Supreme Court decision is not on record.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"solution_released_m3","value":40000,"unit":"m³","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Acidic copper sulphate solution; AZCIR reported about 11 million gallons (42 million litres).","src":0},{"key":"people_affected","value":22000,"unit":"people","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Affected along the Sonora River; later local reports give 20,000 to 24,000.","src":0},{"key":"people_affected","value":24000,"unit":"people","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"El Imparcial, June 2025.","src":6},{"key":"river_km","value":288.8,"unit":"km","year":2026,"note":"Described as a basin figure in the El Imparcial item of February 2026; how it was measured is not stated.","src":5},{"key":"fine","value":23,"unit":"MXN m","year":2015,"qualifier":"almost","note":"Profepa fine, presented as the maximum under the law.","src":0},{"key":"fine","value":1.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2015,"qualifier":"about","note":"AZCIR: for more than 50 violations.","src":9},{"key":"fund_committed","value":2000,"unit":"MXN m","year":2014,"note":"Repair fund committed by the company; AZCIR reported US$150 million.","src":9},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":1000,"unit":"MXN m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Paid into the fund by closure on 7 February 2017 (Expansión Política).","src":1},{"key":"fund_spent_share","value":61,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"Share of the fund reported spent when it closed (Vanguardia); a secondary note gives about 60%, not independently verified.","src":2},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":15000,"unit":"MXN per person","year":2017,"qualifier":"average","note":"Share of the fund reported spent, according to the river basin committees (Comités de Cuenca Río Sonora); a secondary note gives about 60%.","src":null},{"key":"claim","value":20508,"unit":"MXN m","note":"Damage estimate in a 2023 report by Mexico's environment ministry (Semarnat).","src":11},{"key":"settlement","value":1500,"unit":"MXN m","year":2026,"note":"Amount agreed with the company, as described by President Sheinbaum on 18 February 2026.","src":5},{"key":"fund_deposit_2026","value":500,"unit":"MXN m","year":2026,"note":"Deposited by the company out of the agreed 1,500 million pesos, per President Sheinbaum.","src":5}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 40,000 cubic metres of acidic copper sulphate solution from Grupo México's Buenavista del Cobre mine entered the Sonora River in August 2014, affecting about 22,000 people. A repair fund committed at 2,000 million pesos was closed in 2017 after about 1,000 million had been received; the Supreme Court later held the closure invalid.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Grupo México","what":"Partial closure orders on the mine were lifted in 2015; the mine kept operating.","src":0},{"who":"Grupo México subsidiaries","what":"Supplied much of the drinking water and health services bought with the fund, according to organisations cited by Expansión Política.","src":1},{"who":"Grupo México","what":"A quarter of its contribution to the fund could be deducted from tax, according to accountants quoted by PODER (reported by Expansión Política).","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Communities along the river","what":"About 22,000 people reported affected; average payment about 15,000 pesos plus a water tank.","src":1},{"who":"Grupo México","what":"A fine of almost 23 million pesos and a fund contribution; the Supreme Court held the fund's closure invalid in 2020.","src":10}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Sonora River","what":"About 40,000 m³ of acidic solution; heavy metals still present in 2023, per Semarnat.","src":3},{"who":"Communities along the Sonora River","what":"About 22,000 people affected in 2014 and about 24,000 in the June 2025 report; basin committees said in June 2025 there was still no plan, date or budget.","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"The Sonora River, Sonora, Mexico, below the Buenavista del Cobre mine, with the basin from Arizpe to Ures.","src":6},"when":{"t":"Spill on 6 August 2014; fund closed on 7 February 2017; Supreme Court ruling on 15 January 2020; Semarnat complaint in 2023; President Sheinbaum's statement on 18 February 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Semarnat said in 2023 the spill was not an accident but negligence. Grupo México said the ministry's findings on continuing contamination had no causal link to the 2014 event and pointed to other sources such as illegal mining, untreated sewage and agricultural residues (Mongabay Latam).","src":2},"how":{"t":"Solution escaped from the Buenavista del Cobre mine into the river; the company committed 2,000 million pesos to a fund, which was closed with about half paid in.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Grupo México pagará casi 23 mdp por derrame en río Sonora","p":"Expansión","d":"2015-03-02","type":"press","u":"https://expansion.mx/negocios/2015/03/02/grupo-mexico-pagara-casi-23-mdp-por-derrame-en-rio-sonora"},{"t":"Organizaciones acusan irregularidades en el fideicomiso Río Sonora","p":"Expansión Política","d":"2018-05-10","type":"press","u":"https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2018/05/10/organizaciones-acusan-irregularidades-en-el-fideicomiso-rio-sonora","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208020030/https://politica.expansion.mx/mexico/2018/05/10/organizaciones-acusan-irregularidades-en-el-fideicomiso-rio-sonora"},{"t":"'No fue accidente, fue negligencia': Semarnat denuncia a Grupo México por río Sonora","p":"Vanguardia","d":"2023-09","type":"press","u":"https://vanguardia.com.mx/noticias/no-fue-accidente-fue-negligencia-semarnat-denuncia-a-grupo-mexico-por-rio-sonora-BL9580542"},{"t":"Grupo México, responsable de derrame de tóxicos en río Sonora","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2023-10","type":"investigative","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2023/10/grupo-mexico-responsable-derrame-de-toxicos-rio-sonora-mexico/"},{"t":"El río Sonora no está contaminado sino sucio, afirma Germán Larrea, dueño de Grupo México","p":"Zeta Tijuana","d":"2019-09","type":"press","u":"https://zetatijuana.com/2019/09/el-rio-sonora-no-esta-contaminado-sino-sucio-afirma-german-larrea-dueno-de-grupo-mexico/"},{"t":"Sheinbaum exige a Grupo México pagar los mil millones pendientes por el derrame en el Río Sonora","p":"El Imparcial","d":"2026-02-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/2026/02/18/sheinbaum-exige-a-grupo-mexico-pagar-los-mil-millones-pendientes-por-el-derrame-en-el-rio-sonora/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313003243/https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/2026/02/18/sheinbaum-exige-a-grupo-mexico-pagar-los-mil-millones-pendientes-por-el-derrame-en-el-rio-sonora/"},{"t":"A 11 años del derrame en el Río Sonora, comunidades siguen sin ver justicia ni reparación","p":"El Imparcial","d":"2025-06-24","type":"press","u":"https://www.elimparcial.com/son/sonora/2025/06/24/a-11-anos-del-derrame-en-el-rio-sonora-comunidades-siguen-sin-ver-justicia-ni-reparacion/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250625092857/https://www.elimparcial.com/son/sonora/2025/06/24/a-11-anos-del-derrame-en-el-rio-sonora-comunidades-siguen-sin-ver-justicia-ni-reparacion/"},{"t":"Reparación Río Sonora: hasta no ver no creer","p":"Grupo Animal","d":"2026-01","type":"press","u":"https://grupoanimal.mx/opinion/reparacion-rio-sonora-hasta-no-ver-no-creer"},{"t":"Gobierno de México: no fue accidente derrame de Grupo México en Río Sonora (headline taken from the URL)","p":"N+","d":"2023-10-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.nmas.com.mx/nacional/gobierno-de-mexico-no-fue-accidente-derrame-de-grupo-mexico-en-rio-sonora/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240222103006/https://www.nmas.com.mx/nacional/gobierno-de-mexico-no-fue-accidente-derrame-de-grupo-mexico-en-rio-sonora/"},{"t":"Impacts to health, livelihood continue 1 year after toxic mine spill in Mexico","p":"AZCIR","d":"2015-11-23","type":"investigative","u":"https://azcir.org/news/2015/11/23/impacts-to-health-livelihood-continue-1-year-after-toxic-mine-spill-in-mexico/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250414202839/https://azcir.org/news/2015/11/23/impacts-to-health-livelihood-continue-1-year-after-toxic-mine-spill-in-mexico/"},{"t":"Grupo México lawsuit re toxic spill in Mexico","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2020-01-15","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/es/%C3%BAltimas-noticias/grupo-m%C3%A9xico-lawsuit-re-toxic-spill-in-mexico/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230317111000/https://www.business-humanrights.org/es/%C3%BAltimas-noticias/grupo-m%C3%A9xico-lawsuit-re-toxic-spill-in-mexico/"},{"t":"Gobierno de México advierte sobre peligros de derrame de minera en río Sonora","p":"El Imparcial","d":"2023-09-28","u":"https://www.elimparcial.com/mexico/2023/09/28/gobierno-de-mexico-advierte-sobre-peligros-de-derrame-de-minera-en-rio-sonora/","type":"press"},{"t":"GMéxico cumplió con demandas por derrame de químico en Río Sonora","p":"El Financiero","d":"2015-08-04","u":"https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/empresas/gmexico-cumplio-con-demandas-por-derrame-de-quimico-en-rio-sonora/","type":"press"},{"t":"Sheinbaum anuncia visita a Sonora en mayo para informar a comunidades del Río Sonora acuerdo con Grupo México","p":"El Imparcial","d":"2026-04-20","u":"https://www.elimparcial.com/son/sonora/2026/04/20/sheinbaum-anuncia-visita-a-sonora-en-mayo-para-informar-a-comunidades-del-rio-sonora-acuerdo-con-grupo-mexico/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"reparation-fund","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the river safe and cleaned up?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the spill an accident?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the repair fund achieve its purpose, and was its closure justified?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large was the damage compared with the fund?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Actual spending of the fund is not established: the river basin committees reported 61% spent, while Expansión Política figures list about 1,000 million pesos in the fund, 951.77 million pesos under \"beneficiaries\" and 141.5 million pesos without documentation.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The fund's size is reported in different currencies: 2,000 million pesos in Mexican sources and US$150 million by AZCIR.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Release volume and affected population differ by source: 40,000 m³ or 11 million gallons (42 million litres); 20,000 to 24,000 people.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The authority that received the criminal complaint filed in August 2023 and any outcome are not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a quarter of the company's contribution to the fund was tax-deductible (accountants cited by the group PODER; PODER's own analysis was not reviewed).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Semarnat treated the remediation as completed in 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the company closed the fund early and did not comply with the court's order to reopen it, and that it had not been reopened as of 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company first attributed the release to exceptional rainfall.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: approval of the mine's new tailings dam by a preventive report in August 2013 and a 2018 Supreme Court order for a consultation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Implementation of the 2026 agreement: ongoing, no result on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hidroituango-dam","title":"Hidroituango dam and the Ríos Vivos defenders (Colombia)","dek":"Two members of Ríos Vivos, a movement that opposed the Hidroituango dam in Colombia, were killed in May 2018, weeks before communities complained to the Inter-American Development Bank, which had financed the dam. The bank group's private-sector arm exited the project in February 2022; no court outcome for the killings was found.","country":"Colombia","region":"Latin America","lat":7.13,"lon":-75.65,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","lat":7.13,"lon":-75.65,"role":"event"},{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":"Medellín","role":"company-home"}],"start":2016,"end":2022,"eventDate":"2018-05","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","water"],"headline":{"label":"Financing from the Inter-American Development Bank group","value":"US$550m (2016) / US$1bn (2018)","note":"US$550 million from the IDB in 2016 and a US$1 billion package put together by IDB Invest in 2018; lenders in the 2018 package included CDPQ, ICBC and KfW IPEX. How the two figures relate is not stated."},"happened":["Hidroituango is a hydroelectric dam in Colombia owned by EPM, the public utility company of Medellín. It was opposed by the Ríos Vivos movement.","The cited sources give two financing figures. In 2016, while Luis Alberto Moreno was president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the bank provided US$550 million; the sources call it both a loan and a direct investment. In 2018 IDB Invest, the bank group's private-sector arm, put together a US$1 billion package; lenders included CDPQ, ICBC and KfW IPEX.","In 2018 a crisis at the dam left thousands of people without their homes, according to AIDA. A review of hydropower impacts reported that the flow of the Cauca River fell to about 10% when the dam's gates were closed; the underlying study is not identified.","On 2 May 2018 Hugo Albeiro George Pérez and on 8 May 2018 Luis Alberto Torres Montoya, both members of Ríos Vivos, were killed, together with relatives of both, Amnesty International reported. No court outcome was found.","On 5 June 2018 communities affected by the dam filed a complaint with the IDB, AIDA reported. In February 2022 EPM prepaid its loans and IDB Invest exited the project; AIDA had called for the exit to be responsible. The review of IDB Invest by the IDB's complaints mechanism (MICI) continued after the exit.","Moreno, IDB president from 2005 to 2020, has been a director of Dow since 2021 (Dow proxy statement) and is listed among the directors of WWF-US."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"IDB provides US$550m for the dam, under IDB president Luis Alberto Moreno"},{"y":2018,"t":"Two Ríos Vivos members killed (2 and 8 May); communities file complaint with the IDB (5 June); IDB Invest puts together a US$1bn package (lenders include CDPQ, ICBC, KfW IPEX); crisis leaves thousands without homes"},{"y":2022,"t":"EPM prepays; IDB Invest exits the project in February; MICI review of IDB Invest continues"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Hugo Albeiro George Pérez (2 May 2018) and Luis Alberto Torres Montoya (8 May 2018), both Ríos Vivos members, were killed, together with relatives of both.","src":0},{"t":"IDB Invest put together a US$1bn package in 2018; lenders included CDPQ, ICBC and KfW IPEX.","src":1},{"t":"Communities affected by the dam filed a complaint with the IDB on 5 June 2018.","src":2},{"t":"EPM prepaid and IDB Invest exited in February 2022; the MICI review of IDB Invest continued.","src":3},{"t":"Luis Alberto Moreno, IDB president from 2005 to 2020, has been a Dow director since 2021.","src":5},{"t":"WWF-US lists Luis Alberto Moreno among its directors.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2016–2022","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Cauca River flow after the gates closed","v":"about 10%","d":"As reported in a review of hydropower impacts; the underlying study is not identified"},{"k":"People who lost their homes in the 2018 crisis","v":"thousands","d":"AIDA, June 2018"},{"k":"Court outcome for the killings","v":"None found","d":"No court outcome was found"},{"k":"Financier exit","v":"Feb 2022","d":"IDB Invest exited after EPM prepaid its loans"}]},"unknown":["No court outcome was found for the May 2018 killings.","The relationship between the US$550 million IDB provision (2016) and the US$1 billion IDB Invest package (2018) is not stated; the sources call the 2016 amount both a loan and a direct investment.","Unconfirmed: a fine linked to the project was annulled. The issuing authority, amount, date and grounds are not stated; one account says Colombia's national licensing authority ANLA fined the project about 5,500 million pesos and that a first-instance court annulled the fine on procedural grounds.","Unconfirmed: ANLA found that construction of the discharge gallery began 13 months before the licence was modified; the national audit office (Contraloría) criticised ANLA in August 2018 for applying no sanction despite violations and granting new deadlines.","Unconfirmed: that Moreno also sat on the board of Allen & Co in 2021–2022."],"evidence":["deaths","displacement","no-court"],"harmStopped":"Not established. IDB Invest exited the project in February 2022 after EPM prepaid its loans; the review by the IDB's complaints mechanism continued after the exit, and the sources do not describe any change in the project itself.","whoPaid":"Not established. Two Ríos Vivos members and relatives of both were killed in May 2018 and thousands of people lost their homes in the 2018 crisis; no court outcome was found, and the sources do not document who bore any costs of harm.","statusLine":"As of February 2022: EPM prepaid and IDB Invest exited; the complaints-mechanism review continued and no court outcome was found for the 2018 killings.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"epm","role":"Dam owner; public utility company of Medellín"},{"id":"idb","role":"Development bank; provided US$550m in 2016"},{"id":"idb-invest","role":"IDB private-sector arm; put together a US$1bn package in 2018; exited in February 2022"},{"id":"cdpq","role":"Lender in the 2018 package"},{"id":"icbc","role":"Lender in the 2018 package"},{"id":"kfw-ipex","role":"Lender in the 2018 package"},{"id":"rios-vivos","role":"Movement opposed to the dam; two members killed in May 2018"},{"id":"aida","role":"Environmental law group supporting the affected communities"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Terms of IDB Invest's exit from the project","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"AIDA","says":"Called on the IDB to guarantee a responsible exit from the Hidroituango project.","src":3},{"voice":"international","holder":"IDB Invest","says":"Exited the project in February 2022 after EPM prepaid its loans; the complaints-mechanism (MICI) review of IDB Invest continued.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Complaint to the IDB's complaints mechanism (MICI)","forum":"IDB / MICI","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Communities affected by the Hidroituango dam, supported by AIDA","defendant":"IDB Invest","filed":"2018-06-05","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Communities filed a complaint with the IDB on 5 June 2018. The MICI review of IDB Invest continued after the bank's February 2022 exit; no outcome was found.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2018,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Two Ríos Vivos members killed on 2 and 8 May 2018, together with relatives of both (number of relatives not given).","src":0},{"key":"displaced","value":null,"unit":"people","year":2018,"qualifier":"thousands","note":"People who lost their homes in the 2018 crisis, per AIDA; no figure given.","src":2},{"key":"financing","value":550,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"IDB, 2016; described as a loan and as a direct investment in different passages.","src":2},{"key":"financing_package","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2018,"note":"Package put together by IDB Invest; lenders included CDPQ, ICBC and KfW IPEX.","src":1},{"key":"cauca_flow_after_gate_closure","value":10,"unit":"% of earlier flow","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"From a review of hydropower impacts; underlying study not identified.","src":6}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two members of the Ríos Vivos movement, which opposed EPM's Hidroituango dam, were killed in May 2018, together with relatives of both; communities complained to the IDB, which had financed the dam, and IDB Invest exited in 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EPM (dam owner)","what":"Received a US$1 billion financing package put together by IDB Invest in 2018, with lenders including CDPQ, ICBC and KfW IPEX.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Communities in the dam area","what":"Thousands of people lost their homes in the 2018 crisis.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ríos Vivos members and relatives","what":"Hugo Albeiro George Pérez and Luis Alberto Torres Montoya were killed in May 2018, together with relatives of both.","src":0},{"who":"Cauca River","what":"Flow fell to about 10% when the dam's gates were closed, per a review of hydropower impacts.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Hidroituango dam, Colombia; the owner is the public utility company of Medellín.","src":1},"when":{"t":"IDB financing in 2016 and 2018; killings on 2 and 8 May 2018; complaint on 5 June 2018; IDB Invest exit in February 2022.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The motive for the killings is not established in the cited sources; the two victims were members of a movement that opposed the dam, and the sources do not state who ordered or carried out the killings.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The dam was financed by the IDB (US$550m, 2016) and by a US$1bn package put together by IDB Invest (2018) with CDPQ, ICBC and KfW IPEX as lenders; EPM prepaid and IDB Invest exited in 2022 while the complaints-mechanism review continued.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Colombia: authorities must investigate killings of community leaders and take urgent action to protect human rights defenders","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2018-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/05/colombia-authorities-must-investigate-killings-of-community-leaders-and-take-urgent-action-to-protect-human-rights-defenders","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815105030/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/05/colombia-authorities-must-investigate-killings-of-community-leaders-and-take-urgent-action-to-protect-human-rights-defenders/"},{"t":"Case 10: Hidroituango Hydroelectric Project","p":"Rights in Development","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://rightsindevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/CASE-10-Hidroituango-Hydroelectric-Project-ENG.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018155612/https://rightsindevelopment.org/wp-content/uploads/CASE-10-Hidroituango-Hydroelectric-Project-ENG.pdf"},{"t":"Communities affected by the Hidroituango dam in Colombia file complaint with the IDB","p":"AIDA","d":"2018-06-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://aida-americas.org/en/press/communities-affected-hidroituango-dam-colombia-file-complaint-idb","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607200639/https://aida-americas.org/en/press/communities-affected-hidroituango-dam-colombia-file-complaint-idb"},{"t":"IDB must guaranty responsible exit from the Hidroituango project (page cited for the EPM prepayment and the continuing MICI review)","p":"AIDA","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://aida-americas.org/en/press/idb-must-guaranty-responsible-exit-hidroituango-project","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615133817/https://aida-americas.org/en/press/idb-must-guaranty-responsible-exit-hidroituango-project"},{"t":"Board and council","p":"WWF-US","d":"","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.worldwildlife.org/about/board-and-council/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728164529/https://www.worldwildlife.org/about/board-and-council/"},{"t":"Dow Inc. proxy statement (SEC)","p":"Dow Inc.","d":"2026-02","type":"company","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1751788/000119312526082583/dow-20260227.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260227214516/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1751788/000119312526082583/dow-20260227.htm"},{"t":"Denuncian mortandad de peces tras cierre de compuerta en Hidroituango (Publímetro report republished by BHRRC)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre / Publímetro","d":"2019-02-06","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/pt/últimas-notícias/denuncian-mortandad-de-peces-tras-cierre-de-compuerta-en-hidroituango/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"development-finance","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"A review of hydropower impacts reported that the flow of my Cauca River fell to about 10% when the Hidroituango gates were closed; the underlying study is not identified.","src":[1,6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Terms of IDB Invest's exit from the project","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court outcome was found for the May 2018 killings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The relationship between the US$550 million IDB provision (2016) and the US$1 billion IDB Invest package (2018) is not stated; the sources call the 2016 amount both a loan and a direct investment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a fine linked to the project was annulled. The issuing authority, amount, date and grounds are not stated; one account says Colombia's national licensing authority ANLA fined the project about 5,500 million pesos and that a first-instance court annulled the fine on procedural grounds.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ANLA found that construction of the discharge gallery began 13 months before the licence was modified; the national audit office (Contraloría) criticised ANLA in August 2018 for applying no sanction despite violations and granting new deadlines.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Moreno also sat on the board of Allen & Co in 2021–2022.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Cauca River"]},{"id":"sino-metals-kafue-river-acid-spill","title":"Sino-Metals Leach tailings dam failure and the Kafue River (Zambia)","dek":"A tailings dam at the Sino-Metals Leach site in Zambia's Copperbelt failed in February 2025 and acidic waste reached the Kafue River system. The company's first statement put the spill at 50,000 tonnes; a contractor reported at least 1.5 million tonnes. The government penalty was reported at 1.5 million kwacha, while damages claims exceeded US$420 million and 176 residents sought US$80 billion.","country":"Zambia","region":"Africa","lat":-12.65,"lon":28.05,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","admin":"Copperbelt","lat":-12.65,"lon":28.05,"role":"event"},{"country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","admin":"Kafue basin","role":"affected"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-02","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Spill volume: the company's first statement vs a contractor's measurement","value":"50,000 t vs at least 1.5 Mt","note":"AP reported the measurement as at least 30 times the company's figure; AFP, per a summary, reported about 20 times by volume. The contractor's own report was not seen."},"happened":["In February 2025 a tailings dam at the Sino-Metals Leach site in Zambia's Copperbelt failed. Mining Focus Africa reported that more than 1.5 million tonnes of acidic waste flowed into the Kafue River system. The company's first statement put the spill at 50,000 tonnes, which AFP converted to 50 million litres.","Drizit, a contractor engaged by the company, measured the released waste at 1.5 million tonnes, at least 30 times the company's figure, according to an AP report in September 2025. AP reported that Drizit's contract was terminated a day before its report was released. AP's headline said a Chinese mining company was accused of covering up the extent of the spill. EWN/AFP reported in September 2025 that Zambian farmers sued Chinese mining firms over the spill.","Zambia's environment agency, ZEMA, measured the pH of the water at about 1.8 (reported by the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, SALC). SALC wrote that a compliance order had been issued to the facility in 2023, before the collapse. Zambia Monitor's headline reported that the government took over the assessment of the Kafue-Chambeshi river pollution and that Sino-Metals would bear the costs.","In September 2025 SALC reported that 176 residents had sued for US$80 billion. Mining.com reported that the government's penalty was 1.5 million kwacha, about US$63,000, while damages claims exceeded US$420 million; Dialogue Earth reported that the government sought about US$63,000 in compensation. Mining Focus Africa reported interim payments of US$17 to US$2,000 to 454 farmers, and that the Kafue basin is home to 60% of Zambia's population.","In December 2025 IPS reported that no transparent damage assessment had been published and that Zambia's environmental laws and standards exist on paper, with implementation the problem. In January 2026 Mining Focus Africa described the spill as a test of Zambia's environmental enforcement."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"ZEMA issues a compliance order to the facility (SALC)"},{"y":2025,"t":"February: tailings dam fails and acidic waste reaches the Kafue River system; the company's first statement gives 50,000 tonnes. September: AP reports the Drizit measurement of at least 1.5 million tonnes and the cover-up accusation; 176 residents sue for US$80 billion (SALC); interim payments to 454 farmers reported (Mining Focus Africa). December: IPS reports no transparent damage assessment"},{"y":2026,"t":"January: Mining Focus Africa describes the spill as a test of Zambia's environmental enforcement"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A first statement that 50,000 tonnes had spilled (AFP: 50 million litres).","who":"Sino-Metals, as reported by AP","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Drizit measured at least 1.5 million tonnes of released waste; its contract was terminated a day before its report.","src":0},{"t":"ZEMA measured the water at about pH 1.8; the facility had a 2023 compliance order.","src":1},{"t":"176 residents filed a claim of US$80 billion.","src":1},{"t":"The government's penalty was 1.5 million kwacha (about US$63,000); damages claims exceeded US$420 million.","src":5},{"t":"454 farmers received interim payments of US$17 to US$2,000.","src":3},{"t":"No transparent damage assessment had been published as of December 2025.","src":2}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2025–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Acidity of the water","v":"pH about 1.8","d":"Measured by ZEMA; the facility had a 2023 compliance order"},{"k":"Volume of waste released","v":"50,000 t vs at least 1.5 Mt","d":"Company's first statement vs Drizit measurement, reported by AP"},{"k":"Population living in the Kafue basin","v":"60%","d":"Share of Zambia's population, per Mining Focus Africa"},{"k":"Damage assessment","v":"None published","d":"As reported by IPS, December 2025"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"ZEMA's pH measurement and reports of more than 1.5 million tonnes of acidic waste entering the Kafue River system.","report":[{"t":"In February 2025 a tailings dam failed and acidic waste reached me; Mining Focus Africa reported more than 1.5 million tonnes.","src":3},{"t":"Zambia's environment agency measured the acidity of my water at about pH 1.8.","src":1},{"t":"About 60% of Zambia's people live in my basin.","src":3}]},"unknown":["Drizit's report itself was not seen; the volume figure rests on AP's account.","No transparent damage assessment had been published as of December 2025 (IPS).","The US$80bn claim by 176 residents was at the claim stage in the sources; no ruling is recorded. How it relates to the damages claims above US$420 million is not stated.","One report records no compensation to downstream residents; Mining Focus Africa reports interim payments to 454 farmers. Whether further compensation was paid is not stated.","Unconfirmed: a contract dispute between the company and its environmental consultant delayed the assessment report, the contract was terminated and ZEMA took over the assessment at the company's cost; ZEMA halted operations; one account calls the 50,000 t figure an official estimate.","The volume difference is reported differently: AP described the contractor's measurement as at least 30 times the company's figure; AFP, per a summary, reported about 20 times by volume.","Dialogue Earth reported that the government sought about US$63,000 in compensation, while Mining.com called the 1.5 million kwacha a penalty; whether it was a fine imposed or compensation sought is not stated.","The date of the 454-farmer interim payments is not settled in the cited sources (Mining Focus Africa, September 2025 or January 2026).","Unconfirmed: the collapse took place on 18 February 2025 and about 50 million litres of acidic waste reached a stream connected to the Kafue.","The cited sources do not state a cause of the dam failure."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not established. The sources report a ZEMA acidity measurement and the volume dispute, but no figures on the river's recovery.","whoPaid":"The government took over the assessment with the costs to be borne by Sino-Metals (Zambia Monitor headline). 454 farmers received interim payments of US$17 to US$2,000; the government's penalty was about US$63,000.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: the 176-resident claim of US$80 billion was at the claim stage and no transparent damage assessment had been published (December 2025).","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"sino-metals-leach","says":"Its first statement put the spill at 50,000 tonnes (AFP: 50 million litres). No response to the AP accusation appears in the sources.","when":"2025","src":0},{"actor":"zema","says":"Measured the water at about pH 1.8 (reported by SALC); the facility had received a compliance order in 2023. Zambia Monitor's headline reported that the government took over the assessment with the costs falling on Sino-Metals.","when":"2025","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"sino-metals-leach","role":"Operator of the tailings dam that failed"},{"id":"zema","role":"Zambia Environmental Management Agency; measured pH, took over the assessment"},{"id":"drizit","role":"Contractor that measured the released waste"},{"id":"salc","role":"Litigation centre; published the report of the residents' suit"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"How much waste was released?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Sino-Metals","says":"Its first statement put the spill at 50,000 tonnes (AFP: 50 million litres).","src":0},{"voice":"research","holder":"Drizit, contractor","says":"Measured 1.5 million tonnes, at least 30 times the company's figure; its contract was terminated a day before its report (as reported by AP).","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"AP","says":"Reported that a Chinese mining company was accused of covering up the extent of the spill.","src":0}]},{"point":"How large is the financial liability?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Zambia","says":"A penalty of 1.5 million kwacha, about US$63,000 (Mining.com); Dialogue Earth reported that the government sought about US$63,000 in compensation.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"176 residents","says":"Filed a suit seeking US$80 billion (SALC).","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mining.com","says":"Reported that damages claims against the firm exceeded US$420 million.","src":5}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Has the damage been assessed?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Inter Press Service","says":"No transparent damage assessment had been published as of December 2025; environmental laws remain on paper.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of Zambia","says":"Took over the assessment of the Kafue/Chambeshi river pollution with the costs to be borne by Sino-Metals (Zambia Monitor headline; article not reviewed).","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Residents' suit over the Kafue spill","forum":"Court name: none on record","country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","kind":"civil","claimant":"176 residents","defendant":"Mining companies (names: none on record; EWN/AFP: Chinese mining firms)","filed":"2025-09","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":80000000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Claimed (US$80 billion)"},"summary":"SALC reported in September 2025 that 176 residents sued mining companies over the spill for US$80 billion; EWN/AFP reported that Zambian farmers sued Chinese mining firms. The sources describe the case as being at the claim stage; no ruling is recorded.","src":1},{"title":"Damages claims reported by Mining.com","forum":"None on record","country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants (not specified)","defendant":"Sino-Metals Leach","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":420000000,"currency":"USD","label":"More than, claimed"},"summary":"Mining.com reported that damages claims against the firm exceeded US$420 million. How these claims relate to the 176-resident suit is not stated.","src":5},{"title":"Government penalty after the dam failure","forum":"Government of Zambia","country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Government of Zambia","defendant":"Sino-Metals Leach","filed":null,"decided":"2025","status":"unknown","amount":{"value":1500000,"currency":"ZMW","label":"Penalty, about US$63,000"},"summary":"Mining.com reported that the government's penalty was 1.5 million kwacha (about US$63,000) while damages claims exceeded US$420 million; Dialogue Earth reported that the state sought about US$63,000. Whether the penalty was paid is not stated.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"tailings_tonnes","value":50000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"company's first statement","note":"AFP converted this to 50 million litres."},{"key":"tailings_tonnes","value":1500000,"unit":"t","year":2025,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Drizit measurement as reported by AP; Mining Focus Africa also reports more than 1.5 Mt."},{"key":"ph_measured","value":1.8,"unit":"pH","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"ZEMA measurement of the water."},{"key":"fine","value":1.5,"unit":"ZMW m","year":2025,"note":"Government penalty, about US$63,000 (Mining.com)."},{"key":"claim","value":420,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Damages claims reported by Mining.com."},{"key":"claim","value":80000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"claimed","note":"Claim by 176 residents, at the claim stage."},{"key":"people_affected","value":176,"unit":"plaintiffs","year":2025,"note":"Residents who filed the claim."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":454,"unit":"farmers","year":2025,"note":"Farmers who received interim payments of US$17 to US$2,000."},{"key":"basin_population_share","value":60,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Share of Zambia's population living in the Kafue basin (Mining Focus Africa)."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A tailings dam at the Sino-Metals Leach site failed in February 2025 and acidic waste reached the Kafue River system; the released volume is disputed between 50,000 t and at least 1.5 Mt.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"454 farmers","what":"Received interim payments of US$17 to US$2,000 (Mining Focus Africa)","src":3},{"who":"176 residents","what":"Sued for US$80 billion over the spill (SALC)","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Kafue River and its basin","what":"Water measured at about pH 1.8; more than 1.5 Mt of acidic waste reported; 60% of Zambia's population lives in the basin","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Copperbelt, Zambia; the Kafue River system.","src":3},"when":{"t":"February 2025; the facility had a compliance order from 2023; the residents' suit followed in September 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cause of the dam failure is not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A tailings dam at the Sino-Metals Leach site failed and the waste flowed into a stream connected to the Kafue River.","src":3},"ratio":{"t":"Government penalty of 1.5 million kwacha (about US$63,000) against damages claims above US$420 million and an US$80bn claim; the claims are allegations, not findings.","src":5}},"episodes":[],"sources":[{"t":"A Chinese mining company is accused of covering up the extent of a major toxic spill in Zambia (AP, via MarketBeat)","p":"MarketBeat (AP)","d":"2025-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251104154158/https://www.marketbeat.com/articles/a-chinese-mining-company-is-accused-of-covering-up-the-extent-of-a-major-toxic-spill-in-zambia-2025-09-01/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251104154158/https://www.marketbeat.com/articles/a-chinese-mining-company-is-accused-of-covering-up-the-extent-of-a-major-toxic-spill-in-zambia-2025-09-01/","dead":true},{"t":"Zambian communities sue mining giants over spill disaster","p":"Southern Africa Litigation Centre","d":"2025-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.southernafricalitigationcentre.org/zambian-communities-sue-mining-giants-over-spill-disaster/","voice":"civil","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260727020405/https://www.southernafricalitigationcentre.org/zambian-communities-sue-mining-giants-over-spill-disaster/"},{"t":"Zambia Has Environmental Laws and Standards on Paper – the Problem Is Their Implementation","p":"IPS","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/zambia-has-environmental-laws-and-standards-on-paper-the-problem-is-their-implementation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260331021507/https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/zambia-has-environmental-laws-and-standards-on-paper-the-problem-is-their-implementation/"},{"t":"Sino-Metals Faces Scrutiny Over Massive Toxic Spill in Zambia","p":"Mining Focus Africa","d":"2025-09-24","type":"press","u":"https://miningfocusafrica.com/2025/09/24/sino-metals-faces-scrutiny-over-massive-toxic-spill-in-zambia/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514111930/https://miningfocusafrica.com/2025/09/24/sino-metals-faces-scrutiny-over-massive-toxic-spill-in-zambia/"},{"t":"Chinese-Owned Mine Spill Puts Zambia's Environmental Enforcement to the Test","p":"Mining Focus Africa","d":"2026-01-21","type":"press","u":"https://miningfocusafrica.com/2026/01/21/chinese-owned-mine-spill-puts-zambias-environmental-enforcement-to-the-test/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710143800/https://miningfocusafrica.com/2026/01/21/chinese-owned-mine-spill-puts-zambias-environmental-enforcement-to-the-test/"},{"t":"Chinese firm faces $420 million Zambia mine spill damages claims","p":"Mining.com","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.mining.com/web/chinese-firm-faces-420-million-zambia-mine-spill-damages-claims/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260127202256/https://www.mining.com/web/chinese-firm-faces-420-million-zambia-mine-spill-damages-claims/"},{"t":"Sino-Metals to bear costs as Zambian govt takes over assessment of Kafue/Chambeshi river pollution","p":"Zambia Monitor","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.zambiamonitor.com/sino-metals-to-bear-costs-as-zambian-govt-takes-over-assessment-of-kafue-chambeshi-river-pollutions/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260505005735/https://www.zambiamonitor.com/sino-metals-to-bear-costs-as-zambian-govt-takes-over-assessment-of-kafue-chambeshi-river-pollutions/"},{"t":"The communities paying the price for Zambia's toxic mining disaster","p":"Dialogue Earth","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://dialogue.earth/en/pollution/the-communities-paying-the-price-for-zambias-toxic-mining-disaster/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811171435/https://dialogue.earth/en/pollution/the-communities-paying-the-price-for-zambias-toxic-mining-disaster/"},{"t":"Zambian farmers sue Chinese mining firms over toxic spill","p":"EWN / AFP","d":"2025-09-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/09/17/zambian-farmers-sue-chinese-mining-firms-over-toxic-spill","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250920035401/https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/09/17/zambian-farmers-sue-chinese-mining-firms-over-toxic-spill"}],"related":["jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"How much waste was released?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Has the damage been assessed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large is the financial liability?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Government penalty after the dam failure: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Drizit's report itself was not seen; the volume figure rests on AP's account.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No transparent damage assessment had been published as of December 2025 (IPS).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The US$80bn claim by 176 residents was at the claim stage in the sources; no ruling is recorded. How it relates to the damages claims above US$420 million is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"One report records no compensation to downstream residents; Mining Focus Africa reports interim payments to 454 farmers. Whether further compensation was paid is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a contract dispute between the company and its environmental consultant delayed the assessment report, the contract was terminated and ZEMA took over the assessment at the company's cost; ZEMA halted operations; one account calls the 50,000 t figure an official estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The volume difference is reported differently: AP described the contractor's measurement as at least 30 times the company's figure; AFP, per a summary, reported about 20 times by volume.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Dialogue Earth reported that the government sought about US$63,000 in compensation, while Mining.com called the 1.5 million kwacha a penalty; whether it was a fine imposed or compensation sought is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the 454-farmer interim payments is not settled in the cited sources (Mining Focus Africa, September 2025 or January 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the collapse took place on 18 February 2025 and about 50 million litres of acidic waste reached a stream connected to the Kafue.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state a cause of the dam failure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"spacex-starbase-boca-chica","title":"Starbase launch site, Boca Chica, Texas: environmental review, penalties and Starship debris","dek":"SpaceX's Starbase launch site at Boca Chica, Texas, sits beside habitat for the piping plover and red knot. The FAA approved the Starship programme without a full environmental impact statement, a lawsuit sought one, state and federal agencies found water-discharge violations, the annual launch cap was raised from 5 to 25, and debris from two 2025 flights fell in the Turks and Caicos.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":25.997,"lon":-97.157,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":25.997,"lon":-97.157,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"District of Columbia","role":"court"},{"country":"Turks and Caicos Islands","iso2":"TC","lat":21.5,"lon":-71.5,"role":"affected"}],"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"space-debris","types":["space-debris","water"],"headline":{"label":"Annual launch cap at Boca Chica, before and after the May 2025 FAA assessment","value":"5 → 25","note":"Launches per year; up to 50 landings. Separately, TCEQ fined SpaceX $3,750 in August 2024, and EPA and TCEQ penalties totalled more than $150,000 (September 2024; EPA's share is not stated)."},"happened":["On 13 June 2022 the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a Programmatic Environmental Assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for SpaceX's Starbase and Starship programme at Boca Chica, Texas. It listed more than 75 mitigation actions and no Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared. Estimated effects included about 11 acres of piping plover critical habitat and 23.2 acres of red knot habitat.","After the first integrated flight on 20 April 2023, the US Fish and Wildlife Service reported a 3.5-acre fire, dust fall and scattered debris. On 1 May 2023 the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider, Save RGV and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation sued in the federal district court in Washington, D.C., seeking a full EIS. No outcome of the suit is on record.","The launch-pad deluge system sprays about 180,000 gallons per launch. In August 2024 the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) fined SpaceX $3,750 for an unpermitted discharge. In September 2024 the EPA and TCEQ found Clean Water Act violations, with combined penalties of more than $150,000. SpaceX said it uses potable water and that the deluge 'causes no harm'.","In May 2025 the FAA issued a Tiered Environmental Assessment with a Mitigated FONSI. It raised the cap from 5 to 25 launches per year and allowed up to 50 landings. The assessment recorded noise of up to 140 dB within 8 miles, sonic booms of up to 21 pounds per square foot (psf), more than 12,000 public comments and an increase in water use of 10.27 million gallons per year.","Debris from two 2025 Starship flights reached other jurisdictions. On Flight 7 (16 January 2025) the ship was lost and debris, mostly heat-shield tiles, landed in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where a vehicle was hit on South Caicos and flights were disrupted. Flight 8 (6 March 2025) exploded; there were airport stoppages in Florida, debris hazard areas reached the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, and FAA mishap investigations followed. A recovery plan for the debris was not made public."],"timeline":[{"y":2022,"t":"FAA Programmatic Environmental Assessment, FONSI/ROD (13 June): more than 75 mitigation actions, no EIS"},{"y":2023,"t":"First integrated flight (20 April): 3.5-acre fire reported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service; lawsuit seeking a full EIS filed in the D.C. district court (1 May)"},{"y":2024,"t":"TCEQ fines SpaceX $3,750 for unpermitted discharge (August); EPA and TCEQ find Clean Water Act violations, combined penalties above $150,000 (September)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Starship Flight 7 (16 January) and Flight 8 (6 March) lose debris over other jurisdictions; FAA raises the cap from 5 to 25 launches per year (May)"}],"said":[{"q":"causes no harm","who":"SpaceX, on the water used in the launch-pad deluge (stated to be potable)","when":"October 2024","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"A FONSI with more than 75 mitigation actions, without an Environmental Impact Statement","who":"FAA, Programmatic Environmental Assessment (June 2022)","src":0},{"t":"The deluge uses potable water and 'causes no harm'","who":"SpaceX","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"About 11 acres of piping plover critical habitat and 23.2 acres of red knot habitat estimated to be affected (FAA assessment, 2022)","src":0},{"t":"A 3.5-acre fire, dust fall and scattered debris after the 20 April 2023 flight, as reported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service","src":1},{"t":"TCEQ fine of $3,750 for unpermitted discharge (August 2024); EPA and TCEQ penalties above $150,000 for Clean Water Act violations (September 2024)","src":2},{"t":"Noise up to 140 dB within 8 miles; sonic booms up to 21 psf; water use up 10.27 million gallons per year; more than 12,000 public comments (2025 assessment)","src":3},{"t":"Debris from Flight 7, mostly heat-shield tiles, landed in the Turks and Caicos Islands; a vehicle was hit on South Caicos","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2022–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Habitat estimated to be affected","v":"11 acres + 23.2 acres","d":"Piping plover critical habitat and red knot habitat (FAA assessment, 2022, as reported)"},{"k":"Fire after first integrated flight","v":"3.5 acres","d":"Reported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, April 2023"},{"k":"Water sprayed per launch (deluge)","v":"about 180,000 gallons","d":"EPA and TCEQ found Clean Water Act violations in 2024; water use rises by 10.27 million gallons a year under the 2025 approval"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Habitat effects are recorded as estimates in the FAA assessment, and a fire after the first flight was reported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service; no independent ecological evaluation of outcomes appears in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"About 11 acres of my piping plover critical habitat and 23.2 acres of my red knot habitat were estimated to be affected.","src":0},{"t":"After the first integrated flight, 3.5 acres of me burned, and dust and scattered debris fell on me.","src":1},{"t":"Water from the launch-pad deluge, about 180,000 gallons per launch, was discharged without a permit on at least one occasion, and regulators found Clean Water Act violations.","src":2}]},"unknown":["Outcome of the 2023 lawsuit seeking a full EIS: no ruling is on record.","A recovery plan for the debris in the Turks and Caicos after Flight 7 was not made public, and it is unclear who pays.","EPA's share of the combined penalty of more than $150,000 is not stated.","Whether Flight 8 debris landed in the Bahamas: debris hazard areas reached the Bahamas, but a landing is not recorded."],"evidence":["court-pending","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"Not on record: in May 2025 the FAA raised the annual launch cap from 5 to 25, and no recovery plan for the Turks and Caicos debris was made public.","whoPaid":"Fines of $3,750 (TCEQ) and combined penalties of more than $150,000 (EPA and TCEQ) were imposed on SpaceX; who paid for clean-up of Flight 7 debris in the Turks and Caicos is unclear in the cited sources.","statusLine":"As of May 2025: the FAA had approved up to 25 launches per year; no outcome of the 2023 lawsuit is on record.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"spacex","says":"The deluge uses potable water and 'causes no harm'.","when":"October 2024","src":2},{"actor":"faa","says":"Issued a FONSI with more than 75 mitigation actions and no EIS (2022); raised the launch cap from 5 to 25 per year in a Tiered EA with Mitigated FONSI (2025).","when":"2022; 2025","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"spacex","role":"Launch operator and site owner"},{"id":"faa","role":"Federal regulator issuing the environmental assessments"},{"id":"tceq","role":"Texas environmental regulator; fined SpaceX"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Federal environmental regulator; found Clean Water Act violations"},{"id":"usfws","role":"Federal wildlife agency; reported the fire after the first flight"},{"id":"center-for-biological-diversity","role":"Lead plaintiff in the 2023 lawsuit"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the launch-pad deluge harm the surrounding environment?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"SpaceX","says":"The deluge uses potable water and 'causes no harm'.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"EPA and TCEQ","says":"Found Clean Water Act violations, with combined penalties of more than $150,000 (September 2024); TCEQ fined SpaceX $3,750 in August 2024 for an unpermitted discharge.","src":2}]},{"point":"Was a full Environmental Impact Statement required?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"FAA","says":"Issued a Finding of No Significant Impact with more than 75 mitigation actions; no EIS (June 2022).","src":0},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider, Save RGV and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation","says":"Sued on 1 May 2023 in the federal district court in Washington, D.C., seeking a full EIS.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to the FAA's Starship launch approval","forum":"US District Court, District of Columbia","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider, Save RGV, Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation","defendant":"Federal Aviation Administration","filed":"2023-05-01","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Filed after the 20 April 2023 flight, seeking a full Environmental Impact Statement. No outcome is on record.","src":1},{"title":"TCEQ fine for unpermitted discharge","forum":"Texas Commission on Environmental Quality","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"TCEQ","defendant":"SpaceX","filed":null,"decided":"2024-08","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":3750,"currency":"USD","label":"TCEQ fine"},"summary":"TCEQ fined SpaceX $3,750 in August 2024 for an unpermitted discharge of deluge water. SpaceX said the water is potable and 'causes no harm'.","src":2},{"title":"EPA and TCEQ Clean Water Act findings on deluge water","forum":"US EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"EPA and TCEQ","defendant":"SpaceX","filed":null,"decided":"2024-09","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":150000,"currency":"USD","label":"Combined penalties (more than)"},"summary":"EPA and TCEQ found Clean Water Act violations, with combined penalties of more than $150,000 in September 2024. EPA's share is not stated.","src":2},{"title":"FAA mishap investigations after Starship Flight 8","forum":"Federal Aviation Administration","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"FAA","defendant":"SpaceX","filed":"2025-03","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Mishap investigations followed the 6 March 2025 explosion; no outcome is on record.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"piping_plover_habitat_acres","value":11,"unit":"acres","year":2022,"qualifier":"about","note":"Estimated effect on piping plover critical habitat (FAA assessment).","src":0},{"key":"red_knot_habitat_acres","value":23.2,"unit":"acres","year":2022,"note":"Estimated effect on red knot habitat (FAA assessment).","src":0},{"key":"mitigation_actions","value":75,"unit":"actions","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"In the 2022 FONSI.","src":0},{"key":"fire_acres","value":3.5,"unit":"acres","year":2023,"note":"Fire after the first integrated flight, reported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.","src":1},{"key":"fine","value":3750,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"TCEQ fine for unpermitted discharge, August 2024.","src":2},{"key":"fine","value":150000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Combined EPA and TCEQ penalties, September 2024.","src":2},{"key":"deluge_water_gallons_per_launch","value":180000,"unit":"gallons","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Water sprayed per launch.","src":2},{"key":"launch_cap_per_year","value":25,"unit":"launches","year":2025,"note":"Raised from 5; up to 50 landings.","src":3},{"key":"water_use_increase","value":10270000,"unit":"gallons per year","year":2025,"note":"Increase in water use in the 2025 assessment.","src":3},{"key":"public_comments","value":12000,"unit":"comments","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"On the 2025 Tiered Environmental Assessment.","src":3}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Environmental effects of SpaceX's Starbase launch site and Starship launches at Boca Chica, Texas: FAA findings of no significant impact without a full EIS, a lawsuit seeking one, wastewater discharge violations, a higher launch cap, and debris in the Turks and Caicos.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SpaceX","what":"Approval to launch up to 25 times per year from Boca Chica (FAA, May 2025)","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"SpaceX","what":"Penalties of $3,750 (TCEQ) and combined penalties of more than $150,000 (EPA and TCEQ)","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Piping plover and red knot habitat at Boca Chica","what":"About 11 acres and 23.2 acres estimated to be affected","src":0},{"who":"Residents and flights in the Turks and Caicos","what":"A vehicle was hit on South Caicos and flights were disrupted after Flight 7 debris fell.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Boca Chica / Starbase, Texas (approximate coordinates); debris from Flight 7 in the Turks and Caicos Islands (South Caicos); debris hazard areas from Flight 8 reached the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos.","src":4},"when":{"t":"FONSI on 13 June 2022; first integrated flight 20 April 2023; lawsuit 1 May 2023; TCEQ fine August 2024; Flight 7 on 16 January 2025; Flight 8 on 6 March 2025; FAA approval May 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Reasons are not on record beyond the launch programme's expansion approved by the FAA.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Environmental assessments (2022 programmatic and 2025 tiered) ended in findings of no significant impact with mitigation actions; a launch-pad deluge discharge of about 180,000 gallons per launch drew penalties; test-flight failures scattered debris.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"FAA releases final assessment of SpaceX's Starbase and Starship program, requires changes (reproduction of the FAA Programmatic Environmental Assessment and FONSI/ROD, 13 June 2022)","p":"TechCrunch","d":"2022-06-13","type":"press","u":"https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/13/faa-releases-final-assessment-of-spacexs-starbase-and-starship-program-requires-changes","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250828230123/https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/13/faa-releases-final-assessment-of-spacexs-starbase-and-starship-program-requires-changes/"},{"t":"FAA faces suit over SpaceX Starship launch following April explosion","p":"CNBC","d":"2023-05-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/01/faa-faces-suit-over-spacex-starship-launch-following-april-explosion.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008070831/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/01/faa-faces-suit-over-spacex-starship-launch-following-april-explosion.html"},{"t":"SpaceX Texas wetlands, deluge water and Clean Water Act findings","p":"MPR News (NPR)","d":"2024-10-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/10/npr-spacex-texas-wetlands","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251018130319/https://www.mprnews.org/story/2024/10/10/npr-spacex-texas-wetlands"},{"t":"FAA approves up to 25 Starship launches per year from Boca Chica site (reproduction of the May 2025 Tiered Environmental Assessment and Mitigated FONSI/ROD)","p":"KRGV","d":"2025-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.krgv.com/news/faa-approves-up-to-25-starship-launches-per-year-from-boca-chica-site","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250516030017/https://www.krgv.com/news/faa-approves-up-to-25-starship-launches-per-year-from-boca-chica-site"},{"t":"SpaceX's Starship spacecraft explodes mid-flight for a second time (Flights 7 and 8)","p":"ABC17 News / CNN","d":"2025-03-07","type":"press","u":"https://abc17news.com/cnn-other/2025/03/07/spacexs-starship-spacecraft-explodes-midflight-for-a-second-time/"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"environmental-review","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the launch-pad deluge harm the surrounding environment?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was a full Environmental Impact Statement required?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Challenge to the FAA's Starship launch approval: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"FAA mishap investigations after Starship Flight 8: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the 2023 lawsuit seeking a full EIS: no ruling is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"A recovery plan for the debris in the Turks and Caicos after Flight 7 was not made public, and it is unclear who pays.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"EPA's share of the combined penalty of more than $150,000 is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Flight 8 debris landed in the Bahamas: debris hazard areas reached the Bahamas, but a landing is not recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cali-fund-digital-sequence-information","title":"Cali Fund (digital sequence information)","dek":"A UN fund created in 2024 asks companies that use digital genetic sequence data to contribute a share of profit or revenue, with about US$1 billion a year expected. By August 2026 it had received US$6,000 from two companies.","country":"Global","region":"Global","lat":3.45,"lon":-76.53,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","lat":3.45,"lon":-76.53,"role":"event"},{"country":"Armenia","iso2":"AM","role":"event"}],"start":2024,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-02-25","instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Contributions received by August 2026 vs the roughly US$1 billion a year expected","value":"US$6,000","note":"Two contributions in 18 months (25 February 2025 to August 2026), from TierraViva AI (US$1,000) and Prozomix (US$5,000)."},"happened":["The Cali Fund was created under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) in Cali, Colombia, in 2024, by decision 16/2. It is meant to receive contributions from companies that use digital sequence information (DSI): the digital record of genetic sequences taken from plants, animals or micro-organisms and stored in public databases. The decision set an indicative rate of 1 percent of profit or 0.1 percent of revenue, which companies above a size threshold 'should' contribute; the wording is voluntary. The threshold is two of three criteria: US$20 million in assets, US$50 million in sales or US$5 million in profit. At least half of the money is to go to Indigenous peoples and local communities.","The fund opened for contributions on 25 February 2025. It was expected to raise about US$1 billion a year. A June 2026 study by the London School of Economics' Grantham Research Institute estimated possible yearly income at US$929 million with realistic voluntary participation and about US$3.6 billion with full participation, across 21,690 eligible firms in 100 jurisdictions. It also modelled how the money would be shared if distributed by the geographic origin of the data: close to half would go to wealthy research economies and Africa's share would be 6 percent.","Carbon Brief reported in August 2025, from freedom-of-information emails, that AstraZeneca had not received the government's 'pioneer contributor' offer and that GSK had not stated a position. The first contribution, US$1,000 from the UK artificial-intelligence start-up TierraViva AI, was reported by Mongabay on 19 November 2025; the fund's website dates it 28 February 2026. The company's chief executive, Paul Oldham, described the payment as an 'icebreaker'. A second contribution, US$5,000 from the UK biotechnology firm Prozomix, followed in July 2026. Mongabay reported on 1 September 2026 that the total paid in by August 2026 was US$6,000. Ginkgo Bioworks had pledged a contribution but had not paid.","The CBD Executive Secretary, Astrid Schomaker, said that nobody knows the fund; the operations manual and certificate system were still in draft. The fund's website in July 2026 listed two contributors and gave no amounts or distribution. Bayer said that the COP16 decision added legal uncertainty. A preparatory meeting on 4–12 August 2026 ran out of time before finishing its discussion of the method for reviewing the mechanism.","COP17 was due to meet in Yerevan, Armenia, on 19–30 October 2026, with contribution rates, the allocation formula, the review method and rules for companies that use DSI in only part of their business on the agenda."],"timeline":[{"y":2024,"t":"COP16 in Cali adopts decision 16/2 creating the fund: indicative rate 1% of profit or 0.1% of revenue, with a size threshold; at least half to Indigenous peoples and local communities"},{"y":2025,"t":"Fund opens for contributions (25 February); Carbon Brief reports on industry hesitation (6 August); first contribution, US$1,000 from TierraViva AI, reported by Mongabay as 19 November 2025 (the fund's website dates it 28 February 2026)"},{"y":2026,"t":"LSE Grantham study (3 June); US$5,000 from Prozomix (July); preparatory meeting (4–12 August); US$6,000 total by August; Mongabay report (1 September); COP17 in Yerevan scheduled for 19–30 October"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The fund was presented at its opening as expected to raise about US$1 billion a year, with at least half going to Indigenous peoples and local communities.","who":"Convention on Biological Diversity process (COP16 decision 16/2), as reported by Mongabay (September 2026)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Decision 16/2 set an indicative rate of 1% of profit or 0.1% of revenue, stated as what companies 'should' contribute; the fund opened on 25 February 2025.","src":6},{"t":"By August 2026 two contributions had been paid in, US$1,000 (TierraViva AI) and US$5,000 (Prozomix), a total of US$6,000. Ginkgo Bioworks pledged but did not pay.","src":0},{"t":"The fund's website in July 2026 listed two contributors and gave no amounts or distribution.","src":3},{"t":"Ginkgo Bioworks pledged but had not paid; AstraZeneca did not receive the government's 'pioneer contributor' offer; GSK stated no position (freedom-of-information emails reported by Carbon Brief).","src":2},{"t":"The LSE Grantham Research Institute estimated possible income at US$929 million a year with realistic voluntary participation and about US$3.6 billion with full participation; allocation by geographic origin of the genetic resource would send close to half to rich research economies and 6 percent to Africa.","src":4},{"t":"Bayer said the rules created 'legal uncertainty'; a civil-society organisation described the fund as a tool for legalised biopiracy.","src":5},{"t":"Only 14.6% of sequences in the INSDC sequence databases carry country information; about half of the country-labelled data came from the US, China, Canada and Japan in a study of 117,483 publications and 17.8 million country-labelled sequences, whose authors rejected a provider-user divide.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"25 Feb 2025 – Aug 2026 (18 months)","nature":[{"label":"Contribution from TierraViva AI","amount":0.001},{"label":"Contribution from Prozomix","amount":0.005}],"natureTotal":{"amount":0.006,"note":"Money paid into the fund, as stated by Mongabay. The fund's website gives no amounts or distribution."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Received vs expected","v":"US$6,000 vs about US$1bn a year","d":"Two contributions, 25 February 2025 to August 2026 (Mongabay)"},{"k":"Contributors","v":"2","d":"TierraViva AI (US$1,000) and Prozomix (US$5,000)"},{"k":"Africa's share under origin-based allocation","v":"6%","d":"LSE Grantham Research Institute simulation, 2026; close to half would go to rich research economies"}]},"unknown":["How the money would be distributed: the fund's website gives no amounts or distribution, and the operations manual and certificate system were still in draft.","Whether the companies the fund targets will contribute: none of the large pharmaceutical firms named had paid by August 2026, and Ginkgo Bioworks had pledged but not paid.","Date of the first payment: 19 November 2025 (Mongabay) or 28 February 2026 (the fund's website).","Attribution of the income estimates: one account attributes the US$929 million (realistic participation) and about US$3.6 billion (full participation) figures to the LSE Grantham study, while a report on a Convention document (CBD/COP/17/6/Add.3) gives US$929 million as a central estimate and US$3.65 billion at full compliance.","Unconfirmed: the same Convention document is reported to give about US$5 million a year at the participation rate of the Plant Treaty.","Unconfirmed: that public databases and academia are exempt from contributing (known only).","The legal status of the fund: contributions are voluntary, and almost no national law was reported to recognise the compliance certificate to be issued to paying companies.","Unconfirmed: the Nagoya Protocol was reported to have returned about US$54 million in monetary benefits worldwide over a decade, a figure published by a law firm representing life-science companies.","Outcome of COP17 (19–30 October 2026): no decision on the Cali Fund rules had been taken at the latest date reviewed."],"evidence":["no-court","undisclosed","review"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the fund remained open to contributions, and its rules were due for discussion at COP17 on 19–30 October 2026.","whoPaid":"Two small firms paid US$6,000 in total in the first 18 months. The fund's website gave no distribution, so no payment to Indigenous peoples or local communities is on record.","statusLine":"As of 12 October 2026: US$6,000 received from two companies; COP17 (Yerevan, 19–30 October 2026) was due to take up contribution rates and the allocation formula; no decision found.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"tierraviva-ai","says":"Its chief executive described the US$1,000 payment as an icebreaker and the first contribution; the company's earnings were below the contribution threshold.","when":"November 2025","src":1},{"actor":"prozomix","says":"Contributed US$5,000 in July 2026; no statement from the company is on record.","when":"July 2026","src":0},{"actor":"bayer","says":"Said the COP16 decision added legal uncertainty and an additional layer of obligation.","when":"2025–2026","src":5},{"actor":"astrazeneca","says":"According to freedom-of-information emails reported by Carbon Brief, it had not received the government's pioneer-contributor offer.","when":"6 August 2025","src":2},{"actor":"gsk","says":"According to the same emails, it had not stated a position.","when":"6 August 2025","src":2},{"actor":"ginkgo-bioworks","says":"Pledged a contribution to the fund; had not paid by August 2026.","when":"August 2026","src":0},{"actor":"cbd-secretariat","says":"The CBD Executive Secretary, Astrid Schomaker, said that nobody knows the fund; the operations manual and certificate system remained in draft.","when":"2026","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"cbd-secretariat","role":"Convention secretariat; Executive Secretary comments on the fund"},{"id":"tierraviva-ai","role":"First contributor (US$1,000)"},{"id":"prozomix","role":"Second contributor (US$5,000)"},{"id":"ginkgo-bioworks","role":"Pledged a contribution; had not paid"},{"id":"astrazeneca","role":"Pharmaceutical company named in freedom-of-information emails"},{"id":"gsk","role":"Pharmaceutical company named in freedom-of-information emails"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Company commenting on legal uncertainty"},{"id":"lse-grantham-institute","role":"Researcher of revenue potential and allocation"},{"id":"third-world-network","role":"Civil-society commentator on the fund's legal terms"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Have companies that use digital sequence information contributed to the fund?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"Convention on Biological Diversity (decision 16/2)","says":"Companies above the thresholds 'should' contribute 1% of profit or 0.1% of revenue; expected income about US$1 billion a year.","src":6},{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"By August 2026 two small firms had paid US$6,000 in total; Ginkgo Bioworks had pledged but not paid.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer","says":"Said the COP16 decision added legal uncertainty and an additional layer of obligation.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"AstraZeneca","says":"According to freedom-of-information emails, it had not received the government's pioneer-contributor offer.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"GSK","says":"According to the same emails, it had not stated a position.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"IPC (civil-society organisation)","says":"Described the fund as a tool for legalised biopiracy.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Third World Network representative","says":"Said that use of the word donor in the agreement with the fund's administrative partners could give companies a right of oversight.","src":null}]},{"point":"When was the first contribution made?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"TierraViva AI's US$1,000 payment was made on 19 November 2025.","src":0},{"voice":"international","holder":"The Cali Fund website (July 2026)","says":"Dates the first contribution 28 February 2026.","src":3}]},{"point":"Would sharing by data origin favour the Global South?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"LSE Grantham Research Institute","says":"If distributed by the geographic origin of the data, close to half would go to rich research economies and Africa would receive 6%.","src":4}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"contributions_received","value":6000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Two contributions, 25 Feb 2025 to Aug 2026: TierraViva AI US$1,000 and Prozomix US$5,000.","src":0},{"key":"contributors","value":2,"unit":"firms","year":2026,"note":"TierraViva AI and Prozomix.","src":0},{"key":"expected_income","value":1000,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Annual income expected when the fund opened.","src":0},{"key":"estimated_income_central","value":929,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"LSE Grantham Research Institute estimate with realistic voluntary participation (see unknown on attribution).","src":4},{"key":"estimated_income_full","value":3600,"unit":"USD m per year","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"LSE Grantham Research Institute estimate with full participation.","src":4},{"key":"eligible_firms","value":21690,"unit":"firms","year":2026,"note":"Eligible firms across 100 jurisdictions (LSE Grantham Research Institute).","src":4},{"key":"africa_share_origin_allocation","value":6,"unit":"%","year":2026,"est":true,"note":"Simulated Africa share if money were allocated by the geographic origin of the genetic resource (LSE).","src":4}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A UN fund to which companies that use digital sequence information are asked to contribute 1% of profit or 0.1% of revenue, with at least half of the money for Indigenous peoples and local communities; it received US$6,000 in its first 18 months.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Companies that use digital sequence information","what":"Under the voluntary rate, two small firms had paid US$6,000 in total by August 2026; the large pharmaceutical firms named had not paid.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Indigenous peoples and local communities, the intended recipients of at least half of the fund","what":"Expected income of about US$1 billion a year had not arrived by August 2026; the fund's website gave no amounts or distribution in July 2026.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global, under the CBD; COP16 took place in Cali, Colombia, and COP17 in Yerevan, Armenia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Created by decision 16/2 in 2024; opened on 25 February 2025; US$6,000 received by August 2026; COP17 scheduled for 19–30 October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"To have companies that use genetic sequence data return a share of their profit or revenue to nature and Indigenous peoples. Contribution is voluntary because the decision uses the word 'should'; Bayer cited legal uncertainty.","src":5},"how":{"t":"A voluntary rate of 1% of profit or 0.1% of revenue for companies above a size threshold, with a compliance certificate for payers. Two companies paid: TierraViva AI US$1,000 and Prozomix US$5,000.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"UN fund for sharing biodiversity benefits struggles for attention — and money","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-09-01","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/un-fund-for-sharing-biodiversity-benefits-struggles-for-attention-and-money/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002084244/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/09/un-fund-for-sharing-biodiversity-benefits-struggles-for-attention-and-money/"},{"t":"'Cali Fund' aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation – of just USD 1,000","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/?p=60573","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018155732/https://www.carbonbrief.org/cali-fund-aiming-to-raise-billions-for-nature-receives-first-donation-of-just-1000"},{"t":"Revealed: 'Cali Fund' for nature still empty as emails show industry hesitation","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2025-08-06","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/?p=58619"},{"t":"The Cali Fund: Homepage","p":"The Cali Fund","d":"2026-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://thecalifund.org/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520074408/https://thecalifund.org/"},{"t":"From global biodiversity commitments to local action: revenue potential and allocation dynamics of the Cali Fund","p":"LSE Grantham Research Institute","d":"2026-06-03","type":"academic","u":"https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publication/from-global-biodiversity-commitments-to-local-action-revenue-potential-and-allocation-dynamics-of-the-cali-fund/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260626125930/https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publication/from-global-biodiversity-commitments-to-local-action-revenue-potential-and-allocation-dynamics-of-the-cali-fund/"},{"t":"The Cali Fund: one year on, the promise is fading","p":"Inf'OGM","d":"2026-05-12","type":"press","u":"https://infogm.org/en/the-cali-fund-one-year-on-the-promise-is-fading/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018155832/https://infogm.org/en/the-cali-fund-one-year-on-the-promise-is-fading/"},{"t":"COP16: Key outcomes agreed at the UN biodiversity conference in Cali, Colombia","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop16-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-biodiversity-conference-in-cali-colombia/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004193345/https://www.carbonbrief.org/cop16-key-outcomes-agreed-at-the-un-biodiversity-conference-in-cali-colombia"},{"t":"'Cali Fund' aiming to raise billions for nature receives first donation of just $1,000","p":"Eco-Business","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.eco-business.com/id/news/cali-fund-aiming-to-raise-billions-for-nature-receives-first-donation-of-just-1000/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260215053307/https://www.eco-business.com/id/news/cali-fund-aiming-to-raise-billions-for-nature-receives-first-donation-of-just-1000/"},{"t":"Myth-busting the provider-user relationship for digital sequence information","p":"GigaScience (PMC)","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8716360/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250430032131/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8716360/"},{"t":"CBD/COP/17/6/Add.3 (known only)","p":"Convention on Biological Diversity","d":"2026","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.cbd.int/doc/c/c6e1/04f8/76caf35a7a70321086807d7f/cop-17-06-add3-en.pdf"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"benefit-sharing-fund","related":["us-superfund-tax-and-funding-shortfall"],"natureLead":{"t":"The Cali Fund, created in 2024 for companies using digital records of my genetic sequences and expected to raise about US$1 billion a year, had received US$6,000 from two contributors by August 2026.","src":[0,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Have companies that use digital sequence information contributed to the fund?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"When was the first contribution made?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Would sharing by data origin favour the Global South?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the money would be distributed: the fund's website gives no amounts or distribution, and the operations manual and certificate system were still in draft.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the companies the fund targets will contribute: none of the large pharmaceutical firms named had paid by August 2026, and Ginkgo Bioworks had pledged but not paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Date of the first payment: 19 November 2025 (Mongabay) or 28 February 2026 (the fund's website).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Attribution of the income estimates: one account attributes the US$929 million (realistic participation) and about US$3.6 billion (full participation) figures to the LSE Grantham study, while a report on a Convention document (CBD/COP/17/6/Add.3) gives US$929 million as a central estimate and US$3.65 billion at full compliance.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the same Convention document is reported to give about US$5 million a year at the participation rate of the Plant Treaty.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that public databases and academia are exempt from contributing (known only).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The legal status of the fund: contributions are voluntary, and almost no national law was reported to recognise the compliance certificate to be issued to paying companies.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Nagoya Protocol was reported to have returned about US$54 million in monetary benefits worldwide over a decade, a figure published by a law firm representing life-science companies.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of COP17 (19–30 October 2026): no decision on the Cali Fund rules had been taken at the latest date reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rio-tinto-qmm-ilmenite-mine-offset","title":"Rio Tinto's QMM ilmenite mine: net positive impact pledge and biodiversity offset (Madagascar)","dek":"Rio Tinto made a 'net positive impact' pledge on biodiversity in 2004 that covered its QMM ilmenite mine in Madagascar, and dropped it in 2016. Accounts record all members of its biodiversity committee resigning, and the World Rainforest Movement reported forest destruction and restrictions on local communities at the offset project.","country":"Madagascar","region":"Africa","lat":-25,"lon":47,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Madagascar","iso2":"MG","lat":-25,"lon":47,"role":"event"},{"country":"Madagascar","iso2":"MG","role":"affected"}],"start":2004,"end":2017,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Coastal forest reported as being destroyed by the mine","value":"1,600 ha","note":"As stated by the World Rainforest Movement, 2016–2017."},"happened":["QMM (QIT Madagascar Minerals) operates an ilmenite mine in Madagascar. In 2004 Rio Tinto made a 'net positive impact' commitment on biodiversity that covered the QMM mine. It dropped the commitment in 2016, and every member of its biodiversity committee resigned.","The World Rainforest Movement (WRM) reported in 2016 and 2017 that about 1,600 hectares of coastal forest were being destroyed, and that Rio Tinto's biodiversity offset project imposed severe restrictions on local communities. Reed weavers around the mine were reported to have lost their livelihoods, with compensation arriving late; the details of the compensation are not given.","No court case, complaint or independent ecological evaluation is on record, and no response from Rio Tinto to the WRM report is on record."],"timeline":[{"y":2004,"t":"Rio Tinto commits to a net positive impact on biodiversity, including at the QMM mine"},{"y":2016,"t":"Rio Tinto drops the commitment; the members of its biodiversity committee all resign"},{"y":2017,"t":"World Rainforest Movement reports restrictions on local communities at the offset project and about 1,600 ha of coastal forest being destroyed (reporting dated 2016–2017)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A 'net positive impact' on biodiversity at the QMM mine","who":"Rio Tinto, commitment of 2004","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rio Tinto dropped the net positive impact commitment in 2016 and all members of the biodiversity committee resigned.","src":1},{"t":"About 1,600 hectares of coastal forest were being destroyed; the offset project imposed severe restrictions on local communities.","src":0},{"t":"Reed weavers around the QMM mine lost their livelihoods; compensation came late.","src":1}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Coastal forest reported as destroyed","v":"1,600 ha","d":"World Rainforest Movement, 2016–2017"},{"k":"Net positive impact commitment","v":"Dropped","d":"Made in 2004, abandoned in 2016; biodiversity committee members resigned"},{"k":"Independent ecological evaluation","v":"None on record","d":"No evaluation in the cited sources"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text, not figures: a rainforest-protection group reported forest destruction at the mine.","report":[{"t":"About 1,600 hectares of my coastal forest were being destroyed at the mine, according to the World Rainforest Movement.","src":0}]},"unknown":["Whether the net positive target was ever met at QMM: none on record.","The details of the late compensation to reed weavers and other users: not given.","Rio Tinto's own account of why it dropped the commitment, and its response to the WRM report: no source states them.","Unconfirmed: villagers at the offset site said they were banned from planting cassava, received no compensation and did not know the site was an offset.","Unconfirmed: a 2012 forecast that Rio Tinto would reach net positive at QMM, said to rest on a report prepared jointly with the company."],"evidence":["no-court","no-eval","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"Not recorded. Rio Tinto dropped its net positive commitment in 2016; the cited sources do not say whether the forest clearing or the restrictions on communities stopped.","whoPaid":"Local users of the offset site and reed weavers are reported to have lost access or livelihoods; the forest is reported to have been destroyed.","statusLine":"As of the latest material reviewed (2017 reporting): Rio Tinto had dropped its net positive commitment in 2016; no court case, company response or independent evaluation found.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"rio-tinto","says":"No response to the World Rainforest Movement report, or explanation of the 2016 decision, is on record.","when":null,"src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Mining company; made and then dropped the net positive commitment"},{"id":"qmm","role":"Operator of the ilmenite mine"},{"id":"wrm","role":"Rainforest-protection group that reported on the offset project"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the mine and its offset deliver a net positive impact on biodiversity?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Rio Tinto","says":"Committed in 2004 to a net positive impact on biodiversity covering the QMM mine; dropped the commitment in 2016.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"World Rainforest Movement","says":"Reported that about 1,600 hectares of coastal forest were being destroyed and that the offset project imposed severe restrictions on local communities.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rio Tinto","says":"No response to the World Rainforest Movement report is on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":1600,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Coastal forest reported as being destroyed by the mine, per the World Rainforest Movement.","src":0}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An ilmenite mine whose owner committed to a net positive impact on biodiversity and then dropped the commitment in 2016, with an offset project that restricted local communities and a reported 1,600 ha of coastal forest destroyed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rio Tinto","what":"Held the pledge as a public biodiversity commitment for its ilmenite mine.","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Reed weavers around the mine","what":"Reported to have lost their livelihoods; compensation came late.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Coastal forest","what":"About 1,600 hectares reported as being destroyed.","src":0},{"who":"Local communities at the offset site","what":"Severe restrictions on use of land, per the World Rainforest Movement.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Madagascar, around the QMM ilmenite mine and its offset area.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Commitment 2004; dropped 2016; WRM reporting 2016–2017.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Rio Tinto presented the offset as the means of delivering a net positive impact on biodiversity; no source states its reasons for dropping the commitment.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A biodiversity offset around the mine, overseen by a biodiversity committee whose members resigned, imposed restrictions on local communities, according to the WRM.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Rio Tinto's biodiversity offset project in Madagascar imposes severe restrictions on local communities","p":"World Rainforest Movement","d":"2016-2017","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wrm.org.uy/other-information/rio-tintos-biodiversity-offset-project-in-madagascar-imposes-severe-restrictions-on-local-communities","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250906012223/https://www.wrm.org.uy/other-information/rio-tintos-biodiversity-offset-project-in-madagascar-imposes-severe-restrictions-on-local-communities"},{"t":"The mine that promised to protect the environment: a cautionary tale","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-06","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/06/the-mine-that-promised-to-protect-the-environment-a-cautionary-tale/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the mine and its offset deliver a net positive impact on biodiversity?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Rio Tinto: No response to the World Rainforest Movement report is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Court","text":"No court case on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the net positive target was ever met at QMM: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The details of the late compensation to reed weavers and other users: not given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Rio Tinto's own account of why it dropped the commitment, and its response to the WRM report: no source states them.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: villagers at the offset site said they were banned from planting cassava, received no compensation and did not know the site was an offset.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2012 forecast that Rio Tinto would reach net positive at QMM, said to rest on a report prepared jointly with the company.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Rio Tinto","No source link — Who lost: Reed weavers around the mine"]},{"id":"simandou-iron-ore","title":"Simandou iron ore project, Guinea","dek":"Rights to Simandou blocks 1 and 2 passed from Rio Tinto to BSGR in 2008; a Geneva court convicted BSGR's owner of bribery in 2021 and Rio Tinto settled a US SEC case over consultant payments in 2023. The first ore reached China in January 2026, and reports from the railway corridor record lost fields and displaced wildlife.","country":"Guinea","region":"Africa","lat":8.8,"lon":-8.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","admin":"Simandou (iron ore and railway)","lat":8.8,"lon":-8.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","admin":"Bombia and Sékhoussoria","role":"affected"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":"Geneva","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"company-home"}],"start":2008,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-01-17","instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Rio Tinto payment to the SEC over consultant payments tied to Simandou","value":"USD 15 million","note":"Reported figure, 2023."},"happened":["Simandou's blocks 1 and 2 were taken back from Rio Tinto by the government of President Lansana Conté in 2008. They passed to BSGR (Beny Steinmetz Group Resources) for an investment of USD 160 million, and about 18 months later BSGR sold 51% of its holding to Vale for USD 2.5 billion. In January 2021 a Geneva court convicted BSGR's owner, Beny Steinmetz, of bribing foreign public officials over the Simandou rights and sentenced him to five years in prison. The Geneva appeals court upheld the bribery conviction in March 2023 and reduced the sentence to three years, 18 months of it to be served; on 24 March 2025 Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court upheld the conviction and sentence and sent a CHF 50 million compensation claim back to the Geneva courts. Steinmetz maintains his innocence and said he would take the case to the European Court of Human Rights (swissinfo, April 2025).","In March 2023 Rio Tinto agreed to pay a USD 15 million civil penalty to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for violating the books-and-records and internal-controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, without admitting or denying the findings. The case concerned a French consultant hired in 2011 to help protect its Simandou rights and paid more than USD 10 million (USD 7.5 million in July 2011 and USD 3 million in 2016); according to the SEC, the consultant tried to transfer USD 822,506 to a Hong Kong company owned by a Guinean citizen with ties to officials, and his Swiss bank blocked it. The settlement resolved the SEC investigation, and Rio Tinto kept its rights to blocks 3 and 4. In August 2023 the UK Serious Fraud Office dropped its investigation of Rio Tinto's business in Guinea, saying a prosecution was not in the public interest (Pinsent Masons).","Blocks 1 and 2 and the railway are run by Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), a partnership of the Singapore-based Winning group and China's Baowu Steel Group, which became a shareholder with closing on 19 June 2024. The first shipment, about 200,000 tonnes of ore at about 65% iron, reached China on 17 January 2026, from a project with a stated capacity of 120 million tonnes a year.","Mongabay reported in December 2025 that along the 650-kilometre Simandou railway, red mud made fields in Bombia and Sékhoussoria unproductive, that compensation ranged from 50 to 100 million Guinean francs (about USD 5,700 to 11,500 as the source gives it) and that about 15 farmers were still waiting for payment. Blasting drove chimpanzees from Gnèguèyah hill, and an estimated 64 to 138 forest elephants remain in Guinea. Rio Tinto said its own section of the railway lies outside chimpanzee habitat.","Bloomberg, citing Rio Tinto, wrote on 29 July 2024 that the project would help decarbonisation: its ore, at about 65% iron, suits direct-reduction plants run on gas or hydrogen instead of coal."],"timeline":[{"y":2008,"t":"Blocks 1 and 2 taken from Rio Tinto and passed to BSGR for a USD 160 million investment"},{"y":2011,"t":"Rio Tinto hires a consultant to protect its Simandou rights and pays him USD 7.5 million; a further USD 3 million follows in 2016 (later the subject of the SEC settlement)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Geneva court convicts BSGR owner Beny Steinmetz of bribery"},{"y":2023,"t":"Rio Tinto settles with the SEC for USD 15 million over Simandou consultant payments"},{"y":2023,"t":"Geneva appeals court upholds Steinmetz's bribery conviction and cuts the sentence to three years, 18 months to be served (March); UK Serious Fraud Office drops its Rio Tinto Guinea investigation (August)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Baowu joins WCS as a shareholder (closing 19 June)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Mongabay report on the Simandou railway corridor (December)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Swiss Federal Supreme Court upholds Steinmetz's conviction and sentence and sends the CHF 50 million compensation claim back to Geneva (24 March)"},{"y":2026,"t":"First Simandou shipment, about 200,000 tonnes, reaches China (17 January)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Simandou was presented as supporting steel decarbonisation: ore at about 65% iron suits direct-reduction plants run on gas or hydrogen instead of coal.","who":"Bloomberg, citing Rio Tinto (29 July 2024; via a secondary report only)","src":3},{"t":"Rio Tinto's section of the Simandou railway lies outside chimpanzee habitat.","who":"Rio Tinto, as reported by Mongabay (December 2025)","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rio Tinto settled with the SEC for USD 15 million over payments of more than USD 10 million to a consultant in 2011 to protect its Simandou rights; the record also cites an attempted transfer of USD 822,506.","src":0},{"t":"Red mud along the Simandou railway made fields in Bombia and Sékhoussoria unproductive; compensation was 50 to 100 million Guinean francs and about 15 farmers were still awaiting payment.","src":1},{"t":"Blasting displaced chimpanzees from Gnèguèyah hill; 64 to 138 forest elephants are estimated to remain in Guinea.","src":1},{"t":"The first Simandou shipment, about 200,000 tonnes at 65% iron, reached China; stated capacity is 120 million tonnes a year.","src":2},{"t":"Baowu became a shareholder in Winning Consortium Simandou, with closing on 19 June 2024.","src":4},{"t":"A Geneva court convicted Beny Steinmetz, owner of BSGR, of bribery in 2021.","src":5},{"t":"The carbon footprint of steel depends more on the furnace that processes the ore than on the ore itself.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Simandou railway length","v":"650 km","d":"Cuts across Guinea (Mongabay, December 2025)"},{"k":"Forest elephants remaining in Guinea","v":"64–138","d":"Estimate cited by Mongabay, December 2025"},{"k":"Chimpanzees at Gnèguèyah hill","v":"Displaced","d":"Mongabay reports that blasting drove them from the hill; Rio Tinto says its railway section is outside chimpanzee habitat"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Reporting by Mongabay (December 2025) on the Simandou railway; no independent ecological assessment appears in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"Along the 650-kilometre Simandou railway, red mud made fields in Bombia and Sékhoussoria unproductive.","src":1},{"t":"Blasting drove my chimpanzees from Gnèguèyah hill.","src":1},{"t":"Between 64 and 138 of my forest elephants are estimated to remain in Guinea.","src":1}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2014 contractor presentation forecast the physical displacement of 343 households and the economic displacement of 5,520 households at Simandou, described as initial estimates; current displacement numbers are not on record.","Bloomberg's statement that Simandou would help decarbonisation is known only through a secondary report.","Responses of Winning Consortium Simandou and Baowu to the Mongabay report are not on record."],"evidence":["displacement","court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The Simandou railway and mine were operating, with a first shipment to China in January 2026.","whoPaid":"Farmers along the Simandou railway, who received compensation of 50 to 100 million Guinean francs while about 15 were still awaiting payment; Rio Tinto paid USD 15 million to the SEC.","statusLine":"As of January 2026: Simandou has been exporting since the first shipment reached China on 17 January 2026; Rio Tinto's SEC settlement concluded in 2023; Beny Steinmetz's bribery conviction was upheld by Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court in March 2025.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Rio Tinto","says":"Said its own section of the Simandou railway lies outside chimpanzee habitat.","when":"December 2025","src":1},{"actor":"Rio Tinto","says":"Settled the SEC case over consultant payments tied to Simandou by paying USD 15 million.","when":"2023","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Holder of Simandou blocks 3 and 4; gave up blocks 1 and 2 in 2008"},{"id":"bsgr","role":"Holder of blocks 1 and 2 from 2008; owner convicted in Geneva in 2021"},{"id":"vale","role":"Bought 51% of BSGR's Simandou holding for USD 2.5 billion"},{"id":"winning-consortium-simandou","role":"Operator of blocks 1 and 2 and the railway"},{"id":"winning-international","role":"Singapore-based partner in WCS"},{"id":"baowu","role":"Shareholder in WCS"},{"id":"sec","role":"Regulator; settlement with Rio Tinto"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the Simandou railway harm chimpanzees and forest elephants?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Mongabay","says":"Blasting displaced chimpanzees from Gnèguèyah hill; 64 to 138 forest elephants are estimated to remain in Guinea.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Rio Tinto","says":"Its section of the railway lies outside chimpanzee habitat.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Winning Consortium Simandou and Baowu","says":"No response on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"SEC settlement with Rio Tinto over payments to a consultant to protect Simandou rights","forum":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","defendant":"Rio Tinto","filed":null,"decided":"2023-03","status":"settled","amount":{"value":15,"currency":"USD","label":"USD 15 million paid to the SEC"},"summary":"Rio Tinto agreed on 6 March 2023 to pay a USD 15 million civil penalty for violating the books-and-records and internal-controls provisions of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, without admitting or denying the findings. The SEC case concerned more than USD 10 million paid to a consultant hired in 2011 to protect its Simandou rights; the consultant attempted a USD 822,506 transfer to a company linked to Guinean officials. The settlement resolved the SEC investigation, and Rio Tinto kept its rights to blocks 3 and 4.","src":0},{"title":"Bribery conviction of the owner of BSGR in connection with Simandou","forum":"Geneva Criminal Court; appeal to the Geneva Court of Justice and the Swiss Federal Supreme Court","country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","kind":"criminal","claimant":null,"defendant":"Beny Steinmetz (owner of BSGR)","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A Geneva court convicted Beny Steinmetz in January 2021 of bribing foreign public officials and sentenced him to five years. In March 2023 the Geneva appeals court upheld the bribery conviction and cut the sentence to three years, 18 months of it to be served. On 24 March 2025 the Swiss Federal Supreme Court upheld the conviction and sentence, rejected a request for a retrial, and sent the CHF 50 million compensation claim back to the Geneva courts. Steinmetz maintains his innocence.","src":7}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":15,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"note":"Rio Tinto payment to the SEC."},{"key":"consultant_payments","value":10,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Payments to a consultant to protect Simandou rights."},{"key":"attempted_transfer","value":822506,"unit":"USD","year":2011,"note":"Transfer the consultant attempted to a Hong Kong company owned by a Guinean citizen with ties to officials; blocked by his Swiss bank (SEC findings)."},{"key":"bsgr_investment","value":160,"unit":"USD m","year":2008,"note":"BSGR investment for Simandou blocks 1 and 2."},{"key":"bsgr_sale_to_vale","value":2500,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about 18 months after the acquisition","note":"Sale of 51% of BSGR's holding to Vale."},{"key":"displaced","value":343,"unit":"households","year":2014,"qualifier":"physical displacement forecast","unverified":true,"note":"2014 contractor presentation; initial estimate."},{"key":"displaced_economic","value":5520,"unit":"households","year":2014,"qualifier":"economic displacement forecast","unverified":true,"note":"2014 contractor presentation; initial estimate."},{"key":"railway_km","value":650,"unit":"km","year":2025,"note":"Simandou railway length."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":"50–100","unit":"million GNF","year":2025,"note":"Per-farmer compensation range, about USD 5,700–11,500 as the source states; about 15 farmers awaiting payment."},{"key":"elephants_remaining","value":"64–138","unit":"forest elephants","year":2025,"qualifier":"estimate","note":"Guinea."},{"key":"first_shipment","value":200000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reached China on 17 January 2026, at about 65% iron."},{"key":"capacity","value":120,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2026,"note":"Stated Simandou capacity."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Simandou iron ore project in Guinea: rights moved from Rio Tinto to BSGR in 2008, a bribery conviction in Geneva and an SEC settlement followed, and reports from the railway corridor record lost fields and displaced wildlife.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BSGR","what":"Invested USD 160 million in Simandou blocks 1 and 2 and sold 51% of its holding to Vale for USD 2.5 billion about 18 months later.","src":null},{"who":"Rio Tinto","what":"Kept its rights to Simandou blocks 3 and 4 after paying USD 15 million to the SEC.","src":0},{"who":"Winning and Baowu (WCS)","what":"Operate Simandou blocks 1 and 2 and the railway; first shipment January 2026.","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers in Bombia and Sékhoussoria","what":"Red mud made fields unproductive; compensation of 50 to 100 million Guinean francs; about 15 still awaiting payment.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Chimpanzees at Gnèguèyah hill and forest elephants","what":"Chimpanzees were displaced by blasting; 64 to 138 forest elephants are estimated to remain in Guinea.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Simandou and its 650-kilometre railway across Guinea, including Bombia and Sékhoussoria.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Blocks reassigned 2008; consultant payments 2011; Geneva conviction 2021; SEC settlement 2023; Baowu closing 19 June 2024; first shipment 17 January 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The SEC settlement concerned payments to a consultant to protect Simandou rights.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Payments of more than USD 10 million to a consultant hired in 2011; rights to blocks 1 and 2 reassigned in 2008 and later operated by WCS.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Rio Tinto settles FCPA charges for $15 million","p":"Willkie Compliance Concourse","d":"2023-03-13","type":"press","u":"https://complianceconcourse.willkie.com/articles/rio-tinto-settles-fcpa-charges-for-15-million/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260608174558/https://complianceconcourse.willkie.com/articles/rio-tinto-settles-fcpa-charges-for-15-million/"},{"t":"Wildlife and communities bear the cost as Simandou rail corridor advances across Guinea","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-12-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/wildlife-and-communities-bear-the-cost-as-simandou-rail-corridor-advances-across-guinea/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260920213719/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/12/wildlife-and-communities-bear-the-cost-as-simandou-rail-corridor-advances-across-guinea/"},{"t":"China receives first shipment of Simandou iron ore (Reuters via Kitco)","p":"Reuters","d":"2026-01-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2026-01-19/china-receives-first-shipment-simandou-iron-ore","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018160013/https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2026-01-19/china-receives-first-shipment-simandou-iron-ore"},{"t":"Guinea's Simandou iron ore project seen aiding climate goal","p":"Bloomberg","d":"2024-07-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-29/guinea-s-simandou-iron-ore-project-seen-aiding-climate-goal"},{"t":"Winning Consortium Simandou welcomes China Baowu Steel Group Corporation Limited as a shareholder","p":"Financial Afrik","d":"2024-06-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.financialafrik.com/en/2024/06/21/winning-consortium-simandou-welcomes-china-baowu-steel-group-corporation-limited-as-a-shareholder/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260314134416/https://www.financialafrik.com/en/2024/06/21/winning-consortium-simandou-welcomes-china-baowu-steel-group-corporation-limited-as-a-shareholder/"},{"t":"Report on the Steinmetz case (Arab News/AFP; OCCRP summary; title not captured)","p":"Arab News/AFP","d":"2022-08-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.arabnews.com/node/2152536/amp","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221120094317/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2152536/amp"},{"t":"What is the carbon footprint of the different steel production technologies?","p":"Dierk Raabe (Max-Planck-Institut for Sustainable Materials)","u":"https://www.dierk-raabe.com/carbon-footprint-of-green-steel/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Swiss federal court upholds Beny Steinmetz's bribery conviction","p":"SWI swissinfo.ch (Keystone-SDA)","d":"2025-04-05","u":"https://swissinfo.ch/eng/foreign-affairs/swiss-federal-court-upholds-beny-steinmetzs-bribery-conviction/89118487","type":"press"},{"t":"Rio Tinto resolves legacy U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission FCPA investigation","p":"Rio Tinto (filed with the US SEC)","d":"2023-03-06","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/863064/000162828023006596/ex01secresolution.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"Corruption risks in mining remain despite UK probes dropped","p":"Pinsent Masons (Out-Law)","d":"2023-08-28","u":"https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/corruption-risks-in-mining-remain-despite-uk-probes-dropped","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the Simandou railway harm chimpanzees and forest elephants?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Winning Consortium Simandou and Baowu: No response on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"People displaced: 2014 contractor presentation; initial estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Displaced economic: 2014 contractor presentation; initial estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2014 contractor presentation forecast the physical displacement of 343 households and the economic displacement of 5,520 households at Simandou, described as initial estimates; current displacement numbers are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Bloomberg's statement that Simandou would help decarbonisation is known only through a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Responses of Winning Consortium Simandou and Baowu to the Mongabay report are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: BSGR"]},{"id":"boke-bauxite-and-cbg","title":"Boké bauxite mining and the CBG expansion","dek":"Bauxite mines in Guinea's Boké region took farmland and affected water for nearby villages, according to Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International and Reuters. A 2016 expansion loan to Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée was financed in part by IFC and DFC, and 13 villages complained to the IFC's accountability office in 2019.","country":"Guinea","region":"Africa","lat":10.94,"lon":-14.29,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","admin":"Boké","lat":10.94,"lon":-14.29,"role":"event"},{"country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","admin":"Sangarédi","role":"affected"},{"country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","admin":"Telimele","role":"affected"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","role":"company-home"}],"start":1974,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining","water"],"headline":{"label":"Loan to Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG), 2016, about half from IFC and DFC","value":"USD 823 million","note":"Reported figure; a German government guarantee also backed the loan."},"happened":["Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG) is Guinea's oldest bauxite company. Alcoa, Rio Tinto and Dadco together hold 51% of it; the Guinean state holds the rest. Bauxite is the ore from which aluminium is made. Guinea produced about 3.7 million tonnes of bauxite a week, about 146 million tonnes a year, in 2024, according to Reuters. In Boké, the other large producer is Société Minière de Boké (SMB), founded by the Singapore-based Winning International Group and its partner Shandong Weiqiao/China Hongqiao. In 2017 SMB exported 31 million tonnes and CBG 14.4 million tonnes, according to Human Rights Watch; the volume given for SMB in 2023 was about 48 million tonnes.","In 2018 Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 300 people in 30 villages in the Boké region. Villagers described losing farmland, streams blocked by sediment, and water delivered by company tankers that was dirty on some days. The report said that Hamdallaye village had lost about 40% of its ancestral land, about 10 square kilometres, to mines between 2005 and 2018. SMB had 7,600 employees, 274 of them women. The Environment Ministry's secretary general told the organisation that closing companies that break the rules is difficult because the country needs jobs and schools.","In 2016 CBG obtained a loan of USD 823 million for its expansion. About half came from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank's private-sector arm, and the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC); the German government guaranteed the loan, according to Inclusive Development International (IDI) in 2025. An earlier IDI account (2020) gives the IFC's loan to CBG as USD 200 million and a US Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) loan as USD 150 million. IDI reported in 2025 that about 10% of the land mined between 1974 and 2019 had been restored.","Hamdallaye village was relocated in March 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, to an area that had already been mined and had not been well restored. IDI described the new site as a pre-mined hill without topsoil. The relocation took place before mediation had begun on a complaint to the IFC's accountability office, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO). The complaint, filed in 2019 by 13 villages (540 complainants), was still in mediation when IDI reported in November 2025. In 2025 CBG was exploring north of the Cogon River across 85 villages, in a concession of about 3,000 square kilometres.","In December 2025 Reuters reported brown river water in the village of Koussadji and a 90% fall in rice production in the Telimele area between 2018 and 2022, near the Ashapura mine. In August 2025 the concession of Emirates Global Aluminium's Guinea Alumina Corporation (GAC), which accounts for 2–3% of world supply, was revoked and transferred to a state company without compensation."],"timeline":[{"y":1974,"t":"Start of the period (1974–2019) over which about 10% of mined land was later reported restored"},{"y":2005,"t":"Hamdallaye begins losing ancestral land to mining; by 2018 Human Rights Watch put the loss at about 40%, about 10 square kilometres"},{"y":2016,"t":"CBG obtains a USD 823 million loan, about half from IFC and DFC, with a German guarantee"},{"y":2017,"t":"Exports: SMB 31 million tonnes, CBG 14.4 million tonnes (Human Rights Watch)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Human Rights Watch report on bauxite mining in Boké (4 October)"},{"y":2019,"t":"13 villages file a complaint with the IFC's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman"},{"y":2020,"t":"Hamdallaye relocated in March, during the COVID-19 lockdown, before CAO mediation began"},{"y":2025,"t":"GAC concession transferred to a state company (August); IDI reports CAO mediation still under way (24 November); CBG exploring 85 villages north of the Cogon River; Reuters reports on water and crops (December)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Closing companies that break the rules is difficult because the country needs jobs and schools.","who":"Secretary general of Guinea's Environment Ministry, as reported by Human Rights Watch (2018)","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 300 people in 30 villages; villagers reported lost farmland, streams blocked by sediment and water brought by company tankers that was dirty on some days; SMB had 7,600 employees, 274 of them women.","src":0},{"t":"Hamdallaye lost about 40% of its ancestral land, about 10 square kilometres, between 2005 and 2018 (Human Rights Watch); the village lost more than 1,000 hectares since 2005 (Inclusive Development International).","src":1},{"t":"About 10% of the land mined between 1974 and 2019 had been restored.","src":2},{"t":"Hamdallaye was moved in March 2020 to a pre-mined hill without topsoil, before CAO mediation had begun.","src":3},{"t":"13 villages (540 complainants) filed a CAO complaint in 2019; it was still in mediation in November 2025.","src":2},{"t":"Telimele rice production fell by 90% between 2018 and 2022, near the Ashapura mine; a farmer in Koussadji cooked with brown river water.","src":4},{"t":"Guinea's government revoked Emirates Global Aluminium's GAC concession in August 2025 and passed it to a state company without compensation; GAC accounts for 2–3% of world supply.","src":6},{"t":"Two bauxite mining companies, Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée and Guinea Alumina Corporation, agreed in 2017 to fund a 6,426 square-kilometre national park about 300 kilometres from Boké as a chimpanzee offset; a resident of Kintao Kawil said the stream was no longer drinkable.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Land restored","v":"About 10%","d":"Share of land mined 1974–2019 reported restored (Inclusive Development International, 2025)"},{"k":"Hamdallaye land lost since 2005","v":"More than 1,000 ha","d":"About 40% of the village's ancestral land, about 10 square kilometres (Human Rights Watch, 2018)"},{"k":"Relocation site","v":"Pre-mined hill","d":"Previously mined, not well restored, no topsoil (Inclusive Development International, 2020)"},{"k":"Telimele rice production","v":"−90%","d":"2018–2022, near the Ashapura mine (Reuters, December 2025)"}]},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Villagers' accounts collected by Human Rights Watch (2018) and reports by Inclusive Development International (2020, 2025) and Reuters (2025); no independent ecological assessment appears in the cited sources.","report":[{"t":"Villagers in the Boké region told Human Rights Watch in 2018 that sediment had blocked my streams and that farmland around their villages had been lost.","src":0},{"t":"Since 2005 I have lost about 40% of the ancestral land around Hamdallaye, about 10 square kilometres.","src":1},{"t":"Of the land mined between 1974 and 2019, about 10% has been restored.","src":2},{"t":"Near the Ashapura mine in Telimele, rice production fell by 90% between 2018 and 2022, and in Koussadji my river ran brown.","src":4}]},"unknown":["How the 2019 complaint to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman by 13 villages was resolved: it was still in mediation in November 2025; no current status was found.","Whether any court case or regulatory sanction has been brought over the Boké mining: none is reported in the cited sources.","Conflicting accounts of the 2016 CBG financing: IDI (2025) gives a USD 823 million loan, about half from IFC and DFC; IDI (2020) gives the IFC loan as USD 200 million and an OPIC loan as USD 150 million. The lenders and shares are not reconciled in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: a ProPublica and IUCN/Re:wild account that the Guinea biodiversity offset would contribute to the deaths of 180 to 400 chimpanzees and could not achieve a net gain.","Responses of CBG, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, IFC and DFC to the findings of Human Rights Watch and Inclusive Development International are not on record."],"evidence":["displacement"],"harmStopped":"No end to the mining or the exploration is recorded; CBG was exploring north of the Cogon River in 2025 and the CAO complaint was still in mediation.","whoPaid":"Residents of Hamdallaye and other Boké villages, who reported lost land and degraded water; the 2016 expansion loan was financed in part by IFC and DFC and guaranteed by the German government.","statusLine":"As of December 2025: CAO complaint by 13 villages still in mediation (reported 24 November 2025); CBG exploring in 85 villages north of the Cogon River; no ruling or sanction on record.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Guinea Environment Ministry","says":"Its secretary general said that closing companies that break the rules is difficult because the country needs jobs and schools (as reported by Human Rights Watch).","when":"2018","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"cbg","role":"Bauxite miner; borrower of the 2016 expansion loan"},{"id":"alcoa","role":"Shareholder in CBG (with Rio Tinto and Dadco, 51% together)"},{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Shareholder in CBG"},{"id":"dadco","role":"Shareholder in CBG"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Lender; operator of the CAO complaint mechanism"},{"id":"cao","role":"IFC accountability mechanism handling the Hamdallaye complaint"},{"id":"dfc","role":"Lender"},{"id":"smb","role":"Other large bauxite producer in Boké"},{"id":"winning-international","role":"Founder of SMB"},{"id":"china-hongqiao","role":"Partner of Winning in SMB"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Researcher and reporter"},{"id":"inclusive-development-international","role":"Researcher and reporter"},{"id":"ega","role":"Lost the GAC concession (August 2025)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Are the Boké bauxite mines damaging farmland and water for nearby villages?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Human Rights Watch","says":"Villagers in 30 villages described lost farmland, streams blocked by sediment and water delivered by company tankers.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"Guinea Environment Ministry (secretary general)","says":"Closing companies that break the rules is difficult because the country needs jobs and schools.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"CBG, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, SMB","says":"No response on record.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"point":"Was Hamdallaye relocated to a suitable site, and at a suitable time?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Inclusive Development International","says":"The village was moved in March 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown and before CAO mediation had begun, to a pre-mined hill without topsoil.","src":3}]},{"point":"How was the 2016 CBG expansion financed?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Inclusive Development International (2025)","says":"USD 823 million loan, about half from IFC and DFC, with a German government guarantee.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Inclusive Development International (2020)","says":"IFC loan to CBG of USD 200 million and a US Overseas Private Investment Corporation loan of USD 150 million.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Complaint to the IFC's Compliance Advisor Ombudsman about the CBG expansion and Hamdallaye","forum":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC accountability mechanism; non-judicial)","country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"13 villages (540 complainants)","defendant":"CBG, financed in part by the IFC (complaint to the IFC's accountability office)","filed":"2019","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The complaint was in mediation when Inclusive Development International reported in November 2025; no current status was found. Hamdallaye was relocated in March 2020 (21 March in the CAO case summary), before mediation had begun.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"loan","value":823,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"qualifier":"about half from IFC and DFC","note":"CBG expansion loan with a German government guarantee (IDI, 2025)."},{"key":"loan_ifc","value":200,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"IFC loan to CBG as stated by Inclusive Development International (2020)."},{"key":"loan_opic","value":150,"unit":"USD m","year":2016,"note":"US Overseas Private Investment Corporation loan as stated by Inclusive Development International (2020)."},{"key":"area_ha","value":1000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Land Hamdallaye lost since 2005; Human Rights Watch gives about 40%, about 10 square kilometres, 2005–2018."},{"key":"land_restored_share","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Share of land mined 1974–2019 reported restored."},{"key":"people_affected","value":540,"unit":"complainants","year":2019,"note":"CAO complaint by 13 villages."},{"key":"bauxite_output_guinea","value":146,"unit":"Mt per year","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"National output, about 3.7 Mt a week (Reuters)."},{"key":"bauxite_exports_cbg","value":14.4,"unit":"Mt","year":2017,"note":"CBG exports (Human Rights Watch)."},{"key":"bauxite_exports_smb","value":31,"unit":"Mt","year":2017,"note":"SMB exports (Human Rights Watch)."},{"key":"bauxite_volume_smb","value":48,"unit":"Mt","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Volume given for SMB in 2023."},{"key":"smb_employees","value":7600,"unit":"employees","year":2018,"note":"274 of them women (Human Rights Watch)."},{"key":"villages_in_exploration","value":85,"unit":"villages","year":2025,"note":"North of the Cogon River; concession about 3,000 square kilometres."},{"key":"crop_decline_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"Telimele rice production, 2018–2022, near the Ashapura mine (Reuters)."},{"key":"gac_world_supply_share","value":"2–3","unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"GAC share of world bauxite supply as reported; concession revoked in August 2025."},{"key":"offset_park_km2","value":6426,"unit":"km2","year":2019,"note":"Park funded by two bauxite mines as a chimpanzee offset, 2017–2019, about 300 kilometres from the mines; the mines are not named."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bauxite mining in Boké by CBG and SMB took farmland and affected water for nearby villages, according to Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International and Reuters; CBG's expansion was financed by a USD 823 million loan in 2016.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Alcoa, Rio Tinto and Dadco","what":"Together hold 51% of CBG, which obtained the 2016 expansion loan; CBG exported 14.4 million tonnes in 2017.","src":2},{"who":"Guinean state","what":"Holds the remainder of CBG.","src":2},{"who":"Winning International Group and China Hongqiao","what":"Founders of SMB, which exported 31 million tonnes in 2017.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Hamdallaye village","what":"Lost more than 1,000 hectares of land since 2005 and was relocated in March 2020 to a pre-mined hill.","src":3},{"who":"Emirates Global Aluminium","what":"GAC concession revoked in August 2025 and passed to a state company without compensation.","src":6}],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers in 30 Boké villages interviewed by Human Rights Watch","what":"Reported lost farmland, streams blocked by sediment and company-supplied water that was sometimes dirty.","src":0},{"who":"Farmers in Telimele and Koussadji","what":"Rice production down 90%, 2018–2022; brown river water.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Boké region, Sangarédi and Telimele, Guinea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Mining by CBG since 1974; Hamdallaye land loss since 2005; loan 2016; CAO complaint filed 2019; relocation March 2020; complaint still in mediation in November 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The Environment Ministry's secretary general said closing rule-breaking companies is difficult because the country needs jobs and schools.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Expansion financed by a USD 823 million loan, about half from IFC and DFC, with a German guarantee; villagers filed a complaint with the IFC's accountability office in 2019.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Guinea: Bauxite Mining Boom Threatens Rights","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2018-10-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/04/guinea-bauxite-mining-boom-threatens-rights","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926004641/https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/10/04/guinea-bauxite-mining-boom-threatens-rights"},{"t":"What Do We Get Out of It? The Human Rights Impact of Bauxite Mining in Guinea","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2018-10-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/10/04/what-do-we-get-out-it/human-rights-impact-bauxite-mining-guinea","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926004642/https://www.hrw.org/report/2018/10/04/what-do-we-get-out-it/human-rights-impact-bauxite-mining-guinea"},{"t":"Guinea bauxite mining report","p":"Inclusive Development International","d":"2025-11-24","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/guinea-bauxite-mining-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013124338/https://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/guinea-bauxite-mining-report/"},{"t":"World Bank-backed Rio Tinto-Alcoa joint venture relocates Guinean village during Covid-19 lockdown","p":"Inclusive Development International","d":"2020-06-16","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/world-bank-backed-rio-tinto-alcoa-joint-venture-relocates-guinean-village-during-covid-19-lockdown/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201128020342/https://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/world-bank-backed-rio-tinto-alcoa-joint-venture-relocates-guinean-village-during-covid-19-lockdown/"},{"t":"Bauxite boom pollutes water and crops in Guinea (Reuters via Kitco)","p":"Reuters","d":"2025-12-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2025-12-23/bauxite-boom-pollutes-water-and-crops-guinea","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130101023/https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2025-12-23/bauxite-boom-pollutes-water-and-crops-guinea"},{"t":"CAO case: Guinea CBG-01 Sangaredi (summary)","p":"Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (IFC)","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/case/guinea-cbg-01-sangaredi","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610092633/https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/case/guinea-cbg-01-sangaredi"},{"t":"Guinea revokes Emirates Global Aluminium's mining concession, statement says (Mining Weekly/Reuters)","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2025-08-05","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/guinea-revokes-emirates-global-aluminiums-mining-concession-statement-says-2025-08-05"},{"t":"Bauxite mining and Chinese dam push Guinea's chimpanzees to the brink","p":"Mongabay (Jennifer O'Mahony)","d":"2019-05-21","u":"http://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/bauxite-mining-and-chinese-dam-push-guineas-chimpanzees-to-the-brink/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515102346/https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/bauxite-mining-and-chinese-dam-push-guineas-chimpanzees-to-the-brink/"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Are the Boké bauxite mines damaging farmland and water for nearby villages?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was Hamdallaye relocated to a suitable site, and at a suitable time?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How was the 2016 CBG expansion financed?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"CBG, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, SMB: No response on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the 2019 complaint to the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman by 13 villages was resolved: it was still in mediation in November 2025; no current status was found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any court case or regulatory sanction has been brought over the Boké mining: none is reported in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting accounts of the 2016 CBG financing: IDI (2025) gives a USD 823 million loan, about half from IFC and DFC; IDI (2020) gives the IFC loan as USD 200 million and an OPIC loan as USD 150 million. The lenders and shares are not reconciled in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a ProPublica and IUCN/Re:wild account that the Guinea biodiversity offset would contribute to the deaths of 180 to 400 chimpanzees and could not achieve a net gain.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Responses of CBG, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, IFC and DFC to the findings of Human Rights Watch and Inclusive Development International are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"energy-transfer-v-greenpeace","title":"Energy Transfer v Greenpeace (Dakota Access)","dek":"Energy Transfer sued Greenpeace entities over protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. A North Dakota jury awarded about $666.9 million in March 2025, the judge cut the award to about $345 million, and Greenpeace International sued Energy Transfer in Amsterdam under the EU anti-SLAPP directive.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":46.8,"lon":-100.9,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","lat":46.8,"lon":-100.9,"role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Amsterdam","lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"court"}],"start":2017,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-03-19","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","pipeline"],"headline":{"label":"Jury award vs judgment entered against the Greenpeace entities","value":"$666.9m → $345m","note":"Jury verdict of 19 March 2025; judgment of about $345 million plus 11% interest from 19 March 2025 entered 27 February 2026. Greenpeace is seeking a new trial and plans an appeal."},"happened":["Energy Transfer (ET) brought two lawsuits against Greenpeace entities in connection with protests against the Dakota Access pipeline. The first, filed on 22 August 2017 in the US District Court for North Dakota, claimed $900 million under the federal racketeering law (RICO) and other heads against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, BankTrack and Earth First!. BankTrack was dismissed in July 2018, and all claims were dismissed in February 2019.","The second suit was heard in North Dakota state court in Morton County. On 19 March 2025 a jury returned a verdict of about $666.9 million against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace Fund. On 29 October 2025 Judge James Gion cut the award to about $345 million, finding some damages duplicative, without legal basis, or above the statutory caps on punitive damages. Final judgment was entered on 27 February 2026: $345 million plus 11% interest running from 19 March 2025. The jury found Greenpeace entities liable on defamation, conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and tortious interference with business relations; Greenpeace USA was found liable on all counts and the other two entities on some, according to AP.","ET called the judgment an important step in holding Greenpeace accountable. Greenpeace said it was seeking a new trial and then planned to appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court, and said the judgment could force bankruptcy in the US. Greenpeace International also filed a counter-suit in the Amsterdam District Court under Dutch law and the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive, seeking damages and costs.","On 7 May 2026 the North Dakota Supreme Court granted a 'narrowly tailored' anti-suit injunction that, in the words reproduced by Greenpeace, does not \"foreclose all related litigation by GPI in the Netherlands\". About 3 June 2026 the Amsterdam court rejected ET's jurisdiction and stay pleas, gave ET six weeks to file a defence on the merits and ordered it to pay €1,495 in costs, according to Greenpeace and its lawyers.","Separately, arrests during the Standing Rock protests were counted at 761 by the Morton County Sheriff and 854 by the Water Protector Legal Collective. Leaked documents of the security firm TigerSwan, published by The Intercept in 2017, described the movement as an insurgency."],"timeline":[{"y":2017,"t":"22 Aug: Energy Transfer files $900m federal suit (RICO and other heads) against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, BankTrack and Earth First!; The Intercept publishes leaked TigerSwan documents (27 May)"},{"y":2018,"t":"BankTrack dismissed (July); 30 May: North Dakota court dismisses the state security board's suit against TigerSwan"},{"y":2019,"t":"February: all claims in the federal suit dismissed"},{"y":2025,"t":"19 Mar: jury verdict of about $666.9m in Morton County; 29 Oct: Judge Gion cuts the award to about $345m"},{"y":2026,"t":"27 Feb: final judgment of $345m plus 11% interest; 16 Apr: first Amsterdam hearing; 7 May: North Dakota Supreme Court issues a narrow anti-suit injunction; about 3 Jun: Amsterdam court rejects ET's jurisdiction and stay pleas"}],"said":[{"q":"dangerously broad","who":"Judge Billy Roy Wilson, US District Court, describing the first suit","when":"2018–2019","src":0},{"q":"Posting articles written by people with similar beliefs does not create a RICO enterprise.","who":"Judge Billy Roy Wilson, US District Court","when":"February 2019","src":0},{"q":"important step in this legal process of holding Greenpeace accountable","who":"Energy Transfer, on the judgment","when":"After the judgment (date: none on record)","src":13},{"q":"narrowly tailored","who":"North Dakota Supreme Court on its anti-suit injunction, as reproduced by Greenpeace","when":"7 May 2026","src":3},{"q":"an ideologically driven insurgency with a strong religious component","who":"TigerSwan, in leaked documents published by The Intercept","when":"27 May 2017","src":10},{"q":"followed the jihadist insurgency model","who":"TigerSwan, in leaked documents published by The Intercept","when":"27 May 2017","src":10},{"q":"foreclose all related litigation by GPI in the Netherlands","who":"North Dakota Supreme Court, saying its injunction does not do this (as reproduced by Greenpeace)","when":"7 May 2026","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"The Dutch case presented as an anti-SLAPP action against Energy Transfer","who":"Greenpeace International and its lawyers Prakken d'Oliveira","src":4}],"recorded":[{"t":"First suit: filed 22 August 2017 in the US District Court for North Dakota; $900m claimed under RICO and other heads; defendants Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, BankTrack and Earth First!; BankTrack dismissed July 2018; all claims dismissed February 2019.","src":0},{"t":"Second suit (Morton County, North Dakota): jury verdict of about $666.9m on 19 March 2025 against Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace Fund; some outlets reported about $660m or $670m.","src":8},{"t":"On 29 October 2025 Judge James Gion cut the award to about $345m, finding some damages duplicative, without legal basis or above statutory caps on punitive damages.","src":1},{"t":"Final judgment entered 27 February 2026: $345m plus 11% interest from 19 March 2025.","src":2},{"t":"Greenpeace International filed in the Amsterdam District Court under Dutch law and the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive; first hearing 16 April 2026; on 7 May 2026 the North Dakota Supreme Court granted a narrow anti-suit injunction barring Greenpeace International only from seeking a finding that the North Dakota case lacks legal foundation or is manifestly unfounded.","src":3},{"t":"About 3 June 2026 the Amsterdam court rejected ET's jurisdiction and stay pleas, gave ET six weeks to file a defence and ordered it to pay €1,495 in costs.","src":4},{"t":"Standing Rock arrests: 761 per the Morton County Sheriff and 854 per the Water Protector Legal Collective. The Collective's final tally of 836 state cases: 392 dismissed, 42 acquitted, 188 pretrial diversion (185 in one report), 146 plea deals, 26 convicted at trial, 45 inactive or outstanding warrants; plus 5 federal prosecutions, 841 cases in total.","src":9},{"t":"North Dakota's Private Investigative and Security Board sued TigerSwan over unlicensed operation; Judge Grinsteiner dismissed the case on 30 May 2018, sending fines to the administrative process.","src":14},{"t":"E&E News reported in July 2024 on a settlement proposal within Greenpeace and the board's rejection of it.","src":11},{"t":"A tribal member quoted by States Newsroom after the verdict said Standing Rock had not been heard.","src":8},{"t":"The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre's 2015–2024 analysis lists the Dakota Access Pipeline among the projects with the most attacks on defenders; Energy Transfer was among 32 companies invited to respond; no per-company counts are published.","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2017–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Jury award","v":"$666.9m → $345m","d":"Verdict 19 March 2025; cut 29 October 2025; final judgment 27 February 2026 with 11% interest"},{"k":"First suit ($900m)","v":"Dismissed","d":"All claims dismissed in February 2019"},{"k":"Standing Rock arrests","v":"761–854","d":"Morton County Sheriff vs Water Protector Legal Collective; 26 of 836 state cases ended in conviction at trial"}]},"unknown":["Whether ET filed its defence in the Amsterdam case and the later hearings: not found.","The outcome of a new-trial motion and of any North Dakota Supreme Court appeal filing after June 2026: not found.","The appeal outcome in the state security board's case against TigerSwan: not found.","The jury figure is reported differently: about $666.9m, with some outlets giving about $660m or $670m.","Arrest counts conflict: 761 (Morton County Sheriff) against 854 (Water Protector Legal Collective); one report counts 185 pretrial diversions where another counts 188.","Unconfirmed: the cited sources say Greenpeace's US office cut about 20% of its staff after the verdict.","Reports round the jury award differently: about $666.9 million in one account and about $667 million in another."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources describe the Dakota Access dispute through the litigation and arrests only; it records no environmental measurement of the pipeline.","whoPaid":"Under the February 2026 judgment, Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace Fund owe about $345 million plus 11% interest from 19 March 2025; Greenpeace said the judgment could force bankruptcy in the US.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: final judgment of $345m plus 11% interest was entered in February 2026; Greenpeace was seeking a new trial and planned an appeal, and the Dutch anti-SLAPP case had survived an interim ruling in June 2026.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"energy-transfer","says":"Called the judgment an 'important step in this legal process of holding Greenpeace accountable'.","when":"After the judgment","src":null},{"actor":"greenpeace-international","says":"Said it was seeking a new trial and then planned to appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court, and that the judgment could force bankruptcy in the US.","when":"2026","src":null},{"actor":"greenpeace-international","says":"Filed in the Amsterdam District Court under Dutch law and the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive, seeking damages and costs.","when":"2026","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"energy-transfer","role":"Plaintiff in both suits against Greenpeace entities"},{"id":"greenpeace-international","role":"Defendant in the North Dakota suits; claimant in the Amsterdam anti-SLAPP case"},{"id":"greenpeace-usa","role":"Defendant in the North Dakota state suit"},{"id":"tigerswan","role":"Private security firm at Standing Rock whose documents were leaked"},{"id":"morton-county-sheriff","role":"Counted 761 arrests at Standing Rock"},{"id":"wplc","role":"Counted 854 arrests and tallied 836 state cases"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Defendant in the federal suit"},{"id":"greenpeace-fund","role":"Defendant in the federal suit"},{"id":"banktrack","role":"Defendant in the federal suit until its dismissal in July 2018"},{"id":"earth-first","role":"Defendant in the federal suit"},{"id":"north-dakota-supreme-court","role":"Granted the narrow anti-suit injunction on 7 May 2026"},{"id":"amsterdam-district-court","role":"Hearing Greenpeace International's anti-SLAPP suit"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the North Dakota litigation a legitimate damages claim or a SLAPP?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Energy Transfer","says":"Called the judgment an important step in holding Greenpeace accountable.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace International","says":"Filed an anti-SLAPP case in Amsterdam under Dutch law and the EU directive and said the judgment could force bankruptcy in the US.","src":4},{"voice":"court","holder":"US District Court, North Dakota (Judge Wilson)","says":"Dismissed the first suit in February 2019: 'Posting articles written by people with similar beliefs does not create a RICO enterprise.'","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"North Dakota state court (Judge Gion)","says":"Cut the jury award from about $666.9m to about $345m as partly duplicative, without legal basis or above statutory caps.","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Amsterdam District Court","says":"In an interim ruling about 3 June 2026 rejected ET's jurisdiction and stay pleas, per Greenpeace and its lawyers.","src":4}]},{"point":"How many people were arrested at Standing Rock?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Morton County Sheriff","says":"761 arrests.","src":9},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Water Protector Legal Collective","says":"854 arrests; final tally of 836 state cases plus 5 federal prosecutions.","src":9}]},{"point":"Which court may decide whether the North Dakota case lacks legal foundation?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"North Dakota Supreme Court","says":"Granted a \"narrowly tailored\" anti-suit injunction: Greenpeace International is barred only from seeking a finding that the North Dakota case lacks \"legal foundation\" or is \"manifestly unfounded\"; it does not \"foreclose all related litigation by GPI in the Netherlands\".","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace International","says":"Pursues damages and costs in Amsterdam under Dutch law and the EU anti-SLAPP Directive.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Energy Transfer v. Greenpeace International et al. (federal RICO suit)","forum":"US District Court, North Dakota","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Energy Transfer","defendant":"Greenpeace International, Greenpeace Inc., Greenpeace Fund, BankTrack, Earth First!","filed":"2017-08-22","decided":"2019-02","status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":900,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, claimed"},"summary":"RICO and other heads; BankTrack dismissed July 2018; all claims dismissed February 2019.","src":0},{"title":"Energy Transfer v. Greenpeace (Morton County state suit)","forum":"North Dakota state court, Morton County","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Energy Transfer","defendant":"Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund","filed":null,"decided":"2026-02-27","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":345,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, about, plus 11% interest from 19 March 2025"},"summary":"Jury verdict of about $666.9m on 19 March 2025; cut to about $345m on 29 October 2025; final judgment 27 February 2026. Greenpeace was seeking a new trial and then an appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court.","src":2},{"title":"Greenpeace International v. Energy Transfer (anti-SLAPP)","forum":"Amsterdam District Court","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"Greenpeace International","defendant":"Energy Transfer","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Filed under Dutch law and the EU Anti-SLAPP Directive, seeking damages and costs. The North Dakota Supreme Court granted a narrow anti-suit injunction on 7 May 2026. About 3 June 2026 the Amsterdam court rejected ET's jurisdiction and stay pleas and gave ET six weeks to file a defence.","src":4},{"title":"North Dakota Private Investigative and Security Board v. TigerSwan","forum":"North Dakota district court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"administrative","claimant":"North Dakota Private Investigative and Security Board","defendant":"TigerSwan","filed":null,"decided":"2018-05-30","status":"dismissed","summary":"Suit over unlicensed operation; Judge Grinsteiner dismissed it, sending fines to the administrative process. The appeal outcome was not found.","src":14}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":900,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"First suit, claimed under RICO and other heads; dismissed February 2019."},{"key":"jury_award","value":666.9,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"qualifier":"about","note":"Jury verdict of 19 March 2025; some outlets reported about $660m or $670m."},{"key":"judgment","value":345,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Cut on 29 October 2025; final judgment 27 February 2026, plus 11% interest from 19 March 2025."},{"key":"interest_rate","value":11,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Annual interest on the judgment, running from 19 March 2025."},{"key":"costs_ordered","value":1495,"unit":"EUR","year":2026,"note":"Costs ordered against ET in the Amsterdam interim ruling, per Greenpeace and its lawyers."},{"key":"arrests","value":761,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Standing Rock arrests per the Morton County Sheriff."},{"key":"arrests","value":854,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Standing Rock arrests per the Water Protector Legal Collective."},{"key":"state_cases","value":836,"unit":"cases","year":2020,"note":"Collective's final tally: 392 dismissed, 42 acquitted, 188 pretrial diversion, 146 plea deals, 26 convicted at trial, 45 inactive or outstanding warrants; plus 5 federal prosecutions."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Energy Transfer won a state-court judgment of about $345 million plus interest against Greenpeace entities over Dakota Access pipeline protests, after its $900 million federal suit was dismissed.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Energy Transfer","what":"Judgment of about $345 million plus 11% interest from 19 March 2025 against the Greenpeace entities, with a new trial and appeal sought.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund","what":"Ordered to pay about $345 million plus interest; Greenpeace said the judgment could force bankruptcy in the US.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"People arrested at Standing Rock","what":"761 to 854 arrests; of 836 state cases, 392 were dismissed and 26 ended in conviction at trial.","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"US District Court for North Dakota; Morton County state court, North Dakota; Amsterdam District Court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"First suit filed 22 August 2017; jury verdict 19 March 2025; final judgment 27 February 2026; Amsterdam interim ruling about 3 June 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The first suit concerned Greenpeace's role in pipeline protests, according to the Courthouse News headline; the second suit went to a jury on defamation, conspiracy, trespass, nuisance and tortious interference with business relations, according to AP.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A federal RICO suit was dismissed; a state-court jury then awarded about $666.9m, which the judge cut to about $345m; Greenpeace International countered in Amsterdam under the EU anti-SLAPP directive.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Judge tosses $900M suit over Greenpeace pipeline protests","p":"Courthouse News","d":"2019-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-tosses-900m-suit-over-greenpeace-pipeline-protests/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928084259/https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-tosses-900m-suit-over-greenpeace-pipeline-protests/"},{"t":"Judge orders Greenpeace to pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half","p":"PBS NewsHour (AP)","d":"2025-10-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/judge-orders-greenpeace-to-pay-345-million-in-pipeline-lawsuit-cutting-jury-amount-nearly-in-half"},{"t":"Judge finalizes order for Greenpeace to pay $345 million in North Dakota oil pipeline case","p":"News From The States","d":"2026-02","type":"press","u":"https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-finalizes-order-greenpeace-pay-345-million-north-dakota-oil-pipeline-case","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260708221047/https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judge-finalizes-order-greenpeace-pay-345-million-north-dakota-oil-pipeline-case"},{"t":"Greenpeace International press release on the North Dakota Supreme Court order of 7 May 2026 (court quotes as reproduced by Greenpeace)","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2026-05","type":"ngo","voice":"civil","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/83311/"},{"t":"Greenpeace International wins preliminary phase of anti-SLAPP case vs Energy Transfer","p":"Prakken d'Oliveira (Greenpeace International's lawyers)","d":"2026-06","type":"ngo","voice":"civil","u":"https://www.prakkendoliveira.nl/en/news/2026/greenpeace-international-wins-preliminary-phase-of-anti-slapp-case-vs-energy-transfer"},{"t":"Greenpeace's Dutch Anti-SLAPP Case Against Oil Pipeline Giant Advances","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2026-06-21","type":"press","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21062026/greenpeace-anti-slapp-lawsuit-against-energy-transfer/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004113121/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21062026/greenpeace-anti-slapp-lawsuit-against-energy-transfer/"},{"t":"Netherlands court allows Greenpeace lawsuit against Energy Transfer to proceed","p":"JURIST","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.jurist.org/news/2026/06/netherlands-court-allows-greenpeace-lawsuit-against-energy-transfer-to-proceed/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260703092318/https://www.jurist.org/news/2026/06/netherlands-court-allows-greenpeace-lawsuit-against-energy-transfer-to-proceed/"},{"t":"Judge approves $345 million verdict against Greenpeace in pipeline suit","p":"AP via Hawaii Tribune-Herald","d":"2026-02-28","type":"press","u":"https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2026/02/28/nation-world-news/judge-approves-345-million-verdict-against-greenpeace-in-pipeline-suit/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260301154318/https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/2026/02/28/nation-world-news/judge-approves-345-million-verdict-against-greenpeace-in-pipeline-suit/"},{"t":"Jury finds Greenpeace at fault for protest damages","p":"Florida Phoenix (States Newsroom)","d":"2025-03-21","type":"press","u":"https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/03/21/jury-finds-greenpeace-at-fault-for-protest-damages-awards-pipeline-developer-more-than-660-million/"},{"t":"More than two years later, last NoDAPL trials finish","p":"HPR (hpr1.com)","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/more-than-two-years-later-last-nodapl-trials-finish","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420190400/https://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/more-than-two-years-later-last-nodapl-trials-finish/"},{"t":"Leaked documents reveal security firm's counterterrorism tactics at Standing Rock to defeat pipeline insurgencies","p":"The Intercept","d":"2017-05-27","type":"investigative","u":"https://theintercept.com/2017/05/27/leaked-documents-reveal-security-firms-counterterrorism-tactics-at-standing-rock-to-defeat-pipeline-insurgencies/"},{"t":"Inside a leadership 'implosion' at Greenpeace","p":"E&E News","d":"2024-07-01","type":"press","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/inside-a-leadership-implosion-at-greenpeace/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609025913/https://www.eenews.net/articles/inside-a-leadership-implosion-at-greenpeace/"},{"t":"Judge says Greenpeace must pay $345 million in pipeline lawsuit, cutting jury amount nearly in half","p":"AP via ClickOnDetroit","d":"2025-10-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.clickondetroit.com/business/2025/10/29/judge-says-greenpeace-must-pay-345-million-in-pipeline-lawsuit-cutting-jury-amount-nearly-in-half/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251030022548/https://www.clickondetroit.com/business/2025/10/29/judge-says-greenpeace-must-pay-345-million-in-pipeline-lawsuit-cutting-jury-amount-nearly-in-half/"},{"t":"North Dakota judge finalizes $345 million judgment against Greenpeace in pipeline case","p":"Reuters (republished by BOE Report)","d":"2026-02-27","u":"https://boereport.com/2026/02/27/north-dakota-judge-finalizes-345-million-judgment-against-greenpeace-in-pipeline-case/amp/","type":"press"},{"t":"Judge dismisses case against Dakota Access security firm TigerSwan","p":"Grand Forks Herald","d":"2018-05-30","u":"https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/judge-dismisses-case-against-dakota-access-security-firm-tigerswan","type":"press"},{"t":"Defending rights and realising just economies: Human rights defenders and business (2015-2024)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2025-05","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/human-rights-defenders-and-business-10-year-analysis/defending-rights-and-realising-just-economies-human-rights-defenders-and-business-2015-2024/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251216085257/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/from-us/briefings/human-rights-defenders-and-business-10-year-analysis/defending-rights-and-realising-just-economies-human-rights-defenders-and-business-2015-2024/"}],"episodes":[],"related":["corporate-suits-against-greenpeace","resolute-forest-products-v-greenpeace","totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp","standing-rock-dakota-access-arrests-and-tigerswan"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the North Dakota litigation a legitimate damages claim or a SLAPP?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many people were arrested at Standing Rock?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which court may decide whether the North Dakota case lacks legal foundation?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether ET filed its defence in the Amsterdam case and the later hearings: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of a new-trial motion and of any North Dakota Supreme Court appeal filing after June 2026: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The appeal outcome in the state security board's case against TigerSwan: not found.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The jury figure is reported differently: about $666.9m, with some outlets giving about $660m or $670m.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Arrest counts conflict: 761 (Morton County Sheriff) against 854 (Water Protector Legal Collective); one report counts 185 pretrial diversions where another counts 188.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the cited sources say Greenpeace's US office cut about 20% of its staff after the verdict.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Reports round the jury award differently: about $666.9 million in one account and about $667 million in another.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who lost: Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund"]},{"id":"roundup-litigation","title":"Roundup litigation, settlements and legal shield (Bayer/Monsanto)","dek":"Bayer announced settlements of up to $10.9 billion (2020) and up to $7.25 billion (2026) over Roundup cancer claims. In June 2026 the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 that federal pesticide law bars state-law claims that require a cancer warning on the label.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US Supreme Court","role":"court"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","role":"affected"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Missouri","lat":38.63,"lon":-90.2,"role":"court"}],"start":2009,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2026-06-25","instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Roundup settlements announced by Bayer (2020 and 2026)","value":"$10.9bn + $7.25bn","note":"Both are 'up to' amounts announced by Bayer, not totals paid. The 2026 settlement is payable over up to 21 years."},"happened":["Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide that has been on sale since 1974. By 2020 about 100,000 people had filed lawsuits in the United States alleging that it caused cancer. In 2018 a jury in Johnson v. Monsanto awarded a school groundskeeper $289.2 million; the award was reduced to $78.5 million and then to $20.5 million on appeal. The International Agency for Research on Cancer had classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic in 2015.","On 24 June 2020 Bayer announced agreements to settle the Roundup claims for up to $10.9 billion, with no admission of liability, alongside up to $400 million for dicamba drift claims and about $820 million for PCB water claims. On 17 February 2026 Bayer announced a class settlement of up to $7.25 billion; Bayer described payments spread over up to 21 years and about 65,000 claimants, and final approval was still pending in Missouri.","On 25 June 2026 the US Supreme Court decided Monsanto v. Durnell by 7 votes to 2. It held that the federal pesticide law (FIFRA) bars state-law claims that require a cancer warning not on the label approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and it reversed the judgment upholding a $1.25 million award to the plaintiff. The federal government, through a Justice Department lawyer, took the company's side. The cited sources note that the ruling concerned which law governs warnings and did not decide whether glyphosate is safe. They also record that EPA told Bayer it would not accept a cancer warning, that Bayer used that letter at the Supreme Court, and that, in material concerning Bayer and EPA Administrator Zeldin, a meeting agenda carried an item saying Bayer would present a small thank-you.","Regulators and scientific bodies have taken different positions on glyphosate. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified it as \"probably carcinogenic\" (Group 2A, a hazard classification) in 2015. The US Environmental Protection Agency has said it is \"not likely to be carcinogenic to humans\"; a court set aside the health part of that decision in 2022, and a new assessment is expected at the end of 2026. The European Food Safety Authority found no critical area of concern and reported no firm conclusion for biodiversity.","In the federal cases consolidated in Illinois (MDL 3004), a settlement letter with a confidential amount was signed in April 2025, when more than 5,800 federal cases were pending; by July 2026 there were more than 8,000 and none had gone before a jury. The judge sent claimants who rejected the settlement to a special master, and one law firm said 183 of its 217 clients had left the settlement. Objectors to the class settlement said that seriously ill claimants lose under it and that class counsel earn fees; some lawyers put the average payout after liens and fees at $100,000 or less.","Before the ruling, Bayer backed state laws on pesticide labels. The Modern Ag Alliance, founded by Bayer and with a Bayer vice president on its board, spent at least $1.8 million on lobbying in Tennessee; laws were passed in North Dakota and Georgia in 2025 and Kentucky in 2026. Investigate Midwest reported in April 2025 on Bayer's effort to block Roundup lawsuits.","The record also notes Bayer's finances and the science around glyphosate. Roundup herbicide sales were EUR 1.155 billion in the third quarter of 2025, and Bayer closed 2025 with a net loss of EUR 3.62 billion. Bayer sued its insurer AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri, in December 2025 after AIG refused to cover the Roundup and PCB settlements. In November 2025 a 2000 review that found glyphosate safe was retracted because Monsanto employees' authorship had not been disclosed, according to US Right to Know."],"timeline":[{"y":2009,"t":"An Argentine scientist reports disruptions in amphibian embryos exposed to glyphosate"},{"y":2015,"t":"IARC classifies glyphosate as probably carcinogenic"},{"y":2018,"t":"Johnson v. Monsanto: jury awards $289.2 million (later $78.5 million, then $20.5 million)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Thailand reverses its glyphosate ban (27 November) after US officials intervene, according to emails"},{"y":2019,"t":"EU General Court judgment orders disclosure of glyphosate studies (7 March)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Bayer announces settlements of up to $10.9 billion (24 June)"},{"y":2022,"t":"A court sets aside the health part of EPA's glyphosate decision"},{"y":2025,"t":"Investigate Midwest on Bayer's push for state label laws (April); a 2000 glyphosate review is retracted (November); Bayer sues AIG (December)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Confidential settlement letter in the federal MDL 3004 (April)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Bayer announces a class settlement of up to $7.25 billion (17 February); Supreme Court rules 7-2 in Monsanto v. Durnell (25 June)"}],"said":[{"q":"meritless excuses and purported defenses","who":"Complaint of Bayer and Monsanto against AIG, as reported by the News Tribune","when":"December 2025","src":9}],"shown":[{"t":"The label approved by the EPA complies with federal rules and EPA does not require a cancer warning.","who":"Bayer (paraphrase)","src":null},{"t":"Bayer publicised the Durnell ruling and the class settlement in media releases","who":"Bayer","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Bayer's June 2020 announcement covered up to $10.9 billion for Roundup claims, up to $400 million for dicamba drift and about $820 million for PCB water claims, with no admission of liability. Researchers did not open the release; figures came from secondary reports.","src":0},{"t":"Johnson v. Monsanto: the award of $289.2 million was reduced to $78.5 million, then to $20.5 million.","src":5},{"t":"On 17 February 2026 Bayer announced a class settlement of up to $7.25 billion over up to 21 years; about 65,000 claimants; final approval pending in Missouri.","src":2},{"t":"Monsanto v. Durnell, 25 June 2026: 7-2; FIFRA bars state claims that require a cancer warning not approved by EPA.","src":3},{"t":"The Supreme Court reversed the judgment upholding a $1.25 million award to the plaintiff in Monsanto v. Durnell.","src":4},{"t":"The federal government, through a Justice Department lawyer, took the company's side in Durnell.","src":17},{"t":"EPA told Bayer it would not accept a cancer warning, and Bayer used that letter at the Supreme Court. In material concerning Bayer and EPA Administrator Zeldin, a meeting agenda carried an item saying Bayer would present a small thank-you.","src":12},{"t":"Modern Ag Alliance: founded by Bayer; a Bayer vice president sits on its board; at least $1.8 million on lobbying in Tennessee; label laws passed in North Dakota and Georgia (2025) and Kentucky (2026). Investigate Midwest reported on Bayer's effort in April 2025.","src":6},{"t":"In 2019 Thailand reversed a glyphosate ban on 27 November. Emails obtained through a freedom-of-information request showed Bayer's trade director had mobilised US Department of Agriculture and Trade Representative officials; the USDA under-secretary, Ted McKinney, who had worked about 19 years at Dow AgroSciences, wrote to Thailand's prime minister asking for a delay. A USDA chief of staff who handled Bayer's requests later joined Bayer; Bayer denies the link.","src":13},{"t":"In Mexico, Bayer and CropLife America worked with US trade officials against Mexico's glyphosate ban.","src":14},{"t":"A 2000 review by Williams, Kroes and Munro that found glyphosate safe was retracted in November 2025 because it relied only on Monsanto's unpublished studies and the authorship of Monsanto employees had not been disclosed, according to US Right to Know.","src":7},{"t":"In 2019 the German risk-assessment institute BfR's glyphosate report contained sections of which up to 50% came from the application dossier.","src":15},{"t":"An Argentine scientist announced in April 2009 that glyphosate disrupted the development of amphibian embryos; soy covered about 17 million hectares and about 200 million litres of glyphosate were used each year in Argentina.","src":8},{"t":"On 7 March 2019 the EU General Court ruled that glyphosate studies be opened to the public.","src":10},{"t":"Roundup herbicide sales were EUR 1.155 billion in the third quarter of 2025; Bayer closed 2025 with a net loss of EUR 3.62 billion.","src":16},{"t":"EPA has said glyphosate is \"not likely to be carcinogenic to humans\"; a court set aside the health part of that decision in 2022 and a new assessment is expected at the end of 2026. EFSA found no critical area of concern and no definitive conclusion for biodiversity.","src":11},{"t":"The Supreme Court did not rule on whether glyphosate causes cancer; the US Department of Justice supported Monsanto in the case. The New Lede reported that the ruling limited plaintiffs' claims.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020-2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Settlement announced by Bayer, June 2020 (Roundup claims, no admission of liability)","amount":10900,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2020"},{"label":"Proposed class settlement, payable over up to 21 years","amount":7250,"qualifier":"up to","window":"2026"}],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Herbicide-resistant weed cases","v":"548","d":"275 species, June 2026; counts all herbicides, not glyphosate alone"},{"k":"Glyphosate and amphibian embryos","v":"Disruptions reported","d":"An Argentine scientist, April 2009; soy on about 17 million hectares, about 200 million litres a year"},{"k":"Biodiversity effect of glyphosate","v":"No firm conclusion","d":"Summary of IARC, EPA and EFSA positions; EFSA reported no definitive conclusion for biodiversity"},{"k":"Court ruling on whether glyphosate causes cancer","v":"None","d":"The Supreme Court decided who may require a warning, not the health question"}]},"unknown":["AIG's grounds for refusing cover are not public; Bayer's complaint calls them meritless excuses and purported defenses.","No information on insurer contributions to the Roundup settlements or on tax deductions is stated in the cited sources; the settlements were private.","Figures conflict in the cited sources: Bayer's litigation provision is given as EUR 5 billion in one entry and EUR 11.8 billion in another; the cut of Bayer's dividend to the legal minimum of EUR 0.11 is dated to 2022 in one entry and to 2024 in another.","The outcome of an EPA Inspector General inquiry and of the ATSDR review of glyphosate is recorded in contradictory ways in the sources.","Unconfirmed: Bayer bought Monsanto in 2018 for about $63 billion; preliminary approval of the class settlement was given in March 2026; payments of $10,000 to $165,000 per person.","Unconfirmed: a Monsanto employee's email quoting an EPA official on glyphosate, and a Monsanto email about ghostwriting.","Roundup profit figures are not published; the cited sources give no ratio between payments and gains.","The Supreme Court did not decide whether glyphosate causes cancer.","The amount of the confidential MDL 3004 settlement letter is not disclosed.","Reported ranges of individual payments in the class settlement differ between sources (from $6,000 or $10,000 to $165,000 and above); final approval is reported pending in Missouri as of October 2026.","Unconfirmed: that glyphosate was found in 80% of 112 rain samples in Argentina's Pampa region (Alonso et al., 2018).","The effect of the ruling on pending paraquat cases has not been analysed in the cited sources."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Roundup remained on sale in the latest sources; the Supreme Court ruling of June 2026 closed most state-law failure-to-warn claims, and a class settlement of up to $7.25 billion awaited final approval.","whoPaid":"Bayer's shareholders carried the settlement costs (dividend cut to the legal minimum; net loss of EUR 3.62 billion in 2025); claimants who alleged cancer lost state-law warning claims after the June 2026 ruling.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 (25 June 2026) that federal law bars state failure-to-warn claims; Bayer's class settlement of up to $7.25 billion awaited final approval in Missouri; Bayer's insurance suit against AIG was pending.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Bayer","says":"Announced settlements of up to $10.9 billion without admission of liability.","when":"24 June 2020","src":0},{"actor":"Bayer","says":"Published a release headlined as announcing that Monsanto won a landmark Roundup case at the US Supreme Court (headline taken from the release's web address).","when":"25 June 2026","src":1},{"actor":"Bayer","says":"Denied a link between a former USDA chief of staff's handling of its requests and that official's later move to Bayer.","when":"Date not stated","src":null},{"actor":"AIG","says":"Refused to cover the Roundup and PCB settlements; its grounds are not public.","when":"2024-2025","src":9},{"actor":"US Environmental Protection Agency","says":"Told Bayer it would not accept a cancer warning on the label.","when":"2026","src":null},{"actor":"Bayer","says":"Announced a class settlement of up to $7.25 billion.","when":"17 February 2026","src":2},{"actor":"Bayer and Monsanto","says":"In their complaint against AIG they described the insurers' reasons for refusing cover as \"meritless excuses and purported defenses\".","when":"December 2025","src":9},{"actor":"Bayer","says":"Said the contribution of Monsanto employees to the retracted 2000 glyphosate review was disclosed in the paper's acknowledgements.","when":"2025","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"Parent company of Monsanto; settlement payer"},{"id":"monsanto","role":"Roundup maker; defendant"},{"id":"us-supreme-court","role":"Decided Monsanto v. Durnell"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Approved the Roundup label; said it would not accept a cancer warning"},{"id":"aig","role":"Insurer that refused cover"},{"id":"modern-ag-alliance","role":"Bayer-founded lobbying group"},{"id":"iarc","role":"Classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic (2015)"},{"id":"us-right-to-know","role":"Reported the retraction"},{"id":"efsa","role":"EU food safety authority"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Supported Monsanto in Durnell"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does federal pesticide law bar state-law claims that Roundup should carry a cancer warning?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer","says":"The EPA-approved label complies with federal rules and EPA does not require a cancer warning.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"US Supreme Court","says":"Held 7-2 that FIFRA bars state-law claims that require a warning not on the EPA-approved label.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"Juries in Roundup trials","says":"A jury awarded a school groundskeeper $289.2 million in Johnson v. Monsanto (later reduced).","src":5},{"voice":"government","holder":"US Environmental Protection Agency","says":"Told Bayer it would not accept a cancer warning on the label.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"IARC","says":"Classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic in 2015.","src":null},{"voice":"government","holder":"US Department of Justice","says":"Supported Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"The New Lede","says":"The ruling limited plaintiffs' claims.","src":null}]},{"aboutNature":false,"point":"Is glyphosate carcinogenic, and what is its effect on biodiversity?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"IARC","says":"Classified glyphosate as \"probably carcinogenic\" in 2015 (Group 2A, a hazard classification).","src":11},{"voice":"government","holder":"US EPA","says":"Said glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans; a court set aside the health part of that decision in 2022 and a new assessment is expected at the end of 2026.","src":11},{"voice":"government","holder":"EFSA","says":"Found no critical area of concern; no definitive conclusion for biodiversity.","src":11}]},{"point":"Is the class settlement fair to claimants?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Objectors to the class settlement","says":"Seriously ill claimants lose under it; class counsel earn fees.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Claimants in the federal MDL","says":"After liens and fees little will remain; some lawyers put the average payout at $100,000 or less.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the 2000 glyphosate safety review independent?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"US Right to Know","says":"The review was retracted in November 2025 because Monsanto employees' authorship was not disclosed.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer","says":"The contribution was disclosed in the acknowledgements.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Johnson v. Monsanto","forum":"California courts (trial and appeal)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"A school groundskeeper","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":"Not stated","decided":"2018 verdict; reduced on appeal by 2020","status":"reduced-on-appeal","amount":{"value":20500000,"currency":"USD","label":"Award after reductions ($289.2m, then $78.5m)"},"summary":"A jury awarded $289.2 million in 2018. The award was reduced to $78.5 million, then to $20.5 million.","src":5},{"title":"Settlement of about 100,000 Roundup claims","forum":"Private settlement agreements (US)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"About 100,000 claimants","defendant":"Bayer and Monsanto","filed":"Not stated","decided":"2020-06-24","status":"settled","amount":{"value":10900000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Up to $10.9 billion"},"summary":"Bayer announced agreements to settle US Roundup cancer lawsuits with no admission of liability.","src":0},{"title":"Roundup class settlement","forum":"Missouri court (final approval pending)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"About 65,000 claimants","defendant":"Bayer and Monsanto","filed":"2026-02","decided":"Not decided","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":7250000000,"currency":"USD","label":"Up to $7.25 billion over up to 21 years"},"summary":"Bayer announced the class settlement on 17 February 2026. Final approval was pending at the time of the latest source.","src":2},{"title":"Monsanto v. Durnell","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Durnell (plaintiff in the underlying claim)","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":"Not stated","decided":"2026-06-25","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":1250000,"currency":"USD","label":"Award no longer stands"},"summary":"By 7 votes to 2 the Court held that FIFRA bars state-law claims that require a cancer warning not on the EPA-approved label, and reversed the judgment upholding a $1.25 million award.","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"AIG","insured":"Monsanto and Bayer","status":"litigation","year":2025,"amount":"More than $10 billion in Roundup settlements and more than $1.9 billion in PCB settlements by end-2024 (exposure stated in the complaint)","reason":"Grounds not public; the complaint calls them meritless excuses and purported defenses.","summary":"Bayer sued AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri, in early December 2025 over excess policies running from June 1967 to April 1986. Payment demands were sent in July 2024 (Roundup) and October 2024 (PCBs). The case was pending.","src":9}],"metrics":[{"key":"settlement","value":10900,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Bayer's June 2020 announcement for about 100,000 Roundup claims, no admission of liability."},{"key":"settlement","value":7250,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Class settlement announced 17 February 2026; payable over up to 21 years."},{"key":"claims","value":100000,"unit":"lawsuits","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"US Roundup cancer lawsuits."},{"key":"claims","value":65000,"unit":"claimants","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Covered by the 2026 class settlement."},{"key":"award","value":20.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Johnson v. Monsanto: $289.2m (2018), then $78.5m, then $20.5m."},{"key":"award_vacated","value":1.25,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"note":"Monsanto v. Durnell."},{"key":"revenue","value":1155,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Roundup herbicide sales in the third quarter of 2025."},{"key":"profit","value":-3620,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"net loss","note":"Bayer group, 2025."},{"key":"dividend","value":0.11,"unit":"EUR per share","year":null,"qualifier":"legal minimum","note":"Bayer; the year of the cut is dated to 2022 in one entry and 2024 in another."},{"key":"herbicide_resistant_weed_cases","value":548,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"275 species, June 2026; all herbicides, not glyphosate alone."},{"key":"federal_cases","value":8000,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Federal cases in MDL 3004 by July 2026, up from more than 5,800 in April 2025."},{"key":"claim","value":10000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Roundup settlements for which Bayer sought cover from AIG."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bayer and Monsanto faced about 100,000 US lawsuits alleging that Roundup caused cancer, announced settlements of up to $10.9 billion (2020) and up to $7.25 billion (2026), and won a 7-2 US Supreme Court ruling that federal pesticide law bars state-law warning claims.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bayer and Monsanto","what":"Roundup stayed on sale (herbicide sales of EUR 1.155 billion in Q3 2025); the Supreme Court ruling closed most state failure-to-warn claims","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Bayer's shareholders","what":"Dividend cut to the legal minimum; net loss of EUR 3.62 billion in 2025","src":null},{"who":"Claimants alleging cancer","what":"State-law warning claims barred by the June 2026 ruling","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"People who alleged cancer from Roundup","what":"About 100,000 lawsuits by 2020","src":0},{"who":"Amphibian embryos (laboratory finding, Argentina)","what":"Disruptions in development reported in 2009","src":8}]},"where":{"t":"United States (courts, state legislatures, EPA); also Thailand, Mexico and Argentina.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Lawsuits from before 2018; settlements June 2020 and February 2026; Supreme Court ruling 25 June 2026.","src":3},"why":{"t":"Bayer sought a uniform national label so that state-law cancer-warning claims could not proceed.","src":null},"how":{"t":"State label laws backed by the Modern Ag Alliance, then a Supreme Court ruling under FIFRA, with EPA declining to accept a cancer warning.","src":6}},"sources":[{"t":"Bayer announces agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation (figures from secondary reports)","p":"Bayer","d":"2020-06-24","type":"company","u":"https://bayer.com/media/bayer-announces-agreements-to-resolve-major-legacy-monsanto-litigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251102151228/https://www.bayer.com/media/bayer-announces-agreements-to-resolve-major-legacy-monsanto-litigation/"},{"t":"Monsanto wins landmark Roundup case at US Supreme Court (Bayer release; headline as in its web address)","p":"Bayer","d":"2026-06-25","type":"company","u":"https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/monsanto-wins-landmark-roundup-case-at-us-supreme-court/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926143657/https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/monsanto-wins-landmark-roundup-case-at-us-supreme-court/"},{"t":"Bayer press release 2026-0034e on the Roundup class settlement (title not captured)","p":"Bayer","d":"2026-02-17","type":"company","u":"https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/2026-0034e/"},{"t":"Supreme Court decides Monsanto v. Durnell","p":"Faegre Drinker","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2026/6/supreme-court-decides-monsanto-v-durnell"},{"t":"Supreme Court holds Roundup failure-to-warn claim preempted by federal law (Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, No. 24-1068)","p":"Mayer Brown","d":"2026-06-25","u":"https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2026/06/supreme-court-holds-roundup-failure-to-warn-claim-preempted-by-federal-law","type":"press"},{"t":"Bayer loses California appeal of Roundup verdict, damages reduced","p":"Business Insurance/Reuters","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/bayer-loses-california-appeal-of-bayer-monsanto-roundup-verdict-damages-reduced/"},{"t":"Bayer's effort to block Roundup lawsuits kicks into high gear","p":"Investigate Midwest","d":"2025-04-30","type":"investigative","u":"https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/04/30/bayers-effort-to-block-roundup-lawsuits-kicks-into-high-gear/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516165402/https://investigatemidwest.org/2025/04/30/bayers-effort-to-block-roundup-lawsuits-kicks-into-high-gear/"},{"t":"Landmark glyphosate safety study retracted for Monsanto ghostwriting","p":"US Right to Know","d":"2025-12-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://usrtk.org/pesticides/landmark-glyphosate-safety-study-retracted-for-monsanto-ghostwriting/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913211912/https://usrtk.org/pesticides/landmark-glyphosate-safety-study-retracted-for-monsanto-ghostwriting/"},{"t":"Report on glyphosate and amphibian embryos (title not captured)","p":"IPS","d":"2009-04-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/?p=34635"},{"t":"Bayer sues AIG insurance to help with legal bills","p":"News Tribune","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/dec/06/bayer-sues-aig-insurance-to-help-with-legal-bills/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206192239/https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/dec/06/bayer-sues-aig-insurance-to-help-with-legal-bills/"},{"t":"EU General Court judgment of 7 March 2019 on access to glyphosate studies (Ombudsman news item)","p":"European Network of Ombudsmen","d":"2019-03-07","type":"official","u":"https://eno.ombudsman.europa.eu/home/news/archives-2019/maincontent/no-252019--7-march-2019-judgment.html"},{"t":"Glyphosate (EPA ingredient page)","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/glyphosate","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011182834/https://www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/glyphosate"},{"t":"Bayer promised EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin a 'small thanks' for removing cancer warnings about Roundup, according to internal emails AOC obtained","p":"Investigate Midwest","d":"2026-04-29","u":"https://investigatemidwest.org/2026/04/29/bayer-promised-epa-administrator-lee-zeldin-a-small-thanks-for-removing-cancer-warnings-about-roundup-according-to-internal-emails-aoc-obtained/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Thailand's reversal on glyphosate ban came after Bayer scripted U.S. intervention, documents show","p":"U.S. Right to Know","d":"2020-09","u":"https://usrtk.org/pesticides/thailands-reversal-on-glyphosate-ban/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Bayer and US officials pressure Mexico to overturn glyphosate ban (reporting from The Guardian, 16 February 2021)","p":"NationofChange","d":"2021-02-18","u":"https://nationofchange.org/2021/02/18/bayer-and-us-officials-pressure-mexico-to-overturn-glyphosate-ban","type":"press"},{"t":"Glyphosate renewal rife with chemical industry influence - new findings (Weber and Burtscher-Schaden analysis of the BfR assessment)","p":"Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament","d":"2019-01-15","u":"https://greens-efa.eu/en/article/press/glyphosate-renewal-rife-with-chemical-industry-influence-new-findings","type":"official"},{"t":"Annual Report 2025","p":"Bayer AG","d":"2026-03","u":"https://www.bayer.com/sites/default/files/2026-03/bayer-annual-report-2025.pdf","type":"company"},{"t":"Durnell v. Monsanto: Pesticide Liability at the Supreme Court","p":"Oklahoma Farm Report","d":"2026-04-24","u":"https://www.oklahomafarmreport.com/2026/04/24/durnell-v-monsanto-pesticide-liability-at-the-supreme-court/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["monsanto-bayer-pcb-and-roundup-insurance-suit-v-aig","pcb-pollution-and-monsanto-anniston-settlement"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does federal pesticide law bar state-law claims that Roundup should carry a cancer warning?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is glyphosate carcinogenic, and what is its effect on biodiversity?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is the class settlement fair to claimants?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the 2000 glyphosate safety review independent?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"AIG's grounds for refusing cover are not public; Bayer's complaint calls them meritless excuses and purported defenses.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No information on insurer contributions to the Roundup settlements or on tax deductions is stated in the cited sources; the settlements were private.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Figures conflict in the cited sources: Bayer's litigation provision is given as EUR 5 billion in one entry and EUR 11.8 billion in another; the cut of Bayer's dividend to the legal minimum of EUR 0.11 is dated to 2022 in one entry and to 2024 in another.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of an EPA Inspector General inquiry and of the ATSDR review of glyphosate is recorded in contradictory ways in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bayer bought Monsanto in 2018 for about $63 billion; preliminary approval of the class settlement was given in March 2026; payments of $10,000 to $165,000 per person.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Monsanto employee's email quoting an EPA official on glyphosate, and a Monsanto email about ghostwriting.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Roundup profit figures are not published; the cited sources give no ratio between payments and gains.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Supreme Court did not decide whether glyphosate causes cancer.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The amount of the confidential MDL 3004 settlement letter is not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Reported ranges of individual payments in the class settlement differ between sources (from $6,000 or $10,000 to $165,000 and above); final approval is reported pending in Missouri as of October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that glyphosate was found in 80% of 112 rain samples in Argentina's Pampa region (Alonso et al., 2018).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the ruling on pending paraquat cases has not been analysed in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Bayer's shareholders"]},{"id":"california-v-exxonmobil-plastics-recycling","title":"California v. ExxonMobil: plastics recycling claims and the Baytown plant","dek":"ExxonMobil describes plastic waste processing at its Baytown, Texas plant as advanced recycling. In September 2024 California's attorney general sued the company, alleging that 92% of the waste processed there becomes fuel; ExxonMobil sued the attorney general for defamation.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":29.74,"lon":-94.98,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Baytown, Texas","lat":29.74,"lon":-94.98,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"San Francisco, California","lat":37.77,"lon":-122.42,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Beaumont, Texas","lat":30.08,"lon":-94.13,"role":"court"}],"start":2021,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-09-23","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Share of plastic waste processed at Baytown that becomes fuel, as alleged by California","value":"92%","note":"Allegation in the state's complaint, September 2024; not tested by a court. See the unknowns for an 8% figure also reported."},"happened":["ExxonMobil operates what it calls an advanced recycling plant at Baytown, Texas. The company says it has processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic waste since 2021 and that the output is certified under ISCC PLUS using the mass balance method. In February 2022 ExxonMobil announced its first commercial sale of certified circular polymers, to Berry Global, and said the Baytown capacity was 30,000 tonnes a year.","On 23 September 2024 California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued ExxonMobil in San Francisco Superior Court. The complaint alleges nuisance, unfair competition, water pollution and false environmental marketing, and seeks an abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties. Bonta described the plastic crisis as “fueled by the myth of recycling.” The state said that less than 5% of US plastic is recycled into new plastic.","According to the Attorney General, Exxon presented recycling as a remedy for plastic waste for about half a century. The state alleges that the Baytown facility mostly produces fuel and that the plastic produced is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin-plastic capacity.","The attorney general's office stated that 92% of the plastic waste processed at the Baytown facility becomes fuel rather than plastic, and the state alleged that the plastic produced is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin capacity. A report in Floodlight described the complaint as alleging that the output contains less than 1% recycled plastic. Floodlight also reported a 2023 study by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory that found 1–14% of pyrolysed plastic returns to plastic. ProPublica reported in August 2024 that products sold under mass balance as 20–30% recycled can physically contain less than 1% recycled content, and that the US Environmental Protection Agency rejected the method for its Safer Choice label.","In January 2025 ExxonMobil sued Bonta, four environmental groups and the Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund (IEJF) for defamation in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Beaumont. In February 2025 a federal court in the Northern District of California sent the state case back to state court. In February 2026 Judge Truncale denied Bonta's claim of immunity in the defamation case and dismissed the claims against the environmental groups, reported as for lack of jurisdiction; the claims against Bonta continue. Bonta has appealed; the status of the appeal is unknown. No ruling on the merits of the state case has been found.","A July 2025 legal review reported that 27 states classify advanced recycling by pyrolysis as manufacturing and exempt it from solid waste rules, while Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico do the opposite. A 2023 estimate cited in the sources says the 11 chemical recycling plants in the United States, even at full capacity of 460,000 tonnes, could process less than 1.3% of the country's plastic waste.","Exxon alleged that the IEJF was linked to the Minderoo Foundation, that the IEJF found plaintiffs through a law firm, and that Fortescue, a company of Minderoo's founder, competes with Exxon. The IEJF and Minderoo rejected Exxon's description of the relationship."],"timeline":[{"y":1973,"t":"A plastics-industry report finds recycling costly and sorting infeasible (industry-wide, not specific to Exxon; NPR/PBS Frontline, 2020)"},{"y":2021,"t":"ExxonMobil says it began processing plastic waste at Baytown"},{"y":2022,"t":"First commercial sale of certified circular polymers, to Berry Global, using ISCC PLUS mass balance; Baytown capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year announced (February)"},{"y":2024,"t":"ProPublica reports on mass balance and physical recycled content (August); California sues ExxonMobil in San Francisco Superior Court (23 September)"},{"y":2025,"t":"ExxonMobil sues Bonta, four environmental groups and the IEJF for defamation in the Eastern District of Texas (6 January); federal court in the Northern District of California sends the state case back to state court (February)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Judge Truncale denies Bonta's immunity claim and dismisses the environmental groups from the defamation case; Bonta appeals (February)"}],"said":[{"q":"fueled by the myth of recycling","who":"Rob Bonta, California Attorney General, on the plastic crisis","when":"September 2024","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Plastic waste processing described as “advanced recycling”, under the campaign title “advanced recycling works”","who":"ExxonMobil","src":null},{"t":"First commercial sale of “certified circular polymers” to Berry Global, certified under ISCC PLUS using mass balance; Baytown capacity of 30,000 tonnes a year","who":"ExxonMobil, February 2022","src":5},{"t":"More than 60 million pounds of plastic processed since 2021, ISCC PLUS certified using mass balance","who":"ExxonMobil, as reported by Floodlight","src":4},{"t":"Recycling presented as a remedy for plastic waste for about half a century","who":"As alleged by the California Attorney General","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The state's complaint (23 September 2024) alleges nuisance, unfair competition, water pollution and false environmental marketing and seeks an abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties","src":4},{"t":"92% of the plastic waste processed at Baytown becomes fuel, not plastic; the plastic produced is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin capacity (California Attorney General, September 2024)","src":0},{"t":"A 2023 study by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory found 1–14% of pyrolysed plastic returns to plastic (as reported by Floodlight)","src":4},{"t":"Products sold under mass balance as 20–30% recycled can physically contain less than 1% recycled content; the EPA rejected the method for its Safer Choice label (ProPublica, August 2024)","src":9},{"t":"27 states classify advanced recycling by pyrolysis as manufacturing exempt from solid waste rules; Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico do the opposite (National Law Review, July 2025)","src":6},{"t":"In February 2026 a federal judge denied Bonta's request to dismiss ExxonMobil's defamation suit on immunity grounds and dismissed the environmental groups; the case continues","src":3},{"t":"Eleven US chemical recycling plants at full capacity (460,000 tonnes) could process less than 1.3% of US plastic waste (2023 estimate)","src":10},{"t":"A 1973 plastics-industry report found recycling costly and sorting infeasible (NPR and PBS Frontline, 2020). This concerns the industry generally, not ExxonMobil specifically.","src":8},{"t":"ExxonMobil's defamation suit named Bonta, four environmental groups and the IEJF; the environmental groups were dismissed in February 2026, reported as for lack of jurisdiction.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2021–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Share of processed plastic waste becoming fuel (alleged)","v":"92%","d":"California Attorney General, September 2024"},{"k":"Pyrolysed plastic returning to plastic","v":"1–14%","d":"US National Renewable Energy Laboratory study, 2023, as reported by Floodlight"},{"k":"US plastic recycled into new plastic","v":"Less than 5%","d":"Figure stated by California in the case"},{"k":"Plastic output vs Exxon virgin capacity (alleged)","v":"< 1%","d":"California Attorney General, September 2024"}]},"unknown":["No ruling on the merits of the state case has been found.","The status of Bonta's appeal of the February 2026 defamation ruling is unknown.","The cited sources give both the 92% fuel share alleged in the complaint and an 8% figure also reported; it does not say what the 8% measures.","The less-than-1% figure is described in two ways: as the plastic produced relative to Exxon's virgin capacity (attorney general) and as the recycled content of the output (Floodlight).","The amounts of the abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties sought are not stated in the sources.","Unconfirmed: that 3 of 14 statements challenged in Exxon's defamation suit remain open to review.","Unconfirmed: a separate suit against Exxon by the Sierra Club and others (California, September 2025, nuisance claim); its current status has not been verified."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable in the sources: the lawsuit concerns the marketing and the fate of plastic waste, and Baytown processing is reported as continuing.","whoPaid":"Not established in the sources. The state seeks an abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties from ExxonMobil.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: no merits ruling found in the state case; in Exxon's defamation suit a federal judge denied the Attorney General's immunity claim in February 2026, and Bonta has appealed.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"ExxonMobil","says":"Said it has processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic since 2021 and that the output is ISCC PLUS certified using mass balance.","when":"Date: none on record","src":4},{"actor":"ExxonMobil","says":"Sued Bonta for defamation over his comments on recycling.","when":"January 2025","src":2},{"actor":"Rob Bonta, California Attorney General","says":"Has appealed the denial of his immunity claim in the defamation case.","when":"2026","src":2},{"actor":"ExxonMobil","says":"Says its \"advanced recycling\" at Baytown works, and has said that California's recycling system has failed.","when":"2024-2025","src":null},{"actor":"Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund and Minderoo Foundation","says":"Rejected Exxon's description of their relationship; the founder of Minderoo described the suit as coming from the oil and gas industry's playbook.","when":"2025","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"exxon","role":"Operator of the Baytown advanced recycling plant; defendant in the California case; claimant in the defamation suit"},{"id":"california-attorney-general","role":"Plaintiff in the California case; defendant in the defamation suit"},{"id":"berry-global","role":"Buyer of the first certified circular polymers"},{"id":"nrel","role":"Study found 1–14% of pyrolysed plastic returns to plastic"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Rejected the mass balance method for its Safer Choice label, per ProPublica"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does the Baytown facility produce recycled plastic?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"California Attorney General","says":"92% of the plastic waste processed becomes fuel, and the plastic produced is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin capacity (September 2024).","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"ExxonMobil","says":"More than 60 million pounds processed since 2021, certified under ISCC PLUS using mass balance; first sale of certified circular polymers in February 2022.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"US National Renewable Energy Laboratory","says":"A 2023 study found 1–14% of pyrolysed plastic returns to plastic (as reported by Floodlight).","src":4},{"voice":"press","holder":"ProPublica","says":"Products sold under mass balance as 20–30% recycled can physically contain less than 1% recycled content; the EPA rejected the method for Safer Choice (August 2024).","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"ExxonMobil","says":"Advanced recycling works; California's recycling system has failed.","src":null}]},{"point":"Did the attorney general's public statements defame ExxonMobil?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"ExxonMobil","says":"Sued Bonta for defamation in the Eastern District of Texas over his comments on recycling (January 2025).","src":2},{"voice":"court","holder":"Judge Truncale, US District Court, Eastern District of Texas","says":"Denied Bonta's immunity claim and dismissed the environmental groups (February 2026).","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"Rob Bonta, California Attorney General","says":"Has appealed; the status of the appeal is unknown.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"IEJF and Minderoo Foundation","says":"Rejected Exxon's description of their relationship.","src":null}]},{"point":"Is pyrolysis of plastic waste manufacturing or waste management?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"27 US states","says":"Classify advanced recycling by pyrolysis as manufacturing, exempt from solid waste rules.","src":6},{"voice":"government","holder":"Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico","says":"Treat it the other way (National Law Review, July 2025).","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"People of the State of California v. ExxonMobil (plastics recyclability)","forum":"San Francisco Superior Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of California (Attorney General Rob Bonta)","defendant":"ExxonMobil","filed":"2024-09-23","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The complaint alleges nuisance, unfair competition, water pollution and false environmental marketing, and seeks an abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties. A federal court in the Northern District of California sent the case back to state court in February 2025. No ruling on the merits has been found.","src":1},{"title":"ExxonMobil v. Bonta (defamation over recycling comments)","forum":"US District Court, Eastern District of Texas (Beaumont)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"ExxonMobil","defendant":"Rob Bonta, California Attorney General; four environmental groups and the Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund (the environmental groups were dismissed in February 2026)","filed":"2025-01-06","decided":"2026-02 (partial)","status":"ongoing","summary":"In February 2026 Judge Truncale denied Bonta's immunity claim and dismissed the environmental groups; the case continues and Bonta has appealed. The status of the appeal is unknown. No damages amount has been disclosed.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fuel_share_pct","value":92,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"alleged","note":"Share of plastic waste processed at Baytown that becomes fuel, per the state's complaint."},{"key":"capacity_tonnes_per_year","value":30000,"unit":"t/yr","year":2022,"note":"Baytown capacity announced by ExxonMobil."},{"key":"plastic_processed_lb","value":60000000,"unit":"lb","year":2025,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Processed since 2021, per ExxonMobil as reported by Floodlight."},{"key":"nrel_return_to_plastic_pct","value":14,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"1–14%","note":"Share of pyrolysed plastic returning to plastic in a 2023 NREL study, as reported by Floodlight."},{"key":"recycled_content_mass_balance_pct","value":1,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"less than","note":"Physical recycled content that products sold under mass balance as 20–30% recycled can contain (ProPublica)."},{"key":"us_plastic_recycled_into_plastic_pct","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"less than","note":"Figure stated by California in the case."},{"key":"us_chemical_recycling_plants","value":11,"unit":"plants","year":2023,"note":"Combined full capacity 460,000 t, less than 1.3% of US plastic waste."},{"key":"states_exempting_pyrolysis","value":27,"unit":"states","year":2025,"note":"States classifying advanced recycling as manufacturing."},{"key":"plastic_output_share_of_virgin_capacity","value":1,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"less than","note":"Plastic produced by the Baytown process relative to Exxon's virgin capacity, as alleged by the Attorney General."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"California's attorney general sued ExxonMobil alleging that its advanced recycling claims are deceptive, including that 92% of plastic waste processed at Baytown becomes fuel.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Made the first commercial sale of certified circular polymers, to Berry Global, in February 2022 and says it has processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic since 2021.","src":5}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The public, as alleged by California","what":"The complaint alleges nuisance and water pollution from plastic waste and false environmental marketing.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"The Baytown plant is in Texas; the state case is in San Francisco Superior Court and the defamation case in Beaumont, Texas.","src":4},"when":{"t":"The state sued on 23 September 2024; ExxonMobil sued for defamation in January 2025; the defamation ruling was in February 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"California alleges that advanced recycling claims and the recyclability of plastic mislead the public; ExxonMobil says its output is certified using mass balance.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The state seeks an abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties; ExxonMobil countersued the attorney general.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"Attorney General Bonta Sues ExxonMobil for Deceiving the Public on Recyclability of Plastic Products","p":"California Office of the Attorney General","d":"2024-09","type":"official","u":"https://oag.ca.gov/node/592242","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922030838/https://oag.ca.gov/node/592242"},{"t":"California sues ExxonMobil over plastic recycling deception","p":"NBC News","d":"2024-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/california-sues-exxonmobil-plastic-recycling-deception-rcna172267","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260723100857/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/california-sues-exxonmobil-plastic-recycling-deception-rcna172267"},{"t":"Exxon can sue California's AG for defamation over recycling comments, judge rules","p":"Fortune","d":"2026-02-26","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2026/02/26/exxon-can-sue-californias-ag-for-defamation-over-recycling-comments-judge-rules/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511025435/https://fortune.com/2026/02/26/exxon-can-sue-californias-ag-for-defamation-over-recycling-comments-judge-rules/"},{"t":"Judge says Exxon Mobil can sue California AG for defamation over recycling","p":"Insurance Journal","d":"2026-02-18","type":"press","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/02/18/858321.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307080345/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/02/18/858321.htm"},{"t":"ExxonMobil sues, doubling down on advanced plastics recycling","p":"Floodlight","d":"undated","type":"investigative","u":"https://floodlightnews.org/exxonmobil-sues-doubling-down-on-advanced-plastics-recycling/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260118234331/https://floodlightnews.org/exxonmobil-sues-doubling-down-on-advanced-plastics-recycling/"},{"t":"ExxonMobil makes first commercial sale of certified circular polymers","p":"ExxonMobil","d":"2022-02-24","type":"company","u":"https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/newsroom/news-releases/2022/0224_exxonmobil-makes-first-commercial-sale-of-certified-circular-polymers","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230225164814/https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/newsroom/news-releases/2022/0224_exxonmobil-makes-first-commercial-sale-of-certified-circular-polymers"},{"t":"Regulation of advanced recycling is at a crossroad","p":"National Law Review","d":"2025-07","type":"press","u":"https://natlawreview.com/article/regulation-advanced-recycling-crossroad","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612213543/https://natlawreview.com/article/regulation-advanced-recycling-crossroad"},{"t":"Attorney General Bonta Sues ExxonMobil for Deceiving the Public on Recyclability of Plastic Products (via Santa Barbara Independent, Attorney General's press release)","p":"Santa Barbara Independent","d":"2024-09-23","type":"press","u":"https://www.independent.com/2024/09/23/attorney-general-bonta-sues-exxonmobil-for-deceiving-the-public-on-recyclability-of-plastic-products/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313115405/https://www.independent.com/2024/09/23/attorney-general-bonta-sues-exxonmobil-for-deceiving-the-public-on-recyclability-of-plastic-products/"},{"t":"Plastic Wars (NPR and PBS Frontline investigation)","p":"NPR","d":"2020-09-11","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018160747/https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled"},{"t":"Biden EPA Rejects Plastics Industry's Fuzzy Math That Misleads Customers About Recycled Content","p":"ProPublica","d":"2024-08-29","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-rejects-mass-balance-plastics-recycling-safer-choice","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Petrochemical Companies are Pushing Chemical Recycling (fact sheet on the October 2023 report 'Chemical Recycling: A Dangerous Deception')","p":"Beyond Plastics","d":"2023-10","u":"https://beyondplastics.org/fact-sheets/chemical-recycling","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does the Baytown facility produce recycled plastic?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the attorney general's public statements defame ExxonMobil?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is pyrolysis of plastic waste manufacturing or waste management?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling on the merits of the state case has been found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The status of Bonta's appeal of the February 2026 defamation ruling is unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give both the 92% fuel share alleged in the complaint and an 8% figure also reported; it does not say what the 8% measures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The less-than-1% figure is described in two ways: as the plastic produced relative to Exxon's virgin capacity (attorney general) and as the recycled content of the output (Floodlight).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amounts of the abatement fund, disgorgement and penalties sought are not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that 3 of 14 statements challenged in Exxon's defamation suit remain open to review.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a separate suit against Exxon by the Sierra Club and others (California, September 2025, nuisance claim); its current status has not been verified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-plastics-recycling-symbol-and-resin-codes","title":"Plastic recycling symbol, resin codes and “advanced recycling” claims (United States)","dek":"In 1988 the US plastics industry's trade association placed numbered resin codes inside the recycling arrows, and about 40 states required the marking. In 2024 California sued ExxonMobil over its claims about “advanced recycling”; the company disputes the claims and has sued the state's attorney general.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":29.7355,"lon":-94.9774,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":29.7355,"lon":-94.9774,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":37.7749,"lon":-122.4194,"role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","role":"court"}],"start":1970,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-09-23","instrument":"plastics","types":["plastics","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Share of US post-consumer plastic recycled, 2021","value":"5–6%","note":"Estimate by Beyond Plastics. The US EPA figure for 2018 was 8.7%, a year in which exports were counted as recycled."},"happened":["The three-arrow recycling symbol was designed in 1970 by a student, Gary Anderson, for a contest run by a paperboard packaging manufacturer, and the symbol entered the public domain and a trademark application was abandoned. In 1988 the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI, now the Plastics Industry Association) placed resin identification codes numbered 1 to 7 inside the arrows (a resin code shows which polymer a plastic is made of). About 40 US states made the code mandatory. SPI said it developed the codes under legislative pressure and that the numbers did not indicate recyclability.","In September 2020 NPR and PBS Frontline published an investigation, “Plastic Wars”, based on industry documents. NPR reported that a 1973 industry report found recycling costly and difficult and sorting impractical, and that a document a year later expressed serious doubt about its economic viability. It also reported that from 1989 the industry lobbied about 40 states to require the arrow symbol and ran an advertising campaign costing $50 million a year. Lew Freeman, a former SPI executive, said there was never enthusiastic belief that recycling would work; Larry Thomas, SPI's president, described the strategy as letting the public believe recycling worked, which reduced concern and removed pressure on the industry.","In February 2024 a report by the group CCI, covered by Grist, cited a 1986 Vinyl Institute document that said recycling could not be a permanent solution and would only postpone the disposal of a product. Measured rates stayed low: the US EPA put the post-consumer plastic recycling rate at 8.7% for 2018, and Beyond Plastics estimated 5–6% for 2021 after the exports that had been counted as recycled fell from 1.84 million tonnes (2017) to 0.61 million tonnes (2021). The OECD reported that of 353 million tonnes of plastic waste generated worldwide in 2019, 9% was recycled. California's SB 343, passed in 2021, limited use of the arrows.","On 23 September 2024 California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued ExxonMobil in San Francisco. The complaint alleges that the company had for about half a century presented recycling as a solution to plastic waste, that 92% of the plastic processed at its Baytown “advanced recycling” facility becomes fuel, and that the plastic returned is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin plastic capacity. The state seeks an abatement fund, return of unjust gains and penalties. Exxon says it has processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic at the facility since 2021 and that its output is ISCC PLUS certified using mass balance accounting.","On 6 January 2025 Exxon sued Bonta and four organisations for defamation in Texas. On 18 February 2026 a federal judge rejected Bonta's immunity objection, dropped the claims against the environmental organisations and left three of 14 statements for examination. The cited sources show no ruling on the merits of the California case."],"timeline":[{"y":1953,"t":"Keep America Beautiful founded by a can manufacturer and a glass-bottle manufacturer"},{"y":1970,"t":"Student Gary Anderson designs the three-arrow symbol for a paperboard packaging company's contest"},{"y":1971,"t":"Keep America Beautiful's “Crying Indian” advertisement runs on Earth Day"},{"y":1973,"t":"Industry report finds recycling costly and difficult; a 1974 document doubts its economic viability"},{"y":1986,"t":"Vinyl Institute document says recycling cannot be a permanent solution"},{"y":1988,"t":"SPI places resin codes 1–7 inside the recycling arrows; about 40 states later require the code"},{"y":1989,"t":"Industry begins lobbying about 40 states to require the arrow symbol and runs a $50m-a-year advertising campaign (NPR/Frontline)"},{"y":2018,"t":"US EPA figure for plastic recycling: 8.7%, with exports counted as recycled"},{"y":2019,"t":"OECD: 353 million tonnes of plastic waste worldwide, 9% recycled"},{"y":2020,"t":"NPR and PBS Frontline publish “Plastic Wars” (September)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Beyond Plastics estimates US plastic recycling at 5–6%"},{"y":2021,"t":"California SB 343 limits use of the arrows"},{"y":2024,"t":"CCI report on the 1986 document (February); California sues ExxonMobil (23 September)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Exxon sues California's attorney general for defamation (6 January)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Federal judge rejects the attorney general's immunity objection and drops claims against the organisations (February)"}],"said":[{"q":"advanced recycling works","who":"ExxonMobil, on its Baytown “advanced recycling” facility","when":"Date: none on record","src":13}],"shown":[{"t":"A 1971 Earth Day advertisement showed a man in Native American dress crying at a polluted landscape; its slogan said people start pollution and people can stop it.","who":"Keep America Beautiful","src":null},{"t":"Numbered resin codes 1–7 placed inside the three-arrow recycling symbol on plastic products.","who":"Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI)","src":null},{"t":"“Advanced recycling” at the Baytown facility, sold with ISCC PLUS certification using mass balance accounting.","who":"ExxonMobil","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"A 1973 industry report found recycling costly and difficult and sorting impractical; a document a year later expressed serious doubt about its economic viability (NPR/Frontline).","src":0},{"t":"A 1986 Vinyl Institute document said recycling could not be a permanent solution and would only postpone disposal (CCI report, via Grist).","src":1},{"t":"NPR/Frontline reported that from 1989 the industry lobbied about 40 states to require the arrow symbol and ran an advertising campaign costing $50 million a year.","src":0},{"t":"SPI said it developed the resin codes under legislative pressure and that the numbers did not indicate recyclability; about 40 states required the code.","src":9},{"t":"US plastic recycling rate: 8.7% in 2018 (EPA, exports counted as recycled); 5–6% in 2021 (Beyond Plastics estimate) after counted exports fell from 1.84 to 0.61 million tonnes.","src":4},{"t":"The State's complaint alleges that 92% of plastic processed at Baytown becomes fuel and that the plastic returned is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin capacity; it cites a US recycling rate of about 5%.","src":2},{"t":"27 US states classify pyrolysis (“advanced recycling”) as manufacturing, which exempts it from solid waste rules; Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico do the opposite.","src":5},{"t":"ProPublica (August 2024) reported that products sold as 20–30% recycled under mass balance accounting can physically contain less than 1% recycled content, and that the EPA rejected the method for its Safer Choice label.","src":12},{"t":"Keep America Beautiful was founded in December 1953 by a can manufacturer (American Can) and a glass-bottle manufacturer (Owens-Illinois); Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later and the founders did not announce their membership.","src":7},{"t":"According to historian Finis Dunaway, Keep America Beautiful executives opposed deposit laws and called their supporters communists; the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club left its advisory board.","src":7},{"t":"Keep America Beautiful's own 2020 study found about twice as much beverage-container litter in states without deposit systems.","src":8},{"t":"Lew Freeman, a former SPI executive, said the industry never believed enthusiastically that recycling would work; Larry Thomas, SPI's president, described the strategy as easing public concern so pressure on the industry would lift.","src":9},{"t":"Promotion of recycling in the 1980s to 2000 cost tens of millions of dollars.","src":9},{"t":"OECD, 2019: 353 million tonnes of plastic waste worldwide; 9% recycled, 19% incinerated, about 50% landfilled, 22% mismanaged.","src":10},{"t":"California's SB 343 (2021) limited use of the arrows.","src":11},{"t":"On 18 February 2026 a federal judge in Texas rejected the attorney general's immunity objection, dismissed claims against environmental groups and left 3 of 14 statements to be examined.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"US plastic recycling rate","v":"8.7% (2018) → 5–6% (2021)","d":"EPA figure counted exports as recycled; Beyond Plastics estimate for 2021"},{"k":"Plastic waste recycled worldwide","v":"9%","d":"Of 353 million tonnes generated in 2019 (OECD); 19% incinerated, about 50% landfilled, 22% mismanaged"},{"k":"Baytown “advanced recycling” input converted to fuel","v":"92% (alleged)","d":"State of California complaint, 2024; Exxon disputes the claims"}]},"unknown":["No ruling on the merits of California's case against ExxonMobil has been reported.","Reported figures differ on the share of processed plastic converted to fuel: the State's complaint says 92%; an 8% figure is also reported, and its basis was not established.","Unconfirmed: a US EPA statement that plastics numbered 3–7 had no market to be sold into.","Unconfirmed: that Keep America Beautiful's funders included PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and WM (from SourceWatch and The Intercept, sources that favour deposit laws).","Unconfirmed: that in 1994 industry and a body referred to as the NRC acknowledged consumers misunderstood the arrows; that the US EPA wrote to the FTC; and that the standards body ASTM International changed the arrows to a triangle.","The US recycling rate is given as under 9% for 2018 (the EPA figure is 8.7%, with exports counted as recycled) and as about 5% for 2021; the measures differ and the cited sources do not reconcile them."],"evidence":["court-pending"],"harmStopped":"No. The California case is pending, no penalty has been imposed, and the cited sources show production and sales of “advanced recycling” product continuing. California SB 343 limited use of the arrows in 2021; the cited sources do not report that labelling with the codes stopped.","whoPaid":"No court has ordered payment. California seeks an abatement fund, return of unjust gains and penalties from ExxonMobil.","statusLine":"As of February 2026: no ruling on the merits of California v. ExxonMobil; a federal judge let part of Exxon's defamation suit against the California Attorney General proceed.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"exxon","says":"Says it has processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic at Baytown since 2021 and that its output is ISCC PLUS certified using mass balance accounting.","when":"date not given","src":null},{"actor":"exxon","says":"Sued California Attorney General Rob Bonta and four organisations for defamation over comments on recycling.","when":"2025-01-06","src":3},{"actor":"spi","says":"Said it developed the resin codes under legislative pressure and that the numbers did not indicate recyclability.","when":"date not given","src":9}],"actors":[{"id":"spi","role":"Trade association; placed resin codes in the recycling arrows (1988)"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Defendant in California's suit; operator of the Baytown facility; claimant in the defamation suit"},{"id":"california-attorney-general","role":"Plaintiff (State of California); defendant in Exxon's defamation suit"},{"id":"keep-america-beautiful","role":"Anti-litter organisation founded in 1953 by packaging manufacturers"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did the plastics industry know recycling would not work at scale while promoting the recycling symbol?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"NPR and PBS Frontline","says":"A 1973 industry report found recycling costly and difficult and a 1974 document doubted its economic viability; from 1989 the industry lobbied about 40 states for the arrow symbol and ran a $50 million-a-year advertising campaign.","src":0},{"voice":"press","holder":"Grist, reporting a CCI report","says":"A 1986 Vinyl Institute document said recycling could not be a permanent solution and would only postpone disposal.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI)","says":"Said it developed the resin codes under legislative pressure and that the numbers did not indicate recyclability.","src":9}]},{"point":"Who drove the state laws requiring the code in the arrows?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"NPR and PBS Frontline","says":"The industry lobbied about 40 states from 1989 to require the arrow symbol.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI)","says":"Developed the codes under legislative pressure; about 40 states required them.","src":9}]},{"point":"Does ExxonMobil's Baytown “advanced recycling” return plastic?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"California Attorney General","says":"92% of the plastic processed at Baytown becomes fuel; the plastic returned is less than 1% of Exxon's virgin capacity.","src":2},{"voice":"company","holder":"ExxonMobil","says":"More than 60 million pounds processed since 2021; output ISCC PLUS certified using mass balance accounting.","src":null},{"voice":"company","holder":"ExxonMobil","says":"Sued the Attorney General for defamation over his recycling comments.","src":3},{"voice":"court","holder":"US federal court, Texas","says":"February 2026: rejected the Attorney General's immunity objection, dropped the claims against the environmental organisations and left 3 of 14 statements for examination.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"State of California v. ExxonMobil (recyclability of plastic)","forum":"California state court, San Francisco","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"State of California (Attorney General Rob Bonta)","defendant":"ExxonMobil","filed":"2024-09-23","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The complaint alleges that ExxonMobil presented recycling as a solution to plastic waste for about half a century, that 92% of the plastic processed at its Baytown “advanced recycling” facility becomes fuel, and that the plastic returned is less than 1% of its virgin capacity. The state seeks an abatement fund, return of unjust gains and penalties. No ruling on the merits was found.","src":2},{"title":"ExxonMobil v. Bonta and four organisations (defamation)","forum":"US federal court, Texas","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"ExxonMobil","defendant":"California Attorney General Rob Bonta and four organisations","filed":"2025-01-06","decided":"2026-02-18","status":"ongoing","summary":"Exxon sued over comments on recycling. On 18 February 2026 the judge rejected the Attorney General's immunity objection, dropped the claims against the environmental organisations and left 3 of 14 statements for examination. The suit continues.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"recycling_rate_us","value":8.7,"unit":"%","year":2018,"qualifier":"US EPA figure","note":"Post-consumer plastic; exports counted as recycled."},{"key":"recycling_rate_us","value":5.5,"unit":"%","year":2021,"qualifier":"estimate, range 5–6","note":"Beyond Plastics estimate; counted exports fell from 1.84 million tonnes (2017) to 0.61 million tonnes (2021)."},{"key":"plastic_waste_global_tonnes","value":353000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"note":"OECD: 9% recycled, 19% incinerated, about 50% landfilled, 22% mismanaged."},{"key":"recycled_share_global","value":9,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"OECD."},{"key":"pyrolysis_input_to_fuel","value":92,"unit":"%","year":2024,"qualifier":"alleged in the State's complaint","note":"Share of plastic processed at Baytown that becomes fuel; Exxon disputes the claims."},{"key":"states_pyrolysis_as_manufacturing","value":27,"unit":"states","year":2025,"note":"States classifying pyrolysis as manufacturing rather than solid waste treatment."},{"key":"states_requiring_resin_code","value":40,"unit":"states","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"States that required the resin code, 1990s–2021."},{"key":"industry_ad_spend","value":50,"unit":"USD m per year","year":1989,"qualifier":"as reported by NPR/Frontline","note":"Advertising campaign run by the industry from 1989."},{"key":"plastic_processed_lb","value":60000000,"unit":"lb","qualifier":"more than; Exxon statement","note":"Processed at Baytown since 2021, according to Exxon."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"California alleges that ExxonMobil misled the public about the recyclability of plastic. The case follows decades in which the three-arrow symbol and resin codes appeared on plastic packaging while the US recycling rate stayed low (8.7% in 2018, an estimated 5–6% in 2021).","src":4},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) and member producers","what":"Placed resin codes in the recycling arrows in 1988; about 40 states required the code.","src":null},{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Markets plastic from its Baytown “advanced recycling” facility with ISCC PLUS certification; the State alleges 92% of the input becomes fuel.","src":2},{"who":"Packaging and beverage manufacturers (American Can, Owens-Illinois, later Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup)","what":"Founded and joined Keep America Beautiful, whose executives opposed deposit laws, according to historian Finis Dunaway.","src":7}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Environment (global figure, not specific to this case)","what":"Of 353 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2019, 9% was recycled and 22% was mismanaged (OECD).","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States: Baytown, Texas (facility); San Francisco, California (State's suit); Texas federal court (defamation suit).","src":2},"when":{"t":"1970 (symbol) and 1988 (resin codes) to 2026; suit filed 23 September 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Two accounts are in the cited sources. NPR and Frontline reported that SPI officials described the strategy as letting the public believe recycling worked, which reduced pressure on the industry; SPI said it developed the codes under legislative pressure and that the numbers did not indicate recyclability.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A recycling symbol, resin codes required by about 40 states, advertising, and, in the State's account, an “advanced recycling” process certified by mass balance accounting while most of its input becomes fuel.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled","p":"NPR (via Vermont Public)","d":"2020-09-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.vermontpublic.org/vpr-news/2020-09-11/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214110502/https://www.vermontpublic.org/vpr-news/2020-09-11/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled"},{"t":"Petrochemical companies have known for 40 years that plastics recycling wouldn't work","p":"Grist (reporting a CCI report)","d":"2024-02","type":"press","u":"https://grist.org/accountability/petrochemical-companies-have-known-for-40-years-that-plastics-recycling-wouldnt-work/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260429070342/https://grist.org/accountability/petrochemical-companies-have-known-for-40-years-that-plastics-recycling-wouldnt-work/"},{"t":"Attorney General Bonta Sues ExxonMobil for Deceiving the Public on Recyclability of Plastic Products","p":"California Office of the Attorney General","d":"2024-09","type":"official","u":"https://oag.ca.gov/node/592242","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922030838/https://oag.ca.gov/node/592242"},{"t":"Exxon can sue California's AG for defamation over recycling comments, judge rules","p":"Fortune","d":"2026-02-26","type":"press","u":"https://fortune.com/2026/02/26/exxon-can-sue-californias-ag-for-defamation-over-recycling-comments-judge-rules/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511025435/https://fortune.com/2026/02/26/exxon-can-sue-californias-ag-for-defamation-over-recycling-comments-judge-rules/"},{"t":"U.S. Plastic Recycling Rate Drops to Close to 5%","p":"Beyond Plastics","d":"2022-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.beyondplastics.org/news-stories/us-plastic-recycling-rate-drops-to-close-to-5-report","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251110170443/https://www.beyondplastics.org/news-stories/us-plastic-recycling-rate-drops-to-close-to-5-report"},{"t":"Regulation of Advanced Recycling Is at a Crossroad","p":"National Law Review","d":"2025-07","type":"press","u":"https://natlawreview.com/article/regulation-advanced-recycling-crossroad","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612213543/https://natlawreview.com/article/regulation-advanced-recycling-crossroad"},{"t":"Keep America Beautiful Is Founded","p":"EBSCO Research Starters","d":"","type":"academic","u":"https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/keep-america-beautiful-founded","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711112927/https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/keep-america-beautiful-founded"},{"t":"The Crying Indian ad that fooled the environmental movement","p":"Finis Dunaway (via whatitmeanstobeamerican.org)","d":"2017","type":"academic","u":"https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120065315/https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/"},{"t":"Resource Recycling article cited for Keep America Beautiful's 2020 litter study (title not recorded)","p":"Resource Recycling","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://resource-recycling.com/?p=17051"},{"t":"Plastic Wars","p":"NPR and PBS Frontline","d":"2020","type":"investigative","u":null},{"t":"OECD global plastics accounting","p":"OECD","d":"2019","type":"official","voice":"international","u":null},{"t":"California SB 343 and US plastic recycling rate","p":"State of California","d":"2021","type":"official","u":null},{"t":"EPA rejects mass balance plastics recycling for its Safer Choice label","p":"ProPublica","d":"2024-08-29","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/epa-rejects-mass-balance-plastics-recycling-safer-choice","type":"investigative"},{"t":"ExxonMobil plastics recycling (pyrolysis) and the California lawsuit","p":"ProPublica","d":"2024-09-27","u":"https://www.propublica.org/article/exxonmobil-plastics-recycling-pyrolysis-lawsuit-california","type":"investigative"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"recycling-claim","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"Of 353 million tonnes of plastic waste generated on me in 2019, 9% was recycled, the OECD reported; in the United States, Beyond Plastics estimated 5–6% for 2021.","src":[10,4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the plastics industry know recycling would not work at scale while promoting the recycling symbol?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who drove the state laws requiring the code in the arrows?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does ExxonMobil's Baytown “advanced recycling” return plastic?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling on the merits of California's case against ExxonMobil has been reported.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Reported figures differ on the share of processed plastic converted to fuel: the State's complaint says 92%; an 8% figure is also reported, and its basis was not established.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a US EPA statement that plastics numbered 3–7 had no market to be sold into.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Keep America Beautiful's funders included PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and WM (from SourceWatch and The Intercept, sources that favour deposit laws).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in 1994 industry and a body referred to as the NRC acknowledged consumers misunderstood the arrows; that the US EPA wrote to the FTC; and that the standards body ASTM International changed the arrows to a triangle.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The US recycling rate is given as under 9% for 2018 (the EPA figure is 8.7%, with exports counted as recycled) and as about 5% for 2021; the measures differ and the cited sources do not reconcile them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) and member producers","No source link — Who harmed: Environment (global figure, not specific to this case)"]},{"id":"alberta-orphan-wells-and-closure-liabilities","title":"Alberta orphan wells, closure liabilities and the Redwater ruling","dek":"In Alberta, security held against oil-sands mine closure costs was recorded at $1.46 billion against $28.35 billion of liabilities, an internal 2018 regulator estimate put oil and gas closure liabilities at C$260 billion against a disclosed C$58 billion, and the inventory of wells left without a solvent owner reached 7,302 by July 2026. In 2019 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Redwater that a bankrupt company's closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":54.5,"lon":-115,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":54.5,"lon":-115,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","role":"court"}],"start":2002,"end":null,"instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift"],"headline":{"label":"Mine security held vs recorded mine liabilities, 30 June 2018","value":"$1.46bn vs $28.35bn","note":"Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019. Currency beside these figures: none on record. An internal 2018 AER estimate of C$260bn against a disclosed C$58bn was reported by Global News and withdrawn by the regulator."},"happened":["The record covers the money set aside to close and clean up oil and gas wells and mines in Alberta, Canada, and who pays when an operator cannot. It describes two different designs. For mines, security is collected in advance. For wells left without a solvent owner, the industry contributes afterwards through a levy. The institutions named are the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) and the Orphan Well Association (OWA), which the record dates to 2002. An orphan well is a well left unclosed because its owner went bankrupt.","In a report dated November 2019, the Auditor General of Alberta recorded mine security of $1.46 billion against liabilities of $28.35 billion, as at 30 June 2018.","An internal 2018 presentation by an AER executive calculated closure liabilities for oil, gas, oil sands and pipelines at C$260 billion: C$130 billion for mining, C$100 billion for wells and C$30 billion for pipelines. The figure disclosed publicly was C$58 billion, and the security held was C$1.6 billion. Global News reported the documents on 1 November 2018. The regulator withdrew the internal figure, describing it as a worst-case scenario. A further figure, the regulator's deemed oil and gas liability, was recorded at $36 billion in July 2024.","In 2019 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled by 5 votes to 2 in the Redwater matter that a bankrupt oil company's closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors, on the basis that the regulator is treated as carrying out a public duty rather than as a creditor. A law-firm client update of 6 March 2019 summarised the ruling as holding that bankrupt companies cannot walk away from their environmental liabilities. The cited sources state that the gap in security continued after the ruling.","The Orphan Well Association's inventory rose from 1,719 to 3,388 wells in 2024/25, of which about 1,800 came from Sequoia, and reached 7,302 wells by July 2026, including 2,980 from Long Run Exploration. The industry levy that funds the association was $144 million in 2025/26 and $154.6 million in 2026/27. Provincial and federal loans of $330 million are repayable to 2035. The estimated cleanup cost of the inventory moved from $650–700 million in 2021 to $1.66 billion in July 2026.","In 2020 the sources list federal funding of $1.72 billion, of which Alberta's $1 billion Site Rehabilitation Program could not be used for the Orphan Well Association's inventory. CTV News reported that the program paid C$864 million to 560 contractors, that more than half of it went to large companies able to pay, and that an Alberta senator said not a single orphan well had been cleaned up."],"timeline":[{"y":2002,"t":"Orphan Well Association dated to this year in the cited sources"},{"y":2018,"t":"Mine security of $1.46bn recorded against $28.35bn of liabilities (30 June); an AER executive's internal presentation calculates C$260bn of closure liabilities against a disclosed C$58bn (reported by Global News on 1 November)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Auditor General of Alberta report on AER land disturbances from mining (November)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Supreme Court of Canada rules 5–2 in Redwater: closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors"},{"y":2020,"t":"Federal funding of $1.72bn recorded, including Alberta's $1bn Site Rehabilitation Program"},{"y":2021,"t":"Estimated orphan-well cleanup cost of $650–700 million"},{"y":2022,"t":"CTV News reports an Alberta senator questioning Site Rehabilitation Program spending"},{"y":2024,"t":"Regulator's deemed oil and gas liability recorded at $36bn (July); Orphan Well Association inventory rises to 3,388 wells in 2024/25"},{"y":2026,"t":"Inventory reaches 7,302 wells and the estimated cleanup cost $1.66bn (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"The Site Rehabilitation Program was presented as economic recovery combined with the cleanup of abandoned wells.","who":"Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program, as described in the CTV News report","src":2}],"recorded":[{"t":"Mine security of $1.46bn against liabilities of $28.35bn at 30 June 2018.","src":0},{"t":"Orphan Well Association inventory: 3,388 wells in 2024/25 (up from 1,719, about 1,800 of them from Sequoia); 7,302 wells by July 2026 (2,980 from Long Run Exploration).","src":1},{"t":"Industry levy of $144 million in 2025/26 and $154.6 million in 2026/27; $330 million in provincial and federal loans repayable to 2035.","src":1},{"t":"Estimated cleanup cost of $650–700 million in 2021 and $1.66 billion in July 2026.","src":1},{"t":"Of federal funding of $1.72 billion (2020), Alberta's $1 billion Site Rehabilitation Program could not be used for the Orphan Well Association's inventory.","src":1},{"t":"The Site Rehabilitation Program paid C$864 million to 560 contractors; more than half of it went to large companies able to pay; an Alberta senator said not a single orphan well had been cleaned up.","src":2},{"t":"An AER executive's 2018 internal presentation calculated closure liabilities of C$260 billion (C$130 billion mining, C$100 billion wells, C$30 billion pipelines); the disclosed figure was C$58 billion and the security held C$1.6 billion.","src":3},{"t":"Regulator's deemed oil and gas liability: $36 billion (July 2024).","src":5},{"t":"The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 5–2 in 2019 that a bankrupt oil company's closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Mine security vs liabilities","v":"$1.46bn vs $28.35bn","d":"30 June 2018; Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019"},{"k":"Orphan-well inventory","v":"7,302 wells","d":"By July 2026; 3,388 in 2024/25"},{"k":"Estimated cleanup cost of the inventory","v":"$1.66bn","d":"July 2026; $650–700 million in 2021"},{"k":"Orphan wells cleaned under the Site Rehabilitation Program","v":"None, per a senator","d":"Statement by an Alberta senator as reported by CTV News"},{"k":"Security held vs disclosed liability","v":"C$1.6bn vs C$58bn","d":"2018; internal estimate of C$260bn was withdrawn"}]},"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the current total of security the regulator holds for oil and gas.","No court case is documented in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not state the currency beside the dollar figures from the Auditor General's report and the Orphan Well Association inventory.","The size of the closure liabilities: the internal estimate (C$260 billion) and the disclosed figure (C$58 billion) conflict, and the regulator withdrew the former as a worst-case scenario.","The cited sources state that the security gap continued after the Redwater ruling but give no later security figure."],"evidence":["no-court","court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"No. The orphan-well inventory was still growing, at 7,302 wells by July 2026, and the cited sources state the security gap continued after the 2019 ruling.","whoPaid":"Orphan-well cleanup is funded after the fact by an industry levy ($144 million in 2025/26) and by $330 million in provincial and federal loans repayable to 2035; mine security is collected in advance but was recorded at $1.46 billion against $28.35 billion of liabilities.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: the Orphan Well Association's inventory stood at 7,302 wells, with an estimated cleanup cost of $1.66 billion; the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2019 (Redwater) that closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors.","updated":null,"responses":[{"actor":"Alberta Energy Regulator","says":"Withdrew the internal C$260 billion estimate, describing it as a worst-case scenario.","when":"2018","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"alberta-energy-regulator","role":"Regulator of oil, gas and mining closure obligations"},{"id":"orphan-well-association","role":"Body that cleans up wells left without a solvent owner"},{"id":"auditor-general-of-alberta","role":"Audited mine security against liabilities (November 2019)"},{"id":"government-of-alberta","role":"Funder of the Site Rehabilitation Program"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Source of federal funding (2020) and loans"},{"id":"supreme-court-of-canada","role":"Court that decided the Redwater matter"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large are Alberta's closure liabilities?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Global News (reporting the internal documents)","says":"An executive's 2018 internal presentation estimated closure liabilities at C$260 billion; the disclosed figure was C$58 billion and security held was C$1.6 billion.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Alberta Energy Regulator","says":"Withdrew the internal estimate, describing it as a worst-case scenario; the publicly disclosed figure was C$58 billion.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"Auditor General of Alberta","says":"Recorded mine security of $1.46 billion against mine liabilities of $28.35 billion at 30 June 2018.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did the Site Rehabilitation Program clean up orphan wells?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Alberta Site Rehabilitation Program","says":"Presented as economic recovery combined with the cleanup of abandoned wells.","src":2},{"voice":"government","holder":"An Alberta senator, as reported by CTV News","says":"Questioned hundreds of millions of dollars of spending and said not a single orphan well had been cleaned up.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"CTV News","says":"Reported C$864 million paid to 560 contractors, more than half of it to large companies able to pay.","src":2}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Redwater (closure obligations of a bankrupt oil company)","forum":"Supreme Court of Canada","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"appeal","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2019","status":"unknown","summary":"The court ruled 5–2 that a bankrupt oil company's closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors, on the basis that the regulator is treated as carrying out a public duty rather than as a creditor.","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"mine_security","value":1.46,"unit":"$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Security held against mine liabilities at 30 June 2018 (Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019). Currency not stated beside the figure."},{"key":"mine_liabilities","value":28.35,"unit":"$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Mine liabilities at 30 June 2018 (Auditor General of Alberta, November 2019). Currency not stated beside the figure."},{"key":"internal_liability_estimate","value":260,"unit":"C$ bn","year":2018,"note":"AER executive's internal 2018 presentation: 130 mining, 100 wells, 30 pipelines. Withdrawn by the regulator as a worst-case scenario. Reported by Global News on 1 November 2018."},{"key":"disclosed_liability","value":58,"unit":"C$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Closure liability figure disclosed publicly, per the same record."},{"key":"security_held","value":1.6,"unit":"C$ bn","year":2018,"note":"Security held, per the same record."},{"key":"deemed_liability","value":36,"unit":"$ bn","year":2024,"note":"Regulator's deemed oil and gas liability, July 2024. Currency not stated."},{"key":"orphan_wells_inventory","value":3388,"unit":"wells","year":2025,"note":"Orphan Well Association inventory in 2024/25, up from 1,719; about 1,800 from Sequoia."},{"key":"orphan_wells_inventory","value":7302,"unit":"wells","year":2026,"note":"Inventory by July 2026, including 2,980 from Long Run Exploration."},{"key":"industry_levy","value":144,"unit":"$ m","year":2026,"note":"Industry levy for 2025/26; $154.6 million for 2026/27. Currency not stated."},{"key":"loans","value":330,"unit":"$ m","year":2026,"note":"Provincial and federal loans, repayable to 2035. Currency not stated."},{"key":"cleanup_estimate","value":"650–700","unit":"$ m","year":2021,"note":"Estimated orphan-well cleanup cost in 2021."},{"key":"cleanup_estimate","value":1.66,"unit":"$ bn","year":2026,"note":"Estimated orphan-well cleanup cost, July 2026."},{"key":"subsidy","value":1.72,"unit":"$ bn","year":2020,"note":"Federal funding recorded for 2020, of which Alberta's $1 billion Site Rehabilitation Program could not be used for the Orphan Well Association's inventory. Currency not stated."},{"key":"program_spend","value":864,"unit":"C$ m","year":2022,"note":"Site Rehabilitation Program payments to 560 contractors, per CTV News."},{"key":"redwater_vote","value":5,"unit":"votes for, 2 against","year":2019,"note":"Supreme Court of Canada."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Funds set aside to close mines and wells in Alberta fell far short of recorded liabilities, an internal regulator estimate of C$260 billion was set against a disclosed C$58 billion, the inventory of wells left without a solvent owner grew to 7,302 by July 2026, and the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Redwater that closure obligations rank ahead of secured creditors.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Large producers able to pay","what":"According to CTV News, most of the Site Rehabilitation Program money went to liabilities of large producers able to pay.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Provincial and federal governments, as lenders","what":"$330 million in loans to the Orphan Well Association, repayable to 2035.","src":1},{"who":"The oil and gas industry, as levy payers","what":"Industry levy of $144 million in 2025/26 and $154.6 million in 2026/27 to fund orphan-well cleanup.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alberta, Canada (Supreme Court of Canada for the Redwater ruling).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Orphan Well Association dated to 2002; liabilities measured 30 June 2018; internal estimate reported 1 November 2018; Redwater ruling 2019; inventory figures to July 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Mine security is collected in advance, while orphan-well cleanup is funded after the fact by a levy on the industry. For the Redwater ruling, the stated reason is the regulator being treated as carrying out a public duty rather than as a creditor.","src":4},"how":{"t":"A well becomes an orphan when its owner goes bankrupt and it is left unclosed; the Orphan Well Association then takes it into its inventory.","src":null},"ratio":{"t":"Mine security of $1.46 billion against liabilities of $28.35 billion (30 June 2018).","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"AER Land Disturbances from Mining (report dated November 2019)","p":"Office of the Auditor General of Alberta","d":"2019-11","type":"official","u":"https://www.oag.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AER_Land_Disturbances_from_Mining_Nov2019_3TU2sqU.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605225025/https://www.oag.ab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/AER_Land_Disturbances_from_Mining_Nov2019_3TU2sqU.pdf"},{"t":"The Orphan Well Association annual report 2025–2026: the problem with the AER's long run plan for orphan oil and gas sites (legal-commentary post; secondary source for Orphan Well Association figures)","p":"ABlawg","d":"2026-07-30","type":"press","u":"https://ablawg.ca/2026/07/30/the-orphan-well-association-annual-report-2025-2026-the-problem-with-the-aers-long-run-plan-for-orphan-oil-and-gas-sites/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830182456/https://ablawg.ca/2026/07/30/the-orphan-well-association-annual-report-2025-2026-the-problem-with-the-aers-long-run-plan-for-orphan-oil-and-gas-sites/"},{"t":"What exactly did we get? Alberta senator questions hundreds of millions to clean up orphan wells","p":"CTV News","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/what-exactly-did-we-get-alberta-senator-questions-hundreds-of-millions-to-clean-up-orphan-wells/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830204708/https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/what-exactly-did-we-get-alberta-senator-questions-hundreds-of-millions-to-clean-up-orphan-wells/"},{"t":"Cleaning up Alberta's oilpatch could cost $260 billion, regulatory documents warn","p":"Global News","d":"2018-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/4617664/cleaning-up-albertas-oilpatch-could-cost-260-billion-regulatory-documents-warn","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006032702/https://globalnews.ca/news/4617664/cleaning-up-albertas-oilpatch-could-cost-260-billion-regulatory-documents-warn/"},{"t":"Supreme Court rules bankrupt companies cannot walk away from their environmental liabilities in Redwater decision (law-firm client update)","p":"Stewart McKelvey","d":"2019-03-06","type":"press","u":"https://stewartmckelvey.com/thought-leadership/client-update-supreme-court-rules-bankrupt-companies-cannot-walk-away-from-their-environmental-liabilities-in-redwater-decision/page/32/"},{"t":"Grading the 2024 AER Liability Management Performance Report","p":"ABlawg (University of Calgary Faculty of Law)","d":"2026-02-05","u":"https://ablawg.ca/2026/02/05/grading-the-2024-aer-liability-management-performance-report/","type":"academic"}],"episodes":[],"eventDate":"2019-01","mechanism":"other","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"In my Alberta, mine security held was $1.46 billion against liabilities of $28.35 billion at 30 June 2018, the Auditor General recorded; the orphan-well inventory reached 7,302 wells by July 2026.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large are Alberta's closure liabilities?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did the Site Rehabilitation Program clean up orphan wells?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Redwater (closure obligations of a bankrupt oil company): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the current total of security the regulator holds for oil and gas.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case is documented in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the currency beside the dollar figures from the Auditor General's report and the Orphan Well Association inventory.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The size of the closure liabilities: the internal estimate (C$260 billion) and the disclosed figure (C$58 billion) conflict, and the regulator withdrew the former as a worst-case scenario.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources state that the security gap continued after the Redwater ruling but give no later security figure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"cobre-panama-mine-audit","tier":"short","title":"SGS audit gives Cobre Panamá mine 88% compliance; environmental groups object","dek":"An audit by SGS reported 88% compliance at the Cobre Panamá mine, which has been closed since a 2023 Supreme Court ruling. Environmental groups object to the result.","country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","places":[{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","admin":null,"lat":8.68,"lon":-80.62,"role":"event"}],"lat":8.68,"lon":-80.62,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The mine has been closed since a Supreme Court ruling in November 2023, according to Ámbito and Reporte Minero.","SGS, a testing, inspection and certification company, audited the mine and reported 88% compliance; environmental groups objected to the result.","A commission proposed talks with First Quantum on reopening, and a permit to process 38 million tonnes of stockpile was granted."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An SGS audit reported 88% compliance at the Cobre Panamá mine; environmental groups object.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cobre Panamá mine, Panama","src":0},"when":{"t":"Closed since the Supreme Court ruling of November 2023; reopening talks and a stockpile permit reported in 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An SGS audit; a commission proposed talks with First Quantum on reopening.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sgs_audit_compliance_rate","value":88,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"SGS audit of the Cobre Panamá mine, as reported; environmental groups object"},{"key":"stockpile_processing_permit","value":38000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"Permit to process stockpile at the mine"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say what SGS was paid for the audit or when it was carried out.","The cited sources do not say whether or when the mine will restart."],"sources":[{"t":"Cobre Panamá reopening report","p":"Ámbito","d":"2026-10-02","u":"https://www.ambito.com/c6329382","type":"press"},{"t":"Cobre Panamá reopening report","p":"Reporte Minero","d":"2026-07","u":"https://www.reporteminero.cl/noticia/noticias/2026/07/panama-reapertura-cobre-panama-first-quantum-empresa-estatal","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"sgs","role":"Auditor that reported 88% compliance"},{"id":"first-quantum","role":"Company named in proposed reopening talks"}],"mechanism":"third-party mine compliance audit","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"An SGS audit reported 88% compliance at the Cobre Panamá mine on me, and a permit was granted to process 38 million tonnes of stockpile; environmental groups objected to the audit result.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what SGS was paid for the audit or when it was carried out.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether or when the mine will restart.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"rembang-kendeng-cement-plant-permit-reissued","tier":"short","title":"Central Java issues new permit for Rembang cement plant after court annulment","dek":"The Supreme Court annulled the 2012 environmental permit for PT Semen Indonesia's limestone mine and cement plant in Rembang in October 2016. The governor then signed a new permit decision, which he called an addendum rather than a new permit.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Central Java","lat":-6.71,"lon":111.34,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.71,"lon":111.34,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2016,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Supreme Court annulled the 2012 environmental permit for PT Semen Indonesia's limestone mine and cement plant in Rembang on 5 October 2016, Mongabay Indonesia reported.","On 9 November 2016 Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo signed a new environmental permit decision, No. 660.1/30.","The provincial environment office argued that the court ruling had been issued in the name of a different company, PT Semen Gresik; the governor said the decision was an addendum, not a new permit."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Supreme Court annulled the 2012 environmental permit for a Rembang limestone mine and cement plant; a new permit decision followed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"PT Semen Indonesia","what":"Named as holder of the annulled permit; a replacement decision was issued for the same site","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Rembang residents who won the 2016 court case","what":"Court win on the 2012 permit was followed by a replacement decision about five weeks later","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rembang, Central Java, Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Annulled 5 October 2016; replacement decision signed 9 November 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A replacement permit decision was signed by the Central Java governor after the court ruling.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Supreme Court judicial review of Rembang cement plant permit (99 PK/TUN/2016)","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Rembang residents","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2016-10-05","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Supreme Court annulled the 2012 environmental permit for PT Semen Indonesia's Rembang plant on 5 October 2016. A new permit decision followed on 9 November 2016.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Central Java AMDAL commission found the addendum ‘appropriate’ in February 2017.","The cited sources do not give the plant's operating status or its environmental effects."],"sources":[{"t":"Rembang residents' court victory answered by a new environmental permit","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2016-12-11","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2016/12/11/kala-kemenangan-warga-rembang-berbalas-izin-lingkungan-baru-gubernur-jateng-pemerintah-bersandiwara/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220626134800/https://www.mongabay.co.id/2016/12/11/kala-kemenangan-warga-rembang-berbalas-izin-lingkungan-baru-gubernur-jateng-pemerintah-bersandiwara/"}],"actors":[{"id":"pt-semen-indonesia","role":"Holder of the annulled 2012 permit for the Rembang plant"},{"id":"pt-semen-gresik","role":"Company the provincial environment office said the court ruling named"},{"id":"ganjar-pranowo","role":"Governor who signed the 9 November 2016 permit decision"}],"mechanism":"environmental permit reissue","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Central Java AMDAL commission found the addendum ‘appropriate’ in February 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the plant's operating status or its environmental effects.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gardi-sugdub-relocation-and-barro-blanco-dam","tier":"short","title":"Panama moves 1,351 people off Gardi Sugdub island to the mainland","dek":"Panama moved 1,351 people from the Gardi Sugdub island to the mainland in June 2024, citing overcrowding and later sea-level rise. The case also covers the 2016 withdrawal of carbon credits for the Barro Blanco hydro dam.","country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","places":[{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","admin":null,"lat":9.33,"lon":-78.98,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.33,"lon":-78.98,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2024,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["Between 3 and 6 June 2024, 1,351 people, including 495 children, were moved from Gardi Sugdub island to the mainland, according to Panamá América.","Guna elders first proposed the move in 2008 because of overcrowding; construction stalled for years for lack of funds.","A June 2025 report said water flowed for one hour a day in the new settlement and that about 100 people remained on the island.","Panama withdrew the UN carbon-credit registration of the Barro Blanco hydro dam in November 2016, the first host-country withdrawal, according to Carbon Market Watch."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Panama moved 1,351 people, including 495 children, from Gardi Sugdub island to the mainland in June 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of Gardi Sugdub","what":"Moved off the island; a June 2025 report says water flowed one hour a day and the health post stayed on the island","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gardi Sugdub island and the Isberyala mainland site, Panama","src":0},"when":{"t":"Move carried out 3-6 June 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Overcrowding first; sea-level rise was added later as a reason.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Resettlement carried out by Panama's Housing Ministry with IDB support from 2018 to 2023.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"residents_relocated","value":1351,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Moved 3-6 June 2024; 495 of them children"},{"key":"homes_built","value":300,"unit":"homes","year":2024,"note":"Homes of 49 m2 built on 300 m2 plots"},{"key":"residents_remaining_on_island","value":100,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Approximate figure in a June 2025 report; another source gives about 200 in 2024"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the relocation cost about US$12.2 million, from a press report whose outlet was not identified.","Sources differ on how many people stayed on the island: about 200 in June 2024 and about 100 in June 2025.","Unconfirmed: FMO and DEG each lent US$25 million to the Barro Blanco dam, and the banks' independent complaints panel found policy breaches.","The cited sources do not give the Barro Blanco dam's current operating status."],"sources":[{"t":"Concluye mudanza de la isla Gardi Sugdub hacia Isberyala (relocation from Gardi Sugdub completed)","p":"Panamá América","d":"2024-06-07","u":"https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/sociedad/concluye-mudanza-de-la-isla-gardi-sugdub-hacia-isberyala-1236711","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240903150222/https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/sociedad/concluye-mudanza-de-la-isla-gardi-sugdub-hacia-isberyala-1236711"},{"t":"Press statement: in landmark decision Panama withdraws UN registration for Barro Blanco hydrodam","p":"Carbon Market Watch","d":"2016-11-10","u":"https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2016/11/10/press-statement-in-landmark-decision-panama-withdraws-un-registration-for-barro-blanco-hydrodam-project/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251013215101/https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2016/11/10/press-statement-in-landmark-decision-panama-withdraws-un-registration-for-barro-blanco-hydrodam-project/"}],"actors":[{"id":"panama-housing-ministry","role":"Carried out the Gardi Sugdub relocation"},{"id":"idb","role":"Supported the relocation from 2018 to 2023"},{"id":"genisa","role":"Developer of the Barro Blanco dam"}],"mechanism":"climate-driven island relocation","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the relocation cost about US$12.2 million, from a press report whose outlet was not identified.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on how many people stayed on the island: about 200 in June 2024 and about 100 in June 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: FMO and DEG each lent US$25 million to the Barro Blanco dam, and the banks' independent complaints panel found policy breaches.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the Barro Blanco dam's current operating status.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Residents of Gardi Sugdub"]},{"id":"gunaa-sicaru-wind-farm","tier":"short","title":"Gunaa Sicarú wind farm contracts cancelled after Zapotec community suit","dek":"EDF's planned 300 MW wind farm on Zapotec common land in Oaxaca had its contracts cancelled in June 2022 after a community lawsuit. The case shows how common land rights can decide the fate of large renewable developments.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Oaxaca","lat":16.44,"lon":-95.13,"role":"event"}],"lat":16.44,"lon":-95.13,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2022,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The 115-turbine, 300 MW Gunaa Sicarú wind farm, which France's EDF planned on Zapotek community land in Oaxaca, was cancelled in June 2022, according to ProDESC.","ProDESC reported that the Zapotek community of Unión Hidalgo obtained court measures and that the cancellation was definitive.","The community also brought a lawsuit against EDF in France, which the sources list as ongoing.","Electricity and connection contracts with CFE, the Mexican state electricity company, were cancelled."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Contracts for the 115-turbine, 300 MW Gunaa Sicarú wind farm on Zapotec common land were cancelled in June 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Unión Hidalgo Zapotek community","what":"Won the cancellation of the wind farm contracts on its common land","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"EDF","what":"Wind farm contracts cancelled; a community lawsuit against it in France is listed as ongoing","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Unión Hidalgo, Zapotek common land, Oaxaca, Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"Contracts cancelled in June 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Court measures and a lawsuit brought by the Zapotek community with ProDESC.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"turbines_planned","value":115,"unit":"turbines","year":null,"note":"Planned turbines, Gunaa Sicarú wind farm"},{"key":"planned_capacity","value":300,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Planned capacity, Gunaa Sicarú wind farm"}],"legal":[{"title":"Unión Hidalgo community challenge to the Gunaa Sicarú wind farm","forum":"Mexican court (name: none on record)","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"civil","claimant":"Unión Hidalgo Zapotek community","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2022-06-02","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The community obtained court measures, and ProDESC reported that the cancellation of the wind farm was definitive.","src":0},{"title":"Unión Hidalgo community lawsuit against EDF","forum":"French court (name: none on record)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Unión Hidalgo Zapotek community","defendant":"EDF","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Listed among ongoing cases in the cited sources; no further details are given.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the previous government's policy favouring the state utility CFE may have played a role in the cancellation.","The cited sources do not give the outcome of the French lawsuit.","The cited sources do not state the wind farm's environmental impacts."],"sources":[{"t":"Set back to EDF in Mexico: Zapotec community of Union Hidalgo achieves definitive cancellation of Gunaa Sicarú wind park","p":"ProDESC","d":"2022-06-03","u":"https://prodesc.org.mx/en/set-back-to-edf-in-mexico-the-zapotec-community-of-union-hidalgo-and-prodesc-achieve-the-definitive-cancellation-of-the-wind-park-megaproject-gunaa-sicaru/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618133944/https://prodesc.org.mx/en/set-back-to-edf-in-mexico-the-zapotec-community-of-union-hidalgo-and-prodesc-achieve-the-definitive-cancellation-of-the-wind-park-megaproject-gunaa-sicaru/"},{"t":"Paris Appeal Court admits civil lawsuit against EDF's windpark in Mexico","p":"ECCHR (European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights)","d":"2024-06-18","u":"https://www.ecchr.eu/en/press-release/paris-appeal-court-admits-civil-lawsuit-against-edfs-windpark-in-mexico/","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"edf","role":"Developer of the planned wind farm"},{"id":"cfe","role":"State electricity company whose contracts were cancelled"},{"id":"union-hidalgo-zapotek-community","role":"Community that obtained court measures and cancellation"},{"id":"prodesc","role":"Legal organisation supporting the community"}],"mechanism":"wind farm contract cancellation","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 115-turbine, 300 MW wind farm was planned on my land in Oaxaca; its contracts were cancelled in June 2022, ProDESC reports.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the previous government's policy favouring the state utility CFE may have played a role in the cancellation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the outcome of the French lawsuit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the wind farm's environmental impacts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: EDF"]},{"id":"tompkins-land-purchases-and-donation-to-chile-and-argentina","tier":"short","title":"Tompkins Conservation donates land in Chile to state for two new national parks","dek":"Tompkins Conservation transferred 407,625 hectares of land it had bought in Chile to the state in 2019, for two new national parks. The cited sources do not give the purchase prices for that land.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-43,"lon":-72.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":null,"lat":-28.5,"lon":-57.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":-43,"lon":-72.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2019,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["MercoPress reported in April 2019 that a Tompkins foundation donated about a million acres to Chile for two newly created national parks.","The area transferred in 2019 is recorded as 407,625 hectares, bought by Tompkins Conservation.","A UN Environment press release from 2018 linked about 400,000 hectares donated in Chile to a new park network of about 4.5 million hectares."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tompkins Conservation donated land it had bought in Chile to the state, creating two national parks.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Chile","what":"Received the donated land for two new national parks","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Chile; land purchases also in Argentina","src":0},"when":{"t":"Donation transfer in 2019; reported by MercoPress in April 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Land was bought and then donated to the state.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"land_transferred_to_chile","value":407625,"unit":"hectares","year":2019,"note":"Recorded transfer; the source is Tompkins Conservation and no link is given"},{"key":"new_park_network_area","value":4500000,"unit":"hectares","year":2018,"note":"Approximate; UN Environment press release, linked to donated land in Chile"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the purchase of roughly 900,000 hectares in Chile and Argentina for about US$275 million.","Unconfirmed: a sovereignty dispute in Chile, and criticism from small farmers without land titles.","The cited sources do not give purchase prices for the 407,625 hectares transferred in 2019."],"sources":[{"t":"Tompkins Foundation donates Chile a million acres for two newly created national parks","p":"MercoPress","d":"2019-04-27","u":"https://en.mercopress.com/2019/04/27/tompkins-foundation-donates-chile-a-million-acres-for-two-newly-created-national-parks","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612172951/https://en.mercopress.com/2019/04/27/tompkins-foundation-donates-chile-a-million-acres-for-two-newly-created-national-parks"},{"t":"UN Environment press release on a patron for protected areas","p":"UN Environment Programme","d":"2018","u":"https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/kristine-mcdivitt-tompkins-named-un-environment-patron-protected","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119110332/https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/kristine-mcdivitt-tompkins-named-un-environment-patron-protected"}],"actors":[{"id":"tompkins-conservation","role":"Bought the land and donated it to Chile"},{"id":"government-of-chile","role":"Received the donated land for national parks"}],"mechanism":"land donation to state","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Tompkins Conservation transferred 407,625 hectares of me that it had bought in Chile to the state in 2019, for two new national parks.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the purchase of roughly 900,000 hectares in Chile and Argentina for about US$275 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a sovereignty dispute in Chile, and criticism from small farmers without land titles.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give purchase prices for the 407,625 hectares transferred in 2019.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"kenya-seed-saving-criminalisation-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Kenyan court rules seed-saving and seed-sharing penalties unconstitutional","dek":"A Kenyan court ruled in November 2025 that penalties for saving and sharing seed were unconstitutional, a decision that protects farmers' seed rights. The state agency KEPHIS objected to the ruling.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Machakos County","lat":-1.52,"lon":37.26,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.52,"lon":37.26,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The High Court at Machakos ruled that penalties for saving and sharing seed were unconstitutional, Khusoko reported on 27 November 2025.","IPS reported that provisions prescribing imprisonment for unregistered seed exchange were found unconstitutional."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Kenyan court found that penalties for saving and sharing seed were unconstitutional.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers who save and share seed","what":"Court protected their seed-saving and seed-sharing rights","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Machakos, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling reported on 27 November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"High Court ruling on the penalty provisions; KEPHIS objected to it.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Machakos High Court ruling on seed-saving and seed-sharing penalties","forum":"High Court at Machakos","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2025-11-27","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the penalty provisions unconstitutional. KEPHIS objected, and the outcome of that objection is not in the cited sources.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the claimants or the statute that contained the penalty provisions.","The cited sources do not say how the ruling has changed seed practice on the ground."],"sources":[{"t":"Kenya court upholds indigenous seed rights, farmers celebrate","p":"Khusoko","d":"2025-11-27","u":"https://khusoko.com/2025/11/27/kenya-court-upholds-indigenous-seed-rights-farmers-celebrate/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251210211258/https://khusoko.com/2025/11/27/kenya-court-upholds-indigenous-seed-rights-farmers-celebrate/"},{"t":"Kenyan court restores seed freedom in landmark ruling","p":"IPS News","d":"2025-12","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/kenyan-court-restores-seed-freedom-landmark-ruling-boost-for-food-security-and-sovereignty/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260320082330/https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/12/kenyan-court-restores-seed-freedom-landmark-ruling-boost-for-food-security-and-sovereignty/"}],"actors":[{"id":"kephis","role":"Public agency that objected to the ruling"}],"mechanism":"seed registration law penalties","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the claimants or the statute that contained the penalty provisions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the ruling has changed seed practice on the ground.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"myanmar-rare-earth-mining-deforestation","tier":"short","title":"Myanmar rare earth mining districts lost 32,720 hectares of tree cover","dek":"Satellite data reported by Mongabay show 32,720 hectares of tree cover lost in Myanmar's rare earth mining districts after the coup. Global Witness reported that China's imports from Myanmar more than doubled between 2021 and 2023.","country":"Myanmar","iso2":"MM","places":[{"country":"Myanmar","iso2":"MM","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"destination"}],"lat":21.9162,"lon":95.956,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mongabay reported in September 2025 that satellite data showed 32,720 hectares of tree cover lost in rare earth mining districts after the coup.","Global Witness reported that China's imports from Myanmar rose from 19,500 tonnes in 2021 to 41,700 tonnes in 2023, more than twice China's own domestic output.","Global Witness also reported more than 2,700 leach pools at about 300 sites in 2022."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Satellite data reported by Mongabay show 32,720 hectares of tree cover lost in rare earth mining districts after the coup.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chinese importers of Myanmar rare earths","what":"Imports that rose from 19,500 tonnes in 2021 to 41,700 tonnes in 2023, per Global Witness","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Tree cover in the affected districts","what":"32,720 hectares lost, per Mongabay's satellite data","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rare earth mining districts in Myanmar","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported September 2025; the period of the loss is not stated","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Rare earth mining, with clearing around mining sites and leach pools, per Mongabay and Global Witness","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tree_cover_loss","value":32720,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"in rare earth mining districts after the coup; Mongabay satellite data reported September 2025"},{"key":"china_imports_from_myanmar","value":41700,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"up from 19,500 tonnes in 2021; more than twice China's domestic output"},{"key":"leach_pools","value":2700,"unit":"pools","year":2022,"note":"more than 2,700 pools at about 300 sites"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The period over which the 32,720 hectares were lost, and how much of the loss is attributed to mining, are not on record.","Who holds the mining licences, and whether any penalty followed, is not on record.","The Global Witness import figures are drawn from customs data as reported; the underlying customs data is not cited in the sources.","Whether the rise in imports has led to new clearing is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Satellite data show burst of deforestation in Myanmar rare earth mining hotspots","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-09","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/satellite-data-show-burst-of-deforestation-in-myanmar-rare-earth-mining-hotspots/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821071218/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/09/satellite-data-show-burst-of-deforestation-in-myanmar-rare-earth-mining-hotspots/"},{"t":"New investigation reveals the alarming expansion of heavy rare earth mining in Myanmar and the devastating cost for communities and the environment","p":"Global Witness","d":"2024-05","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/new-investigation-reveals-the-alarming-expansion-of-heavy-rare-earth-mining-in-myanmar-and-the-devastating-cost-for-communities-and-the-environment/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251216144843/https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/new-investigation-reveals-the-alarming-expansion-of-heavy-rare-earth-mining-in-myanmar-and-the-devastating-cost-for-communities-and-the-environment/"}],"actors":[{"id":"global-witness","role":"Investigating NGO; reported China's imports from Myanmar"}],"mechanism":"rare earth mining expansion","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["myanmar-kachin-heavy-rare-earth-mining-and-kok-river-arsenic"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Satellite data showed 32,720 hectares of tree cover lost in my Myanmar rare earth mining districts after the coup, Mongabay reported in September 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The period over which the 32,720 hectares were lost, and how much of the loss is attributed to mining, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who holds the mining licences, and whether any penalty followed, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Global Witness import figures are drawn from customs data as reported; the underlying customs data is not cited in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the rise in imports has led to new clearing is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pebble-mine-epa-veto","tier":"short","title":"Trump's EPA keeps Biden-era veto on Alaska's Pebble mine","dek":"In July 2025 the Trump administration's EPA reaffirmed the Biden-era veto on the proposed Pebble mine in Alaska, Alaska Public Media reported. The decision keeps the mine blocked.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":59.9,"lon":-155.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":59.9,"lon":-155.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Alaska Public Media reported in July 2025 that the Trump administration's EPA reaffirmed the Biden-era veto on the Pebble mine.","The new administration, from the opposing party, kept the veto in place."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Trump administration's EPA kept the Biden-era veto on the Pebble mine in Alaska, Alaska Public Media reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Developer of the proposed Pebble mine","what":"Mine remains blocked by the veto","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alaska, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reaffirmed July 2025, per Alaska Public Media","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"EPA veto over the proposed mine, reaffirmed by the Trump administration's EPA","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the EPA's January 2023 veto under Clean Water Act section 404(c), which barred mine waste disposal at the site.","Unconfirmed: settlement talks with the developer failed in July 2025, and the EPA said it would keep defending the veto.","Unconfirmed: the developer's lawsuit over the veto, which was at oral argument stage in June 2026.","Unconfirmed: commercial fishers, sport fishing businesses and Washington state fishing jobs backed the veto.","Unconfirmed: the Bristol Bay salmon fishery's 2019 economic value of more than US$2.2 billion and about 15,000 jobs.","The developer is not on record, and the lawsuit's status after 2025 is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Trump's EPA reaffirms Biden-era Pebble mine veto","p":"Alaska Public Media","d":"2025-07-24","u":"https://alaskapublic.org/news/environment/2025-07-24/trumps-epa-reaffirms-biden-era-pebble-mine-veto","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410161353/https://alaskapublic.org/news/environment/2025-07-24/trumps-epa-reaffirms-biden-era-pebble-mine-veto"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"Issued and reaffirmed the veto"}],"mechanism":"EPA mine waste veto","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the EPA's January 2023 veto under Clean Water Act section 404(c), which barred mine waste disposal at the site.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: settlement talks with the developer failed in July 2025, and the EPA said it would keep defending the veto.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the developer's lawsuit over the veto, which was at oral argument stage in June 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: commercial fishers, sport fishing businesses and Washington state fishing jobs backed the veto.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Bristol Bay salmon fishery's 2019 economic value of more than US$2.2 billion and about 15,000 jobs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The developer is not on record, and the lawsuit's status after 2025 is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"entre-rios-silica-sand-for-vaca-muerta-fracking","tier":"short","title":"Entre Ríos, which bans fracking, mines silica sand for Vaca Muerta wells","dek":"Argentina's Entre Ríos province, which bans fracking on its own territory, supplied about 5 million tonnes of silica sand for Vaca Muerta, Canal26 reported in September 2026. Quarries draw about 2 million litres of groundwater per hour, and the Paraná delta wetlands are at stake.","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","places":[{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Entre Ríos","lat":-31.7,"lon":-60.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Neuquén","lat":-38.9,"lon":-68.1,"role":"destination"}],"lat":-31.7,"lon":-60.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Canal26 reported on 4 September 2026 that Vaca Muerta's frac sand need rose from 0.6 million tonnes in 2015 to more than 6 million tonnes in 2025.","Canal26 reported that Entre Ríos supplied about 5 million tonnes, that the province bans fracking on its own territory, and that quarries pump 2 million litres of groundwater per hour.","LM Neuquén reported that a judge halted new silica sand quarries in 2022 pending a cumulative impact assessment, and that the Supreme Court upheld the halt in August 2022."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Silica sand from Entre Ríos, a province that bans fracking, is supplied to Vaca Muerta, Canal26 reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Fracking companies and YPF","what":"Silica sand from Entre Ríos for Vaca Muerta","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Ibicuy, Diamante and Paraná delta wetlands","what":"Groundwater drawn by quarries, per Canal26","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Entre Ríos province, Argentina, supplying the Vaca Muerta basin in Neuquén","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported September 2026; the court halt dates from 2022","src":1},"why":{"t":"Demand for frac sand for hydraulic fracturing in Vaca Muerta, which Canal26 reported rose from 0.6 million tonnes in 2015 to more than 6 million in 2025.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Quarries in Entre Ríos mine silica sand for Vaca Muerta wells, and the quarries draw groundwater.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"vaca_muerta_frac_sand_need","value":6000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"more than 6 million tonnes; 0.6 million tonnes in 2015"},{"key":"entre_rios_silica_sand_supplied","value":5000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"about 5 million tonnes"},{"key":"quarry_groundwater_pumped","value":2000000,"unit":"litres per hour","year":null,"note":"groundwater pumped by silica sand quarries"},{"key":"ypf_sand_from_entre_rios_share","value":80,"unit":"percent","year":2022,"note":"approximate share of YPF's Vaca Muerta sand reported by LM Neuquén"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether the 2022 halt on new quarries is still in force is not on record.","The quarries' permits, royalties and the revenue reaching the provincial treasury are not on record.","The effect of quarrying on the Paraná delta wetlands is not measured in the cited sources.","Whether the province's fracking ban applies to sand exports is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"La arena es el nuevo oro: Vaca Muerta está vaciando las playas de Entre Ríos","p":"Canal26","d":"2026-09-04","u":"https://www.canal26.com/planeta/2026/09/04/la-arena-es-el-nuevo-oro-vaca-muerta-esta-vaciando-las-playas-de-entre-rios-y-el-impacto-ambiental-es-cada-vez-mas-grave/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907143208/https://www.canal26.com/planeta/2026/09/04/la-arena-es-el-nuevo-oro-vaca-muerta-esta-vaciando-las-playas-de-entre-rios-y-el-impacto-ambiental-es-cada-vez-mas-grave/"},{"t":"Ordenaron suspender la extracción de arena silícea en el Delta","p":"LM Neuquén","d":"2022","u":"https://mase.lmneuquen.com/politica/ordenaron-suspender-la-extraccion-arena-silicea-el-delta-n991332","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613122515/https://mase.lmneuquen.com/politica/ordenaron-suspender-la-extraccion-arena-silicea-el-delta-n991332"}],"actors":[{"id":"ypf","role":"Buyer of silica sand for Vaca Muerta wells"}],"mechanism":"silica sand mining","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Quarries in Entre Ríos pump 2 million litres of my groundwater per hour and supplied about 5 million tonnes of silica sand to Vaca Muerta, Canal26 reported on 4 September 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2022 halt on new quarries is still in force is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The quarries' permits, royalties and the revenue reaching the provincial treasury are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The effect of quarrying on the Paraná delta wetlands is not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the province's fracking ban applies to sand exports is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nhieu-loc-thi-nghe-canal-restoration","tier":"short","title":"Ho Chi Minh City canal restoration demolished about 7,000 households","dek":"Ho Chi Minh City's Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe canal restoration demolished about 7,000 households, and tenants received no compensation. The cited sources report no ecological results from the canal.","country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":"Ho Chi Minh City","lat":10.78,"lon":106.69,"role":"event"}],"lat":10.78,"lon":106.69,"approxCoords":true,"start":1993,"end":2012,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Future Southeast Asia reported in August 2014 that about 7,000 households were demolished in the Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe canal restoration.","The report says the first phase was financed by a 248 million dollar interest-free World Bank loan.","According to the report, tenants received no compensation, and more than a quarter of the households that moved sold their flats within two years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Canal restoration in Ho Chi Minh City demolished about 7,000 households, according to Future Southeast Asia.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Households along the canal","what":"had their homes demolished","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Tenants","what":"received no compensation","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe canal, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Works ran from 1993 to 2012.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Households were demolished and relocated along the canal. The first phase used a 248 million dollar interest-free World Bank loan.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"households_demolished","value":7000,"unit":"households","year":null,"note":"Future Southeast Asia figure"},{"key":"phase1_world_bank_loan","value":248000000,"unit":"USD, interest-free","year":null,"note":"first phase"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who gained from the cleared land.","No official government or World Bank figure was reviewed for the 7,000 households or the loan.","The cited sources give no number of affected tenants and no amounts paid to owners.","Reported without a linked source: street vendors and small traders were among those affected."],"sources":[{"t":"The resurrection of Nhieu Loc–Thi Nghe","p":"Future Southeast Asia","d":"2014-08","u":"https://futuresoutheastasia.com/the-resurrection-of-nhieu-loc-thi-nghe/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415041338/https://futuresoutheastasia.com/the-resurrection-of-nhieu-loc-thi-nghe/"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"lender of the first-phase loan"}],"mechanism":"canal restoration, household relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained from the cleared land.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No official government or World Bank figure was reviewed for the 7,000 households or the loan.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no number of affected tenants and no amounts paid to owners.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: street vendors and small traders were among those affected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hamidiye-bottled-water-ibb-and-iski","tier":"short","title":"Istanbul's municipality and water utility co-own spring-water bottler Hamidiye","dek":"Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (55%) and water utility İSKİ (45%) co-own Hamidiye, a spring-water bottler. An audit found İSKİ allocated water without tender at low rent, and the cited sources hold no record that the environmental water need of a bottling lease was calculated.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":41.01,"lon":28.98,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.01,"lon":28.98,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["A Sayıştay audit report and a 2023 Cumhuriyet report give the owners of Hamidiye as Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (55%) and İSKİ (45%).","A Sayıştay report on İSKİ, reported by Takvim on 4 December 2021, found water allocated without tender at low rent; the audited year is not on record.","Haber32 and Evrensel reported 2026 tender prices of 0.008 to 0.044 lira per litre, and the Competition Board said incumbent tenants usually keep their tenders.","Sayıştay also found, in an audit of the Kocaeli water administration, that some water administrations did not pass a share to their municipality."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hamidiye, a spring-water bottler, is owned 55% by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and 45% by İSKİ, Istanbul's water utility.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sırma/Hayat","what":"holds 21 spring sources in six provinces","src":5}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Village communities near the leased springs","what":"no village rent share is recorded as paid for a bottling lease","src":6}]},"where":{"t":"Istanbul, where the owners are; the spring location is not on record.","src":1},"when":{"t":"İSKİ allocation audit reported 4 December 2021; Hamidiye 2023 sale; Competition Board decision in 2024; tender prices reported in 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Spring-water sources are leased to bottlers through tenders. The Competition Board said incumbent tenants usually keep their tenders, because the facility belongs to the tenant and a new tenant must take it over.","src":5}},"metrics":[{"key":"turkey_bottled_water_output_2024","value":11800000000,"unit":"litres","year":2024,"note":"Turkey total; sector body SUDER statement"},{"key":"hamidiye_ibb_share","value":55,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality share; İSKİ holds 45%"},{"key":"hamidiye_2023_sale_value","value":1000000000,"unit":"TL, approximate","year":2023,"note":"sale value as reported"},{"key":"tender_price_low","value":0.008,"unit":"TL per litre","year":null,"note":"low end of 2026 tender prices"},{"key":"tender_price_high","value":0.044,"unit":"TL per litre","year":null,"note":"high end of 2026 tender prices"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Reported without a linked source: bottled water is about 0.02% of Turkey's annual water use, and irrigation takes about 77%.","Reported without a linked source: a 19-litre bottle costs about 1 lira to produce and sells for 50 to 55 lira.","Reported without a linked source: 4% of Istanbul residents drank tap water without hesitation in 2017, and SUDER estimates about 30% of homes have a filter.","Reported without a linked source: the Water Allocation Regulation ranks commercial water last and requires an environmental needs assessment and a village rent share; no record shows either was done.","The cited sources show no measurement of how the leases affect water flow.","The cited sources do not say who the parties were in the 2023 sale.","The cited sources do not state where the Hamidiye springs are; the map point is Istanbul, where the owners are.","The dates of the tender price reports differ, so the figures may not be directly comparable."],"sources":[{"t":"İSKİ audit: allocation without tender and low rent","p":"Takvim (Sayıştay report)","d":"2021-12-04","u":"https://sayistay.gov.tr/reports/download/bmg0qJLQ0O-istanbul-su-ve-kanalizasyon-idaresi-genel-mudurlugu-iski","type":"government"},{"t":"Sayıştay audit report on Hamidiye Kaynak Suları","p":"Sayıştay (Turkish Court of Accounts)","d":"","u":"https://www.sayistay.gov.tr/reports/downloadMt/6do38w9gXx-hamidiye-kaynak-sulari-sanayi-turizm-ve-ticaret-anonim-sirketi","type":"government"},{"t":"İSKİ general manager explains whether tap water is drinkable","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2023","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/iski-genel-muduru-acikladi-musluktan-su-icilebilir-mi-2143517","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231204145509/https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/iski-genel-muduru-acikladi-musluktan-su-icilebilir-mi-2143517"},{"t":"Spring-water business to be leased out","p":"Haber32","d":"2026","u":"https://www.haber32.com.tr/kaynak-suyu-isletmesi-kiraya-verilecektir","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616212546/https://www.haber32.com.tr/kaynak-suyu-isletmesi-kiraya-verilecektir"},{"t":"IBB's Hamidiye water fee increase","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5999805/ibbnin-hamidiye-su-ucretlerine-yuzde-1333-zam","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260910121819/https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5999805/ibbnin-hamidiye-su-ucretlerine-yuzde-1333-zam"},{"t":"Competition Board decision on spring-water tenders","p":"Rekabet Kurulu","d":"2024","u":"https://www.rekabet.gov.tr/Karar?kararId=a6959d64-692b-402b-b7cf-af8ead4d8b8b","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250215110950/https://www.rekabet.gov.tr/Karar?kararId=a6959d64-692b-402b-b7cf-af8ead4d8b8b"},{"t":"Sayıştay audit report on the Kocaeli water and sewerage administration","p":"Sayıştay","d":"","u":"https://sayistay.gov.tr/reports/download/xkQd8yJQlA-kocaeli-su-ve-kanalizasyon-idaresi-genel-mudurlugu-isu","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"ibb","role":"55% owner of Hamidiye"},{"id":"iski","role":"45% owner of Hamidiye; Istanbul water utility"},{"id":"hamidiye","role":"spring-water bottler"},{"id":"sirma-hayat","role":"holder of 21 spring sources in six provinces"}],"mechanism":"spring-water leases, municipal ownership","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Water from my springs was priced at 0.008 to 0.044 lira per litre in 2026 tenders, Haber32 and Evrensel reported.","src":[3,4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: bottled water is about 0.02% of Turkey's annual water use, and irrigation takes about 77%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: a 19-litre bottle costs about 1 lira to produce and sells for 50 to 55 lira.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: 4% of Istanbul residents drank tap water without hesitation in 2017, and SUDER estimates about 30% of homes have a filter.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: the Water Allocation Regulation ranks commercial water last and requires an environmental needs assessment and a village rent share; no record shows either was done.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources show no measurement of how the leases affect water flow.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who the parties were in the 2023 sale.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state where the Hamidiye springs are; the map point is Istanbul, where the owners are.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The dates of the tender price reports differ, so the figures may not be directly comparable.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"thacker-pass-lithium-mine","tier":"short","title":"US adds Nevada's Thacker Pass lithium mine to fast-track permitting","dek":"The US Interior Department added Nevada's Thacker Pass lithium mine to an accelerated federal permitting program in 2025, and three tribes sued over lack of consultation. The cited sources give no environmental impact findings for the site.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Nevada","lat":41.93,"lon":-118.13,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.93,"lon":-118.13,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The US Department of the Interior announced that Thacker Pass had been added to FAST-41, an accelerated permitting program, after a March 2025 executive order extended it to critical minerals.","Nevada Current reported that three tribes sued over the lack of consultation on the mine, which they describe as the site of an 1865 Paiute massacre."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Interior Department announced that the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada had been added to FAST-41, an accelerated federal permitting program.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Thacker Pass mine","what":"accelerated federal permitting under FAST-41","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Three tribes","what":"say they were not consulted, and describe the site as an 1865 Paiute massacre ground","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Thacker Pass, Nevada, United States.","src":1},"when":{"t":"The FAST-41 addition followed a March 2025 executive order.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The mine is being fast-tracked through FAST-41 expedited federal review, which the Interior Department announced. The tribes' challenge concerns consultation.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Tribal suit over consultation for the Thacker Pass mine","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Three tribes","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Three tribes sued over lack of consultation on the mine. The cited sources do not state the defendant, forum or outcome.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Department of Energy loaned 2.26 billion dollars to the mine, General Motors took a 38% stake and the right to buy all first-phase output, and a federal judge largely dismissed the tribes' suit in November 2023.","The tribes describe the site as the location of an 1865 massacre.","The cited sources do not state the mine's output, its environmental impact findings, or the outcome of the tribal suit.","The cited sources do not name the mine's operator."],"sources":[{"t":"US Interior press release on FAST-41 additions","p":"US Department of the Interior","d":"2025","u":"https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/trump-administration-adds-key-mining-projects-fast-41","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003232937/https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/trump-administration-adds-key-mining-projects-fast-41"},{"t":"Nevada Current report on the Thacker Pass tribal suit","p":"Nevada Current","d":"","u":"https://nevadacurrent.com/?p=203482","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-department-of-the-interior","role":"announced the FAST-41 addition"}],"mechanism":"fast-track federal permitting","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Tribal suit over consultation for the Thacker Pass mine: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Department of Energy loaned 2.26 billion dollars to the mine, General Motors took a 38% stake and the right to buy all first-phase output, and a federal judge largely dismissed the tribes' suit in November 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The tribes describe the site as the location of an 1865 massacre.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the mine's output, its environmental impact findings, or the outcome of the tribal suit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the mine's operator.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"roadless-rule-repeal-proposal","tier":"short","title":"US moves to end 25-year-old Roadless Rule for national forests","dek":"The Trump administration has advanced a proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule, which protects national forest land from road building. The proposal is not final, and the cited sources say it would open about 44.7 million acres to roads.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["OPB reported on 18 August 2026 that the Trump administration is moving ahead to end the 25-year-old Roadless Rule on national forests; the proposal is not final.","According to the cited sources, the proposal would open about 44.7 million acres of roadless land to roads, out of an inventory of about 58.5 million acres.","Harvard EELP's Alaska Roadless Rule tracker records a 2020 exemption for the Tongass forest, the rule's restoration in 2023, and a 2025 proposal to exempt it again."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Trump administration moved ahead with a proposal to end the Roadless Rule on national forests; the proposal is not final.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Timber sector","what":"would gain access to roadless national forest land, according to the cited sources","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Roadless national forest land","what":"about 44.7 million acres could be opened to roads","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"National forests across the United States; the Tongass in Alaska is covered by a separate exemption record.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Proposal reported in August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources give fire prevention and tree thinning as the rationale.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An administrative proposal to rescind the rule, not yet a final rule.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"roadless_proposal_scope","value":44700000,"unit":"acres","year":2026,"note":"area the proposal would open to roads"},{"key":"roadless_rule_inventory","value":58500000,"unit":"acres","year":null,"note":"total inventory of the rule"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Agriculture Department published the proposal on 18 August 2026, covering about 59 million acres, or 30% of national forest land.","Reported without a linked source: community conservation areas and forest rangers are losing ground, according to Mongabay and bioGraphic coverage.","The cited sources give no comment period, no final rule, and no estimate of timber or fire-risk effects."],"sources":[{"t":"OPB: Trump administration moves ahead to end roadless rule","p":"OPB","d":"2026-08-18","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260823143131/https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/18/trump-administration-moves-ahead-to-end-roadless-rule-on-national-forests/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260823143131/https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/18/trump-administration-moves-ahead-to-end-roadless-rule-on-national-forests/","dead":true},{"t":"Alaska Roadless Rule tracker","p":"Harvard EELP","d":"","u":"https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/alaska-roadless-rule/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518154153/https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/alaska-roadless-rule/"}],"actors":[{"id":"trump-administration","role":"proposed rescinding the Roadless Rule"}],"mechanism":"rule rescission proposal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The proposal would open about 44.7 million acres of my roadless national forest land to roads, out of an inventory of about 58.5 million acres, OPB reported on 18 August 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Agriculture Department published the proposal on 18 August 2026, covering about 59 million acres, or 30% of national forest land.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: community conservation areas and forest rangers are losing ground, according to Mongabay and bioGraphic coverage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no comment period, no final rule, and no estimate of timber or fire-risk effects.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Timber sector"]},{"id":"el-salvador-metal-mining-ban-repeal","tier":"short","title":"El Salvador lifts its 2017 ban on metal mining","dek":"El Salvador lifted its 2017 ban on metal mining in December 2024, a reversal ACI Prensa reported. The cited sources give no environmental assessment for the areas now open to mining.","country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","places":[{"country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","admin":null,"lat":13.79,"lon":-88.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.79,"lon":-88.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["ACI Prensa reported in December 2024 that El Salvador's 2017 ban on mining had been reversed.","A case summary records that Pac Rim lost its investment claim of more than 250 million dollars against the ban, with costs of 8 million dollars."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"El Salvador's 2017 ban on metal mining was reversed in December 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Residents, church groups and local organizations that backed the ban","what":"the 2017 ban they had supported was lifted","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"El Salvador, nationwide.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Ban introduced in 2017; reversal reported in December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The Legislative Assembly lifted the ban by vote, which the cited sources put at 57 of the 60 seats.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"assembly_votes_for_repeal","value":57,"unit":"votes of 60 seats","year":2024,"note":"as stated in the cited sources; no linked report"},{"key":"pac_rim_claim","value":250000000,"unit":"USD, more than","year":null,"note":"amount claimed by Pac Rim"},{"key":"pac_rim_costs","value":8000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"costs recorded in the case summary"}],"legal":[{"title":"Pac Rim claim against El Salvador over the mining ban","forum":"None on record","country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","kind":"investment arbitration","claimant":"Pac Rim","defendant":"El Salvador","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"defendant-won","summary":"The case summary records that Pac Rim lost its claim of more than 250 million dollars; costs of 8 million dollars are recorded.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Bukele said the potential mining area holds 50 million ounces of gold, identified in work on about 4% of it.","Unconfirmed: a poll found 61% of respondents expected mining to harm the environment.","Unconfirmed: El Salvador was the first country to ban all metal mining, in 2017.","Unconfirmed: Cristosal left the country in July 2025.","The cited sources do not name the companies that would gain from reopened mining.","The government's reason for the reversal is not on record, beyond the unconfirmed gold claim."],"sources":[{"t":"2017 mining ban reversed","p":"ACI Prensa","d":"2024-12","u":"https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/108853/iglesia-catolica-en-el-salvador-a-bukele-no-derogue-prohibicion-de-mineria-de-oro","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119042754/https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/108853/iglesia-catolica-en-el-salvador-a-bukele-no-derogue-prohibicion-de-mineria-de-oro"},{"t":"Pac Rim Cayman LLC v. Republic of El Salvador (ICSID Case No. ARB/09/12)","p":"ITA Law (ICSID case record)","d":"2016-10-14","u":"https://www.italaw.com/cases/783","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004125559/https://www.italaw.com/cases/783"}],"actors":[{"id":"legislative-assembly-el-salvador","role":"voted to lift the ban"},{"id":"pac-rim","role":"claimant in a lost investment arbitration over the ban"}],"mechanism":"mining ban rescission","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bukele said the potential mining area holds 50 million ounces of gold, identified in work on about 4% of it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a poll found 61% of respondents expected mining to harm the environment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: El Salvador was the first country to ban all metal mining, in 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Cristosal left the country in July 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the companies that would gain from reopened mining.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The government's reason for the reversal is not on record, beyond the unconfirmed gold claim.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Residents, church groups and local organizations that backed the ban"]},{"id":"silivri-landfill-methane-plume","tier":"short","title":"Satellite survey ranks Istanbul's Silivri landfill among top methane plumes","dek":"A 2025 satellite measurement recorded 8.4 tonnes per hour of methane from the Silivri landfill in Istanbul, and UCLA Law lists the site among the world's 25 largest landfill methane plumes. At stake is the climate impact of methane escaping from the site.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Istanbul","lat":41.07,"lon":28.25,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.07,"lon":28.25,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["A 2025 satellite measurement recorded a methane plume of 8.4 tonnes per hour at the Silivri landfill, according to UCLA Law's spotlight on landfill methane plumes.","The spotlight draws on 2,994 plumes detected at 707 landfill sites worldwide."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A satellite survey recorded a methane plume of 8.4 tonnes per hour at the Silivri landfill in Istanbul in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Silivri landfill, Istanbul, Türkiye","src":0},"when":{"t":"Measured in 2025; listed by UCLA Law in 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Satellite detection of methane plumes at landfill sites, as listed by UCLA Law.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"methane_plume_rate","value":8.4,"unit":"t/h","year":2025,"note":"Satellite measurement at the Silivri landfill"},{"key":"landfill_plumes_detected","value":2994,"unit":"plumes","year":2025,"note":"Detected across 707 landfill sites in the UCLA list"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the operator and owner of the Silivri landfill, and any regulatory response to the plume.","None on record: whether the 8.4 tonnes per hour reading was sustained over time or taken at one point."],"sources":[{"t":"Spotlight: Top 25 methane plumes 2025 landfills","p":"UCLA Law","d":"2026","u":"https://www.law.ucla.edu/news/spotlight-top-25-methane-plumes-2025-landfills","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930200022/https://law.ucla.edu/news/spotlight-top-25-methane-plumes-2025-landfills"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"satellite methane plume measurement","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 2025 satellite measurement recorded a methane plume of 8.4 tonnes per hour rising from the Silivri landfill into my air, UCLA Law reports.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the operator and owner of the Silivri landfill, and any regulatory response to the plume.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the 8.4 tonnes per hour reading was sustained over time or taken at one point.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"reppie-waste-to-energy-plant","tier":"short","title":"Addis Ababa's Reppie waste-to-energy plant reported at half capacity","dek":"Ethiopia's Reppie incineration plant in Addis Ababa is reported to run at half its capacity, and GAIA said it processes 396 to 650 tonnes a day against a 1,400-tonne design. At stake for nature is whether burning waste at Reppie reduces what goes to the Koshe dump.","country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","places":[{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","admin":"Addis Ababa","lat":9.03,"lon":38.74,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.03,"lon":38.74,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Reporter reported in March 2025 that the Reppie plant was operating at 50% capacity, with about 240 million birr a year paid to it in compensation.","GAIA, reported by Packaging Insights in November 2025, said the plant processes 396 to 650 tonnes a day against a design capacity of 1,400 tonnes a day.","GAIA also said about 3,000 tonnes still go to the Koshe dump."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Reporter reported that Addis Ababa's Reppie waste-to-energy plant runs at 50% capacity and receives about 240 million birr a year in compensation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Reppie plant (operator: none on record)","what":"About 240 million birr a year in compensation","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Addis Ababa, Ethiopia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Incineration of collected waste; GAIA gives a design capacity of 1,400 tonnes a day.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"design_capacity","value":1400,"unit":"t/day","year":2025,"note":"Design capacity, per GAIA"},{"key":"throughput_low","value":396,"unit":"t/day","year":2025,"note":"Lower bound of reported daily throughput, per GAIA"},{"key":"throughput_high","value":650,"unit":"t/day","year":2025,"note":"Upper bound of reported daily throughput, per GAIA"},{"key":"reported_capacity_utilisation","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Operating capacity as reported by The Reporter"},{"key":"compensation_per_year","value":240000000,"unit":"birr","year":2025,"note":"Annual compensation paid to the plant, per The Reporter"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: GIZ's 2023 sector summary puts Koshe's share of collected waste in Addis Ababa at about 85%.","None on record: who pays the 240 million birr, and the contract terms behind it.","None on record: the plant's operator, and effects on people living near the Koshe dump."],"sources":[{"t":"Operational hurdles at Reppi","p":"The Reporter","d":"2025-03-08","u":"https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/44134/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250410045240/https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/44134/"},{"t":"Packaging Insights report on the Reppie plant (GAIA findings)","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2025-11-24","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/reppie-waste-energy-failure.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313172236/https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/reppie-waste-energy-failure.html"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"waste incineration plant","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Reppie waste-to-energy plant processes 396 to 650 tonnes a day against a design capacity of 1,400, GAIA said, and about 3,000 tonnes still go to the Koshe dump on me.","src":[1]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: GIZ's 2023 sector summary puts Koshe's share of collected waste in Addis Ababa at about 85%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who pays the 240 million birr, and the contract terms behind it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the plant's operator, and effects on people living near the Koshe dump.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"doe-direct-air-capture-hubs-termination-list","tier":"short","title":"Leaked DOE list marks first tranches for two direct air capture hubs 'terminate'","dek":"A leaked Energy Department list from October 2025 marked the first tranches for two direct air capture hubs 'terminate', according to Carbon Herald. The hubs are Occidental's South Texas hub and Project Cypress in Louisiana, and at stake for nature is whether public money for removing carbon from the air reaches working plants.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":28.5,"lon":-97.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","lat":30.23,"lon":-93.22,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.5,"lon":-97.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The 2021 infrastructure law set aside $3.5 billion for direct air capture hubs, and the Energy Department promised up to $500 million to Occidental's South Texas hub and support of similar scale to Project Cypress in Louisiana, according to Carbon Herald.","Each hub received a first tranche of about $50 million.","A leaked list from October 2025 marked those first tranches 'terminate', according to Carbon Herald.","Heatmap reported in April 2025 that the Energy Department's carbon removal team had been cut to one person."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A leaked Energy Department list from October 2025 marked the first tranches for two direct air capture hubs 'terminate', according to Carbon Herald.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Occidental (South Texas hub)","what":"First tranche of about $50 million","src":null},{"who":"Climeworks and Heirloom (Project Cypress, Louisiana)","what":"First tranche of about $50 million","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"South Texas and Louisiana, United States","src":null},"when":{"t":"Team cut reported in April 2025 (Heatmap); leaked list dated to October 2025 (Carbon Herald)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Federal hub funding paid in first tranches of about $50 million, with promised support of up to $500 million for the South Texas hub.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"dac_hub_program_funding","value":3.5,"unit":"USD billion","year":2021,"note":"Funding for direct air capture hubs in the 2021 infrastructure law"},{"key":"hub_promised_support","value":500,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Promised support of up to this amount for the South Texas hub"},{"key":"first_tranche_per_hub","value":50,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Approximate first tranche received by each hub"},{"key":"carbon_removal_team_staff","value":1,"unit":"staff","year":2025,"note":"Energy Department carbon removal team in April 2025, per Heatmap"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an April 2026 trade report said the Energy Department would keep the hub funds, citing a $1.2 billion figure whose base is unclear (DecarbonFuse; secondary report only).","None on record: a primary Energy Department document for the October 2025 list, which was seen only in press reports.","None on record: the net carbon removed by the Stratos, Mammoth and Petra Nova plants in 2024–2026.","None on record: which companies received 45Q tax credits, since the IRS does not publish recipient names."],"sources":[{"t":"Occidental buys Holocene","p":"Heatmap","d":"2025-04-16","u":"https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/occidental-buys-holocene","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119205823/https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/occidental-buys-holocene"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"ran the hub funding and the list"},{"id":"occidental","role":"lead of the South Texas hub"},{"id":"climeworks","role":"partner in Project Cypress"},{"id":"heirloom","role":"partner in Project Cypress"}],"mechanism":"federal capture hub funding","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["occidental-stratos-direct-air-capture-plant"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an April 2026 trade report said the Energy Department would keep the hub funds, citing a $1.2 billion figure whose base is unclear (DecarbonFuse; secondary report only).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a primary Energy Department document for the October 2025 list, which was seen only in press reports.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the net carbon removed by the Stratos, Mammoth and Petra Nova plants in 2024–2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: which companies received 45Q tax credits, since the IRS does not publish recipient names.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Occidental (South Texas hub)","No source link — Who gained: Climeworks and Heirloom (Project Cypress, Louisiana)"]},{"id":"cme-california-water-futures-launch","tier":"short","title":"CME Group launches futures tied to a California water price index","dek":"CME Group launched futures tied to a California water index in December 2020, and more than 100 groups asked for them to be suspended. The cited sources do not show who traded the contracts, and at stake for nature is whether water in California becomes a traded financial asset.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["CME Group launched California water futures in December 2020, according to its product page.","The contracts are tied to a California water index, and each covers 10 acre-feet of water, according to the cited sources.","More than 100 groups asked for the contracts to be suspended."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"CME Group launched futures contracts on a California water index in December 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"December 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Futures contracts on the NASDAQ Veles California Water Index, each covering 10 acre-feet of water.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"contract_size","value":10,"unit":"acre-feet per contract","year":2020,"note":"Water covered by each contract, as stated"},{"key":"groups_seeking_suspension","value":100,"unit":"groups","year":null,"note":"More than 100 groups asked for suspension"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the UN special rapporteur on the right to water, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, said the contracts opened water to financial speculation.","None on record: trading volumes, the participants, and whether any water was delivered under the contracts.","None on record: which groups asked for suspension."],"sources":[{"t":"NASDAQ Veles California Water Index (NQH2O) futures product overview","p":"CME Group","d":"2020-12","u":"https://www.cmegroup.com/education/courses/introduction-to-the-nasdaq-veles-water-index-futures/nasdaq-veles-california-water-index-nqh2o-futures-product-overview","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515143839/https://www.cmegroup.com/education/courses/introduction-to-the-nasdaq-veles-water-index-futures/nasdaq-veles-california-water-index-nqh2o-futures-product-overview"}],"actors":[{"id":"cme-group","role":"launched the futures contracts"}],"mechanism":"water price index futures","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"CME Group launched futures in December 2020 tied to a California water price index, each contract covering 10 acre-feet of my water.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the UN special rapporteur on the right to water, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, said the contracts opened water to financial speculation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: trading volumes, the participants, and whether any water was delivered under the contracts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: which groups asked for suspension.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nile-perch-introduction-to-lake-victoria","tier":"short","title":"Nile perch released in Lake Victoria in 1954 linked to loss of 200+ cichlids","dek":"Uganda's colonial-era fisheries officers released Nile perch into Lake Victoria in 1954, and the IUCN database names it a main cause of the loss of 200 or more endemic cichlid species. At stake for nature is the lake's endemic cichlid fauna.","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":null,"lat":-1,"lon":33,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1,"lon":33,"approxCoords":true,"start":1954,"end":null,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["Uganda's colonial-era fisheries officers released Nile perch into Lake Victoria in 1954, and the Nation newspaper reported that the first release was secret.","Official releases followed in 1959 and in 1962–63.","The IUCN Global Invasive Species Database names Nile perch as a main cause of the loss of 200 or more endemic cichlid species.","The fish became the base of an export industry, and processing plants took most of the value, 63% of it in Uganda, according to the IUCN database."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Uganda's colonial-era fisheries officers released Nile perch into Lake Victoria in 1954, according to the cited sources.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Fish processing plants","what":"Most of the value of the Nile perch trade; 63% in Uganda","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Endemic cichlid species","what":"200 or more species lost; IUCN names Nile perch a main cause","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Lakeshore communities","what":"Could not afford Nile perch prices; local tilapia became rare and expensive","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Victoria, Uganda","src":null},"when":{"t":"First release in 1954; official releases in 1959 and 1962–63","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Stocking of a predatory fish into the lake; the first release is described as secret.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"endemic_cichlids_lost","value":200,"unit":"species","year":null,"note":"'200 or more' species, per IUCN GISD"},{"key":"processing_share_of_value_uganda","value":63,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Share of value captured by processing plants in Uganda, per IUCN GISD"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Geoffrey Fryer, of the Jinja research body, warned in 1960 that the introduction would endanger the tilapia fishery.","Unconfirmed: the Fisheries Department said the introduction was unintentional.","Unconfirmed: additional releases came after the 1960 warning.","None on record: the current state of the lake's fish stocks, and whether the cichlid losses have been measured since."],"sources":[{"t":"IUCN GISD species profile (Nile perch)","p":"IUCN Global Invasive Species Database","d":"","u":"https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=89","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710234312/https://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=89"}],"actors":[{"id":"uganda-game-and-fisheries-department","role":"released the fish in 1954 and in later official releases"}],"mechanism":"predatory fish introduction","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The IUCN database names the Nile perch, released into my lake in 1954, a main cause of the loss of 200 or more of my endemic cichlid species.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Geoffrey Fryer, of the Jinja research body, warned in 1960 that the introduction would endanger the tilapia fishery.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Fisheries Department said the introduction was unintentional.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: additional releases came after the 1960 warning.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the current state of the lake's fish stocks, and whether the cichlid losses have been measured since.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Lakeshore communities"]},{"id":"tonoga-pfas-insurance-ruling","tier":"short","title":"New York appeals court sides with AIG units in PFAS coverage dispute","dek":"A New York appeals court ruled in January 2022 that pollution exclusions in policies issued by AIG companies barred any duty to defend Tonoga against claims over PFOA and PFOS discharges. The state had designated the Petersburg plant a state Superfund site after PFOA reached the municipal water supply.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":42.7,"lon":-73.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":42.7,"lon":-73.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":1961,"end":2022,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["On 6 January 2022 the New York Appellate Division, Third Department, held that the total and qualified pollution exclusions in policies issued by New Hampshire Insurance Co. and Granite State, both AIG companies, barred any duty to defend.","The court described the claims as resting on Tonoga's knowing discharge of PFOA and PFOS as part of its routine manufacturing processes.","PFOA reached the municipal water supply, and the state environment agency designated the plant a state Superfund site and a significant threat to public health."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A New York appeals court held that pollution exclusions in AIG-company policies barred coverage for PFOA and PFOS discharges at Tonoga's Petersburg coating plant.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"New Hampshire Insurance Co. and Granite State (AIG companies)","what":"Held to have no duty to defend Tonoga against the PFOA and PFOS claims","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Tonoga Inc.","what":"Insurance defence for the PFOA and PFOS claims","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Users of the municipal water supply","what":"PFOA reached the supply; the state called the site a significant threat to public health","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Petersburg, New York, at a PTFE coating plant","src":null},"when":{"t":"Plant operating since 1961; appeals court ruling on 6 January 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The court characterised the discharges as knowing and part of routine manufacturing, the conduct to which the pollution exclusions were held to apply.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Tonoga v. New Hampshire Ins. (N.Y. App. Div. 2022)","forum":"New York Appellate Division, Third Department","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Tonoga Inc.","defendant":"New Hampshire Insurance Co. and Granite State","filed":null,"decided":"2022-01-06","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Held that the total and qualified pollution exclusions bar any duty to defend the policyholder; reported at 201 A.D.3d 1091.","src":0}],"unknown":["The full text of the 2022 opinion was not reviewed; the holding is quoted secondhand.","The cited sources do not state the cost of the contamination or any payment under the policies."],"sources":[{"t":"Tonoga v. New Hampshire Ins. (N.Y. App. Div. 2022), 201 A.D.3d 1091","p":"New York Courts","d":"2022-01-06","u":"https://nycourts.gov/REPORTER/3dseries/2022/2022_00094.htm","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250424071231/https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2022/2022_00094.htm"},{"t":"Covington publication on PFAS coverage litigation (May 2023)","p":"Covington","d":"2023-05","u":"https://cov.com/-/media/files/corporate/publications/2023/05/pfas-coverage-litigation-strategy-lessons-for-policyholders.pdf","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250424095050/https://www.cov.com/-/media/files/corporate/publications/2023/05/pfas-coverage-litigation-strategy-lessons-for-policyholders.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"aig","role":"insurer whose units New Hampshire Insurance Co. and Granite State were defendants"},{"id":"tonoga","role":"policyholder and plant operator; claimant in the coverage case"},{"id":"ny-dec","role":"state environment agency that designated the plant a state Superfund site"}],"mechanism":"insurance pollution exclusion","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The full text of the 2022 opinion was not reviewed; the holding is quoted secondhand.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the cost of the contamination or any payment under the policies.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Users of the municipal water supply"]},{"id":"national-gypsum-asbestos-and-wolverine-pfas-insurance-cases","tier":"short","title":"Courts weigh insurance coverage for asbestos and PFAS liabilities in US cases","dek":"In a 1995 Second Circuit case, juries found National Gypsum did not expect or intend its asbestos injuries, and the known-loss defence was rejected except for claims filed before the policy was bought. In 2021 a federal court held that Wolverine World Wide's legacy insurers had a duty to defend it over PFAS discharges from its Rockford, Michigan tannery.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":43.12,"lon":-85.56,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.12,"lon":-85.56,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["In Stonewall Insurance v. Asbestos Claims Management Corp., decided by the Second Circuit in 1995, juries found that National Gypsum did not subjectively expect or intend the asbestos injuries.","The known-loss defence was rejected except for claims already filed or demanded before the policy was bought.","In December 2018 Wolverine World Wide sued its legacy insurers, including American Insurance Co. and Travelers units, over PFAS discharges from its Rockford, Michigan tannery.","In 2021 the Western District of Michigan held that the insurers had a duty to defend, because the allegations left open whether the discharges were sudden or accidental."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Insurers disputed coverage for National Gypsum asbestos claims and for PFAS discharges linked to Scotchgard at Wolverine World Wide's Rockford, Michigan tannery.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wolverine World Wide","what":"Duty-to-defend ruling in 2021; $8.3 million recovered from legacy policies in fiscal 2020","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Legacy insurers (American Insurance Co., Travelers units and others)","what":"Held to have a duty to defend in 2021; confidential settlements with one insurer in June 2024 and with Travelers in August 2024","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"National Gypsum asbestos claimants","what":"The asbestos injuries underlying the claims","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Rockford, Michigan (Wolverine); US courts for both matters","src":null},"when":{"t":"Stonewall decision in 1995; Wolverine suit filed December 2018; ruling in 2021; settlements in June and August 2024","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Insurers relied on the known-loss, expected-or-intended and pollution-exclusion grounds; the courts examined whether the injuries were expected and whether the discharges were sudden or accidental.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"legacy_policy_recovery_usd_m","value":8.3,"unit":"USD million","year":2020,"note":"recovered from legacy policies, fiscal 2020"}],"legal":[{"title":"Stonewall Ins. v. Asbestos Claims Mgmt. Corp.","forum":"United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Stonewall Insurance","defendant":"Asbestos Claims Management Corp.","filed":null,"decided":"1995","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Juries found National Gypsum did not expect or intend the asbestos injuries; the known-loss defence was rejected except for claims filed or demanded before the policy was bought.","src":1},{"title":"Wolverine World Wide legacy insurance suit (filed December 2018)","forum":"United States District Court, Western District of Michigan","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Wolverine World Wide","defendant":"American Insurance Co., Travelers units and others","filed":"2018-12","decided":"2021","status":"settled","summary":"The court held the insurers had a duty to defend; confidential settlements followed in June 2024 (one insurer) and August 2024 (Travelers).","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a $69.5 million figure appears in some sources and is described as Wolverine's own 2020 settlement with the state and townships, not an insurer payment.","The identity of the insurer in the June 2024 settlement is not stated.","The full text of the 2021 ruling was not reviewed.","The party roles in the 1995 Stonewall case are taken from the case name; the full caption was not reviewed."],"sources":[{"t":"Wolverine World Wide annual report (Form 10-K), fiscal 2020","p":"SEC EDGAR","d":"2021","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/110471/000011047121000008/www-20210102.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"Stonewall Insurance Co. v. Asbestos Claims Management Corp., 73 F.3d 1178 (2d Cir. 1995) (opinion text)","p":"U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (via Public.Resource.Org)","d":"1995-12-13","u":"https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F3/073/73.F3d.1178.93-7400.93-7398.93-7402.93-7404.93-7412.html","type":"court"},{"t":"Wolverine World Wide, Inc. v. American Insurance Company, The et al (case page and article list)","p":"Law360","d":"2024-08-02","u":"https://www.law360.com/cases/5c33b8b6e23392450dc88179/articles","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"wolverine-world-wide","role":"company that sued its legacy insurers over PFAS discharges at its Rockford tannery"},{"id":"stonewall-insurance","role":"insurer that argued National Gypsum expected or intended the asbestos injuries"},{"id":"national-gypsum","role":"company facing asbestos injury claims; policyholder"},{"id":"american-insurance-co","role":"legacy insurer sued by Wolverine"},{"id":"travelers","role":"legacy insurer (Travelers units) sued by Wolverine; settled in August 2024"}],"mechanism":"liability insurance coverage litigation","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a $69.5 million figure appears in some sources and is described as Wolverine's own 2020 settlement with the state and townships, not an insurer payment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The identity of the insurer in the June 2024 settlement is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The full text of the 2021 ruling was not reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The party roles in the 1995 Stonewall case are taken from the case name; the full caption was not reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Legacy insurers (American Insurance Co., Travelers units and others)","No source link — Who harmed: National Gypsum asbestos claimants"]},{"id":"fcc-fine-on-dish-for-space-debris","tier":"short","title":"US regulator fines Dish $150,000 over satellite's disposal orbit","dek":"The US Federal Communications Commission fined Dish $150,000 in October 2023 after its EchoStar-7 satellite was moved to a disposal orbit about 122 km above the geostationary belt instead of 300 km. It was the first FCC space-debris fine, and the company admitted liability.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2023,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["On 29 September 2022 the FCC adopted, by a 4-0 vote, a rule requiring low Earth orbit satellites to deorbit no later than five years after mission end, replacing the 25-year guideline.","On 2 October 2023 the FCC fined Dish $150,000 for moving its EchoStar-7 satellite to a disposal orbit about 122 km above the geostationary belt instead of 300 km.","The penalty was the FCC's first space-debris fine, and it came with an admission of liability by Dish.","The European Space Agency's Zero Debris Charter is voluntary, has more than 200 signatories and aims for zero debris in space by 2030."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The FCC fined Dish $150,000 for moving its EchoStar-7 satellite to a disposal orbit about 122 km above the geostationary belt instead of 300 km.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Dish (EchoStar)","what":"Paid a $150,000 penalty and admitted liability","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"The orbital environment near the geostationary belt","what":"A satellite left short of its required disposal orbit","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Geostationary orbit; FCC licence jurisdiction in the United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Five-year rule adopted 29 September 2022; fine announced 2 October 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The FCC fined the licensee under its own rules; the five-year rule applies to US licensees and to foreign systems serving the US market.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_usd","value":150000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"first FCC space-debris fine, Dish / EchoStar-7"},{"key":"disposal_orbit_km_above_geo","value":122,"unit":"km","year":2023,"note":"actual; the required height was 300 km"},{"key":"deorbit_window_years","value":5,"unit":"years","year":2022,"note":"maximum time after mission end for low Earth orbit satellites"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["No binding international limit was found; the binding rules are national licence rules, such as the FCC's.","The cited sources do not say whether the satellite's placement affected other spacecraft."],"sources":[{"t":"FCC first space debris fine (DA 23-888)","p":"US Federal Communications Commission","d":"2023-10-02","u":"https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-397412A1.pdf","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006060738/https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-397412A1.pdf"},{"t":"ESA Zero Debris Charter","p":"European Space Agency","d":"","u":"https://esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/First_countries_sign_the_Zero_Debris_Charter","type":"international"}],"actors":[{"id":"fcc","role":"regulator that fined the company under its licence rules"},{"id":"dish-echostar","role":"operator of EchoStar-7; fined $150,000"},{"id":"esa","role":"promoter of the voluntary Zero Debris Charter"}],"mechanism":"satellite disposal orbit rule","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No binding international limit was found; the binding rules are national licence rules, such as the FCC's.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the satellite's placement affected other spacecraft.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"asarco-environmental-insurance-coverage-suit","tier":"short","title":"Insurers sue Asarco in New Jersey over cover for environmental liabilities","dek":"Insurers led by INA and California Union sought a declaration of no cover for Asarco's environmental matters. The cited sources do not give the final outcome of the case.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Jersey","lat":40.49,"lon":-74.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.49,"lon":-74.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":1993,"end":1997,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Asarco's 10-K reports that in June 1993 INA and California Union sued it in New Jersey state court in New Brunswick for a declaration of no cover for its environmental matters, and other insurers joined.","Some insurers settled. In January 1997 summary judgment dismissed Asarco's claims against most of the other insurers, and Asarco appealed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Insurers sued Asarco seeking a declaration that they owe no cover for its environmental matters.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New Jersey state court, New Brunswick, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Suit filed June 1993; summary judgment January 1997","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Declaratory suit on insurance policies; some insurers settled; summary judgment against Asarco's claims against most other insurers.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"INA and California Union declaratory action against Asarco","forum":"New Jersey state court, New Brunswick","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"INA and California Union","defendant":"Asarco","filed":"1993-06","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Insurers sought a declaration of no cover for Asarco's environmental matters; other insurers joined and some settled. In January 1997 summary judgment dismissed Asarco's claims against most other insurers, and Asarco appealed. The final outcome was not found.","src":0}],"unknown":["The final outcome of the appeal was not found.","The grounds on which the insurers denied cover are not stated in the 10-K.","The amounts at stake and which insurers paid or were released are not on record.","Who gained or lost financially from the outcome is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Asarco Form 10-K: legal proceedings on environmental insurance coverage","p":"Asarco (filing on SEC EDGAR)","d":"","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000007649/000000764999000003/0000007649-99-000003.txt","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"asarco","role":"defendant in insurers' declaratory action"},{"id":"ina","role":"claimant insurer"},{"id":"california-union","role":"claimant insurer"}],"mechanism":"insurance coverage litigation","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"INA and California Union declaratory action against Asarco: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final outcome of the appeal was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The grounds on which the insurers denied cover are not stated in the 10-K.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amounts at stake and which insurers paid or were released are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained or lost financially from the outcome is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"love-canal-and-roy-s-plumbing-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Love Canal: appeals court upholds insurer's pollution exclusion in plumber case","dek":"In 2017 the Second Circuit held that a pollution exclusion barred a plumber's insurance cover for work that disturbed Love Canal sediment. Earlier insurer suits and payments linked to Occidental and Hooker are also covered.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":43.1,"lon":-79,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.1,"lon":-79,"approxCoords":true,"start":1980,"end":2017,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["In 1980 insurers including Lloyd's, Argonaut and excess carriers filed declaratory-judgment actions against Occidental Petroleum over Love Canal; a New York court ruled on forum and stay in July 1980, and the final outcome was not found.","In US v. Hooker (1994) the court found Hooker negligent but not reckless, so no punitive damages were awarded, UPI reported.","OxyChem paid New York State $98 million in 1994, according to UPI; other sources give $120 million.","In 2017 the Second Circuit held that the pollution exclusion barred defense and indemnity for a plumber whose work disturbed Love Canal sediment; the insurer won."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Insurers filed coverage suits over Love Canal, and in 2017 the Second Circuit upheld a pollution exclusion in a plumber's policy.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Love Canal, Niagara County, New York, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"1980 insurer suits; 1994 negligence finding and payment; 2017 appeals ruling","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Insurers' declaratory-judgment suits; a pollution exclusion applied on appeal in 2017; a negligence finding without punitive damages in 1994; a payment to New York State.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"oxychem_payment_new_york_state_usd_m","value":98,"unit":"US$ million","year":1994,"note":"Other sources give $120 million"}],"legal":[{"title":"Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum, 106 Misc. 2d 5","forum":"New York Supreme Court, Niagara County","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Argonaut Insurance and other Love Canal insurers","defendant":"Occidental Petroleum","filed":null,"decided":"1980-07-28","status":"unknown","summary":"Insurers filed declaratory-judgment actions over Love Canal. The July 1980 ruling concerned forum and stay. The final outcome was not found.","src":1},{"title":"United States v. Hooker, 850 F. Supp. 993","forum":"US District Court, Western District of New York","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"United States","defendant":"Hooker","filed":null,"decided":"1994-03-17","status":"unknown","summary":"The court found Hooker negligent but not reckless, so no punitive damages were awarded. The finding is reported by UPI.","src":2},{"title":"Cincinnati Ins. v. Roy's Plumbing","forum":"US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Cincinnati Insurance","defendant":"Roy's Plumbing","filed":null,"decided":"2017-05-31","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Second Circuit held that the pollution exclusion barred defense and indemnity for a plumber's work that disturbed Love Canal sediment. The insurer won.","src":0}],"unknown":["The final outcome of the 1980 insurer actions was not found.","Unconfirmed: a 1995 payment of $129 million by OxyChem to the US federal government (US Department of Justice release).","Sources differ on the New York State payment: $98 million or $120 million.","The Hooker finding is taken from a UPI report, not from the court text.","Who gained or lost financially, and the effect on residents or the environment, is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Love Canal's legacy: Second Circuit affirms pollution exclusion in plumber's insurance policy","p":"RT Specialty","d":"","u":"https://rtspecialty.com/ecp/love-canals-legacy-second-circuit-affirms-pollution-exclusion-in-plumbers-insurance-policy-bars-defense-and-indemnification-claims/","type":"press"},{"t":"Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., 106 Misc. 2d 5 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., 28 July 1980)","p":"CourtListener (Free Law Project)","d":"1980-07-28","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/6332478/argonaut-insurance-v-occidental-petroleum-corp/","type":"court"},{"t":"United States v. Hooker Chemicals & Plastics Corp., 850 F. Supp. 993 (W.D.N.Y., 17 March 1994)","p":"CourtListener (Free Law Project)","d":"1994-03-17","u":"https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2132540/united-states-v-hooker-chemicals-plastics-corp/","type":"court"},{"t":"Love Canal settlement reached","p":"United Press International","d":"1994-06-21","u":"https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/21/Love-Canal-settlement-reached/9677772171200/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251207011619/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1994/06/21/Love-Canal-settlement-reached/9677772171200/"}],"actors":[{"id":"occidental","role":"defendant in insurers' Love Canal actions"},{"id":"oxychem","role":"paid New York State after Love Canal"},{"id":"hooker","role":"found negligent in US v. Hooker"},{"id":"argonaut-insurance","role":"claimant insurer in 1980 action"},{"id":"cincinnati-insurance","role":"insurer that won the 2017 appeal"},{"id":"roys-plumbing","role":"defendant in 2017 appeal"}],"mechanism":"pollution exclusion insurance","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Argonaut Insurance v. Occidental Petroleum, 106 Misc. 2d 5: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"United States v. Hooker, 850 F. Supp. 993: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final outcome of the 1980 insurer actions was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1995 payment of $129 million by OxyChem to the US federal government (US Department of Justice release).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on the New York State payment: $98 million or $120 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Hooker finding is taken from a UPI report, not from the court text.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained or lost financially, and the effect on residents or the environment, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"app-and-april-deforestation-after-zero-deforestation-pledges","tier":"short","title":"Greenpeace ends all engagement with APP and Sinar Mas over deforestation links","dek":"Greenpeace International said in May 2018 that it was ending all engagement with APP and Sinar Mas over links to deforestation. Clearing and restoration claims about APP and APRIL are unconfirmed.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Greenpeace International said in May 2018 that it was ending all engagement with APP and Sinar Mas over links to deforestation.","APP and APRIL are also named in later clearing and restoration claims; these are unconfirmed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Greenpeace International ended all engagement with APP and Sinar Mas in May 2018 over links to deforestation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"May 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Greenpeace ended engagement with APP and Sinar Mas over deforestation links; the sources do not verify the further clearing claims.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: APP-linked activity cleared at least 75,000 ha of critical ecosystems and 3,500 ha of peatland from 2013 to 2022, after its zero-deforestation pledge (Environmental Paper Network and Jikalahari report).","Unconfirmed: APRIL's 60-year, 20,265 ha restoration concession granted in 2013 while logging continued on Pulau Padang (Mongabay Indonesia, 10 May 2013).","Unconfirmed: APRIL manages about 150,000 ha under its restoration programme and plans to sell Verra carbon credits.","Who gained financially, and the effect on forests and peat, is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Greenpeace slams APP/Sinar Mas over links to deforestation, ends all engagement with company","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2018-05","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/16535/greenpeace-slams-app-sinar-mas-over-links-to-deforestation-ends-all-engagement-with-company/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921174322/https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/16535/greenpeace-slams-app-sinar-mas-over-links-to-deforestation-ends-all-engagement-with-company/"}],"actors":[{"id":"asia-pulp-paper","role":"company Greenpeace ended engagement with"},{"id":"sinar-mas","role":"group named alongside APP"},{"id":"greenpeace-international","role":"ended engagement with APP and Sinar Mas"}],"mechanism":"zero-deforestation pledges","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: APP-linked activity cleared at least 75,000 ha of critical ecosystems and 3,500 ha of peatland from 2013 to 2022, after its zero-deforestation pledge (Environmental Paper Network and Jikalahari report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: APRIL's 60-year, 20,265 ha restoration concession granted in 2013 while logging continued on Pulau Padang (Mongabay Indonesia, 10 May 2013).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: APRIL manages about 150,000 ha under its restoration programme and plans to sell Verra carbon credits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained financially, and the effect on forests and peat, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"para-carbon-credit-projects","tier":"short","title":"Pará forest carbon credit schemes face suspension and lawsuits","dek":"Verra suspended three Portel credit schemes in 2023 over overlap with public land, and a 2024 state deal to sell 12 million forest credits faces a federal lawsuit. Prosecutors also say Indigenous and quilombola consultations were squeezed into 3 to 5 days.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-3.4,"lon":-52,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.4,"lon":-52,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["In July 2023 Pará's public attorney's office sued over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel, which affected about 1,484 families across five farm settlements.","Verra suspended three Portel schemes in September 2023 for overlapping public land; they had sold more than 23 million credits, including to Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol.","In September 2024 Pará signed a preliminary deal with the LEAF Coalition to sell 12 million credits at $15 each, $180 million in total for 2023 to 2026; federal prosecutors sued to annul it in June 2025.","In August 2026 federal prosecutors wrote to the state that Indigenous and quilombola consultations had been squeezed into 3 to 5 days and that The Nature Conservancy had a conflict of interest."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forest carbon credit schemes in Pará were suspended over public-land overlap, and a 12-million-credit state deal faces a federal lawsuit.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Buyers of Portel credits, including Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol","what":"bought credits from schemes later suspended","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"About 1,484 families in five farm settlements","what":"affected by the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme, according to the public attorney's suit","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Portel municipality and Pará state, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2023 to August 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Credits from REDD+ schemes on public land were suspended and sold to corporate buyers; the state's forward sale to LEAF was challenged over consultation. Over 2 million credits from the suspended Pacajaí scheme were used by more than 140 companies from January 2024 to July 2025.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"portel_credits_sold_before_suspension","value":23000000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"More than 23 million credits sold by three Portel schemes before Verra's suspension"},{"key":"pacajai_credits_used_after_suspension","value":2000000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"More than 2 million credits, used by more than 140 companies from January 2024 to July 2025"},{"key":"leaf_credits_in_preliminary_deal","value":12000000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Preliminary deal in September 2024 covering 2023 to 2026 at $15 per credit"},{"key":"leaf_deal_value_usd","value":180000000,"unit":"US$","year":2024,"note":"Total value of the 12 million credits in the preliminary deal"},{"key":"portel_families_affected","value":1484,"unit":"families","year":2023,"note":"Five farm settlements affected by the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme"}],"legal":[{"title":"Federal Public Prosecutor's Office v. Federal Government, State of Pará and CAAP International","forum":"None on record","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF)","defendant":"Federal Government, State of Pará, CAAP International","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The Climate Case Chart lists a claim for 200 million reais in moral damages over a carbon credit contract in Pará. The cited sources give no ruling.","src":1},{"title":"Federal prosecutors' suit to annul the Pará and LEAF Coalition agreement","forum":"None on record","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF)","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2025-06","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Federal prosecutors sued in June 2025 to annul the 2024 preliminary agreement between Pará and the LEAF Coalition. The cited sources give no ruling.","src":1},{"title":"Public attorney's suit over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel","forum":"None on record","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Pará public attorney's office","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2023-07","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The suit concerned the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel, where about 1,484 families in five farm settlements were affected. The cited sources give no ruling.","src":2}],"unknown":["Whether Verra's 2023 suspensions have been lifted is not on record.","The outcomes of the 2023 public attorney's suit and the 2025 suit to annul the LEAF deal were not found.","Unconfirmed: the 200 million reais moral damages claim is listed by Climate Case Chart; no court record was reviewed.","Revenue earned by Pará state or by the schemes is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"MPF cobra respostas do governo do Pará sobre suspeitas de irregularidades em consultas prévias do sistema REDD","p":"Ministério Público Federal (MPF), Pará","d":"2026-08-10","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/mpf-cobra-respostas-do-governo-do-pa-sobre-suspeitas-de-irregularidades-em-consultas-previas-do-sistema-redd","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815162012/https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/mpf-cobra-respostas-do-governo-do-pa-sobre-suspeitas-de-irregularidades-em-consultas-previas-do-sistema-redd"},{"t":"Federal Public Prosecutor's Office vs Federal Government, State of Pará and CAAP International","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/federal-public-prosecutors-office-vs-federal-government-state-of-para-and-caap-international-carbon-credit-contract-in-para-and-illegalities_6d73","type":"reference"},{"t":"Public Defenders Office of the State of Pará vs. Associação dos Ribeirinhos e Moradores and others (Project 2620, carbon credits and forest carbon grabbing)","p":"Climate Litigation Database (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law)","d":"2023-07-19","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/public-defenders-office-of-the-state-of-para-vs-associacao-dos-ribeirinhos-e-moradores-and-others-project-2620-carbon-credits-and-forest-carbon-grabbing_963f","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"suspended three Portel schemes in 2023"},{"id":"leaf-coalition","role":"counterparty in the 2024 preliminary deal"},{"id":"para-state-government","role":"signed the preliminary deal with LEAF"},{"id":"para-public-attorneys-office","role":"sued over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme"},{"id":"mpf","role":"sued to annul the LEAF deal; wrote to the state in 2026"},{"id":"caap-international","role":"named in the claim listed by Climate Case Chart"}],"mechanism":"REDD+ forest carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Pará agreed in September 2024 to sell 12 million credits for my forest for 2023 to 2026 at $15 each, $180 million in total; federal prosecutors sued to annul it in June 2025.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Federal Public Prosecutor's Office v. Federal Government, State of Pará and CAAP International: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Federal prosecutors' suit to annul the Pará and LEAF Coalition agreement: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Public attorney's suit over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Verra's 2023 suspensions have been lifted is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcomes of the 2023 public attorney's suit and the 2025 suit to annul the LEAF deal were not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 200 million reais moral damages claim is listed by Climate Case Chart; no court record was reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue earned by Pará state or by the schemes is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Buyers of Portel credits, including Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol","No source link — Who harmed: About 1,484 families in five farm settlements"]},{"id":"kiribati-phoenix-islands-protected-area-trust-and-fad-certif","tier":"short","title":"Kiribati opens Phoenix Islands protected area to fishing; trust dissolved","dek":"Kiribati's Phoenix Islands Protected Area, closed to commercial fishing in 2015, was opened to fishing again in November 2021. IUCN reports that the fishing-ban area shrank to about 3% of the protected area and that the compensation trust was dissolved.","country":"Kiribati","iso2":"KI","places":[{"country":"Kiribati","iso2":"KI","admin":"Phoenix Islands","lat":-3,"lon":-172,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3,"lon":-172,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2021,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["The cited sources state that the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, about 408,250 square kilometres, closed to commercial fishing, including tuna, on 1 January 2015.","Maritime Executive reported in November 2021 that Kiribati terminated the marine protected area to boost tuna fishing.","IUCN's World Heritage Outlook (2025) says the fishing-ban area shrank to about 3% of the protected area and the compensation trust was dissolved.","The Marine Stewardship Council widened its sustainability certification in 2024 to cover fish-aggregating device (FAD) catches and bigeye tuna, after an independent adjudicator had halted an earlier expansion in 2022."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kiribati opened the Phoenix Islands Protected Area to commercial fishing in 2021, after a closure from 2015.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Purse seine fleets","what":"reported a record catch in 2024","src":null},{"who":"Thai Union","what":"reported a record gross margin in 2025","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Phoenix Islands, Kiribati, central Pacific","src":null},"when":{"t":"Closed 1 January 2015; reopening announced November 2021; certification widened 2024","src":null},"why":{"t":"Maritime Executive's report gives the aim as boosting tuna fishing.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The government ended the closure to boost tuna fishing; a compensation trust was meant to offset lost licence revenue and was later dissolved.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"protected_area_km2","value":408250,"unit":"km2","year":2015,"note":"Closed to commercial fishing, including tuna; about 11% of Kiribati's exclusive economic zone"},{"key":"fishing_ban_area_share_pct","value":3,"unit":"% of protected area","year":2025,"note":"Approximate, per IUCN World Heritage Outlook"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the trust raised about 7 million dollars, against claimed losses of 60 to 140 million dollars from 2015 to 2021.","Unconfirmed: fishing-licence revenue exceeded 70% of government revenue in 2018 to 2022, and demand for fishing in Kiribati's waters fell 8% after the closure.","Unconfirmed: 1,500 to 2,200 FADs beached each year, and 44% of tracked buoys were abandoned.","The sources do not state how much of the trust's funding was paid out or how it was used.","Who gained from the reopening beyond the fleets and processors named above is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Kiribati terminates giant marine protected area to boost tuna fishing","p":"Maritime Executive","d":"2021-11","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/kiribati-terminates-giant-marine-protected-area-to-boost-tuna-fishing","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418105714/https://maritime-executive.com/article/kiribati-terminates-giant-marine-protected-area-to-boost-tuna-fishing"},{"t":"Phoenix Islands Protected Area","p":"IUCN World Heritage Outlook","d":"2025-10-11","u":"https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/node/1160","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210927124707/https://worldheritageoutlook.iucn.org/node/1160"}],"actors":[{"id":"kiribati-government","role":"closed, then reopened the area to fishing"},{"id":"conservation-international","role":"named as a partner in the compensation trust"},{"id":"new-england-aquarium","role":"named as a partner in the compensation trust"},{"id":"iucn","role":"reports the area's status in 2025"},{"id":"thai-union","role":"reported a record margin in the tuna value chain"},{"id":"msc","role":"widened the FAD certification in 2024"}],"mechanism":"fishing closure, compensation trust","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2015, 408,250 square kilometres of my ocean were closed to commercial fishing; IUCN says in 2025 the fishing-ban area had shrunk to about 3% of the protected area.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the trust raised about 7 million dollars, against claimed losses of 60 to 140 million dollars from 2015 to 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: fishing-licence revenue exceeded 70% of government revenue in 2018 to 2022, and demand for fishing in Kiribati's waters fell 8% after the closure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 1,500 to 2,200 FADs beached each year, and 44% of tracked buoys were abandoned.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state how much of the trust's funding was paid out or how it was used.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the reopening beyond the fleets and processors named above is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: Purse seine fleets","No source link — Who gained: Thai Union"]},{"id":"mosaic-phosphogypsum-hazardous-waste-settlement","tier":"short","title":"Mosaic settles US hazardous-waste case over phosphogypsum handling","dek":"The US Justice Department and EPA reached a 2015 hazardous-waste settlement with Mosaic Fertilizer covering about 60 billion lbs of waste at eight sites. The Nature Conservancy lists The Mosaic Company as one of its corporate partners.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2015,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The US Justice Department announced on 1 October 2015 a hazardous-waste settlement with Mosaic Fertilizer LLC covering about 60 billion lbs of waste at eight sites.","EPA said its inspections revealed that Mosaic was mixing certain types of highly-corrosive substances with phosphogypsum.","The EPA and Justice Department said Mosaic would pay a $5 million civil penalty and fund a trust that began at $630 million and was to grow to about $1.8 billion.","The Nature Conservancy lists The Mosaic Company among its 17 corporate partners and says Mosaic gave it a $450,000 grant for in-field practices."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mosaic Fertilizer LLC settled a US hazardous-waste case with the EPA and the Justice Department over phosphogypsum handling.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"The Mosaic Company","what":"Agreed a $5 million civil penalty and to fund a trust of $630 million, growing to about $1.8 billion","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Eight Mosaic sites in the United States; the cited sources do not name them.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Settlement dated 1 October 2015.","src":1},"why":{"t":"EPA inspections revealed that Mosaic was mixing certain types of highly-corrosive substances with phosphogypsum.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A hazardous-waste settlement under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), with a trust fund and a civil penalty.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"hazardous_waste_covered","value":60000000000,"unit":"lbs","year":2015,"note":"about 60 billion lbs at eight sites"},{"key":"civil_penalty","value":5000000,"unit":"USD","year":2015,"note":"civil penalty paid to the United States"},{"key":"trust_fund_initial","value":630000000,"unit":"USD","year":2015,"note":"initial trust funding"},{"key":"trust_fund_target","value":1800000000,"unit":"USD","year":2015,"note":"trust fund growing to about 1.8 billion"},{"key":"tnc_grant_from_mosaic","value":450000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"grant to The Nature Conservancy for in-field practices; TNC page is undated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the eight sites or their locations.","Whether the trust fund reached its target or the penalty was paid in full is not on record.","The date of Mosaic's $450,000 grant to The Nature Conservancy is not stated; the TNC partner page is undated."],"sources":[{"t":"Mosaic Fertilizer LLC settlement","p":"US EPA","d":"2015-10-01","u":"https://19january2025snapshot.epa.gov/enforcement/mosaic-fertilizer-llc-settlement/index.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213025443/https://19january2025snapshot.epa.gov/enforcement/mosaic-fertilizer-llc-settlement/index.html"},{"t":"Major fertilizer producer Mosaic Fertilizer LLC to ensure proper handling, storage and disposal","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2015-10-01","u":"https://justice.gov/opa/pr/major-fertilizer-producer-mosaic-fertilizer-llc-ensure-proper-handling-storage-and-disposal","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250202013720/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/major-fertilizer-producer-mosaic-fertilizer-llc-ensure-proper-handling-storage-and-disposal"},{"t":"Companies investing in nature","p":"The Nature Conservancy","d":"","u":"https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/working-with-companies/companies-investing-in-nature1/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609020237/https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/working-with-companies/companies-investing-in-nature1/"}],"actors":[{"id":"mosaic-company","role":"Company that agreed the settlement; listed as a TNC corporate partner"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator that inspected the sites and signed the settlement"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Co-signatory of the settlement"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Conservation organisation listing Mosaic as a corporate partner"}],"mechanism":"hazardous waste settlement","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2015 the US Justice Department announced a settlement covering about 60 billion lbs of hazardous waste at eight Mosaic Fertilizer sites on me.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the eight sites or their locations.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the trust fund reached its target or the penalty was paid in full is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of Mosaic's $450,000 grant to The Nature Conservancy is not stated; the TNC partner page is undated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"dual-biodiversity-net-gain-insurance-bunloit","tier":"short","title":"DUAL launches insurance for biodiversity net gain units, first at Bunloit estate","dek":"DUAL (Howden MGA) launched what its release describes as cover for biodiversity net gain and carbon units, first used on Highlands Rewilding's Bunloit estate. Commentators said 30-year nature outcomes are hard to insure and that the cover must exclude losses caused by landowner failure.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":57.3,"lon":-4.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":57.3,"lon":-4.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["DUAL (Howden MGA) announced in November 2025 its first cover for biodiversity net gain (BNG) and carbon units, at Highlands Rewilding's Bunloit estate, according to its press release.","According to DUAL, the cover pays for substitute units.","Bidwells said insurance 'must exclude' losses caused by landowner failure and that 30-year risks are hard to quantify.","Kennedys described such products as 'a gap in the market'."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DUAL launched cover for biodiversity net gain and carbon units, first used at the Bunloit estate.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DUAL (Howden MGA)","what":"Launched its first BNG and carbon unit cover","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Highlands Rewilding's Bunloit estate, United Kingdom.","src":0},"when":{"t":"November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The product is described as supporting biodiversity net gain.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Insurance cover that pays for substitute units.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["No claim under the DUAL cover is reported in the cited sources.","The premium, the cover limit and the number of units insured are not on record.","The cited sources do not say whether substitute units have been bought under the cover."],"sources":[{"t":"DUAL launches first insurance product to support biodiversity net gain","p":"DUAL (Howden MGA)","d":"2025-11","u":"https://www.dualgroup.com/news-and-media/dual-launches-first-insurance-product-to-support-biodiversity-net-gain","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260327132552/https://www.dualgroup.com/news-and-media/dual-launches-first-insurance-product-to-support-biodiversity-net-gain"},{"t":"Overcoming the challenges faced by habitat banks","p":"Bidwells","d":"","u":"https://www.bidwells.co.uk/insights-reports-events/overcoming-the-challenges-faced-by-habitat-banks","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418195955/https://www.bidwells.co.uk/insights-reports-events/overcoming-the-challenges-faced-by-habitat-banks/"}],"actors":[{"id":"dual-group","role":"Insurer; launched the cover"},{"id":"highlands-rewilding","role":"Estate where the cover was first used"},{"id":"bidwells","role":"Commentator on 30-year cover"},{"id":"kennedys","role":"Commentator on the market gap"}],"mechanism":"biodiversity net gain insurance","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["england-biodiversity-net-gain-market-and-natural-england-sta"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No claim under the DUAL cover is reported in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The premium, the cover limit and the number of units insured are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether substitute units have been bought under the cover.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"shell-v-greenpeace-penguins-fpso","tier":"short","title":"Shell and Greenpeace settle Penguins FPSO case; Greenpeace pays RNLI £300,000","dek":"Shell sued Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International over the boarding of the Penguins FPSO, a climate change protest at the Penguins field, and, after reducing its claim from more than US$8 million, sought about £800,000 in damages, according to Greenpeace. The case settled on 10 December 2024 with Greenpeace paying £300,000 to the RNLI, admitting no liability and accepting 500m exclusion zones at Shell sites.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":60.6,"lon":1.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":60.6,"lon":1.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Shell filed a claim in the Admiralty Court in February 2023 over the boarding of the Penguins FPSO, seeking damages of about £800,000 plus costs.","According to Greenpeace, Shell first said its claim could exceed US$8 million and reduced it in December 2023 to US$1 million (about £800,000). Greenpeace said the defendants faced over US$11 million in damages and legal costs; Shell said its direct costs were US$900,000.","The case settled on 10 December 2024: Greenpeace International and Greenpeace UK agreed to donate £300,000 to the RNLI and paid nothing to Shell, accepted no liability and signed a binding commitment not to travel within 500m of three Shell North Sea sites for five years and of a fourth for ten years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell sued Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International over the boarding of the Penguins FPSO.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"Greenpeace defendants committed to stay 500m from three Shell sites for five years and one site for ten years; Shell received no money","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace","what":"Agreed to donate £300,000 to the RNLI and accepted no liability","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Penguins FPSO at the Penguins field; further location is not on record.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Claim filed February 2023; settled 10 December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources describe the boarding as a climate change protest at the Penguins field.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Civil damages claim in the Admiralty Court, settled with a payment to the RNLI and exclusion zones.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"damages_claimed_gbp","value":800000,"unit":"GBP","year":2023,"note":"about, plus costs"},{"key":"greenpeace_stated_max_usd","value":2100000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Greenpeace's figure of up to"},{"key":"settlement_paid_to_rnli_gbp","value":300000,"unit":"GBP","year":2024,"note":"paid by Greenpeace to the RNLI"}],"legal":[{"title":"Shell v Greenpeace UK/International","forum":"Admiralty Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Shell","defendant":"Greenpeace UK, Greenpeace International and individual activists","filed":"2023-02","decided":null,"status":"settled","summary":"Damages claim of about £800,000 plus costs over the Penguins FPSO boarding. Settled on 10 December 2024: Greenpeace International and Greenpeace UK to donate £300,000 to the RNLI, no payment to Shell, no acceptance of liability, and a 500m exclusion from three Shell sites for five years and one site for ten years.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Greenpeace was awarded €15,000 in costs.","The cited sources do not say whether the exclusion zones have been enforced or breached."],"sources":[{"t":"Settlement of Shell claims from Greenpeace (Penguins field climate change protest)","p":"Brick Court","d":"","u":"https://www.brickcourt.co.uk/news/detail/settlement-of-shell-claims-from-greenpeace-penguins-field-climate-change-protest","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712120341/http://www.brickcourt.co.uk/news/detail/settlement-of-shell-claims-from-greenpeace-penguins-field-climate-change-protest"},{"t":"Shell settles multimillion dollar SLAPP lawsuit against Greenpeace","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2024-12-10","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/71763/shell-settles-multimillion-dollar-slapp-lawsuit-against-greenpeace/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Greenpeace to donate £300,000 to RNLI as part of lawsuit settlement with Shell","p":"Civil Society","d":"2024-12-13","u":"https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/greenpeace-to-donate-300-000-to-rnli-as-part-of-lawsuit-settlement-with-shell.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Defendant; paid the RNLI and accepted exclusion zones"},{"id":"rnli","role":"Recipient of the £300,000 payment"}],"mechanism":"admiralty damages claim","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace was awarded €15,000 in costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the exclusion zones have been enforced or breached.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"bollore-socfin-socapalm-defamation-suits","tier":"short","title":"Socfin and Socapalm defamation suits against French media and NGOs fail","dek":"Socfin and Socapalm, Bolloré-linked palm oil companies, brought defamation suits against Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct over reporting on palm oil. The claimants lost at first instance and withdrew their appeal.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":46.6,"lon":2.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.6,"lon":2.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["According to Reporterre, the defamation suit against Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct opened on 25 January 2019.","The prosecutor sought acquittal on grounds of good faith, and the claimants lost at first instance and withdrew their appeal, according to Reporterre.","The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre lists the Socfin/Socapalm lawsuit among those in which the company lost.","Bolloré and Socfin have brought at least 20 suits since 2009 over palm oil reporting, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Socfin and Socapalm defamation suits against Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct, heard in France.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct","what":"Prevailed at first instance","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Socfin and Socapalm","what":"Lost the defamation case at first instance and withdrew their appeal","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Trial opened 25 January 2019; verdict date not confirmed.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Defamation lawsuits in a French court against media and NGO reporting on palm oil.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"palm_oil_suits_since_2009","value":20,"unit":"suits","year":2009,"note":"at least; Bolloré and Socfin; source has no URL"}],"legal":[{"title":"Defamation suit against Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct","forum":"French first-instance court (name not stated)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Socfin and Socapalm","defendant":"Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"defendant-won","summary":"Trial opened 25 January 2019. The prosecutor sought acquittal on grounds of good faith. The claimants lost at first instance and withdrew their appeal.","src":0}],"unknown":["Exact verdict date: not confirmed.","The first-instance court is not on record.","Whether Bolloré itself was a party to the defamation suit is not on record.","Unconfirmed: Bolloré's defamation suits against media were lost."],"sources":[{"t":"Judicial victory against SLAPP suits brought by the empire","p":"Reporterre","d":"","u":"https://reporterre.net/Victoire-judiciaire-contre-les-poursuites-baillons-intentees-par-l-empire","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220705034552/https://reporterre.net/Victoire-judiciaire-contre-les-poursuites-baillons-intentees-par-l-empire"},{"t":"Socfin/Socapalm lawsuit re defamation by NGOs, media outlets (France)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2019","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/socfin-socapalm-lawsuit-re-defamation-by-ngos-media-outlets-france","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20191118095448/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/socfin-socapalm-lawsuit-re-defamation-by-ngos-media-outlets-france"}],"actors":[{"id":"bollore","role":"Group linked to the claimants"},{"id":"socfin","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"socapalm","role":"Claimant"},{"id":"mediapart","role":"Defendant"},{"id":"l-obs","role":"Defendant"},{"id":"le-point","role":"Defendant"},{"id":"sherpa","role":"Defendant"},{"id":"react","role":"Defendant"}],"mechanism":"defamation lawsuits","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Exact verdict date: not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The first-instance court is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Bolloré itself was a party to the defamation suit is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bolloré's defamation suits against media were lost.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"russia-bans-wwf-and-greenpeace","tier":"short","title":"Russia declares WWF and Greenpeace 'undesirable' organisations","dek":"In 2023 Russia's Prosecutor General declared WWF and Greenpeace 'undesirable' organisations, citing WWF's 'obstruction' of Arctic industrial development. Greenpeace was closed in Russia, and WWF-Russia cut ties with WWF International.","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":null,"lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"role":"event"}],"lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["WWF was designated a 'foreign agent' in March 2023 and then 'undesirable' by the Prosecutor General on 21 June 2023.","The Prosecutor General cited WWF's 'obstruction' of Arctic industrial development and threats to the economic sector as grounds.","Greenpeace was declared 'undesirable' on 19 May 2023 and closed in Russia; taking part in an undesirable organisation's activities carries up to four years in prison.","WWF-Russia cut ties with WWF International."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia's Prosecutor General declared WWF and Greenpeace 'undesirable' organisations in 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace","what":"Declared undesirable and closed in Russia","src":0},{"who":"WWF-Russia","what":"Cut ties with WWF International","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Russia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Greenpeace declared 19 May 2023; WWF declared 21 June 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Grounds cited for WWF: 'obstruction' of Arctic industrial development and threats to the economic sector.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Designation as an undesirable organisation, under which taking part in its activities carries up to four years in prison.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"max_prison_years_participation","value":4,"unit":"years","year":2023,"note":"maximum for taking part in an undesirable organisation's activities"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: LIFE was listed as a targeted organisation.","No individual prosecution under the undesirable-organisation rules is reported in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not say what WWF-Russia activity continued after the designation."],"sources":[{"t":"Russia: Greenpeace to shut down after Prosecutor General declared it undesirable organisation","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/russia-greenpeace-to-shut-down-after-prosecutor-general-declared-it-undesirable-organisation/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161146/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/russia-greenpeace-to-shut-down-after-prosecutor-general-declared-it-undesirable-organisation/"}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Designated undesirable on 21 June 2023"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Declared undesirable and closed in Russia"},{"id":"russian-prosecutor-general","role":"Issued the designations"}],"mechanism":"undesirable organisation designation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: LIFE was listed as a targeted organisation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No individual prosecution under the undesirable-organisation rules is reported in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what WWF-Russia activity continued after the designation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: WWF-Russia"]},{"id":"ogiek-mau-forest-evictions","tier":"short","title":"Kenya evicts more than 700 people from Mau Forest where Ogiek won at court","dek":"In November 2023 Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service evicted more than 700 people from the Mau Forest, where the African Court had ruled in favour of the Ogiek. Courts in Nakuru and Narok issued orders halting the evictions.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Mau Forest","lat":-0.4,"lon":35.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.4,"lon":35.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights ruled on the merits on 26 May 2017 that Kenya had violated articles 2, 8, 14, 17, 21 and 22 concerning the Ogiek of the Mau Forest.","In June 2022 the court ruled on reparations, including compensation and collective land titles, according to Mongabay.","In November 2023 Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service evicted more than 700 people; courts in Nakuru (10 November) and Narok (23 November) issued orders halting the evictions."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya Forest Service and Kenya Wildlife Service evicted more than 700 people from the Mau Forest in November 2023.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Mau Forest residents","what":"More than 700 people evicted in November 2023","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mau Forest, Kenya; the halting orders were issued by courts in Nakuru and Narok.","src":null},"when":{"t":"November 2023; court orders of 10 and 23 November 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Forest and wildlife agencies carried out the evictions; courts then issued orders halting them.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"people_evicted","value":700,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"more than 700, November 2023"}],"legal":[{"title":"African Court judgment on the Ogiek and the Mau Forest","forum":"African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Ogiek","defendant":"Kenya","filed":null,"decided":"2017-05-26","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The merits judgment found violations of articles 2, 8, 14, 17, 21 and 22. The June 2022 reparations judgment ordered compensation and collective land titles.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the 2023 evictions targeted Ogiek people; the Ogiek are not named as those evicted.","Unconfirmed: evictions in the Mau resumed in 2020.","Unconfirmed: the 2022 award of 157 million Kenyan shillings has not been implemented, according to community representatives.","Unconfirmed: the African Court rejected forest conservation as a justification for the evictions.","Whether the Nakuru and Narok halting orders remained in force is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"African court rules in favor of indigenous land titles, reparations from the Kenyan govt","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-06","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/african-court-rules-in-favor-of-indigenous-land-titles-reparations-from-the-kenyan-govt","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260212154539/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/06/african-court-rules-in-favor-of-indigenous-land-titles-reparations-from-the-kenyan-govt/"}],"actors":[{"id":"kfs","role":"Agency that carried out the 2023 evictions"},{"id":"kws","role":"Agency that carried out the 2023 evictions"},{"id":"african-court-hpr","role":"Ruled on the merits (2017) and reparations (2022)"},{"id":"ogiek-community","role":"Claimant in the African Court case"}],"mechanism":"forest eviction","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["mau-forest-loss-and-forest-excisions","sengwer-evictions-from-embobut-forest-and-eu-water-towers-pr"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2023 evictions targeted Ogiek people; the Ogiek are not named as those evicted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: evictions in the Mau resumed in 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2022 award of 157 million Kenyan shillings has not been implemented, according to community representatives.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the African Court rejected forest conservation as a justification for the evictions.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Nakuru and Narok halting orders remained in force is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Mau Forest residents"]},{"id":"uzbekistan-world-bank-800m-tanzania-frozen-funds","tier":"short","title":"World Bank $800m Uzbekistan operation; Tanzania project halted","dek":"The World Bank announced an $800 million policy operation for Uzbekistan in October 2025, while its REGROW project in Tanzania was suspended in April 2024 and cancelled in November 2024. At stake for nature is whether the 1.73 million hectares of forest reported planted in Uzbekistan survive.","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":null,"lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":null,"lat":-7.8,"lon":34.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2025,"instrument":"influence","happened":["The World Bank press release describes a US$800 million programmatic development policy operation for Uzbekistan, dated 16 October 2025.","Mongabay reported in May 2024 that Uzbekistan had planted 1.73 million hectares of forest on land where a sea once lay."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Bank announced an $800 million development policy operation for Uzbekistan and suspended disbursements on its Tanzanian REGROW project.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Uzbekistan","what":"US$800 million World Bank policy operation","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Tanzania","what":"REGROW project funding; disbursements suspended, then project cancelled","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Uzbekistan (policy operation and forest planting); Ruaha, Tanzania (REGROW project)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Policy operation dated 16 October 2025; Tanzanian disbursements suspended from 18 April 2024 and project cancelled in November 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A development policy operation for Uzbekistan; REGROW disbursements suspended, then the project cancelled. The cited sources do not state how the forest was planted.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"uzbek_policy_operation_usd_m","value":800,"unit":"USD million","year":2025,"note":"World Bank programmatic development policy operation"},{"key":"uzbek_planted_forest_ha","value":1730000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"reported as planted; survival not stated in the cited sources"},{"key":"regrow_project_usd_m","value":150,"unit":"USD million","year":2017,"note":"World Bank REGROW project (Ruaha), approved 28 September 2017"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a Mongabay report (April 2024) that World Bank funds for a US$150 million Tanzanian project were frozen after human-rights allegations, including evictions and killings.","Survival of the reported forest planting in Uzbekistan is not on record.","The REGROW suspension and cancellation dates have no source link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"First Advancing Global Integration… DPO","p":"World Bank","d":"2025-10-16","u":"https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/10/16/first-advancing-global-integration-and-market-transition-uzbekistan-programmatic-development-policy-operation","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613003532/https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2025/10/16/first-advancing-global-integration-and-market-transition-uzbekistan-programmatic-development-policy-operation"},{"t":"Uzbekistan plants a forest where a sea once lay","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-05","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/uzbekistan-plants-a-forest-where-a-sea-once-lay/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928055951/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/uzbekistan-plants-a-forest-where-a-sea-once-lay/"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"lender; policy operation and REGROW financier"},{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"recipient of the policy operation"},{"id":"tanzania-gov","role":"REGROW borrower; project cancelled in November 2024"}],"mechanism":"policy loan, project suspension","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Mongabay reported in May 2024 that Uzbekistan had planted 1.73 million hectares of forest on me where a sea once lay; the cited sources do not state survival.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Mongabay report (April 2024) that World Bank funds for a US$150 million Tanzanian project were frozen after human-rights allegations, including evictions and killings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Survival of the reported forest planting in Uzbekistan is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The REGROW suspension and cancellation dates have no source link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Government of Tanzania"]},{"id":"isidro-baldenegro-killing","tier":"short","title":"Isidro Baldenegro, Goldman Prize winner, killed in Chihuahua","dek":"Isidro Baldenegro López, who had won the Goldman Prize in 2005, was killed on 15 January 2017 in Chihuahua after opposing logging on Rarámuri land. On 12 February 2019 a Chihuahua court found Romeo Rubio Martínez guilty of homicide; he was sentenced to 11 years for simple homicide, the judge not accepting the aggravating circumstance tied to Baldenegro's activism.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Chihuahua","lat":28.63,"lon":-106.09,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.63,"lon":-106.09,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Tiempo reported that an oral trial of the alleged shooter was scheduled for January 2019. On 12 February 2019 the trial judge, Juan Javier Cornejo Páez, found Romeo Rubio Martínez guilty of homicide in the killing, according to the human rights centre CEDEHM. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison for simple homicide and ordered to pay 405,002 pesos in reparation, according to Proceso on 22 February 2019. The judge did not accept the aggravating circumstance tied to Baldenegro's defence of territory and activism. The widow, María Aurelia Chirivista Lechuga, said the family had expected a longer sentence, and the family's lawyers planned to appeal the term and the reparation order. No appeal ruling was found."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Isidro Baldenegro López, a Goldman Prize winner, was killed in Coloradas de la Virgen, Chihuahua, after opposing logging on Rarámuri land. A Chihuahua court found Romeo Rubio Martínez guilty of homicide in February 2019 and sentenced him to 11 years.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Rarámuri land","what":"subject of the logging he opposed; logging operators are not on record","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Isidro Baldenegro López","what":"killed 15 January 2017","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Coloradas de la Virgen, Chihuahua, Mexico","src":null},"when":{"t":"Killed 15 January 2017; trial scheduled for January 2019; guilty verdict 12 February 2019; sentence reported 22 February 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The court did not accept the aggravating circumstance tied to his defence of territory and activism; CEDEHM reported the reasons for the shooting as unknown.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shot dead in Coloradas de la Virgen; a Chihuahua court found Romeo Rubio Martínez guilty of homicide on 12 February 2019 and sentenced him to 11 years for simple homicide.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"State of Chihuahua v. Romeo Rubio Martínez (killing of Isidro Baldenegro López)","forum":"Trial court, Judicial Power of the State of Chihuahua","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecutor's office of Chihuahua","defendant":"Romeo Rubio Martínez","filed":null,"decided":"2019-02-12","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Found guilty of homicide on 12 February 2019 (judge Juan Javier Cornejo Páez) and sentenced to 11 years for simple homicide, plus 405,002 pesos in reparation; the aggravating circumstance tied to Baldenegro's activism was not accepted. The family's lawyers planned to appeal; no appeal ruling was found.","src":1}],"unknown":["The outcome of the family's appeal against the 11-year sentence and the reparation order was not found.","Whether logging on the Rarámuri land continued after the killing is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Oral trial of the alleged killer of Isidro Baldenegro, Chihuahua","p":"tiempo.com.mx","d":"","u":"https://www.tiempo.com.mx/local/juicio_oral_asesino_isidro_baldenegro_chihuahua/","type":"press"},{"t":"Insuficiente pena de 11 años a homicida de defensor rarámuri: Familiares","p":"Proceso","d":"2019-02-22","u":"https://www.proceso.com.mx/nacional/estados/2019/2/22/insuficiente-pena-de-11-anos-homicida-de-defensor-raramuri-familiares-220649.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Se dicta fallo en el caso del asesinato del defensor ambientalista Isidro Baldenegro","p":"CEDEHM","d":"2019-02-12","u":"https://cedehm.org.mx/en/2019/02/12/se-dicta-fallo-en-el-caso-del-asesinato-del-defensor-ambientalista-isidro-baldenegro/","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"logging on Indigenous land","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[{"y":2019,"t":"12 February: Romeo Rubio Martínez found guilty of homicide; sentenced to 11 years for simple homicide"}],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the family's appeal against the 11-year sentence and the reparation order was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether logging on the Rarámuri land continued after the killing is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Rarámuri land","No source link — Who harmed: Isidro Baldenegro López"]},{"id":"celedonio-monroy-disappearance-and-pena-colorada-mine","tier":"short","title":"Celedonio Monroy abducted in 2012 after opposing Peña Colorada mine","dek":"Celedonio Monroy Prudencio was abducted in Ayotitlán, Jalisco, on 23 October 2012, after he denounced logging he described as illegal and opposed the Peña Colorada iron mine, owned 50% each by Ternium and ArcelorMittal. He remains missing, and no prosecution is on record.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Jalisco","lat":19.58,"lon":-104.22,"role":"event"}],"lat":19.58,"lon":-104.22,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Mongabay reported in October 2023 that on the night of 23 October 2012 eight men with covered faces and military-style clothing forced their way into Monroy's home in Loma Colorada, beat and threatened his wife and took him; he has been missing since. His family told Mongabay that the authorities did nothing to search for him. Mongabay reported no charges or prosecutions and did not identify the perpetrators.","La Jornada (January 2013) is cited alongside it for the same outcome."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Celedonio Monroy Prudencio was abducted in Ayotitlán, Jalisco; he had denounced logging he described as illegal and opposed the Peña Colorada iron mine.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Celedonio Monroy Prudencio","what":"abducted 23 October 2012; still missing","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Ayotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico (Peña Colorada iron mine area)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Abducted 23 October 2012; still missing as reported in October 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Abduction; the cited sources do not identify who was responsible and record no prosecution.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Mongabay reported in October 2023 that a 2014 federal collegiate court order for the Peña Colorada mine to stop operating was not carried out and that the mine was still producing; a claim that the mine was halted after the abduction and restarted in July 2023 could not be confirmed.","An NGO letter to Ternium dated January 2025 is referenced; its content is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"La Jornada article, 21 January 2013 (estados section)","p":"La Jornada","d":"2013-01-21","u":"https://www.jornada.com.mx/2013/01/21/estados/035n1est","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206161920/https://www.jornada.com.mx/2013/01/21/estados/035n1est"},{"t":"Missing defenders in the Sierra de Manantlán: mining and drug trafficking","p":"Mongabay (Spanish edition)","d":"2023-10","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2023/10/defensores-desaparecidos-sierra-de-manantlan-mineria-narcotrafico-mexico/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260628192159/https://es.mongabay.com/2023/10/defensores-desaparecidos-sierra-de-manantlan-mineria-narcotrafico-mexico/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ternium","role":"member of the consortium operating the Peña Colorada mine"},{"id":"arcelormittal","role":"member of the consortium operating the Peña Colorada mine"}],"mechanism":"iron mine and logging","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Mongabay reported in October 2023 that a 2014 federal collegiate court order for the Peña Colorada mine to stop operating was not carried out and that the mine was still producing; a claim that the mine was halted after the abduction and restarted in July 2023 could not be confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"An NGO letter to Ternium dated January 2025 is referenced; its content is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sebastian-alonso-juan-killing-and-pojom-hydro-dams","tier":"short","title":"Sebastián Alonso Juan shot at Ixquisis protest against Pojom dams","dek":"Sebastián Alonso Juan, aged 72, was shot on 17 January 2017 at a protest in Ixquisis, San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango, against the Pojom I/II and San Andrés hydro dams, and died about four hours later, according to a statement by the organisations that denounced the case. Rights in Development reported IDB Invest, CABEI and Cordiant as the dams' financiers, and no prosecution is on record.","country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","places":[{"country":"Guatemala","iso2":"GT","admin":"Huehuetenango","lat":15.32,"lon":-91.47,"role":"event"}],"lat":15.32,"lon":-91.47,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Rights in Development reported IDB Invest, CABEI and Cordiant as financiers of the Pojom I/II and San Andrés hydro dams of PDH S.A. (Promoción y Desarrollos Hídricos S.A., now Energía y Renovación S.A.).","According to a statement by the organisations that signed it, published by NISGUA, Sebastián Alonso Juan, 72, of Yulchen Frontera, was shot at about 2 p.m. at the protest and died about four hours later without medical attention. The statement says armed men hiding behind bushes fired on the demonstrators and attributes the shooting to police, PDH S.A. private security and forest rangers; the page includes no response from them. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited PDH S.A. to respond, and a response dated 23 January 2017 is listed, titled as concerning the burning of work machinery by alleged opponents of the project. The cited sources record no investigation result and no prosecution."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sebastián Alonso Juan, 72, was shot at a protest in Ixquisis, San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango, on 17 January 2017 against the Pojom I/II and San Andrés hydro dams, and died about four hours later, according to the organisations that denounced the case.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"PDH S.A.","what":"developer of the Pojom I/II and San Andrés hydro dams","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sebastián Alonso Juan","what":"shot at a protest on 17 January 2017 and died about four hours later without medical attention, according to a statement by the organisations that denounced the case","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Ixquisis, San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango, Guatemala","src":0},"when":{"t":"17 January 2017","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shot at a protest; the organisations' statement says armed men hid behind bushes and fired, and attributes the shooting to police, PDH S.A. private security and forest rangers, which the cited sources do not confirm; no investigation result is recorded.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The current status of the Pojom I/II and San Andrés dams is not on record.","Financing amounts for the dams are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Ixquisis community voices, Guatemala","p":"Rights in Development","d":"","u":"https://rightsindevelopment.org/community-voices-ixquisis-guatemala/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230801145450/https://rightsindevelopment.org/community-voices-ixquisis-guatemala/"},{"t":"Repression of communities defending their rights in the Ixquisis region, San Mateo Ixtatán, Huehuetenango","p":"NISGUA","d":"2017-01","u":"https://nisgua.org/repression-of-communities-defending-their-rights-in-the-micro-region-of-ixquisis-san-mateo-ixtatan-huehuetenango/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Guatemala: NGOs & communities protesting hydroelectric project by Promoción y Desarrollos Hídricos allege repression, killing of activist by armed men","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2017-01","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guatemala-ngos-communities-protesting-hydroelectric-project-by-promoci%C3%B3n-y-desarrollos-h%C3%ADdricos-allege-repression-killing-of-activist-by-armed-men/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260702100802/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guatemala-ngos-communities-protesting-hydroelectric-project-by-promoci%C3%B3n-y-desarrollos-h%C3%ADdricos-allege-repression-killing-of-activist-by-armed-men/"}],"actors":[{"id":"pdh-sa","role":"developer of the Pojom I/II and San Andrés hydro dams"},{"id":"idb-invest","role":"reported financier"},{"id":"cabei","role":"reported financier"},{"id":"cordiant","role":"reported financier"}],"mechanism":"hydroelectric dam conflict","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The current status of the Pojom I/II and San Andrés dams is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Financing amounts for the dams are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"joannah-stutchbury-killing","tier":"short","title":"Conservationist Joannah Stutchbury shot in Kiambu, Kenya, in 2021","dek":"Joannah Stutchbury was shot dead in Kiambu, Kenya, on 15 July 2021, after Agropack Ltd had filed a complaint against her and the Kenya Forest Service, accusing them of obstructing an access road through State-protected forest land; she had opposed encroachment on the Kiambu forest. No arrests had been reported as of January 2022, and no later arrest or charge is on record.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Kiambu","lat":-1.17,"lon":36.83,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.17,"lon":36.83,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reported in September 2021 that no arrests had been made almost two months after the killing of a conservationist who had said she was threatened by road developers. The Nation reported that she was shot outside her home in Thindigua, Kiambu County, on the evening of 15 July 2021, that Agropack Ltd officials had filed a complaint against her and the Kenya Forest Service accusing them of obstructing an access road through forest land, and that a case was pending in the Environment and Land Court in Kiambu. In an affidavit she said company employees had threatened her; police said claims about the company's involvement were unverified.","Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations told MPs in November 2021 that her resistance to the encroachment and construction of a road in the forest was the probable motive; persons of interest had been questioned but no arrests were reported (The Star, December 2021). In February 2022 a Senate committee said she may have been killed by the occupier who built a road through riparian land to reach his property, without naming him, and recommended that police and the DCI investigate him with a view to arrest and prosecution. Front Line Defenders said on 10 January 2022 that there had not been a single arrest. The cited sources record no later arrest, charge or prosecution."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Joannah Stutchbury was shot in Kiambu, Kenya, on 15 July 2021; she had opposed encroachment on the Kiambu forest.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Joannah Stutchbury","what":"shot 15 July 2021","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kiambu, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"15 July 2021; no arrests as of January 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shot outside her home in Kiambu County; Agropack Ltd had filed a complaint against her and the Kenya Forest Service before the shooting. Prosecution: none found.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The conservation and climate programme she was linked to is not on record.","Whether Agropack's complaint led to any action is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Kenya: after almost two months no arrests made for murder of conservationist threatened by road developers","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/ru/свежие-новости/kenya-after-almost-two-months-no-arrests-made-for-murder-of-conservationist-threatened-by-road-developers/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220922100642/https://www.business-humanrights.org/ru/%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8/kenya-after-almost-two-months-no-arrests-made-for-murder-of-conservationist-threatened-by-road-developers/"},{"t":"Murdered conservationist Joannah Stutchbury's son had feared for her safety","p":"Nation","d":"2021-07-22","u":"https://nation.africa/kenya/news/stutchbury-son-had-feared-for-her-safety-3482512","type":"press"},{"t":"Murder of environmentalist Stutchbury remains unsolved","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2021-12-28","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/elections/2021-12-28-murder-of-environmentalist-stutchbury-remains-unsolved","type":"press"},{"t":"Stutchbury likely killed by Kiambu forest grabber — Senate report","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2022-02-15","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2022-02-15-stutchbury-likely-killed-by-kiambu-forest-grabber--senate-report","type":"press"},{"t":"Murder of woman human rights defender Elizabeth Ibrahim Ekaru (statement mentions Joannah Stutchbury)","p":"Front Line Defenders","d":"2022-01-10","u":"https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/statement-report/murder-woman-human-rights-defender-elizabeth-ibrahim-ekaru","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"agropack","role":"developer; filed a complaint against her before the shooting"}],"mechanism":"forest encroachment dispute","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The conservation and climate programme she was linked to is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Agropack's complaint led to any action is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sombath-somphone-disappearance","tier":"short","title":"Sombath Somphone disappeared at a Vientiane police checkpoint in 2012","dek":"Sombath Somphone disappeared on 15 December 2012 at a police checkpoint in Vientiane, Laos, after being recorded on CCTV. The government denies arresting him, and no specific conservation scheme is linked to the case in the cited sources.","country":"Laos","iso2":"LA","places":[{"country":"Laos","iso2":"LA","admin":null,"lat":17.97,"lon":102.61,"role":"event"}],"lat":17.97,"lon":102.61,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Amnesty International reported in 2016 that the Lao authorities denied arresting Sombath Somphone and denied any responsibility for his disappearance, saying he may have been abducted in a private dispute. Human Rights Watch reported that the government repeatedly rejected offers of technical assistance for the investigation.","The ICJ also reported that Laos's 2023 submission to the UN Human Rights Committee contained nothing new.","The ICJ and other groups said in December 2023 that police stopped Sombath Somphone's vehicle at the checkpoint and that, within minutes, unknown individuals moved him into another vehicle in the presence of police, according to traffic-camera footage."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sombath Somphone disappeared at a Vientiane police checkpoint; the government denies detaining him.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sombath Somphone","what":"disappeared 15 December 2012","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Vientiane, Laos","src":null},"when":{"t":"15 December 2012; Laos's 2023 UN submission contained nothing new, according to the ICJ.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Disappeared at a police checkpoint; the cited sources record no investigation outcome.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The Lao government told the UN Human Rights Committee in September 2023 that its task force had not closed the case; the ICJ and other groups say his wife has had no update since 2017.","No specific conservation scheme is linked to the disappearance in the cited sources.","The content of the CCTV recording is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Laos: 11 years of government inaction on Sombath Somphone's enforced disappearance","p":"ICJ","d":"","u":"https://www.icj.org/laos-11-years-of-government-inaction-on-sombath-somphones-enforced-disappearance/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421190947/https://www.icj.org/laos-11-years-of-government-inaction-on-sombath-somphones-enforced-disappearance/"},{"t":"Where is Sombath Somphone?","p":"Amnesty International UK","d":"2016-08-30","u":"https://www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved/join-the-movement/join-a-group-or-network/country-coordinators/country-specialists-blog/where-sombath-somphone/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Human Rights Watch concerns on Laos","p":"Human Rights Watch (via sombath.org)","d":"2015-11","u":"https://www.sombath.org/en/2015/11/human-rights-watch-concerns-on-laos/","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-laos","role":"denies arresting him; refused outside analysis of CCTV"}],"mechanism":"enforced disappearance","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Lao government told the UN Human Rights Committee in September 2023 that its task force had not closed the case; the ICJ and other groups say his wife has had no update since 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No specific conservation scheme is linked to the disappearance in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The content of the CCTV recording is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"world-bank-plastic-waste-reduction-linked-bond","tier":"short","title":"World Bank $100m plastic waste bond tied to Verra credit sales","dek":"The World Bank's US$100 million, seven-year Plastic Waste Reduction-Linked Bond, dated January 2024, ties investor returns to sales of Verra plastic and carbon credits. For nature, the question is whether those credits pay for less plastic waste, which the cited sources do not measure.","country":"Multiple countries","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Packaging Europe reported that the World Bank bond is principal-protected and that its returns are tied to Verra plastic and carbon credit sales.","Packaging Europe also reported that Citi was lead arranger and that Plastic Collective runs the Ghanaian ASASE and Indonesian SEARcular initiatives."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Bank issued a US$100 million, seven-year, principal-protected Plastic Waste Reduction-Linked Bond in January 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bond investors","what":"principal protection; returns tied to credit sales","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ghana (ASASE) and Indonesia (SEARcular) initiatives","src":0},"when":{"t":"January 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Returns tied to Verra plastic and carbon credit sales from initiatives run by Plastic Collective.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"bond_size_usd_m","value":100,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"seven-year, principal-protected bond"},{"key":"plastic_credit_price_low_usd_per_tonne","value":140,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":null,"note":"World Bank range, low end"},{"key":"plastic_credit_price_high_usd_per_tonne","value":670,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":null,"note":"World Bank range, high end"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether plastic waste was reduced by the funded initiatives is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Investors to receive financial returns from plastic waste reduction and recycling projects in new bond","p":"Packaging Europe","d":"","u":"https://packagingeurope.com/news/investors-to-receive-financial-returns-from-plastic-waste-reduction-and-recycling-projects-in-new-bond/10933.article","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251119092734/https://packagingeurope.com/news/investors-to-receive-financial-returns-from-plastic-waste-reduction-and-recycling-projects-in-new-bond/10933.article"},{"t":"Product Overview: Plastic Credits","p":"World Bank","d":"","u":"https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/411ebaec936068e4bb62a0e40ebce522-0320072024/original/Product-Overview-Plastic-Credits-FINAL.pdf","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260324100630/https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/411ebaec936068e4bb62a0e40ebce522-0320072024/original/Product-Overview-Plastic-Credits-FINAL.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"issuer of the bond"},{"id":"citi","role":"lead arranger"},{"id":"plastic-collective","role":"runs the Ghanaian and Indonesian initiatives"},{"id":"verra","role":"standard for the plastic and carbon credits sold"}],"mechanism":"plastic credits bond","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A US$100 million seven-year World Bank bond was issued in my name in January 2024, its returns tied to Verra plastic and carbon credit sales; the cited sources measure no reduction in plastic waste.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether plastic waste was reduced by the funded initiatives is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kumtor-mine-penalty-and-nationalisation","tier":"short","title":"Kyrgyzstan takes control of Kumtor gold mine amid penalty dispute","dek":"Kyrgyzstan took control of the Kumtor gold mine from Centerra Gold, after an environmental penalty of about US$3 billion became a bargaining point. RFE/RL reported a cyanide spill at the mine about which residents were not informed for five hours.","country":"Kyrgyzstan","iso2":"KG","places":[{"country":"Kyrgyzstan","iso2":"KG","admin":null,"lat":41.87,"lon":78.17,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.87,"lon":78.17,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mining Technology reported that Kyrgyzstan seized control of the Kumtor mine in a dispute over a penalty of about US$3 billion.","Mining.com reported that a glacier penalty was used as leverage in the nationalisation, which ended the dispute with Centerra Gold.","RFE/RL reported a cyanide spill at Kumtor, with residents not informed for five hours."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kyrgyzstan took control of the Kumtor gold mine, with an environmental penalty of about US$3 billion in dispute.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Kyrgyzstan","what":"control of the Kumtor mine","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Centerra Gold","what":"the Kumtor mine, handed to Kyrgyzstan","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents near Kumtor","what":"not informed for five hours about a cyanide spill","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Kumtor gold mine, Kyrgyzstan","src":null},"when":{"t":"None on record; the spill and the takeover dates are not recorded.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Nationalisation after a penalty dispute; a glacier penalty was reported as leverage.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"environmental_penalty_usd_bn","value":3.1,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"figure as stated in one source; a headline gives about 3"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the exact penalty amount, given as US$3.1 billion in one record and about US$3 billion in a headline.","Whether the penalty was formally withdrawn is not on record.","The environmental damage from the cyanide spill is not measured in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Kyrgyzstan seizes control of Kumtor mine","p":"Mining Technology","d":"","u":"https://www.mining-technology.com/news/kyrgyzstan-seizes-control-kumtor-mine","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210215610/https://www.mining-technology.com/news/kyrgyzstan-seizes-control-kumtor-mine/"},{"t":"Centerra Gold hands Kumtor mine to Kyrgyzstan, ending dispute","p":"Mining.com","d":"","u":"https://www.mining.com/centerra-gold-hands-kumtor-mine-to-kyrgyzstan-ending-dispute/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614042111/https://www.mining.com/centerra-gold-hands-kumtor-mine-to-kyrgyzstan-ending-dispute/"},{"t":"Kumtor cyanide spill and compensation (Qishloq Ovozi)","p":"RFE/RL","d":"","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-kumtor-cyanide-spill-compensation-gold-mining/30797137.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923213039/https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-kumtor-cyanide-spill-compensation-gold-mining/30797137.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"centerra-gold","role":"operator of the Kumtor mine; mine handed to Kyrgyzstan"},{"id":"government-of-kyrgyzstan","role":"took control of the mine"}],"mechanism":"nationalisation over penalty","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the exact penalty amount, given as US$3.1 billion in one record and about US$3 billion in a headline.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the penalty was formally withdrawn is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The environmental damage from the cyanide spill is not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"citarum-river-programme-and-textile-permits","tier":"short","title":"Indonesian court cancels discharge permits of three Citarum textile factories","dek":"An Indonesian court cancelled the discharge permits of three textile factories on the Citarum river, Undark reported in 2017, and a 2025 Unpas thesis says the Citarum programme missed its target. The sources do not give the river's current water quality.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-6.92,"lon":107.61,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.92,"lon":107.61,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["An Indonesian court cancelled the discharge permits of three textile factories that discharged into the Citarum river (Undark, February 2017).","A 2025 Unpas thesis reports that the Citarum programme did not meet its target."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An Indonesian court cancelled the discharge permits of three textile factories discharging into the Citarum river.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Citarum river, Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit cancellation reported February 2017","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cancellation of discharge permits held by three textile factories.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say which parties gained from the discharges or who bore the clean-up cost.","The cited sources do not give the Citarum programme's target or the figures behind the 2025 finding.","Whether the cancelled permits were later restored is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Citarum: discharge permits cancelled","p":"Undark","d":"2017-02-23","u":"https://undark.org/article/indonesia-textiles-citarum-river-pollution/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20180709212100/https://undark.org/article/indonesia-textiles-citarum-river-pollution/"},{"t":"Citarum programme target not met (thesis)","p":"Unpas","d":"2025","u":"https://repository.unpas.ac.id/84772/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012081735/https://repository.unpas.ac.id/84772/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"discharge permit cancellation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say which parties gained from the discharges or who bore the clean-up cost.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the Citarum programme's target or the figures behind the 2025 finding.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the cancelled permits were later restored is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pakistan-supreme-court-bottled-water-levy","tier":"short","title":"Pakistan Supreme Court sets Rs1 per litre levy on groundwater pumped by bottlers","dek":"Pakistan's Supreme Court set a levy of one rupee per litre on groundwater pumped by bottled-water companies, which were reported to draw about 7 billion litres a month. At stake is the groundwater the companies draw; the sources do not say how much the levy has collected.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":null,"lat":30.38,"lon":69.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.38,"lon":69.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["The Supreme Court set a levy of one rupee per litre on groundwater pumped by bottled-water companies, Dawn reported in December 2018.","Companies were reported to pump about 7 billion litres of groundwater a month (Dawn, 2018).","The CJP criticised mineral water companies for extracting billions of rupees' worth of groundwater, Geo reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pakistan's Supreme Court set a levy of one rupee per litre on groundwater pumped by bottled-water companies.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bottled-water companies (names: none on record)","what":"Pumped about 7 billion litres of groundwater a month","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pakistan","src":1},"when":{"t":"Reported December 2018","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A court-set levy per litre of groundwater extracted.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"groundwater_pumped_bn_litres_per_month","value":7000000000,"unit":"litres per month","year":2018,"note":"Reported by Dawn and Geo"},{"key":"groundwater_levy_rs_per_litre","value":1,"unit":"rupee per litre","year":2018,"note":"Levy set by the Supreme Court"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how much the levy has collected or whether it is fully paid.","Reported without a linked source: 27 bottled-water brands in Pakistan tested unsafe."],"sources":[{"t":"CJP lambastes mineral water companies for extracting billions of rupees worth of groundwater","p":"Geo","d":"2018","u":"https://www.geo.tv/latest/218356-cjp-lambastes-mineral-water-companies-for-extracting-billions-of-rupees-worth-of-groundwater","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190820133314/https://www.geo.tv/latest/218356-cjp-lambastes-mineral-water-companies-for-extracting-billions-of-rupees-worth-of-groundwater"},{"t":"Pakistan: 7 billion litres a month; Rs1 per litre","p":"Dawn","d":"2018-12-07","u":"https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1449835","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190226000132/https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1449835"}],"actors":[{"id":"supreme-court-of-pakistan","role":"Court that set the levy"}],"mechanism":"groundwater extraction levy","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Bottled-water companies were reported to pump about 7 billion litres of my groundwater a month in 2018; the Supreme Court set a levy of one rupee per litre.","src":[1,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much the levy has collected or whether it is fully paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: 27 bottled-water brands in Pakistan tested unsafe.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"california-water-board-vs-bottler-no-water-rights","tier":"short","title":"California water board says bottler Arrowhead had no water right for most diversions","dek":"California's water board said Arrowhead, a bottled-water brand, had no water right for most of the diversions it directed, and California halted some of its bottling activities, Courthouse News reported in 2023. The sources do not give the volume of water drawn.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["The California water board said the bottler Arrowhead had no water right for most of the diversions it directed (Courthouse News, 2023).","Courthouse News reported that California halted some Arrowhead water-bottling activities.","Courthouse News also reported an annual figure of USD 524 for Arrowhead's water."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"California's water board said most of a bottler's diversions had no water right, and California halted some of Arrowhead's bottling activities.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Arrowhead","what":"Water diversions for bottling, most of which the board said had no water right","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Enforcement of water rights against bottling diversions.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"arrowhead_annual_figure_usd","value":524,"unit":"USD per year","year":null,"note":"Courthouse News; source dated 2015/2024"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not give the volume of water Arrowhead drew or the basis for the annual USD 524 figure.","Reported without detail: a 2024 permit refusal for Arrowhead.","Whether the halt was lifted or a water right later granted is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"California halts some Arrowhead water bottling activities","p":"Courthouse News","d":"2023","u":"https://www.courthousenews.com/california-halts-some-arrowhead-water-bottling-activities/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723224545/https://www.courthousenews.com/california-halts-some-arrowhead-water-bottling-activities/"},{"t":"Outrage over USA subsidizing bottled water","p":"Courthouse News; LA Mag","d":"2015/2024","u":"https://www.courthousenews.com/outrage-over-usa-subsidizing-nestles-water/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240807200056/https://www.courthousenews.com/outrage-over-usa-subsidizing-nestles-water/"}],"actors":[{"id":"arrowhead","role":"Bottler that drew the water in question"},{"id":"california-water-board","role":"Regulator that said most diversions had no water right"}],"mechanism":"water right enforcement","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"California's water board said the bottler Arrowhead had no water right for most of the diversions it directed from me, Courthouse News reported in 2023.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the volume of water Arrowhead drew or the basis for the annual USD 524 figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without detail: a 2024 permit refusal for Arrowhead.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the halt was lifted or a water right later granted is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"aqua-mountain-water-drilled-wells","tier":"short","title":"Bottled water sold as mountain water is drawn from boreholes, Indonesian reports say","dek":"Indonesian reports say Aqua's water, labelled 'mountain water', is drawn from boreholes 60 to 102 metres deep, and the consumer body BPKN found no violation (Kontan, 2025). The sources do not give the volume drawn from the wells.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Kontan reported that the water is drawn from boreholes 60 to 102 metres deep, and that the consumer body BPKN found no violation.","CNBC Indonesia reported in October 2025 that the 'mountain water' sold by Aqua came from a borehole."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Aqua's water, labelled 'mountain water', is drawn from boreholes, and the consumer body BPKN found no violation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Aqua","what":"Sells water labelled 'mountain water' drawn from 60 to 102 m boreholes","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia (location of the boreholes not given)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 2025; CNBC Indonesia item dated 22 October 2025","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water drawn from deep boreholes and sold under a 'mountain water' label.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"borehole_depth_upper_m","value":102,"unit":"m","year":2025,"note":"Upper end of a 60–102 m range reported by Kontan"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the volume drawn from the wells or the permit terms.","The sources do not say what effect the wells have had on local groundwater."],"sources":[{"t":"BPKN probes controversy over the water source of a bottled-water company","p":"Kontan","d":"2025","u":"https://industri.kontan.co.id/news/bpkn-telusuri-polemik-sumber-air-perusahaan-amdk-ini-hasilnya","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251106184909/https://industri.kontan.co.id/news/bpkn-telusuri-polemik-sumber-air-perusahaan-amdk-ini-hasilnya"},{"t":"Viral claim that 'mountain water' comes from a borehole: the facts","p":"CNBC Indonesia","d":"2025-10-22","u":"https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/tech/20251022230501-37-678445/viral-kdm-kaget-air-mineral-dari-sumur-bor-ini-fakta-sebenarnya","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251023001745/https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/tech/20251022230501-37-678445/viral-kdm-kaget-air-mineral-dari-sumur-bor-ini-fakta-sebenarnya?"}],"actors":[{"id":"aqua","role":"Bottler whose water is labelled 'mountain water'"},{"id":"bpkn","role":"Consumer body that reviewed the source claim and found no violation"}],"mechanism":"borehole water labelled mountain","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Kontan reported that water sold as 'mountain water' is drawn from boreholes 60 to 102 metres deep in me; the volume drawn is not given.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume drawn from the wells or the permit terms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say what effect the wells have had on local groundwater.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"korea-river-restoration-decision-reversed","tier":"short","title":"South Korea audit reverses river restoration decision","dek":"A South Korean state audit board reversed a river restoration decision in 2023. Figures for the earlier Four Rivers works (2009–19), reported without a linked source, put the taxpayer cost at 22.2 trillion won.","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":null,"lat":36.5,"lon":127.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.5,"lon":127.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2023,"instrument":"finance","happened":["A state audit board reversed a river restoration decision in 2023, Ajunews (Asia Economy) reported.","Reported without a linked source: the Four Rivers works (2009–19) included a 3.78 trillion won public-works contract for Daelim."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A state audit board reversed a river restoration decision in South Korea in 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Daelim","what":"3.78 trillion won in public works under the Four Rivers works (reported without a linked source)","src":null},{"who":"Hyundai E&C","what":"Named among the firms in the Four Rivers works (reported without a linked source)","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"22.2 trillion won, per Four Rivers figures (reported without a linked source)","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"South Korea","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reversal reported 2023; Four Rivers works 2009–19","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An audit finding that reversed the restoration decision.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"four_rivers_public_works_krw_trillion","value":3.78,"unit":"trillion won","year":null,"note":"Public works contract; reported without a linked source"},{"key":"four_rivers_taxpayer_cost_krw_trillion","value":22.2,"unit":"trillion won","year":null,"note":"Taxpayer figure; reported without a linked source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which river's restoration decision was reversed or what it required.","The sources do not say whether the reversal changed works already done on the ground.","The Four Rivers figures are reported without a linked source."],"sources":[{"t":"River restoration decision reversed (state audit board)","p":"Ajunews (Asia Economy)","d":"2023","u":"https://www.ajunews.com/view/20230720092946461","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250724151638/https://www.ajunews.com/view/20230720092946461"}],"actors":[{"id":"daelim","role":"Contractor named for public works in the Four Rivers works"},{"id":"hyundai-engineering-construction","role":"Firm named alongside Daelim in the Four Rivers works"}],"mechanism":"audit-reversed river restoration","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which river's restoration decision was reversed or what it required.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the reversal changed works already done on the ground.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Four Rivers figures are reported without a linked source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Daelim","No source link — Who gained: Hyundai E&C","No source link — Who lost: Taxpayers"]},{"id":"tortum-waterfall-hes","tier":"short","title":"Tortum Waterfall dries up after hydro plant operator cuts its water","dek":"The hydro plant at Turkey's Tortum Waterfall, privatised for 49 years, cut the water and the waterfall dried up completely, Diken reported in February 2022. The cited sources do not give the outcome of the governorship's investigation.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Erzurum","lat":40.31,"lon":41.59,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.31,"lon":41.59,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The Tortum Waterfall's hydro plant had been privatised for 49 years, Diken reported in February 2022.","The operator cut the water, and the waterfall dried up completely.","The governorship opened an investigation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The hydro plant operator at Tortum Waterfall cut the water and the waterfall dried up completely, Diken reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operator of the Tortum Waterfall hydro plant (name: none on record)","what":"Use of the waterfall's water under a 49-year privatisation","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Tortum Waterfall","what":"Dried up completely","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tortum Waterfall, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Privatised hydro plant at the waterfall; water cut by the operator.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"privatisation_term_years","value":49,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Term of the privatisation of the hydro plant"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say when or to whom the 49-year privatisation was granted.","The outcome of the governorship's investigation is not on record.","No national inventory of dried river reaches in Turkey is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Tortum dried up; governorship launches investigation","p":"Diken","d":"2022-02","u":"https://www.diken.com.tr/?p=1081820","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"hydro plant water diversion","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The operator cut my water and my Tortum waterfall dried up completely, Diken reported in February 2022.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say when or to whom the 49-year privatisation was granted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the governorship's investigation is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No national inventory of dried river reaches in Turkey is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"fethiye-sogutlu-village-spring-and-hes-line","tier":"short","title":"Fethiye village's only water source allocated to a hydro line; detentions follow","dek":"Medyascope reported in August 2024 that Söğütlü village's only water source in Fethiye, Turkey, had been allocated to a hydro line, and that villagers were detained when gendarmerie intervened. The village was billed 98,000 lira for the cost of cutting its water, the report says.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Muğla","lat":36.62,"lon":29.11,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.62,"lon":29.11,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["Medyascope reported in August 2024 that the village's only water source had been allocated to a hydro line, and that gendarmerie intervened when villagers resisted, with detentions.","A district chair of the AKP met the villagers and defended the hydro construction, Medyascope reported.","Medyascope reported that the spring was allocated to Akfen's hydro plant and that the costs of cutting its water were billed to villagers, 98,000 lira."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Söğütlü village's only water source was allocated to a hydro line, and villagers were detained when they resisted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Akfen","what":"Hydro plant that received the spring's allocation","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Söğütlü villagers","what":"Only water source taken; billed 98,000 lira for cutting the water","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Söğütlü villagers","what":"Detained when gendarmerie intervened","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Söğütlü village, Fethiye, Muğla, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"August 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Spring allocated to a hydro line; water cut during construction.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"villager_bill_lira","value":98000,"unit":"TL","year":2024,"note":"Bill for cutting the water, reported by Medyascope"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the volume of water taken from the spring.","The sources do not say whether the bill was challenged or withdrawn, or what the detentions led to."],"sources":[{"t":"Söğütlü: the village's only water source goes to a hydro line","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-08-10","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/08/10/fethiye-sogutlude-suyunu-hese-vermek-istemeyen-koylulere-jandarma-mudahalesi-yedi-gozalti/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250519171344/https://medyascope.tv/2024/08/10/fethiye-sogutlude-suyunu-hese-vermek-istemeyen-koylulere-jandarma-mudahalesi-yedi-gozalti/"},{"t":"AKP Fethiye district chair meets Söğütlü villagers and defends hydro construction","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-08-22","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/08/22/akp-fethiye-ilce-baskani-sogutlude-koylulerle-bulustu-hes-insasini-savundu/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250617195008/https://medyascope.tv/2024/08/22/akp-fethiye-ilce-baskani-sogutlude-koylulerle-bulustu-hes-insasini-savundu/"},{"t":"Costs of cutting Söğütlü's water for the hydro line billed to villagers","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-08-29","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/08/29/fethiye-sogutlunun-suyunun-hes-icin-kesilmesi-sirasinda-yapilan-masraflar-koylulere-kesildi/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250328065007/https://medyascope.tv/2024/08/29/fethiye-sogutlunun-suyunun-hes-icin-kesilmesi-sirasinda-yapilan-masraflar-koylulere-kesildi/"}],"actors":[{"id":"akfen","role":"Owner of the hydro plant that received the spring's allocation"}],"mechanism":"hydro plant spring allocation","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My spring, the single water source of Söğütlü village, was allocated to a hydro plant, Medyascope reported in August 2024.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume of water taken from the spring.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the bill was challenged or withdrawn, or what the detentions led to.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"aimores-dam-rio-doce-dry-reach","tier":"short","title":"Brazilian court orders Vale and Cemig to repair nearly dry Rio Doce reach","dek":"A Brazilian federal court found a reduced-flow stretch of the Rio Doce almost dry and ordered Vale and Cemig to repair the damage, IRIB reported in August 2015. The cited sources do not say how the repair was carried out.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Minas Gerais","lat":-19.49,"lon":-41.07,"role":"event"}],"lat":-19.49,"lon":-41.07,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["IRIB reported on 13 August 2015 that a Brazilian federal court had found a reduced-flow stretch of the Rio Doce almost dry.","The court ordered Vale and Cemig to repair the environmental damage."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A federal court found a reduced-flow stretch of the Rio Doce almost dry and ordered Vale and Cemig to repair the damage.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Rio Doce reach","what":"Flow reduced; reported almost dry","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rio Doce, Aimorés plant area, Minas Gerais, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 13 August 2015","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Reduced river flow in the reach of the Aimorés plant; the sources do not describe the diversion in detail.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say how the repair was to be carried out or whether it was completed.","The cited sources do not say who gained from the plant's power or how its output was shared.","The sources do not give the court's case name or the date of its ruling."],"sources":[{"t":"MPF-MG: Aimorés plant consortium sentenced to repair environmental damage","p":"IRIB","d":"2015-08-13","u":"https://www.irib.org.br/mpf-mg-cons-oacute-rcio-da-usina-de-aimor-eacute-s-eacute-condenado-a-reparar-danos-ambientais/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"vale","role":"Company the court ordered to repair the damage"},{"id":"cemig","role":"Company the court ordered to repair the damage"}],"mechanism":"hydro plant flow reduction","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say how the repair was to be carried out or whether it was completed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained from the plant's power or how its output was shared.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the court's case name or the date of its ruling.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"akbelen-forest-conviction","tier":"short","title":"Akbelen forest defender sentenced after 2023 felling for coal mine","dek":"Trees in the Akbelen forest in Turkey were cut in 2023 to widen a coal mining area, and a defender of the forest was later sentenced to prison. The cited sources do not give the area cleared or its effect on wildlife.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":37.35,"lon":28.12,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.35,"lon":28.12,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Yetkin Report reported on 26 July 2023 that felling had begun in the Akbelen forest to widen a coal field.","Reports say the trees were cut in 2023 under gendarmerie escort for YK Enerji, a company jointly owned by Limak and İçtaş.","On 6 July 2026 the Milas 3rd Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced Esra Işık, a defender of the Akbelen forest, to two years and one month in prison and a judicial fine, according to Cumhuriyet and Medyascope; the ruling is subject to appeal. Amnesty International had reported on the prosecution in June 2026.","Halk TV reported on 20 June 2025 a YK Enerji letter asking the Privatisation Administration for extra funds to acquire land it could not expropriate under olive-grove rules."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Trees in the Akbelen forest were felled in 2023 to widen a coal mining area.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"YK Enerji (owned by Limak and İçtaş)","what":"wider coal mining area at Akbelen","src":0},{"who":"Yatağan Termik and YK Enerji","what":"gain under the 2025 olive-grove article, according to the producers' challenge","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Olive producers in Milas and Yatağan","what":"mapped olive groves opened to mining under the 2025 law; 77 producers took the law to the Council of State","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Akbelen forest","what":"trees felled in 2023","src":0},{"who":"A local defender of the forest","what":"Esra Işık, sentenced on 6 July 2026 to two years and one month in prison; subject to appeal","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Akbelen forest, Turkey (Akbelen and İkizköy sites)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Felling began in July 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Yetkin Report describes the felling as clearing to widen the coal field.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Felling under gendarmerie escort in 2023, as reported; a 2025 law opened olive groves in Milas and Yatağan to mining if trees were moved or equivalent groves created.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"producers_taking_olive_law_to_court","value":77,"unit":"producers","year":2025,"note":"Milas and Yatağan olive producers who took the mining-olive law to the Council of State"},{"key":"parcels_expropriation_halted","value":194,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"note":"Approximate number of Akbelen parcels for which the Council of State halted expropriation"}],"legal":[{"title":"Akbelen expropriation and valuation cases","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Council of State halted expropriation and valuation cases for about 194 parcels until its final decision, Cumhuriyet reported in 2026.","src":4}],"unknown":["The court, charge and date of the defender's sentence are not on record.","One source ties 679 parcels in urgent expropriation to Akbelen; another ties 679 parcels to İkizköy. The sources disagree on which site the figure refers to.","The cited sources do not give the area of forest cleared or its effect on wildlife.","The company's own account of the 2023 felling and the 2025 letter is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Felling at Akbelen","p":"Yetkin Report","d":"2023-07-26","u":"https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606082622/https://yetkinreport.com/2023/07/26/akbelen-ormaninda-komur-alanini-genisletmek-icin-kesim-basladi/"},{"t":"YK Enerji letter","p":"Halk TV","d":"2025-06-20","u":"https://halktv.com.tr/makale/yandas-sirketler-zeytinlikleri-istedi-iste-o-skandal-mektup-948479","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250805051439/https://halktv.com.tr/makale/yandas-sirketler-zeytinlikleri-istedi-iste-o-skandal-mektup-948479"},{"t":"Prosecution of an Akbelen defender","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2026","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/ru/documents/eur44/1143/2026/en/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Milas and Yatağan producers take olive-mining law to Council of State","p":"bianet","d":"2025","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107084836/https://bianet.org/haber/milas-ve-yataganli-ureticiler-zeytinlikleri-madencilige-acan-yasaya-karsi-danistaya-gitti-310565"},{"t":"Akbelen expropriation halted until Council of State ruling becomes final","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728045028/https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/turkiye/akbelen-de-el-koyma-ve-deger-tespit-davalari-danistay-karari-kesinlesene-kadar-durduruldu-2524205"},{"t":"Akbelen direnişçisi Esra Işık'a 2 yıl 1 ay hapis cezası","p":"Cumhuriyet","d":"2026-07-06","u":"https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/siyaset/akbelen-direniscisi-esra-isik-a-2-yil-1-ay-hapis-cezasi-2518525","type":"press"},{"t":"Akbelen direnişçisi Esra Işık'a hapis cezası","p":"Medyascope","d":"2026-07-07","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2026/07/07/akbelen-direniscisi-esra-isika-hapis-cezasi-biz-onurumuzu-savunduk-bunun-suc-olmadigini-biliyoruz/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"yk-enerji","role":"Company for which the trees were cut"},{"id":"limak","role":"Partner in YK Enerji"},{"id":"ictas","role":"Partner in YK Enerji"},{"id":"yatagan-termik","role":"Coal plant named as a gainer under the 2025 olive-grove article"},{"id":"privatisation-administration","role":"Public body from which YK Enerji sought extra funds"}],"mechanism":"coal mine land clearing","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["akbelen-forest-felling-for-yk-enerji-coal-mine-turkiye"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Yetkin Report reported on 26 July 2023 that felling had begun in my Akbelen forest to widen a coal field; the cited sources give no area.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The court, charge and date of the defender's sentence are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"One source ties 679 parcels in urgent expropriation to Akbelen; another ties 679 parcels to İkizköy. The sources disagree on which site the figure refers to.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the area of forest cleared or its effect on wildlife.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The company's own account of the 2023 felling and the 2025 letter is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"stoat-and-weasel-release-against-rabbits","tier":"short","title":"Stoats and weasels released in New Zealand against rabbits, 1883–1892","dek":"Farmers pressed for stoats and weasels to be released against rabbits in New Zealand between 1883 and 1892, although scientists had warned against it. The cited sources do not say how the predators affected native wildlife.","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","places":[{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":null,"lat":-41.5,"lon":172.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-41.5,"lon":172.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":1883,"end":1892,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Otago Daily Times reports that stoats and weasels were released against rabbits in New Zealand between 1883 and 1892.","The same report says the releases followed farmer pressure, and that scientists had warned of them in the 1880s."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Stoats and weasels were released in New Zealand to control rabbits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers who pressed for the releases","what":"rabbit control","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New Zealand","src":0},"when":{"t":"1883 to 1892","src":0},"why":{"t":"Farmer pressure to control rabbits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Stoats and weasels were released against rabbits despite earlier scientific warnings.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The number of animals released and the places of release are not on record.","The effect of the released predators on native wildlife and on rabbit numbers is not on record.","The content of the scientists' warnings and who gave them is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Death unleashed","p":"Otago Daily Times","d":"","u":"https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-lifestyle/death-unleashed","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220523082404/https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/star-lifestyle/death-unleashed"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"predator release against rabbits","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of animals released and the places of release are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the released predators on native wildlife and on rabbit numbers is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The content of the scientists' warnings and who gave them is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hermits-peak-prescribed-burn-fire","tier":"short","title":"New Mexico prescribed burn in 2022 became the state's largest fire","dek":"A US Forest Service prescribed burn in New Mexico became the largest fire in the state's history in 2022, according to a review reported by Source NM. The review says 99.84 percent of prescribed burns follow their plan; the cited sources give no acreage or ecological damage figures.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New Mexico","lat":35.6,"lon":-105.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.6,"lon":-105.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2022,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A US Forest Service review, reported by Source NM in September 2022, says a Forest Service prescribed burn became New Mexico's largest fire in the state's history.","The same review states that 99.84 percent of prescribed burns follow their plan."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A US Forest Service prescribed burn in New Mexico became the largest fire in the state's history.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"New Mexico forest and land","what":"burned; the area is not stated","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"New Mexico, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A controlled burn by the US Forest Service; the review says 99.84 percent of prescribed burns follow their plan.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"prescribed_burns_following_plan","value":99.84,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of prescribed burns said to follow their plan, per the Source NM review"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The acreage burned, the cost and the damage are not on record.","The causes of the fire's growth are not stated beyond the review's headline.","The period and sample behind the 99.84 percent figure are not on record.","Whether anyone was held responsible is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"US Forest Service review (Source NM)","p":"Source NM","d":"2022-09-09","u":"https://sourcenm.com/2022/09/09/learning-from-nm-mistakes-forest-service-to-better-heed-drought-factor-before-burns/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250515020522/https://sourcenm.com/2022/09/09/learning-from-nm-mistakes-forest-service-to-better-heed-drought-factor-before-burns/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-forest-service","role":"Agency that carried out the prescribed burn"}],"mechanism":"forest service prescribed burn","types":["law-policy","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A Forest Service prescribed burn on me became the largest fire in New Mexico's history in 2022, a Forest Service review says; it says 99.84 percent of prescribed burns follow their plan.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:land-fires"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The acreage burned, the cost and the damage are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The causes of the fire's growth are not stated beyond the review's headline.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The period and sample behind the 99.84 percent figure are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether anyone was held responsible is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"paraquat-exports-from-switzerland-and-uk-to-global-south","tier":"short","title":"62% of UK paraquat exports since 2015 went to poorer countries, analysis finds","dek":"Switzerland banned the herbicide paraquat in 1989, while UK exports continued, and a 2022 analysis found that 62 percent of the 122,831 tonnes exported from the UK since 2015 went to poorer countries. The cited sources do not quantify the effect on wildlife, water or farm workers in importing countries.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"role":"origin"},{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":null,"lat":46.95,"lon":7.45,"role":"origin"}],"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2024,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Switzerland banned paraquat in 1989. Public Eye reported on 12 July 2007 that the EU court annulled the Commission's approval of paraquat after Sweden challenged it.","Unearthed reported on 8 December 2024 that UK export approvals for paraquat exceeded 28,000 tonnes in 2018.","Unearthed also reported UK exports of banned pesticides of 8,489 tonnes in 2023, 98 percent attributed to Syngenta, with all of the 2,771 tonnes of paraquat among them going to the United States.","A 2022 analysis reports that 62 percent of the 122,831 tonnes of paraquat exported from the UK since 2015 went to poorer countries."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Paraquat exports from the United Kingdom and Switzerland, including exports to poorer countries.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Syngenta","what":"named as the source of 98 percent of the 2023 banned-pesticide exports","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom and Switzerland, with exports to poorer countries","src":null},"when":{"t":"Export figures cover 2015 to 2024; the Swiss ban dates from 1989; the EU court ruling from 2007.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Export approvals and exports of banned pesticides; a 2007 EU court ruling annulled an approval.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"uk_paraquat_exports_since_2015","value":122831,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Paraquat exported from the UK since 2015"},{"key":"share_to_poorer_countries","value":62,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of UK paraquat exports since 2015 that went to poorer countries"},{"key":"uk_paraquat_approvals_2018","value":28000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"UK export approvals for paraquat; the source says more than 28,000 tonnes"},{"key":"uk_banned_pesticide_exports_2023","value":8489,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"UK exports of banned pesticides; 98 percent attributed to Syngenta"},{"key":"uk_paraquat_exports_2023","value":2771,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Paraquat within the 2023 banned-pesticide exports; all went to the United States"}],"legal":[{"title":"Sweden's challenge to the EU approval of paraquat","forum":"EU court (court name: none on record)","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"kind":"administrative","claimant":"Sweden","defendant":"European Commission","filed":null,"decided":"2007-07-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The EU court annulled the Commission's approval of paraquat on Sweden's challenge, Public Eye reported on 12 July 2007.","src":0}],"unknown":["The name and authors of the 2022 analysis, and where it was published, are not on record.","The cited sources do not give paraquat exports by destination country for 2015 to 2024.","The cited sources give the Swiss ban only as a year; its scope, including whether it covered exports, is not stated.","Whether the 2007 ruling applied to exports is not on record.","Health and environmental effects in importing countries are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"EU court reins in Syngenta; the beginning of the end for paraquat","p":"Public Eye","d":"2007-07-12","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511162702/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/media-corner/press-releases/detail/eu-court-reins-in-syngenta-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-paraquat"}],"actors":[{"id":"syngenta","role":"Paraquat producer named in the 2023 UK export figures"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"Institution whose paraquat approval the EU court annulled"},{"id":"sweden","role":"Member state that challenged the approval in the EU court"}],"mechanism":"paraquat export approvals","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The name and authors of the 2022 analysis, and where it was published, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give paraquat exports by destination country for 2015 to 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give the Swiss ban only as a year; its scope, including whether it covered exports, is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 2007 ruling applied to exports is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Health and environmental effects in importing countries are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Syngenta"]},{"id":"chagos-marine-protected-area","tier":"short","title":"Arbitration tribunal finds UK breached UN sea law over Chagos reserve","dek":"A 2015 arbitration tribunal found a breach of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the dispute over the Chagos marine protected area, which a US cable called the most effective way to block former residents' return. The cited sources do not describe the reserve's effect on marine life.","country":"British Indian Ocean Territory","iso2":"IO","places":[{"country":"British Indian Ocean Territory","iso2":"IO","admin":null,"lat":-7.3,"lon":72.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-7.3,"lon":72.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2015,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["A Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal found in March 2015 that the UK had breached the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, in a case brought by Mauritius.","A US diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks described the reserve as the most effective way to prevent former residents from returning."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A marine protected area was set up around the Chagos Archipelago, and in 2015 an arbitration tribunal found a breach of UN sea law.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Former residents of the Chagos Archipelago","what":"return blocked, according to the cable","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Chagos Archipelago, Indian Ocean","src":null},"when":{"t":"Evidence covers 2009 to 2015; the tribunal ruled in March 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"According to a US diplomatic cable, to prevent former residents from returning.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A marine protected area set up around the archipelago.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Chagos Marine Protected Area arbitration: Mauritius v United Kingdom","forum":"Permanent Court of Arbitration","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"international","claimant":"Mauritius","defendant":"United Kingdom","filed":null,"decided":"2015-03","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The tribunal found that the UK had breached the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, according to the cited sources.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the reserve's effect on marine life or fishing.","The cost and funding of the reserve are not on record.","The UK government's own account of the reserve is not in the cited sources.","The official description of the reserve as a major step for ocean protection has no named source.","The cited sources do not describe how residents were removed, beyond the cable's reference to blocking their return."],"sources":[{"t":"Chagos Marine Protected Area arbitration: Mauritius v United Kingdom","p":"JHA","d":"","u":"https://uk.jha.com/insights/chagos-marine-protected-area-arbitration-mauritius-v-united-kingdom","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416044234/https://uk.jha.com/insights/chagos-marine-protected-area-arbitration-mauritius-v-united-kingdom"}],"actors":[{"id":"united-kingdom","role":"Respondent in the arbitration"},{"id":"mauritius","role":"Claimant in the arbitration"},{"id":"pca","role":"Tribunal that found the breach"}],"mechanism":"marine protected area","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["bottom-trawling-in-european-marine-protected-areas"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the reserve's effect on marine life or fishing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cost and funding of the reserve are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The UK government's own account of the reserve is not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The official description of the reserve as a major step for ocean protection has no named source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe how residents were removed, beyond the cable's reference to blocking their return.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Former residents of the Chagos Archipelago"]},{"id":"uzbekistan-unplanted-seedlings-reported-planted","tier":"short","title":"Over one million unplanted saplings in Uzbekistan reported as planted","dek":"In June 2024 Uzbekistan's Prosecutor General's Office reported 541 cases in which more than a million seedlings of the Yashil Makon (Green Space) project were recorded as planted but existed only on paper. In October 2024 the president said more than a million trees had been planted on non-irrigated land or falsely reported.","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":null,"lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Kun.uz reported on 11 June 2024 that more than one million unplanted saplings had been added to reports as planted.","The figure is given as more than one million saplings, without a breakdown in the cited sources.","The Prosecutor General's Office, as reported by UzDaily on 10 June 2024, found 541 cases in which more than a million seedlings of the spring season of the Yashil Makon project existed only on paper. It also reported 441 cases in which 580,000 seedlings were planted where there was no irrigation system, 35 cases in which more than 19,000 seedlings died because they were not planted on time, and 7,232 cases of illegal tree felling, for which 100 seedlings were ordered planted for each tree cut down. The release does not mention criminal cases.","An earlier prosecutor inspection, reported by Anhor.uz on 6 August 2023, found 136,100 seedlings in Karakalpakstan and 2,435 in Uchkuduk district (Navoi region) entered in reports as planted but never planted, and 333,100 seedlings in Karakalpakstan that died after being planted without irrigation. The liability of 29 heads of local government bodies and agencies was under consideration.","At a meeting on 21 October 2024 the president said that more than a million trees had been planted on non-irrigated land or falsely reported under Yashil Makon, and asked, according to Gazeta.uz: \"Why is the deputy attorney general sitting silently? What are the 75 employees doing? Where is the oversight?\""],"w5":{"what":{"t":"More than one million unplanted saplings in Uzbekistan were added to reports as planted, according to Kun.uz.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Uzbekistan, under the Yashil Makon (Green Space) national project; the 2023 inspection named Karakalpakstan and Uchkuduk district (Navoi region)","src":2},"when":{"t":"Spring 2024 planting season, reported on 10–11 June 2024; an earlier inspection was reported in August 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Unplanted saplings were recorded as planted in reports, according to the 2024 report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"unplanted_saplings_reported_planted","value":1000000,"unit":"saplings","year":2024,"note":"Stated as more than one million"},{"key":"falsification_cases","value":541,"unit":"cases","year":2024,"note":"Prosecutor General's Office (via UzDaily)."},{"key":"seedlings_without_irrigation","value":580000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2024,"note":"Planted where there was no irrigation system, 441 cases (Prosecutor General's Office, via UzDaily)."},{"key":"seedlings_died","value":19000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Died because they were not planted on time, 35 cases (Prosecutor General's Office, via UzDaily)."},{"key":"illegal_felling_cases","value":7232,"unit":"cases","year":2024,"note":"100 seedlings ordered planted for each felled tree (Prosecutor General's Office, via UzDaily)."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The local bodies that submitted the 2024 reports of unplanted seedlings are not named in the sources.","The number of saplings actually planted, and the survival rate, are not on record.","Whether the reports were corrected, or the saplings later planted, is not on record.","Outcome of the liability decision on the 29 officials named in the 2023 inspection: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Green space scheme: over one million unplanted saplings added to reports as planted","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2024-06-11","u":"https://m.kun.uz/en/news/2024/06/11/green-space-project-over-one-million-unplanted-saplings-added-to-reports-as-planted","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161306/https://kun.uz/en/news/2024/06/11/green-space-project-over-one-million-unplanted-saplings-added-to-reports-as-planted"},{"t":"Over 1 million seedlings were planted in Uzbekistan on paper alone","p":"UzDaily (Prosecutor General's Office press service)","d":"2024-06-10","u":"https://www.uzdaily.uz/en/over-1-million-seedlings-were-planted-in-uzbekistan-on-paper-alone/","type":"press"},{"t":"29 officials responsible for the Yashil Makon project will be held accountable","p":"Anhor.uz","d":"2023-08-06","u":"https://anhor.uz/news/yashilmakon/","type":"press"},{"t":"100 billion soums to be allocated for tree planting in Uzbekistan in 2025","p":"Gazeta.uz","d":"2024-10-24","u":"https://gazeta.uz/en/2024/10/24/yashil-makon","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"kun-uz","role":"reported the unplanted saplings"}],"mechanism":"reported planting figures","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[{"q":"Why is the deputy attorney general sitting silently? What are the 75 employees doing? Where is the oversight?","who":"The President of Uzbekistan, as reported by Gazeta.uz","when":"21 October 2024","src":3}],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"6 August: prosecutor inspection reported; 136,100 seedlings in Karakalpakstan and 2,435 in Uchkuduk reported as planted but never planted","src":2},{"y":2024,"t":"10 June: Prosecutor General's Office reports 541 cases and more than a million seedlings planted on paper only","src":1},{"y":2024,"t":"21 October: the president says more than a million trees were planted on non-irrigated land or falsely reported","src":3}],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"Prosecutor General's Office, via UzDaily, 10 June 2024: 541 cases, more than a million seedlings on paper only; 580,000 seedlings planted without irrigation (441 cases); more than 19,000 seedlings died (35 cases); 7,232 illegal felling cases.","src":1}],"episodes":[],"related":["yashil-makon-tree-planting-programme"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In June 2024 Uzbekistan's Prosecutor General's Office found 541 cases in which more than a million seedlings were reported as planted on me but were never planted.","src":[1,0]},"updated":"2026-10-19","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The local bodies that submitted the 2024 reports of unplanted seedlings are not named in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of saplings actually planted, and the survival rate, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the reports were corrected, or the saplings later planted, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the liability decision on the 29 officials named in the 2023 inspection: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cairo-nile-floating-houses-removal-and-tree-felling","tier":"short","title":"Historic Nile floating houses removed in Cairo; tree felling in 2026 sparks outcry","dek":"Historic floating houses on the Nile in Cairo were removed, and in September 2026 The National reported that tree felling in the city had sparked national outcry. The stake is the city's trees and its historic Nile-side homes.","country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","places":[{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","admin":"Cairo","lat":30.0444,"lon":31.2357,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.0444,"lon":31.2357,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Historic floating houses on the Nile in Cairo were removed; the cited sources date this to July 2022.","The National reported on 12 September 2026 that tree felling in Cairo had sparked national outcry."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Historic floating houses on the Nile in Cairo were removed, and tree felling in Cairo in 2026 drew national outcry.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cairo, Egypt, along the Nile","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2022 for the floating-house removal; September 2026 for the tree felling.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The floating houses were removed and trees were felled; the cited sources do not describe the authority responsible or the method.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The authority responsible for the removals and the felling is not on record.","The number of floating houses removed, the residents affected, and any compensation are not on record.","The number and type of trees felled, and any replanting, are not on record.","The Nile walkway is officially described as adding more green space; the cited sources do not confirm this."],"sources":[{"t":"Tree felling in Cairo triggers national uproar","p":"The National","d":"2026-09-12","u":"https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/12/massacre-of-trees-in-cairo-triggers-national-uproar/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913015410/https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/12/massacre-of-trees-in-cairo-triggers-national-uproar/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"floating-house removal, tree felling","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The authority responsible for the removals and the felling is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of floating houses removed, the residents affected, and any compensation are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number and type of trees felled, and any replanting, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Nile walkway is officially described as adding more green space; the cited sources do not confirm this.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tokyo-jingu-gaien-redevelopment-tree-felling","tier":"short","title":"Felling of 619 old trees begins for Tokyo's Jingu Gaien redevelopment","dek":"Felling of 619 old trees began in Tokyo for the Jingu Gaien redevelopment, which was presented as increasing the number of trees. The stake is the loss of mature urban trees against that claim.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Tokyo","lat":35.6722,"lon":139.717,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.6722,"lon":139.717,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Jiji reported that 619 old trees were being felled for the Tokyo redevelopment.","Jiji reported that the redevelopment was presented as increasing the number of trees."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Felling of 619 old trees began for a Tokyo redevelopment that was presented as increasing the tree count.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Jingu Gaien, Tokyo, Japan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in September to October 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mature trees were felled for the redevelopment; the cited sources do not describe the plan, the developer or any replanting.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"old_trees_felled","value":619,"unit":"trees","year":2024,"note":"Felling reported as started"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The developer, the approving authority and the scope of the redevelopment are not on record.","Unconfirmed: that the tree count will rise after replanting."],"sources":[{"t":"619 trees being felled; presentation says number will increase","p":"Jiji Press","d":"2024-09","u":"https://sp.m.jiji.com/english/show/35386","type":"press","dead":true}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"urban redevelopment tree felling","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Felling of 619 old trees on me began for the Jingu Gaien redevelopment in Tokyo, Jiji reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The developer, the approving authority and the scope of the redevelopment are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the tree count will rise after replanting.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kumamoto-clam-mislabelling","tier":"short","title":"Japan 'Kumamoto clam' sales reported at about 120 times the annual Kumamoto catch","dek":"Ministry of Agriculture data, reported by Jiji, show 2,485 tonnes sold under the Kumamoto clam name against an annual Kumamoto catch of 21 tonnes. The stake is whether the label matches where the clams come from.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Kumamoto Prefecture","lat":32.8032,"lon":130.7079,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.8032,"lon":130.7079,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2022,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Jiji, citing Ministry of Agriculture data, reported that sales of Kumamoto clams were about 120 times Kumamoto's annual catch.","Sales of 2,485 tonnes were recorded against an annual Kumamoto catch of 21 tonnes."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sales of Kumamoto clams were reported at about 120 times the annual Kumamoto catch.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Japan, with Kumamoto as the named origin","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022 data.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Clams were sold under the Kumamoto name in volumes far above the local catch; the cited sources do not describe how the labels were applied.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"clam_sales","value":2485,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"Sales under the Kumamoto clam name, as stated"},{"key":"kumamoto_annual_catch","value":21,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"Annual catch, as stated"},{"key":"sales_to_catch_ratio","value":120,"unit":"times annual catch","year":2022,"note":"Approximate, as stated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say where the sold clams came from, or whether any sale was found to be mislabelled.","Penalties, enforcement actions and the sellers involved are not on record.","The cited sources do not state whether the sales figure covers a single year."],"sources":[{"t":"Kumamoto clam sales about 120 times the annual catch","p":"Jiji Press","d":"2022","u":"https://sp.m.jiji.com/english/show/17807","type":"press","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"japan-ministry-of-agriculture","role":"source of the sales and catch data, as reported by Jiji"}],"mechanism":"product origin labelling","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"2,485 tonnes of clams were sold under the Kumamoto name against an annual Kumamoto catch of 21 tonnes from my waters, Ministry of Agriculture data reported by Jiji show.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say where the sold clams came from, or whether any sale was found to be mislabelled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Penalties, enforcement actions and the sellers involved are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the sales figure covers a single year.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"free-range-egg-labelling-penalties","tier":"short","title":"Egg producer penalised by Australian regulator for misleading free-range claims","dek":"The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) penalised an egg producer for misleading free-range claims, in a release dated 2014 to 2016. The stake is whether hens sold as free-range had outdoor access.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.2744,"lon":133.7751,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.2744,"lon":133.7751,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2016,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The ACCC reported that an egg producer had been penalised for misleading free-range claims.","The release is dated 2014 to 2016 in the cited sources; the producer is not named in them."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The ACCC penalised an egg producer for misleading free-range claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2014 to 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The ACCC found the free-range claims misleading and applied a penalty; the cited sources do not describe the steps taken.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty_amount","value":750000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"Amount as given in the source link title; currency not stated in the cited sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The producer's name, the number of hens and farms concerned, and the outdoor access conditions are not on record.","Unconfirmed: most hens in the flocks concerned could not go outside.","The currency of the penalty amount is not on record.","The legal route used for the penalty, and any court involvement, are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Egg producer penalised for misleading free-range claims","p":"ACCC","d":"2014-16","u":"https://accc.gov.au/media-release/egg-producer-penalised-750000-for-misleading-free-range-claims","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251208075730/https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/egg-producer-penalised-750000-for-misleading-free-range-claims"}],"actors":[{"id":"accc","role":"regulator that issued the penalty"}],"mechanism":"misleading free-range labelling","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The producer's name, the number of hens and farms concerned, and the outdoor access conditions are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: most hens in the flocks concerned could not go outside.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The currency of the penalty amount is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The legal route used for the penalty, and any court involvement, are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tibet-resettlement-for-ecological-protection","tier":"short","title":"Human Rights Watch reports about 930,000 relocated in Tibet for ecological protection","dek":"Human Rights Watch reported in May 2024 that about 930,000 people were moved in Tibet under an 'ecological protection' rationale, and that the moves were not voluntary. The stake is the livelihoods of those moved and whether the protection goal was met.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Tibet Autonomous Region","lat":29.65,"lon":91.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":29.65,"lon":91.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Human Rights Watch reported that about 930,000 people were relocated in Tibet under an 'ecological protection' rationale.","The report is also cited for threats and service cuts used as pressure to move."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 930,000 people were relocated in Tibet under an 'ecological protection' rationale, Human Rights Watch reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Tibetan residents relocated","what":"Relocated under the ecological protection rationale","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tibet Autonomous Region, China","src":0},"when":{"t":"Report dated 22 May 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The stated rationale is ecological protection.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Relocations were carried out with threats and service cuts applied, according to the report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"people_relocated","value":930000,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Approximately 930,000, as stated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the relocations exceeded 930,000 people and were effectively compulsory at village level, per a China Digital Times relay of Human Rights Watch material.","Unconfirmed: an official phrase, 'Educate the Masses to Change Their Minds', appears in the same relay.","The Chinese authority that ran the relocations, the compensation paid, and the outcome for the ecological targets are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Tibet mass relocations: Tibetans not voluntary","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2024-05-22","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/22/tibet-mass-relocations-tibetans-not-voluntary","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260927020723/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/22/tibet-mass-relocations-tibetans-not-voluntary"}],"actors":[{"id":"china-gov","role":"authority that carried out the relocations, as reported"}],"mechanism":"ecological protection relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 930,000 people were relocated in Tibet in the name of my ecological protection, Human Rights Watch reported in May 2024.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the relocations exceeded 930,000 people and were effectively compulsory at village level, per a China Digital Times relay of Human Rights Watch material.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an official phrase, 'Educate the Masses to Change Their Minds', appears in the same relay.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Chinese authority that ran the relocations, the compensation paid, and the outcome for the ecological targets are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"para-state-jurisdictional-carbon-credit-pre-sale","tier":"short","title":"Pará state pre-sold 12 million REDD+ credits; federal prosecutors sue to cancel","dek":"Pará pre-sold 12 million REDD+ credits, which stand for forest protection, to the LEAF Coalition in 2024. Federal prosecutors say the sale went ahead without prior consultation and have sued to cancel it.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-3.8,"lon":-52.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.8,"lon":-52.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Pará signed a preliminary agreement with the LEAF Coalition in September 2024 to sell 12 million REDD+ credits for 2023 to 2026 at USD 15 per tonne, USD 180 million in total.","In June 2025 the Federal Public Prosecutors' Office (MPF) sued to cancel the agreement as an advance sale without prior consultation, and said the state had sold credits worth about 1 billion reais before validation.","In an August 2026 letter to the state, the MPF said consultations with Indigenous and quilombola communities (descendants of escaped enslaved people) had been compressed into three to five days, and that The Nature Conservancy had a conflict of interest."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pará pre-sold 12 million REDD+ credits to the LEAF Coalition under a September 2024 preliminary agreement; the MPF says it was an advance sale without prior consultation.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Amazon, Bayer, H&M and the Walmart Foundation","what":"named as buyers of the pre-sold credits","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Pará state","what":"credits reportedly sold before validation, about 1 billion reais, according to the MPF","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Indigenous and quilombola communities in Pará","what":"prior consultation compressed to three to five days, according to the MPF","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Pará state, Brazilian Amazon","src":2},"when":{"t":"Preliminary agreement signed 24 September 2024; MPF civil action June 2025; MPF letter 10 August 2026","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The state agreed a fixed volume of credits for 2023 to 2026, with the governments of Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States listed as guarantors.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"credits_pre_sold","value":12000000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"2023 to 2026 period; preliminary agreement with LEAF Coalition"},{"key":"price_per_credit_usd","value":15,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2024,"note":""},{"key":"agreement_total_usd","value":180000000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"total stated for the agreement"},{"key":"credits_sold_before_validation_brl","value":1000000000,"unit":"BRL","year":null,"note":"approximate (about 1 billion reais), per the MPF civil action"}],"legal":[{"title":"Civil action on advance sale and absence of prior consultation for Pará REDD+ credits","forum":"None on record","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Federal Public Prosecutors' Office (MPF)","defendant":"Federal government and State of Pará; the CAAP International carbon credit contract is named in the case title","filed":"2025-06","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The MPF sued to cancel the Pará pre-sale of REDD+ credits to the LEAF Coalition. In August 2026 it asked the state to answer concerns about prior consultations; no ruling is reported.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether a court has ruled on the MPF civil action.","The cited sources do not say how many of the 12 million credits have been delivered or paid for.","Whether the LEAF Coalition or the named buyers have responded to the MPF is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Federal Public Prosecutors' Office vs federal government, State of Pará and CAAP International","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"","u":"https://www.climatecasechart.com/document/federal-public-prosecutors-office-vs-federal-government-state-of-para-and-caap-international-carbon-credit-contract-in-para-and-illegalities_6d73","type":"reference"},{"t":"MPF cobra respostas do governo do Pará sobre suspeitas de irregularidades em consultas prévias do sistema REDD","p":"MPF Pará (Federal Public Prosecutors' Office)","d":"2026-08-10","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/mpf-cobra-respostas-do-governo-do-pa-sobre-suspeitas-de-irregularidades-em-consultas-previas-do-sistema-redd","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815162012/https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/mpf-cobra-respostas-do-governo-do-pa-sobre-suspeitas-de-irregularidades-em-consultas-previas-do-sistema-redd"},{"t":"ACP on advance sale and absence of prior consultation (SJREDD-PA)","p":"MPF Pará (Federal Public Prosecutors' Office)","d":"2025-06","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/docs/acp-venda-antecipada-ausencia-cpli-sjredd-pa.pdf","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161336/https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/docs/acp-venda-antecipada-ausencia-cpli-sjredd-pa.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-para","role":"Seller of the pre-sold credits; state government"},{"id":"mpf-para","role":"Plaintiff seeking cancellation of the agreement"},{"id":"leaf-coalition","role":"Counterparty to the 2024 preliminary agreement"},{"id":"amazon","role":"Named buyer"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Named buyer"},{"id":"hm","role":"Named buyer"},{"id":"walmart-foundation","role":"Named buyer"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Named by the MPF as having a conflict of interest"}],"mechanism":"jurisdictional REDD+ credit pre-sale","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"12 million REDD+ credits standing for my forest were pre-sold in 2024 to the LEAF Coalition; federal prosecutors say credits worth about 1 billion reais were sold before validation.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether a court has ruled on the MPF civil action.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many of the 12 million credits have been delivered or paid for.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the LEAF Coalition or the named buyers have responded to the MPF is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Amazon, Bayer, H&M and the Walmart Foundation"]},{"id":"yamuna-floodplain-demolitions","tier":"short","title":"Delhi clears Yamuna floodplain homes for riverfront and biodiversity-park schemes","dek":"Authorities cleared about 550 homes at Bela Estate in 2018 for a biodiversity park and lake, and about 310 families were evicted without rehabilitation at Yamuna Bazar in June 2026. The clearances were justified as riverfront and biodiversity schemes on the Yamuna floodplain.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Delhi","lat":28.66,"lon":77.25,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.66,"lon":77.25,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2026,"instrument":"urban-greening","happened":["Land Conflict Watch reports that the Delhi Development Authority demolished about 550 houses at Bela Estate in May 2018 for a biodiversity park and lake.","Land Conflict Watch also reports that about 310 families were evicted without rehabilitation at Yamuna Bazar in June 2026.","Down To Earth reported in 2023 that demolitions of homes in an 'eco-sensitive zone' on the Yamuna coincided with Delhi's G20 beautification drive.","Tribune India reported that Delhi spent 6,856 crore rupees on the Yamuna in 2017 to 2022, while about 84 per cent of the city's pollution flows untreated from two drains."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Delhi authorities cleared homes on the Yamuna floodplain for riverfront and biodiversity-park schemes, including about 550 homes at Bela Estate in 2018 and about 310 families at Yamuna Bazar in June 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Delhi Development Authority","what":"carried out the clearances for riverfront development and a biodiversity park","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of the Yamuna floodplain","what":"homes demolished at Bela Estate and Yamuna Bazar","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 310 families at Yamuna Bazar","what":"evicted in June 2026 without rehabilitation","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"East Delhi, along the Yamuna floodplain (Bela Estate; Yamuna Bazar)","src":0},"when":{"t":"May 2018 (Bela Estate); June 2026 (Yamuna Bazar)","src":0},"why":{"t":"The stated purposes were riverfront development and a biodiversity park and lake.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The development authority carried out the demolitions; the 2026 evictions were made without rehabilitation.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"homes_demolished_bela_estate","value":550,"unit":"homes","year":2018,"note":"approximate, per Land Conflict Watch"},{"key":"families_evicted_yamuna_bazar","value":310,"unit":"families","year":2026,"note":"approximate; no rehabilitation provided"},{"key":"yamuna_spend_2017_2022_crore","value":6856,"unit":"crore rupees","year":null,"note":"Delhi spending on the Yamuna, 2017 to 2022, per Tribune India"},{"key":"pollution_untreated_two_drains_pct","value":84,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"share of Delhi pollution flowing untreated from two drains, per Tribune India"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether any court has ruled on the 2018 or 2026 clearances.","The cited sources do not say what compensation, if any, the evicted families received.","Unconfirmed: activists say three lakh people were affected by the demolitions ahead of the G20 summit (wording of the Down To Earth headline)."],"sources":[{"t":"DDA demolishes houses in East Delhi for riverfront development","p":"Land Conflict Watch","d":"","u":"https://landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/dda-demolishes-houses-in-east-delhi-for-riverfront-development-residents-seek-rehabilitation","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260911002500/https://www.landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/dda-demolishes-houses-in-east-delhi-for-riverfront-development-residents-seek-rehabilitation"},{"t":"Delhi intensifies demolition drive as G20 summit approaches","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2023","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/governance/delhi-intensifies-demolition-drive-as-g20-summit-approaches-3-lakh-people-affected-say-activists-90620","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260210154140/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/governance/delhi-intensifies-demolition-drive-as-g20-summit-approaches-3-lakh-people-affected-say-activists-90620"},{"t":"6,856 cr spent but capital's lifeline Yamuna continues to die","p":"Tribune India","d":"2025","u":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/6856-cr-spent-but-capitals-lifeline-yamuna-continues-to-die","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212094532/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/6856-cr-spent-but-capitals-lifeline-yamuna-continues-to-die/"}],"actors":[{"id":"delhi-development-authority","role":"Carried out clearances for riverfront development and a biodiversity park"}],"mechanism":"riverfront clearance demolitions","types":["urban-greening"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Delhi spent 6,856 crore rupees on my river in 2017 to 2022; about 84 per cent of the city's pollution flows untreated from two drains, Tribune India reported.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any court has ruled on the 2018 or 2026 clearances.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what compensation, if any, the evicted families received.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: activists say three lakh people were affected by the demolitions ahead of the G20 summit (wording of the Down To Earth headline).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tajikistan-markhor-trophy-hunting","tier":"short","title":"Tajik markhor hunts leave about USD 78,000 per hunt with protected areas","dek":"A 2019 CITES fact sheet reports that markhor, a wild goat, increased in Tajikistan and that about USD 78,000 per hunt remains with the protected area. The cited sources do not give the hunt fees or the share kept by hunting operators.","country":"Tajikistan","iso2":"TJ","places":[{"country":"Tajikistan","iso2":"TJ","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":71.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":71.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["CITES, in a 2019 livelihoods fact sheet, reports that about USD 78,000 remains with the protected area for each markhor hunt in Tajikistan.","The same fact sheet says markhor numbers in Tajikistan increased."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"CITES reports that about USD 78,000 remains with the protected area for each markhor hunt in Tajikistan, and that markhor numbers have risen.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Protected areas of Tajikistan","what":"keep about USD 78,000 per markhor hunt, per CITES","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tajikistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Case study dated 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hunting revenue is shared with the protected area; the CITES fact sheet gives the amount that stays there.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"kept_by_protected_area_per_hunt_usd","value":78000,"unit":"USD per markhor hunt","year":2019,"note":"about; per CITES fact sheet"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the price of a markhor hunt or the share taken by hunting operators.","Markhor population figures and their years are not stated, so the size of the increase is unknown.","Whether the population increase is linked to hunting revenue is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"CITES livelihoods fact sheet 2019: Tajikistan ibex and markhor","p":"CITES","d":"2019","u":"https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/prog/Livelihoods/case_studies/CITES_livelihoods_Fact_Sheet_2019_Tajikistan_Ibex_Markhor_rev1.pdf","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250225153810/https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/prog/Livelihoods/case_studies/CITES_livelihoods_Fact_Sheet_2019_Tajikistan_Ibex_Markhor_rev1.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"tajik-protected-areas","role":"Receives about USD 78,000 per markhor hunt"}],"mechanism":"trophy hunt revenue sharing","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["campfire-trophy-hunting"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My markhor numbers in Tajikistan increased, and about USD 78,000 from each hunt remains with the protected area, a 2019 CITES fact sheet reports.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the price of a markhor hunt or the share taken by hunting operators.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Markhor population figures and their years are not stated, so the size of the increase is unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the population increase is linked to hunting revenue is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bolivia-burning-permits-and-2024-fires","tier":"short","title":"Bolivia's decree 3973 allowed forest clearing and controlled burns before 2024 fires","dek":"Decree 3973 permitted forest clearing and 'controlled burning' in Santa Cruz and Beni. Bolivia recorded about 12.86 million hectares of fire in 2024, 8.5 million of them in Santa Cruz, and the forests of those departments are at stake.","country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","places":[{"country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","admin":"Santa Cruz and Beni","lat":-16.5,"lon":-64,"role":"event"}],"lat":-16.5,"lon":-64,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Los Tiempos and eju.tv reported in October 2024 that decree 3973 allowed forest clearing and 'controlled burning' in Santa Cruz and Beni.","The same report said about 12.86 million hectares of fire occurred in Bolivia in 2024, 8.5 million of them in Santa Cruz.","Los Tiempos reported in September 2024 that eight burning-permit laws passed while the 2010 Mother Earth Law was in force, and that 10 to 12.6 million hectares burned in 2024.","WRI and Global Forest Watch reported in May 2025 that Bolivia lost about 1.5 million hectares of tropical primary forest in 2024, within a global total of 6.7 million hectares."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Decree 3973 authorised forest clearing and controlled burning in Santa Cruz and Beni, and about 12.86 million hectares of fire were recorded in Bolivia in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Permit holders for forest clearing in Santa Cruz and Beni","what":"authorised to clear forest and burn under decree 3973","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Forests of Santa Cruz and Beni","what":"about 8.5 million hectares burned in Santa Cruz in 2024","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Santa Cruz and Beni departments, Bolivia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Decree 3973 dates from 2019; fires recorded in 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The decree authorised forest clearing and controlled burning in the two departments.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"area_burned_bolivia_2024_ha","value":12860000,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"fire area per eju.tv, October 2024"},{"key":"area_burned_santa_cruz_2024_ha","value":8500000,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"per eju.tv, October 2024"},{"key":"tropical_primary_forest_loss_bolivia_ha","value":1500000,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"WRI / Global Forest Watch"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Burned-area figures differ between sources: 10 to 12.6 million hectares (Los Tiempos) and 12.86 million hectares (eju.tv).","The cited sources do not say how much of the 2024 burning came from permitted burns.","Economic, health and wildlife costs of the 2024 fires are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Cuatro meses de incendios forestales en Bolivia: 7 claves para entender la crisis ambiental en el país","p":"Los Tiempos / eju.tv","d":"2024-10","u":"https://eju.tv/2024/10/cuatro-meses-de-incendios-forestales-en-bolivia-7-claves-para-entender-la-crisis-ambiental-en-el-pais/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114064238/https://eju.tv/2024/10/cuatro-meses-de-incendios-forestales-en-bolivia-7-claves-para-entender-la-crisis-ambiental-en-el-pais/"},{"t":"Los Tiempos report on Bolivia's burning-permit laws and 2024 fires","p":"Los Tiempos (linked via El Mercurio)","d":"2024-09","u":"https://elmercurio.com.ec/?p=1275374","type":"press"},{"t":"Global forest loss shatters records in 2024, fueled by massive fires","p":"WRI / Global Forest Watch","d":"2025-05-21","u":"https://wri.org/news/release-global-forest-loss-shatters-records-2024-fueled-massive-fires","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923203021/https://www.wri.org/news/release-global-forest-loss-shatters-records-2024-fueled-massive-fires"}],"actors":[{"id":"bolivia-government","role":"Issued decree 3973 authorising clearing and controlled burning"}],"mechanism":"forest clearing and burning permits","types":["law-policy","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 12.86 million hectares of me burned in Bolivia in 2024, 8.5 million of them in Santa Cruz, eju.tv reported in October 2024.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:land-fires"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Burned-area figures differ between sources: 10 to 12.6 million hectares (Los Tiempos) and 12.86 million hectares (eju.tv).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much of the 2024 burning came from permitted burns.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Economic, health and wildlife costs of the 2024 fires are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"rumaila-gas-flaring-non-reporting","tier":"short","title":"BP and Eni do not declare gas flared at Iraq's Rumaila field, citing non-operator status","dek":"BP and Eni say they are not operators at Rumaila and do not declare the gas flared there, a site one source calls the world's most gas-flared. The cited sources do not quantify the flaring or its effect on climate or health.","country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","places":[{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","admin":"Basra","lat":30.3,"lon":47.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.3,"lon":47.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2022,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A CIFOR ForestsNews post from September 2022 reports that BP and Eni say they are not operators at Rumaila and do not declare the gas flared there.","The same post describes Rumaila as the world's most gas-flared site, with the flaring left out of declared emissions on non-operator grounds."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"BP and Eni do not declare the gas flared at Rumaila in Iraq, saying they are not the operator.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BP and Eni","what":"keep Rumaila flaring out of their declared emissions, citing non-operator status","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rumaila oilfield, near Basra, southern Iraq","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in September 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"The stated reason is that BP and Eni are not the operator at Rumaila.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The flaring is left out of the declared emissions of the non-operating partners.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not linked: including Rumaila flaring would double BP's 2021 reported figure.","The volume of gas flared at Rumaila is not on record.","Health and environmental effects of the flaring are not quantified in the cited sources.","The Iraqi authorities' position on the reporting is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"CIFOR ForestsNews post 8232","p":"CIFOR ForestsNews","d":"2022-09","u":"https://forestsnews.cifor.org/embed-post/8232","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230715062538/https://forestsnews.cifor.org/embed-post/8232/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"Non-operator; does not declare Rumaila gas flaring"},{"id":"eni","role":"Non-operator; does not declare Rumaila gas flaring"}],"mechanism":"non-operator emissions exclusion","types":["law-policy","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:flaring"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not linked: including Rumaila flaring would double BP's 2021 reported figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The volume of gas flared at Rumaila is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Health and environmental effects of the flaring are not quantified in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Iraqi authorities' position on the reporting is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"sulawesi-green-nickel-coal-power-and-respiratory-illness","tier":"short","title":"Sulawesi 'green nickel' runs on coal power; respiratory infections rose","dek":"Nickel processing in Sulawesi relies on 6,965 MW of coal power, according to a May 2025 Mongabay Indonesia report. Respiratory tract infection cases in the area reportedly rose from 85 to 549.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Central Sulawesi (Morowali)","lat":-2.7,"lon":122.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.7,"lon":122.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mongabay Indonesia, reporting for WALHI, said in May 2025 that Indonesia's 'green nickel' in Sulawesi relies on 6,965 MW of coal power.","The same report said respiratory tract infection cases rose from 85 to 549."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sulawesi's nickel processing parks are supplied by coal power, and respiratory tract infection cases in the area are reported to have risen.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Indonesian state, IMIP, Huayou and Tsingshan","what":"Nickel industrial growth","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People in the affected Sulawesi area","what":"Respiratory tract infection cases reported to have risen from 85 to 549","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Morowali and other Sulawesi nickel parks, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia","src":null},"when":{"t":"Report published 30 May 2025; the period over which the cases rose is not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Captive coal plants supply the smelters in the industrial parks.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"coal_power_capacity_mw","value":6965,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Coal power capacity the Sulawesi nickel supply relies on (Mongabay Indonesia, May 2025)"},{"key":"respiratory_tract_infection_cases","value":549,"unit":"cases","year":null,"note":"Up from 85; period not stated in the cited sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Reported without a source link: a 2025 Ministry of Environment inspection of the largest Morowali park found millions of tonnes of unpermitted slag and waste; whether sanctions followed is unclear.","Reported without a source link: a furnace explosion at the same park killed 21 workers, and a waste dam collapse killed three more.","Reported without a source link: coal-fired nickel is about three times the London Metal Exchange low-carbon threshold in carbon intensity.","The cited sources do not establish when the infection cases rose, or give a study linking them to the plants."],"sources":[{"t":"Sulawesi coalition urges revision of captive coal plant rules","p":"Mongabay Indonesia (WALHI)","d":"2025-05-30","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2025/05/30/koalisi-sulawesi-desak-revisi-aturan-pltu-captive/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260113220727/https://mongabay.co.id/2025/05/30/koalisi-sulawesi-desak-revisi-aturan-pltu-captive/"}],"actors":[{"id":"imip","role":"Operates the Morowali industrial park"},{"id":"huayou","role":"Park partner in the Morowali nickel chain"},{"id":"tsingshan","role":"Park partner in the Sulawesi nickel chain"},{"id":"walhi","role":"Source of the 2025 figures"}],"mechanism":"captive coal power plants","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Nickel processing on me in Sulawesi relies on 6,965 MW of coal power, Mongabay Indonesia reported for WALHI in May 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: a 2025 Ministry of Environment inspection of the largest Morowali park found millions of tonnes of unpermitted slag and waste; whether sanctions followed is unclear.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: a furnace explosion at the same park killed 21 workers, and a waste dam collapse killed three more.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: coal-fired nickel is about three times the London Metal Exchange low-carbon threshold in carbon intensity.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not establish when the infection cases rose, or give a study linking them to the plants.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Indonesian state, IMIP, Huayou and Tsingshan"]},{"id":"kazakhstan-saiga-cull-and-meat-sale","tier":"short","title":"Kazakhstan plans saiga antelope cull as population recovers","dek":"Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelope after the population recovered to about 2.8 million, citing crop damage. The carcasses were to be sold to meat plants.","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":null,"lat":48,"lon":68,"role":"event"}],"lat":48,"lon":68,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["RFE/RL reported in November 2023 that Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelope, citing crop damage, and that the animals would be sold to meat factories.","Caspian Policy Center and nur.kz reported that the saiga population grew from about 21,000 to 2.8 million, and that an official cull began after farmers reported crop damage."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelope to limit crop damage, with the carcasses sold to meat plants.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Meat processing plants","what":"Planned buyers of culled saiga carcasses","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Saiga antelope","what":"Up to 337,000 animals planned for culling","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kazakhstan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Plan reported November 2023; official cull reported to have begun later.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Crop damage caused by saiga, as the stated reason for the cull.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Culling of saiga antelope, with the carcasses sold to meat factories.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"saiga_population","value":2800000,"unit":"animals","year":2024,"note":"Up from about 21,000 earlier (Caspian Policy Center)"},{"key":"saiga_cull_planned_max","value":337000,"unit":"animals","year":2023,"note":"Up to; planned, as reported in November 2023"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 42,000 saiga were culled in 2023.","The cited sources do not say how many saiga were culled in total, or whether the 337,000 ceiling was reached.","The cited sources do not name the meat plants or buyers."],"sources":[{"t":"Kazakhstan saiga antelope cull, endangered poaching","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2023-11","u":"https://www.rferl.org/amp/kazakhstan-saiga-antelope-cull-endangered-poaching/32671719.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516213633/https://www.rferl.org/amp/kazakhstan-saiga-antelope-cull-endangered-poaching/32671719.html"},{"t":"The saiga's unprecedented recovery","p":"Caspian Policy Center","d":"2024","u":"https://caspianpolicy.org/research/category/echo-of-the-eurasian-steppe-the-saigas-unprecedented-recovery-in-kazakhstan","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260317150939/https://caspianpolicy.org/research/category/echo-of-the-eurasian-steppe-the-saigas-unprecedented-recovery-in-kazakhstan"},{"t":"Otstrel saygakov oficialno nachali (nur.kz, in Russian)","p":"nur.kz","d":"2024","u":"https://www.nur.kz/society/2262390-otstrel-saygakov-oficialno-nachali-v-odnom-iz-regionov-kazahstana/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250715043903/https://www.nur.kz/society/2262390-otstrel-saygakov-oficialno-nachali-v-odnom-iz-regionov-kazahstana/"}],"actors":[{"id":"kazakhstan-government","role":"Planned the cull"}],"mechanism":"culling and meat sale","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My saiga grew from about 21,000 to 2.8 million, Caspian Policy Center reported; in November 2023 Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 and sell them to meat factories, RFE/RL reported.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 42,000 saiga were culled in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many saiga were culled in total, or whether the 337,000 ceiling was reached.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the meat plants or buyers.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"barskaun-cyanide-spill","tier":"short","title":"Kyrgyzstan 1998 cyanide accident: residents not informed for five hours","dek":"A 1998 cyanide accident in Kyrgyzstan was not disclosed to residents for five hours. Compensation covered only a small part of the damage, and a claim by 54 victims was rejected 24 years later.","country":"Kyrgyzstan","iso2":"KG","places":[{"country":"Kyrgyzstan","iso2":"KG","admin":null,"lat":41.2,"lon":74.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.2,"lon":74.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":1998,"end":null,"instrument":"cyanide-spill","happened":["Residents were not told about the 1998 cyanide accident for five hours, according to reports by RFE/RL and paper.people.com.cn.","Compensation covered only a small part of the damage, RFE/RL reported.","A claim by 54 victims was dismissed 24 years after the accident, RFE/RL reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cyanide accident in Kyrgyzstan in 1998 was not disclosed to residents for five hours, and compensation was small.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Residents near the accident","what":"Not informed for five hours; compensation covered a small part of the damage","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"54 victims in the claim","what":"Claim rejected 24 years after the accident","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kyrgyzstan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Accident in 1998; claim dismissed 24 years later (reported April 2022).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A cyanide accident; the warning was delayed and compensation limited.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hours_before_residents_informed","value":5,"unit":"hours","year":1998,"note":"Delay before residents were told of the cyanide accident"},{"key":"victims_in_dismissed_claim","value":54,"unit":"victims","year":null,"note":"Victims in the claim that was dismissed"},{"key":"years_until_claim_dismissed","value":24,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Years after the accident the claim was dismissed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the operator, company or government body responsible for the accident.","The sources do not state the amount of compensation paid or the total damage.","The sources give different dates for the 5-hour report (2020 and 2024), so the date of that report is not confirmed."],"sources":[{"t":"Cyanide spill compensation in gold mining (Qishloq Ovozi, RFE/RL)","p":"RFE/RL (Qishloq Ovozi)","d":"2022-04","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-kumtor-cyanide-spill-compensation-gold-mining/30797137.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923213039/https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-kumtor-cyanide-spill-compensation-gold-mining/30797137.html"},{"t":"Report on the Kyrgyzstan 1998 cyanide accident (Chinese-language)","p":"paper.people.com.cn","d":"","u":"https://paper.people.com.cn/zgnyb/html/2024-09/16/content_26082145.htm","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161440/https://paper.people.com.cn/zgnyb/html/2024-09/16/content_26082145.htm"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"cyanide accident, delayed warning","types":["cyanide-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["baia-mare-cyanide"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the operator, company or government body responsible for the accident.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the amount of compensation paid or the total damage.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The sources give different dates for the 5-hour report (2020 and 2024), so the date of that report is not confirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"eu-csddd-narrowing-and-eudr-delays","tier":"short","title":"EU narrows supply-chain law and delays deforestation rule twice","dek":"The EU narrowed its corporate due diligence directive (CSDDD) and postponed its deforestation regulation (EUDR) twice. Leaked documents and lobbying records show oil and agribusiness interests sought the changes.","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":"","admin":null,"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Linklaters reported in December 2025 that the EU Council and Parliament reached political agreement narrowing the CSDDD, removing EU-level civil liability.","Baker McKenzie and FoodNavigator reported that the EU deforestation regulation (EUDR) has been postponed twice.","Leaked documents reported by SOMO show Chevron, ExxonMobil, Koch and TotalEnergies worked to narrow the supply-chain law.","InfluenceMap reported in October 2025 that agriculture and paper industry lobbies requested the EUDR delays."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU narrowed its corporate due diligence directive and postponed the deforestation regulation twice.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chevron, ExxonMobil, Koch and TotalEnergies","what":"Leaked documents show they worked to narrow the supply-chain law","src":2},{"who":"Agriculture and paper industry lobbies","what":"Requested the EUDR delays, according to InfluenceMap","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union","src":0},"when":{"t":"Narrowing reported December 2025; second EUDR postponement reported 17 December 2025 (FoodNavigator).","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through the Omnibus I simplification package and deadline postponements.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"csddd_employee_threshold","value":5000,"unit":"employees","year":null,"note":"Scope of the narrowed directive"},{"key":"csddd_turnover_threshold_eur","value":1500000000,"unit":"EUR","year":null,"note":"Turnover threshold of the narrowed directive"},{"key":"csddd_fine_cap_pct","value":3,"unit":"% of net turnover (fine cap)","year":null,"note":"Fine cap under the narrowed directive"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the EUDR's new application dates (30 December 2026 for large and medium companies, 30 June 2027 for small ones) and the 31 December 2020 cut-off date.","Unconfirmed: the EUDR delay vote was 371 to 240 (Earthsight, November 2024).","Unconfirmed: leaked documents show 11 companies held 17 meetings on the directive, and three of ExxonMobil's four priorities were included.","The cited sources do not say how many companies the narrowed directive will cover in practice."],"sources":[{"t":"EU Council and Parliament reach political agreement on amendments to CSRD and CSDDD","p":"Linklaters","d":"2025-12","u":"https://sustainablefutures.linklaters.com/post/102lxag/eu-council-and-parliament-reach-political-agreement-on-amendments-to-csrd-and-cs","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614202201/https://sustainablefutures.linklaters.com/post/102lxag/eu-council-and-parliament-reach-political-agreement-on-amendments-to-csrd-and-cs"},{"t":"EUDR delay confirmed","p":"FoodNavigator","d":"2025-12-17","u":"https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2025/12/17/eudr-delay-confirmed/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923155224/https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2025/12/17/eudr-delay-confirmed/"},{"t":"The secretive cabal of US polluters that is rewriting the EU's human rights and climate law","p":"SOMO","d":"2025","u":"https://www.somo.nl/the-secretive-cabal-of-us-polluters-that-is-rewriting-the-eus-human-rights-and-climate-law/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813152627/https://www.somo.nl/the-secretive-cabal-of-us-polluters-that-is-rewriting-the-eus-human-rights-and-climate-law/"},{"t":"Repeated Delays Hinder EU Deforestation Regulation","p":"InfluenceMap","d":"2025-10-16","u":"https://influencemap.org/insight/Repeated-Delays-Hinder-EU-Deforestation-Regulation","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605135749/https://influencemap.org/insight/Repeated-Delays-Hinder-EU-Deforestation-Regulation"},{"t":"Simplification review of EUDR","p":"Baker McKenzie","d":"2026-05","u":"https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2026/05/eu-commission-publishes-simplification-review-of-eudr","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607022635/https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2026/05/eu-commission-publishes-simplification-review-of-eudr"}],"actors":[{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Named in leaked documents on the supply-chain law"},{"id":"chevron","role":"Named in leaked documents on the supply-chain law"},{"id":"koch-industries","role":"Named in leaked documents on the supply-chain law"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Named in leaked documents on the supply-chain law"},{"id":"eu","role":"Adopted the narrowed directive and postponed the EUDR"}],"mechanism":"law narrowing and deadline delays","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the EUDR's new application dates (30 December 2026 for large and medium companies, 30 June 2027 for small ones) and the 31 December 2020 cut-off date.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the EUDR delay vote was 371 to 240 (Earthsight, November 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: leaked documents show 11 companies held 17 meetings on the directive, and three of ExxonMobil's four priorities were included.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many companies the narrowed directive will cover in practice.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"inuit-seal-campaign-harm-and-greenpeace-apology","tier":"short","title":"EU seal-product ban's Inuit exemption found ineffective","dek":"A Nunatsiaq News report found the Inuit exemption to the EU's seal-product ban ineffective.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":null,"lat":63.7,"lon":-68.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":63.7,"lon":-68.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Nunatsiaq News reported that the Inuit exemption to the European Union's seal-product ban is ineffective."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU's seal-product ban includes an Inuit exemption that Nunatsiaq News reported is ineffective.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Canada and the European Union","src":0},"when":{"t":"The Nunatsiaq report is undated.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A trade ban on seal products with an Inuit exemption.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the seal campaign collapsed the market for Inuit seal products; Greenpeace's 2014 apology to the Inuit and its acceptance of economic and cultural harm.","The cited sources do not state whether any compensation was paid to Inuit.","The cited sources do not give the size of the Inuit sealing market before or after the campaign."],"sources":[{"t":"Inuit exemption to European Union's seal product ban is ineffective: report","p":"Nunatsiaq News","d":"","u":"https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/inuit-exemption-to-european-unions-seal-product-ban-is-ineffective-report/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917193847/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/inuit-exemption-to-european-unions-seal-product-ban-is-ineffective-report/"},{"t":"Greenpeace apology to Inuit for impacts of seal campaign","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2014-06-20","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/story/5473/greenpeace-apology-to-inuit-for-impacts-of-seal-campaign/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001164248/https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/story/5473/greenpeace-apology-to-inuit-for-impacts-of-seal-campaign/"}],"actors":[{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Campaigner; apology issuer (unconfirmed)"},{"id":"eu","role":"Seal-product ban with an Inuit exemption"}],"mechanism":"EU seal product ban","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the seal campaign collapsed the market for Inuit seal products; Greenpeace's 2014 apology to the Inuit and its acceptance of economic and cultural harm.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether any compensation was paid to Inuit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the size of the Inuit sealing market before or after the campaign.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"philippines-gmo-golden-rice-and-bt-eggplant-court-decision","tier":"short","title":"Philippine appeals court blocks commercial GM rice and Bt eggplant","dek":"An appeals court in the Philippines blocked commercial propagation of genetically modified rice, known as golden rice, and Bt eggplant, ELAW reported in April 2024. A national science academy said the crops do more harm than good; a farmers' network called the ruling a win.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["ELAW reported in April 2024 that the Court of Appeals annulled permits for genetically modified rice and Bt eggplant, blocking commercial propagation.","A national science academy said the crops cause more harm than benefit, according to the cited sources.","A farmers' network described the ruling as a victory; the sources describe the matter as contested."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Philippine appeals court annulled permits for genetically modified rice and Bt eggplant, blocking commercial propagation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers' network (not named in the sources)","what":"Called the ruling a victory","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Developers of the GM rice and eggplant (not named)","what":"Commercial propagation permits annulled","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling reported April 2024; the academy and farmers' network positions date to April and June 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The court annulled the permits for the GM crops.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Court of Appeals ruling on GM rice and Bt eggplant permits","forum":"Court of Appeals, Philippines","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","kind":"civil","claimant":"Challengers to the permits (names: none on record)","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2024-04","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Court of Appeals annulled permits for genetically modified rice and Bt eggplant, blocking commercial propagation, as reported by ELAW in April 2024.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the ruling is final or under further appeal.","The sources do not name the petitioners, the permit issuers or the planting areas.","The 'more harm than good' finding and the farmers' network's view are reported positions; the cited sources cite no study for them."],"sources":[{"t":"Philippines court blocks commercial propagation of GMO rice and eggplant","p":"ELAW","d":"2024-04","u":"https://elaw.org/philippines-court-blocks-commercial-propagation-of-gmo-rice-and-eggplant","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240721203849/https://elaw.org/philippines-court-blocks-commercial-propagation-of-gmo-rice-and-eggplant"}],"actors":[{"id":"elaw","role":"Published the report on the ruling"}],"mechanism":"court-ordered permit annulment","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the ruling is final or under further appeal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not name the petitioners, the permit issuers or the planting areas.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 'more harm than good' finding and the farmers' network's view are reported positions; the cited sources cite no study for them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Farmers' network (not named in the sources)"]},{"id":"rampal-coal-plant-near-sundarbans-and-unep-award","tier":"short","title":"Adviser said UN environment award helped sway UNESCO on Rampal coal plant","dek":"Bangladesh's energy adviser said a UN environment award helped persuade UNESCO to withdraw its objection to the Rampal coal plant near the Sundarbans mangrove forest. The cited sources do not report the plant's effects on the forest.","country":"Bangladesh","iso2":"BD","places":[{"country":"Bangladesh","iso2":"BD","admin":"Khulna Division","lat":22.68,"lon":89.67,"role":"event"}],"lat":22.68,"lon":89.67,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2017,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The Daily Star reported that Bangladesh's energy adviser to the prime minister said a UN environment award had helped win UNESCO's trust and persuaded it to withdraw its objection to the Rampal coal plant near the Sundarbans.","The adviser's statement is the only account of this link in the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bangladesh's energy adviser said a UN environment award helped secure UNESCO's withdrawal of its objection to the Rampal coal plant.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Bangladesh","what":"Its energy adviser credited a UN environment award with easing UNESCO's objection","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rampal, near the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Khulna Division, Bangladesh","src":null},"when":{"t":"UN environment award dated 2015; Daily Star report dated 2017","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"According to the adviser, the award helped win UNESCO's trust and its withdrawal of objection.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: UNESCO recommended that the plant be shelved and relocated, and the government did not follow that advice.","Unconfirmed: the environmental impact assessment for the plant was prepared by CEGIS, a firm described as close to the government.","The cited sources do not report the plant's effects on the Sundarbans.","The cited sources do not describe the criteria or recipients of the UN environment award."],"sources":[{"t":"Rampal power plant: 12 countries favoured Bangladesh at Unesco meeting","p":"The Daily Star","d":"2017","u":"https://www.thedailystar.net/country/rampal-power-plant-project-sundarbans-world-heritage-12-countries-favoured-bangladesh-unesco-1430533","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240926131542/https://www.thedailystar.net/country/rampal-power-plant-project-sundarbans-world-heritage-12-countries-favoured-bangladesh-unesco-1430533"}],"actors":[{"id":"bangladesh-government","role":"Government whose energy adviser made the statement"},{"id":"unesco","role":"UN body whose objection to the plant was withdrawn, according to the adviser"}],"mechanism":"coal power plant siting","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: UNESCO recommended that the plant be shelved and relocated, and the government did not follow that advice.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the environmental impact assessment for the plant was prepared by CEGIS, a firm described as close to the government.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the plant's effects on the Sundarbans.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the criteria or recipients of the UN environment award.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"japan-wood-pellet-subsidy-and-vietnamese-producer-false-cert","tier":"short","title":"FSC suspends Vietnamese pellet producer over false certification claims","dek":"The Forest Stewardship Council suspended An Viet Phat Energy, a Vietnamese wood-pellet producer, over false certification claims on large volumes of pellets. The cited sources do not report any forest impact of the claims.","country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":null,"lat":14.06,"lon":108.28,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.06,"lon":108.28,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2023,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Argus reported that the Forest Stewardship Council suspended the Vietnamese pellet producer An Viet Phat Energy (AVP).","Viet Nam News reported in November 2022 that the FSC had blocked AVP for false claims on large volumes of wood pellets.","The FSC Asia-Pacific office published a statement titled 'Integrity of wood pellet supply chains at risk'."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The FSC suspended AVP over false certification claims on large volumes of wood pellets.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"An Viet Phat Energy (AVP)","what":"Marketed large volumes of pellets under certification claims the FSC found false","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Vietnam","src":null},"when":{"t":"Viet Nam News report dated November 2022; Argus and FSC items dated 2022–2023","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The FSC removed the producer from its certification system after it was found to have made false claims about certified pellets.","src":2}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: AVP was later reinstated after the suspension.","Unconfirmed: Japan's renewable feed-in tariff for wood pellets depends on certified pellet supply.","The cited sources do not report the volume of pellets involved or any forest effect."],"sources":[{"t":"FSC suspends Vietnamese pellet producer AVP","p":"Argus Media","d":"2022–2023","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2386288-fsc-suspends-vietnamese-wood-pellet-producer-avp","type":"press"},{"t":"Integrity of wood pellet supply chains at risk","p":"Forest Stewardship Council Asia-Pacific","d":"2022–2023","u":"https://asiapacific.fsc.org/newsfeed/integrity-of-wood-pellets-supply-chains-at-risk","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161510/https://asiapacific.fsc.org/newsfeed/integrity-of-wood-pellets-supply-chains-at-risk"},{"t":"FSC blocks An Viet Phat Energy for making false claims on large volumes of wood pellets","p":"Viet Nam News","d":"2022-11","u":"https://vietnamnews.vn/media-outreach/1351175/fsc-blocks-an-viet-phat-energy-for-making-false-claims-on-large-volumes-of-wood-pellets.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011043152/https://vietnamnews.vn/media-outreach/1351175/fsc-blocks-an-viet-phat-energy-for-making-false-claims-on-large-volumes-of-wood-pellets.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"fsc","role":"Certifier that suspended the producer"},{"id":"an-viet-phat-energy","role":"Vietnamese pellet producer suspended by the FSC"}],"mechanism":"forest certification claims","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: AVP was later reinstated after the suspension.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Japan's renewable feed-in tariff for wood pellets depends on certified pellet supply.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the volume of pellets involved or any forest effect.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-abs-benefit-sharing-and-red-sandalwood","tier":"short","title":"Red sandalwood funds made up most of India's benefit-sharing payouts","dek":"India reports 268 crore rupees of benefits from access and benefit-sharing approvals since 2017, and 101 of the 127 crore rupees distributed came from red sandalwood funds. The cited sources do not report the effect on red sandalwood forests.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Andhra Pradesh","lat":15.91,"lon":79.74,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2025,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["The Policy Edge reported that India's first Nagoya national report counts 268 crore rupees of benefits from 12,830 approvals between November 2017 and December 2025.","KNN India reported that cumulative benefit-sharing distributions reached 127 crore rupees, of which 101 crore came from red sandalwood funds.","Deccan Chronicle reported that the National Biodiversity Authority released 39.84 crore rupees to Andhra Pradesh for red sandalwood protection."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's benefit-sharing funds include 101 of 127 crore rupees distributed from red sandalwood protection.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Andhra Pradesh government","what":"Received 39.84 crore rupees released by the National Biodiversity Authority for red sandalwood protection","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Andhra Pradesh, India, for red sandalwood; benefit-sharing applies nationwide","src":0},"when":{"t":"Benefits counted November 2017 to December 2025; release reported 21 November 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The National Biodiversity Authority distributed the funds, with state forest departments involved.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"benefits_crore_inr","value":268,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"Benefits from approvals, November 2017 to December 2025"},{"key":"approvals","value":12830,"unit":"approvals","year":2025,"note":"November 2017 to December 2025"},{"key":"distributed_crore_inr","value":127,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"Cumulative benefit-sharing distribution"},{"key":"red_sandalwood_distributed_crore_inr","value":101,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"Part of the 127 crore rupees distributed"},{"key":"andhra_pradesh_transfer_crore_inr","value":39.84,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"Released to Andhra Pradesh, 21 November 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Nagoya Protocol's global monetary benefit is about 54 million dollars; this figure comes of 103 national reports.","Unconfirmed: the red sandalwood funds come from trees the Andhra Pradesh forest department auctioned or seized.","The cited sources do not report the conservation status of red sandalwood or its forest cover."],"sources":[{"t":"NBA releases 39.84 crore to AP for red sanders protection","p":"Deccan Chronicle","d":"2025-11-21","u":"https://www.deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/andhra-pradesh/nba-releases-3984-crore-to-ap-for-red-sanders-protection-1918697","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251221031345/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/southern-states/andhra-pradesh/nba-releases-3984-crore-to-ap-for-red-sanders-protection-1918697"},{"t":"NBA releases Rs 6.2 cr for red sanders conservation, farmer livelihoods","p":"KNN India","d":"2025-12-11","u":"https://knnindia.co.in/news/newsdetails/sectors/others/nba-releases-rs-62-cr-for-red-sanders-conservation-farmer-livelihoods","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"national-biodiversity-authority","role":"Authority that released the benefit-sharing funds"},{"id":"andhra-pradesh-forest-department","role":"State forest department involved in red sandalwood"},{"id":"moefcc","role":"Ministry responsible for access and benefit-sharing"}],"mechanism":"access and benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Benefit-sharing for use of me reached 127 crore rupees, of which 101 crore came from red sandalwood funds, KNN India reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Nagoya Protocol's global monetary benefit is about 54 million dollars; this figure comes of 103 national reports.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the red sandalwood funds come from trees the Andhra Pradesh forest department auctioned or seized.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the conservation status of red sandalwood or its forest cover.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cargill-orhangazi-factory-annulment-and-echr-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Cargill's Turkish factory kept operating despite court annulments","dek":"Cargill's Orhangazi factory in Bursa kept running after Turkish courts annulled its permits and the European Court of Human Rights found the non-enforcement violated a fair trial. The cited sources do not confirm the factory's groundwater use.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Bursa","lat":40.49,"lon":29.31,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.49,"lon":29.31,"approxCoords":true,"start":2000,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Bianet reported in April 2008 that Parliament re-passed an amendment to the Soil Conservation Law, introduced by AKP MPs, which gave amnesty to unlicensed facilities, including Cargill's.","The European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously in 2018 that the failure to implement court decisions violated the right to a fair trial.","BirGün reported in April 2025 that 11 cancellation decisions had not been implemented.","Başka Gazete reported in 2025 that the Bursa factory continued operating despite 11 cancellation decisions."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Orhangazi factory kept operating despite annulments by Turkish courts and an ECHR ruling on non-enforcement.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cargill","what":"Kept its Orhangazi factory running after the annulments, and benefited from the 2008 amnesty for unlicensed facilities","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmland at Orhangazi","what":"The factory sits on first-class agricultural land","src":4},{"who":"Unnamed plaintiffs who won the annulments","what":"Annulment decisions were not implemented","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Orhangazi district, Bursa province, Türkiye","src":null},"when":{"t":"Factory operating since 2000; annulments from 1998; amnesty in 2008; ECHR ruling in 2018; Bursa cancellations in 2023","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Parliament amended the Soil Conservation Law in 2008 to cover unlicensed facilities, after a motion by AKP MPs.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"annulment_decisions","value":11,"unit":"decisions","year":2025,"note":"Reported by BirGün and Başka Gazete; factory still operating"}],"legal":[{"title":"Orhangazi Special Industrial Zone designation","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Council of State annulled the zone designation; the provincial governorship did not apply the stay-of-execution orders, bianet reported.","src":0},{"title":"Bursa licence annulment","forum":"Bursa Administrative Court","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":"2023","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court annulled the factory's licences in 2023; the regional appeal court rejected the appeal in 2024, and the decisions were not implemented, Başka Gazete reported.","src":3},{"title":"ECHR application 25680/05","forum":"European Court of Human Rights","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"civil","claimant":"","defendant":"Türkiye","filed":null,"decided":"2018","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court ruled unanimously that the non-implementation of court decisions violated the right to a fair trial.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the factory uses about 1 million cubic metres of groundwater a year.","The cited sources do not record a government response to the ECHR ruling.","The cited sources do not state the area of farmland affected."],"sources":[{"t":"Gül approves amnesty law for Cargill","p":"Bianet","d":"2008-04-01","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/gul-cargill-e-af-yasasini-onayladi-106062","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723141020/https://bianet.org/haber/gul-cargill-e-af-yasasini-onayladi-106062"},{"t":"Cargill istiyor, AKP veriyor","p":"BirGün","d":"2025-04-22","u":"https://www.birgun.net/haber/cargill-istiyor-akp-veriyor-617310","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251115055040/https://www.birgun.net/haber/cargill-istiyor-akp-veriyor-617310"},{"t":"ECHR application 25680/05","p":"echrcaselaw.com","d":"2018","u":"https://www.echrcaselaw.com/en/?p=7536","type":"court"},{"t":"11 iptal kararına rağmen Bursa'daki Cargill fabrikası faaliyetini sürdürüyor","p":"Başka Gazete","d":"2025","u":"https://www.baskagazete.com/haber/11-iptal-kararina-ragmen-bursa-daki-cargill-fabrikasi-faaliyetini-surduruyor-175514.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411235727/https://www.baskagazete.com/haber/11-iptal-kararina-ragmen-bursa-daki-cargill-fabrikasi-faaliyetini-surduruyor-175514.html"},{"t":"Nişasta bazlı şeker kotasında en büyük pay yine Cargill'e verildi","p":"ANKA","d":"2023","u":"https://ankahaber.net/haber/detay/nisasta_bazli_seker_kotasinda_en_buyuk_pay_yine_cargille_verildi_149256","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240711112007/https://ankahaber.net/haber/detay/nisasta_bazli_seker_kotasinda_en_buyuk_pay_yine_cargille_verildi_149256"}],"actors":[{"id":"cargill","role":"Operator of the Orhangazi factory"},{"id":"echr","role":"Court that found a fair-trial violation"},{"id":"turkish-parliament","role":"Legislature that passed the 2008 amnesty amendment"}],"mechanism":"industrial permit annulments","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Cargill's factory in Bursa kept operating on my land after 11 court cancellation decisions, Başka Gazete reported in 2025.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the factory uses about 1 million cubic metres of groundwater a year.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not record a government response to the ECHR ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the area of farmland affected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-container-returns-and-paper-waste-contamination","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia returns 883 of 2,194 flagged waste containers","dek":"Indonesia sent 883 of 2,194 flagged import containers back to their countries of origin, according to a 2019 report. Paper waste bales that reached East Java in 2018 were reported to hold 30–35% plastic, against a 2% legal limit.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"East Java","lat":-7.5,"lon":112,"role":"event"}],"lat":-7.5,"lon":112,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2019,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Hukumonline reported in November 2019 that Indonesia had returned 883 of 2,194 flagged containers to their countries of origin.","Tirto reported that 738,665 tonnes of paper waste arrived in East Java in 2018, with plastic and household waste making up 30–35% of the bales.","Tirto put the legal limit for such contamination at 2%."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia sent 883 of 2,194 flagged containers back to their countries of origin.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"East Java, Indonesia","src":1},"when":{"t":"Paper imports in 2018; container returns reported in November 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Bales of paper waste held 30–35% plastic and household waste, against a 2% legal limit; containers were flagged and partly returned.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"containers_flagged","value":2194,"unit":"containers","year":2019,"note":"Flagged for return"},{"key":"containers_returned","value":883,"unit":"containers","year":2019,"note":"Sent back to countries of origin"},{"key":"paper_waste_imported_t","value":738665,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Paper waste arriving in East Java"},{"key":"plastic_share_bales_pct","value":30,"unit":"%","year":2019,"note":"Lower end of a 30–35% range; legal limit 2%"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: plastic in the bales is burned in tofu kilns, and eggs in the area had dioxin at 70 times the standard.","Unconfirmed: an inspection company said contamination was below 2%.","Unconfirmed: New Zealand's exports included 12,000 tonnes to Indonesia, and Indonesia returned three New Zealand containers.","The cited sources do not name who gained from the paper imports or who paid for cleanup."],"sources":[{"t":"Pemerintah Reekspor Limbah Impor","p":"Hukumonline","d":"2019-11","u":"https://www.hukumonline.com/berita/a/pemerintah-reekspor-limbah-impor-lt5ddc0a1c7e049/?page=all","type":"press"},{"t":"Indonesia tertimbun sampah impor","p":"Tirto","d":"2019","u":"https://tirto.id/indonesia-tertimbun-sampah-impor-ec4Z","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241123170950/https://tirto.id/indonesia-tertimbun-sampah-impor-ec4Z"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Government that returned the flagged containers"},{"id":"institute-of-scrap-recycling-industries","role":"US industry body whose grades were cited for the bales"}],"mechanism":"waste import container returns","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2018, 738,665 tonnes of paper waste arrived on me in East Java, its bales holding 30–35% plastic and household waste against a 2% legal limit, Tirto reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: plastic in the bales is burned in tofu kilns, and eggs in the area had dioxin at 70 times the standard.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an inspection company said contamination was below 2%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: New Zealand's exports included 12,000 tonnes to Indonesia, and Indonesia returned three New Zealand containers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name who gained from the paper imports or who paid for cleanup.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kantamanto-used-clothes-market-waste","tier":"short","title":"Four global fashion brands launch second-hand clothing recovery coalition in Ghana","dek":"Brands including H&M, Inditex, Bestseller and adidas set up a recovery coalition at Kantamanto market in Accra, which Ghana News Agency said returns about 25 million garments a month. The cited sources give no measured environmental outcome for the market's garment waste.","country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","places":[{"country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","admin":null,"lat":5.548,"lon":-0.215,"role":"event"}],"lat":5.548,"lon":-0.215,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Ghana News Agency reported on 2 October 2026 that H&M, Inditex, BESTSELLER and adidas had set up the Apparel Recovery Coalition at Kantamanto.","The agency said the market returns about 25 million garments a month."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Four global fashion brands set up a collection coalition at Kantamanto market to recover second-hand clothing.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"H&M, Inditex, Bestseller and adidas","what":"set up the Apparel Recovery Coalition in the market","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kantamanto market, Accra, Ghana.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 2 October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the coalition collects or processes garments.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"garments_per_month","value":25000000,"unit":"garments","year":2026,"note":"Approximate ('about 25 million'), as reported by Ghana News Agency."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 15 million garments a week arrive at Kantamanto, and about 40% leave unsold (Or Foundation figure, cited via Fashion Dive).","Unconfirmed: about 30,000 people earn a living from the market (cited to Ghana News Agency, September 2024; no link in the cited sources).","Unconfirmed: the traders' association says less than 5% of incoming bales is waste, against 4% in a 2022 Or Foundation study.","Unconfirmed: the Or Foundation and Akra municipality oppose an import ban on second-hand clothing (no link in the cited sources).","The cited sources do not say what share of collected garments will be reused, sold or discarded."],"sources":[{"t":"Global fashion firms launch second-hand clothing recovery coalition in Ghana","p":"Ghana News Agency","d":"2026-10-02","u":"https://gna.org.gh/2026/10/global-fashion-firms-launch-second-hand-clothing-recovery-coalition-in-ghana/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008002519/https://gna.org.gh/2026/10/global-fashion-firms-launch-second-hand-clothing-recovery-coalition-in-ghana/"}],"actors":[{"id":"hm","role":"Coalition member"},{"id":"inditex","role":"Coalition member"},{"id":"bestseller","role":"Coalition member"},{"id":"adidas","role":"Coalition member"},{"id":"apparel-recovery-coalition","role":"Coalition set up in the market"}],"mechanism":"second-hand clothing recovery","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 15 million garments a week arrive at Kantamanto, and about 40% leave unsold (Or Foundation figure, cited via Fashion Dive).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 30,000 people earn a living from the market (cited to Ghana News Agency, September 2024; no link in the cited sources).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the traders' association says less than 5% of incoming bales is waste, against 4% in a 2022 Or Foundation study.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Or Foundation and Akra municipality oppose an import ban on second-hand clothing (no link in the cited sources).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what share of collected garments will be reused, sold or discarded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"ynsect-liquidation","tier":"short","title":"Insect-farming firm Ynsect enters judicial liquidation","dek":"Ynsect, a French insect-farming company that had raised about $600 million, entered judicial liquidation in December 2025 after financing efforts fell through, according to Vertical Farm Daily. The cited sources give no measured environmental outcome for the company's operations.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":46.6,"lon":2.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.6,"lon":2.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Vertical Farm Daily reported that Ynsect entered judicial liquidation after its financing efforts fell through.","The report said Ynsect had raised about $600 million before the liquidation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ynsect, a French insect-farming company, was put into judicial liquidation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"December 2025, according to the report.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Financing efforts fell through, according to Vertical Farm Daily.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The company entered judicial liquidation. The cited sources do not describe the process further.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"capital_raised_usd","value":600000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Approximate ('about $600 million'), as stated by Vertical Farm Daily."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the EU bars using food waste and manure to feed farmed insects (no date or link in the cited sources).","The cited sources do not say how much of the capital raised was lost, or what happened to the plant."],"sources":[{"t":"Ynsect enters judicial liquidation as financing efforts fall through","p":"Vertical Farm Daily","d":"2025-12","u":"https://www.verticalfarmdaily.com/article/9792106/ynsect-enters-judicial-liquidation-as-financing-efforts-fall-through/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260125120829/https://www.verticalfarmdaily.com/article/9792106/ynsect-enters-judicial-liquidation-as-financing-efforts-fall-through/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ynsect","role":"Company put into judicial liquidation"}],"mechanism":"insect protein farming","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the EU bars using food waste and manure to feed farmed insects (no date or link in the cited sources).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much of the capital raised was lost, or what happened to the plant.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gardanne-red-mud-discharge-into-calanques","tier":"short","title":"Alteo has discharged red mud from Gardanne into the Calanques since 1966","dek":"Red mud from Alteo's Gardanne operation has been discharged into the Calanques canyon since 1966, according to Made in Marseille. The cited sources give no current measurement of the effect on the marine environment.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":43.21,"lon":5.42,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.21,"lon":5.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":1966,"end":null,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["Made in Marseille reported that Alteo has discharged red mud into the Calanques canyon since 1966.","The report said a six-year exemption was granted in 2015 for six parameters, including arsenic.","The cited sources give no current measurement of the discharge's effect on the marine environment."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Red mud from Alteo's Gardanne operation has been discharged into the Calanques canyon, and in 2015 six parameters, including arsenic, were granted a six-year exemption.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Alteo","what":"continued discharge under the 2015 six-year exemption","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Calanques canyon, France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Discharge since 1966; exemption granted in 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Red mud was discharged into the canyon under a 2015 exemption covering six parameters.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"exemption_length_years","value":6,"unit":"years","year":2015,"note":"Exemption covering six parameters, including arsenic."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the company says it ended solid-waste discharge in 2016 and cut the metal load by more than 99%.","Unconfirmed: about 23 million m3 of red mud reached the national park over 50 years (no link in the cited sources).","The cited sources do not say whether the 2015 exemption has been renewed or replaced."],"sources":[{"t":"Rejet Alteo calanque boues rouges","p":"Made in Marseille","d":"","u":"https://madeinmarseille.net/39137-rejet-alteo-calanque-boues-rouges/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250211190905/https://madeinmarseille.net/39137-rejet-alteo-calanque-boues-rouges/"}],"actors":[{"id":"alteo","role":"Operator discharging red mud"}],"mechanism":"red mud sea discharge","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Alteo has discharged red mud into my Calanques canyon since 1966, Made in Marseille reported; a six-year exemption was granted in 2015 for six parameters, including arsenic.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company says it ended solid-waste discharge in 2016 and cut the metal load by more than 99%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 23 million m3 of red mud reached the national park over 50 years (no link in the cited sources).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2015 exemption has been renewed or replaced.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"langya-fly-ash-dumping","tier":"short","title":"Swedish incinerator fly ash dumped on Langøya island in Norway","dek":"Swedish fly ash from waste incineration has been dumped on Langøya, an island in the Oslofjord in Norway, and chloride from it reaches the fjord, The Local reported. The cited sources give no measurement of the fjord or the island.","country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","places":[{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":null,"lat":59.02,"lon":10.05,"role":"event"},{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"origin"}],"lat":59.02,"lon":10.05,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Local reported in May 2015 that Swedish fly ash was being dumped on Langøya, an island in Norway.","The report said chloride from the ash reaches the fjord, and that Denmark counts the export as recycling.","The cited sources give no measurement of the fjord or the island."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Swedish fly ash from waste incineration was sent to Langøya island, Norway, according to The Local.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Oslofjord","what":"receives chloride from the ash","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Langøya island, Oslofjord, Norway.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in May 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ash is sent from Sweden to Langøya; The Local reported that chloride from it mixes into the fjord.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"ash_imported_per_year","value":150000,"unit":"t","year":null,"note":"Approximate yearly volume of Swedish ash sent to Norway; no link given in the cited sources."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the island's quarry is almost full (no source text given).","Unconfirmed: most of the dioxins in Swedish incinerator fly ash are in the ash sent to Langøya (no link in the cited sources).","The cited sources do not say which Swedish plants send ash to Norway."],"sources":[{"t":"Sweden dumps toxic ash on Norway island","p":"The Local","d":"2015-05-11","u":"https://www.thelocal.com/20150511/sweden-dumps-toxic-ash-in-norway","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210919145641/https://www.thelocal.com/20150511/sweden-dumps-toxic-ash-in-norway/"}],"actors":[{"id":"noah","role":"Accepting company (no source link on record)"}],"mechanism":"incinerator fly ash deposit","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Swedish fly ash has been dumped on me at Langøya, an island in Norway, and chloride from it reaches the fjord, The Local reported in May 2015.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the island's quarry is almost full (no source text given).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: most of the dioxins in Swedish incinerator fly ash are in the ash sent to Langøya (no link in the cited sources).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which Swedish plants send ash to Norway.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"oder-fish-die-off","tier":"short","title":"German ministry links Oder fish die-off to salt discharges and toxic algae","dek":"About 1,000 t of aquatic life died in the Oder in 2022, which the German environment ministry linked to salt discharges that fed a toxic alga. In 2023 AP reported that Germany alleged Poland had not stopped the pollution, and the cited sources give no measured recovery of the river.","country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","places":[{"country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","admin":null,"lat":52.6,"lon":14.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"affected"}],"lat":52.6,"lon":14.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The German environment ministry (BMUV) said salt discharges caused a mass growth of a toxic alga, which led to fish dying in the Oder.","The ministry put the dead at about 1,000 t of aquatic life.","Greenpeace Deutschland reported in March 2023 that the Oder's salt load rises sharply as it passes the Silesian coal basin.","AP reported in 2023 that Germany alleged Poland had not stopped the pollution."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 1,000 t of aquatic life died in the Oder, which the German ministry linked to salt discharges.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish and other aquatic life in the Oder","what":"about 1,000 t died","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Oder river, Poland and Germany.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The die-off occurred in 2022; AP reported the dispute in 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The ministry says salt discharges caused a mass growth of a toxic alga. The reason for the discharges is not on record.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Greenpeace reported that the salt load rises sharply as the Oder passes the Silesian coal basin.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"aquatic_life_died_t","value":1000,"unit":"t","year":2022,"note":"Approximate; BMUV figure."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether any party has paid for the die-off.","The cited sources do not give a measured recovery of the Oder's fish stock.","The cited sources do not record Poland's response to the allegation."],"sources":[{"t":"Fischsterben in der Oder: Salzeinleitungen verursachten Massenvermehrung einer giftigen Alge","p":"Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV)","d":"","u":"https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/PM10281-1","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161820/https://www.bundesumweltministerium.de/en/pressrelease/oder-fish-die-off-salt-discharges-caused-mass-proliferation-of-toxic-alga"},{"t":"Oder report","p":"Greenpeace Deutschland","d":"2023-03","u":"https://www.Greenpeace.de/publikationen/20230302-greenpeace-report-oder-en.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260116115857/https://www.greenpeace.de/publikationen/20230302-greenpeace-report-oder-en.pdf"},{"t":"Germany alleges Poland hasn't stopped pollution that led to fish die-off in Oder river","p":"AP","d":"2023","u":"https://www.coastreporter.net/environment-news/germany-alleges-poland-hasnt-stopped-pollution-that-led-to-fish-die-off-in-oder-river-7228217","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"bmuv","role":"Ministry stating the cause"},{"id":"greenpeace-germany","role":"Report on the Oder salt load"},{"id":"poland-government","role":"Party Germany alleged had not stopped the pollution"}],"mechanism":"salt discharge into river","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 1,000 t of aquatic life died in my Oder in 2022, the German environment ministry says, after salt discharges fed a mass growth of a toxic alga.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any party has paid for the die-off.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a measured recovery of the Oder's fish stock.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not record Poland's response to the allegation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tiruppur-dye-units-closure-and-zero-liquid-discharge","tier":"short","title":"Indian court closes 700 Tiruppur dye units; river solids at 3,000 mg/l","dek":"A court closed 700 dye units in Tiruppur, India, in 2011, when the river carried 3,000 mg/l of dissolved solids against a norm of 250, according to Down To Earth. Operators of shared treatment plants say they recover 95–98% of water and 70–80% of salts, a claim the cited sources do not verify.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":11.1,"lon":77.34,"role":"event"}],"lat":11.1,"lon":77.34,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Down To Earth reported that a court closed 700 dye units in Tiruppur in 2011.","The same report gave dissolved solids in the river at 3,000 mg/l, against a norm of 250.","ITNL's water and wastewater page states that zero-discharge common effluent treatment plants recover 95–98% of water and 70–80% of salts.","The cited sources give no river measurement after 2011."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court closed 700 dye units in Tiruppur in 2011, when the river carried 3,000 mg/l of dissolved solids.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tiruppur, India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2011 court closure; the treatment-plant page is undated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record beyond the dissolved-solids reading.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Zero-discharge common treatment plants are described as recovering most water and salts, according to the ITNL page.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"river_dissolved_solids","value":3000,"unit":"mg/l","year":2011,"note":"Norm cited in the same source: 250 mg/l."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: operators' recovery figures (95–98% of water, 70–80% of salts) are company claims with no independent check.","The cited sources do not say where the unrecovered salt goes.","Unconfirmed: the river still carries 3,000 mg/l (no later measurement in the cited sources)."],"sources":[{"t":"Towards zero discharge","p":"Down To Earth","d":"","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/towards-zero-discharge-33489","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260310192039/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/towards-zero-discharge-33489"},{"t":"Water & Wastewater","p":"ITNL","d":"","u":"https://www.itnlindia.com/water-wastewater.aspx","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711171028/https://www.itnlindia.com/water-wastewater.aspx"}],"actors":[{"id":"itnl","role":"Publisher of the recovery claims"}],"mechanism":"zero liquid discharge","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2011 my river carried 3,000 mg/l of dissolved solids against a norm of 250, and a court closed 700 dye units in Tiruppur, Down To Earth reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: operators' recovery figures (95–98% of water, 70–80% of salts) are company claims with no independent check.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say where the unrecovered salt goes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the river still carries 3,000 mg/l (no later measurement in the cited sources).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tengger-desert-evaporation-ponds","tier":"short","title":"Firms paid 569 million yuan over waste water evaporated in Tengger Desert ponds","dek":"Waste water was evaporated in ponds in China's Tengger Desert and the residue buried in the sand, Beijing News reported in a ten-year follow-up. Companies paid 569 million yuan and 824 million yuan was spent on repairs; the cited sources give no current measurement of the site.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":38.5,"lon":104.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.5,"lon":104.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Beijing News reported in a ten-year follow-up that waste water had been evaporated in ponds in the Tengger Desert and the sediment buried in the sand.","Beijing News reported that companies paid 569 million yuan and that 824 million yuan was spent on repairs."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Waste water was evaporated in ponds in the Tengger Desert, and the residue was buried in the sand.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Companies responsible","what":"paid 569 million yuan","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tengger Desert, China.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ten-year follow-up published in 2023; the year of the original discharge is not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Waste water was evaporated in ponds, and the sediment was buried in the desert.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"payments_by_companies","value":569000000,"unit":"yuan","year":null,"note":"Paid by companies, per Beijing News follow-up."},{"key":"repair_spend","value":824000000,"unit":"yuan","year":null,"note":"Spent on repairs, per Beijing News follow-up."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the companies that paid.","The cited sources do not describe the current condition of the site or of groundwater."],"sources":[{"t":"腾格里沙漠污染事件十年回访","p":"新京报 (Beijing News)","d":"2023","u":"https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1701056128129759.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208030944/https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/1701056128129759.html"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"pond evaporation and burial","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Waste water was evaporated in ponds in my Tengger Desert and the residue buried in sand; Beijing News reports companies paid 569 million yuan and 824 million yuan was spent on repairs.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the companies that paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the current condition of the site or of groundwater.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"puerto-rico-coal-ash-caminos-blancos","tier":"short","title":"AES coal ash sold as road fill in Guayama, Puerto Rico; arsenic above standard","dek":"Coal ash from AES's Puerto Rico plant was sold as fill for 'caminos blancos' (white roads) in Guayama after the Dominican Republic refused it, and the distribution was not recorded. Canary Media reported that the company's own measurements found arsenic in groundwater at more than twice the standard.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Puerto Rico","lat":17.98,"lon":-66.11,"role":"event"}],"lat":17.98,"lon":-66.11,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Canary Media reported in October 2023 that AES's coal ash was sold as fill in Guayama after the Dominican Republic refused it.","The article said the sale was not recorded and that distributed ash is exempt from the rule.","Canary Media reported that the company's own measurements found arsenic in groundwater at more than twice the standard."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"AES's coal ash was sold as road fill around Guayama after the Dominican Republic refused it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"AES","what":"sold the ash as fill","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Guayama residents and groundwater users","what":"groundwater arsenic above twice the standard, per the company's own measurements","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Guayama, Puerto Rico.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ash sale reported in October 2023; groundwater data cover 2021–2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The ash was sold as fill after the Dominican Republic refused it.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The ash was distributed as fill for roads; the amount and locations are not recorded.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"groundwater_arsenic_vs_standard","value":2,"unit":"times the standard (more than)","year":null,"note":"Company's own measurements, 2021–2023; the source says more than twice the standard."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how much ash was distributed or where.","The cited sources do not show whether the EPA action promised in a second Canary Media article was carried out."],"sources":[{"t":"In Puerto Rico, residents wait for accountability, cleanup of toxic coal ash 'caminos blancos'","p":"Canary Media","d":"2023-10","u":"https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/in-puerto-rico-residents-wait-for-accountability-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-caminos-blancos","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250322084431/https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/in-puerto-rico-residents-wait-for-accountability-cleanup-of-toxic-coal-ash-caminos-blancos"},{"t":"EPA promises action on Puerto Rico coal ash, but residents are tired of waiting","p":"Canary Media","d":"","u":"https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/epa-promises-action-on-puerto-rico-coal-ash-but-residents-are-tired-of-waiting","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250905153637/https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/enn/epa-promises-action-on-puerto-rico-coal-ash-but-residents-are-tired-of-waiting"}],"actors":[{"id":"aes","role":"Owner of the coal ash"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Federal regulator promising action"}],"mechanism":"coal ash used as fill","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"AES's own measurements found arsenic in my groundwater at more than twice the standard, Canary Media reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much ash was distributed or where.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show whether the EPA action promised in a second Canary Media article was carried out.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"chemical-recycling-plant-failures","tier":"short","title":"US chemical recycling plants run far below capacity, and some have closed","dek":"Plants sold as advanced recycling processed a small share of their declared capacity, and at least one closed in 2024. At ExxonMobil's Baytown plant, about 92% of the feed was mostly converted into fuel.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Georgia","lat":33.749,"lon":-84.388,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oregon","lat":43.804,"lon":-120.554,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Waste Today, citing Lux Research, reported that Brightmark's plant with a 200 million lb capacity processed only 4 million lb in 2024.","Waste Today also reported that Nexus Circular, in Atlanta, produced 1,700 tons of pyrolysis oil over three years.","Daily Climate reported that Oregon's Regenyx plant processed 40% of its declared capacity before closing in 2024, and that Fulcrum defaulted on USD 289 million in bonds.","National Law Review reported in July 2025 that 27 states classify advanced recycling as manufacturing and exempt it from solid waste rules, while Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico do the opposite."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chemical recycling plants in the United States, which convert plastic into oil and fuel, have processed far less than their declared capacity, and at least one has closed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Markets its Baytown process as advanced recycling; about 92% of the feed is mostly converted into fuel","src":null},{"who":"US states that classify pyrolysis as manufacturing","what":"Exempt such plants from solid waste rules (27 states)","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Atlanta, Georgia (Nexus Circular) and Oregon (Regenyx). The Brightmark and Fulcrum plant locations are not on record.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Plant figures reported in 2024; the Regenyx closure took place in 2024; the state classification review is dated July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plastic is converted by pyrolysis into oil, which the sources describe as largely used as fuel at the Baytown plant; 27 states class such plants as manufacturing rather than waste treatment.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"brightmark_processed_mlb","value":4000000,"unit":"lb","year":2024,"note":"Processed at a plant with a 200 million lb capacity (Waste Today)"},{"key":"nexus_circular_pyrolysis_oil_tons","value":1700,"unit":"tons","year":null,"note":"Produced over three years (Waste Today)"},{"key":"regenyx_share_of_declared_capacity_processed_pct","value":40,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Plant closed in 2024 (Daily Climate)"},{"key":"fulcrum_bond_default_usd_m","value":289,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Bond default (Daily Climate)"},{"key":"us_states_classing_pyrolysis_as_manufacturing","value":27,"unit":"states","year":2025,"note":"Maine, New Jersey and New Mexico do the opposite (National Law Review)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: chemical recycling accounts for 0.1% of global plastic output (2026); the source for this figure is not on record.","The cited sources do not describe the health or environmental effects of the chemical recycling plants themselves.","The locations of the Brightmark and Fulcrum plants are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Lux Research sees lack of plastic pyrolysis accomplishments","p":"Waste Today","d":"2024","u":"https://www.wastetodaymagazine.com/plastic-pyrolysis-chemical-recycling-disappointing-lux-research-2024/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241107163749/https://www.wastetodaymagazine.com/plastic-pyrolysis-chemical-recycling-disappointing-lux-research-2024/"},{"t":"Another chemical recycling plant closure offers 'flashing red light'","p":"Daily Climate","d":"","u":"https://www.dailyclimate.org/chemical-recycling-plant-closes-2668623593/closure-a-black-eye-for-waste-to-fuel-efforts","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250321065835/https://www.dailyclimate.org/chemical-recycling-plant-closes-2668623593/closure-a-black-eye-for-waste-to-fuel-efforts"},{"t":"Regulation of Advanced Recycling Is at a Crossroad","p":"National Law Review","d":"2025-07","u":"https://natlawreview.com/article/regulation-advanced-recycling-crossroad","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612213543/https://natlawreview.com/article/regulation-advanced-recycling-crossroad"}],"actors":[{"id":"brightmark","role":"Operator of the 200 million lb plant"},{"id":"nexus-circular","role":"Operator of the Atlanta plant"},{"id":"regenyx","role":"Operator of the Oregon plant, closed in 2024"},{"id":"fulcrum","role":"Bond issuer; defaulted on USD 289 million in bonds"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Operator of the Baytown plant"}],"mechanism":"pyrolysis advanced recycling","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: chemical recycling accounts for 0.1% of global plastic output (2026); the source for this figure is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the health or environmental effects of the chemical recycling plants themselves.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The locations of the Brightmark and Fulcrum plants are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: ExxonMobil"]},{"id":"philippines-plastic-epr-recovery-claim","tier":"short","title":"Philippines reports 55.98% plastic recovery under EPR, including co-processing","dek":"The Philippine Environment Ministry reported plastic recovery of 55.98% under its producer responsibility scheme, a figure that counts co-processing as recovery. The sources say the share of plastic that is burned is not disclosed, and only 1,017 of 2,130 firms were registered.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.8797,"lon":121.774,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.8797,"lon":121.774,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Down To Earth reported that the Philippine Environment Ministry declared 55.98% plastic recovery, or 246 million kg, under the EPR scheme, with co-processing counted as recovery.","Down To Earth reported that firms declare their own plastic footprint, that firms pay the auditor, and that the share of plastic that is burned is not disclosed.","Fauna & Flora (2024) reported that the EPR Act 2022 (RA 11898) allows offsetting, and that large firms must recover or offset 80% of their footprint by 2028.","The same source named NutriAsia, Century Pacific Food, Monde Nissin, Nestlé Philippines and Colgate-Palmolive Philippines as the top five buyers, and counted 81,928+ credits issued under the PPRS."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Philippines reported that plastic recovery under its EPR scheme passed the target, at 55.98%, with co-processing counted as recovery.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Obligated brands and cement companies","what":"Compliance is counted with co-processing and self-declared footprints","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Waste pickers","what":"Paid 2 pesos per kilo for the plastic they collect","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines, under the national EPR scheme set by RA 11898","src":0},"when":{"t":"EPR Act 2022; recovery figure reported in September 2026; large firms must recover or offset 80% of their footprint by 2028.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Firms declare their plastic footprint and can offset it; co-processing counts toward recovery; the firm pays the auditor; offset credits are reported at USD 100 to 500 or more per tonne.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"epr_recovery_rate_pct","value":55.98,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Declared by the Philippine Environment Ministry; includes co-processing"},{"key":"epr_recovered_mass_million_kg","value":246000000,"unit":"kg","year":null,"note":"Reported recovery; footprint is self-declared"},{"key":"firms_registered","value":1017,"unit":"firms","year":null,"note":"Of 2,130 firms"},{"key":"collector_price_pesos_per_kg","value":2,"unit":"pesos per kg","year":null,"note":"Paid to waste collectors"},{"key":"pprs_credits_issued","value":81928,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Stated as 81,928+ (Fauna & Flora, 2024)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The split between physical recycling and co-processing within the 55.98% is not on record.","The Fauna & Flora figure of 81,928+ credits is not tied to a year or to a tonnage in the cited sources.","Down To Earth describes the reported recovery as between one-tenth and one-sixth of the country's plastic waste; the base year for that comparison is not given."],"sources":[{"t":"EPR in Asia Pacific: Philippines built a tough plastic penalty but its polluters set the footprint","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2026-09","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/epr-in-asia-pacific-philippines-built-a-tough-plastic-penalty-but-its-polluters-set-the-footprint","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902203951/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/waste/epr-in-asia-pacific-philippines-built-a-tough-plastic-penalty-but-its-polluters-set-the-footprint"}],"actors":[{"id":"philippines-environment-ministry","role":"Declared the 55.98% recovery figure"},{"id":"nutriasia","role":"Named among the top five buyers (Fauna & Flora, 2024)"},{"id":"century-pacific-food","role":"Named among the top five buyers (Fauna & Flora, 2024)"},{"id":"monde-nissin","role":"Named among the top five buyers (Fauna & Flora, 2024)"},{"id":"nestle-philippines","role":"Named among the top five buyers (Fauna & Flora, 2024)"},{"id":"colgate-palmolive-philippines","role":"Named among the top five buyers (Fauna & Flora, 2024)"}],"mechanism":"EPR offsetting and co-processing","types":["plastics","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The split between physical recycling and co-processing within the 55.98% is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Fauna & Flora figure of 81,928+ credits is not tied to a year or to a tonnage in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Down To Earth describes the reported recovery as between one-tenth and one-sixth of the country's plastic waste; the base year for that comparison is not given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"volvic-paris-court-greenwashing-ruling-and-coca-cola-nestle","tier":"short","title":"Paris court finds Volvic recycling claims misleading; Coca-Cola, Nestlé change labels","dek":"A Paris court found Volvic's “100% recyclable”, “100% recycled” and “carbon neutral” bottle claims misleading. The sources report label changes by Coca-Cola and Nestlé, and do not report any change in bottle production.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","lat":48.8566,"lon":2.3522,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.8566,"lon":2.3522,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","happened":["BEUC reported in June 2026 that a Paris court found Volvic's “100% recyclable”, “100% recycled” and “carbon neutral” claims misleading.","BEUC also reported that Coca-Cola changed its label in the EU, and that Nestlé dropped its claims in March 2026.","The EMF final report found that signatory brands raised recycled content from 4.6% in 2018 to 15.9% by 2025, while the recycled share of the global market rose only from 3.4% to 4.2%."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Paris court found the bottle claims misleading, and Coca-Cola and Nestlé changed or dropped similar claims, according to BEUC.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bottle brands (Volvic, Coca-Cola, Nestlé)","what":"The claims supported sales and reputation until the labels changed","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"France (Paris court) and the European Union (label changes)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Court finding reported in June 2026; Nestlé dropped its claims in March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The claims appeared on bottle labels as “100% recyclable” and “100% recycled”, and the court judged them misleading.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"signatory_brands_recycled_content_pct","value":15.9,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Up from 4.6% in 2018 (EMF final report)"},{"key":"global_recycled_content_pct","value":4.2,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Up from 3.4% in the global market (EMF final report)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Volvic recyclability and carbon-neutral claims","forum":"Paris court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"unknown","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Volvic","filed":null,"decided":"2026-06","status":"unknown","summary":"The court found Volvic's “100% recyclable”, “100% recycled” and “carbon neutral” claims misleading, as reported in June 2026.","src":0}],"unknown":["The sources do not say whether fines or damages were ordered in the Volvic ruling.","The sources do not say whether bottle production changed after the label changes.","Unconfirmed: the claims are said to exclude caps and labels and to depend on local collection infrastructure; no source is identified for this point."],"sources":[{"t":"Major step against plastic bottle greenwashing as French court condemns Volvic","p":"BEUC","d":"2026-06","u":"https://www.beuc.eu/news/major-step-against-plastic-bottle-greenwashing-french-court-condemns-volvic","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"volvic","role":"Brand whose bottle claims the court found misleading"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Changed its EU label"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Dropped its claims in March 2026"},{"id":"beuc","role":"Consumer group that reported the ruling"}],"mechanism":"recyclability labelling claims","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Volvic recyclability and carbon-neutral claims: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether fines or damages were ordered in the Volvic ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether bottle production changed after the label changes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the claims are said to exclude caps and labels and to depend on local collection infrastructure; no source is identified for this point.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Bottle brands (Volvic, Coca-Cola, Nestlé)"]},{"id":"marshall-islands-nuclear-testing-compensation","tier":"short","title":"Marshall Islands nuclear tribunal awards over USD 2bn; payments are a small fraction","dek":"A Marshall Islands tribunal awarded more than USD 2 billion for nuclear-testing damage, but the fund financed with USD 150 million from the United States was depleted in 2009. A Bikini resettlement trust fund has also shrunk sharply, and a lawsuit alleges excess payouts to its manager.","country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","places":[{"country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","admin":null,"lat":7.1,"lon":171.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":7.1,"lon":171.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":1946,"end":2026,"instrument":"finance","happened":["According to the Oxford Human Rights Hub, the UN human rights office called in October 2026 for full compensation for the Marshall Islands.","UN Watch (December 2025) and a UN press item (November 2022) put the tribunal's property award at USD 2.3 billion.","Grist reported that a letter from Interior deputy secretary Doug Domenech ended the annual spending cap and audit of the Bikini fund on 16 November 2017, at the request of the local council.","Pacific Island Times reported that the fund held USD 89,002 on 30 June 2024, down from about USD 60 million in 2018, and that the council and four residents sued the trust manager, Arden Trust, in Delaware."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Marshall Islands tribunal awarded more than USD 2 billion for nuclear-testing damage, but payments have been a small share, and the Bikini trust fund has largely been spent.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Arden Trust (fund manager)","what":"Received annual management fees, according to the lawsuit","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Marshall Islands nuclear-test claimants","what":"Most tribunal awards went unpaid; about half of valid claimants reportedly died while waiting for payment","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bikini resettlement community","what":"The fund fell from about USD 60 million to USD 89,002; the lawsuit alleges the manager paid USD 15.7 million in 2018 against a USD 1.59 million limit","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Marshall Islands (Bikini community, Kili and Majuro); the lawsuit was filed in Delaware.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Tribunal award and fund depletion over 1982 to 2024; the Interior Department ended its audit in November 2017; the UN call came in October 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"US Congress funded a resettlement trust, the Interior Department lifted its spending cap and audit in 2017, and a lawsuit accuses the trust's manager of exceeding permitted payouts.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"nuclear_claims_award_usd_bn","value":2.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Tribunal property award; another report says more than USD 2 billion"},{"key":"us_contribution_fund_usd_m","value":150,"unit":"USD million","year":2009,"note":"Fund depleted in 2009"},{"key":"share_of_award_payable_pct","value":5,"unit":"% of each award","year":2006,"note":"Payable from 2006 onward"},{"key":"bikini_trust_fund_usd","value":89002,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Balance on 30 June 2024; about USD 60 million in 2018"},{"key":"congress_bikini_fund_usd_m","value":110,"unit":"USD million","year":1988,"note":"Close to USD 110 million placed in 1982 and 1988 combined"}],"legal":[{"title":"Nuclear Claims Tribunal awards for nuclear-testing damage","forum":"Nuclear Claims Tribunal, Marshall Islands","country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","kind":"civil","claimant":"Marshall Islands nuclear-test claimants","defendant":"United States","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Tribunal assessed more than USD 2.3 billion in claims; the Section 177 trust fund was USD 150 million, so claimants could not be fully compensated.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 0.2% of the award has been paid. This rests on a single source, and the sources disagree; one source reports USD 4 million paid.","Unconfirmed: the United States rejected a 2000 supplemental claim, saying it was not a changed circumstance.","Unconfirmed: monthly payments of about USD 150 to 6,800 members of the Bikini community stopped.","The award is given as USD 2.3 billion in one report and as more than USD 2 billion in another."],"sources":[{"t":"United States Must Formally Apologize to the Republic of Marshall Islands","p":"Oxford Human Rights Hub","d":"2026-10","u":"https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/united-states-must-formally-apologize-to-the-republic-of-marshall-islands/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251012151627/https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/united-states-must-formally-apologize-to-the-republic-of-marshall-islands/"},{"t":"Depletion of Bikini Atoll funds sparks lawsuit against trust manager","p":"Pacific Island Times","d":"2024-08-21","u":"https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/depletion-of-bikini-atoll-funds-sparks-lawsuit-against-trust-manager","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520133557/https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/depletion-of-bikini-atoll-funds-sparks-lawsuit-against-trust-manager"},{"t":"The U.S. forced Bikini Islanders to deal with nuclear tests and climate change, now it's walking away","p":"Grist","d":"2018-05-11","u":"https://grist.org/article/the-u-s-forced-bikini-islanders-to-deal-with-nuclear-tests-and-climate-change-now-its-walking-away/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618022928/https://grist.org/article/the-u-s-forced-bikini-islanders-to-deal-with-nuclear-tests-and-climate-change-now-its-walking-away/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nuclear-claims-tribunal","role":"Issued the property award to nuclear-test claimants"},{"id":"us-congress","role":"Placed close to USD 110 million in the Bikini fund (1982 and 1988)"},{"id":"us-department-of-the-interior","role":"Ended the spending cap and audit of the Bikini fund in 2017"},{"id":"arden-trust","role":"Fund manager; sued in Delaware"},{"id":"un-human-rights-office","role":"Called for full compensation (October 2026)"}],"mechanism":"tribunal award, trust fund","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 0.2% of the award has been paid. This rests on a single source, and the sources disagree; one source reports USD 4 million paid.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the United States rejected a 2000 supplemental claim, saying it was not a changed circumstance.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: monthly payments of about USD 150 to 6,800 members of the Bikini community stopped.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The award is given as USD 2.3 billion in one report and as more than USD 2 billion in another.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Marshall Islands nuclear-test claimants"]},{"id":"okinawa-pfas-and-henoko-base-costs","tier":"short","title":"Okinawa pays for US base PFAS treatment as Henoko cost rises to 930 billion yen","dek":"Okinawa's prefectural government has paid for PFAS water treatment linked to US base contamination, after on-base inspection requests were rejected four times since 2016. The Henoko base relocation cost estimate rose from 350 billion yen in 2014 to 930 billion yen in 2019.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Okinawa Prefecture","lat":26.5,"lon":127.95,"role":"event"}],"lat":26.5,"lon":127.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Ryukyu Shimpo and Akahata reported that Okinawa's prefectural government had paid 1.2 billion yen for PFAS treatment of drinking water, and expects to pay 8 billion yen or more over the next ten years.","The same reporting says the prefecture requested on-base PFAS inspections four times since 2016, and each request was rejected.","Akahata reported in May 2026 that the Henoko cost estimate had risen from 350 billion yen in 2014 to 930 billion yen, and that landfill was 17.5% complete by March 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Okinawa's prefectural government has paid for PFAS treatment linked to US base contamination, while the Henoko relocation cost has risen and its landfill is 17.5% complete.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US military","what":"Base-related PFAS treatment costs have been carried by the prefecture rather than the US, according to the reporting","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Okinawa prefectural taxpayers","what":"Paid 1.2 billion yen for PFAS treatment so far","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents whose drinking water contained PFAS","what":"Treatment was needed; the reporting does not describe health effects","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Okinawa, Japan (US bases; Henoko on the same island)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Inspection requests since 2016; treatment costs to date and projected over ten years; Henoko estimates for 2014 and 2019; landfill status in March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"On-base inspections were refused, PFAS treatment costs passed to the prefecture, and the relocation cost estimate was revised upward while landfill progress is slow.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pfas_treatment_paid_yen_bn","value":1200000000,"unit":"yen","year":null,"note":"Paid by the prefectural government to date"},{"key":"pfas_treatment_projected_yen_bn","value":8000000000,"unit":"yen or more","year":null,"note":"Projected over the next ten years"},{"key":"inspection_requests_rejected","value":4,"unit":"requests","year":2026,"note":"On-base PFAS inspection requests since 2016"},{"key":"henoko_cost_estimate_2014_yen_bn","value":350000000000,"unit":"yen","year":2014,"note":"Henoko cost estimate"},{"key":"henoko_cost_estimate_2019_yen_bn","value":930000000000,"unit":"yen","year":2019,"note":"Henoko cost estimate; 930 billion yen also reported in 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the US Department of Defense's remaining environmental cleanup cost was about USD 48.7 billion as of 30 September 2024.","The cited sources do not include the text of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), so its effect on PFAS cleanup is not established here.","The cited sources do not confirm which base or activity caused the PFAS contamination.","The cited sources do not say whether the 1.2 billion yen covers all Okinawa bases or only drinking water."],"sources":[{"t":"社説 小泉防衛相来県 PFAS問題放棄するな","p":"Ryukyu Shimpo","d":"2026","u":"https://ryukyushimpo.jp/editorial/entry-4944819.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260226124538/https://ryukyushimpo.jp/editorial/entry-4944819.html"},{"t":"Akahata report on Okinawa PFAS (Japanese)","p":"Akahata","d":"2024-05-24","u":"https://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/aik24/2024-05-24/ftp2024052406_02_0.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208174900/https://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/aik24/2024-05-24/ftp2024052406_02_0.html"},{"t":"Akahata report on Henoko costs (Japanese)","p":"Akahata","d":"2026-05-14","u":"https://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/aik26/2026-05-14/2026051401_01_0.php","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515064920/https://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/aik26/2026-05-14/2026051401_01_0.php"}],"actors":[{"id":"okinawa-prefectural-government","role":"Paid for PFAS treatment; requested on-base inspections four times"},{"id":"us-department-of-defense","role":"Operates the bases; no cleanup payment is reported"}],"mechanism":"PFAS treatment, base relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Okinawa's prefectural government has paid 1.2 billion yen to treat PFAS in my water and expects to pay 8 billion yen or more over the next ten years, Ryukyu Shimpo and Akahata reported.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US Department of Defense's remaining environmental cleanup cost was about USD 48.7 billion as of 30 September 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not include the text of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), so its effect on PFAS cleanup is not established here.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not confirm which base or activity caused the PFAS contamination.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 1.2 billion yen covers all Okinawa bases or only drinking water.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-military-pfas-contamination-at-dod-sites","tier":"short","title":"US Defense Department PFAS costs top USD 9.3 billion at 718 installations","dek":"The US Government Accountability Office reported that Defense Department PFAS costs reached USD 9.3 billion or more and tripled since 2022. None of the 718 installations is yet in long-term cleanup, while the Department promotes its land as a refuge for wildlife.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The US Government Accountability Office reported in February 2025 that Defense Department PFAS costs were USD 9.3 billion or more, having tripled since 2022.","The same report found that none of the Department's 718 installations is in long-term cleanup.","The Defense Department and NatureServe have described military training land as a refuge for biodiversity, while the same land also holds PFAS, munitions and closed waste sites."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Government Accountability Office reported PFAS costs of USD 9.3 billion or more across 718 Defense Department installations, none yet in long-term cleanup.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US Department of Defense","what":"Presents military land as a refuge for wildlife","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, at Defense Department installations (718 sites)","src":0},"when":{"t":"GAO report published in February 2025; costs have tripled since 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cleanup is funded from the US budget, and none of the installations is in long-term cleanup as of the GAO report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"dod_pfas_cost_usd_bn","value":9.3,"unit":"USD billion or more","year":2025,"note":"Defense Department PFAS cost (GAO-25-107401)"},{"key":"dod_pfas_installations","value":718,"unit":"installations","year":2025,"note":"None in long-term cleanup"},{"key":"dod_pfas_cost_growth_since_2022","value":3,"unit":"times","year":2025,"note":"Cost tripled since 2022"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the remaining cost of the Defense Department's environmental restoration program, about USD 48.7 billion as of 30 September 2024 (of which about USD 16.1 billion for munitions).","The claim that endangered-species density on military land is three times higher is a Defense Department claim; the cited sources do not give an independent figure.","Exposure and health effects for people living near the 718 installations are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"GAO-25-107401","p":"US Government Accountability Office","d":"2025-02","u":"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107401","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260910174946/https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107401"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-department-of-defense","role":"Operates the 718 installations with PFAS contamination"},{"id":"gao","role":"Published the PFAS cost report"},{"id":"natureserve","role":"Named with the Defense Department as a source of the biodiversity-refuge claim"}],"mechanism":"military PFAS contamination","types":["chemical-pollution","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["synagro-biosolids-pfas-contamination","miteni-pfas-contamination"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"GAO reported in February 2025 that none of the 718 Defense Department installations holding PFAS in me is in long-term cleanup, and that PFAS costs are USD 9.3 billion or more.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the remaining cost of the Defense Department's environmental restoration program, about USD 48.7 billion as of 30 September 2024 (of which about USD 16.1 billion for munitions).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The claim that endangered-species density on military land is three times higher is a Defense Department claim; the cited sources do not give an independent figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Exposure and health effects for people living near the 718 installations are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: US Department of Defense"]},{"id":"tren-maya-deforestation","tier":"short","title":"Army-built Tren Maya caused deforestation of 6,659 hectares, mostly without permits","dek":"Data from CartoCrítica, reported by Vanguardia, link the Tren Maya railway to the deforestation of 6,659 hectares, 87% of it without permits. The Mexican army built the line.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Yucatán Peninsula","lat":19.5,"lon":-90,"role":"event"}],"lat":19.5,"lon":-90,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Vanguardia reported, citing CartoCrítica data, that the Tren Maya caused deforestation of 6,659 hectares, of which 87% was without permits.","Vanguardia also reported that the Mexican army (Sedena) built the railway."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Tren Maya railway has caused deforestation of 6,659 hectares, 87% of it without permits, according to CartoCrítica data reported by Vanguardia.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sedena (Mexican army)","what":"Built the railway; the cleared forest is 87% without permits according to the data","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests of the Maya region","what":"6,659 hectares deforested","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Maya region, Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"Deforestation data reported in 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The army built the line, and the forest was cleared largely without permits, according to the CartoCrítica data.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tren_maya_deforested_ha","value":6659,"unit":"hectares","year":2023,"note":"Reported by Vanguardia from CartoCrítica data"},{"key":"tren_maya_share_without_permit_pct","value":87,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"Share of the deforested area without permits"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Greenpeace México filed an amparo against a provisional permit for section 5, issued without an environmental impact assessment under a November 2021 national security decree; this comes.","Unconfirmed: about 7 million trees were cleared; no source is identified for this figure.","Unconfirmed: 2024 revenue of 275 million pesos against operating costs of 2,800 million pesos; no source is identified for these figures.","The cited sources do not give a permit-by-permit breakdown of the 87% unauthorised area."],"sources":[{"t":"Tren Maya ha causado deforestación en 6,659 hectareas","p":"Vanguardia","d":"2023","u":"https://vanguardia.com.mx/noticias/tren-maya-ha-causado-deforestacion-en-6659-hectareas-87-sin-permiso-denuncian-DN8780410","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230901203831/https://vanguardia.com.mx/noticias/tren-maya-ha-causado-deforestacion-en-6659-hectareas-87-sin-permiso-denuncian-DN8780410"}],"actors":[{"id":"sedena","role":"Built the Tren Maya railway"},{"id":"cartocritica","role":"Provided the deforestation data reported by Vanguardia"}],"mechanism":"rail infrastructure deforestation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"6,659 hectares of me were deforested for the Tren Maya, 87% of it without permits, Vanguardia reported citing CartoCrítica data.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace México filed an amparo against a provisional permit for section 5, issued without an environmental impact assessment under a November 2021 national security decree; this comes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 7 million trees were cleared; no source is identified for this figure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2024 revenue of 275 million pesos against operating costs of 2,800 million pesos; no source is identified for these figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a permit-by-permit breakdown of the 87% unauthorised area.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"operation-verde-brasil-army-deforestation-enforcement","tier":"short","title":"Brazil's army-led Verde Brasil spent USD 90.3m; deforestation rose above average","dek":"Brazil's Operation Verde Brasil, run by the armed forces, spent USD 90.3 million in two years, while deforestation rose to 62% above the 2009 to 2018 average and violation notices fell 65%. In Colombia's Artemisa operation, villagers were arrested while financiers were not.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.235,"lon":-51.9253,"role":"event"},{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.235,"lon":-51.9253,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Agência Pública reported that Operation Verde Brasil cost USD 90.3 million over two years, about one-third of IBAMA's enforcement spending over 16 years.","Over the same two years, deforestation rose to 62% above the 2009 to 2018 average, and violation notices fell 65%, according to Agência Pública.","Mongabay Latam documented that in Colombia's Artemisa operation villagers were arrested in February 2020, while the financiers of deforestation were not."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Military-led forest enforcement in Brazil and Colombia was presented as forest protection; Agência Pública reported that deforestation rose and fines fell during Verde Brasil.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Brazilian armed forces","what":"Received USD 90.3 million over two years for the operation","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers arrested in Artemisa","what":"Arrested while the financiers of the deforestation were not","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Brazil (Verde Brasil) and Colombia (Artemisa)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Verde Brasil spending over two years, reported February 2024; Artemisa arrests reported February 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Armed-forces units were deployed to forest enforcement; the sources report that violation notices fell while deforestation rose, and that prosecutions reached villagers rather than financiers.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"verde_brasil_spending_usd_m","value":90.3,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Over two years (Agência Pública)"},{"key":"deforestation_above_2009_2018_average_pct","value":62,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Above the 2009 to 2018 average"},{"key":"violation_notices_decline_pct","value":65,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Decline in violation notices during the operation"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not establish that the operation caused the 62% rise in deforestation; the sources describe the rise alongside it.","The cited sources do not give the area of forest cleared during Verde Brasil.","The cited sources do not give the spending or the units involved in the Colombian Artemisa operation."],"sources":[{"t":"Forças Armadas foram caras e ineficientes no combate ao desmatamento","p":"Agência Pública","d":"2024-02","u":"https://apublica.org/2024/02/forcas-armadas-foram-caras-e-ineficientes-no-combate-ao-desmatamento/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607104236/https://apublica.org/2024/02/forcas-armadas-foram-caras-e-ineficientes-no-combate-ao-desmatamento/"}],"actors":[{"id":"brazil-armed-forces","role":"Ran Operation Verde Brasil"},{"id":"ibama","role":"Brazil's environmental enforcement agency; benchmark for the 16-year spending comparison"},{"id":"colombian-defence-ministry","role":"Oversaw the Artemisa operation"}],"mechanism":"army-led forest enforcement","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In the two years of Operation Verde Brasil, which cost USD 90.3 million, my deforestation rose to 62% above the 2009 to 2018 average, Agência Pública reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not establish that the operation caused the 62% rise in deforestation; the sources describe the rise alongside it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the area of forest cleared during Verde Brasil.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the spending or the units involved in the Colombian Artemisa operation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Villagers arrested in Artemisa"]},{"id":"colombia-post-farc-deforestation-and-operation-artemisa","tier":"short","title":"Colombia's Operation Artemisa: 113 arrests and 13 convictions","dek":"Colombia's military Operation Artemisa, launched in April 2019 against deforestation, saw 113 arrests and 13 convictions, Mongabay Latam reported. Experts quoted by the outlet said it targeted small settlers rather than large-scale deforesters, after Amazon forest loss had already risen following the FARC withdrawal.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":"Amazon region","lat":4.57,"lon":-74.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.57,"lon":-74.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2022,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Mongabay Latam reported in May 2018 that deforestation was rising in areas the FARC had left, and quoted an expert saying the rise was not due to the FARC alone. Mongabay reported in May 2019, citing IDEAM, that Amazon deforestation more than doubled from 70,074 ha in 2016 to 144,147 ha in 2017.","Mongabay Latam reported that Colombia launched the military Operation Artemisa against deforestation on 28 April 2019, with 113 arrests and, according to the Attorney General's Office (Fiscalía), 13 convictions, and that national deforestation rose from 2019 to 2021.","Mongabay Latam reported in February 2020 that the Defence Minister said 20 people were captured in one Artemisa operation on suspicion of environmental crimes; campesino associations said the detainees were not part of any criminal structure, and critics said no one who financed large-scale logging had been captured.","Experts quoted in Mongabay Latam's December 2022 article said the operation targeted small settlers and did not reach large-scale deforesters. The article's tally recorded 10 incidents of houses being burned or destroyed, and reported that a young man died in a March 2022 operation, apparently after a soldier shot him."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Colombia's military Operation Artemisa, launched in April 2019 to counter deforestation that had risen after the FARC withdrew.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Iván Duque","what":"After his presidency: member of the Conservation International board and trustee of the Science Based Targets initiative, according to those organisations' own pages","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Amazon forest, Colombia","what":"Deforestation rose from 70,074 ha in 2016 to 144,147 ha in 2017 (IDEAM figures, reported by Mongabay, 2019)","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Small settlers in Artemisa operation areas","what":"Twenty people captured in one operation on suspicion of environmental crimes, per the Defence Minister; campesino associations said they were not part of any criminal structure (Mongabay Latam, 2020)","src":1},{"who":"Communities in operation areas","what":"10 incidents of houses burned or destroyed recorded; one man died in March 2022, apparently after a soldier shot him (Mongabay Latam, 2022)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Colombia, Amazon region (Operation Artemisa area)","src":2},"when":{"t":"Deforestation record in 2017; Operation Artemisa from April 2019; reporting to December 2022","src":2},"why":{"t":"Operation launched against deforestation, its stated aim (Mongabay Latam, 2022). Mongabay names land grabbing, cattle ranching and roads among the drivers of the 2017 rise.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Military operation with arrests of settlers; 113 arrests and 13 convictions reported.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"amazon_deforestation_before_ha","value":70074,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Mongabay Latam (2018); comparison year not stated separately"},{"key":"amazon_deforestation_after_ha","value":144147,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Mongabay Latam (2018); comparison year not stated separately"},{"key":"artemisa_arrests","value":113,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Cumulative as reported by Mongabay Latam (2022)"},{"key":"artemisa_convictions","value":13,"unit":"convictions","year":null,"note":"As reported by Mongabay Latam (2022)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Artemisa-period hectare figures (158,894 ha to about 174,100 ha), from Mongabay Latam, partly known through secondary reports; not used as metrics.","Mongabay (2018, 2019) links the 2017 rise to several drivers, including land grabbing, cattle ranching and roads, and not to the FARC withdrawal alone; their relative weight is not stated.","Who financed the deforestation is not on record.","The organisations' pages give no dates or terms for Iván Duque's board roles.","Circumstances of the reported death are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Colombia: la selva tras el conflicto con las FARC","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2018-05","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2018/05/colombia-la-selva-tras-conflicto-farc/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510025513/https://es.mongabay.com/2018/05/colombia-la-selva-tras-conflicto-farc/"},{"t":"Incendios en la Amazonía colombiana","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2020-02","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2020/02/incendios-en-la-amazonia-colombia-amenazas-y-tala/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308024620/https://es.mongabay.com/2020/02/incendios-en-la-amazonia-colombia-amenazas-y-tala/"},{"t":"Artemisa: radiografía de una operación que no frenó la deforestación en Colombia","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2022-12-05","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2022/12/artemisa-radiografia-de-una-operacion-que-no-freno-la-deforestacion-en-colombia/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004222935/https://es.mongabay.com/2022/12/artemisa-radiografia-de-una-operacion-que-no-freno-la-deforestacion-en-colombia/"},{"t":"Land grabbing, cattle ranching ravage Colombian Amazon after FARC demobilization","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-05","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/land-grabbing-cattle-ranching-ravage-colombian-amazon-after-farc-demobilization/","type":"press"},{"t":"Board of Directors","p":"Conservation International","d":"","u":"https://www.conservation.org/about/board-of-directors","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251016055520/https://www.conservation.org/about/board-of-directors"},{"t":"Iván Duque","p":"Science Based Targets initiative","d":"","u":"https://sciencebasedtargets.org/about-us/the-team/iv%C3%A1n-duque","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"colombia-government","role":"Launched Operation Artemisa"},{"id":"ivan-duque","role":"President when Operation Artemisa was launched; later board roles"},{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Board on which Duque sits"},{"id":"sbti","role":"Board on which Duque sits"}],"mechanism":"military anti-deforestation operation","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Deforestation of my Colombian Amazon more than doubled from 70,074 ha in 2016 to 144,147 ha in 2017, Mongabay reported citing IDEAM in May 2019.","src":[3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Artemisa-period hectare figures (158,894 ha to about 174,100 ha), from Mongabay Latam, partly known through secondary reports; not used as metrics.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Mongabay (2018, 2019) links the 2017 rise to several drivers, including land grabbing, cattle ranching and roads, and not to the FARC withdrawal alone; their relative weight is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who financed the deforestation is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The organisations' pages give no dates or terms for Iván Duque's board roles.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Circumstances of the reported death are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"burn-pits-and-pact-act-compensation","tier":"short","title":"US PACT Act: $281.5bn for veterans exposed to burn pits, none for Iraqi civilians","dek":"The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the US PACT Act would cost about $281.5 billion through 2031 for veterans exposed to burn pit smoke. The cited sources report no compensation mechanism for Iraqi civilians exposed to the same smoke.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","admin":null,"lat":33.22,"lon":43.68,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"legal"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2031,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Military.com reported a Congressional Budget Office estimate of about $281.5 billion through 2031 for the PACT Act's veterans programme.","Al Jazeera's 2022 opinion piece argued that the US must compensate burn pit victims in Iraq too.","A GAO report (GAO-25-107401, February 2025) cited about 2 million approved veterans' claims; the cited sources report no compensation for Iraqi civilians exposed to the same smoke."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US PACT Act provides for veterans exposed to burn pit smoke, with a CBO cost estimate of about $281.5 billion through 2031.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US veterans exposed to burn pit smoke","what":"Eligible under the PACT Act; about 2 million approved claims (GAO-25-107401, February 2025)","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"US taxpayers","what":"Fund the PACT Act cost estimated by CBO at about $281.5 billion through 2031","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Iraqi civilians exposed to burn pit smoke","what":"No compensation mechanism for the same exposure, per Al Jazeera (2022)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Iraq (burn pit smoke); United States (veterans' compensation)","src":1},"when":{"t":"CBO cost horizon to 2031; Military.com article December 2021; Al Jazeera opinion August 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Benefits set by Congress; rules by the Department of Veterans Affairs. No equivalent for Iraqi civilians is described.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"pact_act_cost_usd_bn","value":281.5,"unit":"USD billion","year":2031,"note":"CBO estimate of cost through 2031"},{"key":"approved_claims_million","value":2000000,"unit":"approved claims","year":null,"note":"Approximate; GAO-25-107401 entry"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The GAO-25-107401 report (February 2025) has no URL in the cited sources; its figures are not linked to a source.","The number of Iraqi or Afghan civilians exposed to burn pit smoke is not stated.","The amount paid to date under the PACT Act is not stated; the figure is a cost estimate.","Whether a compensation scheme for Iraqi civilians has been proposed or set up is not stated beyond the 2022 opinion piece."],"sources":[{"t":"CBO cost estimate (Military.com)","p":"Military.com","d":"2021-12-07","u":"https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/12/07/law-aimed-helping-millions-exposed-burn-pits-and-toxins-would-cost-least-282-billion.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120114649/https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/12/07/law-aimed-helping-millions-exposed-burn-pits-and-toxins-would-cost-least-282-billion.html"},{"t":"The US must compensate burn pit victims in Iraq too","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2022-08-17","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2022/8/17/americas-silence-on-burn-pit-victims-in-iraq","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230330144826/https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/opinions/2022/8/17/americas-silence-on-burn-pit-victims-in-iraq"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-congress","role":"Passed the PACT Act"},{"id":"congressional-budget-office","role":"Cost estimate"},{"id":"us-department-veterans-affairs","role":"Rules for the veterans programme"}],"mechanism":"burn pit compensation law","types":["law-policy","burning","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:open-burning","war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The GAO-25-107401 report (February 2025) has no URL in the cited sources; its figures are not linked to a source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of Iraqi or Afghan civilians exposed to burn pit smoke is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount paid to date under the PACT Act is not stated; the figure is a cost estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether a compensation scheme for Iraqi civilians has been proposed or set up is not stated beyond the 2022 opinion piece.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: US veterans exposed to burn pit smoke"]},{"id":"sigma-lithium-green-lithium","tier":"short","title":"Brazilian court fines Sigma Lithium over blast damage in Jequitinhonha valley","dek":"Sigma Lithium marketed its lithium as 'five-zero green lithium', a carbon-neutral claim based on credits from a suspended Amazon scheme. Prosecutors in Minas Gerais found blast-related cracks in about half of inspected homes, and a court imposed a 50 million real guarantee and a daily fine.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Minas Gerais","lat":-16.5,"lon":-42,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"role":"buyer"}],"lat":-16.5,"lon":-42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Noticias Ambientales reported in November 2025 that Sigma's carbon-neutral claim for its first shipment to China rested on 59,000 credits from the Unitor project, which a Federal Police operation suspended; 68 organisations filed complaints.","Brasil de Fato reported on 30 September 2026 that a Minas Gerais prosecutors' case found blast-related cracks in about half of the inspected homes.","Brasil de Fato reported that the court imposed a guarantee of 50 million reais and a daily fine of 500,000 reais, and that a federal court returned three licences to the company."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sigma Lithium marketed lithium as carbon-neutral; its first shipment to China relied on credits from a suspended Amazon scheme.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sigma Lithium","what":"Sold lithium under a 'five-zero green lithium' label, with a carbon-neutral claim based on Unitor credits","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Jequitinhonha valley villages","what":"Blast-related cracks found in about half of inspected homes, per the prosecutors' case","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Jequitinhonha valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil","src":1},"when":{"t":"Label and complaints reported November 2025; court fine reported 30 September 2026","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Blasting at the mine; the court imposed a 50 million real guarantee and a 500,000 real daily fine.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"unitor_carbon_credits","value":59000,"unit":"carbon credits","year":null,"note":"Credits underpinning the carbon-neutral claim, per Noticias Ambientales"},{"key":"complaining_organisations","value":68,"unit":"organisations","year":2025,"note":"Complainants listed by Noticias Ambientales (November 2025)"},{"key":"court_guarantee_million_reais","value":50000000,"unit":"reais","year":2026,"note":"Guarantee imposed by the court, per Brasil de Fato"},{"key":"court_daily_fine_reais","value":500000,"unit":"reais per day","year":2026,"note":"Daily fine imposed by the court, per Brasil de Fato"}],"legal":[{"title":"Minas Gerais prosecution over blast damage in the Jequitinhonha valley","forum":"Minas Gerais justice system (court name: none on record)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"unknown","claimant":"Minas Gerais state prosecutors","defendant":"Sigma Lithium","filed":null,"decided":"2026-09-30","status":"unknown","summary":"Court imposed a 50 million real guarantee and a daily fine of 500,000 reais; a federal court returned three licences, per Brasil de Fato.","src":1}],"unknown":["Whether the guarantee has been paid or the fine enforced is not stated.","The number of homes inspected is not stated; the source gives the cracks as about half.","Dust and noise from blasting are listed in the case summary without a dated source.","Sigma's response to the fine and to the complaints is not on record.","Chinese buyers and the role of the BNDES development bank are listed without a source.","The Federal Police action suspending the Unitor project is reported without its own source."],"sources":[{"t":"'Green' lithium under suspicion","p":"Noticias Ambientales","d":"2025-11-01","u":"https://noticiasambientales.com/energy/green-lithium-under-suspicion-environmental-and-community-complaints-surround-a-canadian-company-operating-in-brazil/","type":"press"},{"t":"Justiça aplica multa à Sigma por descumprimento no Vale do Jequitinhonha (MG)","p":"Brasil de Fato","d":"2026-09-30","u":"https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2026/09/30/justica-aplica-multa-a-sigma-por-descumprimento-no-vale-do-jequitinhonha-mg/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001161001/https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2026/09/30/justica-aplica-multa-a-sigma-por-descumprimento-no-vale-do-jequitinhonha-mg/"}],"actors":[{"id":"sigma-lithium","role":"Operator; labelled its lithium green; first shipment to China"},{"id":"minas-gerais-prosecutors","role":"Brought the case"},{"id":"brazilian-courts","role":"Imposed guarantee and fine; returned licences"}],"mechanism":"carbon-credit green lithium label","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A carbon-neutral claim for lithium mined on me rested on 59,000 credits from the Unitor project, which a Federal Police operation suspended, Noticias Ambientales reported in November 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Minas Gerais prosecution over blast damage in the Jequitinhonha valley: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the guarantee has been paid or the fine enforced is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of homes inspected is not stated; the source gives the cracks as about half.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Dust and noise from blasting are listed in the case summary without a dated source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Sigma's response to the fine and to the complaints is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Chinese buyers and the role of the BNDES development bank are listed without a source.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The Federal Police action suspending the Unitor project is reported without its own source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"drc-cobalt-export-ban-and-quota","tier":"short","title":"DRC replaces cobalt export ban with 96,600-tonne annual quota","dek":"The Democratic Republic of the Congo turned a February 2025 cobalt export ban into a quota of 96,600 tonnes a year for 2026 and 2027, Bankable reported. The IEA linked a rise of about 130% in cobalt prices to the DRC constraint; the cited sources do not state environmental effects of the quota.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":-4.04,"lon":21.76,"role":"event"}],"lat":-4.04,"lon":21.76,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Bankable reported in October 2025 that the DRC converted its February 2025 cobalt export ban into a quota of 96,600 tonnes a year for 2026 and 2027, of which 9,600 tonnes are at the discretion of the regulator ARECOMS.","The same report says CMOC exported about 96,000 tonnes in 2024, and its headline says CMOC wins the largest share of the quota.","The IEA reported that cobalt prices rose about 130% from January 2025 to April 2026 in its base-metals review, linking the rise to the DRC constraint.","The Cobalt Institute reported that artisanal cobalt fell to about 2% of DRC production in 2024, a decline it attributed to growth in industrial output."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The DRC converted a February 2025 cobalt export ban into a quota of 96,600 tonnes a year for 2026 and 2027.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CMOC","what":"Exported about 96,000 tonnes in 2024; Bankable's headline says it wins the largest share of the quota","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Artisanal cobalt miners","what":"Share of DRC output fell to about 2% in 2024 (Cobalt Institute); their outcomes are not on record","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","src":0},"when":{"t":"Export ban February 2025; quota for 2026 and 2027; Bankable report October 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Export ban converted into a quota, with 9,600 tonnes at the discretion of the regulator ARECOMS.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"export_quota_tonnes_per_year","value":96600,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2026,"note":"Quota for 2026 and 2027"},{"key":"discretionary_quota_tonnes","value":9600,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"note":"Allocated at the discretion of ARECOMS"},{"key":"cmoc_exports_2024_tonnes","value":96000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Approximate, per Bankable"},{"key":"cobalt_price_rise_pct","value":130,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"IEA base-metals review, January 2025 to April 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Environmental effects of the export ban and quota are not on record.","Labour and community conditions in DRC cobalt mining are not on record.","The basis for the 9,600-tonne discretionary allocation is not stated.","The IEA figure and the Cobalt Institute figure have no URL in the cited sources.","The reason for the February 2025 export ban is not on record.","Whether the quota has changed cobalt prices beyond the IEA-reported rise is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"In DRC cobalt quota shake-up, CMOC wins the largest share and a major headache","p":"Bankable","d":"2025-10","u":"https://bankable.africa/en/mining/1310-1826-in-drc-cobalt-quota-shake-up-cmoc-wins-the-largest-share-and-a-major-headache","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251014074606/https://bankable.africa/en/mining/1310-1826-in-drc-cobalt-quota-shake-up-cmoc-wins-the-largest-share-and-a-major-headache"}],"actors":[{"id":"drc-government","role":"Set the export ban and then the quota"},{"id":"arecoms","role":"Regulator with discretionary allocation"},{"id":"cmoc","role":"Largest share of the quota"}],"mechanism":"cobalt export quota","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Environmental effects of the export ban and quota are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Labour and community conditions in DRC cobalt mining are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The basis for the 9,600-tonne discretionary allocation is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The IEA figure and the Cobalt Institute figure have no URL in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reason for the February 2025 export ban is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the quota has changed cobalt prices beyond the IEA-reported rise is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Artisanal cobalt miners"]},{"id":"ganzhou-rare-earth-pollution-and-yichun-thallium","tier":"short","title":"China's Ganzhou rare earth clean-up estimated at 38 billion yuan","dek":"A preliminary 2012 estimate by China's deputy minister of industry put the clean-up of rare earth pollution in Ganzhou at 38 billion yuan, covering 302 abandoned mines on about 97 km2. In Yichun, thallium in drinking water exceeded limits in November 2022 and lithium companies were investigated.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Jiangxi (Ganzhou)","lat":25.83,"lon":114.93,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Jiangxi (Yichun)","lat":27.8,"lon":114.37,"role":"event"}],"lat":25.83,"lon":114.93,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2022,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Chinese media reported in May 2012 that Deputy Minister of Industry Su Bo put the preliminary remediation cost of rare earth pollution in Ganzhou at 38 billion yuan.","The same statement cited Jiangxi's 2011 rare earth profit of 6.5 billion yuan and 302 abandoned mines covering about 97 km2.","Chinese media reported that in November 2022 thallium in Jinjiang drinking water in Yichun exceeded limits, and that lithium companies were investigated.","According to the same reporting, lepidolite processing yields 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of slag for every 10,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A preliminary 2012 estimate by Deputy Minister of Industry Su Bo put Ganzhou's rare earth pollution clean-up at 38 billion yuan.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Jiangxi province","what":"2011 rare earth profit of 6.5 billion yuan, the comparison figure cited in 2012","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Users of Jinjiang drinking water in Yichun","what":"Thallium exceeded limits in November 2022, per Chinese media reports","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Ganzhou and Yichun, Jiangxi, China","src":0},"when":{"t":"Preliminary estimate in 2012; Yichun water issue in November 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Preliminary cost estimate; lithium companies were investigated after the thallium exceedance.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"ganzhou_remediation_cost_bn_yuan","value":38000000000,"unit":"yuan (preliminary)","year":2012,"note":"Preliminary estimate by the deputy minister"},{"key":"jiangxi_rare_earth_profit_2011_bn_yuan","value":6500000000,"unit":"yuan","year":2011,"note":"Comparison figure cited in the 2012 statement"},{"key":"ganzhou_abandoned_mines","value":302,"unit":"abandoned mines","year":2012,"note":"Ganzhou, as cited in the 2012 statement"},{"key":"ganzhou_abandoned_mines_area_km2","value":97,"unit":"km2 (approximate)","year":2012,"note":"Area of the 302 abandoned mines"},{"key":"yichun_slag_per_10kt_lithium_carbonate","value":200000,"unit":"tonnes of slag per 10,000 tonnes lithium carbonate (low end)","year":null,"note":"Range 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The 2012 estimate is preliminary; no final remediation cost is given in the cited sources.","Whether any clean-up has been carried out since 2012 is not stated.","Unconfirmed: that the pollution moved to Myanmar; the cited sources do not confirm this for Ganzhou.","Thallium test results, sampling methods and the outcome of the lithium company investigation are not stated.","The lithium companies investigated in Yichun are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"中外对话 (dialogue.earth)","p":"dialogue.earth","d":"2012","u":"https://dialogue.earth/zh/6/41290/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813014145/https://dialogue.earth/zh/6/41290/"},{"t":"每日经济新闻","p":"每日经济新闻","d":"2012-05-03","u":"https://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2012-05-03/651471.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20120515221840/http://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2012-05-03/651471.html"},{"t":"澎湃新闻","p":"澎湃新闻","d":"2022-12","u":"https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21058093","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250123095902/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_21058093"},{"t":"界面新闻","p":"界面新闻","d":"2022-12","u":"https://www.jiemian.com/article/11019710.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251208015754/https://www.jiemian.com/article/11019710.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"su-bo","role":"Gave the 2012 preliminary estimate"},{"id":"yichun-lithium-companies","role":"Investigated after the thallium exceedance"}],"mechanism":"rare earth mining pollution","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"China's Deputy Minister of Industry put the preliminary cost of cleaning up rare earth pollution in my Ganzhou at 38 billion yuan in 2012, covering 302 abandoned mines on about 97 km2.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2012 estimate is preliminary; no final remediation cost is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any clean-up has been carried out since 2012 is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the pollution moved to Myanmar; the cited sources do not confirm this for Ganzhou.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Thallium test results, sampling methods and the outcome of the lithium company investigation are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The lithium companies investigated in Yichun are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-critical-minerals-public-consultation-exemption-and-re","tier":"short","title":"India exempts critical mineral mines from public consultation","dek":"India's environment ministry exempted atomic and critical-strategic mineral mines from public consultation on defence grounds in September 2025, and Tamil Nadu asked for the exemption to be withdrawn. A Reasi lithium block auction was annulled twice for lack of bids, and nine more critical mineral blocks were annulled in a seventh round.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Jammu and Kashmir (Reasi)","lat":33.08,"lon":74.83,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Tamil Nadu","lat":11.13,"lon":78.66,"role":"objection"}],"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["India's Ministry of Environment issued a circular on 8 September 2025 exempting atomic and critical-strategic mineral mines from public consultation on defence grounds; Tamil Nadu asked for it to be withdrawn.","Tribune India reported that Reasi's auction for a lithium block with 5.9 million tonnes of inferred resource was annulled twice because no bids were received.","Free Press Journal reported that in the seventh round nine critical mineral blocks were annulled for poor investor response and a lack of qualified bidders."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's environment ministry exempted atomic and critical-strategic mineral mines from public consultation on defence grounds (circular of 8 September 2025).","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Developers of atomic and critical-strategic mineral mines","what":"Exempt from public consultation under the September 2025 circular","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India; Reasi, Jammu and Kashmir (lithium block auction)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Circular dated 8 September 2025; Reasi auction annulled twice from December 2024; seventh round reported July 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"Stated ground: defence (atomic and critical-strategic minerals).","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ministry circular exempting mines from consultation; auctions annulled for lack of bids.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"reasi_inferred_lithium_mt","value":5900000,"unit":"tonnes (inferred resource)","year":2024,"note":"Reasi lithium block; auction annulled twice"},{"key":"reasi_auction_annulments","value":2,"unit":"annulments","year":2024,"note":"Reasi auction annulled twice for non-receipt of bids"},{"key":"seventh_round_blocks_annulled","value":9,"unit":"critical mineral blocks","year":2026,"note":"Seventh auction round"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The circular has no URL in the cited sources; the exemption is recorded without a link.","A summary row states that all Schedule D mines are exempt from consultation; the scope of the circular is not confirmed in the cited sources.","Whether the nine blocks annulled in the seventh round include lithium is not stated.","The outcome of Tamil Nadu's request is not stated.","Environmental effects of the exemption and of the annulled auctions are not stated.","The 5.9 million tonnes is an inferred resource estimate; no mining plan is given."],"sources":[{"t":"Reasi lithium block auction annulled due to non-receipt of bids","p":"Tribune India","d":"2024-12","u":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/reasi-lithium-block-auction-annulled-due-to-non-receipt-of-bids-g-kishan-reddy","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012104918/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/j-k/reasi-lithium-block-auction-annulled-due-to-non-receipt-of-bids-g-kishan-reddy"},{"t":"Centre cancels auction of 9 critical mineral blocks, poor investor response, lack of qualified bidders hit seventh round","p":"Free Press Journal","d":"2026-07","u":"https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/centre-cancels-auction-of-9-critical-mineral-blocks-poor-investor-response-lack-of-qualified-bidders-hit-seventh-round","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260708000757/https://www.freepressjournal.in/business/centre-cancels-auction-of-9-critical-mineral-blocks-poor-investor-response-lack-of-qualified-bidders-hit-seventh-round"}],"actors":[{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-environment","role":"Issued the consultation exemption circular"},{"id":"union-government-india","role":"Auctions annulled"},{"id":"tamil-nadu-government","role":"Asked for the exemption to be withdrawn"}],"mechanism":"public consultation exemption","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The circular has no URL in the cited sources; the exemption is recorded without a link.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A summary row states that all Schedule D mines are exempt from consultation; the scope of the circular is not confirmed in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the nine blocks annulled in the seventh round include lithium is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Tamil Nadu's request is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Environmental effects of the exemption and of the annulled auctions are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 5.9 million tonnes is an inferred resource estimate; no mining plan is given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Developers of atomic and critical-strategic mineral mines"]},{"id":"argentina-lithium-jujuy-protests-and-catamarca-court-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Catamarca court orders cumulative impact study for lithium sites","dek":"The Court of Justice of Catamarca, the province's highest court, ordered a precautionary cumulative environmental impact study for lithium sites and ordered that no new permits be granted until it is done, in March 2024, Microjuris Al Día reported. In Jujuy, Indigenous communities blocked roads in 2023 against a provincial constitutional reform on which they said they had not been consulted.","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","places":[{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Jujuy","lat":-23.19,"lon":-65.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Catamarca","lat":-27.34,"lon":-66.94,"role":"legal"}],"lat":-25,"lon":-66.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Agencia Presentes reported in June 2023 that Indigenous communities in Jujuy, including those of Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc, which oppose lithium mining, blocked roads against a provincial constitutional reform on which they said they had not been consulted. It reported a crackdown at the Purmamarca roadblock on 18 June in which 27 people were arrested and several injured.","Microjuris Al Día reported that on 13 March 2024 the Court of Justice of Catamarca, the province's highest court, ordered a precautionary cumulative impact study covering the Río Los Patos and Salar del Hombre Muerto areas and ordered the provincial ministries not to grant new permits until the study is complete; permits already granted, including for the Fénix project, were not suspended.","Chequeado reported that Argentina's lithium royalty is limited to 3% of mine-mouth value, and about 2% in Jujuy with incentives."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Court of Justice of Catamarca ordered a cumulative environmental impact study for lithium sites in the Río Los Patos and Salar del Hombre Muerto areas.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Lithium operators in Argentina","what":"Royalty limited to 3% of mine-mouth value, and about 2% in Jujuy with incentives (Chequeado)","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Salinas Grandes and Guayatayoc communities","what":"Blocked roads in 2023; Agencia Presentes reports 27 people arrested at the Purmamarca roadblock on 18 June 2023 and several injured","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Jujuy and Catamarca provinces, Argentina","src":0},"when":{"t":"Jujuy protests June 2023; Catamarca ruling March 2024","src":1},"why":{"t":"Jujuy reform: communities said they were not consulted and objected to its changes to land provisions, per Agencia Presentes. Catamarca ruling: impact study before new permits.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Road blockades by communities; precautionary court order in Catamarca.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"argentina_royalty_cap_pct","value":3,"unit":"percent of mine-mouth value","year":2024,"note":"Royalty limit, per Chequeado"},{"key":"jujuy_royalty_with_incentives_pct","value":2,"unit":"percent of mine-mouth value","year":2024,"note":"Jujuy with incentives, per Chequeado"}],"legal":[{"title":"Precautionary cumulative environmental impact study, Catamarca lithium sites","forum":"Court of Justice of Catamarca (the province's highest court)","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Román Elías Guitian, cacique of the Atacameños del Altiplano community, in his own name and for the community","defendant":"National Executive Branch and the Province of Catamarca","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03-13","status":"unknown","summary":"In an environmental amparo (interim ruling), the court ordered an integral cumulative environmental impact study of lithium mining in the Río Los Patos and Salar del Hombre Muerto area and ordered the ministries not to grant new permits until it is completed, subject to a counter-bond from the plaintiff. Existing permits, including for the Fénix project, were not suspended; one justice dissented on that point. Source: Microjuris Al Día.","src":1}],"unknown":["The status of the Fénix project after the ruling is not stated beyond its continued operation in 2024.","Whether the cumulative impact study has been completed is not stated.","Agencia Presentes gives 27 arrests at Purmamarca on 18 June 2023 and no figure for the crackdown in Abra Pampa on 16 June.","El Ancasti is cited for the Catamarca ruling but has no URL in the cited sources; it is not used as a source.","The Catamarca case was brought by Román Elías Guitian, cacique of the Atacameños del Altiplano community, against the National Executive Branch and the Province of Catamarca (Microjuris Al Día).","Agencia Presentes reports that the provincial government and part of the Justicialist Front approved the reform on the night of 15 June 2023."],"sources":[{"t":"Jujuy: Indigenous communities resist constitutional reform","p":"Agencia Presentes","d":"2023-06-17","u":"https://agenciapresentes.org/en/2023/06/17/jujuy-pueblos-indigenas-resisten-la-reforma-constitucional-y-defienden-el-agua/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260725171154/https://agenciapresentes.org/en/2023/06/17/jujuy-pueblos-indigenas-resisten-la-reforma-constitucional-y-defienden-el-agua/"},{"t":"Catamarca debe realizar con carácter cautelar un estudio de impacto ambiental acumulativo","p":"Microjuris Al Día","d":"2024-04-22","u":"https://aldiaargentina.microjuris.com/2024/04/22/fallos-catamarca-debe-realizar-con-caracter-cautelar-un-estudio-de-impacto-ambiental-acumulativo-e-integral-del-desarrollo-de-la-actividad-minera-litio/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250724145856/https://aldiaargentina.microjuris.com/2024/04/22/fallos-catamarca-debe-realizar-con-caracter-cautelar-un-estudio-de-impacto-ambiental-acumulativo-e-integral-del-desarrollo-de-la-actividad-minera-litio/"},{"t":"Litio: cuánto pagan las mineras y qué pasa en Chile y Bolivia","p":"Chequeado","d":"2024","u":"https://chequeado.com/el-explicador/litio-cuanto-pagan-las-mineras-y-que-pasa-en-chile-y-bolivia/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260812143121/https://chequeado.com/el-explicador/litio-cuanto-pagan-las-mineras-y-que-pasa-en-chile-y-bolivia/"}],"actors":[{"id":"supreme-court-catamarca","role":"Ordered the precautionary impact study"},{"id":"salinas-grandes-guayatayoc-communities","role":"Blocked roads against the reform"},{"id":"jujuy-provincial-government","role":"Constitutional reform on lithium oversight"}],"mechanism":"lithium permits and royalties","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Precautionary cumulative environmental impact study, Catamarca lithium sites: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status of the Fénix project after the ruling is not stated beyond its continued operation in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the cumulative impact study has been completed is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Agencia Presentes gives 27 arrests at Purmamarca on 18 June 2023 and no figure for the crackdown in Abra Pampa on 16 June.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"El Ancasti is cited for the Catamarca ruling but has no URL in the cited sources; it is not used as a source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Catamarca case was brought by Román Elías Guitian, cacique of the Atacameños del Altiplano community, against the National Executive Branch and the Province of Catamarca (Microjuris Al Día).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Agencia Presentes reports that the provincial government and part of the Justicialist Front approved the reform on the night of 15 June 2023.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"indonesia-sea-sand-export-reopening","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia reopened sea sand exports in 2023; Supreme Court annulled them in 2025","dek":"Indonesia lifted a 2003 ban on sea sand exports in 2023, citing sediment management. Fishing communities report lost income, and the Supreme Court struck down the export articles in 2025.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The government reopened sea sand exports in 2023 under Government Regulation PP 26/2023, after a ban in place since 2003. The ministry called the measure sediment management, citing ecosystem health and navigation safety.","The ministry put national sediment potential at 17.66 billion cubic metres against a domestic need of 435,433 cubic metres, and 66 companies applied for export permits.","In 2025 the Supreme Court found the export articles contrary to the Marine Law, Bisnis reported. Mongabay Indonesia reported requests to cancel permits held by more than 60 exporters, and CELIOS estimated fishing losses of 990 billion rupiah and 36,400 jobs."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia reopened sea sand exports under PP 26/2023 in 2023; the Supreme Court annulled the export articles in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Indonesian state and exporting companies","what":"Export licences; 66 companies applied for permits","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Spermonde and Riau fishers","what":"Lower fishing income; CELIOS estimated losses of 990 billion rupiah and 36,400 jobs","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia; fishing impacts reported in Spermonde and Riau.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Export ban from 2003; reopened in 2023; Supreme Court ruling in 2025, with the decision date given as 2 January or 2 June.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Officially described as sediment management, ecosystem health and navigation safety.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A regulation allowed exports and companies applied for permits; a judicial review led the Supreme Court to annul the export articles.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"national_sediment_potential","value":17660000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":null,"note":"Ministry figure cited in the sources"},{"key":"domestic_need","value":435433,"unit":"cubic metres","year":null,"note":"Domestic need set against the potential figure"},{"key":"companies_applied_for_permits","value":66,"unit":"companies","year":null,"note":"Export permit applications"},{"key":"fishing_loss_estimate","value":990000000000,"unit":"rupiah","year":null,"note":"CELIOS estimate"},{"key":"fishing_jobs_lost_estimate","value":36400,"unit":"jobs","year":null,"note":"CELIOS estimate"}],"legal":[{"title":"Judicial review of PP 26/2023 export articles (case 5 P/HUM/2025)","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Government of Indonesia","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Court found the export articles (10(2) to (4)) of PP 26/2023 contrary to the Marine Law. Sources give the decision date as 2 January or 2 June 2025.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Indonesia Business Post dated the reopening to 15 May 2023 and linked Ministry of Trade regulations 20 and 21/2024 of 29 August 2024 to its implementation.","According to reports, unregulated exports removed 26 sand islands in Riau, and Nipah island sank in 2003 after about 300 million cubic metres of sand were moved illegally.","The decision date of the Supreme Court ruling is given as 2 January or 2 June 2025 in different sources.","Implementation after the ruling is unclear in the cited sources.","BPK Riau (September 2024) reported suspected benefits linked to 134 environmental documents (47 AMDAL/DELH and 87 UKL-UPL) in Riau; the cited sources do not link these to sand permits."],"sources":[{"t":"MA Kabulkan Uji Materi PP 26/2023, Pemerintah Dilarang Ekspor Pasir Laut","p":"Bisnis","d":"2025-06-26","u":"https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20250626/16/1888273/ma-kabulkan-uji-materi-pp-262023-pemerintah-dilarang-ekspor-pasir-laut","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720003458/https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20250626/16/1888273/ma-kabulkan-uji-materi-pp-262023-pemerintah-dilarang-ekspor-pasir-laut"},{"t":"Menanti pembenahan pasca MA cabut aturan ekspor pasir laut","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2025-07-09","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2025/07/09/menanti-pembenahan-pasca-ma-cabut-aturan-ekspor-pasir-laut/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308041511/https://mongabay.co.id/2025/07/09/menanti-pembenahan-pasca-ma-cabut-aturan-ekspor-pasir-laut/"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"issued PP 26/2023 and the export rules"},{"id":"celios","role":"estimated fishing losses"}],"mechanism":"sea sand export regulation","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"When sea sand exports reopened in 2023, the ministry put my sediment potential at 17.66 billion cubic metres against a domestic need of 435,433 cubic metres.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Indonesia Business Post dated the reopening to 15 May 2023 and linked Ministry of Trade regulations 20 and 21/2024 of 29 August 2024 to its implementation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"According to reports, unregulated exports removed 26 sand islands in Riau, and Nipah island sank in 2003 after about 300 million cubic metres of sand were moved illegally.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The decision date of the Supreme Court ruling is given as 2 January or 2 June 2025 in different sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Implementation after the ruling is unclear in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"BPK Riau (September 2024) reported suspected benefits linked to 134 environmental documents (47 AMDAL/DELH and 87 UKL-UPL) in Riau; the cited sources do not link these to sand permits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Indonesian state and exporting companies"]},{"id":"peru-anti-biopiracy-commission","tier":"short","title":"Peru says it blocked 180 biopiracy cases, but records no benefit payments","dek":"Peru says it prevented 180 biopiracy cases in patent systems over 20 years. The cited sources record no monetary benefit reaching producers of maca or sangre de grado, and no commercial access contract until 2020.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-9.2,"lon":-75,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["Peru's government says it prevented 180 biopiracy cases in patent systems over 20 years, Actualidad Ambiental reported in May 2026.","Actualidad Ambiental reported in October 2020 that 57 of 122 cases were favourable, 37 concerned maca and 34 sangre de grado, and no commercial access contract had been reached by 2020.","The cited sources record no monetary benefit from these cases."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Peru says it prevented 180 biopiracy cases in patent systems over 20 years; no monetary benefit is recorded.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Peru","what":"Reports the 180 prevented cases as an achievement","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Maca and sangre de grado producers","what":"No payment recorded from the cases","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Peru; the cases concerned patent systems worldwide.","src":0},"when":{"t":"No commercial access contract until 2020; the 180-case claim was reported in May 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Peru reports it prevented patents on its resources; the cited sources record no commercial access contract until 2020.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"biopiracy_cases_prevented","value":180,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"Peru's own claim over 20 years; reported May 2026"},{"key":"cases_reviewed","value":122,"unit":"cases","year":2020,"note":"Cases reviewed"},{"key":"cases_favourable","value":57,"unit":"cases","year":2020,"note":"Favourable outcomes"},{"key":"maca_cases","value":37,"unit":"cases","year":2020,"note":"Maca cases"},{"key":"sangre_de_grado_cases","value":34,"unit":"cases","year":2020,"note":"Sangre de grado cases"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The 180-case figure is Peru's own claim; the cited sources do not verify it.","The cited sources do not name the commission or describe its mandate.","No benefit reaching producers after 2020 is on record.","Unconfirmed: Peru's Law 32301 (2025) requires foreign-funded organisations to obtain APCI approval and treats lawsuits against the state as a very serious violation, with penalties of up to about $720,000."],"sources":[{"t":"Perú evitó 180 casos de biopiratería en sistemas de patentes a nivel mundial","p":"Actualidad Ambiental","d":"2026-05-21","u":"https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/peru-evito-180-casos-de-biopirateria-en-sistemas-de-patentes-a-nivel-mundial/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260620111834/https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/peru-evito-180-casos-de-biopirateria-en-sistemas-de-patentes-a-nivel-mundial/"},{"t":"Lucha contra la biopiratería en el Perú: lo destacable y lo que se puede mejorar","p":"Actualidad Ambiental","d":"2020-10-12","u":"https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/lucha-contra-la-biopirateria-en-el-peru-lo-destacable-y-lo-que-se-puede-mejorar/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004013202/https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/lucha-contra-la-biopirateria-en-el-peru-lo-destacable-y-lo-que-se-puede-mejorar/"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-peru","role":"reported the prevented cases"}],"mechanism":"patent challenges","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 180-case figure is Peru's own claim; the cited sources do not verify it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the commission or describe its mandate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No benefit reaching producers after 2020 is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Peru's Law 32301 (2025) requires foreign-funded organisations to obtain APCI approval and treats lawsuits against the state as a very serious violation, with penalties of up to about $720,000.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-fda-gfi-213-growth-promotion-ban-and-2024-rebound","tier":"short","title":"US sales of medically important antibiotics for food animals rose 16% in 2024","dek":"The FDA reports that US sales of medically important antimicrobials for food-producing animals rose 16% in 2024, to 6,127,991 kg, though still 27% below the 2015 peak. The figure measures sales, not animal use.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2024,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The US Food and Drug Administration reported on 5 December 2025 that sales of medically important antimicrobials for food-producing animals rose 16% in 2024, to 6,127,991 kg.","The FDA said that total was 27% below the 2015 peak.","The cited sources date the US ban under GFI #213 to 2017."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US sales of medically important antimicrobials for food-producing animals rose 16% in 2024, to 6,127,991 kg.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States; food-producing animals.","src":0},"when":{"t":"US ban under GFI #213 dated 2017; FDA 2024 sales summary published 5 December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"FDA annual summary of antimicrobial sales for food-producing animals.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"medically_important_antimicrobial_sales","value":6127991,"unit":"kg","year":2024,"note":"Sales for food-producing animals; the FDA measures sales, not use"},{"key":"sales_change_2024","value":16,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Single-year increase"},{"key":"below_2015_peak","value":27,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Below the 2015 peak"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: sales fell 43% between 2015 and 2017 and 33% between 2016 and 2017 after GFI #213 (Pig Progress, December 2018).","The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the 2024 rise.","No FDA text for GFI #213 itself was reviewed.","The sales figure does not measure animal use, and the cited sources contain no use data."],"sources":[{"t":"FDA Releases Annual Summary. 2024 for Use in Food-Producing Animals","p":"FDA","d":"2025-12-05","u":"https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-releases-annual-summary-sales-and-distribution-antimicrobials-2024-use-food-producing-animals","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415184514/https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/cvm-updates/fda-releases-annual-summary-sales-and-distribution-antimicrobials-2024-use-food-producing-animals"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-fda","role":"published the 2024 sales summary"}],"mechanism":"growth-promotion antibiotic restriction","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: sales fell 43% between 2015 and 2017 and 33% between 2016 and 2017 after GFI #213 (Pig Progress, December 2018).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the 2024 rise.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No FDA text for GFI #213 itself was reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sales figure does not measure animal use, and the cited sources contain no use data.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"spain-dana-flood-and-consorcio-de-compensacion-de-seguros","tier":"short","title":"Spanish public pool pays over €4 billion in Valencia flood claims","dek":"Spain's Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros had paid more than €4 billion for losses from the 2024 Valencia DANA floods, La Moncloa reported in November 2025. Ivie, a Valencian institute, estimated losses above €17 billion; the cited sources do not address effects on nature.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Valencian Community","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.47,"lon":-0.38,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["La Moncloa reported on 26 November 2025 that the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros had paid more than €4 billion in compensation for the DANA floods.","It had processed 98.3% of 250,946 applications and paid 210,106 of them, La Moncloa reported.","eldiario.es reported that Ivie estimated the floods destroyed at least 20% of €85.9 billion in assets across 89 municipalities, a loss of more than €17 billion.","A World Weather Attribution analysis of 4 November 2024, based on observations and described by its authors as not a formal attribution study, found that one-day downpours like this one are about 12% more intense and about twice as likely in today's climate, which is 1.3°C warmer."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Spain's Consorcio paid more than €4 billion for DANA losses and had processed 98.3% of 250,946 applications by late November 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Flood victims who applied","what":"210,106 claims paid by late November 2025","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents and businesses in 89 municipalities","what":"Assets worth €85.9 billion, at least 20% destroyed; losses estimated above €17 billion","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Valencia region, eastern Spain, across 89 municipalities.","src":1},"when":{"t":"DANA floods in 2024; payments tallied to late November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments come from a public pool funded by a mandatory extra premium on insurance, which the Consorcio administers.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"applications_processed","value":250946,"unit":"applications","year":2025,"note":"Applications received; 98.3% processed"},{"key":"claims_paid","value":210106,"unit":"claims","year":2025,"note":"Claims paid"},{"key":"share_processed","value":98.3,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Share of applications processed"},{"key":"payments_made","value":4000000000,"unit":"euro","year":2025,"note":"More than 4 billion euro paid"},{"key":"estimated_losses","value":17000000000,"unit":"euro","year":2025,"note":"Ivie estimate; more than 17 billion euro"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how much of the estimated €17 billion loss was insured.","The cited sources do not describe any land-use or flood-management response linked to the payments."],"sources":[{"t":"El Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros supera los 4.000 millones en pagos por indemnizaciones a afectados por la DANA","p":"La Moncloa","d":"2025-11-26","u":"https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/economia-comercio-empresa/Paginas/2025/261125-indemnizacion-dana.aspx","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251229001218/https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/economia-comercio-empresa/Paginas/2025/261125-indemnizacion-dana.aspx"},{"t":"El Instituto Valenciano de Estudios Económicos cifra en 17.000 millones de euros los daños causados por la dana","p":"eldiario.es","d":"2025-01","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/comunitat-valenciana/instituto-valenciano-estudios-economicos-cifra-17-000-millones-euros-danos-causados-dana_1_11972737.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250724164636/https://www.eldiario.es/comunitat-valenciana/instituto-valenciano-estudios-economicos-cifra-17-000-millones-euros-danos-causados-dana_1_11972737.html"},{"t":"Extreme downpours increasing in southeastern Spain as fossil fuel emissions heat the climate","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2024-11-04","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/extreme-downpours-increasing-in-southern-spain-as-fossil-fuel-emissions-heat-the-climate/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"consorcio-de-compensacion-de-seguros","role":"paid DANA claims"},{"id":"ivie","role":"estimated losses"}],"mechanism":"mandatory premium public pool","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much of the estimated €17 billion loss was insured.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe any land-use or flood-management response linked to the payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"dask-and-2023-turkiye-earthquakes-insurance","tier":"short","title":"Turkish public quake pool paid TL 39.7 billion after 2023 earthquakes","dek":"DASK, Türkiye's public earthquake insurance pool, paid TL 39.7 billion on about 630,000 notifications after the February 2023 quakes. Insurance cover was about 56% nationally and 39.9% in Diyarbakır; the cited sources do not connect the scheme to nature or land use.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Kahramanmaraş","lat":37.58,"lon":36.94,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.6,"lon":36.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["CNBC-e reported in February 2025 that DASK paid TL 39.7 billion on about 630,000 notifications after the 6 February 2023 earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş.","CNBC-e reported insurance cover of about 56% nationally and 39.9% in Diyarbakır."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DASK paid TL 39.7 billion on about 630,000 notifications after the 6 February 2023 earthquakes.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Households and property owners who filed notifications","what":"Received payments from the pool on about 630,000 notifications","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of Diyarbakır","what":"Cover of 39.9%, against about 56% nationally","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Türkiye; earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş; coverage figures given for Diyarbakır.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Earthquakes on 6 February 2023; payments reported in February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A public pool pays earthquake claims; the cited sources do not describe its funding rules.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"dask_payments","value":39700000000,"unit":"TL","year":2023,"note":"Paid after the 6 February 2023 earthquakes; reported in 2025"},{"key":"dask_notifications","value":630000,"unit":"notifications","year":2023,"note":"Approximately 630,000"},{"key":"insurance_cover_national","value":56,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Nationwide insurance coverage"},{"key":"insurance_cover_diyarbakir","value":39.9,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Insurance coverage in Diyarbakır"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: total economic losses of about $106 billion, of which about $6 billion was insured, and a 95% protection gap.","The coverage rates are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"DASK, Kahramanmaraş merkezli depremler sonrası 40 milyar lira hasar ödemesi yaptı","p":"CNBC-e","d":"2025-02-05","u":"https://www.cnbce.com/haberler/dask-kahramanmaras-merkezli-depremler-sonrasi-40-milyar-lira-hasar-odemesi-yapti-h9186","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416035952/https://www.cnbce.com/haberler/dask-kahramanmaras-merkezli-depremler-sonrasi-40-milyar-lira-hasar-odemesi-yapti-h9186"}],"actors":[{"id":"dask","role":"paid earthquake claims"}],"mechanism":"public earthquake insurance pool","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["venezuela-2026-twin-earthquakes-insurance-gap"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: total economic losses of about $106 billion, of which about $6 billion was insured, and a 95% protection gap.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The coverage rates are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"morocco-al-haouz-earthquake-fsec-response","tier":"short","title":"Morocco's catastrophe fund expected reinsurance after the 2023 El Haouz quake","dek":"After the 2023 El Haouz earthquake, Morocco's catastrophe fund (FSEC) was reported to expect 250 to 300 million dollars from Gallagher Re, and the fund had not been used for uninsured losses. In 2025 the government planned to raise the solidarity levy on premiums, a cost that Hespress reported is passed on to insured vehicle owners.","country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":"El Haouz","lat":31.2,"lon":-8.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.2,"lon":-8.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Médias24 reported in October 2023 that the FSEC fund was expected to receive 250 to 300 million dollars from Gallagher Re, and that its resources were 3.5 to 4 billion dirhams against an emergency plan of 22 billion dirhams.","Médias24 also reported that the fund had never been used to compensate uninsured losses.","Hespress reported in August 2025 that the government planned to raise the solidarity levy from 1 to 1.5 percent of premiums, and that earthquake cover costs had risen about 100 percent after El Haouz."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Morocco's catastrophe fund (FSEC) was reported to expect 250 to 300 million dollars from Gallagher Re after the 2023 El Haouz earthquake.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Insured vehicle owners","what":"Hespress reported that the cost of the solidarity levy increase is passed on to them","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Uninsured earthquake victims","what":"The fund had never been used to compensate uninsured losses, Médias24 reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"El Haouz, Morocco","src":0},"when":{"t":"The earthquake was in 2023; the Médias24 report is dated 1 October 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Hespress report pairs the levy increase with a rise of about 100 percent in earthquake cover costs after El Haouz; the government's own reasons are not on record.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The fund draws on a solidarity levy set as a share of insurance premiums: 1 percent before the planned rise to 1.5 percent, Hespress reported.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"fsec_emergency_plan","value":22000000000,"unit":"dirhams","year":2023,"note":"Emergency plan, as stated in the Médias24 report"},{"key":"fsec_fund_resources","value":3500000000,"unit":"dirhams","year":2023,"note":"Lower end of a 3.5 to 4 billion dirham range"},{"key":"expected_reinsurance_payment","value":250000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2023,"note":"Expected from Gallagher Re; lower end of a 250 to 300 million range"},{"key":"solidarity_levy_rate","value":1.5,"unit":"percent of premiums","year":2025,"note":"Planned rise from 1 percent"},{"key":"earthquake_cover_cost_rise","value":100,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Approximate, as reported after El Haouz"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Al-Quds Al-Arabi's headline describes victims between tents and protest two years after the earthquake; the article text was not reviewed.","The sources do not say whether the Gallagher Re payment was made or how much was paid.","The sources do not state how many uninsured households or victims were affected.","The Médias24 headline describes the fund's intervention as unclear; the cited sources do not set out its terms."],"sources":[{"t":"Séisme: flou autour de l'intervention du fonds contre les événements catastrophiques","p":"Médias24","d":"2023-10-01","u":"https://medias24.com/2023/10/01/seisme-flou-autour-de-lintervention-du-fonds-contre-les-evenements-catastrophiques/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231203205602/https://medias24.com/2023/10/01/seisme-flou-autour-de-lintervention-du-fonds-contre-les-evenements-catastrophiques/"},{"t":"Government plans to raise the catastrophe solidarity levy to 1.5%","p":"Hespress","d":"2025-08-27","u":"https://www.hespress.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%85-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B6%D8%AF-1615165.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250827170918/https://www.hespress.com/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B2%D9%85-%D8%B1%D9%81%D8%B9-%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D8%B3%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%B6%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B6%D8%AF-1615165.html"},{"t":"Two years after the El Haouz earthquake: victims between tents and protest","p":"Al-Quds Al-Arabi","d":"2025-09","u":"https://www.alquds.co.uk/%d8%b2%d9%84%d8%b2%d8%a7%d9%84-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d9%88%d8%b2-%d8%a8%d8%b9%d8%af-%d8%b9%d8%a7%d9%85%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%b6%d8%ad%d8%a7%d9%8a%d8%a7-%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ae%d9%8a/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"fsec-morocco","role":"Catastrophe fund expected to receive reinsurance payments after the quake"},{"id":"gallagher-re","role":"Named as the expected source of 250 to 300 million dollars for the fund"},{"id":"government-of-morocco","role":"Planned the rise in the solidarity levy"}],"mechanism":"catastrophe insurance levy","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Al-Quds Al-Arabi's headline describes victims between tents and protest two years after the earthquake; the article text was not reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the Gallagher Re payment was made or how much was paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state how many uninsured households or victims were affected.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The Médias24 headline describes the fund's intervention as unclear; the cited sources do not set out its terms.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"france-drought-clay-shrinkage-catnat-claims","tier":"short","title":"France's clay-shrinkage drought claims: one in four victims compensated","dek":"Public Sénat reported that clay-shrinkage (RGA) drought claims cost 2.4 to 2.9 billion euros in 2022, and that one in four victims were compensated. A Senate record says the CatNat surcharge rose from 12 to 20 percent from 1 January 2025.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":46.2,"lon":2.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.2,"lon":2.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Public Sénat reported in February 2023 that clay-shrinkage (RGA) drought claims cost 2.4 to 2.9 billion euros in 2022, and that one in four victims had been compensated.","A Senate session record dated 29 October 2024 states that the CatNat extra premium rises from 12 to 20 percent from 1 January 2025.","The same Senate record states that the reinsurer CCR has an unlimited state guarantee.","Public Sénat reported that CCR projects an annual deficit of 420 million euros by 2050."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Public Sénat reported that clay-shrinkage drought claims (RGA) cost 2.4 to 2.9 billion euros in 2022, with half of municipal applications recognized and half of recognized files compensated.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Policyholders","what":"The CatNat extra premium rose from 12 to 20 percent from 1 January 2025, according to the Senate record","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Drought victims with unpaid claims","what":"One in four victims were compensated, Public Sénat reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"France","src":0},"when":{"t":"Costs for 2022 were reported in February 2023; the surcharge change appears in a Senate record of 29 October 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Public Sénat headline ties possible insurer withdrawal from drought cover to a lack of prevention; the reasons municipal files were not recognized are not on record.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Claims run through the CatNat scheme, backed by the reinsurer CCR's unlimited state guarantee and an extra premium on policies.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"rga_cost_2022","value":2400000000,"unit":"euros","year":2022,"note":"Lower end of a 2.4 to 2.9 billion euro range"},{"key":"municipal_recognition_rate","value":50,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of municipalities recognized for drought damage"},{"key":"recognized_files_compensated","value":50,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of recognized files compensated"},{"key":"catnat_extra_premium","value":20,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Rise from 12 percent, effective 1 January 2025"},{"key":"ccr_projected_annual_deficit","value":420000000,"unit":"euros per year","year":2050,"note":"Projection by CCR, not a recorded figure"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not state how many RGA claims were filed in total.","The sources do not say who gained from the surcharge rise.","The reasons municipal files were not recognized are not on record.","The 420 million euro figure is a 2050 projection; the sources give no current annual deficit."],"sources":[{"t":"Sécheresse: faute de prévention, les assurances pourraient ne pas suivre","p":"Public Sénat","d":"2023-02-21","u":"https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/politique/secheresse-faute-de-prevention-les-assurances-pourraient-ne-pas-suivre-237011","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612201410/https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/politique/secheresse-faute-de-prevention-les-assurances-pourraient-ne-pas-suivre-237011"},{"t":"Régime d'indemnisation des catastrophes naturelles","p":"Sénat","d":"2024-10-29","u":"https://www.senat.fr/cra/s20241029/s20241029_5.html","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"ccr","role":"State-guaranteed reinsurer; projects a 420 million euro annual deficit by 2050"},{"id":"catnat-scheme","role":"Scheme that compensates natural disaster damage; its extra premium rose from 12 to 20 percent"}],"mechanism":"catastrophe insurance surcharge","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state how many RGA claims were filed in total.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say who gained from the surcharge rise.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reasons municipal files were not recognized are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 420 million euro figure is a 2050 projection; the sources give no current annual deficit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"stargate-abilene-gas-generation","tier":"short","title":"Stargate Abilene installed gas turbines and diesel generators under a rule-based permit","dek":"The Texas Tribune reported that the Stargate Abilene site installed 10 gas turbines and 62 diesel generators under a rule-based permit. Permits for nine planned Texas data center gas plants exceed 130 million tonnes a year, a permitted maximum rather than measured emissions.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":32.45,"lon":-99.73,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.45,"lon":-99.73,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Texas Tribune reported on 9 July 2026 that permits for nine planned Texas data center gas plants exceed 130 million tonnes a year.","The Tribune said these figures are permitted maximums, not measured emissions.","The Tribune reported that Stargate Abilene installed 10 gas turbines and 62 diesel generators under a rule-based permit, with a permit limit of 1.6 million tonnes a year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Stargate Abilene in Texas installed 10 gas turbines and 62 diesel generators under a rule-based permit, The Texas Tribune reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"OpenAI, Oracle and Crusoe (Stargate Abilene)","what":"A data center site powered on site by gas turbines and diesel generators under a rule-based permit","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Air and climate","what":"The Tribune reports that planned Texas data center gas plants could emit more greenhouse gases than many countries","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Abilene, Texas","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permits and installations were reported in a Texas Tribune article dated 9 July 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Tribune ties the planned gas plants to data center electricity; the reasons the companies give for the turbines are unconfirmed.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The turbines and diesel generators were installed under a rule-based permit, with a permit limit of 1.6 million tonnes a year for the Abilene site.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"abilene_permit_limit","value":1600000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2026,"note":"Permit limit for the Stargate Abilene site"},{"key":"abilene_gas_turbines","value":10,"unit":"gas turbines","year":2026,"note":"Installed under a rule-based permit"},{"key":"abilene_diesel_generators","value":62,"unit":"diesel generators","year":2026,"note":"Installed under a rule-based permit"},{"key":"texas_planned_plants","value":9,"unit":"planned data center gas plants","year":2026,"note":"Planned Texas data center gas plants with permits"},{"key":"texas_permitted_maximum","value":130000000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2026,"note":"Permitted maximum, not measured emissions"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Abilene site has 360 megawatts of gas generation.","Unconfirmed: the operators describe the turbines as backup only.","Unconfirmed: a home about 500 yards from the site was not notified of the permit.","The sources do not state the site's actual emissions or operating hours."],"sources":[{"t":"Planned Texas data centers could emit more greenhouse gases than many countries","p":"The Texas Tribune (Floodlight)","d":"2026-07-09","u":"https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/09/texas-data-centers-ai-power-plants-pollution-state-permits/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260911180729/https://www.texastribune.org/2026/07/09/texas-data-centers-ai-power-plants-pollution-state-permits/"}],"actors":[{"id":"openai","role":"Named as a Stargate Abilene partner"},{"id":"oracle","role":"Named as a Stargate Abilene partner"},{"id":"crusoe","role":"Named as a Stargate Abilene partner"},{"id":"tceq","role":"Texas environmental regulator; the site's rule-based permit falls under its permit categories"}],"mechanism":"rule-based gas turbine permit","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Nine planned gas plants for Texas data centers hold permits above 130 million tonnes a year of emissions into my air; the Texas Tribune says these are permitted maximums, not measured.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Abilene site has 360 megawatts of gas generation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the operators describe the turbines as backup only.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a home about 500 yards from the site was not notified of the permit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the site's actual emissions or operating hours.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: OpenAI, Oracle and Crusoe (Stargate Abilene)"]},{"id":"meta-hyperion-data-centre-gas-plants","tier":"short","title":"Louisiana regulators fast-track second batch of gas plants for Meta data center","dek":"Louisiana regulators approved three gas plants for Meta's Hyperion data center in 2025 and fast-tracked seven more in April 2026. As You Sow and partners reported that Meta's location-based Scope 2 emissions rose about 150 percent from 2019 to 2024.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","lat":32.5,"lon":-91.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.5,"lon":-91.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"data-centre","happened":["WWNO reported that Louisiana regulators approved three gas plants, totaling 2.26 GW, for Meta in 2025.","WWNO reported that in April 2026 the Louisiana PSC fast-tracked seven more plants, about 5.2 GW, by a 4 to 1 vote.","As You Sow and partners said in a May 2026 SEC filing that Meta's location-based Scope 2 emissions rose about 150 percent between 2019 and 2024, and that Hyperion would involve 5 GW and seven new gas plants."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Louisiana regulators approved gas plants to power Meta's Hyperion data center and fast-tracked a second group in April 2026, WWNO reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Meta","what":"Gas plants approved to supply its Hyperion data center","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Louisiana ratepayers","what":"WWNO's headline reports advocates citing rising costs and a lack of transparency","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Air and climate","what":"As You Sow and partners say Meta's location-based Scope 2 emissions rose about 150 percent from 2019 to 2024","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Louisiana, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Three plants approved in 2025; seven more fast-tracked in April 2026, as reported by WWNO on 21 April 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The gas plants are to supply Meta's Hyperion data center; the cited sources do not state why gas power was chosen.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Louisiana PSC voted 4 to 1 to fast-track seven gas plants in April 2026, after approving three for Meta in 2025.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"approved_gas_capacity_2025","value":2.26,"unit":"GW","year":2025,"note":"Three gas plants approved for Meta"},{"key":"fast_tracked_gas_capacity_2026","value":5.2,"unit":"GW","year":2026,"note":"Approximate; seven more plants, approved 4 to 1 in April 2026"},{"key":"meta_scope2_rise","value":150,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Approximate rise in location-based Scope 2, 2019 to 2024, as stated by As You Sow and partners"},{"key":"hyperion_planned_capacity","value":5,"unit":"GW","year":null,"note":"Planned capacity, as stated by As You Sow and partners"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Meta describes the Hyperion supply as '100 percent clean'.","Unconfirmed: Entergy's gas plants may enter the utility's rate base.","The cited sources do not state how the cost of the gas plants is shared between Meta and Louisiana ratepayers.","The 150 percent Scope 2 rise is a figure from an advocacy group, not from Meta's own reporting.","The sources do not state the actual gas output or emissions of the Hyperion plants."],"sources":[{"t":"Advocates cite lack of transparency, rising costs as regulators fast-track second Meta data center","p":"WWNO","d":"2026-04-21","u":"https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2026-04-21/advocates-cite-lack-of-transparency-rising-costs-as-regulators-fast-track-second-meta-data-center","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712173603/https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2026-04-21/advocates-cite-lack-of-transparency-rising-costs-as-regulators-fast-track-second-meta-data-center"},{"t":"Notice of Exempt Solicitation – Meta Platforms","p":"U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2026-05","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001326801/000121465926005915/o511264px14a6g.htm","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"meta","role":"Operator of the Hyperion data center"},{"id":"louisiana-psc","role":"Regulator that approved and fast-tracked the gas plants"},{"id":"entergy","role":"Utility named as the power provider"},{"id":"as-you-sow","role":"Advocacy group cited in the SEC notice"}],"mechanism":"utility gas plant approvals","types":["data-centre"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"As You Sow and partners said in a May 2026 SEC filing that Meta's location-based Scope 2 emissions into my air rose about 150 percent between 2019 and 2024.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Meta describes the Hyperion supply as '100 percent clean'.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Entergy's gas plants may enter the utility's rate base.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how the cost of the gas plants is shared between Meta and Louisiana ratepayers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 150 percent Scope 2 rise is a figure from an advocacy group, not from Meta's own reporting.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the actual gas output or emissions of the Hyperion plants.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tsmc-energy-use-and-ai-chip-emissions","tier":"short","title":"Greenpeace says AI chip production emissions rose to 453,600 tonnes by 2024","dek":"Greenpeace East Asia reported that AI chip production emissions rose from 99,200 tonnes to 453,600 tonnes between 2023 and 2024. DatacenterDynamics reported that TSMC's Taiwan plants had an 11.4 percent renewable share in 2025.","country":"Taiwan","iso2":"TW","places":[{"country":"Taiwan","iso2":"TW","admin":null,"lat":24.8,"lon":120.97,"role":"event"},{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":24.8,"lon":120.97,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Greenpeace East Asia reported in April 2025 that AI chip production emissions rose from 99,200 tonnes in 2023 to 453,600 tonnes in 2024.","Greenpeace East Asia also reported that Korea approved a 1 GW LNG power plant for SK hynix.","DatacenterDynamics reported that TSMC's Taiwan plants had an 11.4 percent renewable share in 2025, against 20.1 percent company-wide, and that TSMC could account for 24 percent of Taiwan's electricity consumption by 2030."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Greenpeace East Asia reported that AI chip production emissions rose from 99,200 tonnes to 453,600 tonnes between 2023 and 2024, and that Korea approved a 1 GW LNG plant for SK hynix.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SK hynix","what":"Korea approved a 1 GW LNG power plant for the company, according to Greenpeace East Asia","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Climate","what":"AI chip production emissions rose to 453,600 tonnes, Greenpeace East Asia reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Taiwan and South Korea","src":1},"when":{"t":"Emissions for 2023 to 2024 were reported in April 2025; the TSMC renewable share is given for 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Greenpeace East Asia links the emissions rise to the AI chip supply chain; the cited sources do not explain the rise further.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Chip plants draw power from the Taiwan and Korea grids, and Greenpeace East Asia reports that Korea approved a 1 GW LNG plant for SK hynix.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"ai_chip_emissions_2023","value":99200,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Start of the 2023 to 2024 rise, as stated by Greenpeace East Asia"},{"key":"ai_chip_emissions_2024","value":453600,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"End of the 2023 to 2024 rise, as stated by Greenpeace East Asia"},{"key":"tsmc_taiwan_renewable_share","value":11.4,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Renewable share at TSMC's Taiwan plants"},{"key":"tsmc_company_renewable_share","value":20.1,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Company-wide renewable share"},{"key":"tsmc_projected_taiwan_power_share","value":24,"unit":"percent of Taiwan electricity consumption","year":2030,"note":"Projection: the share TSMC could account for"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: AI chip production emissions rose 4.6-fold in one year.","Unconfirmed: TSMC describes its overseas sites as net zero.","Unconfirmed: Taiwan's chip plants run mainly on a fossil-fuel grid.","The Greenpeace figures cover AI chip production broadly; the sources do not break them down by company.","The sources do not state TSMC's total electricity use or total emissions."],"sources":[{"t":"Artificial intelligence supply chain threatens climate progress in East Asia","p":"Greenpeace East Asia","d":"2025-04","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/68006/artificial-intelligence-supply-chain-threatens-climate-progress-in-east-asia/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713222044/https://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/68006/artificial-intelligence-supply-chain-threatens-climate-progress-in-east-asia/"},{"t":"TSMC could account for 24% of Taiwan's electricity consumption by 2030","p":"DatacenterDynamics","d":"2025","u":"https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/tsmc-could-account-for-24-of-taiwans-electricity-consumption-by-2030","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925225751/https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/tsmc-could-account-for-24-of-taiwans-electricity-consumption-by-2030/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tsmc","role":"Chipmaker; projected to account for 24 percent of Taiwan's electricity consumption by 2030"},{"id":"sk-hynix","role":"Company for which Korea approved a 1 GW LNG plant"},{"id":"korea-gov","role":"Approved the LNG plant for SK hynix"},{"id":"greenpeace-east-asia","role":"Reported the emissions rise and the LNG approval"}],"mechanism":"chip fab grid power","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Greenpeace East Asia reported that AI chip production emissions into my air rose from 99,200 tonnes in 2023 to 453,600 tonnes in 2024.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: AI chip production emissions rose 4.6-fold in one year.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: TSMC describes its overseas sites as net zero.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Taiwan's chip plants run mainly on a fossil-fuel grid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Greenpeace figures cover AI chip production broadly; the sources do not break them down by company.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state TSMC's total electricity use or total emissions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"barcelona-consell-de-cent-green-axis-rent-rise","tier":"short","title":"Rents near Barcelona's Consell de Cent green axis rose 12.6–14% more than elsewhere","dek":"Ara reported that rents for rented homes nearest Barcelona's Consell de Cent green axis rose 12.6 to 14 percent more than in the rest of the city. A study cited by Ara found support for the ruling party rose 1.5 to 3 points among voters in the green zone.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Barcelona","lat":41.388,"lon":2.162,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.388,"lon":2.162,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Ara reported in August 2025 that rents for rented homes nearest the Consell de Cent green axis rose 12.6 to 14 percent more than in the rest of the city, about 181 to 202 euros a month.","Ara also reported that homes 500 meters away showed no effect, and that a 3 percent rent cap narrowed the gap.","Ara reported that support for Barcelona en Comú rose 1.5 to 3 points among voters in the green zone, citing an IEB study."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ara reported that rents for rented homes nearest the Consell de Cent green axis rose 12.6 to 14 percent more than in the rest of the city, about 181 to 202 euros a month.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Property owners near the green axis","what":"Rents on rented homes nearest the axis rose 12.6 to 14 percent more than elsewhere","src":0},{"who":"Barcelona en Comú","what":"Support among voters in the green zone rose 1.5 to 3 points, according to an IEB study reported by Ara","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Tenants near the green axis","what":"Paid higher rents, with increases of about 181 to 202 euros a month","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Consell de Cent green axis, Barcelona, Spain","src":0},"when":{"t":"Rent effects were reported in August 2025 for listings from 2018 to 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources do not state the planning reasons for the axis; a 2022 Nature Communications paper argues green urban financing prioritizes growth targets.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Rents on rented homes were compared with the rest of the city; no effect was reported 500 meters from the axis, and a 3 percent rent cap narrowed the gap.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"rent_increase_near_green_axis","value":12.6,"unit":"percent above the rest of the city","year":2024,"note":"Lower end of a 12.6 to 14 percent range; listings 2018 to 2024"},{"key":"rent_increase_monthly_near_axis","value":181,"unit":"euros per month","year":2024,"note":"Lower end of a 181 to 202 euro range"},{"key":"household_income_rise_near_parks","value":26.7,"unit":"percent over five years","year":null,"note":"Parks in Barcelona; second figure 20.5 percent; rest of the region 2.8 percent"},{"key":"ruling_party_support_rise_green_zone","value":1.5,"unit":"percentage points","year":2025,"note":"Lower end of a 1.5 to 3 point range, IEB study as reported by Ara"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not record displacement or relocation counts for residents near the Barcelona green axes.","The IEB study behind the vote figure is not linked in the cited sources.","The household income figures are for parks in Barcelona in general; the sources do not state them for the Consell de Cent axis.","The sources do not state whether the rent gap continued after 2024."],"sources":[{"t":"The Consell de Cent green axis toll: an additional 14% increase in rents","p":"Ara","d":"2025-08","u":"https://en.ara.cat/society/the-consell-cent-green-axis-toll-an-additional-14-increase-in-rents_1_5478038.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251118015235/https://en.ara.cat/society/the-consell-cent-green-axis-toll-an-additional-14-increase-in-rents_1_5478038.html"},{"t":"Challenging the financial capture of urban greening","p":"Nature Communications","d":"2022-11","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9681723/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250225100126/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9681723/"}],"actors":[{"id":"barcelona-city-council","role":"Municipal government behind the green axis"},{"id":"barcelona-en-comu","role":"Ruling party in Barcelona"}],"mechanism":"green axis rent increase","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not record displacement or relocation counts for residents near the Barcelona green axes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The IEB study behind the vote figure is not linked in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The household income figures are for parks in Barcelona in general; the sources do not state them for the Consell de Cent axis.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state whether the rent gap continued after 2024.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"bannyahe-and-nyandungu-wetland","tier":"short","title":"Kigali cleared Bannyahe as a 'high-risk wetland' for high-income investment","dek":"KT Press reported in 2019 that Kigali cleared the Bannyahe settlement, labelled a 'high-risk wetland', while the city master plan sought the land for high-income investment. Yale Environment 360 reported that the restored Nyandungu wetland could cut wetland access for more than 14,000 farming households if the plan proceeds.","country":"Rwanda","iso2":"RW","places":[{"country":"Rwanda","iso2":"RW","admin":"Kigali","lat":-1.95,"lon":30.06,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.95,"lon":30.06,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["KT Press reported in September 2019 that Bannyahe was cleared as a 'high-risk wetland', while the city's master plan sought the area for high-income investment.","KT Press reported that residents asked the ministry for monetary compensation.","Yale Environment 360 reported that Nyandungu was restored at about 5 million dollars, and that more than 14,000 farming households could lose wetland access if the plan proceeds as intended."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kigali cleared the Bannyahe settlement as a 'high-risk wetland', KT Press reported in 2019, while the city sought the land for high-income investment under its master plan.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nyandungu wetland","what":"Restored at approximately 5 million dollars, according to Yale Environment 360","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Farming households near Nyandungu","what":"More than 14,000 could lose access to the wetland if the plan proceeds, per Yale Environment 360","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bannyahe residents","what":"Were cleared from the area and asked for monetary compensation, KT Press reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Bannyahe and Nyandungu, Kigali, Rwanda","src":0},"when":{"t":"Clearance was reported in September 2019; the Nyandungu report is dated January 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The city labelled Bannyahe a 'high-risk wetland' and sought the land for high-income investment under its master plan.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Restoration of the Nyandungu wetland was reported at about 5 million dollars, and the planned course could reduce farming households' access to it.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"nyandungu_restoration_cost","value":5000000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"Approximate, as reported by Yale Environment 360"},{"key":"farming_households_wetland_access_risk","value":14000,"unit":"farming households","year":null,"note":"More than 14,000 could lose wetland access if the plan proceeds (projection)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 1,100 families were affected and offered housing in Busanza instead of cash compensation; no source linked in the cited sources supports these figures.","The sources do not state how many Bannyahe residents were moved or where they went.","The sources do not name the investor for the high-income development.","The sources do not show whether the loss of wetland access has begun."],"sources":[{"t":"Bannyahe slum: embattled residents shift their plea to ministry","p":"KT Press","d":"2019-09","u":"https://www.ktpress.rw/2019/09/bannyahe-slum-embattled-residents-shift-their-plea-to-ministry/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313175043/https://www.ktpress.rw/2019/09/bannyahe-slum-embattled-residents-shift-their-plea-to-ministry/"},{"t":"Kigali wetland restoration","p":"Yale Environment 360","d":"2026-01","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/features/kigali-rwanda-wetland-restoration","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001212113/https://e360.yale.edu/features/kigali-rwanda-wetland-restoration"}],"actors":[{"id":"kigali-city-administration","role":"Designated Bannyahe a high-risk wetland and sought the land for high-income investment"}],"mechanism":"wetland clearance and relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Kigali cleared the Bannyahe settlement in 2019 as a 'high-risk wetland', KT Press reported, and restored my Nyandungu wetland at about 5 million dollars, Yale Environment 360 reported.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 1,100 families were affected and offered housing in Busanza instead of cash compensation; no source linked in the cited sources supports these figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state how many Bannyahe residents were moved or where they went.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not name the investor for the high-income development.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not show whether the loss of wetland access has begun.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fustat-gardens-and-heliopolis-green-removal","tier":"short","title":"4,700 families moved for Cairo's Fustat Gardens; Heliopolis lost 390,000 m² of green","dek":"Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that 4,700 families moved from Ezbet Abu Qarn to make way for the Fustat Gardens park on a former dump. Ahram Online reported in 2020 that about 390,000 square meters of Heliopolis green space were removed in four months for roads.","country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","places":[{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","admin":"Cairo (Fustat)","lat":30.02,"lon":31.25,"role":"event"},{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","admin":"Cairo (Heliopolis)","lat":30.09,"lon":31.32,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.02,"lon":31.25,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2022,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported in January 2022 that 4,700 families from Ezbet Abu Qarn had moved to Maan housing in Madinat al-Salam for Fustat Gardens.","The ministry described the park as about 500 feddans on a former dump.","Ahram Online (AFP) reported in 2020 that about 390,000 square meters of green space and roughly 2,500 trees were removed in four months in Heliopolis for road widening."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that 4,700 families had moved from Ezbet Abu Qarn to make way for Fustat Gardens, a park of about 500 feddans on a former dump.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"National government","what":"Fustat Gardens, a park of about 500 feddans on a former dump, per the ministry","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Heliopolis residents","what":"About 390,000 square meters of green space and roughly 2,500 trees were removed in four months for road widening","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Ezbet Abu Qarn families","what":"4,700 families were relocated to Madinat al-Salam housing","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Cairo, Egypt: Fustat (Ezbet Abu Qarn) and Heliopolis","src":0},"when":{"t":"The Fustat relocation was reported in January 2022; the Heliopolis green removal was reported in 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Ahram Online's headline ties the Heliopolis green removal to roads for the new desert capital.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Families were moved into Maan housing in Madinat al-Salam to clear the Fustat site, the ministry page reports.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"families_relocated","value":4700,"unit":"families","year":2022,"note":"Moved to Madinat al-Salam housing"},{"key":"fustat_park_area","value":500,"unit":"feddans","year":2022,"note":"Park on a former dump"},{"key":"heliopolis_green_removed","value":390000,"unit":"square meters","year":2020,"note":"Removed in four months for road widening"},{"key":"heliopolis_trees_removed","value":2500,"unit":"trees","year":2020,"note":"Approximate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Fustat Gardens has been described as the largest park in the Middle East.","The sources do not state how the families were compensated beyond the move to Madinat al-Salam.","The sources do not name the road contractors or state what they gained.","The sources do not give the cost of the park or the road works.","The sources do not say whether the removed Heliopolis green space has been replaced."],"sources":[{"t":"The Prime Minister. Fustat Gardens project","p":"Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities","d":"2022-01","u":"https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/news/the-prime-minister-continues-his-tour-in-cairo-by-following-up-on-the-implementation-of-the-fustat-gardens-project","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618110114/https://egymonuments.gov.eg/en/news/the-prime-minister-continues-his-tour-in-cairo-by-following-up-on-the-implementation-of-the-fustat-gardens-project"},{"t":"Cairo's green lung razed for roads to new desert capital","p":"Ahram Online (AFP)","d":"2020","u":"https://english.ahram.org.eg/WorldCup/News/363273.aspx","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"egypt-government","role":"National government named as behind the Fustat Gardens and Heliopolis road works"}],"mechanism":"park clearance and relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 390,000 square meters of my green space and roughly 2,500 trees were removed in four months in Heliopolis for road widening, Ahram Online reported in 2020.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Fustat Gardens has been described as the largest park in the Middle East.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state how the families were compensated beyond the move to Madinat al-Salam.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not name the road contractors or state what they gained.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the cost of the park or the road works.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the removed Heliopolis green space has been replaced.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"medellin-green-corridors-and-cinturon-verde","tier":"short","title":"Medellín's 30 green corridors won a 2019 Ashden award; 2 °C claim unconfirmed","dek":"Medellín's 30 green corridors, some running through poor neighborhoods, won the 2019 Ashden award. The city says they cool the local microclimate by up to 2 °C, but no independent measurement was found, and a 2014 slope intervention in Comuna 8 drew objections over heavy structures.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":"Medellín","lat":6.25,"lon":-75.57,"role":"event"}],"lat":6.25,"lon":-75.57,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2019,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["UNEP reported that Medellín's 30 green corridors, on 18 avenues and 12 waterways, received the 2019 Ashden award.","UNEP also reported the city's own statement that the corridors cool the local microclimate by up to 2 °C; independent verification was not found.","PreventionWeb (Reuters) reported in 2021 that the corridors pass through some poor neighborhoods and were cited as an example in the fight against heat.","El Colombiano reported in February 2014 that councillors said heavy structures on the Cinturón Verde slope in Comuna 8 conflicted with the protection of the green belt."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Medellín's 30 green corridors won the 2019 Ashden award, and the city says they cool the local microclimate by up to 2 °C; UNEP reported the claim, and independent measurement was not found.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"City of Medellín","what":"The corridors won the 2019 Ashden award","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Medellín, Colombia (Cinturón Verde, Comuna 8)","src":0},"when":{"t":"The Ashden award was in 2019; the slope objection was reported in February 2014; heat coverage is dated 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The city presents the corridors as a response to rising heat; councillors objected to heavy structures on the Cinturón Verde slope.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Green corridors run along avenues and waterways as nature-based cooling measures; the cooling figure is the city's own statement.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"green_corridors","value":30,"unit":"corridors","year":2019,"note":"18 avenues and 12 waterways; 2019 Ashden award"},{"key":"claimed_local_cooling","value":2,"unit":"degrees Celsius","year":null,"note":"City's own statement, up to 2 °C in the local microclimate; no independent measurement found"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Comuna 8 has the most informal settlements in the city and is where people fleeing violence settle.","The cited sources give no measured temperature data for the corridors.","The sources do not state the cost of the corridors or the Cinturón Verde works.","The sources do not say whether the 2014 objection changed the slope works.","The sources do not record displacement or losses linked to the corridors or the Comuna 8 works."],"sources":[{"t":"Medellín se refresca con intervenciones urbanas basadas en la naturaleza","p":"UNEP","d":"2019","u":"https://www.unep.org/es/noticias-y-reportajes/reportajes/medellin-se-refresca-con-intervenciones-urbanas-basadas-en-la","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260118213748/https://www.unep.org/es/noticias-y-reportajes/reportajes/medellin-se-refresca-con-intervenciones-urbanas-basadas-en-la"},{"t":"Colombia's Medellin plants 'green corridors' to beat rising heat","p":"PreventionWeb (Reuters)","d":"2021","u":"https://preventionweb.net/quick/65508","type":"international"},{"t":"Cinturón verde o gris: polémica por intervención en la ladera","p":"El Colombiano","d":"2014-02","u":"https://www.elcolombiano.com/historico/cinturon_verde_o_gris_polemica_por_intervencion_en_la_ladera-HCEC_250214","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011232747/https://www.elcolombiano.com/historico/cinturon_verde_o_gris_polemica_por_intervencion_en_la_ladera-HCEC_250214"}],"actors":[{"id":"medellin-city-government","role":"Runs the green corridors and states the cooling figure"}],"mechanism":"urban green corridors","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Medellín says its 30 green corridors cool my local microclimate by up to 2 °C; no independent verification was found.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Comuna 8 has the most informal settlements in the city and is where people fleeing violence settle.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no measured temperature data for the corridors.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the cost of the corridors or the Cinturón Verde works.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the 2014 objection changed the slope works.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not record displacement or losses linked to the corridors or the Comuna 8 works.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"addis-ababa-sheger-riverside-project-and-corridor-demolition","tier":"short","title":"Addis Ababa riverside and corridor demolitions led to evictions without compensation","dek":"Demolitions for the 29-billion-birr Beautifying Sheger riverside scheme began before design approval. Arab News, citing AFP, reported that corridor works had demolished in more than 58 cities, and 872 people were evicted without compensation in Bole and Lemi Kura in November 2024.","country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","places":[{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","admin":"Addis Ababa","lat":9.03,"lon":38.74,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.03,"lon":38.74,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Climate Home News reported that demolitions for the 29-billion-birr Beautifying Sheger riverside scheme began before design approval, although limited displacement had been promised.","Arab News, citing AFP, reported that Amnesty urged a halt to Ethiopian evictions for urban development, and that corridor works had demolished in more than 58 cities.","Arab News reported that in November 2024, 872 people, 618 of them tenants, were evicted without compensation in Bole and Lemi Kura.","Addis Fortune reported that residents of low-rent public housing were moved into cooperative flats they had not chosen, and that a 120,000 birr down payment exceeded their compensation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Riverside beautification and corridor works in Addis Ababa involved demolitions that began before design approval.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Beautifying Sheger riverside scheme","what":"the source's headline describes priority given to development over residents","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents evicted in Bole and Lemi Kura","what":"872 people, including 618 tenants, were evicted without compensation in November 2024","src":1},{"who":"Low-rent public housing residents","what":"moved to cooperative flats they had not chosen, with a 120,000 birr down payment","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (riverside; Bole and Lemi Kura)","src":1},"when":{"t":"Riverside demolitions began in 2020; evictions in November 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Demolition and eviction, with relocation to cooperative housing that required down payments","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"riverside_scheme_budget","value":29000000000,"unit":"birr","year":2020,"note":"Beautifying Sheger riverside scheme"},{"key":"corridor_demolition_cities","value":58,"unit":"cities","year":null,"note":"more than 58 cities reported for corridor works"},{"key":"people_evicted_without_compensation","value":872,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Bole and Lemi Kura; 254 homeowners and 618 tenants"},{"key":"cooperative_flat_down_payment","value":120000,"unit":"birr","year":2024,"note":"down payment that exceeded compensation"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the total number of people displaced by the riverside scheme.","The cited sources do not name the authority or contractors that commissioned the Beautifying Sheger riverside scheme.","The cited sources do not say what compensation, if any, tenants received in the November 2024 evictions."],"sources":[{"t":"Addis Ababa riverside project gives priority to development over residents","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2020-03","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/03/12/addis-ababa-riverside-project-gives-priority-development-resident","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018162307/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2020/03/12/addis-ababa-riverside-project-gives-priority-development-residents/"},{"t":"Amnesty urges halt to Ethiopia evictions for urban development","p":"Arab News (AFP)","d":"2025-04","u":"https://www.arabnews.com/node/2596930/world","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614100952/https://www.arabnews.com/node/2596930/world"},{"t":"Promised homes come with debt","p":"Addis Fortune","d":"2024","u":"https://addisfortune.news/promised-homes-come-with-debt","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009174233/https://addisfortune.news/promised-homes-come-with-debt/"}],"actors":[{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"called for a halt to evictions"}],"mechanism":"riverside redevelopment evictions","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the total number of people displaced by the riverside scheme.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the authority or contractors that commissioned the Beautifying Sheger riverside scheme.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what compensation, if any, tenants received in the November 2024 evictions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"palm-jumeirah-and-bahrain-reclamation-dredging","tier":"short","title":"Study attributes habitat loss in Bahrain to reclamation and sand dredging","dek":"A study indexed by FAO AGRIS found that Bahrain's land area grew by 91 square kilometres through reclamation between 1963 and 2008. It attributes about 153.58 square kilometres of habitat loss to ten reclamation and dredging schemes.","country":"Bahrain","iso2":"BH","places":[{"country":"Bahrain","iso2":"BH","admin":null,"lat":26.07,"lon":50.55,"role":"event"}],"lat":26.07,"lon":50.55,"approxCoords":true,"start":1963,"end":2008,"instrument":"mining","happened":["A study indexed by FAO AGRIS found that Bahrain's land area grew by 91 square kilometres between 1963 and 2008 through reclamation.","The same study attributed about 153.58 square kilometres of habitat loss to ten reclamation and dredging schemes, and reported a greater effect from the areas where sand was extracted.","Arabian Business reported that a Bahraini fishermen's association claimed reclamation had taken 80% of fishing income, while the official position blamed reclamation together with overfishing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Reclamation and sand dredging reshaped Bahrain's coast and marine habitat.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Bahraini fishermen","what":"an association claimed reclamation took 80% of their fishing income; this is a claim, not a confirmed figure","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Marine habitats in Bahrain","what":"about 153.58 square kilometres of habitat loss across ten schemes","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Bahrain","src":0},"when":{"t":"Land gain measured from 1963 to 2008","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Land reclamation and sand extraction","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"land_area_increase_1963_2008","value":91,"unit":"square kilometres","year":2008,"note":"land area added by reclamation"},{"key":"habitat_loss_ten_schemes","value":153.58,"unit":"square kilometres","year":null,"note":"across ten reclamation and dredging schemes"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 94 million cubic metres of sediment dredged for Palm Jumeirah in the UAE, burying coral and seagrass (headline not confirmed).","The cited sources do not name the reclamation developers or say who received the new land.","The 80% figure is an association's claim and is not independently confirmed in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"The cumulative impacts of reclamation and dredging on the marine ecology and land-use in the Kingdom of Bahrain","p":"FAO AGRIS","d":"2012","u":"https://agris.fao.org/search/es/records/65defe067c7033e84bec5c41","type":"academic"},{"t":"Low fish stocks threaten Bahrain's fishing industry","p":"Arabian Business","d":"","u":"https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/construction/low-fish-stocks-threaten-bahrain-s-fishing-industry-17149","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"land reclamation and dredging","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Between 1963 and 2008 reclamation added 91 square kilometres of land in Bahrain; a study attributes about 153.58 square kilometres of my habitat loss to ten reclamation and dredging schemes.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 94 million cubic metres of sediment dredged for Palm Jumeirah in the UAE, burying coral and seagrass (headline not confirmed).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the reclamation developers or say who received the new land.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The 80% figure is an association's claim and is not independently confirmed in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cambodia-mother-nature-activists-jailed-over-sand-dredging-r","tier":"short","title":"Ten Mother Nature activists who campaigned against sand dredging sentenced in Cambodia","dek":"Ten Mother Nature activists who campaigned against coastal sand mining were sentenced in July 2024 to six to eight years for plotting, three of them also for insulting the king. In January 2018 two activists who filmed sand ships were jailed and fined; their 2017 arrest was reportedly based on a complaint by Senator Ly Yong Phat, owner of LYP Group.","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":null,"lat":12.57,"lon":104.99,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.57,"lon":104.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["On 2 July 2024 the Phnom Penh Capital Court sentenced ten Mother Nature activists, who had campaigned against sand mining in Koh Kong province, LICADHO reported. Seven received six years for plotting: Ly Chandaravuth, Long Kunthea, Phuon Keoraksmey, Pork Khoeuy, Binh Piseth, Thun Ratha and Rai Raksa. Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, Yim Leanghy and Sun Ratha received eight years and a fine for plotting and insulting the king. Five were sentenced in absentia.","In September 2017 Mother Nature activists Hun Vannak and Doem Kundy were arrested in Koh Kong province while filming two ships they believed were carrying sand abroad; LICADHO said the arrest was reportedly based on a complaint by Ly Yong Phat, a ruling-party senator and owner of LYP Group. On 26 January 2018 the Koh Kong court sentenced them for incitement and violation of privacy to one year in prison, seven months of it suspended, and fines of 1 million riel (US$250) each, RFA reported.","The five activists in custody, Long Kunthea, Ly Chandaravuth, Phuon Keoraksmey, Thun Ratha and Yim Leanghy, appealed on 22 July 2024. On 2 March 2026 a Supreme Court judge refused their release pending appeal, Mongabay reported. The appeal hearing set for 2 June 2026 was postponed indefinitely, according to FIDH."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ten Mother Nature activists who had campaigned against sand mining were sentenced in 2024 for plotting, three of them also for insulting the king.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"LYP Group","what":"the 2017 arrest of two activists who filmed sand ships was reportedly based on a complaint by its owner, Ly Yong Phat; they were jailed and fined in January 2018","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Mother Nature activists","what":"ten were sentenced to six to eight years in 2024","src":0},{"who":"Two activists who filmed sand ships","what":"jailed and fined in 2018","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cambodia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Two activists sentenced in January 2018; ten activists sentenced on 2 July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plotting and insulting-the-king charges against environmental activists (2024); incitement and privacy charges after a complaint reportedly made by Ly Yong Phat (2017–2018)","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"activists_sentenced_2024","value":10,"unit":"activists","year":2024,"note":"conspiracy charges"},{"key":"minimum_sentence_years_2024","value":6,"unit":"years","year":2024,"note":"sentences ranged from 6 to 8 years"},{"key":"maximum_sentence_years_2024","value":8,"unit":"years","year":2024,"note":"sentences ranged from 6 to 8 years"},{"key":"activists_jailed_2018","value":2,"unit":"activists","year":2018,"note":"jailed and fined after LYP Group complaint"}],"legal":[{"title":"Mother Nature activists conspiracy case","forum":"Phnom Penh Capital Court; appeal pending at the Appeal Court","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"","defendant":"Ten Mother Nature activists","filed":null,"decided":"2024-07-02","status":"ongoing","summary":"Ten activists were sentenced to six years for plotting, three of them to eight years for plotting and insulting the king (LICADHO). The appeal filed on 22 July 2024 was pending in June 2026; the Supreme Court refused release pending appeal on 2 March 2026.","src":3},{"title":"Sand-dredging filming case","forum":"Koh Kong provincial court","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Cambodian prosecutors (reportedly on a complaint by Ly Yong Phat)","defendant":"Hun Vannak and Doem Kundy","filed":null,"decided":"2018-01-26","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Two activists who filmed sand ships were sentenced to one year, seven months suspended, and fined 1 million riel each for incitement and violation of privacy (RFA); the arrest was reportedly based on a complaint by Ly Yong Phat (LICADHO).","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Global Witness (2010) said licences for sand were granted behind closed doors to companies linked to senators Mong Reththy and Ly Yong Phat, with no evidence that the revenue reached the state treasury.","In July 2016 three Mother Nature activists, Try Sovikea, San Mala and Sim Somnang, were sentenced to 18 months for threatening to destroy a sand-dredging company's barge (RFA). Unconfirmed: the company was awarded $25,000 in compensation.","The cited sources do not establish whether the 2024 conspiracy charges were directly linked to the sand trade."],"sources":[{"t":"Mother Nature activists violently arrested, sentenced to 6-8 years","p":"LICADHO","d":"2024-07-02","u":"https://licadho-cambodia.org/articles/20240702/195/index.html","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415181410/https://www.licadho-cambodia.org/articles/20240702/195/index.html"},{"t":"Cambodian activists jailed, fined over sand-dredging monitoring","p":"RFA","d":"2018-01-26","u":"https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dredging-activists-01262018173028.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515010250/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/dredging-activists-01262018173028.html"},{"t":"CSOs Call for Immediate Release of Mother Nature Activists","p":"LICADHO","d":"2017-11-14","u":"https://licadho-cambodia.org/pressrelease.php?perm=427","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Cambodia's Supreme Court denies release of five imprisoned environmental activists","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-03","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/cambodias-supreme-court-denies-release-of-five-imprisoned-environmental-activists/","type":"press"},{"t":"Cambodia: Appeal to free the five imprisoned Mother Nature Cambodia activists","p":"FIDH","d":"2026-06-01","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/cambodia/cambodia-appeal-to-free-the-five-imprisoned-mother-nature-cambodia","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"mother-nature","role":"environmental group whose ten activists were sentenced in 2024"},{"id":"lyp-group","role":"company whose complaint led to the 2018 jailing of two activists"}],"mechanism":"criminal charges against monitors","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Global Witness (2010) said licences for sand were granted behind closed doors to companies linked to senators Mong Reththy and Ly Yong Phat, with no evidence that the revenue reached the state treasury.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"In July 2016 three Mother Nature activists, Try Sovikea, San Mala and Sim Somnang, were sentenced to 18 months for threatening to destroy a sand-dredging company's barge (RFA). Unconfirmed: the company was awarded $25,000 in compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not establish whether the 2024 conspiracy charges were directly linked to the sand trade.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"paraquat-and-diquat-substitution","tier":"short","title":"Syngenta settles thousands of paraquat lawsuits and keeps selling diquat","dek":"Paraquat, sued over claims it causes Parkinson's disease, is still produced and exported from countries that ban it at home, and its maker has moved to diquat as a substitute. The New Lede reported more than 8,000 lawsuits in 2026, and Syngenta settled without admitting liability.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":1976,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["According to The New Lede, Syngenta moved in April 2025 to settle more than 5,800 lawsuits claiming paraquat causes Parkinson's disease; the settlement amount has not been disclosed.","The New Lede reported in July 2026 that more than 8,000 lawsuits were involved and that a judge had pressed claimants to accept the settlement.","Syngenta settled a claim without admitting liability for 187.5 million dollars in 2021. Since 2015 the UK has exported 122,831 tonnes of paraquat, 62% of it to lower-income countries, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Paraquat, a herbicide sued over Parkinson's claims, is still produced and exported after national bans; Syngenta has settled lawsuits without admitting liability.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Syngenta","what":"Held a 40–50% paraquat market share for decades and keeps selling diquat as a substitute","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Sinochem (parent of Syngenta)","what":"Company funds bear the settlement; no personal penalty is recorded","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Claimants alleging Parkinson's disease from paraquat","what":"More than 8,000 lawsuits reported in 2026; a judge pressed claimants to accept the settlement","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Global: lawsuits in the United States; bans in Switzerland (1989) and China (2016–17); exports from the UK and China to lower-income countries","src":null},"when":{"t":"1976 to 2026","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Products banned at home continue to be exported; when paraquat is restricted, diquat is sold as a substitute; lawsuits end in settlements without admission of liability.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"paraquat_lawsuits_2025","value":5800,"unit":"lawsuits","year":2025,"note":"more than 5,800 lawsuits"},{"key":"paraquat_lawsuits_2026","value":8000,"unit":"lawsuits","year":2026,"note":"more than 8,000 lawsuits"},{"key":"uk_paraquat_exports_tonnes","value":122831,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"UK exports since 2015"},{"key":"syngenta_settlement_2021","value":187500000,"unit":"dollars","year":2021,"note":"settlement without admission of liability"},{"key":"uk_paraquat_exports_lower_income_share","value":62,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"share of UK exports to lower-income countries"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The 2025 settlement amount has not been disclosed. Hundreds of claimants rejected settlement offers, according to the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: GRAIN's October 2016 open letter on paraquat exports from China.","Unconfirmed: the company's position that science does not prove a link and that the emetic additive is safe.","The volume of paraquat exported from China and South Korea to the US, about 78 million pounds, is not linked to a cited source.","Whether diquat substitution has its own health record is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Syngenta moving to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming paraquat causes Parkinson's disease","p":"The New Lede","d":"2025-04-15","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/04/syngenta-moving-to-settle-thousands-of-lawsuits-claiming-paraquat-causes-parkinsons-disease/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260125114455/https://www.thenewlede.org/2025/04/syngenta-moving-to-settle-thousands-of-lawsuits-claiming-paraquat-causes-parkinsons-disease/"},{"t":"Judge pressures Parkinson's patients to accept Syngenta paraquat settlement","p":"The New Lede","d":"2026-07-06","u":"https://www.thenewlede.org/2026/07/judge-pressures-parkinsons-patients-to-accept-syngenta-paraquat-settlement/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710174221/https://www.thenewlede.org/2026/07/judge-pressures-parkinsons-patients-to-accept-syngenta-paraquat-settlement/"}],"actors":[{"id":"syngenta","role":"Producer of paraquat and diquat; settled the lawsuits"},{"id":"sinochem","role":"Chinese state-linked parent of Syngenta"}],"mechanism":"banned herbicide substitution","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["paraquat-litigation"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2025 settlement amount has not been disclosed. Hundreds of claimants rejected settlement offers, according to the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: GRAIN's October 2016 open letter on paraquat exports from China.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company's position that science does not prove a link and that the emetic additive is safe.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The volume of paraquat exported from China and South Korea to the US, about 78 million pounds, is not linked to a cited source.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether diquat substitution has its own health record is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Syngenta","No source link — Who lost: Sinochem (parent of Syngenta)"]},{"id":"france-pesticide-indicator-sur-withdrawal-and-duplomb-law","tier":"short","title":"France's Constitutional Council annuls pesticide clause of Duplomb farm law","dek":"France's HRI1 pesticide-use indicator fell 32% over 2011–2021, while the dose-based NODU measure rose 3%. The EU pesticide reduction regulation was withdrawn, and in 2025 the Constitutional Council annulled the clause of the Duplomb law that brought back acetamiprid.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":46.6,"lon":2.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.6,"lon":2.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2025,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["France's HRI1 indicator recorded a 32% fall in pesticide use over 2011–2021, while the NODU dose-based measure rose 3% over the same period, according to the cited sources.","France moved to the HRI1 indicator; by 2024 the dose-based NODU measure was 13% above its 2009 level.","The EU pesticide reduction regulation (SUR) was withdrawn, according to the cited sources.","LCP reported that the Constitutional Council annulled the clause of the Duplomb law that reintroduced acetamiprid, on 7 August 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A pesticide-use indicator that fell 32% since 2011 sits alongside a dose-based measure that rose 3%; a clause to return acetamiprid was annulled in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Pesticide users in the farm sector","what":"Dose-based use (NODU) rose 3% over 2011–2021 and was 13% above 2009 by 2024","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Water and health budgets","what":"The sources list them as paying for pesticide-related costs; no amount is given for France","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"France, under EU-level rules","src":null},"when":{"t":"2009 to 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pesticide use was tracked by a switched indicator; an EU reduction regulation was withdrawn; the Duplomb law brought back acetamiprid, which the Constitutional Council annulled.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hri1_change_2011_2021","value":-32,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"note":"HRI1 pesticide-use indicator, 2011–2021"},{"key":"nodu_change_2011_2021","value":3,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"note":"dose-based NODU measure, 2011–2021"},{"key":"nodu_change_2009_2024","value":13,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"NODU in 2024 against 2009"}],"legal":[{"title":"Duplomb law: acetamiprid clause","forum":"Conseil constitutionnel","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"constitutional","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":"2025-08-07","status":"overturned","summary":"The Constitutional Council annulled the clause of the Duplomb law that reintroduced acetamiprid.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the indicator was chosen jointly by the state and the FNSEA farm union.","The cited sources do not record a fine or clawback for the pesticide sector in France.","The effect of the 2025 annulment on existing acetamiprid use is not on record.","An administrative route through the Conseil d'État is mentioned, but no decision is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Loi agricole Duplomb: Conseil constitutionnel censure la réintroduction","p":"LCP","d":"","u":"https://lcp.fr/actualites/loi-agricole-duplomb-le-conseil-constitutionnel-censure-la-reintroduction-de-l","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260727011338/https://www.lcp.fr./actualites/loi-agricole-duplomb-le-conseil-constitutionnel-censure-la-reintroduction-de-l"}],"actors":[{"id":"conseil-constitutionnel","role":"Court that annulled the acetamiprid clause"},{"id":"fnsea","role":"Farm union; the senator behind the law is described as coming from its ranks"}],"mechanism":"pesticide indicator switch","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"On my fields the HRI1 indicator recorded a 32% fall in pesticide use over 2011–2021; the dose-based NODU measure rose 3% over the same period.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the indicator was chosen jointly by the state and the FNSEA farm union.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not record a fine or clawback for the pesticide sector in France.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the 2025 annulment on existing acetamiprid use is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"An administrative route through the Conseil d'État is mentioned, but no decision is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Pesticide users in the farm sector","No source link — Who harmed: Water and health budgets"]},{"id":"kenya-pesticides-acidity-and-seed-law","tier":"short","title":"Kenyan court removes seed-sharing offence in 2025; destruction costs fall on farmers","dek":"Kenya's seed law made sharing unregistered seed a crime until a court ruling in November 2025, and the permanence of that ruling is unclear. Farmers paid for the destruction of banned pesticides, while EU exports of banned pesticides rose.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":null,"lat":-0.02,"lon":37.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.02,"lon":37.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2025,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Until a court ruling in November 2025, Kenya's seed law made sharing unregistered seed punishable by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to one million shillings, according to the cited sources.","Public Eye reported in September 2025 that EU exports of banned pesticides had risen sharply; the EU notified exports of 75 banned substances to 93 countries in 2024, about 75% of the destinations being low- or middle-income.","The cited sources say the cost of destroying banned products fell on farmers and that exports continued."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Banned pesticides and a seed law that criminalised sharing unregistered seed shaped farming in Kenya; a court removed the offence in November 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EU exporters of banned pesticides","what":"Exports of banned products rose; the sources list EU exporters as gainers","src":0},{"who":"Sector and subsidy recipients","what":"Benefited from subsidised inputs; no amounts are given for Kenya","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"Paid the destruction cost of banned pesticides","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Kenya","src":null},"when":{"t":"2012 to 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Acidity linked to DAP fertiliser was addressed with lime and a '50% organic' fertiliser, while banned products were destroyed at farmers' cost.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"seed_fine_max_shillings","value":1000000,"unit":"shillings","year":2025,"note":"maximum fine under the seed law before the November 2025 ruling"},{"key":"eu_banned_substances_exported","value":75,"unit":"substances","year":2024,"note":"banned substances EU notified for export"},{"key":"eu_banned_export_destinations","value":93,"unit":"countries","year":2024,"note":"destinations of EU banned-substance exports"},{"key":"eu_banned_exports_growth","value":50,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"rise in EU banned-pesticide exports over six years"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether the November 2025 ruling is permanent is unclear in the cited sources.","The amounts of the destruction costs are not on record.","The volume of banned products exported to Kenya is not on record.","Kenya's Pest Control Products Board is named as the administrative body; the sources do not describe its decisions."],"sources":[{"t":"Sharp rise in EU export trade in banned pesticides despite European Commission promises","p":"Public Eye","d":"2025-09-23","u":"https://www.publiceye.ch/en/topics/pesticides/sharp-rise-in-eu-export-trade-in-banned-pesticides-despite-european-commission-promises","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913090526/https://www.publiceye.ch/en/topics/pesticides/sharp-rise-in-eu-export-trade-in-banned-pesticides-despite-european-commission-promises"}],"actors":[{"id":"pcpb","role":"Kenyan regulator named in the administrative process"},{"id":"public-eye","role":"NGO that reported on EU exports of banned pesticides"}],"mechanism":"seed law, banned pesticides","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the November 2025 ruling is permanent is unclear in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amounts of the destruction costs are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The volume of banned products exported to Kenya is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Kenya's Pest Control Products Board is named as the administrative body; the sources do not describe its decisions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Sector and subsidy recipients","No source link — Who harmed: Farmers"]},{"id":"agra-and-yara-regenerative-inputs-programme","tier":"short","title":"Evaluations find AGRA missed its headline goal; Yara buys Italian organic fertiliser firm","dek":"AGRA, largely funded by the Gates Foundation, set a 2020 goal of doubling yields and incomes for 30 million households; evaluations disagree on the outcome. Yara, 36.2% owned by the Norwegian state, agreed in 2023 to buy an Italian organic fertiliser business.","country":"Africa","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Africa","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":2,"lon":21,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The Gates Foundation gave AGRA $661 million up to 2018, about two-thirds of its donations, and a further $200 million over five years from 2022; the US government gave $90 million, according to a Tufts review published in August 2026.","The 2020 False Promises report found that hungry people rose 30% in 13 focus countries and that maize yields rose 29% in 12 years against a 100% target; AGRA said the report was not peer reviewed.","A Gates-commissioned evaluation in 2021 concluded that AGRA did not meet its headline goal.","In December 2023 Yara agreed to acquire the organic-based fertiliser business of Italy's Agribios, according to Yara."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"AGRA, funded largely by the Gates Foundation, did not meet its headline goal according to a Gates-commissioned evaluation; Yara has bought organic fertiliser businesses.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Yara","what":"Agreed in 2023 to acquire Agribios' organic-based fertiliser business; also bought Ecolan for its regenerative offer","src":3},{"who":"Seed companies and input dealers","what":"Strengthened by seed reforms, per the cited sources","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Public accountability for the programme","what":"Weakened, according to Food Tank (2022)","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Undernourished people in AGRA's focus countries","what":"Hungry people rose 30% in 13 focus countries (False Promises, 2020); Tufts reports a 58% rise in undernourished people over 20 years to about 150 million","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Africa, across AGRA's focus countries; Yara's state owner is Norway","src":null},"when":{"t":"2006 to 2026; the 2020 goal and the 2023 acquisition","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The donor set the agenda and the target; an evaluation was commissioned by the foundation; input markets grew through seed reform.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"gates_grants_to_agra_to_2018","value":661,"unit":"USD million","year":2018,"note":"about two-thirds of AGRA donations"},{"key":"gates_grant_2022_five_year","value":200,"unit":"USD million","year":2022,"note":"five-year grant"},{"key":"us_government_contribution","value":90,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"stated US government contribution"},{"key":"hungry_people_rise_13_countries","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"note":"False Promises, 13 focus countries"},{"key":"maize_yield_rise_12_years","value":29,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"note":"over 12 years; target was 100%"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the foundation sought control of the food supply or planned synthetic food. No supporting document is on record.","No direct link between AGRA and carbon credits is on record.","The original Gates climate note, and the NYT and Snopes pages.","The figures conflict: AGRA says outputs and farm incomes doubled, while Tufts reports a 25% rise in its yield index over 20 years.","The claim that maize yields rose in 3 of 6 countries in the 2021 evaluation is not linked to a cited source."],"sources":[{"t":"Tufts GDAE report on AGRA (August 2026)","p":"Tufts University, Global Development and Environment Institute","d":"2026-08","u":"https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.tufts.edu/dist/0/5123/files/2026/08/TWiseAGRA20FinalAug2026.pdf","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821165145/https://bpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/sites.tufts.edu/dist/0/5123/files/2026/08/TWiseAGRA20FinalAug2026.pdf"},{"t":"False Promises: Gates Foundation's failing Green Revolution in Africa","p":"US Right to Know","d":"2020","u":"https://usrtk.org/our-investigations/gates-foundations-failing-green-revolution-in-africa-new-report/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220630100927/https://usrtk.org/our-investigations/gates-foundations-failing-green-revolution-in-africa-new-report/"},{"t":"AGRA retreats from its own Green Revolution","p":"Food Tank","d":"2022-10","u":"https://foodtank.com/news/2022/10/agra-retreats-from-its-own-green-revolution/","type":"press"},{"t":"Yara is acquiring the organic-based fertilizer business of Italy's Agribios","p":"Yara","d":"2023-12-13","u":"https://www.yara.com/corporate-releases/yara-is-acquiring-the-organic-based-fertilizer-business-of-italys-agribios/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410202718/https://www.yara.com/corporate-releases/yara-is-acquiring-the-organic-based-fertilizer-business-of-italys-agribios/"}],"actors":[{"id":"agra","role":"Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa; the programme being reviewed"},{"id":"gates-foundation","role":"Funder that provided most of AGRA's donations and commissioned the evaluation"},{"id":"rockefeller-foundation","role":"Co-founder of AGRA with the Gates Foundation"},{"id":"yara","role":"Fertiliser company that launched the forum which became AGRF and bought organic fertiliser businesses"}],"mechanism":"seed and fertiliser programmes","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the foundation sought control of the food supply or planned synthetic food. No supporting document is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No direct link between AGRA and carbon credits is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The original Gates climate note, and the NYT and Snopes pages.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The figures conflict: AGRA says outputs and farm incomes doubled, while Tufts reports a 25% rise in its yield index over 20 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The claim that maize yields rose in 3 of 6 countries in the 2021 evaluation is not linked to a cited source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Seed companies and input dealers"]},{"id":"india-pesticide-bans-shroff-family-and-endosulfan","tier":"short","title":"Kerala endosulfan compensation delayed as producer's Shroff family sells stake","dek":"Endosulfan, a banned pesticide, was produced in India by a company linked to the Shroff family, and Kerala's victims were still owed compensation five years after a court order. In 2016 the family sold a 24.75% stake for about 343 crore rupees to Sumitomo.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Kerala","lat":10.85,"lon":76.27,"role":"event"}],"lat":10.85,"lon":76.27,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Excel Crop Care made about 60% of endosulfan production, according to the cited sources, and India objected when endosulfan was proposed for listing under the Stockholm Convention.","In 2016 the Shroff family sold a 24.75% stake to Sumitomo for about 343 crore rupees; Excel's endosulfan share also passed to Sumitomo.","Down To Earth reported that compensation for Kerala's endosulfan victims was still unpaid five years after the court order."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Endosulfan victims in Kerala were owed compensation that the producer did not pay; the producer's owners sold stakes and the state was the payer.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shroff family","what":"Sold a 24.75% stake to Sumitomo in 2016 for about 343 crore rupees","src":null},{"who":"UPL","what":"Took over Corteva's mancozeb business, one of the banned products that changed hands","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Kerala state budget","what":"Paid compensation to victims, according to the cited sources","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Endosulfan victims in Kerala","what":"Compensation still unpaid five years after the court order","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kerala, India","src":null},"when":{"t":"2011 to 2026","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ownership of banned products passed to other companies through stake sales and transfers, while the state paid victims.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"excel_endosulfan_production_share","value":60,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"approximate share of endosulfan production"},{"key":"shroff_stake_sale_price_crore_inr","value":343,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2016,"note":"approximate price for the 24.75% stake sold to Sumitomo"},{"key":"shroff_stake_sold_percent","value":24.75,"unit":"percent","year":2016,"note":"stake sold by the Shroff family"},{"key":"proposed_pesticide_ban_count","value":27,"unit":"pesticides","year":null,"note":"proposed ban list"},{"key":"pesticides_after_reduction","value":3,"unit":"pesticides","year":null,"note":"ban list after it was reduced from 27"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: aerial endosulfan spraying in Kasaragod, Kerala, from 1976–78 to 2000–01, and 6,727 identified victims.","Unconfirmed: a 2017 Supreme Court compensation order, and approval of payment for 977 people in February 2026.","No personal penalty for the producer or the Shroff family is on record.","No record was found of an insurance contribution or a tax deduction for any penalty.","Whether India's Stockholm objection changed the listing is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Tracking decades-long endosulfan tragedy in Kerala","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2011–2022","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/health/tracking-decades-long-endosulfan-tragedy-in-kerala-56788","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511143909/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/health/tracking-decades-long-endosulfan-tragedy-in-kerala-56788"}],"actors":[{"id":"upl","role":"Indian agrochemical company; took over Corteva's mancozeb business"},{"id":"excel-crop-care","role":"Endosulfan producer; about 60% of production"},{"id":"sumitomo","role":"Buyer of the Shroff family's stake and of Excel's endosulfan share"},{"id":"shroff-family","role":"Owners; hold a 33.5% stake in UPL and sold a 24.75% stake in 2016"},{"id":"kerala-state-government","role":"Pays compensation to endosulfan victims"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Objected to listing endosulfan under the Stockholm Convention"}],"mechanism":"pesticide ban, asset transfer","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: aerial endosulfan spraying in Kasaragod, Kerala, from 1976–78 to 2000–01, and 6,727 identified victims.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2017 Supreme Court compensation order, and approval of payment for 977 people in February 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No personal penalty for the producer or the Shroff family is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found of an insurance contribution or a tax deduction for any penalty.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether India's Stockholm objection changed the listing is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Shroff family","No source link — Who gained: UPL","No source link — Who lost: Kerala state budget"]},{"id":"manila-water-and-sewerage-concessions","tier":"short","title":"Philippine Supreme Court fined Manila's water firms over untreated sewage","dek":"The Philippine Supreme Court fined Manila Water, Maynilad and the state agency MWSS in 2019 for collecting sewerage charges while no treatment plant was built. The fine was cut to 404 million pesos in 2022, and untreated sewage reached Manila Bay.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Metro Manila","lat":14.5995,"lon":120.9842,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.5995,"lon":120.9842,"approxCoords":true,"start":1997,"end":2037,"instrument":"water","happened":["The Supreme Court fined Manila Water, Maynilad and MWSS about 921 million pesos each in 2019 under the Clean Water Act, for collecting sewerage charges while no treatment plant was built (ABS-CBN).","The fine was reduced to 404 million pesos in total in 2022, according to the cited sources.","In February 2020 Trident Water, linked to businessman Enrique Razon, bought a 25 percent stake in Manila Water, and Manila Water dropped a 7.4 billion peso arbitration claim (Philstar).","In May 2024 Ayala sold its remaining Manila Water stake to Trident for 14.5 billion pesos; the concession had been extended to 2037 (Context.ph)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Supreme Court found Manila's two water concessionaires and MWSS in breach of the Clean Water Act for billing sewerage fees without treatment. The penalty was later reduced and the stakes changed hands.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Manila Water and Maynilad","what":"Sewerage charges collected in monthly bills while no treatment plant was built","src":0},{"who":"Trident Water (Enrique Razon)","what":"25 percent of Manila Water in 2020; the remaining stake in 2024 for 14.5 billion pesos","src":2},{"who":"Ayala group","what":"Received 14.5 billion pesos for its remaining Manila Water stake in 2024","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Water customers","what":"Paid the sewerage charges through monthly bills","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Manila Bay","what":"Received untreated sewage; the harm is not quantified in the cited sources","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Metro Manila, Philippines. The west-zone concession was granted in 1997 to a Benpres (Lopez family) and Suez group.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Supreme Court ruling in 2019; concessions granted in 1997 and extended to 2037.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sewerage charges were included in customer bills while the treatment plant was not built, in breach of the Clean Water Act.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_per_company_pesos_m","value":921000000,"unit":"pesos","year":2019,"note":"approximate, per company, Clean Water Act"},{"key":"fine_total_after_reduction_pesos_m","value":404000000,"unit":"pesos","year":2022,"note":"total after reduction"},{"key":"arbitration_claim_dropped_pesos_bn","value":7400000000,"unit":"pesos","year":2020,"note":"arbitration claim given up by Manila Water"},{"key":"trident_stake_percent","value":25,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"note":"stake in Manila Water bought by Trident"},{"key":"ayala_stake_sale_pesos_bn","value":14500000000,"unit":"pesos","year":2024,"note":"price of Ayala's remaining stake"}],"legal":[{"title":"Clean Water Act sewerage penalties","forum":"Supreme Court of the Philippines","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Manila Water, Maynilad, MWSS","filed":null,"decided":"2019-08","status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"The court fined each company about 921 million pesos in 2019; the total was reduced to 404 million pesos in 2022.","src":0}],"unknown":["Whether the Supreme Court fine was paid, and by which party, is not on record.","No personal penalties for individuals are recorded.","Unconfirmed: press describes Enrique Razon as close to President Duterte; no formal alliance record was found.","The damage to Manila Bay is not quantified.","The 2022 reduction to 404 million pesos is not linked to a source URL in the material reviewed."],"sources":[{"t":"SC fines Maynilad, Manila Water, MWSS for Clean Water Act violations","p":"ABS-CBN","d":"2019-08","u":"https://abs-cbn.com/news/08/06/19/sc-fines-maynilad-manila-water-mwss-for-ph-clean-water-act-violations","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311082738/https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/08/06/19/sc-fines-maynilad-manila-water-mwss-for-ph-clean-water-act-violations"},{"t":"Enrique Razon buys 25% stake in Duterte pet peeve Manila Water","p":"Philstar","d":"2020-02","u":"https://www.philstar.com/business/2020/02/03/1990046/business","type":"press"},{"t":"Ayala Group sells remaining stake in Manila Water to Razon's Trident Water for P14.5 billion","p":"Context.ph","d":"2024-05","u":"https://context.ph/2024/05/18/ayala-group-sells-remaining-stake-in-manila-water-to-razons-trident-water-for-p14-5-billion/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250912224014/https://context.ph/2024/05/18/ayala-group-sells-remaining-stake-in-manila-water-to-razons-trident-water-for-p14-5-billion/"},{"t":"Manila Water to double capital to P4-B ahead of IPO","p":"Philstar","d":"2003-08","u":"https://www.philstar.com/business/2003/08/29/218973/manila-water-double-capital-p4-b-ahead-ipo/amp/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"manila-water","role":"concessionaire; fined 2019"},{"id":"maynilad","role":"concessionaire; fined 2019"},{"id":"mwss","role":"state water agency; fined 2019"},{"id":"ayala-group","role":"seller of its remaining Manila Water stake, 2024"},{"id":"trident-water","role":"bought stakes in Manila Water, 2020 and 2024"},{"id":"suez","role":"co-holder of the west-zone concession, 1997"}],"mechanism":"sewerage charges without treatment","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Untreated sewage reached my Manila Bay; in 2019 the Supreme Court fined Manila Water, Maynilad and MWSS about 921 million pesos each under the Clean Water Act.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Supreme Court fine was paid, and by which party, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No personal penalties for individuals are recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: press describes Enrique Razon as close to President Duterte; no formal alliance record was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The damage to Manila Bay is not quantified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2022 reduction to 404 million pesos is not linked to a source URL in the material reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ghana-galamsey-turbidity-and-ghana-water","tier":"short","title":"Galamsey mining raised turbidity at a Ghana Water plant, cutting output 30%","dek":"According to the Ghana News Agency, illegal gold mining, known as galamsey, pushed turbidity at Ghana Water's Sekyere Hemang plant to 8,000–13,000 NTU in 2024, far above the 500 NTU design level, and output fell by 30 percent. The utility and its customers carried the cost, and no compensation from the miners is recorded.","country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","places":[{"country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","admin":null,"lat":7.9465,"lon":-1.0232,"role":"event"}],"lat":7.9465,"lon":-1.0232,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["In March 2024 turbidity at the Sekyere Hemang treatment plant rose from a 500 NTU design level to 8,000–13,000 NTU because of galamsey activity, and production fell by 30 percent (Ghana News Agency).","The Ghana News Agency reported that stakeholders called for drastic, coordinated action to save the country's water situation.","The cited sources record no compensation or clean-up payment to the water company, and no personal penalty for the miners."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Illegal gold mining (galamsey) raised turbidity at the Sekyere Hemang plant, cutting production by 30 percent, according to the Ghana News Agency.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ghana Water","what":"Lost output at the Sekyere Hemang plant, cut by 30 percent","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Water customers of the plant","what":"Reduced supply; they bear the cost through their bills","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Sekyere Hemang treatment plant, Ghana. The district is not on record.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022 to 2024; the turbidity rise is reported for March 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Informal miners raised the turbidity of the raw water; the plant had to treat it at lower output.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"plant_design_turbidity_ntu","value":500,"unit":"NTU","year":2024,"note":"plant design level"},{"key":"peak_turbidity_ntu","value":13000,"unit":"NTU","year":2024,"note":"upper end of the 8,000–13,000 NTU range reported"},{"key":"production_cut_percent","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"reduction in plant output"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether any galamsey operators were fined or prosecuted: no record found.","Unconfirmed: chemical costs rose tenfold at the plant (table entry without a source URL).","Whether the plant closed is not stated; facility closure is listed among impacts without a date.","Whether the state has paid any clean-up costs for this incident: none recorded."],"sources":[{"t":"Galamsey: Stakeholders call for drastic action","p":"Ghana News Agency","d":"2024-03","u":"https://gna.org.gh/2024/03/galamsey-stakeholders-call-for-drastic-coordinated-action-to-save-water-situation/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117135401/https://gna.org.gh/2024/03/galamsey-stakeholders-call-for-drastic-coordinated-action-to-save-water-situation/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ghana-water","role":"operator of the Sekyere Hemang plant; lost output"},{"id":"galamsey-operators","role":"illegal gold miners upstream; source of the turbidity"}],"mechanism":"galamsey mining turbidity","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Turbidity in my water at the Sekyere Hemang plant rose from a 500 NTU design level to 8,000–13,000 NTU in March 2024 because of galamsey activity, Ghana News Agency reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any galamsey operators were fined or prosecuted: no record found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: chemical costs rose tenfold at the plant (table entry without a source URL).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the plant closed is not stated; facility closure is listed among impacts without a date.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the state has paid any clean-up costs for this incident: none recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Water customers of the plant"]},{"id":"changzhou-toxic-soil-and-treatment-plant-fraud","tier":"short","title":"Chinese appeal court did not make chemical firms pay remediation at Changzhou","dek":"In 2018 the Jiangsu Higher People's Court did not require chemical firms to pay remediation costs at the Changzhou toxic land site, and the state carried out the clean-up. Separately, China's environment ministry said the Guigang treatment plant had sent 13,600 tonnes of sludge to unsuitable sites and falsified more than 30 documents before inspection.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Jiangsu","lat":31.8107,"lon":119.9741,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Guangxi","lat":23.1,"lon":109.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.8107,"lon":119.9741,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2018,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["In December 2018 the second-instance ruling in the Changzhou toxic land case did not impose remediation costs on the chemical firms; they paid an apology and 230,000 yuan in costs (Beijing News).","The state carried out the remediation of the site, according to the same report.","In October 2018 the environment ministry reported that the Guigang treatment plant had placed 13,600 tonnes of sludge in unsuitable locations and falsified more than 30 documents before an inspection."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The chemical firms at Changzhou were not ordered to pay remediation costs, and the state carried out the clean-up, Beijing News reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Changzhou chemical firms","what":"No remediation cost imposed; paid an apology and 230,000 yuan in costs","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers and the state","what":"Carried out the remediation of the Changzhou site","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Land and water near the unsuitable sludge sites","what":"Sludge placed in unsuitable locations, per the ministry","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China; and the Guigang treatment plant, China.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Ruling in December 2018; ministry statement in October 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Remediation liability was not passed to the chemical firms at Changzhou; at Guigang, sludge was placed in unsuitable locations and documents were falsified before inspection.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"sludge_tonnes","value":13600,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"sludge placed in unsuitable locations, Guigang plant"},{"key":"firm_costs_yuan","value":230000,"unit":"yuan","year":2018,"note":"costs paid by the chemical firms; no remediation charge"},{"key":"falsified_documents","value":30,"unit":"documents","year":2018,"note":"more than 30 documents falsified before inspection, Guigang plant"}],"legal":[{"title":"Changzhou toxic land case (second instance)","forum":"Jiangsu Higher People's Court","country":"China","iso2":"CN","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Chemical firms at the Changzhou site","filed":null,"decided":"2018-12","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court did not impose remediation costs on the firms; they paid an apology and 230,000 yuan in costs, and the state carried out the remediation.","src":0}],"unknown":["The claimant in the Changzhou case is not on record.","Unconfirmed: in 2016 hundreds of children fell ill at a school near the Changzhou site, and NGOs sued two clean-up firms.","Whether the Guigang plant operator faced any penalty is not stated.","No personal penalties for officials or managers are recorded."],"sources":[{"t":"新京报: 常州毒地案二审宣判","p":"Beijing News (新京报)","d":"2018-12","u":"https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154587727014670.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018162552/https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154587727014670.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"changzhou-chemical-firms","role":"defendants; paid an apology and costs"},{"id":"jiangsu-higher-people-court","role":"second-instance court"},{"id":"guigang-treatment-plant","role":"plant that placed sludge in unsuitable locations"},{"id":"ministry-of-ecology-and-environment","role":"reported the Guigang violations"}],"mechanism":"remediation liability ruling","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The December 2018 appeal ruling on my toxic land at Changzhou imposed no remediation costs on the chemical firms, which paid 230,000 yuan in costs; the state remediated the site, Beijing News reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The claimant in the Changzhou case is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2016 hundreds of children fell ill at a school near the Changzhou site, and NGOs sued two clean-up firms.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Guigang plant operator faced any penalty is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No personal penalties for officials or managers are recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Land and water near the unsuitable sludge sites"]},{"id":"australian-defence-base-pfas","tier":"short","title":"Australian government settled PFAS claims at three defence bases and sued 3M","dek":"Australia's federal government settled class actions over PFAS foam contamination near the Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey defence bases in 2020, and later sued 3M for more than A$2bn. The sources say taxpayers have borne the cost so far, with no recovery from the foam makers reported before that suit.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Northern Territory","lat":-14.4667,"lon":132.2667,"role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-32.79,"lon":151.84,"role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-27.42,"lon":151.73,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.2744,"lon":133.7751,"approxCoords":true,"start":1988,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The federal government settled class actions over PFAS contamination near the Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey bases in 2020; the claims concerned property value losses (Katherine Times).","The Defence Department settled the class actions for A$212.5m and has spent more than A$1.3bn on PFAS claims, the Law Society Journal reported.","The Commonwealth sued 3M for more than A$2bn over the contamination; the cited sources record no decision."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Commonwealth settled PFAS class actions at three defence bases for A$212.5m and later sued 3M for more than A$2bn, the Law Society Journal reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Class action plaintiffs","what":"Settlements for property value losses near the bases","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"Paid the settlements and the defence PFAS spending; no recovery from the foam makers is recorded","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents near the three bases","what":"Property value losses from PFAS contamination","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Katherine (Northern Territory), Williamtown (New South Wales) and Oakey (Queensland), Australia.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Foam used at the bases from 1988 to 2004; settlements in 2020; the suit against 3M is reported in 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Firefighting foam used at the bases from 1988 to 2004 contaminated the areas around them.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"class_action_settlement_aud_m","value":212.5,"unit":"AUD million","year":2020,"note":"total settlement reported for the three bases"},{"key":"defence_pfas_spending_aud_bn","value":1.3,"unit":"AUD billion","year":null,"note":"more than A$1.3bn spent, per the Law Society Journal"},{"key":"commonwealth_claim_against_3m_aud_bn","value":2,"unit":"AUD billion","year":null,"note":"claim is for more than A$2bn"}],"legal":[{"title":"PFAS class actions at Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey","forum":"","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Residents near the bases (class members)","defendant":"Commonwealth of Australia","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"settled","summary":"Settled in 2020 for A$212.5m as reported; the claims concerned property value losses.","src":1},{"title":"Commonwealth v 3M (PFAS at defence bases)","forum":"","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Commonwealth of Australia","defendant":"3M","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Commonwealth claims more than A$2bn from 3M; the cited sources record no decision.","src":0}],"unknown":["The A$212.5m total is the figure given by the Law Society Journal.","Whether the foam makers paid anything toward the clean-up is not recorded beyond the suit.","The forum and any decisions in the class actions are not on record.","The extent of contamination at each base is not quantified."],"sources":[{"t":"Federal government sues 3M for over 2 billion over PFAS contamination at defence bases","p":"Law Society Journal","d":"","u":"https://lsj.com.au/articles/federal-government-sues-3m-for-over-2-billion-over-pfas-contamination-at-defence-bases/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813140505/https://lsj.com.au/articles/federal-government-sues-3m-for-over-2-billion-over-pfas-contamination-at-defence-bases/"},{"t":"Katherine's PFAS class action settled","p":"Katherine Times","d":"2020-02-27","u":"https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/6651416/katherines-pfas-class-action-settled/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221120145519/https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/6651416/katherines-pfas-class-action-settled/"}],"actors":[{"id":"commonwealth-of-australia","role":"defendant in the class actions; plaintiff against 3M"},{"id":"australian-defence-department","role":"settled the claims; PFAS spending"},{"id":"3m","role":"defendant in the Commonwealth suit"}],"mechanism":"firefighting foam contamination","types":["chemical-pollution","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Near three defence bases, PFAS contamination in me led to class actions that Defence settled for A$212.5m; it has spent more than A$1.3bn on PFAS claims, the Law Society Journal reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The A$212.5m total is the figure given by the Law Society Journal.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the foam makers paid anything toward the clean-up is not recorded beyond the suit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The forum and any decisions in the class actions are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The extent of contamination at each base is not quantified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"indonesian-biodiesel-subsidy-and-wilmar-cpo-export-case","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's Supreme Court orders Wilmar to pay Rp 11.88 trillion","dek":"Indonesia's Supreme Court overturned an acquittal in a crude palm oil export permit case and ordered Wilmar to pay Rp 11.88 trillion. Between 2015 and 2023 palm groups led by Wilmar received the largest share of a Rp 179 trillion biodiesel subsidy.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-6.2088,"lon":106.8456,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.2088,"lon":106.8456,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Between 2015 and 2023 Indonesia's biodiesel subsidy totalled Rp 179 trillion, with Wilmar the largest recipient at Rp 56.6 trillion, according to Auriga.","On 26 September 2023 the IDXCarbon exchange opened with one seller, Pertamina NRE, which sold 459,953 tonnes for Rp 29.2 billion to buyers that included Pertamina affiliates and coal contractor Pamapersada.","On 19 March 2025 the court hearing a case over crude palm oil export permits released the Wilmar, Permata Hijau and Musim Mas groups from all charges. In April 2025 the three judges of the panel and a senior judge, Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, were charged with bribery over that ruling (Mongabay); in December 2025 the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced the three judges, Djuyamto, Agam Syarief Baharudin and Ali Muhtarom, to 11 years each, and Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, a former deputy chief judge of the Central Jakarta District Court, to 12 years and six months (Indonesia Business Post). On 15 September 2025 the Supreme Court overturned the first-instance ruling and ordered the Wilmar group to pay Rp 11.88 trillion, Musim Mas Rp 4.89 trillion and Permata Hijau Rp 937.6 billion (IDN Financials; CNBC Indonesia). Wilmar's Rp 11.88 trillion was handed to the Finance Minister on 20 October 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia's Supreme Court overturned an acquittal in a crude palm oil export permit case and ordered Wilmar to pay Rp 11.88 trillion, IDN Financials reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wilmar and four other palm groups","what":"Largest recipients of the Rp 179 trillion biodiesel subsidy, 2015–2023","src":null},{"who":"Pertamina affiliates and Pamapersada","what":"Bought the opening-day carbon credits from Pertamina NRE","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers and the export levy fund","what":"Financed the subsidy","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Smallholder palm growers and forests","what":"The subsidy did not reach smallholders, according to the cited sources","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Subsidy 2015–2023; carbon exchange opened 26 September 2023; first-instance ruling 19 March 2025; judges charged April 2025; Supreme Court ruling 15 September 2025; payment handed over 20 October 2025; judges sentenced December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A biodiesel blending mandate funded by an export levy paid subsidies to palm groups; carbon credits were sold within the state oil group; a court later ordered compensation.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"biodiesel_subsidy_2015_2023_rp_tn","value":179,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2023,"note":"total 2015–2023"},{"key":"wilmar_subsidy_2015_2023_rp_tn","value":56.6,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2023,"note":"largest recipient, 2015–2023"},{"key":"wilmar_compensation_rp_tn","value":11.88,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2025,"note":"ordered by the Supreme Court"},{"key":"idxcarbon_first_day_tonnes","value":459953,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"sold on opening day, 26 September 2023"},{"key":"idxcarbon_first_day_value_rp_bn","value":29200000000,"unit":"rupiah","year":2023,"note":"value of opening-day sales"}],"legal":[{"title":"Crude palm oil export permit case: Wilmar compensation","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia (cassation); first instance in Jakarta","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Attorney General's Office (prosecution)","defendant":"Wilmar group companies","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"overturned","summary":"On 19 March 2025 the first-instance court released the Wilmar group from all charges. On 15 September 2025 the Supreme Court overturned that ruling on the prosecution's appeal and ordered the Wilmar group to pay Rp 11.88 trillion (IDN Financials; CNBC Indonesia). The three first-instance judges were convicted of bribery by the Jakarta Corruption Court in December 2025.","src":3}],"unknown":["Whether the Wilmar group has sought a judicial review of the Supreme Court ruling is not stated in the sources.","The outcome of any appeals by the convicted judges is not stated in the sources.","Monthly trading on the carbon exchange fell to eight tonnes in June 2025; this figure has no source URL in the material reviewed.","The share of the subsidy taken by five groups is attributed to Auriga without a source URL."],"sources":[{"t":"MA convicts Wilmar and orders IDR 11.8 trillion compensation","p":"IDN Financials","d":"2025-09","u":"https://www.idnfinancials.com/news/57481/ma-convicts-wilmar-and-orders-idr-11-8-trillion-compensation","type":"press"},{"t":"Judges charged in Indonesian bribery scandal after clearing palm oil giants of corruption","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-04-15","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/04/judges-charged-in-indonesian-bribery-scandal-after-clearing-palm-oil-giants-of-corruption/","type":"press"},{"t":"Jakarta court hands down stiff sentences to judges in CPO export bribery case","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2025-12-04","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/5759/financial-crimes/jakarta-court-hands-down-stiff-sentences-to-judges-in-cpo-export-bribery-case","type":"press"},{"t":"Wilmar bayar negara Rp11 T, 2 produsen ini nyicil wajib serahkan kebun","p":"CNBC Indonesia","d":"2025-10-21","u":"https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20251021083921-4-677749/wilmar-bayar-negara-rp11-t-2-produsen-ini-nyicil-wajib-serahkan-kebun","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"wilmar","role":"largest subsidy recipient; ordered to pay in the export case"},{"id":"pertamina","role":"sole seller on the carbon exchange's opening day"},{"id":"idxcarbon","role":"carbon exchange, opened 2023"},{"id":"auriga","role":"research source for the subsidy shares"}],"mechanism":"biodiesel subsidy, carbon exchange","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"The Wilmar group paid Rp 11.88 trillion, handed by the Attorney General to the Finance Minister on 20 October 2025 (CNBC Indonesia).","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Wilmar group has sought a judicial review of the Supreme Court ruling is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of any appeals by the convicted judges is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Monthly trading on the carbon exchange fell to eight tonnes in June 2025; this figure has no source URL in the material reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of the subsidy taken by five groups is attributed to Auriga without a source URL.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Wilmar and four other palm groups","No source link — Who gained: Pertamina affiliates and Pamapersada","No source link — Who lost: Taxpayers and the export levy fund","No source link — Who harmed: Smallholder palm growers and forests"]},{"id":"us-45q-carbon-capture-credit-and-eor-lobbying","tier":"short","title":"45Q lobby coalition's founding director was named to head DOE carbon office","dek":"The coalition that campaigned for the US 45Q carbon capture tax credit saw its founding director named to head the Energy Department's fossil and carbon management office in 2022. The 2025 law raised the oil recovery credit to match storage, and much captured CO2 is used to recover more oil.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Washington, D.C.","lat":38.9072,"lon":-77.0369,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":31,"lon":-100,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9072,"lon":-77.0369,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2025,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The coalition was founded in 2011 as the National Enhanced Oil Recovery Initiative and renamed the Carbon Capture Coalition in 2018, the year the FUTURE Act raised the credit to $35 per tonne for oil recovery and $50 for storage.","In April 2022 the coalition's founding director, Brad Crabtree, was confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the Energy Department, whose office ran carbon management programmes including direct air capture hubs (Carbon Capture Coalition).","In August 2023 the department allotted up to $500m to Occidental's South Texas direct air capture hub.","The July 2025 law cut wind and solar credits and raised the oil recovery credit from $60 to $85 per tonne, matching storage (World Oil)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The founding director of the coalition behind the 45Q credit was confirmed in 2022 to head the Energy Department office that administered carbon capture funds, the coalition reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Occidental","what":"Up to $500m of Energy Department support for its South Texas direct air capture hub, August 2023","src":null},{"who":"Oil producers using captured CO2 for oil recovery","what":"Credit raised to match storage in July 2025 (World Oil)","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"US taxpayers","what":"Fund the 45Q credit and Energy Department support","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States: Washington, D.C. (Energy Department) and Texas (Occidental hub).","src":null},"when":{"t":"Coalition founded 2011 and renamed 2018; appointment April 2022; oil recovery credit change July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A tax credit per tonne of captured CO2, with captured carbon largely used to recover more oil, and a coalition campaigning to expand the credit.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"eor_credit_usd_per_tonne","value":85,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"oil recovery credit after the July 2025 law; equal to storage and other uses"},{"key":"eor_credit_previous_usd_per_tonne","value":60,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"oil recovery credit before the July 2025 law"},{"key":"dac_credit_usd_per_tonne","value":180,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":2025,"note":"direct air capture credit"},{"key":"adnoc_storage_target_mt_per_year","value":5000000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2030,"note":"storage target; the company's products are about 495 million tonnes of emissions"},{"key":"exxon_low_carbon_spend_usd_bn_per_year","value":2.8,"unit":"USD billion per year","year":2027,"note":"low-carbon spending to 2027; about 5 percent of 2022 profit"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources record the programme link between the founding director and the department, not a personal role in the Occidental award.","Global Witness and CIEL figures (ADNOC's storage target, 475 lobbyists at COP28) are cited without a source URL in this record.","The 2011 and 2018 founding and renaming dates are not linked to a source URL in the material reviewed."],"sources":[{"t":"Carbon Capture Coalition statement on the confirmation of Brad Crabtree as Assistant Secretary of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management at the U.S. Department of Energy","p":"Carbon Capture Coalition","d":"2022-04-28","u":"https://carboncapturecoalition.org/blog/carbon-capture-coalition-statement-on-the-confirmation-of-brad-crabtree-as-assistant-secretary-of-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management-at-the-u-s-department-of-energy/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606173914/https://carboncapturecoalition.org/blog/carbon-capture-coalition-statement-on-the-confirmation-of-brad-crabtree-as-assistant-secretary-of-fossil-energy-and-carbon-management-at-the-u-s-department-of-energy/"},{"t":"45Q tax credit shift cuts E&P costs by 40%, says Enverus","p":"World Oil","d":"2025-07-29","u":"https://worldoil.com/news/2025/7/29/obba-45q-tax-credit-shift-cuts-e-p-costs-by-40-says-enverus/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260509235221/https://worldoil.com/news/2025/7/29/obba-45q-tax-credit-shift-cuts-e-p-costs-by-40-says-enverus/"}],"actors":[{"id":"carbon-capture-coalition","role":"campaign for the 45Q credit; founding director later appointed to DOE"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"administers carbon management funds"},{"id":"occidental","role":"recipient of DAC hub support, 2023"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"NGO whose 2023 figures are cited"}],"mechanism":"carbon capture tax credit","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources record the programme link between the founding director and the department, not a personal role in the Occidental award.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Global Witness and CIEL figures (ADNOC's storage target, 475 lobbyists at COP28) are cited without a source URL in this record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2011 and 2018 founding and renaming dates are not linked to a source URL in the material reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Occidental","No source link — Who lost: US taxpayers"]},{"id":"pakistan-2022-floods-loss-and-damage-payout","tier":"short","title":"Loss and damage fund has paid about 55% of its $822m pledges","dek":"Pakistan's 2022 floods were met with an $11bn pledge, and about $2.8bn had been paid, roughly half of it in credit unrelated to the floods. The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage had $822m pledged and about $449m paid, and no approval had been granted by October 2026.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":null,"lat":30.3753,"lon":69.3451,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.3753,"lon":69.3451,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage had $822m pledged by 15 March 2026 from 27 contributors, and about $449m, roughly 55 percent, had been paid by April 2026 (Climate Home News).","176 applications seek about $2.8bn; the start window was raised from $250m to $342m in July 2026, and first approvals were pushed to December 2026 (Climate Home News).","Records cited for this case show about $2.8bn paid against an $11bn pledge to Pakistan; roughly half of the $2.8bn was credit unrelated to the floods.","Damage in Pakistan exceeded $30bn, according to the cited sources.","A World Weather Attribution study of 14 September 2022 found that the five-day maximum rainfall in Sindh and Balochistan was about 75% more intense than it would have been without 1.2°C of warming, on observed trends (some models gave up to 50%), with large uncertainties. For the 60-day rainfall over the Indus basin, the study found the overall role of human-induced climate change could not be quantified."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Fund for responding to Loss and Damage had paid about 55 percent of its $822m in pledges, and first approvals were delayed to December 2026, Climate Home News reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Lenders","what":"About half of the $2.8bn paid to Pakistan was credit unrelated to the floods","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Flood-affected households in Pakistan","what":"Waited for the fund's first approvals; no approval had been granted by October 2026, according to the cited sources","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Pakistan","what":"Damage exceeded $30bn; about $2.8bn paid against an $11bn pledge","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Pakistan, affected by the 2022 floods.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Floods in 2022; fund pledges March 2026; start window raised July 2026; approvals pushed to December 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Compensation was channelled through pledges to a loss and damage fund, applications and a start window; part of the payment was credit.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"loss_damage_fund_pledges_usd_m","value":822,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"note":"pledged by 27 contributors, 15 March 2026"},{"key":"loss_damage_fund_paid_usd_m","value":449,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"note":"about 55% of pledges, paid by April 2026"},{"key":"fund_applications_usd_bn","value":2.8,"unit":"USD billion","year":2026,"note":"requested by 176 applications"},{"key":"pakistan_pledge_usd_bn","value":11,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"pledged to Pakistan"},{"key":"pakistan_paid_usd_bn","value":2.8,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"paid to Pakistan; about half was credit unrelated to the floods"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether the $11bn pledge to Pakistan was a binding commitment is not on record.","The split of the $2.8bn between grants and loans is not stated beyond the credit share.","The date and amount of Pakistan's own disbursements are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Loss and damage fund delays first project approvals as needs dwarf resources","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2026-07-10","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/07/10/loss-and-damage-fund-delays-first-project-approvals-as-needs-dwarf-resources/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012171747/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/07/10/loss-and-damage-fund-delays-first-project-approvals-as-needs-dwarf-resources/"},{"t":"Climate change likely increased extreme monsoon rainfall, flooding highly vulnerable communities in Pakistan","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2022-09-14","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-likely-increased-extreme-monsoon-rainfall-flooding-highly-vulnerable-communities-in-pakistan/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"frld","role":"fund for responding to loss and damage; pledges and approvals"},{"id":"pakistan-government","role":"recipient of pledges and payments"}],"mechanism":"loss and damage fund","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the $11bn pledge to Pakistan was a binding commitment is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The split of the $2.8bn between grants and loans is not stated beyond the credit share.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date and amount of Pakistan's own disbursements are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Lenders","No source link — Who lost: Flood-affected households in Pakistan","No source link — Who harmed: Pakistan"]},{"id":"hudson-river-pcb-dredging-and-ge-s-let-nature-clean-up-campa","tier":"short","title":"GE ran a 'Let Nature Clean Up the Hudson' campaign against EPA dredging","dek":"General Electric discharged about 1 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River, and dredging removed contaminated sediment from 2009 to 2015. Fish advisories remain, so the stake for nature is the river's fish and sediment recovery.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":43.1,"lon":-73.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.1,"lon":-73.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2015,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The sources record that General Electric released about 1 million pounds (450 tons) of PCBs into the Hudson River from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s.","While EPA debated dredging, GE ran advertising on Albany bus shelters and highway billboards reading 'Let Nature Clean Up the Hudson, Not the EPA'. Its deputy argued that dredging would not help fish more than natural recovery.","Dredging from 2009 to 2015 removed 2.75 million cubic yards of sediment and 310,000 pounds of PCBs, which the sources describe as twice the expected amount.","New York State sued EPA in 2019 after EPA gave GE a completion certificate, saying the fish had not recovered as the 2002 decision predicted (WAMC, 21 August 2019)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"GE opposed EPA's plan to dredge PCB-contaminated sediment from the Hudson, and dredging went ahead from 2009 to 2015 under a federal Superfund decision.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"General Electric","what":"Its lobbying team included former Senate majority leader George Mitchell and former congressman Gerald Solomon. NBC president and GE vice-chair Robert Wright met New York city council members about a dredging bill.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents and anglers who eat Hudson fish","what":"Fish consumption advisories remain in place after the dredging.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hudson River, New York State, United States; dredging took place in the upper river.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Discharges from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s; EPA decision in February 2002; dredging 2009 to 2015; New York lawsuit in 2019.","src":null},"why":{"t":"GE's deputy argued that dredging would not produce better results for fish than natural recovery (KR3-74).","src":null},"how":{"t":"A federal Superfund process, with GE's advertising and lobbying against dredging. Dredging was carried out from 2009 to 2015, and New York State sued EPA in 2019.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"pcb_discharged_pounds","value":1000000,"unit":"pounds","year":null,"note":"About 1 million pounds (450 tons), discharged from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s"},{"key":"pcb_removed_pounds","value":310000,"unit":"pounds","year":2015,"note":"Removed during dredging, 2009 to 2015; about twice the expected amount"},{"key":"sediment_removed_cubic_yards","value":2750000,"unit":"cubic yards","year":2015,"note":"Dredged 2009 to 2015"},{"key":"ge_campaign_spend_usd_m","value":10,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"GE's chief executive reported 10 to 15 million dollars spent on the campaign; lower figure shown"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: EPA's 2024 five-year review said reaching the fish target would take more than 50 years of natural recovery after dredging.","None on record: the total cost of the Hudson cleanup.","None on record: how often the natural-recovery remedy is chosen nationally."],"sources":[{"t":"Article by R. Pollak on GE and the Hudson River","p":"The Nation","d":"2001-05-10","u":"https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/ge-mightier-hudson/tnamp/","type":"press"},{"t":"NY sues EPA over Hudson River cleanup decision","p":"WAMC","d":"2019-08-21","u":"https://www.wamc.org/new-york-news/2019-08-21/ny-sues-epa-over-hudson-river-cleanup-decision","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250709001259/https://www.wamc.org/new-york-news/2019-08-21/ny-sues-epa-over-hudson-river-cleanup-decision"}],"actors":[{"id":"general-electric","role":"Company that discharged PCBs and opposed dredging"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator that ordered and certified the dredging"},{"id":"new-york-state","role":"Sued EPA in 2019 over the cleanup"}],"mechanism":"PCB sediment dredging","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"General Electric released about 1 million pounds of PCBs into me from the late 1940s to the mid-1970s; dredging from 2009 to 2015 removed 310,000 pounds.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: EPA's 2024 five-year review said reaching the fish target would take more than 50 years of natural recovery after dredging.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the total cost of the Hudson cleanup.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how often the natural-recovery remedy is chosen nationally.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Residents and anglers who eat Hudson fish"]},{"id":"little-bay-islands-village-closure","tier":"short","title":"Newfoundland pays residents to leave Little Bay Islands, a dwindling fishing village","dek":"Newfoundland and Labrador's relocation programme offered C$250,000 to C$270,000 per household to leave outport villages after the 1992 cod moratorium. Nature's stake: the cod stocks behind the moratorium and the coastal land left empty.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Newfoundland and Labrador","lat":49.6,"lon":-55.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":49.6,"lon":-55.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":1992,"end":2019,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The Globe and Mail reported in September 2017 that Little Bay Islands, a Notre Dame Bay village that once had about 600 people, 11 shops, three churches, a school and a doctor, had 38 people left that year, most of them elderly.","The decline began with the 1992 cod moratorium. The fish plant closed in 2011 and the school in 2018 (Globe and Mail).","Under the provincial scheme a village vote needed 90% approval, and households were offered C$250,000 to C$270,000 each to relocate (Globe and Mail).","The province estimated that relocating the village would save about C$3.8 million over 20 years (Globe and Mail)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Newfoundland and Labrador's relocation programme paid households to leave Little Bay Islands, a fishing village down to 38 people by 2017.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","what":"Its own cost-benefit calculation estimated a saving of about C$3.8 million over 20 years from relocating the village.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Village residents","what":"Under the 2021 rules, services such as electricity are cut after relocation, and people who are not permanent residents receive no payment.","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Little Bay Islands, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.","src":null},"when":{"t":"The cod moratorium began in July 1992. The Globe and Mail report is dated 15 September 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The province's own cost-benefit calculation put the saving at about C$3.8 million over 20 years (Globe and Mail).","src":0},"how":{"t":"A village vote with a 90% threshold, then per-household payments of C$250,000 to C$270,000. The province ran the programme; the sources do not show a separate budget line for it.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"population_before_decline","value":600,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Approximate former population, per the Globe and Mail"},{"key":"population_2017","value":38,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Mostly elderly residents remaining"},{"key":"relocation_payment_max_cad","value":270000,"unit":"CAD per household","year":2021,"note":"Current maximum; 250,000 and 260,000 also apply by household size"},{"key":"province_saving_20yr_cad_m","value":3.8,"unit":"CAD million","year":2017,"note":"Province's 20-year saving estimate for Little Bay Islands"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the village closed at the end of 2019, and a 2015 vote on relocation fell just below the 90% threshold (89.47%) before the village later closed.","Unconfirmed: the commercial cod fishery reopened on 26 June 2024, on a model that placed the stock outside the critical area.","None on record: whether future costs such as ferry, electricity and health services were discounted to present value in the savings calculation."],"sources":[{"t":"Newfoundland outports relocation","p":"The Globe and Mail","d":"2017-09-15","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/newfoundland-outports-relocation/article36275746/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"nl-government","role":"Ran and paid for the relocation programme"}],"mechanism":"village relocation payments","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["northern-cod-collapse"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the village closed at the end of 2019, and a 2015 vote on relocation fell just below the 90% threshold (89.47%) before the village later closed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the commercial cod fishery reopened on 26 June 2024, on a model that placed the stock outside the critical area.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether future costs such as ferry, electricity and health services were discounted to present value in the savings calculation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Who lost: Village residents"]},{"id":"danone-unilever-bp-sustainability-reversals","tier":"short","title":"Danone, Unilever and BP scaled back sustainability goals between 2021 and 2025","dek":"Danone replaced its chief executive, Unilever withdrew a plastic target and BP cut its low-carbon spending. Nature's stake: the plastic and emissions goals that were meant to reduce pressure on ecosystems.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":"","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["ESM Magazine reported that Danone's chief executive Emmanuel Faber, who had written social and environmental goals into the company's articles, was removed on 15 March 2021 after activist investor pressure. The sources cite share and sales performance as the reason.","Unilever withdrew a plastic reduction target in April 2024, replacing a goal of 50% with goals of 30% and 40% (KR4-92).","On 26 February 2025 BP cut its low-carbon investment to 1.5 to 2 billion dollars a year and put 10 billion dollars into oil and gas, during pressure from the activist fund Elliott, after a 2020 target to cut oil production by 40% (KR4-93).","A duty-of-vigilance lawsuit against Danone over its plastic use was settled with a commitment to add plastic risk to the company's vigilance plan, with no binding reduction path (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Three companies that had promoted sustainability targets changed course between 2021 and 2025, and the sources record changes of leadership or targets at the same time.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BP","what":"Allocated 10 billion dollars to oil and gas after cutting low-carbon investment (KR4-93).","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global. Danone is a French company; Unilever and BP are listed in the United Kingdom.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Danone chief executive removed 15 March 2021; Unilever target withdrawn April 2024; BP investment cut 26 February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources record share performance, the pandemic and cost pressure alongside the target changes, and do not establish a single cause.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Board changes, target withdrawals and capital allocation decisions, with activist investor pressure at Danone and BP.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"bp_production_cut_target_pct","value":40,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"note":"2020 target to cut oil and gas production"},{"key":"bp_oil_gas_allocation_usd_bn","value":10,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Allocated to oil and gas"},{"key":"bp_low_carbon_investment_usd_bn_per_year","value":1.5,"unit":"USD billion per year","year":2025,"note":"Lower bound of the 1.5 to 2 billion dollar range"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: a causal link between the sustainability targets and the leadership changes. The sources record them in the same period."],"sources":[{"t":"Danone confirms ousting of Faber as chairman and CEO after activist pressure","p":"ESM Magazine","d":"2021-03-15","u":"https://www.esmmagazine.com/danone/danone-confirms-ousting-of-faber-as-chairman-and-ceo-after-activist-pressure-125178","type":"press"},{"t":"France: Danone settles dispute with environmental groups over its plastic usage","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/it/ultime-notizie/france-danone-settles-dispute-with-environmental-groups-over-its-plastic-usage/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260103080417/https://www.business-humanrights.org/it/ultime-notizie/france-danone-settles-dispute-with-environmental-groups-over-its-plastic-usage/"}],"actors":[{"id":"danone","role":"Company whose chief executive was removed in 2021"},{"id":"unilever","role":"Company that withdrew a plastic reduction target in 2024"},{"id":"bp","role":"Oil company that cut low-carbon investment in 2025"},{"id":"elliott-management","role":"Activist investor pressing BP"}],"mechanism":"sustainability target reversals","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: a causal link between the sustainability targets and the leadership changes. The sources record them in the same period.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: BP"]},{"id":"kivalina-v-exxonmobil-and-village-relocation","tier":"short","title":"Kivalina village in Alaska still awaits relocation after 2008 suit against ExxonMobil","dek":"Kivalina, an Inupiat village on a thin barrier island in Alaska, has lost much of its land to erosion while relocation stalled. Its 2008 damages suit against ExxonMobil and other large emitters was dismissed. Nature's stake: the island's shrinking coastline.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":67.73,"lon":-164.56,"role":"event"}],"lat":67.73,"lon":-164.56,"approxCoords":true,"start":1992,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The NOAA Climate Toolkit reports that Kivalina had 440 people in 2018, and that its settlement area fell from 54 acres in 1953 to below 27 acres.","The village decided to relocate in 1992. In 2006 the US Army Corps of Engineers estimated that erosion and flooding would overtake the settlement within 10 to 15 years, and that relocation would cost 95 to 125 million dollars (NOAA Climate Toolkit; Audubon, 2015).","In 2008 the village sued ExxonMobil and 23 other large emitters for up to 400 million dollars. The suit was dismissed, and the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in May 2013 (KR5-94).","A roughly 13 km evacuation road opened in November 2020, and a new school on higher ground opened in November 2022. Later estimates of relocation cost are reported at 250 to 400 million dollars, and a 115 million dollar federal fund for 11 Indigenous communities did not include Kivalina (The Conversation; Down To Earth, 27 April 2023)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kivalina, an Inupiat village in Alaska, is losing land to coastal erosion. The village sued ExxonMobil and 23 other large emitters in 2008, and the suit was dismissed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil shareholders","what":"ExxonMobil reported record profits in the years when warnings were issued, and paid 36.0 billion dollars to shareholders in 2024 (KR5-82).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Kivalina residents","what":"The settlement area shrank from 54 acres in 1953 to below 27 acres, and the village remains on the island.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kivalina, Alaska, United States: a thin barrier island in the Chukchi Sea, about 130 km north of the Arctic Circle.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Relocation decided in 1992; Army Corps estimate in 2006; lawsuit filed in 2008; Supreme Court declined review in May 2013; road opened in November 2020; school opened in November 2022.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The village cites coastal erosion and flooding as the reason for relocating (NOAA Climate Toolkit; Audubon, 2015).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Relocation sites chosen in 1998 and 2000 were not approved by the Army Corps of Engineers. A stone wall built in 2008 slowed erosion but did not stop floods (NOAA Climate Toolkit).","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"kivalina_population_2018","value":440,"unit":"people","year":2018,"note":"About 98% Inupiat"},{"key":"settlement_area_acres_1953","value":54,"unit":"acres","year":1953,"note":"Settlement area in 1953"},{"key":"settlement_area_acres_later","value":27,"unit":"acres","year":null,"note":"Area fell below 27 acres; date not given"},{"key":"relocation_cost_estimate_usd_m","value":95,"unit":"USD million","year":2006,"note":"Army Corps estimate; range 95 to 125 million"},{"key":"lawsuit_damages_sought_usd_m","value":400,"unit":"USD million","year":2008,"note":"Sought from 24 large emitters, up to this amount"}],"legal":[{"title":"Kivalina v. ExxonMobil","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Village of Kivalina","defendant":"ExxonMobil and other large emitters","filed":2008,"decided":null,"status":"dismissed","summary":"Suit for relocation costs of up to 400 million dollars against 24 large emitters. Dismissed; the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in May 2013.","src":2}],"unknown":["Conflicting estimates: relocation is put at 95 to 125 million dollars (2006 Army Corps estimate) and at 250 to 400 million dollars (later estimate).","None on record: the relocation site and funding status for 2024 to 2026. The most recent source read is dated 2023."],"sources":[{"t":"Relocating the village of Kivalina, Alaska due to coastal erosion","p":"NOAA Climate Toolkit","d":"","u":"https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-study/relocating-village-kivalina-alaska-due-coastal-erosion","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260720074852/https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-study/relocating-village-kivalina-alaska-due-coastal-erosion"},{"t":"Arctic sea ice loss and fierce storms leave Kivalina's volunteer search and rescue fighting to protect their island from climate disasters","p":"Down To Earth (The Conversation)","d":"2023-04-27","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/arctic-sea-ice-loss-and-fierce-storms-leave-kivalina-s-volunteer-search-and-rescue-fighting-to-protect-their-island-from-climate-disasters-88993","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813044043/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change/arctic-sea-ice-loss-and-fierce-storms-leave-kivalina-s-volunteer-search-and-rescue-fighting-to-protect-their-island-from-climate-disasters-88993"},{"t":"Native Village of Kivalina v. ExxonMobil Corp. (case entry)","p":"Climate Case Chart (Sabin Center for Climate Change Law)","d":"2013-05","u":"https://climatecasechart.com/case/native-village-of-kivalina-v-exxonmobil-corp/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"kivalina-village","role":"Plaintiff village; relocation not yet carried out"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Defendant in the 2008 suit"},{"id":"us-army-corps-of-engineers","role":"Federal engineers who estimated erosion timelines and relocation costs"}],"mechanism":"climate damages lawsuit","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The settlement area of Kivalina on my barrier island fell from 54 acres in 1953 to below 27 acres, the NOAA Climate Toolkit reports.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting estimates: relocation is put at 95 to 125 million dollars (2006 Army Corps estimate) and at 250 to 400 million dollars (later estimate).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the relocation site and funding status for 2024 to 2026. The most recent source read is dated 2023.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who gained: ExxonMobil shareholders"]},{"id":"conservation-international-and-walmart-walton-foundation-fun","tier":"short","title":"Walton family grants and board ties link Conservation International to Walmart","dek":"Walton family grants and board seats connect a conservation group to the retailer's former chair and to a seafood certifier the foundation funds. Nature's stake: wildlife parks in Africa, where the sources record rights and funding disputes.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CG","admin":"Odzala-Kokoua","lat":0.6,"lon":14.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":-77.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2001,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The Walton Family Foundation gave 71.8 million dollars for environmental work in 2010. The largest recipients were Conservation International (18.64 million), The Nature Conservancy (9.3 million), EDF (7.09 million) and the Marine Stewardship Council (4.5 million).","Walmart's corporate site presents Rob Walton, its board chair from 1992 to 2015, as chair of Conservation International's executive committee (Walmart corporate site).","Survival International alleged abuses at Odzala-Kokoua, where African Parks commissioned an investigation. In May 2025 African Parks acknowledged that human rights violations had occurred in some incidents, but the report was not published (YK6-05, YK6-06).","African Parks said Prince Harry would conclude his board tenure, effective 30 September 2026 (African Parks)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A network of foundation grants and board seats links Conservation International, African Parks and the Walton family, including Rob Walton, Walmart's former board chair.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Conservation International","what":"Received 18.64 million dollars from the Walton Family Foundation's 2010 environmental grants.","src":null},{"who":"Marine Stewardship Council","what":"Received 4.5 million dollars from the same grants. The sources say the grants began in the year the council agreed to certify some Walmart seafood (KR7-21).","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Communities at Odzala-Kokoua","what":"Survival International alleges abuses there. The investigation report has not been published, so the sources do not show which allegations were confirmed.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"A Baka woman","what":"Survival International alleges she has not received a 1,300 pound compensation award ordered by a court.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States, where the foundation made its 2010 grants; Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of the Congo.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Ford's business centre at Conservation International, 2001; Walton grants, 2010; Survival International allegations, June 2023; Prince Harry's board exit effective 30 September 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Grants, board seats and fund matches. The Rob and Melani Walton Foundation gave 100 million dollars in 2021; 75 million went to a permanent endowment and part was set aside as a Legacy Landscapes Fund match for Odzala-Kokoua and a park in Angola (YK6-12).","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"walton_env_grants_2010_usd_m","value":71.8,"unit":"USD million","year":2010,"note":"Walton Family Foundation environmental grants"},{"key":"ci_walton_grant_2010_usd_m","value":18.64,"unit":"USD million","year":2010,"note":"Largest recipient"},{"key":"msc_walton_grant_2010_usd_m","value":4.5,"unit":"USD million","year":2010,"note":"Marine Stewardship Council"},{"key":"ford_ci_business_centre_usd_m","value":25,"unit":"USD million","year":2001,"note":"Over five years; the centre's board was chaired by Rob Walton"},{"key":"walton_2021_pledge_usd_m","value":100,"unit":"USD million","year":2021,"note":"Rob and Melani Walton Foundation; 75 million to a permanent endowment"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Conflicting sources: the African Parks biography says Rob Walton serves on the Conservation International board, while Conservation International's board page lists him only as emeritus.","Unconfirmed: Prince Harry's role in a 1 billion dollar campaign launched in Davos in May 2026. The sources found no independent record of the campaign.","None on record: the Odzala-Kokoua investigation report, which was not published."],"sources":[{"t":"Rob Walton, board of directors","p":"Walmart","d":"","u":"https://corporate.walmart.com/about/board-of-directors/rob-walton","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907062929/https://corporate.walmart.com/about/board-of-directors/rob-walton"},{"t":"African Parks announces governance refresh of its board","p":"African Parks","d":"","u":"https://africanparks.org/african-parks-announces-governance-refresh-its-board","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260829184458/https://www.africanparks.org/african-parks-announces-governance-refresh-its-board"}],"actors":[{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Conservation group; Rob Walton listed on its executive committee"},{"id":"walmart","role":"Retailer whose former chair is linked to the grants"},{"id":"walton-family-foundation","role":"Funder of environmental grants, including to MSC and Conservation International"},{"id":"african-parks","role":"Park manager at Odzala-Kokoua; subject of the investigation"},{"id":"msc","role":"Certifier that received Walton grants"}],"mechanism":"foundation grants and board ties","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Conflicting sources: the African Parks biography says Rob Walton serves on the Conservation International board, while Conservation International's board page lists him only as emeritus.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Prince Harry's role in a 1 billion dollar campaign launched in Davos in May 2026. The sources found no independent record of the campaign.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the Odzala-Kokoua investigation report, which was not published.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Conservation International","No source link — Who gained: Marine Stewardship Council","No source link — Who lost: Communities at Odzala-Kokoua","No source link — Who harmed: A Baka woman"]},{"id":"totalenergies-carbon-neutrality-greenwashing-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Paris court finds TotalEnergies' 2050 carbon-neutral claim misleading","dek":"A Paris court ruled in October 2025 that TotalEnergies' claim to be carbon neutral by 2050 misled consumers, while its production was rising. Nature's stake: whether carbon-neutral claims rest on emissions that continue.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","lat":48.8566,"lon":2.3522,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.8566,"lon":2.3522,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["The Paris Judicial Court found on 23 October 2025 that TotalEnergies' claim of carbon neutrality by 2050 was misleading to consumers (ESG Today).","The court fined each sanctioned entity 8,000 euros and awarded 15,000 euros in costs. Le Club des Juristes described the sanction as partial (ESG Today; Le Club des Juristes).","Columbia's Sabin Center wrote that the court found the claim misleading while the company's production was rising (Columbia Sabin Center).","The court treated the company's gas and farm-fuel messages as corporate communication rather than advertising."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Paris Judicial Court ruled that TotalEnergies' 2050 carbon-neutral claim misled consumers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"Continued to make the claim until the ruling, while its production was rising (Columbia Sabin Center).","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Consumers","what":"The court found that the claim misled them (ESG Today).","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Paris, France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling dated 23 October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A ruling by the Paris Judicial Court on the company's communications. The court held that the claim misled, and that gas and farm-fuel messages were corporate communication, not advertising (Le Club des Juristes).","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_per_entity_eur","value":8000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"Per sanctioned entity"},{"key":"costs_awarded_eur","value":15000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"Costs awarded"}],"legal":[{"title":"Carbon neutrality claim ruling","forum":"Paris Judicial Court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"TotalEnergies","filed":null,"decided":2025,"status":"unknown","summary":"The court found the claim of carbon neutrality by 2050 misleading and partly sanctioned the company, according to Le Club des Juristes. Compensation was not stated.","src":0}],"unknown":["None on record: compensation. The sources state no damages figure.","None on record: the identity of the claimant.","None on record: the company's response to the ruling."],"sources":[{"t":"French court rules TotalEnergies misled consumers with climate claims","p":"ESG Today","d":"2025-10-23","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/french-court-rules-totalenergies-misled-consumers-with-climate-claims/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260527182544/https://www.esgtoday.com/french-court-rules-totalenergies-misled-consumers-with-climate-claims/"},{"t":"Le tribunal de Paris sanctionne partiellement TotalEnergies pour écoblanchiment","p":"Le Club des Juristes","d":"2025-10-23","u":"https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/le-tribunal-de-paris-sanctionne-partiellement-totalenergies-pour-ecoblanchiment-12612/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306052538/https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/le-tribunal-de-paris-sanctionne-partiellement-totalenergies-pour-ecoblanchiment-12612/"},{"t":"Greenwashing on trial: the Paris tribunal finds TotalEnergies misled consumers with its carbon neutrality claims","p":"Columbia Sabin Center, Climate Law Blog","d":"2025-12-16","u":"https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/12/16/greenwashing-on-trial-the-paris-tribunal-finds-totalenergies-misled-consumers-with-its-carbon-neutrality-claims/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010162946/https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/12/16/greenwashing-on-trial-the-paris-tribunal-finds-TotalEnergies-misled-consumers-with-its-carbon-neutrality-claims/"}],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Company found to have misled consumers"},{"id":"paris-judicial-court","role":"Court that ruled on the claim"}],"mechanism":"carbon neutrality claim ruling","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Carbon neutrality claim ruling: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: compensation. The sources state no damages figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the identity of the claimant.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the company's response to the ruling.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"amazon-indigenous-territory-titling-and-deforestation","tier":"short","title":"Indigenous land registration cut Amazon deforestation; recent Brazilian rulings reverse course","dek":"Full legal registration of Indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon was linked to lower deforestation. In 2025 clearing rose in some territories, and courts and Congress were still disputing the cut-off rule for land claims.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Amazon region","lat":-3.4,"lon":-60,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.4,"lon":-60,"approxCoords":true,"start":2005,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Baragwanath and Bayi (2020) studied 245 Indigenous territories and found that full legal registration cut annual deforestation at the border from about 3% to about 1%; territories whose registration was incomplete showed no effect.","Funai reported that clearing in Indigenous territories fell 25% in 2025, to 30,128 hectares from 40,178, while clearing in the Batelão territory in Mato Grosso rose from 5.5 to 567 hectares.","In December 2025 the Supreme Court again held the 2023 time-limit law unconstitutional, with one dissenting vote, according to Mayer Brown.","On 9 December 2025 the Senate approved constitutional amendment PEC 48/2023 by 52 votes to 14 and 52 to 15, setting 5 October 1988 as the cut-off date and providing preliminary compensation for occupiers."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Registering Indigenous territories was linked to lower deforestation, but clearing rose in some territories and courts and Congress disputed the land-claim cut-off in 2025","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Soy, cotton and maize farms","what":"hold the Batelão territory land","src":0},{"who":"Natura","what":"bought REDD+ credits from the Paiter Suruí scheme in 2013","src":null},{"who":"FIFA","what":"bought Paiter Suruí credits to offset 2014 World Cup emissions","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Loggers, miners and land occupiers on Indigenous land","what":"lose gains as Indigenous land is protected, per the reviewed material","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Guajajara people","what":"81 Guajajara were killed in Maranhão between 1991 and 2023, and no perpetrator was prosecuted","src":null},{"who":"Forest on the Paiter Suruí territory","what":"clearing exceeded the permitted limit by 256% in 2017; the scheme was suspended in 2018","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Amazon region of Brazil, including Mato Grosso, Roraima and Maranhão","src":null},"when":{"t":"Registration study covers 1982–2016; Supreme Court ruling December 2025; Senate vote 9 December 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Legal registration of Indigenous land and limits on outside entry; Indigenous patrols; REDD+ credit sales; a legal dispute over the 1988 cut-off date","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"indigenous_land_clearing_2025_ha","value":30128,"unit":"hectares","year":2025,"note":"Funai, Indigenous territories"},{"key":"indigenous_land_clearing_2024_ha","value":40178,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"Funai, Indigenous territories"},{"key":"batelao_clearing_2025_ha","value":567,"unit":"hectares","year":2025,"note":"Batelão territory, up from 5.5 hectares"},{"key":"illegal_miners_yanomami","value":20000,"unit":"miners (more than)","year":null,"note":"entered Yanomami territory, 2021–2023"},{"key":"guajajara_killed","value":81,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Maranhão, 1991–2023; no perpetrator prosecuted"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Supreme Court ruled 9 votes to 2 against the time limit in 2023, and Congress wrote the rule into law a week later.","Unconfirmed: the COP30 announcement that ten Indigenous territories would be recognised.","Unconfirmed: BenYishay and colleagues (2017) found no measurable effect of recognition, because deforestation was already low in those territories.","Unconfirmed: Funai said 297 Indigenous territories would be left unprotected under the 2025 licensing law.","The Amazonas REDD concessions of May 2024 (21 concessions over 11.9 million hectares, 483 communities not consulted) are in the reviewed material but are not in the happened section."],"sources":[{"t":"Mongabay: Funai and MapBiomas deforestation data for Brazil's Amazon","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-06-12","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/amazon-deforestation-declines-as-brazil-reduces-forest-loss-nationwide/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825154604/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/06/amazon-deforestation-declines-as-brazil-reduces-forest-loss-nationwide/"},{"t":"Mayer Brown: Brazil Supreme Court ruling on the Indigenous time-limit doctrine","p":"Mayer Brown","d":"2026-01","u":"https://www.mayerbrown.com/pt/insights/publications/2026/01/brazils-supreme-court-concludes-ruling-on-the-indigenous-time-limit-doctrine","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308010230/https://www.mayerbrown.com/pt/insights/publications/2026/01/brazils-supreme-court-concludes-ruling-on-the-indigenous-time-limit-doctrine"},{"t":"Senado Notícias: PEC on the time-limit doctrine approved in two rounds","p":"Senado Federal (Brazil)","d":"2025-12-09","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/12/09/aprovada-em-dois-turnos-pec-do-marco-temporal-vai-a-camara","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609155811/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/12/09/aprovada-em-dois-turnos-pec-do-marco-temporal-vai-a-camara"}],"actors":[{"id":"funai","role":"Brazil's Indigenous affairs agency; source of the 2025 clearing figures"},{"id":"natura","role":"bought REDD+ credits from the Paiter Suruí scheme"},{"id":"fifa","role":"bought Paiter Suruí credits for 2014 World Cup emissions"}],"mechanism":"Indigenous land titling and REDD+ credit sales","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Funai reported 30,128 hectares of my forest cleared in Indigenous territories in 2025, down 25% from 40,178 hectares; in the Batelão territory clearing rose from 5.5 to 567 hectares.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Supreme Court ruled 9 votes to 2 against the time limit in 2023, and Congress wrote the rule into law a week later.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the COP30 announcement that ten Indigenous territories would be recognised.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: BenYishay and colleagues (2017) found no measurable effect of recognition, because deforestation was already low in those territories.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Funai said 297 Indigenous territories would be left unprotected under the 2025 licensing law.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Amazonas REDD concessions of May 2024 (21 concessions over 11.9 million hectares, 483 communities not consulted) are in the reviewed material but are not in the happened section.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Natura","No source link — Who gained: FIFA","No source link — Who lost: Loggers, miners and land occupiers on Indigenous land","No source link — Who harmed: Guajajara people","No source link — Who harmed: Forest on the Paiter Suruí territory"]},{"id":"basel-convention-plastic-waste-amendments","tier":"short","title":"Basel plastic waste rules took effect in 2021; UK waste exports to Türkiye rose again in 2023","dek":"The 2019 Basel plastic waste amendments, in force since January 2021, put mixed plastic waste under prior consent. UK exports to Türkiye reached 141 million kg in 2023, up from 88 million kg in 2022.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.1,"role":"exporter"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":39.9,"lon":32.9,"role":"importer"}],"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2023,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["The Basel Convention plastic waste amendments were adopted at COP-14 (29 April–10 May 2019) and entered into force on 1 January 2021, requiring prior consent for mixed plastic waste while exempting plastic that is almost free of contamination and destined for environmentally sound recycling.","Greenpeace UK reported in 2021 that 209,642 tonnes of UK plastic waste went to Türkiye in 2020, almost 40% of UK plastic waste exports.","The Basel Action Network, citing UN Comtrade data, reported UK exports to Türkiye of 141 million kg in 2023, against 88 million kg in 2022.","Recoup reported that more than 25% of England's 600,000-plus tonnes of plastic waste exports went to Türkiye in 2023."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Basel amendments put mixed plastic waste under prior consent; UK exports of plastic waste to Türkiye continued","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"From the United Kingdom to Türkiye","src":1},"when":{"t":"Adopted 2019; in force 2021; export figures 2020–2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Prior informed consent under the Basel Convention for listed plastic waste; export volumes from UN Comtrade data","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"uk_plastic_waste_exports_turkey_2020","value":209642,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"Greenpeace UK"},{"key":"uk_exports_turkey_2022","value":88000000,"unit":"kg","year":2022,"note":"UN Comtrade via Basel Action Network"},{"key":"uk_exports_turkey_2023","value":141000000,"unit":"kg","year":2023,"note":"UN Comtrade via Basel Action Network"},{"key":"countries_adopted_amendments","value":187,"unit":"countries","year":2019,"note":"adopted the plastic waste amendments"},{"key":"plastic_waste_trade_change_both_ratified","value":72,"unit":"percent fall (approximately)","year":null,"note":"structural gravity model 1995–2024, when both countries ratified"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the conditions for later lifting the non-OECD ban.","The cited sources do not say whether UK exports to Türkiye complied with the prior consent rule.","The cited sources do not name who gains from the UK-to-Türkiye trade.","The Recoup figure has no source URL in the reviewed material."],"sources":[{"t":"Basel Convention: Plastic Waste Amendments overview","p":"Basel Convention Secretariat","d":"","u":"https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/PlasticWasteAmendments/Overview/tabid/8426/Default.aspx","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402154539/https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/PlasticWasteAmendments/Overview/tabid/8426/Default.aspx"},{"t":"Trashed: UK plastic waste exports (Greenpeace UK)","p":"The Ecologist","d":"2021-05-17","u":"https://theecologist.org/2021/may/17/plastic-waste-crisis-turkey","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616095009/https://theecologist.org/2021/may/17/plastic-waste-crisis-turkey"},{"t":"UK export data annual summary (UN Comtrade)","p":"Basel Action Network","d":"2023","u":"https://ban.org/plastic-waste-project-hub/trade-data/uk-export-data-annual-summary","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251121170142/https://www.ban.org/plastic-waste-project-hub/trade-data/uk-export-data-annual-summary"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"prior informed consent for plastic waste trade","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"UK plastic waste shipped to me in Türkiye rose from 88 million kg in 2022 to 141 million kg in 2023, per UN Comtrade data cited by the Basel Action Network.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the conditions for later lifting the non-OECD ban.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether UK exports to Türkiye complied with the prior consent rule.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name who gains from the UK-to-Türkiye trade.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Recoup figure has no source URL in the reviewed material.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jbic-vung-ang-2-coal-plant-financing","tier":"short","title":"Japan's JBIC financed Vietnam's Vung Ang 2 coal plant from an environment-labelled fund","dek":"The Japan Bank for International Cooperation provided $636 million for the Vung Ang 2 coal plant in Vietnam from a fund whose name refers to environmental protection. Japan had also pressed for exceptions to the G7's 2021 coal pledge.","country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":null,"lat":18.1,"lon":106.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":18.1,"lon":106.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2021,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) provided $636 million for the Vung Ang 2 coal plant in Vietnam from a fund whose name includes environmental protection, according to Climate Home News.","Japan pressed for exceptions to be added to the G7's 2021 pledge on coal, Climate Home News reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"JBIC provided $636m for the Vung Ang 2 coal plant in Vietnam through an environment-labelled fund","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Developers of the Vung Ang 2 coal plant","what":"financed with JBIC funds; the developers are not named in the reviewed material","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Vung Ang, Vietnam","src":null},"when":{"t":"Financing reported for 2020–2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Public Japanese bank finance, drawn from a fund named after environmental protection","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"jbic_finance_usd_million","value":636000000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"JBIC finance for Vung Ang 2, reported for 2020–2021"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the plant's capacity of 1,200 MW.","This item is unconfirmed.","The current status of JBIC's Batang, Vung Ang 2, Indramayu and Matarbari 2 projects is not known from the reviewed material."],"sources":[{"t":"Climate Home News report on JBIC financing of Vung Ang 2 coal plant","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2021-01-19","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/01/19/exclusive-japan-uses-environmental-fund-finance-vietnamese-coal-plant/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250618213349/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2021/01/19/exclusive-japan-uses-environmental-fund-finance-vietnamese-coal-plant/"}],"actors":[{"id":"jbic","role":"state-backed bank that provided the $636 million"}],"mechanism":"public export-credit finance for coal, environment-labelled fund","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A coal plant on me, Vung Ang 2 in Vietnam, was financed with $636 million from a fund whose name includes environmental protection, Climate Home News reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the plant's capacity of 1,200 MW.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"This item is unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The current status of JBIC's Batang, Vung Ang 2, Indramayu and Matarbari 2 projects is not known from the reviewed material.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"santos-moomba-ccs-and-accu-credits","tier":"short","title":"Santos's Moomba CCS stores 2 million tonnes and earns 1.19 million carbon credits","dek":"Santos's Moomba carbon capture and storage operation in South Australia stored about 2 million tonnes of CO2 in 18 months and had earned over 1.19 million Australian carbon credits (ACCUs) by September 2025. The reviewed material does not say whether the stored volume was independently verified.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"South Australia","lat":-28.1,"lon":140.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":-28.1,"lon":140.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["Santos said its Moomba operation had stored about 2 million tonnes of CO2 over 18 months and had earned more than 1.19 million ACCUs by September 2025.","Santos presented Moomba as an opportunity for Australia to become the region's carbon storage power."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"CO2 from gas processing is stored underground at Moomba, and Santos earns ACCU credits","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Santos","what":"earned more than 1.19 million ACCUs, Australian carbon credits issued by the state","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Moomba gas-processing site, South Australia","src":null},"when":{"t":"Storage reported for 2024–2026; credits to September 2025; company statement 20 May 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"CO2 from gas processing injected underground; carbon credits issued under the ACCU scheme","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"co2_stored_18_months","value":2000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2026,"note":"over 18 months, per Santos"},{"key":"accu_earned","value":1190000,"unit":"ACCU (more than)","year":2025,"note":"to September 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the stored CO2 was independently verified.","Unconfirmed: Santos can use the credits against its own Safeguard Mechanism obligations (interlock table note)."],"sources":[{"t":"Santos news release on the Moomba CCS emissions reduction milestone","p":"Santos","d":"2026-05-20","u":"https://www.santos.com/news/moomba-ccs-project-achieves-historic-emissions-reduction-milestone/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260723062914/https://www.santos.com/news/moomba-ccs-project-achieves-historic-emissions-reduction-milestone/"}],"actors":[{"id":"santos","role":"operator of the Moomba CCS operation and holder of the ACCUs"}],"mechanism":"carbon capture and storage for carbon credits","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Santos says it stored about 2 million tonnes of CO2 under me in 18 months, and had earned more than 1.19 million carbon credits by September 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the stored CO2 was independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Santos can use the credits against its own Safeguard Mechanism obligations (interlock table note).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"us-45q-carbon-capture-tax-credit-and-obbba-change","tier":"short","title":"US 2025 tax law gave oil recovery the same carbon credit as permanent storage","dek":"The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of July 2025 gave carbon used for enhanced oil recovery the same 45Q tax credit as stored carbon. Enverus said this cut the breakeven price of an enhanced-oil-recovery barrel from $28 to $16, so public tax money now supports oil extraction.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2025,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The Global CCS Institute reported that the July 2025 budget law gave carbon used for enhanced oil recovery the same credit as permanent storage.","Enverus said the change cut the breakeven price of an enhanced-oil-recovery barrel from $28 to $16 and reduced production costs by more than 40%.","A 2020 audit by the Treasury inspector general (TIGTA) found that $893 million of about $1 billion in 45Q credits claimed in 2010–2019 did not meet EPA monitoring rules, and that ten companies received 99.9% of the credits."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Changes to the 45Q carbon capture tax credit under the July 2025 law","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ten companies (not named)","what":"received 99.9% of the 45Q credits claimed in 2010–2019, per TIGTA","src":null},{"who":"Oil producers using captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery","what":"lower breakeven prices, per Enverus","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"US taxpayers","what":"fund the credit through lost tax revenue","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":null},"when":{"t":"Credit introduced in 2008; enhanced oil recovery treatment changed July 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tax credit per tonne of CO2 captured and stored, or used in enhanced oil recovery","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"tigta_non_compliant_usd_million","value":893000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"of about $1bn claimed 2010–2019, did not meet EPA monitoring rules"},{"key":"credit_point_source_usd_per_tonne","value":85,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":null,"note":"point-source storage; equal for enhanced oil recovery after the July 2025 law"},{"key":"credit_direct_air_capture_usd_per_tonne","value":180,"unit":"USD per tonne","year":null,"note":"direct air capture"},{"key":"eor_breakeven_usd_per_barrel","value":16,"unit":"USD per barrel","year":2025,"note":"down from $28, per Enverus"},{"key":"top_ten_company_share_pct","value":99.9,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"share of 2010–2019 credits taken by ten companies"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Treasury estimate of $36.2bn for 2024–2033 and the $14.2bn the Joint Committee on Taxation added through the 2025 law.","Unconfirmed: the original 2008 credit of $10–20 per tonne.","The IRS does not publish the names or amounts of 45Q recipients, so the reviewed material could not identify the ten companies.","Unconfirmed: a quote from Occidental's then chief executive describing direct air capture as a licence to keep operating for decades; the conference where it was said is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Global CCS Institute: 45Q changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act","p":"Global CCS Institute","d":"2025-07-08","u":"https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/u-s-preserves-and-increases-45q-credit-in-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904040255/https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/u-s-preserves-and-increases-45q-credit-in-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/"},{"t":"World Oil: Enverus analysis of the 45Q tax credit change","p":"World Oil","d":"2025-07-29","u":"https://worldoil.com/news/2025/7/29/obba-45q-tax-credit-shift-cuts-e-p-costs-by-40-says-enverus/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260509235221/https://worldoil.com/news/2025/7/29/obba-45q-tax-credit-shift-cuts-e-p-costs-by-40-says-enverus/"}],"actors":[{"id":"enverus","role":"consultancy whose analysis gave the breakeven and cost figures"}],"mechanism":"carbon capture tax credit (45Q)","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Since the July 2025 law, CO2 used to push oil out of my fields earns the same US tax credit as stored CO2: $85 per tonne for point-source capture.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Treasury estimate of $36.2bn for 2024–2033 and the $14.2bn the Joint Committee on Taxation added through the 2025 law.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the original 2008 credit of $10–20 per tonne.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The IRS does not publish the names or amounts of 45Q recipients, so the reviewed material could not identify the ten companies.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a quote from Occidental's then chief executive describing direct air capture as a licence to keep operating for decades; the conference where it was said is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Ten companies (not named)","No source link — Who harmed: US taxpayers"]},{"id":"alberta-pathways-ccs-and-pipeline-deal","tier":"short","title":"Alberta and Ottawa tie new oil pipeline to Pathways carbon capture plan","dek":"A November 2025 agreement between Alberta and the federal government links a new 1 million barrel-per-day West Coast oil pipeline to Pathways, a planned carbon capture scheme for oil sands. Whether it cuts emissions depends on how much carbon is captured and stored, which the cited sources do not measure.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":53.93,"lon":-116.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.93,"lon":-116.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["According to the Canadian Press, Alberta and the federal government agreed in November 2025 to connect a new 1 million barrel-per-day West Coast oil pipeline to Pathways.","The Canadian Press summarised the deal as 'No Pathways, no pipeline', and reported a target of 16 million tonnes a year by 2035, with a first phase estimated at CAD 16.5 billion in a 2022 estimate.","The same report said oil sands producers receive a federal tax credit, a 12 percent Alberta grant and carbon contracts for difference.","Environmental Defence counted 356 meetings by the Pathways Alliance with the federal government in 2024, out of at least 1,135 meetings by 35 fossil fuel companies and associations."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Alberta and the federal government agreed in November 2025 to link a new West Coast oil pipeline to the Pathways carbon capture plan for oil sands producers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Oil Sands Alliance members (Canadian Natural, Cenovus, Imperial, Suncor, ConocoPhillips)","what":"Federal tax credit, a 12 percent Alberta grant and carbon contracts for difference for Pathways","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alberta, Canada; the new oil pipeline runs to the West Coast","src":0},"when":{"t":"Agreement signed in November 2025; Pathways targets 16 million tonnes a year by 2035","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Press summarised the deal as 'No Pathways, no pipeline', meaning the pipeline depends on the carbon capture plan going ahead.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pathways_target_mt_per_year","value":16000000,"unit":"tonnes a year","year":2035,"note":"Pathways target"},{"key":"pathways_first_phase_cost_cad_bn","value":16500000000,"unit":"CAD","year":2022,"note":"first phase cost, 2022 estimate"},{"key":"new_pipeline_capacity_bpd","value":1000000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":null,"note":"new West Coast oil pipeline"},{"key":"alberta_grant_pct","value":12,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Alberta grant to oil sands producers"},{"key":"pathways_meetings_federal_2024","value":356,"unit":"meetings","year":2024,"note":"Pathways Alliance meetings with the federal government, per Environmental Defence"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Imperial Oil, majority-owned by ExxonMobil, is reported to take part in Pathways.","Unconfirmed: a 2022 journalist count of 1,372 oil and gas meetings against 961 for environmental groups.","The outcome of a 2023 Competition Bureau investigation into Pathways advertising is not known in the cited sources.","The effect of the plan on emissions is not measured in the cited sources; the 16 million tonne figure is a target."],"sources":[{"t":"No Pathways, no pipeline","p":"Canadian Press (CP24)","d":"2026-05-25","u":"https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/05/25/no-pathways-no-pipeline-how-the-massive-carbon-storage-project-would-work-if-built/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260805231041/https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/05/25/no-pathways-no-pipeline-how-the-massive-carbon-storage-project-would-work-if-built/"},{"t":"New report exposes Big Oil's relentless lobbying in 2024","p":"Environmental Defence","d":"2025-03-04","u":"https://environmentaldefence.ca/2025/03/04/new-report-exposes-big-oils-relentless-lobbying-in-2024/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513003950/https://environmentaldefence.ca/2025/03/04/new-report-exposes-big-oils-relentless-lobbying-in-2024/"}],"actors":[{"id":"pathways-alliance","role":"Oil sands carbon capture scheme named in the deal; 356 meetings with the federal government in 2024"},{"id":"oil-sands-alliance","role":"Oil sands producers receiving the federal tax credit, Alberta grant and carbon contracts"},{"id":"government-of-alberta","role":"Party to the November 2025 agreement; 12 percent grant"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Party to the November 2025 agreement; federal tax credit"},{"id":"environmental-defence","role":"Analysed the federal lobbying registry for 2024"}],"mechanism":"Pipeline-linked carbon capture deal","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Pathways, the carbon capture plan for my oil sands, has a target of 16 million tonnes a year by 2035; its first phase was estimated at CAD 16.5 billion in 2022.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Imperial Oil, majority-owned by ExxonMobil, is reported to take part in Pathways.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2022 journalist count of 1,372 oil and gas meetings against 961 for environmental groups.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of a 2023 Competition Bureau investigation into Pathways advertising is not known in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the plan on emissions is not measured in the cited sources; the 16 million tonne figure is a target.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"exxonmobil-acquisition-of-denbury-co2-pipeline-network","tier":"short","title":"ExxonMobil completes USD 4.9 billion purchase of Denbury CO2 pipelines","dek":"ExxonMobil bought Denbury, which operated more than 1,300 miles of CO2 pipeline, for USD 4.9 billion in November 2023. The pipelines feed enhanced oil recovery, which injects CO2 to push more oil out of ageing fields, and the cited sources do not show how much of that carbon stays underground.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Yazoo County","lat":32.77,"lon":-90.55,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.77,"lon":-90.55,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2023,"instrument":"pipeline","happened":["ExxonMobil said on 2 November 2023 that it had completed the USD 4.9 billion acquisition of Denbury, including more than 1,300 miles of pipeline and about 46,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day.","The acquired assets included more than 200 million barrels of proved reserves, and ExxonMobil said the combined assets could cut more than 100 million tonnes of emissions a year.","The cited sources say a CO2 pipeline rupture at Satartia in Yazoo County on 22 February 2020 led to more than 200 evacuations and at least 45 people taken to hospital, and that Denbury filed for bankruptcy about five months later."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ExxonMobil bought Denbury, operator of a large US CO2 pipeline network and oil fields, for USD 4.9 billion, completed on 2 November 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Acquired the Denbury CO2 pipeline network, oil fields and proved reserves for USD 4.9 billion","src":0},{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Benefits from a 2025 change that gives CO2 used for enhanced oil recovery the same 45Q tax credit as CO2 that is stored","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents near the Satartia pipeline rupture in Yazoo County","what":"More than 200 evacuated and at least 45 taken to hospital after the February 2020 rupture; some reported lasting headaches and concentration problems three years later","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Denbury's pipeline network in the United States; rupture site at Satartia, Yazoo County","src":null},"when":{"t":"Rupture on 22 February 2020; acquisition completed on 2 November 2023","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Enhanced oil recovery injects CO2 into ageing oil fields. At Satartia the sources say a pipe broke from a weld after a landslide, and the operator confirmed the leak only after a local official called, more than 40 minutes later.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"acquisition_price_usd_bn","value":4900000000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"ExxonMobil purchase of Denbury"},{"key":"pipeline_network_miles","value":1300,"unit":"miles (more than)","year":2023,"note":"CO2 pipeline network acquired"},{"key":"acquired_output_boe_per_day","value":46000,"unit":"barrels of oil equivalent a day","year":2023,"note":"acquired assets"},{"key":"satartia_proposed_penalty_usd_m","value":3900000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"penalty proposed by the US pipeline regulator; Denbury paid 2.8 million without admitting violations"},{"key":"exxon_emissions_cut_claim_mt","value":100000000,"unit":"tonnes a year (more than; company claim)","year":null,"note":"ExxonMobil claim for the combined assets"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil is reported to hold a majority stake in Imperial Oil, which is in turn reported to take part in Pathways.","Unconfirmed: Treasury's USD 36.2 billion estimate of the 45Q cost for 2024 to 2033, and the USD 14.2 billion added by the 2025 budget law.","Unconfirmed: a January 2025 proposal by the pipeline regulator of a further USD 2.4 million penalty, for welds tested without an inspector.","The outcome of the lawsuit brought by residents and neighbours over the Satartia rupture is not known in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"ExxonMobil completes acquisition of Denbury","p":"ExxonMobil","d":"2023-11-02","u":"https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/news-releases/2023/1102_exxonmobil-completes-acquisition-of-denbury","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830030500/https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/news/news-releases/2023/1102_exxonmobil-completes-acquisition-of-denbury"}],"actors":[{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Acquirer of Denbury for USD 4.9 billion, completed 2 November 2023"},{"id":"denbury","role":"Operator of the CO2 pipeline network; operator of the Satartia pipeline; filed for bankruptcy in 2020"},{"id":"phmsa","role":"US pipeline safety regulator; proposed the Satartia penalty"}],"mechanism":"CO2 pipeline acquisition","types":["pipeline"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"ExxonMobil paid USD 4.9 billion for Denbury in 2023, including over 1,300 miles of CO2 pipeline for oil recovery from my fields; it says the assets could cut over 100 million tonnes of emissions a year.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil is reported to hold a majority stake in Imperial Oil, which is in turn reported to take part in Pathways.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Treasury's USD 36.2 billion estimate of the 45Q cost for 2024 to 2033, and the USD 14.2 billion added by the 2025 budget law.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a January 2025 proposal by the pipeline regulator of a further USD 2.4 million penalty, for welds tested without an inspector.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the lawsuit brought by residents and neighbours over the Satartia rupture is not known in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: ExxonMobil","No source link — Who harmed: Residents near the Satartia pipeline rupture in Yazoo County"]},{"id":"sackett-v-epa-and-us-wetlands-protection-narrowing","tier":"short","title":"After Sackett ruling, NRDC says at least 60% of individual wetlands are unprotected","dek":"A 2023 US Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA required a wetland to have a 'continuous surface connection' before it gained federal protection. NRDC modelling, reported by Inside Climate News, found that at least 60 percent of individual wetlands would be left unprotected even under the mildest reading.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The Supreme Court's May 2023 Sackett decision required a 'continuous surface connection' for a wetland to gain federal protection, according to Inside Climate News.","Inside Climate News reported NRDC modelling, published in March 2025, which found that even the mildest reading leaves at least 60 percent of individual wetlands unprotected, and that the most extreme reading leaves 99 percent of New Mexico's wetland area unprotected.","The Environmental Defense Fund says 24 states depend entirely on federal protection for their wetlands."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The 2023 Sackett decision narrowed federal wetland protection by requiring a 'continuous surface connection'.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Some US landowners, farmers and livestock producers","what":"Supported the narrower wetland definition, according to the cited sources","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Wetlands without a continuous surface connection","what":"Lose federal protection","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States; the NRDC modelling covers Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and New Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"Supreme Court decision in May 2023; NRDC modelling published in March 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"NRDC modelled a mild and an extreme reading of the connection test on individual wetlands.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"wetland_acres_unprotected_mildest_m","value":19000000,"unit":"acres (60 percent)","year":2025,"note":"NRDC mildest reading; upper estimate 70 million acres (84 percent)"},{"key":"new_mexico_unprotected_extreme_pct","value":99,"unit":"percent of wetland area","year":2025,"note":"NRDC most extreme reading"},{"key":"states_dependent_on_federal_protection","value":24,"unit":"states","year":null,"note":"Environmental Defense Fund analysis"},{"key":"wetland_acres_lost_federal_protection_low_m","value":17000000,"unit":"acres (range up to 90)","year":2023,"note":"continental US; Environmental Defense Fund analysis"}],"legal":[{"title":"Sackett v. EPA","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Private landowners (not named)","defendant":"Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)","filed":null,"decided":"2023-05","status":"unknown","summary":"The court required a 'continuous surface connection' for federal protection of a wetland.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: EPA proposed in 2025 and again in September 2026 to narrow the connection test further, and the comment period closed on 9 October 2026.","The final rule defining US waters (WOTUS) had not been published in the cited sources.","Wetland losses since the 2023 decision are modelled rather than measured in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Supreme Court Sackett decision threatens wetlands, NRDC study finds","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2025-03-25","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25032025/supreme-court-sackett-decision-threatens-wetlands-nrdc-study-finds/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614033646/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/25032025/supreme-court-sackett-decision-threatens-wetlands-nrdc-study-finds/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"Defendant in Sackett; named in reported 2025 and 2026 proposals to narrow the test (unconfirmed)"},{"id":"natural-resources-defense-council","role":"Modelled wetlands left unprotected after the 2023 decision"},{"id":"environmental-defense-fund","role":"Analysis of wetlands losing federal protection and of states depending on it"}],"mechanism":"Continuous surface connection test","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"NRDC modelling, reported by Inside Climate News, found that at least 60 percent of my individual wetlands are left unprotected after the 2023 Sackett ruling, even under the mildest reading.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Sackett v. EPA: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: EPA proposed in 2025 and again in September 2026 to narrow the connection test further, and the comment period closed on 9 October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final rule defining US waters (WOTUS) had not been published in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Wetland losses since the 2023 decision are modelled rather than measured in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Some US landowners, farmers and livestock producers"]},{"id":"opec-reserve-declarations-and-quota-rules","tier":"short","title":"OPEC members' declared oil reserves jumped in the late 1980s","dek":"Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Iraq and Saudi Arabia raised declared oil reserves sharply between 1985 and 1990, when OPEC quotas took reserves into account and no major discovery was made. The cited sources do not link these figures to any measured environmental effect.","country":"Multiple (OPEC)","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Kuwait","iso2":"KW","admin":null,"lat":29.31,"lon":47.48,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Abu Dhabi","lat":24.45,"lon":54.38,"role":"event"},{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","admin":null,"lat":33.31,"lon":44.37,"role":"event"},{"country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","admin":null,"lat":24.71,"lon":46.68,"role":"event"}],"lat":26,"lon":48,"approxCoords":true,"start":1985,"end":1990,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["According to GEO ExPro, between 1985 and 1990 Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Iraq and Saudi Arabia raised declared reserves by between 40 percent and three times, while prices were falling and no major new discovery was made.","GEO ExPro reported that Kuwait's reserves rose from 64 to 66 billion barrels to 90 billion in 1985, Abu Dhabi's from 30 billion to more than 90 billion in 1988, and Saudi Arabia's from 170 billion to 258 billion in 1989 and 1990.","In leaked US diplomatic cables from November 2007, a former Aramco executive said Saudi reserves could be overstated by up to 300 billion barrels."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Iraq and Saudi Arabia sharply raised declared oil reserves in 1985 to 1990, when OPEC quotas were linked to declared reserves.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"OPEC member governments","what":"Production quotas took declared reserves into account, so higher declarations counted toward quotas","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Persian Gulf OPEC members: Kuwait, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Iraq and Saudi Arabia","src":0},"when":{"t":"1985 to 1990","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"OPEC took reserves into account when setting production quotas; the increases came without major new discoveries and while prices were falling.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"kuwait_reserves_bn_bbl","value":90000000000,"unit":"barrels","year":1985,"note":"up from 64 to 66 billion"},{"key":"abu_dhabi_reserves_bn_bbl","value":90000000000,"unit":"barrels (more than)","year":1988,"note":"up from 30 billion"},{"key":"iraq_reserves_bn_bbl","value":100000000000,"unit":"barrels","year":1988,"note":"up from 47 billion"},{"key":"saudi_reserves_bn_bbl","value":258000000000,"unit":"barrels","year":1990,"note":"up from 170 billion in 1989"},{"key":"saudi_possible_overstatement_bn_bbl","value":300000000000,"unit":"barrels (up to)","year":2007,"note":"former Aramco executive, per leaked US cables"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: OPEC's total declared reserves rose from 425 billion to 763 billion barrels between 1980 and 1990.","A counter view holds that some of the increases reflected data published for the first time; the cited sources do not settle this.","The leaked-cable claim about Saudi reserves is not checked against field data in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Do OPEC reserves figures matter?","p":"GEO ExPro","d":"2007-11-06","u":"https://geoexpro.com/do-opec-reserves-figures-matter/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260103083057/https://geoexpro.com/do-opec-reserves-figures-matter/"}],"actors":[{"id":"opec","role":"Set production quotas that took declared reserves into account in the 1980s"},{"id":"saudi-aramco","role":"Former executive's 2007 remarks on Saudi reserves, reported in leaked cables"}],"mechanism":"Quotas tied to reserves","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Between 1985 and 1990 Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Iraq and Saudi Arabia raised the oil reserves they declared in me by between 40 percent and three times; GEO ExPro records no major new discovery then.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: OPEC's total declared reserves rose from 425 billion to 763 billion barrels between 1980 and 1990.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A counter view holds that some of the increases reflected data published for the first time; the cited sources do not settle this.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The leaked-cable claim about Saudi reserves is not checked against field data in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: OPEC member governments"]},{"id":"santo-antonio-dam-cdm-carbon-credits","tier":"short","title":"Santo Antônio dam sought 51 million tonnes of UN carbon credits","dek":"The Santo Antônio dam on Brazil's Madeira River was registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism, and credits for 2013 to 2020 appear to have been issued. Philip Fearnside called the 51 million tonne reduction claimed under the registration 'hot air', meaning credits with no real cut behind them.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rondônia","lat":-8.8,"lon":-63.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-8.8,"lon":-63.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2022,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["According to River Resource Hub, the application treated 164 km2 of the 354.4 km2 reservoir as river channel and used the remaining 190.4 km2; on the full area the power density would have been 8.9 W/m2.","Philip Fearnside argued that water over the river channel also emits methane, and called the claimed reduction of 51,464,028 tonnes of CO2 equivalent for 2012 to 2022 'hot air'.","The cited sources say the dam is registered under CDM number 9282 and that its credits for 2013 to 2020 appear to have been issued."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Santo Antônio dam on the Madeira River was registered under the UN Clean Development Mechanism and sought 51 million tonnes of credits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Santo Antônio Energia partners: Furnas (39 percent), Caixa investment fund (20 percent), Odebrecht, now Novonor (18.6 percent), Andrade Gutierrez (12.4 percent) and Cemig (10 percent)","what":"Shares in the 2014 partnership of a dam whose 2013 to 2020 credits appear to have been issued","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Madeira River, Rondônia, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Registration period 2012 to 2022; credits for 2013 to 2020 appear to have been issued","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The reservoir area used was 190.4 km2 after deducting the river channel; the claimed reduction was 51,464,028 tonnes of CO2 equivalent for 2012 to 2022.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"reservoir_area_full_km2","value":354.4,"unit":"km2","year":null,"note":"full reservoir area before deducting the river channel"},{"key":"reservoir_area_used_km2","value":190.4,"unit":"km2","year":null,"note":"area used in the application"},{"key":"full_area_power_density_w_m2","value":8.9,"unit":"W/m2","year":null,"note":"full reservoir area"},{"key":"claimed_reduction_t_co2e","value":51464028,"unit":"tonnes CO2 equivalent, 2012 to 2022","year":2022,"note":"reduction sought under the registration"},{"key":"annual_pdd_emission_reduction_t","value":4015196,"unit":"tonnes a year","year":null,"note":"annual figure in the project design document"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the CDM rule that reservoir emissions count as zero above 10 W/m2, and the rule allowing the river channel to be deducted.","Unconfirmed: a news headline says Marcelo Odebrecht discussed a 50 million real 'agreement' with a politician in 2017; no link to the Madeira dams is stated.","The number of credits actually issued is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Fearnside commentary on Santo Antônio dam carbon credits","p":"River Resource Hub","d":"2012-03-20","u":"https://riverresourcehub.org/?p=17067","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"santo-antonio-energia","role":"Operator of the Santo Antônio dam and applicant for the credits"},{"id":"furnas","role":"39 percent partner in the 2014 shareholding; state-owned"},{"id":"odebrecht","role":"18.6 percent partner in the 2014 shareholding (now Novonor)"},{"id":"andrade-gutierrez","role":"12.4 percent partner through SAAG"},{"id":"cemig","role":"10 percent partner in the 2014 shareholding"},{"id":"un-cdm-executive-board","role":"UN body that handled the CDM registration and credit claim"}],"mechanism":"Hydropower carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Santo Antônio dam on my Madeira River claimed 51,464,028 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in reductions for 2012 to 2022 in my name; its application counted 190.4 of the 354.4 km2 reservoir.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the CDM rule that reservoir emissions count as zero above 10 W/m2, and the rule allowing the river channel to be deducted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a news headline says Marcelo Odebrecht discussed a 50 million real 'agreement' with a politician in 2017; no link to the Madeira dams is stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of credits actually issued is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Santo Antônio Energia partners: Furnas (39 percent), Caixa investment fund (20 percent), Odebrecht, now Novonor (18.6 percent), Andrade Gutierrez (12.4 percent) and Cemig (10 percent)"]},{"id":"blackjewel-bankruptcy-and-mine-reclamation-bonds","tier":"short","title":"Blackjewel bankruptcy and mine reclamation bonds in Kentucky, Virginia and Wyoming","dek":"Coal producer Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy in 2019 with mine cleanup bonds in Kentucky, Virginia and Wyoming. Whether the bonds would pay to reclaim the land depends on figures the sources report only in part.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Kentucky","lat":37.5,"lon":-85.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Virginia","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Wyoming","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"affected"}],"lat":37.5,"lon":-82,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2020,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["Appalachian Voices reported in October 2019 that Blackjewel had filed for bankruptcy, with $220 million of bonded liability tied to permits that could not be sold.","Contura, the successor to Alpha, had paid Blackjewel $21 million to get out of Wyoming mines. Twenty Virginia permits held by the family of the state's governor were still self-bonded, and if they were cancelled the $195 million cleanup would fall to the state.","A 2020 Kentucky study found that cleanup costs for 20% of the company's mines there exceeded $38 million in guarantees. The company proposed leaving cleanup to a foundation funded only by those guarantees, a proposal that would have blocked the state from pursuing the founder's personal assets."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coal company Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and proposed funding mine cleanup only from its permit guarantees.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Contura","what":"Exit from Wyoming mines, for $21 million paid to Blackjewel","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"State of Virginia (contingent)","what":"$195 million cleanup would fall to the state if 20 self-bonded permits were cancelled","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kentucky, Virginia and Wyoming, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bankruptcy in 2019; Kentucky study published in 2020.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mines were bonded with guarantees to state regulators. The company could not sell the permits and proposed a cleanup foundation funded only by those guarantees.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"unsold_permit_bonded_liability","value":220,"unit":"USD million","year":2019,"note":"Bonded liability tied to permits that could not be sold"},{"key":"kentucky_cleanup_above_guarantee","value":38,"unit":"USD million","year":2020,"note":"Cleanup cost above guarantees for 20% of the company's Kentucky mines (2020 study)"},{"key":"contura_payment_to_blackjewel","value":21,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Paid by Contura, Alpha's successor, to get out of Wyoming mines"},{"key":"virginia_cleanup_if_permits_cancelled","value":195,"unit":"USD million","year":2019,"note":"Would fall to the state if 20 self-bonded Virginia permits were cancelled"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not confirm the number of Blackjewel permits (given as about 296 or about 300) or the roughly 13,000 acres of unreclaimed land; the acreage figure comes.","Unconfirmed: Wyoming accepted $75 million against Arch's $486 million obligation.","The cited sources do not say whether the foundation proposal was adopted or whether the state pursued the founder's assets.","The cited sources do not say whether Virginia cancelled the 20 self-bonded permits."],"sources":[{"t":"Coal bankruptcy cleanup","p":"Appalachian Voices","d":"2019-10-11","u":"https://appvoices.org/2019/10/11/coal-bankruptcy-cleanup/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411173508/https://appvoices.org/2019/10/11/coal-bankruptcy-cleanup/"},{"t":"Blackjewel mine reclamation","p":"Appalachian Voices","d":"2020-12-15","u":"https://appvoices.org/2020/12/15/blackjewel-mine-reclamation/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260920230836/https://appvoices.org/2020/12/15/blackjewel-mine-reclamation/"}],"actors":[{"id":"blackjewel","role":"Coal operator that filed for bankruptcy in 2019"},{"id":"contura","role":"Paid Blackjewel to get out of Wyoming mines"}],"mechanism":"reclamation bonds in coal bankruptcy","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Blackjewel went bankrupt in 2019 with $220 million of bonded liability on my land; a 2020 Kentucky study found cleanup costs for 20% of its mines there exceeded $38 million in guarantees.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not confirm the number of Blackjewel permits (given as about 296 or about 300) or the roughly 13,000 acres of unreclaimed land; the acreage figure comes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Wyoming accepted $75 million against Arch's $486 million obligation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the foundation proposal was adopted or whether the state pursued the founder's assets.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Virginia cancelled the 20 self-bonded permits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"woodside-northern-endeavour-decommissioning","tier":"short","title":"Woodside's Northern Endeavour transfer to NOGA and state-funded decommissioning","dek":"Woodside transferred its Northern Endeavour production vessel and fields in Australia to a small company, NOGA, along with A$24 million in cash. After NOGA collapsed in 2019 the state took over removal, and a special sector tax to meet the cost exceeded A$1.1 billion.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Offshore (location: none on record)","lat":-25,"lon":134,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25,"lon":134,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["Baird Maritime reported that Woodside transferred the Northern Oil and Gas Australia (NOGA) vessel and fields in 2015 (one source gives 2016), along with A$24 million in cash.","Baird Maritime reported that NOGA collapsed in 2019, that the government took over decommissioning, and that related contracts reached about A$850 million.","Clyde & Co reported that a special sector tax for the removal exceeded A$1.1 billion, that 2021 rules hold former owners liable but do not reach back before 2021, and that Triangle Energy collapsed in 2026 with an A$200 million decommissioning liability."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Woodside transferred the Northern Endeavour vessel and fields to a small company, NOGA, which later collapsed, leaving the state to fund decommissioning.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"NOGA","what":"Received the vessel and fields, with A$24 million in cash, before collapsing in 2019","src":0},{"who":"Woodside","what":"Exit from the vessel and fields","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Australian government","what":"Took over decommissioning after NOGA's collapse; related contracts reached about A$850 million","src":0},{"who":"Oil and gas sector","what":"Subject to a special tax above A$1.1 billion to meet the removal cost","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia; the cited sources do not give the offshore location","src":0},"when":{"t":"Transfer in 2015 (one source says 2016); NOGA collapsed in 2019; 2021 liability rules; Triangle Energy collapsed in 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Assets were sold with cash to a small operator, which collapsed. Removal then fell to the state and was met partly through a special sector tax.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"cash_with_transfer","value":24,"unit":"AUD million","year":2015,"note":"Cash that accompanied the transfer to NOGA (direction of payment not stated)"},{"key":"removal_contracts","value":850,"unit":"AUD million","year":null,"note":"Contracts for removal after NOGA's collapse (approximate)"},{"key":"sector_special_tax","value":1.1,"unit":"AUD billion","year":null,"note":"Special tax on the sector to meet removal cost; sources say it exceeded this figure"},{"key":"triangle_decommissioning_liability","value":200,"unit":"AUD million","year":2026,"note":"Decommissioning liability when Triangle Energy collapsed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which party paid the A$24 million, or whether it was paid to Woodside or by Woodside.","A Woodside estimate of US$260 million is given without stating what it covers.","The cited sources do not say how the Triangle Energy decommissioning liability was transferred.","The cited sources do not say whether former owners have paid any share of the removal costs."],"sources":[{"t":"Spraying cash around Northern Endeavour decommissioning","p":"Baird Maritime","d":"2025-06-02","u":"https://www.bairdmaritime.com/offshore/column-spraying-cash-around-northern-endeavour-decommissioning-head-for-1-billion-bill-britoil-newbuilds-in-china-nigeria-bans-cash-throwing-at-parties-as-over-one-hundred-drown-offshore-accounts","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520135112/https://www.bairdmaritime.com/offshore/column-spraying-cash-around-northern-endeavour-decommissioning-head-for-1-billion-bill-britoil-newbuilds-in-china-nigeria-bans-cash-throwing-at-parties-as-over-one-hundred-drown-offshore-accounts"},{"t":"Triangle Energy's collapse and Northern Endeavour 2.0","p":"Clyde & Co","d":"2026-09-10","u":"https://www.clydeco.com/es/insights/2026/09/triangle-energy-s-collapse-northern-endeavour-2-0","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"woodside","role":"Seller of the Northern Endeavour vessel and fields"},{"id":"northern-oil-and-gas-australia","role":"Buyer of the vessel and fields; collapsed in 2019"},{"id":"triangle-energy","role":"Operator that collapsed in 2026 with an A$200 million decommissioning liability"}],"mechanism":"vessel transfer and state-funded decommissioning","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Removing the Northern Endeavour vessel and fields from my sea after their owner collapsed in 2019 brought contracts of about A$850 million; a special sector tax to meet the cost exceeded A$1.1 billion.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which party paid the A$24 million, or whether it was paid to Woodside or by Woodside.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Woodside estimate of US$260 million is given without stating what it covers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the Triangle Energy decommissioning liability was transferred.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether former owners have paid any share of the removal costs.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"exide-lead-smelter-cleanup","tier":"short","title":"Exide's Vernon lead smelter abandoned in bankruptcy, leaving California to pay for cleanup","dek":"Battery recycler Exide left its Vernon, California, lead smelter through bankruptcy in 2020. The state has spent $260 million on the cleanup, and a further $390 million is reported as needed.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California (Vernon)","lat":34,"lon":-118.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":34,"lon":-118.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2020,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["ABC7 reported that Exide was allowed to abandon its Vernon battery recycling plant in bankruptcy, leaving taxpayers to pay for the cleanup.","ABC7 reported that the state had spent $260 million on the cleanup, and that a further $390 million was needed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Exide abandoned its Vernon battery recycling plant through bankruptcy, and the state of California has paid for the cleanup.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Exide","what":"Left the site and its cleanup obligation through bankruptcy","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"State of California and taxpayers","what":"Spent $260 million on the cleanup; a further $390 million reported as needed","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Vernon, California, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bankruptcy and abandonment in 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The plant was abandoned through bankruptcy and the cleanup passed to the state.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"state_cleanup_spend","value":260,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Spent by the state on the Vernon cleanup"},{"key":"further_cleanup_needed","value":390,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Further amount reported as needed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 31 of 50 nearby homes were not cleaned.","No verified source describes residents' exposure or health effects.","The cited sources do not give the outcome of an appeal in the Exide case.","The cited sources do not include the state toxic substances regulator's Exide document."],"sources":[{"t":"Exide allowed to abandon Vernon battery recycling plant, leaving taxpayers to foot cleanup bill","p":"ABC7","d":"2020","u":"https://abc7.com/health/exide-allowed-to-abandon-vernon-battery-recycling-plant/7167011/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210515175820/https://abc7.com/health/exide-allowed-to-abandon-vernon-battery-recycling-plant/7167011/"}],"actors":[{"id":"exide","role":"Battery recycler that abandoned the Vernon plant in bankruptcy"}],"mechanism":"bankruptcy abandonment of smelter site","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"California has spent $260 million on cleaning up the lead smelter Exide left on me at Vernon, and ABC7 reports a further $390 million is needed.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 31 of 50 nearby homes were not cleaned.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No verified source describes residents' exposure or health effects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the outcome of an appeal in the Exide case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not include the state toxic substances regulator's Exide document.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"prestige-oil-spill-compensation-cap","tier":"short","title":"Prestige oil spill compensation cap in Spain and 1992 Fund limits","dek":"The 2002 Prestige spill off Galicia, Spain, falls under capped international compensation rules. IOPC Funds reports that the Spanish Supreme Court awarded €1,439.08 million, of which €554.10 million for environmental and moral damages could not be recovered from the 1992 Fund.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Galicia","lat":42.5,"lon":-10,"role":"event"}],"lat":42.5,"lon":-10,"approxCoords":true,"start":2002,"end":2022,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["IOPC Funds reports that the Spanish Supreme Court awarded €1,439.08 million for the Prestige spill: €884.98 million for pollution damage and €554.10 million for 'pure environmental and moral damages', which it says is not recoverable from the 1992 Fund.","The level of payments was 15.22%, made up of 12.65% from the 1992 Fund and 2.57% from the Civil Liability Convention (CLC).","On 15 November 2022 IOPC Funds said the insurer had paid €22.8 million and the 1992 Fund €147.9 million.","IOPC Funds says compensation for environmental impairment is limited to the costs of reasonable reinstatement measures, and that loss of enjoyment, claims based on theoretical models, punitive claims and 'loss of environmental services' are not admissible."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Spanish Supreme Court awarded €1,439.08 million for the 2002 Prestige spill, and IOPC Funds reports that part of it cannot be paid from the 1992 Fund.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Claimants","what":"€554.10 million of environmental and moral damages not recoverable from the 1992 Fund","src":1},{"who":"Owner's insurer","what":"Paid €22.8 million under its liability cover","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Galicia, north-west Spain","src":null},"when":{"t":"Spill in 2002; IOPC Funds reports in October 2019 and November 2022.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Compensation is capped under international conventions: an insurer layer, then the 1992 Fund, and environmental claims limited to reasonable reinstatement costs.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"spanish_supreme_court_award","value":1439.08,"unit":"EUR million","year":null,"note":"Total award: EUR 884.98m pollution damage plus EUR 554.10m environmental and moral damages"},{"key":"environmental_moral_damages_not_fund","value":554.1,"unit":"EUR million","year":null,"note":"Not recoverable from the 1992 Fund"},{"key":"level_of_payments","value":15.22,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"12.65% from the 1992 Fund plus 2.57% from the CLC"},{"key":"insurer_payment","value":22.8,"unit":"EUR million","year":2022,"note":"Insurer payment as reported by IOPC Funds"},{"key":"fund_payment","value":147.9,"unit":"EUR million","year":2022,"note":"1992 Fund payment as reported by IOPC Funds"}],"legal":[{"title":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association v Spain","forum":"Court of Appeal (England and Wales)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association","defendant":"Spain","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Court of Appeal judgment [2024] EWCA Civ 1536 in the Prestige dispute between the insurer and Spain. The outcome is not on record.","src":3}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Prestige liability limit of 135 million SDR, about €171.5 million.","Unconfirmed: the 1992 Fund limit of 203 million SDR.","The cited sources do not give the total of established claims for the Prestige.","Reported, source not identified: the owner lost its right to limit liability and the master was convicted of a crime against the environment.","The cited sources do not say what the 2024 Court of Appeal decision changed, if anything, in payments."],"sources":[{"t":"Claims for environmental damage: an overview","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IOPC-Environmental-Brochure-6pp-A4_English-FOR-WEB.pdf","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220120065749/https://iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/IOPC-Environmental-Brochure-6pp-A4_English-FOR-WEB.pdf"},{"t":"Prestige (IOPC/OCT19/3/2)","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2019-10","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/10/IOPC-OCT19-3-2_e-1.pdf","type":"international"},{"t":"Twenty years since the Prestige incident","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"2022-11-15","u":"https://iopcfunds.org/news/twenty-years-since-the-prestige-incident/","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420160205/https://iopcfunds.org/news/twenty-years-since-the-prestige-incident/"},{"t":"[2024] EWCA Civ 1536","p":"The National Archives (Case Law)","d":"2024","u":"https://assets.caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2024/1536/ewca_civ_2024_1536.pdf","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250413154033/https://assets.caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ewca/civ/2024/1536/ewca_civ_2024_1536.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"london-steam-ship-owners-mutual","role":"Insurer in the Prestige dispute with Spain"}],"mechanism":"capped oil-spill compensation regime","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["prestige"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"For the Prestige spill off my Galician coast, Spain's Supreme Court awarded €554.10 million for pure environmental and moral damages, which IOPC Funds says is not recoverable from the 1992 Fund.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"London Steam-Ship Owners' Mutual Insurance Association v Spain: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Prestige liability limit of 135 million SDR, about €171.5 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1992 Fund limit of 203 million SDR.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the total of established claims for the Prestige.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported, source not identified: the owner lost its right to limit liability and the master was convicted of a crime against the environment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the 2024 Court of Appeal decision changed, if anything, in payments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"asarco-bankruptcy-environmental-settlement-and-grupo-mexico","tier":"short","title":"ASARCO bankruptcy environmental settlement and Grupo México's return in 2009","dek":"ASARCO left bankruptcy in 2009 with a $1.79 billion environmental settlement covering more than 80 sites in 19 states. Grupo México regained the company in the same year.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"More than 80 sites in 19 states","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2009,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["NBC News reported on 10 December 2009 that ASARCO's exit from bankruptcy included $1.79 billion in environmental payments for more than 80 sites in 19 states, including $776 million in federal claims and $436 million for Coeur d'Alene.","NBC News reported that Grupo México regained ASARCO from bankruptcy in 2009."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ASARCO left bankruptcy in 2009 after environmental payments of $1.79 billion across more than 80 sites in 19 states; Grupo México then regained the company.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Grupo México","what":"Regained ASARCO from bankruptcy in 2009","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States: more than 80 sites in 19 states, including Coeur d'Alene","src":0},"when":{"t":"December 2009","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Environmental claims were resolved as part of ASARCO's bankruptcy exit.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"environmental_payments_total","value":1.79,"unit":"USD billion","year":2009,"note":"Environmental payments on exit from bankruptcy"},{"key":"federal_claims","value":776,"unit":"USD million","year":2009,"note":"Federal portion"},{"key":"coeur_dalene_claims","value":436,"unit":"USD million","year":2009,"note":"Coeur d'Alene portion"},{"key":"sites_covered","value":80,"unit":"sites","year":2009,"note":"More than 80 sites in 19 states"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a Texas ruling (2008–2009) treated the 2003 removal of Southern Peru Copper shares from ASARCO as a fraudulent transfer, and required return of about 260 million shares and $1.35 to $1.38 billion in cash.","The cited sources do not say whether Grupo México paid any part of the $1.79 billion.","The cited sources do not say how the $1.79 billion was divided among the sites beyond the federal and Coeur d'Alene amounts."],"sources":[{"t":"NBC News report on ASARCO environmental settlement","p":"NBC News","d":"2009-12-10","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34369729","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913091407/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34369729"}],"actors":[{"id":"asarco","role":"Company whose bankruptcy exit included environmental payments"},{"id":"grupo-mexico","role":"Regained ASARCO from bankruptcy in 2009"}],"mechanism":"bankruptcy environmental settlement","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"When ASARCO left bankruptcy in 2009, $1.79 billion in environmental payments covered more than 80 sites on me in 19 states, NBC News reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Texas ruling (2008–2009) treated the 2003 removal of Southern Peru Copper shares from ASARCO as a fraudulent transfer, and required return of about 260 million shares and $1.35 to $1.38 billion in cash.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Grupo México paid any part of the $1.79 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the $1.79 billion was divided among the sites beyond the federal and Coeur d'Alene amounts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"c-quest-capital-and-kenneth-newcombe-cookstove-credit-fraud","tier":"short","title":"C-Quest Capital cookstove credit case: founder charged over inflated credit counts","dek":"Verra approved C-Quest Capital's cookstove method in September 2020 while founder Kenneth Newcombe sat on Verra's board, and US prosecutors charged him in October 2024 with falsifying data to inflate credit counts. At stake is whether the credits reflected real emission cuts.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Prosecution","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"court"},{"country":"Africa","iso2":null,"admin":"Credit locations (as reported)","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"Asia","iso2":null,"admin":"Credit locations (as reported)","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Verra approved C-Quest's cookstove method in September 2020, while Newcombe sat on Verra's board from 2007 to 2023.","On 2 October 2024 the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced charges against Newcombe and Tridip Goswami, C-Quest's former head of carbon and sustainability accounting, alleging that data was falsified to inflate credit counts. Jason Steele, C-Quest's former chief operating officer, pleaded guilty and is cooperating, according to REDD-Monitor. Verra suspended 27 projects.","In December 2024 a US District Court judge postponed the trial of Newcombe and Goswami because of Newcombe's cancer treatment, Carbon Pulse reported. In August 2025 the judge declined a US government request to speed up the case, QC Intelligence reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US prosecutors charged C-Quest Capital's founder in October 2024 with falsifying data to inflate credit counts, and Verra suspended 27 projects.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"C-Quest Capital","what":"Verra approved its cookstove method in September 2020","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Prosecution in the United States; credit projects in Africa and Asia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Method approved on 8 September 2020; charges announced on 2 October 2024; trial postponed in December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Credits were issued under a method written by the developer, whose founder sat on the board of the registry that approved it. Prosecutors allege the credit counts were inflated.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"suspended_projects","value":27,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"Carbon projects suspended by Verra"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["A spokesperson for Newcombe denied the allegations and said a jury would reject the charges, according to REDD-Monitor.","Unconfirmed: the status of the criminal case after August 2025.","The cited sources do not say how many credits were issued or sold from the 27 suspended projects."],"sources":[{"t":"Ken Newcombe, ex-CEO of C-Quest Capital","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024-10","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/ken-newcombe-ex-ceo-of-c-quest-capital","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241108165320/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/ken-newcombe-ex-ceo-of-c-quest-capital"},{"t":"Poor health of former CQC executive Newcombe delays US fraud trial","p":"Carbon Pulse","d":"2024-12-06","u":"https://carbon-pulse.com/349739/","type":"press"},{"t":"Judge declines US govt. request to speed up C-Quest case","p":"QC Intelligence","d":"2025-08-15","u":"https://www.qcintel.com/carbon/article/judge-declines-us-govt-request-to-speed-up-c-quest-case-46762.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"c-quest-capital","role":"Developer whose cookstove method Verra approved in 2020"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standards body that approved the method and suspended 27 projects"}],"mechanism":"cookstove carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Cookstove carbon credits were issued in my name; in October 2024 US prosecutors alleged data was falsified to inflate the credit counts, and Verra suspended 27 projects.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A spokesperson for Newcombe denied the allegations and said a jury would reject the charges, according to REDD-Monitor.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the status of the criminal case after August 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many credits were issued or sold from the 27 suspended projects.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"german-uer-upstream-emission-reduction-credits-from-chinese","tier":"short","title":"Germany rejects 215,000 carbon credits from Chinese oil-sector projects","dek":"Credits from upstream emission reduction projects in China were used to meet part of Germany's fuel quota. After re-examination, the environment agency rejected 215,000 credits in September 2024 and the system was closed.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":52.52,"lon":13.405,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.52,"lon":13.405,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Clean Energy Wire reported in July 2024 that Germany's Federal Environment Agency (UBA) had re-examined 40 of 69 Chinese projects that German certification bodies had approved and verified.","ZDF estimated the value of the suspect projects at over 600 million euros, and Shell and TotalEnergies were named among the companies that used the credits.","On 6 September 2024 UBA said it had refused to release certificates from eight Chinese projects, about 215,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (ESG Post put their value at about 18 million euros), and that Berlin prosecutors were investigating 17 managing directors or employees of inspection bodies on suspicion of joint commercial fraud.","Clean Energy Wire reported that UBA suspended an official responsible for approvals."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"German authorities re-examined Chinese upstream emission reduction projects whose credits were used under the German fuel quota, and the system was closed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"Named among companies that used the credits, as reported by ZDF","src":0},{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"Named among companies that used the credits, as reported by ZDF","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Holders of certificates from the suspect projects","what":"No new credits are issued, but certificates already held can still be traded","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Germany (the agency, prosecutors and fuel-quota market); projects in China","src":null},"when":{"t":"Projects re-examined in July 2024; credits rejected in September 2024","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"German oil companies covered part of their fuel-quota obligation with credits from upstream emission reduction projects in China, which German certification bodies had approved and verified.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"credits_rejected","value":215000,"unit":"credits","year":2024,"note":"Rejected by UBA; about 18 million euros"},{"key":"projects_verified_in_germany","value":69,"unit":"projects","year":null,"note":"Chinese projects approved and verified by German certification bodies"},{"key":"projects_reexamined","value":40,"unit":"projects","year":2024,"note":"Re-examined by UBA"},{"key":"suspect_project_value_eur","value":600000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2024,"note":"ZDF estimate; reported as over 600 million euros"},{"key":"people_under_investigation","value":17,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Berlin prosecutors; linked to verification bodies","src":2}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: whether Shell's or TotalEnergies' own credits were among those rejected.","Not stated: the outcome of the Berlin prosecutors' investigation."],"sources":[{"t":"Germany suspects serious environmental crime in Chinese CO2 reduction projects","p":"Clean Energy Wire","d":"2024-07-04","u":"https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-suspects-serious-environmental-crime-chinese-co2-reduction-projects-env-minister","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119214441/https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-suspects-serious-environmental-crime-chinese-co2-reduction-projects-env-minister"},{"t":"German authorities reject 215,000 carbon credits following fraud investigation","p":"ESG Post","d":"2024-09-06","u":"https://esgpost.com/german-authorities-reject-215000-carbon-credits-following-fraud-investigation/","type":"press"},{"t":"UBA refuses to approve certificates for eight UER projects (press release 36/2024)","p":"Umweltbundesamt (German Environment Agency)","d":"2024-09-06","u":"https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/press/pressinformation/uba-refuses-to-approve-certificates-for-eight-uer","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"umweltbundesamt","role":"Federal environment agency; re-examined projects, rejected credits and suspended an approvals official"},{"id":"shell","role":"Named among companies that used the credits, as reported"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Named among companies that used the credits, as reported"},{"id":"zdf","role":"Broadcaster; reported the investigation and the value estimate"}],"mechanism":"upstream emission reduction credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Germany's environment agency refused certificates for about 215,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent claimed in my name by eight Chinese projects in September 2024, after re-examining 40 of 69 approved projects.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Shell's or TotalEnergies' own credits were among those rejected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the outcome of the Berlin prosecutors' investigation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dominica-sperm-whale-reserve-and-carbon-claim","tier":"short","title":"Dominica passes law for sperm whale reserve; carbon claim has no credit scheme","dek":"Dominica set up a sperm whale reserve whose law does not tie it to carbon credits. Scientists have disputed the carbon estimates behind the whale-credit idea, and the cited sources show no whale carbon credit sold.","country":"Dominica","iso2":"DM","places":[{"country":"Dominica","iso2":"DM","admin":null,"lat":15.415,"lon":-61.371,"role":"event"}],"lat":15.415,"lon":-61.371,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["National Geographic reported that Dominica had established the world's first sperm whale reserve in 2023, a move it described as a boost for climate, biodiversity and the local economy.","The claim that the reserve would store 4,200 tonnes of carbon a year, equal to 5,000 cars, was extrapolated from another area, according to the cited sources.","Dominica's government reported that in October 2025 parliament approved the bill; the law contains no carbon credit mechanism, and the reserve is to be funded by penalties and donations.","Scientists wrote in December 2022 that whale carbon was not measurable enough for a credit market, while a 2010 study estimated that recovering whale populations could store about 160,000 tonnes of carbon a year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dominica declared a sperm whale reserve by law, with no carbon-credit scheme in the law; the reserve was linked to a claim that whale protection stores 4,200 tonnes of carbon a year.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Whale Seeker","what":"Montreal company that announced the Whale Carbon Plus project in June 2022, aiming to sell verified carbon and biodiversity credits within two years","src":null},{"who":"Baffinland","what":"Named as a partner in the Whale Carbon Plus project; operates the Mary River iron mine in northern Canada","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Narwhal near Eclipse Sound, Nunavut","what":"Count fell from 9,931 in 2019 to 5,019 in 2020, according to Baffinland's own consultant; Pond Inlet hunters linked the decline to the mine, and the company cited other possible causes","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Dominica; Montreal, Canada; Eclipse Sound, Nunavut, Canada","src":null},"when":{"t":"Whale carbon idea in 2010; project announced June 2022; reserve announced 2023; bill approved October 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"National Geographic reported that the scientist behind the proposal aimed to reach policymakers who do not believe in saving animals for their own sake.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The proposal treated whale population recovery as carbon storage that could be sold as credits; the 2022 project planned for investors to buy rights to whale services from government, like bonds paying credits as interest.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"carbon_claimed_per_year","value":4200,"unit":"tonnes of carbon","year":2023,"note":"Extrapolated from another area, per the cited sources"},{"key":"reserve_area_low_estimate","value":788,"unit":"km2","year":2023,"note":"Sources give 788, 923 or 1,231 km2"},{"key":"whale_carbon_potential_recovery","value":160000,"unit":"tonnes of carbon per year","year":2010,"note":"Estimated storage if whale populations recover"},{"key":"dead_whale_carbon_per_year","value":62000,"unit":"tonnes of carbon per year","year":2023,"note":"Griffith University review, after full recovery"},{"key":"ocean_permanent_carbon_per_year","value":300000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Total permanent ocean carbon storage per year, same review"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a campaign group's claim that 41 countries back whale offset credits; the sources link it probably to a 2018 International Whaling Commission decision that is not about credits.","Unconfirmed: a campaign group's claim that a Disney+ documentary was part of a whale-credit campaign.","Unconfirmed: a campaign group's link between Kenyan Ogiek evictions in November 2023 and carbon agreements; no direct link is established in the sources.","Not stated: whether any whale carbon credit has been issued, sold or bought; the cited sources show none as of October 2026, and the 2022 project's later status is unknown.","Not stated: whether Blue Green Future is the same company as Blue Green World; its founders are named differently across sources.","Not stated: the reserve area in the 2025 law; sources give 788, 923 or 1,231 km2."],"sources":[{"t":"Dominica establishes world's first sperm whale reserve","p":"National Geographic Society","d":"2023-11-13","u":"https://news.nationalgeographic.org/dominica-establishes-worlds-first-sperm-whale-reserve-a-boost-for-climate-biodiversity-and-the-local-economy/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260624150019/https://news.nationalgeographic.org/dominica-establishes-worlds-first-sperm-whale-reserve-a-boost-for-climate-biodiversity-and-the-local-economy/"},{"t":"Dominica Parliament approves historic bill to establish world's first sperm whale reserve","p":"Government of Dominica (Prime Minister's Office)","d":"2025-10-14","u":"https://pressroomopm.gov.dm/dominica-parliament-approves-historic-bill-to-establish-worlds-first-sperm-whale-reserve/","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419092852/https://pressroomopm.gov.dm/dominica-parliament-approves-historic-bill-to-establish-worlds-first-sperm-whale-reserve/"}],"actors":[{"id":"dominica-government","role":"Government that passed the reserve law in October 2025"},{"id":"whale-seeker","role":"Montreal company that announced the Whale Carbon Plus project in June 2022"},{"id":"baffinland","role":"Named partner in the whale carbon project; operates the Mary River mine"},{"id":"blue-green-future","role":"Company linked to the whale carbon proposal; founders named inconsistently in sources"}],"mechanism":"whale carbon credits","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A reserve for my sperm whales off Dominica was said to store 4,200 tonnes of carbon a year, a figure extrapolated from another area, according to the cited sources.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a campaign group's claim that 41 countries back whale offset credits; the sources link it probably to a 2018 International Whaling Commission decision that is not about credits.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a campaign group's claim that a Disney+ documentary was part of a whale-credit campaign.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a campaign group's link between Kenyan Ogiek evictions in November 2023 and carbon agreements; no direct link is established in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether any whale carbon credit has been issued, sold or bought; the cited sources show none as of October 2026, and the 2022 project's later status is unknown.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Blue Green Future is the same company as Blue Green World; its founders are named differently across sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the reserve area in the 2025 law; sources give 788, 923 or 1,231 km2.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Whale Seeker","No source link — Who gained: Baffinland","No source link — Who harmed: Narwhal near Eclipse Sound, Nunavut"]},{"id":"wto-losses-of-green-industrial-policy-and-indonesia-nickel-b","tier":"short","title":"Trade rules curb green industrial policy; WTO rules against Indonesia nickel ban","dek":"Trade challenges have struck down several green industrial policies, including India's solar local-content rule and Ontario's renewable tariff. A WTO panel also ruled against Indonesia's raw nickel export ban, and Public Citizen counts only two successful general-exception defences out of 48.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Ontario","lat":50,"lon":-85,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Public Citizen reported in February 2022 that only two of 48 defences under GATT Article XX and its services equivalent had succeeded, the US shrimp-turtle and dolphin-tuna cases.","The US Trade Representative's record shows India's solar programme lost a challenge over its local-content requirement in 2016, and Ontario's wind and solar tariff lost on the same grounds in 2013.","A WTO panel ruled in November 2022, in a case brought by the EU, that Indonesia's ban on raw nickel exports breached the rules; Indonesia appealed into a gap because the appellate body was not functioning.","A January 2025 panel report in the Indonesia palm oil dispute found that the EU had not reviewed its data before classing palm oil as high risk, and that French tax breaks for rapeseed and soy biofuels were discriminatory."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Trade-law challenges have struck down several national green industrial policies, and a WTO panel ruled against Indonesia's raw nickel export ban.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"European Union","what":"Brought the Indonesia nickel export ban case to the WTO","src":null},{"who":"Russia","what":"Brought a WTO case against the EU carbon border mechanism on 12 May 2025; the EU blocked a panel once in July 2026","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"India's solar programme","what":"Local-content requirement lost a challenge in 2016","src":1},{"who":"Ontario renewable tariff programme","what":"Wind and solar purchase tariff lost a challenge in 2013; 60 per cent local content for solar","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global; India; Ontario, Canada; Indonesia","src":null},"when":{"t":"Ontario 2013; India 2016; Indonesia nickel panel November 2022; DS593 panel January 2025; Russia complaint May 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Trade rules treat local-content requirements and export bans as trade barriers unless a general exception applies, and the sources say few exceptions have succeeded.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"gatt_xx_defences_counted","value":48,"unit":"defences","year":2022,"note":"Counted by Public Citizen; GATT Article XX and services equivalent"},{"key":"successful_defences","value":2,"unit":"defences","year":2022,"note":"US shrimp-turtle and dolphin-tuna cases"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: the value of the Indonesia nickel dispute; no sum is given in the cited sources.","Not stated: the outcome of Russia's carbon border complaint beyond the EU blocking a panel once.","Not stated: whether Indonesia's request to suspend trade concessions against the EU was authorised."],"sources":[{"t":"WTO general exceptions in trade laws: a faulty ivory tower","p":"Public Citizen","d":"2022-02-04","u":"https://www.citizen.org/article/wto-general-exceptions-trade-laws-faulty-ivory-tower/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001134946/https://www.citizen.org/article/wto-general-exceptions-trade-laws-faulty-ivory-tower/"},{"t":"USTR WTO dispute record on India and Ontario renewable programmes","p":"Office of the United States Trade Representative","d":"","u":"https://ustr.gov/node/1428","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610181117/https://ustr.gov/node/1428"}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Complainant in the Indonesia nickel case; respondent in the palm oil and CBAM disputes"},{"id":"wto","role":"Dispute settlement body that issued the panel rulings"},{"id":"public-citizen","role":"Advocacy group that counted successful general-exception defences"},{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Respondent in the nickel export ban case; complainant in the palm oil case"}],"mechanism":"local-content and export-ban rules","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the value of the Indonesia nickel dispute; no sum is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the outcome of Russia's carbon border complaint beyond the EU blocking a panel once.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Indonesia's request to suspend trade concessions against the EU was authorised.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: European Union","No source link — Who gained: Russia"]},{"id":"bloomberg-philanthropies-beyond-coal-and-beyond-carbon-steye","tier":"short","title":"Bloomberg, Steyer and Bezos money shapes coal and nature campaigns","dek":"Large donors funded campaigns to close coal plants and to protect 30 per cent of land, often through pooled funds and intermediary foundations. Critics say links to industry are hard to measure because much corporate-linked income is reported as a single line.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"District of Columbia","lat":38.9072,"lon":-77.0369,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9072,"lon":-77.0369,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The cited sources say Michael Bloomberg's foundation has worked with the Sierra Club since 2011 to close coal plants, with 289 plants closed in that period, and that Bloomberg announced 500 million dollars for Beyond Carbon in 2019.","The Federal Election Commission found in 2022 no evidence of abuse by the Wyss-linked groups, but criticised them for not showing restrictive grant agreements; Wyss's foundation had given more than 807 million dollars to US environmental causes since 2016.","GreenVC, citing CNBC, reported that the Bezos Earth Fund distributed its first 791 million dollars in November 2020, with 100 million dollars each to The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, EDF, WRI and WWF; its grant to the Science Based Targets initiative ended in December 2024 and was not renewed.","Tom Steyer and his wife gave more than 75 million dollars in the 2014 election cycle and 70.8 million dollars in 2018, from money earned running the hedge fund Farallon Capital, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Donor-funded campaigns against coal and for protecting 30 per cent of land are presented as philanthropy, while the cited sources show pooled funds and industry links that are difficult to measure.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Nature Conservancy, NRDC, EDF, WRI and WWF","what":"Each received 100 million dollars from the Bezos Earth Fund's first grants in November 2020","src":0},{"who":"Conservation International","what":"Received 90 million dollars from GEF-8, which it called a record; CI and WWF-US have been GEF implementing agencies since 2013","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (Bloomberg, Wyss, Bezos and Steyer funding); global campaigns","src":null},"when":{"t":"Bloomberg and Sierra Club since 2011; ClimateWorks founded 2008; Bezos Earth Fund first grants November 2020; SBTi grant ended December 2024","src":null},"why":{"t":"The campaigns present themselves as protecting 30 per cent of the planet and building a climate electorate; the donors' own motives are not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Money passes through pooled funds and intermediary foundations, so corporate-linked donations cannot be traced; ClimateWorks Foundation, set up in 2008, distributed about 2 billion dollars through donors including Bloomberg and Bezos by 2026.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"bezos_fund_first_grants","value":791000000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"Bezos Earth Fund first disbursement, November 2020"},{"key":"coal_plants_closed","value":289,"unit":"plants","year":2011,"note":"Closed in the Bloomberg-Sierra Club effort since 2011, per the cited sources"},{"key":"wyss_us_environment_giving","value":807000000,"unit":"USD","year":2016,"note":"More than 807 million dollars since 2016"},{"key":"climateworks_distributed","value":2000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Approximately, distributed by ClimateWorks Foundation through 2026"},{"key":"climate_philanthropy_share","value":2.1,"unit":"percent of all giving","year":2024,"note":"Climate mitigation giving 11.7 to 18.4 billion dollars in 2024, per ClimateWorks"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the Sierra Club received more than 26 million dollars from Chesapeake Energy executives in 2007 to 2010 and later declined an extra 30 million dollars.","Unconfirmed: that The Nature Conservancy received about 10 million dollars in cash and land from BP, per a 2010 Washington Post report, and that Dow pledged 10 million dollars over five years.","Unconfirmed: that ExxonMobil Foundation, Chiquita, Cemex and JP Morgan Chase are corporate supporters of Conservation International, per GRAIN.","Not stated: the donors and amounts behind the corporate income that large groups report as a single line."],"sources":[{"t":"Bezos Earth Fund commits 791 million dollars","p":"GreenVC (citing CNBC)","d":"","u":"https://greenvc.org/uncategorized/bezos-earth-fund-791-million/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260413135814/https://greenvc.org/uncategorized/bezos-earth-fund-791-million/"},{"t":"Funding Trends 2026","p":"ClimateWorks Foundation","d":"2026","u":"https://climateworks.org/report/funding-trends-2026/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260823212312/https://www.climateworks.org/report/funding-trends-2026/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bloomberg-philanthropies","role":"Foundation funding coal-plant closures and state-level campaigns"},{"id":"sierra-club","role":"Environmental group running the Beyond Coal campaign with Bloomberg funding"},{"id":"wyss-foundation","role":"Foundation whose affiliated groups gave political and campaign money"},{"id":"bezos-earth-fund","role":"Funder whose first grants went to five large environmental groups"},{"id":"climateworks-foundation","role":"Intermediary foundation that distributes climate philanthropy"},{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Environmental group receiving GEF money and board ties to the Bezos family"},{"id":"tnc","role":"Environmental group that received Bezos Earth Fund money"},{"id":"fec","role":"US regulator that reviewed Wyss-linked political giving in 2022"},{"id":"gef","role":"Intergovernmental environment fund; CI and WWF-US are its implementing agencies"}],"mechanism":"philanthropic campaign funding","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Bezos Earth Fund distributed its first 791 million dollars in my name in November 2020, with 100 million dollars each to five organisations, GreenVC reported, citing CNBC.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Sierra Club received more than 26 million dollars from Chesapeake Energy executives in 2007 to 2010 and later declined an extra 30 million dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that The Nature Conservancy received about 10 million dollars in cash and land from BP, per a 2010 Washington Post report, and that Dow pledged 10 million dollars over five years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that ExxonMobil Foundation, Chiquita, Cemex and JP Morgan Chase are corporate supporters of Conservation International, per GRAIN.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the donors and amounts behind the corporate income that large groups report as a single line.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Conservation International"]},{"id":"china-natural-forest-protection-programme-and-total-logging","tier":"short","title":"China's natural forest logging ban and the shift of timber imports","dek":"China limited natural-forest logging from 1998 and banned it fully from 2014, while timber imports rose above domestic commercial output. A 2010 study cited in the sources says 74% of China's forest gain over the last five years was offset by displacement abroad.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Heilongjiang","lat":47.5,"lon":127,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Yangtze upper basin","lat":29.5,"lon":105,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.86,"lon":104.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":1998,"end":2014,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["After the 1998 Yangtze floods the state banned natural-forest logging in the upper Yangtze and upper and middle Yellow River basins, and cut quotas in the northeast (Forest Trends, 2016).","Heilongjiang's annual output had already fallen from 4.1 to 0.89 million cubic metres before a full ban began there in 2014 (Forest Trends, 2016).","In 2014 China's imports of logs and sawn timber reached 88 million cubic metres in log equivalent, above domestic commercial output of 82 million (Forest Trends, 2016).","Quoted in the same report, the chairman of the Greater Hingan Mountains Forest Group said the group would expand overseas logging, including in Russia and Guyana, and build a new Greater Hingan abroad (Forest Trends, 2016)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China limited natural-forest logging from 1998 and banned it fully from 2014, while timber imports grew to exceed domestic commercial output.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chinese timber importers and processing industry","what":"imported 88 million cubic metres of logs and sawn timber in 2014 (log equivalent)","src":0},{"who":"Plantation sector","what":"plantation area reached 69.3 million hectares by 2013","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Forests in supplier countries","what":"the sources name the Russian Far East, Myanmar, Mozambique and Madagascar as suppliers; a 2010 study says 74% of China's forest gain over five years was offset by displacement abroad","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Natural forests in China's upper Yangtze and Yellow River basins and the northeast (Heilongjiang); timber supply from abroad","src":0},"when":{"t":"1998 (basin and quota measures) to 2014 (full ban in Heilongjiang)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Logging quotas and basin bans, then a full natural-forest logging ban, with imports and plantations supplying the timber","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"commercial_stock_decline_1950_1995","value":77,"unit":"percent","year":1995,"note":"Commercial harvestable stock fell 77% from 1950 to 1995 (FAO, 2001)"},{"key":"natural_forest_programme_area","value":68200000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Natural forest programme in 17 provinces; about 53% of China's natural forests"},{"key":"log_and_sawn_imports_2014","value":88000000,"unit":"cubic metres (log equivalent)","year":2014,"note":""},{"key":"domestic_commercial_output_2014","value":82000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2014,"note":""},{"key":"forest_gain_offset_abroad","value":74,"unit":"percent","year":2010,"note":"Share of forest gain over the last five years offset by overseas displacement, Meyfroidt data"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a nationwide extension of the full logging ban in 2017; the cited 2016 Forest Trends report cannot support that date, and the text also says it called the ban 'symbolic'.","Unconfirmed: upper Yangtze and upper Yellow River basin timber output fell from 13.5 million cubic metres in 1997 to 1.1 million in 2000.","Unconfirmed: Russia's share of China's log imports rose from 21.3% in 1997 to 33% in 1998, and about 70% of China's raw wood imports came from Russia in 2005–2007.","Unconfirmed: Myanmar's official log imports were about 740,000 cubic metres, with real volume estimated at twice that.","Unconfirmed: China's 2021 timber self-sufficiency of 49% and its status as the world's largest importer of logs and sawn timber.","Unconfirmed: Chatham House data showing China's illegal wood purchases roughly doubled in 2000–2013, and that China took 90% of Mozambique's timber exports.","Not stated: a combined figure for timber lost in supplier countries; the sources give country examples only.","Not stated: whether the overseas plans attributed to the Greater Hingan Mountains Forest Group were carried out."],"sources":[{"t":"China's Logging Ban in Natural Forests","p":"Forest Trends","d":"2016","u":"https://www.forest-trends.org/wp-content/uploads/imported/chinas-logging-ban-in-natural-forests-final-3-14-2016-pdf.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415021831/https://www.forest-trends.org/wp-content/uploads/imported/chinas-logging-ban-in-natural-forests-final-3-14-2016-pdf.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"china-gov","role":"introduced the 1998 logging restrictions and the natural-forest logging ban"},{"id":"greater-hingan-forest-group","role":"said it would expand overseas logging, including in Russia and Guyana"}],"mechanism":"natural forest logging ban","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"After China banned logging in my natural forests, its 2014 imports of logs and sawn timber reached 88 million cubic metres in log equivalent, above domestic commercial output of 82 million.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a nationwide extension of the full logging ban in 2017; the cited 2016 Forest Trends report cannot support that date, and the text also says it called the ban 'symbolic'.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: upper Yangtze and upper Yellow River basin timber output fell from 13.5 million cubic metres in 1997 to 1.1 million in 2000.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Russia's share of China's log imports rose from 21.3% in 1997 to 33% in 1998, and about 70% of China's raw wood imports came from Russia in 2005–2007.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Myanmar's official log imports were about 740,000 cubic metres, with real volume estimated at twice that.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: China's 2021 timber self-sufficiency of 49% and its status as the world's largest importer of logs and sawn timber.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Chatham House data showing China's illegal wood purchases roughly doubled in 2000–2013, and that China took 90% of Mozambique's timber exports.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: a combined figure for timber lost in supplier countries; the sources give country examples only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the overseas plans attributed to the Greater Hingan Mountains Forest Group were carried out.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Plantation sector","No source link — Who lost: Forests in supplier countries"]},{"id":"northwest-forest-plan-timber-leakage","tier":"short","title":"US Northwest federal logging limits and the shift of timber cutting","dek":"Federal logging on Pacific Northwest forests fell from 12.7 billion board-feet in 1987 to 1.7 billion in 2002. A 2019 letter by Brian Murray confirms an earlier finding that more than 80% of the blocked volume moved to other North American forests, mainly the US South.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oregon and Washington","lat":44,"lon":-122,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"US South","lat":33,"lon":-87,"role":"event"}],"lat":44,"lon":-122,"approxCoords":true,"start":1987,"end":2004,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Federal timber harvest on national forests fell from 12.7 billion board-feet in 1987 to 1.7 billion in 2002, according to figures cited from the Seattle Times.","More than 200 Northwest lumber mills closed between 1989 and 2004, and wood-products employment in Oregon and Washington fell 30%, according to the same figures.","Wear and Murray (2004) estimated that more than 80% of the blocked volume shifted to other North American forests, largely the US South; Brian Murray's 2019 letter confirms the finding.","Murray's letter adds that southern forests store less carbon, so carbon leakage was smaller than volume leakage; another model put carbon leakage below 10% in the Northwest and at 20–30% in the South."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Federal logging on Pacific Northwest forests fell from 1987 to 2002, and more than 80% of the blocked volume was reported to have moved to other North American forests.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Large forest companies and southeastern private landowners","what":"moved cutting to private land, Canada and overseas; the 13 southeastern states came to supply two-thirds of the national harvest, and private-land cutting from Virginia to Texas doubled since the late 1970s","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Small forest towns in the Northwest","what":"more than 200 mills closed and wood-products employment in Oregon and Washington fell 30%","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Natural forests of the US South","what":"the sources say pine plantation replaced them as cutting moved south","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Federal forests of Oregon and Washington (Northwest Forest Plan area); blocked volume moved to other North American forests, mainly the US South","src":0},"when":{"t":"1987 to 2004 (harvest decline and mill closures)","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Federal logging restrictions on Northwest federal lands, with cutting moving to private land, Canada and overseas","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"federal_harvest_1987","value":12700000000,"unit":"board-feet","year":1987,"note":"National forest harvest"},{"key":"federal_harvest_2002","value":1700000000,"unit":"board-feet","year":2002,"note":"National forest harvest"},{"key":"northwest_mills_closed","value":200,"unit":"mills","year":null,"note":"More than 200 Northwest lumber mills closed, 1989–2004"},{"key":"wood_products_employment_decline","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Oregon and Washington wood-products employment"},{"key":"blocked_volume_shifted","value":80,"unit":"percent","year":2004,"note":"More than 80% of blocked volume moved to other North American forests (Wear and Murray); confirmed in Murray's 2019 letter"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan cut logging by 80% across about 24 million acres.","Unconfirmed: the spotted owl was listed as threatened in 1990, and court rulings that followed nearly stopped federal logging.","Unconfirmed: old-growth remaining at the time of the decision was disputed; the Forest Service found 4.3 million acres in 1991 and the Wilderness Society 2 million, while conservation groups say only 15–20% of native old growth remains.","Unconfirmed: 30,000 direct jobs were lost in 1990–2000 according to a Forest Service report, about 19,000 of them before 1994; only about 400 of the 11,000 losses after 1994 were linked to lower federal logging.","Unconfirmed: Weyerhaeuser and other large private owners gained from the shift in cutting.","Unconfirmed: the spotted owl population kept falling because of invasive barred owls.","Not reviewed: the full 2004 Wear and Murray paper; the 80% figure comes from Murray's 2019 letter."],"sources":[{"t":"Letter from B. Murray to Pacific Forest Trust on volume leakage and carbon","p":"Pacific Forest Trust","d":"2019","u":"https://www.pacificforest.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Murray-letter-20190603.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220121053006/https://www.pacificforest.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Murray-letter-20190603.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-forest-service","role":"managed the national forests where federal harvest fell between 1987 and 2002"}],"mechanism":"federal logging restrictions","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Federal cutting in my Northwest forests fell from 12.7 billion board-feet in 1987 to 1.7 billion in 2002; Wear and Murray estimated more than 80% of the blocked volume moved to other forests.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan cut logging by 80% across about 24 million acres.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the spotted owl was listed as threatened in 1990, and court rulings that followed nearly stopped federal logging.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: old-growth remaining at the time of the decision was disputed; the Forest Service found 4.3 million acres in 1991 and the Wilderness Society 2 million, while conservation groups say only 15–20% of native old growth remains.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 30,000 direct jobs were lost in 1990–2000 according to a Forest Service report, about 19,000 of them before 1994; only about 400 of the 11,000 losses after 1994 were linked to lower federal logging.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Weyerhaeuser and other large private owners gained from the shift in cutting.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the spotted owl population kept falling because of invasive barred owls.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not reviewed: the full 2004 Wear and Murray paper; the 80% figure comes from Murray's 2019 letter.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Large forest companies and southeastern private landowners","No source link — Who lost: Small forest towns in the Northwest","No source link — Who harmed: Natural forests of the US South"]},{"id":"machangulo-resort-mozambique","tier":"short","title":"Dutch royal couple's Machangulo holiday-village investment, Mozambique","dek":"The Dutch heir couple bought plots on the Machangulo peninsula in 2007 as part of a holiday-village project and announced in November 2009 that they would sell. A 2009 report drawn up for the developer, cited by DutchNews, found five schools on the peninsula without clean water and said electricity had never been installed.","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Machangulo peninsula","lat":-26.1,"lon":32.98,"role":"event"}],"lat":-26.1,"lon":32.98,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Willem-Alexander and Máxima bought four plots on the Machangulo peninsula in 2007 and planned to build a holiday house on one of them. On 20 November 2009 they announced that they would sell it once completed, after criticism in the Dutch parliament (EenVandaag, 20 November 2009).","The development was planned with 120 homes, 60 luxury villas, a hotel and an airstrip (DutchNews, 2009).","DutchNews reported in August 2009, citing De Telegraaf, that a report drawn up for the development company found five schools on the peninsula without clean water and that electricity had never been installed (DutchNews, 2009).","The couple's stake was held by the foundation Administratiekantoor Machangulo, which was set up to create distance between the prince and the developer (EenVandaag, 2009; DutchNews, 2009)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Dutch royal couple's investment in a luxury holiday-village development on the Machangulo peninsula, Mozambique.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of the Machangulo peninsula","what":"five schools lacked clean water in 2009, and electricity was never installed","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Machangulo peninsula, Mozambique","src":2},"when":{"t":"Plots bought in 2007; schools report August 2009; sale announced 20 November 2009","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A planned development of 120 houses, 60 luxury villas, a hotel and a landing strip (DutchNews, 2009)","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"planned_homes","value":120,"unit":"homes","year":null,"note":"Planned development, per DutchNews"},{"key":"planned_luxury_villas","value":60,"unit":"luxury villas","year":null,"note":"Planned development, per DutchNews"},{"key":"schools_without_clean_water","value":5,"unit":"schools","year":2009,"note":"On the peninsula, without clean water or toilets"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the couple announced a sale on 20 November 2009, and the villa was sold back to the peninsula's owners' association, Machangulo SA, for a symbolic price on 11 January 2012.","Unconfirmed: rumours that a 20 km stretch of coast was closed to private use and that local fishers lost their grounds; the claims could not be confirmed.","Not stated: the amount the couple invested in the development."],"sources":[{"t":"Koninklijke villa in Mozambique verkocht","p":"BNNVARA Zembla","d":"2012-01-17","u":"https://www.bnnvara.nl/zembla/artikelen/koninklijke-villa-in-mozambique-verkocht","type":"press"},{"t":"More problems for royal holidaymakers","p":"DutchNews","d":"2009-08-27","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/2009/08/more_problems_for_royal_holida/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420035325/https://www.dutchnews.nl/2009/08/more_problems_for_royal_holida/"},{"t":"Prins en prinses verkopen villa Mozambique","p":"EenVandaag","d":"2009-11-20","u":"https://eenvandaag.avrotros.nl/artikelen/prins-en-prinses-verkopen-villa-mozambique-35364","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"dutch-royal-couple","role":"heir couple that invested in the Machangulo development"},{"id":"mozambique-government","role":"President Guebuza was consulted by the couple before the investment"}],"mechanism":"luxury holiday-village development","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the couple announced a sale on 20 November 2009, and the villa was sold back to the peninsula's owners' association, Machangulo SA, for a symbolic price on 11 January 2012.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: rumours that a 20 km stretch of coast was closed to private use and that local fishers lost their grounds; the claims could not be confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the amount the couple invested in the development.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"shell-stake-in-carbonext-redd-developer","tier":"short","title":"Shell's 2022 stake in Brazilian REDD+ developer Carbonext","dek":"Shell Brasil bought a minority stake in Carbonext, a Brazilian REDD+ developer, in 2022. Police and prosecutors later acted against REDD+ schemes, including some the sources say Carbonext developed, and the sources do not say whether Carbonext or Shell were charged.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Amazonas","lat":-7.26,"lon":-64.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-7.26,"lon":-64.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["In July 2022 Shell Brasil bought a minority stake in Carbonext, described as Brazil's largest REDD+ developer, for about 200 million reais (about 38–40 million dollars), with priority access to its credits (REDD-Monitor, 2022).","On 10 June 2024 Verra suspended the Unitor, Fortaleza Ituxi and Evergreen schemes, which Mongabay reported were developed by Carbonext, five days after the Federal Police launched Operation Greenwashing on 5 June 2024 (Mongabay). In October 2025 the Federal Police indicted 31 people for fraud and land-grabbing in the scheme (Mongabay, November 2025).","On 18 March 2026 federal prosecutors (MPF) announced three civil suits over the Unitor, Fortaleza Ituxi and Evergreen schemes against the companies that implemented, advised on and certified them, among them Ituxi Administração e Participação, Carbonext Consultoria and Verra. The suits seek annulment of the credits and damages, and ask that 87.3% of Unitor's revenue go back to the Kaxarari indigenous people and gatherers in Iquiri National Forest (MPF)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell Brasil took a minority stake in Carbonext in 2022; Brazilian authorities later investigated REDD+ schemes in Amazonas and sued over schemes linked to the firm.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell Brasil","what":"minority stake in Carbonext with priority access to its credits (July 2022)","src":0},{"who":"Carbonext","what":"received the 200 million reais investment","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Kaxarari indigenous people and gatherers in Iquiri National Forest","what":"prosecutors asked that 87.3% of Unitor's revenue be returned to them","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Lábrea and Apuí, Amazonas state, Brazil","src":null},"when":{"t":"Stake July 2022; Operation Greenwashing June 2024; prosecutors' suits March 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Equity stake in a carbon-credit developer that sold REDD+ credits; Verra suspended the accounts of some of its schemes","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"shell_stake_investment","value":200000000,"unit":"reais","year":2022,"note":"Shell Brasil's investment for a minority stake in Carbonext"},{"key":"federal_land_seized","value":538000,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"Public land the Federal Police said the group under investigation appropriated (Operation Greenwashing)"},{"key":"search_warrants","value":76,"unit":"search warrants","year":2024,"note":"Operation Greenwashing"},{"key":"people_charged","value":31,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Charged by the Federal Police, October 2025"},{"key":"certified_amazon_schemes_with_penalised_persons","value":24,"unit":"of 36 certified Amazon schemes","year":2025,"note":"Reuters review: people penalised by Ibama for illegal deforestation"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Carbonext says it protects about 2 million hectares of Amazon forest.","Unconfirmed: Shell bought Select Carbon in 2020 (more than 70 schemes, about 9 million hectares) and planned 200 million dollars for nature-based solutions over two years.","Unconfirmed: Shell decided in 2024 to sell most of its nature-based business.","Unconfirmed: Shell was the largest corporate user of carbon credits in 2024; no source is given.","Not stated: whether Carbonext or Shell was charged, or is a party to, the Federal Police investigation.","Not stated: the outcome of the March 2026 suits."],"sources":[{"t":"How to burn the planet: Shell invests US$38 million in Carbonext, Brazil's biggest REDD offset firm","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2022-07-13","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2022/07/13/how-to-burn-the-planet-shell-invests-us38-million-in-carbonext-brazils-biggest-redd-offset-firm/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221126202957/https://redd-monitor.org/2022/07/13/how-to-burn-the-planet-shell-invests-us38-million-in-carbonext-brazils-biggest-redd-offset-firm/"},{"t":"Verra suspends carbon credit projects following police raid in Brazil","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-06-11","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/verra-suspends-carbon-credit-projects-following-police-raid-in-brazil/","type":"press"},{"t":"MPF questiona na Justiça projetos de carbono no Amazonas por violação a direitos de comunidades tradicionais","p":"Ministério Público Federal (Procuradoria da República no Amazonas)","d":"2026-03-18","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-am/noticias/mpf-questiona-na-justica-projetos-de-carbono-no-amazonas-por-violacao-a-direitos-de-comunidades-tradicionais","type":"prosecutor"},{"t":"Brazil charges 31 people in major carbon credit fraud investigation","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-11-04","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-charges-31-people-in-major-carbon-credit-fraud-investigation/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714190855/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-charges-31-people-in-major-carbon-credit-fraud-investigation/"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"bought a minority stake in Carbonext in 2022"},{"id":"carbonext","role":"REDD+ developer in which Shell took a minority stake"},{"id":"verra","role":"suspended accounts of three schemes in June 2024 and was sued by federal prosecutors in March 2026"},{"id":"federal-police-brazil","role":"launched Operation Greenwashing in June 2024"},{"id":"ministerio-publico-federal","role":"filed three suits in March 2026 against Ituxi, Carbonext and Verra"}],"mechanism":"carbon-credit developer equity stake","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Carbonext says it protects about 2 million hectares of Amazon forest.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell bought Select Carbon in 2020 (more than 70 schemes, about 9 million hectares) and planned 200 million dollars for nature-based solutions over two years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell decided in 2024 to sell most of its nature-based business.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell was the largest corporate user of carbon credits in 2024; no source is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Carbonext or Shell was charged, or is a party to, the Federal Police investigation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the outcome of the March 2026 suits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Kaxarari indigenous people and gatherers in Iquiri National Forest"]},{"id":"m-c-mehta-v-kamal-nath","tier":"short","title":"ELAW and Ecolex list M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath, an Indian environmental case","dek":"The Indian case M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath is listed by ELAW and Ecolex. Case details are not on record.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":31.96,"lon":77.11,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.96,"lon":77.11,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["ELAW and Ecolex list the Indian case M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath.","The lease, restoration and public trust details reported come from secondary summaries and are unconfirmed (see unknown)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Indian case M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath is listed by ELAW and Ecolex.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India","src":0},"when":{"t":"Date not stated in the cited sources; the listing gives 1996–97.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath","forum":"Indian court (level: none on record)","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"civil","claimant":"Public-interest petitioner","defendant":"Kamal Nath","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Listed by ELAW and Ecolex; outcome not stated in the cited sources.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Supreme Court of India held in 1996–97 that the public trust doctrine is part of Indian law.","Unconfirmed: the court cancelled a motel lease in protected forest and on Beas riverbed land, held by Span Motels, a company linked to a former environment minister's family.","Unconfirmed: the court said the state had clearly breached the public trust and ordered the company to pay restoration costs.","None on record: the amount of restoration costs and the current condition of the site."],"sources":[{"t":"ELAW / Ecolex entry: M.C. Mehta - Kamal Nath","p":"ELAW / Ecolex","d":"","u":"https://elaw.org/?p=3076","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"span-motels","role":"company named in the reported lease (unconfirmed)"}],"mechanism":"protected forest lease","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"M.C. Mehta v. Kamal Nath: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Supreme Court of India held in 1996–97 that the public trust doctrine is part of Indian law.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the court cancelled a motel lease in protected forest and on Beas riverbed land, held by Span Motels, a company linked to a former environment minister's family.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the court said the state had clearly breached the public trust and ordered the company to pay restoration costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amount of restoration costs and the current condition of the site.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"te-urewera-legal-personhood","tier":"short","title":"New Zealand's 2014 Te Urewera Act, a legal-personhood law for a former park","dek":"New Zealand's Te Urewera Act of 2014 is cited as a legal-personhood case for a former national park. The terms of the land's protection and the settlement behind them are unconfirmed here.","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","places":[{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":null,"lat":-38.5,"lon":177,"role":"event"}],"lat":-38.5,"lon":177,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["New Zealand's Te Urewera Act dates from 2014, according to the Māori Law Review entry.","The Act is a legal-personhood law; the terms of the land's status are unconfirmed (see unknown)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2014 New Zealand law concerning the former Te Urewera national park, cited as a legal-personhood case.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Te Urewera, New Zealand","src":null},"when":{"t":"2014","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record; the terms are unconfirmed.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Te Urewera Act ended the national park and Crown-land status of the land and made it a legal person that cannot be transferred outside the Act.","Unconfirmed: the land's non-transferability rests on a settlement between the Tūhoe people and the Crown.","None on record: whether the protection has held in practice since 2014."],"sources":[{"t":"Te Urewera Act 2014 (Māori Law Review entry)","p":"Māori Law Review","d":"","u":"https://maorilawreview.co.nz/?p=4767","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"new-zealand-crown","role":"former owner of the national park land (reported)"}],"mechanism":"legal personhood for land","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["mar-menor-legal-personhood"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Te Urewera Act ended the national park and Crown-land status of the land and made it a legal person that cannot be transferred outside the Act.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the land's non-transferability rests on a settlement between the Tūhoe people and the Crown.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the protection has held in practice since 2014.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"bp-acquisition-of-finite-carbon-and-south-pole-stake","tier":"short","title":"BP acquires majority stake in Finite Carbon, a US forest carbon developer","dek":"BP bought a majority stake in forest-carbon developer Finite Carbon in December 2020. South Pole left the Kariba forest-carbon scheme in Zimbabwe in October 2023, saying it was disappointed with how the operator ran it on the ground.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","admin":null,"lat":-17,"lon":28.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["BP announced in December 2020 that it had acquired a majority stake in Finite Carbon, which its press release calls the largest US forest carbon offset developer.","South Pole, a carbon consultant, said on 27 October 2023 that it was leaving the Kariba REDD+ project in Zimbabwe, as Argus reported.","South Pole strongly denied knowingly selling worthless credits, as swissinfo reported (no source URL recorded).","BP's stake in South Pole is unconfirmed (see unknown)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"BP announced in December 2020 that it had acquired a majority stake in Finite Carbon.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BP","what":"majority stake in Finite Carbon, a forest-carbon developer","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (Finite Carbon's forest schemes); Zimbabwe (Kariba REDD+ project)","src":0},"when":{"t":"December 2020 announcement; South Pole exit statement on 27 October 2023","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A purchase of a majority stake in the developer.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: BP took a minority stake in South Pole in March 2009.","Unconfirmed: Finite Carbon had 50 forest-carbon schemes covering 3 million acres.","Unconfirmed: more than 60% of Kariba credits exist only on paper, and Verra cited 15.2 million excess credits.","Unconfirmed: Kariba credits were inflated at least five times.","None on record: the amounts BP paid for Finite Carbon and for its South Pole stake; the South Pole amount is not disclosed."],"sources":[{"t":"BP acquires majority stake in largest US forest carbon offset developer Finite Carbon","p":"BP","d":"2020-12","u":"https://bp.com/en_us/united-states/home/news/press-releases/bp-acquires-majority-stake-in-largest-us-forest-carbon-offset-developer-finite-carbon.html","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250808235224/https://www.bp.com/en_us/united-states/home/news/press-releases/bp-acquires-majority-stake-in-largest-us-forest-carbon-offset-developer-finite-carbon.html"},{"t":"South Pole pulls plug on Kariba","p":"Argus Media","d":"2023-10-27","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2503361-south-pole-pulls-plug-on-kariba","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231104232754/https://www.argusmedia.com/en//news/2503361-south-pole-pulls-plug-on-kariba"},{"t":"BP Alternative Energy PLC took a minority interest in South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd","p":"Lenz & Staehelin","d":"2009-03","u":"https://www.lenzstaehelin.com/en/news-events/deals-cases/bp-alternative-energy-plc-took-a-minority-interest-in-south-pole-carbon-asset-management-ltd","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230129032358/https://www.lenzstaehelin.com/en/news-events/deals-cases/bp-alternative-energy-plc-took-a-minority-interest-in-south-pole-carbon-asset-management-ltd"}],"actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"acquirer of a majority stake in Finite Carbon"},{"id":"finite-carbon","role":"forest-carbon developer acquired by BP"},{"id":"south-pole","role":"carbon consultant that left the Kariba scheme in 2023"}],"mechanism":"forest-carbon developer acquisition","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: BP took a minority stake in South Pole in March 2009.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Finite Carbon had 50 forest-carbon schemes covering 3 million acres.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: more than 60% of Kariba credits exist only on paper, and Verra cited 15.2 million excess credits.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Kariba credits were inflated at least five times.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amounts BP paid for Finite Carbon and for its South Pole stake; the South Pole amount is not disclosed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"shell-acquisition-of-select-carbon","tier":"short","title":"Shell buys Australian carbon-farming firm Select Carbon in August 2020","dek":"Shell announced in August 2020 that it would acquire Select Carbon, an Australian carbon-farming company. Shell later dropped its offset targets in October 2023, including a target of 120 million tonnes by 2030.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2023,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Shell announced in August 2020 that it would acquire Select Carbon, an environmental services company, according to its press release.","Boiling Cold reported on 3 August 2020 that Select Carbon, which Shell had bought, managed 56 carbon-farming schemes in Australia.","Reuters, reported through PGJ, said in October 2023 that Shell had abandoned its offset targets of 100 million dollars a year and 120 million tonnes by 2030."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell bought Select Carbon, an Australian carbon-farming company, in 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"ownership of Select Carbon's carbon-farming schemes","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia","src":1},"when":{"t":"August 2020 announcement; offset targets dropped October 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Acquisition of the whole company, Select Carbon.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"select_carbon_schemes_managed","value":56,"unit":"schemes","year":2020,"note":"Boiling Cold, 3 August 2020"},{"key":"shell_offset_target_per_year","value":100000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2023,"note":"annual offset target abandoned October 2023"},{"key":"shell_offset_target_2030","value":120000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2030,"note":"offset target abandoned October 2023"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Select Carbon had more than 70 schemes covering about 9 million hectares.","Unconfirmed: Shell planned to spend 200 million dollars on nature-based solutions over two years.","Unconfirmed: Shell decided in 2024 to sell most of its nature-based business.","None on record: the price Shell paid for Select Carbon.","Scheme counts differ across the sources: 56 in one reported count, more than 70 in another (unconfirmed)."],"sources":[{"t":"Shell to acquire environmental services company Select Carbon","p":"Shell Australia","d":"2020-08","u":"https://www.shell.com.au/media/2020-media-releases/shell-to-acquire-environmental-services-company-select-carbon.html","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311005421/https://www.shell.com.au/media/2020-media-releases/shell-to-acquire-environmental-services-company-select-carbon.html"},{"t":"Shell goes carbon farming in Australia","p":"Boiling Cold","d":"2020-08-03","u":"https://www.boilingcold.com.au/shell-goes-carbon-farming-in-australia","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511032634/https://www.boilingcold.com.au/shell-goes-carbon-farming-in-australia/"},{"t":"Shell abandons carbon offset targets","p":"PGJ (Reuters)","d":"2023-10","u":"https://pgjonline.com/news/2023/october/shell-abandons-carbon-offset-targets","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610184917/https://www.pgjonline.com/news/2023/october/shell-abandons-carbon-offset-targets"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"acquirer of Select Carbon"},{"id":"select-carbon","role":"carbon-farming company acquired in 2020"}],"mechanism":"carbon-farming company acquisition","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["eastern-australia-agriculture-water-purchase"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Select Carbon managed 56 carbon-farming schemes on me in Australia when Shell bought it in 2020; in October 2023 Shell abandoned its target of 120 million tonnes of offsets by 2030.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Select Carbon had more than 70 schemes covering about 9 million hectares.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell planned to spend 200 million dollars on nature-based solutions over two years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell decided in 2024 to sell most of its nature-based business.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the price Shell paid for Select Carbon.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Scheme counts differ across the sources: 56 in one reported count, more than 70 in another (unconfirmed).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jensen-s-discovery-of-pcb-in-wildlife-and-sweden-s-pcb-ban","tier":"short","title":"Sören Jensen identified PCBs in 1966 while testing for DDT","dek":"Stockholm University researcher Sören Jensen found unidentified peaks in a DDT analysis in 1966 and identified them as PCBs. The sources link PCBs to harm in wildlife; the extent of that harm is not on record.","country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","places":[{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":"Stockholm","lat":59.36,"lon":18.06,"role":"event"}],"lat":59.36,"lon":18.06,"approxCoords":true,"start":1966,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["In 1966 Sören Jensen, while measuring DDT, saw unidentified peaks and identified them as PCBs, according to Stockholm University's account.","The university's memorial notice describes Jensen as a renowned PCB pioneer and professor emeritus."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Jensen identified PCBs in 1966 after unidentified peaks appeared in his DDT measurements.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Stockholm, Sweden, at Stockholm University","src":0},"when":{"t":"1966","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Unidentified signals in DDT measurements were identified as PCBs.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: PCBs found in about 200 pike, a dead eagle in the Stockholm archipelago and Jensen's family hair.","Unconfirmed: the earliest PCB trace in museum bird feathers dated to 1944.","Unconfirmed: Sweden banned PCBs in 1972 and the United States in 1979, with a global ban under the 2001 Stockholm Convention.","Unconfirmed: Monsanto was the sole US PCB producer from 1929, and a 1969 committee document recorded aims of keeping sales and company image.","Unconfirmed: a 2018 model finding that PCBs threaten the long-term survival of more than half of orca populations."],"sources":[{"t":"In memoriam: renowned PCB pioneer Professor Emeritus Sören Jensen leaves a lasting legacy","p":"Stockholm University","d":"","u":"https://su.se/department-of-environmental-science/news/in-memoriam-renowned-pcb-pioneer-professor-emeritus-s%C3%B6ren-jensen-leaves-a-lasting-legacy-1.685015","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241115231830/https://www.su.se/department-of-environmental-science/news/in-memoriam-renowned-pcb-pioneer-professor-emeritus-s%C3%B6ren-jensen-leaves-a-lasting-legacy-1.685015"}],"actors":[{"id":"stockholm-university","role":"research institution where Jensen worked"}],"mechanism":"PCB identification and bans","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: PCBs found in about 200 pike, a dead eagle in the Stockholm archipelago and Jensen's family hair.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the earliest PCB trace in museum bird feathers dated to 1944.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Sweden banned PCBs in 1972 and the United States in 1979, with a global ban under the 2001 Stockholm Convention.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Monsanto was the sole US PCB producer from 1929, and a 1969 committee document recorded aims of keeping sales and company image.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2018 model finding that PCBs threaten the long-term survival of more than half of orca populations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"3m-settlement-with-us-public-water-suppliers-over-pfas","tier":"short","title":"3M agrees to pay US public water suppliers $10.3bn over PFAS","dek":"3M's settlement with US public water suppliers over PFAS was approved on 29 March 2024 at a present value of $10.3 billion, with a nominal ceiling of $12.5 billion paid over 13 years. It covers systems that have detected or could detect PFAS, and the company's chief executive described it as a way to reduce risk and uncertainty.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["3M's June 2023 press release announced a settlement with US public water suppliers, valued at $10.3 billion in present terms and up to $12.5 billion nominal over 13 years.","The settlement received final approval on 29 March 2024 and covers public water systems that have detected or could detect PFAS.","3M's chief executive, Mike Roman, presented the settlement as an effort to reduce risk and uncertainty.","In its second-quarter 2023 results 3M recorded the settlement as a charge, discounted at 5.2%, with payments running from 2024 to 2036."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"3M agreed to pay US public water suppliers $10.3 billion in present value over PFAS claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"3M","what":"Payments spread over 2024 to 2036 at a 5.2% discount rate","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Public water systems and their customers","what":"Covered by the settlement for PFAS found, or that could be found, in their supplies","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"United States, public water systems nationwide","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced June 2023; final approval 29 March 2024; payments to 2036","src":0},"why":{"t":"3M's chief executive presented the settlement as a way to reduce risk and uncertainty.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Settlement with public water suppliers without an admission of liability, paid in instalments.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_present_value_usd_bn","value":10.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":2024,"note":"present value; approved 29 March 2024"},{"key":"settlement_nominal_ceiling_usd_bn","value":12.5,"unit":"USD billion","year":2024,"note":"nominal maximum, paid over 13 years"},{"key":"discount_rate_pct","value":5.2,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"discount used in 3M's second-quarter 2023 charge"},{"key":"dupont_chemours_corteva_settlement_usd_bn","value":1.185,"unit":"USD billion","year":2023,"note":"separate settlement with US water systems"}],"legal":[{"title":"PFAS contamination suit against DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"US water systems","defendant":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva","filed":null,"decided":"2024-02-16","status":"settled","summary":"ASDWA reported that a judge approved a settlement requiring the three companies to pay $1.1 billion.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: AWWA estimates of $37.1 to $48.3 billion over five years to treat more than 7,000 water intake points, with most of the cost falling on customers.","Unconfirmed: the split of the DuPont, Chemours and Corteva payments into $592 million, $400 million and $193 million, and the exclusion of personal-injury and state natural-resource claims."],"sources":[{"t":"3M Resolves Claims by Public Water Suppliers, Supports Drinking Water Solutions for Vast Majority of Americans","p":"3M","d":"2023-06-22","u":"https://news.3m.com/2023-06-22-3M-Resolves-Claims-by-Public-Water-Suppliers,-Supports-Drinking-Water-Solutions-for-Vast-Majority-of-Americans","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013025517/https://news.3m.com/2023-06-22-3M-Resolves-Claims-by-Public-Water-Suppliers,-Supports-Drinking-Water-Solutions-for-Vast-Majority-of-Americans"},{"t":"3M reports second quarter 2023 results","p":"3M","d":"2023-07-25","u":"https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1790/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513161754/https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1790/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive"},{"t":"Judge approves settlement requiring DuPont, Chemours and Corteva to pay $1.1 billion in PFAS contamination suit","p":"ASDWA","d":"2024-02-16","u":"https://asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250815222010/https://www.asdwa.org/2024/02/16/judge-approves-settlement-requiring-dupont-chemours-and-corteva-to-pay-1-1-billion-in-pfas-contamination-suit/"}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"company; settling party"},{"id":"dupont","role":"company; settling party"},{"id":"chemours","role":"company; settling party"},{"id":"corteva","role":"company; settling party"}],"mechanism":"PFAS water-supplier settlement","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"3M valued its settlement with US public water systems that have detected or could detect PFAS in my water at $10.3 billion in present terms, up to $12.5 billion nominal over 13 years.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: AWWA estimates of $37.1 to $48.3 billion over five years to treat more than 7,000 water intake points, with most of the cost falling on customers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the split of the DuPont, Chemours and Corteva payments into $592 million, $400 million and $193 million, and the exclusion of personal-injury and state natural-resource claims.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kasaragod-endosulfan-victims","tier":"short","title":"Compensation for Kerala endosulfan victims reported delayed","dek":"Compensation for victims of the pesticide endosulfan in Kasaragod, Kerala, was reported delayed between 2011 and 2022, according to Down To Earth. The cited sources give no verified figures for victims or payments, so the scale of the harm is not established here.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Kerala","lat":12.5,"lon":74.99,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.5,"lon":74.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2022,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Down To Earth tracked the delay in endosulfan compensation for victims in Kerala between 2011 and 2022.","The outlet describes the endosulfan case as a decades-long tragedy in Kerala."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Compensation for endosulfan victims in Kasaragod was reported delayed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Endosulfan victims in Kasaragod, Kerala","what":"Compensation reported delayed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kasaragod, Kerala, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"2011 to 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not described in verified terms in the cited sources.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: aerial spraying of endosulfan on cashew estates run by a Kerala state plantation corporation, from 1976 to 1978 until 2000 to 2001.","Unconfirmed: 6,727 victims identified; a 2017 Supreme Court compensation order; payment approved for 977 people in February 2026.","Unconfirmed: compensation of 500,000 rupees for each of 6,727 people.","Unconfirmed: India objected to listing endosulfan under the Stockholm Convention.","Unconfirmed: no penalty recorded against any producer, with the Kerala state bearing the cost."],"sources":[{"t":"Tracking decades-long endosulfan tragedy in Kerala","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2011–2022","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/health/tracking-decades-long-endosulfan-tragedy-in-kerala-56788","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511143909/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/health/tracking-decades-long-endosulfan-tragedy-in-kerala-56788"}],"actors":[{"id":"kerala-government","role":"state government; reported as responsible for compensation"}],"mechanism":"pesticide compensation delay","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: aerial spraying of endosulfan on cashew estates run by a Kerala state plantation corporation, from 1976 to 1978 until 2000 to 2001.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 6,727 victims identified; a 2017 Supreme Court compensation order; payment approved for 977 people in February 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: compensation of 500,000 rupees for each of 6,727 people.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: India objected to listing endosulfan under the Stockholm Convention.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: no penalty recorded against any producer, with the Kerala state bearing the cost.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"amsilk-and-adidas-futurecraft-biofabric","tier":"short","title":"adidas unveiled a shoe prototype made from AMSilk spider-silk fibre","dek":"A 2016 adidas Futurecraft Biofabric prototype was made from AMSilk's bacterially produced silk fibre, and no retail sale is on record. At stake for nature is whether the fibre can replace conventional materials at a scale that changes their land and resource use, a question the sources do not settle.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.16,"lon":10.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.16,"lon":10.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":null,"instrument":"biotech","happened":["In November 2016 adidas unveiled a Futurecraft Biofabric shoe prototype made from AMSilk's Biosteel fibre, Munich Startup reported.","The cited sources record no retail sale of the shoe.","AMSilk said it raised 29 million euros in 2021, 25 million in 2023 and 52 million euros in September 2025, and it does not disclose tonnage or revenue.","A 2022 systematic review found that no spider-silk company had reached commercial sale, citing unstable gene sequences, low yield and costly purification."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"adidas unveiled a Futurecraft Biofabric shoe prototype made from AMSilk's Biosteel fibre, in November 2016.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"AMSilk","what":"Raised 29 million euros in 2021, 25 million in 2023 and 52 million euros in September 2025","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Germany (AMSilk and adidas)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Prototype unveiled November 2016; funding rounds in 2021, 2023 and September 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Bacterial fermentation to make a spider-silk protein fibre called Biosteel; production contracted to partners such as Evonik and Ajinomoto","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"funding_eur_m","value":29000000,"unit":"euros","year":2021,"note":""},{"key":"funding_eur_m","value":25000000,"unit":"euros","year":2023,"note":"Series C total 54 million euros"},{"key":"funding_eur_m","value":52000000,"unit":"euros","year":2025,"note":"30 million equity and 22 million convertible bonds"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: AMSilk sold its cosmetics unit to Givaudan in 2019.","Unconfirmed: AMSilk's research originates with a Bayreuth University scientist.","Unconfirmed: reports at the time said the shoe would go on sale in 2017.","Unconfirmed: a 2016 techno-economic model put industrial prices at 38 to 127 US dollars per kg; a 2026 study put bacterial minimum sale prices at about 15 to 88 US dollars per kg; competing synthetic fibres cost roughly 5 to 25 US dollars per kg.","Not known: AMSilk's tonnage, revenue and the volumes produced by its partners."],"sources":[{"t":"AMSilk wins adidas as partner","p":"Munich Startup","d":"December 2016","u":"https://www.munich-startup.de/en/17374/amsilk-wins-adidas-as-partner/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418034702/https://www.munich-startup.de/en/17374/amsilk-wins-adidas-as-partner/"},{"t":"AMSilk secures EUR 52m strategic financing to accelerate commercial growth","p":"AMSilk","d":"9 September 2025","u":"https://www.amsilk.com/amsilk-secures-eur-52m-strategic-financing-to-accelerate-commercial-growth/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260808013007/https://www.amsilk.com/amsilk-secures-eur-52m-strategic-financing-to-accelerate-commercial-growth/"}],"actors":[{"id":"amsilk","role":"Developer of the Biosteel fibre and recipient of the funding rounds"},{"id":"adidas","role":"Brand that unveiled the Futurecraft Biofabric prototype"}],"mechanism":"bacterial fermentation silk fibre","types":["biotech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: AMSilk sold its cosmetics unit to Givaudan in 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: AMSilk's research originates with a Bayreuth University scientist.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: reports at the time said the shoe would go on sale in 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2016 techno-economic model put industrial prices at 38 to 127 US dollars per kg; a 2026 study put bacterial minimum sale prices at about 15 to 88 US dollars per kg; competing synthetic fibres cost roughly 5 to 25 US dollars per kg.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: AMSilk's tonnage, revenue and the volumes produced by its partners.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"synthetic-indigo-and-the-collapse-of-indian-indigo-xintang-p","tier":"short","title":"Indian indigo area and exports fell sharply, 1895 to 1956","dek":"India Environment Portal records that Indian indigo cultivation and exports fell sharply between 1895 and 1956. At stake for nature is where the released land went and where the chemical load of synthetic indigo fell, which the cited sources do not establish.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"approxCoords":true,"start":1895,"end":1956,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["India Environment Portal reports that indigo cultivation in India fell from about 700,000 hectares in 1896 to 4,500 hectares in 1956.","The same source reports that indigo exports fell from 40,000 tonnes in 1895 to 1,000 tonnes in 1914."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India Environment Portal records that Indian indigo cultivation fell from about 700,000 hectares in 1896 to 4,500 hectares in 1956.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India (indigo fields)","src":0},"when":{"t":"1895 to 1956, as recorded by India Environment Portal","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"indigo_cultivated_area_ha","value":700000,"unit":"hectares","year":1896,"note":"about 700,000 hectares"},{"key":"indigo_cultivated_area_ha","value":4500,"unit":"hectares","year":1956,"note":""},{"key":"indigo_exports_t","value":40000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1895,"note":""},{"key":"indigo_exports_t","value":1000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1914,"note":""}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: synthetic indigo entered the world market in 1897, led by BASF and Hoechst.","Unconfirmed: a plantation owner estimated 4.5 million pounds sterling invested in India's indigo industry by the end of the 19th century.","Unconfirmed: natural indigo competed for about 20 years and collapsed after the First World War, when German knowledge spread.","Unconfirmed: synthetic indigo is petrochemical, uses aniline, cyanide and formaldehyde, and about 75,000 tonnes are produced yearly, more than half by Wonderful Chemical in Inner Mongolia.","Unconfirmed: 76 facilities in the Xintang denim district, 68 of them dyeing, printing and washing, closed for pollution in 2016 to 2018, with local losses above one billion US dollars.","Unconfirmed: another source gives an export peak of 9,366 tonnes in 1895 to 1896 and a fall in cultivated area from 1.4 million acres to 214,000 acres by 1912."],"sources":[{"t":"Indigofera tinctoria","p":"India Environment Portal","d":"","u":"https://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/articles/indigofera-tinctoria","type":"reference"},{"t":"Plantation science: improving natural indigo in colonial India, 1860-1913","p":"British Journal for the History of Science","d":"2007","u":"https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/428C51DDE5FDB86C4841FEAE9CBDD648/S0007087407000027a.pdf/plantation-science-improving-natural-indigo-in-colonial-india-1860-1913.pdf","type":"academic"},{"t":"Exclusive interview with Shiu Kee Wang, CEO of Wonderful Chemical","p":"Ecotextile","d":"September 2017","u":"https://www.ecotextile.com/2017090134282/news/features/exclusive-interview-with-shiu-kee-wang-ceo-of-wonderful-chemical-ltd-hong-kong/","type":"press"},{"t":"Are my denim jeans bad for the environment?","p":"NRDC","d":"","u":"https://www.nrdc.org/stories/are-my-denim-jeans-bad-environment","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307125326/https://www.nrdc.org/stories/are-my-denim-jeans-bad-environment"}],"actors":[{"id":"basf","role":"Unconfirmed: named as an early seller of synthetic indigo"},{"id":"hoechst","role":"Unconfirmed: named as an early seller of synthetic indigo"},{"id":"wonderful-chemical","role":"Unconfirmed: named as the largest synthetic indigo producer"}],"mechanism":"synthetic dye substitution","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: synthetic indigo entered the world market in 1897, led by BASF and Hoechst.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a plantation owner estimated 4.5 million pounds sterling invested in India's indigo industry by the end of the 19th century.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: natural indigo competed for about 20 years and collapsed after the First World War, when German knowledge spread.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: synthetic indigo is petrochemical, uses aniline, cyanide and formaldehyde, and about 75,000 tonnes are produced yearly, more than half by Wonderful Chemical in Inner Mongolia.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 76 facilities in the Xintang denim district, 68 of them dyeing, printing and washing, closed for pollution in 2016 to 2018, with local losses above one billion US dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: another source gives an export peak of 9,366 tonnes in 1895 to 1896 and a fall in cultivated area from 1.4 million acres to 214,000 acres by 1912.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"cultivated-meat-bans-italy-hungary-us-states","tier":"short","title":"Italy's lower house passes ban on cultivated meat, 159 to 53","dek":"Italy's lower house voted in November 2023 to ban the production and sale of cultivated meat, and several US states have since banned it. At stake for nature is whether replacing livestock meat would release land, a question the cited sources do not answer.","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":null,"lat":41.87,"lon":12.57,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.87,"lon":12.57,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["On 16 November 2023 Italy's Chamber of Deputies approved a ban on the production and sale of cultivated meat, by 159 votes to 53, with 34 abstentions, Il Post reported.","Il Post reported that Coldiretti, Italy's largest farmers' organisation, demonstrated outside the Prime Minister's office, and described it as very influential in politics.","Florida and Alabama (2024), Mississippi, Texas (for two years from 1 September 2025), Indiana, Montana and Nebraska have banned cultivated meat, and a law firm's summary also lists Missouri, whose law is a labelling rule."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Italy's Chamber of Deputies approved a ban on the production and sale of cultivated meat on 16 November 2023, Il Post reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Coldiretti","what":"Described as very influential in politics; demonstrated before the vote","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Cultivated meat producers in Italy","what":"Barred from producing and selling cultivated meat under the ban","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Italy; Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, Montana and Nebraska in the United States","src":null},"when":{"t":"Italy 16 November 2023; US states from 2024, Texas from 1 September 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"National legislation in Italy; US state laws, and labelling rules in some states","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"italy_vote_yes","value":159,"unit":"votes","year":2023,"note":"Chamber of Deputies, 16 November 2023"},{"key":"italy_vote_no","value":53,"unit":"votes","year":2023,"note":""},{"key":"italy_vote_abstain","value":34,"unit":"votes","year":2023,"note":"abstentions"},{"key":"us_states_banning","value":7,"unit":"states","year":null,"note":"at least seven states"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Coldiretti began a signature campaign in November 2022.","Unconfirmed: Italian fines range from 10,000 to 60,000 euros.","Unconfirmed: the European Commission said Italy breached the EU's TRIS notification procedure.","Unconfirmed: Hungary's parliament adopted a ban on 18 November 2025 by 140 votes to 10, after the Commission had called the draft unjustified.","Unconfirmed: the European Court of Justice ruled in October 2024 that France cannot ban meat names for plant-based products; the European Parliament voted in 2025 to restrict such names, and 31 terms were banned in a later compromise.","Unconfirmed: alternative protein investment fell from roughly 5 to 7 billion US dollars at its 2021 peak to 881 million in 2025.","Unconfirmed: many cultivated meat companies and mycelium leather makers have closed or paused production.","Not known: the effective date of the EU meat-name restrictions."],"sources":[{"t":"Italy's cultivated meat ban approved by the Chamber of Deputies","p":"Il Post","d":"16 November 2023","u":"https://www.ilpost.it/2023/11/16/carne-coltivata-divieto-approvato-camera/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260319202619/https://www.ilpost.it/2023/11/16/carne-coltivata-divieto-approvato-camera/"},{"t":"Hungarian parliament votes to ban cultivated meat","p":"Vegconomist","d":"November 2025","u":"https://vegconomist.com/politics-law/hungarian-parliament-votes-ban-cultivated-meat/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"coldiretti","role":"Farmers' organisation that demonstrated before the Italian vote"}],"mechanism":"production and sale ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Coldiretti began a signature campaign in November 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Italian fines range from 10,000 to 60,000 euros.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the European Commission said Italy breached the EU's TRIS notification procedure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Hungary's parliament adopted a ban on 18 November 2025 by 140 votes to 10, after the Commission had called the draft unjustified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the European Court of Justice ruled in October 2024 that France cannot ban meat names for plant-based products; the European Parliament voted in 2025 to restrict such names, and 31 terms were banned in a later compromise.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: alternative protein investment fell from roughly 5 to 7 billion US dollars at its 2021 peak to 881 million in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: many cultivated meat companies and mycelium leather makers have closed or paused production.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: the effective date of the EU meat-name restrictions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"bill-gates-farmland-holdings-in-the-us","tier":"short","title":"Gates holds about 275,000 acres of US farmland in 17 states","dek":"Bill Gates's investment group holds about 275,000 acres of US farmland in 17 states through Cascade and Cottonwood Ag Management, according to The Land Report and Entrepreneur. At stake for nature is which land use the holdings support, which the cited sources do not establish.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"17 states","lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The Land Report and Entrepreneur (2023) describe Bill Gates as the largest private farmland owner in the United States, with about 275,000 acres in 17 states, about 0.03 per cent of US farmland.","Cottonwood Ag Management, a Cascade affiliate that manages the land, bought a further 8,080 acres in June 2025 for 131.4 million US dollars.","Gates said in 2021 that his investment group made the purchases and that they are not connected to climate."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gates's investment group holds about 275,000 acres of US farmland in 17 states, through Cascade and Cottonwood.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cascade Investment and Bill Gates","what":"Control of about 275,000 acres of US farmland","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"17 US states","src":0},"when":{"t":"Holdings reported in 2023; the Cottonwood purchase in June 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"Gates has said the decisions were his investment group's and not connected to climate; the cited sources do not establish a wider purpose.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Land held through companies and worked by tenant farmers","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"farmland_acres","value":275000,"unit":"acres","year":2023,"note":"US, 17 states, through Cascade and Cottonwood"},{"key":"farmland_share_pct","value":0.03,"unit":"percent of US farmland","year":2023,"note":""},{"key":"cottonwood_acres_bought","value":8080,"unit":"acres","year":2025,"note":"June 2025"},{"key":"cottonwood_purchase_usd_m","value":131400000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2025,"note":"June 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Cascade holds about 36.7 per cent of Republic Services, per a 2026 SEC filing.","Not known: acreage and land-use outcomes after 2023, apart from the June 2025 purchase.","Not known: the full list of entities holding the land."],"sources":[{"t":"Top 100 landowners: Bill Gates","p":"The Land Report","d":"","u":"https://landreport.com/top-100-landowners/bill-gates","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240102191655/https://landreport.com/top-100-landowners/bill-gates"},{"t":"Entrepreneur article on Gates farmland holdings","p":"Entrepreneur","d":"2023","u":"https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/442912","type":"press"},{"t":"Schedule 13D/A, Amendment No. 28 (Cascade Investment, Republic Services)","p":"SEC","d":"2026","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001060391/000110465926099242/primary_doc.xml","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"cascade-investment","role":"Gates investment vehicle holding the farmland"},{"id":"cottonwood-ag-management","role":"Manages the farmland; Cascade affiliate"}],"mechanism":"farmland holdings via companies","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 275,000 acres of me across 17 states, about 0.03 per cent of US farmland, are held through Cascade and Cottonwood Ag Management, The Land Report and Entrepreneur reported in 2023.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Cascade holds about 36.7 per cent of Republic Services, per a 2026 SEC filing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: acreage and land-use outcomes after 2023, apart from the June 2025 purchase.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: the full list of entities holding the land.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"del-monte-pineapple-farm-killings-and-security","tier":"short","title":"Killings alleged at Del Monte's pineapple farm in Thika, Kenya","dek":"Guards at Del Monte's pineapple farm in Thika, Kenya, have been accused of killings and rape, and security was outsourced to G4S in 2024; the company says no fault has been established. At stake for nature is how the farm and its neighbours are managed, which the cited sources do not describe.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Thika","lat":-1.03,"lon":37.07,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.03,"lon":37.07,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reported in 2023 that guards at Del Monte's pineapple farm in Kenya were accused of killings.","The law firm Leigh Day wrote to Del Monte on behalf of 134 villagers claiming compensation for abuses allegedly committed over about a decade, including five deaths and five rapes. Tesco suspended orders from the farm in June 2023, and Morrisons moved tinned pineapple sourcing out of Kenya in June 2024.","Security was given to G4S in 2024, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission reported in 2025 a further killing tied to G4S guards in Murang'a.","Del Monte's lawyers say no fault on the part of Del Monte Kenya has been identified, and G4S denies wrongdoing. The cited sources report between three and five killings, none of them proven in court.","The Nation reported in December 2023 that the bodies of four men were found in a river near the plantation; a post-mortem found that at least three had drowned and had signs of injury. Del Monte said there was no foul play on its part.","The Guardian, republished by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre in July 2026, reported that families allege further killings after G4S was hired: Stephen Marubu Kibandi, 34, shot in August 2025 by a police officer working alongside G4S guards; Haron Kame Kibandi, 27, who died in April 2026 after allegedly being struck by stones thrown by G4S guards; and Michael Muiruri, 31, knocked off a motorbike by a G4S pickup in August 2025. G4S said the matters concern police operations or road traffic accidents."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Guards at Del Monte's pineapple farm in Thika are accused of killings; the company says no fault has been established.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Villagers near the farm","what":"Leigh Day letter seeking compensation for 134 villagers over alleged abuses, including five deaths and five rapes","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"People allegedly killed near the farm","what":"Between three and five killings reported across sources; none proven in court","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Thika, Kenya, pineapple farm","src":0},"when":{"t":"Allegations reported 2023, 2025 and 2026; G4S security from 2024; two deaths reported in August 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Security outsourced to G4S in 2024; supermarket orders reportedly halted","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"villagers_for_whom_allegations_filed","value":134,"unit":"villagers","year":null,"note":"allegations of killings and rape"},{"key":"deaths_reported_aug_2025","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"reported deaths in August 2025"}],"legal":[{"title":"Petition over alleged killings and assaults at the Del Monte plantation, Thika","forum":"High Court of Kenya","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"A rights group and community activists","defendant":"Del Monte Kenya and police and legal officials","filed":"2023-12-30","decided":"2025-02","status":"dismissed","summary":"Petitioners alleged that guards killed and assaulted people on the plantation. Del Monte denied the allegations. In February 2025 Justice Florence Muchemi dismissed the petition, holding that the court lacked jurisdiction, and each party bore its own costs. No appeal is on record.","src":5}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's count of 11 deaths could not be independently verified.","Not known: the history of the Thika land.","Not known: which Del Monte entity operates the Thika farm, since several companies trade under the Del Monte name."],"sources":[{"t":"Guards at Del Monte pineapple farm in Kenya accused of killings","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2023","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guards-at-del-monte-pineapple-farm-in-kenya-accused-of-killings-2/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250814152610/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/guards-at-del-monte-pineapple-farm-in-kenya-accused-of-killings-2/"},{"t":"Del Monte, G4S tied to latest security guard killing in Murang'a","p":"Kenya Human Rights Commission","d":"2025","u":"https://www.khrc.or.ke/press-release/del-monte-g4s-tied-to-latest-security-guard-killing-in-muranga/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618104600/https://khrc.or.ke/press-release/del-monte-g4s-tied-to-latest-security-guard-killing-in-muranga/"},{"t":"Kenya killings continue on Del Monte farm, families say after G4S hired for security","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2026","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/kenya-killings-continue-on-del-monte-farm-families-say-after-g4s-hired-for-security-incl-cos-comment/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018162814/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/kenya-killings-continue-on-del-monte-farm-families-say-after-g4s-hired-for-security-incl-cos-comment/"},{"t":"Morrisons drop pineapple supplier over violence at Del Monte farm","p":"The Bureau of Investigative Journalism","d":"2024-06-27","u":"https://thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2024-06-27/morrisons-drop-pineapple-supplier-over-violence-at-del-monte-farm","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Activists sue Del Monte over killings and assault","p":"Nation (Kenya)","d":"2023-12-31","u":"https://nation.africa/kenya/news/activists-sue-del-monte-over-killings-and-assault-4478452","type":"press"},{"t":"Court dismisses petition against Del Monte, cites lack of jurisdiction","p":"Citizen Digital","d":"2025-02-06","u":"https://citizen.digital/article/court-dismisses-petition-against-del-monte-cites-lack-of-jurisdiction-n357169","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"del-monte-kenya","role":"Operator of the Thika pineapple farm named in the allegations"},{"id":"g4s","role":"Security contractor for the farm from 2024"},{"id":"tesco","role":"Supermarket reported to have halted orders"},{"id":"morrisons","role":"Supermarket reported to have halted orders"}],"mechanism":"outsourced farm security","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Bureau of Investigative Journalism's count of 11 deaths could not be independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: the history of the Thika land.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: which Del Monte entity operates the Thika farm, since several companies trade under the Del Monte name.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Villagers near the farm"]},{"id":"usaid-dismantling-and-loss-of-biodiversity-funding","tier":"short","title":"USAID funding for Kenya's Northern Rangelands Trust ended in 2025","dek":"USAID, the main donor to the Northern Rangelands Trust, ended its funding in January 2025, and the agency closed on 1 July 2025. At stake for nature is the conservation work that funding supported, which the cited sources do not measure.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Northern Kenya","lat":0.35,"lon":37.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.35,"lon":37.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Mongabay reported that USAID gave the Northern Rangelands Trust nearly 20 million US dollars in 2015 to 2020.","Mongabay reported that USAID funding to the trust ended in January 2025 and that about 100 staff were laid off.","The cited sources report that USAID's foreign aid was frozen on 20 January 2025 and that the agency closed on 1 July 2025.","Reports of more poaching after the cuts rest on estimates, and no measured data was found."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"USAID funding to the Northern Rangelands Trust ended in January 2025, Mongabay reported, and about 100 staff were laid off.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Northern Rangelands Trust","what":"Nearly 20 million US dollars of USAID funding in 2015 to 2020; about 100 staff laid off","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Northern Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Aid frozen 20 January 2025; trust's funding ended January 2025; agency closed 1 July 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"The stated reasons for ending the funding are not in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Donor funding ended; USAID had been the trust's main donor.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"usaid_funding_to_nrt_usd_m","value":20000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2020,"note":"nearly 20 million, 2015 to 2020"},{"key":"nrt_staff_laid_off","value":100,"unit":"staff","year":2025,"note":"about 100"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: USAID funded 375.4 million US dollars of biodiversity programmes in 2023 (Yale e360, 2025).","Unconfirmed: the US government provided on average 12.1 per cent of global biodiversity funding in 2015 to 2022.","Unconfirmed: USAID funded 60 to 80 per cent of the budgets of Kenya's community conservation areas.","Not known: the outcome for wildlife and habitat after the cuts."],"sources":[{"t":"Crisis hits community-led conservation group in northern Kenya","p":"Mongabay","d":"May 2025","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/crisis-hits-community-led-conservation-group-in-northern-kenya/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260719213730/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/05/crisis-hits-community-led-conservation-group-in-northern-kenya/"},{"t":"USAID cuts conservation","p":"Yale e360","d":"2025","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/features/usaid-cuts-conservation","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260830194340/https://e360.yale.edu/features/usaid-cuts-conservation"}],"actors":[{"id":"usaid","role":"Donor whose funding ended; agency closed 1 July 2025"},{"id":"nrt","role":"Kenyan conservation trust that lost its main donor"}],"mechanism":"foreign aid funding cut","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Nearly 20 million US dollars of USAID money went in 2015 to 2020 to the trust that conserves my northern Kenyan rangelands; the funding ended in January 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: USAID funded 375.4 million US dollars of biodiversity programmes in 2023 (Yale e360, 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US government provided on average 12.1 per cent of global biodiversity funding in 2015 to 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: USAID funded 60 to 80 per cent of the budgets of Kenya's community conservation areas.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: the outcome for wildlife and habitat after the cuts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bayer-acquisition-of-monsanto-and-seed-pesticide-concentrati","tier":"short","title":"Bayer buys Monsanto for $66bn; four firms hold most seed and pesticide sales","dek":"Bayer bought Monsanto in 2018 for US$66 billion, and four firms now hold most global seed and pesticide sales. The cited sources do not measure what this concentration does to nature.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["ETC Group and GRAIN (2025), as cited by CBAN, put Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta and BASF at about 56% of global seed sales and 61% of pesticide sales; Bayer's own shares were 23% of seeds and 15% of pesticides.","The cited sources show that Corteva and Bayer together made more than half of US retail corn, soybean and cotton seed sales in 2018–20."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bayer bought Monsanto in 2018 for US$66 billion and sold some businesses to BASF to win approval.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bayer","what":"Acquired Monsanto in June 2018 for US$66 billion","src":3},{"who":"Corteva and Bayer","what":"Together made more than half of US retail corn, soybean and cotton seed sales in 2018–20","src":null},{"who":"BASF","what":"Took over businesses sold to win approval for the deal","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global seed and pesticide markets; the 2018–20 retail figures cover US sales","src":1},"when":{"t":"Acquisition in June 2018; market-share figures published in 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Acquisition of Monsanto, with some businesses sold to BASF to secure approval","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"acquisition_price","value":66000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2018,"note":""},{"key":"top4_seed_sales_share","value":56,"unit":"% of global seed sales","year":null,"note":"Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta and BASF combined; ETC Group and GRAIN (2025) via CBAN"},{"key":"top4_pesticide_sales_share","value":61,"unit":"% of global pesticide sales","year":null,"note":"Same four firms; ETC Group and GRAIN (2025) via CBAN"},{"key":"bayer_seed_sales_share","value":23,"unit":"% of global seed sales","year":null,"note":"Bayer alone; CBAN"},{"key":"bayer_pesticide_sales_share","value":15,"unit":"% of global pesticide sales","year":null,"note":"Bayer alone; CBAN"}],"legal":[{"title":"Monsanto patent suit over saved seed","forum":"None on record","country":"","iso2":"","kind":"civil","claimant":"Monsanto","defendant":"A farmer who saved seed (not named)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The sources record that Monsanto won the case and that the farmer who saved seed lost.","src":2}],"unknown":["The year of the 56% and 61% sales shares is not on record.","Unconfirmed: a LegalClarity ranking, a secondary source with no year, puts the seed market above US$63 billion and Bayer plus Corteva at 42%.","The cited sources do not measure the effect of the merger on farmers' prices or seed choice."],"sources":[{"t":"Bayer Closes Monsanto Acquisition (press release, exhibit 99.1 to Monsanto Form 8-K)","p":"Bayer AG / US SEC EDGAR","d":"2018-06-07","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001110783/000119312518186836/d602943dex991.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"CBAN: seed and pesticide market shares, citing GRAIN and ETC Group (2025)","p":"CBAN","d":"2025","u":"https://cban.ca/?p=441","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Bowman v. Monsanto Co., 569 U.S. 278 (2013)","p":"Supreme Court of the United States (US Reports, GovInfo)","d":"2013-05-13","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-569/pdf/USREPORTS-569-278.pdf","type":"court"},{"t":"Bayer and Monsanto sign definitive merger agreement (joint press release, USD 128 per share, aggregate value USD 66 billion)","p":"Bayer AG and Monsanto Company / US SEC EDGAR","d":"2016-09-14","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001110783/000089882216000443/press_release.htm","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"Acquirer of Monsanto (2018); large seed and pesticide seller"},{"id":"monsanto","role":"Acquired company; patent holder in the saved-seed case"},{"id":"basf","role":"Bought businesses sold to win approval"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Large US retail seed seller, 2018–20, with Bayer"}],"mechanism":"merger and market concentration","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year of the 56% and 61% sales shares is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a LegalClarity ranking, a secondary source with no year, puts the seed market above US$63 billion and Bayer plus Corteva at 42%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not measure the effect of the merger on farmers' prices or seed choice.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Corteva and Bayer"]},{"id":"epa-official-jess-rowland-and-monsanto-internal-emails-bfr-c","tier":"short","title":"Greens report: parts of German glyphosate assessment copied Monsanto file","dek":"A Greens/EFA report says up to half of some sections of Germany's BfR glyphosate assessment were taken from Monsanto's licence application file. The cited sources do not show whether the safety assessments of the weedkiller glyphosate were independent.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.2,"lon":10.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.2,"lon":10.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","happened":["Greens/EFA reported in January 2019 that up to 50% of some sections of Germany's BfR glyphosate assessment were copied from the Monsanto licence application file.","A 2000 review by Williams, Kroes and Munro, which found glyphosate safe, was withdrawn in November 2025; US Right to Know said it relied only on unpublished Monsanto studies and did not declare Monsanto staff as authors.","Michael Taylor moved from the FDA to Monsanto and back to the FDA, and Linda Fisher moved from the EPA to Monsanto; Taylor was cleared of conflict-of-interest charges (FarmingUK)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Greens/EFA report says part of Germany's BfR glyphosate assessment was copied from Monsanto's file, and a 2000 review built on unpublished Monsanto studies was withdrawn in 2025.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Employed former FDA official Michael Taylor and former EPA official Linda Fisher at different times (revolving door)","src":0},{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Its licence application text was reportedly reproduced in the BfR glyphosate assessment","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Germany (BfR), the European Union and the United States (EPA)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Emails from about 2015; BfR assessment January 2019; 2000 review withdrawn November 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Licence application text reportedly used in a government risk assessment; a review's authorship concealed Monsanto staff","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"bfr_copied_passages_share","value":50,"unit":"% of some sections (up to)","year":2019,"note":"Greens/EFA report on the BfR glyphosate assessment"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a Monsanto email relays EPA official Jess Rowland as saying 'If I can kill this I should get a medal' about another agency's glyphosate review; the remark comes through a Monsanto employee and was not checked against the original.","Unconfirmed: a Monsanto email (about 2015) says that writing papers in-house and having outside scientists sign them would cut costs.","An inspector general review was reportedly opened into the Rowland remark; its outcome is not on record.","BfR's response to the Greens/EFA report is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Profile: Michael Taylor, 'Why he matters'","p":"Medill News Service, Northwestern University","d":"2010-11-17","u":"https://dc.medill.northwestern.edu/blog/2010/11/17/profile-michael-taylor/","type":"press"},{"t":"Linda Fisher, Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency (biography)","p":"The White House (George W. Bush archive)","u":"https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/results/leadership/bios/fisherl.html","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Company whose licence file and studies are at issue"},{"id":"bfr","role":"German risk assessment agency whose glyphosate report is at issue"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"US regulator; former staff moved to Monsanto; Rowland remark reported"}],"mechanism":"industry-drafted regulatory text","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Monsanto email relays EPA official Jess Rowland as saying 'If I can kill this I should get a medal' about another agency's glyphosate review; the remark comes through a Monsanto employee and was not checked against the original.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Monsanto email (about 2015) says that writing papers in-house and having outside scientists sign them would cut costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"An inspector general review was reportedly opened into the Rowland remark; its outcome is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"BfR's response to the Greens/EFA report is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Monsanto"]},{"id":"bayer-carbon-program-with-nori","tier":"short","title":"Bayer's carbon program pays farmers per practice, not per tonne","dek":"Bayer pays farmers in 28 states for practices such as cover crops and reduced tillage, and Bayer measures the results and keeps the carbon assets. The cited sources do not measure whether the payments add carbon removal beyond what farmers already do.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Bayer pays US$6 per acre for each practice, up to US$12 for reduced tillage with a cover crop and up to US$16 with a nitrogen add-on, plus a one-time maximum of US$48 (farm press, February 2024).","Payments are made per practice rather than per tonne of carbon, and farm press reported that the programme operates in 28 states.","More than 125,000 tonnes of credits were issued through Nori; the verifier and the buyers are not disclosed (farm press, 2024).","Keystone's 2025 compliance check says Bayer does the measurement and verification and holds the carbon assets, and that a FieldView account is required."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bayer pays farmers in 28 states per practice, not per tonne of carbon, and has issued more than 125,000 tonnes of credits through Nori.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Participating farmers","what":"Receive per-practice payments; base rate US$6 per acre","src":null},{"who":"Bayer","what":"Measures and verifies the practices and holds the carbon assets (Keystone, 2025)","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"28 states; the cited sources do not name them","src":null},"when":{"t":"Payment terms announced February 2024; the date of the credit total is not stated","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Per-practice payments to farmers; Bayer measures and verifies; credits issued through Nori; FieldView account required","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"base_payment_per_acre","value":6,"unit":"USD per acre per practice","year":2024,"note":"Base rate; Bayer, February 2024 (farm press)"},{"key":"max_payment_cover_crop_tillage","value":12,"unit":"USD per acre","year":2024,"note":"Reduced tillage with a cover crop, combined; maximum"},{"key":"max_payment_nitrogen_addon","value":16,"unit":"USD per acre","year":2024,"note":"With a nitrogen add-on; maximum"},{"key":"one_time_payment_max","value":48,"unit":"USD one-time maximum","year":2024,"note":"Single payment maximum (farm press)"},{"key":"nori_credits_issued","value":125000,"unit":"tonnes of credits (more than)","year":null,"note":"Issued through Nori; verifier and buyers not disclosed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Bayer's 2030 goals, reportedly a 30% cut in the environmental impact of crop-protection products, a 30% cut in on-farm greenhouse-gas intensity, and reaching 100 million smallholder farmers; no source link is given.","Unconfirmed: a secondary report of Carbon Pulse reporting (January–May 2026) gives the same payment terms.","Unconfirmed: a forecast that paying farmers already using these practices adds no extra reduction.","The cited sources do not measure carbon removed beyond the practices farmers already use, and do not name the 28 states or the verifier."],"sources":[{"t":"Keystone: Bayer transparency principles compliance check (2025)","p":"Keystone","d":"2025","u":"https://www.keystone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Keystone-Transparency-Principles-Compliance-Check_Bayer-FINAL.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251208202910/https://www.keystone.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/2025-Keystone-Transparency-Principles-Compliance-Check_Bayer-FINAL.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"Runs the programme; measures, verifies and holds the carbon assets"},{"id":"nori","role":"Platform through which credits were issued"}],"mechanism":"per-practice carbon payment scheme","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bayer's 2030 goals, reportedly a 30% cut in the environmental impact of crop-protection products, a 30% cut in on-farm greenhouse-gas intensity, and reaching 100 million smallholder farmers; no source link is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a secondary report of Carbon Pulse reporting (January–May 2026) gives the same payment terms.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a forecast that paying farmers already using these practices adds no extra reduction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not measure carbon removed beyond the practices farmers already use, and do not name the 28 states or the verifier.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Participating farmers"]},{"id":"arip-world-bank-agricultural-reform-loan","tier":"short","title":"World Bank US$600m farm loan coincided with a 90% fall in farm support","dek":"The World Bank approved a US$600m loan in June 2001 to move growers away from hazelnut, tobacco and sugar beet. OECD (2011) reports that the crop-switch targets were only partly met.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":39,"lon":35,"role":"event"}],"lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2001,"end":2003,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The World Bank approved a US$600m loan on 29 June 2001 to fund a transition grant for growers moving from hazelnut and tobacco to alternative crops (World Bank, 2004).","Support spending fell 90% in 2000–2003, a cut of about US$5.4bn (World Bank, 2004).","The hazelnut target area fell by only 0.05%; the tobacco target was cut from 36,000 ha to 9,000 ha, and about 5,000 ha was reached (OECD, 2011).","A letter of intent to the IMF dated 3 May 2001 committed Turkey to cut the sugar beet quota from 12.5 to 11.5 million tonnes."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A World Bank loan of US$600m, approved on 29 June 2001, funded a transition away from hazelnut and tobacco, and support spending fell 90% in 2000–2003.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Turkish Treasury","what":"Lower farm support spending; the World Bank document gives a cut of about US$5.4bn","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Hazelnut, tobacco and sugar beet growers","what":"Lost farm support as spending fell 90% in 2000–2003","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Loan approved 29 June 2001; support cuts 2000–2003; OECD evaluation 2011","src":0},"why":{"t":"The programme aimed to move growers out of hazelnut, tobacco and sugar beet into other crops, as the OECD describes its design.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Transition grants, lower support spending and a planned cut to the sugar beet quota","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"loan_amount","value":600000000,"unit":"USD","year":2001,"note":"Approved 29 June 2001 (World Bank)"},{"key":"support_spending_fall","value":90,"unit":"% fall","year":2003,"note":"Support spending, 2000–2003 (World Bank, 2004)"},{"key":"support_cut","value":5400000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Cut in support spending, 2000–2003 (World Bank, 2004)"},{"key":"hazelnut_target_area_fall","value":0.05,"unit":"% of target area","year":null,"note":"Area reduction achieved against target (OECD, 2011)"},{"key":"tobacco_area_reached","value":5000,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Against a revised target of 9,000 ha, cut from 36,000 ha (OECD, 2011)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not measure the effect on farm incomes or on the crops planted after 2003.","Unconfirmed: the US$5.4bn cut is a single figure from the World Bank document and is not checked against Turkish budget data.","The cited sources do not say who benefited from the sugar beet quota cut."],"sources":[{"t":"World Bank document on the agricultural reform loan (PDF)","p":"World Bank","d":"2004","u":"https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/870291468760190594/pdf/29505.pdf","type":"international"},{"t":"Evaluation of agricultural policy reforms in Turkey","p":"OECD","d":"2011","u":"https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2011/09/evaluation-of-agricultural-policy-reforms-in-turkey_g1g1396c/9789264113220-en.pdf","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206055401/https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2011/09/evaluation-of-agricultural-policy-reforms-in-turkey_g1g1396c/9789264113220-en.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Lender of the US$600m loan"},{"id":"imf","role":"Letter of intent on the sugar beet quota (May 2001)"},{"id":"oecd","role":"Evaluator of the agricultural reforms (2011)"},{"id":"turkish-treasury","role":"Beneficiary of lower support spending"}],"mechanism":"farm support cuts","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not measure the effect on farm incomes or on the crops planted after 2003.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US$5.4bn cut is a single figure from the World Bank document and is not checked against Turkish budget data.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who benefited from the sugar beet quota cut.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"orangutan-loss-in-borneo-and-rspo-certification-effect","tier":"short","title":"About 150,000 orangutans lost in Borneo; RSPO palm saved only 21 km² of forest","dek":"Most of the roughly 150,000 orangutans lost in Borneo between 1999 and 2015 were lost inside forest, according to Mongabay (2018). A Queensland study found certified and uncertified plantations no different on orangutan loss, fire or village welfare.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo)","lat":-0.5,"lon":114,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.5,"lon":114,"approxCoords":true,"start":1999,"end":2015,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["About 150,000 orangutans were lost in Borneo between 1999 and 2015; most of the loss was inside forest through hunting, and only about 9% was on fully cleared land (Mongabay, 2018).","A 2018 University of Queensland study found no significant difference on any measure between certified and uncertified plantations in Indonesian Borneo from 2009 to 2014 (ABC News, 2018).","RSPO certification's relative effect is put at about 33% less deforestation, but certified areas covered less than 1% of the forest remaining on plantations, and the forest saved over 2001–2015 was 21 km² (PNAS study)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 150,000 orangutans were lost in Borneo from 1999 to 2015, mostly inside forest, while RSPO certification saved about 21 km² of forest over 2001–2015.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Certified palm growers","what":"Gain market access through certification; the forest they protected was small","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Orangutans in Borneo","what":"About 150,000 lost from 1999 to 2015, most inside forest through hunting","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Borneo; the certification study covers Indonesian Borneo","src":1},"when":{"t":"Orangutan loss 1999–2015; certification study covers 2009–2014; RSPO forest estimate 2001–2015","src":0},"why":{"t":"Hunting inside forest accounted for most of the loss, according to Mongabay (2018).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Comparison of certified and uncertified plantations in Indonesian Borneo, 2009–2014","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"orangutans_lost_borneo","value":150000,"unit":"orangutans","year":2015,"note":"Borneo, 1999–2015 (Mongabay, 2018)"},{"key":"loss_on_cleared_land_share","value":9,"unit":"% of loss on fully cleared land","year":2015,"note":"The rest inside forest, mostly through hunting"},{"key":"rspo_forest_saved","value":21,"unit":"km² of forest saved","year":2015,"note":"2001–2015; PNAS study"},{"key":"rspo_relative_reduction","value":33,"unit":"% relative reduction in deforestation","year":2015,"note":"Relative effect, not absolute; PNAS study"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an estimate of about 45,000 extra orangutans lost through plantation-linked loss, which is a forecast.","Unconfirmed: the Swiss–Indonesian trade-deal and Japanese biomass items linked to certified palm.","The cited sources do not give orangutan counts for Borneo after 2015."],"sources":[{"t":"What's worse than palm oil for the environment? (Mongabay, 2018)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2018","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/whats-worse-than-palm-oil-for-the-environment-other-vegetable-oils-iucn-study-finds/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004185042/https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/whats-worse-than-palm-oil-for-the-environment-other-vegetable-oils-iucn-study-finds/"},{"t":"Orangutan video comes as sustainable palm oil questioned (ABC News)","p":"ABC News","d":"2018-06-16","u":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-06-16/orangutan-video-comes-as-sustainable-palm-oil-questioned/9811642","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"rspo","role":"Certification scheme whose effect is measured"}],"mechanism":"certified palm oil scheme","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 150,000 of my orangutans were lost in Borneo between 1999 and 2015, most of them inside forest, Mongabay reported in 2018.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an estimate of about 45,000 extra orangutans lost through plantation-linked loss, which is a forecast.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Swiss–Indonesian trade-deal and Japanese biomass items linked to certified palm.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give orangutan counts for Borneo after 2015.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Who gained: Certified palm growers"]},{"id":"wto-palm-biofuel-disputes","tier":"short","title":"WTO panel backs EU on palm biofuel rules in Malaysia case","dek":"Malaysia and Indonesia challenged EU rules that take palm-based biofuel out of renewable status by 2030 while not doing so for EU-grown sunflower and rapeseed. The cited sources do not measure the forest or land effect of that choice.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":null,"end":2025,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The EU is taking palm-based biofuel out of renewable status by 2030, but not EU-grown sunflower or rapeseed, according to the WTO dispute record (Jakarta Post, 2024; RRI, 2026).","A WTO panel found in the EU's favour on substance in Malaysia's case and found a procedural defect (Jakarta Post, 2024).","The Indonesia case decision came in January 2025, and Indonesia urged the EU to comply with the ruling (RRI, 2026)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Malaysia and Indonesia challenged EU rules on palm-based biofuel at the WTO; a panel found in the EU's favour on substance in Malaysia's case in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"European Union","what":"WTO panel found in its favour on substance in the Malaysia case (2024)","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Malaysia","what":"Lost on substance in the 2024 WTO panel finding","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"WTO dispute process between the EU, Malaysia and Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Malaysia panel finding 2024; Indonesia decision January 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"The EU treats palm-based biofuel differently from sunflower and rapeseed grown in the EU; the cited sources do not state the EU's reasons.","src":0},"how":{"t":"WTO dispute settlement against EU renewable-energy rules that exclude palm-based biofuel","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Malaysia challenge to EU palm biofuel rules","forum":"WTO dispute settlement panel","country":"","iso2":"","kind":"trade","claimant":"Malaysia","defendant":"European Union","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The panel found in the EU's favour on substance and found a procedural defect; the cited sources do not say which party it applied to.","src":0},{"title":"Indonesia challenge to EU palm biofuel rules","forum":"WTO dispute settlement panel","country":"","iso2":"","kind":"trade","claimant":"Indonesia","defendant":"European Union","filed":null,"decided":"2025-01","status":"unknown","summary":"A decision was issued in January 2025; the cited sources do not state its findings.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Indonesia's claim that it won its case; the cited sources do not confirm the January 2025 findings.","Unconfirmed: claims that small palm farmers lose out from the EU rules.","Unconfirmed: a warning attributed to IUCN that a palm ban would require more land."],"sources":[{"t":"WTO backs EU in deforestation case against Malaysia","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2024-03-06","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2024/03/06/wto-backs-eu-in-deforestation-case-against-malaysia","type":"press"},{"t":"Indonesia urges EU to comply with WTO palm oil ruling","p":"RRI","d":"2026","u":"https://rri.co.id/en/international/2212060/indonesia-urges-eu-to-comply-with-wto-palm-oil-ruling","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"Respondent; set the renewable-status rules"},{"id":"malaysia","role":"Complainant in the Malaysia case"},{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Complainant in the Indonesia case"},{"id":"wto","role":"Dispute settlement forum"}],"mechanism":"palm biofuel renewable-status rule","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Indonesia challenge to EU palm biofuel rules: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Indonesia's claim that it won its case; the cited sources do not confirm the January 2025 findings.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: claims that small palm farmers lose out from the EU rules.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a warning attributed to IUCN that a palm ban would require more land.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"agrochemical-majors-purchases-of-biological-input-firms","tier":"short","title":"Major agrochemical firms buy biological input makers and sell organic-approved lines","dek":"Syngenta, Bayer and Corteva have bought biological input makers or sold products approved for organic farmers, including Syngenta’s 2020 purchase of Valagro and Bayer’s 2012 purchase of AgraQuest. The cited sources do not say how these deals changed sales of chemical pesticides, which is what is at stake for soil and water.","country":"Multiple countries","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Multiple countries","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2023,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Syngenta Group reported in 2020 that it had acquired Valagro, a biologicals company.","Bayer announced in 2012 that it had bought AgraQuest, a biological products company.","Corteva promotes six OMRI-listed products to organic farmers in the United States, and Bayer announced in 2021 an organic vegetable seed portfolio under the Seminis and De Ruiter names."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Large agrochemical companies, including Syngenta, Bayer and Corteva, bought biological input makers or sold organic-approved products, according to company materials.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Syngenta Group","what":"Acquired Valagro (2020)","src":0},{"who":"Bayer","what":"Acquired AgraQuest (2012) and announced an organic vegetable seed portfolio (2021)","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global, with OMRI-listed products sold in the United States","src":2},"when":{"t":"Bayer acquisition 2012; Syngenta acquisition 2020; Bayer organic seed announcement 2021; sales figures for 2023","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Corporate acquisitions and product lines marketed as approved for organic farming","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"biologicals_sales_corteva_2023","value":668,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"Secondary S&P 2023 figure; no source link in the cited sources"},{"key":"biologicals_sales_syngenta_2023","value":387,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"Same secondary figure set"},{"key":"biologicals_sales_basf_2023","value":251,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"Same secondary figure set"},{"key":"biologicals_sales_bayer_2023","value":225,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"Same secondary figure set; ranked last of the four"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how these acquisitions affected sales of chemical pesticides.","The 2023 sales figures come from a secondary source with no link in the cited sources.","The cited sources name no party that lost out from these purchases."],"sources":[{"t":"Syngenta Group acquires leading biologicals company Valagro","p":"Syngenta Group","d":"2020","u":"https://www.syngentagroup.com/newsroom/2020/syngenta-group-acquires-leading-biologicals-company-valagro","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612201737/https://www.syngentagroup.com/newsroom/2020/syngenta-group-acquires-leading-biologicals-company-valagro"},{"t":"Bayer buys AgraQuest","p":"Bayer CropScience","d":"2012","u":"https://cropscience.bayer.co.uk/blog/articles/2012/07/bayer-buys-agraquest-press-release/","type":"company"},{"t":"OMRI-listed Corteva products for organic farmers","p":"Corteva","d":"","u":"https://www.corteva.com/us/products-and-solutions/crop-protection/omri-listed-corteva-products.html","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419204111/https://www.corteva.com/us/products-and-solutions/crop-protection/omri-listed-corteva-products.html"},{"t":"Bayer to launch organic vegetable seeds portfolio","p":"Bayer","d":"2021","u":"https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/bayer-to-launch-organic-vegetable-seeds-portfolio-enabling-greater-access-to-certified-organic-market/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260123215813/https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/bayer-to-launch-organic-vegetable-seeds-portfolio-enabling-greater-access-to-certified-organic-market/"}],"actors":[{"id":"syngenta-group","role":"Acquirer of Valagro"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Acquirer of AgraQuest; organic seed launch"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Seller of OMRI-listed products"},{"id":"basf","role":"Ranked third in 2023 biologicals sales"}],"mechanism":"biological input acquisitions","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how these acquisitions affected sales of chemical pesticides.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2023 sales figures come from a secondary source with no link in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources name no party that lost out from these purchases.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bottled-water-source-leases-and-2025-bursa-water-crisis","tier":"short","title":"Bursa’s bottled-water plants draw 4.4m m3 a year; dams hit 0.54% in 2025","dek":"Turkish provinces lease spring flows and lake water to bottled-water companies, and villagers in Gözede, Bursa, say their irrigation water was given to a factory. The cited sources record volumes and tariffs, but do not show what share of Bursa’s water supply bottling takes.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Bursa, Sakarya and Bolu provinces","lat":40.2,"lon":29.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.2,"lon":29.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","happened":["Istiklal reported on 4 September 2025 that factories draw about 3.9 million cubic metres a year from Lake Sapanca, equal to Sakarya’s 20-day need, and pay six times the normal tariff.","Bolu leased 62.5%, 50% and 6% of the flow in its 2025 tenders, according to Bolu Gündem.","Habertürk reported in 2024 that villagers in Gözede said their irrigation water had been given to a factory and their crops had dried; Bursa Haber reported the metropolitan municipality’s reply that the factory has a separate supply.","DHA reported that Bursa’s 14 bottled-water plants draw about 4.4 million cubic metres a year, and Medyascope reported in October 2025 that dam levels had fallen below 1%."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bottled-water companies draw water under leases and permits in Sakarya and Bursa, and Bolu leased up to 62.5% of its flow in 2025 tenders.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bottled-water companies (names: none on record)","what":"Draw water from Lake Sapanca and Bursa sources for bottling","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Villagers in Gözede, Bursa","what":"Irrigation water, according to the villagers’ account","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lake Sapanca (Sakarya), Bolu and Bursa provinces, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Villagers’ protest reported in 2024; Bolu tenders in 2025; Bursa dam crisis in October 2025","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Flows are leased out by tender in Bolu; Sapanca factories are reported to pay six times the normal tariff","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"sapanca_factory_water_m3_per_year","value":3900000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2025,"note":"Drawn from Lake Sapanca by factories (Istiklal)"},{"key":"bursa_bottled_water_plants_m3_per_year","value":4400000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2025,"note":"14 bottled-water plants in Bursa (DHA)"},{"key":"bursa_dam_level_oct_2025","value":0.54,"unit":"% of capacity","year":2025,"note":"Reported during the October 2025 crisis (DHA)"},{"key":"bolu_tender_flow_leased","value":62.5,"unit":"% of flow","year":2025,"note":"Highest share in Bolu’s 2025 tenders; others 50% and 6%"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: experts say wells near Lake Sapanca also draw groundwater that feeds the lake.","Unconfirmed: village springs at Horzumalayaka were tendered for 39 years for a bottling plant; a village headman’s lawsuit was rejected and no Council of State decision was found.","The cited sources do not state what share of Bursa’s water supply bottling takes."],"sources":[{"t":"Annual water drawn from Lake Sapanca by factories equals Sakarya’s 20-day need","p":"İstiklal (SASKİ)","d":"2025-09-04","u":"https://www.istiklal.com.tr/gundem/sapanca-golunden-fabrikalarin-yillik-su-cekimi-sakaryanin-20-gunluk-ihtiyacina-899092h","type":"press"},{"t":"Spring water in Bolu to be leased out: tender details and conditions","p":"Bolu Gündem","d":"2025","u":"https://www.bolugundem.com/haber/26147066/boluda-kaynak-sulari-kiraya-veriliyor-iste-ihale-detaylari-ve-sartlar","type":"press"},{"t":"Villagers’ water protest in Bursa","p":"Habertürk","d":"2024","u":"https://www.haberturk.com/bursa-da-koylulerin-su-eylemi-3712921","type":"press"},{"t":"Metropolitan municipality responds to claims that water cannot be supplied in Gözede village","p":"Bursa Haber","d":"2024","u":"https://www.bursahaber.com/guncel/buyuksehir-belediyesinden-gozede-koyunde-su-verilemeyecegi-iddialarina-yanit-2647300","type":"press"},{"t":"Bursa, the city of water, has no drinking water left: 14 bottled-water plants","p":"DHA / Bursa Hakimiyet","d":"2025","u":"https://www.bursahakimiyet.com.tr/bursa/su-sehri-bursa-nin-icecek-suyu-kalmadi-14-ambalajli-su-uretim-tesisi-1515593","type":"press"},{"t":"Water crisis continues in Bursa: dams below 1 percent","p":"Medyascope","d":"2025-10-06","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2025/10/06/bursada-su-krizi-devam-ediyor-barajlar-yuzde-1in-altinda","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251113210408/https://medyascope.tv/2025/10/06/bursada-su-krizi-devam-ediyor-barajlar-yuzde-1in-altinda/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bursa-metropolitan-municipality","role":"Public owner of the water factory in Gözede"}],"mechanism":"spring and lake water leasing","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Bursa's 14 bottled-water plants draw about 4.4 million cubic metres of my water a year, DHA reported in 2025.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: experts say wells near Lake Sapanca also draw groundwater that feeds the lake.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: village springs at Horzumalayaka were tendered for 39 years for a bottling plant; a village headman’s lawsuit was rejected and no Council of State decision was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state what share of Bursa’s water supply bottling takes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cosmos-954-crash-in-canada","tier":"short","title":"Soviet nuclear satellite Cosmos 954 crashes in Canada; USSR pays C$3m in 1981","dek":"The Soviet nuclear satellite Cosmos 954 crashed in northern Canada in January 1978. A 1981 protocol settled Canada’s claim for C$3 million with no admission of liability, and the cited sources say there was no specific rule for space debris.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Northwest Territories","lat":62.4,"lon":-114.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":62.4,"lon":-114.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":1978,"end":1981,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["Soviet nuclear satellite Cosmos 954 crashed in Canada on 24 January 1978 (no source link in the cited sources).","The protocol signed on 2 April 1981 settled Canada’s claim for C$3,000,000 “in full and final settlement”, with no admission of liability, according to the protocol text hosted by JAXA.","The UN’s 2007 space debris guidelines state that they are not legally binding (UN document; no source link in the cited sources)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Soviet nuclear satellite fell in Canada, and the USSR later paid C$3 million to settle Canada’s claim without admitting liability.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Northwest Territories, Canada","src":null},"when":{"t":"Crash on 24 January 1978; claim dated 23 January 1979; protocol signed 2 April 1981","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Settled by a diplomatic protocol under the 1972 Liability Convention framework","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"canada_claim_cad","value":6041174.7,"unit":"CAD","year":1979,"note":"Canada’s claim dated 23 January 1979 (no source link in the cited sources)"},{"key":"settlement_paid_cad","value":3000000,"unit":"CAD","year":1981,"note":"Protocol of 2 April 1981; no admission of liability"}],"legal":[{"title":"Protocol settling the Cosmos 954 claim","forum":"Diplomatic settlement under the 1972 Liability Convention","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Canada","defendant":"Union of Soviet Socialist Republics","filed":"1979-01-23","decided":"1981-04-02","status":"settled","summary":"The protocol signed on 2 April 1981 settled the claim for C$3,000,000 “in full and final settlement”, with no admission of liability.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the claim is described as the only formal claim ever made under the Liability Convention.","The cited sources do not say what environmental damage the debris caused."],"sources":[{"t":"Protocol settling the Cosmos 954 claim (text hosted by JAXA)","p":"JAXA","d":"1981-04-02","u":"https://www.jaxa.jp/library/space_law/chapter_3/3-2-2-1_e.html","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010210615/https://www.jaxa.jp/library/space_law/chapter_3/3-2-2-1_e.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"ussr","role":"Paid C$3,000,000 without admitting liability"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Claimant for damage from Cosmos 954"}],"mechanism":"nuclear satellite reentry liability","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 1981 protocol settled Canada's claim for the Cosmos 954 nuclear satellite crash on me for C$3,000,000, with no admission of liability.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the claim is described as the only formal claim ever made under the Liability Convention.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what environmental damage the debris caused.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"keystone-xl-environmental-impact-statement","tier":"short","title":"Consultant ERM wrote the Keystone XL environmental impact statement","dek":"ERM, a consulting firm, wrote the environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL pipeline for the US State Department. It was alleged that ERM did not disclose earlier work for TransCanada, and the cited sources do not establish that the conflict changed the review’s findings.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":41.5,"lon":-99,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.5,"lon":-99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2024,"instrument":"pipeline","happened":["ERM wrote the environmental impact statement for the pipeline for the US State Department (no source link in the cited sources).","Alberta’s loss on Keystone XL, about C$1.3 billion, fell on taxpayers, Global News reported in June 2021.","In July 2024 a tribunal rejected, for lack of jurisdiction, TC Energy’s claim for more than $15 billion over Keystone XL, Hydrocarbon Processing reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ERM, a consulting firm, wrote the environmental impact statement for the Keystone XL pipeline.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Alberta taxpayers","what":"Bore the loss on Keystone XL, about C$1.3 billion","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States and Canada (pipeline route)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Review prepared around 2013–2014; Alberta loss reported 2021; tribunal decision July 2024","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A consultant prepared the review for the US State Department; the cited sources do not describe how the consultant was selected","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"alberta_keystone_loss_cad_bn","value":1.3,"unit":"CAD billion","year":2021,"note":"Loss on Keystone XL reported to fall on Alberta taxpayers (Global News)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ERM was alleged not to have disclosed prior TransCanada work and American Petroleum Institute membership on a conflict-of-interest form.","Unconfirmed: a State Department inspector general (reported by Grist in 2014) found the rules were “largely” followed but criticised weak documentation.","Unconfirmed: KKR owns ERM.","The cited sources do not say whether ERM’s role changed the environmental findings of the statement."],"sources":[{"t":"Alberta finance minister on Keystone XL loss","p":"Global News","d":"2021-06-10","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/7939964/alberta-finance-minister-keystone-xl-loss","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260301083905/https://globalnews.ca/news/7939964/alberta-finance-minister-keystone-xl-loss/"},{"t":"Tribunal rejects TC Energy’s $15 B claim for Keystone XL","p":"Hydrocarbon Processing","d":"2024-07-17","u":"https://hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/07/tribunal-rejects-tc-energys-15-b-claim-for-keystone-xl/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213165346/https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/07/tribunal-rejects-tc-energys-15-b-claim-for-keystone-xl/"}],"actors":[{"id":"erm","role":"Consultant that wrote the environmental impact statement"},{"id":"tc-energy","role":"Pipeline developer; claimant in the 2024 tribunal case"},{"id":"us-department-of-state","role":"Commissioned the environmental impact statement"}],"mechanism":"contractor-written environmental review","types":["pipeline"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ERM was alleged not to have disclosed prior TransCanada work and American Petroleum Institute membership on a conflict-of-interest form.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a State Department inspector general (reported by Grist in 2014) found the rules were “largely” followed but criticised weak documentation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: KKR owns ERM.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether ERM’s role changed the environmental findings of the statement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tilenga-esia","tier":"short","title":"TotalEnergies’ Tilenga oil fields in Uganda: biodiversity claims and insurance","dek":"TotalEnergies is developing the Tilenga oil fields in Uganda and presents its biodiversity programme as a net gain. The cited sources record a 2022 insurance arrangement for the pipeline, but do not establish whether the biodiversity claims have been independently verified.","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":"Albertine Graben (Buliisa district)","lat":1.7,"lon":31.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":1.7,"lon":31.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2022,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["TotalEnergies’ biodiversity programme for the Tilenga oil fields claims a net biodiversity gain, according to its own infographic.","The Financial Times reported in May 2022 that Marsh was arranging the insurance; Marsh declined to comment, citing its policy of not confirming client identities.","Uganda’s insurance regulator chief executive, Kaddunabbi Lubega, said on 21 August 2022 that the pipeline is insured by the Insurance Consortium for Oil and Gas in Uganda (ICOGU), including policies on Tilenga.","The 2021 EACOP (Special Provisions) Act offers local reinsurers Uganda Re, ZEP-Re and Africa Re up to 30% of the risk, Dialogue Earth reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"TotalEnergies is developing the Tilenga oil fields in Uganda and presents its biodiversity programme for them as a net gain.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"Developing the Tilenga oil fields","src":0},{"who":"Uganda Re, ZEP-Re and Africa Re","what":"Eligible for up to 30% of the pipeline risk under the 2021 Act","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Albertine Graben, Uganda (Tilenga oil fields and the EACOP pipeline route)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Insurance reported in 2022; EACOP Act 2021; biodiversity programme undated","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Insurance placed through a local consortium, with a share reserved for local reinsurers under national law","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"local_reinsurers_risk_share_pct","value":30,"unit":"% of risk","year":2021,"note":"Up to 30% offered to local reinsurers under the EACOP (Special Provisions) Act"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: AECOM and Eco & Partner prepared the Tilenga impact assessment (NCEA 2019 review cited in the sources).","Unconfirmed: the campaign group StopEACOP disputes that the insurance cover is complete.","The cited sources do not state the amount insured, or name insurers other than ICOGU.","The cited sources do not say whether the net biodiversity gain has been checked by an independent body."],"sources":[{"t":"The biodiversity programme for the Tilenga oil fields in Uganda","p":"TotalEnergies","d":"","u":"https://totalenergies.com/fr/infographies/le-programme-pour-la-biodiversite-du-projet-tilenga-en-ouganda","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260806055920/https://totalenergies.com/fr/infographies/le-programme-pour-la-biodiversite-du-projet-tilenga-en-ouganda"},{"t":"Climate group asks Marsh to stop serving as broker for the EACOP pipeline","p":"Business Insurance","d":"2022","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/climate-group-asks-marsh-to-stop-serving-as-broker-for-pipeline-project","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018163033/https://www.businessinsurance.com/climate-group-asks-marsh-to-stop-serving-as-broker-for-pipeline-project/"},{"t":"EACOP is locally insured, IRA boss","p":"Independent (Uganda)","d":"2022-08-21","u":"https://www.independent.co.ug/eacop-is-locally-insured-ira-boss/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240203161433/https://www.independent.co.ug/eacop-is-locally-insured-ira-boss/"},{"t":"Who is left to fund the East Africa crude oil pipeline?","p":"Dialogue Earth","d":"","u":"https://dialogue.earth/en/energy/who-is-left-to-fund-east-africa-crude-oil-pipeline/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821012437/https://dialogue.earth/en/energy/who-is-left-to-fund-east-africa-crude-oil-pipeline/"}],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Developer of the Tilenga oil fields"},{"id":"marsh","role":"Reported insurance broker"},{"id":"icogu","role":"Insurance consortium covering the pipeline and Tilenga"},{"id":"ira-uganda","role":"Regulator whose chief executive described the cover"}],"mechanism":"oil field and pipeline insurance","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: AECOM and Eco & Partner prepared the Tilenga impact assessment (NCEA 2019 review cited in the sources).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the campaign group StopEACOP disputes that the insurance cover is complete.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the amount insured, or name insurers other than ICOGU.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the net biodiversity gain has been checked by an independent body.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"marfrig-bond-funded-cattle-from-deforested-areas","tier":"short","title":"Marfrig co-founded Biomas, a Brazilian forest-restoration company","dek":"Marfrig is one of six companies that founded Biomas in 2022 to restore and conserve 4 million hectares of Brazilian forest, under a model based on selling carbon credits. Reports that Marfrig bought cattle from deforested land with bond money are unconfirmed.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.24,"lon":-51.93,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.24,"lon":-51.93,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Vale, Itaú Unibanco, Marfrig, Rabobank, Santander and Suzano announced Biomas at COP27 in November 2022, a company to restore, conserve and preserve 4 million hectares of Brazilian forest over 20 years, Vale's market notice said.","Each partner initially committed R$20 million, and the model is based on selling carbon credits, according to the same notice."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Marfrig is one of six companies that founded Biomas, a carbon-credit forest-restoration company announced in November 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Biomas founders (Vale, Itaú Unibanco, Marfrig, Rabobank, Santander, Suzano)","what":"Carbon-credit sales under the Biomas model","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced November 2022 at COP27; 20-year target","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Six companies each committed R$20 million to Biomas, which plans to sell carbon credits from restoration and conservation.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"biomas_target_area","value":4000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2022,"note":"restore, conserve and preserve over 20 years"},{"key":"biomas_initial_partner_commitment","value":20000000,"unit":"BRL","year":2022,"note":"per founding partner"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Marfrig used bond money to buy cattle from a ranch linked to its board chair, which Mongabay reported in September 2025 citing Brazilian prosecutors.","Unconfirmed: the same report said 195 hectares on that farm were embargoed by IBAMA.","Unconfirmed: BankTrack, citing Global Witness, lists 89 supplier ranches with more than 3,300 hectares of illegal deforestation between 2017 and 2019.","The cited sources do not state the amount or terms of any Marfrig bond, or Marfrig's response to the reports.","The 2025 details and current leadership of Biomas come from press reports and are unconfirmed."],"sources":[{"t":"Comunicado ao Mercado: Biomas (Vale market notice, 14 November 2022)","p":"Vale","d":"2022-11-14","u":"https://www.latibex.com/docs/Documentos/LED/2022/11/15/LEACN_20221114_090007_A99_1032390_20221114_DOC001.pdf","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240626193825/https://www.latibex.com/docs/Documentos/LED/2022/11/15/LEACN_20221114_090007_A99_1032390_20221114_DOC001.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"marfrig","role":"Founding partner of Biomas; named in unconfirmed reports"},{"id":"biomas","role":"Carbon-credit forest-restoration company founded in 2022"},{"id":"vale","role":"Founding partner of Biomas"},{"id":"itau-unibanco","role":"Founding partner of Biomas"},{"id":"santander-brasil","role":"Founding partner of Biomas"},{"id":"rabobank","role":"Founding partner of Biomas"},{"id":"suzano","role":"Founding partner of Biomas"}],"mechanism":"carbon-credit forest restoration venture","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Marfrig used bond money to buy cattle from a ranch linked to its board chair, which Mongabay reported in September 2025 citing Brazilian prosecutors.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the same report said 195 hectares on that farm were embargoed by IBAMA.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: BankTrack, citing Global Witness, lists 89 supplier ranches with more than 3,300 hectares of illegal deforestation between 2017 and 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the amount or terms of any Marfrig bond, or Marfrig's response to the reports.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The 2025 details and current leadership of Biomas come from press reports and are unconfirmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"guyana-forest-plan","tier":"short","title":"Hess agreed to buy at least US$750 million of Guyana forest credits","dek":"Guyana agreed in 2022 to supply REDD+ forest credits to Hess, a partner in its Stabroek oil block, and IATA said in September 2025 that all CORSIA-eligible supply came from Guyana. Greenpeace said in 2011 that the McKinsey-assisted Guyana forest plan would let logging rise 20-fold.","country":"Guyana","iso2":"GY","places":[{"country":"Guyana","iso2":"GY","admin":null,"lat":4.86,"lon":-58.93,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.86,"lon":-58.93,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2032,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Hess, a partner in Guyana's Stabroek oil block, signed a commitment in 2022 to buy at least US$750 million of REDD+ credits from Guyana over 2022–2032, according to CarbonCredits.com.","IATA said in September 2025 that all CORSIA-eligible supply came from Guyana.","Greenpeace said in 2011 that the McKinsey-assisted Guyana forest plan would allow logging to rise 20-fold."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Guyana agreed to supply REDD+ forest credits to Hess, a partner in its Stabroek oil block, under a purchase commitment of at least US$750 million for 2022–2032.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Guyana and its oil partner","what":"Sale of REDD+ credits under the Hess commitment","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Guyana's forests","what":"Greenpeace said the McKinsey-assisted plan would allow logging to rise 20-fold (2011)","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Guyana","src":null},"when":{"t":"2011 (Greenpeace claim); 2022–2032 (Hess commitment); September 2025 (CORSIA supply)","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hess signed a purchase commitment for REDD+ credits from Guyana, and IATA reported that Guyana supplied all CORSIA-eligible credits in September 2025.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"hess_credit_purchase_commitment","value":750000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"at least; commitment period 2022–2032"},{"key":"hess_credits_committed","value":37500000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"note":"purchase commitment, 2022–2032"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Hess's Guyana credits could make its share of Stabroek emissions carbon neutral (Climate Home News and OilNOW, 2023).","Unconfirmed: an indigenous consent complaint about the Hess arrangement was rejected.","Reported without a source link: McKinsey wrote Guyana's forest plan.","Reported without a source link: Chevron bought Hess for US$53 billion.","The cited sources do not state whether the credits were issued or delivered, or their price."],"sources":[{"t":"Hess signs $750m REDD carbon credits deal with Guyana","p":"CarbonCredits.com","d":"2022","u":"https://carboncredits.com/hess-signs-750m-redd-carbon-credits-deal-with-guyana","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821141619/https://carboncredits.com/hess-signs-750m-redd-carbon-credits-deal-with-guyana/"},{"t":"IATA press release, 29 September 2025","p":"IATA","d":"2025-09-29","u":"https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-09-29-01/","type":"international"}],"actors":[{"id":"hess","role":"Oil partner in the Stabroek block; buyer under the REDD+ commitment"},{"id":"government-of-guyana","role":"Seller of REDD+ credits under the Hess commitment"},{"id":"iata","role":"Reported that CORSIA-eligible supply came from Guyana"},{"id":"mckinsey","role":"Consultant on Guyana's forest plan, per Greenpeace"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Campaign group that criticised the plan"}],"mechanism":"REDD+ forest credit purchase","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Hess signed a commitment in 2022 to buy at least US$750 million of REDD+ credits from my Guyana forest over 2022–2032, according to CarbonCredits.com.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Hess's Guyana credits could make its share of Stabroek emissions carbon neutral (Climate Home News and OilNOW, 2023).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an indigenous consent complaint about the Hess arrangement was rejected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: McKinsey wrote Guyana's forest plan.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: Chevron bought Hess for US$53 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the credits were issued or delivered, or their price.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Guyana's forests"]},{"id":"ilva-steelworks-and-eternit","tier":"short","title":"Italian courts sentence executives over Ilva steelworks and Eternit asbestos","dek":"Italian courts convicted Stephan Schmidheiny of manslaughter over asbestos deaths linked to Eternit at Casale Monferrato and sentenced Riva family executives over the Ilva steelworks in Taranto. The Ilva verdict was quashed and sent for retrial. The Eternit sentence was reduced on appeal, and in February 2026 the Court of Cassation annulled that appeal ruling because it had not been translated into a language the defendant understands.","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Apulia","lat":40.47,"lon":17.24,"role":"event"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Piedmont","lat":45.13,"lon":8.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.47,"lon":17.24,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2026,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["The Court of Assize of Taranto sentenced Fabio Riva to 22 years and Nicola Riva to 20 years in May 2021 over the Ilva steelworks.","AGI reported on 13 September 2024 that the Court of Assize of Appeal had annulled the May 2021 ruling and moved the case to Potenza; the court president had earlier suspended payment of the provisional damages ordered in 2021.","Il Post reported in February 2026 that a Potenza judge had sent 18 people and three companies to a new Ilva trial.","Vita Casalese reported in April 2025 that the Turin appeal court reduced Schmidheiny's sentence to 9.5 years, after a 12-year sentence in Novara in June 2023.","Il Sole 24 Ore reported on 11 February 2026 that the Court of Cassation annulled the April 2025 Turin appeal ruling against Schmidheiny, holding that the Turin judges must translate it into a language the defendant understands."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Italian courts sentenced executives over asbestos at Eternit's Casale Monferrato plant and over the Ilva steelworks in Taranto; the Ilva case was sent back for retrial.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People who died from asbestos exposure in Casale Monferrato","what":"Schmidheiny was charged over 392 deaths; the April 2025 appeal ruling covered 91 or 92 of them (Il Sole 24 Ore; La Via Libera)","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Taranto (Ilva) and Casale Monferrato (Eternit), Italy","src":null},"when":{"t":"2012–2026; sentences in 2021, 2023 and 2025; new Ilva trial ordered and Eternit appeal ruling annulled by the Court of Cassation in February 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Criminal proceedings against executives; on appeal, 27 Eternit counts were found time-barred, and the 2014 Cassation ruling in the earlier Eternit trial found the charges time-barred.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"eternit_deaths_in_proceedings","value":392,"unit":"deaths","year":null,"note":"Casale Monferrato asbestos deaths in the proceedings"},{"key":"eternit_deaths_recognised","value":91,"unit":"deaths","year":null,"note":"of 392"},{"key":"schmidheiny_novara_sentence","value":12,"unit":"years","year":2023,"note":"for negligence; Novara, June 2023"},{"key":"schmidheiny_turin_appeal_sentence","value":9.5,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"Turin appeal, April 2025"}],"legal":[{"title":"Ilva steelworks case, Taranto (Riva family executives)","forum":"Court of Assize of Taranto; Court of Assize of Appeal (Taranto section); Potenza court (retrial)","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Fabio Riva and Nicola Riva","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"ongoing","summary":"The Court of Assize of Taranto sentenced Fabio Riva to 22 years and Nicola Riva to 20 years in May 2021. On 13 September 2024 the Court of Assize of Appeal annulled the ruling, accepting a defence argument that the Taranto judges could themselves be regarded as injured parties, and moved the case to Potenza, where a judge sent 18 people and three companies to a new trial (reported February 2026).","src":0},{"title":"Eternit asbestos case, Casale Monferrato","forum":"Court of Assize of Novara; Court of Assize of Appeal of Turin; Court of Cassation","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Stephan Schmidheiny","filed":null,"decided":"2026-02","status":"ongoing","summary":"The Court of Assize of Novara sentenced Schmidheiny to 12 years for aggravated manslaughter on 7 June 2023; he had been charged over 392 deaths. The Court of Assize of Appeal of Turin reduced the sentence to 9 years 6 months on 17 April 2025; La Via Libera reported that it convicted him for 92 deaths, acquitted him on 28 counts and found 27 time-barred, while Il Sole 24 Ore gives 91 deaths. In February 2026 the Court of Cassation annulled the appeal ruling because it had not been translated into a language the defendant understands. In a separate earlier Eternit trial, the Court of Cassation annulled the convictions in 2014 because the charges were time-barred.","src":5}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state when the Eternit appeal ruling will be translated and reissued, or whether further appeals will follow.","The cited sources do not say what the Riva family or Eternit's owners gained from the operations.","The cited sources do not state the amount of advances paid to families or whether any has been repaid.","The Court of Assize of Appeal quashed the Ilva ruling on the ground that the Taranto judges could be considered injured parties (Il Post)."],"sources":[{"t":"Nuovo processo ex Ilva Taranto, Potenza: 21 rinvii a giudizio","p":"Il Post","d":"2026-02-06","u":"https://www.ilpost.it/2026/02/06/nuovo-processo-ex-ilva-taranto-potenza-21-rinvii-a-giudizio/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260729173616/https://www.ilpost.it/2026/02/06/nuovo-processo-ex-ilva-taranto-potenza-21-rinvii-a-giudizio/"},{"t":"Ex Ilva, tutto da rifare: sentenza annullata, processo trasferito a Potenza","p":"AGI","d":"2024-09-13","u":"https://www.agi.it/cronaca/news/2024-09-13/ex-ilva-tutto-rifare-sentenza-annullata-processo-trasferito-potenza-27828302/","type":"press"},{"t":"Eternit bis, l'imprenditore Schmidheiny condannato a 9 anni per i morti da amianto","p":"La Via Libera","d":"2025-04-18","u":"https://lavialibera.it/it-schede-2243-eternit_bis_schmidheiny_condannato_appello_torino_morti_amianto_casale","type":"press"},{"t":"Maxi Eternit trial: Cassation annuls translation of appeal court ruling","p":"Il Sole 24 Ore","d":"2026-02-11","u":"https://en.ilsole24ore.com/art/maxi-eternit-trial-cassation-annuls-translation-of-appeal-court-ruling-AIPxJUNB","type":"press"},{"t":"Eternit bis, Schmidheiny condannato a 12 anni","p":"LaPresse","d":"2023-06-07","u":"https://www.lapresse.it/cronaca/2023/06/07/eternit-bis-schmidheiny-condannato-a-12-anni/","type":"press"},{"t":"Eternit bis, per i giudici Schmidheiny sapeva ma non si fermò","p":"RSI (Radiotelevisione svizzera)","d":"2025-10-16","u":"https://www.rsi.ch/info/mondo/Eternit-bis-per-i-giudici-Schmidheiny-sapeva-ma-non-si-ferm%C3%B2--3203787.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"ilva","role":"Steelworks at the centre of the Taranto case"},{"id":"eternit","role":"Asbestos producer whose Casale Monferrato plant is the subject of the Eternit case"}],"mechanism":"criminal prosecution of executives","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state when the Eternit appeal ruling will be translated and reissued, or whether further appeals will follow.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the Riva family or Eternit's owners gained from the operations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the amount of advances paid to families or whether any has been repaid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Court of Assize of Appeal quashed the Ilva ruling on the ground that the Taranto judges could be considered injured parties (Il Post).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"seychelles-debt-for-nature-swap","tier":"short","title":"Seychelles 2016 debt-for-nature swap listed among TNC Nature Bonds","dek":"A 2016 pilot debt-for-nature swap in Seychelles is among The Nature Conservancy's Nature Bonds. The cited sources do not give the amount, the lenders or the conservation terms.","country":"Seychelles","iso2":"SC","places":[{"country":"Seychelles","iso2":"SC","admin":null,"lat":-4.68,"lon":55.49,"role":"event"}],"lat":-4.68,"lon":55.49,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2016,"instrument":"debt-swap","happened":["The Nature Conservancy lists a 2016 Seychelles pilot among its Nature Bonds, alongside Belize, Barbados, Gabon, the Bahamas and Ecuador (2024).","The Nature Conservancy expects about US$1 billion in conservation funding from the Nature Bonds programme as a whole."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Seychelles ran a 2016 pilot debt-for-nature swap that The Nature Conservancy counts among its Nature Bonds; the cited sources do not give its terms.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Seychelles","src":null},"when":{"t":"2016","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not stated for this swap. Across debt-swap deals generally, Reuters reported in May 2025 that DFC insured over half of those done in the last five years.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the swapped amount, the creditor, the arrangers, the insurer or the conservation commitments for the Seychelles swap.","Whether DFC or any other insurer covered the Seychelles swap is not stated.","The cited sources do not show the outcome of the Seychelles conservation commitments."],"sources":[{"t":"Reuters analysis of US climate pullback and debt-swap insurance","p":"Reuters (via Yahoo Finance)","d":"2025-05","u":"https://finance.yahoo.com/news/analysis-us-climate-pullback-threatens-113506590.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725155936/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/analysis-us-climate-pullback-threatens-113506590.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"Runs the Nature Bonds programme that lists the Seychelles pilot"}],"mechanism":"debt-for-nature swap","types":["debt-swap"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["galapagos-debt-swap","el-salvador-debt-for-nature-swap"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the swapped amount, the creditor, the arrangers, the insurer or the conservation commitments for the Seychelles swap.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether DFC or any other insurer covered the Seychelles swap is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show the outcome of the Seychelles conservation commitments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chevron-richmond-refinery-fire","tier":"short","title":"Chevron pleads no contest to six counts over 2012 Richmond refinery fire","dek":"A fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery in August 2012 led about 15,000 people to seek hospital treatment. Chevron pleaded no contest in 2013; the cited sources do not describe any environmental damage.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":37.94,"lon":-122.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.94,"lon":-122.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2013,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["Oil & Gas Journal reported that a fire at Chevron's Richmond refinery on 6 August 2012 led about 15,000 people to seek hospital treatment.","The same report said Chevron pleaded no contest to six counts in August 2013, with about $2M reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chevron pleaded no contest to six counts over the August 2012 fire at its Richmond refinery; about $2M was reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"About 15,000 people","what":"sought hospital treatment after the fire","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Richmond refinery, California, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fire on 6 August 2012; no contest plea in August 2013","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Refinery fire; the cited sources do not give its cause.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"people_seeking_hospital_treatment","value":15000,"unit":"people","year":2012,"note":"about"},{"key":"no_contest_counts","value":6,"unit":"counts","year":2013,"note":"pleaded no contest"},{"key":"reported_amount","value":2,"unit":"USD million","year":2013,"note":"about; reported with the plea"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the cause of the fire or describe any environmental damage.","The court or forum for the no contest plea is not on record.","Who gained from the refinery operations is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Chevron settles charges stemming from Richmond refinery fire","p":"Oil & Gas Journal","d":"Aug 2013","u":"https://ogj.com/articles/2013/08/chevron-settles-charges-stemming-from-richmond-refinery-fire.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018163137/https://www.ogj.com/refining-processing/refining/operations/article/17257765/chevron-settles-charges-stemming-from-richmond-refinery-fire"}],"actors":[{"id":"chevron","role":"company that pleaded no contest"}],"mechanism":"refinery fire, criminal plea","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the cause of the fire or describe any environmental damage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The court or forum for the no contest plea is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the refinery operations is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dow-flaring-clean-air-act-settlement","tier":"short","title":"Dow to cut air pollution at four US chemical plants under Clean Air Act settlement","dek":"A January 2021 Clean Air Act settlement covers flaring at four Dow plants in Texas and Louisiana. It includes about $294M in pollution controls; the cited sources do not say what the flaring released.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":31,"lon":-99,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","lat":31,"lon":-92,"role":"event"}],"lat":30,"lon":-93.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The US Justice Department said on 27 January 2021 that Dow Chemical Company and two subsidiaries would reduce harmful air pollution at four US chemical plants under a Clean Air Act settlement.","The settlement covers four plants in Texas and Louisiana, with a $3M penalty and about $294M in pollution controls."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dow Chemical Company and two subsidiaries agreed a Clean Air Act flaring settlement covering four plants in Texas and Louisiana.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Four plants in Texas and Louisiana, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"27 January 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Clean Air Act flaring settlement: a $3M penalty and about $294M in pollution controls.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty","value":3,"unit":"USD million","year":2021,"note":"civil penalty in the settlement"},{"key":"pollution_controls","value":294,"unit":"USD million","year":2021,"note":"about; pollution controls"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say what the flaring released, how much, or who was affected.","Dow's own statements about the settlement are not in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Dow Chemical Company and two subsidiaries will reduce harmful air pollution at four US chemical plants","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"27 Jan 2021","u":"https://justice.gov/opa/pr/dow-chemical-company-and-two-subsidiaries-will-reduce-harmful-air-pollution-four-us-chemical","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250206013642/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dow-chemical-company-and-two-subsidiaries-will-reduce-harmful-air-pollution-four-us-chemical"}],"actors":[{"id":"dow","role":"company party to the settlement"}],"mechanism":"flaring, Clean Air Act settlement","types":["chemical-pollution","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Dow agreed in January 2021, in a Clean Air Act settlement over flaring at four plants in Texas and Louisiana, to a $3M penalty and about $294M in controls on pollution of my air.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:flaring"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the flaring released, how much, or who was affected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Dow's own statements about the settlement are not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"prodeco-calenturitas-coal-mine-fine","tier":"short","title":"Colombian regulator fines Prodeco for breaches at Calenturitas coal mine","dek":"Colombia's environmental licensing authority, ANLA, fined Grupo Prodeco for breaches at the Calenturitas coal mine from 2010 to 2018. The cited sources do not describe any environmental damage from those breaches.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":9.6,"lon":-73.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.6,"lon":-73.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2018,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Colombia's environmental licensing authority, ANLA, fined Grupo Prodeco about COP 1,739 million by Resolution 1091 on 8 July 2024.","The fine covers breaches at the Calenturitas coal mine between 2010 and 2018."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Grupo Prodeco was fined about COP 1,739 million for breaches at the Calenturitas coal mine.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Calenturitas coal mine, Colombia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Breaches 2010 to 2018; resolution of 8 July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Administrative fine for breaches of environmental parameters in mining zones (ANLA Resolution 1091).","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_cop_million","value":1739,"unit":"COP million","year":2024,"note":"about; ANLA Resolution 1091"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Grupo Prodeco is a Glencore subsidiary.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the breaches.","Whether the fine was paid or appealed is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"ANLA sanctions Prodeco for failing environmental parameters in mining zones","p":"ANLA","d":"8 Jul 2024","u":"https://anla.gov.co/noticias-anla/anla-sanciona-a-prodeco-por-incumplir-parametros-ambientales-en-zonas-mineras","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416232121/https://www.anla.gov.co/noticias-anla/anla-sanciona-a-prodeco-por-incumplir-parametros-ambientales-en-zonas-mineras"}],"actors":[{"id":"grupo-prodeco","role":"company fined for mine breaches"}],"mechanism":"mine breach fine","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Colombia's environmental licensing authority fined Grupo Prodeco about COP 1,739 million on 8 July 2024 for breaches at the Calenturitas coal mine on my land between 2010 and 2018.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Grupo Prodeco is a Glencore subsidiary.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the breaches.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the fine was paid or appealed is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kosmos-energy-jubilee-field-spills","tier":"short","title":"Ghana committee finds Kosmos negligent over 2010 Jubilee field spills","dek":"A Ghanaian government committee found Kosmos Energy negligent over drilling-fluid spills at the Jubilee field in 2010 and proposed a GH¢40 million fine. A 2011 settlement was reported at $15 million; the cited sources do not describe the environmental damage.","country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","places":[{"country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","admin":null,"lat":4.9,"lon":-2.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.9,"lon":-2.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2011,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reported that a government committee in Ghana found Kosmos Energy negligent over drilling-fluid spills at the Jubilee field in 2010.","The committee proposed a GH¢40 million fine, and a 2011 settlement was reported at $15 million."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Drilling-fluid spills at the Jubilee field led a Ghanaian government committee to find Kosmos Energy negligent.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Jubilee field, Ghana","src":0},"when":{"t":"Spills in 2010; settlement reported in 2011","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Drilling-fluid spills at the Jubilee field.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"proposed_fine_gh_million","value":40,"unit":"GH¢ million","year":2010,"note":"proposed by government committee"},{"key":"settlement_reported_usd_million","value":15,"unit":"USD million","year":2011,"note":"reported settlement"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the GH¢40 million fine was imposed.","The terms of the 2011 settlement are not on record.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental damage from the spills."],"sources":[{"t":"Kosmos fined 400bn cedis, Ghana","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","u":"https://business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/kosmos-fined-400bn-cedis-ghana/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018163309/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/kosmos-fined-400bn-cedis-ghana/"}],"actors":[{"id":"kosmos-energy","role":"company found negligent over the spills"}],"mechanism":"drilling-fluid spills, negligence finding","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Drilling fluid spilled on me at the Jubilee field in 2010; a Ghana government committee proposed a GH¢40 million fine, and a 2011 settlement was reported at $15 million.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the GH¢40 million fine was imposed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The terms of the 2011 settlement are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental damage from the spills.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"equinor-mongstad-refinery-fine","tier":"short","title":"Norway's Økokrim fines Equinor over Mongstad refinery spills and emissions","dek":"Norway's economic crime agency Økokrim fined Equinor NOK 220 million and ordered NOK 500 million confiscated over spills and emissions at the Mongstad refinery. Equinor is contesting the decision; the cited sources do not describe the environmental effects.","country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","places":[{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":null,"lat":60.81,"lon":5.03,"role":"event"}],"lat":60.81,"lon":5.03,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2021,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Økokrim said in December 2025 that Equinor was fined NOK 220 million, with NOK 500 million confiscated, for spills and emissions at the Mongstad refinery.","The conduct covered by the decision ran from 2016 to 2021, and Equinor is contesting it."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Equinor was fined NOK 220 million and NOK 500 million was ordered confiscated for spills and emissions at the Mongstad refinery.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mongstad refinery, Norway","src":0},"when":{"t":"Conduct 2016 to 2021; decision in December 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Fine plus confiscation for spills and emissions; Equinor is contesting the decision.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_nok_million","value":220,"unit":"NOK million","year":2025,"note":"fine; Equinor contesting"},{"key":"confiscation_nok_million","value":500,"unit":"NOK million","year":2025,"note":"confiscation ordered"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the spills or emissions or their environmental effects.","The outcome of Equinor's challenge is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"NOK 720 million fine and confiscation for Equinor","p":"Økokrim","d":"Dec 2025","u":"https://okokrim.no/nok-720-million-fine-and-confiscation-for-equinor.6736490-549344.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260121213634/https://www.okokrim.no/nok-720-million-fine-and-confiscation-for-equinor.6736490-549344.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"equinor","role":"company fined over Mongstad refinery"}],"mechanism":"refinery spills, economic-crime fine","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Økokrim fined Equinor NOK 220 million and ordered NOK 500 million confiscated in December 2025 over spills and emissions into me at Mongstad from 2016 to 2021; Equinor contests it.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the spills or emissions or their environmental effects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Equinor's challenge is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"los-angeles-wildfires-insured-loss","tier":"short","title":"Los Angeles wildfires cause $41bn insured loss; 75% of survivors underinsured","dek":"Aon put the insured loss from the Palisades and Eaton fires at $41bn, against $58bn in economic losses. Spectrum News 1 reported that 75% of survivors were underinsured; the cited sources do not describe environmental effects.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":34.05,"lon":-118.24,"role":"event"}],"lat":34.05,"lon":-118.24,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Aon reported that the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles caused $58bn in economic losses and $41bn in insured losses, the costliest wildfire on record.","Spectrum News 1 reported that 75% of Los Angeles fire survivors were underinsured.","Swiss Re and Munich Re paid part of the insured loss, according to the cited sources.","A World Weather Attribution study of 28 January 2025 found that the extreme fire-weather conditions behind the Palisades and Eaton fires were about 35% more likely and about 6% more intense than in a climate 1.3°C cooler; it could not formally attribute the preceding drought."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Aon put the insured loss from the Palisades and Eaton fires at $41bn; economic losses were put at $58bn.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Los Angeles fire survivors","what":"were underinsured; 75% per Spectrum News 1","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Los Angeles, United States","src":null},"when":{"t":"Early 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Wildfires; many survivors had insurance that did not cover their full losses.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"economic_loss","value":58,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Aon figure, economic"},{"key":"insured_loss","value":41,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"Aon figure, insured"},{"key":"survivors_underinsured","value":75,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"of Los Angeles fire survivors, Spectrum News 1"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the share of the insured loss paid by Swiss Re and Munich Re.","The cited sources do not describe environmental effects of the fires.","Who gained from insurance premiums or reinsurance income is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"75% of LA fire survivors were underinsured","p":"Spectrum News 1","d":"2025-07-07","u":"https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la/environment/2025/07/07/75--of-la-fire-survivors-were-underinsured","type":"press"},{"t":"Climate change increased the likelihood of wildfire disaster in highly exposed Los Angeles area","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2025-01-28","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-increased-the-likelihood-of-wildfire-disaster-in-highly-exposed-los-angeles-area/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"swiss-re","role":"reinsurer that paid part of the insured loss"},{"id":"munich-re","role":"reinsurer that paid part of the insured loss"}],"mechanism":"wildfire, insured-loss gap","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the share of the insured loss paid by Swiss Re and Munich Re.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe environmental effects of the fires.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from insurance premiums or reinsurance income is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"farmers-insurance-exit-from-florida","tier":"short","title":"Farmers Insurance ends about 100,000 Florida home, auto and umbrella policies","dek":"Farmers Insurance stopped its Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida in July 2023, citing risk exposure. Florida's state-run Citizens Property Insurance peaked at about 1.4 million policies and fell below 400,000 by December 2025; the sources do not link the exit to any environmental outcome.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","lat":28.6,"lon":-82.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.6,"lon":-82.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Farmers Insurance stopped Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida on 11 July 2023, affecting about 100,000 customers, according to the Tampa Bay Times.","Citizens Property Insurance peaked at about 1.4 million policies in September 2023 and fell to 396,387 by December 2025 as private insurers took policies over, WUSF reported.","Florida Trend reported in November 2025 that a state law accepts private offers up to 20% above Citizens' premium, and that Citizens could collect from all state policyholders if it fell short."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Farmers Insurance stopped its Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida, affecting about 100,000 customers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Private insurers","what":"took over policies from Citizens as its count fell","src":1},{"who":"Affiliates of Florida insurers","what":"net income of $1.8bn and about $680m in dividends, 2017 to 2019 (internal OIR analysis)","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Citizens Property Insurance","what":"policy count fell from about 1.4 million (September 2023) to 396,387 (December 2025)","src":1},{"who":"Florida insurers","what":"recorded $432m in losses, 2017 to 2019 (internal OIR analysis)","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 100,000 Farmers Florida policyholders","what":"had their home, auto and umbrella policies stopped","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Florida, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Stopped 11 July 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"Farmers said the decision was 'necessary to effectively manage risk exposure'; the statement does not name hurricanes.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Policy withdrawal by Farmers; Citizens later shed policies to private insurers.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"farmers_policies_stopped","value":100000,"unit":"customers","year":2023,"note":"about; home, auto and umbrella"},{"key":"citizens_peak_policies","value":1400000,"unit":"policies","year":2023,"note":"about; September 2023 peak"},{"key":"citizens_policies_dec_2025","value":396387,"unit":"policies","year":2025,"note":"December 2025"},{"key":"citizens_policies_may_2026","value":293772,"unit":"policies","year":2026,"note":"31 May 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how many of the 100,000 customers found replacement cover.","The cited sources do not say whether the Citizens collection provision has been used."],"sources":[{"t":"Farmers Insurance stops Florida home, auto and umbrella policies","p":"Tampa Bay Times","d":"11 Jul 2023","u":"https://tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713002150/https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/"},{"t":"Citizens Property Insurance now has fewer than 400,000 policies","p":"WUSF","d":"2025-12-27","u":"https://wusf.org/text/politics-issues/2025-12-27/citizens-property-insurance-now-has-fewer-than-400-000-policies","type":"press"},{"t":"Citizens Property Insurance: 20260531 Policies in Force - Public","p":"Citizens Property Insurance","d":"2026-05-31","u":"https://www.citizensfla.com/-/20260531-policies-in-force","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018152545/https://www.citizensfla.com/-/20260531-policies-in-force"},{"t":"Citizens policies now lowest level since 2019","p":"Florida Trend","d":"2025-11-26","u":"https://www.floridatrend.com/articles/2025/11/26/citizens-policies-now-lowest-level-since-2019/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251126124035/https://www.floridatrend.com/articles/2025/11/26/citizens-policies-now-lowest-level-since-2019/"},{"t":"Secret study found Florida insurers sent billions to affiliates while crying poor","p":"WLRN","d":"2025-02-26","u":"https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2025-02-26/secret-study-found-florida-insurers-sent-billions-to-affiliates-while-crying-poor","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606035829/https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2025-02-26/secret-study-found-florida-insurers-sent-billions-to-affiliates-while-crying-poor"}],"actors":[{"id":"farmers","role":"insurer that stopped the policies"},{"id":"citizens-property-insurance","role":"state-run insurer whose policy count fell"}],"mechanism":"insurance withdrawal, state fallback","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many of the 100,000 customers found replacement cover.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the Citizens collection provision has been used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nouabale-ndoki-ecoguard-abuses","tier":"short","title":"Report says a man died after ecoguard beating in Republic of the Congo park","dek":"Rainforest Foundation UK and three Congolese groups said in December 2017 that Freddy Ndadé, 32, died on 10 November 2017 in Impfondo hospital after being beaten by five ecoguards, two working for Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park and three for a logging concession's anti-poaching unit. The cited sources record no response from WCS and no prosecution.","country":"Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CG","places":[{"country":"Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CG","admin":null,"lat":2.2,"lon":16.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":2.2,"lon":16.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2017,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Rainforest Foundation UK said on 7 December 2017, with three Congolese groups, that Freddy Ndadé, 32, was arrested with two other men on suspicion of poaching, beaten by ecoguards and forced to carry loads and march for days, and died on 10 November 2017 in a hospital in Impfondo after being held at a detention centre.","Rainforest Foundation UK said WCS, which manages Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, receives USAID funding among other donors. It asked WCS, Rougier and Congolese agencies to investigate and sanction the guards."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rainforest Foundation UK reported that Freddy Ndadé died on 10 November 2017 after being beaten by ecoguards, two of them working for Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Freddy Ndadé, 32","what":"died on 10 November 2017 in Impfondo hospital; Rainforest Foundation UK says ecoguards beat him after his arrest on suspicion of poaching","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nouabalé-Ndoki, Republic of the Congo","src":0},"when":{"t":"Death on 10 November 2017; Rainforest Foundation UK statement on 7 December 2017","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Rainforest Foundation UK says five ecoguards beat him: two working for Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, which WCS manages, and three for the anti-poaching unit of the Mokabi-Dzanga logging concession, operated by the French company Rougier.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"deaths_reported","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"man died after beating by ecoguards"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["No WCS response or prosecution is on record.","The cited sources do not describe the circumstances of the beating in more detail.","The amount of USAID funding is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Aid-funded conservation guards accused of extrajudicial killing","p":"Rainforest Foundation UK","d":"Dec 2017","u":"https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/aid-funded-conservation-guards-accused-of-extrajudicial-killing","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410115411/https://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/aid-funded-conservation-guards-accused-of-extrajudicial-killing/"}],"actors":[{"id":"wcs","role":"Conservation NGO; response: none on record"},{"id":"usaid","role":"funder named in the report"}],"mechanism":"ecoguard beating, park funding","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["messok-dja-ecoguard-abuses"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No WCS response or prosecution is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the circumstances of the beating in more detail.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of USAID funding is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dicamba-punitive-damages","tier":"short","title":"Jury awards $250 million punitive damages over dicamba drift, later overturned","dek":"A US federal jury held Monsanto and BASF liable over dicamba drift that damaged a farm and awarded $250 million in punitive damages. The punitive award was cut and then overturned, while liability was upheld. Dicamba drift damages neighbouring crops.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8283,"lon":-98.5795,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8283,"lon":-98.5795,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2022,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["In 2020 a US federal jury awarded $15 million in compensatory damages and $250 million in punitive damages over dicamba drift onto a farm, and found that Monsanto and BASF had formed a joint venture and conspiracy over the dicamba system.","Internal Monsanto documents presented at trial anticipated that drift complaints might happen, according to Investigate Midwest.","The punitive award was first reduced to $60 million and then overturned on appeal in 2022, while other rulings were upheld, according to Farm Progress."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2020 federal jury held Monsanto and BASF liable for dicamba drift damage to a farm and awarded $15 million in compensatory and $250 million in punitive damages.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto and BASF","what":"Sold the dicamba system; Xtend soybean planting reached about 44 million acres in 2018","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Bader Farms","what":"Crops damaged by dicamba drift from neighbouring fields; liability was upheld on appeal","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"United States (federal courts; dicamba-tolerant soybean fields)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Jury verdict 2020; punitive award cut to $60 million; appeal ruling 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Dicamba drifted from treated fields onto a neighbouring farm. The jury found the companies had formed a joint venture and conspiracy over the dicamba system.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"compensatory_damages","value":15000000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"jury award"},{"key":"punitive_award_initial","value":250000000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"jury punitive award"},{"key":"punitive_award_reduced","value":60000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"reduced before the 2022 appeal ruling"}],"legal":[{"title":"Bader Farms dicamba drift verdict","forum":"US federal courts (multidistrict litigation and appeal)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Bader Farms","defendant":"Monsanto; BASF","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"The jury held the companies liable and awarded $250 million in punitive damages. The punitive award was first reduced to $60 million and then overturned on appeal in 2022, with other rulings upheld.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the date of the reduction to $60 million.","The cited sources do not name the trial judge."],"sources":[{"t":"Court reverses $60 million punitive damage award in dicamba case","p":"Farm Progress","d":"2022","u":"https://www.farmprogress.com/herbicide/court-reverses-60-million-punitive-damage-award-dicamba-case","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221207092007/https://www.farmprogress.com/herbicide/court-reverses-60-million-punitive-damage-award-dicamba-case"},{"t":"Monsanto executive: we anticipated drift might happen","p":"Investigate Midwest","d":"2020-01-30","u":"https://investigatemidwest.org/2020/01/30/monsanto-executive-we-anticipated-drift-might-happen/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720102526/https://investigatemidwest.org/2020/01/30/monsanto-executive-we-anticipated-drift-might-happen/"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"defendant"},{"id":"basf","role":"defendant"},{"id":"bader-farms","role":"claimant"}],"mechanism":"herbicide drift and punitive damages","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["dicamba-drift-and-epa-re-registration"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2020 a US federal jury awarded $15 million in compensatory damages over dicamba drifting onto a farm on my land.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the date of the reduction to $60 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the trial judge.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Monsanto and BASF"]},{"id":"us-chlorpyrifos-ban-vacated","tier":"short","title":"Stockholm Convention agrees chlorpyrifos phase-out with 22 uses exempted","dek":"Parties to the Stockholm Convention agreed in May 2025 to phase out the insecticide chlorpyrifos, but its exemptions rose from 7 to 22 uses. The chemical's use on farmland affects the water and ecosystems around treated fields.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9072,"lon":-77.0369,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9072,"lon":-77.0369,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Parties to the Stockholm Convention agreed in May 2025 to phase out chlorpyrifos, but exemptions rose from 7 uses proposed by experts to 22, according to PAN International.","PAN International said at least 44 countries already ban the insecticide.","EPA published an update on its next steps for chlorpyrifos in January 2025.","Corteva said in February 2020 that it would stop producing chlorpyrifos, according to National Observer."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chlorpyrifos is being phased out under the Stockholm Convention, with exemptions, after producers such as Corteva announced they would stop making it.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"UPL and FMC","what":"Exported chlorpyrifos products from Belgium and Denmark, although the EU had banned the chemical","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Buyers in Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Costa Rica","what":"Received chlorpyrifos products exported from the EU in the second half of 2022","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States (EPA regulation); Belgium and Denmark (EU exports); global (Stockholm Convention)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Stockholm Convention decision May 2025; EPA update January 2025; Corteva announcement February 2020; EU exports second half of 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Regulators set bans and exemptions. The EU lowered its import residue limit for chlorpyrifos in food to the lowest measurable level while exports of banned products continued.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"stockholm_exemptions","value":22,"unit":"permitted uses","year":2025,"note":"up from 7 uses proposed by experts"},{"key":"countries_banning","value":44,"unit":"countries (at least)","year":2025,"note":"bans cited by PAN International"},{"key":"eu_banned_pesticide_exports","value":122000,"unit":"tonnes (all banned pesticides)","year":2024,"note":"not chlorpyrifos alone"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a US court vacated the 2021 chlorpyrifos ban in 2023, and EPA proposed in 2024 to keep uses on 11 products.","Unconfirmed: India received a five-year production exemption under the Stockholm Convention.","The cited sources do not name the court or the case in the US ban challenge."],"sources":[{"t":"Parties to the Stockholm Convention agree to phase out the highly toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos","p":"PAN International","d":"2025-05","u":"https://pan-international.org/parties-to-the-stockholm-convention-agree-to-phase-out-the-highly-toxic-pesticide-chlorpyrifos/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306204054/https://pan-international.org/parties-to-the-stockholm-convention-agree-to-phase-out-the-highly-toxic-pesticide-chlorpyrifos/"},{"t":"EPA update: next steps for chlorpyrifos","p":"US EPA","d":"2025-01-19","u":"https://19january2025snapshot.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-update-next-steps-chlorpyrifos","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213134734/https://19january2025snapshot.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-update-next-steps-chlorpyrifos/index.html"},{"t":"Corteva to stop producing chlorpyrifos","p":"National Observer","d":"2020-02-09","u":"https://nationalobserver.com/2020/02/09/news/corteva-stop-producing-chlorpyrifos","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009132625/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/02/09/news/corteva-stop-producing-chlorpyrifos"}],"actors":[{"id":"upl","role":"exporter of EU-banned products"},{"id":"fmc","role":"exporter of EU-banned products"},{"id":"corteva","role":"former producer"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"regulator"}],"mechanism":"pesticide ban and phase-out exemptions","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["chlorpyrifos-dow-findings-eu-ban-and-exports-of-banned-pesti"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Parties to the Stockholm Convention agreed in May 2025 to phase out chlorpyrifos on me with 22 exempted uses, where experts had proposed 7, PAN International says.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a US court vacated the 2021 chlorpyrifos ban in 2023, and EPA proposed in 2024 to keep uses on 11 products.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: India received a five-year production exemption under the Stockholm Convention.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court or the case in the US ban challenge.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: UPL and FMC","No source link — Who harmed: Buyers in Algeria, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Costa Rica"]},{"id":"kenya-water-fund-overlapping-sengwer-land","tier":"short","title":"Kenyan water-tower forest evictions followed the 2018 shooting of a Sengwer herder","dek":"A Kenyan water fund is reported to overlap Sengwer land in Embobut forest, where, according to the Forest Peoples Programme, forest guards shot a herder in 2018, and evictions continued into 2024. Water-tower forests feed rivers, so evictions and conservation funding affect both communities and catchments.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Elgeyo-Marakwet County","lat":1,"lon":35.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":1,"lon":35.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["On 16 January 2018 Robert Kirotich, a 41-year-old Sengwer herder, was shot dead in Embobut forest; the Forest Peoples Programme said about 40 Kenya Forest Service guards attacked him. The Kenya Forest Service said its wardens acted in self-defence after herders fired at them, while a Sengwer spokesman said the herders were tending livestock (The Star, 17 January 2018).","The EU suspended its 31 million euro WaTER programme in January 2018 and closed it in 2020, citing a lapsed contract deadline, according to REDD-Monitor.","In 2024 the Kenya Forest Service deployed 170 forest protection and security personnel for a one-month operation; the ministry said more than 600 families were removed, residents said about 200 houses were burnt, and the figures are contested (Nation, 9 May 2024)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sengwer herders were evicted from Embobut forest, a water-tower forest, and the government defends the evictions as protecting water supplies.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sengwer community","what":"Evicted from Embobut forest; the ministry said more than 600 families were removed in 2024","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sengwer herders","what":"Robert Kirotich, 41, was shot dead in January 2018; the Forest Peoples Programme attributes the shooting to Kenya Forest Service guards, who say they acted in self-defence","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Embobut forest, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Shooting 16 January 2018; EU suspension 17 January 2018; programme closed 2020; operation in 2024, reported 9 May 2024","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Forest guards carried out the evictions. The EU had funded forest conservation through a programme that it suspended after the shooting.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eu_water_programme","value":31000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2016,"note":"WaTER programme launched June 2016"},{"key":"officers_deployed","value":170,"unit":"officers","year":2024,"note":"Imarisha Msitu operation"},{"key":"families_removed","value":600,"unit":"families (more than; ministry figure, disputed)","year":2024,"note":"contested by the community"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: The Nature Conservancy's water fund in Embobut overlaps Sengwer territory, with 5 million shillings reserved for the Sengwer.","Unconfirmed: a 2021 appeal court ruling ordered that residents in the forest that year not be evicted.","Unconfirmed: 28 Sengwer homes were burned in July 2020.","The cited sources record no prosecution of a guard for the 2018 killing."],"sources":[{"t":"Indigenous Sengwer man shot and killed, EU-funded","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2018-01-16","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250613075108/http://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded"},{"t":"EU scraps US$35 million conservation and climate change programme in Kenya over forced evictions","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-10-01","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221207134754/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/"},{"t":"Government defends decision to evict Sengwer community","p":"Nation (Mwananchi)","d":"2024-05-09","u":"https://mwananchi.co.tz/kenya/counties/elgeyo-marakwet/government-defends-decision-to-evict-sengwer-community--4617338","type":"press"},{"t":"Outrage after KFS wardens kill Sengwer herder in Embobut forest","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2018-01-17","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2018-01-17-outrage-after-kfs-wardens-kill-sengwer-herder-in-embobut-forest/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"kfs","role":"forest guards and eviction operations"},{"id":"eu","role":"funder of the WaTER programme"},{"id":"tnc","role":"reported water fund operator"}],"mechanism":"water-tower forest conservation and evictions","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["sengwer-evictions-from-embobut-forest-and-eu-water-towers-pr"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 31 million euro EU programme launched in June 2016 for my Kenyan forests was suspended in January 2018 and closed in 2020, REDD-Monitor reports.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: The Nature Conservancy's water fund in Embobut overlaps Sengwer territory, with 5 million shillings reserved for the Sengwer.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2021 appeal court ruling ordered that residents in the forest that year not be evicted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 28 Sengwer homes were burned in July 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no prosecution of a guard for the 2018 killing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pacific-tuna-msc-certification-disputes","tier":"short","title":"MSC certification of Pacific purse-seine tuna faces repeated disputes","dek":"The Marine Stewardship Council certified the Pacific tuna purse-seine fishery, and an independent adjudicator halted a fish-aggregating device (FAD) expansion in 2022. Drifting FADs catch juvenile bigeye and wash ashore, so certification decisions affect tuna stocks and coasts.","country":"Pacific Islands (multiple)","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Pacific Islands (multiple)","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":-3.5,"lon":165,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.5,"lon":165,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2024,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["In October 2022 an independent adjudicator's ruling on the MSC-certified PNA purse-seine tuna fishery halted an expansion of fish-aggregating devices (FADs), according to PINA.","The MSC re-certified the PNA purse-seine fishery in October 2024, a catch of about 1.3 million tonnes that includes bigeye tuna and FAD-caught fish, according to Fiskerforum.","A 2019 UNSW study estimated that 30,000 to 65,000 tuna-attracting devices drift each year, with 1,500 to 2,200 washing ashore.","The FFA and SPC Tuna Fishery Report Card 2025 reported a figure of $502 million, flat since 2017, and said a 25% target had not been met."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Certification of Pacific tuna purse-seine fishing by the Marine Stewardship Council has been challenged, and an adjudicator halted FAD expansion in 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Marine Stewardship Council","what":"Re-certified the PNA purse-seine fishery in October 2024","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Bigeye tuna stocks","what":"The WCPFC summary puts fishing mortality at about 1.67 times the level that gives maximum sustainable yield","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Coastlines","what":"Tuna-attracting devices wash ashore, an estimated 1,500 to 2,200 a year","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Western and central Pacific Ocean (PNA tuna purse-seine fleet)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Adjudicator ruling October 2022; re-certification October 2024; report card 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Purse-seine vessels use fish-aggregating devices to concentrate tuna, and drifting devices catch juvenile fish, according to a WCPFC summary.","src":4}},"metrics":[{"key":"drifting_fads_per_year","value":30000,"unit":"devices (lower end of 30,000 to 65,000)","year":2019,"note":"UNSW study"},{"key":"fishery_value","value":502000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"FFA and SPC report card; flat since 2017"},{"key":"certified_catch","value":1300000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"PNA purse-seine re-certification"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the MSC's sustainable tuna yearbook lists 2.8 million tonnes certified, with about 300,000 tonnes labelled.","Unconfirmed: Pew estimates $5 billion in dockside value and $22.68 billion in final value for the western and central Pacific tuna fishery.","Unconfirmed: a 2012 Grist article reports foundation money from the Walton family flowing to MSC, which certifies Walmart's suppliers. No link was retained."],"sources":[{"t":"Independent adjudicator's ruling on MSC certified PNA tuna fishery","p":"PINA","d":"2022-10-26","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2022/10/26/independent-adjudicators-ruling-on-msc-certified-pna-tuna-fishery/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307092834/https://pina.com.fj/2022/10/26/independent-adjudicators-ruling-on-msc-certified-pna-tuna-fishery/"},{"t":"MSC re-certifies PNA tuna purse seine fishery","p":"Fiskerforum","d":"2024-10-17","u":"https://fiskerforum.com/msc-re-certifies-pna-tuna-purse-seine-fishery/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723145712/https://fiskerforum.com/msc-re-certifies-pna-tuna-purse-seine-fishery/"},{"t":"Tens of thousands of tuna-attracting devices are drifting around the ocean","p":"UNSW Sydney","d":"2019-10-02","u":"https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2019/10/tens-of-thousands-of-tuna-attracting-devices-are-drifting-around","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214100557/https://www.unsw.edu.au/news/2019/10/tens-of-thousands-of-tuna-attracting-devices-are-drifting-around"},{"t":"Tuna Fishery Report Card 2025","p":"FFA and SPC","d":"2026","u":"https://www.fameresults.org/tuna-report-card/","type":"international"},{"t":"Bigeye tuna (extended summary)","p":"WCPFC","d":"2023-2026","u":"https://www.wcpfc.int/node/148","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200204084728/https://www.wcpfc.int/node/148"}],"actors":[{"id":"msc","role":"certifier"},{"id":"ffa","role":"regional fisheries agency"},{"id":"wcpfc","role":"regional fisheries management body"}],"mechanism":"eco-certification of tuna purse-seine fishing","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["msc-certification-of-australian-orange-roughy-trawl-fishery"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 2019 UNSW study estimated that 30,000 to 65,000 tuna-attracting devices drift in my ocean each year, with 1,500 to 2,200 washing ashore.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the MSC's sustainable tuna yearbook lists 2.8 million tonnes certified, with about 300,000 tonnes labelled.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Pew estimates $5 billion in dockside value and $22.68 billion in final value for the western and central Pacific tuna fishery.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2012 Grist article reports foundation money from the Walton family flowing to MSC, which certifies Walmart's suppliers. No link was retained.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"plantar-carbon-project-and-rabobank-deforestation-credit","tier":"short","title":"Rabobank co-financed a Brazilian eucalyptus carbon plantation contested by locals","dek":"Rabobank co-financed the Plantar eucalyptus plantation in Minas Gerais, Brazil, whose carbon credits were sold to a World Bank fund. Local communities say they were dispossessed, and offsets built on contested land raise questions for forests and the people who live on them.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Minas Gerais","lat":-18.5,"lon":-44.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":52.09,"lon":5.12,"role":"related"}],"lat":-18.5,"lon":-44.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2003,"end":2008,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Rabobank co-financed the Plantar carbon project in Minas Gerais from 2003, a 35,000-hectare eucalyptus plantation whose carbon credits were sold to the World Bank's Prototype Carbon Fund, in which Rabobank was a shareholder, according to TNI and FIAN.","Local communities told TNI and FIAN that the land was not abandoned and that they had been dispossessed; Rabobank said the loan was repaid in 2008.","In November 2022 Rabobank was among six companies that founded Biomas, a restoration initiative with a target of 4 million hectares over 20 years.","Rabobank's Rabo Farm Europe Fund, with 315 million euros, bought and leased farmland in Eastern Europe, according to TNI and FIAN."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rabobank co-financed Plantar, a eucalyptus plantation whose carbon credits were sold to a World Bank fund; local communities say the land was not abandoned.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rabobank","what":"Co-financed the Plantar carbon project and held shares in the World Bank fund that bought its credits","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Local communities in Minas Gerais","what":"Say they were dispossessed of land they did not regard as abandoned","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Minas Gerais, Brazil (Plantar); Netherlands (Rabobank)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Plantar carbon project from 2003; loan repaid 2008 according to Rabobank; Biomas founded November 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Credits from a plantation on contested land were sold through a fund in which the financier held shares.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"plantar_area","value":35000,"unit":"hectares of eucalyptus","year":2003,"note":"Plantar carbon project"},{"key":"biomas_target","value":4000000,"unit":"hectares over 20 years","year":2022,"note":"Biomas restoration target"},{"key":"rabo_farm_europe_fund","value":315000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2012,"note":"Rabo Farm Europe Fund, approximate year"},{"key":"biomas_partner_investment","value":20000000,"unit":"reais per partner","year":2022,"note":"six founding partners"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ING, Rabobank and ABN AMRO lent 3.1 billion euros to deforestation-risk commodities in 2016 to 2021, according to Milieudefensie and Profundo.","Unconfirmed: Dutch consumption uses about 2.5 times the country's land area, more than 80% of it abroad (2013 data).","The cited sources do not give the volume of Plantar's carbon credits or the price paid."],"sources":[{"t":"The Netherlands and the Global Land and Water Grab","p":"TNI and FIAN","d":"2013","u":"https://www.tni.org/files/download/nl_and_global_land_and_water_grab.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"rabobank","role":"co-financier and fund shareholder"},{"id":"plantar","role":"operator of the plantation"},{"id":"biomas","role":"restoration initiative founded by six companies"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"operator of the carbon fund"}],"mechanism":"carbon credits from eucalyptus plantation","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 35,000-hectare eucalyptus plantation on my Minas Gerais land, co-financed from 2003, sold its carbon credits to the World Bank's Prototype Carbon Fund, according to TNI and FIAN.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ING, Rabobank and ABN AMRO lent 3.1 billion euros to deforestation-risk commodities in 2016 to 2021, according to Milieudefensie and Profundo.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Dutch consumption uses about 2.5 times the country's land area, more than 80% of it abroad (2013 data).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume of Plantar's carbon credits or the price paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jose-tendetza-killing-and-mirador-mine","tier":"short","title":"José Tendetza, who opposed the Mirador copper mine, found dead before COP20","dek":"José Tendetza, an Ecuadorian leader who opposed the Mirador copper mine, was found dead in December 2014, days before he was due at COP20. Two workers of the mine company EcuaCorriente were tried and acquitted in 2016; the acquittal was upheld in 2016 and 2017, and no one has been convicted.","country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","admin":null,"lat":-3.6,"lon":-78.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.6,"lon":-78.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2014,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Mongabay reported that José Isidro Tendetza Antún, a Shuar leader, went missing on 28 November 2014 and was found dead in early December, days before he was due at COP20; CEDHU says his body was found in the Zamora River on 2 December 2014.","The cited sources link him to opposition to the Mirador copper mine of EcuaCorriente (CRCC-Tongguan).","CEDHU and Infobae report that a second autopsy found he had died of asphyxia by strangulation. The only two people tried, workers of EcuaCorriente S.A., were acquitted by the Tribunal Penal de Zamora Chinchipe on 9 May 2016; CEDHU says the Corte Provincial upheld the acquittal on 19 July 2016 and the Corte Nacional de Justicia rejected cassation appeals by the prosecutor and the family on 6 January 2017. The trial court called the prosecutor's investigation deficient and rushed. His family and CEDHU petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in July 2017."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"José Isidro Tendetza Antún, a Shuar leader who opposed the Mirador copper mine, was found dead in the Zamora River in December 2014.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EcuaCorriente (CRCC-Tongguan)","what":"Developer of the Mirador copper mine","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"José Isidro Tendetza Antún, a Shuar leader who opposed the mine","what":"Went missing on 28 November 2014 and was found dead in early December","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ecuador, where the Mirador copper mine is located","src":0},"when":{"t":"Went missing 28 November 2014; found dead in early December 2014","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A second autopsy found asphyxia by strangulation (CEDHU; Infobae). Two EcuaCorriente workers were tried and acquitted in 2016; no one has been convicted.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal trial over the death of José Isidro Tendetza Antún","forum":"Tribunal Penal de Zamora Chinchipe; Corte Provincial; Corte Nacional de Justicia","country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public prosecutor and the victim's family","defendant":"Two workers of EcuaCorriente S.A.","filed":null,"decided":"2017-01-06","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The trial court acquitted both accused on 9 May 2016, calling the prosecutor's investigation deficient and rushed. The Corte Provincial upheld the acquittal on 19 July 2016, and the Corte Nacional de Justicia rejected the cassation appeals on 6 January 2017. The family and CEDHU petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on 6 July 2017.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources identify no perpetrator; as of CEDHU's December 2020 page, the Inter-American Commission had not decided on admissibility, and no later outcome was found.","The cited sources do not say whether the Mirador mine went ahead or is operating."],"sources":[{"t":"Indigenous leader murdered before he could attend climate summit","p":"Mongabay","d":"2014-12","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2014/12/indigenous-leader-murdered-before-he-could-attend-climate-summit/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260314100421/https://news.mongabay.com/2014/12/indigenous-leader-murdered-before-he-could-attend-climate-summit/"},{"t":"Verdad, justicia y reparación para José Isidro Tendetza Antún","p":"CEDHU (Comisión Ecuménica de Derechos Humanos)","d":"2020-12-02","u":"https://cedhu.org/2020/12/02/verdad-justicia-y-reparacion-para-jose-isidro-tendetza-antun/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"¿Quién mató a José Tendetza? El misterio sobre el asesinato del líder antiminero ecuatoriano","p":"Infobae","d":"2022-08-07","u":"https://www.infobae.com/america/medio-ambiente/2022/08/07/quien-mato-a-jose-tendetza-el-misterio-sobre-el-asesinato-del-lider-antiminero-ecuatoriano/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"ecuacorriente","role":"Developer of the Mirador copper mine"},{"id":"crcc-tongguan","role":"Named alongside EcuaCorriente"}],"mechanism":"copper mine development","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"On 9 May 2016 a court in Zamora Chinchipe acquitted the two EcuaCorriente workers tried over the death; the acquittal was upheld on 19 July 2016."},{"y":2017,"t":"On 6 January 2017 the National Court of Justice rejected the cassation appeals by the prosecutor and the family; in July 2017 the family and CEDHU petitioned the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights."}],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources identify no perpetrator; as of CEDHU's December 2020 page, the Inter-American Commission had not decided on admissibility, and no later outcome was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the Mirador mine went ahead or is operating.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indra-pelani-killing","tier":"short","title":"Indra Pelani beaten to death by guards of an APP supplier in Jambi","dek":"Guards working for an APP supplier beat Indra Pelani to death in Tebo, Jambi, in February 2015. In October 2015 the District Court of Muara Bulian sentenced five guards to between 8 and 14 years in prison; APP said it ordered the supplier to suspend the guards involved.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jambi","lat":-1.5,"lon":102.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.5,"lon":102.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2015,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["The Jakarta Post reported that a man was beaten to death on 27 February 2015 in Tebo, Jambi, by guards working for APP supplier PT Wirakarya Sakti.","Seven guards surrendered, and APP said it had ordered PT Wirakarya Sakti to suspend all personnel allegedly involved.","On 6 October 2015 the District Court of Muara Bulian sentenced three guards to 14 years each, one to 10 years and one to 8 years, per Mongabay Indonesia and TuK Indonesia; two others were freed with a reporting requirement. Prosecutors had sought 18 and 15 years and said they planned to appeal, arguing the killing was premeditated; Walhi Jambi also disputes the court's finding of an ordinary killing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Guards working for an APP supplier beat a man to death in Tebo, Jambi, on 27 February 2015.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Indra Pelani, a member of the Tebo Farmers' Union","what":"Beaten to death on 27 February 2015","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Tebo, Jambi, Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Killed 27 February 2015; surrender and APP's response reported 4 March 2015","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Beaten by guards working for APP supplier PT Wirakarya Sakti.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Trial over the killing of Indra Pelani","forum":"District Court of Muara Bulian, Jambi","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public prosecutor","defendant":"Security guards contracted by PT Wirakarya Sakti","filed":null,"decided":"2015-10-06","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court sentenced three guards to 14 years each, one to 10 years and one to 8 years, convicting them of ordinary murder and group violence rather than premeditated murder; two others were freed with a reporting requirement. Prosecutors said they would appeal.","src":1}],"unknown":["No appeal outcome is on record.","The sources give differing numbers of guards (seven reported at the scene, six tried); the outcome for the sixth defendant is not stated.","Mongabay Indonesia reported that PT Wirakarya Sakti ended its contract with the security contractor PT MCP; whether APP's supply relationship with PT Wirakarya Sakti continued is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"APP-linked guards surrender after murder","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2015-03-04","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/03/04/app-linked-guards-surrender-after-murder","type":"press"},{"t":"Siaran Pers: Usut Tuntas Pelaku Pembunuhan Indra Pelani","p":"TuK Indonesia","d":"2015-10","u":"https://www.tuk.or.id/2015/10/siaran-pers-usut-tuntas-pelaku-pembunuhan-indra-pelani/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Walhi Jambi: Kasus Kematian Indra Pelani Janggal","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2015-10-22","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2015/10/22/walhi-jambi-kasus-kematian-indra-pelani-janggal/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"app","role":"Buyer whose supplier's guards were involved; suspended the guards"},{"id":"pt-wirakarya-sakti","role":"APP supplier whose guards were involved"}],"mechanism":"supplier security guards","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No appeal outcome is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The sources give differing numbers of guards (seven reported at the scene, six tried); the outcome for the sixth defendant is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Mongabay Indonesia reported that PT Wirakarya Sakti ended its contract with the security contractor PT MCP; whether APP's supply relationship with PT Wirakarya Sakti continued is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gloria-capitan-killing","tier":"short","title":"Gloria Capitan, who opposed a coal storage site, shot dead in Bataan","dek":"Gloria Capitan, who opposed an open coal storage facility in Bataan, Philippines, was shot dead in July 2016. The cited sources identify no suspects, and Global Witness reported in July 2023 that her killers had yet to be convicted.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Bataan","lat":14.43,"lon":120.49,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.43,"lon":120.49,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2016,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["FIDH and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders reported that Gloria Capitan was shot dead on 1 July 2016 in Barangay Lucanin, Mariveles, Bataan, by one of two men on a motorcycle.","She led the Lucanin residents' association and had campaigned against an open coal storage facility inside the Seafront Shipyard and Port Terminal Services Corporation compound, which FIDH says is owned by Limay Bulk and Terminal Handling Corporation.","FIDH reported that no suspects had been identified.","Global Witness reported on 1 July 2023 that two gunmen killed her and that her killers had yet to be convicted; no court ruling on the killing is mentioned."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gloria Capitan, who opposed an open coal storage facility, was shot dead in Mariveles, Bataan, in July 2016.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sea Front Shipyard","what":"Operator of the open coal storage facility that Gloria Capitan opposed, per Global Witness","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Gloria Capitan","what":"Shot dead on 1 July 2016","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"Shot on 1 July 2016","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shot dead; no suspects identified in the cited sources.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["No suspects identified in the cited sources.","Whether the shooting was connected to the storage facility is not established in the cited sources.","FIDH states the facility is owned by Limay Bulk and Terminal Handling Corporation; no source reviewed links either company to the shooting."],"sources":[{"t":"The Philippines: assassination of a human rights defender","p":"FIDH","d":"","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/the-philippines-assassination-of-ms-gloria-capitan","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415015845/https://www.fidh.org/en/issues/human-rights-defenders/the-philippines-assassination-of-ms-gloria-capitan"},{"t":"Seven years after the murder of Gloria Capitan, our struggle has grown into a climate movement","p":"Global Witness","d":"2023-07-01","u":"https://www.globalwitness.org/en/blog/seven-years-after-murder-gloria-capitan-our-struggle-has-grown-climate-movement/","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"sea-front-shipyard","role":"Named in connection with the open coal storage facility"},{"id":"limay-bulk-handling-terminal","role":"Linked to the storage facility"}],"mechanism":"open coal storage facility","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No suspects identified in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the shooting was connected to the storage facility is not established in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"FIDH states the facility is owned by Limay Bulk and Terminal Handling Corporation; no source reviewed links either company to the shooting.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"starship-flight-7-and-8-debris","tier":"short","title":"Starship debris from two 2025 test flights lands in Turks and Caicos","dek":"Debris from two Starship flights in early 2025 fell on the Turks and Caicos Islands, where a vehicle was hit and flights were disrupted. The cited sources do not say who pays for the clean-up.","country":"Turks and Caicos Islands","iso2":"TC","places":[{"country":"Turks and Caicos Islands","iso2":"TC","admin":"South Caicos","lat":21.5,"lon":-71.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":21.5,"lon":-71.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["The cited sources record that Starship Flight 7 on 16 January 2025 lost the ship; mostly heat-shield tiles landed in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a vehicle was hit on South Caicos, and flights were disrupted.","ABC17 News reported that Starship Flight 8 exploded on 6 March 2025, disrupting Florida airports, with debris hazard areas reaching the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Debris from two Starship test flights in early 2025 fell on the Turks and Caicos Islands.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Owner of a vehicle hit on South Caicos (not named)","what":"Vehicle hit by debris from Flight 7","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Turks and Caicos Islands, including South Caicos","src":null},"when":{"t":"Flight 7 on 16 January 2025; Flight 8 on 6 March 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Debris from failed Starship flights; the FAA approved up to 25 launches a year from the Boca Chica site.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"approved_launches_per_year","value":25,"unit":"launches","year":2025,"note":"FAA approval for the Boca Chica site"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Who pays for the Turks and Caicos clean-up is not stated; a recovery plan was not made public.","Hazard areas reached the Bahamas; whether debris landed there is not stated.","Total mass of debris recovered is not on record.","The cited sources do not say who gains commercially from these flights."],"sources":[{"t":"SpaceX's Starship spacecraft explodes midflight for a second time","p":"ABC17 News","d":"2025-03-07","u":"https://abc17news.com/cnn-other/2025/03/07/spacexs-starship-spacecraft-explodes-midflight-for-a-second-time/","type":"press"},{"t":"FAA approves up to 25 Starship launches per year from Boca Chica site","p":"KRGV","d":"","u":"https://www.krgv.com/news/faa-approves-up-to-25-starship-launches-per-year-from-boca-chica-site","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250516030017/https://www.krgv.com/news/faa-approves-up-to-25-starship-launches-per-year-from-boca-chica-site"}],"actors":[{"id":"spacex","role":"Operator of the Starship flights; ship lost on Flight 7, exploded on Flight 8"},{"id":"faa","role":"Approved up to 25 launches a year; ran mishap investigations"}],"mechanism":"rocket test-flight debris","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Debris from Starship Flight 7 on 16 January 2025, mostly heat-shield tiles, landed on my Turks and Caicos Islands.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who pays for the Turks and Caicos clean-up is not stated; a recovery plan was not made public.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Hazard areas reached the Bahamas; whether debris landed there is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Total mass of debris recovered is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gains commercially from these flights.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Owner of a vehicle hit on South Caicos (not named)"]},{"id":"gabes-phosphate-pollution-and-barskoon-cyanide-spill","tier":"short","title":"Gabès students reported poisoned near chemical plant; Barskoon cyanide spill","dek":"Students in Gabès, Tunisia, were reported repeatedly poisoned near a state chemical plant. In Kyrgyzstan, the public at Barskoon was not told of a 1998 cyanide spill for five hours. At stake for nature are the rivers and air around both sites.","country":"Tunisia and Kyrgyzstan","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Tunisia","iso2":"TN","admin":null,"lat":33.88,"lon":10.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"Kyrgyzstan","iso2":"KG","admin":null,"lat":42,"lon":78.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.88,"lon":10.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":1998,"end":2025,"instrument":"cyanide-spill","happened":["Business News TN reported in December 2025 that students in Gabès, Tunisia, were repeatedly poisoned near a state chemical plant.","RFE/RL reported that the public was not informed of a 1998 cyanide spill at Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan, for five hours.","Economist.kg reported in April 2022 that a court rejected the lawsuit of 54 victims after 24 years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gabès students were reported poisoned near a state chemical plant, and a 1998 cyanide spill at Barskoon was not made public for five hours.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Students in Gabès","what":"Reported poisoned near the state chemical plant","src":0},{"who":"54 victims of the Barskoon spill","what":"Their lawsuit was rejected after 24 years","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Gabès, Tunisia; Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan","src":null},"when":{"t":"December 2025 (Gabès report); 1998 (Barskoon spill); April 2022 (court ruling report)","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Reported exposure near a state chemical plant in Gabès. At Barskoon, a cyanide spill was not made public for five hours.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"hours_before_public_notice","value":5,"unit":"hours","year":1998,"note":"Public not informed of the Barskoon cyanide spill for this long (RFE/RL)"},{"key":"victims_in_rejected_suit","value":54,"unit":"people","year":2022,"note":"Victims whose lawsuit was rejected (Economist.kg)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which substances were emitted at the Gabès plant or who operates it.","The cited sources do not say how much compensation Barskoon residents received, or which court rejected the lawsuit."],"sources":[{"t":"Students poisoned in Gabès","p":"Business News TN","d":"2025-12","u":"https://businessnews.com.tn/2025/12/01/nouveaux-cas-dasphyxie-a-gabes-des-eleves-suffoquent/1375926/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614004545/https://businessnews.com.tn/2025/12/01/nouveaux-cas-dasphyxie-a-gabes-des-eleves-suffoquent/1375926/"},{"t":"Cyanide spill; public not told for five hours","p":"RFE/RL","d":"","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-kumtor-cyanide-spill-compensation-gold-mining/30797137.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923213039/https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-kumtor-cyanide-spill-compensation-gold-mining/30797137.html"},{"t":"Court does not grant compensation claims over cyanide in the Barskoon river","p":"Economist.kg","d":"2022-04","u":"https://economist.kg/novosti/2022/04/22/sud-ne-udovletvoril-trebovaniya-istcov-o-kompensacii-ot-kumtora-iz-za-popadaniya-cianida-v-reku-barskoon/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250618235246/https://economist.kg/novosti/2022/04/22/sud-ne-udovletvoril-trebovaniya-istcov-o-kompensacii-ot-kumtora-iz-za-popadaniya-cianida-v-reku-barskoon/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"cyanide spill; chemical plant emissions","types":["cyanide-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which substances were emitted at the Gabès plant or who operates it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much compensation Barskoon residents received, or which court rejected the lawsuit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"copler-gold-mine-landslide-ilic-turkiye","tier":"short","title":"Nine die in Çöpler gold mine heap collapse; mine gets temporary operating certificate","dek":"A cyanide ore heap at the Çöpler gold mine in İliç, Türkiye, collapsed in February 2024 and nine workers died. An expert panel reported environmental exceedances, and the mine's 80% stake was sold in 2026. At stake for nature are soil, groundwater and surface water near the mine.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Erzincan","lat":39.37,"lon":39.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.37,"lon":39.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"cyanide-spill","happened":["Medyascope reported in May 2024 that an expert panel found cyanide material had affected the environment, with some soil, groundwater, surface water and air values exceeded.","Bianet reported that nine workers died when the ore heap collapsed in February 2024.","Mining.com reported in March 2026 that SSR Mining sold its 80% stake in the mine to Cengiz Holding for about $1.5 billion.","In the criminal case at the Erzincan 1st Heavy Penal Court, NTV reported in September 2025 that 43 defendants were on trial. On 7 July 2026 the court ordered a new expert panel, released the last two detained defendants under house arrest and adjourned the case to 20 October 2026, Evrensel reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cyanide ore heap at the Çöpler gold mine in İliç collapsed in February 2024, and nine workers died.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cengiz Holding","what":"Acquired SSR Mining's 80% stake in the mine for about $1.5 billion","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"SSR Mining","what":"Sold its 80% stake in the mine","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Nine workers and their families","what":"Nine workers died in the collapse","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"İliç district, Erzincan province, Türkiye","src":0},"when":{"t":"13 February 2024 (collapse); March 2026 (stake sale); 24 July 2026 (one-year temporary operating certificate, reported by Evrensel on 3 August 2026)","src":5},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cyanide heap leaching at the mine. The expert panel said the environmental permit had been granted positively despite exceedances of limits.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"workers_killed","value":9,"unit":"people","year":2024,"note":"Workers killed when the ore heap collapsed"},{"key":"stake_sale_value","value":1.5,"unit":"USD billion","year":2026,"note":"Reported price for SSR Mining's 80% stake (Mining.com)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Çöpler (İliç) collapse criminal case","forum":"Erzincan 1st Heavy Penal Court","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"","defendant":"43 defendants","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"All 43 defendants are charged with negligently causing multiple deaths and injuries; three also face environmental pollution charges (NTV, September 2025). On 14 April 2026, after victims' lawyers said a member of the expert panel had commercial ties to the mine company, the court accepted the request for a new expert report. On 7 July 2026 it ordered a new expert panel, released the two remaining detained defendants under house arrest and adjourned the hearing to 20 October 2026.","src":7}],"unknown":["Sources differ on the sale date: March 2026 in one report and June 2026 in another. The sale price is given as about $1.49 billion in one source.","Reported without a linked source: the 2022 slide and cyanide leak at the same heap, and the signature of then environment minister Murat Kurum on the 2021 environmental decision.","The cited sources do not state the volume of cyanide released or the number of people affected beyond the expert panel's findings."],"sources":[{"t":"Expert panel finds cyanide material affected soil, groundwater, surface water and air in İliç","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-05-24","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-siyanurlu-malzemenin-cevreye-etkisini-tespit-etti-toprakta-yeralti-yuzeysel-suda-havada-bazi-degerler-asildi/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240524211208/https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-siyanurlu-malzemenin-cevreye-etkisini-tespit-etti-toprakta-yeralti-yuzeysel-suda-havada-bazi-degerler-asildi/"},{"t":"Expert panel: İliç permit granted despite limit exceedances","p":"Medyascope","d":"2024-05-24","u":"https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-ced-olumlu-raporu-ile-bakanligin-ihmalini-gozler-onune-serdi/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250520172748/https://medyascope.tv/2024/05/24/ozel-haber-bilirkisi-heyeti-ilicte-ced-olumlu-raporu-ile-bakanligin-ihmalini-gozler-onune-serdi/"},{"t":"Ilhan Cihaner: sadly it was clear this would happen","p":"bianet","d":"2024","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/ilhan-cihaner-ne-yazik-ki-boyle-olacagi-belliydi-291818","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240213150241/https://bianet.org/haber/ilhan-cihaner-ne-yazik-ki-boyle-olacagi-belliydi-291818"},{"t":"SSR Mining sells Çöpler mine stake for $1.5B","p":"Mining.com","d":"2026-03","u":"https://www.mining.com/ssr-mining-sells-copler-mine-stake-for-1-5b/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611063531/https://www.mining.com/ssr-mining-sells-copler-mine-stake-for-1-5b/"},{"t":"İliç case postponed to 11 November","p":"NTV","d":"2025-09-02","u":"https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/ilic-davasi-11-kasima-ertelendi,PBw1Dfrtz0K16SN80_zNDQ","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250916143746/https://www.ntv.com.tr/turkiye/ilic-davasi-11-kasima-ertelendi,PBw1Dfrtz0K16SN80_zNDQ"},{"t":"Mine that became a grave for nine workers gets new permit with Cengiz Holding","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-08-03","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5994822/9-isciye-mezar-olan-madene-cengiz-holding-le-yeniden-izin-cikti","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260804085303/https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5994822/9-isciye-mezar-olan-madene-cengiz-holding-le-yeniden-izin-cikti"},{"t":"İliç davasında mahkeme yeni bilirkişi raporu talebini kabul etti, duruşma 7 Temmuz'a ertelendi","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-04-14","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5979556/ilic-davasinda-mahkeme-yeni-bilirkisi-raporu-talebini-kabul-etti-durusma-7-temmuz-a-ertelendi","type":"press"},{"t":"İliç maden katliamı davasında 8. duruşma: tutuklu sanık kalmadı","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026-07-07","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5991477/ilic-maden-katliami-davasinda-8-durusma-cumhuriyet-tarihinin-en-buyuk-cevre-felaketi-davasinda-tutuklu-sanik-kalmadi","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"anagold","role":"Operator of the Çöpler mine"},{"id":"ssr-mining","role":"Former 80% owner; sold its stake in 2026"},{"id":"cengiz-holding","role":"Bought the 80% stake in 2026"}],"mechanism":"cyanide heap leach collapse","types":["cyanide-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"After the February 2024 heap collapse at the Çöpler gold mine, an expert panel found cyanide material had affected me, with some soil, groundwater, surface water and air values exceeded.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on the sale date: March 2026 in one report and June 2026 in another. The sale price is given as about $1.49 billion in one source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: the 2022 slide and cyanide leak at the same heap, and the signature of then environment minister Murat Kurum on the 2021 environmental decision.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the volume of cyanide released or the number of people affected beyond the expert panel's findings.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kazakhstan-recycling-fee-operator-scandal","tier":"short","title":"Kazakhstan recycling fee operator: arrests in 2022, 7-year sentences in 2023; $1.58 billion reported collected","dek":"A private operator that collected Kazakhstan's recycling fee was reported to have gathered $1.58 billion, and its chairman and a deputy minister were arrested in January 2022. In July 2023 an Astana court sentenced both to 7 years in prison, and the verdict was upheld on appeal in September 2023. At stake for nature is whether money raised under the recycling fee reaches recycling.","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":null,"lat":48.02,"lon":66.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.02,"lon":66.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2022,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["RFE/RL reported arrests at the private operator that collects Kazakhstan's recycling fee.","RFE/RL reported that lawmakers wanted an investigation into how the operator had run up revenues of 691.9 billion tenge ($1.58 billion) over five years. On 26 January 2022 the Anti-Corruption Agency announced the arrest of Medet Qumarghaliev (Kumargaliev), chairman of Operator ROP, and Deputy Ecology Minister Akhmetzhan Pirimqulov (Primkulov), on unspecified corruption charges.","On 3 July 2023 the Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana convicted four people in the Operator ROP case: former deputy ecology minister Akhmetzhan Primkulov, former chairman Medet Kumargaliev and former chief executive Svetlana Korotenko were each sentenced to 7 years in prison, and financial director Rustam Temirbek to 1 year, reduced under an amnesty law. The Astana Court upheld the verdict unchanged on 22 September 2023."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Arrests at a private operator that collected Kazakhstan's recycling fee, with $1.58 billion reported as collected.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Private recycling-fee operator","what":"Reported to have collected $1.58 billion in recycling fees","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kazakhstan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported January 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A private operator collected the fee; its chairman and a deputy minister were arrested in January 2022 and later convicted by the Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fees_collected_by_operator","value":1.58,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Amount reported as collected by the private operator"}],"legal":[{"title":"Operator ROP case: former deputy ecology minister and managers of the operator","forum":"Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecution)","defendant":"Akhmetzhan Primkulov (former deputy ecology minister), Medet Kumargaliev (former chairman of Operator ROP), Svetlana Korotenko (former chief executive), Rustam Temirbek (financial director)","filed":null,"decided":"2023-07-03","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court convicted the four of embezzling budget funds. Primkulov, Kumargaliev and Korotenko were each sentenced to 7 years in prison; Temirbek received 1 year, reduced under an amnesty law. The court put the embezzled sum at 26.8 billion tenge, paid to an affiliated recycling company at inflated prices, and found an attempt to take 180 billion tenge from the operator's account. The criminal panel of the Astana Court upheld the verdict unchanged on 22 September 2023.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which government body the fee was paid to, or how the money was spent.","The charges were not specified at the time of the arrests. The cited sources do not give the Criminal Code articles of the 2023 verdict."],"sources":[{"t":"Arrests at recycling fee operator","p":"RFE/RL","d":"2022-01","u":"https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-operator-rop-nazarbaev-corruption/31672229.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606022832/https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-operator-rop-nazarbaev-corruption/31672229.html"},{"t":"Приговор по делу «Оператор РОП»","p":"Current Time (RFE/RL)","d":"2023-07-03","u":"https://www.currenttime.tv/a/prigovor-po-delu-operator-rop/32487276.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Суд оставил без изменения приговор руководителям ТОО «Оператор РОП» и экс-вице-министру экологии","p":"inbusiness.kz","d":"2023-09-22","u":"https://inbusiness.kz/ru/last/sud-ostavil-bez-izmenenij-prigovor-v-otnoshenii-rukovoditelej-too-operator-rop-i-eks-vice-ministra-ekologii","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"recycling fee collection; operator arrests","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"3 July: Interdistrict Criminal Court of Astana convicts four people, three of them sentenced to 7 years; 22 September: appeal court upholds the verdict"}],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which government body the fee was paid to, or how the money was spent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The charges were not specified at the time of the arrests. The cited sources do not give the Criminal Code articles of the 2023 verdict.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nestle-philippines-plastic-neutral-credits-burned-in-kilns","tier":"short","title":"Most Nestlé Philippines 'plastic neutral' credits burned in cement kilns","dek":"Nestlé Philippines' 'plastic neutral' claim relied on plastic credits, 86% of which were burned in cement kilns, according to Source Material. At stake for nature is whether such offsets remove any plastic from the environment.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Source Material reported that 86% of Nestlé's plastic credits in the Philippines were burned in cement kilns.","Nestlé has said it no longer buys plastic credits.","The credits were associated with the Verra standard and PCX."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Source Material reported that 86% of Nestlé's Philippine 'plastic neutral' credits were burned in cement kilns.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nestlé Philippines","what":"Made 'plastic neutral' claims backed by plastic credits","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"2020 to 2024, the period covered by the report","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Plastic credits were used for 'plastic neutral' claims, and most of them were burned in cement kilns.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"credits_burned_share","value":86,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of Nestlé Philippines plastic credits burned in cement kilns, per Source Material"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state how many credits were sold or at what price for the Philippine claim.","Reported without a linked source: that the additionality of the credits is doubtful."],"sources":[{"t":"Most 'plastic neutral' credits burned in cement kilns","p":"SourceMaterial","d":"","u":"https://www.source-material.org/plastic-offsetting-philippines-pcx-verra-cement","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512200143/https://www.source-material.org/plastic-offsetting-philippines-pcx-verra-cement/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nestle-philippines","role":"Company whose 'plastic neutral' claim relied on the credits"}],"mechanism":"plastic offset credits; cement kiln burning","types":["plastics","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Of Nestlé's plastic credits in my Philippines, 86% were burned in cement kilns, Source Material reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how many credits were sold or at what price for the Philippine claim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: that the additionality of the credits is doubtful.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"suzhou-unep-award-desert-greening-firm-fraud","tier":"short","title":"Desert greening firm with UNEP award penalized for fake revenue and delisted","dek":"A Chinese desert greening company that won a UNEP 'Champion of the Earth' award was penalized for fake revenue and removed from the stock exchange, Jiemian reported. At stake for nature is whether desert greening claims backed by an international award can be trusted.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Jiemian reported that the exchange regulator penalized a desert greening company for fake revenue and removed it from the exchange.","The company had received a UNEP 'Champion of the Earth' award, and it also produces coal chemicals."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A desert greening company that held a UNEP 'Champion of the Earth' award was penalized for fake revenue and delisted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The company","what":"Received a UNEP 'Champion of the Earth' award for desert greening","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"China","src":0},"when":{"t":"Listed as 2017 and June 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Penalty by the exchange regulator for fake revenue, followed by removal from the exchange.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The company's name is not on record.","The cited sources do not confirm the Suzhou location given in the case name.","The amount of fake revenue and the size of the penalty are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Award-winning desert rescuer penalized for fake revenue","p":"Jiemian","d":"2026-06","u":"https://m.jiemian.com/article/14554968.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"fake revenue; exchange delisting","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The company's name is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not confirm the Suzhou location given in the case name.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount of fake revenue and the size of the penalty are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"monsanto-bribery-to-avoid-eia-in-indonesia","tier":"short","title":"Monsanto charged in US over bribe to Indonesian official on environmental review","dek":"The US Justice Department announced in January 2005 a bribery charge against Monsanto over a payment in Indonesia to have an environmental impact assessment requirement removed; Monsanto entered a deferred prosecution agreement and paid US$1.5 million in US penalties, and the requirement was not repealed. At stake is whether a required environmental review can be bypassed by payment.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2005,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The US Department of Justice announced a bribery charge against Monsanto in January 2005, according to its press release. The charge concerned a US$50,000 cash payment in February 2002, made through an Indonesian consulting firm, to a senior official of Indonesia's Ministry of Environment, to have him repeal or amend the environmental impact assessment (EIA) requirement that applied before genetically modified crops could be cultivated.","Monsanto accepted responsibility for its employees' conduct and entered a three-year deferred prosecution agreement, paying a US$1 million penalty to the Justice Department and a US$500,000 civil penalty to the SEC. The official never authorised the repeal. The SEC also found that from 1997 to 2002 Monsanto had inaccurately recorded, or failed to record, about US$700,000 of illegal or questionable payments to at least 140 current and former Indonesian officials and their family members.","In March 2007 the SEC charged Charles Martin, Monsanto's former government affairs director for Asia, with authorising the US$50,000 payment and approving false invoices to disguise it; he consented, without admitting or denying the allegations, to a permanent injunction and a US$30,000 civil penalty."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Department of Justice charged Monsanto with bribery in Indonesia to have an environmental impact assessment requirement removed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Sought the repeal of an environmental impact assessment requirement in Indonesia; the official never authorised it","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Payment in February 2002; charge and deferred prosecution agreement announced 6 January 2005","src":0},"why":{"t":"To have the environmental impact study requirement for cultivating genetically modified crops repealed or amended, according to the Justice Department.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Payments in Indonesia, as charged, to have the EIA requirement removed","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The senior Ministry of Environment official who received the US$50,000 is not named in the sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Monsanto's bribery charge (Indonesia)","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2005-01","u":"https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2005/January/05_crm_008.htm","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260527033336/https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2005/January/05_crm_008.htm"},{"t":"Monsanto Company (Litigation Release No. 19023)","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2005-01-06","u":"https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/lr19023.htm","type":"government"},{"t":"Charles Michael Martin (Litigation Release No. 20029)","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2007-03","u":"https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2007/lr20029.htm","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"company charged with bribery"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"prosecuting authority; issued the press release"}],"mechanism":"payments to waive EIA, charged as bribery","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"The EIA requirement was not repealed: the official never authorised the repeal, according to the Justice Department.","whoPaid":"Monsanto paid US$1.5 million in US penalties: US$1 million to the Justice Department and a US$500,000 civil penalty to the SEC.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The senior Ministry of Environment official who received the US$50,000 is not named in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"corteva-35m-generics-loyalty-payments-settlement","tier":"short","title":"Corteva settles $35m US case over loyalty payments that excluded generics","dek":"Corteva settled a US case for US$35 million over loyalty payments that excluded generic products. The sources date the settlement to 2026.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Corteva agreed to pay US$35 million to settle a US case over loyalty payments that excluded generic products, DTN Progressive Farmer reported.","The sources give the period of the loyalty payments as 2022 to 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Corteva settled a US case over loyalty payments that excluded generic products, for US$35 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Corteva","what":"Loyalty payments that excluded generic products, settled for US$35 million","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Loyalty payments in 2022 to 2026; settlement reported in 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Loyalty payments that excluded generic products","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_usd_m","value":35000000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Settlement amount as reported by DTN Progressive Farmer"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Corteva did not admit wrongdoing.","Unconfirmed: a separate FTC settlement with Corteva and a further US$85 million figure.","The revenue or margin earned from the loyalty payments is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"DTN Progressive Farmer article on the Corteva settlement","p":"DTN Progressive Farmer","d":"2026-09-28","u":"https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2026/09/28/corteva-pay-35m-12-states-end-crop-2","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260929060553/https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2026/09/28/corteva-pay-35m-12-states-end-crop-2"}],"actors":[{"id":"corteva","role":"company that settled"}],"mechanism":"loyalty payments settlement","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Corteva did not admit wrongdoing.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a separate FTC settlement with Corteva and a further US$85 million figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The revenue or margin earned from the loyalty payments is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"vattenfall-v-germany-settlement","tier":"short","title":"Vattenfall's nuclear exit claim against Germany ends in 2021 settlement","dek":"Vattenfall's arbitration claim against Germany over the nuclear phase-out ended in a settlement in 2021. A separate claim over the Moorburg coal plant was settled in 2010 on confidential terms. The claims concern the cost of ending coal and nuclear power.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.2,"lon":10.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2021,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Global Arbitration Review reported on the end of Vattenfall's dispute with Germany over the nuclear phase-out, which was settled in 2021.","Vattenfall announced on 20 December 2019 that its last coal power plant in the Netherlands was closing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Vattenfall's dispute with Germany over the nuclear phase-out ended in a settlement in 2021, as reported by Global Arbitration Review.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vattenfall","what":"Settlement of its nuclear phase-out claim against Germany; amount unconfirmed","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"Nuclear claim settled in 2021; Dutch coal closure announced 20 December 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investment-treaty arbitration under the Energy Charter Treaty, ended by settlement","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"moorburg_claim_eur_bn","value":1400000000,"unit":"euro (sought)","year":2009,"note":"Claim over cooling-water withdrawal limits at the Moorburg coal plant"},{"key":"hemweg_capacity_mw","value":650,"unit":"MW","year":2019,"note":"Dutch coal plant whose closure was announced"}],"legal":[{"title":"Vattenfall v. Germany (nuclear phase-out, Energy Charter Treaty)","forum":"Energy Charter Treaty arbitration (forum name: none on record)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Vattenfall","defendant":"Federal Republic of Germany","filed":2012,"decided":2021,"status":"settled","summary":"Settled in 2021. The settlement amount is reported in the sources; no other source confirms it.","src":0},{"title":"Vattenfall v. Germany (Moorburg coal plant cooling water, Energy Charter Treaty)","forum":"Energy Charter Treaty arbitration (forum name: none on record)","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Vattenfall","defendant":"Federal Republic of Germany","filed":2009,"decided":2010,"status":"settled","summary":"Claim for 1.4 billion euro over limits on cooling-water withdrawal from the Elbe. Settled in August 2010 on confidential terms.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Germany paid Vattenfall 1.425 billion euro under the nuclear settlement, and about 2.4 billion euro in total across operators.","Unconfirmed: the Dutch state paid Vattenfall 52.5 million euro for the early closure of the Dutch plant, according to an EU state-aid decision.","The Moorburg settlement terms and the amount Vattenfall received in the 2020 German coal closure auction are not on record.","The forum of the arbitration cases is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Vattenfall saga end","p":"Global Arbitration Review","d":"","u":"https://globalarbitrationreview.com/vattenfall-saga-end","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250721042329/https://globalarbitrationreview.com/vattenfall-saga-end"},{"t":"Vattenfall's last coal power plant in the Netherlands is closing","p":"Vattenfall","d":"2019-12-20","u":"https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2019/vattenfalls-last-coal-power-plant-in-the-netherlands-is-closing","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260703045612/https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2019/vattenfalls-last-coal-power-plant-in-the-netherlands-is-closing"},{"t":"Vattenfall settles coal fired power plant dispute with German state","p":"Power Engineering","d":"2010-08-26","u":"https://www.power-eng.com/2010/08/26/vattenfall-settles/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"vattenfall","role":"company that brought the claims"},{"id":"federal-government-of-germany","role":"respondent state in the claims"}],"mechanism":"energy treaty arbitration","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Vattenfall sought 1.4 billion euro from Germany in 2009 over limits on how much of my water its Moorburg coal plant could withdraw for cooling.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Germany paid Vattenfall 1.425 billion euro under the nuclear settlement, and about 2.4 billion euro in total across operators.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Dutch state paid Vattenfall 52.5 million euro for the early closure of the Dutch plant, according to an EU state-aid decision.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Moorburg settlement terms and the amount Vattenfall received in the 2020 German coal closure auction are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The forum of the arbitration cases is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"qosh-tepa-canal","tier":"short","title":"Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa canal to divert 6 to 13 km³ of Amu Darya water a year","dek":"Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa canal is set to take 6 to 13 cubic kilometres of water a year from the Amu Darya river. Times of Central Asia reported that no environmental impact assessment had been carried out and that the canal raises water security concerns.","country":"Afghanistan","iso2":"AF","places":[{"country":"Afghanistan","iso2":"AF","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.8,"lon":65.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Times of Central Asia reported that the Qosh Tepa canal will divert 6 to 13 cubic kilometres of water a year from the Amu Darya.","The same report said that no environmental impact assessment had been carried out for the canal, and that it raises water security concerns."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa canal is set to divert 6 to 13 cubic kilometres of water a year from the Amu Darya river.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Amu Darya river, Afghanistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water diversion from the Amu Darya through a canal, with no environmental impact assessment, according to the source","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"diversion_low_km3_per_year","value":6,"unit":"cubic km per year","year":null,"note":"Planned diversion, low end of range"},{"key":"diversion_high_km3_per_year","value":13,"unit":"cubic km per year","year":null,"note":"Planned diversion, high end of range"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: downstream countries were not notified before construction.","The cited sources do not say who builds or operates the canal, or who benefits from it.","Construction start, completion date and cost are not on record.","The cited sources do not describe the effect of the diversion on the river's flow or on downstream communities."],"sources":[{"t":"Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa canal raises water security concerns","p":"Times of Central Asia","d":"","u":"https://timesca.com/afghanistans-qosh-tepa-canal-raises-water-security-concerns/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512093903/https://timesca.com/afghanistans-qosh-tepa-canal-raises-water-security-concerns/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"river water diversion canal","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa canal will divert 6 to 13 cubic kilometres of water a year from my Amu Darya, and no environmental impact assessment has been carried out, Times of Central Asia reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: downstream countries were not notified before construction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who builds or operates the canal, or who benefits from it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Construction start, completion date and cost are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the effect of the diversion on the river's flow or on downstream communities.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"rogun-dam-world-bank-inspection-panel","tier":"short","title":"World Bank inspection panel registers complaint over Rogun dam financing","dek":"The World Bank Inspection Panel registered a complaint about Rogun, a hydropower dam in Tajikistan, which was presented as clean energy and linked to US$650 million of financing. The panel's case page concerns resettlement.","country":"Tajikistan","iso2":"TJ","places":[{"country":"Tajikistan","iso2":"TJ","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.7,"lon":69.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["Rivers Without Boundaries and Eurasianet reported that the World Bank's financing role in the Rogun dam is under scrutiny, and that US$650 million had been presented under a clean-energy framing.","The Inspection Panel's Rogun case page covers the complaint process and resettlement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Bank Inspection Panel registered a complaint about the Rogun hydropower dam in Tajikistan.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tajikistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported for 2024 to 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"World Bank financing for the dam under a clean-energy framing, subject to an Inspection Panel complaint","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"financing_usd_m","value":650000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Financing presented under a clean-energy framing"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the dam's river-flow and ecological impacts are not on record.","The outcome of the complaint and of the Bank's review is not on record.","The number of people affected by resettlement at Rogun is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Rivers Without Boundaries article on Rogun","p":"Rivers Without Boundaries","d":"2025","u":"https://www.transrivers.org/2025/4055/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610025632/https://www.transrivers.org/2025/4055/"},{"t":"Tajikistan: Rogun dam project going under microscope","p":"Eurasianet","d":"","u":"https://eurasianet.org/tajikistan-rogun-dam-project-going-under-microscope","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260922190601/https://eurasianet.org/tajikistan-rogun-dam-project-going-under-microscope"},{"t":"Sustainable financing: Rogun Hydropower Project (P181029) and technical assistance","p":"World Bank Inspection Panel","d":"","u":"https://www.inspectionpanel.org/panel-cases/sustainable-financing-rogun-hydropower-project-p181029-and-technical-assistance","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422235102/https://www.inspectionpanel.org/panel-cases/sustainable-financing-rogun-hydropower-project-p181029-and-technical-assistance"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank-inspection-panel","role":"complaints mechanism that registered the complaint"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"financier"},{"id":"government-of-tajikistan","role":"host government of the dam"}],"mechanism":"development-bank hydropower financing","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the dam's river-flow and ecological impacts are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the complaint and of the Bank's review is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of people affected by resettlement at Rogun is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coca-codo-sinclair-erosion","tier":"short","title":"Model finds 42% erosion rise after Coca Codo Sinclair; state firm disputes it","dek":"An Ecuadorian model reports erosion rates rose 42% after the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant, a finding the state company rejects. The river bed and banks are the nature at stake.","country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","admin":null,"lat":-0.15,"lon":-77.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.15,"lon":-77.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["A model by Ecuador's EPN (Escuela Politécnica Nacional) found erosion rates rose 42% after the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant, according to Primicias in 2025.","Primicias also reports that the state company disputes the model's finding."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An EPN model reports erosion rates rose 42% after the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant; the state company rejects the model.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ecuador, at the Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported by Primicias in 2025; the plant's start and end dates are not in the cited sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A model estimates erosion after the plant; the state company contests the model.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"erosion_rate_change_pct","value":42,"unit":"% change in erosion rate","year":null,"note":"EPN model as reported by Primicias (2025); disputed by the state company"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Disputed: the state company rejects the 42% model result; no independent measurement is given in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not say who gained, lost or was harmed by the erosion.","The model's time period and the plant's start and end dates are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"EPN model: erosion +42%; state company disputes it (summary)","p":"Primicias","d":"2025","u":"https://primicias.ec/noticias/economia/erosion-rio-coca-coca-codo-sinclair","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260122081335/https://www.primicias.ec/noticias/economia/erosion-rio-coca-coca-codo-sinclair/"}],"actors":[{"id":"escuela-politecnica-nacional","role":"produced the erosion model reported by Primicias"}],"mechanism":"hydropower dam downstream erosion","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Erosion rates on my river rose 42% after the Coca Codo Sinclair plant, an EPN model found (Primicias, 2025); the state company disputes the finding.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the state company rejects the 42% model result; no independent measurement is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained, lost or was harmed by the erosion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The model's time period and the plant's start and end dates are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mekong-dams-sediment-trapping","tier":"short","title":"Four Mekong dams trap an average 81% of sediment, Reuters reports","dek":"Four dams on the Mekong retain an average of 81% of sediment, according to a 2022 Reuters/EOMAP report. The river's natural sediment flow is the nature at stake.","country":"Mekong basin","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Mekong basin","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":15,"lon":105,"role":"event"}],"lat":15,"lon":105,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A 2022 Reuters/EOMAP report found that four dams on the Mekong retain an average of 81% of sediment.","No other sediment figure for these dams appears in the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Four Mekong dams retain an average of 81% of sediment, per a 2022 Reuters/EOMAP report.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mekong River; the four dams are not on record.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022, the report date; the dates the dams were built are not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The figure is the share of sediment retained by the four dams.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sediment_retained_pct","value":81,"unit":"% of sediment retained (average of four dams)","year":2022,"note":"Reuters/EOMAP report, as cited by BusinessDay"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the four dams, their owners or the countries they are in.","The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the dams.","No annual sediment volume for the four dams is given in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Four dams retain 81% of sediment (summary)","p":"BusinessDay (Reuters / EOMAP)","d":"2022","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2022-12-15-chinese-dams-ruin-mekong-river-delta-farmers/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306234444/https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/asia/2022-12-15-chinese-dams-ruin-mekong-river-delta-farmers/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"dam sediment trapping","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["mekong-upstream-dams-and-tonle-sap-flow-reversal-decline"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Four dams on my Mekong retain an average of 81% of my sediment, a 2022 Reuters/EOMAP report found.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the four dams, their owners or the countries they are in.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the dams.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No annual sediment volume for the four dams is given in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"uttarakhand-2013-flood-and-hydropower-projects","tier":"short","title":"Expert panel says hydropower amplified 2013 Uttarakhand flood","dek":"An Indian expert panel reported that hydropower schemes worsened the 2013 Uttarakhand flood, and the Supreme Court halted 24 of them. River valleys in Uttarakhand are the nature at stake.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Uttarakhand","lat":30.3,"lon":78,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.3,"lon":78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["An expert panel reported that hydropower schemes amplified the 2013 Uttarakhand flood, according to Down To Earth.","The Supreme Court halted 24 of the schemes, according to the same source.","A modelling study in Climate Dynamics (Cho and colleagues, 2015) attributed about 60–90% of the June 2013 rainfall to climate trends after 1980."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An expert panel reported that hydropower schemes amplified the 2013 Uttarakhand flood; the Supreme Court halted 24 of them.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Uttarakhand state, India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The flood was in 2013; the court process is recorded for 2014 to 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hydropower schemes are said to have worsened the flood's impact; the Supreme Court then halted 24 of them.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hydro_schemes_halted","value":24,"unit":"hydropower schemes halted by the Supreme Court","year":null,"note":"Year of the order not given in the cited sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the expert panel or say how it measured the flood's amplification.","The cited sources do not say who gained, lost or was harmed.","Whether the 24 halted schemes remain stopped after 2026 is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Hydel schemes worsened Uttarakhand disaster; 24 halted (summary)","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2014–2026","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/did-hydel-projects-have-a-role-in-uttarakhand-disaster-asks-supreme-court-41911","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307175241/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/environment/did-hydel-projects-have-a-role-in-uttarakhand-disaster-asks-supreme-court-41911"},{"t":"Anthropogenic Footprint of Climate Change in the June 2013 Northern India Flood","p":"Climate Dynamics","d":"2015","u":"https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/psc_facpub/735","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"supreme-court-of-india","role":"halted 24 hydropower schemes"}],"mechanism":"hydropower dam construction","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"An expert panel reported that hydropower schemes amplified the 2013 flood in my Uttarakhand valleys, and the Supreme Court halted 24 of them, according to Down To Earth.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the expert panel or say how it measured the flood's amplification.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained, lost or was harmed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 24 halted schemes remain stopped after 2026 is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bosnia-herzegovina-small-hydropower-permits-annulled","tier":"short","title":"Court in Bosnia and Herzegovina cancels small hydropower permits","dek":"A court in Bosnia and Herzegovina cancelled permits for small hydropower plants in 2018, the NGO Arnika reported. River flows at the affected sites are the nature at stake.","country":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","iso2":"BA","places":[{"country":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","iso2":"BA","admin":null,"lat":44.2,"lon":17.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":44.2,"lon":17.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The NGO Arnika reported that a court in Bosnia and Herzegovina cancelled small hydropower permits in 2018.","The cited sources give no court name, case number or plant location for the ruling."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court cancelled small hydropower permits in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reported by Arnika.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bosnia and Herzegovina; the plant locations are not stated.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018, per the Arnika report.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A court decision cancelled the permits; the grounds are not on record.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the grounds for the court's decision.","The cited sources do not say who held the permits or whether the plants were built.","The cited sources do not say who gained, lost or was harmed."],"sources":[{"t":"Small hydropower permits cancelled in court (summary)","p":"Arnika","d":"2018","u":"https://arnika.org/en/news/small-victory-of-the-balkan-village-the-hydro-power-plants-permit-cancelled","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416171441/https://arnika.org/en/news/small-victory-of-the-balkan-village-the-hydro-power-plants-permit-cancelled"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"small hydropower permit annulment","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the grounds for the court's decision.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who held the permits or whether the plants were built.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained, lost or was harmed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"donana-unlawful-water-abstraction-ruling","tier":"short","title":"EU court finds Spain ignored illegal water abstraction in Doñana","dek":"The EU Court of Justice found that Spain had not taken illegal water abstraction in Doñana into account. The Doñana aquifers are the nature at stake, and three of its five aquifers are reported in poor condition.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":null,"lat":37,"lon":-6.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":37,"lon":-6.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["In 2021 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Spain had not taken illegal water abstraction in Doñana into account.","A November 2024 El Salto report covers illegal wells and poor aquifers in Doñana."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU Court of Justice found that Spain had not taken illegal water abstraction in Doñana into account.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Doñana, Spain.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Court ruling in 2021 (case C-559/19); El Salto report dated November 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Illegal wells and abstraction, according to the El Salto report.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"donana_aquifers_poor_condition","value":3,"unit":"of 5 aquifers in poor condition","year":null,"note":"Spanish source with no date or link in the cited sources"}],"legal":[{"title":"Case C-559/19","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Spain","filed":null,"decided":"2021","status":"unknown","summary":"The court found that Spain had not taken illegal water abstraction in Doñana into account.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who brought the case or what remedy was ordered.","The cited sources do not say which wells were illegal or how many there are.","The cited sources do not say who gained from the illegal abstraction."],"sources":[{"t":"Doñana: illegal abstraction, case C-559/19 (summary)","p":"Court of Justice of the European Union","d":"2021","u":"https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/p1_3348043","type":"court"},{"t":"Doñana: illegal wells, poor aquifers (summary)","p":"El Salto","d":"2024-11","u":"https://www.elsaltodiario.com/huelva/impunidad-judicial-pozos-cerrar-regadios-ilegales-siguen-amenazando-donana","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250214173819/https://www.elsaltodiario.com/huelva/impunidad-judicial-pozos-cerrar-regadios-ilegales-siguen-amenazando-donana"}],"actors":[{"id":"court-of-justice-eu","role":"ruled on Spain's handling of illegal water abstraction"}],"mechanism":"unlawful water abstraction","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Three of my five Doñana aquifers are reported in poor condition; in 2021 the EU Court of Justice ruled Spain had not taken illegal water abstraction into account.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Case C-559/19: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who brought the case or what remedy was ordered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which wells were illegal or how many there are.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained from the illegal abstraction.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"menindee-fish-kills","tier":"short","title":"Changing water use cited in background to Menindee fish kills","dek":"A 2023 report citing the New South Wales Chief Scientist places changing water use in the background of fish deaths at Menindee, Australia. The fish of the Menindee waters are the nature at stake.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-32.4,"lon":142.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-32.4,"lon":142.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["A 2023 Wellington Times report, citing the New South Wales Chief Scientist, says changing water use is part of the background to the Menindee fish kills.","The account is secondary: it relays the Chief Scientist's view rather than a primary report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Changing water use is part of the background to the Menindee fish kills, per a 2023 report citing the NSW Chief Scientist.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish at Menindee","what":"Fish deaths","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Menindee, New South Wales, Australia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Source dated 2023; the dates of the fish deaths are not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources name changing water use as background; no mechanism is given.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources give no count of fish killed and no dates for the fish deaths.","The specific changes in water use are not on record.","The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the changes in water use."],"sources":[{"t":"Menindee fish kills (summary)","p":"Wellington Times","d":"2023","u":"https://www.wellingtontimes.com.au/story/8419651/","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"changing water use","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no count of fish killed and no dates for the fish deaths.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The specific changes in water use are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the changes in water use.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"litani-river-sewage-and-qaraoun","tier":"short","title":"Annual sewage entering Lebanon's Litani equals its natural inflow","dek":"An-Nahar reports that about 50 million cubic metres of sewage enter Lebanon's Litani River each year, equal to its total natural inflow in 2025. The river's water quality is the nature at stake.","country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","places":[{"country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","admin":null,"lat":33.5,"lon":35.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.5,"lon":35.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["An-Nahar reported in 2025 that annual sewage entering the Litani is about 50 million cubic metres, equal to the river's total natural inflow that year.","The same source records hydropower output as zero; the plant it refers to is not on record."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sewage entering the Litani is reported at about 50 million cubic metres a year, equal to its natural inflow.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Litani River, Lebanon.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sewage is discharged into the river; treatment status is not on record.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sewage_inflow_mcm_per_year","value":50000000,"unit":"cubic metres per year (approximate)","year":2025,"note":"An-Nahar; equal to total natural inflow that year"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which plant or dam the zero hydropower output refers to.","The cited sources do not say who discharges the sewage, or whether it is treated.","The method behind the approximate 50 million cubic metre figure is not on record.","The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the discharge."],"sources":[{"t":"Sewage roughly equals natural inflow; hydropower output zero (summary)","p":"An-Nahar","d":"2025","u":"https://www.annahar.com/Lebanon/Politics/238376/","type":"press","dead":true}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"sewage discharge into river","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 50 million cubic metres of sewage enter my Litani River each year, equal to its total natural inflow in 2025, An-Nahar reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which plant or dam the zero hydropower output refers to.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who discharges the sewage, or whether it is treated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The method behind the approximate 50 million cubic metre figure is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the discharge.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ganges-sewage-treatment-plants-cag-audit","tier":"short","title":"CAG audit finds 12 of 44 Ganga sewage plants discharge untreated water","dek":"India's Comptroller and Auditor General found 12 of 44 sewage treatment plants on the Ganga discharged untreated water. The river's water quality is the nature at stake.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":26,"lon":80,"role":"event"}],"lat":26,"lon":80,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["The Comptroller and Auditor General of India found that 12 of 44 sewage treatment plants on the Ganga discharged untreated water, according to Down To Earth.","The Namami Gange programme's hybrid annuity model pays 60% of capital over 15 years, PRS India reports.","PRS India reports that the CAG found delays in 26 of 46 Namami Gange schemes in 2017."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The CAG found 12 of 44 sewage treatment plants on the Ganga discharging untreated water.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Namami Gange annuity contractors","what":"Annuity payments over 15 years under the hybrid model","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The Ganga river","what":"Untreated sewage discharged from 12 plants","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"The Ganga river, India; the plants are on its bank.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Audit reported in 2025; the Namami Gange records cover 2017 to 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The plants discharge water without treatment; the cited sources do not state why.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"stps_discharging_untreated","value":12,"unit":"of 44 sewage treatment plants","year":2025,"note":"CAG audit as reported by Down To Earth"},{"key":"namami_schemes_delayed","value":26,"unit":"of 46 schemes delayed","year":2017,"note":"CAG 2017, per PRS India"},{"key":"annuity_capital_share_pct","value":60,"unit":"% of capital, paid over 15 years","year":null,"note":"Hybrid annuity model, per PRS India"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how much untreated sewage reaches the river or the volume discharged by each plant.","The cited sources do not name the 44 plants.","No penalty for the untreated discharge is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"12 of 44 sewage plants discharge untreated water (CAG audit, summary)","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2025","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/nearly-a-third-of-stps-discharge-untreated-sewage-into-ganga-in-uttarakhand-despite-rs-1000-crore-spend-cag-report","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815024129/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/nearly-a-third-of-stps-discharge-untreated-sewage-into-ganga-in-uttarakhand-despite-rs-1000-crore-spend-cag-report"},{"t":"Audit: Namami Gange (summary)","p":"PRS India","d":"2017–2026","u":"https://prsindia.org/policy/report-summaries/audit-namami-gange","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415041843/https://prsindia.org/policy/report-summaries/audit-namami-gange"}],"actors":[{"id":"cag-india","role":"audit body that found the untreated discharge"},{"id":"namami-gange","role":"programme whose hybrid annuity model pays contractors"}],"mechanism":"untreated sewage discharge","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"India's Comptroller and Auditor General found that 12 of 44 sewage treatment plants on my Ganga discharged untreated water, according to Down To Earth.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much untreated sewage reaches the river or the volume discharged by each plant.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the 44 plants.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No penalty for the untreated discharge is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bangladesh-tannery-relocation-pollution-shift","tier":"short","title":"Tannery relocation in Bangladesh shifted pollution to Dhaleshwari river","dek":"IMED reported that moving Bangladesh's tanneries solved one pollution crisis but caused pollution of the Dhaleshwari river, according to a 2024 TBS News report. The river is the nature at stake.","country":"Bangladesh","iso2":"BD","places":[{"country":"Bangladesh","iso2":"BD","admin":null,"lat":23.8,"lon":90.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":23.8,"lon":90.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["IMED, as reported by TBS News in 2024, said that relocating tanneries solved one pollution crisis and triggered another.","The second crisis is pollution of the Dhaleshwari river."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Relocating tanneries solved one pollution problem and triggered pollution of the Dhaleshwari river, IMED said.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Dhaleshwari river","what":"Pollution after the tanneries were relocated","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Dhaleshwari river, Bangladesh.","src":0},"when":{"t":"TBS News report dated 2024; the relocation date is not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The tanneries were relocated; the cited sources do not describe the discharge route.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the tanneries, the relocation site or the relocation date.","The cited sources give no measurements of pollution in the Dhaleshwari river.","The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the relocation."],"sources":[{"t":"Tannery relocation solved one pollution crisis, triggered another: IMED","p":"TBS News","d":"2024","u":"https://www.tbsnews.net/node/1477596","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"tannery relocation pollution shift","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the tanneries, the relocation site or the relocation date.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no measurements of pollution in the Dhaleshwari river.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained or lost from the relocation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"danone-plant-occupation-in-puebla","tier":"short","title":"Danone plant in Puebla occupied by people, then cleared by state forces","dek":"A Danone plant in Puebla, Mexico, was occupied by people and cleared by the National Guard, El Universal reported in 2022. The case is a local conflict over a bottled-water plant.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Puebla","lat":19.04,"lon":-98.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":19.04,"lon":-98.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["El Universal reported in 2022 that people had occupied a Danone plant in Puebla.","The report said the National Guard evicted the occupiers in an operation to recover the plant."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"People occupied a Danone plant in Puebla, and state forces cleared it, El Universal reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Danone","what":"regained control of its Puebla plant after the operation","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Puebla, Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A National Guard operation, described as a forced eviction, cleared the plant.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: who the occupiers were, what they were protesting, or how the plant used water.","None on record: whether the plant resumed operation, or whether any charges followed."],"sources":[{"t":"Con operativo recuperan planta de agua Bonafont en Puebla","p":"El Universal","d":"2022","u":"https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/con-operativo-recuperan-planta-de-agua-bonafont-en-puebla/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220609051425/https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/con-operativo-recuperan-planta-de-agua-bonafont-en-puebla"}],"actors":[{"id":"danone","role":"owner of the plant occupied in Puebla"}],"mechanism":"bottled water plant","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who the occupiers were, what they were protesting, or how the plant used water.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the plant resumed operation, or whether any charges followed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"new-zealand-supreme-court-bottling-consent","tier":"short","title":"New Zealand Supreme Court bars transfer of industrial water permit to bottling","dek":"The Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled in 2023 that an industrial water permit cannot be transferred to bottling. The ruling limits the transfer of such permits to bottled-water production.","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","places":[{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-40.9,"lon":174.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["The Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled in [2023] NZSC 153 that an industrial water permit cannot be transferred to bottling.","The judgment is published by the court as a PDF under its public case reference."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Supreme Court of New Zealand ruled that an industrial water permit cannot be transferred to bottling.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New Zealand","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023 (judgment [2023] NZSC 153)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A court ruling on the transfer of an industrial water permit to bottling.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"[2023] NZSC 153","forum":"Supreme Court of New Zealand","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","kind":"civil","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":"2023","status":"unknown","summary":"The court ruled that an industrial water permit cannot be transferred to bottling.","src":0}],"unknown":["None on record: the parties, the water source, or the volumes involved.","None on record: what the ruling means for any existing bottling operation."],"sources":[{"t":"[2023] NZSC 153 (judgment)","p":"Supreme Court of New Zealand","d":"2023","u":"https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2023/MR-2023-NZSC-153.pdf","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260131212249/https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2023/MR-2023-NZSC-153.pdf"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"industrial water permit transfer","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"[2023] NZSC 153: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the parties, the water source, or the volumes involved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: what the ruling means for any existing bottling operation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ontario-bottled-water-permit-fees","tier":"short","title":"Ontario bottled-water fee about 0.0005 CAD a litre; 2017 proposal to raise it","dek":"Ontario charged bottled-water companies about 0.0005 CAD a litre for water taken, CBC reported in 2017, and proposed a higher fee that year. The case concerns water taken at near-zero cost.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Ontario","lat":50,"lon":-85,"role":"event"}],"lat":50,"lon":-85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["CBC reported in 2017 that Ontario's fee for water taken was about 503.71 CAD per million litres, or about 0.0005 CAD a litre.","Global News reported that Ontario proposed raising the water bottler fee from 3.71 to 500 per million litres taken."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ontario set a low fee for water taken by bottlers and proposed raising it.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bottled-water companies","what":"taking water in Ontario for about 0.0005 CAD a litre","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ontario, Canada","src":0},"when":{"t":"2017","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A per-volume fee on water taken by bottlers, reported by CBC at about 0.0005 CAD a litre.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"bottler_fee_cad_per_million_litres","value":503.71,"unit":"CAD per million litres","year":2017,"note":"as reported by CBC"},{"key":"bottler_fee_cad_per_litre","value":0.0005,"unit":"CAD per litre","year":2017,"note":"approximate, as reported by CBC"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: whether the proposed increase was adopted.","None on record: how much water bottlers took in Ontario, or the total fee revenue.","The description of the water as nearly free is an interpretation, not a finding in the sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Ontario bottled water fee (CBC, 2017)","p":"CBC","d":"2017","u":"https://www.cbc.ca/1.4151685","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018163417/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/ontario-bottled-water-taking-fee-going-up-1.4151685"},{"t":"Ontario proposes to boost water bottler fee from 3.71 to 500 per million litres taken","p":"Global News","d":"2017","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/3188376/ontario-proposes-to-boost-water-bottler-fee-from-3-71-to-500-per-million-litres-taken","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260523111923/https://globalnews.ca/news/3188376/ontario-proposes-to-boost-water-bottler-fee-from-3-71-to-500-per-million-litres-taken/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ontario-government","role":"set and proposed changes to the bottler water fee"}],"mechanism":"bottled water extraction fee","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Ontario charged 503.71 CAD per million litres of my water taken, about 0.0005 CAD a litre, CBC reported in 2017.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the proposed increase was adopted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how much water bottlers took in Ontario, or the total fee revenue.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The description of the water as nearly free is an interpretation, not a finding in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"michigan-bottled-water-withdrawal","tier":"short","title":"Michigan allows Nestlé to take up to 576,000 gallons of groundwater a day","dek":"In 2018 Michigan approved a Nestlé groundwater withdrawal of up to 576,000 gallons a day for an annual fee of $200, despite more than 80,000 public comments against it. The case concerns the low price of groundwater and the effect of pumping on local waterways.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":43.6,"lon":-85.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.6,"lon":-85.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["WAMC and NPR reported in April 2018 that Michigan approved Nestlé taking up to 576,000 gallons of water a day, for an annual fee of $200, despite more than 80,000 public comments against it.","WOOD-TV reported in 2018 on the withdrawal and its annual fee of $200.","The Michigan Environmental Council reported a 2003 court finding that pumping lowered a creek, and a later pact that cut a Mecosta County withdrawal from 400 to 218 gallons a minute."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Michigan approved a Nestlé groundwater withdrawal of up to 576,000 gallons a day in 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nestlé","what":"groundwater withdrawal for an annual fee of $200","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"A Michigan creek","what":"lower flows from pumping, per a 2003 court finding","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Michigan, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"April 2018 (approval reported)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A state permit allowed groundwater pumping at a set daily volume for an annual fee.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"daily_withdrawal_gallons","value":576000,"unit":"US gallons per day","year":2018,"note":"approved by Michigan"},{"key":"public_comments_against","value":80945,"unit":"comments","year":2018,"note":"submitted against the withdrawal"},{"key":"annual_fee_usd","value":200,"unit":"USD per year","year":2018,"note":"fee for the withdrawal"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: whether the 2003 court finding and the later pact concern the 2018 permit.","None on record: the aquifer, well locations, or the permit's status after 2018."],"sources":[{"t":"Michigan OKs Nestle water extraction despite over 80k public comments against it","p":"WAMC/NPR","d":"2018-04-03","u":"https://www.wamc.org/2018-04-03/michigan-oks-nestle-water-extraction-despite-over-80k-public-comments-against-it","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609085557/https://www.wamc.org/2018-04-03/michigan-oks-nestle-water-extraction-despite-over-80k-public-comments-against-it"},{"t":"Underground profits: Nestle's clutch on Michigan water","p":"WOOD-TV","d":"2018","u":"https://digital-release.woodtv.com/news/target-8/underground-profits-nestles-clutch-on-michigan-water/","type":"press"},{"t":"Pact reached: Nestle agrees to reduced water taking in Mecosta County","p":"Michigan Environmental Council","d":"","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724155353/https://www.environmentalcouncil.org/pact_reached_nestle_agrees_to_reduced_water_taking_in_mecosta_county","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724155353/https://www.environmentalcouncil.org/pact_reached_nestle_agrees_to_reduced_water_taking_in_mecosta_county","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"nestle","role":"operator of the groundwater withdrawal"},{"id":"state-of-michigan","role":"approved the withdrawal"}],"mechanism":"groundwater withdrawal permit","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In April 2018 Michigan approved Nestlé taking up to 576,000 gallons a day of my groundwater for an annual fee of $200.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the 2003 court finding and the later pact concern the 2018 permit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the aquifer, well locations, or the permit's status after 2018.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"paris-water-remunicipalisation","tier":"short","title":"Paris brings water under municipal control; operator says it cut costs and prices","dek":"Paris brought its water service under municipal control. The public operator says this brought savings and lower prices; the cited sources give no independent figures.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","lat":48.85,"lon":2.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.85,"lon":2.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Banque des Territoires carried the public operator's own account in 2020 that municipal control of Paris water brought savings and lower prices.","The article, titled as ten years of the public operator, defends its record."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Paris brought its water service under municipal control; the public operator says this cut costs and prices.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Paris water users","what":"savings and lower prices, according to the operator's own account","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Paris, France","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2020, after about ten years of the public operator","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Municipal management of the water service through a public operator.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the savings and price-reduction claim, as stated by the operator itself.","None on record: the size of any savings or price cut, or any independent audit.","None on record: the date the service came under municipal control, or the earlier operator."],"sources":[{"t":"Ten years of Eau de Paris: the public operator defends its record","p":"Banque des Territoires","d":"2020","u":"https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/dix-ans-deau-de-paris-loperateur-public-defend-son-bilan","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617072712/https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/dix-ans-deau-de-paris-loperateur-public-defend-son-bilan"}],"actors":[{"id":"eau-de-paris","role":"public water operator whose account is reported"}],"mechanism":"water service remunicipalisation","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the savings and price-reduction claim, as stated by the operator itself.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the size of any savings or price cut, or any independent audit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the date the service came under municipal control, or the earlier operator.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"klamath-dam-removal","tier":"short","title":"Salmon return to upper Klamath basin after historic dam removal","dek":"Salmon returned to the upper Klamath basin within a year of a historic dam removal in Oregon, OPB reported in 2025. The cited sources give no counts or costs for the removal.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oregon","lat":42.2,"lon":-121.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":42.2,"lon":-121.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["OPB reported in 2025 that salmon returned to the upper Klamath basin within a year of a historic dam removal.","The OPB article, dated 31 October 2025, concerns a historic dam removal in Klamath, Oregon."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A historic dam removal in Klamath, Oregon, after which salmon returned to the upper basin within a year, OPB reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Klamath, Oregon, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 31 October 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Removal of a dam, after which salmon returned to the upper basin within a year.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the dates of the removal, the dam owners, the cost, or the number of fish that returned.","Unconfirmed: 542 barrier removals in Europe in 2024, and a reversed dam decision in Korea; both lack a source URL in the material collected."],"sources":[{"t":"Think Out Loud: historic dam removal, Klamath, Oregon, wildlife and salmon","p":"OPB","d":"2025-10-31","u":"https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/31/think-out-loud-historic-dam-removal-williamson-sprague-klamath-oregon-wildlife-salmon-fish/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904165122/https://www.opb.org/article/2025/10/31/think-out-loud-historic-dam-removal-williamson-sprague-klamath-oregon-wildlife-salmon-fish/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"dam removal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the dates of the removal, the dam owners, the cost, or the number of fish that returned.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 542 barrier removals in Europe in 2024, and a reversed dam decision in Korea; both lack a source URL in the material collected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"loc-valley-hes-eia-annulment","tier":"short","title":"Court annuls environmental approval for Loç Valley hydropower plant a second time","dek":"A court in Kastamonu annulled for a second time the environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for a hydropower plant in Loç Valley, Cide, Bianet reported in April 2020. The cited sources say little about the stream itself.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Kastamonu","lat":41.88,"lon":33,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.88,"lon":33,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2020,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["Bianet reported on 5 April 2020 that the Kastamonu Administrative Court had annulled, for the second time, the EIA approval for a hydropower plant in Loç Valley, relying on an expert report.","Records reviewed, with no link given, say the EIA approval was annulled in 2011 and 2020, and that the Council of State rejected the company's objection.","Records reviewed, with no link given, say 117 villagers have been on trial since 2012.","A former minister said in 2014 that hydropower plants do not consume any water; no link is given for the statement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court annulled for a second time the EIA approval for the Loç Valley hydropower plant, Bianet reported in April 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The company behind the Loç Valley hydropower plant (name: none on record)","what":"EIA approval for the plant, until it was annulled","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"117 villagers","what":"On trial since 2012, according to records reviewed (no link given)","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Loç Valley in Cide, Kastamonu, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"EIA approval annulled in 2011, and again in April 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The Kastamonu Administrative Court annulled the approval, relying on an expert report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eia_annulments","value":2,"unit":"annulments","year":2020,"note":"EIA approval annulled in 2011 and 2020, per records reviewed; the 2020 annulment is reported by Bianet"},{"key":"villagers_on_trial","value":117,"unit":"villagers","year":2012,"note":"On trial since 2012, per records reviewed (no link given)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Second annulment of the Loç Valley EIA approval","forum":"Kastamonu Administrative Court","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"unknown","summary":"The court annulled the EIA approval for a second time, relying on an expert report, Bianet reported. The sources give conflicting accounts of the Council of State's handling of the earlier annulment.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Council of State overturned the first annulment. Another record says it rejected the company's objection. The two accounts are not reconciled.","The cited sources do not name the company, the plant's capacity, or whether the plant is operating.","The cited sources do not describe the stream's flow or condition at Loç Valley."],"sources":[{"t":"Second annulment of the Loç Valley EIA approval","p":"Bianet","d":"2020-04-05","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/loc-vadisi-nde-hes-e-ikinci-defa-iptal-karari-222491","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124142152/https://bianet.org/haber/loc-vadisi-nde-hes-e-ikinci-defa-iptal-karari-222491"}],"actors":[{"id":"kastamonu-administrative-court","role":"Court that annulled the EIA approval for a second time"}],"mechanism":"EIA-approved hydropower plant","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Second annulment of the Loç Valley EIA approval: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Council of State overturned the first annulment. Another record says it rejected the company's objection. The two accounts are not reconciled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the company, the plant's capacity, or whether the plant is operating.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the stream's flow or condition at Loç Valley.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: The company behind the Loç Valley hydropower plant (name: none on record)","No source link — Who harmed: 117 villagers"]},{"id":"hydropower-water-right-auction-dsi-kaynak-katki-payi","tier":"short","title":"Turkey allocates hydropower water rights to the highest bidder","dek":"State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) allocates water rights for hydropower plants by tender to the highest bidder, the sources say. Draft water laws would allow such rights to be transferred for 49 years or leased for up to 10.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":39,"lon":35,"role":"event"}],"lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2004,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) gives the water right for a hydropower plant to the highest bidder in a tender called the Hydroelectric Resource Contribution Fee (Kaynak Katkı Payı), the sources say.","Water law drafts proposed a transfer of water rights for 49 years in 2013 and a lease of up to 10 years in 2026, the sources say.","A Turkish Foreign Ministry press release of April 2006 is cited for the cancellation of a 2004 agreement to sell Manavgat River water to Israel."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) allocates hydropower water rights by tender to the highest bidder, the sources say.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Highest bidder in a DSİ hydropower tender (bidders: none on record)","what":"Water right for a hydropower plant","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Turkey, nationwide","src":null},"when":{"t":"Manavgat sale agreement signed in 2004 and cancelled in 2006; water law drafts in 2013 and 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water rights are allocated by tender under the Hydroelectric Resource Contribution Fee.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"draft_transfer_term","value":49,"unit":"years","year":2013,"note":"Water law draft: transfer of water rights"},{"key":"draft_lease_term","value":10,"unit":"years","year":2026,"note":"Water law draft: maximum lease term"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["No record was found showing that a hydropower licence or water-use right was used for bottling.","The cited sources do not name any winning bidder, the price paid, or the rivers affected by these water rights.","The 2013 and 2026 water law texts are drafts; their status as law is not stated.","The cited sources give no link for the DSİ tender rules."],"sources":[{"t":"Press release on Manavgat River water sale to Israel (3-6 April 2006)","p":"Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs","d":"2006-04","u":"https://www.mfa.gov.tr/bn_3---6-nisan-2006_-manavgat-nehrinden-israil_e-su-satisi-hk_.tr.mfa","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260121025411/https://www.mfa.gov.tr/bn_3---6-nisan-2006_-manavgat-nehrinden-israil_e-su-satisi-hk_.tr.mfa"}],"actors":[{"id":"dsi","role":"Public authority that allocates hydropower water rights by tender"}],"mechanism":"hydropower water-right auction","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found showing that a hydropower licence or water-use right was used for bottling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name any winning bidder, the price paid, or the rivers affected by these water rights.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2013 and 2026 water law texts are drafts; their status as law is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no link for the DSİ tender rules.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Highest bidder in a DSİ hydropower tender (bidders: none on record)"]},{"id":"sapanca-lake-bottling-allocations","tier":"short","title":"Factories draw about 3.9 million cubic metres a year from Sapanca Lake","dek":"Istiklal reported that factories drawing water from Sapanca Lake in Sakarya are charged six times the normal tariff. A Bursa news site reported in 2025 that the lake is at a critical level and that protective work would follow.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Sakarya","lat":40.7,"lon":30.27,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.7,"lon":30.27,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","happened":["Istiklal reported on 4 September 2025 that factories draw about 3.9 million cubic metres a year from Sapanca Lake, equal to Sakarya's 20-day consumption.","Istiklal also reported, quoting SASKİ General Manager Seyit Sakallıoğlu, that spring-water firms are charged six times the normal water tariff; of the total, about 1.017 million cubic metres a year is allocated by SASKİ to six firms and 2.9 million cubic metres of mineral water by the Governorship.","Borsanın Gündemi reported in 2017 that the rent for Sapanca lake water was about 0.5 kuruş per litre.","Dünya reported in 2026 that the cheapest bottled water sold for about 13.90 lira per litre."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Factories drawing water from Sapanca Lake in Sakarya are allocated about 3.9 million cubic metres a year and charged six times the normal tariff, Istiklal reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Factories drawing water from Sapanca Lake (names: none on record)","what":"Water at a rent of about 0.5 kuruş per litre, reported for 2017","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Sapanca Lake","what":"A 2025 Bursa Hakimiyet headline described it as at a critical level and announced protective work","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sapanca Lake, Sakarya province, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Rent reported in 2017; annual draw reported in September 2025; bottled-water prices reported in 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water is allocated to factories by SASKİ (about 1.017 million cubic metres a year to six firms) and by the Sakarya Governorship (2.9 million cubic metres of mineral water), according to SASKİ's general manager (Istiklal).","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"annual_extraction_factories","value":3900000,"unit":"cubic metres a year","year":2025,"note":"Factories' annual draw from Sapanca Lake (Istiklal)"},{"key":"tariff_multiple_charged","value":6,"unit":"times normal tariff","year":2025,"note":"Charged to factories drawing from Sapanca Lake (Istiklal)"},{"key":"lake_water_rent_2017","value":0.5,"unit":"kuruş per litre","year":2017,"note":"Rent for Sapanca lake water (Borsanın Gündemi)"},{"key":"cheapest_bottled_water_price","value":13.9,"unit":"lira per litre","year":2026,"note":"Cheapest bottled water (Dünya); the years of the prices compared differ"},{"key":"licensed_bottled_water_firms","value":358,"unit":"firms","year":2020,"note":"Firms on the 2020 national list; a national figure, not specific to Sapanca"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the firms drawing water from Sapanca Lake.","Sakarya Metropolitan Mayor Yusuf Alemdar said in December 2025 that the allocation for bottled water is 4 million cubic metres a year and that unlicensed extraction from the lake is close to that level (Bursa Hakimiyet). No measured volume for the unlicensed extraction is stated.","The cited sources give no lake level measurements or trend.","The Court of Accounts found that springs were allocated without tender and that rent was collected at a very low level, at İSKİ. The cited sources do not link that finding to Sapanca."],"sources":[{"t":"Annual water draw from Sapanca Lake by factories equals Sakarya's 20-day need","p":"Istiklal","d":"2025-09-04","u":"https://www.istiklal.com.tr/gundem/sapanca-golunden-fabrikalarin-yillik-su-cekimi-sakaryanin-20-gunluk-ihtiyacina-899092h","type":"press"},{"t":"Company news report on Sapanca water rent","p":"Borsanın Gündemi","d":"2017","u":"https://www.borsaningundemi.com/foto-haber/sirket-haberleri/1161180","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018163526/https://www.borsaningundemi.com/foto-haber/sirket-haberleri/1161180"},{"t":"Our water is sold to the English at 6 lira and to citizens at 14 lira","p":"Dünya","d":"2026","u":"https://www.dunya.com/sektorler/suyumuz-ingilize-6-tlye-vatandasa-14-liraya-satiliyor-haberi-832092","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260722054812/https://www.dunya.com/sektorler/suyumuz-ingilize-6-tlye-vatandasa-14-liraya-satiliyor-haberi-832092"},{"t":"Protective work to be carried out for Sapanca Lake at a critical level","p":"Bursa Hakimiyet","d":"2025","u":"https://www.bursahakimiyet.com.tr/yasam/kritik-esikteki-sapanca-golu-icin-koruyucu-calismalar-yurutulecek-1553109","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260910055044/https://www.bursahakimiyet.com.tr/yasam/kritik-esikteki-sapanca-golu-icin-koruyucu-calismalar-yurutulecek-1553109"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"water allocation for factories","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Factories draw about 3.9 million cubic metres a year from my Sapanca Lake, equal to Sakarya's 20-day consumption, and are charged six times the normal tariff, Istiklal reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the firms drawing water from Sapanca Lake.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Sakarya Metropolitan Mayor Yusuf Alemdar said in December 2025 that the allocation for bottled water is 4 million cubic metres a year and that unlicensed extraction from the lake is close to that level (Bursa Hakimiyet). No measured volume for the unlicensed extraction is stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no lake level measurements or trend.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Court of Accounts found that springs were allocated without tender and that rent was collected at a very low level, at İSKİ. The cited sources do not link that finding to Sapanca.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"carbon-offset-sham-protection-and-kenya-court","tier":"short","title":"Study finds offset schemes overstate climate impacts; Kenyan court orders shutdown","dek":"EFI reported a 2023 study in Science which found that carbon offset schemes overstate their climate benefits. Mongabay reported in January 2025 that a Kenyan court ordered two community wildlife conservancies shut; the cited sources do not link the two.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":null,"lat":0.02,"lon":37.91,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.02,"lon":37.91,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["EFI reported on 25 August 2023 that a study in Science found carbon offset schemes overstate their climate impacts.","According to the EFI report, most REDD+ areas in the study showed no decline in deforestation.","Mongabay reported in January 2025 that a Kenyan court ordered two community wildlife conservancies shut down."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2023 study reported by EFI found carbon offset schemes overstate their climate impacts.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Offset scheme developers and buyers (names: none on record)","what":"Credits for forest protection, which the study found overstate the climate benefit","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kenya, for the court order; the study covers REDD+ areas in six countries","src":null},"when":{"t":"Study published in August 2023; Kenyan court order reported in January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The study assessed deforestation in REDD+ areas, according to the EFI report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"countries_in_study","value":6,"unit":"countries","year":2023,"note":"Countries covered by the Science study (EFI report)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Kenyan court order closing two community wildlife conservancies","forum":"Kenyan court (name: none on record)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"unknown","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Two community wildlife conservancies (names: none on record)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-01","status":"unknown","summary":"Mongabay reported in January 2025 that a Kenyan court ordered two community wildlife conservancies shut down. The cited sources do not link the conservancies to carbon offsets.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the two conservancies sold carbon credits.","The study's full text was not reviewed; its findings rest on the EFI summary.","The cited sources do not name the offset developers or buyers involved, or give the size of the overstatement."],"sources":[{"t":"Study finds offset schemes overstate climate impacts","p":"EFI","d":"2023-08-25","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415220138/https://efi.int/news/study-finds-carbon-offset-projects-are-overstating-climate-impacts-2023-08-25","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415220138/https://efi.int/news/study-finds-carbon-offset-projects-are-overstating-climate-impacts-2023-08-25","dead":true},{"t":"Kenyan court orders two community wildlife conservancies shut down","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-01","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/kenyan-court-orders-two-community-wildlife-conservancies-shut-down/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617195918/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/kenyan-court-orders-two-community-wildlife-conservancies-shut-down/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"forest carbon offset schemes","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In a 2023 study in Science covering 6 countries, most REDD+ areas showed no decline in deforestation of my forests, EFI reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Kenyan court order closing two community wildlife conservancies: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the two conservancies sold carbon credits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The study's full text was not reviewed; its findings rest on the EFI summary.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the offset developers or buyers involved, or give the size of the overstatement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"amami-mongoose-introduction-and-eradication","tier":"short","title":"Japan declares mongoose eradicated on Amami Oshima island","dek":"AFP reported in September 2024 that Japan's environment ministry declared the mongoose eradicated on Amami Oshima island after a 25-year programme. The mongoose had been released to control snakes.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Amami Oshima","lat":28.3,"lon":129.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.3,"lon":129.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["AFP reported in September 2024 that Japan's environment ministry declared the mongoose eradicated on Amami Oshima island.","According to the same report, the mongoose had been released on Amami to control snakes, and the eradication took 25 years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Japan's environment ministry declared the mongoose eradicated on Amami Oshima island, AFP reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Native wildlife on Amami Oshima (species not named)","what":"Mongoose damage, referred to in the AFP headline; the species and scale are not stated","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Amami Oshima island, Japan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Released to control snakes (year not stated); eradication declared in September 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The mongoose was released to control snakes, according to AFP.","src":0},"how":{"t":"An eradication programme of 25 years, according to AFP's headline.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eradication_programme_years","value":25,"unit":"years","year":2024,"note":"Length of the eradication programme, per AFP"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the year the mongoose was released on Amami.","The cited sources do not name the affected species or the scale of the damage.","Only one linked report was reviewed for this case."],"sources":[{"t":"Japan declares eradication of mongoose on Amami Oshima island","p":"AFP","d":"2024-09","u":"https://asianews.network/japan-declares-eradication-of-mongoose-on-amami-oshima-island","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241010073054/https://asianews.network/japan-declares-eradication-of-mongoose-on-amami-oshima-island/"}],"actors":[{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-environment","role":"Ministry that declared the eradication"}],"mechanism":"biological control release","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The mongoose released on my Amami Oshima island to control snakes was declared eradicated in September 2024, after a 25-year programme, AFP reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the year the mongoose was released on Amami.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the affected species or the scale of the damage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Only one linked report was reviewed for this case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"signal-crayfish-and-crayfish-plague","tier":"short","title":"Signal crayfish carried crayfish plague in Sweden, a 2006 study reports","dek":"A 2006 article in the journal KMAE reported that signal crayfish in Sweden carried crayfish plague. The cited sources do not describe the spread of the disease or its effect on native crayfish.","country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","places":[{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":null,"lat":62,"lon":15,"role":"event"}],"lat":62,"lon":15,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2006,"instrument":"invasive-species","happened":["A 2006 article in the journal KMAE reported that signal crayfish in Sweden carried crayfish plague.","The cited sources give no further detail on the Swedish case, its dates or its spread."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2006 KMAE article reported that signal crayfish in Sweden carried crayfish plague.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sweden","src":0},"when":{"t":"Article published in 2006; no other dates are given in the cited sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Signal crayfish carried crayfish plague, according to the article.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the date of introduction or the origin of the plague.","The cited sources do not name the native crayfish affected or the scale of losses.","Only one linked source was reviewed for this case."],"sources":[{"t":"Signal crayfish carried the crayfish plague in Sweden","p":"KMAE (journal)","d":"2006","u":"https://www.kmae-journal.org/10.1051/kmae:2006026","type":"academic"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"invasive crayfish disease vector","types":["invasive-species"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the date of introduction or the origin of the plague.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the native crayfish affected or the scale of losses.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Only one linked source was reviewed for this case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kudzu-planting-for-erosion-control","tier":"short","title":"US paid farmers to plant kudzu against erosion; later declared it a weed","dek":"The US Soil Erosion Service paid southern farmers to plant kudzu in the 1930s to control soil erosion. The Agriculture Department declared the vine a weed in 1970.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Southeastern US","lat":33.5,"lon":-86.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.5,"lon":-86.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":1933,"end":1970,"instrument":"invasive-species","happened":["Alabama Extension reported that the Soil Erosion Service distributed about 85 million kudzu seedlings to southern farmers in the 1930s, paying up to $8 per acre.","About 3 million acres had been planted by 1946, according to the same source.","The Agriculture Department declared kudzu a weed in 1970, according to Alabama Extension."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Soil Erosion Service programme paid farmers to plant kudzu; the vine was declared a weed in 1970.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Southern farmers paid to plant kudzu","what":"Payments of up to $8 per acre","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Southeastern United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Planting programme in the 1930s; kudzu declared a weed in 1970.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Erosion control, as reported.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Soil Erosion Service distributed seedlings and paid farmers to plant them.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"seedlings_distributed","value":85000000,"unit":"seedlings","year":null,"note":"Distributed by the Soil Erosion Service in the 1930s"},{"key":"area_planted","value":3000000,"unit":"acres","year":1946,"note":"Acres planted by 1946"},{"key":"max_payment_per_acre","value":8,"unit":"dollars per acre","year":null,"note":"Maximum payment to farmers"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources give the programme's start as 1933 in one entry and 1935 in another.","The cited sources do not measure the national cost of the kudzu programme or of later removal.","The cited sources do not describe the damage kudzu has done to native plants or soils."],"sources":[{"t":"The history and use of kudzu in the southeastern United States","p":"Alabama Extension (ACES)","d":"","u":"https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/invasive-species/the-history-and-use-of-kudzu-in-the-southeastern-united-states/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909112823/https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/invasive-species/the-history-and-use-of-kudzu-in-the-southeastern-united-states/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-soil-erosion-service","role":"Agency that paid farmers to plant kudzu"},{"id":"usda","role":"Declared kudzu a weed in 1970"}],"mechanism":"subsidised planting of invasive vine","types":["invasive-species"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 85 million kudzu seedlings were distributed in the 1930s to plant on me, and about 3 million acres had been planted by 1946, Alabama Extension reports.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources give the programme's start as 1933 in one entry and 1935 in another.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not measure the national cost of the kudzu programme or of later removal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the damage kudzu has done to native plants or soils.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"prosopis-removal-order","tier":"short","title":"Madras High Court orders Prosopis uprooted in Tamil Nadu","dek":"The Madras High Court ordered the invasive shrub Prosopis juliflora uprooted in Tamil Nadu in March 2026, according to a court digest. The shrub was planted for land reclamation and fuelwood, and the sources say it has invaded pastures and groundwater.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Tamil Nadu","lat":11.13,"lon":78.66,"role":"event"}],"lat":11.13,"lon":78.66,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2026,"instrument":"invasive-species","happened":["Down To Earth's court digest reported that the Madras High Court ordered Prosopis uprooted in Tamil Nadu in March 2026.","The shrub was planted for land reclamation and fuelwood, and has invaded pastures and groundwater, according to the same source."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Madras High Court ordered invasive Prosopis uprooted in Tamil Nadu, according to Down To Earth.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tamil Nadu, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"Order reported in March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The shrub was planted for land reclamation and fuelwood; the court's reasoning is not on record.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A High Court order to uproot the shrub, reported by Down To Earth.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Order to uproot Prosopis in Tamil Nadu","forum":"Madras High Court","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"unknown","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2026-03","status":"unknown","summary":"Down To Earth's court digest reported a Madras High Court order to uproot Prosopis in Tamil Nadu in March 2026.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the order's reasoning, its deadlines, or the authority responsible for uprooting.","The cited sources do not give the area of Prosopis in Tamil Nadu or the cost of removal.","Whether the order has been carried out is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Daily court digest: major environment orders, March 20, 2026","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2026-03-20","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/environment/daily-court-digest-major-environment-orders-march-20-2026","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260324205559/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/environment/daily-court-digest-major-environment-orders-march-20-2026"}],"actors":[{"id":"madras-high-court","role":"Court that ordered the uprooting"}],"mechanism":"invasive shrub removal order","types":["invasive-species"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Order to uproot Prosopis in Tamil Nadu: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the order's reasoning, its deadlines, or the authority responsible for uprooting.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the area of Prosopis in Tamil Nadu or the cost of removal.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the order has been carried out is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"oostvaardersplassen-rewilding-deaths","tier":"short","title":"Netherlands rewilding reserve records 3,226 deaths in winter 2017–18","dek":"About 3,226 animals died in the Oostvaardersplassen reserve in the winter of 2017–18, and the rewilding experiment ended in 2018. The case tests whether a rewilding reserve can keep its animal numbers in balance.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.4,"lon":5.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2018,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A Utrecht University paper reports that 3,226 animals died in the Oostvaardersplassen reserve in the winter of 2017–18.","The paper states that the expectation of self-balancing nature at the reserve collapsed, and that the experiment ended in 2018.","DutchNews reported around 3,200 deaths in the rewilding in May 2018."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"3,226 animals died in the Oostvaardersplassen reserve in winter 2017–18, and the experiment ended in 2018","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Animals in the Oostvaardersplassen reserve","what":"3,226 died in winter 2017–18, per a Utrecht University paper","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Oostvaardersplassen reserve, Netherlands","src":0},"when":{"t":"Winter 2017–18; the experiment ended in 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The deaths followed a rewilding approach that expected nature in the reserve to balance itself.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"animals_died_winter_2017_18","value":3226,"unit":"animals","year":2018,"note":"Utrecht University paper"},{"key":"animals_died_rewilding_dutchnews","value":3200,"unit":"animals","year":2018,"note":"approximate (about 3,200) per DutchNews, May 2018"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cause of death, and the species involved, are not on record.","The DutchNews figure (around 3,200) and the Utrecht figure (3,226) are not reconciled in the cited sources.","The date of the Utrecht paper is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Oostvaardersplassen: winter 2017–18 deaths and the end of the experiment","p":"Utrecht University","d":"","u":"https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/382588/Oostvaardersplassen_fiasco.pdf?sequence=1","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250810161743/https://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/382588/Oostvaardersplassen_fiasco.pdf?sequence=1"},{"t":"Oostvaardersplassen: around 3,200 deaths in rewilding","p":"DutchNews","d":"2018-05","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/05/rangers-culled-nearly-3000-animals-in-oostvaardersplassen-this-winter/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211208225941/https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2018/05/rangers-culled-nearly-3000-animals-in-oostvaardersplassen-this-winter/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"self-regulating rewilding grazing","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"3,226 of my animals died in the Oostvaardersplassen reserve in the winter of 2017–18, a Utrecht University paper reports.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cause of death, and the species involved, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The DutchNews figure (around 3,200) and the Utrecht figure (3,226) are not reconciled in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the Utrecht paper is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mali-fire-ban","tier":"short","title":"Mali fire ban did not end burning and produced conflict","dek":"A fire ban in Mali, of colonial origin, did not end fires and produced conflict, a 2008 article reports. The case asks what a fire ban achieves for the landscape it covers.","country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","places":[{"country":"Mali","iso2":"ML","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":17.57,"lon":-3.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A fire ban in Mali, of colonial origin, did not end fires and produced conflict, according to a 2008 article in Bois et Forêts des Tropiques.","The article notes that early burning was permitted."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fire ban in Mali did not end fires and produced conflict, per a 2008 article","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mali","src":0},"when":{"t":"Source dated 2008; the date and duration of the ban are not stated","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A fire prohibition in which early burning was permitted","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The year the ban was imposed, and its legal basis, are not on record.","The parties to the conflict and its scale are not stated.","The area burned before and after the ban is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Mali fire ban and early burning","p":"Bois et Forêts des Tropiques","d":"2008","u":"https://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/BFT/article/view/20385","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260325023221/https://revues.cirad.fr/index.php/BFT/article/view/20385"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"fire prohibition","types":["law-policy","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:land-fires"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year the ban was imposed, and its legal basis, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The parties to the conflict and its scale are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The area burned before and after the ban is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"israel-goat-grazing-ban-reversal","tier":"short","title":"Israel lifts goat grazing ban, citing fire fuel","dek":"Israel lifted its goat grazing ban in 2018, citing fire fuel, a Times of Israel report says. The cited sources do not show what the reversal did to fire or vegetation.","country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","places":[{"country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":31,"lon":34.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2018,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Israel lifted its goat grazing ban in 2018, citing fire fuel, according to the Times of Israel (AFP).","The cited sources place the grazing ban and its reversal in 2017–2018."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Israel lifted its goat grazing ban in 2018, citing fire fuel","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Israel; the area covered is not stated","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lifted in 2018; the cited sources list 2017–2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Goat grazing was allowed again on fire-fuel grounds; no further mechanism is given","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The reason the ban was first imposed, and the date it was imposed, are not stated.","The area covered by the reversal, and any measured effect on fire or vegetation, are not stated.","Who argued for the reversal is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Israel goat grazing ban lifted on fire-fuel grounds","p":"Times of Israel (AFP)","d":"","u":"https://www.timesofisrael.com/black-goat-to-thrive-again-in-israel/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250423225009/https://www.timesofisrael.com/black-goat-to-thrive-again-in-israel/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"goat grazing ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reason the ban was first imposed, and the date it was imposed, are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The area covered by the reversal, and any measured effect on fire or vegetation, are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who argued for the reversal is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-fire-ban-prosecutions-of-smallholders","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's fire ban falls on small farmers, with at least 202 prosecutions","dek":"Indonesia's fire ban fell on farmers with less than two hectares, with at least 202 prosecutions reported in Borneo. The case asks who bears the cost when a fire ban is enforced.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Borneo","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.5,"lon":114,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Indonesia's fire ban placed its burden on small farmers with less than two hectares, according to Mongabay.","At least 202 prosecutions are reported, Mongabay said in December 2023."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia's fire ban in Borneo fell on smallholders, with at least 202 prosecutions reported","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Smallholder farmers with less than two hectares","what":"Carried the burden of the ban; at least 202 prosecutions reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Borneo, Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in December 2023; the period of the prosecutions is not stated","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A fire ban enforced against farmers who use fire","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"prosecutions_reported","value":202,"unit":"prosecutions","year":2023,"note":"at least; Borneo, per Mongabay"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The number of farmers affected, and the period covered by the prosecutions, are not stated.","The outcome of the prosecutions is not stated.","Whether the fire ban reduced fire or forest loss is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Indonesia fire ban burden on small farmers; 202 prosecutions","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-12","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/traditional-small-farmers-burned-by-indonesias-war-on-wildfires/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518035915/https://news.mongabay.com/2023/12/traditional-small-farmers-burned-by-indonesias-war-on-wildfires/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"fire ban enforcement","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of farmers affected, and the period covered by the prosecutions, are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the prosecutions is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the fire ban reduced fire or forest loss is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"minamata-disease-and-chisso","tier":"short","title":"Chisso executives sentenced over Minamata disease in 1979","dek":"Mercury-laden waste from Chisso's factory flowed into the bay at Minamata, Japan, for decades. 2,265 people were officially recognised as patients by 2001, and two former managers were sentenced in 1979.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Minamata","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.2,"lon":130.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":1956,"end":1988,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Mercury-laden waste from Chisso's factory flowed into the bay at Minamata for decades, according to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.","In 1979 a former Chisso president and a former Minamata factory supervisor were each sentenced to two years in prison for causing death and serious bodily harm; the Fukuoka High Court upheld the judgment in September 1982, and the Supreme Court of Japan dismissed the final appeal on 29 February 1988.","Dr Hajime Hosokawa, director of the Chisso-affiliated hospital in Minamata, fed factory wastewater directly to cats and one cat developed the disease; the results were concealed within the company, according to a history published by Kumamoto University. In 1968 the government stated that Minamata disease was caused by a methylmercury compound (Ministry of the Environment)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chisso's mercury-laden waste flowed into the bay at Minamata for decades; a 1979 sentence of two years was upheld in 1988","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chisso Corporation","what":"Mercury-laden wastewater from its Minamata factory flowed into the bay until 1968; an in-house cat experiment linking the wastewater to the disease was concealed within the company, according to Kumamoto University","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People with Minamata disease","what":"2,265 people certified on the Yatsushiro Sea coast by the end of March 2001 (Ministry of the Environment); more than 17,000 people had applied for certification before 1999 (Takaoka et al., Toxics, 2018)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Minamata, Japan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Period listed as 1956–1988; sentence in 1979, upheld in 1988","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mercury-laden wastewater from a factory flowed into the bay over decades","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"official_patients_2001","value":2265,"unit":"patients","year":2001,"note":"certified patients on the Yatsushiro Sea coast by end of March 2001 (Ministry of the Environment)"},{"key":"compensation_applications","value":17000,"unit":"applications","year":null,"note":"more than 17,000 people applied for certification before 1999 (Takaoka et al., Toxics, 2018)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case over Minamata disease against Chisso executives","forum":"Trial court (1979); Fukuoka High Court (1982); Supreme Court of Japan, Third Petty Bench (1988)","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"","defendant":"Former president and plant manager of Chisso","filed":null,"decided":1988,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"Two years’ imprisonment each in 1979 for causing death and serious bodily harm; upheld by the Fukuoka High Court on 6 September 1982; the Supreme Court of Japan dismissed the appeal on 29 February 1988.","src":4}],"unknown":["The names of the executives are not given in this record.","The number of people affected beyond the 2001 figure is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Chisso Corporation lawsuit re Minamata disease","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/chisso-corporation-lawsuit-re-minamata-disease","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200810220503/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/chisso-corporation-lawsuit-re-minamata-disease"},{"t":"Minamata Disease: The History and Measures, Chapter 2","p":"Ministry of the Environment, Japan","d":"2002","u":"https://www.env.go.jp/en/chemi/hs/minamata2002/ch2.html","type":"official"},{"t":"A Social History of Minamata Disease: What Do You Know about Minamata Disease?","p":"Kumamoto University (Takeshi Takamine)","d":"2022-03-30","u":"https://www.c3.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/A-Social-History-of-Minamata-Disease.pdf","type":"academic"},{"t":"Survey of the Extent of the Persisting Effects of Methylmercury Pollution on the Inhabitants around the Shiranui Sea, Japan","p":"Toxics (Takaoka et al.)","d":"2018-07-20","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6160922","type":"academic"},{"t":"Supreme Court of Japan, Third Petty Bench, decision of 29 February 1988, case 昭和57(あ)1555 (professional negligence causing death and injury)","p":"Courts in Japan","d":"1988-02-29","u":"https://www.courts.go.jp/hanrei/51209/detail2/index.html","type":"court"}],"actors":[{"id":"chisso-corporation","role":"Operator of the factory whose mercury waste was discharged into the bay"}],"mechanism":"mercury wastewater discharge","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Mercury-laden waste from Chisso's factory flowed into my bay at Minamata for decades; by the end of March 2001, 2,265 patients had been certified on the Yatsushiro Sea coast.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The names of the executives are not given in this record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of people affected beyond the 2001 figure is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"moruroa-nuclear-tests-exposure","tier":"short","title":"Nuclear test exposure at Moruroa reported at about ten times official estimate","dek":"Investigative reporting by Disclose and Princeton said the number of people exposed to the Moruroa nuclear tests in French Polynesia was about ten times the official estimate. The cited sources do not give the test years or any compensation outcome.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"French Polynesia","lat":-21.83,"lon":-138.88,"role":"event"}],"lat":-21.83,"lon":-138.88,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Disclose and Princeton reported that people exposed to the Moruroa nuclear tests were about ten times the official estimate.","No other exposure estimate for the Moruroa tests is given in the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"People exposed to the Moruroa nuclear tests in French Polynesia were reported at about ten times the official estimate.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People exposed to the Moruroa nuclear tests","what":"Exposure reported at about ten times the official estimate","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Moruroa, French Polynesia","src":null},"when":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Nuclear weapons tests at Moruroa; exposure figure from Disclose and Princeton reporting","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"exposed_vs_official_estimate","value":10,"unit":"times the official estimate (approximate)","year":null,"note":"Reported as about ten times by Disclose and Princeton"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the test years, the official estimate itself, or the number of people exposed.","Who gained from the tests is not on record.","A link in the source list for this entry concerns bushfires and is not used."],"sources":[{"t":"Exposed people are about ten times the official estimate","p":"Disclose / Princeton","d":"","u":"https://disclose.ngo/en/investigations/moruroa-files","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240601161556/https://disclose.ngo/en/investigations/moruroa-files"}],"actors":[{"id":"france-government","role":"Conducted the Moruroa nuclear tests"},{"id":"disclose","role":"Reported the exposure estimate"}],"mechanism":"nuclear weapons testing","types":["law-policy","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The number of people exposed to the nuclear tests at my Moruroa was about ten times the official estimate, Disclose and Princeton report.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the test years, the official estimate itself, or the number of people exposed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the tests is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A link in the source list for this entry concerns bushfires and is not used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"china-cancer-villages-acknowledgement-withdrawn","tier":"short","title":"China's environmental watchdog withdrew its acknowledgement of cancer villages","dek":"The South China Morning Post reported in February 2013 that China's environmental watchdog had withdrawn its acknowledgement of so-called cancer villages. The cited sources do not say which villages were affected or why the acknowledgement was withdrawn.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2013,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The South China Morning Post reported in February 2013 that China's environmental watchdog had admitted the 'cancer village' phenomenon and then withdrew that acknowledgement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China's environmental watchdog withdrew its acknowledgement of 'cancer villages', according to South China Morning Post reporting.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"China","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2013","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Official acknowledgement of cancer villages, later withdrawn","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which villages were involved, how many residents were affected, or who benefited from the withdrawal.","A 2024 journal link is listed with this entry; the cited sources do not say what it reports, so it is not used."],"sources":[{"t":"Cancer village acknowledgement withdrawn","p":"South China Morning Post","d":"2013-02","u":"https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/article/1155528/environmental-watchdog-admits-cancer-village-phenomenon","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"china-environmental-watchdog","role":"Acknowledged, then withdrew, the cancer village finding"}],"mechanism":"regulatory acknowledgement withdrawn","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which villages were involved, how many residents were affected, or who benefited from the withdrawal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A 2024 journal link is listed with this entry; the cited sources do not say what it reports, so it is not used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chrysotile-asbestos-rotterdam-convention-vetoes","tier":"short","title":"Chrysotile asbestos blocked from Rotterdam Convention listing by vetoes since 2006","dek":"The Rotterdam Convention secretariat and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin report that chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the convention because five to seven countries vetoed the decision. The sources do not say which countries cast each veto.","country":"International","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The Rotterdam Convention secretariat and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin report that chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the convention from 2006 because five to seven countries vetoed the listing.","The entry names Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe as the countries involved."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chrysotile asbestos could not be listed under the Rotterdam Convention because of vetoes by five to seven countries.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rotterdam Convention, international","src":0},"when":{"t":"2006 to 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Vetoes by five to seven countries blocked the listing decision","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say which country cast which veto, or when each veto was made.","Unconfirmed: asbestos production was 1.33 million tonnes in 2022, with Russia the largest producer.","Unconfirmed: 26,820 mesothelioma deaths from occupational exposure in 2019, and an estimated 255,000 asbestos-related deaths a year.","Unconfirmed: the 2024 United States chrysotile ban was suspended for review in 2025.","The cited sources do not name who benefited from the delay."],"sources":[{"t":"Chrysotile cannot be listed due to vetoes by 5-7 countries","p":"Rotterdam Convention Secretariat; Earth Negotiations Bulletin","d":"2025","u":"https://enb.iisd.org/basel-rotterdam-stockholm-conventions-brs-cops-2025-07May2025","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009232004/https://enb.iisd.org/basel-rotterdam-stockholm-conventions-brs-cops-2025-07May2025"}],"actors":[{"id":"rotterdam-convention-secretariat","role":"Recorded the listing blockage"}],"mechanism":"treaty listing vetoes","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say which country cast which veto, or when each veto was made.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: asbestos production was 1.33 million tonnes in 2022, with Russia the largest producer.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 26,820 mesothelioma deaths from occupational exposure in 2019, and an estimated 255,000 asbestos-related deaths a year.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2024 United States chrysotile ban was suspended for review in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name who benefited from the delay.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"california-forest-offset-over-crediting","tier":"short","title":"Wildfires have consumed almost 40% of California's forest offset buffer pool","dek":"CarbonPlan estimates that wildfire has consumed almost 40% of the buffer pool behind California's forest carbon offsets, against 20% allocated for fire over 100 years. The state's Air Resources Board replaces burned credits from the pool, and buyers are not charged.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["A 2022 study in Frontiers in Forests and Global Change reported that wildfire losses of 5.7 to 6.8 million credits were at least 95 percent of the 100-year fire allocation.","CarbonPlan's September 2025 update estimated that wildfire had consumed almost 40% of the buffer pool, against 20% allocated for fire over 100 years.","CarbonPlan's 2022 explainer describes systematic over-crediting in California forest offset credits.","Microsoft bought about 240,000 to 265,000 credits from the Klamath East and West schemes in 2020 and 2021, according to Inside Climate News, though sources differ on the figure."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Wildfires have consumed almost 40% of the buffer pool behind California's forest carbon offsets, according to CarbonPlan's 2025 estimate.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Microsoft","what":"Bought about 240,000 to 265,000 credits from Klamath East and West in 2020 and 2021 (figures differ)","src":2},{"who":"Green Diamond","what":"Linked to the Klamath East credits that Microsoft bought","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"California's buffer pool","what":"Almost 40% consumed by wildfire, per CarbonPlan's 2025 estimate","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California, United States","src":1},"when":{"t":"From 2020; latest update September 2025","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Burned credits are replaced from the buffer pool, and buyers are not charged","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"wildfire_losses_low","value":5700000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Range 5.7 to 6.8 million; Frontiers study"},{"key":"buffer_pool_total","value":31000000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"About 31.0 million credits, Frontiers study"},{"key":"carb_buffer_credits","value":28300000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Air Resources Board figure; excludes the Lionshead fire"},{"key":"pool_consumed_by_fire","value":40,"unit":"percent (almost)","year":2025,"note":"CarbonPlan estimate against 20% allocated for fire"},{"key":"microsoft_credits_low","value":240000,"unit":"credits","year":2021,"note":"Range 240,000 to 265,000 from Klamath East and West; sources differ"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Verra's undated statement gives an AFOLU buffer of 41,768,355 units; the sources do not say whether this includes California.","Verra's 2021 consultation said cancellations 'may be inadequate'; an insurance or fund-based cover pilot was in place as of December 2025.","Warm Springs has not disclosed its post-fire carbon stock after about 60 months; the rules require disclosure within 23 months.","Reported without a source: the Air Resources Board retired 1.12 million tonnes for two earlier fires against a reserve of about 6 million tonnes.","Reported without a source: reversals for 2020 and 2021 at 3.95 million tonnes, or about 7.6 million including the Lionshead and Bootleg fires.","The sources do not say what the shortfall would cost buyers or the atmosphere."],"sources":[{"t":"California's forest carbon offsets buffer pool is severely undercapitalized","p":"Frontiers in Forests and Global Change","d":"2022-08-05","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.930426/full","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925191402/https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2022.930426/full"},{"t":"Lionshead fifth anniversary (CarbonPlan)","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2025-09-03","u":"https://carbonplan.org/blog/lionshead-fifth-anniversary","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Klamath East and Microsoft credits","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2021-04-08","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04082021/us-forest-fires-threaten-carbon-offsets-as-company-linked-trees-burn/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512210330/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/04082021/us-forest-fires-threaten-carbon-offsets-as-company-linked-trees-burn/"},{"t":"Forest offsets explainer FAQ (CarbonPlan)","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2022","u":"https://carbonplan.org/research/forest-offsets-explainer-faq","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518185002/https://carbonplan.org/research/forest-offsets-explainer-faq"}],"actors":[{"id":"carbonplan","role":"Analysed the buffer pool and published the estimates"},{"id":"carb","role":"Replaces burned credits from the buffer pool; reports the buffer balance"},{"id":"verra","role":"Registry that holds its own AFOLU buffer and reported on cancellations"},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Buyer of Klamath East and West credits"},{"id":"green-diamond","role":"Linked to the Klamath East credits"}],"mechanism":"forest offset buffer pool","types":["carbon-credit","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Fire has consumed almost 40% of the credit buffer pool set aside for my California forests, against 20% allocated for fire over 100 years, CarbonPlan estimated in September 2025.","src":[1]},"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Verra's undated statement gives an AFOLU buffer of 41,768,355 units; the sources do not say whether this includes California.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Verra's 2021 consultation said cancellations 'may be inadequate'; an insurance or fund-based cover pilot was in place as of December 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Warm Springs has not disclosed its post-fire carbon stock after about 60 months; the rules require disclosure within 23 months.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source: the Air Resources Board retired 1.12 million tonnes for two earlier fires against a reserve of about 6 million tonnes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source: reversals for 2020 and 2021 at 3.95 million tonnes, or about 7.6 million including the Lionshead and Bootleg fires.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say what the shortfall would cost buyers or the atmosphere.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"acigol-mosquitofish-threat","tier":"short","title":"Mosquito-control fish threatens critically endangered species in Turkey's Acıgöl","dek":"A fish spread to control mosquitoes is reported to threaten a critically endangered species in Acıgöl, Turkey. The source does not name the fish or the species, and does not date the threat.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A university repository record reports that a fish spread for mosquito control threatens a critically endangered species in Acıgöl.","The record is undated and does not say which species is affected or how far the fish has spread."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A fish spread for mosquito control threatens a critically endangered species in Acıgöl.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Critically endangered species in Acıgöl (not named in the source)","what":"threatened by the spread of the fish","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Acıgöl, Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The source is undated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The fish was spread to control mosquitoes; the source reports the resulting threat to the species.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Which Acıgöl is meant, the fish's species and the extent of the spread are not on record.","Who spread the fish, and when, is not stated.","Other threats to the species are not described."],"sources":[{"t":"Endangered species in Acıgöl under threat","p":"Uludağ University","d":"","u":"https://acikerisim.uludag.edu.tr/handle/11452/17405","type":"academic"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"mosquito-control fish release","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which Acıgöl is meant, the fish's species and the extent of the spread are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who spread the fish, and when, is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Other threats to the species are not described.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"caulerpa-escape-from-monaco-aquarium","tier":"short","title":"Invasive seaweed escaped from Monaco museum aquarium and reached Turkey in 2006","dek":"An invasive seaweed escaped from the aquarium of the Monaco Oceanographic Museum into the sea and reached Turkish coasts in 2006, according to a Smithsonian record. The cited sources do not give the escape date or the seaweed's species.","country":"Monaco","iso2":"MC","places":[{"country":"Monaco","iso2":"MC","admin":null,"lat":43.73,"lon":7.42,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"arrival"}],"lat":43.73,"lon":7.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":null,"instrument":"invasive-species","happened":["According to a Smithsonian record, an invasive seaweed escaped from the Monaco Oceanographic Museum's aquarium into the sea.","The same record reports that the seaweed reached Turkish coasts in 2006."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An invasive seaweed escaped from a museum aquarium in Monaco into the sea.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Monaco Oceanographic Museum, Monaco; the seaweed reached Turkish coasts.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Arrival on Turkish coasts in 2006; the escape date is not given.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The seaweed got out of the museum aquarium; the source does not describe how.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The escape date is not on record.","The seaweed's species is not on record.","Ecological effects in Monaco and Turkey are not described.","Who gained or lost from the escape is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Museum-sourced seaweed invasion; Turkey 2006","p":"Smithsonian","d":"","u":"https://invasions.si.edu/nemesis/species_summary/6974","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250329073520/https://invasions.si.edu/nemesis/species_summary/6974"}],"actors":[{"id":"oceanographic-museum-monaco","role":"Museum whose aquarium the seaweed escaped from"}],"mechanism":"aquarium escape to sea","types":["invasive-species"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The escape date is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The seaweed's species is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ecological effects in Monaco and Turkey are not described.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained or lost from the escape is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"myxoma-virus-escape-from-quarantine-island","tier":"short","title":"Rabbit virus most likely escaped quarantine island, probably carried by flies","dek":"A rabbit virus is reported to have most likely escaped from a quarantine island, probably on flies, according to a 1996 source. The cited sources do not name the island or the virus, and do not describe the effects on wildlife.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A 1996 source reports that a rabbit virus most likely escaped from a quarantine island, probably carried by flies.","The source does not describe the island, the date of escape or the effects on wildlife."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A rabbit virus is reported to have most likely escaped from a quarantine island.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"A quarantine island in Australia (island not named in the source).","src":0},"when":{"t":"The escape date is not given; the source is dated 1996.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Escape is attributed most likely to flies.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The island, the virus and the date of escape are not on record.","Whether the quarantine was intended for this virus, and why it was held there, is not stated.","Effects on wildlife after the escape are not described."],"sources":[{"t":"eCite record 54573","p":"University of Tasmania","d":"1996","u":"https://ecite.utas.edu.au/54573","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230528031246/http://ecite.utas.edu.au/54573"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"quarantine island virus escape","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The island, the virus and the date of escape are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the quarantine was intended for this virus, and why it was held there, is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effects on wildlife after the escape are not described.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lord-howe-island-rat-eradication","tier":"short","title":"Rats wiped out five endemic birds on Lord Howe Island; 2019 eradication succeeded","dek":"Rats are reported to have wiped out five endemic birds on Lord Howe Island in 1918, and the Lord Howe Island Board reports that a 2019 eradication effort succeeded. The cited sources do not give the cost or funding of the work.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-31.55,"lon":159.08,"role":"event"}],"lat":-31.55,"lon":159.08,"approxCoords":true,"start":1918,"end":2019,"instrument":"influence","happened":["The Lord Howe Island Board's 2025 final report attributes the loss of five endemic birds in 1918 to rats.","The same report says the 2019 eradication effort was successful."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rats had wiped out five endemic birds on Lord Howe Island by 1918; a 2019 eradication effort is reported as successful.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Five endemic birds on Lord Howe Island","what":"wiped out by rats by 1918","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lord Howe Island, Australia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Birds lost by 1918; eradication in 2019; report dated 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Rodent eradication, as described in the Board's final report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"endemic_birds_wiped_out","value":5,"unit":"birds","year":1918,"note":"Attributed to rats in the source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Cost, funding, the number of rats and the method used are not on record.","The cited sources do not describe effects on other species since the eradication.","Who gained from the work, and any costs to residents, are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Rodent eradication: final report 2025","p":"Lord Howe Island Board","d":"2025","u":"https://www.lhib.nsw.gov.au/environment/rodent-eradication-project/final-report-2025","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519224247/https://www.lhib.nsw.gov.au/environment/rodent-eradication-project/final-report-2025"}],"actors":[{"id":"lord-howe-island-board","role":"Published the final report on the eradication"}],"mechanism":"rat eradication campaign","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Rats wiped out five of my endemic birds on Lord Howe Island in 1918, the Lord Howe Island Board's 2025 report says; it reports the 2019 eradication as successful.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Cost, funding, the number of rats and the method used are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe effects on other species since the eradication.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the work, and any costs to residents, are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"diclofenac-vulture-collapse","tier":"short","title":"Veterinary drug linked to India's vulture collapse and extra human deaths","dek":"A drug used in animal treatment is reported to have collapsed vulture populations in India, and a 2024 estimate put extra human deaths at more than 100,000 a year. The cited sources do not name the drug.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"approxCoords":true,"start":2000,"end":2023,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A 2024 study by AER (EPIC) estimated that the vulture decline in India was linked to more than 100,000 additional human deaths a year over 2000–2005.","BirdLife reported that the cause of vulture poisoning was identified in 2004 and the drug banned in 2006, while two equally toxic drugs were banned only in 2023."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A veterinary drug is reported to have collapsed India's vulture populations.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Vulture populations in India","what":"collapsed after poisoning linked to a veterinary drug","src":0},{"who":"People in India (estimated)","what":"estimated more than 100,000 additional deaths a year, 2000–2005","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The estimate covers 2000–2005.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Vultures were poisoned by a drug used in animal treatment; the cause was identified in 2004 and the drug banned in 2006.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"additional_human_deaths_per_year","value":100000,"unit":"deaths per year","year":2005,"note":"Estimate for 2000–2005; the source says more than 100,000"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The drug is not on record.","Who sold, used or gained from the drug is not stated.","Vulture population counts and the length of the decline are not given.","The 100,000 figure is an estimate, not a count of deaths."],"sources":[{"t":"The social costs of keystone species collapse: evidence from the decline of vultures in India","p":"AER (EPIC)","d":"2024","u":"https://epic.uchicago.edu/insights/the-social-costs-of-keystone-species-collapse-evidence-from-the-decline-of-vultures-in-india/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618082351/https://epic.uchicago.edu/insights/the-social-costs-of-keystone-species-collapse-evidence-from-the-decline-of-vultures-in-india/"},{"t":"Bans on two more veterinary drugs linked to vulture deaths in India","p":"BirdLife International","d":"2023","u":"https://birdlife.org/news/2023/09/01/bans-on-two-more-veterinary-drugs-linked-to-vulture-deaths-in-india","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250912155327/https://www.birdlife.org/news/2023/09/01/bans-on-two-more-veterinary-drugs-linked-to-vulture-deaths-in-india/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"veterinary drug poisoning","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 2024 study estimated that the decline of my vultures in India was linked to more than 100,000 additional human deaths a year over 2000–2005.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The drug is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who sold, used or gained from the drug is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Vulture population counts and the length of the decline are not given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 100,000 figure is an estimate, not a count of deaths.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-tiger-reserve-relocation-of-64-801-families","tier":"short","title":"Request to move 64,801 families out of India's tiger reserves","dek":"Scroll reported that a National Tiger Conservation Authority letter sought the removal of 64,801 families from India's tiger reserves. The cited sources do not say whether the removals went ahead.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.59,"lon":78.96,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Scroll reported that a National Tiger Conservation Authority letter sought the removal of 64,801 families from tiger reserves in India.","The source entry is dated June 2024 and October 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A request to remove 64,801 families from India's tiger reserves, as reported by Scroll.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"64,801 families living in tiger reserves","what":"subject to a request for removal","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Tiger reserves in India (reserves not named in the source).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Source entry dated June 2024 and October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A National Tiger Conservation Authority letter sought the removals.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"families_requested_for_removal","value":64801,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"Request reported by Scroll; actual removals not stated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether any families were moved, and where, is not on record.","The authority's reasons for the request and any compensation offered are not stated.","Who gained from any removals is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Withdraw notice on relocation of villages in core areas of tiger reserves, citizens tell Centre","p":"Scroll","d":"June 2024; October 2025","u":"https://scroll.in/latest/1072955/withdraw-notice-on-relocation-of-villages-in-core-areas-of-tiger-reserves-citizens-tell-centre","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250430123921/https://scroll.in/latest/1072955/withdraw-notice-on-relocation-of-villages-in-core-areas-of-tiger-reserves-citizens-tell-centre"}],"actors":[{"id":"ntca","role":"Issued the letter reported by Scroll"}],"mechanism":"tiger reserve relocation request","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Scroll reported that a National Tiger Conservation Authority letter sought the removal of 64,801 families from my tiger reserves.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any families were moved, and where, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The authority's reasons for the request and any compensation offered are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from any removals is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"colombia-redd-indigenous-rights-ruling-t-248-24","tier":"short","title":"Colombian court finds REDD+ carbon scheme violated indigenous rights","dek":"Colombia's Constitutional Court, in ruling T-248/24, found that a REDD+ carbon scheme violated indigenous rights, Mongabay Latam reported in 2024. The cited sources do not name the scheme, the community or the company involved.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":4.57,"lon":-74.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.57,"lon":-74.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Mongabay Latam reported that Colombia's Constitutional Court, in ruling T-248/24, found that a REDD+ carbon scheme violated indigenous rights.","The source is dated June to July 2024."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Colombia's Constitutional Court found that a REDD+ carbon scheme violated indigenous rights.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Indigenous community (name: none on record)","what":"rights found violated by the scheme","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Colombia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling T-248/24; reported June to July 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The finding concerned a REDD+ carbon scheme; the scheme's mechanism is not on record.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Ruling T-248/24","forum":"Constitutional Court of Colombia","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","kind":"constitutional","claimant":"Indigenous community (not named)","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":2024,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found that a REDD+ carbon scheme violated indigenous rights, as reported by Mongabay Latam.","src":0}],"unknown":["The scheme's name, operator, location and the community involved are not on record.","Any penalty, compensation or change to the scheme after the ruling is not stated.","Whether the ruling changed the scheme's carbon credits or sales is not known."],"sources":[{"t":"Constitutional Court's strong reprimand of carbon companies and the Colombian government","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"June–July 2024","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2024/07/dura-amonestacion-de-corte-constitucional-a-empresas-de-carbono-y-gobierno-colombiano/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421163918/https://es.mongabay.com/2024/07/dura-amonestacion-de-corte-constitucional-a-empresas-de-carbono-y-gobierno-colombiano/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"REDD+ carbon scheme","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The scheme's name, operator, location and the community involved are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Any penalty, compensation or change to the scheme after the ruling is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the ruling changed the scheme's carbon credits or sales is not known.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"fsc-certified-logging-in-sami-territory","tier":"short","title":"Land sales and logging on Sami reindeer pasture in Sweden, NGO reports","dek":"Global Forest Coalition reported that 10,400 ha were sold in Sami areas of Sweden, including more than 2,000 ha of reindeer pasture, and that 400 ha of forest were logged in 32 forests. For nature, the stake is forest cover and the grazing land that reindeer herders depend on.","country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","places":[{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":null,"lat":66.5,"lon":19,"role":"event"}],"lat":66.5,"lon":19,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Global Forest Coalition reported in April 2020 that 10,400 ha were sold, including more than 2,000 ha of pasture.","The same report said 400 ha of forest had been logged across 32 forests.","Earthsight reported that 13 companies had been investigated in 27 years of FSC certification, about 0.02% of more than 44,000 certificate holders."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Global Forest Coalition reported that 10,400 ha were sold in Sami areas of Sweden, and that 400 ha of forest were logged in 32 forests.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sami reindeer herders","what":"more than 2,000 ha of pasture within the land sold, per Global Forest Coalition","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sami areas of Sweden","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported by Global Forest Coalition in April 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Land was sold and forests were logged, per Global Forest Coalition.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"land_sold_ha","value":10400,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"sold, per Global Forest Coalition"},{"key":"pasture_in_sale_ha","value":2000,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"more than this amount of pasture, per Global Forest Coalition"},{"key":"logged_ha","value":400,"unit":"ha","year":2020,"note":"logged across 32 forests, per Global Forest Coalition"},{"key":"forests_logged","value":32,"unit":"forests","year":2020,"note":""}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Buyers of the land and the companies that logged it are not on record.","Unconfirmed: logging in Sami territory without Sami consent, cited to an ASI/FSC investigation of February 2025; no source link is on record for it.","Studies listed in the cited sources (Rana and Sills 2024, FSC; Utrecht/Nature 2024) concern large mammals in FSC-certified forests; their findings are not on record.","Whether the land sale went ahead and the current status of the forests are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Sami logging Sweden","p":"Global Forest Coalition","d":"2020-04-22","u":"https://globalforestcoalition.org/sami-logging-sweden","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251112033102/https://globalforestcoalition.org/sami-logging-sweden/"},{"t":"FSC statement on Earthsight report","p":"FSC (via Eco-Business)","d":"2020","u":"https://fsc.org/en/newsfeed/fsc-statement-on-earthsight-report-2020","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220901081342/https://fsc.org/en/newsfeed/fsc-statement-on-earthsight-report-2020"}],"actors":[{"id":"fsc","role":"certification body whose system was examined in the Earthsight report"}],"mechanism":"FSC-certified forest logging","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["sveaskog-logging-of-old-forest-in-luokta-mavas-sami-reindeer"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In Sami areas of Sweden, 400 ha of my forest were logged across 32 forests and 10,400 ha of me were sold, including more than 2,000 ha of pasture, Global Forest Coalition reported in April 2020.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Buyers of the land and the companies that logged it are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: logging in Sami territory without Sami consent, cited to an ASI/FSC investigation of February 2025; no source link is on record for it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Studies listed in the cited sources (Rana and Sills 2024, FSC; Utrecht/Nature 2024) concern large mammals in FSC-certified forests; their findings are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the land sale went ahead and the current status of the forests are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"beijing-low-end-population-evictions-with-greening","tier":"short","title":"Beijing demolished 59.85 million m² of unauthorised buildings and planned greening","dek":"Beijing reported that 59.85 million m² of unauthorised structures were demolished in 2017, with 80% of the vacated land to be set aside as green space, and critics said a 2018 village campaign in Daxing covertly cleared low-end population. The greening is the stated gain; the cited sources do not count the residents moved.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Beijing","lat":39.9,"lon":116.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Daxing","lat":39.72,"lon":116.34,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.9,"lon":116.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2018,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["China Securities Network reported that 59.85 million m² of unauthorised structures were demolished in Beijing in 2017.","It said 80% of the vacated land would be set aside as green, with a 2018 target of 1,600 ha of re-greening.","Radio Free Asia reported in June 2018 that a safety campaign covering 67 villages in Daxing was seen by critics as a disguised clearance of low-end population."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Beijing reported that 59.85 million m² of unauthorised structures were demolished in 2017.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Daxing village residents","what":"covered by the 2018 safety campaign, which critics described as a clearance of low-end population","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Beijing, including Daxing district","src":0},"when":{"t":"2017 demolitions; 2018 Daxing campaign.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Stated aim: 'decongestion and rectification' work, with cleared land set aside as green.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Unauthorised structures were demolished, then the vacated land was to be set aside for green space.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"demolished_area","value":59850000,"unit":"m²","year":2017,"note":"unauthorised structures demolished, per China Securities Network"},{"key":"green_share_pct","value":80,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"of vacated land to be set aside as green (planned)"},{"key":"regreening_target_ha","value":1600,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"note":"2018 re-greening target"},{"key":"daxing_villages","value":67,"unit":"villages","year":2018,"note":"covered by the safety campaign, per Radio Free Asia"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The claim that Beijing moved low-end population in 2017–18 is attributed to NBD and AP, but no source link is on record for it.","Whether the 1,600 ha re-greening target was met is not on record.","The number of residents moved in Daxing and any compensation paid are not on record.","No government response to the Radio Free Asia report is in the cited sources.","The developers or buyers of the cleared land are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Beijing sets 2018 priorities for decongestion and rectification","p":"China Securities Network (中国证券网)","d":"2018-02","u":"https://www.cs.com.cn/xwzx/201802/t20180227_5722133.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Beijing village safety drive: disguised clearing of 'low-end population'?","p":"Radio Free Asia (Mandarin)","d":"2018-06","u":"https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-06082018091025.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250611034746/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/renquanfazhi/yf1-06082018091025.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"beijing-municipal-government","role":"ran the 2018 decongestion and rectification campaign"}],"mechanism":"demolition with greening","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Beijing demolished 59.85 million m² of unauthorised structures on me in 2017 and planned to set aside 80% of the vacated land as green, with a 2018 re-greening target of 1,600 ha.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The claim that Beijing moved low-end population in 2017–18 is attributed to NBD and AP, but no source link is on record for it.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 1,600 ha re-greening target was met is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of residents moved in Daxing and any compensation paid are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No government response to the Radio Free Asia report is in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The developers or buyers of the cleared land are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"argan-oil-trade-capture-by-intermediaries","tier":"short","title":"Intermediaries take over Morocco's argan oil trade as drought cuts output","dek":"A 2023 Human Ecology study reported that intermediaries have taken over Morocco's argan oil trade, and drought has cut argan output by 51%. For nature, the stake is the argan trees and the cooperatives that depend on them.","country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":null,"lat":31.79,"lon":-7.09,"role":"event"},{"country":"Israel","iso2":"IL","admin":null,"lat":31.05,"lon":34.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.79,"lon":-7.09,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2025,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["Human Ecology (2023) reported that intermediaries have taken over the argan oil trade in Morocco.","SNRT News reported that argan output fell 51% in drought between 2019 and 2025, as cooperatives competed with large cosmetics firms for raw material; it counted 4,525 cooperatives.","Hespress English reported in May 2024 that the Israeli brand MoroccanOil earned USD 60.6 million in 2024, and that roughly 20,000 argan trees grow in Israel."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Intermediaries have taken over the argan oil trade in Morocco, a 2023 Human Ecology study reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Intermediaries (not named)","what":"control of the argan oil trade","src":0},{"who":"MoroccanOil","what":"USD 60.6 million revenue in 2024, per Hespress English","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Argan cooperatives","what":"compete with large cosmetics firms for raw material; argan output fell 51% in drought","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Morocco's argan-growing areas; the brand is produced in Israel","src":2},"when":{"t":"Output figures cover 2019–2025; the study is dated 2023; the revenue figure is for 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Intermediaries capture value in the trade; a brand built on Moroccan argan is produced in Israel.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"argan_output_drop_pct","value":51,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"fall in argan output from drought, 2019–2025, per SNRT News"},{"key":"cooperatives","value":4525,"unit":"cooperatives","year":null,"note":"per SNRT News"},{"key":"moroccanoil_revenue_usd_m","value":60600000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"per Hespress English, May 2024"},{"key":"israel_argan_trees","value":20000,"unit":"trees","year":null,"note":"approximately, in Israel, per Hespress English"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Hespress's headline gives the business as USD 62 million; its text gives USD 60.6 million for 2024.","No benefit-sharing arrangement with Amazigh women's cooperatives is on record.","The intermediaries are not on record.","The share of trade value that reaches cooperatives is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Intermediaries take over argan trade","p":"Human Ecology","d":"2023","u":"https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10745-023-00453-6","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018153145/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10745-023-00453-6"},{"t":"Argan industry: cooperatives face drought and competition","p":"SNRT News","d":"2019–2025","u":"https://snrtnews.com/fr/article/industrie-de-largan-les-cooperatives-face-a-la-secheresse-et-a-la-concurrence","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725091637/https://snrtnews.com/fr/article/industrie-de-largan-les-cooperatives-face-a-la-secheresse-et-a-la-concurrence"},{"t":"How Morocco's Argan fuels a USD 62 million Israeli business","p":"Hespress English","d":"2024-05-10","u":"https://en.hespress.com/84896-84896.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"moroccanoil","role":"Israeli brand whose revenue is reported from argan"},{"id":"argan-cooperatives-morocco","role":"cooperatives competing for raw material"}],"mechanism":"intermediary trade control","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My argan output fell 51% in drought between 2019 and 2025, SNRT News reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Hespress's headline gives the business as USD 62 million; its text gives USD 60.6 million for 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No benefit-sharing arrangement with Amazigh women's cooperatives is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The intermediaries are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of trade value that reaches cooperatives is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"almaty-national-park-ski-resort-plan","tier":"short","title":"Ski centre planned inside a national park in Almaty, Kazakhstan","dek":"About 1,200 hectares of Ile-Alatau National Park land near Almaty were transferred in 2014 for the Kok-Zhailau ski resort. President Tokayev banned the project in October 2019, and in June 2020 the Mazhilis approved in first reading a law to return unused land of this kind to protected status.","country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","places":[{"country":"Kazakhstan","iso2":"KZ","admin":"Almaty","lat":43.24,"lon":76.89,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.24,"lon":76.89,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Tengrinews, a Russian-language outlet, reported in October 2019 that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had banned the Kok-Zhailau ski resort project. Tengrinews later quoted him as saying (translated from Russian): \"We don't need it.\"","The resort was planned in the Kok-Zhailau tract of Ile-Alatau National Park, above Almaty.","According to deputy Ivan Klimenko, as reported by Tengrinews on 3 June 2020, about 1,200 hectares of Ile-Alatau National Park land were transferred in 2014 for the construction of the Kok-Zhailau ski resort.","In June 2020 the Mazhilis approved in first reading amendments that return to protected status land of national parks that had been set aside for tourism or strategic facilities and not used, naming parts of Ile-Alatau and Burabai national parks, by a simplified procedure. Vice-Minister of Ecology Erlan Nysanbayev said (translated from Russian): \"The city akimat agrees to return these lands.\""],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A ski resort was planned at Kok-Zhailau inside Ile-Alatau National Park, and about 1,200 ha of park land was transferred for it in 2014.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kok-Zhailau tract, Ile-Alatau National Park, near Almaty, Kazakhstan","src":1},"when":{"t":"Land transferred in 2014; project banned in October 2019; return of such land to protected status approved in first reading in June 2020.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Transfer of about 1,200 ha of national park land for the resort in 2014.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"land_transferred","value":1200,"unit":"ha","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Ile-Alatau National Park land transferred for the resort (deputy Ivan Klimenko, via Tengrinews)."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The developer, and whether the transferred land was formally returned to the park after the 2020 amendments: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Ski centre plan in national park","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2019","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/zapreshhaiu-zanimatsia-proektom-kok-zailiau-tokaev-382757/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260526055412/https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/zapreshhaiu-zanimatsia-proektom-kok-zailiau-tokaev-382757/"},{"t":"Кок-Жайлау вернут особый статус (Kok-Zhailau will regain special status)","p":"Tengrinews","d":"2020-06-03","u":"https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/kok-jaylau-vernut-osobyiy-status-404253/","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"national park ski resort","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[{"q":"We don't need it.","who":"President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on the Kok-Zhailau resort, as reported by Tengrinews (translated)","when":"October 2019","src":1,"translated":"Russian"},{"q":"The city akimat agrees to return these lands.","who":"Erlan Nysanbayev, Vice-Minister of Ecology, as reported by Tengrinews (translated)","when":"June 2020","src":1,"translated":"Russian"}],"timeline":[{"y":2014,"t":"About 1,200 ha of Ile-Alatau National Park land transferred for the Kok-Zhailau ski resort (deputy Ivan Klimenko)","src":1},{"y":2019,"t":"October: President Tokayev bans the Kok-Zhailau project","src":0},{"y":2020,"t":"June: Mazhilis approves in first reading the return of unused national park land to protected status; the Almaty akimat agrees to return the land","src":1}],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 1,200 hectares of my Ile-Alatau National Park were transferred in 2014 for the Kok-Zhailau ski resort, a parliamentary deputy said, Tengrinews reported in June 2020.","src":[1]},"updated":"2026-10-19","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The developer, and whether the transferred land was formally returned to the park after the 2020 amendments: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jbs-net-zero-claim","tier":"short","title":"JBS net-zero pledge to be a 'target', not a 'commitment'","dek":"Food Business News reported a settlement with JBS USA over its net-zero claim, under which the pledge would be called a 'target' rather than a 'commitment'. The cited sources give no emissions data.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":40.71,"lon":-74.01,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.71,"lon":-74.01,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Food Business News reported in November 2025 that JBS's net-zero pledge would be described as a 'target', not a 'commitment'.","The article is linked to a settlement with JBS USA; the settlement amount is not confirmed in the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Food Business News reported that JBS's net-zero pledge would be described as a 'target', not a 'commitment'.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"November 2025 (report date)","src":0},"how":{"t":"The wording of the pledge changed under a settlement with JBS USA.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The settlement amount is given as 1.1 million dollars in one entry and as 11 million in the source address. Not confirmed.","Unconfirmed: JBS's net-zero pledge is dated to 2040 in one entry that has no link.","The regulator that brought the matter is not on record.","A second link listed for the same entry concerns natural-asset companies and was not used.","Emissions and other effects of the company's operations are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"JBS 'net zero' to be a 'target', not a 'commitment'","p":"Food Business News","d":"Nov 2025","u":"https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/29311-jbs-usa-to-pay-11-million-settlement","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251106173252/https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/29311-jbs-usa-to-pay-11-million-settlement"}],"actors":[{"id":"jbs","role":"Company whose net-zero claim is the subject of the settlement report"}],"mechanism":"net-zero claim settlement","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The settlement amount is given as 1.1 million dollars in one entry and as 11 million in the source address. Not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: JBS's net-zero pledge is dated to 2040 in one entry that has no link.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The regulator that brought the matter is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A second link listed for the same entry concerns natural-asset companies and was not used.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Emissions and other effects of the company's operations are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tnc-insider-land-sales-senate-probe","tier":"short","title":"US Senate probes Nature Conservancy land sales to its own trustees","dek":"Senator Chuck Grassley sought answers from The Nature Conservancy in 2003 about insider land deals, in which conservation land was sold to its own trustees at discounts. The cited sources give no figures for the land involved.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2003,"end":2003,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The US Senate, through Senator Chuck Grassley, sought answers from The Nature Conservancy in July 2003 about insider land transactions, according to the Senate release.","The inquiry examined the sale of conservation land to the organisation's own trustees at discounted prices."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Senate inquired into The Nature Conservancy's sale of conservation land to its own trustees at discounted prices.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TNC trustees (insiders)","what":"received conservation land at discounted prices","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Inquiry in July 2003","src":0},"how":{"t":"Conservation land sold to the organisation's trustees at discounted prices.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 1.55 million dollar home loan to the organisation's chief executive, cited to the Chronicle of Philanthropy and the Senate.","The number, location and value of the land sales are not on record.","The outcome of the inquiry is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Grassley seeks answers on Nature Conservancy donations and deals","p":"US Senate (Grassley)","d":"Jul 2003","u":"https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-seeks-answers-nature-conservancy-donations-deals","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250221221945/https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-seeks-answers-nature-conservancy-donations-deals"}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"Organisation whose land sales were the subject of the inquiry"},{"id":"us-senate","role":"Opened the inquiry (Senator Chuck Grassley)"}],"mechanism":"insider conservation land sales","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1.55 million dollar home loan to the organisation's chief executive, cited to the Chronicle of Philanthropy and the Senate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number, location and value of the land sales are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the inquiry is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gezi-park-ownership-transfer","tier":"short","title":"Turkish court annuls 2021 transfer of Gezi Park ownership","dek":"Gezi Park's ownership was transferred to a foundation in 2021, and a court annulled the transfer in 2024. The cited sources give no data on the park's ecological condition.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Istanbul","lat":41.04,"lon":28.99,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.04,"lon":28.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["Duvar English reported on 20 March 2024 a dispute over Gezi Park's ownership.","Ownership of the park was transferred to a foundation in 2021.","A court annulled that transfer in 2024."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ownership of Gezi Park was transferred to a foundation in 2021; a court annulled the transfer in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"A foundation (name: none on record)","what":"received ownership of Gezi Park in 2021","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gezi Park, Istanbul, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Transfer in 2021; annulment in 2024; report dated 20 March 2024","src":0},"how":{"t":"Transfer of park ownership to a foundation, later annulled by a court.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The foundation and the court case are not on record.","The party holding the park after the annulment is not stated in the text reviewed. The source address refers to reinstatement to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality; this is not confirmed in the text.","No ecological data for the park is given in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Gezi Park ownership dispute","p":"Duvar English","d":"20 Mar 2024","u":"https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-court-reinstates-gezi-parks-ownership-to-istanbul-metropolitan-municipality-news-64043","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260605231230/https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkish-court-reinstates-gezi-parks-ownership-to-istanbul-metropolitan-municipality-news-64043"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"park ownership transfer","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The foundation and the court case are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The party holding the park after the annulment is not stated in the text reviewed. The source address refers to reinstatement to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality; this is not confirmed in the text.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No ecological data for the park is given in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lutzerath-demolition-and-german-coal-exit","tier":"short","title":"Germany brings coal exit forward to 2030 as Lützerath is demolished","dek":"Germany brought its coal exit forward to 2030 while the village of Lützerath was demolished in January 2023. The cited sources give no ecological data for the site.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.03,"lon":6.47,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.03,"lon":6.47,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Coal Transitions reported that Germany brought its coal exit forward to 2030.","The same source states that Lützerath was demolished in the same period."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Germany brought its coal exit forward to 2030 while the village of Lützerath was demolished in January 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RWE","what":"state payment of 2.6 billion euro over 15 years for early coal exit","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Lützerath residents","what":"lost the village through demolition in January 2023","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lützerath, Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"Demolition in January 2023; coal exit brought forward to 2030","src":0},"how":{"t":"Village demolished; coal exit timetable brought forward.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The stated reason was an 'energy crisis'.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_to_rwe","value":2600000000,"unit":"euro","year":null,"note":"Paid to RWE over 15 years for early coal exit; no link given"},{"key":"residents_relocated","value":100,"unit":"residents","year":2017,"note":"Approximate; relocated by 2017"},{"key":"villages_retained","value":5,"unit":"villages","year":2023,"note":"Villages announced to remain alongside the demolition"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2022 reform package that included the demolition and 2.6 billion euro compensation (Clean Energy Wire, evangelisch.de and an RWE press release).","Links for the January 2023 demolition, the five retained villages and the 2.6 billion euro payment are not on record.","Ecological effects of the coal exit or the demolition are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Coal exit brought forward but Lützerath demolished","p":"Coal Transitions","d":"2022–23","u":"https://coaltransitions.org/news/between-yes-but-and-no-although-interim-conclusion-on-the-key-points-agreement-on-coal-phase-out-2030","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251217063123/https://coaltransitions.org/news/between-yes-but-and-no-although-interim-conclusion-on-the-key-points-agreement-on-coal-phase-out-2030/"}],"actors":[{"id":"rwe","role":"Mining company; recipient of state payment for early coal exit"},{"id":"german-government","role":"Brought forward the coal exit and paid compensation to RWE"}],"mechanism":"village demolition, coal exit","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2022 reform package that included the demolition and 2.6 billion euro compensation (Clean Energy Wire, evangelisch.de and an RWE press release).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Links for the January 2023 demolition, the five retained villages and the 2.6 billion euro payment are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Ecological effects of the coal exit or the demolition are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: RWE","No source link — Who lost: Lützerath residents"]},{"id":"panguna-mine-waste","tier":"short","title":"Panguna mine waste on Bougainville exceeds 1 billion tonnes, with no clean-up","dek":"An independent assessment reported more than 1 billion tonnes of waste from the Panguna mine on Bougainville, with no clean-up. The cited sources give no measurements of land or water effects.","country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","places":[{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","admin":"Bougainville","lat":-6.23,"lon":155.52,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.23,"lon":155.52,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Human Rights Law Centre reported in February 2025 that waste from the Panguna mine on Bougainville exceeds 1 billion tonnes.","The same assessment reported that the waste has not been cleaned up."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"More than 1 billion tonnes of mine waste remain at the Panguna mine, with no clean-up reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Panguna mine, Bougainville, Papua New Guinea","src":0},"when":{"t":"Assessment published February 2025","src":0},"how":{"t":"Mine waste with no clean-up reported.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"mine_waste","value":1000000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Stated as exceeding 1 billion tonnes"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Who gained from the mine, and who bears the waste, is not on record.","Effects on land, rivers and communities are not measured in the cited sources.","Who is responsible for any clean-up is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"First results from an independent human rights and environmental impact assessment of the Panguna mine","p":"Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC)","d":"Feb 2025","u":"https://www.hrlc.org.au/reports-news-commentary/2025/2/19/first-results-from-an-independent-human-rights-and-environmental-impact-assessment-of-the-panguna-mine","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250328055150/https://www.hrlc.org.au/reports-news-commentary/2025/2/19/first-results-from-an-independent-human-rights-and-environmental-impact-assessment-of-the-panguna-mine"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"mine waste left uncleaned","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"More than 1 billion tonnes of waste from the Panguna mine remain on my Bougainville land, not cleaned up, the Human Rights Law Centre reported in February 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the mine, and who bears the waste, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Effects on land, rivers and communities are not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who is responsible for any clean-up is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lake-tefe-heat-and-dolphin-deaths","tier":"short","title":"Lake Tefé reaches 39.5 °C in 2023; 209 dolphins die","dek":"Revista Pesquisa FAPESP reported that Lake Tefé in the Amazon reached 39.5 °C in 2023, and that 209 dolphins died. The cited sources do not state the cause of the deaths.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-3.35,"lon":-64.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.35,"lon":-64.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["Revista Pesquisa FAPESP reported that Lake Tefé in the Amazon rose to 39.5 °C in 2023.","The same report gives 209 dolphin deaths in 2023."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lake Tefé reached 39.5 °C in 2023, and 209 dolphins died, according to the source.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Dolphins in Lake Tefé","what":"209 reported deaths in 2023","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lake Tefé, Amazon, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023","src":0},"how":{"t":"None on record beyond the temperature and death count.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"lake_temperature","value":39.5,"unit":"°C","year":2023,"note":"Temperature reached, as stated in the source"},{"key":"dolphin_deaths","value":209,"unit":"dolphins","year":2023,"note":"Reported deaths"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The source address gives 41 °C for the lake in its headline; the 39.5 °C figure is used here. Not resolved.","The cause of the deaths is not on record.","The species, survey method and counting method are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Lake Tefé at 39.5 °C; 209 dolphins","p":"Revista Pesquisa FAPESP","d":"2024–25","u":"https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/seca-extrema-e-onda-de-calor-elevaram-temperatura-em-lago-da-amazonia-a-41-oc-em-2023/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251228091627/https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/seca-extrema-e-onda-de-calor-elevaram-temperatura-em-lago-da-amazonia-a-41-oc-em-2023/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"extreme heat event","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My Lake Tefé in the Amazon rose to 39.5 °C in 2023, and 209 of my dolphins died that year, Revista Pesquisa FAPESP reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source address gives 41 °C for the lake in its headline; the 39.5 °C figure is used here. Not resolved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cause of the deaths is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The species, survey method and counting method are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"medog-mega-dam","tier":"short","title":"China is building a mega dam in Tibet, upstream of India and Bangladesh","dek":"China is building a large dam in Tibet, upstream of India and Bangladesh, Radio Free Asia reported. The cited sources do not describe its effect on rivers or wildlife.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Tibet","lat":29.3,"lon":95.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":29.3,"lon":95.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Radio Free Asia reported in December 2024 that China is building a mega dam in Tibet, upstream of India and Bangladesh.","The report describes construction as under way."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China is building a mega dam in Tibet, upstream of India and Bangladesh.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tibet, China, upstream of India and Bangladesh.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Construction of a mega dam in Tibet; the cited sources do not describe its design.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the dam's capacity, cost, timetable or environmental impact.","The cited sources do not say who gains from the dam or who bears its costs."],"sources":[{"t":"Mega dam in Tibet","p":"Radio Free Asia","d":"2024-12","u":"https://rfa.org/english/tibet/2024/12/27/tibet-china-approves-mega-dam-construction/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260707105429/https://www.rfa.org/english/tibet/2024/12/27/tibet-china-approves-mega-dam-construction/"}],"actors":[{"id":"china-gov","role":"Building the dam, per Radio Free Asia"}],"mechanism":"mega dam construction","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the dam's capacity, cost, timetable or environmental impact.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gains from the dam or who bears its costs.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-supreme-court-eviction-order-of-1-18-million-forest-fa","tier":"short","title":"India's Supreme Court ordered evictions of about 1.18 million families, then stayed them","dek":"India's Supreme Court ordered the eviction of forest-dwelling families in a case brought by conservation groups, then stayed its own order in February 2019. The case appears unresolved, and the cited sources do not say what happened to the families.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.6,"lon":78.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.6,"lon":78.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The Leaflet reported an eviction order for about 1.18 million families after a conservation petition.","Supreme Court Observer records that the court ordered evictions on 13 February 2019 and stayed its order on 28 February 2019.","Supreme Court Observer says the case was brought in 2008 by conservation groups including Wildlife First and Wildlife Trust of India, and was inactive from 2019 to March 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's Supreme Court ordered forest dwellers evicted in a case brought by conservation groups, then stayed its own order.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Conservation groups that brought the 2008 case, including Wildlife First and Wildlife Trust of India","what":"Filed the petition on which the eviction order was based","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest dwellers whose Forest Rights Act claims were rejected","what":"Covered by the eviction order, about 1.18 million families per The Leaflet","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"India; the cited sources do not name the states or forest areas concerned.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Eviction order on 13 February 2019; order stayed on 28 February 2019; the case was inactive from 2019 to March 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"Conservation groups brought the case in 2008 over forest dwellers whose Forest Rights Act claims had been rejected. The cited sources do not give the petitioners' stated reasons.","src":1},"how":{"t":"The Supreme Court ordered the evictions and then stayed its own order after public reaction.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"households_under_eviction_order","value":1180000,"unit":"households or families (estimate)","year":2019,"note":"Estimate reported by The Leaflet; the cited sources give a range from 1 million people to 1.18 million households"}],"legal":[{"title":"Eviction order and stay in conservation groups' case","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"civil","claimant":"Conservation groups, including Wildlife First and Wildlife Trust of India","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2008","decided":"2019-02-13","status":"ongoing","summary":"The court ordered evictions on 13 February 2019 and stayed the order on 28 February 2019. The case was inactive from 2019 to March 2025 and appears unresolved.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the number of people affected is between 1 million people and 1.18 million households.","The cited sources do not give the case number, the affected states, or any government response."],"sources":[{"t":"Eviction order for about 1.18 million families over conservation petition","p":"The Leaflet","d":"2019-02","u":"https://theleaflet.in/supreme-court-stays-its-earlier-order-to-evict-11-8-lakh-tribal-forest-dwelling-families/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240718055235/https://theleaflet.in/supreme-court-stays-its-earlier-order-to-evict-11-8-lakh-tribal-forest-dwelling-families/"},{"t":"Supreme Court Observer case entry (updated 28 July 2025)","p":"Supreme Court Observer","d":"2025-07-28","u":"https://scobserver.in/?p=1283","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"supreme-court-of-india","role":"Ordered the evictions, then stayed its order"},{"id":"wildlife-first","role":"Among the 2008 petitioners"},{"id":"wildlife-trust-of-india","role":"Among the 2008 petitioners"}],"mechanism":"forest eviction order","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In February 2019 India's Supreme Court ordered the eviction of about 1.18 million families from my forests on a conservation petition, The Leaflet reported; on 28 February it stayed its order.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the number of people affected is between 1 million people and 1.18 million households.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the case number, the affected states, or any government response.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"wwf-funded-ranger-abuses","tier":"short","title":"WWF-funded ranger units accused of torture and killings in Asia and Africa","dek":"BuzzFeed News reported in March 2019 allegations of torture and deaths involving ranger units that WWF funded or equipped. A panel commissioned by WWF found no evidence that WWF directed the abuses, but said serious allegations reached senior management.","country":"Multiple countries","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":"Chitwan","lat":27.5,"lon":84.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"Kahuzi-Biega","lat":-2.3,"lon":28.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Kaziranga","lat":26.6,"lon":93.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":2023,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["BuzzFeed News reported in March 2019 allegations of torture, sexual assault and killings by ranger units that WWF funded or equipped in six countries.","In Chitwan, Nepal, a farmer died in park custody in 2006 and an autopsy found seven broken ribs. Three park staff accused of murder had their case dropped in 2007, and one of the accused was later hired by WWF Nepal, according to BuzzFeed News.","A WWF-commissioned panel chaired by former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay found in November 2020 no evidence that WWF directed rangers to abuse people. It said staff had received reliable reports from 2008 and that serious allegations reached senior management in 2014 to 2018.","A Minority Rights Group report of April 2022 said rangers and the army killed at least 20 Batwa at Kahuzi-Biega park in DR Congo in three waves of operations between July 2019 and December 2021."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"BuzzFeed News reported torture, sexual assault and killings by ranger units funded or equipped by WWF in six countries.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"WWF","what":"Received more than 150 million US dollars from the US government for this work since 2004, per the panel report","src":null},{"who":"Wildlife Conservation Society","what":"Received more than 19 million US dollars since 2010 for this work, per the panel report; in April 2022 took over management of Kahuzi-Biega park","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Batwa forest people, Kahuzi-Biega, DR Congo","what":"More than 6,000 Batwa were removed in the 1975 expansion without food, support, compensation or resettlement, per a Minority Rights Group report","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers near parks in six countries","what":"Reportedly beaten, sexually assaulted or killed by WWF-funded or equipped rangers, per BuzzFeed News (2019)","src":0},{"who":"Chepang families, Chitwan, Nepal","what":"Raj Kumar Chepang, 24, was detained with six others by a Nepal Army patrol in Chitwan National Park on 16 July 2020 and died on 22 July; his death is believed to have been caused by injuries inflicted by army personnel, and an army sergeant was arrested on 20 September 2020 on a charge of assaulting him. On 18 July, two days after the detention, park staff reportedly burned two houses and destroyed eight others in Kusum Khola","src":2},{"who":"Porlajee \"Billy\" Rakchongcharoen, a Karen activist, Kaeng Krachan, Thailand","what":"Last seen in the custody of park officials after his arrest on 17 April 2014; bones in an oil barrel were found in a park reservoir in April 2019. In September 2023 the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases acquitted four park officials of murder and sentenced the former park chief to three years for malfeasance (HRW; AFP)","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Parks in Nepal, India, DR Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Thailand.","src":null},"when":{"t":"The incidents described range from 2006 to 2023. BuzzFeed News published its investigation on 4 March 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"A UNDP draft investigation said the Messok Dja park programme measured success by patrols and arrests, so rangers punished the easiest targets. The panel said WWF put its relations with governments ahead of community safety. The cited sources do not give a single cause.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The allegations concern ranger units funded or equipped by WWF. WWF called the Messok Dja incidents isolated. KfW said its funding was given only on the basis of existing law. The cited sources do not establish how each incident was ordered.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"broken_ribs_at_autopsy","value":7,"unit":"broken ribs","year":2006,"note":"Autopsy after a farmer died in Chitwan park custody, Nepal (BuzzFeed News)"},{"key":"kaziranga_people_killed_20_years","value":106,"unit":"people killed without trial over 20 years (estimate)","year":2017,"note":"BBC documentary, February 2017, Kaziranga, India; the park director denied a shoot-on-sight order"},{"key":"salonga_survey_respondents","value":231,"unit":"people surveyed in 11 villages","year":2018,"note":"Salonga, DR Congo; about one in four reported violence by park rangers"},{"key":"batwa_reported_killed","value":29,"unit":"Batwa reported killed","year":null,"note":"Reported figure for 2017 to 2022, Kahuzi-Biega, DR Congo"},{"key":"us_funding_to_wwf","value":150000000,"unit":"US dollars (more than, since 2004)","year":2004,"note":"US government funding to WWF for this work, per the panel report"}],"legal":[{"title":"Military court rulings on ecoguards at Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga","forum":"Bukavu military tribunal (Kahuzi-Biega); Mbandaka military court (Salonga)","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","kind":"criminal","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards and five Salonga ecoguards (unnamed in the sources)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12","status":"unknown","summary":"According to a research-project news page, in December 2020 the Bukavu military tribunal convicted five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards of murder and sentenced them to 10 to 20 years, and a military court in Mbandaka convicted five Salonga ecoguards of raping and torturing four women. Forest Peoples Programme reported on 21 December 2020 that the five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards had confessed to killing two Batwa men in 2019 and that the prosecutor sought the death penalty for two of them.","src":6},{"title":"Constitutional Court ruling on Batwa land at Bwindi and Mgahinga","forum":"Constitutional Court of Uganda","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","kind":"civil","claimant":"Batwa claimants (names: none on record)","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2021-08","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A unanimous five-judge bench found the Batwa were left landless without adequate compensation when the parks were created in 1991, and left the remedy to the High Court.","src":7}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: WWF said it accepted the panel's recommendations.","Unconfirmed: a 2017 allegation that WWF-paid rangers in Lobéké, Cameroon, tortured an 11-year-old child.","The cited sources do not give the number of people affected in the BuzzFeed investigation or the outcome of most cases."],"sources":[{"t":"Local people pay the cost of conservation","p":"BuzzFeed News","d":"2019-03-04","u":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/wwf-world-wide-fund-nature-parks-torture-death","type":"press"},{"t":"Kahuzi-Biega park project: latest news","p":"3IPEP project (EU-funded research project)","d":"2021-01","u":"https://www.3ipep-project-eu.uvsq.fr/the-kahuzi-biega-park-project","type":"academic"},{"t":"Nepal Army soldier held on charge of assaulting Chepang youth in Chitwan National Park in July","p":"The Kathmandu Post","d":"2020-09-30","u":"https://kathmandupost.com/province-no-3/2020/09/30/nepal-army-soldier-held-on-charge-of-assaulting-chepang-youth-in-chitwan-national-park-in-july","type":"press"},{"t":"Chepang families in Chitwan National Park: house burnings and the death of Raj Kumar Chepang (July 2020)","p":"Cultural Survival","d":"2020","u":"https://www.culturalsurvival.org/node/12984","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Thailand: Officials Indicted for Karen Activist's Murder","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2022-08-16","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/16/thailand-officials-indicted-karen-activists-murder","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Thai court drops murder charges against officials over vanished activist","p":"Malay Mail (AFP)","d":"2023-09-28","u":"https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2023/09/28/thai-court-drops-murder-charges-against-officials-over-vanished-activist/93363","type":"press"},{"t":"Kahuzi-Biega National Park (case page on eco-guard convictions)","p":"University of Arizona, Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program","d":"2020","u":"https://indigenous.arizona.edu/kahuzi-biega-national-park","type":"academic"},{"t":"Uganda's 'forest people' win judgment over land dispossession for gorilla parks","p":"AfricanLII (Carmel Rickard)","d":"2021-09-03","u":"https://africanlii.org/articles/2021-09-03/carmel-rickard/ugandas-forest-people-win-judgment-over-land-dispossession-for-gorilla-parks","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"Funded and equipped the ranger units; commissioned the Pillay panel"},{"id":"wwf-nepal","role":"Hired one of the accused rangers, per BuzzFeed News"},{"id":"wcs","role":"Took over management of Kahuzi-Biega park in April 2022"},{"id":"kfw","role":"Funder of Kahuzi-Biega park, per the Minority Rights Group report"},{"id":"usaid","role":"Funder of Kahuzi-Biega park, per the Minority Rights Group report"},{"id":"iccn","role":"Co-managed Salonga with WWF; its inquiry rejected most claims in 2022"},{"id":"undp","role":"Investigation into the Messok Dja park programme (leaked draft)"}],"mechanism":"funded ranger enforcement abuses","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Military court rulings on ecoguards at Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF said it accepted the panel's recommendations.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2017 allegation that WWF-paid rangers in Lobéké, Cameroon, tortured an 11-year-old child.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of people affected in the BuzzFeed investigation or the outcome of most cases.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: WWF","No source link — Who gained: Wildlife Conservation Society","No source link — Who lost: Batwa forest people, Kahuzi-Biega, DR Congo"]},{"id":"catoca-diamond-mine-waste-spill","tier":"short","title":"Angolan diamond mine tailings leak: DR Congo reports 12 dead, about 4,400 patients","dek":"The DR Congo government reported 12 deaths and about 4,400 patients after a tailings leak from the Catoca diamond mine in Angola. Al Jazeera reported that no one had accepted responsibility, and the cited sources do not describe effects on rivers or wildlife.","country":"Angola","iso2":"AO","places":[{"country":"Angola","iso2":"AO","admin":null,"lat":-9.5,"lon":20.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"affected"}],"lat":-9.5,"lon":20.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["The DR Congo government reported 12 deaths and about 4,400 patients after the leak, according to Al Jazeera.","Al Jazeera reported that responsibility for the leak had not been accepted."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A tailings leak from the Catoca diamond mine in Angola was followed by 12 deaths reported by the DR Congo government.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People affected in DR Congo","what":"12 deaths and about 4,400 patients reported by the DR Congo government","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Catoca diamond mine, Angola; deaths and illnesses reported by the DR Congo government.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021; Al Jazeera reported the figures on 2 September 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A tailings leak from the mine; the cited sources do not describe its cause.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"deaths_reported","value":12,"unit":"deaths","year":2021,"note":"Reported by the DR Congo government, per Al Jazeera"},{"key":"patients_reported","value":4400,"unit":"patients (approximate)","year":2021,"note":"Reported by the DR Congo government, per Al Jazeera; figure given as approximate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the cause of the leak, the rivers affected, or any clean-up or compensation.","The cited sources do not say who benefits from the mine's output."],"sources":[{"t":"DRC government says 12 dead following Angola mine tailings leak","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2021-09-02","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/2/drc-government-says-12-dead-following-angola-mine-tailings-leak","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251011021752/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/2/drc-government-says-12-dead-following-angola-mine-tailings-leak"}],"actors":[{"id":"catoca","role":"Mine where the leak occurred"},{"id":"drc-government","role":"Reported 12 deaths and about 4,400 patients"}],"mechanism":"mine tailings leak","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the cause of the leak, the rivers affected, or any clean-up or compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who benefits from the mine's output.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"yanomami-land-illegal-mining-child-deaths","tier":"short","title":"Brazil reports 570 Yanomami child deaths amid illegal gold mining","dek":"A Brazilian minister reported 570 Yanomami child deaths in 2019 to 2022, attributed to mercury, malaria and malnutrition. Congresso em Foco, citing monitoring by the Hutukara Yanomami Association, reported that illegal mining on Yanomami land grew 54% in 2022.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":2,"lon":-63.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":2,"lon":-63.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2022,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Jornal de Brasília reported that a Brazilian minister said 570 Yanomami children died between 2019 and 2022, from causes including mercury, malaria and malnutrition.","Congresso em Foco reported, citing monitoring by the Hutukara Yanomami Association, that illegal mining on Yanomami land grew 54% in 2022 and that the mined area rose 309% from 2018 to 2022.","Fiocruz and the Instituto Socioambiental reported in 2024 that 84% of 287 hair samples from nine villages surrounded by illegal mining had mercury above 2.0 µg/g."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Illegal gold mining on Yanomami land was reported to have grown sharply, while a minister reported 570 child deaths from 2019 to 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gold miners on Yanomami land","what":"Mined area on Yanomami land rose 309% from 2018 to 2022, per Congresso em Foco","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Yanomami children","what":"570 deaths in 2019 to 2022, per a minister, from mercury, malaria and malnutrition","src":0},{"who":"Yanomami villages near mining sites","what":"84% of hair samples above the mercury threshold; highest values in villages nearest the mines (Fiocruz and ISA, 2024)","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Yanomami Indigenous land, Brazil. The cited sources do not give the state.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Child deaths reported for 2019 to 2022 (Jornal de Brasília, January 2023). Mining growth reported for 2018 to 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Illegal gold mining on Indigenous land; mercury exposure reported in hair samples from villages near the mines.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"yanomami_children_died","value":570,"unit":"children (minister's statement)","year":2022,"note":"Deaths 2019 to 2022; causes given as mercury, malaria and malnutrition"},{"key":"illegal_mining_growth_2022","value":54,"unit":"percent growth in mining reported as illegal on Yanomami land","year":2022,"note":"Congresso em Foco, citing Hutukara Yanomami Association monitoring"},{"key":"mined_area_increase_2018_2022","value":309,"unit":"percent increase in mined area","year":2022,"note":"2018 to 2022; same report"},{"key":"hair_samples_above_mercury_threshold","value":84,"unit":"percent of 287 hair samples above 2.0 µg/g mercury","year":2024,"note":"Nine villages surrounded by illegal mining; Fiocruz and Instituto Socioambiental"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: more than 20,000 illegal gold miners entered Yanomami land in 2021 to 2023.","Unconfirmed: 3,272 hectares were mined in 2021, a 46% increase, and 327 mining camps were dismantled.","The cited sources do not say who is responsible for the child deaths or whether any prosecutions followed."],"sources":[{"t":"Yanomami: illegal mining and child deaths","p":"Jornal de Brasília","d":"2023-01","u":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/politica-e-poder/entenda-a-crise-de-saude-yanomami-que-levou-o-governo-a-decretar-emergencia/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240531144713/https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/politica-e-poder/entenda-a-crise-de-saude-yanomami-que-levou-o-governo-a-decretar-emergencia/"},{"t":"Illegal mining on Yanomami land grew 54% in 2022","p":"Congresso em Foco","d":"2023","u":"https://congressoemfoco.com.br/area/pais/garimpo-ilegal-na-terra-yanomami-cresceu-54-em-2022-mostra-monitoramento","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164415/https://www.congressoemfoco.com.br/noticia/29615/garimpo-ilegal-na-terra-yanomami-cresceu-54-em-2022-mostra-monitoramento"}],"actors":[{"id":"illegal-gold-miners","role":"Mining on Yanomami land"},{"id":"hutukara-yanomami-association","role":"Monitoring source for the mining growth figures, as cited by Congresso em Foco"},{"id":"fiocruz","role":"Partner in the 2024 mercury study"},{"id":"instituto-socioambiental","role":"Partner in the 2024 mercury study"}],"mechanism":"gold mining on Yanomami land","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Mining on my Yanomami land grew 54% in 2022, and the mined area rose 309% from 2018 to 2022, Congresso em Foco reported, citing Hutukara Yanomami Association monitoring.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: more than 20,000 illegal gold miners entered Yanomami land in 2021 to 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 3,272 hectares were mined in 2021, a 46% increase, and 327 mining camps were dismantled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who is responsible for the child deaths or whether any prosecutions followed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Yanomami villages near mining sites"]},{"id":"bergama-gold-mine","tier":"short","title":"European court found Turkish permit for Bergama cyanide gold mine breached privacy","dek":"The European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2004 that the permit for a cyanide gold mine at Ovacık, Bergama, violated the right to respect for private life. The cited sources do not say whether the mine is operating today.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":39.1,"lon":27.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.1,"lon":27.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2004,"end":2004,"instrument":"cyanide-spill","happened":["The European Court of Human Rights ruled on 10 November 2004 that the permit for the cyanide gold mine at Ovacık, Bergama, violated the right to respect for private life.","The mine was reported to have operated despite a Council of State (Danıştay) annulment of its permit."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A cyanide gold mine at Ovacık, Bergama, operated under a permit that the European Court of Human Rights found violated private life.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents who brought the case","what":"The court found the permit violated their right to respect for private life","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ovacık, Bergama, Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Court judgment on 10 November 2004; the cited sources do not date the mine's operation.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cyanide gold extraction under a state permit that the court found in breach of private life rights.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Judgment on the Ovacık cyanide gold mine permit","forum":"European Court of Human Rights","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Residents of Ovacık (applicants)","defendant":"Turkey","filed":null,"decided":"2004-11-10","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found that the permit for the cyanide gold mine violated the right to respect for private life.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the mine's operator, its current status, or the date of the Council of State annulment."],"sources":[{"t":"Judgment on the Ovacık cyanide gold mine permit (Turkey)","p":"European Court of Human Rights","d":"2004-11-10","u":"https://mansfield.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2004/621.html","type":"court"}],"actors":[{"id":"turkey-government","role":"Granted the mine permit, per the court ruling"},{"id":"danistay","role":"Annulled the permit; the mine was reported to keep operating"}],"mechanism":"cyanide gold mining permit","types":["cyanide-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["kirazli-gold-mine-alamos-gold-kaz-daglari-canakkale"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the mine's operator, its current status, or the date of the Council of State annulment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gabes-chemical-complex-school-poisonings","tier":"short","title":"Students in Gabès, Tunisia, reportedly poisoned near state chemical complex","dek":"Business News TN reported in December 2025 that schoolchildren in Gabès were being poisoned repeatedly near a state chemical complex. The cited sources do not name the substances or the number of students affected.","country":"Tunisia","iso2":"TN","places":[{"country":"Tunisia","iso2":"TN","admin":"Gabès","lat":33.9,"lon":10.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.9,"lon":10.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Business News TN reported in December 2025 that schoolchildren in Gabès were being poisoned repeatedly near a state chemical complex."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Schoolchildren in Gabès were reported to be poisoned repeatedly near a state chemical complex.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Schoolchildren near the complex","what":"Reported repeated poisoning, Business News TN, December 2025","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Gabès, Tunisia, near a state chemical complex.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Exposure reported near the complex; the cited sources do not identify the source of the exposure.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the substances, the number of students affected, or any monitoring results.","The cited sources do not say whether the complex has responded to the reports."],"sources":[{"t":"Students poisoned in Gabès","p":"Business News TN","d":"2025-12-01","u":"https://businessnews.com.tn/2025/12/01/nouveaux-cas-dasphyxie-a-gabes-des-eleves-suffoquent/1375926/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614004545/https://businessnews.com.tn/2025/12/01/nouveaux-cas-dasphyxie-a-gabes-des-eleves-suffoquent/1375926/"}],"actors":[{"id":"gabes-state-chemical-complex","role":"State-run chemical complex near the schools"}],"mechanism":"chemical complex emissions","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the substances, the number of students affected, or any monitoring results.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the complex has responded to the reports.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"indonesia-nickel-ore-export-ban-wto-ruling","tier":"short","title":"WTO panel found Indonesia's raw nickel export ban breached rules","dek":"A WTO panel ruled in November 2022 that Indonesia's ban on raw nickel ore exports breached WTO rules, in a case brought by the European Union. Indonesia appealed to a body that is not functioning, so the ruling is not final.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2022,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Indonesia banned raw nickel ore exports in 2020, and the government said processing the metal at home would make the country a centre of the electric vehicle battery chain.","The Jakarta Post said in an opinion piece in December 2022 that a WTO panel had found the ban inconsistent with WTO rules, in a case brought by the European Union.","Indonesia appealed into a gap, because the WTO appeal body is not working, so the ruling is not final."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A WTO panel found Indonesia's 2020 ban on raw nickel ore exports breached WTO rules in November 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Indonesian government","what":"Aim to build a domestic battery chain by processing nickel at home","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia; the case was heard at the World Trade Organization","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban in 2020; panel ruling in November 2022","src":null},"why":{"t":"The government said the ban would make Indonesia a centre of the electric vehicle battery chain by processing nickel at home.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A ban on exporting raw nickel ore, challenged by the European Union; Indonesia appealed to a non-functioning appeal body.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"EU complaint against Indonesia's raw nickel ore export ban","forum":"WTO dispute settlement panel","country":"International","iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"European Union","defendant":"Indonesia","filed":null,"decided":"2022-11","status":"unknown","summary":"The panel found the export ban inconsistent with WTO rules. Indonesia appealed to the WTO Appellate Body, which is not working, so the ruling is not final.","src":0}],"unknown":["The amount at stake in the dispute is not stated.","The cited sources do not name the WTO dispute number or the panel report.","Whether Indonesia has since changed or kept the ban is not on record.","The December 2022 source is an opinion piece rather than a news report."],"sources":[{"t":"Will Indonesia's appeal of WTO nickel dispute fall into a void","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2022-12","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/opinion/2022/12/04/will-indonesias-appeal-of-wto-nickel-dispute-fall-into-a-void","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Imposed the ban and appealed the panel ruling"},{"id":"eu","role":"Brought the complaint at the WTO"},{"id":"wto","role":"Panel ruled the ban inconsistent with WTO rules"}],"mechanism":"raw nickel ore export ban","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"EU complaint against Indonesia's raw nickel ore export ban: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The amount at stake in the dispute is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the WTO dispute number or the panel report.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Indonesia has since changed or kept the ban is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The December 2022 source is an opinion piece rather than a news report.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Indonesian government"]},{"id":"nauru-phosphate-trust-fund","tier":"short","title":"Nauru's phosphate fund falls from US$1.3 billion to US$0.3 billion","dek":"Nauru's phosphate fund fell from US$1.3 billion to US$0.3 billion, an April 2021 Devpolicy article reported. The cited sources do not say how the decline happened.","country":"Nauru","iso2":"NR","places":[{"country":"Nauru","iso2":"NR","admin":null,"lat":-0.52,"lon":166.93,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.52,"lon":166.93,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Devpolicy reported in April 2021 that Nauru's phosphate fund had fallen from US$1.3 billion to US$0.3 billion."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nauru's phosphate fund fell from US$1.3 billion to US$0.3 billion.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Nauru","what":"Phosphate fund value fell from US$1.3 billion to US$0.3 billion","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Nauru","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported April 2021; the years of decline are not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the fund declined.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"phosphate_fund_value_before","value":1300000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"Starting value as stated in the source"},{"key":"phosphate_fund_value_after","value":300000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2021,"note":"Value as reported in April 2021"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the causes of the decline, the years over which it happened, or how the money was spent.","Whether any part of the fund has been restored is not stated.","The date of the US$1.3 billion starting value is not given."],"sources":[{"t":"Nauru: riches to rags to riches","p":"Devpolicy","d":"2021-04","u":"https://devpolicy.org/nauru-riches-to-rags-to-riches-20210412/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260803235237/https://devpolicy.org/nauru-riches-to-rags-to-riches-20210412/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nauru-government","role":"Country whose phosphate fund declined"}],"mechanism":"phosphate fund depletion","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["nauru-and-banaba-phosphate-mining-compensation","bikini-atoll-resettlement-trust-fund-depletion"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The fund built from my phosphate fell from US$1.3 billion to US$0.3 billion, Devpolicy reported in April 2021.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the causes of the decline, the years over which it happened, or how the money was spent.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any part of the fund has been restored is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the US$1.3 billion starting value is not given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"aral-basin-cotton-water-allocation","tier":"short","title":"In Uzbekistan's Aral basin, water is tied to cotton contracts","dek":"NPR reported in October 2024 that the Aral Sea, one of the world's largest inland lakes, had dried up after Soviet-era irrigation plans. A farmer in the basin was quoted as saying there is no water without a cotton contract.","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":"Aral Sea basin","lat":45,"lon":60,"role":"event"}],"lat":45,"lon":60,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["NPR reported in October 2024 that the Aral Sea had dried up and linked the drying to Soviet-era irrigation plans.","A farmer in the Aral basin was quoted as saying there is no water without a cotton contract."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Water for farmers in the Aral basin is tied to cotton contracts, as the Aral Sea has dried up, NPR reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"The Aral Sea","what":"Dried up, according to NPR's October 2024 report","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Aral Sea basin, Uzbekistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported October 2024; the years of the drying are not given.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The report links the drying to Soviet-era irrigation plans.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Water for farmers is available only with a cotton contract, according to the farmer quoted.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the Aral Sea's area, water volumes or the years of decline.","Who holds the cotton contracts or allocates the water is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"One of the world's largest inland lakes has dried up from Soviet-era irrigation plans","p":"NPR (via KUNC)","d":"2024-10","u":"https://www.kunc.org/npr-news/2024-10-26/one-of-the-worlds-largest-inland-lakes-has-dried-up-from-soviet-era-irrigation-plans","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"cotton-linked water allocation","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the Aral Sea's area, water volumes or the years of decline.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who holds the cotton contracts or allocates the water is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"thailand-switzerland-electric-bus-mitigation-deal","tier":"short","title":"Thailand-Swiss electric bus deal books emission cuts to Switzerland","dek":"More than 2,000 electric buses came to Bangkok under a Thailand–Switzerland programme, KliK reported. The emission reductions are booked to Switzerland, not to Thailand.","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","places":[{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":"Bangkok","lat":13.75,"lon":100.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.75,"lon":100.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["KliK reported that more than 2,000 electric buses had been brought to Bangkok under a Thailand–Switzerland programme.","According to the same source, the emission reductions from the programme are booked to Switzerland."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"More than 2,000 electric buses came to Bangkok under a Thailand–Switzerland agreement, with the emission reductions booked to Switzerland.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Switzerland","what":"Emission reductions booked to Switzerland","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Thailand","what":"Emission reductions from the buses are not booked to Thailand","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bangkok, Thailand","src":0},"when":{"t":"Programme reported for 2024 to 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The buses were supplied under a Thailand–Switzerland agreement, and the reductions are booked to Switzerland.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"electric_buses_delivered","value":2000,"unit":"buses (more than)","year":null,"note":"Reported as more than 2,000 for 2024 to 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the number of buses by operator or route, or the size of the emission reduction.","How the cost of the buses is shared between the two countries is not stated.","The cited sources do not say how the reductions are counted."],"sources":[{"t":"New ITMO issuances for NDC use from Bangkok e-bus programme","p":"KliK","d":"2024–25","u":"https://www.klik.ch/en/news/news-article/new-itmo-issuances-for-ndc-use-from-bangkok-e-bus-programme","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001102002/https://www.klik.ch/en/news/news-article/new-itmo-issuances-for-ndc-use-from-bangkok-e-bus-programme/"}],"actors":[{"id":"klik-foundation","role":"Reported the programme and the booking of its emission reductions"}],"mechanism":"electric bus emission credits","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of buses by operator or route, or the size of the emission reduction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the cost of the buses is shared between the two countries is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the reductions are counted.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"app-sinar-mas-forest-policy-and-greenpeace","tier":"short","title":"Greenpeace ends all engagement with APP Sinar Mas over deforestation","dek":"Greenpeace International ended its engagement with APP Sinar Mas in 2018 after clearing was found in company-linked concessions. At stake: forest cover, and whether zero-deforestation pledges hold up in practice.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2018,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Greenpeace International said in May 2018 that it was ending all engagement with APP Sinar Mas over its links to deforestation.","Clearing of about 8,000 hectares was found in concession areas linked to the company before the relationship was ended.","Greenpeace was said to have helped shape a 2013 forest policy, which gave the company about five years of reputational credit."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Greenpeace International ended all engagement with APP Sinar Mas in May 2018 over deforestation linked to its concessions.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"APP Sinar Mas","what":"About five years of reputational credit from a 2013 forest policy","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Forest in company-linked concessions","what":"About 8,000 hectares cleared, per Greenpeace's 2018 statement","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia; concessions linked to the company (regions not stated)","src":0},"when":{"t":"2013 policy; engagement ended in May 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Forest policy and zero-deforestation commitments, followed by clearing in company-linked concessions.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"clearing_linked_concessions_ha","value":8000,"unit":"ha","year":2018,"note":"about 8,000 ha, as stated in the 2018 Greenpeace International statement"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: at least 75,000 hectares were cleared in the nine years after APP's zero-deforestation pledge, followed by its Forest Positive and Regenesis programmes.","None on record: the regions and concession names where the 2018 clearing took place."],"sources":[{"t":"Greenpeace slams APP/Sinar Mas over links to deforestation, ends all engagement with company","p":"Greenpeace International","d":"2018-05","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/16535/greenpeace-slams-app-sinar-mas-over-links-to-deforestation-ends-all-engagement-with-company/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921174322/https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/16535/greenpeace-slams-app-sinar-mas-over-links-to-deforestation-ends-all-engagement-with-company/"}],"actors":[{"id":"app-sinar-mas","role":"company whose concessions were linked to clearing"},{"id":"greenpeace-international","role":"NGO that ended engagement with the company"}],"mechanism":"NGO-brokered forest policy","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 8,000 hectares of my forest were cleared in concession areas linked to APP Sinar Mas, Greenpeace International said in May 2018.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: at least 75,000 hectares were cleared in the nine years after APP's zero-deforestation pledge, followed by its Forest Positive and Regenesis programmes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the regions and concession names where the 2018 clearing took place.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"argentina-forest-law-funding-shortfall","tier":"short","title":"Argentina's Forest Law fund got 4.8% of its legal floor in 2021","dek":"Argentina's national Forest Law fund was allocated 4.8% of its legal floor in 2021, according to Chequeado. At stake: funding for forest protection under the law.","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","places":[{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":null,"lat":-38.4,"lon":-63.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":-38.4,"lon":-63.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Chequeado checked a statement by Alberto Fernández, 'Vamos a cuidar nuestros bosques', against the Forest Law fund's allocation.","The fund received 4.8% of its legal floor in 2021, according to that check."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Forest Law fund was allocated 4.8% of its legal floor in 2021, according to Chequeado.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Argentina (national Forest Law fund)","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Allocation to the national Forest Law fund, measured against its legal floor.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fund_allocation_pct_of_legal_floor","value":4.8,"unit":"percent of legal floor","year":2021,"note":"allocation to the Forest Law fund"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the allocation in currency terms, or whether the shortfall was later addressed.","Unconfirmed: the Forest Law followed a petition of about 1.5 million signatures.","Unconfirmed: about 2.1 million hectares were cleared after the law by 2014, including 626,244 hectares of protected forest (Greenpeace Argentina; not checked).","None on record: who benefited from the lower allocation."],"sources":[{"t":"Alberto Fernández: 'Vamos a cuidar nuestros bosques'","p":"Chequeado","d":"2021","u":"https://chequeado.com/promesas-chequeadas/alberto-fernandez-vamos-a-cuidar-nuestros-bosques-2/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241204155407/https://chequeado.com/promesas-chequeadas/alberto-fernandez-vamos-a-cuidar-nuestros-bosques-2/"}],"actors":[{"id":"argentina-government","role":"national government whose statement and fund allocation were checked"}],"mechanism":"forest conservation fund","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["us-superfund-tax-and-funding-shortfall"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2021 the fund meant to protect my forests was allocated 4.8% of its legal floor, according to Chequeado.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the allocation in currency terms, or whether the shortfall was later addressed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Forest Law followed a petition of about 1.5 million signatures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 2.1 million hectares were cleared after the law by 2014, including 626,244 hectares of protected forest (Greenpeace Argentina; not checked).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who benefited from the lower allocation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tilenga-oil-in-murchison-falls-park-and-congo-carbon-sink","tier":"short","title":"TotalEnergies reportedly abandoned Congo carbon plantation at 12.5% of target","dek":"TotalEnergies presented its Tilenga oil work in Uganda's national park as net positive for biodiversity, while its 40,000 hectare Batéké plantation in the Republic of the Congo reached about 12.5% of target. At stake: park biodiversity and the credibility of carbon sink claims.","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":null,"lat":2.27,"lon":31.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CG","admin":null,"lat":-2.9,"lon":15.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":2.27,"lon":31.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["TotalEnergies promised a net-positive biodiversity outcome for its Tilenga oil work in Uganda's national park, according to a company infographic.","TotalEnergies' 2025 Form 20-F describes a carbon sink programme including a 40,000 hectare plantation at Batéké, with up to $100m a year on average from 2020 to 2030.","By May 2025, about 5,000 hectares had been planted, around 12.5% of the target, and TotalEnergies was reported to have abandoned the plantation, according to a Business & Human Rights Resource Centre summary of a Reporterre report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Batéké plantation in the Republic of the Congo reached about 5,000 hectares, around 12.5% of target, before TotalEnergies was reported to have abandoned it.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"A carbon sink programme with spending of up to $100m a year on average (2020 to 2030)","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Murchison Falls national park area, Uganda (Tilenga); Batéké plateau, Republic of the Congo","src":0},"when":{"t":"Programme period 2020 to 2030; plantation reported abandoned in 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The plantation was meant to offset TotalEnergies' carbon emissions, according to the headline of the source link.","src":2},"how":{"t":"A 40,000 hectare plantation described as a carbon sink programme, alongside Tilenga oil work in the national park.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"plantation_area_ha","value":40000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Batéké plantation, per the 20-F"},{"key":"planted_area_ha","value":5000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"about 5,000 ha planted, per the BHRRC summary"},{"key":"planted_share_of_target_pct","value":12.5,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"share of target planted"},{"key":"annual_spend_up_to_usd_m","value":100,"unit":"USD million per year","year":null,"note":"on average, up to, 2020 to 2030"},{"key":"carbon_stock_target_mt","value":50000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"stock target in the 20-F"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: drilling in the national park under a net-gain commitment (Floodlight report, not checked).","Reported without a linked source: farmers were moved off Batéké land for about $1 per hectare, against a previous rent of about $16, and the lease guarantees eviction of anyone claiming customary rights.","None on record: an official TotalEnergies statement confirming the Batéké abandonment, or whether the Tilenga biodiversity claims have been independently checked."],"sources":[{"t":"TotalEnergies infographic: biodiversity programme of the Tilenga project in Uganda","p":"TotalEnergies","d":"","u":"https://totalenergies.com/fr/infographies/le-programme-pour-la-biodiversite-du-projet-tilenga-en-ouganda","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260806055920/https://totalenergies.com/fr/infographies/le-programme-pour-la-biodiversite-du-projet-tilenga-en-ouganda"},{"t":"TotalEnergies 20-F, 2025","p":"TotalEnergies","d":"2025","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/879764/000110465926035876/tot-20251231xex15d1.htm","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904213314/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/879764/000110465926035876/tot-20251231xex15d1.htm"},{"t":"Congo: TotalEnergies abandons forest plantation meant to offset its emissions","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (summary of Reporterre)","d":"2025-05-28","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/congo-totalenergies-abandonne-son-projet-de-plantation-de-forêt-qui-devait-compenser-ses-émissions-de-carbonne/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164046/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/congo-totalenergies-abandonne-son-projet-de-plantation-de-for%C3%AAt-qui-devait-compenser-ses-%C3%A9missions-de-carbonne/"}],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"developer of Tilenga and sponsor of the Batéké plantation"}],"mechanism":"carbon sink plantation offsets","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 40,000 hectare plantation was planned on me at Batéké; by May 2025 about 5,000 hectares, 12.5% of the target, had been planted.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: drilling in the national park under a net-gain commitment (Floodlight report, not checked).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: farmers were moved off Batéké land for about $1 per hectare, against a previous rent of about $16, and the lease guarantees eviction of anyone claiming customary rights.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: an official TotalEnergies statement confirming the Batéké abandonment, or whether the Tilenga biodiversity claims have been independently checked.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"australia-hir-natural-regeneration-offsets","tier":"short","title":"Australian government rejects claim that natural regeneration credits are worthless","dek":"Australia's natural regeneration (HIR) carbon credits were reported to have limited impact, and the government rejected a claim that the credits are worthless. At stake: whether the credits pay for forest regrowth that would not otherwise have happened.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["QCI reported that the Australian government rejected a claim that 25 million ACCU credits are worthless.","QCI's summary describes HIR offsets as having limited impact."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Australian government rejected a claim that 25 million ACCU credits are worthless, as reported by QCI.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Period 2022 to 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Carbon offsets based on natural regeneration (HIR).","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: vegetation change in 182 projects matched neighbouring areas (Macintosh et al., Communications Earth & Environment; not checked).","Unconfirmed: about 90% of offset demand was not met, per a NSW Audit Office review as reported by RenewEconomy.","None on record: who bought, sold or profited from the credits, or the date of the audit."],"sources":[{"t":"Aus government rejects claim: 25m ACCU credits are worthless","p":"QCI","d":"","u":"https://qcintel.com/carbon/article/aus-government-rejects-claim-25m-accu-credits-are-worthless-14896.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"australian-government","role":"rejected the claim about the credits"}],"mechanism":"natural regeneration carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: vegetation change in 182 projects matched neighbouring areas (Macintosh et al., Communications Earth & Environment; not checked).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 90% of offset demand was not met, per a NSW Audit Office review as reported by RenewEconomy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who bought, sold or profited from the credits, or the date of the audit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"norway-redd-payment-to-indonesia-and-merauke-clearing","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's Merauke food estate released 486,939 hectares of forest","dek":"Forest land in Merauke, South Papua, was released for a food estate, and army battalions are reported to be clearing land there. At stake: forest cover and customary land in Papua.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"South Papua","lat":-8.47,"lon":140.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-8.47,"lon":140.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Kompas and The Jakarta Post reported that 486,939 hectares of forest in Merauke had been released for a food estate, with army battalions clearing land there.","The reporting says that customary (adat) lands are affected.","The campaign group Mighty Earth reported in 2025 that more than 50,000 hectares had been cleared in Merauke."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"486,939 hectares of forest in Merauke were released for a food estate, with army battalions clearing land, according to Kompas and The Jakarta Post.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Customary landholders in Merauke","what":"Customary lands are affected, per the reporting","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Merauke, South Papua, Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in October 2025 (Kompas).","src":0},"why":{"t":"Stated aim, without a linked source: food and energy sovereignty.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Release of forest land for a food estate; press reports raise concern about the army's role in it.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"forest_released_ha","value":486939,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"Merauke forest released for the food estate"},{"key":"cleared_ha_mighty_earth","value":50000,"unit":"ha","year":2025,"note":"more than 50,000 ha cleared, per Mighty Earth"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Norway agreed to pay 530 million NOK for reduced deforestation in Indonesia, and 2 to 3 million hectares of land were opened in the same period; no causal link is recorded (Norwegian government and Mongabay, not checked).","Unconfirmed: ten companies received recommendations to remove 541,094 hectares of forest, and 13,540 hectares, including protected forest, were opened in July 2024.","Reported without a linked source: five army battalions (at least 2,000 soldiers) are involved, and sugar and bioethanol investors are among the beneficiaries.","Unconfirmed: customary owners (Malind, Maklew, Yei and Khimaima) are not recognised."],"sources":[{"t":"PSN Merauke dikritik picu deforestasi, pemerintah bilang siap reforestasi","p":"Kompas","d":"2025-10-21","u":"https://lestari.kompas.com/read/2025/10/21/170300986/psn-merauke-dikritik-picu-deforestasi-pemerintah-bilang-siap-reforestasi","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251106232940/https://lestari.kompas.com/read/2025/10/21/170300986/psn-merauke-dikritik-picu-deforestasi-pemerintah-bilang-siap-reforestasi"},{"t":"Concerns raised over TNI's role in Papua food estate","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2025-03-01","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/03/01/concerns-raised-over-tnis-role-in-papua-food-estate.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422081704/https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/03/01/concerns-raised-over-tnis-role-in-papua-food-estate.html"},{"t":"Food estate projects in Indonesia","p":"Mighty Earth","d":"2025","u":"https://mightyearth.org/what-we-do/food-estate-projects-in-indonesia/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616032824/https://mightyearth.org/what-we-do/food-estate-projects-in-indonesia/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tni-indonesian-armed-forces","role":"army battalions reported to be clearing land"},{"id":"mighty-earth","role":"campaign group reporting clearing above 50,000 hectares"}],"mechanism":"food estate forest release","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"486,939 hectares of my forest in Merauke were released for a food estate; Mighty Earth reported in 2025 that more than 50,000 hectares had been cleared.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Norway agreed to pay 530 million NOK for reduced deforestation in Indonesia, and 2 to 3 million hectares of land were opened in the same period; no causal link is recorded (Norwegian government and Mongabay, not checked).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ten companies received recommendations to remove 541,094 hectares of forest, and 13,540 hectares, including protected forest, were opened in July 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: five army battalions (at least 2,000 soldiers) are involved, and sugar and bioethanol investors are among the beneficiaries.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: customary owners (Malind, Maklew, Yei and Khimaima) are not recognised.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"boundary-waters-mining-ban-lifted","tier":"short","title":"US Congress lifts 2023 mining ban on Minnesota's Boundary Waters","dek":"The 2023 mining ban protecting Minnesota's Boundary Waters was removed in 2026 through a Congressional Review Act resolution. At stake: protection of the area from mining pollution.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Minnesota","lat":47.9,"lon":-91.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":47.9,"lon":-91.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The 2023 mining ban protecting Minnesota's Boundary Waters was removed in 2026 through a Congressional Review Act resolution, Earthjustice reported.","Earthjustice reported that the US Senate voted to strip the area's protection from mining pollution."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The 2023 mining ban on Boundary Waters was removed through a Congressional Review Act resolution, Earthjustice reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Boundary Waters area","what":"Loses protection from mining pollution, per Earthjustice","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Minnesota, USA","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023 ban; removed in 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A Congressional Review Act resolution that removed the 2023 mining ban.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the vote counts, the signing date, or which mining companies or projects may now proceed.","None on record: the acreage covered by the 2023 ban."],"sources":[{"t":"Senate votes to strip Minnesota's Boundary Waters of protection from mining pollution","p":"Earthjustice","d":"2026","u":"https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/senate-votes-to-strip-minnesotas-boundary-waters-of-protection-from-mining-pollution","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821191742/https://earthjustice.org/press/2026/senate-votes-to-strip-minnesotas-boundary-waters-of-protection-from-mining-pollution"}],"actors":[{"id":"earthjustice","role":"advocacy group reporting the removal"},{"id":"us-senate","role":"voted to strip the protection"}],"mechanism":"Congressional Review Act resolution","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the vote counts, the signing date, or which mining companies or projects may now proceed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the acreage covered by the 2023 ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tongass-roadless-rule-exemption","tier":"short","title":"Alaska's Tongass forest again proposed for exemption from roadless rule","dek":"The Tongass National Forest in Alaska was exempted from the roadless rule in 2020, protection was restored in 2023, and a new exemption was proposed in 2025. At stake: undeveloped forest covered by the 25-year-old national roadless rule.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":56,"lon":-133,"role":"event"}],"lat":56,"lon":-133,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Harvard EELP Alaska Roadless Rule tracker records a 2020 exemption for the Tongass, its restoration in 2023 and a 2025 proposal for a new exemption.","OPB reported in August 2026 that the Trump administration was moving ahead to end the 25-year-old roadless rule on national forests, and that no final decision had yet been made."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Tongass was exempted from the roadless rule in 2020, protection was restored in 2023, and a new exemption was proposed in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Roadless forest in the Tongass","what":"Roadless protection would be removed if the 2025 exemption proposal is adopted","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Tongass National Forest, Alaska","src":0},"when":{"t":"Exemption 2020; protection restored 2023; new exemption proposed 2025; national rescission reported August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Exemption from the national roadless rule, within a national rescission proposal reported in August 2026.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the national rescission would affect about 59 million acres, or 30% of national forest land (AP via Nugget News).","Reported without a linked source: the national rescission covers about 44.7 million acres of an inventory of about 58.5 million acres, with Idaho and Colorado excluded.","Reported without a linked source: wildfire-prevention thinning is given as the rationale.","None on record: the acreage of the Tongass affected by the 2025 proposal, or the date of a final decision."],"sources":[{"t":"Alaska Roadless Rule tracker","p":"Harvard EELP","d":"2025","u":"https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/alaska-roadless-rule/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518154153/https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/tracker/alaska-roadless-rule/"},{"t":"Trump administration moves ahead to end roadless rule on national forests","p":"OPB","d":"2026-08-18","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260823143131/https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/18/trump-administration-moves-ahead-to-end-roadless-rule-on-national-forests/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260823143131/https://www.opb.org/article/2026/08/18/trump-administration-moves-ahead-to-end-roadless-rule-on-national-forests/","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"trump-administration","role":"moving ahead with rescission of the national roadless rule"}],"mechanism":"roadless rule exemption","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the national rescission would affect about 59 million acres, or 30% of national forest land (AP via Nugget News).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: the national rescission covers about 44.7 million acres of an inventory of about 58.5 million acres, with Idaho and Colorado excluded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a linked source: wildfire-prevention thinning is given as the rationale.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the acreage of the Tongass affected by the 2025 proposal, or the date of a final decision.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"peru-anchovy-collapse-and-state-assumption-of-debts","tier":"short","title":"Peru counts 529,400 guano seabirds as it approves a seven-year-high anchovy quota","dek":"Peru counted 529,400 guano seabirds in January 2025, down from about 4 million in 2022, and authorities approved a seven-year-high anchovy quota that year. At stake are the seabird colonies and the anchovy stock.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":null,"lat":-13.7,"lon":-76.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-13.7,"lon":-76.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["AgroRural, an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, counted 529,400 guano seabirds on 22 islands and 8 coastal points in January 2025, Reuters reported via bdnews24.","The count compares with about 4 million birds in 2022.","The same year authorities approved Peru's largest anchovy quota in seven years, and the report cites bird flu in 2022, El Niño in 2023 and anchovy overfishing in 2024 as causes of the decline."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Peru's guano seabird population fell from about 4 million in 2022 to 529,400 in January 2025, while authorities approved a larger anchovy quota.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Guano seabirds","what":"population counted at 529,400 in January 2025, against about 4 million in 2022","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Peruvian anchovy stock","what":"overfishing in 2024 cited as a cause of the seabird decline","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Guano islands and coastal points on Peru's coast; 22 islands and 8 coastal points were counted","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bird counts in 2022 and January 2025; quota approved in 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"Sources cite 2022 bird flu, the 2023 El Niño and 2024 anchovy overfishing as causes of the bird decline.","src":0},"how":{"t":"AgroRural counted the birds; Peruvian authorities approved the anchovy quota.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"guano_seabirds_2022","value":4000000,"unit":"birds","year":2022,"note":"Approximate figure as stated (about 4 million)"},{"key":"guano_seabirds_jan_2025","value":529400,"unit":"birds","year":2025,"note":"AgroRural count on 22 islands and 8 coastal points"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 1972 anchovy stock collapse from overfishing and El Niño.","Unconfirmed: Peru's guano exports of about 11 million tonnes between 1840 and 1880, and its 1875 debt default.","Unconfirmed: anchovy catches took 85 per cent of the fish seabirds could eat, and the seabird count fell from over 20 million to about 5 million.","Unconfirmed: that the state took over more than $200 million of anchovy company debt; no source is given for this.","Not stated: who benefited from the 2025 quota."],"sources":[{"t":"Peru guano birds (Reuters report via bdnews24)","p":"bdnews24 (Reuters)","d":"2025","u":"https://bdnews24.com/world/9e18c4926c8e","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250728214939/https://bdnews24.com/world/9e18c4926c8e"}],"actors":[{"id":"agrorural","role":"counted the guano seabirds in January 2025"}],"mechanism":"anchovy fishing quota","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 4 million guano seabirds lived on my islands in 2022; AgroRural counted 529,400 in January 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1972 anchovy stock collapse from overfishing and El Niño.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Peru's guano exports of about 11 million tonnes between 1840 and 1880, and its 1875 debt default.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: anchovy catches took 85 per cent of the fish seabirds could eat, and the seabird count fell from over 20 million to about 5 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the state took over more than $200 million of anchovy company debt; no source is given for this.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: who benefited from the 2025 quota.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"indonesia-reforestation-fund-diversion","tier":"short","title":"Reportedly $600 million of Indonesia's $5.8 billion reforestation fund left forestry","dek":"An Inquirer opinion piece cited in the sources reports that $600 million of the $5.8 billion collected for Indonesia's reforestation fund went outside forestry. The figures are not checked against an official source, so the scale is unconfirmed.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-0.8,"lon":113.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.8,"lon":113.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["An opinion piece in the Inquirer, cited in the sources, reports that $600 million of $5.8 billion collected for Indonesia's reforestation fund went outside forestry.","The cited sources do not say when the money was collected or where the $600 million went."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"$600 million of $5.8 billion reportedly went outside forestry; the figures come from one opinion piece.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia","src":null},"when":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"fund_collected_usd_bn","value":5.8,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Total collected, as reported in the cited opinion piece"},{"key":"diverted_outside_forestry_usd_m","value":600,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Amount reported to have gone outside forestry; unconfirmed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: the period of collection, who received the money diverted, and whether any of it was recovered.","The cited opinion piece has not been checked against an official Indonesian figure."],"sources":[{"t":"Crony justice (opinion piece)","p":"Inquirer","d":"","u":"https://opinion.inquirer.net/91797/crony-justice","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250814231908/https://opinion.inquirer.net/91797/crony-justice"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"reforestation fund diversion","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the period of collection, who received the money diverted, and whether any of it was recovered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited opinion piece has not been checked against an official Indonesian figure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"onassis-pirate-whaling-off-peru","tier":"short","title":"Peru seizes Onassis whaling fleet (1954)","dek":"In November 1954 the Peruvian navy seized ships of Aristotle Onassis's whaling fleet, including the factory ship Olympic Challenger, for whaling inside the 200-mile zone declared by Peru, Chile and Ecuador. A magazine profile kept in the CIA reading room says Onassis paid Peru a $3 million fine that Lloyd's covered; no other source confirms the amount.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":null,"lat":-12,"lon":-80,"role":"event"}],"lat":-12,"lon":-80,"approxCoords":true,"start":1954,"end":1956,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["A CIA reading-room document titled 'Onassis: Man with the Golden Touch' is cited in the sources for the 1954 whaling case off Peru.","The document is held in the CIA's online reading room."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Whaling off Peru linked to Onassis in a CIA reading-room document; the operation's details are not on record.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Off the coast of Peru","src":0},"when":{"t":"1954, as dated in the cited source","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a $3 million whaling fine, reportedly paid by Lloyd's.","Not stated: how many whales were taken, which species, how many vessels were involved, or whether the fine was ever paid."],"sources":[{"t":"Onassis: Man with the Golden Touch","p":"CIA reading room","d":"1954","u":"https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/node/1325939","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250305171219/https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/node/1325939"},{"t":"Peru seizes 2 Onassis ships whaling inside new limit","p":"CIA Reading Room (1954 press report)","d":"1954-11","u":"https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/node/1326263","type":"official"},{"t":"Onassis: man with the golden touch","p":"CIA Reading Room (magazine profile)","d":"1950s","u":"https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/node/1325939","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250305171219/https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/node/1325939"}],"actors":[{"id":"lloyds","role":"reported insurer of the whaling fine (unconfirmed)"}],"mechanism":"commercial whaling","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a $3 million whaling fine, reportedly paid by Lloyd's.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: how many whales were taken, which species, how many vessels were involved, or whether the fine was ever paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"vaquita-conservation-spending-irregularities","tier":"short","title":"7.2 million pesos meant for vaquita protection diverted, Excélsior reported","dek":"Excélsior reported in 2018 that 7.2 million pesos intended for protecting the vaquita porpoise were diverted. Other figures on spending and the vaquita count are unconfirmed, so the scale of harm to the species is not established.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":null,"lat":31,"lon":-114,"role":"event"}],"lat":31,"lon":-114,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Excélsior reported in 2018 that 7.2 million pesos intended for vaquita marina protection were diverted.","The cited sources give no response from the agencies that held the funds."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"7.2 million pesos meant for vaquita protection in Mexico were reported diverted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Vaquita porpoise","what":"7.2 million pesos meant for its protection, as reported","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018, the year of the Excélsior report","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"funds_diverted_mxn_m","value":7.2,"unit":"MXN million","year":2018,"note":"Amount in the Excélsior headline, reported as diverted"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: more than 1.2 billion pesos spent on vaquita conservation over a decade, with irregularities found by an auditor.","Unconfirmed: only 7 to 10 vaquita left.","Unconfirmed: the totoaba fishing ban, the 2005 sanctuary, the 2015 gillnet ban, and a vaquita count below 59 in 2016.","Not stated: which agency held the funds, and whether any audit or prosecution followed the 2018 report."],"sources":[{"t":"Desvían 7.2 millones de pesos destinados a protección de vaquita marina","p":"Excélsior","d":"2018","u":"https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/desvian-72-millones-de-pesos-destinados-a-proteccion-de-vaquita-marina/1298025","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250830040148/https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/desvian-72-millones-de-pesos-destinados-a-proteccion-de-vaquita-marina/1298025"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"conservation fund diversion","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: more than 1.2 billion pesos spent on vaquita conservation over a decade, with irregularities found by an auditor.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: only 7 to 10 vaquita left.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the totoaba fishing ban, the 2005 sanctuary, the 2015 gillnet ban, and a vaquita count below 59 in 2016.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: which agency held the funds, and whether any audit or prosecution followed the 2018 report.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"dall-porpoise-hunt","tier":"short","title":"EIA report examines Dall's porpoise hunt in Iwate, Japan","dek":"An Environmental Investigation Agency report, 'Stop the Dall's Disaster', covers the Dall's porpoise hunt in Iwate, Japan, in 2016 to 2018. The sources give no verified catch figures for Iwate, so the size of the hunt is not established here.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Iwate Prefecture","lat":39.7,"lon":141.15,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.7,"lon":141.15,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2018,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The Environmental Investigation Agency published 'Stop the Dall's Disaster', which the record cites for the Iwate hunt.","The record links no other dated source for the hunt."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Dall's porpoise hunt in Iwate, Japan, covered by an EIA report; catch figures are those reported by EIA.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Iwate Prefecture, Japan","src":0},"when":{"t":"2016 to 2018, the period of the cited report","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the report is said to show the Iwate hunt is larger and less visible than the Taiji hunt.","Unconfirmed: the Dall's porpoise catch in Japan reached 15,000 to 17,700 a year in the past.","Not stated: the current catch, the quota, or who holds the hunting licences.","Not stated: whether Japanese authorities answered the report's claims."],"sources":[{"t":"Stop the Dall's Disaster","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2016–18","u":"https://eia-international.org/report/stop-the-dalls-disaster/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250207140501/https://eia-international.org/report/stop-the-dalls-disaster/"}],"actors":[{"id":"eia","role":"publisher of the 'Stop the Dall's Disaster' report"}],"mechanism":"porpoise hunt","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the report is said to show the Iwate hunt is larger and less visible than the Taiji hunt.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Dall's porpoise catch in Japan reached 15,000 to 17,700 a year in the past.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the current catch, the quota, or who holds the hunting licences.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Japanese authorities answered the report's claims.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"greenland-seal-skin-exports-after-eu-ban","tier":"short","title":"Danish opinion piece reports Greenland seal exports down 90 per cent","dek":"A 2014 Danish-language opinion piece by NetNatur and KNAPK reports that Greenland's seal exports fell 90 per cent after the EU ban. The Inuit exemption to the ban was reported ineffective, and the figures are not checked against trade data.","country":"Greenland","iso2":"GL","places":[{"country":"Greenland","iso2":"GL","admin":null,"lat":72,"lon":-40,"role":"event"}],"lat":72,"lon":-40,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2014,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A 2014 Danish-language opinion piece by NetNatur and KNAPK reports that Greenland's seal exports fell 90 per cent.","Nunatsiaq News reported that the exemption for Inuit in the EU's seal product ban is ineffective."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Greenland's seal exports reported down 90 per cent in a 2014 opinion piece, after the EU ban.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Greenland seal exporters","what":"exports reported down 90 per cent in a 2014 opinion piece","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Inuit seal hunters","what":"EU ban exemption for Inuit reported ineffective","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Greenland","src":null},"when":{"t":"EU ban in 2009; opinion piece in 2014","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"EU ban on seal products, with an exemption for Inuit that Nunatsiaq News reports is ineffective.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"seal_exports_change_pct","value":-90,"unit":"percent","year":2014,"note":"Change reported in a 2014 Danish-language opinion piece by NetNatur and KNAPK"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: according to the Greenland hunters' association, hunter numbers and income fell by a third after the 2009 ban.","Not stated: whether the 90 per cent fall covers all seal skin exports or one market, and what exports were after 2014.","Not stated: how the 2014 opinion piece measured the change."],"sources":[{"t":"Inuit exemption to European Union's seal product ban is ineffective","p":"Nunatsiaq News","d":"","u":"https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/inuit-exemption-to-european-unions-seal-product-ban-is-ineffective-report/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917193847/https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/inuit-exemption-to-european-unions-seal-product-ban-is-ineffective-report/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"EU seal product ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: according to the Greenland hunters' association, hunter numbers and income fell by a third after the 2009 ban.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the 90 per cent fall covers all seal skin exports or one market, and what exports were after 2014.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: how the 2014 opinion piece measured the change.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Greenland seal exporters"]},{"id":"california-fair-plan-growth-and-florida-citizens-depopulation","tier":"short","title":"California FAIR Plan policies rise 152% as Florida Citizens shrinks","dek":"Private insurers have pulled back from high-risk property markets, leaving state-backed pools to carry the risk. California's FAIR Plan grew 152 percent from September 2022 to March 2026, while Florida's Citizens fell from about 1.4 million policies in 2023 to 293,772 in May 2026.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","lat":27.66,"lon":-81.52,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"insurance-retreat","happened":["Farmers said in July 2023 that it would stop writing Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida, affecting about 100,000 customers; the statement cited risk exposure and did not name hurricanes.","The California FAIR Plan, the state-mandated insurer of last resort, had about 668,000 policies by January 2026, up 43 percent from September 2024 to December 2025, according to the California Department of Insurance.","Florida's state-run Citizens Property Insurance peaked at about 1.4 million policies in September 2023 and fell to 396,387 by December 2025 as private insurers took policies over, WUSF reported.","Insurance Business reported 684,388 FAIR Plan policies in March 2026 with about 750 billion dollars in coverage, and CalMatters reported that 50 percent of a 1 billion dollar assessment after the Los Angeles fires could be passed to policyholders."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Private insurers reduced their exposure in California and Florida, and state-backed pools took on the policies: California's FAIR Plan grew 152 percent from September 2022 to March 2026.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers Insurance","what":"stopped writing Farmers-branded home, auto and umbrella policies in Florida, citing risk exposure","src":0},{"who":"Affiliated companies of Florida insurers","what":"reported 1.8 billion dollars net income and about 680 million dollars in dividends in 2017 to 2019, while the insurers lost 432 million dollars, according to an internal analysis by Florida's insurance regulator that was not shared with the legislature","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Florida homeowners moved from Citizens","what":"are steered to private offers up to 20 percent above Citizens' premium","src":null},{"who":"California policyholders","what":"50 percent of a 1 billion dollar member assessment after the Los Angeles fires can be passed to them as a temporary charge","src":4}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California and Florida, United States","src":3},"when":{"t":"Farmers' exit was announced in July 2023; FAIR Plan figures run from September 2022 to March 2026; Citizens peaked in September 2023 and had 293,772 policies in May 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Private insurers withdrew from high-risk policies; in Florida, Citizens policies were taken over by private insurers, and in California the state FAIR Plan absorbed policies and can pass a member assessment to policyholders.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"fair_plan_policies","value":684388,"unit":"policies","year":2026,"note":"March 2026; 271,327 in September 2022"},{"key":"fair_plan_policy_growth_pct","value":152,"unit":"percent","year":2026,"note":"Growth in policies, September 2022 to March 2026"},{"key":"fair_plan_coverage_bn_usd","value":750000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Total coverage, approximately"},{"key":"citizens_policies","value":293772,"unit":"policies","year":2026,"note":"31 May 2026"},{"key":"citizens_policies_peak","value":1400000,"unit":"policies","year":2023,"note":"About 1.4 million at the September 2023 peak"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: State Farm has been operating on emergency rate increases in 2025, with a settlement reported in March 2026.","The cited sources do not say how many Florida policyholders moved from Citizens to private insurers, or at what premiums.","Unconfirmed: the figures from Florida's internal regulator analysis for 2017 to 2019 are not checked against a published copy.","The cited sources do not say whether Farmers' exit from Florida was driven by hurricane losses; the company's statement does not name hurricanes."],"sources":[{"t":"Report on Farmers Insurance leaving Florida, 11 July 2023","p":"Tampa Bay Times (tampabay.com)","d":"2023-07-11","u":"https://tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713002150/https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2023/07/11/farmers-insurance-florida-leaving-hurricanes-insolvent/"},{"t":"FAIR Plan growth slows below 2% as California's insurance market continues to show signs of recovery","p":"California Department of Insurance","d":"2026","u":"https://www.insurance.ca.gov/0200-industry/0105-alert/upload/FAIR-Plan-growth-slows-below-2-as-Californias-insurance-market-continues-to-show-signs-of-recovery.pdf","type":"government"},{"t":"Citizens Property Insurance now has fewer than 400,000 policies","p":"WUSF","d":"2025-12-27","u":"https://wusf.org/text/politics-issues/2025-12-27/citizens-property-insurance-now-has-fewer-than-400-000-policies","type":"press"},{"t":"California's FAIR Plan carries growing load as insurers retreat beyond wildfire zones","p":"Insurance Business","d":"2026","u":"https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/us/news/catastrophe/californias-fair-plan-carries-growing-load-as-insurers-retreat-beyond-wildfire-zones-568596.aspx","type":"press"},{"t":"Homeowners insurance costs rising in California FAIR Plan","p":"CalMatters","d":"2025-02-11","u":"https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/homeowners-insurance-costs-rising-in-california-fair-plan/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260724071219/https://calmatters.org/economy/2025/02/homeowners-insurance-costs-rising-in-california-fair-plan/"}],"actors":[{"id":"farmers","role":"Stopped writing Florida home, auto and umbrella policies"},{"id":"ca-fair-plan","role":"State-mandated insurer of last resort; policy count grew"},{"id":"citizens-property-insurance","role":"Florida state-run insurer; policy count fell"}],"mechanism":"insurer retreat, state pools","types":["insurance-retreat"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: State Farm has been operating on emergency rate increases in 2025, with a settlement reported in March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many Florida policyholders moved from Citizens to private insurers, or at what premiums.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the figures from Florida's internal regulator analysis for 2017 to 2019 are not checked against a published copy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Farmers' exit from Florida was driven by hurricane losses; the company's statement does not name hurricanes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Affiliated companies of Florida insurers","No source link — Who lost: Florida homeowners moved from Citizens"]},{"id":"naameh-landfill-closure-and-lebanon-garbage-crisis","tier":"short","title":"Lebanon's garbage piled up after Naameh landfill closed in 2015","dek":"After the Naameh landfill closed in 2015, garbage collection stopped in Lebanon and open burning of waste spread to more than 150 sites, Arab News reported. Open burning puts public health at risk.","country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","places":[{"country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","admin":"Mount Lebanon","lat":33.82,"lon":35.53,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.82,"lon":35.53,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Garbage collection stopped in Lebanon when the Naameh landfill closed in 2015, according to Arab News.","Open burning of waste continued at more than 150 sites, and it rose 330 percent in Mount Lebanon."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"After the Naameh landfill closed in 2015, garbage collection stopped and open burning spread to more than 150 sites.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Lebanese residents whose garbage collection stopped","what":"garbage was left on the streets after the Naameh landfill closed in 2015","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Public health in Lebanon","what":"open burning spread to more than 150 sites","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Naameh and Mount Lebanon, Lebanon","src":0},"when":{"t":"The landfill closed in 2015; the open-burning figures are for the period after the closure","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The closure of the landfill stopped garbage collection, and waste was burned in the open at more than 150 sites","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"open_burning_sites","value":150,"unit":"sites","year":null,"note":"More than 150 sites with open burning"},{"key":"open_burning_increase_mount_lebanon_pct","value":330,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Increase in open burning in Mount Lebanon"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say why the Naameh landfill closed or what replaced it.","The cited sources do not give the dates or the baseline for the 330 percent increase in open burning.","The cited sources do not name the bodies responsible for waste management in Lebanon."],"sources":[{"t":"Lebanon's trash crisis returns, but did it ever disappear in the first place?","p":"Arab News","d":"2018","u":"https://arabnews.pk/node/1231541","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164202/https://www.arabnews.com/middle-east/lebanons-trash-crisis-returns-but-did-it-ever-disappear-in-the-first-place-1231541"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"landfill closure, open burning","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"After the Naameh landfill closed in 2015, waste was openly burned at more than 150 sites on me, and burning rose 330 percent in Mount Lebanon, Arab News reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:open-burning"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say why the Naameh landfill closed or what replaced it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the dates or the baseline for the 330 percent increase in open burning.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the bodies responsible for waste management in Lebanon.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"agbogbloshie-scrapyard-demolition","tier":"short","title":"Accra's Agbogbloshie scrap market demolished in July 2021","dek":"The Agbogbloshie scrap market in Accra was demolished in July 2021, displacing between 4,000 and 10,000 scrap dealers. Record dioxin levels in local eggs, reported in 2019, show the contamination at stake for nature.","country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","places":[{"country":"Ghana","iso2":"GH","admin":"Greater Accra","lat":5.545,"lon":-0.214,"role":"event"}],"lat":5.545,"lon":-0.214,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Citi Newsroom reported that the Agbogbloshie scrap market in Accra was demolished in July 2021.","It said between 4,000 and 10,000 scrap dealers were displaced, and that they rejected the government's offer and bought land at Teacher Mante with their own money.","IPEN reported in 2019 that eggs from the site had record dioxin levels, with one egg at 220 times the daily limit.","The Daily Graphic reported in 2023 that burning at the site had dispersed after the demolition and that the land had become an illegal dump."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Agbogbloshie scrap market in Accra was demolished in July 2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Scrap dealers at Agbogbloshie","what":"lost their site; between 4,000 and 10,000 were displaced and bought new land with their own money","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Demolition of the scrap market; dealers rejected the government's offer and bought new land with their own money.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"scrap_dealers_displaced","value":4000,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Source gives a range of 4,000 to 10,000"},{"key":"eggs_dioxin_multiple_of_daily_limit","value":220,"unit":"times the daily limit (one egg)","year":2019,"note":"Record dioxin level in eggs from the site"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: dealers moved to Old Fadama, closer to homes, after the demolition.","Unconfirmed: returns to the site began in 2025.","The cited sources do not say who ordered the demolition or what the government's offer contained.","The cited sources do not say who gained from the demolition."],"sources":[{"t":"Agbogbloshie scrap dealers secure land at Teacher Mante after rejecting government's offer","p":"Citi Newsroom","d":"2021-07","u":"https://citinewsroom.com/2021/07/agbogbloshie-scrap-dealers-secure-land-at-teacher-mante-after-rejecting-governments-offer/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251021190528/https://citinewsroom.com/2021/07/agbogbloshie-scrap-dealers-secure-land-at-teacher-mante-after-rejecting-governments-offer/"},{"t":"Highest Level of World's Most Toxic Chemicals Found in African Free-Range Eggs","p":"IPEN","d":"2019-04","u":"https://ipen.org/node/4555","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308103827/http://ipen.org/node/4555"},{"t":"The vexed issue of Agbogbloshie","p":"Daily Graphic","d":"2023","u":"https://www.graphic.com.gh/daily-graphic-editorials/ghana-news-the-vexed-issue-of-agbogbloshie.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241111173540/https://www.graphic.com.gh/daily-graphic-editorials/ghana-news-the-vexed-issue-of-agbogbloshie.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"ghana-government","role":"Made a relocation offer that the dealers rejected"},{"id":"agbogbloshie-scrap-dealers","role":"Displaced scrap dealers"},{"id":"ipen","role":"Reported 2019 dioxin levels in eggs"}],"mechanism":"scrapyard demolition and relocation","types":["protected-area","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["lagos-visionscape-waste-contract-and-zoomlion-jospong"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2019 IPEN reported record dioxin levels in eggs from the Agbogbloshie site on me, one egg at 220 times the daily limit.","src":[1]},"subtags":["burning:open-burning"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: dealers moved to Old Fadama, closer to homes, after the demolition.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: returns to the site began in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who ordered the demolition or what the government's offer contained.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained from the demolition.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-scrap-tyre-imports-and-pyrolysis","tier":"short","title":"India's scrap tyre imports reach 1.398 million tonnes in FY2024","dek":"Scrap tyre imports into India rose from 264,000 tonnes in FY2021 to 1.398 million tonnes in FY2024, according to a BBC investigation carried by Resource. The report says about half of India's roughly 2,000 pyrolysis plants are illegal.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.5937,"lon":78.9629,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.5937,"lon":78.9629,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Import figures cited in the report, drawn from Deccan Chronicle and Commerce Ministry data, show scrap tyre imports rising from 264,000 tonnes in FY2021 to 1.398 million tonnes in FY2024.","The investigation reports that about 2,000 pyrolysis plants operate in India and that about half of them are illegal.","The report says a UK agency holds India responsible for the tyres after they are imported.","The report's headline says millions of end-of-life tyres have been exported to illegal pyrolysis facilities."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Scrap tyre imports into India rose to 1.398 million tonnes in FY2024, and the report says many tyres go to illegal pyrolysis plants.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India","src":0},"when":{"t":"FY2021 to FY2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Imports of end-of-life tyres that are processed in unlicensed pyrolysis plants.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"scrap_tyre_imports_fy2021","value":264000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"note":"FY2021"},{"key":"scrap_tyre_imports_fy2024","value":1398000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"FY2024; report gives 1,398 Mt"},{"key":"pyrolysis_plants","value":2000,"unit":"plants","year":2025,"note":"Approximate ('~2.000'); about half reported illegal"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an explosion at Wada, Maharashtra, killed four people (source code given, no link recorded).","Unconfirmed: scrap tyre imports rose fivefold between 2021 and 2024, and only 10–15% of imports were replacement tyres (source codes given, no links recorded).","The cited sources do not say who gains from the imports or who is harmed by the plants."],"sources":[{"t":"BBC investigation: Millions of end-of-life tyres exported to illegal pyrolysis facilities","p":"Resource","d":"2025","u":"https://www.resourcemedia.eco/article/bbc-investigation-millions-end-life-tyres-exported-illegal-pyrolysis-facilities","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402162954/https://resourcemedia.eco/article/bbc-investigation-millions-end-life-tyres-exported-illegal-pyrolysis-facilities"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Source of the import data cited in the report"},{"id":"bbc","role":"Investigation reported by Resource"}],"mechanism":"scrap tyre imports, pyrolysis plants described as illegal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Scrap tyres brought onto me in India rose from 264,000 tonnes in FY2021 to 1.398 million tonnes in FY2024, a BBC investigation reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an explosion at Wada, Maharashtra, killed four people (source code given, no link recorded).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: scrap tyre imports rose fivefold between 2021 and 2024, and only 10–15% of imports were replacement tyres (source codes given, no links recorded).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gains from the imports or who is harmed by the plants.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"fsc-expulsion-of-an-viet-phat-energy","tier":"short","title":"FSC suspends Vietnamese pellet maker An Viet Phat Energy over false claims","dek":"The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) suspended An Viet Phat Energy (AVP), a Vietnamese wood-pellet producer, in 2022 over false claims about large volumes of pellets. FSC Asia-Pacific reported that the integrity of wood-pellet supply chains was at risk.","country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":null,"lat":14.0583,"lon":108.2772,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.0583,"lon":108.2772,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2023,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["Argus reported that FSC suspended AVP, a Vietnamese wood-pellet producer, in 2022–2023.","Viet Nam News reported in November 2022 that FSC blocked AVP for making false claims on large volumes of wood pellets.","FSC Asia-Pacific reported that the integrity of wood-pellet supply chains was at risk."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"FSC suspended An Viet Phat Energy's certification after it made false claims about large volumes of pellets.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Vietnam","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022; suspension reported in 2022–2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"False declarations on large volumes of certified pellets, to which FSC responded by suspending the producer.","src":2}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources give conflicting accounts: one entry describes re-approval after suspension, while another says FSC removed AVP from the system.","One entry ties the false declarations to subsidy-linked certification; the cited sources do not explain the subsidy.","The cited sources do not say what 'large volumes' means or where AVP's pellets were sold."],"sources":[{"t":"FSC suspends Vietnamese wood pellet producer AVP","p":"Argus","d":"2022–2023","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2386288-fsc-suspends-vietnamese-wood-pellet-producer-avp","type":"press"},{"t":"Integrity of wood pellet supply chains at risk","p":"FSC Asia-Pacific","d":"2022–2023","u":"https://asiapacific.fsc.org/newsfeed/integrity-of-wood-pellets-supply-chains-at-risk","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018161510/https://asiapacific.fsc.org/newsfeed/integrity-of-wood-pellets-supply-chains-at-risk"},{"t":"FSC blocks An Viet Phat Energy for making false claims on large volumes of wood pellets","p":"Viet Nam News","d":"2022-11","u":"https://vietnamnews.vn/media-outreach/1351175/fsc-blocks-an-viet-phat-energy-for-making-false-claims-on-large-volumes-of-wood-pellets.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011043152/https://vietnamnews.vn/media-outreach/1351175/fsc-blocks-an-viet-phat-energy-for-making-false-claims-on-large-volumes-of-wood-pellets.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"fsc","role":"Certifier that suspended AVP"},{"id":"an-viet-phat-energy","role":"Wood-pellet producer suspended for false claims"}],"mechanism":"forest certification suspension","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give conflicting accounts: one entry describes re-approval after suspension, while another says FSC removed AVP from the system.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"One entry ties the false declarations to subsidy-linked certification; the cited sources do not explain the subsidy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what 'large volumes' means or where AVP's pellets were sold.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"milorganite-pfas","tier":"short","title":"Milwaukee sewage fertilizer Milorganite found to contain about 7 ppb PFAS","dek":"Milorganite, a fertilizer made from Milwaukee sewage, was found to contain about 7 ppb of PFAS in 2025 reporting by Circle of Blue. The product also provides about 10% of the sewer utility's operating budget.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":43.0389,"lon":-87.9065,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.0389,"lon":-87.9065,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Circle of Blue reported in 2025 that Milorganite, a fertilizer made from sewage, contained about 7 ppb of PFAS.","According to the same report, Milorganite provides about 10% of the operating budget of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.","The report's headline describes the fertilizer as a utility money maker that faces an uncertain future."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Milorganite fertilizer, made from Milwaukee sewage, was found to contain about 7 ppb of PFAS in 2025 reporting.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District","what":"receives about 10% of its operating budget from Milorganite","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Milwaukee, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025 reporting","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sewage-based fertilizer whose sales provide part of the utility's budget.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pfas_concentration","value":7,"unit":"ppb","year":2025,"note":"Approximate ('yaklaşık 7 ppb'), as reported"},{"key":"share_of_utility_budget","value":10,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Share of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District operating budget"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how the PFAS level was measured, by whom, or which PFAS compounds were counted.","Unconfirmed: an EPA draft risk assessment found that 1 ppb of PFOA or PFOS in sludge can exceed the acceptable risk threshold (source code given, no link recorded).","The cited sources do not say whether any regulator has acted on Milorganite."],"sources":[{"t":"Fertilizer from sewage, a utility money maker faces uncertain future","p":"Circle of Blue","d":"2025","u":"https://www.circleofblue.org/2025/world/fertilizer-from-sewage-a-utility-money-maker-faces-uncertain-future/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250221101633/https://www.circleofblue.org/2025/world/fertilizer-from-sewage-a-utility-money-maker-faces-uncertain-future/"}],"actors":[{"id":"milwaukee-metropolitan-sewerage-district","role":"Utility whose operating budget receives about 10% from Milorganite"}],"mechanism":"sewage-sludge fertilizer sales","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Milorganite, a sewage fertilizer for my soil, contained about 7 ppb of PFAS, Circle of Blue reported in 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the PFAS level was measured, by whom, or which PFAS compounds were counted.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an EPA draft risk assessment found that 1 ppb of PFOA or PFOS in sludge can exceed the acceptable risk threshold (source code given, no link recorded).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any regulator has acted on Milorganite.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bordo-poniente-landfill-biogas-concession","tier":"short","title":"Bordo Poniente landfill biogas concession in Mexico City is delayed","dek":"Expansión reported that 82% of Mexico City's 8,500 tonnes of daily waste goes to landfill, and that 42% of organics are correctly separated. Mexico Business News reported that a biogas concession at the Bordo Poniente landfill, worth 1,121 million pesos, is delayed.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Mexico City","lat":19.45,"lon":-99.05,"role":"event"}],"lat":19.45,"lon":-99.05,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Expansión reported in October 2025 that 82% of Mexico City's 8,500 tonnes of daily waste goes to landfill.","Expansión also reported that 42% of organic waste is correctly separated and that the Bordo Poniente landfill has a capacity of 1,200 tonnes a day.","Mexico Business News reported that a biogas concession at Bordo Poniente, with a value of 1,121 million pesos, is delayed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A biogas concession at the Bordo Poniente landfill is delayed.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bordo Poniente landfill, Mexico City, Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"2012 (concession)","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A biogas concession for the landfill, per Mexico Business News; the sources give no further mechanism.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"mexico_city_daily_waste","value":8500,"unit":"tonnes per day","year":2025,"note":"total daily waste, as reported by Expansión"},{"key":"share_sent_to_landfill","value":82,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"share of daily waste"},{"key":"organics_correctly_separated","value":42,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"share of organics"},{"key":"bordo_poniente_capacity","value":1200,"unit":"tonnes per day","year":2025,"note":"capacity as stated"},{"key":"biogas_concession_value","value":1121000000,"unit":"pesos","year":2012,"note":"value as stated in the source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the concession holder.","The cited sources do not say how long the delay is or why it occurred."],"sources":[{"t":"CDMX busca reducir gasto millonario en basura","p":"Expansión","d":"2025-10-18","u":"https://politica.expansion.mx/cdmx/2025/10/18/cdmx-busca-reducir-gasto-millonario-en-basura-con-separacion-y-nuevas-plantas","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514192132/https://politica.expansion.mx/cdmx/2025/10/18/cdmx-busca-reducir-gasto-millonario-en-basura-con-separacion-y-nuevas-plantas"},{"t":"Bordo Poniente","p":"Mexico Business News","d":"2012","u":"https://mexicobusiness.news/energy/news/bordo-poniente-large-steps-toward-cleaning-mexico-city","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220815162204/https://mexicobusiness.news/energy/news/bordo-poniente-large-steps-toward-cleaning-mexico-city"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"biogas concession at landfill","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Of Mexico City's 8,500 tonnes of daily waste, 82% goes to landfill in my ground, Expansión reported in October 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the concession holder.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how long the delay is or why it occurred.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dandora-dumpsite","tier":"short","title":"Nairobi's Dandora dumpsite stays open despite 2021 court ruling","dek":"The Standard reported that Dandora remains open despite a 2021 court ruling and a 2022 Kenyan law requiring waste separation. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the dumpsite.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Nairobi","lat":-1.26,"lon":36.89,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.26,"lon":36.89,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Standard reported in 2026 that Dandora remains open despite a 2021 court ruling.","The Standard reported that Kenya's 2022 law made waste separation mandatory."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Dandora dumpsite in Nairobi remains open despite a 2021 court ruling.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Dandora, Nairobi, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021 court ruling; 2022 law; 2026 report","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Kenya's 2022 law requires waste separation; the dumpsite remains open.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the court case or describe its terms.","The cited sources do not describe health or environmental effects at Dandora.","The cited sources describe organic waste collected in Boma for pig feed, but do not link Boma to Dandora."],"sources":[{"t":"Four governors, broken promises","p":"The Standard","d":"2026","u":"https://thestandard.ke/business/amp/environment-climate/article/2001544069/four-governors-broken-promises-and-court-orders-why-dandora-chokes-city-with-toxic-cycle","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"dumpsite kept open","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court case or describe its terms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe health or environmental effects at Dandora.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources describe organic waste collected in Boma for pig feed, but do not link Boma to Dandora.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kabwe-lead-poisoning-and-anglo-american-suit","tier":"short","title":"Kabwe lead-poisoning claim against Anglo American is under appeal in South Africa","dek":"Leigh Day reported that more than 95% of Kabwe's children have high blood lead levels and that no payment has been made. Amnesty International put the number of people in Kabwe at about 140,000 and said the company is shifting responsibility to others.","country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","places":[{"country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","admin":"Central Province","lat":-14.45,"lon":28.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.45,"lon":28.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Amnesty International put the number of people in Kabwe at about 140,000 and said the company is shifting responsibility to others.","Leigh Day reported that a Zambian lead-poisoning claim against Anglo American will be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa.","Leigh Day reported that no payment has been made and that the case is continuing.","Leigh Day reported that more than 95% of Kabwe's children have high blood lead levels."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Zambian lead-poisoning claim against Anglo American is under appeal in South Africa.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Kabwe claimants","what":"no payment received so far","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Kabwe children","what":"more than 95% have high blood lead levels","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Kabwe, Zambia; appeal in South Africa","src":1},"when":{"t":"Amnesty item dated November 2025; Leigh Day item dated 2025. The sources do not date the exposure.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lead exposure in Kabwe; the cited sources do not set out the pathway.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"kabwe_people_cited","value":140000,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"approximate, as stated by Amnesty International"},{"key":"kabwe_children_high_blood_lead_share","value":95,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"more than 95 percent, as stated by Leigh Day"}],"legal":[{"title":"Zambian lead-poisoning claim against Anglo American","forum":"Supreme Court of Appeal","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Kabwe claimants","defendant":"Anglo American","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Claim over lead poisoning in Kabwe, Zambia, to be heard at the Supreme Court of Appeal. No payment has been made, per Leigh Day.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how many claimants are in the case or how the 140,000 figure is counted.","The cited sources do not give Anglo American's own response.","A class action on behalf of about 140,000 women and children is cited without a source URL and is not used."],"sources":[{"t":"Amnesty International and SALC intervene on landmark multinational mining case at South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2025-11","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/11/amnesty-international-and-salc-intervene-on-landmark-multinational-mining-case-at-south-africas-supreme-court-of-appeal/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260723094242/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/11/amnesty-international-and-salc-intervene-on-landmark-multinational-mining-case-at-south-africas-supreme-court-of-appeal/"},{"t":"Zambian lead poisoning claim against Anglo American to be heard at Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa","p":"Leigh Day","d":"2025","u":"https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/press-releases/2025-news/zambian-lead-poisoning-claim-against-anglo-american-to-be-heard-at-supreme-court-of-appeal-in-south-africa/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164300/https://www.leighday.co.uk/news/press-releases/2025-news/zambian-lead-poisoning-claim-against-anglo-american-to-be-heard-at-supreme-court-of-appeal-in-south-africa/"}],"actors":[{"id":"anglo-american","role":"defendant in the Kabwe lead-poisoning claim"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"advocate reporting on the case"},{"id":"leigh-day","role":"law firm reporting on the claim"}],"mechanism":"mining lead-poisoning claim","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Around Kabwe, more than 95% of the children living on me have high blood lead levels, Leigh Day reported in 2025.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many claimants are in the case or how the 140,000 figure is counted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give Anglo American's own response.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A class action on behalf of about 140,000 women and children is cited without a source URL and is not used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure","tier":"short","title":"Five people to be prosecuted over Jagersfontein tailings dam failure","dek":"SAnews reported that five people will be prosecuted over the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure in South Africa, and that the company is paying for the cleanup. The cited sources do not describe the release or its environmental effects.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Free State","lat":-29.77,"lon":25.43,"role":"event"}],"lat":-29.77,"lon":25.43,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["SAnews reported on 4 September 2025 that five people will be prosecuted over the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure.","SAnews reported that the company is paying for the cleanup."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Five people will be prosecuted over the Jagersfontein tailings dam failure.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Jagersfontein, Free State, South Africa","src":0},"when":{"t":"Prosecution reported 4 September 2025; the date of the failure is not in the cited sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tailings dam failure at Jagersfontein; the cited sources do not describe how it happened.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the five people or the court, and do not give the date of the failure.","The cited sources do not give the volume of tailings released or the number of people affected.","The cited sources do not describe the scope or cost of the cleanup."],"sources":[{"t":"Prosecution to commence over Jagersfontein tailings dam failure","p":"SAnews","d":"2025-09-04","u":"https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/prosecution-commence-over-jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218021902/https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/prosecution-commence-over-jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"tailings dam failure","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["sino-metals-kafue-river-acid-spill","mount-polley-tailings-dam-failure"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the five people or the court, and do not give the date of the failure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume of tailings released or the number of people affected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the scope or cost of the cleanup.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"submarine-tailings-disposal-ramu-and-lihir","tier":"short","title":"Ramu and Lihir mines discharge millions of tonnes of tailings a year at sea","dek":"A 2018 Frontiers in Marine Science article reported that the Ramu mine discharges about 5 million tonnes of tailings a year into Basamuk Bay. The cited sources do not describe the ecological effects of the discharge.","country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","places":[{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","admin":"Madang Province","lat":-5.2,"lon":145.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","admin":"New Ireland Province","lat":-3.1,"lon":152.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":-5.2,"lon":145.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["A 2018 article in Frontiers in Marine Science reported that the Ramu mine discharges about 5 million tonnes of tailings a year into Basamuk Bay.","The same article reported that the Lihir mine discharges 3.5 to 4.5 million tonnes a year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Ramu and Lihir mines in Papua New Guinea discharge tailings into the sea.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Basamuk Bay (Ramu) and Lihir, Papua New Guinea","src":0},"when":{"t":"Discharge rates as given in a 2018 article; start dates are not in the cited sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tailings are discharged directly into the sea (submarine tailings disposal).","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"ramu_tailings_per_year","value":5000000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2018,"note":"discharge into Basamuk Bay"},{"key":"lihir_tailings_per_year","value":3500000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2018,"note":"lower end of a 3.5 to 4.5 million tonne range"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the ecological effects of the discharge.","The cited sources do not name the operators, permits or start dates of the Ramu and Lihir mines.","A tabulated line on the same discharge method has no source text in the cited sources and is not used."],"sources":[{"t":"Submarine Tailings Disposal","p":"Frontiers in Marine Science","d":"2018","u":"https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00017/full","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012210632/https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2018.00017/full"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"submarine tailings disposal","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Ramu mine discharges about 5 million tonnes of tailings a year into my Basamuk Bay; the Lihir mine 3.5 to 4.5 million tonnes, a 2018 article reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the ecological effects of the discharge.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the operators, permits or start dates of the Ramu and Lihir mines.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A tabulated line on the same discharge method has no source text in the cited sources and is not used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"stocamine-toxic-waste-burial","tier":"short","title":"French court approves permanent confinement of 42,000 tonnes of Stocamine waste","dek":"Banque des Territoires reported that a court approved permanent confinement of 42,000 tonnes of toxic waste at the Stocamine site in Alsace. The additional cost is 226 million euros, and the cited sources do not describe the environmental risks.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Alsace","lat":47.8,"lon":7.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":47.8,"lon":7.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Banque des Territoires reported on 17 June 2025 that a court approved permanent confinement of 42,000 tonnes of waste at the Stocamine site in Alsace.","Banque des Territoires reported that the permit was made indefinite in 2023 and that the additional cost is 226 million euros."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A French court approved permanent confinement of 42,000 tonnes of waste at the Stocamine site.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Stocamine site, Alsace, France","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit made indefinite in 2023; court approval reported 17 June 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The waste is confined in place at the site under an indefinite permit.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"waste_confined","value":42000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"court-approved permanent confinement"},{"key":"additional_cost","value":226000000,"unit":"euros","year":2025,"note":"additional cost as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the waste includes cyanide, arsenic and mercury. The only source for this has no URL.","Unconfirmed: Stocamine was closed irreversibly after a fire.","The cited sources do not say who pays the additional 226 million euros."],"sources":[{"t":"Déchets toxiques: la justice autorise le confinement définitif sur le site de Stocamine, en Alsace","p":"Banque des Territoires","d":"2025-06-17","u":"https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/dechets-toxiques-la-justice-autorise-le-confinement-definitif-sur-le-site-de-stocamine-en-alsace","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251001130915/https://www.banquedesterritoires.fr/dechets-toxiques-la-justice-autorise-le-confinement-definitif-sur-le-site-de-stocamine-en-alsace"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"permanent underground confinement","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A court approved permanent confinement of 42,000 tonnes of toxic waste at Stocamine in my Alsace ground, Banque des Territoires reported on 17 June 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the waste includes cyanide, arsenic and mercury. The only source for this has no URL.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Stocamine was closed irreversibly after a fire.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who pays the additional 226 million euros.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"herfa-neurode-underground-hazardous-waste-store","tier":"short","title":"Herfa-Neurode underground store buried 2.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste","dek":"Hesse's environment ministry reported in 2012 that 2.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste had been buried at Herfa-Neurode, about 30 per cent of it from abroad. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hesse","lat":50.95,"lon":9.95,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.95,"lon":9.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2012,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Hesse's environment ministry reported in a 2012 written report that 2.8 million tonnes of waste had been buried at Herfa-Neurode.","The same report said about 30 per cent of the waste came from abroad and included filter dust from incineration."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"2.8 million tonnes of waste were buried at Herfa-Neurode, about 30 per cent from abroad.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Herfa-Neurode, Hesse, Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2012; the burial period is not stated in the source.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hazardous waste, including incineration filter dust, was buried underground.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hazardous_waste_buried","value":2800000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2012,"note":"as reported by Hesse's environment ministry"},{"key":"share_from_abroad","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2012,"note":"approximate share from outside Germany"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: burial ran until 2011.","Unconfirmed: K+S reversed a 2028 pledge to end discharges into the Werra river and seeks a new permit to 2039. This item has no source URL.","The Hesse source does not name the operator, the permit terms or any monitoring."],"sources":[{"t":"Schriftlicher Bericht der Ministerin","p":"Hesse Ministry of Environment","d":"2012","u":"https://www.gruene-hessen.de/landtag/files/2012/11/Schriftlicher-Bericht-der-Ministerin.pdf","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260212152822/https://www.gruene-hessen.de/landtag/files/2012/11/Schriftlicher-Bericht-der-Ministerin.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"k-s","role":"operator of the Herfa-Neurode store, named in narrative text but not in the Hesse source"}],"mechanism":"underground hazardous waste burial","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"2.8 million tonnes of hazardous waste have been buried in me at Herfa-Neurode, about 30 per cent of it from abroad, Hesse's environment ministry reported in 2012.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: burial ran until 2011.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: K+S reversed a 2028 pledge to end discharges into the Werra river and seeks a new permit to 2039. This item has no source URL.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Hesse source does not name the operator, the permit terms or any monitoring.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hunter-river-salinity-trading-scheme","tier":"short","title":"Hunter River salt discharges are shared through a 1,000-credit trading scheme","dek":"Salt discharges into the Hunter River in New South Wales are linked to river flow and shared through credit trading. The cited sources do not report the scheme's effect on river salinity.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-32.73,"lon":151.55,"role":"event"}],"lat":-32.73,"lon":151.55,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The NSW EPA describes the Hunter River Salinity Trading Scheme, in which salt discharges are linked to river flow and shared through 1,000 credits.","According to the cited sources, discharge is banned at low flow and the scheme sets a salinity target of 900 µS/cm."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Salt discharges into the Hunter River are linked to river flow and shared through a 1,000-credit trading scheme.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hunter River, New South Wales, Australia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Described as current on the NSW EPA page; the start date is not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Discharge is banned at low flow; at higher flow it is allocated through 1,000 tradable credits, with a salinity target of 900 µS/cm.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"trading_credits","value":1000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Credits shared through trading at higher flow"},{"key":"salinity_target_us_cm","value":900,"unit":"µS/cm","year":null,"note":"Scheme target"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the holders of the credits or the dischargers.","The cited sources do not report the scheme's effect on river salinity or aquatic life.","The cited sources do not state when the scheme started."],"sources":[{"t":"How the Hunter River Salinity Trading Scheme works","p":"NSW EPA","d":"","u":"https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/Licensing-and-Regulation/Licensing/Environment-protection-licences/Emissions-trading/Hunter-River-Salinity-Trading-Scheme/How-it-works","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415185957/https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/Licensing-and-Regulation/Licensing/Environment-protection-licences/Emissions-trading/Hunter-River-Salinity-Trading-Scheme/How-it-works"}],"actors":[{"id":"nsw-epa","role":"publishes the description of the scheme"}],"mechanism":"salinity discharge credit trading","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the holders of the credits or the dischargers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the scheme's effect on river salinity or aquatic life.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state when the scheme started.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"semakau-landfill","tier":"short","title":"Singapore's Semakau island landfill, mainly incineration ash, to fill by 2035","dek":"Singapore's Semakau landfill receives mainly incineration ash and is expected to be full by 2035. The cited sources do not report its environmental effects, and state that mining its waste for Tuas Port is under study.","country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","places":[{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","admin":null,"lat":1.19,"lon":103.76,"role":"event"}],"lat":1.19,"lon":103.76,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2035,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Singapore EDB reported that Semakau mainly receives incineration ash and is used for eco-tourism.","The EDB said studies are ongoing to determine whether waste on Semakau could be mined to build Tuas Port.","According to the cited sources, the landfill is expected to be full by 2035."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Semakau is an island landfill that receives mainly incineration ash.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Semakau island, Singapore.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Currently in use; expected to be full by 2035.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Incineration ash is placed in the landfill; the EDB says mining the waste for Tuas Port is under study.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the operator of the landfill.","The cited sources do not report environmental monitoring results for Semakau.","The cited sources do not state the quantity of ash received or the outcome of the Tuas Port study."],"sources":[{"t":"Studies ongoing to determine if waste on Semakau could be mined to build Tuas Port","p":"Singapore EDB","d":"","u":"https://www.edb.gov.sg/en/news-and-insights/studies-ongoing-to-determine-if-waste-on-semakau-could-be-mined-to-build-tuas-port","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"singapore-edb","role":"published the notice on studies of Semakau waste"}],"mechanism":"offshore incineration ash landfill","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the operator of the landfill.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report environmental monitoring results for Semakau.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the quantity of ash received or the outcome of the Tuas Port study.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kanpur-rania-chromium-waste","tier":"short","title":"Kanpur Rania chromium waste disposal is estimated at 98.46 crore rupees","dek":"Down To Earth reported that disposal of 85,008 tonnes of chromium waste at Kanpur Rania was estimated at 98.46 crore rupees in 2022. The state pays the cost first, and the cited sources do not say how the cost is finally shared.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":26.45,"lon":80.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":26.45,"lon":80.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Down To Earth reported in September 2022 that disposal of 85,008 tonnes of chromium waste was estimated at 98.46 crore rupees.","According to the same report, the state initially pays the cost."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Disposal of 85,008 tonnes of chromium waste at Kanpur Rania is estimated at 98.46 crore rupees.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"State government (not named in the sources)","what":"pays the disposal cost first","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rania, Kanpur, India.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Reported September 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The disposal is funded by the state first, according to the report; the cited sources do not describe the disposal method.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"chromium_waste_tonnes","value":85008,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"Chromium waste to be disposed of"},{"key":"disposal_cost_crore_rupees","value":98.46,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2022,"note":"Estimated disposal cost"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the court, case or order that governs the disposal.","The cited sources do not state how the cost is finally shared after the state's initial payment.","The cited sources do not report whether the waste has been disposed of or any effect on soil or water."],"sources":[{"t":"Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (September 22, 2022)","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2022-09","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/daily-court-digest-major-environment-orders-september-22-2022--85083","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221127092806/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/daily-court-digest-major-environment-orders-september-22-2022--85083"}],"actors":[{"id":"indian-state-government","role":"bears the disposal cost first, according to the report"}],"mechanism":"state-funded chromium waste disposal","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Disposal of 85,008 tonnes of chromium waste on me at Kanpur Rania was estimated at 98.46 crore rupees, Down To Earth reported in September 2022.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court, case or order that governs the disposal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how the cost is finally shared after the state's initial payment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report whether the waste has been disposed of or any effect on soil or water.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"port-pirie-lead-smelter-children","tier":"short","title":"68.4% of Port Pirie children had blood lead above 5 µg/dL, SA Health reports","dek":"SA Health's 2024 annual report on Port Pirie lead levels found that 68.4% of children were above 5 µg/dL, with the highest levels in ten years for ages 0 to 4. The cited sources do not name the source of the lead.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"South Australia","lat":-33.18,"lon":138.01,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.18,"lon":138.01,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["SA Health reported that 68.4% of children in Port Pirie had blood lead above 5 µg/dL in its 2024 annual report.","SA Health said levels for children aged 0 to 4 were the highest in the past decade."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SA Health reported that 68.4% of children in Port Pirie had blood lead above 5 µg/dL in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Children in Port Pirie","what":"blood lead above 5 µg/dL, as 68.4% of children in 2024","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 measurements, reported March 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The figures are reported in SA Health's annual Port Pirie lead levels report.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"children_blood_lead_above_5ugdl_pct","value":68.4,"unit":"percent of children","year":2024,"note":"Blood lead above 5 µg/dL"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the source of the lead.","The cited sources do not state how many children were included in the 2024 figures.","The cited sources do not report environmental lead measurements for soil, dust or water in Port Pirie."],"sources":[{"t":"Port Pirie Lead Levels 2024 Annual Report","p":"SA Health","d":"2025-03","u":"https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public+content/sa+health+internet/about+us/news+and+media/all+media+releases/port+pirie+lead+levels+2024+annual+report","type":"government","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"sa-health","role":"published the 2024 Port Pirie lead levels report"}],"mechanism":"childhood lead exposure","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2024, 68.4% of the children living on me at Port Pirie had blood lead above 5 µg/dL, SA Health reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the source of the lead.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how many children were included in the 2024 figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report environmental lead measurements for soil, dust or water in Port Pirie.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"morocco-phosphate-cadmium-limit-in-eu-fertilisers","tier":"short","title":"Morocco says it cut cadmium in phosphate fertilisers; EU cannot verify the claim","dek":"Morocco says it has reduced cadmium in its fertilisers, but Brussels acknowledges it cannot verify this against the EU limit of 60 mg/kg.","country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":null,"lat":31.8,"lon":-7.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.8,"lon":-7.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Bladi.net reported in January 2025 that Morocco says it has reduced cadmium in its fertilisers.","The same report said Brussels acknowledges that it cannot verify the claim.","The EU cadmium limit for fertiliser is 60 mg/kg."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Morocco says it has reduced cadmium in its phosphate fertilisers; the EU cannot verify the claim against its 60 mg/kg limit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Morocco and the European Union.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported January 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The EU sets a 60 mg/kg cadmium limit for fertiliser; the report said Morocco's declaration of reduced cadmium cannot be checked by the EU.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eu_cadmium_limit_mg_kg","value":60,"unit":"mg/kg","year":null,"note":"EU limit for cadmium in fertiliser"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: high-cadmium phosphate producers benefit from the 60 mg/kg limit, and OCP lobbied the standard-setter.","Unconfirmed: a 20 mg/kg level applies only on a voluntary basis.","Unconfirmed: OCP is about 94% state-owned and is Morocco's only phosphate rock and fertiliser producer.","The cited sources do not report measured cadmium levels in Moroccan fertiliser or in soil."],"sources":[{"t":"Le Maroc assure avoir réduit le cadmium de ses engrais, Bruxelles reconnaît ne pas pouvoir le vérifier","p":"Bladi.net","d":"2025-01","u":"https://www.bladi.net/maroc-assure-reduit-cadmium-engrais-bruxelles-reconnait-pouvoir-verifier,123293.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260822182311/https://www.bladi.net/maroc-assure-reduit-cadmium-engrais-bruxelles-reconnait-pouvoir-verifier,123293.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-morocco","role":"says it has reduced cadmium in its fertilisers"},{"id":"eu","role":"acknowledges it cannot verify Morocco's claim"},{"id":"ocp","role":"Moroccan phosphate producer; lobbying unconfirmed"}],"mechanism":"fertiliser cadmium limit","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: high-cadmium phosphate producers benefit from the 60 mg/kg limit, and OCP lobbied the standard-setter.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 20 mg/kg level applies only on a voluntary basis.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: OCP is about 94% state-owned and is Morocco's only phosphate rock and fertiliser producer.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report measured cadmium levels in Moroccan fertiliser or in soil.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"peru-environmental-liabilities-and-cerro-de-pasco-lead","tier":"short","title":"Peru inventories 6,026 mining liabilities, needing over 3,000 million soles","dek":"Peru's inventory of environmental liabilities from mining lists 6,026 sites, and the state company AMSAC says more than 3,000 million soles are needed. In Cerro de Pasco, 4 of 5 children were reported with lead poisoning from Centromin's waste.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":null,"lat":-10.68,"lon":-76.26,"role":"event"}],"lat":-10.68,"lon":-76.26,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["El Búho reported in September 2024 that Peru's inventory lists 6,026 mining liabilities.","State company AMSAC said resources above 3,000 million soles are needed.","Actualidad Ambiental reported in 2022 that 4 of 5 children in Cerro de Pasco had lead poisoning, with Centromin's waste as the source."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Peru's inventory lists 6,026 mining environmental liabilities, and AMSAC says more than 3,000 million soles are needed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Children in Cerro de Pasco","what":"lead poisoning reported in 4 of 5 children","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Peru (national inventory); Cerro de Pasco for the child lead cases.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Child lead data reported in 2022; inventory reported in September 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Children were exposed to lead from Centromin's waste, according to the report.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"mining_liabilities_inventory","value":6026,"unit":"sites","year":2024,"note":"Inventory count"},{"key":"amsac_resources_needed_million_soles","value":3000000000,"unit":"soles","year":2024,"note":"AMSAC says more than this amount is needed"},{"key":"children_with_lead_poisoning","value":4,"unit":"of 5 children","year":2022,"note":"Cerro de Pasco"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who will pay for the work AMSAC describes, or when.","The cited sources do not describe how the five children were selected or how their lead levels were measured.","The cited sources do not report the current condition of the Cerro de Pasco waste."],"sources":[{"t":"Pasivos ambientales en Perú: una deuda que sigue asfixiando a la Amazonía y al país","p":"El Búho","d":"2024-09","u":"https://elbuho.pe/2024/09/pasivos-ambientales-en-peru-una-deuda-que-sigue-asfixiando-a-la-amazonia-y-al-pais/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251214035904/https://elbuho.pe/2024/09/pasivos-ambientales-en-peru-una-deuda-que-sigue-asfixiando-a-la-amazonia-y-al-pais/"},{"t":"Pasivos mineros: Niños tienen niveles elevados de metales pesados en su organismo","p":"Actualidad Ambiental","d":"2022","u":"https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/pasivos-mineros-ninos-tienen-niveles-elevados-de-metales-pesados-en-su-organismo/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519063424/https://www.actualidadambiental.pe/pasivos-mineros-ninos-tienen-niveles-elevados-de-metales-pesados-en-su-organismo/"}],"actors":[{"id":"amsac","role":"state company that says more than 3,000 million soles are needed"},{"id":"centromin","role":"source of the Cerro de Pasco waste, according to the report"}],"mechanism":"mining environmental liabilities","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"6,026 mining liabilities are inventoried on me, El Búho reported in 2024; in Cerro de Pasco, 4 of 5 children were reported with lead poisoning.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who will pay for the work AMSAC describes, or when.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe how the five children were selected or how their lead levels were measured.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the current condition of the Cerro de Pasco waste.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chile-tailings-deposits-inventory","tier":"short","title":"Chile's tailings inventory: 601 of 795 deposits inactive, 53 abandoned","dek":"Chile's tailings inventory lists 795 deposits, of which 601 are inactive and 53 abandoned. The number of abandoned deposits was 173 in 2022, and the cited sources do not explain the change or report the deposits' environmental condition.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-27.3,"lon":-70.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":-27.3,"lon":-70.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["G5 Noticias reported in September 2026 that Chile faces the challenge of managing more than 650 tailings deposits no longer in operation.","The report gave 795 deposits in total, of which 601 are inactive and 53 are abandoned.","According to the same report, the number of abandoned deposits was 173 in 2022."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chile's inventory of 795 tailings deposits lists 601 as inactive and 53 as abandoned.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Chile.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Inventory reported 23 September 2026; abandoned-deposit count given for 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the deposits are classified as inactive or abandoned.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"tailings_deposits","value":795,"unit":"deposits","year":2026,"note":"Total in inventory"},{"key":"inactive_deposits","value":601,"unit":"deposits","year":2026,"note":"Inactive"},{"key":"abandoned_deposits","value":53,"unit":"deposits","year":2026,"note":"Abandoned"},{"key":"abandoned_deposits_2022","value":173,"unit":"deposits","year":2022,"note":"Abandoned count in 2022"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not explain why the abandoned count fell from 173 in 2022 to 53.","The cited sources do not name the operators of the inactive or abandoned deposits.","The cited sources do not report contamination or monitoring data for these deposits."],"sources":[{"t":"Chile enfrenta el desafío de gestionar más de 650 depósitos de relaves que ya no están en operación","p":"G5 Noticias","d":"2026-09-23","u":"https://g5noticias.cl/2026/09/23/chile-enfrenta-el-desafio-de-gestionar-mas-de-650-depositos-de-relaves-que-ya-no-estan-en-operacion/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164824/https://g5noticias.cl/2026/09/23/chile-enfrenta-el-desafio-de-gestionar-mas-de-650-depositos-de-relaves-que-ya-no-estan-en-operacion/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"tailings deposit inventory","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Chile's inventory lists 795 tailings deposits on me, of which 601 are inactive and 53 abandoned, G5 Noticias reported in September 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not explain why the abandoned count fell from 173 in 2022 to 53.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the operators of the inactive or abandoned deposits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report contamination or monitoring data for these deposits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"arica-toxic-sludge","tier":"short","title":"20,000 tonnes of arsenic-bearing sludge sent to Arica were left exposed","dek":"The Ecologist reported in 2019 that a Swedish firm exported toxic waste to Chile, where 20,000 tonnes of sludge were left in the open. The cited sources do not report effects on the surrounding environment.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-18.48,"lon":-70.31,"role":"event"},{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"origin"}],"lat":-18.48,"lon":-70.31,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Ecologist reported in March 2019 that 20,000 tonnes of sludge sent to Arica, Chile, was left in the open.","According to the cited sources, the sludge was arsenic-bearing.","The cited sources say Boliden won the case, and the claimants paid 3.2 million euros in costs."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 20,000 tonnes of arsenic-bearing sludge sent to Arica, Chile, was left in the open.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Boliden","what":"won the case","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Claimants (not named in the sources)","what":"paid 3.2 million euros in court costs","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Arica, Chile, after export from Sweden.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sludge reported in March 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The waste was exported from Sweden to Arica and left in the open; the cited sources do not describe the disposal route.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sludge_tonnes","value":20000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"note":"Sludge sent to Arica"},{"key":"claimant_costs_eur_million","value":3200000,"unit":"euro","year":2019,"note":"Court costs paid by the claimants"}],"legal":[{"title":"Arica sludge case","forum":"","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","kind":"civil","claimant":"Claimants (not named in the sources)","defendant":"Boliden","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"defendant-won","summary":"The cited sources say Boliden won the case and the claimants paid 3.2 million euros in costs.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Promel went insolvent.","Unconfirmed: the case was dismissed on limitation grounds.","The cited sources do not state the court or the legal ground for the outcome.","The cited sources do not report harm to people or the environment in Arica.","The cited sources do not report whether the sludge has been removed."],"sources":[{"t":"Swedish firm exported toxic waste to Chile","p":"The Ecologist","d":"2019-03","u":"https://theecologist.org/2019/mar/25/swedish-firm-exported-toxic-waste-chile","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412231309/https://theecologist.org/2019/mar/25/swedish-firm-exported-toxic-waste-chile"}],"actors":[{"id":"boliden","role":"Reported to have won the case"},{"id":"promel","role":"Named in the case; role: none on record"}],"mechanism":"cross-border sludge export","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"20,000 tonnes of arsenic-bearing sludge sent to Arica were left in the open on me, The Ecologist reported in March 2019.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Promel went insolvent.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the case was dismissed on limitation grounds.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the court or the legal ground for the outcome.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report harm to people or the environment in Arica.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report whether the sludge has been removed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hydro-alunorte-tailings-overflow","tier":"short","title":"Brazilian expert report confirms leak at Hydro Alunorte tailings deposit","dek":"An expert report reported by IHU Unisinos confirmed a leak from Hydro Alunorte's toxic tailings deposit in Pará in 2018. The cited sources say lead, aluminium and sodium levels in the water rose, and the company denied the overflow.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-1.51,"lon":-48.62,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.51,"lon":-48.62,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["IHU Unisinos reported that an expert report confirmed a leak from Hydro Alunorte's toxic tailings deposit in Pará, Brazil, in February 2018.","According to the cited sources, the deposit overflowed and lead, aluminium and sodium levels in the water rose.","The company denied the overflow, according to the same sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An expert report confirmed a leak from Hydro Alunorte's toxic tailings deposit in Pará, according to IHU Unisinos.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Barcarena, Pará, Brazil.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported February 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The leak came from a toxic tailings deposit; the cited sources do not describe the cause.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not report the cause of the leak.","The cited sources do not report effects on people or ecosystems in Barcarena.","The cited sources do not state what clean-up or remediation followed."],"sources":[{"t":"Laudo confirma vazamento em depósito de rejeitos tóxicos de mineradora Hydro Alunorte no Pará","p":"IHU Unisinos","d":"2018-02","u":"https://ihu.unisinos.br/categorias/576364-laudo-confirma-vazamento-em-deposito-de-rejeitos-toxicos-de-mineradora-hydro-alunorte-no-para","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260310105028/https://www.ihu.unisinos.br/categorias/576364-laudo-confirma-vazamento-em-deposito-de-rejeitos-toxicos-de-mineradora-hydro-alunorte-no-para"}],"actors":[{"id":"hydro-alunorte","role":"company named in the report; denied the overflow"}],"mechanism":"tailings deposit leak","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report the cause of the leak.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report effects on people or ecosystems in Barcarena.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state what clean-up or remediation followed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"giant-mine-arsenic-freezing","tier":"short","title":"Canada's Giant Mine arsenic cleanup cost rises to CAD 4.38 billion","dek":"The federal cost of cleaning up the former Giant Mine in Yellowknife has reached CAD 4.38 billion. About 237,000 tonnes of arsenic are to be frozen, with cooling and monitoring needed indefinitely.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Northwest Territories","lat":62.45,"lon":-114.37,"role":"event"}],"lat":62.45,"lon":-114.37,"approxCoords":true,"start":1948,"end":2038,"instrument":"mining","happened":["CBC reported in August 2022 that the federal cost of remediating Giant Mine had risen to CAD 4.38 billion; its former owner, Royal Oak, had been placed in receivership in 1999.","Cabin Radio reported that the full CAD 4.38 billion was public money and that about 237,000 tonnes of arsenic would be frozen.","Cabin Radio also reported an estimate of about CAD 1 billion for cleanup and about CAD 2 million a year in maintenance, which would last indefinitely."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Remediation of the abandoned Giant Mine in Yellowknife, including freezing about 237,000 tonnes of arsenic and indefinite maintenance.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Mine span given as 1948 to 2038; owner placed in receivership in 1999; cost update reported in August 2022.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The arsenic is to be frozen, followed by endless cooling and monitoring, with the federal government funding the remediation.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"federal_remediation_cost","value":4380000000,"unit":"CAD","year":2022,"note":"Federal cost of remediation (CBC, August 2022)"},{"key":"cleanup_estimate","value":1000000000,"unit":"CAD","year":2022,"note":"Cleanup estimate (Cabin Radio); scope not reconciled with the federal cost"},{"key":"annual_maintenance","value":2000000,"unit":"CAD a year","year":2022,"note":"Maintenance expected indefinitely (Cabin Radio)"},{"key":"arsenic_to_be_frozen","value":237000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2022,"note":"Arsenic to be frozen (Cabin Radio)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who gained from the mine's operations or who was harmed by the arsenic.","The CAD 1 billion cleanup estimate and the CAD 4.38 billion federal cost are reported without reconciliation of their scope.","The cited sources do not explain what the 1948 to 2038 span marks at its end."],"sources":[{"t":"Cleaning up Giant Mine will take longer and cost much more than planned","p":"Cabin Radio","d":"2022","u":"https://cabinradio.ca/105221/news/yellowknife/cleaning-up-giant-mine-will-take-longer-and-cost-much-more-than-planned","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107065714/https://cabinradio.ca/105221/news/yellowknife/cleaning-up-giant-mine-will-take-longer-and-cost-much-more-than-planned/"},{"t":"Cost of cleaning up Yellowknife's Giant Mine now pegged at 4.38B","p":"CBC","d":"2022-08","u":"https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.6647952","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164539/https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.6647952"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Federal government funding the remediation"},{"id":"royal-oak","role":"Former owner; placed in receivership in 1999"}],"mechanism":"arsenic freezing and monitoring","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 237,000 tonnes of arsenic at Giant Mine are to be frozen in me, with cooling and monitoring needed indefinitely, Cabin Radio reported in 2022.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained from the mine's operations or who was harmed by the arsenic.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The CAD 1 billion cleanup estimate and the CAD 4.38 billion federal cost are reported without reconciliation of their scope.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not explain what the 1948 to 2038 span marks at its end.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"north-mara-mine-pollution-fine","tier":"short","title":"Tanzania fines Acacia Mining USD 2.4 million over alleged North Mara pollution","dek":"Tanzania fined Acacia Mining USD 2.4 million in 2019 over an alleged leak from the North Mara mine. Barrick says it later invested USD 65 million in treatment.","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","places":[{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":null,"lat":-1.45,"lon":34.05,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.45,"lon":34.05,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The EastAfrican reported in 2019 that Tanzania fined Acacia Mining USD 2.4 million over an alleged leak from the North Mara mine.","Barrick says it later invested USD 65 million in treatment; this figure is the company's own statement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A USD 2.4 million fine for alleged leakage from the North Mara mine in Tanzania.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"North Mara mine, Tanzania.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2019, as reported by The EastAfrican.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tanzanian authorities fined the operator over an alleged leak; Barrick says it then invested USD 65 million in treatment.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_for_alleged_leak","value":2400000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"note":"Fine imposed on the operator (The EastAfrican)"},{"key":"treatment_investment_claimed","value":65000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Barrick statement; not independently verified"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the USD 65 million treatment investment rests on Barrick's own statement.","A Swahili-language search returned no usable record for the case, so the record rests on one news article.","The cited sources do not say what was measured, how long the leak lasted or what harm resulted.","The cited sources do not say whether the fine was paid or appealed."],"sources":[{"t":"Tanzania fines Acacia Mining 2.4mn over alleged pollution","p":"The EastAfrican","d":"2019","u":"https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business-tech/tanzania-fines-acacia-mining-2-4mn-over-alleged-pollution-1418370","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"acacia-mining","role":"Operator fined over alleged leak"},{"id":"barrick","role":"Says it invested USD 65 million in treatment"}],"mechanism":"mine pollution fine","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2019 Tanzania fined Acacia Mining USD 2.4 million over alleged pollution of me from the North Mara mine, The EastAfrican reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the USD 65 million treatment investment rests on Barrick's own statement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Swahili-language search returned no usable record for the case, so the record rests on one news article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what was measured, how long the leak lasted or what harm resulted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the fine was paid or appealed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"thailand-illegal-e-waste-recycling-plants","tier":"short","title":"Nine of ten e-waste storage sites in Thailand found unlicensed in 2024","dek":"A 2024 inspection found nine of 10 e-waste storage sites in Thailand to be unlicensed, with lead and arsenic detected. The Thaiger described the operators as nominee-run Chinese recycling plants that leaked toxic waste.","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","places":[{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":null,"lat":15.87,"lon":100.99,"role":"event"}],"lat":15.87,"lon":100.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Thaiger reported that a 2024 inspection found nine of 10 e-waste storage sites in Thailand to be unlicensed.","Lead and arsenic were also found, and the article described the plants as nominee-run Chinese recycling plants that leaked toxic waste across Thailand."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Inspection of e-waste storage sites in Thailand in 2024; nine of 10 were unlicensed and lead and arsenic were found.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Thailand, across several sites.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 inspection, reported in 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Chinese recycling plants run by nominees operated without licences and leaked toxic waste, according to The Thaiger.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"storage_sites_inspected","value":10,"unit":"storage sites","year":2024,"note":"Sites inspected (The Thaiger)"},{"key":"storage_sites_unlicensed","value":9,"unit":"storage sites","year":2024,"note":"Sites found unlicensed (The Thaiger)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 12 e-waste plant closures in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia in 2024 and 2025; the reference has no link in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: after China's 2018 ban, e-waste flows moved to Thailand.","The cited sources do not name the operators or the sites, give the lead or arsenic amounts, or report any penalties.","The cited sources do not say whether the sites were closed or the waste removed."],"sources":[{"t":"Nominee-run Chinese recycling plants leaked toxic waste across Thailand","p":"The Thaiger","d":"2024","u":"https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/economy/nominee-run-chinese-recycling-plants-leaked-toxic-waste-across-thailand","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260703063929/https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/economy/nominee-run-chinese-recycling-plants-leaked-toxic-waste-across-thailand"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"unlicensed e-waste recycling","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Of 10 e-waste storage sites on me in Thailand inspected in 2024, nine were unlicensed, and lead and arsenic were found, The Thaiger reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 12 e-waste plant closures in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia in 2024 and 2025; the reference has no link in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: after China's 2018 ban, e-waste flows moved to Thailand.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the operators or the sites, give the lead or arsenic amounts, or report any penalties.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the sites were closed or the waste removed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coca-cola-and-the-ocean-cleanup-partnership","tier":"short","title":"Coca-Cola's partner The Ocean Cleanup reports 25 million kg collected in 2025","dek":"Coca-Cola has been a global partner of The Ocean Cleanup since 2021, and the cleanup reports more than 25 million kg collected in 2025. The system's effects on marine life, including bycatch, are disputed.","country":"International","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"International","iso2":"","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["The Ocean Cleanup reported that it collected more than 25 million kg of plastic in 2025, bringing its cumulative total to more than 45 million kg; the ocean and river split was not published. Coca-Cola has been a global partner since 2021.","The Atlantic reported in January 2019 that the system could destroy the neuston, the surface-dwelling ecosystem; The Ocean Cleanup replied in February 2019 that it had found no evidence the neuston was at risk.","A 2025 net-benefit study found that fish made up about 84% of incidental catch by count and that endangered and vulnerable turtles had been caught; seven of its 22 authors work for The Ocean Cleanup.","The Dutch government commissioned a review of the operator's impact assessment, dated 31 October 2024; The Ocean Cleanup committed to revise the assessment."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coca-Cola is a named partner of The Ocean Cleanup, whose systems reported more than 25 million kg collected in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Coca-Cola Company","what":"named as a partner for Interceptors in Asia and the United States","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fish and endangered turtles","what":"caught as incidental catch, according to a 2025 net-benefit study","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Interceptors in Asia and the United States; the 2025 ocean and river split was not published.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Partnership since 2021; 2025 collection figures reported in The Ocean Cleanup's 2025 review.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Interceptor devices collect plastic from rivers and the ocean; The Ocean Cleanup reports the tonnage it collects.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"collected_2025","value":25000000,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"note":"More than 25 million kg; ocean and river split not published"},{"key":"cumulative_collected","value":45000000,"unit":"kg","year":2025,"note":"More than 45 million kg cumulative"},{"key":"incidental_catch_fish_share","value":84,"unit":"% of incidental catch by count","year":2025,"note":"Egger et al. 2025 net-benefit study"},{"key":"modelled_removal_200_devices","value":44900,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Modelled removal by 200 devices running 2020 to 2150 (Exeter/Hohn 2020)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the value of Coca-Cola's contribution to the partnership.","The Ocean Cleanup has not published a cost per kilogram, and its 2024 accounts were not reviewed.","The operator's dashboard states that catch numbers are not verified by DNV in real time.","The bycatch quantity specific to Velella was not found, and the supplementary table of the 2025 study was not read.","The conclusions of the Dutch government review and the revised impact assessment were not read.","The cited sources do not show independent measurement of effects on the neuston."],"sources":[{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup: 2025 in review","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2026-01","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826085237/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/2025-in-review-the-ocean-cleanup/"},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup Annual Report 2023","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2024","u":"https://assets.theoceancleanup.com/app/uploads/2024/06/TheOceanCleanup_Annual_Report_2023.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914104722/https://assets.theoceancleanup.com/app/uploads/2024/06/TheOceanCleanup_Annual_Report_2023.pdf"},{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup and the neuston","p":"The Ocean Cleanup","d":"2019-02-06","u":"https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-and-the-neuston/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825073748/https://theoceancleanup.com/updates/the-ocean-cleanup-and-the-neuston/"},{"t":"Moving from symptom management to upstream plastics prevention: The fallacy of plastic cleanup technology","p":"One Earth","d":"2023","u":"https://epic.awi.de/58732/1/Bergmann_et_al_2023_OneEarth.pdf","type":"academic"},{"t":"Review of The Ocean Cleanup","p":"Government of the Netherlands","d":"2024-10-31","u":"https://www.government.nl/documents/2024/10/31/review-of-the-ocean-cleanup","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617063123/https://www.government.nl/documents/2024/10/31/review-of-the-ocean-cleanup"}],"actors":[{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Named global partner since 2021"},{"id":"the-ocean-cleanup","role":"Operator of the cleanup systems"},{"id":"dutch-ministry-infrastructure-water","role":"Commissioned review of the impact assessment"}],"mechanism":"river and ocean plastic capture","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Ocean Cleanup reports it collected more than 25 million kg of plastic from me in 2025, and more than 45 million kg in all.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the value of Coca-Cola's contribution to the partnership.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The Ocean Cleanup has not published a cost per kilogram, and its 2024 accounts were not reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The operator's dashboard states that catch numbers are not verified by DNV in real time.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The bycatch quantity specific to Velella was not found, and the supplementary table of the 2025 study was not read.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The conclusions of the Dutch government review and the revised impact assessment were not read.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show independent measurement of effects on the neuston.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Fish and endangered turtles"]},{"id":"keurig-recyclable-pod-claim-penalties","tier":"short","title":"US regulator said Keurig did not disclose recycler doubts about pod recycling","dek":"The US Securities and Exchange Commission set a USD 1.5 million penalty against Keurig Dr Pepper in 2024, saying the company had not disclosed recycler doubts about its pod recycling claim. Keurig Canada had earlier agreed to a CAD 3 million penalty over recyclable-pod claims.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Canadian Competition Bureau reported in January 2022 that Keurig Canada agreed to pay a CAD 3 million penalty to settle concerns over coffee pod recycling claims.","The US Securities and Exchange Commission said in September 2024 that Keurig Dr Pepper had not disclosed in its annual reports that two large recycling companies had doubts about the pods' recycling claim, and set a USD 1.5 million penalty."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Keurig faced a CAD 3 million Canadian penalty over recyclable-pod claims in 2022 and a USD 1.5 million SEC penalty in 2024 for not disclosing recycler doubts.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Canada and the United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Canadian settlement in January 2022; SEC penalty in September 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A Canadian settlement over recyclable-pod claims; an SEC finding that the company did not disclose recycler doubts in its annual reports.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"canada_penalty","value":3000000,"unit":"CAD","year":2022,"note":"Penalty agreed by Keurig Canada (Competition Bureau Canada)"},{"key":"sec_penalty","value":1500000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Penalty against Keurig Dr Pepper (SEC)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a USD 10 million US class action settlement, given final approval in 2023.","Unconfirmed: the Canadian settlement included a CAD 0.8 million donation and a CAD 85,000 payment; the cited sources do not detail them.","The cited sources do not name the two recycling companies whose doubts were not disclosed.","The cited sources do not say whether the SEC penalty was paid or contested."],"sources":[{"t":"Keurig Canada to pay 3 million penalty","p":"Competition Bureau Canada","d":"2022-01-06","u":"https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2022/01/keurig-canada-to-pay-3-million-penalty-to-settle-competition-bureaus-concerns-over-coffee-pod-recycling-claims.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261004132732/https://www.canada.ca/en/competition-bureau/news/2022/01/keurig-canada-to-pay-3-million-penalty-to-settle-competition-bureaus-concerns-over-coffee-pod-recycling-claims.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"keurig-dr-pepper","role":"Subject of the SEC penalty"},{"id":"keurig-canada","role":"Agreed the Canadian penalty"},{"id":"competition-bureau-canada","role":"Canadian regulator"},{"id":"sec","role":"US regulator"}],"mechanism":"recyclable pod claim penalties","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a USD 10 million US class action settlement, given final approval in 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Canadian settlement included a CAD 0.8 million donation and a CAD 85,000 payment; the cited sources do not detail them.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the two recycling companies whose doubts were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the SEC penalty was paid or contested.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"accc-v-woolworths-biodegradable-claim","tier":"short","title":"Australian regulator loses case against Woolworths over biodegradable claim","dek":"Australia's competition regulator lost a court case against Woolworths over its claim that plates were biodegradable, and the judge criticised the regulator for not running its own test.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["SmartCompany reported that the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) lost a key court case against Woolworths over its claim that its plates were biodegradable or compostable.","The judge questioned the claim and criticised the ACCC for not conducting its own test of the product."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The ACCC lost its case against Woolworths over a biodegradable or compostable claim for its plates.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Woolworths","what":"successfully defended its biodegradable or compostable claim in court","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"ACCC","what":"lost the case","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia; the court is not on record.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 to 2025, as reported by SmartCompany.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The ACCC brought proceedings over the claim; the court decided against the regulator, and the judge criticised it for not testing the claim itself.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"ACCC v Woolworths (biodegradable claim)","forum":"Australian court (name: none on record)","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Australian Competition and Consumer Commission","defendant":"Woolworths","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"defendant-won","summary":"The ACCC lost the case. The judge questioned the biodegradable claim and criticised the regulator for not conducting its own test.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the court or the judge, or give the decision date.","The cited sources do not give the full wording of the claim or the testing the court considered.","The cited sources do not say whether the ACCC has appealed."],"sources":[{"t":"Judge questions Woolies' biodegradable claim after ACCC loses key court case","p":"SmartCompany","d":"2024-2025","u":"https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/legal/woolworths-accc-eco-friendly/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220520065952/https://www.smartcompany.com.au/business-advice/legal/woolworths-accc-eco-friendly/"}],"actors":[{"id":"accc","role":"Regulator that brought the case; lost"},{"id":"woolworths","role":"Defendant; won the case"}],"mechanism":"biodegradable claim litigation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court or the judge, or give the decision date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the full wording of the claim or the testing the court considered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the ACCC has appealed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coca-cola-and-unilever-plastic-target-rollbacks","tier":"short","title":"Coca-Cola and Unilever revise plastic packaging targets","dek":"In 2024 Coca-Cola dropped a 25% reuse target and moved its recycled-content goal from 50% to 35–40%, deferred to 2035. Unilever revised its virgin plastic reduction target to 30% by 2026 and 40% by 2028.","country":"International","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"International","iso2":"","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Packaging Dive reported in December 2024 that Coca-Cola dropped its 25% reuse target, cut its recycled-content target from 50% to 35–40% and deferred it to 2035, and lowered its collection target to 70–75%.","Packaging Europe reported in April 2024 that Unilever scaled back its target to halve virgin plastic by 2025, to a 30% reduction by 2026 and 40% by 2028."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coca-Cola dropped its 25% reuse target and lowered its recycled-content and collection targets; Unilever cut its virgin plastic reduction target and extended the deadline.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Company-wide targets, as reported.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Unilever's change reported in April 2024; Coca-Cola's in December 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The companies revised their packaging goals, as reported by trade press.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"coca_cola_reuse_target_removed","value":25,"unit":"% reuse target, removed","year":2024,"note":"Reuse target dropped (Packaging Dive)"},{"key":"coca_cola_recycled_content_original","value":50,"unit":"% recycled content (original target)","year":2024,"note":"Revised to 35–40% and deferred to 2035"},{"key":"unilever_virgin_plastic_original","value":50,"unit":"% virgin plastic reduction (original, by 2025)","year":2024,"note":"Revised to 30% by 2026 and 40% by 2028 (Packaging Europe)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the companies' reasons for the revisions.","The cited sources do not give the volumes of plastic covered by the revised targets.","The cited sources do not say whether either company has reported progress against the revised targets.","The cited sources do not describe the controversy referred to in the Packaging Europe headline."],"sources":[{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Packaging Dive","d":"2024-12","u":"https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422182133/https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/"},{"t":"Unilever's reduced and extended plastic reduction target causes controversy","p":"Packaging Europe","d":"2024-04","u":"https://packagingeurope.com/news/unilevers-reduced-and-extended-plastic-reduction-target-causes-controversy/11275.article","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723165140/https://packagingeurope.com/news/unilevers-reduced-and-extended-plastic-reduction-target-causes-controversy/11275.article"}],"actors":[{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Revised its packaging targets"},{"id":"unilever","role":"Revised its virgin plastic reduction target"}],"mechanism":"voluntary plastic packaging targets","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["coca-cola-plastic-pledges-and-brand-audits"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the companies' reasons for the revisions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volumes of plastic covered by the revised targets.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether either company has reported progress against the revised targets.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the controversy referred to in the Packaging Europe headline.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lucknow-medical-waste-incinerator-dioxin-eggs","tier":"short","title":"Dioxin found in eggs near Lucknow medical waste incinerator","dek":"IPEN reported that eggs near a medical waste incinerator in Lucknow, India, contained dioxin at 16 times background and five times the EU limit. The case concerns dioxin contamination of food near incineration.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":26.85,"lon":80.95,"role":"event"}],"lat":26.85,"lon":80.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["IPEN reported that eggs sampled near a medical waste incinerator in Lucknow contained dioxin at 16 times background levels and five times the EU limit.","IPEN's sampling also covered cement kilns."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dioxin found in eggs sampled near a medical waste incinerator in Lucknow, India, at 16 times background and five times the EU limit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Consumers of eggs from hens near the incinerator","what":"eggs sampled contained dioxin above the EU limit","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Near a medical waste incinerator in Lucknow, India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sampling date not stated in the cited sources.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Eggs from hens near the incinerator were sampled for dioxin; the sampling also covered cement kilns.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"dioxin_vs_background","value":16,"unit":"times background","year":null,"note":"Eggs near the incinerator (IPEN)"},{"key":"dioxin_vs_eu_limit","value":5,"unit":"times EU limit","year":null,"note":"Eggs near the incinerator (IPEN)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the incinerator's operator or say whether it has been penalised or inspected since.","The sampling date, number of eggs and sampling method are not on record.","The cited sources do not give separate results for the cement kilns sampled.","The cited sources do not say whether any human health effects were recorded."],"sources":[{"t":"Lucknow eggs report","p":"IPEN","d":"","u":"https://ipen.org/project-reports/lucknow-eggs-report","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260304223652/https://ipen.org/project-reports/lucknow-eggs-report"}],"actors":[{"id":"ipen","role":"Published the egg sampling findings"}],"mechanism":"medical waste incineration","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Eggs from my ground near a medical waste incinerator in Lucknow contained dioxin at 16 times background and five times the EU limit, IPEN reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the incinerator's operator or say whether it has been penalised or inspected since.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sampling date, number of eggs and sampling method are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give separate results for the cement kilns sampled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any human health effects were recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"korea-sofa-base-returns-cleanup","tier":"short","title":"South Korea agrees to pay first for cleanup of 12 returned US bases","dek":"In December 2020 South Korea and the United States agreed at a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) meeting that the Korean government would bear cleanup costs first for 12 returned bases. The arrangement leaves the initial cost of contamination with the host state.","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":null,"lat":36.5,"lon":127.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.5,"lon":127.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2020,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Hankyung reported in December 2020 that the United States and South Korea agreed at a SOFA meeting that the Korean government would bear cleanup costs first.","The arrangement covered 12 bases returned under the SOFA."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Cleanup costs of 12 US bases returned under the SOFA were taken on first by the South Korean government.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"South Korean government","what":"bears cleanup costs first for 12 returned bases","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"South Korea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Agreed at a SOFA meeting; reported in December 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A SOFA meeting agreement set the Korean government as first payer of cleanup costs for returned bases.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"bases_returned_under_sofa","value":12,"unit":"bases","year":2020,"note":"Returned under the SOFA; Korean government bears cleanup costs first (Hankyung)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the bases, the contamination found or the cleanup amounts spent.","The cited sources do not say whether the United States later shared or reimbursed the costs.","Unconfirmed: SOFA agreements take foreign bases out of host-country environmental oversight; the reference cited has no link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"한미, SOFA회의서 합의…정부가 정화비용 우선 부담","p":"Hankyung","d":"2020-12","u":"https://www.hankyung.com/amp/202012119278Y","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"republic-of-korea-government","role":"Bears cleanup costs first for returned bases"},{"id":"united-states-government","role":"Party to the SOFA agreement"}],"mechanism":"host-state cleanup cost-sharing","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the bases, the contamination found or the cleanup amounts spent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the United States later shared or reimbursed the costs.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: SOFA agreements take foreign bases out of host-country environmental oversight; the reference cited has no link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"subic-and-clark-bases-pollution","tier":"short","title":"Pollution at Subic and Clark linked to deaths; US says it has no clean-up duty","dek":"The United States argues it has no clean-up obligation at the former Subic and Clark bases in the Philippines, where military pollution has been linked to deaths. The cited sources do not describe the contamination itself, so its extent is not established.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":14.9,"lon":120.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.9,"lon":120.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Stars and Stripes reported in February 2010 that the United States argues it has no clean-up obligation at Subic and Clark.","The same report links US military pollution in the Philippines to deaths."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US military pollution at the Subic and Clark bases linked to deaths; the US argues it has no clean-up obligation","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"United States government","what":"Argues it has no clean-up obligation at Subic and Clark","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People who died (not named in the source)","what":"Deaths the report links to the pollution","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Subic and Clark, Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in February 2010; the period of the pollution is not on record","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The mechanism of the pollution is not on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the number of deaths linked to the pollution or name the pollutants.","No clean-up, compensation or payment is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Decades later, US military pollution in Philippines linked to deaths","p":"Stars and Stripes","d":"2010-02","u":"https://www.stripes.com/news/2010-02-02/decades-later-us-military-pollution-in-philippines-linked-to-deaths-1993190.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260118013411/https://www.stripes.com/news/2010-02-02/decades-later-us-military-pollution-in-philippines-linked-to-deaths-1993190.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"united-states-government","role":"Argues it has no clean-up obligation at Subic and Clark"}],"mechanism":"base clean-up liability dispute","types":["law-policy","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of deaths linked to the pollution or name the pollutants.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No clean-up, compensation or payment is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"panama-former-firing-ranges-cleanup","tier":"short","title":"Panama asks US to clean up chemical weapons and munitions it left behind","dek":"Panama has asked the United States to clean up chemical weapons and munitions it left on an island, and is having the work done with its own budget. The cited sources do not state the cost, the exact sites or the extent of the contamination.","country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","places":[{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","admin":null,"lat":8.98,"lon":-79.52,"role":"event"}],"lat":8.98,"lon":-79.52,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The Christian Science Monitor reported in 2013 that Panama asked the United States to clean up chemical weapons and munitions it left on an island.","According to the Christian Science Monitor and La Prensa, Panama is having the clean-up carried out with its own budget."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Panama asks the US to clean up chemical weapons and munitions; Panama pays for the work from its own budget","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Panama","what":"Pays for the clean-up from its own budget","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Panama, on an island (not named in the cited sources)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2013; when the weapons were left is not on record","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Chemical weapons and munitions were left on the island; the sources do not describe how they were left or how they are being cleared.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the cost of the clean-up or the amount Panama has spent.","The cited sources do not say whether the United States has accepted responsibility or agreed to pay.","The cited sources do not state the types or quantities of chemical weapons involved, or whether the work has been completed."],"sources":[{"t":"Panama presses US to clean up chemical weapons it left on island","p":"Christian Science Monitor","d":"2013","u":"https://csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2013/1017/Panama-presses-US-to-clean-up-chemical-weapons-it-left-on-island","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213224115/https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2013/1017/Panama-presses-US-to-clean-up-chemical-weapons-it-left-on-island"},{"t":"La Prensa (Panama) report","p":"La Prensa","d":"2013","u":"https://www.prensa.com/impresa/panorama/Consejo-Gabinete-autoriza-contratacion-poligonos_0_5168483179.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"panama-government","role":"Asks the US to clean up and pays for the work from its own budget"},{"id":"united-states-government","role":"Asked to clean up chemical weapons and munitions left in Panama"}],"mechanism":"foreign-left munitions clean-up","types":["chemical-pollution","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["war:peacetime-military","war:special-weapons","war:explosions-munitions"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the cost of the clean-up or the amount Panama has spent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the United States has accepted responsibility or agreed to pay.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the types or quantities of chemical weapons involved, or whether the work has been completed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"vieques-and-culebra-cleanup","tier":"short","title":"Vieques and Culebra military clean-up expected to cost about $800 million","dek":"The US military's clean-up of Vieques and Culebra in Puerto Rico is expected to cost about $800 million and to last until 2032. NBC News reported that about 32,000 bombs had been removed. The cited sources do not describe the land or water affected.","country":"Puerto Rico","iso2":"PR","places":[{"country":"Puerto Rico","iso2":"PR","admin":"Vieques and Culebra","lat":18.2,"lon":-65.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":18.2,"lon":-65.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2032,"instrument":"water","happened":["NBC News reported in 2021 that the clean-up of Vieques and Culebra by the US military is expected to cost about $800 million.","According to the same report, the clean-up is expected to continue until 2032.","NBC News reported that about 32,000 bombs had been removed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US military clean-up of Vieques and Culebra, expected to cost about $800 million","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Vieques and Culebra, Puerto Rico","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2021; the clean-up is expected to last until 2032","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Clearance of military munitions; about 32,000 bombs had been removed, per NBC News","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"estimated_cost","value":800000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"approximate estimate of total clean-up cost, in a 2021 source"},{"key":"bombs_removed","value":32000,"unit":"bombs","year":null,"note":"number removed, in a 2021 source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who pays for the clean-up beyond the US military, or who was harmed by the munitions.","The cited sources do not state the start date of the clean-up or the area it covers."],"sources":[{"t":"Puerto Rico cleanup by U.S. military will take more than a decade","p":"NBC News","d":"2021","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-cleanup-us-military-will-take-decade-rcna529","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250324215418/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-cleanup-us-military-will-take-decade-rcna529"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-military","role":"Carries out the clean-up of Vieques and Culebra"}],"mechanism":"military munitions clean-up","types":["water","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 32,000 bombs have been removed from my islands of Vieques and Culebra; the clean-up is expected to cost about $800 million and last until 2032, NBC News reported in 2021.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military","war:explosions-munitions"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who pays for the clean-up beyond the US military, or who was harmed by the munitions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the start date of the clean-up or the area it covers.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cano-limon-covenas-pipeline-attacks","tier":"short","title":"Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline suffered 1,500 attacks in 30 years","dek":"Attacks on Colombia's Caño Limón-Coveñas oil pipeline over 30 years released about 3.5 million barrels of oil, according to Portafolio. The cited sources do not describe the land or waters affected.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":7.9,"lon":-73.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":7.9,"lon":-73.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"pipeline","happened":["Portafolio reported in 2018 that the Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline in Colombia had been attacked about 1,500 times in 30 years.","The same report put the oil spilled at approximately 3.5 million barrels."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 1,500 attacks on the pipeline in 30 years, with approximately 3.5 million barrels of oil spilled","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline, Colombia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Figures cover 30 years; the Portafolio article is dated 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Attacks on the pipeline released oil; the sources do not describe the methods used","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"attacks","value":1500,"unit":"attacks","year":null,"note":"over 30 years"},{"key":"oil_spilled","value":3500000,"unit":"barrels","year":null,"note":"approximate; over 30 years"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who carried out the attacks or who paid for the clean-up.","The cited sources do not describe the land or waterways affected by the spills.","The cited sources do not give a year-by-year breakdown of the attacks."],"sources":[{"t":"En 2018 casi se duplica número de atentados a los oleoductos","p":"Portafolio","d":"2018","u":"https://www.portafolio.co/economia/en-2018-casi-se-duplica-numero-de-atentados-a-los-oleoductos-525258","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240521013554/https://www.portafolio.co/economia/en-2018-casi-se-duplica-numero-de-atentados-a-los-oleoductos-525258"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"attacks on oil pipeline","types":["pipeline"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 3.5 million barrels of oil have spilled onto me in about 1,500 attacks on the Caño Limón-Coveñas pipeline over 30 years, Portafolio reported in 2018.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who carried out the attacks or who paid for the clean-up.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the land or waterways affected by the spills.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a year-by-year breakdown of the attacks.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gorongosa-national-park-war-recovery","tier":"short","title":"Gorongosa's large-mammal biomass largely recovered after war-time collapse","dek":"Large-mammal biomass in Gorongosa, Mozambique, fell by more than 90% during the war and has largely returned, a 2019 study reports. The share of elephant, hippo and buffalo fell from 89% to 23%, so the recovery is uneven across species.","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":null,"lat":-18.97,"lon":34.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":-18.97,"lon":34.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["A 2019 study published in PLOS ONE reported that large-mammal biomass in Gorongosa fell by more than 90% during the war.","Biomass has largely returned, but the share of elephant, hippo and buffalo fell from 89% to 23%."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Large-mammal biomass in Gorongosa fell by more than 90% in the war and has largely returned","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Large-mammal biomass","what":"Has largely returned since the war, per the study","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Large mammals in Gorongosa","what":"Biomass fell by more than 90% during the war","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Gorongosa, Mozambique","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study dated 2019; the years of the war are not on record","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Biomass collapse during the war and asymmetric recovery across species, per the study","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"biomass_fall_during_war","value":90,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"more than 90% fall in large-mammal biomass during the war"},{"key":"elephant_hippo_buffalo_share_before","value":89,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"share of the total before the change the study reports"},{"key":"elephant_hippo_buffalo_share_after","value":23,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"share of the total after the change the study reports"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the years of the war or the dates of the surveys.","The cited sources do not establish what caused the recovery.","Unconfirmed: the Carr Foundation's 20-year partnership in Gorongosa began in 2008 and was extended to 2043."],"sources":[{"t":"War-induced collapse and asymmetric recovery of large-mammal populations in Gorongosa","p":"PLOS ONE (via PMC)","d":"2019","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6415879","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260914092457/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6415879/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"war-driven wildlife collapse","types":["protected-area","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My large-mammal biomass at Gorongosa fell by more than 90% during the war and has largely returned; the share of elephant, hippo and buffalo fell from 89% to 23%, a 2019 study reports.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:conflict-economy"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the years of the war or the dates of the surveys.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not establish what caused the recovery.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Carr Foundation's 20-year partnership in Gorongosa began in 2008 and was extended to 2043.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nepal-army-anti-poaching-in-protected-areas","tier":"short","title":"Nepal Army guards 14 protected areas; rhino count rose to 752","dek":"Nepal's army protects 14 protected areas with about 8,000 soldiers, and the rhino count there has risen to 752, Mongabay reported in 2025. Poaching had increased during the conflict years.","country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","places":[{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":null,"lat":28.39,"lon":84.12,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.39,"lon":84.12,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Mongabay reported in February 2025 that Nepal's army protects 14 protected areas with about 8,000 soldiers.","The same report says the rhino count in those areas has risen to 752.","According to the report, poaching had increased in the conflict years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nepal's army protects 14 protected areas with about 8,000 soldiers; the rhino count rose to 752","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rhinoceros population","what":"Count rose to 752, per Mongabay","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Wildlife in the protected areas","what":"Poaching had increased in the conflict years","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Nepal, 14 protected areas (not listed in the source)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Source dated February 2025; the conflict years and deployment dates are not stated","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Army personnel guard the protected areas; the source does not describe the method in detail","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"soldiers_deployed","value":8000,"unit":"soldiers","year":null,"note":"approximate; source dated February 2025"},{"key":"protected_areas_guarded","value":14,"unit":"protected areas","year":null,"note":"source dated February 2025"},{"key":"rhinos","value":752,"unit":"rhinos","year":null,"note":"year of the count not stated in the source entry"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the effect of the army's presence on local communities.","The year of the rhino count is not stated in the source entry.","The source entry does not name the 14 protected areas."],"sources":[{"t":"Military-backed conservation without firing a single shot","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-02","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/military-backed-conservation-without-firing-a-single-shot-interview-with-nepals-babu-krishna-karki","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516060710/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/02/military-backed-conservation-without-firing-a-single-shot-interview-with-nepals-babu-krishna-karki/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nepal-army","role":"Guards 14 protected areas with about 8,000 soldiers"}],"mechanism":"army-run anti-poaching protection","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Nepal's army, with about 8,000 soldiers, guards 14 of my protected areas, where the rhino count has risen to 752, Mongabay reported in February 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the effect of the army's presence on local communities.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The year of the rhino count is not stated in the source entry.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source entry does not name the 14 protected areas.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"m23-control-of-virunga-area-and-charcoal-taxation","tier":"short","title":"M23 controls area around Virunga as forest loss doubles in southern sector","dek":"Mongabay reported in March 2025 that the M23 armed group controls the area around Virunga, where forest loss in the southern sector has doubled. Armed groups there tax charcoal, the report said.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":-1,"lon":29.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1,"lon":29.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Mongabay reported in March 2025 that M23 controls the area around Virunga.","The report said forest loss in the southern sector had doubled.","It also reported that armed groups tax charcoal."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"M23 control of the Virunga area, doubled forest loss in the southern sector, and charcoal taxation","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Armed groups","what":"Tax charcoal, per Mongabay","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Forests in the southern sector","what":"Forest loss doubled, per Mongabay","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Area around Virunga, eastern DRC","src":0},"when":{"t":"Mongabay analysis dated March 2025; the period of the forest loss is not stated","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Armed control of the area; armed groups tax charcoal, per Mongabay","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the area of forest lost or the amount of charcoal taxed.","The cited sources do not say how long M23 has controlled the area or how much tax revenue is raised."],"sources":[{"t":"The environmental toll of the M23 conflict in eastern DRC","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-03","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-environmental-toll-of-the-m23-conflict-in-eastern-drc-analysis/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005212839/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/03/the-environmental-toll-of-the-m23-conflict-in-eastern-drc-analysis/"}],"actors":[{"id":"m23","role":"Controls the area around Virunga, per Mongabay"}],"mechanism":"armed group charcoal taxation","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the area of forest lost or the amount of charcoal taxed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how long M23 has controlled the area or how much tax revenue is raised.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"depleted-uranium-in-iraq","tier":"short","title":"UNEP estimate: about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium used in Iraq","dek":"Noon Post, citing a UNEP estimate, reported that about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium were used in Iraq. The cited sources do not describe any completed clean-up.","country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","places":[{"country":"Iraq","iso2":"IQ","admin":null,"lat":33.3,"lon":44.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.3,"lon":44.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Noon Post, citing a UNEP estimate, reported that about 2,000 tons of depleted uranium were used in Iraq.","The source gives the period only as the 2020s."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 2,000 tons of depleted uranium used in Iraq, per a UNEP estimate","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Iraq; the cited sources do not state the locations","src":0},"when":{"t":"Described only as the 2020s; no exact dates in the cited sources","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Quantity used, per UNEP estimate; the cited sources do not describe the method of use or of clean-up","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"diluted_uranium_used","value":2000,"unit":"tons","year":null,"note":"approximate; UNEP estimate reported by Noon Post"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state where the uranium was used or who used it.","The cited sources do not describe any completed clean-up."],"sources":[{"t":"Noon Post (Arabic) report","p":"Noon Post","d":"","u":"https://www.noonpost.com/243999/amp/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164912/https://www.noonpost.com/243999/amp/"}],"actors":[{"id":"unep","role":"Estimated the quantity of uranium used (about 2,000 tons)"}],"mechanism":"uranium use, clean-up uncertain","types":["mining","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 2,000 tons of depleted uranium were used on me in Iraq, according to a UNEP estimate reported by Noon Post.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:special-weapons"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state where the uranium was used or who used it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe any completed clean-up.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"german-baltic-and-north-sea-munitions-dumps","tier":"short","title":"German waters hold 1.6 million tonnes of munitions; Baltic to be disposal pilot","dek":"EUWID reported that German waters hold about 1.6 million tonnes of munitions, with 100 million euros allocated for disposal up to 2025. The cited sources do not set out the effect on the marine environment.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Baltic Sea (German waters)","lat":54.5,"lon":13,"role":"event"}],"lat":54.5,"lon":13,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["EUWID reported that German waters hold about 1.6 million tonnes of munitions.","EUWID reported that 100 million euros had been allocated to disposal up to 2025.","EUWID reported that the Baltic Sea was to become a pilot region for munitions disposal."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"German waters hold about 1.6 million tonnes of munitions, and the Baltic Sea was to become a pilot region for their disposal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"German waters of the Baltic Sea, according to the EUWID headline.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2023; budget allocated up to 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A budget of 100 million euros was allocated for munitions disposal up to 2025, and the Baltic Sea was to become a pilot region.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"munitions_in_german_waters","value":1600000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"munitions, as reported by EUWID"},{"key":"disposal_budget","value":100000000,"unit":"EUR","year":null,"note":"allocated for disposal up to 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who gains, loses or is harmed by the munitions or the disposal programme.","The cited sources give no figures for the North Sea part of the case.","Unconfirmed: about 5,000 tonnes of chemical munitions; the cited EUWID item does not give this figure.","The cited sources do not say what disposal method is planned or how long clearance would take."],"sources":[{"t":"Ostsee wird Pilotregion für Munitionsentsorgung","p":"EUWID Recycling","d":"2023","u":"https://www.euwid-recycling.de/news/politik/ostsee-wird-pilotregion-fuer-munitionsentsorgung-290923/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260408154509/https://www.euwid-recycling.de/news/politik/ostsee-wird-pilotregion-fuer-munitionsentsorgung-290923/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"seabed munitions clearance","types":["water","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My German waters hold about 1.6 million tonnes of munitions, EUWID reported in 2023; 100 million euros were allocated to disposal up to 2025.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:explosions-munitions"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gains, loses or is harmed by the munitions or the disposal programme.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no figures for the North Sea part of the case.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 5,000 tonnes of chemical munitions; the cited EUWID item does not give this figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what disposal method is planned or how long clearance would take.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"barroso-lithium-mine","tier":"short","title":"Court accepts interim measure against Barroso lithium mine land easement","dek":"Portugal granted a 228-hectare administrative easement for the Barroso lithium mine at Covas do Barroso, and a court accepted a community request to suspend it. At stake is baldios, or common land, held by a local community.","country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","places":[{"country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","admin":"Boticas (Covas do Barroso)","lat":41.8,"lon":-7.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.8,"lon":-7.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Observador reported that the Portuguese government granted a 228-hectare administrative easement at Covas do Barroso for the Barroso lithium mine.","Observador reported that the Mirandela Administrative Court accepted an interim measure requested by a baldios community to suspend the easement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Portugal granted a 228-hectare administrative easement for the Barroso lithium mine, and a baldios community has challenged it in court.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Covas do Barroso, Boticas municipality, Portugal.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 1 June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An administrative easement over 228 hectares was granted; the court accepted an interim measure requested by the baldios community to suspend it.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"easement_area_ha","value":228,"unit":"hectares","year":2026,"note":"administrative easement at Covas do Barroso"}],"legal":[{"title":"Interim measure against administrative easement for Barroso lithium mine","forum":"Mirandela Administrative Court","country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Baldios community","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The court accepted an interim measure requested by the baldios community to suspend the administrative easement granted for the Barroso lithium mine, as Observador reported. The final outcome is not on record.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the mine developer or the holder of the easement.","The cited sources do not give the court's reasoning or any final ruling.","The cited sources do not say what the community stands to lose beyond the court challenge."],"sources":[{"t":"Lítio: tribunal aceita providência cautelar para suspender servidão administrativa em Boticas","p":"Observador","d":"2026-06-01","u":"https://observador.pt/2026/06/01/litio-tribunal-aceita-providencia-cautelar-para-suspender-servidao-administrativa-em-boticas/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260625141158/https://observador.pt/2026/06/01/litio-tribunal-aceita-providencia-cautelar-para-suspender-servidao-administrativa-em-boticas/"}],"actors":[{"id":"portuguese-government","role":"granted administrative easement"},{"id":"mirandela-administrative-court","role":"accepted interim measure"}],"mechanism":"mining land easement","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 228-hectare administrative easement over me at Covas do Barroso was granted for a lithium mine, Observador reported; a court accepted a request to suspend it.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the mine developer or the holder of the easement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the court's reasoning or any final ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the community stands to lose beyond the court challenge.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"oak-flat-land-transfer-to-resolution-copper","tier":"short","title":"Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site, transferred to Resolution Copper in Arizona","dek":"Ownership of Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site of about 2,400 acres in Arizona, was transferred to the copper company Resolution Copper in March 2026. At stake are the sacred site and the land it covers.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Arizona","lat":33.24,"lon":-111,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.24,"lon":-111,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["KJZZ reported that ownership of Oak Flat in Arizona was transferred to Resolution Copper on 16 March 2026.","KJZZ reported that Oak Flat is a sacred site of the Apache, about 2,400 acres, and that the transfer followed the rejection of an objection by the Supreme Court."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ownership of Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site in Arizona, was transferred to Resolution Copper.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Resolution Copper","what":"Ownership of Oak Flat, about 2,400 acres","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Apache people","what":"Ownership of Oak Flat, their sacred site","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Oak Flat, Arizona, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Transfer reported on 16 March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The land was transferred after the Supreme Court rejected an objection, KJZZ reported.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"oak_flat_area_acres","value":2400,"unit":"acres","year":2026,"note":"approximate, as stated in the sourced item"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["A different transfer date, 13 March 2026, appears without a source; the sourced KJZZ item is dated 16 March 2026.","The cited sources do not name the Supreme Court case or give the date of its ruling.","The cited sources do not give the reasons for the transfer or describe any mine plan.","The cited sources do not say what conditions, if any, apply to the land."],"sources":[{"t":"Ownership of Oak Flat in Arizona is transferred to Resolution Copper","p":"KJZZ","d":"2026-03-16","u":"https://www.kjzz.org/tribal-natural-resources/2026-03-16/ownership-of-oak-flat-in-arizona-is-transferred-to-resolution-copper","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418191538/https://www.kjzz.org/tribal-natural-resources/2026-03-16/ownership-of-oak-flat-in-arizona-is-transferred-to-resolution-copper"}],"actors":[{"id":"resolution-copper","role":"acquirer of Oak Flat land"},{"id":"apache-people","role":"community whose sacred site was transferred"}],"mechanism":"land transfer to miner","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 2,400 acres of me at Oak Flat were transferred to Resolution Copper on 16 March 2026, KJZZ reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"A different transfer date, 13 March 2026, appears without a source; the sourced KJZZ item is dated 16 March 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the Supreme Court case or give the date of its ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the reasons for the transfer or describe any mine plan.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what conditions, if any, apply to the land.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lkab-per-geijer-rare-earth-project-and-sami-reindeer-herding","tier":"short","title":"LKAB rare earth plan in Sweden would split Sámi reindeer pasture, herders say","dek":"Sámi reindeer herders say LKAB's Per Geijer rare earth project will divide their pasture in two, and the company says permitting could take about 10 years. At stake is the reindeer pasture the Per Geijer plan would divide.","country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","places":[{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":null,"lat":67.85,"lon":20.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":67.85,"lon":20.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The Local reported that Sámi reindeer herders say LKAB's Per Geijer rare earth project will divide their grazing pasture in two.","The Local reported that the company said the permit process could take about 10 years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sámi reindeer herders say LKAB's planned Per Geijer rare earth project will split their pasture in two.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"LKAB","what":"Planned Per Geijer rare earth project","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sámi reindeer herders","what":"Say their grazing pasture will be divided in two","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Per Geijer project area, Sweden.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 8 September 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The company said the permit process could take about 10 years, The Local reported.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"permit_process_years","value":10,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"company estimate, approximate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the size of the deposit or of the pasture that would be divided.","The cited sources do not say whether a permit application has been filed.","The cited sources do not include an independent check of the herders' account."],"sources":[{"t":"Sweden's Sami fear for future amid rare earth mining plans","p":"The Local","d":"2025-09-08","u":"https://www.thelocal.se/20250908/swedens-sami-fear-for-future-amid-rare-earth-mining-plans","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001135738/https://www.thelocal.se/20250908/swedens-sami-fear-for-future-amid-rare-earth-mining-plans"}],"actors":[{"id":"lkab","role":"proposes Per Geijer rare earth project"},{"id":"sami-reindeer-herders","role":"affected reindeer herding community"}],"mechanism":"rare earth mine permitting","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the size of the deposit or of the pasture that would be divided.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether a permit application has been filed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not include an independent check of the herders' account.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-drc-strategic-minerals-partnership","tier":"short","title":"US and DRC sign minerals partnership giving US firms first offer on mining sites","dek":"The US-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement gives American companies first right of offer on mining sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The cited sources do not set out its environmental terms.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":-4,"lon":21.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-4,"lon":21.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mongabay reported that the US-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement gives US companies first right of offer on mining sites.","Mongabay reported that critics describe the deal as minerals in exchange for security and a loss of sovereignty."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement gives US companies first right of offer on mining sites.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US companies","what":"First right of offer on mining sites under the agreement","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","what":"Sovereignty over the first offer on its mining sites, according to critics","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in February 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The agreement sets a first right of offer for US companies on mining sites; critics quoted by Mongabay call it minerals for security.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the terms of the agreement or name the mining sites covered.","The cited sources do not state the environmental or community effects of the mining sites.","Unconfirmed: the DRC produces the large majority of world cobalt and holds about 3% of the battery and electric vehicle value chain; no source is given.","Unconfirmed: a journalistic investigation and a study estimated over 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium in cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024; no source is given.","Unconfirmed: a neighbourhood of about 39,000 people in Kolwezi is threatened with eviction for copper-cobalt expansion; no source is given."],"sources":[{"t":"Scrutiny grows over DRC-US minerals deal even as other African nations sign up","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-02","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/scrutiny-grows-over-drc-us-minerals-deal-even-as-other-african-nations-sign-up/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617130950/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/02/scrutiny-grows-over-drc-us-minerals-deal-even-as-other-african-nations-sign-up/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-government","role":"signatory to the partnership"},{"id":"drc-government","role":"signatory to the partnership"}],"mechanism":"bilateral minerals partnership","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the terms of the agreement or name the mining sites covered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the environmental or community effects of the mining sites.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the DRC produces the large majority of world cobalt and holds about 3% of the battery and electric vehicle value chain; no source is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a journalistic investigation and a study estimated over 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium in cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024; no source is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a neighbourhood of about 39,000 people in Kolwezi is threatened with eviction for copper-cobalt expansion; no source is given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"managem-bou-azzer-cobalt-mine-arsenic","tier":"short","title":"Moroccan miner Managem says cobalt mine water is safe amid arsenic claims","dek":"Managem, operator of the Bou Azzer cobalt mine in Morocco, said the mine water was safe after arsenic contamination was alleged. At stake is water quality near the mine, which the cited sources do not settle.","country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":"Bou Azzer","lat":30.6,"lon":-6.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.6,"lon":-6.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Al Arabiya reported on 15 November 2023 that Managem said the water at its Bou Azzer cobalt mine was safe and denied arsenic contamination.","The arsenic readings reported for the mine are unconfirmed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Managem said the water at its Bou Azzer cobalt mine was safe, rejecting arsenic contamination claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bou Azzer, Morocco.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 15 November 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Al Arabiya carried the company's denial; the cited sources do not describe how any water testing was done.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: arsenic at about 19,000 µg per litre at the mine and about 400 µg per litre seven kilometres away; the company disputes the readings.","The cited sources do not name who took the readings, when, or with what method.","Unconfirmed: BMW buys cobalt from Managem; the cited sources give no source for this supply link.","The cited sources do not describe effects on the villages near Bou Azzer."],"sources":[{"t":"مناجم المغربية: مياه منجم الكوبالت آمنة ولا صحة لتلوثها بالزرنيخ","p":"Al Arabiya","d":"2023-11-15","u":"https://www.alarabiya.net/aswaq/companies/2023/11/15/-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%87-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AC%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA-%D8%A2%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A9-%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A7-%D8%B5%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%84%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%D8%B1%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%AE","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"managem","role":"operator of Bou Azzer cobalt mine; disputes contamination claims"}],"mechanism":"mine water arsenic contamination","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: arsenic at about 19,000 µg per litre at the mine and about 400 µg per litre seven kilometres away; the company disputes the readings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name who took the readings, when, or with what method.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: BMW buys cobalt from Managem; the cited sources give no source for this supply link.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe effects on the villages near Bou Azzer.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"syrah-balama-graphite-mine-unrest","tier":"short","title":"Syrah declares force majeure at Mozambique graphite mine after unrest","dek":"Syrah declared force majeure at its Balama graphite mine in Mozambique because of unrest, and defaulted on US DFC and DOE loans, Club of Mozambique reported. The cited sources do not set out the effect on the local environment or communities.","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Balama","lat":-13.3,"lon":38.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":-13.3,"lon":38.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Club of Mozambique reported that Syrah declared force majeure at its Balama graphite mine because of unrest.","Club of Mozambique reported that Syrah defaulted on loans from the US International Development Finance Corporation and the US Department of Energy.","The same report said a Tesla supply agreement with Syrah was maintained in June 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Syrah declared force majeure at its Balama graphite mine in Mozambique because of unrest.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tesla","what":"Supply agreement with Syrah maintained in June 2026","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"US DFC and US DOE, as lenders","what":"Syrah defaulted on loans from both","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Balama, Mozambique.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported between December 2024 and June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The force majeure is attributed to unrest at the mine; the cause of the unrest is not on record.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Syrah declared force majeure and defaulted on US loans, Club of Mozambique reported.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the cause of the unrest or who was involved.","The cited sources do not give the amounts of the DFC and DOE loans.","Unconfirmed: a search-result list also names a Syrah loan default; no page for it is among the cited sources.","The cited sources do not describe environmental or community impacts at Balama."],"sources":[{"t":"Syrah declares force majeure for its graphite mine in Mozambique","p":"Club of Mozambique","d":"2024-12 / 2026-06","u":"https://clubofmozambique.com/news/syrah-declares-force-majeure-for-its-graphite-mine-in-mozambique-bloomberg-272454/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250122081703/http://clubofmozambique.com/news/syrah-declares-force-majeure-for-its-graphite-mine-in-mozambique-bloomberg-272454/"}],"actors":[{"id":"syrah","role":"operator of Balama graphite mine; declared force majeure"},{"id":"dfc","role":"lender; loan defaulted"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"lender; loan defaulted"},{"id":"tesla","role":"supply agreement counterparty"}],"mechanism":"graphite mine force majeure","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the cause of the unrest or who was involved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the amounts of the DFC and DOE loans.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a search-result list also names a Syrah loan default; no page for it is among the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe environmental or community impacts at Balama.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"pilbara-minerals-profit-collapse-and-li-cycle-bankruptcy","tier":"short","title":"Pilbara Minerals' profit fell sharply as lithium prices slumped; Li-Cycle went bankrupt","dek":"Pilbara Minerals' FY24 profit fell by 86% to 89%, depending on the measure, as lithium prices slumped and its Bald Hill mine closed. Battery recycler Li-Cycle went bankrupt in 2025, and the cited sources do not set out any effect on nature.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-21.5,"lon":118.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.2,"lon":10.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-21.5,"lon":118.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["Mining.com reported an 86% fall in Pilbara Minerals' annual profit for FY24; the cited sources give a range running to 89%, depending on the measure.","AAP reported that 300 jobs were to go as low prices closed the Bald Hill lithium mine.","Waste Dive reported that Li-Cycle filed for bankruptcy, that only its German plant of 61,000 tonnes a year of capacity was operating, and that Glencore bought its assets for about 40 million dollars."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pilbara Minerals' profit fell sharply in FY24, and Li-Cycle went bankrupt in 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Glencore","what":"Acquired Li-Cycle's battery recycling assets for about 40 million dollars","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Pilbara Minerals","what":"Annual profit fell 86% to 89%, depending on the measure","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bald Hill mine workers","what":"About 300 jobs to go as the mine closed","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Australia (Pilbara Minerals and the Bald Hill mine) and Germany (Li-Cycle's operating plant).","src":0},"when":{"t":"FY24 profit fall reported in 2024; Li-Cycle bankruptcy and asset sale reported in August 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The profit fall came amid a collapse in lithium prices, per the cited sources.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Lower lithium prices cut profit and led to the Bald Hill closure, AAP reported.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"profit_fall_pct","value":86,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"FY24 annual profit fall; range given runs to 89% depending on measure"},{"key":"bald_hill_jobs","value":300,"unit":"jobs","year":2024,"note":"jobs to go at the Bald Hill mine closure"},{"key":"li_cycle_capacity","value":61000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2025,"note":"total capacity of Li-Cycle's facilities; only the German plant was operating"},{"key":"glencore_asset_price","value":40000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"approximate price for Li-Cycle battery recycling assets"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not explain what measure gives the 89% figure rather than 86%.","The cited sources do not say why Li-Cycle filed for bankruptcy.","The cited sources do not say what happened to Li-Cycle's creditors or staff.","The cited sources do not say whether the Bald Hill closure has been completed.","The cited sources do not describe any environmental effect of the closures or the asset sale."],"sources":[{"t":"Pilbara Minerals posts 86% fall in annual profit","p":"Mining.com","d":"2024","u":"https://www.mining.com/web/pilbara-minerals-posts-86-fall-in-annual-profit/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241108214801/https://www.mining.com/web/pilbara-minerals-posts-86-fall-in-annual-profit/"},{"t":"another 300 jobs to go as low prices close lithium mine","p":"AAP","d":"2024","u":"https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/another-300-jobs-to-go-as-low-prices-close-lithium-mine","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250813071901/https://aapnews.aap.com.au/news/another-300-jobs-to-go-as-low-prices-close-lithium-mine"},{"t":"Glencore completes takeover of Li-Cycle battery recycling assets","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2025-08","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/glencore-completes-takeover-of-li-cycle-battery-recycling-assets/757199/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928172642/https://www.wastedive.com/news/glencore-completes-takeover-of-li-cycle-battery-recycling-assets/757199/"}],"actors":[{"id":"pilbara-minerals","role":"lithium producer; profit fell"},{"id":"li-cycle","role":"battery recycler; bankrupt"},{"id":"glencore","role":"acquirer of Li-Cycle assets"}],"mechanism":"lithium price slump","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not explain what measure gives the 89% figure rather than 86%.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say why Li-Cycle filed for bankruptcy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what happened to Li-Cycle's creditors or staff.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the Bald Hill closure has been completed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe any environmental effect of the closures or the asset sale.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"mp-materials-us-government-stake-and-price-floor","tier":"short","title":"US takes about 15% stake in MP Materials and sets $110/kg rare earth price floor","dek":"The US government took about a 15% stake in rare earth producer MP Materials and set a 10-year price floor of $110 per kilogram for NdPr. The cited sources do not set out the environmental effects of the company's operations.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":35.47,"lon":-115.53,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.47,"lon":-115.53,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Al Jazeera reported that the US took about a 15% stake in MP Materials and gave the company a 10-year price floor of $110 per kilogram for NdPr.","Al Jazeera reported that Project Vault, a US critical minerals stockpile, was set up with $10 billion from EXIM and $2 billion from private sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US government took about a 15% stake in MP Materials and set a 10-year price floor for NdPr.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"MP Materials","what":"About 15% government stake and a 10-year price floor of $110 per kilogram for NdPr","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 2 February 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A government equity stake plus a minimum price for NdPr; Project Vault, a stockpile, was funded with $10 billion from EXIM and $2 billion from private sources.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"govt_stake_pct","value":15,"unit":"percent","year":2026,"note":"approximate stake in MP Materials"},{"key":"ndpr_price_floor_usd_per_kg","value":110,"unit":"USD per kg","year":2026,"note":"10-year floor price for NdPr"},{"key":"project_vault_exim_usd_bn","value":10,"unit":"USD bn","year":2026,"note":"EXIM funding for Project Vault"},{"key":"project_vault_private_usd_bn","value":2,"unit":"USD bn","year":2026,"note":"private funding for Project Vault"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the US Department of Defense became MP Materials' largest shareholder; no source is given.","Unconfirmed: a market price of about $60 per kilogram for NdPr; no source is given.","The cited sources do not say what the government paid for its stake or who bears the cost of the price floor.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of MP Materials' operations."],"sources":[{"t":"What is the US critical minerals stockpile?","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-02-02","u":"https://aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/2/what-is-the-us-strategic-minerals-stockpile","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312114616/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/2/2/what-is-the-us-strategic-minerals-stockpile"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-government","role":"took stake and set price floor"},{"id":"mp-materials","role":"rare earth producer; received stake and price floor"}],"mechanism":"equity stake, price floor","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US Department of Defense became MP Materials' largest shareholder; no source is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a market price of about $60 per kilogram for NdPr; no source is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the government paid for its stake or who bears the cost of the price floor.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of MP Materials' operations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"reko-diq-project-exim-financing","tier":"short","title":"US EXIM Bank approves $1.25 billion for Reko Diq copper-gold project","dek":"The US Export-Import Bank approved $1.25 billion in financing for the Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan, Pakistan. The cited sources do not set out the environmental or community effects of Reko Diq.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":"Balochistan","lat":29,"lon":61.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":29,"lon":61.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Profit (Pakistan Today) reported that the US Export-Import Bank approved $1.25 billion in financing for the Reko Diq copper-gold project in Balochistan.","The same report said Barrick holds 50% of Reko Diq and Balochistan holds 25%."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Export-Import Bank approved $1.25 billion in financing for the Reko Diq copper-gold project.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Barrick","what":"50% shareholder in Reko Diq","src":0},{"who":"Balochistan","what":"25% shareholder in Reko Diq","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Balochistan, Pakistan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Export-credit financing from the US Export-Import Bank; shareholdings are Barrick 50% and Balochistan 25%.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"exim_financing_usd_bn","value":1.25,"unit":"USD bn","year":2025,"note":"approved financing"},{"key":"barrick_stake_pct","value":50,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"shareholding"},{"key":"balochistan_stake_pct","value":25,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"shareholding"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the environmental or community impacts of Reko Diq.","The cited sources do not say whether the financing has been drawn down or what conditions apply.","The cited sources do not explain the reasons for the approval."],"sources":[{"t":"US EXIM Bank approves 1.25bn financing for Reko Diq mining project","p":"Profit (Pakistan Today)","d":"2025-12","u":"https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=220723","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-exim-bank","role":"approved financing"},{"id":"barrick","role":"50% shareholder"},{"id":"balochistan-government","role":"25% shareholder"}],"mechanism":"export credit mine financing","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental or community impacts of Reko Diq.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the financing has been drawn down or what conditions apply.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not explain the reasons for the approval.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bolivia-lithium-contracts","tier":"short","title":"Bolivia's legislature withholds approval of CATL-linked lithium contracts","dek":"Bolivia's legislature has not approved lithium contracts with a consortium that includes CATL and with Russia's Uranium One, and the Paz government is reviewing them. The cited sources do not say what the deals would do to nature.","country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","places":[{"country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","admin":null,"lat":-20.13,"lon":-67.49,"role":"event"}],"lat":-20.13,"lon":-67.49,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Reporte Minero reported in November 2025 that Bolivia's legislature had not approved lithium contracts with the CBC consortium, which includes CATL, or with Russia's Uranium One.","The same report said the Paz government was reviewing the contracts, and its headline described Bolivia as reconsidering lithium agreements with China, Russia and the United States."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bolivia's legislature did not approve lithium contracts involving the CBC consortium, which includes CATL, and Russia's Uranium One.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bolivia","src":0},"when":{"t":"November 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lithium contracts with foreign parties needed legislative approval, which the legislature did not give.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say what the contracts commit Bolivia to, or what environmental terms they contain.","The cited sources do not give the dates the contracts were signed or the amounts involved.","The cited sources do not say who would have gained from the contracts."],"sources":[{"t":"Bolivia replantea acuerdos de litio con China, Rusia y EEUU","p":"Reporte Minero","d":"2025-11","u":"https://www.reporteminero.cl/noticia/noticias/2025/11/bolivia-replantea-acuerdos-litio-china-rusia-eeuu","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416043751/https://www.reporteminero.cl/noticia/noticias/2025/11/bolivia-replantea-acuerdos-litio-china-rusia-eeuu"}],"actors":[{"id":"bolivian-legislature","role":"did not approve the lithium contracts"},{"id":"bolivia-government","role":"reviewing the contracts"},{"id":"cbc-consortium","role":"counterparty to a lithium contract, includes CATL"},{"id":"catl","role":"member of the CBC consortium"},{"id":"uranium-one","role":"counterparty to a lithium contract"}],"mechanism":"lithium supply contracts","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the contracts commit Bolivia to, or what environmental terms they contain.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the dates the contracts were signed or the amounts involved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who would have gained from the contracts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"faraba-banta-sand-mining-deaths","tier":"short","title":"Gambian president accepts appeal to discontinue Faraba trial","dek":"Three people were shot dead at a protest against sand mining at Faraba Banta in June 2018. The Gambian presidency announced in January 2019 that it had accepted an appeal to discontinue the trial that followed, and the suspension of two officials was lifted; the Attorney General later said the request was still under consideration. The cited sources do not say what sand mining at Faraba Banta did to the shoreline or to the village.","country":"Gambia","iso2":"GM","places":[{"country":"Gambia","iso2":"GM","admin":"Faraba Banta","lat":13.42,"lon":-16.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.42,"lon":-16.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["On 18 June 2018 police fired live ammunition at a protest against sand mining at Faraba Banta. Gambiana named Bakary Kujabi, Ebrima Bah and Amadou Jallow as the three people killed; Human Rights Watch named Kujabi and Ismaila Bah as the two killed on the day. Six police officers were put on trial for murder. According to a State House statement of 8 January 2019, President Barrow accepted an appeal from the Faraba community for the discontinuance of the trial, including the charges against police and civilian defendants.","The suspension of two officials placed on leave in the case was lifted.","Faraba Banta Inquiry chairman Emmanuel Joof said there was no legal ground given for withdrawing the prosecutions. Attorney General Ba Tambedou later said the President had not halted the trial and had passed on the request, which was under consideration (Gambiana, January 2019)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gambia's president accepted an appeal to discontinue the trial linked to Faraba Banta, including charges against police and civilian defendants.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Police and civilian defendants","what":"the presidency announced the withdrawal of the charges after a community appeal; the Attorney General later said the request was still under consideration","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Bakary Kujabi, Ebrima Bah and Amadou Jallow, residents of Faraba Banta","what":"Shot dead during a protest against sand mining on 18 June 2018; six police officers were put on trial for murder","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Faraba Banta, The Gambia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Shooting on 18 June 2018; State House announcement on 8 January 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Presidential acceptance of an appeal for discontinuance of the trial.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Human Rights Watch reported that police fired live ammunition at a protest against sand mining on 18 June 2018, killing two people and wounding at least six; Gambiana reported that a third man died of his injuries.","The cited sources do not say whether any defendant was convicted, or whether the trial was formally discontinued in court.","The cited sources do not describe the mining permits or the environmental effects of the sand extraction."],"sources":[{"t":"President Barrow accepts appeal for the discontinuance of Faraba trial","p":"State House of The Gambia","d":"2019","u":"https://archive.statehouse.gm/node/933","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720143607/https://archive.statehouse.gm/node/933"},{"t":"Barrow halts murder trial of 6 police officers","p":"Gambiana","d":"2019-01-08","u":"https://gambiana.com/barrow-halts-murder-trial-of-6-police-officers/","type":"press"},{"t":"Faraba Banta inquiry chairman condemns Barrow's pardon","p":"Gambiana","d":"2019-01-09","u":"https://gambiana.com/faraba-banta-inquiry-chairman-condemns-barrows-pardon/","type":"press"},{"t":"Gambia: Fully Investigate Anti-Mining Protesters' Deaths","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2018-06-20","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/20/gambia-fully-probe-anti-mining-protesters-deaths","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"gambia-state-house","role":"announced the presidential acceptance of the appeal"},{"id":"gambia-police","role":"defendants in the trial"}],"mechanism":"sand mining protest prosecution","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Human Rights Watch reported that police fired live ammunition at a protest against sand mining on 18 June 2018, killing two people and wounding at least six; Gambiana reported that a third man died of his injuries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any defendant was convicted, or whether the trial was formally discontinued in court.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the mining permits or the environmental effects of the sand extraction.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pakiri-and-bream-bay-sand-extraction","tier":"short","title":"Pakiri sand mining refused on appeal; applicant seeks Bream Bay consent","dek":"New Zealand's Environment Court dismissed an appeal against a refusal of sand extraction at Pakiri, and the company later sought fast-track approval at Bream Bay. The cited sources do not describe the effects of the extraction on the beach or marine life.","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","places":[{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":"Pakiri","lat":-36.25,"lon":174.72,"role":"event"},{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":"Bream Bay","lat":-35.9,"lon":174.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-36.25,"lon":174.72,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Newsroom reported that a council hearing panel had refused in 2022 an application for up to 150,000 cubic metres of sand a year over 44 square kilometres at Pakiri.","Newsroom reported that the Environment Court dismissed an appeal by McCallum Bros on 16 April 2024.","1News reported in April 2026 that the company had withdrawn from Pakiri and sought fast-track approval to take 8 million cubic metres of sand over 35 years at Bream Bay.","1News also reported that the Environmental Commissioner had found the assessments incomplete."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A sand extraction application at Pakiri was refused in 2022 and the refusal upheld on appeal, after which the company sought consent at Bream Bay.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The applicant company","what":"sought consent for up to 150,000 cubic metres a year at Pakiri and 8 million cubic metres over 35 years at Bream Bay","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pakiri and Bream Bay, New Zealand","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022 refusal; 16 April 2024 appeal dismissed; April 2026 Bream Bay application","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Consent application for beach sand extraction, refused by a council panel and dismissed on appeal; a fast-track application followed at Bream Bay.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pakiri_requested_m3_per_year","value":150000,"unit":"cubic metres a year","year":2022,"note":"consent sought, refused by council hearing panel"},{"key":"pakiri_application_area_km2","value":44,"unit":"square kilometres","year":2022,"note":"area covered by the refused application"},{"key":"bream_bay_requested_m3","value":8000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2026,"note":"over 35 years, fast-track application"}],"legal":[{"title":"McCallum Bros appeal against the Pakiri sand extraction refusal","forum":"Environment Court","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","kind":"administrative","claimant":"McCallum Bros","defendant":"Council hearing panel (consent decision)","filed":null,"decided":"2024-04-16","status":"dismissed","summary":"The Environment Court dismissed the appeal against the council panel's 2022 refusal of consent for up to 150,000 cubic metres of sand a year over 44 square kilometres.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the outcome of the Bream Bay application, which 1News reported was expected on 1 October 2026.","A 1News headline says the Department of Conservation decided no action was needed over sand mining at Pākiri; the cited sources do not explain how this relates to the Environmental Commissioner's finding.","The cited sources do not say who would be affected by the extraction at either site."],"sources":[{"t":"Environment Court shuts down Pakiri sand mining appeal","p":"Newsroom","d":"2024-04-16","u":"https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2024/04/16/environment-court-shuts-down-pakiri-sand-mining-appeal/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240612093853/https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/04/16/environment-court-shuts-down-pakiri-sand-mining-appeal/"},{"t":"DOC decides no action needed over sand mining in Pākiri","p":"1News","d":"2026-04-09","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260409073711/https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/04/09/doc-decides-no-action-needed-over-sand-mining-in-pakiri/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260409073711/https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/04/09/doc-decides-no-action-needed-over-sand-mining-in-pakiri/","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"mccallum-bros","role":"appellant against the 2022 refusal"},{"id":"environment-court-new-zealand","role":"dismissed the appeal"}],"mechanism":"beach sand extraction consent","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the outcome of the Bream Bay application, which 1News reported was expected on 1 October 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A 1News headline says the Department of Conservation decided no action was needed over sand mining at Pākiri; the cited sources do not explain how this relates to the Environmental Commissioner's finding.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who would be affected by the extraction at either site.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lannion-bay-shell-sand-project","tier":"short","title":"Lannion Bay shell-sand plan dropped after public resistance","dek":"A permitted shell-sand dredging plan in Lannion Bay, France, was dropped in 2019 after public resistance. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects the dredging would have had.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":48.8,"lon":-3.55,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.8,"lon":-3.55,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2019,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Reporterre reported that a 2015 decree signed by President Macron allowed CAN, a company of the Roullier group, to extract up to 250,000 cubic metres of shell sand a year in Lannion Bay.","Reporterre reported that CAN abandoned the plan in 2019 after public resistance."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2015 decree permitted shell-sand extraction in Lannion Bay, France; the plan was abandoned in 2019 after public resistance.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"CAN (Roullier group)","what":"held a 2015 decree permitting up to 250,000 cubic metres a year","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lannion Bay, France","src":0},"when":{"t":"2015 decree; plan dropped in 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A permit by decree for annual shell-sand extraction of up to 250,000 cubic metres; the company withdrew after opposition.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"permitted_shell_sand_m3_per_year","value":250000,"unit":"cubic metres a year","year":2015,"note":"permitted annual volume under the 2015 decree"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the planned extraction or the arguments of the opposition.","The cited sources do not say whether the 2015 permit was challenged in court."],"sources":[{"t":"Le projet d'extraction de sable en baie de Lannion abandonné","p":"Reporterre","d":"2019","u":"https://reporterre.net/Le-projet-d-extraction-de-sable-en-baie-de-Lannion-abandonne","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231003012150/https://reporterre.net/Le-projet-d-extraction-de-sable-en-baie-de-Lannion-abandonne"}],"actors":[{"id":"can-roullier","role":"permit holder that abandoned the plan"},{"id":"france-gov","role":"signed the 2015 decree"}],"mechanism":"shell-sand dredging permit","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 2015 decree allowed up to 250,000 cubic metres of my shell sand a year to be extracted in Lannion Bay; the plan was abandoned in 2019, Reporterre reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the planned extraction or the arguments of the opposition.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2015 permit was challenged in court.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pelargonium-patent-and-alice-community","tier":"short","title":"EPO revokes Schwabe's Pelargonium patent after Alice community opposition","dek":"The European Patent Office revoked a German company's patent on the Pelargonium plant in January 2010, after an opposition filed on behalf of the Alice community in South Africa. The cited sources do not say whether the community received any benefit.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":null,"lat":-32.78,"lon":26.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-32.78,"lon":26.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":2010,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["On 22 January 2010 the European Patent Office revoked Schwabe's Pelargonium patent after an opposition filed on behalf of the Alice community, Mail & Guardian reported.","Schwabe's Pelargonium syrup had sales of 80 million euro in 2006, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The European Patent Office revoked Schwabe's Pelargonium patent after an opposition filed on behalf of the Alice community in South Africa.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Schwabe","what":"held the Pelargonium patent; its Pelargonium syrup had 80 million euro in sales in 2006","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alice, South Africa; European Patent Office proceedings","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sales in 2006; patent revoked on 22 January 2010","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Opposition filed on behalf of the Alice community against a European patent on the plant.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"schwabe_pelargonium_sales_2006_million_euro","value":80000000,"unit":"euro","year":2006,"note":"Schwabe Pelargonium syrup sales, as stated in the source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether the Alice community received any payment is not on record.","The cited sources do not give the grounds on which the European Patent Office revoked the patent."],"sources":[{"t":"Town like Alice takes on German biopirate","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2010-01-22","u":"https://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-01-22-town-like-alice-takes-on-german-biopirate","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251015092629/https://mg.co.za/article/2010-01-22-town-like-alice-takes-on-german-biopirate/"}],"actors":[{"id":"schwabe","role":"patent holder; product seller"},{"id":"european-patent-office","role":"revoked the patent after opposition"},{"id":"alice-community","role":"opposing party on whose behalf the opposition was filed"}],"mechanism":"patent revocation after opposition","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Schwabe's syrup made from my Pelargonium had sales of 80 million euro in 2006, according to Mail & Guardian.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Alice community received any payment is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the grounds on which the European Patent Office revoked the patent.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"quassia-amara-patent","tier":"short","title":"European Patent Office finds French institute's Quassia amara patent valid","dek":"The European Patent Office found valid a patent held by the French research body IRD on the plant Quassia amara. A 2016 French law left commonly known traditional knowledge outside benefit-sharing, the source reports.","country":"French Guiana","iso2":"GF","places":[{"country":"French Guiana","iso2":"GF","admin":null,"lat":3.93,"lon":-53.13,"role":"event"}],"lat":3.93,"lon":-53.13,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["Le Quotidien du Pharmacien reported that the European Patent Office found valid IRD's patent on Quassia amara on 21 February 2018.","The same source reports that a 2016 French law left commonly known traditional knowledge outside benefit-sharing.","The article's headline uses the term 'biopiracy' for the patent dispute."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The European Patent Office found valid a French research body's patent on the plant Quassia amara","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"IRD","what":"holder of the Quassia amara patent found valid by the EPO","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"French Guiana (case region); decision at the European Patent Office","src":0},"when":{"t":"Decision dated 21 February 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Patent validity decided at the EPO; the 2016 French law excluded commonly known traditional knowledge from benefit-sharing","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: any licence income, benefit payment or commercial use of the patent.","None on record: which communities hold the traditional knowledge involved."],"sources":[{"t":"Antipaludique: conflit autour d'un brevet biopirate","p":"Le Quotidien du Pharmacien","d":"2018-02-21","u":"https://www.lequotidiendupharmacien.fr/formation/specialites-medicales/antipaludique-conflit-autour-dun-brevet-biopirate","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005130222/https://www.lequotidiendupharmacien.fr/formation/specialites-medicales/antipaludique-conflit-autour-dun-brevet-biopirate"}],"actors":[{"id":"ird","role":"patent holder"},{"id":"european-patent-office","role":"decided patent validity"}],"mechanism":"patent validity decision","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any licence income, benefit payment or commercial use of the patent.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: which communities hold the traditional knowledge involved.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"shiseido-and-kratom-patents","tier":"short","title":"Shiseido withdrew a jamu patent after NGO pressure; kratom patents were contested","dek":"Shiseido withdrew a patent on compounds from jamu, an Indonesian herbal medicine, after pressure from an Indonesian NGO. Patents on Thailand's kratom plant, held by Japanese universities, were challenged by BioThai.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"},{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":null,"lat":15.87,"lon":100.99,"role":"plant origin"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":null,"lat":36.2,"lon":138.25,"role":"patent holders"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2025,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["A 2025 preprint on Indonesian biopiracy reports that Shiseido withdrew its patent on 11 active compounds from jamu after pressure from an Indonesian NGO.","BioThai objected to kratom patents held by Chiba and Josai universities, and four patents were still registered in 2019, Bangkok Post reported.","ANTARA reported that Indonesia's Environment Ministry was still preparing the implementing regulation for the Nagoya Protocol in 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Patents on traditional plant knowledge in Indonesia (jamu) and Thailand (kratom) were withdrawn or challenged","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shiseido","what":"held a patent on 11 active compounds from jamu until its withdrawal","src":0},{"who":"Chiba and Josai universities","what":"held kratom patents that BioThai challenged","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia (jamu patent); Thailand (kratom plant); Japan (patent holders)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Shiseido withdrawal reported for 2025; kratom challenge covers 2014 to 2019","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shiseido withdrew its patent after NGO pressure; BioThai filed objections against kratom patents held by Japanese universities","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"jamu_compounds_patented","value":11,"unit":"active compounds","year":2025,"note":"Shiseido patent on jamu-derived compounds, later withdrawn"},{"key":"kratom_patents_registered","value":4,"unit":"patents","year":2019,"note":"Japanese university kratom patents still registered after BioThai objection"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: whether any benefit-sharing payment followed from the jamu or kratom patents.","None on record: the outcome of the kratom patent objections after 2019."],"sources":[{"t":"Indonesian biopiracy article (manuscript 202506.1147)","p":"Preprints.org","d":"2025","u":"https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202506.1147/v1","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421144239/https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202506.1147/v1"},{"t":"Fight erupts over kratom patent / Somsak vows to hurry kratom legalisation","p":"Bangkok Post","d":"","u":"https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1815739/somsak-vows-to-hurry-kratom-legalisation","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250309214445/https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1815739/somsak-vows-to-hurry-kratom-legalisation"}],"actors":[{"id":"shiseido","role":"patent holder; withdrew patent"},{"id":"biothai","role":"objector to kratom patents"},{"id":"chiba-university","role":"kratom patent holder"},{"id":"josai-university","role":"kratom patent holder"}],"mechanism":"patent objections and withdrawal","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Japanese universities still held four patents on my kratom in 2019, Bangkok Post reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any benefit-sharing payment followed from the jamu or kratom patents.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the kratom patent objections after 2019.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"icarda-aleppo-seed-collection-withdrawal-from-svalbard","tier":"short","title":"ICARDA reportedly withdrew Aleppo seeds from Svalbard in 2015; unconfirmed","dek":"A withdrawal of seed samples from the Svalbard Global Seed Vault for ICARDA's Aleppo collection is reported, but the cited sources do not verify it. The Crop Trust reported in June 2026 that the vault held 1.4 million samples.","country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","places":[{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":"Svalbard","lat":78.22,"lon":15.65,"role":"seed vault"},{"country":"Syria","iso2":"SY","admin":"Aleppo","lat":36.2,"lon":37.16,"role":"collection origin"}],"lat":78.22,"lon":15.65,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Crop Trust reported on 17 June 2026 that the Svalbard Global Seed Vault had reached 1,401,285 seed samples."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Svalbard seed vault held 1,401,285 samples in June 2026; the reported ICARDA withdrawal is unconfirmed","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Svalbard, Norway (seed vault); Aleppo, Syria (ICARDA collection, reported)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Vault count as of 17 June 2026; withdrawal reported for 2015 and unconfirmed","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Not verified in the cited sources.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"svalbard_samples_held","value":1401285,"unit":"samples","year":2026,"note":"Svalbard Global Seed Vault total, Crop Trust, 17 June 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ICARDA withdrew 38,073 accessions from Svalbard in 2015 and re-established its Aleppo collection in Lebanon and Morocco.","Unconfirmed: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault page cited for the withdrawal claim.","None on record: whether any payment or benefit was shared with Syria or with the communities that supplied the seeds."],"sources":[{"t":"Svalbard Global Seed Vault Crosses Major Milestone – 1.4 Million Seed Samples Secured","p":"Crop Trust","d":"2026-06-17","u":"https://www.croptrust.org/news-events/news/svalbard-global-seed-vault-crosses-major-milestone-14-million-seed-samples-secured","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"icarda","role":"reported to have withdrawn seeds from the vault (unconfirmed)"},{"id":"crop-trust","role":"reported the vault sample count"}],"mechanism":"seed vault withdrawal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ICARDA withdrew 38,073 accessions from Svalbard in 2015 and re-established its Aleppo collection in Lebanon and Morocco.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault page cited for the withdrawal claim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any payment or benefit was shared with Syria or with the communities that supplied the seeds.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"philippines-asf-indemnification","tier":"short","title":"Philippines raised African swine fever pig indemnification in 2021, ABS-CBN reported","dek":"ABS-CBN reported in 2021 that the Philippines increased indemnification for hog raisers hit by African swine fever. The cited sources do not verify the per-head amounts, payment totals or herd losses.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"disease","happened":["ABS-CBN reported in 2021 that indemnification for hog raisers affected by African swine fever had been increased."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Philippines increased compensation for pigs culled in the African swine fever outbreak","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hog raisers","what":"indemnification for culled pigs, reported as increased in 2021","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government indemnification for culled pigs; amounts not stated in the cited sources","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: indemnification per head rose from 3,000 to 10,000 pesos.","Unconfirmed: by November 2021, 48,530 producers had been paid 1.697 billion pesos for 379,420 pigs.","Unconfirmed: the herd fell 24.1% in one year, and 3.08 million pigs were lost, with 4.7 million affected according to producers.","Unconfirmed: the programme compensated about 12% of herd loss, or about 8% of producers' estimates.","Unconfirmed: official culling accounted for about 1% of herd loss."],"sources":[{"t":"African swine fever: bigger indemnification for hog raisers","p":"ABS-CBN","d":"2021","u":"https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/12/21/african-swine-fever-bigger-indemnification-hograisers-william-dar","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220930131635/https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/05/12/21/african-swine-fever-bigger-indemnification-hograisers-william-dar"}],"actors":[{"id":"philippine-government","role":"ran the indemnification programme"}],"mechanism":"indemnification for culled pigs","types":["disease"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: indemnification per head rose from 3,000 to 10,000 pesos.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: by November 2021, 48,530 producers had been paid 1.697 billion pesos for 379,420 pigs.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the herd fell 24.1% in one year, and 3.08 million pigs were lost, with 4.7 million affected according to producers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the programme compensated about 12% of herd loss, or about 8% of producers' estimates.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: official culling accounted for about 1% of herd loss.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"vietnam-asf-compensation","tier":"short","title":"Vietnam set per-kilogram compensation for pigs culled in African swine fever outbreak","dek":"Decision 793/QĐ-TTg of 2019 set per-kilogram payments for culled pigs for households and small businesses, according to a Vietnamese financial newspaper. Subsidiaries of large companies were excluded.","country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":null,"lat":14.06,"lon":108.28,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.06,"lon":108.28,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"disease","happened":["Thời báo Tài chính Việt Nam reported that decision 793/QĐ-TTg set compensation of 25,000–30,000 dong per kilogram for households and 8,000–10,000 dong per kilogram for small businesses for culled pigs.","Subsidiaries of large companies were excluded from the support.","The source notes that Vietnam has about 2.4 million small households."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Compensation for pigs culled to contain African swine fever, paid per kilogram","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Households raising pigs","what":"compensation of 25,000–30,000 dong per kilogram for culled pigs","src":0},{"who":"Small businesses","what":"compensation of 8,000–10,000 dong per kilogram for culled pigs","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Subsidiaries of large companies","what":"excluded from the compensation","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Vietnam","src":0},"when":{"t":"2019 (decision 793/QĐ-TTg)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Per-kilogram payments under decision 793/QĐ-TTg; subsidiaries of large companies excluded","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"household_rate_min","value":25000,"unit":"dong per kg","year":2019,"note":"Households, culled pigs (lower bound)"},{"key":"household_rate_max","value":30000,"unit":"dong per kg","year":2019,"note":"Households, culled pigs (upper bound)"},{"key":"sme_rate_min","value":8000,"unit":"dong per kg","year":2019,"note":"Small businesses, culled pigs (lower bound)"},{"key":"sme_rate_max","value":10000,"unit":"dong per kg","year":2019,"note":"Small businesses, culled pigs (upper bound)"},{"key":"small_households","value":2400000,"unit":"households","year":null,"note":"Small households in Vietnam, per source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: total payments under the decision.","None on record: the number of pigs culled under the decision."],"sources":[{"t":"Hỗ trợ đến 30.000 đồng/kg lợn bị tiêu hủy do nhiễm dịch tả châu Phi","p":"Thời báo Tài chính Việt Nam","d":"2019-06-27","u":"https://thoibaotaichinhvietnam.vn/ho-tro-den-30000-dongkg-lon-bi-tieu-huy-do-nhiem-dich-ta-chau-phi-55243.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"vietnam-government","role":"set the compensation rates"}],"mechanism":"per-kilogram culling compensation","types":["disease"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: total payments under the decision.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of pigs culled under the decision.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"south-africa-h7n6-bird-flu-outbreak","tier":"short","title":"Bird flu in South Africa: about 7.5 million birds culled by October 2023","dek":"Business Day reported in September 2023 that bird flu, including a new H7N6 strain, was killing or leading to the culling of about a third of South Africa's egg-laying chickens and a quarter of its broiler-breeding chickens, in what it called the country's worst outbreak. In October 2023 the South African Poultry Association put the number of birds culled in the H5N1 and H7N6 outbreaks at about 7.5 million. The cited sources do not describe effects on wild birds or other wildlife.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":null,"lat":-30.6,"lon":22.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-30.6,"lon":22.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"disease","happened":["Business Day reported on 21 September 2023 that about a third of egg-laying chickens and a quarter of broiler-breeding chickens were dying from the virus or being culled in what it called South Africa's worst outbreak. The South African Poultry Association told a parliamentary committee in October 2023 that about 7.5 million birds had been culled in the H5N1 and H7N6 outbreaks (Food Business MEA, 22 October 2023)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An avian influenza outbreak, including the H7N6 strain, killed or led to the culling of about 7.5 million birds in South Africa by October 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Birds in affected poultry flocks","what":"About 7.5 million culled by October 2023, per the South African Poultry Association (H5N1 and H7N6 combined)","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"South Africa","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023 to 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Birds were killed by the outbreak or culled; the cited sources do not describe the method.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"birds_killed_or_culled","value":10000000,"unit":"birds","year":2023,"note":"Stated as about 10 million"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: three large producers have not been paid compensation since 2017.","Unconfirmed: no bird flu insurance has been available in South Africa since 2023.","None on record: the number of farms affected and the total compensation paid."],"sources":[{"t":"Bird flu: chickens are dropping like flies in SA's worst outbreak","p":"Business Day","d":"2023-09-21","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/national/2023-09-21-bird-flu-chickens-are-dropping-like-flies-in-sas-worst-outbreak","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260213065608/https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/national/2023-09-21-bird-flu-chickens-are-dropping-like-flies-in-sas-worst-outbreak/"},{"t":"South African poultry industry faces loss as 7.5 million birds culled due to Avian Influenza outbreaks","p":"Food Business MEA","d":"2023-10-22","u":"https://www.foodbusinessmea.com/south-african-poultry-industry-faces-loss-as-7-5-million-birds-culled-due-to-avian-influenza-outbreaks/","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"avian flu culling","types":["disease"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: three large producers have not been paid compensation since 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: no bird flu insurance has been available in South Africa since 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of farms affected and the total compensation paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"peru-pacific-alliance-cat-bond","tier":"short","title":"Peru to receive US$60 million from Pacific Alliance catastrophe bond after Loreto quake","dek":"A magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Loreto triggered a US$60 million payout to Peru from a Pacific Alliance catastrophe bond, according to the finance ministry. The cited sources do not describe any conservation use of the money.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"Loreto","lat":-5.8,"lon":-75.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":-5.8,"lon":-75.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["The Peruvian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) said Peru would receive US$60 million from catastrophe insurance taken out under the Pacific Alliance framework.","The payout was triggered by a magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Loreto, which set off 30 per cent of a US$200 million bond, according to the MEF."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A magnitude 8.0 earthquake in Loreto triggered a US$60 million payout to Peru from a Pacific Alliance catastrophe bond.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Peru","what":"Receives US$60 million, which the MEF said would go to FONDES","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Loreto region, Peru","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2019; the MEF announced the payout on 6 July 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The bond paid out when the earthquake met its trigger; the MEF said the funds were to go to FONDES.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"payout_usd_million","value":60,"unit":"USD million","year":2019,"note":"Payout to Peru from the Pacific Alliance catastrophe insurance"},{"key":"bond_size_usd_million","value":200,"unit":"USD million","year":2019,"note":"Size of the bond as stated by the source"},{"key":"payout_share_of_bond_pct","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2019,"note":"Share of the bond triggered by the earthquake"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: how the FONDES funds were used, or any link to nature conservation."],"sources":[{"t":"Perú recibirá US 60 millones del seguro catastrófico contratado en el marco de la Alianza del Pacífico","p":"Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas (MEF) Perú","d":"2019-07-06","u":"https://www.mef.gob.pe/es/notas-de-prensa-y-comunicados/6071-peru-recibira-us-60-millones-del-seguro-catastrofico-contratado-en-el-marco-de-la-alianza-del-pacifico","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"peru-mef","role":"Announced the payout to Peru"}],"mechanism":"catastrophe bond earthquake trigger","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how the FONDES funds were used, or any link to nature conservation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"global-shield-against-climate-risks","tier":"short","title":"Only Ghana has an announced Global Shield guarantee as 17 countries wait","dek":"By November 2024 only Ghana had an announced Global Shield guarantee, with 17 countries waiting and a German contribution of about 170 million euros reported. The cited sources do not describe any effect on nature.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Digital Insurance, citing Bloomberg, reported in November 2024 that Germany had contributed about 170 million euros to Global Shield.","The same report said 17 countries were in the queue, only Ghana had an announced guarantee, and Pacific premiums of 5.2 million euros had no breakdown.","BusinessDay reported in November 2022 that an AOSIS negotiator considered it unfair for insurers to profit from loss and damage."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Global Shield, a climate risk insurance initiative, had only one announced guarantee, for Ghana, by late 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Climate-hit countries in the queue","what":"Waiting for guarantees; 17 countries were in the queue","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Global; Ghana is the only country with an announced guarantee","src":0},"when":{"t":"Status reported in November 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Donor contributions, including about 170 million euros from Germany, fund premiums and guarantees.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"germany_contribution_eur_million","value":170,"unit":"EUR million","year":2024,"note":"Stated as approximately 170 million euros"},{"key":"countries_in_queue","value":17,"unit":"countries","year":2024,"note":"Countries waiting; Ghana the only announced guarantee"},{"key":"pacific_premiums_eur_million","value":5.2,"unit":"EUR million","year":2024,"note":"Premiums for the Pacific; no breakdown given"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: how much of the fund has been paid out, beyond the announced Ghana guarantee.","None on record: the premium or guarantee amounts for each country in the queue.","None on record: the fund's total size in a stated currency; the headline gives 370M without one."],"sources":[{"t":"Climate-hit nations wait years for 370M fund to deliver","p":"Digital Insurance (Bloomberg)","d":"2024-11","u":"https://dig-in.com/articles/climate-hit-nations-wait-years-for-370m-fund-to-deliver","type":"press"},{"t":"G7 wants to profit from suffering, say critics of Global Shield plan","p":"BusinessDay","d":"2022-11-14","u":"https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/2022-11-14-g7-wants-to-profit-from-suffering-say-critics-of-global-shield-plan","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116192155/https://www.businessday.co.za/bd/world/2022-11-14-g7-wants-to-profit-from-suffering-say-critics-of-global-shield-plan/"}],"actors":[{"id":"germany-government","role":"Contributor (about 170 million euros)"},{"id":"aosis","role":"Critic of insurers profiting from loss and damage"},{"id":"ghana-government","role":"Only country with an announced guarantee"}],"mechanism":"donor-funded climate risk insurance","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how much of the fund has been paid out, beyond the announced Ghana guarantee.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the premium or guarantee amounts for each country in the queue.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the fund's total size in a stated currency; the headline gives 370M without one.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sewa-and-nagaland-parametric-insurance-pilots","tier":"short","title":"SEWA heat insurance paid nothing in 2023; Nagaland pilot paid nothing until 2025","dek":"India's SEWA heat insurance pilot paid nothing in 2023, and Nagaland's 2021 to 2023 extreme weather pilot paid nothing before its 2025 payouts, according to the cited sources. The cited sources do not describe any effect on nature.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.6,"lon":79,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Nagaland","lat":26.2,"lon":94.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.6,"lon":79,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["IPS reported that SEWA's 2023 heat insurance pilot paid nothing because its trigger threshold was high, and that 46,339 members received payments of 151 to 1,651 rupees in 2024.","Mongabay India reported that the Nagaland pilot from 2021 to 2023 paid nothing, with a high threshold and inconsistent data, and that first payouts came in 2025 of 1.06 crore rupees."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SEWA's heat insurance in India paid no claims in its 2023 pilot, then paid 46,339 members small amounts in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Insurers of the Nagaland pilot (names: none on record)","what":"Received an annual premium of about 70 lakh rupees for about 5 crore rupees of cover","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Members in the 2023 SEWA pilot","what":"No payment, because the trigger threshold was high","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"India; Nagaland state for the second pilot","src":1},"when":{"t":"Nagaland pilot 2021 to 2023, first payouts 2025; SEWA pilot 2023, payments 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cover is parametric, so payment depends on a set threshold; the sources say the thresholds were high.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"annual_premium_inr_lakh","value":70,"unit":"INR lakh","year":2021,"note":"Nagaland pilot, approximately per year during 2021 to 2023"},{"key":"cover_inr_crore","value":5,"unit":"INR crore","year":2021,"note":"Nagaland pilot cover, approximately"},{"key":"members_paid_2024","value":46339,"unit":"members","year":2024,"note":"SEWA heat insurance; payments of 151 to 1,651 rupees"},{"key":"nagaland_first_payout_inr_crore","value":1.06,"unit":"INR crore","year":2025,"note":"First payouts under the Nagaland pilot"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: who paid the premiums and which insurer carried the risk in either pilot.","None on record: the trigger threshold values for either pilot."],"sources":[{"t":"Rising Temperatures, Rising Inequalities: How a New Insurance Protects India's Poorest Women","p":"IPS (Inter Press Service)","d":"2025-06","u":"https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/rising-temperatures-rising-inequalities-how-a-new-insurance-protects-indias-poorest-women/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260627032023/https://www.ipsnews.net/2025/06/rising-temperatures-rising-inequalities-how-a-new-insurance-protects-indias-poorest-women/"},{"t":"First payout under extreme weather insurance triggers relief and intrigue","p":"Mongabay India","d":"2025-06","u":"https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/first-payout-under-extreme-weather-insurance-triggers-relief-and-intrigue/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710224858/https://india.mongabay.com/2025/06/first-payout-under-extreme-weather-insurance-triggers-relief-and-intrigue/"}],"actors":[{"id":"sewa","role":"Heat insurance scheme for its members"}],"mechanism":"parametric heat and weather insurance","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who paid the premiums and which insurer carried the risk in either pilot.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the trigger threshold values for either pilot.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"galapagos-debt-for-nature-swap-with-dfc-political-risk-insur","tier":"short","title":"Galápagos debt-for-nature swap used US$656 million of US political risk insurance","dek":"Ecuador bought back bonds with a face value of about US$1.6 billion and issued a US$656 million Galápagos bond insured by the US Development Finance Corporation. Yale Journal put the reduction in external debt at about 2.16 per cent, against conservation funding of at least US$12 million a year.","country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","places":[{"country":"Ecuador","iso2":"EC","admin":"Galápagos Province","lat":-0.95,"lon":-90.97,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.95,"lon":-90.97,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["The Daily Herald, citing Reuters, reported a record debt-for-nature swap in which Ecuador issued a US$656 million Galápagos bond with a 5.645 per cent coupon.","The same report said the swap was backed by an US$85 million Inter-American Development Bank guarantee and US$656 million of DFC political risk insurance, with at least US$12 million a year for conservation.","Yale Journal reported that the swap reduced Ecuador's external debt by about 2.16 per cent, or about US$843.5 million in net present value."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ecuador issued a US$656 million Galápagos bond insured by the US Development Finance Corporation, in a debt-for-nature swap.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Ecuador","what":"External debt reduced by about 2.16 per cent, about US$843.5 million in net present value","src":1},{"who":"Credit Suisse","what":"Blick reported that, because of the guarantees, Credit Suisse bore practically no risk","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Former holders of the bonds bought back","what":"Bonds traded between 35.5 and 53.3 cents on the dollar before the buyback, per Blick","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Galápagos Islands, Ecuador","src":0},"when":{"t":"May 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"The US Development Finance Corporation said the swap would protect the Galápagos, describing it as the largest marine conservation debt conversion.","src":null},"how":{"t":"New bonds replaced bonds bought back at a discount; DFC insurance covered investors, and private insurers provided more than US$390 million of reinsurance to DFC, per Chubb.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"dfc_insurance_usd_million","value":656,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"DFC political risk insurance for the new bond"},{"key":"idb_guarantee_usd_million","value":85,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"Inter-American Development Bank guarantee"},{"key":"bond_coupon_pct","value":5.645,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Coupon on the new Galápagos bond"},{"key":"conservation_usd_million_per_year","value":12,"unit":"USD million per year","year":2023,"note":"At least, as stated"},{"key":"external_debt_reduction_pct","value":2.16,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Yale Journal; net present value about US$843.5 million"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: DFC figures put total debt service savings above US$1.1 billion over the life of the bond.","Unconfirmed: Ecuador committed US$450 million to conservation over 18 years.","None on record: the fees earned by the intermediary banks."],"sources":[{"t":"Ecuador seals record debt-for-nature swap with Galapagos Islands bond","p":"The Daily Herald (Reuters)","d":"2023","u":"https://thedailyherald.sx/business/ecuador-seals-record-debt-for-nature-swap-with-galapagos-islands-bond","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250423082233/https://www.thedailyherald.sx/business/ecuador-seals-record-debt-for-nature-swap-with-galapagos-islands-bond"},{"t":"Yale Journal article on Ecuador's debt-for-nature swaps (macro-fiscal impact)","p":"Yale Journal","d":"","u":"https://www.yalejournal.org/publications/macro-fiscal-impact-and-governance-dynamics-in-ecuadors-debt-for-nature-swaps-t82tf","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714230615/https://www.yalejournal.org/publications/macro-fiscal-impact-and-governance-dynamics-in-ecuadors-debt-for-nature-swaps-t82tf"},{"t":"Chubb release on the Galapagos debt conversion and private reinsurance","p":"Chubb","d":"2023-06-02","u":"https://news.chubb.com/2023-06-02-Chubb-Supports-Worlds-Largest-Debt-Conversion-for-Marine-Conservation-Project-in-the-Galapagos-Islands,-Ecuador","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515203949/https://news.chubb.com/2023-06-02-Chubb-Supports-Worlds-Largest-Debt-Conversion-for-Marine-Conservation-Project-in-the-Galapagos-Islands,-Ecuador"}],"actors":[{"id":"ecuador-gov","role":"Debtor; issued the new Galápagos bond"},{"id":"dfc","role":"Political risk insurer for the new bond"},{"id":"idb","role":"Guarantor (US$85 million)"},{"id":"credit-suisse","role":"Issued the new bond, per the sources"},{"id":"chubb","role":"Reinsurer to DFC, per its release"}],"mechanism":"political risk insurance debt swap","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A US$656 million Galápagos bond was issued in my name in 2023, with at least US$12 million a year for conservation, The Daily Herald reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: DFC figures put total debt service savings above US$1.1 billion over the life of the bond.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ecuador committed US$450 million to conservation over 18 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the fees earned by the intermediary banks.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Credit Suisse","No source link — Who lost: Former holders of the bonds bought back"]},{"id":"rio-grande-do-sul-2024-floods-insurance-gap-and-crop-insuran","tier":"short","title":"Rio Grande do Sul flood claims paid reach R$6 billion as farm insurance subsidy is cut","dek":"Compensation paid after the 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods reached about R$6 billion, against an estimated R$100 billion total loss, while the government blocked R$445 million of rural insurance subsidy for 2025. The cited sources do not describe effects on nature.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rio Grande do Sul","lat":-30,"lon":-53,"role":"event"}],"lat":-30,"lon":-53,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Jornal de Brasília, citing the insurance federation CNseg, reported that about R$6 billion had been paid in compensation on 57,638 claims after the floods.","CNseg's president estimated the total loss at about R$100 billion.","Revista Cultivar reported that the government had blocked R$445.1 million of the rural insurance premium subsidy for 2025, from a budget of R$1.06 billion.","A World Weather Attribution study of 3 June 2024 found that human-induced climate change made the rainfall more than twice as likely and about 6–9% more intense; El Niño added a factor of two to three in likelihood and 4–8% in intensity for the ten-day event."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Compensation of about R$6 billion was paid on 57,638 claims after the 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods, per CNseg.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers covered by the rural insurance subsidy","what":"Subsidy of R$445.1 million blocked for 2025","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Households and businesses in Rio Grande do Sul","what":"Total loss estimated at about R$100 billion, against about R$6 billion in compensation paid","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 floods; compensation reported in December 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The government blocked R$445.1 million of the rural insurance premium subsidy (PSR), out of a R$1.06 billion budget.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_paid_brl_billion","value":6,"unit":"BRL billion","year":2024,"note":"Compensation paid, per CNseg"},{"key":"claims_paid","value":57638,"unit":"claims","year":2024,"note":"Number of compensation claims"},{"key":"total_loss_estimate_brl_billion","value":100,"unit":"BRL billion","year":2024,"note":"Estimate of the total loss by CNseg's president"},{"key":"subsidy_blocked_brl_million","value":445.1,"unit":"BRL million","year":2025,"note":"Rural insurance premium subsidy blocked"},{"key":"subsidy_budget_brl_billion","value":1.06,"unit":"BRL billion","year":2025,"note":"Budget for the premium subsidy, as stated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the insured area under rural insurance fell to 3.2 million hectares after the subsidy cut.","None on record: how many households and farms were insured before the floods, and how much of the loss they covered.","None on record: the reason for the subsidy cut."],"sources":[{"t":"Indenizações pagas a afetados por enchentes no RS somam 6 bilhões (reais), diz CNseg","p":"Jornal de Brasília","d":"2024-12","u":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/brasil/indenizacoes-pagas-a-afetados-por-enchentes-no-rs-somam-r-6-bilhoes-diz-cnseg/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250412184422/https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/brasil/indenizacoes-pagas-a-afetados-por-enchentes-no-rs-somam-r-6-bilhoes-diz-cnseg/"},{"t":"Governo corta 445 mi (reais) do seguro rural para 2025","p":"Revista Cultivar","d":"2025","u":"https://revistacultivar.com.br/noticias/governo-corta-rdollar-445-mi-do-seguro-rural-para-2025","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209142250/https://revistacultivar.com.br/noticias/governo-corta-rdollar-445-mi-do-seguro-rural-para-2025"},{"t":"Climate change, El Niño and infrastructure failures behind massive floods in southern Brazil","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2024-06-03","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-made-the-floods-in-southern-brazil-twice-as-likely","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"cnseg","role":"Source of the claims and loss figures"},{"id":"brazil-government","role":"Blocked the premium subsidy for 2025"}],"mechanism":"agricultural insurance premium subsidy","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Human-induced climate change made my rainfall in Rio Grande do Sul more than twice as likely and about 6–9% more intense, World Weather Attribution found in June 2024.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the insured area under rural insurance fell to 3.2 million hectares after the subsidy cut.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how many households and farms were insured before the floods, and how much of the loss they covered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the reason for the subsidy cut.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hurricane-beryl-and-jamaica-world-bank-bond-non-trigger","tier":"short","title":"Jamaica's World Bank catastrophe bond did not pay after Hurricane Beryl","dek":"The Bretton Woods Project reported that Jamaica's World Bank-brokered catastrophe bond failed to pay despite the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in 2024. The cited sources do not describe any effect on nature.","country":"Jamaica","iso2":"JM","places":[{"country":"Jamaica","iso2":"JM","admin":null,"lat":18.1,"lon":-77.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":18.1,"lon":-77.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The Bretton Woods Project reported in October 2024 that Jamaica's World Bank-brokered catastrophe bond failed to pay despite the devastation of Hurricane Beryl.","The article said the bond had also not paid in the 2021 and 2022 hurricane seasons, and that the V20 group described the trigger conditions as difficult and specific.","The article also cited Eurodad as saying the new features were ineffective.","Imperial College London's Grantham Institute found in July 2024 that climate change made Beryl's extreme winds near Jamaica nearly twice as likely: a storm of that strength once expected about every 60 years is now expected about every 35 years, with winds about 7% stronger."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Jamaica's World Bank-brokered catastrophe bond did not pay out after Hurricane Beryl in 2024, per the Bretton Woods Project.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Households whose homes were destroyed by Beryl","what":"Received no payment from the bond","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Jamaica","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 (Hurricane Beryl); report published in October 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A catastrophe bond whose payment depends on trigger conditions, which the V20 group described as difficult and specific.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Artemis reported in 2024 that Beryl was not expected to trigger the bond, because the pressure threshold was not crossed in any subregion.","Unconfirmed: the bond paid US$150 million for Hurricane Melissa in 2025.","Unconfirmed: the 2021 bond was US$185 million, with its premium paid by the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.","None on record: the trigger thresholds, and the reasons the bond did not pay for Beryl."],"sources":[{"t":"Jamaica's World Bank-brokered catastrophe bond fails to pay despite devastation of Hurricane Beryl","p":"Bretton Woods Project","d":"2024-10","u":"https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2024/10/jamaicas-world-bank-brokered-catastrophe-bond-fails-to-pay-despite-devastation-of-hurricane-beryl/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421051357/https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2024/10/jamaicas-world-bank-brokered-catastrophe-bond-fails-to-pay-despite-devastation-of-hurricane-beryl/"},{"t":"Hurricane Beryl's extreme winds in Jamaica were nearly twice as likely due to climate change","p":"Grantham Institute, Imperial College London","d":"2024-07","u":"https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/research/climate-science/modelling-tropical-cyclones/hurricane-beryl/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Brokered the bond"},{"id":"v20","role":"Described the trigger conditions as difficult and specific"},{"id":"eurodad","role":"Said the new features were ineffective"}],"mechanism":"catastrophe bond, World Bank-brokered","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Artemis reported in 2024 that Beryl was not expected to trigger the bond, because the pressure threshold was not crossed in any subregion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the bond paid US$150 million for Hurricane Melissa in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2021 bond was US$185 million, with its premium paid by the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the trigger thresholds, and the reasons the bond did not pay for Beryl.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Households whose homes were destroyed by Beryl"]},{"id":"kenya-microsoft-g42-geothermal-data-centre-suspension","tier":"short","title":"Kenya suspends Microsoft and G42 geothermal data centre plan at Naivasha","dek":"Kenya suspended a planned geothermal-powered data centre by Microsoft and G42 at Naivasha, reported in May 2026. Local herders said they were competing for water with billion-dollar companies, and the cited sources do not state the water volumes involved.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Naivasha","lat":-0.72,"lon":36.43,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.72,"lon":36.43,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2026,"instrument":"data-centre","happened":["ThinkGeoEnergy reported in May 2026 that Kenya had suspended plans for a Microsoft and G42 geothermal-powered data centre, which was planned to scale up to 1 GW.","Al Jazeera reported in August 2026 that the companies had not disclosed how much water they use at Naivasha.","Al Jazeera quoted herders saying they were competing for water with billion-dollar companies."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya suspended plans for a geothermal-powered data centre by Microsoft and G42 that was planned to scale up to 1 GW.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Herders in Naivasha","what":"Said they were competing for water with billion-dollar companies","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Naivasha, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"May 2026 (suspension)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The data centre was planned to run on geothermal power; the cited sources do not state its water use.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"planned_capacity_gw","value":1,"unit":"GW","year":2026,"note":"Planned scale-up of the geothermal-powered data centre"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the reason Kenya gave for the suspension.","None on record: the water volumes the data centre would use, or the water used before suspension.","None on record: whether the suspension is permanent."],"sources":[{"t":"Kenya suspends plans for Microsoft's geothermal-powered data centre","p":"ThinkGeoEnergy","d":"2026-05-08","u":"https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/kenya-suspends-plans-for-microsofts-geothermal-powered-data-centre/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260509172129/https://www.thinkgeoenergy.com/kenya-suspends-plans-for-microsofts-geothermal-powered-data-centre/"},{"t":"Can Kenya's AI ambitions coexist with Naivasha's water needs?","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2026-08-24","u":"https://aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/24/can-kenyas-ai-ambitions-coexist-with-naivashas-water-needs","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904164036/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/8/24/can-kenyas-ai-ambitions-coexist-with-naivashas-water-needs"}],"actors":[{"id":"microsoft","role":"Planned partner in the geothermal data centre"},{"id":"g42","role":"Planned partner in the geothermal data centre"},{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Suspended the plan"}],"mechanism":"geothermal-powered data centre","types":["data-centre"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the reason Kenya gave for the suspension.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the water volumes the data centre would use, or the water used before suspension.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the suspension is permanent.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"digital-gateway-rezoning-voided","tier":"short","title":"Court voids Digital Gateway rezoning in Prince William County, Virginia","dek":"A court annulled the county's rezoning decision for the Digital Gateway data centre development in Virginia. The cited sources do not describe the site's natural values or the effect of the ruling on them.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Virginia","lat":38.8,"lon":-77.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.8,"lon":-77.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["WTOP reported that a judge voided the Digital Gateway rezoning in Prince William County, Virginia.","The ruling was reported in August 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A judge voided the Prince William County rezoning for the Digital Gateway data centre development.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Prince William County, Virginia, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling reported in August 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A court annulled the rezoning decision.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the judge's reasons.","The cited sources do not name the developer or describe the development's size, power or water use.","The cited sources do not say whether the ruling was appealed or what happens to the site next.","Unconfirmed: noise and smoke complaints in Loudoun County rose after a July 2026 outage. No source is cited for this item."],"sources":[{"t":"Judge voids Digital Gateway rezoning in Prince William County","p":"WTOP","d":"2025-08","u":"https://wtop.com/prince-william-county/2025/08/judge-voids-digital-gateway-rezoning-in-prince-william-county/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519003659/https://wtop.com/prince-william-county/2025/08/judge-voids-digital-gateway-rezoning-in-prince-william-county/"}],"actors":[{"id":"prince-william-county","role":"Local government whose rezoning was voided"}],"mechanism":"court-voided rezoning","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the judge's reasons.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the developer or describe the development's size, power or water use.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the ruling was appealed or what happens to the site next.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: noise and smoke complaints in Loudoun County rose after a July 2026 outage. No source is cited for this item.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pjm-capacity-auction-costs-from-data-centres","tier":"short","title":"Data centres account for 46% of PJM capacity auction costs, market monitor says","dek":"The market monitor, Monitoring Analytics, attributed 29.4 billion dollars of the 63.6 billion dollars in the last four PJM capacity auctions to data-centre load. The cited sources do not describe environmental effects of that load.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":40,"lon":-76.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":40,"lon":-76.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"data-centre","happened":["Utility Dive reported on 20 July 2026 that the market monitor, Monitoring Analytics, attributed 29.4 billion dollars of the 63.6 billion dollars in the last four PJM capacity auctions to data-centre load.","LBNL and Brattle found that average real electricity prices fell in the US states with the fastest load growth over 2019 to 2025, though the relationship was not significant for residential prices.","EIA data cited in the sources show the average residential electricity price rose 5.0 per cent over a year to 18.34 cents per kWh in June 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The market monitor attributed 29.4 billion dollars of 63.6 billion dollars in PJM capacity auction costs over the last four auctions to data-centre load.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"PJM electricity market, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"The last four PJM capacity auctions, reported on 20 July 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The market monitor's calculation of the share of capacity costs attributed to data-centre load.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pjm_capacity_cost_total_usd_bn","value":63.6,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Total cost of the last four PJM capacity auctions"},{"key":"pjm_capacity_cost_data_centre_usd_bn","value":29.4,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Share attributed to data-centre load by the market monitor"},{"key":"pjm_data_centre_share_pct","value":46,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Data-centre share of the total capacity cost"},{"key":"us_residential_price_cents_per_kwh","value":18.34,"unit":"cents per kWh","year":2026,"note":"EIA: average residential price, June 2026, up 5.0 per cent over the year"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a claimed 267 per cent rise in household electricity bills near data centres. A secondary report says the figure is a wholesale node price and rates the claim mostly false.","The cited sources do not say how the 29.4 billion dollars is divided between electricity customers and data-centre operators."],"sources":[{"t":"pjm-data-centers-capacity-auction-imm-bowring","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2026-07-20","u":"https://utilitydive.com/news/pjm-data-centers-capacity-auction-imm-bowring/825626","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009134023/https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-data-centers-capacity-auction-imm-bowring/825626/"}],"actors":[{"id":"pjm-interconnection","role":"Grid operator whose capacity auctions carried the costs"},{"id":"monitoring-analytics","role":"Market monitor that attributed the costs"}],"mechanism":"electricity capacity auctions","types":["data-centre"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claimed 267 per cent rise in household electricity bills near data centres. A secondary report says the figure is a wholesale node price and rates the claim mostly false.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the 29.4 billion dollars is divided between electricity customers and data-centre operators.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"andhra-pradesh-google-incentives-and-india-urban-water-prior","tier":"short","title":"Andhra Pradesh granted Google-linked data centre incentives in October 2025","dek":"Andhra Pradesh set a 22,002 crore rupee incentive ceiling for Raiden Infotech, which the report describes as a Google company. The same reporting describes falling groundwater in Visakhapatnam and a 10 per cent water cut in Mumbai.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Andhra Pradesh","lat":15.9,"lon":79.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Maharashtra","lat":19.08,"lon":72.88,"role":"water-reported"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Andhra Pradesh","lat":17.69,"lon":83.22,"role":"water-reported"}],"lat":15.9,"lon":79.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"data-centre","happened":["The Week, citing PTI, reported on 15 October 2025 that Andhra Pradesh set an incentive ceiling of 22,002 crore rupees and a 1 rupee per kWh electricity discount for 15 years for Raiden Infotech, which the report describes as a Google company.","The Week reported on 15 May 2026 that Mumbai had a 10 per cent water cut and that groundwater in Visakhapatnam fell from 19.6 m to 28.7 m depth within one year.","The Week and Climate Fact Checks reported that Maharashtra and Telangana give data centres 'essential service' priority in water supply during droughts."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Andhra Pradesh set an incentive ceiling and electricity discount for Raiden Infotech, which the report says is a Google company.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Raiden Infotech","what":"Incentive ceiling of 22,002 crore rupees and a 1 rupee per kWh discount for 15 years","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Mumbai and Visakhapatnam, as reported","what":"A 10 per cent water cut in Mumbai, and groundwater falling from 19.6 m to 28.7 m in Visakhapatnam","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana, India; Mumbai and Visakhapatnam","src":1},"when":{"t":"Incentive reported 15 October 2025; water figures reported 15 May 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The state granted an incentive ceiling and a per-kWh electricity discount for 15 years.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"ap_incentive_ceiling_crore_rupees","value":22002,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"Incentive ceiling for Raiden Infotech"},{"key":"ap_electricity_discount_rupees_per_kwh","value":1,"unit":"rupees per kWh","year":2025,"note":"Electricity discount for 15 years"},{"key":"mumbai_water_cut_pct","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"Water cut reported in Mumbai"},{"key":"visakhapatnam_groundwater_depth_start_m","value":19.6,"unit":"m","year":null,"note":"Groundwater depth at the start of a one-year period"},{"key":"visakhapatnam_groundwater_depth_end_m","value":28.7,"unit":"m","year":null,"note":"Groundwater depth at the end of the one-year period"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state how many jobs the incentive will create.","The cited sources do not establish that data centres caused the Mumbai water cut or the fall in groundwater.","The cited sources do not describe Raiden Infotech's ownership or registration beyond the report's description.","The cited sources do not describe the recovery of groundwater or effects on rivers and aquifers beyond Visakhapatnam.","The source titles for The Week (PTI) item and the Climate Fact Checks item were taken from web addresses and were not confirmed on the pages."],"sources":[{"t":"mds5-ap-google-incentives","p":"The Week (PTI)","d":"2025-10-15","u":"https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/business/2025/10/15/mds5-ap-google-incentives.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012160644/https://www.theweek.in/wire-updates/business/2025/10/15/mds5-ap-google-incentives.html"},{"t":"Growing data centres, drying cities?","p":"The Week","d":"2026-05-15","u":"https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/2026/05/15/data-centers-india-water-impact.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710193905/https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/2026/05/15/data-centers-india-water-impact.html"},{"t":"The Hidden Water Cost of India's Race to Become an AI Superpower","p":"Climate Fact Checks","d":"","u":"https://climatefactchecks.org/the-hidden-water-cost-of-indias-race-to-become-an-ai-superpower/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"andhra-pradesh-government","role":"State government granting the incentive"},{"id":"raiden-infotech","role":"Company receiving the incentive"},{"id":"google","role":"Company the report describes as linked to the recipient"},{"id":"maharashtra-government","role":"State giving data centres water priority"},{"id":"telangana-government","role":"State giving data centres water priority"}],"mechanism":"state data-centre incentive","types":["data-centre"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My groundwater level at Visakhapatnam went from 19.6 m to 28.7 m depth within one year, The Week reported on 15 May 2026.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how many jobs the incentive will create.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not establish that data centres caused the Mumbai water cut or the fall in groundwater.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe Raiden Infotech's ownership or registration beyond the report's description.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the recovery of groundwater or effects on rivers and aquifers beyond Visakhapatnam.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source titles for The Week (PTI) item and the Climate Fact Checks item were taken from web addresses and were not confirmed on the pages.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cape-town-and-sydney-data-centre-water-and-power-demand","tier":"short","title":"Sydney Water forecasts data centres could draw a quarter of usable water by 2035","dek":"Sydney Water projected that data centres could draw up to a quarter of the city's usable water by 2035, and said it had signed 12 confidentiality agreements with technology companies. The cited sources do not describe effects on rivers or ecosystems.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-33.87,"lon":151.21,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.87,"lon":151.21,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"data-centre","happened":["SmartCompany reported that Sydney Water projected data centres would use about 250 megalitres of water a day within ten years, and said there was no spare capacity.","Sydney Water said it had signed 12 confidentiality agreements with technology companies.","Reuters, citing a Sydney Water projection, reported that data centres could draw up to a quarter of the city's usable water, 135 gigalitres, by 2035."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sydney Water projected rising data-centre water use, reaching up to a quarter of usable water by 2035.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sydney, New South Wales, Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Projections reported in September 2025 and June 2026","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water utility demand projections for new data centres, alongside confidentiality agreements with technology companies.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sydney_data_centre_water_ml_per_day","value":250,"unit":"ML per day","year":null,"note":"Sydney Water projection within ten years; approximate"},{"key":"sydney_data_centre_water_2035_gl","value":135,"unit":"GL","year":2035,"note":"Projected draw, up to a quarter of usable water (Reuters)"},{"key":"sydney_water_confidentiality_agreements","value":12,"unit":"agreements","year":null,"note":"Signed with technology companies"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The figures are projections, not measured use: the cited sources do not give current data-centre water use in Sydney.","The content of the 12 confidentiality agreements is not in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: planned Cape Town data centres would equal 34 per cent of the city's current electricity supply and would use 4.4 billion litres of water a year, according to opponents (Daily Maverick); Eskom says there is no pressure on supply.","Unconfirmed: Amazon's water-positive pledge excludes power-plant water, and its 2023 offsets covered 4 of every 10 gallons, with offset schemes in Chile and Cape Town. No source for this item was opened.","The cited sources do not say who gains or loses from the supply arrangements."],"sources":[{"t":"Data centres to overtake breweries as Sydney's biggest water users","p":"SmartCompany","d":"","u":"https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/data-centres-to-overtake-breweries-sydneys-biggest-water-users/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618150322/https://www.smartcompany.com.au/technology/data-centres-to-overtake-breweries-sydneys-biggest-water-users/"},{"t":"In Australia, a data centre boom is built on vague water plans","p":"Tuoi Tre News (Reuters)","d":"2025-09-15","u":"https://news.tuoitre.vn/in-australia-a-data-centre-boom-is-built-on-vague-water-plans-103250915172424283.htm","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251218051001/https://news.tuoitre.vn/in-australia-a-data-centre-boom-is-built-on-vague-water-plans-103250915172424283.htm"}],"actors":[{"id":"sydney-water","role":"Utility whose projections and agreements are reported"}],"mechanism":"data-centre water demand","types":["data-centre"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The figures are projections, not measured use: the cited sources do not give current data-centre water use in Sydney.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The content of the 12 confidentiality agreements is not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: planned Cape Town data centres would equal 34 per cent of the city's current electricity supply and would use 4.4 billion litres of water a year, according to opponents (Daily Maverick); Eskom says there is no pressure on supply.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Amazon's water-positive pledge excludes power-plant water, and its 2023 offsets covered 4 of every 10 gallons, with offset schemes in Chile and Cape Town. No source for this item was opened.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gains or loses from the supply arrangements.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bogota-eastern-hills-council-of-state-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Council of State lets 60 informal neighbourhoods stay in Bogotá reserve buffer","dek":"Colombia's Council of State allowed 60 informal neighbourhoods in the buffer strip of Bogotá's Eastern Hills forest reserve to stay under obligations, and banned new building licences in the reserve. The cited sources do not describe the reserve's ecological condition.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":"Bogotá","lat":4.62,"lon":-74.04,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.62,"lon":-74.04,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2013,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Bogotá city housing secretariat reported that a Council of State ruling in November 2013 let 60 informal neighbourhoods in the buffer strip of the Eastern Hills forest reserve remain, subject to obligations.","The same ruling let 4 informal neighbourhoods inside the reserve remain under obligations, and banned new building licences in the reserve."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Council of State ruling let informal neighbourhoods stay in the reserve's buffer strip under obligations and barred new building licences in the reserve, per the city's housing secretariat.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Residents of 64 informal neighbourhoods","what":"Neighbourhoods allowed to remain under obligations: 60 in the buffer strip and 4 in the reserve","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Eastern Hills forest reserve and its buffer strip, Bogotá, Colombia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling dated November 2013 in the city's report","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A Council of State ruling on the reserve's buffer strip and building licences.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"buffer_informal_neighbourhoods_remaining","value":60,"unit":"neighbourhoods","year":2013,"note":"In the buffer strip, under obligations"},{"key":"reserve_informal_neighbourhoods_remaining","value":4,"unit":"neighbourhoods","year":2013,"note":"Inside the reserve, under obligations"}],"legal":[{"title":"Council of State ruling on the Eastern Hills reserve buffer strip","forum":"Consejo de Estado (Council of State)","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","kind":"administrative","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":"2013-11","status":"unknown","summary":"The Council of State ruled that 60 informal neighbourhoods in the buffer strip and 4 inside the reserve could remain subject to obligations, and banned new building licences in the reserve, according to the city's housing secretariat.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the parties, the case number or the grounds of the ruling.","The cited sources do not describe the reserve's ecological condition or the effect of the licence ban.","The cited sources do not say how many people live in the 64 neighbourhoods.","Unconfirmed: the account is the city's own. No independent assessment is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Secretaría del Hábitat destaca sentencia del Consejo de Estado","p":"Alcaldía de Bogotá","d":"2013-11","u":"https://bogota.gov.co/mi-ciudad/habitat/secretaria-del-habitat-destaca-sentencia-del-consejo-de-estado-que-pro","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422194948/https://bogota.gov.co/mi-ciudad/habitat/secretaria-del-habitat-destaca-sentencia-del-consejo-de-estado-que-pro"}],"actors":[{"id":"bogota-city-government","role":"City whose housing secretariat reported the ruling"},{"id":"danistay","role":"Court that issued the ruling"}],"mechanism":"buffer-strip court ruling","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 2013 Council of State ruling let 60 informal neighbourhoods in the buffer strip of my Eastern Hills forest reserve, and 4 inside it, remain.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Council of State ruling on the Eastern Hills reserve buffer strip: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the parties, the case number or the grounds of the ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the reserve's ecological condition or the effect of the licence ban.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many people live in the 64 neighbourhoods.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the account is the city's own. No independent assessment is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bangkok-canal-programme-and-baan-mankong","tier":"short","title":"Bangkok canal programme tied embankment works to moving all families","dek":"A Bangkok canal programme on the Lat Phrao and Prem Prachakorn canals covered 11,004 households with 4.1 billion baht in 2016 to 2018, and embankment construction was tied to all families moving, the Bangkok Post reported. The cited sources do not describe its effect on canal water or ecology.","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","places":[{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":"Bangkok","lat":13.75,"lon":100.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.75,"lon":100.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2018,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The Bangkok Post reported that the programme on the Lat Phrao and Prem Prachakorn canals covered 11,004 households with 4.1 billion baht.","Embankment construction was made conditional on all families moving, the Bangkok Post reported.","Some communities were rebuilt nearby through the Baan Mankong programme, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Lat Phrao and Prem Prachakorn canal programme covered 11,004 households with 4.1 billion baht, per the Bangkok Post.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Households on the canals","what":"Required to move before embankment construction; some rebuilt nearby through Baan Mankong","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lat Phrao and Prem Prachakorn canals, Bangkok, Thailand","src":0},"when":{"t":"2016 to 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Canal works with embankment construction conditional on families moving; some communities rebuilt nearby through Baan Mankong.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"households_covered","value":11004,"unit":"households","year":null,"note":"Lat Phrao and Prem Prachakorn canals"},{"key":"programme_amount_billion_baht","value":4099999999.9999995,"unit":"baht","year":null,"note":"Amount stated for the programme"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how many households were moved away and how many were rebuilt nearby.","The cited sources do not describe how the canal works changed water quality or wildlife.","The cited sources do not name the agency that ran the programme."],"sources":[{"t":"The great khlong clean-up","p":"Bangkok Post","d":"","u":"https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/665456/the-great-khlong-clean-up","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250425133008/https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/665456/the-great-khlong-clean-up"}],"actors":[{"id":"baan-mankong","role":"Community upgrading programme that rebuilt some communities nearby"}],"mechanism":"canal embankment relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many households were moved away and how many were rebuilt nearby.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe how the canal works changed water quality or wildlife.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the agency that ran the programme.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"washington-11th-street-bridge-park-community-land-trust","tier":"short","title":"Community land trust for 11th Street Bridge Park holds over 250 housing units","dek":"A community land trust set up for the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C., holds more than 250 housing units, and 131 households bought homes, according to Results for America. The cited sources do not describe the park's effect on the natural environment.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"District of Columbia","lat":38.87,"lon":-76.99,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.87,"lon":-76.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Results for America reported that the Douglass community land trust, set up for the 11th Street Bridge Park in Washington, D.C., holds more than 250 housing units.","The same source reports that 131 households bought homes."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A community land trust set up for the 11th Street Bridge Park holds more than 250 housing units.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"131 households","what":"Bought homes, per Results for America","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"11th Street Bridge Park area, Washington, D.C., United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A community land trust holding housing units, set up for the park.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"land_trust_housing_units","value":250,"unit":"housing units","year":null,"note":"More than 250 units held by the Douglass community land trust"},{"key":"households_bought_homes","value":131,"unit":"households","year":null,"note":"Households that bought homes, per Results for America"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the park's ecological outcomes.","The cited sources do not say how the units are allocated or what rents apply.","The cited sources do not say whether any residents were displaced."],"sources":[{"t":"Urban Green Space DC","p":"Results for America","d":"","u":"https://catalog.results4america.org/case-studies/urban-green-space-dc","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260207075128/https://catalog.results4america.org/case-studies/urban-green-space-dc"}],"actors":[{"id":"douglass-community-land-trust","role":"Community land trust holding the units"}],"mechanism":"community land trust housing","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the park's ecological outcomes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the units are allocated or what rents apply.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any residents were displaced.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"london-2012-olympic-park-regeneration-housing","tier":"short","title":"Affordable share of London Olympic Park-area homes reached 27%, below 35% target","dek":"The regeneration around the London 2012 Olympic Park built 13,259 homes, 27 per cent of them affordable against a 35 per cent target, the Big Issue reported. The cited sources do not describe the park's effect on nature.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"London","lat":51.545,"lon":-0.017,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.545,"lon":-0.017,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Big Issue reported that 13,259 homes built in and around the Olympic Park had 27 per cent affordable provision, against a target of 35 per cent.","A 2013 article in the journal City reported that Carpenters Estate residents felt the regeneration was not for them.","The same article reported that 777 affordable tenancies were lost at Clays Lane and traveller sites."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Olympic Park area regeneration built 13,259 homes, 27 per cent affordable against a 35 per cent target, the Big Issue reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Affordable tenants at Clays Lane and traveller sites","what":"777 affordable tenancies lost, per the 2013 City article","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Carpenters Estate residents","what":"Felt the regeneration was not for them, per the 2013 City article","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Olympic Park and surrounding area, east London, United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"Olympic Park regeneration around the 2012 Games; the Big Issue figures are undated","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Housing built under the Olympic Park regeneration, with an affordable share target.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"homes_built_olympic_area","value":13259,"unit":"homes","year":null,"note":"In and around the Olympic Park"},{"key":"affordable_share_pct","value":27,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Share of homes that are affordable"},{"key":"affordable_share_target_pct","value":35,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Target share of affordable homes"},{"key":"affordable_tenancies_lost","value":777,"unit":"tenancies","year":2013,"note":"Clays Lane and traveller sites, per the 2013 City article"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The Big Issue figures are undated; the cited sources do not say when they were measured.","The cited sources do not describe the park's ecological outcomes.","The cited sources do not name the developers or public bodies responsible for the housing."],"sources":[{"t":"London Olympics housing, regeneration and gentrification","p":"Big Issue","d":"","u":"https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/2012-london-olympics-housing-regeneration-gentrification/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419171608/https://www.bigissue.com/news/social-justice/2012-london-olympics-housing-regeneration-gentrification/"},{"t":"It's not for us: Regeneration, the 2012 Olympics and the gentrification of East London","p":"City","d":"2013","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/cityxx/v17y2013i1p99-118.html","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20150330072032/https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/cityxx/v17y2013i1p99-118.html"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"Olympic-linked regeneration housing","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Big Issue figures are undated; the cited sources do not say when they were measured.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the park's ecological outcomes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the developers or public bodies responsible for the housing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"fresh-kills-landfill-closure-and-waste-export","tier":"short","title":"New York City began exporting waste out of state after Fresh Kills closed in 2001","dek":"Fresh Kills, New York City's landfill, closed in 2001 and became a park, after which city waste was exported out of state, according to Untapped Cities. The cited sources do not describe effects at the receiving sites.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York City","lat":40.58,"lon":-74.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"South Carolina","lat":33.8,"lon":-80.9,"role":"destination"}],"lat":40.58,"lon":-74.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2001,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Untapped Cities reported that Fresh Kills, the New York City landfill, closed in 2001 and was turned into a park.","According to the same source, the city's waste has been exported out of state since then.","The source reports that Staten Island waste is taken by rail to South Carolina."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"New York City has exported its waste out of state since the Fresh Kills landfill closed in 2001, per Untapped Cities.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"New York City","what":"Fresh Kills converted to a park after closure","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Staten Island, New York City; rail route to South Carolina","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2001","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Rail export of Staten Island waste to South Carolina.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the volume of waste exported, its cost or the contract terms.","The cited sources do not describe effects on communities in South Carolina.","The cited sources do not name the operator of the export.","This record rests on one source."],"sources":[{"t":"Fresh Kills Was the Last Landfill in New York City","p":"Untapped Cities","d":"2018-04-13","u":"https://untappedcities.com/2018/04/13/the-top-10-secrets-of-nycs-freshkills-park/3/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240617075615/https://untappedcities.com/2018/04/13/the-top-10-secrets-of-nycs-freshkills-park/3/"}],"actors":[{"id":"new-york-city-government","role":"City whose waste is exported"}],"mechanism":"landfill closure and export","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume of waste exported, its cost or the contract terms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe effects on communities in South Carolina.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the operator of the export.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"This record rests on one source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"colombo-flood-and-wetland-project-with-uda-evictions","tier":"short","title":"World Bank-backed Colombo flood work turned Beddagana wetland into a park","dek":"The World Bank supported a 213 million dollar flood and wetland programme in Colombo, and the Beddagana wetland became a park. The Centre for Policy Alternatives says the bank stayed silent on evictions by the Urban Development Authority.","country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","places":[{"country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","admin":null,"lat":6.93,"lon":79.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":6.93,"lon":79.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2018,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The World Bank reported 213 million dollars of support for a flood and wetland programme in Colombo, and said the Beddagana wetland became a park.","The Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) wrote that the bank stayed silent on evictions carried out by the Urban Development Authority (UDA).","CPA also reported that the UDA targeted 68,812 families in 1,499 settlements in the 2010s.","The Sunday Times reported that a family evicted in 2014 was asked for 1 million rupees, repayable over 20 to 30 years, for an apartment."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The World Bank reported 213 million dollars of support for a flood and wetland programme in Colombo, and the Beddagana wetland became a park.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Beddagana wetland","what":"Became a park, per the World Bank","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Families targeted for eviction by the UDA","what":"Targeted for eviction, per CPA; the number actually evicted is not stated","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Colombo, Sri Lanka, including the Beddagana wetland","src":0},"when":{"t":"World Bank support reported in September 2018; UDA targeting in the 2010s, per CPA","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"World Bank support for flood and wetland works; evictions by the UDA, per CPA.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"world_bank_support_usd_million","value":213,"unit":"USD million","year":2018,"note":"Support for the Colombo flood and wetland programme"},{"key":"uda_settlements_targeted","value":1499,"unit":"settlements","year":null,"note":"2010s; per CPA"},{"key":"uda_families_targeted","value":68812,"unit":"families","year":null,"note":"2010s; per CPA"},{"key":"evicted_family_apartment_price_rupees","value":1000000,"unit":"rupees","year":2014,"note":"Asked of a family evicted in 2014; repayable over 20 to 30 years"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: CPA's figures of 1,499 settlements and 68,812 families are the NGO's own account. The cited sources give no official count.","The CPA account is not linked to its own cited source.","The cited sources do not say how many families were actually evicted or relocated.","The cited sources do not describe whether the park changed flooding or wildlife at Beddagana."],"sources":[{"t":"Metro Colombo Urban Development Project","p":"World Bank","d":"2018-09","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615045545/https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2018/09/24/metro-colombo-urban-development-project","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615045545/https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2018/09/24/metro-colombo-urban-development-project","dead":true},{"t":"Going up in life or coming down","p":"Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)","d":"2019-07","u":"https://www.sundaytimes.lk/190707/plus/going-up-in-life-or-coming-down-356611.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241103215822/https://www.sundaytimes.lk/190707/plus/going-up-in-life-or-coming-down-356611.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Funder whose support backed the programme"},{"id":"uda-sri-lanka","role":"Agency reported to have carried out evictions"},{"id":"cpa-sri-lanka","role":"NGO whose account is reported"}],"mechanism":"wetland-to-park conversion","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: CPA's figures of 1,499 settlements and 68,812 families are the NGO's own account. The cited sources give no official count.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The CPA account is not linked to its own cited source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many families were actually evicted or relocated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe whether the park changed flooding or wildlife at Beddagana.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Families targeted for eviction by the UDA"]},{"id":"china-ecology-oriented-development-pilots","tier":"short","title":"China's ecology-oriented development pilots fund restoration with land revenue","dek":"94 ecology-oriented development (EOD) pilots ran in 2021–2022, with restoration financed from surrounding industry and land income. The model ties ecological repair to revenue from the land and industry around it.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2022,"instrument":"water","happened":["Zhonglun, a Chinese law firm, reported that 94 EOD pilots ran in 2021 and 2022, and that the China Development Bank had given 22.5 billion yuan of credit to 25 pilots by the end of 2022.","Zhonglun described the model as financing ecological restoration from revenue from surrounding industry and land, with a stated goal of zero government funds."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"94 EOD pilots by 2022 financed ecological restoration from surrounding industry and land income.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"China Development Bank","what":"Lent 22.5 billion yuan to 25 pilots by end-2022","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"China; the pilot locations are not on record.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2021–2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Restoration financed by revenue from surrounding industry and land, with development bank credit and a stated goal of zero government funds.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eod_pilots","value":94,"unit":"pilots","year":2022,"note":"EOD pilots run in 2021–2022 (Zhonglun)"},{"key":"pilots_with_credit","value":25,"unit":"pilots","year":2022,"note":"Pilots that had received China Development Bank credit by end-2022 (Zhonglun)"},{"key":"development_bank_credit","value":22500000000,"unit":"yuan","year":2022,"note":"China Development Bank credit to those 25 pilots by end-2022 (Zhonglun)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the 94 pilots or say where they are.","The cited sources do not say what local governments and developers gain or lose from the pilots.","The cited sources do not say how much land revenue has been raised or whether the zero-government-funds goal has been reached."],"sources":[{"t":"EOD模式研究","p":"Zhonglun Law Firm (中伦律师事务所)","d":"2023","u":"https://www.zhonglun.com/research/articles/9531.html","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250717221426/https://www.zhonglun.com/research/articles/9531.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"ministry-of-ecology-and-environment","role":"Ministry associated with the EOD pilots"},{"id":"china-development-bank","role":"Development bank that provided pilot credit"}],"mechanism":"ecology-oriented development pilots","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the 94 pilots or say where they are.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what local governments and developers gain or lose from the pilots.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much land revenue has been raised or whether the zero-government-funds goal has been reached.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"australian-avoided-deforestation-carbon-method","tier":"short","title":"Australian government rejects claim that 25 million carbon credits are worthless","dek":"The Australian government rejected a claim that 25 million ACCU carbon credits are worthless. Whether the credits protect forests that would otherwise be cleared is the question for nature, and the cited sources do not settle it.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.27,"lon":133.78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["QCI reported that the Australian government rejected a claim that 25 million ACCU carbon credits are worthless.","QCI also reported that Human-Induced Regeneration (HIR) offsets had limited impact."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Australian government rejected a claim that 25 million ACCU carbon credits are worthless.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"A 2024 study is cited in the sources; the date of the government's rejection is not given.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Carbon credits issued under the ACCU scheme; QCI reported that HIR offsets had limited impact.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"accu_credits_claimed_worthless","value":25000000,"unit":"ACCU credits","year":null,"note":"Credits in the claim the government rejected (QCI)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2024 study by Macintosh and colleagues found cover change in 182 regeneration schemes matched neighbouring areas, and that about 90% of offset demand could not be met.","Unconfirmed: the New South Wales Audit Office reported similar findings, as relayed by RenewEconomy.","Unconfirmed: Macintosh called the method fraud and said credits were given to avoid cutting forests that would never be cut.","Unconfirmed: a critics' calculation put the default clearing rate 751% to 12,804% above historical rates; the regulator rejected it.","The cited sources do not say whether the rejected claim concerned avoided-deforestation credits or regeneration credits.","The cited sources do not name the developers or buyers of the credits in this case."],"sources":[{"t":"Aus government rejects claim 25m ACCU credits are worthless","p":"QCI","d":"","u":"https://qcintel.com/carbon/article/aus-government-rejects-claim-25m-accu-credits-are-worthless-14896.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Widespread non-compliance and poor performance in world's largest nature-based carbon removal","p":"Australian National University","d":"2024","u":"https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/widespread-non-compliance-and-poor-performance-in-worlds-largest-nature-based-carbon-removal","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119024700/https://www.anu.edu.au/news/all-news/widespread-non-compliance-and-poor-performance-in-worlds-largest-nature-based-carbon-removal"}],"actors":[{"id":"australian-government","role":"Rejected the claim that 25 million ACCU credits were worthless"}],"mechanism":"avoided-deforestation carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2024 study by Macintosh and colleagues found cover change in 182 regeneration schemes matched neighbouring areas, and that about 90% of offset demand could not be met.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the New South Wales Audit Office reported similar findings, as relayed by RenewEconomy.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Macintosh called the method fraud and said credits were given to avoid cutting forests that would never be cut.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a critics' calculation put the default clearing rate 751% to 12,804% above historical rates; the regulator rejected it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the rejected claim concerned avoided-deforestation credits or regeneration credits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the developers or buyers of the credits in this case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"northern-rangelands-trust-soil-carbon-credits","tier":"short","title":"Kenyan court rules two carbon conservancies were unconstitutionally established","dek":"A Kenyan court ruled in January 2025 that two conservancies in the Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project were unconstitutionally established. Meta and Netflix bought the credits, and Survival International said Borana and Samburu herders lost grazing rights.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Isiolo County","lat":0.35,"lon":37.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.35,"lon":37.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":null,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["According to the scheme's own page, published with its marketer Native, the Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project began in 2012, covers 1.9 million hectares and 22 conservancies, and is designed to remove about 50 million tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime.","Survival International, summarised by Down to Earth in March 2023, said the first crediting period (2013–2016) produced 3.2 million credits, all sold by January 2022, which it valued at $21–45 million.","Mongabay reported that in January 2025 the Isiolo Environment and Land Court ruled that two conservancies in the scheme were unconstitutionally established.","Verra suspended the scheme and reinstated it in June 2026 after a community vote."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Kenyan court ruled in January 2025 that two conservancies in the Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project were unconstitutionally established.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Northern Rangelands Trust","what":"Runs the scheme and is named as its proponent","src":0},{"who":"Meta and Netflix","what":"Bought credits from the scheme","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Borana and Samburu herders","what":"Grazing rights, which Survival International said were lost","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Isiolo County, northern Kenya","src":2},"when":{"t":"Scheme began in 2012; first credits 2013–2016; court ruling 24 January 2025; reinstated June 2026","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Soil carbon credits issued on conservancy land and sold to buyers.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"scheme_area","value":1900000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Area according to the scheme's own page"},{"key":"conservancies","value":22,"unit":"conservancies","year":null,"note":"Conservancies according to the scheme's own page"},{"key":"first_period_credits","value":3200000,"unit":"credits","year":2016,"note":"Credits from the 2013–2016 crediting period; all sold by January 2022 (Survival International, via Down to Earth)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to two community conservancies in Isiolo","forum":"Isiolo Environment and Land Court","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"165 local herders","defendant":"Northern Rangelands Trust","filed":"2021","decided":"2025-01-24","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court ruled that the two conservancies were unconstitutionally established (Mongabay).","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Oakland Institute alleged in 2021 that NRT rangers carried out extrajudicial killings; a 2022 review commissioned by The Nature Conservancy and other donors found 'strikingly little evidence', which the Oakland Institute called a sham.","Unconfirmed: the Wall Street Journal reported more than 6 million credits sold, worth $42–90 million, as cited by Survival International.","Unconfirmed: proponents projected $300–500 million from carbon sales, as reported by Survival International.","Unconfirmed: REDD-Monitor reported in April 2025 that NRT's objection to the ruling was rejected; other sources say an appeal is ongoing.","The cited sources do not say how much carbon revenue reached local communities."],"sources":[{"t":"Northern Kenya Grasslands Carbon Project update","p":"Native","d":"","u":"https://native.eco/northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-update/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116131344/https://native.eco/northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-update/"},{"t":"Blood Carbon","p":"Survival International, summarised by Down to Earth","d":"2023-03","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/world/kenya-meta-netflix-subscribed-carbon-offset-project-replacing-local-grazier-practices-with-commercial-ranching-88313","type":"press"},{"t":"Kenyan court orders two community wildlife conservancies shut down","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-01","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/kenyan-court-orders-two-community-wildlife-conservancies-shut-down/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617195918/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/01/kenyan-court-orders-two-community-wildlife-conservancies-shut-down/"},{"t":"Verra reinstates Northern Kenya Grasslands carbon project following community ratification process","p":"Verra","d":"2026-06","u":"https://verra.org/verra-reinstates-northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-following-community-ratification-process/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260826063456/https://verra.org/verra-reinstates-northern-kenya-grasslands-carbon-project-following-community-ratification-process/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nrt","role":"Proponent and manager of the scheme"},{"id":"meta-platforms","role":"Bought credits from the scheme"},{"id":"netflix","role":"Bought credits from the scheme"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard body that suspended and reinstated the scheme"}],"mechanism":"soil carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Northern Kenya Grasslands scheme covers 1.9 million hectares of me, by its own page; its 2013–2016 period produced 3.2 million credits, all sold by January 2022, Survival International said.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Oakland Institute alleged in 2021 that NRT rangers carried out extrajudicial killings; a 2022 review commissioned by The Nature Conservancy and other donors found 'strikingly little evidence', which the Oakland Institute called a sham.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Wall Street Journal reported more than 6 million credits sold, worth $42–90 million, as cited by Survival International.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: proponents projected $300–500 million from carbon sales, as reported by Survival International.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: REDD-Monitor reported in April 2025 that NRT's objection to the ruling was rejected; other sources say an appeal is ongoing.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much carbon revenue reached local communities.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"corteva-syngenta-and-deere-loyalty-and-repair-lock-cases","tier":"short","title":"Corteva and Deere pay to settle FTC cases over loyalty and repair locks","dek":"Corteva and Deere paid settlements in 2026 in FTC civil cases over loyalty programmes and repair locks, while the Syngenta case continues. The cited sources record no measured effect on nature.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["DTN Progressive Farmer reported on 28 September 2026 that Corteva would pay 35 million dollars to 12 states.","According to the cited sources, the FTC pursued civil cases over loyalty programmes that excluded generic products and over repair locks that excluded independent repair.","The Corteva and Deere settlements were recorded at 120 and 100 million dollars in 2026, under consent orders with no admission of wrongdoing.","A court ruling broke the Corteva and Deere locks in 2026, and the Syngenta case is continuing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Loyalty programmes and repair locks in farm inputs, which the FTC challenged in civil cases against Syngenta, Corteva and Deere.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Corteva, Deere and Syngenta","what":"Kept pre-2022 margins after the settlements, according to the cited sources","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"Listed as bearing the cost of the locks","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"Excluded from generic products and independent repair under the terms challenged","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":null},"when":{"t":"2022 to 2026","src":null},"why":{"t":"Corteva has described its loyalty programmes as legal discounts, and it admitted no wrongdoing.","src":null},"how":{"t":"FTC civil litigation ended in consent orders with no admission of wrongdoing and in class settlements.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"corteva_settlements","value":120000000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Corteva settlement payments, stated as 35 plus 85 million dollars"},{"key":"deere_settlements","value":100000000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Deere settlement payments, stated as 99 plus 1 million dollars"}],"legal":[{"title":"FTC civil cases over loyalty programmes and repair locks (Corteva, Deere)","forum":"US Federal Trade Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Federal Trade Commission","defendant":"Corteva; Deere","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","summary":"Settled through a consent order with no admission of wrongdoing and a class settlement, according to the cited sources.","src":1},{"title":"FTC case over loyalty programmes (Syngenta)","forum":"US Federal Trade Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Federal Trade Commission","defendant":"Syngenta","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The cited sources say the Syngenta case is continuing; its court, filing date and stage are not stated.","src":2}],"unknown":["The gain from the loyalty and repair terms is not on record.","The cited sources record no measured effect of these locks on nature."],"sources":[{"t":"DTN Progressive Farmer report on a Corteva payment to 12 states","p":"DTN Progressive Farmer","d":"2026-09-28","u":"https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2026/09/28/corteva-pay-35m-12-states-end-crop-2","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260929060553/https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/crops/article/2026/09/28/corteva-pay-35m-12-states-end-crop-2"},{"t":"FTC and private plaintiffs reach settlements with Deere over right-to-repair restrictions","p":"Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP","d":"2026-07","u":"https://www.porterwright.com/media/ftc-and-private-plaintiffs-reach-settlements-with-deere-over-right-to-repair-restrictions/","type":"press"},{"t":"Syngenta and Corteva, FTC v. (Civil Action No. 22-cv-828, M.D.N.C.)","p":"US Federal Trade Commission","d":"2026-09-25","u":"https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/191-0031-syngenta-corteva-ftc-v","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"corteva","role":"Defendant; settled FTC case"},{"id":"deere-and-company","role":"Defendant; settled FTC case"},{"id":"syngenta-group","role":"Defendant; FTC case continuing"},{"id":"federal-trade-commission","role":"Plaintiff"}],"mechanism":"loyalty programmes, repair locks","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The gain from the loyalty and repair terms is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no measured effect of these locks on nature.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Corteva, Deere and Syngenta","No source link — Who lost: Farmers","No source link — Who harmed: Farmers"]},{"id":"morocco-drip-irrigation-and-agricultural-desalination","tier":"short","title":"Morocco subsidised drip irrigation as aquifers fell, and desalination followed","dek":"Morocco subsidised drip irrigation and built a 4.41 billion dirham desalination plant at Chtouka, while aquifers in Berrechid and Chtouka show annual deficits; at stake is groundwater. A desalination tender won by a consortium linked to a family-owned group drew a political complaint, and the cited sources record no penalty.","country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":"Chtouka (Souss-Massa)","lat":30.3,"lon":-9.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":"Berrechid (Casablanca-Settat)","lat":33.3,"lon":-7.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.3,"lon":-9.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["According to the cited sources, Morocco subsidised drip irrigation, in some cases up to the full amount, and the cultivated area and pumping expanded.","Annual deficits were 36.7 million cubic metres in Berrechid and 90 million cubic metres in Chtouka.","A desalination plant at Chtouka cost 4.41 billion dirhams, and the cited sources list taxpayers as paying for it.","TelQuel reported a political complaint by the PJD party over a conflict of interest after a Casablanca desalination tender was awarded to a consortium that includes Afriquia Gaz, part of the family-owned Akwa group."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Subsidised drip irrigation that expanded cultivated area and pumping, with a 4.41 billion dirham desalination plant at Chtouka.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Akwa group, Afriquia Gaz and Acciona consortium","what":"Won the Casablanca desalination tender, according to TelQuel","src":0},{"who":"Irrigation equipment and desalination contractors","what":"Listed as benefiting from the subsidies and the plant","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Households and aquifers","what":"Listed as harmed by aquifer depletion, with annual deficits recorded","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Chtouka and Berrechid, Morocco","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 2008, over a period to 2030","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Public subsidy for drip irrigation equipment, and a desalination tender.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"berrechid_annual_deficit","value":36700000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":null,"note":"Annual deficit in Berrechid, as stated"},{"key":"chtouka_annual_deficit","value":90000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":null,"note":"Annual deficit in Chtouka, as stated"},{"key":"chtouka_desalination_plant","value":4410000000,"unit":"dirhams","year":null,"note":"Cost of the Chtouka plant, as stated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the Casablanca tender and the Chtouka plant are the same facility.","The PJD complaint is political; no ruling on the conflict-of-interest claim is on record.","The registered-links list for Morocco is empty in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not name the subsidy programme or give its amounts."],"sources":[{"t":"TelQuel report on conflict-of-interest claims over a desalination tender","p":"TelQuel","d":"2023-12-07","u":"https://telquel.ma/instant-t/2023/12/07/conflit-dinterets-akhannouch-dans-le-viseur-du-pjd-apres-lattribution-du-marche-de-dessalement-de-leau-de-mer_1845028/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260716140141/https://telquel.ma/instant-t/2023/12/07/conflit-dinterets-akhannouch-dans-le-viseur-du-pjd-apres-lattribution-du-marche-de-dessalement-de-leau-de-mer_1845028/"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-morocco","role":"Subsidy and public spending"},{"id":"akwa-group","role":"Parent of Afriquia Gaz"},{"id":"acciona","role":"Consortium member in the desalination tender"}],"mechanism":"subsidised drip irrigation","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My aquifers show annual deficits of 36.7 million cubic metres in Berrechid and 90 million cubic metres in Chtouka.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the Casablanca tender and the Chtouka plant are the same facility.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The PJD complaint is political; no ruling on the conflict-of-interest claim is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The registered-links list for Morocco is empty in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the subsidy programme or give its amounts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Irrigation equipment and desalination contractors","No source link — Who harmed: Households and aquifers"]},{"id":"murray-darling-irrigation-efficiency-subsidies","tier":"short","title":"Murray-Darling irrigation efficiency subsidies, Australia, 2008 to 2018","dek":"Irrigation efficiency subsidies in the Murray-Darling basin ran from 2008 to 2018, with return flows to the river recorded as falling. At stake for nature is river flow; the cited sources list AUD 3.5 to 4 billion of spending, borne by the river and taxpayers.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Murray-Darling Basin","lat":-33.9,"lon":144.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.9,"lon":144.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2018,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The cited sources record Murray-Darling irrigation efficiency subsidies from 2008 to 2018.","According to the cited sources, return flows to the river fell.","The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's inquiry into Murray-Darling water markets found no evidence of manipulation but weak governance.","The Canberra Times reported that the Morrison government ordered a probe into water buybacks after the Joyce controversy."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Subsidies for irrigation efficiency in the Murray-Darling basin, alongside a water-markets inquiry and a probe into water buybacks.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Irrigation equipment sector","what":"Listed as the main gainer from the subsidies","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"Listed as bearing AUD 3.5 to 4 billion of cost","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"The river","what":"Return flows fell, according to the cited sources","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Murray-Darling Basin, Australia","src":null},"when":{"t":"2008 to 2018","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government subsidies for irrigation equipment and efficiency; water markets were examined by the ACCC, and a probe into buybacks was ordered.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"efficiency_spend","value":3500000000,"unit":"AUD","year":null,"note":"Lower end of the 3.5 to 4 billion range, as stated"},{"key":"water_recovery_cost_multiple","value":2.5,"unit":"times","year":null,"note":"Water recovery cost, as stated; baseline not given"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The 2.5 times water recovery cost has no stated baseline or unit of comparison.","The cited sources do not explain how the 3.5 to 4 billion dollar range was calculated or over what period.","The ACCC inquiry concerned water markets; the cited sources do not say how its findings bear on the subsidies.","No court case is recorded for the subsidies."],"sources":[{"t":"Murray-Darling Basin water markets inquiry: final report","p":"Australian Competition and Consumer Commission","d":"","u":"https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/murray-darling-basin-water-markets-inquiry-final-report","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230310214730/https://www.accc.gov.au/publications/murray-darling-basin-water-markets-inquiry-final-report"},{"t":"Morrison government orders probe into water buybacks in wake of Joyce controversy","p":"Canberra Times","d":"","u":"https://canberratimes.com.au/story/6085665/morrison-government-orders-probe-into-water-buybacks-in-wake-of-joyce-controversy","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240419034225/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6085665/morrison-government-orders-probe-into-water-buybacks-in-wake-of-joyce-controversy/"}],"actors":[{"id":"accc","role":"Ran the water-markets inquiry"},{"id":"australian-government","role":"Ordered a probe into water buybacks"}],"mechanism":"irrigation efficiency subsidy","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"AUD 3.5 to 4 billion of irrigation efficiency subsidies were spent in my basin from 2008 to 2018, and return flows to my river fell.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2.5 times water recovery cost has no stated baseline or unit of comparison.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not explain how the 3.5 to 4 billion dollar range was calculated or over what period.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The ACCC inquiry concerned water markets; the cited sources do not say how its findings bear on the subsidies.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court case is recorded for the subsidies.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Irrigation equipment sector","No source link — Who lost: Taxpayers","No source link — Who harmed: The river"]},{"id":"karachi-water-tanker-and-hydrant-mafia","tier":"short","title":"Dawn reports Karachi tanker trade worth at least 62m rupees a day","dek":"Dawn reported that Karachi's tanker trade earned at least 62 million rupees a day, while the water board collected 60 to 70 million rupees a month from official hydrants. The stake is a scarce urban water supply, with hydrants run outside the water board's control.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":null,"lat":24.86,"lon":67.01,"role":"event"}],"lat":24.86,"lon":67.01,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2023,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["Dawn reported in January 2023 that Karachi's tanker trade was worth at least 62 million rupees a day, while the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) collected 60 to 70 million rupees a month from official hydrants.","Dawn reported that a hydrant was run by a serving major outside KWSB oversight, and that free tankers from a sub-district quota went to executives of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).","Dawn reported that the Supreme Court found in 2016 that a KWSB official had leased hydrants without permission; the official was later assigned to the anti-theft unit, and one of the commission's 100 proposals was implemented."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hydrants that Dawn described as illegal and a tanker trade that Dawn put at a minimum of 62 million rupees a day, set against 60 to 70 million rupees a month collected by KWSB from official hydrants.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hydrant contractors","what":"Operated hydrants that Dawn described as illegal, feeding the tanker trade","src":0},{"who":"Serving major (unnamed)","what":"Ran a hydrant outside KWSB oversight","src":0},{"who":"PPP executives","what":"Received free tankers from a sub-district quota","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"KWSB","what":"Collected 60 to 70 million rupees a month from official hydrants, against a tanker trade of at least 62 million rupees a day","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Karachi, Pakistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"2016 to 2023: Supreme Court finding in 2016; Dawn investigation in January 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hydrants run outside KWSB control; a KWSB official who had leased hydrants without permission was moved to the anti-theft unit.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tanker_trade_minimum_per_day","value":62000000,"unit":"rupees a day","year":2023,"note":"Minimum estimate of the tanker trade, per Dawn"},{"key":"kwsb_official_hydrant_collection","value":60000000,"unit":"rupees a month","year":2023,"note":"Stated range 60 to 70 million rupees a month"},{"key":"commission_proposals_implemented","value":1,"unit":"of 100 proposals","year":null,"note":"Supreme Court commission proposals implemented"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an inspector who reported illegal hydrants was killed; the reviewed sources give no citation for this.","None on record: the total annual value of the tanker trade; 62 million rupees a day is a minimum estimate.","None on record: the number of households affected by the shortage.","None on record: whether the official or the serving major faced any penalty."],"sources":[{"t":"Selling liquid gold: Karachi's tanker mafia","p":"Dawn","d":"2023-01","u":"https://www.dawn.com/news/1733340","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250829214113/https://www.dawn.com/news/1733340"}],"actors":[{"id":"kwsb","role":"Water board whose hydrant revenue is compared with the tanker trade"},{"id":"pakistan-peoples-party","role":"Ruling party whose executives received free tankers"},{"id":"hydrant-contractors","role":"Operators of hydrants outside official control"}],"mechanism":"hydrants described as illegal, and tankers","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an inspector who reported illegal hydrants was killed; the reviewed sources give no citation for this.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the total annual value of the tanker trade; 62 million rupees a day is a minimum estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of households affected by the shortage.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the official or the serving major faced any penalty.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"biobio-drought-tanker-contracts","tier":"short","title":"CIPER: over 23 billion pesos of Chile's drought tanker spending went to two firms","dek":"CIPER reported that Chile spent 92 billion pesos on water tankers over seven years, and that more than 23 billion pesos went to companies linked to one businessman. The stake is water supply in a drought-hit region, where tanker contracts were awarded without tender.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Biobío Region","lat":-37.47,"lon":-72.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":-37.47,"lon":-72.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2017,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["CIPER reported in July 2017 that the state spent 92 billion pesos on water tankers over seven years, and that more than 23 billion pesos went to companies linked to one businessman.","CIPER reported that every tanker contract in the Biobío region from 2010 to May 2017 was awarded directly to two companies linked to that businessman, who received about 25 percent of national tanker spending since at least 2010.","CIPER reported that one company was co-owned with the businessman's wife and son, and that the regional government's finance chief was the sister-in-law of a PPD deputy who wrote to the oversight board on the businessman's behalf.","In March 2018 Chile's tax service (SII) filed a criminal complaint alleging that companies of Germán Faúndez, whose firms held most of the Biobío water-tanker contracts, issued 127 false invoices between 2012 and 2017 involving 1,214 million pesos of public funds, Cooperativa reported in January 2019; the regional prosecutor's office was investigating."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"State spending on water tankers in Chile's Biobío region, with tanker contracts awarded directly to companies linked to one businessman.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tierra de Chile","what":"Co-owned with the businessman's wife and son; received direct tanker contracts","src":0},{"who":"Second company linked to the same businessman (unnamed)","what":"Received direct tanker contracts","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Chile's state budget","what":"Paid 92 billion pesos in tanker spending over seven years","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Drought-affected residents of the Biobío region","what":"Depended on tanker deliveries; the sources give no outcome data","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Biobío Region, Chile","src":0},"when":{"t":"2010 to May 2017","src":0},"why":{"t":"The stated justification was a drought emergency; the sources do not say why these companies received the contracts.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Contracts awarded without tender by direct assignment; family ties and a political link to officials were documented.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"state_tanker_spending_seven_years","value":92000000000,"unit":"pesos","year":null,"note":"Over seven years, per CIPER"},{"key":"paid_to_businessman_companies","value":23000000000,"unit":"pesos","year":null,"note":"More than 23 billion pesos, per CIPER"},{"key":"share_of_national_tanker_spending","value":25,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Approximately, from at least 2010, per CIPER"}],"legal":[{"title":"Tax-crime complaint against the owner of the main water-tanker contractor","forum":"Biobío regional prosecutor's office (investigation)","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII)","defendant":"Germán Faúndez and three of his companies","filed":"2018-03","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"The tax service filed a criminal complaint in March 2018 alleging that, between 2012 and 2017, the companies issued 127 false invoices involving 1,214 million pesos of public funds; the Biobío prosecutor's office was investigating in January 2019. No outcome is on record.","src":1}],"unknown":["None on record: any penalty for the individuals or companies involved.","None on record: profit margins on the tanker contracts.","Unconfirmed: Infraestructura Pública reported that nearly 10 billion had been spent on tanker trucks by 2022; the title does not state the currency and the figure is not reconciled with the CIPER figures."],"sources":[{"t":"El negocio de la sequía II: las redes políticas del barón del aljibe","p":"CIPER","d":"2017-07-31","u":"https://ciperchile.cl/2017/07/31/el-negocio-de-la-sequia-ii-las-redes-politicas-del-baron-del-aljibe-en-el-biobio/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609115825/https://www.ciperchile.cl/2017/07/31/el-negocio-de-la-sequia-ii-las-redes-politicas-del-baron-del-aljibe-en-el-biobio/"},{"t":"Piden formalizar al \"Barón del agua\" del Biobío por millonario delito tributario","p":"Cooperativa","d":"2019-01-23","u":"https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/site/artic/20190122/pags-amp/20190122201607.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"tierra-de-chile","role":"Company that received direct tanker contracts and is co-owned with family members"},{"id":"biobio-regional-government","role":"Regional government whose finance chief had a family tie to a deputy"},{"id":"ppd","role":"Party of the deputy who wrote to the oversight board"}],"mechanism":"direct-award tanker contracts","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Tax-crime complaint against the owner of the main water-tanker contractor: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any penalty for the individuals or companies involved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: profit margins on the tanker contracts.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Infraestructura Pública reported that nearly 10 billion had been spent on tanker trucks by 2022; the title does not state the currency and the figure is not reconciled with the CIPER figures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who harmed: Drought-affected residents of the Biobío region"]},{"id":"flint-water-crisis-and-veolia-settlement","tier":"short","title":"Veolia settles Flint water claims for 53 million dollars, admitting no fault","dek":"Michigan's Attorney General announced in February 2025 a 53 million dollar settlement with Veolia North America, which did not admit fault. The state had earlier settled for 626 million dollars, and at stake is a lead-contaminated public water supply and who pays for the harm.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":43.01,"lon":-83.69,"role":"event"}],"lat":43.01,"lon":-83.69,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","happened":["Michigan's Attorney General announced on 21 February 2025 a 53 million dollar settlement with Veolia North America, which did not admit fault.","The Attorney General's release gives the state's earlier Flint settlement as 626 million dollars.","Veolia stated in October 2024 that it targeted 1 billion euros of micropollutant revenue by 2030."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Veolia's settlement of Flint water lawsuits for 53 million dollars without admission of fault, against the state's earlier 626 million dollar settlement.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Veolia","what":"Targeted 1 billion euros of micropollutant revenue by 2030","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Michigan taxpayers","what":"Bear the state's 626 million dollar settlement","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Flint residents","what":"Exposed to lead in the water supply; the sources give no count","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Flint, Michigan, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lead-water crisis 2014 to 2025; settlement announced 21 February 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lawsuit settled by agreement, with Veolia paying without admitting fault.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"veolia_settlement","value":53000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2025,"note":"Settlement without admission of fault"},{"key":"state_settlement","value":626000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"Earlier state settlement"},{"key":"veolia_micropollutant_revenue_target","value":1000000000,"unit":"euros","year":2030,"note":"Target stated by Veolia in October 2024"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not confirmed in the cited sources: a further 26.3 million dollar payment by Veolia.","The cited sources describe Veolia as a consultant to the state and say state-appointed managers took the decision to change the water source; neither point is quoted from a cited source.","None on record: the number of residents affected or any health outcome data.","Unconfirmed: Veolia acquired Suez in January 2022."],"sources":[{"t":"AG Nessel announces 53M Flint water settlement with Veolia North America","p":"Michigan Attorney General","d":"2025-02-21","u":"https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/02/21/ag-nessel-announces-53m-flint-water-settlement-with-veolia-north-america","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514223916/https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2025/02/21/ag-nessel-announces-53m-flint-water-settlement-with-veolia-north-america"},{"t":"Veolia targets 1 bEU revenue by 2030 in fight against micropollutants","p":"Veolia","d":"2024-10","u":"https://www.veolia.com/en/our-media/press-releases/veolia-targets-1-beu-revenue-2030-fight-against-micropollutants-pfas","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308232454/https://www.veolia.com/en/our-media/press-releases/veolia-targets-1-beu-revenue-2030-fight-against-micropollutants-pfas"}],"actors":[{"id":"veolia","role":"Consultant to the state and defendant that settled without admitting fault"},{"id":"state-of-michigan","role":"Public body that settled earlier and announced the Veolia settlement"}],"mechanism":"lawsuit settlement, no admission","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not confirmed in the cited sources: a further 26.3 million dollar payment by Veolia.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources describe Veolia as a consultant to the state and say state-appointed managers took the decision to change the water source; neither point is quoted from a cited source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of residents affected or any health outcome data.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Veolia acquired Suez in January 2022.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Flint residents"]},{"id":"cedae-geosmin-crisis-and-rio-water-privatisation","tier":"short","title":"Rio governor cited sabotage for CEDAE water crisis without evidence","dek":"In January 2020 Rio de Janeiro's governor said he believed the CEDAE water crisis was linked to sabotage, without showing evidence. The utility was sold in a 2021 auction worth 22.69 billion reais, and at stake is the drinking water supply of Rio.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rio de Janeiro","lat":-22.91,"lon":-43.17,"role":"event"}],"lat":-22.91,"lon":-43.17,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2021,"instrument":"water","happened":["A Gazeta reported that Governor Wilson Witzel said in January 2020 that he suspected sabotage linked to a tender behind the contaminated water in Rio, and said so without showing evidence.","Money Times reported that mineral water sales in Rio rose 50 percent between December and January after the crisis.","CUT and RBA reported that the 2021 CEDAE auction raised 22.69 billion reais, and that the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) found the participation of Iguá, whose partner BNDESPar was a shareholder, problematic."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Contaminated water in CEDAE's system in January 2020, and the utility's 2021 sale through a concession auction.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Iguá","what":"Took part in the auction; its partner BNDESPar was a shareholder, which the TCU found problematic","src":2},{"who":"Bottled mineral water sellers in Rio","what":"Sales rose 50 percent after the crisis","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Rio water subscribers","what":"Received water described as contaminated during the crisis","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Rio de Janeiro, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"January 2020 crisis; 2021 auction","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The auction was designed by BNDES, and the TCU found a bidder linked to its subsidiary problematic; the governor pointed to sabotage without evidence.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"cedae_concession_value","value":22690000000,"unit":"reais","year":2021,"note":"Auction value, per CUT and RBA"},{"key":"mineral_water_sales_rise","value":50,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"note":"Rise in Rio mineral water sales from December to January, per Money Times"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: any police or court finding on the cause of the crisis.","Unconfirmed: a single testimony that the price of a water jug rose from 8 reais to 20 to 25 reais.","None on record: the volume of water affected or the number of people affected."],"sources":[{"t":"'Acredito em sabotagem', diz Witzel sobre água contaminada no RJ","p":"A Gazeta","d":"2020-01","u":"https://www.agazeta.com.br/brasil/acredito-em-sabotagem-diz-witzel-sobre-agua-contaminada-no-rj-0120","type":"press"},{"t":"Venda de água mineral cresce 50% após crise","p":"Money Times","d":"2020-02","u":"https://www.moneytimes.com.br/venda-de-agua-mineral-cresce-50-apos-crise-no-rio-de-janeiro/","type":"press"},{"t":"Após a euforia do leilão da Cedae","p":"CUT / RBA","d":"2021","u":"https://www.cut.org.br/noticias/apos-a-euforia-do-leilao-da-cedae-um-choque-de-realidade-30fb/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20211027104133/https://www.cut.org.br/noticias/apos-a-euforia-do-leilao-da-cedae-um-choque-de-realidade-30fb"}],"actors":[{"id":"cedae","role":"Rio state water utility sold in the 2021 auction"},{"id":"igua","role":"Auction participant"},{"id":"bndespar","role":"Shareholder in Iguá; subsidiary of the development bank that designed the auction"},{"id":"tcu","role":"Federal audit court that found the Iguá participation problematic"},{"id":"witzel","role":"Governor who suspected sabotage without evidence"}],"mechanism":"utility privatisation auction","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any police or court finding on the cause of the crisis.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a single testimony that the price of a water jug rose from 8 reais to 20 to 25 reais.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the volume of water affected or the number of people affected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hammanskraal-cholera-and-rooiwal-plant","tier":"short","title":"SIU probes Rooiwal plant tender paid before work was finished","dek":"The Daily Maverick reported that a tender of about 295 million rand for Tshwane's Rooiwal plant, awarded to a Sodi-linked joint venture, was paid before the work was finished. At stake is safe drinking water in Hammanskraal, where a cholera outbreak occurred and Tshwane pays private tankers 8.5 million rand a month.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Gauteng","lat":-25.4,"lon":28.22,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.4,"lon":28.22,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2026,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["The Daily Maverick reported in September 2023 that President Ramaphosa had launched a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe of a tender of about 295 million rand for the Rooiwal plant, awarded to a Sodi-linked joint venture and paid before the work was finished.","The Sowetan reported in January 2025 that the SIU wanted disciplinary action against 12 officials over irregular scoring, and that Sodi was on trial over a 255 million rand asbestos tender.","EWN reported in July 2024 that Tshwane pays 44 private tankers in Hammanskraal 8.5 million rand a month, and 450 million rand a year citywide.","IOL The Post reported in March 2026 that the South African Police Service set up dedicated units to combat water tanker mafias that exploit municipal supply disruptions."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A tender of about 295 million rand for the Rooiwal plant, paid before completion, and monthly payments to private tankers in Hammanskraal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sodi-linked joint venture","what":"Awarded the Rooiwal tender, which was paid before completion","src":0},{"who":"Private tanker operators","what":"Paid 8.5 million rand a month for 44 tankers in Hammanskraal","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Tshwane municipality","what":"Paid for the Rooiwal tender before completion, and for tankers at about 450 million rand a year citywide","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Hammanskraal residents","what":"Affected by the cholera outbreak and undrinkable water; the sources give no count","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Hammanskraal, Tshwane, Gauteng, South Africa","src":0},"when":{"t":"Investigation from September 2023; tanker payments reported July 2024; police units reported March 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tender awarded to a joint venture and paid before completion; the SIU found irregular scoring by officials.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"rooiwal_tender_value","value":295000000,"unit":"rand","year":2023,"note":"Approximate tender value, per Daily Maverick"},{"key":"tanker_payments_per_month","value":8500000,"unit":"rand a month","year":2024,"note":"Paid to 44 private tankers in Hammanskraal, per EWN"},{"key":"citywide_tanker_payments_per_year","value":450000000,"unit":"rand a year","year":2024,"note":"Citywide tanker payments, per EWN"},{"key":"private_tankers_paid","value":44,"unit":"tankers","year":2024,"note":"Private tankers paid in Hammanskraal, per EWN"},{"key":"officials_for_discipline","value":12,"unit":"officials","year":2025,"note":"SIU asked for disciplinary action over irregular scoring"}],"legal":[{"title":"Trial over 255 million rand asbestos tender","forum":"None on record","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"unknown","claimant":"State (name: none on record)","defendant":"Sodi","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Sowetan reported in January 2025 that Sodi was on trial over a 255 million rand asbestos tender. No verdict is on record.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: allegations of payments to the ANC, which the sources say rest on a newspaper column.","None on record: whether any of the money paid has been recovered.","292 million rand was paid before completion; the Daily Maverick gives the tender value as about 295 million rand.","None on record: the official cause of the cholera outbreak; a link to the tender is not established.","No conviction is recorded in the reviewed sources for Sodi or for any official."],"sources":[{"t":"SIU to probe Tshwane's R295m Rooiwal tender","p":"Daily Maverick","d":"2023-09","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-09-25-siu-to-probe-tshwanes-r295m-rooiwal-wastewater-treatment-plant-tender/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617041043/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-09-25-siu-to-probe-tshwanes-r295m-rooiwal-wastewater-treatment-plant-tender/"},{"t":"SIU wants officials to face DC again over Sodi tender","p":"Sowetan","d":"2025-01","u":"https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2025-01-30-siu-wants-officials-to-face-dc-again-over-sodis-tender/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260326040447/https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2025-01-30-siu-wants-officials-to-face-dc-again-over-sodis-tender/"},{"t":"Cash-strapped Tshwane pays R8m a month for Hammanskraal water tankers","p":"EWN","d":"2024-07","u":"https://www.ewn.co.za/2024/07/22/cash-strapped-tshwane-pays-r8m-a-month-for-hammanskraal-water-tankers-report","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422030412/https://www.ewn.co.za/2024/07/22/cash-strapped-tshwane-pays-r8m-a-month-for-hammanskraal-water-tankers-report"},{"t":"SAPS establishes teams to combat water tanker mafias which exploit municipal supply disruptions","p":"IOL The Post","d":"2026-03","u":"https://iol.co.za/thepost/news/2026-03-17-saps-establishes-teams-to-combat-water-tanker-mafias-which-exploit-municipal-supply-disruptions/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260318065408/https://iol.co.za/thepost/news/2026-03-17-saps-establishes-teams-to-combat-water-tanker-mafias-which-exploit-municipal-supply-disruptions/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tshwane-municipality","role":"Municipality that paid the Rooiwal tender and the tanker contracts"},{"id":"sodi","role":"Partner in the Sodi-linked joint venture; on trial in another tender"},{"id":"special-investigating-unit","role":"State investigator of the Rooiwal tender; sought disciplinary action"},{"id":"south-african-police-service","role":"Police service that set up units against water tanker mafias"},{"id":"private-tanker-operators","role":"Private tanker operators paid for water deliveries"}],"mechanism":"tender paid before completion","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: allegations of payments to the ANC, which the sources say rest on a newspaper column.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any of the money paid has been recovered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"292 million rand was paid before completion; the Daily Maverick gives the tender value as about 295 million rand.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the official cause of the cholera outbreak; a link to the tender is not established.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No conviction is recorded in the reviewed sources for Sodi or for any official.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Hammanskraal residents"]},{"id":"nairobi-pipe-cutting-and-water-cartel","tier":"short","title":"Nairobi water pipes cut and blocked with sand, NMS chairman says","dek":"Down To Earth reported in 2018 that about 40 percent of Nairobi's water cartels divert pipes rather than own wells, and that water sold in Kibera costs 300 times the piped price. At stake is water access in Nairobi's poorer neighbourhoods, where in 2020 the NMS chairman said pipes to South C had been cut and blocked.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":null,"lat":-1.29,"lon":36.82,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.29,"lon":36.82,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2020,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["Down To Earth reported in 2018 that about 40 percent of Nairobi's water cartels did not own wells and instead diverted pipes.","Down To Earth reported that water sold in Kibera cost 300 times as much as piped water.","The chairman of Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) announced in September 2020 that pipes to South C had been cut and blocked with sand, and that water was being sold by tanker."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pipe diversion and cut pipes in Nairobi, with water sold by tanker at many times the piped price.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Water cartels (unnamed)","what":"Sold water from diverted pipes at prices far above piped water","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Water customers in Kibera","what":"Paid 300 times the piped price, per Down To Earth","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of South C","what":"Lost piped supply after pipes were cut and blocked, per the NMS chairman","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Nairobi, Kenya (Kibera and South C)","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018 to 2020; NMS announcement in September 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pipes diverted, or cut and blocked, with water sold by tanker.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"kibera_price_multiple","value":300,"unit":"times the piped water price","year":2018,"note":"Water sold in Kibera, per Down To Earth"},{"key":"cartels_diverting_pipes","value":40,"unit":"percent of cartels","year":2018,"note":"Share of cartels that do not own wells and divert pipes, per Down To Earth"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the number of households affected or the volume of water diverted.","None on record: whether any cartel member or official was charged.","Unconfirmed: Down To Earth's 2018 headline projected water rationing in Nairobi until 2026."],"sources":[{"t":"Nairobi is likely to continue rationing water till 2026","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2018","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/nairobi-is-likely-to-continue-rationing-water-till-2026-59983","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"water-cartels","role":"Informal networks that divert pipes and sell water"},{"id":"nairobi-metropolitan-services","role":"Public body whose chairman announced the pipe cutting and blocking"}],"mechanism":"pipe diversion, tanker water","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of households affected or the volume of water diverted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any cartel member or official was charged.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Down To Earth's 2018 headline projected water rationing in Nairobi until 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of South C"]},{"id":"ganga-and-yamuna-sewage-treatment-annuity-plants","tier":"short","title":"CAG found delays in 26 of 46 Namami Gange schemes in 2017","dek":"The Namami Gange hybrid annuity model pays contractors 60 percent of capital over 15 years, and a 2017 CAG audit found delays in 26 of 46 schemes. At stake are the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, which the reporting says still receive untreated sewage.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Uttarakhand","lat":30.32,"lon":78.03,"role":"event"},{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Delhi","lat":28.61,"lon":77.21,"role":"related"}],"lat":25.43,"lon":81.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","happened":["PRS India reported that the Namami Gange hybrid annuity model pays 60 percent of capital over 15 years, and that a 2017 CAG audit found delays in 26 of 46 schemes.","Tribune India reported that Delhi spent 6,856 crore rupees on the Yamuna in 2017–22, and that 84 percent of the pollution came from two drains.","Down To Earth reported a CAG audit finding that 12 of 44 sewage treatment plants in Uttarakhand discharged untreated sewage into the Ganga."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sewage treatment built under a hybrid annuity model on the Ganga and Yamuna, with government paying contractors over 15 years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Annuity contractors","what":"Receive 60 percent of capital over 15 years under the model","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"Pay the annuities; Delhi spent 6,856 crore rupees on the Yamuna in 2017–22","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Downstream communities on the Ganga and Yamuna","what":"Exposed to untreated sewage discharges; the sources give no population figure","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Ganga and Yamuna basins, India (Delhi and Uttarakhand)","src":2},"when":{"t":"Model cited for 2017 to 2026; CAG audit in 2017; Yamuna spending 2017–22","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hybrid annuity contracts pay 60 percent of capital over 15 years; audits found delays and untreated discharges.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"namami_gange_annuity_share","value":60,"unit":"percent of capital","year":null,"note":"Paid over 15 years under the hybrid annuity model, per PRS India"},{"key":"cag_schemes_delayed","value":26,"unit":"of 46 schemes","year":2017,"note":"CAG audit found delays"},{"key":"yamuna_spending_2017_22","value":6856,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2022,"note":"Delhi spending on the Yamuna, 2017–22, per Tribune India"},{"key":"yamuna_pollution_from_two_drains","value":84,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of Yamuna pollution from two drains, per Tribune India"},{"key":"sewage_plants_untreated_discharge","value":12,"unit":"of 44 plants","year":null,"note":"Plants discharging untreated sewage, per CAG audit reported by Down To Earth"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the total cost of the annuity payments or the number of plants built under the model.","None on record: the scope of the 46 schemes that the CAG audited.","The cited sources give no date for the Down To Earth report of the CAG audit."],"sources":[{"t":"Audit: Namami Gange","p":"PRS India","d":"","u":"https://prsindia.org/policy/report-summaries/audit-namami-gange","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415041843/https://prsindia.org/policy/report-summaries/audit-namami-gange"},{"t":"6,856 cr spent but capital's lifeline Yamuna continues to die","p":"Tribune India","d":"2025","u":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/6856-cr-spent-but-capitals-lifeline-yamuna-continues-to-die","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212094532/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/delhi/6856-cr-spent-but-capitals-lifeline-yamuna-continues-to-die/"},{"t":"CAG audit of sewage treatment plants in Uttarakhand","p":"Down To Earth","d":"","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/nearly-a-third-of-stps-discharge-untreated-sewage-into-ganga-in-uttarakhand-despite-rs-1000-crore-spend-cag-report","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260815024129/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/water/nearly-a-third-of-stps-discharge-untreated-sewage-into-ganga-in-uttarakhand-despite-rs-1000-crore-spend-cag-report"}],"actors":[{"id":"namami-gange","role":"Government programme that pays the annuities"},{"id":"cag-india","role":"Auditor that found delays and untreated discharges"},{"id":"delhi-government","role":"Government that spent on the Yamuna in 2017–22"},{"id":"annuity-contractors","role":"Contractors paid through the annuity"}],"mechanism":"hybrid annuity sewage plants","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In Uttarakhand, 12 of 44 sewage treatment plants discharged untreated sewage into my Ganga, a CAG audit found, as Down To Earth reported.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the total cost of the annuity payments or the number of plants built under the model.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the scope of the 46 schemes that the CAG audited.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no date for the Down To Earth report of the CAG audit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"3m-zwijndrecht-pfos-pollution-settlement","tier":"short","title":"3M agrees to pay 571 million euros for Zwijndrecht PFOS clean-up","dek":"3M agreed to pay the Flemish government 571 million euros to clean up PFOS pollution at Zwijndrecht, Belgium. 3M has appealed a Flemish decree governing cleanup of gardens, farmland, natural areas and waterways, so what is at stake for nature is PFOS in soil and water.","country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","places":[{"country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","admin":"Flanders","lat":51.2,"lon":4.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.2,"lon":4.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2023,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["In 2022 3M agreed to pay the Flemish government 571 million euros to clean up PFOS pollution at Zwijndrecht (Belga News Agency; Italpress).","In June 2023 3M appealed to the Council of State against a Flemish PFOS decree covering cleanup of gardens, farmland, natural areas and waterways, and the environment minister expressed regret."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"3M agreed to pay the Flemish government 571 million euros to clean up PFOS pollution in Zwijndrecht (Belga News Agency, 2022).","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Flemish government","what":"571 million euros payment toward the cleanup","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"3M","what":"Agreed to pay 571 million euros","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Zwijndrecht, Flanders, Belgium","src":0},"when":{"t":"Settlement reported in 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Settlement agreement with the Flemish government to pay for PFOS cleanup","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_amount","value":571000000,"unit":"euro","year":2022,"note":"Agreed payment to the Flemish government for PFOS cleanup"}],"legal":[{"title":"3M appeal against the Flemish PFAS site decision","forum":"Council of State","country":"Belgium","iso2":"BE","kind":"administrative","claimant":"3M","defendant":"Flemish government","filed":null,"decided":"2025-03-06","status":"claimant-won","summary":"At 3M's request, the Council of State annulled the Flemish government's site decision \"PFAS 3M – Zwijndrecht\" on 6 March 2025, finding that several provisions imposed heavier obligations than the soil decree allows. The ruling does not release 3M from the duty to clean up the soil on and around the plant.","src":3}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 3M's original commitment was 120 million euros before the figure rose to 571 million.","Unconfirmed: 3M made no admission of liability in the 2022 agreement (Flemish government; VRT, 2022).","The cited sources do not give the area contaminated or the number of people affected in Zwijndrecht.","No ruling on the appeal against the decree is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Chemical company 3M to pay 571 million euros","p":"Belga News Agency","d":"2022","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316030006/https://www.belganewsagency.eu/chemical-company-3m-to-pay-571-million-euros-to-clean-up-pfos-pollution","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316030006/https://www.belganewsagency.eu/chemical-company-3m-to-pay-571-million-euros-to-clean-up-pfos-pollution","dead":true},{"t":"Pfas, inaugurate opere per la nuova fornitura d'acqua","p":"Italpress","d":"2022-07","u":"https://www.italpress.com/?p=429310","type":"press"},{"t":"Raad van State vernietigt plan om PFAS-problematiek rond 3M aan te pakken","p":"VRT NWS","d":"2025-03-06","u":"https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2025/03/06/raad-van-state-vernietigt-plan-om-pfas-problematiek-rond-3m-aan/","type":"press"},{"t":"Raad van State vernietigt sitebesluit PFAS 3M Zwijndrecht","p":"Flemish Government","d":"2025-03-11","u":"https://www.vlaanderen.be/pfas-vervuiling/raad-van-state-vernietigt-sitebesluit-pfas-3m-zwijndrecht","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"Company paying the settlement and appellant against the decree"},{"id":"flemish-government","role":"Recipient of the payment and issuer of the decree"}],"mechanism":"PFOS pollution settlement","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2022 3M agreed to pay the Flemish government 571 million euros to clean up PFOS pollution at Zwijndrecht, on me.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 3M's original commitment was 120 million euros before the figure rose to 571 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 3M made no admission of liability in the 2022 agreement (Flemish government; VRT, 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the area contaminated or the number of people affected in Zwijndrecht.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling on the appeal against the decree is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"corexit-dispersant-choice-and-nalco-board-ties","tier":"short","title":"BP's Gulf spill used Corexit; Nalco board had ex-BP and Exxon executives","dek":"BP applied 1.84 million gallons of Corexit dispersants during the Gulf spill, and the dispersant maker Nalco had former BP and Exxon executives on its board. What is at stake for nature is surface and subsurface water, and the sources give no environmental measurements.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":28.74,"lon":-88.37,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.74,"lon":-88.37,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["A report cited in the sources (chapter 2) says 1.84 million gallons of Corexit 9500A and 9527A were applied, 1.07 million gallons to surface waters and 0.77 million gallons of 9500A injected at BP's Macondo wellhead.","The NIH GuLF Study enrolled over 32,000 adults, and McGowan et al. (2017) reported that dispersant exposure was linked to all symptoms studied among about 27,659 to 29,468 participants.","DeSmog reported in September 2011 that Nalco's board included former BP and Exxon executives; the sources do not establish that these ties caused BP's choice of dispersant (DeSmog)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"BP used Corexit dispersants in the Gulf spill response; Nalco's board included former BP and Exxon executives (DeSmog, 2011).","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Gulf response workers","what":"Symptoms studied by McGowan et al. (2017) were linked to dispersant exposure; the sources treat these as associations, not proven causes","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Gulf of Mexico, United States (BP Macondo wellhead)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Year of the spill not stated in the cited sources; DeSmog article dated September 2011","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Chemical dispersant applied to surface waters and injected at the wellhead","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"dispersant_applied_total","value":1840000,"unit":"gallons","year":null,"note":"Corexit 9500A and 9527A; 1.07 million to surface waters, 0.77 million of 9500A injected at the wellhead"},{"key":"gulf_study_enrolled","value":32000,"unit":"adults","year":null,"note":"NIH GuLF Study, over 32,000 enrolled"},{"key":"mcgowan_participants_low","value":27659,"unit":"participants","year":2017,"note":"Range 27,659 to 29,468"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Reported, not established: BP's choice of Corexit was linked to Nalco board ties; the sources say causation was not shown.","Unconfirmed: the Corexit product is said to be of Exxon origin.","The cited sources give no sales or contract values for Corexit.","The 'Chapter 2' volume figures and the NIH enrolment figure are cited without a URL in the cited sources.","The health findings are associations, not established causes."],"sources":[{"t":"BP Oil Dispersant Corexit Contained Cancer-Causing Agents","p":"DeSmog","d":"2011-09-27","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2011/09/27/bp-oil-dispersant-corexit-contained-cancer-causing-agents","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421171303/https://www.desmog.com/2011/09/27/bp-oil-dispersant-corexit-contained-cancer-causing-agents/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"Company responsible for the spill response and dispersant choice"},{"id":"nalco","role":"Maker of Corexit"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Company whose former executives sat on Nalco's board"},{"id":"nih","role":"Government health study of workers"}],"mechanism":"oil dispersant application","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"1.84 million gallons of Corexit dispersants were applied to my Gulf waters: 1.07 million gallons on the surface and 0.77 million injected at BP's Macondo wellhead.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported, not established: BP's choice of Corexit was linked to Nalco board ties; the sources say causation was not shown.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Corexit product is said to be of Exxon origin.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no sales or contract values for Corexit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 'Chapter 2' volume figures and the NIH enrolment figure are cited without a URL in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The health findings are associations, not established causes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Gulf response workers"]},{"id":"pertamina-nre-idxcarbon-opening-day-trades","tier":"short","title":"Pertamina NRE was sole seller on IDXCarbon's opening day in 2023","dek":"Pertamina NRE was the only seller when Indonesia's IDXCarbon opened on 26 September 2023, selling 459,953 tonnes of credits to Pertamina group companies and a coal contractor. What is at stake for nature is whether such trades reduce emissions, and the sources give no emissions outcome.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-6.2,"lon":106.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.2,"lon":106.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2025,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["On IDXCarbon's opening day, 26 September 2023, Pertamina NRE was the only seller, selling 459,953 tonnes to Pertamina group companies and the coal contractor Pamapersada for 29.2 billion rupiah.","Between 2015 and 2023 Indonesia's palm biodiesel subsidies totalled 179 trillion rupiah, with Wilmar the largest recipient at 56.6 trillion rupiah, according to an Indonesian government biodiesel document.","On 19 March 2025 a panel of the Jakarta Corruption Court acquitted Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group and Musim Mas Group in a case over 2022 crude palm oil export permits. In April 2025 the Attorney General's Office arrested the three judges, accused of taking bribes for the verdict, The Jakarta Post reported; in December 2025 the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Djuyamto, Agam Syarif Baharudin and Ali Muhtarom to 11 years each, Indonesia Business Post reported. On 15 September 2025 the Supreme Court overturned the acquittal, found the three groups' companies guilty of corruption, fined each 1 billion rupiah and ordered PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia to pay about 11.88 trillion rupiah in restitution (CNBC Indonesia). On 3 March 2026 the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Muhammad Syafei, a Wilmar Group legal officer, to six years in prison for helping channel bribes to the judges."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pertamina NRE sold carbon credits on IDXCarbon's opening day in 2023, with buyers including Pertamina group companies.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Pertamina group companies","what":"Bought credits on opening day, including Pertamina Hulu Energi, Patra Niaga and Pelita Air","src":null},{"who":"Pamapersada","what":"Coal contractor among the opening-day buyers","src":null},{"who":"Wilmar","what":"Largest biodiesel subsidy recipient, 56.6 trillion rupiah (2015 to 2023)","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Wilmar","what":"Ordered to pay 11.88 trillion rupiah after the Supreme Court overturned its acquittal","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia (IDXCarbon exchange; palm biodiesel sector)","src":null},"when":{"t":"IDXCarbon opened 26 September 2023; biodiesel subsidies 2015 to 2023","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Opening-day trades on the IDXCarbon exchange; biodiesel subsidies funded from a palm export levy fund","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"credits_traded_opening_day","value":459953,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Single seller Pertamina NRE"},{"key":"opening_day_value","value":29200000000,"unit":"rupiah","year":2023,"note":"Value of the opening-day trades"},{"key":"biodiesel_subsidy_2015_2023","value":179,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":null,"note":"Palm biodiesel subsidy, 2015 to 2023"},{"key":"wilmar_subsidy","value":56.6,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":null,"note":"Largest biodiesel subsidy recipient"},{"key":"wilmar_compensation_ordered","value":11.88,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":null,"note":"Ordered after the acquittal was overturned"}],"legal":[{"title":"Wilmar palm oil export-permit case","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors of the Attorney General's Office","defendant":"Wilmar Group companies (also Permata Hijau Group and Musim Mas Group)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"overturned","summary":"After a 19 March 2025 acquittal by the Jakarta Corruption Court, the Supreme Court on 15 September 2025 granted the prosecutors' appeal, found the companies guilty of corruption, fined each 1 billion rupiah and ordered PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia to pay about 11.88 trillion rupiah in restitution; Musim Mas and Permata Hijau companies were ordered to pay about 4.89 trillion and 0.94 trillion rupiah.","src":3},{"title":"Bribery case against the judges in the palm oil export-permit acquittal","forum":"Jakarta Corruption Court","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecutors of the Attorney General's Office","defendant":"Judges Djuyamto, Agam Syarif Baharudin and Ali Muhtarom; former deputy court chief Muhammad Arif Nuryanta; court clerk Wahyu Gunawan","decided":"2025-12","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The three judges were sentenced to 11 years each and fined 500 million rupiah for accepting bribes for the March 2025 acquittal; Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, found to have brokered the bribes, received 12 years and six months, and Wahyu Gunawan 11 years and six months.","src":2}],"unknown":["The source for the opening-day trade figures is not given with a URL.","The cited sources do not show forest or emissions outcomes from the IDXCarbon trades.","The cited sources do not state the ownership relations between the buyers beyond the group label."],"sources":[{"t":"MA convicts Wilmar and orders IDR 11.8 trillion compensation","p":"IDN Financials","d":"","u":"https://www.idnfinancials.com/news/57481/ma-convicts-wilmar-and-orders-idr-11-8-trillion-compensation","type":"press"},{"t":"Judges who acquitted palm oil firms of corruption arrested","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2025-04-15","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2025/04/15/judges-who-acquitted-palm-oil-firms-of-corruption-arrested","type":"press"},{"t":"Jakarta court hands down stiff sentences to judges in CPO export bribery case","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2025-12-04","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/5759/financial-crimes/jakarta-court-hands-down-stiff-sentences-to-judges-in-cpo-export-bribery-case","type":"press"},{"t":"Wilmar bayar negara Rp11 T, 2 produsen ini nyicil wajib serahkan kebun","p":"CNBC Indonesia","d":"2025-10-21","u":"https://www.cnbcindonesia.com/news/20251021083921-4-677749/wilmar-bayar-negara-rp11-t-2-produsen-ini-nyicil-wajib-serahkan-kebun/amp","type":"press"},{"t":"Wilmar executive sentenced to six years in CPO bribery case","p":"Indonesia Business Post","d":"2026-03","u":"https://indonesiabusinesspost.com/6251/financial-crimes/wilmar-executive-sentenced-to-six-years-in-cpo-bribery-case","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"pertamina","role":"Seller of credits on opening day (Pertamina NRE)"},{"id":"pamapersada","role":"Coal contractor and opening-day buyer"},{"id":"wilmar","role":"Largest biodiesel subsidy recipient; ordered to pay compensation"}],"mechanism":"carbon credit exchange trades","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source for the opening-day trade figures is not given with a URL.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show forest or emissions outcomes from the IDXCarbon trades.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the ownership relations between the buyers beyond the group label.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Pertamina group companies","No source link — Who gained: Pamapersada","No source link — Who gained: Wilmar"]},{"id":"derna-dam-collapse","tier":"short","title":"Derna dams collapse in 2023 after maintenance funds were not spent on upkeep","dek":"The dams above the Libyan city of Derna collapsed in September 2023, with death toll estimates from about 4,000 to more than 11,000. Maintenance money allocated in 2012 and 2013 was not spent on upkeep, and the cited sources give no environmental figures for the flood.","country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","places":[{"country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","admin":"Derna","lat":32.77,"lon":22.64,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.77,"lon":22.64,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2024,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The dams above Derna broke on 11 September 2023; the WHO registered more than 4,000 flood-related deaths and the head of Libya's Red Crescent gave a toll of 11,300 (AP). The IOM estimated that 43,059 people were displaced in north-eastern Libya (The New Arab).","More than 2 million dollars for dam maintenance was allocated in 2012 and 2013, but a 2021 report by a state audit agency said the dams had not been maintained (AP).","On 28 July 2024 the Derna Criminal Court convicted 12 current and former officials responsible for managing the dams of mismanagement, negligence and mistakes that contributed to the disaster and sentenced them to 9 to 27 years in prison; four other defendants were acquitted, according to the Attorney General's office (AP). Reconstruction was taken on by the Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund led by Belgacem Khalifa Haftar (The New Arab); in December 2024 The Sentry called for Haftar-managed reconstruction funds to accept oversight from Libyan institutions such as the Audit Bureau.","A World Weather Attribution study of 19 September 2023 gave only an upper bound for Libya: Storm Daniel's rainfall was up to 50 times more likely and up to 50% more intense than in a climate 1.2°C cooler, with an uncertainty range that includes no detectable change."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dams above Derna broke on 11 September 2023; a 2021 state audit report said they had not been maintained despite money allocated in 2012 and 2013 (AP).","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Libyan Development and Reconstruction Fund, led by Belgacem Khalifa Haftar","what":"Took on the reconstruction of Derna","src":0},{"who":"Arab Contractors","what":"Major reconstruction contracts","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Public funds","what":"More than 2 million dollars allocated for dam maintenance in 2012 and 2013; a 2021 state audit report said the dams had not been maintained","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Derna residents","what":"More than 4,000 registered deaths (WHO) to 11,300 (Libyan Red Crescent); 43,059 people displaced in north-eastern Libya (IOM)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Derna, eastern Libya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Maintenance funds allocated 2012 and 2013; dams collapsed in September 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Dam maintenance not carried out; reconstruction through an audit-exempt fund and Egyptian contractors","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"maintenance_allocation","value":2000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2013,"note":"Allocated 2012 and 2013; more than 2 million dollars"},{"key":"death_toll_low","value":4000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"Estimates range from about 4,000 to more than 11,000"},{"key":"death_toll_high","value":11000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"More than 11,000 in higher estimates"},{"key":"displaced","value":43059,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"IOM estimate: 43,059 displaced in north-eastern Libya (September 2023)","src":3},{"key":"reconstruction_need","value":1800000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"Reconstruction need"}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of Derna dam officials","forum":"Derna Criminal Court","country":"Libya","iso2":"LY","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecution","defendant":"Twelve current and former dam management officials (not named in the sources); four others acquitted","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 28 July 2024 the court sentenced 12 officials to between 9 and 27 years in prison for mismanagement, negligence and mistakes that contributed to the disaster; three were ordered to return money obtained from illicit gains and four other defendants were acquitted, according to the Attorney General's office (AP). The verdict could be appealed to a higher court.","src":2}],"unknown":["The 1.8 billion dollar reconstruction need is cited without a separate URL in the cited sources.","No official death toll is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Reconstruction efforts in Libya are cementing Haftar's ambitions","p":"The New Arab","d":"","u":"https://newarab.com/analysis/reconstruction-efforts-libya-are-cementing-haftars-ambitions","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609000526/https://www.newarab.com/analysis/reconstruction-efforts-libya-are-cementing-haftars-ambitions"},{"t":"Interplay of climate change-exacerbated rainfall, exposure and vulnerability led to widespread impacts in the Mediterranean region","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2023-09-19","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/interplay-of-climate-change-exacerbated-rainfall-exposure-and-vulnerability-led-to-widespread-impacts-in-the-mediterranean-region/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Libya: 12 officials sentenced over last year's deadly flooding","p":"Africanews (AP)","d":"2024-07-29","u":"https://www.africanews.com/2024/07/29/libya-12-officials-sentenced-over-last-years-deadly-flooding/","type":"press"},{"t":"Libya: Derna storm, flood disaster displaced over 43,000 people, IOM says","p":"The New Arab","d":"2023-09-21","u":"https://www.newarab.com/news/libya-derna-flood-disaster-displaced-over-43000-people","type":"press"},{"t":"\"Deepening descent\" into corruption in Libya, \"parallels with Syria\"","p":"The Sentry","d":"2024-12-12","u":"https://thesentry.org/2024/12/12/80685/deepening-descent-into-corruption-in-libya-parallels-with-syria/","type":"investigative"}],"actors":[{"id":"belgasim-hafter","role":"Public figure who runs the reconstruction fund"},{"id":"hafter-fund","role":"Reconstruction fund exempt from ordinary audit"},{"id":"arab-contractors","role":"Egyptian contractor awarded major reconstruction contracts"}],"mechanism":"unspent dam maintenance funds","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 1.8 billion dollar reconstruction need is cited without a separate URL in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No official death toll is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"uk-ccs-clusters-25-year-contracts","tier":"short","title":"UK agreed up to £21.7bn over 25 years for two CCS clusters","dek":"The UK government agreed in October 2024 to provide up to £21.7bn over 25 years to carbon capture and storage clusters in Teesside and Merseyside, funded through energy bill levies and the Treasury. The cited sources do not show how much emissions the clusters would cut.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Teesside","lat":54.6,"lon":-1.2,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Merseyside","lat":53.4,"lon":-2.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":54.6,"lon":-1.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The UK government agreed in October 2024 to provide up to £21.7bn over 25 years to the Teesside and Merseyside carbon capture and storage clusters, The Chemical Engineer reported.","The support is to be paid through levies on energy bills and from the Treasury, according to the same report, which gives 4,000 jobs and 8.5 million tonnes a year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The UK agreed up to £21.7bn over 25 years for two carbon capture and storage clusters","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"bp, Equinor, TotalEnergies and Eni","what":"named as the companies behind the clusters","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"UK energy bill payers","what":"pay part of the support through levies on energy bills","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Teesside and Merseyside, United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"Agreed October 2024; support runs over 25 years","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"25-year support paid through energy bill levies and the Treasury","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"support_max_gbp_bn","value":21.7,"unit":"GBP billion (up to)","year":2024,"note":"25-year support for Teesside and Merseyside clusters"},{"key":"annual_volume_mt","value":8500000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":null,"note":"as stated in The Chemical Engineer"},{"key":"jobs","value":4000,"unit":"jobs","year":null,"note":"as stated in The Chemical Engineer"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["East Coast cluster: no sourced account in the cited sources.","How much CO2 the clusters would cut, and whether they would extend fossil fuel use: none on record.","Unconfirmed: the company roles listed above (bp, Equinor, TotalEnergies, Eni) have no source link."],"sources":[{"t":"UK invests in CCS clusters and hydrogen projects","p":"The Chemical Engineer","d":"2024-10-04","u":"https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/uk-invests-22bn-in-ccs-clusters-and-hydrogen-projects/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616185725/https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/uk-invests-22bn-in-ccs-clusters-and-hydrogen-projects/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bp","role":"named as a leading company behind the clusters"},{"id":"equinor","role":"named as a leading company behind the clusters"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"named as a leading company behind the clusters"},{"id":"eni","role":"named as a leading company behind the clusters"},{"id":"uk-government","role":"agreed the 25-year support"}],"mechanism":"25-year carbon storage contracts","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"East Coast cluster: no sourced account in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much CO2 the clusters would cut, and whether they would extend fossil fuel use: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company roles listed above (bp, Equinor, TotalEnergies, Eni) have no source link.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: bp, Equinor, TotalEnergies and Eni"]},{"id":"gorgon-ccs-offsets","tier":"short","title":"Gorgon LNG carbon storage fell short; gap closed with credits","dek":"Chevron's Gorgon LNG plant in Western Australia was approved in 2006 on condition that it bury at least 80% of its reservoir CO2 over any five-year period, and it missed the target. The shortfall was closed by buying more than 5 million carbon credits, and the cited sources do not quantify the net climate effect.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Western Australia","lat":-20.8,"lon":115.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-20.8,"lon":115.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["Western Australia's 2006 approval required at least 80% of reservoir CO2 to be buried in any five-year period, and in the first four years 12.2 million tonnes came out and 2.7 million tonnes (22%) were buried, Boiling Cold reported in 2020.","Chevron acknowledged in July 2021 that it had missed the target, attributing the failure to reservoir pressure and a system blocked by sand, RenewEconomy reported.","In 2023-24 about 1.6 million tonnes were captured, 30% of the target and the lowest year since 2019, and about 10 million tonnes were injected over 2019 to 2024, RenewEconomy reported in 2024.","IEEFA reported that Chevron bought more than 5 million credits to close the gap, at a cost of up to $184 million."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gorgon LNG missed its state-approved carbon storage target and closed the gap with purchased credits","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chevron","what":"operator of Gorgon LNG; closed the storage gap by buying credits","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Australian federal government","what":"contributed A$60m to the facility","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Western Australia","src":1},"when":{"t":"Approved in 2006; shortfalls reported in 2020, 2021 and 2024","src":1},"why":{"t":"Chevron attributed the shortfall to reservoir pressure and a system blocked by sand.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Underground injection under a 2006 approval condition, with the shortfall covered by carbon credits","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"co2_produced_first_four_years_mt","value":12200000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"from the reservoir, first four years"},{"key":"co2_buried_first_four_years_mt","value":2700000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"22% of the 12.2 million tonnes produced"},{"key":"co2_captured_2023_24_mt","value":1600000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"about 30% of the target"},{"key":"co2_injected_2019_2024_mt","value":10000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"total over 2019 to 2024"},{"key":"credits_bought","value":5000000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"more than 5 million; cost up to $184 million (IEEFA)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Chevron's fact sheet gives over 11 million tonnes injected from 2019 to May 2025 (company statement).","Unconfirmed: gas production began in 2016 and carbon injection in August 2019 (IEEFA summary).","Unconfirmed: the exact credit count of 5.23 million.","Unconfirmed: Gorgon's 2024-25 figures.","Penalty status: none on record in the cited sources.","Net climate effect of the shortfall: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Expensive failure: flagship Gorgon CCS collects less CO2 in worst year","p":"RenewEconomy","d":"2024-12-03","u":"https://reneweconomy.com.au/expensive-failure-flagship-gorgon-ccs-collects-less-co2-in-worst-year/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260305043959/https://reneweconomy.com.au/expensive-failure-flagship-gorgon-ccs-collects-less-co2-in-worst-year/"},{"t":"Chevron faces little grief from Gorgon LNG emissions miss","p":"Boiling Cold","d":"2020-11-26","u":"https://www.boilingcold.com.au/chevron-faces-little-grief-from-gorgon-lng-emissions-miss/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518205314/https://www.boilingcold.com.au/chevron-faces-little-grief-from-gorgon-lng-emissions-miss/"},{"t":"Chevron concedes CCS failures at Gorgon, seeks deal with WA regulators","p":"RenewEconomy","d":"2021-07-19","u":"https://reneweconomy.com.au/chevron-concedes-ccs-failures-at-gorgon-seeks-deal-with-wa-regulators/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606143226/https://reneweconomy.com.au/chevron-concedes-ccs-failures-at-gorgon-seeks-deal-with-wa-regulators/"},{"t":"If Chevron, Exxon and Shell can't get Gorgon's carbon capture and storage, who can?","p":"IEEFA","d":"","u":"https://ieefa.org/ieefa-if-chevron-exxon-and-shell-cant-get-gorgons-carbon-capture-and-storage-who-can/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220510220746/https://ieefa.org/ieefa-if-chevron-exxon-and-shell-cant-get-gorgons-carbon-capture-and-storage-who-can/"}],"actors":[{"id":"chevron","role":"operator of Gorgon LNG"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Gorgon partner (IEEFA)"},{"id":"shell","role":"Gorgon partner (IEEFA)"},{"id":"western-australian-government","role":"approved Gorgon in 2006 with a storage condition"},{"id":"australian-federal-government","role":"contributed A$60m to the facility"}],"mechanism":"CCS storage offset credits","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Of 12.2 million tonnes of CO2 that came out of the reservoir in my Western Australia in the first four years, 2.7 million tonnes (22%) were buried, against an 80% requirement.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Chevron's fact sheet gives over 11 million tonnes injected from 2019 to May 2025 (company statement).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: gas production began in 2016 and carbon injection in August 2019 (IEEFA summary).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the exact credit count of 5.23 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Gorgon's 2024-25 figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Penalty status: none on record in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Net climate effect of the shortfall: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eni-diesel-greenwashing-fine","tier":"short","title":"Italy fined Eni 5 million euros over ads calling Diesel+ green","dek":"Italy's Competition and Market Authority fined Eni 5 million euros in January 2020 over advertising its Diesel+ fuel as green. Transport & Environment linked the case to palm-oil biofuel, and the cited sources do not state the outcome of the fine.","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.9,"lon":12.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Italy's Competition and Market Authority (AGCM) fined Eni 5 million euros on 15 January 2020 over advertising Diesel+ as green diesel.","The Diesel+ fuel contained 15% HVO, a biofuel made from hydrotreated vegetable oil, Transport & Environment reported.","Transport & Environment described the case as greenwashing involving palm oil diesel."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Italy fined Eni over 'green diesel' advertising for Diesel+","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Eni","what":"marketed Diesel+ as green diesel","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Italy","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fine announced 15 January 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Advertising of a fuel with a 15% HVO biofuel component as green","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_million_eur","value":5000000,"unit":"euros","year":2020,"note":"AGCM administrative fine"},{"key":"hvo_share_pct","value":15,"unit":"percent of Diesel+","year":null,"note":"HVO component, as reported by Transport & Environment"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Consiglio di Stato annulled the fine.","Unconfirmed: the HVO was largely palm-oil based, a claim Eni disputed.","Whether any of the fine was paid, and its tax or insurance treatment: none on record.","Any effect on nature of the advertised fuel: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"AGCM press release PS11400 on Eni advertising","p":"Italian Competition and Market Authority (AGCM)","d":"2020-01-15","u":"https://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2020/1/PS11400","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240614062805/https://en.agcm.it/en/media/press-releases/2020/1/PS11400"},{"t":"Oil major slapped with 5m fine for greenwashing palm oil diesel","p":"Transport & Environment","d":"","u":"https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/oil-major-slapped--5m-fine-greenwashing-palm-oil-diesel","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260117201103/https://www.transportenvironment.org/articles/oil-major-slapped--5m-fine-greenwashing-palm-oil-diesel"}],"actors":[{"id":"eni","role":"fined over Diesel+ advertising"},{"id":"agcm","role":"regulator that imposed the fine"}],"mechanism":"green diesel advertising claims","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Consiglio di Stato annulled the fine.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the HVO was largely palm-oil based, a claim Eni disputed.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any of the fine was paid, and its tax or insurance treatment: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Any effect on nature of the advertised fuel: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"guyana-jurisdictional-redd-credits-bought-by-hess","tier":"short","title":"Hess agreed to buy at least $750m of Guyana forest credits","dek":"Hess agreed in 2022 to buy at least $750 million of REDD+ forest credits from Guyana for 2022 to 2032, while it is a 30% partner in an oil block in the same country. The cited sources do not show whether the credits offset its oil emissions.","country":"Guyana","iso2":"GY","places":[{"country":"Guyana","iso2":"GY","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":6.8,"lon":-58.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2032,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Hess agreed in 2022 to buy at least $750 million of REDD+ forest credits from Guyana for 2022 to 2032, CarbonCredits.com reported.","The OECD, in May 2026, put the volume at 37.5 million credits and noted that Hess holds 30% of an oil block in the same country.","CORSIA, the aviation emissions offset scheme, drew all its eligible supply from Guyana in September 2025, according to an IATA release.","Daily Maverick reported that the Hess family received about $5 billion as Chevron took over Hess."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hess agreed to buy at least $750m of REDD+ forest credits from Guyana for 2022 to 2032","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hess","what":"credit purchase commitment of at least $750m for 2022 to 2032","src":0},{"who":"Hess family","what":"received about $5bn as Chevron took over Hess","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Guyana","src":0},"when":{"t":"Agreement in 2022; delivery window to 2032","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Purchase commitment for REDD+ credits from Guyana's national forest programme","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"commitment_min_usd_m","value":750000000,"unit":"USD (at least)","year":2022,"note":"purchase commitment for 2022 to 2032"},{"key":"credits_million","value":37500000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"as stated by the OECD, May 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the credits could make Hess's oil in Guyana 'essentially carbon neutral' over 2022 to 2032 (Climate Home News and OilNOW reports).","Unconfirmed: an indigenous community's consent complaint was rejected.","Unconfirmed: an unnamed analysis finds the credits exceed Hess's net emissions in the field.","How many credits had been delivered by 2026: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Hess signs $750m REDD carbon credits deal with Guyana","p":"CarbonCredits.com","d":"","u":"https://carboncredits.com/hess-signs-750m-redd-carbon-credits-deal-with-guyana","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821141619/https://carboncredits.com/hess-signs-750m-redd-carbon-credits-deal-with-guyana/"},{"t":"IATA press release on CORSIA, 29 September 2025","p":"IATA","d":"2025-09-29","u":"https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-09-29-01/","type":"international"},{"t":"Hess family scores 5 billion payout and a big stake in Chevron","p":"Daily Maverick","d":"2023-10-23","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-10-23-hess-family-scores-5-billion-payout-and-a-big-stake-in-chevron/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240612154059/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-10-23-hess-family-scores-5-billion-payout-and-a-big-stake-in-chevron/"}],"actors":[{"id":"hess","role":"credit buyer; Guyana oil-block partner"},{"id":"chevron","role":"acquired Hess"},{"id":"government-of-guyana","role":"seller of national forest credits"}],"mechanism":"REDD+ forest credit purchase","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Hess agreed in 2022 to buy at least $750 million of REDD+ credits for my Guyana forest for 2022 to 2032, CarbonCredits.com reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the credits could make Hess's oil in Guyana 'essentially carbon neutral' over 2022 to 2032 (Climate Home News and OilNOW reports).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an indigenous community's consent complaint was rejected.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an unnamed analysis finds the credits exceed Hess's net emissions in the field.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How many credits had been delivered by 2026: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"saudi-wheat-programme-and-aquifer-depletion","tier":"short","title":"Saudi wheat cut and 2018 fodder ban; Almarai's alfalfa farms in Arizona","dek":"Saudi Arabia dropped irrigated wheat in 2008 after saying its fossil aquifer was largely depleted, then banned green fodder in 2018. Almarai's subsidiary Fondomonte grew alfalfa in Arizona, where nearby wells and a church well have dried.","country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","places":[{"country":"Saudi Arabia","iso2":"SA","admin":null,"lat":23.9,"lon":45.1,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"La Paz County, Arizona","lat":33.79,"lon":-113.61,"role":"affected"}],"lat":23.9,"lon":45.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":1980,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Saudi Arabia said in January 2008 that its fossil aquifer was largely depleted, and it dropped wheat (Lester Brown, Earth Policy Institute, Resilience, 2011).","Argaam reported that Saudi Arabia's green fodder ban took effect on 5 November 2018; green fodder had used about 17 billion cubic metres of water a year.","Fortune, carrying an AP report in October 2023, said Arizona cancelled one of Fondomonte's four leases and did not renew the other three.","Arizona's attorney general sued Fondomonte in December 2024, alleging the company drained the basin and caused land subsidence; the case is ongoing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Saudi Arabia dropped fossil-aquifer wheat in 2008 and banned green fodder in 2018. Almarai's subsidiary Fondomonte then grew alfalfa on leased Arizona land.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Almarai, through Fondomonte","what":"grew alfalfa on about 10,000 acres bought in Arizona for 48 million US dollars, with the harvest sent to Saudi cows","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Well owners near Salome, Arizona","what":"Floodlight and Sentient Media reported in October 2025 that a family's wells dried and water is now trucked from Wenden","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Wenden and the Ranegras basin","what":"Wenden's water level is reported at 540 feet below ground, against 117 feet in 1946, and the town subsided about 1.2 metres","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Saudi Arabia (fossil aquifer and wheat fields); Ranegras basin, La Paz County, Arizona","src":null},"when":{"t":"Wheat cut announced January 2008; fodder ban took effect 5 November 2018; Arizona lease action October 2023; lawsuit December 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources say Arizona's reason for the 2023 lease action was unfixed fuel-tank deficiencies since 2016, not water.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Fossil groundwater irrigated Saudi wheat; Almarai's Arizona farms pumped groundwater to grow alfalfa.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fondomonte_pumping_2023","value":31196,"unit":"acre-feet","year":2023,"note":"Pumping in the Ranegras basin, Arizona"},{"key":"almarai_arizona_land","value":10000,"unit":"acres","year":null,"note":"Approximate land bought in Arizona; the sources give a price of 48 million US dollars"},{"key":"green_fodder_water_use","value":17000000000,"unit":"cubic metres a year","year":2018,"note":"Water used by green fodder before the ban, per Argaam"},{"key":"green_fodder_expected_water_saving","value":9000000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2018,"note":"Expected saving from the ban, per Argaam"},{"key":"green_fodder_expected_output_fall","value":65,"unit":"percent","year":2018,"note":"Expected fall in production from the ban, per Argaam"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Almarai's subsidiary bought 1,790 acres at Blythe, California, in January 2016, and its costs rose by 200 million riyals.","Unconfirmed: Saudi wheat support reached five times the world price, and harvests fell by more than two-thirds in 2007 to 2010.","Unconfirmed: a 2008 plan to cut wheat by 12.5 percent a year, reaching zero by 2016."],"sources":[{"t":"Lester Brown, Resilience (Earth Policy Institute), 3 May 2011","p":"Resilience / Earth Policy Institute","d":"2011-05-03","u":"https://www.resilience.org/stories/2011-05-03/water-shortages-threaten-food-future-arab-middle-east/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Argaam report on the Saudi green fodder ban","p":"Argaam","d":"2018","u":"https://www.argaam.com/en/article/articledetail/id/568056","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261006235838/https://www.argaam.com/en/article/articledetail/id/568056"},{"t":"Fortune (AP) report on Fondomonte leases, October 2023","p":"Fortune (AP)","d":"2023-10","u":"https://fortune.com/2023/10/04/saudi-arabia-stripped-leases-arizona-drought-pumping-groundwater-fondomonte-almarai","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260812231958/https://fortune.com/2023/10/04/saudi-arabia-stripped-leases-arizona-drought-pumping-groundwater-fondomonte-almarai/"}],"actors":[{"id":"almarai","role":"Parent company of Fondomonte"},{"id":"fondomonte","role":"Arizona alfalfa grower; leases partly cancelled in 2023"},{"id":"saudi-arabia-gov","role":"Wheat and green fodder policy"},{"id":"arizona-attorney-general","role":"Filed public nuisance suit in December 2024"}],"mechanism":"leased farmland, fossil groundwater","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Green fodder used about 17 billion cubic metres of my water a year in Saudi Arabia before the 2018 ban, Argaam reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Almarai's subsidiary bought 1,790 acres at Blythe, California, in January 2016, and its costs rose by 200 million riyals.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Saudi wheat support reached five times the world price, and harvests fell by more than two-thirds in 2007 to 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2008 plan to cut wheat by 12.5 percent a year, reaching zero by 2016.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Almarai, through Fondomonte","No source link — Who lost: Well owners near Salome, Arizona","No source link — Who harmed: Wenden and the Ranegras basin"]},{"id":"sheridan-6-local-enhanced-management-area","tier":"short","title":"Sheridan 6 farmers have capped pumping since 2013; High Plains aquifer still falling","dek":"Farmers in the Sheridan 6 local enhanced management area in Kansas have limited groundwater pumping since 2013 under state law. The Kansas Geological Survey says pumping must fall further to halt the High Plains aquifer's decline.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Kansas","lat":39.37,"lon":-100.44,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.37,"lon":-100.44,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Farmers in the Sheridan 6 local enhanced management area have limited pumping since 2013, under a local arrangement that state law allows.","The Kansas Geological Survey said in December 2023 that in some areas less than 40 percent of the original aquifer thickness remains, and that pumping must fall 18 to 32 percent to halt the decline."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sheridan 6 farmers in Kansas limited groundwater pumping through a local management area, and the state survey says the wider High Plains aquifer is still declining.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers who gave up crops and irrigated land","what":"gave up crop output and irrigated acreage under the limits","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sheridan 6 local enhanced management area, Kansas; High Plains aquifer","src":0},"when":{"t":"Limits in place from 2013; state survey report dated 6 December 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pumping was limited under a local management area allowed by state law.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the annual water-level decline fell from 2.0 feet to 0.5 feet, with irrigation efficiency gains of 23 percent.","Unconfirmed: farm profitability continued under the limits."],"sources":[{"t":"KGS report assesses health of the High Plains aquifer","p":"Kansas Geological Survey","d":"2023-12-06","u":"https://kgs.ku.edu/kgs-report-assesses-health-high-plains-aquifer","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240721065509/https://kgs.ku.edu/kgs-report-assesses-health-high-plains-aquifer"}],"actors":[{"id":"kansas-geological-survey","role":"Published the 2023 aquifer assessment"}],"mechanism":"local groundwater management area","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the annual water-level decline fell from 2.0 feet to 0.5 feet, with irrigation efficiency gains of 23 percent.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: farm profitability continued under the limits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Farmers who gave up crops and irrigated land"]},{"id":"exxonmobil-kearl-reserve-write-offs-and-re-bookings","tier":"short","title":"ExxonMobil cut and restored Kearl oil-sands reserves as oil prices moved","dek":"ExxonMobil removed Canada's Kearl oil sands from its reported reserves after prices fell in 2016, then re-booked them when prices recovered. The bitumen in the ground did not change; the price used for reporting did.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":57.2,"lon":-111.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"related"}],"lat":57.2,"lon":-111.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2021,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["IndustryWeek, citing Bloomberg, reported in February 2017 that ExxonMobil had removed about 3.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent, 19 percent of its reserves and mostly Kearl, at the end of 2016. The company said the removal would not affect its operations.","ExxonMobil said in February 2019 that 3.6 billion barrels, including Kearl, had been proved again at higher prices, within a total addition of 4.5 billion barrels.","Its 2020 SEC filing shows 3.1 billion barrels of Kearl bitumen removed from reserves at the end of 2020.","Under an SEC rule effective from 31 December 2008, reserves are priced on the average of the first-day prices over the previous 12 months rather than the year-end price."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ExxonMobil removed the Kearl oil sands from its reported reserves when prices fell and re-booked them when prices rose, according to the cited sources.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"its reported reserves moved with the price rule; the company said the 2016 removal would not affect operations","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kearl oil sands, Alberta, Canada; US gas reserves from the XTO acquisition","src":null},"when":{"t":"End-2016 removal; 2018 re-booking; end-2020 removal","src":2},"why":{"t":"The cited sources tie the removals to the 12-month average price rule.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Proved reserves are classed on a 12-month average price, so a lower price removes barrels from the total and a higher price restores them.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"reserves_removed_end_2016","value":3300000000,"unit":"barrels of oil equivalent","year":2016,"note":"Removed at a low price, mostly Kearl"},{"key":"reserves_proved_again_2018","value":3600000000,"unit":"barrels of oil equivalent","year":2018,"note":"Proved again at higher prices, including Kearl"},{"key":"kearl_bitumen_removed_end_2020","value":3100000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2020,"note":"Bitumen removed from reserves, per the 2020 SEC filing"},{"key":"reserve_replacement_ratio_2018","value":313,"unit":"percent","year":2018,"note":"Replacement ratio as reported in the company release"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 2.4 billion barrels of Kearl bitumen re-added in 2021 at the SEC price floor.","Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil's US gas reserves from its XTO acquisition fell by 9 trillion cubic feet and were recognised again in 2021 at higher prices.","Unconfirmed: total reserves fell from 22.4 billion barrels to 15.2 billion barrels in 2020."],"sources":[{"t":"Exxon caves to oil crash, historic global reserves cut","p":"IndustryWeek / Bloomberg","d":"2017-02-23","u":"https://www.industryweek.com/strategic-planning-execution/exxon-caves-oil-crash-historic-global-reserves-cut","type":"press"},{"t":"ExxonMobil adds 4.5 billion barrels to reserves","p":"ExxonMobil","d":"2019-02-26","u":"https://investor.exxonmobil.com/company-information/press-releases/detail/212/exxonmobil-adds-4-5-billion-barrels-to-reserves","type":"company"},{"t":"ExxonMobil Form 10-K 2020","p":"ExxonMobil / SEC","d":"2021","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000003408821000012/xom-20201231.htm","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003170537/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000003408821000012/xom-20201231.htm"}],"actors":[{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Reporting company"}],"mechanism":"price-linked reserve reporting","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"ExxonMobil removed about 3.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent, mostly my Kearl bitumen, from its reserves at the end of 2016; in February 2019 it said 3.6 billion were proved again.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2.4 billion barrels of Kearl bitumen re-added in 2021 at the SEC price floor.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil's US gas reserves from its XTO acquisition fell by 9 trillion cubic feet and were recognised again in 2021 at higher prices.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: total reserves fell from 22.4 billion barrels to 15.2 billion barrels in 2020.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"british-columbia-old-growth-forest-accounting","tier":"short","title":"British Columbia's 13.2 million hectare old-growth count is challenged","dek":"The provincial government counts 23 percent of its forest as old growth. An independent 2020 report said only 3 percent of the province can grow big trees, and The Narwhal reported in 2024 that 2.4 million hectares were temporarily deferred.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","lat":53.73,"lon":-127.65,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.73,"lon":-127.65,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["The Narwhal reported in June 2020 that the government counts 13.2 million hectares, or 23 percent of the forest, as old growth, while an independent report said 3 percent of the province can grow big trees.","The Narwhal reported in May 2024 that 2.4 million hectares were deferred on a temporary basis, and that the old-growth total in the update fell from 25 to 11.1 million hectares.","The Narwhal's November 2025 analysis said logging in deferral areas could be four times higher, and that about 4 percent of old growth had burned."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"British Columbia counts 13.2 million hectares, 23 percent of its forest, as old growth, and independent reports dispute that classification.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Drax Group","what":"Ember's July 2026 analysis puts its 2025 UK subsidy at 999 million pounds and 8.72 billion pounds since 2012; Drax burns wood pellets counted as renewable","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"British Columbia, Canada; Drax power plant, United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"Independent report 2020; deferral update 2024; analysis November 2025; Drax subsidy figure for 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The policy does not separate productive from unproductive old growth, so targets can be met by cutting big trees and leaving stunted ones.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"old_growth_share_of_forest_official","value":23,"unit":"percent","year":2020,"note":"Government figure; 13.2 million hectares"},{"key":"productive_big_tree_area_share","value":3,"unit":"percent of province","year":2020,"note":"Independent report, as reported by The Narwhal"},{"key":"temporary_deferrals","value":2400000,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"Temporary deferrals in the 2024 update"},{"key":"drax_subsidy_2025","value":999000000,"unit":"pounds sterling","year":2025,"note":"UK subsidy to Drax, per Ember analysis (July 2026)"},{"key":"drax_subsidy_since_2012","value":8720000000,"unit":"pounds sterling","year":null,"note":"Cumulative subsidy since 2012, per Ember analysis"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Pinnacle, a Drax subsidiary, received cutting licences covering areas with old growth (BBC Panorama, October 2022).","Unconfirmed: Drax takes about 80 percent of British Columbia's pellet output.","Unconfirmed: Ofgem found Drax misreported 2021 to 2022 Canadian imports and agreed to pay 25 million pounds.","Unconfirmed: a Drax pellet plant in Mississippi was fined 2.5 million dollars in 2020 and 225,000 dollars in 2024.","Unconfirmed: a March 2026 CP24 report says the province is failing to protect old growth; only the headline was seen."],"sources":[{"t":"The Narwhal: B.C. old-growth data misleading, independent report","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2020-06-04","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/b-c-old-growth-data-misleading-public-ancient-forest-independent-report/","type":"press"},{"t":"BC old-growth update 2024","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2024-05-28","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-old-growth-update-2024/","type":"press"},{"t":"BC forests logging 2025","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2025-11-12","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-forests-logging-2025/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"british-columbia-government","role":"Published the old-growth area figures"},{"id":"drax","role":"Biomass plant operator; UK subsidy recipient"}],"mechanism":"old-growth definition and deferral","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["british-columbia-old-growth-deferrals-and-mill-closures"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The government counts 13.2 million hectares, 23 percent of my forest, as old growth; an independent report said 3 percent of the province can grow big trees, The Narwhal reported in June 2020.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Pinnacle, a Drax subsidiary, received cutting licences covering areas with old growth (BBC Panorama, October 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Drax takes about 80 percent of British Columbia's pellet output.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ofgem found Drax misreported 2021 to 2022 Canadian imports and agreed to pay 25 million pounds.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Drax pellet plant in Mississippi was fined 2.5 million dollars in 2020 and 225,000 dollars in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a March 2026 CP24 report says the province is failing to protect old growth; only the headline was seen.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Drax Group"]},{"id":"codelco-copper-law-military-transfer","tier":"short","title":"Chile's secret copper law sent 10% of export revenue to the armed forces","dek":"Under Chile's secret 1958 Copper Law, 10 percent of copper export revenue went to the armed forces outside budget oversight. The law was repealed in 2019, and the state copper company Codelco is the named company.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-33.45,"lon":-70.67,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.45,"lon":-70.67,"approxCoords":true,"start":1958,"end":2019,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Chile's 1958 Reserved Copper Law, which the cited sources call secret, directed 10 percent of copper export revenue to the armed forces outside budget oversight.","The cited sources give a minimum annual transfer of 180 million US dollars, and say the law was repealed in 2019.","In 2015 a former army commander was prosecuted in an embezzlement scandal involving at least 6.1 billion pesos, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chile's Reserved Copper Law sent 10 percent of copper export revenue to the armed forces outside budget oversight until its repeal in 2019.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chilean armed forces","what":"received the 10 percent share, with a minimum of 180 million US dollars a year","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Chilean public budget","what":"copper revenue was transferred outside budget oversight","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Chile; copper export revenue","src":0},"when":{"t":"Law from 1958, repealed in 2019; embezzlement case in 2015","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A secret statute earmarked a share of copper export revenue, bypassing budget oversight.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"armed_forces_share_copper_revenue","value":10,"unit":"percent of copper export revenue","year":1958,"note":"Set by the Reserved Copper Law"},{"key":"minimum_annual_transfer","value":180000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"Annual minimum under the law"},{"key":"embezzlement_amount_reported","value":6100000000,"unit":"pesos","year":2015,"note":"At least; reported in the embezzlement scandal"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the armed forces' share continued until 2028 and phases out by 2032 (SIPRI); the sources differ slightly on the dates."],"sources":[{"t":"Ajuste cíclico de los ingresos por cobre bruto: desafíos pendientes (Estudios de Finanzas Públicas 2026/50)","p":"Dirección de Presupuestos, Ministerio de Hacienda de Chile","d":"2026-02","u":"https://www.dipres.gob.cl/598/articles-404489_doc_pdf.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"Publican por primera vez Ley Reservada del Cobre después de 40 años","p":"Diario Financiero (Efe)","d":"2016-12-22","u":"https://www.df.cl/economia-y-politica/actualidad/publican-por-primera-vez-ley-reservada-del-cobre-despues-de-40-anos","type":"press"},{"t":"Chile's Milicogate scandal","p":"Corruption Tracker","u":"https://corruption-tracker.org/case/chiles-milicogate-scandal","type":"investigative"}],"actors":[{"id":"codelco","role":"State copper company named in the matter"},{"id":"chile-armed-forces","role":"Recipient of the copper revenue share"}],"mechanism":"off-budget copper revenue earmark","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the armed forces' share continued until 2028 and phases out by 2032 (SIPRI); the sources differ slightly on the dates.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"isthmus-of-tehuantepec-wind-farms-and-marena-renovables","tier":"short","title":"Isthmus of Tehuantepec wind farms, including Mareña, faced local opposition","dek":"Wind farms on Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec faced community opposition over land and livelihoods. The original Mareña site was cancelled in 2014 and rebuilt as Eólica del Sur, and a community police member who opposed Mareña was killed in 2018.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Oaxaca","lat":16.44,"lon":-95.02,"role":"event"}],"lat":16.44,"lon":-95.02,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2022,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The original Mareña Renovables site was cancelled in early 2014, and PGGM said the wind farm would move to two other sites (La Jornada, 2014).","It was rebuilt as the 396 MW Eólica del Sur in Juchitán and El Espinal with an Inter-American Development Bank loan, which the bank lists as closed (IDB).","A community police member who opposed the Mareña wind farm was killed in Juchitán in July 2018; neighbours named a municipal police officer as the shooter, and no court outcome was found (HRD Memorial).","A 2022 record shows that the 300 MW Gunaa Sicarú wind farm, developed by France's EDF, was cancelled on 2 June 2022."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Wind farms on Mexico's Isthmus of Tehuantepec, including Mareña Renovables, drew community opposition; the original Mareña site was cancelled in 2014 and rebuilt as Eólica del Sur.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Mareña Renovables joint venture (Macquarie, Mitsubishi, PGGM)","what":"Developer of the Mareña wind farm; the joint venture partners are named in the company response page","src":3},{"who":"Heineken and FEMSA","what":"Named as buyers of Mareña's electricity under a 20-year agreement (2012)","src":5},{"who":"Walmart, Coca-Cola bottlers, FEMSA, Heineken and Nestlé","what":"Corporate buyers of electricity from Isthmus farms that supplied companies directly","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Local protesters' livelihoods","what":"Protesters claimed the Mareña wind farm would adversely affect their livelihoods","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"A community police member who opposed Mareña","what":"Killed in Juchitán, Oaxaca, on 22 July 2018; no court outcome was found","src":2},{"who":"An Oaxaca human rights defender","what":"Detained in February 2012 on the way to meet a wind company; bail was about 1,000 dollars","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Juchitán and El Espinal, Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Oaxaca, Mexico.","src":1},"when":{"t":"The original site was cancelled in early 2014, the killing took place in July 2018, and the Gunaa Sicarú cancellation is dated 2 June 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Protesters claimed the wind farm would adversely affect their livelihoods, and the joint venture responded (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre).","src":3},"how":{"t":"Corporate buyers were supplied directly, and the original site was moved to other locations under the Eólica del Sur name.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"eolica_del_sur_capacity","value":396,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Eólica del Sur, rebuilt Mareña wind farm in Juchitán and El Espinal"},{"key":"gunaa_sicaru_capacity","value":300,"unit":"MW","year":2022,"note":"Gunaa Sicarú wind farm, cancelled 2 June 2022"},{"key":"gunaa_sicaru_turbines","value":115,"unit":"turbines","year":2022,"note":"Gunaa Sicarú wind farm, cancelled 2 June 2022"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Gap: the cited sources do not give the ownership shares of the Mareña joint venture.","Gap: no court outcome was found for the 2018 killing.","Unconfirmed: Vestas supplied turbines to Mareña Renovables.","Unconfirmed: a wind farm opponent in the Isthmus was killed in 2013 (name and details not stated in the cited sources)."],"sources":[{"t":"Mareña wind farm site cancelled in 2014; PGGM says it will move","p":"La Jornada","d":"2014-02-03","u":"https://www.jornada.com.mx/2014/02/03/estados/024n2est","type":"press"},{"t":"Eólica del Sur loan (ME-L1107)","p":"Inter-American Development Bank","d":"","u":"https://www.iadb.org/en/whats-our-impact/ME-L1107","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240227070425/https://www.iadb.org/en/whats-our-impact/ME-L1107"},{"t":"HRD Memorial: community police member killed in Oaxaca, 2018","p":"HRD Memorial","d":"2018","u":"https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/hrdrecord/rolando-crispin-lopez/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200619023730/https://hrdmemorial.org/ru/hrdrecord/rolando-crispin-lopez/"},{"t":"Response by Mareña Renovables joint venture to community protests","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"","u":"https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/response-by-mareña-renovables-joint-venture-macquarie-mitsubishi-corp-pggm-mexico-local-communities-protest-major-wind-farm-in-oaxaca-claiming-it-would-adversely-affect-their-livelihood-protesters-allegedly-subject-to-intimidation-death/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"A case of Big Wind bullying in Mexico","p":"Christian Science Monitor","d":"2012-02-28","u":"https://csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2012/0228/A-case-of-Big-Wind-bullying-in-Mexico","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512162732/https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/Latin-America-Monitor/2012/0228/A-case-of-Big-Wind-bullying-in-Mexico"},{"t":"Heineken and FEMSA 20-year agreement for Mareña wind power","p":"Silicon Republic","d":"2012","u":"https://siliconrepublic.com/?p=339365","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"marena-renovables","role":"Developer of the Mareña wind farm"},{"id":"macquarie","role":"Joint venture partner named in the company response"},{"id":"mitsubishi","role":"Joint venture partner named in the company response"},{"id":"pggm","role":"Joint venture partner; said the wind farm would move"},{"id":"idb","role":"Lender to Eólica del Sur"},{"id":"edf","role":"Developer of the Gunaa Sicarú wind farm"},{"id":"heineken","role":"Named buyer of Mareña electricity"},{"id":"femsa","role":"Named buyer of Mareña electricity"},{"id":"walmart","role":"Corporate buyer of Isthmus wind power"},{"id":"coca-cola-bottlers","role":"Corporate buyer of Isthmus wind power"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Named corporate buyer of Isthmus wind power"}],"mechanism":"wind farm land leases","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["marena-renovables-wind-farm"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not give the ownership shares of the Mareña joint venture.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: no court outcome was found for the 2018 killing.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Vestas supplied turbines to Mareña Renovables.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a wind farm opponent in the Isthmus was killed in 2013 (name and details not stated in the cited sources).","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Walmart, Coca-Cola bottlers, FEMSA, Heineken and Nestlé"]},{"id":"rajasthan-solar-parks-on-orans","tier":"short","title":"Indian state allocated sacred groves to solar parks recorded as barren land","dek":"Rajasthan allocated 44,247 hectares for solar parks in 2023–2025, including orans, sacred groves that villagers say land records list as barren. About 100 villagers began a 700 km foot march in January 2026 to protect the groves.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Rajasthan","lat":27,"lon":74.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":27,"lon":74.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Between 2023 and 2025 Rajasthan allocated 44,247 hectares for solar parks totalling 23 GW (Mongabay India).","A single 1 GW solar park at Bandha village took 2,397 hectares; villagers say oran groves were listed as barren land in land records, which made them easy to hand to companies (Mongabay India).","In January 2026 about 100 villagers began a 700 km foot march to save the groves (Mongabay India).","The Rajasthan High Court cancelled the Adani Group's 600 MW allocation at Nedan village and returned 205 hectares of oran land at Baiya village (Mongabay India)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Rajasthan allocated 44,247 hectares for solar parks in 2023–2025, including orans, sacred groves, according to villagers and Mongabay India.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Adani Group","what":"Held the 600 MW Nedan village allocation, which the High Court cancelled","src":0},{"who":"Adani Group","what":"Holds long-term power purchase agreements with state-owned SECI and state distribution companies","src":null},{"who":"Solar park developers","what":"Received state land, including 2,397 hectares for a 1 GW solar park at Bandha village","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Sacred groves (orans)","what":"Listed as barren land in land records and allocated to solar parks, according to villagers","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Village communities who regard the groves as sacred","what":"About 100 villagers began a 700 km march in January 2026 to save the groves","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Rajasthan state, India, including Bandha, Baiya and Nedan villages.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Allocations ran from 2023 to 2025, the march began in January 2026, and the Mongabay report is dated 19 March 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Groves were listed as barren land in land records, so they could be allocated to companies, according to villagers.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"solar_land_allocated","value":44247,"unit":"hectares","year":2025,"note":"Rajasthan solar parks allocated 2023–2025"},{"key":"solar_capacity_allocated","value":23,"unit":"GW","year":2025,"note":"Rajasthan solar parks allocated 2023–2025"},{"key":"bandha_land","value":2397,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"1 GW solar park, Bandha village"},{"key":"foot_march_length","value":700,"unit":"km","year":2026,"note":"foot march by about 100 villagers, from January 2026"}],"legal":[{"title":"Nedan village 600 MW allocation to Adani Group","forum":"Rajasthan High Court","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Adani Group (Nedan village allocation)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"overturned","summary":"The Rajasthan High Court cancelled the 600 MW allocation at Nedan village; 205 hectares of oran land at Baiya village were returned.","src":0}],"unknown":["Gap: the cited sources do not give the total area of oran groves lost.","Unconfirmed: Adani is building 30 GW at the Khavda park in Gujarat.","Unconfirmed: Wood Mackenzie ranked Adani among the largest solar portfolio growers in 2024."],"sources":[{"t":"Villagers set on 700 km foot march to save sacred groves from Rajasthan solar parks","p":"Mongabay India","d":"2026-03-19","u":"https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/villagers-set-on-a-700-km-long-foot-march-to-save-sacred-groves-from-solar-projects-in-rajasthan/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415194443/https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/villagers-set-on-a-700-km-long-foot-march-to-save-sacred-groves-from-solar-projects-in-rajasthan/"}],"actors":[{"id":"rajasthan-government","role":"Allocated 44,247 hectares for solar parks, 2023–2025"},{"id":"adani","role":"Holder of the Nedan village allocation (cancelled) and Baiya oran land (returned)"},{"id":"seci","role":"State company in long-term purchase agreements with Adani"}],"mechanism":"solar park land allocation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"44,247 hectares of me in Rajasthan were allocated for solar parks in 2023–2025, including orans, sacred groves, Mongabay India reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not give the total area of oran groves lost.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Adani is building 30 GW at the Khavda park in Gujarat.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Wood Mackenzie ranked Adani among the largest solar portfolio growers in 2024.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Adani Group"]},{"id":"lopera-solar-expropriation-of-olive-groves","tier":"short","title":"Spanish region expropriates olive groves for Lopera solar plants","dek":"A regional government in Spain declared solar plants in Lopera, Jaén, of public interest and moved to expropriate olive groves from owners who refused to sell. Campaigners put the trees at risk near 100,000, against 13,000 given by the government.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Jaén province","lat":37.8,"lon":-3.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.8,"lon":-3.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Spain's regional government declared the solar plants of public interest in Lopera, Jaén province, and moved to expropriate olive land from owners who did not want to sell (The Local, AFP).","Campaigners say close to 100,000 olive trees would be felled; the regional government puts the figure at 13,000 (The Local, AFP).","The government says land taken by force is less than 1 per cent of the land involved (The Local, AFP)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A regional government in Spain expropriated olive groves in Lopera, Jaén, for solar plants after declaring them of public interest.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Solar plant developers (names: none on record)","what":"Gained land for solar plants through the expropriation","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Olive growers in Lopera who refused to sell","what":"Lost land to compulsory purchase; the number of trees at risk is disputed","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Olive growers in Lopera","what":"A 64-year-old grower said felling olive trees to install panels is a crime","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lopera, Jaén province, Spain.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The expropriation was reported in 2024–2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The regional government declared the solar plants of public interest, which allowed compulsory purchase.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Compulsory purchase of olive land followed a public-interest declaration; the government says land taken by force is less than 1 per cent.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"olive_trees_government","value":13000,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"regional government estimate of trees to be felled"},{"key":"olive_trees_campaigners","value":100000,"unit":"trees","year":2025,"note":"campaigners' estimate, 'close to 100,000'"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Gap: the cited sources do not name the solar plant developers.","Gap: the outcome of the expropriation and the number of trees actually felled are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"It's a crime: solar park boom threatens Spain's olive tree growers","p":"The Local (AFP)","d":"2025-04-14","u":"https://www.thelocal.es/20250414/its-a-crime-solar-park-boom-threatens-spains-olive-tree-growers","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"regional-government-spain","role":"Declared the solar plants of public interest and moved to expropriate olive land"}],"mechanism":"public-interest expropriation","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"13,000 of my olive trees at Lopera are to be felled for solar plants, the regional government says; campaigners say close to 100,000.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not name the solar plant developers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the outcome of the expropriation and the number of trees actually felled are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"aftissat-wind-complex-in-western-sahara","tier":"short","title":"Western Sahara's Aftissat wind complex reaches 550 MW","dek":"The Aftissat wind complex in Western Sahara reached 550 MW, owned by Nareva, which Western Sahara Resource Watch says belongs to a Moroccan royal holding. The EU Court of Justice ruled in 2024 that EU-Morocco agreements cannot apply to the territory without its people's consent.","country":"Western Sahara","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Morocco","iso2":"MA","admin":"Western Sahara (disputed territory)","lat":24.5,"lon":-13,"role":"event"}],"lat":24.5,"lon":-13,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW) reported on 11 August 2026 that the Aftissat wind complex had reached 550 MW and 121 turbines, with Goldwind supplying turbines to its final phases.","WSRW says the complex is owned by Nareva, which it says belongs to Al Mada, described as the holding company of the Moroccan monarchy.","On 4 October 2024 the EU Court of Justice ruled that EU-Morocco agreements covering Western Sahara require the consent of its people, and that the Commission's consultation process did not show that consent (Euronews)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Aftissat wind complex in Western Sahara reached 550 MW and 121 turbines, according to WSRW.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nareva","what":"Owner of the Aftissat complex, according to WSRW","src":0},{"who":"Al Mada","what":"WSRW says it owns Nareva and calls it the holding of the Moroccan monarchy","src":0},{"who":"Goldwind","what":"Supplied turbines to the final phases of Aftissat","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sahrawi people","what":"The EU Court of Justice found that the consultation process did not show their consent to EU agreements covering the territory","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Aftissat, Western Sahara, a territory on the UN list of non-self-governing territories that Morocco has controlled since 1975.","src":null},"when":{"t":"The 550 MW figure is dated 11 August 2026; the EU Court ruling is dated 4 October 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Turbines were installed in phases on the territory, with Goldwind supplying the later ones, according to WSRW.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"aftissat_capacity","value":550,"unit":"MW","year":2026,"note":"Aftissat wind complex, per WSRW"},{"key":"aftissat_turbines","value":121,"unit":"turbines","year":2026,"note":"Aftissat wind complex, per WSRW"}],"legal":[{"title":"C-778/21 P and joined cases (Front Polisario)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"kind":"administrative","claimant":"Front Polisario","defendant":"EU institutions","filed":null,"decided":"2024-10-04","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Court held that EU-Morocco agreements cannot apply to Western Sahara without the consent of its people, and that the consultation process did not show that consent.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Siemens Gamesa supplies turbines to almost all Western Sahara wind farms.","Unconfirmed: Enel is a partner of Nareva in the 300 MW Boujdour wind farm.","Unconfirmed: Nareva was one of five operators selected in March 2025 for green hydrogen schemes covering up to 30,000 hectares each.","Gap: no statement from Nareva or Al Mada is given in the cited sources.","Gap: the cited sources do not say whether Sahrawi communities were consulted on the Aftissat complex itself."],"sources":[{"t":"Occupied Western Sahara wind complex expands into Africa's top three","p":"Western Sahara Resource Watch","d":"2026-08-11","u":"https://wsrw.org/en/news/occupied-western-sahara-wind-complex-expands-into-africas-top-three","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002035943/https://wsrw.org/en/news/occupied-western-sahara-wind-complex-expands-into-africas-top-three"},{"t":"EU top court upholds cancellation of EU-Morocco trade deals over disputed Western Sahara","p":"Euronews","d":"2024-10-04","u":"https://www.euronews.com/2024/10/04/eu-top-court-upholds-cancellation-of-eu-morocco-trade-deals-over-disputed-western-sahara","type":"press"},{"t":"Front Polisario: Court of Justice confirms EU institutions violated right to self-determination","p":"Baker McKenzie","d":"2024-10-21","u":"https://globalimportblog.bakermckenzie.com/2024/10/21/front-polisario-court-of-justice-confirms-that-eu-institutions-violated-right-to-self%e2%80%91determination-of-sahrawi-people/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260509133801/https://globalimportblog.bakermckenzie.com/2024/10/21/front-polisario-court-of-justice-confirms-that-eu-institutions-violated-right-to-self%E2%80%91determination-of-sahrawi-people/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nareva","role":"Owner of the Aftissat complex, according to WSRW"},{"id":"al-mada","role":"Holding company said to own Nareva, according to WSRW"},{"id":"goldwind","role":"Turbine supplier to the final phases"},{"id":"eu-institutions","role":"Defendant in C-778/21 P and joined cases"}],"mechanism":"disputed-land wind farm","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Siemens Gamesa supplies turbines to almost all Western Sahara wind farms.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Enel is a partner of Nareva in the 300 MW Boujdour wind farm.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Nareva was one of five operators selected in March 2025 for green hydrogen schemes covering up to 30,000 hectares each.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: no statement from Nareva or Al Mada is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not say whether Sahrawi communities were consulted on the Aftissat complex itself.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"adani-green-bribery-indictment","tier":"short","title":"US indictment alleges Adani solar bribery; three charges later dismissed","dek":"A US indictment filed on 20 November 2024 alleges that Adani Green Energy executives planned to pay about 265 million dollars in bribes to win contracts to supply 12 GW of solar power to India. On 10 August 2026 a federal judge in Brooklyn dismissed, at the Justice Department's request and with prejudice, three fraud counts against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain; on 3 September 2026 he declined to drop the remaining counts against five other defendants.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":21,"lon":78,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"event"}],"lat":21,"lon":78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A US indictment filed on 20 November 2024 alleges that Adani Green Energy executives planned to pay about 265 million dollars in bribes to Indian officials for contracts to supply 12 GW of solar power to the government (CBS News).","The indictment says the contracts were expected to earn more than 2 billion dollars in profit (CBS News).","On 10 August 2026 Judge Nicholas Garaufis of the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York dismissed, with prejudice and at the Justice Department's request, the securities-fraud and wire-fraud counts against Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain (DT Next). On 3 September 2026 he denied, without prejudice, the department's request to drop the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act conspiracy and obstruction conspiracy counts against former Azure Power executives Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal and former CDPQ executives Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra, The Wire reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A US indictment alleges that Adani Green Energy executives planned bribes to win Indian solar power contracts; three fraud charges were later dismissed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Adani Green Energy","what":"Sought contracts to supply 12 GW of solar power, expected to earn more than 2 billion dollars","src":0},{"who":"Adani Green Energy","what":"Holds long-term power purchase agreements with state-owned SECI and state distribution companies","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indian solar contracts, with prosecution in a US court.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The indictment was filed on 20 November 2024; three charges were dismissed in August 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Prosecutors allege the payments were meant to win contracts expected to earn over 2 billion dollars.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The alleged scheme was to pay about 265 million dollars to officials for supply contracts for 12 GW of solar power.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"alleged_payments","value":265,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"alleged bribes planned by executives, per indictment"},{"key":"solar_contracts_gw","value":12,"unit":"GW","year":2024,"note":"solar supply contracts with the Indian government"},{"key":"expected_profit","value":2,"unit":"USD billion","year":2024,"note":"expected profit, more than"}],"legal":[{"title":"Indictment against Gautam Adani et al.","forum":"US District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Brooklyn)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"United States prosecutors (Department of Justice)","defendant":"Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain (Adani Green Energy); Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal (formerly Azure Power); Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal and Deepak Malhotra (formerly CDPQ)","filed":"2024-11-20","decided":"2026-08-10","status":"ongoing","summary":"The indictment alleges planned bribes of about 265 million dollars to win solar supply contracts. Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani and Vneet Jaain were charged with securities fraud, securities-fraud conspiracy and wire-fraud conspiracy; five other defendants were charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and four of them also with conspiracy to obstruct justice. On 10 August 2026 Judge Nicholas Garaufis dismissed the three fraud counts with prejudice at the Justice Department's request, saying the dismissal reflected prosecutorial discretion and was not a finding on the allegations, and reserved judgment on the other counts (DT Next). On 3 September 2026 he denied, without prejudice, the department's request to dismiss the remaining counts against the five other defendants (The Wire).","src":1},{"title":"SEC v. Adani et al. (civil securities case)","forum":"US District Court for the Eastern District of New York","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","defendant":"Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani","filed":"2024-11-20","decided":null,"status":"settled","summary":"The SEC filed civil complaints on 20 November 2024 against Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani, and separately against former Azure Power board member Cyril Cabanes, seeking injunctions, civil penalties and officer-and-director bars. In May 2026 Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani consented to proposed civil penalties of 6 million and 12 million dollars, subject to court approval (Bar & Bench). DT Next reported in August 2026 that the case against Gautam Adani ended in a final judgment entered with his consent, without admitting the allegations.","src":3}],"unknown":["Gap: the cited sources do not name the Indian officials allegedly offered payments.","After the August 2026 dismissal Gautam Adani said that \"truth has prevailed\", DT Next reported. The Adani Group's response to the 2024 indictment is not stated in the sources.","Unconfirmed: Adani is building 30 GW at the Khavda park in Gujarat, on the Pakistan border."],"sources":[{"t":"Indian billionaire indicted in $265 million bribery scheme","p":"CBS News","d":"2024-11-20","u":"https://cbsnews.com/news/gautam-adani-indian-billionaire-indicted-265-million-dollar-bribery-scheme","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617215400/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gautam-adani-indian-billionaire-indicted-265-million-dollar-bribery-scheme/"},{"t":"US court permanently dismisses criminal case against Gautam Adani","p":"DT Next","d":"2026-08-10","u":"https://www.dtnext.in/news/business/us-court-permanently-dismisses-criminal-case-against-gautam-adani","type":"press"},{"t":"US Judge Denies DOJ Bid to Drop Bribery Charges Against Gautam Adani's Co-Defendants, Again Finds Indian Orders Contradict Govt Claims","p":"The Wire","d":"2026-09-05","u":"https://m.thewire.in/article/law/us-judge-gautam-adani-bribery-charges-co-defendants-india-claim","type":"press"},{"t":"Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani consent to $18 million penalty proposed by US market regulator to drop bribery case","p":"Bar & Bench","d":"2026-05-15","u":"https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/gautam-adani-sagar-adani-consent-to-18-million-penalty-proposed-by-us-market-regulator-to-drop-bribery-case","type":"press"},{"t":"SEC Litigation Release No. 26177: Gautam Adani, Sagar Adani, and Cyril Cabanes","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2024-11-21","u":"https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26177","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"adani-green-energy","role":"Subject of the indictment; holder of solar supply contracts"},{"id":"seci","role":"State company in long-term purchase agreements with Adani"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Prosecution; requested dismissal of three charges"}],"mechanism":"alleged bribery over solar contracts","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not name the Indian officials allegedly offered payments.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"After the August 2026 dismissal Gautam Adani said that \"truth has prevailed\", DT Next reported. The Adani Group's response to the 2024 indictment is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Adani is building 30 GW at the Khavda park in Gujarat, on the Pakistan border.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Adani Green Energy"]},{"id":"bikini-and-enewetak-nuclear-tests-and-coral-recovery","tier":"short","title":"Bikini reef partly recovered after US nuclear tests; islanders still displaced","dek":"US nuclear tests at Bikini and Enewetak from 1946 to 1958 displaced islanders, and a 2008 study found that about 70% of former coral species had returned to the reef. The resettlement fund fell from 59 million dollars to about 100,000 by 2023, and descendants still live on Kili, where freshwater is expected to be salted by waves.","country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","places":[{"country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","admin":"Bikini Atoll","lat":11.6,"lon":165.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Marshall Islands","iso2":"MH","admin":"Enewetak Atoll","lat":11.5,"lon":162.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":11.6,"lon":165.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":1946,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The US carried out 67 nuclear tests at Bikini and Enewetak from 1946 to 1958 (no link in the cited sources).","A 2008 study reported that about 70% of former coral species had returned to Bikini's reef, with 28 species not found; its authors credited people staying away and larvae from Rongelap Atoll.","Grist reported in 2018 that 167 people were moved from Bikini in 1946, and that their descendants live on Kili and Ejit, where waves are expected to salt the freshwater by about 2050.","Measured radiation at Bikini reached 648 millirem a year in 2019, against a limit of 100 millirem (no link in the cited sources)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US nuclear testing at Bikini and Enewetak from 1946 to 1958 displaced islanders; a 2008 study found the reef had partly recovered.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Trust manager (name: none on record)","what":"Identified as a beneficiary through management fees; the fund stood at about 89,002 dollars on 30 June 2024 (Pacific Island Times)","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Bikini islanders","what":"About 167 people were relocated in 1946; their descendants live on Kili and Ejit","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bikini trust beneficiaries","what":"The resettlement fund fell from 59 million dollars in 2017 to about 100,000 dollars in 2023 (Civil Beat)","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Bikini and Enewetak atolls and Kili and Ejit islands, Marshall Islands.","src":2},"when":{"t":"The tests ran from 1946 to 1958; fund figures run from 2016 to 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Islanders were relocated after the tests, and the reef recovered partly because people stayed away and larvae came from Rongelap, the 2008 study's authors said.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"nuclear_tests","value":67,"unit":"tests","year":1958,"note":"US tests at Bikini and Enewetak, 1946–1958"},{"key":"bikini_annual_dose","value":648,"unit":"millirem per year","year":2019,"note":"annual dose at Bikini; limit cited as 100 millirem"},{"key":"resettlement_fund_2017","value":59,"unit":"USD million","year":2017,"note":"resettlement fund transferred in 2017"},{"key":"fund_balance_2023","value":100000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"approximate, after the fall from 59 million"},{"key":"people_relocated","value":167,"unit":"people","year":1946,"note":"relocated from Bikini in 1946"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: monthly payments to Bikini islanders on Kili were cut; the source gives about 150 dollars a month to 6,800 members and a balance of 100,041 dollars in March 2023.","Gap: the cited sources do not say who authorised the 1946–1958 tests.","Gap: the sources do not give the cause of the fund's fall or the outcome of the lawsuit against the trust manager.","Gap: the full species list of the 2008 study is not in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Congressmen angry that Bikini islanders' nuclear trust fund may have been squandered","p":"Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)","d":"2023-07-03","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2023/07/03/congressmen-angry-that-bikini-islanders-nuclear-trust-fund-may-have-been-squandered/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260623102347/https://pina.com.fj/2023/07/03/congressmen-angry-that-bikini-islanders-nuclear-trust-fund-may-have-been-squandered/"},{"t":"The U.S. forced Bikini islanders to deal with nuclear tests and climate change; now it's walking away","p":"Grist","d":"2018-05-11","u":"https://grist.org/article/the-u-s-forced-bikini-islanders-to-deal-with-nuclear-tests-and-climate-change-now-its-walking-away/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618022928/https://grist.org/article/the-u-s-forced-bikini-islanders-to-deal-with-nuclear-tests-and-climate-change-now-its-walking-away/"},{"t":"Nuclear descendants in Hawaii are incensed by blown Bikini Atoll reparation funds","p":"Civil Beat","d":"2023-06","u":"https://civilbeat.org/2023/06/nuclear-descendants-in-hawaii-are-incensed-by-blown-bikini-atoll-reparation-funds/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240915145416/https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/06/nuclear-descendants-in-hawaii-are-incensed-by-blown-bikini-atoll-reparation-funds/"},{"t":"Depletion of Bikini Atoll funds sparks lawsuit against trust manager","p":"Pacific Island Times","d":"2024-08-21","u":"https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/depletion-of-bikini-atoll-funds-sparks-lawsuit-against-trust-manager","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520133557/https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/depletion-of-bikini-atoll-funds-sparks-lawsuit-against-trust-manager"}],"actors":[{"id":"united-states-government","role":"Conducted the 1946–1958 nuclear tests"},{"id":"bikini-nuclear-trust-fund","role":"Resettlement fund; balance fell, according to sources"}],"mechanism":"nuclear testing and relocation","types":["protected-area","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["war:nuclear-tests"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: monthly payments to Bikini islanders on Kili were cut; the source gives about 150 dollars a month to 6,800 members and a balance of 100,041 dollars in March 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not say who authorised the 1946–1958 tests.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the sources do not give the cause of the fund's fall or the outcome of the lawsuit against the trust manager.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the full species list of the 2008 study is not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tnc-bp-partnership-and-kareiva-resilience-essay","tier":"short","title":"TNC chief scientist urged conservation groups to partner with companies","dek":"In a 2012 essay, The Nature Conservancy's chief scientist Peter Kareiva and co-authors argued that nature recovers quickly and that conservation should be justified for people. Other conservation scientists objected, and TNC's 2011 partnership with Dow Chemical was reported as a five-year, 10 million dollar collaboration.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2015,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["On 1 February 2012 Peter Kareiva, Michelle Marvier and Robert Lalasz argued in the Breakthrough Journal that nature is resilient enough to recover quickly, and that conservation groups should work with companies (Breakthrough Journal).","The essay cited Chernobyl wildlife, a claimed rise in coral species at Bikini, and fast bacterial breakdown of Gulf oil as examples (Breakthrough Journal).","A 2008 study reported 28 coral species missing from the Bikini reef, a loss that sits beside the essay's claim of more species there (no link in the cited sources).","Michael Soulé called the approach a radical break from conservation in 2013, in Conservation Biology (no link in the cited sources)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Peter Kareiva, Michelle Marvier and Robert Lalasz argued in 2012 that nature recovers quickly and that conservation should work with companies.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Nature Conservancy (TNC)","what":"Five-year collaboration with Dow Chemical worth 10 million dollars, from January 2011","src":null},{"who":"Peter Kareiva","what":"Moved to UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability in July 2015 and remained senior science adviser to TNC's chief executive","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Bikini reef species","what":"A 2008 study reported 28 species missing from the reef","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Published in the United States; the essay's examples include Chernobyl, Bikini Atoll and the Gulf of Mexico.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The essay is dated 1 February 2012; the Dow partnership began in January 2011; Kareiva moved to UCLA in July 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The authors argued that conservation should be justified for human benefit rather than for biodiversity's own sake.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Through corporate partnerships such as TNC's collaboration with Dow Chemical, and by framing conservation around people.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"tnc_dow_collaboration","value":10,"unit":"USD million","year":2011,"note":"five-year TNC collaboration with Dow Chemical from January 2011"},{"key":"wwf_coca_cola_partnership","value":20,"unit":"USD million","year":2007,"note":"WWF relationship with Coca-Cola from 2007 (reported)"},{"key":"bikini_species_missing","value":28,"unit":"species","year":2008,"note":"species not found in the 2008 Bikini reef study"},{"key":"studies_partial_recovery","value":72,"unit":"percent","year":2012,"note":"share of 240 studies reporting partial recovery"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: TNC received about 10 million dollars from BP over the years and gave BP a seat on its leadership council; Kareiva defended the relationship in 2010.","Unconfirmed: Soulé wrote, as reported by Mongabay, that the new conservation approach would accelerate global ecological collapse.","Unconfirmed: Tallis and Lubchenco proposed 'inclusive conservation' in Nature in November 2014, with about 240 signatories.","Gap: the sources do not say whether the BP or Dow relationships influenced the essay's recommendations."],"sources":[{"t":"Conservation in the Anthropocene","p":"Breakthrough Journal","d":"2012-02-01","u":"https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/issue-2/conservation-in-the-anthropocene","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260927190019/https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/issue-2/conservation-in-the-anthropocene"},{"t":"Peter Kareiva takes helm at UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability","p":"UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability","d":"2015-07-28","u":"https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/peter-kareiva-takes-helm-at-ucla-institute-of-the-environment-and-sustainability","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617003123/https://www.ioes.ucla.edu/peter-kareiva-takes-helm-at-ucla-institute-of-the-environment-and-sustainability/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"Employer of Kareiva; Dow Chemical partner; subject of the essay"},{"id":"dow-chemical","role":"Five-year, 10 million dollar collaboration partner of TNC from January 2011"},{"id":"wwf","role":"Coca-Cola partner from 2007 (reported)"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"WWF partner (reported)"},{"id":"ucla-institute-of-the-environment-and-sustainability","role":"Kareiva's institute from July 2015"}],"mechanism":"corporate conservation partnerships","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: TNC received about 10 million dollars from BP over the years and gave BP a seat on its leadership council; Kareiva defended the relationship in 2010.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Soulé wrote, as reported by Mongabay, that the new conservation approach would accelerate global ecological collapse.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Tallis and Lubchenco proposed 'inclusive conservation' in Nature in November 2014, with about 240 signatories.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the sources do not say whether the BP or Dow relationships influenced the essay's recommendations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: The Nature Conservancy (TNC)","No source link — Who lost: Bikini reef species"]},{"id":"klm-fly-responsibly-greenwashing-ruling-and-saf","tier":"short","title":"Dutch court rules 15 of 19 KLM 'Fly Responsibly' claims misleading","dek":"An Amsterdam court found 15 of 19 statements in KLM's 'Fly Responsibly' campaign misleading in March 2024, but imposed no penalty. The ruling bears on sustainable aviation fuel claims, since IATA put SAF at 0.6% of jet fuel in 2025.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Amsterdam","lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"influence","happened":["On 20 March 2024 an Amsterdam court found 15 of 19 statements in KLM's 'Fly Responsibly' campaign misleading, said calling sustainable aviation fuel 'sustainable' was too absolute, and imposed no penalty (Al Jazeera).","IATA reported that SAF made up 0.3% of jet fuel in 2024 and 0.6% in 2025, and that airlines paid 2.9 billion dollars more for it in 2025 (IATA).","Transport & Environment estimated that about 80% of used cooking oil imported into the EU in 2022 may have been palm oil labelled as waste (no link in the cited sources).","The EU's ReFuelEU rules raise the SAF share from 2% in 2025 to 70% in 2050 (Bluebiz)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An Amsterdam court found 15 of 19 statements in KLM's 'Fly Responsibly' campaign misleading in March 2024, without imposing a penalty.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"KLM","what":"Ran the 'Fly Responsibly' campaign; no penalty followed the 2024 ruling","src":0},{"who":"SAF suppliers","what":"Profit margins widened, according to IATA","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Amsterdam, Netherlands; SAF supply chains worldwide.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The ruling was on 20 March 2024; IATA figures cover 2024 and 2025, with a 2026 forecast.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"SAF is mostly made from waste fats by the HEFA process; the certifier ISCC cancelled some certificates while issuing new ones. Under rules in force since 2025, fines of up to 10% of turnover are possible, but no penalty for green claims had been imposed yet (no link in the cited sources).","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"klm_misleading_statements","value":15,"unit":"statements of 19","year":2024,"note":"Amsterdam court; no penalty imposed"},{"key":"saf_share_2024","value":0.3,"unit":"percent of jet fuel","year":2024,"note":"IATA"},{"key":"saf_share_2025","value":0.6,"unit":"percent of jet fuel","year":2025,"note":"IATA"},{"key":"airline_saf_extra_cost","value":2.9,"unit":"USD billion","year":2025,"note":"extra paid by airlines for SAF, per IATA"},{"key":"refueleu_saf_target_2050","value":70,"unit":"percent","year":2050,"note":"EU SAF share target under ReFuelEU"}],"legal":[{"title":"KLM 'Fly Responsibly' advertising ruling","forum":"Amsterdam court","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"KLM","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03-20","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Amsterdam court found 15 of 19 statements misleading and said calling SAF 'sustainable' was too absolute; no penalty was imposed.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: IATA's 0.8% SAF share for 2026 is a forecast, not a measured figure.","Gap: the cited sources do not say whether KLM appealed the ruling."],"sources":[{"t":"Dutch court finds airline guilty of greenwashing","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2024-03-20","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/3/20/dutch-court-finds-airline-guilty-of-greenwashing","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240915163329/https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2024/3/20/dutch-court-finds-airline-guilty-of-greenwashing"},{"t":"IATA: SAF share of jet fuel and airline costs (2025 release)","p":"IATA","d":"2025-12-09","u":"https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-12-09-04/","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260810091602/https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-12-09-04/"},{"t":"EU SAF mandate: up from 2 percent in 2025 to 70 percent in 2050","p":"Bluebiz","d":"","u":"https://bluebiz.com/en/sustainability/innovation-hub/news/eu-saf-mandate-up-from-2-percent-in-2025-to-70-percent-in-2050","type":"press","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"klm","role":"Defendant; ran the 'Fly Responsibly' campaign"},{"id":"iata","role":"Source of SAF share and cost figures"},{"id":"transport-environment","role":"Estimate of palm oil in imported used cooking oil"},{"id":"iscc","role":"Certifier that cancelled some certificates"}],"mechanism":"sustainable aviation fuel claims","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IATA's 0.8% SAF share for 2026 is a forecast, not a measured figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Gap: the cited sources do not say whether KLM appealed the ruling.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"dws-esg-greenwashing-penalties","tier":"short","title":"Deutsche Bank's DWS paid penalties in US and Germany over ESG claims","dek":"DWS, the asset manager of Deutsche Bank, paid a 19 million dollar US penalty in 2023 and a 25 million euro fine ordered by Frankfurt prosecutors in 2025 over ESG claims. Campaigners report that DWS-managed ESG funds put 8.7 billion euros into fossil-fuel expansion.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Frankfurt","lat":50.11,"lon":8.68,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77.04,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.11,"lon":8.68,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"influence","happened":["On 25 September 2023 the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ordered DWS Investment Management Americas, a DWS subsidiary, to pay a 19 million dollar penalty for materially misleading statements about its controls for incorporating ESG factors into investment research and recommendations between August 2018 and late 2021. DWS settled without admitting or denying the findings; in a separate anti-money-laundering case it paid a further 6 million dollars (SEC).","On 2 April 2025 Frankfurt prosecutors fined DWS 25 million euros for a negligent infringement over its ESG marketing statements, documentation and control processes; ESG Dive described it as a greenwashing fine. DWS agreed to pay the same day (ESG Dive).","ESG Dive reported that DWS had set aside a provision for the penalty in advance (ESG Dive).","In June 2025 Frankfurt prosecutors discontinued, with the court's consent, their investigation of former DWS chief executive Asoka Wöhrmann. They cited his clean record and the end of his employment, and said the insufficient implementation of the ESG strategy could not be attributed to him alone (Börsen-Zeitung, 17 June 2025)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DWS, Deutsche Bank's asset manager, paid penalties in the US and Germany over ESG claims; the SEC penalty was 19 million dollars and the German fine 25 million euros.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DWS-managed ESG funds","what":"Reported to have invested 8.7 billion euros in fossil-fuel expansion (Urgewald and Facing Finance, 2025)","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Frankfurt, Germany (prosecutors) and the United States (SEC).","src":0},"when":{"t":"The SEC penalty was in 2023; the Frankfurt fine is dated 2 April 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"DWS had set aside a provision for the penalty in advance, according to ESG Dive.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sec_penalty","value":19,"unit":"USD million","year":2023,"note":"SEC penalty against DWS"},{"key":"frankfurt_fine","value":25,"unit":"EUR million","year":2025,"note":"fine ordered by Frankfurt prosecutors"},{"key":"esg_fund_fossil_investment","value":8.7,"unit":"EUR billion","year":2025,"note":"DWS ESG funds' investment in fossil expansion, per Urgewald and Facing Finance"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: DWS's former chief executive is entitled to 13.7 million euros in compensation.","Unconfirmed: one headline names a 20 million dollar SEC penalty against DWS; the 19 million dollar figure is used here."],"sources":[{"t":"German prosecutors slap $27m greenwashing fine on Deutsche Bank DWS","p":"ESG Dive","d":"2025-04-04","u":"https://www.esgdive.com/news/german-prosecutors-slap-27m-greenwashing-fine-on-deutsche-bank-dws/744507/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260413050045/https://www.esgdive.com/news/german-prosecutors-slap-27m-greenwashing-fine-on-deutsche-bank-dws/744507/"},{"t":"DWS to Pay $25 Million for Anti-Money Laundering Violations and Misstatements Regarding ESG Investments","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2023-09-25","u":"https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023-194","type":"regulator"},{"t":"Greenwashing-Ermittlungen gegen Asoka Wöhrmann eingestellt","p":"Börsen-Zeitung","d":"2025-06-17","u":"https://www.boersen-zeitung.de/esg-pro/greenwashing-ermittlungen-gegen-asoka-woehrmann-eingestellt","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"dws","role":"Asset manager penalised in the US and Germany"},{"id":"deutsche-bank","role":"Parent of DWS, per the source headline"},{"id":"sec","role":"Imposed 19 million dollar penalty in 2023"},{"id":"frankfurt-prosecutors","role":"Imposed 25 million euro fine in 2025"},{"id":"urgewald","role":"Co-author of fossil-expansion data with Facing Finance"},{"id":"facing-finance","role":"Co-author of fossil-expansion data with Urgewald"}],"mechanism":"ESG marketing penalties","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: DWS's former chief executive is entitled to 13.7 million euros in compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: one headline names a 20 million dollar SEC penalty against DWS; the 19 million dollar figure is used here.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: DWS-managed ESG funds"]},{"id":"rwe-claim-against-dutch-coal-phase-out-and-german-nuclear-co","tier":"short","title":"RWE sought €1.4bn from the Netherlands over its coal phase-out","dek":"RWE brought an investment-treaty claim for €1.4bn over the Dutch ban on coal power from 2030 and withdrew it in 2023. Germany agreed €2.6bn of early lignite closure compensation for RWE; for nature, the question is whether such claims and payments slow the closure of fossil capacity.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"Groningen","lat":53.44,"lon":6.83,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.44,"lon":6.83,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2023,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The Netherlands banned coal-fired electricity from 2030 in 2019. RWE filed a claim with ICSID in 2021 seeking €1.4bn over its Eemshaven plant, according to CorpWatch.","After the German Federal Court of Justice ruled on 27 July 2023 that the Energy Charter Treaty arbitration clause is invalid within the EU, RWE withdrew the claim in autumn 2023. The Hague District Court had found the coal law lawful and no compensation due (CorpWatch).","The European Commission approved on 13 December 2023 the German payment of €2.6bn to RWE for lignite closure, according to BNN Bloomberg.","In a December 2020 hard-coal closure auction, 11 plants shared €317m, of which €216m went to RWE (dpa-AFX)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"RWE filed a €1.4bn claim against the Netherlands over its Eemshaven coal plant and withdrew it in autumn 2023; Germany later approved €2.6bn of lignite closure compensation for RWE.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RWE","what":"€2.6bn early lignite closure compensation, approved by the European Commission on 13 December 2023","src":3},{"who":"RWE","what":"€216m of the €317m paid in the December 2020 hard-coal closure auction","src":2},{"who":"Vattenfall","what":"Share of the German nuclear exit settlement, reported at €1.425bn (2021)","src":null},{"who":"Vattenfall","what":"Dutch state payment of €52.5m for the early closure of the Hemweg-8 plant in 2019","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Eemshaven, Netherlands; Moorburg, Hamburg, and German lignite regions","src":0},"when":{"t":"Dutch coal ban 2019; claim filed 2021; German court ruling 27 July 2023; claim withdrawn autumn 2023; lignite approval 13 December 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"RWE challenged the Dutch ban on coal power from 2030. The sources do not state why Germany agreed closure compensation; a 2019 research service note of the German parliament said the state was not legally obliged to pay.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor claim under the Energy Charter Treaty, filed with ICSID; state-approved closure payments and auction premiums.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"rwe_eemshaven_claim_eur","value":1400000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2021,"note":"Sought from the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty"},{"key":"lignite_closure_compensation_rwe_eur","value":2600000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2023,"note":"Early lignite closure compensation approved by the European Commission"},{"key":"hard_coal_auction_rwe_eur","value":216000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2020,"note":"RWE share of the €317m paid to 11 plants"},{"key":"vattenfall_nuclear_settlement_eur","value":1425000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2021,"note":"Vattenfall share of the German nuclear exit settlement"},{"key":"hemweg_early_closure_aid_eur","value":52500000,"unit":"EUR","year":2019,"note":"Dutch state payment to Vattenfall for early closure of Hemweg-8"}],"legal":[{"title":"RWE Eemshaven claim against the Netherlands","forum":"ICSID (investment arbitration)","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"RWE AG","defendant":"Kingdom of the Netherlands","filed":2021,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Claim of €1.4bn withdrawn in autumn 2023, after the German Federal Court of Justice held the treaty's arbitration clause invalid within the EU.","src":0},{"title":"Vattenfall claim against Germany over Moorburg cooling water limits","forum":"Energy Charter Treaty arbitration","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Vattenfall AB","defendant":"Federal Republic of Germany","filed":2009,"decided":2010,"status":"settled","summary":"Claim of €1.4bn over limits on cooling water drawn from the Elbe; settled in August 2010 on confidential terms.","src":1},{"title":"Vattenfall claim against Germany over nuclear phase-out","forum":"Energy Charter Treaty arbitration","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Vattenfall AB","defendant":"Federal Republic of Germany","filed":2012,"decided":2021,"status":"settled","summary":"Settled in 2021; Vattenfall's share reported at €1.425bn.","src":4}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: total German nuclear closure compensation of about €2.4bn, from a 2021 S&P Global report known only through a secondary report.","Vattenfall's share of the December 2020 hard-coal auction premium was not disclosed.","The terms of the 2010 Moorburg settlement were confidential; press suggestions that water-use limits were loosened are not confirmed.","The sources do not say who ultimately bore the cost of the closure compensation."],"sources":[{"t":"RWE drops EU14 billion case against Netherlands climate win","p":"CorpWatch","d":"2024-01-26","u":"https://www.corpwatch.org/article/rwe-drops-eu14-billion-case-against-netherlands-climate-win","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612122403/https://www.corpwatch.org/article/rwe-drops-eu14-billion-case-against-netherlands-climate-win"},{"t":"News in brief","p":"IISD Investment Treaty News","d":"2010-09-23","u":"https://www.iisd.org/itn/2010/09/23/news-in-brief/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250926085126/https://www.iisd.org/itn/2010/09/23/news-in-brief/"},{"t":"Steinkohlekraftwerke-Betreiber bekommen 317 Millionen Euro","p":"dpa-AFX / Börse Online","d":"2020-12-01","u":"https://www.boerse-online.de/dpa-afx/roundup-3aus-fuer-steinkohlekraftwerke-betreiber-bekommen-317-millionen-euro-44401.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Germany's RWE to win EU approval for 2.6 billion coal phase-out aid","p":"BNN Bloomberg","d":"2023-12-08","u":"https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/germany-s-rwe-to-win-eu-approval-for-2-6-billion-coal-phase-out-aid-1.2009149","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240226175301/https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/germany-s-rwe-to-win-eu-approval-for-2-6-billion-coal-phase-out-aid-1.2009149"},{"t":"Understanding to terminate disputes on German nuclear phase-out","p":"Vattenfall AB","d":"2021-03-05","u":"https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/pressreleases/2021/understanding-to-terminate-disputes-on-german-nuclear-phase-out/","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"rwe","role":"claimant against the Netherlands; compensation recipient"},{"id":"dutch-government","role":"defendant in the RWE claim"},{"id":"vattenfall","role":"claimant against Germany; compensation recipient"},{"id":"german-government","role":"payer of closure compensation"}],"mechanism":"investment-treaty arbitration claim","types":["fossil-fuel","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"RWE Eemshaven claim against the Netherlands: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: total German nuclear closure compensation of about €2.4bn, from a 2021 S&P Global report known only through a secondary report.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Vattenfall's share of the December 2020 hard-coal auction premium was not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The terms of the 2010 Moorburg settlement were confidential; press suggestions that water-use limits were loosened are not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say who ultimately bore the cost of the closure compensation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Vattenfall","No source link — Who gained: Vattenfall"]},{"id":"syngenta-campaign-against-tyrone-hayes-and-atrazine-settleme","tier":"short","title":"Syngenta paid $105m to settle atrazine water-treatment claims","dek":"In 2012 Syngenta agreed to pay $105m to water utilities that had to treat atrazine in drinking water, without admitting liability. Internal communications later reported in the press show a plan to discredit a university biologist whose atrazine research the company feared; at stake is independent science on a widely used herbicide.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Illinois","lat":40,"lon":-89,"role":"event"}],"lat":40,"lon":-89,"approxCoords":true,"start":2000,"end":2012,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Syngenta agreed in 2012 to pay $105m to settle claims by water utilities that had to treat atrazine in drinking water, and said in its filings that it clearly denied liability (SEC Form 6-K, 2012).","Internal communications summarised by The New Yorker in February 2014 listed discrediting a university biologist among four public-relations goals, and said that discrediting him would prevent citation of his atrazine data.","Internal paraquat documents, as reported in a 2023 Substack article, describe a “SWAT” unit set up to target independent researchers, and external scientists who wrote articles without disclosing their Syngenta ties.","The same documents describe an effort to keep a respected scientist off an EPA advisory panel (Substack article, 2023)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Syngenta paid $105m in 2012 to settle claims by water utilities over atrazine in drinking water, while stating it clearly denied liability.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Syngenta","what":"Settled while denying liability, citing an end to business uncertainty (SEC filing)","src":0},{"who":"Syngenta","what":"Internal plan aimed to prevent citation of a scientist's atrazine data (The New Yorker, 2014)","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Water utilities","what":"Had to treat atrazine in drinking water before the 2012 settlement","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"A university biologist who studied atrazine","what":"Subject of a company plan to discredit his research, as reported","src":null},{"who":"Independent scientists","what":"Targeted in internal paraquat papers describing a “SWAT” unit, as reported","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Illinois (utilities' claims); United States (atrazine sales)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Communications plan from the 2000s; settlement in 2012","src":0},"why":{"t":"The communications plan aimed to limit citation of atrazine data. The 2012 filing gave ending business uncertainty as the reason for the payment.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A court settlement with no admission of liability; a public-relations plan targeting one researcher; reported paraquat efforts against independent researchers.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"atrazine_settlement_usd","value":105000000,"unit":"USD","year":2012,"note":"Settlement with water utilities"},{"key":"net_settlement_expense_usd","value":80000000,"unit":"USD","year":2012,"note":"Net expense of the settlement, as summarised from the filing"}],"legal":[{"title":"Water utilities' atrazine claims, Illinois","forum":"Illinois court (name not given in sources)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Water utilities","defendant":"Syngenta AG","filed":null,"decided":2012,"status":"settled","summary":"Syngenta agreed to pay $105m, stating in its filings that it clearly denied any liability.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: atrazine remains on sale in the United States.","Unconfirmed: at least $187.5m paid in paraquat cases in 2021; the 2025 paraquat settlement amount is undisclosed.","The sources do not say whether the discrediting plan was carried out beyond the internal communications."],"sources":[{"t":"Form 6-K","p":"SEC (filed by Syngenta)","d":"2012","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001123661/000095010312003763/dp31846_6k.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"Syngenta v. scientist","p":"Substack newsletter","d":"2023-09-05","u":"https://careygillam.substack.com/p/syngenta-v-scientist","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250917122315/https://careygillam.substack.com/p/syngenta-v-scientist"}],"actors":[{"id":"syngenta","role":"settling defendant; company behind internal communications"}],"mechanism":"pesticide liability settlement","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2012 Syngenta agreed to pay $105m to water utilities that had to treat atrazine in drinking water drawn from me; its filing denied liability.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: atrazine remains on sale in the United States.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: at least $187.5m paid in paraquat cases in 2021; the 2025 paraquat settlement amount is undisclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the discrediting plan was carried out beyond the internal communications.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Syngenta","No source link — Who harmed: A university biologist who studied atrazine"]},{"id":"boulder-v-suncor-and-exxon-and-us-state-climate-cases","tier":"short","title":"US Supreme Court hears Boulder County's climate suit against Suncor and Exxon","dek":"The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on 5 October 2026 in the case Suncor and ExxonMobil brought against Boulder County's 2018 climate suit, and a decision is pending. A ruling could affect 35 to 60 similar cases.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Colorado","lat":40.015,"lon":-105.27,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.015,"lon":-105.27,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Boulder County sued Exxon and Suncor in 2018 in a climate case; the US Supreme Court heard the companies' challenge on 5 October 2026, and a decision is pending (Smart Cities Dive).","Dozens of municipalities, 11 states, Washington DC and two tribes have filed similar suits (Smart Cities Dive).","The Trump administration supports the companies, and the ruling could affect 35 to 60 similar cases (Straight Arrow News).","ExxonMobil reported a 2024 profit of $33.7bn and paid $36.0bn to shareholders."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Supreme Court heard arguments on 5 October 2026 in Suncor and ExxonMobil's case against Boulder County's 2018 climate suit; a decision is pending.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"Reported 2024 profit of $33.7bn; $36.0bn paid to shareholders","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Boulder County","what":"Its 2018 suit is now before the Supreme Court","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Boulder County, Colorado; US Supreme Court in Washington DC","src":0},"when":{"t":"Suit filed 2018; oral arguments 5 October 2026; decision pending","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Local-government suits against fossil fuel companies, now before the US Supreme Court; the Trump administration supports the companies, as reported.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"exxon_profit_2024_usd","value":33700000000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"ExxonMobil 2024 profit"},{"key":"exxon_shareholder_payout_2024_usd","value":36000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Paid to shareholders in 2024"},{"key":"similar_cases_low","value":35,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"Lower end of the number of similar cases a ruling could affect"},{"key":"similar_cases_high","value":60,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"Upper end of the number of similar cases a ruling could affect"}],"legal":[{"title":"Suncor and ExxonMobil v. Boulder County","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Suncor Energy; ExxonMobil","defendant":"Boulder County","filed":2018,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Oral arguments held 5 October 2026; decision pending.","src":0},{"title":"ExxonMobil v. Bonta and others","forum":"Texas court (name not given in sources)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"ExxonMobil","defendant":"California Attorney General Bonta; four environmental groups; Intergenerational Environmental Justice Fund","filed":2025,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Defamation suit filed in Texas in January 2025. In February 2026 the claims against the environmental groups were dismissed for lack of jurisdiction; claims against the attorney general were kept, and an appeal is ongoing.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil's 2022 record profit of $55.7bn.","Unconfirmed: New York's 2019 investor-deception case against Exxon was won by the company; Massachusetts's 2019 consumer-deception case was still in document review in 2026.","Unconfirmed: 2025 Justice Department suits against Hawaii, Michigan, New York and Vermont over their climate actions.","The sources give 2027 as the expected decision date for the Supreme Court case; this is not confirmed.","No criminal penalty for Exxon's climate statements is on record, and no executive was personally prosecuted."],"sources":[{"t":"Supreme Court to hear high-stakes climate case tomorrow","p":"Straight Arrow News","d":"2026-10-04","u":"https://san.com/cc/supreme-court-to-hear-high-stakes-climate-case-tomorrow/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009223424/https://san.com/cc/supreme-court-to-hear-high-stakes-climate-case-tomorrow/"},{"t":"Supreme Court hears arguments in Boulder County, Colorado climate case","p":"Smart Cities Dive","d":"2026-10-06","u":"https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/supreme-court-hears-arguments-in-boulder-county-colorado-climate-case/832251/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011065612/https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/supreme-court-hears-arguments-in-boulder-county-colorado-climate-case/832251/"},{"t":"Judge Says Exxon Mobil Can Sue California AG for Defamation Over Recycling","p":"Insurance Journal (Reuters)","d":"2026-02-18","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/02/18/858321.htm","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307080345/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/02/18/858321.htm"}],"actors":[{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"defendant and petitioner"},{"id":"suncor","role":"defendant and petitioner"},{"id":"boulder-county","role":"plaintiff county"}],"mechanism":"climate liability litigation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil's 2022 record profit of $55.7bn.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: New York's 2019 investor-deception case against Exxon was won by the company; Massachusetts's 2019 consumer-deception case was still in document review in 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2025 Justice Department suits against Hawaii, Michigan, New York and Vermont over their climate actions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources give 2027 as the expected decision date for the Supreme Court case; this is not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No criminal penalty for Exxon's climate statements is on record, and no executive was personally prosecuted.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: ExxonMobil"]},{"id":"killing-of-sengwer-herder-robert-kirotich","tier":"short","title":"Kenyan forest guards shoot dead Sengwer herder Robert Kirotich during evictions","dek":"Robert Kirotich, a 41-year-old Sengwer herder, was shot dead by Kenya Forest Service guards during evictions in Embobut Forest on 16 January 2018, in an area covered by an EU-funded forest programme. The EU suspended support the next day, and no guard was found to have been prosecuted in the cited sources; at stake is whether conservation funding can proceed without evicting forest peoples.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Elgeyo-Marakwet County","lat":1.13,"lon":35.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":1.13,"lon":35.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["On 16 January 2018 Kenya Forest Service guards shot dead a 41-year-old Sengwer herder during evictions in Embobut Forest, according to the Forest Peoples Programme.","The EU suspended support for the WaTER programme on 17 January 2018 (Forest Peoples Programme).","REDD-Monitor reported in 2020 that the EU scrapped the programme, worth about €31m, when a contractual deadline lapsed.","In April and May 2024 the Kenya Forest Service ran an operation with 170 officers; the government said more than 600 families had been removed (Nation / Mwananchi, 2024)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya Forest Service guards shot dead a Sengwer herder during evictions in Embobut Forest; the EU suspended support for its WaTER programme the next day.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sengwer community","what":"Families removed from Embobut Forest in the 2024 operation; the government reports more than 600","src":3},{"who":"Sengwer community","what":"Minority Rights Group counts more than 800 houses and 2,800 families affected","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"A 41-year-old Sengwer herder","what":"Shot dead by forest guards during evictions in January 2018","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Embobut Forest, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Killing on 16 January 2018; EU suspension 17 January 2018; programme scrapped 2020; evictions in 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"The government says the evictions protect water towers from illegal farming, logging and charcoal production. The sources do not give the reason for the shooting.","src":3},"how":{"t":"Forest guards conducted an eviction raid during which the shooting occurred; the EU's Kenya ambassador announced the suspension the following day.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eu_programme_eur","value":31000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2016,"note":"WaTER programme, launched June 2016"},{"key":"families_removed_2024","value":600,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"Government figure: more than 600"},{"key":"mrg_families_2024","value":2800,"unit":"families","year":2024,"note":"Minority Rights Group count: more than 2,800"},{"key":"mrg_houses_2024","value":800,"unit":"houses","year":2024,"note":"Minority Rights Group count: more than 800"}],"legal":[{"title":"Sengwer community case over Embobut evictions","forum":"Environment and Land Court (2020); Court of Appeal (2021)","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Sengwer community","defendant":"Not stated in sources","filed":null,"decided":2020,"status":"unknown","summary":"The Environment and Land Court dismissed the community's case in 2020. In 2021 the Court of Appeal ordered that those living in the forest on that day should not be evicted.","src":6}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 200 houses burned during the 2024 operation, according to a photo caption.","Disputed: the government says the Kenya Forest Service paid 410,000 shillings each to 2,874 families in 2013 and that the Sengwer returned to the forest in defiance of a court order; the community says it did not receive the payment.","No guard has been found to be prosecuted for the 2018 killing in the cited sources; one cited ‘no arrests’ page appears to concern a different case and is not relied on.","The sources do not give the Kenya Forest Service's own account of the 2018 shooting."],"sources":[{"t":"Indigenous Sengwer man shot and killed (press release, 16 January 2018)","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2018-01-16","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250613075108/http://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/indigenous-sengwer-man-shot-and-killed-eu-funded"},{"t":"EU suspends funding to Kenya government over indigenous","p":"Forest Peoples Programme","d":"2018","u":"https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/eu-suspends-funding-kenya-government-over-indigenous","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212214225/https://www.forestpeoples.org/en/rights-based-conservation/press-release/2018/eu-suspends-funding-kenya-government-over-indigenous"},{"t":"EU scraps US$35 million conservation and climate change programme in Kenya over forced evictions","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-10-01","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221207134754/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/10/01/eu-scraps-us35-million-conservation-and-climate-change-programme-in-kenya-over-forced-evictions/"},{"t":"Government defends decision to evict Sengwer community","p":"Nation (Mwananchi)","d":"2024-05-09","u":"https://mwananchi.co.tz/kenya/counties/elgeyo-marakwet/government-defends-decision-to-evict-sengwer-community--4617338","type":"press"},{"t":"Sengwer evictions","p":"Minority Rights Group","d":"2024","u":"https://minorityrights.org/sengwer-evictions/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250421074958/https://minorityrights.org/sengwer-evictions/"},{"t":"Sengwer and the forests are one and inseparable: despite court ruling, indigenous Sengwer communities vow to remain in Embobut Forest, Kenya","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2020-06-19","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2020/06/19/sengwer-and-the-forests-are-one-and-inseparable-despite-court-ruling-indigenous-sengwer-communities-vow-to-remain-in-embobut-forest-kenya/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250709122001/https://redd-monitor.org/2020/06/19/sengwer-and-the-forests-are-one-and-inseparable-despite-court-ruling-indigenous-sengwer-communities-vow-to-remain-in-embobut-forest-kenya/"},{"t":"Community vows not to leave forest despite order","p":"The Standard (Kenya)","d":"2020-06-12","u":"https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/rift-valley/article/2001374834/community-vows-not-to-leave-forest-despite-order","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"kfs","role":"forest guards; operator of the evictions"},{"id":"eu","role":"donor; suspended support for the WaTER programme"},{"id":"sengwer-community","role":"community affected by the evictions"}],"mechanism":"forest evictions by guards","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"An EU-funded forest programme worth about €31m covered my Embobut Forest; the EU suspended support on 17 January 2018, the day after a herder was shot dead during evictions.","src":[0,1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Sengwer community case over Embobut evictions: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 200 houses burned during the 2024 operation, according to a photo caption.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the government says the Kenya Forest Service paid 410,000 shillings each to 2,874 families in 2013 and that the Sengwer returned to the forest in defiance of a court order; the community says it did not receive the payment.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"No guard has been found to be prosecuted for the 2018 killing in the cited sources; one cited ‘no arrests’ page appears to concern a different case and is not relied on.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the Kenya Forest Service's own account of the 2018 shooting.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"rspo-borneo-comparison-study-and-certification-assurance-rev","tier":"short","title":"Study finds no clear gain from RSPO palm oil certification in Borneo","dek":"A 2018 University of Queensland study found that RSPO-certified oil palm estates in Indonesian Borneo were no better than uncertified ones on orangutan loss or fires. At stake is whether a palm oil certificate protects forest; a study reported in 2017 credited RSPO certification with saving 21 km² of forest in 2001–2015.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Kalimantan (Borneo)","lat":0.5,"lon":114,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.5,"lon":114,"approxCoords":true,"start":2001,"end":2020,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["A University of Queensland study covering 2009–2014 found no significant difference between certified and uncertified oil palm plantations in Indonesian Borneo on any measure; orangutan loss and fire increases were similar (ABC News, 2018).","An independent review published in 2020 described RSPO's assurance process as poorly managed and recorded 10 of 49 activities as complete (Environmental Investigation Agency, 2020).","A study reported by Mongabay credited RSPO with saving 21 km² of forest in 2001–2015, a relative reduction of about 33%, with no significant effect on peat or fire; certified areas covered less than 1% of remaining plantation forest (Mongabay, 2017)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Certified and uncertified oil palm plantations in Indonesian Borneo showed no significant difference in orangutan loss or fire, according to a 2018 University of Queensland study.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Bornean orangutans","what":"About 150,000 lost in Borneo 1999–2015, most in forest through hunting (National Geographic, 2018)","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"Forest in certified estates","what":"Forest loss continued; RSPO was credited with saving 21 km² in 2001–2015","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan), study area 2009–2014","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study period 2009–2014; study published 2018; RSPO review 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Certified and uncertified plantations were compared on orangutan loss, fire and village welfare measures; the 2020 review examined RSPO's assurance process.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"orangutans_lost_borneo","value":150000,"unit":"orangutans","year":2015,"note":"Lost in Borneo 1999–2015, approximately"},{"key":"forest_saved_km2","value":21,"unit":"km2","year":2015,"note":"Forest saved by RSPO certification, 2001–2015, as reported"},{"key":"relative_reduction_pct","value":33,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Relative reduction in deforestation in certified areas"},{"key":"certified_share_of_plantation_forest_pct","value":1,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Certified areas covered less than this share of remaining plantation forest"},{"key":"rspo_review_activities_complete","value":10,"unit":"activities","year":2020,"note":"Of 49 activities in the assurance review"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: WWF and Unilever were among the founders of RSPO in 2004.","Unconfirmed: auditors missed or covered up violations; no source link is given for this claim.","The sources do not quantify any commercial gain to growers from certification."],"sources":[{"t":"Orangutan video comes as sustainable palm oil questioned","p":"ABC News","d":"2018-06-16","u":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2018-06-16/orangutan-video-comes-as-sustainable-palm-oil-questioned/9811642","type":"press"},{"t":"Sustainable palm oil watchdog's credibility questioned by independent review","p":"Environmental Investigation Agency","d":"2020-06-25","u":"https://eia-international.org/press-releases/sustainable-palm-oil-watchdogs-credibility-questioned-by-independent-review/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250323115350/https://eia-international.org/press-releases/sustainable-palm-oil-watchdogs-credibility-questioned-by-independent-review/"},{"t":"Study: RSPO certification prunes deforestation in Indonesia, but not by much","p":"Mongabay","d":"2017-12","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2017/12/study-rspo-certification-prunes-deforestation-in-indonesia-but-not-by-much/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260212190024/https://news.mongabay.com/2017/12/study-rspo-certification-prunes-deforestation-in-indonesia-but-not-by-much/"},{"t":"Orangutan habitat loss, hunting and killing in Borneo","p":"National Geographic","d":"2018","u":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/orangutan-habitat-loss-hunting-killing-borneo-spd","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009025140/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/orangutan-habitat-loss-hunting-killing-borneo-spd"}],"actors":[{"id":"rspo","role":"certification scheme"},{"id":"university-of-queensland","role":"author of the 2018 comparison study"}],"mechanism":"palm oil certification","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A University of Queensland study covering 2009–2014 found no significant difference on any measure between certified and uncertified oil palm plantations on my Borneo land, orangutan loss and fire included.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF and Unilever were among the founders of RSPO in 2004.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: auditors missed or covered up violations; no source link is given for this claim.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not quantify any commercial gain to growers from certification.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"consumer-goods-forum-net-zero-deforestation-pledge-missed","tier":"short","title":"Consumer Goods Forum misses 2020 zero net deforestation pledge","dek":"The Consumer Goods Forum, which brings together about 400 large consumer goods companies, pledged in 2010 to achieve zero net deforestation in its supply chains by 2020, and missed it. At stake for forests is whether corporate pledges that lapse are replaced before the loss is measured.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":2010,"end":2020,"instrument":"influence","happened":["In 2010 about 400 large consumer goods companies in the Consumer Goods Forum pledged zero net deforestation in their supply chains by 2020.","Forest 500, published by Global Canopy, ranks 74 Forum members and reports that deforestation was not removed from their supply chains on time.","In 2019 the CDP called the goal impossible and said Nestlé and Cargill would also miss it (BusinessGreen, 2019).","In 2020 the Forum launched a new initiative, the Forest Positive coalition, with 17 companies."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Consumer Goods Forum's 2010 pledge to achieve zero net deforestation in its supply chains by 2020 was not met, according to Forest 500.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Forests in member supply chains","what":"Deforestation was not removed from supply chains by 2020, according to Forest 500","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global supply chains of Forum members","src":null},"when":{"t":"2010 pledge; 2019 CDP warning; 2020 target date; 2020 new coalition","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A voluntary pledge covering member companies' supply chains; the sources describe no enforceable mechanism.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"consumer_goods_companies_pledge","value":400,"unit":"companies","year":2010,"note":"Approximate number of large consumer goods companies in the Forum"},{"key":"forum_members_in_forest500","value":74,"unit":"companies","year":2020,"note":"Forum members in the Forest 500 ranking"},{"key":"new_coalition_companies","value":17,"unit":"companies","year":2020,"note":"Companies in the new Forest Positive coalition"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Cargill, Procter & Gamble and Nestlé said in 2019 they would miss the target; a 2019 CDP analysis found only eight of 22 companies running comprehensive programmes.","Unconfirmed: the Forum replaced the pledge with Forest Positive in September 2020 after saying supply-chain-by-supply-chain work was not enough.","Unconfirmed: EU Deforestation Regulation dates (cut-off 31 December 2020; large operators’ deadline moved to 30 December 2026).","No Forum-wide tally of deforestation achieved against the 2020 target is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Consumer Goods Forum will not achieve deforestation goal","p":"Forest 500 (Global Canopy)","d":"","u":"https://forest500.org/publications/consumer-goods-forum-will-not-achieve-deforestation-goal/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20231004065331/https://forest500.org/publications/consumer-goods-forum-will-not-achieve-deforestation-goal"},{"t":"Consumer sectors' 2020 deforestation goal impossible, CDP warns","p":"BusinessGreen","d":"2019","u":"https://www.businessgreen.com/news/3083828/consumer-sectors-2020-deforestation-goal-impossible-cdp-warns","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"consumer-goods-forum","role":"pledge-maker; missed the 2020 target"},{"id":"global-canopy","role":"publisher of the Forest 500 ranking"}],"mechanism":"corporate deforestation pledge","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2010 about 400 companies pledged zero net deforestation of me in their supply chains by 2020; Forest 500 reports that the 74 Forum members it ranks did not remove it on time.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Cargill, Procter & Gamble and Nestlé said in 2019 they would miss the target; a 2019 CDP analysis found only eight of 22 companies running comprehensive programmes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Forum replaced the pledge with Forest Positive in September 2020 after saying supply-chain-by-supply-chain work was not enough.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: EU Deforestation Regulation dates (cut-off 31 December 2020; large operators’ deadline moved to 30 December 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No Forum-wide tally of deforestation achieved against the 2020 target is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"ellen-macarthur-global-commitment-plastics-targets-and-coca","tier":"short","title":"Ellen MacArthur plastics pledge off track; Coca-Cola scales back targets","dek":"In 2018 hundreds of brands backed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment to make all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. The foundation reported in November 2024 that signatories would probably miss their 2025 targets, and Coca-Cola then cut its packaging goals in December 2024.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":2018,"end":2024,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["In 2018 hundreds of brands backed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Commitment, aiming for all plastic packaging to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.","In November 2024 the foundation reported that signatories would probably miss their 2025 targets: recycled content was 14% against a 26% goal, and virgin plastic use fell 3% against an 18% reduction goal (Waste Dive, 2024).","In December 2024 Coca-Cola dropped its 25% reusable-packaging target and moved its 2030 collection goal of 100% to 70–75% by 2035 (Mongabay, 2024).","Coca-Cola also moved its 2030 goal of 50% recycled content to 35–40% by 2035 (Packaging Dive)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Ellen MacArthur Foundation reported in November 2024 that signatories would probably miss their 2025 plastic packaging targets; Coca-Cola then scaled back its goals.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Coca-Cola","what":"Lowered its recycled-content, collection and reuse targets; the reuse target was dropped without a replacement figure","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global: brands and retailers that signed the Global Commitment; Coca-Cola's global packaging targets","src":null},"when":{"t":"2018 pledge; 2025 target year; November 2024 progress report; December 2024 Coca-Cola changes","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Voluntary brand pledges with company-set targets; the foundation's reporting measured progress against them.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"recycled_content_target_pct","value":26,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Global Commitment target for recycled content"},{"key":"recycled_content_actual_pct","value":14,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Recycled content in the 2024 progress report"},{"key":"coca_cola_recycled_target_2030_pct","value":50,"unit":"%","year":2030,"note":"Original recycled-content target; revised to 35–40% for 2035"},{"key":"coca_cola_collection_target_2030_pct","value":100,"unit":"%","year":2030,"note":"Original collection target; revised to 70–75% for 2035"},{"key":"coca_cola_reuse_target_pct","value":25,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Reusable-packaging target, dropped"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Coca-Cola accounted for 11% of branded plastic waste in 84 countries of audits (Axios, 2024; secondary report only).","The sources do not give Coca-Cola's reasons for the changes beyond its announcements."],"sources":[{"t":"Coca-Cola new packaging sustainability goals 2035","p":"Packaging Dive","d":"","u":"https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260422182133/https://www.packagingdive.com/news/coca-cola-new-packaging-sustainability-goals-2035/734379/"},{"t":"Ellen MacArthur Foundation progress report miss 2025 targets","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2024-11-20","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/ellen-macarthur-foundation-progress-report-miss-2025-targets/733496/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613001301/https://www.wastedive.com/news/ellen-macarthur-foundation-progress-report-miss-2025-targets/733496/"},{"t":"Coca-Cola cuts back on reusable plastic pledge","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-12","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012110007/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2024/12/coca-cola-cuts-back-on-reusable-plastic-pledge/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ellen-macarthur-foundation","role":"author of the Global Commitment and its progress reports"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"company that cut its packaging targets"}],"mechanism":"voluntary plastic packaging pledge","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Brands that pledged in my name in 2018 to change their plastic packaging by 2025 reached 14% recycled content in 2024, against a 26% goal, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Coca-Cola accounted for 11% of branded plastic waste in 84 countries of audits (Axios, 2024; secondary report only).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give Coca-Cola's reasons for the changes beyond its announcements.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"mercer-super-and-vanguard-australia-greenwashing-penalties","tier":"short","title":"Australia penalises Mercer Super and Vanguard over sustainable and ethical fund claims","dek":"Mercer Super's 'Sustainable Plus' fund held coal and mining companies, and 74% of Vanguard's 'ethical' fund was not screened, the sources say. The penalties were AUD 11.3 million and AUD 12.9 million, both in 2024, and the cases test whether sustainability labels matched what funds held.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.87,"lon":151.21,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"influence","happened":["The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) said Mercer Super's 'Sustainable Plus' fund held coal and mining companies, and described the case as its first greenwashing case (ASIC, 2024).","A penalty of AUD 11.3 million was imposed on Mercer Super in 2024 (ASIC, 2024).","The Lawyer Magazine reported a AUD 12.9 million penalty against Vanguard Australia in 2024, after the court found that 74% of its 'ethical' fund had not been screened."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Australia penalised Mercer Super AUD 11.3 million over a 'sustainable' fund that held coal and mining companies.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Coal and mining companies held in the Mercer Super fund","what":"were among the holdings of the fund labelled sustainable","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court after the regulator's action on fund sustainability labels.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"mercer_penalty","value":11.3,"unit":"AUD million","year":2024,"note":"Penalty, Mercer Super"},{"key":"vanguard_penalty","value":12.9,"unit":"AUD million","year":2024,"note":"Penalty, Vanguard Australia"},{"key":"vanguard_fund_unscreened_share","value":74,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Share of the 'ethical' fund not screened"}],"legal":[{"title":"ASIC greenwashing penalty against Mercer Super","forum":"Federal Court of Australia","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Australian Securities and Investments Commission","defendant":"Mercer Super","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"unknown","summary":"Federal Court penalty of AUD 11.3 million over the 'Sustainable Plus' fund. The sources do not give the grounds in full.","src":0},{"title":"Penalty against Vanguard Australia over 'ethical' fund","forum":"Federal Court of Australia","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"","defendant":"Vanguard Australia","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"unknown","summary":"Federal Court penalty of AUD 12.9 million; the court found 74% of the 'ethical' fund had not been screened.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2024 Super Review report of the Mercer penalty.","None on record: whether either penalty was appealed or paid.","None on record: who received any gains from the holdings, or whether fund members lost money.","None on record: the claimant in the Vanguard case."],"sources":[{"t":"ASIC's first greenwashing case results in landmark $11.3 million penalty for Mercer","p":"ASIC","d":"2024","u":"https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-173mr-asic-s-first-greenwashing-case-results-in-landmark-113-million-penalty-for-mercer","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921101155/https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-173mr-asic-s-first-greenwashing-case-results-in-landmark-113-million-penalty-for-mercer"},{"t":"Greenwashing action leads to $12.9m fine dubbed as the highest yet","p":"The Lawyer Magazine","d":"2024","u":"https://www.thelawyermag.com/au/news/general/greenwashing-action-leads-to-129m-fine-dubbed-as-the-highest-yet/507711","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"mercer-super","role":"defendant; AUD 11.3 million penalty"},{"id":"vanguard-australia","role":"defendant; AUD 12.9 million penalty"},{"id":"asic","role":"regulator"}],"mechanism":"greenwashing penalty, fund sustainability labels","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2024 an Australian court found that 74% of Vanguard Australia's 'ethical' fund, sold in my name, had not been screened; ASIC said Mercer Super's 'Sustainable Plus' fund held coal and mining companies.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"ASIC greenwashing penalty against Mercer Super: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Penalty against Vanguard Australia over 'ethical' fund: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2024 Super Review report of the Mercer penalty.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether either penalty was appealed or paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who received any gains from the holdings, or whether fund members lost money.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the claimant in the Vanguard case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"clorox-glad-ocean-plastic-bags-penalty","tier":"short","title":"Clorox penalised AUD 8.25 million over GLAD 'ocean plastic' bag claims in Australia","dek":"Bags marketed as containing ocean plastic were made from plastic collected on land, the sources say. The penalty was reported in April 2025, and the case bears on whether 'ocean plastic' claims match where the plastic came from.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.87,"lon":151.21,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["InDaily reported on 14 April 2025 that Clorox was penalised AUD 8.25 million over GLAD bags marketed as containing 'ocean plastic' (InDaily, 2025).","The plastic in those bags had been collected on land, in Australia and Indonesia between 2021 and 2025, according to the same report (InDaily, 2025).","About 2.2 million units were involved (InDaily, 2025)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Clorox was penalised AUD 8.25 million over GLAD bags that were marketed as containing 'ocean plastic'.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Clorox","what":"marketed about 2.2 million GLAD bags carrying the claim","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia (sales); Indonesia (plastic collection)","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021–2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Bags labelled 'ocean plastic' contained plastic collected on land, and a penalty followed.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty","value":8.25,"unit":"AUD million","year":2025,"note":"Penalty over 'ocean plastic' claims"},{"key":"units_involved","value":2200000,"unit":"units","year":null,"note":"Bags involved"}],"legal":[{"title":"GLAD 'ocean plastic' bag penalty","forum":"Federal Court of Australia","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"","defendant":"Clorox (GLAD)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-04-14","status":"unknown","summary":"Penalty of AUD 8.25 million over 'ocean plastic' claims on GLAD bags, reported 14 April 2025.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Australian competition regulator (ACCC) imposed the fine (secondary source, no link).","Unconfirmed: the court accepted that Clorox genuinely believed the claim and did not intend to mislead.","Unconfirmed: the collection area extended up to 50 km inland from the coast.","Unconfirmed: the UK Food Standards Agency has no agreed definition of 'ocean plastic' (secondary source, no link).","None on record: whether the claim has been withdrawn or the penalty appealed."],"sources":[{"t":"GLAD rubbish bag fine over plastic claims","p":"InDaily","d":"2025-04-14","u":"https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/business/2025/04/14/glad-rubbish-bag-fine-plastic","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250426180404/https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/business/2025/04/14/glad-rubbish-bag-fine-plastic"}],"actors":[{"id":"clorox","role":"defendant; AUD 8.25 million penalty"}],"mechanism":"greenwashing penalty, ocean plastic labelling","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Bags marketed as holding plastic from my ocean were made from plastic collected on land in Australia and Indonesia between 2021 and 2025; Clorox was penalised AUD 8.25 million.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"GLAD 'ocean plastic' bag penalty: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Australian competition regulator (ACCC) imposed the fine (secondary source, no link).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the court accepted that Clorox genuinely believed the claim and did not intend to mislead.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the collection area extended up to 50 km inland from the coast.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the UK Food Standards Agency has no agreed definition of 'ocean plastic' (secondary source, no link).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the claim has been withdrawn or the penalty appealed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hsbc-misleading-green-ads-banned","tier":"short","title":"UK ad regulator bans HSBC '2 million trees' advert after 45 complaints","dek":"The Advertising Standards Authority banned an HSBC advert featuring a '2 million trees' claim in October 2022, after 45 complaints. The sanction was an advert ban, and the cited sources record no fine. For nature, the case concerns tree-based climate claims made by a major bank.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.51,"lon":-0.13,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2022,"instrument":"influence","happened":["The UK Advertising Standards Authority banned an HSBC advert featuring a '2 million trees' claim in October 2022 (Investment Monitor, 25 October 2022).","The ruling followed 45 complaints (Investment Monitor, 2022).","The sanction was an advert ban, and no fine is on record (Investment Monitor, 2022)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The UK Advertising Standards Authority banned an HSBC advert featuring a '2 million trees' claim.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"October 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Complaint-based ruling by the advertising regulator; the sanction was an advert ban.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"complaints","value":45,"unit":"complaints","year":2022,"note":"Complaints about the advert"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the ruling turned on HSBC's omission of its fossil fuel financing.","Unconfirmed: a second HSBC slogan referring to '1 trillion dollars' of transition finance.","Not reached: the ASA ruling text itself; the cited sources do not give the ruling reference.","None on record: whether HSBC changed other advertising after the ban."],"sources":[{"t":"HSBC ads ban increases greenwashing scrutiny of UK banking sector","p":"Investment Monitor","d":"2022-10-25","u":"https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/esg/hsbc-ads-ban-increases-greenwashing-scrutiny-of-uk-banking-sector","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513041039/https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/esg/hsbc-ads-ban-increases-greenwashing-scrutiny-of-uk-banking-sector/"}],"actors":[{"id":"hsbc","role":"advertiser; advert banned"},{"id":"asa","role":"regulator; issued the ruling"}],"mechanism":"advertising ban, green claims","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"HSBC advertised '2 million trees' in my name; in October 2022 the UK Advertising Standards Authority banned the advert after 45 complaints.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the ruling turned on HSBC's omission of its fossil fuel financing.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a second HSBC slogan referring to '1 trillion dollars' of transition finance.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not reached: the ASA ruling text itself; the cited sources do not give the ruling reference.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether HSBC changed other advertising after the ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"wwf-pillay-panel-and-ranger-abuse-reports","tier":"short","title":"Pillay panel finds no proof WWF directed ranger abuses it supported","dek":"A panel commissioned by WWF and chaired by former UN rights chief Navi Pillay reported in November 2020 that the charity had received reports of ranger abuse since 2008. The case concerns the safety of communities living around parks that WWF co-managed or supported.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"Salonga","lat":-2,"lon":22.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CG","admin":"Messok Dja","lat":2.3,"lon":15.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":"Chitwan","lat":27.5,"lon":84.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2,"lon":22.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":2020,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["A panel commissioned by WWF and chaired by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay found no evidence that WWF directed ranger abuses, but reported that WWF staff had received reliable reports since 2008 (Mongabay, 8 December 2020).","The panel said serious allegations reached senior management in 2014–2018, and that consultants' reports were softened before reaching senior leaders (Mongabay, 2020).","A BuzzFeed News investigation published on 4 March 2019 reported that WWF-funded or equipped rangers in six countries beat villagers, sexually assaulted and killed people (BuzzFeed News, 2019)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A WWF-commissioned panel found no evidence that WWF directed abuses by rangers it supported, but reported earlier warnings.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"WWF","what":"received more than USD 150 million from the US government since 2004 for this work","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Local communities near Salonga and Messok Dja","what":"reported ranger violence, including beatings and sexual assault","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers reported as victims of ranger violence","what":"were beaten, assaulted or killed, according to BuzzFeed News reporting","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo (Salonga), Republic of the Congo (Messok Dja), Nepal (Chitwan)","src":1},"when":{"t":"2006–2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"The panel said WWF put its relationship with governments ahead of community security.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Abuses by ranger units funded or equipped with WWF support, according to BuzzFeed News reporting.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"us_government_funding_to_wwf","value":150,"unit":"USD million (more than)","year":2004,"note":"US government funding to WWF since 2004, for this work"}],"legal":[{"title":"Case against three park officials over a 2006 death in custody (Chitwan)","forum":"","country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","kind":"criminal","claimant":"","defendant":"Three park officials","filed":null,"decided":"2007","status":"dismissed","summary":"Three park officials, including the chief warden, were arrested and charged with murder over the 2006 death in custody of farmer Shikharam Chaudhary, who died nine days after being detained and whose autopsy found seven broken ribs. The government withdrew the case in March 2007. One of those charged was later hired by WWF Nepal, according to BuzzFeed News reporting.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: WWF said it accepted the panel's recommendations (no link).","Unconfirmed: a 2018 survey of 231 people in 11 villages in Salonga found about one in four reported ranger violence.","Unconfirmed: WWF's own 2019 Salonga investigation found killings, rape and torture, and was not published.","Unconfirmed: a leaked UNDP draft on Messok Dja said WWF-backed ecoguards often beat Baka people, and WWF called these isolated incidents.","Unconfirmed: WWF said it referred six cases to the military prosecutor, and the Congolese park authority suspended suspected ecoguards.","Unconfirmed: Germany froze funding to WWF for Salonga in July 2019.","Not reached: the full Pillay panel report, which was a PDF and not read.","None on record: the outcome of the Chitwan appeal, and how the panel dealt with the Chitwan case."],"sources":[{"t":"Report: WWF knew about rights abuses by park rangers but didn't respond effectively","p":"Mongabay","d":"2020-12-08","u":"http://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-wwf-knew-about-rights-abuses-by-park-rangers-but-didnt-respond-effectively/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260828105907/https://news.mongabay.com/2020/12/report-wwf-knew-about-rights-abuses-by-park-rangers-but-didnt-respond-effectively/"},{"t":"WWF nature parks: torture and death allegations","p":"BuzzFeed News","d":"2019-03-04","u":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/wwf-world-wide-fund-nature-parks-torture-death","type":"press"},{"t":"Leaked report: WWF-backed guards raped pregnant women","p":"BuzzFeed News","d":"","u":"https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/leaked-report-wwf-backed-guards-raped-pregnant-women","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928212503/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/tomwarren/leaked-report-wwf-backed-guards-raped-pregnant-women"}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf","role":"NGO; funder and partner of the ranger units"},{"id":"undp","role":"UN agency; draft investigation of Messok Dja"},{"id":"iccn","role":"park authority; co-manager of Salonga"},{"id":"us-government","role":"funder of WWF's work"}],"mechanism":"ranger units funded by conservation NGO","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF said it accepted the panel's recommendations (no link).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2018 survey of 231 people in 11 villages in Salonga found about one in four reported ranger violence.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF's own 2019 Salonga investigation found killings, rape and torture, and was not published.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a leaked UNDP draft on Messok Dja said WWF-backed ecoguards often beat Baka people, and WWF called these isolated incidents.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF said it referred six cases to the military prosecutor, and the Congolese park authority suspended suspected ecoguards.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Germany froze funding to WWF for Salonga in July 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not reached: the full Pillay panel report, which was a PDF and not read.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the Chitwan appeal, and how the panel dealt with the Chitwan case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"keep-america-beautiful-campaign-against-bottle-bills","tier":"short","title":"Keep America Beautiful, founded by can and bottle makers, opposed bottle deposit laws","dek":"The anti-litter group was set up in 1953 by can and bottle makers, and its leaders opposed deposit laws, according to the historian Finis Dunaway. The case concerns whether responsibility for litter was shifted from producers to individuals.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":1953,"end":1981,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Keep America Beautiful was formed in 1953 by can maker American Can and bottle maker Owens-Illinois, and Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later.","Historian Finis Dunaway writes that its leaders opposed deposit laws and called their supporters communists, and that the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club left its advisory board (Dunaway, 2017).","Its 1971 'Crying Indian' advert ran on Earth Day and carried a slogan placing responsibility for pollution on people, and it won two Clio awards (Dunaway, 2017).","Tennessee chose a small container tax instead of a deposit in 1981, with the revenue going to clean-up crews and Keep Tennessee Beautiful (Dunaway, 2017)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Keep America Beautiful, founded by can and bottle makers, opposed bottle deposit laws and framed litter as individual responsibility.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"American Can and Owens-Illinois, the founding can and bottle makers","what":"founded the group whose leaders opposed deposit laws","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (Vermont, Oregon, Tennessee and national)","src":1},"when":{"t":"1953–1981","src":1},"why":{"t":"Dunaway writes that KAB's leaders opposed deposit laws that would have required producers to use reusable containers.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A public anti-litter advertising campaign and opposition to deposit laws, according to Dunaway (2017).","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"clio_awards","value":2,"unit":"awards","year":1971,"note":"Awards for the 'Crying Indian' advert"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Heather Rogers's account that the group was formed in reaction to Vermont's 1953 ban on non-deposit beer bottles, a law that lapsed four years later.","Unconfirmed: Oregon's 1971 deposit law passed despite bottler lobbying and an anonymous cash offer.","Unconfirmed: the beverage industry funded about 75% of the budget of SOLV, a clean-up group set up by a governor.","Unconfirmed: the group's funders include PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and WM (SourceWatch and The Intercept).","Unconfirmed: Marsteller Inc., which made the advert, became part of Burson-Marsteller in 1979.","Unconfirmed: the group popularised the word 'litterbug' but did not coin it; the word is recorded from 1939 and 1947.","None on record: the group's current funding."],"sources":[{"t":"Seeing Green: The Use and Abuse of American Environmental Images (excerpt)","p":"University of Chicago Press (Finis Dunaway)","d":"2015","u":"https://press.uchicago.edu/books/excerpt/2015/Dunaway_Seeing_Green.html","type":"academic"},{"t":"The Crying Indian ad that fooled the environmental movement","p":"What It Means to Be American","d":"2017-11-09","u":"https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120065315/https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/"}],"actors":[{"id":"keep-america-beautiful","role":"anti-litter group; subject of the case"},{"id":"american-can","role":"founding can maker"},{"id":"owens-illinois","role":"founding bottle maker"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"later member"}],"mechanism":"deposit law opposition campaign","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["keep-america-beautiful-founding-and-crying-indian-ad"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Heather Rogers's account that the group was formed in reaction to Vermont's 1953 ban on non-deposit beer bottles, a law that lapsed four years later.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Oregon's 1971 deposit law passed despite bottler lobbying and an anonymous cash offer.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the beverage industry funded about 75% of the budget of SOLV, a clean-up group set up by a governor.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the group's funders include PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Philip Morris, Anheuser-Busch and WM (SourceWatch and The Intercept).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Marsteller Inc., which made the advert, became part of Burson-Marsteller in 1979.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the group popularised the word 'litterbug' but did not coin it; the word is recorded from 1939 and 1947.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the group's current funding.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"earth-day-1970-funding-and-1990-corporate-sponsorship","tier":"short","title":"Earth Day 1970 seed money came from a senator, two unions and a foundation","dek":"Companies sponsored city events for the 1990 Earth Day anniversary, and the national board rejected a donation of more than USD 4 million. The case concerns who paid for the early Earth Day movement and when corporate sponsors appeared.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":1970,"end":1990,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The first Earth Day's seed money came from Senator Nelson (USD 15,000), the UAW (USD 2,000), the AFL-CIO (USD 2,000) and the Conservation Foundation (USD 25,000), on a budget of about USD 190,000 (EPA Journal, 1990).","Corporate sponsorship appeared at the 1990 anniversary, when Monsanto, Peabody Coal and Georgia Power sponsored city celebrations and the nuclear and chemical industries placed advertisements (EPA Journal, 1990; Tokar, 2015).","The national board rejected a corporate donation of more than USD 4 million, with a budget of USD 3 million (EPA Journal, 1990)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Earth Day's 1970 seed money came from a senator, two unions and a foundation; companies sponsored the 1990 anniversary.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto, Peabody Coal and Georgia Power","what":"sponsored 1990 city celebrations","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"1970 (first Earth Day) and 1990 (anniversary)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Corporate sponsors and industry advertising at city events; the central message was lifestyle change.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"first_earth_day_budget","value":190000,"unit":"USD","year":1970,"note":"Budget, approximately"},{"key":"first_earth_day_participants","value":20000000,"unit":"participants","year":1970,"note":"Approximately 20 million"},{"key":"rejected_corporate_donation","value":4,"unit":"USD million (more than)","year":1990,"note":"Donation declined by the national board"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the book '50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth' sold five million copies, and its author later withdrew it (no link).","None on record: the 1970 corporate donors, if any, beyond the seed money listed."],"sources":[{"t":"The spirit of the first Earth Day","p":"EPA Journal","d":"1990","u":"https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/spirit-first-earth-day.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260918115840/https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/spirit-first-earth-day.html"},{"t":"Institute for Social Ecology article on Earth Day sponsorship","p":"Institute for Social Ecology","d":"2015-04-21","u":"https://social-ecology.org/wp/2015/04/45-years-of-earth-days-a-critical-view/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"1990 anniversary sponsor"},{"id":"peabody-coal","role":"1990 anniversary sponsor"},{"id":"georgia-power","role":"1990 anniversary sponsor"},{"id":"conservation-foundation","role":"1970 seed funder"}],"mechanism":"corporate sponsorship of Earth Day","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the book '50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth' sold five million copies, and its author later withdrew it (no link).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the 1970 corporate donors, if any, beyond the seed money listed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"prince-bernhard-lockheed-bribery-and-wwf-resignation","tier":"short","title":"WWF president Prince Bernhard resigned in 1976 after a Lockheed commission surfaced","dek":"Prince Bernhard resigned as WWF's president in 1976 after a commission of more than USD 1 million from Lockheed came to light. The case also covers a secret donor club of 1,001 members that he set up in 1970, which bears on how WWF's early money was raised.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":1970,"end":1976,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["In 1976 Prince Bernhard resigned as WWF's president after a commission of more than USD 1 million from Lockheed came to light (Powerbase).","In 1970, on the suggestion of South African businessman Anton Rupert, Prince Bernhard set up the '1001: A Nature Trust' donor club, whose 1,001 members each gave USD 10,000 and whose membership was secret."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Prince Bernhard resigned as WWF president in 1976 after a Lockheed commission of more than USD 1 million came to light.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"WWF","what":"lost its president in 1976","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Netherlands; WWF's international network","src":0},"when":{"t":"1970 (donor club) to 1976 (resignation)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A commission from Lockheed came to light; the sources do not describe the transaction.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"lockheed_commission","value":1,"unit":"USD million (more than)","year":1976,"note":"Commission reported in connection with Lockheed"},{"key":"donor_club_members","value":1001,"unit":"members","year":1970,"note":"Secret membership"},{"key":"donor_club_gift","value":10000,"unit":"USD per member","year":1970,"note":"Gift per member"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Prince Bernhard's WWF co-founding and his 1962–1976 presidency.","Unconfirmed: the sources differ on whether Bernhard took or sought the Lockheed commission.","Unconfirmed: details of the Lockheed commission beyond the 1976 resignation.","Unconfirmed: leaked lists of 1001 Club members, including Mobutu Sese Seko, Agha Hasan Abedi and at least 60 South Africans in 1989.","Unconfirmed: Bernhard sold two paintings to fund 'Operation Lock', a mercenary operation, and asked for GBP 500,000 from the club account to be moved to Queen Juliana's account.","Unconfirmed: Operation Lock was presented as anti-poaching work, but was linked to South Africa's apartheid-era destabilisation operations.","None on record: whether any member received a benefit from the club."],"sources":[{"t":"Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands","p":"Powerbase","d":"","u":"https://powerbase.info/index.php/Prince_Bernhard_of_the_Netherlands","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250323150207/https://powerbase.info/index.php/Prince_Bernhard_of_the_Netherlands"},{"t":"Conservation's Friends in High Places: Neoliberalism, Networks, and the Transnational Conservation Elite","p":"Global Environmental Politics (MIT Press), G. Holmes","d":"2011","u":"https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/76972/1/Holmes(11)GlobalElites.pdf","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"prince-bernhard","role":"co-founder of the donor club; WWF president until 1976"},{"id":"wwf","role":"charity whose president resigned"},{"id":"lockheed","role":"party to the commission"},{"id":"1001-a-nature-trust","role":"secret donor club set up in 1970"}],"mechanism":"secret donor club; defence commission","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Prince Bernhard's WWF co-founding and his 1962–1976 presidency.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the sources differ on whether Bernhard took or sought the Lockheed commission.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: details of the Lockheed commission beyond the 1976 resignation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: leaked lists of 1001 Club members, including Mobutu Sese Seko, Agha Hasan Abedi and at least 60 South Africans in 1989.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bernhard sold two paintings to fund 'Operation Lock', a mercenary operation, and asked for GBP 500,000 from the club account to be moved to Queen Juliana's account.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Operation Lock was presented as anti-poaching work, but was linked to South Africa's apartheid-era destabilisation operations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any member received a benefit from the club.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"california-sb-54-extended-producer-responsibility-for-packag","tier":"short","title":"California approves SB 54 packaging rules making producers pay USD 5 billion in 10 years","dek":"The regulation, approved on 1 May 2026, puts the cost of packaging waste on producers, with targets of a 25% cut and 65% recycling by 2032. A producer program plan puts the five-year cost at USD 9.3–17.2 billion. For nature, the question is whether producer payments reduce packaging waste that is landfilled or burned.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":38.58,"lon":-121.49,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.58,"lon":-121.49,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2032,"instrument":"waste","happened":["California approved the SB 54 regulation on 1 May 2026, under an extended producer responsibility model that makes packaging producers pay for waste management (CalRecycle, 2026).","The law sets targets of a 25% reduction against a 2023 baseline and 65% recycling by 2032, and producers are to pay USD 5 billion over ten years (CalRecycle, 2026).","The CAA's SB 54 program plan, reported by DLA Piper in June 2026, puts the five-year cost at USD 9.3–17.2 billion with a USD 500 million annual plastic pollution fund, and names Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Amazon among those in its governance (DLA Piper, 2026)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"California approved a regulation under which packaging producers fund the cost of packaging waste management.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Companies named in the CAA program governance (Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Amazon)","what":"hold governance roles in the producer-funded program","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Packaging producers","what":"must pay about USD 5 billion over ten years, according to CalRecycle","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Regulation approved 1 May 2026; targets for 2032","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Extended producer responsibility: producers pay the waste-management cost of their packaging.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"producer_payment","value":5,"unit":"USD billion","year":null,"note":"Paid by producers over 10 years"},{"key":"reduction_target","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2032,"note":"Reduction against a 2023 baseline"},{"key":"recycling_target","value":65,"unit":"%","year":2032,"note":"Recycling target"},{"key":"caa_five_year_cost_low","value":9.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":2026,"note":"Five-year cost, CAA program plan (low)"},{"key":"caa_five_year_cost_high","value":17.2,"unit":"USD billion","year":2026,"note":"Five-year cost, CAA program plan (high)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the governor withdrew an earlier draft of the rules in 2025 on cost grounds.","Unconfirmed: Waste Management's landfill revenue depends on waste volume, according to its 2022–2023 10-K risk factors.","Unconfirmed: Republic Services' recycled commodity price fell to USD 135 per ton in 2025, from USD 164 in 2024.","Unconfirmed: Waste Management targets USD 600 million EBITDA in 2026 from landfill gas converted to renewable natural gas.","Unconfirmed: the Superfund chemical tax returned in 2022, expected to raise about USD 14.4 billion over ten years.","None on record: how much packaging has been recycled under SB 54 so far, and whether the CAA figures are budgets or estimates."],"sources":[{"t":"SB 54 regulations","p":"CalRecycle","d":"2026-05-01","u":"https://calrecycle.ca.gov/Laws/Rulemaking/SB54Regulations/","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260824153946/https://calrecycle.ca.gov/laws/rulemaking/sb54regulations/"},{"t":"California's EPR program plan","p":"DLA Piper","d":"2026-06-15","u":"https://www.dlapiper.com/insights/publications/2026/06/californias-epr-program-plan","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"calrecycle","role":"state agency; SB 54 regulations"},{"id":"caa","role":"producer program organisation; program plan"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"named in CAA program governance"},{"id":"pepsico","role":"named in CAA program governance"},{"id":"amazon","role":"named in CAA program governance"}],"mechanism":"extended producer responsibility for packaging","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the governor withdrew an earlier draft of the rules in 2025 on cost grounds.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Waste Management's landfill revenue depends on waste volume, according to its 2022–2023 10-K risk factors.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Republic Services' recycled commodity price fell to USD 135 per ton in 2025, from USD 164 in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Waste Management targets USD 600 million EBITDA in 2026 from landfill gas converted to renewable natural gas.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Superfund chemical tax returned in 2022, expected to raise about USD 14.4 billion over ten years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how much packaging has been recycled under SB 54 so far, and whether the CAA figures are budgets or estimates.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coldplay-mango-trees-carbon-offset","tier":"short","title":"Most of Coldplay's offset mango saplings in India dried up within four years","dek":"Coldplay had about 10,000 mango saplings planted in Karnataka, India, as a carbon offset between 2002 and 2006. Most of them dried up within four years, according to Foreign Policy.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Karnataka","lat":15.32,"lon":75.71,"role":"event"}],"lat":15.32,"lon":75.71,"approxCoords":true,"start":2002,"end":2006,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Foreign Policy reported in 2006 that Coldplay had 10,000 mango saplings planted in Karnataka, India, between 2002 and 2006 as a carbon offset.","Foreign Policy reported that most of the saplings dried up within four years."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Most of 10,000 mango saplings planted in India as a carbon offset dried up within four years, Foreign Policy reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Coldplay","what":"Used the planting as its carbon offset","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Karnataka, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"Planted 2002–2006; reported on 8 September 2006","src":0},"why":{"t":"To offset carbon emissions, the method the sources describe.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Tree planting in Karnataka as the offset method.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"mango_saplings_planted","value":10000,"unit":"saplings","year":2002,"note":"planted in Karnataka, 2002–2006"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Telegraph report on the plantings.","The cited sources do not say which offset provider arranged the planting.","Who was harmed or lost through the failed plantings is not on record.","The survival of any remaining trees after 2006 is not reported."],"sources":[{"t":"Coldplay mango tree offset report","p":"Foreign Policy","d":"2006-09-08","u":"https://foreignpolicy.com/?p=1597","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"coldplay","role":"commissioned the offset planting"}],"mechanism":"carbon offset tree planting","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"10,000 mango saplings were planted on me in Karnataka as a carbon offset for Coldplay between 2002 and 2006; Foreign Policy reported most dried up within four years.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Telegraph report on the plantings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which offset provider arranged the planting.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who was harmed or lost through the failed plantings is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The survival of any remaining trees after 2006 is not reported.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"german-bgh-katjes-ruling-on-climate-neutral-claims","tier":"short","title":"German top court rules 'climate neutral' claim by Katjes misleading","dek":"Germany's Federal Court of Justice ruled in June 2024 that Katjes' 'climate neutral' advertising claim was misleading unless the advertisement explained it. The cited sources do not say whether the advertisement was changed or any penalty was imposed.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.17,"lon":10.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.17,"lon":10.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) ruled on 27 June 2024 that the 'climate neutral' claim in Katjes advertising was misleading. The court found the term vague, so it had to be explained within the advertisement itself.","LTO reported the ruling as a finding on the wording of a Katjes advertisement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The BGH found Katjes' 'climate neutral' advertising claim misleading unless the advertisement explained it, LTO reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Katjes","what":"Lost the case; the court found the claim misleading","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"27 June 2024","src":null},"why":{"t":"The court found the term vague, so it needed explanation in the advertisement.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Court judgement on the wording of an advertisement.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Katjes 'climate neutral' advertising case","forum":"Federal Court of Justice (BGH), Germany","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Katjes","filed":null,"decided":"2024-06-27","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the term 'climate neutral' misleading unless the advertisement explained it.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a law firm summary of the ruling dated 28 June 2024 was not used as a source.","The cited sources do not say who brought the case, which product was advertised, or whether the advertisement was changed.","No fine, damages or costs are reported in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"BGH Katjes ruling: 'Klimaneutral' misleading","p":"LTO","d":"","u":"https://www.lto.de/recht/hintergruende/h/bgh-izr9823-werbung-klimaneutral-katjes-irrefuehrung","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610215614/https://www.lto.de/recht/hintergruende/h/bgh-izr9823-werbung-klimaneutral-katjes-irrefuehrung"}],"actors":[{"id":"katjes","role":"advertiser; lost the case"},{"id":"federal-court-of-justice-germany","role":"court that ruled"}],"mechanism":"climate neutral advertising claims","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a law firm summary of the ruling dated 28 June 2024 was not used as a source.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who brought the case, which product was advertised, or whether the advertisement was changed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No fine, damages or costs are reported in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"eu-directive-2024-825-ban-on-offset-based-neutrality-claims","tier":"short","title":"EU bans offset-based neutrality claims from 27 September 2026","dek":"EU Directive 2024/825 bans product neutrality claims based on greenhouse gas offsetting, and generic claims such as 'eco-friendly', from 27 September 2026. The stake for nature is whether claims based on forest or tree-planting offsets can still tell buyers that emissions are cancelled out.","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["The EU Transition Pathways summary describes Directive 2024/825 as setting limits on offset claims.","Baker McKenzie reports that the rules apply from 27 September 2026.","According to the directive summary in the sources, covered claims include general claims such as 'eco-friendly', partial features presented as the whole product, uncertified labels and future claims without a verified plan."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU adopted Directive 2024/825 to ban offset-based product neutrality claims and generic environmental claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Consumers","what":"Protection from offset-based neutrality and generic environmental claims","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Companies making offset-based neutrality claims","what":"Cannot make those claims from 27 September 2026","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union","src":0},"when":{"t":"Adopted in 2024; applies from 27 September 2026","src":2},"why":{"t":"Stated aim, per the directive's title: empowering consumers for the green transition.","src":1},"how":{"t":"By banning specified types of environmental claim.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how many claims have been withdrawn or fined.","Effects on emissions or on offset buyers are not measured in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: the Commission's green claims proposal was reportedly suspended in June 2025 after it signalled it would withdraw it.","Lobbying specific to Directive 2024/825 is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Directive (EU) 2024/825: empowering consumers for the green transition","p":"EUR-Lex","d":"2024","u":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/825/oj","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012202538/https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/825/oj"},{"t":"Directive 2024/825: limits on offset claims","p":"EU Transition Pathways","d":"2024","u":"https://transition-pathways.europa.eu/legislation/directive-eu-2024825-empowering-consumer-green-transition","type":"government"},{"t":"Spain: EU green claims rules apply from 27 September","p":"Baker McKenzie","d":"2026-09","u":"https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/insight/publications/2026/09/spain-eu-green-claims-rules-apply-from-27-september","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"adopted the directive"}],"mechanism":"consumer green claims directive","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many claims have been withdrawn or fined.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Effects on emissions or on offset buyers are not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Commission's green claims proposal was reportedly suspended in June 2025 after it signalled it would withdraw it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Lobbying specific to Directive 2024/825 is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-taxonomy-inclusion-of-gas-and-nuclear","tier":"short","title":"EU court rejects Austria's challenge to green label for gas and nuclear","dek":"The EU added certain gas activities to its sustainable investment classification (taxonomy) in 2022. In September 2025 the EU General Court rejected Austria's challenge to the green label for gas and nuclear, leaving the classification in place.","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Enerdata reported that the EU added certain gas activities to its sustainable investment classification (taxonomy) in 2022.","Enerdata reported on 17 September 2025 that the EU General Court rejected Austria's challenge to the green label for gas and nuclear."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU General Court rejected Austria's challenge to the taxonomy's green label for gas and nuclear, Enerdata reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Gas activities covered by the taxonomy","what":"Classified as sustainable investment","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Austria","what":"Its challenge to the label was rejected","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union","src":0},"when":{"t":"Taxonomy change in 2022; court ruling in September 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Inclusion in the EU taxonomy of sustainable activities, upheld by the General Court.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Austria's challenge to the EU taxonomy green label","forum":"General Court of the European Union","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"kind":"administrative","claimant":"Austria","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2025-09","status":"dismissed","summary":"The General Court rejected Austria's challenge to the inclusion of gas and nuclear in the EU's green label.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the grounds of Austria's challenge or the court's reasoning.","Whether the ruling has been appealed is not on record.","Which specific gas and nuclear activities qualify is not on record.","Effects of the classification on investment flows and emissions are not measured in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"EU court upholds nuclear and gas green label, rejects Austria's challenge","p":"Enerdata","d":"2025-09-17","u":"https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/eu-court-upholds-nuclear-and-gas-green-label-rejects-austrias-challenge.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415202153/https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/eu-court-upholds-nuclear-and-gas-green-label-rejects-austrias-challenge.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"eu","role":"set the taxonomy rules"},{"id":"austria","role":"brought the court challenge"}],"mechanism":"sustainable investment taxonomy label","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the grounds of Austria's challenge or the court's reasoning.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the ruling has been appealed is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which specific gas and nuclear activities qualify is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Effects of the classification on investment flows and emissions are not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"japan-cross-border-co2-storage-in-malaysia","tier":"short","title":"Japan plans cross-border CO2 storage in Malaysia by 2030","dek":"Japan plans to store 20 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030 at nine sites, some in Malaysia, and to count the stored tonnes against its own emissions. Malaysia is to receive a per-tonne fee that has not yet been set, and Friends of the Earth Japan calls the arrangement 'carbon colonialism'.","country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","places":[{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","admin":null,"lat":4.21,"lon":101.98,"role":"event"},{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":null,"lat":36.2,"lon":138.25,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.21,"lon":101.98,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2030,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["AP reported in February 2026 that Japan plans to store 20 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030, about 2% of its annual emissions, at nine sites, some in Malaysia.","Japan could deduct the stored tonnes from its own emissions, and Malaysia is to be paid a per-tonne fee that has not been set.","Friends of the Earth Japan called the arrangement 'carbon colonialism'."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Japan plans to store CO2 at nine sites, some in Malaysia, reaching 20 million tonnes a year by 2030, AP reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Japan","what":"Could count the stored tonnes against its own emissions","src":0},{"who":"Malaysia","what":"Is to receive a per-tonne fee not yet set","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Nine planned sites, some in Malaysia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Planned by 2030; reported on 17 February 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cross-border storage, with stored tonnes counted against Japan's emissions.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"planned_storage_mt_co2_per_year","value":20000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2 per year","year":2030,"note":"planned; about 2% of Japan's annual emissions"},{"key":"planned_storage_sites","value":9,"unit":"sites","year":2030,"note":"planned; some in Malaysia"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether Japan's deduction arrangement is accepted under international carbon accounting rules.","A figure of $1.1 billion linked to Petronas storage is not on record.","Which of the nine sites are in Malaysia, and the storage method and monitoring rules, are not stated.","Harm to local communities in Malaysia is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"AP report on Japan-Malaysia cross-border carbon storage plan","p":"AP","d":"2026-02-17","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/malaysia-japan-plan-major-cross-053632283.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217075101/https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/malaysia-japan-plan-major-cross-053632283.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"japan-government","role":"plans the storage and the deduction"},{"id":"malaysia-government","role":"host country; to receive a per-tonne fee"},{"id":"petronas","role":"Malaysian state oil company named in the plan"},{"id":"friends-of-the-earth-japan","role":"critic of the arrangement"}],"mechanism":"cross-border carbon storage deal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Japan plans to store 20 million tonnes of CO2 a year in me by 2030, at nine sites, some in Malaysia, and to deduct the stored tonnes from its own emissions.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Japan's deduction arrangement is accepted under international carbon accounting rules.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A figure of $1.1 billion linked to Petronas storage is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which of the nine sites are in Malaysia, and the storage method and monitoring rules, are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Harm to local communities in Malaysia is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"climeworks-orca-and-mammoth-plants","tier":"short","title":"Climeworks' Iceland plants captured less CO2 than their stated capacity","dek":"Climeworks' Orca and Mammoth direct air capture plants in Iceland captured less CO2 than their stated capacity, according to Icelandic outlet Heimildin. The company blamed commissioning delays and cut 106 jobs in May 2025.","country":"Iceland","iso2":"IS","places":[{"country":"Iceland","iso2":"IS","admin":null,"lat":64.03,"lon":-21.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":64.03,"lon":-21.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["Heimildin reported in May 2025 that the Orca plant captured less than 1,000 tonnes a year since 2021, against a stated capacity of 4,000 tonnes.","Heimildin reported that Mammoth captured 750 tonnes in its first ten months, against a stated capacity of 36,000 tonnes a year.","The company said results were below expectations because of commissioning delays, and that snow and ice had frozen some of its mechanisms.","Heimildin compared the company's 1,700 tonnes of 2023 emissions with about 2,400 carbon units captured in Iceland since 2021, according to El Salto."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Orca and Mammoth plants in Iceland captured less CO2 than their stated capacity, according to Heimildin's reporting.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Climeworks employees","what":"106 jobs cut in May 2025","src":1},{"who":"Workers for a planned Louisiana facility","what":"469 promised jobs suspended","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Iceland","src":0},"when":{"t":"Orca has operated since 2021; the reported figures run to May 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"The company blamed commissioning delays and snow and ice freezing its mechanisms.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Direct air capture: CO2 is taken from ambient air, per the sources' description of the method.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"orca_stated_capacity_t_per_year","value":4000,"unit":"tonnes CO2 per year","year":null,"note":"stated capacity"},{"key":"orca_capture_t_per_year_upper","value":1000,"unit":"tonnes CO2 per year","year":2025,"note":"captured under this level since 2021, per Heimildin"},{"key":"mammoth_stated_capacity_t_per_year","value":36000,"unit":"tonnes CO2 per year","year":null,"note":"stated capacity"},{"key":"mammoth_captured_first_10_months_t","value":750,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2025,"note":"first ten months, per Heimildin; other reports give 105 tonnes for the first year"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Climeworks raised $650 million in 2022 and $162 million in 2025, passing $1 billion in total.","Other reports put Mammoth's first-year capture at 105 tonnes, which conflicts with the 750 tonnes in ten months reported by Heimildin.","Heimildin's figures are in 'carbon units', which the sources do not convert to tonnes, so the comparison with the company's emissions cannot be checked.","The cited sources do not give a full year of verified capture figures.","Effects on Icelandic communities or ecosystems are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Climeworks to cut 10% of staff amid slowdown in cleantech confidence","p":"The Chemical Engineer","d":"2025-05-21","u":"https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/climeworks-to-cut-10-of-staff-amid-slowdown-in-cleantech-confidence/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411124733/https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/climeworks-to-cut-10-of-staff-amid-slowdown-in-cleantech-confidence/"},{"t":"Swiss CO2 removal start-up forced to downsize","p":"Swissinfo (SRF)","d":"2025-05-15","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/emissions-reduction/swiss-co%E2%82%82-removal-start-up-forced-to-downsize/89324230","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250617180214/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/emissions-reduction/swiss-co%E2%82%82-removal-start-up-forced-to-downsize/89324230"},{"t":"El Salto report on Heimildin's Climeworks findings","p":"El Salto","d":"2025-05-26","u":"https://www.elsaltodiario.com/cambio-climatico/espejitos-colores-captura-co2-mayor-planta-del-mundo-no-cubre-propias-emisiones","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410173335/https://www.elsaltodiario.com/cambio-climatico/espejitos-colores-captura-co2-mayor-planta-del-mundo-no-cubre-propias-emisiones"}],"actors":[{"id":"climeworks","role":"operator of the plants"}],"mechanism":"direct air capture plants","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Climeworks stated its Orca plant could capture 4,000 tonnes of CO2 a year from my air; Heimildin reported it captured less than 1,000 a year since 2021.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Climeworks raised $650 million in 2022 and $162 million in 2025, passing $1 billion in total.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Other reports put Mammoth's first-year capture at 105 tonnes, which conflicts with the 750 tonnes in ten months reported by Heimildin.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Heimildin's figures are in 'carbon units', which the sources do not convert to tonnes, so the comparison with the company's emissions cannot be checked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a full year of verified capture figures.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effects on Icelandic communities or ecosystems are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"stardust-solutions-solar-geoengineering-funding","tier":"short","title":"Stardust Solutions raises $60 million for solar geoengineering","dek":"Israeli-US startup Stardust Solutions raised $60 million in October 2025 to develop solar geoengineering, a method of reflecting sunlight to cool the planet. The sources name no test location and no government contract.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["E&E News reported on 24 October 2025 that Stardust Solutions raised $60 million in a round led by Lowercarbon Capital, with Exor's venture arm also taking part, bringing its total to $75 million.","E&E News reported that the company has applied for a patent on its particles and is seeking government contracts to produce, deliver and monitor them.","A senior Stardust executive told E&E News that investors back a safe, responsible and controlled option for sunlight reflection.","SRM360 reported that $267 million was spent on solar geoengineering through 2025, 97% of it going to Global North institutions, and listed Stardust's investors as the largest funders at $75 million."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Stardust Solutions, an Israeli-US company, raised $60 million in October 2025 for solar geoengineering, with Lowercarbon Capital leading and Exor's venture arm participating.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Stardust Solutions","what":"raised $60 million in the October 2025 round, bringing total funding to $75 million; applied for a patent on its particles","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The sources do not say where Stardust plans to release its particles.","src":null},"when":{"t":"October 2025 funding round.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The company is seeking government contracts to produce, deliver and monitor its particles, and has applied for a patent on them.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"funding_round_2025","value":60000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"October 2025 round, per E&E News"},{"key":"total_raised","value":75000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"total funding including the October 2025 round, per E&E News"},{"key":"sector_funding_total","value":267000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"all solar geoengineering funding through end-2025, per SRM360"},{"key":"sector_share_global_north","value":97,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"share of solar geoengineering funds going to Global North institutions, per SRM360"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: where the company plans to release its particles, or whether any government contract has been signed; the sources say it is seeking contracts.","Not stated: what returns the investors expect from the round.","The sources give no independent assessment of the company's safety claim, which is the company's own statement.","Not stated: the company's valuation and its total spending to date."],"sources":[{"t":"Stardust Solutions raises $60 million (E&E News)","p":"E&E News","d":"2025-10-24","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/global-cooling-startup-raises-60m-to-test-sun-reflecting-technology","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713000222/https://www.eenews.net/articles/global-cooling-startup-raises-60m-to-test-sun-reflecting-technology/"},{"t":"Who funds solar geoengineering work, 2026 follow-up","p":"SRM360","d":"2026-09-09","u":"https://srm360.org/article/who-funds-work-on-solar-geoengineering-2026/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010230048/http://srm360.org/article/who-funds-work-on-solar-geoengineering-2026/"}],"actors":[{"id":"stardust-solutions","role":"company raising the funds"},{"id":"lowercarbon-capital","role":"lead investor in the October 2025 round"},{"id":"exor","role":"investor in the October 2025 round, through its venture arm"}],"mechanism":"solar geoengineering venture funding","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: where the company plans to release its particles, or whether any government contract has been signed; the sources say it is seeking contracts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: what returns the investors expect from the round.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources give no independent assessment of the company's safety claim, which is the company's own statement.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the company's valuation and its total spending to date.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"harvard-scopex-balloon-experiment-cancelled","tier":"short","title":"Harvard halts planned SCoPEx geoengineering balloon test in Sweden","dek":"Harvard abandoned its planned SCoPEx balloon experiment, a test of atmospheric geoengineering, after the Saami Council objected to a flight from Kiruna in northern Sweden. The flight never took place, so the sources record no effect on nature.","country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","places":[{"country":"Sweden","iso2":"SE","admin":"Kiruna","lat":67.86,"lon":20.23,"role":"event"}],"lat":67.86,"lon":20.23,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["MIT Technology Review reported on 18 March 2024 that Harvard had halted its long-planned atmospheric geoengineering experiment.","The SCoPEx balloon experiment was planned to fly from Kiruna in northern Sweden in 2021, and was backed by Gates, Hewlett and Sloan.","The Saami Council said there was no acceptable reason to allow the experiment in Sweden or elsewhere; an advisory board cancelled the flight and the experiment was dropped in March 2024."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Harvard dropped its SCoPEx balloon experiment, an atmospheric geoengineering test, in March 2024 after the Saami Council objected and an advisory board cancelled the flight.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Planned launch from Kiruna, northern Sweden.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Planned for 2021; dropped in March 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Saami Council objected, and an advisory board cancelled the flight.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A balloon flight from Kiruna was part of the planned experiment; the cited sources do not describe its equipment.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: the funding amounts from Gates, Hewlett and Sloan.","Not stated: whether another launch site was considered.","Not stated: what the balloon would have released, or in what quantity.","The sources record no assessment of the environmental effects of the planned flight."],"sources":[{"t":"Report on Harvard halting its atmospheric geoengineering experiment","p":"MIT Technology Review","d":"2024-03-18","u":"https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/03/18/1089879/harvard-halts-its-long-planned-atmospheric-geoengineering-experiment","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011060445/https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/03/18/1089879/harvard-halts-its-long-planned-atmospheric-geoengineering-experiment/"}],"actors":[{"id":"harvard-university","role":"owner of the planned SCoPEx experiment"},{"id":"saami-council","role":"objected to the flight from Kiruna"}],"mechanism":"high-altitude balloon geoengineering test","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the funding amounts from Gates, Hewlett and Sloan.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether another launch site was considered.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: what the balloon would have released, or in what quantity.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources record no assessment of the environmental effects of the planned flight.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"adm-decatur-co2-storage-leak","tier":"short","title":"ADM Decatur carbon storage site leaks about 8,000 tons, EPA finds","dek":"About 8,000 tons of liquid carbon dioxide and underground fluid leaked from ADM's storage site at Decatur, Illinois, beyond its permitted zone. The site sits above an aquifer that supplies drinking water to about one million people, and the EPA said the leak violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Illinois","lat":39.84,"lon":-88.95,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.84,"lon":-88.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"water","happened":["Capitol News Illinois reported on 13 September 2024 that the EPA considered a leak at ADM's Decatur carbon storage site a violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act.","About 8,000 tons of liquid carbon dioxide and underground fluid escaped beyond the permitted zone through a corroded monitoring well, according to the same report.","ADM knew of the corrosion from October 2023, the leak was noticed in March 2024, and it was reported to the EPA in August 2024.","The site sits above the Mahomet aquifer, which supplies drinking water to about one million people."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 8,000 tons of liquid CO2 and underground fluid leaked from ADM's Decatur storage site beyond its permitted zone, and the EPA said the leak violated the Safe Drinking Water Act.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Decatur, Illinois, above the Mahomet aquifer.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Corrosion known from October 2023; leak noticed in March 2024; reported to the EPA in August 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The monitoring well corroded; the sources do not say why it corroded.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Liquid CO2 and underground fluid escaped through a corroded monitoring well at the storage site.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"leaked_volume","value":8000,"unit":"tons","year":2024,"note":"approximate; liquid CO2 and underground fluid, per Capitol News Illinois"},{"key":"co2_stored_since_2011","value":4500000,"unit":"tons","year":null,"note":"cumulative CO2 stored at the site since 2011, per Capitol News Illinois"},{"key":"aquifer_population_served","value":1000000,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"approximate number of people the Mahomet aquifer supplies with drinking water"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Illinois banned carbon storage under the Mahomet aquifer, with the law signed on 1 August 2025 and in force from 1 January 2026.","Not stated: whether the leak reached drinking water.","Not stated: the outcome of the sanction the EPA proposed against ADM; none is reported in the cited sources.","Not stated: how the monitoring well came to corrode."],"sources":[{"t":"Capitol News Illinois report on the ADM Decatur leak and the EPA finding","p":"Capitol News Illinois","d":"2024-09-13","u":"https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/adm-carbon-sequestration-project-violated-safe-drinking-water-act-per-epa","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928034458/https://capitolnewsillinois.com/news/adm-carbon-sequestration-project-violated-safe-drinking-water-act-per-epa/"}],"actors":[{"id":"adm","role":"operator of the Decatur storage site"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"regulator that found a violation"}],"mechanism":"carbon storage well leak","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 8,000 tons of liquid carbon dioxide and underground fluid escaped beyond the permitted zone through a corroded well above my Mahomet aquifer, which supplies about one million people.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Illinois banned carbon storage under the Mahomet aquifer, with the law signed on 1 August 2025 and in force from 1 January 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the leak reached drinking water.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the outcome of the sanction the EPA proposed against ADM; none is reported in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: how the monitoring well came to corrode.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"summit-carbon-solutions-co2-pipeline","tier":"short","title":"North Dakota judge cancels Summit Carbon Solutions storage permit","dek":"A North Dakota judge cancelled Summit Carbon Solutions' storage permit for its CO2 pipeline, and Iowa farmers call the pipeline a pipeline to nowhere. The cited sources do not say what the cancellation means for the route or for nature.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Iowa","lat":42.03,"lon":-93.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"North Dakota","lat":47.5,"lon":-100.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":42.03,"lon":-93.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"pipeline","happened":["Inside Climate News reported in September 2026 that a North Dakota judge cancelled Summit Carbon Solutions' storage permit.","Farmers in Iowa, quoted in the same report, describe the pipeline as a pipeline to nowhere.","Summit is now seeking new destinations for its CO2, including enhanced oil recovery, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A North Dakota judge cancelled Summit Carbon Solutions' storage permit for its CO2 pipeline, according to Inside Climate News.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Iowa (route, and criticism from farmers) and North Dakota (storage permit).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in September 2026; the date of the cancellation is not given.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A CO2 pipeline built to carry carbon for storage; enhanced oil recovery is now among the destinations Summit is seeking.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Summit pipeline costs about $9 billion.","Unconfirmed: South Dakota banned the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines in 2025, which cut the pipeline's route.","Unconfirmed: 45Q tax credits cover most of the pipeline's capital cost, and former Iowa governor Branstad is a senior adviser to the company.","Unconfirmed: the company's principal gave $423,200 to Branstad and Reynolds over 13 years.","Not stated: the date of the North Dakota ruling and whether it is under appeal.","Not stated: any environmental effects of the pipeline; the cited sources describe none."],"sources":[{"t":"Inside Climate News report on the future of Summit's Iowa pipeline","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2026-09-14","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/14092026/iowa-summit-carbon-pipeline-uncertain-future/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"summit-carbon-solutions","role":"developer of the CO2 pipeline"}],"mechanism":"CO2 pipeline and storage","types":["pipeline"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Summit pipeline costs about $9 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: South Dakota banned the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines in 2025, which cut the pipeline's route.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 45Q tax credits cover most of the pipeline's capital cost, and former Iowa governor Branstad is a senior adviser to the company.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company's principal gave $423,200 to Branstad and Reynolds over 13 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the date of the North Dakota ruling and whether it is under appeal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: any environmental effects of the pipeline; the cited sources describe none.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-summer-flounder-and-spiny-dogfish-rebuilt-status-via-refe","tier":"short","title":"US summer flounder and spiny dogfish declared rebuilt after target changes","dek":"Two US fish stocks, summer flounder and spiny dogfish, were declared rebuilt after their reference points were changed. The summer flounder stock was later found below its revised target, so the rebuilt label followed the rule as much as the fish.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38,"lon":-73.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":38,"lon":-73.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2019,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council's 2012 summary records that the summer flounder target was lowered in 2008 on new information about natural mortality, and that the stock was declared rebuilt in 2011.","The same sources give a 2010 stock mass of 60,238 t against a target of 60,074 t.","They also report that a 2019 assessment placed the stock below its new target, with its 2017 mass at 78% of that target.","A Federal Register notice of 24 June 2010 declared spiny dogfish rebuilt on updated status criteria, setting a new target of 159,288 t and lowering the fishing mortality target from 0.28 to 0.207."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"US fisheries managers declared summer flounder (2011) and spiny dogfish (2010) rebuilt after changing the reference points used to judge them.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"US Atlantic coast: the Mid-Atlantic for summer flounder and the Atlantic for spiny dogfish.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Summer flounder target lowered in 2008, declared rebuilt in 2011, and found below target in a 2019 assessment; spiny dogfish declared rebuilt in 2010.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The sources give the reasons: new information on natural mortality for the 2008 summer flounder target, and updated status criteria for spiny dogfish.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Reference points (biomass targets and fishing mortality limits) were reset, and each stock's status was then judged against the new values.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"summer_flounder_mass_2010","value":60238,"unit":"t","year":2010,"note":"stock mass, against a target of 60,074 t"},{"key":"summer_flounder_target_2010","value":60074,"unit":"t","year":2010,"note":"revised biomass target"},{"key":"summer_flounder_2017_share_of_target","value":78,"unit":"percent of target","year":2017,"note":"2017 mass as a share of the 2019 assessment target"},{"key":"spiny_dogfish_target_2010","value":159288,"unit":"t","year":2010,"note":"new biomass target, Federal Register notice"},{"key":"spiny_dogfish_fishing_mortality_target","value":0.207,"unit":"fishing mortality rate","year":2010,"note":"lowered from 0.28"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: who gained from the rebuilt status, such as fishing interests or the managers themselves.","Not stated: the status of either stock after 2019.","The sources mention an unnamed stock that was also declared rebuilt through a reference point change; it is not named and no figures are given."],"sources":[{"t":"Summer flounder 2012 executive summary (MAFMC)","p":"Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council","d":"2012","u":"https://www.mafmc.org/s/Fluke_2012_ExecSumm.pdf","type":"government"},{"t":"Saltwater Sportsman report cited for the summer flounder rebuilding","p":"Saltwater Sportsman","d":"","u":"https://www.saltwatersportsman.com/?p=47211","type":"press"},{"t":"Federal Register notice, 24 June 2010 (spiny dogfish)","p":"Federal Register","d":"2010-06-24","u":"https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-06-24/pdf/2010-15324.pdf","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250220181755/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2010-06-24/pdf/2010-15324.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"mid-atlantic-fishery-management-council","role":"manages summer flounder; publisher of the 2012 summary"}],"mechanism":"reference point change","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My summer flounder stood at 60,238 t in 2010 against a lowered target of 60,074 t and was declared rebuilt; a 2019 assessment put its 2017 mass at 78% of its new target.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: who gained from the rebuilt status, such as fishing interests or the managers themselves.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the status of either stock after 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources mention an unnamed stock that was also declared rebuilt through a reference point change; it is not named and no figures are given.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kenya-forest-cover-versus-tree-cover-figures","tier":"short","title":"Kenya's two official figures: 8.83% forest cover and 12.13% tree cover","dek":"Kenya's Forest Service reports 8.83% forest cover and 12.13% tree cover for 2021, and the constitution's 10% target is tied to tree cover. Satellite data shows more than 19% tree cover loss in the Mau Forest from 2001 to 2022, which the Forest Service disputes.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Mau Forest","lat":-0.4,"lon":35.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.4,"lon":35.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2001,"end":2026,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Kenya Forest Service's 2021 assessment reports 8.83% forest cover and 12.13% tree cover; its forest definition requires at least 15% canopy and 2 m tree height.","Global Forest Watch data reported by Mongabay in November 2023 show more than 19% tree cover loss in the Mau Forest between 2001 and 2022.","The Forest Service responded that the satellite images do not reflect conditions on the ground, according to Kenyans.co.ke in November 2024.","Kenya set a target of 30% tree cover and 15 billion trees by 2032, reported by Capital FM in February 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya officially reports two national figures for 2021, forest cover of 8.83% and tree cover of 12.13%, which use different definitions.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kenya, with the Mau Forest as the main site of reported tree cover loss.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Official figures for 2021; Mau loss covers 2001 to 2022; the 2032 target was reported in February 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The two figures use different measures: the tree cover figure counts trees outside official forest, and the forest definition requires at least 15% canopy and 2 m height.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Global Forest Watch tracks tree cover loss with satellite data; the Forest Service relies on its own assessment and defended it against the satellite data.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"forest_cover_2021","value":8.83,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"note":"Kenya Forest Service, official forest cover"},{"key":"tree_cover_2021","value":12.13,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"note":"Kenya Forest Service, tree cover including trees outside official forest"},{"key":"mau_tree_cover_loss_2001_2022","value":19,"unit":"percent","year":2022,"note":"more than 19 percent, per Global Forest Watch data reported by Mongabay"},{"key":"kenya_tree_cover_target_2032","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2032,"note":"government target for tree cover"},{"key":"annual_gross_deforestation","value":84716,"unit":"hectares per year","year":2024,"note":"national forest status report estimate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a president's June 2022 claim that forest cover rose from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022 has been disputed; the disputing figures are not on record.","Reported in an opinion column: a former head of Kenya's water towers agency wrote that a 7.1% figure was changed to 7.2% without explanation, and that agencies were under pressure to meet the 10% target. No other source confirms it.","None on record: the final decision on removing the 'temporarily unstocked' category from the FAO 2025 assessment.","Not stated: any survival count for the more than 900 million planting reports."],"sources":[{"t":"Report on Kenya's largest water-capturing forest and satellite data (Mongabay)","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-11-07","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/11/deforestation-continues-in-kenyas-largest-water-capturing-forest-satellites-show/","type":"press"},{"t":"Kenyans.co.ke report on satellite images of the Mau Forest","p":"Kenyans.co.ke","d":"2024-11-28","u":"https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250124045158/https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/106814-satellite-images-expose-hidden-crisis-mau-forest"},{"t":"Capital FM report on Kenya's 2032 tree cover target (via AllAfrica)","p":"Capital FM / AllAfrica","d":"2026-02-16","u":"https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218040125/https://allafrica.com/stories/202602160464.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"kfs","role":"national forest assessment; disputed satellite-based loss figures"},{"id":"gfw","role":"satellite data source for Mau Forest tree cover loss"},{"id":"fao","role":"global forest definition and assessment"}],"mechanism":"forest definition gap","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Global Forest Watch data show more than 19% tree cover loss in my Mau Forest between 2001 and 2022; Kenya's Forest Service says the satellite images do not reflect the ground.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a president's June 2022 claim that forest cover rose from 6.99% in 2013 to 8.83% in 2022 has been disputed; the disputing figures are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported in an opinion column: a former head of Kenya's water towers agency wrote that a 7.1% figure was changed to 7.2% without explanation, and that agencies were under pressure to meet the 10% target. No other source confirms it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the final decision on removing the 'temporarily unstocked' category from the FAO 2025 assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: any survival count for the more than 900 million planting reports.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sec-oil-reserve-rule-change-and-reserve-write-downs","tier":"short","title":"US SEC switches oil reserve pricing to a 12-month average in 2008","dek":"In December 2008 the US Securities and Exchange Commission changed how oil and gas companies report proved reserves, using a 12-month average price instead of the year-end price. Companies present reserves to investors as a measure of their future, and the sources show reported reserves moving with the price used.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":53.9,"lon":-116.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2021,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The SEC's Release 33-8995, dated 31 December 2008, replaced the year-end one-day price with the average of first-day prices over the previous 12 months, effective from fiscal 2009, according to Deloitte's guide.","Reserve data cited in the sources show the SEC average price at end-2014 was $94.42 a barrel, against a WTI close of $53.27 on 31 December 2014.","The same data show Chesapeake's proved reserves fell from 2.469 billion to 1.504 billion barrels of oil equivalent in 2015, a price-driven drop of 1.098 billion, before rising 14% in 2016.","Imperial Oil's 0.6 billion barrels of Cold Lake bitumen left its proved reserves in 2020 and returned in 2021, according to its 2021 10-K filing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"On 31 December 2008 the US Securities and Exchange Commission changed the price used to report proved oil and gas reserves, from the year-end price to a 12-month average.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (the rule and Chesapeake) and Alberta, Canada (Imperial Oil).","src":1},"when":{"t":"Rule effective from fiscal 2009; the reserve examples are from 2014 to 2016 and 2020 to 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Reserves are restated each year at the 12-month average of first-day prices, so reported reserves rise and fall with that average.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sec_average_price_2014","value":94.42,"unit":"USD per barrel","year":2014,"note":"SEC 12-month average price at end-2014"},{"key":"wti_close_2014","value":53.27,"unit":"USD per barrel","year":2014,"note":"WTI close on 31 December 2014"},{"key":"chesapeake_price_driven_reserve_drop","value":1098000000,"unit":"barrels of oil equivalent","year":2015,"note":"price-driven fall, from 2.469 to 1.504 billion"},{"key":"imperial_cold_lake_bitumen","value":600000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2020,"note":"Cold Lake bitumen removed from proved reserves in 2020 and returned in 2021"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ConocoPhillips removed 1.75 billion barrels of oil equivalent from its reserves in 2016, about 70% of it Canadian oil sands, and said its development plans would not be significantly affected.","Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil's proved reserves fell from 22.4 to 15.2 billion barrels in 2020, and 9 trillion cubic feet of US gas from its XTO acquisition fell out before being counted as proved again in 2021.","Unconfirmed: Kearl oil sands in Canada moved in and out of ExxonMobil's proved reserves four times between 2016 and 2021; no source entry is given.","Not stated: who gained from the rule change, or whether companies changed how they reported reserves.","Not stated: whether the rule changed production or investment plans."],"sources":[{"t":"Deloitte DART guide to SEC oil and gas reporting modernization","p":"Deloitte","d":"","u":"https://dart.deloitte.com/USDART/home/accounting/sec/sec-material-supplement/small-entity-compliance-guides/oil-gas-reporting-modernization-a-small","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615043953/https://dart.deloitte.com/USDART/home/accounting/sec/sec-material-supplement/small-entity-compliance-guides/oil-gas-reporting-modernization-a-small"},{"t":"Imperial Oil 10-K annual report 2021 (SEC filing)","p":"Imperial Oil","d":"2021","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/49938/000119312522049999/d259423d10k.htm","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"sec","role":"regulator that changed the reserve pricing rule"},{"id":"chesapeake-energy","role":"reported price-driven reserve fall in 2015"},{"id":"imperial-oil","role":"reported Cold Lake bitumen removed and returned, 2020 to 2021"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"reported reserve reductions (unconfirmed)"}],"mechanism":"12-month average price rule","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ConocoPhillips removed 1.75 billion barrels of oil equivalent from its reserves in 2016, about 70% of it Canadian oil sands, and said its development plans would not be significantly affected.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ExxonMobil's proved reserves fell from 22.4 to 15.2 billion barrels in 2020, and 9 trillion cubic feet of US gas from its XTO acquisition fell out before being counted as proved again in 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Kearl oil sands in Canada moved in and out of ExxonMobil's proved reserves four times between 2016 and 2021; no source entry is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: who gained from the rule change, or whether companies changed how they reported reserves.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the rule changed production or investment plans.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"shell-reserves-overstatement-scandal","tier":"short","title":"Shell reserves overstatement case: investors settle for $352.6 million","dek":"Shell settled an investor class action for $352.6 million plus administrative costs, and the SEC took no action against three Shell executives in 2006. The 2004 reserve cut itself is unconfirmed in the cited sources.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Oil Change International reported in August 2006 that the SEC took no action against three Shell executives over the reserves overstatement, and that no criminal prosecution was recorded.","The same record puts Shell's total over-declaration at 4.5 billion barrels, or 23%.","Shell settled a class action with more than 50 European investors for $352.6 million plus administrative costs, according to Natural Gas Intelligence."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell settled a European investor class action for $352.6 million plus administrative costs, and in 2006 the SEC took no action against three of its executives.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"European investors in Shell","what":"received a $352.6 million class action settlement, plus administrative costs","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (SEC decision) and the Netherlands (class action).","src":0},"when":{"t":"SEC decision in August 2006; the date of the class action settlement is not given.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through an investor class action in the Netherlands; the cited sources do not describe how the overstatement was found.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"class_action_settlement","value":352600000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"plus administrative costs; more than 50 investors"},{"key":"over_declared_reserves","value":4500000000,"unit":"barrels","year":2006,"note":"total over-declaration, 23%, per the 2006 Oil Change International record"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Shell cut its reserves in 2004 by about 20% at first, and by 23% in total (4.5 billion barrels) after later corrections.","Unconfirmed: Shell settled with the SEC for $120 million and with the UK Financial Services Authority for £17 million, without admitting guilt.","Unconfirmed: the company's chief executive resigned after the reserve cut.","Not stated: the date of the class action settlement, and whether a court approved it."],"sources":[{"t":"Oil Change International item on the SEC decision regarding ex-Shell executives","p":"Oil Change International","d":"2006-08-31","u":"https://oilchange.org/us-regulator-clears-ex-shell-boss","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Natural Gas Intelligence item on the Shell class action","p":"Natural Gas Intelligence","d":"","u":"https://www.naturalgasintel.com/?p=60075","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"company whose reserves were restated"},{"id":"sec","role":"regulator; took no action against three executives in 2006"}],"mechanism":"reserve overstatement, settlements","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell cut its reserves in 2004 by about 20% at first, and by 23% in total (4.5 billion barrels) after later corrections.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shell settled with the SEC for $120 million and with the UK Financial Services Authority for £17 million, without admitting guilt.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company's chief executive resigned after the reserve cut.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the date of the class action settlement, and whether a court approved it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"california-wildfire-fund-sb-254","tier":"short","title":"California law adds $18 billion to wildfire fund, half from customers","dek":"SB 254, a 2025 California law, adds $18 billion over ten years to the Wildfire Fund that covers utilities' wildfire liabilities, and half is to be collected from customers' bills. The sources do not say how the other half is funded.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.8,"lon":-119.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.8,"lon":-119.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["CalMatters reports that SB 254, a 2025 California law, adds $18 billion over ten years to the Wildfire Fund.","The fund covers public utilities' wildfire liabilities, and half of the $18 billion is to be collected from subscribers through a line item on their bills, according to CalMatters."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"California's SB 254 (2025) adds $18 billion over ten years to the Wildfire Fund, which covers public utilities' wildfire liabilities.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Public utilities","what":"wildfire liabilities covered by the fund","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Electricity customers (subscribers)","what":"half of the $18 billion, collected through a line item on bills","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Enacted in 2025; the $18 billion is spread over ten years.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A legislated addition to the fund, with half collected from customers through a line item on their bills.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"wildfire_fund_addition","value":18000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"added over ten years by SB 254"},{"key":"customer_share_of_addition","value":50,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"collected from subscribers through a line item on bills"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: who pays the other half of the $18 billion.","Not stated: the monthly amounts charged to customers under the line item.","Not stated: whether the fund pays for wildfire prevention or only for liability claims.","Not stated: how much the fund has paid out so far."],"sources":[{"t":"CalMatters explainer on SB 254 and the Wildfire Fund","p":"CalMatters","d":"2025-2026","u":"https://calmatters.org/explainer/474873/embed/7e814f63-fe1c-44f4-8786-3ba3046fca6c","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926233026/https://calmatters.org/explainer/474873/embed/7e814f63-fe1c-44f4-8786-3ba3046fca6c"}],"actors":[{"id":"california-legislature","role":"passed SB 254 (2025)"}],"mechanism":"ratepayer-funded wildfire fund","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: who pays the other half of the $18 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the monthly amounts charged to customers under the line item.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the fund pays for wildfire prevention or only for liability claims.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: how much the fund has paid out so far.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"3m-pfas-water-utilities-settlement-accounting","tier":"short","title":"3M booked US$10.3bn charge for US public water PFAS settlement","dek":"3M recorded a pre-tax charge of US$10.3 billion in 2023 for its settlement with US public water suppliers over PFAS, chemicals that persist in the environment. Payments run to 2036.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Minnesota","lat":46.3,"lon":-94.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2036,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["3M recorded a pre-tax charge of US$10.3 billion for the settlement in the second quarter of 2023 (3M results release, 25 July 2023).","The charge is the present value, at a 5.2% discount rate, of US$12.5 billion nominal payable over 2024 to 2036, and it reduced earnings per share by US$14.19 (3M results release, 25 July 2023).","3M announced the settlement with public water suppliers in an April 2024 release (3M, 1 April 2024)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"3M agreed to pay US public water suppliers under a PFAS settlement and booked the cost as a 2023 charge.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US public water suppliers","what":"scheduled payments under the settlement, up to US$12.5 billion nominal through 2036","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, with a separate 2018 settlement in Minnesota","src":null},"when":{"t":"Charge recorded in the second quarter of 2023; payments scheduled 2024 to 2036.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments are spread over more than a decade, and AIG sued 3M in October 2024 over policy language it said limits or bars coverage for PFAS and pollution claims.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_charge_usd_bn","value":10.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":2023,"note":"pre-tax charge, second quarter 2023"},{"key":"nominal_total_usd_bn","value":12.5,"unit":"USD billion","year":2036,"note":"nominal total payable 2024 to 2036"},{"key":"discount_rate_pct","value":5.2,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"rate used to discount the nominal total"},{"key":"eps_reduction_usd","value":14.19,"unit":"USD per share","year":2023,"note":"reduction in earnings per share, second quarter 2023"},{"key":"minnesota_settlement_usd_m","value":850,"unit":"USD million","year":2018,"note":"natural-resource-damages settlement with Minnesota, paid as a grant to a water fund"}],"legal":[{"title":"AIG v. 3M (PFAS and pollution coverage)","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"AIG","defendant":"3M","filed":"2024-10","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"AIG sued 3M in late October 2024, citing policy language it said limits or bars coverage for PFAS and pollution claims.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a court approved the settlement, under which 3M would pay US$10.5 to 12.5 billion through 2036.","Unconfirmed: the settlement is not an admission of liability, as 3M stated.","Not stated: how much of the quarter's total tax benefit of US$2.184 billion relates to the settlement.","Unconfirmed: a Delaware state court dispute between 3M and excess insurers, reported in a paywalled Law360 item that could not be read.","Not stated: whether any insurance recovery has been made, or whether the coverage disputes have been decided.","The cited sources disclose no insurance link for the 2018 Minnesota settlement."],"sources":[{"t":"3M reports second quarter 2023 results","p":"3M","d":"2023-07-25","u":"https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1790/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513161754/https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1790/3m-reports-second-quarter-2023-results-proactive"},{"t":"3M settlement with public water suppliers to address PFAS","p":"3M","d":"2024-04-01","u":"https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1836/3m-settlement-with-public-water-suppliers-to-address-pfas","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260728004803/https://investors.3m.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1836/3m-settlement-with-public-water-suppliers-to-address-pfas"},{"t":"3M PFAS lawsuits: AIG","p":"FOX 9","d":"2024-10","u":"https://www.fox9.com/news/3m-pfas-lawsuits-aig","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512193504/https://www.fox9.com/news/3m-pfas-lawsuits-aig"}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"defendant; recorded the settlement charge"},{"id":"aig","role":"insurer that sued 3M over coverage"}],"mechanism":"PFAS settlement paid in instalments","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"3M booked a US$10.3 billion pre-tax charge in 2023 to settle with US public water suppliers over PFAS, chemicals that persist in me; US$12.5 billion is payable from 2024 to 2036.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"AIG v. 3M (PFAS and pollution coverage): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a court approved the settlement, under which 3M would pay US$10.5 to 12.5 billion through 2036.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the settlement is not an admission of liability, as 3M stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: how much of the quarter's total tax benefit of US$2.184 billion relates to the settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Delaware state court dispute between 3M and excess insurers, reported in a paywalled Law360 item that could not be read.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether any insurance recovery has been made, or whether the coverage disputes have been decided.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources disclose no insurance link for the 2018 Minnesota settlement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"scottishpower-ofgem-settlements-tax-case","tier":"short","title":"Court of Appeal ruled ScottishPower's Ofgem settlement payments deductible","dek":"ScottishPower's 2013 to 2016 settlements with the energy regulator Ofgem included symbolic £1 penalties and payments to consumers and charities. The Court of Appeal ruled in January 2025 that payments other than the £1 penalty can be deducted for tax, and the Supreme Court has granted permission to appeal.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":54,"lon":-2,"role":"event"}],"lat":54,"lon":-2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2025,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Between 2013 and 2016 ScottishPower agreed settlements with Ofgem that included symbolic £1 penalties and payments to consumers, consumer organisations and charities (CMS, 1 July 2025).","The Court of Appeal ruled in January 2025 that these payments, other than the £1 penalty, were not penalties and could be deducted for tax (CMS, 1 July 2025).","The Supreme Court granted permission to appeal on 16 June 2025 (CMS, 1 July 2025)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ScottishPower's settlements with Ofgem included £1 penalties and payments to consumers, consumer bodies and charities, and the tax treatment of those payments is in litigation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ScottishPower","what":"could deduct most of the settlement payments for tax if the Court of Appeal ruling stands","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom","src":null},"when":{"t":"Settlements 2013 to 2016; Court of Appeal ruling January 2025; permission to appeal granted 16 June 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"HM Revenue and Customs guidance treats fines for breaking the law as non-deductible; the courts are deciding whether these payments are penalties.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"symbolic_penalty_gbp","value":1,"unit":"GBP","year":null,"note":"symbolic penalty in each settlement, 2013 to 2016"}],"legal":[{"title":"ScottishPower tax deductibility of Ofgem settlement payments","forum":"Court of Appeal; Supreme Court (United Kingdom)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"ScottishPower","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2025-01","status":"ongoing","summary":"The Court of Appeal ruled in January 2025 that payments other than the £1 penalty were not penalties and could be deducted. The Supreme Court granted permission to appeal in June 2025; its outcome was not found.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the settlement payments totalled about £28 million, a figure.","Not found: the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal.","Not stated: the opposing party in the appeal."],"sources":[{"t":"Energy: Supreme Court to decide tax deductibility of payments made to consumers, consumer organisations in settlement of regulatory investigations","p":"CMS","d":"2025-07-01","u":"https://cms.law/en/gbr/legal-updates/energy-supreme-court-to-decide-tax-deductibility-of-payments-made-to-consumers-consumer-organisations-in-settlement-of-regulatory-investigations","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"scottishpower","role":"settling company; taxpayer seeking deduction"},{"id":"ofgem","role":"energy regulator; counterparty to the settlements"},{"id":"hmrc","role":"UK tax authority; guidance on deductibility"}],"mechanism":"tax deductibility of settlements","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["us-tax-deductibility-of-environmental-settlements"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the settlement payments totalled about £28 million, a figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the outcome of the Supreme Court appeal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the opposing party in the appeal.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"bhopal-gas-disaster-compensation-and-2023-curative-petition","tier":"short","title":"India's top court refuses more Bhopal compensation from Union Carbide successors","dek":"India's Supreme Court refused in March 2023 to order further Bhopal gas compensation from Union Carbide's successor companies. The 1989 settlement did not cover groundwater, and in 2025 the state paid to burn the plant's toxic waste.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Madhya Pradesh","lat":23.26,"lon":77.41,"role":"event"}],"lat":23.26,"lon":77.41,"approxCoords":true,"start":1989,"end":2025,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["In March 2023 the Supreme Court of India dismissed the government's curative petition seeking compensation beyond the US$470 million settlement of 1989 (LiveLaw, 14 March 2023).","The reasons given were the absence of any fraud allegation, a delay of more than twenty years, and the government's failure to obtain insurance it had been obliged to obtain under a 1991 decision (LiveLaw, 14 March 2023).","The government's petition reported 5,295 deaths and 527,894 injured (LiveLaw, 14 March 2023).","In July 2025 The Hitavada reported that the plant's toxic waste had been completely incinerated at a cost of 126 crore rupees from the state budget, and that the 1989 settlement did not cover groundwater (The Hitavada, 1 July 2025)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India's Supreme Court dismissed the government's bid for compensation beyond the 1989 settlement with Union Carbide and its successors.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Union Carbide and successor companies","what":"no further compensation beyond the 1989 settlement of US$470 million, after the 2023 ruling","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Gas disaster victims","what":"the government's curative petition for additional compensation was dismissed","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"1989 settlement; Supreme Court ruling 14 March 2023; incineration reported July 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The court's reasons were the absence of any fraud allegation, a delay of more than twenty years, and the government's failure to obtain insurance it had been obliged to obtain under a 1991 decision.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_1989_usd_m","value":470,"unit":"USD million","year":1989,"note":"settlement with Union Carbide"},{"key":"deaths_reported","value":5295,"unit":"deaths","year":null,"note":"government figure in the 2023 petition"},{"key":"injured_reported","value":527894,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"government figure in the 2023 petition"},{"key":"waste_burn_budget_crore_inr","value":126,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"state budget for burning plant waste"}],"legal":[{"title":"Union of India curative petition on Bhopal compensation","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"civil","claimant":"Union of India","defendant":"Union Carbide and successor companies","filed":null,"decided":"2023-03-14","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court dismissed the government's curative petition seeking compensation beyond the 1989 settlement of US$470 million.","src":0}],"unknown":["The death and injury figures are government figures reported in the petition; the cited sources give no independent count.","Unconfirmed: 358 tonnes of waste at Pithampur (Tribune and PTI, July 2025), a figure that differs from other coverage.","Not stated: whether the successor companies contributed to the 2025 incineration cost."],"sources":[{"t":"Bhopal gas tragedy: Supreme Court dismisses Centre's curative petition seeking additional compensation from UCC","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2023-03-14","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/bhopal-gas-tragedy-supreme-court-dismisses-centres-curative-petition-seeking-additional-compensation-from-ucc-223669","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230314224625/https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/bhopal-gas-tragedy-supreme-court-dismisses-centres-curative-petition-seeking-additional-compensation-from-ucc-223669"},{"t":"Finally, toxic waste from Bhopal plant completely incinerated","p":"The Hitavada","d":"2025-07-01","u":"https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/7/1/Finally_-toxic-waste-from-Bhopal-plant-completely-incinerated.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"union-carbide","role":"company that paid the 1989 settlement; subject of the 2023 petition"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"filed the curative petition; paid for the waste incineration"}],"mechanism":"settlement cap and curative petition","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["union-carbide-asbestos-insurance-case"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The 1989 settlement of US$470 million did not cover my groundwater; in 2025 the state budget paid 126 crore rupees to burn the Bhopal plant's toxic waste.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"The death and injury figures are government figures reported in the petition; 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A Cambodian REDD+ scheme was suspended by Verra and re-approved after review by its earlier validators.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":"","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":null,"lat":11.6,"lon":103.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["On 15 November 2024 the Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market approved three REDD+ methodologies (ICVCM, 15 November 2024).","Verra did not submit its older REDD+ methodologies for assessment, so their credits cannot carry the Core Carbon Principles label, though they remain on sale (ICVCM, 15 November 2024).","Human Rights Watch reported in May 2024 that the Southern Cardamom REDD+ scheme in Cambodia had received more than 27 million credits (Human Rights Watch, 16 May 2024).","Verra suspended the scheme in June 2023 and re-approved it in September 2024 after a review by three validators that had approved it earlier, and Carbon Market Watch complained to the ICVCM about the review (REDD-Monitor)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Integrity Council approved three REDD+ methodologies in November 2024, leaving Verra's older REDD+ methodologies outside its label.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sellers of legacy REDD+ credits","what":"continued to sell credits from older methodologies without the label","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global; Cambodia (Southern Cardamom)","src":1},"when":{"t":"Verra suspension June 2023; re-approval September 2024; ICVCM approval 15 November 2024.","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Verra did not submit its older REDD+ methodologies for assessment, so they cannot carry the label.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"redd_methodologies_approved","value":3,"unit":"methodologies","year":2024,"note":"approved by the ICVCM on 15 November 2024"},{"key":"legacy_share_2023_use_pct","value":25,"unit":"%","year":2023,"note":"about a quarter of credits used in 2023 came from legacy REDD+ methodologies"},{"key":"southern_cardamom_credits_m","value":27000000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"more than; credits received by the Southern Cardamom scheme"},{"key":"southern_cardamom_area_ha","value":500000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"approximately half a million hectares"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: whether Verra has submitted its older REDD+ methodologies for assessment since 2024.","Not found: the outcome of Carbon Market Watch's complaint to the ICVCM."],"sources":[{"t":"Integrity Council approves three REDD methodologies","p":"ICVCM","d":"2024-11-15","u":"https://icvcm.org/integrity-council-approves-three-redd-methodologies/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902012514/https://icvcm.org/integrity-council-approves-three-redd-methodologies/"},{"t":"Systems failure: the voluntary carbon market","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2024-05-16","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/16/systems-failure-voluntary-carbon-market","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251210000128/https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/05/16/systems-failure-voluntary-carbon-market"},{"t":"Carbon Market Watch files a complaint","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/carbon-market-watch-files-a-complaint","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"icvcm","role":"council that approved three REDD+ methodologies"},{"id":"verra","role":"standard body; holder of the older REDD+ methodologies and the Southern Cardamom scheme"},{"id":"carbon-market-watch","role":"complainant to the ICVCM over the Southern Cardamom review"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"published the 2024 report on the voluntary carbon market"}],"mechanism":"REDD+ credit quality label","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Southern Cardamom REDD+ scheme in my Cambodian forest received more than 27 million credits, Human Rights Watch reported in May 2024.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Verra has submitted its older REDD+ methodologies for assessment since 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the outcome of Carbon Market Watch's complaint to the ICVCM.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"deloitte-economic-impact-report-for-woodside-browse-gas-proj","tier":"short","title":"Deloitte's Woodside Browse impact report used peak job figure, critic says","dek":"A Deloitte economic impact report for Woodside's Browse gas development, as summarised by the critic Climate Integrity, assumed gas would stay at US$11.5 per MMBtu until 2072. The critic said it did not assess about 38 million tonnes of annual emissions or biodiversity.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Western Australia","lat":-15,"lon":122.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-15,"lon":122.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["In an article published by RenewEconomy on 11 June 2026, Climate Integrity said Deloitte's report assumed gas would stay at US$11.5 per MMBtu until 2072 (RenewEconomy, 11 June 2026).","Climate Integrity said the report did not assess the roughly 38 million tonnes of emissions a year or biodiversity, and that its headline figure of 4,760 peak-year jobs compares with a lifetime average of 1,388 (RenewEconomy, 11 June 2026)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Climate Integrity criticised a Deloitte economic impact report for Woodside's Browse gas development.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Woodside","what":"an economic impact report for the Browse gas development, which the critic says headlined a peak-year job figure","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia, Browse gas development","src":0},"when":{"t":"Critique published 11 June 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The critic says the headline job figure is the peak year, not the lifetime average.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"assumed_gas_price_usd_mmbtu","value":11.5,"unit":"USD per MMBtu","year":2072,"note":"assumed to stay at this level until 2072, per the critic"},{"key":"annual_emissions_mt","value":38000000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":null,"note":"approximate annual emissions, not assessed in the report, per the critic"},{"key":"peak_year_jobs","value":4760,"unit":"jobs","year":null,"note":"headline peak-year employment, per the critic"},{"key":"lifetime_average_jobs","value":1388,"unit":"jobs","year":null,"note":"lifetime average employment, per the critic"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The Deloitte report itself was not reviewed; its figures are as summarised by Climate Integrity.","Not stated: whether Woodside or Deloitte responded to the critique.","Not stated: the date of the report or its terms of engagement."],"sources":[{"t":"Consultants might profess a commitment to net zero but they are core to fossil fuel propaganda playbook","p":"RenewEconomy","d":"2026-06-11","u":"https://reneweconomy.com.au/consultants-might-profess-a-commitment-to-net-zero-but-they-are-core-to-fossil-fuel-propaganda-playbook/amp/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618081912/https://reneweconomy.com.au/consultants-might-profess-a-commitment-to-net-zero-but-they-are-core-to-fossil-fuel-propaganda-playbook/amp/"}],"actors":[{"id":"deloitte","role":"consultancy that prepared the economic impact report"},{"id":"woodside","role":"company whose Browse gas development was assessed"},{"id":"climate-integrity","role":"critic whose article summarised the report"}],"mechanism":"economic impact assessment","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A Deloitte report on Woodside's Browse gas project did not assess its roughly 38 million tonnes a year of emissions into my air, or my biodiversity, Climate Integrity said in June 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Deloitte report itself was not reviewed; its figures are as summarised by Climate Integrity.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether Woodside or Deloitte responded to the critique.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the date of the report or its terms of engagement.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? 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An audit of New South Wales's older offsets scheme found that about 90% of demand was not matched by supply.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-32.2,"lon":147,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["The Clean Energy Regulator runs the Nature Repair Market, set up under the Nature Repair Act 2023, through which landholders can sell certificates for restoring nature (Clean Energy Regulator).","By October 2026 four registrations had been made, two of them by Silva Capital, and no issued certificates were visible in the cited sources (Clean Energy Regulator).","The Biodiversity Council, a body of scientists, likened the plan to building an aircraft while flying it, and said the same advisers served both sellers and buyers (Biodiversity Council, 11 May 2026).","An audit of New South Wales's older offsets scheme found that about 90% of demand was not matched by supply, and developers paid AUD 384 million into the fund (RenewEconomy, 30 August 2022)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Australia set up a national market in which landholders can sell certificates for repairing nature, and a New South Wales offsets scheme was audited.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Silva Capital","what":"two of the four registrations","src":0},{"who":"Developers in New South Wales","what":"AUD 384 million paid into the offset fund to meet obligations","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia; New South Wales (offsets scheme)","src":2},"when":{"t":"Nature Repair Act 2023; first method published 4 March 2025; the NSW audit was reported in August 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Landholders register restoration under approved methods and sell certificates; in New South Wales developers paid into a fund to offset losses.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"nature_repair_registrations","value":4,"unit":"registrations","year":2026,"note":"by October 2026"},{"key":"nsw_fund_payments_aud_m","value":384,"unit":"AUD million","year":2022,"note":"paid by developers into the NSW offsets fund"},{"key":"nsw_demand_unmatched_pct","value":90,"unit":"%","year":2022,"note":"approximately; share of demand not matched by supply"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The Nature Conservation Council and the NSW Greens reported that a Western Sydney structure linked to a government adviser sold offset land for motorways and earned millions of dollars, and that the matter was referred to the state anti-corruption commission.","Not found: the outcome of the anti-corruption referral.","Unconfirmed: New South Wales changed the offsets law in 2024 after the audit and a 2023 review."],"sources":[{"t":"Clean Energy Regulator news: Nature Repair Market","p":"Clean Energy Regulator","d":"","u":"https://cer.gov.au/news-and-media/news?schemes=41","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606195149/https://cer.gov.au/news-and-media/news?schemes=41"},{"t":"Submission to the Nature Repair Market: ongoing development","p":"Biodiversity Council","d":"2026-05-11","u":"https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/resources/submission-to-the-nature-repair-market-ongoing-development","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607204958/https://biodiversitycouncil.org.au/resources/submission-to-the-nature-repair-market-ongoing-development"},{"t":"Failure by almost every measure: offsets under fire again after damning audit","p":"RenewEconomy","d":"2022-08-30","u":"https://reneweconomy.com.au/failure-by-almost-every-measure-offsets-under-fire-again-after-damning-audit","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723153620/https://reneweconomy.com.au/failure-by-almost-every-measure-offsets-under-fire-again-after-damning-audit/"},{"t":"Biodiversity offsetting in NSW drives habitat loss and super profits for a lucky few","p":"Nature Conservation Council","d":"2021","u":"https://www.nature.org.au/biodiversity_offsetting_in_nsw_drives_habitat_loss_and_super_profits_for_a_lucky_few","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617063516/https://www.nature.org.au/biodiversity_offsetting_in_nsw_drives_habitat_loss_and_super_profits_for_a_lucky_few"},{"t":"Insider trading: biodiversity offsets must be investigated","p":"NSW Greens","d":"2021","u":"https://greens.org.au/nsw/news/insider-trading-biodiversity-offsets-must-be-investigated","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928075407/https://greens.org.au/nsw/news/insider-trading-biodiversity-offsets-must-be-investigated"}],"actors":[{"id":"clean-energy-regulator","role":"operator of the Nature Repair Market"},{"id":"biodiversity-council","role":"scientific body that criticised the market's design"},{"id":"silva-capital","role":"investment firm behind two registrations"},{"id":"nsw-audit-office","role":"audited the New South Wales offsets scheme"},{"id":"nature-conservation-council","role":"campaign group that raised concerns about offsets"},{"id":"nsw-greens","role":"political party that raised concerns about offsets"}],"mechanism":"biodiversity offset market","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Developers paid AUD 384 million into New South Wales's offsets fund in my name; an audit found about 90% of demand was not matched by supply.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Nature Conservation Council and the NSW Greens reported that a Western Sydney structure linked to a government adviser sold offset land for motorways and earned millions of dollars, and that the matter was referred to the state anti-corruption commission.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the outcome of the anti-corruption referral.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: New South Wales changed the offsets law in 2024 after the audit and a 2023 review.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? 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Mongabay reported water loss for a Guinean village and restricted access for villagers in Madagascar.","country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","places":[{"country":"Guinea","iso2":"GN","admin":null,"lat":9.95,"lon":-9.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Madagascar","iso2":"MG","admin":null,"lat":-18.9,"lon":48.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.95,"lon":-9.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2022,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Mongabay reported in 2019 that a 6,426 square kilometre park about 300 km from the mines was financed by two bauxite mines in Guinea as a chimpanzee offset.","A villager from Kintao Kawil village told Mongabay that a stream affected by mining was no longer drinkable.","Mongabay reported in 2022 that villagers in Madagascar with restricted access to Ambatovy offset areas were not counted as affected persons under the World Bank Group standard.","Mongabay reported that the Madagascar offset covered 28,740 ha against 2,064 ha of habitat loss."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bauxite mines in Guinea and the Ambatovy nickel mine in Madagascar used conservation areas as biodiversity offsets for their operations.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bauxite mines in Guinea","what":"financed a 6,426 square kilometre chimpanzee offset park about 300 km from the mines","src":0},{"who":"Ambatovy (Madagascar)","what":"offset area of 28,740 ha against 2,064 ha of habitat loss","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Kintao Kawil village (Guinea)","what":"a stream the village uses is no longer drinkable, a villager told Mongabay","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers with restricted access to Ambatovy offset areas (Madagascar)","what":"not counted as affected persons under the World Bank Group standard","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Guinea (bauxite mines and the offset park about 300 km away) and Madagascar (Ambatovy nickel mine)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Guinea park data 2017 to 2019; Madagascar offset data 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mines financed offset areas to compensate for habitat loss elsewhere; the Guinea park was financed for chimpanzees.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"guinea_offset_park_area","value":6426,"unit":"km2","year":2019,"note":"Chimpanzee offset park financed by bauxite mines, about 300 km from the mines (Mongabay)"},{"key":"madagascar_offset_area","value":28740,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Ambatovy offset area (Mongabay)"},{"key":"madagascar_habitat_loss","value":2064,"unit":"ha","year":2022,"note":"Habitat loss the Ambatovy offset was set against (Mongabay)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the offsets contributed to 180 to 400 chimpanzee deaths in Guinea, and a net gain cannot be achieved (ProPublica and IUCN summaries).","Not found: the names of the two bauxite mines that financed the chimpanzee park.","Not found: whether the Ambatovy offset areas or the affected-persons status have since been reviewed."],"sources":[{"t":"Bauxite mining and Chinese dam push Guinea's chimpanzees to the brink","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-05-21","u":"http://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/bauxite-mining-and-chinese-dam-push-guineas-chimpanzees-to-the-brink/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260515102346/https://news.mongabay.com/2019/05/bauxite-mining-and-chinese-dam-push-guineas-chimpanzees-to-the-brink/"},{"t":"Deforestation-neutral mining in Madagascar: study shows it can be done, but it's complicated","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-05-11","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/deforestation-neutral-mining-madagascar-study-shows-it-can-be-done-but-its-complicated/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416063230/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/05/deforestation-neutral-mining-madagascar-study-shows-it-can-be-done-but-its-complicated/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ambatovy","role":"Operator of the Ambatovy nickel mine; its offset areas are described in the sources"},{"id":"world-bank-group","role":"Standard under which Ambatovy villagers were not counted as affected persons"}],"mechanism":"biodiversity offsets","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Ambatovy nickel mine's offset covers 28,740 ha against 2,064 ha of my habitat lost, Mongabay reported in 2022.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the offsets contributed to 180 to 400 chimpanzee deaths in Guinea, and a net gain cannot be achieved (ProPublica and IUCN summaries).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the names of the two bauxite mines that financed the chimpanzee park.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: whether the Ambatovy offset areas or the affected-persons status have since been reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"re-green-bom-futuro-national-forest-carbon-concession-and-mo","tier":"short","title":"Sole bidder re.green wins first forest carbon-rights tender in Brazil","dek":"Brazil's 2023 law let holders of federal forest concessions sell carbon credits. The first tender under it, for Bom Futuro National Forest in Rondônia, went to re.green as sole bidder for 40 years.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rondônia","lat":-9.6,"lon":-63.4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Mato Grosso","lat":-9.4,"lon":-59,"role":"event"}],"lat":-9.6,"lon":-63.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Agência Senado reported in May 2023 that Law 14.590 let holders of federal forest concessions sell carbon credits.","CNN Brasil reported that in March 2026 re.green was the sole bidder in the first tender under the law, and won a 40-year concession over Bom Futuro National Forest, paying 0.70% of gross revenue to the state.","ESG Today reported that Microsoft's 2024 reforestation deal with re.green covered 3 million tonnes over 16,000 ha.","REDD-Monitor reported that the crypto company Moss tokenised more than 3 million credits from the Florestal Santa Maria project in Mato Grosso and sold them at up to eight times the price it paid."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"re.green won a 40-year concession over Bom Futuro National Forest in Rondônia to sell forest carbon credits.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"re.green","what":"40-year concession over Bom Futuro National Forest, with 86.7 million reais of investment","src":1},{"who":"Moss","what":"sold tokenised Florestal Santa Maria credits at up to eight times the price it paid","src":4}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bom Futuro National Forest, Rondônia, and Florestal Santa Maria, Colniza, Mato Grosso, Brazil","src":1},"when":{"t":"Law of 2023; Florestal Santa Maria credits 2020 to 2023; tender in March 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A holder of a federal forest concession may sell carbon credits from that forest; the concession was awarded by tender.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"concession_term","value":40,"unit":"years","year":2026,"note":"re.green concession over Bom Futuro National Forest"},{"key":"gross_revenue_share_to_state","value":0.7,"unit":"percent","year":2026,"note":"Share of gross revenue paid to the state"},{"key":"re_green_investment","value":86700000,"unit":"reais","year":2026,"note":"Investment stated for the concession"},{"key":"microsoft_re_green_tonnes","value":3000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Microsoft reforestation deal with re.green, covering 16,000 ha"},{"key":"moss_tokenised_credits","value":3000000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"More than 3 million credits from Florestal Santa Maria"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not found: the volumes or prices of credits re.green expects to sell from Bom Futuro.","Not found: whether the Microsoft deal draws on credits from Bom Futuro.","Not found: an environmental or community impact assessment for the Bom Futuro concession."],"sources":[{"t":"Law encourages carbon market in forest management (Senate news)","p":"Agência Senado","d":"2023-05-25","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2023/05/25/lei-preve-estimulo-ao-mercado-de-carbono-na-gestao-de-florestas","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251210184704/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2023/05/25/lei-preve-estimulo-ao-mercado-de-carbono-na-gestao-de-florestas"},{"t":"re.green wins forest auction and marks debut of carbon credits","p":"CNN Brasil","d":"2026-03","u":"https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/economia/investimentos/re-green-vence-leilao-florestal-e-marca-estreia-de-creditos-de-carbono/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260326040431/https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/economia/investimentos/re-green-vence-leilao-florestal-e-marca-estreia-de-creditos-de-carbono/"},{"t":"Microsoft signs another reforestation-based carbon removal megadeal","p":"ESG Today","d":"2024-05-13","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/microsoft-signs-another-reforestation-based-carbon-removal-megadeal","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251016171438/https://www.esgtoday.com/microsoft-signs-another-reforestation-based-carbon-removal-megadeal/"},{"t":"Microsoft reforestation carbon deal (DCD, via farmlandgrab)","p":"DCD via farmlandgrab","d":"2025-05-16","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/32844","type":"press"},{"t":"Florestal Santa Maria REDD project","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2023-03-24","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/florestal-santa-maria-redd-project","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251112172936/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/florestal-santa-maria-redd-project"}],"actors":[{"id":"regreen","role":"Won the Bom Futuro concession; sells reforestation credits to Microsoft"},{"id":"moss","role":"Tokenised and resold Florestal Santa Maria credits"},{"id":"microsoft","role":"Buyer of re.green reforestation credits"}],"mechanism":"forest carbon concession","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In March 2026 Brazil awarded re.green, the sole bidder, a 40-year concession over my Bom Futuro National Forest, paying 0.70% of gross revenue to the state.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the volumes or prices of credits re.green expects to sell from Bom Futuro.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: whether the Microsoft deal draws on credits from Bom Futuro.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: an environmental or community impact assessment for the Bom Futuro concession.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"rwe-and-uniper-ect-claims-against-dutch-coal-ban-hemweg-8-co","tier":"short","title":"RWE drops 1.4 billion euro claim over Dutch coal ban; Hemweg-8 closure announced","dek":"RWE and Uniper filed Energy Charter Treaty claims against the Netherlands over its coal phase-out, and RWE later dropped its 1.4 billion euro claim. Vattenfall also announced the early closure of its 650 MW Hemweg-8 plant in Amsterdam.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.17,"lon":10.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2023,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["CorpWatch reported that RWE sought 1.4 billion euros from the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty over its Eemshaven coal plant, and later dropped the case.","Climate Case Chart reported that Uniper filed its claim against the Netherlands on 30 April 2021, and that the German state's 2022 rescue of Uniper made withdrawing the claim a condition.","Vattenfall announced on 20 December 2019 that its 650 MW Hemweg-8 coal plant in Amsterdam was closing."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"RWE sought 1.4 billion euros from the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty over its Eemshaven coal plant, and Uniper filed its own claim against the Netherlands.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RWE","what":"lignite exit compensation of 2.6 billion euros from Germany, approved by the European Commission in December 2023","src":3},{"who":"Uniper","what":"rescued by the German state in 2022, with withdrawal of its Dutch case made a condition","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Netherlands (Eemshaven and Amsterdam) and Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021 claims; 2022 Uniper rescue; 2023 RWE withdrawal; December 2023 Commission approval","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor claims under the Energy Charter Treaty filed against the Netherlands after its coal decision.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"rwe_claim_eur","value":1400000000,"unit":"euros","year":2021,"note":"RWE claim against the Netherlands over Eemshaven; later dropped"},{"key":"rwe_lignite_compensation_eur","value":2600000000,"unit":"euros","year":2023,"note":"Lignite exit compensation to RWE from Germany; Commission approval"},{"key":"hemweg8_capacity","value":650,"unit":"MW","year":2019,"note":"Hemweg-8 coal plant in Amsterdam, closure announced"}],"legal":[{"title":"RWE claim against the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty","forum":"ICSID","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"RWE","defendant":"Netherlands","filed":"2021","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"CorpWatch reported that RWE dropped the 1.4 billion euro case.","src":0},{"title":"Uniper claim against the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty","forum":"None on record","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"Uniper","defendant":"Netherlands","filed":"2021-04-30","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Climate Case Chart lists the case; its withdrawal was made a condition of the German state's 2022 rescue of Uniper.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the German Federal Court of Justice ruled on 27 July 2023 that the treaty's arbitration clause is invalid within the EU, and RWE then withdrew (SOMO secondary report).","Unconfirmed: the Hague District Court upheld the coal law and found no compensation was due.","Unconfirmed: the Dutch state paid Vattenfall 52.5 million euros for the early Hemweg-8 closure.","Unconfirmed: Uniper rescue figures range from 15 billion to 34.5 billion euros, with different sources giving different totals.","Not found: the outcome of the Dutch national appeals."],"sources":[{"t":"RWE drops 1.4 billion euro case against Netherlands in climate win","p":"CorpWatch","d":"2024-01-26","u":"https://www.corpwatch.org/article/rwe-drops-eu14-billion-case-against-netherlands-climate-win","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612122403/https://www.corpwatch.org/article/rwe-drops-eu14-billion-case-against-netherlands-climate-win"},{"t":"Uniper v. Netherlands (Climate Case Chart)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"","u":"http://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/uniper-v-netherlands/","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051047/https://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/uniper-v-netherlands/"},{"t":"Vattenfall's last coal power plant in the Netherlands is closing","p":"Vattenfall","d":"2019-12-20","u":"https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2019/vattenfalls-last-coal-power-plant-in-the-netherlands-is-closing","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260703045612/https://group.vattenfall.com/press-and-media/newsroom/2019/vattenfalls-last-coal-power-plant-in-the-netherlands-is-closing"},{"t":"EU Commission approves German support for RWE's coal phase-out","p":"Enerdata","d":"2023","u":"https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/eu-commission-approves-eu26bn-german-support-rwes-coal-phase-out.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"rwe","role":"Filed the Dutch treaty claim and received German lignite exit compensation"},{"id":"uniper","role":"Filed a Dutch treaty claim, later made a condition of its state rescue"},{"id":"vattenfall","role":"Operator of the Hemweg-8 coal plant in Amsterdam"},{"id":"dutch-government","role":"Defendant in the treaty claims; issued the coal ban"},{"id":"german-government","role":"Rescued Uniper in 2022; lignite exit arrangements with RWE"}],"mechanism":"Energy Charter Treaty claims","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"RWE claim against the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Uniper claim against the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the German Federal Court of Justice ruled on 27 July 2023 that the treaty's arbitration clause is invalid within the EU, and RWE then withdrew (SOMO secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Hague District Court upheld the coal law and found no compensation was due.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Dutch state paid Vattenfall 52.5 million euros for the early Hemweg-8 closure.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Uniper rescue figures range from 15 billion to 34.5 billion euros, with different sources giving different totals.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the outcome of the Dutch national appeals.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"south-african-captive-lion-breeding-volunteering-and-bone-tr","tier":"short","title":"South Africa's captive lion industry sells cubs, hunts and bones","dek":"South Africa had 519 captive lion facilities holding about 7,400 lions in 2023, against an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 wild lions. Cub-raising programmes, trophy hunts and bone exports sustain the captive trade.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":null,"lat":-30.56,"lon":22.94,"role":"event"}],"lat":-30.56,"lon":22.94,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2026,"instrument":"water","happened":["Mail & Guardian reported in July 2023 that 519 facilities held about 7,400 lions, and that a lion sold for hunting fetched about 150,000 rand while its bones fetched about 100,000 rand.","Yale e360 reported that 638 lions shot in trophy hunts in 2015 were almost all captive-bred, at prices of 25,000 to 40,000 dollars each.","Yale e360 reported that volunteers paid to help raise cubs, tourists had their photographs taken with them, and the grown lions were sold to hunters.","Yale e360 reported that bones were sent to Asia as tiger bone from 2008, and that a court halted the export of lion bone in 2019."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"South Africa's captive lion breeders supply cubs for visitors, lions for trophy hunts and bones for export to Asia.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Captive lion breeding facilities","what":"a lion sold for hunting fetches about 150,000 rand and its bones about 100,000 rand","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Volunteers who paid to help raise cubs","what":"paid to help raise cubs that were later sold to hunters","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"638 captive-bred lions","what":"shot in trophy hunts in 2015","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"South Africa","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bone exports from 2008; trophy hunts in 2015; court halt in 2019; facility count in 2023","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lions were raised for visitors, sold for trophy hunts, and their bones sold for trade, Yale e360 reported.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"captive_lions_2023","value":7400,"unit":"lions","year":2023,"note":"Approximate number in captive lion facilities (Mail & Guardian)"},{"key":"captive_lion_facilities_2023","value":519,"unit":"facilities","year":2023,"note":"Captive lion facilities (Mail & Guardian)"},{"key":"lions_shot_trophy_hunts_2015","value":638,"unit":"lions","year":2015,"note":"Almost all captive-bred (Yale e360)"},{"key":"captive_lions_roadmap_2024","value":7838,"unit":"lions","year":2024,"note":"Figure in the 2024 government exit roadmap, across 342 facilities"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a Blood Lions summary cites about 1,000 dollars a week, a figure that was not checked.","Not found: an independent result showing that captive-bred lions can be released to the wild; breeders cite their own studies, and Blood Lions argues that no hand-reared lion has been successfully released.","Unconfirmed: the 2024 roadmap figures (7,838 lions across 342 facilities, and a two-year hunting option).","Unconfirmed: a 2026 ban on new lion facilities passed parliament but was not published, and it does not close existing facilities."],"sources":[{"t":"Lion owners in talks to exit industry","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2023-07-13","u":"https://mg.co.za/the-green-guardian/2023-07-13-lion-owners-in-talks-to-exit-industry","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240917190451/https://mg.co.za/the-green-guardian/2023-07-13-lion-owners-in-talks-to-exit-industry/"},{"t":"South Africa's captive lions (Yale e360 feature)","p":"Yale e360","d":"2023-08-24","u":"https://e360.yale.edu/features/south-africa-captive-lions","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260509142353/https://e360.yale.edu/features/south-africa-captive-lions"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"captive lion breeding","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2023, 519 captive facilities in South Africa held about 7,400 of my lions; a lion sold for hunting fetched about 150,000 rand and its bones about 100,000 rand.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Blood Lions summary cites about 1,000 dollars a week, a figure that was not checked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: an independent result showing that captive-bred lions can be released to the wild; breeders cite their own studies, and Blood Lions argues that no hand-reared lion has been successfully released.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2024 roadmap figures (7,838 lions across 342 facilities, and a two-year hunting option).","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2026 ban on new lion facilities passed parliament but was not published, and it does not close existing facilities.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lisa-jackson-epa-withdrawal-of-range-resources-order-and-con","tier":"short","title":"Former EPA chief Lisa Jackson named interim chair of Conservation International","dek":"During Lisa P. Jackson's tenure as EPA administrator, the agency withdrew an emergency order against Range Resources over Texas water wells. In February 2026 Conservation International named her interim chair of its board.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":31,"lon":-100,"role":"event"}],"lat":31,"lon":-100,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["StateImpact and ProPublica reported on 3 July 2013 that in March 2012 the EPA withdrew, without announcing it, an emergency order against Range Resources over contaminated water wells in Texas.","Conservation International's announcement described Jackson as a former EPA administrator whose most recent post was Apple's vice-president for environment, policy and social initiatives.","Conservation International named Jackson its interim board chair in February 2026, a seat she has held since 2019, according to its press release.","The Conservation International board page lists Iván Duque, a former president of Colombia, and honorary member Ian Khama, a former president of Botswana."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Conservation International named former EPA head Lisa P. 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Later, news outlets' branded-content studios produced campaigns for oil companies, including a roughly 5 million dollar ExxonMobil campaign in 2018.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":37.09,"lon":-95.71,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.09,"lon":-95.71,"approxCoords":true,"start":1970,"end":2023,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["DeSmog reported in 2017 that a study of 187 Exxon and Mobil texts from 1977 to 2014 found that 81% of Mobil's advertorials cast doubt on climate change, and 12% accepted the science.","Drilled and DeSmog reported in 2023 that at least seven news organisations' branded-content studios, including Reuters, the Washington Post and the New York Times, produced content for oil companies between October 2020 and October 2023.","DeSmog reported that the New York Times' T Brand Studio ran an ExxonMobil campaign worth about 5 million dollars in 2018, and that its award entry said the ads were designed to read like the newspaper's own news.","DeSmog reported that ExxonMobil dropped, in 2023, the algae-fuel research that the campaign featured."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mobil bought New York Times opinion-page advertorials, and a 2017 study of Exxon and Mobil texts found that 81% of the advertorials cast doubt on climate science.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"T Brand Studio (New York Times)","what":"ran an ExxonMobil campaign worth about 5 million dollars in 2018","src":1},{"who":"ExxonMobil","what":"sponsored more than 300 Washington Post newsletters in 2022","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New York Times opinion pages (United States), and branded content for oil firms in the United States and United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"From October 1970; 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No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: ExxonMobil"]},{"id":"amsterdam-and-paris-advertising-rulings","tier":"short","title":"Amsterdam votes to ban fossil fuel and meat adverts; Paris court faults TotalEnergies","dek":"Amsterdam's council voted 27 to 17 in January 2026 for a fossil fuel advertising ban that also covers meat products. In October 2025 a Paris court found TotalEnergies' claim to be carbon neutral by 2050 misleading.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"influence","happened":["CMS reported that The Hague's ban on fossil fuel, flight, cruise and fossil-fuel car adverts in public spaces, adopted in September 2024, took effect on 1 January 2025, and that a court upheld it in April 2025.","DeSmog reported that Amsterdam's council voted 27 to 17 in January 2026 for a ban that also covers meat products, which took effect in May 2026, despite a warning from JCDecaux, the largest outdoor advertiser.","ESG Today reported that in October 2025 the Paris court found TotalEnergies' claim to be carbon neutral by 2050 misleading, ordering 8,000 euros per entity plus 15,000 euros in costs.","Selectra reported in August 2026 that France's 2021 law banned fossil-energy adverts on paper, but no implementing decree has been issued, and that a second draft targets 1 January 2027 and exempts equipment such as gas boilers."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Municipal rules in The Hague and Amsterdam restrict fossil fuel adverts in public spaces, and a Paris court ruled a TotalEnergies climate claim misleading.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"fined 8,000 euros per entity and 15,000 euros in costs over its 2050 carbon-neutral claim","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Hague and Amsterdam (Netherlands); Paris (France)","src":0},"when":{"t":"September 2024 (The Hague ban adopted); 1 January 2025 (in force); 23 October 2025 (Paris ruling); January 2026 (Amsterdam vote); May 2026 (Amsterdam ban in force)","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Municipal rules restrict advertising in public spaces; the Paris court applied consumer protection law to a carbon-neutral claim.","src":4}},"metrics":[{"key":"amsterdam_vote_for","value":27,"unit":"votes","year":2026,"note":"In favour of the Amsterdam ban; 17 against"},{"key":"eu_survey_support_ban","value":46.6,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Support for a fossil fuel advertising ban in a 13-country EU survey of 19,000 people; 24.9% opposed"},{"key":"paris_fine_per_entity","value":8000,"unit":"euros","year":2025,"note":"Per entity, TotalEnergies carbon-neutral claim"},{"key":"paris_costs","value":15000,"unit":"euros","year":2025,"note":"Costs awarded in the Paris ruling"}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to The Hague ban on fossil fuel adverts","forum":"The Hague court","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"ANVR, TUI and others","defendant":"The Hague municipality","filed":null,"decided":"2025-04","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court upheld the ban and found that this kind of commercial advertising is not covered by constitutional protection, CMS reported.","src":0},{"title":"TotalEnergies 2050 carbon-neutral claim","forum":"Paris court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"TotalEnergies","filed":null,"decided":"2025-10-23","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the claim to be carbon neutral by 2050 misleading and ordered 8,000 euros per entity plus 15,000 euros in costs, ESG Today reported.","src":2}],"unknown":["Not found: any before-and-after study measuring the effect of the bans.","Unconfirmed: corporate brand adverts could continue until 2028.","Not found: whether TotalEnergies has appealed the Paris ruling."],"sources":[{"t":"The Hague court rules municipalities can ban fossil fuel advertising","p":"CMS","d":"2025-04-29","u":"https://cms.law/en/nld/legal-updates/hague-court-rules-municipalities-can-ban-fossil-fuel-advertising","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517223243/https://cms.law/en/nld/legal-updates/hague-court-rules-municipalities-can-ban-fossil-fuel-advertising"},{"t":"Amsterdam defies last-minute lobbying to become first capital city to ban fossil fuel ads","p":"DeSmog","d":"2026-01-23","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2026/01/23/amsterdam-defies-last-minute-lobbying-to-become-first-capital-city-to-ban-fossil-fuel-ads/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930101608/https://www.desmog.com/2026/01/23/amsterdam-defies-last-minute-lobbying-to-become-first-capital-city-to-ban-fossil-fuel-ads/"},{"t":"French court rules TotalEnergies misled consumers with climate claims","p":"ESG Today","d":"2025-10-23","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/french-court-rules-totalenergies-misled-consumers-with-climate-claims/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260527182544/https://www.esgtoday.com/french-court-rules-totalenergies-misled-consumers-with-climate-claims/"},{"t":"Decree on fossil energy advertising ban and boiler exemptions","p":"Selectra","d":"2026-08-04","u":"https://selectra.info/energie/actualites/renovation-energetique/decret-interdiction-publicite-energies-fossiles-chaudieres-exemptees","type":"press"},{"t":"The Paris tribunal sanctions TotalEnergies for greenwashing (partial)","p":"Le Club des Juristes","d":"2025-10-23","u":"https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/le-tribunal-de-paris-sanctionne-partiellement-totalenergies-pour-ecoblanchiment-12612/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306052538/https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/le-tribunal-de-paris-sanctionne-partiellement-totalenergies-pour-ecoblanchiment-12612/"}],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Defendant; 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now it's up to a nonprofit","p":"KRDO / CNN","d":"2025-10-22","u":"https://krdo.com/news/2025/10/22/the-federal-government-used-to-keep-track-of-extreme-weather-disasters-now-its-up-to-a-nonprofit/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251022144706/https://krdo.com/news/2025/10/22/the-federal-government-used-to-keep-track-of-extreme-weather-disasters-now-its-up-to-a-nonprofit/"},{"t":"Trump allies target NOAA climate research","p":"E&E News","d":"2024-04-10","u":"https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-allies-target-noaa-climate-research/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260827231714/https://www.eenews.net/articles/trump-allies-target-noaa-climate-research/"}],"actors":[{"id":"noaa","role":"Target of the budget and staffing cuts; its disaster database was closed"},{"id":"ipcc","role":"Body from which the US withdrew"},{"id":"heritage-foundation","role":"Author of the Project 2025 document on NOAA"},{"id":"climate-central","role":"Restarted NOAA's billion-dollar disaster database"}],"mechanism":"withdrawal from international bodies","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the IPCC's funding may run out in 2028 (Bloomberg, no link opened).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US funded about 10% of the IPBES budget and about 22% of the UNFCCC core budget (no link opened).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who lost: National Weather Service","No source link — Who lost: NOAA research office (OAR)"]},{"id":"sri-lanka-pesticide-bans-and-fall-in-pesticide-suicides","tier":"short","title":"Sri Lanka's 2008–2011 pesticide bans were followed by a fall in pesticide suicides","dek":"Sri Lanka banned paraquat, dimethoate and fenthion between 2008 and 2011. A 2017 PLoS One study reported that pesticide suicides fell 50% between 2011 and 2015, while rice yields did not fall.","country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","places":[{"country":"Sri Lanka","iso2":"LK","admin":null,"lat":7.87,"lon":80.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":7.87,"lon":80.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2015,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Knipe et al., in PLoS One (2017), reported that paraquat poisoning had a hospital death rate of 43%, and that Sri Lanka banned paraquat, dimethoate and fenthion.","The same study reported that between 2011 and 2015 pesticide suicides fell 50% and overall suicides fell 21%.","The same study estimated that about 937 deaths were averted in 2015, and reported that rice yields did not fall."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sri Lanka banned three pesticides, paraquat, dimethoate and fenthion, between 2008 and 2011, and pesticide suicides fell after the bans.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rural residents at risk of pesticide self-poisoning","what":"pesticide suicides fell 50% from 2011 to 2015","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sri Lanka","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bans 2008 to 2011; outcomes measured 2011 to 2015","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government bans on three pesticides, whose combined effect the study measured together.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"paraquat_poisoning_hospital_death_rate","value":43,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Hospital death rate for paraquat poisoning, as stated in the study"},{"key":"pesticide_suicides_change_2011_2015","value":-50,"unit":"percent","year":2015,"note":"Change in pesticide suicides, 2011 to 2015"},{"key":"overall_suicides_change_2011_2015","value":-21,"unit":"percent","year":2015,"note":"Change in overall suicides, 2011 to 2015"},{"key":"deaths_averted_estimate","value":937,"unit":"deaths","year":2015,"note":"Estimated deaths averted; rice yields did not fall"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not separable: the study measured the three bans together, so paraquat's own effect cannot be isolated.","Not found: data after 2015 on whether the fall in pesticide suicides continued."],"sources":[{"t":"Study of Sri Lanka's pesticide bans and pesticide suicides (Knipe et al.)","p":"PLoS One","d":"2017-03-06","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5338785/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260107081318/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5338785/"}],"actors":[{"id":"sri-lanka-government","role":"Imposed the bans on the three pesticides"}],"mechanism":"pesticide use bans","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not separable: the study measured the three bans together, so paraquat's own effect cannot be isolated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: data after 2015 on whether the fall in pesticide suicides continued.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"isle-de-jean-charles-resettlement-and-plaquemines-parish-v-c","tier":"short","title":"Isle de Jean Charles relocation and a $744.6m Chevron coastal-loss verdict","dek":"Residents moved from Isle de Jean Charles, an island that has lost 98% of its land since 1955, with money from a $98 million federal grant. A Louisiana jury ordered Chevron to pay $744.6 million over coastal land loss, but no payment has been made.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Louisiana","lat":29.19,"lon":-90.78,"role":"event"}],"lat":29.19,"lon":-90.78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Inside Climate News reported that the island lost 98% of its land between 1955 and 2021, and cited oil and gas canals, pipelines, Mississippi River levees and sea level rise as causes.","DeSmog reported that a $98 million grant went to the Louisiana Office of Community Development in 2016, and that $48 million was set aside for relocating the Jean Charles Choctaw tribe.","WWNO reported that the tribe's December 2023 complaint to HUD said restrictions on relocated residents' island homes were not applied to newcomers, and that new homes had cracks, leaks and toilet failures.","The Associated Press reported that a Plaquemines Parish jury in April 2025 ordered Chevron to pay $744.6 million, of which $575 million was for land loss; Chevron says it is not the cause of the land loss, and no payment has been made."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A $98 million federal grant funded relocation from Isle de Jean Charles, and a jury ordered Chevron to pay $744.6 million over coastal land loss in a neighbouring parish.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Louisiana Office of Community Development and Louisiana Land Trust","what":"Control of the relocation money after it arrived, which passed from the tribe's plan to the state office and its contractor","src":1},{"who":"Buyers not linked to the tribe","what":"Remaining island lots can be sold to people who have no link to the tribe","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Isle de Jean Charles residents","what":"98% of the island's land lost since 1955; the island once had 78 homes and about 400 residents","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Relocated residents","what":"Reported cracks, leaks and toilet failures in new homes, and no flood insurance","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana, USA; Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana","src":0},"when":{"t":"Grant 2016; complaint December 2023; resident complaints 2024; jury verdict April 2025","src":2},"why":{"t":"Land loss attributed to oil and gas canals, pipelines, Mississippi River levees and sea level rise","src":0},"how":{"t":"The tribe wrote its own plan in 2013; after the money arrived, control passed to the state office and its contractor","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"hud_grant_to_louisiana","value":98,"unit":"USD million","year":2016,"note":"Grant to the Louisiana Office of Community Development"},{"key":"tribal_share_of_grant","value":48,"unit":"USD million","year":2016,"note":"Set aside for relocating the Jean Charles Choctaw tribe"},{"key":"island_land_lost","value":98,"unit":"percent","year":2021,"note":"Share of island land lost since 1955"},{"key":"chevron_jury_award","value":744.6,"unit":"USD million","year":2025,"note":"Plaquemines Parish jury; 575 million was for land loss; not paid"},{"key":"homes_built_at_resettlement_site","value":32,"unit":"homes","year":null,"note":"Built at the new site"}],"legal":[{"title":"Plaquemines Parish v. Chevron (coastal land loss)","forum":"Jury trial, Louisiana; federal court from 2026","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaquemines Parish","defendant":"Chevron","filed":null,"decided":"2025-04","status":"ongoing","summary":"Jury award of $744.6 million, of which $575 million was for land loss. The claim was $2.6 billion. No payment has been made, and the case moved to federal court in 2026.","src":4}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 515-acre sugar cane field in Schriever bought for about $11.7 million (KATC, secondary report).","Unconfirmed: the tribe's HUD complaint was withdrawn in January 2026; the reason is not known (EarthRights).","Not found: the current status of the Plaquemines case in federal court, and whether any payment has been ordered since 2025."],"sources":[{"t":"To flee or to stay: until the end, and be swallowed by the sea","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2021-07-18","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18072021/to-flee-or-to-stay-until-the-end-and-be-swallowed-by-the-sea/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260528183846/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/18072021/to-flee-or-to-stay-until-the-end-and-be-swallowed-by-the-sea/"},{"t":"Article by J. Dermansky on the Isle de Jean Charles resettlement plan","p":"DeSmog","d":"2019-04-20","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2019/04/20/critics-louisiana-highjacked-climate-resettlement-plan-isle-de-jean-charles-tribe/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120214608/https://www.desmog.com/2019/04/20/critics-louisiana-highjacked-climate-resettlement-plan-isle-de-jean-charles-tribe/"},{"t":"Jean Charles Choctaw Nation challenges state resettlement plan in legal complaint to HUD","p":"WWNO / Le Louisianais","d":"2023-12-23","u":"https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2023-12-23/jean-charles-choctaw-nation-challenges-state-resettlement-plan-in-legal-complaint-to-hud","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119080254/https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2023-12-23/jean-charles-choctaw-nation-challenges-state-resettlement-plan-in-legal-complaint-to-hud"},{"t":"Former Isle de Jean Charles residents express frustrations with housing at resettlement site","p":"WWNO","d":"2024-11-04","u":"https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2024-11-04/former-isle-de-jean-charles-residents-express-frustrations-with-housing-at-resettlement-site","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214095332/https://www.wwno.org/coastal-desk/2024-11-04/former-isle-de-jean-charles-residents-express-frustrations-with-housing-at-resettlement-site"},{"t":"Chevron ordered to pay more than $740 million to restore Louisiana coast in landmark trial","p":"Associated Press (via WSLS)","d":"2025-04-04","u":"https://www.wsls.com/business/2025/04/04/chevron-ordered-to-pay-more-than-740-million-to-restore-louisiana-coast-in-landmark-trial/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260702111318/https://www.wsls.com/business/2025/04/04/chevron-ordered-to-pay-more-than-740-million-to-restore-louisiana-coast-in-landmark-trial/"}],"actors":[{"id":"chevron","role":"Defendant in the Plaquemines Parish coastal-loss case"},{"id":"plaquemines-parish","role":"Claimant in the coastal-loss case"},{"id":"us-hud","role":"Federal agency that provided the grant"},{"id":"louisiana-office-of-community-development","role":"State office that received the grant and controlled relocation money"},{"id":"louisiana-land-trust","role":"Contractor for the relocation"},{"id":"jean-charles-choctaw-nation","role":"Tribe relocated from the island; complained to HUD"}],"mechanism":"federal relocation grant","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My Isle de Jean Charles lost 98% of its land between 1955 and 2021, Inside Climate News reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 515-acre sugar cane field in Schriever bought for about $11.7 million (KATC, secondary report).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the tribe's HUD complaint was withdrawn in January 2026; the reason is not known (EarthRights).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: the current status of the Plaquemines case in federal court, and whether any payment has been ordered since 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"world-bank-financed-dam-resettlements","tier":"short","title":"World Bank-backed dams displaced people, and reviews found incomes often not restored","dek":"Dams worldwide displaced an estimated 40 to 80 million people, according to the World Commission on Dams, and most did not regain their former livelihoods. The World Bank's own reviews found major gaps in restoring incomes, and downstream fishing income in Laos fell after the Nam Theun 2 dam.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":21.83,"lon":73.74,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-9.1,"lon":-38.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Laos","iso2":"LA","admin":null,"lat":17.6,"lon":105,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Hubei","lat":30.82,"lon":111,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":1985,"end":2018,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The World Commission on Dams reviewed about 1,000 dams in 79 countries in 2000 and reported that they had physically displaced 40 to 80 million people, most of whom did not regain their former livelihoods.","The World Bank's own 1994 review found major gaps in restoring the incomes of resettled people, and its Independent Evaluation Group estimated in 2010, from a sample, that more than one million people were affected at any one time.","The Bretton Woods Project reported that the 2017 gate closure at the Sardar Sarovar dam in India affected about 250,000 people in 245 villages, and that activists said 40,000 families had not been rehabilitated.","A 2018 independent field report on the Nam Theun 2 dam in Laos, cited by Mekong Watch and International Rivers, found falling fish catches and incomes, and downstream shoreline erosion that continued without compensation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dams displaced an estimated 40 to 80 million people worldwide, and the World Bank's own reviews found incomes were often not restored.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of India","what":"Received a $450 million World Bank loan for the Sardar Sarovar dam in 1985; the remaining loan was cancelled in 1993 and India completed the dam itself","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Resettled people at Sobradinho, Brazil","what":"About 120,000 people were affected by the earlier Sobradinho dam, and half of them received no compensation","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Downstream communities on the Xe Bang Fai river, Laos","what":"Fishing income fell and shoreline erosion continued without compensation, per the 2018 field report","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Global; India (Sardar Sarovar), Brazil (Itaparica, Sobradinho), China (Three Gorges) and Laos (Nam Theun 2)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Sardar Sarovar loan 1985; Morse report 1992; Inspection Panel 1993; gate closure 2017; Nam Theun 2 field report 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"Dam construction for power, irrigation and water storage; the cited sources do not explain each lender decision.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Resettlement under World Bank policy, which requires avoiding displacement or restoring livelihoods; the sources say incomes were often not restored","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"dams_reviewed_wcd","value":1000,"unit":"dams (approximate)","year":2000,"note":"World Commission on Dams review across 79 countries"},{"key":"sardar_sarovar_loan","value":450,"unit":"USD million","year":1985,"note":"World Bank loan for the Sardar Sarovar dam, India"},{"key":"sardar_sarovar_people_affected","value":250000,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"In 245 villages after gate closure; activists say 40,000 families were not rehabilitated"},{"key":"nam_theun_2_resettled","value":6200,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Resettled for the Nam Theun 2 dam, Laos"},{"key":"three_gorges_resettled","value":1130000,"unit":"people (more than)","year":null,"note":"Resettled for the Three Gorges dam, China"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not found: an official global count of people displaced by dams; the 2007 estimate of 15 million people a year by former World Bank sociologist Michael Cernea is an update, not an official statistic.","Not found: a source link for the Three Gorges figure of 1.13 million, or for the Sobradinho and Itaparica figures."],"sources":[{"t":"Bretton Woods Project article on the Sardar Sarovar dam","p":"Bretton Woods Project","d":"2017-10-02","u":"https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2017/10/controversial-sardar-sarovar-project-dam-set-to-displace-thousands/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260729075841/https://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/2017/10/controversial-sardar-sarovar-project-dam-set-to-displace-thousands/"},{"t":"Nam Theun 2 hydropower field report, February 2018","p":"Mekong Watch and International Rivers","d":"2018-06-19","u":"https://riverresourcehub.org/resources/nam-theun-2-hydropower-project-field-report-february-2018-16871/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251015183932/https://riverresourcehub.org/resources/nam-theun-2-hydropower-project-field-report-february-2018-16871/"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank-group","role":"Lender to dams in the cases above; its own reviews measured displacement"},{"id":"world-commission-on-dams","role":"Reviewed about 1,000 dams for displacement in 2000"},{"id":"world-bank-inspection-panel","role":"Complaints unit set up in 1993 after the Sardar Sarovar review"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Host government for the Sardar Sarovar dam"},{"id":"brazil-government","role":"Host government for the Itaparica and Sobradinho dams"},{"id":"government-of-laos","role":"Host government for the Nam Theun 2 dam"},{"id":"china-gov","role":"Host government for the Three Gorges dam"}],"mechanism":"dam resettlement programmes","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: an official global count of people displaced by dams; the 2007 estimate of 15 million people a year by former World Bank sociologist Michael Cernea is an update, not an official statistic.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: a source link for the Three Gorges figure of 1.13 million, or for the Sobradinho and Itaparica figures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Resettled people at Sobradinho, Brazil"]},{"id":"jakarta-groundwater-extraction-subsidence-and-water-privatis","tier":"short","title":"Jakarta's private water concessions and the groundwater wells that filled the gap","dek":"Jakarta's piped water ran through two private concessions, Palyja and Aetra, from 1998 to 2023, while households without a network drilled wells. The Supreme Court annulled the privatisation in 2017, and PAM Jaya restructured contracts to avoid compensation of 6.7 trillion rupiah.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jakarta","lat":-6.21,"lon":106.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.21,"lon":106.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":1998,"end":2023,"instrument":"water","happened":["The Jakarta Post reported that the Supreme Court annulled the privatisation of Jakarta's water in 2017, and that PAM Jaya restructured the contracts rather than face compensation of 6.7 trillion rupiah.","Piped water reached 44.5% of residents in 1998 and 59.4% in 2019 under two private concessions, Palyja and Aetra, which ran the network for about 25 years.","Bisnis.com reported in January 2023 that cooperation with the private operators had ended and that PAM Jaya was preparing to run the service fully.","Experts quoted in the sources say well bans cannot be enforced without a piped supply, and households without a network moved to wells."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Jakarta's piped water network was run by two private concessions, Palyja and Aetra, from 1998 to 2023, and households without a network drilled wells.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Palyja and Aetra","what":"Ran the piped network under concession contracts and kept them until the end of the term, as reported","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Muara Angke, north Jakarta","what":"A fishing family buys 8 drums of water a day for 20,000 rupiah, and says it has nowhere else to go","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Jakarta, Indonesia, including the Muara Angke coast","src":0},"when":{"t":"Concessions 1998 to 2023; Supreme Court ruling 2017; overturn 2018; cooperation ended 2023","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Private concessions ran the network; after the court ruling, PAM Jaya restructured the operator contracts","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"piped_water_coverage_1998","value":44.5,"unit":"percent of residents","year":1998,"note":"Share of residents on the piped network"},{"key":"piped_water_coverage_2019","value":59.4,"unit":"percent of residents","year":2019,"note":"Share of residents on the piped network"},{"key":"termination_compensation_at_risk","value":6.7,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2018,"note":"Compensation PAM Jaya feared if contracts were terminated"},{"key":"pipe_needed_for_full_coverage","value":7000,"unit":"km of pipe","year":2029,"note":"Needed for the PAM Jaya target of full coverage by 2029"},{"key":"household_connections_needed","value":1000000,"unit":"households","year":2029,"note":"Connections needed for the 2029 full coverage target"}],"legal":[{"title":"Jakarta water privatisation case (Supreme Court)","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2017","status":"overturned","summary":"The Supreme Court annulled the water privatisation in 2017, according to the Jakarta Post. The cited sources say the ruling was overturned on procedural grounds in 2018.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: land subsidence of up to 26 cm a year in 1991 to 1997, about 11 cm a year in North Jakarta in 2014 to 2018, and 12 cm in 2025.","Not found: any personal penalty for officials; the sources say no data is available."],"sources":[{"t":"What you need to know about Jakarta's water privatization","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2018-04-12","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/04/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-jakartas-water-privatization.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260109054641/https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/04/12/what-you-need-to-know-about-jakartas-water-privatization.html"},{"t":"Cooperation with the private sector ends; PAM Jaya ready to operate fully","p":"Bisnis.com","d":"2023-01-27","u":"https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20230127/45/1622237/kerja-sama-dengan-swasta-berakhir-pam-jaya-siap-beroperasi-penuh","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250514075630/https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20230127/45/1622237/kerja-sama-dengan-swasta-berakhir-pam-jaya-siap-beroperasi-penuh"}],"actors":[{"id":"palyja","role":"Private concessionaire of the western part of the piped network"},{"id":"aetra","role":"Private concessionaire of the eastern part of the piped network"},{"id":"pam-jaya","role":"City water utility that restructured contracts and took over the service"},{"id":"indonesia-supreme-court","role":"Court that annulled the privatisation in 2017"}],"mechanism":"private water concession","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: land subsidence of up to 26 cm a year in 1991 to 1997, about 11 cm a year in North Jakarta in 2014 to 2018, and 12 cm in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: any personal penalty for officials; the sources say no data is available.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of Muara Angke, north Jakarta"]},{"id":"royal-couple-patagonia-and-greek-villa-purchases","tier":"short","title":"Dutch royal couple bought holiday land in Mozambique and Argentina","dek":"Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Máxima invested in a Machangulo peninsula holiday-village development in Mozambique from 2007, and bought lakeside land in Argentina in 2009. The cited sources report missing water and toilets at five local schools and a local police chief's arrest over the death of a protester.","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Maputo Province","lat":-26.1,"lon":33,"role":"event"},{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Neuquén Province","lat":-40.77,"lon":-71.65,"role":"event"}],"lat":-26.1,"lon":33,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2012,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The plan included 120 homes, 60 luxury villas, a hotel and an airstrip, and an August 2009 DutchNews report found five schools with no clean water or toilets and no electricity connection.","DutchNews reported in February 2009, citing Telegraaf, that the couple had invested about 1 million euros in a Patagonian farm to be run as a hotel; the Royal Information Service said it was not a second holiday home.","DutchNews reported in November 2009, citing Elsevier, that the couple had bought a 2-hectare lakeside plot at Villa La Angostura, near a 1,500-hectare farm, at a price local press put at 2.5 million euros."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Willem-Alexander and Máxima invested in a Mozambican holiday-village land development from 2007 and bought Argentine land in 2009, according to the cited sources.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Foundation run by a friend of the prince","what":"received the prince's share of the Machangulo development, according to the cited sources","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Pupils at five schools on the Machangulo peninsula","what":"had no clean water or toilets in August 2009, per DutchNews","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Machangulo peninsula, Mozambique; Villa La Angostura area, Argentina","src":1},"when":{"t":"Second half of 2007 (Mozambique investment); 10 July 2008 (announced); February 2009 and November 2009 (Argentina)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investment in a holiday-village and luxury-villa land development in Mozambique; farm and lakeside land purchases in Argentina.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"machangulo_planned_homes","value":120,"unit":"homes","year":2009,"note":"development plan as reported in August 2009"},{"key":"machangulo_luxury_villas","value":60,"unit":"villas","year":2009,"note":"development plan as reported in August 2009"},{"key":"argentina_farm_investment_eur","value":1000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2009,"note":"approximate, DutchNews citing Telegraaf"},{"key":"villa_la_angostura_plot_ha","value":2,"unit":"hectares","year":2009,"note":"lakeside plot, DutchNews citing Elsevier"},{"key":"villa_la_angostura_plot_price_eur","value":2500000,"unit":"EUR","year":2009,"note":"price given by local press, DutchNews citing Elsevier"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the couple announced on 20 November 2009 that they would sell their Machangulo villa, and the villa was resold for a symbolic price to Machangulo SA in January 2012, estimated at about 2 million euros (Dutch government letter).","Unconfirmed: Argentine press places a farm 60 to 75 km from Bariloche, on the Pichi Leufú river, of 1,500 to 3,000 hectares, with ownership shared with Máxima's siblings and aunt (MDZ; Canal 26).","Unconfirmed: in 2012 the couple bought a villa complex with a private harbour and beach at Kranidi, Greece, for 4.5 million euros; Greek press in 2014 raised a claim of unauthorised construction (DutchNews, April 2012).","Unconfirmed: rumours that 20 km of coastline was closed to private use and that local fishers lost fishing grounds.","What the sources do not say: the current ownership and exact size of the Patagonian land."],"sources":[{"t":"Royal couple invests in Patagonian farm (citing Telegraaf)","p":"DutchNews","d":"2009-02-12","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/2009/02/royal_couple_buy_into_argentin/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240916090848/https://www.dutchnews.nl/2009/02/royal_couple_buy_into_argentin/"},{"t":"Royal couple buys lakeside plot in Argentina (citing Elsevier)","p":"DutchNews","d":"2009-11-25","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/2009/11/royal_couple_buy_land_in_argen/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251108235456/https://www.dutchnews.nl/2009/11/royal_couple_buy_land_in_argen/"},{"t":"Dutch royals buy Greek holiday villa (DutchNews report)","p":"DutchNews","d":"2012-04","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/2012/04/dutch_royals_buy_greek_holiday","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240615070023/https://www.dutchnews.nl/2012/04/dutch_royals_buy_greek_holiday/"},{"t":"MDZ report on Patagonian estancia linked to the Dutch royal family","p":"MDZ","d":"2024-12-25","u":"https://www.mdzol.com/sociedad/2024/12/25/la-lujosa-estancia-en-la-patagonia-donde-la-reina-maxima-de-los-paises-bajos-celebra-la-navidad-1176933.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250831115454/https://www.mdzol.com/sociedad/2024/12/25/la-lujosa-estancia-en-la-patagonia-donde-la-reina-maxima-de-los-paises-bajos-celebra-la-navidad-1176933.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"dutch-royal-couple","role":"investor in the Machangulo development and in Argentine land"},{"id":"jan-peter-balkenende","role":"Prime Minister who called the Machangulo development the prince's private matter"}],"mechanism":"holiday land development investment","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the couple announced on 20 November 2009 that they would sell their Machangulo villa, and the villa was resold for a symbolic price to Machangulo SA in January 2012, estimated at about 2 million euros (Dutch government letter).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Argentine press places a farm 60 to 75 km from Bariloche, on the Pichi Leufú river, of 1,500 to 3,000 hectares, with ownership shared with Máxima's siblings and aunt (MDZ; Canal 26).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2012 the couple bought a villa complex with a private harbour and beach at Kranidi, Greece, for 4.5 million euros; Greek press in 2014 raised a claim of unauthorised construction (DutchNews, April 2012).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: rumours that 20 km of coastline was closed to private use and that local fishers lost fishing grounds.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: the current ownership and exact size of the Patagonian land.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Foundation run by a friend of the prince"]},{"id":"abp-global-solidarity-forest-fund-and-chikweti","tier":"short","title":"Dutch pension fund ABP held a stake in a Mozambique forest fund","dek":"A 2010 Mozambican review found that Chikweti Forests of Niassa, held by the Global Solidarity Forest Fund, occupied 32,000 hectares without land-use rights. ABP, which held 60 percent of the fund, acknowledged in 2011 that the investment did not meet its standards but stayed invested.","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Niassa","lat":-13,"lon":36.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-13,"lon":36.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2011,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["In 2007 ABP, the Dutch public-sector pension fund, decided to add forest land to its portfolio, citing stable and potentially high returns (TNI and FIAN, 2013).","ABP took 60 percent of the 100-million-dollar Global Solidarity Forest Fund, set up by the Västerås diocese in Sweden and the Norwegian Church's foundation OVF; other sources give 54.5 percent (TNI; IPE and BHRRC, 2011).","A September 2010 review by Mozambique's Ministry of Agriculture and National Directorate of Land and Forests found that Chikweti Forests of Niassa had occupied 32,000 hectares without DUAT land-use rights; the fund rejected the finding (TNI and FIAN, 2013).","In December 2011 ABP acknowledged that the investment did not meet its environmental, social and governance criteria, but it refused to withdraw."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ABP invested in the Global Solidarity Forest Fund, which held Chikweti Forests of Niassa in Mozambique; a 2010 Mozambican review found 32,000 hectares occupied without DUAT land-use rights.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ABP","what":"60 percent stake in the Global Solidarity Forest Fund, a 100-million-dollar fund","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Niassa land occupied by Chikweti","what":"32,000 hectares occupied without DUAT land-use rights, per the September 2010 review","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Niassa province, Mozambique","src":0},"when":{"t":"2007 (ABP decision); September 2010 (Mozambican review); December 2011 (ABP acknowledgment)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investment through a fund; Chikweti was presented as sustainable forestry with FSC certification.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"gsff_fund_size_usd","value":100000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"fund size, TNI and FIAN"},{"key":"abp_stake_percent","value":60,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"other sources give 54.5 percent"},{"key":"chikweti_occupied_ha","value":32000,"unit":"hectares","year":2010,"note":"occupied without DUAT rights; fund rejected the finding"},{"key":"abp_investment_eur","value":47000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2011,"note":"other sources give 60 million dollars"},{"key":"abp_land_target_eur","value":1000000000,"unit":"EUR","year":null,"note":"ABP land-investment target, TNI and FIAN"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a World Bank BioCarbon Fund document lists 63,040 hectares of DUAT and 14,250 hectares of planted area for Chikweti.","What the sources do not say: the current status of the fund and of Chikweti, or whether ABP has since exited; the sources date from 2011 to 2013.","What the sources do not say: whether local communities were consulted before the land was occupied."],"sources":[{"t":"TNI/FIAN briefing on the Netherlands and the global land and water grab","p":"TNI/FIAN","d":"2013","u":"https://www.tni.org/files/download/nl_and_global_land_and_water_grab.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"abp","role":"Dutch public-sector pension fund; 60 percent investor in the fund"},{"id":"gsff","role":"forest fund holding Chikweti Forests of Niassa"},{"id":"chikweti","role":"plantation company whose occupation of 32,000 hectares was found by the 2010 review"},{"id":"mozambique-dntf","role":"government directorate that took part in the 2010 review"}],"mechanism":"forest fund investment","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Chikweti Forests of Niassa, held by a fund 60 percent owned by ABP, occupied 32,000 hectares of my land without land-use rights, a 2010 Mozambican review found; the fund rejected it.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a World Bank BioCarbon Fund document lists 63,040 hectares of DUAT and 14,250 hectares of planted area for Chikweti.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: the current status of the fund and of Chikweti, or whether ABP has since exited; the sources date from 2011 to 2013.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether local communities were consulted before the land was occupied.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"addax-bioenergy-fmo","tier":"short","title":"Dutch bank FMO backed a 20,000-hectare Sierra Leone sugar cane lease","dek":"FMO, the Dutch development bank, became a partner in Addax Bioenergy's 50-year lease of 20,000 hectares for sugar cane and ethanol in Sierra Leone in 2008. Sixty villages lost land, and FMO withdrew around 2015.","country":"Sierra Leone","iso2":"SL","places":[{"country":"Sierra Leone","iso2":"SL","admin":null,"lat":8.9,"lon":-12,"role":"event"}],"lat":8.9,"lon":-12,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2015,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["In 2008 FMO, the Dutch development bank, became a partner in Addax Bioenergy's 50-year lease of 20,000 hectares for sugar cane and ethanol in Sierra Leone (TNI and FIAN; Trouw, 2019).","Sixty villages lost land in the scheme, according to TNI and FIAN and Trouw.","FMO withdrew from the investment around 2015, according to TNI and FIAN and Trouw.","FMO is 51 percent owned by the Dutch state, according to Trouw (15 October 2019)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"FMO joined a 50-year lease of 20,000 hectares for a sugar cane and ethanol scheme run by Addax Bioenergy in Sierra Leone in 2008, and withdrew around 2015.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Addax Bioenergy","what":"50-year lease of 20,000 hectares","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Sixty villages in the scheme area","what":"lost land","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Sierra Leone","src":0},"when":{"t":"2008 (lease partnership); around 2015 (FMO withdrawal)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A 50-year lease for sugar cane and ethanol production, with FMO as a partner.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"lease_hectares","value":20000,"unit":"hectares","year":2008,"note":"sugar cane and ethanol scheme"},{"key":"lease_term_years","value":50,"unit":"years","year":2008,"note":"lease term"},{"key":"villages_losing_land","value":60,"unit":"villages","year":null,"note":"per TNI and FIAN and Trouw"},{"key":"fmo_state_ownership_percent","value":51,"unit":"percent","year":2019,"note":"Dutch state share in FMO, per Trouw"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["What the sources do not say: whether Addax Bioenergy still operates the lease, or the terms of FMO's withdrawal.","What the sources do not say: whether the 60 villages received compensation."],"sources":[{"t":"Trouw report on FMO and the Addax lease (via farmlandgrab.org)","p":"Trouw / farmlandgrab.org","d":"2019-10-15","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/29246-landless-how-the-dutch-development-bank-marginalises-farmers","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250523180550/https://farmlandgrab.org/post/29246-landless-how-the-dutch-development-bank-marginalises-farmers"}],"actors":[{"id":"fmo","role":"Dutch development bank; partner in the Addax lease, withdrew around 2015"},{"id":"addax-bioenergy","role":"operator of the sugar cane and ethanol scheme in Sierra Leone"}],"mechanism":"50-year land lease","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Addax Bioenergy leased 20,000 hectares of my land in Sierra Leone for 50 years for sugar cane and ethanol; sixty villages lost land.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether Addax Bioenergy still operates the lease, or the terms of FMO's withdrawal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether the 60 villages received compensation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"koninklijke-wijma-illegal-logging","tier":"short","title":"Dutch timber firm Koninklijke Wijma penalised in Cameroon in 2002","dek":"Koninklijke Wijma, a timber company based in Kampen, was penalised in January 2002 for felling protected species and small-diameter trees in Cameroon. Greenpeace said it found Wijma-stamped logs outside the company's permit area.","country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","places":[{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","admin":null,"lat":3.9,"lon":11.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":3.9,"lon":11.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2002,"end":2002,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Koninklijke Wijma, a timber company based in Kampen, held timber felling concessions in Cameroon, according to the cited sources.","In January 2002 Koninklijke Wijma was penalised for felling protected species and small-diameter trees; the penalty was 1,836,415 CFA francs, according to Greenpeace NL's 2002 record.","Greenpeace reported that it found Wijma-stamped logs 5 km outside the company's permit area."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Koninklijke Wijma was penalised in Cameroon in January 2002 for felling protected species and small-diameter trees, a penalty of 1,836,415 CFA francs.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Koninklijke Wijma","what":"timber felling concessions in Cameroon","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Protected tree species and small-diameter trees in Cameroon","what":"felled; the company was penalised for it","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cameroon; Greenpeace found logs outside the company's permit area","src":0},"when":{"t":"January 2002 (penalty); 2002 (Greenpeace NL record)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Logging under timber felling concessions, with logs stamped by the company found outside its permit area.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty_cfa_francs","value":1836415,"unit":"CFA francs","year":2002,"note":"penalty for felling protected and small-diameter trees, Greenpeace NL record"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Dutch state was a major customer of Koninklijke Wijma.","What the sources do not say: whether the company still holds concessions in Cameroon, or whether there was any penalty after 2002."],"sources":[{"t":"Greenpeace NL report on Wijma (2002)","p":"Greenpeace Netherlands","d":"2002","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/nl/algemeen/3512/greenpeace-blokkeert-houthandelaar-wijma/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250406040110/https://www.greenpeace.org/nl/algemeen/3512/greenpeace-blokkeert-houthandelaar-wijma/"}],"actors":[{"id":"koninklijke-wijma","role":"timber company penalised in Cameroon"},{"id":"greenpeace-netherlands","role":"NGO that reported Wijma-stamped logs outside the permit area"}],"mechanism":"forest concession logging","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In January 2002 Koninklijke Wijma was penalised 1,836,415 CFA francs for felling protected species and small-diameter trees in my Cameroon forest; Greenpeace found its logs 5 km outside the permit area.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Dutch state was a major customer of Koninklijke Wijma.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether the company still holds concessions in Cameroon, or whether there was any penalty after 2002.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tiaa-and-harvard-farmland-in-brazil","tier":"short","title":"TIAA and Harvard farmland buys in Brazil breached foreign-purchase limits, Incra said","dek":"US pension fund TIAA and Harvard University bought about 750,000 hectares of Brazilian farmland from 2008, through Brazilian companies and offshore structures. Brazil's land agency Incra said TIAA's post-2010 purchases of over 150,000 hectares broke the foreign-purchase law.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2008,"end":2020,"instrument":"finance","happened":["TIAA, the US teachers' pension fund acting through Nuveen, and Harvard University together bought about 750,000 hectares of Brazilian farmland from 2008 to 2020 (GRAIN, Rede Social and AATR, 2020).","Incra, the federal land agency, wrote in 2019 that TIAA's purchases after 2010 of more than 150,000 hectares breached the foreign-purchase law and that the titles should be cancelled.","A court in Bahia halted the registration of Harvard's 107,000-hectare Campo Largo property on 6 October 2020 (GRAIN, Rede Social and AATR, 2020).","The foreign-purchase limit comes from Law 5,709 of 1971, and the purchases were made through Brazilian companies and offshore structures."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"TIAA and Harvard acquired about 750,000 hectares of Brazilian farmland from 2008; Incra said some purchases breached the foreign-purchase law, and a court in Bahia halted the registration of Campo Largo.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"TIAA (through Nuveen)","what":"acquired Brazilian farmland from 2008, part of about 750,000 hectares held with Harvard","src":0},{"who":"Harvard University","what":"acquired the 107,000-hectare Campo Largo property, whose registration a Bahia court halted in October 2020","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Brazilian limit on foreign land ownership (Law 5,709 of 1971)","what":"Incra said TIAA's post-2010 purchases of over 150,000 hectares breached it","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil; the Campo Largo property was the subject of a Bahia court ruling","src":0},"when":{"t":"2008 to 2020 (purchases); 2019 (Incra finding); 6 October 2020 (court ruling)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Purchases through Brazilian companies and offshore structures, despite Law 5,709 of 1971 limiting foreign land purchases.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"combined_brazil_land_ha","value":750000,"unit":"hectares","year":2020,"note":"TIAA and Harvard combined, approximate, 2008 to 2020"},{"key":"tiaa_post_2010_purchases_ha","value":150000,"unit":"hectares","year":2019,"note":"over 150,000 hectares, Incra finding"},{"key":"campo_largo_ha","value":107000,"unit":"hectares","year":2020,"note":"Harvard property; registration halted by a Bahia court on 6 October 2020"}],"legal":[{"title":"Campo Largo property registration","forum":"Court in Bahia, Brazil","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2020-10-06","status":"unknown","summary":"Court halted registration of Harvard's 107,000-hectare Campo Largo property; the final outcome is not on record.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: bill PL 2963/2019, passed by the Senate in 2020, would repeal the 1971 law, allow foreign purchases of up to 25 percent of a municipality's area, and validate past purchases by foreign-controlled Brazilian companies; it awaits the Chamber of Deputies (Rádio Senado, 16 December 2020).","Unconfirmed: deforestation of over 125,000 hectares on TIAA and Harvard land by 2019, with Harvard 53,117 hectares and Nuveen (TIAA) 72,753 hectares (Chain Reaction Research, 2019).","What the sources do not say: whether the Incra finding led to cancellation of any titles, or the status of the Campo Largo case after October 2020."],"sources":[{"t":"GRAIN, Rede Social and AATR: TIAA and Harvard Brazilian farm deals (farmlandgrab.org)","p":"GRAIN / Rede Social / AATR","d":"2020","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/30017-tiaa-and-harvard-s-brazilian-farm-deals-judged-illegal","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250515125149/https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/30017-tiaa-and-harvard-s-brazilian-farm-deals-judged-illegal"},{"t":"Chain Reaction Research, 2019 (TIAA and Harvard land)","p":"Chain Reaction Research","d":"2019","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/29279","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250630082821/https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/29279"},{"t":"Rádio Senado: foreigners could buy Brazilian rural land","p":"Rádio Senado","d":"2020-12-16","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/radio/1/noticia/2020/12/16/estrangeiros-poderao-comprar-terras-rurais-brasileiras","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261007070219/https://www12.senado.leg.br/radio/1/noticia/2020/12/16/estrangeiros-poderao-comprar-terras-rurais-brasileiras"}],"actors":[{"id":"tiaa","role":"US teachers' pension fund; acquired Brazilian farmland through Nuveen"},{"id":"nuveen","role":"asset manager that acquired farmland for TIAA"},{"id":"harvard-university","role":"endowment that acquired Brazilian farmland, including the Campo Largo property"},{"id":"incra","role":"federal land agency; said TIAA's purchases breached the foreign-purchase law"}],"mechanism":"foreign farmland purchase","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"TIAA and Harvard together bought about 750,000 hectares of my Brazilian farmland from 2008 to 2020; Incra wrote in 2019 that TIAA's post-2010 purchases of over 150,000 hectares breached the foreign-purchase law.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Campo Largo property registration: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: bill PL 2963/2019, passed by the Senate in 2020, would repeal the 1971 law, allow foreign purchases of up to 25 percent of a municipality's area, and validate past purchases by foreign-controlled Brazilian companies; it awaits the Chamber of Deputies (Rádio Senado, 16 December 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: deforestation of over 125,000 hectares on TIAA and Harvard land by 2019, with Harvard 53,117 hectares and Nuveen (TIAA) 72,753 hectares (Chain Reaction Research, 2019).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether the Incra finding led to cancellation of any titles, or the status of the Campo Largo case after October 2020.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"abp-forest-and-agriculture-portfolio","tier":"short","title":"Dutch pension fund ABP added forest land in 2007 and held Brazilian meat shares","dek":"ABP, the Dutch public-sector pension fund, decided in 2007 to add forest land to its portfolio, and took 60 percent of a Mozambican forest fund whose plantation was found to occupy 32,000 hectares without land-use rights. By 2021 it held about 219 million dollars of shares in Brazilian meat companies, mostly JBS.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Niassa","lat":-13,"lon":36.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.08,"lon":4.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2021,"instrument":"finance","happened":["In 2007 ABP, the Dutch public-sector pension fund, decided to add forest land to its portfolio, citing stable and potentially high returns (TNI and FIAN, 2013).","ABP took 60 percent of the Global Solidarity Forest Fund; a September 2010 Mozambican review found that its Chikweti Forests of Niassa had occupied 32,000 hectares without land-use rights (TNI and FIAN, 2013).","A senior ABP portfolio manager set a target of about 1 billion euros in land investment under the slogan 'the world is our farm' (TNI and FIAN, 2013).","In 2021 ABP held about 219 million dollars of shares in Brazilian meat companies, most of it in JBS (Mongabay, 5 February 2021)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ABP, the Dutch public-sector pension fund, moved into forest land in 2007 through a Mozambican fund and later held about 219 million dollars of shares in Brazilian meat companies.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ABP","what":"60 percent of the Global Solidarity Forest Fund; expected stable and potentially high returns from forest land","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Niassa land occupied by Chikweti","what":"32,000 hectares occupied without DUAT land-use rights, per the September 2010 review","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mozambique (Niassa) and Brazil; ABP is based in the Netherlands","src":0},"when":{"t":"2007 (decision); September 2010 (Mozambican review); 2021 (Brazilian meat shares)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investment through a forest fund, and through shares in Brazilian meat companies.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"gsff_fund_size_usd","value":100000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"fund size, TNI and FIAN"},{"key":"abp_gsff_stake_percent","value":60,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"other sources give 54.5 percent"},{"key":"chikweti_occupied_ha","value":32000,"unit":"hectares","year":2010,"note":"occupied without DUAT rights"},{"key":"abp_brazil_meat_shares_usd","value":219000000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"approximate, most of it in JBS"},{"key":"abp_land_target_eur","value":1000000000,"unit":"EUR","year":null,"note":"land-investment target, TNI and FIAN"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ABP's later forest purchases through APG include about 70,000 hectares in the southern United States for about 462 million dollars, a third of Forico's 170,000 hectares in Tasmania, and New Zealand plantations (AI-CIO; GAI).","Unconfirmed: ABP's forest and agriculture portfolio is about 3 billion euros with a target of 5 billion, and about 200,000 hectares of certified forest were added in December 2025 (Top1000funds, 2023; IPE).","What the sources do not say: whether ABP has exited the Mozambican fund; the sources date from 2011 to 2013.","What the sources do not say: any tropical forest purchase by ABP; none is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"TNI/FIAN briefing on the Netherlands and the global land and water grab","p":"TNI/FIAN","d":"2013","u":"https://www.tni.org/files/download/nl_and_global_land_and_water_grab.pdf","type":"ngo"},{"t":"APG Asset Management buys majority stake in U.S. forest (AI-CIO)","p":"AI-CIO; GAI","d":"","u":"https://www.ai-cio.com/news/apg-asset-management-buys-majority-stake-in-u-s-forest/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313023527/https://www.ai-cio.com/news/apg-asset-management-buys-majority-stake-in-u-s-forest/"},{"t":"Forestry: the inflation hedge with a low correlation to stocks and bonds (Top1000funds)","p":"Top1000funds / IPE","d":"2023-10","u":"https://www.top1000funds.com/2023/10/forestry-the-inflation-hedge-with-a-low-correlation-to-stocks-and-bonds/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419174611/https://www.top1000funds.com/2023/10/forestry-the-inflation-hedge-with-a-low-correlation-to-stocks-and-bonds/"}],"actors":[{"id":"abp","role":"Dutch public-sector pension fund; investor in forest land and Brazilian meat shares"},{"id":"apg","role":"asset manager that holds ABP's forest investments"},{"id":"gsff","role":"forest fund in which ABP took a 60 percent stake"},{"id":"chikweti","role":"plantation company whose occupation of 32,000 hectares was found by the 2010 review"},{"id":"jbs","role":"Brazilian meat company in which ABP held most of its shares"}],"mechanism":"pension fund forest investment","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["corio-rainforest-land-purchase"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A forest fund 60 percent held by ABP occupied 32,000 hectares of my land in Mozambique without land-use rights, a September 2010 Mozambican review found.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ABP's later forest purchases through APG include about 70,000 hectares in the southern United States for about 462 million dollars, a third of Forico's 170,000 hectares in Tasmania, and New Zealand plantations (AI-CIO; GAI).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ABP's forest and agriculture portfolio is about 3 billion euros with a target of 5 billion, and about 200,000 hectares of certified forest were added in December 2025 (Top1000funds, 2023; IPE).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether ABP has exited the Mozambican fund; the sources date from 2011 to 2013.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: any tropical forest purchase by ABP; none is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tipnis-road-and-park-inviolability-law","tier":"short","title":"Bolivia's 2017 law lifted TIPNIS park immunity and cleared a road route","dek":"Bolivia's Law 180 of 2011 declared the TIPNIS park inviolable. Law 969, passed on 13 August 2017, repealed it and cleared the way for a road through the park.","country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","places":[{"country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","admin":null,"lat":-16.3,"lon":-65.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-16.3,"lon":-65.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2017,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["After a 2011 march, Bolivia's Law 180 declared the TIPNIS park inviolable (Mongabay Latam, August 2017).","Law 969 of 13 August 2017 repealed Law 180 and opened the way for a road through the park (Mongabay Latam, August 2017).","Mongabay Latam (August 2017) lists the road as 360 kilometres long."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bolivia's Law 969 of 13 August 2017 repealed Law 180 of 2011, which had declared the TIPNIS park inviolable, and opened the way for a road through the park.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Promoters of the road through the park","what":"legal path cleared by Law 969 of 2017; Mongabay Latam lists a 360-km route","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"TIPNIS park","what":"the 2011 inviolability status, removed by Law 969 in 2017","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"TIPNIS park, Bolivia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2011 (Law 180); 13 August 2017 (Law 969)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Repeal by ordinary law of the 2011 inviolability provision.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"road_length_km","value":360,"unit":"km","year":2017,"note":"road route as listed by Mongabay Latam"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["What the sources do not say: whether the road has been built, or how Law 969 was implemented after it passed.","What the sources do not say: whether indigenous communities of the TIPNIS area were consulted before the 2017 law."],"sources":[{"t":"Mongabay Latam report on Law 969 and TIPNIS (August 2017)","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2017-08","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2017/08/bolivia-evo-morales-promulga-ley-elimina-la-intangibilidad-del-tipnis/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606110523/https://es.mongabay.com/2017/08/bolivia-evo-morales-promulga-ley-elimina-la-intangibilidad-del-tipnis/"}],"actors":[{"id":"plurinational-legislative-assembly","role":"legislature that passed Law 180 (2011) and Law 969 (2017)"}],"mechanism":"park immunity repeal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My TIPNIS park was declared inviolable in 2011 under Law 180; Law 969 of 13 August 2017 repealed it and opened the way for a 360 km road through it.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether the road has been built, or how Law 969 was implemented after it passed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"What the sources do not say: whether indigenous communities of the TIPNIS area were consulted before the 2017 law.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-omnibus-law-palm-plantation-amnesty-in-forest-area","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's palm garden amnesty collected 822 billion rupiah by May 2024","dek":"Indonesia's environment ministry estimated 2,130 suitable palm gardens covering 2.1 million hectares of forest area. Fines were based on a simplified timber value, and the Attorney General's Office opened a corruption investigation in October 2024.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Indonesia's environment ministry estimated 2,130 suitable palm gardens covering 2.1 million hectares of forest area, Mongabay reported.","By May 2024, 241 companies had paid 822 billion rupiah in total under the programme.","The Attorney General's Office opened a corruption investigation into the programme in October 2024."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia's amnesty for palm gardens in forest areas collected 822 billion rupiah from 241 companies by May 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"241 companies that paid fines","what":"Paid fines to the programme, 822 billion rupiah in total by May 2024","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Forest estate under palm gardens","what":"Forest area in palm gardens, estimated at 2.1 million ha of suitable area","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Forest areas across Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2020 law; payments reported up to May 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Fines were calculated per hectare on a simplified timber value of 25.7 cubic metres. The cited sources do not name the body that collected them.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"suitable_palm_gardens","value":2130,"unit":"gardens","year":null,"note":"Ministry estimate of suitable gardens"},{"key":"suitable_area","value":2100000,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Ministry estimate of area of suitable gardens"},{"key":"companies_paid","value":241,"unit":"companies","year":2024,"note":"Up to May 2024"},{"key":"fines_collected","value":822000000000,"unit":"rupiah","year":2024,"note":"Up to May 2024"},{"key":"timber_value_per_ha","value":25.7,"unit":"cubic metres per hectare","year":null,"note":"Simplified value used to calculate fines"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: under articles 110A and 110B of the 2020 omnibus law, unpermitted gardens could keep operating for up to 15 more years.","Unconfirmed: palm gardens in protected and conservation forests were excluded from the amnesty.","Unconfirmed: the government task force said in 2025 that it took back about 3.4 million ha and transferred about 1.5 million ha to state company Agrinas Palma.","Unconfirmed: a research centre said only 61% of the first 833,413 ha was palm and about 614,000 ha were smallholder gardens.","Unconfirmed: a realistic timber value would raise the fines several times over.","Totals after May 2024 are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Mongabay report on the Indonesian palm oil amnesty corruption investigation","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-10","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indonesia-investigates-suspected-corruption-in-palm-oil-amnesty-program/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614002541/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/10/indonesia-investigates-suspected-corruption-in-palm-oil-amnesty-program/"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-environment-ministry","role":"Estimated suitable palm gardens"},{"id":"indonesia-attorney-general","role":"Opened corruption investigation into the programme"}],"mechanism":"forest-area palm garden amnesty fines","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Indonesia's environment ministry estimated 2,130 suitable palm gardens cover 2.1 million hectares of my forest area; by May 2024, 241 companies had paid 822 billion rupiah under the programme.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: under articles 110A and 110B of the 2020 omnibus law, unpermitted gardens could keep operating for up to 15 more years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: palm gardens in protected and conservation forests were excluded from the amnesty.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the government task force said in 2025 that it took back about 3.4 million ha and transferred about 1.5 million ha to state company Agrinas Palma.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a research centre said only 61% of the first 833,413 ha was palm and about 614,000 ha were smallholder gardens.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a realistic timber value would raise the fines several times over.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Totals after May 2024 are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"brazil-marco-temporal-and-pec-48","tier":"short","title":"Brazil Senate passes amendment limiting Indigenous land claims to 1988 occupants","dek":"The Senate approved PEC 48/2023 on 9 December 2025, writing the 5 October 1988 cut-off into the constitution and requiring advance compensation for occupiers. Indigenous land recognition is at stake, and the Supreme Court had again ruled the time limit unconstitutional that month.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Congress passed Law 14.701/2023, limiting Indigenous land recognition to lands occupied on 5 October 1988.","The Supreme Court voted 9 to 2 against the time limit in 2023, and found it unconstitutional again in December 2025.","On 9 December 2025 the Senate approved PEC 48/2023 by 52 votes to 14 and 52 to 15 in two rounds. The amendment would require advance compensation to occupiers.","The amendment was sent to the Chamber of Deputies."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Senate approved PEC 48/2023 on 9 December 2025, writing the 1988 cut-off into the constitution and tying recognition to compensation for occupiers.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Occupiers of Indigenous land","what":"Advance compensation before Indigenous land is recognised, under the amendment","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Indigenous peoples with land claims","what":"Recognition of land made conditional on compensation to occupiers, under the amendment","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Guajajara people in Maranhão","what":"81 Guajajara killed 1991–2023 according to the source; no one tried for the killings","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Brazil, Indigenous territories nationwide","src":1},"when":{"t":"2023 (law and first court vote); 9 December 2025 (Senate)","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Law 14.701/2023 set the 1988 cut-off; PEC 48/2023 would write it into the constitution with compensation for occupiers.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"senate_votes_for","value":52,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"In each of two rounds, per source (52-14 and 52-15)"},{"key":"senate_votes_against","value":15,"unit":"votes","year":2025,"note":"Second round; first round 14"},{"key":"stf_votes_against_time_limit","value":9,"unit":"votes","year":2023,"note":"Supreme Court majority against the time limit; 2 votes the other way"}],"legal":[{"title":"Marco temporal time-limit case (Law 14.701/2023)","forum":"Supreme Federal Court (STF)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"constitutional","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2025-12","status":"overturned","summary":"The court found the time limit unconstitutional in December 2025, after a 9 to 2 vote in 2023.","src":0}],"unknown":["Status of the amendment in the Chamber of Deputies is not confirmed beyond its referral.","Unconfirmed: Congress restated the time limit in law a week after the 2023 court vote.","Unconfirmed: one study found that formal title for Indigenous land cut border deforestation by about 75% in the Brazilian Amazon.","Unconfirmed: illegal gold mining reached more than 20,000 miners on Yanomami land in 2021–2023."],"sources":[{"t":"Mayer Brown briefing: Brazil's Supreme Court concludes ruling on the Indigenous time limit doctrine","p":"Mayer Brown","d":"2026-01-06","u":"https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2026/01/brazils-supreme-court-concludes-ruling-on-the-indigenous-time-limit-doctrine","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216234704/https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2026/01/brazils-supreme-court-concludes-ruling-on-the-indigenous-time-limit-doctrine"},{"t":"Senado Notícias: amendment on the marco temporal approved in two rounds, goes to the Chamber","p":"Senado Notícias (Federal Senate of Brazil)","d":"2025-12-09","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/12/09/aprovada-em-dois-turnos-pec-do-marco-temporal-vai-a-camara","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609155811/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/12/09/aprovada-em-dois-turnos-pec-do-marco-temporal-vai-a-camara"}],"actors":[{"id":"brazil-senate","role":"Approved PEC 48/2023"},{"id":"brazil-supreme-court","role":"Found the time limit unconstitutional"}],"mechanism":"constitutional amendment, time-limit doctrine","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Status of the amendment in the Chamber of Deputies is not confirmed beyond its referral.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Congress restated the time limit in law a week after the 2023 court vote.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: one study found that formal title for Indigenous land cut border deforestation by about 75% in the Brazilian Amazon.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: illegal gold mining reached more than 20,000 miners on Yanomami land in 2021–2023.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Guajajara people in Maranhão"]},{"id":"wwf-uk-corporate-income-decline-and-job-cuts","tier":"short","title":"WWF-UK corporate income falls to GBP 10.6m as charity consults on 90 job cuts","dek":"WWF-UK's corporate income fell to GBP 10.6m in 2024-25 as partnerships with Tesco, HSBC, Reckitt and KPMG ended or shrank. In November 2025 the charity opened a consultation on 90 job cuts, about 20% of its staff, and the cited sources do not state the reason for the cuts.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.12,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Civil Society reported that WWF-UK's total income was GBP 89.3m in 2024-25 and its corporate income was GBP 10.6m, a fall in corporate income.","Civil Society reported that the Tesco, HSBC, Reckitt and KPMG partnerships had ended or been scaled back, with GSK coming in instead.","Civil Society reported that the charity opened a consultation in November 2025 on 90 job cuts, about 20% of its staff."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"WWF-UK's corporate income fell to GBP 10.6m in 2024-25, and the charity opened a consultation on 90 job cuts in November 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"WWF-UK","what":"Corporate income fell, and the Tesco, HSBC, Reckitt and KPMG partnerships ended or shrank","src":0},{"who":"WWF-UK staff","what":"About 90 roles, about 20% of staff, were put into a consultation on job cuts in November 2025","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"Financial year 2024-25; consultation on job cuts opened in November 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Several corporate partnerships ended or shrank over the year, and the charity then opened a consultation on job cuts.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"total_income","value":89.3,"unit":"GBP million","year":2025,"note":"Total income, financial year 2024-25"},{"key":"corporate_income","value":10.6,"unit":"GBP million","year":2025,"note":"Corporate income, financial year 2024-25"},{"key":"job_cuts_consulted","value":90,"unit":"jobs","year":2025,"note":"Consultation opened in November 2025; about 20% of staff"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 2023-24 total income of GBP 92.5m, of which GBP 18.2m (about 20%) was corporate income, from the WWF-UK annual report summary of March 2025.","The cited sources do not state why the partnerships ended or were scaled back, or whether the job cuts were caused by the fall in corporate income.","The cited sources do not name the individual corporate donors behind the partnership income, or give the value of the GSK partnership.","The cited sources do not say whether conservation programmes were affected by the cuts."],"sources":[{"t":"WWF-UK corporate income fall and job cuts","p":"Civil Society","d":"2025-11","u":"https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/wwf-uk-reserves-fall-6m-as-job-cuts-consultations-continue.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260201005942/https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/wwf-uk-reserves-fall-6m-as-job-cuts-consultations-continue.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf-uk","role":"Charity whose corporate income fell and which opened a consultation on job cuts"},{"id":"tesco","role":"Corporate partner whose partnership ended or was scaled back"},{"id":"hsbc","role":"Corporate partner whose partnership ended or was scaled back"},{"id":"reckitt","role":"Corporate partner whose partnership ended or was scaled back"},{"id":"kpmg","role":"Corporate partner whose partnership ended or was scaled back"},{"id":"gsk","role":"Corporate partner that came in as the earlier partnerships ended"}],"mechanism":"corporate partnership income","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2023-24 total income of GBP 92.5m, of which GBP 18.2m (about 20%) was corporate income, from the WWF-UK annual report summary of March 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state why the partnerships ended or were scaled back, or whether the job cuts were caused by the fall in corporate income.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the individual corporate donors behind the partnership income, or give the value of the GSK partnership.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether conservation programmes were affected by the cuts.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"wwf-russia-declared-foreign-agent-and-undesirable","tier":"short","title":"Russia labels WWF Russia a foreign agent, then an undesirable organisation","dek":"Russia designated WWF Russia a foreign agent in March 2023 and an undesirable organisation on 22 June 2023, citing what it called biased assessments that restrain economic development. The organisation had a 2021 budget of 1.1 billion roubles, about two-thirds of it from abroad, and had helped create more than 150 protected areas.","country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","places":[{"country":"Russia","iso2":"RU","admin":null,"lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"role":"event"}],"lat":55.75,"lon":37.62,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that Russia designated WWF Russia a foreign agent in March 2023 and an undesirable organisation on 22 June 2023, citing what it called biased assessments aimed at restraining the country's economic development.","According to the same report, WWF Russia's 2021 budget was 1.1 billion roubles, about EUR 12.6 million, and about two-thirds of it came from abroad.","The report also says the organisation had contributed to creating more than 150 protected areas, and that after the designation it dropped the panda logo and left the international WWF network."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Russia designated WWF Russia a foreign agent in March 2023 and an undesirable organisation on 22 June 2023.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Russian state","what":"Set up a national fund, Kompas, in the same period","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"WWF Russia","what":"Dropped the panda logo and left the international WWF network","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Russian protected areas","what":"WWF Russia had helped create more than 150 protected areas; the sources do not say how their status changed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Russia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Foreign agent designation in March 2023; undesirable designation on 22 June 2023. Greenpeace was declared undesirable on 19 May 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The authorities cited what they called biased assessments that restrain Russia's economic development.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe the legal procedure used for either designation.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"budget_2021","value":1100000000,"unit":"roubles","year":2021,"note":"WWF Russia budget; about EUR 12.6 million; about two-thirds from abroad"},{"key":"protected_areas_contributed","value":150,"unit":"protected areas","year":null,"note":"More than 150 areas WWF Russia had helped create"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the legal procedure, the appeal options, or any court review of either designation.","The cited sources do not say what the Kompas fund finances, or how its work compares with WWF Russia's.","The cited sources do not say whether the 2021 budget figure reflects WWF Russia's spending in 2023."],"sources":[{"t":"WWF Russia 'foreign agent' and 'undesirable' designations","p":"Novaya Gazeta Europe","d":"2023-06-28","u":"https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2023/06/28/environmental-undesirables-en","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251020025347/https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2023/06/28/environmental-undesirables-en"}],"actors":[{"id":"wwf-russia","role":"Conservation organisation designated a foreign agent, then an undesirable organisation"},{"id":"russian-state","role":"Designated WWF Russia and set up the Kompas national fund"},{"id":"wwf-international-network","role":"International network that WWF Russia left"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Declared undesirable on 19 May 2023"}],"mechanism":"foreign agent and undesirable designation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the legal procedure, the appeal options, or any court review of either designation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what the Kompas fund finances, or how its work compares with WWF Russia's.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2021 budget figure reflects WWF Russia's spending in 2023.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"el-salvador-foreign-agents-law-and-cristosal-exit","tier":"short","title":"El Salvador enacts foreign agents law taxing foreign funding at 30%","dek":"El Salvador enacted a foreign agents law on 20 May 2025 that taxes foreign funding at 30% and requires registration. The cited sources do not confirm a link between the law and anti-mining groups.","country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","places":[{"country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","admin":null,"lat":13.7,"lon":-89.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.7,"lon":-89.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Human Rights Watch reported that El Salvador's foreign agents law was enacted on 20 May 2025.","According to the same source, the law sets a 30% tax on foreign funding, requires registration, and allows an organisation's legal personality to be cancelled."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"El Salvador enacted a foreign agents law on 20 May 2025 that taxes foreign funding at 30%.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Foreign-funded civil society groups","what":"Face a 30% tax on foreign funding and a registration requirement under the law","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"El Salvador","src":0},"when":{"t":"Enacted 20 May 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The law sets a 30% tax on foreign funding, a registration requirement, and the possibility of cancelling legal personality.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"foreign_funding_tax","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Tax on foreign funding under the law enacted 20 May 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the mining ban was lifted about five months before the law was enacted (ABC News, AP and CISPES, December 2024).","Unconfirmed: Cristosal, a human rights organisation, left El Salvador in July 2025.","Unconfirmed: environmental groups say the law's real target is them; no link between the law and anti-mining groups is on record.","The cited sources do not say who benefits from the law, or whether any organisation has been registered, penalised or dissolved under it."],"sources":[{"t":"El Salvador foreign agents law","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2025-05-23","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/23/el-salvador-foreign-agents-law-targets-civil-society-media","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925184328/https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/05/23/el-salvador-foreign-agents-law-targets-civil-society-media"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-el-salvador","role":"Enacted the foreign agents law"}],"mechanism":"foreign agents law","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the mining ban was lifted about five months before the law was enacted (ABC News, AP and CISPES, December 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Cristosal, a human rights organisation, left El Salvador in July 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: environmental groups say the law's real target is them; no link between the law and anti-mining groups is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who benefits from the law, or whether any organisation has been registered, penalised or dissolved under it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"eni-redd-portfolio-in-zambia-and-tanzania","tier":"short","title":"Eni bought Zambian forest credits as a community received about EUR 50,000","dek":"Eni acquired about 3.1 million credits from the Luangwa community forests project in Zambia, which covers 943,646 hectares. REDD-Monitor reported that the Luembe community received about EUR 50,000 in one year, that its chief said this was not enough, and that a school built with scheme funds stood empty.","country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","places":[{"country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","admin":"Luangwa area","lat":-13,"lon":31.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-13,"lon":31.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2023,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["REDD-Monitor reported that Eni acquired about 3.1 million credits from the Luangwa community forests project in Zambia, which covers 943,646 hectares.","According to the same source, the Luembe community received about EUR 50,000 in one year, a school built with scheme funds stood empty, and the community's chief said the money was not enough."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Eni acquired about 3.1 million credits from the Luangwa community forests project in Zambia.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Eni","what":"Acquired about 3.1 million credits from the Luangwa community forests","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Luembe community","what":"Received about EUR 50,000 in one year, which its chief said was not enough; a school built with scheme funds stood empty","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Luangwa area, Zambia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021-2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Eni acquired the credits, and the Luembe community received a payment from the same Luangwa area scheme.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"credits_acquired_by_eni","value":3100000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Luangwa community forests; acquired by Eni"},{"key":"scheme_area","value":943646,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Luangwa community forests area"},{"key":"community_payment","value":50000,"unit":"euro","year":null,"note":"About EUR 50,000 received by the Luembe community in one year"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Eni planned a Zambia and Tanzania credit portfolio of 10 million tonnes a year by 2025 and 20 million tonnes a year by 2030 (Eni, November 2020).","Unconfirmed: Eni's 2050 target is 30-40 million tonnes a year of nature-based credits.","The cited sources do not give the credits, area or payments of the Ntakata scheme in Tanzania.","The cited sources do not say how the credit price or total value was split, or whether the Luembe payment was the full benefit-sharing amount.","The cited sources do not say whether the school was later used, or whether community payments have increased."],"sources":[{"t":"Eni's Luangwa credits and payments to the Luembe community","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2023-06-20","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/the-luangwa-community-forests-project","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260510023146/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/the-luangwa-community-forests-project"}],"actors":[{"id":"eni","role":"Acquired about 3.1 million credits from the Luangwa community forests"},{"id":"luembe-community","role":"Community that received about EUR 50,000 in one year"}],"mechanism":"forest carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Eni acquired about 3.1 million credits from the Luangwa community forests project, which covers 943,646 hectares of me in Zambia; the Luembe community received about EUR 50,000 in one year.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Eni planned a Zambia and Tanzania credit portfolio of 10 million tonnes a year by 2025 and 20 million tonnes a year by 2030 (Eni, November 2020).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Eni's 2050 target is 30-40 million tonnes a year of nature-based credits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the credits, area or payments of the Ntakata scheme in Tanzania.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the credit price or total value was split, or whether the Luembe payment was the full benefit-sharing amount.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the school was later used, or whether community payments have increased.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"holtec-nuclear-decommissioning-funds","tier":"short","title":"US regulator cites Holtec over use of decommissioning fund money","dek":"Holtec spent about $266,000 from decommissioning funds on festivities and donations that the NRC found improper, Provincetown Independent reported. What is at stake is the money set aside to dismantle reactors and clean up their sites.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":41.95,"lon":-70.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.95,"lon":-70.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2024,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["Provincetown Independent reported on 13 March 2024 that the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found Holtec had improperly spent about $266,000 from the decommissioning funds of four plants on festivities and donations.","The report said Pilgrim's $1.1 billion decommissioning fund held $518 million in December 2022, and that money left after decommissioning stays with the company as profit.","The report said the NRC has permitted about half a million dollars of lobbying costs to be paid from the Pilgrim fund since 2019."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The NRC found that Holtec had improperly spent about $266,000 from the decommissioning funds of four plants on festivities and donations.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Holtec International","what":"Keeps money left over from the Pilgrim fund after decommissioning","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Decommissioning funds of four plants","what":"About $266,000 spent on festivities and donations, which the NRC found improper","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pilgrim nuclear plant, United States; the NRC review covered the funds of four Holtec plants.","src":0},"when":{"t":"NRC finding reported 13 March 2024; Pilgrim fund balance as of December 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Holtec buys closing reactors together with their decommissioning funds; money left over after decommissioning stays with the company, and lobbying costs have been paid from the Pilgrim fund with NRC permission.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pilgrim_decommissioning_fund","value":1100000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"fund size as reported"},{"key":"pilgrim_fund_balance","value":518000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"balance remaining in December 2022"},{"key":"improper_spending_four_plants","value":266000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"festivities and donations, found improper by the NRC"},{"key":"lobbying_from_pilgrim_fund","value":500000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"note":"approximate, since 2019"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the New York Attorney General objected to $630 million of the $2.1 billion Indian Point fund being spent on spent-fuel management, and to federal reimbursements remaining with the company.","The cited sources do not say whether the NRC finding led to a repayment or a penalty.","Holtec's response to the NRC finding is not in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Holtec decommissioning fund use","p":"Provincetown Independent","d":"2024-03-13","u":"https://provincetownindependent.org/featured/2024/03/13/nrc-cites-holtec-for-improper-use-of-funds/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722223912/https://provincetownindependent.org/featured/2024/03/13/nrc-cites-holtec-for-improper-use-of-funds/"}],"actors":[{"id":"holtec-international","role":"Operator that acquires closing reactors together with their decommissioning funds"},{"id":"us-nuclear-regulatory-commission","role":"Regulator that found the improper spending and permitted lobbying costs"}],"mechanism":"decommissioning fund spending","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About $266,000 from four plants' decommissioning funds, money set aside to clean up reactor sites on me, was spent on festivities and donations the NRC found improper.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the New York Attorney General objected to $630 million of the $2.1 billion Indian Point fund being spent on spent-fuel management, and to federal reimbursements remaining with the company.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the NRC finding led to a repayment or a penalty.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Holtec's response to the NRC finding is not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"west-lake-landfill-and-republic-services-lobbying","tier":"short","title":"Republic Services subsidiaries lobbied on Superfund and federal cleanup funds","dek":"Two Republic Services subsidiaries spent about $180,000 a year on average lobbying on Superfund rules and federal cleanup funding, Waste Dive reported. The reported link to the West Lake Landfill radioactive site is unconfirmed; what is at stake is who pays to clean that site.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Missouri","lat":38.77,"lon":-90.36,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.77,"lon":-90.36,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Waste Dive reported on 11 June 2026 that US waste, recycling and wastewater companies spent more than $6.5 million on federal lobbying in 2025, above the 2009 peak and more than double 2019.","The same report said Bridgeton Landfill and Rock Road Industries, both Republic Services subsidiaries, lobbied over several years on Superfund rules, landfill inspection and funding for the FUSRAP federal cleanup fund for radioactive sites, at about $180,000 a year on average.","Waste Dive reported in October 2024 that the sector gave $11.05 million in campaign donations in the 2024 election period, and that $8.2 million of it came from one donor linked to Southern Waste Systems."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Two Republic Services subsidiaries lobbied on Superfund rules and federal cleanup funding, spending about $180,000 a year on average.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bridgeton Landfill and Rock Road Industries","what":"Sought Superfund rules, landfill inspection and FUSRAP funding through lobbying","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Federal lobbying in the United States; the West Lake Landfill is in Missouri, but its link to the subsidiaries is unconfirmed.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Lobbying over several years; sector lobbying for 2025 reported 11 June 2026; donations in the 2024 election period.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lobbying by two landfill subsidiaries of Republic Services on federal Superfund, inspection and cleanup-fund matters.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"federal_waste_lobbying_2025","value":6500000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"US waste, recycling and wastewater sector; above the 2009 peak"},{"key":"subsidiary_lobbying_average","value":180000,"unit":"USD per year","year":null,"note":"average over several years, Bridgeton Landfill and Rock Road Industries"},{"key":"sector_campaign_donations_2024","value":11050000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"sector total in the 2024 election period"},{"key":"single_donor_donations_2024","value":8199999.999999999,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"one donor linked to Southern Waste Systems"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the two subsidiaries are among the responsible parties for the West Lake Landfill Superfund site in Missouri, which holds radioactive waste.","Unconfirmed: the Teamsters union, which is in dispute with Republic, put West Lake spending at $219 million and liabilities at $342 million in a 2013 report.","Unconfirmed: an EPA plan for the site was put at $205 million, with options between $259 million and $415 million.","The cited sources do not say whether the subsidiaries' lobbying targeted West Lake, how cleanup costs are shared today, or whether the site has moved to the FUSRAP programme."],"sources":[{"t":"US waste sector federal lobbying record","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2026-06-11","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/waste-industry-annual-lobbying-spending-record-high-top-issues/822644/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928173734/https://www.wastedive.com/news/waste-industry-annual-lobbying-spending-record-high-top-issues/822644/"},{"t":"Waste sector campaign donations, 2024 election","p":"Waste Dive","d":"2024-10-17","u":"https://www.wastedive.com/news/campaign-finance-waste-recycling-pac-spending/731137","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710171436/https://www.wastedive.com/news/campaign-finance-waste-recycling-pac-spending/731137/"}],"actors":[{"id":"republic-services","role":"Parent of the two lobbying subsidiaries"},{"id":"bridgeton-landfill","role":"Republic Services subsidiary that lobbied on Superfund and FUSRAP"},{"id":"rock-road-industries","role":"Republic Services subsidiary that lobbied on Superfund and FUSRAP"},{"id":"southern-waste-systems","role":"Company linked to the largest single campaign donor"}],"mechanism":"lobbying and campaign donations","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the two subsidiaries are among the responsible parties for the West Lake Landfill Superfund site in Missouri, which holds radioactive waste.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Teamsters union, which is in dispute with Republic, put West Lake spending at $219 million and liabilities at $342 million in a 2013 report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an EPA plan for the site was put at $205 million, with options between $259 million and $415 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the subsidiaries' lobbying targeted West Lake, how cleanup costs are shared today, or whether the site has moved to the FUSRAP programme.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"braskem-and-solvi-cetrel-waste-joint-venture","tier":"short","title":"Braskem puts Camaçari petrochemical waste unit into Solví joint venture","dek":"Braskem, which owns 63.7% of waste and wastewater firm Cetrel, put Cetrel into a joint venture with Solví in June 2024, Exame reported. What is at stake for nature is who runs the waste and wastewater treatment for the Camaçari petrochemical complex.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-12.7,"lon":-38.32,"role":"event"}],"lat":-12.7,"lon":-38.32,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Exame reported on 13 June 2024 that Braskem moved Cetrel, the waste and wastewater company of its Camaçari petrochemical complex in which it holds 63.7%, into a joint venture with Solví.","The joint venture started with BRL 750 million in revenue and a business value of BRL 1.4 billion; Solví holds 50.1% and Braskem 49.9%, Exame said."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Braskem moved Cetrel, the waste and wastewater company of its Camaçari petrochemical complex, into a joint venture with Solví in June 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Solví","what":"Holds 50.1% of the joint venture","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Camaçari petrochemical complex, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"June 2024; reported 13 June 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cetrel was placed into a joint venture: Solví 50.1%, Braskem 49.9%, with starting revenue of BRL 750 million.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"jv_starting_revenue","value":750000000,"unit":"BRL","year":2024,"note":"joint venture starting revenue"},{"key":"jv_business_value","value":1400000000,"unit":"BRL","year":2024,"note":"joint venture business value"},{"key":"solvi_stake","value":50.1,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Solví share of the joint venture"},{"key":"braskem_stake","value":49.9,"unit":"percent","year":2024,"note":"Braskem share of the joint venture"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Solví runs 35 landfill sites, and about a third of it has been held by Australia's Macquarie fund since 2019.","The cited sources do not describe the waste types Cetrel treats, or whether its treatment or discharges changed after the deal."],"sources":[{"t":"Solví and Braskem joint venture (Cetrel)","p":"Exame","d":"2024-06-13","u":"https://www.exame.com/insight/solvi-e-braskem-se-unem-em-jv-de-gestao-de-residuos-de-r-14-bi/p/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519192942/https://exame.com/insight/solvi-e-braskem-se-unem-em-jv-de-gestao-de-residuos-de-r-14-bi/p"}],"actors":[{"id":"braskem","role":"Petrochemical company that moved Cetrel into the joint venture"},{"id":"solvi","role":"Waste company; 50.1% partner in the joint venture"}],"mechanism":"waste company joint venture","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Solví runs 35 landfill sites, and about a third of it has been held by Australia's Macquarie fund since 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the waste types Cetrel treats, or whether its treatment or discharges changed after the deal.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-waste-to-energy-tender-awards","tier":"short","title":"Eight winners named in Indonesia's waste-to-energy tenders, including Chandra Asri unit","dek":"Winners of Indonesia's waste-to-energy (PSEL) tenders, announced in July 2026, include a unit of petrochemical maker Chandra Asri and a subsidiary of state oil company Pertamina. At stake for nature is how much waste these plants will burn; the cited sources do not give the tariff or the length of public payment commitments.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Kabar Bursa reported on 14 July 2026 that eight winners had been announced for Indonesia's waste-to-energy (PSEL) tenders.","The winners include PT Chandra Waste Energy, a subsidiary of Chandra Asri, which Kabar Bursa describes as the country's largest petrochemical and plastics maker; it won for a 1,161-tonne-a-day plant in Serang.","Pertamina Power Indonesia, a subsidiary of the state oil company, won a site in Yogyakarta with Tianjin TEDA of China, and Bakrie Power won in Surabaya; China Everbright, Veolia and Suez were also among the winners."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Eight winners were named in Indonesia's waste-to-energy tenders in July 2026, including a Chandra Asri subsidiary.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"PT Chandra Waste Energy (Chandra Asri subsidiary)","what":"Won a tender for a 1,161-tonne-a-day plant in Serang","src":0},{"who":"Pertamina Power Indonesia (Pertamina subsidiary)","what":"Won a tender for a plant in Yogyakarta, with Tianjin TEDA of China","src":0},{"who":"Bakrie Power","what":"Won a tender for a plant in Surabaya","src":0},{"who":"China Everbright, Veolia and Suez","what":"Also among the eight winners","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia: plants in Serang, Yogyakarta and Surabaya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Winners announced in July 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tenders for plants that burn waste to generate electricity, won by a mix of petrochemical, state oil, energy and waste companies.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"psel_tender_winners","value":8,"unit":"winners","year":2026,"note":"announced July 2026"},{"key":"serang_plant_capacity","value":1161,"unit":"tonnes per day","year":2026,"note":"PT Chandra Waste Energy, Serang"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the programme covers 33 regions, with about 91 trillion rupiah of planned investment.","Unconfirmed: Zhejiang Weiming and Wangneng also won Indonesian waste-to-energy tenders.","The cited sources do not give the electricity purchase tariff, the acceptance fee, or the public's 20-to-30-year payment obligations."],"sources":[{"t":"Indonesia PSEL tender winners","p":"Kabar Bursa","d":"2026-07-14","u":"https://www.kabarbursa.com/ekonomi-hijau/danantara-umumkan-8-pemenang-tender-psel-anak-usaha-chandra-asri-tpia-masuk-daftar.md","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"chandra-asri","role":"Parent of winning subsidiary PT Chandra Waste Energy"},{"id":"pertamina","role":"State oil company; its subsidiary Pertamina Power Indonesia won a tender"},{"id":"bakrie-power","role":"Winner of a tender in Surabaya"},{"id":"china-everbright","role":"Among the eight winners"},{"id":"veolia","role":"Among the eight winners"},{"id":"suez","role":"Among the eight winners"}],"mechanism":"waste-to-energy incineration tender","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["indonesia-waste-to-energy-tariff-and-danantara"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the programme covers 33 regions, with about 91 trillion rupiah of planned investment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Zhejiang Weiming and Wangneng also won Indonesian waste-to-energy tenders.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the electricity purchase tariff, the acceptance fee, or the public's 20-to-30-year payment obligations.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"swiss-pfas-in-sewage-sludge-treated-farmland","tier":"short","title":"Sewage sludge spread on Swiss farmland now linked to PFAS contamination","dek":"Sewage sludge spread on farms in St. Gallen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden in the 1970s to 1990s, on cantonal advisers' advice, is resurfacing as PFAS contamination, Keystone-SDA reported. What is at stake is the soil and who is to blame; the cited sources do not say how it will be cleaned up.","country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":"St. Gallen","lat":47.42,"lon":9.37,"role":"event"}],"lat":47.42,"lon":9.37,"approxCoords":true,"start":1970,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Keystone-SDA reported on 16 July 2026 that sludge spread on farmland in St. Gallen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden in the 1970s to 1990s, on the advice of cantonal advisers, is now resurfacing as PFAS contamination.","The farmers' association says its members are victims rather than the cause; a 1992 cantonal document shows that sludge use was actively encouraged, the report said."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sewage sludge spread on farmland in St. Gallen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden is now linked to PFAS contamination.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers in St. Gallen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden","what":"Their farmers' association says they are victims of the contamination, not its cause","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"St. Gallen and Appenzell Ausserrhoden cantons, Switzerland","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sludge spread in the 1970s to 1990s; 1992 cantonal document; reported 16 July 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sewage sludge was spread on farmland on the recommendation of cantonal advisers.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Switzerland banned spreading sewage sludge on fields in 2006 under the precautionary principle.","The cited sources do not give PFAS concentrations or the area affected.","The cited sources do not say how the contamination will be cleaned up or who will pay."],"sources":[{"t":"St. Gallen PFAS and sludge legacy","p":"Keystone-SDA / swissinfo","d":"2026-07-16","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/beim-thema-pfas-wird-im-kanton-st.-gallen-die-schuldfrage-gestellt/91755191","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"canton-st-gallen","role":"Canton named in the case; sludge was spread there in the 1970s to 1990s"},{"id":"canton-appenzell-ausserrhoden","role":"Canton named in the case; sludge was spread there in the 1970s to 1990s"}],"mechanism":"sewage sludge land application","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Switzerland banned spreading sewage sludge on fields in 2006 under the precautionary principle.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give PFAS concentrations or the area affected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the contamination will be cleaned up or who will pay.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cfc-11-emissions-from-eastern-china-after-montreal-protocol","tier":"short","title":"Scripps reported a new source of illegal CFC-11 emissions","dek":"Illegal production of CFC-11, an ozone-depleting gas, came to light, Scripps reported. NOAA projects the ozone layer to recover to 1980 levels around 2040 globally and 2066 over Antarctica, while the cited sources do not state how much CFC-11 was emitted from eastern China.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Eastern China","lat":37,"lon":116.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":37,"lon":116.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The cited sources state that the Montreal Protocol removed about 99% of ozone-depleting substances.","Scripps reported the discovery of a new source of CFC emissions, and illegal CFC-11 production came to light."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Scripps reported illegal production of CFC-11, an ozone-depleting gas.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Eastern China (location not confirmed in the cited sources)","src":null},"when":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: CFC-11 emissions rose after 2013, with production banned since 2010 continuing in Shandong and Hebei provinces in eastern China.","Unconfirmed: Shandong and Hebei accounted for 40 to 60% of the global rise, and eastern China added about 7,000 tonnes a year (University of Bristol; Rigby et al., Nature, 2019).","The cited sources do not name the producers or any penalty, and do not say whether production has stopped."],"sources":[{"t":"NOAA ozone assessment 2026","p":"NOAA","d":"2026","u":"https://csl.noaa.gov/assessments/ozone/2026","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260421225904/https://csl.noaa.gov/assessments/ozone/2026/"},{"t":"Scripps news item on new CFC emissions","p":"Scripps","d":"","u":"https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/scientists-discover-source-new-cfc-emissions","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260215011745/https://scripps.ucsd.edu/news/scientists-discover-source-new-cfc-emissions"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"CFC-11 production reported as illegal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: CFC-11 emissions rose after 2013, with production banned since 2010 continuing in Shandong and Hebei provinces in eastern China.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Shandong and Hebei accounted for 40 to 60% of the global rise, and eastern China added about 7,000 tonnes a year (University of Bristol; Rigby et al., Nature, 2019).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the producers or any penalty, and do not say whether production has stopped.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"kheiron-biotech-polo-horse-cloning","tier":"short","title":"Kheiron Biotech expects to produce about 400 polo horse clones in 2025","dek":"Kheiron Biotech, an Argentine firm, sells cloned polo horses and told Gazeta do Povo/Reuters it expected about 400 clones in 2025. The sources do not connect the work to any conservation outcome.","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","places":[{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-38.4,"lon":-63.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2025,"instrument":"biotech","happened":["Gazeta do Povo/Reuters reported in November 2025 that a clone of the polo mare Cuartetera sold for 800,000 dollars in 2010, and that the sale led to the founding of Kheiron Biotech.","Kheiron said it expected to produce about 400 clones in 2025, more than half of the cloned horses born in Argentina that year, and to sell them at an average of 40,000 dollars.","The report says Kheiron produced five foals edited with CRISPR to suppress the myostatin gene, which limits muscle growth.","Argentina's Polo Association has barred the edited horses from competition, while national rules do not separate cloned, transgenic and conventional horses."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kheiron Biotech clones polo horses in Argentina for sale.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kheiron Biotech","what":"sells cloned polo horses; said it expected about 400 clones in 2025","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Argentina.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From the 2010 sale of a clone to 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Cloning of polo horses, and CRISPR editing of five foals to suppress myostatin, as the report describes.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"clones_expected_2025","value":400,"unit":"clones","year":2025,"note":"approximate; company statement"},{"key":"average_sale_price","value":40000,"unit":"dollars per clone foal","year":2025,"note":"average, per company statement"},{"key":"cuartetera_clone_sale_price","value":800000,"unit":"dollars","year":2010,"note":"sale of a clone of the mare Cuartetera"},{"key":"gene_edited_foals","value":5,"unit":"foals","year":null,"note":"edited with CRISPR to suppress myostatin"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Argentina's horse cloning rules are set by Decree 200/1997.","Unconfirmed: the US firm ViaGen quotes 85,000 dollars for a horse clone.","The 400-clone and 40,000-dollar figures are company statements, and the cited sources do not check them independently.","Effects on horse welfare, animal health and any conservation outcome are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Kheiron: polo horse clones and gene-edited foals","p":"Gazeta do Povo / Reuters","d":"November 2025","u":"https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/mundo/crispr-conheca-os-primeiros-cavalos-geneticamente-editados-do-mundo/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"kheiron-biotech","role":"cloned polo horses for sale; reported 2025 clone output and prices"},{"id":"argentine-polo-association","role":"barred gene-edited horses from competition"}],"mechanism":"horse cloning for sale","types":["biotech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Argentina's horse cloning rules are set by Decree 200/1997.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US firm ViaGen quotes 85,000 dollars for a horse clone.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 400-clone and 40,000-dollar figures are company statements, and the cited sources do not check them independently.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effects on horse welfare, animal health and any conservation outcome are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dubai-commercial-camel-cloning","tier":"short","title":"Dubai camel cloning centre reported 28 pregnancies in 2021","dek":"A Dubai centre clones camels for Gulf clients, who pay 200,000 to 400,000 dirhams a clone, according to a 2021 report. The sources do not connect the trade to any conservation outcome.","country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","places":[{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Dubai","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":25.2,"lon":55.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2023,"instrument":"biotech","happened":["Dubai's reproductive biotechnology centre announced the first cloned camel, Injaz, in April 2009, according to a 2021 Times of Israel/AFP report.","The centre's science director said it recorded 20 pregnancies in 2020 and 28 in 2021, and produced more than 10 to 20 offspring a year.","Gulf clients pay 200,000 to 400,000 dirhams per clone, and the most popular order is for 'beauty queen' camels.","Seoul Shinmun reported in July 2023 that a South Korean scientist working at the Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute said he had cloned more than 150 camels in the UAE and more than 1,600 animals in total."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dubai's reproductive biotechnology centre offers commercial camel cloning and reported 28 pregnancies in 2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Reproductive biotechnology centre (Dubai)","what":"commercial clone orders at 200,000 to 400,000 dirhams each","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute, also in the UAE, is named in a 2023 report.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Announced April 2009; pregnancy counts for 2020 and 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The source says the most popular order is for 'beauty queen' camels.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Commercial cloning of camels, with pregnancy and offspring counts given by the centre's science director.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pregnancies_2020","value":20,"unit":"pregnancies","year":2020,"note":"reported by the centre's science director"},{"key":"pregnancies_2021","value":28,"unit":"pregnancies","year":2021,"note":"reported by the centre's science director"},{"key":"clone_price_low","value":200000,"unit":"dirhams per clone","year":null,"note":"range 200,000 to 400,000 dirhams per clone; year not stated"},{"key":"camels_cloned_uae","value":150,"unit":"camels","year":2023,"note":"more than 150, as stated by the scientist"},{"key":"animals_cloned_total","value":1600,"unit":"animals","year":2023,"note":"more than 1,600 in total, as stated by the scientist"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not state the centre's revenue, the number of clones sold or the size of the market.","Animal welfare, surrogate welfare and loss rates are not on record.","Effects on wild camel populations or on conservation are not stated; the sources describe commercial cloning only.","Pregnancy, offspring and clone counts are the centre's and the scientist's own statements, and the cited sources do not check them independently.","Whether the 1,600-animal total includes camels sold commercially is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Dubai: Injaz; commercial camel cloning","p":"Times of Israel / AFP","d":"2021","u":"https://www.timesofisrael.com/camel-beauty-pageants-races-spur-high-demand-for-cloning/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240225021053/https://www.timesofisrael.com/camel-beauty-pageants-races-spur-high-demand-for-cloning/"},{"t":"Work at the Abu Dhabi Biotechnology Institute","p":"Seoul Shinmun","d":"10 July 2023","u":"https://m.seoul.co.kr/news/2023/07/10/20230710500009","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"reproductive-biotechnology-centre-dubai","role":"offers commercial camel cloning; reported pregnancy counts"},{"id":"abu-dhabi-biotechnology-institute","role":"employed the South Korean scientist whose camel cloning work is reported"}],"mechanism":"commercial camel cloning","types":["biotech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the centre's revenue, the number of clones sold or the size of the market.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Animal welfare, surrogate welfare and loss rates are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effects on wild camel populations or on conservation are not stated; the sources describe commercial cloning only.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Pregnancy, offspring and clone counts are the centre's and the scientist's own statements, and the cited sources do not check them independently.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the 1,600-animal total includes camels sold commercially is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"korea-rda-cloned-detection-dogs","tier":"short","title":"South Korea's Rural Development Administration cloned six working dogs in 2013","dek":"South Korea's Rural Development Administration produced six clones of quarantine, police, army and rescue dogs in May 2013, at 46 million won a clone. The sources do not show how the dogs were used or any effect on nature.","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.5,"lon":127.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2013,"instrument":"biotech","happened":["The Rural Development Administration produced six clones of quarantine, police, army and rescue dogs in May 2013, according to DailyVet.","DailyVet reported a cost of 46 million won per clone, against 130 million won to train a classically bred search dog, which the agency presented as a 65 percent saving."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The agency cloned six dogs used for quarantine, police, army and rescue work.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Rural Development Administration","what":"presented cloning as a 65 percent saving over classical training of a search dog","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"South Korea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"May 2013.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The agency presented cloning as cheaper than classical training of search dogs.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Six clones made from quarantine, police, army and rescue dogs.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"clone_cost_won","value":46000000,"unit":"won per clone","year":2013,"note":"as stated by the source"},{"key":"classical_training_cost_won","value":130000000,"unit":"won","year":2013,"note":"training cost of a classically bred search dog, as stated by the source"},{"key":"dogs_cloned","value":6,"unit":"dogs","year":2013,"note":"clones produced"},{"key":"saving_claim_percent","value":65,"unit":"percent","year":2013,"note":"saving claimed by the agency"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Outcomes for the six dogs, including whether they entered service, are not on record.","The cost comparison is as presented by the agency; the cited sources do not show how it was calculated.","Unconfirmed: a 2005 bioethics and safety law governs cloning in South Korea.","Effects on nature are not stated; the sources do not connect the dogs to any wild or conservation use."],"sources":[{"t":"RDA's six cloned search dogs","p":"DailyVet","d":"22 May 2013","u":"https://www.dailyvet.co.kr/?p=5041","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"south-korea-rda","role":"produced six clones and reported the cost comparison"}],"mechanism":"cloning of working dogs","types":["biotech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcomes for the six dogs, including whether they entered service, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cost comparison is as presented by the agency; the cited sources do not show how it was calculated.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2005 bioethics and safety law governs cloning in South Korea.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effects on nature are not stated; the sources do not connect the dogs to any wild or conservation use.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"japan-unapproved-gm-silkworm-strain-in-gunma-farms","tier":"short","title":"Japan imposes administrative sanction over unapproved GM silkworm strain","dek":"Japan's Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment sanctioned the Gunma Silk Technology Center in May 2019 over an unapproved fluorescent silkworm strain. At stake for nature is a genetically modified organism that was reared on farms without approval.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Gunma","lat":36.39,"lon":139.06,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.39,"lon":139.06,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2019,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Japan's Ministries of Agriculture and the Environment imposed an administrative sanction on the Gunma Silk Technology Center in May 2019 under the Cartagena Act, the Ministry of the Environment said.","An unapproved fluorescent silk strain was reared in 2017–2018 on farms selected by NARO, Japan's agricultural research agency, and used for cocoon production, according to the ministry."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An unapproved fluorescent GM silkworm strain was reared and used for cocoon production, and the Gunma Silk Technology Center was sanctioned.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gunma prefecture, Japan; farms selected by NARO.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Strain reared 2017–2018; sanction announced 7 May 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The strain was reared on farms without approval; the sanction was imposed under the Cartagena Act.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a proposal to use NARO's spider-silk silkworm in Amami Oshima sericulture stayed at proposal stage.","The number of farms and farmers involved was not disclosed.","The cited sources do not say who benefited from the strain or whether its cocoons reached the market."],"sources":[{"t":"Unapproved GM silkworm strain found on Japanese farms","p":"Ministry of the Environment, Japan","d":"2019-05-07","u":"https://www.env.go.jp/press/106744.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250212002143/https://www.env.go.jp/press/106744.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"naro","role":"chose the farms where the strain was reared"},{"id":"gunma-silk-technology-center","role":"sanctioned party"},{"id":"cambodia-ministry-of-environment","role":"imposed the sanction"}],"mechanism":"unapproved GM silkworm strain","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a proposal to use NARO's spider-silk silkworm in Amami Oshima sericulture stayed at proposal stage.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The number of farms and farmers involved was not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who benefited from the strain or whether its cocoons reached the market.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"beyond-meat-share-collapse-and-debt-restructuring","tier":"short","title":"Beyond Meat shares fall below $1 as company refinances debt","dek":"Beyond Meat's shares fell below $1 on 14 October 2025, down 73% for the year, as the company replaced 2027 debt with 2030 debt. At stake for nature is the alternative-meat model; the cited sources do not report a measured effect on land, wildlife or emissions.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Beyond Meat's shares fell below $1 on 14 October 2025, opening at 92 cents and down 73% since the start of the year, AP reported.","The company issued $202.5 million of debt due 2030 in place of bonds due 2027, and planned to reduce debt by about $800 million and issue up to 326 million new shares, AP reported.","First-half 2025 net revenue fell 15%, AP reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Beyond Meat's shares fell below $1 on 14 October 2025, and the company issued new 2030 debt to replace 2027 bonds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Beyond Meat shareholders","what":"share price down 73% since the start of 2025 as of 14 October","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"when":{"t":"October 2025 (share price); 2025 debt and share plans.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"New 2030 debt was issued; the company planned to cut debt by about $800 million and to issue up to 326 million new shares.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"share_price_open_oct_2025","value":92,"unit":"US cents","year":2025,"note":"Opening price on 14 October 2025, below $1"},{"key":"share_price_loss_ytd","value":73,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Loss since the start of 2025, as of 14 October"},{"key":"new_debt_due_2030","value":202.5,"unit":"US$ million","year":2025,"note":"New debt maturing 2030, replacing bonds due 2027"},{"key":"planned_debt_reduction","value":800,"unit":"US$ million","year":2025,"note":"Approximate reduction planned"},{"key":"h1_2025_net_revenue_change","value":15,"unit":"percent decline","year":2025,"note":"First half of 2025"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: market value fell to about $60 million.","Unconfirmed: the shares had traded above $230 after the 2019 IPO.","The reason for the share fall is not on record.","Headquarters and listing venue are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Beyond Meat shares drop below $1","p":"WSLS (AP)","d":"2025-10-14","u":"https://www.wsls.com/business/2025/10/14/beyond-meat-shares-drop-below-1-on-investor-concerns/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251014211938/https://www.wsls.com/business/2025/10/14/beyond-meat-shares-drop-below-1-on-investor-concerns/"}],"actors":[{"id":"beyond-meat","role":"listed company whose shares fell and that refinanced debt"}],"mechanism":"debt refinancing and share issuance","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: market value fell to about $60 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the shares had traded above $230 after the 2019 IPO.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reason for the share fall is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Headquarters and listing venue are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"china-closure-of-straw-pulp-mills-and-columbia-pulp","tier":"short","title":"China's non-wood pulp output fell as Columbia Pulp's straw mill stopped","dek":"Columbia Pulp, a Washington State mill that made pulp from wheat straw, stopped within a year of its 2019 start. China's non-wood pulp output fell from 10.5 million tonnes in 2004 to 3.5 million in 2015, and the cited sources report no measured forest outcome.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Washington","lat":47.38,"lon":-120.45,"role":"related"}],"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"approxCoords":true,"start":2004,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Columbia Pulp, which described itself as North America's first treeless pulp mill, was established in Washington State at about $183.9 million and began production in 2019 (Pulp & Paper News).","The mill stopped within a year, was placed under a receiver in April 2022, and its equipment went to auction in February 2024 (Pulp & Paper News).","Hawkins Wright reported that China's non-wood pulp output peaked at 10.5 million tonnes in 2004 and fell 24% to 3.5 million tonnes in 2015, when pulp imports reached 17.5 million tonnes.","Hawkins Wright described the displacement of domestic non-wood pulp as the largest driver of China's import demand."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Columbia Pulp, a Washington State mill producing pulp from wheat straw, began production in 2019 and stopped within a year.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"China's domestic non-wood pulp producers","what":"output fell from 10.5 million tonnes (2004) to 3.5 million tonnes (2015)","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Washington State, United States (the mill).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Production began 2019; receivership April 2022; equipment auction February 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Imports displaced China's domestic non-wood pulp, according to Hawkins Wright.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"columbia_pulp_cost","value":183.9,"unit":"US$ million","year":null,"note":"Approximate amount the mill was established at"},{"key":"china_nonwood_pulp_2004","value":10500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2004,"note":"Peak non-wood pulp output (Hawkins Wright)"},{"key":"china_nonwood_pulp_2015","value":3500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2015,"note":"Non-wood pulp output, down 24% (Hawkins Wright)"},{"key":"china_pulp_imports_2015","value":17500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2015,"note":"Pulp imports (Hawkins Wright)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the mill's annual capacity was 140,000 tonnes of pulp.","Unconfirmed: China closed thousands of small pulp and paper mills from 1996, most of them using straw, with about 7,000 closures by one estimate.","Unconfirmed: before 2000 only about 10% of China's pulp came from wood.","Claims about Brazilian eucalyptus plantations and Suzano are unconfirmed.","The reason for the mill's closure is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Columbia Pulp wheat-straw pulp mill","p":"Pulp & Paper News","d":"","u":"https://pulpapernews.com/en/node/15238","type":"press"},{"t":"Decline of non-wood pulp in China","p":"Hawkins Wright","d":"2016-03-23","u":"https://www.hawkinswright.com/news-and-events/blog/post/hawkins-wright-blog/2016/03/23/the-displacement-of-china","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260314051220/https://www.hawkinswright.com/news-and-events/blog/post/hawkins-wright-blog/2016/03/23/the-displacement-of-china"}],"actors":[{"id":"columbia-pulp","role":"established and operated the wheat-straw mill"}],"mechanism":"non-wood pulp substitution","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the mill's annual capacity was 140,000 tonnes of pulp.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: China closed thousands of small pulp and paper mills from 1996, most of them using straw, with about 7,000 closures by one estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: before 2000 only about 10% of China's pulp came from wood.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Claims about Brazilian eucalyptus plantations and Suzano are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reason for the mill's closure is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chiquita-payments-to-colombian-paramilitaries-and-2024-verdi","tier":"short","title":"Florida jury awards $38.3 million over Chiquita's paramilitary payments","dek":"Chiquita admitted in 2007 that it paid about $1.7 million to Colombian AUC paramilitaries and paid a $25 million fine. A Florida jury awarded $38.3 million to eight families in 2024, and the appeal is ongoing; the cited sources do not report a measured effect on nature.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":4.57,"lon":-74.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","lat":27.99,"lon":-81.76,"role":"court"}],"lat":4.57,"lon":-74.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Chiquita admitted in 2007 that it paid about $1.7 million to AUC paramilitaries in Colombia and paid a $25 million fine (NPR; Bloomberg Law).","In 2024 a Florida jury awarded $38.3 million to eight families (NPR).","Bloomberg Law reported in 2025 that Chiquita was appealing the verdict."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chiquita admitted paying about $1.7 million to AUC paramilitaries in Colombia in 2007 and paid a $25 million fine.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"AUC paramilitaries (Colombia)","what":"received about $1.7 million from Chiquita, per Chiquita's 2007 admission","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Eight families (plaintiffs)","what":"awarded $38.3 million by a Florida jury in 2024; appeal ongoing","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Colombia (payments); Florida, United States (verdict).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Admission in 2007; verdict in 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments were made to AUC paramilitaries in Colombia, as admitted by Chiquita.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"payments_to_auc","value":1.7,"unit":"US$ million","year":2007,"note":"Approximate; admitted by Chiquita"},{"key":"fine_paid","value":25,"unit":"US$ million","year":null,"note":"Fine paid by Chiquita"},{"key":"jury_award","value":38.3,"unit":"US$ million","year":2024,"note":"Awarded to eight families; appeal ongoing"}],"legal":[{"title":"Florida civil verdict against Chiquita over AUC payments","forum":"Florida jury (court name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Eight families","defendant":"Chiquita","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"ongoing","summary":"A Florida jury awarded $38.3 million to eight families in 2024; Chiquita is appealing (Bloomberg Law, 2025).","src":1}],"unknown":["The outcome of the appeal is not on record.","The cited sources do not say whether other payments were made beyond the 2007 admission.","The cited sources do not report a measured effect on forests or wildlife."],"sources":[{"t":"A jury says Chiquita should pay millions over paramilitary killings in Colombia","p":"NPR (via Michigan Public)","d":"2024-06-13","u":"https://www.michiganpublic.org/2024-06-13/a-jury-says-chiquita-should-pay-millions-over-paramilitary-killings-in-colombia","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412193240/https://www.michiganpublic.org/2024-06-13/a-jury-says-chiquita-should-pay-millions-over-paramilitary-killings-in-colombia"},{"t":"Chiquita appeals $38.3 million human rights verdict","p":"Bloomberg Law","d":"2025","u":"https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/chiquita-appeals-38-3-million-landmark-human-rights-verdict","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723070617/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/chiquita-appeals-38-3-million-landmark-human-rights-verdict"}],"actors":[{"id":"chiquita","role":"defendant; admitted the payments"},{"id":"autodefensas-unidas-de-colombia","role":"recipient of the payments"}],"mechanism":"payments to paramilitaries","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the appeal is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether other payments were made beyond the 2007 admission.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report a measured effect on forests or wildlife.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"abcd-traders-cerrado-soy-deforestation-free-claims-versus-mo","tier":"short","title":"Grain traders report 93–99% of Cerrado soy as deforestation-free","dek":"The traders' own forum declared 93–99% of 2023/24 Cerrado soy deforestation-free, while Mighty Earth's monitoring lists potentially linked losses for Bunge and Cargill. The Cerrado savanna is the nature at stake, and the cited sources do not give the period covered by the loss figures.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Cerrado biome","lat":-12.5,"lon":-47.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-12.5,"lon":-47.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The traders' own forum declared 93–99% of 2023/24 Cerrado soy as deforestation-free, according to the Soft Commodities Forum 2025 report.","Mighty Earth's monitoring data lists potentially linked losses of 224,181 hectares for Bunge and 133,256 hectares for Cargill.","Trade associations whose management included Cargill, Bunge and ADM lobbied against the EU deforestation regulation in 2021, and the regulation was postponed twice (Unearthed, 2022)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Grain traders declared 93–99% of 2023/24 Cerrado soy deforestation-free in their own forum, while monitoring lists potentially linked losses.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Cerrado habitat","what":"monitoring lists potentially linked losses of 224,181 ha (Bunge) and 133,256 ha (Cargill)","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cerrado biome, Brazil.","src":1},"when":{"t":"2023/24 soy season.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The deforestation-free figures are self-declared by the traders; the loss figures come from a separate monitoring source.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"cerrado_soy_declared_deforestation_free_pct","value":93,"unit":"percent (declared; range 93–99)","year":null,"note":"2023/24 Cerrado soy season; traders' own forum"},{"key":"bunge_potentially_linked_loss_ha","value":224181,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Potentially linked losses, Mighty Earth monitoring"},{"key":"cargill_potentially_linked_loss_ha","value":133256,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Potentially linked losses, Mighty Earth monitoring"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The period covered by the Mighty Earth loss figures is not on record.","The traders' direct role in the 2025 postponement of the EU regulation is not on record.","The cited sources do not report a measured effect on the Cerrado as a whole."],"sources":[{"t":"Soft Commodities Forum 2025 annual report","p":"WBCSD (Soft Commodities Forum)","d":"2025","u":"https://www.wbcsd.org/resources/soft-commodities-forum-2025-annual-report/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260202225824/https://www.wbcsd.org/resources/soft-commodities-forum-2025-annual-report/"},{"t":"Soy and cattle monitor tracker scorecard","p":"Mighty Earth","d":"","u":"https://soyandcattlemonitor.mightyearth.org/tracker-scorecard/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411204143/https://soyandcattlemonitor.mightyearth.org/tracker-scorecard/"},{"t":"EU deforestation regulation lobbying","p":"Unearthed (Greenpeace)","d":"2022-03-04","u":"https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2022/03/04/eu-deforestation-lobbying-cop26/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606141609/https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2022/03/04/eu-deforestation-lobbying-cop26/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bunge","role":"named in monitoring of potentially linked losses; linked to 2021 EU lobbying through trade associations"},{"id":"cargill","role":"named in monitoring of potentially linked losses; linked to 2021 EU lobbying through trade associations"},{"id":"adm","role":"linked to 2021 EU lobbying through trade associations"},{"id":"mighty-earth","role":"monitoring source"}],"mechanism":"deforestation-free soy sourcing claims","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Traders declared 93–99% of 2023/24 soy from my Cerrado deforestation-free in their Soft Commodities Forum report; Mighty Earth's monitoring lists potentially linked losses of 224,181 hectares of me for Bunge and 133,256 for Cargill.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The period covered by the Mighty Earth loss figures is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The traders' direct role in the 2025 postponement of the EU regulation is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report a measured effect on the Cerrado as a whole.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"epa-repeal-of-the-2009-greenhouse-gas-endangerment-finding","tier":"short","title":"EPA repeals 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding on legal grounds","dek":"The US Environmental Protection Agency repealed its 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding in February 2026. The agency estimates savings of 1.3 trillion dollars, while 24 states and environmental groups have sued.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.9,"lon":-77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Wyoming Public Radio reported that the Environmental Protection Agency repealed the 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding on 12 February 2026.","The cited sources say the repeal rested on legal grounds rather than scientific findings, including a narrow reading of the Clean Air Act's scope and the major questions doctrine.","Wyoming Public Radio reported that 24 states and environmental groups sued over the repeal, and EPA's own estimate puts the savings at 1.3 trillion dollars.","Copernicus reported that 2024 was the warmest year on record, 1.60 °C above pre-industrial levels; ECMWF ranked 2025 as the third warmest, at 1.47 °C."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"EPA repealed the 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding on 12 February 2026, relying on legal grounds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vehicle and engine manufacturers","what":"Listed as beneficiaries of the repeal in the cited analyses; the cited sources give no figure for their gain","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, federal rule","src":0},"when":{"t":"Repeal dated 12 February 2026 in the Wyoming Public Radio report; lawsuits followed.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Wyoming Public Radio reported the legal basis as a narrow reading of the scope of the finding, the major questions doctrine, and a claim that US vehicles have a negligible global effect.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A final agency action repealing the 2009 finding.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"estimated_savings","value":1.3,"unit":"trillion USD","year":null,"note":"EPA's own estimate"},{"key":"warmest_year_above_preindustrial","value":1.6,"unit":"°C above pre-industrial","year":2024,"note":"Copernicus: warmest year in the records"},{"key":"third_warmest_year_warming","value":1.47,"unit":"°C","year":2025,"note":"ECMWF: third-warmest year; baseline not restated in the cited sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the effective date of the repeal.","The outcome of the lawsuits by 24 states and environmental groups is not on record.","The cited sources do not quantify the costs or benefits for vehicle and engine manufacturers.","No independent re-measurement that contests the temperature records is cited in the sources.","The Wyoming Public Radio report of 31 March 2026 is cited without a link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"EPA action on the 2009 endangerment finding (13 February 2026)","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2026-02-13","u":"https://www.epa.gov/node/298979","type":"government"},{"t":"Global Climate Highlights 2024","p":"Copernicus Climate Change Service","d":"2025-01","u":"https://climate.copernicus.eu/global-climate-highlights-2024","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013111454/https://climate.copernicus.eu/global-climate-highlights-2024"},{"t":"2025 third-warmest year","p":"ECMWF","d":"2026-01","u":"https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/news/2025/2025-third-warmest-year","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003085427/https://www.ecmwf.int/en/about/media-centre/news/2025/2025-third-warmest-year"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"Issued the repeal"},{"id":"vehicle-engine-manufacturers","role":"Listed as beneficiaries"}],"mechanism":"regulatory repeal, emissions finding","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"2024 was my warmest year on record, 1.60 °C above pre-industrial levels, Copernicus reports; in February 2026 the EPA repealed its 2009 endangerment finding, estimating savings of 1.3 trillion dollars.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the effective date of the repeal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the lawsuits by 24 states and environmental groups is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not quantify the costs or benefits for vehicle and engine manufacturers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent re-measurement that contests the temperature records is cited in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Wyoming Public Radio report of 31 March 2026 is cited without a link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"obbba-fossil-fuel-leasing-expansion-and-royalty-cuts","tier":"short","title":"US budget law cuts fossil fuel royalties and sets 4 million coal acres for leasing","dek":"The One Big Beautiful Bill Act lowered federal royalty shares for onshore oil and gas and for coal, and opens 4 million acres of coal land to leasing, as reported. The cited analysis says oil, gas and coal producers gain while the public's revenue share falls.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["As reported (NPR, June 2025, and Outdoor Alliance, August 2026), the law lowered the federal royalty share for onshore oil and gas to 12.5 percent and for coal to 7 percent.","The same sources say 4 million acres of coal land will be opened to leasing, and that at least two Gulf lease sales a year will be held until 2039.","A US Interior Department source dated 22 July 2025 gives at least 19.15 million dollars from fossil-fuel-linked donors to the inauguration fund; 43 of 111 reviewed appointees had fossil-fuel ties.","Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Occidental were named among the donors. The cited sources document an overlap between those donors and the sector that gains from the law, but not a causal link."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The One Big Beautiful Bill Act lowered federal royalty rates for onshore oil and gas and for coal, and opened 4 million acres of coal land to leasing.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Oil, gas and coal producers","what":"Lower royalty rates and wider leasing, per the cited analysis","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"US public, through its federal revenue share","what":"Smaller federal royalty share, per the cited analysis","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States: onshore federal land, coal lands and Gulf lease sales","src":null},"when":{"t":"The Global CCS Institute dates the act 4 July 2025; the royalty and leasing terms are reported from the cited sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through the royalty and leasing provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"onshore_oil_gas_royalty_rate","value":12.5,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"federal share of onshore oil and gas after the cut, per the cited sources"},{"key":"coal_royalty_rate","value":7,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"federal share of coal after the cut, per the cited sources"},{"key":"coal_land_opened_to_leasing","value":4000000,"unit":"acres","year":null,"note":"per the cited sources"},{"key":"inauguration_fund_fossil_linked","value":19150000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"at least; US Interior Department source dated 22 July 2025"},{"key":"appointees_with_fossil_ties","value":43,"unit":"appointees","year":2025,"note":"of 111 reviewed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The Interior Department source is cited by date only; no link is given in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not show whether the donations influenced the law.","Whether the new coal and Gulf leasing has led to lease sales or production is not on record.","The Outdoor Alliance analysis (August 2026) is cited without a link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Global CCS Institute on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and 45Q (July 2025)","p":"Global CCS Institute","d":"2025-07-08","u":"https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/u-s-preserves-and-increases-45q-credit-in-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904040255/https://www.globalccsinstitute.com/u-s-preserves-and-increases-45q-credit-in-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-interior-department","role":"Cited source for the inauguration-fund record"},{"id":"chevron","role":"Named inauguration-fund donor"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Named inauguration-fund donor"},{"id":"conocophillips","role":"Named inauguration-fund donor"},{"id":"occidental","role":"Named inauguration-fund donor"}],"mechanism":"royalty cuts, lease expansion","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Interior Department source is cited by date only; no link is given in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show whether the donations influenced the law.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the new coal and Gulf leasing has led to lease sales or production is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Outdoor Alliance analysis (August 2026) is cited without a link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Oil, gas and coal producers","No source link — Who lost: US public, through its federal revenue share"]},{"id":"retracted-williams-kroes-munro-glyphosate-review-ghostwritin","tier":"short","title":"Glyphosate safety review retracted over undisclosed Monsanto ghostwriting","dek":"A 2000 review that found the herbicide glyphosate safe was retracted in November 2025 because the authorship of Monsanto employees was not disclosed. US Right to Know, a campaign group, says the review relied only on unpublished Monsanto studies.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":2000,"end":2025,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["US Right to Know reported on 3 December 2025 that the 2000 review by Williams, Kroes and Munro was retracted in November 2025 for undisclosed authorship by Monsanto employees.","US Right to Know said the review relied only on unpublished Monsanto studies and was among the most-cited 0.1 percent of papers on glyphosate.","According to the cited sources, up to 50 percent of some sections of a January 2019 German BfR glyphosate report had been taken from the licence application file."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2000 glyphosate safety review by Williams, Kroes and Munro was retracted in November 2025 over undisclosed Monsanto authorship.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Its unpublished studies formed the basis of a review that found glyphosate safe, per US Right to Know","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global scientific literature on glyphosate","src":0},"when":{"t":"Review published in 2000; retracted in November 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The stated reason for the retraction was the undisclosed authorship of Monsanto employees.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Monsanto employees' authorship was not disclosed on the published review, per US Right to Know.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"citation_share_glyphosate_literature","value":0.1,"unit":"percent (most-cited share)","year":null,"note":"the review was among the most-cited 0.1 percent of glyphosate papers, per US Right to Know"},{"key":"bfr_sections_copied_share","value":50,"unit":"percent (up to)","year":2019,"note":"share of some sections of the BfR report taken from the licence application file, per the cited record"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an internal Monsanto email from about 2015 that describes the review as handled in the same way; the email's author is not named here.","Unconfirmed: an EPA official's 2015 remark about a separate glyphosate review, as relayed through a Monsanto email; an inspector general review is reported to have been opened.","Bayer says the contribution was acknowledged in the paper's thanks section; this is a company statement, not independently verified.","Monsanto Co. v. Durnell is cited only through a link; its court, date and outcome are not on record.","The cited sources do not say which regulatory decisions relied on the review.","A Retraction Watch report from December 2025 is cited without a link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Landmark glyphosate safety study retracted for Monsanto ghostwriting","p":"US Right to Know","d":"2025-12-03","u":"https://usrtk.org/pesticides/landmark-glyphosate-safety-study-retracted-for-monsanto-ghostwriting/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260913211912/https://usrtk.org/pesticides/landmark-glyphosate-safety-study-retracted-for-monsanto-ghostwriting/"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Company whose staff authorship was not disclosed"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Company that responded for Monsanto"}],"mechanism":"ghostwritten safety review","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an internal Monsanto email from about 2015 that describes the review as handled in the same way; the email's author is not named here.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an EPA official's 2015 remark about a separate glyphosate review, as relayed through a Monsanto email; an inspector general review is reported to have been opened.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Bayer says the contribution was acknowledged in the paper's thanks section; this is a company statement, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Monsanto Co. v. Durnell is cited only through a link; its court, date and outcome are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which regulatory decisions relied on the review.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Retraction Watch report from December 2025 is cited without a link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"bowman-v-monsanto-and-seed-patent-suits-against-farmers","tier":"short","title":"US Supreme Court ruled that replanting patented seed infringes the patent","dek":"In 2013 the US Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Bowman v. Monsanto that planting and multiplying patented seed infringes the patent. The Center for Food Safety, an advocacy group, counts 142 suits against 410 farmers, with more than 23 million dollars won by Monsanto.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":1996,"end":2013,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["WIPO Magazine reported on 13 May 2013 that the Supreme Court had upheld the ban on saving patented seed, ruling unanimously that planting and multiplying patented seed infringes the patent.","Civil Eats (February 2026) reported the Center for Food Safety count of 142 suits against 410 farmers, with more than 23 million dollars won by Monsanto.","A count cited in the sources puts the number of US suits since 1996 at about 146 to 147, which the sources describe as cases of deliberate seed saving and replanting.","According to the cited sources, the farmer in Bowman paid 84,456 dollars."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Supreme Court held unanimously in 2013 that planting and multiplying patented seed infringes Monsanto's patent.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Won Bowman and, per the Center for Food Safety count, more than 23 million dollars in suits","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers who saved and replanted patented seed","what":"Held liable for infringement; the Center for Food Safety counts 410 farmers sued","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Supreme Court ruling in 2013; suits in the US counted from 1996.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Patent infringement suits against farmers who saved and replanted seed.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"us_suits_since_1996","value":146,"unit":"suits","year":null,"note":"stated as 146 to 147 in the cited count"},{"key":"cfs_suits","value":142,"unit":"suits","year":null,"note":"Center for Food Safety count, reported by Civil Eats (February 2026)"},{"key":"cfs_farmers_sued","value":410,"unit":"farmers","year":null,"note":"Center for Food Safety count"},{"key":"monsanto_won_cfs","value":23000000,"unit":"USD (more than)","year":null,"note":"Center for Food Safety count"},{"key":"bowman_farmer_payment","value":84456,"unit":"USD","year":2013,"note":"payment by the farmer in Bowman, per the cited sources"}],"legal":[{"title":"Bowman v. Monsanto Co.","forum":"Supreme Court of the United States","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Monsanto Co.","defendant":"Farmer (individual, not named)","filed":null,"decided":"2013","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Unanimous ruling that planting and multiplying patented seed infringes the patent.","src":0}],"unknown":["The Center for Food Safety count is an advocacy group's tally; the cited sources do not list the individual cases.","The two suit counts (146 to 147 since 1996, and 142 by the Center for Food Safety) differ and are not reconciled in the cited sources.","A Canadian case involving Monsanto is cited in the sources, but its date and outcome are not stated.","The cited sources do not say whether the 84,456 dollar payment was ordered by the court or agreed."],"sources":[{"t":"In the courts: Monsanto v. Bowman, Supreme Court upholds patent holder's rights","p":"WIPO Magazine","d":"2013-05-13","u":"https://www.wipo.int/web/wipo-magazine/articles/in-the-courts-monsanto-v-bowman-supreme-court-upholds-patent-holders-rights-38500","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250914124745/https://www.wipo.int/web/wipo-magazine/articles/in-the-courts-monsanto-v-bowman-supreme-court-upholds-patent-holders-rights-38500"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Plaintiff in Bowman; won"},{"id":"center-for-food-safety","role":"Published the suit count (advocacy group)"}],"mechanism":"seed patent enforcement","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Center for Food Safety count is an advocacy group's tally; the cited sources do not list the individual cases.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The two suit counts (146 to 147 since 1996, and 142 by the Center for Food Safety) differ and are not reconciled in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Canadian case involving Monsanto is cited in the sources, but its date and outcome are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 84,456 dollar payment was ordered by the court or agreed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Monsanto","No source link — Who lost: Farmers who saved and replanted patented seed"]},{"id":"arla-bovaer-methane-feed-additive-pilot-controversy","tier":"short","title":"Arla denies Gates link to Bovaer cattle feed additive pilot in UK","dek":"Arla began a UK pilot of the Bovaer methane feed additive in November 2024. Grocery Gazette reported that the additive is approved by EFSA and the UK Food Standards Agency, and Arla called a claimed link to Gates 'completely false'.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":54,"lon":-2.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":54,"lon":-2.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Arla ran a pilot of the Bovaer methane feed additive in the United Kingdom from November 2024, Grocery Gazette reported.","Grocery Gazette reported that the additive is approved by the European Food Safety Authority and the UK Food Standards Agency.","Arla denied a claimed link to Gates, calling it 'completely false'."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Arla ran a UK pilot of the Bovaer methane feed additive from November 2024 and denied a claimed link to Gates.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"Pilot from November 2024; the Grocery Gazette article is dated 3 December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A feed additive for cattle, tested in a pilot.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: online claims that Bovaer passes into milk and causes cancer; no source reviewed confirms them.","The size, length and results of the UK pilot are not on record.","The cited sources do not say whether the pilot has expanded beyond the UK.","Who gains from the spread of the claims is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Grocery Gazette report on Arla cattle feed additive (3 December 2024)","p":"Grocery Gazette","d":"2024-12-03","u":"https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2024/12/03/arla-cattle-feed-safe-false/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250605013742/https://www.grocerygazette.co.uk/2024/12/03/arla-cattle-feed-safe-false/"}],"actors":[{"id":"arla","role":"Ran the UK pilot; denied the Gates link"}],"mechanism":"methane cattle feed additive","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: online claims that Bovaer passes into milk and causes cancer; no source reviewed confirms them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size, length and results of the UK pilot are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the pilot has expanded beyond the UK.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gains from the spread of the claims is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"loc-valley-cide-hydropower-plant-and-prosecuted-villagers","tier":"short","title":"Turkish court annulls Loç Valley hydropower approval; 117 villagers on trial","dek":"A Turkish administrative court annulled the environmental approval for the Loç Valley hydropower plant in Cide for a second time in 2020, and the Council of State rejected the developer's objection. Bianet reported that 117 villagers had been on trial since 2012, and the valley's stream is at stake.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Kastamonu (Cide district)","lat":41.9,"lon":33,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.9,"lon":33,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2020,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The Kastamonu Administrative Court annulled the environmental impact approval for the Loç Valley plant for a second time in April 2020, relying on an expert report, according to bianet.","The Council of State rejected the company's objection, bianet reported in 2020.","Bianet reported that 117 villagers had been on trial since 2012.","According to the cited sources, the impact approval was annulled in 2011 and again in 2020."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court annulled the environmental impact approval for the Loç Valley hydropower plant for a second time in 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Plant developer (name: none on record)","what":"Objection to the annulment rejected by the Council of State, per bianet (2020)","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"117 villagers","what":"On trial since 2012, per bianet (2020)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Loç Valley, Cide district, Kastamonu province, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Approval annulled in 2011 and 2020; villagers on trial since 2012.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Environmental impact assessment approval for a hydropower plant, annulled in court.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"villagers_on_trial","value":117,"unit":"villagers","year":2012,"note":"on trial since 2012, per bianet (2020)"}],"legal":[{"title":"Loç Valley hydropower environmental approval, second annulment","forum":"Kastamonu Administrative Court","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"unknown","summary":"Annulled the environmental impact approval for the plant a second time, relying on an expert report.","src":0},{"title":"Loç Valley hydropower objection before the Council of State","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"unknown","summary":"Council of State rejected the company's objection, according to bianet (2020).","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources also say the Council of State had earlier reversed a first annulment, but the date and sequence are not clear.","Unconfirmed: a 2011 KTÜ study that small hydropower construction harms stream water and fish stock; only a summary was available.","Whether the plant is operating, and whether the required minimum environmental flow is kept, is not stated; no national compliance measurement was found.","The developer and its owners are not on record.","The outcome of the case against the villagers is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"bianet report on the second annulment of the Loç Valley approval (5 April 2020)","p":"bianet","d":"2020-04-05","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/loc-vadisi-nde-hes-e-ikinci-defa-iptal-karari-222491","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124142152/https://bianet.org/haber/loc-vadisi-nde-hes-e-ikinci-defa-iptal-karari-222491"},{"t":"bianet report on the Council of State rejecting the Loç Valley appeal again (2020)","p":"bianet","d":"2020","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/danistay-dan-loc-vadisi-nde-hes-e-bir-kez-daha-ret-232847","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260125062842/https://bianet.org/haber/danistay-dan-loc-vadisi-nde-hes-e-bir-kez-daha-ret-232847"}],"actors":[{"id":"kastamonu-administrative-court","role":"Annulled the environmental approval"},{"id":"danistay","role":"Rejected the company's objection"}],"mechanism":"hydropower approval annulment","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The environmental impact approval for the hydropower plant in my Loç Valley was annulled in 2011 and again in April 2020.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Loç Valley hydropower environmental approval, second annulment: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Loç Valley hydropower objection before the Council of State: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources also say the Council of State had earlier reversed a first annulment, but the date and sequence are not clear.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2011 KTÜ study that small hydropower construction harms stream water and fish stock; only a summary was available.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the plant is operating, and whether the required minimum environmental flow is kept, is not stated; no national compliance measurement was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The developer and its owners are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the case against the villagers is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cesme-wind-farm-urgent-expropriation-of-olive-groves","tier":"short","title":"Çeşme wind farm olive grove partly registered to Treasury despite 2014 halt","dek":"The Çeşme wind farm was subject to urgent expropriation in 2013. The Council of State stayed the expropriation in 2014, but part of an olive grove was nonetheless registered to the Turkish Treasury, according to a FAO AGRIS record.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":38.32,"lon":26.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.32,"lon":26.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2014,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["According to a FAO AGRIS record, the Çeşme wind farm was subject to urgent expropriation in 2013.","The Council of State stayed the expropriation in 2014, but part of the olive grove was registered to the Turkish Treasury, the same record says.","A 2014 bianet report describes an olive grove owner who lost out in the dispute."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Çeşme wind farm was subject to urgent expropriation in 2013; the Council of State stayed it in 2014.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wind farm company (name: none on record)","what":"Urgent expropriation for the wind farm, per the FAO AGRIS record","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Olive grove owner","what":"Lost out in the dispute, per bianet (2014)","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Çeşme, Turkey","src":null},"when":{"t":"Urgent expropriation in 2013; Council of State stay in 2014.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Urgent expropriation of land for a wind farm, with olive grove land later registered to the Treasury.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Çeşme wind farm urgent expropriation, stay of execution","forum":"Council of State (Danıştay)","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2014","status":"unknown","summary":"The Council of State stayed the urgent expropriation in 2014; part of the grove was still registered to the Treasury, according to FAO AGRIS.","src":0}],"unknown":["The wind farm company is not on record.","The number of olive trees affected at Çeşme is not on record.","Compensation amounts for the expropriated land are not on record.","Whether the Treasury registration was reversed after the stay is not on record.","The FAO AGRIS record is cited without a link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"bianet report (2014) on an olive grove owner in the Çeşme dispute","p":"bianet","d":"2014","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/remziye-saatli-paralari-onlarin-olsun-ben-zeytin-agaclarimi-istiyorum-160429","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516081323/https://bianet.org/haber/remziye-saatli-paralari-onlarin-olsun-ben-zeytin-agaclarimi-istiyorum-160429"}],"actors":[{"id":"turkish-treasury","role":"Registered part of the olive grove"},{"id":"danistay","role":"Stayed the expropriation in 2014"}],"mechanism":"urgent expropriation, wind farm","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Çeşme wind farm urgent expropriation, stay of execution: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The wind farm company is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of olive trees affected at Çeşme is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Compensation amounts for the expropriated land are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Treasury registration was reversed after the stay is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The FAO AGRIS record is cited without a link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Wind farm company (name: none on record)"]},{"id":"karaburun-yaylakoy-wind-farm-solar-plant-olive-trees","tier":"short","title":"Solar plant planned for Karaburun wind farm involves about 30,000 olive trees","dek":"A solar plant planned to support a wind farm at Yaylaköy in Karaburun involves about 30,000 olive trees. Provincial and district agriculture officials gave conflicting views on the value of the land.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":38.63,"lon":26.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.63,"lon":26.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["A solar plant planned to support a wind farm at Yaylaköy, Karaburun, involves about 30,000 olive trees, according to the 2023 reports cited (Evrensel; bianet).","The provincial agriculture office described the land as marginal, while the district agriculture office described it as well kept and productive."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A solar plant planned to support a wind farm would involve about 30,000 olive trees.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wind farm company (name: none on record)","what":"Solar plant planned to support its wind farm","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Olive trees on the site","what":"About 30,000 trees involved, per the cited 2023 reports","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Yaylaköy, Karaburun, Turkey","src":null},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2023; the timing of the plan is not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A solar plant planned alongside a wind farm.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"olive_trees_involved","value":30000,"unit":"olive trees","year":2023,"note":"approximately 30,000, per the cited reports"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether any trees have been felled, or how many.","The provincial and district agriculture views are not reconciled; no decision on the land's value is cited.","The status of the solar and wind plans, including permits, is not on record.","The text of the cited 2023 reports is not reproduced in the cited sources; the 30,000 figure is attributed to them.","The wind farm company is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Evrensel news report (2023)","p":"Evrensel","d":"2023","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/493575","type":"press"},{"t":"bianet report on urgent expropriation decisions for hydro and wind plants in the Official Gazette (2023)","p":"bianet","d":"2023","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/hes-ve-res-kurulumu-icin-acele-kamulastirma-kararlari-resmi-gazetede-287316","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214202632/https://bianet.org/haber/hes-ve-res-kurulumu-icin-acele-kamulastirma-kararlari-resmi-gazetede-287316"}],"actors":[{"id":"il-tarim-mudurlugu","role":"Described the land as marginal"},{"id":"ilce-tarim-mudurlugu","role":"Described the land as well kept and productive"}],"mechanism":"solar plant, olive grove","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A solar plant planned to support a wind farm at Yaylaköy, Karaburun, involves about 30,000 of my olive trees, 2023 reports said.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any trees have been felled, or how many.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The provincial and district agriculture views are not reconciled; no decision on the land's value is cited.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status of the solar and wind plans, including permits, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The text of the cited 2023 reports is not reproduced in the cited sources; the 30,000 figure is attributed to them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The wind farm company is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"petorca-avocado-water-scarcity","tier":"short","title":"Petorca residents rely on tanker water as avocado orchards draw on scarce supply","dek":"Chile's 1981 Water Code let water rights be sold apart from land, and villagers in Petorca have relied on tanker deliveries during drought while avocado irrigation continued. At stake is the local water supply.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-32.24,"lon":-70.93,"role":"event"}],"lat":-32.24,"lon":-70.93,"approxCoords":true,"start":1981,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Under Chile's 1981 Water Code, water rights could be sold apart from land and were granted free and without time limit (Reuters, via PreventionWeb).","Villagers in Petorca have been supplied by tanker, at times about 50 litres per person per day (Reuters, via PreventionWeb), and about twice a week (FreshPlaza 2019).","Chile's water code reform was published in April 2022 despite lobbying, according to Universidad de Chile.","Reports cite about 320 litres of water per avocado in the area, against a world average of 70 litres, and at least 65 illegal pipes (FreshPlaza 2019; Danwatch 2017)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Water rights in Petorca are used for avocado irrigation while villagers depend on tanker water during drought.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Avocado growers holding water rights","what":"water used for avocado irrigation during the drought","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Petorca villagers","what":"reliance on tanker water delivered about twice a week","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Local water supply","what":"about 320 litres of water per avocado against a world average of 70 litres (reported), and at least 65 illegal pipes","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Petorca, Chile","src":0},"when":{"t":"Water Code of 1981; tanker supply during drought as reported; reform published in April 2022.","src":3},"why":{"t":"The Reuters article linked here, as its web address indicates, blames the water shortages on a sales boom in Chile's green gold.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Water rights were granted free and without time limit under the 1981 Water Code and could be sold apart from land; growers irrigated avocados while villagers were supplied by tanker.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"water_per_avocado_litres","value":320,"unit":"litres","year":null,"note":"Approximate water per avocado in the area (FreshPlaza 2019; Danwatch 2017)"},{"key":"world_average_water_per_avocado_litres","value":70,"unit":"litres","year":null,"note":"World average cited in the same reports"},{"key":"illegal_pipes_detected","value":65,"unit":"pipes","year":null,"note":"At least; cited in the same reports"},{"key":"tanker_water_litres_per_person_per_day","value":50,"unit":"litres per person per day","year":null,"note":"At some periods (Reuters, via PreventionWeb)"},{"key":"tanker_deliveries_per_week","value":2,"unit":"times per week","year":null,"note":"Villagers' tanker water supply (FreshPlaza 2019)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 4,000 illegal wells, a figure cited from a former minister.","Unconfirmed: that the 2022 reform gave priority to human consumption.","The cited sources do not state the current level of water supply in Petorca."],"sources":[{"t":"Sales boom in Chile's green gold blamed for water shortages","p":"PreventionWeb (Reuters)","d":"","u":"https://www.preventionweb.net/news/sales-boom-chiles-green-gold-blamed-water-shortages","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220703211436/https://www.preventionweb.net/news/sales-boom-chiles-green-gold-blamed-water-shortages"},{"t":"Chile's avocado growers blamed for water shortages","p":"FreshPlaza","d":"2019","u":"https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9111221/chile-s-avocado-growers-blamed-for-water-shortages","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190619163527/https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9111221/chile-s-avocado-growers-blamed-for-water-shortages/"},{"t":"Avocados and stolen water","p":"Danwatch","d":"2017","u":"https://old.danwatch.dk/en/undersogelse/avocados-and-stolen-water/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261001155203/https://old.danwatch.dk/en/undersogelse/avocados-and-stolen-water/"},{"t":"Reforma al código de aguas se publica en el diario oficial","p":"Universidad de Chile","d":"2022-04","u":"https://uchile.cl/noticias/185292/reforma-al-codigo-de-aguas-se-publica-en-el-diario-oficial","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516172249/https://uchile.cl/noticias/185292/reforma-al-codigo-de-aguas-se-publica-en-el-diario-oficial"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-chile","role":"Water Code legislator and 2022 reform"},{"id":"petorca-avocado-growers","role":"irrigate avocado orchards with water rights"}],"mechanism":"tradable water rights","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Reports cite about 320 litres of my water per avocado in Petorca, against a world average of 70; villagers there have been supplied by tanker, at times about 50 litres per person a day.","src":[0,1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 4,000 illegal wells, a figure cited from a former minister.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the 2022 reform gave priority to human consumption.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the current level of water supply in Petorca.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tuvaluaustralia-falepili-union-and-climate-migration-lottery","tier":"short","title":"Australia and Tuvalu sign Falepili Union with annual ballot for migration visas","dek":"Under a 2023 treaty, Australia recognised Tuvalu's statehood independent of climate impacts and offers 280 visas a year by ballot as sea levels rise. 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first visa ballot reported in 2025 (Devpolicy).","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A treaty recognising statehood, combined with a ballot for 280 visas a year; Tuvalu's constitution fixes its maritime boundaries.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"visas_per_year","value":280,"unit":"people per year","year":null,"note":"Ballot-selected visas under the Falepili Union (Lowy Institute 2026)"},{"key":"first_ballot_registrations","value":8750,"unit":"registrations","year":null,"note":"First visa ballot (Devpolicy 2025)"},{"key":"fishing_licence_revenue_usd_million_per_year","value":30,"unit":"USD million per year","year":null,"note":"Approximate (PINA/Reuters 2024)"},{"key":"tv_domain_revenue_usd_million","value":10,"unit":"USD million (at least)","year":null,"note":"Revenue from the.tv internet domain (PINA/Reuters 2024)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: NASA projects that daily tides would flood half of Funafuti by 2050; Funafuti is where 60% of Tuvalu's population lives.","Unconfirmed: a USGS-based model projects that most atoll islands would flood every year by mid-century; the model is generalised from a single atoll.","Unconfirmed: a 1971 to 2014 study reporting a 2.9% net increase in the area of Tuvalu's 101 islands; the source of this figure was not identified.","The number of visas actually issued under the Falepili Union is not established in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Australia and Tuvalu's Falepili Union was only half the answer","p":"Lowy Institute","d":"2026","u":"https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-and-tuvalu-s-falepili-union-was-only-half-the-answer","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260801140441/https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/australia-and-tuvalu-s-falepili-union-was-only-half-the-answer"},{"t":"The first Falepili Union visa ballot: a preliminary assessment","p":"Devpolicy Blog","d":"2025-08-26","u":"https://devpolicy.org/the-first-falepili-union-visa-ballot-a-preliminary-assessment-20250826/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260708212107/https://devpolicy.org/the-first-falepili-union-visa-ballot-a-preliminary-assessment-20250826/"},{"t":"Sinking Tuvalu fights to keep maritime boundaries as sea levels rise","p":"PINA / Reuters","d":"2024-09-25","u":"https://www.pina.com.fj/2024/09/25/sinking-tuvalu-fights-to-keep-maritime-boundaries-as-sea-levels-rise/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610002021/https://pina.com.fj/2024/09/25/sinking-tuvalu-fights-to-keep-maritime-boundaries-as-sea-levels-rise/"},{"t":"USGS publication 70196699 (atoll flooding model)","p":"USGS","d":"2018","u":"https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70196699","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250828151305/https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70196699"}],"actors":[{"id":"australia-government","role":"signed the Falepili Union and set the visa ballot"},{"id":"tuvalu-government","role":"signed the Falepili Union; maritime boundaries"}],"mechanism":"migration visa lottery","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: NASA projects that daily tides would flood half of Funafuti by 2050; Funafuti is where 60% of Tuvalu's population lives.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a USGS-based model projects that most atoll islands would flood every year by mid-century; the model is generalised from a single atoll.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1971 to 2014 study reporting a 2.9% net increase in the area of Tuvalu's 101 islands; the source of this figure was not identified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of visas actually issued under the Falepili Union is not established in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kiribati-purchase-of-fijian-land","tier":"short","title":"Kiribati buys 5,500 acres in Fiji for $8.77 million, with no sovereignty over the land","dek":"In 2014 Kiribati bought about 5,500 acres in Fiji for USD 8.77 million, about 5% of its GDP, and acquired no sovereignty over the land. 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No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"maldives-dredging-and-reclamation-contracts","tier":"short","title":"Maldives awards Gulhifalhu reclamation contract to Boskalis without tender","dek":"The Gulhifalhu reclamation, presented as protection against rising seas, created 150 hectares from about 18 million cubic metres of sand. Save Maldives says it will destroy a 13 km² reef and a dive site protected since 1995.","country":"Maldives","iso2":"MV","places":[{"country":"Maldives","iso2":"MV","admin":"Gulhifalhu","lat":4.18,"lon":73.51,"role":"event"},{"country":"Maldives","iso2":"MV","admin":"Hulhumalé","lat":4.21,"lon":73.54,"role":"event"},{"country":"Maldives","iso2":"MV","admin":"Addu","lat":-0.6,"lon":73.15,"role":"event"}],"lat":4.18,"lon":73.51,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2024,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Dredging Today reported in April 2024 that about 18 million cubic metres of sand had created 150 hectares of land at Gulhifalhu, presented as a plan against rising seas.","Save Maldives said 24.5 million cubic metres of seabed sand had been removed and that a 13 km² reef and a dive site protected since 1995 would be lost; according to the NGO, the minister accepted the damage.","Edition.mv reported in 2019 that the phase one Gulhifalhu fill had been awarded to Boskalis without tender for USD 53 million, and that the Finance Minister said the lender required the work to go to a Dutch firm.","Van Oord was contracted to reclaim 194 hectares at Addu for USD 84 million, financed by an Indian Exim Bank loan, for tourism (Edition.mv 2019)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Maldives awarded dredging and reclamation work at Gulhifalhu, Addu and Hulhumalé using seabed sand; the Gulhifalhu phase one fill went to Boskalis without tender.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Boskalis","what":"Gulhifalhu phase one fill, USD 53 million, awarded without tender","src":2},{"who":"Van Oord","what":"Addu reclamation of 194 hectares, USD 84 million","src":2},{"who":"A Belgian dredging company","what":"Hulhumalé phase two contract, about USD 59 million (company not named in the cited sources)","src":2},{"who":"ING","what":"lender whose financing, according to the Finance Minister, required that the work go to a Dutch firm","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Gulhifalhu reef and dive area","what":"reef and dive site protected since 1995, about 13 km² according to Save Maldives","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Seabed at Gulhifalhu","what":"about 24.5 million cubic metres of sand removed, according to Save Maldives","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Gulhifalhu, Hulhumalé and Addu, Maldives","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2019 (Edition.mv) and 2023 (Harbour Master); Gulhifalhu fill reported complete in April 2024 (Dredging Today).","src":0},"why":{"t":"Presented as a plan for resilience to rising seas (Dredging Today); Addu's purpose was tourism (Edition.mv 2019).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sand was dredged from the seabed and pumped to create new land; the phase one contract was awarded without tender and financed by a loan from ING, while Addu was financed by an Indian Exim Bank loan.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"gulhifalhu_sand_million_m3","value":18000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2024,"note":"Sand used to create land at Gulhifalhu (Dredging Today)"},{"key":"gulhifalhu_land_hectares","value":150,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"New land created at Gulhifalhu (Dredging Today)"},{"key":"gulhifalhu_phase1_contract_usd_million","value":53,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Awarded to Boskalis without tender (Edition.mv 2019)"},{"key":"addu_reclamation_usd_million","value":84,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Van Oord, 194 hectares, Indian Exim Bank loan (Edition.mv 2019)"},{"key":"save_maldives_sand_million_m3","value":24500000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":null,"note":"Save Maldives estimate of seabed sand removed; differs from the 18 million cited by Dredging Today"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Save Maldives estimate of 24.5 million cubic metres differs from the 18 million reported by Dredging Today; the cited sources do not reconcile the two.","The cited sources do not name the Belgian dredging company for the Hulhumalé phase two contract.","The cited sources do not state whether the reef and dive site have been lost."],"sources":[{"t":"Boskalis completes massive dredging and reclamation project in the Maldives","p":"Dredging Today","d":"2024-04-15","u":"https://dredgingtoday.com/?p=89860","type":"press"},{"t":"Save Maldives calls on govt to end 'Gulhifalhu ecocide'","p":"Edition.mv","d":"","u":"https://edition.mv/news/17092","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210116210629/https://edition.mv/news/17092"},{"t":"Edition.mv report on Maldives dredging and reclamation contracts","p":"Edition.mv","d":"2019","u":"https://edition.mv/news/13080","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313201246/https://edition.mv/news/13080"}],"actors":[{"id":"boskalis","role":"dredging contractor for Gulhifalhu phase one"},{"id":"van-oord","role":"reclamation contractor at Addu"},{"id":"ing","role":"lender for Gulhifalhu"},{"id":"exim-bank-of-india","role":"lender for Addu"},{"id":"maldives-government","role":"awarded the reclamation contracts"},{"id":"save-maldives","role":"campaigner against the Gulhifalhu reclamation"}],"mechanism":"seabed sand reclamation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["lagos-waterfront-evictions-and-eko-atlantic"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"18 million cubic metres of my sand were used to create 150 hectares at Gulhifalhu, Dredging Today reported in April 2024; Save Maldives says 24.5 million were removed and a 13 km² reef will be lost.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Save Maldives estimate of 24.5 million cubic metres differs from the 18 million reported by Dredging Today; the cited sources do not reconcile the two.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the Belgian dredging company for the Hulhumalé phase two contract.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the reef and dive site have been lost.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fund-for-responding-to-loss-and-damage-shortfall","tier":"short","title":"Loss and damage fund has paid about 55% of pledges as first approvals slip","dek":"The Loss and Damage Fund had USD 822 million pledged by March 2026 and about USD 449 million paid by April 2026. Some 176 applications seeking about USD 2.8 billion are waiting, and first approvals were pushed back to December 2026.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The fund reported USD 822 million in pledges from 27 contributors as of 15 March 2026 (fund data, March 2026).","Climate Home News reported in July 2026 that about USD 449 million, roughly 55% of pledges, had been paid, and that 176 applications seeking about USD 2.8 billion had been filed.","The initial funding window was raised from USD 250 million to USD 342 million in July 2026, and first approvals were pushed back to December 2026 (Climate Home News)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Applicants have filed 176 requests for loss and damage funding, seeking about USD 2.8 billion, against about USD 449 million paid into the fund.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Applicants awaiting funds","what":"176 requests seeking about USD 2.8 billion against an initial window of USD 342 million","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global","src":null},"when":{"t":"Pledges as of March 2026; payments as of April 2026; window changed in July 2026; first approvals expected in December 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The Climate Home News headline attributes the delays to needs that dwarf available resources.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Contributors pledge money to the fund; applications are then assessed before approvals are granted.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pledged_usd_million","value":822,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"note":"Pledges from 27 contributors as of 15 March 2026 (fund data)"},{"key":"paid_usd_million","value":449,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"note":"Approximate payments by April 2026 (Climate Home News)"},{"key":"applications","value":176,"unit":"applications","year":2026,"note":"Requests filed with the fund"},{"key":"applications_requested_usd_billion","value":2.8,"unit":"USD billion","year":2026,"note":"Total requested, approximate"},{"key":"initial_window_usd_million","value":342,"unit":"USD million","year":2026,"note":"Initial funding window, raised from 250 million in July 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state how much of the paid amount has been disbursed to recipient countries."],"sources":[{"t":"Loss and damage fund delays first approvals as needs dwarf resources","p":"Climate Home News","d":"2026-07-10","u":"https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/07/10/loss-and-damage-fund-delays-first-project-approvals-as-needs-dwarf-resources/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012171747/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/07/10/loss-and-damage-fund-delays-first-project-approvals-as-needs-dwarf-resources/"}],"actors":[{"id":"frld","role":"receives pledges and assesses applications"}],"mechanism":"loss and damage fund","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how much of the paid amount has been disbursed to recipient countries.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where"]},{"id":"icj-climate-advisory-opinion-and-torres-strait-un-ruling","tier":"short","title":"World Court says fossil fuel production may be a wrongful act under international law","dek":"On 23 July 2025 the International Court of Justice gave a unanimous, non-binding advisory opinion that fossil fuel production, licensing and subsidies can be internationally wrongful acts. A 2022 UN Human Rights Committee finding said Australia violated Torres Strait Islanders' rights over climate harm.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-10.2,"lon":142.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["On 23 July 2025 the International Court of Justice gave a unanimous advisory opinion that 1.5 °C is the primary goal and that fossil fuel production, licensing and subsidies can be internationally wrongful acts (ICJ case 187).","The opinion says compensation may cover loss and damage, and that statehood does not necessarily disappear with sea-level rise (Cambridge 2025).","The opinion is not binding (Cambridge 2025).","On 23 September 2022 the UN Human Rights Committee found that Australia violated Torres Strait Islanders' rights to private life and culture, and asked for compensation and meaningful consultation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The ICJ gave a non-binding advisory opinion on state obligations for climate change, and the UN Human Rights Committee found Australia had violated Torres Strait Islanders' rights.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Torres Strait Islanders","what":"rights to private life and culture, according to the 2022 committee finding","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Global (ICJ opinion); Torres Strait, Australia (committee finding)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Committee finding 23 September 2022; ICJ opinion 23 July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An ICJ advisory opinion, which is not binding, and a UN human rights committee finding on a complaint against Australia.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"temperature_goal_c","value":1.5,"unit":"°C","year":2025,"note":"Goal the ICJ called the primary target"}],"legal":[{"title":"Advisory opinion on climate change (ICJ case 187)","forum":"International Court of Justice","country":"","iso2":"","kind":"advisory","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":"2025-07-23","status":"unknown","summary":"Unanimous, non-binding advisory opinion: 1.5 °C is the primary goal; fossil fuel production, licensing and subsidies can be internationally wrongful acts; compensation may cover loss and damage; statehood does not necessarily disappear with sea-level rise.","src":0},{"title":"Torres Strait Islanders communication against Australia","forum":"UN Human Rights Committee","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"communication","claimant":"Torres Strait Islanders","defendant":"Government of Australia","filed":null,"decided":"2022-07-21","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The committee found Australia violated the islanders' rights to private life and culture, and asked for compensation and meaningful consultation. The finding is not binding.","src":2}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state how liability or compensation for specific climate damage would be assessed.","The cited sources do not state whether Australia has paid compensation under the committee finding."],"sources":[{"t":"ICJ case 187 (climate change advisory proceedings)","p":"International Court of Justice","d":"2025-07-23","u":"https://www.icj-cij.org/case/187","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010051645/https://www.icj-cij.org/case/187"},{"t":"ICJ climate opinion: Cambridge expert view","p":"University of Cambridge","d":"2025","u":"https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/icj-climate-opinion-cambridge-expert","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611004406/https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/icj-climate-opinion-cambridge-expert"},{"t":"Views adopted by the Committee under article 5(4) of the Optional Protocol, concerning communication No. 3624/2019 (Daniel Billy et al. v. Australia), CCPR/C/135/D/3624/2019","p":"UN Human Rights Committee","d":"2022-09-22","u":"https://cdn.ccprcentre.org/files/decisions/CCPR_C_135_D_3624_2019_34335_E.pdf","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"icj","role":"issued the advisory opinion"},{"id":"un-human-rights-committee","role":"issued the 2022 finding"},{"id":"australia-government","role":"respondent to the 2022 finding"},{"id":"torres-strait-islanders","role":"complainants"}],"mechanism":"international advisory opinion","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Advisory opinion on climate change (ICJ case 187): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state how liability or compensation for specific climate damage would be assessed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether Australia has paid compensation under the committee finding.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Torres Strait Islanders"]},{"id":"costa-rica-bromacil-ban-and-del-monte-pineapple-permits","tier":"short","title":"Costa Rica bans bromacil; Del Monte's pineapple permits face challenges","dek":"Costa Rica banned the herbicide bromacil in 2017 after residues were found in Siquirres water networks. Del Monte's pineapple company has faced a cancelled environmental permit in Osa and community objections to a planned expansion in Guácimo.","country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","places":[{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Siquirres","lat":10.1,"lon":-83.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Osa","lat":8.7,"lon":-83.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Guácimo","lat":10.2,"lon":-83.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Costa Rica","iso2":"CR","admin":"Limón","lat":10,"lon":-83,"role":"event"}],"lat":10.1,"lon":-83.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Costa Rica banned bromacil in 2017; the decree says residues were found in four Siquirres water networks and that good practice on large pineapple areas could still contaminate the aquifer (Decree 40423).","The environment ministry withdrew environmental viability from a roughly 600-hectare pineapple development by Del Monte's pineapple company in Osa in 2019, near the Térraba-Sierpe wetland (Delfino 2019).","Communities in Guácimo say the same company plans to convert more than 400 hectares to pineapple, which could affect water sources and a biological corridor; no company statement was found (Delfino 2026).","Fresh Del Monte closed four banana farms in Limón on 5 May 2026, cutting about 850 jobs (800 to 900 according to another source), according to La Nación and CRHoy."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Costa Rica banned bromacil by decree in 2017 after residues were found in Siquirres water supplies; Del Monte's pineapple company has faced permit withdrawal in Osa and community objections in Guácimo.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Fresh Del Monte","what":"pineapple segment, which the company's 2026 filing highlights while its Costa Rican production fell","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Siquirres communities","what":"water supplies with bromacil residues in four networks, according to the decree","src":0},{"who":"Limón banana workers","what":"about 850 jobs reported cut (800 to 900 by another source)","src":4}],"harmed":[{"who":"Guácimo water sources and biological corridor","what":"risk from a planned pineapple expansion of more than 400 hectares, according to communities","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Siquirres, Osa, Guácimo and Limón, Costa Rica","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bromacil banned in 2017; Osa permit withdrawn in 2019; Limón farms closed on 5 May 2026; Guácimo expansion reported in June 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The 2017 decree cites bromacil residues in four Siquirres water networks; reasons for the 2026 farm closures are unconfirmed (see unknown).","src":0},"how":{"t":"Government ban by decree; environmental viability for the Osa development withdrawn by the environment ministry (MINAE); farm closures and expansion plans made through the company's own operations.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"pineapple_pesticide_kg_per_ha","value":45,"unit":"kg per hectare","year":2019,"note":"Approximate pesticide use on pineapple (FreshPlaza 2019)"},{"key":"banana_pesticide_kg_per_ha","value":70,"unit":"kg per hectare","year":2019,"note":"Approximate pesticide use on banana (FreshPlaza 2019)"},{"key":"production_decline_percent","value":23,"unit":"percent","year":2025,"note":"Company-reported decline in Costa Rican production to May 2025; no independent confirmation found (SEC 10-Q 2026)"},{"key":"banana_farms_closed_hectares","value":1200,"unit":"hectares","year":2026,"note":"Approximate area of four Limón farms closed (La Nación; CRHoy)"},{"key":"jobs_cut","value":850,"unit":"jobs","year":2026,"note":"Reported; 800 to 900 depending on source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: exchange-rate pressure, rather than disease, was the main reason for the farm closures.","Unconfirmed: Costa Rica is free of TR4 (Panama disease), according to an industry body; no official confirmation was found.","No source reviewed states that the company depleted the soil; this claim was not found."],"sources":[{"t":"Decree 40423 (bromacil prohibition, PDF)","p":"FAOLEX","d":"2017","u":"https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/cos170291.pdf","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250202063607/https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/cos170291.pdf"},{"t":"Minae withdraws environmental viability from pineapple development near Térraba-Sierpe wetland","p":"Delfino","d":"2019-12","u":"https://delfino.cr/2019/12/minae-retira-viabilidad-ambiental-a-proyecto-pinero-en-las-cercanias-del-humedal-terraba-sierpe","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419053034/https://delfino.cr/2019/12/minae-retira-viabilidad-ambiental-a-proyecto-pinero-en-las-cercanias-del-humedal-terraba-sierpe"},{"t":"Guácimo communities warn of pineapple expansion that could affect water sources and biological corridor","p":"Delfino","d":"2026-06","u":"https://delfino.cr/2026/06/comunidades-de-guacimo-alertan-por-expansion-pinera-que-podria-afectar-fuentes-de-agua-y-corredor-biologico","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616230546/https://delfino.cr/2026/06/comunidades-de-guacimo-alertan-por-expansion-pinera-que-podria-afectar-fuentes-de-agua-y-corredor-biologico"},{"t":"Fresh Del Monte Produce Form 10-Q","p":"U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission","d":"2026-06-26","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001047340/000104734026000042/fdp-20260626.htm","type":"company"},{"t":"Fresh Del Monte closes four banana farms in Limón","p":"La Nación","d":"2026","u":"https://www.nacion.com/economia/fresh-del-monte-cierra-cuatro-fincas-bananeras-en/PT572UMONZGMBAQOSLN2ZXKAPE/story/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517154826/https://www.nacion.com/economia/fresh-del-monte-cierra-cuatro-fincas-bananeras-en/PT572UMONZGMBAQOSLN2ZXKAPE/story/"},{"t":"Del Monte to lay off 850 workers after closing four banana farms","p":"CRHoy","d":"2026","u":"https://crhoy.com/del-monte-despedira-a-850-empleados-por-cierre-de-4-fincas-bananeras/","type":"press"},{"t":"Costa Rica's green paradox","p":"FreshPlaza","d":"2019-11-05","u":"https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9160422/costa-rica-s-green-paradox/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412231807/https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9160422/costa-rica-s-green-paradox/"}],"actors":[{"id":"fresh-del-monte","role":"pineapple and banana producer; closed Limón farms"},{"id":"costa-rica-environment-ministry","role":"bromacil decree; withdrew Osa environmental viability"},{"id":"guacimo-communities","role":"raised concerns about planned expansion"}],"mechanism":"herbicide ban and permits","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Costa Rica's 2017 decree banning the herbicide bromacil records residues in four Siquirres water networks and says even good practice on large pineapple areas could still contaminate my aquifer.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: exchange-rate pressure, rather than disease, was the main reason for the farm closures.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Costa Rica is free of TR4 (Panama disease), according to an industry body; no official confirmation was found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No source reviewed states that the company depleted the soil; this claim was not found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when"]},{"id":"1970-us-southern-corn-leaf-blight","tier":"short","title":"1970 US corn blight destroyed about 15% of crop grown from uniform seed","dek":"In 1970 about 85% of US corn planted carried the same male-sterile cytoplasm, and southern corn leaf blight destroyed about 15% of the crop. The cited sources link the losses to the uniform seed base.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":1970,"end":1970,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Corn Blight Watch (1974) reported that about 85% of US corn planted in 1970 carried the same male-sterile cytoplasm, known as T-cytoplasm.","Southern corn leaf blight destroyed about 15% of the crop that year, according to the same source."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Southern corn leaf blight in 1970 destroyed about 15% of US corn, where most planted corn shared one male-sterile cytoplasm.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"US corn growers","what":"about 15% of the crop destroyed by southern corn leaf blight","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"1970","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources link the losses to the shared cytoplasm in most planted corn.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Most planted corn carried the same T-cytoplasm, so a single disease susceptibility spread across most of the crop.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"planted_corn_with_t_cytoplasm_percent","value":85,"unit":"percent","year":1970,"note":"Share of planted corn carrying T-cytoplasm (Corn Blight Watch 1974)"},{"key":"crop_destroyed_percent","value":15,"unit":"percent","year":1970,"note":"Share of the crop destroyed by southern corn leaf blight (Corn Blight Watch 1974)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources give no figure for the economic loss in dollars.","The cited sources do not identify which seed companies gained, or by how much."],"sources":[{"t":"Corn Blight Watch summary (1974)","p":"Purdue University","d":"1974","u":"https://www.lars.purdue.edu/home/references/other_documents/1974_Corn_Blight_Watch_Summary.pdf","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251205122052/https://www.lars.purdue.edu/home/references/other_documents/1974_Corn_Blight_Watch_Summary.pdf"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"uniform male-sterile cytoplasm","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 1970 about 85% of the corn planted on me in the US carried the same male-sterile cytoplasm; about 15% of the crop was lost to southern corn leaf blight.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no figure for the economic loss in dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not identify which seed companies gained, or by how much.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-neonicotinoid-outdoor-ban-and-turkey-s-partial-follow","tier":"short","title":"EU bans three neonicotinoid pesticides outdoors in 2018; Turkey follows in part","dek":"The EU banned outdoor use of three neonicotinoid insecticides in 2018 over the risk to bees, and Turkey later restricted them in part. Greenpeace reported that EU companies planned to export 13,274 tonnes of neonicotinoids banned in the EU in 2021.","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"role":"event"},{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":39.93,"lon":32.86,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The European Union banned outdoor uses of imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam in 2018 over the risk to bees (PotatoPro 2018).","Turkey decided at the end of 2018 to withdraw clothianidin from mid-2019 and banned the other two on some products (Greenpeace Türkiye).","Greenpeace NL, with Unearthed and Public Eye, reported that EU companies planned to export 13,274 tonnes of neonicotinoids banned in the EU in 2021, with the Netherlands fifth among exporters (2023).","Foodwatch (2024) reported that seven banned pesticides found by the Dutch food regulator in imported food matched Dutch companies' export notifications."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU banned outdoor use of three neonicotinoid insecticides in 2018 because of the risk to bees; Turkey withdrew one of them and restricted the others on some products.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"EU companies exporting banned neonicotinoids","what":"planned exports of 13,274 tonnes in 2021, according to Greenpeace NL","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"Bees","what":"exposed to three neonicotinoids applied outdoors until the 2018 ban","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union; Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"EU outdoor ban in 2018; Turkey's restrictions from the end of 2018, with clothianidin withdrawn from mid-2019.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The restrictions cite the risk to bees.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Regulatory restrictions on outdoor use of three neonicotinoids; Turkey restricted by product. Bayer and Syngenta ran bee-health programmes from 2009 and 2012, and the EU General Court rejected the companies' challenges in May 2018; the Court of Justice rejected Bayer's appeal in May 2021.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"neonicotinoids_banned_outdoor","value":3,"unit":"substances","year":2018,"note":"Imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam (PotatoPro 2018)"},{"key":"eu_banned_neonicotinoid_exports_tonnes","value":13274,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"note":"Planned exports from EU companies (Greenpeace NL, published 2023)"},{"key":"non_bee_insect_flower_visits_percent","value":39,"unit":"percent (average)","year":2016,"note":"Share of crop flower visits by non-bee insects; range 25 to 50% (Rader et al. 2016)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state Turkey's current monitoring of the restrictions.","The cited sources do not measure whether bee populations recovered after the 2018 ban.","The cited sources do not show an independently measured effect of the companies' bee-health programmes."],"sources":[{"t":"European Commission bans all outdoor uses of neonicotinoids","p":"PotatoPro","d":"2018","u":"https://www.potatopro.com/news/2018/european-commission-bans-all-outdoor-uses-neonicotinoids","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723061139/https://www.potatopro.com/news/2018/european-commission-bans-all-outdoor-uses-neonicotinoids"},{"t":"Basardik: three bee-harming pesticides banned","p":"Greenpeace Türkiye","d":"","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/turkey/blog/basardik-arilara-zarar-veren-uc-pestisit-yasaklandi/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250330033356/https://www.greenpeace.org/turkey/blog/basardik-arilara-zarar-veren-uc-pestisit-yasaklandi/"},{"t":"Greenpeace: European Union exports more than 10,000 tonnes of banned bee-killing pesticides per year","p":"Greenpeace NL (with Unearthed and Public Eye)","d":"2023","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/nl/natuur/58353/greenpeace-europese-unie-exporteert-meer-dan-10-000-ton-verboden-bijendodende-pesticiden-per-jaar/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240713171806/https://www.greenpeace.org/nl/natuur/58353/greenpeace-europese-unie-exporteert-meer-dan-10-000-ton-verboden-bijendodende-pesticiden-per-jaar/"},{"t":"De Grote Gifroute in beeld (The big poison route in view)","p":"Foodwatch","d":"2024","u":"https://www.foodwatch.org/fileadmin/-NL/Campagnes_en_campagnethema_s/Schadelijke_stoffen/Gifresten/Foodwatch_-_2024_-_De_Grote_Gifroute_in_beeld.pdf","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250525044649/https://www.foodwatch.org/fileadmin/-NL/Campagnes_en_campagnethema_s/Schadelijke_stoffen/Gifresten/Foodwatch_-_2024_-_De_Grote_Gifroute_in_beeld.pdf"},{"t":"Non-bee insects are important contributors to global crop pollination","p":"PNAS (Rader et al.)","d":"2016","u":"https://research.slu.se/en/publications/non-bee-insects-are-important-contributors-to-global-crop-pollina/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"european-commission","role":"adopted the outdoor ban"},{"id":"bayer","role":"neonicotinoid manufacturer; bee-health programme; court challenge"},{"id":"syngenta","role":"neonicotinoid manufacturer; pollinator programme; court challenge"},{"id":"turkey-government","role":"partial restriction in Turkey"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"campaigner and reporter on exports"}],"mechanism":"outdoor neonicotinoid ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The EU banned outdoor use of three neonicotinoids in 2018 over the risk to my bees; in 2021 EU companies planned to export 13,274 tonnes of neonicotinoids banned in the EU, Greenpeace reported.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state Turkey's current monitoring of the restrictions.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not measure whether bee populations recovered after the 2018 ban.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show an independently measured effect of the companies' bee-health programmes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"turkish-competition-authority-fine-on-13-poultry-firms","tier":"short","title":"Turkish competition board fines 13 white-meat firms 3.7 billion lira","dek":"Turkey's competition board fined 13 white-meat firms a total of 3.7 billion lira in 2025 for exchanging competition-sensitive information. The cited sources do not link the fine to nature or conservation.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Turkey's Competition Board fined 13 white-meat firms a total of 3.7 billion lira in 2025 for exchanging competition-sensitive information, BloombergHT reported.","According to the Board's finding, buyers lost out, BloombergHT reported; the cited sources give no figure for the loss."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Competition Board fined 13 white-meat firms 3.7 billion lira for exchanging competition-sensitive information.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Buyers","what":"The Board found that buyers lost out; no amount is given","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Türkiye.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Exchange of competition-sensitive information between the firms, according to the Board's finding.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"competition_fine_total","value":3700000000,"unit":"TL","year":2025,"note":"Total fine on 13 white-meat firms"},{"key":"fined_firms","value":13,"unit":"firms","year":2025,"note":"White-meat firms fined"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 13 firms are said to produce about 80% of output; no source is given.","Which 13 firms were fined, and how much each paid, is not on record.","Any gains to the fined firms, and the size of the loss to buyers, are not quantified in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Competition Board fines 13 firms 3.7 billion TL","p":"BloombergHT","d":"2025","u":"https://www.bloomberght.com/rekabet-kurulu-ndan-13-firmaya-3-7-milyar-tl-ceza-3758080","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260214170116/https://www.bloomberght.com/rekabet-kurulu-ndan-13-firmaya-3-7-milyar-tl-ceza-3758080"}],"actors":[{"id":"turkish-competition-board","role":"Regulator that imposed the fine"}],"mechanism":"competitor information exchange","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 13 firms are said to produce about 80% of output; no source is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which 13 firms were fined, and how much each paid, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Any gains to the fined firms, and the size of the loss to buyers, are not quantified in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"walmart-and-new-zealand-biodegradable-bag-greenwashing-penal","tier":"short","title":"Walmart and New Zealand penalised over 'biodegradable' bag claims","dek":"New Zealand's Commerce Commission imposed penalties in 2013 for misleading green claims on plastic bags, and California penalised Walmart USD 875,000 in 2017 over a 'biodegradable' claim. At stake for nature is whether green labels on single-use bags are accurate.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"role":"event"},{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":null,"lat":-41,"lon":174,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.78,"lon":-119.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2017,"instrument":"influence","happened":["New Zealand's Commerce Commission imposed penalties of NZD 30,000 in 2013 for misleading green claims on plastic bags, according to its 2013 news item.","California imposed a USD 875,000 penalty on Walmart in 2017 over a 'biodegradable' claim, according to Green Building Advisor.","A 2019 National Geographic report said biodegradable and oxo-biodegradable bags buried in soil and sea for three years could still carry shopping."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"New Zealand and California penalised 'biodegradable' and green claims on plastic bags, with California imposing USD 875,000 on Walmart in 2017.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Walmart","what":"Penalised USD 875,000 in California in 2017 over a 'biodegradable' claim","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New Zealand (2013) and California, United States (2017).","src":0},"when":{"t":"2013 (New Zealand penalties); 2017 (California penalty).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Penalties for 'biodegradable' or other green claims made on plastic bags.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"nz_penalty_total","value":30000,"unit":"NZD","year":2013,"note":"Penalties in New Zealand for misleading green claims on plastic bags"},{"key":"walmart_california_penalty","value":875000,"unit":"USD","year":2017,"note":"Penalty imposed on Walmart in California over a 'biodegradable' claim"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The recipients of the 2013 New Zealand penalties are not on record.","Whether the Walmart penalty was appealed, and the exact wording of the bag claim, are not on record.","Who gained from the sale of the bags is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Misleading green claims on plastic bags: COP fines","p":"New Zealand Commerce Commission","d":"2013","u":"https://www.comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/news-and-events/2013/misleading-green-claims-on-plastic-bags-cop-fines/","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609053326/https://www.comcom.govt.nz/news-and-media/news-and-events/2013/misleading-green-claims-on-plastic-bags-cop-fines/"},{"t":"Walmart fined in case over green claims","p":"Green Building Advisor","d":"2017","u":"https://greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/walmart-fined-in-greenwashing-case","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250809050921/https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/walmart-fined-in-greenwashing-case"},{"t":"Biodegradable shopping bags buried for three years do not degrade","p":"National Geographic","d":"2019-04","u":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/biodegradable-shopping-bags-buried-for-three-years-dont-degrade","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20201125081948/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/04/biodegradable-shopping-bags-buried-for-three-years-dont-degrade/"}],"actors":[{"id":"walmart","role":"Company penalised in California"},{"id":"new-zealand-commerce-commission","role":"Regulator that imposed the 2013 penalties"}],"mechanism":"biodegradable claim penalties","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Bags sold as biodegradable could still carry shopping after three years buried in my soil and sea, National Geographic reported in 2019; California penalised Walmart USD 875,000 in 2017 over a 'biodegradable' claim.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The recipients of the 2013 New Zealand penalties are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the Walmart penalty was appealed, and the exact wording of the bag claim, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the sale of the bags is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"april-pulp-supplier-forest-loss-and-cerrado-eucalyptus-expan","tier":"short","title":"APRIL pulp suppliers linked to forest loss and Cerrado eucalyptus growth","dek":"Suppliers new to pulp company APRIL lost about 80,000 hectares of forest between 2015 and 2024, and eucalyptus plantations in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul grew from 378,195 to 1.12 million hectares between 2010 and 2019. At stake for nature is remaining forest and savanna cover in the Cerrado.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Mato Grosso do Sul","lat":-20.44,"lon":-54.65,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-0.79,"lon":113.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":-20.44,"lon":-54.65,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2024,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["APRIL's new suppliers lost about 80,000 hectares of forest between 2015 and 2024, more than 54,000 hectares of it after 2020, according to Mongabay in 2026.","The FSC remedy process for those suppliers is on hold, according to the same 2026 report.","Eucalyptus area in Mato Grosso do Sul rose from 378,195 hectares in 2010 to 1.12 million hectares in 2019, according to Mongabay in 2024.","The World Economic Forum listed APRIL Group among the initial corporate pledgers to its 1t.org tree-planting platform in a September 2021 press release."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"APRIL's new pulp suppliers lost forest, and eucalyptus plantations expanded in Brazil's Cerrado, according to Mongabay.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Suzano","what":"The cited sources say the International Finance Corporation gave USD 250 million to a Suzano pulp mill; the terms are not stated","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Forest in Indonesia and the Brazilian Cerrado","what":"About 80,000 hectares lost by APRIL's new suppliers, 2015 to 2024","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mato Grosso do Sul in Brazil's Cerrado; the sources also place forest loss in Indonesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Eucalyptus growth 2010 to 2019; supplier forest loss 2015 to 2024.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pulp supply through new suppliers, and plantation expansion for eucalyptus.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"forest_loss_new_suppliers","value":80000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"APRIL's new suppliers, 2015 to 2024; more than 54,000 ha after 2020"},{"key":"eucalyptus_area_mato_grosso_do_sul","value":1120000,"unit":"ha","year":2019,"note":"Stated as 1.12 million ha; 378,195 ha in 2010"},{"key":"ifc_payment_suzano_mill","value":250,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"International Finance Corporation to a Suzano pulp mill; terms not stated"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: eucalyptus uses 30 to 60 litres of water per tree per day (advocacy network claim).","Which APRIL suppliers were responsible for the forest loss, and whether it was lawful, is not on record.","No current global study of the net effect of FSC certification on forest loss was found."],"sources":[{"t":"APRIL's supplier choices put FSC remedy process to the test","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-06","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/pulp-and-paper-giant-aprils-supplier-choices-put-fsc-remedy-process-to-the-test/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712233628/https://news.mongabay.com/2026/06/pulp-and-paper-giant-aprils-supplier-choices-put-fsc-remedy-process-to-the-test/"},{"t":"Eucalyptus expansion worsens droughts and fires in Brazil's Cerrado, conservationists say","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-08","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/eucalyptus-expansion-worsens-droughts-and-fires-in-brazils-cerrado-conservationists-say/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260622011404/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/eucalyptus-expansion-worsens-droughts-and-fires-in-brazils-cerrado-conservationists-say/"},{"t":"More than 2.5 billion trees to be conserved, restored, grown by 2030","p":"World Economic Forum","d":"2021-09-23","u":"https://www.weforum.org/media/more-than-2-5-billion-trees-to-be-conserved-restored-grown-by-2030/","type":"international"}],"actors":[{"id":"april-group","role":"Pulp company whose new suppliers were linked to forest loss; initial 1t.org pledger"},{"id":"suzano","role":"Pulp company whose mill received International Finance Corporation funding"},{"id":"ifc","role":"Lender to a Suzano pulp mill"},{"id":"wef","role":"Convened the 1t.org tree-planting platform"},{"id":"fsc","role":"Certification body whose remedy process for the suppliers is on hold"}],"mechanism":"pulp supply chain plantation expansion","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"APRIL's new suppliers lost about 80,000 hectares of my forest between 2015 and 2024, more than 54,000 of it after 2020, Mongabay reported in 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: eucalyptus uses 30 to 60 litres of water per tree per day (advocacy network claim).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which APRIL suppliers were responsible for the forest loss, and whether it was lawful, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No current global study of the net effect of FSC certification on forest loss was found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"turkish-plastic-bag-fee-and-advertising-board-penalties","tier":"short","title":"Turkey's plastic bag fee and advertising penalties on green claims","dek":"Turkey has required at least 25 kuruş per plastic bag since 2019, and Turkish news reports say bag use fell by 70 to 78.4 percent. The Advertising Board penalised four companies in 2024 for generic 'nature-friendly' and 'climate-friendly' claims, so the stake is whether green claims about bags are accurate.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2024,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Shopping bags in Türkiye have cost at least 25 kuruş since 2019, according to Turkish news reports from 2019 and 2026.","Those reports put the fall in bag use at 70% to 78.4%, depending on the source.","In 2017 the Advertising Board took up bag labels such as '100% soluble, oxo-biodegradable'; the outcome is not on record.","In 2024 the Advertising Board penalised four companies for generic 'nature-friendly' and 'climate-friendly' claims, according to a Ministry of Trade statement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Turkey set a minimum charge for plastic shopping bags from 2019, and the Advertising Board penalised four companies in 2024 for generic green claims.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Four companies penalised in 2024","what":"Penalised for generic 'nature-friendly' and 'climate-friendly' claims; names not given in the cited sources","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Türkiye.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2019 (bag charge); 2017 (review of bag labels); 2024 (penalties).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A minimum bag charge, and Advertising Board rulings on green claims.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"min_bag_charge","value":25,"unit":"kuruş","year":2019,"note":"Minimum charge per plastic shopping bag since 2019"},{"key":"bag_use_decline_low","value":70,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Reported fall in bag use; range 70 to 78.4 depending on source"},{"key":"bag_use_decline_high","value":78.4,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Upper end of the reported range"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 2.84 million tonnes of waste said to be prevented, which is a hypothetical estimate.","Unconfirmed: demand for thin bags at greengrocers rose by more than 100% (sector claim).","The outcome of the 2017 Advertising Board review is not on record.","The four companies penalised in 2024 are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Per-person bag use falls to 10 pieces","p":"TGRT Haber","d":"2019","u":"https://www.tgrthaber.com/ekonomi/kisi-basi-poset-kullanimi-10-adete-dustu-2652322","type":"press"},{"t":"Plastic bag practice and prevented waste","p":"Bengütürk","d":"2026","u":"https://www.benguturk.com/ekonomi/plastik-poset-uygulamasiyla-28-milyon-ton-atigin-olusumu-engellendi-262226h","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307084645/https://www.benguturk.com/ekonomi/plastik-poset-uygulamasiyla-28-milyon-ton-atigin-olusumu-engellendi-262226h"},{"t":"Review launched into shopping bags","p":"Karar","d":"2017","u":"https://www.karar.com/bakanlik-alisveris-posetleri-icin-inceleme-baslatti-445834","type":"press"},{"t":"Advertising Board does not allow exploitation of consumers' environmental sensitivity","p":"Ministry of Trade (Türkiye)","d":"2024","u":"https://ticaret.gov.tr/haberler/reklam-kurulu-tuketicilerin-cevreye-iliskin-hassasiyetinin-istismar-edilmesine-izin-vermedi","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250501085055/https://ticaret.gov.tr/haberler/reklam-kurulu-tuketicilerin-cevreye-iliskin-hassasiyetinin-istismar-edilmesine-izin-vermedi"}],"actors":[{"id":"reklam-kurulu","role":"Advertising Board that reviewed bag labels and penalised companies"},{"id":"ministry-of-trade","role":"Published the 2024 announcement of the penalties"}],"mechanism":"bag fee, green-claim penalties","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 2.84 million tonnes of waste said to be prevented, which is a hypothetical estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: demand for thin bags at greengrocers rose by more than 100% (sector claim).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the 2017 Advertising Board review is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The four companies penalised in 2024 are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"keep-america-beautiful-and-plastic-industry-recycling-messag","tier":"short","title":"Keep America Beautiful and plastic industry recycling messages","dek":"Keep America Beautiful, formed by packaging makers in 1953, promoted individual responsibility for litter, and records from the 1970s and 1980s show plastics makers questioning whether recycling could work. At stake for nature is whether packaging waste is reduced at source or left to litter land and water.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":42.89,"lon":-78.88,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":1953,"end":2024,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Keep America Beautiful was formed in 1953 by can maker American Can and glass-bottle maker Owens-Illinois; Coca-Cola and Dixie Cup joined later.","Historian Finis Dunaway writes that the group's executives opposed deposit laws and called supporters communists, and that the group's 1971 'Crying Indian' advertisement, aired on Earth Day, said people start pollution and can stop it.","A 1973 plastics-industry report found recycling costly and sorting infeasible, and the industry spent about USD 50 million a year on advertising, according to NPR in 2020.","A 1986 Vinyl Institute document said recycling could only postpone the disposal of plastic, as cited by Climate Integrity in 2024."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Keep America Beautiful, formed by packaging makers in 1953, promoted individual responsibility for litter; records cited from 1973 and 1986 show plastics makers doubted that recycling could work.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Packaging makers","what":"Opposed deposit laws that would have required reusable containers, per Dunaway","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Audubon Society and Sierra Club","what":"Left the group's advisory board, per Dunaway","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States; the 2024 court ruling was in New York.","src":4},"when":{"t":"1953 founding; 1971 advertisement; 1973 and 1986 industry records; 2024 court ruling.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Advertising campaigns, opposition to deposit laws, and recycling claims by plastics makers, as described in the sources.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"New York State v. PepsiCo (Buffalo River)","forum":"New York court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"New York State","defendant":"PepsiCo","filed":null,"decided":"2024-11","status":"dismissed","summary":"A New York judge dismissed the case, finding that others rather than PepsiCo were responsible for pollution of the river; the attorney general's office objected.","src":4}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Philip Morris, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch and WM as funders of Keep America Beautiful (SourceWatch and The Intercept, both pro-deposit sources).","Who bore the cost of litter clean-up, and whether the messaging changed recycling rates, is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"About Keep America Beautiful","p":"Keep America Beautiful","d":"2025","u":"https://kab.org/about-keep-america-beautiful/","type":"company"},{"t":"The Crying Indian ad and the environmental movement","p":"What It Means to Be American (Finis Dunaway)","d":"2017-11-09","u":"https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120065315/https://whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/identities/the-crying-indian-ad-that-fooled-the-environmental-movement/"},{"t":"NPR report on plastic recycling","p":"NPR","d":"2020-09-11","u":"https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018160747/https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled"},{"t":"Climate Integrity report on plastic recycling and possible legal action","p":"Climate Integrity","d":"2024","u":"https://climateintegrity.org/news/view/new-report-makes-the-case-for-legal-action-over-the-fraud-of-plastic-recycling","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907094505/https://climateintegrity.org/news/view/new-report-makes-the-case-for-legal-action-over-the-fraud-of-plastic-recycling"},{"t":"Judge dismisses New York's plastic pollution lawsuit against PepsiCo","p":"Environmental Health News","d":"2024-11-18","u":"https://www.ehn.org/judge-dismisses-new-york-s-plastic-pollution-lawsuit-against-pepsico","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"keep-america-beautiful","role":"Group whose litter messaging is the subject"},{"id":"american-can","role":"Founding can maker"},{"id":"owens-illinois","role":"Founding glass-bottle maker"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Joined the group later"},{"id":"pepsico","role":"Defendant in the 2024 Buffalo River case"},{"id":"vinyl-institute","role":"Author of the 1986 document cited"}],"mechanism":"litter messaging, recycling claims","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Philip Morris, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Busch and WM as funders of Keep America Beautiful (SourceWatch and The Intercept, both pro-deposit sources).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who bore the cost of litter clean-up, and whether the messaging changed recycling rates, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cop31-antalya-sponsorship-by-koc-and-sabanci","tier":"short","title":"Koç and Sabancı named partners of COP31 climate summit in Antalya","dek":"Koç and Sabancı holding companies were named COP31 partners, with Koç as global partner and Sabancı as electrification partner, and the fees were not disclosed. At stake for nature is how far sponsors whose businesses include oil refining and lignite power shape the climate talks.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":"Antalya","lat":36.9,"lon":30.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.9,"lon":30.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2026,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["COP31 is scheduled for Antalya from 9 to 20 November 2026, with Murat Kurum as president and Chris Bowen as president of negotiations, according to the Australian Prime Minister's Office.","Koç Holding became the summit's global partner and Sabancı Holding its electrification partner, according to BloombergHT and CNBC-e.","Koç is the controlling partner of the refiner Tüpraş, and Sabancı is a partner in the Tufanbeyli lignite power plant; the partners' fees were not disclosed.","Global Witness counted 2,456 fossil-linked participants at COP28, 1,773 at COP29 and 1,602 at COP30, using KBPO's definition."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Koç Holding and Sabancı Holding were named partners of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, which runs from 9 to 20 November 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Koç Holding","what":"Global business partner of COP31; fees not disclosed","src":1},{"who":"Sabancı Holding","what":"Electrification partner of COP31; fees not disclosed","src":2},{"who":"Garanti BBVA, Türk Telekom and Bloomberg Philanthropies","what":"Named COP31 partners; fees not disclosed","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Antalya, Türkiye.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Summit 9 to 20 November 2026; partnership dates are not on record.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Corporate partnership agreements with the summit; fees not disclosed.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"fossil_linked_participants_cop28","value":2456,"unit":"participants","year":null,"note":"COP28; KBPO definition, per Global Witness"},{"key":"fossil_linked_participants_cop29","value":1773,"unit":"participants","year":null,"note":"COP29; KBPO definition"},{"key":"fossil_linked_participants_cop30","value":1602,"unit":"participants","year":null,"note":"COP30; KBPO definition"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The fees paid by Koç, Sabancı, Garanti BBVA, Türk Telekom and Bloomberg Philanthropies were not disclosed.","How the partners were selected is not on record.","Whether any partner's business influenced a negotiating position is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"COP to be hosted by Türkiye, Australia leading negotiations","p":"Australian Prime Minister's Office","d":"","u":"https://www.pm.gov.au/media/cop-be-hosted-turkiye-australia-leading-negotiations","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261009131747/https://www.pm.gov.au/media/cop-be-hosted-turkiye-australia-leading-negotiations"},{"t":"Koç Holding becomes global partner of COP31 climate summit","p":"BloombergHT","d":"","u":"https://www.bloomberght.com/koc-holding-cop31-iklim-degisikligi-zirvesinin-kuresel-is-ortagi-oldu-3786919","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260831164024/https://www.bloomberght.com/koc-holding-cop31-iklim-degisikligi-zirvesinin-kuresel-is-ortagi-oldu-3786919"},{"t":"Sabancı Holding becomes electrification partner of COP31","p":"CNBC-e","d":"","u":"https://www.cnbce.com/sirket-haberleri/sabanci-holding-cop31in-elektrifikasyon-partneri-oldu-h37626","type":"press"},{"t":"Record number of fossil fuel lobbyists granted access to COP28 climate talks","p":"Global Witness","d":"","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/record-number-of-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-granted-access-to-cop28-climate-talks/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261011100359/https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/record-number-of-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-granted-access-to-cop28-climate-talks/"}],"actors":[{"id":"koc-holding","role":"Global business partner of COP31"},{"id":"sabanci-holding","role":"Electrification partner of COP31"},{"id":"tupras","role":"Refiner controlled by Koç Holding"},{"id":"garanti-bbva","role":"Named COP31 partner"},{"id":"turk-telekom","role":"Named COP31 partner"},{"id":"bloomberg-philanthropies","role":"Named COP31 partner"},{"id":"kick-big-polluters-out","role":"Defines fossil-linked participants in the counts"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"Published the participant counts"}],"mechanism":"corporate summit sponsorship","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The fees paid by Koç, Sabancı, Garanti BBVA, Türk Telekom and Bloomberg Philanthropies were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How the partners were selected is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any partner's business influenced a negotiating position is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Garanti BBVA, Türk Telekom and Bloomberg Philanthropies"]},{"id":"turkey-domestic-coal-purchase-guarantee","tier":"short","title":"Türkiye guarantees purchase of domestic coal at USD 75 per MWh","dek":"Türkiye has set a purchase guarantee of USD 75 per megawatt-hour for domestic coal, which Ember estimates will cost at least USD 8.7 billion to 2030. At stake for nature is whether the scheme slows the shift to renewables and cuts emissions.","country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39,"lon":35,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2030,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Türkiye guarantees a purchase of domestic coal at USD 75 per MWh, which Ember estimates will cost at least USD 8.7 billion to 2030.","Capacity payments give priority to domestic coal, according to Ember.","Türkiye's emissions trading pilot allocates 100% of allowances free of charge, with each plant's past emission intensity as the benchmark, and first deliveries are due in 2028, according to ICAP.","Ember says the guarantee runs against Türkiye's renewable targets."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Türkiye guarantees a purchase of domestic coal at USD 75 per MWh, with an estimated cost of at least USD 8.7 billion to 2030.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Domestic coal producers","what":"Guaranteed purchase at USD 75 per MWh, and priority in capacity payments","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Renewable energy targets","what":"Ember says the guarantee runs against them","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Türkiye.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Estimated cost to 2030; the emissions trading pilot's first delivery is in 2028.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A guaranteed purchase price for domestic coal and capacity payments, alongside free emission allowances in the pilot.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"domestic_coal_guarantee_price","value":75,"unit":"USD per MWh","year":null,"note":"Purchase guarantee for domestic coal"},{"key":"guarantee_cost_estimate_to_2030","value":8.7,"unit":"USD billion","year":2030,"note":"Ember estimate, at least, to 2030"},{"key":"ets_pilot_free_allocation","value":100,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Share of emission allowances allocated free of charge in the pilot"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Who pays for the guarantee, such as electricity consumers or the budget, is not on record.","Which coal producers or plants benefit is not on record.","The cited sources give an Ember estimate of the cost, not an official figure."],"sources":[{"t":"Türkiye's 8.7 billion dollar coal purchase guarantee runs against renewable targets","p":"Ember","d":"2025","u":"https://ember-energy.org/tr/analizler/turkiye-komure-8-7-milyar-dolar-alim-garantisi-yenilenebilir-hedeflerine-ters/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402161503/https://ember-energy.org/tr/analizler/turkiye-komure-8-7-milyar-dolar-alim-garantisi-yenilenebilir-hedeflerine-ters/"},{"t":"ICAP emissions trading information: Türkiye","p":"ICAP","d":"2026","u":"https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/node/1238","type":"international"}],"actors":[{"id":"ember","role":"Published the cost estimate"},{"id":"icap","role":"Source for the emissions trading pilot details"}],"mechanism":"domestic coal purchase guarantee","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who pays for the guarantee, such as electricity consumers or the budget, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which coal producers or plants benefit is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give an Ember estimate of the cost, not an official figure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"andhra-pradesh-community-managed-natural-farming","tier":"short","title":"Andhra Pradesh's community-managed natural farming reaches 1.29 million farmers","dek":"Andhra Pradesh runs a community-managed natural farming programme with 1.29 million farmers. The cited sources do not state its cost or any measured effect on soil, water or yields.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Andhra Pradesh","lat":15.91,"lon":79.74,"role":"event"}],"lat":15.91,"lon":79.74,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["The Food Planet Prize describes the programme as a people-powered agroecological initiative rooted in nature.","As reported, the programme covers 1.29 million farmers in Andhra Pradesh."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Andhra Pradesh runs a community-managed natural farming programme covering 1.29 million farmers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Andhra Pradesh, India.","src":1},"when":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Community-managed agroecological farming; the cited sources give no further mechanism.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"farmers_in_programme","value":1290000,"unit":"farmers","year":null,"note":"Programme coverage as cited in the sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the programme's budget, funders or start date.","The cited sources do not report measured effects on yields, soil or water.","The cited sources do not state who gained or lost, or whether farmers' incomes changed."],"sources":[{"t":"Document cited for the Andhra Pradesh natural farming programme","p":"World Bank","d":"","u":"https://documentos.bancomundial.org/es/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099557412122318720","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412001512/https://documentos.bancomundial.org/es/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099557412122318720"},{"t":"APCNF: A people-powered agroecological transformation rooted in nature","p":"Food Planet Prize","d":"","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711145150/https://foodplanetprize.org/initiatives/apcnf-a-people-powered-agroecological-transformation-rooted-in-nature/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711145150/https://foodplanetprize.org/initiatives/apcnf-a-people-powered-agroecological-transformation-rooted-in-nature/","dead":true}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"community-managed natural farming","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the programme's budget, funders or start date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report measured effects on yields, soil or water.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state who gained or lost, or whether farmers' incomes changed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"alakir-river-flow-gauge-manipulation-allegation","tier":"short","title":"Alleged flow-meter manipulation at a Turkish hydropower plant on the Alakır river","dek":"Turkey's minimum-flow rule sets the downstream release at 10 percent of average flow, and the cited sources show no national measurement of compliance. An allegation of flow-meter manipulation at Alakır has been reported; the cited sources do not confirm it.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["TSKB reported in 2023 that the minimum-flow rule sets the downstream release at 10 percent of average annual flow.","According to the Lexpera legal database, a regulation on water-use-right agreements governs the water use of hydropower plants.","CNN Türk reported in 2017 a criminal complaint against the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) over a flow-meter game at a hydropower plant."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A minimum-flow rule governs hydropower releases, and an allegation of flow-meter manipulation at Alakır has been reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alakır river, Turkey; the location is not on record.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Rule reported in 2023 (TSKB); complaint reported in 2017 (CNN Türk).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Releases are set by the minimum-flow rule; the allegation is that flow-meter readings were tampered with.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"minimum_flow_share_pct","value":10,"unit":"percent of average annual flow","year":2023,"note":"Minimum-flow rule as reported by TSKB"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: flow-meter manipulation at Alakır and a 30,000 lira fine for it; the cited sources do not confirm either.","The cited sources do not link the 2017 CNN Türk complaint to Alakır by name.","The cited sources contain no nationwide measurement of compliance with the minimum-flow rule.","The cited sources do not name the Alakır plant's owner or operator, or who gained or lost from the alleged manipulation."],"sources":[{"t":"New principles under EA-YEKDEM","p":"TSKB","d":"2023","u":"https://tskb.com.tr/uploads/file/tskb-ea-yekdemde-yeni-esaslar-050523.pdf","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212072632/https://www.tskb.com.tr/uploads/file/tskb-ea-yekdemde-yeni-esaslar-050523.pdf"},{"t":"Regulation on signing water-use-right agreements for electricity generation","p":"Lexpera","d":"","u":"https://www.lexpera.com.tr/mevzuat/yonetmelikler/elektrik-piyasasinda-uretim-faaliyetinde-bulunmak-uzere-su-kullanim-hakki-anlasmasi-imzalanmasina-10","type":"reference"},{"t":"Criminal complaint against DSİ over a flow-meter game at a hydropower plant","p":"CNN Türk","d":"2017","u":"https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/hesde-debimetre-oyunu-nedeniyle-dsi-hakkinda-suc-duyurusu-662588","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"dsi","role":"Subject of a 2017 criminal complaint over a flow-meter game at a hydropower plant (CNN Türk)"}],"mechanism":"minimum environmental flow rule","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: flow-meter manipulation at Alakır and a 30,000 lira fine for it; the cited sources do not confirm either.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not link the 2017 CNN Türk complaint to Alakır by name.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources contain no nationwide measurement of compliance with the minimum-flow rule.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the Alakır plant's owner or operator, or who gained or lost from the alleged manipulation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nestle-vittel-aquifer-case-and-michigan-withdrawals","tier":"short","title":"Nestlé settles French bottled-water probe as Vittel aquifer runs a deficit","dek":"Nestlé Waters closed French investigations into suspected banned treatment and suspected illegal drilling with a payment of 2 million euros, and the French Senate reported the state concealed the treatment. The Vittel aquifer runs an open annual deficit, and Michigan granted a pumping permit despite 80,945 public comments against it.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":48.2,"lon":5.95,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Michigan","lat":43.64,"lon":-85.32,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.2,"lon":5.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["On 10 September 2024 the president of the Épinal judicial court validated a public-interest judicial agreement (CJIP) between the Épinal prosecutor and Nestlé Waters Supply Est, closing two preliminary investigations: one into the operation of nine boreholes without adequate authorisation (2013–2019) and one into deception (tromperie) through unauthorised ultraviolet and activated-carbon treatments of mineral water (2016–2022). The prosecutor's statement says the validation is not a declaration of guilt.","The Senate reported in May 2025 that the state had concealed the banned treatment at Perrier and other wells, and that the Élysée had known of it since 2022, The Local reported.","The French Senate's written question record states that the Vittel aquifer runs an open deficit of about 1.3 million cubic metres a year.","WAMC reported in April 2018 that Michigan allowed Nestlé to withdraw 576,000 gallons a day for an annual fee of 200 dollars, despite 80,945 public comments against it.","In February 2025 the public-health unit of the Paris court opened a judicial investigation for deception (tromperie) after a complaint by Foodwatch against Nestlé and Groupe Sources Alma over the treatment of their waters, Public Sénat reported. On 19 May 2026 investigators from the environmental and public-health police office (Oclaesp) and fraud-control agents searched Nestlé Waters' Perrier site at Vergèze and its Vittel site; Nestlé Waters said it was cooperating fully, AFP reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nestlé Waters closed a French investigation into banned treatment of its bottled water with a payment, and the Senate reported the state had concealed it. Michigan separately allowed the company to pump groundwater.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nestlé Waters","what":"Paid a 2 million euro fine to close the French investigations and continued operating at Vittel","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Vittel aquifer","what":"Open annual deficit of about 1.3 million cubic metres","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Michigan residents who commented against the permit","what":"80,945 public comments opposed the 2018 permit, which was granted","src":6},{"who":"Creek near the Michigan pumping site","what":"A 2003 court found pumping had lowered it; the court is not on record","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"Vittel, France, and Michigan, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit 2018 (WAMC); fine September 2024 (Le Club des Juristes); Senate report May 2025 (The Local).","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A public-interest judicial agreement closed the French case, and pumping at Vittel was halved (Foodwatch 2024); in Michigan a settlement cut pumping from 400 to 218 gallons a minute (Michigan Environmental Council).","src":4}},"metrics":[{"key":"vittel_aquifer_annual_deficit_m3","value":1300000,"unit":"cubic metres per year","year":null,"note":"Approximate open deficit, per Senate written question"},{"key":"cjip_fine_eur","value":2000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2024,"note":"Fine under the public-interest judicial agreement (CJIP)"},{"key":"restoration_payment_eur","value":1100000,"unit":"EUR","year":2024,"note":"Restoration amount reported with the CJIP"},{"key":"michigan_annual_fee_usd","value":200,"unit":"USD per year","year":2018,"note":"Annual fee for the Michigan withdrawal permit"},{"key":"michigan_permitted_gallons_per_day","value":576000,"unit":"gallons per day","year":2018,"note":"Permitted daily withdrawal"}],"legal":[{"title":"Public-interest judicial agreement (CJIP) with Nestlé Waters","forum":"Épinal tribunal","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Épinal public prosecutor","defendant":"Nestlé Waters Supply Est","filed":null,"decided":"2024-09-10","status":"settled","summary":"Agreement with a 2 million euro public-interest fine, a 1.1 million euro renaturation and restoration plan and 516,800 euros to seven associations, closing investigations into suspected unauthorised treatment and drilling without adequate authorisation; under French law the validation is not a declaration of guilt.","src":4},{"title":"Judicial investigation for deception (Foodwatch complaint)","forum":"Paris judicial court, public-health unit","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Foodwatch (complaint against X)","defendant":"Nestlé and Groupe Sources Alma (targeted companies)","filed":"2025-02","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Judicial investigation for deception opened in February 2025; Perrier and Vittel sites searched on 19 May 2026. No charges against a person or company are reported.","src":8}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state any personal penalty for Nestlé Waters executives.","The cited sources do not state whether the 2018 Michigan permit was renewed or whether the Vittel deficit has changed since the Senate question.","The cited sources do not state the Michigan creek's condition after the 2003 court finding."],"sources":[{"t":"Vittel aquifer is running an open deficit (Senate written question)","p":"French National Assembly and Senate","d":"2018/2023","u":"https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2022/qSEQ220802051.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251204043528/https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2022/qSEQ220802051.html"},{"t":"Bottled water scandal: Senate report criticises government concealment strategy","p":"Public Sénat","d":"2025-05","u":"https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/sante/scandale-des-eaux-en-bouteille-un-rapport-du-senat-epingle-la-strategie-de-dissimulation-du-gouvernement-face-aux-derives-de-nestle-waters","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412165923/https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/sante/scandale-des-eaux-en-bouteille-un-rapport-du-senat-epingle-la-strategie-de-dissimulation-du-gouvernement-face-aux-derives-de-nestle-waters"},{"t":"French state covered up Nestlé water scandal, Senate report finds","p":"The Local","d":"2025-05-19","u":"https://www.thelocal.fr/20250519/french-state-covered-up-nestle-water-scandal-senate-report-finds","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250925092310/https://www.thelocal.fr/20250519/french-state-covered-up-nestle-water-scandal-senate-report-finds"},{"t":"Mineral water affair: 2 million euro fine for Nestlé Waters after public-interest judicial agreement","p":"Le Club des Juristes","d":"2024-09","u":"https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/affaire-des-eaux-minerales-2-millions-deuros-damende-pour-nestle-waters-apres-la-conclusion-dune-convention-judiciaire-dinteret-public-6850/","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013001509/https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/affaire-des-eaux-minerales-2-millions-deuros-damende-pour-nestle-waters-apres-la-conclusion-dune-convention-judiciaire-dinteret-public-6850/"},{"t":"Public-interest judicial agreement (CJIP) with Nestlé Waters, Épinal tribunal","p":"Foodwatch","d":"2024-09-10","u":"https://foodwatch.org/fileadmin/-FR/Documents/CP_Tribunal_Epinal_CJIPE_Nestle_Waters_10_septembre_2024.pdf","type":"court","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416212109/https://www.foodwatch.org/fileadmin/-FR/Documents/CP_Tribunal_Epinal_CJIPE_Nestle_Waters_10_septembre_2024.pdf"},{"t":"Pact reached: Nestlé agrees to reduced water taking in Mecosta County","p":"Michigan Environmental Council","d":"","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724155353/https://www.environmentalcouncil.org/pact_reached_nestle_agrees_to_reduced_water_taking_in_mecosta_county","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724155353/https://www.environmentalcouncil.org/pact_reached_nestle_agrees_to_reduced_water_taking_in_mecosta_county","dead":true},{"t":"Michigan OKs Nestlé water extraction despite over 80K public comments against it","p":"WAMC","d":"2018-04-03","u":"https://www.wamc.org/2018-04-03/michigan-oks-nestle-water-extraction-despite-over-80k-public-comments-against-it","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609085557/https://www.wamc.org/2018-04-03/michigan-oks-nestle-water-extraction-despite-over-80k-public-comments-against-it"},{"t":"Scandale des eaux en bouteille : une information judiciaire ouverte contre Nestlé et Alma Sources pour tromperie","p":"Public Sénat","d":"2025-02-13","u":"https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/societe/scandale-des-eaux-en-bouteille-une-information-judiciaire-ouverte-contre-nestle-et-alma-sources-pour-tromperie","type":"press"},{"t":"Nestlé Waters en France: perquisitions sur les sites de Perrier et de Vittel (AWP/AFP)","p":"allnews.ch (AWP/AFP)","d":"2026-05-20","u":"https://allnews.ch/node/154354","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"nestle-waters","role":"Operator of Perrier and Vittel bottled water; paid the 2024 CJIP fine"}],"mechanism":"bottled water groundwater extraction","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["nestle-perrier-vittel-banned-treatments-and-aquifer-deficit"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My Vittel aquifer runs an open deficit of about 1.3 million cubic metres a year, a Senate written question states; Michigan permitted Nestlé 576,000 gallons a day for 200 dollars a year.","src":[0,6]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state any personal penalty for Nestlé Waters executives.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the 2018 Michigan permit was renewed or whether the Vittel deficit has changed since the Senate question.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the Michigan creek's condition after the 2003 court finding.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"konya-closed-basin-sinkholes-and-illegal-wells","tier":"short","title":"Konya Closed Basin records over 740 sinkholes as crops rely on groundwater","dek":"Sinkholes in the Konya Closed Basin have passed 740, and press estimates put the number of wells described as illegal at 26,000 to 140,000. The cited sources do not say what causes the sinkholes or how much water is pumped from the basin's wells.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Konya","lat":37.87,"lon":32.48,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.87,"lon":32.48,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["GZT reported that the number of sinkholes on the Konya plain had passed 740.","Press estimates put the number of wells described as illegal in the basin between 26,000 and 140,000.","Ekonomim reported that sugar beet, potato and maize get 90 to 95 percent of their water from groundwater, and that Konya Şeker paid growers 12.78 billion lira in the 2025–26 season.","According to the Court of Accounts, the State Hydraulic Works (DSİ) does not know how much water is pumped from its licensed wells."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Sinkholes in the Konya Closed Basin have passed 740, and most water for sugar beet, potato and maize comes from groundwater.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Konya Şeker","what":"Paid growers 12.78 billion lira in the 2025–26 season","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Konya Closed Basin groundwater","what":"Pumped for irrigation; the volume taken from licensed wells is not measured","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Konya Closed Basin (Konya plain), Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025–26 season for the payments; the sinkhole count is undated.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Crops are irrigated from groundwater, including from illegal wells, and the Court of Accounts reported that DSİ does not track pumping from licensed wells.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"sinkholes_reported","value":740,"unit":"sinkholes","year":null,"note":"Approximately 740; the GZT headline says the count passed 740"},{"key":"illegal_wells_estimate_low","value":26000,"unit":"wells","year":null,"note":"Low end of the estimate; the high end is 140,000"},{"key":"groundwater_share_pct_low","value":90,"unit":"percent of crop water","year":null,"note":"Sugar beet, potato and maize; the upper end is 95 percent"},{"key":"konya_seker_grower_payments_try","value":12780000000,"unit":"TRY","year":2025,"note":"Payments to growers in the 2025–26 season"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state what causes the sinkholes.","Unconfirmed: the 26,000 to 140,000 illegal-well estimate; the cited sources do not name its author.","The cited sources do not state the total volume pumped in the basin or its water balance, or any penalty for wells described as illegal."],"sources":[{"t":"Alarming rise on Konya plain: sinkhole count passes 740; why do they form, do they trigger earthquakes?","p":"GZT","d":"","u":"https://www.gzt.com/gundem/konya-ovasinda-korkutan-artis-obruk-sayisi-740i-gecti-obruklar-neden-olusur-depremi-tetikler-mi-4252022","type":"press"},{"t":"Sugar beet planting begins in Konya; water and price warning to growers","p":"Ekonomim","d":"2026","u":"https://www.ekonomim.com/sehirler/konyada-pancar-ekimi-basladi-erkoyuncudan-ureticiye-su-ve-fiyat-uyarisi-haberi-891405","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"konya-seker","role":"Sugar company that paid growers 12.78 billion lira in the 2025–26 season"},{"id":"dsi","role":"Water authority that does not track pumping from licensed wells, according to the Court of Accounts"}],"mechanism":"groundwater pumping for irrigation","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Sinkholes on my Konya plain have passed 740, GZT reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state what causes the sinkholes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 26,000 to 140,000 illegal-well estimate; the cited sources do not name its author.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the total volume pumped in the basin or its water balance, or any penalty for wells described as illegal.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Konya Closed Basin groundwater"]},{"id":"erikli-ownership-transfer-nestle-platinum-equity-partnership","tier":"short","title":"Erikli water brand changes hands in Nestlé–Platinum Equity partnership","dek":"Nestlé and Platinum Equity are forming a partnership worth 4.9 billion euros that includes the Erikli water brand, Evrensel reported in 2026. The cited sources do not state the price, the stakes held, or where Erikli's water is drawn from.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["Evrensel reported in 2026 that the Erikli water brand changed hands and that a US company became a partner.","According to the same report, the partnership is valued at 4.9 billion euros and includes Erikli."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nestlé and Platinum Equity are forming a 4.9 billion euro partnership that includes the Erikli water brand.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nestlé","what":"Partner in the 4.9 billion euro partnership that includes Erikli","src":0},{"who":"Platinum Equity","what":"US company that became a partner in the partnership that includes Erikli","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"None on record beyond the Erikli brand.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2026, per the Evrensel report.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ownership of the Erikli brand changed hands and a US company joined as a partner; the sources give no further terms.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"partnership_value_eur","value":4900000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2026,"note":"Partnership value as reported; includes Erikli"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state the price paid, the stakes held by each party, or whether Nestlé still owns Erikli.","The cited sources do not state where Erikli's water is drawn from or how much is extracted."],"sources":[{"t":"Giant water brand changes hands; US company becomes partner","p":"Evrensel","d":"2026","u":"https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5993497/dev-su-markasi-el-degistirdi-abd-li-sirket-ortak-oldu","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260731204419/https://www.evrensel.net/haber/5993497/dev-su-markasi-el-degistirdi-abd-li-sirket-ortak-oldu"}],"actors":[{"id":"nestle","role":"Partner in the 4.9 billion euro partnership that includes Erikli"},{"id":"platinum-equity","role":"US company that became a partner in the partnership that includes Erikli"}],"mechanism":"private equity partnership","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the price paid, the stakes held by each party, or whether Nestlé still owns Erikli.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state where Erikli's water is drawn from or how much is extracted.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ergene-river-pollution-and-deep-discharge-to-marmara","tier":"short","title":"Ergene pollution case dropped on time limit as wastewater goes to Marmara","dek":"A criminal case over pollution in Turkey's Ergene basin was dismissed for statute of limitations in 2024. Since 2020 about 300,000 cubic metres of wastewater a day has been sent to the Sea of Marmara by deep discharge, instead of the river.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Trakya (Thrace)","lat":41.15,"lon":26.67,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.15,"lon":26.67,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["BirGün reported in July 2024 that on 26 June 2024 the Uzunköprü 2nd Criminal Court of First Instance (Edirne) dropped, under the extraordinary statute of limitations, the case against representatives of industrial firms charged with intentionally polluting the environment, opened after a complaint by the lawyer Mahmut Tanal on 20 January 2011. Expert reports had linked the pollution to industrial waste; the court had convicted the defendants in 2021, and the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice overturned that ruling in 2022. Tanal appealed the 2024 decision.","DHA reported in November 2024 that since November 2020 about 300,000 cubic metres a day of treated wastewater from six organised industrial zones in Tekirdağ has been discharged about 4 km offshore into the Sea of Marmara instead of the river, against a system capacity of 460,000 cubic metres a day.","TRT Haber reported that 1,152 inspections were carried out in the basin in 2025 and 21 facilities were halted.","Bianet reported that a 1.5 million lira expert-witness fee in a civil case made access to justice impossible."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Expert reports linked pollution in the Ergene basin to industry, and a criminal case over it was dismissed for statute of limitations in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Plaintiffs in the civil case","what":"Expert-witness costs of about 1.5 million lira","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Ergene basin in Trakya (Thrace), Turkey; wastewater is sent to the Sea of Marmara.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Complaint on 20 January 2011; conviction in 2021, overturned on appeal in 2022; case dropped for statute of limitations on 26 June 2024 (BirGün); deep discharge since November 2020 (DHA).","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Industrial effluent reached the river; the basin's wastewater is now sent to the Marmara Sea through deep discharge.","src":3}},"metrics":[{"key":"deep_discharge_m3_per_day","value":300000,"unit":"cubic metres per day","year":2020,"note":"Approximate; treated wastewater from six organised industrial zones sent to the Sea of Marmara since November 2020 instead of the river (DHA, 2024); capacity 460,000"},{"key":"inspections_2025","value":1152,"unit":"inspections","year":2025,"note":"Inspections carried out in the basin"},{"key":"facilities_halted_2025","value":21,"unit":"facilities","year":2025,"note":"Facilities halted in the basin"},{"key":"fines_2025_try","value":106000000,"unit":"TRY","year":2025,"note":"Administrative fines in the basin in 2025 (106,381,979 lira, TRT Haber)"},{"key":"expert_witness_costs_try","value":1500000,"unit":"TRY","year":null,"note":"Expert-witness fee in a civil case"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the industrial operators, or who issued the deep-discharge permit.","The cited sources do not state the outcome of the civil case beyond the expert-witness fee.","Unconfirmed: the 2020 public spending figure was announced as both 2.5 and 6.5 billion lira at the same ceremony; the cited sources do not say which is correct.","The cited sources do not state the basis for the 106 million lira in fines."],"sources":[{"t":"Ergene case dismissed on statute of limitations","p":"BirGün","d":"2024-07-22","u":"https://www.birgun.net/haber/cevre-katliami-cezasiz-kaldi-546444","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260117173103/https://www.birgun.net/haber/cevre-katliami-cezasiz-kaldi-546444"},{"t":"Ergene case: 1.5 million lira expert fee makes access to justice impossible","p":"Bianet","d":"","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/ergene-davasinda-1-5-milyon-tllik-bilirkisi-masrafi-adalete-erisim-imkansizlasiyor-308546","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208035343/https://bianet.org/haber/ergene-davasinda-1-5-milyon-tllik-bilirkisi-masrafi-adalete-erisim-imkansizlasiyor-308546"},{"t":"21 facilities halted in Ergene basin","p":"TRT Haber","d":"2025-10-19","u":"https://www.trthaber.com/haber/cevre/ergene-havzasinda-cevreyi-kirletenlere-106-milyon-lira-ceza-923236.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251113080124/https://www.trthaber.com/haber/cevre/ergene-havzasinda-cevreyi-kirletenlere-106-milyon-lira-ceza-923236.html"},{"t":"Ergene River raises alarm: pollution level rises to fourth grade","p":"BirGün","d":"","u":"https://www.birgun.net/haber/ergene-nehri-alarm-veriyor-kirlilik-seviyesi-4-uncu-dereceye-cikti-479716","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213233007/https://www.birgun.net/haber/ergene-nehri-alarm-veriyor-kirlilik-seviyesi-4-uncu-dereceye-cikti-479716"},{"t":"Ergene River examined: fourth-degree pollution found","p":"Milliyet","d":"2023","u":"https://www.milliyet.com.tr/galeri/ergene-nehri-incelendi-4-derece-kirlilik-cikti-7027335","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240206010010/https://www.milliyet.com.tr/galeri/ergene-nehri-incelendi-4-derece-kirlilik-cikti-7027335"},{"t":"Tekirdağ'da atık suları arıtılıp Marmara Denizi'ne deşarj eden OSB sayısı 6'ya yükseldi","p":"DHA (Demirören Haber Ajansı)","d":"2024-11-04","u":"https://www.dha.com.tr/yerel-haberler/tekirdag/corlu/tekirdag-da-atik-sulari-aritilip-marmara-deniz-2526234","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"deep-discharge wastewater disposal","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Since November 2020 about 300,000 cubic metres a day of treated industrial wastewater has been discharged about 4 km into my Sea of Marmara instead of the Ergene river, DHA reported.","src":[5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the industrial operators, or who issued the deep-discharge permit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the outcome of the civil case beyond the expert-witness fee.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2020 public spending figure was announced as both 2.5 and 6.5 billion lira at the same ceremony; the cited sources do not say which is correct.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the basis for the 106 million lira in fines.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dilovasi-and-ergene-cancer-study-not-published","tier":"short","title":"Ergene–Kocaeli health study unpublished as a 33.7% cancer figure circulates","dek":"A ministry study of the Ergene–Kocaeli area for 2011–16 has not had its results published, Bianet reported. A figure of 33.7 percent circulated for Dilovası, but it is cancer's share of all deaths, not an incidence rate.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Kocaeli","lat":40.8,"lon":29.54,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.8,"lon":29.54,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2016,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["CNN Türk headlined a cancer death rate of 33.7 percent for Dilovası; the figure is cancer's share of all deaths, not an incidence rate.","Bianet reported that the results of a ministry study covering the Ergene–Kocaeli area in 2011–16 have not been published."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A ministry study of the Ergene–Kocaeli area for 2011–16 has not been published, and a 33.7 percent cancer share of deaths circulated for Dilovası.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Public, including residents of Dilovası","what":"Access to the results of the 2011–16 study","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Dilovası, Kocaeli, Turkey, and the Ergene basin.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Study run 2011–16; results still unpublished in the cited sources.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The 33.7 percent figure circulated as a cancer death rate; incidence data are not in the cited sources.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"cancer_share_of_all_deaths_pct","value":33.7,"unit":"percent of all deaths","year":null,"note":"Circulated figure for Dilovası; cancer's share of all deaths, not incidence"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the claim that Dilovası is experiencing a cancer explosion.","The cited sources do not give cancer incidence rates for Dilovası or the Ergene basin.","The cited sources do not name the ministry department that ran the study or give a reason for withholding the results."],"sources":[{"t":"Cancer death rate in this district is 33.7 percent","p":"CNN Türk","d":"","u":"https://cnnturk.com/turkiye/bu-ilcede-kanserden-olum-orani-yuzde-33-7","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20180820031227/https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/bu-ilcede-kanserden-olum-orani-yuzde-33-7"},{"t":"Why are the cancer research results in Ergene and Dilovası not being published?","p":"Bianet","d":"","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/ergene-ve-dilovasi-nda-yapilan-kanser-arastirmasi-sonuclari-neden-aciklanmiyor-195967","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130030828/https://bianet.org/haber/ergene-ve-dilovasi-nda-yapilan-kanser-arastirmasi-sonuclari-neden-aciklanmiyor-195967"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"unpublished health research","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the claim that Dilovası is experiencing a cancer explosion.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give cancer incidence rates for Dilovası or the Ergene basin.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the ministry department that ran the study or give a reason for withholding the results.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"akyazi-thermal-hotel-water-bottled-and-sold","tier":"short","title":"Akyazı company bottles water leased for a thermal hotel; permits cancelled","dek":"A company that leased water for a planned thermal hotel in Akyazı, Sakarya, bottled and sold it, Hürriyet reported in 2017. Villagers objected for about ten years until the provincial governor's office cancelled the company's permits in 2025.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Sakarya","lat":40.68,"lon":30.62,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.68,"lon":30.62,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2025,"instrument":"water","happened":["Hürriyet reported in 2017 that a company which rented water for a planned thermal hotel set up a plant and began selling the water.","Halk54 reported that villagers objected for about ten years, and that an expert found the company was using an unlicensed intake.","Halk54 reported that the provincial governor's office cancelled the company's facility and production permits in 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Water leased for a planned thermal hotel in Akyazı, Sakarya, was bottled and sold, and the company's permits were later cancelled.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"A company that leased the water (name: none on record)","what":"Bottled and sold the leased water","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Akyazı villagers","what":"Objected for about ten years to the water being bottled and sold","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Akyazı, Sakarya province, Turkey.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Bottling reported in 2017 (Hürriyet); permits cancelled in 2025 (Halk54).","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water leased for a thermal hotel was used for a bottling plant and sales; an expert found an unlicensed intake, and the governor's office cancelled the permits.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"villager_objection_years","value":10,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"Objection period reported by Halk54"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the company, the rent paid, or the volume bottled.","The cited sources do not state whether the cancelled permits have been challenged.","The cited sources do not state the amount of water taken or its effect on the village's supply."],"sources":[{"t":"They rented water to build a thermal hotel, then set up a plant and started selling it","p":"Hürriyet","d":"2017","u":"https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/termal-otel-yapacagiz-diye-kiraladiklari-suyu-tesis-kurup-satmaya-basladilar-40583491","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260120115437/https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/termal-otel-yapacagiz-diye-kiraladiklari-suyu-tesis-kurup-satmaya-basladilar-40583491"},{"t":"After a ten-year water fight, Akyazı villagers see results: company's facility and production permits cancelled","p":"Halk54","d":"2025","u":"https://www.halk54.com/akyazida-koylulerin-10-yillik-su-savasi-mucadelesi-sonuc-verdi-o-sirketin-tesis-ve-uretim-izni-iptal-edildi","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250617002244/https://www.halk54.com/akyazida-koylulerin-10-yillik-su-savasi-mucadelesi-sonuc-verdi-o-sirketin-tesis-ve-uretim-izni-iptal-edildi"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"leased spring water bottling","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A company that rented my water in Akyazı for a planned thermal hotel bottled and sold it, Hürriyet reported in 2017; the governor's office cancelled its permits in 2025.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the company, the rent paid, or the volume bottled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the cancelled permits have been challenged.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the amount of water taken or its effect on the village's supply.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"inegol-bottling-project-eia-12-neighbourhoods-sue","tier":"short","title":"İnegöl bottling plant wins environmental approval as 12 neighbourhoods sue","dek":"A planned bottling plant in İnegöl, Bursa, received a positive environmental impact assessment (ÇED) in June 2026, and 12 neighbourhoods have sued, citing drinking water, irrigation and livestock. The cited sources report no court decision yet, and the developer is not named.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Bursa","lat":40.08,"lon":29.51,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.08,"lon":29.51,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["Yıldırım Gazetesi reported that 12 neighbourhoods in İnegöl sued over the environmental impact assessment (ÇED) decision for a bottling plant.","The plant is for 50 litres per second, and the lawsuit cites drinking water, irrigation and livestock.","A positive EIA decision for the plant was reported in June 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A bottling plant in İnegöl, Bursa, received a positive environmental impact assessment (ÇED) in June 2026, and 12 neighbourhoods sued.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Developer of the bottling plant (name: none on record)","what":"Positive EIA decision for a 50-litre-per-second plant","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"12 İnegöl neighbourhoods","what":"Sued the EIA decision, citing drinking water, irrigation and livestock","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"İnegöl, Bursa, Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"EIA decision June 2026; lawsuit reported in 2026; no decision yet.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A positive environmental impact assessment decision cleared the plant; the neighbourhoods filed suit against it.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"plant_rate_l_per_s","value":50,"unit":"litres per second","year":2026,"note":"Rate given for the bottling plant"},{"key":"neighbourhoods_suing","value":12,"unit":"neighbourhoods","year":2026,"note":"Neighbourhoods that filed the lawsuit"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the developer of the İnegöl plant.","Unconfirmed: a 2026 Bursa headline links an EIA approval to Uludağ İçecek; the cited sources do not confirm that it is the İnegöl plant.","The cited sources do not give the lawsuit's filing date or the court, or any effect on groundwater or springs."],"sources":[{"t":"İnegöl: water revolt of 12 neighbourhoods; lawsuit filed against EIA decision","p":"Yıldırım Gazetesi","d":"2026","u":"https://www.yildirimgazetesi.com/inegolde-12-mahallenin-su-isyani-ced-kararina-dava-acildi","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"water bottling EIA approval","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A bottling plant rated at 50 litres per second of my water received a positive environmental assessment in June 2026; 12 neighbourhoods have sued.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the developer of the İnegöl plant.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2026 Bursa headline links an EIA approval to Uludağ İçecek; the cited sources do not confirm that it is the İnegöl plant.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the lawsuit's filing date or the court, or any effect on groundwater or springs.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gozede-kestel-villagers-cut-pipes-to-municipal-water-factory","tier":"short","title":"Villagers in Bursa's Gözede cut pipes to city water factory","dek":"Villagers in Gözede (Kestel), Bursa, cut the pipes feeding the metropolitan municipality's water factory in August 2024. The municipality says the factory has its own line and that the dispute concerns irrigation.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Bursa","lat":40.2,"lon":29.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.2,"lon":29.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"water","happened":["Habertürk reported that in August 2024 villagers in Gözede cut the pipes carrying water to the metropolitan municipality's water factory.","Habertürk also reported that village irrigation water had been diverted to the factory and that crops dried in 2024.","The municipality says the factory is fed from a separate line, that the problem concerns irrigation, and that it built a 105,000 m³ pond for the village."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Villagers in Gözede cut the pipes that carried water to the Bursa metropolitan municipality's water factory in August 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bursa Metropolitan Municipality","what":"Operates the water factory at the village site","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Gözede villagers","what":"Irrigation water reported diverted to the factory; crops reported dried in 2024","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Gözede village, Kestel district, Bursa, Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Pipes cut in August 2024; crop losses reported for 2024.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A municipal bottled-water factory on village land; the sources disagree on whether it draws on village irrigation water.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"reservoir_capacity","value":105000,"unit":"m3","year":null,"note":"Pond built for the village, per the municipality"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the villagers' account that irrigation water was diverted to the factory and that crops dried.","The municipality's account that the factory has a separate supply line has not been independently checked.","The cited sources do not give the volume of water used by the factory or the area of irrigated land affected."],"sources":[{"t":"Gözede: irrigation water to the factory","p":"Habertürk","d":"2024-08-20","u":"https://www.haberturk.com/bursa-da-koylulerin-su-eylemi-3712921","type":"press"},{"t":"Metropolitan municipality's response to claims that water would not be supplied to Gözede village","p":"Bursa Haber","d":"2024","u":"https://www.bursahaber.com/guncel/buyuksehir-belediyesinden-gozede-koyunde-su-verilemeyecegi-iddialarina-yanit-2647300","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"bursa-metropolitan-municipality","role":"Operator of the water factory"},{"id":"gozede-villagers","role":"Villagers who cut the pipes"}],"mechanism":"municipal bottled-water factory supply","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the villagers' account that irrigation water was diverted to the factory and that crops dried.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The municipality's account that the factory has a separate supply line has not been independently checked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume of water used by the factory or the area of irrigated land affected.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"cactoblastis-moth-queensland-success-and-florida-threat","tier":"short","title":"Cactoblastis moth, released against prickly pear in Australia, later reached Florida","dek":"A moth introduced to control invasive prickly pear in Queensland later reached Florida, where it now threatens native cacti. The cited sources give few links for the release history.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-22.5,"lon":144.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Florida","lat":28,"lon":-81.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":-22.5,"lon":144.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":1925,"end":null,"instrument":"invasive-species","happened":["According to the cited sources, the moth was brought to Australia in 1925, and about 6.5 million hectares of Queensland land were recovered from invasive prickly pear.","The cited sources say a separate intentional release was made in the Caribbean in 1956–57, and that the moth reached Florida in 1989, where it now threatens native cacti.","Biocontrol literature cited in the sources records the Australian prickly-pear success and the later threat to native cacti in Florida."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A moth released to control invasive prickly pear in Australia later reached Florida, where it now threatens native cacti.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Queensland land managers","what":"Invaded land recovered from prickly pear (about 6.5 million ha, per the cited sources)","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Native cacti in Florida","what":"Threatened by the moth after its 1989 arrival","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Queensland, Australia; Florida, United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Australian release 1925; Caribbean release 1956–57; Florida arrival 1989.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Deliberate release of an insect as biological control; the Florida spread followed a second, separate release in the Caribbean.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"area_recovered","value":6500000,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"Queensland; approximate figure (about 6.5 million ha)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources give no source link for the 1925 release, the 1956–57 Caribbean release, the 1989 Florida arrival or the 6.5 million hectare figure.","The cited sources do not say which native cacti in Florida are affected, or by how much."],"sources":[{"t":"Biocontrol safety review cited for the Cactoblastis case","p":"BioControl (Springer)","d":"2016","u":"https://link.springer.com/doi/10.1007/s10526-016-9726-3","type":"academic"},{"t":"Weed biocontrol nontarget attack review cited for the Cactoblastis case","p":"University of Chicago Press Journals","d":"2019","u":"https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/702340","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230416041940/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/702340"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"insect biological control of weeds","types":["invasive-species"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A moth brought to Australia in 1925 recovered about 6.5 million hectares of my Queensland land from invasive prickly pear; it reached Florida in 1989, where it threatens native cacti.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no source link for the 1925 release, the 1956–57 Caribbean release, the 1989 Florida arrival or the 6.5 million hectare figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which native cacti in Florida are affected, or by how much.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Queensland land managers","No source link — Who harmed: Native cacti in Florida"]},{"id":"chile-forestry-subsidies-expanding-plantations","tier":"short","title":"Chile's Decree-Law 701 planting subsidy raised tree cover but cut native forest","dek":"A 1974–2012 decree that paid 75 percent of planting costs in Chile was linked to rising tree cover and falling native forest. A 2020 study found no rise in carbon storage and faster biodiversity loss.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-36,"lon":-71.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-36,"lon":-71.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":1974,"end":2012,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["UC Santa Barbara reported that Chile's Decree-Law 701 covered 75 percent of afforestation costs between 1974 and 2012.","UC Santa Barbara reported a 2020 analysis finding that the subsidy increased tree cover and reduced natural forest, and did not increase carbon storage.","The same report says the analysis found that biodiversity loss was accelerated."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chile's decree-law subsidy for planting trees increased tree cover but reduced natural forest, a 2020 analysis found.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Planters receiving the subsidy","what":"State payment of 75 percent of planting costs","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Native forest and biodiversity in Chile","what":"Native forest declined and biodiversity loss accelerated, per the 2020 analysis","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Chile.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Subsidy period 1974–2012; 2020 analysis reported in June 2020.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A state subsidy covering 75 percent of planting costs under a decree-law.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"state_share_of_planting_cost","value":75,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Share of afforestation costs paid by the state, 1974–2012"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the planters or companies that received the payments.","The cited sources do not say whether the decree remains in force.","The title and journal of the 2020 analysis are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Forgetting the forest for the trees","p":"UC Santa Barbara","d":"2020-06-25","u":"https://news.ucsb.edu/2020/019951/forgetting-forest-trees","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260202225115/https://news.ucsb.edu/2020/019951/forgetting-forest-trees"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-chile","role":"Set and funded the planting subsidy under Decree-Law 701"}],"mechanism":"planting subsidy under decree-law","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Chile paid 75 percent of afforestation costs from 1974 to 2012; a 2020 analysis found it increased tree cover, reduced my natural forest and did not increase carbon storage.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the planters or companies that received the payments.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the decree remains in force.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The title and journal of the 2020 analysis are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"genx-contamination-of-the-cape-fear-river","tier":"short","title":"GenX chemical found in Cape Fear River, a DuPont and Chemours replacement for PFOA","dek":"GenX, a replacement for PFOA, averaged 631 parts per trillion in the Cape Fear River in 2016, and conventional treatment could not remove it. DuPont and Chemours dispute the 2021 EPA finding that it is more toxic than previously thought.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":34.2,"lon":-78,"role":"event"}],"lat":34.2,"lon":-78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":null,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["According to the cited sources, GenX averaged 631 ppt in the Cape Fear River in 2016, and conventional treatment could not remove it.","The cited sources record that the US EPA said in 2021 that GenX was more toxic than previously thought, and that DuPont and Chemours dispute the finding.","DuPont said in a January 2021 release that DuPont, Corteva and Chemours had resolved legacy PFAS claims under a $4bn cap, with DuPont and Corteva paying $2bn of it.","Manufacturing Dive reported in 2023 that DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agreed to a $1.185bn PFAS settlement fund for US water systems."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"GenX, a replacement for PFOA associated with DuPont and Chemours, was found in the Cape Fear River, North Carolina, at an average of 631 ppt in 2016.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents who rely on Cape Fear River water","what":"Exposure to GenX in river water, per the 2016 average","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Cape Fear River, United States.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Production from 2009; 2016 river measurement; 2021 EPA finding.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A replacement chemical that conventional water treatment did not remove; the cited sources do not describe the discharge route.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"genx_avg_river_2016","value":631,"unit":"ppt","year":2016,"note":"Average in the Cape Fear River, per the cited sources"},{"key":"pfas_water_settlement_fund","value":1185000000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva settlement fund for US water systems"},{"key":"legacy_pfas_cost_cap","value":4000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"Cap on the cost-sharing for legacy PFAS claims"}],"legal":[{"title":"Chemours lawsuit against DuPont (dismissal upheld)","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Chemours","defendant":"DuPont","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12-17","status":"defendant-won","summary":"A court upheld the dismissal of Chemours' lawsuit against DuPont. The case concerns how liability was transferred in the corporate split.","src":2}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: GenX replaced PFOA as a production chemical.","Unconfirmed: DuPont paid about $4bn in dividends around the spin-off of Chemours, and a securities suit over the spin-off followed in 2019.","The cited sources give no source link for the 631 ppt average or the 2021 EPA finding, and the companies dispute the finding.","The cited sources do not say whether the 2023 settlement fund covers the Cape Fear water utilities.","The cited sources do not state GenX sales revenue or whether the cleanup of the river is complete."],"sources":[{"t":"DuPont, Corteva and Chemours announce resolution of legacy PFAS claims","p":"DuPont","d":"2021-01-22","u":"https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240526224930/https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2021/DuPont-Corteva-and-Chemours-announce-resolution-of-legacy-PFAS-claims/default.aspx"},{"t":"DuPont, Chemours and Corteva agree to $1.2B PFAS settlement fund","p":"Manufacturing Dive","d":"2023","u":"https://manufacturingdive.com/news/dupont-chemours-corteva-agree-to-1-2b-pfas-settlement-fund/652076","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260807121856/https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/dupont-chemours-corteva-agree-to-1-2b-pfas-settlement-fund/652076/"},{"t":"Court upholds dismissal of Chemours lawsuit against DuPont","p":"PFAS Project","d":"2020-12-17","u":"https://pfasproject.com/2020/12/17/court-upholds-dismissal-of-chemours-lawsuit-against-dupont/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230529193228/https://pfasproject.com/2020/12/17/court-upholds-dismissal-of-chemours-lawsuit-against-dupont/"}],"actors":[{"id":"dupont","role":"Producer of PFOA and related chemicals; party to the 2021 resolution"},{"id":"chemours","role":"Producer of GenX; party to the 2021 resolution and the lawsuit against DuPont"},{"id":"corteva","role":"Party to the 2021 resolution and the 2023 settlement fund"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Found in 2021 that GenX was more toxic than previously thought"}],"mechanism":"PFAS replacement chemical in drinking-water source","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: GenX replaced PFOA as a production chemical.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: DuPont paid about $4bn in dividends around the spin-off of Chemours, and a securities suit over the spin-off followed in 2019.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no source link for the 631 ppt average or the 2021 EPA finding, and the companies dispute the finding.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2023 settlement fund covers the Cape Fear water utilities.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state GenX sales revenue or whether the cleanup of the river is complete.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Residents who rely on Cape Fear River water"]},{"id":"australian-esg-greenwashing-penalties-and-dws-invesco-fines","tier":"short","title":"Mercer fined A$11.3m over 'sustainable' fund; Vanguard and Active Super also penalised","dek":"Australian regulators and courts penalised Mercer, Vanguard and Active Super over ESG fund claims, at A$10.5m to A$12.9m each. The cited sources also list US and German fines against DWS and Invesco.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.2,"lon":10.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"influence","happened":["ASIC said it won an A$11.3m penalty against Mercer Super over its 'Sustainable Plus' fund, which the cited sources say held coal and mining companies.","The Lawyer Magazine reported that the Federal Court in 2024 ordered Vanguard to pay A$12.9m over an 'ethical' fund in which about 74 percent of securities had not been screened.","The cited sources also list a A$10.5m penalty against Active Super, US fines of $19m (DWS) and $17.5m (Invesco), and a 25m euro German fine on DWS in 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mercer (A$11.3m), Vanguard (A$12.9m) and Active Super (A$10.5m) were penalised in Australia over fund claims about ESG screening.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia; the US and Germany for the DWS and Invesco fines.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Penalties in 2024; German DWS fine in 2025.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Penalties over fund marketing claims about ESG screening.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"mercer_penalty","value":11.3,"unit":"AUD million","year":2024,"note":"Penalty, Mercer Super"},{"key":"vanguard_penalty","value":12.9,"unit":"AUD million","year":2024,"note":"Penalty, Vanguard"},{"key":"active_super_penalty","value":10.5,"unit":"AUD million","year":null,"note":"Penalty, Active Super"},{"key":"dws_german_fine","value":25,"unit":"EUR million","year":2025,"note":"Fine on DWS in Germany"},{"key":"invesco_us_fine","value":17.5,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Fine on Invesco in the United States"}],"legal":[{"title":"ASIC action against Mercer Super over 'Sustainable Plus' fund","forum":"Federal Court of Australia","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Australian Securities and Investments Commission","defendant":"Mercer Super","filed":null,"decided":"2024-08","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Federal Court ordered an A$11.3m penalty over ESG claims about the 'Sustainable Plus' fund, which the cited sources say held coal and mining companies.","src":0},{"title":"Action over Vanguard 'ethical' fund","forum":"Federal Court of Australia","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Vanguard","filed":null,"decided":"2024","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Federal Court ordered a A$12.9m penalty over an 'ethical' fund in which about 74 percent of securities had not been screened.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources give no source link for the Active Super penalty, and no court is named for it.","The DWS and Invesco fines are listed without source links, and the cited sources give no dates beyond the ranges noted.","The cited sources do not say whether the penalties changed the holdings of the funds."],"sources":[{"t":"ASIC's first greenwashing case results in landmark $11.3 million penalty for Mercer","p":"ASIC","d":"2024","u":"https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-173mr-asic-s-first-greenwashing-case-results-in-landmark-113-million-penalty-for-mercer","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921101155/https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-173mr-asic-s-first-greenwashing-case-results-in-landmark-113-million-penalty-for-mercer"},{"t":"Greenwashing action leads to $12.9m fine, dubbed as the highest yet","p":"The Lawyer Magazine","d":"2024","u":"https://www.thelawyermag.com/au/news/general/greenwashing-action-leads-to-129m-fine-dubbed-as-the-highest-yet/507711","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"asic","role":"Regulator that brought the Mercer case"},{"id":"mercer-super","role":"Penalised over the 'Sustainable Plus' fund"},{"id":"vanguard","role":"Penalised over the 'ethical' fund"},{"id":"active-super","role":"Penalised A$10.5m"},{"id":"dws","role":"Fined in the US and Germany"},{"id":"invesco","role":"Fined in the US"}],"mechanism":"ESG fund marketing claims","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"An 'ethical' fund was sold in my name in which about 74 percent of securities had not been screened; in 2024 the Federal Court ordered Vanguard to pay A$12.9m.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no source link for the Active Super penalty, and no court is named for it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The DWS and Invesco fines are listed without source links, and the cited sources give no dates beyond the ranges noted.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the penalties changed the holdings of the funds.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"4ocean-bracelets-ocean-plastic-claim","tier":"short","title":"4ocean reports over 50 million pounds of trash removed, with no independent audit","dek":"Bracelet seller 4ocean promises at least one pound of trash removed for each item sold and publishes its own tally of more than 50 million pounds. No independent audit of the figures is on record.","country":"None on record","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["According to 4ocean's own press release, the company sells bracelets under a 'One Pound Promise' to remove at least one pound of trash for each item sold.","4ocean's press release reported 40 million pounds tracked by its TrashTracker in November 2024; according to its own figures, the total was more than 50 million pounds by February 2026.","The cited sources cite a 2023 scientific critique that described plastic cleanup technology as a mistake and called for prevention at source."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"4ocean sells bracelets with a promise of at least one pound of trash removed per item sold, and tracks the total itself.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"4ocean","what":"Sales of bracelets marketed with the one-pound promise","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Oceans, rivers and coastlines; specific sites are not on record.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Tracked totals: 40 million pounds in November 2024; more than 50 million pounds in February 2026.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Company-run collection with paid crews, tallied by the company's own TrashTracker.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"pounds_tracked","value":40000000,"unit":"lb","year":2024,"note":"Company TrashTracker total, November 2024"},{"key":"pounds_tracked_min","value":50000000,"unit":"lb","year":2026,"note":"Company tally; more than 50 million pounds, February 2026"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["No independent audit of the totals or of the one-pound-per-sale ratio is on record.","The B Corp status and the use of paid crews are reported without source links.","The February 2026 figure of more than 50 million pounds has no source link."],"sources":[{"t":"4ocean achieves 40 million pounds of trash and plastic pulled from ocean, rivers and coastlines","p":"4ocean","d":"2024-11","u":"https://www.4ocean.com/blogs/press-releases/4ocean-achieves-40-million-pounds-of-trash-and-plastic-pulled-from-ocean-rivers-and-coastlines","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251006052443/https://www.4ocean.com/blogs/press-releases/4ocean-achieves-40-million-pounds-of-trash-and-plastic-pulled-from-ocean-rivers-and-coastlines"}],"actors":[{"id":"4ocean","role":"Seller of bracelets with the one-pound promise; runs collection"}],"mechanism":"per-sale trash removal pledge","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"4ocean promised in my name to remove at least one pound of trash for each item sold; its own tracker counted 40 million pounds by November 2024, with no independent audit on record.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No independent audit of the totals or of the one-pound-per-sale ratio is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The B Corp status and the use of paid crews are reported without source links.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The February 2026 figure of more than 50 million pounds has no source link.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: 4ocean"]},{"id":"clorox-ocean-plastic-accc-penalty","tier":"short","title":"Clorox fined A$8.25m over 'ocean plastic' claim on garbage bags","dek":"Australia's Federal Court ordered Clorox to pay A$8.25m over 'ocean plastic' claims on GLAD bags, in an action brought by the competition regulator. The plastic was collected from Indonesian settlements up to 50 km inland from the coast.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.3,"lon":133.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["InDaily reported that the Federal Court on 14 April 2025 imposed an A$8.25m penalty on Clorox over 'ocean plastic' claims on GLAD bags.","InDaily reported that the plastic in the bags was collected from Indonesian settlements up to 50 km inland from the coast, and that the court accepted the company genuinely believed the claim and did not mislead deliberately.","The UK Food Standards Agency said there is no agreed definition of 'ocean plastic'. A certification scheme (Control Union) counts plastic collected within 50 km of the coast."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Clorox was penalised A$8.25m over 'ocean plastic' claims on GLAD bags, which used plastic collected on land in Indonesia.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia (court); Indonesia (plastic collection).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Claims made in 2021–2025; penalty ordered on 14 April 2025.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A consumer product carrying an 'ocean plastic' claim, with the plastic sourced from land-based collection.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty","value":8.25,"unit":"AUD million","year":2025,"note":"Federal Court penalty over 'ocean plastic' claim"}],"legal":[{"title":"ACCC action over Clorox GLAD 'ocean plastic' bag claims","forum":"Federal Court of Australia","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","kind":"civil","claimant":"Australian Competition and Consumer Commission","defendant":"Clorox (GLAD brand)","filed":null,"decided":"2025-04-14","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court imposed an A$8.25m penalty over 'ocean plastic' claims. The court accepted that the company genuinely believed the claim and did not mislead deliberately.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources give no source link for the statement that the term has no agreed definition.","The 50 km figure comes from a 2015 study that did not use the term; no source link is given.","Clorox's own response to the penalty is not on record.","The cited sources do not say whether the bags' labelling has changed."],"sources":[{"t":"Glad rubbish bag fined over plastic claim","p":"InDaily","d":"2025-04-14","u":"https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/business/2025/04/14/glad-rubbish-bag-fine-plastic","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250426180404/https://www.indailysa.com.au/news/business/2025/04/14/glad-rubbish-bag-fine-plastic"},{"t":"Ocean-bound plastic (OBP) certification programme","p":"Control Union","d":"","u":"https://www.controlunion.com/certification-program/obp-ocean-bound-plastic-certification/","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614012711/https://www.controlunion.com/certification-program/obp-ocean-bound-plastic-certification/"}],"actors":[{"id":"clorox","role":"Penalised over the GLAD 'ocean plastic' claim"},{"id":"accc","role":"Competition regulator that brought the action"},{"id":"control-union","role":"Certification scheme defining ocean-bound plastic"}],"mechanism":"product marketing claim","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Bags were sold as 'ocean plastic' made from plastic collected up to 50 km inland from my coast in Indonesia; on 14 April 2025 the Federal Court imposed an A$8.25m penalty.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no source link for the statement that the term has no agreed definition.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 50 km figure comes from a 2015 study that did not use the term; no source link is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Clorox's own response to the penalty is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the bags' labelling has changed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nautilus-minerals-bankruptcy-and-tmc","tier":"short","title":"Nautilus Minerals goes bankrupt; successor TMC rises from its ashes","dek":"Nautilus Minerals, which was running the Solwara 1 seabed mining project off Papua New Guinea, went bankrupt in 2019. The sources describe The Metals Company, formerly DeepGreen, as having risen from its ashes.","country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","places":[{"country":"Papua New Guinea","iso2":"PG","admin":null,"lat":-6.3,"lon":143.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.3,"lon":143.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2019,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["Nautilus Minerals was running the Solwara 1 seabed mining project off Papua New Guinea, where the government held a 15 per cent stake, as reported.","Former justice minister Arnold Amet said in 2018 that the government had made a large investment and that Solwara 1 would be a burden on the economy.","The sources describe The Metals Company, formerly DeepGreen, as having risen from Nautilus's ashes after Nautilus went bankrupt."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nautilus Minerals, which ran the Solwara 1 seabed mining project off Papua New Guinea, went bankrupt in 2019; the sources describe The Metals Company as having risen from its ashes.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Metals Company (formerly DeepGreen)","what":"Described in the sources as having risen from Nautilus's ashes.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Papua New Guinea government","what":"Held a 15 per cent stake; the sources say it lost its investment.","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Off Papua New Guinea, Solwara 1 project area.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Project period 2018 to 2019; bankruptcy in 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A seabed mining company went bankrupt, and a successor company then pursued seabed mining, as reported.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"government_stake","value":15,"unit":"percent","year":2019,"note":"Papua New Guinea government share in the project"},{"key":"government_contribution","value":132900000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"note":"Approximate contribution cited in the sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: The Metals Company's chief executive was an early investor in Nautilus Minerals.","The sources do not describe environmental effects of the Solwara 1 project."],"sources":[{"t":"Deep-sea mining project in PNG resurfaces despite community opposition","p":"Mongabay","d":"2023-08-18","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2023/08/deep-sea-mining-project-in-png-resurfaces-despite-community-opposition/","type":"press"},{"t":"Deep-Sea Mining Could Begin Soon, Regulated or Not","p":"Scientific American","d":"2023-09-01","u":"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/deep-sea-mining-could-begin-soon-regulated-or-not/","type":"press"},{"t":"Nautilus minerals finally bankrupt, but is it still a threat? (compilation of Deep Sea Mining Campaign, Mining.com and Guardian reports)","p":"Mines and Communities","d":"2019-11-26","u":"https://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=14179","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"nautilus-minerals","role":"Ran the Solwara 1 project; went bankrupt in 2019"},{"id":"the-metals-company","role":"Described as having risen from Nautilus's ashes"},{"id":"png-government","role":"15 per cent stake in the Solwara 1 project"}],"mechanism":"bankruptcy and renamed successor","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["deep-sea-mining-tmc-nori-noaa-permit-and-isa"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: The Metals Company's chief executive was an early investor in Nautilus Minerals.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not describe environmental effects of the Solwara 1 project.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"roundup-and-dicamba-verdict-reductions","tier":"short","title":"Court reverses $60 million punitive award in dicamba case","dek":"A court reversed a $60 million punitive damage award in the Bader dicamba case while leaving liability in place. The sources describe drift damage as the harm in this litigation, and EPA has re-approved over-the-top dicamba use for 2026 and 2027.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Farm Progress reported that a court reversed a $60 million punitive damage award in the Bader dicamba case while affirming liability.","Civil Eats reported that evidence at a 2020 dicamba trial showed Monsanto executives had anticipated pesticide drift.","The National Ag Law Center reported that a court vacated the over-the-top dicamba registration, and Agri-Pulse reported that EPA approved over-the-top use of dicamba for 2026 and 2027."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court reversed a $60 million punitive damage award in the Bader dicamba case while affirming liability; EPA approved over-the-top dicamba use for 2026 and 2027.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bayer (Monsanto)","what":"Named in the sources as a party in the dicamba litigation.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Growers affected by dicamba drift","what":"The sources describe dicamba drift damage in this litigation; individual losses are not given.","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States: dicamba litigation and EPA registration.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Litigation from 2015 to 2026; a 2020 trial; EPA approval for 2026 and 2027.","src":3},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Herbicide drift onto neighbouring fields; a court vacated the over-the-top registration, and EPA re-approved it for 2026 and 2027.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"punitive_award_reversed","value":60000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Punitive damage award reversed in the Bader case"}],"legal":[{"title":"Bader dicamba case","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Farm plaintiff in the Bader case","defendant":"Monsanto (Bayer)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"A court affirmed liability and reversed the $60 million punitive damage award, according to Farm Progress.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not document the Roundup verdict reductions, so no Roundup figures are included.","The sources do not say whether the Bader case ended in a payment."],"sources":[{"t":"Court reverses $60 million punitive damage award in dicamba case","p":"Farm Progress","d":"","u":"https://www.farmprogress.com/herbicide/court-reverses-60-million-punitive-damage-award-dicamba-case","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221207092007/https://www.farmprogress.com/herbicide/court-reverses-60-million-punitive-damage-award-dicamba-case"},{"t":"The deal with dicamba: court vacates over-the-top registration","p":"National Ag Law Center","d":"","u":"https://nationalaglawcenter.org/the-deal-with-dicamba-court-vacates-over-the-top-registration/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260224235425/https://nationalaglawcenter.org/the-deal-with-dicamba-court-vacates-over-the-top-registration/"},{"t":"EPA approves over-the-top use of dicamba for two years","p":"Agri-Pulse","d":"2026","u":"https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/24182-epa-approves-over-the-top-use-of-dicamba-for-two-years","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260223204105/https://www.agri-pulse.com/articles/24182-epa-approves-over-the-top-use-of-dicamba-for-two-years"},{"t":"At dicamba trial, evidence shows Monsanto execs anticipated pesticide drift","p":"Civil Eats","d":"2020-01-31","u":"https://civileats.com/2020/01/31/at-dicamba-trial-evidence-shows-monsanto-execs-anticipated-pesticide-drift/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250721235948/https://civileats.com/2020/01/31/at-dicamba-trial-evidence-shows-monsanto-execs-anticipated-pesticide-drift/"}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"Party in the dicamba litigation"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Approved over-the-top dicamba use for 2026 and 2027"}],"mechanism":"dicamba drift and re-registration","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not document the Roundup verdict reductions, so no Roundup figures are included.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the Bader case ended in a payment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"la-pampilla-oil-spill","tier":"short","title":"Repsol La Pampilla spill: regulator fines and a criminal probe follow","dek":"Oil from Repsol's La Pampilla refinery reached the coast of Ventanilla, Peru, in 2022, and the regulator measured more than 10,000 barrels. The stake for nature is the coastline, protected areas and fishing grounds; the cited sources record fines and proceedings but no final verdict.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":"Lima region","lat":-11.87,"lon":-77.12,"role":"event"}],"lat":-11.87,"lon":-77.12,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2025,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["Repsol's first report to Peru's regulator put the spill at 0.16 barrels, which the ministry described as 'seven gallons' (RPP).","The environmental regulator OEFA measured more than 10,000 barrels of oil, reported 11,061 hectares affected, and imposed administrative fines of 42.96 million soles (RPP).","In May 2022 the consumer protection agency Indecopi filed a civil suit for US$4.5 billion in Lima's 27th Civil Court against six jointly liable defendants, including Repsol S.A. and Refinería La Pampilla (RPP). In January 2022 a judge in Ventanilla barred four refinery executives, including Repsol's chief executive in Peru, Jaime Fernández-Cuesta, from leaving the country for 18 months while they were investigated for alleged environmental pollution (EFE)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Oil spilled from Repsol's La Pampilla refinery in Ventanilla, Peru; regulators fined the company and a criminal investigation followed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Repsol","what":"Refinery kept operating after the spill","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Fishers and coastal communities","what":"Fishing grounds were oiled; fishers protested that marine damage should be measured first","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Ventanilla, north of Lima, Peru","src":0},"when":{"t":"Spill on 15 January 2022; proceedings in Peru and in the Netherlands reported through 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Oil was discharged during tanker offloading to the refinery, according to the case summary","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"initial_spill_report_barrels","value":0.16,"unit":"barrels","year":2022,"note":"Repsol's first report to the regulator"},{"key":"oil_measured_barrels","value":10000,"unit":"barrels","year":2022,"note":"OEFA measurement; the source says more than this"},{"key":"area_affected_hectares","value":11061,"unit":"hectares","year":2022,"note":"OEFA figure"},{"key":"administrative_fines_soles","value":42960000,"unit":"soles","year":2025,"note":"Two first-instance OEFA fines: S/13.8 million for false information in the emergency report and S/29.16 million for failing to contain and recover the oil and clean the affected area"},{"key":"indecopi_suit_claim_usd","value":4500000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"Civil suit brought by Indecopi"}],"legal":[{"title":"Indecopi civil suit over the La Pampilla spill","forum":"","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Indecopi","defendant":"Repsol","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"In May 2022 Indecopi filed a civil suit for collective damages of US$4.5 billion (US$3 billion for damages and US$1.5 billion for moral damage) in Lima's 27th Civil Court against six jointly liable defendants, including Repsol S.A. and Refinería La Pampilla. Repsol rejected the suit and said it was not responsible. A ruling is not stated in the sources.","src":0},{"title":"SEFR v Repsol Perú B.V. and others (Netherlands)","forum":"District Court of The Hague (Rechtbank Den Haag)","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"Stichting Environment and Fundamental Rights (SEFR), for people affected by the spill","defendant":"Repsol Perú B.V.; Refinería La Pampilla S.A.A.; Repsol S.A.","filed":"2024-01","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The foundation served its claim on 10 January 2024; Gestión reported that it seeks about US$1 billion for 50,000 people. On 21 May 2025 the court declared that it has no jurisdiction over the claims against Refinería La Pampilla and Repsol S.A., because sufficient connection with the claim against the Dutch company had not been shown, and rejected Repsol's request to declare the foundation inadmissible. The case against Repsol Perú B.V. continues (ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2025:8700).","src":1}],"unknown":["No criminal verdict is on record.","Not linked to a URL: Repsol called the consumer suit baseless.","Not linked to a URL: fishers protested and asked that marine damage be measured first.","Not stated: the fishing income lost, the extent of marine damage, or the total cost of the clean-up."],"sources":[{"t":"OEFA imposes two fines on Repsol over Ventanilla oil spill","p":"RPP","d":"2022-10-29","u":"https://rpp.pe/peru/actualidad/ventanilla-oefa-impone-dos-multas-a-repsol-por-mas-de-s-42-millones-por-derrame-de-petroleo-noticia-1443074","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260115010629/https://rpp.pe/peru/actualidad/ventanilla-oefa-impone-dos-multas-a-repsol-por-mas-de-s-42-millones-por-derrame-de-petroleo-noticia-1443074"},{"t":"Stichting Environment and Fundamental Rights v. Repsol Perú B.V., Refinería La Pampilla S.A.A. and Repsol S.A. (ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2025:8700)","p":"Rechtbank Den Haag (District Court of The Hague)","d":"2025-05-21","u":"https://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/details?id=ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2025:8700","type":"court"},{"t":"Caso Repsol-Ventanilla: en seis semanas tribunal de La Haya decidirá jurisdicción","p":"Gestión","d":"2025-04-11","u":"https://gestion.pe/economia/empresas/caso-repsol-ventanilla-en-seis-semanas-tribunal-de-la-haya-decidira-jurisdiccion-noticia/","type":"press"},{"t":"Prohíben a directivos de refinería Repsol salir de Perú ante investigación por derrame de crudo (EFE)","p":"BioBioChile / EFE","d":"2022-01-28","u":"https://www.biobiochile.cl/noticias/internacional/america-latina/2022/01/28/prohiben-a-directivos-de-refineria-repsol-salir-de-peru-ante-investigacion-por-derrame-de-crudo.shtml","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"repsol","role":"Operator of the La Pampilla refinery; fined by OEFA"},{"id":"oefa","role":"Environmental regulator; imposed fines"},{"id":"indecopi","role":"Consumer protection agency; civil suit claimant"}],"mechanism":"refinery tanker oil spill","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Repsol first reported 0.16 barrels of oil spilled into my sea at Ventanilla in 2022; the regulator OEFA measured more than 10,000 barrels and 11,061 hectares affected.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Indecopi civil suit over the La Pampilla spill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No criminal verdict is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not linked to a URL: Repsol called the consumer suit baseless.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not linked to a URL: fishers protested and asked that marine damage be measured first.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the fishing income lost, the extent of marine damage, or the total cost of the clean-up.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Fishers and coastal communities"]},{"id":"hanford-nuclear-site-cleanup","tier":"short","title":"Hanford contractors settle false-claims suits as cleanup estimates rise","dek":"Bechtel and URS, now part of AECOM, paid $125 million in 2016 and $57.8 million in 2020 to settle claims over billing at the Hanford nuclear site. The US Department of Energy now estimates the cleanup at $364 billion to $589.4 billion, finishing in 2086; the stake for nature is nuclear waste beside the Columbia River.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Washington","lat":46.55,"lon":-119.55,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.55,"lon":-119.55,"approxCoords":true,"start":1943,"end":2086,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["The US Justice Department settled claims that Bechtel and URS charged the government for defective nuclear material and used federal contract money for a lobbying campaign, for $125 million in November 2016 (Justice Department).","In September 2020 Bechtel and AECOM settled a suit over billing for idle labour hours at Hanford for $57.8 million, when the waste treatment plant was estimated at $16.8 billion (ENR).","In April 2025 the Department of Energy estimated the Hanford cleanup at $364 billion to $589.4 billion and projected completion in 2086 (Tri-Cities Business News)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bechtel and URS, now AECOM, settled overbilling claims at Hanford; the government's cleanup estimate rose to $364 billion to $589.4 billion.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bechtel","what":"Hanford contracts continued after the settlements","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"US federal taxpayers","what":"Fund the cleanup through the Energy Department budget","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Columbia River and nearby communities","what":"Nuclear waste stored on the riverbank awaiting treatment","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Hanford Site, Washington state, beside the Columbia River","src":null},"when":{"t":"Settlements in 2016 and 2020; DOE estimate in 2025; completion projected for 2086","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Contractors allegedly billed the government for defective nuclear-grade material and for idle labour hours, and settled the claims","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_2016_usd_million","value":125000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2016,"note":"Bechtel and URS settlement with the US Justice Department"},{"key":"settlement_2020_usd_million","value":57800000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2020,"note":"Bechtel and AECOM settlement over idle labour billing"},{"key":"waste_plant_cost_bn","value":16800000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2020,"note":"Waste treatment plant cost"},{"key":"cleanup_estimate_low_bn","value":364000000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2025,"note":"DOE estimate, low end"},{"key":"cleanup_estimate_high_bn","value":589400000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2025,"note":"DOE estimate, high end"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not linked to a URL: the waste plant cost is about four times its 2000 estimate.","Unconfirmed: Bechtel has managed the estimated $17 billion Hanford vitrification plant for more than 22 years.","Not stated: Bechtel's profit on the Hanford contracts.","Not stated: whether the 2016 and 2020 settlements included an admission of liability."],"sources":[{"t":"United States settles lawsuit against Energy Department contractors","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2016-11","u":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-settles-lawsuit-against-energy-department-contractors-knowingly-mischarging","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250201232118/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-settles-lawsuit-against-energy-department-contractors-knowingly-mischarging"},{"t":"Bechtel, Ex-AECOM Unit Settle U.S. Cleanup Site Labor Overbilling Suit","p":"ENR","d":"2020-09","u":"https://www.enr.com/articles/50122-bechtel-ex-aecom-units-58m-pact-settles-us-cleanup-site-labor-overbilling-suit","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250726013236/https://www.enr.com/articles/50122-bechtel-ex-aecom-units-58m-pact-settles-us-cleanup-site-labor-overbilling-suit"},{"t":"Report: Hanford cleanup to cost tens of billions more","p":"Tri-Cities Business News","d":"2025-04","u":"https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/report-hanford-cleanup-to-cost-tens-of-billions-more-take-years-longer-based-on-latest-estimates","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412222004/https://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/articles/report-hanford-cleanup-to-cost-tens-of-billions-more-take-years-longer-based-on-latest-estimates"}],"actors":[{"id":"bechtel","role":"Hanford contractor; party to the 2016 and 2020 settlements"},{"id":"aecom","role":"Former URS, now AECOM; party to the 2020 settlement"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"Owner of the Hanford site; published the 2025 cost estimate"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Counterparty to the 2016 settlement"}],"mechanism":"contractor overbilling settlements","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["sellafield-decommissioning-and-hanford-cleanup-budgets"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In April 2025 the US Department of Energy estimated cleaning up the nuclear waste beside my Columbia River at $364 billion to $589.4 billion, finishing in 2086.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not linked to a URL: the waste plant cost is about four times its 2000 estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bechtel has managed the estimated $17 billion Hanford vitrification plant for more than 22 years.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: Bechtel's profit on the Hanford contracts.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the 2016 and 2020 settlements included an admission of liability.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Bechtel","No source link — Who harmed: Columbia River and nearby communities"]},{"id":"probo-koala-and-ogijo-lead","tier":"short","title":"Lead shipped by Trafigura from Nigerian smelters linked to Ogijo poisonings","dek":"Lead from Nigerian battery smelters was carried by Trafigura to East Penn, a US battery maker, according to The Examination, and blood tests in Ogijo found lead poisoning. The stake for nature and people is lead in soil and in residents' blood; no compensation is on record.","country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":"Ogun State","lat":6.67,"lon":3.65,"role":"event"}],"lat":6.67,"lon":3.65,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The Examination reported that imported batteries were smelted in Ogijo, Nigeria, and that lead from True Metals and six other Nigerian smelters was carried over four years by the trader Trafigura to East Penn, a US battery maker.","Blood tests found lead poisoning in about 70 percent of the volunteers tested (The Examination).","East Penn, which supplies Tesla, GM and Ford, saw its plants closed and then reopened, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lead from Nigerian battery smelting, carried by Trafigura, reached a US battery maker, and blood tests in Ogijo found lead poisoning.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"East Penn","what":"Received lead carried by Trafigura for battery production","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Ogijo residents and workers","what":"Lead poisoning found in blood tests; about 70 percent of volunteers tested","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ogijo, Ogun State, Nigeria; East Penn in the United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reports cover 2025 to 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Imported batteries were smelted in Nigeria; the lead was traded through Trafigura to a US battery maker","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"volunteers_lead_poisoned_pct","value":70,"unit":"percent of volunteers tested","year":2025,"note":"Blood tests in Ogijo, as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: after the 2006 Probo Koala dumping in Abidjan, more than 100,000 people sought treatment; Trafigura paid fines in the Netherlands and gained immunity from prosecution in Côte d'Ivoire through a settlement.","Not linked to a URL: all workers tested were found to have lead poisoning.","Not stated: the number of workers tested, and the volume of lead Trafigura carried.","Not linked to a URL: the Ogijo plants were fined about $7,000 each, and four companies were ordered to pay clean-up costs of about $150,000 in total; collection is not recorded.","No compensation for residents is on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Recycling lead for U.S. car batteries is poisoning people","p":"The Examination","d":"2025-11","u":"https://www.theexamination.org/articles/battery-recycling-nigeria-lead-poisoning-us-automakers","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260929032512/https://www.theexamination.org/articles/battery-recycling-nigeria-lead-poisoning-us-automakers"}],"actors":[{"id":"trafigura","role":"Trader that carried lead from Nigerian smelters to East Penn"},{"id":"east-penn","role":"US battery maker that received the lead"},{"id":"true-metals","role":"Nigerian smelter whose lead was shipped"}],"mechanism":"lead battery recycling export","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Batteries were smelted on me in Ogijo, Nigeria; blood tests found lead poisoning in about 70 percent of the volunteers tested, The Examination reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: after the 2006 Probo Koala dumping in Abidjan, more than 100,000 people sought treatment; Trafigura paid fines in the Netherlands and gained immunity from prosecution in Côte d'Ivoire through a settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not linked to a URL: all workers tested were found to have lead poisoning.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the number of workers tested, and the volume of lead Trafigura carried.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not linked to a URL: the Ogijo plants were fined about $7,000 each, and four companies were ordered to pay clean-up costs of about $150,000 in total; collection is not recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No compensation for residents is on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sea-empress-oil-spill","tier":"short","title":"Liberian-flagged vessel Sea Empress spills oil at Milford Haven, Wales, in 1996","dek":"The Liberian-flagged vessel Sea Empress spilled oil at Milford Haven in February 1996. The cited sources record the compensation figure but not the damage to the coast or wildlife.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"Wales","lat":51.71,"lon":-5.04,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.71,"lon":-5.04,"approxCoords":true,"start":1996,"end":1996,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["According to the IOPC Funds document, the Liberian-flagged vessel Sea Empress, of 72,360 tonnes, spilled oil at Milford Haven on 15 February 1996.","The same document records a limit of £7.4 million under the Civil Liability Convention (CLC) and compensation of £36.8 million in its table."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Liberian-flagged vessel, the Sea Empress, spilled oil at Milford Haven, Wales, in 1996.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Claimants","what":"compensation of £36.8 million recorded in the IOPC table","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Milford Haven, Wales, United Kingdom","src":0},"when":{"t":"15 February 1996","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the cause.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The cited sources do not describe how the oil was released.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_iopc_table","value":36.8,"unit":"GBP million","year":null,"note":"compensation figure in the IOPC table"},{"key":"clc_limit","value":7.4,"unit":"GBP million","year":null,"note":"limit under the Civil Liability Convention"},{"key":"vessel_tonnage","value":72360,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"as stated in the IOPC document"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say what caused the release, or describe damage to the shore, wildlife or habitats.","The owner and charterer of the vessel are not stated.","The sources do not say which claims the £36.8 million covers or whether it is the final total.","Who gained, lost or was harmed is not stated beyond the compensation figure."],"sources":[{"t":"IOPC Funds document IOPC-NOV20-3-4","p":"IOPC Funds","d":"","u":"https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/IOPC-NOV20-3-4_e-1.pdf","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018134810/https://documentservices.iopcfunds.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2020/07/IOPC-NOV20-3-4_e-1.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"iopc-funds","role":"published the compensation table"}],"mechanism":"oil spill, compensation fund","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["princess-empress-oil-spill"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Oil spilled into my sea from a 72,360-tonne vessel at Milford Haven on 15 February 1996; the IOPC Funds table records £36.8 million in compensation.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what caused the release, or describe damage to the shore, wildlife or habitats.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The owner and charterer of the vessel are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say which claims the £36.8 million covers or whether it is the final total.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained, lost or was harmed is not stated beyond the compensation figure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tokomeza-ministers-case","tier":"short","title":"Tanzania's Tokomeza anti-poaching drive: 19 deaths, four ministers removed","dek":"Tanzania's 2013 Tokomeza operation against poaching involved 2,371 officials, including 885 soldiers and 480 police. A parliamentary committee reported 19 deaths, torture and bribery by officials, and four ministers were removed.","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","places":[{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":null,"lat":-6.37,"lon":34.89,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.37,"lon":34.89,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2013,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Tanzania's Tokomeza operation of 2013 involved 2,371 officials, of whom 885 were soldiers and 480 were police, The Citizen reported.","A parliamentary committee found 19 deaths, 13 of them civilians, signs of torture, and officials taking bribes to protect poachers, The Citizen reported.","Four ministers were removed from office after the report, The Citizen reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Tanzania's Tokomeza operation, aimed at eradicating poaching, was followed by 19 reported deaths, torture and bribery by officials, and the removal of four ministers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Some officials","what":"accepted bribes to protect poachers, the committee found","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Civilians","what":"13 of the 19 reported deaths were civilians","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Tanzania, nationwide","src":0},"when":{"t":"Operation in 2013; The Citizen reported the findings on 21 December 2013.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The operation was named for eradicating poaching; the cited sources give no further reason.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A national operation of 2,371 officials, including soldiers and police; a parliamentary committee reviewed its conduct.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"officials_deployed","value":2371,"unit":"officials","year":2013,"note":"885 soldiers and 480 police among them"},{"key":"deaths_reported","value":19,"unit":"people","year":2013,"note":"13 of them civilians, per parliamentary committee"},{"key":"ministers_removed","value":4,"unit":"ministers","year":2013,"note":"removed from office"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the four ministers were later cleared, according to secondary summaries.","The cited sources do not report any individual prosecution arising from the operation."],"sources":[{"t":"Report reveals atrocities against public","p":"The Citizen","d":"2013-12-21","u":"https://thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/report-reveals-atrocities-against-public--2502186","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260104182810/https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/report-reveals-atrocities-against-public--2502186"}],"actors":[{"id":"tanzania-gov","role":"ran the Tokomeza operation; removed four ministers"},{"id":"tanzania-parliament","role":"parliamentary committee that reported the deaths and abuses"}],"mechanism":"anti-poaching operation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"An operation in my name against poaching deployed 2,371 officials in 2013; a parliamentary committee reported 19 deaths, 13 of them civilians.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the four ministers were later cleared, according to secondary summaries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report any individual prosecution arising from the operation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hardwick-v-3m-pfas-class-action","tier":"short","title":"Appeals court overturns PFAS blood-contamination class action against 3M","dek":"A US appeals court overturned a class action on behalf of about 11.8 million people with PFAS in their blood. According to the Washington Legal Foundation, the plaintiffs could not show which of ten companies, including 3M, had put the chemicals there.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Ohio","lat":40.42,"lon":-82.91,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.42,"lon":-82.91,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["On 27 November 2023 the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit overturned a district court's acceptance of a class of about 11.8 million people with PFAS in their blood, the Washington Legal Foundation reported.","According to the Washington Legal Foundation, the plaintiffs could not show which of the ten defendant companies had put PFAS into the class members' blood."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A federal appeals court overturned a class action on behalf of about 11.8 million people with PFAS in their blood, against ten companies including 3M.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ten defendant companies, including 3M","what":"the class certification against them was overturned","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Class members with PFAS in their blood","what":"the class of about 11.8 million people fell","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ohio, USA (appeal to the Sixth Circuit)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Appeals decision on 27 November 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The class was overturned because the plaintiffs could not show which company had put PFAS into each class member's blood.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A class action in which the district court accepted a class and the appeals court reversed it on traceability grounds.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"class_size_million_people","value":11800000,"unit":"people","year":2023,"note":"class accepted by the district court, overturned on appeal"},{"key":"defendant_companies","value":10,"unit":"companies","year":2023,"note":"defendants in the class action"}],"legal":[{"title":"PFAS blood-contamination class action against 3M and other companies","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Class of about 11.8 million people with PFAS in their blood","defendant":"Ten companies, including 3M","filed":null,"decided":"2023-11-27","status":"overturned","summary":"The appeals court overturned the district court's acceptance of the class, because the plaintiffs could not show which of the ten companies had put PFAS into class members' blood.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not report any settlement or damages in this class action.","The cited sources do not say whether the plaintiffs refiled or appealed further."],"sources":[{"t":"Appeals court rejects PFAS-related class action without addressing unsettled Rule 23 issues","p":"Washington Legal Foundation","d":"2024-02-23","u":"https://www.wlf.org/2024/02/23/publishing/appeals-court-rejects-pfas-related-class-action-without-addressing-unsettled-rule-23-issues/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419150257/https://www.wlf.org/2024/02/23/publishing/appeals-court-rejects-pfas-related-class-action-without-addressing-unsettled-rule-23-issues/"}],"actors":[{"id":"3m","role":"defendant named in the case"}],"mechanism":"PFAS class action","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not report any settlement or damages in this class action.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the plaintiffs refiled or appealed further.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"greenpeace-leaves-fsc","tier":"short","title":"Greenpeace leaves the Forest Stewardship Council in 2018","dek":"Greenpeace International ended its membership of the Forest Stewardship Council, a forest certifier, in March 2018. The cited sources do not describe the terms of the exit or its effect on certified forests.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["Greenpeace International ended its membership of the Forest Stewardship Council in March 2018, according to Mongabay."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Greenpeace International ended its membership of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a forest certifier.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global; the exit concerned Greenpeace International's membership of FSC.","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The organisation ended its FSC membership.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Greenpeace left FSC because the scheme did not guarantee certification.","None on record: who gained or lost from the exit."],"sources":[{"t":"Greenpeace International ends its Forest Stewardship Council membership","p":"Mongabay","d":"2018-03","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/greenpeace-international-ends-its-forest-stewardship-council-membership/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260420214803/https://news.mongabay.com/2018/03/greenpeace-international-ends-its-forest-stewardship-council-membership/"}],"actors":[{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Organisation that ended its FSC membership"},{"id":"fsc","role":"Certifier that Greenpeace left"}],"mechanism":"forest certification membership exit","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace left FSC because the scheme did not guarantee certification.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who gained or lost from the exit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"brazil-mining-code-drafted-on-vale-and-bhp-law-firm-s-comput","tier":"short","title":"Brazil's 2015 mining code draft was created on Vale and BHP's law firm's computer","dek":"A 2015 draft of Brazil's mining code was created on a computer at a law firm acting for Vale and BHP, according to ISA and BBC Brasil. The text was changed at least 100 times, which bears on who shapes the rules for mining in Brazil.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-15.79,"lon":-47.88,"role":"event"}],"lat":-15.79,"lon":-47.88,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2015,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The 2015 draft of Brazil's mining code was created on the computer of a law firm acting for Vale and BHP, according to ISA and BBC Brasil.","A joint lawyer changed the text in at least 100 places, and the draft went forward under the rapporteur's signature."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2015 draft of Brazil's mining code was created on a law firm's computer, the firm acting for Vale and BHP.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vale and BHP (through their law firm)","what":"Their law firm's computer was where the draft was created.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil, federal mining legislation.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The draft is dated 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The law firm's text was changed at least 100 times before the draft went forward.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"text_changes","value":100,"unit":"changes","year":2015,"note":"at least 100 places changed by the joint lawyer"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: whether the draft became law in this form.","None on record: the law firm's name, or the effect of the text on mining or forests."],"sources":[{"t":"ISA and BBC Brasil reporting on the 2015 mining-code draft","p":"ISA (Instituto Socioambiental)","d":"2015-12","u":"https://site-antigo.socioambiental.org/en/print/4989","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"vale","role":"Company served by the law firm that held the draft"},{"id":"bhp","role":"Company served by the law firm that held the draft"}],"mechanism":"industry-drafted mining code","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the draft became law in this form.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the law firm's name, or the effect of the text on mining or forests.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"monsanto-hawaii-restricted-pesticide-violation","tier":"short","title":"Monsanto admits using banned pesticide in Hawaii and pays $10.2 million","dek":"Monsanto admitted using an illegal pesticide in Hawaii and paid about $10.2 million, Modern Farmer reported in November 2019. The cited sources do not describe any effect on wildlife or water.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Hawaii","lat":20.8,"lon":-156.33,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.8,"lon":-156.33,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2019,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["Monsanto admitted using a banned pesticide in Hawaii and paid about $10.2 million, Modern Farmer reported in November 2019.","The company had allowed workers to enter the treated field after 7 days rather than 31."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Monsanto admitted using a banned pesticide in Hawaii and paid about $10.2 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Paid about $10.2 million.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Field workers","what":"Allowed to enter the treated field after 7 days rather than 31.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Hawaii, United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in November 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Use of a banned pesticide, with a shortened interval before workers re-entered the field.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty_paid","value":10200000,"unit":"USD","year":2019,"note":"paid by Monsanto; reported as about $10.2 million"},{"key":"reentry_days_allowed","value":7,"unit":"days","year":2019,"note":"instead of 31 days"}],"legal":[{"title":"Hawaii banned-pesticide violation","forum":"Hawaii (United States)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2019-11","status":"plea","summary":"Monsanto admitted using a banned pesticide in Hawaii and paid about $10.2 million, per Modern Farmer.","src":0}],"unknown":["None on record: the name of the pesticide, the site, or the court that accepted the admission.","None on record: any effect on wildlife or water."],"sources":[{"t":"Monsanto fined $10.2 million for spraying illegal pesticide in Hawaii","p":"Modern Farmer","d":"2019-11","u":"https://modernfarmer.com/2019/11/monsanto-fined-10-2-million-for-spraying-illegal-pesticide-in-hawaii/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240815062120/https://modernfarmer.com/2019/11/monsanto-fined-10-2-million-for-spraying-illegal-pesticide-in-hawaii/"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Company that admitted the violation"}],"mechanism":"pesticide re-entry rule breach","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A banned pesticide was used on me in Hawaii; Monsanto admitted it and paid about $10.2 million, Modern Farmer reported in November 2019.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the name of the pesticide, the site, or the court that accepted the admission.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any effect on wildlife or water.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cnil-fine-on-monsanto-lobbying-files","tier":"short","title":"French regulator fines Monsanto 400,000 euros over lobbying file","dek":"France's data protection authority, the CNIL, fined Monsanto 400,000 euros in July 2021 over a lobbying file covering more than 200 journalists, politicians and scientists. The cited sources do not say which policy decisions the file was used for.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"influence","happened":["In July 2021 the CNIL, France's data protection authority, fined Monsanto 400,000 euros over a lobbying file (PrivacyLaws).","The file covered more than 200 journalists, politicians and scientists."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"France's data protection authority fined Monsanto 400,000 euros over a lobbying file.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"Paid a 400,000 euro fine.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Journalists, politicians and scientists on the file","what":"Were included in a lobbying file covering more than 200 people.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A lobbying file covering more than 200 people was the subject of the fine.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fine_amount","value":400000,"unit":"EUR","year":2021,"note":""},{"key":"file_subjects","value":200,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"more than 200 journalists, politicians and scientists"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the subject of the lobbying file, or what it was used for.","None on record: whether Monsanto appealed the fine."],"sources":[{"t":"PrivacyLaws report on the CNIL lobbying file fine","p":"PrivacyLaws","d":"2021-07","u":"https://www.privacylaws.com/reports-gateway/articles/int174/int174monsanto/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418072104/https://www.privacylaws.com/reports-gateway/articles/int174/int174monsanto/"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Company fined over the lobbying file"},{"id":"cnil","role":"Regulator that imposed the fine"}],"mechanism":"data protection lobbying fine","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the subject of the lobbying file, or what it was used for.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether Monsanto appealed the fine.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"intacta-soy-royalty-case","tier":"short","title":"Brazilian court halts Bayer licence fees on Intacta soy after patent expiry","dek":"A Mato Grosso court halted Bayer's collection of licence fees on Intacta soy under expired patents, and an appeals court upheld the ruling. The case is pending before a higher court, with about 10 billion reais at stake.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Mato Grosso","lat":-15.6,"lon":-56.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":-15.6,"lon":-56.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["Revista Cultivar reported in 2025 that a Mato Grosso court halted Bayer's collection of licence fees on Intacta soy under expired patents.","The state appeals court upheld the ruling, and the case is pending before a higher court.","The report puts the value of the case at about 10 billion reais."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Mato Grosso court halted Bayer's collection of Intacta soy licence fees under patents that had expired; the ruling was upheld on appeal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bayer","what":"Sought licence fees on Intacta soy after the underlying patents expired; collection was halted","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mato Grosso state, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2025; the start of the fee collection and the dates of the court rulings are not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The fees were charged on patents that had expired; the courts' reasoning is not on record.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Licence fees were charged on Intacta soy seed under patents that had expired, and the court halted their collection.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"case_value","value":10000000000,"unit":"reais (approximate)","year":null,"note":"value of the case as stated in the source"}],"legal":[{"title":"Mato Grosso Intacta royalty case","forum":"Mato Grosso state courts (Brazil)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Bayer","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"A Mato Grosso court halted collection of licence fees on Intacta soy under expired patents; the state appeals court upheld the ruling, and the case is before a higher court.","src":0}],"unknown":["Who paid the fees, and how much was collected, is not on record.","The dates of the first-instance and appeal rulings are not stated.","The claimant in the Mato Grosso case is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Royalty collection on expired patent halted","p":"Revista Cultivar","d":"2025","u":"https://revistacultivar.com.br/noticias/tribunal-de-mato-grosso-confirma-sentenca-sobre-cobranca-de-royalties-da-soja-intacta","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260314163239/https://revistacultivar.com.br/noticias/tribunal-de-mato-grosso-confirma-sentenca-sobre-cobranca-de-royalties-da-soja-intacta"}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"Licence holder that sought fees on Intacta soy"}],"mechanism":"post-expiry patent licence fees","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who paid the fees, and how much was collected, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The dates of the first-instance and appeal rulings are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The claimant in the Mato Grosso case is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"uzbekistan-cotton-clusters","tier":"short","title":"Uzbek cotton clusters took farmers' land and set quotas, rights group reports","dek":"Human Rights Watch reported in February 2026 that cotton and wheat farmers in Uzbekistan face quotas, threats to their land, beatings and detention. Land and purchasing were moved into non-tender clusters, and state banks and taxpayers absorbed the losses.","country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","places":[{"country":"Uzbekistan","iso2":"UZ","admin":null,"lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.4,"lon":64.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Human Rights Watch reported in February 2026 that cotton and wheat farmers face quotas, threats to their land, beatings and detention.","Kun.uz reported in April 2023 that 134 clusters covered more than 1 million hectares.","Land and cotton purchasing were moved into non-tender clusters, and Senator Murtazo Rakhmatov, who set up the first cluster, became head of the Cluster Union.","In April 2025, 89 civil society organisations made an urgent call to the IFC and EBRD on Indorama Agro, which reportedly repaid its loans early in January 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Uzbekistan placed cotton land and purchasing under non-tender clusters, and HRW reported quotas, threats to farmers' land, beatings and detention.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cluster owners, including Senator Murtazo Rakhmatov","what":"Non-tender control of land and purchasing; his cluster took over 22,400 ha from 475 farmers","src":null},{"who":"Indorama Agro","what":"Development-bank loans from IFC (60 million), EBRD (70 million) and ADB (15 million dollars), repaid early in January 2025","src":null},{"who":"Central state","what":"EU GSP+ trade preference (28 million euro) and World Bank financing (800 million dollars)","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Cotton farmers","what":"Land-lease terms shortened and planting imposed","src":null},{"who":"Workers in the Indorama Agro area","what":"About 14,500 jobs lost","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"Quotas, threats to land, beatings and detention, per HRW","src":0},{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"Cluster losses of 6 trillion som were covered by state banks and taxpayers, with a rescue of 3 + 3 trillion som","src":null},{"who":"A blogger who supported farmers","what":"Sentenced to 6.5 years in prison","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Uzbekistan, nationwide cotton cluster system","src":null},"when":{"t":"Reported period: 2017 to 2026; HRW report dated 16 February 2026; Kun.uz article dated 13 April 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record; reports tie the gains to control of land and state insurance.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Land and purchasing were moved into non-tender clusters, quotas were imposed on farmers, and a presidential adviser ordered cotton to be collected without asking farmers.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"clusters_kun_uz","value":134,"unit":"clusters","year":2023,"note":"Kun.uz figure"},{"key":"cluster_area","value":1000000,"unit":"hectares (more than)","year":2023,"note":"Kun.uz figure"},{"key":"farmers_hrw","value":28988,"unit":"farmers","year":2026,"note":"figure cited in the HRW report"},{"key":"lease_term","value":30,"unit":"years","year":2026,"note":"farmland lease term cited in the HRW report"},{"key":"bankruptcies_hrw","value":19,"unit":"bankruptcies","year":2026,"note":"figure cited in the HRW report"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: ILO figures of about 4% (2020) and about 1% (2021) for forced cotton pickers, based on 11,000 interviews in 2021.","The sources do not say what the 134 and 157 cluster counts in the HRW report cover, or how many farmers each cluster holds.","The 3.2 billion dollar export figure cited by Kun.uz is not tied to the clusters in the cited sources.","Reports say eight officials were punished in 2025 for 74 violations; the sources do not say whether this covers the cluster abuses."],"sources":[{"t":"Farmers Have No Freedom","p":"Human Rights Watch and Uzbek Forum","d":"2026-02-16","u":"https://www.hrw.org/report/2026/02/16/farmers-have-no-freedom/abuse-and-exploitation-of-cotton-and-wheat-farmers-in","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260925130320/https://www.hrw.org/report/2026/02/16/farmers-have-no-freedom/abuse-and-exploitation-of-cotton-and-wheat-farmers-in"},{"t":"Административное регулирование – причина тупика (Administrative regulation as the cause of the deadlock)","p":"Kun.uz","d":"2023-04-13","u":"https://kun.uz/ru/06977589","type":"press"},{"t":"Urgent Call on the IFC and the EBRD","p":"89 civil society organisations","d":"2025-04-03","u":"https://rightsindevelopment.org/statement-indorama-agro-uzbekistan/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009084728/https://rightsindevelopment.org/statement-indorama-agro-uzbekistan/"}],"actors":[{"id":"uzbekistan-gov","role":"Government that set up the cluster system"},{"id":"murtazo-rakhmatov","role":"Senator who set up the first cluster and became head of the Cluster Union"},{"id":"indorama-agro","role":"Company with cluster operations and development-bank loans"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Published the 2026 report"}],"mechanism":"state cotton cluster system","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["indorama-agro-cotton-project"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ILO figures of about 4% (2020) and about 1% (2021) for forced cotton pickers, based on 11,000 interviews in 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say what the 134 and 157 cluster counts in the HRW report cover, or how many farmers each cluster holds.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 3.2 billion dollar export figure cited by Kun.uz is not tied to the clusters in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reports say eight officials were punished in 2025 for 74 violations; the sources do not say whether this covers the cluster abuses.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Cluster owners, including Senator Murtazo Rakhmatov","No source link — Who gained: Indorama Agro","No source link — Who gained: Central state","No source link — Who lost: Cotton farmers","No source link — Who lost: Workers in the Indorama Agro area","No source link — Who harmed: Taxpayers","No source link — Who harmed: A blogger who supported farmers"]},{"id":"corpesca-fisheries-law-bribery","tier":"short","title":"Former Chilean senator and Corpesca convicted over bribery tied to fisheries law","dek":"In December 2020 Santiago's Third Oral Criminal Court convicted former senator Jaime Orpis of bribery and fraud against the state, and the fishing company Corpesca of bribery, over payments made while the fisheries law was debated. The law remains in force, with free fleet quotas for industrial vessels, and artisanal fishers lost out.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-33.45,"lon":-70.67,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.45,"lon":-70.67,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2020,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["On 2 December 2020 Santiago's Third Oral Criminal Court (3er Tribunal de Juicio Oral en lo Penal) found former UDI senator Jaime Orpis guilty of six counts of fraud against the state and two of bribery (cohecho), former deputy Marta Isasi guilty of bribery, and Corpesca, as a legal entity, guilty of bribery (soborno) committed through its former general manager, El Mostrador reported. Former Corpesca manager Francisco Mujica had been convicted earlier in an abbreviated procedure.","Prosecutors said Orpis received more than 233 million Chilean pesos from Corpesca, paid while the fisheries law was being debated.","On 16 April 2021 the court sentenced Orpis to five years and one day for fraud against the state plus 600 days for bribery, a fine of 109 million pesos and permanent loss of political rights; Isasi received 50 days, already served, and a 20 million peso fine. On 6 January 2022 the Santiago Court of Appeals confirmed Orpis's prison sentence; Cooperativa reported he was the first sitting or former Chilean lawmaker to go to prison for corruption.","The law kept free quotas for industrial vessels. Corpesca was fined a little over 517 million pesos (Cooperativa) and continued operating."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Santiago's Third Oral Criminal Court convicted former senator Jaime Orpis and Corpesca of bribery over payments made while the fisheries law was being debated.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Corpesca and the industrial fleet","what":"Free fleet quotas under the fisheries law","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Artisanal fishers","what":"Lost out under the law","src":null},{"who":"Public","what":"Lost out on the free quotas","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Chile, national fisheries law","src":null},"when":{"t":"Reported period: 2012 to 2020; verdict on 2 December 2020, sentences on 16 April 2021, appeal ruling on 6 January 2022.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The payments are described as made while the law was debated; the motive is not on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments of more than 230 million pesos went to a senator during the law's debate; the company was convicted as a legal entity.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"payment_to_senator","value":230000000,"unit":"Chilean pesos (more than)","year":null,"note":"payments received by the senator, per El Mostrador"},{"key":"corporate_fine","value":517000000,"unit":"Chilean pesos (approximate)","year":2020,"note":"fine paid by the company"}],"legal":[{"title":"Corpesca bribery case","forum":"Third Oral Criminal Court of Santiago; Santiago Court of Appeals (2022)","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Chilean public prosecutors","defendant":"Former senator Jaime Orpis, former deputy Marta Isasi and Corpesca","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 2 December 2020 the court convicted Orpis of fraud against the state and bribery, Isasi of bribery and Corpesca of bribery linked to the fisheries law. In April 2021 Orpis was sentenced to five years and one day plus 600 days and Corpesca was fined a little over 517 million pesos; the Santiago Court of Appeals confirmed Orpis's prison sentence on 6 January 2022.","src":1}],"unknown":["The sources do not give the value of the free fleet quotas."],"sources":[{"t":"Convicted in Corpesca case: first oral trial on illegal political financing","p":"El Mostrador","d":"2020-12-02","u":"https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2020/12/02/declaran-culpables-a-jaime-orpis-y-marta-isasi-en-caso-corpesca-el-primer-juicio-oral-por-financiamiento-ilegal-de-la-politica/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611042002/https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/pais/2020/12/02/declaran-culpables-a-jaime-orpis-y-marta-isasi-en-caso-corpesca-el-primer-juicio-oral-por-financiamiento-ilegal-de-la-politica/"},{"t":"Ex senador Jaime Orpis irá a la cárcel por fraude al Fisco y cohecho en el caso Corpesca","p":"Cooperativa.cl","d":"2021-04-16","u":"https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/site/artic/20210416/pags-amp/20210416121129.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Corte confirmó la pena de cárcel para el ex senador Jaime Orpis","p":"Cooperativa.cl","d":"2022-01-06","u":"https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/site/artic/20220106/pags-amp/20220106164027.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"corpesca","role":"Fishmeal company convicted of bribery; beneficiary of industrial fleet quotas"},{"id":"jaime-orpis","role":"Senator convicted of bribery over payments made during the law's debate"}],"mechanism":"bribery over fisheries law","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the value of the free fleet quotas.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Corpesca and the industrial fleet","No source link — Who lost: Artisanal fishers","No source link — Who lost: Public"]},{"id":"gupta-family-coal-mine-acquisition","tier":"short","title":"Eskom advances tied to Tegeta coal mine purchase, South African inquiry finds","dek":"A South African commission found that Eskom advances were tied to the sale of the Optimum coal mine to Tegeta, a company linked to a business family. At stake are public funds, which reportedly were paid by Eskom and borne by taxpayers.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":null,"lat":-25.87,"lon":29.23,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.87,"lon":29.23,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2016,"instrument":"mining","happened":["In December 2015 the mines minister, Mosebenzi Zwane, travelled to Switzerland to urge Glencore's chief executive, Ivan Glasenberg, to sell the Optimum coal mine to Tegeta, a Gupta family company, according to the Mail & Guardian's account of the Zondo Commission findings.","Banks refused credit, and amaBhungane reported in October 2016 that most of one Eskom advance, R587m, was approved within six hours.","The Zondo Commission found that Eskom's R1.68 billion guarantee to Tegeta, meant to prepay a year's coal, and a R659 million prepayment approved at a late-night board meeting on 11 April 2016 gave Tegeta funds to finance much of the Optimum purchase.","The commission found the prepayment related to financial support for Tegeta rather than to coal supply, and in April 2022 recommended criminal charges against former Eskom executives Matshela Koko and Anoj Singh, finding they had led Eskom to believe the transactions were for coal."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Zondo Commission found that an Eskom guarantee and prepayment to Tegeta financed much of its purchase of the Optimum coal mine, and recommended criminal charges against two former Eskom executives.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tegeta","what":"Bought the Optimum coal mine from Glencore after the minister urged Glencore to sell, and received an Eskom guarantee and prepayment","src":0},{"who":"Owners of Tegeta","what":"Gained from the purchase; their family later left South Africa","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Eskom","what":"Approved a R1.68 billion guarantee and paid a R659 million prepayment to Tegeta","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Taxpayers, who pay Eskom's bill","what":"Carry the cost of the advances","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"South Africa; the Optimum coal mine","src":null},"when":{"t":"Mines minister's trip to Zurich in December 2015; Eskom advances in 2015 and 2016; amaBhungane report dated October 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The commission said the advance related to financial support for the buyer rather than to coal supply.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The minister urged Glencore to sell the Optimum mine to Tegeta; banks refused credit, and Eskom approved a R1.68 billion guarantee and a R659 million prepayment.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eskom_advance","value":1680000000,"unit":"rand","year":null,"note":"Eskom guarantee to Tegeta, 2015"},{"key":"second_eskom_payment","value":659000000,"unit":"rand","year":null,"note":"Eskom prepayment to Tegeta, approved 11 April 2016"},{"key":"approved_within_six_hours","value":587000000,"unit":"rand","year":null,"note":"amount largely approved within six hours, per amaBhungane"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2026 report that the Optimum mine came back from a rescue process; the cited sources do not confirm it.","The sources do not say whether criminal charges followed the commission's recommendation.","The sources do not say whether the advances were repaid."],"sources":[{"t":"R587m in six hours: how Eskom paid for a coal mine","p":"amaBhungane / Daily Maverick","d":"2016-10-20","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2016-10-20-amabhungane-r587m-in-six-hours-how-eskom-paid-for-gupta-mine.md","type":"press"},{"t":"Zondo recommends criminal charges against former Eskom executives","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2022-04-29","u":"https://mg.co.za/business/2022-04-29-zondo-recommends-former-eskom-executives-koko-and-singh-face-criminal-charges/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250814051743/https://mg.co.za/business/2022-04-29-zondo-recommends-former-eskom-executives-koko-and-singh-face-criminal-charges/"}],"actors":[{"id":"glencore","role":"Seller of the Optimum coal mine"},{"id":"tegeta","role":"Buyer of the Optimum coal mine"},{"id":"eskom","role":"State utility that made the advance payments"},{"id":"mosebenzi-zwane","role":"Mines minister who pressed the sale"}],"mechanism":"Eskom coal advance payments","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["fikile-ntshangase-killing-and-somkhele-coal-mine"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2026 report that the Optimum mine came back from a rescue process; the cited sources do not confirm it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether criminal charges followed the commission's recommendation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the advances were repaid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Owners of Tegeta","No source link — Who harmed: Taxpayers, who pay Eskom's bill"]},{"id":"ferrograo-railway-and-jamanxim-national-park","tier":"short","title":"Brazil's top court rejects challenge to park cut for Ferrogrão railway","dek":"Brazil's Supreme Court rejected a challenge to removing about 862 hectares from Jamanxim National Park for the Ferrogrão railway, which soy traders proposed. At stake is protected land inside a national park.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-5,"lon":-55.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-5,"lon":-55.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Agência Infra reported that Jamanxim National Park was shrunk to make way for a railway proposed by soy traders.","About 862 hectares were removed from the park for the Ferrogrão railway, which Cargill, Bunge, LDC and Amaggi proposed.","Brazil's Supreme Court rejected a PSOL action against the change to the park's limits, and the change was upheld in 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 862 hectares were removed from Jamanxim National Park for the Ferrogrão railway, and Brazil's Supreme Court rejected a challenge to the change.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cargill, Bunge, LDC and Amaggi","what":"Proposed the Ferrogrão railway for which the park boundary was changed","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Jamanxim National Park","what":"About 862 hectares removed from its boundaries","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Jamanxim National Park, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Court upheld the change in 2026; the date of the boundary change is not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The railway proposed by the traders is the purpose given for the park reduction.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Park boundaries were changed to remove about 862 hectares, and a PSOL challenge to the change was rejected by the Supreme Court.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"park_area_removed","value":862,"unit":"hectares (approximate)","year":null,"note":"area removed from Jamanxim National Park"}],"legal":[{"title":"PSOL action against Jamanxim park boundary change","forum":"Supreme Court of Brazil","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"PSOL","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":"2026","status":"defendant-won","summary":"Brazil's Supreme Court rejected an action by PSOL against the change to Jamanxim park limits; the change was upheld in 2026.","src":0}],"unknown":["No record was found that the traders lobbied directly for the court decision; the sources show only that they proposed the railway.","The sources do not give the date of the boundary change or the instrument that made it.","The sources do not state the railway's route, cost or completion status."],"sources":[{"t":"Park shrunk for trader scheme","p":"Agência Infra","d":"","u":"https://agenciainfra.com/blog/ferrograo-stf-rejeita-acao-do-psol-contra-mudanca-em-limites-do-jamanxim/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"cargill","role":"Proposer of the Ferrogrão railway"},{"id":"bunge","role":"Proposer of the Ferrogrão railway"},{"id":"ldc","role":"Proposer of the Ferrogrão railway"},{"id":"amaggi","role":"Proposer of the Ferrogrão railway"},{"id":"psol","role":"Party that challenged the park boundary change"}],"mechanism":"protected area boundary reduction","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 862 hectares were removed from my Jamanxim National Park for a railway proposed by soy traders; Brazil's Supreme Court let the change stand in 2026.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found that the traders lobbied directly for the court decision; the sources show only that they proposed the railway.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the date of the boundary change or the instrument that made it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the railway's route, cost or completion status.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"karpowership-brazil-eia-exemption","tier":"short","title":"Brazil regulator cancels Karpowership floating power plant permits","dek":"Brazil's electricity regulator ANEEL cancelled authorisations for Karpowership's floating thermal plants in August 2022. The company had also been exempted from environmental impact assessment, and at stake is whether such plants can run without a full review.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.2,"lon":-51.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2022,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["eixos reported in August 2022 that ANEEL revoked Karpowership's authorisations for floating thermal plants in Brazil.","The Turkish company had also been exempted from environmental impact assessment; the sources do not give the date or basis of that exemption."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Brazil's electricity regulator revoked Karpowership's authorisations for floating thermal plants; the company had also been exempted from environmental impact assessment.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Karpowership","what":"Exempted from environmental impact assessment for its plants in Brazil","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Karpowership","what":"Authorisations revoked by ANEEL","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Brazil; the plant locations are not on record","src":null},"when":{"t":"Authorisations revoked in August 2022; the date of the exemption is not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The sources record an EIA exemption and ANEEL's revocation of the authorisations, without giving the order of events or the reasons.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say who granted the EIA exemption, or on what basis.","The sources do not say whether the plants were operating when the authorisations were revoked.","The sources do not state the environmental or community effects of the plants in Brazil."],"sources":[{"t":"ANEEL revokes authorisations for Karpowership floating thermal plants","p":"eixos","d":"2022-08","u":"https://eixos.com.br/energia-eletrica/aneel-revoga-autorizacoes-para-termicas-flutuantes-da-karpowership/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251108130238/https://eixos.com.br/energia-eletrica/aneel-revoga-autorizacoes-para-termicas-flutuantes-da-karpowership/"}],"actors":[{"id":"karpowership","role":"Turkish company whose authorisations were revoked"},{"id":"aneel","role":"Brazilian electricity regulator that revoked the authorisations"}],"mechanism":"EIA exemption, permit revoked","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say who granted the EIA exemption, or on what basis.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether the plants were operating when the authorisations were revoked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not state the environmental or community effects of the plants in Brazil.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"wild-coast-shell-seismic-exploration-rights","tier":"short","title":"Court cancels Shell's Wild Coast seismic exploration rights","dek":"A South African court cancelled Shell's rights to carry out seismic exploration on the Wild Coast, according to a Legal Resources Centre timeline covering 2022 to 2024. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the exploration.","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":null,"lat":-32,"lon":28.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-32,"lon":28.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Legal Resources Centre timeline records that a South African court cancelled Shell's seismic exploration rights on the Wild Coast."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell's seismic exploration rights on the Wild Coast were cancelled.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Shell","what":"Seismic exploration rights cancelled","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Wild Coast, South Africa","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022 to 2024, per the LRC timeline","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Court cancellation of the exploration right.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Shell Wild Coast seismic exploration right case","forum":"South African court (name: none on record)","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"overturned","summary":"A South African court cancelled Shell's seismic exploration rights on the Wild Coast, per the LRC timeline.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the court, the parties to the case, or the grounds of the ruling.","The cited sources do not name the communities or groups involved in the case."],"sources":[{"t":"Timeline of the Wild Coast Shell case","p":"Legal Resources Centre","d":"2024","u":"https://lrc.org.za/timeline-of-the-wild-coast-shell-case/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260906162936/https://lrc.org.za/timeline-of-the-wild-coast-shell-case/"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Holder of the seismic exploration rights"},{"id":"legal-resources-centre","role":"Published the case timeline"}],"mechanism":"seismic exploration rights cancelled","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court, the parties to the case, or the grounds of the ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the communities or groups involved in the case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"eni-and-shell-opl-245-acquittal","tier":"short","title":"Milan court acquits Eni and Shell in Nigeria corruption case","dek":"A court in Milan acquitted Eni, Shell and all individual defendants in March 2021 in a corruption case over the US$1.3 billion purchase of Nigeria's OPL 245 oil licence. The acquittals became final after prosecutors dropped their appeal in July 2022.","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":null,"lat":45.46,"lon":9.19,"role":"event"},{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":null,"lat":9.08,"lon":8.68,"role":"affected"}],"lat":45.46,"lon":9.19,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Seychelles News Agency reported that an Italian court acquitted Eni and Shell in a Nigeria corruption case.","The Milan court acquitted the two companies and all individual defendants, including Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi and former Eni chief executive Paolo Scaroni, on 17 March 2021 (Global Witness). The case concerned the 2011 purchase of the OPL 245 offshore oil licence for US$1.3 billion.","On 19 July 2022, at the start of the appeal hearing, Attorney General Celestina Gravina dropped the prosecution's appeal against the acquittals; the appeal then concerned only the civil proceedings, in which Nigeria sought compensation (VOA, Reuters).","In October 2024 a court in Brescia convicted the two Milan prosecutors in the case, Fabio De Pasquale and Sergio Spadaro, of failing to file documents that could have helped the defence, sentencing each to eight months; the Brescia appeals court upheld the conviction in October 2025 (Arise News)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A court in Milan acquitted Eni and Shell in a Nigeria corruption case.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Eni","what":"Acquittal in the Nigeria corruption case","src":0},{"who":"Shell","what":"Acquittal in the Nigeria corruption case","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Milan, Italy (court); Nigeria (subject of the case)","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Corruption case heard in an Italian court.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Eni and Shell Nigeria corruption case","forum":"Court in Milan (Italy)","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Milan public prosecutor's office","defendant":"Eni and Shell","filed":null,"decided":"2021-03-17","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Milan court acquitted Eni, Shell and all individual defendants on 17 March 2021. On 19 July 2022 the Attorney General at the Milan appeal court dropped the prosecution's appeal, which made the acquittals final once approved by the court; Nigeria's civil claim continued (VOA, Reuters).","src":2}],"unknown":["The grounds of the acquittal are not stated in the sources; the outcome of Nigeria's civil claim is not recorded."],"sources":[{"t":"Italy court acquits Eni, Shell in Nigeria corruption case","p":"Seychelles News Agency","d":"2021-03","u":"https://seychellesnewsagency.com/articles/14529/italy-court-acquits-eni-shell-in-nigeria-corruption-case","type":"press"},{"t":"Acquittal of Shell and Eni in corruption trial “a stain on Italy”","p":"Global Witness","d":"2021-03-17","u":"https://globalwitness.org/en/press-releases/acquittal-of-shell-and-eni-in-corruption-trial-a-stain-on-italy","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Italy prosecutors drop appeal in Eni, Shell Nigeria corruption case (Reuters)","p":"VOA Africa","d":"2022-07-19","u":"https://voaafrica.com/a/6664720.html","type":"press"},{"t":"OPL 245: Italian court upholds conviction of prosecutors over withheld evidence in Eni, Shell Nigeria case","p":"Arise News","d":"2025-10-18","u":"https://www.arise.tv/opl-245-italian-court-upholds-conviction-of-prosecutors-over-withheld-evidence-in-eni-shell-nigeria-case/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"eni","role":"Defendant, acquitted"},{"id":"shell","role":"Defendant, acquitted"}],"mechanism":"corruption prosecution, acquittal","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The grounds of the acquittal are not stated in the sources; the outcome of Nigeria's civil claim is not recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dr-congo-2018-mining-code","tier":"short","title":"DR Congo's 2018 mining code raises cobalt royalty from 2% to 10%","dek":"The 2018 mining code raised the cobalt royalty from 2% to 10% and was signed into law despite talks with large miners. The cited sources do not show the gain reaching local communities or nature.","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":-4,"lon":21.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-4,"lon":21.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mining Weekly reported that President Kabila signed a new mining code into law in March 2018.","The code raised the cobalt royalty from 2% to 10%, according to the same report.","Mining Weekly reported that the code was adopted despite six hours of talks with large mining companies."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Democratic Republic of the Congo's 2018 mining code raised the cobalt royalty from 2% to 10%.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (state budget)","what":"Higher cobalt royalty income","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Mining companies","what":"Higher cobalt royalty rate","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"New national mining code signed into law.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"cobalt_royalty_rate_before","value":2,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Rate before the 2018 mining code"},{"key":"cobalt_royalty_rate_after","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Rate under the 2018 mining code"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources record no sign that the increased royalty reached local communities or the environment.","The cited sources give no revenue figures showing what the royalty increase yielded."],"sources":[{"t":"Congo's Kabila signs into law new mining code","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2018-03-12","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/congos-kabila-signs-into-law-new-mining-code-2018-03-12","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20181022021322/http://www.miningweekly.com:80/article/congos-kabila-signs-into-law-new-mining-code-2018-03-12"}],"actors":[{"id":"drc-government","role":"Government that signed the mining code"}],"mechanism":"mining code royalty increase","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In March 2018 a new mining code raised the royalty on my cobalt from 2% to 10%, Mining Weekly reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no sign that the increased royalty reached local communities or the environment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no revenue figures showing what the royalty increase yielded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"thai-sugar-company-class-action-by-cambodian-families","tier":"short","title":"Thai court lets 712 Cambodian families bring class action against sugar firm","dek":"In July 2020 a Thai court ruled that 712 Cambodian families could bring a class action against a sugar company, Amnesty International reported. The cited sources do not give the outcome of the action.","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","places":[{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":null,"lat":15.87,"lon":100.99,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":null,"lat":12.57,"lon":104.99,"role":"affected"}],"lat":15.87,"lon":100.99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2020,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Amnesty International reported in July 2020 that a Thai court ruled that 712 Cambodian families could bring a class action against a sugar company.","Amnesty International's report names the case as the Mitr Phol case."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Thai court ruled that 712 Cambodian families could bring a class action against a sugar company.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"712 Cambodian families","what":"Right to bring a class action","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Thailand (court); Cambodia (families)","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Class action by Cambodian families against a sugar company, allowed by a Thai court ruling.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"families_granted_class_action","value":712,"unit":"families","year":2020,"note":"Cambodian families, per Amnesty International"}],"legal":[{"title":"Mitr Phol case (class action)","forum":"Thai court (name: none on record)","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","kind":"civil","claimant":"712 Cambodian families","defendant":"Mitr Phol (sugar company)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-07","status":"unknown","summary":"The July 2020 ruling allowed 712 Cambodian families to bring a class action; the cited sources do not give the outcome.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the outcome of the class action after the July 2020 ruling.","The cited sources do not state what harm the families allege or whether the company's operations caused it."],"sources":[{"t":"Court ruling in Mitr Phol case: watershed moment for Southeast Asia corporate accountability","p":"Amnesty International","d":"2020-07","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/court-ruling-mitr-phol-case-watershed-moment-for-se-asia-corporate-accountability/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260724035637/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/court-ruling-mitr-phol-case-watershed-moment-for-se-asia-corporate-accountability/"}],"actors":[{"id":"mitr-phol","role":"Sugar company defendant in the class action"}],"mechanism":"transnational class action","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Mitr Phol case (class action): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the outcome of the class action after the July 2020 ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state what harm the families allege or whether the company's operations caused it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"philippines-mining-moratorium-lifted","tier":"short","title":"Philippines lifts nine-year moratorium on new mining permits","dek":"In April 2021 the Philippines lifted a nine-year moratorium on new mining permits, Mongabay reported. The cited sources do not name the areas or companies affected.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mongabay reported in April 2021 that President Duterte had lifted the ban on new mining permits in the Philippines.","The moratorium had lasted nine years before it was lifted, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Philippines lifted a nine-year moratorium on new mining permits.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Mining sector","what":"New mining permits possible again","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines (national)","src":0},"when":{"t":"April 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Presidential action lifting the moratorium on new mining permits.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"moratorium_length_years","value":9,"unit":"years","year":2021,"note":"Length of the moratorium before it was lifted"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the areas, permits or companies affected by the lifting.","The cited sources do not state the environmental effects of the lifting."],"sources":[{"t":"Complete turnaround: Philippines' Duterte lifts ban on new mining permits","p":"Mongabay","d":"2021-04","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/complete-turnaround-philippines-duterte-lifts-ban-on-new-mining-permits/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260616182021/https://news.mongabay.com/2021/04/complete-turnaround-philippines-duterte-lifts-ban-on-new-mining-permits/"}],"actors":[{"id":"philippine-government","role":"Government that lifted the moratorium"}],"mechanism":"mining permit moratorium lifted","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the areas, permits or companies affected by the lifting.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the environmental effects of the lifting.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-mining-concessions-to-religious-organisations","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's 2025 mining law change opens mining areas to religious groups without tender","dek":"A February 2025 revision of Indonesia's mining law allowed religious organisations and universities to receive mining areas without a tender. The cited sources do not show which areas were allocated or their environmental effects.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","happened":["A revision of Indonesia's mining law, passed in February 2025, allowed religious organisations and universities to receive mining areas without tender.","Bisnis.com's headline described the change as an unlimited mining quota for mass organisations (ormas), including former coal-contract land."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia's revised mining law allows religious organisations and universities to receive mining areas without tender.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Religious organisations and universities","what":"Mining areas allocated without tender","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia (national law)","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Revision of the mining law allowing non-tender allocation of mining areas.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the religious organisations or universities that received mining areas.","The size of the areas allocated and their environmental effects are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Revisi UU Minerba disahkan, jatah tambang ormas tak terbatas, eks lahan PKP2B","p":"Bisnis.com","d":"2025-02-18","u":"https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20250218/44/1840515/revisi-uu-minerba-disahkan-jatah-tambang-ormas-tak-terbatas-eks-lahan-pkp2b","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Lawmakers who passed the revision"}],"mechanism":"mining law revision","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the religious organisations or universities that received mining areas.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of the areas allocated and their environmental effects are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pakistan-green-corporate-farming-army-land","tier":"short","title":"Pakistan's 450,000-acre farming scheme for army company halted","dek":"Under the Green Pakistan plan, land described as empty was to be leased for 20 to 30 years to an army company covering 450,000 acres. Al Jazeera reported in March 2025 that the scheme was halted.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":null,"lat":30.4,"lon":69.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.4,"lon":69.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Al Jazeera reported in March 2025 that land described as empty was being transferred to an army company, covering 450,000 acres.","The leases were to run for 20 to 30 years, and Al Jazeera reported that the scheme was halted.","The Al Jazeera article is headlined as raising water shortage fears."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Pakistan was transferring about 450,000 acres of land described as empty to an army company on 20- to 30-year leases; the scheme was reported halted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Army company (name: none on record)","what":"20- to 30-year leases on about 450,000 acres","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pakistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Long-term lease of land described as empty to an army company.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"land_area_acres","value":450000,"unit":"acres","year":2025,"note":"Area of the army company scheme, per Al Jazeera"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who halted the scheme, or when.","The cited sources do not state who used or lived on the land before the lease.","The cited sources name a UAE-based carbon-credit forest company alongside this case but give no details of it."],"sources":[{"t":"Al Jazeera report on Pakistan's canal scheme and water shortage fears","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-03-27","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/27/why-is-pakistans-new-canal-project-sparking-water-shortage-fears","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260812132421/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/27/why-is-pakistans-new-canal-project-sparking-water-shortage-fears"}],"actors":[{"id":"pakistan-government","role":"Government transferring the land"}],"mechanism":"army company land lease","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who halted the scheme, or when.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state who used or lived on the land before the lease.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources name a UAE-based carbon-credit forest company alongside this case but give no details of it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mongolia-state-coal-company-smuggling","tier":"short","title":"Smuggling reported at Mongolia's state coal company","dek":"East Asia Forum reported in April 2023 on coal smuggling at Mongolia's state coal company. In February 2024 the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre reported that the company's former chief executive and 11 others had been charged with money laundering. The sources give no volumes and no link to specific mining or environmental harm.","country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","places":[{"country":"Mongolia","iso2":"MN","admin":null,"lat":46.86,"lon":103.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.86,"lon":103.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["East Asia Forum reported in April 2023 that coal smuggling had been reported at Mongolia's state coal company.","The article's headline presents the case as a window on systemic corruption.","The National Audit Office's audit of Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC's 2023 financial statements found about MNT 2.8 trillion in unrepaid long-term financing receivable. About 38.4% of it, roughly MNT 1.1 trillion, was financing provided in 2019–2023 to Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC, the state-owned producer of upgraded coal briquettes, for reducing air pollution and improving briquette quality; no repayment had been made and the timing of repayment was unknown, Chief State Auditor D. Zagdjav told iKon.mn on 30 August 2024.","Mongolia's National Forest Agency stated in May 2025 that \"Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi JSC committed to an investment equivalent to 12.7 million trees\" under the One Billion Trees national movement.","A U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre brief of 27 February 2024 reported that the former chief executive of the state-owned coal company and 11 others had been charged with money laundering, and that eight criminal cases had been launched, five of which had been decided."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Smuggling was reported at Mongolia's state coal company.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mongolia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported April 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Smuggling reported within the state coal company's operations; the mechanism is not on record.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"briquette_financing","value":1100000,"unit":"MNT m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Repayable financing to Tavantolgoi Tulsh LLC, 2019–2023; not repaid (National Audit Office, via iKon.mn)."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The volume of coal smuggled and the outcomes of the cases against the former chief executive and others are not stated in the sources; U4 reported losses of up to US$11 billion by some estimates.","The cited sources do not name those involved in the reported smuggling, the buyers or executives, or who benefited.","The cited sources do not link the reported smuggling to specific mines or environmental harm."],"sources":[{"t":"Coal smuggling trains the Mongolian public's eye on systemic corruption","p":"East Asia Forum","d":"2023-04-17","u":"https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2023/04/17/coal-smuggling-trains-the-mongolian-publics-eye-on-systemic-corruption/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261010014245/https://eastasiaforum.org/2023/04/17/coal-smuggling-trains-the-mongolian-publics-eye-on-systemic-corruption/"},{"t":"Д.Загджав: Тухайн үеийн Ерөнхий сайд, одоогийн Ерөнхийлөгчийн шийдвэрийг алдаатай гэсэн дүгнэлт манай аудитын тайланд байхгүй (D. Zagdjav: Our audit report contains no conclusion that the decision of the then Prime Minister, now President, was wrong)","p":"iKon.mn","d":"2024-08-30","u":"https://ikon.mn/n/384a","type":"press"},{"t":"Mongolia: One Billion Trees national movement (presentation by Dr Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, National Forest Agency)","p":"AFoCO","d":"2025-05-13","u":"https://media.afocosec.org/2025/05/3_MONGOLIA_Dr.-Oyunsanaa-NFA-Billion-trees.pdf","type":"official"},{"t":"The coal theft case: Corruption and reform of Mongolia's strategic minerals governance (U4 Brief)","p":"U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre","d":"2024-02-27","u":"https://www.u4.no/publications/the-coal-theft-case-corruption-and-reform-of-mongolias-strategic-minerals-governance","type":"research"}],"actors":[{"id":"mongolia-state-coal-company","role":"State-owned coal company where smuggling was reported"}],"mechanism":"coal smuggling reported at state company","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["ulaanbaatar-air-pollution-stoves-and-coal-ban","mongolia-one-billion-trees-movement"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","updated":"2026-10-19","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The volume of coal smuggled and the outcomes of the cases against the former chief executive and others are not stated in the sources; U4 reported losses of up to US$11 billion by some estimates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name those involved in the reported smuggling, the buyers or executives, or who benefited.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not link the reported smuggling to specific mines or environmental harm.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chevron-richmond-standard-local-news-site","tier":"short","title":"Chevron owns Richmond's 'local news' site, which carries no leak reporting","dek":"NPR/Floodlight reported that Chevron owns the Richmond Standard, a 'local news' site. The stake for nature is whether residents get independent reporting on pollution from the company's refinery.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":37.9358,"lon":-122.3477,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.9358,"lon":-122.3477,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["NPR/Floodlight reported in March 2024 that Chevron owns the Richmond Standard, a 'local news' site.","The report found no leak coverage on the site.","The report's headline says many stories are not told."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chevron owns the Richmond Standard, a 'local news' site, and the report found no leak coverage on it.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chevron","what":"owns the Richmond Standard news site","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Richmond, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Report published March 2024 (NPR / Floodlight, via KQED)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ownership of a news site that presents itself as local news.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how many stories the site has published or how many mention Chevron.","The cited sources do not say who edits the site or what editorial control Chevron holds.","The cited sources contain no response from Chevron or the Richmond Standard."],"sources":[{"t":"Chevron owns this city's news site. Many stories aren't told","p":"NPR / Floodlight (via KQED)","d":"March 2024","u":"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981095/chevron-owns-this-citys-news-site-many-stories-arent-told","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723035944/https://www.kqed.org/news/11981095/chevron-owns-this-citys-news-site-many-stories-arent-told"}],"actors":[{"id":"chevron","role":"owner of the news site"},{"id":"richmond-standard","role":"news site"},{"id":"npr-floodlight","role":"reporter of the ownership"}],"mechanism":"oil company-owned news site","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many stories the site has published or how many mention Chevron.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who edits the site or what editorial control Chevron holds.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources contain no response from Chevron or the Richmond Standard.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"adani-takeover-of-ndtv","tier":"short","title":"Adani Group became largest shareholder of NDTV","dek":"Al Jazeera reported that Adani Group, a coal, port and energy conglomerate, became the biggest shareholder of NDTV in 2022. RSF said the takeover signalled the end of pluralism in India's leading media; the stake for nature is whether coverage of coal, port and energy projects stays independent.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":28.6139,"lon":77.209,"role":"event"}],"lat":28.6139,"lon":77.209,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Al Jazeera reported on 5 December 2022 that Adani Group was NDTV's biggest shareholder.","RSF said in 2022 that the NDTV takeover signals the end of pluralism in India's leading media.","The Wire reported that India ranked 157th of 180 countries in RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Adani Group became the largest shareholder of NDTV in 2022, Al Jazeera reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Adani Group","what":"largest shareholder of NDTV","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022 (Al Jazeera, 5 December 2022)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Acquisition of a stake in a broadcaster by a coal, port and energy group.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"india_rsf_press_freedom_rank","value":157,"unit":"rank out of 180 countries","year":2026,"note":"RSF World Press Freedom Index, as reported by The Wire"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the size of Adani Group's stake in NDTV.","The cited sources do not say whether NDTV's coverage of energy or environmental issues changed after the takeover.","The cited sources do not give the price or the terms of the takeover."],"sources":[{"t":"Indian billionaire Adani is now NDTV's biggest shareholder","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2022-12-05","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/12/5/indian-billionaire-adani-is-now-ndtvs-biggest-shareholder","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260411073822/https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2022/12/5/indian-billionaire-adani-is-now-ndtvs-biggest-shareholder"},{"t":"NDTV takeover signals end of pluralism in India's leading media","p":"Reporters Without Borders (RSF)","d":"2022","u":"https://rsf.org/en/ndtv-takeover-signals-end-pluralism-india-s-leading-media","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260927060222/https://rsf.org/en/ndtv-takeover-signals-end-pluralism-india-s-leading-media"},{"t":"India is 157th out of 180 countries on RSF's 2026 World Press Freedom Index","p":"The Wire","d":"2026-04","u":"https://thewire.in/media/india-is-157th-out-of-180-countries-on-rsfs-2026-world-press-freedom-index","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260928095148/https://thewire.in/media/india-is-157th-out-of-180-countries-on-rsfs-2026-world-press-freedom-index"}],"actors":[{"id":"adani","role":"largest shareholder"},{"id":"ndtv","role":"broadcaster taken over"},{"id":"rsf","role":"press freedom assessment"},{"id":"the-wire","role":"reporter of press freedom ranking"},{"id":"al-jazeera","role":"reporter of the stake"}],"mechanism":"media ownership acquisition","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the size of Adani Group's stake in NDTV.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether NDTV's coverage of energy or environmental issues changed after the takeover.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the price or the terms of the takeover.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"japan-electric-utilities-advertising-spending","tier":"short","title":"Nine Japanese electric companies spent 2.42 trillion yen on advertising, 1970-2011","dek":"John Menadue's article reports a figure of 2.42 trillion yen spent on advertising by nine Japanese electric companies from 1970 to 2011. The stake for nature is how far that advertising shaped public views of energy and the environment, which the cited sources do not measure.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":null,"lat":36.2048,"lon":138.2529,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.2048,"lon":138.2529,"approxCoords":true,"start":1970,"end":2011,"instrument":"influence","happened":["John Menadue's article reports that nine Japanese electric companies spent 2.42 trillion yen on advertising from 1970 to 2011.","The cited sources give no breakdown of this figure by company or by year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nine Japanese electric companies spent 2.42 trillion yen on advertising from 1970 to 2011, a figure reported in a John Menadue article.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Japan","src":0},"when":{"t":"1970 to 2011","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Advertising spend by electric power companies.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"advertising_spend_trillion_yen","value":2.42,"unit":"trillion yen","year":null,"note":"Nine electric companies, 1970-2011, as stated in the cited article"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which nine companies spent the money or what the advertising said.","The cited sources do not link this spending to nuclear power specifically.","The cited sources do not say whether the 2.42 trillion yen figure is in nominal or inflation-adjusted terms."],"sources":[{"t":"Tessa Morris-Suzuki, the CIA and the Japanese media: a cautionary tale","p":"John Menadue","d":"","u":"https://johnmenadue.com/tessa-morris-suzuki-the-cia-and-the-japanese-media-a-cautionary-tale","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250221151305/https://johnmenadue.com/tessa-morris-suzuki-the-cia-and-the-japanese-media-a-cautionary-tale/"}],"actors":[{"id":"japan-electric-utilities","role":"advertisers"}],"mechanism":"electric utility advertising spend","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which nine companies spent the money or what the advertising said.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not link this spending to nuclear power specifically.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2.42 trillion yen figure is in nominal or inflation-adjusted terms.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bursa-gozede-village-irrigation-water-to-factory","tier":"short","title":"Villagers in Gözede, Bursa cut pipes to a municipal water factory","dek":"Habertürk reported that villagers in Gözede, Bursa, cut the pipes carrying water to a municipal water factory in August 2024. The municipality says the factory runs on a separate line and that the real issue is irrigation; the stake for nature is the water the village uses for its fields and its own supply.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Bursa","lat":40.2,"lon":29.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.2,"lon":29.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"water","happened":["Habertürk reported on 20 August 2024 that villagers in Gözede protested over the water supply to a factory.","Villagers cut the pipes that lead to the factory, which the Bursa Metropolitan Municipality runs, according to the reporting.","The municipality says the factory is fed by a separate line, that the issue is irrigation, and that it built a 105,000 cubic metre pond for the village (Bursa Haber, 2024)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Villagers in Gözede cut pipes to a metropolitan municipal water factory in August 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Gözede village","what":"irrigation water reported as diverted to the factory; the municipality says the factory has a separate line","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gözede village, Kestel district, Bursa, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"August 2024 (Habertürk, 20 August 2024)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water supplied to a municipal water factory at the village site; villagers cut the pipes.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"pond_capacity_m3","value":105000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":null,"note":"Pond built for the village, as stated by the municipality (Bursa Haber, 2024)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the factory's water volume or the village's irrigation needs.","The cited sources do not quantify any crop losses in 2024.","The municipality's claim that the factory has a separate line is not checked in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Bursa'da köylülerin su eylemi","p":"Habertürk","d":"2024-08-20","u":"https://www.haberturk.com/bursa-da-koylulerin-su-eylemi-3712921","type":"press"},{"t":"Büyükşehir Belediyesinden Gözede köyünde su verilemeyeceği iddialarına yanıt","p":"Bursa Haber","d":"2024","u":"https://www.bursahaber.com/guncel/buyuksehir-belediyesinden-gozede-koyunde-su-verilemeyecegi-iddialarina-yanit-2647300","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"bursa-metropolitan-municipality","role":"operator of the factory; disputes the villagers' account"},{"id":"gozede-villagers","role":"protesting residents"}],"mechanism":"municipal water factory supply","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the factory's water volume or the village's irrigation needs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not quantify any crop losses in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The municipality's claim that the factory has a separate line is not checked in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sakarya-bickidere-bottling-case","tier":"short","title":"Expert found unpermitted water intake at Bıçkıdere, Sakarya","dek":"DHA reported in January 2018 that an expert witness found water had been taken at Bıçkıdere, Sakarya, from a source other than the licensed one. The stake for nature is local spring water drawn beyond what the licence allowed.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Sakarya","lat":40.7569,"lon":30.3783,"role":"event"}],"lat":40.7569,"lon":30.3783,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["DHA reported on 10 January 2018 that an expert witness found water had been taken at Bıçkıdere from a source outside the licence.","The lawsuit over the intake was dismissed on procedural grounds, according to the same reporting."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An expert witness found that water was taken at Bıçkıdere from a source outside the licence; the lawsuit was dismissed on procedural grounds.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Unnamed party that took the water","what":"water taken from outside its licensed source, per the expert finding","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bıçkıdere, Sakarya province, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 10 January 2018 (DHA)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water drawn from a source other than the one named in the licence.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the party that took the water.","The cited sources do not give the volume taken or the period of the intake.","The cited sources do not name the court, the case number or the grounds for the procedural dismissal."],"sources":[{"t":"Bıçkıdere: bilirkişi izinsiz alım tespit etti","p":"DHA","d":"2018-01-10","u":"https://www.sondakika.com/guncel/haber-dha-yurt-bulteni-6-10438258/","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"unpermitted water intake","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the party that took the water.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the volume taken or the period of the intake.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court, the case number or the grounds for the procedural dismissal.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"iski-spring-allocation-sayistay-finding","tier":"short","title":"Court of Accounts found İSKİ allocated springs without tender at low rent","dek":"Sayıştay, Turkey's Court of Accounts, found that İSKİ, Istanbul's water utility, allocated springs without tender and collected very low rent. The stake for nature is public control over the city's spring water.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Istanbul","lat":41.0082,"lon":28.9784,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.0082,"lon":28.9784,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["The Court of Accounts (Sayıştay) found that İSKİ, Istanbul's water utility, allocated springs without tender and collected very low rent.","İSKİ holds 45 percent of Hamidiye Kaynak Suları, a spring water company, and the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality holds 55 percent, according to the Court of Accounts."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Court of Accounts found that İSKİ, Istanbul's water utility, allocated springs without tender and collected very low rent.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Public revenue from spring rents","what":"rent collection the audit called very low","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Istanbul, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported 4 December 2021 (Takvim); years of the allocations not stated in the cited sources","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Springs allocated without tender at low rent.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"iski_hamidiye_share_pct","value":45,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"İSKİ's stake in Hamidiye; the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality holds 55 percent"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the year of the audit finding and of the allocations.","The cited sources do not name the springs, their volumes, or the companies that received them.","The cited sources do not say whether İSKİ has responded or whether the allocations have changed."],"sources":[{"t":"Sayıştay report on İstanbul Su ve Kanalizasyon İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü (İSKİ)","p":"Sayıştay (Turkish Court of Accounts)","d":"2021-12-04","u":"https://sayistay.gov.tr/reports/download/bmg0qJLQ0O-istanbul-su-ve-kanalizasyon-idaresi-genel-mudurlugu-iski","type":"government"},{"t":"Hamidiye Kaynak Suları Sanayi Turizm ve Ticaret A.Ş. audit report","p":"Sayıştay (Turkish Court of Accounts)","d":"","u":"https://www.sayistay.gov.tr/reports/downloadMt/6do38w9gXx-hamidiye-kaynak-sulari-sanayi-turizm-ve-ticaret-anonim-sirketi","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"iski","role":"allocated the springs"},{"id":"hamidiye","role":"spring water company partly owned by İSKİ"},{"id":"ibb","role":"majority owner of Hamidiye"},{"id":"sayistay","role":"audit body"}],"mechanism":"spring allocation without tender","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the year of the audit finding and of the allocations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the springs, their volumes, or the companies that received them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether İSKİ has responded or whether the allocations have changed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chiapas-bottler-concession","tier":"short","title":"Senate motion cites Chiapas bottler concession of about 420,000 cubic metres a year","dek":"A June 2020 Senate gazette entry in Mexico cites a Chiapas water concession of about 420,000 cubic metres a year for a bottler. The stake for nature is who controls the local water supply in Chiapas.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":"Chiapas","lat":16.75,"lon":-92.63,"role":"event"}],"lat":16.75,"lon":-92.63,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["A Mexican Senate gazette entry dated 3 June 2020 cites a Chiapas concession of about 420,000 cubic metres a year.","The gazette entry is a motion (punto de acuerdo) filed by MORENA, as its document name shows."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Senate gazette entry dated 3 June 2020 cites a Chiapas concession for a bottler of about 420,000 cubic metres a year.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bottler holding the Chiapas concession (not named in the sources)","what":"concession of about 420,000 cubic metres a year","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Chiapas, Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"Senate gazette entry dated 3 June 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water concession granted to a bottler.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"concession_volume_m3_per_year","value":420000,"unit":"cubic metres per year","year":null,"note":"Stated as approximately 420 thousand cubic metres in the Senate gazette entry"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The name of the bottler, the term of the concession and the price are not on record.","Unconfirmed: that the concession was granted in a city facing water scarcity; the link for this statement is not confirmed.","The cited sources do not say whether the motion led to any decision."],"sources":[{"t":"Senate gazette: MORENA motion on San Cristóbal water concession","p":"Mexican Senate (Gaceta del Senado)","d":"2020-06-03","u":"https://infosen.senado.gob.mx/sgsp/gaceta/64/2/2020-06-03-1/assets/documentos/PA_MORENA_emeteria_claudia_martnez_pozos_san_cristobal.pdf","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240512050513/https://infosen.senado.gob.mx/sgsp/gaceta/64/2/2020-06-03-1/assets/documentos/PA_MORENA_emeteria_claudia_martnez_pozos_san_cristobal.pdf"}],"actors":[{"id":"mexico-senate","role":"published the motion"}],"mechanism":"bottler water concession","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A bottler holds a concession in Chiapas to draw about 420,000 cubic metres a year of my water, a Mexican Senate gazette entry of 3 June 2020 cites.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The name of the bottler, the term of the concession and the price are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the concession was granted in a city facing water scarcity; the link for this statement is not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the motion led to any decision.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cataloluk-small-hes","tier":"short","title":"Study found flow deficit at Çataloluk small hydropower plant","dek":"A 2020 study in Renewable Energy reported a flow deficit at the Çataloluk small hydropower plant in the Ceyhan basin, linked to derivation losses. The stake for nature is river flow and sediment in the reach below the plant's diversion.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":38,"lon":36.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":38,"lon":36.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["A study published in Renewable Energy in 2020 reported a flow deficit at the Çataloluk small hydropower plant in the Ceyhan basin.","The study linked the deficit to derivation losses, meaning water diverted away from the river.","The study found that the plant fell short of good practice on environmental flow and sediment management."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2020 Renewable Energy study reported a flow deficit at the Çataloluk small hydropower plant in the Ceyhan basin.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Çataloluk, Ceyhan basin, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Study published 2020 (Renewable Energy); plant start date not stated","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water diverted from the river through the plant, with a reported flow deficit.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the plant's capacity, owner or commissioning date.","The cited sources do not give measured flow figures for the Çataloluk reach.","The cited sources do not say whether the plant's operator has responded to the findings."],"sources":[{"t":"Renewable Energy, vol. 162 (2020), pp. 1605-1617","p":"Renewable Energy (journal)","d":"2020","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v162y2020icp1605-1617.html","type":"academic"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"diversion small hydropower plant","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the plant's capacity, owner or commissioning date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give measured flow figures for the Çataloluk reach.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the plant's operator has responded to the findings.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"socfin-plantation-lawsuits","tier":"short","title":"Socfin and Socapalm lose French defamation suit against media and NGOs","dek":"Socfin and Socapalm, Bolloré-linked palm oil and rubber companies, lost a French defamation suit against Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct. The case concerns the right of journalists and NGOs to report on palm oil plantations.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Reporterre reported that the trial in the defamation suit opened on 25 January 2019, and that the prosecutor sought acquittal on grounds of good faith.","Reporterre reported that the claimants lost at first instance and withdrew their appeal.","The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said Bolloré and Socfin had filed at least 20 suits over palm oil reporting since 2009, and that Socfin lost its French case."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Socfin and Socapalm sued Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct for defamation; the claimants lost at first instance and withdrew their appeal.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Socfin and Socapalm","what":"Lost the defamation suit at first instance and withdrew the appeal.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct","what":"Named as defendants in the defamation suit.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"France.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Trial opened 25 January 2019; the exact verdict date is not confirmed.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Defamation litigation in French courts against media outlets and NGOs.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"suits_filed_over_palm_oil_reporting","value":20,"unit":"suits","year":null,"note":"at least 20 since 2009, per the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre; attributed to Bolloré and Socfin"}],"legal":[{"title":"Defamation suit against Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct","forum":"French court (name: none on record)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Socfin and Socapalm","defendant":"Mediapart, L'Obs, Le Point, Sherpa and ReAct","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"defendant-won","summary":"Trial opened 25 January 2019. The prosecutor sought acquittal on grounds of good faith. The claimants lost at first instance and withdrew their appeal, Reporterre reported.","src":0}],"unknown":["The exact date of the first-instance verdict is not confirmed in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not name the court or chamber that heard the case.","The costs awarded or paid in the suit are not on record.","The outcome of other Socfin or Socapalm suits beyond the French case is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Victoire judiciaire contre les poursuites baillons intentees par l-empire","p":"Reporterre","d":"","u":"https://reporterre.net/Victoire-judiciaire-contre-les-poursuites-baillons-intentees-par-l-empire","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220705034552/https://reporterre.net/Victoire-judiciaire-contre-les-poursuites-baillons-intentees-par-l-empire"},{"t":"Socfin / Socapalm lawsuit re defamation by NGOs and media outlets, France","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2019","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/socfin-socapalm-lawsuit-re-defamation-by-ngos-media-outlets-france","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20191118095448/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/socfin-socapalm-lawsuit-re-defamation-by-ngos-media-outlets-france"}],"actors":[{"id":"socfin","role":"claimant"},{"id":"socapalm","role":"claimant"},{"id":"bollore","role":"linked group of the claimants"},{"id":"mediapart","role":"defendant"},{"id":"l-obs","role":"defendant"},{"id":"le-point","role":"defendant"},{"id":"sherpa","role":"defendant"},{"id":"react","role":"defendant"}],"mechanism":"defamation suit against critics","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact date of the first-instance verdict is not confirmed in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court or chamber that heard the case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The costs awarded or paid in the suit are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of other Socfin or Socapalm suits beyond the French case is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"timber-certification-scandal","tier":"short","title":"ICIJ reports more than 340 companies certified in deforestation investigation","dek":"The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reported in March 2023 that more than 340 companies were certified. The cited sources do not describe the certification or the forests involved, so the stake for nature cannot be assessed from them.","country":"Not stated","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["ICIJ's Deforestation Inc. investigation, published in March 2023, reported that more than 340 companies were certified.","The cited sources give the figure without a breakdown by country or certifier."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ICIJ reported in March 2023 that more than 340 companies were certified, in its Deforestation Inc. investigation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Investigation published March 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Certification of companies; the certifying body and method are not on record.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"certified_companies","value":340,"unit":"companies","year":2023,"note":"more than 340, per ICIJ investigation published March 2023"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a rebuttal on record say the claim cannot be proved; the speaker is not named.","The certifying bodies, the certification standard and the named companies are not on record.","The countries, forest areas and volumes involved are not on record.","Whether any certified company was found to be in breach is not on record.","Which companies gained from certification is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Deforestation Inc.","p":"ICIJ","d":"2023-03","u":"https://www.icij.org/investigations/deforestation-inc/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260909132937/https://www.icij.org/investigations/deforestation-inc/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"timber certification","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a rebuttal on record say the claim cannot be proved; the speaker is not named.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The certifying bodies, the certification standard and the named companies are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The countries, forest areas and volumes involved are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any certified company was found to be in breach is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which companies gained from certification is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"exxon-climate-suppression","tier":"short","title":"Study finds Exxon's internal papers accepted warming; its advertorials cast doubt","dek":"Researchers who analyzed 187 Exxon and Mobil documents from 1977 to 2014 found that internal records accepted human-caused warming while paid advertorials expressed doubt. At stake for nature is the timing of public and policy responses to climate change.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":30.08,"lon":-95.42,"role":"event"},{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":39.9,"lon":116.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.08,"lon":-95.42,"approxCoords":true,"start":1977,"end":null,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Supran and Oreskes (2017) analyzed 187 Exxon and Mobil documents: about 80% of internal documents and about 83% of peer-reviewed papers accepted human-caused climate change, while 81% of New York Times advertorials expressed doubt.","Exxon objected that the sample was taken from a Greenpeace compilation; the authors replied that only 4% of Mobil advertisements concerned climate and that they reviewed all of them, according to DeSmog.","InsideClimate News reported that Exxon scientist James Black told management in 1977 that fossil fuels would warm the planet.","The UCS blog reported that a 2023 Science study by Supran, Rahmstorf and Oreskes found that company scientists' projections for 1977 to 2003 matched later observed warming."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Supran and Oreskes (2017) analyzed 187 Exxon and Mobil documents: about 80% of internal documents accepted human-caused warming, while 81% of New York Times advertorials expressed doubt.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, where Exxon and Mobil documents and New York Times advertorials were analyzed; a 1997 statement in Beijing.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Documents from 1977 to 2014; study published August 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Comparison of internal documents, peer-reviewed papers and paid advertorials.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"documents_analyzed","value":187,"unit":"documents","year":null,"note":"Exxon and Mobil texts, 1977 to 2014"},{"key":"internal_documents_accepting_warming","value":80,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"approximately; Supran and Oreskes 2017"},{"key":"peer_reviewed_papers_accepting_warming","value":83,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"approximately; Supran and Oreskes 2017"},{"key":"advertorials_expressing_doubt","value":81,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"New York Times advertorials"},{"key":"advertorials_accepting_science","value":12,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"New York Times advertorials"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Exxon's response to the 1977 to 1982 internal findings is not on record; its only recorded reply is the objection to the sample.","The cited sources do not say whether the internal findings changed Exxon's public statements at the time.","The Exxon statements of 1977, 1978, 1982 and 1997 are attributed to InsideClimate News and internal documents without a source link in the cited sources.","The business gains from the advertising are not quantified in the cited sources.","The effect of the advertorials on public opinion or policy is not measured in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Supran and Oreskes, 2017 (Environmental Research Letters)","p":"Environmental Research Letters","d":"2017-08","u":"https://stacks.iop.org/1748-9326/12/i=8/a=084019","type":"academic"},{"t":"Harvard researchers say Exxon misled public on climate science","p":"Hydrocarbon Processing","d":"2017-08","u":"https://hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2017/08/harvard-researchers-say-exxon-misled-public-on-climate-science/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20190904073429/https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2017/08/harvard-researchers-say-exxon-misled-public-on-climate-science"},{"t":"ExxonMobil accurately projected rising temperatures while publicly disparaging climate science","p":"Union of Concerned Scientists (blog)","d":"2023-01-20","u":"https://blog.ucs.org/shaina-sadai/exxonmobil-accurately-projected-rising-temperatures-while-publicly-disparaging-climate-science/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615221412/https://blog.ucs.org/shaina-sadai/exxonmobil-accurately-projected-rising-temperatures-while-publicly-disparaging-climate-science/"},{"t":"Exxon changed its tune on climate science depending on audience, study shows","p":"DeSmog","d":"2017-08-23","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2017/08/23/exxon-changed-its-tune-climate-science-depending-audience-study-shows","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260618105242/https://www.desmog.com/2017/08/23/exxon-changed-its-tune-climate-science-depending-audience-study-shows/"}],"actors":[{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"company whose documents and advertorials were analyzed"},{"id":"new-york-times","role":"newspaper that published the advertorials"}],"mechanism":"advertorials casting doubt","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Exxon's response to the 1977 to 1982 internal findings is not on record; its only recorded reply is the objection to the sample.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the internal findings changed Exxon's public statements at the time.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Exxon statements of 1977, 1978, 1982 and 1997 are attributed to InsideClimate News and internal documents without a source link in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The business gains from the advertising are not quantified in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the advertorials on public opinion or policy is not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tillamook-dairy-marketing-lawsuit-and-fairlife","tier":"short","title":"Tillamook faces suit over farm imagery as Fairlife settles for $21m","dek":"A lawsuit against Tillamook alleges that most milk in its products came from large facilities, not the coastal farms shown in its advertising. Coca-Cola and others agreed to pay $21 million to settle Fairlife animal-abuse litigation; at stake is whether dairy marketing reflects where the milk comes from.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Oregon","lat":45.46,"lon":-123.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":45.46,"lon":-123.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The Oregon Supreme Court allowed the Tillamook lawsuit to move forward, OPB reported on 3 April 2025.","The suit alleges that more than two-thirds of the milk in Tillamook products came from mega-facilities, rather than the coastal farms shown in its advertising.","Coca-Cola and others agreed to pay $21 million in April 2022 to settle litigation over the Fairlife animal-abuse video, according to FoodNavigator.","The UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled in May 2026 that grazing-cow imagery in an advertisement by an agriculture board was not misleading."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A lawsuit against Tillamook alleges that most milk in its products came from large facilities rather than the coastal farms shown in its advertising; the Oregon Supreme Court let the case move forward.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Coca-Cola and others","what":"Agreed to pay $21 million to settle Fairlife animal-abuse litigation.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Oregon, United States (Tillamook lawsuit).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Fairlife settlement reported April 2022; Tillamook case moving forward reported April 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Consumer marketing litigation over farm imagery, and settlement of animal-welfare litigation.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"fairlife_settlement_amount","value":21000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"settlement of Fairlife animal-abuse litigation, per FoodNavigator"}],"legal":[{"title":"Tillamook marketing lawsuit","forum":"Oregon Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Tillamook","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"OPB reported in April 2025 that the Oregon Supreme Court let the case move forward. The suit alleges that most milk in Tillamook products came from large facilities.","src":0},{"title":"Fairlife animal-abuse litigation","forum":"None on record","country":"","iso2":"","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Coca-Cola and others","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","summary":"Coca-Cola and others agreed to pay $21 million to settle litigation after the Fairlife animal-abuse video, FoodNavigator reported in April 2022.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the plaintiffs in the Tillamook suit.","The share of milk from large facilities is alleged in the suit; the cited sources do not give an independent figure.","The cited sources do not say whether the Tillamook suit has a trial date.","The cited sources do not describe conditions on the Fairlife farms beyond the abuse video."],"sources":[{"t":"Oregon Supreme Court: Tillamook lawsuit case moves forward","p":"OPB","d":"2025-04-03","u":"https://opb.org/article/2025/04/03/oregon-supreme-court-tillamook-lawsuit-case-moves-forward","type":"press"},{"t":"Coca-Cola et al. to pay $21m to settle Fairlife animal abuse litigation","p":"FoodNavigator","d":"2022-04-30","u":"https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2022/04/30/Coca-Cola-et-al-to-pay-21m-to-settle-fairlife-animal-abuse-litigation-Animal-welfare-is-and-will-always-be-a-top-priority","type":"press"},{"t":"Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board ruling","p":"Advertising Standards Authority","d":"2026-05","u":"https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/agriculture-and-horticulture-development-board--a25-1278659--agriculture-and-horticulture-development-board.html","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607202205/https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/agriculture-and-horticulture-development-board--a25-1278659--agriculture-and-horticulture-development-board.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"tillamook","role":"defendant in the marketing lawsuit"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"party that agreed to the Fairlife settlement"},{"id":"fairlife","role":"subject of the animal-abuse litigation"}],"mechanism":"marketing imagery lawsuit","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the plaintiffs in the Tillamook suit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of milk from large facilities is alleged in the suit; the cited sources do not give an independent figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the Tillamook suit has a trial date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe conditions on the Fairlife farms beyond the abuse video.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hasdeo-coal-mine","tier":"short","title":"Village council decisions on Hasdeo coal mine reported irregular","dek":"Sanctuary Nature Foundation reported that village council decisions on the Hasdeo coal mine were irregular. The cited sources do not measure the forest affected by the mine, so the stake for nature is not quantified.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":23.1,"lon":82.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":23.1,"lon":82.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Sanctuary Nature Foundation reported that village council decisions on the Hasdeo coal mine were irregular.","The foundation's article discusses the costs of coal in Hasdeo Aranya."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Village council decisions on the Hasdeo coal mine were reported as irregular.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hasdeo Aranya area, India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported after 2024; exact dates not stated.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Coal mining decisions taken through village councils, reported as irregular.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the village councils, the decisions or the mining company.","The area of forest affected and the status of the mine are not on record.","Who gained from the mine, and who was harmed, is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Hasdeo Aranya: a million trees and other costs of coal","p":"Sanctuary Nature Foundation","d":"","u":"https://sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/article/hasdeo-aranya%3A-a-million-trees-and-other-costs-of-coal","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710170815/https://sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/article/hasdeo-aranya%3A-a-million-trees-and-other-costs-of-coal"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"coal mine approvals","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["adani-carmichael-coal-mine-insurers","cerrejon-coal-mine-ruling"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the village councils, the decisions or the mining company.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The area of forest affected and the status of the mine are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the mine, and who was harmed, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"canada-indigenous-not-informed-of-industrial-project","tier":"short","title":"Indigenous people not informed of industrial development for about nine months","dek":"DeSmog reported in March 2024 that Indigenous people had not been informed of an industrial development for about nine months, and that the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation had sued the Alberta Energy Regulator and Imperial Oil over the Kearl mine disaster. The cited sources do not describe the environmental impact, so the stake for nature is unassessed.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":57,"lon":-111.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":57,"lon":-111.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["DeSmog reported in March 2024 that Indigenous people had not been informed of an industrial development for about nine months.","The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation filed a lawsuit against the Alberta Energy Regulator and Imperial Oil over the Kearl mine disaster, according to DeSmog."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indigenous people were reportedly not informed of an industrial development for about nine months, according to DeSmog.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Indigenous people","what":"Reportedly not informed of the development for about nine months.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Alberta, Canada (Kearl oil sands mine).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported March 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Industrial development without timely notice to Indigenous people; lawsuit against the regulator and Imperial Oil.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"months_uninformed","value":9,"unit":"months","year":null,"note":"about nine months, as reported by DeSmog"}],"legal":[{"title":"Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation lawsuit against Alberta Energy Regulator and Imperial Oil","forum":"None on record","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation","defendant":"Alberta Energy Regulator; Imperial Oil","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"DeSmog reported the lawsuit in March 2024. The cited sources give no outcome.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which industrial development is meant beyond the Kearl mine reference, or which Indigenous people were affected.","The regulator's and Imperial Oil's responses are not on record.","The environmental effects of the Kearl mine disaster are not on record.","The outcome of the lawsuit is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation lawsuit over Kearl mine disaster","p":"DeSmog","d":"2024-03-07","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2024/03/07/lawsuit-athabasca-chipeyan-first-nation-acfn-alberta-energy-regulator-imperial-oil-tar-sands-kearl-mine-disaster","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"imperial-oil","role":"defendant in the lawsuit"},{"id":"alberta-energy-regulator","role":"defendant in the lawsuit"},{"id":"athabasca-chipewyan-first-nation","role":"claimant in the lawsuit"}],"mechanism":"Indigenous consultation lawsuit","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation lawsuit against Alberta Energy Regulator and Imperial Oil: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which industrial development is meant beyond the Kearl mine reference, or which Indigenous people were affected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The regulator's and Imperial Oil's responses are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The environmental effects of the Kearl mine disaster are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the lawsuit is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"great-sparrow-campaign","tier":"short","title":"Non-peer-reviewed study links China's 1958 sparrow campaign to famine deaths","dek":"A non-peer-reviewed NBER study links China's 1958 sparrow campaign to crop losses and about 2 million extra deaths. Locust outbreaks followed the sparrow hunt.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.86,"lon":104.19,"approxCoords":true,"start":1958,"end":1960,"instrument":"influence","happened":["NBER Working Paper 34087 describes China's Four Pests campaign of 1958 to 1960, under which sparrows were targeted and locust outbreaks followed.","According to NBER and EPIC news (August 2025), sparrow killing accounts for about 20% of the crop decline during the famine and about 2 million additional deaths.","The study is not peer reviewed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China's Four Pests campaign targeted sparrows; a non-peer-reviewed study links the sparrow killing to crop losses and famine deaths","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Sparrows","what":"targeted for killing under the campaign","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Chinese population during the 1958 to 1960 famine","what":"an estimated 2 million additional deaths, per the NBER study","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"China","src":1},"when":{"t":"1958 to 1960","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sparrows were killed as one of four pests targeted in the campaign","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"crop_decline_attributed_to_sparrow_killing","value":20,"unit":"percent of crop decline (study estimate)","year":null,"note":"Non-peer-reviewed NBER study estimate; approximate"},{"key":"additional_deaths_estimate","value":2000000,"unit":"deaths (study estimate)","year":null,"note":"Non-peer-reviewed NBER study estimate; approximate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The NBER study is not peer reviewed; its estimates are not independently checked in the cited sources.","Reported without a specific source link: the Great Leap Forward is described as the main cause of the famine.","The number of sparrows killed and the geographic scope of the campaign are not on record.","Who, if anyone, gained from the campaign is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"How the persecution of sparrows killed 2M people","p":"NBER / EPIC (University of Chicago)","d":"2025-08","u":"https://epic.uchicago.edu/news/how-the-persecution-of-sparrows-killed-2m-people","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260818182249/https://epic.uchicago.edu/news/how-the-persecution-of-sparrows-killed-2m-people/"},{"t":"Campaigning for extinction: eradication of sparrows and the great famine in China","p":"NBER Working Paper 34087","d":"","u":"https://epic.uchicago.edu/working-papers/campaigning-for-extinction-eradication-of-sparrows-and-the-great-famine-in-china","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"china-gov","role":"ran the Four Pests campaign"}],"mechanism":"pest eradication campaign","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My sparrows were targeted in China's 1958 to 1960 campaign and locusts followed; a non-peer-reviewed NBER study attributes about 20% of the famine-era crop decline to the killing.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The NBER study is not peer reviewed; its estimates are not independently checked in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a specific source link: the Great Leap Forward is described as the main cause of the famine.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of sparrows killed and the geographic scope of the campaign are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who, if anyone, gained from the campaign is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"choropampa-mercury-spill","tier":"short","title":"Choropampa mercury spill in Peru, listed in a CAO case file","dek":"A mercury spill at Choropampa, Peru, is listed with the CAO, the IFC ombudsman. The pollutant named is mercury; the cited sources do not describe the spill's effects or any remedy.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":null,"lat":-6.9,"lon":-78.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.9,"lon":-78.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2000,"end":2000,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["The CAO, the IFC ombudsman, has a case file listed for the Choropampa mercury spill in Peru [0].","The year 2000 is listed against the spill [0]."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mercury spilled at Choropampa, Peru; a CAO case file is listed for it","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Choropampa, Peru","src":0},"when":{"t":"2000","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The quantity of mercury spilled, the number of people affected, and any clean-up or compensation are not on record.","The company responsible is not on record; the address of the linked CAO case refers to Yanacocha in Cajamarca.","The status and outcome of the CAO case are not on record.","The exact date of the spill is not stated; 2000 appears only as a year."],"sources":[{"t":"Peru Choropampa mercury spill","p":"CAO (IFC/MIGA Compliance Advisor Ombudsman)","d":"2000","u":"https://www.cao-ombudsman.org/cases/peru-yanacocha-01cajamarca","type":"international"}],"actors":[{"id":"cao-ombudsman","role":"Named in reports"}],"mechanism":"mercury spill","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The quantity of mercury spilled, the number of people affected, and any clean-up or compensation are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The company responsible is not on record; the address of the linked CAO case refers to Yanacocha in Cajamarca.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status and outcome of the CAO case are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exact date of the spill is not stated; 2000 appears only as a year.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"central-kalahari-san-relocation","tier":"short","title":"Botswana court finds San relocation from Central Kalahari unlawful","dek":"A Botswana court found the relocation of San people from the Central Kalahari unlawful in December 2006. The government's figure for those removed is about 2,000 people. At stake is who may live on and use Central Kalahari land.","country":"Botswana","iso2":"BW","places":[{"country":"Botswana","iso2":"BW","admin":"Central Kalahari","lat":-20.5,"lon":24.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-20.5,"lon":24.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":1997,"end":2006,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["A court decision dated 13 December 2006 found the San relocation unlawful; its summary states that a diamond link was not proven [0].","Mail & Guardian reported that the government put the number of people removed at about 2,000 [1]."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"San people were removed from the Central Kalahari, and the court found the removal unlawful","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"San residents of the Central Kalahari","what":"removed from the area; government figure of about 2,000 people","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Central Kalahari, Botswana","src":0},"when":{"t":"1997 to 2006","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Removal of San residents from the Central Kalahari","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"people_removed","value":2000,"unit":"people (government figure)","year":null,"note":"Approximate; government figure as reported by Mail & Guardian"}],"legal":[{"title":"San relocation case, Central Kalahari","forum":"Court of Botswana (per InforMEA)","country":"Botswana","iso2":"BW","kind":"civil","claimant":"San residents of the Central Kalahari","defendant":"Attorney General of Botswana","filed":null,"decided":"2006-12-13","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the San relocation unlawful. Its summary states that a diamond link was not proven.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say who carried out the removal beyond the government figure.","Who gained from the removal is not on record; the diamond-related claim is recorded as not proven, and the party who made it is not stated.","A 2025 KSAT article on a Botswana-De Beers diamond deal is listed without description; it is not used.","The outcome after the 2006 decision is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"San relocation found unlawful; diamond link not proven","p":"InforMEA","d":"2006-12-13","u":"https://www.informea.org/en/court-decision/roy-sesana-v-attorney-general-republic-botswana","type":"international"},{"t":"Bushmen win battle for Kalahari home","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2006-12-13","u":"https://mg.co.za/article/2006-12-13-bushmen-win-battle-for-kalahari-home","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"attorney-general-botswana","role":"defendant in the court decision"}],"mechanism":"forced resettlement of San","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 2,000 people were removed from my Central Kalahari, the government says; a court found the relocation unlawful on 13 December 2006.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who carried out the removal beyond the government figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the removal is not on record; the diamond-related claim is recorded as not proven, and the party who made it is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A 2025 KSAT article on a Botswana-De Beers diamond deal is listed without description; it is not used.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome after the 2006 decision is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"arctic-refuge-lease-sale","tier":"short","title":"Arctic lease sale attracts bids from only two companies","dek":"Only 5 of 58 parcels drew bids in the Arctic refuge lease sale, totalling $3.74 million. At stake is leasing of Arctic refuge land.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":70.2,"lon":-145,"role":"event"}],"lat":70.2,"lon":-145,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Alaska's News Source reported in June 2026 that the Arctic lease sale drew bids from only two companies [0].","Five of the 58 parcels offered received bids, totalling $3.74 million [0]."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Arctic refuge lease sale drew bids for 5 of 58 parcels","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Arctic refuge, Alaska, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lease sale reported June 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lease sale of refuge parcels","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"parcels_with_bids","value":5,"unit":"parcels","year":2026,"note":"Of 58 parcels offered"},{"key":"total_bids","value":3740000,"unit":"USD","year":2026,"note":"Total of bids received"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The two bidding companies are not on record.","Whether any parcels were leased after the bids is not stated.","Who gained or lost from this sale is not stated; general claims about Indigenous and water-user losses are not tied to it.","A Washington Monthly link is listed without a description and is not used."],"sources":[{"t":"Arctic lease sale attracts bids from only two companies","p":"Alaska's News Source","d":"2026-06-05","u":"https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/06/05/arctic-lease-sale-attracts-bids-only-two-companies/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260709002316/https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/06/05/arctic-lease-sale-attracts-bids-only-two-companies/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"refuge land lease sale","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Five of 58 parcels of my Arctic refuge were bid on in the June 2026 lease sale, totalling $3.74 million.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The two bidding companies are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any parcels were leased after the bids is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained or lost from this sale is not stated; general claims about Indigenous and water-user losses are not tied to it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A Washington Monthly link is listed without a description and is not used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"queensland-land-clearing-rules-loosened","tier":"short","title":"Queensland loosened vegetation clearing rules, then reintroduced them in 2018","dek":"Queensland relaxed its vegetation clearing laws in 2013 and reintroduced them in 2018 to reduce clearance rates. At stake is vegetation cover; about 400,000 hectares were reported cleared in 2015 to 2016.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-22.5,"lon":144,"role":"event"}],"lat":-22.5,"lon":144,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2018,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Queensland loosened its vegetation clearing laws in 2013, according to Clayton Utz [0].","Clayton Utz reported that the laws were reintroduced in 2018 to reduce clearance rates [0]."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Queensland loosened vegetation clearing laws in 2013 and reintroduced them in 2018","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Queensland, Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2013 to 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"The 2018 reintroduction was aimed at reducing clearance rates.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Changes to state vegetation clearing laws","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hectares_cleared","value":400000,"unit":"hectares","year":2015,"note":"Approximate, for the 2015 to 2016 period; no source link is given"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The figure of about 400,000 hectares cleared in 2015 to 2016 has no source link in the cited sources.","The reasons for the 2013 loosening are not on record.","Who gained from the clearing is not stated.","A 2025 EDO (edo.org.au) link on Queensland environment reforms is listed without a description and is not used."],"sources":[{"t":"To clear or not to clear","p":"Clayton Utz","d":"2018-03","u":"https://www.claytonutz.com/insights/2018/march/to-clear-or-not-to-clear-queensland-government-reintroduces-vegetation-clearing-laws-to-reduce-clearance-rates","type":"company"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"vegetation clearing laws","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The figure of about 400,000 hectares cleared in 2015 to 2016 has no source link in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reasons for the 2013 loosening are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the clearing is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A 2025 EDO (edo.org.au) link on Queensland environment reforms is listed without a description and is not used.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"eu-wolf-protection-downgrade","tier":"short","title":"European Parliament votes to downgrade wolf protection","dek":"The European Parliament voted in 2025 to downgrade the wolf's protection, loosening 46 years of strict protection, according to Eunews. The cited sources do not say who gained or how many wolves are affected.","country":"European Union","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"European Union","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":50.85,"lon":4.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["In 2025 the European Parliament voted to downgrade the wolf's protection status, Eunews reported.","The change loosened 46 years of strict protection for the species."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The European Parliament voted to downgrade the wolf's protection status, loosening 46 years of strict protection.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Wolves in the European Union","what":"strict protection loosened after 46 years","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"European Union","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A Parliament vote changed the protection status; the cited sources do not describe the legal instrument.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"years_strict_protection_loosened","value":46,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"Strict protection loosened after 46 years"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Who gained from the downgrade is not on record.","The vote count, the legal instrument and the wolf population figures are not on record.","The effect of the change on wolf numbers is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Parliament votes to downgrade wolf protection","p":"Eunews","d":"2025","u":"https://www.eunews.it/en/2025/05/08/european-parliament-votes-to-downgrade-wolf-protection-status","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418044831/https://www.eunews.it/en/2025/05/08/european-parliament-votes-to-downgrade-wolf-protection-status/"}],"actors":[{"id":"european-parliament","role":"Voted to downgrade the wolf's protection status"}],"mechanism":"wolf protection status downgrade","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the downgrade is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The vote count, the legal instrument and the wolf population figures are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The effect of the change on wolf numbers is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-clearance-of-8-500-ha-despite-supreme-court-order","tier":"short","title":"India approved clearing over 8,500 hectares of forest despite a Supreme Court order","dek":"The Indian government approved clearing over 8,500 hectares of forest despite a Supreme Court order, Down To Earth reported. The article refers to FCA 2023 alongside the approval, and the cited sources give no site or developer.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":22,"lon":79,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Down To Earth reported in 2025 that the government gave its nod to clear over 8,500 hectares of forest despite a Supreme Court order.","The article refers to FCA 2023 alongside the approval."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Indian government approved clearing over 8,500 hectares of forest despite a Supreme Court order, according to Down To Earth.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Forest cover in the approved area","what":"over 8,500 hectares approved for clearing","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025, the year of the article; the cited sources do not date the approval","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The article refers to FCA 2023 alongside the approval; the cited sources do not describe the approval process.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"forest_area_approved_for_clearing","value":8500,"unit":"hectares","year":2025,"note":"Over 8,500 hectares, per Down To Earth"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The Supreme Court order's date, case name and terms are not on record.","Whether clearing has started, and by whom, is not on record.","The developer or project behind the approval is not on record.","Who gained from the approval is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Despite SC order, nod to clear over 8,500 hectares","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2025","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/amp/story/forests/despite-supreme-court-order-government-nod-to-clear-over-8500-hectares-of-forest-in-six-months","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Gave the nod to clear over 8,500 hectares"}],"mechanism":"forest clearance approval","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"India approved clearing over 8,500 hectares of my forest, Down To Earth reported in 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Supreme Court order's date, case name and terms are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether clearing has started, and by whom, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The developer or project behind the approval is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the approval is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"waihi-north-mine-approved-under-conservation-land","tier":"short","title":"Decision approves Waihi North mine under New Zealand conservation land","dek":"A 2025 decision approved mining at Waihi North in New Zealand under conservation land, according to a Scoop item. The cited sources do not name the decision-maker or the mine operator.","country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","places":[{"country":"New Zealand","iso2":"NZ","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-37.39,"lon":175.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["A decision on Waihi North approved a mine under conservation land in New Zealand in 2025, according to a Scoop item.","The Scoop item was published by Coromandel Watchdog, an interested party to the matter, and its account has not been checked here."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A decision approved a mine at Waihi North under conservation land in New Zealand, according to Scoop.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Conservation land at Waihi North","what":"approved for mining under the decision","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Waihi North, New Zealand","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025, the year of the Scoop item","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mining was approved under the decision; the cited sources do not describe the legal basis.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The decision-maker, the date of the decision and any conditions are not on record.","The mine operator is not on record.","Who gained from the approval is not on record.","Coromandel Watchdog is an interested party; its account has not been checked against other sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Decision on Waihi North","p":"Scoop","d":"2025","u":"https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2512/S00560.htm","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"coromandel-watchdog","role":"Published the Scoop item; interested party"}],"mechanism":"mining on conservation land","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The decision-maker, the date of the decision and any conditions are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The mine operator is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the approval is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Coromandel Watchdog is an interested party; its account has not been checked against other sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"giant-mine-remediation-cost","tier":"short","title":"Giant Mine cleanup cost in Yellowknife rose to 4.38 billion Canadian dollars","dek":"The federal cost of cleaning up Yellowknife's Giant Mine rose to 4.38 billion Canadian dollars in 2022, all of it public money, Cabin Radio reported. Arsenic is to be frozen, and perpetual upkeep is required.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":62.45,"lon":-114.37,"approxCoords":true,"start":1999,"end":2022,"instrument":"mining","happened":["CBC reported in August 2022 that the federal cost of cleaning up Giant Mine had risen to 4.38 billion Canadian dollars, and that the owner, Royal Oak, had gone into receivership in 1999.","Cabin Radio reported that all of the 4.38 billion Canadian dollars is public money.","Cabin Radio reported that 237,000 tonnes of arsenic will be frozen, that the cleanup costs about 1 billion Canadian dollars, and that perpetual maintenance costs 2 million Canadian dollars a year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The federal cost of cleaning up Giant Mine in Yellowknife rose to 4.38 billion Canadian dollars, according to CBC.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Canadian taxpayers","what":"the full 4.38 billion Canadian dollars, which Cabin Radio says is public money","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Yellowknife, Canada","src":0},"when":{"t":"Owner in receivership in 1999; federal cost estimate reported in August 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Arsenic is to be frozen and perpetual maintenance is needed; the cleanup is paid from public funds.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"federal_cleanup_cost","value":4380000000,"unit":"Canadian dollars","year":2022,"note":"Federal cost of remediation, per CBC"},{"key":"arsenic_to_be_frozen","value":237000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Arsenic to be frozen, per Cabin Radio"},{"key":"cleanup_estimate","value":1000000000,"unit":"Canadian dollars","year":null,"note":"Cleanup estimate, per Cabin Radio"},{"key":"annual_maintenance","value":2000000,"unit":"Canadian dollars per year","year":null,"note":"Perpetual maintenance, per Cabin Radio"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether the perpetual maintenance cost is included in the 4.38 billion figure is not on record.","The original planned cost is not stated; the Cabin Radio headline says the cleanup will cost much more than planned.","No criminal or personal penalty is documented in the cited sources.","Health and environmental effects on nearby communities are not on record.","Who gained from the mine's operation is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Cost of cleaning up Yellowknife's Giant Mine now pegged at 4.38B","p":"CBC","d":"2022-08","u":"https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.6647952","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018164539/https://www.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.6647952"},{"t":"Cleaning up Giant Mine will take longer and cost much more than planned","p":"Cabin Radio","d":"2022","u":"https://cabinradio.ca/105221/news/yellowknife/cleaning-up-giant-mine-will-take-longer-and-cost-much-more-than-planned","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107065714/https://cabinradio.ca/105221/news/yellowknife/cleaning-up-giant-mine-will-take-longer-and-cost-much-more-than-planned/"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Bears the federal cost of the cleanup"},{"id":"royal-oak","role":"Former owner; in receivership from 1999"}],"mechanism":"mine cleanup, public funding","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["alberta-orphan-wells-and-mine-liabilities"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"237,000 tonnes of arsenic from Giant Mine are to be frozen in me at Yellowknife; the federal cleanup cost reached 4.38 billion Canadian dollars in 2022, all of it public money.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the perpetual maintenance cost is included in the 4.38 billion figure is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The original planned cost is not stated; the Cabin Radio headline says the cleanup will cost much more than planned.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No criminal or personal penalty is documented in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Health and environmental effects on nearby communities are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the mine's operation is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"uranium-embedded-in-dr-congo-cobalt-exports","tier":"short","title":"Study estimates 2,000 tonnes of uranium in DR Congo cobalt exports","dek":"Investigators estimate that more than 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium were embedded in DR Congo cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024. The estimate concerns radioactive material in the battery metal supply chain.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"Lualaba","lat":-10.72,"lon":25.47,"role":"event"}],"lat":-10.72,"lon":25.47,"approxCoords":true,"start":2000,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Miningmx reported on 10 August 2026 that a Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports investigation and a Nature Communications study estimate that more than 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium were embedded in cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024.","The government is reported to be starting radiation screening at the border (Miningmx).","Amnesty International and IBGDH's September 2023 report documented forced evictions, arson, beatings and sexual assault around six cobalt and copper mining sites near Kolwezi; Chemaf agreed to pay 1.5 million dollars but denies fault."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An investigation and a study estimate that more than 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium were embedded in DR Congo cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Cobalt exporters","what":"Shipped the cobalt exports in which the estimated uranium was embedded","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents near Kolwezi cobalt and copper mining sites","what":"Amnesty International and IBGDH documented forced evictions, arson, beatings and sexual assault around six sites in a 2023 report","src":null},{"who":"Residents of a Kolwezi neighbourhood of about 39,000 people","what":"Face eviction for a copper and cobalt expansion","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo, around Kolwezi and the border","src":0},"when":{"t":"Estimate covers 2000 to 2024; reported in August 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The estimate says the uranium was carried in cobalt export shipments between 2000 and 2024.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"embedded_uranium_t","value":2000,"unit":"tonnes of natural uranium (more than)","year":2024,"note":"Estimate for cobalt exports, 2000 to 2024"},{"key":"amnesty_sites_documented","value":6,"unit":"cobalt and copper mining sites","year":2023,"note":"Sites in the Amnesty International and IBGDH report near Kolwezi"},{"key":"chemaf_agreed_payment_m_usd","value":1500000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Agreed payment; the company denies fault"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say how the 2,000-tonne figure was calculated.","The cited sources do not say whether any responsible-cobalt certification scheme tested for uranium.","The Nature Communications study is not linked in the sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Congo probes uranium in cobalt exports","p":"Miningmx","d":"2026-08-10","u":"https://www.miningmx.com/news/base-metals/66227-congo-probes-uranium-in-cobalt-exports/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260911135756/https://www.miningmx.com/news/base-metals/66227-congo-probes-uranium-in-cobalt-exports/"}],"actors":[{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"documented evictions and abuses near Kolwezi"},{"id":"chemaf","role":"agreed to pay in a case over Kolwezi evictions; denies fault"}],"mechanism":"uranium in mineral exports","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"More than 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium were embedded in cobalt exports taken from me in DR Congo between 2000 and 2024, an estimate reported by Miningmx.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say how the 2,000-tonne figure was calculated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any responsible-cobalt certification scheme tested for uranium.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Nature Communications study is not linked in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: Residents near Kolwezi cobalt and copper mining sites","No source link — Who harmed: Residents of a Kolwezi neighbourhood of about 39,000 people"]},{"id":"indonesia-marine-sediment-export-policy-2024","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia reopens sea-sand exports on a 17.66 billion m3 potential estimate","dek":"Indonesia reopened sea-sand exports in 2023 after a 20-year ban. A 2024 decree gave a national sediment potential of 17.66 billion cubic metres, against a domestic need of 435,433 cubic metres.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Indonesia banned sea-sand exports in 2003, and regulation PP 26/2023 reopened them in 2023 under the heading of managing marine sedimentation.","The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries reported in July 2024 that 66 companies had applied for licences (Kontan).","Decree KP 16/2024 gave a national sediment potential of 17.66 billion cubic metres, against a domestic need of 435,433 cubic metres (Kontan).","Bisnis reported on 26 June 2025 that the Supreme Court had ruled the articles of PP 26/2023 allowing exports contrary to the Maritime Law."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia's decree gave a national sediment potential of 17.66 billion cubic metres, while domestic need was 435,433 cubic metres.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"66 companies that applied for sea-sand licences","what":"Applied for permits to extract marine sediment, as reported by Kontan","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Fishers in Spermonde and Riau","what":"Lost income; CELIOS estimates a loss of 990 billion rupiah and 36,400 jobs","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Villagers in Lumajang opposing sand mining","what":"Salim Kancil, a farmer opposing a sand mine, was killed on 26 September 2015 and Tosan was seriously injured; the Surabaya District Court sentenced village head Hariyono to 20 years in 2016, and three police officers who accepted money from him received disciplinary sanctions","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia, including the Spermonde islands and Riau","src":null},"when":{"t":"Exports reopened in 2023; 66 applications reported in July 2024; Supreme Court ruling reported in June 2025","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Export permits were opened under PP 26/2023 and a 2024 decree; the Supreme Court later ruled the export articles contrary to the Maritime Law.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"sediment_potential_bn_m3","value":17660000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2024,"note":"National sediment potential, Decree KP 16/2024"},{"key":"domestic_need_m3","value":435433,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2024,"note":"Domestic need under the same decree"},{"key":"companies_applied","value":66,"unit":"companies","year":2024,"note":"Applied for sea-sand licences (Kontan)"},{"key":"fishing_income_loss_bn_idr","value":990000000000,"unit":"rupiah","year":null,"note":"CELIOS estimate, Spermonde and Riau fishers"},{"key":"fishing_jobs_lost","value":36400,"unit":"jobs","year":null,"note":"CELIOS estimate"}],"legal":[{"title":"Judicial review 5 P/HUM/2025 of PP 26/2023","forum":"Supreme Court of Indonesia","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"judicial review","claimant":"Muhammad Taufiq, a lecturer from Surakarta","defendant":"Government of Indonesia","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Supreme Court found articles 10(2) to 10(4) of PP 26/2023, which allowed sea-sand exports, contrary to the Maritime Law. The sources give the decision date as 2 January or 2 June 2025.","src":1},{"title":"Salim Kancil murder case (Lumajang)","forum":"Surabaya District Court","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Public prosecutor","defendant":"Hariyono, head of Selok Awar-Awar village, and Mat Dasir","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 23 June 2016 the Surabaya District Court found village head Hariyono guilty of the premeditated murder of Salim Kancil, a farmer who opposed sand mining at Watu Pecak and was killed on 26 September 2015, and sentenced him to 20 years; Mat Dasir was also sentenced to 20 years over the serious injury of Tosan, who opposed the mine with him (Republika). Three Pasirian police officers found to have accepted money from Hariyono received a written reprimand, demotion by transfer and 21 days' special placement at an East Java Regional Police disciplinary hearing on 19 October 2015 (Mongabay Indonesia).","src":2}],"unknown":["The sources say enforcement of the Supreme Court ruling is unclear.","The date of the Supreme Court decision is given as 2 January or 2 June 2025 in different sources.","The sources do not say how much sand has been exported under the permits."],"sources":[{"t":"KKP: 66 perusahaan sudah ajukan izin pengelolaan tambang pasir laut hasil sedimentasi","p":"Kontan","d":"2024-07","u":"https://industri.kontan.co.id/news/kkp-66-perusahaan-sudah-ajukan-izin-pengelolaan-tambang-pasir-laut-hasil-sedimentasi","type":"press"},{"t":"MA kabulkan uji materi PP 26/2023, pemerintah dilarang ekspor pasir laut","p":"Bisnis","d":"2025-06-26","u":"https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20250626/16/1888273/ma-kabulkan-uji-materi-pp-262023-pemerintah-dilarang-ekspor-pasir-laut","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720003458/https://kabar24.bisnis.com/read/20250626/16/1888273/ma-kabulkan-uji-materi-pp-262023-pemerintah-dilarang-ekspor-pasir-laut"},{"t":"Salim Kancil's murderers sentenced to 20 years in jail","p":"Republika","d":"2016-06-24","u":"https://en.republika.co.id/berita/o99yr1317/salim-kancils-muderers-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail","type":"press"},{"t":"Kasus Lumajang: Vonis Ringan Oknum Polisi Masih Belum Cerminkan Keadilan","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2015-10-21","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2015/10/21/kasus-lumajang-vonis-ringan-oknum-polisi-masih-belum-cerminkan-keadilan/","type":"press"},{"t":"Menanti Pembenahan Pasca MA Cabut Aturan Ekspor Pasir Laut","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2025-07-09","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2025/07/09/menanti-pembenahan-pasca-ma-cabut-aturan-ekspor-pasir-laut/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308041511/https://mongabay.co.id/2025/07/09/menanti-pembenahan-pasca-ma-cabut-aturan-ekspor-pasir-laut/"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-maritime-affairs-fisheries-ministry","role":"reported 66 licence applications"},{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"reopened sea-sand exports under PP 26/2023"},{"id":"indonesia-supreme-court","role":"ruled on the judicial review"},{"id":"celios","role":"estimated the fishing losses"}],"mechanism":"sea sand export licences","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Exports of my sea sand reopened in Indonesia in 2023; a 2024 decree put the national sediment potential at 17.66 billion cubic metres against a domestic need of 435,433 cubic metres.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The sources say enforcement of the Supreme Court ruling is unclear.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The date of the Supreme Court decision is given as 2 January or 2 June 2025 in different sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say how much sand has been exported under the permits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Fishers in Spermonde and Riau"]},{"id":"jakarta-forced-evictions-2015","tier":"short","title":"Jakarta counted 113 forced evictions in 2015, most without resettlement housing","dek":"LBH Jakarta, a legal aid group, counted 113 forced evictions in Jakarta in 2015 that affected 8,145 household heads. Resettlement housing was not provided at 72 of the sites; the cited evictions were tied to river normalisation and a sea-wall plan, and the cited sources describe no effect on the rivers or sea.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jakarta","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":-6.21,"lon":106.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2017,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["LBH Jakarta, a legal aid group, counted 113 forced evictions in Jakarta in 2015 under the Ahok administration, affecting 8,145 household heads and 6,283 businesses, Republika reported in May 2016.","Resettlement housing was not provided at 72 of the 113 sites, about 64%, according to the same count.","The sources record that Bukit Duri residents, whose homes were demolished for Ciliwung river normalisation, won the first stage of an administrative court case in January 2017.","Tempo reported that no deal was reached with Kampung Akuarium residents, who were evicted in 2016 for a sea wall and marine tourism plan."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forced evictions in Jakarta, counted by LBH Jakarta at 113 in 2015, affecting 8,145 household heads and 6,283 businesses.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Households and businesses at the 113 eviction sites","what":"Evicted: 8,145 household heads and 6,283 businesses counted","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents at 72 eviction sites","what":"No resettlement housing provided","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Jakarta, Indonesia: Bukit Duri on the Ciliwung river and Kampung Akuarium on the coast.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Evictions counted for 2015 (reported May 2016); Kampung Akuarium evictions in 2016; court stage in January 2017.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Ciliwung river normalisation for Bukit Duri; a sea wall and marine tourism plan for Kampung Akuarium.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Forced evictions, with resettlement housing not provided at 72 of 113 sites (about 64%), per LBH Jakarta.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"forced_evictions_2015","value":113,"unit":"evictions","year":2015,"note":"counted by LBH Jakarta"},{"key":"household_heads_affected_2015","value":8145,"unit":"household heads","year":2015,"note":"LBH Jakarta count"},{"key":"businesses_affected_2015","value":6283,"unit":"businesses","year":2015,"note":"LBH Jakarta count"},{"key":"sites_without_resettlement_housing","value":72,"unit":"sites (of 113)","year":2015,"note":"about 64% of evictions"}],"legal":[{"title":"Bukit Duri residents' case over Ciliwung normalisation demolitions","forum":"Administrative court, Jakarta","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Bukit Duri residents","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Residents won the first stage, as reported; later stages are not stated.","src":2}],"unknown":["Beneficiaries of the normalisation and sea-wall plans are not on record.","Unconfirmed: a Liputan6 headline quotes a minister saying the Kampung Pulo evictions were not wrongful; the article text was not reviewed.","The outcome of the Bukit Duri case after its first stage is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"LBH: there were 113 forced evictions under Ahok in 2015","p":"Republika","d":"2016-05","u":"https://news.republika.co.id/berita/o7ol35377/lbh-ada-113-penggusuran-paksa-di-bawah-ahok-pada-2015","type":"press"},{"t":"No Deal Reached between Kampung Akuarium Residents, Jakarta Govt","p":"Tempo","d":"2017","u":"https://en.tempo.co/amp/872486/no-deal-reached-between-kampung-akuarium-residents-jakarta-govt","type":"press"},{"t":"Kemenangan Awal Warga Bukit Duri yang Tergusur Atas Nama Normalisasi Ciliwung","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2017-01-10","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2017/01/10/kemenangan-awal-warga-bukit-duri-yang-tergusur-atas-nama-normalisasi-ciliwung/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312165853/https://mongabay.co.id/2017/01/10/kemenangan-awal-warga-bukit-duri-yang-tergusur-atas-nama-normalisasi-ciliwung/"}],"actors":[{"id":"lbh-jakarta","role":"legal aid group that counted the 2015 evictions"},{"id":"jakarta-provincial-government","role":"authority that carried out the evictions and resettlement in 2015"}],"mechanism":"forced evictions, river normalisation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["jakarta-evictions-ciliwung-normalisation-and-giant-sea-wall","kolwezi-forced-evictions"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bukit Duri residents' case over Ciliwung normalisation demolitions: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Beneficiaries of the normalisation and sea-wall plans are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Liputan6 headline quotes a minister saying the Kampung Pulo evictions were not wrongful; the article text was not reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Bukit Duri case after its first stage is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"teshima-illegal-industrial-waste-dumping","tier":"short","title":"Waste dumped on Teshima island under a 'valuable goods, not waste' label","dek":"About 939,000 tonnes of shredder dust and industrial waste were dumped on Teshima, Japan, after the operator called it valuable goods and the prefecture approved the classification. The cited sources do not describe effects on the island's environment.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Kagawa Prefecture","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":34.47,"lon":134.22,"approxCoords":true,"start":1978,"end":2019,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The operator of the Teshima site described shredder dust as valuable goods, not waste, and Kagawa Prefecture approved the classification.","Kagawa Prefecture records about 939,000 tonnes of waste dumped on the island in the period 1978–2019.","Kagawa Prefecture's history page gives a 2013 estimate of about 52.1 billion yen for the clean-up."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 939,000 tonnes of shredder dust and industrial waste were dumped on Teshima island after being classed as valuable goods.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Teshima operator","what":"Ran the site under the valuable-goods classification approved by the prefecture","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Kagawa Prefecture and its taxpayers","what":"Public clean-up programme, estimated at about 52.1 billion yen in 2013","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Teshima island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Dumping recorded over 1978–2019; the clean-up estimate dates from 2013.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Shredder dust was dumped under a valuable-goods label that the prefecture approved. In a 1999 okara case, Japan's Supreme Court judged waste status on objective criteria rather than the owner's intent; that case does not concern Teshima.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"waste_dumped_tonnes","value":939000,"unit":"tonnes (approximate)","year":null,"note":"shredder dust and industrial waste dumped on Teshima"},{"key":"cleanup_estimate_billion_yen","value":52100000000,"unit":"yen (estimate)","year":2013,"note":"public clean-up cost estimate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Environmental effects on the island's land, water and residents are not on record.","The name of the operator, and whether anyone was prosecuted, are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Kagawa Prefecture: history of the Teshima problem","p":"Kagawa Prefecture","d":"","u":"https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/junkan/teshima/keii/teshi-1-2.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416010630/https://www.pref.kagawa.lg.jp/junkan/teshima/keii/teshi-1-2.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"kagawa-prefecture","role":"approved the valuable-goods classification; runs the public clean-up"}],"mechanism":"valuable-goods waste reclassification","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 939,000 tonnes of waste were dumped on my island of Teshima between 1978 and 2019, Kagawa Prefecture records.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Environmental effects on the island's land, water and residents are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The name of the operator, and whether anyone was prosecuted, are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mbeubeuss-landfill-rehabilitation-and-waste-pickers","tier":"short","title":"Mbeubeuss landfill plan to hire 500 of more than 3,000 waste pickers","dek":"A World Bank-financed rehabilitation of the Mbeubeuss landfill in Senegal is said to hire only 500 of more than 3,000 waste pickers, Seneweb reported. The cited sources give no pollution, cost or timetable data for the landfill.","country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","places":[{"country":"Senegal","iso2":"SN","admin":"Dakar region","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.79,"lon":-17.33,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Seneweb reported in 2025 that more than 3,000 waste pickers were uncertain about their future amid the World Bank-financed rehabilitation of the Mbeubeuss landfill.","The report said only 500 of them were to be hired by the rehabilitation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"World Bank-financed rehabilitation of the Mbeubeuss landfill in Senegal, with plans to hire 500 of more than 3,000 waste pickers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Waste pickers to be hired","what":"500 places, per the Seneweb report","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Waste pickers outside the hiring plan","what":"Left uncertain about their work during the rehabilitation","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mbeubeuss landfill, Senegal.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Waste pickers were to be integrated into the World Bank-financed rehabilitation; the report says only 500 would be hired. The sources do not describe the selection process.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"waste_pickers_uncertain","value":3000,"unit":"waste pickers (more than)","year":2025,"note":"Seneweb: more than 3,000 left uncertain"},{"key":"waste_pickers_to_be_hired","value":500,"unit":"waste pickers","year":2025,"note":"number reported to be hired"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources give no landfill-level data on size, pollution, rehabilitation cost or timetable.","Unconfirmed: Dakar market organics are said to go to the Mbeubeuss landfill (no matching source was found).","Unconfirmed: the programme is named PROMOGED in an evidence row without a link."],"sources":[{"t":"Mbeubeuss landfill: more than 3,000 waste pickers in uncertainty","p":"Seneweb","d":"2025","u":"https://seneweb.com/fr/news/Societe/decharge-de-mbeubeuss-plus-de-3-000-recuperateurs-dans-lincertitude_n_479722.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"finances the Mbeubeuss rehabilitation, as reported"}],"mechanism":"landfill rehabilitation, waste-picker hiring","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no landfill-level data on size, pollution, rehabilitation cost or timetable.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Dakar market organics are said to go to the Mbeubeuss landfill (no matching source was found).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the programme is named PROMOGED in an evidence row without a link.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"buenos-aires-basura-cero-programme","tier":"short","title":"Buenos Aires amends zero-waste law in 2018, with deadlines to 2030","dek":"Buenos Aires’s Basura Cero law sets the city’s waste-reduction targets. A 2018 amendment added “valorization” to its definition and moved the deadlines to 2021, 2025 and 2030, which changes what counts as progress.","country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","places":[{"country":"Argentina","iso2":"AR","admin":"Buenos Aires","lat":-34.6037,"lon":-58.3816,"role":"event"}],"lat":-34.6037,"lon":-58.3816,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Law 5966 of 2018 added “valorization” to the programme’s definition of zero waste, according to the Official Bulletin of the City of Buenos Aires.","The same law moved the programme’s timetable to 2021, 2025 and 2030, according to the same Bulletin entry."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Buenos Aires amended its Basura Cero zero-waste law in 2018, adding “valorization” to the definition and moving the deadlines.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"City of Buenos Aires, Argentina","src":0},"when":{"t":"Amended in 2018; new deadlines 2021, 2025 and 2030","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Legal amendment to the programme’s definition and timetable (Law 5966/2018).","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Greenpeace Argentina says the 2017 target was a 75% reduction and the city achieved 26%.","Unconfirmed: Greenpeace Argentina says the 2018 change lifted the ban on incineration.","Unconfirmed: about 2,500 waste pickers are involved in the programme (no source given).","The cited sources do not say who gained from the 2018 change or who bore its costs."],"sources":[{"t":"Ley 5966/2018","p":"Boletín Oficial de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires","d":"2018","u":"https://boletinoficial.buenosaires.gob.ar/normativaba/norma/414590","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250513030444/https://boletinoficial.buenosaires.gob.ar/normativaba/norma/414590"},{"t":"Ley de Basura Cero: más de 14 años de metas incumplidas","p":"Greenpeace Argentina","d":"","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/argentina/involucrate/con-incineracion-no-hay-basura-cero/ley-de-basura-cero-mas-de-14-anos-de-metas-incumplidas","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"buenos-aires-city-government","role":"Government that runs the Basura Cero programme"},{"id":"greenpeace-argentina","role":"Reported that the targets were missed"}],"mechanism":"zero-waste law amendment","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace Argentina says the 2017 target was a 75% reduction and the city achieved 26%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace Argentina says the 2018 change lifted the ban on incineration.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 2,500 waste pickers are involved in the programme (no source given).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gained from the 2018 change or who bore its costs.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tropodo-plastic-fuelled-tofu-factories-dioxin-eggs","tier":"short","title":"Plastic found in paper-waste bales imported into East Java","dek":"Ecoton and Mongabay Indonesia recorded plastic in paper-waste bales imported into East Java. At stake are the health of the nearby villages of Tropodo and Bangun and the contamination of the local food chain.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"East Java","lat":-7.42,"lon":112.64,"role":"event"}],"lat":-7.42,"lon":112.64,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Ecoton and Mongabay Indonesia recorded plastic and household waste making up 30 to 35 percent of paper-waste bales imported into East Java, against a legal limit of 2 percent.","Mongabay Indonesia’s March 2025 report traced the trail of European waste to Indonesia.","Workers’ testimony cited in the reporting said the pollution was continuing in 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Plastic was found in paper-waste bales imported into East Java, above the legal limit for such imports.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"European exporters","what":"Shipped the paper waste to Indonesia","src":0},{"who":"Indonesian paper mills","what":"Received the imported paper waste","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Tropodo and Bangun villagers","what":"Named in the reporting as bearing the health and environmental cost","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Tropodo and Bangun, East Java, Indonesia","src":null},"when":{"t":"Shipments recorded in 2018; pollution reported as continuing in 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Paper waste imported as recovered paper, with plastic and household waste in the bales.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"plastic_share_paper_bales","value":30,"unit":"percent","year":2018,"note":"30 to 35 percent of bales, as stated"},{"key":"legal_limit_plastic_in_paper_bales","value":2,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"legal limit for plastic in imported paper-waste bales"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: dioxin in eggs at Tropodo was about 70 times the BPOM standard, about 200 pg TEQ/g of fat (Mongabay Indonesia, 2021).","Unconfirmed: plastic was burned in tofu kilns at Tropodo (Mongabay Indonesia, 2021).","The cited sources do not give the number of people affected or any official health test result for Tropodo or Bangun.","The cited sources do not say who paid for the health costs."],"sources":[{"t":"Menguak jejak sampah Eropa ke Indonesia","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2025-03-13","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2025/03/13/menguak-jejak-sampah-eropa-ke-indonesia/","type":"press"},{"t":"Ketika telur ayam lebih beracun dibanding lokasi instalasi sampah","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2021-07-08","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2021/07/08/ketika-telur-ayam-lebih-beracun-dibanding-lokasi-instalasi-sampah/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609152349/https://mongabay.co.id/2021/07/08/ketika-telur-ayam-lebih-beracun-dibanding-lokasi-instalasi-sampah/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ecoton","role":"Recorded plastic in imported paper-waste bales (reported)"},{"id":"mongabay-indonesia","role":"Reported the trail of European waste and the findings at Tropodo (reported)"}],"mechanism":"paper-waste import contamination","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Bales of imported paper waste reaching me in East Java held 30 to 35 percent plastic and household waste against a legal limit of 2 percent, Ecoton and Mongabay Indonesia recorded.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: dioxin in eggs at Tropodo was about 70 times the BPOM standard, about 200 pg TEQ/g of fat (Mongabay Indonesia, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: plastic was burned in tofu kilns at Tropodo (Mongabay Indonesia, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of people affected or any official health test result for Tropodo or Bangun.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who paid for the health costs.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Indonesian paper mills","No source link — Who harmed: Tropodo and Bangun villagers"]},{"id":"texas-cattle-pfos-from-sewage-sludge","tier":"short","title":"Five Texas farm families sue Synagro over sewage-sludge fertilizer","dek":"Five families sued Synagro, a company that handles sewage sludge, and Johnson County declared a PFAS emergency in February 2025. At stake are farmland, water and livestock in the county.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas (Johnson County)","lat":32.38,"lon":-97.36,"role":"event"}],"lat":32.38,"lon":-97.36,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Five farm families sued Synagro in 2024, and Johnson County declared a PFAS emergency in February 2025, according to KERA and Waste Dive.","Synagro was sold to a Goldman Sachs fund in 2020 and manages more than 14 million tonnes of sludge a year, according to EQT."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Five farm families sued Synagro in 2024, and Johnson County, Texas, declared a PFAS emergency in February 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Goldman Sachs fund","what":"Owns Synagro, acquired in 2020","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Johnson County, Texas, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lawsuit in 2024; county emergency in February 2025; Synagro sale in 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sewage-based fertilizer spread on farmland, according to the KERA report headline.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sludge_managed_per_year","value":14000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"more than 14 million tonnes a year, as stated by EQT"}],"legal":[{"title":"Lawsuit by five farm families against Synagro","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Five farm families","defendant":"Synagro","filed":"2024","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Filed in 2024 against Synagro, per KERA and Waste Dive. The cited sources do not give the court, the claims or the status.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the families say sludge spread on a neighbouring field poisoned their water and livestock; Synagro denies the claims (source not checked).","Unconfirmed: Synagro marketed its Granulite product as “safe and organic”, and a calf’s liver contained 610,000 ppt PFOS (The New Lede, 2024).","Unconfirmed: EPA’s January 2025 draft risk assessment says 1 microgram per kilogram of PFOA or PFOS in sludge can exceed acceptable risk in some farm scenarios (source not checked).","The cited sources do not give the number of cattle affected or the outcome of the lawsuit."],"sources":[{"t":"North Texas farmers say sewage-based fertilizer poisoned land and livestock","p":"KERA","d":"2024-12-03","u":"https://www.keranews.org/environment-nature/2024-12-03/north-texas-farmers-say-sewage-based-fertilizer-poisoned-land-and-livestock","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260217084702/https://www.keranews.org/environment-nature/2024-12-03/north-texas-farmers-say-sewage-based-fertilizer-poisoned-land-and-livestock"},{"t":"EQT Infrastructure to sell Synagro","p":"EQT","d":"2020-09","u":"https://eqtgroup.com/news/eqt-infrastructure-to-sell-synagro-2020-09-23","type":"company"},{"t":"EPA releases draft risk assessment to advance scientific understanding of PFOA and PFOS","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2025-01-14","u":"https://epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-draft-risk-assessment-advance-scientific-understanding-pfoa-and-pfos","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"synagro","role":"Company that handles the sewage sludge; defendant in the lawsuit"},{"id":"goldman-sachs","role":"Owns Synagro through a fund"},{"id":"eqt","role":"Seller of Synagro in 2020"},{"id":"johnson-county-texas","role":"Declared the PFAS emergency in February 2025"}],"mechanism":"sewage sludge fertilizer","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Lawsuit by five farm families against Synagro: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the families say sludge spread on a neighbouring field poisoned their water and livestock; Synagro denies the claims (source not checked).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Synagro marketed its Granulite product as “safe and organic”, and a calf’s liver contained 610,000 ppt PFOS (The New Lede, 2024).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: EPA’s January 2025 draft risk assessment says 1 microgram per kilogram of PFOA or PFOS in sludge can exceed acceptable risk in some farm scenarios (source not checked).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of cattle affected or the outcome of the lawsuit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"poland-v-germany-illegal-waste-case","tier":"short","title":"Poland takes Germany to EU court over 35,000 tonnes of waste it calls illegal","dek":"Poland brought a case at the EU Court of Justice over 35,000 tonnes of German waste that it calls illegal, according to Demagog. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the waste.","country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","places":[{"country":"Poland","iso2":"PL","admin":null,"lat":52,"lon":19,"role":"event"}],"lat":52,"lon":19,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2024,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Demagog reported that Poland brought a case at the EU Court of Justice over 35,000 tonnes of illegal German waste.","Demagog reported that the Advocate General found the action admissible for only one site."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Poland brought an action at the EU Court of Justice against Germany over 35,000 tonnes of illegal German waste.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Poland and Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023-2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Legal action before the EU Court of Justice; the Advocate General found the action admissible only for one site.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"illegal_waste_tonnes","value":35000,"unit":"t","year":null,"note":"Tonnage in Poland's case against Germany"}],"legal":[{"title":"Poland v Germany (alleged illegal waste shipments)","forum":"Court of Justice of the European Union","country":"European Union","iso2":"","kind":"other","claimant":"Poland","defendant":"Germany","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Poland brought the action over 35,000 tonnes of German waste that it says was shipped illegally. The Advocate General found it admissible only for one site; the cited sources record no final judgment.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which site the Advocate General accepted, whether a final judgment has been given, or who sent or received the shipments."],"sources":[{"t":"Spór w sprawie nielegalnie zwiezionych odpadów","p":"Demagog","d":"2023-2024","u":"https://demagog.org.pl/wypowiedzi/spor-w-sprawie-nielegalnie-zwiezionych-odpadow-co-wiemy/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"poland-government","role":"claimant"},{"id":"germany-government","role":"defendant"},{"id":"court-of-justice-eu","role":"court"}],"mechanism":"illegal waste shipment lawsuit","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"35,000 tonnes of waste from Germany were brought onto my land in Poland, which took Germany to the EU Court of Justice over it, Demagog reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which site the Advocate General accepted, whether a final judgment has been given, or who sent or received the shipments.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"geraldton-food-organics-trial","tier":"short","title":"City of Greater Geraldton ends food-organics kerbside trial","dek":"The City of Greater Geraldton ended its food-organics kerbside collection trial in June 2024, reporting contamination of 18% and participation of 58%. The contamination figure bears on whether food scraps collected at the kerb can be composted cleanly.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Western Australia","lat":-28.77,"lon":114.61,"role":"event"}],"lat":-28.77,"lon":114.61,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["The City of Greater Geraldton reported that its food-organics kerbside trial ended in June 2024.","The City reported contamination of 18% and participation of 58% during the trial."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The City of Greater Geraldton ended its food-organics kerbside collection trial in June 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Geraldton, Western Australia","src":0},"when":{"t":"June 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Kerbside collection of food organics, with contamination and participation measured during the trial","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"contamination_rate","value":18,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Contamination reported for the trial"},{"key":"participation_rate","value":58,"unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Participation reported for the trial"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say why the trial ended, how large the trial area was, or what happened to the collected material."],"sources":[{"t":"FOGO trial ends","p":"City of Greater Geraldton","d":"2024-06","u":"https://cgg.wa.gov.au/news/fogo-kerbside-collection-trial-ends/14860?c=2","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"city-of-greater-geraldton","role":"reported the trial's end"}],"mechanism":"food-organics kerbside collection trial","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say why the trial ended, how large the trial area was, or what happened to the collected material.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"huntington-beach-desalination-plant-rejection","tier":"short","title":"California panel unanimously rejects Huntington Beach desalination plant","dek":"A California panel unanimously rejected a desalination plant proposed for Huntington Beach in May 2022, citing its effect on marine life. The cited sources do not describe the plant's size or expected output.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":33.66,"lon":-118,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.66,"lon":-118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2022,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Stateline reported that a California panel unanimously rejected the Huntington Beach desalination plant in May 2022.","According to Stateline, the panel cited the plant's effect on marine life."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A California panel unanimously rejected a desalination plant at Huntington Beach.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Huntington Beach, California","src":0},"when":{"t":"May 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"The panel cited the plant's effect on marine life.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Unanimous panel vote rejecting the plant","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the plant's developer, its capacity or its expected effects on marine life, and do not say whether the decision was appealed."],"sources":[{"t":"California Panel Unanimously Quashes Desalination Plant","p":"Stateline","d":"2022-05","u":"https://stateline.org/2022/05/16/california-panel-unanimously-quashes-desalination-plant/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240529022429/https://stateline.org/2022/05/16/california-panel-unanimously-quashes-desalination-plant/"}],"actors":[{"id":"california-panel","role":"rejected the plant"}],"mechanism":"desalination plant permit denial","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the plant's developer, its capacity or its expected effects on marine life, and do not say whether the decision was appealed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"hefty-energybag-programme","tier":"short","title":"Hefty EnergyBag plastic marketed as recycling was burned in cement kilns","dek":"Dow and Keep America Beautiful marketed the Hefty EnergyBag programme as recycling, Plastics Today reported. Plastic collected in Omaha was burned in a cement kiln, which puts in question whether collected plastic was recycled.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Nebraska","lat":41.26,"lon":-95.94,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Idaho","lat":43.62,"lon":-116.21,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2020,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Plastics Today reported that Dow and Keep America Beautiful marketed the Hefty EnergyBag programme as recycling.","Plastic collected in Omaha was burned in a cement kiln, and plastic from Boise was also sent to a cement kiln, according to Plastics Today."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dow and Keep America Beautiful marketed the Hefty EnergyBag programme as recycling; collected plastic was burned in cement kilns.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Omaha and Boise, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2017-2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Collected plastic was sent to cement kilns and burned","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the programme's volumes, any other participating communities, or emissions from the kilns."],"sources":[{"t":"Hefty Energy Bag program provokes backlash from environmental organizations","p":"Plastics Today","d":"","u":"https://www.plasticstoday.com/packaging/hefty-energy-bag-program-provokes-backlash-environmental-organizations","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"dow","role":"programme partner"},{"id":"keep-america-beautiful","role":"programme partner"}],"mechanism":"cement kiln plastic incineration","types":["plastics","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["keep-america-beautiful-founding-and-crying-indian-ad"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the programme's volumes, any other participating communities, or emissions from the kilns.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"danone-duty-of-vigilance-plastic-settlement","tier":"short","title":"Danone settles duty-of-vigilance lawsuit over plastic use","dek":"Danone settled a French duty-of-vigilance lawsuit brought by environmental groups over its plastic use in February 2025, committing to add plastic risk to its vigilance plan. Brand audits cited in Science Advances record Danone among the top-ranked brands in plastic waste.","country":"France","iso2":"FR","places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":46.6,"lon":2.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.6,"lon":2.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2025,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reported that Danone settled a duty-of-vigilance dispute with environmental groups over plastic in February 2025.","According to the same source, the settlement commits Danone to add plastic risk to its vigilance plan.","Cowger et al. (2024) in Science Advances, drawing on Break Free From Plastic brand audits from 2018 to 2022, recorded Danone at 3% of branded waste."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Danone settled a French duty-of-vigilance lawsuit with environmental groups over its plastic use, committing to add plastic risk to its vigilance plan.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"France","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"The dispute concerned Danone's plastic use.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Settlement of a duty-of-vigilance claim brought by environmental groups","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"branded_waste_share","value":3,"unit":"%","year":null,"note":"Danone share of branded plastic waste in brand audits, 2018-2022"},{"key":"brand_audit_events","value":1576,"unit":"audit events","year":null,"note":"Brand audit events in 84 countries, 2018-2022"}],"legal":[{"title":"Duty-of-vigilance lawsuit against Danone over plastic","forum":"None on record","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"Environmental groups (names: none on record)","defendant":"Danone","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","summary":"Environmental groups' duty-of-vigilance lawsuit against Danone over plastic use was settled, with Danone committing to add plastic risk to its vigilance plan. The cited sources do not describe a binding reduction target.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the settlement sets a binding plastic reduction target, which court heard the case, or which groups brought it."],"sources":[{"t":"France: Danone settles dispute with environmental groups over its plastic usage","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2025-02","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/it/ultime-notizie/france-danone-settles-dispute-with-environmental-groups-over-its-plastic-usage/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260103080417/https://www.business-humanrights.org/it/ultime-notizie/france-danone-settles-dispute-with-environmental-groups-over-its-plastic-usage/"},{"t":"Break Free From Plastic brand audits and Cowger et al. 2024","p":"Science Advances","d":"2024","u":"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj8275","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260817163226/https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj8275"}],"actors":[{"id":"danone","role":"defendant"},{"id":"break-free-from-plastic","role":"brand audit organisation"}],"mechanism":"duty-of-vigilance plastic settlement","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In brand audits from 2018 to 2022, 3% of the branded plastic waste found on me was Danone's, Science Advances reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the settlement sets a binding plastic reduction target, which court heard the case, or which groups brought it.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"fso-safer-tanker-salvage","tier":"short","title":"UN reaches 75% of funding goal for FSO Safer tanker salvage","dek":"Donors and crowdfunding, not the parties to the conflict, paid for the FSO Safer tanker salvage off Yemen. The cited sources do not set out what is at stake for nature.","country":"Yemen","iso2":"YE","places":[{"country":"Yemen","iso2":"YE","admin":null,"lat":15.22,"lon":42.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":15.22,"lon":42.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["Maritime Executive reported that donors and crowdfunding, not the parties to the conflict, paid for the salvage operation.","The same outlet reported that the UN had reached 75% of the operation's funding goal."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Donors and crowdfunding paid for the FSO Safer salvage operation, and the UN reached 75% of its funding goal, Maritime Executive reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Yemen","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Funded by donations and crowdfunding; the cited sources do not describe the salvage method.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"funding_goal_reached","value":75,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Share of the UN funding goal reached, per the source headline"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say what cargo the tanker held or whether it has leaked.","The cited sources do not give the total funding goal in money terms.","The cited sources do not name who gained from the salvage operation."],"sources":[{"t":"UN reaches 75% of FSO Safer funding goal","p":"Maritime Executive","d":"","u":"https://maritime-executive.com/article/un-reaches-75-of-fso-safer-funding-goal-with-first-private-donation","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724130719/https://maritime-executive.com/article/un-reaches-75-of-fso-safer-funding-goal-with-first-private-donation"}],"actors":[{"id":"united-nations","role":"Funding goal for the salvage operation"}],"mechanism":"donor-funded tanker salvage","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what cargo the tanker held or whether it has leaked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the total funding goal in money terms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name who gained from the salvage operation.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"makeshift-oil-refineries-in-northeast-syria","tier":"short","title":"Makeshift oil refineries in northeast Syria linked to poisoned streams","dek":"A CEOBS report said makeshift refineries and leaks at Rmeilan, in northeast Syria, poisoned streams and animals. The cited sources do not name the refinery operators.","country":"Syria","iso2":"SY","places":[{"country":"Syria","iso2":"SY","admin":null,"lat":36.99,"lon":41.85,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.99,"lon":41.85,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["CEOBS reported that makeshift refineries and leaks at Rmeilan poisoned streams and animals.","The CEOBS report highlighted the health and environmental impact of makeshift oil refineries in Syria."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"CEOBS reported health and environmental impacts from makeshift oil refineries in Syria, including leaks at Rmeilan that poisoned streams and animals.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Streams and animals near Rmeilan","what":"Poisoned, according to the CEOBS report","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Rmeilan, northeast Syria","src":0},"when":{"t":"2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Makeshift refining and leaks at Rmeilan, per CEOBS; the cited sources do not describe the refining process.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the refinery operators or who profited from them.","The cited sources do not give measurements of the contamination.","The cited sources do not describe the human health effects in detail."],"sources":[{"t":"Report highlights health and environmental impact of makeshift oil refineries in Syria","p":"CEOBS","d":"","u":"https://ceobs.org/report-highlights-health-and-environmental-impact-of-makeshift-oil-refineries-in-syria/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617042720/https://ceobs.org/report-highlights-health-and-environmental-impact-of-makeshift-oil-refineries-in-syria/"}],"actors":[{"id":"ceobs","role":"Published the report on the refineries"}],"mechanism":"makeshift oil refineries","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the refinery operators or who profited from them.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give measurements of the contamination.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the human health effects in detail.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"lebanon-white-phosphorus-fires","tier":"short","title":"White phosphorus fires burned farmland across southern Lebanon","dek":"Al Majalla reported that white phosphorus caused 812 fires and burned 2.4 million m2 of farmland in southern Lebanon. The cited sources do not describe soil or wildlife effects.","country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","places":[{"country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","admin":"South Lebanon","lat":33.27,"lon":35.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":33.27,"lon":35.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Al Majalla reported that white phosphorus caused 812 fires in Lebanon between 2024 and 2025.","The article reported that 2.4 million m2 of farmland burned completely."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"White phosphorus fires burned farmland in southern Lebanon, Al Majalla reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Farmland in southern Lebanon","what":"2.4 million m2 burned completely","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Southern Lebanon","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024–2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"Al Majalla places the fires within Israel's war on southern Lebanon.","src":0},"how":{"t":"White phosphorus; the cited sources do not say which party fired it.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"white_phosphorus_fires","value":812,"unit":"fires","year":null,"note":"2024–2025, as reported by Al Majalla"},{"key":"farmland_burned","value":2400000,"unit":"m2","year":null,"note":"Farmland burned completely, as reported by Al Majalla"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not establish which party fired the white phosphorus.","The cited sources do not describe health or wildlife effects.","The cited sources do not say how the land has recovered."],"sources":[{"t":"Toxic warfare: How Israel's war on southern Lebanon is poisoning the land","p":"Al Majalla","d":"","u":"https://en.majalla.com/node/319076","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"white phosphorus fires","types":["law-policy","burning","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"White phosphorus caused 812 fires between 2024 and 2025 and burned 2.4 million m2 of my farmland in southern Lebanon, Al Majalla reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:land-fires","war:special-weapons"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not establish which party fired the white phosphorus.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe health or wildlife effects.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the land has recovered.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"siachen-glacier-waste-removal","tier":"short","title":"Army removes 130 tonnes of solid waste from Siachen glacier","dek":"The Indian Army removed 130 tonnes of solid waste from the Siachen glacier in September 2019, Business Standard reported, to protect the glacier's ecosystem. The cited sources do not say how much waste remains.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":35.42,"lon":77.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.42,"lon":77.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"waste","happened":["Business Standard, citing PTI, reported that the army removed 130 tonnes of solid waste from the Siachen glacier.","The removal was reported as protecting the glacier's ecosystem."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Indian Army removed 130 tonnes of solid waste from the Siachen glacier, Business Standard reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Siachen glacier, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"September 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"Business Standard reported the removal was to protect the glacier's ecosystem.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Removed as solid waste from the glacier by the army; the cited sources do not describe the method.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"solid_waste_removed","value":130,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"note":"Removed from the glacier, per Business Standard (PTI)"},{"key":"official_waste_production","value":236,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"note":"Official figure; the source giving it is not identified"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which source gives the 236-tonne official waste production figure.","The cited sources do not say how much waste remains on the glacier.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the waste."],"sources":[{"t":"Army removes 130 tonnes of solid waste from Siachen","p":"Business Standard (PTI)","d":"2019-09","u":"https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/army-removes-130-tonnes-of-solid-waste-from-siachen-glacier-to-protect-its-eco-system-119092401214_1.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"indian-army","role":"Removed the waste from the glacier"}],"mechanism":"army glacier waste removal","types":["waste","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The Indian Army removed 130 tonnes of solid waste from my Siachen glacier in September 2019, Business Standard reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which source gives the 236-tonne official waste production figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much waste remains on the glacier.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the waste.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"us-cook-islands-seabed-minerals-deal","tier":"short","title":"US and Cook Islands deal raises concerns over seabed mining talks","dek":"A US–Cook Islands seabed minerals agreement raised concern that a superpower could sway a tiny island's seabed mining decisions. The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the seabed mining under discussion.","country":"Cook Islands","iso2":"CK","places":[{"country":"Cook Islands","iso2":"CK","admin":null,"lat":-21.24,"lon":-159.78,"role":"event"}],"lat":-21.24,"lon":-159.78,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["PINA reported concern that a US–Cook Islands seabed minerals deal and critical minerals framework could give a superpower influence over a tiny island's decisions.","According to PINA, the island had also signed a partnership with China in 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A US–Cook Islands seabed minerals deal raised concern about a superpower's influence over the island's seabed mining talks, PINA reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"United States","what":"Seabed minerals deal and critical minerals framework with the Cook Islands","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cook Islands","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A seabed minerals deal and critical minerals framework between the US and the Cook Islands, per PINA.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not set out the terms of the US–Cook Islands deal.","The cited sources do not describe the terms or scope of the 2025 China partnership.","The cited sources do not say whether any seabed mining has begun."],"sources":[{"t":"U.S.-Cook Islands deal raises concerns over seabed mining talks between a superpower and a tiny island","p":"PINA","d":"2026-03-05","u":"https://pina.com.fj/2026/03/05/u-s-cook-islands-deal-raises-concerns-over-seabed-mining-talks-between-a-superpower-and-a-tiny-island/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415062144/https://pina.com.fj/2026/03/05/u-s-cook-islands-deal-raises-concerns-over-seabed-mining-talks-between-a-superpower-and-a-tiny-island/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-government","role":"Party to the seabed minerals deal"},{"id":"cook-islands-government","role":"Party to the seabed minerals deal"}],"mechanism":"seabed minerals agreement","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not set out the terms of the US–Cook Islands deal.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the terms or scope of the 2025 China partnership.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any seabed mining has begun.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"new-caledonia-sln-nickel-state-support","tier":"short","title":"SLN nickel producer stays afloat with state support after Eramet exit","dek":"After Eramet withdrew, SLN stayed in operation with 12 billion CFP francs of state support, Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes reported. The cited sources do not set out the environmental stake.","country":"New Caledonia","iso2":"NC","places":[{"country":"New Caledonia","iso2":"NC","admin":null,"lat":-21.25,"lon":165.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-21.25,"lon":165.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes reported that SLN stayed in operation after Eramet withdrew, with 12 billion CFP francs of state support.","The same article gave 2025 output of 36,000 tonnes against capacity of about 60,000 tonnes."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SLN stayed in operation with 12 billion CFP francs of state support after Eramet withdrew, Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SLN","what":"12 billion CFP francs of state support","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New Caledonia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"The article's headline attributes SLN's continued operation to continued state support.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Direct state support, per the article; the cited sources do not describe its terms.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"state_support","value":12000000000,"unit":"CFP francs","year":2025,"note":"State support, per the article"},{"key":"output","value":36000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Annual output, per the article"},{"key":"capacity","value":60000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"Approximate capacity, per the article"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say what conditions the state support carries.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of SLN's operations.","The cited sources do not give the terms of Eramet's withdrawal."],"sources":[{"t":"SLN: si on est toujours là, c'est parce que l'État continue de nous soutenir","p":"Les Nouvelles Calédoniennes","d":"2025-07","u":"https://www.lnc.nc/article/nouvelle-caledonie/mines/sln-si-on-est-toujours-la-c-est-parce-que-l-etat-continue-de-nous-soutenir","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260629055342/https://www.lnc.nc/article/nouvelle-caledonie/mines/sln-si-on-est-toujours-la-c-est-parce-que-l-etat-continue-de-nous-soutenir"}],"actors":[{"id":"sln-nickel","role":"Operator receiving state support"},{"id":"eramet","role":"Withdrew from the operation"}],"mechanism":"state support for nickel","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what conditions the state support carries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of SLN's operations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the terms of Eramet's withdrawal.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zimbabwe-lithium-concentrate-export-ban","tier":"short","title":"Zimbabwe to ban export of lithium concentrates from 2027","dek":"Zimbabwe is to ban exports of lithium concentrates from January 2027, after an ore ban in 2022, Mining.com reported. The cited sources do not set out what is at stake for nature.","country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","places":[{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","admin":null,"lat":-19.02,"lon":29.15,"role":"event"}],"lat":-19.02,"lon":29.15,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mining.com reported that Zimbabwe will ban exports of lithium concentrates from January 2027, after an ore ban in 2022.","According to the same report, Chinese companies have invested more than $1 billion since 2021.","The report says the government had loosened its approach in 2023 when prices fell."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Zimbabwe will ban lithium concentrate exports from January 2027, Mining.com reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Zimbabwe","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported June 2025; ban effective January 2027","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Export ban on lithium concentrates, following an ore ban in 2022, per Mining.com.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"chinese_investment_since_2021","value":1000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"More than; cumulative investment since 2021, per Mining.com"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how the 2027 ban will be enforced.","The cited sources do not say who gains from the ban or from the investment.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of lithium processing in Zimbabwe."],"sources":[{"t":"Zimbabwe to ban export of lithium concentrates from 2027","p":"Mining.com","d":"2025-06-11","u":"https://www.mining.com/web/zimbabwe-to-ban-export-of-lithium-concentrates-from-2027/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260201032522/https://www.mining.com/web/zimbabwe-to-ban-export-of-lithium-concentrates-from-2027/"}],"actors":[{"id":"zimbabwe-government","role":"Imposed the export ban"}],"mechanism":"lithium export ban","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the 2027 ban will be enforced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who gains from the ban or from the investment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of lithium processing in Zimbabwe.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hintze-ribeiro-bridge-collapse-and-river-sand-dredging","tier":"short","title":"Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse linked to river sand dredging","dek":"IntechOpen identified 25 years of sand dredging and five successive floods as the main causes of the Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse in Portugal. The cited sources do not describe the wider environmental stake.","country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","places":[{"country":"Portugal","iso2":"PT","admin":null,"lat":41.07,"lon":-8.27,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.07,"lon":-8.27,"approxCoords":true,"start":1975,"end":2000,"instrument":"mining","happened":["IntechOpen identified 25 years of sand dredging, from 1975 to 2000, as a main cause of the Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse.","The same source identified five successive floods as a main cause."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Hintze Ribeiro bridge collapse is linked to 25 years of sand dredging and five successive floods, IntechOpen reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Portugal","src":0},"when":{"t":"Sand dredging 1975–2000, per IntechOpen; collapse date not stated in the cited sources","src":0},"why":{"t":"IntechOpen identified 25 years of sand dredging and five successive floods as the main causes.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Sand dredging, per IntechOpen; the cited sources do not describe how the structure failed.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sand_dredging_period","value":25,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"1975–2000, per IntechOpen"},{"key":"successive_floods","value":5,"unit":"floods","year":null,"note":"Named as a main cause, per IntechOpen"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the bridge collapsed on 4 March 2001, killing 59 people.","Unconfirmed: investigations listed upstream aggregate extraction among the causes.","Unconfirmed: a 2006 acquittal and compensation of 5.82 million euros.","The cited sources do not describe the legal outcome in verified form."],"sources":[{"t":"The Hintze Ribeiro Bridge Collapse and the Lessons Learned","p":"IntechOpen","d":"","u":"https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/75869","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260222025855/https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/75869"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"river sand dredging","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the bridge collapsed on 4 March 2001, killing 59 people.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: investigations listed upstream aggregate extraction among the causes.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2006 acquittal and compensation of 5.82 million euros.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the legal outcome in verified form.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"salim-kancil-sand-mining-murder","tier":"short","title":"Salim Kancil, who opposed sand mining in Lumajang, killed; two men get 20 years","dek":"Salim Kancil, who opposed sand mining in Lumajang, Indonesia, was killed on 26 September 2015. On 23 June 2016 the Surabaya District Court sentenced the village head, Hariyono, and Mat Dasir to 20 years each; prosecutors had sought life imprisonment, and Kancil's widow rejected the sentence as too light.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Lumajang","lat":-8.1335,"lon":113.2225,"role":"event"}],"lat":-8.1335,"lon":113.2225,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2016,"instrument":"defenders","happened":["Republika reported that Salim Kancil, who opposed sand mining in Lumajang, was killed on 26 September 2015 after villagers turned on him and fellow activist Tosan at the village hall in Selok Awar-Awar.","On 23 June 2016 the Surabaya District Court sentenced village head Hariyono and Mat Dasir to 20 years each. According to Republika, Hariyono was found guilty of the premeditated murder of Salim Kancil and Mat Dasir of violence causing serious injuries to Tosan. Republika's Indonesian edition reported that prosecutors had demanded life imprisonment; the prosecution said it was considering an appeal.","Mongabay Indonesia reported that Kancil's widow, Tijah, rejected the verdict and wanted the killers executed, and that Tosan said the trial did not reach the mining interests behind the sand mining."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A man who opposed a sand mine in Lumajang was killed; the village head and another man were each sentenced to 20 years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Sand-mining operators at the Lumajang site (names: none on record)","what":"Sand mining at the Lumajang site that the victim opposed","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The victim and his family","what":"The victim was killed on 26 September 2015","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lumajang, Indonesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Killed on 26 September 2015; sentences handed down in June 2016.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Reported as linked to the victim's opposition to sand mining.","src":0},"how":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"prison_sentence_years","value":20,"unit":"years","year":2016,"note":"each of two men: the village head and one other"}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of Hariyono and Mat Dasir over the killing of Salim Kancil","forum":"Surabaya District Court","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecution)","defendant":"Hariyono (village head of Selok Awar-Awar) and Mat Dasir (head of the village forest community institution)","filed":null,"decided":"2016-06-23","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court sentenced each man to 20 years. Hariyono was found guilty of premeditated murder; Mat Dasir was found guilty of violence causing serious injuries to Tosan, according to Republika. Prosecutors had demanded life imprisonment. The appeal outcome was not found.","src":0}],"unknown":["Three police officers were found at a police disciplinary hearing on 19 October 2015 to have accepted money from the village head; they received a written reprimand, a demotion transfer and 21 days in a special cell, and Kontras Surabaya called the penalty too light (Mongabay Indonesia, 21 October 2015).","The cited sources do not name the company or operator behind the sand mine."],"sources":[{"t":"Salim Kancil's murderers sentenced to 20 years in jail","p":"Republika","d":"2016","u":"https://en.republika.co.id/berita/o99yr1317/salim-kancils-muderers-sentenced-to-20-years-in-jail","type":"press"},{"t":"Pembunuh sadis Salim Kancil divonis 20 tahun penjara","p":"Republika","d":"2016-06-23","u":"https://news.republika.co.id/berita/o983l3377/pembunuh-sadis-salim-kancil-divonis-20-tahun-penjara","type":"press"},{"t":"20 tahun penjara untuk terdakwa pembunuh Salim Kancil, cerminkan keadilan?","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2016-06-24","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2016/06/24/20-tahun-penjara-untuk-terdakwa-pembunuh-salim-kancil-cerminkan-keadilan/","type":"press"},{"t":"Kasus Lumajang: vonis ringan oknum polisi masih belum cerminkan keadilan","p":"Mongabay Indonesia","d":"2015-10-21","u":"https://mongabay.co.id/2015/10/21/kasus-lumajang-vonis-ringan-oknum-polisi-masih-belum-cerminkan-keadilan/","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"sand mining","types":["defenders"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Three police officers were found at a police disciplinary hearing on 19 October 2015 to have accepted money from the village head; they received a written reprimand, a demotion transfer and 21 days in a special cell, and Kontras Surabaya called the penalty too light (Mongabay Indonesia, 21 October 2015).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the company or operator behind the sand mine.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"basecamp-research-benefit-sharing-deals","tier":"short","title":"Basecamp Research benefit-sharing deals with Malawi and Cameroon; amounts undisclosed","dek":"Basecamp Research agreed benefit-sharing terms with Malawi and Cameroon covering genetic data used to train AI models. The amounts paid are not on record.","country":"Malawi and Cameroon","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Malawi","iso2":"MW","admin":null,"lat":-13.2543,"lon":34.3015,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","admin":null,"lat":7.3697,"lon":12.3547,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["BiopharmaTrend reported that Basecamp Research partnered with Cameroon to share benefits from genetic data use.","BiopharmaTrend reported that the agreements with Malawi and Cameroon provide for royalties even on data used to train AI models.","The amounts involved are not on record."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Basecamp Research agreed benefit-sharing terms with Malawi and Cameroon covering genetic data.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Basecamp Research","what":"Use of genetic data from Malawi and Cameroon for AI model training under the agreements","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Malawi and Cameroon.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 to 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Benefit-sharing agreements that provide for royalties, including on data used to train AI models.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The amounts paid under the Malawi and Cameroon agreements were not disclosed.","The cited sources do not say whether any payment has been made under the agreements."],"sources":[{"t":"Basecamp Research partners with Cameroon to share benefits from genetic data use","p":"BiopharmaTrend","d":"2024","u":"https://www.biopharmatrend.com/news/basecamp-research-partners-with-cameroon-to-share-benefits-from-genetic-data-use-in-landmark-agreement-904/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260112164432/https://www.biopharmatrend.com/news/basecamp-research-partners-with-cameroon-to-share-benefits-from-genetic-data-use-in-landmark-agreement-904/"}],"actors":[{"id":"basecamp-research","role":"Company party to the benefit-sharing agreements"}],"mechanism":"benefit-sharing agreements","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"The amounts paid under the Malawi and Cameroon agreements were not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether any payment has been made under the agreements.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nestle-black-cumin-patent-application","tier":"short","title":"Nestlé black cumin patent application draws protest of over 300,000 signatures","dek":"Nestlé applied for a patent on black cumin for food allergy use, and a protest with over 300,000 signatures followed. The cited sources do not state the outcome of the application.","country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","places":[{"country":"Switzerland","iso2":"CH","admin":null,"lat":46.8182,"lon":8.2275,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.8182,"lon":8.2275,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2014,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["NutraIngredients reported in 2013 that Nestlé defended its plant patenting after a protest with over 300,000 signatures.","NutraIngredients reported that the application concerned black cumin (thymoquinone) for food allergy."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Nestlé applied for a patent on black cumin (thymoquinone) for food allergy; over 300,000 signatures were gathered in protest.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nestlé","what":"Patent application on black cumin (thymoquinone) for food allergy","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Switzerland and the Middle East.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2013 to 2014.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Patent application opposed through a signed objection of over 300,000 signatures.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"protest_signatures","value":300000,"unit":"signatures","year":2013,"note":"more than 300,000 signatures"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not state whether the patent application was granted, withdrawn or refused.","The cited sources do not record any benefit-sharing payment linked to the application."],"sources":[{"t":"Nestlé defends plant patenting as 300,000 protest","p":"NutraIngredients","d":"2013","u":"https://nutraingredients.com/Article/2013/11/15/Nestle-defends-plant-patenting-as-300-000-protest","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250708061123/https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2013/11/15/Nestle-defends-plant-patenting-as-300-000-protest/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nestle","role":"Patent applicant"}],"mechanism":"patent application","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the patent application was granted, withdrawn or refused.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not record any benefit-sharing payment linked to the application.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kakadu-plum-patent-application","tier":"short","title":"Mary Kay's Kakadu plum patent application rejected in Australia over prior use","dek":"Mary Kay sought a patent on the Kakadu plum, and the application was rejected in Australia in 2020 on evidence of prior use. The cited sources record no benefit-sharing payment linked to it.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-25.2744,"lon":133.7751,"role":"event"}],"lat":-25.2744,"lon":133.7751,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2020,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","happened":["UNSW reported that Australia rejected Mary Kay's Kakadu plum patent application in August 2020 on evidence of prior use.","The cited sources record no benefit-sharing payment linked to the application."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mary Kay's application for a patent on the Kakadu plum was rejected in Australia.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Mary Kay","what":"Sought exclusive patent rights over the Kakadu plum; the application was rejected","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Australia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"August 2020.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Rejection on evidence of prior use of the Kakadu plum.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether Mary Kay appealed the rejection."],"sources":[{"t":"Protecting Indigenous bush foods and medicines against biopiracy","p":"UNSW","d":"2020","u":"https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2020/08/protecting-indigenous-bush-foods-and-medicines-against-biopiracy","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902164607/https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2020/08/protecting-indigenous-bush-foods-and-medicines-against-biopiracy"}],"actors":[{"id":"mary-kay","role":"Patent applicant"}],"mechanism":"plant patent application","types":["benefit-sharing"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether Mary Kay appealed the rejection.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"oke-aro-pig-farm-african-swine-fever","tier":"short","title":"Nigeria's largest pig farm received no compensation after 2020 swine fever outbreak","dek":"ICIR reported that an African swine fever outbreak at the Oke-Aro farm in 2020 killed hundreds of thousands of pigs. The reporting says no compensation had arrived more than a year later.","country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":null,"lat":9.082,"lon":8.6753,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.082,"lon":8.6753,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2021,"instrument":"disease","happened":["ICIR reported that an African swine fever outbreak at the Oke-Aro farm in 2020 killed hundreds of thousands of pigs.","ICIR reported that more than a year later no compensation had arrived, while compensation was paid for bird flu but not for pigs."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An African swine fever outbreak at the Oke-Aro farm killed hundreds of thousands of pigs in 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Oke-Aro pig farm","what":"Hundreds of thousands of pigs died in the 2020 outbreak","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Oke-Aro pig farm","what":"No compensation had arrived more than a year after the outbreak","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Oke-Aro farm, Nigeria.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Outbreak in 2020; compensation status reported in 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"African swine fever outbreak; compensation was paid for bird flu but not for pigs, according to ICIR.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: between 300,000 and 600,000 pigs died, according to press summaries.","The cited sources do not say whether compensation was later paid to the farm."],"sources":[{"t":"Deaths, thorny debts: Inside Nigeria's largest pig farm","p":"ICIR","d":"2021","u":"https://www.icirnigeria.org/inside-nigerias-largest-pig-farm-where-farmers-lost-billions/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414052139/https://www.icirnigeria.org/inside-nigerias-largest-pig-farm-where-farmers-lost-billions/"}],"actors":[{"id":"oke-aro-pig-farm","role":"Pig farm hit by the outbreak"}],"mechanism":"African swine fever outbreak","types":["disease"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: between 300,000 and 600,000 pigs died, according to press summaries.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether compensation was later paid to the farm.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"quilicura-data-centres-and-wetland","tier":"short","title":"Quilicura data centres draw about 1.5 billion litres a year; wetland largely dried","dek":"Data centres in Quilicura, Chile, draw about 1.5 billion litres of water a year, TechSpot reported. The 468-hectare wetland there has largely dried, the report says.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Quilicura","lat":-33.3667,"lon":-70.7333,"role":"event"}],"lat":-33.3667,"lon":-70.7333,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"data-centre","happened":["TechSpot reported that data centres in Quilicura draw about 1.5 billion litres of water a year.","According to the report, Google holds a water withdrawal right of 50 litres per second.","The report says the 468-hectare wetland has largely dried."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Data centres in Quilicura draw about 1.5 billion litres of water a year, and a 468-hectare wetland has largely dried.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Google","what":"Holds a water withdrawal right of 50 litres per second","src":0},{"who":"Quilicura data centres","what":"Water withdrawals of about 1.5 billion litres a year","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Quilicura wetland","what":"468 hectares, largely dried","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Quilicura, Chile.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water withdrawals by data centres, including a withdrawal right held by Google.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"water_withdrawn_per_year","value":1500000000,"unit":"litres","year":2024,"note":"Quilicura data centres"},{"key":"withdrawal_right","value":50,"unit":"litres per second","year":null,"note":"Google's withdrawal right"},{"key":"wetland_area","value":468,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"wetland largely dried"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the data-centre operators drawing water in Quilicura.","The cited sources do not name the wetland."],"sources":[{"t":"Inside the data center boom that's consuming Chile's last water","p":"TechSpot","d":"2024","u":"https://www.techspot.com/news/112540-inside-data-center-boom-consuming-chile-last-water.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260813083423/https://www.techspot.com/news/112540-inside-data-center-boom-consuming-chile-last-water.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"google","role":"Holder of a water withdrawal right"}],"mechanism":"data-centre water withdrawal","types":["data-centre"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Data centres in Quilicura draw about 1.5 billion litres of water a year from me; my 468-hectare wetland there has largely dried, TechSpot reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the data-centre operators drawing water in Quilicura.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the wetland.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"uganda-lwera-wetland-sand-mining","tier":"short","title":"Uganda permits sand extraction in Lwera wetland while banning lake dredging","dek":"Uganda's NEMA banned sand dredging in Lake Victoria but allowed extraction in the Lwera wetland, AP reported. The cited sources do not describe the ecological damage to the wetland.","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":null,"lat":0.05,"lon":32.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.05,"lon":32.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["AP reported on 25 April 2023 that NEMA had banned sand dredging in Lake Victoria but permitted sand extraction in the Lwera wetland.","AP reported that Double Q, a company with Chinese capital, did not answer questions."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Uganda allowed sand extraction in the Lwera wetland while banning dredging in Lake Victoria","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Lwera wetland and Lake Victoria basin","what":"AP's headline says the basin suffers as sand miners prosper","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Lwera wetland, Lake Victoria basin, Uganda","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported on 25 April 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"State permission allowed extraction in the wetland; dredging in the lake was banned","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Companies holding the Lwera permits are not on record.","Volumes of sand extracted and the wetland's ecological damage are not on record.","Whether Double Q holds extraction rights is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"As sand miners prosper in Uganda, a vital lake basin suffers","p":"AP (ClickOrlando)","d":"2023-04-25","u":"https://www.clickorlando.com/news/world/2023/04/25/as-sand-miners-prosper-in-uganda-a-vital-lake-basin-suffers/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230501093031/https://www.clickorlando.com/news/world/2023/04/25/as-sand-miners-prosper-in-uganda-a-vital-lake-basin-suffers/"}],"actors":[{"id":"nema-uganda","role":"Regulator: banned lake dredging and permitted wetland extraction"},{"id":"double-q","role":"Named company; did not answer questions"}],"mechanism":"wetland sand extraction permit","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Companies holding the Lwera permits are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Volumes of sand extracted and the wetland's ecological damage are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Double Q holds extraction rights is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bichhri-and-bhopal-industrial-disasters","tier":"short","title":"Supreme Court dismisses Centre's bid for more Bhopal compensation from Union Carbide","dek":"The Supreme Court of India dismissed the Centre's 2023 bid for more compensation from Union Carbide. The 1989 settlement did not cover groundwater, and the state paid to burn the Bhopal waste in 2025.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":23.26,"lon":77.41,"role":"event"}],"lat":23.26,"lon":77.41,"approxCoords":true,"start":1989,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["LiveLaw reported on 14 March 2023 that the Supreme Court dismissed the Centre's curative petition seeking more compensation from Union Carbide.","Government figures cited by LiveLaw put deaths at 5,295 and injuries at 527,894 in the Bhopal gas tragedy.","The Hitavada reported in January 2025 that the government paid the Ramky Group 126 crore rupees to destroy 336 tonnes of Bhopal waste.","The Hitavada reported in July 2025 that the waste was fully incinerated and that the 1989 settlement of $470 million did not cover groundwater."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Supreme Court of India dismissed the Centre's 2023 bid for more compensation from Union Carbide for the Bhopal gas disaster","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ramky Group","what":"Received 126 crore rupees to destroy 336 tonnes of Bhopal waste (2025)","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"State budget","what":"Paid 126 crore rupees for the waste incineration","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Bhopal gas disaster victims","what":"5,295 deaths and 527,894 injuries, per government figures cited by LiveLaw","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Bhopal, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"1989 settlement; Supreme Court dismissal reported 14 March 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Waste was burned with state budget money paid to a contractor","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"settlement_usd_million","value":470,"unit":"USD million","year":1989,"note":"Union Carbide settlement, per the cited sources"},{"key":"deaths_government_figure","value":5295,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Government figure cited by LiveLaw"},{"key":"injuries_government_figure","value":527894,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Government figure cited by LiveLaw"},{"key":"incineration_payment_crore_rupees","value":126,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2025,"note":"Paid to Ramky Group for waste destruction"},{"key":"waste_tonnes","value":336,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Waste destroyed"}],"legal":[{"title":"Centre's curative petition on Bhopal compensation","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"civil","claimant":"Government of India (Centre)","defendant":"Union Carbide Corporation","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"dismissed","summary":"Curative petition seeking additional compensation dismissed; reported by LiveLaw on 14 March 2023.","src":0},{"title":"Bichhri case","forum":"None on record","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":1996,"status":"unknown","summary":"Plants were closed in 1996. The defendants are reported to have prolonged the case by 15 years.","src":3}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a sabotage explanation for the Bhopal disaster.","Unconfirmed: a 1996 decision downgrading the charge to negligence.","Reported without a link: compensation was calculated on 3,000 deaths, and later estimates exceed 23,000.","The share of the 126 crore rupees that reached Re Sustainability is not known, and no Dow contribution is documented.","No public insurer dispute was found for the Bhopal settlement.","Reported without a link: KKR's ownership of Re Sustainability/Ramky."],"sources":[{"t":"Bhopal gas tragedy: Supreme Court dismisses Centre's curative petition seeking additional compensation from UCC","p":"LiveLaw","d":"2023-03-14","u":"https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/bhopal-gas-tragedy-supreme-court-dismisses-centres-curative-petition-seeking-additional-compensation-from-ucc-223669","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230314224625/https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/bhopal-gas-tragedy-supreme-court-dismisses-centres-curative-petition-seeking-additional-compensation-from-ucc-223669"},{"t":"Finally, toxic waste from Bhopal plant completely incinerated","p":"The Hitavada","d":"2025-07-01","u":"https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/7/1/Finally_-toxic-waste-from-Bhopal-plant-completely-incinerated.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Why Govt paid Rs 126 crore to Ramky Group for destroying 336 tones of toxic waste","p":"The Hitavada","d":"2025-01-04","u":"https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/1/4/-Why-Govt-paid-Rs-126-crore-to-Ramky-Group-for-destroying-336-tones-of-toxic-waste-.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720155010/https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/1/4/-Why-Govt-paid-Rs-126-crore-to-Ramky-Group-for-destroying-336-tones-of-toxic-waste-.html"},{"t":"Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action v. Union of India, IA Nos. 36 and 44 in Writ Petition (C) No. 967 of 1989, judgment of 18 July 2011 (Bichhri)","p":"Supreme Court of India (copy hosted by Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, elaw.org)","d":"2011-07-18","u":"https://elaw.org/system/files/BichhriJudgment2011.pdf","type":"court"}],"actors":[{"id":"union-carbide","role":"Company whose 1989 settlement is the subject; defendant in the curative petition"},{"id":"ramky-group","role":"Contractor paid to destroy the waste"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Paid the incineration cost; petitioner for more compensation"}],"mechanism":"settlement and state-funded incineration","types":["waste"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The 1989 settlement of $470 million did not cover my groundwater at Bhopal; in 2025 the 336 tonnes of waste there were incinerated, The Hitavada reported.","src":[1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Bichhri case: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a sabotage explanation for the Bhopal disaster.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1996 decision downgrading the charge to negligence.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a link: compensation was calculated on 3,000 deaths, and later estimates exceed 23,000.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The share of the 126 crore rupees that reached Re Sustainability is not known, and no Dow contribution is documented.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No public insurer dispute was found for the Bhopal settlement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a link: KKR's ownership of Re Sustainability/Ramky.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"karkey-powership-contract-arbitration","tier":"short","title":"Pakistan ordered to pay Karkey about $800 million over seized powerships","dek":"Pakistan's Supreme Court found Karkey's powership contract irregular and annulled it, and an ICSID tribunal then awarded the company compensation. The cited sources do not describe the plants' environmental impact.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":null,"lat":24.86,"lon":67.01,"role":"event"},{"country":"Lebanon","iso2":"LB","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"related"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"related"}],"lat":24.86,"lon":67.01,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2021,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["Pakistan's Supreme Court found Karkey's contract irregular and annulled it.","An ICSID tribunal awarded Karkey compensation for the seizure of its power vessels and dismissed Pakistan's counterclaim, IISD reported in October 2018.","The award is put at about $800 million, against a contract value of $565 million.","Allegations of a commission letter in Lebanon and a changed tender in South Africa remain under investigation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An ICSID tribunal awarded Karkey about $800 million over the seizure of its powerships","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Karkey (Karadeniz Holding)","what":"Award of about $800 million against Pakistan","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Pakistani taxpayers","what":"Bear the award, per the cited sources","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pakistan; related contracts in Lebanon and South Africa","src":0},"when":{"t":"Contracts 2012-2021; award reported October 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Contract annulled by Pakistan's Supreme Court; vessels seized; investment arbitration followed","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"icsid_award_usd_million","value":800,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Approximate award"},{"key":"contract_value_usd_million","value":565,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Contract value"}],"legal":[{"title":"Karkey v Pakistan (ICSID award)","forum":"ICSID arbitral tribunal","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"Karkey (Karadeniz Holding)","defendant":"Government of Pakistan","filed":null,"decided":2018,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The tribunal awarded compensation for the seizure of the vessels and dismissed Pakistan's counterclaim.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a commission letter in Lebanon, and that prosecutors seized the vessels there.","Unconfirmed: a South African tender whose rules were changed in the company's favour (amaBhungane investigation).","The outcome of the ICSID award after 2019 (payment, settlement or annulment bid) is not on record.","The environmental impact of the powerships is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"ICSID tribunal awards compensation for the seizure of power generation vessels, dismisses Pakistan's counterclaim","p":"IISD","d":"2018-10-17","u":"https://www.iisd.org/itn/2018/10/17/icsid-tribunal-awards-compensation-for-the-seizure-of-power-generation-vessels-dismisses-pakistans-counterclaim-amr-arafa-hasaan/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511092050/https://www.iisd.org/itn/2018/10/17/icsid-tribunal-awards-compensation-for-the-seizure-of-power-generation-vessels-dismisses-pakistans-counterclaim-amr-arafa-hasaan/"}],"actors":[{"id":"karkey","role":"Contractor; claimant in the arbitration"},{"id":"karadeniz-holding","role":"Owner of the powerships through Karkey"},{"id":"pakistan-government","role":"Respondent in the arbitration"}],"mechanism":"powership contract arbitration","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a commission letter in Lebanon, and that prosecutors seized the vessels there.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a South African tender whose rules were changed in the company's favour (amaBhungane investigation).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the ICSID award after 2019 (payment, settlement or annulment bid) is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The environmental impact of the powerships is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Pakistani taxpayers"]},{"id":"iffco-nano-urea-and-fertilizer-subsidy","tier":"short","title":"IFFCO sells nano urea under a fertiliser subsidy; a Punjab trial reported lower yields","dek":"India's fertiliser subsidy costs about 1.88 lakh crore rupees a year, 75 percent of it for urea. The cooperative IFFCO markets nano urea as an alternative, and a two-year independent trial at Punjab Agricultural University reported lower wheat and rice yields.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":20.5937,"lon":78.9629,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.5937,"lon":78.9629,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["IFFCO, a cooperative whose chairman Dileep Sanghani is a former Gujarat agriculture minister, markets nano urea; the company says a 500 ml bottle replaces a 45 kg sack of urea.","A two-year independent trial at Punjab Agricultural University found wheat yields down 21.6 percent and rice yields down 13 percent under nano urea, with grain protein also lower and nitrogen costs about ten times higher (Down To Earth).","The fertiliser subsidy is about 1.88 lakh crore rupees a year, about 75 percent of it going to urea (Down To Earth)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"IFFCO markets nano urea as a substitute for bulk urea, which the state subsidises; a Punjab Agricultural University trial reported lower yields","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"IFFCO","what":"markets nano urea; the sources give a sales figure of 5.44 crore bottles","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Indian taxpayers and farmers","what":"fund a subsidy of about 1.88 lakh crore rupees a year, about 75 percent of it for urea","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Wheat and rice growers, per the Punjab trial","what":"wheat yield down 21.6 percent and rice yield down 13 percent under nano urea; grain protein lower","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"India, with the subsidy nationwide and the trial in Punjab","src":0},"when":{"t":"Nano urea marketed from 2021; trial over two years","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A state subsidy on urea, alongside IFFCO's sale of nano urea as a replacement product","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fertiliser_subsidy_lakh_crore_per_year","value":1.88,"unit":"lakh crore rupees per year","year":null,"note":"about 75 percent for urea"},{"key":"wheat_yield_change_percent","value":-21.6,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"two-year Punjab Agricultural University trial under nano urea"},{"key":"rice_yield_change_percent","value":-13,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"same trial"},{"key":"nitrogen_unit_cost_multiple","value":10,"unit":"times","year":null,"note":"approximate, per the same trial"},{"key":"nano_urea_bottles_sold_crore","value":5.44,"unit":"crore bottles","year":null,"note":"sales figure as stated; no link given"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the claim that a 500 ml bottle replaces a 45 kg sack is the company's and the government's; the trial result is presented as contradicting it.","The source of the 5.44 crore bottle sales figure is not given.","The cited sources do not say whether the subsidy rose or fell after 2021.","The cited sources give no link for the prime minister's opening of the nano urea plant, and cite no second independent trial."],"sources":[{"t":"Dip in yield, low protein content: PAU field experiment finds several problems with nano urea","p":"Down To Earth","d":"","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/dip-in-yield-low-protein-content-pau-field-experiment-finds-several-problems-with-nano-urea-93668","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240420200205/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/dip-in-yield-low-protein-content-pau-field-experiment-finds-several-problems-with-nano-urea-93668"}],"actors":[{"id":"iffco","role":"nano urea seller; cooperative"},{"id":"dileep-sanghani","role":"IFFCO chairman; former Gujarat agriculture minister"},{"id":"punjab-agricultural-university","role":"ran the two-year trial"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"fertiliser subsidy payer"}],"mechanism":"subsidised nano fertiliser","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the claim that a 500 ml bottle replaces a 45 kg sack is the company's and the government's; the trial result is presented as contradicting it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source of the 5.44 crore bottle sales figure is not given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the subsidy rose or fell after 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no link for the prime minister's opening of the nano urea plant, and cite no second independent trial.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: IFFCO"]},{"id":"corteva-syngenta-bayer-biologicals-and-carbon-programmes-acq","tier":"short","title":"The four biggest agrochemical firms each bought a biologicals company, 2012 to 2026","dek":"Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva and BASF each acquired a biological-input company between 2012 and 2026. The cited sources tie the same firms to carbon-payment and digital farming programmes, but do not say what those programmes do to soil or emissions.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":"","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2026,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Bayer bought AgraQuest in 2012 for 425 million dollars, according to CHEManager.","Syngenta Group acquired the biologicals company Valagro in 2020, according to its own newsroom.","Corteva bought Stoller and Symborg in 2023, with the sources giving 1.59 billion dollars for the two deals, and BASF bought AgBiTech in 2026 (CHEManager).","Bayer's carbon programme pays up to 16 dollars an acre with a nitrogen add-on, and Bayer measures and verifies the credits, according to Bayer's February 2024 description."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bayer, Syngenta, Corteva and BASF each bought a biologicals firm between 2012 and 2026, according to CHEManager and company statements","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bayer, Syngenta Group, Corteva and BASF","what":"bought biologicals firms: AgraQuest, Valagro, Stoller and Symborg, and AgBiTech","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global agrochemical markets","src":0},"when":{"t":"2012 to 2026, per the acquisitions listed","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Acquisitions of biological-input companies, alongside carbon-payment and digital farming programmes","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"bayer_carbon_max_usd_per_acre","value":16,"unit":"USD per acre","year":2024,"note":"with nitrogen add-on; up to 12 with cover crop and tillage"},{"key":"agraquest_price_usd_million","value":425,"unit":"USD million","year":2012,"note":"Bayer's purchase of AgraQuest"},{"key":"stoller_symborg_usd_billion","value":1.59,"unit":"USD billion","year":2023,"note":"as stated for Corteva's purchases of Stoller and Symborg"},{"key":"fieldview_acres_million","value":250000000,"unit":"acres","year":null,"note":"FieldView coverage in 23 countries, as stated in the sources"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["One passage gives 1.2 billion dollars for Corteva's Stoller purchase alone; the cited sources do not reconcile this with the 1.59 billion dollar figure.","Reported without a link: Yara acquired Agribios and Ecolan; UPL set up a biologicals unit; Corteva's mancozeb business passed to UPL.","Reported without a link: Cargill's RegenConnect programme targets 10 million acres by 2030, and a Nutrien programme reported about 1,500 tonnes of CO2e reductions across 146 farmers.","The cited sources do not state whether the carbon payments reduced emissions, or the purchase price of Valagro."],"sources":[{"t":"Agrochemical firms' acquisitions of biologicals companies (CHEManager)","p":"CHEManager","d":"","u":"https://chemanager-online.com/en/node/393087","type":"press","dead":true},{"t":"Syngenta Group acquires leading biologicals company Valagro","p":"Syngenta Group","d":"2020","u":"https://www.syngentagroup.com/newsroom/2020/syngenta-group-acquires-leading-biologicals-company-valagro","type":"company","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260612201737/https://www.syngentagroup.com/newsroom/2020/syngenta-group-acquires-leading-biologicals-company-valagro"}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"bought AgraQuest; carbon programme operator"},{"id":"syngenta-group","role":"bought Valagro"},{"id":"corteva","role":"bought Stoller and Symborg"},{"id":"basf","role":"bought AgBiTech"}],"mechanism":"biologicals acquisitions","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"One passage gives 1.2 billion dollars for Corteva's Stoller purchase alone; the cited sources do not reconcile this with the 1.59 billion dollar figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a link: Yara acquired Agribios and Ecolan; UPL set up a biologicals unit; Corteva's mancozeb business passed to UPL.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a link: Cargill's RegenConnect programme targets 10 million acres by 2030, and a Nutrien programme reported about 1,500 tonnes of CO2e reductions across 146 farmers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the carbon payments reduced emissions, or the purchase price of Valagro.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"formosa-ha-tinh-marine-pollution","tier":"short","title":"Vietnam named a Taiwan company as the source of 2016 pollution months later","dek":"Vietnam said in June 2016 that pollution from a Taiwan company had affected 200,000 people. A 2017 report put the number above 260,000 and said the state advanced compensation before the company committed 500 million dollars.","country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","places":[{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":"Ha Tinh","lat":18.3428,"lon":105.9057,"role":"event"}],"lat":18.3428,"lon":105.9057,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2017,"instrument":"water","happened":["In June 2016 AP reported that Vietnam said pollution from a Taiwan company had affected 200,000 people, and that the cause had been announced months after the pollution.","A 2017 Viet Nam News report said more than 260,000 people were affected and that nearly all victims had been paid.","According to the same report, the state advanced compensation before the company's commitment of 500 million dollars."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Vietnam said in 2016 that pollution from a Taiwan company had affected 200,000 people; the cause had been announced months after the pollution","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Vietnamese state","what":"advanced compensation to victims before the company's 500 million dollar commitment","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents affected by the pollution","what":"more than 260,000 people were affected, according to the 2017 report","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Ha Tinh province, Vietnam","src":0},"when":{"t":"June 2016 AP report; 2017 compensation report","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pollution attributed to an industrial complex; the state paid victims in advance of the company's commitment","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":260000,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"more than 260,000 affected, per the 2017 report"},{"key":"ap_headline_people_affected","value":200000,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"figure in the 2016 AP report"},{"key":"formosa_commitment_usd_million","value":500,"unit":"USD million","year":2017,"note":"compensation commitment"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the company moved to a wet-quenching process without telling authorities, to cut costs; the minister called it the most serious of 53 violations; and the plant had a clean environmental record three months before the 2016 fish deaths.","The 200,000 figure in the 2016 report and the more-than-260,000 figure in the 2017 report are not reconciled in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not state the company's financial gain from the process change.","Whether any company manager faced charges, and the sea area affected, are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Vietnam says pollution from Taiwan company affected 200,000","p":"AP (via Inquirer)","d":"2016-06","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/800737/vietnam-says-pollution-from-taiwan-company-affected-200000/amp","type":"press"},{"t":"Nearly all Formosa victims paid","p":"Viet Nam News","d":"2017","u":"https://vietnamnews.vn/environment/disasters/379858/nearly-all-formosa-victims-paid.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712081533/https://vietnamnews.vn/environment/disasters/379858/nearly-all-formosa-victims-paid.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"formosa-plastics","role":"Taiwan-based company named as the source; 500 million dollar commitment"},{"id":"vietnam-government","role":"advanced victim compensation"}],"mechanism":"industrial marine pollution","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Pollution reached my sea off Vietnam in 2016; Vietnam said it affected 200,000 people, and a 2017 report put the number above 260,000.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company moved to a wet-quenching process without telling authorities, to cut costs; the minister called it the most serious of 53 violations; and the plant had a clean environmental record three months before the 2016 fish deaths.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 200,000 figure in the 2016 report and the more-than-260,000 figure in the 2017 report are not reconciled in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the company's financial gain from the process change.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any company manager faced charges, and the sea area affected, are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"bengaluru-water-crisis-tanker-price-spike","tier":"short","title":"Bengaluru tanker prices jumped in a month; government capped them","dek":"In March 2024 the price of a water tanker in Bengaluru rose from 450–600 rupees to 1,200–2,000 rupees within a month, and the government capped tanker prices, Deccan Herald reported. The cited sources do not say how the shortage affected the city's lakes or groundwater.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Karnataka","lat":12.9716,"lon":77.5946,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.9716,"lon":77.5946,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2024,"instrument":"oil-spill","happened":["Deccan Herald reported that tanker prices in Bengaluru rose from 450–600 rupees to 1,200–2,000 rupees within a month.","The Karnataka government then set a ceiling on water tanker prices in the city, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Water tanker prices in Bengaluru rose within a month during a water crisis, and the state government capped them","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tanker sellers","what":"tanker prices rose to 1,200–2,000 rupees from 450–600 rupees within a month","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Bengaluru residents who buy tanker water","what":"paid the higher prices until the government set a cap","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bengaluru, Karnataka, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"March 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A shortage of municipal water, with tanker prices set by sellers until the state set a ceiling","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tanker_price_before_low_rupees","value":450,"unit":"rupees","year":2024,"note":"low end of the 450–600 range before the spike"},{"key":"tanker_price_before_high_rupees","value":600,"unit":"rupees","year":2024,"note":"high end of the 450–600 range before the spike"},{"key":"tanker_price_after_low_rupees","value":1200,"unit":"rupees","year":2024,"note":"low end of the 1,200–2,000 range after the spike"},{"key":"tanker_price_after_high_rupees","value":2000,"unit":"rupees","year":2024,"note":"high end of the 1,200–2,000 range after the spike"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the tanker companies, the level of the cap, or whether the cap was enforced.","The cited sources give no tanker volumes and no count of households affected.","Effects on the city's lakes, groundwater or other nature are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Bengaluru water crisis: government caps water tanker prices","p":"Deccan Herald","d":"2024-03","u":"https://deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/bengaluru-water-crisis-government-caps-water-tanker-prices-in-the-city-2926362","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607085331/https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/bengaluru-water-crisis-government-caps-water-tanker-prices-in-the-city-2926362"}],"actors":[{"id":"karnataka-government","role":"set the tanker price cap"}],"mechanism":"water tanker price cap","types":["oil-spill"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the tanker companies, the level of the cap, or whether the cap was enforced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no tanker volumes and no count of households affected.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effects on the city's lakes, groundwater or other nature are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"doe-run-herculaneum-smelter-violations","tier":"short","title":"Doe Run agreed to spend 65 million dollars to fix Herculaneum air and water violations","dek":"The US Justice Department said in 2010 that Doe Run, owned by Renco, agreed to spend 65 million dollars to correct air and water violations at its Herculaneum lead smelter in Missouri. The cited sources do not describe the effects on the surrounding environment or residents.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Missouri","lat":38.2453,"lon":-90.3785,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.2453,"lon":-90.3785,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2010,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The US Department of Justice reported in 2010 that Doe Run, owned by Renco, agreed to spend 65 million dollars to correct air and water violations at its Herculaneum smelter."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Doe Run agreed to spend 65 million dollars correcting air and water violations at its Herculaneum smelter, per the US Justice Department","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Herculaneum, Missouri, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2010 agreement","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An agreement to spend on corrective work for violations of air and water rules; the legal mechanism is not stated","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"corrective_spend_usd_million","value":65,"unit":"USD million","year":2010,"note":"agreed by Doe Run to correct air and water violations"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe health or ecological effects in Herculaneum.","No personal penalty for Doe Run or Renco managers is on record.","The cited sources do not state the emission levels that the violations involved."],"sources":[{"t":"North America's largest lead producer to spend 65 million to correct environmental violations","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2010","u":"https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-america-s-largest-lead-producer-spend-65-million-correct-environmental-violations","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250202162712/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-america-s-largest-lead-producer-spend-65-million-correct-environmental-violations"}],"actors":[{"id":"doe-run","role":"operator of the Herculaneum smelter"},{"id":"renco-group","role":"owner of Doe Run"}],"mechanism":"smelter pollution settlement","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2010 Doe Run agreed to spend $65 million to correct air and water violations at its Herculaneum lead smelter on me, the US Justice Department said.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe health or ecological effects in Herculaneum.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No personal penalty for Doe Run or Renco managers is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the emission levels that the violations involved.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"new-york-and-vermont-climate-superfund-laws","tier":"short","title":"Federal court rules New York climate superfund law preempted","dek":"A federal court held New York's Climate Superfund law preempted by federal law. Vermont is defending its own Climate Superfund law against a lawsuit from the Trump administration.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","lat":42.9,"lon":-75.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Vermont","lat":44,"lon":-72.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":42.9,"lon":-75.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2026,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["A federal court held New York's Climate Superfund law preempted by the federal Clean Air Act, according to a Jones Day analysis published in September 2026.","Vermont Public reported on 31 March 2026 that Vermont is defending its Climate Superfund law against a lawsuit brought by the Trump administration."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A federal court held New York's Climate Superfund law preempted by the federal Clean Air Act","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"New York State and Vermont, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling reported September 2026; Vermont lawsuit reported March 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"State climate superfund laws, challenged in federal court","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to New York Climate Superfund law","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"A federal court held the New York law preempted by the federal Clean Air Act. The Jones Day analysis was published in September 2026.","src":0},{"title":"Lawsuit against Vermont Climate Superfund law","forum":"None on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Trump administration","defendant":"State of Vermont","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Vermont is defending its law against the lawsuit, which was reported as ongoing in March 2026.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the US Justice Department sued New York and Vermont over these laws in April–May 2025.","Unconfirmed: the New York law is reported at 75 billion dollars.","Who would pay under the laws, and how much, is not on record.","The cited sources do not state whether the federal ruling affects Vermont's law."],"sources":[{"t":"Jones Day: NY Climate Superfund preempted","p":"Jones Day","d":"2026-09","u":"https://www.jonesday.com/de/insights/2026/09/federal-court-holds-new-yorks-climate-superfund-law-preempted-by-caa","type":"company"},{"t":"Vermont defends Climate Superfund","p":"Vermont Public","d":"2026-03-31","u":"https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2026-03-31/vermont-defends-its-landmark-climate-superfund-law-against-trump-administration-lawsuit","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261002235607/https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2026-03-31/vermont-defends-its-landmark-climate-superfund-law-against-trump-administration-lawsuit"}],"actors":[{"id":"new-york-state","role":"Law held preempted by a federal court (per Jones Day)"},{"id":"state-of-vermont","role":"Defending its Climate Superfund law"},{"id":"trump-administration","role":"Plaintiff in the lawsuit against Vermont's law"}],"mechanism":"state climate superfund law","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Challenge to New York Climate Superfund law: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US Justice Department sued New York and Vermont over these laws in April–May 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the New York law is reported at 75 billion dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who would pay under the laws, and how much, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the federal ruling affects Vermont's law.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"peabody-bankruptcy-and-climate-denial-network-funding","tier":"short","title":"Coal bankruptcies bring Peabody's self-bonds into view","dek":"Coal company bankruptcies in 2015 and 2016 made self-bonds visible; these are the company guarantees that secured mine cleanup. Peabody held 1.1652 billion dollars of them nationally and is also listed among ALEC supporters.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Wyoming","lat":43,"lon":-107.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":43,"lon":-107.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2016,"instrument":"liability-shift","happened":["Coal company bankruptcies in 2015 and 2016 brought self-bonds into public view. In figures dated 13 September 2016 for Wyoming and the United States, Arch Coal held 486.5 million dollars of self-bonds in Wyoming and Peabody held 1.1652 billion dollars nationally, about one-third of the national total, according to the Western Organization of Resource Councils.","KOWB reported that Wyoming reached a deal with Arch Coal covering one-sixth of the bonding sum.","Peabody is listed among supporters of the American Legislative Exchange Council, alongside Chevron, Marathon and Koch Industries, according to Common Cause."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coal bankruptcies exposed self-bonds that secured mine cleanup; Peabody held 1.1652 billion dollars nationally","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Peabody Energy","what":"Held self-bonds for mine cleanup","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Wyoming and the United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2015–2016; figures dated 13 September 2016","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Self-bonds used to secure mine cleanup; bankruptcies made them visible","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"peabody_self_bonds_us_bn","value":1.1652,"unit":"USD billion","year":2016,"note":"Nationwide; about one-third of the national total"},{"key":"arch_self_bonds_wyoming_m","value":486.5,"unit":"USD million","year":2016,"note":"Wyoming"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Peabody's 2007 split of Patriot Coal, Patriot's 2012 bankruptcy and Peabody's 2013 settlement of 310 million dollars for retiree health funds.","Unconfirmed: Wyoming accepted 75 million dollars instead of Arch Coal's 486 million dollar obligation during its bankruptcy.","Unconfirmed: bankruptcy documents were said to show Peabody funding at least two dozen climate-denial groups; no link is given.","Who paid the cleanup costs behind the self-bonds is not on record.","The size of Peabody's support for ALEC is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Arch Coal replaces self-bonds","p":"Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC)","d":"2016","u":"https://worc.org/arch-coal-replaces-self-bonds/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260902231442/https://worc.org/arch-coal-replaces-self-bonds/"},{"t":"Wyoming cuts deal with Arch Coal for one-sixth of the bonding sum","p":"KOWB","d":"2016","u":"https://kowb1290.com/wyoming-cuts-deal-with-arch-coal-for-one-sixth-of-the-bonding-sum/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218064334/https://kowb1290.com/wyoming-cuts-deal-with-arch-coal-for-one-sixth-of-the-bonding-sum/"},{"t":"Who still funds ALEC","p":"Common Cause","d":"2020","u":"https://www.commoncause.org/articles/who-still-funds-alec/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260207010746/https://www.commoncause.org/articles/who-still-funds-alec/"}],"actors":[{"id":"peabody-energy","role":"Coal company; 1.1652 billion dollars of self-bonds nationally (2016); listed as an ALEC supporter"},{"id":"arch-coal","role":"Held 486.5 million dollars of self-bonds in Wyoming (2016)"},{"id":"alec","role":"Policy network; Peabody is listed among its supporters"}],"mechanism":"self-bonding for mine cleanup","types":["liability-shift"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Cleanup of mines dug in me was secured by company self-bonds; on 13 September 2016 Peabody held 1.1652 billion dollars of them nationally, the Western Organization of Resource Councils reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Peabody's 2007 split of Patriot Coal, Patriot's 2012 bankruptcy and Peabody's 2013 settlement of 310 million dollars for retiree health funds.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Wyoming accepted 75 million dollars instead of Arch Coal's 486 million dollar obligation during its bankruptcy.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: bankruptcy documents were said to show Peabody funding at least two dozen climate-denial groups; no link is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who paid the cleanup costs behind the self-bonds is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The size of Peabody's support for ALEC is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"valencia-dana-floods-dam-conspiracy-claim","tier":"short","title":"Spain's flood insurance pool paid over 4 billion euros for DANA","dek":"Spain's state-backed insurance pool had paid more than 4 billion euros for claims from the 2024 DANA floods in Valencia, according to the government. A claim that dam demolitions or cloud seeding caused the floods was found unsupported by the fact-checker Maldita.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Valencian Community","lat":39.47,"lon":-0.38,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.47,"lon":-0.38,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["The Spanish government said on 26 November 2025 that the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros had paid more than 4 billion euros in DANA compensation; it had processed 98.3% of 250,946 applications, and 210,106 were paid.","Ivie, the Valencian Institute of Economic Studies, estimated that the DANA destroyed at least 20% of 85.9 billion euros of assets in 89 municipalities, a loss above 17 billion euros, as eldiario.es reported in January 2025.","Maldita found that the dams the claim cited were small, non-working weirs removed between 2006 and 2021 under different governments, and that cloud seeding cannot produce a DANA.","A World Weather Attribution analysis of 4 November 2024, based on observations and described by its authors as not a formal attribution study, found that one-day downpours like this one are about 12% more intense and about twice as likely in today's climate, which is 1.3°C warmer."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Spain's public compensation pool paid more than 4 billion euros for DANA flood claims","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"89 municipalities in the Valencian Community","what":"Assets worth 85.9 billion euros, at least 20% destroyed (Ivie estimate)","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Valencian Community, Spain (89 municipalities in the Ivie estimate)","src":1},"when":{"t":"2024; payment figures as of 26 November 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Public pool funded by a compulsory insurance premium surcharge pays claims","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"dana_applications","value":250946,"unit":"applications","year":2025,"note":"98.3% processed"},{"key":"dana_claims_paid","value":210106,"unit":"claims","year":2025,"note":"Paid by the consortium"},{"key":"dana_compensation_paid_eur_bn","value":4,"unit":"EUR billion","year":2025,"note":"More than 4 billion euros paid"},{"key":"dana_loss_estimate_eur_bn","value":17,"unit":"EUR billion","year":2025,"note":"Ivie estimate; more than 17 billion euros"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The fact-check articles on the dam and cloud-seeding claims are not linked in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not say who spread the dam and cloud-seeding claims.","Final payouts and the total cost of the DANA are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"El Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros supera los 4.000 millones en pagos por indemnizaciones a afectados por la DANA","p":"La Moncloa (Spanish government)","d":"2025-11-26","u":"https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/economia-comercio-empresa/Paginas/2025/261125-indemnizacion-dana.aspx","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251229001218/https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/serviciosdeprensa/notasprensa/economia-comercio-empresa/Paginas/2025/261125-indemnizacion-dana.aspx"},{"t":"El Instituto Valenciano de Estudios Económicos cifra en 17.000 millones de euros los daños causados por la dana","p":"eldiario.es","d":"2025-01","u":"https://www.eldiario.es/comunitat-valenciana/instituto-valenciano-estudios-economicos-cifra-17-000-millones-euros-danos-causados-dana_1_11972737.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250724164636/https://www.eldiario.es/comunitat-valenciana/instituto-valenciano-estudios-economicos-cifra-17-000-millones-euros-danos-causados-dana_1_11972737.html"},{"t":"Extreme downpours increasing in southeastern Spain as fossil fuel emissions heat the climate","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2024-11-04","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/extreme-downpours-increasing-in-southern-spain-as-fossil-fuel-emissions-heat-the-climate/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"consorcio-de-compensacion-de-seguros","role":"Public pool that paid DANA claims"},{"id":"ivie","role":"Estimated DANA losses in the Valencian Community"},{"id":"maldita","role":"Fact-checker that found the dam claim unsupported"}],"mechanism":"public flood insurance pool","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The fact-check articles on the dam and cloud-seeding claims are not linked in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who spread the dam and cloud-seeding claims.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Final payouts and the total cost of the DANA are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"glencore-bribery-and-market-manipulation-pleas","tier":"short","title":"Glencore settles bribery and market manipulation charges in US, UK, Brazil","dek":"Glencore pleaded guilty to bribery and market manipulation charges in the US in May 2022 and resolved related bribery cases in the UK and Brazil, with penalties of up to 1.1 billion dollars; its UK unit was ordered to pay £280 million. Six former employees, who have pleaded not guilty, face a UK trial set for October 2027.","country":"Multiple countries","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","admin":null,"lat":9.06,"lon":7.49,"role":"event"},{"country":"Cameroon","iso2":"CM","admin":null,"lat":3.85,"lon":11.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ivory Coast","iso2":"CI","admin":null,"lat":5.35,"lon":-4,"role":"event"},{"country":"Equatorial Guinea","iso2":"GQ","admin":null,"lat":3.75,"lon":8.78,"role":"event"},{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":-4.32,"lon":15.31,"role":"event"},{"country":"Venezuela","iso2":"VE","admin":null,"lat":10.48,"lon":-66.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-15.79,"lon":-47.88,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":null,"lat":51.5,"lon":-0.13,"role":"court"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":false,"start":2007,"end":2022,"instrument":"finance","happened":["On 24 May 2022 Glencore pleaded guilty in the United States to bribery and market manipulation charges, in a resolution that also covered similar cases in the United Kingdom and Brazil, with penalties of up to 1.1 billion dollars, OCCRP reported. In the UK, Glencore Energy (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court on 21 June 2022 to seven counts under the Bribery Act 2010 and was ordered on 3 November 2022 to pay £280 million, according to the Serious Fraud Office.","The bribes were recorded in seven countries: Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Venezuela and Brazil.","Glencore's 2022 net profit was 17.3 billion dollars, up 248%, with 7.1 billion dollars paid to shareholders, Kitco reported.","The UK Serious Fraud Office has charged six former employees, Alex Beard, Andrew Gibson, Paul Hopkirk, Ramon Labiaga, Martin Wakefield and David Perez, with conspiring to make corrupt payments in Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast between 2007 and 2014; Gibson, Wakefield and Perez are also charged with falsifying documents for an accounting purpose. Hopkirk, Labiaga, Wakefield and Perez pleaded not guilty on 10 November 2025, and Beard and Gibson on 10 September 2026, Reuters reported. The trial is set to begin on 4 October 2027 at Southwark Crown Court."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Glencore pleaded guilty to bribery and market manipulation charges in the US and resolved related bribery cases in the UK and Brazil","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Glencore","what":"Net profit of 17.3 billion dollars in 2022, with 7.1 billion dollars paid to shareholders","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Seven countries including Nigeria, Cameroon and Brazil; charges in the US, UK and Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"UK charges against former employees cover 2007–2014; US plea May 2022; UK company plea June 2022 and sentence November 2022; former employees' trial set for October 2027","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Bribery payments in seven countries and market manipulation, per the admitted charges","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalties_up_to_usd_bn","value":1.1,"unit":"USD billion","year":2022,"note":"Penalties of up to this amount"},{"key":"net_profit_2022_usd_bn","value":17.3,"unit":"USD billion","year":2022,"note":"Net profit, up 248%"},{"key":"shareholder_payments_2022_usd_bn","value":7.1,"unit":"USD billion","year":2022,"note":"Paid to shareholders"}],"legal":[{"title":"Bribery and market manipulation charges (US, UK, Brazil)","forum":"US federal courts; Southwark Crown Court, London (Glencore Energy (UK) Ltd); authorities in Brazil","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Prosecuting authorities in the US, UK and Brazil","defendant":"Glencore","filed":null,"decided":"2022-05-24","status":"plea","summary":"Glencore pleaded guilty in the US on 24 May 2022; penalties of up to 1.1 billion dollars were reported by OCCRP on 25 May 2022. Glencore Energy (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to seven Bribery Act counts on 21 June 2022 and was ordered on 3 November 2022 to pay £280 million (Serious Fraud Office).","src":0},{"title":"UK Serious Fraud Office case against former Glencore employees","forum":"Southwark Crown Court, London (Serious Fraud Office prosecution)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"criminal","claimant":"UK Serious Fraud Office","defendant":"Six former Glencore employees: Alex Beard, Andrew Gibson, Paul Hopkirk, Ramon Labiaga, Martin Wakefield, David Perez","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Charges of conspiring to make corrupt payments concern conduct in Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast in 2007–2014. All six defendants have pleaded not guilty, four on 10 November 2025 and two on 10 September 2026; the trial is set for 4 October 2027.","src":2}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say which mining licences or contracts the bribes were paid to obtain.","In the UK six former employees, including former head of oil Alex Beard, face trial. Prosecutions of individuals in the US and Brazil are not stated in the sources.","The cited sources do not say whether the penalties have been paid in full."],"sources":[{"t":"Glencore settles bribery charges in the US, UK, Brazil","p":"OCCRP","d":"2022-05-25","u":"https://www.occrp.org/en/news/glencore-settles-bribery-charges-in-the-us-uk-brazil","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260315054710/https://www.occrp.org/en/news/glencore-settles-bribery-charges-in-the-us-uk-brazil"},{"t":"Global natural resources group Glencore posts net income of 17.3 billion in 2022","p":"Kitco","d":"2023-02-15","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/article/2023-02-15/global-natural-resources-group-glencore-posts-net-income-173-billion-2022","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260215074832/https://www.kitco.com/news/article/2023-02-15/global-natural-resources-group-glencore-posts-net-income-173-billion-2022"},{"t":"Glencore employees (SFO case page)","p":"UK Serious Fraud Office (gov.uk)","d":"2024-10","u":"https://www.gov.uk/sfo-cases/glencore-employees","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208110438/https://www.gov.uk/sfo-cases/glencore-employees"},{"t":"Ex-Glencore head of oil pleads not guilty to UK bribery charges ahead of 2027 trial","p":"Kitco (Reuters)","d":"2026-09-10","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2026-09-10/ex-glencore-head-oil-pleads-not-guilty-uk-bribery-charges-ahead-2027","type":"press"},{"t":"Glencore group of companies (SFO case page)","p":"UK Serious Fraud Office (gov.uk)","d":"2022-11-03","u":"https://www.gov.uk/sfo-cases/glencore-group-of-companies","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"glencore","role":"Admitted bribery and market manipulation charges (2022)"},{"id":"uk-serious-fraud-office","role":"Prosecuting six former employees"}],"mechanism":"bribery and market manipulation","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which mining licences or contracts the bribes were paid to obtain.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"In the UK six former employees, including former head of oil Alex Beard, face trial. Prosecutions of individuals in the US and Brazil are not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the penalties have been paid in full.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dogger-bank-south-wake-effect-dispute","tier":"short","title":"Developers dispute wake losses from RWE's Dogger Bank South wind farm","dek":"Equinor and SSE claimed that RWE's Dogger Bank South wind farm would cost them 778 million dollars in lifetime losses through wake effects. The dispute shows that one wind farm can reduce the output of a neighbour downwind.","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","places":[{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"North Sea (Dogger Bank)","lat":54.9,"lon":2.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":54.9,"lon":2.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["RenewEconomy reported in May 2025 that a wake effect, the slow and turbulent air behind turbines, can cut the output of a downwind wind farm by 5 to 20 per cent and reach up to 70 kilometres.","Equinor and SSE claimed that RWE's Dogger Bank South project would cause them 778 million dollars of lifetime losses; an RWE executive said developers must live with the risk they take.","Orsted estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 million to 295 million pounds in a planning submission.","EN-3, the national policy statement in force from 6 January 2026, says the planning system will not decide compensation for wake losses."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Equinor and SSE dispute the wake effect of RWE's Dogger Bank South wind farm","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Equinor and SSE","what":"Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses (a claim, not a finding)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Orsted","what":"Estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 to 295 million pounds","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Dogger Bank, North Sea, UK waters","src":0},"when":{"t":"Dispute reported May 2025; EN-3 in force 6 January 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Turbines in one wind farm reduce the output of a neighbouring farm downwind","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"wake_output_loss_pct_low","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Output loss of a downwind farm, low end of range"},{"key":"wake_output_loss_pct_high","value":20,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"Output loss of a downwind farm, high end of range"},{"key":"equinor_sse_claimed_losses_usd_m","value":778,"unit":"USD million","year":null,"note":"Claimed lifetime losses; a claim, not a finding"},{"key":"orsted_loss_estimate_low_gbp_m","value":84,"unit":"GBP million","year":null,"note":"Orsted's own estimate, lower bound"},{"key":"orsted_loss_estimate_high_gbp_m","value":295,"unit":"GBP million","year":null,"note":"Orsted's own estimate, upper bound"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a Bergen University study said the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not cover cross-border wake effects.","Unconfirmed: a 2012 satellite study found night temperatures over large Texas wind farms rising 0.72 degrees Celsius per decade faster than surroundings.","The cited sources do not say who pays compensation, or whether the cost reaches electricity consumers.","The outcome of the Equinor and SSE claim is not on record.","The 20 gigawatt figure for UK projects comes from a law-firm note with no link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"You're stealing our energy: accusations of offshore wind theft hurled across North Sea","p":"RenewEconomy","d":"2025-05-22","u":"https://reneweconomy.com.au/youre-stealing-our-energy-accusations-of-offshore-wind-theft-hurled-across-north-sea/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720172406/https://reneweconomy.com.au/youre-stealing-our-energy-accusations-of-offshore-wind-theft-hurled-across-north-sea/"},{"t":"Orsted IPs - Comments on any further information/ submissions received by Deadline 6.","p":"Planning Inspectorate (Orsted submission)","d":"","u":"https://nsip-documents.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/published-documents/EN010125-001933-Orsted%20IPs%20-%20Comments%20on%20any%20further%20information/%20submissions%20received%20by%20Deadline%206.pdf","type":"company","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"rwe","role":"Developer of Dogger Bank South, disputed by Equinor and SSE"},{"id":"equinor","role":"Claimed 778 million dollars of lifetime losses from Dogger Bank South"},{"id":"sse","role":"Co-claimant in the wake-loss claim against Dogger Bank South"},{"id":"orsted","role":"Estimated its own losses from Dogger Bank South at 84 to 295 million pounds"}],"mechanism":"wind farm wake effect","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a Bergen University study said the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea does not cover cross-border wake effects.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2012 satellite study found night temperatures over large Texas wind farms rising 0.72 degrees Celsius per decade faster than surroundings.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who pays compensation, or whether the cost reaches electricity consumers.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Equinor and SSE claim is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 20 gigawatt figure for UK projects comes from a law-firm note with no link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"coca-cola-water-replenishment-claim","tier":"short","title":"Coca-Cola reports replenishing 115% of the water it used in 2015","dek":"In 2016 Coca-Cola said it had returned 115% of the water it used in 2015, through 248 initiatives. What is at stake for nature is whether water taken from a basin is actually returned to that basin.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2016,"instrument":"water","happened":["In August 2016 Coca-Cola said it had replenished 115% of the water it used in 2015, about 192 billion litres, through 248 initiatives, the Christian Science Monitor reported.","According to the same report, some initiatives benefited the water sources the company draws from, and others served communities not directly affected by its withdrawals.","The same report recalled that a bottling plant in northern India had been closed in 2014 after extracting excessive groundwater."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Coca-Cola announced that it had replenished 115% of the water it used in 2015, about 192 billion litres, through 248 initiatives.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"The Coca-Cola Company","what":"Publicised the 115% figure as a water replenishment result.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global, company-wide water use.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced in August 2016 for water use in 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through 248 initiatives, some benefiting the water sources the company draws from and some serving communities not directly affected by its withdrawals.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"water_replenished_pct","value":115,"unit":"percent of water used","year":2015,"note":"Company figure as announced in 2016"},{"key":"water_replenished_volume","value":192000000000,"unit":"litres","year":2015,"note":"Stated as approximate in the source"},{"key":"water_initiatives","value":248,"unit":"initiatives","year":2016,"note":"Initiatives cited in the 2016 announcement"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the initiatives restored the same groundwater or surface water the company drew, or what their measured effect was.","Not stated: how the company counted its water use, and whether the 248 initiatives were independently checked.","Not stated: the local effect of the groundwater extraction at the northern India plant, or any remediation after its 2014 closure."],"sources":[{"t":"Coca-Cola 115% water replenishment report (2015 water use)","p":"Christian Science Monitor","d":"29.08.2016","u":"https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0829/Coca-Cola-says-it-now-replenishes-all-the-water-it-uses","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250816133759/https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2016/0829/Coca-Cola-says-it-now-replenishes-all-the-water-it-uses"}],"actors":[{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Company that announced the 115% figure"}],"mechanism":"corporate water replenishment accounting","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Coca-Cola says it replenished 115% of the water it used from me in 2015, about 192 billion litres; some of its 248 initiatives served communities its withdrawals did not directly affect.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the initiatives restored the same groundwater or surface water the company drew, or what their measured effect was.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: how the company counted its water use, and whether the 248 initiatives were independently checked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the local effect of the groundwater extraction at the northern India plant, or any remediation after its 2014 closure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sorik-marapi-geothermal-gas-leak","tier":"short","title":"Hydrogen sulphide leak at Indonesian geothermal field kills five","dek":"A hydrogen sulphide leak while a well was being discharged at the Sorik Marapi geothermal field in North Sumatra killed five people in January 2021, the Indonesian energy ministry said. What is at stake is the safety of communities and farmland near geothermal drilling.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"North Sumatra","lat":1.6,"lon":98.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":1.6,"lon":98.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["On 25 January 2021 hydrogen sulphide gas leaked while a well was being discharged at the Sorik Marapi geothermal field in North Sumatra, Indonesia.","The gas killed five people working in rice fields 300 to 500 metres away and sent fifteen people to hospital, the ministry said.","The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry temporarily halted activity at the field."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hydrogen sulphide gas leaked from a geothermal well during discharge, killing five people and hospitalising fifteen.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Five people working in rice fields 300 to 500 metres from the well","what":"Killed by the gas","src":0},{"who":"Fifteen people","what":"Taken to hospital","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Sorik Marapi geothermal field, North Sumatra, Indonesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"25 January 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Gas escaped while a well was being discharged and reached rice fields 300 to 500 metres away, where workers were killed.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":5,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Killed by the gas, per the ministry"},{"key":"hospitalised","value":15,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Taken to hospital, per the ministry"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the environmental group Jatam says at least 214 people have been poisoned since 2021 in repeated leaks at the field, and that the temporary halt was the only known sanction.","Not stated: the operator of the field, any criminal or civil case after the deaths, and whether activity has resumed.","Not stated: the cause of the leak beyond its occurrence during well discharge."],"sources":[{"t":"ESDM investigation of H2S gas exposure and temporary halt at Sorik Marapi","p":"Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Indonesia","d":"26.01.2021","u":"https://www.esdm.go.id/en/media-center/news-archives/investigasi-paparan-gas-h2s-kementerian-esdm-hentikan-sementara-aktivitas-pltp-sorik-marapi-","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"esdm","role":"Ministry that investigated the leak and temporarily halted activity"}],"mechanism":"geothermal well gas release","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Hydrogen sulphide gas leaked from a well on my Sorik Marapi geothermal field on 25 January 2021 and killed five people in rice fields 300 to 500 metres away, the ministry said.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the environmental group Jatam says at least 214 people have been poisoned since 2021 in repeated leaks at the field, and that the temporary halt was the only known sanction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the operator of the field, any criminal or civil case after the deaths, and whether activity has resumed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the cause of the leak beyond its occurrence during well discharge.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sihwa-tidal-power-station","tier":"short","title":"Sihwa tidal station was built to address pollution in a seawall lake","dek":"South Korea's 254 MW Sihwa tidal station was built to circulate water and address pollution in a lake cut off from the sea by a 1994 seawall. Two larger tidal schemes were postponed over threats to tidal flats and fishers' livelihoods.","country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","places":[{"country":"South Korea","iso2":"KR","admin":null,"lat":37.3,"lon":126.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.3,"lon":126.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":1994,"end":2011,"instrument":"water","happened":["A seawall built in 1994 to reclaim land separated a lake from the sea, and water quality in the lake collapsed, the Nautilus Institute reported.","The 254 MW Sihwa tidal station, dated 2011, was built to circulate water and remove this pollution, and the same report describes it as the world's largest tidal station.","Proposed 1,320 MW Incheon and 840 MW Ganghwa tidal schemes were postponed because they threatened tidal flats and the livelihoods of about 2,800 fishers."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"South Korea's 254 MW Sihwa tidal station was built to circulate water and address pollution in the lake behind a 1994 seawall.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Operator of the Sihwa station (name: none on record)","what":"Generates electricity that can be sold","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Water quality in the lake behind the 1994 seawall","what":"Collapsed after the lake was cut off from the sea","src":0},{"who":"About 2,800 fishers near the proposed Incheon and Ganghwa tidal sites","what":"Livelihoods threatened; the schemes were postponed","src":0},{"who":"Tidal flats at the proposed Incheon and Ganghwa sites","what":"Threatened by the proposed schemes","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Sihwa, South Korea; the postponed Incheon and Ganghwa schemes were also in South Korea.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Seawall built in 1994; station dated 2011; the source article is dated 29.11.2011.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The station was built to circulate water and remove the pollution caused by the seawall lake.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Tidal power generation of 254 MW combined with water circulation through the lake.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"station_capacity","value":254,"unit":"MW","year":2011,"note":"Sihwa tidal station"},{"key":"incheon_proposed_capacity","value":1320,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Proposed; postponed"},{"key":"ganghwa_proposed_capacity","value":840,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Proposed; postponed"},{"key":"fishers_livelihoods_at_risk","value":2800,"unit":"fishers","year":null,"note":"Approximate in the source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Not stated: whether the postponed Incheon and Ganghwa schemes were later built or cancelled.","Not stated: the water quality of the lake after the station began operating, and its current condition.","Not stated: the station's owner and operator by name."],"sources":[{"t":"Nautilus Institute special report on South Korea's tidal power plans","p":"Nautilus Institute (NAPSNet)","d":"29.11.2011","u":"https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/south-koreas-plans-for-tidal-power-when-a-green-solution-creates-more-problems/?view=print","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260309024215/https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-special-reports/south-koreas-plans-for-tidal-power-when-a-green-solution-creates-more-problems/?view=print"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"tidal power water circulation","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A 1994 seawall cut a lake off from my sea and its water quality collapsed, the Nautilus Institute reported; a 254 MW tidal station was built to circulate the water.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the postponed Incheon and Ganghwa schemes were later built or cancelled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the water quality of the lake after the station began operating, and its current condition.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: the station's owner and operator by name.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"summers-world-bank-memo-on-pollution-in-africa","tier":"short","title":"1991 World Bank memo signed by Lawrence Summers on pollution in Africa","dek":"A December 1991 World Bank memo signed by chief economist Lawrence Summers said less-populated African countries were under-polluted. The memo's author later called the text satirical, and Summers said he had signed it without adequate review.","country":"Africa (regional)","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":1991,"end":1993,"instrument":"finance","happened":["The memo's author, Lant Pritchett, said the text was satirical.","Summers acknowledged in 1993 that he had signed the memo after reviewing it inadequately."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A December 1991 World Bank internal memo signed by Lawrence Summers said less-populated African countries were under-polluted.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Internal World Bank memo; its subject is less-populated countries in Africa.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Dated 12 December 1991; Summers acknowledged in 1993 that he had signed it after inadequate review.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An internal memo; the cited sources do not describe how it was circulated or acted on.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the memo argued that toxic waste should be moved to low-wage countries on economic grounds.","Disputed: the memo's authorship and whether it was meant ironically are contested in the sources.","Not stated: any policy, shipment or outcome that followed the memo."],"sources":[{"t":"Toxic Memo","p":"Harvard Magazine","d":"2001-05","u":"https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2001/05/toxic-memo.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"lawrence-summers","role":"Chief economist who signed the 1991 memo"},{"id":"lant-pritchett","role":"Author of the memo, who said the text was satirical"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"Institution that issued the internal memo"}],"mechanism":"internal World Bank memo","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the memo argued that toxic waste should be moved to low-wage countries on economic grounds.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Disputed: the memo's authorship and whether it was meant ironically are contested in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: any policy, shipment or outcome that followed the memo.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"norway-arctic-seabed-mining-licensing-pause","tier":"short","title":"Norway postpones deep-sea mining licensing to 2029 in budget deal","dek":"Norway's government postponed licensing for deep-sea mining in its waters until 2029 under a budget agreement. The prime minister described the move as a postponement rather than a permanent halt, so the future of the seabed remains open.","country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","places":[{"country":"Norway","iso2":"NO","admin":null,"lat":70,"lon":20,"role":"event"}],"lat":70,"lon":20,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2029,"instrument":"mining","happened":["In December 2025 Norway's government postponed deep-sea mining licensing until the end of the current parliamentary term, by 2029, through a budget agreement, UNRIC reported.","UN experts commended the decision, UNRIC reported.","Arctic Today reported in December 2025 that the halt was continuing and that the prime minister had called it a postponement, not a permanent halt."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Norway postponed licensing for deep-sea mining in its waters until 2029 through a budget agreement.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Norwegian waters.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in December 2025; the postponement runs until the end of the current parliamentary term, by 2029.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The postponement was made as part of a budget agreement.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Licensing was deferred rather than permanently halted, according to the prime minister's description reported by Arctic Today.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Socialist Left Party halted licensing in return for budget support, and Norway opened about 280,000 square kilometres of Arctic area for mining in January 2024.","Not stated: which companies, if any, had pending licence applications in Norwegian waters.","Not stated: whether the pause continues beyond 2029."],"sources":[{"t":"UN experts: Norway's decision to postpone deep-sea mining licensing commended","p":"UNRIC (UN Regional Information Centre)","d":"2025-12","u":"https://unric.org/en/un-experts-norways-decision-to-postpone-deep-sea-mining-licensing-commended/","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114160839/https://unric.org/en/un-experts-norways-decision-to-postpone-deep-sea-mining-licensing-commended/"}],"actors":[{"id":"norway-government","role":"Government that postponed the licensing"}],"mechanism":"deep-sea mining licence postponement","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Socialist Left Party halted licensing in return for budget support, and Norway opened about 280,000 square kilometres of Arctic area for mining in January 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: which companies, if any, had pending licence applications in Norwegian waters.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not stated: whether the pause continues beyond 2029.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"sqm-bribery-settlement-and-codelco-atacama-lithium-deal","tier":"short","title":"Codelco and SQM launch Atacama lithium venture extending output to 2060","dek":"Codelco and SQM launched a joint lithium company for the Atacama salt flat that extends production to 2060. Atacameño communities have questioned the plan over water, and 18 communities have complained that the salt flat is sinking.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":null,"lat":-23.5,"lon":-68.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":-23.5,"lon":-68.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Mining Reporters reported in December 2025 that Codelco and SQM launched the NovaAndino Litio joint venture, which extends production at the Atacama salt flat to 2060.","Cooperativa reported in December 2023 that the Atacameño Peoples' Council questioned the Codelco–SQM alliance, and the council has objected to water extraction until 2060.","El Desconcierto reported in April 2024 that Atacameño communities were withdrawing from dialogue with Codelco and SQM over fears of water scarcity.","Mongabay Latam reported in November 2024 that 18 indigenous communities had filed a complaint over the sinking of the salt flat, which they linked to lithium extraction."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Codelco and SQM launched NovaAndino Litio, a joint venture to produce lithium at the Atacama salt flat through 2060.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Codelco","what":"joint-venture partner in NovaAndino Litio","src":0},{"who":"SQM","what":"joint-venture partner in NovaAndino Litio","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Atacameño communities","what":"council objected to water extraction until 2060","src":1},{"who":"18 indigenous communities","what":"complained that the salt flat is sinking, which they linked to lithium extraction","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Atacama salt flat, northern Chile; the cited sources name no admin region","src":0},"when":{"t":"Joint venture reported in December 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A joint venture company, NovaAndino Litio, runs production at the salt flat.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"operation_end_year","value":2060,"unit":"year","year":2025,"note":"production at Atacama extended to 2060 under NovaAndino Litio"},{"key":"indigenous_communities_complaint","value":18,"unit":"communities","year":2024,"note":"complaint over salt flat sinking, linked to lithium extraction (Mongabay Latam)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Reported without a source link: the 2017 US settlement over SQM payments to Chilean politicians, described as about USD 15 million paid irregularly and a penalty of more than USD 30 million.","Reported without a source link: a 2014 penalty on a former SQM controlling shareholder, a 2015 political funding crisis over SQM payments, and a 2018 Corfo lithium quota deal.","Unconfirmed: Atacama indigenous communities have sued over unauthorised water extraction.","Reported without a source link: the south-west of the salt flat sank 1 to 2 cm a year in 2020–2023, and groundwater fell more than 10 metres in 15 years (University of Chile).","Unconfirmed: the state holding 50% plus one share in the joint company, and the 27 December 2025 announcement date.","The Albemarle penalty and certification on the same salt flat concern another company and are not included here."],"sources":[{"t":"Codelco, SQM launch lithium joint venture NovaAndino Litio","p":"Mining Reporters","d":"2025-12","u":"https://www.miningreporters.com/noticia/news/2025/12/codelco-sqm-launch-lithium-joint-venture-novaandino-litio-board-meeting","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260103080326/https://www.miningreporters.com/noticia/news/2025/12/codelco-sqm-launch-lithium-joint-venture-novaandino-litio-board-meeting"},{"t":"Litio: consejo de pueblos atacameños cuestionó alianza Codelco-SQM","p":"Cooperativa","d":"2023-12-28","u":"https://cooperativa.cl/noticias/economia/materias-primas/litio/litio-consejo-de-pueblos-atacamenos-cuestiono-alianza-codelco-sqm/2023-12-28/161039.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512155211/https://www.cooperativa.cl/noticias/economia/materias-primas/litio/litio-consejo-de-pueblos-atacamenos-cuestiono-alianza-codelco-sqm/2023-12-28/161039.html"},{"t":"Fear of water scarcity: Indigenous groups withdraw from dialogue with Codelco and SQM over lithium","p":"El Desconcierto","d":"2024-04-18","u":"https://eldesconcierto.cl/2024/04/18/temen-escasez-de-agua-grupos-indigenas-se-restan-de-dialogo-con-codelco-y-sqm-por-litio","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260116162541/https://eldesconcierto.cl/2024/04/18/temen-escasez-de-agua-grupos-indigenas-se-restan-de-dialogo-con-codelco-y-sqm-por-litio"},{"t":"Indigenous communities file complaint over Atacama salt flat sinking linked to lithium","p":"Mongabay Latam","d":"2024-11","u":"https://es.mongabay.com/2024/11/comunidades-indigenas-interponen-denuncia-por-hundimiento-de-salar-de-atacama-por-litio-chile/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260727070615/https://es.mongabay.com/2024/11/comunidades-indigenas-interponen-denuncia-por-hundimiento-de-salar-de-atacama-por-litio-chile/"}],"actors":[{"id":"codelco","role":"joint-venture partner"},{"id":"sqm","role":"joint-venture partner"},{"id":"novaandino-litio","role":"joint-venture company"},{"id":"atacameno-peoples-council","role":"community council that objected"}],"mechanism":"lithium salt flat joint venture","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"18 indigenous communities complained in November 2024 that my Atacama salt flat is sinking, which they link to lithium extraction; in December 2025 production there was extended to 2060.","src":[0,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: the 2017 US settlement over SQM payments to Chilean politicians, described as about USD 15 million paid irregularly and a penalty of more than USD 30 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: a 2014 penalty on a former SQM controlling shareholder, a 2015 political funding crisis over SQM payments, and a 2018 Corfo lithium quota deal.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Atacama indigenous communities have sued over unauthorised water extraction.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: the south-west of the salt flat sank 1 to 2 cm a year in 2020–2023, and groundwater fell more than 10 metres in 15 years (University of Chile).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the state holding 50% plus one share in the joint company, and the 27 December 2025 announcement date.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Albemarle penalty and certification on the same salt flat concern another company and are not included here.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"texas-wind-rights-severance-ruling","tier":"short","title":"Texas court rules wind rights can be severed from land ownership","dek":"A Texas court ruled in 2023 that wind rights can be held apart from the land they cross. Wyoming has barred that separation by statute since 2011.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":34.07,"lon":-101.83,"role":"event"}],"lat":34.07,"lon":-101.83,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["Greenberg Traurig reported that a Texas court ruled in 2023, in a Hale County case, that wind rights can be separated from ownership of the land.","A company that acquired the separated wind rights won a trespass suit against the electricity company that built turbines on the land, and the jury awarded more than USD 1 million.","Wyoming's 2011 statute, W.S. 34-27-103, provides that wind rights cannot be separated from the surface estate, according to the vLex text."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Texas court ruled that wind rights are property separate from the land, and a related trespass case produced a jury award above USD 1 million.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Company that acquired the separated wind rights (unnamed in the sources)","what":"won trespass suit against the turbine builder","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Electricity company that built the turbines (unnamed in the sources)","what":"lost trespass suit; jury award above USD 1 million","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hale County, Texas, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The landowner sold the land and kept the wind rights, which later passed to a company that sued the turbine builder for trespass.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"trespass_jury_award_usd_million","value":1,"unit":"USD million (more than)","year":2023,"note":"jury award above this amount in the trespass case"}],"legal":[{"title":"Trespass suit over severed wind rights","forum":"Texas court (as reported)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Company that acquired the separated wind rights (unnamed in the sources)","defendant":"Electricity company that built the turbines (unnamed in the sources)","filed":null,"decided":2023,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"Jury awarded more than USD 1 million to the claimant.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the 2023 severance ruling and the trespass verdict were in the same court proceeding.","The cited sources do not name the court, the parties or the case number for the trespass suit."],"sources":[{"t":"The severability of wind rights from a surface estate","p":"Greenberg Traurig","d":"2023-07-11","u":"https://www.gtlaw.com/en/insights/2023/7/the-severability-of-wind-rights-from-a-surface-estate","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251112173121/https://www.gtlaw.com/en/insights/2023/7/the-severability-of-wind-rights-from-a-surface-estate"},{"t":"Declaration of Wind Energy (W.S. 34-27-103)","p":"vLex","d":"","u":"https://us.vlex.com/vid/declaration-of-wind-energy-663164453","type":"reference"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"wind rights severance","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 2023 severance ruling and the trespass verdict were in the same court proceeding.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court, the parties or the case number for the trespass suit.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"black-summer-2019-20-bushfires-and-mountain-ash-reburn","tier":"short","title":"2019–20 bushfires burned 88,000 ha of mountain ash forest again","dek":"Australia's 2019–20 Black Summer fires burned about 24 million hectares. Mountain ash forests, which regenerate from seed, burned again over 88,000 hectares, and aircraft scattered about 4.5 tonnes of seed in 2020.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-36.5,"lon":149.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-36.5,"lon":149.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2020,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Mongabay reported that Australia's 2019–20 Black Summer fires burned about 24 million hectares.","Mongabay reported that 88,000 hectares of mountain ash forest, which regenerates from seed, burned again, and that aircraft scattered about 4.5 tonnes of seed in 2020.","A World Weather Attribution study of the 2019–20 fire season found that climate change had raised the probability of fire weather as extreme as in 2019, measured by the Fire Weather Index, by at least 30% since 1900 in climate models; in observations the increase was more than a factor of four. The authors note that the models underestimate the observed heat trend."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The 2019–20 Black Summer bushfires burned about 24 million hectares across Australia.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Seed-regenerating mountain ash forests","what":"88,000 hectares burned again","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Australia, mountain ash forests","src":0},"when":{"t":"2019–2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mountain ash regenerates from seed; aircraft scattered about 4.5 tonnes of seed in 2020.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"area_burned_million_ha","value":24000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2020,"note":"Black Summer 2019–20, Australia"},{"key":"mountain_ash_reburnt_ha","value":88000,"unit":"hectares","year":2020,"note":"seed-regenerating mountain ash forest burned again"},{"key":"seed_scattered_tonnes","value":4.5,"unit":"tonnes","year":2020,"note":"scattered from aircraft"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in an earlier study, a second fire killed 97% of alpine ash seedlings (2013).","The cited sources do not say how much of the 88,000 hectares has regenerated since 2020."],"sources":[{"t":"As Australia faces new fire reality, forest restoration tactics reevaluated","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-02-14","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/as-australia-faces-new-fire-reality-forest-restoration-tactics-reevaluated/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609051902/https://news.mongabay.com/2022/02/as-australia-faces-new-fire-reality-forest-restoration-tactics-reevaluated/"},{"t":"Attribution of the Australian bushfire risk to anthropogenic climate change","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2020","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/bushfires-in-australia-2019-2020/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"repeated bushfire burning","types":["law-policy","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Fires burned about 24 million hectares of me in 2019–20; 88,000 hectares of mountain ash forest burned again, and aircraft scattered about 4.5 tonnes of seed in 2020, Mongabay reported.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in an earlier study, a second fire killed 97% of alpine ash seedlings (2013).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much of the 88,000 hectares has regenerated since 2020.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"msc-certification-of-alaska-bottom-trawl-and-tuna-fleets","tier":"short","title":"Alaska flatfish trawl fishery recertified by MSC for third time","dek":"The Marine Stewardship Council recertified Alaska's bottom-trawl flatfish fishery for a third time in December 2025. A tuna fleet was also recertified despite criticism from a UK parliamentary committee over shark-fin evidence.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Alaska","lat":57.5,"lon":-165,"role":"event"}],"lat":57.5,"lon":-165,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["SeafoodSource reported that Alaska's bottom-trawl flatfish fishery was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council for a third time in December 2025.","SeafoodSource also reported that a UK parliamentary committee criticised the recertification of a tuna fleet with evidence of shark-fin cutting.","SeafoodSource reported that the MSC groundfish forum pushed back against criticism of the Alaska flatfish certification.","The Blue Marine Foundation (BLOOM) reported that 83% of MSC-certified catch in 2009–2017 was taken by high-impact methods, including bottom trawl and dredge."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Marine Stewardship Council certified Alaska's bottom-trawl flatfish fishery for a third time in December 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Alaska bottom-trawl flatfish fishery","what":"kept MSC certification after its third certification","src":0},{"who":"A tuna fleet (unnamed in the sources)","what":"recertified despite the UK committee's criticism","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Sharks","what":"shark-fin cutting evidence was cited against the recertified tuna fleet","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Alaska, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"December 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The fishery pays the assessing body, and the MSC logo is licensed on products.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"msc_catch_bottom_trawl_dredge_share_pct","value":83,"unit":"%","year":2017,"note":"share of MSC-certified catch taken by bottom trawl and dredge, 2009–2017 (BLOOM)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2013 study of 19 MSC objections, of which one was upheld, and a 19.5% share of catch.","Reported without a source link: MSC gets 93.2% of its 2025–26 revenue from logo licences, and assessment fees are paid to certification firms.","Tuna stock figures (skipjack spawning biomass down to about 51% of its unfished level; bigeye recovery linked to a model change) have no source link and are not used.","The Australian orange roughy trawl certification is covered by a separate record: msc-certification-of-australian-orange-roughy-trawl-fishery."],"sources":[{"t":"MSC groundfish forum pushes back against criticism of Alaska flatfish fishery","p":"SeafoodSource","d":"2025","u":"https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/msc-groundfish-forum-push-back-against-claims-of-greenwashing-alaska-s-flatfish-fishery","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260115173338/https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/environment-sustainability/msc-groundfish-forum-push-back-against-claims-of-greenwashing-alaska-s-flatfish-fishery"},{"t":"MSC certification report (Blue Marine Foundation)","p":"Blue Marine Foundation","d":"2020-05-07","u":"https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/msc-labelled-a-sham-in-new-report/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617134704/https://www.bluemarinefoundation.com/msc-labelled-a-sham-in-new-report/"}],"actors":[{"id":"msc","role":"certification scheme"},{"id":"blue-marine-foundation","role":"critic (BLOOM analysis)"}],"mechanism":"ecolabel certification","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["msc-certification-of-australian-orange-roughy-trawl-fishery"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"83% of MSC-certified catch taken from my seas in 2009–2017 was caught by high-impact methods, including bottom trawl and dredge, the Blue Marine Foundation reported.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2013 study of 19 MSC objections, of which one was upheld, and a 19.5% share of catch.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: MSC gets 93.2% of its 2025–26 revenue from logo licences, and assessment fees are paid to certification firms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Tuna stock figures (skipjack spawning biomass down to about 51% of its unfished level; bigeye recovery linked to a model change) have no source link and are not used.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Australian orange roughy trawl certification is covered by a separate record: msc-certification-of-australian-orange-roughy-trawl-fishery.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"orsted-revolution-wind-stop-work-order","tier":"short","title":"US orders stop to Ørsted's Revolution Wind; court allows restart","dek":"The US federal government ordered work stopped on Ørsted's Revolution Wind offshore wind farm in August 2025, when it was 80% complete. A court later found the order arbitrary and allowed the wind farm to restart.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":41.1,"lon":-71.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":41.1,"lon":-71.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["ESG Today reported that the US federal government issued a stop-work order on Revolution Wind on 22 August 2025, when the wind farm was 80% complete.","ESG Today reported on 13 January 2026 that a US court allowed the wind farm to restart after a halt ordered by the Trump administration."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US federal government ordered a stop to Revolution Wind on 22 August 2025, when the wind farm was 80% complete.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Ørsted","what":"wind farm halted at 80% completion; later allowed to restart by a court","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Revolution Wind offshore wind farm, United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Stop-work order 22 August 2025; restart reported 13 January 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A federal stop-work order halted construction; a court found the order arbitrary and allowed the wind farm to restart.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"completion_at_stop_work_pct","value":80,"unit":"%","year":2025,"note":"share complete when the stop-work order was issued"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Reported without a separate source link: Ørsted raised DKK 60 billion in new capital, and the Danish state took half of the new shares.","The cited sources do not state the reason for the stop-work order.","The cited sources do not name the court or the case."],"sources":[{"t":"US court allows Ørsted's offshore wind farm to restart after Trump administration halt","p":"ESG Today","d":"2026-01-13","u":"https://www.esgtoday.com/u-s-court-allows-orsted-gips-5-billion-offshore-wind-project-to-restart-after-halt-ordered-by-trump-administration/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260429045829/https://www.esgtoday.com/u-s-court-allows-orsted-gips-5-billion-offshore-wind-project-to-restart-after-halt-ordered-by-trump-administration/"}],"actors":[{"id":"orsted","role":"developer and owner"},{"id":"us-federal-government","role":"issued stop-work order"}],"mechanism":"federal stop-work order","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a separate source link: Ørsted raised DKK 60 billion in new capital, and the Danish state took half of the new shares.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the reason for the stop-work order.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the court or the case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mann-v-steyn-defamation-case-and-cuccinelli-subpoena","tier":"short","title":"Virginia court rejected demand for Michael Mann's emails; defamation award later cut","dek":"A 2012 Virginia ruling rejected the attorney general's demand for climate scientist Michael Mann's university emails. The cited sources do not describe any effect on the environment.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Virginia","lat":37.5,"lon":-78.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.5,"lon":-78.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Phys.org reported in March 2012 that the Virginia Supreme Court rejected Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's 2010 demand for Michael Mann's University of Virginia emails under the state's fraud law.","Reason reported in January 2026 that a court sanctioned Mann's legal representatives for bad faith after they presented a lost grant to a jury as USD 9,713,924 instead of USD 112,000.","Reason also reported that a 2024 jury awarded USD 1 from each of two authors and USD 1 million in punitive damages from Steyn, which the court reduced to USD 5,000."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Michael Mann won a 2024 defamation verdict against two authors and two organisations, with punitive damages later reduced to USD 5,000.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Defendants dismissed from the suit","what":"Awarded about USD 1 million in attorney fees under an anti-SLAPP law","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Michael Mann","what":"Ordered to pay about USD 1 million in attorney fees to dismissed defendants; his legal representatives were later sanctioned for bad faith in January 2026","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Virginia, for the 2010 email demand and the 2012 ruling.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Demand in 2010; Virginia ruling in March 2012; jury verdict in 2024; sanctions in January 2026.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Michael Mann sued two authors and two organisations for defamation in Washington, D.C. in 2012; the state demand for emails was made under the fraud law.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"damages_per_author_usd","value":1,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Damages each from two authors, per jury"},{"key":"punitive_before_reduction_usd","value":1000000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Punitive damages from Steyn before reduction"},{"key":"punitive_after_reduction_usd","value":5000,"unit":"USD","year":2024,"note":"Punitive damages after the court's reduction"},{"key":"fees_awarded_to_defendants_usd","value":1000000,"unit":"USD (approximate)","year":null,"note":"Attorney fees Mann was ordered to pay to dismissed defendants"},{"key":"grant_figure_presented_usd","value":9713924,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Figure presented to the jury for a grant worth USD 112,000"}],"legal":[{"title":"Mann v. Steyn","forum":"Washington, D.C. court (defamation)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Michael Mann","defendant":"Steyn; Simberg; National Review; and a second organisation","filed":"2012","decided":"2024","status":"claimant-won","summary":"A jury awarded USD 1 from each of two authors and USD 1 million in punitive damages from Steyn; the court reduced the punitive award to USD 5,000. An anti-SLAPP ruling ordered Mann to pay about USD 1 million in fees to dismissed defendants. In January 2026 the court sanctioned Mann's legal representatives for bad faith over a grant figure.","src":1},{"title":"Virginia attorney general's demand for Michael Mann's emails","forum":"Supreme Court of Virginia","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli","defendant":"University of Virginia (holder of the emails)","filed":"2010","decided":"2012-03","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court rejected the attorney general's demand for the emails under the state's fraud law, in March 2012.","src":0}],"unknown":["The status of Mann's appeals against Steyn and Simberg is not established in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not describe the articles that were the basis of the defamation suit.","The cited sources do not connect the case to any effect on the environment."],"sources":[{"t":"Phys.org report on Virginia Supreme Court ruling on climate research emails","p":"Phys.org","d":"2012-03-02","u":"https://phys.org/news/2012-03-virginia-high-court-favor-climate.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240717155213/https://phys.org/news/2012-03-virginia-high-court-favor-climate.html"},{"t":"Sanctions award to defendants in Mann v. Steyn defamation case","p":"Reason (Volokh)","d":"2026-01-24","u":"https://reason.com/volokh/2026/01/24/sanctions-award-to-defendants-in-mann-v-steyn-defamation-case/printer/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260124215507/https://reason.com/volokh/2026/01/24/sanctions-award-to-defendants-in-mann-v-steyn-defamation-case/printer/"}],"actors":[{"id":"virginia-attorney-general","role":"Sought the emails in 2010"},{"id":"virginia-supreme-court","role":"Rejected the demand in 2012"},{"id":"university-of-virginia","role":"Held the emails"},{"id":"national-review","role":"Co-defendant; later waived its USD 530,000 share of the fee award"}],"mechanism":"defamation suit, email demand","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The status of Mann's appeals against Steyn and Simberg is not established in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the articles that were the basis of the defamation suit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not connect the case to any effect on the environment.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"willie-soon-funding-by-fossil-interests","tier":"short","title":"Scientist Willie Soon received over USD 1 million from fossil fuel interests","dek":"InsideClimate News reported that Willie Soon received more than USD 1 million from fossil fuel interests from 2003 to 2015, including USD 409,754 from Southern Company. The cited sources do not describe the effect of this funding on climate research or nature.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":42.4,"lon":-71.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":42.4,"lon":-71.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2003,"end":2015,"instrument":"finance","happened":["InsideClimate News reported in February 2015 that Willie Soon, of Harvard-Smithsonian, received more than USD 1 million from fossil fuel interests between 2003 and 2015.","The same report says USD 409,754 came from Southern Company.","According to InsideClimate News, Soon reported his peer-reviewed papers to funders as deliverables, and Southern Company was given the right to review papers before publication."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Willie Soon received more than USD 1 million from fossil fuel interests from 2003 to 2015, InsideClimate News reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Willie Soon","what":"Received more than USD 1 million from fossil fuel interests, 2003–2015","src":0},{"who":"Southern Company","what":"Gave USD 409,754 and was given the right to review Soon's papers before publication","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States; Harvard-Smithsonian was Soon's institution.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2003 to 2015.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments were reported to funders as deliverables from his peer-reviewed papers, with Southern Company given pre-publication review rights.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fossil_funding_usd","value":1000000,"unit":"USD (more than)","year":2015,"note":"Total from fossil fuel interests, 2003–2015"},{"key":"southern_company_usd","value":409754,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Portion from Southern Company"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not name the other fossil fuel donors that make up the balance of the more than USD 1 million.","The cited sources do not describe the content of the funded papers or their use in climate policy.","The cited sources do not describe effects on nature."],"sources":[{"t":"InsideClimate News report on Willie Soon and fossil fuel funding","p":"InsideClimate News","d":"2015-02-21","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21022015/documents-reveal-fossil-fuel-fingerprints-contrarian-climate-research-willie-soon-harvard-smithsonian-koch-exxon-southern-company/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412203301/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/21022015/documents-reveal-fossil-fuel-fingerprints-contrarian-climate-research-willie-soon-harvard-smithsonian-koch-exxon-southern-company/"}],"actors":[{"id":"harvard-smithsonian","role":"Institution with which Soon was affiliated"},{"id":"southern-company","role":"Funder; given pre-publication review of Soon's papers"}],"mechanism":"fossil-fuel research funding","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the other fossil fuel donors that make up the balance of the more than USD 1 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the content of the funded papers or their use in climate policy.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe effects on nature.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"hill-knowlton-and-edelman-climate-pr-work","tier":"short","title":"Hill & Knowlton and Edelman: PR for fossil fuel clients and climate summits","dek":"Hill & Knowlton handled communications for the COP27 climate summit in Egypt in 2022 while serving oil companies, and more than 420 scientists asked it to drop its fossil fuel clients. Edelman has held a contract with the American Petroleum Institute and won a COP30 contract in Brazil, so the question is which clients these firms serve while shaping public climate messaging.","country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","places":[{"country":"Egypt","iso2":"EG","admin":null,"lat":27.9,"lon":34.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":27.9,"lon":34.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":2005,"end":2025,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Egypt gave the COP27 climate summit's communications to Hill & Knowlton in 2022, and the firm's clients included ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron and Saudi Aramco, according to openDemocracy.","A letter from more than 420 scientists asked the firm to drop its fossil fuel clients, DeSmog reported on 4 November 2022.","DeSmog reported that Edelman's contract with the American Petroleum Institute, from 2005 to 2016, made up more than 10 percent of its revenue in 2010.","Edelman won an 835,000-dollar contract from Brazil's COP30 summit in 2025, in the same period in which it worked for Shell, Petrobras and Chevron, according to DeSmog."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Hill & Knowlton managed communications for the COP27 climate summit in Egypt in 2022, and Edelman has held contracts with the American Petroleum Institute and Brazil's COP30 summit.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Hill & Knowlton","what":"COP27 communications work; clients included ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron and Saudi Aramco","src":1},{"who":"Edelman","what":"American Petroleum Institute contract, 2005 to 2016; 835,000-dollar COP30 contract in 2025","src":3}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Egypt (COP27), Brazil (COP30), and the United States and Canada (American Petroleum Institute work)","src":3},"when":{"t":"Edelman's American Petroleum Institute contract ran from 2005 to 2016; COP27 work in 2022; COP30 contract in 2025.","src":3},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Paid communications and advertising contracts with fossil fuel companies and industry groups.","src":4}},"metrics":[{"key":"api_contract_share_of_revenue","value":10,"unit":"percent of revenue (more than)","year":2010,"note":"Edelman revenue from its American Petroleum Institute contract"},{"key":"edelman_fossil_contract_share","value":5.64,"unit":"percent of revenue","year":2025,"note":"share of Edelman revenue from fossil fuel advertising contracts, Clean Creatives 2025 report"},{"key":"cop30_contract_value","value":835000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"Edelman contract from Brazil's COP30 summit"},{"key":"scientists_urging_client_exit","value":420,"unit":"scientists (more than)","year":2022,"note":"letter asking the firm to drop fossil fuel clients"},{"key":"fossil_fuel_advertising_contracts","value":1217,"unit":"contracts","year":2025,"note":"between 709 agencies and fossil fuel clients in 74 countries"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Edelman's 2014 plan for TransCanada, reported as leaked, proposed distracting opponents and setting up front groups, and Edelman's 2015 pledge not to work with climate deniers (DeSmog, 26 November 2014).","Unconfirmed: Brulle and Werthman's 2021 finding that more than 600 PR firms worked on climate politics from 1988 to 2020, with about a third of that work in the largest 25 firms.","Unconfirmed: that Hill & Knowlton is owned by WPP, and that Edelman is the world's largest PR company and a family business."],"sources":[{"t":"Hill+Knowlton: COP27 communications and petroleum clients","p":"DeSmog","d":"2022-11-04","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2022/11/04/drop-fossil-fuels-400-scientists-pr-hill-knowlton-cop27/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260711211613/https://www.desmog.com/2022/11/04/drop-fossil-fuels-400-scientists-pr-hill-knowlton-cop27/"},{"t":"Hill+Knowlton PR and COP27 greenwash in Egypt","p":"openDemocracy","d":"2022-10-21","u":"https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/cop27-hillknowlton-pr-greenwash-egypt/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713015827/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/cop27-hillknowlton-pr-greenwash-egypt/"},{"t":"Edelman and TransCanada part ways after leaked documents","p":"DeSmog","d":"2014-11-26","u":"https://desmog.com/2014/11/26/edelman-and-transcanada-part-ways-after-leaked-documents-expose-aggressive-pr-attack-energy-east-pipeline-opponents","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419054953/https://www.desmog.com/2014/11/26/edelman-and-transcanada-part-ways-after-leaked-documents-expose-aggressive-pr-attack-energy-east-pipeline-opponents/"},{"t":"Edelman (DeSmog profile)","p":"DeSmog","d":"","u":"https://www.desmog.com/edelman/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904045226/https://www.desmog.com/edelman/"},{"t":"Advertising contracts with Big Oil hit record high as profits soar from war in Iran","p":"DeSmog","d":"2026-09-17","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2026/09/17/advertising-contracts-with-big-oil-hit-record-high-as-profits-soar-from-war-in-iran/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260918152847/https://www.desmog.com/2026/09/17/advertising-contracts-with-big-oil-hit-record-high-as-profits-soar-from-war-in-iran/"}],"actors":[{"id":"hill-knowlton","role":"communications agency for the COP27 summit and fossil fuel clients"},{"id":"edelman","role":"PR firm with American Petroleum Institute and COP30 contracts"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"agency client"},{"id":"shell","role":"agency client"},{"id":"chevron","role":"agency client"},{"id":"saudi-aramco","role":"agency client"},{"id":"american-petroleum-institute","role":"Edelman contract client, 2005 to 2016"},{"id":"petrobras","role":"Edelman client, 2025"},{"id":"brazil-government","role":"host of the COP30 summit; awarded Edelman a contract"}],"mechanism":"fossil fuel PR contracts","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Edelman's 2014 plan for TransCanada, reported as leaked, proposed distracting opponents and setting up front groups, and Edelman's 2015 pledge not to work with climate deniers (DeSmog, 26 November 2014).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Brulle and Werthman's 2021 finding that more than 600 PR firms worked on climate politics from 1988 to 2020, with about a third of that work in the largest 25 firms.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Hill & Knowlton is owned by WPP, and that Edelman is the world's largest PR company and a family business.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"climate-opposition-foundation-funding-flows","tier":"short","title":"Foundations gave 558 million dollars to climate-opposition groups, 2003-2010","dek":"A 2013 study found that 140 foundations gave 558 million dollars in 5,299 grants to 91 climate-opposition groups between 2003 and 2010. Donors Trust, which hides its donors, became about a quarter of traceable foundation funding, so much of the origin of the money is unknown.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2003,"end":2010,"instrument":"finance","happened":["A 2013 study by Brulle found that 140 foundations gave 558 million dollars, through 5,299 grants, to 91 climate-opposition organisations in 2003 to 2010 (ScienceDaily).","Donors Trust, a fund that conceals its donors, became about a quarter of the traceable foundation funding, according to the study (ScienceDaily).","Traceable donations from Koch and ExxonMobil foundations stopped after 2008, and about 75 percent of these organisations' income has no identified source (ScienceDaily)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Foundations gave 5,299 grants worth 558 million dollars to 91 climate-opposition organisations in 2003 to 2010, according to a 2013 study.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"91 climate-opposition organisations","what":"5,299 grants worth 558 million dollars from 140 foundations, 2003 to 2010","src":0},{"who":"Donors Trust","what":"About a quarter of traceable foundation funding","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"2003 to 2010; study published in December 2013","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Foundation grants routed through donor-directed funds, which hide the donor; traceable gifts from Koch and ExxonMobil foundations stopped after 2008.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"foundations_giving_to_climate_opponents","value":140,"unit":"foundations","year":null,"note":"2003 to 2010 period, Brulle 2013 study"},{"key":"funding_total","value":558000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"2003 to 2010, to 91 climate-opposition organisations"},{"key":"grants_count","value":5299,"unit":"grants","year":null,"note":"2003 to 2010, to 91 organisations"},{"key":"donors_trust_share_of_traceable_funding","value":25,"unit":"percent (approximately)","year":null,"note":"approximately a quarter of traceable foundation funding"},{"key":"untraceable_income_share","value":75,"unit":"percent (approximately)","year":null,"note":"share of the organisations' income with no identified source"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that climate denial costs about one billion dollars a year. Critics say the study's 900 million dollar figure is the total budget of the 91 organisations, not spending on climate.","None on record: the individual donors behind the untraceable share of funding."],"sources":[{"t":"Study of funding for climate-opposition organisations (Brulle, 2013)","p":"ScienceDaily","d":"2013-12","u":"https://sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131220154511.htm","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116043013/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131220154511.htm"}],"actors":[{"id":"donors-trust","role":"donor-advised fund that does not disclose its donors"},{"id":"koch-foundations","role":"funder whose traceable gifts stopped after 2008"},{"id":"exxonmobil-foundation","role":"funder whose traceable gifts stopped after 2008"}],"mechanism":"anonymous donor-advised funding","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that climate denial costs about one billion dollars a year. Critics say the study's 900 million dollar figure is the total budget of the 91 organisations, not spending on climate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the individual donors behind the untraceable share of funding.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"inpe-director-dismissal-after-deforestation-alerts","tier":"short","title":"Brazil removes space research chief after Amazon deforestation alerts","dek":"Brazil removed Ricardo Galvão, head of the national space research institute INPE, on 2 August 2019, after its DETER satellite alerts showed Amazon deforestation up 88 percent in June. Under the government, action was taken on only about 2 percent of deforestation alerts, which puts the reliability of official monitoring at stake.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Amazon","lat":-3.4,"lon":-60,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.4,"lon":-60,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2019,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["Brazil removed Ricardo Galvão as director of INPE on 2 August 2019, after its DETER satellite alerts showed Amazon deforestation 88 percent higher in June 2019 than a year earlier (Mongabay).","President Bolsonaro called the data a 'lie', according to Mongabay.","About 2 percent of deforestation alerts led to enforcement action under the Bolsonaro government, according to Eixos citing MapBiomas data.","Environmental infraction notices fell from 4,620 a year to 2,610 under Bolsonaro, according to a Poder360 analysis of UFMG data."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Brazil removed the director of the national space research institute INPE on 2 August 2019, after its satellite alerts showed Amazon deforestation up 88 percent in June.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Independent deforestation monitoring","what":"The director of the agency that issued the alerts was removed","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Amazon forest","what":"Deforestation alerts rose 88 percent in June 2019 against a year earlier","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Brazil, Amazon","src":0},"when":{"t":"June 2019 alerts; director removed on 2 August 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not give a formal reason; the president publicly called the data a 'lie'.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The agency director was removed, while enforcement action followed about 2 percent of deforestation alerts.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"deter_alerts_change_june_2019","value":88,"unit":"percent vs year earlier (Amazon)","year":2019,"note":"DETER satellite alerts, June 2019"},{"key":"deter_alerts_change_july_2019_first_half","value":68,"unit":"percent","year":2019,"note":"DETER satellite alerts, first half of July 2019"},{"key":"alerts_led_to_enforcement","value":2,"unit":"percent of deforestation alerts (approximately)","year":null,"note":"under the Bolsonaro government, MapBiomas data via Eixos"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: annual official PRODES deforestation figures of 10,129 square kilometres in 2019, 13,038 in 2021 (the peak), 6,288 in 2024 and 5,796 in 2025, and a fall after the government changed.","None on record: the formal grounds for the removal of Ricardo Galvão."],"sources":[{"t":"Future of Amazon deforestation data in doubt as research head sacked","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-08-05","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/future-of-amazon-deforestation-data-in-doubt-as-research-head-sacked/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260516230540/https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/future-of-amazon-deforestation-data-in-doubt-as-research-head-sacked/"},{"t":"Environmental infraction notices down 43.5% under Bolsonaro","p":"Poder360","d":"2020","u":"https://www.poder360.com.br/brasil/numero-de-autos-de-infracao-ambiental-tem-queda-de-435-com-bolsonaro/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114211131/https://www.poder360.com.br/brasil/numero-de-autos-de-infracao-ambiental-tem-queda-de-435-com-bolsonaro/"},{"t":"Bolsonaro government inspected 2% of deforestation alerts","p":"Eixos","d":"","u":"https://eixos.com.br/governo-bolsonaro-fiscalizou-2-dos-alertas-de-desmatamento/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"inpe","role":"agency whose DETER alerts were disputed; director removed"},{"id":"brazil-government","role":"removed the INPE director"}],"mechanism":"forest monitoring head dismissed","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"DETER satellite alerts showed deforestation in my Amazon 88 percent higher in June 2019 than a year earlier; about 2 percent of deforestation alerts led to enforcement action, MapBiomas data show.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: annual official PRODES deforestation figures of 10,129 square kilometres in 2019, 13,038 in 2021 (the peak), 6,288 in 2024 and 5,796 in 2025, and a fall after the government changed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the formal grounds for the removal of Ricardo Galvão.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"gadgil-report-on-western-ghats-and-wayanad-landslide","tier":"short","title":"Western Ghats protection plan left unimplemented; Wayanad villages were listed","dek":"A 2011 expert panel led by Madhav Gadgil proposed declaring much of the Western Ghats ecologically sensitive and banning quarries; Kerala and Karnataka opposed it and it was not implemented. Villages in Wayanad, Kerala, that were on the sensitive list were hit by a landslide on 30 July 2024.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Kerala","lat":11.6,"lon":76.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":11.6,"lon":76.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["In 2011 a panel led by Madhav Gadgil proposed declaring large parts of the Western Ghats ecologically sensitive and banning quarries (The Tribune).","The Kerala and Karnataka governments opposed the proposal, and it was not implemented (The Tribune).","Wayanad villages were on the panel's sensitive list when a landslide struck on 30 July 2024 (The Tribune).","A World Weather Attribution study of 14 August 2024 found that climate models indicate about a 10% increase in the intensity of the one-day rainfall that triggered the July 2024 Wayanad landslides, with high uncertainty; the observed trend was about 17%."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2011 expert panel led by Madhav Gadgil recommended protecting large parts of the Western Ghats; the recommendation was not implemented, and Wayanad villages on its sensitive list were struck by a landslide in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Western Ghats ecosystem","what":"Proposed protection was not put into effect, and no warning or decision followed","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Wayanad villages on the sensitive list","what":"Hit by a landslide on 30 July 2024","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Western Ghats, India; Wayanad, Kerala","src":0},"when":{"t":"Panel recommendation in 2011; landslide on 30 July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An expert recommendation to designate sensitive areas and ban quarries, which state governments opposed.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: at least 229 deaths in the Wayanad landslide as of 10 August 2024, with hundreds missing (Deccan Herald).","Unconfirmed: sensitive-area shares of about 64 percent under the Gadgil proposal and about 37 percent under the Kasturirangan panel.","Unconfirmed: that the unimplemented report caused or worsened the landslide. The link rests on opinion columns, not on causal research."],"sources":[{"t":"Experts say infrastructure causes disasters in Western Ghats","p":"The Tribune","d":"2024-08-01","u":"https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/experts-infra-projects-cause-of-disasters-in-western-ghats","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240917155924/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/india/experts-infra-projects-cause-of-disasters-in-western-ghats/"},{"t":"Landslide triggering rainfall made more intense by human-induced climate change, devastating highly vulnerable communities in northern Kerala","p":"World Weather Attribution","d":"2024-08-14","u":"https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/landslide-triggering-rainfall-made-more-intense-by-human-induced-climate-change-devastating-highly-vulnerable-communities-in-northern-kerala/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"gadgil-panel","role":"recommended sensitive-area designation and a quarry ban"},{"id":"kerala-government","role":"opposed the proposal"},{"id":"karnataka-government","role":"opposed the proposal"}],"mechanism":"ecologically sensitive area designation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: at least 229 deaths in the Wayanad landslide as of 10 August 2024, with hundreds missing (Deccan Herald).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: sensitive-area shares of about 64 percent under the Gadgil proposal and about 37 percent under the Kasturirangan panel.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the unimplemented report caused or worsened the landslide. The link rests on opinion columns, not on causal research.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"us-acid-rain-program-cap-and-trade","tier":"short","title":"US power-plant sulfur emissions fell over 95%, EPA says","dek":"The 1990 Clean Air Act amendments capped power-plant sulfur dioxide emissions and let companies trade allowances. EPA reports that emissions fell more than 95 percent and that the number of monitored lakes and streams above the critical acid threshold improved by 81 percent.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":1990,"end":2022,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["EPA reports that annual sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants fell by more than 95 percent after the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, which set a binding cap and allowed allowances to be traded.","EPA reports that wet sulfate deposition fell by more than 70 percent between 1989-1991 and 2020-2022, and that the number of monitored lakes and streams above the critical threshold improved by 81 percent."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"EPA reports that the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments capped power-plant sulfur dioxide emissions with tradable allowances, and that annual emissions fell more than 95 percent.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Power plants and electricity customers","what":"Paid for the reduction","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Programme in force since 1990; EPA results measured to 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A cap on total sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants, divided into allowances that could be bought and sold.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"so2_emissions_decline","value":95,"unit":"percent decline (more than)","year":2022,"note":"annual power-plant sulfur dioxide emissions, EPA"},{"key":"wet_sulfate_deposition_decline","value":70,"unit":"percent decline (more than)","year":2022,"note":"comparing 1989-1991 with 2020-2022"},{"key":"lakes_streams_improvement","value":81,"unit":"percent","year":2022,"note":"monitored lakes and streams above the critical threshold"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that programme costs came in well below 1990 estimates, with allowance prices of about 100 dollars per ton against forecasts of 1,000 to 2,000 dollars; a forecast of 6.1 billion dollars against actual costs of 1.1 to 1.7 billion dollars is also reported, and the method of that comparison is disputed.","Unconfirmed: that the allowance market collapsed after court rulings, according to a 2013 Journal of Economic Perspectives article by Schmalensee and Stavins.","None on record: how much of the lake recovery came from the sulfur reductions rather than other factors."],"sources":[{"t":"Acid Rain Program results","p":"US Environmental Protection Agency","d":"2026-02-19","u":"https://epa.gov/acidrain/acid-rain-program-results","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261008123144/https://www.epa.gov/acidrain/acid-rain-program-results"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"published the programme results"}],"mechanism":"sulfur dioxide cap-and-trade","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The number of my monitored lakes and streams above the critical acid threshold improved by 81 percent, EPA reports, after power-plant sulfur dioxide emissions fell by more than 95 percent.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that programme costs came in well below 1990 estimates, with allowance prices of about 100 dollars per ton against forecasts of 1,000 to 2,000 dollars; a forecast of 6.1 billion dollars against actual costs of 1.1 to 1.7 billion dollars is also reported, and the method of that comparison is disputed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the allowance market collapsed after court rulings, according to a 2013 Journal of Economic Perspectives article by Schmalensee and Stavins.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how much of the lake recovery came from the sulfur reductions rather than other factors.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Power plants and electricity customers"]},{"id":"ddt-ban-in-the-us","tier":"short","title":"US bans DDT in 1972; bald eagle breeding pairs rebound","dek":"The EPA banned DDT in 1972, and the bald eagle was removed from the protected list in 2007. Breeding pairs in 48 states rose from 417 in 1963 to 71,467 in the 2018-2019 counts, while lead poisoning still affected about 46 percent of eagles tested.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":1972,"end":2019,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["The EPA banned DDT in 1972, according to an EPA Journal article on the recovery of eagles and other birds after the ban (EPA archive).","Bald eagle breeding pairs in 48 states rose from 417 in 1963 to 71,467 in the 2018-2019 counts, and the species was removed from the protected list in 2007 (US Fish and Wildlife Service).","The Stockholm Convention, in force since 2004, allows DDT only against disease-carrying mosquitoes such as malaria vectors where no equivalent alternative exists, and in 2020 an expert group proposed a focused phase-out (Stockholm Convention secretariat)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EPA banned DDT in the United States in 1972, and bald eagle populations later recovered; the species was removed from the protected list in 2007.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bald eagle","what":"Breeding pairs rose from 417 in 1963 to 71,467 in the 2018-2019 counts","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Bald eagles","what":"DDT thinned their eggshells before the ban","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"United States, 48 states","src":1},"when":{"t":"Ban in 1972; eagle counts from 1963 to 2018-2019; removal from the protected list in 2007","src":1},"why":{"t":"The cited sources link the ban to DDT thinning eagles' eggshells.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A federal ban on DDT issued by the EPA.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"bald_eagle_pairs_1963","value":417,"unit":"nesting pairs in 48 states","year":1963,"note":"start of the count"},{"key":"bald_eagle_pairs_2019","value":71467,"unit":"nesting pairs","year":2019,"note":"2018-2019 counts; about 316,700 birds"},{"key":"eagles_with_harmful_lead","value":46,"unit":"percent of 1,210 eagles tested","year":null,"note":"bald eagles tested in 38 states, 2010-2018, with harmful lead levels in their bones"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: that the 1963 baseline was about 487 pairs in another official document.","Unconfirmed: the announcement date of 14 June 1972, the effective date of 31 December 1972, and that the ban exempted public health emergencies.","None on record: how much of the eagle recovery came from habitat protection rather than the ban."],"sources":[{"t":"Eagles, other birds thrive after EPA's 1972 DDT ban","p":"EPA Journal (EPA archive)","d":"1983","u":"https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/eagles-other-birds-thrive-after-epas-1972-ddt-ban.html","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260923085246/https://www.epa.gov/archive/epa/aboutepa/eagles-other-birds-thrive-after-epas-1972-ddt-ban.html"},{"t":"Bald eagle population and recovery causes","p":"US Fish and Wildlife Service","d":"","u":"https://www.fws.gov/node/30159","type":"government"},{"t":"DDT overview","p":"Stockholm Convention secretariat","d":"","u":"https://www.pops.int/Implementation/DDT/Overview/tabid/378/","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606192009/https://www.pops.int/Implementation/DDT/Overview/tabid/378/"}],"actors":[{"id":"us-epa","role":"issued the 1972 DDT ban"},{"id":"usfws","role":"published bald eagle population data"},{"id":"stockholm-convention","role":"global DDT rules and phase-out proposal"}],"mechanism":"federal DDT ban","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My bald eagle breeding pairs in 48 states rose from 417 in 1963 to 71,467 in the 2018-2019 counts; DDT was banned in 1972.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the 1963 baseline was about 487 pairs in another official document.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the announcement date of 14 June 1972, the effective date of 31 December 1972, and that the ban exempted public health emergencies.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how much of the eagle recovery came from habitat protection rather than the ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tobacco-master-settlement-and-kessler-rico-ruling","tier":"short","title":"US judge finds tobacco firms violated RICO; remedies later cut back","dek":"On 17 August 2006 Judge Gladys Kessler found that the tobacco companies had violated the federal racketeering law (RICO) by defrauding the public for about 50 years. A higher court had barred the return of 280 billion dollars in past profits, leaving the companies with corrective statements and costs.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2006,"end":2006,"instrument":"influence","happened":["On 17 August 2006 Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that the tobacco companies had violated the RICO racketeering law by defrauding the public for about 50 years (NBC News/Reuters).","A higher court had barred the return of 280 billion dollars in past profits, and a 14 billion dollar programme request was rejected (NBC News/Reuters).","The companies were left with duties to issue corrective statements and to pay litigation costs (NBC News/Reuters)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Judge Gladys Kessler found in August 2006 that the tobacco companies violated RICO by defrauding the public for about 50 years, but the remedies were cut back to corrective statements and costs.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tobacco companies","what":"Remedies limited to corrective statements and costs; 280 billion dollars of past profits not returned","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"The public","what":"Misled for about 50 years, according to the court's finding","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling on 17 August 2006; the period of fraud covered about 50 years","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A federal racketeering (RICO) case in which the judge found a pattern of fraud, with remedies narrowed by a higher court.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"fraud_period_years","value":50,"unit":"years (approximately)","year":2006,"note":"period over which the court found the public was misled"},{"key":"disgorgement_barred","value":280000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2006,"note":"past profits whose return was barred by a higher court"},{"key":"programme_request_rejected","value":14000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2006,"note":"programme request rejected"},{"key":"case_costs","value":130000000,"unit":"USD (more than)","year":2006,"note":"costs of the case exceeded 130 million dollars"}],"legal":[{"title":"Kessler RICO ruling against tobacco companies","forum":"US federal court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"Tobacco companies","filed":null,"decided":"2006-08-17","status":"reduced-on-appeal","summary":"Judge Gladys Kessler found RICO violations; a higher court barred the return of 280 billion dollars in past profits, and the companies were left with corrective statements and costs.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with 46 states, about 206 billion dollars over 25 years, and a 40 to 50 cent rise in pack prices after it.","Unconfirmed: a 1994 perjury inquiry into seven company chief executives who had testified that they believed nicotine was not addictive; no charges were brought.","None on record: whether any company executive was personally prosecuted in connection with the ruling."],"sources":[{"t":"Judge finds tobacco companies violated RICO (NBC News/Reuters)","p":"NBC News/Reuters","d":"2006-08-17","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14395333","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260906090524/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14395333"}],"actors":[{"id":"tobacco-companies","role":"defendants found to have violated RICO"}],"mechanism":"RICO racketeering ruling","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement with 46 states, about 206 billion dollars over 25 years, and a 40 to 50 cent rise in pack prices after it.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 1994 perjury inquiry into seven company chief executives who had testified that they believed nicotine was not addictive; no charges were brought.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any company executive was personally prosecuted in connection with the ruling.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mkomazi-evictions","tier":"short","title":"Herders with residence papers forced out of Mkomazi reserve","dek":"In the 1980s and 1990s, herders with written residence rights were forced out of the Mkomazi reserve in Tanzania, and the dispute went to court, according to a 1997 IIED report. The cited sources do not give how many people were removed or the outcome of the case, so the scale of the loss is unknown.","country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","places":[{"country":"Tanzania","iso2":"TZ","admin":null,"lat":-4.6,"lon":37.7,"role":"event"}],"lat":-4.6,"lon":37.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":1980,"end":1997,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Herders with written proof of residence rights were forcibly removed from the Mkomazi reserve, and a case was brought to court, according to a 1997 IIED report.","Brockington's 2002 book Fortress Conservation draws on this case, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Herders with written residence rights were forcibly removed from the Mkomazi reserve in Tanzania in the 1980s and 1990s, and the case was taken to court, according to a 1997 IIED report.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Herders with written residence rights","what":"Residence on the reserve land ended","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Herders with written residence rights","what":"Forcibly removed from the reserve","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Mkomazi reserve, Tanzania","src":0},"when":{"t":"1980s to 1990s; report published January 1997","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Forced removal of herders from the reserve; the dispute was taken to court.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the number of people removed; the 1997 report gives no figure.","None on record: the outcome of the court case over the removals.","Unconfirmed: about 250 eviction reports across 184 protected areas worldwide, with under-reporting likely (Brockington and Igoe, 2006)."],"sources":[{"t":"Herders with written residence permits forcibly removed from reserve; court case filed","p":"IIED","d":"1997-01","u":"https://www.iied.org/7367iied","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250325082139/https://www.iied.org/7367iied"}],"actors":[{"id":"mkomazi-reserve","role":"reserve from which the herders were removed"},{"id":"iied","role":"published the 1997 report"}],"mechanism":"forced removal from reserve","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of people removed; the 1997 report gives no figure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the court case over the removals.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 250 eviction reports across 184 protected areas worldwide, with under-reporting likely (Brockington and Igoe, 2006).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"himachal-pradesh-afforestation-programmes","tier":"short","title":"Decades of planting in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover","dek":"A 2021 study found no net canopy gain across 430 plantations in the Indian state, and little direct benefit for local people from decades of planting.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Himachal Pradesh","lat":31.1,"lon":77.17,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.1,"lon":77.17,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2021,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["A 2021 study in Nature Sustainability found that decades of planting programmes in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover.","The study found no net increase in canopy cover across 430 plantations.","Local people received little direct benefit from the programmes, the study reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Decades of afforestation in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover, a 2021 study found.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Local people","what":"little direct benefit from the programmes","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Himachal Pradesh, India","src":0},"when":{"t":"Planting over several decades; study published in 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Large-scale planting; canopy change was measured across 430 plantations.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"plantations_without_canopy_gain","value":430,"unit":"plantations","year":2021,"note":"plantations with no net canopy increase"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Average forest-cover figures and the total area studied are not on record.","Which agencies ran the programmes, and who received planting payments, is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Nature Sustainability (2021) study on Himachal Pradesh plantations, repository record","p":"University of Minnesota Conservancy","d":"2021","u":"https://conservancy.umn.edu/items/53a912fe-88f0-43b6-95cb-910fedcb5094","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260112214117/https://conservancy.umn.edu/items/53a912fe-88f0-43b6-95cb-910fedcb5094"},{"t":"Nature Sustainability (2021) study on Himachal Pradesh plantations, abstract record","p":"RePEc (IDEAS)","d":"2021","u":"https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natsus/v4y2021i11d10.1038_s41893-021-00761-z.html","type":"reference"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"afforestation planting programmes","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Decades of planting in my name in Himachal Pradesh did not raise average forest cover; a 2021 study found no net canopy increase across 430 plantations.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Average forest-cover figures and the total area studied are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Which agencies ran the programmes, and who received planting payments, is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"philippines-national-greening-program-audit","tier":"short","title":"State auditors reported 61% survival for Philippine tree planting, 2015-2019","dek":"Reviewing 2015-2019 tree planting by the environment department, state auditors reported a 61 per cent survival rate. Whether the planting restored forest is not on record.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2019,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["State auditors reviewing tree planting by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for 2015-2019 reported hectares and seedling numbers and a 61 per cent survival rate, as reported by the Inquirer."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"State auditors reported 61 per cent survival for trees planted under the environment department's 2015-2019 tree-planting programme.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines, national programme; areas not stated","src":0},"when":{"t":"Audit covers 2015-2019 planting","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hectares and seedlings planted were counted, and seedling survival was reported by the auditors.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"survival_rate","value":61,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"survival rate reported by state auditors for 2015-2019 planting"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: auditors found that 88.17 per cent of 2011-2019 targets were not met.","The audit period differs between sources (2015-2019 and 2011-2019).","Hectares planted, seedling counts and programme costs are not on record.","Who was paid for planting is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Inquirer report on the state audit of DENR tree planting","p":"Inquirer","d":"","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/687426/coa-p7b-tree-planting-project-of-denr-a-failure","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240511170415/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/687426/coa-p7b-tree-planting-project-of-denr-a-failure"}],"actors":[{"id":"denr-philippines","role":"agency running the tree-planting programme"},{"id":"philippine-state-auditor","role":"auditor; reported the survival rate"}],"mechanism":"reforestation planting programme","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Tree planting in my name in the Philippines in 2015-2019 had a 61 per cent survival rate, state auditors reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: auditors found that 88.17 per cent of 2011-2019 targets were not met.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The audit period differs between sources (2015-2019 and 2011-2019).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Hectares planted, seedling counts and programme costs are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who was paid for planting is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"shell-sky-1-5-scenario-with-700-million-ha-reforestation","tier":"short","title":"Shell's 1.5C scenario relied on 700 million hectares of new forest","dek":"Shell's February 2021 Sky 1.5 scenario assumed about 700 million hectares of reforestation and net zero in 2058, with fossil fuels still in use. Carbon Brief and Oxfam set out how much land such a route would need.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2021,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Shell's Sky 1.5 scenario, published in February 2021, assumed about 700 million hectares of reforestation over the century, an area close to the size of Brazil, and net zero by 2058, according to Carbon Brief.","Under the scenario fossil fuels were still widely used in 2100, Carbon Brief reported.","Shell said it would invest up to $300 million in natural ecosystems from 2019 to 2021 and offered customers carbon-neutral driving; the Dutch Advertising Code Committee found its CO2-neutral adverts misleading, though its decisions are not binding.","Oxfam calculated in 2021 that reaching net zero through land alone would need at least 1.6 billion hectares of new forest, five times India's area, and that the net-zero plans of BP, Eni, Shell and TotalEnergies could alone require planting an area twice the UK's."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Shell's February 2021 Sky 1.5 scenario assumed about 700 million hectares of reforestation and net zero in 2058, with fossil fuels still in use.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shell","what":"offered customers carbon-neutral driving by offsetting fuel emissions","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global scenario; the Dutch advertising ruling was made in the Netherlands","src":0},"when":{"t":"Investment 2019-2021; scenario published February 2021; net zero in 2058","src":0},"why":{"t":"Shell's scenario was framed as a route to the 1.5C climate goal, according to Carbon Brief's 2021 analysis.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A scenario model in which large-scale reforestation removes carbon while oil, gas and coal remain in use.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"reforestation_area","value":700000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2021,"note":"assumed reforestation over the century in the Sky 1.5 scenario"},{"key":"net_zero_year","value":2058,"unit":"year","year":2058,"note":"net zero reached under the scenario"},{"key":"shell_nature_investment","value":300000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"up to, for natural ecosystems, 2019-2021"},{"key":"oxfam_land_needed","value":1600000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2021,"note":"at least, of new forest for net zero through land alone (Oxfam)"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The 2019-2021 investment and the Dutch advertising ruling are cited without a source link in the cited sources.","Whether any of the planned reforestation was carried out is not stated.","Shell's response to the scenario criticism is not in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Shell says new Brazil-sized forest would be needed to meet 1.5C climate goal","p":"Carbon Brief","d":"2021-02-12","u":"https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-shell-says-new-brazil-sized-forest-would-be-needed-to-meet-1-5c-climate-goal","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260907094601/https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-shell-says-new-brazil-sized-forest-would-be-needed-to-meet-1-5c-climate-goal"},{"t":"Net zero: time to tighten the net","p":"Oxfam GB","d":"2021-08-03","u":"https://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/oxfam-blog/net-zero-time-to-tighten-the-net/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260417092008/https://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/oxfam-blog/net-zero-time-to-tighten-the-net/"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"author of the Sky 1.5 scenario; offered carbon-neutral driving"},{"id":"dutch-advertising-code-committee","role":"advertising regulator that found the CO2-neutral adverts misleading"}],"mechanism":"net-zero scenario with reforestation","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Shell's Sky 1.5 scenario of February 2021 assumed about 700 million hectares of my land reforested over the century, Carbon Brief reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The 2019-2021 investment and the Dutch advertising ruling are cited without a source link in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any of the planned reforestation was carried out is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Shell's response to the scenario criticism is not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Shell"]},{"id":"tnc-dow-chemical-partnership-and-wwf-coca-cola-relationship","tier":"short","title":"Nature Conservancy began $10 million partnership with Dow Chemical in 2011","dek":"The Nature Conservancy began a five-year, $10 million cooperation with Dow Chemical in January 2011, and reporting cited in the sources says WWF has had a $20 million relationship with Coca-Cola since 2007. The sources do not settle whether company money shapes conservation advice.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2021,"instrument":"shipping","happened":["Harvard Gazette reported in 2013 that Dow formed a $10 million nature-valuation partnership with The Nature Conservancy in 2011, and that the initiative was Dow's.","Asked whether Dow would follow TNC's recommendations, Peter Kareiva, TNC's chief scientist, answered fifty per cent, according to reporting cited in the sources.","The same reporting says WWF has had a $20 million relationship with Coca-Cola since 2007.","In January 2021 Dow agreed a Clean Air Act flaring settlement covering four plants in Texas and Louisiana, with a $3 million penalty and about $294 million in pollution controls, according to a US Department of Justice release."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Nature Conservancy began a five-year, $10 million cooperation with Dow Chemical in January 2011; WWF has had a $20 million relationship with Coca-Cola since 2007.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Dow Chemical","what":"five-year, $10 million cooperation with TNC from January 2011; initiative described as Dow's","src":0},{"who":"Coca-Cola","what":"relationship with WWF reported at $20 million since 2007","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global partnerships; Dow's settlement covered plants in Texas and Louisiana","src":1},"when":{"t":"Partnerships from 2007 and 2011; Dow settlement in January 2021","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Companies funded conservation groups through multi-year cooperations; the sources do not describe what the Dow cooperation delivered.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tnc_dow_cooperation","value":10000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2011,"note":"five-year cooperation begun January 2011"},{"key":"wwf_coca_cola_relationship","value":20000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2007,"note":"relationship since 2007, per reporting cited in the sources"},{"key":"dow_settlement_penalty","value":3000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2021,"note":"Clean Air Act flaring settlement, four plants"},{"key":"dow_pollution_controls","value":294000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2021,"note":"about, in pollution controls under the settlement"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Dow, Chevron, BP and Shell were listed as members of TNC's International Business Council; Dow's membership could not be confirmed on a primary source.","Unconfirmed: BP gave TNC about $10 million in cash and land, cited from a 2010 Washington Post report through a secondary site.","The sources do not say what the Dow cooperation delivered, or whether Dow followed TNC's recommendations.","The WWF-Coca-Cola figure has no source link in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Putting a price on nature","p":"Harvard Gazette","d":"2013-10","u":"https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/10/putting-a-price-on-nature","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410012238/https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/10/putting-a-price-on-nature/"},{"t":"Dow Chemical Company and two subsidiaries will reduce harmful air pollution at four US chemical plants","p":"US Department of Justice","d":"2021-01-27","u":"https://justice.gov/opa/pr/dow-chemical-company-and-two-subsidiaries-will-reduce-harmful-air-pollution-four-us-chemical","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250206013642/https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/dow-chemical-company-and-two-subsidiaries-will-reduce-harmful-air-pollution-four-us-chemical"}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"conservation group; cooperation partner"},{"id":"dow-chemical","role":"company; cooperation partner; 2021 settlement"},{"id":"wwf","role":"conservation group; relationship with Coca-Cola"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"company; relationship with WWF"}],"mechanism":"corporate conservation partnerships","types":["shipping"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Dow, Chevron, BP and Shell were listed as members of TNC's International Business Council; Dow's membership could not be confirmed on a primary source.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: BP gave TNC about $10 million in cash and land, cited from a 2010 Washington Post report through a secondary site.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say what the Dow cooperation delivered, or whether Dow followed TNC's recommendations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The WWF-Coca-Cola figure has no source link in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Coca-Cola"]},{"id":"farmer-managed-natural-regeneration-in-niger","tier":"short","title":"Farmer-managed regeneration in Niger spread to about 5 million hectares by 2004","dek":"From 1983 in Maradi, farmers pruned and protected trees that regrew from stumps in their fields. The method needed little planting, and farmers supplied the labour.","country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","places":[{"country":"Niger","iso2":"NE","admin":"Maradi region","lat":13.5,"lon":7.1,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.5,"lon":7.1,"approxCoords":true,"start":1983,"end":2004,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["USGS EROS reported that farmer-managed natural regeneration began in 1983 in Maradi, Niger, with about ten farmers pruning and protecting trees that regrew from roots left in fields.","By 2004 the method had spread to about 5 million hectares, described in the sources as about half of Niger's farmland, and was associated with more than 500,000 tonnes of extra grain a year.","Forest laws that had taken tree ownership from farmers from the 1930s until 1993 changed, so farmers came to own the trees; because no planting was needed, costs stayed low.","The UNCCD's 2026 five-year review of the Great Green Wall Accelerator lists 367,618 hectares under restoration in Niger among the trackable progress indicators of the 11 Great Green Wall countries, as validated by technical and financial partners. This is a different measure from the area under farmer-managed regeneration."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Farmers in Niger regenerated trees from stumps left in their fields, reaching about 5 million hectares by 2004.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers in Niger","what":"more than 500,000 tonnes of extra grain a year, associated with the method","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"bear the cost in their own labour, through pruning and protection","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Maradi region, Niger, spreading across the country","src":0},"when":{"t":"Began in 1983; about 5 million hectares by 2004; tree-ownership law changed in 1993","src":0},"why":null,"how":{"t":"Farmers pruned and protected trees that regrew from roots and stumps in their fields.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"area_regenerated","value":5000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2004,"note":"area under the method by 2004"},{"key":"extra_grain","value":500000,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":null,"note":"more than 500,000 tonnes of extra grain a year, associated with the method"},{"key":"initial_farmers","value":10,"unit":"farmers","year":1983,"note":"about ten farmers at the start in Maradi"},{"key":"area_under_restoration_ggw","value":367618,"unit":"ha","year":2026,"note":"Great Green Wall progress indicator for Niger (UNCCD five-year review); different scope from farmer-managed regeneration."}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Niger's government role, and any payments to farmers, are not on record.","The grain figure is described as associated with the method; the sources do not establish that the method caused it.","The current area under regeneration is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Landscape restoration and re-greening","p":"USGS EROS","d":"2023-05-18","u":"https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/landscape-restoration-and-re-greening","type":"government"},{"t":"Agroenvironmental Transformation in the Sahel: Another Kind of Green Revolution (IFPRI Discussion Paper 00914)","p":"International Food Policy Research Institute (Reij, Tappan, Smale)","d":"2009-11","u":"https://www.oerafrica.org/system/files/2024-01/agroenvironmental-transformation-sahel_0.pdf","type":"academic"},{"t":"Five Years of the GGW Accelerator: A Journey of Restoration, Resilience, and Regional Collaboration","p":"UNCCD","d":"2026-08","u":"https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/2026-08/GGWA_5_year_review.pdf","type":"official"}],"actors":[{"id":"niger-farmers","role":"practitioners of the regeneration method"}],"mechanism":"farmer-managed natural regeneration","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["great-green-wall-core-area"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Farmer-managed regeneration spread to about 5 million hectares of me in Niger by 2004, associated with more than 500,000 tonnes of extra grain a year.","src":[0,1]},"updated":"2026-10-19","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Niger's government role, and any payments to farmers, are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The grain figure is described as associated with the method; the sources do not establish that the method caused it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The current area under regeneration is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Why? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ray-hilborn-industry-funding-disclosure-dispute","tier":"short","title":"Greenpeace says fisheries scientist Ray Hilborn got $3.56m from seafood groups","dek":"Greenpeace's 2016 review of public records found that only 26 of Ray Hilborn's 138 papers disclosed company funding. Hilborn said he had no conflict of interest, and a University of Washington review found no violation.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":47.65,"lon":-122.31,"role":"event"}],"lat":47.65,"lon":-122.31,"approxCoords":true,"start":2003,"end":2016,"instrument":"water","happened":["Greenpeace reported in May 2016, drawing on public records, that University of Washington fisheries scientist Ray Hilborn had received at least $3.56 million from 69 fisheries and seafood groups since 2003.","Greenpeace said company funding was stated in only 26 of Hilborn's 138 papers, and that such funding made up more than 20 per cent of his outside funding.","Hilborn said he had no conflict of interest and that most of his funding came from Alaska community groups; a university review found no violation.","In July 2009 Hilborn co-authored a Science paper with Boris Worm, whose 2006 forecast the press had narrowed to a 2048 collapse of fisheries; the paper reported that pressure had fallen in half of ten ecosystems with detailed data."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Greenpeace reported in May 2016 that Ray Hilborn had received at least $3.56 million from 69 fisheries and seafood groups since 2003, and that company funding was stated in 26 of his 138 papers.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ray Hilborn","what":"at least $3.56 million from 69 fisheries and seafood groups since 2003, per Greenpeace","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"University of Washington, Seattle; funding from Alaska community groups, per Hilborn","src":0},"when":{"t":"Funding reported for 2003-2015; Greenpeace report in May 2016","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Greenpeace drew on public records; the papers were checked for disclosure of company funding.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"industry_funding_received","value":3560000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2015,"note":"at least, from 69 fisheries and seafood groups since 2003"},{"key":"papers_disclosing_company_funding","value":26,"unit":"papers","year":null,"note":"of 138 papers"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The list of the 69 groups is not in the cited sources.","The scope and date of the university review are not stated.","Hilborn's statements are cited as his response and have not been independently checked."],"sources":[{"t":"UW fisheries professor faces complaint from Greenpeace","p":"OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting)","d":"2016-05-13","u":"https://www.opb.org/news/article/uw-fisheries-professor-faces-complaint-from-greenpeace","type":"press"},{"t":"Boris Worm study on rebuilding global fisheries","p":"Dalhousie University","d":"2009-07-30","u":"https://dal.ca/news/2009/07/30/BorisWormStudy.html","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200531231432/https://www.dal.ca/news/2009/07/30/BorisWormStudy.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"greenpeace","role":"complainant; reported the funding figures"},{"id":"university-of-washington","role":"employer of the scientist; review found no violation"}],"mechanism":"industry funding disclosure","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The list of the 69 groups is not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The scope and date of the university review are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Hilborn's statements are cited as his response and have not been independently checked.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"noel-kempff-climate-action-project","tier":"short","title":"Bolivian carbon scheme claimed 55 million tonnes; review found at most 5.8 million","dek":"The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia was set up by TNC with BP and two electricity companies. Its claimed savings were far above the figure a Greenpeace review found.","country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","places":[{"country":"Bolivia","iso2":"BO","admin":null,"lat":-14.44,"lon":-60.93,"role":"event"}],"lat":-14.44,"lon":-60.93,"approxCoords":true,"start":1997,"end":2010,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia, set up by TNC with BP and two electricity companies, ran from 1997 to 2010 and claimed savings of 55 million tonnes.","A Greenpeace review, reported in The Nation in March 2010, found savings of at most 5.8 million tonnes.","TNC accepted about $10 million in cash and land from BP over several years and gave BP a seat on its International Leadership Council.","BP's chief executive John Browne sat on Conservation International's board from 2000 to 2006, and CI received $2 million from BP."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project claimed 55 million tonnes of savings; a Greenpeace review found at most 5.8 million tonnes.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BP","what":"partner in the scheme; ties to TNC included a seat on its International Leadership Council","src":null},{"who":"The Nature Conservancy (TNC)","what":"accepted about $10 million in cash and land from BP","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bolivia","src":0},"when":{"t":"1997-2010","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The 55 million tonne figure was a claim; the 5.8 million tonne figure came from a Greenpeace review, and the sources do not describe the baseline used.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claimed_savings","value":55000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"claimed by the scheme"},{"key":"greenpeace_estimate","value":5800000,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"at most, per Greenpeace review"},{"key":"bp_payment_to_tnc","value":10000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"cash and land, over several years"},{"key":"bp_payment_to_ci","value":2000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"reported payment to Conservation International"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The BP payments to TNC and Conservation International, and the board seat details, have no source link in the cited sources.","The baseline and counting method behind the 55 million tonne claim are not stated.","Whether any credits were sold, and to whom, is not stated.","Changes to the forest after 2010 are not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"The wrong kind of green","p":"The Nation (J. Hari)","d":"2010-03-04","u":"https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/wrong-kind-green-2/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260310213045/https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/wrong-kind-green-2/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tnc","role":"conservation group; set up the scheme with BP"},{"id":"bp","role":"company; partner in the scheme; donor to TNC"}],"mechanism":"forest carbon offsetting","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A carbon scheme on my forest in Bolivia claimed savings of 55 million tonnes; a Greenpeace review found at most 5.8 million, The Nation reported in March 2010.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The BP payments to TNC and Conservation International, and the board seat details, have no source link in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The baseline and counting method behind the 55 million tonne claim are not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether any credits were sold, and to whom, is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Changes to the forest after 2010 are not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: BP","No source link — Who gained: The Nature Conservancy (TNC)"]},{"id":"chepang-youth-death-in-chitwan-and-house-burnings","tier":"short","title":"Chepang man dies in army custody after Chitwan park detention; homes reportedly burned","dek":"A 24-year-old Chepang man detained by Nepal Army soldiers in Chitwan National Park died in July 2020. Reports said that two days after his death, park guards burned and demolished the homes of landless Chepang families.","country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","places":[{"country":"Nepal","iso2":"NP","admin":null,"lat":27.55,"lon":84.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":27.55,"lon":84.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2020,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Reports say Nepal Army soldiers detained a 24-year-old Chepang man in Chitwan National Park on 16 July 2020, and that he died on 23 July.","Human Rights Watch reported the case on 28 July 2020; it says park guards burned and demolished homes of landless Chepang families two days after the death."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Chepang man died after Nepal Army detention in Chitwan National Park in July 2020; reports say park guards then burned and demolished Chepang families’ homes.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"A 24-year-old Chepang man","what":"Died after army detention, according to reports","src":null},{"who":"Landless Chepang families","what":"Homes reportedly burned and demolished two days after the death","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Chitwan National Park, Nepal","src":null},"when":{"t":"July 2020","src":null},"why":{"t":"The cited sources say he was reported to have entered the park to collect snails; the reason for his detention is not stated.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Detained by army soldiers guarding the park; park guards reportedly burned and demolished the homes.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 2020 summary describes the death as an accident; who made that claim is not stated.","The sources differ on timing: one account says the death came six days after detention, while another gives 16 July for the detention and 23 July for the death.","Unconfirmed: a sergeant was tried; one account says a district court gave nine months for negligence in July 2021, and another says the Patan High Court gave life imprisonment on 20 February 2022. The accounts conflict.","Unconfirmed: the family reached a settlement, reportedly 1,000 rupees a month, and a sergeant was arrested.","The cited sources do not say who benefited from clearing the families’ homes, or give the outcome of any proceeding over the death or the house burnings."],"sources":[{"t":"Nepal park guards accused of persecuting indigenous people","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2020-07-28","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/28/nepal-park-guards-accused-persecuting-indigenous-people","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926170803/https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/07/28/nepal-park-guards-accused-persecuting-indigenous-people"}],"actors":[{"id":"nepal-army","role":"Soldiers held the man in custody"},{"id":"human-rights-watch","role":"Reported the case"}],"mechanism":"army custody, house burnings","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2020 summary describes the death as an accident; who made that claim is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The sources differ on timing: one account says the death came six days after detention, while another gives 16 July for the detention and 23 July for the death.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a sergeant was tried; one account says a district court gave nine months for negligence in July 2021, and another says the Patan High Court gave life imprisonment on 20 February 2022. The accounts conflict.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the family reached a settlement, reportedly 1,000 rupees a month, and a sergeant was arrested.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who benefited from clearing the families’ homes, or give the outcome of any proceeding over the death or the house burnings.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: A 24-year-old Chepang man"]},{"id":"mongoose-introduction","tier":"short","title":"Mongooses brought to Hawaii to eat rats now prey on endangered birds and turtle eggs","dek":"The sugar industry brought the mongoose to Hawaii in 1883 to eat rats, and state officials say it now eats the eggs of eight endangered bird species. A 1999 estimate put its annual damage in Hawaii and Puerto Rico at US$50 million.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Hawaii","lat":20.8,"lon":-156.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.8,"lon":-156.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":1883,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the sugar industry brought the mongoose to Hawaii in 1883.","The department says the mongoose eats the eggs of eight endangered bird species, including the nene, and turtle eggs.","A 1999 estimate put the annual damage in Hawaii and Puerto Rico at US$50 million."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The mongoose was brought to Hawaii in 1883 to eat rats and now preys on endangered birds and turtle eggs, according to the state department.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Eight endangered Hawaiian bird species","what":"Eggs eaten, according to the Hawaii department; the nene is among them","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Hawaii, United States","src":null},"when":{"t":"From 1883","src":null},"why":{"t":"The sources describe it as brought in to eat rats, a natural alternative to chemical control.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Brought in by the sugar industry; the sources do not describe how many were released.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"annual_damage_hawaii_puerto_rico","value":50000000,"unit":"US dollars a year","year":1999,"note":"Estimate for Hawaii and Puerto Rico"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a sugar planter brought nine mongooses to Jamaica in 1872.","Unconfirmed: because mongooses hunt by day and rats by night, the introduction did not control rats; at least seven reptile and amphibian species were reportedly lost.","No early warning about the Hawaii introduction is on record.","The number of mongooses released in Hawaii is not stated."],"sources":[{"t":"Mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) species entry, Hawaii Invasive Species Council","p":"Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources","d":"","u":"https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/hisc/?p=10894","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"hawaii-dlnr","role":"Published the impact information cited"}],"mechanism":"rat-control predator introduction","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The mongoose was brought to me in Hawaii in 1883; it now eats the eggs of eight endangered bird species, the state's land department says.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a sugar planter brought nine mongooses to Jamaica in 1872.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: because mongooses hunt by day and rats by night, the introduction did not control rats; at least seven reptile and amphibian species were reportedly lost.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No early warning about the Hawaii introduction is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The number of mongooses released in Hawaii is not stated.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"planting-record-campaigns-madhya-pradesh-66-75-million-turki","tier":"short","title":"Record tree-planting claims in Ethiopia, India and Türkiye lack independent checks","dek":"Governments in Ethiopia and Türkiye announced planting totals and survival rates that no independent count has confirmed. Tree planting may also be unsuited to savanna land counted in African restoration pledges.","country":"Multiple countries","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Madhya Pradesh","lat":23.47,"lon":77.95,"role":"event"},{"country":"Türkiye","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":39,"lon":35,"role":"event"},{"country":"Ethiopia","iso2":"ET","admin":null,"lat":9.15,"lon":40.49,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2020,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Ethiopia's government said it planted 353 million seedlings in one day in 2019, and its prime minister said in 2020 that 84 per cent had survived; no independent audit of that figure was found.","Türkiye planted 11 million saplings on 11 November 2019. In January 2020 the Tarım Orman-İş union said about 90 per cent of the saplings it examined had dried out because they were planted in the wrong season, while the ministry said 95 per cent were healthy.","Parr and colleagues reported in Science in February 2024 that an area the size of France in African restoration pledges is savanna and grassland where tree planting is unsuitable; AFR100 said the authors had wrongly equated restoration with afforestation.","Bastin and colleagues called tree restoration 'the most effective climate solution to date' in a 2019 Science paper; critics said its carbon estimate was about five times too large."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ethiopia and Türkiye announced large planting totals and survival rates; the figures were disputed or not independently checked.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ethiopian government","what":"announced a one-day planting total of 353 million seedlings and an 84 per cent survival rate","src":null},{"who":"Türkiye's ministry","what":"announced that 95 per cent of the 11 million saplings were healthy","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Saplings planted in Türkiye","what":"about 90 per cent dried out, according to the union; the ministry disputed this","src":0},{"who":"Savanna and grassland in African restoration pledges","what":"an area the size of France pledged for tree planting where planting is unsuitable, according to Parr and colleagues","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Türkiye and Ethiopia, with Madhya Pradesh in India as a third reported case","src":null},"when":{"t":"Türkiye planting on 11 November 2019; union survival claim in January 2020; Ethiopia announcement in 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"One-day mass planting campaigns, with totals and survival rates taken from government statements, a union examination of saplings and a ministry response","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"ethiopia_seedlings_one_day","value":353000000,"unit":"seedlings","year":2019,"note":"government announcement"},{"key":"ethiopia_claimed_survival_pct","value":84,"unit":"per cent","year":2020,"note":"government claim; no independent audit found"},{"key":"turkey_saplings_planted","value":11000000,"unit":"saplings","year":2019,"note":"planted 11 November 2019"},{"key":"turkey_union_dried_pct","value":90,"unit":"per cent","year":2020,"note":"union claim about saplings it examined"},{"key":"turkey_ministry_healthy_pct","value":95,"unit":"per cent","year":2020,"note":"ministry claim"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Madhya Pradesh, India, planted 66.75 million saplings in 12 hours in 2017, and an activist said fewer than 10 million survived.","Unconfirmed: the Sembrando Vida programme in Mexico, which pays farmers monthly for planting trees, may have contributed to the loss of 72,830 hectares of forest cover in 2019; the WRI said the analysis was not definitive.","Unconfirmed: Bastin and colleagues issued a correction in 2020.","No independent measurement was found for any of the planting totals or survival rates.","The cited sources do not give the cost of the planting campaigns or who paid for them."],"sources":[{"t":"90 pct of 11 mln tree saplings planted by govt died","p":"Duvar English","d":"2020-01-23","u":"https://www.duvarenglish.com/amp/90-pct-of-11-mln-tree-saplings-planted-by-govt-died-news-11027","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250314173045/https://www.duvarenglish.com/amp/90-pct-of-11-mln-tree-saplings-planted-by-govt-died-news-11027"},{"t":"Ministry statement on 11 million saplings: 95% survived","p":"Bianet","d":"","u":"https://bianet.org/haber/bakanliktan-fotograflarla-11-milyon-fidan-aciklamasi-yuzde-95-i-tuttu-218976","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"ethiopia-gov","role":"announced one-day planting total and survival claim"},{"id":"turkey-planting-ministry","role":"announced survival figure of 95 per cent"},{"id":"tarim-orman-is-union","role":"reported that about 90 per cent of examined saplings had dried out"},{"id":"afr100","role":"said the authors had wrongly equated restoration with afforestation"}],"mechanism":"mass tree-planting campaigns","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"11 million saplings were planted on me in Türkiye on 11 November 2019; a union says about 90 per cent of those it examined dried out, the ministry says 95 per cent were healthy.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Madhya Pradesh, India, planted 66.75 million saplings in 12 hours in 2017, and an activist said fewer than 10 million survived.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Sembrando Vida programme in Mexico, which pays farmers monthly for planting trees, may have contributed to the loss of 72,830 hectares of forest cover in 2019; the WRI said the analysis was not definitive.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bastin and colleagues issued a correction in 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"No independent measurement was found for any of the planting totals or survival rates.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the cost of the planting campaigns or who paid for them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Ethiopian government","No source link — Who harmed: Savanna and grassland in African restoration pledges"]},{"id":"us-renewable-fuel-standard-corn-ethanol-effects","tier":"short","title":"US fuel mandate required corn ethanol; land and carbon effects reported in a 2022 study","dek":"The US Renewable Fuel Standard, set in 2005 and 2007, required corn ethanol to be added to gasoline. ScienceDaily reported land, fertiliser and carbon effects from a 2022 study.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2005,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The US Renewable Fuel Standard, set in 2005 and 2007, required corn ethanol to be added to gasoline.","ScienceDaily reported a 2022 study in PNAS by Lark and colleagues on the mandate's effects on corn prices, cropland and carbon intensity.","The study's figures are as reported by ScienceDaily; no other source confirms them."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2005 and 2007 US fuel standard required corn ethanol in gasoline; the land, fertiliser and carbon effects reported for it come from a 2022 study covered by ScienceDaily.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US corn producers","what":"named in the sources as beneficiaries of the corn demand created by the mandate","src":null},{"who":"Biofuel producers and refiners","what":"named in the sources as beneficiaries of biofuel demand","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, national fuel market","src":null},"when":{"t":"Standard set in 2005 and 2007; study reported in February 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A federal blending requirement created demand for corn-based ethanol","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the mandate raised corn prices by about 30 per cent, expanded cropland by 2.1 million hectares from 2008 to 2016 and raised fertiliser use by 3 to 8 per cent a year (Lark and colleagues, 2022).","Unconfirmed: ethanol from the mandate may have at least 24 per cent higher carbon intensity than gasoline (Lark and colleagues, 2022).","Unconfirmed: the EPA assumed in 2010 that corn ethanol would have 20 to 21 per cent lower carbon intensity than gasoline.","Unconfirmed: the US Agriculture Department and the ethanol industry objected to the study's soil-carbon assumptions.","Indirect harms named in the sources, including food-price increases and downstream nitrate pollution, are not measured in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Study of US Renewable Fuel Standard corn ethanol effects","p":"ScienceDaily","d":"2022-02-14","u":"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220214154840.htm","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260521055447/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220214154840.htm"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"federal biofuel blending mandate","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the mandate raised corn prices by about 30 per cent, expanded cropland by 2.1 million hectares from 2008 to 2016 and raised fertiliser use by 3 to 8 per cent a year (Lark and colleagues, 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: ethanol from the mandate may have at least 24 per cent higher carbon intensity than gasoline (Lark and colleagues, 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the EPA assumed in 2010 that corn ethanol would have 20 to 21 per cent lower carbon intensity than gasoline.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US Agriculture Department and the ethanol industry objected to the study's soil-carbon assumptions.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Indirect harms named in the sources, including food-price increases and downstream nitrate pollution, are not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: US corn producers","No source link — Who gained: Biofuel producers and refiners"]},{"id":"belo-monte-dam","tier":"short","title":"Federal prosecutors say Belo Monte dam's flow schedule failed and the Xingu River collapsed","dek":"Brazil's federal prosecutors said in November 2025 that the Belo Monte dam's flow schedule had failed and that the Xingu River had collapsed; an injunction they obtained in a 2021 lawsuit was suspended. In 2010 licensing staff had objected to partial installation approval.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-3.13,"lon":-51.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":-3.13,"lon":-51.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":2010,"end":2025,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["In November 2010 the technical staff of Brazil's environmental licensing agency, IBAMA, recommended against a partial installation licence until the preliminary licence conditions were met, but permission was given to clear 238 hectares of vegetation, according to Amazon Watch.","Federal prosecutors said in November 2025 that the flow schedule had failed and that the river had collapsed; in January 2023, 75 per cent of the river's water was diverted to the plant and 25 per cent to the Volta Grande. The prosecutors had obtained a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed in 2021, but the decision was suspended.","The government put the number of people displaced at 16,000, according to America Magazine in 2019."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Belo Monte is a dam on the Xingu River in Pará, Brazil; federal prosecutors said in 2025 that its flow schedule had failed, and an injunction they obtained in a 2021 lawsuit was suspended.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Norte Energia","what":"operates the dam","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Xingu River, Volta Grande section","what":"flow reduced; prosecutors said in 2025 that the flow schedule had failed and the river had collapsed","src":0},{"who":"Residents displaced by the dam","what":"16,000 people, according to the government figure","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Volta Grande section of the Xingu River, Pará state, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Licence dispute in 2010; lawsuit filed in 2021; 75 per cent diversion to the plant in January 2023; prosecutors' findings in November 2025","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Water diversion for hydropower reduced flow in the Volta Grande section, according to prosecutors","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"vegetation_cleared_ha","value":238,"unit":"hectares","year":2010,"note":"clearing permitted despite technical objection"},{"key":"river_water_to_plant_pct","value":75,"unit":"per cent","year":2025,"note":"share of river water diverted to the plant in January 2023, per prosecutors (November 2025)"},{"key":"displaced_government_estimate","value":16000,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"government figure as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: more than 85,000 fish, about 30 tonnes, died at turbine intakes in 2015 to 2019, and fish species disappeared as flow fell in the Volta Grande section.","Unconfirmed: Norte Energia said the effects were smaller than predicted, and the coastal settlement area was cut from 32,000 to 9,000 hectares.","Unconfirmed: about 6,000 fishers are waiting for compensation.","Andrade Gutierrez executives told the Prosecutor General's Office in plea testimony, reported in April 2016, that the consortium building the dam agreed to pay R$150 million, 1 per cent of the contract value, split equally between the PT and PMDB parties; both parties said the donations they received were legal, Congresso em Foco reported.","Unconfirmed: the minister said IBAMA did not issue a negative opinion.","Unconfirmed: critics put the number of people displaced at 20,000 to 50,000.","The terms of the suspended 2021 injunction, and the court that suspended it, are not stated in the sources."],"sources":[{"t":"COP30: MPF detalha falha do hidrograma de Belo Monte e apresenta dados que comprovam colapso do rio Xingu","p":"Ministério Público Federal (MPF)","d":"2025","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/cop30-mpf-detalha-falha-do-hidrograma-de-belo-monte-e-apresenta-dados-que-comprovam-colapso-do-rio-xingu-pa","type":"government","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260606111110/https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-pa/noticias/cop30-mpf-detalha-falha-do-hidrograma-de-belo-monte-e-apresenta-dados-que-comprovam-colapso-do-rio-xingu-pa"},{"t":"Construction of the Belo Monte dam could be delayed","p":"Amazon Watch","d":"2010-11-16","u":"https://amazonwatch.org/news/2010/1116-construction-of-the-belo-monte-dam-could-be-delayed","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260308071544/https://amazonwatch.org/news/2010/1116-construction-of-the-belo-monte-dam-could-be-delayed"},{"t":"Struggles of families uprooted by Brazil's Belo Monte reveal the dam's dark side","p":"America Magazine","d":"2019-07-15","u":"https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/07/15/struggles-families-uprooted-brazils-belo-monte-reveal-dams-dark-side/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250123051306/https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/07/15/struggles-families-uprooted-brazils-belo-monte-reveal-dams-dark-side"},{"t":"Andrade Gutierrez pagou R$ 150 milhões em propina de Belo Monte, diz delator","p":"Congresso em Foco","d":"2016-04-07","u":"https://congressoemfoco.com.br/noticias/andrade-gutierrez-pagou-r-150-milhoes-em-propina-de-belo-monte-diz-delator","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"norte-energia","role":"operator of the dam"},{"id":"ibama","role":"licensing agency whose technical staff recommended against a partial licence"},{"id":"ministerio-publico-federal","role":"federal prosecutors who reported the flow collapse"}],"mechanism":"hydropower dam with river diversion","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["belo-monte-hydrograph-volta-grande-flow-reduction"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In January 2023, 75 per cent of my Xingu River's water was diverted to the Belo Monte plant and 25 per cent to the Volta Grande; prosecutors said in November 2025 the river had collapsed.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: more than 85,000 fish, about 30 tonnes, died at turbine intakes in 2015 to 2019, and fish species disappeared as flow fell in the Volta Grande section.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Norte Energia said the effects were smaller than predicted, and the coastal settlement area was cut from 32,000 to 9,000 hectares.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 6,000 fishers are waiting for compensation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Andrade Gutierrez executives told the Prosecutor General's Office in plea testimony, reported in April 2016, that the consortium building the dam agreed to pay R$150 million, 1 per cent of the contract value, split equally between the PT and PMDB parties; both parties said the donations they received were legal, Congresso em Foco reported.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the minister said IBAMA did not issue a negative opinion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: critics put the number of people displaced at 20,000 to 50,000.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The terms of the suspended 2021 injunction, and the court that suspended it, are not stated in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Norte Energia"]},{"id":"esi-energy-eagle-deaths","tier":"short","title":"NextEra unit ESI Energy admits at least 150 eagle deaths at US wind farms","dek":"ESI Energy, a NextEra subsidiary, admitted that at least 150 eagles had died at its wind farms since 2012, and in 2022 it was fined $1.86 million and ordered to pay $6.21 million in compensation. The US Justice Department said the company had deliberately chosen not to apply for eagle take permits.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2022,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["ESI Energy, a subsidiary of NextEra, pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act over eagle deaths at its wind farms and was sentenced on 5 April 2022 by the federal court in Cheyenne, Wyoming, according to POWER and Fox 32 (AP).","The company admitted that at least 150 eagles had died at 50 of its 154 facilities since 2012. It was fined $1.86 million, ordered to pay $6.21 million in restitution and placed on five years' probation under an eagle management plan, according to POWER (April 2022).","The Justice Department said ESI and its affiliates had deliberately elected not to apply for eagle take permits, avoiding the obligations that come with them and gaining a competitive advantage. NextEra said ESI entered the plea voluntarily and described the deaths as accidental."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ESI Energy, a NextEra subsidiary, admitted that at least 150 eagles were killed at its wind farms and was penalised in 2022.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ESI Energy and NextEra","what":"avoided eagle permit costs, the Justice Department wrote","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Eagles at ESI wind farms","what":"at least 150 killed from 2012 to 2022, according to the company's admission","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Eight US states; 154 ESI facilities, of which 50 wind farms had eagle deaths","src":1},"when":{"t":"Deaths from 2012 to 2022; penalty in April 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Turbine collisions at wind farms, with no eagle permits obtained","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eagles_killed_min","value":150,"unit":"eagles","year":2022,"note":"at least; deaths from 2012 to 2022"},{"key":"fine_usd_million","value":1860000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2022,"note":"criminal fine"},{"key":"compensation_usd_million","value":6210000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2022,"note":"compensation"},{"key":"payment_per_eagle_usd","value":29623,"unit":"US dollars per eagle","year":2022,"note":"per eagle killed during the supervision period"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not record any personal prosecution of executives.","The cited sources do not confirm the current status of the 30-year eagle take permit for wind farms.","The cited sources do not say how many eagles have died at the facilities since 2022."],"sources":[{"t":"Major wind power producer sentenced in wind farm eagle deaths","p":"POWER","d":"2022-04-07","u":"https://www.powermag.com/major-wind-power-producer-sentenced-in-wind-farm-eagle-deaths/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260412123419/https://www.powermag.com/major-wind-power-producer-sentenced-in-wind-farm-eagle-deaths/"},{"t":"Wind energy company kills at least 150 eagles in US, pleads guilty","p":"Fox 32 (AP)","d":"2022-04-07","u":"https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/wind-energy-company-kills-at-least-150-eagles-in-us-pleads-guilty","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311220550/https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/wind-energy-company-kills-at-least-150-eagles-in-us-pleads-guilty"}],"actors":[{"id":"esi-energy","role":"subsidiary that admitted the eagle deaths and was penalised"},{"id":"nextera-energy","role":"parent company of ESI Energy"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"prosecutor that described the permit policy"}],"mechanism":"wind turbine collisions","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"At least 150 of my eagles died at ESI Energy's wind farms since 2012, the company admitted; in 2022 it was fined $1.86 million.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not record any personal prosecution of executives.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not confirm the current status of the 30-year eagle take permit for wind farms.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many eagles have died at the facilities since 2022.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ivanpah-solar-plant-bird-deaths","tier":"short","title":"Ivanpah solar plant is estimated to kill at least 6,000 birds a year","dek":"The 2.2-billion-dollar Ivanpah solar plant in California is estimated to kill at least 6,000 birds a year in mid-air, KNPR reported in January 2025. The cited sources give conflicting accounts of the plant's partial closure, and the bird toll is an estimate, not a measured count.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":35.56,"lon":-115.47,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.56,"lon":-115.47,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["KNPR reported in January 2025 that the 2.2-billion-dollar Ivanpah plant uses mirrors to focus sunlight on a tower, and that an estimated at least 6,000 birds a year are burned in mid-air.","The plant is heated each morning with natural gas, according to the same report.","The cited sources describe the bird toll as an estimate, and give conflicting accounts of when part of the plant will close."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ivanpah, a 2.2-billion-dollar concentrated solar plant, is estimated to kill at least 6,000 birds a year in mid-air.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Birds flying through the concentrated sunlight","what":"estimated at least 6,000 a year burned in mid-air","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ivanpah, California, beside Interstate 15","src":0},"when":{"t":"Plant period 2014 to 2026 in the sources; closure timeline conflicting","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mirrors focus sunlight onto a tower; birds flying through the concentrated beam are burned","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"plant_cost_usd_billion","value":2200000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":null,"note":"plant cost"},{"key":"birds_killed_per_year_min","value":6000,"unit":"birds per year","year":null,"note":"estimate; at least"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The timeline for the partial closure in 2026 conflicts across sources.","The cited sources do not give a measured bird count, only an estimate.","The cited sources do not name the plant's owner."],"sources":[{"t":"Ivanpah solar plant along I-15 to partially shut down","p":"KNPR","d":"2025-01-23","u":"https://knpr.org/environment/2025-01-23/ivanpah-solar-plant-along-i-15-to-partially-shut-down","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260803104716/https://knpr.org/environment/2025-01-23/ivanpah-solar-plant-along-i-15-to-partially-shut-down"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"concentrated solar mirrors","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"An estimated at least 6,000 of my birds a year are burned in mid-air at the Ivanpah solar plant, KNPR reported in January 2025.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The timeline for the partial closure in 2026 conflicts across sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give a measured bird count, only an estimate.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the plant's owner.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cecil-the-lion-trophy-hunt","tier":"short","title":"Hunter who shot lion Cecil in Zimbabwe was never charged","dek":"A lion known as Cecil was lured with bait to the edge of Hwange National Park and shot in July 2015 by a US hunter who had paid about $54,000. The hunter was never charged, and the trophy-hunting revenue figures cited come from a 2013 report commissioned by animal-rights groups.","country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","places":[{"country":"Zimbabwe","iso2":"ZW","admin":null,"lat":-18.9,"lon":26.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-18.9,"lon":26.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2016,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["In July 2015 Cecil was lured with bait to the boundary of Hwange National Park and shot by a US hunter who had paid about $54,000, according to National Geographic (November 2016).","The government said the hunter's documents were in order, and he was never charged. A Zimbabwean court dismissed the charge against professional hunter Theo Bronkhorst of failing to prevent an illegal hunt in November 2016, ruling it too vague for him to mount a defence; the case against the landowner, Honest Ndlovu, was reported as unclear.","A 2013 report commissioned by animal-rights groups found that communities in nine African countries received 3 per cent of trophy-hunting income, and that in none of them did trophy hunting exceed 2.7 per mille of national income."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A lion known as Cecil was lured out and shot by a US hunter in Zimbabwe in July 2015; the hunter was not charged.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"US hunter","what":"paid about $54,000 for the hunt and was never charged","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Local communities in nine African countries","what":"receive about 3 per cent of trophy-hunting income, according to a 2013 report","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Cecil, a lion from Hwange National Park","what":"lured out with bait and shot in July 2015","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Edge of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2015 shooting; charges dropped reported in November 2016","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Lion lured out of the park with bait and shot by a hunter who had paid for a trophy hunt","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hunt_fee_usd","value":54000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2015,"note":"approximate amount paid by the hunter"},{"key":"trophy_revenue_to_communities_pct","value":3,"unit":"per cent","year":2013,"note":"nine African countries; 2013 report commissioned by animal-rights groups"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the lion was valued at £784,000.","Unconfirmed: an Oxford University assessment of Cecil's legacy five years on.","Unconfirmed: Botswana trophy-hunting fees of up to $43,000 per elephant and annual income of $2.7 million.","Unconfirmed: the CAMPFIRE programme returned $1 to $3 a year per household in one district (earlier study).","The cited sources do not give current independent figures on trophy-hunting income."],"sources":[{"t":"Wildlife Watch: Cecil lion hunter charges dropped","p":"National Geographic","d":"2016-11-11","u":"https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-cecil-lion-hunter-charges-dropped","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240329043703/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wildlife-watch-cecil-lion-hunter-charges-dropped"}],"actors":[{"id":"zimbabwe-government","role":"minister said the hunter's documents were in order"}],"mechanism":"trophy hunting fees","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My lion Cecil was lured with bait to the edge of Hwange National Park and shot in July 2015 by a US hunter who paid about $54,000, National Geographic reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the lion was valued at £784,000.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an Oxford University assessment of Cecil's legacy five years on.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Botswana trophy-hunting fees of up to $43,000 per elephant and annual income of $2.7 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the CAMPFIRE programme returned $1 to $3 a year per household in one district (earlier study).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give current independent figures on trophy-hunting income.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who lost: Local communities in nine African countries"]},{"id":"komodo-national-park-rinca-construction","tier":"short","title":"Rinca island work in Komodo National Park continued after UNESCO asked for a halt","dek":"Construction on Rinca island in Komodo National Park began under Indonesia's '10 New Bali' tourism programme and continued after UNESCO asked for it to stop. The wildlife zone was reduced to a third, and the government reported a target of 500,000 visitors a year.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"East Nusa Tenggara","lat":-8.67,"lon":119.67,"role":"event"}],"lat":-8.67,"lon":119.67,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2021,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Construction began on Rinca island under Indonesia's '10 New Bali' tourism programme, and UNESCO asked in October 2020 for it to stop, but work continued, according to AP (December 2021).","The wildlife zone was reduced to a third, and the government reported a target of 500,000 visitors a year.","Local guides and boatmen expressed concern about their livelihoods, according to the same report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Construction began on Rinca island under the '10 New Bali' tourism programme and continued after UNESCO asked for a halt in October 2020.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Companies granted business permits under the 10 New Balis programme","what":"named in the sources as beneficiaries","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Wildlife zone in Komodo National Park","what":"reduced to a third","src":0},{"who":"Local guides and boatmen","what":"expressed concern about their livelihoods","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Rinca island, Komodo National Park, Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"UNESCO halt request in October 2020; AP report in December 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tourism development under the '10 New Bali' programme, with the wildlife zone reduced and a 500,000-visitor target","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"visitor_target_per_year","value":500000,"unit":"visitors per year","year":null,"note":"government target as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether UNESCO's halt request was later complied with.","The cited sources do not say how many people or livelihoods are affected by the reduction of the wildlife zone."],"sources":[{"t":"Development, conservation clash at Komodo National Park","p":"AP (via Yahoo)","d":"2021-12-22","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/development-conservation-clash-komodo-national-060458660.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"unesco","role":"asked for construction to stop in October 2020"},{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"runs the 10 New Balis tourism programme"}],"mechanism":"tourism development in a national park","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My wildlife zone on Rinca was reduced to a third; the government reported a target of 500,000 visitors a year.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether UNESCO's halt request was later complied with.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many people or livelihoods are affected by the reduction of the wildlife zone.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"paiter-surui-redd-project-and-2024-amazonas-redd-concessions","tier":"short","title":"Brazil REDD+ forest credits: Suruí project suspended; 2024 Amazonas concessions probed","dek":"Brazil's Paiter Suruí REDD+ project sold forest carbon credits to Natura and FIFA and was suspended in 2018 after logging exceeded its permitted limit. In May 2024 Amazonas state granted 21 REDD concessions over 11.9 million hectares of public forest without consulting 483 communities.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rondônia","lat":-10.9,"lon":-62.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Amazonas","lat":-7.26,"lon":-64.8,"role":"event"}],"lat":-7.26,"lon":-64.8,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Natura bought credits from the Paiter Suruí REDD+ project in 2013 and FIFA in 2014 to offset World Cup emissions. After gold and diamonds were found on the land, logging in 2017 exceeded the permitted limit by 256 per cent, covering 653 hectares, and the project was suspended in 2018, according to Mongabay (2018).","In May 2024 Amazonas state granted 21 REDD concessions covering 11.9 million hectares of public forest, without consulting 483 communities; federal prosecutors recommended suspending them.","In June 2024 the Federal Police launched Operation Greenwashing, and Verra suspended the accounts of Unitor, Fortaleza Ituxi and Evergreen. In October 2025 the Federal Police indicted 31 people for fraud and land-grabbing in the scheme (Mongabay, November 2025).","Reuters found in July 2025 that at least 24 of 36 Amazon credit schemes certified by Verra or Cercarbono included people fined for illegal deforestation by Ibama.","On 24 November 2025 the federal court in Amazonas, in a civil suit brought by federal prosecutors (case 1040956-39.2024.4.01.3200), suspended the effects of the state's 2023 public call for REDD+ projects in state conservation units until the affected communities are given free, prior and informed consultation, with a daily fine of 10,000 reais on the state for non-compliance (MPF, 25 November 2025)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A Paiter Suruí REDD+ project in Rondônia sold credits to Natura and FIFA, then was suspended in 2018 after logging exceeded its permitted limit.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Natura","what":"bought Suruí credits in 2013","src":0},{"who":"FIFA","what":"bought Suruí credits in 2014 to offset World Cup emissions","src":0},{"who":"Future Carbon","what":"won 12 of the 21 Amazonas concessions","src":null},{"who":"Shell Brasil","what":"bought a minority stake in Carbonext in July 2022, with priority access to credits","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Paiter Suruí people and their forest","what":"forest cleared after gold and diamonds were found; the project was suspended","src":0},{"who":"483 communities","what":"not consulted on the 2024 Amazonas concessions","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Rondônia state (Suruí project) and Amazonas state (2024 concessions), Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"Credits sold 2013 to 2014; suspended 2018; concessions granted May 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Forest carbon credits sold to offset emissions; the sources describe logging above permitted limits and concessions on public forest","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"logging_over_limit_pct","value":256,"unit":"per cent above permitted limit","year":2017,"note":"Suruí project"},{"key":"deforested_ha","value":653,"unit":"hectares","year":2017,"note":"Suruí project"},{"key":"amazonas_concession_area_mha","value":11900000,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"public forest in 21 REDD concessions"},{"key":"amazonas_concessions_count","value":21,"unit":"concessions","year":2024,"note":"granted May 2024"},{"key":"credit_loss_tco2e","value":452554,"unit":"tonnes CO2 equivalent","year":2018,"note":"losses 2009 to 2018 per the certification body's figures"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Shell stake was worth about 200 million reais, and the Carbonext scheme claimed about 2 million hectares.","The cited sources do not give the Suruí project's total credit sales."],"sources":[{"t":"World's first indigenous REDD programme ended due to illegal mining","p":"Mongabay","d":"2018-09-11","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/worlds-first-indigenous-redd-program-ended-due-to-illegal-mining/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419202620/https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/worlds-first-indigenous-redd-program-ended-due-to-illegal-mining/"},{"t":"How to burn the planet: Shell invests US$38 million in Carbonext, Brazil's biggest REDD offset firm","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2022-07-13","u":"https://redd-monitor.org/2022/07/13/how-to-burn-the-planet-shell-invests-us38-million-in-carbonext-brazils-biggest-redd-offset-firm/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221126202957/https://redd-monitor.org/2022/07/13/how-to-burn-the-planet-shell-invests-us38-million-in-carbonext-brazils-biggest-redd-offset-firm/"},{"t":"MPF obtém suspensão imediata de projeto estadual de créditos de carbono no Amazonas","p":"Ministério Público Federal (Procuradoria da República no Amazonas)","d":"2025-11-25","u":"https://www.mpf.mp.br/o-mpf/unidades/pr-am/noticias/mpf-obtem-suspensao-imediata-de-projeto-estadual-de-creditos-de-carbono-no-amazonas","type":"prosecutor"},{"t":"Brazil charges 31 people in major carbon credit fraud investigation","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-11-04","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-charges-31-people-in-major-carbon-credit-fraud-investigation/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714190855/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-charges-31-people-in-major-carbon-credit-fraud-investigation/"}],"actors":[{"id":"natura","role":"bought Suruí credits in 2013"},{"id":"fifa","role":"bought Suruí credits in 2014 to offset World Cup emissions"},{"id":"shell","role":"minority investor in Carbonext"},{"id":"carbonext","role":"developer of REDD+ credit schemes in the Lábrea concessions"},{"id":"future-carbon","role":"won 12 of the 21 Amazonas concessions"},{"id":"verra","role":"certification body that suspended accounts"},{"id":"amazonas-state-government","role":"granted the 21 REDD concessions"},{"id":"federal-police-brazil","role":"launched Operation Greenwashing"}],"mechanism":"forest carbon offsets (REDD+)","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2017 logging on my Suruí land exceeded the permitted limit by 256 per cent, covering 653 hectares; the project selling credits in my name was suspended in 2018.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Shell stake was worth about 200 million reais, and the Carbonext scheme claimed about 2 million hectares.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the Suruí project's total credit sales.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Future Carbon","No source link — Who harmed: 483 communities"]},{"id":"apo-island-and-sumilon-marine-reserves","tier":"short","title":"Apo Island reserve raised fish biomass 3 to 4.5 times; Sumilon fell when closed","dek":"A village on Apo Island in the Philippines closed part of its reef to fishing in 1982, and fish biomass in the reserve rose three to 4.5 times. At nearby Sumilon, biomass fell 42.7% within a year after protection ended, which raises the question of whether gains last once protection is lifted.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":9.07,"lon":123.27,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.07,"lon":123.27,"approxCoords":true,"start":1982,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["A village on Apo Island closed about 10% of its reef to fishing in 1982, and target-fish biomass in the reserve rose three to 4.5 times over 9 to 18 years, according to a 2005 study in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.","At nearby Sumilon, biomass fell 42.7% within a year after protection ended in 1984 and recovered when protection returned, the same study reported.","Typhoons in 2011 and 2012 cut the annual catch outside the Apo Island reserve from 150 tonnes to 15 tonnes and left most of the 24-hectare reserve reef as rubble, Edge Davao reported in July 2013."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Apo Island's village closed about 10% of its reef to fishing in 1982, and target-fish biomass in the reserve rose three to 4.5 times in 9 to 18 years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Apo Island village","what":"Target-fish biomass in the village reserve rose three to 4.5 times","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Sumilon Island fishing grounds","what":"Biomass fell 42.7% within a year after protection ended in 1984","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Fishers outside the Apo Island reserve","what":"Annual catch outside the reserve fell from 150 to 15 tonnes after the 2011 and 2012 typhoons","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Apo Island and Sumilon Island, Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reserve closed in 1982; Sumilon protection ended in 1984; typhoons in 2011 and 2012; Edge Davao report in July 2013.","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Part of the reef closed to fishing as a village reserve, with biomass measured over time.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"biomass_increase_min","value":3,"unit":"times","year":null,"note":"Target-fish biomass in the reserve after 9 to 18 years (low end of range)"},{"key":"biomass_increase_max","value":4.5,"unit":"times","year":null,"note":"Target-fish biomass in the reserve after 9 to 18 years (high end of range)"},{"key":"sumilon_biomass_drop","value":42.7,"unit":"percent","year":1984,"note":"Within one year after protection ended at Sumilon"},{"key":"annual_catch_before_typhoons","value":150,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":null,"note":"Annual catch outside the Apo Island reserve before the 2011 and 2012 typhoons"},{"key":"annual_catch_after_typhoons","value":15,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":null,"note":"Annual catch outside the Apo Island reserve after the 2011 and 2012 typhoons"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a campaign claim that biomass at Apo Island rose 27-fold; the peer-reviewed measurements cited give three to 4.5 times.","The cited sources do not say how many fishing families gave up fishing grounds, or whether they were compensated.","The cited sources do not give the economic value of the reserve or who received its benefits."],"sources":[{"t":"Measurement of Apo and Sumilon marine reserves","p":"Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (JCU repository)","d":"2005","u":"https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/6055/","type":"academic"},{"t":"Renowned scientist bares fish yield decline at world famous Apo Island","p":"Edge Davao (PNA)","d":"2013-07-14","u":"https://edgedavao.net/science/2013/07/renowned-scientist-bares-fish-yield-decline-at-world-famous-apo-island","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"apo-island-village","role":"Village that closed part of its reef to fishing in 1982"}],"mechanism":"community marine reserve","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In my Apo reserve, closed in 1982, target-fish biomass rose three to 4.5 times in 9 to 18 years; at Sumilon it fell 42.7% within a year after protection ended in 1984.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a campaign claim that biomass at Apo Island rose 27-fold; the peer-reviewed measurements cited give three to 4.5 times.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how many fishing families gave up fishing grounds, or whether they were compensated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the economic value of the reserve or who received its benefits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"mountain-gorilla-recovery","tier":"short","title":"Mountain gorilla census counts 1,063; Bwindi Batwa evicted in 1991 without compensation","dek":"A 2016 to 2018 census counted at least 1,063 mountain gorillas in the Bwindi and Virunga populations, up from about 240 in Virunga in the 1980s. The recovery is set against the Batwa people's compensation claim, which a Ugandan court found unmet and which the government has appealed.","country":"Multiple (Uganda, DR Congo, Rwanda)","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","admin":null,"lat":-1.05,"lon":29.67,"role":"event"},{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":-0.5,"lon":29.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1,"lon":29.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":1991,"end":null,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["A 2016 to 2018 census of the Bwindi and Virunga populations counted at least 1,063 mountain gorillas, Mongabay reported in December 2019.","Mongabay also reported that the Virunga population had fallen to about 240 in the 1980s.","Batwa people were removed from Bwindi forest in 1991 without compensation being paid, the Daily Monitor reported.","In August 2021 Uganda's Constitutional Court unanimously found that the Batwa were left landless without adequate compensation and left the remedy to a higher court; the government appealed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A 2016 to 2018 census counted at least 1,063 mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Virunga, while Batwa removed from Bwindi in 1991 were not paid compensation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Virunga","what":"Counted at 1,063 in the 2016 to 2018 census, up from about 240 in Virunga in the 1980s","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Batwa people of Bwindi","what":"Removed from the forest in 1991 without compensation; the 2021 court ruling found the compensation inadequate","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Bwindi forest (Uganda), Virunga (DR Congo), within the mountain gorilla range that also includes Rwanda","src":null},"when":{"t":"Batwa removal in 1991; Bwindi listed as a World Heritage site in 1994; census 2016 to 2018; court ruling in August 2021.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The removal is linked to the creation of the Bwindi and Mgahinga gorilla parks; the cited sources give no further reason.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Park creation with removal of the Batwa from the forest and no compensation paid; the 2021 ruling is under appeal.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"gorilla_census_bwindi_virunga","value":1063,"unit":"gorillas","year":null,"note":"Combined Bwindi and Virunga census, 2016 to 2018 (Mongabay, 17 December 2019)"},{"key":"virunga_gorilla_population_1980s","value":240,"unit":"gorillas","year":null,"note":"Approximate Virunga population in the 1980s"}],"legal":[{"title":"Batwa eviction compensation case","forum":"Constitutional Court of Uganda","country":"Uganda","iso2":"UG","kind":"constitutional","claimant":"Batwa people of Bwindi","defendant":"Government of Uganda","filed":null,"decided":"2021-08","status":"ongoing","summary":"The court ruled unanimously that the Batwa were left landless without adequate compensation and left the remedy to a higher court. The government appealed.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: between 150 and 175 Virunga rangers have been killed since 1996.","The cited sources do not give the number of Batwa people removed from Bwindi or the amount of compensation owed.","The cited sources do not say whether the government's appeal has been decided."],"sources":[{"t":"Mountain gorilla census reveals further increase in numbers","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-12-17","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/12/mountain-gorilla-census-reveals-further-increase-in-numbers/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514170535/https://news.mongabay.com/2019/12/mountain-gorilla-census-reveals-further-increase-in-numbers/"},{"t":"Court faults govt for failing to pay Batwa during eviction","p":"Daily Monitor","d":"","u":"https://monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/court-faults-govt-for-failing-to-pay-batwa-during-eviction-3523244","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240725003848/https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/court-faults-govt-for-failing-to-pay-batwa-during-eviction-3523244"}],"actors":[{"id":"uganda-gov","role":"Defendant; appealed the August 2021 Constitutional Court ruling"},{"id":"batwa-people-of-bwindi","role":"Community removed from Bwindi in 1991 without compensation"}],"mechanism":"park creation, community removal","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"At least 1,063 of my mountain gorillas were counted in Bwindi and Virunga in 2016 to 2018; Virunga held about 240 in the 1980s.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: between 150 and 175 Virunga rangers have been killed since 1996.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of Batwa people removed from Bwindi or the amount of compensation owed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the government's appeal has been decided.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"american-chemistry-council-lobbying-on-kenya-plastics-hub-an","tier":"short","title":"American Chemistry Council proposed Kenya as Africa's plastics hub in 2020","dek":"In April 2020 the American Chemistry Council wrote to the US Trade Representative proposing Kenya as a plastics hub for Africa and asking that plastic and waste trade not be restricted. The Basel Convention regulates the movement of hazardous waste between countries, and its 2019 plastic amendments took effect in January 2021.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":null,"lat":-0.02,"lon":37.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.02,"lon":37.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2021,"instrument":"plastics","happened":["In April 2020 the American Chemistry Council wrote to the US Trade Representative proposing that Kenya become a plastics hub for Africa and asking that plastic and waste trade not be restricted.","The council acknowledged that its letter did not mention Kenya's 2017 plastic bag ban, which the sources describe as the strictest in the world.","Amendments to the Basel Convention on plastic waste were adopted at COP-14 (29 April to 10 May 2019) and took effect on 1 January 2021, adding entries for presumed hazardous and presumed non-hazardous plastic waste."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The American Chemistry Council proposed Kenya as a plastics hub for Africa in an April 2020 letter to the US Trade Representative and asked for no limits on plastic and waste trade.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"American Chemistry Council and the US plastics and chemicals industry","what":"Asked the US government to support Kenya as an African plastics hub and to leave plastic and waste trade unrestricted","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kenya (proposed plastics hub) and the United States (the letter to the US Trade Representative)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Letter dated April 2020; Basel plastic amendments adopted in 2019 and in force from 1 January 2021.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A written proposal to the US Trade Representative; any other lobbying is unconfirmed (see unknown).","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"global_plastic_waste_2019","value":353000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2019,"note":"Global plastic waste generated, per the OECD"},{"key":"plastic_waste_recycled_share_2019","value":9,"unit":"percent","year":2019,"note":"Share of the 353 million tonnes that was recycled, per the OECD"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the council lobbied against Basel Convention changes on the movement of hazardous waste in 2019 and 2020.","Unconfirmed: the Basel ban amendment, adopted in 1995, took effect 24 years later.","The cited sources do not say whether the US Trade Representative acted on the letter or whether Kenya agreed to a plastics hub.","The cited sources do not say who bears the cost of plastic waste imports or of a plastics hub in Kenya."],"sources":[{"t":"Basel Convention plastic amendments","p":"Basel Convention","d":"2019","u":"https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/PlasticWasteAmendments/Overview/tabid/8426/Default.aspx","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260402154539/https://www.basel.int/Implementation/Plasticwaste/PlasticWasteAmendments/Overview/tabid/8426/Default.aspx"}],"actors":[{"id":"american-chemistry-council","role":"Sent the April 2020 letter proposing Kenya as a plastics hub"},{"id":"us-trade-representative","role":"Recipient of the April 2020 letter"}],"mechanism":"trade lobbying, plastic waste","types":["plastics"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the council lobbied against Basel Convention changes on the movement of hazardous waste in 2019 and 2020.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Basel ban amendment, adopted in 1995, took effect 24 years later.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the US Trade Representative acted on the letter or whether Kenya agreed to a plastics hub.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who bears the cost of plastic waste imports or of a plastics hub in Kenya.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: American Chemistry Council and the US plastics and chemicals industry"]},{"id":"fossil-fuel-advertising-bans-in-the-hague-and-france","tier":"short","title":"The Hague's fossil fuel advertising ban took effect in 2025 after court upheld it","dek":"The Hague's ban on fossil fuel, flight, cruise and fossil-fuel car advertising in public spaces took effect on 1 January 2025, and a court upheld it in April 2025. What is at stake for nature is whether public advertising that promotes fossil fuel use can be limited, and France's 2021 law on fossil energy advertising has no implementing decree.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"South Holland","lat":52.08,"lon":4.31,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"North Holland","lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":null,"lat":46.6,"lon":2.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":52.08,"lon":4.31,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"influence","happened":["The Hague council approved its ban on fossil fuel, flight, cruise and fossil-fuel car advertising in public spaces in September 2024 by 24 votes to 21, and the ban took effect on 1 January 2025.","The travel sector challenged the ban, and in April 2025 the court upheld it, finding that such commercial advertising is not covered by constitutional protection, according to CMS.","Amsterdam adopted a ban in January 2026 that also covers meat products, with the ban starting in May 2026; JCDecaux, the largest outdoor advertiser, warned political parties of heavy financial and legal consequences a day before the vote.","France's 2021 Climate and Resilience Law banned fossil energy advertising on paper, but no implementing decree has been issued; a second draft targets 1 January 2027 and exempts equipment such as gas boilers."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Hague banned fossil fuel advertising in public spaces from January 2025 and the court upheld it; a Paris court in October 2025 found a TotalEnergies carbon neutrality claim misleading.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Outdoor advertising companies and the cities that lose advertising income","what":"Lose advertising revenue under the bans; JCDecaux warned of heavy financial and legal consequences","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"The Hague and Amsterdam (Netherlands); France","src":null},"when":{"t":"Vote in September 2024; ban in force 1 January 2025; court ruling April 2025; Amsterdam vote January 2026; Paris ruling October 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Binding municipal rules approved by council vote, challenged in court; in France the 2021 law has not been applied for lack of an implementing decree.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"the_hague_votes_for","value":24,"unit":"votes in favour","year":2024,"note":"Council vote in September 2024; 21 against"},{"key":"amsterdam_votes_for","value":27,"unit":"votes in favour","year":2026,"note":"Council vote in January 2026; 17 against"},{"key":"survey_support_ad_ban","value":46.6,"unit":"percent of respondents","year":null,"note":"Support for fossil fuel advertising bans in a survey of 19,000 people in 13 EU countries"},{"key":"survey_opposition_ad_ban","value":24.9,"unit":"percent of respondents","year":null,"note":"Opposition in the same survey"},{"key":"survey_respondents","value":19000,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Respondents in the survey covering 13 EU countries"}],"legal":[{"title":"Challenge to The Hague fossil fuel advertising ban","forum":"Court in The Hague","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","kind":"civil","claimant":"ANVR, TUI and others (travel sector)","defendant":"The Hague municipality","filed":null,"decided":"2025-04","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The court upheld the ban and ruled that such commercial advertising is not under constitutional protection.","src":0},{"title":"Paris court ruling on TotalEnergies carbon neutrality advertising","forum":"Paris court (first instance)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"None on record","defendant":"TotalEnergies","filed":null,"decided":"2025-10","status":"unknown","summary":"The court found the claim that TotalEnergies would be carbon neutral by 2050 misleading to consumers; it treated gas and farm fuel messages as corporate communication rather than advertising. The ruling is at first instance and can be appealed.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the bans have reduced fossil fuel advertising; no before-and-after study was found.","Unconfirmed: the Dutch Advertising Code Committee's rulings are not binding.","The cited sources give no figures for advertising revenue lost by the cities or by advertisers."],"sources":[{"t":"Hague court rules municipalities can ban fossil fuel advertising","p":"CMS","d":"2025-04-29","u":"https://cms.law/en/nld/legal-updates/hague-court-rules-municipalities-can-ban-fossil-fuel-advertising","type":"reference","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260517223243/https://cms.law/en/nld/legal-updates/hague-court-rules-municipalities-can-ban-fossil-fuel-advertising"},{"t":"Le Tribunal de Paris sanctionne partiellement TotalEnergies pour écoblanchiment","p":"Le Club des Juristes","d":"2025-10-23","u":"https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/le-tribunal-de-paris-sanctionne-partiellement-totalenergies-pour-ecoblanchiment-12612/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260306052538/https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/le-tribunal-de-paris-sanctionne-partiellement-totalenergies-pour-ecoblanchiment-12612/"}],"actors":[{"id":"the-hague-municipality","role":"Adopted the fossil fuel advertising ban; defendant in the 2025 challenge"},{"id":"amsterdam-municipality","role":"Adopted a fossil fuel advertising ban covering meat products in January 2026"},{"id":"anvr","role":"Travel sector association; claimant against The Hague ban"},{"id":"tui","role":"Travel company; claimant against The Hague ban"},{"id":"jcdecaux","role":"Largest outdoor advertiser; warned political parties before the Amsterdam vote"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Defendant in the Paris court ruling on carbon neutrality advertising"}],"mechanism":"public advertising ban","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Paris court ruling on TotalEnergies carbon neutrality advertising: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the bans have reduced fossil fuel advertising; no before-and-after study was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Dutch Advertising Code Committee's rulings are not binding.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no figures for advertising revenue lost by the cities or by advertisers.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Outdoor advertising companies and the cities that lose advertising income"]},{"id":"petra-nova-carbon-capture","tier":"short","title":"Texas Petra Nova carbon capture plant closed in 2020, reopened in 2023","dek":"The Petra Nova unit, built for about $1 billion to capture part of a Texas coal plant's flue gas, sent its CO2 to an oil field to recover more oil. What is at stake for nature is whether capturing CO2 cuts emissions when the captured gas is used to produce more oil.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":29.46,"lon":-95.64,"role":"event"}],"lat":29.46,"lon":-95.64,"approxCoords":true,"start":2017,"end":2023,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The unit cost about $1 billion and was designed to capture about 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 a year from part of a coal plant's flue gas, according to POWER magazine in September 2023.","The captured CO2 was piped to the West Ranch oil field, where enhanced oil recovery produced more than 4.2 million barrels of oil and output rose to as much as 6,000 barrels a day, POWER reported.","The plant closed in May 2020 when oil and power prices fell; NRG sold its share to Japan's JX Nippon in September 2022, and the plant reopened on 5 September 2023.","POWER said the 92.4% capture rate applies only to the processed flue-gas stream, not to the whole stack."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Petra Nova, a carbon capture unit at a Texas coal plant, sent captured CO2 to the West Ranch oil field to recover more oil.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"JX Nippon","what":"Bought NRG's share in the plant in September 2022","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Texas, United States: the plant and the West Ranch oil field","src":0},"when":{"t":"Operated from 2017; closed in May 2020; reopened on 5 September 2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The closure followed falling oil and power prices, according to POWER; the cited sources give no further reason.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Capture from part of a coal plant's flue gas, piped to an oil field where the CO2 is used for enhanced oil recovery.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"design_capacity","value":1400000,"unit":"tonnes CO2 per year","year":null,"note":"Approximate capacity, per POWER (2023)"},{"key":"capital_cost","value":1000000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Approximate cost of the unit"},{"key":"oil_recovered","value":4200000,"unit":"barrels","year":null,"note":"More than this amount of oil produced through enhanced oil recovery"},{"key":"peak_daily_oil_output","value":6000,"unit":"barrels per day","year":null,"note":"Output rose to as much as this level"},{"key":"flue_gas_capture_rate","value":92.4,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Applies to the processed flue-gas stream only, not the whole stack"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the US Department of Energy provided about $195 million in grant funding.","Unconfirmed: in its first three years the plant captured 3.8 million short tons against an expected 4.6 million.","Unconfirmed: NRG sold its share for about $3.6 million.","The cited sources do not give Petra Nova's actual capture figures for 2024 to 2026.","The cited sources do not state the net climate effect of the oil recovered with the captured CO2."],"sources":[{"t":"Petra Nova pioneering power plant carbon capture unit is up and running again, says JX Nippon","p":"POWER","d":"2023-09-13","u":"https://www.powermag.com/petra-nova-pioneering-power-plant-carbon-capture-unit-is-up-and-running-again-says-jx-nippon/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"jx-nippon","role":"Bought NRG's share in the plant in September 2022"},{"id":"nrg-energy","role":"Co-owner that sold its share in September 2022"}],"mechanism":"carbon capture, oil recovery","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A $1 billion unit designed to capture about 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 a year piped it into my West Ranch oil field, where enhanced recovery produced more than 4.2 million barrels of oil, POWER reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the US Department of Energy provided about $195 million in grant funding.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in its first three years the plant captured 3.8 million short tons against an expected 4.6 million.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: NRG sold its share for about $3.6 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give Petra Nova's actual capture figures for 2024 to 2026.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the net climate effect of the oil recovered with the captured CO2.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"boundary-dam-3-ccs","tier":"short","title":"Boundary Dam 3 carbon capture unit captured 7,095,042 tonnes by September 2025","dek":"SaskPower's carbon capture unit on Boundary Dam Unit 3 in Saskatchewan cost about C$1.5 billion, and the company's own figures show 7,095,042 tonnes captured from 2014 to September 2025. What is at stake for nature is whether the captured tonnage cuts emissions from the plant, which the sources do not measure.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Saskatchewan","lat":49.1,"lon":-102.97,"role":"event"}],"lat":49.1,"lon":-102.97,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The carbon capture unit added to Boundary Dam Unit 3 cost about C$1.5 billion, Global News reported in July 2018.","Units 4 and 5 at the same plant were not converted because natural gas was cheaper, Global News reported.","SaskPower's own data show 7,095,042 tonnes of CO2 captured from October 2014 to the end of September 2025.","SaskPower reported 236,512 tonnes captured in the third quarter of 2025 alone, in an October 2025 update."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SaskPower added a carbon capture unit to Boundary Dam Unit 3 in Saskatchewan and reports 7,095,042 tonnes captured through September 2025.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SaskPower","what":"Chose not to convert Units 4 and 5, citing cheaper natural gas","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Boundary Dam power station, Saskatchewan, Canada","src":0},"when":{"t":"Capture recorded from October 2014 to September 2025; Units 4 and 5 not converted as of 2018.","src":1},"why":{"t":"For Units 4 and 5, Global News says natural gas was cheaper; the cited sources give no reason for the Unit 3 retrofit.","src":0},"how":{"t":"A capture unit added to one coal unit; the final use of the captured CO2 is unconfirmed (see unknown).","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"cumulative_co2_captured","value":7095042,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2025,"note":"Cumulative from October 2014 to the end of September 2025, per SaskPower"},{"key":"q3_2025_co2_captured","value":236512,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2025,"note":"Third quarter of 2025, per SaskPower"},{"key":"retrofit_cost","value":1500000000,"unit":"CAD","year":2018,"note":"Cost of the capture unit added to Unit 3, as reported in 2018"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: captured CO2 is piped 71 km to the Weyburn oil field for enhanced oil recovery, under a contract with Whitecap extended to 2034.","Unconfirmed: SaskPower paid Cenovus a penalty for not delivering the agreed CO2 volume and renegotiated the contract.","Unconfirmed: a long-term capture rate of 57%, after a target cut from 90% to 65%, and a design target of 1 million tonnes a year that was never reached.","The cited sources do not give the net climate effect of any additional oil produced from the captured CO2."],"sources":[{"t":"SaskPower not moving ahead with further carbon capture at Boundary Dam","p":"Global News","d":"2018-07-09","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/4320715/saskpower-not-moving-ahead-with-further-carbon-capture-projects-at-boundary-dam/amp","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240821185736/https://globalnews.ca/news/4320715/saskpower-not-moving-ahead-with-further-carbon-capture-projects-at-boundary-dam/amp/"},{"t":"BD3 status update, Q3 2025","p":"SaskPower","d":"2025-10-27","u":"https://saskpower.com/about-us/our-company/blog/2025/bd3-status-update-q3-2025","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"saskpower","role":"Owner and operator of Boundary Dam Unit 3"}],"mechanism":"carbon capture retrofit","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"From October 2014 to the end of September 2025, SaskPower reports capturing 7,095,042 tonnes of CO2 from one coal plant's exhaust before it reached my air, with a unit that cost about C$1.5 billion.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: captured CO2 is piped 71 km to the Weyburn oil field for enhanced oil recovery, under a contract with Whitecap extended to 2034.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: SaskPower paid Cenovus a penalty for not delivering the agreed CO2 volume and renegotiated the contract.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a long-term capture rate of 57%, after a target cut from 90% to 65%, and a design target of 1 million tonnes a year that was never reached.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the net climate effect of any additional oil produced from the captured CO2.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"cop28-outcome-on-ccs-and-transition-fuels","tier":"short","title":"COP28 decision promoted carbon capture and left room for transition fuels","dek":"The December 2023 COP28 decision in Dubai encouraged carbon capture and left room for 'transition fuels'. Oil and gas companies that promote carbon capture also sit on its industry body, and the sources report that almost all 2023 carbon removal came from forestation.","country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","places":[{"country":"United Arab Emirates","iso2":"AE","admin":"Dubai","lat":25.2,"lon":55.27,"role":"event"}],"lat":25.2,"lon":55.27,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["The COP28 decision adopted in Dubai in December 2023 encouraged carbon capture alongside a call to move away from fossil fuels, and left room for 'transition fuels', Down To Earth reported.","Global Witness reported in 2023 that Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Chevron and the UAE's state oil company ADNOC are members of the Global CCS Institute, and that three of its six executives worked or work at Shell or BP.","The COP28 president was also chief executive of ADNOC, according to a November 2023 report.","Brad Crabtree, director of the Carbon Capture Coalition, which backs the 45Q tax credit, was appointed in April 2022 to head the Energy Department's office for fossil energy and carbon management."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The COP28 decision in Dubai in December 2023 encouraged carbon capture and left room for 'transition fuels', according to Down To Earth.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Oil and gas companies, including Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Chevron and ADNOC","what":"Members of the Global CCS Institute, described in the sources as the sector's international body","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Dubai, United Arab Emirates (COP28)","src":0},"when":{"t":"COP28 decision in December 2023; Crabtree appointment in April 2022; Global Witness review in 2023.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A UN climate summit decision that referred to carbon capture; the wording on unabated fossil fuels is unconfirmed (see unknown).","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"iea_ccs_need_2050","value":32000000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2050,"note":"Captured to reach 1.5 degrees on current consumption forecasts, per the IEA; 23 billion from air"},{"key":"carbon_removal_2023","value":2000000000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2023,"note":"Global carbon removal, almost all from forestation"},{"key":"dac_becss_removal_2023","value":1350000,"unit":"tonnes CO2","year":2023,"note":"Combined direct air capture and BECCS removal; under one-thousandth of the total"},{"key":"exxonmobil_low_carbon_spend","value":2800000000,"unit":"USD per year","year":2027,"note":"Planned annual spending on low-carbon solutions by 2027; about 5% of 2022 profit"},{"key":"cop28_carbon_capture_lobbyists","value":475,"unit":"lobbyists","year":2023,"note":"Lobbyists from companies directly involved in carbon capture, counted by CIEL"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the wording 'unabated fossil fuels' in draft texts has no agreed definition.","The cited sources do not show what the COP28 decision changed in national plans."],"sources":[{"t":"Think tanks, civil society caution that fossil fuels mention in GST is riddled with loopholes","p":"Down To Earth","d":"2023-12-14","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/energy/think-tanks-civil-society-caution-that-fossil-fuels-mention-in-gst-is-riddled-with-loopholes-93390","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250704132950/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/energy/think-tanks-civil-society-caution-that-fossil-fuels-mention-in-gst-is-riddled-with-loopholes-93390"}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Member of the Global CCS Institute"},{"id":"bp","role":"Member of the Global CCS Institute; three of six executives worked or work here"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Member of the Global CCS Institute"},{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Member of the Global CCS Institute"},{"id":"chevron","role":"Member of the Global CCS Institute"},{"id":"adnoc","role":"State oil company of the UAE; its chief executive was COP28 president"},{"id":"global-ccs-institute","role":"Sector's international body"},{"id":"carbon-capture-coalition","role":"Advocate for the 45Q tax credit; its director later led an Energy Department office"}],"mechanism":"carbon capture, transition fuels","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the wording 'unabated fossil fuels' in draft texts has no agreed definition.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show what the COP28 decision changed in national plans.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who gained: Oil and gas companies, including Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Chevron and ADNOC"]},{"id":"occidental-holocene-acquisition-and-doe-carbon-removal-team","tier":"short","title":"Occidental buys Holocene as US carbon removal staff is cut to one person","dek":"Occidental bought the direct air capture company Holocene in April 2025, as the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced to one person. At stake for nature is how a 3.5 billion dollar direct air capture hub programme is spent.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"climate-tech","happened":["Heatmap reported in April 2025 that Occidental had bought Holocene, and that the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff had been reduced to one person.","Heatmap also referred to a 3.5 billion dollar direct air capture hub programme.","OGJ reported in August 2023 that Occidental had bought Carbon Engineering for about 1.1 billion dollars, and gave a mid-2025 target for the Stratos plant."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Occidental bought the direct air capture company Holocene, and the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced to one person.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Occidental","what":"bought Holocene in April 2025","src":0},{"who":"Occidental","what":"bought Carbon Engineering in August 2023 for about 1.1 billion dollars","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"US Energy Department carbon removal staff","what":"reduced to one person","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States","src":0},"when":{"t":"August 2023 (Carbon Engineering) and April 2025 (Holocene)","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Acquisition of direct air capture companies","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"dac_hub_programme_usd_bn","value":3500000000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"Direct air capture hub programme, as stated in the sources"},{"key":"carbon_engineering_price_usd_bn","value":1100000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2023,"note":"Approximate price for Carbon Engineering"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the price Occidental paid for Holocene.","None on record: whether the Stratos plant met its mid-2025 target.","None on record: why the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced."],"sources":[{"t":"Occidental buys Holocene","p":"Heatmap","d":"2025-04-16","u":"https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/occidental-buys-holocene","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260119205823/https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/occidental-buys-holocene"},{"t":"Occidental to acquire direct air capture technology company","p":"OGJ","d":"2023-08-15","u":"https://ogj.com/energy-transition/article/14297783/occidental-to-acquire-direct-air-capture-technology-company-for-11-billion","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260114002135/https://www.ogj.com/energy-transition/article/14297783/occidental-to-acquire-direct-air-capture-technology-company-for-11-billion"}],"actors":[{"id":"occidental","role":"Acquirer of Holocene and Carbon Engineering"},{"id":"holocene","role":"Direct air capture company acquired"},{"id":"carbon-engineering","role":"Direct air capture company acquired in 2023"},{"id":"us-department-of-energy","role":"Federal department whose carbon removal staff was reduced"}],"mechanism":"direct air capture acquisition","types":["climate-tech"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the price Occidental paid for Holocene.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the Stratos plant met its mid-2025 target.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: why the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"snowy-2-0-spoil-dumping-in-kosciuszko-national-park","tier":"short","title":"Snowy 2.0 paid AUD 1.65 million to dump spoil in Kosciuszko National Park","dek":"The Snowy 2.0 hydro scheme paid AUD 1.65 million to place about 7 million cubic metres of excavated spoil in Kosciuszko National Park, according to RenewEconomy. At stake for nature is the use of a national park as a disposal site for construction spoil.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-36.4,"lon":148.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":-36.4,"lon":148.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2021,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["RenewEconomy reported in July 2021 that the Snowy 2.0 hydro scheme paid AUD 1.65 million to dump about 7 million cubic metres of spoil in Kosciuszko National Park.","The same report gives the price as about 9 cents a tonne."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Snowy 2.0 paid AUD 1.65 million to dump about 7 million cubic metres of spoil in Kosciuszko National Park.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Snowy 2.0 hydro scheme","what":"obtained a disposal site for about 7 million cubic metres of spoil in Kosciuszko National Park, for AUD 1.65 million","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Kosciuszko National Park","what":"was the dumping site for about 7 million cubic metres of spoil","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Paid disposal of construction spoil in a national park","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"spoil_volume_m3","value":7000000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":2021,"note":"Stated as about 7 million"},{"key":"payment_aud","value":1650000,"unit":"Australian dollars","year":2021,"note":"Paid for the disposal"},{"key":"price_cents_per_tonne","value":9,"unit":"cents per tonne","year":2021,"note":"Stated as about 9 cents"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: who received the AUD 1.65 million payment.","None on record: any terms of the disposal arrangement beyond the volume and the payment.","None on record: the effects of the spoil on the park."],"sources":[{"t":"Deal to use Kosciuszko park as a dump","p":"RenewEconomy","d":"2021-07-06","u":"https://reneweconomy.com.au/reprehensible-snowy-slammed-over-deal-to-use-kosciuszko-park-as-a-dump","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"snowy-2-0","role":"Scheme that paid for the disposal"},{"id":"kosciuszko-national-park","role":"Park receiving the spoil"}],"mechanism":"spoil disposal agreement","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 7 million cubic metres of excavated spoil was placed in my Kosciuszko National Park for AUD 1.65 million, RenewEconomy reported in July 2021.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who received the AUD 1.65 million payment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: any terms of the disposal arrangement beyond the volume and the payment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the effects of the spoil on the park.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gabon-sovereign-carbon-credits-and-totalenergies-timber-stak","tier":"short","title":"Gabon planned 187 million sovereign carbon credits as TotalEnergies took a timber stake","dek":"In 2022 Gabon planned 187 million sovereign forest carbon credits, while TotalEnergies bought 49 per cent of CBG, a timber company holding a 600,000-hectare logging concession. At stake for nature is how a whole country's forest is turned into tradable credits.","country":"Gabon","iso2":"GA","places":[{"country":"Gabon","iso2":"GA","admin":null,"lat":-0.8,"lon":11.6,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.8,"lon":11.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2022,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["REDD-Monitor reported in July 2022 that Gabon planned 187 million sovereign credits on behalf of the country's forest.","According to the same report, about 90 million of those credits could be sold, worth about 291 million dollars according to Bloomberg.","The same report says TotalEnergies bought 49 per cent of CBG in 2022, a timber company with a logging concession of 600,000 hectares."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Gabon planned 187 million sovereign forest carbon credits, and TotalEnergies bought 49 per cent of the timber company CBG.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Gabon","what":"planned 187 million sovereign credits, of which about 90 million could be sold","src":0},{"who":"TotalEnergies","what":"bought 49 per cent of CBG, which holds a 600,000-hectare logging concession","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gabon","src":0},"when":{"t":"2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sovereign forest credits and a timber company stake","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"sovereign_credits_planned","value":187000000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"note":"Planned by Gabon"},{"key":"saleable_credits","value":90000000,"unit":"credits","year":2022,"note":"Stated as could be sold"},{"key":"saleable_value_usd","value":291000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2022,"note":"Approximate, per Bloomberg as cited"},{"key":"concession_area_ha","value":600000,"unit":"hectares","year":2022,"note":"Logging concession held by CBG"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: whether any of the sovereign credits were issued or sold.","None on record: the price TotalEnergies paid for its 49 per cent stake in CBG."],"sources":[{"t":"Gabon plans the world's biggest-ever","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2022-07-06","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/gabon-plans-the-worlds-biggest-ever","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"gabon-government","role":"Government planning the sovereign credits"},{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Buyer of a 49 per cent stake in CBG"},{"id":"cbg","role":"Timber company holding the logging concession"}],"mechanism":"sovereign forest carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2022 Gabon planned 187 million sovereign carbon credits on behalf of my forest; about 90 million could be sold, worth about 291 million dollars according to Bloomberg.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether any of the sovereign credits were issued or sold.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the price TotalEnergies paid for its 49 per cent stake in CBG.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"portel-ribeirinho-redd-projects-on-public-land","tier":"short","title":"Verra suspends three REDD+ schemes in Brazil's Portel over public land overlap","dek":"Verra suspended three REDD+ schemes in Portel, Pará, in September 2023 because they overlapped public land, after they had sold more than 23 million credits. At stake is the public land and the families living on it, with about 1,484 families in five farming settlements affected according to the reports.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Pará","lat":-1.93,"lon":-50.82,"role":"event"}],"lat":-1.93,"lon":-50.82,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2025,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Sumaúma reported in July 2023 that Pará's public defender's office had sued over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel, which affected about 1,484 families in five farming settlements.","The same report says a decree by the Portel mayor prepared the ground for the scheme, and that an American businessman was a partner in 13 of the 38 companies in the area.","REDD-Monitor reported in November 2025 that Verra suspended three Portel schemes in September 2023 for overlapping public land, after they had sold more than 23 million credits to buyers including Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol.","REDD-Monitor reported in March 2026 that more than 140 companies, including Philip Morris, Mastercard and BlackRock, used over 2 million credits from the suspended Pacajaí scheme between January 2024 and July 2025."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Verra suspended three REDD+ schemes in Portel, Pará, in September 2023 because they overlapped public land.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Air France, Delta, Bayer and Ecopetrol","what":"were among the buyers of credits from the three suspended Portel schemes","src":1},{"who":"Philip Morris, Mastercard and BlackRock","what":"used credits from the suspended Pacajaí scheme in emissions reports","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"About 1,484 families in five farming settlements","what":"were affected, according to the public defender's suit as reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Portel municipality, Pará, Brazil","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2023 to July 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"REDD+ forest carbon credits on land overlapping public land","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"scheme_area_ha","value":199962,"unit":"hectares","year":2023,"note":"Area of the Ribeirinho scheme, as stated in the report"},{"key":"families_affected","value":1484,"unit":"families","year":2023,"note":"In five farming settlements"},{"key":"companies_in_area","value":38,"unit":"companies","year":2023,"note":"13 had an American businessman as partner"},{"key":"credits_sold_million","value":23000000,"unit":"credits","year":2023,"note":"More than, from the three suspended schemes"},{"key":"pacajai_credits_million","value":2000000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"More than, used after suspension"}],"legal":[{"title":"Pará public defender's lawsuit over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel","forum":"None on record","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"unknown","claimant":"Pará public defender's office","defendant":"None on record","filed":"2023-07","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Sumaúma reported that the suit was filed in July 2023. The cited sources do not give its outcome.","src":0}],"unknown":["None on record: the outcome of the public defender's lawsuit.","None on record: whether the three suspended schemes have been reinstated.","None on record: whether the buyers named in the reports kept or cancelled their credits."],"sources":[{"t":"Pará public defender accuses Portel mayor of complicity in land grabbing","p":"Sumaúma","d":"2023-07-21","u":"https://sumauma.com/en/projeto-de-carbono-defensoria-do-para-acusa-prefeito-de-portel-de-conivencia-com-grilagem/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825204515/https://sumauma.com/en/projeto-de-carbono-defensoria-do-para-acusa-prefeito-de-portel-de-conivencia-com-grilagem/"},{"t":"Crooked carbon business: carbon offset","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2025-11-13","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/crooked-carbon-business-carbon-offset","type":"press"},{"t":"Verra suspended the Pacajaí REDD+ scheme","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2026-03-11","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/verra-suspended-the-pacajai-redd","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311204138/https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/verra-suspended-the-pacajai-redd"}],"actors":[{"id":"verra","role":"Standard setter and registry that suspended the schemes"},{"id":"para-public-defender","role":"Public body that sued over the scheme"},{"id":"portel-municipality","role":"Municipality whose mayor issued a decree for the scheme"},{"id":"air-france","role":"Buyer of credits from the Portel schemes"},{"id":"delta","role":"Buyer of credits from the Portel schemes"},{"id":"bayer","role":"Buyer of credits from the Portel schemes"},{"id":"ecopetrol","role":"Buyer of credits from the Portel schemes"},{"id":"philip-morris","role":"Company that used Pacajaí credits in emissions reports"},{"id":"mastercard","role":"Company that used Pacajaí credits in emissions reports"},{"id":"blackrock","role":"Company that used Pacajaí credits in emissions reports"}],"mechanism":"REDD+ forest carbon credits","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"More than 23 million credits were sold in my name from three Portel REDD+ schemes that Verra suspended in September 2023 for overlapping public land.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Pará public defender's lawsuit over the Ribeirinho REDD+ scheme in Portel: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the outcome of the public defender's lawsuit.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the three suspended schemes have been reinstated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the buyers named in the reports kept or cancelled their credits.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"toucan-protocol-tokenised-legacy-verra-credits","tier":"short","title":"Toucan moved 21.6 million legacy Verra carbon credits onto blockchains","dek":"The Toucan protocol moved 21.6 million older Verra carbon credits onto blockchains in 2021 and 2022, and 99.9 per cent of them had a first crediting period before 2016. At stake is whether credits from older crediting periods are traded as current offsets.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Global","iso2":null,"admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2022,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["CarbonPlan reported in April 2022 that the Toucan protocol had moved 21.6 million older Verra credits onto blockchains in 2021 and 2022.","According to CarbonPlan, 99.9 per cent of those credits had their first crediting period before 2016."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Toucan protocol moved 21.6 million older Verra carbon credits onto blockchains.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Toucan protocol","what":"tokenised 21.6 million older Verra credits","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Global","src":0},"when":{"t":"2021 to 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Blockchain tokens backed by legacy Verra credits","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"credits_tokenised_million","value":21600000,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Older Verra credits, 2021 and 2022"},{"key":"first_period_before_2016_pct","value":99.9,"unit":"per cent","year":null,"note":"Share whose first crediting period was before 2016"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Verra banned the tokenisation of its credits in May 2022.","None on record: the prices at which the tokenised credits were sold, or who bought them."],"sources":[{"t":"Toucan crypto offsets","p":"CarbonPlan","d":"2022-04-07","u":"https://carbonplan.org/research/toucan-crypto-offsets","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"toucan-protocol","role":"Protocol that tokenised the credits"},{"id":"verra","role":"Standard setter and registry of the credits"}],"mechanism":"blockchain carbon tokens","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Verra banned the tokenisation of its credits in May 2022.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the prices at which the tokenised credits were sold, or who bought them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"vattenfall-v-germany-moorburg-cooling-water-and-german-hard","tier":"short","title":"Germany pays 317 million euros in premiums to 11 coal plants, including Moorburg","dek":"In December 2020 Germany's hard coal closure auction paid 317 million euros to 11 plants, including two Moorburg units, and 216 million euros went to RWE. At stake for nature is public money paid to coal plant owners for closing, and the amount paid to Vattenfall was not disclosed.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":"Hamburg","lat":53.48,"lon":9.95,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.48,"lon":9.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2020,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["dpa-AFX reported on 1 December 2020 that Germany's hard coal closure auction had paid 317 million euros to 11 plants.","The same report says two Moorburg units won closure premiums in that round, and that RWE received 216 million euros of the total.","The amount Vattenfall received for Moorburg was not disclosed in the source."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Germany's hard coal closure auction paid 317 million euros to 11 plants, including two Moorburg units.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vattenfall","what":"Moorburg's two units won closure premiums; the amount was not disclosed","src":0},{"who":"RWE","what":"received 216 million euros of the total","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Germany","what":"paid 317 million euros in closure premiums","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Moorburg, Hamburg, Germany","src":0},"when":{"t":"1 December 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Closure premiums paid through a hard coal auction","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"auction_total_euros","value":317000000,"unit":"euros","year":2020,"note":"Paid to 11 plants"},{"key":"rwe_share_euros","value":216000000,"unit":"euros","year":2020,"note":"Paid to RWE"},{"key":"plants_paid","value":11,"unit":"plants","year":2020,"note":"Including Moorburg"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Vattenfall sued Germany in 2009 under the Energy Charter Treaty over limits on cooling water drawn from the Elbe, seeking 1.4 billion euros.","Unconfirmed: the dispute closed in August 2010 in a settlement on confidential terms, and the press suggested water-use limits had been loosened.","None on record: the amount of Vattenfall's own closure premium."],"sources":[{"t":"Coal plant operators get 317 million euros in German closure round","p":"dpa-AFX / Börse Online","d":"2020-12-01","u":"https://www.boerse-online.de/dpa-afx/roundup-3aus-fuer-steinkohlekraftwerke-betreiber-bekommen-317-millionen-euro-44401.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"vattenfall","role":"Operator of the Moorburg plant"},{"id":"rwe","role":"Operator that received 216 million euros"},{"id":"germany-government","role":"Government that paid the closure premiums"}],"mechanism":"hard coal closure premium","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Vattenfall sued Germany in 2009 under the Energy Charter Treaty over limits on cooling water drawn from the Elbe, seeking 1.4 billion euros.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the dispute closed in August 2010 in a settlement on confidential terms, and the press suggested water-use limits had been loosened.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amount of Vattenfall's own closure premium.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"german-lignite-phase-out-compensation-to-rwe-and-leag","tier":"short","title":"Germany agreed €2.6bn and €1.75bn coal exit payments to RWE and LEAG","dek":"Germany agreed to pay lignite operators RWE and LEAG early-closure compensation for ending coal power generation, and the European Commission approved the RWE payment in December 2023. A 2019 research note from the German Federal Parliament said the state was not legally obliged to make the payments.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.1657,"lon":10.4515,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.1657,"lon":10.4515,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2023,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Germany agreed to pay RWE €2.6 billion and LEAG €1.75 billion as early-closure compensation for lignite plants, according to Enerdata.","The European Commission approved the RWE payment on 13 December 2023, Enerdata reported.","A research service of the German Federal Parliament wrote in 2019 that the state had no legal obligation to make such payments."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Germany agreed €2.6 billion for RWE and €1.75 billion for LEAG to close lignite plants early; the European Commission approved the RWE payment.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"RWE","what":"€2.6 billion early-closure compensation","src":0},{"who":"LEAG","what":"€1.75 billion early-closure compensation","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"German state budget","what":"funds the payments as German state support","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Germany","src":null},"when":{"t":"European Commission approval of the RWE payment on 13 December 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Payments under agreements with the German state, approved by the European Commission.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"rwe_closure_compensation","value":2.6,"unit":"EUR billion","year":2023,"note":"agreed by Germany; EU approval 13 Dec 2023"},{"key":"leag_closure_compensation","value":1.75,"unit":"EUR billion","year":null,"note":"agreed by Germany"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say how much of the agreed compensation had been paid by the end of the review.","The cited sources do not give the date on which the compensation agreement itself was signed."],"sources":[{"t":"EU Commission approves EU26bn German support for RWE's coal phase-out","p":"Enerdata","d":"2023","u":"https://www.enerdata.net/publications/daily-energy-news/eu-commission-approves-eu26bn-german-support-rwes-coal-phase-out.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"rwe","role":"recipient of early-closure compensation"},{"id":"leag","role":"recipient of early-closure compensation"},{"id":"germany-government","role":"agreed to pay the compensation"},{"id":"european-commission","role":"approved the RWE payment"},{"id":"german-federal-parliament-research-service","role":"wrote in 2019 that the payments were not legally required"}],"mechanism":"coal phase-out compensation","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how much of the agreed compensation had been paid by the end of the review.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the date on which the compensation agreement itself was signed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tc-energy-nafta-claim-over-keystone-xl-cancellation","tier":"short","title":"TC Energy's claim over Keystone XL cancellation dismissed for lack of jurisdiction","dek":"A NAFTA tribunal rejected TC Energy's claim of more than $15 billion over the US cancellation of the Keystone XL permit, ruling in July 2024 that it lacked jurisdiction. Alberta's taxpayers were left with about C$1.3 billion of losses after the cancellation, according to Global News.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.8283,"lon":-98.5795,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8283,"lon":-98.5795,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"finance","happened":["US President Biden cancelled the Keystone XL pipeline permit in 2021, and TC Energy filed a claim of more than $15 billion under NAFTA's transition provisions, according to Hydrocarbon Processing.","In July 2024 the tribunal rejected the claim without examining its merits, ruling that the cancellation came after NAFTA had ended.","Alberta had committed C$1.5 billion in direct financing and a loan guarantee of 6 billion dollars to the pipeline in 2020, and Global News reported about C$1.3 billion of losses for taxpayers after the cancellation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"TC Energy filed a NAFTA claim of more than $15 billion after the US cancelled the Keystone XL permit; the tribunal rejected it in July 2024 for lack of jurisdiction.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Alberta taxpayers","what":"about C$1.3 billion of losses after the cancellation","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States (Keystone XL permit) and Alberta, Canada (state financing)","src":null},"when":{"t":"Permit cancelled in 2021; tribunal ruling in July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor claim under the transition provisions of NAFTA, dismissed on jurisdiction.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_amount","value":15000000000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"claim of more than this amount; dismissed"},{"key":"alberta_direct_financing","value":1500000000,"unit":"Canadian dollars","year":2020,"note":"committed by Alberta to the pipeline"},{"key":"alberta_loan_guarantee","value":6000000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2020,"note":"loan guarantee commitment; currency as stated"},{"key":"alberta_loss_after_cancellation","value":1300000000,"unit":"Canadian dollars","year":null,"note":"approximate loss left with taxpayers"}],"legal":[{"title":"TC Energy v. United States (Keystone XL)","forum":"NAFTA arbitral tribunal","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"TC Energy","defendant":"United States","filed":null,"decided":"2024-07","status":"dismissed","summary":"The tribunal dismissed the claim of more than $15 billion without examining its merits, finding it had no jurisdiction because the permit was cancelled after NAFTA ended.","src":0}],"unknown":["The outcome of Alberta's separate 2022 claim against the United States is not on record.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the Keystone XL pipeline."],"sources":[{"t":"Tribunal rejects TC Energy's 15 B claim for Keystone XL","p":"Hydrocarbon Processing","d":"2024-07-17","u":"https://hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/07/tribunal-rejects-tc-energys-15-b-claim-for-keystone-xl/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251213165346/https://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2024/07/tribunal-rejects-tc-energys-15-b-claim-for-keystone-xl/"},{"t":"Alberta finance minister on Keystone XL loss","p":"Global News","d":"2021-06-10","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/7939964/alberta-finance-minister-keystone-xl-loss","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260301083905/https://globalnews.ca/news/7939964/alberta-finance-minister-keystone-xl-loss/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tc-energy","role":"claimant"},{"id":"united-states-government","role":"respondent; permit cancelled"},{"id":"government-of-alberta","role":"committed financing and loan guarantee to the pipeline"}],"mechanism":"NAFTA investor claim","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Alberta's separate 2022 claim against the United States is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of the Keystone XL pipeline.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ruby-river-capital-v-canada","tier":"short","title":"Ruby River seeks $588m-$1bn from Canada over rejected Québec LNG plant","dek":"Ruby River Capital, a Delaware-registered company, is pursuing an investor-state claim against Canada after Québec and Ottawa rejected the GNL Québec liquefied natural gas plant and its pipeline in Saguenay. The Canadian government page gives the claim as $588.14 million, while other sources give $1.004 billion.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Québec","lat":48.4167,"lon":-71.0667,"role":"event"}],"lat":48.4167,"lon":-71.0667,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"pipeline","happened":["Québec and the federal government of Canada rejected the GNL Québec liquefied natural gas plant in Saguenay and its pipeline in 2021 and 2022, according to Global Affairs Canada.","Ruby River Capital filed its claim against Canada on 17 February 2023.","The government page gives the claim as $588.14 million, while other sources give $1.004 billion.","The parties filed post-hearing submissions in March 2026, and no decision is on record."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ruby River Capital filed an investor-state claim against Canada after Québec and the federal government rejected the GNL Québec LNG plant and its pipeline.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ruby River Capital","what":"seeks compensation of $588.14 million or $1.004 billion; no award found","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Saguenay, Québec, Canada","src":0},"when":{"t":"Rejections in 2021 and 2022; claim filed 17 February 2023; post-hearing submissions March 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor-state arbitration against Canada over the rejected plant.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_government_page","value":588140000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"figure on the Canadian government page"},{"key":"claim_other_sources","value":1004000000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"figure given by other sources"}],"legal":[{"title":"Ruby River Capital v. Canada","forum":"Investor-state arbitration (forum name: none on record)","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Ruby River Capital","defendant":"Canada","filed":"2023-02-17","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The claim over the rejected GNL Québec plant was still pending; post-hearing submissions were filed in March 2026.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Ruby River Capital is owned by Freestone International and Breyer Capital.","The forum and the treaty basis of the claim are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Ruby River Capital v. Canada","p":"Global Affairs Canada","d":"","u":"https://international.gc.ca/trade-commerce/trade_topics-domaines_commerce/disp-diff/ruby-river-canada.aspx?lang=eng","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"ruby-river-capital","role":"claimant"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"respondent"},{"id":"government-of-quebec","role":"rejected the plant with the federal government"}],"mechanism":"investor-state arbitration","types":["pipeline"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ruby River Capital is owned by Freestone International and Breyer Capital.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The forum and the treaty basis of the claim are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"westmoreland-and-lone-pine-claims-against-canada","tier":"short","title":"Westmoreland's claim over Alberta coal exit dismissed; company ordered to pay costs","dek":"Canada won the claim by Westmoreland against Alberta's coal exit, which was dismissed on 17 December 2024 and left the company to pay Canada's costs. A second claim, by Lone Pine against Québec's fracking ban, is reported as dismissed in 2022; this is unconfirmed.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Alberta","lat":53.9333,"lon":-116.5765,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.9333,"lon":-116.5765,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["Westmoreland brought a claim against Canada over Alberta's coal exit, and it was dismissed on 17 December 2024, according to Global Affairs Canada.","The company was ordered to pay Canada costs of US$215,950 and C$1,461,766."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Westmoreland's claim against Canada over Alberta's coal exit was dismissed on 17 December 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Canada","what":"costs of US$215,950 and C$1,461,766 ordered against the company","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Westmoreland","what":"claim dismissed and costs ordered against it","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Alberta, Canada","src":0},"when":{"t":"Dismissed on 17 December 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Company claim against Canada over the coal exit; dismissed, with costs awarded to Canada.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"costs_ordered_usd","value":215950,"unit":"US dollars","year":2024,"note":"costs ordered against Westmoreland in favour of Canada"},{"key":"costs_ordered_cad","value":1461766,"unit":"Canadian dollars","year":2024,"note":"costs ordered against Westmoreland in favour of Canada"}],"legal":[{"title":"Westmoreland v. Canada (Alberta coal exit)","forum":"None on record","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"investor-state claim","claimant":"Westmoreland","defendant":"Canada","filed":null,"decided":"2024-12-17","status":"dismissed","summary":"The claim over Alberta's coal exit was dismissed on 17 December 2024, and the company was ordered to pay Canada's costs of US$215,950 and C$1,461,766.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Lone Pine's claim against Québec's ban on fracking under the St. Lawrence River was dismissed in 2022; the amount claimed is given as $110 million to $250 million.","The cited sources do not show whether the cost awards were paid.","The cited sources do not name the forum or the treaty for the Westmoreland claim."],"sources":[{"t":"Westmoreland company (Global Affairs Canada dispute page)","p":"Global Affairs Canada","d":"","u":"https://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/topics-domaines/disp-diff/westmoreland-company.aspx?lang=eng","type":"government"}],"actors":[{"id":"westmoreland","role":"claimant"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"respondent"},{"id":"government-of-alberta","role":"subject of the coal exit measure"}],"mechanism":"coal exit investor claim","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Lone Pine's claim against Québec's ban on fracking under the St. Lawrence River was dismissed in 2022; the amount claimed is given as $110 million to $250 million.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show whether the cost awards were paid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the forum or the treaty for the Westmoreland claim.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"eco-oro-v-colombia","tier":"short","title":"Tribunal awards Eco Oro nothing over Colombia's Santurbán mining ban","dek":"Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high-mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people. On 15 July 2024 a tribunal found the ban legitimate, held Colombia responsible for implementation delays, and awarded Eco Oro no compensation because it could not prove its loss.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":7.05,"lon":-73,"role":"event"}],"lat":7.05,"lon":-73,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The tribunal found in 2021 that the ban was legitimate but held Colombia responsible for delays in putting it into effect, according to Vanguardia.","On 15 July 2024 it ruled that Eco Oro had not proven its loss and awarded no compensation against a claim of $690 million, or $1.1 billion with interest.","The tribunal recorded that mining would cause irreversible damage to the páramo ecosystem."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Eco Oro's claim against Colombia over the Santurbán mining ban ended on 15 July 2024 with no compensation awarded.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Colombia","what":"no compensation paid against the claim of $690 million","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Eco Oro","what":"claim failed for lack of proof of loss","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Santurbán páramo ecosystem","what":"tribunal recorded that mining would cause irreversible damage","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Santurbán páramo, Colombia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Merits ruling in 2021; compensation decision on 15 July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor claim against the mining ban; the tribunal found no proven loss.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_amount","value":690000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2024,"note":"claim as reported, before interest"},{"key":"claim_with_interest","value":1100000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2024,"note":"claim including interest, as reported"},{"key":"people_served_by_paramo","value":2500000,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"more than this number receive water from the páramo"}],"legal":[{"title":"Eco Oro v. Colombia (Santurbán)","forum":"None on record","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Eco Oro","defendant":"Colombia","filed":null,"decided":"2024-07-15","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The tribunal found the mining ban legitimate and held Colombia responsible for delays, but awarded no compensation because Eco Oro could not prove its loss.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in August 2026 Colombia's environment ministry reversed an earlier decision closing about 1,500 hectares of the Santurbán páramo complex to mining, where Aris Mining holds a licence.","Unconfirmed: a parallel claim, Red Eagle, is reported to have had a different outcome.","The cited sources do not name the forum or the treaty for the Eco Oro claim."],"sources":[{"t":"Colombia no pagará ni un dólar a Eco Oro por demanda por explotación de oro en Santurbán","p":"Vanguardia","d":"2024-07-16","u":"https://www.vanguardia.com/economia/nacional/2024/07/16/colombia-no-pagara-ni-un-dolar-a-eco-oro-por-demanda-por-explotacion-de-oro-en-santurban/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"eco-oro","role":"claimant"},{"id":"colombia-government","role":"respondent; imposed the mining ban"}],"mechanism":"mining ban investor claim","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My Santurbán páramo supplies water to more than 2.5 million people; the mining ban protecting it drew a claim of $690 million, and on 15 July 2024 a tribunal awarded none.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in August 2026 Colombia's environment ministry reversed an earlier decision closing about 1,500 hectares of the Santurbán páramo complex to mining, where Aris Mining holds a licence.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a parallel claim, Red Eagle, is reported to have had a different outcome.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the forum or the treaty for the Eco Oro claim.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"odyssey-marine-v-mexico","tier":"short","title":"Mexico ordered to pay $37.1m over denied seabed phosphate permit","dek":"Mexico's environment ministry refused Odyssey Marine a permit to extract phosphate from the seabed in 2016, and a NAFTA tribunal ordered Mexico to pay $37.1 million plus interest in September 2024. The company said most or all of the award would go to repaying its litigation funding.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":null,"lat":23.6345,"lon":-102.5528,"role":"event"}],"lat":23.6345,"lon":-102.5528,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2024,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Mexico's environment ministry refused Odyssey Marine a permit to extract phosphate from the seabed in 2016, according to Mealey's.","In September 2024 a NAFTA arbitration tribunal ordered Mexico to pay $37.1 million plus interest, ICIS reported.","The company said most or all of the award would go to repaying its litigation funding."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Odyssey Marine's NAFTA arbitration over the refused seabed phosphate permit ended with an award of $37.1 million plus interest in September 2024.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Odyssey Marine","what":"award of $37.1 million plus interest","src":1},{"who":"Litigation funders (names: none on record)","what":"repayment of litigation funding from the award, as the company said","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Mexico","what":"ordered to pay $37.1 million plus interest","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Mexico's seabed","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit refused in 2016; award in September 2024","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"NAFTA investor claim after the refused permit; the tribunal ordered payment.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"award_amount","value":37100000,"unit":"dollars","year":2024,"note":"plus interest, as reported"}],"legal":[{"title":"Odyssey Marine v. Mexico (seabed phosphate)","forum":"NAFTA arbitration (per ICIS)","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Odyssey Marine","defendant":"Mexico","filed":null,"decided":"2024-09","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The tribunal ordered Mexico to pay $37.1 million plus interest over the refused seabed phosphate permit, as reported by Mealey's and ICIS.","src":1}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not describe the marine effects of the proposed seabed phosphate extraction.","Whether Mexico has paid the award is not on record.","The reason the permit was refused is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Odyssey Marine article","p":"Mealey's","d":"","u":"https://mealeys.com/mealeys/articles/2277425","type":"press"},{"t":"Odyssey Marine wins NAFTA arbitration case over denied Mexican offshore phosphate permit","p":"ICIS","d":"2024-09-19","u":"https://icis.com/explore/resources/news/2024/09/19/11032577/odyssey-marine-wins-nafta-arbitration-case-over-denied-mexican-offshore-phosphate-project-permit","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"odyssey-marine","role":"claimant"},{"id":"mexico-gov","role":"respondent; refused the seabed permit"}],"mechanism":"permit refusal, NAFTA arbitration","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A permit to extract phosphate from my seabed was refused in 2016; in September 2024 a NAFTA tribunal ordered Mexico to pay $37.1 million plus interest.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the marine effects of the proposed seabed phosphate extraction.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Mexico has paid the award is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The reason the permit was refused is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"gabriel-resources-v-romania-rosia-montana","tier":"short","title":"Gabriel Resources ordered to pay Romania about $10m costs over Roşia Montană","dek":"An ICSID tribunal ruled for Romania on 8 March 2024 in the dispute over the Roşia Montană gold mine, and Gabriel Resources was ordered to pay about $10 million in costs. The company has applied to annul the award, so the dispute over the gold mine remains open.","country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","places":[{"country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","admin":null,"lat":46.3167,"lon":23.05,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.3167,"lon":23.05,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["An ICSID tribunal ruled for Romania on 8 March 2024 and ordered Gabriel Resources to pay about $10 million in costs.","In a press release dated 8 July 2024, Gabriel Resources said it had applied to annul the award.","Lex et Scientia reported the result under the headline 'Romania wins at ICSID'."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Romania won the ICSID arbitration brought by Gabriel Resources over the Roşia Montană gold mine, and the company was ordered to pay about $10 million in costs.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Romania","what":"about $10 million in costs ordered against the company","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Gabriel Resources","what":"arbitration lost; costs ordered; annulment applied for","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Roşia Montană, Romania","src":0},"when":{"t":"Award on 8 March 2024; annulment application announced 8 July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor-state arbitration at ICSID (case no. ARB/15/31).","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"costs_ordered","value":10000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2024,"note":"approximate costs ordered against the company"}],"legal":[{"title":"Gabriel Resources v. Romania (ICSID Case No. ARB/15/31)","forum":"ICSID","country":"Romania","iso2":"RO","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Gabriel Resources","defendant":"Romania","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03-08","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The tribunal ruled for Romania on 8 March 2024 and ordered the company to pay costs of about $10 million; the company has applied for annulment.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the claim was about $6.7 billion and the tribunal's decision was by majority vote.","Unconfirmed: no environmental permit was ever issued for the Roşia Montană gold mine.","Unconfirmed: Romania sought measures against the company's shares, and the company objected to paying the costs.","The cited sources do not show whether the costs were paid."],"sources":[{"t":"Claimant's press release on ICSID annulment application","p":"Gabriel Resources (via italaw)","d":"2024-07-08","u":"https://www.italaw.com/sites/default/files/case-html-files/italaw181975_Romania-Claimant-s-Press-Release-on-ICSID-Annulment-Application_2024-07-08.html","type":"company"},{"t":"Romania wins at ICSID in the Rosia Montana case","p":"Lex et Scientia","d":"","u":"https://lexetscientia.univnt.ro/romania-wins-at-icsid-in-the-rosia-montana-case-icsid-case-no-arb-15-31-gabriel-resources-ltd-and-gabriel-resources-jersey-v-romania/","type":"academic"}],"actors":[{"id":"gabriel-resources","role":"claimant"},{"id":"romania-gov","role":"respondent"}],"mechanism":"investor-state arbitration","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the claim was about $6.7 billion and the tribunal's decision was by majority vote.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: no environmental permit was ever issued for the Roşia Montană gold mine.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Romania sought measures against the company's shares, and the company objected to paying the costs.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show whether the costs were paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ascent-resources-v-slovenia","tier":"short","title":"Ascent Resources loses EUR 598.7m claim over Slovenia fracking ban","dek":"Ascent Resources lost its ICSID claim against Slovenia's ban on hydraulic stimulation, or fracking, at the Petišovci gas field, a claim that sought EUR 598.7 million. The company said in a regulatory announcement that it must pay EUR 3 million in costs.","country":"Slovenia","iso2":"SI","places":[{"country":"Slovenia","iso2":"SI","admin":null,"lat":46.6,"lon":16.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":46.6,"lon":16.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2026,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["On 7 July 2026 the ICSID tribunal issued a final award against Ascent Resources in its claim over the Petišovci hydraulic stimulation ban.","The claim sought EUR 598.7 million.","In a regulatory announcement dated 8 July 2026, the company said it would pay EUR 3 million in costs."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ascent Resources lost its ICSID claim over Slovenia's ban on hydraulic stimulation at Petišovci, and the company is to pay EUR 3 million in costs.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Slovenia","what":"EUR 3 million in costs payable by the company","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Ascent Resources","what":"EUR 598.7 million claim dismissed; EUR 3 million in costs","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Petišovci gas field, Slovenia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Final award on 7 July 2026; company announcement on 8 July 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor claim at ICSID against a ban on hydraulic stimulation.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_amount","value":598700000,"unit":"euros","year":2026,"note":"amount claimed"},{"key":"costs_ordered","value":3000000,"unit":"euros","year":2026,"note":"costs payable by the company"}],"legal":[{"title":"Ascent Resources v. Slovenia (Petišovci)","forum":"ICSID","country":"Slovenia","iso2":"SI","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Ascent Resources","defendant":"Slovenia","filed":null,"decided":"2026-07-07","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The ICSID final award went against Ascent Resources on 7 July 2026, leaving it to pay EUR 3 million in costs, according to the company's announcement.","src":0}],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say when the ban was introduced.","The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of hydraulic stimulation at Petišovci.","The cited sources do not state whether the costs have been paid."],"sources":[{"t":"ICSID tribunal issues final award","p":"Ascent Resources RNS (via Investegate)","d":"2026-07-08","u":"https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/ascent-resources--ast/icsid-tribunal-issues-final-award/9658925","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"ascent-resources","role":"claimant"},{"id":"government-of-slovenia","role":"respondent"}],"mechanism":"fracking ban investor claim","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Slovenia banned hydraulic stimulation at my Petišovci gas field; Ascent Resources claimed EUR 598.7 million over the ban, and the ICSID final award of 7 July 2026 went against the company.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say when the ban was introduced.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not describe the environmental effects of hydraulic stimulation at Petišovci.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether the costs have been paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pac-rim-v-el-salvador-and-metal-mining-ban","tier":"short","title":"El Salvador won Pac Rim claim; 2017 metal mining ban repealed in 2024","dek":"El Salvador won the 2016 arbitration brought by Pac Rim, an OceanaGold subsidiary, over its metal mining ban, and received $8 million in costs. The legislative assembly repealed the 2017 ban in December 2024, with 57 of 60 seats voting for repeal.","country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","places":[{"country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","admin":null,"lat":13.7942,"lon":-88.8965,"role":"event"}],"lat":13.7942,"lon":-88.8965,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["In October 2016 El Salvador won the claim brought by Pac Rim, a subsidiary of OceanaGold, which sought more than $250 million, and received $8 million in costs, according to El Salvador Perspectives.","The country had banned metal mining in 2017.","On 23 December 2024 the legislative assembly repealed the ban, with 57 of 60 seats in favour, according to ABC News (AP)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"El Salvador won Pac Rim's arbitration over its metal mining ban in October 2016, and the legislature repealed the ban in December 2024.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of El Salvador","what":"won the arbitration and received $8 million in costs","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Pac Rim","what":"claim of more than $250 million failed; costs paid to El Salvador","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"El Salvador","src":null},"when":{"t":"Award in October 2016; repeal in December 2024","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor claim against the 2017 metal mining ban in international arbitration.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_amount","value":250000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2016,"note":"claim of more than this amount"},{"key":"costs_awarded","value":8000000,"unit":"dollars","year":2016,"note":"costs received by El Salvador"},{"key":"repeal_votes_in_favour","value":57,"unit":"seats (of 60)","year":2024,"note":"votes to repeal the ban"}],"legal":[{"title":"Pac Rim v. El Salvador","forum":"None on record","country":"El Salvador","iso2":"SV","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Pac Rim","defendant":"El Salvador","filed":null,"decided":"2016-10","status":"defendant-won","summary":"El Salvador won the arbitration in October 2016 and received $8 million in costs; the claim exceeded $250 million.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: President Bukele said studies found 50 million ounces of gold in about 4% of the potential area.","Unconfirmed: a poll found 61% of respondents expected mining to harm the environment.","The cited sources do not name the arbitral forum or case number."],"sources":[{"t":"El Salvador's congress approves ending ban on metals mining","p":"ABC News (AP)","d":"2024-12","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241231151850/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/el-salvadors-congress-approves-ending-ban-metals-mining-117071737","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241231151850/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/el-salvadors-congress-approves-ending-ban-metals-mining-117071737","dead":true},{"t":"El Salvador wins gold mining arbitration","p":"El Salvador Perspectives","d":"2016-10-15","u":"https://www.elsalvadorperspectives.com/2016/10/el-salvador-wins-gold-mining-arbitration.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260930153124/https://www.elsalvadorperspectives.com/2016/10/el-salvador-wins-gold-mining-arbitration.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"pac-rim","role":"claimant"},{"id":"oceanagold","role":"parent company of Pac Rim"},{"id":"government-of-el-salvador","role":"respondent"},{"id":"legislative-assembly-el-salvador","role":"repealed the 2017 ban in December 2024"}],"mechanism":"metal mining ban","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2016 El Salvador won a mining company's claim of more than $250 million; it banned metal mining on me in 2017 and repealed the ban on 23 December 2024.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: President Bukele said studies found 50 million ounces of gold in about 4% of the potential area.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a poll found 61% of respondents expected mining to harm the environment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the arbitral forum or case number.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kvanefjeld-uranium-ban-arbitration","tier":"short","title":"Kvanefjeld project owner seeks up to $11.5bn from Greenland over uranium ban","dek":"Greenland banned uranium exploration and production in uranium-bearing deposits in 2021, and the owner of the Kvanefjeld project began an arbitration backed by Burford Capital seeking up to $11.5 billion. The dispute tests whether a state's uranium ban can be challenged through investor claims.","country":"Greenland","iso2":"GL","places":[{"country":"Greenland","iso2":"GL","admin":null,"lat":60.9,"lon":-46,"role":"event"}],"lat":60.9,"lon":-46,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Greenland banned exploration and production in deposits containing uranium in 2021, according to Inside Climate News.","The Kvanefjeld project owner began an arbitration financed by Burford Capital and said it could seek up to $11.5 billion in compensation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The owner of the Kvanefjeld project began an arbitration against Greenland after its 2021 ban on uranium-bearing deposits, seeking up to $11.5 billion.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kvanefjeld project owner (name: none on record)","what":"seeks up to $11.5 billion in compensation","src":0},{"who":"Burford Capital","what":"funds the arbitration; its share of any award is not on record","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Greenland","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban in 2021; Inside Climate News report in December 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investor-state arbitration financed by Burford Capital.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_maximum","value":11500000000,"unit":"dollars","year":null,"note":"up to this amount, as reported"}],"legal":[{"title":"Kvanefjeld project owner v. Greenland (uranium ban)","forum":"None on record","country":"Greenland","iso2":"GL","kind":"investor-state arbitration","claimant":"Kvanefjeld project owner (name: none on record)","defendant":"Greenland","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The arbitration over the 2021 uranium ban was pending; compensation of up to $11.5 billion was sought.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in October 2025 the tribunal decided that the licence question should be heard in Greenland's courts.","Unconfirmed: in June 2026 Greenland refused to renew the exploration licence (Mining Weekly, 29 June 2026).","The cited sources do not name the owner of the Kvanefjeld project."],"sources":[{"t":"Investors buying claims against developing nation governments","p":"Inside Climate News","d":"2024-12-08","u":"https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08122024/investors-buying-claims-against-developing-nation-governments/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260525164736/https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08122024/investors-buying-claims-against-developing-nation-governments/"}],"actors":[{"id":"burford-capital","role":"funder of the arbitration"},{"id":"government-of-greenland","role":"respondent; imposed the uranium ban"}],"mechanism":"uranium ban investor claim","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Greenland banned exploration and production in my uranium-bearing deposits in 2021; the Kvanefjeld project owner said it could seek up to $11.5 billion in compensation through arbitration.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in October 2025 the tribunal decided that the licence question should be heard in Greenland's courts.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in June 2026 Greenland refused to renew the exploration licence (Mining Weekly, 29 June 2026).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the owner of the Kvanefjeld project.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pakistan-independent-power-producers-capacity-payments","tier":"short","title":"Pakistan cancels five independent power contracts amid capacity-payment costs","dek":"Pakistan paid 2.1 trillion rupees in capacity payments to independent power producers in fiscal 2024, then cancelled five contracts under IMF pressure. The sources record no environmental effect of either step.","country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","places":[{"country":"Pakistan","iso2":"PK","admin":null,"lat":30.38,"lon":69.35,"role":"event"}],"lat":30.38,"lon":69.35,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Capacity payments to independent power producers reached 2.1 trillion rupees in fiscal 2024, Dawn reported.","Under IMF pressure the government terminated contracts with five independent plants, including Hubco, and claimed savings of 411 billion rupees, Dawn reported.","Profit, citing IEEFA, reported that the government then renegotiated with 14 plants and eight bagasse plants and claimed lifetime savings of 1.333 trillion rupees; the effect on consumer bills is disputed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The government ended five independent power contracts, including Hubco, under IMF pressure.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Independent power producers","what":"Received capacity payments under take-or-pay contracts; most Pakistani plants are owned by local holding companies.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Pakistan's government and power buyers","what":"Pay for contracted capacity under take-or-pay terms; the sources do not establish how much of the claimed savings reached consumers.","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Pakistan","src":0},"when":{"t":"Capacity payments reached 2.1 trillion rupees in fiscal 2024; the contract terminations were reported on 4 December 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The government acted under pressure from the IMF, according to Dawn.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Termination of five contracts and renegotiation with 14 plants and eight bagasse plants.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"capacity_payments_fy2024","value":2.1,"unit":"trillion rupees","year":2024,"note":"Capacity payments in fiscal 2024"},{"key":"claimed_savings_terminations","value":411000000000,"unit":"rupees","year":2024,"note":"Government savings claim from the five terminations"},{"key":"claimed_lifetime_savings_renegotiation","value":1.333,"unit":"trillion rupees","year":2025,"note":"Government lifetime savings claim; effect on consumer bills disputed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say what the 36.5 billion rupee figure for Hubco measures.","The tariff effect is disputed: the government claimed a reduction of 7 rupees per unit, while producers estimated 0.5 rupees.","The source link for the renegotiation refers to eight IPPs, while the reported renegotiation covers 14 plants and eight bagasse plants.","The sources record no environmental outcome of the contract changes."],"sources":[{"t":"Report on Pakistan capacity payments and terminated power contracts","p":"Dawn","d":"2024-12-04","u":"https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1874697","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260513072437/https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1874697"},{"t":"Report on renegotiated power purchase agreements with independent power producers","p":"Profit (Pakistan Today); IEEFA","d":"2024-11-30","u":"https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2024/11/30/govt-renegotiates-power-purchase-agreements-with-eight-ipps/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"hubco","role":"Operator whose contract was terminated"},{"id":"pakistan-government","role":"Terminated and renegotiated the contracts"},{"id":"imf","role":"Pressure behind the terminations"}],"mechanism":"take-or-pay capacity payments","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say what the 36.5 billion rupee figure for Hubco measures.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The tariff effect is disputed: the government claimed a reduction of 7 rupees per unit, while producers estimated 0.5 rupees.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source link for the renegotiation refers to eight IPPs, while the reported renegotiation covers 14 plants and eight bagasse plants.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources record no environmental outcome of the contract changes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"zambia-copper-development-agreements-reversed","tier":"short","title":"Zambia voids copper development agreements and raises mining royalty","dek":"Copper development agreements gave Zambian mining firms 10 to 20 years of stability and a 0.6 percent royalty until 2008, when the government voided them by law. The sources record no environmental effect of the change.","country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","places":[{"country":"Zambia","iso2":"ZM","admin":null,"lat":-12.8,"lon":28.2,"role":"event"}],"lat":-12.8,"lon":28.2,"approxCoords":true,"start":1997,"end":2008,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The NRGI analysis reports that copper development agreements signed from 1997 gave 10 to 20 years of stability and a 0.6 percent royalty.","In 2008 Zambia amended its law to void the agreements, raised the royalty to 3 percent and introduced a 25 percent excess-profit tax, NRGI reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Zambia amended its mining law in 2008 to void copper development agreements and raise the royalty.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Zambia","what":"Royalty raised from 0.6 to 3 percent, and a 25 percent excess-profit tax introduced.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Companies holding the 1997 to 2008 development agreements","what":"Lost the stability terms and royalty rate the agreements provided.","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Zambia, copper mining","src":0},"when":{"t":"Agreements signed 1997 to 2008; voided in 2008.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Legislative change that invalidated the agreements.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"royalty_before","value":0.6,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Royalty under the development agreements"},{"key":"royalty_after","value":3,"unit":"percent","year":2008,"note":"Royalty set by the 2008 amendment"},{"key":"excess_profit_tax","value":25,"unit":"percent","year":2008,"note":"Excess-profit tax introduced in 2008"},{"key":"stability_period_min","value":10,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Shortest stability period under the agreements"},{"key":"stability_period_max","value":20,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Longest stability period under the agreements"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The sources do not say whether any company challenged the 2008 voiding of the agreements in court.","The sources do not give the revenue effect of the change.","The sources record no environmental outcome."],"sources":[{"t":"Politics reforming Zambia mining tax regime","p":"Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)","d":"","u":"https://resourcegovernance.org/sites/default/files/Politics_Reforming_Zambia_Mining_Tax_Regime.pdf","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"zambia-government","role":"Amended the mining law in 2008"}],"mechanism":"copper mining stability agreements","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not say whether any company challenged the 2008 voiding of the agreements in court.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources do not give the revenue effect of the change.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The sources record no environmental outcome.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-pipeline-host-government-agreement-turki","tier":"short","title":"Amnesty reported BTC pipeline deal would compensate consortium over Turkish laws","dek":"A host government agreement for Turkey's section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline provided for Turkey to compensate the consortium if laws Turkey applied elsewhere were applied along the route and disrupted it. Amnesty International said about 30,000 people would give up land rights.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.8,"lon":35.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2003,"end":null,"instrument":"insurance-fund","happened":["Amnesty International reported in May 2003 that the host government agreement for Turkey's section provided for Turkey to compensate the consortium if laws applied elsewhere in the country were applied along the line and disrupted construction or operation.","Amnesty said the pipeline would lead about 30,000 people to give up their land rights."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Turkish host government agreement for the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline provided for compensation to the consortium if laws applied elsewhere in Turkey were applied along the line.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"BTC pipeline consortium","what":"compensation from Turkey under the agreement, if the triggering laws disrupted construction or operation","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents along the Turkish section","what":"land rights; Amnesty said about 30,000 people would give them up","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Turkish section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Turkey","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported by Amnesty International in May 2003","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Under the compensation clause, Turkey would pay the consortium if its laws, applied along the line, disrupted the project.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"people_giving_up_land_rights","value":30000,"unit":"people","year":2003,"note":"approximate figure in Amnesty International's 2003 report"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a human rights commitment the consortium signed after the agreement; the text was not read in the cited sources.","The cited sources do not say whether the compensation clause was ever invoked.","The consortium's members are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Amnesty International UK press release on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (19 May 2003)","p":"Amnesty International UK","d":"2003-05-19","u":"https://amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/baku-tbilisi-ceyhan-pipeline-project-puts-human-rights-line","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"btc-pipeline-consortium","role":"Party to the host government agreement, entitled to compensation"},{"id":"turkey-government","role":"Host government party to the agreement"}],"mechanism":"host government agreement indemnity","types":["insurance-fund"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a human rights commitment the consortium signed after the agreement; the text was not read in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the compensation clause was ever invoked.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The consortium's members are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chad-terminates-african-parks-management-of-zakouma-and-enne","tier":"short","title":"Chad ends African Parks' management of Zakouma and Ennedi parks","dek":"Chad revoked African Parks' management of Greater Zakouma and Ennedi on 6 October 2025, citing failure to stop poaching. Follow the Money reported irregularity allegations and EU pressure, which African Parks disputes in part, and the protection of both parks is at stake.","country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","places":[{"country":"Chad","iso2":"TD","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":9.1,"lon":19.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["Chad revoked African Parks' management authority for Ennedi and Greater Zakouma on 6 October 2025, citing failure to stop poaching, insufficient cooperation and a 'disrespectful attitude' (Africanews, 7 October 2025).","EU activities were suspended for 90 days (Africanews, 7 October 2025), and Follow the Money reported that the government backed down within four days after an EU threat to withdraw 20 million euros.","On 2 July 2026 new agreements replaced 'management transfer' with 'joint management' on a 15-year term, under which the state keeps sovereign powers (EU Delegation to Chad, 3 July 2026)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Chad revoked African Parks' management authority for Ennedi and Greater Zakouma on 6 October 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Chad","what":"under the 2026 agreements the state keeps sovereign powers and joins management through deputy directors","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"African Parks","what":"management authority for Ennedi and Greater Zakouma","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ennedi and Greater Zakouma, Chad","src":0},"when":{"t":"6 October 2025 (revocation)","src":0},"why":{"t":"Chad cited failure to prevent poaching, insufficient cooperation and a 'disrespectful attitude'.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The government revoked the management authorities, and EU activities were suspended for 90 days.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"zakouma_investment","value":60000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"approximate investment in Zakouma park; more than a third from the EU, per Follow the Money"},{"key":"alleged_irregularities_per_year","value":1000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"alleged by former managers, about 15% of budget per Follow the Money; disputed"},{"key":"eu_withdrawal_threat","value":20000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2025,"note":"threat reported by Follow the Money; government backed down within four days"},{"key":"joint_management_term_years","value":15,"unit":"years","year":2026,"note":"term of the 2 July 2026 agreements"},{"key":"eu_grant_threat_2009","value":7000000,"unit":"EUR","year":2009,"note":"grant the EU ambassador threatened to stop unless the government worked with African Parks, per Follow the Money"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Allegations, not established: former managers allege about 1 million euros a year in irregularities, which Follow the Money puts at about 15% of the budget. African Parks says it dismissed three people in 2025 for about 14,000 dollars in misuse.","Follow the Money's allegations rely on former staff and leaked documents, and African Parks disputes some of them.","Unconfirmed: Follow the Money reports 15 elephant tusks missing from an inventory, which African Parks denies, and a rhino-monitoring aircraft crashed in May 2025, killing two people.","The Africanews report was read only as a summary; the full text was not reviewed.","The cited sources do not say whether the 90-day EU suspension has ended.","African Parks' 2025 annual report was not reviewed; it is published as a PDF."],"sources":[{"t":"Africanews report on Chad ending ties with African Parks (7 October 2025)","p":"Africanews","d":"2025-10-07","u":"https://www.africanews.com/amp/2025/10/07/chad-ends-ties-with-prince-harrys-african-parks/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251007153707/https://www.africanews.com/amp/2025/10/07/chad-ends-ties-with-prince-harrys-african-parks/"},{"t":"Follow the Money investigation of African Parks","p":"Follow the Money","d":"2025-10-31","u":"https://www.ftm.eu/articles/african-parks-the-full-story-on-prince-harry-linked-ngo","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251126221211/https://www.ftm.eu/articles/african-parks-the-full-story-on-prince-harry-linked-ngo"},{"t":"EU Delegation to Chad statement on continued support for protected areas","p":"EU Delegation to Chad","d":"2026-07-03","u":"https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/tchad/l%E2%80%99ue-continue-%C3%A0-appuyer-la-pr%C3%A9servation-sur-ces-aires-prot%C3%A9g%C3%A9es_fr","type":"international"}],"actors":[{"id":"african-parks","role":"Organisation whose management authority was revoked"},{"id":"chad-government","role":"Government that revoked the authority and signed the 2026 agreements"},{"id":"eu-delegation-chad","role":"Donor whose activities were suspended and whose ambassador made funding threats"}],"mechanism":"management contract revocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Chad revoked African Parks' management of my Zakouma and Ennedi parks on 6 October 2025, citing failure to stop poaching; about EUR 60 million had been invested in Zakouma, per Follow the Money.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Allegations, not established: former managers allege about 1 million euros a year in irregularities, which Follow the Money puts at about 15% of the budget. African Parks says it dismissed three people in 2025 for about 14,000 dollars in misuse.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Follow the Money's allegations rely on former staff and leaked documents, and African Parks disputes some of them.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Follow the Money reports 15 elephant tusks missing from an inventory, which African Parks denies, and a rhino-monitoring aircraft crashed in May 2025, killing two people.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Africanews report was read only as a summary; the full text was not reviewed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 90-day EU suspension has ended.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"African Parks' 2025 annual report was not reviewed; it is published as a PDF.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"tiger-temple","tier":"short","title":"Forty dead tiger cubs found in freezer at Thailand's Tiger Temple","dek":"Thailand's Tiger Temple, a paid-entry attraction in Kanchanaburi, was raided in June 2016 and 40 dead tiger cubs were found in a freezer. By September 2019, 86 of 147 seized tigers had died in state facilities, CBS News reported.","country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","places":[{"country":"Thailand","iso2":"TH","admin":"Kanchanaburi","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":14,"lon":99.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":2019,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["A June 2016 raid on the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi found 40 dead tiger cubs in a freezer, according to NPR.","Of 147 seized tigers, 86 had died in state facilities by September 2019, CBS News reported.","Officials cited disease and inbreeding among offspring of six founder tigers; critics blamed cramped cages, CBS News reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Forty dead tiger cubs were found in a freezer during a June 2016 raid on the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Tiger Temple","what":"operated as a paid-entry tourist attraction","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Seized tigers","what":"86 of 147 died in state facilities by September 2019","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Tiger cubs","what":"40 found dead in a freezer in June 2016","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kanchanaburi, Thailand","src":0},"when":{"t":"June 2016 raid; deaths reported to September 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"Officials attributed the deaths to disease and inbreeding; critics blamed cramped cages.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Cubs were found in a freezer during a raid on the paid-entry temple.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tiger_cubs_found_dead","value":40,"unit":"cubs","year":2016,"note":"carcasses found in a freezer during a June 2016 raid"},{"key":"seized_tigers","value":147,"unit":"tigers","year":2019,"note":"tigers seized"},{"key":"seized_tigers_died","value":86,"unit":"tigers","year":2019,"note":"died in state facilities by September 2019"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: at least 1,500 tiger-bone amulets were seized in the raid.","The outcome of the court cases linked to the Tiger Temple is not on record.","The cited sources do not name any official prosecuted or fined in connection with the freezer discovery."],"sources":[{"t":"40 dead tiger cubs found in freezer at Thai Buddhist temple","p":"NPR","d":"2016-06-01","u":"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/01/480267008/40-dead-tiger-cubs-found-in-freezer-at-thai-buddhist-temple","type":"press"},{"t":"CBS News report on tiger temple tourism in Kanchanaburi","p":"CBS News","d":"2019-09-16","u":"https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/thailand-tiger-temple-tourism-kanchanaburi-bangkok","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221205124754/https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/thailand-tiger-temple-tourism-kanchanaburi-bangkok/"}],"actors":[{"id":"tiger-temple","role":"Operator of the paid-entry attraction"},{"id":"thailand-authorities","role":"Authorities that raided the temple; seized tigers were held in state facilities"}],"mechanism":"captive tiger tourism","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Forty of my tiger cubs were found dead in a freezer in June 2016; of 147 tigers seized, 86 had died in state facilities by September 2019.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: at least 1,500 tiger-bone amulets were seized in the raid.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the court cases linked to the Tiger Temple is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name any official prosecuted or fined in connection with the freezer discovery.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Tiger Temple"]},{"id":"texas-anti-esg-boycott-law-and-municipal-bond-costs","tier":"short","title":"Study estimates Texas anti-ESG bank rules added to municipal borrowing costs","dek":"Texas laws that took effect in September 2021 barred banks that restrict fossil fuel and firearms industries from underwriting municipal bonds. A study by Garrett and Ivanov estimated extra interest of 303 to 532 million dollars, which industry-aligned authors dispute.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":31,"lon":-99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2022,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Texas laws that took effect in September 2021 barred banks that restrict fossil fuel and firearms industries from underwriting municipal bonds (Knowledge at Wharton, 12 July 2022).","Garrett and Ivanov estimated that five banks holding about 35% of the market withdrew, and that municipalities would pay 303 to 532 million dollars in extra interest on 32 billion dollars of bonds issued in the first eight months.","Industry-aligned authors dispute this calculation (Knowledge at Wharton, 12 July 2022).","Texas's 2021 law SB 13 was held unconstitutional on 4 February 2026 and the ruling is under appeal, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Texas barred banks that restrict fossil fuel and firearms industries from underwriting municipal bonds from September 2021.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Texas municipalities","what":"estimated 303 to 532 million dollars in extra interest on bonds issued in the first eight months (Garrett and Ivanov estimate)","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Texas taxpayers","what":"pay the interest on municipal bonds, the source states","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Texas","src":0},"when":{"t":"Laws effective September 2021; the cost estimate covers the first eight months","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The laws barred underwriting by banks that restrict fossil fuel and firearms industries; five banks holding about 35% of the market withdrew.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"extra_interest_low","value":303000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"low end of Garrett and Ivanov estimate for the first eight months"},{"key":"extra_interest_high","value":532000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"high end of the same estimate"},{"key":"municipal_bonds_first_eight_months","value":32000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"bonds issued by Texas municipalities in the first eight months"},{"key":"share_of_market_withdrawn","value":35,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"approximate share of the municipal bond market held by the five banks that withdrew"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the same 303 to 532 million dollar estimate is also attributed to a Responsible Investor article, which was marked as recalled rather than checked.","The cited sources do not give the industry-aligned authors' own figures.","The claim that the model text behind SB 13 came from ALEC is disputed.","The cited sources do not state the grounds for the 2026 ruling on SB 13 or the status of the appeal."],"sources":[{"t":"Texas fought against ESG: here's what it cost","p":"Knowledge at Wharton","d":"2022-07-12","u":"https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/texas-fought-against-esg-heres-what-it-cost","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230130135250/https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/texas-fought-against-esg-heres-what-it-cost/"},{"t":"Responsible Investor report on anti-ESG laws and Texas municipal borrowing costs","p":"Responsible Investor","d":"","u":"https://responsible-investor.com/anti-esg-laws-have-pushed-up-cost-of-borrowing-for-texas-municipalities-study-finds","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260216090408/https://www.responsible-investor.com/anti-esg-laws-have-pushed-up-cost-of-borrowing-for-texas-municipalities-study-finds/"}],"actors":[{"id":"texas-gov","role":"Government that enacted the anti-ESG boycott law"}],"mechanism":"anti-ESG boycott law","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["texas-anti-esg-law-sb-13-and-states-suit-against-blackrock-v"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the same 303 to 532 million dollar estimate is also attributed to a Responsible Investor article, which was marked as recalled rather than checked.","pub":true},{"type":"selfreported","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the industry-aligned authors' own figures.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The claim that the model text behind SB 13 came from ALEC is disputed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the grounds for the 2026 ruling on SB 13 or the status of the appeal.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"socalgas-funding-of-c4bes-astroturf-group-against-building-e","tier":"short","title":"SoCalGas paid the bills of a group fighting building electrification in California","dek":"Southern California Gas Company paid the bills of C4BES, a group opposing the switch from gas to electric buildings, from March 2018, DeSmog reported. A regulatory judge later found that ratepayer money had been spent on uses inconsistent with its purpose.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.8,"lon":-119.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2022,"instrument":"finance","happened":["SoCalGas paid the bills of Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions (C4BES) from March 2018, set its messages and found its board members, DeSmog reported.","In March 2020, during the pandemic, C4BES's head warned San Luis Obispo officials he would bring 'hundreds of angry people' by bus, and the city then postponed its vote, DeSmog reported.","A regulatory judge found that SoCalGas had spent ratepayer money on uses inconsistent with its purpose (Utility Dive, 27 April 2021).","The Public Advocates Office sought a 255 million dollar penalty, and the final penalty was 10 million dollars (Utility Dive; Sempra 10-Q)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"SoCalGas paid the bills of C4BES, a group opposing building electrification, from March 2018.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"SoCalGas shareholders","what":"the penalty sought at 255 million dollars was set at 10 million dollars","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"SoCalGas ratepayers","what":"customer funds a regulatory judge found were spent on uses inconsistent with their purpose","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"California, United States; San Luis Obispo","src":0},"when":{"t":"Bill payments from March 2018; the threat to San Luis Obispo was made in March 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The utility paid the group's bills, set its messages and identified its board members, according to DeSmog.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"penalty_sought","value":255000000,"unit":"USD","year":2021,"note":"sought by the Public Advocates Office"},{"key":"final_penalty","value":10000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"final penalty, per the Sempra quarterly filing"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Earthjustice (5 November 2020) is also cited for the ratepayer finding; the cited sources record no URL for it.","The cited sources do not say which uses the judge found inconsistent with the purpose of the ratepayer money.","The cited sources do not say whether the 10 million dollar penalty was paid or appealed.","The cited sources do not say whether the San Luis Obispo vote was later held.","The cited sources do not show whether C4BES's campaign affected building electrification rules."],"sources":[{"t":"DeSmog article on SoCalGas and Californians for Balanced Energy Solutions","p":"DeSmog","d":"2020-05-07","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2020/05/07/hofmann-socalgas-californians-balanced-energy-solutions-threat","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617002151/https://www.desmog.com/2020/05/07/hofmann-socalgas-californians-balanced-energy-solutions-threat/"},{"t":"Utility Dive report on the regulatory judge's finding on SoCalGas ratepayer funds","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2021-04-27","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/cpuc-judge-socalgas-return-ratepayer-funds/599048/","type":"press"},{"t":"Sempra Energy quarterly report (Form 10-Q) for the period ended 30 September 2022","p":"Sempra (SEC filing)","d":"2022","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1032208/000103220822000052/sre-20220930.htm","type":"company"}],"actors":[{"id":"socalgas","role":"Utility that paid the group's bills and was penalised"},{"id":"c4bes","role":"Group whose bills were paid and whose messages were set"},{"id":"public-advocates-office","role":"State consumer advocate that sought the penalty"}],"mechanism":"utility-funded advocacy group","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Earthjustice (5 November 2020) is also cited for the ratepayer finding; the cited sources record no URL for it.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which uses the judge found inconsistent with the purpose of the ratepayer money.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the 10 million dollar penalty was paid or appealed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the San Luis Obispo vote was later held.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not show whether C4BES's campaign affected building electrification rules.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"exxon-defamation-suit-against-bonta-and-iejf","tier":"short","title":"ExxonMobil sues California attorney general and four green groups for defamation","dek":"ExxonMobil filed a defamation suit in Texas in January 2025 against California Attorney General Bonta, four environmental groups and the Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund. Exxon linked the fund to Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation, which rejects that account.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Texas","lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":31,"lon":-99,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["In January 2025 ExxonMobil filed a defamation suit in Texas against California Attorney General Bonta, four environmental groups and the Intergenerational Environment Justice Fund (IEJF), according to Packaging Insights.","Exxon alleged that IEJF was tied to Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation, that it found its plaintiffs through a law firm, and that Forrest's company Fortescue is an Exxon rival (The Nightly, 8 January 2025).","Forrest described the suit as coming from the oil and gas industry's playbook, and IEJF and Minderoo rejected Exxon's account of their relationship (The Nightly, 8 January 2025).","Packaging Insights reported the suit as a retaliatory lawsuit over recycling defamation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"ExxonMobil filed a defamation suit in Texas against California's attorney general, four environmental groups and IEJF in January 2025.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Four environmental groups and IEJF","what":"named as defendants in Exxon's defamation suit","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Filed in Texas against defendants in California","src":0},"when":{"t":"January 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"Exxon alleged that the fund was linked to Andrew Forrest's foundation and that Forrest's company Fortescue is its rival (The Nightly, 8 January 2025).","src":1},"how":{"t":"Exxon alleges the plaintiffs were found through a law firm; the defendants reject Exxon's description of their relationship.","src":1}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"ExxonMobil v. Bonta and others (defamation suit)","forum":"Texas court (name: none on record)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"ExxonMobil","defendant":"California Attorney General Bonta, four environmental groups and IEJF","filed":"2025-01","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Filed in January 2025. The cited sources do not confirm any later ruling.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in February 2026 a judge dismissed the claims against the environmental groups for lack of jurisdiction and kept the claims against Bonta; three of 14 statements were reported as reviewable (Insurance Journal, Reuters).","Damages sought are not on record.","A foreign-agent registry entry for an IEJF payment is listed for this matter, but the registry is not on record.","The cited sources do not say which statements are at issue."],"sources":[{"t":"Packaging Insights report on Exxon's suit against California's attorney general and NGOs","p":"Packaging Insights","d":"2025-01-09","u":"https://www.packaginginsights.com/news/exxonmobil-launches-retaliatory-lawsuit-against-california-ag-and-ngos-for-recycling-defamation.html","type":"press"},{"t":"The Nightly report on Exxon's accusations against Andrew Forrest","p":"The Nightly","d":"2025-01-08","u":"https://thenightly.com.au/business/exxon-mobil-accuses-andrew-forrest-of-unlawful-and-sour-grapes-behaviour-in-plastics-recycling-war-c-17321684","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260208101448/https://thenightly.com.au/business/exxon-mobil-accuses-andrew-forrest-of-unlawful-and-sour-grapes-behaviour-in-plastics-recycling-war-c-17321684"},{"t":"Insurance Journal report (Reuters) on the ruling in Exxon's suit","p":"Insurance Journal / Reuters","d":"2026-02-18","u":"https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/02/18/858321.htm","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260307080345/https://amp.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2026/02/18/858321.htm"}],"actors":[{"id":"exxonmobil","role":"Plaintiff in the defamation suit"},{"id":"california-attorney-general","role":"Named defendant as California's attorney general"},{"id":"iejf","role":"Named defendant; Exxon alleges links to Minderoo"}],"mechanism":"defamation lawsuit","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"ExxonMobil v. Bonta and others (defamation suit): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in February 2026 a judge dismissed the claims against the environmental groups for lack of jurisdiction and kept the claims against Bonta; three of 14 statements were reported as reviewable (Insurance Journal, Reuters).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Damages sought are not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A foreign-agent registry entry for an IEJF payment is listed for this matter, but the registry is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which statements are at issue.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"wyss-foundation-and-sixteen-thirty-fund-political-and-nature","tier":"short","title":"Wyss Foundation has given over $807 million to US environmental causes since 2016","dek":"The Wyss Foundation and linked groups, including Sixteen Thirty Fund, have funded US political causes alongside a nature campaign now at $1.5 billion. The Federal Election Commission found no evidence of abuse but criticised groups for not showing restricted grant contracts.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.8,"lon":-98.6,"approxCoords":true,"start":2016,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Fortune and Bloomberg reported that the Wyss Foundation has given over $807 million to most environmental causes in the US since 2016.","Berger Action Fund, the foundation's advocacy arm, gave over $343 million to liberal groups, and Wyss passed over $208 million to Sixteen Thirty Fund, which does not disclose its donors.","The Federal Election Commission found no evidence of abuse in 2022 and recorded a $119,000 direct political donation by Wyss over 16 years, which it did not act on because of the statute of limitations.","The Wyss Campaign for Nature, launched in 2018 with $1 billion, has reached $1.5 billion, according to its own announcements."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Wyss Foundation has funded US environmental and political causes through linked groups, including Sixteen Thirty Fund, and runs a nature campaign now at $1.5 billion.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Groups funded through the Wyss network","what":"Received foundation grants and political funding","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, state referendums and federal elections; global 30x30 campaign","src":0},"when":{"t":"Foundation giving since 2016; referendum spending 2017 to 2023; campaign from 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Foundation grants to an advocacy arm and to Sixteen Thirty Fund, which does not disclose donors; ballot-measure spending.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"wyss_us_giving_usd_m","value":807000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Since 2016; more than this, in most US environmental causes"},{"key":"berger_action_fund_usd_m","value":343000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Given to liberal groups; more than this"},{"key":"sixteen_thirty_from_wyss_usd_m","value":208000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Passed to Sixteen Thirty Fund; more than this"},{"key":"campaign_for_nature_usd_bn","value":1500000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Wyss Campaign for Nature commitment"},{"key":"high_ambition_coalition_countries","value":122,"unit":"countries","year":2023,"note":"Countries in the High Ambition Coalition supported by Campaign for Nature"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the donors to Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund, which are not disclosed.","No direct donation from a fossil fuel company to groups linked to Leo is documented in the sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Fortune report on Hansjörg Wyss's political giving","p":"Fortune (with Bloomberg)","d":"2024-01-25","u":"https://fortune.com/2024/01/25/hansjorg-wyss-swiss-billionaire-george-soros-american-right-wing/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250828143222/https://fortune.com/2024/01/25/hansjorg-wyss-swiss-billionaire-george-soros-american-right-wing/"},{"t":"Wyss Foundation launches $1 billion campaign","p":"Wyss Campaign for Nature","d":"2018-10-25","u":"https://www.wysscampaign.org/news/2018/10/25/wyss-foundation-launches-1-billion-campaign","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250925205520/https://www.wysscampaign.org/news/2018/10/25/wyss-foundation-launches-1-billion-campaign"},{"t":"High Ambition Coalition formalizes partnership with Campaign for Nature","p":"Campaign for Nature","d":"2023-03-01","u":"https://www.campaignfornature.org/news/2023/3/1/the-high-ambition-coalition-for-nature-and-people-formalizes-partnership-with-the-campaign-for-nature-to-deliver-30-by-30-goal","type":"ngo"}],"actors":[{"id":"wyss-foundation","role":"Funder"},{"id":"berger-action-fund","role":"Advocacy arm receiving foundation money"},{"id":"sixteen-thirty-fund","role":"Recipient of foundation money; does not disclose donors"},{"id":"campaign-for-nature","role":"Campaign arm of the nature funding"}],"mechanism":"foundation political grant-making","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A campaign launched in my name in 2018 with $1 billion has reached $1.5 billion, by its own announcements.","src":[0,1,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the donors to Sixteen Thirty Fund and New Venture Fund, which are not disclosed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No direct donation from a fossil fuel company to groups linked to Leo is documented in the sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-emergency-sterilisation-campaign-with-world-bank-loan","tier":"short","title":"India's 1975–77 Emergency sterilisation drive drew a $66 million World Bank loan","dek":"Al Jazeera reported that more than 8 million men were sterilised in India during the 1975–77 Emergency, and that about 2,000 people died after failed operations. Sources report a $66 million World Bank loan for sterilisation initiatives; at stake is the record of development finance for coercive population control.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Haryana","lat":29.06,"lon":76.09,"role":"event"}],"lat":29.06,"lon":76.09,"approxCoords":true,"start":1975,"end":1977,"instrument":"influence","happened":["Al Jazeera reported that more than 8 million men were sterilised in India during the 1975–77 Emergency.","Al Jazeera reported that about 2,000 people died after failed operations, and cited the case of men from Uttawar village in Haryana.","Sources report that the World Bank lent $66 million for sterilisation initiatives in India."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"India sterilised more than 8 million men during the 1975–77 Emergency, and the World Bank lent $66 million for sterilisation initiatives.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Men sterilised","what":"Forcibly sterilised, as reported","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Men subjected to failed operations","what":"About 2,000 deaths reported","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"India, including Uttawar village in Haryana","src":0},"when":{"t":"1975 to 1977, the Emergency period","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Forced sterilisation campaign during the Emergency; World Bank loan for sterilisation initiatives.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"men_sterilised_million","value":8000000,"unit":"men","year":1975,"note":"More than this, during the 1975–77 Emergency"},{"key":"deaths_failed_operations","value":2000,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"Approximate, after failed operations"},{"key":"world_bank_loan_usd_m","value":66000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Loan for sterilisation initiatives"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: how the World Bank loan was used, or whether any official was prosecuted or any compensation paid."],"sources":[{"t":"Al Jazeera feature on India's forced sterilisation of men in one village","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2025-06-25","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/6/25/india-forcibly-sterilised-eight-m-men-one-village-remembers-fifty-years-later","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013140022/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/6/25/india-forcibly-sterilised-eight-m-men-one-village-remembers-fifty-years-later"}],"actors":[{"id":"world-bank","role":"Lender"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Ran the sterilisation campaign"}],"mechanism":"forced sterilisation programme","types":["influence"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how the World Bank loan was used, or whether any official was prosecuted or any compensation paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chile-green-hydrogen-aes-inna-cancelled-and-magallanes-proje","tier":"short","title":"AES cancels Chile's INNA green hydrogen plan after observatory warning","dek":"AES Andes cancelled its INNA green hydrogen plan in Atacama in January 2026 after the European Southern Observatory said it would cause irreversible damage to the Paranal night sky. A port at Cabo Negro in Magallanes, approved in April 2025, is opposed by Kawésqar leader Leticia Caro.","country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","places":[{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Atacama","lat":-24.6,"lon":-69.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Chile","iso2":"CL","admin":"Magallanes","lat":-53.2,"lon":-70.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-24.6,"lon":-69.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2024,"end":2026,"instrument":"renewable-energy","happened":["The European Southern Observatory said the INNA plan in Atacama would cause irreversible damage to the Paranal sky, and AES Andes cancelled the application in January 2026.","Mongabay reported that Kawésqar leader Leticia Caro objected to the new Cabo Negro port and its brine discharge in Magallanes, and that the regional coastal commission approved the port in April 2025.","Mongabay reported that the port would cover 30 hectares of land and 5 hectares of sea.","A scientist estimated that about 2,900 turbines would be needed for the region to produce 13 percent of the world's green hydrogen, with 1,740 to 5,220 bird collisions a year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"AES Andes cancelled the INNA green hydrogen plan in Atacama in January 2026; a Magallanes port approved in April 2025 is opposed by the Kawésqar.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Kawésqar people","what":"Leader objects to the Cabo Negro port and brine discharge","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Atacama Desert (INNA) and Magallanes region (Cabo Negro), Chile","src":0},"when":{"t":"Application in December 2024; INNA cancelled in January 2026; port approved in April 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Sources cite the European Southern Observatory's calculation of irreversible damage to the Paranal sky; the company's own reason is not given.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Application withdrawn after the observatory's objection.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"port_land_ha","value":30,"unit":"hectares","year":2025,"note":"Cabo Negro port, land"},{"key":"port_sea_ha","value":5,"unit":"hectares","year":2025,"note":"Cabo Negro port, sea"},{"key":"turbines_needed","value":2900,"unit":"turbines","year":null,"note":"Scientist's estimate for 13 percent of world green hydrogen"},{"key":"bird_collisions_low","value":1740,"unit":"birds per year","year":null,"note":"Scientist's estimated low end"},{"key":"bird_collisions_high","value":5220,"unit":"birds per year","year":null,"note":"Scientist's estimated high end"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the reasons AES Andes gave for cancelling INNA, or whether the port's brine discharge has been assessed.","The turbine and bird-collision figures are a scientist's estimates; no link is given for them."],"sources":[{"t":"ESO announcement on the INNA plan (eso2602)","p":"European Southern Observatory","d":"2026-02-02","u":"https://eso.org/public/news/eso2602/","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260828062904/https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2602/"},{"t":"Mongabay report: locals fear Chile's new port for green energy will disrupt ecosystems","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-07-11","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/locals-fear-chiles-new-port-project-for-green-energy-will-disrupt-ecosystems/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260610152944/https://news.mongabay.com/2025/07/locals-fear-chiles-new-port-project-for-green-energy-will-disrupt-ecosystems/"}],"actors":[{"id":"aes-andes","role":"Sponsor of the INNA plan"},{"id":"european-southern-observatory","role":"Objected to the INNA plan"}],"mechanism":"green hydrogen plan cancellation","types":["renewable-energy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A port approved in April 2025 at Cabo Negro would cover 30 hectares of my land and 5 hectares of my sea.","src":[1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the reasons AES Andes gave for cancelling INNA, or whether the port's brine discharge has been assessed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The turbine and bird-collision figures are a scientist's estimates; no link is given for them.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"haida-gwaii-iron-fertilisation-2012","tier":"short","title":"About 100 tonnes of iron released off Haida Gwaii in 2012 ocean experiment","dek":"In July 2012 about 100 tonnes of iron-bearing material was released into the sea off Canada's Haida Gwaii islands, paid for with 2.5 million dollars from a village fund. Canada's environment ministry searched in 2013 and no charges were recorded, and the London Protocol amendment on ocean engineering has not entered into force.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","lat":53.25,"lon":-132,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.25,"lon":-132,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2013,"instrument":"finance","happened":["About 100 tonnes of iron-bearing material was released off Haida Gwaii in July 2012.","Columbia Climate Law reports that the 2013 London Protocol amendment on ocean engineering did not enter into force because too few states ratified it."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"About 100 tonnes of iron-bearing material was released into the sea off Haida Gwaii in July 2012 in an ocean fertilisation experiment.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Old Massett village","what":"Its fund paid 2.5 million dollars for the experiment","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Haida Gwaii islands, British Columbia, Canada","src":0},"when":{"t":"July 2012; ministry search in 2013","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Iron-bearing material released at sea, paid for from a village fund.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"iron_released_tonnes","value":100,"unit":"tonnes","year":2012,"note":"Approximate"},{"key":"village_fund_usd_m","value":2500000,"unit":"USD","year":2012,"note":"Paid from the Old Massett village fund"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: the ecological effects of the release, or who else funded or ran it beyond the village fund.","None on record: whether the London Protocol amendment has entered into force since 2025."],"sources":[{"t":"Businessman Russ George defends experiment seeding Pacific with iron sulphate","p":"The Globe and Mail","d":"2012-10-19","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/businessman-russ-george-defends-experiment-seeding-pacific-with-iron-sulphate/article4622528/","type":"press"},{"t":"International governance of marine CDR: small steps forward but much more work to do","p":"Columbia Climate Law","d":"2025-01-09","u":"https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/01/09/international-governance-of-mcdr-small-steps-forward-but-much-more-work-to-do/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260615043451/https://blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechange/2025/01/09/international-governance-of-mcdr-small-steps-forward-but-much-more-work-to-do/"},{"t":"B.C. village's ocean fertilization experiment probed (CBC the fifth estate report, 28 Mar 2013, as reproduced by Geoengineering Monitor)","p":"CBC / Geoengineering Monitor","d":"2013-03-28","u":"https://www.geoengineeringmonitor.org/b-c-villages-ocean-fertilization-experiment-probed","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"old-massett-village","role":"Funded the experiment from its village fund"},{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Environment ministry searched in 2013; no charges recorded"}],"mechanism":"ocean iron fertilisation experiment","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 100 tonnes of iron-bearing material was released into my sea off Haida Gwaii in July 2012, paid for with 2.5 million dollars from a village fund.","src":[0,2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the ecological effects of the release, or who else funded or ran it beyond the village fund.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the London Protocol amendment has entered into force since 2025.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ocean-alkalinity-and-iron-fertilisation-trials","tier":"short","title":"Planetary sold 625.6 ocean carbon credits as LOC-NESS and ExOIS trials proceed","dek":"Planetary Technologies issued 625.6 ocean alkalinity credits, while the LOC-NESS and ExOIS trials are research that sells no credits. Frontier agreed to buy 115,211 credits, with deliveries due in 2026 to 2030.","country":"Multiple","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Gulf of Maine","lat":43,"lon":-68.5,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Gulf of Alaska","lat":57,"lon":-145,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Nova Scotia","lat":44.65,"lon":-63.58,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","admin":"St Ives, Cornwall","lat":50.21,"lon":-5.48,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2026,"instrument":"carbon-credit","happened":["Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reported that its LOC-NESS small-scale ocean alkalinity trial in the Gulf of Maine was completed in August 2025, funded independently of industry, with no credit sales.","Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said ExOIS proposed a trial of about 1,000 square kilometres in the Gulf of Alaska in February 2026 and would not sell credits.","Carbon Herald reported that Planetary Technologies issued 625.6 credits to Stripe, Shopify and British Airways, and that Frontier agreed to buy 115,211 credits for $31.3 million with deliveries in 2026 to 2030.","Carbon Herald reported that Planetary cancelled its trial in St Ives, Cornwall, after local opposition, including a protest of about 300 people."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Planetary Technologies issued ocean alkalinity credits and sold them to buyers; LOC-NESS and ExOIS are research trials that sell no credits.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Planetary Technologies","what":"Issued 625.6 credits; Frontier offtake of 115,211 credits for $31.3 million","src":2},{"who":"Stripe, Shopify and British Airways","what":"Buyers of Planetary credits","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Gulf of Maine (LOC-NESS), Gulf of Alaska (ExOIS proposal), Nova Scotia (Planetary), St Ives, Cornwall (cancelled trial)","src":0},"when":{"t":"LOC-NESS in August 2025; ExOIS proposal in February 2026; Planetary credits in 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Ocean alkalinity enhancement and iron fertilisation trials; credits issued through the Isometric registry.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"planetary_credits_issued","value":625.6,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Issued through the Isometric registry"},{"key":"frontier_credits_bought","value":115211,"unit":"credits","year":null,"note":"Frontier offtake, deliveries 2026 to 2030"},{"key":"frontier_value_usd_m","value":31300000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Value of the Frontier offtake"},{"key":"exois_proposed_area_km2","value":1000,"unit":"square kilometres","year":2026,"note":"Approximate proposed Gulf of Alaska trial area"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: LOC-NESS had a 75-day public comment period with more than 250 comments, and a 2024 plan of 60,000 gallons.","The price of about $271 per tonne for the Frontier deal is an estimate, not a confirmed price.","Reported without a link: a sector publication says more than 90 percent of marine carbon removal credits have not yet been delivered to buyers."],"sources":[{"t":"WHOI completes small-scale ocean alkalinity enhancement trial in the Gulf of Maine","p":"Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution","d":"2025-08-25","u":"https://locness.whoi.edu/whoi-successfully-completes-small-scale-ocean-alkalinity-enhancement-research-trial-in-the-gulf-of-maine","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260207234230/https://locness.whoi.edu/whoi-successfully-completes-small-scale-ocean-alkalinity-enhancement-research-trial-in-the-gulf-of-maine/"},{"t":"WHOI press release on ocean iron fertilisation trials","p":"Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution","d":"2026-02-05","u":"https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/oiftrials/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260313102635/https://www.whoi.edu/press-room/news-release/oiftrials/"},{"t":"Planetary issues the first ever OAE carbon credits verified by Isometric","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"","u":"https://carbonherald.com/planetary-issues-the-first-ever-oae-carbon-credits-verified-by-isometric/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251117144711/https://carbonherald.com/planetary-issues-the-first-ever-oae-carbon-credits-verified-by-isometric/"},{"t":"31m carbon removal pact pushes ocean alkalinity into the mainstream","p":"Carbon Herald","d":"","u":"https://carbonherald.com/31m-carbon-removal-pact-pushes-ocean-alkalinity-into-the-mainstream/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206093700/https://carbonherald.com/31m-carbon-removal-pact-pushes-ocean-alkalinity-into-the-mainstream/"}],"actors":[{"id":"planetary-technologies","role":"Issued the credits"},{"id":"woods-hole-oceanographic-institution","role":"Ran the LOC-NESS trial"},{"id":"exois","role":"Proposed the Gulf of Alaska trial"},{"id":"frontier","role":"Offtake buyer"}],"mechanism":"ocean carbon removal trials","types":["carbon-credit"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"625.6 ocean alkalinity credits were issued in my name; Frontier agreed to buy 115,211 credits for $31.3 million, with deliveries in 2026 to 2030.","src":[2,3]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: LOC-NESS had a 75-day public comment period with more than 250 comments, and a 2024 plan of 60,000 gallons.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The price of about $271 per tonne for the Frontier deal is an estimate, not a confirmed price.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a link: a sector publication says more than 90 percent of marine carbon removal credits have not yet been delivered to buyers.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"chemours-dordrecht-pfoa-and-dmac-cases","tier":"short","title":"Dutch prosecutors declined to charge DuPont over Dordrecht birth-defect complaints","dek":"Forty-four women workers alleged that the solvent dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at the Dordrecht plant caused miscarriages and birth anomalies; prosecutors declined to prosecute DuPont in 2021. A large criminal investigation into Chemours, called Dahlia, was well advanced in February 2026, according to the Dutch prosecution service.","country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","places":[{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":"South Holland","lat":51.8133,"lon":4.6901,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.8133,"lon":4.6901,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2026,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["In January 2021 Dutch prosecutors decided not to prosecute DuPont over a complaint by 44 women, who worked at the plant up to 2004 and alleged that DMAc caused miscarriages and birth anomalies. The prosecution service said there was no proof that the women had been exposed to excessive concentrations of DMAc (DutchNews, 25 January 2021). Chemours, a DuPont spin-off, has run the plant since 2015.","On 5 February 2026 the Dutch prosecution service said there would be no new investigation into Custom Powders of Helmond, a bankrupt company that cannot be prosecuted, after complaints by the municipality of Helmond and the Aa en Maas water board against Custom Powders, Chemours and their leaders (Openbaar Ministerie).","A large existing criminal investigation into Chemours, called 'Dahlia', was well advanced in February 2026; the prosecution service said it wanted the case brought before a criminal court without delay."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Dutch prosecutors declined in 2021 to prosecute over alleged DMAc-linked miscarriages and birth anomalies reported by 44 women workers at the Dordrecht plant.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"44 women workers at the Dordrecht plant","what":"Alleged miscarriages and birth anomalies; no prosecution followed","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Dordrecht, Netherlands","src":0},"when":{"t":"Prosecutor decision reported 25 January 2021; Custom Powders statement dated 5 February 2026","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Prosecutors reviewed the complaint and did not charge. The bankrupt Custom Powders cannot be prosecuted, and the Dahlia investigation into Chemours continued into 2026.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"women_complainants","value":44,"unit":"women workers","year":2021,"note":"Complaint alleging DMAc-linked miscarriages and birth anomalies; no prosecution"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["In an interim civil judgment of 27 September 2023, in a case brought by the municipalities of Dordrecht, Papendrecht, Sliedrecht and Molenlanden, the Rotterdam District Court held Chemours and its predecessor DuPont liable for damage from PFAS emissions from the plant between 1 July 1984 and 1 March 1998, finding that the municipalities should have been better informed; the amount was left to a follow-up procedure (Binnenlands Bestuur/ANP).","Unconfirmed: about 2,400 to 3,000 complainants in the PFOA investigation.","The cited sources give no compensation paid to the women and no sentence against any individual.","The cited sources do not give Chemours' costs or gains from the Dordrecht plant."],"sources":[{"t":"Report on prosecutors' decision on Dordrecht birth-defect complaint","p":"DutchNews","d":"2021-01-25","u":"https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/01/dupont-wont-face-prosecution-over-birth-defects-linked-to-dordrecht-plant/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230403083502/https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/01/dupont-wont-face-prosecution-over-birth-defects-linked-to-dordrecht-plant/"},{"t":"Geen nieuw onderzoek naar Custom Powders na aangifte","p":"Openbaar Ministerie","d":"2026-02-05","u":"https://www.om.nl/actueel/nieuws/2026/02/05/geen-nieuw-onderzoek-naar-custom-powders-na-aangifte","type":"government"},{"t":"Chemours aansprakelijk voor PFAS-schade (ANP)","p":"Binnenlands Bestuur","d":"2023-09-27","u":"https://www.binnenlandsbestuur.nl/ruimte-en-milieu/chemoursdupont-aansprakelijk-voor-pfas-schade-eind-vorige-eeuw","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"chemours","role":"Operator of the Dordrecht plant"},{"id":"openbaar-ministerie","role":"Dutch prosecution service"},{"id":"custom-powders","role":"Bankrupt company that cannot be prosecuted"}],"mechanism":"prosecution decision and investigation","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"In an interim civil judgment of 27 September 2023, in a case brought by the municipalities of Dordrecht, Papendrecht, Sliedrecht and Molenlanden, the Rotterdam District Court held Chemours and its predecessor DuPont liable for damage from PFAS emissions from the plant between 1 July 1984 and 1 March 1998, finding that the municipalities should have been better informed; the amount was left to a follow-up procedure (Binnenlands Bestuur/ANP).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 2,400 to 3,000 complainants in the PFOA investigation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give no compensation paid to the women and no sentence against any individual.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give Chemours' costs or gains from the Dordrecht plant.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"pfas-firefighting-foam-contamination-at-australian-military","tier":"short","title":"Australian government settles firefighting foam suits near three military bases","dek":"The Australian Department of Defence settled class actions in 2020 over firefighting foam used at the Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey bases, which concerned losses in property value. The settlement amount reported by the Katherine Times is unconfirmed.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Northern Territory","lat":-14.4653,"lon":132.2635,"role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"New South Wales","lat":-32.7986,"lon":151.8374,"role":"event"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-27.4147,"lon":151.7336,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":1988,"end":2020,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Firefighting foam used at the Katherine, Williamtown and Oakey military bases between 1988 and 2004 was the source of the contamination, according to the Katherine Times.","The Australian Department of Defence settled the class actions in 2020; the suits concerned losses in property value (Katherine Times, 27 February 2020)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Australia's Department of Defence settled class actions in 2020 over PFAS-containing firefighting foam used at three military bases.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Plaintiffs in class actions over property value losses near the bases","what":"Property value losses; settlement reached in 2020","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Katherine (Northern Territory), Williamtown (New South Wales) and Oakey (Queensland)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Foam used 1988 to 2004; settlement reported 27 February 2020","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Settled through class actions. The sources do not show any recovery from foam makers.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a total settlement of 212.5 million Australian dollars (press figure).","The cited sources do not say whether taxpayers met the cost, or whether foam makers were pursued for recovery.","The cited sources do not give the number of plaintiffs or the amount paid to each."],"sources":[{"t":"Katherine's PFAS class action settled","p":"Katherine Times","d":"2020-02-27","u":"https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/6651416/katherines-pfas-class-action-settled/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221120145519/https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/6651416/katherines-pfas-class-action-settled/"}],"actors":[{"id":"australian-defence-department","role":"Settled the class actions"}],"mechanism":"firefighting foam contamination","types":["chemical-pollution","war-military"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["war:peacetime-military"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a total settlement of 212.5 million Australian dollars (press figure).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether taxpayers met the cost, or whether foam makers were pursued for recovery.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the number of plaintiffs or the amount paid to each.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"monsanto-v-durnell-fifra-preemption-ruling","tier":"short","title":"US Supreme Court blocks state cancer-warning suits against pesticide makers","dek":"The 7–2 ruling of 25 June 2026 held that federal pesticide law stops states from requiring cancer warnings the EPA has not approved. The court did not decide whether glyphosate causes cancer.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"District of Columbia","lat":38.8977,"lon":-77.0365,"role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Illinois","lat":39.7817,"lon":-89.6501,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.8977,"lon":-77.0365,"approxCoords":true,"start":2026,"end":2026,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["On 25 June 2026 the US Supreme Court ruled 7–2 that the federal pesticide law (FIFRA) bars state suits demanding a cancer warning that is not on the EPA-approved label (Faegre Drinker, June 2026).","The court did not decide whether glyphosate causes cancer, and the US Justice Department supported Monsanto.","EPA said on 17 January 2025 that it wanted to withdraw its 2021 paraquat decision and asked for more data; plaintiffs said they could not wait four more years.","Syngenta said on 3 March 2026 that it would stop producing Gramoxone, its paraquat herbicide, by 30 June and end sales by 31 December 2026."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The US Supreme Court held 7–2 that FIFRA preempts state failure-to-warn suits seeking a cancer warning absent from the EPA-approved label.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Monsanto","what":"State failure-to-warn suits seeking a cancer warning off the EPA-approved label are barred","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Plaintiffs in state failure-to-warn suits","what":"Claims for a warning beyond the EPA-approved label are barred","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Washington, D.C. (the Supreme Court), with the consolidated federal cases in Illinois","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ruling on 25 June 2026; EPA's paraquat review was announced on 17 January 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The Court held that federal labelling rules override a state-law duty to add a warning the EPA did not approve.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"federal_cases_mdl","value":8000,"unit":"cases","year":2026,"note":"More than 8,000 federal cases by July 2026; none had reached a jury"},{"key":"federal_cases_settlement_letter","value":5800,"unit":"cases","year":2025,"note":"More than 5,800 federal cases when a confidential settlement letter was signed in April 2025"},{"key":"countries_banning_paraquat","value":70,"unit":"countries","year":null,"note":"More than 70 countries ban paraquat"}],"legal":[{"title":"Monsanto v. Durnell","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Plaintiff in a state failure-to-warn suit (private individual)","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2026-06-25","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Court ruled 7–2 that federal pesticide law preempts state failure-to-warn claims seeking a cancer warning not on the EPA-approved label.","src":0}],"unknown":["The 1.25 million dollar award to the plaintiff was reported as set aside, but the source grades for this figure conflict, so it is not stated as fact.","Unconfirmed: Bayer agreed a 7.25 billion dollar class settlement that received preliminary approval in March 2026 (marked H).","Unconfirmed: Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 for about 63 billion dollars (marked H).","Unconfirmed: a judge threatened a plaintiffs' lawyer with sanctions in October 2025 (marked H).","Unconfirmed: California's paraquat registration was cancelled in April 2026 (marked H).","The cited sources do not say how the ruling affects paraquat suits.","The summary rests on a law firm's note and an encyclopedia entry; the opinion itself was not reviewed."],"sources":[{"t":"Supreme Court decides Monsanto v. Durnell","p":"Faegre Drinker","d":"2026-06","u":"https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2026/6/supreme-court-decides-monsanto-v-durnell","type":"reference"},{"t":"Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, No. 24-1068 (slip opinion)","p":"Supreme Court of the United States","d":"2026-06-25","u":"https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1068_n7ip.pdf","type":"court"}],"actors":[{"id":"monsanto","role":"Petitioner; defendant in the state suits"},{"id":"us-supreme-court","role":"Ruled on the preemption question"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Approved the labels; announced the paraquat review"},{"id":"us-doj","role":"Supported Monsanto in the case"},{"id":"syngenta","role":"Paraquat producer; announced Gramoxone phase-out"}],"mechanism":"federal pesticide labelling preemption","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The 1.25 million dollar award to the plaintiff was reported as set aside, but the source grades for this figure conflict, so it is not stated as fact.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bayer agreed a 7.25 billion dollar class settlement that received preliminary approval in March 2026 (marked H).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bayer acquired Monsanto in 2018 for about 63 billion dollars (marked H).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a judge threatened a plaintiffs' lawyer with sanctions in October 2025 (marked H).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: California's paraquat registration was cancelled in April 2026 (marked H).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say how the ruling affects paraquat suits.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The summary rests on a law firm's note and an encyclopedia entry; the opinion itself was not reviewed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"vunidogoloa-and-fiji-climate-relocations","tier":"short","title":"Fijian village Vunidogoloa relocates inland under climate relocation plan","dek":"Vunidogoloa moved two kilometres inland in January 2014 and gave up sea fishing, according to a 2020 blog post. In September 2026 its headman told the Fiji Times that some new homes lacked kitchens.","country":"Fiji","iso2":"FJ","places":[{"country":"Fiji","iso2":"FJ","admin":null,"lat":-17.7134,"lon":178.065,"role":"event"}],"lat":-17.7134,"lon":178.065,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":2026,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["The relocation cost about 980,000 US dollars: 740,000 from government and 240,000 in timber from the village's own forest (KTH blog, 27 January 2020).","The village moved two kilometres inland in January 2014 and gave up sea fishing; women lost their fishing livelihood and graves were moved.","In September 2026 the headman told the Fiji Times that some homes were handed over without kitchens (3 September 2026).","Fiji's relocation guidelines of 2018 call relocation a last resort and require community participation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fiji's government relocated Vunidogoloa village inland in 2014 at a combined cost of about 980,000 US dollars.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Vunidogoloa village","what":"Gave up sea fishing and timber from its own forest as its share of the cost","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Women of Vunidogoloa","what":"Lost their fishing livelihood after the move","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Vunidogoloa, Fiji; moved two kilometres inland","src":0},"when":{"t":"Moved January 2014; kitchen shortfall reported 3 September 2026","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Government-run relocation in which the village paid part of the cost in timber from its own forest.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"relocation_total_cost","value":980000,"unit":"USD","year":2014,"note":"Total cost of moving Vunidogoloa"},{"key":"government_share","value":740000,"unit":"USD","year":2014,"note":"Government share of the relocation cost"},{"key":"village_share_timber","value":240000,"unit":"USD","year":2014,"note":"Village share, valued as timber from its own forest"},{"key":"villages_on_relocation_list","value":42,"unit":"villages","year":2022,"note":"Villages on Fiji's relocation list"},{"key":"adaptation_need_10yr","value":4500000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Fiji's 10-year climate adaptation need"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a trust fund fed by a yearly levy of about 5 million US dollars, which the prime minister called insufficient (marked H).","Unconfirmed: New Zealand gave a further 5 million dollars at the end of 2025.","Al Jazeera reported government and village shares of 345,000 and 100,000 with no currency unit; these do not match the 980,000 total and are not reconciled.","The cited sources do not give the total size of the relocation fund or the cost per village.","The cited sources do not say what replaced the lost sea fishing."],"sources":[{"t":"Vunidogoloa: what can we learn from climate change relocation?","p":"KTH blog (G. Borsa)","d":"2020-01-27","u":"https://www.kth.se/blogs/hist/2020/01/vunidogoloa-what-can-we-learn-from-climate-change-relocation/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260414095006/https://www.kth.se/blogs/hist/2020/01/vunidogoloa-what-can-we-learn-from-climate-change-relocation/"},{"t":"Homes lacked basic facility","p":"Fiji Times","d":"2026-09-03","u":"https://www.fijitimes.com.fj/homes-lacked-basic-facility/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"fiji-government","role":"Ran the relocation under its guidelines"},{"id":"vunidogoloa-village","role":"Relocated community"}],"mechanism":"planned village relocation","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a trust fund fed by a yearly levy of about 5 million US dollars, which the prime minister called insufficient (marked H).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: New Zealand gave a further 5 million dollars at the end of 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Al Jazeera reported government and village shares of 345,000 and 100,000 with no currency unit; these do not match the 980,000 total and are not reconciled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the total size of the relocation fund or the cost per village.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what replaced the lost sea fishing.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"nusantara-capital-city-project-and-jakarta","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's Nusantara capital faces funding gap as Jakarta keeps sinking","dek":"Indonesia's new capital was costed at about 466 trillion rupiah, with 80 percent expected from private investment; by the end of 2024 private investment had reached 58.4 trillion rupiah against a 100 trillion target. North Jakarta keeps sinking as groundwater is pumped.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"East Kalimantan","lat":-0.9,"lon":116.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"Jakarta","lat":-6.2088,"lon":106.8456,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.9,"lon":116.7,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"staged-loss","happened":["In 2019 President Joko Widodo made the case for moving the capital out of Jakarta, citing the city's overload, floods, land subsidence, traffic and inequality between Java and other islands.","The cost was put at about 466 trillion rupiah (32 to 35 billion US dollars), with 80 percent expected from private investment (February 2025).","By the end of 2024 private investment stood at 58.4 trillion rupiah against a 100 trillion target, and the 2026 budget was cut to 6.3 trillion rupiah from 43.4 trillion in 2024.","In March 2024 about 200 families in Pemaluan village were told to demolish their homes within seven days; the order was postponed after objections (BenarNews, 13 March 2024)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Indonesia is building a new capital in East Kalimantan at a cost of about 466 trillion rupiah, depending mainly on private investment.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"ITCI Hutani Manunggal","what":"Holds a 161,127-hectare concession that overlaps the western part of the new capital","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"ITCI Hutani Manunggal","what":"Expected to give up 40,000 to 50,000 hectares of its concession area","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Pemaluan village (about 200 families)","what":"Told in March 2024 to demolish homes within seven days; postponed after objections. The indigenous alliance AMAN estimated 20,000 people would be affected.","src":1},{"who":"North Jakarta residents","what":"Land sinking from groundwater pumping; the piped network does not reach everyone, and a fishing household in Muara Angke buys water by the drum","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"East Kalimantan (the new capital site) and Jakarta","src":null},"when":{"t":"Announced 2019; Pemaluan notices March 2024; sea wall approved June 2025","src":null},"why":{"t":"Stated reasons: Jakarta's overload, floods, land subsidence, traffic and inequality between Java and other islands (government, 2019).","src":null},"how":{"t":"Mainly private finance, with the state paying 20 percent of the cost; the western part of the site overlaps two concessions.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"cost_nusantara","value":466,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2025,"note":"About 32 to 35 billion US dollars as stated; 80 percent expected from private investment"},{"key":"private_investment_2024","value":58.4,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2024,"note":"Against a 100 trillion rupiah target"},{"key":"budget_2026","value":6.3,"unit":"trillion rupiah","year":2026,"note":"Down from 43.4 trillion rupiah in 2024"},{"key":"sea_wall_cost","value":80000000000,"unit":"USD","year":2025,"note":"500 km sea wall approved June 2025; Jakarta bay section 8 to 10 billion"},{"key":"itci_hutani_concession","value":161127,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"ITCI Hutani Manunggal concession overlapping the western part of the new capital"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: investors may receive land-use rights of up to 190 years (marked H).","Unconfirmed: an AFP report that Nusantara had stalled.","The cited sources do not say what happened at Pemaluan in 2025 or 2026."],"sources":[{"t":"Pembangunan ibu kota baru: PT IHM harus rela konsesi berkurang","p":"Bisnis.com","d":"2019-09-30","u":"https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20190930/99/1153694/pembangunan-ibu-kota-baru-pt-ihm-harus-rela-konsesi-berkurang","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210418074813/https://ekonomi.bisnis.com/read/20190930/99/1153694/pembangunan-ibu-kota-baru-pt-ihm-harus-rela-konsesi-berkurang"},{"t":"New capital criticized over demolition notices","p":"BenarNews","d":"2024-03-13","u":"https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/new-capital-criticized-demolition-notices-03132024133054.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250723155521/https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/indonesian/new-capital-criticized-demolition-notices-03132024133054.html"},{"t":"Waterlogged Jakarta fights for survival","p":"Swissinfo","d":"2026-01-27","u":"https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/waterlogged-jakarta-fights-for-survival/90836244","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260707230801/https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/climate-adaptation/waterlogged-jakarta-fights-for-survival/90836244"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"Plans and funds the new capital"},{"id":"itci-hutani-manunggal","role":"Concession holder overlapping the site"},{"id":"itci-kartika-utama","role":"Concession holder overlapping the site"}],"mechanism":"new capital megaproject","types":["staged-loss"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: investors may receive land-use rights of up to 190 years (marked H).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an AFP report that Nusantara had stalled.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say what happened at Pemaluan in 2025 or 2026.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"tete-province-coal-resettlements","tier":"short","title":"Vale and Rio Tinto's Riversdale move households to make way for Tete coal mines","dek":"Vale moved 1,365 households in Tete province in 2009 and 2010, and Riversdale moved 84, according to Human Rights Watch. At Cateme at least 83 families lost usable fields, and a promised second hectare had not been provided by 2013.","country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","places":[{"country":"Mozambique","iso2":"MZ","admin":"Tete province","lat":-16.1564,"lon":33.5867,"role":"event"}],"lat":-16.1564,"lon":33.5867,"approxCoords":true,"start":2009,"end":2013,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Vale resettled 1,365 households in Tete province in 2009 and 2010; Riversdale, which Rio Tinto bought in 2011, moved 84 households (Human Rights Watch, 23 May 2013).","At Cateme at least 83 families had fields covered in stone or taken back, and a promised second hectare had still not been given by 2013.","In January 2012 about 500 people blocked the coal railway."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Vale and Riversdale, which Rio Tinto bought in 2011, relocated households to make way for coal mining in Tete province.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Vale","what":"Coal mining proceeded after relocating 1,365 households","src":0},{"who":"Rio Tinto (through Riversdale)","what":"Riversdale's relocation of 84 households proceeded","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Households relocated for the Vale and Riversdale mines","what":"Relocated; at least 83 families at Cateme lost usable land, and the promised second hectare was not given by 2013","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Tete province, Mozambique (Cateme and Mwaladzi areas)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Relocations 2009 to 2010; rail blockade January 2012; report 2013","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Households were relocated for mine development. The sources do not describe the compensation terms.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"households_vale","value":1365,"unit":"households","year":2010,"note":"Relocated by Vale in 2009 and 2010"},{"key":"households_riversdale","value":84,"unit":"households","year":null,"note":"Relocated for Riversdale, bought by Rio Tinto in 2011"},{"key":"families_fields_lost","value":83,"unit":"families","year":2013,"note":"At Cateme, fields stony or taken back; second hectare still not given in 2013"},{"key":"rail_blockade_people","value":500,"unit":"people","year":2012,"note":"Approximately 500 people closed the coal railway in January 2012"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give the compensation paid to the households or the terms of the relocation.","The cited sources do not say whether the second hectare was given after 2013."],"sources":[{"t":"Mozambique: mining resettlements disrupt food, water","p":"Human Rights Watch","d":"2013-05-23","u":"https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/23/mozambique-mining-resettlements-disrupt-food-water","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260921142247/https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/05/23/mozambique-mining-resettlements-disrupt-food-water"}],"actors":[{"id":"vale","role":"Operator that relocated 1,365 households"},{"id":"riversdale","role":"Relocated 84 households"},{"id":"rio-tinto","role":"Owner of Riversdale from 2011"}],"mechanism":"coal mine resettlement","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the compensation paid to the households or the terms of the relocation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the second hectare was given after 2013.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"friant-kern-canal-subsidence","tier":"short","title":"Groundwater pumping by nearby farms sank California's Friant-Kern Canal","dek":"The federal canal lost about 60 percent of its capacity, and repairs were put at about 1 billion dollars, High Country News reported. Eastern Tule farmers rejected a per-acre repair fee in 2022, and in 2024 the state placed the subbasin on probation.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","lat":36.9955,"lon":-119.7012,"role":"event"}],"lat":36.9955,"lon":-119.7012,"approxCoords":true,"start":2020,"end":2024,"instrument":"water","happened":["Subsidence caused by pumping on nearby farms cut the Friant-Kern Canal's capacity by about 60 percent, and repairs were put at about 1 billion dollars (High Country News, 8 December 2021).","The Friant Water Authority collected over 400 million dollars from federal grants, loans and over-pumping farms, and asked that the last third be paid by state taxpayers.","In 2022 Eastern Tule farmers rejected a fee of 140 dollars per acre by more than 80 percent of votes, and the debt was tied to pumping fees (SJV Water, 5 July 2022).","In September 2024 the state water board placed the Tule subbasin on probation, with large pumpers to pay 300 dollars per well and 20 dollars per acre-foot (Ag Alert, 25 September 2024)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Subsidence caused by pumping on neighbouring farms cut the Friant-Kern Canal's capacity by about 60 percent and needs about 1 billion dollars in repairs.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Large farms without surface water rights, growing grapes, almonds and pistachios","what":"Kept pumping groundwater; the repair payment is tied to pumping fees","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Tooleville, a community of about 290 people beside the canal","what":"Wells drying up; a resident said they had seen no benefit","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Friant-Kern Canal and the Eastern Tule subbasin, California's Central Valley","src":0},"when":{"t":"Eastern Tule agreement 2020; fee rejected 2022; state probation September 2024","src":2},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Groundwater pumping drew down the aquifer under the canal; repair costs were to be shared through pumping fees and federal and state funds.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"canal_capacity_loss","value":60,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Approximate capacity lost by the Friant-Kern Canal"},{"key":"repair_cost","value":1000000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"Approximate repair cost"},{"key":"federal_congress_funds","value":206000000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"Congress, as reported by SJV Sun"},{"key":"eastern_tule_settlement","value":125000000,"unit":"USD","year":2020,"note":"Lump-sum option; or 200 million over 10 years"},{"key":"fee_rejected_per_acre","value":140,"unit":"USD per acre","year":2022,"note":"Farmers rejected the fee by more than 80 percent of votes"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not say whether the Eastern Tule payment deal was revised or the lawsuit between the water districts and the agency was resolved.","The cited sources do not give the well repair or water supply costs for Tooleville residents.","The cited sources do not give the total federal repair bill."],"sources":[{"t":"South water: who should pay to fix California's sunken canals","p":"High Country News","d":"2021-12-08","u":"https://www.hcn.org/issues/54-1/south-water-who-should-pay-to-fix-californias-sunken-canals/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250722142558/https://www.hcn.org/issues/54-1/south-water-who-should-pay-to-fix-californias-sunken-canals/"},{"t":"Amid COVID relief, Congress delivers $206 mil for Friant-Kern canal repairs","p":"SJV Sun","d":"2020","u":"https://sjvsun.com/ag/amid-covid-relief-congress-delivers-206mil-for-friant-kern-canal-repairs/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251009053611/https://sjvsun.com/ag/amid-covid-relief-congress-delivers-206mil-for-friant-kern-canal-repairs/"},{"t":"Farmers who helped sink the Friant-Kern canal reject a fee to pay off their share of the fix","p":"SJV Water","d":"2022-07-05","u":"https://sjvwater.org/farmers-who-helped-sink-the-friant-kern-canal-reject-a-fee-to-pay-off-their-share-of-the-fix/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20241201172937/https://sjvwater.org/farmers-who-helped-sink-the-friant-kern-canal-reject-a-fee-to-pay-off-their-share-of-the-fix/"},{"t":"State water board agrees on probation for Tule subbasin","p":"Ag Alert","d":"2024-09-25","u":"https://www.agalert.com/california-ag-news/archives/september-25-2024/state-water-board-agrees-on-probation-for-tule-subbasin/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250907024738/https://www.agalert.com/california-ag-news/archives/september-25-2024/state-water-board-agrees-on-probation-for-tule-subbasin/"}],"actors":[{"id":"friant-water-authority","role":"Collected funds and asked for a state share"},{"id":"eastern-tule-groundwater-sustainability-agency","role":"Agreed the repair payment deal with farmers"},{"id":"california-state-water-board","role":"Placed the Tule subbasin on probation"}],"mechanism":"groundwater pumping fees","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Pumping of my groundwater by nearby farms caused subsidence that cut the Friant-Kern Canal's capacity by about 60 percent; repairs were put at about 1 billion dollars.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the Eastern Tule payment deal was revised or the lawsuit between the water districts and the agency was resolved.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the well repair or water supply costs for Tooleville residents.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the total federal repair bill.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"boeung-kak-lake-infill-and-evictions","tier":"short","title":"Cambodia fills Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak lake with sand under 99-year lease","dek":"Cambodia leased 90 hectares of Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak lake for 99 years and filled it with river sand and mud, displacing residents. The World Bank's Inspection Panel later found that a Bank land-titling programme had excluded residents from registration.","country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","places":[{"country":"Cambodia","iso2":"KH","admin":"Phnom Penh","lat":11.5564,"lon":104.9282,"role":"event"}],"lat":11.5564,"lon":104.9282,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2011,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["In 2007 the Cambodian government leased the 90-hectare Boeung Kak lake to Shukaku Inc. for 99 years for $79 million, and the lake was filled with sand and mud pumped from the river (Al Jazeera, 2011).","Residents were advised to demolish their homes within seven days in return for $8,500, and one home was filled with sand while its occupant slept (Al Jazeera, 2011).","The World Bank Inspection Panel found that the Bank's $24 million land-titling programme had excluded residents from registration and contributed to the eviction of about 4,250 families; the Bank froze new lending to Cambodia in 2011 (VOA Khmer, 2011).","Campaigners from the group Mother Nature were prosecuted: three were jailed in 2016 and ordered to pay $25,000 to the sand company, and ten were sentenced in July 2024 to six to eight years on conspiracy charges, according to the cited sources."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Cambodia leased Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak lake for 99 years and filled it with river sand, which displaced residents.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Shukaku Inc.","what":"99-year lease of the 90-hectare lake for $79 million","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Lakeside residents","what":"Homes and land; about 4,250 families evicted, according to the World Bank Inspection Panel finding","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents","what":"Advised to demolish homes within seven days for $8,500; one home filled with sand","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Boeung Kak lake, Phnom Penh, Cambodia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Lease granted in 2007; evictions and the 2011 loan freeze are reported in the sources.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The lake was leased to a company, which filled it with sand and mud pumped from the river.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"lease_price","value":79000000,"unit":"USD","year":2007,"note":"99-year lease of the lake to Shukaku Inc."},{"key":"lake_area","value":90,"unit":"hectares","year":2007,"note":"Boeung Kak lake"},{"key":"resident_offer","value":8500,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"offered to residents to demolish homes within seven days"},{"key":"families_evicted","value":4250,"unit":"families","year":null,"note":"approximate; World Bank Inspection Panel finding"},{"key":"bank_titling_programme","value":24000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"World Bank land-titling programme"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Lao Meng Khin, a CPP senator, is named as the head of Shukaku Inc.","None on record: the compensation actually paid to evicted families and the terms of the 99-year lease."],"sources":[{"t":"Cambodia's growing dispossessed","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2011-03-15","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2011/3/15/cambodias-growing-dispossessed","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107083015/https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2011/3/15/cambodias-growing-dispossessed"},{"t":"Inspection faults World Bank programme in lake evictions","p":"VOA Khmer","d":"2011-03-09","u":"https://khmer.voanews.com/a/inspection-faults-world-bank-program-in-lake-evictions-117646673/1356132.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260713034612/https://khmer.voanews.com/a/inspection-faults-world-bank-program-in-lake-evictions-117646673/1356132.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"shukaku-inc","role":"lessee of the lake"},{"id":"cambodia-government","role":"lessor of the lake"},{"id":"world-bank","role":"lender whose land-titling programme was reviewed"},{"id":"mother-nature","role":"campaign group whose activists were prosecuted"}],"mechanism":"lake infill under long lease","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"In 2007 my 90-hectare Boeung Kak lake was leased for 99 years for $79 million and filled with sand and mud pumped from the river.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Lao Meng Khin, a CPP senator, is named as the head of Shukaku Inc.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the compensation actually paid to evicted families and the terms of the 99-year lease.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"navajo-hopi-relocation","tier":"short","title":"Navajo-Hopi resettlement cost over $300 million, anthropologist says","dek":"The United States resettled Navajo and Hopi people, and an anthropologist cited by International Rivers says the resettlement cost more than $300 million and left most of those moved worse off. The cited sources give no dates, household counts or compensation terms.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":35.9,"lon":-110.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":35.9,"lon":-110.3,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"protected-area","happened":["An anthropologist, quoted through International Rivers, says the Navajo-Hopi resettlement cost more than $300 million and left most of those moved worse off (International Rivers, 2005).","The cited sources give no dates, numbers of people moved or compensation terms for the resettlement."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Resettlement of Navajo and Hopi people in the United States.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People moved in the resettlement","what":"Most left worse off, according to the anthropologist cited","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"United States, Navajo-Hopi lands","src":null},"when":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Resettlement of residents; the cited sources give no further mechanism.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"reported_spending","value":300000000,"unit":"USD","year":null,"note":"exceeded, per the anthropologist cited by International Rivers"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["None on record: whether the $300 million figure covers the whole resettlement.","None on record: the years of the resettlement, the number of people moved and any compensation paid."],"sources":[{"t":"What's wrong with the World Bank's approach to resettlement","p":"International Rivers","d":"2005","u":"https://riverresourcehub.org/resources/whats-wrong-with-the-world-banks-approach-to-resettlement-2605/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512033104/https://riverresourcehub.org/resources/whats-wrong-with-the-world-banks-approach-to-resettlement-2605/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"resettlement programme","types":["protected-area"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the $300 million figure covers the whole resettlement.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the years of the resettlement, the number of people moved and any compensation paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"app-forest-fires-replanting-sanction","tier":"short","title":"Sinar Mas/APP fires burned 293,065 hectares; replanting was the recorded sanction","dek":"Fires in Indonesia from 2012 to 2024 burned 293,065 hectares linked to Sinar Mas/APP and 150,693 hectares linked to RGE/APRIL. The cited sources list replanting as the sanction and do not show how much forest was restored.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2024,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Fires in Indonesia between 2012 and 2024 burned 293,065 hectares linked to Sinar Mas/APP and 150,693 hectares linked to RGE/APRIL.","The Jakarta Post reported on 31 December 2015 that a court found no damages after forest fires.","The cited sources record replanting as the outcome for APP, and nine final judgments were unenforced in 2019."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Fires linked to Sinar Mas/APP burned 293,065 hectares in Indonesia between 2012 and 2024; replanting is the recorded sanction.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Forest ecosystems","what":"293,065 hectares linked to Sinar Mas/APP and 150,693 hectares linked to RGE/APRIL burned","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Local communities","what":"Named as harmed; the cited sources give no figure for what they received","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia; no province is named in the cited sources","src":null},"when":{"t":"Fires 2012 to 2024; court ruling reported 31 December 2015; judgments unenforced in 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Damage was dealt with through replanting and court judgments, nine of which were unenforced in 2019.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"hectares_burned_sinar_mas_app","value":293065,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"2012 to 2024; Sinar Mas/APP"},{"key":"hectares_burned_rge_april","value":150693,"unit":"ha","year":null,"note":"2012 to 2024; RGE/APRIL"},{"key":"final_judgments_unenforced","value":9,"unit":"judgments","year":2019,"note":"Final judgments not enforced"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Reported without a source link: an APP supplier, BMH, won at first instance; the case, court and date are not given.","Reported without a source link: a 2015 rejection of a 7.8 trillion rupiah claim, linked to acacia plantations.","Reported without a source link: a 30 million dollar a year platform linked to Sinar Mas/APP, with no explanation of its nature.","Reported without a source link: per-hectare damage values of 856 dollars for burned land and 665 dollars for cut land.","Reported without a source link: RGE/APRIL is listed with a 60-year term, unexplained.","None on record: the amount of any fine, and whether it was paid."],"sources":[{"t":"Report on a court ruling after forest fires","p":"The Jakarta Post","d":"2015-12-31","u":"https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/31/court-finds-no-damages-after-forest-fires","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"sinar-mas","role":"group linked to the burned area of Sinar Mas/APP"},{"id":"asia-pulp-paper","role":"APP, the group's paper arm"},{"id":"rge-april","role":"group linked to the RGE/APRIL burned area"}],"mechanism":"replanting after fires","types":["tree-planting","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:land-fires"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: an APP supplier, BMH, won at first instance; the case, court and date are not given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: a 2015 rejection of a 7.8 trillion rupiah claim, linked to acacia plantations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: a 30 million dollar a year platform linked to Sinar Mas/APP, with no explanation of its nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: per-hectare damage values of 856 dollars for burned land and 665 dollars for cut land.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: RGE/APRIL is listed with a 60-year term, unexplained.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the amount of any fine, and whether it was paid.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Forest ecosystems","No source link — Who harmed: Local communities"]},{"id":"philippines-old-growth-logging-ban-1992-and-eo-23","tier":"short","title":"FAO data show Philippine old-growth forest was 3.3% of land by 1998","dek":"FAO's 1998 assessment put old-growth dipterocarp forest at 984,100 hectares, 3.3% of the country's land area, and found that 57% of industrial log supply came from illegal logging and other substitutes.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":null,"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.88,"lon":121.77,"approxCoords":true,"start":1989,"end":1998,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["The FAO's 1998 Philippines assessment put old-growth dipterocarp forest at 984,100 hectares, 3.3% of the country's land area.","It recorded forest area falling from 15 million hectares in 1989 to 6.7 million in 1998.","FAO said 57% of industrial log supply in 1998, about 2.85 million cubic metres, came from illegal logging and other substitutes.","Sawn-timber imports, almost none before 1992, passed 0.5 million cubic metres in 1996, FAO reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"FAO data show old-growth dipterocarp forest covered 984,100 hectares, 3.3% of the Philippines, in 1998.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"1998 forest inventory; trade figures for 1992 to 1998","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"More than half of industrial log supply in 1998 came from illegal logging and substitute sources, FAO reported, while farm clearing continued.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"old_growth_dipterocarp_1998","value":984100,"unit":"ha","year":1998,"note":"FAO inventory; 3.3% of land area"},{"key":"forest_area_1989","value":15000000,"unit":"ha","year":1989,"note":"Forest area"},{"key":"forest_area_1998","value":6700000,"unit":"ha","year":1998,"note":"Forest area"},{"key":"industrial_supply_illegal_or_substitute","value":57,"unit":"%","year":1998,"note":"Share of industrial log supply"},{"key":"sawn_timber_imports_1996","value":500000,"unit":"cubic metres","year":1996,"note":"Imports exceeded this level"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: old-growth logging was banned from January 1992.","Unconfirmed: President Aquino's 2011 Executive Order 23 imposed a nationwide logging moratorium on natural and residual forests; the source link is an opinion column.","Unconfirmed: about 70% of the country was old-growth forest in the early 1900s.","Unconfirmed: Marcos-era logging licences rose from 58 in 1969 to 471 in 1976.","Unconfirmed: the official old-growth figure in the 1990s was 800,000 hectares (2.7%).","Unconfirmed: critics said the executive order hit legal licence holders while illegal logging rose.","None on record: the effect of the ban on deforestation, and who gained or lost from the changes."],"sources":[{"t":"Philippines country chapter (R.B. Aguda)","p":"FAO","d":"1998","u":"https://www.fao.org/4/AC648E/ac648e09.htm","type":"international","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260514223422/https://www.fao.org/4/ac648e/ac648e09.htm"}],"actors":[{"id":"fao","role":"source of the forest and trade figures"}],"mechanism":"old-growth logging ban","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My forest area fell from 15 million hectares in 1989 to 6.7 million in 1998; old-growth dipterocarp forest was 984,100 hectares, 3.3% of land area, FAO says.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: old-growth logging was banned from January 1992.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: President Aquino's 2011 Executive Order 23 imposed a nationwide logging moratorium on natural and residual forests; the source link is an opinion column.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 70% of the country was old-growth forest in the early 1900s.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Marcos-era logging licences rose from 58 in 1969 to 471 in 1976.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the official old-growth figure in the 1990s was 800,000 hectares (2.7%).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: critics said the executive order hit legal licence holders while illegal logging rose.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the effect of the ban on deforestation, and who gained or lost from the changes.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"indonesia-log-export-ban-1985-and-forest-moratorium-20112019","tier":"short","title":"Indonesia's forest moratorium: ministry cited 38% less clearing, Greenpeace disputed it","dek":"Indonesia's government said its 2011 to 2018 forest moratorium cut clearing in covered areas by 38%, a claim that Greenpeace's satellite analysis did not support. A matched study found no effect in peat forest, so the effect on carbon and biodiversity is not settled in the cited sources.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":null,"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.5,"lon":118,"approxCoords":true,"start":2011,"end":2019,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Mongabay reported in August 2019 that Indonesia's forest-clearing ban had been made permanent, and quoted Greenpeace calling it an example of government propaganda.","The ministry said deforestation in covered areas fell 38% in 2011 to 2018 compared with the previous seven years.","Greenpeace's satellite analysis found annual loss in the same areas rose from 970 to 1,370 square kilometres, and that 45,000 square kilometres had been removed from the map.","A 2022 matched study found forest cover up to 0.65% higher in dry forest and no effect in peat forest between 2011 and 2018."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The ministry said deforestation in covered areas fell 38% in 2011 to 2018, while Greenpeace's satellite analysis found annual loss rose.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Indonesia","src":0},"when":{"t":"2011 to 2019; Mongabay report August 2019; matched study 2022","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A forest-clearing ban in covered areas. Mongabay reported that a Walhi official said degraded primary forest could be licensed again once it became secondary.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"ministry_decline_in_deforestation","value":38,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Ministry figure, covered areas, 2011 to 2018 against previous seven years"},{"key":"greenpeace_annual_loss_before","value":970,"unit":"sq km per year","year":null,"note":"Greenpeace satellite analysis, covered areas"},{"key":"greenpeace_annual_loss_after","value":1370,"unit":"sq km per year","year":null,"note":"Greenpeace satellite analysis, covered areas"},{"key":"area_removed_from_map","value":45000,"unit":"sq km","year":null,"note":"Greenpeace satellite analysis"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Indonesia banned log exports in 1985 to build a plywood industry, and the Apkindo cartel controlled more than 70% of world tropical plywood exports in the 1980s.","Unconfirmed: the moratorium covered about 66 million hectares of primary forest and peatland.","Reported without a source link: the moratorium excluded already logged secondary forest.","None on record: who gained economically from the ban, and its effect on carbon emissions."],"sources":[{"t":"Indonesia forest-clearing ban is made permanent, but labeled 'propaganda'","p":"Mongabay","d":"2019-08","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/indonesia-forest-clearing-ban-is-made-permanent-but-labeled-propaganda/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609092709/https://news.mongabay.com/2019/08/indonesia-forest-clearing-ban-is-made-permanent-but-labeled-propaganda/"},{"t":"Matched triple-difference study of Indonesia's forest moratorium","p":"PubMed Central (PMC)","d":"2022","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8812685","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260303022724/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8812685/"}],"actors":[{"id":"indonesia-government","role":"imposed the moratorium; ministry reported the 38% figure"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"critic; published satellite analysis"}],"mechanism":"forest-clearing moratorium","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"The ministry said deforestation in my moratorium areas fell 38% in 2011 to 2018; Greenpeace's satellite analysis found annual loss there rose from 970 to 1,370 square kilometres.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Indonesia banned log exports in 1985 to build a plywood industry, and the Apkindo cartel controlled more than 70% of world tropical plywood exports in the 1980s.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the moratorium covered about 66 million hectares of primary forest and peatland.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported without a source link: the moratorium excluded already logged secondary forest.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: who gained economically from the ban, and its effect on carbon emissions.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"paraguay-2004-zero-deforestation-law-and-chaco-leakage","tier":"short","title":"Earthsight: eastern Paraguay forest loss fell as Chaco clearing rose","dek":"Earthsight reported that Paraguay's 2004 zero-deforestation law was followed by a steep fall in forest loss in the east, while clearing rose in the Gran Chaco. The Chaco losses and the impact on the Ayoreo people are at stake for nature and for an Indigenous group.","country":"Paraguay","iso2":"PY","places":[{"country":"Paraguay","iso2":"PY","admin":"Eastern region","lat":-25.4,"lon":-54.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Paraguay","iso2":"PY","admin":"Gran Chaco","lat":-22.5,"lon":-60.3,"role":"event"}],"lat":-24,"lon":-57.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2004,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Earthsight reported that deforestation in eastern Paraguay fell by 65% over two years and by about 95% over five years.","Earthsight reported that the law did not cover the western Gran Chaco, where about 107,000 hectares were cleared in 2006 and about 320,000 hectares in 2007.","Earthsight reported that farmers sold expensive eastern land and bought cheaper Chaco land, and that beef exports rose from 36,000 tonnes in 2003 to 170,000 tonnes in 2006.","Earthsight reported that Brazilian companies cleared ancestral lands of the isolated Ayoreo people, and that in 2004 bulldozers forced one Ayoreo group into contact."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Earthsight reported that forest loss in eastern Paraguay fell after the 2004 zero-deforestation law, while clearing rose in the Gran Chaco.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Farmers","what":"Sold eastern land and bought cheaper Chaco land, according to Earthsight","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Isolated Ayoreo people","what":"A group was forced into contact by bulldozers in 2004, according to Earthsight","src":0},{"who":"Gran Chaco forest","what":"About 107,000 hectares cleared in 2006 and about 320,000 hectares in 2007, according to Earthsight","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Eastern region and Gran Chaco, Paraguay","src":0},"when":{"t":"Earthsight figures cover 2003 to 2007.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Farmers sold eastern land and bought Chaco land, and clearing followed in the Chaco, according to Earthsight.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"eastern_deforestation_decline_2yr","value":65,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Decline in forest loss in eastern Paraguay over two years, per Earthsight"},{"key":"eastern_deforestation_decline_5yr","value":95,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"Approximate decline in forest loss in eastern Paraguay over five years, per Earthsight"},{"key":"chaco_forest_cleared_2006","value":107000,"unit":"hectares","year":2006,"note":"Forest cleared in the Gran Chaco, per Earthsight"},{"key":"chaco_forest_cleared_2007","value":320000,"unit":"hectares","year":2007,"note":"Approximate; forest cleared in the Gran Chaco in one year, per Earthsight"},{"key":"beef_exports","value":170000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2006,"note":"Beef exports; 36,000 tonnes in 2003, per Earthsight"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Law 2524 was adopted on 13 December 2004 and extended several times, most recently to 2030.","Unconfirmed: WWF Paraguay said the eastern region had 2 million hectares left of an original 9 million; other sources give 7% to 15% of the Atlantic Forest remaining.","Unconfirmed: a similar law proposed for the Chaco in 2009 was not passed.","Unconfirmed: a 2017 decree (No. 7702/17) was reported to allow a landowner to clear a whole forest, and clearing rose afterwards, according to Earthsight.","Unconfirmed: the Senate extended the eastern law by ten years in 2020, with the Chaco excluded."],"sources":[{"t":"Ill-Gotten Lands","p":"Earthsight","d":"2016","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/idm/ill-gotten-lands-deforestation-isolation-paraguays-gran-chaco","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260617005106/https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/idm/ill-gotten-lands-deforestation-isolation-paraguays-gran-chaco"},{"t":"Diario Libre","p":"Diario Libre","d":"2020","u":"https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/internacional/senado-paraguayo-prorroga-por-diez-anos-la-ley-de-deforestacion-cero-FI23097310","type":"press"},{"t":"Earthsight","p":"Earthsight","d":"","u":"https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/idm/deforestation-chaco-spikes-wake-illegal-presidential-decree","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260413143819/https://www.earthsight.org.uk/news/idm/deforestation-chaco-spikes-wake-illegal-presidential-decree"}],"actors":[{"id":"earthsight","role":"Investigating NGO; source of the eastern and Chaco figures"},{"id":"paraguay-government","role":"Government responsible for the eastern zero-deforestation law"}],"mechanism":"zero deforestation law","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Forest loss in eastern Paraguay fell 65% over two years after the 2004 law; about 107,000 hectares of my Gran Chaco, which the law did not cover, were cleared in 2006 and about 320,000 in 2007, Earthsight reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Law 2524 was adopted on 13 December 2004 and extended several times, most recently to 2030.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: WWF Paraguay said the eastern region had 2 million hectares left of an original 9 million; other sources give 7% to 15% of the Atlantic Forest remaining.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a similar law proposed for the Chaco in 2009 was not passed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2017 decree (No. 7702/17) was reported to allow a landowner to clear a whole forest, and clearing rose afterwards, according to Earthsight.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Senate extended the eastern law by ten years in 2020, with the Chaco excluded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"american-bison-protection-1894","tier":"short","title":"Bison were counted at about 1,091 in 1889, before an 1894 law","dek":"PBS Nature gives an 1889 count of about 1,091 bison and 20 in Yellowstone, and cites an 1894 law. What is at stake for nature is the species' wild population.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":44.43,"lon":-110.59,"role":"event"}],"lat":44.43,"lon":-110.59,"approxCoords":true,"start":1872,"end":1894,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["PBS Nature gives an 1889 count of about 1,091 bison.","PBS Nature gives 20 bison in Yellowstone and cites an 1894 law.","HistoryNet gives a figure of 4.37 million bison for the 1872–74 hide trade."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An 1894 law is cited as bison protection, after an 1889 count of about 1,091 bison and a Yellowstone count of 20, per PBS Nature.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"American bison herds","what":"Counted at about 1,091 in 1889","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"United States, including Yellowstone","src":0},"when":{"t":"1889 count and 1894 law, per PBS Nature; 1872–74 hide trade, per HistoryNet","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Hide hunting is the trade context HistoryNet gives for its 4.37 million figure; the 1894 law is the protective step cited.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"bison_count_1889","value":1091,"unit":"bison","year":1889,"note":"Approximately, per PBS Nature"},{"key":"yellowstone_bison_count","value":20,"unit":"bison","year":null,"note":"Count at Yellowstone, per PBS Nature; year not given in the source line"},{"key":"hide_trade_bison_1872_74","value":4370000,"unit":"bison","year":1872,"note":"Figure for the 1872–74 hide trade, per HistoryNet"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 1894 law set prison terms and fines for poachers.","Unconfirmed: railways and grazing land opened for livestock may have gained from the decline.","Unconfirmed: Indigenous peoples whose ways of life depended on bison bore the cost.","Unconfirmed: the species survived in farm and park herds but did not return to its former range.","Who gained, beyond the unconfirmed railway and grazing claim, is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"American buffalo: spirit of a nation, troubled herds","p":"PBS Nature","d":"","u":"https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/american-buffalo-spirit-of-a-nation-troubled-herds/2181","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240724005703/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/american-buffalo-spirit-of-a-nation-troubled-herds/2181/"},{"t":"Skin and bones trade","p":"HistoryNet","d":"","u":"https://www.historynet.com/skin-bones-plains-buffalo-trades-flourished/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251002004350/https://www.historynet.com/skin-bones-plains-buffalo-trades-flourished/"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"1894 protection law","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 1,091 of my bison were counted in 1889, PBS Nature says; HistoryNet gives 4.37 million bison for the 1872–74 hide trade.","src":[0,1]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 1894 law set prison terms and fines for poachers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: railways and grazing land opened for livestock may have gained from the decline.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Indigenous peoples whose ways of life depended on bison bore the cost.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the species survived in farm and park herds but did not return to its former range.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Who gained, beyond the unconfirmed railway and grazing claim, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"vicuna-recovery-and-loro-piana","tier":"short","title":"Vicuna fell to about 5,000 by 1960 and reached about 200,000 in Peru","dek":"Mongabay reports about 200,000 vicuna in Peru by 2018, up from about 5,000 in 1960. What is at stake is the animal's recovery and who captures the value of its fibre.","country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","places":[{"country":"Peru","iso2":"PE","admin":null,"lat":-9.19,"lon":-75.02,"role":"event"}],"lat":-9.19,"lon":-75.02,"approxCoords":true,"start":1960,"end":2018,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Mongabay (September 2018) gives about 5,000 vicuna in 1960 and about 200,000 in Peru, and reports that the fibre price fell from 1,000 to 390 dollars per kilogram.","Mongabay also reports that a local garment industry plan in the Lucanas community has stalled.","A 1994 exclusive agreement, described by Loro Piana and BES-Net, covers buying, processing and distributing vicuna fibre."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Peru had about 200,000 vicuna by 2018, according to Mongabay, after a figure of about 5,000 in 1960.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Loro Piana","what":"Exclusive right to buy, process and distribute vicuna fibre under a 1994 agreement","src":1}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Andes; the population figures are for Peru","src":null},"when":{"t":"1960 figure; 1994 agreement; 2018 population figures","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An exclusive fibre purchase, processing and distribution right under the 1994 agreement, per Loro Piana and BES-Net.","src":1}},"metrics":[{"key":"vicuna_1960_count","value":5000,"unit":"animals","year":1960,"note":"Figure per Mongabay (2018)"},{"key":"vicuna_peru_count","value":200000,"unit":"animals","year":2018,"note":"Approximate, Peru, per Mongabay"},{"key":"fibre_price_high","value":1000,"unit":"USD per kg","year":null,"note":"Price per Mongabay"},{"key":"fibre_price_low","value":390,"unit":"USD per kg","year":null,"note":"Later price per Mongabay"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a pre-Columbian vicuna population of about 3 million, per Loro Piana's own publication.","Unconfirmed: Peru created the Pampa Galeras reserve in 1967, and four countries signed a conservation agreement in 1969.","Unconfirmed: about 450,000 vicuna across the Andes, per ITC.","Unconfirmed: villages receive 2 to 6% of the price of finished vicuna products, per a single report.","Unconfirmed: Loro Piana says the 1994 agreement was made with the Peruvian government and Andean communities."],"sources":[{"t":"How a national reserve stopped the extinction of the Peruvian vicuna","p":"Mongabay","d":"2018-09","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/how-a-national-reserve-stopped-the-extinction-of-the-peruvian-vicuna/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614002901/https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/how-a-national-reserve-stopped-the-extinction-of-the-peruvian-vicuna/"},{"t":"Trade in vicuna: the implications for conservation and rural livelihoods","p":"BES-Net","d":"","u":"https://www.besnet.world/library/trade-in-vicuna-the-implications-for-conservation-and-rural-livelihoods/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240920232313/https://www.besnet.world/library/trade-in-vicuna-the-implications-for-conservation-and-rural-livelihoods/"}],"actors":[{"id":"loro-piana","role":"Party to a 1994 exclusive fibre agreement, per Loro Piana and BES-Net"}],"mechanism":"exclusive fibre agreement","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 5,000 of my vicuña were left in 1960 and about 200,000 lived in Peru in 2018, Mongabay reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a pre-Columbian vicuna population of about 3 million, per Loro Piana's own publication.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Peru created the Pampa Galeras reserve in 1967, and four countries signed a conservation agreement in 1969.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 450,000 vicuna across the Andes, per ITC.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: villages receive 2 to 6% of the price of finished vicuna products, per a single report.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Loro Piana says the 1994 agreement was made with the Peruvian government and Andean communities.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"totoaba-ban-and-vaquita-decline","tier":"short","title":"Mexico reported 7.2 million pesos for vaquita protection diverted","dek":"Excélsior reported in 2018 that 7.2 million pesos meant for vaquita protection had been diverted. What is at stake is the survival of the vaquita, of which a summary says 7 to 10 animals remain.","country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","places":[{"country":"Mexico","iso2":"MX","admin":null,"lat":31,"lon":-114.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":31,"lon":-114.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["Excélsior reported in 2018 that 7.2 million pesos intended for vaquita protection had been diverted.","A cited summary says more than 1.2 billion pesos was spent on vaquita protection over a decade, and that 7 to 10 animals remain."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Funds for vaquita protection in Mexico were reported diverted in 2018, 7.2 million pesos according to Excélsior.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Vaquita porpoise","what":"Reported to have 7 to 10 animals remaining after a decade of protection spending","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Mexico","src":0},"when":{"t":"2018 report by Excélsior","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Reported diversion of protection funds. An audit body's findings of irregularities are unconfirmed.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"vaquita_protection_diverted_pesos","value":7200000,"unit":"pesos","year":2018,"note":"Reported diverted, per Excélsior"},{"key":"vaquita_protection_spending_pesos","value":1200000000,"unit":"pesos","year":null,"note":"More than this, spent over a decade, per a summary; no source link"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an audit body's findings of irregularities in the vaquita programme.","Unconfirmed: the totoaba was banned in 1975 and its international trade in 1976.","Unconfirmed: swim bladders fetch 8,500 dollars per kilogram for fishers and more than 20,000 dollars per kilogram in China.","Unconfirmed: vaquita caught in totoaba nets fell below 59 in 2016 and to about 10 in later estimates.","Unconfirmed: Mexico set up a sanctuary in 2005 and a two-year gillnet ban in 2015.","Who gained from the diverted funds is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Desvían 7.2 millones de pesos destinados a protección de vaquita marina","p":"Excélsior","d":"2018","u":"https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/desvian-72-millones-de-pesos-destinados-a-proteccion-de-vaquita-marina/1298025","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250830040148/https://www.excelsior.com.mx/nacional/desvian-72-millones-de-pesos-destinados-a-proteccion-de-vaquita-marina/1298025"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"fishing ban and protection funds","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an audit body's findings of irregularities in the vaquita programme.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the totoaba was banned in 1975 and its international trade in 1976.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: swim bladders fetch 8,500 dollars per kilogram for fishers and more than 20,000 dollars per kilogram in China.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: vaquita caught in totoaba nets fell below 59 in 2016 and to about 10 in later estimates.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Mexico set up a sanctuary in 2005 and a two-year gillnet ban in 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who gained from the diverted funds is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: Vaquita porpoise"]},{"id":"namibia-sardine-moratorium","tier":"short","title":"Namibia landed thousands of tonnes of pilchard as bycatch under moratorium","dek":"Pilchard bycatch of 12,610 tonnes was landed in 2024 under a moratorium meant to protect the stock. Whether the stock is recovering is disputed, so the closure's effect on the species is not established.","country":"Namibia","iso2":"NA","lat":-22.96,"lon":18.49,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Namibia","iso2":"NA","admin":null,"lat":-22.96,"lon":18.49,"role":"event"}],"start":1994,"end":2024,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["The Namibian reported that the total allowable pilchard catch fell from 125,000 tonnes in 1994 to 40,000 tonnes in 1995.","Pilchard was still landed during the moratorium as bycatch: 6,504 tonnes in 2023 and 12,610 tonnes in 2024. The minister said this was not always unintentional.","An independent study by the Norwegian government in 2024 estimated the stock at about 1 million tonnes; the estimate is disputed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Namibia had a pilchard moratorium in force, and bycatch was still landed in 2023 and 2024","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Namibia","src":0},"when":{"t":"Total allowable catch cut in 1995; bycatch recorded in 2023 and 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pilchard was landed as bycatch during the closure; the minister said some of it may not have been unintentional.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"total_allowable_catch_t","value":125000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1994,"note":"Total allowable catch, per The Namibian"},{"key":"total_allowable_catch_t","value":40000,"unit":"tonnes","year":1995,"note":"Total allowable catch, per The Namibian"},{"key":"pilchard_bycatch_landed_t","value":6504,"unit":"tonnes","year":2023,"note":"Landed during the moratorium"},{"key":"pilchard_bycatch_landed_t","value":12610,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Landed during the moratorium"},{"key":"pilchard_biomass_estimate_t","value":1000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Norwegian government study; estimate disputed"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the pilchard stock was 10 to 11 million tonnes in the 1960s and about 50,000 tonnes in 2015, a fall of 99.5%.","Unconfirmed: scientists sought a moratorium from 1995, but a ban came only in 2018.","Unconfirmed: Etosha Fishing imported frozen sardines from Morocco and Mauritania during the closure, keeping more than 450 jobs.","Unconfirmed: the cabinet approved a quota of 10,000 tonnes in 2025.","The cited sources do not say which companies gained from the bycatch landings or who bore the cost of the closure."],"sources":[{"t":"Over 1,000 tonnes of pilchard caught despite moratorium as debate over stock recovery deepens","p":"The Namibian","d":"","u":"https://www.namibian.com.na/over-1-000-tonnes-of-pilchard-caught-despite-moratorium-as-debate-over-stock-recovery-deepens/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"namibia-gov","role":"Set the moratorium and quota; the minister commented on bycatch"},{"id":"norway-government","role":"Ran a 2024 independent biomass study"}],"mechanism":"fishing moratorium","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Under the moratorium on my pilchard, 6,504 tonnes were landed as bycatch in 2023 and 12,610 tonnes in 2024.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the pilchard stock was 10 to 11 million tonnes in the 1960s and about 50,000 tonnes in 2015, a fall of 99.5%.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: scientists sought a moratorium from 1995, but a ban came only in 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Etosha Fishing imported frozen sardines from Morocco and Mauritania during the closure, keeping more than 450 jobs.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the cabinet approved a quota of 10,000 tonnes in 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say which companies gained from the bycatch landings or who bore the cost of the closure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kenya-1977-hunting-ban-and-wildlife-decline","tier":"short","title":"Wildlife fell on Kenyan rangelands after the 1977 hunting ban, study finds","dek":"Kenya banned trophy hunting in 1977 to halt large-scale illegal hunting, according to Ogutu et al. (PLOS ONE, 2016). That study found average wildlife on rangelands covering 88% of the country fell 68% from 1977 to 2016, while sheep and goat numbers rose 76%.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","lat":-0.02,"lon":37.9,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":null,"lat":-0.02,"lon":37.9,"role":"event"}],"start":1977,"end":2016,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Kenya banned trophy hunting in 1977 to halt large-scale illegal hunting, according to Ogutu et al. (PLOS ONE, 2016).","A 2016 study by Ogutu and colleagues in PLOS ONE found that average wildlife on rangelands covering 88% of the country fell 68% between 1977 and 2016, and wildlife biomass fell 59%.","Sheep and goat numbers rose 76% over the same period. The authors did not test the effect of the ban directly."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya banned trophy hunting in 1977, and rangeland wildlife declined over the following decades","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Wildlife on Kenyan rangelands","what":"average population down 68% and biomass down 59%, 1977 to 2016","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kenya; rangelands covering 88% of national land","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban in 1977; study covers 1977 to 2016","src":0},"why":{"t":"The study's authors name policy, institutional and market failures: wildlife is state-owned and low-priced, and landowners do not benefit from it.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The study compared rangeland wildlife and livestock counts over 1977 to 2016 and did not test the ban's effect directly.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"rangeland_wildlife_change_pct","value":68,"unit":"% decline","year":2016,"note":"Average, 1977 to 2016"},{"key":"wildlife_biomass_change_pct","value":59,"unit":"% decline","year":2016,"note":"1977 to 2016"},{"key":"sheep_goat_change_pct","value":76,"unit":"% increase","year":2016,"note":"1977 to 2016"},{"key":"rangeland_share_of_land_pct","value":88,"unit":"% of national land","year":2016,"note":"Rangelands covered by the study"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["The cited sources do not give wildlife numbers for 1977 or the enforcement record of the ban.","The cited sources do not say who profited from wildlife or from the growth in livestock."],"sources":[{"t":"Ogutu et al., PLOS ONE, 2016 (Kenyan rangeland wildlife and livestock, 1977 to 2016)","p":"PLOS ONE","d":"2016","u":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5039022","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260917121236/https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5039022/"}],"actors":[{"id":"kenya-gov","role":"Imposed the 1977 trophy hunting ban"}],"mechanism":"trophy hunting ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Across rangelands covering 88% of Kenya, my wildlife fell 68% on average between 1977 and 2016, and wildlife biomass fell 59%, Ogutu et al. found.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give wildlife numbers for 1977 or the enforcement record of the ban.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who profited from wildlife or from the growth in livestock.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"botswana-elephant-hunting-ban-and-reversal","tier":"short","title":"Botswana's 2014 hunting ban also barred San hunters in the Central Kalahari","dek":"Botswana announced a hunting ban in 2014 that Survival International said also stopped San hunting, despite a 2006 court ruling against their eviction. Reports of a 2019 lifting and of elephant licences are unconfirmed.","country":"Botswana","iso2":"BW","lat":-22.3,"lon":24.7,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Botswana","iso2":"BW","admin":null,"lat":-22.3,"lon":24.7,"role":"event"}],"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Survival International reported that Botswana announced a hunting ban in 2014 under then-president Ian Khama, who was on the Conservation International board at the time.","Survival International also reported that the ban covered hunting by Central Kalahari San (Bushmen), although a 2006 court had found their eviction from the area unlawful, as Mail & Guardian reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Botswana announced a hunting ban in 2014 under President Ian Khama","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Central Kalahari San (Bushmen)","what":"barred from hunting under the 2014 ban, which covered them despite a 2006 court ruling","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Botswana; Central Kalahari","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban announced in 2014; court ruling in 2006","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The government announced the ban; the cited sources do not describe how it was enforced.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Central Kalahari San eviction case","forum":"Botswana court (name: none on record)","country":"Botswana","iso2":"BW","kind":"civil","claimant":"Central Kalahari San (Bushmen)","defendant":"Government of Botswana","filed":null,"decided":2006,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the San's eviction from the Central Kalahari unlawful. The government put the number evicted at about 2,000 people, Mail & Guardian reported.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in 2019 the government lifted the ban, citing about 130,000 elephants and rising human-wildlife conflict; in 2020 six licences for 60 elephants were offered at auction (Al Jazeera).","Unconfirmed: foreign hunters pay up to $43,000 per elephant, and hunting earned $2.7 million a year (VOA, 2021).","Unconfirmed: in 2024 Botswana threatened Germany with 20,000 elephants in a dispute over trophy hunting (AP).","The cited sources do not say who received the hunting fees or how many elephants were hunted under the licences."],"sources":[{"t":"Survival International news item on the Botswana hunting ban","p":"Survival International","d":"2014-10-03","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/10452","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260518115802/https://www.survivalinternational.org/news/10452"},{"t":"Bushmen win battle for Kalahari home","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2006-12-13","u":"https://mg.co.za/article/2006-12-13-bushmen-win-battle-for-kalahari-home","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-botswana","role":"Announced the 2014 hunting ban; evicted San from the Central Kalahari"},{"id":"central-kalahari-san","role":"Barred from hunting under the ban; claimants in the 2006 court case"},{"id":"conservation-international","role":"Board on which Ian Khama sat when the ban was announced"}],"mechanism":"hunting ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["campfire-trophy-hunting"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2019 the government lifted the ban, citing about 130,000 elephants and rising human-wildlife conflict; in 2020 six licences for 60 elephants were offered at auction (Al Jazeera).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: foreign hunters pay up to $43,000 per elephant, and hunting earned $2.7 million a year (VOA, 2021).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2024 Botswana threatened Germany with 20,000 elephants in a dispute over trophy hunting (AP).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who received the hunting fees or how many elephants were hunted under the licences.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"sand-export-bans-serial-displacement-to-singapore","tier":"short","title":"Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in 2018, reported only in 2019","dek":"Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in October 2018 without public announcement. Sand mining in the Mekong delta, which a counterfactual model links to bed lowering, is one of the pressures on the delta.","country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","lat":1.35,"lon":103.82,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Singapore","iso2":"SG","admin":null,"lat":1.35,"lon":103.82,"role":"event"},{"country":"Malaysia","iso2":"MY","admin":null,"lat":4.21,"lon":101.98,"role":"related"},{"country":"Vietnam","iso2":"VN","admin":"Mekong Delta","lat":10,"lon":105.8,"role":"related"}],"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in October 2018 without public announcement; the ban became public in 2019, Reuters reported.","Singapore recorded sand imports from Malaysia worth $347 million in 2018, equal to 59 million tonnes. Its total sand imports were $57.7 million in 2023, of which $50.9 million came from Malaysia.","Singapore said its sand imports were commercial and that companies must follow the law of the source country; Global Witness found this inadequate, Climate Diplomacy reported.","A counterfactual model by Kumar et al. in Science Advances attributes 25 to 30% of Mekong delta bed lowering to sand mining; dams, groundwater and climate explain the rest."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in October 2018 without public announcement","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Singapore, as buyer of imported sand","what":"recorded sand imports of $57.7 million in 2023","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Mekong delta","what":"sand mining accounts for 25 to 30% of bed lowering in a counterfactual model","src":2}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Malaysia and Singapore; sand mining in the Mekong delta (Vietnam)","src":2},"when":{"t":"Ban in October 2018, reported in 2019; import figures for 2018 and 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Sand is exported from source countries to Singapore; the counterfactual model links sand mining in the Mekong delta to bed lowering and salinity rise.","src":2}},"metrics":[{"key":"singapore_sand_imports_2023_usd_m","value":57700000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Recorded imports"},{"key":"malaysia_sand_imports_2023_usd_m","value":50900000,"unit":"USD","year":2023,"note":"Recorded imports from Malaysia"},{"key":"malaysia_sand_imports_2018_usd_m","value":347000000,"unit":"USD","year":2018,"note":"Recorded imports from Malaysia"},{"key":"malaysia_sand_exports_2018_mt","value":59000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2018,"note":"Recorded imports from Malaysia"},{"key":"mekong_bed_lowering_from_sand_mining_pct","value":25,"unit":"% (low end of 25 to 30%)","year":null,"note":"Counterfactual model estimate"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Indonesia reopened sea-sand exports in 2023 under regulation PP 26/2023.","Unconfirmed: Malaysia's earlier ban dates from 1997; Vietnam supplied 45% of Singapore's sand imports in 2008; Myanmar has sent more than 4 million cubic metres since 2011, with landslides and erosion reported in Tanintharyi.","Unconfirmed: Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 km2 in 1960 to 725.7 km2 in 2019, and UNEP counted about 517 million tonnes of sand imports over 20 years.","Unconfirmed: between 2007 and 2015 Singapore recorded about 72.7 million tonnes of sand arriving from Cambodia, against 2.8 million tonnes of Cambodian exports; no source link is given.","Unconfirmed: unregulated exports destroyed 26 sand islands in Riau, Indonesia, and the border island of Nipah was submerged in 2003; no source link is given.","Unconfirmed: Singapore applied a 2019 to 2022 moratorium and tight quota on sand imports; no source link is given.","The cited sources do not say why Malaysia imposed the 2018 ban."],"sources":[{"t":"Malaysia bans sea sand exports to Singapore","p":"BusinessLive (Reuters)","d":"2019-07-03","u":"https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/world/asia/2019-07-03-malaysia-bans-sea-sand-exports-to-singapore/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20191115105048/https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/world/asia/2019-07-03-malaysia-bans-sea-sand-exports-to-singapore/"},{"t":"Singapore's sustainability credentials undermined by environmentally destructive sand imports","p":"Climate Diplomacy","d":"2010-06","u":"https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/environment/singapores-sustainability-credentials-undermined-environmentally-destructive","type":"press"},{"t":"Counterfactual modeling isolates sand mining impacts, revealing it as a key driver of Mekong Delta destabilization","p":"Earth Observatory of Singapore","d":"","u":"https://earthobservatory.sg/research/publications/counterfactual-modeling-isolates-sand-mining-impacts-revealing-it-as-a-key-driver-of-mekong-delta-destabilization","type":"academic"},{"t":"Singapore sand: bilateral product profile","p":"OEC","d":"2023","u":"https://oec.world/profile/bilateral-product/sand/reporter/sgp","type":"reference"}],"actors":[{"id":"malaysia-government","role":"Imposed the October 2018 sea-sand export ban"},{"id":"singapore-government","role":"Buyer of imported sand; said its imports were commercial"},{"id":"global-witness","role":"Found Singapore's response inadequate"}],"mechanism":"sea-sand export ban","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A counterfactual model by Kumar et al. in Science Advances attributes 25 to 30% of the bed lowering of my Mekong delta to sand mining.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Indonesia reopened sea-sand exports in 2023 under regulation PP 26/2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Malaysia's earlier ban dates from 1997; Vietnam supplied 45% of Singapore's sand imports in 2008; Myanmar has sent more than 4 million cubic metres since 2011, with landslides and erosion reported in Tanintharyi.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 km2 in 1960 to 725.7 km2 in 2019, and UNEP counted about 517 million tonnes of sand imports over 20 years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: between 2007 and 2015 Singapore recorded about 72.7 million tonnes of sand arriving from Cambodia, against 2.8 million tonnes of Cambodian exports; no source link is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: unregulated exports destroyed 26 sand islands in Riau, Indonesia, and the border island of Nipah was submerged in 2003; no source link is given.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Singapore applied a 2019 to 2022 moratorium and tight quota on sand imports; no source link is given.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say why Malaysia imposed the 2018 ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"china-coastal-reclamation-ban-2018","tier":"short","title":"China halts commercial sea reclamation projects in 2018","dek":"China stopped approving general commercial coastal reclamation in 2018. Caixin Global reported that mangrove area had already fallen from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":null,"lat":35,"lon":120,"role":"event"}],"lat":35,"lon":120,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":2018,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The State Oceanic Administration said in January 2018 that it would not approve general commercial reclamation projects (Caixin Global).","A State Council circular in July 2018 formalised the decision, exempting large state-approved projects, infrastructure, public services and defence (Caixin Global).","Caixin Global reported that about 13,000 hectares a year had been filled since 2006, and that mangroves had fallen from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013 (Caixin Global).","Local governments and developers, who held land filled before the ban, developed it cheaply compared with urban plots; the reported cost was 140,000 to 300,000 yuan per mu (Caixin Global)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"China stopped approving general commercial coastal reclamation projects in 2018, with exemptions for large state-approved, infrastructure, public-service and defence projects.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Local governments and developers","what":"Developed land filled before the ban, cheaply compared with urban plots","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Mangroves","what":"Area fell from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Coastal China","src":0},"when":{"t":"Announced January 2018; State Council circular July 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The State Oceanic Administration stopped approving general commercial reclamation projects, and a July 2018 State Council circular formalised the decision.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"mangrove_area_1950s","value":42000,"unit":"hectares","year":1950,"note":"1950s figure, per Caixin Global"},{"key":"mangrove_area_2013","value":14600,"unit":"hectares","year":2013,"note":"Per Caixin Global"},{"key":"reclamation_per_year_since_2006","value":13000,"unit":"hectares per year","year":null,"note":"Approximately, average per year since 2006, per Caixin Global"},{"key":"reclamation_cost_low","value":140000,"unit":"yuan per mu","year":null,"note":"Lower end of reported cost range"},{"key":"reclamation_cost_high","value":300000,"unit":"yuan per mu","year":null,"note":"Upper end of reported cost range"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Murray et al. (2014) reported that 28% of Yellow Sea tidal flats present in the 1980s had been lost by the late 2000s, and up to 65% over 50 years on historical maps.","The cited sources give the reclamation cost per mu in one place and per acre in another; this record uses mu.","The cited sources do not state whether reclamation continued after the 2018 ban."],"sources":[{"t":"China halts commercial construction spree in sea","p":"Caixin Global","d":"2018-01-03","u":"https://www.caixinglobal.com/2018-01-03/china-halts-commercial-construction-spree-in-sea-101192488.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811201349/https://www.caixinglobal.com/2018-01-03/china-halts-commercial-construction-spree-in-sea-101192488.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"state-oceanic-administration","role":"Announced in January 2018 that it would not approve general commercial reclamation"},{"id":"state-council-china","role":"Issued the July 2018 circular formalising the reclamation ban"}],"mechanism":"coastal reclamation ban","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My mangroves fell from 42,000 hectares in the 1950s to 14,600 hectares in 2013, and about 13,000 hectares a year have been filled since 2006, Caixin Global reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Murray et al. (2014) reported that 28% of Yellow Sea tidal flats present in the 1980s had been lost by the late 2000s, and up to 65% over 50 years on historical maps.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources give the reclamation cost per mu in one place and per acre in another; this record uses mu.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state whether reclamation continued after the 2018 ban.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cheynes-beach-whaling-station-closure","tier":"short","title":"Cheynes Beach whaling station near Albany closes in 1978","dek":"The Cheynes Beach whaling station at Albany, Australia, closed in 1978.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":null,"lat":-35.07,"lon":117.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-35.07,"lon":117.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":1952,"end":1978,"instrument":"fishing-ban","happened":["The station closed in 1978, and the Albany Advertiser reported the end of whaling that year."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Whaling ended in Australia when the Cheynes Beach station near Albany closed in 1978.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Humpback and sperm whales","what":"1,136 humpback and 14,695 sperm whales were caught at the station, 1952-1978","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Cheynes Beach, Albany, Australia","src":0},"when":null,"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":null},"metrics":[{"key":"humpback_whales_caught","value":1136,"unit":"whales","year":null,"note":"Cheynes Beach station, 1952-1978"},{"key":"sperm_whales_caught","value":14695,"unit":"whales","year":null,"note":"Cheynes Beach station, 1952-1978"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the company said it would close on 31 July or 1 August 1978, citing the effect of the government inquiry on product demand, with whale oil about 80% of sales.","Unconfirmed: a government inquiry led by Sir Sydney Frost began in March 1978; its December 1978 report recommended ending Australian whaling, and the Whale Conservation Act followed in 1980.","The cited sources record no compensation for the closure.","The cited sources do not name the company that operated the station."],"sources":[{"t":"Remembering Australia's whaling industry 40 years after last whaling station closes","p":"ABC News (ABC Great Southern)","d":"2018-11-20","u":"https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-20/40-years-since-whaling-stopped-in-australia-cheynes-beach-closes/10384120","type":"press"},{"t":"End to whaling in 1978","p":"Albany Advertiser","d":"","u":"https://albanyadvertiser.com.au/news/regional/event-marks-end-to-whaling-in-1978-ng-b88909543z","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251202114700/https://www.albanyadvertiser.com.au/news/regional/event-marks-end-to-whaling-in-1978-ng-b88909543z"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"whaling station closure","types":["fishing-ban"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"From 1952 to 1978 the Cheynes Beach station caught 1,136 of my humpback whales and 14,695 sperm whales.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the company said it would close on 31 July or 1 August 1978, citing the effect of the government inquiry on product demand, with whale oil about 80% of sales.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a government inquiry led by Sir Sydney Frost began in March 1978; its December 1978 report recommended ending Australian whaling, and the Whale Conservation Act followed in 1980.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources record no compensation for the closure.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the company that operated the station.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — When? No answer on record.","Six questions — How? No answer on record.","Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ireland-peat-harvesting-end-and-peat-imports","tier":"short","title":"Ireland imports Latvian peat while private firms keep exporting","dek":"In 2021 private firms exported more than 500,000 tonnes of peat from Ireland, while Ireland began importing peat from Latvia. The High Court had ruled against parts of the commercial peat rules in 2019.","country":"Ireland","iso2":"IE","places":[{"country":"Ireland","iso2":"IE","admin":null,"lat":53.4,"lon":-7.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":53.4,"lon":-7.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":2021,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["In 2019 Ireland's High Court found, in a case brought by Friends of the Irish Environment, that parts of the commercial peat rules conflicted with EU directives, and required multi-stage permits for bogs over 30 hectares (Irish Times).","The first horticultural peat imported to Ireland came from Latvia: 3,600 tonnes, shipped about 3,000 km, at a cost of up to three times domestic peat.","In the first eleven months of 2021, more than 500,000 tonnes of peat worth 94 million euro were exported and 42,800 tonnes imported; exports were about 11.5 times imports (TheJournal / Noteworthy).","Klasmann-Deilmann said it exported about 95% of its peat (TheJournal / Noteworthy)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ireland's High Court ruled in 2019 that parts of the commercial peat rules conflicted with EU directives. Private firms went on exporting peat while Ireland began importing peat from Latvia.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Klasmann-Deilmann","what":"Said it exported about 95% of its peat","src":0},{"who":"Private peat exporters","what":"Exported more than 500,000 tonnes of peat in the first eleven months of 2021","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Irish peat bogs","what":"More than 500,000 tonnes of peat were exported in the first eleven months of 2021","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Ireland","src":null},"when":{"t":"High Court ruling 2019; export and import figures for January to November 2021","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The ruling required multi-stage permits for bogs larger than 30 hectares.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"peat_exports_2021_11_months","value":500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"note":"First eleven months; stated as more than 500,000 tonnes"},{"key":"peat_export_value_2021_11_months","value":94000000,"unit":"euro","year":2021,"note":"First eleven months"},{"key":"peat_imports_2021_11_months","value":42800,"unit":"tonnes","year":2021,"note":"First eleven months"},{"key":"peat_export_import_ratio","value":11.5,"unit":"times","year":2021,"note":"Exports stated as about 11.5 times imports"},{"key":"first_latvian_peat_import","value":3600,"unit":"tonnes","year":null,"note":"First horticultural peat shipment from Latvia; year not stated"}],"legal":[{"title":"Friends of the Irish Environment peat case","forum":"High Court of Ireland","country":"Ireland","iso2":"IE","kind":"civil","claimant":"Friends of the Irish Environment","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":2019,"status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found that parts of the commercial peat production rules conflicted with EU environmental impact assessment and habitats directives.","src":1}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Bord na Móna's last full harvest was in 2018, and it ended peat cutting permanently in January 2021.","Unconfirmed: about 850,000 acres of active raised bog mapped in the early 1800s had been reduced to about 1% by the time of the 2019 ruling.","The source for the first Latvian import shipment is not linked in the cited sources, and the year of that shipment is not stated.","The cited sources do not name the defendant in the 2019 High Court case."],"sources":[{"t":"Ireland peat exports (TheJournal / Noteworthy)","p":"TheJournal","d":"2021","u":"https://www.thejournal.ie/article.php?id=5605623","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250202223106/https://www.thejournal.ie/article.php?id=5605623"},{"t":"High Court: Environmental activists successfully challenge the validity of peat extraction legislation ([2019] IEHC 646, Simons J)","p":"Irish Legal News","d":"2019-09-24","u":"https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/high-court-environmental-activists-successfully-challenge-the-validity-of-peat-extraction-legislation","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"klasmann-deilmann","role":"Peat producer; said it exported about 95% of its peat"},{"id":"friends-of-the-irish-environment","role":"Claimant in the 2019 High Court case"}],"mechanism":"peat extraction rules and imports","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"From my bogs, more than 500,000 tonnes of peat worth 94 million euro were exported in the first eleven months of 2021, against 42,800 tonnes imported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bord na Móna's last full harvest was in 2018, and it ended peat cutting permanently in January 2021.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 850,000 acres of active raised bog mapped in the early 1800s had been reduced to about 1% by the time of the 2019 ruling.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The source for the first Latvian import shipment is not linked in the cited sources, and the year of that shipment is not stated.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not name the defendant in the 2019 High Court case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"german-hard-coal-mining-end","tier":"short","title":"Germany closes its last hard coal mine, Prosper-Haniel, in 2018","dek":"Germany closed its last hard coal mine, Prosper-Haniel in Bottrop, on 21 December 2018, after a 2007 decision to end subsidies. Clean Energy Wire reported that more than 90% of the hard coal Germany used was imported.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.52,"lon":6.92,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.52,"lon":6.92,"approxCoords":true,"start":2007,"end":2018,"instrument":"mining","happened":["The Merkel government decided in 2007 to end hard coal subsidies and close the last mine in 2018 (Clean Energy Wire).","Prosper-Haniel in Bottrop closed on 21 December 2018 (Clean Energy Wire).","Clean Energy Wire described the closure as purely economic and placed the wider coal exit in a climate framework.","Green Budget Germany put state support for the sector at up to 337 billion euro for 1970 to 2016 (Clean Energy Wire)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Germany closed its last hard coal mine, Prosper-Haniel in Bottrop, on 21 December 2018, after deciding in 2007 to end subsidies.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Hard coal mine workers","what":"Employment in German hard coal mining fell from 600,000 in the 1950s to 4,500 in 2017","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bottrop, Germany (Prosper-Haniel mine)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Decided 2007; mine closed 21 December 2018","src":0},"why":{"t":"Clean Energy Wire described the closure as purely economic.","src":0},"how":{"t":"More than 90% of the hard coal Germany used was imported, from Russia, Colombia and the United States, and also from Australia, Poland and South Africa.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"hard_coal_mining_jobs_1950s","value":600000,"unit":"workers","year":1950,"note":"1950s figure, per Clean Energy Wire"},{"key":"hard_coal_mining_jobs_2017","value":4500,"unit":"workers","year":2017,"note":"Per Clean Energy Wire"},{"key":"state_support_1970_2016","value":337000000000,"unit":"euro","year":2016,"note":"Up to; 1970-2016; Green Budget Germany figure"},{"key":"hard_coal_imported_share","value":90,"unit":"percent","year":null,"note":"More than 90% of hard coal used was imported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: RAG Foundation said a tonne of German coal cost 250 euro to produce and sold for 80 euro.","Unconfirmed: the Ruhr mining communities and communities near Colombia's Cerrejon mine bore the costs of the decline.","The cited sources do not state the environmental effects of the closure."],"sources":[{"t":"Germany bids farewell to domestic hard coal mining","p":"Clean Energy Wire","d":"2018","u":"https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-bids-farewell-domestic-hard-coal-mining","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261012110007/https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/germany-bids-farewell-domestic-hard-coal-mining"}],"actors":[{"id":"german-government","role":"Decided in 2007 to end hard coal subsidies and close the last mine by 2018"}],"mechanism":"coal mine closure","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: RAG Foundation said a tonne of German coal cost 250 euro to produce and sold for 80 euro.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Ruhr mining communities and communities near Colombia's Cerrejon mine bore the costs of the decline.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not state the environmental effects of the closure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"feronia-phc-palm-plantations","tier":"short","title":"European development banks financed Feronia palm plantations in Congo","dek":"FMO and other European development banks invested $100 million to $200 million from 2013 in Feronia/PHC palm plantations in DR Congo. Nine communities seek the return of their land, and the cited sources do not measure forest loss.","country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","places":[{"country":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":null,"lat":0.6,"lon":24.4,"role":"event"}],"lat":0.6,"lon":24.4,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2019,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["Trouw reported in October 2019 that FMO and other European development banks invested $100 million to $200 million from 2013 in Feronia/PHC palm plantations, of which about 25,000 hectares are planted.","Trouw reported that the company says the area it claims is over 100,000 hectares, and that nine communities want their land back.","Trouw also reported that a human rights defender was killed in July 2019.","FMO's complaints mechanism accepted a complaint about Feronia in 2019, and FMO stayed invested in the plantations (Trouw; TNI)."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"FMO and other European development banks invested $100 million to $200 million in Feronia/PHC palm plantations in DR Congo from 2013.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Feronia/PHC","what":"Development-bank investment for palm plantations; claims an area of over 100,000 hectares","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Nine communities","what":"Seeking the return of land they want back from the plantations","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"A human rights defender (not named)","what":"Killed in July 2019; Trouw does not link the killing to the plantations","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Democratic Republic of the Congo","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2013; reported October 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Investment by development finance institutions in planted palm estates.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"planted_area","value":25000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Planted area of Feronia/PHC palm plantations"},{"key":"claimed_area","value":100000,"unit":"hectares","year":null,"note":"Area the company claims; stated as over 100,000 hectares"},{"key":"dfi_investment","value":100000000,"unit":"USD","year":2013,"note":"Lower end of a $100 million to $200 million range"},{"key":"communities_seeking_land","value":9,"unit":"communities","year":null,"note":"Communities seeking the return of their land"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Feronia says it holds 25-year renewable leases.","Unconfirmed: the plantations come from a 1911 Belgian colonial concession to a Lever company, and were held by Unilever until 2009.","Not established: whether the July 2019 killing was linked to the plantations; the cited sources do not say.","Not found: forest loss or land-use change figures for the plantations.","Not found: a TNI briefing link in the reviewed material; the TNI reference has no public link."],"sources":[{"t":"Trouw (Erik van Zwam) on FMO and Feronia/PHC","p":"Trouw","d":"2019-10-15","u":"https://farmlandgrab.org/post/29246-landless-how-the-dutch-development-bank-marginalises-farmers","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250523180550/https://farmlandgrab.org/post/29246-landless-how-the-dutch-development-bank-marginalises-farmers"}],"actors":[{"id":"fmo","role":"Development bank that invested in the plantations"},{"id":"feronia-phc","role":"Operator of the palm plantations"}],"mechanism":"development bank plantation financing","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"About 25,000 hectares of me are planted with palm for Feronia/PHC, which claims over 100,000 hectares; development banks invested $100 million to $200 million from 2013, Trouw reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Feronia says it holds 25-year renewable leases.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the plantations come from a 1911 Belgian colonial concession to a Lever company, and were held by Unilever until 2009.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not established: whether the July 2019 killing was linked to the plantations; the cited sources do not say.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: forest loss or land-use change figures for the plantations.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not found: a TNI briefing link in the reviewed material; the TNI reference has no public link.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"santurban-paramo-mining-ban-reversal","tier":"short","title":"Investor claim over Colombia's Santurbán mining ban yields no compensation","dek":"Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people. In July 2024 a tribunal found Colombia responsible for delays in applying the ban but awarded the investor nothing.","country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","places":[{"country":"Colombia","iso2":"CO","admin":null,"lat":7.2,"lon":-72.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":7.2,"lon":-72.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2024,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Vanguardia reported that Colombia banned mining in the Santurbán páramo, a high mountain wetland that supplies water to more than 2.5 million people.","The tribunal in the Eco Oro case found the ban legitimate in 2021, but on 15 July 2024 held Colombia responsible for delays in applying it and awarded no compensation, because the company had not proven its losses.","Eco Oro had claimed 690 million dollars, or 1.1 billion dollars with interest, Vanguardia reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Colombia's ban on mining in the Santurbán páramo was challenged by an investor claim, and a tribunal awarded no compensation in July 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Eco Oro","what":"Claimed 690 million to 1.1 billion dollars; the tribunal awarded no compensation","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Santurbán páramo, Colombia (high mountain wetland)","src":0},"when":{"t":"Ban found legitimate by the tribunal in 2021; award on 15 July 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"An investor claim before a tribunal; the tribunal found Colombia responsible for delays in enforcing the ban but found the company had not proven its losses.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"claim_usd_million","value":690000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2024,"note":"Eco Oro claim before interest, as reported by Vanguardia"},{"key":"claim_with_interest_usd_billion","value":1100000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":2024,"note":"Eco Oro claim including interest"},{"key":"award_usd","value":0,"unit":"US dollars","year":2024,"note":"Compensation awarded to Eco Oro on 15 July 2024"},{"key":"people_supplied_millions","value":2500000,"unit":"people","year":null,"note":"More than 2.5 million people whose water the páramo supplies, as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: in August 2026 the environment ministry revoked a previous government resolution that closed about 1,500 hectares of the Santurbán complex to mining.","Unconfirmed: Aris Mining holds a mining licence in the area covered by that revocation.","Unconfirmed: the Constitutional Court's 2016 ruling (C-035) banned mining in páramos.","None on record: whether the August 2026 revocation has been challenged."],"sources":[{"t":"Vanguardia report on the Eco Oro claim over the Santurbán mining ban","p":"Vanguardia","d":"2024-07-16","u":"https://www.vanguardia.com/economia/nacional/2024/07/16/colombia-no-pagara-ni-un-dolar-a-eco-oro-por-demanda-por-explotacion-de-oro-en-santurban/","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"eco-oro","role":"Investor claimant over the Santurbán mining ban"},{"id":"colombia-government","role":"Respondent state; banned mining in the páramo"}],"mechanism":"páramo mining ban","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My Santurbán páramo supplies water to more than 2.5 million people; in July 2024 a tribunal awarded Eco Oro no compensation against its claim of 690 million dollars.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in August 2026 the environment ministry revoked a previous government resolution that closed about 1,500 hectares of the Santurbán complex to mining.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Aris Mining holds a mining licence in the area covered by that revocation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Constitutional Court's 2016 ruling (C-035) banned mining in páramos.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: whether the August 2026 revocation has been challenged.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"canada-environmental-assessment-rollbacks","tier":"short","title":"Canada narrowed federal environmental reviews in 2012 and again in 2025","dek":"York University reported that 2025 laws in Canada and Ontario let some environmental reviews be skipped, after the 2012 federal law had removed screening-level reviews. Fewer reviews mean less scrutiny of how approved developments affect forests, water and habitat.","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":56.1304,"lon":-106.3468,"approxCoords":true,"start":2012,"end":2025,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Penticton Western News and West Coast Environmental Law reported that the 2012 federal assessment law, in force from July 2012, removed screening-level federal reviews.","The same sources reported that about 2,970 ongoing assessments were cancelled.","York University's research spotlight reported in 2025 that Ontario's Bill 5 and federal Bill C-5 allow environmental reviews to be skipped."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Canada's 2012 federal assessment law removed screening-level reviews; York University reported that 2025 laws let some reviews be skipped.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Canada at federal level; Ontario for Bill 5.","src":1},"when":{"t":"The 2012 law took effect in July 2012; York University dates the Bill 5 and C-5 changes to 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Screening-level federal reviews were removed in 2012; in 2025 Bill 5 and C-5 were reported to allow reviews to be skipped.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"assessments_cancelled","value":2970,"unit":"assessments","year":2012,"note":"approximate; ongoing federal assessments cancelled as the 2012 law took effect"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: West Coast Environmental Law estimates that 4,000 to 6,000 assessments a year were removed.","Unconfirmed: the Building Canada Act (C-5) exempts national-interest developments from the planning stage of the Impact Assessment Act and bundles federal permits.","Unconfirmed: Ontario's Bill 5 lets the province exempt developments in special economic zones from provincial law.","None on record: which companies or sectors gained from the 2025 changes.","None on record: how many reviews have been skipped under the 2025 laws."],"sources":[{"t":"Greenwashing Canada's enviro assessment laws","p":"West Coast Environmental Law","d":"","u":"https://www.wcel.org/blog/greenwashing-canadas-enviro-assessment-laws","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240704213812/https://www.wcel.org/blog/greenwashing-canadas-enviro-assessment-laws"},{"t":"New Ontario law prioritizes profits","p":"York University","d":"2025","u":"https://euc.yorku.ca/research-spotlight/canada-is-not-for-sale-but-new-ontario-law-prioritizes-profits-over-environmental-and-indigenous-rights/","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260316120433/https://euc.yorku.ca/research-spotlight/canada-is-not-for-sale-but-new-ontario-law-prioritizes-profits-over-environmental-and-indigenous-rights/"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-canada","role":"Federal government; subject of the 2012 assessment law and Bill C-5"},{"id":"ontario-government","role":"Ontario government; subject of Bill 5"}],"mechanism":"environmental assessment rollback","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: West Coast Environmental Law estimates that 4,000 to 6,000 assessments a year were removed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Building Canada Act (C-5) exempts national-interest developments from the planning stage of the Impact Assessment Act and bundles federal permits.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ontario's Bill 5 lets the province exempt developments in special economic zones from provincial law.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: which companies or sectors gained from the 2025 changes.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: how many reviews have been skipped under the 2025 laws.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"india-ex-post-facto-environmental-clearance","tier":"short","title":"India's Supreme Court recalls environmental ruling at developers' request","dek":"Verdictum reported that the Supreme Court recalled an environmental ruling after the Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India applied. Whether construction that started without clearance can be approved later is at stake for nature.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":null,"lat":null,"lon":null,"role":"event"}],"lat":20.5937,"lon":78.9629,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Verdictum reported that the Supreme Court recalled an environmental ruling on the application of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India (CREDAI).","The case is listed as Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India v. Vanashakti, 2025 INSC 1326."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Supreme Court recalled an environmental ruling at the application of CREDAI, a real estate developers' body.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India (CREDAI)","what":"Applied for the recall of the ruling","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"India; Supreme Court of India.","src":0},"when":{"t":"The cited sources do not give the date of the recall; the citation is 2025 INSC 1326.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The recall was made on the application of CREDAI, according to Verdictum.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[{"title":"Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India v. Vanashakti","forum":"Supreme Court of India","country":"India","iso2":"IN","kind":"civil","claimant":"Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India","defendant":"Vanashakti","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Verdictum reported that the Supreme Court recalled an environmental ruling on this application. The outcome of the wider dispute is not on record.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the 2017 notification and a 2021 office memorandum allowed developments that had started without clearance to receive approval after the fact.","Unconfirmed: in May 2025 the Supreme Court banned after-the-fact clearances, and in November 2025 a three-judge bench reversed that decision by two votes to one.","Unconfirmed: a 2026 final ruling kept the 2017 notification as a one-time amnesty and cancelled the 2021 memorandum.","None on record: the number of developments approved after the fact, their locations or their environmental effects."],"sources":[{"t":"Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India v. Vanashakti, recall of judgment","p":"Verdictum","d":"","u":"https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/supreme-court/confederation-of-real-estate-developers-of-india-v-vanashakti-2025-insc-1326-recall-of-judgment-1598383","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251212055811/https://www.verdictum.in/court-updates/supreme-court/confederation-of-real-estate-developers-of-india-v-vanashakti-2025-insc-1326-recall-of-judgment-1598383"}],"actors":[{"id":"credai","role":"Applicant seeking recall of the ruling"},{"id":"supreme-court-of-india","role":"Court that recalled the ruling"}],"mechanism":"ex post facto environmental clearance","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Confederation of Real Estate Developers of India v. Vanashakti: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 2017 notification and a 2021 office memorandum allowed developments that had started without clearance to receive approval after the fact.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in May 2025 the Supreme Court banned after-the-fact clearances, and in November 2025 a three-judge bench reversed that decision by two votes to one.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 2026 final ruling kept the 2017 notification as a one-time amnesty and cancelled the 2021 memorandum.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"None on record: the number of developments approved after the fact, their locations or their environmental effects.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"tianjin-port-explosion","tier":"short","title":"Chinese courts convict 49 over Tianjin port warehouse explosion","dek":"An explosion at a hazardous-chemicals warehouse in Tianjin port killed more than 165 people in 2015. In November 2016 ten courts convicted 49 people, and the cited sources do not describe the blast's environmental effects.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Tianjin","lat":38.98,"lon":117.73,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.98,"lon":117.73,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2016,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["An explosion at a hazardous-chemicals warehouse operated by Ruihai Logistics in Tianjin port in 2015 killed more than 165 people.","In November 2016 ten courts convicted 49 people in three days, including 25 officials and 24 employees (NPR/AP).","The chairman of Ruihai Logistics, Yu Xuewei, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve after a court found him guilty of bribing port administration officials to obtain a certificate to handle hazardous chemicals at the port, Xinhua reported (NPR/AP). The officials were sentenced for dereliction of duty, abuse of power and accepting bribes."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Explosion at a Ruihai Logistics hazardous-chemicals warehouse in Tianjin port, and the criminal trial that followed","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"People killed in the explosion","what":"More than 165 deaths reported","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Tianjin port, Tianjin, China","src":null},"when":{"t":"Explosion in 2015; convictions in November 2016","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Company staff and officials were prosecuted; the chairman was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribing officials to obtain a hazardous-chemicals certificate.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":165,"unit":"people","year":2015,"note":"More than 165 killed"},{"key":"people_convicted","value":49,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Convicted by ten courts in three days"}],"legal":[{"title":"Tianjin port explosions trial","forum":"Ten courts (trial reported by NPR/AP)","country":"China","iso2":"CN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"","defendant":"Ruihai Logistics chairman, employees and officials","filed":null,"decided":"2016-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"49 people convicted, including 25 officials and 24 employees; chairman Yu Xuewei was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for bribery.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the site's environmental impact assessment was prepared by a government-affiliated academy, which judged the accident risk acceptable.","Unconfirmed: residents said they had not been surveyed for the assessment.","Unconfirmed: a safety assessment firm first rejected the report, and the company then changed firms.","Unconfirmed: the death toll was 173."],"sources":[{"t":"China jails 49 over deadly Tianjin warehouse explosions","p":"NPR/AP","d":"2016-11-09","u":"https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/09/501441138/china-jails-49-over-deadly-tianjin-warehouse-explosions","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250917191259/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/09/501441138/china-jails-49-over-deadly-tianjin-warehouse-explosions"}],"actors":[{"id":"ruihai-logistics","role":"Operator of the warehouse; chairman and staff convicted"}],"mechanism":"hazardous-chemicals warehouse blast","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the site's environmental impact assessment was prepared by a government-affiliated academy, which judged the accident risk acceptable.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: residents said they had not been surveyed for the assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a safety assessment firm first rejected the report, and the company then changed firms.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the death toll was 173.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Who harmed: People killed in the explosion"]},{"id":"lamu-coal-power-plant","tier":"short","title":"Kenya tribunal cancels licence for Lamu coal plant","dek":"Kenya's National Environment Tribunal cancelled the environmental licence for a 1,050 MW coal plant at Lamu and ordered a new impact assessment. The tribunal cited missing meaningful public participation and an incomplete assessment.","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","admin":"Lamu","lat":-2.27,"lon":40.9,"role":"event"}],"lat":-2.27,"lon":40.9,"approxCoords":true,"start":2019,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["On 26 June 2019 Kenya's National Environment Tribunal cancelled the environmental licence that the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) had granted to Amu Power for a 1,050 MW coal plant at Lamu.","The tribunal found that meaningful public participation had not taken place and that the environmental impact assessment was incomplete, and it ordered a new assessment.","The tribunal's chair, Mohamed Balala, described public participation as the oxygen that gives life to the assessment report."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Kenya's National Environment Tribunal cancelled the environmental licence for the 1,050 MW Lamu coal plant and ordered a new assessment.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Amu Power","what":"Held the NEMA licence for the plant until the tribunal cancelled it","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lamu, Kenya","src":0},"when":{"t":"Tribunal ruling dated 26 June 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The tribunal found public participation not meaningful and the assessment incomplete, and cancelled the licence on that basis.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"capacity_mw","value":1050,"unit":"MW","year":null,"note":"Planned capacity of the Lamu coal plant"}],"legal":[{"title":"NEMA licence for Amu Power's Lamu coal plant","forum":"National Environment Tribunal","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"civil","claimant":"","defendant":"","filed":null,"decided":"2019-06-26","status":"unknown","summary":"The tribunal cancelled the licence and ordered a new environmental impact assessment. Whether the decision was appealed, or whether the licence was formally ended, is not on record.","src":0}],"unknown":["Whether the decision was appealed, or whether the licence was formally ended, is not on record.","Who would be harmed by the plant, and how, is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"National Environmental Tribunal cancels licence for Lamu coal plant","p":"Greenpeace Africa","d":"2019-06-26","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/7295/national-environmental-tribunal-cancels-licence-for-lamu-coal-plant/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250403210124/https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/press/7295/national-environmental-tribunal-cancels-licence-for-lamu-coal-plant/"}],"actors":[{"id":"amu-power","role":"Licence holder until the licence was cancelled"},{"id":"nema","role":"Issued the environmental licence"},{"id":"national-environment-tribunal","role":"Cancelled the licence and ordered a new assessment"}],"mechanism":"environmental licence cancellation","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Africa","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"NEMA licence for Amu Power's Lamu coal plant: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the decision was appealed, or whether the licence was formally ended, is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who would be harmed by the plant, and how, is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"central-queensland-coal-mine-refusal","tier":"short","title":"Australia rejects Central Queensland coal mine near Great Barrier Reef","dek":"Australia's environment minister blocked a coal mine in Central Queensland near the Great Barrier Reef in February 2023, according to Global Voices. The refusal was reported as the first coal mine refused under the EPBC Act.","country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","places":[{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","admin":"Queensland","lat":-23.5,"lon":148.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-23.5,"lon":148.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","happened":["Global Voices reported on 21 February 2023 that Australia's environment minister had blocked a coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef.","Mining.com and Global Voices described the refusal as the first coal mine refused under the EPBC Act."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Australia's environment minister blocked a Central Queensland coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, according to Global Voices.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Central Queensland Coal","what":"Coal mine approval refused","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Central Queensland, Australia, near the Great Barrier Reef","src":0},"when":{"t":"February 2023; Global Voices report dated 21 February 2023","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Reported under the EPBC Act as the first refusal of a coal mine under that law.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"public_submissions","value":9000,"unit":"submissions","year":2023,"note":"Submissions on the proposal, as reported"},{"key":"share_supporting_refusal","value":98,"unit":"percent","year":2023,"note":"Share of submissions supporting refusal, as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Minister Plibersek refused the mine on 8 February 2023, citing risk to the Great Barrier Reef.","Whether the refusal has been challenged or reversed is not on record.","The company's response to the refusal is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Australian environment minister blocks coal mine near Great Barrier Reef","p":"Global Voices","d":"2023-02-21","u":"https://globalvoices.org/2023/02/21/australian-environment-minister-blocks-coal-mine-near-great-barrier-reef/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260512161109/https://globalvoices.org/2023/02/21/australian-environment-minister-blocks-coal-mine-near-great-barrier-reef/"}],"actors":[{"id":"central-queensland-coal","role":"Company whose coal mine was refused"},{"id":"australian-government","role":"Environment minister who refused approval"}],"mechanism":"federal environmental approval refusal","types":["mining"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Oceania","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Minister Plibersek refused the mine on 8 February 2023, citing risk to the Great Barrier Reef.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the refusal has been challenged or reversed is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The company's response to the refusal is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"aznalcollar-mine-reopening-near-donana","tier":"short","title":"Andalusia approves last permit to reopen Aznalcóllar mine near Doñana","dek":"Andalusia's regional government approved the last permit to reopen the Aznalcóllar mine, the site of a 1998 disaster near Doñana. The permit allows about 85,520 million litres of discharge into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years.","country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":"Andalusia","lat":37.49,"lon":-6.25,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.49,"lon":-6.25,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":null,"instrument":"mining-tailings","happened":["Infobae, reporting for EFE on 30 May 2025, said the regional government (La Junta) had approved the last permit to reopen the Aznalcóllar mine in Seville province.","According to the same report, the permit covers the discharge of about 85,520 million litres into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years.","Última Hora reported on 7 February 2025 that the regional government had been ordered to send the Andalusian High Court the documentation requested on the mine's unified environmental authorisation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Andalusia's regional government approved the last permit to reopen the Aznalcóllar mine, near Doñana.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Aznalcóllar, Seville province, Andalusia, Spain","src":0},"when":{"t":"Permit approval reported on 30 May 2025","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through the final permit in a series, allowing discharge of about 85,520 million litres into the Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"discharge_volume","value":85520000000,"unit":"litres","year":null,"note":"Planned discharge into the Guadalquivir estuary"},{"key":"discharge_period","value":18.5,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Period over which the discharge is to take place"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the unified environmental authorisation (AAU) was granted on 11 July 2024 to a Grupo México and Minorbis partnership.","Unconfirmed: a court refused in September 2024 to suspend the permit.","Unconfirmed: the Archbishop of Seville held a thanksgiving mass for the reopening.","Who will operate the mine is not on record.","The outcome of the Andalusian court's review of the permit is not on record.","Effects of the discharge on the estuary are not measured in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"La Junta da el visto bueno al último permiso para reabrir la mina de Aznalcóllar (Sevilla)","p":"Infobae (EFE)","d":"2025-05-30","u":"https://www.infobae.com/espana/agencias/2025/05/30/la-junta-da-el-visto-bueno-al-ultimo-permiso-para-reabrir-la-mina-de-aznalcollar-sevilla/","type":"press"},{"t":"Junta ordena remitir al TSJA documentación requerida sobre AAU mina Aznalcóllar (Sevilla)","p":"Última Hora","d":"2025-02-07","u":"https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/comunidades/2025/02/07/2321403/junta-ordena-remitir-tsja-documentacion-requerida-sobre-aau-mina-aznalcollar-sevilla.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250524033103/https://www.ultimahora.es/noticias/comunidades/2025/02/07/2321403/junta-ordena-remitir-tsja-documentacion-requerida-sobre-aau-mina-aznalcollar-sevilla.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"junta-de-andalucia","role":"Regional government that approved the last permit"}],"mechanism":"reopening environmental permit","types":["mining-tailings"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":["aznalcollar-mine-spill"],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A permit approved in May 2025 allows about 85,520 million litres to be discharged into my Guadalquivir estuary over 18.5 years.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the unified environmental authorisation (AAU) was granted on 11 July 2024 to a Grupo México and Minorbis partnership.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a court refused in September 2024 to suspend the permit.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Archbishop of Seville held a thanksgiving mass for the reopening.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who will operate the mine is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of the Andalusian court's review of the permit is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Record","text":"Effects of the discharge on the estuary are not measured in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"manila-bay-reclamation-projects-suspension","tier":"short","title":"Philippines suspends Manila Bay reclamation works; two expected to resume","dek":"The Philippine environment department suspended all Manila Bay reclamation works in August 2023. Inquirer reported that dredging continued in Cavite afterwards, and a fishers' group said small fishers' income had fallen 80 to 90 percent.","country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","places":[{"country":"Philippines","iso2":"PH","admin":"Manila Bay (Metro Manila and Cavite)","lat":14.55,"lon":120.95,"role":"event"}],"lat":14.55,"lon":120.95,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":null,"instrument":"urban-greening","happened":["ABS-CBN reported on 10 August 2023 that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had suspended all Manila Bay reclamation works.","Inquirer reported in November 2023 that dredging continued in Cavite after the suspension, and a fishers' group said small fishers' income had fallen by 80 to 90 percent.","ABS-CBN reported on 28 February 2024 that two Manila Bay reclamation works were expected to resume soon."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"DENR suspended all Manila Bay reclamation works in August 2023, according to ABS-CBN.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Small fishers in Manila Bay","what":"Income reported to have fallen 80 to 90 percent, according to a fishers' group","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Manila Bay, Philippines","src":0},"when":{"t":"Suspension reported on 10 August 2023; resumption expected reported on 28 February 2024","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Announced by DENR as a suspension of all Manila Bay reclamation works, according to ABS-CBN; the cited sources give no further detail.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"bacoor_reclamation_area","value":90,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"Bacoor reclamation expected to restart"},{"key":"navotas_reclamation_area","value":30,"unit":"hectares","year":2024,"note":"Navotas reclamation expected to restart"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: 22 reclamation works were suspended, and two were allowed to continue in November 2023.","Unconfirmed: the Dutch state export credit agency gave Boskalis, a dredging contractor on the works, insurance cover of €1.5 billion.","Unconfirmed: two opponents of the reclamation were abducted in 2023, and the Supreme Court found elements of enforced disappearance.","The final status of the remaining suspended works is not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"All Manila Bay reclamation projects suspended (DENR)","p":"ABS-CBN","d":"2023-08-10","u":"https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/10/23/all-manila-bay-reclamation-projects-suspended-denr","type":"press"},{"t":"On World Fisheries Day, groups protest reclamation projects in Manila Bay","p":"Inquirer","d":"2023-11","u":"https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1863256/on-world-fisheries-day-groups-protest-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240229072606/https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1863256/on-world-fisheries-day-groups-protest-reclamation-projects-in-manila-bay"},{"t":"2 Manila Bay reclamation projects expected to resume soon","p":"ABS-CBN","d":"2024-02-28","u":"https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/2/28/2-manila-bay-reclamation-projects-expected-to-resume-soon-2057","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"denr","role":"Suspended the Manila Bay reclamation works"},{"id":"philippine-reclamation-authority","role":"Expected the Bacoor and Navotas works to resume"}],"mechanism":"environmental compliance suspension","types":["urban-greening"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Reclamation works covering 90 hectares at Bacoor and 30 hectares at Navotas were expected to resume in my bay, ABS-CBN reported in February 2024, after the August 2023 suspension.","src":[2,0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 22 reclamation works were suspended, and two were allowed to continue in November 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Dutch state export credit agency gave Boskalis, a dredging contractor on the works, insurance cover of €1.5 billion.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: two opponents of the reclamation were abducted in 2023, and the Supreme Court found elements of enforced disappearance.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The final status of the remaining suspended works is not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kutai-kartanegara-permit-bribery","tier":"short","title":"Indonesian report alleges illegal permit levies in Kutai Kartanegara","dek":"An Indonesian outlet, Katadata, reported illegal levies (pungutan liar) in Bumi Etam in 2019.","country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","places":[{"country":"Indonesia","iso2":"ID","admin":"East Kalimantan","lat":-0.43,"lon":117.15,"role":"event"}],"lat":-0.43,"lon":117.15,"approxCoords":true,"start":2018,"end":null,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["Katadata published an article on 11 February 2019 with an Indonesian headline about illegal levies (pungutan liar) in Bumi Etam.","The fee amounts and trial testimony reported for the case are unconfirmed."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Katadata reported illegal levies (pungutan liar) in Bumi Etam; the link to environmental permit payments is unconfirmed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Kutai Kartanegara regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia","src":null},"when":{"t":"Around 2018, according to the cited sources; Katadata article dated 11 February 2019","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Reported as permit fees paid through consultancies and passed to local officials; unconfirmed.","src":null}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the case concerns Kutai Kartanegara regent Rita Widyasari.","Unconfirmed: consultancies obtained environmental permits for companies in return for private fees that were passed on to local officials.","Unconfirmed: an AMDAL permit tariff of 60 million rupiah per company (10 million up front, 50 million when the regent signed) and a UKL-UPL tariff of 35 million rupiah.","The companies involved, and the outcome of the case, are not on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Gurihnya pungutan liar di Bumi Etam","p":"Katadata","d":"2019-02-11","u":"https://katadata.co.id/berita/2019/02/11/gurihnya-pungutan-liar-di-bumi-etam","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20191114210457/https://katadata.co.id/berita/2019/02/11/gurihnya-pungutan-liar-di-bumi-etam"}],"actors":[{"id":"kutai-kartanegara-regency","role":"Local government the reported case concerns"}],"mechanism":"consultancy-mediated permit fees","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the case concerns Kutai Kartanegara regent Rita Widyasari.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: consultancies obtained environmental permits for companies in return for private fees that were passed on to local officials.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an AMDAL permit tariff of 60 million rupiah per company (10 million up front, 50 million when the regent signed) and a UKL-UPL tariff of 35 million rupiah.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The companies involved, and the outcome of the case, are not on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"bhopal-waste-incineration-paid-by-indian-state","tier":"short","title":"Indian government paid Rs 126 crore to incinerate Union Carbide Bhopal waste","dek":"The Indian government paid Ramky Group Rs 126 crore to incinerate 336 tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, according to The Hitavada. The report names no payment by Dow or Union Carbide.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Madhya Pradesh","lat":23.26,"lon":77.41,"role":"event"}],"lat":23.26,"lon":77.41,"approxCoords":true,"start":2025,"end":2025,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The Hitavada reported on 4 January 2025 that the Indian government paid Ramky Group Rs 126 crore to destroy 336 tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.","The article contains no information that Dow or Union Carbide paid for the work.","The Hitavada reported in July 2025 that the waste had been completely incinerated, and said the 1989 settlement of 470 million dollars did not cover groundwater."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Indian government paid Ramky Group Rs 126 crore to incinerate 336 tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide Bhopal plant.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Ramky Group","what":"Rs 126 crore government payment for incinerating the waste","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of India (state budget)","what":"Rs 126 crore spent from the state budget","src":1}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India (origin of the waste).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Payment reported in January 2025; incineration reported completed in July 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The government paid for the waste to be incinerated at a Ramky facility; the article gives a price of about Rs 3.75 million per tonne.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"payment_inr_crore","value":126,"unit":"crore rupees (1 crore = 10 million rupees)","year":2025,"note":"Paid to Ramky Group for incinerating the waste"},{"key":"waste_incinerated_tonnes","value":336,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Toxic waste from the Union Carbide Bhopal plant"},{"key":"price_per_tonne_inr_million","value":3750000,"unit":"rupees per tonne (approximate, as stated)","year":2025,"note":"Stated in The Hitavada article"},{"key":"settlement_usd_million","value":470000000,"unit":"US dollars","year":1989,"note":"Union Carbide settlement; reported as not covering groundwater"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Ramky Group (Re Sustainability) is controlled by KKR, which bought 60 percent in 2018 for about 510 to 530 million dollars.","Unconfirmed: Re Sustainability was in a sale process in July 2026 at a value of about 1.6 billion dollars.","Unconfirmed: Union Carbide has belonged to Dow since 2001.","Unconfirmed: the waste was burned at Pithampur, where local protests were reported (Tribune/PTI, July 2025).","Not known: how much of the Rs 126 crore reached Re Sustainability, and whether Dow made any contribution.","Not known: current cost-sharing for the West Lake cleanup, and whether it was transferred to FUSRAP."],"sources":[{"t":"Why Govt paid Rs 126 crore to Ramky Group for destroying 336 tones of toxic waste","p":"The Hitavada","d":"2025-01-04","u":"https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/1/4/-Why-Govt-paid-Rs-126-crore-to-Ramky-Group-for-destroying-336-tones-of-toxic-waste-.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720155010/https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/1/4/-Why-Govt-paid-Rs-126-crore-to-Ramky-Group-for-destroying-336-tones-of-toxic-waste-.html"},{"t":"Finally, toxic waste from Bhopal plant completely incinerated","p":"The Hitavada","d":"2025-07-01","u":"https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2025/7/1/Finally_-toxic-waste-from-Bhopal-plant-completely-incinerated.html","type":"press"}],"actors":[{"id":"ramky-group","role":"Paid to incinerate the waste"},{"id":"government-of-india","role":"Paid for the incineration from the state budget"},{"id":"union-carbide","role":"Origin of the waste (Bhopal plant)"}],"mechanism":"state-funded waste incineration","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"336 tonnes of toxic waste from the Union Carbide plant at Bhopal were incinerated at a cost of Rs 126 crore paid by the Indian government; the 1989 settlement did not cover my groundwater, The Hitavada reported.","src":[0,1]},"subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ramky Group (Re Sustainability) is controlled by KKR, which bought 60 percent in 2018 for about 510 to 530 million dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Re Sustainability was in a sale process in July 2026 at a value of about 1.6 billion dollars.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Union Carbide has belonged to Dow since 2001.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the waste was burned at Pithampur, where local protests were reported (Tribune/PTI, July 2025).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: how much of the Rs 126 crore reached Re Sustainability, and whether Dow made any contribution.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: current cost-sharing for the West Lake cleanup, and whether it was transferred to FUSRAP.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"fukushima-decontamination-contracts-and-fraud","tier":"short","title":"Fukushima decontamination contracts went to Kajima, Taisei, Obayashi and Maeda ventures","dek":"J-Cast reported in January 2013 that decontamination contracts had gone to four joint ventures and that claims of shoddy work followed. The work was meant to clean up radioactive soil and water from the 2011 accident.","country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","places":[{"country":"Japan","iso2":"JP","admin":"Fukushima Prefecture","lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"role":"event"}],"lat":37.42,"lon":141.03,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":null,"instrument":"fossil-fuel","happened":["J-Cast reported in January 2013 that decontamination contracts had gone to joint ventures of Kajima, Taisei, Obayashi and Maeda.","The same J-Cast report described claims of shoddy decontamination work."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Decontamination contracts in Fukushima were awarded to joint ventures of four construction firms, and claims of shoddy work were reported.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Kajima joint venture","what":"Decontamination contract (33 oku yen as reported)","src":0},{"who":"Taisei joint venture","what":"Decontamination contract (77 oku yen as reported)","src":0},{"who":"Obayashi joint venture","what":"Decontamination contract (43 oku yen as reported)","src":0},{"who":"Maeda joint venture","what":"Decontamination contract (188 oku yen as reported)","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Fukushima, Japan.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in January 2013.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Decontamination work was let to joint ventures of the four firms; claims of shoddy work were reported.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"contract_kajima_jv_oku_yen","value":33,"unit":"oku yen (100 million yen)","year":2013,"note":"Kajima joint venture decontamination contract, as reported"},{"key":"contract_taisei_jv_oku_yen","value":77,"unit":"oku yen (100 million yen)","year":2013,"note":"Taisei joint venture decontamination contract, as reported"},{"key":"contract_obayashi_jv_oku_yen","value":43,"unit":"oku yen (100 million yen)","year":2013,"note":"Obayashi joint venture decontamination contract, as reported"},{"key":"contract_maeda_jv_oku_yen","value":188,"unit":"oku yen (100 million yen)","year":2013,"note":"Maeda joint venture decontamination contract, as reported"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: a 650 billion yen decontamination budget went to joint ventures led by Taisei, Kajima, Obayashi and Maeda (Asahi).","Unconfirmed: Asahi reported that radioactive waste was dumped into rivers, that reports were filled with fake photographs, and that yakuza links were found among workers.","Unconfirmed: a government panel raised the Fukushima cleanup cost estimate to about 22 trillion yen (Phys.org, December 2016).","Not known: whether any individual was penalised; the cited sources give no figures."],"sources":[{"t":"手抜き除染の「実態」","p":"J-Cast","d":"2013-01-08","u":"https://www.j-cast.com/2013/01/08160583.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260520231508/https://www.j-cast.com/2013/01/08160583.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"kajima","role":"Joint venture named in decontamination contract"},{"id":"taisei","role":"Joint venture named in decontamination contract"},{"id":"obayashi","role":"Joint venture named in decontamination contract"},{"id":"maeda","role":"Joint venture named in decontamination contract"}],"mechanism":"decontamination contracting","types":["fossil-fuel"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Decontamination contracts for my radioactive soil went to joint ventures of Kajima (33 oku yen), Taisei (77), Obayashi (43) and Maeda (188); one oku is 100 million yen.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a 650 billion yen decontamination budget went to joint ventures led by Taisei, Kajima, Obayashi and Maeda (Asahi).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Asahi reported that radioactive waste was dumped into rivers, that reports were filled with fake photographs, and that yakuza links were found among workers.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a government panel raised the Fukushima cleanup cost estimate to about 22 trillion yen (Phys.org, December 2016).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: whether any individual was penalised; the cited sources give no figures.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"china-contaminated-land-sales-and-changzhou-school-poisoning","tier":"short","title":"Jiangsu court did not make chemical firms pay for Changzhou land cleanup","dek":"A Jiangsu appeal ruling in the Changzhou poisoned-land case left remediation to the state rather than the chemical companies. Reported land sales and school illnesses are unconfirmed.","country":"China","iso2":"CN","places":[{"country":"China","iso2":"CN","admin":"Jiangsu","lat":31.81,"lon":119.97,"role":"event"}],"lat":31.81,"lon":119.97,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2018,"instrument":"chemical-pollution","happened":["Beijing News reported that the Jiangsu High Court's appeal ruling in the Changzhou poisoned-land case did not impose remediation costs on the chemical companies.","According to the same report, the companies apologised and paid 230,000 yuan in costs, and the state carried out the remediation."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The appeal ruling in the Changzhou poisoned-land case did not impose remediation costs on the chemical companies; the state carried out the remediation.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Chemical companies in the case (not named in the source)","what":"Not ordered to pay remediation costs; apologised and paid 230,000 yuan in costs","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Chinese state","what":"Carried out the remediation","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Changzhou, Jiangsu province, China.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Appeal ruling reported in December 2018.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The court did not order the companies to pay remediation; they apologised and paid 230,000 yuan in costs.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"costs_paid_yuan","value":230000,"unit":"yuan","year":2018,"note":"Costs paid by the chemical companies, alongside an apology"}],"legal":[{"title":"Changzhou poisoned-land case (appeal)","forum":"Jiangsu Higher People's Court","country":"China","iso2":"CN","kind":"civil","claimant":"","defendant":"Chemical companies (not named in the source)","filed":null,"decided":"2018-12","status":"unknown","summary":"The appeal ruling did not impose remediation costs on the companies; they apologised and paid 230,000 yuan in costs. The state carried out the remediation.","src":0}],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the chemical factory land was sold; Greenpeace and Nanjing University found that a quarter of 174 polluted parcels were sold, and about 44 percent of those were not fully cleaned up.","Unconfirmed: provincial capitals earn 20 to 52 percent of their revenue from land sales.","Unconfirmed: in 2016 hundreds of pupils at a school beside a former chemical plant fell ill, and NGOs sued two cleanup companies (Sixth Tone, 2016).","Not known: which companies were defendants, and the filing date of the case."],"sources":[{"t":"常州毒地案二审宣判","p":"Beijing News (新京报)","d":"2018-12","u":"https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154587727014670.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261018162552/https://www.bjnews.com.cn/detail/154587727014670.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"jiangsu-higher-people-court","role":"Appeal court"}],"mechanism":"contaminated land remediation","types":["chemical-pollution"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"On appeal, a Jiangsu court did not make the chemical companies pay to clean my land at Changzhou; they paid 230,000 yuan in costs and apologised, and the state carried out the remediation, Beijing News reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Changzhou poisoned-land case (appeal): outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the chemical factory land was sold; Greenpeace and Nanjing University found that a quarter of 174 polluted parcels were sold, and about 44 percent of those were not fully cleaned up.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: provincial capitals earn 20 to 52 percent of their revenue from land sales.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2016 hundreds of pupils at a school beside a former chemical plant fell ill, and NGOs sued two cleanup companies (Sixth Tone, 2016).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Not known: which companies were defendants, and the filing date of the case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"kasaragod-endosulfan-spraying","tier":"short","title":"Kasaragod endosulfan victims still awaiting compensation after court order","dek":"Victims of endosulfan spraying in Kasaragod, Kerala, were still waiting for compensation years after a court order, and the state rather than the producer is paying. The producer's owning family sold its stake to Sumitomo in 2016.","country":"India","iso2":"IN","places":[{"country":"India","iso2":"IN","admin":"Kerala","lat":12.5,"lon":75,"role":"event"}],"lat":12.5,"lon":75,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":null,"instrument":"pesticides","happened":["Compensation for endosulfan victims in Kasaragod was delayed, Down To Earth reported.","Compensation was still unpaid five years after a court order, according to the cited sources.","The producer, Excel Crop Care, paid no compensation, and in 2016 its owning family sold a 24.75% stake to Sumitomo for about 343 crore rupees."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Endosulfan spraying in Kasaragod, Kerala, and the delayed compensation for those harmed","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Excel Crop Care","what":"Endosulfan producer; owning family sold a 24.75% stake to Sumitomo in 2016","src":null}],"lost":[{"who":"Government of Kerala (taxpayers)","what":"Pays 5 lakh rupees compensation per victim; no recovery from the producer recorded","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Endosulfan victims in Kasaragod","what":"Still awaiting compensation","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Kasaragod district, Kerala, India","src":null},"when":{"t":"Compensation delayed five years after a court order; the cited sources do not date the spraying","src":null},"how":{"t":"Pesticide spraying; compensation paid from state funds rather than by the producer","src":null},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"compensation_per_victim_lakh_inr","value":5,"unit":"lakh rupees per victim","year":null,"note":"Paid by the Kerala state; payment reported as delayed five years"},{"key":"excel_endosulfan_share_pct","value":60,"unit":"percent of endosulfan production","year":null,"note":"Approximate share held by Excel Crop Care"},{"key":"stake_sale_crore_inr","value":343,"unit":"crore rupees","year":2016,"note":"Sale of a 24.75% stake in Excel Crop Care to Sumitomo"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: endosulfan was sprayed on cashew plantations of the Kerala State Plantation Corporation from 1976 to 2001.","Unconfirmed: 6,727 victims identified, a 2017 Supreme Court compensation order, and payment approved for only 977 people in February 2026 (Onmanorama).","The victim list is disputed; the cited sources do not settle the count."],"sources":[{"t":"Endosulfan compensation delayed in Kerala","p":"Down To Earth","d":"","u":"https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/health/tracking-decades-long-endosulfan-tragedy-in-kerala-56788","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260511143909/https://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/health/tracking-decades-long-endosulfan-tragedy-in-kerala-56788"},{"t":"Kasaragod endosulfan victims compensation","p":"Onmanorama","d":"2026-02-27","u":"https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2026/02/27/kasaragod-endosulfan-victims-compensation-kerala-government.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260227151720/https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2026/02/27/kasaragod-endosulfan-victims-compensation-kerala-government.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"excel-crop-care","role":"Endosulfan producer"},{"id":"sumitomo","role":"Bought a 24.75% stake in the producer in 2016"},{"id":"kerala-government","role":"Pays compensation to victims"}],"mechanism":"endosulfan pesticide spraying","types":["pesticides"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Asia","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: endosulfan was sprayed on cashew plantations of the Kerala State Plantation Corporation from 1976 to 2001.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: 6,727 victims identified, a 2017 Supreme Court compensation order, and payment approved for only 977 people in February 2026 (Onmanorama).","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The victim list is disputed; the cited sources do not settle the count.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who gained: Excel Crop Care","No source link — Who lost: Government of Kerala (taxpayers)"]},{"id":"mylo-and-mycoworks-mycelium-leather-failures","tier":"short","title":"Mylo mycelium leather halted in July 2023 for lack of financing","dek":"Mylo mycelium leather, used by Stella McCartney and Lululemon, stopped production in July 2023 after no financing was found. MycoWorks, another mycelium leather maker, went bankrupt in October 2025.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"South Carolina","lat":34,"lon":-81,"role":"event"}],"lat":34,"lon":-81,"approxCoords":true,"start":null,"end":2025,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Mylo mycelium leather production was stopped in July 2023 after no financing was found, FashionUnited reported.","Stella McCartney and Lululemon had used Mylo, FashionUnited reported.","Bolt Projects reported 2024 revenue of $1.37 million and a net loss of $65.4 million."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Mylo mycelium leather production stopped in 2023; MycoWorks went bankrupt in 2025","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States, including a MycoWorks plant in South Carolina","src":1},"when":{"t":"July 2023 and October 2025","src":0},"how":{"t":"Production halted for lack of financing","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"bolt_projects_revenue_2024_usd_m","value":1.37,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"Revenue, fiscal 2024"},{"key":"bolt_projects_net_loss_2024_usd_m","value":65.4,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"Net loss, fiscal 2024"},{"key":"bolt_projects_cash_2024_usd_m","value":3.5,"unit":"USD million","year":2024,"note":"Year-end cash, fiscal 2024"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: Bolt Threads made Mylo and stopped its production in June 2023.","Unconfirmed: Bolt's total private funding was between $300 million and $471 million, with sources conflicting.","Unconfirmed: Bolt Projects faced a Nasdaq warning and a 1-for-20 reverse share split in February 2025.","Unconfirmed: MycoWorks opened its South Carolina factory in 2023 and closed it two years later.","Unconfirmed: Bolt's chief executive said the company had come close to commercial scale."],"sources":[{"t":"Mylo production halted for lack of financing","p":"FashionUnited","d":"2023-07-04","u":"https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/bolt-threads-reportedly-pulls-plug-on-stella-mccartney-backed-mylo/2023070470348","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251110041502/https://fashionunited.uk/news/business/bolt-threads-reportedly-pulls-plug-on-stella-mccartney-backed-mylo/2023070470348"},{"t":"MycoWorks restructures business model amidst industry changes","p":"Just Style","d":"2025-10-23","u":"https://www.just-style.com/news/mycoworks-leathers-business-model-restructuring/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251109220935/https://www.just-style.com/news/mycoworks-leathers-business-model-restructuring/"},{"t":"Bolt Projects reports Q4 2024 financial results","p":"Stock Titan (company announcement)","d":"2025","u":"https://www.stocktitan.net/news/BSLK/bolt-projects-reports-q4-2024-financial-aoucjvjeo41g.html","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250321212521/https://www.stocktitan.net/news/BSLK/bolt-projects-reports-q4-2024-financial-aoucjvjeo41g.html"}],"actors":[{"id":"bolt-projects","role":"Company whose fiscal 2024 results are reported"},{"id":"mycoworks","role":"Mycelium leather maker"}],"mechanism":"mycelium leather production","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bolt Threads made Mylo and stopped its production in June 2023.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bolt's total private funding was between $300 million and $471 million, with sources conflicting.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bolt Projects faced a Nasdaq warning and a 1-for-20 reverse share split in February 2025.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: MycoWorks opened its South Carolina factory in 2023 and closed it two years later.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Bolt's chief executive said the company had come close to commercial scale.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"suzano-eucalyptus-plantations-and-green-desert-network-claim","tier":"short","title":"Campaigners claim Suzano eucalyptus dried over 130 streams in Brazil","dek":"Brazilian pulp company Suzano is a partner in the Biomas restoration venture and an early 1t.org tree pledger. Campaigners claim its eucalyptus monoculture has dried more than 130 streams, and the cited sources do not record a reply from Suzano.","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Espírito Santo","lat":-19.2,"lon":-40.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Bahia","lat":-15,"lon":-39.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":-17,"lon":-40,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2022,"instrument":"tree-planting","happened":["Suzano was among the initial corporate pledgers to the World Economic Forum's 1t.org tree initiative, a WEF press release of 23 September 2021 said.","Six companies, including Suzano, each committed 20 million reais to Biomas, a restoration venture with a 20-year target of 4 million hectares, Money Times reported.","Campaigners claim more than 130 streams have dried up in areas linked to Suzano; the claim draws on 2006 campaign material, Brasil de Fato and FASE reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Campaigners claim Suzano's eucalyptus plantations dried streams; Suzano is a partner in restoration pledges","src":2},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Streams and communities in areas linked to Suzano","what":"Campaigners claim more than 130 streams dried up; no other source confirms it","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Espírito Santo and southern Bahia, Brazil","src":null},"when":{"t":"Pledges in 2021 and 2022; campaign claims cited to 2006 and 2025 material","src":2},"how":{"t":"Eucalyptus plantations; restoration venture funded by six companies","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"biomas_target_million_ha","value":4000000,"unit":"hectares","year":2022,"note":"20-year target of the Biomas restoration venture"},{"key":"biomas_partner_commitment_brl_m","value":20000000,"unit":"reais per partner","year":2022,"note":"Initial commitment; six partners"},{"key":"claimed_streams_dried","value":130,"unit":"streams","year":null,"note":"More than 130; campaign claim"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Green Desert Alarm Network, about 100 organisations, says indigenous, quilombola and peasant land has been occupied and rivers dried up.","Unconfirmed: MST women occupied Suzano land in Espírito Santo in March 2025, and Suzano did not respond.","Unconfirmed: Suzano is the world's largest pulp company and bought Fibria in 2018.","Unconfirmed: Suzano is named only among the initial pledgers to 1t.org; the full list of 93 pledged companies is not in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: Suzano's press release on Biomas."],"sources":[{"t":"Biomas partners each invest R$20 million","p":"Money Times","d":"2022-11","u":"https://www.moneytimes.com.br/suzano-suzb3-vale-vale3-marfrig-mrfg3-e-rabobank-investem-cada-um-r-20-milhoes-em-nova-empresa/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250725020223/https://www.moneytimes.com.br/suzano-suzb3-vale-vale3-marfrig-mrfg3-e-rabobank-investem-cada-um-r-20-milhoes-em-nova-empresa/"},{"t":"Initial 1t.org corporate pledgers","p":"World Economic Forum","d":"2021-09-23","u":"https://www.weforum.org/media/more-than-2-5-billion-trees-to-be-conserved-restored-grown-by-2030/","type":"international"},{"t":"MST women occupy Suzano land in Espírito Santo","p":"Brasil de Fato","d":"2025-03-13","u":"https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/03/13/mulheres-do-mst-ocupam-area-da-suzano-no-es-e-denunciam-impactos-ambientais-da-maior-empresa-de-celulose-do-mundo","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251105170646/https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/03/13/mulheres-do-mst-ocupam-area-da-suzano-no-es-e-denunciam-impactos-ambientais-da-maior-empresa-de-celulose-do-mundo/"}],"actors":[{"id":"suzano","role":"Eucalyptus plantation owner; partner in Biomas; initial 1t.org pledger"},{"id":"biomas","role":"Restoration venture formed by six partners"},{"id":"wef","role":"Ran the 1t.org tree initiative"}],"mechanism":"eucalyptus plantation monoculture","types":["tree-planting"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Latin America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"Campaigners claim more than 130 of my streams have dried up in areas linked to Suzano's eucalyptus plantations, Brasil de Fato reported.","src":[2]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Green Desert Alarm Network, about 100 organisations, says indigenous, quilombola and peasant land has been occupied and rivers dried up.","pub":true},{"type":"undisclosed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: MST women occupied Suzano land in Espírito Santo in March 2025, and Suzano did not respond.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Suzano is the world's largest pulp company and bought Fibria in 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Suzano is named only among the initial pledgers to 1t.org; the full list of 93 pledged companies is not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Suzano's press release on Biomas.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"jbs-purchases-of-vivera-and-biotech-foods-unilever-s-vegetar","tier":"short","title":"Unilever sold The Vegetarian Butcher to JBS-owned Vivera in March 2025","dek":"JBS, the world's largest meat company, owns the plant-based brand Vivera, which bought The Vegetarian Butcher from Unilever in 2025. JBS also took a majority stake in cultivated-meat firm BioTech Foods in 2021. The cited sources do not say what either deal means for land or emissions.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[{"country":"Spain","iso2":"ES","admin":null,"lat":40.42,"lon":-3.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","admin":null,"lat":52.37,"lon":4.9,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":null,"lat":-14.24,"lon":-51.93,"role":"event"}],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2021,"end":2025,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["In March 2025 Unilever sold The Vegetarian Butcher to Vivera, which JBS owns, and the price was not disclosed, DutchNews reported.","Unilever had acquired the brand from its founder in 2018.","In November 2021 JBS took a majority stake in the Spanish cultivated-meat company BioTech Foods and announced $100 million for a Spanish plant and Brazilian research, Food Dive reported."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"JBS-owned Vivera bought Unilever's The Vegetarian Butcher; JBS took a majority stake in BioTech Foods","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"JBS","what":"Owns Vivera and holds a majority stake in BioTech Foods","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Unilever","what":"Sold The Vegetarian Butcher in 2025; price not disclosed","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Netherlands, Spain and Brazil","src":null},"when":{"t":"November 2021 and March 2025","src":0},"how":{"t":"Majority stake and brand purchases between companies","src":1},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null}},"metrics":[{"key":"biotech_investment_usd_m","value":100,"unit":"USD million","year":2021,"note":"Announced for a Spanish plant and Brazilian research"},{"key":"biotech_facility_usd_m","value":41,"unit":"USD million","year":2021,"note":"Facility cost reported with the BioTech Foods deal"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: JBS bought Vivera in 2021 at an enterprise value of about 341 million euros.","Unconfirmed: Smithfield (Pure Farmland) and JBS USA (Planterra) have cut back their plant-based brands.","The cited sources do not give the price Vivera paid for The Vegetarian Butcher."],"sources":[{"t":"Unilever sells The Vegetarian Butcher to JBS's Vivera","p":"DutchNews","d":"2025-03-21","u":"https://dutchnews.nl/2025/03/unilever-sells-the-vegetarian-butcher-to-jbss-vivera","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250726010915/https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/03/unilever-sells-the-vegetarian-butcher-to-jbss-vivera/"},{"t":"JBS enters cell-based meat with BioTech Foods acquisition and $100M investment","p":"Food Dive","d":"2021-11","u":"https://www.fooddive.com/news/jbs-enters-cell-based-meat-with-biotech-foods-acquisition-and-100m-investm/610303/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260310060140/https://www.fooddive.com/news/jbs-enters-cell-based-meat-with-biotech-foods-acquisition-and-100m-investm/610303/"}],"actors":[{"id":"jbs","role":"Owner of Vivera; majority owner of BioTech Foods"},{"id":"vivera","role":"Bought The Vegetarian Butcher from Unilever"},{"id":"unilever","role":"Sold The Vegetarian Butcher"},{"id":"biotech-foods","role":"Cultivated-meat company; JBS took a majority stake"}],"mechanism":"acquisitions of meat substitutes","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: JBS bought Vivera in 2021 at an enterprise value of about 341 million euros.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Smithfield (Pure Farmland) and JBS USA (Planterra) have cut back their plant-based brands.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not give the price Vivera paid for The Vegetarian Butcher.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"dole-megabanana-supply-chain-complaint","tier":"short","title":"Complaint under German supply chain law targets Dole's Megabanana operation","dek":"A 2023 complaint under German supply chain law alleged low minimum wages, weak pesticide protection and union opposition at the Megabanana operation of the Dole group. The cited sources do not record its outcome or any effect on the environment.","country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","places":[{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","admin":null,"lat":51.16,"lon":10.45,"role":"event"}],"lat":51.16,"lon":10.45,"approxCoords":true,"start":2023,"end":2023,"instrument":"agriculture","happened":["A complaint under German supply chain law concerning the Megabanana operation of the Dole group was filed in 2023, according to BHRRC.","The complaint alleged low minimum wages, inadequate pesticide protection and opposition to unions."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A German supply chain complaint about Dole's Megabanana operation alleged low minimum wages, weak pesticide protection and union opposition.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Plantation workers at Megabanana","what":"Alleged low minimum wages, inadequate pesticide protection and union opposition","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Complaint filed in Germany; the plantation location is not on record.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2023.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Filed under German supply chain law against the Dole group's Megabanana supply chain.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Outcome of the complaint: none on record.","Location of the Megabanana plantations: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Dole Megabanana supply-chain complaint (Germany)","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"2023","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/bananenplantagen/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251125020928/https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/bananenplantagen/"}],"actors":[{"id":"dole-group","role":"Company named in the complaint"}],"mechanism":"supply chain complaint under German law","types":["agriculture"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Outcome of the complaint: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Location of the Megabanana plantations: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"papahanaumokuakea-marine-debris-removal","tier":"short","title":"Papahānaumokuākea marine debris removal collected 298,180 lb in 2024","dek":"Marine debris collected from the Papahānaumokuākea monument in 2024 totalled 298,180 lb, of which 191,860 lb was nets, under a $12 million programme for 2022–2026 funded by NOAA and philanthropists. The cited sources do not say what the removal did for the monument's wildlife.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Hawaii","lat":25.5,"lon":-170.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":25.5,"lon":-170.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2022,"end":2026,"instrument":"space-debris","happened":["Marine debris collected from Papahānaumokuākea in 2024 totalled 298,180 lb, of which 191,860 lb was nets, Maui Now reported.","A programme for 2022–2026 is funded at $12 million by NOAA and philanthropists, the same report said."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Marine debris, including nets, was collected from the Papahānaumokuākea monument in 2024.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Hawaii.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2024 removal season; programme period 2022–2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Debris removal funded by NOAA and philanthropists under a $12 million programme.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"debris_collected_2024","value":298180,"unit":"lb","year":2024,"note":"Total marine debris collected"},{"key":"nets_collected_2024","value":191860,"unit":"lb","year":2024,"note":"Part of the total that was nets"},{"key":"programme_funding_2022_2026","value":12000000,"unit":"USD","year":2022,"note":"Programme total for 2022–2026, from NOAA and philanthropists"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Effect of the removal on the monument's wildlife: none on record.","Who holds the removal contracts and how the funds are split: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Marine debris removal season at Papahānaumokuākea ends with record-breaking results","p":"Maui Now","d":"2024","u":"https://mauinow.com/2024/10/28/marine-debris-removal-season-at-papahanaumokuakea-marine-national-monument-ends-with-record-breaking-results/","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251107010540/https://mauinow.com/2024/10/28/marine-debris-removal-season-at-papahanaumokuakea-marine-national-monument-ends-with-record-breaking-results/"}],"actors":[{"id":"noaa","role":"Co-funder of the 2022–2026 programme"}],"mechanism":"government-funded debris removal","types":["space-debris"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"From my Papahānaumokuākea waters, 298,180 lb of marine debris were collected in 2024, of which 191,860 lb was nets.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effect of the removal on the monument's wildlife: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Who holds the removal contracts and how the funds are split: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"denmark-livestock-carbon-tax","tier":"short","title":"Denmark to tax livestock emissions from 2030 at 300 kroner per tonne CO2e","dek":"Denmark is due to tax livestock emissions from 2030, at 300 kroner per tonne of CO2e, NBC News and AP reported in 2024. The cited sources do not say how much the tax would cut livestock emissions.","country":"Denmark","iso2":"DK","places":[{"country":"Denmark","iso2":"DK","admin":null,"lat":56.26,"lon":9.5,"role":"event"}],"lat":56.26,"lon":9.5,"approxCoords":true,"start":2030,"end":null,"instrument":"finance","happened":["Denmark is due to tax livestock emissions from 2030 at 300 kroner per tonne of CO2e, NBC News and AP reported in 2024.","The cited sources give no figures for the tax's expected emissions cut or its revenue."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Denmark is due to tax livestock emissions from 2030 at 300 kroner per tonne of CO2e.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Denmark.","src":0},"when":{"t":"From 2030, as reported in 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A tax levied per tonne of CO2e on livestock emissions.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"livestock_carbon_tax_rate","value":300,"unit":"kroner per tonne CO2e","year":2030,"note":"Planned rate from 2030"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Farm lobby response and any exemptions: none on record.","Reported emissions reduction and revenue figures: not in the cited sources."],"sources":[{"t":"Denmark livestock carbon tax","p":"NBC News (AP)","d":"2024","u":"https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/cows-pigs-carbon-tax-methane-denmark-rcna159019","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260130130316/https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/cows-pigs-carbon-tax-methane-denmark-rcna159019"}],"actors":[{"id":"government-of-denmark","role":"Plans the livestock tax"}],"mechanism":"livestock carbon tax","types":["finance"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Europe","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"From 2030 Denmark is due to charge 300 kroner for each tonne of CO2e that livestock emit into my air, NBC News and AP reported in 2024.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Farm lobby response and any exemptions: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported emissions reduction and revenue figures: not in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"edf-methane-study-funded-by-producers","tier":"short","title":"Producers funded 90% of EDF's 2013 methane study, HPPR reported","dek":"The Environmental Defense Fund's 2013 methane study received 90% of its budget from producers, including Shell and Exxon, which also gave the study field access. The cited sources do not say whether that funding shaped the findings.","country":"United States","iso2":"US","places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":null,"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"role":"event"}],"lat":39.83,"lon":-98.58,"approxCoords":true,"start":2013,"end":2013,"instrument":"water","happened":["Producers, including Shell and Exxon, provided 90% of the budget for the Environmental Defense Fund's 2013 methane study, HPPR reported.","The same producers also gave the study access to field sites, the report said."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Producers funded 90% of the budget of the Environmental Defense Fund's 2013 methane study and gave it field access.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"2013.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Producers paid most of the study's budget and provided access to field sites.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"study_budget_share_from_producers","value":90,"unit":"percent","year":2013,"note":"Share of the EDF methane study budget given by producers, including Shell and Exxon"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether the funding shaped the study's findings: none on record.","Other funders, if any, and the study's full budget: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"University of Texas fracking study results and politics","p":"HPPR","d":"2013","u":"https://www.hppr.org/hppr-economy-and-enterprise/2013-10-16/university-of-texas-fracking-study-results-and-politics","type":"press","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221206183246/https://www.hppr.org/hppr-economy-and-enterprise/2013-10-16/university-of-texas-fracking-study-results-and-politics"}],"actors":[{"id":"environmental-defense-fund","role":"Ran the 2013 methane study"},{"id":"shell","role":"Producer funder of the study"},{"id":"exxon","role":"Producer funder of the study"}],"mechanism":"industry-funded methane study","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"North America","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the funding shaped the study's findings: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Other funders, if any, and the study's full budget: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"ocean-conservancy-incineration-recommendation-retraction","tier":"short","title":"Ocean Conservancy withdraws 2015 plastic incineration recommendation","dek":"Ocean Conservancy withdrew and apologised in 2022 for the incineration recommendation in its influential 2015 report, which Coca-Cola, Dow and the American Chemistry Council helped fund. The cited sources do not show what replaced the recommendation.","country":"Global","iso2":null,"places":[],"lat":null,"lon":null,"approxCoords":true,"start":2015,"end":2022,"instrument":"waste","happened":["The 2015 report, which recommended incineration, was funded by Ocean Conservancy, Coca-Cola, Dow and the American Chemistry Council, according to Plastic Soup Foundation.","Ocean Conservancy withdrew the recommendation in 2022 and apologised for it."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Ocean Conservancy withdrew and apologised for an incineration recommendation in its 2015 report.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Not tied to one location in the cited sources.","src":null},"when":{"t":"2015 report; recommendation withdrawn in 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A 2015 report recommended incineration; the recommendation was withdrawn in 2022.","src":0}},"metrics":[],"legal":[],"unknown":["Whether incineration was adopted in practice after the report: none on record.","Content of the apology and any replacement recommendation: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Mea culpa from Ocean Conservancy for its influential 2015 report","p":"Plastic Soup Foundation","d":"2022","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240414181145/https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2022/07/mea-culpa-from-ocean-conservancy-for-its-influential-2015-report/","type":"ngo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240414181145/https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2022/07/mea-culpa-from-ocean-conservancy-for-its-influential-2015-report/","dead":true}],"actors":[{"id":"ocean-conservancy","role":"Published and later withdrew the 2015 recommendation"},{"id":"coca-cola","role":"Co-funder of the 2015 report"},{"id":"dow","role":"Co-funder of the 2015 report"},{"id":"american-chemistry-council","role":"Co-funder of the 2015 report"}],"mechanism":"incineration recommendation (withdrawn)","types":["waste","burning"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Global","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","subtags":["burning:waste-incineration"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether incineration was adopted in practice after the report: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Content of the apology and any replacement recommendation: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"horzumalayaka-alasehir-village-springs-tendered-for-bottling","tier":"short","title":"Alaşehir village springs tendered for 39-year bottling plant","dek":"Springs of the Horzumalayaka village in Alaşehir, Turkey, were tendered for a bottling plant for 39 years, and a lawsuit brought by the village headman was rejected. The cited sources do not show a Council of State (Danıştay) ruling.","country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","places":[{"country":"Turkey","iso2":"TR","admin":"Alaşehir","lat":38.35,"lon":28.52,"role":"event"}],"lat":38.35,"lon":28.52,"approxCoords":true,"start":2014,"end":null,"instrument":"water","happened":["The village springs of Horzumalayaka, in Alaşehir, were put out to tender for a bottling plant for 39 years, Diken reported.","A lawsuit brought by the village headman was rejected."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Village springs were tendered for use in a bottling plant for 39 years.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Horzumalayaka village, Alaşehir, Turkey.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Reported in 2014.","src":0},"why":{"t":"None on record.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Tender of the village springs for a bottling plant, with a 39-year term.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"tender_term_years","value":39,"unit":"years","year":null,"note":"Term of the tender for the bottling plant, as reported in 2014"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Tender winner and bottling company: none on record.","Council of State (Danıştay) ruling: none on record.","Effect on the village's water supply and springs: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Horzumalayaka village springs tendered for bottling (Alaşehir)","p":"Diken","d":"2014","u":"https://www.diken.com.tr/?p=61610","type":"press"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"spring water tender for bottling","types":["water"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"Middle East","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"My springs at Horzumalayaka village were put out to tender for a bottling plant for 39 years, Diken reported in 2014.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Tender winner and bottling company: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Council of State (Danıştay) ruling: none on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Effect on the village's water supply and springs: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"euglandina-snail-introduction-and-moorea-partula-extinction","tier":"short","title":"Predatory snail introduced on Moorea; nine Partula species gone from the wild by 1987","dek":"A predatory snail released against the giant African snail spread across Moorea, French Polynesia, at about 1.2 km a year, and all nine endemic Partula species were extinct in the wild by 1987. The cited sources do not show that the target snail was controlled.","country":"French Polynesia","iso2":"PF","places":[{"country":"French Polynesia","iso2":"PF","admin":"Moorea","lat":-17.54,"lon":-149.83,"role":"event"}],"lat":-17.54,"lon":-149.83,"approxCoords":true,"start":1984,"end":1987,"instrument":"law-policy","happened":["The Euglandina snail was released against the giant African snail and spread across Moorea at about 1.2 km a year, a 1984 Pacific Science study reported.","By 1987 all nine endemic Partula tree-snail species of Moorea were extinct in the wild, according to the University of Hawaii source.","Control of the giant African snail could not be shown, the same source says."],"w5":{"what":{"t":"A predatory snail released to control the giant African snail spread across Moorea and drove its endemic Partula snails extinct in the wild.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"Nine endemic Partula tree-snail species of Moorea","what":"Extinct in the wild by 1987","src":0}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Moorea, French Polynesia.","src":0},"when":{"t":"1984 to 1987, per the sources.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Introduced to control the giant African snail.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Released as a predator; it spread about 1.2 km a year.","src":0}},"metrics":[{"key":"partula_species_extinct_in_wild","value":9,"unit":"species","year":1987,"note":"Nine Partula species of Moorea"},{"key":"predator_snail_spread_rate","value":1.2,"unit":"km per year","year":1984,"note":"Approximate annual spread"}],"legal":[],"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the predator snail is linked to the loss of at least 134 land-snail species.","Year of the original introduction: none on record."],"sources":[{"t":"Pacific Science, 1984 (Moorea predatory snail study)","p":"Pacific Science (University of Hawaii ScholarSpace)","d":"1984","u":"https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/7f365341-87c4-4947-ac94-0144aadae78a/full","type":"academic","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260519011242/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/7f365341-87c4-4947-ac94-0144aadae78a/full"}],"actors":[],"mechanism":"predatory snail biological control","types":["law-policy"],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"other":[],"natureTotal":null,"otherTotal":null},"evidence":[],"insurance":[],"disputes":[],"said":[],"timeline":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[]},"region":"","harmStopped":"None on record.","whoPaid":"None on record.","natureLead":{"t":"A predatory snail released on Moorea against the giant African snail spread across me at about 1.2 km a year, a 1984 Pacific Science study reported.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the predator snail is linked to the loss of at least 134 land-snail species.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Year of the original introduction: none on record.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"monsanto-bayer-pcb-and-roundup-insurance-suit-v-aig","title":"Monsanto/Bayer PCB and Roundup insurance suit v AIG","dek":"In December 2025 Bayer sued the insurer AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri, over cover for more than $1.9 billion of PCB settlements and more than $10 billion of Roundup settlements. AIG's grounds for refusing are not public and the case was pending.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":38.64,"lon":-90.44,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Missouri","lat":38.64,"lon":-90.44,"role":"court"}],"start":1967,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-12","instrument":"pesticides","types":["pesticides","insurance-fund","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Settlements for which Bayer/Monsanto sought cover from AIG","value":">$1.9bn PCB + >$10bn Roundup","note":"Settlement totals to end-2024 as reported by the News Tribune from the filing. AIG's grounds for refusing cover are not public."},"happened":["In early December 2025 Bayer, which merged with Monsanto, filed suit against the insurer AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri. The News Tribune reported the suit under the headline that Bayer sues AIG insurance to help with legal bills. The policies at issue are excess policies that ran from June 1967 to April 1986.","As reported, Bayer's exposure was more than $1.9 billion in PCB settlements by the end of 2024 and more than $10 billion in Roundup settlements. Payment demands were sent to the insurers in July 2024 (Roundup) and October 2024 (PCBs). AIG declined to cover the settlements. The insurer's grounds are not public, and no insurer defence on file.","Bayer's own announcements frame the settlements. On 24 June 2020 it announced agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation: up to $10.9 billion for Roundup cancer claims, about $820 million for PCB water claims and up to $400 million for dicamba drift claims, with no admission of liability. On 17 February 2026 it announced a proposed Roundup class settlement of up to $7.25 billion, paid over up to 21 years.","On 25 June 2026 the US Supreme Court ruled 7–2 for Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell. A law-firm summary describes the ruling as preventing state-court failure-to-warn suits under the federal pesticide law; Bayer's press release was headed 'Monsanto wins landmark Roundup case at US Supreme Court'."],"timeline":[{"y":1967,"t":"Start of the excess policies at issue (June 1967); they ran to April 1986"},{"y":1969,"t":"According to EcoWatch, Monsanto's PCB committee writes that there are too many customers and too much Monsanto profit to withdraw"},{"y":2003,"t":"Anniston PCB settlement: $550 million cash payment, to which Monsanto's insurers contributed"},{"y":2020,"t":"24 June: Bayer announces up to $10.9bn for Roundup claims, about $820m for PCB water claims and up to $400m for dicamba drift; no admission of liability"},{"y":2024,"t":"Payment demands to insurers: July (Roundup) and October (PCBs)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Early December: Bayer sues AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri"},{"y":2026,"t":"17 Feb: Bayer announces proposed Roundup class settlement of up to $7.25bn over up to 21 years; 25 June: US Supreme Court rules 7–2 for Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation, with no admission of liability","who":"Bayer, announcement of 24 June 2020","src":1},{"t":"'Monsanto wins landmark Roundup case at US Supreme Court'","who":"Bayer, press release headline","src":3},{"t":"Mission 'Health for all, Hunger for none' and a goal of reaching 100 million smallholder farmers by 2030","who":"Bayer, sustainability commitments page","src":8}],"recorded":[{"t":"The suit covers excess policies running from June 1967 to April 1986. Exposure: more than $1.9bn in PCB settlements by end-2024 and more than $10bn in Roundup settlements. Payment demands went out in July 2024 (Roundup) and October 2024 (PCBs); AIG declined; the grounds are not public.","src":0},{"t":"Bayer's 24 June 2020 announcement: up to $10.9bn for Roundup cancer claims, about $820m for PCB water claims and up to $400m for dicamba drift, with no admission of liability.","src":1},{"t":"Proposed 2026 Roundup class settlement: up to $7.25bn over 21 years; about 65,000 claimants in Roundup cases; litigation provisions rose to €11.8bn (citing Bayer's 2026 release).","src":2},{"t":"US Supreme Court, 25 June 2026, Monsanto v. Durnell: 7–2 for Monsanto; described as preventing state-court failure-to-warn suits.","src":4},{"t":"The settling companies' commercial insurers provided about $160m of the $600m cash payment in the 2003 Anniston settlement (Monsanto about $390m, Solutia $50m).","src":11},{"t":"EcoWatch reports settlements of $550–650m with cities through 2020 and a 1969 Monsanto PCB committee statement that there were too many customers and too much Monsanto profit to withdraw.","src":5},{"t":"Roundup herbicide segment sales were €1.155bn in the third quarter of 2025 alone; the product has been on sale since 1974.","src":10},{"t":"Bayer's dividend has been the legal minimum of €0.11 since 2024; the company reported a net loss of €3.62bn in 2025.","src":9},{"t":"The International Agency for Research on Cancer's 2015 classification of glyphosate as 'probably carcinogenic' stands.","src":13},{"t":"A Johnson award was reduced from $289.2m to $78.5m and then to $20.5m (the cited sources list it among glyphosate verdicts).","src":12},{"t":"Jeffrey Ubben, a director of WWF-US, was also a director of ExxonMobil (2021–2026) and of Bayer AG (since April 2024).","src":6},{"t":"Bayer AG is listed among the 17 corporate members of the TNFD Taskforce.","src":7}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2020–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"AIG's stated grounds","v":"Not public","d":"AIG declined the 2024 payment demands; the filing was reported in December 2025."},{"k":"Settlements in dispute","v":">$1.9bn / >$10bn","d":"PCB and Roundup settlements to end-2024, as reported"},{"k":"Roundup litigation at the Supreme Court","v":"7–2 for Monsanto","d":"Monsanto v. Durnell, 25 June 2026"}]},"unknown":["AIG's grounds for refusing to cover the PCB and Roundup settlements are not public; no insurer defence is on record.","Unconfirmed: reports of News Tribune and DTN reports say the complaint calls the insurers' grounds 'meritless excuses and purported defenses'.","Unconfirmed: King County (Washington) juries in the Sky Valley school cases awarded punitive damages against Pharmacia/Monsanto (for example $75 million in one case); the 2002 Anniston jury findings were not re-verified.","Unconfirmed: a National Union v. Everest reinsurance dispute over a 2004 Monsanto environmental settlement was still unresolved in 2015.","No insurance contributions to the Roundup and dicamba settlements, which were private settlements, are on record; none of the coverage sources documented revenue or profit from the activity."],"evidence":["court-pending","court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give that Roundup stayed on sale after the settlements: the herbicide segment sold €1.155bn in the third quarter of 2025 alone, and the product has been on sale since 1974.","whoPaid":"Bayer paid the settlements from company funds and sought cover from AIG in December 2025. The cited sources record the dividend at the legal minimum since 2024 and a €3.62bn net loss in 2025.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: Bayer's December 2025 suit against AIG in St. Louis County was pending; AIG's grounds were not public and no ruling was found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"bayer","says":"Sued AIG in St. Louis County, Missouri, for cover of PCB and Roundup settlements after payment demands in July and October 2024.","when":"December 2025","src":0},{"actor":"aig","says":"Declined to cover the PCB and Roundup settlements; its grounds are not public and no defence filing was found.","when":"2024–2025","src":0},{"actor":"bayer","says":"Announced agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation and stated there was no admission of liability.","when":"24 June 2020","src":1},{"actor":"bayer","says":"Announced a proposed Roundup class settlement of up to $7.25 billion.","when":"17 February 2026","src":2},{"actor":"bayer","says":"Issued a press release headed 'Monsanto wins landmark Roundup case at US Supreme Court'.","when":"25 June 2026","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"bayer","role":"Claimant in the suit against AIG; owner of Monsanto"},{"id":"monsanto","role":"Original insured; PCB and Roundup defendant"},{"id":"aig","role":"Insurer that declined cover; defendant"},{"id":"us-supreme-court","role":"Decided Monsanto v. Durnell, 7–2"},{"id":"us-epa","role":"Regulator; reported to have told Bayer it would not accept a cancer warning"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Is AIG obliged to cover the PCB and Roundup settlements?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer / Monsanto","says":"Sent payment demands in July 2024 (Roundup) and October 2024 (PCBs) and sued in December 2025 under excess policies running from 1967 to 1986.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"AIG","says":"Declined to cover the settlements; its grounds are not public.","src":0}]},{"point":"Can Roundup users bring state-law failure-to-warn claims?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"US Supreme Court","says":"Ruled 7–2 on 25 June 2026 for Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell; a law-firm summary says the ruling prevents failure-to-warn suits.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Bayer / Monsanto","says":"Called the outcome a landmark win in its press release headline.","src":3},{"voice":"government","holder":"US EPA","says":"The cited sources say EPA told Bayer it would not accept a cancer warning, and that Bayer used the letter before the Supreme Court.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"International Agency for Research on Cancer","says":"Classified glyphosate as 'probably carcinogenic' in 2015; the classification stands.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bayer / Monsanto v. AIG (excess policies, PCB and Roundup settlements)","forum":"Court in St. Louis County, Missouri","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Bayer / Monsanto","defendant":"AIG","filed":"2025-12","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Bayer seeks cover under excess policies running June 1967 to April 1986 for more than $1.9bn of PCB settlements (to end-2024) and more than $10bn of Roundup settlements. Payment demands were sent in July and October 2024. The insurer's grounds are not public.","src":0},{"title":"Monsanto v. Durnell","forum":"US Supreme Court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Durnell (plaintiff in the underlying Roundup case)","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2026-06-25","status":"defendant-won","summary":"The Court ruled 7–2 for Monsanto; a law-firm summary says state-court failure-to-warn suits are prevented under the federal pesticide law.","src":3},{"title":"Roundup class settlement (proposed)","forum":"not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"class-action","claimant":"Roundup claimants (class)","defendant":"Monsanto / Bayer","filed":"2026-02-17","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":7250,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, up to, over up to 21 years"},"summary":"Bayer announced a proposed class settlement of up to $7.25bn paid over up to 21 years; about 65,000 claimants in Roundup cases; litigation provisions rose to €11.8bn.","src":2},{"title":"PCB claims by cities against Monsanto","forum":"Court not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Cities (EcoWatch headline refers to California cities)","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"settled","amount":{"value":650,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, up to; reported range $550–650 million, through 2020"},"summary":"EcoWatch reports settlements with cities of $550–650 million through 2020.","src":5},{"title":"Anniston PCB settlement","forum":"Court not on record","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"not on record","defendant":"Monsanto","filed":null,"decided":"2003","status":"settled","amount":{"value":600,"currency":"USD","label":"USD million, cash payment"},"summary":"Settlement of 2003 with a $600m cash payment, of which about $160m came from the settling companies' commercial insurance.","src":11}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"AIG","insured":"Monsanto / Bayer","status":"litigation","year":2025,"reason":"Grounds not public","summary":"AIG declined to cover PCB settlements (more than $1.9bn by end-2024) and Roundup settlements (more than $10bn) after payment demands in July and October 2024. Bayer sued in St. Louis County, Missouri, in early December 2025 under excess policies from June 1967 to April 1986. The case was pending.","src":0},{"insurer":"Monsanto's insurers (names: none on record)","insured":"Monsanto","status":"partial","year":2003,"summary":"The settling companies' commercial insurers provided about $160m of the $600m cash payment in the 2003 Anniston settlement (Monsanto about $390m, Solutia $50m).","src":11}],"metrics":[{"key":"pcb_settlements_to_end_2024","value":1900,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"PCB settlements covered by the claim against AIG."},{"key":"roundup_settlements","value":10000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Roundup settlements covered by the claim against AIG."},{"key":"settlement","value":10900,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Roundup cancer claims, Bayer announcement of 24 June 2020."},{"key":"settlement","value":820,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"PCB water claims, same announcement."},{"key":"settlement","value":400,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Dicamba drift claims, same announcement."},{"key":"settlement","value":7250,"unit":"USD m","year":2026,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Proposed Roundup class settlement, paid over up to 21 years."},{"key":"people_affected","value":65000,"unit":"claimants","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Claimants in Roundup cases cited with the 2026 class settlement."},{"key":"provisions","value":11800,"unit":"EUR m","year":2026,"note":"Litigation provisions, citing Bayer's 2026 release."},{"key":"settlement","value":550,"unit":"USD m","year":2003,"note":"Cash payment in the 2003 Anniston settlement; Monsanto's insurers contributed."},{"key":"settlement","value":650,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Reported range $550–650m for PCB settlements with cities through 2020."},{"key":"revenue","value":1155,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"qualifier":"third quarter only","note":"Roundup herbicide segment sales."},{"key":"profit","value":-3620,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Bayer net loss in 2025, per the cited sources."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Bayer, which merged with Monsanto, sued the insurer AIG in December 2025 for cover of PCB and Roundup settlements that AIG had declined to pay.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Bayer / Monsanto","what":"The Roundup herbicide segment sold €1.155bn in the third quarter of 2025 alone; the product has been on sale since 1974.","src":null},{"who":"Bayer / Monsanto","what":"The US Supreme Court ruled 7–2 for Monsanto in Monsanto v. Durnell on 25 June 2026.","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Bayer shareholders","what":"Dividend at the legal minimum of €0.11 since 2024; €3.62bn net loss in 2025.","src":null}],"harmed":[{"who":"Roundup claimants","what":"About 65,000 claimants in Roundup cases were cited with the proposed 2026 class settlement.","src":2},{"who":"Cities with PCB claims","what":"Settled PCB claims against Monsanto for $550–650m through 2020, per EcoWatch.","src":5}]},"where":{"t":"St. Louis County, Missouri (the insurance suit); the underlying PCB and Roundup litigation is in the United States.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Policies June 1967 to April 1986; settlements to end-2024; payment demands July and October 2024; suit early December 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"Bayer sought insurance help with legal bills; AIG's reasons for refusing are not public.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Excess policies from 1967–1986 are being invoked in a civil suit after payment demands in 2024.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Bayer sues AIG insurance to help with legal bills","p":"News Tribune","d":"2025-12-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/dec/06/bayer-sues-aig-insurance-to-help-with-legal-bills/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206192239/https://www.newstribune.com/news/2025/dec/06/bayer-sues-aig-insurance-to-help-with-legal-bills/"},{"t":"Bayer announces agreements to resolve major legacy Monsanto litigation","p":"Bayer","d":"2020-06-24","type":"company","u":"https://bayer.com/media/bayer-announces-agreements-to-resolve-major-legacy-monsanto-litigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251102151228/https://www.bayer.com/media/bayer-announces-agreements-to-resolve-major-legacy-monsanto-litigation/"},{"t":"Bayer press release 2026-0034e on the Roundup settlement of up to $7.25 billion","p":"Bayer","d":"2026-02-17","type":"company","u":"https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/2026-0034e/"},{"t":"Monsanto wins landmark Roundup case at US Supreme Court","p":"Bayer","d":"2026-06-25","type":"company","u":"https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/monsanto-wins-landmark-roundup-case-at-us-supreme-court/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260926143657/https://www.bayer.com/media/en-us/monsanto-wins-landmark-roundup-case-at-us-supreme-court/"},{"t":"Supreme Court decides Monsanto v. Durnell","p":"Faegre Drinker (law firm)","d":"2026-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2026/6/supreme-court-decides-monsanto-v-durnell"},{"t":"Major Victory for California Cities vs. Monsanto","p":"EcoWatch","d":"","type":"press","u":"https://www.ecowatch.com/monsanto-pcb-lawsuits-2268543132.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609103216/https://www.ecowatch.com/monsanto-pcb-lawsuits-2268543132.html"},{"t":"ExxonMobil 2026 proxy statement (director biographies)","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission filing","d":"2026","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000119312526147614/d16317ddef14a.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260904183320/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000119312526147614/d16317ddef14a.htm"},{"t":"About the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures","p":"TNFD","d":"2026","type":"registry","u":"https://tnfd.global/about/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013092749/https://tnfd.global/about/"},{"t":"Bayer sustainability commitments (agriculture)","p":"Bayer","d":"","type":"company","u":"https://www.bayer.com/en/agriculture/sustainability-commitments","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260918053404/https://www.bayer.com/en/agriculture/sustainability-commitments"},{"t":"Annual Report 2025","p":"Bayer AG","d":"2026-03","u":"https://www.bayer.com/sites/default/files/2026-03/bayer-annual-report-2025.pdf","type":"company"},{"t":"Bayer Quarterly Statement Q3 2025","p":"Bayer AG","d":"2025-11","u":"https://www.bayer.com/sites/default/files/2025-11/bayer-quarterly-statement-q3-2025.pdf","type":"company"},{"t":"Solutia Inc. Form 8-K, Exhibit 99: Anniston PCB settlement announcement","p":"US Securities and Exchange Commission (Solutia Inc. filing)","d":"2003-08","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001043382/000106880003000518/exh99.txt","type":"company"},{"t":"Bayer loses California appeal of Roundup verdict, damages reduced","p":"Business Insurance (Reuters)","d":"2020","u":"https://www.businessinsurance.com/bayer-loses-california-appeal-of-bayer-monsanto-roundup-verdict-damages-reduced/","type":"press"},{"t":"IARC Monographs Volume 112: evaluation of five organophosphate insecticides and herbicides","p":"International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO)","d":"2015-03-20","u":"https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/iarc-monographs-volume-112-evaluation-of-five-organophosphate-insecticides-and-herbicides/","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":["pcb-pollution-and-monsanto-anniston-settlement","roundup-litigation"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Is AIG obliged to cover the PCB and Roundup settlements?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Can Roundup users bring state-law failure-to-warn claims?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"AIG's grounds for refusing to cover the PCB and Roundup settlements are not public; no insurer defence is on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: reports of News Tribune and DTN reports say the complaint calls the insurers' grounds 'meritless excuses and purported defenses'.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: King County (Washington) juries in the Sky Valley school cases awarded punitive damages against Pharmacia/Monsanto (for example $75 million in one case); the 2002 Anniston jury findings were not re-verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a National Union v. Everest reinsurance dispute over a 2004 Monsanto environmental settlement was still unresolved in 2015.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No insurance contributions to the Roundup and dicamba settlements, which were private settlements, are on record; none of the coverage sources documented revenue or profit from the activity.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: Bayer / Monsanto","No source link — Who lost: Bayer shareholders"]},{"id":"endorois-and-lake-bogoria-enzyme-extraction","title":"Endorois and Lake Bogoria enzyme extraction (Kenya)","dek":"Lake Bogoria in Kenya became a game reserve in the 1970s and the Endorois were evicted. In 2010 the African Commission found a rights violation and asked that revenue be shared; in 2024 the Endorois said they learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from the lake.","country":"Kenya","region":"Africa","lat":0.27,"lon":36.1,"places":[{"country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","lat":0.27,"lon":36.1,"role":"event"}],"start":1970,"end":2026,"instrument":"benefit-sharing","types":["benefit-sharing","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"African Commission decision of 2010 on the Endorois","value":"Not implemented","note":"Minority Rights Group reported non-implementation for 2022–2024; by 2026 the decision had gone unimplemented for 16 years."},"happened":["Lake Bogoria in Kenya was declared a game reserve in the 1970s, and the Endorois people, who lived there, were evicted.","In 2010 the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights found the eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue (Communication 276/03). Minority Rights Group published a report on the impact of the decision's non-implementation, covering 2022–2024.","In 2011 the World Heritage Committee inscribed Lake Bogoria on the World Heritage list on IUCN's recommendation (decision 35 COM 8B.6). On 5 November 2011 the African Commission adopted resolution 197, stating that the listing, made without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent, violated their right to development. An article on IUCN's own website of 7 December 2011 states that the decision whose draft IUCN prepared does not name the Endorois and that IUCN's field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives.","In July 2024 The Star (Kenya) reported that the Endorois had learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from Lake Bogoria and that they were asking for revenue to be disclosed. The newspaper's headline said foreign companies were on the spot for illegally extracting enzymes from the lake."],"timeline":[{"y":1970,"t":"1970s: Lake Bogoria declared a game reserve; the Endorois are evicted"},{"y":2010,"t":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights finds the eviction a rights violation and asks that revenue be shared with the Endorois"},{"y":2011,"t":"World Heritage listing of Lake Bogoria (35 COM 8B.6); 5 Nov: African Commission resolution 197; 7 Dec: IUCN article on the decision"},{"y":2022,"t":"2022–2024: Minority Rights Group reports the 2010 decision not fully implemented"},{"y":2024,"t":"July: The Star reports that the Endorois learned of the enzyme extraction from the press and want revenue disclosed"},{"y":2026,"t":"The cited sources record the 2010 decision as still not implemented, 16 years on"}],"said":[{"q":"Foreign companies on spot for illegally extracting enzymes from Lake Bogoria","who":"The Star (Kenya), headline","when":"July 2024","src":3}],"shown":[{"t":"Lake Bogoria inscribed on the World Heritage list (2011), on IUCN's recommendation","who":"World Heritage Committee and IUCN","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Lake Bogoria was declared a game reserve in the 1970s and the Endorois were evicted.","src":4},{"t":"The African Commission's 2010 decision on the Endorois (276/03) was not fully implemented, according to Minority Rights Group's report on non-implementation.","src":0},{"t":"African Commission resolution 197 of 5 November 2011 stated that the World Heritage listing, made without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent, violated their right to development.","src":1},{"t":"IUCN's own website states that the World Heritage decision it drafted does not name the Endorois and that its field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives (IUCN article, 7 December 2011).","src":2},{"t":"In July 2024 The Star reported that the Endorois learned of enzyme extraction from the lake from the press and asked for disclosure of revenue.","src":3},{"t":"The cited sources record that enzymes were produced from microbes taken from the lake's hot waters and exported.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"1970s–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"2010 African Commission decision","v":"Not implemented","d":"Reported for 2022–2024 by Minority Rights Group; the cited sources say 16 years on in 2026"},{"k":"Revenue disclosure","v":"Requested","d":"The Endorois asked in 2024 for the revenue from the enzyme extraction to be disclosed"},{"k":"World Heritage listing","v":"2011","d":"On IUCN's recommendation; the African Commission said consent was not obtained"}]},"unknown":["Revenue from the enzyme extraction has not been disclosed; the Endorois asked for disclosure in 2024.","The companies involved and the legal basis of the extraction are not established; The Star's headline alleges illegality and no ruling was found.","Unconfirmed: a reports of a SciDev.Net report says that under a memorandum with Novozymes the Kenya Wildlife Service received about US$9,000 in royalties in 2009.","Unconfirmed: a payment of 2.3 million Kenyan shillings is mentioned for Lake Bogoria (CIPIT); its source could not be accessed."],"evidence":["displacement","court-ruling","undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources give no end to the situation: the 2010 decision was reported as not implemented for 2022–2024, and enzyme extraction from the lake was reported in July 2024.","whoPaid":"The Endorois, who were evicted in the 1970s and were still asking for disclosure of revenue in 2024.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the African Commission's 2010 Endorois decision was recorded as not implemented; no disclosure of enzyme revenue and no ruling on the extraction were found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"iucn","says":"An article on IUCN's website states that the draft decision it prepared does not name the Endorois and that its field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives.","when":"7 December 2011","src":2},{"actor":"african-commission","says":"Found the 1970s eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue (2010); stated in resolution 197 that the 2011 World Heritage listing without consent violated their right to development.","when":"2010 and 5 November 2011","src":1}],"actors":[{"id":"african-commission","role":"Found the eviction a rights violation (2010); resolution 197 on the World Heritage listing (2011)"},{"id":"iucn","role":"Technical evaluator whose recommendation led to the 2011 World Heritage listing"},{"id":"world-heritage-committee","role":"Inscribed Lake Bogoria on the World Heritage list (2011)"},{"id":"kws","role":"Kenyan state wildlife service; named among the parties on the state side"},{"id":"mrg","role":"Published the report on non-implementation of the Endorois decision"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Who is entitled to the revenue from the enzymes extracted from Lake Bogoria?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Endorois","says":"Learned from the press in 2024 that enzymes were being extracted and asked for revenue to be disclosed.","src":3},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Star (Kenya)","says":"Headlined that foreign companies were on the spot for illegally extracting enzymes from the lake.","src":3},{"voice":"international","holder":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","says":"In 2010 found the eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue.","src":0}]},{"point":"Was the 2011 World Heritage listing made with the Endorois' consent?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","says":"Resolution 197 (5 November 2011) stated that listing without the Endorois' free, prior and informed consent violated their right to development.","src":1},{"voice":"international","holder":"IUCN","says":"Its own website states that the decision it drafted does not name the Endorois and that its field evaluation did not consult Endorois representatives.","src":2},{"voice":"international","holder":"World Heritage Committee","says":"Inscribed the lake in 2011 on IUCN's recommendation.","src":1}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Communication 276/03 (Endorois decision)","forum":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","country":"Kenya","iso2":"KE","kind":"international","claimant":"Endorois community","defendant":"Kenya","filed":null,"decided":"2010","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Commission found the 1970s eviction a violation of rights and asked that the Endorois receive a share of revenue. Minority Rights Group reported the decision as not fully implemented for 2022–2024.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"royalty","value":9000,"unit":"USD","year":2009,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported royalty to the Kenya Wildlife Service under a memorandum with Novozymes; of a SciDev.Net report, not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The Endorois were evicted from Lake Bogoria in the 1970s; in 2024 they learned from the press that enzymes were being extracted from the lake, and the 2010 African Commission decision on them remained unimplemented.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Enzyme companies (not named in the verified record)","what":"Reported by The Star in July 2024 to be extracting enzymes from the lake; revenue not disclosed.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Endorois community","what":"Evicted in the 1970s; the 2010 decision asking for a revenue share was reported as not fully implemented.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Endorois community","what":"Evicted for the game reserve; listed for World Heritage in 2011 without, according to the African Commission, their free, prior and informed consent.","src":1}]},"where":{"t":"Lake Bogoria, Kenya.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Eviction in the 1970s; Commission decision in 2010; World Heritage listing in 2011; press reports in July 2024.","src":null},"why":{"t":"The Endorois were evicted to create the Lake Bogoria game reserve.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The Star reported in July 2024 that foreign companies were extracting enzymes from the lake; the cited sources say the enzymes came from microbes in the lake's hot waters and were exported.","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"Implement Endorois Decision 276/03: Report on the impact of non-implementation of the African Commission's Endorois decision","p":"Minority Rights Group","d":"2022–2024","type":"ngo","u":"https://minorityrights.org/resources/implement-endorois-decision-276-03-report-on-the-impact-of-non-implementation-of-the-african-commissions-endorois-decision/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005224930/https://minorityrights.org/resources/implement-endorois-decision-276-03-report-on-the-impact-of-non-implementation-of-the-african-commissions-endorois-decision/"},{"t":"African Commission resolution 197 (5 November 2011) on indigenous peoples' rights in the context of the World Heritage Convention and designation (Lake Bogoria)","p":"University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Rights database","d":"2011-11-05","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://indigenous.arizona.edu/resolution-protection-indigenous-peoples-rights-context-world-heritage-convention-and-designation"},{"t":"IUCN article by Disko and Tugendhat on the World Heritage decision for Lake Bogoria (35 COM 8B.6)","p":"IUCN","d":"2011-12-07","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://iucn.org/node/12820"},{"t":"Foreign companies on spot for illegally extracting enzymes from Lake Bogoria","p":"The Star (Kenya)","d":"2024-07-17","type":"press","u":"https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/africa/2024-07-17-foreign-companies-on-spot-for-illegally-extracting-enzymes-from-lake-bogoria"},{"t":"Community suffers as it awaits action 12 years after AU decision","p":"The Standard (Kenya)","d":"2022","u":"https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/evewoman/living/article/2001442510/community-suffers-as-it-awaits-action-12-years-after-au-decision","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Who is entitled to the revenue from the enzymes extracted from Lake Bogoria?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the 2011 World Heritage listing made with the Endorois' consent?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Royalty: Reported royalty to the Kenya Wildlife Service under a memorandum with Novozymes; of a SciDev.Net report, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Revenue from the enzyme extraction has not been disclosed; the Endorois asked for disclosure in 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"The companies involved and the legal basis of the extraction are not established; The Star's headline alleges illegality and no ruling was found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a reports of a SciDev.Net report says that under a memorandum with Novozymes the Kenya Wildlife Service received about US$9,000 in royalties in 2009.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a payment of 2.3 million Kenyan shillings is mentioned for Lake Bogoria (CIPIT); its source could not be accessed.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"corporate-suits-against-greenpeace","title":"Corporate suits against Greenpeace (TotalEnergies, Shell, Resolute)","dek":"TotalEnergies, Shell and Resolute Forest Products each brought civil claims against Greenpeace entities. The TotalEnergies suit was dismissed on procedural grounds, the Shell claim was settled, and the Resolute claims were dismissed before the parties announced the end of the litigation.","country":"France, United Kingdom, United States","region":"Europe / North America","lat":48.86,"lon":2.35,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","admin":"Paris","role":"court"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"court"}],"start":2019,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders"],"headline":{"label":"Outcomes of the three suits","value":"2 dismissed, 1 settled","note":"TotalEnergies: dismissed on procedural grounds (March 2024). Resolute: claims dismissed (2019, 2023); the parties announced the end of the litigation in April 2024, terms not recorded. Shell: settled (December 2024)."},"happened":["Three companies brought civil claims against Greenpeace entities, with outcomes recorded between 2019 and 2024: TotalEnergies against Greenpeace France, Shell against Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International, and Resolute Forest Products against Greenpeace in a United States federal court.","TotalEnergies sued Greenpeace France in 2023 over a Greenpeace report published in November 2022. According to the case record, TotalEnergies had declared 455 Mt CO2e of emissions for 2019, while Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt. TotalEnergies asked for the report's removal and for €2,000 per day. On 28 March 2024 the Paris Judicial Court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds: the summons was too vague under Article 54 of the Code of Civil Procedure.","In February 2023 Shell filed a claim in the Admiralty Court against Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International over the boarding of the Penguins FPSO. Shell claimed damages of about £800,000 plus costs; Greenpeace said the claim was worth up to $2.1 million. The claim was settled on 10 December 2024. Greenpeace gave £300,000 to the RNLI, admitted no liability and accepted 500-metre exclusion zones at Shell sites for 5 or 10 years.","Resolute Forest Products brought racketeering (RICO) claims against Greenpeace in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. In January 2019 the court dismissed the RICO claims, together with most of the defamation claims, leaving two statements about the Montagnes Blanches area. In April 2020, according to Greenpeace, Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law. On 21 April 2023 the court dismissed the remaining claims at summary judgment, finding Resolute could not show actual malice, and Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023. On 26 April 2024 Greenpeace Canada published a release headed \"Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of long-running litigations\".","A HuffPost Canada item dated 20 March 2013 is headed \"Greenpeace Canada Resolute retraction\". The cited sources describe it as a withdrawn claim caused by a map error. The notes do not state how it relates to the lawsuits."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"20 March: HuffPost Canada reports a Greenpeace Canada retraction concerning Resolute (notes: map error)"},{"y":2019,"t":"January: US federal court dismisses Resolute's RICO claims and most of the defamation claims"},{"y":2020,"t":"April: Resolute ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (per Greenpeace)"},{"y":2022,"t":"November: Greenpeace report on TotalEnergies' emissions (declared 455 Mt CO2e for 2019; Greenpeace estimate about 1.64 Gt)"},{"y":2023,"t":"TotalEnergies sues Greenpeace France; February: Shell files Admiralty Court claim over the Penguins FPSO boarding; April: Resolute's remaining claims dismissed; May: Resolute appeals to the Ninth Circuit"},{"y":2024,"t":"28 March: Paris court dismisses TotalEnergies' suit; 26 April: Greenpeace Canada announces conclusion of litigation with Resolute; 10 December: Shell claim settled"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"TotalEnergies declared 455 Mt CO2e of emissions for 2019.","who":"TotalEnergies","src":null},{"t":"Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt of emissions for TotalEnergies in 2019, in a November 2022 report.","who":"Greenpeace France","src":null},{"t":"The Shell claim was worth up to $2.1 million.","who":"Greenpeace","src":null},{"t":"The Resolute litigation had concluded (release headed \"Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of long-running litigations\").","who":"Greenpeace Canada","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"28 March 2024: the Paris Judicial Court dismissed TotalEnergies' suit against Greenpeace France on procedural grounds (summons too vague, Article 54 of the Code of Civil Procedure).","src":0},{"t":"10 December 2024: Shell's claim was settled. Greenpeace gave £300,000 to the RNLI, admitted no liability and accepted 500-metre exclusion zones at Shell sites for 5 or 10 years.","src":1},{"t":"January 2019: the Northern District of California dismissed Resolute's RICO claims and the defamation claim based on 288 statements.","src":6},{"t":"April 2020: Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law (source: Greenpeace).","src":5},{"t":"April 2023: Resolute's remaining claims were dismissed; Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"TotalEnergies 2019 emissions","v":"455 Mt vs about 1.64 Gt","d":"Declared by TotalEnergies vs estimated by Greenpeace; the Paris court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds"},{"k":"Shell suit settlement","v":"£300,000","d":"Paid by Greenpeace to the RNLI; 500-metre exclusion zones at Shell sites; no liability admitted"},{"k":"Resolute statements dismissed","v":"294 of 296","d":"January 2019, together with the RICO claims"}]},"unknown":["The outcome of Resolute's Ninth Circuit appeal was not found.","The terms on which the Resolute litigation concluded in April 2024 are not given in the sources found.","The exclusion period under the Shell settlement is given as 5 or 10 years.","Unconfirmed: costs of €15,000 awarded to Greenpeace in the TotalEnergies case."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"Not applicable: the suits concerned a report, a vessel boarding and published statements, not a physical harm to land or water.","whoPaid":"Greenpeace gave £300,000 to the RNLI in the Shell settlement. Resolute was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees in April 2020, according to Greenpeace. No payment is recorded in the TotalEnergies case.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the TotalEnergies suit was dismissed (March 2024), the Shell claim was settled (December 2024), and the parties announced the conclusion of the Resolute litigation (April 2024); the outcome of Resolute's appeal was not found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"totalenergies","role":"Claimant against Greenpeace France"},{"id":"shell","role":"Claimant against Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International"},{"id":"resolute-forest-products","role":"Claimant against Greenpeace (RICO)"},{"id":"greenpeace","role":"Defendant in all three suits"}],"disputes":[{"point":"How large were TotalEnergies' 2019 emissions?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"TotalEnergies","says":"Declared 455 Mt CO2e for 2019 and sued over the report, asking for its removal and €2,000 per day.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace France","says":"Its November 2022 report estimated about 1.64 Gt for 2019.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Paris Judicial Court","says":"Dismissed the suit on 28 March 2024 on procedural grounds: the summons was too vague.","src":0}]},{"point":"What was the Shell claim over the Penguins FPSO boarding worth?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"Claimed damages of about £800,000 plus costs.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace","says":"Said the claim was worth up to $2.1 million.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"Admiralty Court (settlement)","says":"The claim ended in settlement on 10 December 2024: £300,000 to the RNLI, no admission of liability, 500-metre exclusion zones at Shell sites.","src":1}]},{"point":"Were Resolute's racketeering claims and statements against Greenpeace upheld?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Resolute Forest Products","says":"Brought RICO claims against Greenpeace in the Northern District of California; its own account of the claims is not in the sources found.","src":null},{"voice":"court","holder":"US District Court, Northern District of California","says":"Dismissed the RICO claims and 294 of 296 statements in January 2019, and the remaining claims in April 2023.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Greenpeace Canada","says":"Announced on 26 April 2024 the conclusion of the long-running litigation with Resolute; a March 2013 HuffPost Canada item reports a Greenpeace Canada retraction concerning Resolute.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"TotalEnergies v Greenpeace France","forum":"Paris Judicial Court","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"civil","claimant":"TotalEnergies","defendant":"Greenpeace France","filed":"2023","decided":"2024-03-28","status":"dismissed","summary":"Suit over a November 2022 Greenpeace report: TotalEnergies declared 455 Mt CO2e for 2019 and Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt. TotalEnergies asked for the report's removal and €2,000 per day. The court dismissed the suit on procedural grounds because the summons was too vague (Article 54, Code of Civil Procedure).","src":0},{"title":"Shell v Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International (Penguins FPSO)","forum":"Admiralty Court","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"Shell","defendant":"Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International","filed":"2023-02","decided":"2024-12-10","status":"settled","amount":{"value":0.3,"currency":"GBP","label":"£300,000 given by Greenpeace to the RNLI under the settlement (millions)"},"summary":"Claim over the boarding of the Penguins FPSO, for damages of about £800,000 plus costs (Greenpeace said up to $2.1 million). Settled on 10 December 2024: £300,000 to the RNLI, no admission of liability, 500-metre exclusion zones at Shell sites for 5 or 10 years.","src":1},{"title":"Resolute Forest Products v Greenpeace (RICO)","forum":"US District Court, Northern District of California","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Resolute Forest Products","defendant":"Greenpeace","filed":"unknown","decided":"2023-04","status":"dismissed","amount":{"value":0.816,"currency":"USD","label":"About $816,000 in fees ordered against Resolute under California's anti-SLAPP law, April 2020 (source: Greenpeace) (millions)"},"summary":"January 2019: RICO claims dismissed together with most of the defamation claims, leaving two statements about the Montagnes Blanches area. April 2020: Resolute ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees under California's anti-SLAPP law. 21 April 2023: remaining claims dismissed at summary judgment (no actual malice shown); Resolute appealed to the Ninth Circuit in May 2023 and the outcome was not found. On 26 April 2024 Greenpeace Canada announced the conclusion of the long-running litigation between the parties.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"emissions_declared_mt","value":455,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2019,"note":"Emissions for 2019 as declared by TotalEnergies, cited in the dispute with Greenpeace France."},{"key":"emissions_estimated_mt","value":1640,"unit":"Mt CO2e","year":2019,"qualifier":"about","note":"Greenpeace estimate of about 1.64 Gt for 2019, in its November 2022 report."},{"key":"claim","value":0.8,"unit":"GBP m","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Shell's damages claim over the Penguins FPSO boarding, plus costs; Greenpeace said up to $2.1 million."},{"key":"settlement","value":0.3,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Given by Greenpeace to the RNLI under the December 2024 settlement."},{"key":"fees_awarded","value":0.816,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Fees Resolute was ordered to pay under California's anti-SLAPP law (source: Greenpeace)."},{"key":"statements_dismissed","value":294,"unit":"of 296 statements","year":2019,"note":"Dismissed with the RICO claims, January 2019."},{"key":"costs_awarded","value":15000,"unit":"EUR","year":2024,"unverified":true,"note":"Unconfirmed: costs awarded to Greenpeace in the TotalEnergies case."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Three corporate civil claims against Greenpeace entities: TotalEnergies v Greenpeace France, Shell v Greenpeace UK and International, and Resolute Forest Products v Greenpeace.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Greenpeace France","what":"The TotalEnergies suit against it was dismissed on procedural grounds in March 2024.","src":0},{"who":"RNLI","what":"Received £300,000 from Greenpeace under the Shell settlement.","src":1},{"who":"Shell","what":"Obtained 500-metre exclusion zones at its sites for 5 or 10 years under the settlement.","src":1}],"lost":[{"who":"Greenpeace","what":"Paid £300,000 to the RNLI and accepted exclusion zones in the Shell settlement.","src":1},{"who":"Resolute Forest Products","what":"Its RICO claims were dismissed; it was ordered to pay about $816,000 in fees (source: Greenpeace).","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Paris (Judicial Court), the Admiralty Court in the United Kingdom, and the Northern District of California.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Outcomes between January 2019 and December 2024; research position as of 15 October 2026.","src":null},"why":{"t":"TotalEnergies' suit concerned a Greenpeace report on its emissions; Shell's concerned the boarding of the Penguins FPSO; the cited sources do not state what Resolute's claims were about.","src":null},"how":{"t":"TotalEnergies' suit was dismissed on procedural grounds; Shell's was settled; Resolute's claims were dismissed in 2019 and 2023, and the parties announced the end of the litigation in April 2024.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"TotalEnergies v. Greenpeace France (SLAPP case)","p":"Climate Case Chart","d":"2024-03","type":"registry","u":"https://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp-case/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250611235312/https://climatecasechart.com/non-us-case/totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp-case/"},{"t":"Settlement of Shell claims from Greenpeace Penguins field climate change protest (chambers news item, not the court order)","p":"Brick Court Chambers","d":"2024-12","type":"court","u":"https://www.brickcourt.co.uk/news/detail/settlement-of-shell-claims-from-greenpeace-penguins-field-climate-change-protest","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260712120341/http://www.brickcourt.co.uk/news/detail/settlement-of-shell-claims-from-greenpeace-penguins-field-climate-change-protest"},{"t":"Greenpeace Canada Resolute retraction","p":"HuffPost Canada","d":"2013-03-20","type":"press","u":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/20/greenpeace-canada-resolute-retraction_n_2917122.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210725214908/https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/03/20/greenpeace-canada-resolute-retraction_n_2917122.html"},{"t":"Resolute and Greenpeace parties announce the conclusion of long-running litigations","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2024-04-26","type":"ngo","voice":"civil","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/65273/resolute-and-greenpeace-parties-announce-the-conclusion-of-long-running-litigations/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260614065819/https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/65273/resolute-and-greenpeace-parties-announce-the-conclusion-of-long-running-litigations/"},{"t":"Greenpeace stands against SLAPPs and wins","p":"Electronic Frontier Foundation","d":"2023-04","u":"https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/greenpeace-stands-against-slapps-and-wins","type":"ngo"},{"t":"One of the highest monetary awards ever under California's anti-SLAPP statute (Judge orders Resolute Forest Products to pay almost 1 million dollars to Greenpeace)","p":"Greenpeace Canada","d":"2020-04","u":"https://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/press-release/30838/judge-orders-resolute-forest-products-to-pay-almost-1-million-dollars-to-greenpeace/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Court Dismisses Defamation Suit Against Greenpeace","p":"Davis Wright Tremaine LLP","d":"2023-04-21","u":"https://dwt.com/about/news/2023/04/court-dismisses-defamation-suit-against-greenpeace","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"corporate-litigation","related":["energy-transfer-v-greenpeace","resolute-forest-products-v-greenpeace","totalenergies-v-greenpeace-france-slapp","standing-rock-dakota-access-arrests-and-tigerswan"],"natureLead":{"t":"For 2019, TotalEnergies declared 455 Mt CO2e of emissions into my air, and Greenpeace estimated about 1.64 Gt.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How large were TotalEnergies' 2019 emissions?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What was the Shell claim over the Penguins FPSO boarding worth?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were Resolute's racketeering claims and statements against Greenpeace upheld?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Costs awarded: Unconfirmed: costs awarded to Greenpeace in the TotalEnergies case.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Resolute's Ninth Circuit appeal was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The terms on which the Resolute litigation concluded in April 2024 are not given in the sources found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The exclusion period under the Shell settlement is given as 5 or 10 years.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: costs of €15,000 awarded to Greenpeace in the TotalEnergies case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Six questions: why","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: Resolute Forest Products"]},{"id":"mount-polley-tailings-dam-failure","title":"Mount Polley tailings dam failure","dek":"A tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia failed on 4 August 2014. In 2022 a court declared the limits of the operator's property insurance, and no criminal charges had been reported at the tenth anniversary.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":52.55,"lon":-121.64,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","lat":52.55,"lon":-121.64,"role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","role":"court"}],"start":2014,"end":2024,"eventDate":"2014-08-04","instrument":"mining-tailings","types":["mining-tailings","insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Insurance cover declared by the court vs the limit the operator argued applied","value":"C$20.5M vs C$250M","note":"Court-declared limits (C$10M + C$10M + C$0.5M, 2022) against the earth-movement limit Imperial Metals argued applied."},"happened":["On 4 August 2014 the tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine in British Columbia, operated by Imperial Metals, failed. The Narwhal reported that about 25 billion litres of mud flowed out. At the time Imperial Metals was in the second year of its mining association's 'Towards Sustainable Mining' programme.","Imperial's property insurer was Factory Mutual (FM); its broker was Aon Reed Stenhouse. FM paid C$10 million promptly. Imperial argued that it could claim under a C$250 million earth-movement limit. In Imperial Metals v. Factory Mutual (2022 BCSC 73, 17 January 2022), the Supreme Court of British Columbia declared limits of C$10 million for property damage to the tailings facility, C$10 million for business interruption and C$0.5 million for claim-preparation costs. FM was also entitled to share in the C$108 million settlement Imperial had won from its engineers in November 2018.","A 2007 broker proposal, noted in the cited sources for the insurance case, estimated the maximum foreseeable loss from a tailings embankment failure at C$3 million for property damage and C$93.3 million for business interruption.","The Prince George Citizen reported in 2020 that no environmental charges had been laid by the sixth anniversary of the collapse. Bev Sellars, a former chief of the Xat'sull First Nation, swore private charges against Mount Polley Mining Corporation under the provincial Environmental Management Act and Mines Act on 4 August 2017, the last day of the three-year limit; the BC Prosecution Service stayed them on 30 January 2018, saying they did not meet its charge assessment standard (CBC; West Coast Environmental Law). The Narwhal reported at the tenth anniversary that the provincial environment ministry issued Imperial Metals a $9,000 administrative penalty in December 2020, that B.C. taxpayers covered $40 million in cleanup costs while Imperial Metals says it paid more than $70 million, and that the mine reopened in 2022.","In March 2022 the professional regulator Engineers and Geoscientists BC found that two former engineers, Todd Martin and Stephen Rice, had acted unprofessionally and ordered them to pay about $94,000 and $132,000 in fines and legal fees; a third engineer, Laura Fidel, had her registration suspended for two months (Global News). Reported findings about the cause of the failure are listed under Unknowns."],"timeline":[{"y":2007,"t":"A broker proposal estimates the maximum foreseeable loss from a tailings embankment failure at C$3M (property) plus C$93.3M (business interruption)"},{"y":2014,"t":"4 Aug: tailings dam fails, releasing about 25 billion litres of mud; FM pays C$10M promptly"},{"y":2018,"t":"30 Jan: the BC Prosecution Service stays private charges laid by Bev Sellars (CBC); Nov: Imperial wins a C$108M settlement from its engineers, in which FM is entitled to share"},{"y":2020,"t":"No environmental charges six years after the collapse (Prince George Citizen); December: $9,000 administrative penalty issued to Imperial Metals"},{"y":2022,"t":"17 Jan: BC Supreme Court declares insurance limits (C$10M + C$10M + C$0.5M); the mine reopens"},{"y":2024,"t":"Tenth-anniversary coverage by The Narwhal: no charges; $40M of cleanup paid by taxpayers"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Imperial Metals was in the second year of its mining association's 'Towards Sustainable Mining' programme when the dam failed.","who":"Mining association programme, as reported by The Narwhal","src":3}],"recorded":[{"t":"FM paid C$10 million promptly; the court declared limits of C$10M for property damage to the tailings facility, C$10M for business interruption and C$0.5M for claim-preparation costs.","src":0},{"t":"FM was entitled to share in the C$108 million settlement Imperial Metals won from its engineers in November 2018.","src":0},{"t":"A 2007 broker proposal estimated the maximum foreseeable loss from a tailings embankment failure at C$3M (property damage) and C$93.3M (business interruption).","src":0},{"t":"No environmental charges had been laid six years after the collapse (2020).","src":2},{"t":"The province halted a private prosecution over the spill (2018). The same note records that the permit to discharge into the lake was extended to 2025.","src":1},{"t":"An administrative penalty of $9,000 was imposed in 2020; $40 million of the cleanup was paid by taxpayers; the mine reopened in 2022.","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":"2014–2022","nature":[{"label":"Cleanup costs paid by taxpayers (reported as '$40 million'; currency not specified in the source summary)","amount":40,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Reported by The Narwhal as reported; not itemised."}],"natureTotal":{"amount":40,"qualifier":"reported","note":"Cleanup cost paid by the public. No company-funded remediation figure appears in the cited sources."},"other":[{"label":"Insurance paid promptly by Factory Mutual to Imperial Metals","amount":10},{"label":"Settlement Imperial Metals won from its engineers (Nov 2018); FM entitled to share","amount":108,"note":"Gross figure. FM's share and Imperial's net receipt are not stated."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":118,"qualifier":"gross","note":"Gross inflows to the company, not profit; FM's share of the settlement is not quantified."},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Material released","v":"About 25 billion litres","d":"Mud released on 4 August 2014 (The Narwhal)"},{"k":"Criminal or environmental charges","v":"None reported","d":"None six years after the collapse (Prince George Citizen, 2020)"},{"k":"Administrative penalty","v":"$9,000","d":"2020; currency not specified in the source summary"},{"k":"Cleanup paid by taxpayers","v":"$40 million","d":"Reported by The Narwhal; currency not specified in the source summary"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: an independent expert panel (January 2015) reportedly found the main cause was a design that did not account for the complex geology beneath the foundation.","Unconfirmed: the province's Chief Inspector of Mines (December 2015) reportedly wrote that the company and its registered engineers had not carried out adequate ground investigation, but that no specific rule governed this, so there was no breach.","The limitation period for provincial charges ended on 4 August 2017 (West Coast Environmental Law). Unconfirmed: prosecutors halted a federal private prosecution brought by MiningWatch in 2017.","The release volume is also given in one note as about 25 million cubic metres of tailings and water; that note says the volume came from general knowledge and was not re-verified."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The failure was a single event on 4 August 2014. The mine reopened in 2022, and a permit to discharge into the lake was recorded as extended to 2025. The cited sources do not record an ecological recovery assessment.","whoPaid":"According to The Narwhal, B.C. taxpayers covered $40 million of the cleanup; Imperial Metals says it paid more than $70 million. FM paid C$10 million of the insurance claim and the court declared limits of C$20.5 million in total across three heads.","statusLine":"As of research dated October 2026: no criminal charges reported; the 2022 BC Supreme Court judgment set Factory Mutual's cover at the declared limits; the mine reopened in 2022.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Imperial Metals","says":"Argued in court that it could claim under a C$250 million earth-movement limit.","when":"Judgment of 17 January 2022","src":0},{"actor":"Factory Mutual","says":"Paid C$10 million promptly. The court declared limits of C$10M (property damage to the tailings facility), C$10M (business interruption) and C$0.5M (claim-preparation costs).","when":"Judgment of 17 January 2022","src":0},{"actor":"Province of British Columbia","says":"The BC Prosecution Service stayed the private charges laid by Bev Sellars, saying they did not meet its charge assessment standard.","when":"30 January 2018","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"imperial-metals","role":"Mine operator and insured"},{"id":"factory-mutual","role":"Property insurer"},{"id":"aon","role":"Broker (Aon Reed Stenhouse)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Which insurance limit applied to the tailings dam failure?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Imperial Metals","says":"Argued that it could claim under the C$250 million earth-movement limit.","src":0},{"voice":"company","holder":"Factory Mutual","says":"Paid C$10 million promptly and was declared liable only up to the facility-specific limits (C$10M, C$10M, C$0.5M).","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of British Columbia","says":"Declared limits of C$10M for property damage to the tailings facility, C$10M for business interruption and C$0.5M for claim-preparation costs, and held FM entitled to share in the C$108M engineers' settlement.","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Imperial Metals Corporation v. Factory Mutual Insurance Company, 2022 BCSC 73","forum":"Supreme Court of British Columbia","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"civil","claimant":"Imperial Metals","defendant":"Factory Mutual Insurance Company","filed":null,"decided":"2022-01-17","status":"defendant-won","amount":{"value":20.5,"currency":"CAD","label":"Total of the three declared limits (C$10M + C$10M + C$0.5M), in millions"},"summary":"Imperial Metals argued it could claim under a C$250M earth-movement limit. The court declared limits of C$10M for property damage to the tailings facility, C$10M for business interruption and C$0.5M for claim-preparation costs, and held FM entitled to share in the C$108M settlement Imperial won from its engineers in November 2018. Status is read from Imperial's side.","src":0},{"title":"Private prosecution over the Mount Polley tailings spill","forum":"B.C. Provincial Court (charges stayed by the BC Prosecution Service)","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Bev Sellars, former chief of the Xat'sull First Nation","defendant":"Mount Polley Mining Corporation","filed":null,"decided":"2018","status":"unknown","summary":"Bev Sellars swore a private information on 4 August 2017, the last day of the three-year limit, alleging offences under the Environmental Management Act and the Mines Act. The BC Prosecution Service stayed the charges on 30 January 2018, saying they did not meet its charge assessment standard (West Coast Environmental Law; CBC).","src":4},{"title":"Administrative penalty relating to Mount Polley","forum":"B.C. Ministry of Environment; appeal to the Environmental Appeal Board","country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","kind":"administrative","claimant":"B.C. Ministry of Environment","defendant":"Imperial Metals","filed":null,"decided":"2020","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":0.009,"currency":"CAD","label":"Administrative penalty, in millions"},"summary":"In December 2020 the provincial environment ministry issued Imperial Metals a $9,000 administrative penalty for failing to investigate and test long-term water treatment systems as its permit required; the Environmental Appeal Board rejected the company's bid to have it reduced in September 2021 (The Narwhal).","src":3}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Factory Mutual Insurance Company (FM)","insured":"Imperial Metals","status":"partial","year":2022,"amount":{"value":10,"currency":"CAD","label":"Paid promptly, in millions"},"reason":"Limit dispute: Imperial argued for a C$250M earth-movement limit; the court declared limits of C$10M, C$10M and C$0.5M. The cited sources describe this as a sublimit dispute, not a refusal based on the insured's knowledge.","summary":"FM paid C$10M promptly. On 17 January 2022 the BC Supreme Court declared the limits applying to the tailings facility and held FM entitled to share in the C$108M settlement Imperial won from its engineers.","src":0}],"metrics":[{"key":"tailings_m3","value":25000000,"unit":"m3","year":2014,"qualifier":"about","note":"Reported as about 25 billion litres of mud (The Narwhal); converted. One other note gives 25 million m3 and says it was not re-verified."},{"key":"insurance_paid","value":10,"unit":"CAD m","year":null,"note":"Paid promptly by FM; the year of payment is not stated."},{"key":"claim","value":250,"unit":"CAD m","year":2022,"qualifier":"argued","note":"Earth-movement limit Imperial Metals argued applied."},{"key":"insurance_limit_declared","value":20.5,"unit":"CAD m","year":2022,"note":"C$10M property damage + C$10M business interruption + C$0.5M claim-preparation costs, as declared by the court."},{"key":"settlement","value":108,"unit":"CAD m","year":2018,"note":"Settlement Imperial Metals won from its engineers; FM entitled to share."},{"key":"fine","value":9000,"unit":"CAD","year":2020,"note":"Administrative penalty issued by the B.C. environment ministry in December 2020."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":40,"unit":"CAD m","year":2024,"note":"Cleanup costs reported as paid by taxpayers."},{"key":"fine","value":94000,"unit":"CAD","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Fines and legal fees ordered for Todd Martin by Engineers and Geoscientists BC (Global News, March 2022).","src":5},{"key":"fine","value":132500,"unit":"CAD","year":2022,"unverified":true,"note":"Fines and legal fees ordered for Stephen Rice by Engineers and Geoscientists BC; Global News reported about $132,000.","src":5}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The tailings dam at the Mount Polley mine failed on 4 August 2014, releasing about 25 billion litres of mud; the operator's insurance claim was later fixed by court-declared limits.","src":3},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Imperial Metals","what":"Received C$10M promptly from FM and won a C$108M settlement from its engineers in November 2018, in which FM was entitled to share.","src":0},{"who":"Imperial Metals (mine operations)","what":"The mine reopened in 2022.","src":3},{"who":"Factory Mutual","what":"Its exposure was declared at C$10M + C$10M + C$0.5M against an Imperial claim under a C$250M limit.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Taxpayers","what":"Paid $40 million of the cleanup, according to The Narwhal.","src":3}],"harmed":[{"who":"The area affected by the release","what":"About 25 billion litres of mud flowed out on 4 August 2014.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"The Mount Polley mine, British Columbia, Canada.","src":0},"when":{"t":"4 August 2014; insurance judgment 17 January 2022; mine reopened 2022.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cause is not established by verified sources. An expert panel's reported finding of a design that did not account for the geology under the foundation appears only in a secondary report.","src":null},"how":{"t":"A tailings embankment failed. A 2007 broker proposal had estimated the maximum foreseeable loss from such a failure at C$3M (property) and C$93.3M (business interruption); after the failure FM paid C$10M and the court declared the policy limits.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Imperial Metals Corporation v. Factory Mutual Insurance Company, 2022 BCSC 73","p":"Supreme Court of British Columbia","d":"2022-01-17","type":"court","u":"https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/22/00/2022BCSC0073.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240810072609/https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/22/00/2022BCSC0073.htm"},{"t":"Province halts private prosecution against Mount Polley tailings spill","p":"CBC News","d":"2018","type":"press","u":"https://www.cbc.ca/1.4511305"},{"t":"No environmental charges as 6th anniversary of Mt. Polley mine dam collapse looms","p":"Prince George Citizen","d":"2020","type":"press","u":"https://princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/no-environmental-charges-as-6th-anniversary-of-mt-polley-mine-dam-collapse-looms-3741058","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250809205933/https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/no-environmental-charges-as-6th-anniversary-of-mt-polley-mine-dam-collapse-looms-3741058"},{"t":"Mount Polley mining disaster tenth anniversary","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2024","type":"investigative","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/mount-polley-mining-disaster-tenth-anniversary/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260831162154/https://thenarwhal.ca/mount-polley-mining-disaster-tenth-anniversary/"},{"t":"Mount Polley disaster escapes BC law because of government policy on private prosecutions","p":"West Coast Environmental Law","d":"2018-02","u":"https://wcel.org/blog/mount-polley-disaster-escapes-bc-law-because-government-policy-private-prosecutions","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Engineers disciplined eight years after Mount Polley mine disaster","p":"Global News","d":"2022-03-13","u":"https://globalnews.ca/news/8679942/engineers-disciplined-eight-years-after-mount-polley-mine-disaster","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["jagersfontein-tailings-dam-failure"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Which insurance limit applied to the tailings dam failure?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Private prosecution over the Mount Polley tailings spill: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fines: Fines and legal fees ordered for Todd Martin by Engineers and Geoscientists BC (Global News, March 2022).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Fines: Fines and legal fees ordered for Stephen Rice by Engineers and Geoscientists BC; Global News reported about $132,000.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: an independent expert panel (January 2015) reportedly found the main cause was a design that did not account for the complex geology beneath the foundation.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the province's Chief Inspector of Mines (December 2015) reportedly wrote that the company and its registered engineers had not carried out adequate ground investigation, but that no specific rule governed this, so there was no breach.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The limitation period for provincial charges ended on 4 August 2017 (West Coast Environmental Law). Unconfirmed: prosecutors halted a federal private prosecution brought by MiningWatch in 2017.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The release volume is also given in one note as about 25 million cubic metres of tailings and water; that note says the volume came from general knowledge and was not re-verified.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"berta-caceres-killing-and-agua-zarca-dam","title":"Berta Cáceres killing and Agua Zarca dam","dek":"Berta Cáceres, a Lenca leader who opposed the Agua Zarca dam in Honduras, was killed in March 2016. Seven men and the dam company's former president were later convicted, and the Dutch and Finnish financiers left the project in 2017.","country":"Honduras","region":"Central America","lat":14.3,"lon":-88.18,"places":[{"country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","admin":"La Esperanza; Gualcarque River","lat":14.3,"lon":-88.18,"role":"event"},{"country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","role":"court"},{"country":"Netherlands","iso2":"NL","role":"company-home"},{"country":"Finland","iso2":"FI","role":"company-home"}],"start":2013,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2016-03-02","instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","water"],"headline":{"label":"Time from the killing to the conviction of a DESA executive as co-author","value":"About 5 years","note":"Estimate from the recorded dates: killed March 2016; Roberto David Castillo convicted 5 July 2021."},"happened":["Berta Cáceres, a leader of the Lenca people, was killed at her home in La Esperanza, Honduras, on 2 or 3 March 2016 (the sources give 2 March or 2–3 March). She had opposed the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam on the Gualcarque River, developed by the company DESA on Lenca land.","The dam, described in one report as a 21.3 MW run-of-river plant, was financed by the Dutch development bank FMO, the Finnish development fund Finnfund and the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), which together pledged $44 million. CABEI's loan was the largest, at about $24 million. Cáceres asked FMO in 2013 to stop financing the project; the loan went ahead.","Seven men, including DESA employees and former military personnel, were found guilty on 29 November 2018 of the killing and of the attempted murder of Gustavo Castro, and were sentenced in writing on 2 December 2019 to between 30 and 50 years in prison (FIDH). DESA's president, Roberto David Castillo, was convicted as a co-author on 5 July 2021 and sentenced on 20 June 2022 to 22 years and 6 months. On 25 November 2024 the criminal chamber of the Supreme Court upheld the convictions of seven of the eight men, including Castillo's, but modified the aggravating circumstances in his case, which COPINH said reduces his sentence; the new term is not on record, and Voice of America reported it as 20 years. The chamber sent the case of Sergio Rodríguez, DESA's environmental and social manager, to the full Supreme Court, which on 7 February 2025 confirmed his 30-year sentence and reclassified his role as author by inducement. Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant in December 2023 for DESA finance executive Daniel Atala Midence, who was described as a fugitive in February 2025.","FMO suspended all its activities in Honduras in March 2016. On 6 July 2017 FMO and Finnfund agreed an exit from the project with DESA, saying it was meant to 'reduce tensions'; DESA denied that the withdrawals were linked to the killing. Construction stopped and was on indefinite hold as of 2019. DESA's 50-year concession runs to about 2059.","A report by independent experts in January 2026, as summarised by FIDH in March 2026, described the killing as an organised operation involving institutional, financial and state responsibilities, and said not all those who ordered it had been tried. Cáceres's family says other masterminds remain unpunished.","On 15 November 2025 sentences were made public in a related case over the project's concession: a former DESA manager, a former official of the national electricity company ENEE and a former mayor of San Francisco de Ojuera were convicted of fraud, falsification of public documents and usurpation of functions (FIDH)."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Cáceres asks FMO to stop financing the dam; the loan proceeds"},{"y":2016,"t":"2–3 Mar: Cáceres killed at home; March: FMO suspends all activities in Honduras"},{"y":2017,"t":"6 Jul: FMO and Finnfund agree an exit with DESA, saying it was meant to 'reduce tensions'"},{"y":2019,"t":"Seven men convicted in 2018–2019; construction on indefinite hold as of 2019"},{"y":2021,"t":"5 Jul: DESA president Roberto David Castillo convicted as co-author"},{"y":2022,"t":"20 Jun: Castillo sentenced to 22 years 6 months"},{"y":2023,"t":"December: prosecutors seek an arrest warrant for DESA finance executive Daniel Atala Midence"},{"y":2024,"t":"25 Nov: Supreme Court criminal chamber upholds seven convictions and modifies the aggravating circumstances in Castillo's case, reducing his sentence (new term not found); sends Sergio Rodríguez's case to the full court"},{"y":2025,"t":"7 Feb: full Supreme Court confirms Sergio Rodríguez's 30-year sentence; 15 Nov: three people sentenced in a related fraud case over the concession"},{"y":2026,"t":"Jan: independent experts' report; 3 Mar: FIDH summary says not all masterminds were tried"}],"said":[{"q":"reduce tensions","who":"FMO and Finnfund, describing their exit from the Agua Zarca project","when":"6 July 2017","src":6}],"shown":[{"t":"A FAQ document describing the Agua Zarca project.","who":"FMO","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Seven men were convicted in 2018–2019, including DESA employees and former military personnel.","src":1},{"t":"DESA president Roberto David Castillo was convicted as co-author on 5 July 2021 and sentenced on 20 June 2022 to 22 years 6 months.","src":1},{"t":"The Supreme Court's criminal chamber rejected Castillo's cassation appeal and upheld the convictions around 26–27 November 2024.","src":2},{"t":"Reports conflict on whether one sentence was reduced in the November 2024 ruling.","src":3},{"t":"An arrest warrant for DESA finance executive Daniel Atala Midence was issued in December 2021; he is described as a fugitive. No other Atala family member had been prosecuted.","src":4},{"t":"FMO suspended all activities in Honduras in March 2016.","src":5},{"t":"FMO and Finnfund agreed an exit with DESA on 6 July 2017.","src":6},{"t":"Construction was on indefinite hold as of 2019; DESA's 50-year concession runs to about 2059.","src":7},{"t":"OCCRP reviewed CABEI's role in funding the dam; its note records loans of up to $24.4 million and that one of DESA's two main shareholders was a company of the Atala Zablah family, whose member José Eduardo Atala Zablah had been CABEI's director for Honduras.","src":8},{"t":"Independent experts reported in January 2026 that the killing was an organised operation involving institutional, financial and state responsibilities, and that not all those who ordered it had been tried.","src":9}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2016","nature":[],"natureTotal":{"amount":null,"note":"No nature-side amount is recorded for this case."},"other":[{"label":"Financing pledged to the project by FMO, Finnfund and CABEI (combined)","amount":44,"note":"A commitment, not a payment to any party. CABEI's loan was the largest, at about $24M."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":44,"qualifier":"pledged"},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Dam status","v":"On hold","d":"Construction on indefinite hold as of 2019; the concession runs to about 2059"},{"k":"Financiers","v":"Exited 2017","d":"FMO and Finnfund left by agreement with DESA, citing the aim to 'reduce tensions'"},{"k":"Convictions","v":"Seven men; DESA's president","d":"Seven men in 2018–2019; Castillo in 2021, sentenced to 22 years 6 months"}]},"unknown":["The term of Castillo's sentence after the November 2024 ruling is not on record; Voice of America reported 20 years.","The dam's capacity is given differently: 21.3 MW in one report and, in a single report that no other source confirms, a contracted 14.458 MW raised to 21.7 MW by a 2013 environmental licence amendment approved by a deputy minister of the natural resources ministry, who was reportedly ordered tried for abuse of office in 2016. The outcome of that case is not on record.","No charge against Atala family members other than Daniel Atala Midence is recorded; the outcome of a case against sixteen public officials over the project permits is not recorded.","Whether the remaining masterminds will be prosecuted is open: the family and the independent experts say not all were tried.","Whether Agua Zarca ever applied for registration under the Clean Development Mechanism is not confirmed.","Unconfirmed: Voith/Siemens turbine supply was suspended in 2016.","Whether the concession was formally cancelled after 2019 is not recorded."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"FMO suspended its activities in March 2016 and, with Finnfund, exited the project on 6 July 2017. Construction stopped and was on indefinite hold as of 2019; the concession runs to about 2059.","whoPaid":"Berta Cáceres, killed at her home in March 2016. Individuals were convicted of criminal offences; no company penalty or compensation is on record.","statusLine":"As of February 2025: the Supreme Court upheld the convictions of all eight men, reducing Castillo's 22-year-6-month sentence by modifying the aggravating circumstances (new term not found) and confirming Sergio Rodríguez's 30-year sentence; DESA's finance executive was described as a fugitive; independent experts said in January 2026 that not all masterminds had been tried.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"DESA","says":"Denied that FMO's and Finnfund's withdrawals were linked to the killing.","when":"Around the 2017 exit","src":null},{"actor":"FMO","says":"Suspended all activities in Honduras in March 2016 and agreed an exit from the project with DESA on 6 July 2017.","when":"2016–2017","src":5},{"actor":"Finnfund","says":"Agreed an exit with DESA together with FMO on 6 July 2017, saying it was meant to 'reduce tensions'.","when":"6 July 2017","src":6},{"actor":"CABEI","says":"Its departing president was reported to have called the loan a shame (paraphrase from a Turkish-language research note; original wording not on record).","when":"Date: none on record","src":8},{"actor":"Atala family (shareholders in DESA)","says":"Did not comment.","when":"Date: none on record","src":8}],"actors":[{"id":"desa","role":"Dam developer and concession holder"},{"id":"fmo","role":"Financier (Dutch development bank)"},{"id":"finnfund","role":"Financier (Finnish development fund)"},{"id":"cabei","role":"Financier; largest lender, about $24M"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the financiers' exit from Agua Zarca connected to the killing?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"FMO and Finnfund","says":"Agreed an exit with DESA on 6 July 2017, saying it was meant to 'reduce tensions'.","src":6},{"voice":"company","holder":"DESA","says":"Denied that the withdrawals were linked to the murder.","src":null}]},{"point":"Have all those responsible for the killing been brought to justice?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Honduran courts","says":"Convicted seven men in 2018–2019 and DESA president Roberto David Castillo as co-author in 2021; the Supreme Court's criminal chamber rejected his cassation appeal in November 2024.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Cáceres's family","says":"Other masterminds remain unpunished.","src":null},{"voice":"research","holder":"Independent experts (January 2026), as summarised by FIDH","says":"The killing was an organised operation involving institutional, financial and state responsibilities, and not all those who ordered it had been tried.","src":9},{"voice":"company","holder":"Atala family (DESA shareholders)","says":"Did not comment; no charges against the family are recorded.","src":8,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Prosecution of seven men for the killing of Berta Cáceres","forum":"Honduran criminal courts","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecution)","defendant":"Seven men, including DESA employees and former military personnel","filed":null,"decided":"2018–2019","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Seven men were found guilty on 29 November 2018 and sentenced on 2 December 2019 to between 30 and 50 years in prison (FIDH). The Supreme Court's criminal chamber upheld six of the convictions in November 2024, and the full court confirmed the seventh, that of Sergio Rodríguez (30 years), in February 2025.","src":1},{"title":"State v. Roberto David Castillo (DESA president)","forum":"Honduran criminal court (name: none on record)","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecution)","defendant":"Roberto David Castillo, DESA president","filed":null,"decided":"2021-07-05 (verdict); 2022-06-20 (sentence)","status":"claimant-won","summary":"Castillo was convicted as a co-author of the killing on 5 July 2021 and sentenced on 20 June 2022 to 22 years and 6 months. In November 2024 the Supreme Court's criminal chamber upheld the conviction but modified the aggravating circumstances, which reduces the term.","src":1},{"title":"Castillo cassation appeal","forum":"Supreme Court of Honduras, criminal chamber","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"appeal","claimant":"Roberto David Castillo (appellant)","defendant":"State","filed":null,"decided":"2024-11","status":"dismissed","summary":"On 25 November 2024 the criminal chamber upheld the convictions of seven of the eight men, including Castillo's as co-author, but modified the aggravating circumstances in his case, which COPINH said reduces his sentence; the new term was not found (Voice of America reported 20 years). It referred Sergio Rodríguez's case to the full Supreme Court, which confirmed his 30-year sentence on 7 February 2025.","src":10},{"title":"Arrest warrant for Daniel Atala Midence","forum":"Honduran criminal court (issuing court: none on record)","country":"Honduras","iso2":"HN","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecution)","defendant":"Daniel Atala Midence, DESA finance executive (subject of an arrest warrant; not tried)","filed":"2023-12","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant in December 2023, and COPINH said one was issued; COPINH names him as an intellectual author of the killing. He is described as a fugitive and has not been tried. No other Atala family member had been prosecuted.","src":13}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Berta Cáceres, killed at home in La Esperanza."},{"key":"financing_pledged","value":44,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"note":"Combined pledge by FMO, Finnfund and CABEI; year not stated."},{"key":"loan_cabei","value":24,"unit":"USD m","year":null,"qualifier":"about","note":"CABEI's loan, the largest; another note gives loans of up to $24.4M."},{"key":"convicted_people","value":7,"unit":"people","year":2019,"note":"Convicted in 2018–2019, including DESA employees and former military personnel."},{"key":"sentence_years","value":22.5,"unit":"years","year":2022,"note":"Sentence of Roberto David Castillo (22 years 6 months)."},{"key":"capacity_mw","value":21.3,"unit":"MW","year":2016,"note":"Run-of-river capacity as given in one report; other figures differ."},{"key":"capacity_mw","value":21.7,"unit":"MW","year":2013,"unverified":true,"note":"Search-summary only: licensed capacity after a 2013 amendment (reportedly raised from 14.458 MW)."},{"key":"concession_end_year","value":2059,"unit":"year","year":2059,"qualifier":"about","note":"End of DESA's 50-year concession."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Berta Cáceres, a Lenca leader who opposed the Agua Zarca dam, was killed in March 2016; DESA's president and others were convicted.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"DESA","what":"Held a 50-year concession for the dam, running to about 2059; its president was convicted as co-author of the killing.","src":7},{"who":"Inversiones Las Jacarandas (Atala Zablah family company)","what":"One of DESA's two main shareholders, according to the OCCRP-linked note.","src":8}],"lost":[{"who":"Berta Cáceres and her family","what":"Cáceres was killed at her home in March 2016.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"The Lenca community on the Gualcarque River","what":"The dam was planned on Lenca land; Cáceres led the opposition.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"The Gualcarque River and La Esperanza, Honduras.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Killing on 2–3 March 2016; convictions 2018–2022; Supreme Court rulings November 2024 and February 2025.","src":2},"why":{"t":"Cáceres had opposed the dam; DESA's president was convicted as a co-author of her killing.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Seven men, including DESA employees and former military personnel, were convicted in 2018–2019; DESA's president was convicted in 2021 as a co-author.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"FAQ: Agua Zarca project","p":"FMO","d":"n.d.","type":"company","u":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240427184307/https://www.fmo.nl/l/library/download/urn:uuid:3068ae40-c31a-40cc-8819-4a263254f60e/faq+agua+zarca+project+fmo.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240427184307/https://www.fmo.nl/l/library/download/urn:uuid:3068ae40-c31a-40cc-8819-4a263254f60e/faq+agua+zarca+project+fmo.pdf","dead":true},{"t":"Berta Cáceres: Honduras energy executive jailed over killing","p":"Al Jazeera","d":"2022-06-21","type":"press","u":"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/21/berta-caceres-honduras-energy-executive-jailed-over-killing","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260415170150/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/21/berta-caceres-honduras-energy-executive-jailed-over-killing"},{"t":"Sentencia asesinos Berta Cáceres","p":"TuNota","d":"2024-11-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/sentencia-asesinos-berta-caceres-2024-11-26","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250215034516/https://www.tunota.com/honduras-hoy/sentencia-asesinos-berta-caceres-2024-11-26"},{"t":"Honduras: Corte Suprema ratifica condenas por el asesinato de Berta Cáceres y reduce la sentencia a uno de los involucrados","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.bhrrc.org/en/latest-news/honduras-corte-suprema-ratifica-condenas-por-el-asesinato-de-berta-cáceres-y-reduce-la-sentencia-a-uno-de-los-involucrados/"},{"t":"Honduras: Urteile im Mordfall Berta Cáceres rechtskräftig","p":"Ökumenisches Büro für Frieden und Gerechtigkeit","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://oeku-buero.de/nachricht-506/honduras-urteile-im-mordfall-berta-caceres-rechtskraeftig.html?pdf=3191","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250415040219/https://www.oeku-buero.de/nachricht-506/honduras-urteile-im-mordfall-berta-caceres-rechtskraeftig.html?pdf=3191"},{"t":"European funders suspend support for Agua Zarca dam","p":"BankTrack","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.banktrack.org/article/european_funders_suspend_support_for_agua_zarca_dam","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250808050501/https://www.banktrack.org/article/european_funders_suspend_support_for_agua_zarca_dam"},{"t":"FMO and Finnfund exit controversial Agua Zarca project","p":"SOMO","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.somo.nl/fmo-finnfund-exit-controversial-agua-zarca-project/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250720125722/https://www.somo.nl/fmo-finnfund-exit-controversial-agua-zarca-project/"},{"t":"Agua Zarca (concession status)","p":"PBI Canada","d":"n.d.","type":"ngo","u":"https://pbicanada.org/?p=19312"},{"t":"New and repeated failures: CABEI's many mistakes in funding the Agua Zarca dam (The Dictator's Bank)","p":"OCCRP","d":"n.d.","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.occrp.org/en/project/the-dictators-bank/new-and-repeated-failures-cabeis-many-mistakes-in-funding-the-agua-zarca-dam","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260827050254/https://www.occrp.org/en/project/the-dictators-bank/new-and-repeated-failures-cabeis-many-mistakes-in-funding-the-agua-zarca-dam"},{"t":"Support in the search of justice for the murder of human rights defender Berta Cáceres (Honduras)","p":"FIDH","d":"2026-03-03","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.fidh.org/en/region/americas/honduras/support-in-the-search-of-justice-for-the-murder-of-human-rights","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260312144507/https://www.fidh.org/en/region/americas/honduras/support-in-the-search-of-justice-for-the-murder-of-human-rights"},{"t":"Honduras: ratifican sentencia contra siete implicados en el asesinato de Berta Cáceres","p":"Voice of America","d":"2024-11-25","u":"https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/honduras-ratifican-sentencia-contra-siete-implicados-en-el-asesinato-de-berta-caceres/7877977.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Comunicado N°12 2024: La Corte Suprema de Justicia de Honduras confirma sentencias de asesinos de Berta Cáceres, pero modifica agravantes en la condena de David Castillo y envía el caso de Sergio Rodríguez al pleno","p":"COPINH","d":"2024-11","u":"https://copinh.org/2024/11/comunicado-n12-2024-la-corte-suprema-de-justicia-de-honduras-confirma-sentencias-de-asesinos-de-berta-caceres-pero-modifica-agravantes-en-la-condena-de-david-castillo-y-envia-el-caso-de-sergio/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Corte ratifica condena de 30 años para Sergio Rodríguez por asesinato de Berta Cáceres","p":"Criterio.hn","d":"2025-02-07","u":"https://criterio.hn/corte-ratifica-condena-de-30-anos-para-sergio-rodriguez-por-asesinato-de-berta-caceres/","type":"press"},{"t":"PBI Honduras accompanies COPINH as Public Ministry seeks arrest warrant against ninth person accused of the murder of Berta Cáceres","p":"Peace Brigades International Canada","d":"2023-12-02","u":"https://pbicanada.org/2023/12/02/pbi-honduras-accompanies-copinh-as-public-ministry-seeks-arrest-warrant-against-ninth-person-accused-of-the-murder-of-berta-caceres/","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the financiers' exit from Agua Zarca connected to the killing?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Have all those responsible for the killing been brought to justice?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Atala family (DESA shareholders): Did not comment; no charges against the family are recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Capacity mw: Search-summary only: licensed capacity after a 2013 amendment (reportedly raised from 14.458 MW).","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The term of Castillo's sentence after the November 2024 ruling is not on record; Voice of America reported 20 years.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The dam's capacity is given differently: 21.3 MW in one report and, in a single report that no other source confirms, a contracted 14.458 MW raised to 21.7 MW by a 2013 environmental licence amendment approved by a deputy minister of the natural resources ministry, who was reportedly ordered tried for abuse of office in 2016. The outcome of that case is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No charge against Atala family members other than Daniel Atala Midence is recorded; the outcome of a case against sixteen public officials over the project permits is not recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the remaining masterminds will be prosecuted is open: the family and the independent experts say not all were tried.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether Agua Zarca ever applied for registration under the Clean Development Mechanism is not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Voith/Siemens turbine supply was suspended in 2016.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the concession was formally cancelled after 2019 is not recorded.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who harmed: The Lenca community on the Gualcarque River"]},{"id":"miteni-pfas-contamination","title":"Miteni PFAS contamination","dek":"Eleven former executives of the Miteni chemical plant at Trissino, Veneto, were sentenced at first instance in June 2025 to 141 years in total over PFAS contamination that affected about 350,000 people. The company, sold for €1 in 2009, went bankrupt in 2018.","country":"Italy","region":"Europe","lat":45.54,"lon":11.37,"places":[{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Trissino, Vicenza province, Veneto","lat":45.54,"lon":11.37,"role":"event"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Vicenza, Padua and Verona","role":"affected"},{"country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","admin":"Vicenza","role":"court"}],"start":1968,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2013","instrument":"chemical-pollution","types":["chemical-pollution","water"],"headline":{"label":"Total prison terms for 11 former executives (first instance)","value":"141 years","note":"Individual sentences of 2 years 8 months to 17 years 6 months; verdict of 26 June 2025; under appeal at the Venice Court of Appeal (2026)."},"happened":["Miteni operated a chemical plant at Trissino, in the province of Vicenza in the Veneto region of Italy. The cited sources give 1968 as the start of production and 2018 as the year of bankruptcy, and describe the owners as Mitsubishi and later ICIG. The contamination was officially identified in 2013 by the Veneto regional environmental agency, ARPAV, and affected about 350,000 people in Vicenza, Padua and Verona.","On 26 June 2025 the Assize Court (Corte d'Assise) of Vicenza convicted 11 of 15 former Miteni executives to prison terms totalling 141 years, ranging from 2 years 8 months to 17 years 6 months. The charges included intentional poisoning of drinking water and an environmental disaster. The convicted included three former Mitsubishi board members and ICIG executives. The court awarded €58 million to the Environment Ministry, €6.5 million to the Veneto Region and €15,000–20,000 to individuals; former workers were left out of the compensation. The verdict is a first-instance ruling.","In December 2025 press coverage of the court's reasoning reported that Miteni had known of the pollution since 2009 at the latest and did not intervene because the cost would burden the balance sheet. The company had been sold for €1 in 2009 and later went bankrupt.","Publicly funded new water networks supplying 450,000 people in the Veneto without filters were built in 2023–2024, paid for with €80 million from the state and €25 million from MOSAV. In May 2025 the 2014 cancer death of a worker was linked to PFAS exposure, according to the law firm Peters & Peters."],"timeline":[{"y":1968,"t":"PFAS production begins at Trissino (per the cited sources)"},{"y":2008,"t":"A remediation estimate of €12–18 million is recorded"},{"y":2009,"t":"Miteni is sold for €1; the court's reasoning later finds the company knew of the pollution by this year at the latest"},{"y":2013,"t":"Contamination is officially identified by the regional environmental agency ARPAV"},{"y":2014,"t":"Death of a worker from cancer, later linked to PFAS exposure"},{"y":2018,"t":"Miteni goes bankrupt"},{"y":2023,"t":"New publicly funded water networks for 450,000 people built in 2023–2024 (€80M state, €25M MOSAV)"},{"y":2025,"t":"May: worker's death linked to PFAS; 26 Jun: 11 former executives convicted at first instance, 141 years in total; Dec: reasoning published"},{"y":2026,"t":"January–April: all 11 convicted former executives and the companies appeal; 27 May: Council of State confirms Mitsubishi and ICIG share the remediation obligation; October: remediation reported stalled"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"The Vicenza Assize Court convicted 11 of 15 former Miteni executives on 26 June 2025; total 141 years; individual sentences from 2 years 8 months to 17 years 6 months; charges included intentional poisoning of drinking water and environmental disaster.","src":1},{"t":"The contamination affected about 350,000 people in Vicenza, Padua and Verona and was officially identified in 2013.","src":1},{"t":"The court awarded €58 million to the Environment Ministry, €6.5 million to the Veneto Region and €15,000–20,000 to individuals; former workers were left out of the compensation.","src":1},{"t":"Three former Mitsubishi board members were among the convicted. In May 2025 a worker's 2014 cancer death was linked to PFAS exposure.","src":2},{"t":"The court's reasoning, published in December 2025, found that Miteni knew of the pollution by 2009 at the latest and did not intervene because it would burden the balance sheet; the company was sold for €1 in 2009.","src":3},{"t":"New water networks for 450,000 people without filters were built with public money: €80 million from the state and €25 million from MOSAV.","src":4},{"t":"A 2008 remediation estimate of €12–18 million.","src":3},{"t":"Il Post reported the convictions of 11 former executives of Miteni and ICIG for water poisoning and environmental disaster, 141 years in total.","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2025","nature":[{"label":"Damages awarded to the Environment Ministry (first instance; payment not recorded)","amount":58,"qualifier":"awarded"},{"label":"Damages awarded to the Veneto Region (first instance; payment not recorded)","amount":6.5,"qualifier":"awarded"}],"natureTotal":{"amount":64.5,"qualifier":"awarded","note":"Awarded in a first-instance judgment; collection from the company is not known."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in court and press coverage; the cited sources give no ecological measurements.","report":[{"t":"My water in Vicenza, Padua and Verona carried PFAS from the Trissino plant, and the contamination was officially identified in 2013.","src":1},{"t":"A court convicted former executives of intentionally poisoning drinking water and of an environmental disaster.","src":1}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"People affected","v":"About 350,000","d":"Vicenza, Padua and Verona; contamination officially identified in 2013"},{"k":"Prison terms, first instance","v":"141 years in total","d":"11 of 15 former executives; 2 years 8 months to 17 years 6 months each"},{"k":"Damages awarded to the Environment Ministry","v":"€58 million","d":"First instance; collection from the company not known"}]},"unknown":["A date for the appeal hearing at the Venice Court of Appeal is not stated in the sources.","Miteni went bankrupt; whether the damages awarded were collected from the company is not known.","The cost of water filters in the Veneto was not found.","Unconfirmed: a corporate penalty of €125,000 and a confiscation of €437,000 against the company.","Unconfirmed: the Indian company Laxmi Organic bought Miteni's machinery, REACH registrations and patents.","Unconfirmed: the 'Mamme No PFAS' mothers' movement played a role in bringing the case."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The company went bankrupt in 2018. Publicly funded water networks for 450,000 people without filters were built in 2023–2024. As of October 2026 the remediation of the Miteni site was stalled and the contaminated groundwater was spreading, according to Il Nordest.","whoPaid":"Public bodies: €80 million from the state and €25 million from MOSAV paid for new water networks. The company went bankrupt, and collection of the damages awarded is not known.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: 11 former executives were convicted at first instance on 26 June 2025 and the verdict is under appeal at the Venice Court of Appeal; on 27 May 2026 the Council of State confirmed that Mitsubishi and the ICIG group share the obligation to remediate the site, where remediation was reported stalled.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"miteni","role":"Chemical plant operator, Trissino"},{"id":"mitsubishi","role":"Owner of Miteni; three former board members among the convicted"},{"id":"icig","role":"Later owner of Miteni; executives among the convicted"},{"id":"arpav","role":"Regional environmental agency that identified the contamination in 2013"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Miteni PFAS criminal trial","forum":"Assize Court (Corte d'Assise) of Vicenza","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State (prosecution), with civil parties including the Environment Ministry and the Veneto Region","defendant":"15 former executives of Miteni and ICIG; 11 convicted at first instance","filed":null,"decided":"2025-06-26","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":58,"currency":"EUR","label":"Awarded to the Environment Ministry, in millions (plus €6.5M to the Veneto Region)"},"summary":"The court convicted 11 of 15 former executives, with prison terms totalling 141 years (2 years 8 months to 17 years 6 months each). Charges included intentional poisoning of drinking water and environmental disaster. It awarded €58 million to the Environment Ministry, €6.5 million to the Veneto Region and €15,000–20,000 to individuals; former workers were left out of the compensation. The ruling is a first-instance decision and is not final. All 11 convicted former executives appealed, as did Miteni, Mitsubishi Corporation, ICIG and several civil parties; 26 appeals had been filed with the Venice Court of Appeal by April 2026 (Il Giornale di Vicenza).","src":1},{"title":"Remediation obligation for the Miteni site","forum":"Council of State (Consiglio di Stato)","country":"Italy","iso2":"IT","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Province of Vicenza","defendant":"Mitsubishi, Eni Rewind and the ICIG group, with Manifattura Lane Marzotto","filed":null,"decided":"2026-05-27","status":"claimant-won","summary":"On 27 May 2026 the Council of State upheld the appeal of the Province of Vicenza and confirmed that the obligation to remediate the Miteni site falls on Mitsubishi, Eni Rewind and the ICIG group, together with Manifattura Lane Marzotto, according to Il Nordest. In October 2026 the paper reported that remediation was stalled and that ARPAV had already spent €8 million.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"people_affected","value":350000,"unit":"people","year":2013,"qualifier":"about","note":"Vicenza, Padua and Verona; officially identified in 2013."},{"key":"prison_years_total","value":141,"unit":"years","year":2025,"note":"Total for 11 former executives, first instance."},{"key":"executives_convicted","value":11,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Of 15 former executives; first instance."},{"key":"compensation_awarded","value":58,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Awarded to the Environment Ministry; collection not known."},{"key":"compensation_awarded","value":6.5,"unit":"EUR m","year":2025,"note":"Awarded to the Veneto Region; collection not known."},{"key":"compensation_awarded","value":15000,"unit":"EUR per person","year":2025,"qualifier":"15,000–20,000","note":"Awarded to individuals; former workers were left out."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":105,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Public funds: €80M from the state and €25M from MOSAV for new water networks serving 450,000 people. Not paid by the company."},{"key":"remediation_estimate","value":12,"unit":"EUR m","year":2008,"qualifier":"range 12–18","note":"2008 remediation estimate of €12–18 million."},{"key":"sale_price","value":1,"unit":"EUR","year":2009,"note":"Price at which Miteni was sold, as recorded."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2014,"note":"A worker's cancer death in 2014, linked to PFAS exposure in May 2025 according to Peters & Peters."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"PFAS contamination of water around the Miteni plant at Trissino, Veneto; 11 former executives were convicted at first instance in 2025.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Miteni's owners (Mitsubishi, later ICIG)","what":"Operated the plant, which the cited sources date from 1968 to the 2018 bankruptcy; the court's reasoning found the company knew of the pollution by 2009 at the latest and did not intervene because it would burden the balance sheet. No profit figure is recorded.","src":3}],"lost":[{"who":"Public bodies and taxpayers","what":"The state (€80M) and MOSAV (€25M) funded new water networks for 450,000 people.","src":4},{"who":"Former Miteni workers","what":"Left out of the compensation awarded in the judgment.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"About 350,000 people in Vicenza, Padua and Verona","what":"Affected by PFAS contamination, officially identified in 2013.","src":1},{"who":"A former worker","what":"A 2014 cancer death was linked to PFAS exposure in May 2025, according to Peters & Peters.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Trissino, province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy; effects in Vicenza, Padua and Verona.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Production from 1968 (per the cited sources); contamination officially identified in 2013; bankruptcy in 2018; verdict on 26 June 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"In the court's reasoning as reported, Miteni knew of the pollution by 2009 at the latest and did not intervene because the cost would burden the balance sheet.","src":3},"how":{"t":"The 11 were convicted of charges including intentional poisoning of drinking water and environmental disaster; the cited sources do not describe the discharge pathway.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Le grosse condanne per l'inquinamento da PFAS","p":"Il Post","d":"2025-06-26","type":"press","u":"https://www.ilpost.it/2025/06/26/condanne-miteni-inquinamento-pfas-acqua-veneto/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260814002637/https://www.ilpost.it/2025/06/26/condanne-miteni-inquinamento-pfas-acqua-veneto/"},{"t":"PFAS contamination case in Veneto: Vicenza court delivers historic judgement in pollution trial","p":"University of Padua Human Rights Centre","d":"2025-06-27","type":"academic","u":"https://unipd-centrodirittiumani.it/en/news/pfas-contamination-case-in-veneto-vicenza-court-delivers-historic-judgement-in-pollution-trial","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261005142239/https://unipd-centrodirittiumani.it/en/news/pfas-contamination-case-in-veneto-vicenza-court-delivers-historic-judgement-in-pollution-trial"},{"t":"Executives sentenced to up to 17 years imprisonment in Italy for polluting waters with PFAS (law firm case note)","p":"Peters & Peters","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.petersandpeters.com/case/executives-sentenced-to-up-to-17-years-imprisonment-in-italy-for-polluting-waters-with-pfas/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260418140810/https://www.petersandpeters.com/case/executives-sentenced-to-up-to-17-years-imprisonment-in-italy-for-polluting-waters-with-pfas/"},{"t":"Processo Miteni, le motivazioni della sentenza","p":"Il Fatto Alimentare","d":"2025-12","type":"press","u":"https://ilfattoalimentare.it/processo-miteni-pfas-motivazioni-sentenza.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260218025025/https://ilfattoalimentare.it/processo-miteni-pfas-motivazioni-sentenza.html"},{"t":"Pfas, inaugurate opere per la nuova fornitura d'acqua","p":"Italpress","d":"2023–2024","type":"press","u":"https://www.italpress.com/?p=429310"},{"t":"Condanne per l'inquinamento da Pfas. Depositati 26 ricorsi in appello","p":"Il Giornale di Vicenza","d":"2026-04-19","u":"https://www.ilgiornaledivicenza.it/territorio-vicentino/valdagno/condanne-per-l-inquinamento-da-pfas-depositati-26-ricorsi-in-appello-1.12988687","type":"press"},{"t":"Pfas, la bonifica Miteni è ancora ferma: la falda inquinata si allarga","p":"Il Nordest","d":"2026-10-17","u":"https://www.ilnordest.it/ambiente/pfas-veneto-bonifica-miteni-ferma-falda-inquinamento-yqwz3nla","type":"press"},{"t":"Caso Miteni, tutti gli 11 ex manager condannati fanno appello","p":"VeronaSera","d":"2026-01","u":"https://www.veronasera.it/attualita/caso-miteni-tutti-gli-11-ex-manager-condannati-fanno-appello.html","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["chemours-spin-off-liabilities","dupont-chemours-corteva-pfas-cost-sharing-and-water-system-s","pfas-water-utility-settlements-by-3m-dupont-chemours-and-cor","pfas-insurance-disputes","dupont-pfoa-c8","us-military-pfas-contamination-at-dod-sites"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"A date for the appeal hearing at the Venice Court of Appeal is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Miteni went bankrupt; whether the damages awarded were collected from the company is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cost of water filters in the Veneto was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a corporate penalty of €125,000 and a confiscation of €437,000 against the company.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Indian company Laxmi Organic bought Miteni's machinery, REACH registrations and patents.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the 'Mamme No PFAS' mothers' movement played a role in bringing the case.","pub":true}],"todo":["Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"brazil-operation-greenwashing-verra-project-suspensions-and","title":"Brazil: Operation Greenwashing","dek":"In June 2024 Brazil's Federal Police began an investigation into carbon credits sold from forest projects in Amazonas state. The police alleged that forged land titles were used to take about 538,000 hectares of federal public land; police reports naming 31 people were made public in October 2025, and no court ruling has been recorded.","country":"Brazil","region":"Latin America","lat":-7.3,"lon":-64.8,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Amazonas (Lábrea)","lat":-7.3,"lon":-64.8,"role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","admin":"Rondônia","role":"affected"}],"start":2024,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-06","instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Federal public land the Federal Police says was taken with forged titles","value":"~538,000 ha","note":"Allegation made by the Federal Police in June 2024; no court ruling has been recorded."},"happened":["In June 2024 the Brazilian Federal Police carried out an investigation it called Operação Greenwashing, centred on Lábrea, in Amazonas state. The police alleged that forged land titles were used to take about 538,000 hectares of federal public (Union) land, and that carbon credits were then sold from projects on that land. Verra suspended projects linked to the Stoppe family in the same month.","The police put the credit sales at about R$180 million; other summaries of the same investigation give a range of R$120 million to R$180 million. Companies reported as buyers of credits from the projects included Toshiba, Spotify, Boeing, Nestlé, PwC and GOL, and Boeing was reported to have bought from two separate projects. The police also alleged corruption of officials at Incra, Ipaam and land registry offices.","The Federal Police named 31 people in two final reports, of December 2024 and May 2025, sent to the federal court and made public in October 2025 (Jornal de Brasília); Mongabay reported the indictments in November 2025. The step was a police indictment; the Federal Prosecution Service (MPF) decides whether to file charges. The police described three groups, led by Ricardo Stoppe Júnior, owner of the Ituxi group, Élcio Aparecido Moço and José Luiz Capelasso; Stoppe Júnior's son Ricardo Villares Lot Stoppe was among those arrested in June 2024. Moço's defence declined to comment, Capelasso's defence did not respond, and Stoppe Júnior's former lawyer said he no longer represented him (Jornal de Brasília). No court ruling has been recorded.","Related projects have also been reported. The carbon project developer Carbonext said that it was not named in Operation Greenwashing, that 3 of the 55 landowners for whom it had developed carbon credit projects were tied to the investigation, and that it had notified them of the termination of their contracts. Noticias Ambientales reported in November 2025 that the first shipment of a Brazilian lithium producer, Sigma, to China was described as carbon neutral on the basis of 59,000 credits from the Unitor project, which it said had been suspended following the Federal Police operation.","Earlier, in 2018, Verra's registry had suspended an indigenous REDD+ project in Rondônia, the Paiter Suruí project, which had sold credits to Natura in 2013 and to FIFA in 2014. Forest clearing in 2017 reached 653 hectares, 256% above the permitted limit, and Mongabay reported that the programme ended because of illegal mining."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Paiter Suruí REDD+ project (Rondônia) sells credits to Natura"},{"y":2014,"t":"Same project sells credits to FIFA to offset World Cup emissions"},{"y":2017,"t":"Clearing in the Suruí project area reaches 653 ha, 256% above the permitted limit"},{"y":2018,"t":"Suruí project suspended; Mongabay reports it ended because of illegal mining"},{"y":2022,"t":"Shell is reported to hold a stake in Carbonext described as R$200 million"},{"y":2024,"t":"Federal Police launch Operação Greenwashing (June); Verra suspends the Stoppe-linked projects (June); Amazonas state grants 21 REDD concessions on 11.9 million ha of public forest (May–August)"},{"y":2025,"t":"Federal Police reports of December 2024 and May 2025 naming 31 people are made public (October); Mongabay reports the indictments (November)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Forest-protection carbon projects (REDD+) on land the police later alleged was public land taken with forged titles","who":"Project developers, as described in Federal Police allegations","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Federal Police alleged forged land titles were used to take about 538,000 ha of federal public land in the Lábrea area of Amazonas; the investigation began in June 2024.","src":2},{"t":"The Federal Police alleged corruption at Incra, Ipaam and land registry offices.","src":0},{"t":"The police estimated carbon-credit sales from the land at about R$180 million; other summaries give R$120–180 million.","src":2},{"t":"31 people were named in two final police reports in October 2025; the defendants deny the allegations.","src":0},{"t":"Reported buyers of credits from the projects: Toshiba, Spotify, Boeing (two projects), Nestlé, PwC and GOL.","src":5},{"t":"Reuters analysed 36 Amazon forest-credit projects and found that at least 24 had an actor who had received an Ibama fine for illegal deforestation, and that in 5 clearing took place inside the project boundary; buyers included Boeing, Telefónica and Ecopetrol. Reuters found no evidence in individual projects of failure against the project baseline.","src":7},{"t":"Carbonext's projects were reported to appear in the Operation Greenwashing investigation; Shell is reported to hold a stake in Carbonext described as R$200 million (2022).","src":6},{"t":"In May 2024 Amazonas state granted 21 REDD concessions on 11.9 million ha of public forest; 483 communities were not consulted and federal prosecutors recommended suspension. Holders included Future Carbon (12 concessions), Ecosecurities (3), BR Carbon, Carbonext and Permian Global (2 each).","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"BRL","window":"2024–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":{"label":"Carbon-credit sales alleged by the Federal Police (R$120–180 million in different summaries)","amount":180,"qualifier":"up to"}},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Federal public land alleged to have been taken","v":"~538,000 ha","d":"Federal Police allegation, June 2024"},{"k":"Credit sales from the projects, alleged","v":"R$120–180m","d":"Federal Police estimate; summaries differ"},{"k":"Court ruling","v":"None","d":"31 people named by police in October 2025; they deny the allegations"}]},"unknown":["No court ruling has been recorded: the case has produced police reports naming 31 people, not a court decision.","No amount of assets seized or recovered has been recorded.","Summaries give the value of credit sales as R$120 million to R$180 million; the figures have not been reconciled.","Unconfirmed: that the Reuters 36-project analysis and the Operation Greenwashing probe overlap in the projects they cover."],"evidence":["court-pending","review"],"harmStopped":"Verra suspended the Stoppe-linked projects in June 2024, the month the Federal Police operation began. No ruling or seizure amount has been recorded.","whoPaid":"Not established. The asset alleged to have been taken is federal public land; no ruling, seizure or restitution has been recorded.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the Federal Police indictment of 31 people was made public in October 2025; no prosecution charges or court ruling are stated in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"People named by the Federal Police","says":"Moço's defence declined to comment; Capelasso's defence did not respond; Stoppe Júnior's former lawyer said he no longer represented him.","when":"October 2025","src":1},{"actor":"Verra","says":"Suspended the Stoppe-linked projects.","when":"June 2024","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"federal-police-brazil","role":"Investigating authority"},{"id":"verra","role":"Registry; suspended the projects"},{"id":"carbonext","role":"Credit developer; projects reported in the investigation"},{"id":"shell","role":"Reported to hold a stake in Carbonext"},{"id":"sigma-lithium","role":"Used credits from the Unitor project (reported)"},{"id":"boeing","role":"Reported credit buyer (two projects)"},{"id":"toshiba","role":"Reported credit buyer"},{"id":"spotify","role":"Reported credit buyer"},{"id":"nestle","role":"Reported credit buyer"},{"id":"pwc","role":"Reported credit buyer"},{"id":"gol","role":"Reported credit buyer"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the credited projects on lawfully held land?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Brazilian Federal Police","says":"Alleged that forged land titles were used to take about 538,000 ha of federal public land and that credits were sold from it.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"People named by the Federal Police","says":"Moço's defence declined to comment and Capelasso's defence did not respond; Stoppe Júnior's former lawyer said he no longer represented him (October 2025).","src":1},{"voice":"court","holder":"Courts","says":"No ruling has been recorded.","src":null,"silent":true}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do Amazon forest-credit projects protect forest?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters","says":"At least 24 of 36 projects reviewed had an actor fined by Ibama for illegal deforestation, and in 5 clearing took place inside the project boundary.","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Reuters","says":"Found no evidence of failure against baseline in individual projects.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Operação Greenwashing: Federal Police criminal investigation","forum":"Brazilian Federal Police; court not identified","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Brazilian Federal Police (prosecutorial step not recorded)","defendant":"31 people named in police reports, including a father and son of the Stoppe family","filed":"2024-06","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The Federal Police alleged forged land titles were used to take about 538,000 ha of federal public land and sell carbon credits from it. Thirty-one people were named in two final police reports, of December 2024 and May 2025, made public in October 2025; the Federal Prosecution Service decides whether to file charges. No court ruling has been recorded.","src":1},{"title":"Amazonas REDD concessions: recommendation to suspend","forum":"Federal prosecutors (Ministério Público Federal)","country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Federal prosecutors","defendant":"State of Amazonas and concession holders","filed":"2024","decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"After the state granted 21 REDD concessions on 11.9 million ha of public forest in May 2024 without consulting 483 communities, federal prosecutors recommended (August 2024) that the concessions be suspended. The outcome has not been recorded.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"area_ha","value":538000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Federal public land alleged by the Federal Police to have been taken with forged titles."},{"key":"revenue","value":180,"unit":"BRL m","year":2025,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Credit sales alleged by the Federal Police; summaries give R$120–180 million."},{"key":"people_accused","value":31,"unit":"people","year":2025,"note":"Indicted by the Federal Police in final reports of December 2024 and May 2025, made public in October 2025; no prosecution charges stated."},{"key":"credits_used","value":59000,"unit":"credits","year":2025,"note":"Unitor project credits used for a carbon-neutral claim on a lithium shipment, as reported by Noticias Ambientales."},{"key":"concession_area_ha","value":11900000,"unit":"ha","year":2024,"note":"Amazonas state public forest covered by 21 REDD concessions."},{"key":"forest_lost_ha","value":653,"unit":"ha","year":2017,"note":"Suruí project area, 256% above the permitted limit."},{"key":"projects_reviewed","value":36,"unit":"projects","year":2025,"note":"Reuters analysis of Amazon forest-credit projects; at least 24 had an actor fined by Ibama."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Brazil's Federal Police investigated carbon-credit projects in Amazonas, alleging that forged titles were used to take about 538,000 ha of federal public land and sell credits from it; Verra suspended the projects.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"A family company network including a father and son of the Stoppe family and associates (alleged)","what":"Carbon-credit sales of R$120–180 million (alleged)","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"The Brazilian federal government (the Union)","what":"Public land alleged to have been taken","src":null}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Lábrea, Amazonas, Brazil.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Investigation from June 2024; 31 people named in police reports of December 2024 and May 2025, made public in October 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The Federal Police alleged that REDD+ carbon projects were used as a front for taking public land.","src":1},"how":{"t":"Forged land titles, with alleged corruption at Incra, Ipaam and land registry offices, were used to claim land that was then registered as forest-credit projects.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Brazil charges 31 people in major carbon credit fraud investigation","p":"Mongabay","d":"2025-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-charges-31-people-in-major-carbon-credit-fraud-investigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260714190855/https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2025/11/brazil-charges-31-people-in-major-carbon-credit-fraud-investigation/"},{"t":"PF aponta organização criminosa e indicia 31 em maior fraude com créditos de carbono já investigada","p":"Jornal de Brasília","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/brasil/pf-aponta-organizacao-criminosa-e-indicia-31-em-maior-fraude-com-creditos-de-carbono-ja-investigada/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251015072703/https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/noticias/brasil/pf-aponta-organizacao-criminosa-e-indicia-31-em-maior-fraude-com-creditos-de-carbono-ja-investigada/"},{"t":"Grileiros de terras da União faturam R$ 180 milhões vendendo créditos de carbono na Amazônia","p":"SBT News","d":"2025-10","type":"press","u":"https://sbtnews.sbt.com.br/noticia/brasil/grileiros-de-terras-da-uniao-faturam-r-180-milhoes-vendendo-creditos-de-carbono-na-amazonia","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240605210428/https://sbtnews.sbt.com.br/noticia/brasil/grileiros-de-terras-da-uniao-faturam-r-180-milhoes-vendendo-creditos-de-carbono-na-amazonia"},{"t":"‘Green’ lithium under suspicion: environmental and community complaints surround a Canadian company operating in Brazil","p":"Noticias Ambientales","d":"2025-11-01","type":"press","u":"https://noticiasambientales.com/energy/green-lithium-under-suspicion-environmental-and-community-complaints-surround-a-canadian-company-operating-in-brazil/"},{"t":"World’s first indigenous REDD program ended due to illegal mining","p":"Mongabay","d":"2018-09-11","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/worlds-first-indigenous-redd-program-ended-due-to-illegal-mining/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260419202620/https://news.mongabay.com/2018/09/worlds-first-indigenous-redd-program-ended-due-to-illegal-mining/"},{"t":"Top brands buy Amazon carbon credits from suspected timber laundering scam","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-05-21","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/05/top-brands-buy-amazon-carbon-credits-from-suspected-timber-laundering-scam/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Brazil police raid Amazon carbon credit projects exposed by Mongabay","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-06-07","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/06/brazilian-investigators-raid-amazon-carbon-credit-projects-exposed-by-mongabay/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Illegal logging and REDD in Brazil (on Reuters investigation of 7 July 2025)","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2025-07-09","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/illegal-logging-and-redd-in-brazil","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Brazil's Federal Prosecution Office recommends suspension of REDD+ in Amazonas Indigenous and traditional territories","p":"REDD-Monitor","d":"2024-08-23","u":"https://reddmonitor.substack.com/p/brazils-federal-prosecution-office","type":"ngo"},{"t":"About Operation Greenwashing","p":"Carbonext","d":"2024","u":"https://www.carbonext.com.br/en/news-e-insights/about-operation-greenwashing/","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do Amazon forest-credit projects protect forest?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the credited projects on lawfully held land?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Courts: No ruling has been recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"Amazonas REDD concessions: recommendation to suspend: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No court ruling has been recorded: the case has produced police reports naming 31 people, not a court decision.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No amount of assets seized or recovered has been recorded.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Summaries give the value of credit sales as R$120 million to R$180 million; the figures have not been reconciled.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Reuters 36-project analysis and the Operation Greenwashing probe overlap in the projects they cover.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: how","No source link — Who lost: The Brazilian federal government (the Union)"]},{"id":"cobre-panama-mine-closure","title":"Cobre Panamá mine closure","dek":"In November 2023 Panama's Supreme Court found the law behind the Cobre Panamá copper mine's concession unconstitutional, and the mine has been closed since. In 2026 reports described a commission proposing talks with the operator, First Quantum, and permission to process stockpiled ore.","country":"Panama","region":"Latin America","lat":8.85,"lon":-80.65,"places":[{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","admin":"Donoso","lat":8.85,"lon":-80.65,"role":"event"},{"country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","admin":"Panama City","lat":8.98,"lon":-79.52,"role":"court"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2023-11","instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"Reported arbitration claim by First Quantum against Panama","value":"US$20 bn","note":"Reported claim; La Prensa reported in April 2025 that the proceedings were suspended."},"happened":["In November 2023 the Supreme Court of Panama found unconstitutional the law approving the concession contract for the Cobre Panamá copper mine (Law 406). Jurist described the contract as a 20-year concession for a Canadian copper mine. The mine, operated by First Quantum, has been closed since the ruling, according to Ámbito and Reporte Minero.","First Quantum responded with international arbitration against Panama. La Prensa reported in April 2025 that the company was stepping back from the proceedings, with a claim put at US$20 billion described as suspended.","In 2026 the reports describe a restart under discussion. Kitco reported on 15 January 2026 that Panama aimed to decide on the Cobre Panamá dispute by June. Ámbito and Reporte Minero reported that a technical audit by SGS found “88% compliance”, that environmental organisations objected, that a commission proposed talks with First Quantum, and that permission had been given to process a stockpile of about 38 million tonnes of previously mined ore.","As of the latest reports in October 2026 the mine remained closed under the court ruling, and whether it would reopen had not been settled."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"Supreme Court of Panama finds the law approving the concession contract (Law 406) unconstitutional (November); the mine closes"},{"y":2025,"t":"La Prensa reports First Quantum stepping back from arbitration against Panama; claim put at US$20 bn (April)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Kitco: Panama aims to decide on the dispute by June (January); reports of an SGS audit finding 88% compliance, a commission proposing talks with First Quantum, and permission to process a 38 Mt stockpile (July–October)"}],"said":[{"q":"88% compliance","who":"SGS technical audit of the Cobre Panamá mine, as reported","when":"2026","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"A technical audit by SGS finding “88% compliance”","who":"SGS audit, as reported by Ámbito","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The Supreme Court of Panama found the law approving the concession contract (Law 406) unconstitutional in November 2023.","src":0},{"t":"The mine has been closed by court order since November 2023.","src":1},{"t":"Environmental organisations objected to the SGS audit result.","src":1},{"t":"A commission proposed talks with First Quantum, and permission to process a stockpile of about 38 million tonnes was reported to have been given.","src":1},{"t":"La Prensa reported in April 2025 that First Quantum was stepping back from arbitration proceedings against Panama; the claim was put at US$20 billion.","src":3},{"t":"Kitco reported on 15 January 2026 that Panama aimed to decide on the Cobre Panamá dispute by June.","src":4},{"t":"SGS bought Aster Global in January 2025.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2023–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Concession law","v":"Unconstitutional","d":"Supreme Court of Panama, November 2023"},{"k":"Mine status","v":"Closed","d":"Closed by court order since November 2023; restart under discussion in 2026"},{"k":"Technical audit","v":"88% compliance","d":"SGS audit as reported; environmental organisations objected"}]},"unknown":["Whether the mine will reopen: its status after the 2026 discussions is not known.","Unconfirmed: that the mine accounted for about 5% of Panama's gross domestic product before the closure.","Unconfirmed: that the closure followed large environmental protests across Panama.","Unconfirmed: that in July 2026 First Quantum began processing stored ore, added about 1,000 workers and suspended its US$20 billion arbitration claim (SMM News).","Unconfirmed: that in April 2026 preparations were under way to allow processing of 38 million tonnes of previously mined ore."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The mine has been closed by court order since November 2023; in 2026 a restart was under discussion.","whoPaid":"Not established. The cited sources give no payment for environmental harm and no assessment of damage.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the mine remains closed under the November 2023 Supreme Court ruling; talks and a stockpile-processing permit have been reported, and no reopening decision is recorded.","updated":"2026-10-02","responses":[{"actor":"First Quantum","says":"Brought arbitration claims against Panama over the closure; the US$20 billion claim was reported suspended.","when":"April 2025","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"first-quantum","role":"Mine operator"},{"id":"supreme-court-panama","role":"Court that found the concession law unconstitutional"},{"id":"sgs","role":"Auditor of the mine"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Does the mine meet environmental and technical standards?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"SGS (auditor)","says":"Its technical audit found “88% compliance”.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Environmental organisations","says":"Objected to the audit result.","src":1}]},{"point":"Should the mine be reopened?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"Supreme Court of Panama","says":"Found the law approving the concession contract unconstitutional.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"A commission in Panama","says":"Proposed talks with First Quantum.","src":1},{"voice":"company","holder":"First Quantum","says":"Pursued arbitration against Panama; the US$20 billion claim was reported suspended.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Constitutional challenge to the Cobre Panamá concession law (Law 406)","forum":"Supreme Court of Panama","country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Parties challenging Law 406 (not identified)","defendant":"The law approving the concession contract (the State of Panama)","filed":null,"decided":"2023-11","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court found the law approving the 20-year concession contract for the copper mine unconstitutional. The mine has been closed since.","src":0},{"title":"First Quantum arbitration against Panama","forum":"Arbitration (forum not stated)","country":"Panama","iso2":"PA","kind":"arbitration","claimant":"First Quantum","defendant":"Panama","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","amount":{"value":20,"currency":"USD","label":"US$20 billion claimed, as reported (value in billions)"},"summary":"First Quantum brought arbitration over the closure. La Prensa reported in April 2025 that the company was stepping back from the proceedings and that the claim, put at US$20 billion, was suspended.","src":3}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":20000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"Arbitration claim by First Quantum, as reported; described as suspended."},{"key":"ore_stockpile_tonnes","value":38000000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","note":"Previously mined ore for which processing permission was reported."},{"key":"audit_compliance_score","value":88,"unit":"%","year":2026,"note":"SGS technical audit, as reported; environmental organisations objected."},{"key":"gdp_share","value":5,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Mine's share of Panama's GDP before closure; reported, not independently verified."},{"key":"workers_added","value":1000,"unit":"workers","year":2026,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported by SMM News for July 2026; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Panama's Supreme Court found the law approving the Cobre Panamá concession unconstitutional in November 2023, and the mine closed; a restart was under discussion in 2026.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[],"lost":[{"who":"First Quantum","what":"Mine operations stopped; pursued an arbitration claim reported at US$20 billion (reported suspended)","src":3}],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"Donoso, Panama.","src":3},"when":{"t":"Ruling in November 2023; discussions on reopening in 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The court found the law approving the concession contract unconstitutional.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The closure came through a constitutional ruling, not through an environmental impact assessment decision.","src":null}},"sources":[{"t":"Panama’s Supreme Court ruled that a 20-year concession for a Canadian copper mine was unconstitutional","p":"Jurist","d":"2023-11","type":"press","u":"https://www.jurist.org/news/2023/11/panamas-supreme-court-ruled-that-a-20-year-concession-for-a-canadian-copper-mine-was-unconstitutional","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250810163933/https://www.jurist.org/news/2023/11/panamas-supreme-court-ruled-that-a-20-year-concession-for-a-canadian-copper-mine-was-unconstitutional/"},{"t":"Cobre Panamá: SGS audit, commission and stockpile permission (Ámbito report)","p":"Ámbito","d":"2026-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.ambito.com/c6329382"},{"t":"Panamá: reapertura de Cobre Panamá, First Quantum y empresa estatal","p":"Reporte Minero","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://www.reporteminero.cl/noticia/noticias/2026/07/panama-reapertura-cobre-panama-first-quantum-empresa-estatal"},{"t":"First Quantum desiste de procesos de arbitrajes contra Panamá por cierre de la mina de cobre de Donoso","p":"La Prensa","d":"2025-04","type":"press","u":"https://www.prensa.com/economia/first-quantum-desiste-de-procesos-de-arbitrajes-contra-panama-por-cierre-de-la-mina-de-cobre-de-donoso/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250404040554/https://www.prensa.com/economia/first-quantum-desiste-de-procesos-de-arbitrajes-contra-panama-por-cierre-de-la-mina-de-cobre-de-donoso/"},{"t":"Panama aims to make decision on Cobre Panamá dispute by June","p":"Kitco","d":"2026-01-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2026-01-15/panama-aims-make-decision-cobre-panama-dispute-june","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260311122410/https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2026-01-15/panama-aims-make-decision-cobre-panama-dispute-june"},{"t":"First Quantum accelerates Cobre Panamá restart preparations with stockpile processing and workforce expansion","p":"SMM News","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://news.metal.com/en/newscontent/104031889-first-quantum-accelerates-cobre-panama-restart-preparations-with-stockpile-processing-and-workforce-expansion"},{"t":"SGS Expands its Sustainability Expertise with the Acquisition of Aster Global","p":"SGS","d":"2025-01-08","u":"https://www.sgs.com/en/news/2025/01/sgs-expands-its-sustainability-expertise-with-the-acquisition-of-aster-global","type":"company"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"mine-closure","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Does the mine meet environmental and technical standards?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the mine be reopened?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"First Quantum arbitration against Panama: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Gdp share: Mine's share of Panama's GDP before closure; reported, not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Workers added: Reported by SMM News for July 2026; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the mine will reopen: its status after the 2026 discussions is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the mine accounted for about 5% of Panama's gross domestic product before the closure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the closure followed large environmental protests across Panama.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in July 2026 First Quantum began processing stored ore, added about 1,000 workers and suspended its US$20 billion arbitration claim (SMM News).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that in April 2026 preparations were under way to allow processing of 38 million tonnes of previously mined ore.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who gained? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: how"]},{"id":"eu-woody-biomass-renewable-status-and-enviva-pellets","title":"EU woody biomass and Enviva pellets","dek":"In the EU, wood pellets count towards renewable-energy targets, and the UK emissions trading system applies the EU rule that biomass has a zero emission factor. The UK power station Drax received £8.72 billion in subsidy in 2012–2025, and its US pellet supplier Enviva went through bankruptcy in 2024.","country":"United Kingdom","region":"Europe / North America","lat":36.4,"lon":-77.4,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Northampton County, North Carolina","lat":36.4,"lon":-77.4,"role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"Gloster, Mississippi","lat":31.2,"lon":-91,"role":"affected"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"British Columbia","role":"affected"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"company-home"}],"start":2012,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2024-04","instrument":"renewable-energy","types":["renewable-energy","burning"],"headline":{"label":"UK subsidy received by Drax, 2012–2025","value":"£8.72 bn","note":"Ember, July 2026; £999 million of it in 2025."},"happened":["EU rules count wood burned for power towards renewable-energy targets. In January 2018 650 to 800 scientists (sources differ) asked the European Parliament to limit renewable forest biomass to residues and waste; Parliament did not accept the change and the second Renewable Energy Directive allowed whole trees to be burned. In February 2021 more than 500 scientists wrote to five world leaders saying that burning wood initially emits two to three times more carbon per kilowatt-hour than fossil fuels and that the emissions are not counted under the EU rule. The third directive (RED III, April 2023) dropped a Parliament proposal to cap primary wood, allowed an exception for cascading use, and banned direct support for certain categories of valuable wood but not tax advantages. The UK emissions trading system uses the EU rule that biomass has a zero emission factor.","Ember reported in July 2026 that the UK power station Drax received a record £999 million in subsidy in 2025, about £13 per household per year, and £8.72 billion since 2012. Drax emitted 14.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, more than four times the second-largest source in the UK, the Pembroke gas plant, and burned 7.5 million tonnes of wood, of which more than 99% was imported and 86.7% came from the United States and Canada.","Enviva, a US producer of wood pellets, supplied customers in Japan, the UK and the EU under long-term contracts. Coverage of the February 2021 scientists’ letter cited an estimate that Enviva turned about 60,000 acres (243 km²) of forest in North Carolina into pellets each year, about 2.5 million tonnes. Mongabay reported in April 2024 that Enviva had gone bankrupt, that there were allegations that whole trees were used, and that it had supplied about 15% of Drax’s fuel. Enviva announced its emergence from the restructuring on 6 December 2024; about $1.0 billion of debt was eliminated and $250 million of new capital was added.","In October 2022 the BBC programme Panorama reported that Pinnacle, a pellet producer Drax bought in 2021, held logging licences in areas of British Columbia that include old-growth forest; Drax said it used only sawdust and waste wood, according to NRDC’s summary. In August 2024 the energy regulator Ofgem found that Drax had misreported its 2021–2022 Canadian import data, and Drax agreed to pay £25 million, as reported by Express & Star. The payment equals about 0.29% of the £8.72 billion subsidy received since 2012. Drax’s pellet plant in Gloster, Mississippi, received air-pollution fines of $2.5 million in 2020 and $225,000 in 2024.","In Northampton County, North Carolina, a resident wrote in an op-ed published by DeSmog in December 2021 that a pellet plant had brought dust, noise and health problems to a county that is mostly African American and where one fifth of the population lives below the poverty line."],"timeline":[{"y":2012,"t":"Start of the period in which Drax receives £8.72 bn in UK subsidy (to 2025)"},{"y":2018,"t":"650–800 scientists ask the European Parliament to limit forest biomass to residues and waste; Parliament does not accept"},{"y":2020,"t":"Gloster, Mississippi pellet plant fined $2.5 m for air pollution; a WWF-US director joins Enviva’s board (June)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Drax buys Pinnacle, the largest British Columbia pellet producer; 500+ scientists write to five leaders (February); Northampton County op-ed (December)"},{"y":2022,"t":"BBC Panorama reports on Pinnacle’s logging licences (October)"},{"y":2023,"t":"RED III adopted (April); the WWF-US director leaves Enviva’s board (November)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Mongabay reports Enviva’s bankruptcy (April); Ofgem finding and £25 m payment by Drax (August); Gloster fine of $225,000; Enviva emerges from restructuring (6 December)"},{"y":2026,"t":"Ember reports record 2025 subsidy of £999 m and 14.1 Mt CO₂e emissions (July)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Pellets made from residues","who":"Enviva and Drax (paraphrase)","src":null},{"t":"Biomass counted as renewable in official statistics and as a zero emission factor in carbon accounting","who":"EU and UK rules","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"Ember: Drax received £999 million in subsidy in 2025 and £8.72 billion since 2012; it emitted 14.1 Mt CO₂e in 2025 and burned 7.5 Mt of wood, more than 99% imported and 86.7% from the US and Canada.","src":0},{"t":"Ofgem found that Drax misreported 2021–2022 Canadian import data; Drax agreed to pay £25 million (August 2024).","src":3},{"t":"Gloster, Mississippi pellet plant: air-pollution fines of $2.5 million (2020) and $225,000 (2024).","src":5},{"t":"Mongabay: Enviva went bankrupt in April 2024; allegations that whole trees were used; it had supplied about 15% of Drax’s fuel.","src":11},{"t":"Enviva emerged from the restructuring in December 2024, with about $1.0 billion of debt eliminated and $250 million of new capital, and with sales based on long-term contracts in Japan, the UK and the EU.","src":10},{"t":"Jeffrey Ubben, a director of WWF-US, served on Enviva’s board from June 2020 to November 2023.","src":12},{"t":"David Leuschen, a director of Conservation International, is listed as a past Enviva board member.","src":13},{"t":"FSC suspended the Vietnamese pellet producer AVP after a false FSC claim.","src":14},{"t":"The International Renewable Energy Agency defines renewable energy as energy produced “sustainably” from renewable sources and lists bioenergy first; the definition gives no measure of sustainability.","src":15}],"ledger":{"currency":"GBP","window":"2012–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[{"label":"Drax: UK subsidy received","amount":8720,"note":"Ember, July 2026; £999 million of it in 2025. Funded by UK electricity bill payers, about £13 per household per year in 2025."}],"otherTotal":{"amount":8720},"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Drax emissions, 2025","v":"14.1 Mt CO₂e","d":"Ember, July 2026; more than four times the second-largest UK source"},{"k":"Forest converted to pellets by Enviva, North Carolina","v":"~60,000 acres a year","d":"Estimate cited in coverage of the February 2021 scientists’ letter"},{"k":"Wood burned by Drax, 2025","v":"7.5 Mt","d":"More than 99% imported; 86.7% from the US and Canada"}]},"unknown":["Sources differ on how many scientists signed the January 2018 letter to the European Parliament: 650 to 800.","Unconfirmed: that Ofgem described the breach as technical in nature and found no intent, and found no evidence that a 70% sustainability threshold had not been met.","Unconfirmed: a secondary report attributes to BBC Panorama a figure of more than 40,000 tonnes of wood from old-growth forest taken by Drax in 2023; the figure and its date are unconfirmed.","Unconfirmed: that the Gloster plant later won, on appeal, a classification allowing a higher pollution limit.","Unconfirmed: Ember’s estimate that Drax’s move to biomass with carbon capture and storage would need about £30 billion in additional subsidy.","Unconfirmed: that Drax’s executives were not personally prosecuted."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Not stopped. Drax continued to burn wood pellets and receive subsidy in 2025; Enviva emerged from bankruptcy in December 2024 with long-term customer contracts in Japan, the UK and the EU.","whoPaid":"UK electricity bill payers funded the Drax subsidy; Drax’s payment of £25 million to settle the Ofgem finding equals about 0.29% of the subsidy received since 2012.","statusLine":"As of July 2026: Drax received a record £999 million in UK subsidy in 2025; Enviva emerged from bankruptcy in December 2024; wood biomass remains counted as renewable under EU rules.","updated":"2026-07-09","responses":[{"actor":"Drax","says":"Said it used only sawdust and waste wood (reported as its response to the BBC Panorama programme).","when":"October 2022","src":4},{"actor":"Drax","says":"Agreed to pay £25 million after Ofgem found it had misreported Canadian import data.","when":"August 2024","src":3},{"actor":"Ofgem","says":"Described the breach as technical in nature and found no intent (unconfirmed).","when":"August 2024","src":3},{"actor":"Enviva","says":"Announced its successful emergence from the financial restructuring process.","when":"6 December 2024","src":10}],"actors":[{"id":"drax","role":"UK power station burning wood pellets"},{"id":"enviva","role":"US wood-pellet producer and supplier to Drax"},{"id":"ofgem","role":"Regulator that found the data-reporting breach"},{"id":"irena","role":"Definition of renewable energy that lists bioenergy"},{"id":"cepf","role":"European forest owners’ confederation commenting on RED III"},{"id":"fsc","role":"Certifier that suspended the pellet producer AVP"}],"disputes":[{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Is burning wood pellets for power a renewable, low-carbon source?","positions":[{"voice":"research","holder":"More than 500 scientists","says":"Burning wood initially emits two to three times more carbon per kilowatt-hour than fossil fuels, and the emissions are not counted under the EU rule.","src":6},{"voice":"standard","holder":"EU and UK carbon accounting","says":"Biomass has a zero emission factor.","src":null},{"voice":"international","holder":"IRENA","says":"Defines renewable energy as energy produced sustainably from renewable sources, with bioenergy listed first and no measure of sustainability.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"WWF Central and Eastern Europe","says":"The revised directive continues to allow the burning of trees for energy.","src":7},{"voice":"company","holder":"Confederation of European Forest Owners","says":"Said the worst provisions were avoided in the RED III negotiations, though implementation could be challenging.","src":8}]},{"aboutNature":true,"point":"Do Drax’s pellets come from old-growth forest?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"BBC Panorama (via NRDC)","says":"Reported that Drax’s subsidiary Pinnacle held logging licences in British Columbia areas that include old-growth forest.","src":4},{"voice":"company","holder":"Drax","says":"Said it used only sawdust and waste wood.","src":4}]},{"point":"Was the Drax reporting breach serious?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Ofgem","says":"Found the company misreported 2021–2022 Canadian import data; described as technical in nature with no intent found.","src":3},{"voice":"company","holder":"Drax","says":"Agreed to pay £25 million.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Ofgem: Drax biomass import-data reporting breach","forum":"Ofgem (Great Britain energy regulator)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Ofgem","defendant":"Drax","filed":null,"decided":"2024-08","status":"settled","amount":{"value":25,"currency":"GBP","label":"£25 million (value in millions)"},"summary":"Ofgem found that Drax misreported its 2021–2022 Canadian import data. Drax agreed to pay £25 million.","src":3},{"title":"Gloster, Mississippi pellet plant: air-pollution fines","forum":"Mississippi environmental regulator (not named)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"Mississippi regulator","defendant":"Drax pellet plant, Gloster","filed":null,"decided":"2020; 2024","status":"claimant-won","amount":{"value":2.5,"currency":"USD","label":"$2.5 million (2020) and $225,000 (2024); value in millions for the 2020 fine"},"summary":"The plant received air-pollution fines of $2.5 million in 2020 and $225,000 in 2024.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"subsidy","value":8720,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Cumulative UK subsidy received by Drax since 2012 (Ember)."},{"key":"subsidy","value":999,"unit":"GBP m","year":2025,"note":"Record annual subsidy received by Drax in 2025 (Ember)."},{"key":"emissions_tonnes_co2e","value":14100000,"unit":"tonnes CO₂e","year":2025,"note":"Drax emissions; more than four times the second-largest UK source (Ember)."},{"key":"wood_burned_tonnes","value":7500000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"More than 99% imported; 86.7% from the US and Canada (Ember)."},{"key":"fine","value":25,"unit":"GBP m","year":2024,"note":"Payment agreed by Drax after the Ofgem finding; about 0.29% of the £8.72 billion subsidy received since 2012."},{"key":"fine","value":2.5,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"note":"Air-pollution fine, Gloster, Mississippi pellet plant."},{"key":"fine","value":0.225,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Air-pollution fine, Gloster, Mississippi pellet plant."},{"key":"area_ha","value":24300,"unit":"ha a year","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Estimate cited in coverage of the February 2021 scientists’ letter: about 60,000 acres (243 km²) of forest a year converted to pellets by Enviva in North Carolina."},{"key":"pellets_tonnes","value":2500000,"unit":"tonnes a year","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","est":true,"note":"Enviva pellet output in North Carolina cited in the same coverage."},{"key":"debt_eliminated","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Enviva restructuring."},{"key":"new_capital","value":250,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Enviva restructuring."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"The EU counts wood burned for power as renewable and the UK applies a zero emission factor to biomass; Drax received £8.72 billion in UK subsidy in 2012–2025, and its pellet supplier Enviva went bankrupt in 2024 and emerged in December.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Drax","what":"£8.72 billion in UK subsidy since 2012, including £999 million in 2025","src":0},{"who":"Enviva and its customers in Japan, the UK and the EU","what":"Long-term pellet supply contracts; about $1.0 billion of debt eliminated in restructuring","src":10}],"lost":[{"who":"UK electricity bill payers","what":"Fund the subsidy, about £13 per household per year in 2025","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Northampton County, North Carolina","what":"Reported dust, noise and health problems from a pellet plant (op-ed account)","src":9}]},"where":{"t":"United Kingdom (Drax); North Carolina and Mississippi, United States, and British Columbia, Canada (pellet supply).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Subsidy period 2012–2025; EU directives 2018–2023; Enviva bankruptcy April 2024.","src":0},"why":{"t":"EU and UK rules treat wood biomass as renewable with a zero emission factor, which allows it to count towards renewable-energy targets and to receive support.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Wood pellets, produced in North America, are shipped to the UK and burned for power; the emissions are not counted under the EU rule.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"Drax’s £25 million payment in 2024 equals about 0.29% of the £8.72 billion subsidy received in 2012–2025 (the two amounts cover different periods).","src":3}},"sources":[{"t":"UK’s largest emitter Drax reports record emissions in 2025","p":"Ember","d":"2026-07-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/uks-largest-emitter-drax-reports-record-emissions-in-2025","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260821121806/https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/uks-largest-emitter-drax-reports-record-emissions-in-2025/"},{"t":"Drax received record £1 billion in biomass subsidies in 2025","p":"Ember","d":"2026","type":"ngo","u":"https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/drax-received-record-1-billion-in-biomass-subsidies-in-2025/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260508121027/https://ember-energy.org/latest-updates/drax-received-record-1-billion-in-biomass-subsidies-in-2025/"},{"t":"£1bn but falling: record subsidy for UK biomass burning enters final year","p":"Ember","d":"2026-04","type":"ngo","u":"https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/1bn-but-falling-record-subsidy-for-uk-biomass-burning-enters-final-year","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260710060819/https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/1bn-but-falling-record-subsidy-for-uk-biomass-burning-enters-final-year/"},{"t":"Drax to pay £25m penalty for data-reporting breach after wood-pellet probe","p":"Express & Star (PA)","d":"2024-08-29","type":"press","u":"https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2024/08/29/drax-to-pay-25m-penalty-for-data-reporting-breach-after-wood-pellet-probe/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240906211119/https://www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2024/08/29/drax-to-pay-25m-penalty-for-data-reporting-breach-after-wood-pellet-probe/"},{"t":"BBC reveals Drax logging old-growth forests for biomass (NRDC summary of BBC Panorama)","p":"NRDC","d":"2022-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.nrdc.org/experts/elly-pepper/bbc-reveals-drax-logging-old-growth-forests-biomass","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20221203181627/https://www.nrdc.org/experts/elly-pepper/bbc-reveals-drax-logging-old-growth-forests-biomass"},{"t":"Drax receives another fine for air pollution violations in Gloster","p":"Mississippi Today","d":"2024-09-12","type":"press","u":"https://mississippitoday.org/2024/09/12/drax-receives-another-fine-for-air-pollution-violations-in-gloster/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260323190540/https://mississippitoday.org/2024/09/12/drax-receives-another-fine-for-air-pollution-violations-in-gloster/"},{"t":"500 experts call on world’s nations to not burn forests to make energy","p":"Mongabay","d":"2021-02-15","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/500-experts-call-on-worlds-nations-to-not-burn-forests-to-make-energy/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260814094229/https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/500-experts-call-on-worlds-nations-to-not-burn-forests-to-make-energy/"},{"t":"The newly revised Renewable Energy Directive continues to greenlight burning trees for energy","p":"WWF Central and Eastern Europe","d":"2023-04-10","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.wwfcee.org/news/the-newly-revised-renewable-energy-directive-continues-to-greenlight-burning-trees-for-energy","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240619132730/https://wwfcee.org/news/the-newly-revised-renewable-energy-directive-continues-to-greenlight-burning-trees-for-energy"},{"t":"European forest owners on RED III trilogues: worst provisions avoided, but implementation can be challenging","p":"Confederation of European Forest Owners","d":"2023-03-31","type":"company","u":"https://www.cepf-eu.org/sites/default/files/20230331_European%20Forest%20Owners%20on%20REDIII%20trilogues%20Worst%20provisions%20avoided%2C%20but%20implementation%20can%20be%20challe.pdf","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116035202/https://www.cepf-eu.org/sites/default/files/20230331_European%20Forest%20Owners%20on%20REDIII%20trilogues%20Worst%20provisions%20avoided%2C%20but%20implementation%20can%20be%20challe.pdf"},{"t":"The UK’s biomass subsidies are harming residents in North Carolina communities like mine (op-ed by a Northampton County resident)","p":"DeSmog","d":"2021-12-14","type":"press","u":"https://www.desmog.com/2021/12/14/the-uks-biomass-subsidies-are-harming-residents-in-north-carolina-communities-like-mine","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260410125241/https://www.desmog.com/2021/12/14/the-uks-biomass-subsidies-are-harming-residents-in-north-carolina-communities-like-mine/"},{"t":"Enviva announces successful emergence from financial restructuring process","p":"BusinessWire (Enviva)","d":"2024-12-06","type":"company","u":"https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241206254913/en/Enviva-Announces-Successful-Emergence-from-Financial-Restructuring-Process-Positioned-for-Sustainable-Growth-and-Continued-Market-Leadership","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613224646/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241206254913/en/Enviva-Announces-Successful-Emergence-from-Financial-Restructuring-Process-Positioned-for-Sustainable-Growth-and-Continued-Market-Leadership"},{"t":"Enviva bankruptcy fallout ripples through biomass industry in US and EU","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-04","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/enviva-bankruptcy-fallout-ripples-through-biomass-industry-u-s-and-eu/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260819233558/https://news.mongabay.com/2024/04/enviva-bankruptcy-fallout-ripples-through-biomass-industry-u-s-and-eu/"},{"t":"ExxonMobil 2025 proxy statement (director biographies)","p":"ExxonMobil / SEC","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/34088/000119312525073986/d895092ddef14a.htm"},{"t":"Agriculture & Natural Solutions Acquisition Corp. 2025 proxy statement (director biographies)","p":"SEC","d":"2025","type":"official","u":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1854149/000095017025080569/ansc-20250602.htm"},{"t":"FSC suspends Vietnamese wood pellet producer AVP","p":"Argus Media","d":"2022-11-01","u":"https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news-and-insights/latest-market-news/2386288-fsc-suspends-vietnamese-wood-pellet-producer-avp","type":"press"},{"t":"Statute of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Bonn, 26 January 2009, Article III (text published by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)","p":"International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)","d":"2009-01-26","u":"https://aphref.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/2february2010/treaties/irena_text.pdf","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"woody-biomass","related":["drax-biomass-subsidies"],"natureLead":{"t":"Drax burned 7.5 million tonnes of wood in 2025, more than 99% of it imported, and put 14.1 million tonnes of CO2e into my air, Ember reports.","src":[0]},"subtags":["burning:fuel-combustion"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Is burning wood pellets for power a renewable, low-carbon source?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Do Drax’s pellets come from old-growth forest?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the Drax reporting breach serious?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Sources differ on how many scientists signed the January 2018 letter to the European Parliament: 650 to 800.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Ofgem described the breach as technical in nature and found no intent, and found no evidence that a 70% sustainability threshold had not been met.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a secondary report attributes to BBC Panorama a figure of more than 40,000 tonnes of wood from old-growth forest taken by Drax in 2023; the figure and its date are unconfirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the Gloster plant later won, on appeal, a classification allowing a higher pollution limit.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Ember’s estimate that Drax’s move to biomass with carbon capture and storage would need about £30 billion in additional subsidy.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Drax’s executives were not personally prosecuted.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"cobalt-child-labour-lawsuits-against-tech-firms","title":"Cobalt child labour lawsuits against tech firms (DR Congo)","dek":"In March 2024 a US appeals court held that buying cobalt from a global supply chain was not participation in a venture using child labour. A Paris prosecutor also decided not to prosecute in a Congo complaint against Apple.","country":"DR Congo","region":"Africa","lat":-2.9,"lon":23.7,"places":[{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","role":"affected"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"court"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"court"}],"start":2024,"end":null,"instrument":"mining","types":["mining"],"headline":{"label":"US appeals court ruling on cobalt purchases and child labour, March 2024","value":"Sided with the companies","note":"Doe 1 et al v. Apple Inc. et al, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 5 March 2024, as reported by Reuters via Kitco."},"happened":["On 5 March 2024 the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (Doe 1 et al v. Apple Inc. et al) ruled 3-0 that buying cobalt from a global supply chain did not amount to participation in a venture using forced child labour, upholding a November 2021 dismissal by District Judge Carl Nichols. The 16 plaintiffs, former child miners and representatives of five children killed in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), had sued Alphabet, Apple, Dell Technologies, Microsoft and Tesla under a federal anti-trafficking and forced-labour law. The court found the plaintiffs had standing but had not shown more than a buyer-seller relationship with suppliers. Their lawyer, Terry Collingsworth, said they were far from finished seeking accountability (Reuters via Kitco).","In December 2024 the DR Congo government filed criminal complaints in France and Belgium against Apple subsidiaries over minerals it said were exported illegally from Congo via Rwanda; Apple disputed the allegations. On 18 February 2025 the Paris prosecutor's office closed the French complaint, finding the money-laundering and deceptive-practices allegations not sufficiently well-founded, and referred Congo to the office with jurisdiction over war crimes. Congo's lawyers William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth said they would challenge the decision at the Paris Court of Appeal (Reuters, via Business & Human Rights Resource Centre).","DR Congo's own cobalt policy changed during the same period. The government suspended cobalt exports in February 2025, according to an International Energy Agency policy record, and later set an annual export quota of 96,600 tonnes for 2026 and 2027. The cobalt price nearly doubled between February and October 2025. Under the country's 2018 mining code the cobalt royalty rose from 2% to 10%."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"DR Congo mining code raises the cobalt royalty from 2% to 10%"},{"y":2023,"t":"Amnesty International reports forced evictions linked to cobalt and copper mining expansion (September)"},{"y":2024,"t":"US appeals court rules that buying cobalt from a global supply chain is not participation in a child-labour venture (March)"},{"y":2025,"t":"DR Congo suspends cobalt exports (February); the cobalt price nearly doubles by October"},{"y":2026,"t":"Annual cobalt export quota of 96,600 tonnes applies for 2026 and 2027"}],"said":[],"shown":[],"recorded":[{"t":"A US appeals court held in March 2024 that purchasing cobalt from a global supply chain was not 'participation' in a child-labour venture.","src":0},{"t":"A Paris prosecutor decided not to prosecute in the Congo complaint concerning Apple.","src":1},{"t":"DR Congo suspended cobalt exports in February 2025.","src":2},{"t":"Amnesty International reported in September 2023 that the expansion of cobalt and copper mining in DR Congo involved forced evictions.","src":3},{"t":"A Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports investigation, with a study in Nature Communications, estimated that DR Congo's cobalt exports from 2000 to 2024 carried between 2,000 and 5,000 tonnes of natural uranium.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2026","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"US appeals court ruling, March 2024","v":"For the companies","d":"Buying cobalt from a global supply chain was not 'participation' in a child-labour venture"},{"k":"Paris prosecutor, Congo complaint concerning Apple","v":"No prosecution","d":"Decision date not stated in the cited sources"},{"k":"Natural uranium in cobalt exports, 2000–2024","v":"More than 2,000 t","d":"Estimate by a Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports investigation and a Nature Communications study"}]},"unknown":["No record was found that the DR Congo state's gain from the higher cobalt royalty reached communities or nature."],"evidence":["court-ruling","displacement"],"harmStopped":"The record available does not show any change in cobalt sourcing practice resulting from the lawsuits. DR Congo suspended exports in February 2025 and set a quota for 2026 and 2027.","whoPaid":"The record available does not say who bore the cost of the alleged child labour. Amnesty International reported forced evictions linked to cobalt and copper mining expansion.","statusLine":"The US appeals court ruled for the companies in March 2024; the Paris prosecutor closed Congo's complaint against Apple subsidiaries in February 2025, and Congo's lawyers said they would challenge it; the outcome of that challenge and of the Belgian complaint is not stated in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"apple","role":"Technology company named in the Paris complaint and, per the report headline, in the US suit"},{"id":"tesla","role":"Technology company named in the headline of the US ruling report"},{"id":"paris-prosecutors-office","role":"Prosecutor that decided not to prosecute"},{"id":"drc-government","role":"Government that suspended cobalt exports and set a quota"},{"id":"iea","role":"Source of the export-suspension policy record"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Does buying cobalt through a global supply chain amount to participating in a venture that uses child labour?","positions":[{"voice":"court","holder":"US appeals court","says":"Held in March 2024 that purchasing cobalt from a global supply chain was not 'participation' in a child-labour venture.","src":0}]},{"point":"Should the company named in the Congo complaint concerning Apple be prosecuted in France?","positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Paris prosecutor","says":"Decided that there were no grounds to prosecute.","src":5}]}],"legal":[{"title":"US appeals court ruling on cobalt purchases and child labour","forum":"US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (No. 21-7135)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"16 plaintiffs: former child miners and representatives of five children killed in cobalt mining in DR Congo","defendant":"Alphabet, Apple, Dell Technologies, Microsoft and Tesla","filed":null,"decided":"2024-03","status":"defendant-won","summary":"On 5 March 2024 a three-judge panel (opinion by Judge Neomi Rao) upheld the November 2021 dismissal of the suit, holding that buying cobalt from a global supply chain was not participation in a forced-labour venture. The alleged harm occurred in DR Congo.","src":0},{"title":"Congo complaint concerning Apple, Paris","forum":"Paris prosecutor's office","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo","defendant":"Apple subsidiaries in France","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"Complaint filed in December 2024 over minerals Congo said were exported illegally via Rwanda. On 18 February 2025 the prosecutor closed the case, finding the money-laundering and deceptive-practices allegations not sufficiently well-founded; Congo's lawyers said they would challenge the decision at the Paris Court of Appeal. A parallel complaint was filed in Belgium.","src":5}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"cobalt_export_quota_tonnes","value":96600,"unit":"tonnes per year","year":2026,"note":"DR Congo annual cobalt export quota for 2026 and 2027, following the export suspension of February 2025."},{"key":"cobalt_price_multiple","value":2,"unit":"x","year":2025,"qualifier":"nearly","note":"Cobalt metal price nearly doubled between February and October 2025."},{"key":"royalty_rate_before","value":2,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Cobalt royalty before the 2018 DR Congo mining code."},{"key":"royalty_rate_after","value":10,"unit":"%","year":2018,"note":"Cobalt royalty after the 2018 DR Congo mining code."},{"key":"uranium_in_cobalt_exports_tonnes","value":2000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"qualifier":"more than","est":true,"note":"Natural uranium embedded in DR Congo cobalt exports, 2000–2024; estimate by a Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports investigation and a Nature Communications study."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Lawsuits and a criminal complaint over cobalt in technology companies' supply chains. The record available covers a US appeals court ruling in March 2024 and a Paris prosecutor's decision not to prosecute.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Technology companies named in the suits","what":"A US appeals court held that buying cobalt from a global supply chain was not participation in a child-labour venture.","src":0},{"who":"DR Congo state budget","what":"The cobalt royalty rose from 2% to 10% under the 2018 mining code. No record was found that this gain reached communities or nature.","src":null}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Communities near cobalt and copper mines","what":"Amnesty International reported forced evictions linked to mining expansion.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"The harm is alleged to have occurred in DR Congo; the rulings were made by a US appeals court and a Paris prosecutor.","src":0},"when":{"t":"US appeals court ruling on 5 March 2024; Paris prosecutor's decision on 18 February 2025.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The US ruling turned on whether buying cobalt from a global supply chain counts as participation in a venture using child labour.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The court treated purchasing from a global supply chain as not amounting to participation.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"US court sides with Apple, Tesla, other tech companies over child labor (Reuters)","p":"Kitco","d":"2024-03-06","type":"press","u":"https://www.kitco.com/news/off-the-wire/2024-03-06/us-court-sides-apple-tesla-other-tech-companies-over-child-labor"},{"t":"Paris prosecutor decision not to prosecute in the Congo complaint concerning Apple (Reuters)","p":"Environmental Peacebuilding Association","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.environmentalpeacebuilding.org/news/show/5424dee6ef1c"},{"t":"Temporary suspension of cobalt export from the Democratic Republic of Congo","p":"International Energy Agency","d":"2025-02","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://www.iea.org/policies/28969-temporary-suspension-of-cobalt-export-from-the-democratic-republic-of-congo","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260911144613/https://www.iea.org/policies/28969-temporary-suspension-of-cobalt-export-from-the-democratic-republic-of-congo"},{"t":"DR Congo: huge expansion of cobalt and copper mining wrecking lives, new report","p":"Amnesty International UK","d":"2023-09","type":"ngo","u":"https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/dr-congo-huge-expansion-cobalt-and-copper-mining-wrecking-lives-new-report/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260825214513/https://www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/dr-congo-huge-expansion-cobalt-and-copper-mining-wrecking-lives-new-report/"},{"t":"Congo's hidden uranium exports","p":"Lighthouse Reports (with the Financial Times; study by Manzuk and Philippe in Nature Communications)","d":"2026-07-30","u":"https://www.lighthousereports.com/investigation/congos-hidden-uranium-exports/","type":"investigative"},{"t":"Paris prosecutor dismisses case against Apple over DRC conflict minerals","p":"Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (Reuters)","d":"2025-02-28","u":"https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/paris-prosecutor-dismisses-case-against-apple-over-drc-conflict-minerals","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"supply-chain-litigation","related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"From 2000 to 2024, cobalt taken from my Congo ground carried out more than 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium in exports, by a Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports estimate.","src":[4]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Does buying cobalt through a global supply chain amount to participating in a venture that uses child labour?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Should the company named in the Congo complaint concerning Apple be prosecuted in France?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No record was found that the DR Congo state's gain from the higher cobalt royalty reached communities or nature.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Who gained: DR Congo state budget"]},{"id":"mineral-commodities-v-reddell","title":"Mineral Commodities v Reddell (Xolobeni/Tormin SLAPP)","dek":"From 2017 an Australia-based mining company and its affiliates sued six critics of its South African mines for about R14.25 million in defamation damages. In 2022 the Constitutional Court recognised the SLAPP defence as part of the law on abuse of process.","country":"South Africa","region":"Africa","lat":-31.3,"lon":29.9,"places":[{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Eastern Cape","lat":-31.3,"lon":29.9,"role":"affected"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","admin":"Western Cape","lat":-33.9,"lon":18.4,"role":"court"},{"country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","role":"court"},{"country":"Australia","iso2":"AU","role":"company-home"}],"start":2017,"end":2023,"instrument":"carbon-credit","types":["carbon-credit"],"headline":{"label":"Damages claimed against six critics","value":"R14.25 million","note":"About US$759,802. Amount claimed, not awarded; part of the claims was settled on confidential terms in November 2023."},"happened":["Sikhosiphi \"Bazooka\" Rhadebe chaired the Amadiba Crisis Committee, which opposed the Xolobeni titanium sands project of TEM, a company 56% owned by Australia-based Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC). On the evening of 22 March 2016, two men who said they were police shot him eight times outside his home in Mbizana, Eastern Cape, in front of his 17-year-old son. Less than two hours earlier he had told a friend that there was a \"death list\" with his name, the friend's name and that of the committee's deputy chair, Mzamo Dlamini. MRC said it had no connection with the killing.","No arrests had been made two years later. A civil-society report cited by GroundUp in March 2018 said the investigation had been sabotaged from within the police and that Dlamini had never been interviewed. In 2023 amaBhungane reported an unsigned note from a Hawks general (the Hawks are the police's priority-crimes unit) that appeared to justify abandoning the investigation. In July 2016 MRC had announced that it would sell its stake in the Xolobeni project to Keysha; completion of the sale was not confirmed.","In 2017 MRC, its affiliate (the case is captioned MRC / Mineral Sands Resources) and its director Mark Caruso sued six people for a total of about R14.25 million in defamation damages: Dlamini, lawyer Cormac Cullinan, Christine Reddell, John Clarke, Tracey Davies and community activist Davine Cloete, a critic of MRC's Tormin mine.","In February 2021 the Western Cape High Court (Deputy Judge President Goliath, [2021] ZAWCHC 22) accepted SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) as a viable defence. TimesLIVE reported that the court said the suits appeared to be a pretext to silence critics and an abuse of the judicial process. On 14 November 2022 the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously ([2022] ZACC 37, Majiedt J, with companion ruling [2022] ZACC 38) that a SLAPP defence fits within the common-law doctrine of abuse of process, and gave the defendants leave to amend their pleas. In November 2023 just over half of the claims were settled out of court on confidential terms, GroundUp reported: MRC's R1 million claim against Dlamini and R500,000 claim against Cullinan; Mineral Sands Resources' R250,000 claims each against Reddell, Davies and Cloete and Zamile Qunya's R500,000 claim against Cloete; and MRC's 14 claims totalling R5 million against Clarke. Former MRC executive chairman Mark Caruso was not part of the settlement and continued his personal claims of about R7 million against Dlamini, Cullinan and Clarke.","In a separate case decided on 22 November 2018, Baleni and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Others, the High Court in Pretoria ruled that community consent is required before a mining right is granted. There were 129 applicants."],"timeline":[{"y":2016,"t":"Rhadebe shot dead in Mbizana (22 March); MRC announces it will sell its Xolobeni stake to Keysha (July)"},{"y":2017,"t":"MRC, an affiliate and a director sue six critics for about R14.25m"},{"y":2018,"t":"No arrests two years after the killing (March); High Court in Pretoria rules community consent is required before a mining right is granted (22 November)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Western Cape High Court accepts SLAPP as a viable defence (February)"},{"y":2022,"t":"Constitutional Court recognises the SLAPP defence within abuse of process (14 November)"},{"y":2023,"t":"Hawks general's unsigned note appears to justify abandoning the Rhadebe investigation; company claims against all six defendants settled on confidential terms, while Mark Caruso's personal claims continue (November)"}],"said":[{"q":"a SLAPP suit defence ensures that courts can protect their own integrity by guarding over the use of their processes","who":"Constitutional Court of South Africa, [2022] ZACC 37, para 100","when":"14 November 2022","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The suits were brought as defamation actions seeking about R14.25m in total from six critics of MRC's mines.","who":"MRC, its affiliate and its director Mark Caruso (claimants)","src":0},{"t":"MRC had no connection with the killing of Rhadebe.","who":"MRC","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Rhadebe was shot eight times on 22 March 2016. No arrests were reported as of 2023.","src":4},{"t":"In March 2018 a civil-society report said the investigation had been sabotaged from within the police and that Dlamini had not been interviewed.","src":5},{"t":"An unsigned note from a Hawks general appeared to justify abandoning the investigation (amaBhungane, 2023).","src":6},{"t":"The Western Cape High Court accepted SLAPP as a viable defence in 2021.","src":0},{"t":"The Constitutional Court held on 14 November 2022 that a SLAPP defence fits within the common-law doctrine of abuse of process.","src":2},{"t":"MRC's R1m claim against Dlamini and R500,000 claim against Cullinan were settled in November 2023 on confidential terms.","src":1},{"t":"The High Court in Pretoria ruled on 22 November 2018 that community consent is required before a mining right is granted.","src":8}],"ledger":{"currency":"ZAR","window":"2017–2023","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Damages claimed","v":"R14.25m","d":"Total claimed against six defendants (about US$759,802)"},{"k":"SLAPP defence","v":"Recognised","d":"Constitutional Court, 14 November 2022"},{"k":"Settlement","v":"Partial, confidential","d":"November 2023; status of remaining claims not found"}]},"unknown":["The terms of the November 2023 partial settlement are confidential.","The outcome of Mark Caruso's continuing claims against Dlamini, Cullinan and Clarke is not stated in the sources.","Whether MRC's 2016 sale of its Xolobeni stake to Keysha closed was not confirmed.","The latest status of the Xolobeni mining application was not found.","No arrests were reported in the Rhadebe killing; whether any followed after 2018 was not found."],"evidence":["court-ruling","deaths"],"harmStopped":"The company claims were settled in November 2023; Mark Caruso's personal claims against three defendants continued. No arrests were reported in the 2016 killing.","whoPaid":"A man was killed in 2016. Six defendants faced claims totalling about R14.25 million from 2017, and part of the claims was settled on confidential terms in 2023.","statusLine":"As of November 2023: the Constitutional Court had recognised the SLAPP defence in 2022, the company claims were settled on confidential terms, Mark Caruso's personal claims of about R7 million against three defendants continued, and no arrests were reported in the 2016 killing.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"mineral-commodities","says":"Said it had no connection with the killing of Rhadebe.","when":"2016–2017","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"mineral-commodities","role":"Australia-based mining company; 56% owner of TEM, the Xolobeni project company; claimant"},{"id":"mineral-sands-resources","role":"MRC affiliate named in the case caption; claimant"},{"id":"amadiba-crisis-committee","role":"Community committee that opposed the Xolobeni project"},{"id":"sa-constitutional-court","role":"Recognised the SLAPP defence in 2022"},{"id":"western-cape-high-court","role":"Accepted SLAPP as a viable defence in 2021"},{"id":"hawks","role":"Police priority-crimes unit that investigated the Rhadebe killing"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the defamation suits legitimate claims or an abuse of the court's process to silence critics?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"MRC, its affiliate and its director Mark Caruso","says":"Sued six critics for a total of about R14.25m in defamation damages.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Western Cape High Court","says":"Accepted SLAPP as a viable defence; TimesLIVE reported the court said the suits appeared to be a pretext to silence critics and an abuse of the judicial process.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Constitutional Court","says":"A SLAPP defence fits within the doctrine of abuse of process; the defendants were given leave to amend their pleas.","src":2}]},{"point":"Was MRC connected to the killing of Rhadebe?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"MRC","says":"Said it had no connection with the killing.","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Civil-society report cited by GroundUp","says":"The investigation had been sabotaged from within the police and Dlamini had not been interviewed.","src":5},{"voice":"press","holder":"amaBhungane","says":"An unsigned note from a Hawks general appeared to justify abandoning the investigation.","src":6}]}],"legal":[{"title":"MRC / Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell and others (defamation)","forum":"Western Cape High Court; Constitutional Court","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"civil","claimant":"MRC, Mineral Sands Resources, Mark Caruso and Zamile Qunya","defendant":"Mzamo Dlamini, Cormac Cullinan, Christine Reddell, John Clarke, Tracey Davies and Davine Cloete","filed":"2017","decided":"2022-11-14","status":"ongoing","amount":{"value":14.25,"currency":"ZAR","label":"Claimed in total, million (about US$759,802)"},"summary":"The High Court accepted SLAPP as a viable defence in February 2021. The Constitutional Court ruled unanimously on 14 November 2022 that a SLAPP defence fits within abuse of process and gave the defendants leave to amend their pleas. In November 2023 the claims of MRC, Mineral Sands Resources and Zamile Qunya were settled on confidential terms; Mark Caruso's personal claims of about R7m against Dlamini, Cullinan and Clarke continued (GroundUp).","src":9},{"title":"Baleni and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Others","forum":"High Court, Pretoria","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"administrative","claimant":"Baleni and 128 others (129 applicants)","defendant":"Minister of Mineral Resources and others","filed":null,"decided":"2018-11-22","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court ruled that community consent is required before a mining right is granted.","src":8},{"title":"Investigation into the killing of Sikhosiphi Rhadebe","forum":"South African police (Hawks) criminal investigation","country":"South Africa","iso2":"ZA","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State","defendant":"None identified","filed":"2016","decided":null,"status":"no-defendant","summary":"No arrests were reported. An unsigned note from a Hawks general appeared to justify abandoning the investigation, according to amaBhungane in 2023.","src":6}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"claim","value":14.25,"unit":"ZAR m","year":2017,"note":"Total defamation damages claimed against six defendants."},{"key":"claim_usd","value":0.759802,"unit":"USD m","year":2017,"note":"US dollar equivalent given for the R14.25m claim (US$759,802)."},{"key":"claim","value":1,"unit":"ZAR m","year":2023,"note":"MRC claim against Mzamo Dlamini; settled in November 2023 on confidential terms."},{"key":"claim","value":0.5,"unit":"ZAR m","year":2023,"note":"MRC claim against Cormac Cullinan; settled in November 2023 on confidential terms."},{"key":"defendants","value":6,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Dlamini, Cullinan, Reddell, Clarke, Davies and Cloete."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2016,"note":"Sikhosiphi Rhadebe, shot eight times on 22 March 2016."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Defamation suits for about R14.25 million against six critics of MRC's mines, in which South African courts examined the SLAPP defence.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Defendants in South African civil claims","what":"The Constitutional Court held that a SLAPP defence fits within abuse of process.","src":2}],"lost":[{"who":"The six defendants","what":"Faced claims totalling about R14.25m from 2017; part was settled on confidential terms in 2023.","src":1}],"harmed":[{"who":"Sikhosiphi Rhadebe","what":"Shot dead on 22 March 2016; no arrests were reported.","src":4}]},"where":{"t":"Xolobeni and Mbizana, Eastern Cape; Tormin; the Western Cape High Court and the Constitutional Court of South Africa.","src":4},"when":{"t":"Killing in 2016; suits from 2017; High Court ruling February 2021; Constitutional Court ruling 14 November 2022; partial settlement November 2023.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The claimants alleged defamation by critics of MRC's Xolobeni and Tormin mining operations; the courts considered whether the suits were an abuse of process.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The Constitutional Court treated SLAPP as a defence within the common-law doctrine of abuse of process.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Court agrees with activists that defamation suit was abuse of process","p":"TimesLIVE","d":"2021-02-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-02-10-court-agrees-with-activists-that-defamation-suit-was-abuse-of-process/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209004514/https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2021-02-10-court-agrees-with-activists-that-defamation-suit-was-abuse-of-process/"},{"t":"Mineral Commodities Ltd SLAPP suit partly settled with environmental activists out of court","p":"Daily Maverick","d":"2023-11-22","type":"press","u":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-22-mineral-commodities-ltd-slapp-suit-partly-settled-with-environmental-activists-out-of-court/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240519232456/https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2023-11-22-mineral-commodities-ltd-slapp-suit-partly-settled-with-environmental-activists-out-of-court/"},{"t":"Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell [2022] ZACC 37","p":"Constitutional Court of South Africa (via SAFLII)","d":"2022-11-14","type":"court","u":"https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2022/37.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260209122831/https://www1.saflii.org/za/cases/ZACC/2022/37.html"},{"t":"Mineral Sands Resources v Reddell: case summary","p":"Global Freedom of Expression, Columbia University","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/?p=94256"},{"t":"Sikhosiphi Rhadebe","p":"HRD Memorial","d":null,"type":"ngo","u":"https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/sikhosiphi-rhadebe/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260611005407/https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/sikhosiphi-rhadebe/"},{"t":"Family of murdered Xolobeni activist appeal to NPA to unblock investigation","p":"GroundUp","d":"2018-03-27","type":"press","u":"https://groundup.org.za/article/family-murdered-xolobeni-activist-appeal-npa-unblock-investigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260115052241/https://groundup.org.za/article/family-murdered-xolobeni-activist-appeal-npa-unblock-investigation/"},{"t":"Xolobeni murder: Hawks general fingered for shutting down investigation","p":"amaBhungane","d":"2023","type":"investigative","u":"https://amabhungane.org/230510-xolobeni-murder-hawks-general-fingered-for-shutting-down-investigation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260613083359/https://amabhungane.org/230510-xolobeni-murder-hawks-general-fingered-for-shutting-down-investigation/"},{"t":"MRC to sell Xolobeni stake","p":"Mining Weekly","d":"2016-07-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.miningweekly.com/article/mrc-to-sell-xolobeni-stake-2016-07-18","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220419214015/https://www.miningweekly.com/article/mrc-to-sell-xolobeni-stake-2016-07-18"},{"t":"Baleni and Others v Minister of Mineral Resources and Others (via Polity)","p":"Polity.org.za","d":"2018-11-23","type":"press","u":"https://m.polity.org.za/article/baleni-others-vs-mineral-resources-minister-others-2018-11-23"},{"t":"Aussie mining company \"SLAPP suit\" partly settled out of court","p":"GroundUp","d":"2023-11-22","u":"https://groundup.news/article/aussie-mining-companys-slapp-suit-partly-settled-out-of-court/","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"defamation-litigation","related":["bazooka-rhadebe-killing-and-xolobeni-mine","fikile-ntshangase-killing-and-somkhele-coal-mine"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the defamation suits legitimate claims or an abuse of the court's process to silence critics?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was MRC connected to the killing of Rhadebe?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"The terms of the November 2023 partial settlement are confidential.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The outcome of Mark Caruso's continuing claims against Dlamini, Cullinan and Clarke is not stated in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether MRC's 2016 sale of its Xolobeni stake to Keysha closed was not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The latest status of the Xolobeni mining application was not found.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No arrests were reported in the Rhadebe killing; whether any followed after 2018 was not found.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"kahuzi-biega-batwa-evictions-and-killings","title":"Kahuzi-Biega National Park: Batwa evictions and killings","dek":"Batwa were evicted without compensation when Kahuzi-Biega National Park in DR Congo was expanded in 1975. In April 2022 Minority Rights Group reported that park guards and soldiers killed at least 20 Batwa in 2019–2021.","country":"DR Congo","region":"Africa","lat":-2.3,"lon":28.7,"places":[{"country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","admin":"South Kivu","lat":-2.3,"lon":28.7,"role":"event"},{"country":"Germany","iso2":"DE","role":"funder"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","role":"funder"}],"start":1975,"end":2024,"instrument":"defenders","types":["defenders","protected-area"],"headline":{"label":"Batwa killed in 2019–2021 park operations, per Minority Rights Group (April 2022)","value":"at least 20","note":"Figure reported by an advocacy group via press coverage. Another account counts 29 Batwa killed in 2017–2022 (different period)."},"happened":["Kahuzi-Biega National Park in South Kivu, DR Congo, was founded in 1970. In the park's 1975 expansion, more than 6,000 Batwa, a forest people, were evicted without food, support, compensation or resettlement, according to a University of Arizona page. Some returned to ancestral land in October 2018.","The park's funders include Germany's development bank KfW (since 2008), on behalf of the German development ministry (BMZ), together with the German agency GIZ (since 1983), USAID and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). KfW and GIZ funding is reported as €66 million since 2008 across six reserves including Kahuzi-Biega. WCS took over management of the park in April 2022 under a partnership agreement.","In April 2022 Minority Rights Group (MRG) published the report \"To Purge the Forest by Force\", based on about 600 sources including more than 550 eyewitnesses. It reported three operations in 2019–2021 against at least seven Batwa villages by park guards and soldiers of the Congolese army (FARDC): at least 20 people killed, 15 raped, two burned alive and hundreds displaced. A separate account by the University of Arizona page counts 29 Batwa allegedly killed by ecoguards and/or soldiers in 2017–2022. In August 2017 a 17-year-old Batwa was shot dead by patrolling rangers while gathering medicinal plants at the park boundary; his father, who was wounded, complained to KfW and GIZ in September 2017.","WCS denied involvement in military operations. KfW asked the Congolese parks authority ICCN to investigate and said it funds no weapons or ammunition. BMZ paused support to ICCN in 2019–2020 after reporting in the German daily taz and resumed it in May 2020. In December 2020 the Bukavu military tribunal was reported to have convicted five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards of murder, and a military court in Mbandaka five Salonga ecoguards of rape and torture (3IPEP project). ICCN's inquiry commission, funded by Germany, rejected most of the allegations in 2022.","The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, in Communication 588/15, found that the 1970s eviction violated the African Charter. It made 19 recommendations, including return of titled land, compensation and a public apology. The recommendations are not binding. As of November 2024 they had not been implemented and the government had not responded. A land case has been before the Congolese Supreme Court since 2013."],"timeline":[{"y":1970,"t":"Kahuzi-Biega National Park founded"},{"y":1975,"t":"Park expanded; more than 6,000 Batwa evicted without compensation or resettlement"},{"y":2008,"t":"KfW begins funding the park (GIZ since 1983)"},{"y":2013,"t":"Land case filed before the Congolese Supreme Court (reported ongoing)"},{"y":2017,"t":"A 17-year-old Batwa shot dead by rangers (26 Aug); father complains to KfW and GIZ (Sep)"},{"y":2018,"t":"Some Batwa return to ancestral land (Oct)"},{"y":2019,"t":"Three operations by park guards and soldiers begin (2019–2021, per MRG); BMZ pauses support to ICCN (2019–2020)"},{"y":2020,"t":"BMZ resumes support (May); Bukavu military tribunal reported (Dec) to convict five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards of murder"},{"y":2022,"t":"MRG report (Apr); WCS takes over park management (Apr); ICCN commission rejects most allegations; African Commission decision"},{"y":2023,"t":"France reported to drop a funding plan (Jul)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Commission decision published (Jun); recommendations unimplemented as of Nov"}],"said":[{"q":"underwritten by the German and US governments","who":"Minority Rights Group, April 2022 report, describing the 2019–2021 campaign (as summarised by Mongabay)","when":"April 2022","src":1}],"shown":[{"t":"The park is a UNESCO World Heritage site (inscribed 1980)","who":"UNESCO World Heritage listing","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"More than 6,000 Batwa were evicted at the 1975 expansion without food, support, compensation or resettlement.","src":0},{"t":"MRG's April 2022 report documented three operations in 2019–2021 against at least seven Batwa villages: at least 20 killed, 15 raped, two burned alive, hundreds displaced; perpetrators named as park guards and FARDC soldiers.","src":1},{"t":"29 Batwa were reported killed in 2017–2022.","src":0},{"t":"In 2020 a military tribunal in Bukavu was reported to have convicted five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards of murder, and a military court in Mbandaka five Salonga ecoguards of rape and torture.","src":0},{"t":"The African Commission found the 1970s eviction violated the African Charter and made 19 non-binding recommendations; none implemented as of November 2024.","src":4},{"t":"France reportedly dropped a funding plan in July 2023.","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"since 2008","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Batwa evicted in 1975","v":"6,000+","d":"Evicted at the park's expansion without compensation or resettlement (University of Arizona page)"},{"k":"Killed in 2019–2021 operations","v":"at least 20","d":"Reported by Minority Rights Group, April 2022; figure as reported by Mongabay"},{"k":"Proceedings against funders","v":"None found","d":"Ten ecoguards were convicted in 2020; no proceedings against the park's funders were found"}]},"unknown":["Counts of Batwa killed differ by period: at least 20 in 2019–2021 (MRG) and 29 in 2017–2022 (University of Arizona page).","Whether the father of the 17-year-old shot in 2017 also died: a 2018 UN communication cited by the University of Arizona page records that he did, which conflicts with the record of his September 2017 complaint to KfW and GIZ.","The date of the African Commission's decision: recorded as 2022 (published June 2024) in one account and as 2022 or 2024 in others.","No proceedings against the park's funders (KfW, GIZ, USAID, WCS) were found.","No ruling is recorded in the land case before the Congolese Supreme Court, pending since 2013.","Unconfirmed: a claim that half of the Batwa evicted from the park died within twenty years; it could not be traced to a primary source."],"evidence":["court-ruling","court-pending","displacement","deaths"],"harmStopped":"No end to the harm is recorded. The African Commission's recommendations, including return of titled land and compensation, had not been implemented as of November 2024.","whoPaid":"Batwa communities: evicted from the park's land in 1975 without compensation and, per MRG, subjected to killings, rapes and displacement in 2019–2021.","statusLine":"As of November 2024: the African Commission's 19 recommendations had not been implemented and the government had not responded; no proceedings against the park's funders were found.","updated":"2026-10-11","responses":[{"actor":"Wildlife Conservation Society","says":"Denied involvement in military operations.","when":"2022","src":1},{"actor":"KfW","says":"Asked ICCN to investigate and said it funds no weapons or ammunition. Said it finances only on the basis of applicable law.","when":"2022","src":1},{"actor":"German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)","says":"Paused support to ICCN in 2019–2020 after reporting in the daily taz, and resumed it in May 2020.","when":"2019–2020","src":1},{"actor":"ICCN (Congolese parks authority)","says":"Its inquiry commission, funded by Germany, rejected most of the allegations.","when":"2022","src":0},{"actor":"Government of DR Congo","says":"Had not responded to the African Commission's recommendations.","when":"November 2024","src":4}],"actors":[{"id":"wcs","role":"Funder, then park manager from April 2022"},{"id":"kfw","role":"Funder (since 2008)"},{"id":"giz","role":"Funder (since 1983)"},{"id":"usaid","role":"Funder"},{"id":"germany-bmz","role":"Ministry on whose behalf KfW funds the park"},{"id":"iccn","role":"Congolese parks authority"},{"id":"mrg","role":"Author of the April 2022 report"},{"id":"survival-international","role":"Reported the shooting of a 17-year-old Batwa"},{"id":"african-commission","role":"Found the 1970s eviction violated the African Charter"},{"id":"drc-gov","role":"Government of DR Congo"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Were the 2019–2021 operations against Batwa villages organised violence, and by whom?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Minority Rights Group","says":"Reported three operations in 2019–2021 against at least seven Batwa villages by park guards and FARDC soldiers: at least 20 killed, 15 raped, two burned alive, hundreds displaced.","src":1},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Survival International","says":"Reported that the MRG report described the operations as an institutional policy approved and planned at the highest level of park management.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Wildlife Conservation Society","says":"Denied involvement in military operations.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"ICCN inquiry commission","says":"Rejected most of the allegations in 2022.","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"Bukavu military court","says":"Convicted 10 ecoguards from Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga parks of murder, rape and torture in 2020.","src":0}]},{"point":"Do the park's foreign funders bear responsibility for the operations?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Minority Rights Group","says":"Said the campaign was \"underwritten by the German and US governments\" and WCS.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"KfW","says":"Asked ICCN to investigate and said it funds no weapons or ammunition.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"BMZ","says":"Paused support to ICCN in 2019–2020 and resumed it in May 2020.","src":1}]},{"point":"How many Batwa were killed?","positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Minority Rights Group","says":"At least 20 killed in 2019–2021.","src":1},{"voice":"research","holder":"University of Arizona page","says":"29 Batwa reported killed in 2017–2022.","src":0}]},{"point":"Will the African Commission's recommendations be implemented?","positions":[{"voice":"international","holder":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","says":"Found the 1970s eviction violated the African Charter and made 19 recommendations, including return of titled land, compensation and a public apology.","src":4},{"voice":"government","holder":"Government of DR Congo","says":"Had not responded as of November 2024.","src":4,"silent":true}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Convictions of ecoguards from Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga parks","forum":"Bukavu military tribunal (Kahuzi-Biega); Mbandaka military court (Salonga)","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","kind":"criminal","claimant":"State prosecution (not detailed in the sources)","defendant":"Five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards and five Salonga ecoguards (unnamed in the sources)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-12","status":"claimant-won","summary":"According to a research-project news page, the Bukavu tribunal convicted five Kahuzi-Biega ecoguards of murder and sentenced them to 10 to 20 years, and the Mbandaka court convicted five Salonga ecoguards of raping and torturing four women. The sources do not give the victims of the Kahuzi-Biega convictions; Forest Peoples Programme reported on 21 December 2020 that five ecoguards had confessed to killing two Batwa men in 2019.","src":5},{"title":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, Communication 588/15","forum":"African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","kind":"international","claimant":"Batwa evicted from Kahuzi-Biega","defendant":"Government of DR Congo","filed":null,"decided":"2022 (published June 2024)","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The Commission found that the 1970s eviction violated the African Charter and made 19 recommendations, including return of titled land, compensation and a public apology. The recommendations are not binding; none had been implemented as of November 2024.","src":4},{"title":"Land case concerning Kahuzi-Biega","forum":"Supreme Court of DR Congo","country":"DR Congo","iso2":"CD","kind":"civil","claimant":"Not stated in the sources","defendant":"Not stated in the sources","filed":"2013","decided":null,"status":"ongoing","summary":"The land case has been before the Congolese Supreme Court since 2013; no ruling is recorded.","src":0}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"displaced","value":6000,"unit":"people","year":1975,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Batwa evicted at the park's 1975 expansion without food, support, compensation or resettlement."},{"key":"deaths","value":20,"unit":"people","year":2021,"qualifier":"at least","note":"Killed in three operations in 2019–2021, per MRG (April 2022), via Mongabay."},{"key":"deaths","value":29,"unit":"people","year":2022,"note":"Batwa reported killed in 2017–2022 (University of Arizona page)."},{"key":"rapes","value":15,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Raped in 2019–2021 operations, per MRG via Mongabay."},{"key":"burned_alive","value":2,"unit":"people","year":2021,"note":"Per MRG via Mongabay."},{"key":"deaths","value":1,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"A 17-year-old Batwa shot dead by patrolling rangers on 26 August 2017; his father was wounded in the arm."},{"key":"funding_germany_reserves","value":66,"unit":"EUR m","year":2022,"qualifier":"since 2008","note":"KfW, with GIZ, across six reserves including Kahuzi-Biega; not specific to Kahuzi-Biega alone."},{"key":"ecoguards_convicted","value":10,"unit":"people","year":2020,"note":"Convicted by the Bukavu military court; from Kahuzi-Biega and Salonga parks."},{"key":"recommendations","value":19,"unit":"recommendations","year":2022,"note":"African Commission recommendations; none implemented as of November 2024."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Batwa were evicted from the land of the park in 1975 without compensation. MRG reported that park guards and soldiers killed at least 20 Batwa in 2019–2021.","src":1},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Wildlife Conservation Society","what":"Took over management of the park in April 2022 under a partnership agreement; it had previously been a funder.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Batwa communities","what":"Land of the park, from which more than 6,000 were evicted in 1975 without compensation or resettlement.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"Batwa villages","what":"At least 20 killed, 15 raped, two burned alive and hundreds displaced in 2019–2021, per MRG.","src":1},{"who":"A 17-year-old Batwa","what":"Shot dead by rangers on 26 August 2017 while gathering medicinal plants.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"Kahuzi-Biega National Park and nearby villages, South Kivu, DR Congo.","src":0},"when":{"t":"Eviction in 1975; operations in 2019–2021; MRG report April 2022; African Commission decision 2022, published June 2024.","src":4},"why":{"t":"The 1975 eviction accompanied the park's expansion. The cited sources give no official reason for the 2019–2021 operations.","src":0},"how":{"t":"Park guards and FARDC soldiers carried out the operations, per MRG. The park is funded by KfW, GIZ, USAID and WCS.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"Kahuzi-Biega National Park","p":"University of Arizona (Indigenous peoples resource page)","d":"undated","type":"academic","u":"https://indigenous.arizona.edu/kahuzi-biega-national-park"},{"t":"Rangers in DRC gorilla park abused Indigenous villagers, report says","p":"Mongabay","d":"2022-04","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/rangers-in-drc-gorilla-park-abused-indigenous-villagers-report-says/"},{"t":"To Purge the Forest by Force: Organized violence against Batwa in Kahuzi-Biega National Park","p":"Minority Rights Group","d":"2022-04-05","type":"ngo","u":"https://minorityrights.org/resources/to-purge-the-forest-by-force-organized-violence-against-batwa-in-kahuzi-biega-national-park/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251201161257/https://minorityrights.org/resources/to-purge-the-forest-by-force-organized-violence-against-batwa-in-kahuzi-biega-national-park/"},{"t":"Survival International news item on the Kahuzi-Biega report and the 2017 shooting","p":"Survival International","d":"2022-04-06","type":"ngo","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/12761"},{"t":"Historic DRC decision on Batwa park evictions faces implementation hurdles","p":"Mongabay","d":"2024-11-19","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/2024/11/historic-drc-decision-on-batwa-park-evictions-faces-implementation-hurdles/"},{"t":"Kahuzi-Biega park project: latest news","p":"3IPEP project (EU-funded research project)","d":"2021-01","u":"https://www.3ipep-project-eu.uvsq.fr/the-kahuzi-biega-park-project","type":"academic"},{"t":"French government scraps funding plan for Kahuzi-Biega National Park, citing human rights concerns","p":"Survival International","d":"2023-07-20","u":"https://survivalinternational.org/news/13710","type":"ngo"}],"episodes":[],"related":[],"natureLead":{"t":"When my Kahuzi-Biega park was expanded in 1975, more than 6,000 Batwa were evicted without compensation; in December 2020 a military tribunal in Bukavu was reported to have convicted five of its ecoguards of murder.","src":[0,5]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Were the 2019–2021 operations against Batwa villages organised violence, and by whom?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Do the park's foreign funders bear responsibility for the operations?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"How many Batwa were killed?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Will the African Commission's recommendations be implemented?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Accounts","text":"Government of DR Congo: Had not responded as of November 2024.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Counts of Batwa killed differ by period: at least 20 in 2019–2021 (MRG) and 29 in 2017–2022 (University of Arizona page).","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the father of the 17-year-old shot in 2017 also died: a 2018 UN communication cited by the University of Arizona page records that he did, which conflicts with the record of his September 2017 complaint to KfW and GIZ.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The date of the African Commission's decision: recorded as 2022 (published June 2024) in one account and as 2022 or 2024 in others.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No proceedings against the park's funders (KfW, GIZ, USAID, WCS) were found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"No ruling is recorded in the land case before the Congolese Supreme Court, pending since 2013.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a claim that half of the Batwa evicted from the park died within twenty years; it could not be traced to a primary source.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"pg-e-wildfire-settlement-tax-deduction-and-fire-victim-trust","title":"PG&E wildfire settlement, tax deduction and Fire Victim Trust","dek":"After the 2018 Camp Fire, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter, settled with the California regulator for about US$1.8 billion and funded a victims' trust about half in its own stock. California customers fund half of a state wildfire fund.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":39.8,"lon":-121.6,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California (Butte County, Paradise)","role":"event"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"court"},{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"California","role":"company-home"}],"start":2018,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2018-11","instrument":"liability-shift","types":["liability-shift","wildfire","burning"],"headline":{"label":"Fire Victim Trust: value as presented vs the trustee's 2021 estimate","value":"US$13.5 billion vs about US$10 billion","note":"About half of the trust was PG&E stock. The trustee gave the lower value in an August 2021 interview."},"happened":["The Camp Fire burned the town of Paradise in Butte County, California, in November 2018. The cause was the failure of a hook on a PG&E transmission line close to 100 years old; replacement of the Caribou-Palermo line had been planned since 2013 and postponed. The Butte County Sheriff's Office put the death toll at 85.","In June 2020 PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter; its chief executive, Bill Johnson, entered a guilty plea on each count on the company's behalf. The maximum penalty was US$10,000 per count, and the penalty recorded was US$3,486,950 plus US$500,000. Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said executives were not charged because, under California law, an executive is liable only if personally involved or personally aware; maintenance decisions had been taken in committees, which he said effectively removed individual responsibility. No individual was prosecuted.","A trust for fire victims was presented as a US$13.5 billion fund, about half of it PG&E stock. In an August 2021 interview its trustee, John Trotter, said the value was about US$10 billion and that victims would never be fully compensated. Management expenses were US$46.6 million in the first half of 2021, with about US$90 million a year projected, and more than US$93 million by October 2023. The trust paid 30% of approved claims at the start and 60% by October 2023.","On tax, a 2017 US law (Internal Revenue Code section 162(f)) bars deduction of payments to government unless the settlement identifies them as restitution, remediation or compliance. In January 2020 KTVU reported that PG&E described its roughly US$1.8 billion settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission for the 2017–2018 fires as technically not a penalty and calculated that deducting it would save about US$468 million. The same agreement committed PG&E not to pass the cost to customers.","California's wildfire fund under AB 1054 (2019) totalled US$21 billion, half funded by customers through a charge of US$2.50 a month for 15 years. A 2025 law, SB 254, added US$18 billion over 10 years, again half from customer bills. In December 2025 Utility Dive reported PG&E's rate base at US$69 billion with a 10.28% allowed return. PG&E's lines were also reported as the source of the 2021 Dixie fire.","On 25 September 2024 the trustee, Cathy Yanni, announced that the trust's payment would rise from 66% to 70% of approved claims from 24 October 2024. The trust reported more than US$12.78 billion paid to fire victims as of 15 September 2024."],"timeline":[{"y":2013,"t":"Replacement of the Caribou-Palermo line planned; postponed"},{"y":2018,"t":"Camp Fire burns Paradise, Butte County (November)"},{"y":2019,"t":"AB 1054 creates the state wildfire fund (US$21 billion, half from customers)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission (about US$1.8 billion) reported in January; PG&E pleads guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in June"},{"y":2021,"t":"Fire Victim Trust trustee says value is about US$10 billion and victims will never be fully compensated (August); Dixie fire reported to start from PG&E lines"},{"y":2023,"t":"Trust has paid 60% of approved claims (October)"},{"y":2024,"t":"Fire Victim Trust payment rises to 66% of approved claims (April) and to 70% (24 October); more than US$12.78 billion paid by 15 September","src":8},{"y":2025,"t":"SB 254 adds US$18 billion to the wildfire fund, half from customers; Utility Dive reports a US$69 billion rate base (December)"}],"said":[{"q":"never","who":"John Trotter, trustee of the Fire Victim Trust, on whether fire victims would be made whole (headline of KQED report)","when":"August 2021","src":2}],"shown":[{"t":"The Fire Victim Trust was presented as a US$13.5 billion fund; about half was PG&E stock and the trustee put the value at about US$10 billion.","who":"As reported by KQED, August 2021","src":2},{"t":"The roughly US$1.8 billion settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission was described by PG&E as technically not a penalty.","who":"PG&E, as reported by KTVU, January 2020","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"PG&E pleaded guilty in June 2020 to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter (plus one fire count); penalty recorded as US$3,486,950 plus US$500,000, against a maximum of US$10,000 per count.","src":5},{"t":"In a 2005 review of 160 large settlements by four agencies, no agency negotiated the tax deduction; of 34 settlements with responding companies, companies deducted all or part of the payment in 20, more often when the payment was not labelled a penalty.","src":0},{"t":"PG&E calculated that deducting its roughly US$1.8 billion settlement with the California regulator would save about US$468 million.","src":1},{"t":"Trust management expenses: US$46.6 million in the first six months of 2021, with about US$90 million a year projected.","src":2},{"t":"Trust management expenses were more than US$93 million by October 2023; payout on approved claims was 60%.","src":3},{"t":"Payout on approved claims started at 30% (2021).","src":2},{"t":"Customers fund half of the AB 1054 wildfire fund (US$10.5 billion of US$21 billion) and half of the 2025 SB 254 addition (US$18 billion over 10 years).","src":6}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2018–2025","nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Payout on approved claims","v":"60%","d":"Fire Victim Trust, October 2023 (KRCR); 30% at the start (KQED, 2021)"},{"k":"Trust value as presented vs trustee's estimate","v":"US$13.5bn vs about US$10bn","d":"About half was PG&E stock (KQED, August 2021)"},{"k":"Individuals prosecuted","v":"None","d":"The district attorney explained why executives were not charged"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: the Fire Victim Trust was funded with US$5.4 billion in cash and US$4.54 billion in PG&E stock, its tax deduction was arranged to be used as the trust pays victims, and PG&E's 2023 annual report recorded a US$1.2 billion tax benefit from the trust's share sales. The relevant section of the annual report could not be read.","Unconfirmed: all 477 million trust shares were sold.","Unconfirmed: a US$117 million settlement of the suit against PG&E directors and officers (29 September 2022); the source of the money is not on record.","The cited sources conflict on executive bonuses: one passage records a bankruptcy judge rejecting a later bonus plan, another lists the outcome of PG&E's bonus request as not found.","Whether PG&E has used the tax deduction on the trust and settlement payments in practice could not be confirmed from the sources read."],"evidence":["deaths"],"harmStopped":"The record states that the 2021 Dixie fire was also reported to have started from PG&E lines. It does not describe any limit set before the Camp Fire.","whoPaid":"According to the record: fire victims received 60% of approved claims by October 2023; customers fund half of the state wildfire fund (US$10.5 billion of US$21 billion under AB 1054; half of the US$18 billion added in 2025); about half of the victims' trust was paid in PG&E stock.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: PG&E has pleaded guilty and settled; the Fire Victim Trust raised its payment to 70% of approved claims from 24 October 2024; no individual was prosecuted; the tax effects of the trust's share sales are not stated in the sources.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"PG&E","says":"Described its roughly US$1.8 billion settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission as technically not a penalty and calculated that deducting it would save about US$468 million; the agreement also committed PG&E not to pass the cost to customers.","when":"2020-01","src":1},{"actor":"PG&E","says":"Pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter; its chief executive entered a guilty plea on each count on the company's behalf.","when":"2020-06","src":null}],"actors":[{"id":"pge","role":"Utility; defendant in the criminal case; settled with the regulator; funded the Fire Victim Trust"},{"id":"cpuc","role":"California regulator; party to the US$1.8 billion settlement"},{"id":"fire-victim-trust","role":"Trust paying fire victims; about half funded in PG&E stock"},{"id":"butte-county-da","role":"Prosecutor in the Camp Fire criminal case"},{"id":"california-wildfire-fund","role":"State wildfire liability fund (AB 1054, SB 254); half funded by customers"},{"id":"gao","role":"Reviewer of tax treatment of settlements (2005)"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Was the settlement with the California regulator a penalty for tax purposes?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"PG&E","says":"Described the roughly US$1.8 billion settlement as technically not a penalty and calculated a saving of about US$468 million from deducting it.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"US tax law (Internal Revenue Code 162(f), as amended in 2017)","says":"Payments to government are generally not deductible, but amounts identified in the settlement as restitution, remediation or compliance, and documented as spent, are.","src":null}]},{"point":"What is the Fire Victim Trust worth?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Reporting on the trust as a US$13.5 billion fund","says":"The trust was presented as a US$13.5 billion fund, about half of it PG&E stock.","src":2},{"voice":"press","holder":"John Trotter, trustee (interviewed by KQED)","says":"Gave its value as about US$10 billion in August 2021 and said victims would never be fully compensated.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"A Camp Fire survivor interviewed by KRCR","says":"Said the trust had paid only 60% of the approved claim and that the survivor worried about receiving the rest.","src":3}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Criminal case against PG&E over the Camp Fire","forum":"California criminal court, Butte County (prosecution by the district attorney)","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Butte County District Attorney","defendant":"Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-06","status":"plea","amount":{"value":3986950,"currency":"USD","label":"Penalty recorded as US$3,486,950 plus US$500,000"},"summary":"The company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one fire count; its chief executive entered the plea on each count on the company's behalf. The district attorney said executives were not charged because committees had taken the maintenance decisions. No individual was prosecuted.","src":5},{"title":"Settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission over the 2017–2018 fires","forum":"California Public Utilities Commission","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"regulatory","claimant":"California Public Utilities Commission","defendant":"Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)","filed":null,"decided":"2020-01","status":"settled","amount":{"value":1800,"currency":"USD m","label":"About US$1.8 billion"},"summary":"PG&E described the settlement as technically not a penalty and calculated that deducting it from federal and state taxes would save about US$468 million. The agreement included a commitment not to pass the cost to customers.","src":1},{"title":"PG&E bankruptcy and Fire Victim Trust","forum":"United States bankruptcy court","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Wildfire victims (via the Fire Victim Trust)","defendant":"Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":13500,"currency":"USD m","label":"Presented value of the trust; about half PG&E stock; trustee put the value at about US$10 billion in 2021"},"summary":"The trust was set up to pay fire victims. Its management expenses were US$46.6 million in the first half of 2021, and it had paid 60% of approved claims by October 2023.","src":2}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"deaths","value":85,"unit":"people","year":2018,"unverified":true,"note":"The company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter."},{"key":"fine","value":4,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Recorded as US$3,486,950 plus US$500,000; maximum US$10,000 per count."},{"key":"settlement","value":1800,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"Settlement with the California Public Utilities Commission for the 2017–2018 fires."},{"key":"tax_saving_estimate","value":468,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","note":"PG&E's own calculation of the saving from deducting the settlement, as reported by KTVU."},{"key":"fire_victim_trust_presented","value":13500,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"Value as presented; about half was PG&E stock."},{"key":"fire_victim_trust_value","value":10000,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"qualifier":"about","note":"Value given by the trustee in an August 2021 interview."},{"key":"trust_admin_cost","value":46.6,"unit":"USD m","year":2021,"note":"First six months of 2021; about US$90 million a year projected."},{"key":"trust_admin_cost_cumulative","value":93,"unit":"USD m","year":2023,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Management expenses reported by KRCR in October 2023."},{"key":"payout_rate","value":60,"unit":"% of approved claims","year":2023,"note":"Fire Victim Trust, October 2023; started at 30%."},{"key":"wildfire_fund","value":21000,"unit":"USD m","year":2019,"note":"AB 1054 fund; half funded by customers (US$2.50 a month for 15 years)."},{"key":"wildfire_fund_addition","value":18000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"SB 254; over 10 years; half from customer bills."},{"key":"rate_base","value":69000,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"note":"PG&E rate base with a 10.28% allowed return, as recorded from a Utility Dive report of December 2025."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"After the Camp Fire, PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter, settled with the state regulator for about US$1.8 billion and funded a victims' trust about half in stock. The record examines how payments were labelled for tax and who funds the state wildfire fund.","src":null},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"PG&E","what":"Calculated a saving of about US$468 million from deducting its roughly US$1.8 billion regulatory settlement.","src":1},{"who":"PG&E","what":"Rate base recorded at US$69 billion with a 10.28% allowed return in December 2025.","src":4}],"lost":[{"who":"Fire victims","what":"Paid 60% of approved claims by October 2023; the trustee said victims would never be fully compensated.","src":2}],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Paradise and the surrounding area","what":"The Camp Fire burned the town in November 2018; the Butte County Sheriff's Office put the death toll at 85.","src":7},{"who":"California electricity customers","what":"Fund half of the AB 1054 wildfire fund (US$10.5 billion of US$21 billion) and half of the 2025 SB 254 addition.","src":null}]},"where":{"t":"Paradise, Butte County, California.","src":null},"when":{"t":"Camp Fire in November 2018; guilty plea in June 2020; regulatory settlement reported in January 2020; trust payouts through October 2023; SB 254 in 2025.","src":null},"why":{"t":"Under US tax law the label given to a payment in a settlement affects whether it can be deducted; PG&E called its regulatory settlement technically not a penalty.","src":1},"how":{"t":"A 2017 law bars deduction of payments to government unless the settlement identifies them as restitution, remediation or compliance; a 2005 GAO review found that no agency negotiated the deduction in 160 large settlements.","src":0},"ratio":{"t":"The Fire Victim Trust was presented as US$13.5 billion, about half in PG&E stock; the trustee put its value at about US$10 billion in 2021.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"GAO-05-747 (15 September 2005)","p":"U.S. Government Accountability Office","d":"2005-09-15","type":"official","u":"https://www.gao.gov/assets/a247766.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250206233131/https://www.gao.gov/assets/a247766.html"},{"t":"PG&E could receive tax break for settling with wildfire victims","p":"KTVU","d":"2020-01-10","type":"press","u":"https://www.ktvu.com/news/pge-could-receive-tax-break-for-settling-with-wildfire-victims","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251217102446/https://www.ktvu.com/news/pge-could-receive-tax-break-for-settling-with-wildfire-victims"},{"t":"Will PG&E's fire victims ever be made whole? 'Never,' says trustee overseeing compensation","p":"KQED","d":"2021-08-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.kqed.org/news/11884610/will-pges-fire-victims-ever-be-made-whole-never-says-trustee-overseeing-compensation"},{"t":"Fears over Fire Victim Trust funds","p":"KRCR","d":"2023-10-24","type":"press","u":"https://krcrtv.com/news/local/fears-over-fire-victim-trust-funds"},{"t":"Utility Dive report on the California Public Utilities Commission, return on equity and wildfires","p":"Utility Dive","d":"2025-12-18","type":"press","u":"https://www.utilitydive.com/news/california-public-utilities-commission-return-equity-wildfires/808346/"},{"t":"PG&E sentenced to maximum $4M penalty in Camp Fire","p":"Piedmont Exedra (Bay City News)","d":"2020-06-19","u":"https://piedmontexedra.com/2020/06/pge-sentenced-to-maximum-4m-penalty-in-camp-fire","type":"press"},{"t":"The $21 billion plan to cover wildfire damages","p":"Capitol Weekly","d":"2019-07-26","u":"https://capitolweekly.net/the-21-billion-plan-to-cover-wildfire-damages/","type":"press"},{"t":"Officials confirm Camp Fire death toll drops to 85","p":"KTVU","d":"2019-02-07","u":"https://www.ktvu.com/news/officials-confirm-camp-fire-death-toll-drops-to-85","type":"press"},{"t":"Fire Victim Trust to Increase Pro Rata Payments to California Wildfire Survivors to 70%","p":"Fire Victim Trust (PR Newswire)","d":"2024-09-25","u":"https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fire-victim-trust-to-increase-pro-rata-payments-to-california-wildfire-survivors-to-70-302258358.html","type":"official"}],"episodes":[],"related":["ikarian-reefer-fire","alter-do-chao-and-dia-do-fogo-fire-allegations"],"subtags":["burning:wildfire"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Was the settlement with the California regulator a penalty for tax purposes?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What is the Fire Victim Trust worth?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Deaths: The company pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: the Fire Victim Trust was funded with US$5.4 billion in cash and US$4.54 billion in PG&E stock, its tax deduction was arranged to be used as the trust pays victims, and PG&E's 2023 annual report recorded a US$1.2 billion tax benefit from the trust's share sales. The relevant section of the annual report could not be read.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: all 477 million trust shares were sold.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a US$117 million settlement of the suit against PG&E directors and officers (29 September 2022); the source of the money is not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources conflict on executive bonuses: one passage records a bankruptcy judge rejecting a later bonus plan, another lists the outcome of PG&E's bonus request as not found.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether PG&E has used the tax deduction on the trust and settlement payments in practice could not be confirmed from the sources read.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: what","No source link — Six questions: where","No source link — Six questions: when","No source link — Who harmed: California electricity customers"]},{"id":"foz-do-amazonas-drilling-licence","title":"Foz do Amazonas drilling licence","dek":"Brazil's environmental agency IBAMA refused Petrobras a drilling licence in the Foz do Amazonas basin in May 2023 and issued one in October 2025. In September 2026 a trade outlet reported that it had authorised three new wells.","country":"Brazil","region":"South America","lat":2,"lon":-49,"places":[{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"event"},{"country":"Brazil","iso2":"BR","role":"company-home"}],"start":2023,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2025-10-20","instrument":"fossil-fuel","types":["fossil-fuel"],"headline":{"label":"Time from refusal to licence, Foz do Amazonas basin","value":"About 2.5 years","note":"Estimate: 17 May 2023 to 20 October 2025."},"happened":["The Foz do Amazonas is an offshore oil basin at the mouth of the Amazon, off northern Brazil. Petrobras, Brazil's state oil company, sought a licence from IBAMA, the federal environmental agency, to drill there.","On 17 May 2023 IBAMA refused the licence, according to the Brazilian outlet Eixos.","On 20 October 2025, about two and a half years after the refusal, IBAMA issued Petrobras a licence to drill in the basin, the Brazilian broadcaster SBT News reported. The licence was issued weeks before COP30, the UN climate conference that Brazil hosted.","In September 2026 the trade outlet Cenário Energia reported that IBAMA had authorised Petrobras to drill three new wells in the basin. In the same period Mongabay reported that Amazon deforestation had fallen to a ten-year low in the first half of 2026. Brazil's government has set a goal of zero deforestation by 2030."],"timeline":[{"y":2023,"t":"17 May: IBAMA refuses Petrobras a drilling licence in the Foz do Amazonas basin"},{"y":2025,"t":"20 October: IBAMA issues Petrobras a drilling licence in the basin, weeks before COP30"},{"y":2026,"t":"July: Mongabay reports Amazon deforestation at a ten-year low for the first half of 2026"},{"y":2026,"t":"September: IBAMA authorises three new wells, according to Cenário Energia"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Zero deforestation by 2030, and hosting of COP30.","who":"Brazilian government","src":null},{"t":"Sponsorship programmes listed on Petrobras's homepage include “Soluções Baseadas na Natureza” (nature-based solutions) and the Petrobras Social and Environmental Program.","who":"Petrobras (company website)","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"IBAMA refused Petrobras a drilling licence in the Foz do Amazonas basin on 17 May 2023.","src":0},{"t":"IBAMA issued a drilling licence in the basin on 20 October 2025.","src":1},{"t":"IBAMA authorised three new wells in September 2026.","src":2},{"t":"Amazon deforestation fell to a ten-year low in the first half of 2026.","src":3},{"t":"Brazil's Congress overrode vetoes on 52 provisions of the environmental licensing law days after COP30.","src":4}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Licence decision","v":"Refused 2023, granted 2025","d":"IBAMA decisions on Petrobras's application, Foz do Amazonas basin"},{"k":"New wells authorised","v":"3","d":"September 2026, according to Cenário Energia"},{"k":"Amazon deforestation, first half of 2026","v":"Ten-year low","d":"Mongabay, July 2026"}]},"unknown":["Reasons given for the 2025 licence are not in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: IBAMA's then president, Rodrigo Agostinho, refused the licence for block FZA-M-59 on the basis of a technical opinion dated 20 April 2023, citing inadequate environmental guarantees in the event of an oil spill.","Unconfirmed: Greenpeace sued over the 2025 licence, saying it contradicted IBAMA's own technical opinions and the recommendations of the federal prosecutors' office (MPF).","Unconfirmed: IBAMA also refused a drilling licence in the same basin to Total in 2018.","Unconfirmed: in 2023 deforestation fell in the Amazon while rising 68% in the Cerrado (IPAM)."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"No spill or drilling outcome is recorded; the record covers the licensing decisions only.","whoPaid":"No harm and no payment are recorded; the record covers licensing decisions only.","statusLine":"As of September 2026: IBAMA, which refused Petrobras a drilling licence in the basin in May 2023, issued one in October 2025 and authorised three new wells; no court outcome is in the cited sources.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"IBAMA","says":"Refused Petrobras a drilling licence in the Foz do Amazonas basin.","when":"17 May 2023","src":0},{"actor":"IBAMA","says":"Issued Petrobras a drilling licence in the Foz do Amazonas basin.","when":"20 October 2025","src":1},{"actor":"IBAMA","says":"Authorised Petrobras to drill three new wells in the basin.","when":"September 2026","src":2}],"actors":[{"id":"petrobras","role":"Applicant and licence holder; Brazilian state oil company"},{"id":"ibama","role":"Federal environmental licensing agency"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Should drilling in the Foz do Amazonas basin be licensed?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"IBAMA (May 2023)","says":"Refused Petrobras the drilling licence.","src":0},{"voice":"government","holder":"IBAMA (October 2025)","says":"Issued Petrobras the drilling licence.","src":1},{"voice":"government","holder":"IBAMA (September 2026)","says":"Authorised three new wells.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"wells_authorised","value":3,"unit":"wells","year":2026,"note":"New wells authorised by IBAMA in September 2026, according to Cenário Energia."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"IBAMA refused Petrobras a drilling licence in the Foz do Amazonas basin in May 2023, issued one in October 2025 and authorised three new wells in September 2026.","src":2},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Petrobras","what":"Licence to drill in the basin (October 2025) and authorisation for three new wells (September 2026).","src":2}],"lost":[],"harmed":[]},"where":{"t":"The Foz do Amazonas basin, offshore at the mouth of the Amazon, northern Brazil.","src":1},"when":{"t":"Refusal 17 May 2023; licence 20 October 2025; three new wells September 2026.","src":2},"why":{"t":"The reasons given for the 2025 licence are not in the cited sources.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through IBAMA's environmental licensing of Petrobras's drilling application.","src":1}},"sources":[{"t":"IBAMA nega licença para Petrobras perfurar na Foz do Amazonas","p":"Eixos","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://eixos.com.br/politica/meio-ambiente/ibama-nega-licenca-para-petrobras-perfurar-na-foz-do-amazonas/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251206124922/https://eixos.com.br/politica/meio-ambiente/ibama-nega-licenca-para-petrobras-perfurar-na-foz-do-amazonas/"},{"t":"Petrobras recebe licença do Ibama para perfurar na bacia da Foz do Amazonas","p":"SBT News","d":"n.d.","type":"press","u":"https://sbtnews.sbt.com.br/noticia/brasil/petrobras-recebe-licenca-do-ibama-para-perfurar-na-bacia-da-foz-do-amazonas"},{"t":"Ibama autoriza Petrobras a perfurar três novos poços na Foz do Amazonas","p":"Cenário Energia","d":"2026-09-04","type":"press","u":"https://cenarioenergia.com.br/2026/09/04/ibama-autoriza-petrobras-a-perfurar-tres-novos-pocos-na-foz-do-amazonas/"},{"t":"Amazon deforestation falls to 10-year low in first half of 2026","p":"Mongabay","d":"2026-07","type":"press","u":"https://news.mongabay.com/short-article/2026/07/amazon-deforestation-falls-to-10-year-low-in-first-half-of-2026/"},{"t":"Congresso derruba 52 itens de veto à Lei Geral do Licenciamento Ambiental","p":"Agência Senado","d":"2025-11-27","u":"https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/11/27/congresso-derruba-52-itens-de-veto-a-lei-geral-do-licenciamento-ambiental","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261003200527/https://www12.senado.leg.br/noticias/materias/2025/11/27/congresso-derruba-52-itens-de-veto-a-lei-geral-do-licenciamento-ambiental"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"drilling-licence","related":[],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Should drilling in the Foz do Amazonas basin be licensed?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reasons given for the 2025 licence are not in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IBAMA's then president, Rodrigo Agostinho, refused the licence for block FZA-M-59 on the basis of a technical opinion dated 20 April 2023, citing inadequate environmental guarantees in the event of an oil spill.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Greenpeace sued over the 2025 licence, saying it contradicted IBAMA's own technical opinions and the recommendations of the federal prosecutors' office (MPF).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: IBAMA also refused a drilling licence in the same basin to Total in 2018.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: in 2023 deforestation fell in the Amazon while rising 68% in the Cerrado (IPAM).","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Six questions — Who was harmed? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"union-carbide-asbestos-insurance-case","title":"Union Carbide asbestos insurance case","dek":"Argonaut Insurance and other insurers disputed cover for asbestos bodily-injury claims against Union Carbide, arguing the company expected or intended the harm. In 2012 a New York appeals court affirmed the striking of that defence.","country":"United States","region":"North America","lat":40.74,"lon":-73.99,"places":[{"country":"United States","iso2":"US","admin":"New York","role":"court"}],"start":2012,"end":2012,"eventDate":"2012","instrument":"insurance-fund","types":["insurance-fund"],"headline":{"label":"Insurer's “expected or intended” defence against Union Carbide's asbestos claims","value":"Struck, 2012","note":"New York Appellate Division, First Department. Amounts: none on record."},"happened":["The sources list the case as Union Carbide asbestos v. Argonaut and others. Argonaut Insurance and other insurers disputed coverage for bodily-injury claims arising from exposure to asbestos in connection with Union Carbide. Argonaut disclaimed on the basis that Carbide “expected, or intended, bodily injury claims arising out of exposure to asbestos.”","In 2012 the New York Appellate Division, First Department, decided the dispute (2012 NY Slip Op 08409). The court affirmed the striking of Argonaut's defence. According to secondary summaries, it found that Carbide was “aware of some risk” but “believed that its asbestos products could be used safely.” The court's full text was not accessed.","The decision belongs to a group of US coverage cases in which insurers argued that the policyholder knew of or intended the harm. In the 1995 Second Circuit decision on National Gypsum asbestos claims (Stonewall Insurance v. Asbestos Claims Management Corp.), juries found National Gypsum did not subjectively expect or intend the injuries, and the known-loss defence was rejected except for claims already filed or demanded before the policy was bought."],"timeline":[{"y":1995,"t":"Second Circuit, National Gypsum asbestos coverage case: insurers' known-loss defence rejected, except for claims already filed or demanded before the policy was bought"},{"y":2012,"t":"New York Appellate Division, First Department, affirms striking of Argonaut's “expected or intended” defence against Union Carbide (2012 NY Slip Op 08409)"}],"said":[{"q":"expected, or intended, bodily injury claims arising out of exposure to asbestos","who":"Argonaut Insurance, as quoted in the description of its disclaimer","when":"2012 decision","src":0},{"q":"aware of some risk","who":"New York Appellate Division, First Department, as quoted in secondary summaries","when":"2012","src":0},{"q":"believed that its asbestos products could be used safely","who":"New York Appellate Division, First Department, as quoted in secondary summaries","when":"2012","src":0}],"shown":[{"t":"Insurer's position: the company expected or intended the asbestos injury claims.","who":"Argonaut Insurance","src":0}],"recorded":[{"t":"The court affirmed the striking of Argonaut's “expected or intended” defence (New York Appellate Division, First Department, 2012).","src":0},{"t":"In the court's description, Carbide was “aware of some risk” but “believed that its asbestos products could be used safely.”","src":0}],"ledger":{"currency":null,"window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Insurer's knowledge defence","v":"Struck on appeal","d":"New York Appellate Division, First Department, 2012"},{"k":"Cover paid","v":"None on record","d":"No amount for cover or for the underlying asbestos claims is given"}]},"unknown":["The court's full text was not accessed; the holdings are quoted from secondary summaries."],"evidence":["court-ruling"],"harmStopped":"The cited sources do not address whether exposure to asbestos from Union Carbide's products stopped; the ruling concerned insurance coverage only.","whoPaid":"The cited sources do not say who ultimately paid the asbestos claims; the ruling struck the insurer's defence that Carbide expected or intended the harm.","statusLine":"As of the 2012 decision: a New York appeals court affirmed the striking of Argonaut's “expected or intended” defence; the cited sources give no later proceedings or amounts.","updated":"2026-10-12","responses":[{"actor":"Argonaut Insurance","says":"Disclaimed on the basis that Carbide “expected, or intended, bodily injury claims arising out of exposure to asbestos.”","when":"Before the 2012 decision","src":0},{"actor":"Union Carbide","says":"As characterised by the court, believed that its asbestos products could be used safely.","when":"2012","src":0}],"actors":[{"id":"union-carbide","role":"Policyholder facing asbestos bodily-injury claims"},{"id":"argonaut-insurance","role":"Insurer that disclaimed cover"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Did Union Carbide expect or intend the asbestos bodily-injury claims?","aboutNature":false,"positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Argonaut Insurance","says":"Disclaimed cover on the basis that Carbide “expected, or intended, bodily injury claims arising out of exposure to asbestos.”","src":0},{"voice":"court","holder":"New York Appellate Division, First Department","says":"Affirmed the striking of that defence; Carbide was “aware of some risk” but “believed that its asbestos products could be used safely.”","src":0}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Union Carbide asbestos v. Argonaut and others","forum":"New York Appellate Division, First Department","country":"United States","iso2":"US","kind":"civil","claimant":"Union Carbide","defendant":"Argonaut Insurance and other insurers","filed":null,"decided":"2012","status":"claimant-won","summary":"The court affirmed the striking of the insurer's defence that Carbide expected or intended bodily injury claims from asbestos exposure. The cited sources do not state the amount of cover or whether other issues remained open.","src":0}],"insurance":[{"insurer":"Argonaut Insurance and other insurers","insured":"Union Carbide","status":"litigation","year":2012,"reason":"Insurer said Carbide expected or intended the asbestos bodily-injury claims.","summary":"Argonaut disclaimed cover; the New York Appellate Division, First Department, affirmed the striking of that defence in 2012. Whether and how much was paid is not in the cited sources.","src":0}],"metrics":[],"w5":{"what":{"t":"An insurer's “expected or intended” defence against Union Carbide's asbestos coverage claim was struck, and the New York appeals court affirmed.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Union Carbide","what":"The insurer's defence was struck, leaving its coverage claim standing.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Argonaut Insurance","what":"Its defence that Carbide expected or intended the harm was struck.","src":0}],"harmed":[{"who":"People with asbestos bodily-injury claims","what":"The claims at the centre of the coverage dispute arose from exposure to asbestos.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"New York, United States (New York Appellate Division, First Department).","src":0},"when":{"t":"Decision in 2012.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The insurer argued the company expected or intended the injury claims; the court, as quoted, found Carbide was aware of some risk but believed its products could be used safely.","src":0},"how":{"t":"The appeals court affirmed the striking of the insurer's defence.","src":0}},"sources":[{"t":"Union Carbide asbestos insurance coverage decision, 2012 NY Slip Op 08409, New York Appellate Division, First Department (court; holding via secondary summaries)","p":"New York State Unified Court System, Law Reporting Bureau","d":"2012","type":"court","u":"https://www.nycourts.gov/REPORTER/3dseries/2012/2012_08409.htm","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20240712020606/https://www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3dseries/2012/2012_08409.htm"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"insurance","related":["bhopal-gas-disaster-compensation-and-2023-curative-petition"],"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did Union Carbide expect or intend the asbestos bodily-injury claims?","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The court's full text was not accessed; the holdings are quoted from secondary summaries.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Press and investigations: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"nestle-perrier-vittel-banned-treatments-and-aquifer-deficit","title":"Nestlé Waters: banned treatments and the Vittel aquifer deficit","dek":"A 2025 French Senate report said Nestlé Waters used prohibited treatments on water sold as natural mineral water and that the state concealed it. In 2024 the company closed the Épinal investigations into the treatments and into alleged drilling without authorisation with a €2 million judicial public-interest agreement. A judicial investigation opened in Paris in 2025 after a Foodwatch complaint remains open.","country":"France","region":"Europe","lat":46.6,"lon":2.5,"places":[{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"event"},{"country":"France","iso2":"FR","role":"affected"}],"start":2021,"end":2025,"eventDate":"2024-09","instrument":"water","types":["water","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Fine paid by Nestlé Waters under the 2024 agreement","value":"€2 million","note":"Plus €1.1 million for restoration. Nestlé Waters' turnover over the period is not known."},"happened":["Nestlé Waters sells Perrier, Vittel and Hépar, among other brands, as natural mineral water in France. A French Senate report in 2025 documented that the company had applied prohibited treatments to water sold under this label: ultraviolet treatment and activated-carbon filtering. The report also recorded bacteriological contamination at Perrier's wells and others.","On 10 September 2024 Nestlé Waters concluded a convention judiciaire d'intérêt public (CJIP), a judicial public-interest agreement, with the Épinal prosecutor, closing two preliminary investigations into the banned treatments and into alleged drilling without authorisation; the Épinal judicial court validated it the same day. The company agreed to pay a €2 million fine and €516,800 to associations, and to fund €1.1 million of river and wetland restoration in Vittel and Contrexéville. Under French law the validation of a CJIP is not a declaration of guilt; prosecution for these facts ended.","In May 2025 the Senate report said the concealment was part of a deliberate strategy, that the decision to authorise microfiltration was taken at the highest level of the state, and that the Élysée had known since at least 2022, The Local reported.","Separately, French National Assembly (2018) and Senate (2023) records put the yearly deficit of the Vittel aquifer at about 1.3 million cubic metres.","In February 2025 two judicial investigations were opened at the public health unit of the Paris judicial court after complaints by Foodwatch against Nestlé and the Sources Alma group over the treatment of their mineral waters, Brut reported. On 19 May 2026 investigators from OCLAESP, the French environmental and public health crime office, and fraud-control agents searched Nestlé Waters' Perrier plant in Vergèze (Gard) and its Vittel site; Nestlé Waters said it was cooperating fully with the authorities, RTS reported. As of 14 October 2026 the Paris investigation was open, La Télé reported."],"timeline":[{"y":2018,"t":"French National Assembly record on the Vittel aquifer deficit"},{"y":2021,"t":"Start of the period the record covers for the banned treatments"},{"y":2022,"t":"The Élysée knew of the treatments, according to the 2025 Senate report"},{"y":2023,"t":"French Senate record on the Vittel aquifer deficit of about 1.3 million m³ a year"},{"y":2024,"t":"September: Nestlé Waters closes investigations into banned treatments and alleged illegal drilling with a €2 million CJIP and €1.1 million for restoration"},{"y":2025,"t":"May: Senate report describes the concealment as a deliberate strategy and says the microfiltration decision was taken at the highest level of the state"},{"y":2025,"t":"February: two judicial investigations opened in Paris after Foodwatch complaints against Nestlé and Sources Alma"},{"y":2026,"t":"19 May: searches at Nestlé Waters' Perrier (Vergèze) and Vittel sites; October: Épinal prosecutor closes the CJIP case, obligations met"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Water sold as “natural mineral water” under the Perrier, Vittel and Hépar labels.","who":"Nestlé Waters","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"Water labelled natural mineral water was treated with prohibited ultraviolet and activated-carbon filtering (Perrier, Vittel, Hépar).","src":2},{"t":"Bacteriological contamination was observed at Perrier's wells and others (2025 Senate report).","src":2},{"t":"Nestlé Waters closed investigations into the banned treatments and alleged illegal drilling with a €2 million CJIP and €1.1 million for restoration (September 2024).","src":0},{"t":"The Senate report said the state concealed the treatments at the highest level and that the Élysée had known since 2022.","src":1},{"t":"The natural mineral water label was retained.","src":0},{"t":"The Vittel aquifer ran a deficit of about 1.3 million cubic metres a year (French National Assembly 2018, Senate 2023).","src":3}],"ledger":{"currency":"EUR","window":"2024","nature":[{"label":"Restoration payment under the CJIP","amount":1.1}],"natureTotal":{"amount":1.1,"note":"Restoration amount stated in the cited sources; what the money was spent on is not stated."},"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded in text from French parliamentary and Senate records; the Vittel deficit is the only figure.","report":[{"t":"My aquifer under Vittel ran a deficit of about 1.3 million cubic metres a year, according to French National Assembly and Senate records (2018, 2023).","src":3},{"t":"Bacteriological contamination was seen in the wells at Perrier and others, according to the Senate's 2025 report.","src":2}]},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Vittel aquifer deficit","v":"About 1.3 million m³ a year","d":"French National Assembly (2018) and Senate (2023) records"},{"k":"Restoration paid under the CJIP","v":"€1.1 million","d":"September 2024"},{"k":"Extent of contamination at the sources","v":"Not known","d":"The cited sources give no measurement"}]},"unknown":["Nestlé Waters' turnover over the period is not known, so the €2 million fine cannot be compared with its earnings from the water.","The extent of contamination at the sources is not known.","Personal penalties for individuals: no data in the cited sources."],"evidence":["undisclosed"],"harmStopped":"The Épinal investigations were closed through the September 2024 agreement. According to The Local, the banned treatments were to be replaced with microfiltration; the date the prohibited treatments ended is not stated in the sources.","whoPaid":"Nestlé Waters paid the €2 million fine and €1.1 million for restoration. The record names consumers, and trust in inspections, as those affected, and gives no figure for any cost to them.","statusLine":"As of October 2026: the September 2024 agreement ended prosecution for the facts investigated in Épinal, and the Épinal prosecutor closed the case in October 2026; a judicial investigation opened in Paris in February 2025 after Foodwatch complaints remains open, with searches at the Perrier and Vittel sites in May 2026.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[],"actors":[{"id":"nestle-waters","role":"Producer of Perrier, Vittel and Hépar; party to the CJIP"},{"id":"french-senate","role":"Author of the 2025 report on the treatments"}],"disputes":[],"legal":[{"title":"Nestlé Waters judicial public-interest agreement (CJIP)","forum":"Épinal public prosecutor; validated by the Épinal judicial court (tribunal judiciaire d'Épinal)","country":"France","iso2":"FR","kind":"criminal","claimant":"Épinal public prosecutor's office (parquet d'Épinal)","defendant":"Nestlé Waters","filed":null,"decided":"2024-09-10","status":"settled","amount":{"value":2000000,"currency":"EUR","label":"Fine (amende d'intérêt public); a further €1.1 million for ecological restoration and €516,800 to associations"},"summary":"Nestlé Waters concluded a CJIP, a judicial public-interest agreement, with the Épinal prosecutor covering two preliminary investigations, into drilling without authorisation and into prohibited treatments of its mineral waters; the Épinal judicial court validated it on 10 September 2024. The company agreed to pay a €2 million fine and €516,800 to associations and to fund €1.1 million of restoration of the Vair and Petit-Vair rivers and of wetlands in Vittel and Contrexéville, supervised by the French Biodiversity Office for two years. Validation is not a declaration of guilt. In October 2026 the Épinal prosecutor closed the case, noting that the company had met its obligations (La Télé).","src":4}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"fine","value":2,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Fine under the CJIP, September 2024."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":1.1,"unit":"EUR m","year":2024,"note":"Restoration payment under the CJIP."},{"key":"aquifer_deficit_m3_per_year","value":1300000,"unit":"m3 per year","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Vittel aquifer deficit in French National Assembly (2018) and Senate (2023) records."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Water sold as natural mineral water under the Perrier, Vittel and Hépar labels was treated with prohibited methods; Nestlé Waters closed the investigations with a €2 million CJIP.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Nestlé Waters","what":"Ended the Épinal investigations into the treatments and alleged drilling without authorisation for a €2 million fine, €516,800 to associations and €1.1 million for restoration, without a declaration of guilt.","src":0}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Consumers","what":"Bought water sold as natural mineral water that had been treated with prohibited methods.","src":2},{"who":"The Vittel aquifer","what":"Ran a deficit of about 1.3 million cubic metres a year.","src":3}]},"where":{"t":"France: Perrier, Vittel and Hépar sources and the Vittel aquifer.","src":2},"when":{"t":"2021–2025 in the cited sources; agreement in September 2024; Senate report in 2025.","src":1},"why":{"t":"The record links the hidden treatments to contamination at the sources; the extent of that contamination is not known.","src":2},"how":{"t":"Prohibited ultraviolet and activated-carbon treatments were applied to water sold as natural mineral water; the matter closed through a CJIP.","src":2}},"sources":[{"t":"Affaire des eaux minérales: 2 millions d'euros d'amende pour Nestlé Waters après la conclusion d'une convention judiciaire d'intérêt public","p":"Le Club des Juristes","d":"2024-09","type":"press","u":"https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/affaire-des-eaux-minerales-2-millions-deuros-damende-pour-nestle-waters-apres-la-conclusion-dune-convention-judiciaire-dinteret-public-6850/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20261013001509/https://www.leclubdesjuristes.com/en-bref/affaire-des-eaux-minerales-2-millions-deuros-damende-pour-nestle-waters-apres-la-conclusion-dune-convention-judiciaire-dinteret-public-6850/"},{"t":"French state covered up Nestlé water scandal, Senate report finds","p":"The Local","d":"2025-05-19","type":"press","u":"https://www.thelocal.fr/20250519/french-state-covered-up-nestle-water-scandal-senate-report-finds","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250925092310/https://www.thelocal.fr/20250519/french-state-covered-up-nestle-water-scandal-senate-report-finds"},{"t":"Eaux minérales en bouteille: un scandale décortiqué par le Sénat (reporting the Senate report)","p":"Maire-info","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://maire-info.com/eaux-minerales-en-bouteille-un-scandale-decortique-par-le-senat-article2-29717","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260305230808/https://www.maire-info.com/eaux-minerales-en-bouteille-un-scandale-decortique-par-le-senat-article2-29717"},{"t":"Vittel aquifer deficit (French Senate written question; National Assembly and Senate records)","p":"French Senate","d":"2018/2023","type":"official","u":"https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2022/qSEQ220802051.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251204043528/https://www.senat.fr/questions/base/2022/qSEQ220802051.html"},{"t":"Communiqué: validation de la CJIPE Nestlé Waters, 10 septembre 2024 (Tribunal judiciaire d'Épinal press release, hosted by foodwatch)","p":"Tribunal judiciaire d'Épinal / foodwatch","d":"2024-09-10","u":"https://foodwatch.org/fileadmin/-FR/Documents/CP_Tribunal_Epinal_CJIPE_Nestle_Waters_10_septembre_2024.pdf","type":"official","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260416212109/https://www.foodwatch.org/fileadmin/-FR/Documents/CP_Tribunal_Epinal_CJIPE_Nestle_Waters_10_septembre_2024.pdf"},{"t":"Eaux en bouteille : le siège de Nestlé France à Issy-les-Moulineaux perquisitionné","p":"Brut","d":"2025-11-17","u":"https://www.brut.media/fr/articles/eaux-en-bouteille-le-siege-de-nestle-france-a-issy-les-moulineaux-perquisitionne","type":"press"},{"t":"Nestlé Waters visé par des perquisitions sur ses sites français de Perrier et de Vittel","p":"RTS","d":"2026-05-20","u":"https://www.rts.ch/info/monde/2026/article/nestle-waters-perquisitionne-sur-ses-sites-de-perrier-et-vittel-en-france-29248400.html","type":"press"},{"t":"Eaux minérales : Nestlé a payé 2 millions d'euros d'amende","p":"La Télé","d":"2026-10-14","u":"https://latele.ch/articles/eaux-minerales-nestle-a-paye-2-millions-d-euros-d-amende","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"mechanism":"judicial-agreement","related":["nestle-vittel-aquifer-case-and-michigan-withdrawals"],"gaps":[{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Nestlé Waters' turnover over the period is not known, so the €2 million fine cannot be compared with its earnings from the water.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The extent of contamination at the sources is not known.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Personal penalties for individuals: no data in the cited sources.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Communities and civil society: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Researchers: no source from this side on record."]},{"id":"ogoniland-and-bodo-spills-cleanup","title":"Ogoniland and Bodo spills clean-up (SPDC, HYPREP)","dek":"In 2011 the UN Environment Programme assessed oil contamination in Ogoniland, Nigeria, and recommended a clean-up it estimated at 25 to 30 years, with US$1 billion for the first five years. Later reports describe a delayed clean-up, disputes over contractors and the cause of spills, and the 2025 sale of Shell's onshore subsidiary SPDC.","country":"Nigeria","region":"Africa","lat":4.75,"lon":7.3,"places":[{"country":"Nigeria","iso2":"NG","lat":4.75,"lon":7.3,"role":"event"},{"country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","role":"court"}],"start":1958,"end":2026,"eventDate":"2011-08-04","instrument":"oil-spill","types":["oil-spill","chemical-pollution"],"headline":{"label":"Benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale, measured by UNEP (2011)","value":"More than 900×","note":"Multiple of the World Health Organization guideline value. UNEP estimated a clean-up of 25–30 years."},"happened":["In August 2011 the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) published an assessment of oil contamination in Ogoniland, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. A UNEP bulletin said the work covered more than 200 sites and more than 4,000 samples. UNEP measured benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale at more than 900 times the World Health Organization guideline value, and reported a layer of refined oil about 8 cm thick on the groundwater.","UNEP estimated that restoring Ogoniland would take 25 to 30 years and asked for a US$1 billion fund for the first five years. According to a later account of the findings, the surface clean-up method used by Shell's subsidiary SPDC was found ineffective, and contamination was at least five metres deep at 49 locations. Shell had halted production in Ogoniland in 1993.","BusinessDay reported that the SPDC joint venture, in which the state oil company NNPC holds 55%, would contribute US$900 million of the proposed US$1 billion over five years, with a first instalment of US$180 million. The clean-up was run by the Nigerian agency HYPREP. A report by Friends of the Earth Europe in November 2020, drawing on Amnesty International and others, described the clean-up as delayed and its progress figures as inconsistent. In November 2022 the LSE Africa blog reported that clean-up contracts worth 690 million naira had been awarded to firms lacking the required qualifications, and that UNEP had expressed distrust of HYPREP.","The cause of spills in the Niger Delta is contested. Shell's position, is that most spills are caused by sabotage. Amnesty International reported in November 2013 that the cause of a spill is determined by a joint investigation run by the companies, that a sabotage finding lowers compensation, and that it found examples of wrong attribution. A March 2022 figure records that more than 75% of spills since 2016 were attributed to theft and sabotage. In December 2020 the Dutch programme Zembla alleged that SPDC employees had young people puncture pipelines and then hired them for clean-up work; Shell said it was not aware of this, and the cited sources give the allegation as unproven.","Shell completed the sale of SPDC to Renaissance on 13 March 2025. In February 2025 the Associated Press reported that Nigeria was moving to restart oil production, with a return to production in Ogoni under discussion. In July 2024 openDemocracy reported on the financing and transfer of liabilities in Shell's exit, citing a US$1.2 billion loan, US$1.3 billion of decommissioning financing, a settlement for the Bodo community of £55 million and a London case brought by 13,000 farmers and fishermen."],"timeline":[{"y":1993,"t":"Shell halts production in Ogoniland"},{"y":2011,"t":"UNEP publishes its Ogoniland oil assessment (4 August): benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale more than 900 times the WHO guideline; 25–30 year clean-up; US$1 billion first-five-year fund proposed"},{"y":2013,"t":"Amnesty International reports on how spill causes are determined and on sabotage attribution (November)"},{"y":2015,"t":"A report by SDN says pipeline vandalism was partly fed by the easy money in monitoring and clean-up contracts (November)"},{"y":2016,"t":"From this year, more than 75% of spills are attributed to theft and sabotage (figure reported March 2022)"},{"y":2020,"t":"Friends of the Earth Europe report on the delayed clean-up (November); Zembla report on alleged pipeline damage by SPDC employees (December)"},{"y":2022,"t":"LSE Africa blog: clean-up contracts of 690 million naira awarded to firms lacking qualifications; UNEP reported to distrust HYPREP (November)"},{"y":2024,"t":"openDemocracy reports on Shell's exit financing, the Bodo settlement and a London case by 13,000 farmers and fishermen (July)"},{"y":2025,"t":"AP reports Nigeria's move to restart oil production, including in Ogoni (February); Shell completes the sale of SPDC to Renaissance (13 March)"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"A US$1 billion Ogoni clean-up fund, of which US$900 million from the SPDC joint venture over five years, with a first instalment of US$180 million","who":"As reported by BusinessDay","src":4},{"t":"The position that most Niger Delta oil spills are caused by sabotage","who":"Shell","src":null}],"recorded":[{"t":"Benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale above 900 times the WHO guideline value; an 8 cm layer of refined oil on groundwater; more than 200 sites and more than 4,000 samples; a 25–30 year clean-up and a US$1 billion first-five-year fund recommended (UNEP, August 2011)","src":0},{"t":"SPDC's surface clean-up method found ineffective; contamination at least five metres deep at 49 locations","src":0},{"t":"Clean-up described as delayed, with inconsistent progress figures (report by Friends of the Earth Europe, 2020, citing Amnesty International and others)","src":2},{"t":"Clean-up contracts worth 690 million naira awarded to firms lacking qualifications; UNEP reported to distrust HYPREP (November 2022)","src":3},{"t":"The cause of a spill is determined by a joint investigation run by the companies; a sabotage finding lowers compensation; Amnesty International found examples of wrong attribution (November 2013)","src":9},{"t":"More than 75% of spills since 2016 attributed to theft and sabotage (reported March 2022)","src":10},{"t":"SDN (2015): pipeline vandalism partly fed by the easy money in monitoring and clean-up contracts","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"USD","window":"2011–2026","nature":[{"label":"Fund proposed by UNEP for the first five years (proposal, not payment)","amount":1000},{"label":"Share of the fund pledged by the SPDC joint venture over five years (pledge, not payment)","amount":900},{"label":"First instalment of the fund as reported (pledge, not payment)","amount":180,"note":"The same BusinessDay article's headline refers to US$200 million in year one."}],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Benzene in well water at Nisisioken Ogale (2011)","v":"More than 900×","d":"Multiple of the WHO guideline value (UNEP)"},{"k":"Estimated time to restore Ogoniland","v":"25–30 years","d":"UNEP, 2011"},{"k":"Locations with contamination at least 5 m deep","v":"49","d":"UNEP findings, as reported; SPDC's surface method found ineffective"},{"k":"Independent audit of HYPREP's clean-up figures","v":"None identified","d":"No independent audit is stated in the cited sources"}]},"unknown":["Whether the statement that HYPREP had cleaned 30 of 65 sites after 15 years (reported by Guardian Nigeria, 2026) is accurate: it is the agency's own figure, not independently verified, and no independent audit of HYPREP's figures is stated in the cited sources.","Unconfirmed: that UNEP stated in 2019 that HYPREP was not designed for the task (HumAngle).","Unconfirmed: that Shell financed part of the UNEP assessment.","Reported in a secondary report only: an AllAfrica report of May 2026 that the Ogoni fund is running out.","How much of the pledged fund was paid and spent: the sources give pledges (US$900 million from the SPDC joint venture; a first instalment of US$180 million). A figure of about US$30 million spent by 2020 appears without a named report.","The first instalment is given as US$180 million in the text and US$200 million in the headline of the same BusinessDay article.","The forum, claimants' community and status of the London case by 13,000 farmers and fishermen are not given in the sources.","The Zembla allegation about SPDC employees is unproven.","The environmental conditions attached to the sale of SPDC are not clear in the sources, and a restart of Ogoni production under discussion by the government is not confirmed.","No data on personal criminal penalties arising from the spills."],"evidence":[],"harmStopped":"Shell halted production in Ogoniland in 1993. Spills were still being reported after 2016, and the clean-up UNEP recommended in 2011 was reported as delayed.","whoPaid":"Not established in the sources. The SPDC joint venture, in which NNPC holds 55%, pledged US$900 million of the proposed US$1 billion fund; the sources do not say how much was paid.","statusLine":"As of 2026: clean-up reported as delayed and disputed; SPDC sold to Renaissance on 13 March 2025; no payment totals or independent audit of clean-up figures found.","updated":"2026-10-15","responses":[{"actor":"Shell","says":"Said it was not aware of the alleged puncturing of pipelines by SPDC employees.","when":"December 2020","src":5},{"actor":"Shell","says":"Position reported: most Niger Delta spills are caused by sabotage.","when":"Date: none on record","src":null},{"actor":"UNEP","says":"Reported to have expressed distrust of HYPREP.","when":"November 2022","src":3}],"actors":[{"id":"shell","role":"Parent of SPDC; halted Ogoniland production in 1993; sold SPDC to Renaissance in March 2025"},{"id":"spdc","role":"Shell's Nigerian joint venture, the polluter named in the clean-up fund"},{"id":"nnpc","role":"Nigerian state oil company, 55% holder of the SPDC joint venture"},{"id":"hyprep","role":"Nigerian agency running the Ogoniland clean-up"},{"id":"unep","role":"Author of the 2011 assessment and fund proposal"},{"id":"amnesty-international","role":"Reported on spill-cause determination and sabotage attribution"}],"disputes":[{"point":"What causes the oil spills, and does the attribution affect compensation?","positions":[{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"Most Niger Delta spills are caused by sabotage (position reported in the cited sources).","src":null},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Amnesty International","says":"The cause is determined by a joint investigation run by the companies, a sabotage finding lowers compensation, and there were examples of wrong attribution (November 2013).","src":null},{"voice":"press","holder":"Research file (March 2022)","says":"More than 75% of spills since 2016 were attributed to theft and sabotage.","src":null}]},{"point":"Was the clean-up delayed, and were its contractors qualified?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Friends of the Earth Europe, citing Amnesty International and others","says":"The clean-up was delayed and progress figures were inconsistent (2020).","src":2},{"voice":"research","holder":"LSE Africa blog","says":"Contracts worth 690 million naira went to firms lacking qualifications, and UNEP expressed distrust of HYPREP (November 2022).","src":3},{"voice":"international","holder":"UNEP","says":"Estimated in 2011 that the clean-up would take 25–30 years and asked for US$1 billion for the first five years.","src":0}]},{"point":"Did SPDC employees cause pipeline damage that then generated clean-up work?","positions":[{"voice":"press","holder":"Zembla (Dutch television)","says":"Alleged that SPDC employees had young people puncture pipelines and then hired them for clean-up work (December 2020); the cited sources give the allegation as unproven.","src":5},{"voice":"company","holder":"Shell","says":"Said it was not aware of this.","src":5},{"voice":"civil","holder":"SDN","says":"Reported in 2015 that pipeline vandalism was partly fed by the easy money in monitoring and clean-up contracts.","src":null}]}],"legal":[{"title":"Bodo community settlement with Shell","forum":"None on record","country":null,"iso2":null,"kind":"civil","claimant":"Bodo community","defendant":"Shell (as listed in the report on the SPDC sale)","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"settled","amount":{"value":55000000,"currency":"GBP","label":"£55 million"},"summary":"A settlement of £55 million for the Bodo community is listed in an openDemocracy report on Shell's exit from Nigeria. The year and terms not on record.","src":8},{"title":"London case by about 13,000 farmers and fishermen","forum":"London (court name: none on record)","country":"United Kingdom","iso2":"GB","kind":"civil","claimant":"About 13,000 farmers and fishermen (community not specified)","defendant":"None on record","filed":null,"decided":null,"status":"unknown","summary":"Listed in an openDemocracy report on Shell's exit from Nigeria; the cited sources give no further detail on the claimants' community, the defendant or the status of the case.","src":8}],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"benzene_vs_who_guideline","value":900,"unit":"× WHO guideline","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Well water at Nisisioken Ogale, measured by UNEP."},{"key":"oil_layer_thickness_cm","value":8,"unit":"cm","year":2011,"note":"Layer of refined oil on groundwater, UNEP."},{"key":"sites_assessed","value":200,"unit":"sites","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"UNEP bulletin."},{"key":"samples_taken","value":4000,"unit":"samples","year":2011,"qualifier":"more than","note":"UNEP bulletin."},{"key":"deep_contamination_locations","value":49,"unit":"locations","year":2011,"note":"Contamination at least 5 m deep, as reported in a later account of the UNEP findings."},{"key":"cleanup_duration_years","value":30,"unit":"years","year":2011,"qualifier":"up to","note":"UNEP estimate of 25–30 years."},{"key":"fund_proposed","value":1000,"unit":"USD m","year":2011,"note":"UNEP's proposed fund for the first five years; proposal, not payment."},{"key":"fund_pledged_spdc","value":900,"unit":"USD m","note":"SPDC joint-venture share over five years as reported by BusinessDay; pledge, not payment."},{"key":"fund_first_instalment","value":180,"unit":"USD m","note":"As reported by BusinessDay; the article's headline gives US$200 million for year one."},{"key":"cleanup_contracts_awarded_unqualified","value":690,"unit":"NGN m","year":2022,"note":"Contracts reported as awarded to firms lacking qualifications (LSE Africa blog)."},{"key":"spills_attributed_theft_sabotage_pct","value":75,"unit":"%","year":2022,"qualifier":"more than","note":"Share of spills since 2016 attributed to theft and sabotage, reported March 2022."},{"key":"restoration_paid","value":30,"unit":"USD m","year":2020,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Appears in an evidence row for a 2020 report without the report being named."},{"key":"sites_cleaned_hyprep","value":30,"unit":"of 65 sites","year":2026,"unverified":true,"note":"HYPREP's own statement after 15 years, reported by Guardian Nigeria; not independently verified."},{"key":"settlement","value":55,"unit":"GBP m","note":"Bodo community settlement listed in an openDemocracy report."},{"key":"spdc_sale_value","value":2400,"unit":"USD m","year":2025,"unverified":true,"note":"Figure listed against the AP report of February 2025; the cited sources do not label it as the sale price."},{"key":"shell_exit_loan","value":1200,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Loan listed in the openDemocracy report on Shell's exit."},{"key":"decommissioning_financing","value":1300,"unit":"USD m","year":2024,"note":"Decommissioning financing listed in the openDemocracy report."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"UNEP found oil contamination in Ogoniland, Nigeria, including benzene in well water at more than 900 times the WHO guideline, and recommended a 25–30 year clean-up; later reports describe a delayed and disputed clean-up.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Contractors awarded 690 million naira of clean-up contracts","what":"Received contracts that the LSE Africa blog reported were awarded to firms lacking qualifications.","src":3},{"who":"Shell","what":"Completed the sale of SPDC to Renaissance on 13 March 2025; openDemocracy reported Shell-provided financing and a transfer of liabilities as part of the exit.","src":6}],"lost":[],"harmed":[{"who":"Residents of Ogoniland drinking from contaminated wells","what":"UNEP measured benzene in well water at more than 900 times the WHO guideline value.","src":0}]},"where":{"t":"Ogoniland in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, including Nisisioken Ogale; the Bodo community.","src":0},"when":{"t":"UNEP's assessment was published on 4 August 2011; the sources on the clean-up run to 2026.","src":0},"why":{"t":"UNEP recommended the clean-up after finding contamination. The cause of spills is disputed: Shell's position is that most are sabotage, while Amnesty International reported that company-run investigations determine cause.","src":null},"how":{"t":"The clean-up was run by HYPREP and was to be funded by a US$1 billion fund, with US$900 million pledged by the SPDC joint venture over five years.","src":4}},"sources":[{"t":"UNEP Ogoniland oil assessment reveals extent of environmental contamination (UNEP bulletin via Climate Diplomacy)","p":"UNEP, copy on Climate Diplomacy","d":"2011-08-04","type":"official","voice":"international","u":"https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/environment/unep-ogoniland-oil-assessment-reveals-extent-environmental-contamination-and","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20210416105101/https://climate-diplomacy.org/magazine/environment/unep-ogoniland-oil-assessment-reveals-extent-environmental-contamination-and"},{"t":"HYPREP not capable of handling Ogoni clean-up project, says UNEP","p":"HumAngle","d":"undated","type":"press","u":"https://humanglemedia.com/hyprep-not-capable-of-handling-ogoni-cleanup-project-says-unep","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607195046/https://humanglemedia.com/hyprep-not-capable-of-handling-ogoni-cleanup-project-says-unep/"},{"t":"No Clean-Up, No Justice","p":"Friends of the Earth Europe","d":"2020-11","type":"ngo","u":"https://friendsoftheearth.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/No-Clean-Up-No-Justice.pdf"},{"t":"Corruption and mismanagement may derail cleanup of Niger Delta","p":"LSE Africa blog","d":"2022-11-22","type":"academic","u":"https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/11/22/corruption-and-mismanagement-may-derail-cleanup-of-niger-delta","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250908214437/https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/11/22/corruption-and-mismanagement-may-derail-cleanup-of-niger-delta/"},{"t":"200m year one Ogoni clean-up fund ready","p":"BusinessDay","d":"undated","type":"press","u":"https://businessday.ng/energy/oilandgas/article/200m-year-one-ogoni-clean-fund-ready/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20220808135310/https://businessday.ng/energy/oilandgas/article/200m-year-one-ogoni-clean-fund-ready/"},{"t":"Nigerian Shell employees damaged pipelines for profit, Dutch TV reports (Reuters, via PGJ Online)","p":"PGJ Online","d":"2020-12","type":"press","u":"https://www.pgjonline.com/news/2020/12-december/nigerian-shell-employees-damaged-pipelines-for-profit-dutch-tv","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260607174220/https://www.pgjonline.com/news/2020/12-december/nigerian-shell-employees-damaged-pipelines-for-profit-dutch-tv"},{"t":"Shell completes sale of SPDC","p":"Shell","d":"2025-03-13","type":"company","u":"https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/newsroom/news-and-media-releases/2025/shell-completes-sale-of-spdc/spdc-sale.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260811115303/https://www.shell.com/news-and-insights/newsroom/news-and-media-releases/2025/shell-completes-sale-of-spdc/spdc-sale.html"},{"t":"Nigeria moves to restart oil production, including in Ogoni (AP, via Yahoo)","p":"Associated Press via Yahoo","d":"2025-02-03","type":"press","u":"https://www.yahoo.com/news/nigeria-moves-restart-oil-production-162644876.html","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250328172209/https://www.yahoo.com/news/nigeria-moves-restart-oil-production-162644876.html"},{"t":"Is Shell's exit from Nigeria a front to dodge legal responsibilities? (openDemocracy, via Resilience)","p":"openDemocracy via Resilience","d":"2024-07-15","type":"investigative","u":"https://www.resilience.org/stories/2024-07-15/is-shells-exit-from-nigeria-a-front-to-dodge-legal-responsibilities/"},{"t":"Nigeria: Bad information: Oil spill investigations in the Niger Delta (AFR 44/028/2013)","p":"Amnesty International (with CEHRD)","d":"2013-11","u":"https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/AFR44/028/2013/en/","type":"ngo"},{"t":"Endless oil spills blacken Ogoniland's prospects","p":"ISS Today (Institute for Security Studies)","d":"2022-03-24","u":"https://issafrica.org/iss-today/endless-oil-spills-blacken-ogonilands-prospects","type":"academic"},{"t":"Big bucks drive oil pipe sabotage in Niger Delta (reporting on the Stakeholder Democracy Network report)","p":"Mail & Guardian","d":"2015-11-12","u":"https://mg.co.za/article/2015-11-12-big-bucks-drive-oil-pipe-sabotage-in-niger-delta","type":"press"}],"episodes":[],"related":["ken-saro-wiwa-and-the-ogoni-nine-wiwa-v-shell","shell-nigeria-pipeline-spill-ruling","niger-delta-oil-spills-and-sabotage-attribution"],"natureLead":{"t":"In 2011 UNEP measured benzene in my Ogoniland well water at more than 900 times the WHO guideline value, with refined oil about 8 cm thick on the groundwater.","src":[0]},"gaps":[{"type":"unmeasured","area":"Nature","text":"Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Was the clean-up delayed, and were its contractors qualified?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"What causes the oil spills, and does the attribution affect compensation?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Accounts","text":"Did SPDC employees cause pipeline damage that then generated clean-up work?","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Court","text":"London case by about 13,000 farmers and fishermen: outcome not on record.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Restoration spending: Appears in an evidence row for a 2020 report without the report being named.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Sites cleaned hyprep: HYPREP's own statement after 15 years, reported by Guardian Nigeria; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Spdc sale value: Figure listed against the AP report of February 2025; the cited sources do not label it as the sale price.","pub":true},{"type":"unclear","area":"Record","text":"Whether the statement that HYPREP had cleaned 30 of 65 sites after 15 years (reported by Guardian Nigeria, 2026) is accurate: it is the agency's own figure, not independently verified, and no independent audit of HYPREP's figures is stated in the cited sources.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that UNEP stated in 2019 that HYPREP was not designed for the task (HumAngle).","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that Shell financed part of the UNEP assessment.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"Reported in a secondary report only: an AllAfrica report of May 2026 that the Ogoni fund is running out.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"How much of the pledged fund was paid and spent: the sources give pledges (US$900 million from the SPDC joint venture; a first instalment of US$180 million). A figure of about US$30 million spent by 2020 appears without a named report.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The first instalment is given as US$180 million in the text and US$200 million in the headline of the same BusinessDay article.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The forum, claimants' community and status of the London case by 13,000 farmers and fishermen are not given in the sources.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Zembla allegation about SPDC employees is unproven.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The environmental conditions attached to the sale of SPDC are not clear in the sources, and a restart of Ogoni production under discussion by the government is not confirmed.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"No data on personal criminal penalties arising from the spills.","pub":true}],"todo":["Six questions — Who lost? No party named in the record.","Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Voices — Government and regulators: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]},{"id":"northern-cod-collapse","title":"Northern cod collapse, reopening and Little Bay Islands (Newfoundland)","dek":"Canada stopped the northern cod fishery on 2 July 1992 and reopened it commercially in 2024 after a stock-model update; the quota was raised in 2025. In between, the Newfoundland village of Little Bay Islands emptied and closed under a provincial resettlement programme.","country":"Canada","region":"North America","lat":49.6,"lon":-55.8,"approxCoords":true,"places":[{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Newfoundland and Labrador","role":"event"},{"country":"Canada","iso2":"CA","admin":"Little Bay Islands, Notre Dame Bay","role":"affected"}],"start":1992,"end":2025,"instrument":"fishing-ban","types":["fishing-ban"],"headline":{"label":"Northern cod: allowed catch, 2024 and 2025","value":"18,000 t, then 38,000 t","note":"Total allowable catch set by Fisheries and Oceans Canada; the 2023 stock was about 12% of the 1960s biomass (The Narwhal / The Conversation)."},"happened":["Canada stopped the northern cod fishery on 2 July 1992. The ban lasted until 2024. In Newfoundland and Labrador the catch shifted to shellfish: in 1990 cod accounted for CAD 134 million of CAD 277 million in landed value; in 2002 crab accounted for CAD 229 million, shrimp CAD 172 million and groundfish CAD 62 million (Heritage NL).","Little Bay Islands, a fishing village in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, had once had about 600 people, 11 shops, three churches, a school and a doctor; The Globe and Mail reported in 2017 that 38 people remained, most of them elderly. The fish-processing plant had closed in 2011. The cited sources date the community's decline to the 1992 ban.","Under the provincial resettlement policy, the province paid CAD 250,000 to 270,000 per household if the required share of residents agreed, and services such as electricity, school and health care were withdrawn after a community moved. The threshold was 90% under the 2016 policy and 75% under the 2021 policy. A vote in 2015 reached 89.47%, just under the 90% threshold; a later vote passed and the village was formally closed at the end of 2019. The province had calculated that relocating Little Bay Islands would save about CAD 3.8 million over 20 years.","In October 2023 the stock assessment was updated. According to Oceans North, the model was extended back to the 1950s and a capelin index was added; the stock was judged to be outside the critical zone, with a 29% probability of being in it, and the estimate of total stock was similar to before. The Narwhal / The Conversation reported that the stock was about 12% of its 1960s biomass in 2023. The commercial fishery reopened in 2024 with a quota of 18,000 tonnes. Global Seafood Alliance cited a 62–76% risk of the stock declining over 2024–2027. In June 2025 Fisheries and Oceans Canada raised the total allowable catch to 38,000 tonnes; the value of the 2024 catch was about CAD 37.5 million.","Oceans North recommended 15,300 tonnes for 2025, and the Canadian Press reported that scientists questioned Ottawa more than doubling the catch."],"timeline":[{"y":1990,"t":"Cod accounts for CAD 134 million of CAD 277 million in Newfoundland and Labrador landed value (Heritage NL)"},{"y":1992,"t":"2 July: Canada stops the northern cod fishery"},{"y":2011,"t":"Fish-processing plant in Little Bay Islands closes"},{"y":2015,"t":"Resettlement vote in Little Bay Islands reaches 89.47% against a 90% threshold"},{"y":2016,"t":"Provincial policy keeps a 90% threshold and sets 10-, 15- or 20-year cost-benefit tests"},{"y":2017,"t":"The Globe and Mail reports 38 residents remaining, from about 600 in earlier years"},{"y":2019,"t":"Little Bay Islands is formally closed (end of year)"},{"y":2021,"t":"Provincial policy lowers the threshold to 75% and fixes a 20-year calculation"},{"y":2023,"t":"October: updated stock model; stock judged outside the critical zone"},{"y":2024,"t":"June: commercial northern cod fishery reopens with an 18,000-tonne quota"},{"y":2025,"t":"18 June: Fisheries and Oceans Canada raises the total allowable catch to 38,000 tonnes"}],"said":[],"shown":[{"t":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada announced a rise in the northern cod total allowable catch from 18,000 to 38,000 tonnes; the release headline calls it a sustainable increase.","who":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","src":3},{"t":"The province describes resettlement as a programme in which communities request relocation and receive a payment per household.","who":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","src":9},{"t":"The stock was placed outside the critical zone after the 2023 model update.","who":"Canadian fisheries authorities, as described by Oceans North","src":1}],"recorded":[{"t":"The 2023 northern cod stock was about 12% of the 1960s biomass.","src":2},{"t":"The 2023 update extended the model back to the 1950s and added a capelin index; Oceans North reported that the stock was then outside the critical zone, with a 29% probability of being in it, while the total stock estimate stayed similar.","src":1},{"t":"The 2024 quota was 18,000 tonnes and the 2025 total allowable catch is 38,000 tonnes; the 2024 catch was valued at about CAD 37.5 million.","src":3},{"t":"The province's current payment is CAD 250,000, 260,000 or 270,000 per household depending on its size; an adult permanent resident without property receives CAD 10,000; seasonal-home owners receive nothing.","src":9},{"t":"The province calculated a saving of about CAD 3.8 million over 20 years from relocating Little Bay Islands.","src":5},{"t":"Global Seafood Alliance cited a 62–76% risk of the stock declining over 2024–2027.","src":0},{"t":"Oceans North recommended 15,300 tonnes for 2025.","src":4},{"t":"In 1990 cod accounted for CAD 134 million of CAD 277 million in Newfoundland and Labrador landed value; in 2002 crab accounted for CAD 229 million, shrimp CAD 172 million and groundfish CAD 62 million.","src":11}],"ledger":{"currency":"CAD","window":null,"nature":[],"natureTotal":null,"other":[],"otherTotal":null,"ratio":null,"sales":null},"natureSaw":{"outcomes":[{"k":"Stock in 2023","v":"about 12%","d":"Of the 1960s biomass (The Narwhal)"},{"k":"Allowed catch","v":"18,000 t, then 38,000 t","d":"2024 quota, then June 2025 total allowable catch"},{"k":"Stock definition","v":"Model changed","d":"October 2023 update judged the stock outside the critical zone (Oceans North)"},{"k":"Decline risk 2024–2027","v":"62–76%","d":"As cited by Global Seafood Alliance"}]},"unknown":["Unconfirmed: about 30,000 jobs were lost in Newfoundland and Labrador after the 1992 ban, and the provincial population fell by about 10% in the first decade.","Unconfirmed: Fisheries and Oceans Canada had sought 13,000 tonnes for 2024; political advisers described the higher quota as a political win for Newfoundland.","Unconfirmed: a former Fisheries and Oceans Canada modeller said he saw no evidence that the 38,000-tonne quota was sustainable.","Unconfirmed: capelin, the cod's main prey, remained at about 9% of its pre-collapse level.","The Global Seafood Alliance report cited a 62-76% risk of the stock declining over 2024-2027; the cited sources do not say who made the calculation.","The cited sources do not say whether the province's 20-year saving calculation discounts future costs to present value.","Unconfirmed: that the commercial fishery opened on 26 June 2024, and that 55 residents remained in Little Bay Islands before the closure.","Unconfirmed (attributed to The Canadian Encyclopedia): warnings on northern cod in 1985–86, a scientists' recommendation of a 50% quota cut in 1989 that was not applied, and a stock at about 1% of its peak by 1992.","The cited sources do not say who bore the total cost of the 1992 closure."],"evidence":["displacement","no-eval"],"harmStopped":"The fishery was stopped in 1992 and reopened in 2024; the cited sources record the stock at about 12% of the 1960s biomass in 2023.","whoPaid":"Residents of Little Bay Islands, who left under the resettlement programme; the province paid CAD 250,000 to 270,000 per household under its policy.","statusLine":"As of June 2025: northern cod fishery reopened in 2024 with a 38,000-tonne total allowable catch, which scientists questioned; Little Bay Islands formally closed at the end of 2019.","updated":"2026-10-10","responses":[{"actor":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","says":"Announced a rise in the total allowable catch from 18,000 to 38,000 tonnes (release headline: sustainable increase).","when":"2025-06-18","src":3},{"actor":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","says":"Published the resettlement payments and thresholds; calculated about CAD 3.8 million in savings over 20 years for Little Bay Islands.","when":"2017","src":5}],"actors":[{"id":"dfo-canada","role":"Sets the northern cod total allowable catch"},{"id":"nl-government","role":"Runs the community resettlement programme"},{"id":"oceans-north","role":"NGO that commented on the stock model and quota"}],"disputes":[{"point":"Has northern cod recovered enough to reopen the fishery?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"government","holder":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","says":"Set a 18,000-tonne quota in 2024 and a 38,000-tonne total allowable catch in June 2025.","src":3},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oceans North","says":"Said the updated model changed how the stock is classified; the total stock estimate stayed similar; the stock sat outside the critical zone with a 29% probability of being in it.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"Canadian Press (via Barchart)","says":"Reported that scientists questioned Ottawa more than doubling the cod catch.","src":4},{"voice":"research","holder":"The Narwhal / The Conversation","says":"The 2023 stock was about 12% of the 1960s biomass.","src":2},{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oceans North","says":"Recommended 15,300 tonnes for 2025.","src":4}]},{"point":"Did the 2023 model update change the estimate of the stock or the threshold for its status?","aboutNature":true,"positions":[{"voice":"civil","holder":"Oceans North","says":"The model was extended to the 1950s and a capelin index was added; the stock was placed outside the critical zone (29% probability of being in it); the estimate of total stock was similar.","src":1},{"voice":"press","holder":"The Narwhal / The Conversation","says":"The stock was about 12% of its 1960s biomass in 2023.","src":2}]}],"legal":[],"insurance":[],"metrics":[{"key":"stock_vs_1960s_biomass_pct","value":12,"unit":"%","year":2023,"qualifier":"about","note":"Northern cod stock relative to 1960s biomass (The Narwhal)."},{"key":"quota_tonnes","value":18000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2024,"note":"Commercial quota at the 2024 reopening."},{"key":"quota_tonnes","value":38000,"unit":"tonnes","year":2025,"note":"Total allowable catch announced 18 June 2025."},{"key":"catch_value","value":37.5,"unit":"CAD m","year":2024,"qualifier":"about","note":"Value of the 2024 catch per DFO."},{"key":"population","value":38,"unit":"people","year":2017,"note":"Residents remaining in Little Bay Islands; the community once had about 600."},{"key":"compensation_paid","value":270000,"unit":"CAD per household","year":2021,"qualifier":"up to","note":"Provincial payment per household was 250,000, 260,000 or 270,000 by household size."},{"key":"projected_saving","value":3.8,"unit":"CAD m","year":2017,"qualifier":"about","note":"Provincial 20-year saving estimate for relocating Little Bay Islands."},{"key":"decline_risk_pct","value":"62–76","unit":"%","year":2024,"note":"Risk of decline over 2024–2027, as cited by Global Seafood Alliance; the cited sources do not say who made the calculation."},{"key":"jobs_lost","value":30000,"unit":"jobs","year":1992,"qualifier":"about","unverified":true,"note":"Reported; not independently verified."}],"w5":{"what":{"t":"Closure of the northern cod fishery in 1992, its reopening in 2024, and the closure of the village of Little Bay Islands through a provincial resettlement programme.","src":0},"who":{"gained":[{"who":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","what":"Calculated about CAD 3.8 million in savings over 20 years from relocating Little Bay Islands.","src":5},{"who":"Fishing sector in Newfoundland and Labrador","what":"Access to a commercial northern cod fishery again from June 2024.","src":0}],"lost":[{"who":"Residents of Little Bay Islands","what":"The village fell from about 600 people to 38 by 2017 and closed at the end of 2019.","src":5},{"who":"Fishing communities in Newfoundland and Labrador","what":"The fishery was closed from 1992 to 2024; cod accounted for CAD 134 million of CAD 277 million in landed value in 1990.","src":11}],"harmed":[{"who":"Northern cod","what":"The 2023 stock was about 12% of the 1960s biomass.","src":2}]},"where":{"t":"Northern cod stock off Newfoundland and Labrador (Grand Banks); Little Bay Islands, Notre Dame Bay.","src":5},"when":{"t":"1992 ban to 2024 reopening; village closed at the end of 2019.","src":0},"why":{"t":"The cited sources do not state the provincial government's reasons beyond the 20-year saving calculation.","src":null},"how":{"t":"Through a federal fishing ban, then a provincial policy paying per-household amounts when a set share of residents voted to move; the reopening followed the October 2023 stock-model update.","src":9}},"sources":[{"t":"Canada lifts 30-year cod fishing ban off Newfoundland and Labrador to mixed reactions","p":"Global Seafood Alliance","d":"2024-07-08","type":"press","u":"https://www.globalseafood.org/advocate/canada-lifts-30-year-cod-fishing-ban-off-newfoundland-and-labrador-to-mixed-reactions/"},{"t":"New science for depleted northern cod stock highlights importance of evidence-based management","p":"Oceans North","d":"2023-10-25","type":"ngo","u":"https://oceansnorth.org/2023/10/25/new-science-for-depleted-northern-cod-stock-highlights-importance-of-evidence-based-management-oceans-north-says/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260609112912/https://oceansnorth.org/2023/10/25/new-science-for-depleted-northern-cod-stock-highlights-importance-of-evidence-based-management-oceans-north-says/"},{"t":"Newfoundland northern cod moratorium ended (The Narwhal / The Conversation)","p":"The Narwhal","d":"2024-07-23","type":"press","u":"https://thenarwhal.ca/newfoundland-northern-cod-moratorium-ended/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901203929/https://thenarwhal.ca/newfoundland-northern-cod-moratorium-ended/"},{"t":"Canada announces a sustainable increase in northern cod TAC","p":"Fisheries and Oceans Canada","d":"2025-06-18","type":"official","u":"https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2025/06/contributing-to-a-stronger-economy-for-newfoundland-and-labrador-canada-announces-a-sustainable-increase-in-northern-cod-tac.html"},{"t":"Scientists question Ottawa more than doubling cod catch in Newfoundland and Labrador (Canadian Press, via Barchart)","p":"Barchart (Canadian Press)","d":"2025","type":"press","u":"https://www.barchart.com/story/news/32963144/scientists-question-ottawa-more-than-doubling-cod-catch-in-newfoundland-and-labrador"},{"t":"Newfoundland outports relocation","p":"The Globe and Mail (L. Jones)","d":"2017-09-15","type":"press","u":"https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/newfoundland-outports-relocation/article36275746/"},{"t":"Town closure: turn out the lights, lock the doors","p":"Radio Canada International","d":"2019-12-16","type":"press","u":"https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2019/12/16/town-closure-turn-out-the-lights-lock-the-doors-newfoundland-outport-town-closes-down","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20230326171855/https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2019/12/16/town-closure-turn-out-the-lights-lock-the-doors-newfoundland-outport-town-closes-down/"},{"t":"Community relocation policy news release","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":"2016-11-29","type":"official","u":"https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2016/ma/1129n09.aspx","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260131112943/https://www.releases.gov.nl.ca/releases/2016/ma/1129n09.aspx"},{"t":"Community relocation policy news release","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":"2021-10-27","type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.nl.ca/releases/2021/mpa/1027n04/"},{"t":"Community relocation: frequently asked questions","p":"Government of Newfoundland and Labrador","d":null,"type":"official","u":"https://www.gov.nl.ca/mpa/faq/faq-relocation/","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250802215106/https://www.gov.nl.ca/mpa/faq/faq-relocation/"},{"t":"Cod Moratorium of 1992","p":"The Canadian Encyclopedia","d":null,"type":"academic","u":"https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cod-moratorium-of-1992","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20250508164133/https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cod-moratorium-of-1992"},{"t":"Post-moratorium fisheries","p":"Heritage NL","d":null,"type":"press","u":"https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/economy/post-moratorium-fisheries.php","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20251116220323/https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/economy/post-moratorium-fisheries.php"},{"t":"The federal government has lifted the moratorium on northern cod fishing after 32 years","p":"The Conversation","d":"2024","type":"academic","u":"https://theconversation.com/the-federal-government-has-lifted-the-moratorium-on-northern-cod-fishing-after-32-years-233522","a":"https://web.archive.org/web/20260901203930/https://theconversation.com/the-federal-government-has-lifted-the-moratorium-on-northern-cod-fishing-after-32-years-233522"}],"episodes":[],"natureHarm":{"answer":"recorded","basis":"Recorded as a stock level in the cited source.","report":[{"t":"In 2023 my stock stood at about 12% of its 1960s biomass.","src":2}]},"related":["newfoundland-and-labrador-community-resettlement-programmes","little-bay-islands-village-closure"],"gaps":[{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Has northern cod recovered enough to reopen the fishery?","pub":true},{"type":"disputed","area":"Nature","text":"Did the 2023 model update change the estimate of the stock or the threshold for its status?","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Figures","text":"Jobs lost: Reported; not independently verified.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: about 30,000 jobs were lost in Newfoundland and Labrador after the 1992 ban, and the provincial population fell by about 10% in the first decade.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: Fisheries and Oceans Canada had sought 13,000 tonnes for 2024; political advisers described the higher quota as a political win for Newfoundland.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: a former Fisheries and Oceans Canada modeller said he saw no evidence that the 38,000-tonne quota was sustainable.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: capelin, the cod's main prey, remained at about 9% of its pre-collapse level.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The Global Seafood Alliance report cited a 62-76% risk of the stock declining over 2024-2027; the cited sources do not say who made the calculation.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say whether the province's 20-year saving calculation discounts future costs to present value.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed: that the commercial fishery opened on 26 June 2024, and that 55 residents remained in Little Bay Islands before the closure.","pub":true},{"type":"insufficient","area":"Record","text":"Unconfirmed (attributed to The Canadian Encyclopedia): warnings on northern cod in 1985–86, a scientists' recommendation of a 50% quota cut in 1989 that was not applied, and a stock at about 1% of its peak by 1992.","pub":true},{"type":"none","area":"Record","text":"The cited sources do not say who bore the total cost of the 1992 closure.","pub":true}],"todo":["Money — Money that reached nature or the ground: no total on record.","Court — No court case on record.","Voices — Company or project: no source from this side on record.","Voices — Courts: no source from this side on record.","No source link — Six questions: why"]}]}